“I don’t see why you don’t need a disguise,” Twilight mumbled as she and Lone-the former disguised as a unicorn mare with light blue skin, shoulder length ruby red hair, and wearing a pair of jeans and short sleeved, red shirt, the latter not disguised at all-waited outside the same bar Lone, Mist, and Shade met Sunset.

“Because unlike you,” he whispered, “I don’t have alicorn wings, plus the nobles don’t even know I exist.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “I thought you were part of a secret guard?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize mind erasing spells were fictional,” Lone deadpanned. “Maybe we should look into making them real.”

“You just love annoying ponies, don’t you?”

“Very much so, yes,” Lone answered. “Now, would you please shut up about that? She’ll be here soon, and it’s an unspoken agreement to not talk about guard related activities during bar nights.”

“Yet it always seems to end that way, doesn’t it?” a mare’s voice asked to the left of the two. Lone simply glanced at the direction, seeing an earth pony mare with night blue skin and white hair, wearing a black, knee length skirt and sleeveless shirt, giving the appearance of a black dress.

“Uh, who are you?” Twilight asked.

Lone sighed. “I don’t get paid enough,” he muttered in a sigh. “Twilight, this is Midnight. Or, rather, Celestia in her disguise.”

“Oh,” Twilight said, blushing as her eyes drifted to “Midnight’s” rather sizable chest. Something that didn’t go unnoticed.

“Ooh, Twilight-”

“We really need to give you a fake name.”

“I didn’t know you liked those,” Midnight said. “I always assumed you like pencils.”

Lone closed his eyes, then face palmed as Twilight stammered. “Times like this I wish I drank,” Lone muttered. “Okay, before we go in, Twilight, you two are my sisters, out for a night on the town as our parents wanted the house to themselves. Given the theme of darkness in our names, you’re adopted and will be named Sky Ruby, or just Ruby. Got it?”

Without waiting for an answer, Lone entered the bar, Midnight shaking her head and following closely, “Ruby” bringing up the back. Just as Lone entered, a few of the patrons looked up at him upon hearing the door open, and backed away, remembering what the others he was with a few nights ago did.

The three took a seat in a booth on the far end of the bar, with Midnight between Lone and Twilight. After the three got comfortably seated, she took a deep breath. “Oh, I missed these seats.”

“But Prin- I mean, Midnight, these aren’t that comfortable,” Ruby said, still not used to having to be in a disguise.

“I know,” was the reply. “That’s why I missed them.”

“So, how are things?” Lone asked.

“Good,” Midnight answered. “Boring, but that’s to be expected.”

“Same,” Lone replied as a waiter came by.

“Order?” he asked automatically before looking at the group. “Oh. It’s you two. Usual?’

“Yep,” Lone and Midnight replied.

“And her?” the waiter asked, gesturing to Ruby.

“Something on the rocks and light,” Midnight said.

“It’s her first time,” Lone added.

The waiter nodded. “Got it. Don’t wreck the place this time, you hear?”

“No promises,” Lone replied as the waiter walked away.

“I could have ordered my own drink?” Ruby said, crossing her arms.

“Yes, but you wouldn’t be having fun sober,” Lone replied.

“Says the one who has had alcohol only once in his life, and not enough to get drunk,” Midnight said with a smirk.

“Would you rather I have fun?” Lone asked, his left eyebrow raised.

“. . .Point taken,” Midnight said.

“Why?” Ruby asked. “What’s so bad about his having fun?”

“The last time he had actual fun,” Midnight replied, “twenty royal guards, five civilians, and a city block were reduced to ash.” As Ruby looked at the two slackjawed, Midnight added, “He’s very good at covering stuff up.”

“You smell something?” Lone asked, sniffing the air.

“I’ll be right back,” Ruby said before she got up.

“To the right as you walk in, second door,” Lone said as she left.

After a few seconds, Midnight spoke. “You don’t like her.”

“No,” Lone said. “Reminds me too much of her ancestor.” He looked at Midnight. “We both know what she did.”

“She’s not like that,” Midnight said. “She’s averse to killing.”

“Everypony is,” Lone said. “At first. Sunbeam started out the same way.” He looked back at the direction of the restrooms. “And that was before dark magic came into play.”

“She was unstable, Lone. You of all ponies should know that.”

“And just how unstable can Twilight be?” Lone asked in a slight growl before closing his eyes and exhaling. “The only reason I didn’t order her killed is obvious, and we both know alicorns have a resistance to mind magic.”

“Then maybe you should have made sure those assassins didn’t get close to her,” Midnight retorted, glaring at Lone.

“That’s what gets me with everything,” Lone said.

“What do you mean?” Midnight asked, confused.

“They grandstanded. Every report we’ve gotten from other cells and civilians state the same thing. Victim was lured into an alleyway, and didn’t come out. An hour or so later, somepony finds the body. No ponies standing guard, and throats slit from behind.”

Midnight’s eyes widened. “They wanted you to save her.”

“Combine that with the Widow’s appearance around the same time as the first killing?” Lone muttered. “I can’t shake the feeling that someone’s behind this,” he said as he saw Ruby walkout, nearly crowding the doorway with another mare exiting at the same time. As Ruby made her way back to the booth, Lone saw the other mare go to a stallion, and escort him out.

“What’d I miss?” Ruby asked as she returned.

“Nothing much,” Midnight replied as the waiter brought their drinks. For Midnight, it was a bottle of Sweet Apple Acres cider, something that very few patrons of the bar could order with how expensive it was. For Lone, it was a glass of apple juice. For Ruby, it was a martini in a mug.

“Uhhhhh,” Ruby said, looking at her drink.

“Not like they can invest in fine drinking glasses,” Lone said, grabbing his drink and downing a quarter of the glass in three gulps.

“Oh, right.”

Definitely not cut out for investigative work, Lone thought.

“Well, here’s to a fun night,” Midnight asked as she downed her entire drink, just before a scream could be heard from outside. “Or not.”

The three were among the first out of the bar, with Lone seeing a mare shaking as she looked into the alley beside the bar. He jogged over to where she was, and looked into the alley, clenching his fists at what he saw.

“What is it?” Midnight asked as the crowd gathered, her eyes going wide and a small gasp escaping her lips as Ruby gave a full gasp and covered her mouth as the two of them saw the corpse of the stallion Lone saw earlier on the floor, pants down and penis erect.

“The Widow’s here.”

Author's Notes:

You can thank a boring day at work for me getting the full drive for this story back. Also, I went back and edited the chapter Lone first showed up in for this story. I'd go back to read it, as the change is important to the story.