Clear Vision

Chapter 1 - First Blood

It’s a bright and glorious Saturday morning shining in Manehattan. The sky is blue and not a single cloud to be found, it felt like it’s going to be the most perfect day in his life…

…If he hadn’t been sitting at his computer for the entire morning. For hours, he sat at the exact same place for hours, staring at the screen of his old computer. He spread the rumours around pubs, fight clubs and the seedy parts in the city that he is a ‘professional assassin’. There were ponies looking at him like he was some stranger in an entirely new world, whispering things about him.

As the minutes pass by, he started to grow impatient. His eyes are sore and red, his forelegs started to ache for being in the same sitting position for so long. He was about to log out and call it a day when he heard a beeping tone from his computer.

A notification. A red exclamation mark beside a bell icon that has turned yellow. And it is good news for Tyler, red exclamation mark and a yellow bell means a message. And a message means his first contract, his first blood to spill.

Excited, his hoof reached for his mouse and clicked on the new message in his inbox, labelled ‘So, you’re the new colt here?’

Greetings, Tyler

So, I hear you’re the so-called ‘professional assassin everypony’s been talking about, hmm?

Well, that doesn’t matter now anyways. I have a very important job for you to take care of. I am a contractor and own a piece of land which will very soon be a new factory to boost the economy in Manehattan. But unfortunately, there are these kids, teenagers, I believe, who are harassing the workers and making it impossible for us to continue our project.

There are at least three in the group, if I’m not mistaken. Cut the serpent’s head of and the body will die, pop one of them and they’ll flee like a bunch of rabbits.

Do that, and there will be a large sum of money waiting for you. I’ll leave the location of the land I mentioned earlier.

Tyler knew where this piece of land is, it’s just a half-an-hour drive from his place. Where the new factory is being built. He packed his rifle in his gun bag and packed other things as well. A canteen full of water, some chocolate bars and a pair of gloves. When he was ready to leave, he opened the door leading outside, but he was surprised to find Elizabeth standing at his door. “Elizabeth.” Tyler’s face almost turned red. His face had almost touched hers.

“Tyler, I was wondering when you can pay the-“

“Umm, maybe later, please? I have something very important to take care of right now.” Tyler interrupted Elizabeth before she could finish her sentence.

“Alright then.” She stepped out of the way, but she noticed the gun carrier Tyler had slung over his foreleg. “Umm, Tyler?”

“Yes?” Tyler turned to face her.

“I hate to ask, but…” she sounded nervous and her face shows that she’s scared. “Is that a gun?”

‘Shit, she’s scared. Think, Tyler. Think!’ Tyler furiously thought to himself, not changing the expression on his face. “I have a call over at a farm not far from here, and they want me to…” he trailed off, running out of things to say to her.

“To?” Elizabeth asked curiously, tilting her head slightly.

“Solve their… rodent problem.” He finally answered.

“You’re going over to their farm to help them?” she raised an eyebrow. “To kill rodents?”

“Um, yeah.” This time, he felt really nervous. Never before did he spend this long to talk with Elizabeth, and this long staring at her

beautiful freckles on her face and her long mane.

“Oh, alright then.” Her nervous look suddenly broke into a smile, “I’m sorry to have wasted your time.”

“Nah, it’s nothing. Really.” He smiled back at her.

*   *   *Factory construction siteForty-five minutes later...*   *   *

Climbing up the steps, slowly putting one hoof on each step to prevent anyone from hearing him, he climbed his way to the floor with a room to give him a good view of his targets. Of course, he didn’t have to climb the steps slowly. The building has been abandoned for years, why should he be quiet?

Better yet, the abandoned building is only a couple of miles from the construction site. So no one ever bothered to even notice the building, even better still, the contractor told the everypony who is working at the site to take the day off, so there’s nopony there. Well, except those rascals who’s harassing them. Finally reaching his floor and room as his sniping spot, he put his gun carrier down, taking out his sniper rifle. He attached the scope, loaded the bullets in the magazine, pulled the bolt back and forth, pulled down the bipod and settled it by the window. He looked through the scope of his rifle and spotted the three rascals, two teenage colts and a teenage filly, sitting down in the construction site, talking to each other happily.

Deep down, Tyler felt guilty that his first job is actually killing children.

3000 dollar reward is you pull this off. I’ll pay an extra 1000 if you kill one more. Bonus 500 if you make it look like an accident.

Tyler remembered the email, still, it’s the only way to pay off his debts.

Looking through the scope of his rifle again, he scanned around the site to find objects to kill his target and make it look like an ‘accident’. Above the first colt, he spotted an I-beam just dangling dangerously above him. He aimed his crosshairs at the cable holding the I-beam and shot it, and sure enough, the calibre of the bullet is powerful enough to snap the cable and the I-beam fell on the colt with such force that it crushed and killed him, with his blood splattering everywhere like a firecracker in a can of paint.

The other two was shocked to see their friend dead, and his blood splattered on their faces. The screamed in terror and made a run for it, Tyler was fast enough to pull back the bolt, ejecting the empty shell and loading a new one in, aimed for the second colt and killed him with a body shot, dropping him dead. The last filly was spared, because he didn’t want to kill any more children.

Grabbing the empty shell and wiped the dirt floor clean of the stray gunpowder, Tyler made his way downstairs and walked his way back to his apartment. In his head, a sudden rush a nostalgia came and hit him like a bat. Remembering the times where he fought side by side with his team mates from afar and supporting from below.

4500 dollars for the job done, and the contract must better be worth the money.