Der Metzger Herr Messer

I sat with Aryanne at my side. I looked down at her. I tapped my finger on the table and pulled over my notepad. I wrote out my question and held it for her.

She grimaced hard and lowered her head. "A mute who writes like an artist. How you do it with those thick grabbers is beyond me." She sighed and looked towards the door. "It's really my name."

I shrugged and grabbed the edge of the table. I wrote down another question and slid it to her. She looked it over and frowned. "No. I'm a mare of peace normally, but that seems righteous if what you told me is true." She leaned against me and nuzzled my shoulder. "Deceit was met with justice in the end."

I rubbed the back of my neck. I hadn't actually planned to kill him there, it ended up being a happy coincidence. I was unsure if I should tell her or not. I flexed my fingers and decided against it. Aryanne looked up at me. "Do you feel guilty?"

I grabbed my notepad. For doing it in front of those ponies.

Aryanne nodded and locked eyes with me. "He touched many of the fillies there. He tried to touch m-- ow--ow--herr, please my hoof!"

I let go of her hoof and sat it on the table. I could feel the edge giving way under my grip. Aryanne blew on her fetlock and pulled away from me. I stared at the door and worked the table under my hands. A loud crack caused Aryanne to jump. I felt my right hand jerk downward with a chunk of oak in my clutches.

Aryanne stared at me and lifted her hoof off her chair. "Herr...really?" She looked back at her bags and flipped one open. "Hide it...hide it before they charge you for it."

I looked at the chunk of table in my hand and dropped it into her bags. I felt my heart twist slightly for lying about it.

A large pony with a military cap looked into the room. He walked in and dropped off a clipboard. He looked to the door and watched as a large white pony with a blonde mane walked in. The pony walked in and sat down across from me. He narrowed his eyes and pushed the clipboard to me. "Prince Blueblood. This is an agreement to avoid penal time and corporal punishment in exchange for pointing out suspects involved with the Nazi incident."

I stared at him and adjusted in my seat. I looked to Aryanne. She grabbed the clipboard and pulled it across the table. She looked it over and sighed. "So Bule...hwo's mom?" She spoke near perfect English.

The pony across the table shook his head. "Woirreid."

Aryanne nodded. "Htey hvae anyhtngi to do wthi hist?"

I kept staring at the two ponies speaking gibberish. I covered the broken end of the table with my forearm.

Blueblood sighed and rubbed the table with his hoof. "Thye did." He looked to me. "Thye bguhot him  a good lwerya." He sighed and looked me up and down. "Can he understand us?"

Aryanne shook her head. "I don't think so." She looked up at me. "Can you?"

I held my hand out and teetered it left and right. I looked Blueblood over and pointed between the two ponies.

Aryanne sighed and passed me the clipboard. "Cousins."

I hung my mouth open in an oh and nodded.

Blueblood glared at me. "Personally I think you should be in the dungeon for no less than a year. But it looks like you're going to end up under house arrest with civil service."

Aryanne shook her head. "They bought--"

Blueblood nodded. "Oh course they did. They bough this shop too."

I leaned my head back. I felt my skin grow cold at the mention of my shop. Blueblood shook his head gently. "Part of that deal is you stay under the protection of a noble house, and that they will buy your shop in exchange for the lawyer fees and the purchase of your civil service contract." Blueblood turned to look at Aryanne. "She bought you, more or less."

I felt my face twist up. Aryanne looked away. I leaned towards her. She leaned away and coughed. "It was either I had my family buy the contract or you work as a janitor for the guard."

I stared at her and slowly reached around her. Blueblood tensed up as I put my hands on her withers and stared at her. I narrowed my eyes and pulled her against me. I held her against me and tucked her chin against my shoulder. I cupped the back of her head and pet her mane.

We stayed there for a bit before I set her back and relaxed. I hunched over quickly and made the gesture like I would break her neck. She didn't even flinch. She cocked an eyebrow and stared at me. "Really?"

I shrugged and sat down. Happy to not be a janitor, but a bit angry for having myself indentured to the tiny mare. I picked up the clipboard and read through it. Apparently there was a few of the people from my old group in Equestria, spreading vile hate speech around the different towns.

I looked through and found the contract to sell my butchery. I felt a pang of deep anguish shoot into my stomach, like the start of cancer had just clawed its way into my bowels. I kept reading. They wouldn't close it, I would still run, manage, and be head of it, but I would no longer own the building or the license.

I sighed heavily and tossed the clipboard onto the table. I reached into Aryanne's bags and pulled out the chunk of table. I tossed it up between us and sighed again.

Blueblood's eyes popped open as I signed the papers. "What the heck did you do!?"