Just a Quiet Touch of Steel.

Chapter 2

Apples

Applejack sat down in the chair. She would be leaving soon. Her room in the hospital was bare. Her weapons all lay in a neat pile on the bed. Her short sword, her hidden blade, all of it. Her hands were white. She hated hospitals. Her fists were clenched up against her thighs. She just wanted to get with her mission and leave this damned place. She was having her condition checked, as every assassin was required to do before a mission. The head medic was to be coming in any moment to check her vitals one more time. Applejack hated waiting.

To pass the time, she strapped on her hidden blade, flexing her wrist back and forth, mesmerized by the blade's movements. Her effort was wasted, however, as the nurse walked in a moment later and closed the door behind her. “Miss Redheart.” Applejack greeted the woman.

“Applejack. You know the procedure, I don't need to tell you.” The woman removed a few items from a sterilized bag, and placed them on a steel table.

Applejack unclasped the hidden blade, letting it fall to the floor. Her tanned, calloused fingers were pale in the cold hospital light. She stood from the chair, walked to the bed, and began stripping down to her underclothing. She hated doing this. It felt an invasion of her privacy. But the nurse that was assigned to each assassin was relative to his or her gender. Redheart was the best of them.

Once free of her outer clothing, Applejack sat down. Her black lingerie made her feel totally exposed. She would rather be entirely naked. It was cold, as well, and she had to force herself to stop shivering. She looked down at her thigh, admiring her Cutie Mark, as she often did on such occasions. Redheart came over to her and strapped a band around her upper arm, which began to squeeze. After a few moments, the pressure vanished and Applejack flexed her arms. “Your blood pressure is normal.” Redheart said.

The nurse removed the strap, and then placed a stethoscope on either side of her head. She moved the metal plate and pressed it against Applejack's chest. It was ice cold. Her chest tingled.

“Slightly raised heartbeat, nothing out of the ordinary. How do you feel?”

“Jus' fine, ma'am. Ah'm ready to go.”

Redheart removed the stethoscope and stepped back. Her eyes glanced up and down Applejack's body, and then she nodded. “Get dressed. They want you in the briefing room. The last mission was a success.”

Redheart turned her back, picked up her things, and exited the room. The door clicked softly.

Applejack stood up. She was ready for this. But preparation was key.

She reached behind her and unclasped her bra. The black underclothing hit the ground. Applejack took a deep breath, the open air felt nice without something wrapped around her torso. But it could be worse. She turned to the bed and picked up a heavy, more covering type of underclothing. She slipped it on, clipping it on either side. She slid on her tight leggings, struggling into the flexible cloth, and then her black leather pants. Over the upper underclothing she put on a black shirt, and then a heavy black leather jacket. She was used to the weight, it was what she trained for. It had also helped that she had grown up on a farm, pulling more than her own weight since she was nine years old.

Over everything she was now wearing, she donned a light cloak, gray, lined with white silk. The symbol of the six Elements of Harmony was stitched into the back of the cloak. Applejack clipped on her belt, onto which she secured her sword and her dagger. She wrapped the straps on her hidden blade around her wrist, secured the clasp, and flexed her wrist, testing it. The blade slid out quickly and cleanly. Relaxing, the blade moved back.

Applejack threw on the hood, covering her orange hair, and she opened the door. She took a deep breath, feeling the heavy cloth stretch as her breasts pushed it outward. Blinking, she turned left and headed down the hall.

In the briefing room, several people stood waiting. Applejack leaned against a wall, keeping a steady breathing rate. When all the other assassins and instigators and investigators were yelling at each other about one thing or another, Applejack just sat quietly, and ignored everything unless she was directly spoken too.

The people in the room consisted of Rainbow Dash, who was dressed in a similar manner, Twilight Sparkle, who was wearing a light dress, Fluttershy, who was sitting in a chair studying a pile of papers, and several other persons involved with the current mission. Applejack looked up. Someone was missing.

Suddenly the door crashed open and another assassin walked in. She was covered in blood, her white cloak and heavy clothing stained red with the stuff. She had clearly had a hard night. She pulled out a folder of documents, and set them on the table. “What you requested, Twilight, Darling. Now, if you please, I must relieve myself of this awfully dirty outfit.” The woman removed the brooch and cast off her cloak. Her blue hair, matted with sweat and blood, swung out behind her, spreading over her back.

“Rarity, you look fine. How did it go?” Twilight asked.

“Oh, just lovely. I had to kill a few extra guards, they gave me quite a start. The target is dead. Your documents are here.”

“Well done. Now, you may retire and rest. We may need you again.”

Rarity picked up her cloak, and started to leave.

Half way through the door, she stopped. Turning around, she reached into her clothing again and withdrew another series of files. “I'd almost forgotten. I found this. Explain, Twilight.” She dropped the files in front of the woman.

Twilight Sparkle slowly picked them up.

Applejack strained her neck to see.

“Twilight Sparkle, what is the Algorithm Project?” Rarity dropped her cloak on the table and sat down.

Applejack narrowed her eyes and moved to sit down next to her.