Dead Money

Starnsy couldn't speak as she wracked her brain to find the words to respond.

The voice on the other line spoke up once more just as she was about to respond. "I'm not with the police, the FBI, or any other branch of criminal justice. I can assure you of that. I'll keep this brief. If you want to make more money, and finally pay off all of your debts, come meet me by the old industrial docks around midnight. Come unarmed, no disguise."

And with that, the line went silent. Starnsy flipped the phone shut and placed it down on the kitchen counter. The green mare simply stood in the kitchen for a few minutes, contemplating the situation she now found herself in. She leaned against the counter and glanced at the clock. 11:00 PM. She had no clue where to go from here; the Canterlot One job went smoothly because of... Well, beginner's luck she assumed. She was unsure if she would be able to do it again. But if whoever contacted her could be trusted, and if he really could help, then she might be able to get some sense of direction with this.

As Starnsy pulled her car into a shady, secluded area by the docks, she thought about how vague the stallion on the phone had been. How would she even know where he was? Sighing, she shook her head and exited her car. She was immediately hit with the pungent smell of fish and saltwater mixed with rusted steel and iron. Shaking her head, she cleared her thoughts and walked out towards the docks. She saw a lone figure standing out on one of the docks, but she couldn't make out any features from this distance, but she could tell from how the figure was built that this pony definitely was a stallion. She walked closer, when she was a short ways away, she called out to him. "...Hello?"

The stallion turned, looking somewhat surprised. "So, you actually came."

Starnsy nodded in response. "You said that you could help...?"

The stallion smirked and stepped into the light. He was slightly taller than her and his white mane and tail were messy and tousled. It looked as if he had tried to comb them somewhat, to no avail. His coat color was a mix between white and brown, giving him a distinct caramel color. He was wearing very casual clothes: black sneakers, jeans, and a track jacket. "That I can. I'll be blunt with you, the only reason you got away with that job was because you had a huge helping of luck on your side. You need my help if you don't want to end up behind bars." Starnsy could only nod in response. She knew for a fact he was right.

The stallion simply smiled and extended his hand for her to shake it. "Short Circuit, nice to meet you Mrs. Starnsy." She took his hand and shook it lightly. She was going to ask about how he knew her name, but if Short Circuit knew that she was the one that committed the robbery, finding out her name was most likely extremely easy for him.

"Likewise..." She said softly. She let go of his hand and rested it on her hip.

"Now, let me introduce you to your new partner in crime." He whistled once and waited. A huge stallion, easily a foot or two taller than her, stepped into the light next to Short Circuit. He was huge, and his clothes did little to hide the fact that most of all of his body mass was muscle. Needless to say Starnsy was intimidated by this new stallion.

"P-Partner?" She was going to protest before, but after seeing who her partner was she thought it was better to simply keep her mouth shut.

The large stallion spoke in a deep, booming bass of a voice that made her jump slightly. "Name's Oakwood. Pleasure to meet you, partner." He grinned and held out his hand. Starnsy went to shake it, however this wasn't what Oak had in mind, as he clasped the inside of her forearm. Starnsy, seeing what he did, did the same.

"N-Nice to meet you too..." She let go and looked at both of them.

Short Circuit spoke. "Oakwood here is going to be with you during each and every one of your jobs that you pull off. So will I, in my own way." He held out his hand, in it was a small earpiece. "I'll use this to communicate with you both during jobs. I'll relay important information to you that should give you a leg-up on the authorities."

Starnsy took it and put it in her ear for now. "So... Is that all?"

Circuit looked to Oak and then back at Starnsy, nodding. "Yep, that's it. I'll be in touch with both of you soon. And remember, we never spoke." He turned and quickly walked away. Oak gave a two finger salute to Starnsy and walked off, leaving her alone. She stood there for a minute or two, wrapping her head around what just happened. After a few minutes had passed, she walked back to her car and drove home, walking inside and hiding the earpiece with her other equipment before getting into bed and cuddling up next to her husband. He smiled and draped an arm over her, pulling her close and kissing her forehead. Starnsy smiled and rested her head against her husband's chest, slowly being lulled to sleep by his heartbeat.

As she slept, she kept seeing the guard's eyes. The one at the bank that she gunned down without a second thought. It replayed over and over in her head, and each time she saw his eyes, and she saw them asking, "Why?" She had murdered him. She was a murderer. A filthy, evil monster, the kind mothers told their children to never speak of. In her mind she appeared on the gallows with a noose around her neck, pleading for her life. The nameless executioner shook his head and pulled the lever. The boards beneath her fell away and she dropped, the rope tightening around her neck, it snapping and... She jolted awake with a yelp, which woke Wobble, who looked around.

"Star! Star, what's wrong?!" He turned the lamp at his bedside on, looking at her worriedly.

She quickly wiped away the cold sweat on her face, her chest heaving and her heart thumping in her chest as she looked back at her husband. "N-Nothing... Nothing hun... I just... Had a nightmare is all..."

Wobble pulled her close, hugging her tightly and rubbing her back. "Oh Star... Don't worry, I'm right here for you." He kissed the top of her head gently as he held her. Starnsy held him as tight as she could, burying her face into his chest as he comforted her. Slowly she began to calm down and her breathing returned to normal. She eventually fell back into a restless sleep in his arms.

She awoke the next day to an unfamiliar feeling. One of being held close, someone stroking her mane softly. She opened her eyes to find her husband holding her as they lay in bed. "Good morning beautiful." He smiled and kissed her.

She was pleasantly surprised, giving him a soft kiss back. "Hey babe... I thought you had work today?"

Wobble shrugged and smiled. "I called in sick. I figure we haven't had enough time for just us, y'know? So today, we'll have just that." He ruffled her mane.

She smiled brightly and pushed away from him, hopping out of the bed. He chuckled and got up as well, stretching and groaning. Starnsy stopped in the doorway as she left the bedroom. "How's breakfast sound?"

Wobble scratched his chin. "Depends who's cooking it."

"Me of course." She stuck her tongue out at him as she went to the kitchen.

Wobble simply laughed at smiled. "Of course." He followed her to the kitchen and gave her a firm, playful smack on her rear, illiciting a small yelp from her as he walked to the table. "Love ya hun."

"Ah!" She looked back at him and stuck her tongue out again. She turned back to the fridge and got out some eggs and bacon. She turned on two stove burners and got out two pans, tossing the bacon into one, and the eggs into the other. She put two slices of bread into the toaster and pressed down the lever. Starnsy made sure to thoroughly cook the bacon to just the right way Wobble liked it, afterwards she scrambled the eggs, lightly salting and peppering them. As she put finished eggs and bacon on the plate the toast popped up and she grabbed it as well, buttering them both and placing the plate in front of Wobble.

He took some of the eggs and bacon and put them on the toast, taking a bite and giving Starnsy a thumbs up. "Mmm... Mmhmmm." He swallowed. "Simple, but delicious."

Starnsy smiled and leaned back in her chair. "I'm glad you like it!"

"Not gonna fix yourself anything?" Wobble asked, taking a bite of bacon.

"Nah, I'm not hungry. You go ahead and eat, okay?"

"Heh, you don't have to tell me twice!" He smiled and ate another forkful of eggs. "Mmm... How did I get so lucky to marry a gal like you?"

Starnsy blushed. "Oh stop it, I'm not that great."

"Oh I beg to differ. I love your personality; you're caring, funny, and you know how to have a good time. Plus, I have a thing for redheads, so there's that."

Starnsy rolled her eyes and smiled, she was about to respond, when a ringing from the familiar gray flip phone stopped her. A shiver ran up her spine as she stood up. "I'm gonna get that, okay?" Wobble nodded and continued happily eating his freshly cooked food as Starnsy rushed to answer the phone. She stepped outside and opened it up, putting it to her ear. The same voice from before rang through the other line.

"Powder, we're setting up for another job."

"P-Powder?"

"Your job name. Oak's is Iron. It'll help you retain anonymity during jobs."

"So... Uhm... What's our next one...?" Starnsy asked hesitantly.

I client of a major bank has just put in a 48-hour notice to withdraw a large amount of money. More than what the bank is allowed to hold. You know what that mean, right?"

"Er... No."

Short Circuit sighed. "It means they put in an order to the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve puts in an order to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and they print money to give to the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve loads up the money into an armored truck and sends it on its way towards the bank. Now what we're gonna do is intercept that truck, and make sure that they don't suspect our involvement."

Starnsy was overwhelmed, her eyes wide. "But... H-How are we supposed to get an armored truck open?"

"That's where you come in. You're good with explosives. I'll leave it up to you. I expect a solution by the time we're ready to go."

"Wait! I don't know if I can..." It was no use however, Short Circuit had already hung up. Starnsy pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. She clicked the phone shut, tucking it away and sighing. This wasn't what she wanted. She didn't want to hurt anypony, she just needed money to... What? To pay off the loan she got. To make sure her home stayed perfect. To make sure her dream of a happy family would eventually become a reality. But this wasn't what she pictured when she thought of those things. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She put on a smile and walked back inside to find Wobble putting his plate in the sink.

"Oh hey Star, who was it?" He asked as he walked over to the couch.

"It was just Fix, asking for information on some of the customers and their orders." She lied, hopping onto the couch next to him.

Wobble pulled her close. "How is Fix? I haven't talked to him for a while."

"Oh he's doing alright, we don't really talk much outside of work related things honestly."

"Ah." Wobble simply shrugged, letting that topic die out as he cuddled with Starnsy. "Anything in particular you want to do today?" He asked, giving her a light squeeze.

She was supposed to be making explosives. But it could wait. She rarely ever got to spend time alone with Wobble. "Not really. Wanna go see a movie?"

Wobble smiled and nodded. "Sounds good to me. Let's get ready, alright?" With that, he kissed her softly and stood up, going to the bedroom to get dressed. Starnsy followed shortly after, happy to simply be spending time with her husband.