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.