Discord's Playground

The carriage rolled down the street of Canterlot. The clack of the wheels, the clicking of the driver’s hooves on the cobblestone street mixed in with the sounds of the city around them. Inside the carriage sat two ponies. One was a grey earth pony stallion with a blue mane. The other was a yellow unicorn mare with an orange mane. The mare was looking down at a clipboard she held.

“When we get there, remember to stay in the carriage this time, Sharp,” the mare said.

Sharp, who was leaning back in the seat, didn’t even open his eyes. “Yeah, yeah.”

“I’m serious this time. Last time you went out and stole several purses and pieces of jewelry. The last thing we need is the Guard snooping around you or me because a witness placed us somewhere that a crime happened. You stay in here, and you don’t leave until I call for you.” She levitated the clipboard over to him, delivering a few strikes to his barrel.

“Ow! Fuck! All right. I won’t leave, Bright. I’ll just sit here and be bored.”

Bright brought her clipboard back over to her. “Good. And if you’re bored, bring a book next time.”

“Books are boring,” Sharp replied, going back to resting.

Giving a roll of her eyes, Bright opened the curtains covering the window on the carriage. Based on the view outside, they should be close to their destination. No more than another minute. Which was another minute she’d have to be trapped in here with Sharp.

Sharp Shooter was a lot of things. He was a thief, had no morals, no respect for anypony not directly involved in paying him. He was an idiot, but a useful idiot. Once the boss made it clear that he was to listen to her on these outings, then he shaped up. Slightly. He did what she told him to do, for the most part. However, she was also aware that if told to do so by the boss, he’d cut her throat without hesitation. So long as he remained useful, she’d keep him around. Otherwise... Well, there were ways to get rid of a pony without a trace in this town.

Bright looked back down at her clipboard, going over the details once more. She had no idea how the boss came about this information, but it had never been wrong before. The ponies she was about to meet were in for quite the surprise.

The swaying of the carriage stopped. Looking up, Bright realized they were no longer moving. The numbers posted on the mailbox just outside the window matched what was written on her board.

Standing up, she glanced once more at Sharp. “Remember, stay here.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

She sighed. Hopefully he’d stay put this time. They had gotten lucky last time he’d gone out thieving and no reports were filed with either the Guard or police. But if he caused another headache like that... She had made sure to not leave him any loopholes this time, being explicit in her instructions.

Leaving the clipboard on the seat, she exited the carriage. Ponies walked down the sidewalks, while other carriages bustled down the street. Nopony paid her any mind as she walked up the drive towards the rather large mansion.

When she reached the door, she raised a hoof and knocked. The knock was firm and loud, but not too insistent.

It took several moments before the door opened. A stallion wearing a necktie stood there. “Yes? May I help you?”

“Hello there. My name is Bright Spirit and I was wondering if I could speak with Aurora and Green Hoof, please.”

The stallion looked down at her. “What is this regarding?”

“A unique business opportunity for them.”

“Business inquiries may be submitted in writing and a meeting arranged during normal business hours within the next two to four weeks.” The stallion moved to close the door, but Bright stopped him with a hoof.

“I think you’ll find that they want to listen to this. Now. If you could go pass it along, along with this message: Potentia est ad sua substantia solum verum.”

The stallion looked at her, to which she smiled sweetly. Finally, he opened the door slightly more. “Wait right here.” He then turned and trotted off into the house.

Bright waited patiently on the doorstep. It was several minutes before the stallion returned. “The owners will see you now,” he said.

She smiled at him once more. “Thank you.”

He opened the door fully. “I’ll show you the way,” he said, closing the door after she had stepped inside. She followed him down a long hallway, before coming to a sitting room that held two ponies, both unicorns.

“Thank you, Service. We are not to be disturbed now,” the mare said. Service bowed, exiting the room and closing the door behind him. “Please, sit.”

Bright gave a short curtsy before crossing the room, taking a seat in front of the two ponies. “Thank you for seeing me.”

“When you come bearing that phrase, how could we not? So tell me, what unique opportunity does the Playground want with us?”

The stallion, Bright knew him to be Green Hoof, husband of Aurora, together the owners of an empire of flower shops and farms that stretched from one end of Equestria to the other, spoke up. “I’m not sure how we can contribute, though if the club wishes to host our floral arrangements, I’m certain we can make a mutually beneficial deal.”

Bright waved a hoof in the air. “No, no. Nothing like that. We had something else in mind. You see, it has come to our attention that you have an item of substantial value that we would like to acquire from you.”

Aurora looked around. “Erm, what item? We have a collection of art and antiques, but nothing of consequential note that we are aware of.”

“I am referring to Tiger Lilly.”

At that both ponies started. “What? Tiger lillies?” Green asked.

“Well we have plenty of those around,” Aurora continued.

Bright shook her head. “No, not the flowers. I mean your daughter that you currently have locked up in a room on the second floor.”

“You must be mistaken,” Aurora said. “We have no daughters. Green and I have not taken that step in our marriage, yet.”

Clearing her throat, Bright fixed her eyes solely on Green Hoof. “Six years ago, back when your empire was half its current size, you employed a maid here by the name of Shine Bright. You and Ms. Bright had quite the affair going on, until she failed to mention that she was in heat and ended up pregnant. With your seed.”

“Now wait just a—” Green Hoof started, before Bright cut him off.

“She gave birth to a daughter, a pegasus filly that she named Tiger Lilly. It was her intention to use the filly to get money from you. However, she underestimated just how ruthless you are when she found herself quite suddenly being sold to diamond dog slavers. The filly in question was originally going to be taken to an orphanage, but you realized that they would figure out who her father was and bring her to you. So instead, you brought her here. For the last five and a half years, you have kept her locked up in a single room, as news of a bastard foal would ruin you in this town.” Bright took in their shocked faces and open jaws. “Is there anything I missed?”

Green’s mouth moved like he was trying to speak, but nothing came out. Aurora stumbled slightly before carrying on. “H- How do you know all of that? We’ve never told anypony.”

“The ponies that I work for have their sources, their ways of getting information.”

Green reached up a hoof to his face, running it down his muzzle. “And so what is it you want with Tiger Lilly?”

“You are aware of the extent of the services that the club offers, yes?” They both nodded. “We wish to purchase Tiger Lilly from you. We feel that she would make a fine addition to the club’s offerings.”

“I’m sorry, purchase?”

Bright nodded. “Yes. You see, you have a problem. If word gets out about that filly’s existence, then your social standing will plummet. So I am offering to make your problem disappear, much like poor Ms. Bright did.”

The husband and wife looked at each other, before turning back to Bright. “And what would happen to Tiger Lilly?” Aurora asked.

“She would be integrated into the stock already down there. The club would be her life.”

“And she would never speak of her life before the club?”

Bright nodded. “Of course. As you are well aware, we hold discretion to be of the highest regard at the Playground. None shall ever know. We’ll see to that.”

“What are you offering in return?”

This was the moment that Bright was looking for. The bait had been set, they were interested. Now it was simply a matter of reeling them in. “You have a choice. Either a sum of two hundred and fifty thousand bits will be deposited into your account. Or the club will waive both of your membership fees for twenty five months, which you’ll note is an equivalent value.”

Once again, they turned to look at each other. Bright could see the gears turning in their minds. A quarter of a million bits was quite a lot, even for ones as rich as them. Leaning close together, they spoke in whispers that she could not overhear. Not that it mattered, as they failed to cover their mouths so she was able to read their lips well enough to understand what they were discussing.

After a minute, they turned back to her. “I apologize for that,” Green said.

Bright nodded. “It’s no problem. I understand just how sudden this is. Take your time and discuss this.”

“We have discussed it. We will give you Tiger Lilly, in exchange for the lump sum.”

“Excellent!” Bright smiled at them. “You’ve made a wonderful decision here. After all, here Tiger Lilly is not contributing anything, and is merely a burden upon you, as well you must live in fear of her presence being discovered. Now your lives are free of that.” She hesitated a moment. “Well, nearly. There are a few questions I must ask before anything is finalized.”

Aurora nodded. “Of course. We’ll answer whatever we can.”

“Let’s start off with the basics. Tiger Lilly is healthy, yes? No long-term illnesses? No birth defects? No mental instability?”

“No, none of that. She’s perfectly healthy. We’ve seen to that.”

“Good,” Bright said. Mentally, she checked off a box on her mental checklist. “Second. I know that her chances for socialization have been low, but she at least understands how to act around ponies? She’s not terribly socially awkward or anything, understands the basic rules of a conversation, that sort of thing.”

Green nodded. “One of the maids took a liking to Tiger Lilly. She has spent many hours socializing with the filly, playing games. You could say that the two of them are friends.”

“Good,” Bright repeated. Another box checked. “Third, she is pure, yes?”

“What do you mean by that? Of course she’s not pure. We’re unicorns and she’s a pegasus,” Aurora stated.

“That is not what I meant,” Bright clarified. “I meant pure as in sexually. She has not been touched in that manner by either you or anypony in your employ?”

“Oh, right. No, nopony has touched her in that manner.”

“Even better.” Bright was quite happy. This was all going smoothly. The fact that the filly was a virgin meant that the club could sell her first time for a premium. There were stallions who would pay a small fortune to sleep with a pure filly like that. Though she had to admit, she was slightly surprised. She had pegged Green Hoof as the type to pay little nighttime visits to his daughter.

“Well, that wraps up all of the questions. Everything is in good order.”

“So you’ll be taking her, then?” Aurora asked.

Bright nodded. “Yes.”

“When?”

“Today. Right now, in fact. I have a carriage waiting outside.”

Both ponies across from her brightened up. “So soon?” Green asked.

“Yes. Is that a problem?”

“No, no,” he said, waving his hooves. “Not at all. Quite a relief, actually.”

“Well then. If you’d like, I would like to see the filly. As well, could you have one of your servants go outside to the carriage. There you’ll find an associate of mine. Please, bring him back here as well.” She stood up, the other two following suit.

“Of course.” Aurora’s horn lit up briefly. A moment later, the door opened, the same stallion entered.

Giving a slight bow, he directed his gaze towards the couple. “Yes, madam?”

“Service, would you please go outside to the carriage waiting there. You’ll find a pony there, a Mr...” she trailed off, looking at Bright.

“Sharp,” Bright clarified.

“A Mr. Sharp,” Aurora continued. “Please bring him upstairs to the south wing.”

Service bowed again. “Yes, madam.” He turned, trotting off.

Bright followed Green and Aurora out of the room. “She’s this way.” The stallion led the way, heading up the stairs and to the left. The hallway curved around, several doors on either side. They stopped in front of the last door on the right.

Looking at the door, Bright could see that it was different from the others in the hallway. This one had an additional lock, like what would be more commonly found on the front door of a house, not an interior one. As well, it had a flap at the bottom, also locked. Probably to deliver food so they wouldn’t have to actually look at the filly, Bright had seen this sort of thing before.

Giving the flap a brief look of disgust, she turned her attention to the two ponies. “Whenever you’re ready.”

“We’re ready,” Aurora said. “You can take her.”

Green reached up to a key that hung from a hook on the wall. Using the key, he unlocked the door. Gently he opened the door. “Tiger Lilly, there’s somepony here to see you.” He stepped out of the way, letting Bright see into the room.

The inside of the room was... cold. That’s the only word Bright could come up with to describe it. There was a bare minimum of furniture, just a bed, dresser, nightstand, and a small desk with a cushion on the floor in front of it. The only other amenity was a bookshelf, though the offerings on it were paltry.

The one window in the room had a grate over it. A door in the room presumably led to a bathroom, so with luck the filly would be clean. Everything about this room screamed that it was merely a guest room that had been hastily converted to contain its occupant.

The filly in question was laying on the floor, a piece of paper in front of her and various markers spread in a halo around her. When Bright stepped into the room, she looked up. “Hello,” she said. “Who are you?”

Tiger Lilly was an orange filly, with a deep red mane. Her yellow eyes looked at Bright, curiosity clear in them. “Are you a new maid? Does this mean that Soft won’t play with me anymore?”

Bright put on her best smile, going over to the filly and kneeling down. “No, dear. I’m not a new maid. My name is Bright Spirit.” She held out a hoof.

The filly looked the hoof over for a moment before she bumped it gently. “Why are you here? Aurora and Green never let new ponies in here.”

Her heart slightly breaking, Bright kept up her smile. “I’m here because you, dear, are going to go on an adventure.”

“An adventure? What kind of adventure?” Tiger Lilly had set down her marker, the drawing all but forgotten in the face of something new and exciting. “Will there be pirates? Do I get to have a sword and defend ponies?”

“Of course,” Bright said. “You can be the valiant Knight Tiger Lilly, defender of freedom.”

“And we get to go outside?” She ran over to the window, rearing up on her hind legs to stare out of it. “I’ve never been outside. Soft tried to take me there before, but Green didn’t let her. What’s it like out there?”

“Well, it’s...” Bright trailed off. How did she describe what it’s like outside to somepony who had never been there before? “You feel the sun on your coat?” she asked. The filly nodded. “It’s like that, only all over. And then there’s the wind which ruffles your mane. And the sounds of the city around you.”

Tiger Lilly turned around, smiling. “I can’t wait!”

The filly got up, prancing about the room while pretending to swing a sword, making swishing noises. Bright watched her, the smile on her face covering up what she was really feeling. She hated lying to the filly like this, but it needed to be done.

While the filly was distracted, Bright looked back at the doorway to the room. Sharp was standing there, a pair of saddlebags held in his mouth. Getting up, she went over to him. He dropped the bags at her hooves. “Thank you,” she said.

“She’s a cute one,” he said, eying the filly.

“Yes. Now go back into the hallway. You’ll know when you’re needed.”

Nodding, while still staring at Tiger Lilly, he backed out of the room. Only when he was fully out of the room did he turn and vanish from view. Ignoring Sharp, she picked up her saddlebags, quickly putting them on.

By the time she was done, the filly was looking at her. “What do you have in there?” she asked.

“This is all of our adventuring supplies.” Bright lifted the flap of one of the bags, using her magic to retrieve a wrapped pastry. “But first, you’ll need energy for the trip.” She floated the pastry over to the excited filly.

“Is it a sweet? I love sweets. Soft brings me sweets sometimes.” She took the pastry, unwrapping it and taking a bite. “Oh, it’s so good.” Within seconds, half the pastry was gone. Inside of a minute, the only thing left were the sticky crumbs the filly was licking off her muzzle. “So can we go now?”

“In a minute,” Bright said. “Do you have anything you want to take with you?”

Tiger Lilly looked around the room. “Not really. There’s really nothing in here.” Suddenly, she swayed in place, her eyes nearly closing. “What?” She swayed again, falling over. “I don’t feel...” Her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling in slow, deep breaths.

“I’m sorry,” Bright whispered. She turned to look back at the hallway. “Sharp.”

The stallion trotted into view. “We ready?” He spotted the still filly. “Yup.” Going over to her, he picked up the filly, setting her on his back. “I’ll be waiting,” he said, leaving the room. Bright knew that he would be heading back to the carriage.

“Is that it?” came Aurora’s voice. “What was with all of that?”

Bright met the mare’s gaze. “I needed to get her to trust me. The pastry was laced with a simple sleeping draught. When she wakes up, she’ll be in her new home. We’ve found that this approach is less traumatizing on the foals than force. The easier we can make their transition, the better.”

She trotted out of the room, where Aurora and Green waited. “Now, there is a small amount of business to attend to before we conclude this.” Together, they started walking back towards the entrance.

“It goes without saying, but you need to destroy any trace of Tiger Lilly ever having been here. No photos, no drawings, nothing. Burn it all, any clothes she had, the bedsheets, everything. That maid she kept mentioning, Soft? Will she be a problem, speak about the filly at all?”

Green shook his head. “No. She has a son with a serious long-term illness. She relies on us to pay her so she can pay the medical bills. I can mention that should she speak of Tiger Lilly, then she’ll be fired, and with that, she won’t be able to pay her bills, and her son won’t get his medicine, and die.”

Bright nodded. “Good. We will take care of destroying any records of Tiger Lilly’s existence. Birth certificate, official government records, should any exist, we’ll get rid of. For all intents and purposes, Tiger Lilly never existed from this moment forth.”

They headed down the stairs, Bright continuing. “From here, you may do what you wish. You may even come see Tiger Lilly down in the club sometime.” She held out a hoof, which first Aurora, then Green shook briefly. “You’ll find that the bits will be transferred into your account before the day’s end. It’s a pleasure doing business with you.”

“And you as well,” Aurora said. Both of them wore happy, relieved smiles. “You have no idea the favor you’ve just done us.”

“Yes,” Green said, nodding. “This is a burden lifted off our shoulders.”

“Of course,” Bright replied. “Good day to you both.” She left the mansion, heading back down the drive towards the carriage. Behind her, the door closed. Finally, she could let her smile drop.

Approaching the carriage, she opened the door. There, she found Sharp crouched down in the middle, between the two benches. Tiger Lilly lay on one of the benches. Sharp had a hoof between her flanks, rubbing, while his other hoof was between his own hind legs.

“What are you doing?” Bright said.

“Having a little fun,” he replied, not taking his eyes off the filly. “She’s too cute to pass up.”

“You do realize that she’s to be delivered pure and unspoiled, yes?”

“Yeah, I know.”

She stared at him, trying to figure out what to say. She wanted to tell him to stop, but she also knew that he would never listen to her. He was bigger and stronger than her, so she couldn’t force him to stop, either. There was really only one thing she could do. “Just don’t make a mess.”

He grinned. “Nah. I wouldn’t.”

Closing the carriage door, Bright instead climbed up onto the bench on the outside, just behind the stallion that was strapped in to pull the carriage. She’d rather not sit inside and watch Sharp do whatever it was he was doing.

With a nod to the driver, they took off. Bright lay on the bench, watching the scenery pass by. They were in the residential district, heading back to the entertainment district and the club. The ride wouldn’t be too long.

Once she was comfortable, she allowed her thoughts to wander. Mostly back towards Sharp. That stallion was a liability. She had no idea why the boss insisted on giving her a partner for these excursions, it wasn’t like she really needed one. But fine, she could accept that.

What she couldn’t accept was having Sharp for a partner. He was rude, condescending, did not follow instructions, and worst of all, drew attention towards them. It wasn’t a matter of if he would screw up, but when. Soon, he’d draw the wrong sort of attention.

She resolved to talk to the boss about Sharp. It wouldn’t do to keep him around any longer, though he was too dangerous to just let go. His loyalty only lasted as long as the bits kept coming. As soon as he was let go, he’d go offer what he knew to the Guard. No, with him, it was best if he was let go, off the side of the mountain. That long drop with a very short stop would keep him from ever speaking again. The boss would take care of things.

She frowned. Thinking about the boss brought up the question that she’d always wondered: who was the boss? She’d never met the pony, if it was even a pony at all. Everypony she talked to could also say that they’ve never met the boss. Anytime she needed to speak to the boss, she sat in a chair in an empty room, while a voice came through a set of speakers, and she spoke into a microphone.

The first time she had spoken to the boss, the voice at been that of a stallion. The second time, it was a young mare’s voice. The third time, it had been a colt’s. The voice was never the same twice, young, old, mare, stallion. It was obviously being disguised. Whoever the boss was, they were better at secrecy than anypony else.

To entertain herself on the journey, she once again tried to figure out just who the boss was. There were plenty of prominent ponies in the city who could fill that position. The problem was, all of the ones she could name were members of the club. Any member of royalty was also out, because they were already far too busy to run the club. No matter who she named, she could also think of reasons as to why they wouldn’t work.

Her ruminations came to an end when they pulled up into the alley behind the club, just outside the back door. Dismounting the carriage, she walked over to the door, banging on it. She had no intention of just opening it given what Sharp could be doing in there.

The door opened, revealing Sharp with a satisfied grin on his face. “We here?”

“We are.” She peered around him. Surprisingly, the interior of the carriage was clean, no sign of any bodily fluids. “Did you...”

“Nah, no mess. Rub somepony’s throat the right way and they’ll swallow even when asleep.”

“I don’t even want to know how you know that. Also, you are disgusting and perverted.”

He smiled at her. “Aww come on, Bright. You wouldn’t say that if you knew how good I am in bed.” He looked around. “Or, you know, during a quickie in a back alley. I’m not picky.”

Bright smiled sweetly at him. “Sharp, if you were the last stallion left in Equestria, I would let ponykind go extinct before I slept with you.”

He shrugged. “Your loss.”

She sighed. “Come on. Let’s just get inside and down below.”

The stallion turned around, picking up the filly. As he exited the carriage, Bright noticed some streaks left in the coat around her muzzle. Apparently his aim wasn’t quite that good.

Gritting her teeth, she followed him through the back door. The kitchen there was currently empty, the staff not due in for hours still. Winding through the back hallways, they eventually made it out to the main club floor. It was completely empty, except for the suited stallion standing guard outside the door leading to down below.

“Morning, ma’am,” the guard said. There was a guard in front of this door all day, every day. With the VIP part of the club being accessible to members at any time, he was there to check clearance. And just in case the club was compromised and the guard came raiding, he would sound an alarm, giving those down below time to deal with anything.

“Good morning,” she replied. The guard turned, opening the door for them. As employees, rather than members, she and Sharp did not have to present the entrance paper. That, and Rocky knew the two of them.

Together, the two ponies, and one sleeping filly, descended the long steps to the VIP area. Bright knew why the club was hidden so deep down here, but that didn’t stop her from grumbling about the sheer amount of steps each time she had to come down here.

Finally, they reached the bottom. Bright opened the door, letting them inside. The luxurious hallway gave way to the seating area. A few members were scattered about, probably those who had stayed the night and were recovering before going home. There was one white unicorn with a two-toned blue and green mane slumped over the bar who looked like he’d seen better days.

“Oh Bright, welcome back,” said the mare behind the desk. At this time of day, it was Mirror back there. The twin sisters, April and May, worked in the evenings and nights because they were cuter, and the members liked them better.

“Morning, Mirror.”

“Have you got a new addition for us?” she asked.

Bright nodded. “Yes.” She gestured towards the filly on Sharp’s back. “This is Tiger Lilly.”

Mirror whistled. “She’s a cute one. I know a few members who are going to be very excited she’s here.”

“Well, we need to go get her settled.”

“Of course. You have a great day!” Mirror smiled at them as they walked off.

They headed through a door near the bar, getting into the back hallways of the VIP area. After a minute, they were in front of their destination, another door. Bright opened it, revealing a small, but homely, bedroom and bathroom.

Sharp went inside, setting the filly on the bed. “Well, that’s that.” He ran a hoof over her flanks. “You know, I think the next time I get a bonus, I’m gonna use it on her.”

“Actually, there’s one more thing,” Bright said. “Since you made the mess on her, go get me two towels, and a glass of juice from the bar, something with a strong flavor. Then you’re dismissed.”

“What? Really?”

“Yes, really!” Bright snapped at him. “Now don’t argue and just go get what I asked for.”

“Okay, okay. Damn, who shoved that pole up your ass?” he muttered as he walked off.

Bright stuck her head into the hallway, shouting after him. “And don’t even think about spiking that drink!”

She went back over to the sleeping filly. Using a hoof, she carefully brushed Tiger Lilly’s mane out from in front of her eyes. Aurora and Green hadn’t lied, at first glance, the filly looked well taken care of, at least. She wasn’t underweight, and her wings were developing properly for a pegasus her age. Lifting up one of the filly’s lips, Bright could see that her teeth were healthy as well.

After a minute of waiting, Sharp came back with the requested items. Taking them without even so much as a thanks, Bright glared at him until he left. Breathing a sigh of relief, she floated one of the towels over to the sink, getting it damp.

Gently, she used the damp towel to clean up the remains of what Sharp had done to her. As she did, she whispered to the filly.

“I’m sorry for what you’ve been through. Living in that house... No, that room, had to have been horrible. Miserable. Nopony who loved you, nopony to care for you. No parents. Those ponies,” she spat, “have no right to call themselves parents. They didn’t love you, more caring over their social status and money than you. So eager to get rid of you. If they really were parents, then no amount of money could separate them from you.”

She sighed, switching the damp towel for a dry one. Using it, she dried off the filly. “Things will be better here, I promise. It may not seem like it at first, you’ll be scared and confused, but here you’ll have a family. You’ll gain ponies who love you, and care for you. You’ll have exactly what you were missing.

“I’m sorry that I lied to you about the adventure, about going outside. I wish I could provide you those things, but I can’t. We all have our places in life, and yours is most unfortunate. However, in here is where you’ll have the best shot at life.” She floated away both towels.

Picking up the juice glass, she gave it a sniff. Thankfully, she didn’t detect any alcohol, so Sharp hadn’t spiked it. Casting a quick chilling spell on the glass, she left it on the bedside table. When Tiger Lilly woke up, she’d need that.

Bending over, she gave the filly a quick kiss on the forehead. “Welcome to your new home.” She then left the room, closing the door behind her. The room was monitored, and when the filly woke up, she would begin her transition to life down here. There would be a short period of acclimation, where she would learn the rules, before she would be put into the rooms with the rest of the fillies and colts.

Bright sighed again. There was one last thing she needed to do before she could head home. She needed to report to the boss.

Fortunately, the boss’ office was down here, rather than back up in the regular club. A short moment of trotting brought her to the appropriate room. Opening the door, she entered a small waiting room. There was no desk in here, no secretary; the only barrier between her and the boss was another door.

Glancing up, she could see that the red light above the door was off, meaning that nopony was in the room. Not bothering to knock, there was no reason for it, she opened the door and headed inside. Once the door was closed behind her, she flicked a switch, turning on the light outside, letting anypony else who would want to speak with the boss know that somepony was already in here.

The room consisted of nothing more than a chair in front of a small table that held a speaker and a microphone. Bright took a seat in the chair and waited. A few seconds later, a voice came out of the speaker. “Ah, Bright. Welcome back,” the voice said. This time, it had a curious droning sound to it. She thought it sounded something like how Morning, that changeling down in the stockrooms, sounded.

“Hello, boss.”

“What do you have to report?”

Bright folded her forelegs on the table. “Aurora and Green were perfectly happy to sell Tiger Lilly. They chose the lump sum payment.”

“Very good. I’ll see to it that the bits are deposited into their account. Is the filly resting?”

“Yes. She’s in the room for new arrivals.”

“Thank you, Bright. You did a good thing in bringing her here.”

The mare nodded. “Yes. I saw how they were treating Tiger Lilly. There was no love for the filly in that household.”

“I know. But now she’s here, and she’ll have a family to love, care for, and protect her.”

“She will. Thank you, boss, for rescuing that filly.”

“I didn’t do anything, Bright. It was all you. Now then, what is the filly’s status?”

Bright sighed. “She’s pure, untouched... Mostly.”

There was a moment of silence, before the voice spoke again. “What do you mean, mostly?”

“It’s Sharp.”

“Did he touch her?”

Bright paused briefly. “In a way. He... used her front end partially. I don’t believe there was any penetration, but he finished in there, then did something to the filly to force her to swallow.”

“...I see. And what is your recommendation?”

“Sharp is dangerous,” she said without hesitation. “He’s a liability to this club. He has a habit of drawing attention to himself. Last time we went out, he left the carriage while I was inside the house talking to the couple, and pickpocketed and stole items. We got lucky in that so far there have been no inquiries into that, but with that, and now this stunt with Tiger Lilly, it’s only a matter of time before his actions get us into trouble. Trouble, that we may not be able to make go away.”

“Very well. I will terminate his employment.”

Bright spoke up again. “With respect, he’s too dangerous to just let go. Believe me when I say that he has no loyalty. As soon as his contract is cut, he will try and sell what he knows. If he goes to the Guard... Well, he knows a lot about this operation and can expose us in such a way that not even having the ranking members of the Guard in your pocket will be able to stop the investigation.”

Taking in a deep breath, she continued. “It’s my suggestion that he be terminated in such a way that he won’t ever be able to speak up again.”

“You’re suggesting that he be killed.”

She nodded, even though she wasn’t sure if the boss could see her or not. “Yes. Anything else is only inviting danger.”

The silence in the room lasted for several minutes. Bright fidgeted in her chair. She hadn’t been dismissed yet, so she couldn’t leave. Not until the boss said she could.

Finally, the voice came back. “It’s done. Sharp will no longer be a problem. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.”

“You’re welcome,” she replied, breathing out a sigh of relief. She had thought she’d done something wrong.

“Bright, you really are one of my best employees. You’ve come a long way since you joined us. Keep up the good work and there is a long future for you here.”

“Thank you.” She smiled, pride filling her. She loved the work that she did here. Rescuing foals from terrible situations and giving them a home filled with love and caring.

“You’re dismissed, Bright. Go home and see your family. The bits for your work have already been put into your account, as well as a bonus for helping me deal with Sharp.”

She stood up. “Thank you. You’re too generous.”

“Think nothing of it. Now, you’ll hear from me when I need you to do another pick up. Until then, have some fun, Bright.”

“Of course.” Moving over to the door, she turned off the switch, opening it and leaving the room. There was nopony waiting to speak with the boss, so she made her way out of the club entirely, climbing up the steps and heading out the front doors.

It wasn’t too far to her house, and the walk was pleasant enough. Fifteen minutes after leaving the club, she arrived home. Opening the front door, she was met with a blur of blue feathers meeting her.

“Mommy!” came a shrill cry.

“Hey, baby,” Bright said. Leaning over, she hugged her daughter. “How was your morning?”

Cobalt smiled up at her. “It was cool. Daddy’s been teaching me some more.” The smile transformed into a scowl of concentration as she flapped her wings. Slowly, she got up off the floor, hovering at head level with Bright.

“That’s amazing, Cobalt.” Bright leaned forward, giving her daughter a kiss on the forehead. “Soon you’ll be soaring through the skies and racing the Wonderbolts.”

The filly giggled. “You think?”

“I know. Now go on, don’t you have homework to do?”

“Aww,” Cobalt pouted. “Do I have to?” Bright just raised an eyebrow, looking down at the filly. “Okay, fine.” She landed, heading towards her room.

Bright chuckled at her daughter’s antics, before heading into the living room. A brown pegasus stallion was sitting on the couch, reading the paper. At her entrance, he looked up. “Hey, love. How was meeting your friend?”

She moved over, giving him a quick kiss. “Enjoyable. I don’t get to see Amethyst as much as I want to.” She sat on the couch next to him, pulling over a stack of papers that sat on the table.

“More things to grade?” Rapid asked her.

Bright nodded. “Yes. These are the spring book reports.” She sighed, looking them over. “Some of them are good. Others... not so much. I need to revise my lesson plans, it seems.”

Rapid wrapped a wing around her shoulders. “You have the patience of a saint to be able to put up with a classroom full of foals.”

She smiled. “Aww, you’re sweet. But you know that I love foals, and being able to teach them is great. I can make sure that they know they’re loved and cared for.”

He pulled her close. “You’re the best teacher out there, and your class is all the better for it.”

She leaned in to her husband. “Yeah. I just want to dedicate my life to making sure that foals are loved and cared for.”

“And you do a wonderful job at that, love.”

“Thank you.” They shared another kiss, this one slightly longer. “Now I really need to get these done today so I can give them back in class tomorrow.” Rapid went back to his newspaper while she picked up the book report on top of the pile. There was still a lot of work to be done, a lot of foals in this city needing saving. But with her work today through the club, at least one more foal was now in a loving, caring, home.