Pacing back and forth in the room, you try to keep your cool. Applejack and Pinkie watch as you continue to mutter to yourself, occasionally exchanging worried looks among each other.

“Anon, you should lie down. You haven’t had any sleep for a while,” Pinkie suggests. Looking out the window, you notice the sun starting to rise.

“I had plenty of sleep before we got here. Sleep isn’t what I’m worried about. What I’m worried about is catching Flam before Bruce does.” Your pace increases in speed as you lose yourself in thought. How were you going to catch Flam? Better yet, how were you going to find him?

“If we’re going to catch a criminal, we’ll have to think like him. Applejack!” She turns to you, fully alert. “If you and Big Mac were a con duo, what would you do if he got caught?” Applejack looks at you like you’ve finally lost it.

“Ah don’t know, Ah’ve never done anything illegal before!”

“Well, why not ask his brother?” You both turn to Pinkie who gives you an innocent expression. “If we can convince him to tell us where his brother is, we can probably find him!”

“You know, that idea might actually work,” you respond, scratching the back of your head. “Let’s just head back to the police station and talk to him.” Grabbing your staff and slingshot, you make your way down the stairs to the front desk. The receptionist stands behind her counter, eyes widened and cracking a creepy smile. She waves at you, not breaking eye contact.

“That mare kind of scares me,” you mutter. Applejack and Pinkie simultaneously nod. Walking down the street, you can’t help but feel a faint voice pecking at your conscious. It felt like the feeling you get when someone is talking about you and your ears would perk up on their own. Letting out a deep breathe, you enter your focus state and listen closely.

“It’s about time! Do you have any idea how long I’ve been calling you for?” screams your staff.

“Sorry,” you whisper. “It’s just kind of weird talking to an inanimate object is all.”

“That’s nice and all, but I have some important information. There was a familiar presence in the lobby when we entered it. It seemed almost... lifeless, if you will. Like the soul of the creature just didn’t care about others whatsoever. I felt it before when we were at the poker game.”

“So, basically you’re telling me there was some evil douche in the room with us, but they were famili—” Then it hit you. “Bruce.” Pinkie and Applejack stop in their tracks and look up at you.

“What was that, Anon?” Pinkie asks.

“This is gonna sound crazy, but a little birdie told me of his presence in the lobby just now, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Bruce is following us. Don’t look around!” you hiss, shaking your hand as Applejack’s head almost whips around to check. “If you do, we’ll just scare him off.”

“But, we don’t want that varment ta be hightailing us!” Applejack blurts. “He’ll be nuttin’ but trouble!” Bending your knees, you beckon them closer and lower your voice down to a whisper.

“He’s after the same stallion, so he’ll ‘need’ us, if you will. This guy’s obviously dangerous, so our best bet right now is to play it cool and wait until he attacks us. He won’t think for a second that we expect him.” Pinkie nods her head in agreement as Applejack lets out a disgruntled sigh.

As you enter the police station, the officer behind the counter looks up from his newspaper at you.

“Did you find the other one?”

“No. We were actually wondering if we could speak to Flim.” The cop raises an eyebrow before looking at you from head to toe.

“Well, if you want clearance, you’re going to have leave your weapons here.” Hesitantly, you unsheathe your staff, remove your slingshot, and untie you bag of marbles, placing all the items on the counter. Applejack and Pinkie remove their saddlebags and place them alongside your stuff. The guards pat you down and escort you to Flim’s cell, where he lies on his bed looking up at the ceiling.

“You got visitors,” grunts the guard as you all stand in front of cell. He leans his head forward before putting on a scowl.

“Come to mock me, eh? Well, go ahead.” Leaning up against the bars, you shake your head.

“Mock you? No. Get some information? Yes.” He sits up and glares daggers at you.

“And what makes you think I’ll give you any info?”

“Because ya don’t want anything bad ta happen ta yer brother and we’re the only ones that can get ya both ta safety. Ya both may be unethical, but family always sticks tagether.” Flim fixes his line of sight onto Applejack now. He lets out an annoyed snort and turns his head away like an obnoxious child.

“I’ll only do it for my brother’s sake. I’m not doing this for any of you.” Jumping down from the bed, he walks over to cell bars and leans in close. “What do you need to know?”

“Where’s he hiding right now?” you whisper, looking around to make sure no one was eavesdropping.

“We kept a place in the slummy area of town, but I doubt he’ll be there now. He wouldn’t be able to get past the traps we set in the room without my help. The most I can give you is that he can’t help but be a horny bastard all the time, so you might want to try the brothel down the street from the bar we were playing at. The front of the building will be crawling with mares. You can’t miss it.”

“Alright, thanks for the information. One last thing: Where is this trap filled room?” Flim furrows his brow and tilts his head in confusion.

“Why do you need to know?”

“Oh, no reason. I’m just curious is all.” He squints at you, not trusting a word you say.

“It’s building thirty-seven on Hay Avenue, room number thirteen.” Taking a mental note of that, you nod and smile.

“Thanks for the info. We’ll have your brother here soon enough.” He gives you a deadpan look as you walk away. Heading back up the stairs, you enter the front lobby and grab your stuff. The two mares dig throughout their bags to ensure that all their goods are still intact and follow you out. As you exit the building, the faint whisper returns, scratching at your ear.

“What’s the matter?” you whisper to your staff after focusing.

“The presence is very close again.” You feel your heart sink as everyone around you has now become an enemy. Not turning your head, you peer out into the crowd of ponies, trying to pick out Bruce. It shouldn’t be hard; the stallion has an eye patch.

“I need you two to play along with what I’m about to do,” you mouth to the two mares. They nod signalling their understanding. “I need you to ask me where we’re going next as we walk down the street. I’ll take it from there.” Making your way down the road, you look out of the corner of your eyes for any sign of Bruce.

“So where we going next, Anon?” Applejack ask, a little too enthusiastically.

“Well, Flim said that Flam is most likely at their apartment right now, so I think we should head there next. Applejack, what was the address again? It slipped my mind.”

“Uh... Ah think he said thirty-seven Hay Avenue, room thirteen.” Snapping your fingers, you nod.

“Ah! That was it. What would I do without you two?” Pinkie jumps onto your back, cracking a huge smirk.

“You’d probably be dead!” Turning your head, you give her a grimace and resist the urge to smack her in the back of the head. She was right, but there wasn’t a need to point it out. The whisper returns again, trying to catch your attention. Entering your focus state, you listen tentatively to the staff.

“It seems your pursuiter is slowly disappearing. What you did there was slick, but it should slow him down for a bit. Good job.”

“At least someone thinks my ideas are good,” you grumble. Turning onto the bar road, you look down the street and notice the building right away. Mares of all ages and colors stand in the front, calling out to stallions as they pass by. Once you get into view, one of the older mares walks up and gives you a seductive look that would rival Pinkie’s.

“Hey there, honey. Never been with a minotaur before, but I guess there’s a first time for everything. Mind taking me for a ride?” she says with a purr.

“A ride, no.” You pull out the bounty clipping and point at Flam. “Have you seen this guy around here lately?” The mare squints and looks at the paper, scratching her chin with her hoof.

“I don’t know. He seems familiar, but I deal with so many stallions it’s kind of hard to tell. If only I had something to refresh my memory...” Rolling your eyes, you pull out your money sack and throw her ten bits. She pockets the money into her blouse and quickly changes her expression from seductive to indifferent.

“Yeah, the prick was here last night, trying to use the brothel as a place to stay. Didn’t even pay the poor new mare and ran off when the bouncer came around last night. Most likely he’s finding a place to stay since he ‘lost his little tag along’, as he said.” Giving her a nod, you thank her and head back the way you came.

“Welp, looks like we’re back where we started,” Applejack says with a disheartening sigh. “He can be anywhere in this dang town.”

“We do have a small lead, though: He’s looking for a place to stay. I highly doubt he has anyone here to just let him board with them, so he must be in one of two places.” Walking into the hotel, the receptionist beckons you.

“Mr. Anonymous! Might I have a word with you?” You look over at Applejack with a worried expression, then walk to the front desk. Pinkie drops down from your back and joins Applejack on one of the sofas.

“Yes?”

“I regret to inform you that you must pay for an additional night if you wish to stay,” she states, not dropping her smile or stare. Digging into your pockets, you wretch the money pouch and rip it out along with your photo of Flim and Flam. As you place them both on the counter, you notice that the clipping was pulled out with the money and place it back in your pocket, but not before realizing that the receptionist’s face has completely changed. Her once creepy smile has changed to small frown.

“Are those friends of yours?” she mutters, keeping her voice barely audible.

“You could say that, yes. Why do you ask?” Sweat begins to form on her brow as she licks her lips.

“Well, a stallion came in looking for one of them and ‘persuaded’ me, if you will, into telling him where his room was.”

Your stomach churns upon hearing this. Leaning forward on the counter, you whisper, “Where is he?”

“Room sixty. It’s the suite on the top floor. You need to take the elevator and use the passcode. It’s ten, ten, twenty, ten.” As you sprint to the elevator, Pinkie and Applejack follow in tow, catching the urgency in your step. Pressing the last number on the button pad, you look up at the display as it says ‘Passcode’ across it. Hitting the combo, the elevator begins making its way up.

“What’s going on, Anon?” Pinkie asks, sounding a bit worried.

“Bruce might have beat us here. Hopefully we aren’t too late.” Unsheathing your staff, you ready yourself. “I need you guys to stand back as I take care of him. If Flam is still alive, I’ll keep Bruce busy as you two try to get Flam out.” The elevator beeps, signalling that you have reached the desired floor. The doors slowly open as you walk out into giant, round room. The room is a complete mess. Couches are flipped, pillows are torn, and there is blood all over. Entering your focus state, you look around the room, watching out for any kind of traps or ambushes.

“Is there any sign of Bruce in here?” you murmur to your staff.

“I feel him. He’s very clos—” A loud bang grabs your attention. It seems to be coming from what seems like the master bedroom. Raising your hand, you tell the two mares to stop. They nod and wait for you to open the door. Slowly, you open the door. You quickly duck as a knife flies toward your face. It narrowly misses and land in a wall behind you. Entering the enormous bedroom, you see Bruce standing in front of a wounded Flam. He seems to have a few wounds, but nothing fatal.

“Thought you could trick me, huh? Send me on a wild goose chase. Well, I got news for you, kid: I’ve been in this game far longer than you.” He raises a few knives into the air, ready to throw them.

“Think of them as apples, Anon,” states your staff.

“Yeah, apples. Shiny, pointy, stabby apples that hurt a hell of a lot more if they hit.” Two of the knives are thrown forward directly at your face. Stepping out of the way, you take a step forward, slowly making your way towards Bruce. He readies three more knives when a crazy idea comes to mind.

“Godspeed, friend.”

“What?” your staff replies in confusion. Lifting the staff up, you throw it across the room like a javelin and hit Bruce in the horn. The knives drop to the ground as soon as it makes contact. With great speed, you dart forward as Bruce winces. He opens his eyes and catches sight of you running forward for your staff and quickly bends down to grab a knife with his teeth. As you grab your staff, a sharp pain pierces you thigh, making you scream out in agony and lose your balance. Bruce grabs another knife as you fall on your ass, ready to finish the job. He moves in quickly, not giving you enough time or room to reach for your staff. Swinging your fist forward, you jab him in the good eye. He screams out in agony as your attack makes contact, sending him back and dropping his knife, giving you enough time to reach for your staff.

“What is it with you and hitting my good eye, you jacka—!” In one fluid swipe, you smack his against the side of his head, knocking him over.

“Applejack!” The orange mare quickly jumps in, pulling her rope and duct tape out. Pinkie bounces up to and grabs the knife in your leg with her teeth.

“Wait, Pinkie! Don’t do tha—” She rips the knife out of your leg, leaving you to scream in agony. “GAH! You fucking bitch! That hurt!” You smack her in the nose as if you were disciplining a dog. She falls on her butt, holding her muzzle between her front hooves as you moan in agony. Applejack runs up to Flam and looks him over.

“How is he?” you ask, trying to lift yourself up, using your staff as a support.

“He’s got some pretty bad wounds, but nuthin’ fatal. We should get him ta a hospital.” Limping across the room, you cut off the circulation from your leg with some spare rope and head back to the elevator as Pinkie and Applejack carry Flam. Once you reach the ground level, the staff’s jaws all drop in sync at the sight before them.

“Someone call an ambulance!”

“Get the police!”

Before long, you have a nice doctor running her horn over your wound, patching it up like new. Two police officers come up to you, trying to prod you with questions.

“What happened?”

“I went in to capture my bounty, but it seems an assassin got there first. We had a bit of quarrel and I walked out the victor. Don’t worry, I didn’t kill him,” you mention before they can ask. “He should be tied up in the grand suite on the top floor. Also...” You point over at Flam. “That’s the second part to my bounty, so if you don’t mind telling the guys at the station that I caught him, that’d be grand.” The two officers give you a nod and quickly head into the building. The doctor removes her horn and wipes the sweat from her brow.

“Walk around a bit and see if your leg is alright.”

Standing up, you walk in a circle to test your leg.

“Good to go, doc,” you tell her. She nods and begins packing her supplies as Pinkie and Applejack walk up to you. You find yourself glaring down at Pinkie as she slyly smiles at you. “Next time I have a knife sticking out of my leg, let me get medical attention before you yank it out.”

She scratches the back of her head nervously, muttering a small, “Sorry,” under her breath. One of the police officers walk through the front doors of the hotel, face completely pale. He pulls you aside, looking completely appalled.

“You said that the hitman was in the room tied up, correct?” You nod. “Well, the building is going into lockdown right now because all we could find was this.” He lifts a bag labeled ‘evidence’ containing a rope and some duct tape. “Would you have any idea where to find this guy?”

“When I first ran into him, he was at the pub down the street. But I highly doubt he’s there any more.” The officer nods and thanks you for your help as you head towards the police station with another cop. As you enter, the same officer looks up from his paper and jumps up to attention when seeing the other officer.

“Sir!”

“Stand down, son. This guy needs his pay for capturing the Flim Flam duo. Give it to him and get back to work.” The stallion behind the counter nods and runs to the back. You turn to the officer and place your staff and slingshot on the counter.

“Do you mind if I visit his brother? I want him to know that he’s safe.” The guard shrugs.

“I don’t see why not.” He escorts you down into the holding cells where Flim impatiently paces in his cell. Once he catches sight of you, he runs up to you in a panic.

“Is okay? Did you get to him first?”

“He’s fine. A little beat up, but he’ll be fine.” Flim lets out a relieved sigh and sits down on the bed.

“I’m glad you got to him first, even if we’re both going to prison. What happened to that assassin?” You shrug uncomfortably.

“Seems he got away. But, something tells me he’s not worried about you anymore and instead he’ll be coming after me.” A stallion taps you on the shoulder, hold a large sack of bits. Pocketing the pay, you thank him and turn back to Flim. “I’m gonna get going. Make sure you and your brother stay safe. Prison isn’t any easier than the outside world. At least, from what I’ve heard.”

Flim gives you a nod as you head out and meet up with Pinkie and Applejack.

“So what do we do now?”

Looking up at the afternoon sky, you pick out a lone cloud, idly floating by.

“Let’s go home. I’ve had enough adventure for a while.”

Author's Notes:

What?! An update? MR. JACK SURE IS DOING HIS JOB, AIN'T HE?