Of Whiskey and Cutie Marks
It was dark. A thick, inky blackness that permeated even the din of noise leaking through the wood paneling of Sunny’s Fillydelphia apartment. The Unicorn grumbled and glanced over to the small clock on the wall. A huff of frustration escaped her as she barely made out the hands of the clock in the darkness: three-seventeen.
She shook her head and rose from her mattress that had been haphazardly placed in one corner of her second floor apartment, and quietly made her way over to the kitchen adjacent to her bedroom. She encased a bottle of Applejack Daniel’s from the shelf above the counter in a sheath of blue magic and poured herself a small glass, then trotted over to her bedroom window to look down at the cobblestone streets below the brownstone dwelling.
While Fillydelphia wasn’t the icon of class that Manehattan had become, it still had a bustling night life, and was where much of Equestria’s raw materials were forged. It was also one of the most crime-infested cities in all of Equestria, with six major gangs running their own corners of Fillydelphia’s rackets. Sunny smiled as she looked back at the bags of bits piled up next to her mattress, five-hundred bits in all. Almost enough to get her a nicer place.
The orange-coated mare turned her gaze back down to the bustling street below, her ears perked to listen to the activity of the ponies that came and went from the clubs up and down the street. Some shouted and argued as they were tossed out on their flanks, others laughed and carried on in good company. Stallion-drawn carriages ran up and down the busy cobblestone road, some carrying passengers, others carrying supplies and goods to various businesses, some more legitimate than others.
Sunny sipped at her whiskey and smiled as her tired eyes slid closed and the hustle and bustle of the city teased her ears. The bar across the street was owned and operated by her boss, Zoara “Stripes” Mubawe. That Zebra ran his gang with an iron hoof, and was quick to crush his enemies; he had a good measure of control over the cider and whiskey game in Fillydelphia, despite being the leader of one of the smallest of the six major gangs.
The Unicorn downed the rest of her small glass of whiskey in one go, set the glass down on the windowsill, then made her way back over to her mattress. She laid back down and let her eyes slowly drift closed as the alcohol worked its way through her system, warming her cold body and bringing pleasant tingles to her mind to help ease her back to sleep.
“Two Fillydelphia police officers were killed attempting to thwart a bank robbery on the south side of Fillydelphia this morning. The shooters were identified by witnesses as Benny ‘Horseshoe’ Malcolm, and Joey ‘Ringer’ Diamond, two prominent members of…”
“Turn that shit off, Ray. Don’t need to hear about another one of Silver’s heists.” Sunny grumbled as she took another swig of her cola, mixed with a good measure of whiskey.. Her eyes traveled over to the blue-coated Pegasus on the other side of the counter, who was busy polishing a glass. Her emerald green hues then rolled over to the group of ponies eating ice cream at a table on the other side of the café; ever since Princess Celestia introduced prohibition on alcoholic beverages and gambling, her boss had to reintroduce his old bar as a café, selling alcohol only to a select few individuals who knew to ask for it.
Ray nodded to Sunny and pressed the shut-off button on the radio with one of his wings, then returned to polishing his glass. His yellow eyes drifted up to the clock on the wall, and a slender, white brow arched as he looked back down to the orange-coated Unicorn. “Boss’ll be expectin’ you any minute now, Sunny. Might wanna hop to it.”
The Unicorn sighed and nodded, downing the rest of her drink in one gulp as she pushed away from the bar. “Suppose you’re right. Bad enough he’s already pissed at me, might as well not give him any more excuses to ring my neck…” Her voice was a defeated sigh as she slowly made her way to the back of the bar, and a shiver ran up her spine as she knocked on Zoara’s office door.
Stripes’ office was a small room in the back of the bar, the clay walls lined with bookcases, portraits and filing cabinets. Zoara sat behind his mahogany desk, dressed up in his usual sky-blue suit and silver tie, the scar that ran over his left eye making his grey hues stand out as they rolled up to focus on Sunny as the mare slowly trotted in. “Good. You’re early.”
Sunny shuddered and sat on her haunches in front of her boss’ desk, beads of sweat damping the coat on her forehead and her white mane. “L-listen, boss, if I’d known the cops were waitin’ for me I-”
Zoara held up a hoof and gave Sunny a stern glare. “Save the ifs and buts, Sunny. You lost a shipment of cider – big deal. We can more than make up for your failure,” Sunny cringed at the way he spat out the last, “but it’s blatantly obvious you can’t work on your own anymore. Rather than waste my time and energy shooting you like one of my lieutenants suggested, I’m going the merciful route.”
The Zebra clapped his hooves, and in walked someone Sunny never expected to see: A burly, grey Diamond Dog. The massive canine wore a black cotton vest and a white tee-shirt, a green woolen driver’s cap and a spiked black collar, and had a burning cigar pinched between his lips, a bored expression on his face. “Sunny, meet your new partner. Crunch.”
The Unicorn stared up at Crunch in disbelief, feelings of fear and anxiety giving way to prideful anger as she stood to her hooves. “You’ve gotta be joking, boss! I don’t need some Luna-damned babysitter, especially not a fucking dog!” As she shouted, her face became a bright scarlet beneath her fur.
Zoara held up his hoof, a stern glare in his eyes as he spoke. “That’s quite enough. I will not tolerate xenophobia in my gang. Crunch is your new partner, and that’s the end of it. Maybe if you didn’t drop your cargo at the first sign of a police patrol…”
“Hey, even I get pulled over sometimes. It’s not like I had much choice,” Sunny retorted, a look of indignation replacing the look of rage in her eyes.
Crunch growled, and smoke billowed from his nostrils as he spoke, his voice a gravelly baritone. “I like the witty repertoire you two have, really, I do. But can we just cut to the fucking chase? This is time I could be spending drinking. Or fucking. Or anything else, really.”
Zoara nodded and put his hooves together on the desk in front of him. “Right, then. Now that you two are better acquainted, I have a job for you…”
“I don’t like you.” Sunny’s voice was laced with frustration and anger as she adjusted the holster under her barding, her blue magical aura hidden by the leather vest. As she walked, her ever-present brown skirt kept her flanks and thighs covered, her white tail poking out a hole below the waistband.
“You don’t say.” Crunch’s gravelly voice was kept low as the pair made their way down the cobblestone path of Third Street. The Diamond Dog reached up to adjust his vest, then straightened out his woolen driver’s cap, the bored look on his face not budging, even as they passed up a pair of young stallions getting mugged in an alleyway.
The Unicorn ground her teeth as her eyes searched the bustling crowds that littered the sidewalks. “So. What’d you do to get stuck ‘babysitting?’” She questioned, looking up to her new partner, one of her white brows quirked up as they continued walking down the sidewalk.
“I’m a dog.” The words were spoken simply, as if that were all the justification that was needed.
Sunny grinned and nodded, trotting along happily for a moment until something dawned on her, “Wait, so Stripes trusts me less than a fucking mutt?” She nearly growled, glaring up at Crunch, who was smiling smugly.
“Maybe you should be more careful with your jobs in the future.” Crunch half-chuckled as he spoke, and the pair stopped in front of a brick apartment building, the windowpanes mostly broken out or boarded up. The sound of music could be heard drifting from one of the upper floor’s apartments, and the dog nodded as he stared up at the source of the noise.
“Well, let’s get this over with…” Sunny opened the front door with her magic, and the pair made their way up two flights of half-rotted stairs that reeked of mildew and mold, walked up to apartment number ten, and Crunch checked the pocketwatch in his vest.
“It’s still too early yet. Let’s hang back a minute,” Crunch muttered, and walked a few doors down. “Any idea why this guy’s been making threats against Stripes’ family?”
Sunny shrugged and glanced toward the apartment’s door, her ear twitching nervously. “Something about Stripes squeezing the guy’s dad for protection money. Kid’s not too fond of our business deals, I guess. C’mon, let’s go take care of business.”
The pair made their way back to number ten, and Sunny forced the door open, Crunch swiftly following in behind her and taking up a position in the corner of the apartment. There were three ponies in the small apartment: a Pegasus eating at a small table, and two Earth ponies lounging on a couch. One of the Earth ponies began to stand to her hooves, but Sunny shot her an icy glare. “No need to get up. Stay there and chill for a minute. Put your hooves up.”
Sunny looked to each of the ponies, then settled her gaze on the Pegasus stallion that was eating a sunflower sandwich. “You must be Stormy. Stormy, I’ve been running around all morning, and I’m starving. Do you mind if I take a bite of your sandwich?”
Stormy resisted the urge to wipe away the sweat that had begun to bead on his yellow forehead, and his voice trembled as he spoke, “S-sure, help yours-self.”
The orange-coated Unicorn floated the sandwich up to her face, and a smile graced her features as she took a bite. She chewed thoughtfully for a moment, then looked back to Crunch, a grin on her face. “Mmm, now that is a tasty sammich!” Sunny set the food down, then drew the Colt .45 revolver from inside her vest with her magic and shot the pair of Earth ponies twice in the chest.
Stormy started and stumbled back out of his chair, mouth agape at the wanton violence he’d just witnessed. He simply sat on his flank, too stunned to move as Sunny replaced the four bullets she’d used up, pocketing the spent casings. “P-please don’t kill me, I d-didn’t mean anything by it!”
The orange Unicorn simply glared at the Pegasus. She opened her mouth to speak, but Crunch pushed past her and picked Stormy up by one of his wings, dangling the pony right in front of his face, his hot, acrid breath stinging the Pegasus’ nostrils. “’I’m going to gut your entire family and hang their hides out in the sun.’ That’s what your note said. You didn’t mean anything by it?”
The yellow Pegasus let out a pained scream as Crunch shook him, twisting and snapping the stallion’s wing. The canine brute dropped the crippled pony to the floor and drew his own revolver. The cylinder rotated with a tinny clicking sound as he squeezed the trigger, and the .38 caliber slug tore into Stormy’s ribcage, piercing his heart. “Didn’t mean anything by it… Cowardly bastard.”
Sunny holstered her Colt .45 and turned, shaking her head. “Let’s get out of here ‘fore the cops show.”
Crunch almost had his weapon holstered when he heard a door open to his right. The bathroom door? “Sunny, get down!”
The Unicorn dropped to the floor just as a staccato of shots rang out behind her, a group of slugs burying themselves into the drywall just above her head. Two more shots rang out, the loud pops stinging her ears before the mare drew her weapon and turned. “Thanks, Crunch,” Sunny said, breathing a sigh of relief as she holstered her weapon.
Crunch huffed and holstered his revolver, growling as he kicked the dead Unicorn that now lay in the bathroom doorway, a grease gun on the floor next to him. “Stripes wants me to make sure you don’t get yourself waxed, so that’s what I’m gonna do.” The dog shot her a smile as he spoke, “Otherwise, I don’t get paid.”
The Unicorn gangster frowned, the look of relief on her face quickly replaced with one of irritated defiance. “I still don’t like this, and I don’t like you,” she spat out, huffing as she turned to leave. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Good. That guy was scum. Nopony threatens my fucking family and lives to brag about it.” Zoara growled before taking a glass of scotch in his teeth and downing the burning liquid. “Sixty bits each for a job well done. See me tomorrow; I’ll have details on a bootleg cider shipment coming into port. You’re free for the rest of the day.”
Sunny grinned and pocketed her bag of payment, and trotted to the door, nearly on the verge of singing as she skipped down the sidewalk. “I’m finally rid of that flea-bitten mutt!”
The orange-coated gangster turned a corner around a brownstone housing complex, smiling cheerfully to herself as she trotted towards the small bar at the end of the block, having to wince a little to shield her eyes from the glare of the setting sun. The street was sparsely populated, with only a few ponies dotting its expanse, making Sunny feel isolated from the world. It was glorious.
The ecstasy of her solitude came to a screeching hault, however, when a trio of Earth ponies emerged from an alleyway next to her. The pair flanking the lead had semi-automatic pistols in their teeth, and looks of hunger in their eyes. The lead stallion stepped forward and shot Sunny a winning smile before he spoke in a sultry baritone. “Now, young lady, how about you give us all of your bits. Now.”
Sunny simply stared at the brown-coated stallion as though he hadn’t spoke, but rather vomited rainbows on the sidewalk. After a moment, she finally spoke, an incredulous tone to her voice. “Are you shitting me? You’re joking. You must be joking. You know this is Zoara’s turf, right?”
The stallion smirked and shrugged, his retort short and sweet. “Yup; Zoara’s old-hat, sweetheart. We’re part of bigger and better things, and we want the Zebra’s turf. Tell you what; it sounds like you work under old Stripes. Hand over all your cash, and we’ll let you walk back to your boss to tell him his days are numbered. Sound good to you?”
Sunny was just about to float out her revolver when a pair of shots rang out. There was a high-pitched zip as the bullets whizzed past her head and tore into the pair of gunponies ahead of her. The white-maned Unicorn turned just in time to witness Crunch barrel into the lead stallion, shoving the pony’s nose into the still-gushing bullet wound in his friend’s neck, a look of rage in the dog’s eyes as he bellowed, “Who sent you?!”
The stallion’s arrogance faded in an instant, and was blubbering pleas for mercy as his tears mingled with his friend’s blood. “I-it was Silver! Silver the gryphon wants Zoara’s turf! That’s all I know I swear, please let me live!”
Crunch shook his head, pressed the muzzle of his .38 snub-nose into the pony’s mane and squeezed the trigger. The Earth pony stallion’s whimpers cut off as the slug penetrated his skull, and his body slumped to the ground like a wet dishrag. “I’m gonna go tell Stripes what’s going on. You go back to what you were doin’.” The scruffy canine holstered his revolver and adjusted his driver cap, turning around on his heel to leave.
Sunny just stared at him, mouth agape. Where in Hades did he even come from? Her face turned a dull red as she stood her ground and shouted, “Were you following me, mutt?!”
The Diamond Dog simply waved over his shoulder at her and continued walking down the cobblestone street, his footfalls soft against the quiet din of the slowly-rousing Fillydelphia night life. Sunny snorted and shook her head, turning on her hoof and making her way into her intended bar for a stiff drink, trying to take her mind off of the day’s events. The mare shivered as she sat down at the counter, thinking about how she’d almost died twice, today. She needed to be more cautious, pay more attention to her surroundings.
The white-maned Unicorn gave sidelong glances to anypony that sat too near to her. A shiver crept up her spine a second time, and she rose and exited the bar before she’d even placed an order. As she made her way back down the cobblestone road, her back to the quickly-setting sun, she kept her attention on the weight of the .45 revolver in the holster under her black leather barding, her eyes darting back and forth, looking for any potential threats.
Once she reached the safety of Stripes’ bar, she let out a sigh of relief, wishing she could release her feelings of embarrassment as easily as she’d released that breath. Nopony was out to get her. Just Stripes’ crew in general. A flat look glazed over her face as she thought about that, and she plopped down in front of the counter. She was certainly doing a poor job of making herself feel better. “Applejack an’ cola, Ray.” Once she received her drink, she floated it to her lips and took a long swig, the alcohol warming her and easing her thoughts.
Ray looked up from polishing a glass and said, “Long day, Sunny?”
The mare nodded and frowned, mixing her drink with a straw. “Yeah, to say the least. There’s a storm a’brewin’, Ray, and I can hear the thunder in the distance. Things’re definitely going to get interesting around here really quick.”
