AGC

Dearth sat wearily, whetting her dagger against the chamber’s stone walls. She’d been trapped here for days, with only the other agents’ reports to sate her bloodlust.

“When am I gonna get to do something, captain?” she asked.

“We’ve already been over this.” he explained. “That display of yours drew quite a bit of attention. That’s not what we want. You’ve been taken off of active service until you learn better.”

“Aw, c’mon. You gotta have some fun with it, else there’s no point. We might as well kill ours—”

“Excuse me?” A silken voice rang from the the doorway. The captain and delinquent turned to greet the visitor: the pallid pegasus had once gone by the name of Fluttershy, though the gods had seen fit to demote and rename her due to her violation of their code.

“Excuse me... um...” Laconia spoke. “I have orders from... from Bishop Thanata... Dash, you’re - I mean, Dearth - you’re back on duty, active immediately.”

Rainbow’s Dearth smiled. “Good. At least somepony  around here knows what a trained killer does best!”, she said, glaring at the officer.

“Well, yes,” said Laconia, “I suppose we could get that out—”

“C’mon, Fluttershy, let’s get going!”

Though the dead name stung her, Laconia kept her head up as she led Dearth through the stone passage.

Dearth bubbled as she walked down the hallway. “Omigosh I didn’t know you were part of this. We can go hunt together, and give each other tips, and…”

Fluttershy chose not to respond, and allowed the ex-pegasus to babble on until she was content.

“… and it’s just like in that movie! So, who’re we going to kill?”

Laconia stopped in her tracks.

Dearth stopped and turned. “You okay, Flutter—”

“Why? Why is it always about the kill?” the quiet one interrupted. “I don’t kill. This isn’t about killing,” she spat, anger palpable in her voice. “There’s so much more to life than death, Dash.

“You destroy and end without second thought, without thought for the consequences. But what have you created? What, in all the world, owes its existence to you?”

“I… I once saved—” stammered the faded rainbow.

“Whoopidy-buckin’-doo,” said Laconia. Tangible detest sharpened her silky voice. “And you’ve killed two more. Did they scream, Dash? Did you scream? You enjoyed their screams, didn’t you?“

“I… well… n-… yes…” she confessed.

Fluttershy struck her across the face with her hoof. “Disgusting.” she spat, trotting away.

“Fine, then. I’ll just get this one by myself.” Dearth shouted back after her.

Don’t worry, Dashy! a cheerful voice rang through her head. You’re not alone! I’ll always be here with you!

“Wonderful.” she said aloud.

I know! the æthereal pony responded, unaware of Dearth’s sarcasm. Isn’t this great?

Dearth ignored the voice, and continued walking down the path.

What made her so mad, Dash? You can’t help who you are.

“Eh… some ponies are just sensitive.” she said. “She doesn’t want to admit that she’s a killer now; she’s still trapped in her past.”

Oh, that’s no fun… So, what we gonna do now?

“We’ve got work to do, of course.”

Oh goody, goody! Are we going to be baking?

“You could say that.”

Yippee!

A voice came from within Laconia. Sickening, no? To enjoy another's suffering, to revel in their pain… how could that brutish bigot put so little value into life as to break it like a cheap toy?

She frowned. And what of these gods? To order, en masse, the slaying of innocent ponies…

No. What am I thinking? something within her mind echoed. They saved me. They save everypony. Without them—

— Ponies could grow old and die naturally, and never worry about their number being drawn. interrupted the other voice. Was she going mad?

And the world would be overpopulated, said the second psyche. Not enough food, too many ponies, everypony would be unhappy—

—Unhappy to be alive? I think not.

And you'd be wrong. For what is to be alive but to stave off death a moment longer?

"QUIET!" screamed Laconia, smashing her head against the wall in a desperate attempt to silence the warring voices in her head. As darkness overtook her, something gave way, and doubt flooded her mind.

What does it mean to die? Why is life something to be cherished, if in the end we must die?

An unwonted smile crept onto Dearth’s face. She had just received her assignment. No more small fry: somepony important. Somepony very special to her.