Peace in Equestria

by Bloodstain

First published 31st of January, 2012

A string of murders breaks out in Equestria

Ten dead, and more to come. But this doesn't phase a certain Blue stallion, who continues his business, whistling a happy tune amid the wrecked lives around him. This is his story.

Next Stop: Ponyville

Ten dead in Hoofington, read that morning's headline. A picture of three bodybags was displayed across the front page. I remember that headline specifically, as I marveled in how fast the information had reached the media. I had to admit, with the amount of ponies wanting to get out of Hoofington, I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to make my train.

Where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Keeper. I'm a stallion, a pegasus as well. I'm a bit silent, never one to speak too much, but I get around. I've been all over Equestria, from Buckingham, to Canterlot, and everywhere in between. My work takes me everywhere. But I'll go into that in more detail later.

I was able to keep my ticket and get on the train with no problem. Thank Celestia they closed down the ticket counter instead of selling tickets to half the town. It was still pretty crowded, but I was able to enjoy the view of the countryside as we sped off toward the destination of my next task.

I always enjoyed riding the train in the dining car. It always seemed so... convenient. Able to enjoy my vodka while looking out the window and enjoy the stunning countryside, even under the grey shroud of rain? Definitely, whoever designed this car obviously had me in mind. Everyone else around me was pushing each other around, or goofing off with their beer, but I remember the somber soul across from me was deep in thought, and deep into his whiskey. I always considered whiskey as an alternative to vodka, but never seriously, because thankfully, vodka was served almost everywhere I went.

Suddenly the loudspeaker rang out, and I knew that I was likely the only one to hear it. "Next stop, Ponyville." said the conductor. Though I could only barely hear it, I knew already where we were. I had spent enough time on these tracks to know them forward and back. I turned my eyes to the picture in my hoof. My mark was a small creature, barely old enough to have her cutie mark. In fact, she didn't. Her file had said that she was supposed to be something called a 'Cutie Mark Crusader,' a group of fillies who were all supposed to be trying to find their cutie marks. Such a shame, I thought, going through life without one, as the train slowed to a stop.

I grabbed my bag and stepped off the train. I didn't look around for comforting arms, though. I had long since abandoned the need for loved ones. Not that I didn't have a family. My brothers and sisters were almost always too busy to spend any time with me, and I was just the like. I never expected anypony to welcome me with open arms, and I had no permanent residence to go back to. All I ever wanted, or needed, was with me always, in my bag of handy. It was still grey and storming as I walked slowly down the street. I never had a problem with the rain, I found it to be rather calming, it's cool temperature, the way that it lightly massaged my back and slowly dribbled down my legs. The chill always left me reinvigorated, and in a wonderful mood. But alas, I tend to ramble.

There was a hotel that I was to stay at, for my entire brief visit to Ponyville, and I headed there, taking my sweet time as everyone rushed around me. They probably wanted to get out of the rain, and into someplace dry. Then, as if from nowhere, somepony decided that I wanted an umbrella, standing beside me and hoisting it high. I turned to look at them, and couldn't believe my eyes. There, beside me, was the sister of my mark. I recognised her from the file, she was marked under 'family.'

"I'll have you know, It's a beautiful day out, I shouted, just above the roar of the rain hitting the umbrella.

"Nonsense, deary, The rain will ruin your exquisite bag!" she scolded.

"It's waterproof. It was made for the rainiest of days." I retorted, picking up my pace to get back into the wonderful shower I enjoyed to the fullest. Nevertheless, she followed.

"Well, at least find someplace to dry off soon. Wouldn't want you catching a cold, now, would we?"

"Good day, Madame," I said, a bit more forcefully than I had meant, pulling back out from under her umbrella. Couldn't she take the hint that I didn't want company?

She persisted. "You could come stay with me! I'm not a murderer, I promise!" I hid a snicker, and shouted back, "That won't be necessary. Good Day!" and I turned into the hotel entrance. The main hall was full of ponies, with three of the four lines filled up, the fourth almost empty. I approached the almost empty one, pulling out an identification card. The line passed quickly, being reserved for members of some silly hotel club. I never attended the events, but I enjoyed being one of the few who could make reservations on very short notivce.

"Single." I said as the pony at the front waved me up for my turn.

"Ah, Mr. Keeper." said the rather thin stallion. "You have an outstanding value of points for your number of stays. Would you like to upgrade to a double at no extra cost?" he handed back my cad.

"No, I'm travelling alone, thank you." I enjoyed the reservations, but I never used the points. They could be used for upgrades, but I never wanted them. They just got in the way. The job was all that mattered.

I took my keycard and began climbing the stairs. I was on the second floor, third hall, fourth door on the left. No one had told me this, but I knew where room 237 was. This hotel chain was unique. The lowest room number they had was 211. I only shook my head, knowing there was little I could do to change the hotel chain, not that I would want to. It was clever, to say the least.

I arrived at the room and dropped my bag. After a quick check to make sure I had everything set up right inside, I zipped it shut, reading back over the file.

NAME: Sweetie Belle
AGE: 8
GENDER: Female
OCCUPATION: N/A
DESCRIPTION: White, unicorn, pink and purple mane and tail. A member of the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders,' usually can be found with friends Scootaloo and Applebloom, also crusaders. Pictures are included. She attends school at Ponyville Elementary, and spends most of her time either with the crusaders, at her parents house, or at school.
FAMILY: Rarity, Sister. Parent's names unknown. Pictures of the three have been included.
SPECIAL CONDITIONS: It is intended for her to missing, and not to be found. Either kill her where no one will find her, hide the body, or destroy it.
REWARD PICKUP: A courier will deliver it by hoof.

That's my job in a nutshell. I'm a cold-blooded killer. An assassin. I take the lives of other ponies for money. I must say that I'm very god at my job; never once have I failed to meet any special conditions. I'm afraid I'm retired now, though. I can't help you kill your neighbor, or any coworkers. You probably couldn't have afforded me, anyway. I never came cheap.

I left my bag, and the file, in my room, and headed out into town. It was still pouring, but I needed to scope out possible vantage points for seizing my prey. After all, that was the best way to operate in secret. To hide, and wait for it to come to you. If it saw no danger, it would be like taking candy from a foal. Or rather, taking life from it.

After a brief look around, I surmised that the school was too close to a populated area to be a good enough spot to grab her. The best place was either a very crowded area, or a clear area with no one for miles around. A semi-crowded area was debatably one of the worst places to abduct, or murder another pony, as you almost always got caught. No, I needed someplace more secluded, more out of the way. But, having only the location of the school, I didn't have anywhere to plan my maneuver.

I remember, right at that moment, the school bell rang, signaling the release of the students. I decided to just follow my prey at a distance, hiding in the shadows, out of sight, keeping up the appearance of somepony with ulterior business, not one having only the purpose of elimination. unfortunately, that proved difficult, as the market was void of most ponies due to the rain, so I couldn't pretend to look at curios and baubles, and I couldn't very well enter one of the shops, for fear of my prey escaping my vision long enough to disappear.

But I suppose that's not something you want to hear, right? You probably want to hear how it went. Patience. One of the first things they teach you in my line of work is patience. Wait for your quarry. Set everything up, if you can, and if you can't, improvise. I was never one for improvisation. I almost always set up my kills. Usually long before I even arrived. But this was a special case. I knew nothing about this pony, or her habits. I would have to set this up slowly, or wait for just the perfect moment, whichever came first.

Luckily, I'm a master of staying hidden, and bushes lined the walkways, providing a wonderful cover. However, when my quarry and her two friends turned to make their way away from town, I cursed my bad luck. I would have to find some other means of following. Stepping back into the rain, I noticed that it was, if fact, still raining. That made me remember another thing I loved about the rain. The clouds were usually low, and covered the bulk of the sky. I could follow inside of the clouds, without blowing my cover. I dared not fly above them, though, for the weather team usually stayed above to keep the lightning in check.

They had their own clubhouse, I soon found out, hovering above a farm called 'Sweet Apple Acres.' I was hovering, not the club house. I waited up there for several hours. The rain had stopped, and the sun was about to set. I managed to keep my cover inside a small cloud that was slowly fading away.One of them departed in one direction, the other two in the opposite. I cursed quietly; my mark was still not alone. She had left with the one I assumed was Scootaloo, based on the pictures. I hadn't looked at them for several hours, but I had a decent memory, and it didn't really matter anyway. She was not my prey.

I followed the couple back into Ponyville, now able to hold a decent cover as some of the stalls had opened up after the storm. They were only going to be open for another half hour, but it was still good for business. It helped me anyway, so who was I to complain? The two reached the opposite end of Ponyville, and split up, Scootaloo going one direction, around the outskirts, and my little job walked off, alone, along the road. I stifled a chuckle, keeping my illusion up. there was no cause for dropping it, even for a second. Nopony suspected me of any shady activity, and I aimed to keep it that way, leaving town with no suspicion cast at me.

Sweetie Belle seemed to live quite a ways from town, but I didn't mind. In fact, I prefered that. I followed, just out of sight, diving behind a tree when she started to turn around. As soon as town was out of earshot, I made my move. This is what I meant by the perfect moment. There was nopony around, save for myself and my prey, so I dove at her, full force, right in the middle of the road. I still don't like taking risks, though. If anypony was nearby, there would be hell to pay. So I aimed my strike carefully. I headbutted her chest at full force, completely knocking the wind out of her. As she lay coughing, almost motionless on the ground, I bound her, and gagged her, and picked her up, leaving for the forest nearby.

She was caked in mud, and it rubbed off onto me as I carried her further and further in. I knew there was a chamber nearby, I had helped make it. It was inside of a solid rock, one whose structure was incredibly powerful. The door was impenetrable, except by those who knew how to open it. I was one of them. It immediately dissolved at my touch, and sealed shut behind me, locking anyone else out.

Let me tell you a bit about these chambers. More than you would think, someone doesn't only want the contract killed, but disappeared. Gone entirely, never to be heard from again. No recognizable remains, nothing of that sort. They are simply gone after entering these sanctums. This is why they were built. I hesitated to stay here, instead of the hotel, because the place smelled of rot. I never enjoyed the place personally, but I did enjoy watching events unfold here. And I especially enjoyed joining in on the fun.

I tied Sweetie Belle's Forelegs to the rack, and removed the gag. "Hello, little one," I teased at her. "Do you know where you are?"

"No, but I know who you are!" she shouted, spitting in my face. "You're one of those child molesters, aren't you!?"

I chuckled at this. "If I were, I'd have strapped you to a different sort of rack," I said nonchalantly. "However, now I have the idea in my head, and I can't just leave it there." I grabbed a certain torture device that I hadn't used in a while, and jammed it into her mouth. With a sharp yank, three of her teeth flew out of her mouth, warranting and ear-splitting scream from her. I was used to this, though. Torture wasn't my forte, but I knew my way around it, and was used to the screaming. This one in particular was quite the high pitch, though. It managed to have a bit of an effect on me, causing a slight cringe. Luckily, the walls and door were sound-proof, and nopony but the two of us heard it.

I sent the device back to work, until only a few teeth remained, but they were at the back, and were thus insignificant to my new plan. Blood oozed from Sweetie Belle's mouth as she tried to scream again, being stopped by my member being shoved deeply down her throat. I pushed on, forcing it deeper and deeper, until I felt her nose touch my stomach. I pulled most of the way out, allowing her a few breaths, before sliding back in. I was a bit surprised at how good it felt, and how easily I slid in. I guessed that she probably sang, due to the uncommon width of her throat.

This time, I managed to slide down into her esophagus, and could feel the involuntary muscles trying to pull my shaft all the way in, massaging it gently. The feeling was absolutely divine, as I pulled it back out. I knew how much air she should be allowed for keeping life up, due to my training in torture. Interrogations weren't something I enjoyed, but this wasn't an interrogation. This was just for fun.

I pulled out a final time, after exactly twenty-five thrusts. I loved keeping count. It helps me stay sane, I believe. It kept my mind from wandering as I went about it. When my mind wandered, I could spend an entire week taking the time to finish them off. Without, I was only an hour or two away. And I had barely even started yet.

Blood dripped from her mouth, and she gathered it up and spat at me once again. She mentioned something, but without her teeth, I couldn't understand a word of it. Her head lolled about in front of her, as she admitted defeat. Usually, this would be the point where we returned them home, after carefully extracting any information they had. However, as was stated before, this was not an interrogation. If it were, I wold have let her keep her teeth.

I pulled her chin up, and looked directly into her eyes. The emeralds that returned to me almost made me want to let her go. But I had a job to do. And there was no possible way I was going to just quit in the middle. Especially since she knew exactly what I looked like. She was going to have to die in here, and we both knew it. I could see it in her eyes.

"Now, Sweetie, do you know what comes next?" I asked, attaching her rear legs to the rack as well. They weren't built for children, though some could be modified. This wasn't one of them, though, and her legs had to stretch to reach. She let out a sob, as tears, mucus, and blood dripped from her face. It was the little things like this that made my job so difficult to do well. You can't remove empathy. It's a piece of you, much like your past. You can cover it, but still it remains, locked away without any care.

I swung the rack around, and stepped into it. It was indeed a rack, most ponies ask how I could step into it. Most ponies hear tell of a table. It's not anything like that, actually. It's rigged to where it can spin in literally any direction you will it to. The braces at the sides and in the very center are the only solid pieces in the entire build, allowing you to torture your victim from any angle. And now, it was allowing me access from every angle.

I let her hang with her tail above her. I somehow felt that this would be a lot more natural, being the way most ponies went about it. A long, deep sniff was all I needed to harden back out, ready to take another round of Sweetie Belle. "Ready?" I asked rhetorically. She wasn't, but that didn't matter to me. I pushed in toward her, building up force until I finally popped inside. She let out another scream of pain. I only found this more arousing, though, as I continued to push inward. I discovered, that the further I pushed, the higher her pitch became. This gave me an idea. I pushed anf pulled, at different intervals of speed and depth, and was able to play Toccata & Fugue with her vocal chords. It sounded divine.

"You're quite the singer, Sweetie. Though I was never one for Screamo," I joked. Remember how I said my mind would wander? I played a few more of my favorites, specifically The 1812 Overture and Ode to Joy. I have a soft spot for classical music, you see. Eventually, I got bored of playing my orchestra, besides the fact that some of my instruments had quit. I was a bit envious. We had been at this for over half an hour, And I hadn't reached a single climax yet. So I stopped goofing off and tried to finish up, going into a casual pace, at a casual depth, but still pressing deeper and deeper in. Though I had enjoyed this quite a bit, her genitalia had become accustomed to me, and the tension was almost completely gone.Thinking about what I cold do to keep going, I remembered something that I had heard from one of my brothers of the void.

I immediately pulled back out, only just realizing that I was flared. Blood spilled out of her, likely locked in by the clog I had created. This would prove to be a bit more interesting than I had originally planned. I pushed up against her, using only her blood from the previous two ventures for any lubricant as I slid, deeper and deeper into her ass hole. Tiny needle pricks ravaged around my shaft, the tightness growing as I inched deeper and deeper in. I was about halfway in when her blood-curdling scream stopped, along with the tension. I slipped the rest of the way in with ease. I poked a hoof around her asshole and found out why. I had just torn her anal sphincter to shreds inside of her. I pulled out, as fecal matter oozed from the cavity without regulation. Now how was I to finish myself off?

I walked around to the other side. I was so very close. I needed to find a way, some way of finishing. I then saw her motionless mouth lying agape in front of me. She was still alive, no doubt about that... Her breathing was regular, albeit heavy, which was understandable, considering what she had just been through. Her blood was flowing far less freely from her maw, and it dribbled down her chin. She was half dead. Her torture, as it were, was almost finished though.

Still covered in her fecal matter, I rammed back down her throat. It was much more difficult this time, as I was no longer flaccid as a wet noodle, but stiff, and the size and consistency of a metal pole. It was no easy matter, but I managed. As I entered the final few strokes, I burst forward as far as I could, ejaculating almost directly into her stomach. With her muscles pulling me in as much as they were, you'd think she wanted me to do just that, for the rest of her life. I'm sorry to say, I couldn't just remain there forever, though it did seem tempting at the time. Never before had I done anything of that nature, but I was bound to do it again. This much was clear to me.

After my little episode, I took a shower, cleaning myself of any blood, fecal matter, and sweat that resided on my body. I was a bit tired, and it was well into the night. That aside, all of my tools were in my bag, back at the hotel. I would have to continue this tomorrow. I gave Sweetie Belle a peck on the forehead, and thanked her for the wonderful time, before walking back through the secret door, which dissolved in front of me and sealed behind me, leaving the impression that I had simply appeared from inside the rock. This forest was said to be cursed, so I didn't worry about anypony seeing me, telling myself that they would simply regard it as a piece of the forest's black magic.

I leaped into the air, taking flight out of the forest canopy. I enjoyed flying almost as much as I enjoyed the rain. The feeling of soaring through the air without a care in the world was second to none. I loved it so, it was the most powerful I ever felt. Tonight, though, I flew low, to the ground, conserving my spent energy. It wouldn't do to crash on the way in, would it? I made sure to step in a bit of mud, washing off the last of the blood from my hooves before entering town. It was okay to come in with mud, if you washed it off in the street, but not blood. That was a dead giveaway, no pun intended.

I arrived at the hotel and walked up to my room without a word. I almost literally fell asleep the second I hit the pillow-top. I remember because I woke up late the next morning. But I'll tell you that story next time.

Becoming Better Acquainted

Back for more? I had assumed you would have left by now. I may enjoy having a captive audience for a time, but I'm not one for stage shows. However, if you insist, I will continue. I have nowhere better to be, after all. If you remember, I told you last time that I'm retired.

I woke up the next morning at about noon. I remember because I had received an invitation to a party welcoming all the travelers to Ponyville. There were quite a few of them, I realized. I have that effect on ponies, it seems. Not that I don't suspect it. In all honesty, I had only killed seven ponies in Hoofington,, the other three were reported to be suicides, all relatives to my marks. I take no responsibility for those, though.

I dropped the invite on the table and and pulled my bag onto the bed, pulling out a small case, which contained my tools of my trade. Most of my belongings were items of large value. I had a large amount of money in my name, and couldn't carry it around with me. I didn't have a permanent residence at the time, as I do now, but with no permanent residence, I had nowhere to store my personal belongings. So I bought valuable pieces that were small enough to carry around with me. I had a few suits for formal assemblies, some jeweled chains and bands, for impressing ponies of high class, and some trinkets and baubles that had no purpose whatsoever.

But enough about that. I left my hotel room, tool case in hoof, ready to get back to Sweetie Belle. I was anxious to get underway, my morals more properly aligned after last night's soiree, I was ready to eliminate her for good. On the way, however, I ran into her sister again, crying into the arms of another mare. The other looked familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. I averted my eyes, not wanting to make a scene. Unfortunately, The other mare had seen me, and sped over.

"Beg yer pardon, but 'ave ya seen this little filly?" she held up a poster, the word 'missing' in all caps across the top, with a picture of Sweetie Belle in the middle. "She's been missin' since last night, and nopony else 'as seen 'er."

"Afraid I haven't," I lied. You get good at that when you've practiced as long as I have. "If I do, I'll find you right away."

"Thank ya kindly, Mr....?"

"Keeper." I strode off, with a smile and a nod. I guess she didn't realize that I ad no idea how to find her, or even what her name was. Later, I would find out, but for a different reason. But that story will come later, don't worry.

I came to the forest and stepped in. As soon as the town was no longer visible, I stopped walking and broke into a run. I had left a child alone all night. That was a bit sad, even for someone in my line of work. I can't just leave them unattended. Especially since this was still not an interrogation. No need to cause unnecessary pain, especially when I wasn't there to enjoy it. If for no other reason, I wanted to watch her suffer, to hear her squeal in pain, to see her writhe at my hoof. I did so enjoy that.

I arrived at the entrance, and slipped inside, and found Sweetie Belle hanging where I had left her, ready to meet her fate. "Hello, Sweetie Belle!" I yelled out, stirring her, making her active again. "I ran into your sister this morning," I teased. Her eyes went from somber to hopeful. "She's looking for you, you know. She really cares for you." I unzipped my case and displayed my tools on the tale in front of her. "Too bad she'll never find you, though. She has a wonderful smile. I had hoped to see it again, before my next leave."

I took up my favorite tools, a reverse clamp and a small pair of tongs edged with a scoop, in either hoof. The first step to ending her was the eyes. Inserting the reverse clap, compressed of course, between her eyelids, keeping them open and separate. I then used the tongs to pull her eyeball out of the socket, painlessly.The real pain came moments later when I severed the links with the shears from my kit. I dropped it to the floor, and stomped on it to crush it. The other followed suit. Then I moved on to the tricky part. I can't fery well crush a filly's hooves under my weight, keratin being incredibly sturdy in them, so I grabbed the plate file by the wall., and started filing down her hooves, until I started drawing blood, then I stopped. The shavings were now all over the floor, amid the crushed eyes. I then began to peel at her skin, taking one leg, then the next. The braces were still on, of course, but I'm very handy with knife. I may be one of the few ponies who was anywhere near my level of skill with a blade.

I then got to her other two legs. She still lived, as I could hear her whimpering in pain. I hated seeing her like this, so I took the liberty of killing her immediately after. It was painless, having an inflamed artery cut open, but fast. At least she wouldn't have to go through the next steps. with me. She could enjoy her peace. I ten finished stripping her of her skin. If you want to hear what brought the biggest tear to my my eye, albeit the only one, it was that when a pony with no cutie mark dies, they receive their cutie mark as a gift from the Evereaper. Sweetie Belle's cute mark was that of a musical note, seemingly a high E. I hope she would have liked it. She belted out enough last night to have earned it.

I sliced the tendons and cartilage, followed by the muscle tissue, then the organs. They were easier to get rid of that way. you could just burn the body, but that took too long, and was kinda boring. So I always chopped them to small pieces beforehoof, and set those ablaze instead. It minimized the amount of wait, while giving me something to do with my hooves. I made sure that the bones were cleaned before sending them into the furnace as well. The crushed bones made a decent fertilizer after being burnt, and almost nopony knew why or how. A certain rare flower could only be grown in soil enriched with it, and we had boxes of them back at the sanctuary. But I was never one for flowers.

I made sure to clean up the area where I had worked, as well as all of my tools, and myself, thoroughly. I believed that I should always leave the chamber in a better condition than the last pony, so they had someplace decent to work. If I left i looking like crap, who'd want to open up a corpse there?

Anywho, I headed back to the hotel. I had to wait for Sweetie Belle to burn before I could package her for other uses. What better way to pass the time than to make a few rounds through town, I thought to myself. Besides, I could maintain a better cover if nopony suspected me of shady activity. And what better way to not look suspicious than to show up at a party I had been personally invited to?

It was then that I seriously considered showing up. I'm not the type for parties, never have been. I usually only attended as part of a job. I had never gone to a party with the intent of enjoying myself before. Then again, I rarely ever did anything with the express purpose of enjoying myself. So I thought to myself, why not enjoy it? Who knows, having fun might be something I would want to do more often.

I then spent the bulk of the day shopping around. I had enough money, I was entitled to a few trinkets to take with me as memoirs. A jeweled Necklace was the most expensive item by far. It was absolutely laden with gems, fully utilizing every color under the sun, yet holding a symmetry that made it shine brighter than anything I had ever seen before. At the very center, a orange tourmaline, shaped like an apple, and twice the size, stood out, catching the eye of any who passed. For a mere three thousand bits, I strode away from the stand, displaying it proudly around my neck. I'm not going to lie, It was incredibly heavy. But it was lighter than the amount of money that I had paid for it. Smaller, too.

The party, according to the invitation, started at seven, so at six thirty, I headed back to my hotel room, and changed into my suit. I later fund out that I didn't need to, but I had only ever attended formal parties, and had very weak social skills in the way of small gatherings. Not that this was going to be small, mind you, but it wasn't like the grand galloping gala. That was made sure the moment I arrived.

Even though I was early, I was still welcomed by loud music. The building was hard to miss, strung up in lights, blaring techno music as loud as the ear could comfortably stand, and swarming with ponies. I recognized the mare I had talked to earlier tday, and decided to make some smalltalk before the party really started.

"I'm dreadfully sorry, but I'm afraid I didn't catch your name earlier!" I shouted, just loud enough for her to hear me. She turned around, smiled, and leaned in.

"Ah thought about that only a few minutes after you left. Ah'm Applejack. It's a pleasure ta see ya again, Mr. Keeper." She snickered a bit, but I didn't hear it I only saw. "Ya do know that this isn't a formal gatherin', right? Ya didn't have ta dress up in them fancy duds, or comb yer mane. It's prob'ly gonna come undone before the night's out. Ah don't even want ta imagine what yer suit's gonna look like."

"I thank you for your concern, but I have spare suits. Besides, I'm likly to leae about halfway through the party, supposing it turns out as I plan."

"Don't count on it," she said, as the music was suppressed, and a pink mare swung in from an upstairs window onto a pedestal situated above the door.

"Good evening, residents of Ponyville, and our esteemed guests!" She said, into a microphone. The speakers repeated it, loud enough for everypony in town to hear. "Due to the large number of ponies coming in recently, I've decided to throw a huge party to celebrate! Now don't worry, there'll be cake and punch for everypony, so feel free to be a little piggie, and eat to your hearts content!"

A loud roar of applause rang out, accompanied by shouting, By basic deduction, I made the connection that they were happy. A smirk crossed my face, but turned into a smile in an instant, as a reflex. Emotions were only ever getting in my way. Masks were much easier to wear by far. So I carried on as if I were enjoying the party.

"DJ, CRANK IT UP! BRING SHAME TO THE LIGHTS!!" shouted the piink pony, jumping down from her perch. All of a sudden, my ears rang out in pain, the electronic tune seemingly carving away at my eardrums. Such barrages were the result of the the gigantic subwoofers that I hadn't seen before.

As soon as I could feel my head again, I turned back to Applejack. "Would you like some punch!?" I offered, even though I myself had trouble hearing. I leaned back a ways, waiting fr a response. It came in the form of a nod. I pointed my right forehoof at the ground, and took off on search of the punch bowl. I found it, and sailed off. I was caught in a short line, though, as I had to wait for a cyan pegasus to pour some for herself, and a few friends. It wasn't the waiting that remained in my memory, though. It was her mane. It held a multitude of colors that just seemed... inequessant.

As soon as she finished, she flew off, allowing me to pour a glass for myself, and for Applejack. I made sure to get an ice cube in Applejack's, because it seemed gentlemanly, and took off again, going back to where I had left Applejack. I handed her the drink, which she took with a smile. We departed, finding a table, away from the speakers, thankfully. We could still hear the music, but at least we could hold a conversation.

"So ya don't get out much?"

"I do, from time to time, but never for very long. I'm used to formal parties, like the grand galloping gala. Have you ever been?"

"Once, with mah friends. Ah had a stand set up, and Ah sold an apple pie. That was all Ah sold, though."

"That was last year, yes?"

"Yeah, it was. Were you there?"

"I was indeed, ma'am."

I remember that night well, because I kept thinking there was a group of ponies waiting to ambush me, because everything was just going too well. I had been hired to eliminate a guest, and make it seem that they had fallen. I had no trouble getting close to the target, or whisking them away to the balcony. It seemed that I had won her heart, and all that mattered now was dropping her off of the edge with no signs of a struggle. The, as luck would have it, loud music started playing in the main hall. My mark stepped inside, and through a series of events that I had no control over, disaster struck. A quick shove later, and she was dead under a pillar. I then took the opportunity to slip out.

"Though I wish that my date had fared better." A lie, as if I had been dribbling them out of my mouth since birth. In reality, it had only been a few years. As I've said before, I'm the best at what I do: A professional.

"Oh? Something happen?" I could hear the concern in her voice.

"She died that night. A stray pillar collapsed on top of her, crushing her. She died instantly."

Tears were welling up in Applejack's eyes now. "Ah'm sorry. Ah sorta played a hand in it, Ah guess. Ah may not have knocked over the pillar, but Ah may as well have." A single tear ran down her cheek, and dripped off her chin. A second followed suit, accompanied by countless others. I figured, I was off the clock, I may as well help the situation. So I wrapped my foreleg around her shoulder, in an attempt to comfort her.

"There's naught that can be done now. She's in a better place."

She buried her face in my shoulder. Her sobs increased in intensity, which was strange. If anything, it was my place to be the one weeping, it having been my loss. But I hadn't lost anyone, so it didn't effect me at all. But what cause did she have?

"Ah... Ah f-feel... so guilty..."

"There's nothing to feel guilty for. It wasn't as if you intended--" I was cut off as her lips pressed against mine. Though I had no idea why she did this, it seemed to calm her down, so it was okay with me. As she pulled back slowly, our eyes met.

"Ah... Ah'm sorry," she turned away fro me. "Ah don't know why Ah did that. Ah uess, Ah was feeling terrible at the whole ordeal, and wanted somepony to comfort me. I enjoyed it a little too much Ah guess..."

I walked over to where she was, and began to rub her back with my forehoof. "I've no problem with it, Applejack.if you wish to reach out to me for consolation, then have at me."

As if on command, she turned and dove at me, pinning me to the ground. Our lips melded together as her tongue forced its way into my mouth. I gladly reciprocated, digging in almost all the way to her throat. I threw my forelegs into the air, draping them around her neck. The embrace lasted nearly a minute, before she released for air. As mall crowd had gahered, a few clappig, others jeering, but all entertained.

"What say we take this somewhere else?" she asked, pulling me to a standing position.

"I agree. I have a rom at the hotel around the corner. We can become better aquainted there." I poured the remaining punch down my gullet, then passed my cup to a patron, who rushed it to the shop, where he was sure to find the dishwasher.
Applejack followed suit, then followed me back to my room.

The moment the door closed, she began the process of undressing me, tossing my clothes haphazardly on the floor. After that, we collapsed atop the bed, and began to work our magic, a clever pn, seeing as neither of us were unicorns. as I stiffened out, I guided myself in. I wasn't too impressed that she wanted a ride, in the stead of the more widely accepted entry from behind.

She didn't sing, likr my last one. She also didn't take any time with getting up to speed. It came as no surprize when she stopped after five minutes, exhausted.

"Ah'm gettin' close. How 'bout you?" she asked between pants.

"Nowhere near. How about you take a rest, and let me do some of the work?" To my surprise, she nodded. So I grabbed her shoulders, and rocked her onto her back, pulling her ankles up around my ears, thrusting deeper and deeper with every stroke. After a minute and a half, she let out a sharp yelp, to which I spent pressing harder and harder in to maximize her experience. After the pleasure faded, I picked my pace back up, driving into her for minutes upon minutes.

I was always concerned about youth these days. According to most statistics, they only ever lasted somewhere between five and eight minutes. Back in my day, if we finished in eight minutes, we went again, and again. I never spent less than twenty-five minutes in the act.

About twenty minutes in, I was starting to get close, and she had just passed her second. It was then that I heard a knock at the door, and something slide underneath it. I made a note to check these later, but I was busy, so it could wait. I looked down at Applejack. I could tell that she was getting tired, and a bit dehydrated. I also caught a hint of concern as to what was entering the room. "Almost there," I assured her, provoking a smile. Then, she decided to do something unexpected. She stopped me, rolled over onto her stomach, then guided me right up against her anus. I was a bit bewildered, but decided to just run with it.

I pushed into her sphincter, lubricated by her own juices. It was much tighter, and seemed to allow more in, albeit slower. After about two minutes, I had picked up my lost pace, and was able to move faster and faster. I could feel the pressure building up "Here it comes," I whispered into her ear.

"Mahn too," she said. As if by fate, we released at the same time. Me into my first, her into her third. I pumped my semen into her colon, and she spilled over onto my bedsheets. Sweat dripped off of me, and I had run short of breath. As soon as my member stopped throbbing, I let it go flaccid, and slid out. The remnants spilled out to join hers on my bedsheet. I would have to leave a tip for the housekeeper tomorrow.

I collapsed on the bed beside her, our heads hanging over the foot of the ed. I knew that by the way I had been, she wouldn't be able to walk by herself until tomorrow afternoon, and even then, she'd have difficulty. So before I let her fall asleep, I made it clear that she stay put until she could feel her legs again. She smiled, and closed her eyes, drifting off almost instantly into sleep.

I stayed up for a little while longer. Sure, I was tired, but I had some things to take care of first. Before anything else, I stood up, lifted her off of the bed, and turned her head to the pillow end, draping the thin sheet over the top, followed by the blanket. I then decided to take a look at my late-night delivery. The envelope bore the brotherhood seal, so I ripped it open. inside was a letter, explaining to me that I had fulfilled my job, and that I had done it right. It also told me the location of my payment, which I would have to collect tomorrow. Lastly, it contained the details of my next contract, which would be a little bit more difficult than I was used to, considering...

The chance of my life

I figured that you'd be back. A good story can draw all manner of guests to me. Not that I mind. It's good to have company every so often.

When we left off, I had stopped at a bit of a cliffhanger, hadn't I? It was late, and Applejack slumbered on my bed. It had been a rather thrilling night, and I was almost ready to join her under my sheets. I just had to read the file that had been delivered. The pickup area was a hollow tree stump on the edge of the Everfree. I glanced back at my last file. Delivered by hoof, my ass. I then continued to read the new file, taking note at who my next target was.

NAME: Applejack
AGE: 26
GENDER: Female
OCCUPATION: Apple Farmer
DESCRIPTION: Orange, Earth pony, Yellow mane. Likes to wear a hat most of the time. Spends most of her time at Sweet Apple Acres, where she lives and works.
FAMILY: Big Macintosh, Elder brother. Very high-risk. Applebloom, younger sister. You may remember her from your last contract. Parents deceased. Granny Smith, Matron. Low-risk, but incredibly important, Don't startle her in any way, else you forfeit your contract, invoke the will of our dread father, and must pay damages. Pictures are included.
SPECIAL CONDITIONS: It has to be an accident. Any attention drawn to you must be dispelled quickly. A hint: Farms are very dangerous places.
REWARD PICKUP: When we receive news of the death, We'll send a courier.

I slipped the file into my bag, and zipped it up. How long had it been, since I fired up the crematorium? Anywhere beyond two hours ago, and It was done. I looked at the clock. Eight thirty. Plenty of time. I took a look at myself, before stepping out, and decided that, even though I had just made love, I didn't have to look and smell like it. So I had a quick shower first.

I left through the front entrance, glancing at the clock. Eight forty-five, now. I found it odd that it took me longer to make the mess than it had to clean it up. Life is good. All joking aside, I strode off to the forest, with two small bags draped over my back.I could still see and hear the party, still as bright and loud as ever. Surprisingly, I recognized the song, despite it being electric music. They were playing an altered version of "Pomp and Circumstance." I chuckled a bit, and then was off again, as the song ended.

I found myself now at the edge of the Everfree. I will admit, it was a little bit creepy at night, but I just dismissed it as I do all other fears. Really, what's there to worry about? I fear the carnivorous creatures that lived in there, sure. But the forest itself? not a problem. Oh no, the trees are attacking. Ah.

I knelt down and opened the first bag, opening the tree stump by pushing a knot on the side. as soon as it clicked, I released. and the top popped off, revealing a hollow area, filled almost to the brim with gold coins. I worked quickly transferring the coins to my bag. Rhere was an upside and a downside to the party going on tonight. The upside, everypony in town was there. The downside, when they left, they might discover me, stuffing a bag with coins, and ask why. Granted, I am one of the best liars in Equestria, but I had no real excuse for this one.

Luckily, nopony saw me, and I was able to leave before I was seen. Or so I thought, but let's leave that story for later. For now, I was entering the Everfree, one bag full of coins on my back, the other still empty. Three guesses as to what that one was for.

I made it safely to the chamber, stepped inside, and began scooping up Sweetie Belle and leaving the ashes in the bag that wasn't filled with gold coins. It was only temporary storage, you see. The ashes themselves were almost worthless. I simply threw them out the door, onto the grass. I did that every time I disposed of a body, and the grass is always greener outside the sanctuary. It smells, but it grows better. I came back in and set the bones on the floor. They were a bit more charred then I remembered, but I digress. I crushed several of them into a fine powder before storing them in the other bag, the one I had used for the ashes. I then continued. I finished every one of them, save for the skull and jaw. I stored those on a shelf, next to the other four. I made it a point, since those two didn't break easily, and were not quite as good for the soil, to keep them, stowed away on shelves. They were one of the best types of decorations available that we were all willing to leave in there.

Finally, my work with Sweetie Belle was finished. To think, I had met her less than 48 hours ago, and I'd never see her again.All that was left was to send the bag back to my sanctuary, and the merchant there would distribute it correctly. All I had to do was find a courier. And as luck would have it, I spotted a regular of mine walking down the street just as I arrived back in town.

"Sir," said I, drawing his attention. "Your order is ready." I shrugged my shoulder, and his eyes darted to my back.

"Ah, yes. I'll take that home right away. Thank you so much for preparing it," he said, giving me a small wink. I knew right then that we understood each other. "My wife and child thank you for bringing it straight to me. They'll be so thrilled when I show up with this."

I transferred the bag onto his back, and slipped him a few coins' fee. We then departed in different directions. Thes petty interactions between us threw everypony off of the trail, if they ever picked it up. Sure, it was suspicious, but it could easily be attributed to a business deal that had been meant to be received in secret, like an engagement ring, or some such. A surprise, if you will.

I arrived back at the hotel, and checked the clock on the wall. Two-thirty, it read. It had been a long night, and I needed some rest. So I slipped under the sheets as soon as I had my door closed, wrapped my forelegs around Applejack, closed my eyes, and drifted off.

I woke up the next morning, feeling great. Applejack was already up, and trying to stay standing, but her rear legs kept failing her, and she kept dropping to the floor. I watched her for a few minutes, Keeping myself silent, but eventually letting a chuckle escape. She turned to look at me, a look of horror in her eyes. My smile faded, before she saw it, and I asked her what was wrong.

"Ah, um... Ah hope that none of my family saw us last night, or else Ah'm in big trouble..." she struggled to make her way across the room.

"Well, I don't know about your family, but I think a lot of ponies saw us last night. That's why you suggested that we come back here." I was trying to comfort her a bit. I needed her to be calm, in time for the accident. Unfortunately, the situation warranted otherwise.

"Well, Ah'm sure you're great and all, but... Ah can't sleep with anypony unless Ah'm in a relationship for a while. Mah family would kill me."

She had no idea of the irony in her words. I pulled back the sheets, walked briskly over to her, and hoisted her over my back. "Well, I've an idea," I said, carrying her, much faster than she could have, to the bathroom. "We could start a relationship now, if you're not with anypony else, and that way, we won't have to lie. Sound good?" I let her slide off of my back into the shower, and turned on the water.

"Ah guess... Ah'm sorry, by the way, if'n Ah said anything last night that would have... done you any harm." I found her apology to be quite healthy. I believed with my entire soul that she was being honest with me. It made me feel a little guilty, knowing that I wasn't quite being honest with her. True, I was only lying by omission, but, alas...

"No harm done... dearest," I kissed her on the forehead. "You were very polite, and let me run for twenty-some minutes."

"Ah lasted twenty minutes?" A look of astonishment, then shame, crossed her face. "Ah sure know how ta pick 'em..." I wondered exactly what was running through her mind. After a few seconds, I cough on to her assumptions: I wasn't large enough. Not to let her be disappointed, I released my member, and let him hang, coughing to draw her attention. All of a sudden, astonishment snapped back to her face. "I-- Is that... Yours?"

I chuckled at this. "Whose else would it be?" She paused for a moment, then gestured for me to step in with her.

"Why don't ya tell me exactly what happened last night?" she said, picking up the soap.

I'm not too sure how long that particular shower lasted. I didn't look at a clock until we finished. Before you ask, we didn't do anything in there. I know you're thinking otherwise, but if I were trying to keep you out of it, do you think I would have told you the other parts? Shower sex happens all the time, but child rape? Just trust me, it was merely a shower...

"Ah can't believe Ah did that. Ah don't know what came over me last night. I don't remember anything past sitting down. Ah'll make a note to find out what happened." Personally, I think it might have been the ice. I didn't have any, so I didn't get much of a reaction, I guess.

"Well, if we're part of a relationship now," I said, bringing her hat over to her, "then I think you should have this..." I pulled out the necklace I had bought yesterday, and wrapped it around her neck. I stepped back to admire her. It shone brightly, even though the curtains were drawn, and the lights were off. She looked down too, and I saw her eyes glow orange and green.

"It's beautiful..." she breathed and her legs began to shake again. I caught her before she fell,and left her to lay down on the bed.

"Not nearly as beautiful as you though..." I stared deeply into her eyes, inching closer until our lips met. Her eyes closed, and mine followed suit. I wriggled my tongue into her mouth, reaching deeper and deeper. We played around like that for a while, until she pulled back for a quick breath. She smiled, and we went right back in, my well-used muscles stretching all the way through her mouth and into her throat.

Before we go any further, I'd like to make a certain fact known. I used to be a male prostitute. I always run records, so I'm clean, and I won't allow anyone who doesn't check out to be a client. Thanks to modern medicine, and free health care from the princess, almost everypony is clean these days. There are a few out there that have only one, but they're few, and far between. And foals, who haven't reached a mature enough age to do this yet. But the rest are sick. Kids is one thing. but I draw the line at newborns. Just... Wow. But I'm prattling. I was a prostitute, that's how I became as good at this as I am. Through years of practice.

I pushed her backward, thinking to myself, 'I'll just go until she finishes her first round. Don't want to wait another day than I have to...' It didn't work that way, though. Twenty-seven minutes later, I was reaching my climax, as she passed her fourth. She had gone from being upright, to lying on her back with her forelegs wrapped around my neck, to grasping the bedsheets, and now she was trying to uproot the headboard. I was almost certain that they could hear us three rooms down, but I had no idea if anypony had come knocking. I wouldn't have been able to hear it anyway.

"Here it comes, I breathed, forcing my entire length into her. I could almost swear that her eyes were about to pop out of their sockets, and I knew that anypony who wasn't deaf within the next 50 yards could hear her cry out in pleasure and pain. If her family didn't already know, they'd know now. I rolled over, and slid out. For the third time today, I looked at the clock. Three twenty-six post meridiem. My stomach growled, and I knew that it was high time we both ate something. But I knew that Applejack couldn't move, so I decided to call room service. They had a great selection here: everything from Apple fritters to Hay Bacon Strips in the morning, all variety of sandwiches in the afternoon, and all manner of dished for dinner. Not to mention their desserts.

As soon as my breathing wasn't quite so heavy, I called them up, and ordered a large plate of sandwiches, the variety pack, to be sent to the hallway right outside, that I would pay for it moments after it arrived. A few chuckles later, they hung up, and I went in for my third shower in the past eighteen hours. I was sweaty enough to start my own swimming pool.

I finished up quickly, and dried off. I would have to have the maid bring in some new towels. Members privileges and so forth. Just as I exited, I heard a knock on the door. I stepped into the hallway, almost completely dry now. A rather large red stallion and a royal blue stallion were waiting at the door, with a cart behind them. The red stallion nodded to the blue, who stepped forward and stuttered, "R-r-Room s-service." I dropped a few coins into his hoof, and he took off.

"Keep the change, then," I whispered, pulling the cart closer to the door, but was halted by the other stallion. "May I help you, sir?" I asked, trying not to be belligerent.

"Yep."

I waited for more, but he said nothing else. He simply stood there and glared at me, as if I had wronged him in some way. "I'm afraid I can't proffer my services unless you tell me what you want."

"Hold still."

I sighed, and stood in the same spot for ten minutes. As I was beginning to wonder how log this would take, he pushed me up against the wall beside my door, and held me there. I was a bit intimidated, but I acted much more so. He looked familiar, somehow, but I couldn't quite place it. Now, he spoke at length.

"You be good to her, ya hear? She's been through enough already. Don't mess this up, or I'll be back." He set met down, dusted me off (though I was a lot cleaner before he did), and started down the hallway. He stopped about halfway down, turned around, and called back, "And thank ya kindly fer pleasin' 'er." He then disappeared behind the corner.

I realized at that moment who he was, and why I recognized him. I had seen him the day before yesterday, at Sweet Apple Acres, and again last night in my file. That was Big Macintosh. And I had just been with his sister.

I entered the room, pushing the cart full of sandwiches in front of me. It came with two different flavored drinks, selected at random. I allowed her to choose which one she wanted. She took the strawberry banana. That left me with the coconut, which was fine with me. I like coconut.

"What was all that commotion in the hall?" she asked, biting into her first sandwich.

"Oh, nothing much," I said, taking my first bite as well. "Just your brother, making sure I was right for you, that's all."

She choked a bit, coughed, and started over. "Big Mac was here!? He wasn't too rough, was he?"

"I'm fine," I said. "I've handled ponies like Big Mac before. Although, I must commend him. He can be quite intimidating."

"Ah'm just glad you made it through without any harm done. He's been known to end fight real quick, whenever he does fight. All he ever does for fighting is in the ring."

"Ring?" I was puzzled. I had no idea that Ponyville had a fighting ring. I made a note of that.

"Oh, yeah. You're new. Well, if you step into the ring, they size you up, then give you a trial run. if you pass, you're in. Big Mac holds the top rank right now, and Ah'm tied for third. Each match has a max of thirty rounds, and t e pony Ah'm tied with keeps lastin' the entire thirty rounds."

"I might want to try that out. When do they meet?" I was intrigued now. I was a master of stealth, but I knew a lot about the anatomy of a pony. A few well-aimed strikes, and my opponent would be down. But first, the show. I would take a few hits, throw some solid punches that would only be painful, then throw the final blow, knocking them out with a non-fatal blow.

"Next meetin's in about four hours," she said through a mouthful of sandwich.

"Perfect. By then, you'll be ready to walk, if I'm not mistaken. You might not be able to compete, though. Sorry for that."

"Are you kiddin'? Ah enjoyed every second of it. It was well worth missin' the fight. Ah guess that means Ah'll be cheerin' for ya," she said with a smile. That left me in a good mood. I gave her a peck on the cheek, then we ate the rest in silence.

Later that night, we strode to the location Applejack had directed me to. She was leaning up against me, still having some soreness between her legs. She definitely needed help going anywhere, but right now, she seemed to be walking right alongside me, staying close to me in a loving embrace. I won't deny that, it was a clever cover-up. It was almost as if she could walk on her own.

"And that's all there is to it?" I asked, glancing over to her.

"That's it," she replied, shooting me a smile. "Any questions before ya step in?"

"Just one," I said, stepping through the door to the tent, inside of which the arena was set up. "Where do you want to sit?"

She selected a spot ringside, right behind the barrier, which existed for safety reasons. Most ponies simply spectated, enjoying the pass time of watching other ponies fight. There were only a hooffull of these arenas in Equestria, the largest being in Whinnypeg, where the championships were held. I liked to spectate the fights, but never before had I ever entered. That's why I had Applejack explaining the rules as we walked.

I stepped up to the registrar, and ask that I be added to the roster. He sized me up, then wrote down my name on the list. "Your name is now seven," he said sarcastically, sliding a tag across the counter to me. It bore my number. Surprising? No. I looked at the electronic scoreboard, and saw that I had been placed third from the bottom. I had some climbing to do if I was to rank anywhere near Applejack. Then the scoreboard changed. It displayed two diagrams, one in league, the other in tourney. I saw my name, Applejack's, Big Mac's, and several that I didn't recognize. Leave it to the pony who just arrived a few days ago and spent barely any time in town to not know the names of some of the ponies. Big Mac was clear on the other side of the tourney, so if I ever did manage to fight him, it would be in the finals.

Speaking of which, I took that moment to turn around and tell the registrar that Applejack would be unable to participate tonight, and guess who was at the counter? If you guessed Big Mac, then you obviously can put two and two together. He finished talking, and turned to me. "She explain the rules?"

"Eeyup," said I, holding my head a bit higher. "I'll be seeing you in the finals then?"

Big Mac looked at the board. He didn't know my name yet, I don't think, but he saw my tag, and knew my number. That was enough to locate me. "Eeyup. If ya make it."

The crowd was starting to file in, taking their seats, and purchasing concessions. These things usually last a while, or so I hear. Nevertheless, I had time. I loosened up a bit, and found contestant number eight. He seemed a regal sort, though his mane said otherwise. He was brown all over, his mane and tail darker than the rest of him. His cutie mark was an hourglass. What sort of talent did he have, I wondered. I never found out, and it puzzles me to this day.

I walked up to him, introduced myself, went through all sorts of friendly gestures, et cetera. It may have been fighting, but we were all in good spirits, here. It was meant to be fun, and anger was not to remain after the fight.

Finally, the announcer called out for the fourth match, between myself and my acquaintance. He flashed me a smile, then stood up, and we walked into the ring. We were greeted by some scattered cheering. There were fewer ponies than I had expected here tonight. The referee pulled us in close, gave us a quick reminder of the rules, and sent us both to our respective corners. As soon as the bell rang, I stepped a few paces closer to my foe, keeping myself low to the ground. He did the same, observing my movements carefully. I had to hoof it to him, he knew not to charge in full blast.

The first minute was boring, just us, circling each other, trying to narrow our focus on a critical point. We didn't even know that it had been a minte until the bell rang again, signalling the end of the first round. Before we went back to our corners, I left him a short message. "How about next round, we actually do something?"

"Agreed."

The bell rang again, and we stepped in again. This time, I hesitated only a few seconds before striking first. He dodged, then swung at me. I blocked, forcing his blow back toward him. He didn't catch on in time, and nailed his own jaw. in his daze, I threw another hit, landed it on his chest, and thought myself well-used. That only lasted a moment, though, as he delivered a sharp uppercut that brought me back into the fight.

The next seven rounds were exactly what you might expect. Because we had spent as much time in the first round as we did, we knew exactly how the other would strike. Being smart didn't matter much in a physical competition, though, unless you had the build to back it up. Thankfully we both did.

We reached the tenth round. I decided that thirteen and a half minutes was enough time to ready myself for the final strike. My eye shifted, and I swung low, taking out his front legs, lifted him into the air with an uppercut, then finished him with a roundhouse kick to the chest. Quite the spectacle, and only just within the rules. The crowd erupted with applause as as the referee declared me the winner, and I helped the other stallion to his hooves. "Let's go grab a drink, eh?" I said, letting him lean up against me as we walked back to our seats.

Dress to Impress to Hide the Truth

Once more, it is good to see you. Continuing from where we last left off, I apologize. I had to rush off to the grocer to purchase an eggplant. Don't ask why.

True to my word, I bought a round for myself and my friend. That was the last time I ever spoke to him, but these things happen. I finished mine, and turned to go check the tourney roster. Big Mac had won the first match, a stallion named Noteworthy had won the second, a mare named Rainbow Dash had won the third, and I had of course won the fourth. The next two rounds were Big Mac against noteworthy, and myself against Rainbow Dash.

I decided to follow the same strategy as my last fight, to meet my foe, and learn a bit about her. However, I had trouble finding her in the crowd, and she wasn't in the preparation area. I actually wouldn't see her until the match started. I did see her statistics and a replay of the last match, though.She had taken down her opponent down in only two rounds. The video footage wasn't very helpful, though. You couldn't see her in it at all. only a rainbow-colored streak that dashed in every direction. It fit her name incredibly well.

The fifth match ended in the sixth round. Big Mac had done nothing but block for the first five, then struck as Noteworthy was tired. Out like a light in one hit. Big Mac was smart as well as tough. I looked forward to our match. As they cleared the field, the announcer called out my name, as well as Rainbow's. I took to the ring, and she suddenly appeared right in front of me. It was the exact same mare from the night before this. Same multichromatic mane and everything. The referee gave us the rules, left us to our corners, and rang the bell.

Rainbow was off like a shot. I felt light blows hitting me from all directions. I pulled up a basic shield, blocking the majority of hits. She adjusted her tactics, striking where I wasn't blocking. So I blocked there. By the end of the first round, this had gone on for what felt like half an hour. So I took the thirty-second break to try to slow my heart rate. As soon as the bell rang to signal the start of the second round, I turned back into the ring. This time, I could only just see her rapid movements around me, but was able to block all of them. Regrettably, I didn't have a chance to strike, but I at least made it into the third round with some energy left.

This round was to be the one where I toppled her. The crowd was emitting ear-splitting cheers for both of us, mostly for Rainbow, but at least two for me. I had slowed my heart rate even further, but not by much. Any slower, and I'd lose feeling in my legs. They were already starting to tingle. She rushed at me, as per her usual tactic. I could see her movement clearly now, even though she was still a blur. I managed to block the first thirty-seven, took the next two, then finally dealt my own, striking her in the jaw. The next thing I knew, there was a loud crash, deafening silence that lasted for twenty-some seconds, then a loud eruption of cheering. I later learned that my kick had thrown Rainbow off-course, driving her face-first into the wall. She didn't stop there, though, performing a face slide, coming to rest at the hooves of Applejack, who helped her up.

I let my heart speed back up, to perceive time at a normal speed, and walked over to my fallen foe. She was all right, of course, just a bit hazy and unable to stand. of her own accord. According to the rules of competition, that meant that I had won the match. In ten minutes, I would step in the ring with Big Macintosh, and then we would see how I fared against him.

We actually ran into him as he was leaving the concession area. I say we because I was carrying Rainbow and Applejack, and Applejack was pretending to carry Rainbow dash with me.

"Still uncomfortable ta walk, AJ?" he said, reading her face like an open book.

"Well, uhmm..." she stuttered, searching for the right words.

"It's fine, I'll drop it," he said, turning to face me. "As for you, You've proven yourself to me. Winnin' against the good doctor, that's not the easiest task in the world, but Rainbow too? And you're still well enough to carry her and mah sister. That's a feat. Rest up. Ah look forward ta facin' you in the final round."

"And I to you. Thank you," I said, accepting the compliment and wishing him well as he walked off to prepare. Applejack nudged me in the ribs and shot me a smile. My ribs were still very sore. Nevertheless, we sat down at the bar, bough three drinks, and an extra cup of water for Rainbow. As soon as it arrived, I splashed it in her face, reviving her enough to tell her the results, and that we had bought her a drink. Applejack had her cider, and I my vodka. We sat there for a few minutes, just talking, until we were empty. My vision was a little blurry, but my coordination was still right on the ball. AJ and I decided to just leave Rainbow where she was for now, and she'd be fine. So we took a stroll back to her seat.

The maintenance crew was fast. by the time we had finished, the wall was fully repaired, and the skid marks where Rainbow had slid were erased. I decided that the last few minutes were best dedicated to preparation, so I left Applejack to her seat, and headed into the prep room. Big mac was still in there, beating up a punching bag lightly. Saving energy, no doubt. The worst part of winning was that you had to continue. if you lost, you had whatever you had at the beginning back, so you could watch the remaining matches if you lost in the first round.

I took to the basins, splashing cold water on my face, reinvigorating some of my energy. after ward, I took to stretching, popping my joints, then finally loosened a few muscles, just before the announcer called us out. As I stepped into the ring, I was assaulted by the roaring crowd's screams. The all-time champion of Ponyville versus the clear underdog. I had only just arrived, and already I was making quite a name for myself. Granted, Attention may not have been exactly what you might want in an assassin, but there is a way to attune it to your needs. It is the art of distraction, and I didn't use it very often before this point.

The traditional run-down of the rules later, the match began. I wasted no time in moving up to Big Mac. I could tell that he was sufficiently prepared, but already tired, despite the fact that we had only barely started. I myself was feeling weak, and it would probably take only a hoofful of hits to bring me down. We danced around a little, reading each other with every contrived miss. He would strike slow at me, and I would dodge, I would strike slow at him, and he would block, either way, the first two rounds weren't very interesting. However, about halfway through the third round, some blood-red pegasus stallion jumps into the ring and tackled Big Mac, knocking him to the ground. As if that weren't enough, he started ramming his forehooves into his chest. I would have stepped in, honestly, I would, had I not been preoccupied with a scrawny blue unicorn stallion, and a stoic-looking white unicorn stallion. Some horrified screams came from the crowd, the announcer was shouting for everypony to remain calm, and a few ponies from previous fights rushed onto the field to proffer their assistance.

By the time we had sent the three off to the holding cell, to be escorted to Canterlot for trial, Big Mac was out cold, and being carted off to the hospital for treatment of his lacerations, and I was about ready to collapse myself. I had sustained only minor injuries, and I needed somepony to help me back to my room, where I had to stay for the next three days. Luckily, Applejack was willing to help, and almost able to do it herself. Thank Celestia that she had another friend, Twilight Sparkle, if I recall correctly, who offered to help as well. I certainly wasn't going to complain about it.

The match had been declared a draw, since neither of us could have continued the fight. I offered the win to Big Mac, since he had been hit harder than I, but they refused. They told me come back in five days time, and if Big Mac was feeling up to it, we could have a real match.

Before we even left, I made up my mind to visit Big Mac as soon as possible. I felt a bit guilty for letting such a thing happen, and I wanted to make it up to him. I figured, going to see how he was doing would be the simplest method, even though it was also the most overused.

We managed to make out way back to my room, and Twilight left us there, letting us know that all we had to do if we needed anything was let her kn ow. She was nice I would have to remember to do that.

"That was rather enjoyable, until the very end," I said, pulling the fresh linens up to my chest. "A bit sad that it ended the way it did."

Applejack rolled over to face me. "That was new. Ah've never sen that happen before. Ah wonder what came over 'em."

"No Idea," I said, pulling her right up against me and turning off the lamp. I then pulled her into a tight embrace, keeping her as close to me as I could. "I certainly hope Big Mac's all right. I have no idea what would happen if something went wrong."

"Oh, Mac's tough," said she, returning the embrace and tucking her head against my chest. "He's been through more 'n Ah have, ta be sure. Ah'm certain that he'll pull through all right."

"You do kn ow him better than I," I said, nuzzling her mane, then coming to rest with my jaw above her head. "I suppose it would be best to trust your judgement. Good night, then." I don't know if she responded, because I faded out right as the words left my mouth, but I'm sure she said something.

I woke up the next morning, still unable to walk on my own. I wasn't allowed to remove the wrappings until tonight, anyway. That drove me to wake Applejack up when I heard a knock at the door. She stumbled over, still tired, and half asleep, obviously. That all changed as soon as the door opened, though. Before she even managed to greet whoever was at the door, they bolted in and tore back the covers, exposing me to everyone in the room, and the hallway, if they were in close proximity. She was a pegasus, canary yellow with a pink mane and tail. Her cutie mark was three butterflies.

"Oh, good, It's not as bad as I thought," she said, after staring down my leg for a few moments. Her eye drew up a little bit to my groin, then to my face. As she blushed, and pulled the sheet back up to my stomach, she was introduced by Applejack, who had regained her composure.

"What're you doing here so early, Fluttershy?" she exclaimed, closing the door properly and walking back over to where Fluttershy stood.

"Well, umm... I heard from Twilight that one of the participants in last night's fiasco wasn't taken to see a doctor, and I couldn't just let it go unnoticed." Fluttershy apparently had a habit of shuffling her hooves when she was uncomfortable in a conversation, if she couldn't avoid the conversation in the first place.

"Are you sure she said 'wasn't taken to a doctor,' and not 'didn't go to a hospital?'" I chided. Applejack shot me a momentary glare, and Fluttershy turned a little brighter red.

"He's gonna be fine, Shy," said Applejack, picking up her hat from the dresser. I only just realized that she had left it off last night. "An' if ya don't believe me, you can stay here with 'im all day. Ah gotta go see Big Mac, and then git back on over ta Sweet Apple Acres. He prob'ly covered for me yesterday, so Ah gotta cover for him today."

Fluttershy was probably about to voice her opinion on the subject, but the chance never arose, because Applejack was already out the door. She turned to look at me, I looked at her, and we stayed that way for a few minutes, the only sound in the room being the ticking of the analog clock on the nightstand.

"So... I said, Finally breaking the silence, "I take it that your're a registered nurse?"

"Only during the winter," she replied, shuffling her hooves again. "The rest of the year, I take care of a large selection of animals from all over Equestria."

"I see," I said, turning to look around the room, so as not to let the silence be quite as awkward. It was to no avail. "Would you like to have a seat?" I offered, wanting to come off as friendly. Only after I said it did I realize it.

"I'm already sitting," she said, letting it be my turn to do an impression of a tomato. Speaking of which, I was beginning to feel a hunger deep within my abdomen. Even Fluttershy heard my stomach growl. I'll go find the kitchen," she offered, standing up to leave.

"That won't be necessary," I called after her, stopping her movement. I picked up the phone and brought up room service. I placed an order for a plate of small pastries that looked quite delicious on the menu. When I gave them the room number, they busted up laughing, after which, they told me that they could hear me yesterday, and asked that I not do a repeat performance for at least a few days. I found myself chuckling at that, then gave them my word. Applejack wasn't even going to be here today.

After only a minute or two, there was a knock on the door, which Fluttershy promptly answered at my request. A server pushed the cart in, and took a few bits from me as payment, leaving us alone once again. I took no time in devouring the pastries, one by one. after a few, I turned to look at Fluttershy, who hadn't moved since she opened the door. "Would you like one?" I offered, indicating the small pile that remained. She shook her head, and continued standing perfectly still Once more, I asked if she would like to sit down.

"I'm fine, she said, turning her head to the window. It was kind of cute, actually. I wondered if she realized how interesting the brick wall view was.

The rest of the day was relatively boring. I know that I was likely to be one who waited in a blind to ambush my unsuspecting mark, but that didn't absolve me of boredom. It did, however, make me used to it, and I was able to entertain myself by creating extensive logarithms in my head, then feeding bits of information through it. I did this for fun quite often while waiting, if I had to be confined to a solitary area. In this case, my hotel room.

By the time Applejack finally returned, she looked tired enough to crash right on the bed. Fluttershy was unwrapping my bandages, and readying a second to replace it. Before you start telling me that that's not how a broken limb works, note that I never told you the extent of my injuries. For all you know, it was merely a cut. In fact, it was. It had torn right through the muscle tissue and detached a tendon. Everything in my leg worked with the exception of my knee. I would be up and moving around again in two more days, after the tissue had time to reconnect. Thankfully, the EMT had been able to rush the process with Magic, but not solve the problem entirely. Medical practice was great, not perfect.

"Howdy, Shy," panted Applejack, crawling into bed beside me. "Ah'm sure ya have places ya need ta be, so could ya come back tomorrow?"

"Just let me tie this off," said Fluttershy, finishing the final wrappings for the day. I had to give her credit, she was fast. Either she was naturally fast, or she wasn't lying when she said that she did this through the winter. Or both. I decided on the latter. Good night, you two," she said as we parted ways and she slipped out the door.

I rolled over, letting my good leg support my wrapped one. Applejack was facing away from me, but she still backed up, allowing me to wrap my forelegs around her waist. I once more rested my jaw on top of her head, after removing her hat, and relocating it to the bedpost. I'm absolutely certain that she was tired, and I would let her rest. That didn't mean a thing to me, though, and I slid out and pushed inside of her folds. She was a bit reluctant at first, but warmed up after a few seconds, allowing me entry.

It was warm in there, I thought, letting myself sink deeper and deeper in. I didn't push, but I let it run in naturally, so as to let it feel as if it were close to finished, or just after. As soon as I was fully extended, I just lay there. My mind wandered to Sweet Apple acres, and how I would manage to go undetected. It was then that a brilliant idea occurred to me. I placed it at the front of my mind, and let my consciousness drift off.

The next day was a bit exciting for me. The skin was fully healed, and the muscle had almost completely grown back. Now all I needed was my tendon, and I could walk again. Fluttershy told me that I would probably experience a shooting pain with every step, but I could live with that. I've dealt with pain before, I'll deal with it again. I can cope with pain, because my tenacity is incredibly vast. What I couldn't cope with was a leg that I couldn't move. At that point, that was the only thing that kept me in bed. At least the bandages could stay off.

I decided to make some small talk with Fluttershy today, and we managed to connect. I was starting to consider her for my next date, but decided to push those thoughts aside until I killed Applejack. It wasn't polite to think about finding a new sex partner when I hadn't killed off the last one yet. Go figure that it almost always happened like this with me.

We played a lovely game of Poncheesi which she won, then Monopony, which I won, with a huge lead (who would think that owning so much property would lead to me owning all of the five-hundred bit pieces?). After lunch, we just sat on my bed and watched the news. Around three, they showed footage from the fight, and I could see everything happening at once from a point of view that wasn't my own. They even pointed me out a few times, usually mentioning that I was, in fact the mastermind of the entire thing, about how I was plotting to have Big Mac killed.

"That's a load of Bollocks," I exclaimed, turning to Fluttershy. "Why would I call a hit on Big Mac? And did they forget that I was also a target?" I suddenly realized, Fluttershy hadn't heard me, and probably hadn't even heard the story. She was sleeping silently where Applejack usually did. All of a sudden, a dark passion came over me. I lost control of my common sense, and began to contemplate just ow much I could bet away with. I reached into my bag, moved right alongside the bed, and pulled out the bottle of chloroform I kept for situations requiring special attention. I know she was already unconscious, but this was to make sure she stayed that way. I dabbed a small amount onto a rag, and held it up to her muzzle. as soon as her wings grew limp, I knew I was in business.

I rolled her over, so she was facing the other direction. Carefully aligning myself, I pushed the head inside. As if she were awake, her muscles literally drew me in, as if she wanted me in there. I felt euphoric, then just plain giddy. It was handy that this position was able to be performed without needing me to control my knee. I began massaging and squeezing at her breasts. True, she couldn't feel what I was doing, but I could. After I felt her first come through, I lapped it up, so there would be no suspicion. I then switched holes, but essentially doing the exact same thing. It felt strange, to be committing rape with someone who I knew almost nothing about. I did know, however, that she wouldn't tell anypony, and likely just block out the entire thing, if she had been awake to experience it. At the twenty-five minute mark, I flipped her over, and wrapped her hind legs around my head. I hadn't had breast milk since I was just a tot, and it tasted superb. While suckling them, I was also inching my way down her throat, trying to find her esophagus, like I had with Sweetie Belle. I found it, and allowed her to do the work for me, slipping out every few seconds to allow her oxygen. Also just like with sweetie belle, I let it all run down into her stomach, without leaving a trace of it anywhere else.

After pulling out, I did a quick twice-over to make sure I had left no traceable DNA in places that were likely to be checked, such as in the mouth, the anus, or her adulthood. I'm glad I went over it twice, too. The second time, I found a few pubic hairs wedged between her teeth. I pulled them out. Thankfully, though, I had no reason to worry. They were brown, red, green, black, yellow, and even grey. Not a blue one to be found. So I found myself to be in the clear. I wedged them back in, remembering where each one was. It wsn't very difficult, and as I've said before, I have a decent memory.

About ten minutes later she woke up, and was none the wiser. She even believed that I hadn't noticed. Ten minutes after that, Applejack came in.

"You're home early," I said, as she trotted over to me and planted a kiss on my forehead.

"Ah finished early today. Y'all have fun?"

I glanced over to the Monopony board, then over to Fluttershy. "Yes, we played a few board games and had lunch, then we started watching the news."

"Oh? Anything interestin'?"

"Well," said Fluttershy, pulling herself to the floor before Applejack noticed her on the bed, "There was an interesting article on a series of deaths in Hoofington about five days ago." My attention was sparked, but I didn't show it. How could this be news? It was almost a week ago.