Hitmares: Accidents Happen

Knock, 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...