Dead Money

by 95 Percent Chance

Rating: teen
Tags: Anthro, Dark, Tragedy
Length: 7337

Trying to desperately keep up the ruse of a happy family, Starnsy goes to drastic measures to ensure that her husband and home life are kept perfectly intact.

In the aftermath of an intense thunderstorm, reparations made on Starnsy and Wobble's home and transportation have taken a toll on their finances. Starnsy, after visiting a loan shark with the intention of paying off the loan, was unable to do so. Now risking foreclosure on their home if bills aren't paid, and risking repossession of their belongings if the loan isn't paid off, she goes to extreme lengths to make sure her husband was none the wiser, and that she could keep living her life with him peacefully. But how far is she willing to go to preserve her happy home life?

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-12-28 14:40:08 UTC

Chapter 1

Every day the same routine.

Starnsy wakes up, just before her alarm, turning it off. She lays in the bed for another five minutes before finally dragging herself out of it. She turned back to the bed as she reached the doorway. Wobble, her husband, wasn't home. He was most likely still at the office. She let out a deep sigh, before making her way to the bathroom and stepping into the shower.

The hot water heater was off again. Starnsy descended, cold and naked, down the steps into the basement. She felt around the basement, letting her eyes readjust to the darkness. She was eventually able to fix it, going back up the steps, back to to the bathroom, and back into the shower. She couldn't, however, find the motivation  to even scrub herself clean. She stood half-asleep in the shower, worrying about her husband. It had been his dream to serve in the Royal Guard, and he was only one step down from that, working with the national law enforcement in Equestria. He came and went at all hours of the day, sometimes called in for office work, and other times, called in to don a full fledged S.W.A.T. uniform and body armor, however, those kinds of calls rarely happened. With the recent layoffs they were shorthanded around the office, and he had started to work later and later hours.

She shook her head and sighed. He'll be fine, she thought. He always is...

She turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. Normally, a nice hot shower would have woken her right up. The warm water cascading down over her body, soaking into her green coat, wetting her scarlet mane and tail, soothing her muscles, rejuvenating and readying her for a new day. But it didn't. She rubbed her eyes and began to rummage through the dresser for her underwear. She pulled out a pair of black lace panties, like one would see in a risqué magazine. Wobble had gotten these for her birthday one year, as a joke. She really only wore them for him, or on special occasions, but seeing as she hadn't done laundry yet, it was all she could wear, and she definitely wasn't going commando.

Her bra followed, it was black, but not lace. Then, some jeans; tight fitting but not exactly skinny jeans. They had some brown paint splattered on the side of the right leg and they were quite comfortable to wear. Her shirt? A plain black T-Shirt, with a white tribal design on the front. She didn't know what it was, or what it meant, but it was nice too. She took a soda from the fridge and grabbed her keys off of the counter, leaving her house and locking the door behind her. She looked up at the sky as she walked, the gray clouds blocking out the Sun's rays. Overcast. What had the five day forecast said? Right, 70% chance of rain. She sighed again. In retrospect, she should have brought an umbrella. She shook her head, quickening her pace, so that she could get to her workshop before the rain started.

After a long and wet walk, Starnsy took a soggy step into her workshop, the bells on the door ringing softly. The workshop smelled the same as it always did, the heavy smell of chemicals in the air, mixed with the faint smell of sawdust and metal, and the air freshener that barely worked. And it was freezing. She let out a frustrated sigh. "Fix." Her partner, Fix n' Repair, worked with her in her workshop. Being a pegasus, he was used to the colder weather in and above the clouds. Starnsy was not. She went over to the thermostat. "61 degrees. Really Fix?" She turned it back up until the cold air stopped flowing. Once more, she went behind the counter, to find Fix asleep in one of the office chairs, snoring lightly. She looked through one of the cabinets, grabbing an air horn and holding it up to Fix. She took a deep breath and pressed down on the top. The blaring sound of the air horn echoed through the workshop and Fix fell out of his chair, looking around frantically.

"Get up. We have work to do."

Chapter 2

The day passed slowly. Incredibly slowly. Boring. The rain kept any customers from coming in. Eventually, Starnsy decided to close up shop early. What was the point in staying open if no one was out and about in the first place. She turned the open sign around to closed and opened the door. Outside, the rain hadn't stopped, in fact, it probably got worse. Starnsy sighed once more, laying her head on the door frame and closing her eyes. She stepped out into the rain to begin her walk back home. She hoped Wobble would be there, so she could cuddle with her husband.

He wasn't. He was still at the office. Starnsy grabbed the mail from the mailbox, going through it as she walked up the driveway to her house. Bill. Bill. Another bill. Car payments. And another bill. Starnsy stopped abruptly as she looked at the final article of mail. The name of a familiar loan shark was printed upon it, as well as big, bold, red letters indicating that she was behind on  payments.

She was. A storm a month or so ago had caused a tree to fall on their property, damaging her car and their house. The payments to get both fixed were quite pricey, but with more storms on the way, and Wobble having to be called in at a moment's notice, they couldn't afford to have the car or the house out of commission. She had already been scraping the bottom of the barrel in savings, and Starnsy wasn't about to borrow money from her Dad. Never, not in a million years. Wobble made a hefty sum of money, yes, but even combined with her own money it would not enough to cover all of the bills and the payment on the loan. She had decided, without Wobble, to get a loan, hoping to keep it secret from her husband. She came up with a lie, telling him that she had dipped into an alternate savings account that she had set up before they had met. She had already been neglecting the payments for a while now, which only made it worse.

She looked over all of forms that came in the envelope. In a week they were going to begin repossessing everything until it adds up to the sum of money that they had borrowed in the first place. She continued to pore over the forms, hoping to find something, anything that could help their situation. It was hopeless, there was nothing that could be done. If the bills weren't paid, all of their utilities would be shut off, if the loan shark wasn't paid, all of their possessions would be repossessed. She set down all of the mail and rubbed her temples, closing her eyes and sighing. She hid the letter under a fake tile in the bathroom, along with all of the others she had put there before. She replaced the small green rug over it as she heard the door unlock and open. She smiled and stood up, leaving the bathroom and hugging him tightly.

Wobble smiled and picked her up a few inches off of the floor, spinning her around and kissing her nose. "Hey hun! Ah, I missed you so much Starnsy. I'm so sorry, I would've been home earlier but I was called in."

Starnsy smiled. "Oh? What for?"

"Eh, just some punks that were trying to rob a liquor store. Seriously, you know how much was in the safe and the cash register combined? 200 dollars. That's it. Fuckin' kids"

And something in Starnsy's mind clicked. She squeezed her husband tightly and shook her head, sighing. ”I’m glad you’re home, love. I missed you.” She rubbed his chest softly. “I worry about you a lot, you know.”

“Don’t worry hun, I promise, I’ll be fine.”

“You stay safe, okay hun?”

Wobble smiled and caressed her mane, nodding softly. "I will, I promise." He stood, holding her in his arms the same way he did those years ago when they were first married. He laid her down gently and she snuggled up against him, taking in his warmth.

The next day when Starnsy woke up, Wobble wasn't there. She sighed, her mood deflated. Today was Friday. Fix runs the shop by himself on Fridays. Starnsy sat up in the bed, stretching and groaning as she woke. Normally she would have stayed in bed on her day off, but she had work to do. She would have to get everything done, and quickly. Her husband could come back at any time. She put on some comfortable clothes, then went down to the basement. She flipped on the light and looked around at her personal workshop. Here she kept everything, her explosives, her knives, anything harmful, anything dangerous, anything technological, it was down here. A grin spread across her face as she popped her knuckles and approached the workbench.

Starnsy stepped out of the basement door and groaned, popping her spine and sighing. She was covered in black soot, along with some paint here and there. The next part of her plan would be a bit harder to explain to Wobble if he ever asked, but it had to be done. She reached her hand underneath her husband's desk and grabbed the key taped to the underside of it. Wobble was smart, but Starnsy? She knew him like the back of her hand. She stood and left the house, making her way into the shed in their backyard where she found a large, black cabinet. The same grin from before spread across her face once more as she inserted the key into the lock and turned it.

Starnsy finished loading the last of her things into an large, inconspicuous looking messenger bag. She stood and went to the kitchen, rummaging around in the medicine cabinet for a bit, before pulling out a roll of bandages and a box of sterile latex gloves. "Yeah... Yeah these will work..." She entered the bathroom and placed them on the counter along with the messenger bag. She left and locked the bathroom door, quickly changing clothes and leaving the house. She came back, looking around as she held a small plastic bag. Wobble hadn't come home. "Good..." She unlocked the bathroom door and stepped in, closing and locking it behind her. She looked in the mirror, this time she could see that same grin, spreading across her face.

Starnsy opened the door to their garage, slipping under it and closing it. She circled around the van she and Fix used to make their "house calls." Normally, one would come in to the workshop to have something made, or repaired. However, if the item was too large, or if the client was too far away to come into the workshop, they would drive the van out and do what needed to be done. She slipped into a white paint suit and put on a clear respirator mask, before pulling up the hood on the suit. And behind the mask, she grinned once more.

Once Starnsy had finished, she changed clothes again, putting the dirty ones in with a load of laundry in the washer. She sighed and laid out on the couch, yawning. All of the preparations she had done had exhausted her, both physically and mentally. About an hour later, the door opened and Wobble stepped in, smiling. He approached the sleeping Starnsy and picked her up, carrying her to the bedroom and laying her down on it. He quietly got undressed down to his underwear and crawled into bed with his wife, pulling her close. "I love you, Starnsy." He kissed her forehead and sighed happily, before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep as well.

Chapter 3

The next morning, Starnsy was up bright and early, making coffee for her husband. She was pleasantly surprised at the fact that he hadn't been called in during the night. She was cooking some sausage and pancakes for him, and the aroma of her cooking along with the fresh coffee brewing in the coffeepot woke him up with a smile. He stretched and groaned as he made his way into the kitchen.

"Oh! Morning hun!" Starnsy said with a smile.

"Mmph... You're up early."

Starnsy rolled her eyes and smiled as she prepared his plate. "Oh hush. Eat your pancakes." She handed him his plate, which he happily took.

"Heh, when's the last time you cooked for me?"

"The last time you had some time off from work, silly." She said as she poured a mug of fresh coffee for him. "Oh! Speaking of which, how's dinner sound? I'll make that spaghetti you like!"

Wobble finished chewing and swallowed a bite of his pancakes. "That sounds perfect... Besides that... Do you have any other plans for today?"

Starnsy nodded and placed the mug of coffee next to his plate. "Just gotta run to the bank and make a withdrawal, but that's about it."

"Alright then..." Wobble sipped his coffee and smiled. He stood up from the table and yawned. "Guess I should go ahead and get dressed." He passed through the kitchen and hugged Starnsy tightly from behind, kissing her cheek. "I love you. I'll try and be home for dinner tonight, okay?"

"Alright, you stay safe." She turned her head and kissed him softly. She giggled and playfully pushed him towards the bedroom. "Get dressed! Don't want you to be late because of me."

Wobble simply chuckled and walked into the bedroom to get dressed. Starnsy rolled her eyes and started cleaning up in the kitchen. An hour or so after Wobble left for work, she started preparing to make her withdrawal.

Starnsy grabbed the messenger bag from under the couch and went into the bathroom. She closed and locked the door, unzipping the bag and taking out the bandages. She quickly removed her shirt and bra, leaving her top half naked. She unrolled the bandages, starting to wrap them tightly around her chest and breasts. When she finished, her chest was as flat as a board. She turned sideways to see if there was any noticeable bulging. Nothing. She left the bathroom, walking into the bedroom and opening her closet, pulling out a freshly ironed black suit and tie, one that Wobble might wear if he had gone to a business meeting. She put it on and looked in the mirror. She hid her scarlet tail under that suit, making sure no one would see it. At a glance, from the neck down she looked like a stallion. "Perfect."

She entered the bathroom once more, pulling out another item from the messenger bag. It was a wig. Originally, it was dark blue, but with a few adjustments, and a lot of hair dye, it was now jet black. She placed it on the counter and looked in the mirror. Her own scarlet mane, while somewhat scruffy, flowed gracefully in its own way down to her shoulders. She had to fix that, but cutting it wouldn't be easy to explain to Wobble if he heard about today's upcoming events. She pinned her hair up, and she had to admit, it looked nice. She picked up the wig once more and put it on. Black. Short. It added to the stallion ruse, however, her face was a dead giveaway... But no one was going to see her face.

She put on the black dress shoes that went with her suit. She was almost ready, but she had to take some precautions. She took off the top half of the suit, leaving the white undershirt and tie. From the bag she removed a lightweight bulletproof vest, putting it on over the white shirt and tie. She put the overshirt back on over it. To the anyone looking, it wasn't immediately noticeable, and it fit snugly under the buttoned up suit. Next, the latex gloves. No fingerprints. Lastly, contacts. Non-Prescription colored contacts that would mask her real eye color, turning them from pink, to a more common hazel color. She blinked a few times to get them into place.

She was ready.

Starnsy got in her now gray van, messenger bag at her side that held everything she needed. She pulled out of her driveway and started down the road towards the bank.

Canterlot One, a medium sized branch bank that grew from Canterlot and spread to cities all over Equestria. This particular Canterlot One was only moderately busy, and there were many lulls in business where not much went on. Starnsy neared the bank, pulling into an alleyway near the back of the bank. She would need easy access to it once everything started. She backed up a bit further into the alley and turned the van off, leaving the key in the ignition. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, reaching into the bag and pulling out a gas mask. She had painted it to look as if it were cracked, broken and dull. The glass on the eye holes had been tinted a dark black for good measure, and to add to the intimidation factor. She had added metal plating and small bits of kevlar to the other parts of the mask for extra protection, the bolts were clearly visible, and the jagged metal was placed haphazardly around the mask, making it look as if it had a row of razor sharp teeth and a mouth upturned in a wicked grin. On the other side of the mask, she had installed a voice changer. Just another precaution to preserve her identity. It made her voice deep, terrifying, and best of all, unrecognizable.

She took another deep breath and stepped out of the van, taking the shotgun she borrowed from her husband's gun cabinet from the passenger seat. She was sweating behind the mask as she strode towards the front door. She reached into her bag and pulled out a small device that she then placed in a shrub just outside of the building. No one inside had seen her yet. She flipped the small switch on the device and... Everything electronic within a mile radius went down. Cameras, phones, radios, anything that would get in her way was now obsolete for exactly 6 minutes. She had to work fast.

As she turned the corner and brandished her shotgun, everything seemed to slow down. The security guard at the front entrance saw her and began to pull his pistol out of its holster, but not before he took a blast to the chest from her shotgun. Ch-Chk. The empty shell was ejected and hit the ground as she entered the bank's main lobby.

"Nopony move!!" She yelled, her voice now deep and booming. "All of you, on the ground." She aimed her shotgun at the tellers and pointed. "Don't even think about hitting that little button under your desk. Get out here."

5 minutes.

The tellers simply stayed with their hands in the air, frozen with fear.

"GET THE FUCK OUT HERE!"

All three bank tellers quickly filed out of the room and into the lobby.

"All of you, get down. Except for you." She pointed at one of the teller mares. Her coat was an off-gray color, and her mane and tail were white and curled slightly at the ends. "Come with me. Show me where the vault is."

4 minutes.

The teller nodded quickly and started making her way towards the back of the bank. Starnsy kept the muzzle pressed on the teller's back at all times.

"What's your name?"

The teller opened her mouth to speak, but the words were stuck in her throat. "I-I..."

"Tell me. Your name."

"L-L-Legal T-Tender..."

"Well Ms. Tender, how about you hurry and show me where that vault is?" She nudged her forward with the barrel.

3 minutes.

"You got a husband, Ms. Tender? Hm? Kids?"

Legal nodded silently as they neared the vault. "Y-Yes I… Have a husband… T-T-Two kids…”

Starnsy turned a corner with Legal and before her stood the large square vault door. “Can you open it?”

2 minutes.

“N-No I.. I can’t…” Legal stammered, her hands still up.

“That’s too bad then.” Starnsy gripped the scruff of her neck and tossed her down onto the ground, against the wall. “Now, you just stay right there and think about your family. You want to see ‘em again, right?”

Legal nodded, her eyes widened in fear. ‘Y-Y-Yes…”

“Then don’t try anything, or I’ll use you as a shield when the cops show up.” Starnsy let the shotgun hang at her side as she stood back, her eyes darting about the vault door. Her demolition expertise kicked in as she figured out where to set the charges.

1 minute.

Starnsy grabbed Legal once she was all finished setting the explosives on the vault door. She backed away around the corner and took out a cell phone. She dialed the number set for the charges and boom. The door was open and she could see the money. She grabbed Legal and shoved her in as the alarm went off. "You bag it. And make sure it doesn't have tracers in it or you aren't seeing your family again, got it?" Starnsy slid the duffel bags across the floor into the vault. "And don't try to run either."

Legal nodded fearfully and began loading the cash into the bags. "Y-Y-Yes sir..."

Starnsy went out to the lobby, where the fearful bank patrons were still laid on the ground. She heard a police cruiser pull up to the bank, sirens still wailing. She heard two doors open and two officers stepped out. They approached the front door and stopped short and dashed back to the cruiser as Starnsy fired a shot out of the doors. "DON'T FUCKING COME IN HERE! WE'VE GOT HOSTAGES!"

Both officers took cover behind their cruiser. One grabbed the radio and frantically talked into it. "Yes we've... We've got a 211 in progress here at Canterlot One bank on the corner of Dewdrop and Edens Lane!" The other officer grabbed a megaphone and began to speak, trying to negotiate with Starnsy.

It was no use however, she wasn't listening. She had already grabbed the two duffel bags full of money and was making her way to the back. "Thank you, Ms. Tender. It's been a pleasure working with you." Starnsy pushed her back into the lobby with the rest of the hostages. She opened the back door and walked out, making sure no cops were in sight. She rushed as fast as she could to the van, opening the back doors, tossing the money inside and closing them back again. She quickly got in the front seat and pulled out of the alleyway, driving calmly as to not be suspicious. She took the back roads towards her house, taking her mask and gloves off.

Back at the house, Wobble was growing increasingly worried about his wife. She said before that she had to go to the bank, but as he watched the news and saw the top story about the bank robbery at Canterlot One. That was the bank that she used. She could be hurt, or worse. He was just about to grab his keys and head down to the bank to try and find her.

Starnsy had made sure to change back into some less conspicuous clothes. Jeans and a t-shirt. She put the suit, shoes, wig, body armor, the two duffel bags full of money and her mask, along with the shotgun in the messenger bag, leaving it in the van as she pulled up to her house.

Wobble heard a car door close just as he grabbed his keys. Starnsy opened the door and Wobble immediately ran to her and hugged her tightly. "Starnsy... Thank Celestia you're okay..."

Starnsy tilted her head in mock confusion, hugging her husband back. "Is something wrong, love?"

Wobble held onto her tightly, sitting on the couch with her in his lap. "I was watching the news and... Well, there had been a robbery at Canterlot One."

Starnsy shook her head and kissed him gently on the lips. "I'm alright though. I was there but I guess I was lucky enough to leave before any of that happened."

Wobble smiled and squeezed his wife tightly, sighing happily. "I'm just glad you're okay..." He slid her off of his lap and onto the couch, patting her thigh and standing. "I... Whew, I got myself all worked up. I'm gonna go out for a quick run around the lake and burn the rest of this energy, okay? You're welcome to come with me if you want."

Starnsy shook her head and stretched out on the couch. "Nah, I'm alright hun, you can go ahead without me." Wobble nodded and went out for a run, leaving Starnsy on the couch.

She was about to doze off into a blissful slumber, when she heard a phone ring. She didn't recognize this particular style of ringing. It wasn't her phone, and it definitely wasn't her husbands. She got up and took a few steps into the kitchen where the ringing was emanating from. It was a small, gray flip phone, one she did not recognize. She slowly picked up the phone, flipping it open and pressing the green call button. "Hello?"

"I saw your stunt that you pulled at the Canterlot One." The voice on the other line was one that she did not recognize, but his words made her freeze out of fear. "I'm not calling to blackmail you. I'm calling because you seem to know what you're doing... And I can help."

Chapter 4

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.

Chapter 5

Starnsy and Wobble stepped out of the movie theater with Wobble stretching and groaning. "Gaaah, I have to tell you, I loved the movie but I can't sit in one place like that for that long. I swear, I think my ass was numb for nearly half of the movie."

Starnsy giggled and tossed her soda into a trash can near the door. "Well, I didn't have a problem with it. The movie was awesome." Starnsy and her husband made their way to their car, hopping inside and starting the long drive home. The movie theater was some ways away, so they rarely went. Upon returning home, Starnsy flopped down onto their bed, groaning. "I forgot how comfy this bed was."

Wobble chuckled and rolled his eyes as he undressed, taking off his shirt, illiciting a whistle from Starnsy. "Wooooo~ Take it off, hun!"

Wobble blushed a bit, slipping off his belt and unbuttoning his pants and teasing his wife by not taking them off, much to Starnsy's chagrin. "Awww! You're no fun!" Wobble simply smiled and slowly began to pull his pants lower. A high pitched beeping rang out from Wobble's nightstand, prompting him to quickly rush over and grab the small device within his nightstand.

"Fuck..." Wobble sighed and looked back at his wife. "They're calling me in to help deal with a hostage situation in Manehattan."

Starnsy looked down, her mood instantly deflated as she idly trailed her hand along the bedspread. "It's alright hun, I know it's your job..." She stood up and gave him a hug. "Just be safe, okay?"

Wobble hugged her back tightly. "I promise I will, sweetie. You have my word." He pulled away from her embrace and quickly put on his clothes. Grabbing the keys to his car and kissing her on the cheek as he rushed out the door to the base, where he would don his uniform and be sent out to deal with the situation in Manehattan. Starnsy groaned and flopped onto the bed once more. What was she supposed to do now? A familiar thought passed through her head: She had to make explosives. For the truck job. She stood, putting on some of her workshop clothes and descending the steps into the basement.

She pulled the chain on the lightbulb, illuminating the basement and her workbench. She wiped off the assorted powders of sawdust and other materials from it, giving herself a clean workspace. She cracked her knuckles and set to work creating an explosive. She would need one that stuck to any surface. As she ran the calculations through in her mind, she walked about the small basement workshop, pulling out materials that she would need and setting them on her workbench. When she was finished, her workbench was piled high with things that she either thought she needed, or things that would be useful. One by one she sorted through them, tossing away the materials that would only get in the way. She thought to herself that yes, this was an inefficient way of doing things, but it worked for her so many other times.

Eventually she was left with only the bare essentials that she needed to complete her project, and carefully, methodically, almost like a machine, she began to assemble her new masterpiece. Hours later, she stopped, finally finished with her new device. It was a sticky explosive, meant to explode inwards to breach the doors of the armored truck. "Hopefully..." She thought, "There won't be anypony inside..." She wiped her face and sighed, sitting down on the floor of her workshop with her back against the workbench as she hugged her legs close to her chest. Her thoughts drifted once more to the security guard back at the bank, how he had looked at her as he fell to the ground. His eyes asked only one question: "Why?" She wondered how it was that she could have killed him without a second thought. She thought back to the events of that day, how she calmly strolled up to the entrance and... She had been like a machine. Cold and unfeeling. The security guard? Simply doing his job. What was he to her that day? Just an obstacle in her way. She didn't think of him as another, living being. She thought of him as something to be dealt with. He most likely had a wife... Maybe even children. And she had destroyed that in a matter of seconds, without even batting an eye. She asked herself why. Why was she doing this? To be happy. To make sure her home and her possessions weren't taken from her. She wanted a happy life. Idyllic, like she had always dreamed. So she destroyed somepony else's to do it. She had never wanted to kill anypony, she just needed money. These same thoughts drifted in Starnsy's mind as she sat in her basement workshop, crying into her knees .