Betrayal and Satisfaction

                                                                       But I don't want to search no more

                                                                       There's nowhere to hide

                                                                       So why don't you come quietly my love

                                                                       I wanted to say, to say that you sure proved the death of me

                                                                       Now I've reached a dead end, and I can't go back

                                                                       But if I'm going down you'll come with me...

                                                                        Rob Dougan - Left Me For Dead

Blood stained the sterile white floor seeping from The earth pony's wound. The dagger protruding from his chest gave him a visual aid to the excruciating pain coursing through his body, the sensation becoming more intense with each breath he drew. His legs gave out causing him to fall back into the wall behind him.

“I’m sorry Swift, but I’ve decided that splitting the reward is no longer in my best interests.” The unicorn said menacingly, a devious smile upon her face.

“Shadow… you bitch.” Swift sputtered through the blood in his mouth. He stared at her wishing his gaze could tear her to pieces. His former partner turned her attention to their objective, lock-box three twenty-six. His chest filled with anger as if to replace the blood draining around the dagger stuck in his chest. His mind raced with a thousand different thoughts each fighting for his attention. The earth pony watched Shadow Dancer pull a jar of powder out of her bags using her magic. The jar drifted between her and the keypad on the lock-box. The lid turned slowly rotating round and round until it finally popped free. The unicorn drew in a deep breath then exhaled slowly sending the powder flying to the keypad. It's purpose served, the jar dropped to the ground haphazardly sending a small plume of powder into the air.

“OK my love, tell me all your secrets.”

Swift stared as the unicorn pushed in close to the keypad inspecting the numbers carefully for what he guessed were hoof prints from prior technicians. A cacophony of beeping filled the quiet room as the unicorn rapidly pressed several different combinations trying to stumble upon the correct combination. A cool numbing sensation started building inside of Swift as his vital fluids continued oozing around the dagger slowly dripping to the floor. A long tone sounded from the lock-box as the door swung open allowing the unicorn inside.

“Ha! They can build them as tough as they like, I have different methods for getting my way.”  The unicorn’s horn glowed a dark blue levitating a vial from the lock-box to her bag. Swift watched helplessly as the unicorn looked back towards him pulling a camera out of her bag. The lens pointed directly at him and a brilliant flash caused him to slam his eyes shut.

“Now I not only have the vial, I have the bounty for you as well. There’s a half million bit price on your head, no way I’m letting that slip by.” The camera went back to her bag and that devious smile returned to her treacherous face. “Do yourself a favor Swift, spread your blood around or something, at least make it look like you put up a fight and that you didn’t let some unicorn catch you completely flathooved.”

“You worthless bitch.”

Shadow moved closer to her victim, “You’ll have to speak up, my hearing has never been good in this ear.”

“I said, you’re a worthless bitch.”

Shadow put her face inches away from his, “Foals need to speak loudly if they want to be taken seriously by adults.”

Swift spat a large glob of blood at the unicorn staining her light green face. Her eye’s went wide and she recoiled in horror.

“I SAID YOU’RE A WORTHLESS BITCH!”

Shadow raised a hoof to her face tentatively touching the blood on her cheek, her smile came back almost instantly though, still devious and with a darker tone. “Well, that’s nothing a simple bath won’t fix which is more than I can say for you.” Shadow took a few steps back moving toward the exit on the far side of the room.

Swift stared angrily, pissed at himself for trusting someone he had just met the night before, pissed for choosing a target as dangerous as the Canterlot Hazardous Material Housing Facility, and more importantly, Pissed at the unicorn who now stood only a few feet from the door. His eye’s searched the room desperate for some way out of this mess he stumbled into. Shadow turned back to him flashing that devious smile again.

“Any last words darling? I may be able to pull some strings and get them in the paper, you are quite infamous after all.”

Swift grabbed the knife in his chest pulling it free allowing the blood to flow out at an even quicker pace.

“I got a few words for ya... how about... ‘hold your breath’?”  With all of his remaining strength he flung the knife across the room watching in anticipation as it sailed through the air. Both ponies stared as the projectile struck a large button on the wall.

“WARNING, EMERGENCY DECONTAMINATION IN PROGRESS, BEGINNING STERILIZATION PROCEDURES!” a loud speaker announced. The containment door slammed shut in front of the exit trapping them both inside. Shadow Dancers eye’s filled with rage as she galloped back over to Swift. Swift smiled as she gripped his throat kinetically lifting him off the floor.

“You idiot! Now we’re both going to die!” She screamed in rage. Swift kept smiling as something that looked like smoke flooded the room.

“Glorious… isn’t it… you fucking… unicorn bitch. I… I never trusted unicorns…. and now I know why.” He spat out through the blood and magical force constricting his neck. Swift fell to the floor again as the unicorn started coughing uncontrollably. “If it’s… any consolation, the halon will kill you… before the sterilization field does.”  Swift fell into a coughing fit as  the light dimmed in his eyes. He could only sit there and stare as the unicorn fell to the floor coughing uncontrollably. The anger inside him melted away giving rise to a new feeling, one he rarely felt, one that usually accompanied a successful job.

Satisfaction.