Dark Alleys, Bright Hearts

We stand on a roof adjacent to the Palace, watching the room with the Royal Vault carefully. The sun sets, casting the city into darkness as we don our capes.

Mark looks over at me, “Are you sure you want to do this tonight?”

I nod, “Yes, Mark, I am sure. Then tomorrow, we can kill Celestia.”

He looks back towards the Palace, “If you’re sure, then I suppose let’s go.” He takes his grappling gun from his side, firing to catch it on the Palace’s roof.

I fire mine as well, and both find good purchase. I jump forward, allowing the rope to bring me against the wall. My new boots automatically adjust, and sink into the wall, allowing me to move freely.

Mark jumps after me, his own boots attaching him to the wall as well. He puts his hand up to the stained glass window, the one about Discord’s defeat, and looks at the back of it. He looks over to me, “Two guards, one next to the vault, and the other in the middle of the room. I’ll get the one near the vault, you get the other.”

I nod.

He nods back, “Breach on my command.” He grabs hold of the grappling hook’s rope, “Let’s go.”

I grab hold of mine, kicking off the wall a tiny bit earlier than Mark. His boot crashes into the window first, breaking it into pieces.

We both land inside, in a room with two surprised guards. Mark rushes the one on the left, standing right outside the vault door, while I charge at the closest.

I lunge at the Guard, knocking him onto his back. I shift my teeth back to their natural form, and bite into his neck, tearing with all my strength.

I spit the flesh to the ground, grinning as I see the guard grasp his neck, now turning red from blood. I raise my hoof, making sure my new boots have their spikes out, and stomping down on his face repeatedly.

I’m only stopped when I’m shoved off of him. I stumble off, and look to see Mark looking at me, “What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

He gets down to his knees, putting pressure on the wound. I chuckle, “I took him down.”

He frantically rips off a piece of his cloak, trying to cover the wound, “Not like that! Fuck, get a medic! Quickly!”

I grin, “A medic? Do you want us to get caught, Mark?”

He looks over at me, “Caught? I don’t fucking care if I get caught! Get a medic, now!”

I shake my head, “Are you truly caring for his life? You’re more pathetic than I thought. He’s a pony. He’s prey, and we’re predators.”

He looks back down at the pony, “Are you fucking insane?! He’s dying, get a medic!”

I chuckle again, trotting past them, “He’s already dead, Mark. You’re just wasting your time.”

He pauses, “Why?”

I trot up to the vault door, “That should be obvious. We don’t want any loose ends.”

“He was a fucking living creature! Not a fucking loose end!”

I shrug, “Not much difference there.” I examine the horn hole in the middle of the vault door, “Now, are you going to steal, or are you going to whine like a nymph?”

He moves up behind me, “You’re a murderer. A fucking murderer.”

I smile, sticking my horn into the hole, growing it and summoning some magic, “I’m an effective thief.”

The vault absorbs the magic, and slowly opens. I trot inside, pausing as I head a faint ringing in the distance.

Mark pauses as well, “Shit, an alarm.”

I nod, continuing into the vault, and looking around, “I’m going to look around.”

Mark shakes his head, “We need to go, now, Love!”

I look back at him, “We are not leaving, Mark. I’m going to find my weapon. If you want to flee like a coward, go ahead.”

He frowns, looking back to the door, “You have one minute, Love! One fucking minute!”

I smile, looking around the spacious area. I trot around, until I feel myself pulled towards a pedestal in the back.

I trot closer, pausing as I see a green gem. I then take a step back, now able to see that said gem is embedded into a black chitinous dagger. I slowly reach out, grabbing the dagger, and admiring it. I smile, slipping it into my cloak.

Mark shouts, “Love, we need to go!”

I trot to the entrance of the vault, seeing Mark looking at me in a panic. He snaps back to face the door as it is busted down.

I quickly shift to a small form, so I won’t be seen.

Luna trots in, “Thief, reveal thine presence!” She pauses as she sees the guard’s body. She gasps, looking up at Mark, and glaring at the blood on his gloves, “Murderer!”

Mark steps back, glancing around to look at me. He pauses, not able to see my small form. He stares at the spot where I was, his eyes blank and glassy.

Luna marches up to him, “Mark, fiend! Hast thou anything to say for thine crimes!?”

He slowly turns, and looks back at her, “I...”

She frowns, “Where is the changeling who assisted thee?! We can sense their magic!”

He looks back to where I was, “Changeling...” He frowns, turning back to Luna, “Fuck you. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Luna lights her horn up, “Tell us, Mark, now!”

He clenches his hand into a fist, and punches her, “Fuck you!”

She takes the punch without flinching or moving at all. Her horn lights up again, and Mark collapses, “Thou shalt be a lot more talkative later, we assure thee.”

She floats up his body onto her back, and trots away.

I jump out of the broken window, sprouting some wings and flying away.