Hitmares: Accidents Happenby Reddling RainChaptersDamage AssessmentWoundedThe SpringsDamage AssessmentA few drops of rain fell down on the landscape of northern Equestria. The area north of Manehatten typically lived in the shadow of it's bigger sister, but that didn't make it any less pretty in it's own right. Grass glistened in the early spring as snow melted away and gave birth to new green life. With the return of green shades also came the revitalization of visitors to the local museums. One particular museum, the Museum of Dangerous Objects and Very Sharp Things, had recently been joined by a new chief of security. The new chief was the very reason that some guards had snuck out on their day off, secretly making their way towards a derelict building on the edge of town. Splits, a rather young guard, had been the first to arrive, not bothering to wait for his other two compadres. The building was dark inside, and even lighting up his horn did little to sway the shadows of the abandoned room. The unicorn stopped in front of a blank table, looking down at it. He'd been told to wait for the others outside, but it was hard for him to withhold his enthusiasm. He'd heard about the pony they were hiring, and supposedly they were a legend. "Splits- oh thank Celestia-" Splits turned around as two other unicorns stumbled into the room. His best friend, Citric, and his boss, a mare they had come to simply know as Ginseng, had both entered behind him. Ginseng had a briefcase with her that hung from her side where a saddlebag would normally go. Splits stared more worriedly at the briefcase than he did the relief on his friend's face. Hopefully it would be enough... "That's all of you, then?" A medium and unreadable female voice said. Splits whipped around, trying to brighten his horn a little and locate the source of noise. Citric put his hoof on Splits horn however, lowering it and putting out the light. "Don't do that, she doesn't like lights!" Citric hissed. Splits let his horn go out as he stared into the darkness. A quick blink of light caught his eye, and then two blinks. A pair of eyes- purple, with diamondlike slits for pupils were staring at him from across the table. How he had not seen a pony there before- or indeed, if she had even been there before, escaped him. "That's all of us." Ginseng said. The room illuminated with a little bit of light as she set the briefcase down, opening it up and revealing the contents. One thousand golden bits glinted faintly, even in the darkness. The purple eyes half shut in a wince as they traced along the golden coins. Even though the eyes were watching the coins, Splits had a creeping feeling on his neck that told him he was being watched, and a shiver went down his spine at the thought of whoever was hiding behind the shadows. "Is there anything I need to know? What sort of intelligence do you have for me?" The mare in the shadows asked quietly. Citric instantly asserted himself and presented his side. A week ago he had a tail hanging behind his flank, but no more. It had all been sliced clean off, and he had been lucky his flank didn't go with it. "The chief cut off my tail!" He said indignantly. The purple eye blinked. "How did that happen?" "Well, this one day I was taking my duties of being night watch when the new chief thought it would be funny to mess with some of the equipment. I dodged getting crushed by a giant anvil, but that was the least of my problems! This new mare is a total disaster. She's a clumsy flying pegasus that is suicidal! I seriously think she's suicidal, she's always moping around one moment and the next moment nearly killing us with things that need to stay in a glass case. Either I get crushed by a giant anvil, or she cuts my butt off with a large griffon axe!" "It did not happen that way." Splits said. "She forced you to shave your tail off because of a bet. The axe almost cut your butt off because she dropped it." "It's the same difference!" Citric huffed. "Besides, look at you!" Splits blushed a little bit. "I'm doing just fine thanks, I didn't like that house anyway." "What happened to you?" The shadowy figure asked Splits. Splits backed up a bit, not sure that she would believe this. Still, if she bought the first story, surely she might believe his story? "Uhm, well," Splits could feel his sheepishness spreading across his face. "The chief burned my house down." "She burned your house down." There was a thump as something landed on the ground. The purple eye twisted around, a pair of them now gazing directly into Split's eyes. "Yes, ma'am... she, she burned my house down." Splits repeated. "You can't just leave me with that," The mare said, "Details, details." Splits sighed. "It's a straw house." "Was." Ginseng inserted. "Was a straw house." Splits said. "It was a night of partying. I was happy at having completed my 98% straw house, and we were celebrating with some wine. After all of us were pretty drunk, the chief fell over and spilled an entire bottle of wine, soaking the floor. I was furious! I didn't even let her pay me back. I kicked her out and then decided we all just have some cupcakes and leave. Trust me, cupcakes weren't my idea, I'm not sure why you'd mix that with wine, but my boss thought it was a good idea. The new chief was outside using the housewarming gift that I was supposed to get- a sparkproof lighter. Well, it wasn't exactly... sparkproof. "You built a house out of STRAW?" The mare in the shadows said incredulously, her voice soaring a little higher than normal. "What is wrong with you?" Splits blushed, hiding his face. Ginseng stepped forward, pointing to the bits. "Are you going to take the job or not?" Ginseng asked, motioning to the bits. "This really doesn't seem like it's worth killing somepony over, but you've got my word." The mare said. "How many other ponies will be on guard tonight?" "Just three." Ginseng said. "Don't know who." Splits watched carefully as the mare in the shadows shifted around. Tense moments ticked by her eyes bobbed up and down, indicating that she was nodding. "You know where the money is to be sent too?" Ginseng grinned, closing the case. "I took care of that already. All you have to do is mail it." "Good. You can leave now- and Ginseng." Ginseng didn't turn with the others, staying behind just a bit. Splits was quite ready to be gone from this place- and any other place where the mare in the shadows would be. He didn't hear the last few words exchanged, but Ginseng quickly caught up with the two of them, hurrying outside into the weak and fading sunlight. A few rays had managed to get through the rain, but it was only a brief respite before the stormy night. WoundedThey were expecting me. I thought they just heard the explosion, but he was armed and ready. Ether pushed through the door of her hotel, grabbing for a chair as she limped in. A bolt from a crossbow was lodged into her side with a bloodstained shirt to cover the wound. A trail of blood droplets led from the backdoor three floors below to where she was currently standing. Ether had long ago decided to forget about how much blood she was losing- it was not a comforting thought. "The bolt has to come out though..." Ether moved from the chair into the bathroom, pulling back her shirt and coat with the claws on her leathery bat wings. Grasping the bolt on two sides with her hooves, Ether pulled forward, letting loose a scream not unlike the one that a security mare had made earlier. A true storm had started to boil up as Ether approached the Museum of Dangerous Objects and Really Sharp Things. It was unfortunate that the pegasus ponies had picked tonight to let the storm happen, as it was going to prevent the police investigation until the next morning. Ether stepped out of the shower in her grimy hotel room, tossing aside a towel that she had been drying herself off with. She was a mare of slightly taller stature than others, but nothing fiendish that made her stick out like a sore hoof. Indeed, when her mane was pulled back and she kept her wings tucked in, it was hard for anypony to notice anything about her without taking a second glance. On the surface she was a perfectly normal mare going about her perfectly normal business. Of course, if any of those perfectly normal ponies ever found out about her perfectly normal business, well, accidents were recorded as the leading cause of death in Equestria for the last two years, who was she to change that? Ether began to apply a comb to her hair, brushing it gently as she stared out the window at the storm. As much as she hated to be wearing her hair in a bun on such a lovely night, it was simply a requirement of her job. Twirling her snow white hair behind her, Ether wrapped her mane quickly around itself before pulling out a single clear coloured hair band. It wasn't a tight bun, but it would keep her hair out of her face and eliminate the chance of leaving behind part of her mane as evidence. Turning from the cold tile of the bathroom, Ether stared down at her open briefcase. Most of these tools were not things she would need for tonight, but it never hurt to be prepared. Pulling on her white shirt, Ether wasted no time in attaching cowhide straps around her body. The holsters on her side concealed easily under her black suit, allowing for her to be fashionable and prepared at the same time. Once her tools were locked into place, Ether quickly pulled on her tie, crossing the fabric and measuring the lengths so she could produce a flawless double windsor. Taking a moment to button her coat, Ether shut the suitcase and made sure the lock clicked before she turned away from her unkempt hotel room. The rain outside greeted her coldly as she took a turn down the winding streets, heading straight for the museum. the street had become eerily dead without it's pony or animal inhabitants. The sounds of life that usually kept the street from being totally sleepy at night were drowned out by the pelting of rain as it slammed angrily onto shingles and metal walls. This was not a place like the pony towns in the south of Ponyville or great stone cities like Canterlot. In the north metal had become the king of infrastructure, ruling over the bodies and minds of ponies. Of course some ponies marked the colder weather that drifted in from the oceans as reasons for this metal imprisonment, but Ether had always seen that as an excuse. While Pegasus ponies could do little to alter the winds that governed the deep ocean or other countries without Pegasus ponies, that did not stop them from dealing with the weather when it arrived. The ability to keep monsoons at bay was enough proof for her that something could be done about this freezing rain currently attacking the city. The idle contemplation of weather quickly washed itself away from Ether's mind as she stopped outside of the gate to the museum. This mission promised to be quick and easy, and it was surely something that she could accomplish without drawing much attention. Ether's leathery wings yearned for a chance to fly even in this freezing rain, but Ether held herself back as she pushed on the gate. Ginseng had left the gate open for her, just as was promised. Everything had been proceeding exactly as planned, just the way Ether liked it. Pushing inside, Ether stopped at the door as a wave of heat rushed over her body. Many buildings in the northern parts of Equestria with maddening amounts of rain had adapted such comforts of life, as having ponies shake themselves all over the place was not exactly practical for homes or museums. Ether spent only a moment checking on her tools to ensure they were not wet before she slipped into the shadows of the museum. The front of the museum was a large open area with marble pillars, floors, and a reception desk that was currently unmanned. All the intelligence that the insider had provided had proved correct so far- Nopony would be assigned front desk duty and nopony would lock the front gate. I'm on my own now though... I need to locate the head and deputy of security. Ether pulled out a little pocketbook and flipped it open. Two pictures had been attached to the inside of a page by paperclips with a name under each. The first one was of a black coated pegasus with cherry eyes- a Miss Heartmend. The other pony was a mare with a red and black dyed hair that harshly offset her brilliant whitegold coat- A Miss Omaha. Two security mares doing security jobs. The head, Miss Heartmend, was known to be fickle and unable to ever come to a decision about anything, including whether or not to turn a blind eye to the arms smuggling that her deputy was conducting. The deputy- Miss Omaha, was the more vicious of the pair. Her bipolar disorder caused high days where she was everypony's best friend and low days where she would prone to ripping apart ponies limb from limb. Indeed, it had been such a case that had brought this job to Ether's eyes. Miss Omaha had been accused, but not convicted of, several geldings and terrible murders. Despite the ongoing- and futile- investigations, she had been able to continue working- and continue her arms smuggling- at the museum due to her manipulation of the current security head. Ether closed the book and stuffed it inside of her jacket. Somepony wronged by these two wanted them both out of the way. They gave money, The Night Guard gave secrecy, and Ether sold her services. The marble around the room resonated with each hoofclick as Ether approached the front desk. Two sets of double doors lead into the museum floors, while a single door lead to an area that was marked "Staff" in black on gold lettering. Steeping swiftly toward the door, Ether leaned against the wall before trying the handle on the door. Unlocked. Ponies don't expect something like this though. Ether pushed inside the room, carefully looking around for anypony that might notice her. The room was filled with a couple couches and a small kitchen area, as well as a room marked "security". Ether peeked inside quickly to make sure that the room was empty before doubling back to the museum atrium. If nopony was in the break room then they were probably all on the museum floor. There cannot be more than one or two other guards on site tonight. Security in museums is low. Ether glanced back into the room, stopping. If arms were being smuggled through this museum, they must be held somewhere. She hadn't noticed anything out of the usual in the staff area, so that must mean that the arms were kept elsewhere. Carefully pushing on the door to the museum floor, Ether kept her body low as she trotted into the room. There were three lights on in here, each one carefully shifting around. Two were horns, and the other one was a flashlight. The flashlight is Heartmend. As for the horns... one is my target, and the other is a bystander. I guess it's their unlucky night to be here. " 'ey! IT! Get over here!" Ether's ears perked up as the harsh tone of Miss Omaha cut the air. The two unicorn lights were approaching her direction quickly. Glancing around, Ether finally decided to take a dive. rolling along the ground, she pulled herself underneath a raised stage that was presenting some old Pegasus battle with griffons. "I'm a stallion, not an it." Said a calm voice. Omaha gave a laugh as some light from her horn fell across Ether's face. Ether winced at the bright light, trying to breathe as shallowly as possible and keep her profile to a minimum. "Not anymore ya ain't!" Miss Omaha growled. "I'm going to go take my break, and when I get back here, not one thing better be outta place. I'm running out of parts to remove from you." There was a sound like meat hitting a wall followed by a surprised whinny from the 'stallion'. His horn went out and the room was suddenly much darker. Omaha had slammed the door to the museum floor shut, plunging the poor soul into darkness. Sorry about this. Ether rolled out from under the stage, keeping her eyes on the unicorn. Trotting slowly around him, Ether took only a moment to prepare her pounce. The stallion had almost got enough magic together to light his horn when her hoof smacked into painfully into the tip. Her leathery wings wrapped around his midsection, pinning his forelegs against his chest. Ether slid her other hoof around the stallion's neck, forcing him to the ground as her second hoof slide from his horn into his mouth. For a moment the two quietly struggled before finally the stallion began to go limp, losing consciousness. Ether pulled herself off the stallion, dragging him along with her hooves until he was parallel to the stage. with a little bit of a push, she rolled the stallion under the stage before gathering herself up, staring around the museum once more. The flashlight was still bobbing along, carefully watching over anything that might suddenly decide to come alive. Ether didn't really have time for such foolishness- this was going to be quick and simple, whether the security mares liked it or not. Glancing around the room, Ether trotted close to a set of pre-Night Mare moon artifacts. The stage was close as by, and Ether took a moment to assess what was holding it up. Three pegs kept the stage up- two in the back and one in the front. Pulling a coin from her coat, Ether chucked it at the stage, letting it smack the hardwood stage loudly before vanishing into the shadows. "Eh," Miss Heartmend said, her flashlight flittering over to the stage. "Who's there?" Ether said nothing, waiting for the mare to approach. Heartmend carefully got up on the stage, flashing around the room with her flashlight. Even if she had seen something, it would not have mattered. Ether had already positioned herself behind the mare. With a circle of rope in hoof, Ether quickly slid it over the security head's mane, bringing it down and tightening the noose around her neck. A surprised gurgle escaped Heartmend's throat as she tried to buck whoever was behind her. Ether had already ducked away, landing hard on the floor. With one much better placed buck, Ether knocked away one of the pegs under the stage. The stage gave way, all the pegs collapsing and taking away Miss Heartmend's footing. Ether did not look back as the sounds of the choking mare filled the room. Ether had learned that ponies tended to die in the way they had lived, and this was more proof to her theory. Heartmend would die in the same way she'd lived- like a coward. "Those weapons have to be in here somewhere." Ether said to herself, glancing around the room. She had no time to search however, as at that moment the doors to the museum floor were flung open. Miss Omaha stood there now, her horn dimly illuminating all features of the museum floor, Ether included. For a moment the two of them stared at each other, both equally surprised to see the other there. Omaha's eyes glanced over Ether's shoulder, taking in the view of the hanging Heartmend. Unfortunately, that momentary lapse of concentration was all that Ether needed from Omaha. Pulling open her jacket, Ether closed her eyes. She knew she'd hit her mark and that these weapons were her best asset, but that did not mean that she liked using them. Using technology that only rich ponies could dream of did make her weapons unfair, but never impractical. I don't have to fight fair. A loud bang rang out across the room. Ether opened her eyes and blew on the tip of her gun before putting it back under her coat. Omaha now lay on the ground, a stream of blood gushing from her cranium and forming a pleasant pool of crimson around her body. While it wasn't quite the way Ether had planned on dealing with the mare, it was a fitting death for an arms dealer- killed by an illegal weapon, even if it wasn't one of her own illegal weapons. The Night Guard wanted for the weapons to be destroyed too. I should take care of that before I leave. Ether quickly rounded on the room, sighing as she set about the task of searching the floor. The weapons had been hidden under the gunpowder display, which was fitting for the kinds of weapons that lay there. Ether's eyes practically popped as she beheld the weapons before her. While there were plenty of crossbows, knives, and claymore swords, there were also plenty of more exotic weapons. Repeating crossbows from the south and matchlock pistols and rifles were scattered among the weapons. Ether took a moment to open up a wood box, checking inside. Another pistol lay here, but it was not like the other matchlock pistols. She did not know the design, but that did not surprise her. Many foreign gunmakers had developed guns in less efficient ways. Ether just shook her head, picking up the weapon and hiding it within her suit. It's at least worth looking at. Lower efficiency does not equate to lower effectiveness. Ether quickly pulled the gun out of its case and put it inside her jacket. Stepping away from the display, Ether lit a match when she was safely away from the gunpowder display. Chucking the match towards the display, Ether threw herself behind another stage, covering her ears. A terrible explosion filled the air as a ball of fire consumed the weapons, burning away the sin of Miss Omaha. Ether did not take the time to check any of her handywork- if nopony had heard the gunshot, they HAD heard that noise. Somepony had heard that gunshot though. That wouldn't have been a problem if it wasn't raining tonight though. No... wet powder is why this happened to me. I was overconfident and I- payed the price- Ether felt her attention slipping as she watched blood drip over the sink. She had been doing her best to rip apart her shirt to make a bandage, but with her view beginning to darken it was difficult to keep her hooves still. Her world suddenly shook, and then she felt her head slam into the floor, the tile of the wall, ceiling and floor spinning around her in a soft tornado of sleep. The SpringsKnock, knock knock. Ether blinked one of her eyes open, slowly pushing herself away from the bloodstained ground. There were a few more loud, frantic knocks on the wooden door to the motel room. Searching around her, Ether finally found one of her weapons. Positioning the gun between her two hooves, she prepared to unsteadily aim at whoever had tailed her. There was a bang on the door as it was tackled open. Slumping her head back, Ether shut her eyes as she prepared to pull the trigger. She knew full well that the powder in this gun was probably wet too, but she was too weak to do more than hope. The other pony paused for a moment, then began to come closer. Pulling on the trigger and hearing no bang, Ether flipped the weapon around and prepared to club whoever was coming her way. Almost two thousand miles away on the Kiwian Archipelago, a young mare sank to her knees in front of Ether. Ether had just arrived via a transocean carriage, but she had no time to waste on things like a hotel room tonight. A contract was a contract, and she didn’t much care about whom it came from as long as she was paid and her name was kept clean. This operation- dubbed by the Night Guard as Operation Lunamaria, Part two- was to be a quick and clean hit. Ether would move into position to eliminate both the Kiwian and Equestrian diplomats at the end of a peace summit. Meanwhile, a small group of non-bat ponies would be meeting with the King of Kiwi. Ether did not envy that job... ...And also realized the plan was the most convoluted piece of governmental, political crap ever handed out on a memo. Ether was not, after all, half strangling an innocent mare against the ground in an alleyway because she wanted too. It was the ever watchful Captain Nocturne of the Night Guard who was strangling this innocent mare. Without his nosiness Ether would still be safely back in Canterlot filling out paperwork like a normal lawyer. "Last time. Where do they normally take their walks to?" Ether whispered to the mare as she eased her grasp on the pony's windpipe. The innocent mare let out a quick gasp of air, coughing as she tried to make words. "Didn't quite hear that." Ether whispered. She began to trace her free hoof along the mare's neck, making sure that the pony on the ground could see her licking her lips. "Spra- The Springs! Just- outside the castle walls, by the gardens! I- I've seen them there, every night." Ether blinked her eyes slowly at the mare. "Long nights and pleasant dreams." Ether lowered her gun and smacked the mare hard on the top of her head twice. In truth Ether had not even loaded the gun yet, but the mare had no way of knowing this. No, what perturbed Ether more was the fact that the mare knew to actually be fearful of the gun. Before Ether had cornered the mare she had used the gun to threaten her. Even among educated circles, most ponies probably only had a vague idea what one of these tools was, much less what one looked like. That should have been the case tonight, but it wasn't. That mare's seen guns before. Ether tucked away her weapon as she slipped into the dark and quiet of the Kiwian streets. By this time of night martial law had been imposed on the streets and everypony without a politician's favor was at home, snug in their wool beds. This suited Ether and her operation just fine, as it meant that she wouldn't be likely to draw too much attention until after she made her move. A few hours later, two diplomats found themselves out for their evening stroll. The Equestrian, a grey unicorn with greased back blond hair, happily finished folding away his notes into a briefcase. He and his Kiwian friend had just finished the last paperwork for their business meeting, and life seemed quite good. Money would never again be an issue, and the other bureaucrats and nobles who made up the Canterlot upper circles would be none the wiser, at least at the moment. There was no need for them to know that an extremely important underground deal for this new "gunpowder" had just been sealed. "I'm glad that you've agreed to help me with this little operation. It was the right choice, Mr. Hawk Steel." The Kiwian diplomat was a short and pudgy pony with a voice like that of an adolescent trying to boss around much bigger kid in the schoolyard. He had a potbelly that was the roundest and best worn that anypony could ask for. This complimented his lack of hair on the top of his head, making him not an unhandsome fellow, albeit gross. "Only making the best choices for myself, I wasn't doing you any favors, Mr. Ef Daft." Mr. Steel said, turning a corner. The pudgy Mr. Daft let out a chortle. He had quickened his trot so that his potbelly swung slightly for the left to the right. Mr. Steel looked away from the stallion. He did not need to see Mr. Daft's eagerness betraying itself. The two came to a sharp turn outside of a grey stone building. There were no windows on this house, only a set of stone steps that led up to a single wood door that was chipping on the edges. A bulky stallion sat on the steps outside, one eye half closed as he dozed off. Mr. Daft did not bother to pay the guard any heed as he headed inside, bringing his comrade in tow. "I'm not sure this is the kind of place I should be visiting on my last evening in town, Mr. Daft." Said Mr. Steel, nervously scanning the walls. The bright pink paint was peeling in several places, exposing the drywall or concrete underneath. The only light in the hallway to illuminate the walls was somber rotating lights that escaped from the cracks of doors on either side of the hallway. At the far end of the hallway, a staircase led upstairs to a set of double doors. Mr. Daft did not answer as he started up the stairs, gruffly panting a bit as he reached the top. Mr. Steel only gave a sigh as he clambered up the staircase, staring down at the rickety staircase. Each night that he had to climb up these stairs made him fearful it would be his last. They could suddenly give way at the top and let him take a tumble into Celestia knows what. "Here's the action!" Mr. Daft's excitement was impossible to hide now as he opened up the double doors. The hallway was flooded with softly dancing lights. The two diplomats stepped in as the smell of alcohol, marijuana smoke, and salt smacked their nostrils. Mr. Steel knew this was not a clean place, but this had never stopped him from enjoying himself. His wife and kids would never know about it, so why should he care? On the other side of the room, Ether watched as the two diplomats entered "The Springs". She had been expecting some manner of spa, but given the decadents that made their homes on these islands a club shouldn't have escaped her mind. Ether bit down into a scarf and let it slowly fall past her leg, flipping herself upside down. She gave a wink to the stallions as she spun around once on the pole, giving them all a good look at the skimpy red leather clothes. The outfit was not the most comfortable she had warn, but at least her wings fit the bill. With a little bit of face paint she had been able to pull off the succubus look much better than the other mare. I'm sure it won't be hard to get one of the diplomats alone, but after that... perhaps I can get the other one to leave. That should work nicely. Ether felt her face flinch a bit as every stallion's eyes watched her now exposed underbelly. Spreading her hind legs out, Ether made sure to give the public a good view of things she honestly wished she didn't have to share.The blush swelling up in her face was not good acting on her part, but rather something deeper she wanted to ignore. When Ether finished her slow slide to the ground, she righted herself and brought the world back into focus. She felt one stallion slip some sort of paper money into her clothes, his hoof taking it's time to wander over the exposed flank in front of him. Ether flipped around, resting her back against the pole as she displayed her belly to the Equestrian diplomat, Mr. Steel. Whatever real inhibitions he might have had were apparently gone as he stared over Ether's form, his greedy eyes tracing down from her her upper belly to the end of her inner thigh. "You remind me of those- yeah..." Mr. Steel said, half reaching out a hoof to touch one of Ether's "fake" wings. "Hey- hey!" Ether looked to her side slightly as the obese Kiwian diplomat entered her vision. "Hey, Mr- ah, haha, look, If you want to touch, you need a private room. Why don't you uh- go take room 5, I'll send her down, eh?" There were groans from the crowd as Ether detached herself from the pole, pulling the red scarf out of her mouth. It was only after she stopped tasting it that the scent of old salt and the aftertaste of musk got stuck in her sinuses. "Hey, whore!" Mr. Daft called, motioning to Ether. Ether pointed at herself. "Yes you, you dumb slut. Go around back and head down to room 5. You give my friend the best treatment and wait on me to come get you, got it? Now go, go, and send the next mare out. These boys are paying for entertainment." Mr. Daft turned to some of the more angered stallions, starting to talk to them about different shows that would be happening tonight and assuring them that there were far sexier mares than that bat he had shooed away. Ether continued her way off stage, stopping once she passed under a curtain. Four other mares back here were already in various bunny, cat, or other suits that Ether couldn't exactly comprehend. "The next girl is up. Which way do I take to Room 5?" Ether asked. The mare in a cat suit looked up, giggling. "Oh- You really are new, aren't you? I wish I could see this- mmh, you need to walk across the floor of the room and head downstairs. Try not to let any of the stallions feel too much of you!" The cat-mare giggled again. Ether did not laugh, but simply turned, heading for a door on the side. When she had arrived in her suit she had not drawn too much attention. The shadows from the flashing lights gave her more than enough cover to slip by. With a little sigh, Ether stooped down and picked up a small blue bag, which she slung over her shoulder. All of her weapons and suit had remained safe here, but Ether knew she couldn't come back for them after she made her move. This must be quick and mostly painless. Ether took the door on the side and began to trot down a short staircase. Already the painful lights were flashing in her eyes again, burning little holes onto her vision. She was almost halfway across the room before a stallion took notice of her. A sharp slap on her flank made Ether jump. She turned her head around to see a stallion in what appeared to be some sort of business suit running his hoof along her inner thigh with a hungry look. "You can look, but don't touch." Ether jerked herself away, trying to quicken her trot for the stairs. The smell of whiskey and rum floated around her as stallions reached out to touch her, grabbing at her hoof or mane and trying to quickly caress her more sensitive part. Ether finally turned the corner and began to head down the stairs. She had very much wanted to buck the stallions that grabbed her in the face, or to smash in the necks of those who undoubtedly were calling her names fit for a pony that worked in this place. Just forget it. Too many ponies talking, and I didn't hear them call me anything. They won't be touching any mares here after I'm done tonight, either. The Springs will be shutting down. Ether counted the doors until she reached room 5, and then breathed in a deep breath as she pushed open the door. Sure enough, Mr. Steel was already there, leaning back in what looked to be some old dining room chair next to a double bed. Ether could tell that he had taken time to prepare himself, judging by the clothes and briefcase on the floor as well as the empty shot glasses laying on an endtable. Ether gave her white tail a flick, trotting closer to the stallion. "Oh, you remind me of those Night Guard at home- I always wanted to have a good roll in the hay with one." Mr Steel said, hiccuping. Ether paid him no heed as she sat down her bag behind him. The stallion shivered as Ether swept her tail across his thigh, bringing herself back around. Slowly straddling one of the stallion's legs, Ether leaned in and nibbled on his ear. "You asked for me especially, and that's good..." Ether whispered. "Why's that good?" Mr. Steel mumbled. Ether winced as she felt something pulse against her leg. "Mr. Daft told me to give you something really special. It's in the bag, but no peeking." Ether whispered, slowly pulling away from the stallion and sliding along the ground. "What happens if I do peek?" Mr. Steel asked. Mr Steel never had his question answered. it took only a few seconds for Ether to slip out the fishing string she had tied to two wooden rings that fit around her hooves. Throwing herself at the back of the chair, Ether slipped the line around Mr. Steel's neck and pulled. Her back hooves remained firmly on the ground, keeping a balance between herself and the chair. Ether knew this would be a slow death, but she knew it didn't matter. No one would be disturbing the client until he had finished with the mare. Ether's head snapped up as there was a loud knocking on the door. For a moment, the world shook, but then was still again. Mr. Steel was not moving, having lost consciousness from the lack of air. "Who is it?" Ether called at the door. "Shush you slut, it's the boss." Came Mr. Daft's voice. There was a jingling of keys as he began to play with the door handle. Moving quickly, Ether swung the body of Mr. Steel out of his chair and hurled him over to the bed. She quickly put the wood rings on his hooves, pushing his face into a red heart shaped pillow as the door opened. The greatly overweight Mr. Daft entered, grinning at the scene before him. His look changed to one of confusion for a moment as he looked over Mr. Steel, obviously perplexed by the odd situation. "Just a little bit of rough foreplay." Ether said, smacking the strangled stallion on the bottom. Mr. Daft's smile returned. "Ah, that's my girl. Now, I'm- I'm going to go get one more of those mango drinks upstairs ordered, and then I'll be back. You better be ready for some fun then, got it?" "Of course, sir." Ether said. As soon as the door was closed, Ether pulled Mr. Steel's head back. With one quick snapping motion, Ether closed her eyes as a sickening crunch echoed around the room. Tossing the body aside, Ether grabbed her wire and hurried over to her bag. Quickly hiding the wire, Ether stopped for a moment to contemplate the briefcase in the room. I better take that with me. The job won't look like a proper hit if I leave all his belongings with him. Ether felt her heart hammer as she exited room 5 and started up the stairs towards the double doors. Mr. Daft would be coming back any moment, and when he did, she had to be ready. Every moment felt like a year as the heavy hoofsteps of her prey got closer to the door. Mr. Daft rounded the corner and began to head down the stairs, and that was when Ether took her chance. Ether quickly slammed the briefcase into the side of the pony's head. Mango drink splattered all over the wall as as the sound of glass shattering filled the air. Not wasting a single moment, Ether threw the briefcase down the stairwell before grabbing onto the fat stallion's head. Once more, a sickening crack filled the air. Without even a moment to breathe, Ether lifted, pulling on the fat pony. Every muscle strained as the cords in her legs balked at the sudden anaerobic feat. Hurling the potbelly pony over her shoulder, Ether quickly let go of him and began to tumble down the stairs. Although she knew that she might have a bruise here and a cut there later, it was nothing compared to what the stallion would be not be going through. There was a loud crash behind her as the upper stairs fell through. A hail of wood splintering and cheap duct tape tearing ended with a sickening splat onto a hard, rocky surface. Ether shoved the briefcase into her mouth as she hurried for the door, moving past stallions and whores emerging from their rooms to look at what had happened. Even the guard normally outside had rushed inside to see what the noise had been, nopony paying to much attention to another whore on the scene. Ether was already long gone before anypony began to look for her. Hiding might be smart, but it's not always practical. I hate doing that kind of stuff, it should be left up to Web- The familiar noise of a pony slamming into a flat surface once more filled Ether's head as she felt herself lifted up and positioned onto a coffee table in her motel. Ether only groaned as her head smacked into the wood, causing the shadows that made the haze of her world to twist and whirl violently around her. Whoever this pony was, they had followed the trail of blood from the ground floor and found her. Perhaps they weren't an enemy, as the rain outside would have washed away blood left in the streets. They haven't shot me yet though... so thank Luna for that...
Damage AssessmentA few drops of rain fell down on the landscape of northern Equestria. The area north of Manehatten typically lived in the shadow of it's bigger sister, but that didn't make it any less pretty in it's own right. Grass glistened in the early spring as snow melted away and gave birth to new green life. With the return of green shades also came the revitalization of visitors to the local museums. One particular museum, the Museum of Dangerous Objects and Very Sharp Things, had recently been joined by a new chief of security. The new chief was the very reason that some guards had snuck out on their day off, secretly making their way towards a derelict building on the edge of town. Splits, a rather young guard, had been the first to arrive, not bothering to wait for his other two compadres. The building was dark inside, and even lighting up his horn did little to sway the shadows of the abandoned room. The unicorn stopped in front of a blank table, looking down at it. He'd been told to wait for the others outside, but it was hard for him to withhold his enthusiasm. He'd heard about the pony they were hiring, and supposedly they were a legend. "Splits- oh thank Celestia-" Splits turned around as two other unicorns stumbled into the room. His best friend, Citric, and his boss, a mare they had come to simply know as Ginseng, had both entered behind him. Ginseng had a briefcase with her that hung from her side where a saddlebag would normally go. Splits stared more worriedly at the briefcase than he did the relief on his friend's face. Hopefully it would be enough... "That's all of you, then?" A medium and unreadable female voice said. Splits whipped around, trying to brighten his horn a little and locate the source of noise. Citric put his hoof on Splits horn however, lowering it and putting out the light. "Don't do that, she doesn't like lights!" Citric hissed. Splits let his horn go out as he stared into the darkness. A quick blink of light caught his eye, and then two blinks. A pair of eyes- purple, with diamondlike slits for pupils were staring at him from across the table. How he had not seen a pony there before- or indeed, if she had even been there before, escaped him. "That's all of us." Ginseng said. The room illuminated with a little bit of light as she set the briefcase down, opening it up and revealing the contents. One thousand golden bits glinted faintly, even in the darkness. The purple eyes half shut in a wince as they traced along the golden coins. Even though the eyes were watching the coins, Splits had a creeping feeling on his neck that told him he was being watched, and a shiver went down his spine at the thought of whoever was hiding behind the shadows. "Is there anything I need to know? What sort of intelligence do you have for me?" The mare in the shadows asked quietly. Citric instantly asserted himself and presented his side. A week ago he had a tail hanging behind his flank, but no more. It had all been sliced clean off, and he had been lucky his flank didn't go with it. "The chief cut off my tail!" He said indignantly. The purple eye blinked. "How did that happen?" "Well, this one day I was taking my duties of being night watch when the new chief thought it would be funny to mess with some of the equipment. I dodged getting crushed by a giant anvil, but that was the least of my problems! This new mare is a total disaster. She's a clumsy flying pegasus that is suicidal! I seriously think she's suicidal, she's always moping around one moment and the next moment nearly killing us with things that need to stay in a glass case. Either I get crushed by a giant anvil, or she cuts my butt off with a large griffon axe!" "It did not happen that way." Splits said. "She forced you to shave your tail off because of a bet. The axe almost cut your butt off because she dropped it." "It's the same difference!" Citric huffed. "Besides, look at you!" Splits blushed a little bit. "I'm doing just fine thanks, I didn't like that house anyway." "What happened to you?" The shadowy figure asked Splits. Splits backed up a bit, not sure that she would believe this. Still, if she bought the first story, surely she might believe his story? "Uhm, well," Splits could feel his sheepishness spreading across his face. "The chief burned my house down." "She burned your house down." There was a thump as something landed on the ground. The purple eye twisted around, a pair of them now gazing directly into Split's eyes. "Yes, ma'am... she, she burned my house down." Splits repeated. "You can't just leave me with that," The mare said, "Details, details." Splits sighed. "It's a straw house." "Was." Ginseng inserted. "Was a straw house." Splits said. "It was a night of partying. I was happy at having completed my 98% straw house, and we were celebrating with some wine. After all of us were pretty drunk, the chief fell over and spilled an entire bottle of wine, soaking the floor. I was furious! I didn't even let her pay me back. I kicked her out and then decided we all just have some cupcakes and leave. Trust me, cupcakes weren't my idea, I'm not sure why you'd mix that with wine, but my boss thought it was a good idea. The new chief was outside using the housewarming gift that I was supposed to get- a sparkproof lighter. Well, it wasn't exactly... sparkproof. "You built a house out of STRAW?" The mare in the shadows said incredulously, her voice soaring a little higher than normal. "What is wrong with you?" Splits blushed, hiding his face. Ginseng stepped forward, pointing to the bits. "Are you going to take the job or not?" Ginseng asked, motioning to the bits. "This really doesn't seem like it's worth killing somepony over, but you've got my word." The mare said. "How many other ponies will be on guard tonight?" "Just three." Ginseng said. "Don't know who." Splits watched carefully as the mare in the shadows shifted around. Tense moments ticked by her eyes bobbed up and down, indicating that she was nodding. "You know where the money is to be sent too?" Ginseng grinned, closing the case. "I took care of that already. All you have to do is mail it." "Good. You can leave now- and Ginseng." Ginseng didn't turn with the others, staying behind just a bit. Splits was quite ready to be gone from this place- and any other place where the mare in the shadows would be. He didn't hear the last few words exchanged, but Ginseng quickly caught up with the two of them, hurrying outside into the weak and fading sunlight. A few rays had managed to get through the rain, but it was only a brief respite before the stormy night.
WoundedThey were expecting me. I thought they just heard the explosion, but he was armed and ready. Ether pushed through the door of her hotel, grabbing for a chair as she limped in. A bolt from a crossbow was lodged into her side with a bloodstained shirt to cover the wound. A trail of blood droplets led from the backdoor three floors below to where she was currently standing. Ether had long ago decided to forget about how much blood she was losing- it was not a comforting thought. "The bolt has to come out though..." Ether moved from the chair into the bathroom, pulling back her shirt and coat with the claws on her leathery bat wings. Grasping the bolt on two sides with her hooves, Ether pulled forward, letting loose a scream not unlike the one that a security mare had made earlier. A true storm had started to boil up as Ether approached the Museum of Dangerous Objects and Really Sharp Things. It was unfortunate that the pegasus ponies had picked tonight to let the storm happen, as it was going to prevent the police investigation until the next morning. Ether stepped out of the shower in her grimy hotel room, tossing aside a towel that she had been drying herself off with. She was a mare of slightly taller stature than others, but nothing fiendish that made her stick out like a sore hoof. Indeed, when her mane was pulled back and she kept her wings tucked in, it was hard for anypony to notice anything about her without taking a second glance. On the surface she was a perfectly normal mare going about her perfectly normal business. Of course, if any of those perfectly normal ponies ever found out about her perfectly normal business, well, accidents were recorded as the leading cause of death in Equestria for the last two years, who was she to change that? Ether began to apply a comb to her hair, brushing it gently as she stared out the window at the storm. As much as she hated to be wearing her hair in a bun on such a lovely night, it was simply a requirement of her job. Twirling her snow white hair behind her, Ether wrapped her mane quickly around itself before pulling out a single clear coloured hair band. It wasn't a tight bun, but it would keep her hair out of her face and eliminate the chance of leaving behind part of her mane as evidence. Turning from the cold tile of the bathroom, Ether stared down at her open briefcase. Most of these tools were not things she would need for tonight, but it never hurt to be prepared. Pulling on her white shirt, Ether wasted no time in attaching cowhide straps around her body. The holsters on her side concealed easily under her black suit, allowing for her to be fashionable and prepared at the same time. Once her tools were locked into place, Ether quickly pulled on her tie, crossing the fabric and measuring the lengths so she could produce a flawless double windsor. Taking a moment to button her coat, Ether shut the suitcase and made sure the lock clicked before she turned away from her unkempt hotel room. The rain outside greeted her coldly as she took a turn down the winding streets, heading straight for the museum. the street had become eerily dead without it's pony or animal inhabitants. The sounds of life that usually kept the street from being totally sleepy at night were drowned out by the pelting of rain as it slammed angrily onto shingles and metal walls. This was not a place like the pony towns in the south of Ponyville or great stone cities like Canterlot. In the north metal had become the king of infrastructure, ruling over the bodies and minds of ponies. Of course some ponies marked the colder weather that drifted in from the oceans as reasons for this metal imprisonment, but Ether had always seen that as an excuse. While Pegasus ponies could do little to alter the winds that governed the deep ocean or other countries without Pegasus ponies, that did not stop them from dealing with the weather when it arrived. The ability to keep monsoons at bay was enough proof for her that something could be done about this freezing rain currently attacking the city. The idle contemplation of weather quickly washed itself away from Ether's mind as she stopped outside of the gate to the museum. This mission promised to be quick and easy, and it was surely something that she could accomplish without drawing much attention. Ether's leathery wings yearned for a chance to fly even in this freezing rain, but Ether held herself back as she pushed on the gate. Ginseng had left the gate open for her, just as was promised. Everything had been proceeding exactly as planned, just the way Ether liked it. Pushing inside, Ether stopped at the door as a wave of heat rushed over her body. Many buildings in the northern parts of Equestria with maddening amounts of rain had adapted such comforts of life, as having ponies shake themselves all over the place was not exactly practical for homes or museums. Ether spent only a moment checking on her tools to ensure they were not wet before she slipped into the shadows of the museum. The front of the museum was a large open area with marble pillars, floors, and a reception desk that was currently unmanned. All the intelligence that the insider had provided had proved correct so far- Nopony would be assigned front desk duty and nopony would lock the front gate. I'm on my own now though... I need to locate the head and deputy of security. Ether pulled out a little pocketbook and flipped it open. Two pictures had been attached to the inside of a page by paperclips with a name under each. The first one was of a black coated pegasus with cherry eyes- a Miss Heartmend. The other pony was a mare with a red and black dyed hair that harshly offset her brilliant whitegold coat- A Miss Omaha. Two security mares doing security jobs. The head, Miss Heartmend, was known to be fickle and unable to ever come to a decision about anything, including whether or not to turn a blind eye to the arms smuggling that her deputy was conducting. The deputy- Miss Omaha, was the more vicious of the pair. Her bipolar disorder caused high days where she was everypony's best friend and low days where she would prone to ripping apart ponies limb from limb. Indeed, it had been such a case that had brought this job to Ether's eyes. Miss Omaha had been accused, but not convicted of, several geldings and terrible murders. Despite the ongoing- and futile- investigations, she had been able to continue working- and continue her arms smuggling- at the museum due to her manipulation of the current security head. Ether closed the book and stuffed it inside of her jacket. Somepony wronged by these two wanted them both out of the way. They gave money, The Night Guard gave secrecy, and Ether sold her services. The marble around the room resonated with each hoofclick as Ether approached the front desk. Two sets of double doors lead into the museum floors, while a single door lead to an area that was marked "Staff" in black on gold lettering. Steeping swiftly toward the door, Ether leaned against the wall before trying the handle on the door. Unlocked. Ponies don't expect something like this though. Ether pushed inside the room, carefully looking around for anypony that might notice her. The room was filled with a couple couches and a small kitchen area, as well as a room marked "security". Ether peeked inside quickly to make sure that the room was empty before doubling back to the museum atrium. If nopony was in the break room then they were probably all on the museum floor. There cannot be more than one or two other guards on site tonight. Security in museums is low. Ether glanced back into the room, stopping. If arms were being smuggled through this museum, they must be held somewhere. She hadn't noticed anything out of the usual in the staff area, so that must mean that the arms were kept elsewhere. Carefully pushing on the door to the museum floor, Ether kept her body low as she trotted into the room. There were three lights on in here, each one carefully shifting around. Two were horns, and the other one was a flashlight. The flashlight is Heartmend. As for the horns... one is my target, and the other is a bystander. I guess it's their unlucky night to be here. " 'ey! IT! Get over here!" Ether's ears perked up as the harsh tone of Miss Omaha cut the air. The two unicorn lights were approaching her direction quickly. Glancing around, Ether finally decided to take a dive. rolling along the ground, she pulled herself underneath a raised stage that was presenting some old Pegasus battle with griffons. "I'm a stallion, not an it." Said a calm voice. Omaha gave a laugh as some light from her horn fell across Ether's face. Ether winced at the bright light, trying to breathe as shallowly as possible and keep her profile to a minimum. "Not anymore ya ain't!" Miss Omaha growled. "I'm going to go take my break, and when I get back here, not one thing better be outta place. I'm running out of parts to remove from you." There was a sound like meat hitting a wall followed by a surprised whinny from the 'stallion'. His horn went out and the room was suddenly much darker. Omaha had slammed the door to the museum floor shut, plunging the poor soul into darkness. Sorry about this. Ether rolled out from under the stage, keeping her eyes on the unicorn. Trotting slowly around him, Ether took only a moment to prepare her pounce. The stallion had almost got enough magic together to light his horn when her hoof smacked into painfully into the tip. Her leathery wings wrapped around his midsection, pinning his forelegs against his chest. Ether slid her other hoof around the stallion's neck, forcing him to the ground as her second hoof slide from his horn into his mouth. For a moment the two quietly struggled before finally the stallion began to go limp, losing consciousness. Ether pulled herself off the stallion, dragging him along with her hooves until he was parallel to the stage. with a little bit of a push, she rolled the stallion under the stage before gathering herself up, staring around the museum once more. The flashlight was still bobbing along, carefully watching over anything that might suddenly decide to come alive. Ether didn't really have time for such foolishness- this was going to be quick and simple, whether the security mares liked it or not. Glancing around the room, Ether trotted close to a set of pre-Night Mare moon artifacts. The stage was close as by, and Ether took a moment to assess what was holding it up. Three pegs kept the stage up- two in the back and one in the front. Pulling a coin from her coat, Ether chucked it at the stage, letting it smack the hardwood stage loudly before vanishing into the shadows. "Eh," Miss Heartmend said, her flashlight flittering over to the stage. "Who's there?" Ether said nothing, waiting for the mare to approach. Heartmend carefully got up on the stage, flashing around the room with her flashlight. Even if she had seen something, it would not have mattered. Ether had already positioned herself behind the mare. With a circle of rope in hoof, Ether quickly slid it over the security head's mane, bringing it down and tightening the noose around her neck. A surprised gurgle escaped Heartmend's throat as she tried to buck whoever was behind her. Ether had already ducked away, landing hard on the floor. With one much better placed buck, Ether knocked away one of the pegs under the stage. The stage gave way, all the pegs collapsing and taking away Miss Heartmend's footing. Ether did not look back as the sounds of the choking mare filled the room. Ether had learned that ponies tended to die in the way they had lived, and this was more proof to her theory. Heartmend would die in the same way she'd lived- like a coward. "Those weapons have to be in here somewhere." Ether said to herself, glancing around the room. She had no time to search however, as at that moment the doors to the museum floor were flung open. Miss Omaha stood there now, her horn dimly illuminating all features of the museum floor, Ether included. For a moment the two of them stared at each other, both equally surprised to see the other there. Omaha's eyes glanced over Ether's shoulder, taking in the view of the hanging Heartmend. Unfortunately, that momentary lapse of concentration was all that Ether needed from Omaha. Pulling open her jacket, Ether closed her eyes. She knew she'd hit her mark and that these weapons were her best asset, but that did not mean that she liked using them. Using technology that only rich ponies could dream of did make her weapons unfair, but never impractical. I don't have to fight fair. A loud bang rang out across the room. Ether opened her eyes and blew on the tip of her gun before putting it back under her coat. Omaha now lay on the ground, a stream of blood gushing from her cranium and forming a pleasant pool of crimson around her body. While it wasn't quite the way Ether had planned on dealing with the mare, it was a fitting death for an arms dealer- killed by an illegal weapon, even if it wasn't one of her own illegal weapons. The Night Guard wanted for the weapons to be destroyed too. I should take care of that before I leave. Ether quickly rounded on the room, sighing as she set about the task of searching the floor. The weapons had been hidden under the gunpowder display, which was fitting for the kinds of weapons that lay there. Ether's eyes practically popped as she beheld the weapons before her. While there were plenty of crossbows, knives, and claymore swords, there were also plenty of more exotic weapons. Repeating crossbows from the south and matchlock pistols and rifles were scattered among the weapons. Ether took a moment to open up a wood box, checking inside. Another pistol lay here, but it was not like the other matchlock pistols. She did not know the design, but that did not surprise her. Many foreign gunmakers had developed guns in less efficient ways. Ether just shook her head, picking up the weapon and hiding it within her suit. It's at least worth looking at. Lower efficiency does not equate to lower effectiveness. Ether quickly pulled the gun out of its case and put it inside her jacket. Stepping away from the display, Ether lit a match when she was safely away from the gunpowder display. Chucking the match towards the display, Ether threw herself behind another stage, covering her ears. A terrible explosion filled the air as a ball of fire consumed the weapons, burning away the sin of Miss Omaha. Ether did not take the time to check any of her handywork- if nopony had heard the gunshot, they HAD heard that noise. Somepony had heard that gunshot though. That wouldn't have been a problem if it wasn't raining tonight though. No... wet powder is why this happened to me. I was overconfident and I- payed the price- Ether felt her attention slipping as she watched blood drip over the sink. She had been doing her best to rip apart her shirt to make a bandage, but with her view beginning to darken it was difficult to keep her hooves still. Her world suddenly shook, and then she felt her head slam into the floor, the tile of the wall, ceiling and floor spinning around her in a soft tornado of sleep.
The SpringsKnock, knock knock. Ether blinked one of her eyes open, slowly pushing herself away from the bloodstained ground. There were a few more loud, frantic knocks on the wooden door to the motel room. Searching around her, Ether finally found one of her weapons. Positioning the gun between her two hooves, she prepared to unsteadily aim at whoever had tailed her. There was a bang on the door as it was tackled open. Slumping her head back, Ether shut her eyes as she prepared to pull the trigger. She knew full well that the powder in this gun was probably wet too, but she was too weak to do more than hope. The other pony paused for a moment, then began to come closer. Pulling on the trigger and hearing no bang, Ether flipped the weapon around and prepared to club whoever was coming her way. Almost two thousand miles away on the Kiwian Archipelago, a young mare sank to her knees in front of Ether. Ether had just arrived via a transocean carriage, but she had no time to waste on things like a hotel room tonight. A contract was a contract, and she didn’t much care about whom it came from as long as she was paid and her name was kept clean. This operation- dubbed by the Night Guard as Operation Lunamaria, Part two- was to be a quick and clean hit. Ether would move into position to eliminate both the Kiwian and Equestrian diplomats at the end of a peace summit. Meanwhile, a small group of non-bat ponies would be meeting with the King of Kiwi. Ether did not envy that job... ...And also realized the plan was the most convoluted piece of governmental, political crap ever handed out on a memo. Ether was not, after all, half strangling an innocent mare against the ground in an alleyway because she wanted too. It was the ever watchful Captain Nocturne of the Night Guard who was strangling this innocent mare. Without his nosiness Ether would still be safely back in Canterlot filling out paperwork like a normal lawyer. "Last time. Where do they normally take their walks to?" Ether whispered to the mare as she eased her grasp on the pony's windpipe. The innocent mare let out a quick gasp of air, coughing as she tried to make words. "Didn't quite hear that." Ether whispered. She began to trace her free hoof along the mare's neck, making sure that the pony on the ground could see her licking her lips. "Spra- The Springs! Just- outside the castle walls, by the gardens! I- I've seen them there, every night." Ether blinked her eyes slowly at the mare. "Long nights and pleasant dreams." Ether lowered her gun and smacked the mare hard on the top of her head twice. In truth Ether had not even loaded the gun yet, but the mare had no way of knowing this. No, what perturbed Ether more was the fact that the mare knew to actually be fearful of the gun. Before Ether had cornered the mare she had used the gun to threaten her. Even among educated circles, most ponies probably only had a vague idea what one of these tools was, much less what one looked like. That should have been the case tonight, but it wasn't. That mare's seen guns before. Ether tucked away her weapon as she slipped into the dark and quiet of the Kiwian streets. By this time of night martial law had been imposed on the streets and everypony without a politician's favor was at home, snug in their wool beds. This suited Ether and her operation just fine, as it meant that she wouldn't be likely to draw too much attention until after she made her move. A few hours later, two diplomats found themselves out for their evening stroll. The Equestrian, a grey unicorn with greased back blond hair, happily finished folding away his notes into a briefcase. He and his Kiwian friend had just finished the last paperwork for their business meeting, and life seemed quite good. Money would never again be an issue, and the other bureaucrats and nobles who made up the Canterlot upper circles would be none the wiser, at least at the moment. There was no need for them to know that an extremely important underground deal for this new "gunpowder" had just been sealed. "I'm glad that you've agreed to help me with this little operation. It was the right choice, Mr. Hawk Steel." The Kiwian diplomat was a short and pudgy pony with a voice like that of an adolescent trying to boss around much bigger kid in the schoolyard. He had a potbelly that was the roundest and best worn that anypony could ask for. This complimented his lack of hair on the top of his head, making him not an unhandsome fellow, albeit gross. "Only making the best choices for myself, I wasn't doing you any favors, Mr. Ef Daft." Mr. Steel said, turning a corner. The pudgy Mr. Daft let out a chortle. He had quickened his trot so that his potbelly swung slightly for the left to the right. Mr. Steel looked away from the stallion. He did not need to see Mr. Daft's eagerness betraying itself. The two came to a sharp turn outside of a grey stone building. There were no windows on this house, only a set of stone steps that led up to a single wood door that was chipping on the edges. A bulky stallion sat on the steps outside, one eye half closed as he dozed off. Mr. Daft did not bother to pay the guard any heed as he headed inside, bringing his comrade in tow. "I'm not sure this is the kind of place I should be visiting on my last evening in town, Mr. Daft." Said Mr. Steel, nervously scanning the walls. The bright pink paint was peeling in several places, exposing the drywall or concrete underneath. The only light in the hallway to illuminate the walls was somber rotating lights that escaped from the cracks of doors on either side of the hallway. At the far end of the hallway, a staircase led upstairs to a set of double doors. Mr. Daft did not answer as he started up the stairs, gruffly panting a bit as he reached the top. Mr. Steel only gave a sigh as he clambered up the staircase, staring down at the rickety staircase. Each night that he had to climb up these stairs made him fearful it would be his last. They could suddenly give way at the top and let him take a tumble into Celestia knows what. "Here's the action!" Mr. Daft's excitement was impossible to hide now as he opened up the double doors. The hallway was flooded with softly dancing lights. The two diplomats stepped in as the smell of alcohol, marijuana smoke, and salt smacked their nostrils. Mr. Steel knew this was not a clean place, but this had never stopped him from enjoying himself. His wife and kids would never know about it, so why should he care? On the other side of the room, Ether watched as the two diplomats entered "The Springs". She had been expecting some manner of spa, but given the decadents that made their homes on these islands a club shouldn't have escaped her mind. Ether bit down into a scarf and let it slowly fall past her leg, flipping herself upside down. She gave a wink to the stallions as she spun around once on the pole, giving them all a good look at the skimpy red leather clothes. The outfit was not the most comfortable she had warn, but at least her wings fit the bill. With a little bit of face paint she had been able to pull off the succubus look much better than the other mare. I'm sure it won't be hard to get one of the diplomats alone, but after that... perhaps I can get the other one to leave. That should work nicely. Ether felt her face flinch a bit as every stallion's eyes watched her now exposed underbelly. Spreading her hind legs out, Ether made sure to give the public a good view of things she honestly wished she didn't have to share.The blush swelling up in her face was not good acting on her part, but rather something deeper she wanted to ignore. When Ether finished her slow slide to the ground, she righted herself and brought the world back into focus. She felt one stallion slip some sort of paper money into her clothes, his hoof taking it's time to wander over the exposed flank in front of him. Ether flipped around, resting her back against the pole as she displayed her belly to the Equestrian diplomat, Mr. Steel. Whatever real inhibitions he might have had were apparently gone as he stared over Ether's form, his greedy eyes tracing down from her her upper belly to the end of her inner thigh. "You remind me of those- yeah..." Mr. Steel said, half reaching out a hoof to touch one of Ether's "fake" wings. "Hey- hey!" Ether looked to her side slightly as the obese Kiwian diplomat entered her vision. "Hey, Mr- ah, haha, look, If you want to touch, you need a private room. Why don't you uh- go take room 5, I'll send her down, eh?" There were groans from the crowd as Ether detached herself from the pole, pulling the red scarf out of her mouth. It was only after she stopped tasting it that the scent of old salt and the aftertaste of musk got stuck in her sinuses. "Hey, whore!" Mr. Daft called, motioning to Ether. Ether pointed at herself. "Yes you, you dumb slut. Go around back and head down to room 5. You give my friend the best treatment and wait on me to come get you, got it? Now go, go, and send the next mare out. These boys are paying for entertainment." Mr. Daft turned to some of the more angered stallions, starting to talk to them about different shows that would be happening tonight and assuring them that there were far sexier mares than that bat he had shooed away. Ether continued her way off stage, stopping once she passed under a curtain. Four other mares back here were already in various bunny, cat, or other suits that Ether couldn't exactly comprehend. "The next girl is up. Which way do I take to Room 5?" Ether asked. The mare in a cat suit looked up, giggling. "Oh- You really are new, aren't you? I wish I could see this- mmh, you need to walk across the floor of the room and head downstairs. Try not to let any of the stallions feel too much of you!" The cat-mare giggled again. Ether did not laugh, but simply turned, heading for a door on the side. When she had arrived in her suit she had not drawn too much attention. The shadows from the flashing lights gave her more than enough cover to slip by. With a little sigh, Ether stooped down and picked up a small blue bag, which she slung over her shoulder. All of her weapons and suit had remained safe here, but Ether knew she couldn't come back for them after she made her move. This must be quick and mostly painless. Ether took the door on the side and began to trot down a short staircase. Already the painful lights were flashing in her eyes again, burning little holes onto her vision. She was almost halfway across the room before a stallion took notice of her. A sharp slap on her flank made Ether jump. She turned her head around to see a stallion in what appeared to be some sort of business suit running his hoof along her inner thigh with a hungry look. "You can look, but don't touch." Ether jerked herself away, trying to quicken her trot for the stairs. The smell of whiskey and rum floated around her as stallions reached out to touch her, grabbing at her hoof or mane and trying to quickly caress her more sensitive part. Ether finally turned the corner and began to head down the stairs. She had very much wanted to buck the stallions that grabbed her in the face, or to smash in the necks of those who undoubtedly were calling her names fit for a pony that worked in this place. Just forget it. Too many ponies talking, and I didn't hear them call me anything. They won't be touching any mares here after I'm done tonight, either. The Springs will be shutting down. Ether counted the doors until she reached room 5, and then breathed in a deep breath as she pushed open the door. Sure enough, Mr. Steel was already there, leaning back in what looked to be some old dining room chair next to a double bed. Ether could tell that he had taken time to prepare himself, judging by the clothes and briefcase on the floor as well as the empty shot glasses laying on an endtable. Ether gave her white tail a flick, trotting closer to the stallion. "Oh, you remind me of those Night Guard at home- I always wanted to have a good roll in the hay with one." Mr Steel said, hiccuping. Ether paid him no heed as she sat down her bag behind him. The stallion shivered as Ether swept her tail across his thigh, bringing herself back around. Slowly straddling one of the stallion's legs, Ether leaned in and nibbled on his ear. "You asked for me especially, and that's good..." Ether whispered. "Why's that good?" Mr. Steel mumbled. Ether winced as she felt something pulse against her leg. "Mr. Daft told me to give you something really special. It's in the bag, but no peeking." Ether whispered, slowly pulling away from the stallion and sliding along the ground. "What happens if I do peek?" Mr. Steel asked. Mr Steel never had his question answered. it took only a few seconds for Ether to slip out the fishing string she had tied to two wooden rings that fit around her hooves. Throwing herself at the back of the chair, Ether slipped the line around Mr. Steel's neck and pulled. Her back hooves remained firmly on the ground, keeping a balance between herself and the chair. Ether knew this would be a slow death, but she knew it didn't matter. No one would be disturbing the client until he had finished with the mare. Ether's head snapped up as there was a loud knocking on the door. For a moment, the world shook, but then was still again. Mr. Steel was not moving, having lost consciousness from the lack of air. "Who is it?" Ether called at the door. "Shush you slut, it's the boss." Came Mr. Daft's voice. There was a jingling of keys as he began to play with the door handle. Moving quickly, Ether swung the body of Mr. Steel out of his chair and hurled him over to the bed. She quickly put the wood rings on his hooves, pushing his face into a red heart shaped pillow as the door opened. The greatly overweight Mr. Daft entered, grinning at the scene before him. His look changed to one of confusion for a moment as he looked over Mr. Steel, obviously perplexed by the odd situation. "Just a little bit of rough foreplay." Ether said, smacking the strangled stallion on the bottom. Mr. Daft's smile returned. "Ah, that's my girl. Now, I'm- I'm going to go get one more of those mango drinks upstairs ordered, and then I'll be back. You better be ready for some fun then, got it?" "Of course, sir." Ether said. As soon as the door was closed, Ether pulled Mr. Steel's head back. With one quick snapping motion, Ether closed her eyes as a sickening crunch echoed around the room. Tossing the body aside, Ether grabbed her wire and hurried over to her bag. Quickly hiding the wire, Ether stopped for a moment to contemplate the briefcase in the room. I better take that with me. The job won't look like a proper hit if I leave all his belongings with him. Ether felt her heart hammer as she exited room 5 and started up the stairs towards the double doors. Mr. Daft would be coming back any moment, and when he did, she had to be ready. Every moment felt like a year as the heavy hoofsteps of her prey got closer to the door. Mr. Daft rounded the corner and began to head down the stairs, and that was when Ether took her chance. Ether quickly slammed the briefcase into the side of the pony's head. Mango drink splattered all over the wall as as the sound of glass shattering filled the air. Not wasting a single moment, Ether threw the briefcase down the stairwell before grabbing onto the fat stallion's head. Once more, a sickening crack filled the air. Without even a moment to breathe, Ether lifted, pulling on the fat pony. Every muscle strained as the cords in her legs balked at the sudden anaerobic feat. Hurling the potbelly pony over her shoulder, Ether quickly let go of him and began to tumble down the stairs. Although she knew that she might have a bruise here and a cut there later, it was nothing compared to what the stallion would be not be going through. There was a loud crash behind her as the upper stairs fell through. A hail of wood splintering and cheap duct tape tearing ended with a sickening splat onto a hard, rocky surface. Ether shoved the briefcase into her mouth as she hurried for the door, moving past stallions and whores emerging from their rooms to look at what had happened. Even the guard normally outside had rushed inside to see what the noise had been, nopony paying to much attention to another whore on the scene. Ether was already long gone before anypony began to look for her. Hiding might be smart, but it's not always practical. I hate doing that kind of stuff, it should be left up to Web- The familiar noise of a pony slamming into a flat surface once more filled Ether's head as she felt herself lifted up and positioned onto a coffee table in her motel. Ether only groaned as her head smacked into the wood, causing the shadows that made the haze of her world to twist and whirl violently around her. Whoever this pony was, they had followed the trail of blood from the ground floor and found her. Perhaps they weren't an enemy, as the rain outside would have washed away blood left in the streets. They haven't shot me yet though... so thank Luna for that...
