The day had just ended in canterot, and as the moon reared it's head to spread it's icy, glacial light around Equestria a small form in a alleyway become visible. Beneath a ratty tattered blankey lay a shivering filly, her coat a nice creamy color, lacking a cutie mark however, her mane in general dissaray from being curled into the shivering ball she currently was in.
She was truly a mess, tear tracks stood out on her fur, and she had several small bruises and bumps on her body, complimented by a few rivulets of blood leaking from the cuts and scrapes littering her body.
SHe had been there for the past few hours, she had been sent out to do some work for people in the street, usually nothing major, carry a bag maybe, things like that. She had even resorted to begging in her worst moments, laying a small faded hat on the ground in front of her and pleading for any bits she could get. She had even cut somebodies purse with one once, and stole the glittering coins as they fell with a metallic noise onto the pavement, stealing away so nopony would find her.
But today...had not been a good day, she had barely collected any bits and she knew they would more then likely go hungry tonight. The people all beating her as she asked for change. He poor mother... slowly deteriorating as their supplies slowly dwindled. She had not known her father, rat basterd left her and her mother a couple of years after her birth, apparently disgusted by his daughter being a weakling.
She shivered, remembering with vague memories a brown coat whirling and dancing in the wind as the colt stepped out with his suitcase, bucking the door closed hard enough in his exit to crack it noticably. To this day it still wasn't fixed, they just didin't have the funds to pay for it.
The filly barely registered as salty trails once again flowed down her cheeks. She knew what would happen if she went home tonight, he mother would feign health to convince her she didn't need her portion of the already rather dismal supply of food they had, and would pretend not to care as her daughter ate what she had given up.
The tears flowed ever more freely as she thought of her home life, all the operations they needed but couldn't afford, the magic lessons the filly had wanted so much, and all the other seemingly trivial and unnescecary parts of life she had missed out on. So deep was sorrow she didn't notice when a colt walked up and threw an apple at here.
"here, take this and shut up ya piece of gutter trash. Consider yourself lucky i gave ya that." Said the strange colt, a faded tan coat and a wide brimmed hat managing to obscure his face in shadows.
"Th-thanks" gasped the filly as she started tearng into the apple, the juices leaking down her muzzle as she focused on consuming it, rather then hygenics.
The gifure barked out a laugh, somehow finding humor in her uncouth behavior. "So why are you here kid? Mom left ya?" The colt asked, managing a rather empathetic tone as he sat down hext to her.
"well..." she said launching into her story, the figure remainging stoic and listening carefully throughout the sad pitiable tale. And when she was done the stallion just stared at her, seeming confused as how to respond. The filly was perturbed for a moment as she thought se saw a quick flicker of some emotion on the colts shadowy face, just barely managing to make out the muscle twitch under the hat, she couldn't pace the emotion thought...not excitement, and not
"I like you kid, whats you name?" Asked the stranger.
"s-selene..." the filly replied trepidantly.
"well Selene, i think i have a job for you, but i warn you, it probably won't be easy." He started, continuing when the filly leaned in, the word "job" catching her attention.
"I happen to know your mother, and i would pay you ten bits if you can make her dissappear. Capiche?" Asked the cloaked colt.
"Make...mommy...dissappear?" Asked the filly, not quite catching the jist of the job.
"Make sure she never breathes again..." The stallion continued darkly."
"But i would never do that to mommy!" The filly began. Or could she? No, no, yes! NO! Yes! Bits were bits her mother said, but her mother's life wasn't hanging by a thread on a daily basis either. "I...i'll think on it..." Selene replied, hating herself even as those words slipped out.
"good, if you do it by tommorow, this time, i'll pay you and we can talk about...buisness opportunities."
Selene got a bad feeling at that moment, buisness oportunities? More bits...but more deaths? Her coat pales from cream to bone as she turn tail and fled.
The male watched her run, thinking about the loose ends he was tying up here, getting rid of two annoyances and not being caught? He loved this job, he thought sardonically as he whipped around and walked away, his coat tails swirling in the wind as his form shrunk down the cobble streets.
~~~~~~~~~~~Selene~
Selene returned home, gasping for air as she settled down by the door to catch her breath after running from the strange male. And froze when she saw her mother in the kitchen washing dishes in a rather dillipidated wooden washbin. he milky white mane tucked into a mane-net as she scrubbed the dishes. A knife laying to the side waiting to be used for dinner, right next to a tray of cold sandwhiches, which were still whole. She shivered, she knew she could do it now, but WOULD she?
He mother interrupted these thoughts as she heard the door shut and smiled warmly at Selene as she lay panting on the mat. "good to see you hun, come, sit down for dinner." She smiled and gestured to a crudely made table in the kitchen, sitting down across from the appointed chair.
Selene gulped, and sat down, bracing for the news she had to give. She tried to find ways to stall but was shot down as her mother told her to sit down and eat, not wanting her daughter to go hungry no matter what. The filly sat down, and started munchin on a cold sandwich, mind not really into the mechanic action she was doin, thoughts on a rather macabre subhject as she saw the ingrediants on the meal. A single blood red flower, one they occasonally found in the yard, and both loved above other flowers. She noted hers was the only sandwhich which had one.
She stopped eating and looked at her mother, swallowing before she spoke. "Mommie i have a question..." She trailed off, wanting to change the topic but unable to once the words leapt from her mouth.
He mother smiled adoringly as she was asked this. "yes, anything for you honey" She replied, reassuringly giving her hoof a squeeze across the table.
"i got...an offer today, but i have to hurt somepony to do it. Bu-but i was promised pay to do it." She started, not wanting to just leap out and say it.
Her mother frowned, considering the implications, "well we've got to consider other's feelings before we do things like this, but i would rather like a good meal for once..." She trailed off, gazing at their slowly dwindling supply of sandwhiches, and thinking of the few she had packed away in the yard underground in a container. It wasn't exactly the best for keeping cool, but she had to make do. "i don't know hun i'm not good at decisions like this. I knew a colt once that was", her gaze darkened, " But i don't like to think about him now"
Selene considered this, before asking "IS there anypony who would want you hurt mommie? it seems like you and that colt you mentioned dislike eachother." She asked, giving her mother the most agonizing look she could, hoping it would draw the answers she wanted.
"Well, yes and no. I loved the man dearly once, as he did me i'm quite sure." She began. "but eventually we things got bad. Why do you ask?" he mother inqured.
"because the stallion that offered me this job said he knew you."
Silence pressed down on the room like a blanket then, her mother shocked beyond coherence. Selene gazed around the room for something to do as the silence stretched, unwilling to bring her mother back to earth. Until her mother broke the silence.
"The job is hurting me isn't it?" Her mother inquired, a few tears beggining at the bottom of her eyes." Selene just nodded. "Well honey, i have to be honest here, i would give my life for you to be happy. And since thats what the offer is, i accept." He mother stood as she finished this sentance, before walking over to the sink and closing her eyes.
Selen stood flabbergasted, she couldn't do this! Her own mother! Bu-but she accepted! No-no, no, no she simlply could not kill her mother. Could she? She wanted the money and her mother was offering so why couldn't she?
She was interruped as her mother called from the sink "Honey can you hurry this up! The longer you wait the hungrier you get, and also the weaker."
Selene chuckled nervously, that was her mother...always looking out for her. Selene pushed in her chair and strode to the sink, grabbing the knife with telekinesis and levitating it above her mothers neck. She closed her eyes and shivered. Hearing a thwack as the knife smashed home.
And her mother released a breath, realising the knife had hit the sink, not her. "NO! Selene! I;m sorry but i'm not letting you ruin the opportunity!" He mother shreiked. Before grabbing the knife and stabbing herself with it,
releasing small dribble of bloo acorss the room, and her daughters face as her features slackened.
her daughter stood there, face smeared even more then usual, her eyes quiveirng in shock as her mother fell back into her arms.
"MOMMY! NO! WHY! I COULD'VE FOUND ANOTHER WAY!" Selene sobbed out in her grief, only stobbing when she felt a sticky hoof touch her face.
"Don't be sad Selene, now, end my life. I'm going to die either way." She paused metitatively for a moment, "think of it as a mercy killing sweetie." she finsihed, lowering her head, whether in submission or lack of energy was hard to tell. Selene found the knife and grabbed it again, letting t hover once more over her mother head.
"love you..." she choked out
"love you too, more then you can know..." Whispered her mother before the knife fell. Selene wept, even as her mother's body fellt limply to the ground in a pool of her own fluids, and a bright flash signalled a cutie mark appearing on Selene, a knife, stained with blood.
~~~~~~~~~~~Selene~
The stallions waited in the alleyway, wondering if the job was done, or if his plan worked. He had kept his end of the bargain, but would that little shit keep hers? His pondering was finished when he heard a dragging sound, and he saw the small filly drag a bag into the alley.
"I..I did it..." the filly claimed, looking at the ground, too ashamed to look him in the eye.
He grunted and opened the bag, finding the corpse he had wanted in their, already beginning to smell a little. He smiled. "well you did good kid," he proclaimed, throwing her the money due and walking towards her. only to notice her cutie mark, something she had lacked yesterday, a bloody knife. "Say, would you like to come live with me?" He asked a idea forming in his head.
The filly nodded excitedly, and she smiled. Taking her in his arm and leading her away to a new life.
~~~~~~~~~~~Selene~
A/N
Little bonus oneshot. Enjoy!