The Amulet

Erika ran down the street, her mane flying. She was tracking down the notorious May, and it had been a spur-of-the-moment's decision from her superiors, so the mare was only wearing her helmet and half-armor. She didn't care.

Her hooves clattered on the cobblestone street as she ran, trying to catch the criminal by surprise. Slowing by the building's wall, she caught sight of a grey pelt and a black cloak, sneaking along.

"Perfect," she thought. She edged around the back and silenced her hooves, thankful for the lack of clanking armor.

"Huh?" May whipped around, searching for the source of a sound. She thought that she'd heard something. Shrugging, she supposed it was just her imagination. She heard it again, "who's there?" she called nervously.

Of course, she was just acting, a skill of hers. She wasn't nervous at all, an she knew she could take whoever was following her. She sniffed the air, a scent of metal floated around. A guard, most likely. so they've finally sent somepony after me. she thought.

She turned noisily (on purpose of course) down an alley way, and a brick wall stood in her path. Smirking, she took a Sai out of her cloak and waited in the shadows.

Erika watched the mare turn into an alleyway. She supposed it would be easy enough to teleport to a roof, so she did, ducking and watching the mare draw a sai.

"Hmm, a fighter," she thought, pulling her bow off her body and stringing an arrow. With skill, she lifted the bow and pulled it about thirty feet to her left before shooting the arrow, purposely just grazing the side of May's flank. If May threw something up, she'd miss.

Hm? May thought, hearing the arming of a bow. From up above, an arrow zoomed towards her, lightly touching her flank before falling to the ground with a clink. She chuckled quietly to herself, clearly this guard was an idiot. Thinking that she could be fooled so easily. 

Quietly, she leapt onto a barrel in the alley-tucking the weapon away. She gently jumped up and grabbed onto a bar, then swung up onto a roof. She landed lightly on the shingles, and turned to look around. She saw a unicorn holding a now far out to the side, an assumed that was who had hit her. She silently hid behind a chimney before the white unicom could see her.

Erika's finely tuned ears caught the sneaky clop of hooves on the shingles next to her. A sadistic smile spread on her face. This mare was good. It would be so much fun to catch her.

Quickly, Erika dropped her bow and shattered the chimney behind her with a quick spell, the only obstruction on the roof and the obvious hiding spot. She drew her dagger and spun, ready for whatever move this mare would throw at her.

May laughed, standing with her arms crossed and a wide, cocky smile on her face. Her hood covered her eyes, giving her an eerie look. Her wide grin mocking and her eyes studying the mare. She had a similar mane to May, but that didn't matter.

She swiftly ran towards the mare, but not head on. She turned and leaped off the building, but ended up facing the mare. She threw her hoof out, sending the hoof arrows flying at the unicorn-aiming to stick her armor to the building. Her arrows were strong enough to pierce through any kind of material, from cloth to metal.

Erika parred off the arrows with her blade, spinning and dodging with ease. One arrow caught her tail, and she winced, yanking it out and hurling it back at May. Her blood dripped for a moment, but the nick stopped after a moment.

Erika picked up her bow and aimed it, sending five arrows flying at May's legs.

May smirked, easily dodging the arrows and kicking off of the building. She flew threw the air and landed on top of the unicorn. She quickly jabbed her in the collarbone, cutting off the flow of magic to her horn.

Staying on top of her, she pulled out a throwing knife. ( Looks roughly like this ) She stabbed the knife through the mares armor, pinning her front hooves to the roof. "Now, who are you?" she asked, snarling and removing a sai from her cloak as well.

Erika said nothing, instead pointing her head down and shoving the sharp point into May's shoulder. She kicked upwards, yanking her legs from the wall and flipping off the mare. She kicked into May's flank, toppling the Earth pony, and she pinned the pony under her hooves. Her necklace fell out of its nest in her collar, dangling over May's eyes and reflecting sun into her irises.

"My name is Erika," she said, "and you're under arrest."

May's eyes widened as the amulet fell out of Erika's armor. Wriggling one hoof free, she held the pendant, observing it and completely ignoring everything else. She pushed 'Erika' off her and accidentally ripped the necklace off. She stared at it, "I've seen this before." she pondered aloud. Turning it over, she read the words. "Dark-night." Her mouth hung slack and she struggled for words. "You, where are you from?" she threw the words at the mare, snarling.

Erika rolled her eyes. So much emotion. She felt nothing for the torn ribbon, but she was frowning at the mare. It's always good to fake emotion, even if you don't feel it.

"That is none of your business," she muttered, holding her dagger in one hoof and levitating her bow, pointed between the eyes of the mare. This one didn't absolutely have to be alive...

"Darknight is my business!" she shouted angrily, clutching the amulet tight in her hoof. "My full name is Marianne Darknight. Now do you see why I care?" she snarled. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. She tossed the necklace back to 'Erika' and hopped off the building. She withdrew a smoke bomb from her cloak and set it off, creating a nice cloud cover for her.

She pulled her hood over her head and walked swiftly away from the site, she needed time to think. How had this mare gotten an amulet with her family name on it? How had this mare gotten an amulet with the same, neat calligraphy as her own? She recalled a small, silver pendant that her parents had given her. She never wore it, but had chosen to bring it with her. It was her name, how could she leave it behind?

The words burst from her mouth before she could stop them.

"The language. It's Colterean. That's what they told me at the orphanage. The amulet says Sapphire Darknight."

She burst through the cloud of smoke. There was no way in hell she was letting this mare go. She would not live for the disappointment of losing a hunt.

May glanced behind her to see the mare following her, "As if you'll catch me" she shouted back, her voice echoing about to hide her. She breathed out, drawing a sai. She waited in the mist, her acute eyes cutting through the fog.

She spotted the white unicorn, and narrowed her eyes. She leaped out of nowhere and landed on top of her, holding her hooves to the ground. "I know that it is Colterean. I'm from Colterea. Perhaps you should have done more research. Now, " she snarled, holding the sai to Erika's exposed neck, "Tell me exactly where you got this."

"I was found with it," Erika said flatly, flipping the mare over and pinning her. "Not a big deal. They say I have a mental problem. I'm sadistic."

She smiled, imagining the blood she would shed. "I like hunting. I try not to kill, but sometimes, my knife slips..."

She ran a thin line across May's throat.

"Only thing they found me with. That's what I'm told. I was left on the side of the road as a near newborn, and the exposure messed with my head. I don't see what's wrong."

She cocked her head and stared at May's eyes. It was like when she looked in the mirror to check her uniform. Almond-shaped and crimson.

"Heh" May laughed, not even blinking. "That doesn't hurt you know, or scare me." she glanced down at the knife as a gesture. Smirking, she kicked up, sending Erika flying up in the air. She pulled out another smoke bomb and set it off.

She threw a few knives up with perfect precision, lightly grazing each of Erika's hooves. (you can't say they didn't hit, I said that you hit me! :p)

She grinned sadistically before turning and rushing away. She didn't like running from a fight she could easily win, but she couldn't risk getting arrested.

Erika tested her magic. Finding that it worked again, she teleported right on top of the other mare, causing them to tumble in a heap and crash into a wall. Her armor kept her from any permanent damage to her body, and, though her hooves stung a bit, she had learned to block the pain in training.

"Why do you care so much?" she asked in monotone. "It's not like my little history lesson concerns you."

"I don't care." May snarled, stretching her neck. "What I do care about, is how my family name is on your amulet that you were 'found' with."

She snorted, kicking the mare off. "Why don't you just leave me alone? Exactly what are the charges against me anyways. I haven't done enough to have the special task force after me"

"Robbery of over a hundred ponies, possession of unregistered weapons, unbridled assault on an unarmed mare," Erika answered in monotone, repeating what her superiors had said. "And..."

She stopped. Family name...

"How old are you?" she asked. "You look slightly familiar. It's the eyes, I believe. You know where I see those?"

She yanked off a plate on her leg and stuck her head next to May's, putting both their faces in the reflection.

"My face," she answered.

May leaned away out of disgust, not wanting to be so near this mare. She caught sight of the reflection, and stared at it.

"My face." She said wonderingly, gently touching her cheek. Letting out the breath she hadn't known she was holding, she stood quickly. She brushed herself off, and looked down at Erika. "I must say, I don't remember doing that much damage. Of course, I do lose track." she said with a bore expression. Leaning up against the wall, she closed her eyes and her hood fell over her face. She looked completely unaware-of course, she wasn't.

"Are you aware of the extremity of your crimes, May?" Erika asked, as was necessary. "I do believe, however, we owe each other an explanation."

She moved rapidly, cuffing the mare's hoof to her own.

"Just so you don't get any ideas," she explained.

May rolled her eyes, "Is that really necessary? I wasn't planning on running." May sighed, obliging. Slyly, she tucked her hoof into her cloak pocket and clenched it around something.

"Now, do you want the long version or the short version?" she asked mockingly, waving her cuffed hoof about mockingly.

She wanted to withdraw her hoof from the pocket, but held it there. Now is not the time.

Erika shrugged.

"I don't really care. It's not like I have anywhere to go."

She brushed her forelock out of her eyes and snatched her amulet back from May.

"Just because I don't care doesn't mean you can take my possessions, thief," she scolded. "It is mine, after all."

"Hey hey! I wasn't taking it, I was studying it. Jeez" May was quick to defend, "Anyhoof. I was born in Seoul Colterea, to two high-class earth ponies. They were strict, and I was only allowed to speak when spoken to-etc etc. So I ran away when I was 16, and somehow crossed the ocean. I ended up here in Equestria, in Canterlot first. Then I found my way to Ponyville, and I don't even know how I ended up here." she yawned after finishing, "so, lemme guess, even though I just told you my life story, you are still going arrest me, yes?"

She removed her hoof from her cloak and discreetly began working on the lock. She slid the lockpick silently into the hole without looking. Another specialized skill. Erika noticed nothing.

Erika was silent for a moment. Something was battling in her chest. The chance for emotion, or the chance to finally learn some of her past?

"No," she responded, breaking off the cuff with a spell and hucking it off the rooftop. "You're free for now. Try to be less flamboyant, May, or my hoof may be forced."

She blinked. "There are other cons to be caught."

She stood, gritting her teeth with the pain in her hooves. She turned away from the stunned mare and walked away with a uniform trot.

"Goodbye, sister."