The Prodigy

Operation Raven
File: 30
Time Dedicated: 3y 5m 4d
Name: Luz (Last name unavailable)
Age: 22
City: Detrot
Info: Lack of data from town records. A hunch from a senior field agent led us to this pony. Her physical attributes and personality lead us to believe she may be involved. Her personal life consists of gang related activities. Currently she is unemployed. Her gang regards her highly, although there is suspicion of treason on her part. Inside operative tells us she is second in command of the gang.

Suspicion Level: 4

(Current day)

“Mom, I’m going out,” Luz said, grabbing her bag.

“Don’t be out too late, you’ve been getting less sleep than usual,” Her mother said.

“I won’t. Is there anything you need?” Luz asked, grabbing a collar from the counter.

“No, your aunt’s coming over. I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me,” Her mother said.

“Okay, then. Tell her I said hello,” Luz said.

Luz pushed open the door. She whistled back inside and waited. Soon enough, a grey and white dog came running. She came to a stop under Luz and sat down. Luz but the collar on, but left the leash on the table.

“Good girl, now let’s go for a walk,” Luz said.

The dog barked her reply and followed Luz outside. Luz closed the door behind her and looked to the city below. Her face shifted into a grimace as the darkness of the slums showed in front of her. Lowering her head, she walked to the crumbling and almost nonexistent sidewalk. The dog followed, knowing this path like the back of her head.

Whistling, Luz passed by buildings and houses that were getting harder to look at. She heard small conversations and fire crackling somewhere in the distance. Her breathing lessened when she passed by another pony. They didn’t look in each other’s directions, and even the dog pretended not to notice the other pony.

Luz stepped to the side before he could bump into her side. She pretended to not notice him pull his hoof back and continue walking. She kept her eyes focused on where she was going. She didn’t have time to deal with ponies like that.

“Almost there,” Luz said to her dog.

Luz quickly stepped into an alleyway, and pushed herself closer to the wall. Her dog followed suit, and she waited for a second. When she made sure that she wasn’t followed, she continued down the alley. Luz noticed the broken bottles and dirty boxes were nowhere to be seen. A scowl showed on her face. She walked to the end of the path that leaded to a door. When she took one last look behind her, she kicked the door open.

“Who the hell cleaned this place up?” Luz asked the wide eyed ponies inside the small spaced room.

“It was Stave’s idea,” A voice said behind Luz.

Luz turned around to the pony standing behind her. The handkerchief covering his mouth muffled his words, but she heard him. The scar above his eye crossed through most of his forehead. The look in his eyes the same as ever. The color of his coat was green. The blue and yellow mane was shortened, but still noticeable. It was the second to last person she wanted to see.

“Look, Psych. I don’t have anything against you, so why do you always do this?” Luz asked.

“Stave said that you might be coming. He also said he didn’t want any more incidents too,” Psych said.

“It was one time; I’m not going to let them tail me again. Honestly, it’s like you’re waiting for me to mess up,” Luz said.

“If you’re here to yell at Stave, he’s in the pub,” Psych said.

“That’s not why I came, but now I think I’ll have to take you up on that,” Luz said.

Luz nodded as Psych walked back through the alley and back to the streets. She closed the door and returned to the ponies inside. Without waiting for approval, she walked up to the other door in the room. Before she could try and knock down the steel edged and barred door, the other ponies took the key out and opened it.

Luz pushed past the crowd of ponies and walked up to the stage. Her expression filled with rage and she showed no mercy to the few ponies who didn’t see her coming. The room fell silent as Luz stood facing Stave who was still at the podium.

“Just what the fuck were you thinking?” Luz asked Stave.

“Calm down sweetie, I was in the middle of my announcement. Could you care to come back later,” Stave said trying to stay professional.

“Don’t call me sweetie, I thought you trusted me?” Luz asked.

“I do, what would make you think otherwise?” Stave asked.

“You sent Psych to follow me again, that’s not trust,” Luz said.

“Well we had to make sure you weren’t followed, your history of that isn’t exactly very good,” Stave said.

“That’s a lack of trust. And I saw what you did to the alleyway. You’re blaming me for the other gangs knowing where our hideout is?” Luz asked.

“The mission our ‘group’ is to make this town a better place to live in,” Stave said.

“Since when? It was just us when you had this idea. You said it yourself that we need to stick together. I let you add in members, but I never agreed to help an entire community ,” Luz said.

“This will help us more than you know. If the town was a better place, we could start working on getting better living for everyone; that includes your mother. We were about to discuss this further in the meeting tomorrow,” Stave said.

“Fuck your meetings, you never take my opinion into consideration when you decide. This isn’t about you, it’s about us,” Luz said.

“Look, let’s discuss this later. The new recruits are getting scared,” Stave said.

Luz looked towards the audience where he was pointing. She spotted the new recruits. They looked like they should be in school, and one of them was too small for his uniform. The uniform consisted of a blank mask with designs, usually washable paint. With a black cape that was draped over their back to help them blend in with the others.

“We’re letting kids join now? This isn’t a daycare, and like hell we’re letting them into our field of work,” Luz said.

“It was either us, or one of the other gangs. They didn’t have a choice, and I couldn’t leave them to join one of the more ruthless gangs ,” Stave said.

“If I didn’t have a job to do, I’d give you hell. I might blow off some steam on the dealers, but I wouldn’t count on it,” Luz said.

Luz walked to the back of the stage where she opened a door. Stave was getting back to his announcement, but the mind of the audience was somewhere else. Luz didn’t listen to what he was saying, and droned him out as she grabbed her gear. When Luz felt a paw on her leg, she remembered that she’d brought the dog along too.

“It’s alright, I’m not mad at daddy. He just didn’t think things through this time. Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll work it out later,” Luz said.

The dog barked, and ran off to the corner of the room where Luz kept her food bowl. The dog helped herself to the array of small meats and dog bits. Luz turned back to the equipment she was getting. Her uniform hung on the wall in front of her. The red and orange striped mask was above the black cloak. She placed the cape on first, and then the mask. Something she had always done. There was a knock on the door opposite where she had come in.

“I’m not ready yet, give me a second Kurtz,” Luz said.

“Hurry up, the dealers won’t wait forever,” Kurtz said from the other side.

Luz made sure she had her compass and town map in her bags. The flare was attached to her side, and the emergency combat knife was slid in a hidden sheath next to it. She tied the mask onto her face and pulled her scarlet hair to the side of the mask. She examined herself in the mirror.

Luz almost couldn’t recognize herself. The cape hid the scars and burn marks in her coat. Her face was hidden from the mask, and you could barely see the dark blue coat underneath the cape and mask. Her scarlet eyes looked back at her from the mirror. It was like she was different from before. It always gave her a good feeling inside when she had the uniform on.

“Hey, you done yet?” Kurtz asked.

“You stay here,” Luz said to her dog, who nodded.

“Damn you’re impatient,” Luz said opening the door and stepping through.

“I swear, mares take the longest time to get ready,” Kurtz said.

“Let’s just go. This is supposed to be an important deal, right?” Luz asked.

“Yup, Stave’s orders,” Kurtz said.

“So brief me then, what are we dealing?” Luz asked.

“We’re not dealing,” Kurtz said.

“So, what? Are we smuggling now?” Luz asked.

“More like stealing,” Kurtz said.

“And I thought Stave wanted a more community approach…“ Luz said.

“We’re stealing from the Vipers. Stave wanted some of their medical supplies to give away,” Kurtz said.

“Great, so why did he want me to come? I haven’t dealt with them before,” Luz said.

“Exactly, they haven’t seen us before, so if we get caught, we ditch the costumes and pretend to be from the Khans ,” Kurtz said.

“Makes sense, but we won’t get caught. Viper doesn’t keep surveillance on their medical hideouts. It should make for a n easy raid,” Luz said.

“That’s true, but Stave’s looking for a different type of medicine… He wants the cures . If we get our hooves on those, the townspeople can stop getting sick,” Kurtz said.

“But those are…” Luz started.

“Yup, the main base. We’re going to The Viper’s Nest,” Kurtz said.

“But that’s heavily guarded and all the way across town. Does he know how long it could take?” Luz asked.

“All night if we’re cautious, but he said he chose you to help shorten the time,” Kurtz said.

“If he plans to start a war, who we are won’t matter to them,” Luz said.

“It’s a last resort, so don’t go buck wild until we have the medicine,” Kurtz said.

“I know, priorities first. Like figuring out how we’ll get in,” Luz said.

“Leave that to me…” Kurtz said.

“How much longer?” Luz asked Kurtz.

“I almost got it. Maybe if you didn’t drop this in the street water we’d be inside by now,” Kurtz said.

“Well if you’d shut up, maybe you can get your grip,” Luz said.

Kurtz pushed the small metal rod farther into the keyhole. He heard a click that meant the tumbler on the lock was undone. Kurtz pulled the metal rods out and dropped them from his mouth. They landed with a thud on the concrete floor.

“Oops,” Kurtz said, hearing the echo it made.

“Just open it,” Luz said.

Kurtz pushed the door open slowly. He made sure it wouldn’t creak before opening it the rest of the way. He walked through and pushed the door shut behind Luz. They snuck up a flight of stairs and hid behind a door. There were voices in every hallway they passed. Luz was starting to wonder if they could pull this off.

A Viper walked pas t the hiding spot they were in. His whistling grew softer as he descended down the stairs. They nodded to each other and went through the door the Viper came from. Luz took lead down the empty hallway. She walked and watched for another Viper. Before she knew it, her eyes passed their main medical room.

Luz noticed the door to the room was glass and locked. Luz punched at the glass and it broke easily enough. She used the hole to unlock it from inside. When she entered, she noticed there were no guards on the inside. Kurtz ran to the list of stock. He crossed off some of the items and filled his bag. Luz followed suit, but she checked on the doorway often.

When Luz finished, she put the bags back on. Klutz was finished too, and he was keeping watch. Luz raised an eyebrow and he nodded. She went back to the glass door and opened it. She looked down the hall before moving her hoof to gesture him over. When she brought her hoo f up, she heard a beep. Immediately, she stopped. Luz turned her head slowly to the ceiling.

Luz noticed the ceiling was a deep black color with grey lines lining the ceiling. Luz blinked. Those weren’t lines. She looked at the top of the doorway she was opening. Three lines were connected to the sides. Two of the lines were ripped, and the second was dangling above a sharp object jutting from the wall. Luz followed the first two lines, and they connected to the middle. The third line was on a red metal box on the other side of the room.

Luz heard another beep. She instantly recognized what it was. A makeshift detonation bomb with a timer attached. She must have activated it when she opened the door the third time. Now, she pulled the door open when she saw the timer had less than five minutes on it. She pulled Kurtz through and galloped down the hallway.

“Slow down, they’ll hear you,” Kurtz said.

“I think I’m the least of their worries,” Luz said.

Luz turned the corner and stopped in her tracks. There were three ponies in front of her with Viper uniforms on. The green cape and purple wig told her that much. She didn’t give the one in front a chance to react as she stretched her hoof to his face.

When the Viper hit the ground, the others pulled out their short swords. They trained their blades on Luz before charging forward. Luz sidestepped one and kicked him in the gut. She drove her hind hoof into the jaw of the other. Their weapons clang to the ground, and Luz tossed one to Kurtz.

“You know how to use this, right?” Luz asked.

“Yeah, but do you?” Kurtz asked.

“I’ll stick to what I do best,” Luz said.

“Well it sounds like they know we’re here, so let’s go,” Kurtz said.

Luz looked down the stairs, and she saw a group of Vipers coming up. Turning around, she broke into a sprint towards one of the other doorways. Kurtz followed behind, keeping a short distance in between them. Kurtz stopped her before she broke down another door.

“Wait, let’s ditch the outfits. Maybe we can blend in, say we’re new or something,” Kurtz said.

“We’d be more out of place without the uniforms, now get ready for a fight,” Luz said.

“Luz I don’t think that’s-“ Kurtz started.

Luz knocked open the doors, her strength growing as she could feel the time ticking by. She ran into the dim lit room, a gasp escaping someone nearby. She saw the lights suddenly brighten, and the entire room came into view. Her eyes landed on the pony sitting in the middle. He had a smug look on his face that made her want to gag.

Luz suddenly noticed the other ponies in the room. More importantly, she noticed the sheer amount of ponies watching her , lining the rows and some standing by the walls. The room felt a lot larger all of a sudden. The pony in the middle was slowly rising, his crooked smile getting bigger. He held his hoof up when the others in the room rose.

“My, my… what do we have here?” The pony asked.

“They’re from The Pact,” One of the observers stated.

“I can see that, but what interests me more, is what are they doing here?” The pony asked.

“Medicine,” Kurtz said.

“Ah I see, that’s something your little group always lacked. Looks like now that you’re growing you want to expand resources,” The pony said.

“This medicine needs to be shared,” Luz said growling.

“If you really want it that bad, maybe we should have you fight for it,” The pony said.

“I could take you down right now,” Luz said glaring at the pony.

“But what about your friend? Could you say he’d get out alive too?” The pony asked.

“He can handle himself…” Luz said, glancing at Kurtz.

“I have a proposition that you might be interested in,” The pony said.

“Why would I deal with you?” Luz asked.

“I never go back on my word, I am the most reliable stallion in this entire city, and I have the power of an entire ‘family’ behind me. A family I would not like to see hurt. I, not as a crueless leader , but as Splendid “Eagle” Hosting , ask you to hear me out,” Splendid said.

“Fine, what do you propose?” Luz asked.

“I will agree to let you leave with half of the medicine you stole… on one condition, you give my men the payback they’ve wanted since the Raid on Highferry. I’ll make sure you don’t die…Maybe another time,” Splendid said.

“Don’t accept, you don’t know that he’ll keep his promise,” Kurtz said.

“I accept, on an added condition… I want your promise you won’t hold a grudge against us for that anymore,” Luz said.

“Deal,” Splendid said.

“Kurtz… get out of here, tell Stave I’ll be late,” Luz said.

“We can always fight our way out, you don’t have to do this,” Kurtz said.

“I’ll live, don’t worry. It just might not end up pretty. It’s an even trade for what I did… three years ago,” Luz said.

“I’ll be waiting at the HQ, so will Stave,” Kurtz said.

“Remind me to explain that Raid, I never did tell anyone about that…” Luz said.

Kurtz nodded as the Viper guards opened a door on the other side of the room. Kurtz ran out of the doors, into the streets. He peered up at the cloudy sky above before looking down the streets. His hooves kicking up dirt immediately, he was headed straight for the HQ. He took one look at Luz inside, she was being chained down before the doors shut fully.

Luz felt the thick steel digging into her coat. Engravings were already being made into the surface. She felt her front hooves were unmovable, and her hind legs were chained to a chair. She was sat in an uncomfortable sitting position, where she would be at eye level with the ponies.

“Let’s start with the survivors of the Raid, how few there was…” Splendid said.

The ponies closest to the front stood up, most were scarred and had faint bruising around their eyes, and some were still bandaged. The youngest one walked up and was about five years younger than her. She reminded Luz of the kinds of kids Stave planned to bring into The Pact. She closed her eyes as the hoof came up to her face.

The size and strength of the hoof made no difference when you were hit in the nose. Luz tried to hold in her cry, but it escaped. She opened her eyes to the smile on the ponies’ face. Then the pony stepped aside and another took her spot. The rest got progressively older, and each one hurt more than the last. She could taste the blood coming from her nose when they were finished. Her eyes weren’t given mercy either as she had to keep them closed. The throbbing in her head didn’t help her hear what Splendid was saying.

“Next are the family of those lost from the Raid,” Splendid said.

Luz felt every blow. From her head down to her gut, she felt pain. It was the kind of pain that would normally make her pass out. She stayed conscious though, because eventually she’d need to get back to HQ. One hit to the jaw gave way to a bad memory. A memory that brought her here in the first place.

(Three years ago)
“Another Viper in the paper,” Stave said to Luz.

“What’s it for this time?” Luz asked.

“Says he turned in ten of the Khans, instead of taking them out,” Stave said.

“Why does that get him in the paper?” Luz asked.

“He’s trying to make a difference. Ever since he got busted on that drug run a few years back, he’s been cleaner. Last week it said that the police stopped thinking of him as a Gang Member. His whole gang is excused. I think it’s all bullshit,” Stave said.

“Does it say how many more deals he’s made since then? They’ve been trafficking nonstop the past week. Psych said he saw two deals in the same building,” Luz said.

“Well we have a deal with them tomorrow for some more stuff. It wouldn’t hurt if we asked for some kind of truce. We could get some Medicine for Psych’s parents I heard they’re not doing well ,” Stave said.

“I don’t want anything to do with them, they could rot in hell,” Luz said.

“What’s got you so touchy? They’ve been good to us so far,” Stave said.

“They’re living the high life with no trouble, and we’re stuck doing the small dangerous stuff. I think we should remind them that this town has more than one gang,” Luz said.

“Go tell that to Kurtz, I heard he’s got some relatives in their higher ups,” Stave said.

“Oh, I’ll go alright,” Luz said.

“He’s at the Cemetery out back, should be with Morty,” Stave said.

Luz didn’t answer as she walked to her section of the HQ. She put her uniform on as fast as she could, and left through a window. She made a dart for the Central HQ near the docks. She got there by nightfall. Her mind was still thinking how she would get her point across. One option said to scare them, another said to give them a night to remember.

Luz sat atop a crate at the loading docks, where she watched the activity below. She made her choice when she heard a cry of warning. She turned around to the Viper who had seen her. Luz jumped from the crate to a lower crate and made her way to the building. The word Highferry was written on the side of the building. Luz knocked in the building and ran in. Her eyes took in everything at once. She watched the gang members look in her direction before all hell broke loose.

Luz reacted first, getting into a defensive position. The ponies closest to her tried to ask her questions, but she knocked the one in front out with one blow. The ponies behind him started their advance. Luz felt her blood rush. The strands of hair on her face picked up the moisture she was producing from the amount she was concentrating.

Luz saw the first punch coming. A blue hoof whipped toward her. She managed to duck underneath and hit him in the gut with her head. She pulled back and kicked him in the legs. She fell back into a stance right when another punch came. Luz ducked underneath his punch and threw a punch to the pony behind.

When the pony reacted with his own hoof, she pulled back. Instead of going for a hit, she dodged and watched as the pony came into contact with the ally in front of him. Luz began a barrage of punches, and all of them landing on their target. What made this better for her was that she was the center of attention, so they crowded around.

Whenever Luz hit a pony back, he collided with the few behind him, which turned into a domino effect where she could slowly weaken them. When she felt her strength starting to fade, her strategy changed too. Luz felt something click in her mind. She took a deep breath before blocking a punch from a pony behind her. Luz grabbed the hoof and using her strength, she threw her back into the crowd.

Luz felt the rush of energy return, and she continued her massacre on the Vipers. The crowd lessened, and the marks on her coat increased. She was on her last legs of energy when she heard a voice behind her.

“Stop!” The voice said.

Everypony stopped their fighting and looked to the approaching stallion. His large bag over his shoulder was thrown into the middle of the crowd. Luz looked into the bag that was thrown. A large array of medicines and alcohol was thrown inside. Luz looked up to the approaching pony.

“Here, take this. Just leave my friends alone,” Splendid said in his younger voice.

Luz really wanted to reject it, but she knew that if she continued her body would fall from exhaustion. Luz nodded and without saying a word, picked up the bag. She backed up to the door and looked to Splendid.

“Go, Luz . But remember this, nothing in this world comes without payment,” Splendid said.

Luz turned and ran into the rain that had started. The sounds of the fallen gang members echoed in the warehouse. She didn’t care though, as she made her way back. Before she entered her HQ, she stopped and sat in the rain.

“He’s not a bad guy after all,” Luz said to herself.

Luz grabbed the supplies and walked in. Before any of the other ponies could notice she entered, she left the supplies and walked out. It was a week before she showed up again. Her body was almost recovered. She never told anypony what happened, but the Vipers knew who she was. They just never decided to retaliate, until three years later .

Luz could hear something. Her consciousness was slowly returning. And so was the pain. She clenched her teeth and raised her head. She opened her eyes to the pony talking. It was Splendid, and he wasn’t smiling.

“I think we’re done now. You’re free to go,” Splendid said.

Luz coughed blood out of her mouth before responding.

“Pleasure doing business with you,” Luz wheezed.

“You know, you were my favorite. I didn’t want to accept this deal, but my second in command convinced me. Tell Stave I’m keeping my promise and letting you live. I’ll deal with the consequences…. You should get going,” Splendid said.

Luz felt the chains around her hooves slack. She couldn’t catch herself as she landed on the floor. The marks from the chains were the same color as her hair. She managed to push herself from the floor and into a standing position. She swayed as the blood rushed back into her hooves. Keeping eye contact, she nodded to Splendid before walking towards the door Kurtz had left through.

“Before you go, would you like a fresh change of clothes? Yours have seen better days,” Splendid said.

Luz looked down to her own uniform which was now a small and battered rag hanging on her side. Her mask was missing other than two dangling shards attached to the small string. The blood soaked into all of it and made her look terrible. She slowly nodded and painfully detached the remnants of her uniform. Luz waited while Splendid came up with a fresh dark grey cloak. The lining on it was gold, and made her wonder where he got it.

Splendid pulled out a box and showed her the mask. Three lightning bolts on the top and bottom of the mask were connected by a line of electricity. The eye holes were oval and like the mask she wore before. It came with a small hole for her snout and a slit for her to talk clearly. Splendid held the mask up to her face, and without needing strings, it attached to her face.

“Pretty isn’t it? One of your gang members gave it to me this morning. I was wondering what I’d do with it. I would have probably burned it if you didn’t agree,” Splendid said.

Luz gave a small smile before turning back to the door.

“Where are you going now?” Splendid asked.

“Home,” Luz said, the smile disappearing.

“I shouldn’t be telling you this, but that’s a bad idea,” Splendid said.

“Why?” Luz asked stopping.

“You’re supposed to be dead right now. Stave’s waiting for my agent to tell him the news. I’m only telling you this for your own well being… don’t go back to Pact Territory. I’ll lie and say you died, as long as you don’t go back,” Splendid said.

“What?” Luz asked, unsure if she’d heard right.

“The reason you’re here and Kurtz isn’t, is because I had an agreement with Stave. Don’t think I could make a deal like that on my own,” Splendid said.

“So…” Luz didn’t know how to continue the statement.

“Stave sent you to die,” Splendid said.

“No… he… wouldn’t,” Luz forced out.

“If you don’t believe me, then go back. I’ll try to go to the funeral,” Splendid said.

“Fuck off,” Luz said, walking to the doorway again.

“I only wanted what’s best for the community, something Stave wanted too. Except Stave wanted to force change, I was trying to encourage it…” Splendid said.

“He’s not… like that,” Luz said making it to the doorway.

“Ponies change,” Splendid said.

Luz changed her slow walk into a painful trot. She tried to ignore Splendid’s words, but he wasn’t one to lie. She remembered what she thought of him three years ago when she left the warehouse. He really did want what’s best for everyone. He also said ponies change, and so could he. Luz didn’t know what to think anymore. She focused on her trot and kept her head up.

Luz could see the HQ now. The alleyway looked the same as when she left. Now Luz turned back into a walk and conserved her energy. She was still hurting, but the feeling of being close to a safe place helped her feel better. Luz watched as one of the gang members walked out of the alley. She was going to wave him over to help her, but he saw her and ran back in. She was on the other side of the alley now, and watched as they flooded from the alleyway. Almost half of the entire gang was on the streets. In front of the group was Psych and Stave.

“What do we have here?” Stave asked.

“Could any of you help? My body’s not like it was this morning,” Luz said.

“What happened?” Stave asked, although there was something about his voice Luz noticed.

“Didn’t Kurtz tell you?” Luz asked.

“Yeah, he told us everything. Now, what happened?” Stave asked.

“The Vipers got a hold of me,” Luz said.

“So why are you still here?” Stave asked, a cold glare appearing on his face.

“It… it was a deal. He said himself that I wouldn’t die, I’m pretty close though…” Luz said.

“If you want things done right, you have to do it yourself,” Stave said.

“What’s that supposed to mean…?” Luz asked, fearing the answer.

“Didn’t he tell you? I sent you to die. So why did you come back? Scum like you doesn’t deserve to live,” Stave said.

“Don’t I mean more to you?” Luz asked, feeling something inside break.

“Don’t think you’re something special, I stopped feeling like that a long time ago,” Stave said.

“I… I don’t understand,” Luz said.

“When you started the war with the Viper three years ago, you thought we didn’t know. Well I did… I knew that you’d be a pain in the ass until the end. I planned this for a long time, and then Splendid ruined it. Well, now I’m going to finish what Splendid didn’t,” Stave said.

“You’re crazy…” Luz said, backing up.

“No, I’m doing what’s right, for the good of the community,” Stave said walking towards her.

Luz didn’t have the strength to fight back, and she could see Stave coming will a malicious intent. She turned to run, but she caught sight of a grey and white blur run next to her. She heard the bark that dog let out, and turned towards Stave.

“Move, bitch… you do what I say. I raised you,” Stave said, trying to get the female dog to move.

“No… we raised her,” Luz said. “Remember? She was just a pup when we found her. Now she’s all grown up. Doesn’t that mean anything?” Luz asked.

“It means something alright, it means that there’s one more grave I need to dig. We’re living in a new age. This city is going to all new heights, and we’re cleaning it of filth like you,” Stave said.

Stave pulled his hoof back and punted the dog in the face. Luz watched in horror as she flew through the air and onto the cold street. Luz ran up to the dog, feeling for a pulse. She could tell it was unconscious, but she could tell it was still alive . Luz picked the dog up and put her partly in her bag. She didn’t stop to see what Stave would say.

Luz turned and sprinted back where she came. She could hear the sounds of her pursuers. Over 50 ponies were chasing her down. Normally she would have easily outrun them, but in her condition she could only deny the inevitable. Looking up, she saw the train station ahead. Luz used a burst of her energy to gain some distance from the Pact. She heard the whistle of the train blow, and the steel wheels began to turn.

Luz entered the station and took as many turns as she could to get to the train. She was stalling until she heard another whistle. She smiled, the train was picking up speed and was almost out of the station. Luz turned towards the train and took a leap of faith. She hit the side of the train, and grabbed onto the sides. She climbed to the top and fell through one of the flaps.

Before anypony inside could notice, Luz slipped into a window seat and looked out. Stave was the first to appear. He was looking at her through the window. Psych and the rest of the Pact came out next.

“If I see you in this town again, I’ll make sure you suffer,” Stave yelled to her.

Luz sank in her seat and watched as the train gained more speed and rocketed out of the station. She took off her mask while she thought about what to do next. The only thing she could think of was to move somewhere else. Luz brought out the dog from her bag.

“It’s okay Eve, you’re going to be alright,” Luz told her dog Eve.

Luz looked over her dog. There was a bloody mess of fur covering Eve’s head, and her legs weren’t moving. She moved the fur aside and looked at the wound underneath. Blood had stopped coming out, but it could easily be fatal . She wrapped her cloak around the dog’s wound and waited as the train continued its trip.

Luz looked down to the mask she had next to her. When she was about to put it back on, she noticed the two words on the inside forehead.
The Prodigy

Luz didn’t know what to make of it, so she simply put the mask back on. She felt like the deal wasn’t over, and there was something in this she was missing. If Stave wanted her to never come back, he’d have to learn that she didn’t work like that. But if what she heard was true, then was there any reason to come back? Everything she had was taken from her in one day. Everything except for Eve, and she would hold onto that as long as she could .

Luz felt Eve shaking. She pulled her in closer as the train’s brakes activated. She was already up and moving when the train was stopped. Her cloak was kept on Eve to close the wound, but she kept her mask on. Eve was put back in her bag for safe keeping. Luz pushed her way through the small crowd and onto the platform. It was then that she noticed how different this place actually was from Detrot.

Before she was brutally attacked, her coat had a layer of dirt and mud always on it. Now she was also caked in dried blood and scratched in every part of her torso. The ponies around her looked like they’d never had to do the things she did. They were full of color and looked cheerful. Luz was tempted to get back on the bus, but Eve needed treatment soon.

“Hey, anypony know a Vet?” Luz asked loudly to the crowd.

Most ponies looked her direction to help her, but the way she looked made them turn their heads back. Luz noticed this, and she approached a mare with orange hair and light yellow coat. Luz didn’t have time for being nice.

“You know somepony, don’t you? Tell me, my dog Eve needs treatment, now!” Luz demanded.

“Y-yes… Fluttershy takes care of animals. Why don’t you go see her…? She lives by the Everfree Forest, ask around and they’ll tell you how to get there,” The pony said, intimidated by Luz’s confrontation.

“Finally, some answers,” Luz said turning away.

Luz sprinted out of the station and into the clean air sky. She couldn’t resist breathing in the fresh fumes. No pollution or cloudy skies to ruin the day, and flowers everywhere she could see. Luz picked a direction and ran. Something told her that she’d notice where this Fluttershy would be. And that something was another pony down the street. The pony had a basket in her mouth, a butterfly decorated the basket.

“You, tell me how to get to Fluttershy’s house!” Luz demanded of the pony.

The pony shrieked from the sudden outburst, and cowered behind her pink mane. Luz took a step forward to ‘encourage’ her to answer. The pony tried to speak, but nothing came out other than a squeak.

“Tell me! My dog needs help!” Luz asked, feeling her face get softer.

“I-I… I am F-fluttershy…” Fluttershy said slowly.

“W-what? Well… could you help Eve? She’s not doing so well,” Luz asked.

Luz started to feel bad about yelling at this pony. She sounded gentle, and would supposedly help Eve. Luz could feel a motherly side come out of her.

“I… I could try. Can I see her?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yeah, but how about we do this somewhere less public… “ Luz said, realizing the commotion she’d made with Fluttershy. Some ponies in the streets were watching them.

“Okay, let’s go to my cottage. I can help you there,” Fluttershy said.

“Great lead the way… I’m sorry I yelled at you,” Luz said.

Fluttershy mumbled something before walking down a different road. Luz followed after, staying close behind. She didn’t know this place very well, but it already looked a lot more colorful than she liked.

Fluttershy led her to the wooden cottage. Luz entered and took out Eve from her bags. She undid the bandage and put the cloak off to the side. Blood was soaking through it. Sometime during these events, the blood began to flow again. Now Luz turned to Fluttershy for help.

“This looks pretty bad, but as long I treat her she’ll be okay. We don’t want the wound to get infected,” Fluttershy said.

“Thanks,” Luz said, feeling a relief flood through her.

“I need to concentrate, you don’t mind, do you? Fluttershy asked.

“I’ll be outside, I need some time to think,” Luz said.

Luz grabbed her cloak and walked through the door . She walked immediately to the river in front of Fluttershy’s house. She dipped the fabric in the water and watched as the blood separated itself from the cloak. Then she pulled out the cloak and examined it.

“This doesn’t feel right…” Luz observed.

Luz held the cloak into the air, and watched as it didn’t pick up a single breeze. When she tested it to check if it was still wet, it was completely dry. She decided to put it back on, and felt the smooth texture of the cloak. She looked into the water. Most of the blood had already washed away, but she couldn’t help feeling sad.

Luz didn’t know what to feel sad about. Nothing that she could think of would cheer her up. She was already alone and relying on other’s help. She didn’t have anywhere to go, and her only chance for happiness was resting with a complete stranger . Luz sat down at the edge of the river and laid her head on her hooves. She spent an hour looking into the water. Listening to the flow, she finally fell asleep when the rain started.

Luz rubbed her eyes. She hadn’t slept in a while, and it had started to take its toll on her. Luz picked herself off the grass and walked to the cottage. The rain had stopped and left moisture on the ground. Luz could tell the cloak was being dragged through it, but it wasn’t picking up any mud or water.

Luz opened the door and stepped inside. She was greeted by a bark that put a smile on her face. She looked over to Eve who was sitting on the couch. Luz quickly walked over and embraced her.

“You’re alright!” Luz said.

“Woof!” Eve answered.

“Give her three days to rest, and she’ll be fine,” Fluttershy said from behind her.

“I’ll do that, and… thanks again,” Luz said feeling gratitude to the new pony.

“It’s alright, I do this kind of stuff all the time,” Fluttershy said.

“If there’s anything I could do, just ask,” Luz said.

“Actually, I’ve been wondering… if you don’t mind that is… could you take off that mask?” Fluttershy asked looking away.

“Oh… I’m sorry is it uncomfortable to look at?” Luz asked.

“No, that’s not it . I just wanted to see how you look like,” Fluttershy said.

“Makes sense, I guess it’s hard to know who you’re talking to with this thing on,” Luz said.

Luz took her mask off, once again wondering how it could attach and reattach without using strings or unicorn magic. She let her face show, her hair instantly recognizing that the mask was off. Her hair moved to the front. Layers of dust covered her once bright colored face. She was trying her best to smile, but she didn’t want to force it.

Fluttershy nodded and smiled to her. “You must be new here ; do you know anypony in town?” Fluttershy asked.

“No, and I think I might have made a wrong impression looking for you,” Luz said remembering the stares.

“It’s okay, I could show you around. Do you plan on staying long?” Fluttershy asked.

“I wasn’t, but I guess I’ve got nowhere else to go. You seem nice enough,” Luz said.

“On the way , can you tell me about yourself? I mean, if you don’t mind,” Fluttershy said.

“I think it’d be best if we stayed away from my life, but I can tell you about my old town. It’s a lot different than this place…” Luz said.

Luz and Fluttershy left Eve in the cottage and walked back into town. Before leaving the house, Luz put the mask back on. It went with her cloak that she was reluctant to take off. It seemed really special all of a sudden, especially because it hid her blood and bruises. They passed by the station and then walked into town square. Luz finished telling Fluttershy about how she’d found Eve as a pup. She was about to talk about Stave, until she caught of something up ahead.

She stopped in her tracks as the cloaked and masked pony appeared in front of her. Her first thought was that The Pact had followed her. Then she realized the cloak was different than the uniform. It was the same as her cloak. She looked at the mask. The mask had a single eyehole with lines spiraling into the center without a single hole to breathe or talk through.

Luz heard a gasp from her left and turned to see. She looked at another pony with the same cloak but different mask. She could tell it was a mare, but then she looked to her right. To the right of her was a stallion, also with a cloak and mask . She took a step back and was ready to run, until she heard Fluttershy.

“I wonder what they’re doing here,” Fluttershy asked softly.

Author's Note

Woot, a little determination goes a long way. Maybe I should drink more coffee and sleep half as long more often? Wouldn’t that lead to insomnia…? Probably… but I’ll take my chances! Disclaimer: I agree with the Editor (Look below)

Editor Notes:

I don’t know anything about gang life so this may not be an accurate representation of what a gang life/environment is like so… yeah.
Next Time: The Third Mask, the Darkest Sun.