Contracted

Chapters

Target Acquired
Judice
Institution
Karma
Collateral
Calm
Storm
Death
Clutch
Life
Rebirth
Hunting Grounds
Cold Blooded
Stellar

Target Acquired

(Before the chapter starts, I want to say something. Or, rather, tell the audience what to expect. The description might make the story sound like Marx is set on killing the main six, but as mentioned before, Marx wants them alive, at least that's his intent. My editor mentioned that I didn't make that clear last chapter, so I wanted to do it now. Enjoy the Chapter!)

A rustle of leaves to his left brought Marx's attention. Slowly, he detached the crossbow from his side strap and slid the crossbow strap on his hoof. He looked down the sight at the bush and held his breath. A small figure jumped out of the brush and Marx pulled the trigger. The bolt sailed for ten meters before hitting the white figure in the foot.

Marx lowered the crossbow and strapped it back. He trotted over to his target and pulled the bolt from its foot. He looked into the eyes of the squirming rabbit before putting him in his bag, leaving the head enough room to breathe. Marx took out his list and settled down into the cool soft grass.
Mouse- Check
Phoenix Feather-
Rabbit-Check
Sapphire- Check

Marx looked at the last needed item on the list. He'd spent the past three days collecting, and he decided to make without. Phoenixes weren't nesting near the Everfree, and he'd need at least a week to go to their nearest breeding grounds. Marx looked up at the sky. The sun was starting its descent down, and Marx knew he'd start the job today.

Marx made his way to the hill located on the outskirts of the city. He'd found it to be a good vantage point, as well as a base. On the way, he passed a cabbage patch and grabbed a few leaves for the rabbit. Marx set his bags on the hill behind a tree and out of sight. He put his copy of the contract in a small pouch to keep it safe. The rabbit made little noise as he enjoyed his meal, although he did still feel pain from the bolt wound.

Marx prepared a disinfectant for the rabbit as he waited for the sun to drop. He made sure the rabbit would feel little pain, but be unable to leave. He was important for the first part of the mission. Marx planned to find the rabbit last, but was surprised at the amounts of rabbits around the town. Ponyville must be an animal breeding ground at the rate he found them.

When the sun was hitting the horizon, Marx set out. The direction he traveled would take him to one of the furthest houses from the city. He had it all planned out, but it sounded almost too easy for the 750,000 bits he would get. The first target of six, named Fluttershy. From what he gathered, she had a fondness for animals and represented Kindness. One of the Elements of Harmony.

Marx's employers were paying big money for all six, but even having one out of commission would do plenty of damage to the country. He needed to make sure he got all six before they were declared missing. Ten nights, that's the most he'll be given before he'd need to evacuate. The first day will start tomorrow, but the plan starts now.

Marx stood in the shadows as he pulled out the rabbit. Taking the leash off, Marx waited for the light to dim even more. When it seemed dark enough, he stepped out of the shade and toward the path that led to the cottage.

Marx set the rabbit down on the path and stealthed his way to the bushes on the side of the entrance. Marx gave the rabbit a look that could have meant death or salvation, and the rabbit responded with a complying whelp. Marx heard a rustle inside the cottage and hoof steps sounded close.

The door opened and a yellow mare stepped out. She squinted in the near darkness until she saw the rabbit, limping towards the cottage. Her expression was easily seen from where Marx sat, with confusion as well as compassion in her voice.

"Oh my, what happened little guy?" Fluttershy asked the rabbit. She then walked forward toward the rabbit. The door was left open. Marx gave the rabbit one more look before slipping into the house. Fluttershy picked up the rabbit and turned back to her house.

"Let me do something about that leg," Fluttershy said to the rabbit, before entering the house and closing the door behind her. Just like she did at night, she locked the door. Now, she put the rabbit on the couch and walked to her kitchen.

Marx wasn't ruthless, he was in the corner of the room opposite the stairs, and he watched from the shadows. He knew he didn't have need to kill the rabbit that would get him so far, but if the rabbit tried to rat him out, he would fire in a heartbeat.

"It's a good thing you came when you did; I've only got a few more bandages left. Now let's get this on you," Fluttershy said walking back. She was too preoccupied to notice Marx was barely visible in the corner. Like a true assassin, he held perfectly still as he waited for the right time. His eyes were squinted, to show less visible white areas.

Fluttershy was stepping away from the couch to see how the bandage looked, and Marx saw the opportunity. Lowering his head and squatting slightly, he inched his way to Fluttershy without making any noise. Suddenly, he felt the floorboard give way and a creak escape the old wood. Marx pulled out Rogue's sword before she could turn around.

Instead of unsheathing the sword, he used the sheath to knock her front hooves away. She tipped from the change in gravity and fell forward with a startled scream. Marx put his hoof on her mouth before she hit the ground. Putting the sheath away, Marx pulled out a cloth. He held it in front of Fluttershy's eyes.

"Don't scream, or I'll have to knock you out," Marx said, motioning to the cloth.

Fluttershy was shaking and had little to say anyways. She was trying to nod, but at the same time she tried to shake her head. Now, Marx had to get her out quietly and quickly. He'd messed up the sneaking, and would probably hear the worst from Rogue later. But dealing with a conscious pony could have its benefits.

Marx motioned for her to stand, and Fluttershy complied. Marx gestured to the rabbit who was watching with some degree of difficulty. Fluttershy grabbed the rabbit and Marx pointed at the door. Fluttershy unlocked it and they left the cottage. Marx took her up to where his hill was located. The whole while, he could hear her quivering and she didn't stop shaking.

Marx made it to the base, and lit the firewood he had prepared earlier. Keeping his eye on the target, he grew the fire as high as it would go. Marx took out the rope he had in his extra bags, and a blanket he kept on winter days. Fluttershy was settled near the fire, talking nervously to the rabbit. Marx draped the blanket on her and showed her the rope.

Fluttershy gulped, but did not resist as Marx started to tie her front hooves together and her back hoof to a nearby tree. He kept it fairly lengthy and not to tight, but not enough for her to move more than two feet. Marx put the leash back on the rabbit and gave him the last of the leaves. Marx was satisfied that he’d done enough, and thought about gagging or incapacitating Fluttershy so she’d stay quiet, but so far, she'd been the most cooperating target... well, the second most.

Marx sat on the other side of the fire and gave a sigh as he remembered her face... her scream.Suddenly, a flash back of that moment came back.

The moon was casting a glow on her coat, as she closed her eyes for the inevitable. Marx took out two bolts, which was the deal. His newest recruit partner at the time, Mercy, was watching as he hesitated.

“Just do it. It should be second nature to you by now,” Mercy said, impatient.

“I know... but this is different,” Marx said, clenching his teeth.

The little filly opened her mouth and gave him a smile. “It’s fine,” She said. Marx felt his heart stop as he pulled the trigger. Her scream bounced around the woods as the blood poured from her chest. Marx loaded the second bolt, ready to end it.

“Bye Marx,” The filly said painfully, through clenched teeth. Her smile returned for a second. Marx didn’t feel his hoof as it pulled the trigger. The screams ended, and Mercy went to go clean up. Marx held the crossbow in his hooves, in deep thought. Then, like the credits to a movie, he looked up at the face of the watching mare.

“What?” Marx asked, lowering his gaze. He could feel the tears wanting to enter his eyes. He pushed them back before they could materialize.

“N-nothing...” Fluttershy said, looking away as well.

“Just stay there... I’ve got a job to do,” Marx said, taking his crossbow to his extra supplies bag.

Marx rummaged through the bag’s side pockets and found the attachment he wanted. Taking out the small scope, he attached it to the top of the crossbow. Marx walked to the crest of the hill and lay down. Looking down the scope, he used the night vision setting to look at the town. Only a handful of residents were walking around, but it didn’t look like Fluttershy’s disappearance was noticed. All according to plan.

Marx then moved the scope to the buildings. He located one of the tallest buildings. Looking into the windows, he saw the silhouette of his soon to be second target. He heard a sound behind him, and looked away from the scope. Fluttershy was shaking, but not from the cold. She was talking with the rabbit again.

“What is it?” Marx asked.

“I, um... need to... you know... n-nevermind,” Fluttershy said, still shaking.

“Bathroom?” Marx asked casually.

“Yes... please,” Fluttershy said.

Marx left his crossbow as he went to untie her. When he finished, he sat next to the rabbit and took out his sheathed blade. He laid it on the ground and motioned for her to go.

“If I found out this was a trick, the rabbit won’t get his cereal, so I’d hurry if I were you,” Marx said.

Fluttershy nodded quickly before galloping in the direction away from the town. Marx counted the seconds, going down from 120. He was accurate in his counting, no matter how boring it was. Sometime around the sixty second mark, he thought he heard a squirrel climbing the trees.

“Ten,”

“Nine,”

“Eight,”

“Well, it looks like today isn’t your lucky day,” Marx said, unsheathing the sword. He held it in front of the rabbit as he continued.

“Three,”

“Two,”

Marx heard a rustle of leaves and pointed the sword at the rabbit. Fluttershy came out, looking relieved, but shaking again.

“Th-thank you,” Fluttershy said, putting the blanket back around her and sitting back down. Marx sheathed the sword and gave the rabbit an apologetic look.

“It’s getting late,” Marx said, looking at the moon, already high in the sky. “You shouldn’t be up this late,” he said.

“W-what about you?” Fluttershy asked. Marx was surprised, the targets didn’t usually talk to him casually. Although he had to admit, her voice was wavering and she shook as she spoke.

“Sleeping gives you a weakness... I don’t need too many of those,” Marx said leaning his head against the tree she was tied to.

“Sleep is good for you,” Fluttershy said just loud enough for him to hear.

“Whatever you say, sweetheart,” Marx said, looking into the dark forest around the campfire.

For a few minutes, he heard nothing except the crackle of fire. Thinking of random thoughts, he was broken from his concentration when a low growl erupted from the darkness. A pair of yellow eyes looked at him, and Marx lifted his hoof.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Marx said, not in the mood to fight.

The Timberwolf didn’t seem to hear him, because he should have realized that Marx was telling the truth. When the Timberwolf pounced at him, Marx grabbed the sheathed sword and swung it into the attacker’s face. Then, before he could recover, he unsheathed the sword and held it pointed at the Timber wolf’s face. Giving his own low growl, he showed his dominance and the Timberwolf lowered his tail before running back into the forest.

Sheathing his sword, Marx lay down next to the tree and realized that he was more tired than he thought. Now that he had time, he was going to get some much needed rest. He knew the fire would last the night, so he let his eyes close and his body relax. Near him, stealthy hoof steps could not be heard approaching as a small chuckle escaped their lips.

Marx was watching himself, his movements and his emotions. The setting was in the base. The situation, he just received the worst news of his life. He had a new target. The problem... it was his little sister.

“Why me?” Marx asked O.L.

“You’re the most qualified, and you can get the closest. Think of it as an opportunity to show your parents what you’ve become,” O.L. said, not taking no for an answer.

“Only three ponies know about my past, and you’re one of them. Why are you doing this to me?” Marx asked.

“I don’t have to explain myself, but take Mercy with you. He needs the field experience and he’ll be a good partner. But you have 24 hours to do it, so I’d get out if I were you,” O.L. said getting impatient.

The scene skipped to when Marx and Mercy had made it to Canterlot. Marx saw his sister as she was exiting her school. Getting up his courage, he stood from his seat and trotted over with a smile on his face.

“Hey Cat, how’s school been?” Marx asked.

“Marx! I haven’t seen you in a long time. Where were you?” Cat asked.

“I’ve been busy, but I was wondering if I could show you this project I’ve been working on...” Marx said.

The scene skipped once again to Cat and the crossbow. Marx felt pain deep. Deep in his heart he felt more pain than he felt during training. This pain hurt more than any cut or wound. It was the pain of betrayal. His sister trusted him, and he’d used that trust to get her here. Besides his sister, he only had one other sibling, a brother who he hadn’t seen before. But his sister was someone he’d gotten to know close. Looking into her eyes, he couldn’t take it.

Marx did something he didn’t think was possible. He’d had this dream many times before, but this time he put down the crossbow. Mercy turned to him, and Marx swung the crossbow into his face, knocking him down. He then ran to Cat and untied her.

Marx went over and pushed her into the woods, whispering directions to town. He heard Mercy yelling behind him as they ran. Marx splitting up from Cat in case Mercy gave chase.

“You know what this means, don’t you? You couldn’t just fire the bolt?” Mercy said as Marx looked behind where Cat had run. Suddenly a picture of the contract with the failed insignia in red branded on it made its way into his head.

Marx’s eyes shot open. The sun was barely rising and he could see little. It felt warm, but not too warm. Then, something in the environment caught his attention. There was a sleeping mare right next to him. Marx was confused, but he didn’t move. He also felt something covering him and he couldn’t tell what it was. The sun wasn’t fully risen, so it was early in the morning. Then, after a few minutes of boredom, he stood up slowly and was surprised when she didn’t stir.

What surprised Marx more was that the blanket had been the thing covering him. Then, he heard Fluttershy as she woke up, stretching silently before looking at Marx. The rabbit was next to her, also awake.

“Care to explain?” Marx asked, pointing at the blanket.

“Um well... it was cold last night... a-and the fire went out. You looked really cold, and I-I... I didn’t want you to freeze so... I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said, lowering her head.

Marx turned to the fire that should have lasted all night. He opened his mouth to respond, but was at a loss of words. He’d depended on the fire to last all night, and without it, he could have easily frozen. She might have actually saved his life, and that’s what brought him to a loss of words. Why?

“Thanks... really,” Marx said, trying to get her to not feel discouraged. It was the least he could do.

“Y-your welcome...” Fluttershy said, raising her head slightly.

“C’mon, let’s go get breakfast,” Marx said, untying the rope off Fluttershy and the rabbit.

“And then we can go get the rest of your friends...” Marx said, chuckling. Fluttershy didn’t laugh.

Author's Note

A little more background, a lot more interesting, I hope. Posting this on New Year’s Day, but I won’t be checking for any comments or news while my winter break continues. After the first week into January, my break should be over, so see you all then! I can’t wait for my first full year of writing, and another year of ponies!
Next Time: Mark II, Give and take, not always in that order.

Judice

Marx looked down the scope of his crossbow. The bow strength and weight of the crossbow was optimal for long range use, and he planned to do just that. The sight was settled on the window of one of the tallest buildings. With the tree on the side of his vision, he made sure the cat was where he wanted it to be.

Sliding the bolt into place, he chose the normal bolt he would use. Resting a sleep bolt next to him, he wished that Screw had given him the special darts. Now, he waited for his plan to fall into place. Any second now, the Element of Generosity would look out the window.

“What are… um, what are you looking at?” Fluttershy asked from the nearby tree, enjoying her lack of restraints and single thick leash connecting her to the tree.

“You’re about to see one of your friends again…” Marx said, concentrating. He saw a shadow in the window. Marx lifted his extra bolt and checked which way the wind was blowing. It felt like a light breeze to the left, and he adjusted accordingly. Marx was confident that he wouldn’t miss. He never does.

“Please… don’t hurt them,” Fluttershy said.

“That’s up to them, my job is just to take you in,” Marx said.

“Your job?” Fluttershy asked.

“It’s best you didn’t know,” Marx said.

“But I didn’t do anything wrong… or maybe I did… but, it wasn’t that bad. Please, give me another chance,”

“Relax, I don’t know what you did wrong, but somepony wanted me to get you for it,” Marx said.

“I’m not a bad pony… and you aren’t either,” Fluttershy said.

“I’m definitely not the good pony here,”

“But you’re not bad,” Fluttershy said.

“Why do you care? Nopony’s given a shit about me, so what makes you different?” Marx said, agitated at her attitude.

“You’re only doing what you’re told… that’s not bad,” Fluttershy said.

“But why do you care about who I am?”

“Somepony has to, isn’t there somepony who cares about you?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well… there is one pony… but that’s an exception,” Marx said.

“Why?”

“Because she’s just like me…” Marx said.

“She sounds… special, what’s her name?” Fluttershy asked.

“Rogue… my black rose…” Marx said, feeling joy remembering her nickname, and when she got that name.

Marx turned into his designated room. He stopped when he saw the face of his best friend, Rogue. She held out her hoof and shoved him out.

“O.L. wanted to see us. He said it was important. So turn yourself around and let’s get going,” Rogue said, nudging him to start walking.

“You could have just said so… and what were you doing in my room?” Marx asked.

“Waiting for you. If I waited at the entrance, you would have snuck around. With your dark blue coat, you can move like a shadow when you want to. That grey mane gives you a ghostly feel too,” Rogue said.

“And what’ve you got going for you?” Marx playfully asked.

“I’m drop dead gorgeous, isn’t that enough?” Rogue asked.

“Yeah, like a rose. You look nice, and then stab,”

Rogue pushed him away. “Haha, I’m not that mean,” Rogue said.

“You’re just creepy and dark colored,” Marx continued.

“Dark rose, sounds like a good name,” Rogue said.

“Not that catchy, you need to work on it,” Marx said.

“I’ll think about it after the meeting, now get in there,” Rogue said, pushing him in the door.

Marx looked around the silver looking room with a round table in the middle. The chairs were lined in gold, with silk tablecloth on top of the table to make it look fancy. O.L. was waiting for them, as well as three other ponies. Marx knew them all, and he wasn’t particularly fond to see them.

“Take your seats, now that everypony is here,” O.L. said.

The five of them sat around the table, eyeing each other with curiosity. None of them knew what this was about.

“I’ve gathered the five of you here because you all possess an ability that can be used to the Organization’s benefit. Your skills of combat and abilities are needed in what the Boss envisioned,” O.L. said.

“What are you talking about?” The pony across from Marx said.

“Dalen, everything will be clear soon, just be patient,” O.L. said.

“And what is he doing here? He’s nothing special,” Dalen said, pointing at Marx.

“He’s got just a right to be here as you do,” Rogue said.

“Enough, let me continue,” O.L. said. Dalen settled down and Rogue kept her attention on O.L.

“Boss says we need a new source of income, because we’ve got a lot more ponies living here than we have income currently. If you agree, you’ll be invited as founders of the Mercenary group in our Organization. We’ll get more recruits in the future, but as of right now, you five are the strongest,” O.L. said.

"Mercenaries? That sounds awesome, we'll get to fight stuff, won't we?" Dalen asked.

"Of course, as well as other duties," O.L. said.

O.L. pulled out a sheet of paper and slid it to Dalen. “If you accept, you need a new name to keep you safe from those who might and will hate you in the future. Once the name is accepted by three of the five of you, it will be your new name,” O.L. said.

“Oh I know, my cutie mark is a scythe… how about death?” Dalen asked.

“All in favor?” O.L. asked.

Unanimous agreement in the room allowed Dalen to take the name Death. He signed the paper and slid it to the pony on his left.

“Well, I always wanted my name to be Stella…” She said, looking around.

Dalen was the only one who declined, saying how that wasn’t a very tough name. He was ignored and Stella signed the paper. She passed it to Rogue who nodded to herself.

“How about Rose?” Rogue asked, giving Marx a wink.

The fifth pony didn’t agree, while Death actually agreed to the proposal, saying how she could be scary at times. Rogue signed the paper and slid it to the fifth pony. He was a more shy colt, but Marx had seen his speed on more than one occasion.

“You should be ‘Outcast’, doesn’t that sound fair guys?” Death asked the others. No one laughed, knowing Death was trying to bully him. Instead, the pony gave a small smile at the others.

“It’s okay, I know I can be a bit reclusive… how about Recluse?” He asked.

“Are you sure that’s what you want?” Rogue asked.

“Yeah, that way ponies know I’m not much of a talker,” he said.

Stella was the only one who didn’t agree. She said it was degrading and refused to accept his reasoning. Finally, the paper was passed to Marx who didn’t have an idea. He looked to Rogue for help, and she gave him a knowing smile. He suddenly knew what to suggest.

“Shadow,” Marx said.

“What kind of name is that?” Death asked.

“Mysterious and stealthy,” I like it,” Stella said.

“It sounds like a good name to me,” Recluse said.

“I like it,” Rogue said.

“And that makes three,” Marx said.

“Whatever, just don’t expect me to call you that,” Death said.

“The names are only for everypony else. You can call each other whatever you want, but publicly in towns and with non organization ponies, you use those names,” O.L. said.

“Hey Asshole, you’ve got yourself a new name,” Death said, chuckling to himself.

“Get out of here, I’ll give you a brief later. And don’t tell anypony about this… anypony,” O.L. said.

Marx saw the white figure poke out from the window. Focusing on his objective, his mind went into adrenaline mode. He had his shot. Turning to one of the other tall buildings, he shot the lowest window of it he could see. Immediately, he reloaded the sleep bolt and shot at the figure. As a precaution, he grabbed another sleep bolt from his bag and shot the cat in the tree. He stripped the crossbow of its attachments and started to run down the hill.

Having already pathed out the way to the Carousel Boutique, he weaved through the houses and stayed away from the main streets. When he approached the building, he was glad the distraction had worked, the ponies had dispersed to follow the noise from the first bolt and did not notice the second shot.

Entering the shop, he found the stairs quickly and ascended. When he opened the door that belonged to the window, he found it unlocked. Marx entered and found the collapsed body of the Element of Generosity on the floor. The sleeping dart protruded from her upper leg, and she was out cold.

Marx lifted her to lean on his side and started to practically drag her out the room. When he reached the hallway, he found a white unicorn filly looking up at him with curious eyes. She had her mouth open and Marx was ready to take her out.

“I don’t even want to know…” Sweetiebelle said, turning and walking away. She mumbled something that sounded like. “Not again,”

Marx had his mouth agape as she entered her own room. He continued with his task and dragged Rarity down the steps. When he left the building, he took her through back alleys and towards his hill. When he finally dragged her to the tree Fluttershy was tied to, he stopped to rest.

“Oh my, tell me she’s okay…” Fluttershy said.

“I’m sure she’s… fine,” Marx said, catching his breath. “But she sure does weigh more than I thought,” Marx said.

“That’s not very nice…” Fluttershy said.

“But it’s true,” Marx said.

Fluttershy looked over Rarity’s unconscious body as Marx went and got the rope back out.

“Wanna help me with this?” Marx asked.

“You… you trust me?” Fluttershy asked.

“If she gets loose, you’ll be the one taking the bolt. So… it’s a different kind of trust,” Marx said, handing her the rope.

“I-I understand,” Fluttershy said, tying tight but comfortable knots on Rarity’s hooves.

“Nine Point Five days… that’s how long until they realize you’re gone. But Rarity is outgoing…. Maybe Eight Point Five…” Marx said more to himself than her.

“Is that when you’ll… let us go?” Fluttershy asked hopefully.

“If I told you that, I’d be breaking my contract,” Marx said.

“Contract?” Fluttershy asked.

“Nothing to worry about… yet,” Marx said, taking out a roll of paper.

Marx looked down at the map he’d packed. It labeled all the important places in Ponyville, as well as the back alleys he could use. Now, he saw a major flaw in his plan. Three of the next targets were in town, while the fourth was nearby in a farm. He couldn’t have watch over all four, and that was a problem.

Taking the loner out first would detract too much time from the other three, while catching the other three by surprise will be difficult with an unknown variable of the loner walking into town any moment. Then he saw his new plan unfold in front of him. It could work, but it would mean he’d have to take risks.

“…Um, what are you doing?” Fluttershy asked. Marx had been mumbling the plan to himself and now was mapping out his route.

“I wouldn’t worry about me too much, has she woken-,”

“Sir, can you explain to me what is going on? And why am I covered in… dirt?” Rarity asked, looking over her side that Marx had partly dragged around in the dirt.

“Why do they always ask questions?” Marx asked, rummaging through the bag.

“Why am I tied up? This rope is really dirty, and itchy, can I get some lotion? My mouth is getting dry, do you have any-, why are you holding that cloth?” Rarity asked.

“Why couldn’t you be like your friend? Nice and quiet… sort of,” Marx said, walking over.

“Fluttershy, what are we doing here?” Rarity asked.

“I… don’t know,” Fluttershy said, as Marx gagged Rarity.

Rarity struggled and Marx had to hold her head down as he tied the cloth tight. When he stood up, Fluttershy remained quiet and he walked back to his map. Rarity made sounds of resentment and Marx thought he heard some words he didn’t think she would say. When Marx blocked the noises out of his head, he took out a pencil and began to take notes.

Nearby, Fluttershy looked at Rarity with sympathy. Rarity looked at her with pleading eyes. Fluttershy could tell she wanted the cloth and ropes off, as well as everything else she asked about. Fluttershy also knew that if she did that, she would probably be put in the same treatment. While Marx was talking to herself, she tried to comfort Rarity.

“I’m sorry, I can’t help you right now,” Fluttershy whispered to Rarity who gave her the eye.

“I’m… sorry, Fluttershy said, looking away at the rabbit.

Marx realized that he had to prepare before his plan continued. Rummaging through his bag, he found the Wingrazor traps Screw had given him. Marx went to the back of his camp, where the trees were most heavy, and dug a few centimeters into the ground. He positioned the trap exactly in the center of a cluster of trees. Going to the right of the camp, he positioned another, although further into the forest than the last.

Marx wished he’d gotten more traps, but they were prototypes, after all. He doubted Screw had tested them yet. Walking back to his camp, he found that Rarity’s gag had been removed and Fluttershy wasn’t raising her head.

“I… She promised she’d be good,” Fluttershy said, looking away from his curious gaze.

Marx looked at Rarity, who seemed to be controlling herself, although he could feel the barrage of questions about to come out.

“Who do you think you are? I mean, this is not how you treat a lady. Would you care to explain?” Rarity asked, not nearly as politely as Fluttershy thought.

“My name is Shadow, I’ll be your executioner today if you wouldn’t prefer to wait in silence for a while,” Marx said, annoyance in his skin.

“Executioner? Why, I haven’t done anything wrong! Well, recently that is. And Fluttershy has no reason to be here,” Rarity said.

“I just need to capture six ponies and then my job is done. You have a little time to say goodbye to this place before I finish my job,” Marx said. Fluttershy lowered her head and Marx thought he saw Rarity give her a look of comfort before turning back to Marx.

“What kind of satisfaction do you get from terrorizing mares? Don’t you have a soul?” Rarity asked.

“I never said I enjoyed this,” Marx said, looking back to his map.

“Then why would you do it?” Rarity asked.

“Because… it’s who I am,” Marx said, glancing at his cutie mark once more.

“Ponies change,” Rarity said.

“Now you’re sounding like… her,” Marx said. Marx wasn’t referring to Fluttershy. In fact, he was thinking of the day Rogue came back from her first mission. He shook his head before any memories came back.

“Please… you don’t have to do this. There’s some good inside of you,” Rarity said.

“Just… leave me alone. I’m going to finish what I started,” Marx said, rolling up the map. The sun was going to set soon, and he needed some time to think. If his plan would work, he’d have to start early in the morning and work as fast as possible.

Marx listened to the sounds of the forest. The birds and the animals were rustling in the leaves. The wind blew the leaves into a rhythmatic sound that played like an angel’s harp. He could listen to it all night, if the whispered talk didn’t enter his ears. Marx listened to their conversations, and quickly learned that they were discussing anything that could have gotten them in this mess.

They didn’t seem like prime targets, but it wasn’t his job to judge. The judgement was up to his employers, however shady they seemed. Now, he was left with a choice to make. Warning the residents of an attack would bring the Royal Guard almost immediately. On the other hand, they’d realize something was wrong when six of them go missing, especially these six.

Marx heard a growl and opened his eyelids. The sun was setting and the campfire hadn’t been lit yet. Marx rose from his position and walked towards the noise. Near him, Fluttershy and Rarity had gone quiet and Fluttershy was holding Rarity for comfort.

Marx located the sound of the noise before Fluttershy. A group of Timberwolves were converging on the camp. They bared their teeth and drips of sap fell down. When the leader stepped forward, Marx could tell it was the Timberwolf that escaped the day before.

“I warned you…” Marx said, pulling out the sheathed sword.

The Timberwolf at the front hesitated, but the two behind it urged him forward. The three of them came at once, one jumping into the air while the others continued running. Marx had to grin when he heard the sound of a click. At the same time, he unsheathed his sword and held it out.

The airborne Timberwolf was caught by surprise as the wire sprung from the ground. It was attached to six spearheaded bolts. They went in different directions, hitting the trees that Marx had set them up to hit. When the bolts hit the trees, the wires attached to the launching wire was released, they closed in on the center point, five feet above the Wing razor trap. The Timberwolf was wrapped in the razor sharp wire and held in midair by the wire.

“Watch out!” Fluttershy said, putting her hooves over her face again. She couldn’t bear to see this. Rarity, on the other hand, kept her eyes on the events.

With one of the Timberwolves out of commission, Marx concentrated on the more confident Timberwolf. Bringing the sword up, he dodged the hesitating wolf and sliced at the legs of the confident Timberwolf. When the Timberwolf landed, he found that his paws were now on the ground, five feet away. Again, he charged, as the other stopped to assess the situation.

Marx waited until the Timberwolf pounced before ducking and slicing at the jaws of the beast. Before the Timberwolf could feel the damages, Marx was on him. He sliced at the legs and back until the Timberwolf could barely stand. The other, sensing defeat, lowered his tail.

Marx held his sword at the injured Timberwolf’s throat. Once again, he awaited the reply. The Timberwolf, unable to give up, snarls at Marx. Marx doesn’t hesitate to drive the sword home and cut off the wood that made up the Timberwolf’s head. As the body fell back, Marx sheathed the sword and looked at the last one.

“If I have to deal with you one more time, I’ll use your wood to build a tree house,” Marx said. The Timberwolf left with his tail between his legs. When Marx walked over to the trap, he realized he didn’t know how to reset it.

Marx collected the spearheaded bolts and the wire loosened. The entangled Timberwolf could only tuck his tail as it slackened slightly. Now, Marx looked for a way to untangle the wires.

“Just a second, don’t try anything while I get you out,” Marx said, seeing how tight the wires got around his legs.

The Timberwolf tried to whine, but Marx pulled on the wire and the entire wire tightened once again. He quickly loosened them again, but the Timberwolf was dripping a lot of sap. Marx unsheathed the sword and in one quick slash managed to cut the wires around its legs. The Wing razor trap was disabled, and the Timberwolf quickly ran into the forest, a big limp visible.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Fluttershy said, when she noticed Marx was coming back.

“Yeah…” Marx said, glancing at the remains of the dead Timberwolf.

“I don’t know why you showed those disgusting creatures any mercy, but at least you got one of them,” Rarity said.

Marx was holding the blade up to her throat before she could take a breath. “Your life means less to me than theirs; don’t think you’re worth more than you are,” Marx said, his eyes piercing into hers. She didn’t respond, and only cowered back in fear. There was something about his look that gave her the chills. It was like he meant what he said.

Marx was done with today’s events. He walked back to the camp fire and tossed the remains of the Timberwolf inside for fuel. Lighting the fire, he laid nearby and watched the flames and the sparks. Gradually, he felt sleepy and closed his eyes to rest.

Nearby, Rarity looked to Fluttershy, who had gone pale when Marx had threatened her. “Fluttershy, oh what are we going to do?” Rarity asked softly.

“I don’t know,” Fluttershy whispered back.

“Just who is he?” Rarity asked.

“He’s… still a good pony,” Fluttershy said, lowering her head.

“How can you say that?” Rarity asked.

“Everypony is good… at heart,” Fluttershy said, closing her eyes to sleep. Rarity shook her head as she followed suit, feeling a slight headache from today’s events.

"Not this pony..." Rarity whispered to herself before falling asleep.

Author's Note

I'm not particularly fond of this chapter, but I still have to post it. Not sure if you’d get the chapter name, but I was going for a judgement type of chapter. Marx was showing off some of his traits as well as conversing with the ‘prisoners’. It's up to the reader if Marx is a good/bad pony.

Next Time: Chaos Rising, Phase cannon set to Confetti!

Institution

Marx opened his eyes, feeling a burning heat near his face. He suspected the fire to last the night, or at least burn out. Instead, the fire had grown larger, with green flames dancing within the red embers. Putting out the fire, Marx looked over to his targets. They were still sleeping, although the rabbit had his eyes on Marx.

"Don't worry, you're only here as a liability until I'm done. You can relax," Marx said.

The rabbit seemed to understand and tried to go back to sleep. Marx went away from the camp, noticing the sun was barely rising from the horizon. He walked toward that cabbage patch he'd walked by before and harvested a bigger load of greens. Marx brought them and left a few for the rabbit when he woke.

Setting up the scope on his crossbow, he looked toward the quiet town. He didn't have a good view of the inner streets, where his next target woud be. Marx detached the scope and placed it back in his bag. Now, he took the sheathed blade and his crossbow and planned the route he'd take to the next target.

Marx couldn't afford to go loud, but if he was fast enough, maybe the next Element would be as quiet as Fluttershy. Although, Laughter didn't sound very quiet.

"W-where are you going?" Fluttershy asked, a slight yawn right after.

"Pinkie," Marx said.

"No, please," Fluttershy said, almost begging with her eyes.

"It's gotta be done, so I'm going to do it," Marx said.

Marx didn't wait for a response as he set out. Going for the back alleys, he made it to town easily enough. When he reached the areas where ponies were already stirring, Marx made sure to be cautious and avoid too much noise. Any hint that something was wrong and he'd be in trouble.

When he saw an opening, he walked across the alley into a more secluded area. In front of him, Sugarcube Corner was open and alive. Sneaking around the back, Marx wasn't noticed by anypony. When he reached the back however, he was almost seen by a pink earth pony, jumping around holding a trash bag.

Marx looked again and grinned. Too easy. Walking forward, Marx made no attempt to act sneakily. It was just the two of them and a trash bag.

"Oh hey mister. Are you lost? I haven’t seen you before," Pinkie said, leaving the trash with the other bags near the dumpster.

"Actually I wanted to see if you could help me with something," Marx said.

"What is it? Ooh, is it a riddle? I love riddles. I’m the world champ, you know," Pinkie said.

"What comes in the day and leaves in the night. It moves without sound and feeds off light," Marx said.

"Hmm, the sun?" Pinkie guessed.

"Nope," Marx said, getting closer.

"What about friends?" Pinkie asked.

"One more guess" Marx said, getting ever closer.

"A shadow?" PInkie asked.

"Exactly," Marx said, raising his hoof of chloroform cloth.

Marx covered PInkie's snout before she could react, and he had to make sure nopony heard her muffled screams before she passed out.

Marx now had to improvise. This back alley only led to the street, of which many new ponies would be walking past. He couldn't drag her out, becuase he hadn't prepared the distraction which he was going to do before he saw her.

Marx looked past her to the trash bins. He let a chuckle out before opening the bags. Emptying the contents, he smiled to himself. Making sure he left a small hole for breath, he finished tying up the bag, with PInkie inside. He looked down at the contents that fell out of the bag. Cupcakes, cupcakes, and more cupcakes.

Marx grabbed one of the cupcakes and downed it in seconds. Then, he dragged the bag with him into the street. Like he suspected, he saw the streets were already filled. They took little notice of him, however. Marx made it to the lesser seen back alleys and quickened his pace. Something felt wrong about this. He couldn't tell what, but something didn't fit in with the other puzzle pieces.

Marx dropped the bag near Fluttershy the bag was squirming, but he didn't care. Then, he opened it up. The inside was something he couldn't believe. Pinkie was still in there, but so were the cupcakes. She was eating one, and she had a smile on her face.

"Mmm, these cupcakes are really good. How’d you make them?" PInkie said, through a mouth full of trash cupcake.

"W-what?" Marx asked, surprised. Then, his experience kicked in and he handed Fluttershy the rope, pushing the confusion to the back of his head.

"You know, you owe me two bits for that cupcake," Pinkie said, as Fluttershy finished tying the rope.

"No, I don't," Marx said bluntly.

"Alright, I"ll put it on your tab," Pinkie said.

"Um, Pinkie. Are you alright?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah, I feel great. Marx here just gave me a ride up to the hill for solving his riddle. Now, he's going to see how good I'm at with magic tricks," Pinkie said, looking at the restraints.

"Marx?" Fluttershy asked. Marx felt confusion come back to him.

"That's his name," Pinkie said.

Marx was at a loss for words. Except for one.

"What?" Marx asked.

"Isn't your name Marx?" Pinkie asked.

"N-no, it's Shadow," Marx lied.

"Oh, is Shadow your nickname? Then how about you call me Pinky? The y makes it special," Pinkie said.

"W-what?" Marx asked. He heard somepony moving under the blanket.

"Can you please keep it down, I'm trying to work on my beauty sleep," Rarity said.

"Oh Rarity, you're here too?" Pinkie asked.

Rarity gasped. "Pinkie? What in Equestria could Pinkie have done wrong?" Rarity asked Marx specifically.

"Well she did just give away my name," Marx couldn't continue with that ruse. They weren't going to see anypony else anyways.

"But Shadow, you told us your name," Rarity said.

"Marx, it's not good to lie," Pinkie said.

"That's it," Marx said, taking out the cloth.

"Please, you don't have to do that," Rarity said, trying to reason.

Marx gagged her and then looked her in the eye when a question entered his head.

"How did you know my name?" Marx asked, not expecting an answer.

Pinkie instead reached down and dug in the ground with her snout. She wrote the letters i d k in the dirt and Marx sighed. Then, he wiped off the dirt from her nose. She nodded gratitude and Marx turned and thought for a second.

"Knowing my name isn't against the contract, so I'll forget about this. But let's get this straight, I'm the one you should hate" He looked at Fluttershy. "I'm the one you should cooperate with" He looked at Rarity. "And I'm the one you should fear," Marx said, trying to get the point across by unsheathing the sword.

“But why should we be scared of you? Pinkie asked innocently.

Marx could feel some impatience starting to arise. He didn’t think he should have been so annoyed, but was something about her that caused him to feel this way. Marx turned and walked away, hoping he’d lose those feelings before he did something he told himself he wouldn’t.

“Um, darling. How’d you get that cloth out of your mouth?” Rarity asked.

“What cloth?” Pinkie asked. Suddenly, Marx realized that she’d talked after he’d gagged her. Looking back at her, the cloth was on the floor next to her.

“I’m certain you’d been... restrained from speaking,” Rarity said curiously.

“Nope, my mouth is just fine. See?” Pinkie opened her mouth to emphasize her statement.

“I’m going crazy, Marx said not too quietly to himself.

“Um, are you alright?” Fluttershy asked.

“That’s it, I’m going over here. Talk amongst yourselves, I don’t care anymore,” Marx said. On the way to his bag, he mumbled “Not worth 750k.”

Marx took his bag to a tree farther off from the three of them, where he could still keep an eye on them. Now, he rummaged through the bag and pulled out the recently purchased book, as well as the contract. He opened the book, going to the Bearers Chapter.
Chapter 8-The Bearers
The wielders of these powerful artifacts have been identified by their traits. The first of which, being the Element of Magic...

Marx skipped to the section he wanted to read.
...The Element of Laughter, wielded by Pinkamena Diana Pie AKA Pinkie Pie. She is ecstatic, as well as outgoing. She has been known to do things many others couldn’t think of doing, or failed in attempting. Leaving many to watch in awe, as she does the impossible, laughing the whole while. Her element, laughter, fits her appropiately...

Marx put the book back in his bag and sighed. Now he understood what that meant. She was certainly different. But now something else was bothering him. It was bothering him since Pinkie answered his riddle. At first, he thought it was about Pinkie, but now that changed. Marx looked at the contract, reading what he should have read completely the first time.

Everything seemed up to par with the usual agreements at first. Then, something caught his eye. Looking near the middle of the page, he saw a word that caught his eye. Monitored. Marx read the lines around that word.
14. No trace of the involvement of the CRG in this contract will be shared.
15. The progress of this contract will be monitored to ensure efficiency.
16. Partial completion of contract will be unacceptable.

Marx wanted to rip up the contract after reading that. Who gave them a right to watch him? And more importantly, how were they watching him? He was one of the best at this. But also, were they watching right now? Marx looked up from the contract into the trees. The wind blew softly as a nearby bird sang his tune. No sign of anypony as far as he could tell.

Marx put the contract in his bag, and watched the three mares as they conversed. He tried to think about anything that happened in the past few days he should have been aware of. Only a few things came to mind. The first, being the fire that didn’t last the entire night. Second, the feeling that something was wrong, almost different. The feeling, he guessed, was that somepony had been watching him. Well, he’d have to play by the contract’s rules.

Marx stood up and grabbed his bag. He went to the mares, annoyed at how depressed they looked.

(after Marx started walking towards the tree)

“What’s got him in a knot?” Pinkie asked.

“I believe he’s a little rustled from your actions. I must admit, I’m a little rustled as well,” Rarity said.

“I thought everyone knew how to take a gag off with your tongue,” Pinkie said.

“No darling, I believe it’s just you,” Rarity said.

“Girls... I don’t meant to interrupt, but should we think of a way to get out?” Fluttershy asked.

“You were so helpful to the brute, I thought you were on his side,” Rarity said, looking at her restraints.

“Why would we want to leave? I’m about to finish my trick,” Pinkie said, fumbling with the rope.

“Well... I didn’t want to get on his bad side...” Fluttershy said. Obviously, it wasn’t her that caused him irritation.

“Well that’s nice and all, but helping your enemies isn’t helping us any,” Rarity said.

“But it’s showing kindness, that’s my Fluttershy,” Pinkie said.

Fluttershy blushed, and then went into thought. “So, any ideas?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well, if he’s watching us all the time in the day, I doubt we could pull a fast one on him. And I’ll be getting my beauty sleep at night.” Rarity asked.

“C’mon girls, don’t you want to see my trick?” Pinkie asked.

“Pinkie, might I ask how you intend to do this trick?” Rarity asked, to humor Pinkie.

“That’s a secret. But can you remind me why I want to do the trick again? I forgot,” Pinkie said.

“If you get out of these dirty bonds, you can get some help in town. Have some of our friends come save us,” Rarity continued with the thought. “Then, we can call for help from Canterlot and get this hooligan behind bars,” Rarity said.

“Oh, okay then,” Pinkie said, going quiet.

“I don’t want him to get hurt, but what’ll happen if nopony saves us?” Fluttershy asked.

“I don’t know dear, I don’t know...” Rarity said, putting her hoof on Fluttershy’s back for comfort.

Marx was coming over, apparently finished with what he was doing. He stopped in front of Pinkie, assessing her face, and adding numbers in his head. Finally, he whispered his results. She was outgoing, all over the place. And ponies would definitely notice her missing. Mixed in with the fact she had probably been doing a chore when he found her, Marx was feeling depressed at his bad choice.

“One day,” Marx estimated. “Max,”

“What?” Pinkie asked.

“That’s how long until they’ve noticed you’d disappeared. That’s for all three of you, and there’s still three more to get...” Marx said biting his lip.

“D-does this mean...” Fluttershy asked, her hopes raising.

“No, it means this could go a lot worse than you think,” Marx said.

“And why would you say that?” Rarity asked.

“Because I just found out that my employer is keeping tabs on me,” Marx said.

“Meaning?” Rarity asked.

“Meaning, that if I try to pretend to quit the contract, he’ll know that I just didn’t want to take the risk of having the authorities come after me again. So, I’ll be forced to tell the truth... or be forced to kill you all and save my career. Remember, I’m letting you live because I don’t have a very good policy on killing,” Marx said.

Marx saw all three of them gulp at the end. He had to admit, it would take the risk of his career to kill anypony. But he still had priorities. Now, he continued with his reasoning.

“That means, I have less than twenty four hours to foalnap the other three Elements, or else I’ll go loud and probably end up murdering half the town. So, I’d cooperate if I were you,” Marx said.

They didn’t respond, and he continued. “If I wanted to distract the town for about one hour, what would be the best place to put the distraction,” Marx asked.

At first, he thought they were going mute, but then Fluttershy gulped. “The t-town square,” Fluttershy said.

“Ponyville has a town square?” Marx asked.

“Y-yes,” Fluttershy stuttered.

“Great, it’s not labeled on the map, but I think I know where that is. See, this cooperation is what I wanted. Now, I’m off to bag another pony. Hopefully one quieter than you,” Marx looked at Pinkie, then turned to Rarity. “And less demanding than you.”

Marx took his bag and raced off towards the town. The clock was ticking now. He had to collect all six of them before anypony reports them missing. By now, there should be speculation on Rarity and Pinkie’s disappearance, but Fluttershy was definitely a good first pick.

Marx checked for the Sapphire on the way, and found it still in its position. Smiling, he hoped that Karma wasn’t about to rear her ugly head.

Nearby, the figure jumped from the trees, landing without a sound in pursue of Marx. She smiled to herself. She had been given the perfect timing on this job. As she followed, she wondered just why Marx had to be monitored, and what was going on in that head of his. If she could listen to it, she’d know that he was signing his will, and leaving everything to luck.

Author's Note

Weird chapter to type, weirder to name, i supppose. The chapter title came from the idea that if this happened in real life (Substituting ponies for people), you’d think you’d gone crazy too. Editor and I had some discussion over this chapter. Sadly, he won most of them, so it’s not as close to its original form as I wanted. Now, I hope you understand about the whole: battling his past, time and contract he signed. Although, the extent of all three will be enhanced as the battle progresses, so stay tuned!

Next Time: The Mistake, Who’s was it? And why does it change everything?

Karma

Marx gripped his crossbow, forcing himself not to shake. He was nervous now, knowing that any mistake would be seen by his employers. He calmed himself as he continued waiting. He'd done things like this many times before; he was a professional after all.

Marx heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Then, he waited until the footsteps stopped. They were right around the corner, and he could see the small shadow on the floor.

"What's this doing here?" Marx heard the male voice say. "It must be my lucky day," He continued.

Marx stepped out from the alley he was waiting in onto the street. There, in front of him, was the little purple dragon he wanted. He was bending down to grab the sapphire, and Marx stepped forward, the sheath for his sword raised.

"Sorry," Marx said, bringing the sheath down on Spike's head. There was a hard thump before Spike fell forward, still clutching the sapphire. Marx grabbed him before anypony could walk by and see him.

Now, Marx headed towards town square, dragging Spike behind him. A distraction would need to get everypony's attention. What he had in mind would suffice. As Marx made it to the town square, he climbed on one of the trash bins and jumped on to the rooftops. Leaning over the edge that faced the town square, Marx put Spike in a bag, careful to leave his head poking out. Then, he hung the bag from the ledge.

If he was lucky, nopony would see him until he woke up. That would be soon, though. So, he had to hurry if he was going to continue with his plan. As he turned to leave, he saw a shadow go behind a chimney. Narrowing his eyes, he walked in that direction, and faced the chimney.

Marx looked behind the chimney, to find nothing there. Somehow, they'd disappeared. Shrugging it off, Marx jumped down onto a crate and back into the alleys. Then, he went away from the town square. What he didn't hear, was the sound of Spike snoring.

Marx took out the map and found the library. Noticing it was on the other side of town, he quickly made his way over. As he neared, he could hear something on the streets. Fast hoofsteps? Somepony was in a hurry. Then, when Marx could see the tree that held the library, he saw the rushing orange figure enter.

Marx stopped. From what he read, Twilight, his next target, was purple. If he waited for the other pony to leave, Spike would wake up and she'd know something was up for sure. Marx took the risk and stepped out of the shadows. He raced to the door, ready to bust in and put the two of them to sleep with the sleep darts.

As he reached for the door handle, the door opened quickly. Marx backed up as the door opened completely to reveal the three standing ponies in front of him. The one opening the door, was an earth pony, the same orange coat that entered. The one behind her, was a pegasus, cyan colored and flying. The one in the back, was his current target.

Marx immediately realized who the other two were. The Elements of Loyalty and Honesty. Now, Marx raised the crossbow, aiming at the pegasus before she could fly away. The sleep dart was already loaded, as well as a second dart sticking out of his bag for quick access.

Marx shot the arrow as she halted midair. The bolt sailed toward her, aimed at her chest. Just before it hit, a purple aura covered the bolt, stopping its momentum completely. Marx cursed the unicorn as he face turned into a scowl. Marx backed up, quickly strapping the crossbow back on his belt.

"What in the hay was that?" Rainbow asked, still shocked.

"Who are you?" Twilight asked.

Marx pulled out the sheathed sword as his response. Sensing a fight, Applejack bent low and pounced forward. Marx didn't have time to unsheath before she was in front of him. Swinging forward, he hit her in the leg, but felt a lot of resistance. Applejack was throwing a punch, Marx blocked with the sword, only to find it no use as the punch made contact on the hilt. Marx felt pain shoot up through his hooves.

"Well if he's here for a fight, he's going to get one," Rainbow said.

Marx had to duck low to avoid the charging pegasus. He rolled to the side to avoid another swing from Applejack. Knowing he couldn't win without going lethal, Marx turned towards the alley. Making a sprint for it, he made it before they could see he was retreating. Now, Marx continued running, taking random turns, hoping he could lose them.

Three on one is hard enough, but the fact they had the earth pony endurance, the pegasus speed, and the unicorn magic, he wouldn't stand a chance. He could do one thing, though. Turning back, Marx saw Rainbow Dash in lead, flying above the rooftops. Applejack was second, and he saw a purple form behind her. Marx took out the crossbow, loaded the arrow and aimed back, all the while still heading straight.

Marx fired the arrow at Applejack, and watched in satisfaction as she dodged the arrow. It instead hit Twilight's hoof, and she went down.

"No, Twi!" Applejack said, both her and Rainbow Dash stopping to see if she was okay.

Marx rummaged through the bag and he stopped as well. He pulled out another sleep dart, loading into the crossbow automatically. He pointed and shot Applejack as she sat there and didn't see it coming until it was in her side. Rainbow Dash turned away from her friends as she went to get vengeance. Rainbow Dash grew angry as she flew faster than before towards him.

Marx continued running, this time heading straight for the forest. In the city, she had the advantage of altitude, but she'd need to land if she couldn't see him through the trees. Marx wasn't running fast enough, he could tell. The forest was nearing, but she was gaining yards by the second.

Marx crashed through the bushes as she slowed down to land. He sprinted towards the camp. If he could shoot her, then he'd just have to collect the bodies and he'd be done with all of this. Marx went behind a tree, the camp site barely in view from his position. It was maybe twenty meters away.

Marx rummaged through the bag, looking for another sleep dart. He found it and pulled it out, just in time to load it as Rainbow fell in from above. She looked at him, obvious hate in her eyes.

"Now you're going to give me some answers," Rainbow Dash said, lifting up, getting ready to fly towards him.

Marx pointed the crossbow. He heard a click and his heart dropped. Suddenly time passed by slowly. As he tried to move in the slowed time, he couldn't help keeping an eye on the grass. Rainbow was moving just as slow, and the dirt in the center of the grass area dislodged from the rest of the soil.

Marx knew what would happen before it did, but he couldn't move fast enough. The spear headed bolts discharged, hitting five trees in the enclosed area. Marx had set them up perfectly. Maybe a little too perfectly. The sixth spear instead found its mark in something else. Rainbow was tangled up in the loose wires due to the sixth not hitting its mark, and grounded herself. Marx grinned to himself.

"So much for... luck..." Marx whispered before coughing up blood. The tree he had used to take refuge with was one of the trees that he'd set up to hit. Now, the spear headed bolt stuck out of his chest as he crumbled to the floor, his vision starting to faulter.

Marx could see the last of his chances leaving him. The pegasus that would eventually untangle herself, looked at him like she was fighting with herself over to help or not. Marx's vision blackened, but his hearing remained. The last thing he heard, was the sound of his name.

Marx felt a sharp pain in his chest. Waking up, he started in a coughing fit. Forcing himself to take slow breaths, he looked around his surroundings. Everything was so different. The walls had books on them and the area actually looked... homey. Then, it returned to him, he'd almost died. Almost.

"Girls, he's awake!" Twilight said, from a nearby table Marx wasn't facing.

Marx could feel the bandages on his chest and the ropes restraining his movements. He wasn't tied to anything. Then, he knew what was going to happen before they went into the room. He was kept alive for a reason.

The five others entered the room, and after them came Spike, holding his head. Marx didn't know what was going to happen, but he hoped it was fast.

"Now, we want answers, and you're going to give them to us," Twilight siad, stepping in his vision.

"I have answers, but I don't know the questions," Marx spoke, before his coughing fit began again.

"Is he okay?" Fluttershy asked from behind him.

"Don't worry about him, he's not going to be fine if he doesn't talk," Rainbow Dash said.

"First question, who are you?" Twilight asked.

"Truth or lie?" Marx asked, softly so he wouldn't cough.

"The truth," Twilight said.

"I'm Marx," he said.

"Who sent you?" Twilight asked.

"I can't tell you that," Marx said.

"Too bad, that's not an answer," Twilight said.

"Let's just say I don't work for them personally. If you didn't know," Marx had to stop the coughing before he could continue. "Shadow is a mercenary," Marx said.

"Wait, I thought you were Shadow?" Pinkie said.

"I am," Marx said.

"but then... now I'm confused," Rainbow Dash said.

"So, your Shadow, and Marx. But Shadow is a Mercenary. I think I get it," Applejack said.

"Enough of that, I already told the Princess about what happened, so you better talk before the Canterlot guards come to get you," Twilight said.

"I'm not going to tell you anything, it's against the con-... confidentiality agreement," Marx said.

"Hold on a moment, you were going to say something different, weren't you?" Rarity asked.

Marx shook his head.

"Con.... contract?" Fluttershy asked, remembering he'd mentioned it before.

Marx felt his spirits fall. Now, sooner or later, he'd be dead. Whether a royal execution, or the alternative. He guessed that he'd only have it one way.

"Okay, you got me... the contract," Marx said. "I had a contract to capture you six... dead or alive," Marx said.

"Where is this contract?" Twilight asked.

Marx said nothing as he looked her in the eye.

"Found it!" Pinkie said, pulling the contract from Marx's bag.

Marx twisted his head to look, and hurt his neck in the process. Pinkie handed Twilight the contract and she skimmed it.

"The RCG? Who are they?" Twilight demanded.

Marx sighed. "I don't know..." Marx said.

"He's telling the truth," Applejack said. "I can tell."

"We should find these punks and teach 'em a lesson," Rainbow Dash suggested.

Marx tuned out the rest of the conversation as he accepted his fate. Twilight sent a letter to Celestia asking about the RCG and explaining what she'd found on Marx.

Twilight went upstairs to get a book she thought would help, while the others went to the kitchen to eat. Spike punched Marx on the way to the kitchen when the others weren't looking.

"That's for hitting me on the head," Spike said.

"Next time, I'll kill you," Marx suggested.

Spike went to the kitchen without responding, Twilight following after, and Marx was left alone.

“Alright girls, we just need to wait for the Canterlot guards to come, and then we’ll be okay. Right now, I think we should get all the information we have together so we can tell the authorities what happened. Fluttershy, you first,”

“Um, well... it was two days ago. There was this rabbit, he was hurt. So I was trying to heal him up, when that pony showed up. He told me not to scream... and then he took me to that hill. After that, Rarity came, and then Pinkie.

“Oh yeah, I was taking my cupcakes outside to add my special ingredient, when all of a sudden, he shows up. I thought he was lost, but he tells me this riddle. After I win, he takes me to that hill so I could talk with you guys. He’s a great guy, huh?” Pinkie said.

“How could you say that? He did some awful things while we were held captive,” Rarity said.

“What kind of things?” Rainbow asked, raising her eyebrow.

“No, no. Nothing like that,” Rarity said, blushing. “He was quite rude and ruined my coat. I’ll need to visit the salon before the day is done.

“Well, we know what his intent was, sort of. He wanted to capture us and take us to the CRG. I think they were the ones behind all of this. We need to send a letter to the princess and tell her that something isn’t right and we’ve been targets of something. But question is, of what?” Twilight asked herself.

There was the sound of something being ripped, and they turned their heads in the direction where Marx was. Rarity stood up, fearing the worst. The others came after, following her lead. She entered the front where Marx was, and his stuff was gone.

“Oh my, he’s escaped!” Rarity said.

“Let’s go after him,” Rainbow Dash said, flying out the door.

“She’s not going to make it, Spike, send a letter to the princess to send troops immediately. We have an escaped criminal,” Twilight said, grabbing a quill for Spike.

Marx felt like he was trapped. Now that they were gone, maybe he could find a way to escape. Marx looked around and only found the bolt Twilight had stopped earlier before. Marx fell onto the floor, and squirmed his way to the bolt. He made some progress, and made one more push forward.

Marx gripped the bolt in his teeth, careful not to touch any of the sleep solution. Marx used the toxicated tip with his teeth to slice at the rope on his hooves. It barely reached, and he made a small mark. Marx tried again, and again. He felt like any moment they'd finish eating.

Marx felt the pressure boost him as he worked faster. Another small cut, and then another. He turned the small cuts into a bigger cut, and now he had a halfway cut through the rope. Marx stopped cutting and pulled as hard as he could. He felt the rope give way, and his hoof was freed. Using it to hold the bolt in place, he made quick work of the other ropes.

Marx finished the last rope on his back hoof and stretched his legs. Then, before anypony could react to the noises of him escaping, he grabbed his bag, his sword, his crossbow, and the contract on the ground before opening the door and rushing out.

"Oh my, he's escaped!" Rarity said.

"Let's go after him!" Rainbow Dash said, flying out the door.

Marx was already hiding in an alley. He only stopped because he could see them approaching. The Canterlot guards were flying into town, a cage already prepared for Marx. Marx, smiling at his escape, ran towards the Everfree. He made it there without a problem. He made sure nopony saw him heading in that direction. Now, Marx frowned.

"Time to give my employers the bad news..." Marx said to himself, checking his map for directions to Canterlot. Nearby, a silent figure was already heading in that direction.

Author's Note

Think it's almost over? Too bad! Think he's failed? Well, yeah. But we have yet to see the rest of his past, and the rest of what the contract has to offer. Stay tuned as Marx faces the consequences of failure!
(Chapter name might be pretty obvious, so I won't explain it)

Next Time: The Fine Print, as bold as death.

Collateral

The Cafe had seen little visitors today. The only visitors they'd had, were guards that would come from break duty, usually when they'd had a rough day. Then, there were the regulars. They came in at the same time, usually together, one, or the other. Today, they were both seated in the corner, talking to each other quietly.

The waitress was glad for the quiet. It helped her mood. Today though, she could tell something was wrong. The regulars seemed upset. The quiet talking was almost menacing as they looked to have bags under their eyes. Now, they were waiting impatiently, like they expected something to happen.

The doors opened, showing a badly injured, and limping pony. He held his head high, and she supposed he was recovering from an injury.

"Hello sir, how are you today? Can I take your order?" The waitress asked as politely as she could.

"Coffee... black... please," The pony said, heading towards the regulars.

"Coming right up," The waitress said, turning to make the coffee.

Marx approached the regulars. Something about them just felt right that they had hired him. When they squinted their eyes, he could just tell that they knew.

"Sit," They said, none too politely.

Marx did what he was told, saying thanks when given his coffee. He was about to pay for it, but the employers stopped him.

"Charge it to us, we insist," The one on the left said. He had an orange mane that moved everytime his hand moved. The other, a black mane in the same style, although his mane was motionless even when he moved his head quickly to pull out the bits. The waitress accepted the bits and left them alone.

"So... what brings you here, Shadow?" The one on the left said. He said his name almost sinister.

"There was something I wanted to say..." Marx said, unsure how to explain that he didn't just mess up. He messed up big time.

"It's about the contract... isn't it?" The one on the right said.

Mark bit his lip. They knew. They confirmed his fears by pulling out a sheet of paper. Sliding it so he could see it, Marx read the title.
The CRG?

Marx continued.
The disappearance of this group is under question. If you have any information on the group's wereabouts, please contact the nearest guard.

"As you can tell, we found out already," The one on the left said.

"We've contacted your superiors, and there will be reprecussions. Becuase of you, we'll need to go into hiding. Hell, we already have. Is there anything you have to say to yourself?" The one on the right said.

"Have you read... the Collateral Clause...?" Marx asked.

"Of course, we agreed to it after all," He responded.

"Then you know... what'll happen?" Marx asked.

"You have our Apologies, but we can not ignore the fact that the Canterlot Redguard are now targets. Thus, we suggest that you get going. It will get dark soon," The one on the left said.

Marx nodded his understanding before downing the coffee in seconds. He headed for the doors.

"Tell anypony else about us, and you'll regret it," Marx heard.

"I already do..." Marx said, before opening the doors and running off in anger.

"So... that went well," The one on the left said.

"Shut up," The other said.

Marx entered the clearing of the place he once called home. Walking forward, it no longer seemed like a home, but a fortress. Marx walked to the door, pushing it open. He faced the guard, not meeting his eyes.

"Marx, I'm sorry," The guard said.

"Yeah..." Marx said, before walking down the steps to O.L.'s office.

"Marx..." O.L. said, when Marx entered his room.

"I know, the Collateral Clause," Marx said.

"Well... then I guess you know what happens now. You have twenty four hours... don't regret anything until then," O.L. said.

"Thanks... for everything, Overlord," Marx said, a faint smile on his face.

"No problem... Shadow," Overlord said, smiling.

Marx left the room, not yet done with his farewells. Walking down the steps, he went to his room. He never decorated it, nor did he sleep there after he'd gone on jobs regularly. Now, he grabbed the extra bag he kept there and filled it with the only possessions he had that he cared about.

A crystal sword, green tinted with ruby gems in the handle. The signing bonus for joining the mercenaries as the founder. Obtained via job for the Gryphon kingdom in taking care of a rogue pony in Griffmeny. He never used it. It was more sentimental than useful. He just liked the way it looked, and he wouldn't use it for a job without a sheath.

Marx put the solid gold necklace afterwards. It was his sisters... thinking about it gave him painful memories, but he still had it to remember her by. Again, painful memories. After that, he put the old slingshot in the bag and zipped it up. Memories... so painful.

Marx made sure he grabbed what he needed before taking his bag of personal bits. Next, he walked out the room, not looking back for fear of feelings coming back. He walked back up the steps. But he made one more stop. Turning on to the right floor, he went up to Screw's workshop. Marx knocked on the door.

"Marx..." Screw responded, sadness evident in his voice.

"Screw..." Marx said.

Screw opened the door, his mane back to its usual color, and his lab coat gone. He stood, smiling at Marx.

"Listen..." Marx tried to explain.

"I won't forget you," Screw said, giving Marx a big hug.

"Right to the point, it's not like you," Marx said, returning the hug.

"I cleaned up to say good bye, hoped you didn't mind," Screw said.

"I don't want to sound like a bad person, but your WingRazor trap sure does work," Marx said, showing him the bandage.

"I-I'm so sorry," Screw said.

"It's alright, just be careful, okay?" Marx said.

"Here, I'll make it up to you," Screw said.

"You know I can't buy anything from you anymore," Marx said.

"Don't worry, it's free. Think of it as a good bye gift," Screw said, pulling out a bag of his own.

"What's... inside?" Marx asked, the bag bulging from the contents.

"It's a surprise," Screw said.

Marx lifted the bag, easily putting it on his back.

"It's light," Marx said.

"Now get going, before I change my mind," Screw said, tears starting to form in his eyes.

"If you cry, you might set off a bomb," Marx said, joking. He bumped hooves before turning and going back up the stairs. For the first time, he was glad there was so many stairs. It gave him time to force down the tears.

Marx reached floor 0. He looked around, frowning. Around the room, there were mercenary ponies. He knew them all, that was the worst part. They were looking at him, some were smiling, others with sad faces. He saw Rogue, in the corner of the room, not looking at him.

"Marx... would you complete the Collateral Clause...." O.L. said, holding out a sheet of paper. Marx grabbed the paper, walking over to the once empty wanted board.

34. The Collateral Clause

Marx lifted the paper, ready to pin it down.

To ensure the promises made by this contract by both the employer and employee, they must both put themselves up as collateral.

Marx put the nail to hang the paper on the board.

The employer agrees to pay the amount shown after completion, or else their head will be put up as a bounty.

Marx stepped back to take a better look.

The employee will not break the contract, or else they will be fired as well as...

Marx read aloud the paper. "Shadow..."

...placed on the number one most wanted list in The Organization.

"Reward... One million bits," Marx said.

The Collateral Clause ensures that neither party will break the contract.

"Marx... you have twenty three more hours, goodbye," O.L. said, having the guard open the door.

Nopony has survived the Collateral Clause.

Marx looked to those around him. "If you plan to hunt me down," Marx pointed at the paper. "You'd better be ready to die," Marx said. He looked to Rogue before running out into the forest.

Author's Note

Shorter Chapter, but this was to emphasize the contract's importance. Hope you can forgive me. Now, with nowhere to go, what will Marx do? How long can he survive the Collateral Clause? (Kids, don't sign contracts you haven't read. Especially from people in suits...) Been busy lately, I'll try to get the next chapter out within the week.

Next Time: Calm before the Storm, sounds soothing right? Well it won’t be.

Calm

Marx dodged another tree as he continued his run through the forest. The bags on his back were quickly feeling heavier as the weight inside of him hit rock bottom. Reaching the edge of the forest, he looked out into the town ahead. With nowhere else to go, he’d decided to go out with a bang.

The streets of Ponyville were quieting down as the sun started its descent. Fluttershy was walking back to her house, after having finished being debriefed at Twilight’s tree. She’d slept there the day before because she was afraid that Marx might return. Now, she felt confident that he’d be long gone. Well, confident after Twilight pushed her out of the door saying that she should go home. Now, Fluttershy approached her cottage, the lights still on and the sounds of the animals coming from within.

Wait, there was something wrong. The animals would be preparing for sleep. The nocturnal animals wouldn’t be awake by now… what could have been causing the commotion? Fluttershy was about to find out. She pushed open the door, the sounds of the animals quieting down. Inside, she saw a figure laying on the couch, looking up at the ceiling.

“You can call the guards in the morning, but I needed someplace to spend the night,” Marx said, swatting away a hummingbird that landed on his shoulder.

Fluttershy gave a silent scream as she shut the door, running back the way she came. Marx looked at the door, surprised at the reaction. “I thought I gave a good reason… It’s like she doesn’t like me, but what’s not to like?” Marx asked the squirming rabbit tied up in the corner. Angel didn’t put up much of a fight after he was thrown across the room.

Fluttershy ran through the empty streets straight to Twilight’s house. Stopping to knock on the door, she caught her breath as she awaited the response.

“Come in,” Twilight answered from the other side. Fluttershy opened the door, entering and shutting the door behind her. She looked to Twilight, hoping to find some comfort.

“Fluttershy, are you still paranoid about that pony?” Twilight asked, annoyed.

“H-he’s i-in my… house,” She whispered the last word.

“Don’t be ridiculous, he’s long gone by now. C’mon, I’ll go with you and show you there’s nothing to be scared about,” Twilight said.

“No, I don’t wan-,” Fluttershy said before Twilight dragged her out the door. Eventually, she got up the courage to walk back instead of being forcibly pushed, as long as Twilight was going too.

“Okay, here we are,” Twilight said, standing at the door. She pushed open the door, showing Fluttershy the contents of her house. Inside, the animals were wild, flying and running around in circles, apparently looking for something. There was no sign of anything else.

“B-but,” Fluttershy said.

“See, everything’s fine. Just get some rest, you were probably seeing things. You’ll forget all about this in the morning,” Twilight said, before turning and walking away.

“O-okay…” Fluttershy said, inching her way inside. Some of the animals were trying to calm down the others, so she decided it was best to leave them be. They’ll get tired eventually. She ducked her head as she made her way upstairs. Slowly, she climbed the steps and entered her room. The room was dark, but she just wanted the bad thoughts to leave.

Fluttershy climbed into bed. The sounds from downstairs weren’t audible from here, and she quickly found the bed very comfortable. Her eyes started to feel heavy. Then, there was a sound nearby. It was very close. Slowly, she raised her head, looking into the darkness. At first, her eyes hadn’t adjusted enough, but then she noticed the white eyes peering at her from the other side of the room.

“Don’t scream,” Marx said softly.

Fluttershy remained quiet, but her thoughts of sleep were diminished. Marx sighed in the darkness, his pale eyes disappearing for a second.

“I just wanted a place to sleep… is that too much to ask?” Marx asked himself under his breath sarcastically. He stood up, walking towards the door. If he fell asleep with Fluttershy knowing he was there, then he’d be in danger of something happening while he slept. If only he hadn’t have gasped at how cute she was when she was sleeping. But then again… you’d have to have seen it.

“Fuck it, I’m going to the Everfree. They won’t rat me out, and at least they know how to treat their guests,” Marx said, reaching for the door handle.

“Wait,” Fluttershy said. Marx stopped, surprised that she’d spoken. “It’s dangerous.”

“I’ll be fine; it’s only a few hundred Timberwolves. What’s the worst that could happen?” Marx asked, opening the door.

“D-don’t,” Fluttershy said, looking worried.

“And why not? You shouldn’t care what happens to me. Aren’t you scared of me? Don’t you think I’m just a menace to society? Cause I sure as hell do,” Marx said, walking out of the door. He walked down the steps, pushing past the mob of rabbits and birds that surrounded him. He left via the door, and closed it behind him.

Marx walked away from the house, in the direction of the nearby Everfree. Right now, being alone sounded like hell, and boy was he alone.

“Wait!” Fluttershy said, from the door to her house. Marx stopped, looking back, wondering what she had to say.

“You can s-stay… if you want,” Fluttershy said, looking away.

“I don’t need your charity,” Marx said, bitterly.

“It’s… it’s not…” Fluttershy tried to start. Then Marx saw her look away, hurt. A cold chill passed by, the night’s unforgiving wind freezing his legs and head. Fluttershy also shivered, and Marx felt bad about it.

“Get inside, it’s cold out here,” Marx said, ready to turn and walk away.

“Y-you t-too,” Fluttershy stuttered from the cold. Marx could see that she was resolved to stay out as long as she needed.

Marx looked at Fluttershy and then at the forest behind him. The leaves were rustling, as well as the bushes around the trees. Marx could see them, watching him. The Timberwolves, there could have been a hundred of them. Their eyes were cold and staring. Staring… at him. Marx looked back to Fluttershy, the warm invitation suddenly sounding like the best option.

“…alright,” Marx said, walking back. Fluttershy looked relieved and scared at the same time by his remark. She quickly entered, and Marx soon after. Fluttershy looked at him, and Marx looked towards the couch.

“But… can you do something about the animals?” Marx asked.

“Y-yes,” Fluttershy responded, backing away from Marx. “Can you all please leave him alone… he’s a… guest,” Fluttershy said, directing the statement to the animals crowding around him, trying to bite or claw at his legs. They reluctantly obeyed, and Marx laid down on the couch.

“Thanks,” Marx said, “You’re awfully kind, you know that?” Marx joked. Fluttershy blushed, and then she started to walk up the stairs.

“Goodnight Fluttershy,” Marx said.

“Goodnight,” She responded, although not very enthusiastically.

Marx closed his eyes, grateful for the place to lay his head. The lights were turned off by one of the animals, and soon he was no longer the main attraction. Now, Marx fell into deep sleep. For once, he found that nightmares didn’t haunt his sleep, nor did he have the feeling of having to wake up early. He was finally… relaxing… without worry. Maybe… this was good for him.

The sun was streaking down through the leaves. The wind was cold, yet refreshing as it blew past his face. Looking up through the trees, he could watch the sky as the clouds rolled by. Everything was calm. Birds were chirping nearby, and the sounds of insects filled his ears. Looking to his left, he could see a rabbit hopping from brush to brush.

Marx decided that it was time to get moving. The sun had risen some time ago, and Fluttershy had gone into town, supposedly because she had plans with the others. No matter how nice she treated him, though, he knew that she wouldn’t keep it a secret. His plan now was to find a place to stay before it turned night, or find a place he could hide in before the twenty four hours were up.

Marx rose from his spot, not too far from the cottage. Walking around the back of the cottage, he found the two extra bags he had acquired on his departure from the Organization. Switching the sheathed sword for the crystal one, he put on his usual bag, with the crossbow in its usual place as well. Everything else he would look through later.

Marx left the two bags in the bushes where they would not be found. Then, he walked casually into town. If he was going to get noticed, it’ll be on his own terms.

“Great Fluttershy, you made it,” Twilight said, waving her over to their table.

“Yeah,” Fluttershy said, thoughtful.

“What’s wrong? Are you still worried about last night?” Twilight asked.

“Sort of,” Fluttershy said.

“Fluttershy, dear, you need to relax. You’re going to get wrinkles,” Rarity said.

“Yeah, don’t let something like that bother you, we’ve got your back if that pony decides to come back,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Listen to Rainbow Dash, you know that the Royal Guard have got Ponyville on watch in case he does come back. We’re completely safe,” Rarity said.

“I’d like to see him try to get back in town after all that. We could show him a thing or two,” Applejack said.

“But he-,” Fluttershy started.

“Hold on a second, is that him now?” Applejack asked, pointing outside the glass window. Indeed, Marx was walking down the street, the crystal sword strapped to his side, shining in the sun’s rays and creating a green aura around him. His smile was bold, almost challenging.

“He’s not getting away this time,” Rainbow Dash said, getting up and heading for the door.

“Oh my, that blade of his looks divine!” Rarity said, admiring the green sword, leaning in for a better look.

“I’ll send for the guards, don’t let him out of your sights!” Twilight said, also rising from her seat.

“Oh no,” Fluttershy whispered as Rainbow Dash rushed out the door.

Marx was walking down the street, enjoying the sight of the stalls on the sides of the streets, as well as the attitudes of the ponies walking down the street. They seemed to be enjoying themselves, and Marx felt some of that calm his own tensions. The town was peaceful and, under different circumstances, he could see himself living here permanently. However, today was not the case.

As Marx reached one of the restaurants, he noticed Fluttershy and the others seated inside near the window. After having walked around unable to find a realtor, he decided that he should just accept he wouldn’t find a place to stay other than other pony’s houses. Now, he was just sightseeing. He was just going to accept the fact that if he survived the day, he’d only have to fight harder in the night to survive the Timberwolves.

Seeing the six of them in the restaurant, he decided that maybe he should try to talk to them. It’s not like they were still hostile about the-

“Get back here!”

Marx was barely able to duck down to avoid the collision. Standing back up, his smile turned into a frown. There were some rude ponies these days.

“You,” Rainbow Dash said, righting herself from the place she crashed. She didn’t see him move until the last second, and she didn’t have time to stop. Now, she looked at him with the same resentment as before.

“You,” Marx remarked, tilting his head. “Should watch where you’re going.”

“Don’t give me that. You’ve got some nerve showing your face here again,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Listen, I can explain,” Marx said, glad for the reprieve from any possible violence.

“Then let’s hear it,” Rainbow Dash said, Applejack and Rarity coming up behind her.

“I’d rather not, I don’t have all day,” Marx said.

“Listen bud, you’ve got some explaining to do before the Canterlot guards get here,” Applejack said.

“Where’d you get that thing of beauty?” Rarity asked, eyes focused on the sword.

“I’m sure we don’t want anypony to get hurt, so why don’t we pretend I was never here. And can you tell me where the realtor is while you’re at it? I sort of need a place to stay for tonight,” Marx said.

“Look-,” Applejack started before a clang of metal stopped her. Two royal guards stood next to her, their faces stern and solid.

“We’ll take it from here, ma’am,” The Canterlot guard said, his golden armor catching the sun’s rays. His Blonde mane was noticeable only from Marx’s proximity. His spear was pointed at Marx, the tip sharp as razor. Looking at both the guards, Marx was surprised it was only the Dawn Guard. Of the three types of guards, the Dawn guards were the weakest, although they often fought in numbers. Such as now, Marx was outnumbered two to one.

“Get down on the ground or we will have to use force,” The other guard said, his red mane sticking out from the helmet.

“On what grounds?” Marx asked.

“Shadow, you are under arrest for countless murders and robberies totaling almost a million bits. Surrender, now,” The guard said. The three mares were shocked at the news. They were only told he was bad, but none of them knew about his notorious background. From inside the restaurant, Fluttershy as well as Pinkie gasped at the news.

“Not in front of the ladies, don’t you think?” Marx asked, his hoof already stretching toward the sword. There was no way he could use the crossbow from this distance without taking a hit.

“This is your last warning, drop the sword,” The guard said, taking a step forward.

“But I just found a new resolve…” Marx said, the green sword leaving the strap as he held it in a defensive position.

“You have been warned,” The other guard said. In unison, they rushed forward, spears already covering half the ground.

Technically it wasn’t the guards that were weak. It was their weapons. Using spears, Marx had found that ranged or close quarters combat was effective against their mid ranged weapons. Such as here, Marx jumped to the left to focus on one enemy, hitting the spear to one direction as he charged forward, sword ready to stab.

The second guard blocked the attack with his own spear, causing Marx to back away before the first guard’s spear could strike. Marx held the crystal sword like he’d been doing it all his life. With his new resolve, he felt the limitations removed as his full potential was revealed. By using a weapon without a sheath, nor a blunt side, he was forcing himself to attack without hesitation.

He couldn’t incapacitate, so if he wanted somepony to be quiet, he’d have to kill them. By taking away the side of him that held him back, he swung with full strength, and moved with his full speed. The guards were having a hard time as Marx relentlessly charged, taking advantage of their spears’ weakness. They couldn’t fight back as Marx managed to dent up their armor and in some places cause tiny cuts.

Marx blocked a strike and he raised his sword, facing the guard who’d just been countered. The second guard moved his spear to block the incoming attack for his ally, but it never came. Instead, the green sword passed through his own chest, the grip on his spear failing as he fell forward. Marx turned to the other guard, disarming him in one swing. The spear stabbed into the wall of a house.

Marx felt the adrenaline still pumping through him as he swung downward, aiming for the helmet of the guard. The guard flinched back as the sword hit steel. Peeking out with his eye, the guard saw the black weapon stopping the sword from making its fatal strike.

“That’s enough,” The shadow guard said, lifting the weapon as Marx removed his sword. “Get them to the infirmary,” he said, keeping his eyes on Marx. “I’ll take care of him,” The shadow guard commanded his troops, also Shadow guards. They lifted the fallen guard, blood soaking through the cloth stretcher they used.

“This is all self defense,” Marx said, raising his sword into a fighting stance.

“Look, the criminal’s got humor,” The shadow guard said, before the black rapier was once again clashing with the sword.

They were the second strongest guard in Equestria’s arsenal. The Shadow Guard. Marx knew of their speed and skills. The weapon they had was one of the sharpest weapons in the country. The black rapiers that could make shish kebab of ponies. Highly skilled as well as having gone through vicious training regiments, the shadow guard could, in numbers, take him down easily. But that’s where they lacked. Most of them grew up socially challenged one way or the other, and they often fought alone. That was why they weren’t the best of the best.

Marx stepped back, staying a safe distance from the point of the rapier. The shadow guard lunged forward, the stabbing motion directed at Marx’s legs. Marx jumped away, although he couldn’t avoid the rapier as it slashed against one of his hooves. Marx noticed that the other shadow guards had left their companion, and most probably their superior, alone.

“You’ve messed up,” Marx said, wiping the blood away from his hoof. The shadow guard didn’t respond as he charged forward again, the speed of his movements catching Marx off guard. He could barely avoid the rapier as it passed above his head.

Marx slashed forward with his sword, striking the front knee of the shadow guard. Without even flinching from the pain, the shadow guard slashed downward, making Marx roll to the side. Strands of Marx’s hair were floating away as his new haircut caused Rarity to faint.

“You’re such a pain,” Marx said, as he cut off some from the other side to make it look not as bad.

“You’re about to feel a lot more,” The shadow guard responded, like he didn’t feel the blood pouring from his knee. The cut was right next to the armor, and it caused the armor to turn an almost rusted color.

The shadow guard stepped forward, suddenly his leg giving out on him. He cursed under his breath as he took up a defensive stance, putting little pressure on his injured hoof. Marx sheathed his sword, pulling out the crossbow.

“You coward,” The guard said, lifting the rapier to try and block.

“I thought I was a criminal,” Marx said, firing the bolt into the shadow guard’s other leg. The guard howled in pain as the bolt sank in deep. Too bad for him Marx didn’t bring any sleep darts. Oh wait, he did that on purpose.

Marx turned, wanting to leave before the other guards came back. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were about to challenge him themselves, but then something flashed in the sky. A white arrow, almost three times as long as Marx’s bolt hit the ground next to him. Marx looked first to the sky, and then the tree about twenty meters from him. He saw a white shape poking out from behind the tree.

Marx walked over slowly, his crossbow loaded for emergencies. When he got close enough, he could see who it was. One of the new recruits in the Organization was grinning at him, the bow in his magic grasp. It was loaded and pulled back, ready for dispersal. Marx ducked as the second arrow flew above his head. He had fired fast, but his aim needed help. Marx knew this pony, he’d spoken to him only once, and he’d already hated his guts.

They’d spoken while Marx was resting after a mission. Sitting outside in the grass, he’d come over, a smile plastered on his face. He was white coated, with a reddish brown mane. He appeared to always be smirking or grinning at some inside joke only he knew. Whatever the case, Marx wasn’t one to judge.

“Hey,” Marx had greeted him, wondering what he wanted.

“Shut it, number six,” He had smirked before walking back and laughing to himself, apparently only wanting to come over for that reason. Marx hadn’t done anything about it back then, after all he was supposed to set examples. Instead, he had shrugged it off and went back to relaxing. This pony… had problems.

Now, Marx watched as the pony loaded his third arrow. Marx aimed his crossbow, not even hesitating to fire. The bolt sailed through the air, hitting his horn. The magic disappeared and the pony held his horn, gritting his teeth. The smile was gone from his face.

“What are you doing? I’ve still got five more hours,” Marx said, walking even closer.

The pony recovered, pulling out a small knife from his bags. He held it out, the smile returning, although faintly. “Then I’ll just kill you and hide the body until later,” He said.

“What makes you so sure that’ll happen?” Marx asked.

“Cause you were only number six. There’s nothing special about you. I’ve got just as much skill and power as you,” He said, confident.

“Of course,” Marx said evenly, loading another bolt.

“What?” The pony asked, confused.

“Everypony has ability, the difference…” Marx started. He fired the crossbow, directly striking the knife and sending it flying. “Is experience,” He finished.

“Don’t act so high and wise,” The pony said, babying his injured hoof. Now, he pulled out a blade the same size as Marx’s. He held it in his other hand, it was gripped tightly, almost as if he hadn’t held a sword before.

Marx put the crossbow back, pulling out the crystal blade, still marked in blood. Behind him, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were helping to take the shadow guard to the hospital. Marx was still feeling fatigued from that fight, and the fight before, but he still had energy to finish off this amateur.

“There’s no hope for you,” Marx said, already only a few feet away from the pony. The amateur’s horn fizzled, still unable to use magic. Marx closed the distance in seconds as he clashed swords with the pony. Marx didn’t use much force and the amateur dropped the sword instantly.

Marx sheathed his sword, picking up the small iron sword he had dropped. He looked down to the pony, and the hooves covering his face. Marx wanted to stop, he wanted to let him go free, but the pony had tried to come after him early. Not only that, but even with his face blocked, he could see that face he’d seen a while back. The same face that grinned and smirked on a daily basis. Marx raised his sword.

“You should have played by the rules,” Marx said, the sword descending in an increasing speed. He didn’t look away as the sword was inches from its target. Suddenly, the force of the sword driving down was stopped as the sword was knocked yards away by what looked like air. Marx jumped back, noticing it was actually the sheath of a nearly invisible sword.

Marx pulled out his own sword, looking up to the owner of the sheath. Something inside him didn’t want to know, but the same part already knew. It was bound to happen. When Marx looked up to the figure, the green coat and black mane caused his heart to drop.

“Marx… you told me yourself you didn’t like killing…” Rogue said, putting the sheath back in its strap. Her voice was soft, she was almost whispering. She pulled the sword out of the sheath, the electricity causing the air to vibrate and her hair to rise up slowly

“I’m here to make sure you don’t regret anything… even if I have to kill you,” Rogue whispered.

Author's Note

Seven chapters in, hope you haven’t lost interest! I’ve put in some work in making sure the dialogue was okay, but when it comes to the main six, I really have no clue. If you have any comments, suggestions or criticism, leave it in the comments, and I’ll read everything you have to say. (Chapter title comes from the 'Calm before the Storm' idea.)

Next Time: Collision! Lightning fast reflexes mixed with tactical maneuvering makes for awesome entertainment! Not to mention twists and sudden events.

Storm

Marx stared at the pony before him. Her face was so solemn, he didn’t know if he could take her seriously. She held herself like she was truly here to kill him. Her sword charging up with the deadly energy created by Screw. As the blade raised up, Marx could feel the danger as it cut the air. He had to back away as the sword hit the ground, sizzling as the grass electrified.

“Why?” Marx asked, his sword still up, although defensively.

“I already said why,” Rogue said, although Marx could hear her voice quiver as she said it. Her eyes gave away nothing as she charged forward, something he didn’t know she would do.

“That’s not good enough,” Marx said, moving his sword to block. In front of him, the object in front of him was blurred as she seemed to sidestep and appear next to him. Marx turned just in time to take a hit on his side.

The pain was unbelievable. Marx could feel, hear, and smell the pain as the electricity focused on his side. Jumping away, Marx saw the black mark left by the deadly weapon. When he looked up, Rogue was gone. He couldn’t tell where she was, but something told him to turn around.

It was a good thing he did, because he blocked the strike before he could be hit. When Rogue stepped back from the strike, she blurred again and this time Marx managed to block the attack on his left side.

Rogue wasn’t somepony he’d ever want to fight. On normal jobs, she could be literally next to you and you wouldn’t know. Her steps were silent and the way she moved, it was like a ghost. When she was in combat, she would somehow keep the stealth as she moved faster than others could keep up. Marx couldn’t even keep up without pushing his eyes to the limit.

At this rate, Marx was bound to lose. He knew it would come. One of the five would show up and finish him off, that’s what he predicted. But of the five, he wouldn’t imagine that it’d be Rogue. He’d even be glad to fight Death, at least then he could say a proper goodbye. But fighting Rogue wasn’t a fight, it was an act worse than dying itself.

Marx had to brace himself as another strike on his leg caused him to lose his balance. He used his sword to steady himself, but then Rogue struck again. Marx fell to the side to avoid the swing, the electric blade cutting air. Marx rolled over, grabbing his crossbow from his side. Strapping it on with difficulty, he raised it up in time for Rogue’s next strike.

Rogue could attack fast, and she sure could kill fast, but there was something she was missing. Strength. That was the one and only weakness Marx knew about. She’d always wore down her target if she was forced to fight. Once their endurance wore off, she was in control. Without a sword, Marx knew he’d need to use a different weapon.

Marx raised his crossbow, Rogue’s electric sword arching toward him. Marx turned his hoof, the crossbow becoming the cushioning blow for the attack. As Rogue hit crossbow, Marx felt some of the electricity , although not all of it. He pushed the sword to the side as the force was gone. Her sword was far enough away for Marx to reach forward with the crossbow, the bolt aimed at her face. Marx pulled the trigger.

A blur passed in that moment, as the crossbow hit air, and the electric sword vanishing. Marx fell forward, as the momentum took him. With Rogue disappearing, he limped over and grabbed his sword before she could return. Marx looked around, listening for the sound of something, anything to show him Rogue’s position.

Marx’s ears twitched as the sound of electricity entered them. He ducked just time for Rogue’s swing to miss. Marx turned, his sword getting ready to drive up into Rogue’s chest. And then he hesitated. Rogue had tears flowing down her cheeks. As Marx held the sword in front of him, Rogue jumped back, the opportunity wasted.

“Rogue…” Marx said, his adrenaline lowering.

“You… were ready to kill me back there… weren’t you?” Rogue asked, wiping the tears away.

“I said if you came-,”

“That I’d better be ready to die? Well I thought for a long time about that,” Rogue said, raising her sword.

“Now that you’re not there… it feels like I’ve already died,” Rogue said, her tears starting to come back.

“Why did you come… the truth,” Marx asked.

“Well… I just wanted to see you before this was over. I wanted to say goodbye,” Rogue said, the tears now flowing freely.

“We could have just talked… I still have five more hours,” Marx said, lowering the sword.

“And then what? I find out Mercy got to you? What about Dalen? If I died, I’d want it to be on my own terms,” Rogue said, almost whispering near the end.

“So that’s it,” Marx said.

“What?” Rogue asked, confused.

“You came here to die,” Marx said, the thought coming out of his mouth before entering his head. “That’s why you haven’t done more than you did. If you’d wanted, I’d be dead by now.”

“That’s…” Rogue said, looking away and her voice trailing off.

“If you really feel that way, then I’ll grant you your wish. And maybe you can grant me mine,” Marx said, a smile on his face as he raised his sword.

“You know… you really know how to treat a mare,” Rogue said a smile on her face as well. She wiped her tears as she brought up the sword, the blade starting to radiate even more energy.

“This time, I’m going all out,” Rogue said, her blade sending out sparks. As she held the blade, the air vibrated and the grass reached up toward the electricity. Her mane rose even higher as the electricity caused Marx to be almost blinded by the light. He continued looking however, as she charged forward, a smile on her face.

Marx himself held the sword in an expert position as he also went forward. Rogue was faster, meeting him just as he stepped forward. As they threw their swords forward, the clash caused a shiver through them both as the ground underneath them cracked under the pressure. Just when Marx was winning, from pure strength, there was a third force that rocketed both swords upwards.

Marx was thrown back as he tried to slow his momentum. The crossbow at his side fell out of the strap, hitting the tree behind him. Skidding to a stop into the tree, he saw his sword plunge into the bark right above his head. It was piercing the crossbow down the middle, cracking it and breaking the string. Looking forward, he saw who had caused the third force. Mercy was looking at Marx, his eyes staring into his soul like he owned him. Turning to Rogue, he stopped right above her. Rogue was standing up, she was coughing from the dust in the air. As she looked up to Mercy, her eyes went wide.

Mercy stated, in a mocking tone, “Black Rose, you are on suspension for not obeying the laws. You will be informed when your suspension is lifted. Until then…” Mercy lifted his hoof. Using a fraction of his power, he connected his hoof with her lower jaw. She flew back, landing on her back. She heard a crack in her spine as she fell, right before she passed out from the pain. “stay out of my way,” Mercy finished.

“Mercy!” Marx yelled, his hooves and the rest of his body completely exhausted from today’s events. He couldn’t even lift them as Mercy walked towards him, a look of joy in his face.

“Marx, think I’d forget about you?” Mercy asked.

“Bastard,” Marx said, wondering how he’d die.

“You still have four hours… Only a few ponies actually know where you are, me included, so you should be fine for a while. I’ll give you time to heal up… I want a fair fight when I end that pathetic life of yours,” Mercy said, raising his hoof. “I was just here for Rogue, and Dumbshit over there, but I think he’s learned his lesson.” Mercy motioned towards the pony cowering behind a tree, his bow on his back.

“Do I get compensation for the law breaking?” Marx joked.

“Sleep,” Mercy said, his hoof knocking Marx’s head into the tree. Marx was knocked out immediately, his body slumping to the ground as he finally relaxed. Mercy walked away, wondering how he should punish the other guy.

Nearby, a pair of wings opened and flew to Marx, landing nearby. She dragged Marx to the direction of the hospital, her head shaking the whole time. It’s been a while since she’d seen this kind of damage. Even Rogue was beaten up, although most of that was Marx's fault. Marx was really lucky Rogue liked him, she thought.

Author's Note

Sorry about the wait, I’m used to my editor giving me the final copy, but he hasn’t responded in a long ass time. I’ve been busy with revisions on my other story as well, so I had to look over this again to remember what was happening. Don’t worry, the next chapter is ready, I’m just hoping my editor hasn’t died so he can get back to work.
Next Time: Medical Bills, Join Marx as he dreams of the past, and realizes the future.

Death

Marx looked down at the tray he was given. Hospital food, his favorite. An assortment of apple products, it was like the town had an infinite supply. Nurse Redheart was looking at him, holding the glass of water and white pill. She was trying to smile, although Marx’s attitude wasn’t helping any.

“You need to take them,” The nurse said, putting the pill on the tray.

“I feel fine,” Marx said, his face not showing his pain as he moved his hoof to try and push the tray away.

“You need to hold still while you heal, we need you to take it,” She said, not sure why he was resisting.

“Just leave it there, if I think I need it, I’ll take it,” Marx said, turning his head.

“Jeez… alright, you win. I’ll leave three pills, you have three more days until you should be better. I recommend you take this seriously,” She said, putting the other two pills on the tray, as well as the glass of water.

“Just take the damn pill,” Rogue said from her bed, tired from the argument they’ve been having over why it was important. It’s been ten minutes of technical and practical explanations from both sides, but neither had budged from their standpoint.

“You don’t control me,” Marx said. Nurse Redheart left hoping that Rogue would knock some sense into him. Figuratively or literally, she didn’t care anymore.

“I can almost stand, and that bounty of yours could pay for my medical bills…” Rogue said.

“Fine, fine…” Marx said, bringing one of the pills painfully to his mouth. He dropped it on his tongue and swallowed it with his water. He felt the effects immediately. When he finished, he noticed the tray of food was blurring, the colors in the room were mixing, the pain melting away as his body relaxed itself.

Marx was going to say something, but then the real drug kicked in. His movements slowed in his mind as the pillow guided him to dreamland. His vision and hearing slowed to a stop as he slept.

Death ducked a low hanging branch as he ran. The sounds of pursuit still behind him, as the ponies crashed through the brush. Death chanced a look back, the Divine guard showing no signs of stopping as he got closer and closer. At this rate…

Death snapped forward just in time to avoid a tree. He reached a Manticore camp, their growls alerting him to their presence. Death managed to cut one down in seconds as he continued to run. Looking behind again, he noticed the Divine guard had left the Shadow Guards to deal with the Manticores. Now, it was one on one. Death swung his scythe, cutting down the tree to his side. He dashed behind the stump as the guard caught up.

“It’s about time you stop running,” The Divine guard said, his katana rising from its sheath.

“Now it’s your turn,” Death said, taking out a match. He tossed it on the downed tree, now dividing him from the Divine guard.

The match caught and spread to cover the entire fallen tree. Death held the scythe over the fire, heating up the metal as hot as it would get. The Divine guard watched as he did this without a word. When Death was finished he raised the scythe, glowing from the heat.

“Now it’s time for you,” Death charged forward, jumping over the fallen tree as he spoke. “To get reaped.”

The Divine guard blocked the scythe, his katana causing sparks to fly in every direction. Death pulled back and then immediately sweeping his scythe to hit the guard’s neck. The guard ducked, using the moment to counter attack. He struck the back of the scythe, causing Death to go defensive as the guard continued his never-ending assault. When he stopped to catch his breath, Death lowered the scythe, a grin on his face.

The Divine guard looked down at his katana. The used to be sharp edge was now effectively dulled as the only remaining sharp side was the tip. The rest of it was dented and almost melted from striking the intensely heated metal.

“Now die!” Death said, bringing his scythe up to decapitate the guard. He didn’t expect for the guard to charge forward, the dulled katana’s point headed for his heart.

Death stopped his scythe and brought it down, effectively stopping the advance. What he didn’t think would happen, was that the Divine guard would continue. The guard brought the point in a diagonal path as the tip cut into the shaft of the scythe.

Death felt time slow down as the top half of his scythe was cut off, falling to the ground in a flurry of sparks. The pointed katana continued. The target was now his chest as the guard pushed forward. Death closed his eyes as he waited for his end. It never came.

Marx was sitting in his room, the action figures next to him alleviating some of his boredom as he pushed them around. At his door, he heard a knock. When he went and opened it, he was looking into the eyes of a smiling Dalen, his left hoof out of sight.

“Hey,” Marx said, curious, “What’s up?”

“Look at this,” Dalen said, pulling his hoof back into sight to show Marx the object. It was a red kite, with a blue string attaching it to a handle. The kite was plain, nothing but red and brown sticks to it. It wasn’t the first one Marx had seen, but it was the closest he’d seen one.

“Wow, where’d you get it?” Marx asked.

“I found it, it was in the park and nobody was there, so I grabbed it,” Dalen said.

Marx found something strange about that, but he was too caught up in the moment to say anything about it. “Cool,” He said, grabbing the kite to get a better view.

“Let’s get the others and we can go fly it,” Dalen said.

Marx and Dalen went to the living room, where most of the children spent their time with toys or playing made up games. Sitting on the sofa, bored out of their minds, was Rogue, Stella, Silver, and Mach. They were in a special group they’d created. Whenever they’d wanted to play a game, those would be who they’d want to play with them. The other children didn’t seem to be around, so the two of them approached the group.

“Guys, let’s go have some fun,” Dalen said, lifting the kite for them all to see.

“Ooh, is that a kite? I haven’t seen one of them this close before,” Mach said, standing up to get a better look.

“What’s it made out of?” Silver asked, also rising.

“Where’d you get it?” Stella asked suspiciously.

“Found it,” Dalen responded.

“Let’s go, I want to see how high it’ll go,” Rogue said, grabbing Stella and taking her with her as they all went out the door in the direction of the park.

Dalen led them, his smile already spreading at the idea of flying the kite. When they reached the park, the wind was blowing faster than they’d expected.

“Are you sure it’s okay to fly the kite right now?” Stella asked, the wind blowing her mane in the wind and into her face.

“Why not? The more wind the higher it’ll go!” Silver said, helping Dalen to unwind the string from the handle.

“I want to fly it first!” Dalen said, not taking no for an answer.

Dalen had the handle tied to the front hoof that was on the ground. The other held the string of the kite as he ran across the park, letting the string slowly leave his grasp. When he had fully let go, the kite flew higher and higher. Dalen laughed as he ran, joy in his face. That is, until the wind blew even harder.

Dalen stopped his laughter, the kite pulling on his hoof. He picked up the hoof with the handle tied to it, wanting to reign in the kite, but it didn’t help. In fact, the kite pulled and slipped the loosely tied handle off his hoof. He watched in terror as the kite flew off even higher. The kite soon disappeared, lost in the sky.

“Dalen, what happened?” Rogue asked.

“Somepony didn’t tie it good, Silver…” Dalen accused.

“It’s not my fault, you told me not to tie it too tight,” Silver said.

“It’s all your fault. Now I lost my kite,” Dalen said, feeling upset. He turned away, not wanting to see them as he mourned the kite.

“C’mon, let’s leave him alone,” Mach suggested, seeing Dalen entering another of his moods. Marx stayed behind, as always. He was usually the one that convinced him to calm himself. The others went back to the orphanage, their promise of joy taken from them.

“It’s okay,” Marx said, walking next to Dalen.

“It’s not Silver’s fault, I know…” Dalen said, accepting the truth.

“It’s not yours either,” Marx said, knowing just what to say.

“You’re right… it’s that kite’s fault. I wish I never took it,” Dalen said.

“Wait, what?” Marx asked. His confusion subsided for the moment as the voices of older ponies entered his ear.

“So you’re the punk who took my brother’s kite,” A nearby colt said. Marx turned around to see the pony. His brown mane was falling at his sides. His coat was a light blue, but it was darkened at some spots, like he’d taken a beating on more than a few occasions.

Dalen was visibly scared of the pony. He was only a year or two older, but remarkably bigger. The supposed brother was hiding behind him, the white coat and a reddish brown mane cut short. Marx didn’t know what to say, but apparently Dalen tried.

“I didn’t take it… he left it and I found it,” Dalen said.

“Then explain this,” The pony said, showing his little brother’s other eye when he pushed his brother from behind him. It was dark and bruised around the edges. There were red marks around his snout, where blood had dried.

“Look… Marx help me out with this one,” Dalen said, begging for help.

“I… I’ve got nothing,” Marx said. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help, but Dalen had really dug himself into a hole. “You shouldn’t have lied,” Marx said.

“Well I didn’t think he had an older brother!” Dalen said, backing away from the older pony. “He’s like us, so I didn’t know,” Dalen said, referring to the fact they were orphans. This city had three orphanages, the children sometimes playing with each other, although they often didn’t get along. This park was the center area for all three orphanages.

“Get over here,” The older pony said, rushing forward and hitting Dalen on his legs. Dalen fell, unable to get up due to the bigger pony on him.

“Stop,” was all Marx could say, as his morals battled his friendship. He knew he should be helping, but the fact Dalen deserved it, he couldn’t bring himself to help. Not to mention that he wouldn’t have been much help anyways. Now, Dalen was taking a beating as his head was pummeled, his sides not faring well either.

The bigger pony got up, kicking his side before taking his little brother and leaving. “You won’t mess with Accure anymore, okay?” he said, “I don’t want to have to go find you again. I will kill you,”

“Okay,” Marx responded, his head hanging.

“Thanks Clutch, can we go get something to eat now?” Accure asked, staying near his brother.

“Yeah, where do you want to go?” Clutch said, bringing his little brother closer as they walked away.

Marx looked over to Dalen, his body still. He knew he was still conscious, his moaning making that present. As Marx approached, he immediately regretted not helping. Dalen was giving him the coldest stare he could manage with the inflated eye and bleeding mouth. Marx started to drag him to the house, the silence causing his heart to bleed. That was the first day he’d questioned morals with duty. He decided that morals weren’t worth the trouble.

Death opened his eyes, the seconds of nothing having grown his curiosity. What he saw, sent shivers down his spine. He screamed and he couldn’t run as the soulless eyes looked into him. The face of the Divine guard was looking at him, but the life in his eyes was gone. The blood was coming out from every part of his face, even the eyes. Even he was disgusted as the body fell forward, the crunch of his skull as it shattered on the solid ground echoed in the forest.

Death looked up at the one responsible. There was a cloaked figure, his eyes red and staring. His coat was white… wait, no. He didn’t have a coat. It was just bones. The grim reaper raised his scythe, the cracks and caked blood giving the scythe a red glow. The grim reaper stabbed the bottom of the scythe into the ground, walking forward to Death.

“Well, Dalen, do you know who I am?” He asked in a quiet but menacing tone.

“D-Death!?” Dalen asked, backing away.

“Oh, no, I’m not Death. You are obviously Death. After all, that’s what you call yourself, isn’t it?” The reaper asked sarcastically. His eyes were looking deep into Dalen’s soul.

“N-no. That’s not me… I…” Dalen tried to say.

“Then I think you understand why I’m here. Let me explain further…” The reaper said, stopping his progression. “You’ve been using my name, giving me a bad reputation. I need to punish you, however I’m giving you a chance to live. Spread my name further… take this scythe and reap the souls of all that you meet.”

The reaper pointed at the scythe, the handle glowing black as Dalen looked at it. Instinctively, he reached forward, the scythe coming closer.

“But that is not all, I want you… to kill your closest friend. When you do that, you may keep the scythe. Until then, think of it as a loan,” The reaper said, an evil chuckle escaping his lips.

“W-why me?” Dalen asked, confused.

“Because you’re the most wicked pony I know that would accept, as well as the fact that you still have somepony you can call a friend,” The reaper said.

“But, I don’t have anypony like that,” Dalen said, worried he’d lose the opportunity.

“Oh, but you do. In fact, he’s vulnerable as we speak. Marx… he needs to die right now,” The reaper said, throwing the scythe to Dalen. Dalen caught it, the contact giving him a warm sensation. His mind suddenly had one thought, to kill.

“I’ll do it. Consider him dead,” Dalen said, “And I’ll be calling myself Death until then,” Dalen said, the power flowing through him, changing his thoughts and causing him to feel anger.

“Alright Death, go reap the unreapable,” The reaper said, slowly disappearing in the void. As Dalen ran back to the Organization to turn in his assignment, the reaper stood there, waiting for the inevitable.

“What did you just do?” The voice asked, right behind him. It was soft but demanding.

“I thought I’d make this easier for us,” The reaper said, smiling.

“This could harm the balance…” The other pony responded, stepping in front of the reaper. Her white and light blue scythe hung at his side, the blade shining in the sunlight. She wasn’t smiling, and she looked exhausted under the pure white hood she wore.

“I’ll take the chance,” The reaper said, before walking away, his smile growing at the thought of beating his sister.

Marx woke with a start, the pain in his head causing him to hold back a cry of pain. His vision was blurred, everything in the room was starting to come back to him, but he wasn’t worried about that. His mind was spinning. The pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together. The words, they were connecting with his dream. Suddenly, it was clear as the pain he was in.
“That amateur's his younger brother," Stella said, echoing in his head.

Clutch had a brother. That brother was named Accure. The dream he had reminded him of the first time he met Clutch and Accure. They were inseparable. They were both in the mercenary group. Now, he had just beaten Accure, nearly killing him. That meant one thing. Clutch, the one with the third highest bounty in the group, was coming to get him. And more importantly, Accure would tell him what happened, and where Marx was.

Author's Note

I don't think I've mentioned this, but if you thought this was going to be a short three chapter story, I'm sorry to say that isn't the case. Although the ending has already been planned, it'll be a few more chapters before then. If you're okay with learning about an even bigger plot that should deserve it's own story, then be prepared with the next few chapters, because who doesn't like a good bloodshed? (If you thought he'd die this chapter, then you really should read between the lines and not just the chapter title.)

Next Time: A quick recovery, a quick encounter. Marx vs. Clutch.

Clutch

Marx was sitting up on his bed, the sunlight shining in though the window as his body tried to move again. He felt pain, but now it wasn’t enough to stop his movements. Marx lifted himself off the bed and onto the cold floor. He looked around for his bag, but couldn’t find it.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Rogue asked, having heard him get up.

“I need to go, Clutch is gonna kill me,” Marx said, continuing his search.

“Clutch wouldn’t do that just for messing with his brother. They don’t even get along that well,” Rogue said.

“Rogue, remember that day, when we were little? The day Dalen and I stopped talking?” Marx asked.

“Oh, when he got beat up by that kid? I remember that. That was hilarious.” Rogue said.

“Well that kid was Clutch; he said if I messed with his brother again, he’d kill us. I think he meant it,” Marx said, giving up his search.

“Wow, you’re on his list then. I haven’t heard Clutch give a death threat to anyone, not even the new recruits. I’ll go get your stuff so we can get out of here. It’s getting boring anyways. Are you sure you can walk?” Rogue asked, seeing Marx stay off one of his legs.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Marx said.

Rogue left the room, leaving Marx to sit on his bed. It was morning, meaning that the drug really did have a big effect on him. Rogue came back with his bloody bag and sword, the edges still covered in dry blood. Marx slipped the two extra pills into the bag. He took out his bag of coins, and left half the bits on his bed.

“Alright, let’s go,” Marx said.

Rogue opened the window, looking outside. They were on the second story. Marx jumped first, immediately regretting it. His body still ached, and the rush of wind gave him chills. Nevertheless, he landed in a roll on the grassy floor below. Rogue jumped down as Marx was dusting himself off. She landed without a sound next to him.

“Where to?” Rogue asked.

“I… I don’t know,” Marx said, unsure of where else he could lie low. Mercy knew he was in town, so there was no way he’d give somebody his name wherever he would stay. Rogue could technically still stay at the Organization, so it didn’t need to be big.

“Think Clutch is on his way?” Rogue asked.

Marx heard a thump on the ground next to him. He instinctively jumped to the side to avoid the crack and burst of flames. Looking forward, he saw the shape of a pony go behind a tree. Then, a flash of light caused him to look away.

“He’s here,” Marx said, preparing himself for a fight.

“We can’t fight here, when the ponies hear this, they’ll call the guards,” Rogue said, running to her left. Marx followed, hearing the small thumps behind him as razor sharp darts were making contact with the buildings.

“I know where to go. This way,” Marx said, turning left.

“I’ll distract him, get out of here,” Rogue said, turning back the way she came.

Marx continued running, his legs still aching. He held back the pain as he saw what he was looking for. Fluttershy’s cottage was ahead of him. Arching his path to head around the cottage, he heard the soft click when he stepped on not so solid ground. Rolling to the side, he dodged the spear that jutted out of the ground. The point was facing upward, indicating it was a trap of some sort.

Marx continued running, the cottage getting closer and closer. He managed to get behind the house right before another razor sharp bolt hit where he was a second ago. Marx went to where he hid the supplies Screw had given him.

Clutch was special in his own way. He had gotten a cutie mark depicting blueprints ripped down the middle. He had specialized in making tools and equipment. His specialty was overlooked, because his ideas were always ‘out there’. Clutch then turned to showing off his creations, via experiments. When he grew accustomed to using them, he no longer wanted to give them up. He used his creations with the skill of an expert, and they always had a lethality only some mercenaries dreamed about.

Marx expected as much of Clutch. Clutch would use his gadgets to fight Marx, usually laid out beforehand, or ready to use when he needed them. Marx hoped that Screw had something in this bag that could counter Clutch. He opened the bag, hoping for an anti-Magic field gadget of some sort. Instead, he saw boxes of bolts and attachments for his crossbow.

Marx remembered what happened to his crossbow. He wished he hadn’t opened the bag now. Still, Marx pulled out the boxes, hoping there was something else at the bottom. He wasn’t disappointed, as the tip of something poked from the bottom. Marx reached in and pulled out the white weapon. The crossbow was white, with a crystal covering to protect it from the elements.

Marx thanked Screw silently before taking it and the strap out. They were matching in color, something Marx didn’t think Screw was capable of. Then, he looked at the boxes of ammunition and attachments that Screw had for the weapon, all of them the same coloring as the weapon. Marx smiled, he really had thought of everything. Then, he saw a note attached to the bottom of the bottom box.
I hope you won’t have to use all of this.
-Screw

Marx put the excess ammunition in the bag, keeping ten of each of the four different types of bolts in his bag. He also attached the iron cover that went on the bottom of his crossbow. He had a feeling that close range would be the only way he could beat Clutch. Now, Marx put the bags back and took out the crossbow, ready for a fight.

“Clutch, you bastard. Come and get me,” Marx yelled, hoping Fluttershy wasn’t at home.

Marx ran back around the cottage, hoping he’d catch Clutch off guard. He saw a figure go behind a tree as he did, a plan formulating in his head. He rushed forward, his eyes and ears listening and watching for a trap.

Marx heard a click and ducked as Clutch shot from the trees. The spray of pellets hit the ground around him, some hitting his head as the spread caused him little harm. Marx continued running. He saw the next trap before it activated, rolling to the side to avoid the net that was shot at him. He was almost to the trees now. This would be dangerous, as Clutch had a lot of time to plant any traps.

Marx ran past the trees, going straight for the figure in front of him. He saw Clutch’s grin before he heard the trap. Marx jumped to the side, hearing the familiar click. The six spearheaded bolts flew into the trees around him, the wire grabbing him as he landed and pulling him into the center. He was suspended in the air as the wire squeezed the life out of him.

“I have to admit, you lasted longer than I thought,” Clutch said.

“Bastard…” Marx said in between grunts of pain.

“It’s not my fault you wanted to mess with my brother. I know he made a mistake, but did you have to try and kill him? Cause it looks like I’ll have to take your bounty so Accure can feel better,” Clutch said.

“This trap… it’s Screw’s,” Marx said, remembering the trap from before. Out of everything that was happening, this was the most important thing on his mind at the time.

“Close. We were working on it together, Boss’ orders. He gave Boss what he wanted, and then I improved the design. See?” Clutch asked, pulling on the string he held. The string attached to the trap, activating the electric current that followed up and down the new metallic strings.

Marx felt the electricity burn inside of him as he struggled in the grasp of the trap. His movements were stopped, but he could feel every inch of pain from the electricity. When it ended, he was tired of fighting ponies that used electricity and cursed Screw for not telling him this important piece of news.

“Now then, say you’re sorry,” Clutch said.

“Fuck you,” Marx said.

Clutch heard the trap activate before he heard any hoof steps. Marx heard the startled cry of Rogue as she fell into the trap. Clutch turned away to look at his new victim. Marx felt the wires not as tight as before, and managed to move his hoof. He found the crossbow, the already loaded bolt ready to use. He reached farther, barely reaching the trigger. When he clicked it, the bolt fired forward, hitting the wire in front of him.

Marx felt the wires give out from the lack of support, and fell in a tangle of wires. As he got out, he heard the conversation from Clutch a few feet away.

“If you try to stop me, I’ll have to report you to the Organization,” Clutch said.

“I still have to stop you,” Rogue said echoing from the bottom of the pit.

Marx took out his sword, the glint of metal catching Clutch’s attention. Marx rushed forward before he could react, and swung at the exposed side of his coat. Marx was too fast, and the sword made contact. Clutch didn’t even flinch as the contact cut into his side. Marx didn’t feel triumph as a wave of electricity rolled up his sword and into his body.

He convulsed from the pain and dropped the sword. Marx looked up at Clutch, who seemed to be grinning at him.

“Nearly transparent armor, electric to touch and comfortable from the waist down,” Clutch said. “But I do have to say that it isn’t very durable,” The wound on his side was still bleeding.

Marx tried to stand up, but Clutch was pushing the dropped sword away.

“It’s time that you stopped resisting,” Clutch said, reaching into his bag to pull out something lethal.

Marx reached in his bag, pulling out the pill that he’d smuggled. Marx flicked the pill to Clutch just as he was opening his mouth. The pill lodged itself in Clutch’s throat, and he instinctively swallowed so he wouldn’t choke.

“Shit,” Clutch said, reaching to his bag.

Clutch pulled the small dart from his bag as the effects of the drug started to kick in. As he raised his hoof to aim at Marx, he lost consciousness and fell to a pile on the floor. Marx raised himself from the ground, pain still emitting from his hooves. He could have really used that pill more than Clutch did, but he was glad Clutch wasn’t as strong at resisting it.

Marx put the sword back in the sheath and put Clutch’s bag on. He walked over to the pit Rogue was trapped in. It was about ten feet deep and he was surprised Clutch could dig a hole that fast.

“You can come on out now,” Marx said, grinning.

Clutch raised his head, his memories foggy. He looked at his surroundings, the trees he was leaned next to were hiding him from any of the public. He looked down at where his bags would be and frowned. Now he remembered what happened.

Clutch rose from his position and started to walk in the direction of the Organization. He couldn’t fight Marx without any equipment, and it would take too long to resupply and come back. The bounty would be claimed by then.

Clutch mentally laughed at the idea of Mercy, Marx’s amateur when he joined, claiming the bounty. It seemed like just yesterday the five of them were forced into mentorship. Recluse had shown him the ropes in the first few days, taken him on a job, and then they split ways.

Mercy didn’t get it so easy, Marx took him out on a few different jobs before letting him loose. Myst, Luga, and Just… they each had a week. He didn’t like to think about Luga and Just, they hadn’t understand that failure wasn’t an option…

Myst on the other hand, he’d seen walking through the forest on a few occasions the past few days. Myst was his favorite by far. He didn’t talk too much, he did what he was told, and he didn’t bother anypony. Although, come to think about it, he didn’t know too much about Myst either…

Death opened the door, stepping inside without hesitation. He looked up to O.L. who had noticed him enter.

“Death, are you done already? Hope you didn’t leave too much of a mess,” O.L. said.

“They sent a Divine,” Death said, giving him the finished contract.

“Really? I guess after Marx’s ‘mistake’ they started to bump up security… anyways, glad to see you made it back. I have another job if you’re interested,” O.L. said.

“No, I have something else planned,” Death said, the scythe on his back radiating evil energy.

“Just… don’t regret anything. I need you in top mental condition too, not scarred for life,” O.L. said, nodding his head.

“I won’t be the one that’ll be scarred,” Death said, turning and walking out of the room.

Author's Note

Here's another chapter, sorry it's a little shorter than the others. League's URF day/week/two weeks are really messing up my writing schedule, but it's too fun to stop. Tell me what you like/dislike/hate about the chapter or story in general, it helps tell me what I need to work on!

Next Time: Forgiveness, “Before, or after he took the pills?" -Twilight in the near future.

Life

Twilight tried to close the door, but a hoof stopped it from shutting completely. She backed away, not knowing if she should be scared or angry.

“I didn’t even say anything yet,” Marx said, pushing the door open.

“What are you doing here?” Twilight asked.

“Well it all started when I got this contract…” Marx said. Twilight raised her eyebrow and Marx stopped.

“Long story short, I need someplace to stay,” Marx said.

“You tried to kill us!” Twilight said.

“Just business,” Marx said.

“Tell me why I shouldn’t call the guards right now?” Twilight asked.

“Because, if you don’t let me stay here for a little while, I’ll just go ask Fluttershy. There’s no way she’ll say no… I think. I mean, I stayed over that one night… anyways, would you want the guards to charge into her house to arrest me? That’ll scar her for life,” Marx explained, putting a hoof on the door frame to steady himself.

“What’s to stop me from calling the guards if I let you stay here?” Twilight asked.

“I don’t know, that’s up to you,” Marx said, walking into the library. “Nice place you have here, how many stories?” Marx asked, chuckling lightly.

“Really?” Twilight asked, confused at his attitude.

“Don’t mind him, he’s on some painkillers right now,” Twilight heard from behind her. She turned around, almost not noticing the pony in the corner.

“How’d you get in?” Twilight asked.

“Window was open upstairs, is that a problem?” Rogue asked, tilting her head.

“Whoa now Rogue, we don’t want to kill a librarian. Isn’t that like… a crime?” Marx asked, scratching his head.

“I told you not to take three. The label said only one a day,” Rogue said, her hoof on her forehead.

“Relax… that just means I won’t have to take another one for… three hours!” Marx said.

“W-what?” Rogue asked.

“Is he okay?” Twilight asked suspiciously.

“Okay… so we might have also stopped by a bar on the way over,” Rogue responded.

Twilight looked at her like she was crazy. Considering what conversation they were having, she wouldn’t have been surprised.

“What? He needed something to wash down the pills with. It was his idea,” Rogue said, sitting down and grabbing a book off a shelf.

“Before, or after he took the pills?” Twilight asked.
“After…”
“I never gave my answer to the first question,” Twilight responded, remembering the question.

Rogue looked up from the book, her eyes locking on to Twilight’s. The sword on the floor next to her sparked with energy for a second and Twilight started to back away.

“I mean, make yourselves at home! I’ll go… over here,” Twilight said, walking upstairs to find Spike and the open window she’d heard of.

Marx sat down, looking at the floorboards as he stared into nothingness, his mind turning slowly under the influence. He looked up, the upper bookshelves had barely anything on them, and one near the door had no books shelved on it. Marx stood up, his mind almost at a standstill.

Dear Princess Celestia,
I’d like to inform you of something that’s come up in Ponyville. It would be best if you sent royal guards immediately pertaining to Marx, AKA Shadow. He is hiding in the library, currently under the influence. I believe that this time he would be easily captured. Again, if you could, send guards immediately.

Twilight signed the scroll and let Spike send it out the window in a fiery green smoke. Then, she went downstairs to see if Marx was still conscious.

Death looked down at the town below. His scythe glowed brighter with evil energy. His eyes turned a deep red as he smiled at the sight. The grass and flowers started to wilt around him as he took slow steps forward. When he walked past a tree, leaves started to fall and the branches bent downward.

Nearby, a pony watched in the shadows, his mouth in a frown as he shook his head. It was about time. At this rate, Mercy will…

The pony looked up as he saw a glimpse of a different pony walking into town. It was Mercy, and he was early. When he looked up, he also noticed the flying battalion of guards coming towards the town. At the front, were three divine guards leading five other Shadow guards and ten Dawn guards. The pony’s eyes widened as he saw the problem to come. Moving as fast as he could, he ran to intercept them before it was too late.

“Well, where’d he go?” Twilight asked, looking at Rogue who had been almost finished with her book.

“I don’t know, the bathroom? He’s got nowhere else to go. And why do you care? Did you call the guards already?” Rogue asked, closing the book.

“N-no, it’s just…” Twilight tried to say.

“You’re a terrible liar. Guess I’ll have to go find him and-,”

Rogue stopped as the door was broken down, Mercy stood there, his shape covering up almost the whole doorway as he looked around the room, his eyes stopping on Rogue.

“Where’s Marx? I heard about Clutch,” Mercy said, his face in a scowl.

“I don’t know; what am I, his babysitter?” Rogue asked.

“Well that baby owes me a fight, and I’m here to collect,” Mercy said.

“Why don’t you-,”

Mercy was pushed inside as the three Divine guards pushed in first, followed by the shadow guards. Rogue immediately stood stiff, the sword ready.

“Why does everyone think they can just come in?” Twilight asked from her position.

“We’re looking for Shadow, he’s wanted for-,” The Divine guard stopped as he saw Mercy. “You…”

“Shit,” Mercy whispered to himself as he readied the big hammer on his side. All of a sudden, there was a breeze in the room that brought an eerie feeling in the air. Dust blew in every direction and the guards covered their eyes. In the middle of the room, a figure appeared standing when the dust cleared, he was looking at Mercy and Rogue.

“I want to have some fun too,” He said, a floating purple orb circling his head.

“Myst, what are you doing here?” Mercy asked.

“Just doing my mentor a little favor, I owe him for showing me the ropes after all,” Myst said.

“Mercy, a bounty of five million bits, Myst a bounty of four million bits, and Rogue a bounty of one point five million bits. You are all under arrest,” The lead Divine guard said, all of the guards getting their weapons ready for battle.

“Not in my house!” Twilight almost yelled, her precious collection of books endangered.

Death walked into town, his eyes set on the library that he could just feel Marx was hiding in. Now, he noticed the figure of Myst teleport outside of the library, taking Rogue and Mercy without asking first. After that, he used his magic, only Death and Myst knew about Myst’s various collection of ancient magicks. Mercy and Rogue were forced to run away, the guards in the library exiting and pursuing them at high speeds.

Death’s smile was venomous, his gratitude to Myst overwhelmed by the possibilities of what would happen to Marx. Death trudged on, his steps growing heavier and his scythe feeding off the evil thoughts. Death made it to the library, his first hoof inside caused Twilight to throw away the broom she’d gotten.

“Yes?!” Twilight nearly screamed.

“Marx, come out,” Death asked, ignoring her. His voice was almost hollow.

“Those pills really did the trick, I feel great,” Marx yawned from the top book shelf. He looked down at Death, who was looking up at him.

“Shit,” Marx said, jumping down. “I don’t suppose you’re here to sell some cookies?” Marx asked, reaching for his sword.

“It’s time for you to face judgement,” Death said, taking the scythe from his side. The tip glinted in the light, and the cracks on it glowed red. Marx could tell there was something wrong.

“Looks like…” Marx said, walking towards the doorway, “you’re taking this Death thing a little too seriously. You even got an upgrade,” Marx said, referring to the scythe.

Death backed out so they could fight in the grassy field behind the library. His eyes never left Marx.

“Geez everypony thinks they can just come in if they feel like it,” Twilight said, picking up the broom and going back to cleaning up.

“Well it is a library,” Spike replied from upstairs.

Rogue had to dodge a katana swing before charging forward and slicing a Dawn Guard. Mercy used his hammer to disarm two Dawn guards, before a Shadow guard raced in and Rogue had to block the strike for him. Myst was using his orb to electrify his opponents, and making their unconscious comrades fight the others.

“Get out of my way,” Mercy said to Rogue before swinging his hammer to the Divine guard, who blocked the attack with his katana with ease. The ground cracked underneath, but the guard didn’t budge.

“You could at least say thanks,” Rogue said, jumping over a Dawn guard to hit a dazed Shadow guard. She was hit from her side and had to right herself up quickly before the katana could cut into her neck.

“Save the talking for later,” Myst said, rolling to the side to avoid the Dawn guard. He activated his magic, the air sparking around the guard before he burst into flames.

“Coming from the mute, I’m not surprised,” Mercy said, stopping a swing from a Dawn guard with his hammer, causing the dawn guard to fall backward, his head hitting a tree.

Myst activated his magic. The guard stood up and grabbed his spear before stabbing a Shadow guard in the back. Myst then had to use his orb on an approaching Divine guard, causing him to slow but not stop. He rolled to the side. His hoof was caught in the swing and started to bleed. The blood fell to the floor, Myst’s eyes glowing for a second.

“Blood moon,” Myst whispered. His horn lit up instantly. Having rolled to the side, he’d fallen in Rogue’s hearing range. She was at first confused, but then she saw the blood on the ground connect to his own and cover the ground with red. She’d heard about this before, but she didn’t know exactly what it did.

“I’ve got you covered, give ‘em hell,” Myst said.

Rogue dashed forward, her sword swinging countless times into a handful of guards. They hadn’t moved, and they were not responding to the hits other than bleed out of the wounds. Mercy raised his hammer, the hit landing on a Divine guard. He was sent sprawling out of the red area, his scream heard after he’d landed.

“What was that?” Rogue asked, as the red ground slowly changed back to normal.

“Doesn’t matter, there’s still two more,” Myst said, looking to the guards unaffected by either of their attacks. There were only two more Dawn guards, one more Shadow guard, and the last two Divine guards that looked almost untouched. They rushed forward, Rogue sliding back from the pressure of his attack. Mercy didn’t block fast enough, his side getting two cuts before he could block.

“Until death… I will fight!” Rogue heard from the side. She had to dodge to avoid the swing. The previous Divine guard had returned, his head and eyes bleeding from the hit he’d taken.

“Make that three,” Myst said, his horn glowing.

Death looked at Marx, his eyes now glowing a bright blood red. The wind blew softly as Marx held his gaze, the sword ready to strike. Now, he pointed it to the sky as he sighed.

“No matter how this ends, I’m not going to think any less of you. I won’t ask for mercy, and I won’t show any to you. Today one of us will die, I need to make that clear…” Marx said, hoping Dalen hadn’t lost his mind completely. They were friends before, after all.

“Enough, It’s time I killed you already,” Death said, getting impatient.

“The day I die… I’ll remember one thing,” Marx recited.

Death flinched, those words hit deep in his past. Back when they were in the orphanage, they’d use it as a secret code. His eyes flickered from bright red to grey and back. The scythe dulled its glow before glowing even brighter than before.

“A friend like you is better than nothing at all,” Marx said, lowering his sword towards Death.

Death felt the scythe’s grip on his mind force through the emotions as his rage intensified. He charged forward, the scythe cutting the air at lightning speeds. Marx brought the sword up to block, the impact causing sparks to burst out of the weapons. The red and green sparks singed his face as he pushed forward and backed away.

Marx charged forward, hoping Death wouldn’t anticipate it. When he brought the sword up, he noticed the scythe coming towards his hooves. Marx jumped, spinning in the air to slash at Death. He managed to slice into his shoulder, before falling to the ground and having to pick himself up.

Death didn’t even react to the cut as he charged to Marx, the scythe following behind. He brought it up, bringing it down to where Marx was standing. Marx jumped away, Death stopping the scythe in midair and headed towards him.

Marx couldn’t stop his midair flight as Death’s scythe had a mind of its own and sliced into his side. Marx fell to the ground, his side oozing the red liquid. He had to roll away as Death’s scythe came down for another swing.

Marx limped, his hoof injured from the fall and his side hurt from the cut. Now, Death was grinning, there was blood coming out of his eyes. His mouth had blood sliding down the side. He didn’t look the same. Now Marx realized that his old friend was gone. The only thing he saw, was a demon on a rampage. It was about time he ended that rampage.

Marx stopped his limp, the pain nothing compared to what he was planning to show to Death. Marx charged forward, the blade in front of him as he went into a stabbing motion. Death didn’t move as he brought the scythe up to knock away the blade. Marx pushed off the ground, his leg painfully obeying as he took a leap at Death. No matter how fast he’d moved, Death couldn’t have blocked the fast paced strike.

Marx slashed the torso of Death before bringing the sword back, slashing again at the torso. Finally, a bloody ‘X’ marked where he planned to stab the tip of the blade. As Marx drove the blade forward, Death brought the deadly scythe down from the heavens and into Marx’s back.

“Marx!” Rogue called, her face bloody but she could still see what was going on just fine from her position overlooking the battle.

Marx coughed up blood as he stood there. His blade successfully into Death’s chest, but the tip of Death’s scythe was protruding out of his stomach as he struggled to breathe. In front of him, Death had gone quiet. His eyes were no longer red, as his grasp on the scythe weakened.

Death had a streak of blood at the corner of his mouth. He was smiling, his slow and ragged breaths entering Marx’s hearing as the sound of blood drops filled the quiet air. Marx could feel his eyesight start to falter as he continued watching Death’s mouth move.

“I’m sorry, I wish it could have… been different,” Death said, his breathing slowing nearly to a standstill. Marx was also starting to close his eyes.

“Me too,” Marx said, his hooves going limp and the two of them falling to the cold ground. The sun shone on their bodies. A crowd had gathered around, they looked sickened at the state of the scene.

Rogue stood on the edge of the crowd, she wanted to run in and do something. Somehow she just knew. She knew that Marx had really died. On her left, Mercy stood there, his cold gaze was on the bodies as well. Myst was behind them both, his face hidden from the others by his hood.

“I’m sorry,” Mercy said, not knowing what to say, “But business is business.”

“Business huh…” Rogue repeated, her voice growing cold.

“This wasn’t just business… there’s something you should know,” Myst said, teleporting the three of them away, again without consent. Rogue wouldn’t have argued anyways, her voice was gone and the look in her eye had changed.

As the crowd looked upon the bodies, they saw a blur of light above the gruesome scene. The blurs were moving, as well as the scythe that was protruding from Marx’s body. The scythe lifted into the air, disappearing as it left Marx’s body. Then, the body of Death had decayed, turning grey and becoming ashes before their eyes.

Marx’s body turned a bright white as it vanished from thin air. The crowd was confused, as the weapons had also left with the bodies. There was no trace anything had happened today, other than the blood puddles behind the library, and the 11 guard bodies lying against the trees. None of them were breathing.

Author's Note

'Judgment comes after Death, but is determined during Life.' This is probably my second favorite chapter, not because it's well written (oh god, no), but because I'm a fan of dying main characters. Don't worry, the story doesn't end there, and of course we can't have a chapter be called life if the character dies for good, can we?

Next Time: The Conspiracy! Welcome to the CRG! (I blame my editor for making me watch that anime)

Rebirth

Here lies the damned. The trained and the strong. The one who was led down a path of decay. Here lies Marx, the Fallen.

These were the words Marx saw float past his head as he gazed into the space around him. The sky and air everywhere he saw was a brilliant blur of a rainbow. Around him, the air was neither cold nor hot. Marx could hear whispers as his hearing started to come back to him.

“Well… tell him,” A soft voice said.

Marx turned around, seeing the two figures standing behind him. One was grim faced with a pale and bloody coat, his mane looked as dark as the night. He held a scythe at his side, the cracks and dried blood reminding him of Dalen’s scythe. Still, this looked like a more twisted Death than Dalen could ever have been. The wings at his side as well as the horn that looked as sharp as a blade made him take a step back from this pony.

“Marx, there’s something you need to know,” He said, his voice was dark and menacing. It had a hint of uncertainty, but that was barely audible.

“Who are you?” Marx asked, curious as to the nature of this pony as well as what was going on. If he remembered right… he’d died.

“You might know me as the Grim Reaper, Death, or even some cruel version of a god. In fact, I only hold half of those titles,” He said, glancing over to the pony next to him.

Marx looked at the mare next to him. Her features were soft, including her face that caused Marx to stare. Her pure white coat gleamed in a light that he couldn’t see. Her mane blew in a breeze that he didn’t feel. Her eye had a glint that made him gasp as he was speechless. Finally, her scythe poked out from her back, the white and light blue blade shining in the clear air. Her horn and wings were almost overlooked by his eyes.

“Don’t try to put any of this on me,” She said, her light and soft voice causing Marx’s heart to skip a beat.

“Anyways…” Death said, noticing Marx’s stare. “I’m in charge of reaping souls that have done wrong. Those that can’t be saved and must live a life worse than experiencing death. They are my property.”

“And I reap those of good intent; the ponies who didn’t deserve to die, and the ones who deserved a better life. They are my property,” She said, giving Marx a cold stare that caused him to take another step back.

“You’re the first problem we’ve had since Discord’s reign,” Death said, his voice echoing in the space around Marx.

“Problem?” Marx asked.

“You live to kill, a walking reaper. You are as ruthless as you’re told, and you care little for those you are forced to exterminate,” Death said.

“Yet you find remorse in everyday life. You question your orders, but always fill them out. That is, until recently,” She said, taking a step closer.

“Killing those six would have brought on a century of disorder and destruction. It was the last step for your fate to be sealed in the pits of Tartarus. Hell, if you killed even one the balance of the world would have tilted,” Death said.

“By failing, you could still be saved and redeemed as a child of good,” She said.

“But you killed a pony before you died,” Death said.

“It was in self defense,” She said, “And you felt remorse.”

“Meaning…” Death started.

“We don’t know where you belong,” She finished.

Marx looked to both of them, their words taking a few seconds to hit home. Finally, he looked confused. What was he supposed to do? Prove he was good or bad? Give them a reason to send him to Tartarus? What they’ve said so far is true, and they have every right to do as they please. They were gods of death after all.

“This was his fault,” She said, motioning to Death after noticing Marx’s confusion, “He’s the reason you’re here. Before, you were going to come with me as fate decided, but then he sent that pony after you. He broke a sacred mortal law, and thus, you will not be punished.”

“What?” Marx asked.

“Don’t think you’re in the clear yet,” Death said bitterly.

“We can’t take you until you’ve followed a path you’ve chosen, not one we’ve set out for you. So, we will need to give you a second chance. This time, we expect you to make the best of it,” She said.

“That means…?” Marx asked.

“The next time you die, expect not to come back,” She said.

“Will I remember all of this?” Marx asked.

“Yes, but if you tell anypony, we’ll send you straight to Tartarus before you can finish your sentence,” She said. “I’ll be waiting,” She said, activating her magic.

Marx couldn’t respond as the air started to morph. The ground fell out from under him as the sky turned dark. He could still hear her voice in his head as he left his state of subconscious.

“The Canterlot Red Guard?” Rogue asked Myst.

“Yes, they’re responsible for all of it. I had to connect the dots, but I’m absolutely sure about it now,” Myst said.

“What does that have to do with anything?” Mercy asked.

“It means, that the Elements weren’t his only targets. They were simply the only targets he couldn’t get himself. Now, I fear the worst,” Myst said.

“How are we going to stop them?” Rogue asked.

“I have O.L. backing me up, all we need is Boss’ permission to gather the rest of the Organization and we can get moving,” Myst said.

“So, what’s the problem?” Mercy asked.

“If we go through with this, the Organization might not stay hidden anymore. We’ll become targets too, and the consequences are worse than the benefits. If we don’t succeed… we could be completely wiped out within days,” Myst said.

“But we’ll do it, we’ve got the power,” Mercy said.

“Maybe before… but we just lost Dalen and Marx…” Rogue said, looking towards the ground as she did.

“That’s why Boss is going to have to seriously think about this. If we win, all we’ll get is recognition and maybe some good publicity. I don’t know if any other powers are going to help us with this. The royal guards will have to help us eventually, as well as the Zebras, but there just isn’t enough to stop an entire Changeling army, much less the inevitable queen,” Myst said.

“This Red Guard… why are they doing this?” Rogue asked.

“Money, power, hell they’ve got a lot more reasons to do this than we have to stop them,” Mercy said.

“Aren’t we glad Marx failed that contract?” Myst asked sarcastically, before putting a hoof on his mouth and looking to Rogue. She was gone.

Marx opened his eyes, the cool breeze of the night hit his mane as he looked at the moon’s glow. His eyes were transfixed on the light. He didn’t want to move, but the sound of rustling leaves brought him back to reality.

Marx stood up, stretching his hooves as he did. They were stiff but full of energy. He was alive too, and he was thankful for that. Now, he looked at his surroundings. There was a river on his right, the forest on his left. In front of him stood a cottage. Suddenly, he knew where he was. He saw Fluttershy just as she came running from the dark Everfree Forest.

Marx heard and saw the Timberwolves as they burst from the foliage behind her. His blade was out before he started to step forward. His weapons were still on him, thankfully. He also noticed that there was an extra weight tied to his back that he’d have to check on. He stepped to Fluttershy, her eyes still closed as she ran away. She hadn’t seen him.

Marx jumped over her, bringing the sword down as he landed on a Timberwolf. He’d gotten the one in the front, causing the others in the pack to stop and evaluate what was happening. Marx quickly decapitated the leader, bringing his sword up to the others. Before they could contemplate attacking, Marx was on them. One, two, three. They all fell like flies as he showed no mercy and sap covered his blade and half of his face.

Marx broke apart the last one before running into the bushes. He hid behind a tree before he looked out towards the cottage. Fluttershy was opening the door, wondering where the Timberwolves had gone. Marx felt proud of himself, putting away the sword as he caught his breath. He’d probably been at the peak of his rest. Maybe she should get more rest, and then he’d really be badass.

Marx grabbed the weight off his back and found it slid out of a sheath. He pulled it beside him, and realized quickly that it was a scythe. More importantly, it was Death’s old scythe. The shaft was broken in half, and Marx didn’t know what had caused it. What was left was mostly the blade and half of the shaft, but he reasoned it could still be used as a short ranged weapon. He put it back in the sheath it had come with and decided he might use it.

“Just a little reminder,” Marx heard a familiar soft voice say from behind him. He turned, but he didn’t see anypony as the air around him shimmered. He looked down at his hooves, noticing the slight blue aura radiating from it. It intensified for a few seconds, and then stayed at that hue and slowly dissipated.

Marx smiled to himself as he thanked the gods of death for being so nice. Now, he could easily tell how bad/good he’s been. Of course, it might also bring anxiety and could ultimately cause his only downfall, but it’s the thought that counts. Marx washed the sap off his face in the river before getting in a bush. He laid his head down, preparing himself to sleep and hopefully feel even stronger.

Marx opened his eyes. The forest was dark and he could hear sounds all around him. There was no immediate danger, but something was off. He stood up, careful not to make too much noise. Marx walked forward, once again noticing the slightly larger weight on his back. He saw the cottage and realized there was something off about it. The lights were off.

Marx looked up to see the moon was starting to go down. Fluttershy wouldn’t be awake at a time like this. He walked to the window, ready to look inside and see what was wrong. Before he could poke his head inside the window, there was a crash and the door burst open.

A figure ran from the open doorway and towards the forest. There was a large bag at his side, and it was moving. Marx dashed forward, his sheathed blade in his mouth as he ran full force to catch up. When he was close, he dropped the blade into his hoof while his mouth reached out and grabbed the tail of the mystery pony.

The mystery pony was stopped in his tracks and fell to the ground. The bag slid across the ground and went quiet. Marx stood above the figure with the blade pointed at where he thought the head would be. It was too dark to see any details, just silhouettes and outlines.

“Whoa, who the hell are you?” The pony asked. It was a masculine voice with a touch of fear in his tone. Good, at least it wasn’t a professional killer. They wouldn’t utter a word unless forced to.

“What are you doing?” Marx asked. He tried to talk in a deep tone to hide as best as he could his actual voice. No pony would know that he was alive and kicking.

“Nothing man, I’m just doing my job,” The pony asked. Marx could tell there was more than just a job he was doing.

“What’s your job?” Marx asked.

Marx heard a gulp before the pony replied. “Alright, you got me. I’m stealing laundry,” The pony said.

The bag that had went quiet was now rustling again. Marx could see that the pony’s head turned towards the sound. Marx turned the blade, using the slight moonlight to glint down at his prey. The pony gulped again before nervously laughing.

“The truth,” Marx said in a dark tone. He wasn’t playing anymore. He gave up trying to hide his voice and decided to get his point across.

“Or what, you’ll get the sheriff on me?” The pony responded, apparently forgetting about the blade in front of him.

Marx sheathed the sword quickly and brought out the scythe on his back. Now, the thicker part of the blade easily caught the light and Marx brought it close to the pony’s throat. “I could always kill you…” Marx said even more devilishly than before.

“Okay, okay! I’m getting paid to kidnap this one mare, are you happy?” The pony asked.

“I could have guessed that, now… who’s paying you?” Marx asked.

“Listen, I can’t tell you that. Just go get the sheriff and we’ll be on our ways,” The pony tried to reason.

“If you want to be breathing in the morning, you’ll tell me what I want to know,” Marx said, getting impatient. The pony was quiet for a second before he whispered something. Then he spoke up when Marx squinted his eyes.

“The Canterlot Red Guard, they’re paying me. C’mon, can I go now?” The pony asked.

“One more question, where can I find them,” Marx asked.

“Just outside of Canterlot. There’s a big barn where they gave me the job. They said when I finish to bring them there. That’s all I know,” The pony said, sounding like he was quivering with the scythe so close.

Marx pulled the scythe back slightly, but asked one more question. “Them?” Marx asked.

“They said that there were three ponies I should be getting in this town. She was the last one before I was finished,” The pony responded without hesitation now, as if he recognized who he was talking to.

“Did you take the other two yet?” Marx asked.

“Only the first one, I was going to take the other two at the same time to save myself some trouble,” The pony said.

“Where’s the second one stashed?” Marx asked.

“Look, I can take you there, but you have to let me go after I show you. I’m probably going to be fired anyways now,” The pony said.

Marx sighed, but he agreed to the terms. He let the pony get up and walk in the direction of the forest. Marx quickly went to the side and used the scythe to cut the top of the big bag that had been moving. When he cut it, there was a softly coughing Fluttershy who looked up at him, but she couldn’t see him clearly because of the darkness.

“Get back to bed,” Marx whispered before running towards the pony. He caught up quickly and turned around to see Fluttershy running toward the town instead of her cottage. Marx made sure the pony in front of him had no weapons and that he didn’t try to escape.

After a few minutes of walking, the pony stopped and pointed to a tree ahead of them. Marx looked up and, sure enough, there was a second, identical bag held up in the branches of the tree. The pony jumped onto the tree and found hoof holds that weren’t there to grab onto. It was like watching a spider as he made his way to the top. When he grabbed the bag, he slid to the bottom and dropped it like a rock onto the ground. It was squirming and Marx wondered who would be inside.

“Alright, I’m out of here. See you later Marx,” The pony said, offering his hoof. Marx had to respect this pony. He knew when he was beaten. Also, the pony had kept his end of the bargain, so Marx bumped hooves with him and was going to let him run into the forest. As he turned to face a tree, he said one more thing, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anypony about this,” Marx saw him walk into the tree and disappear in front of his eyes. Marx knew that if the pony had attempted to run off, he would have easily gotten away.

Marx suddenly felt like he knew that pony from somewhere, but he couldn’t place it. Marx then realized what the pony had said as a farewell. He knew his name. He said he wouldn’t tell anyone. There were only a handful of ponies that knew both his name and what he looked like. They all lived in the Organization. Who would be glad to see him…?

“Recluse?” Marx asked himself before remembering the bag at his hooves. He bent down and repeated what he did with the last one. When he cut the top, he saw a dark shade of purple as well as some noticeable white in the darkness. There was only one combination like that he’d seen recently.

“Rarity?” Marx asked, as he took the bag off the rest of her.

Rarity was squirming from inside the bag, and she must not have recognized his voice right away, because she thought he was there to save her. She was struggling with the tape on her mouth, so Marx took out the blade and used the tip to peel off one edge and then pull away. The metal feeling must’ve caused Rarity to notice who was saving her, because her eyes went wide.

“Ahhh!” She screamed, seeing Marx’s face as a cloud above moved to allow for moonlight to clearly hit his face. She saw the new, deadly scythe on his back and she was about to faint. Marx put his hoof on her hair, and she stopped herself. There was something different about him.

“Fluttershy needs comforting back in Ponyville, she’s been the least annoying of you six, so I want you to go comfort her. You never saw me, and the last thing you want is to say that I saved you. So get out of here,” Marx said not too commanding, yet with force behind his words.

Marx dashed into the shadows and turned back to see if she’d comply. Rarity ran towards the town, and Marx caught a glance at something glinting on Rarity’s horn as she ran. There was only one person he knew that would be able to make that. If that was what he thought it was, then it was definitely Recluse he’d just stumbled across. Only he was skilled enough to make magic cancelling clear strips, as well as teleportation strips.

Marx looked down to his hooves, noticing a slight light on his them. The light blue aura returned briefly, before being replaced by a light red one. It settled in the red and then faded away. Marx could tell that he’d done something wrong.

“Honestly, you threaten one pony…” Marx said before turning and heading towards the direction of Canterlot to get his answers.

Author's Note

There are some people that wanted a short story, and others who wanted a longer one. I'm having too much fun, but I really need to focus my attention on the rewrite. I'm going to continue in a seperate story after i finish the rewrite or a little bit before then. Still, I'd be glad to know what you guys think of the idea of two gods. More description of my headcannon for death in equestria will show up in a later story altogether, cause it's too much to explain in this story.

Next Time: The Battlefield, this isn't your everyday COD anymore.

Hunting Grounds

The light from the sun was fading. Most of the land was being covered in darkness. The only reprieve from the darkness was the moon that was rising into the sky. The clouds were also rolling in front of the moon, only adding to the darkness. The barn in front of him lost its red color to be replaced by the black of the night.

Marx was sitting on top of his hill, watching the activity below. He had gotten here not too long ago, but decided that he’d make sure the residents weren’t expecting him. They didn’t look very friendly however, as the majority of those coming and going had scars and angry faces, as well as not-so hidden weapons.

Marx stood up from his position as the moon hit the center of the sky. There was one thing he knew about this place. Whoever was in charge was trying to do something big. You can’t put a hit on the elements of harmony for just any reason. If there was any way he could get his karma in the good, stopping them would be the best bet.

Marx made his way down the hill quickly. His eyes were set on the barn, but he would check to make sure none of the guards would see him. Marx was now standing in front of the barn. The doors were closed, but he could hear voices coming from within. Marx took out one of his spring razor traps and dug a hole in the ground. After it was set up, he swung the doors wide open. There was no point in going in stealthy.

The doors creaked open, causing all conversation to stop. Marx was standing in the entrance, his crossbow out and loaded. The room was filled with ponies of all three races, as well as with weapons that lined the floors and walls covered with extra weapons. All except one wall. There was a staircase leading up to the second floor, where Marx could see paper was put up on one wall, with tough looking guards looking down at him.

“Welcome, I didn’t think we’d be seeing you again, Marx,” A voice called. Marx looked up and saw that it was his contractor up above that called him out. He was smiling, but that smile turned into a frown. “Kill him,” He finished.

The sound of metal filled the air as weapons of all varieties rose up. Marx stepped to the side of an incoming arrow and fired his crossbow blindly into the crowd. Suddenly the giant crowd charged towards him, some spinning flails and others sprinting with javelins. Marx backed up into the wide expanse of a moonlit field behind him. This was going to be a while.

“You idiots, he’s a professional mercenary, attack in a group, not one at a time!” The leader called out to his guards. Marx had his sword out, the blade dripping blood. There were already a few bodies on the ground, and Marx wasn’t even out of breath yet.

Marx ducked an axe swing as he slashed at the legs of the attacking pony. He continued with an upward swing that grazed the pony’s hoof and caused him to drop his axe. Marx kicked off him to dodge the swing of a longsword. He landed on his hooves and blocked the next swing. Marx dropped to the ground as he heard the sound of hoof steps behind him. The pony stumbled on Marx’s body and fell forward, his flail landing on his head.

Marx rolled back up only to have to sidestep an arrow. He gave one glance at his sword before throwing it in a line at the archer. The archer was too surprised to react and was cut in the throat in an instant. Marx grabbed the flail from the fallen pony and used it to parry an approaching stab from a dagger. He swung it quickly at the assailant’s knees and caused him to drop.

Marx swung the flail faster than he should have and sent the whole weapon towards a pony coming from behind. The pony dropped a spear as he fell from the blunt blow. Marx rolled forward and dodged a halberd as he grabbed the spear and stabbed the halberdier in the back of the leg. The halberdier bent down, but he didn’t fall. Marx spun the spear to stop a throwing knife and instead of stopping his spin, he sent it towards the halberdier’s back, causing him to fall forward.

Marx pulled the scythe from off his back and immediately sent it into the pony with the longsword’s neck. Marx pulled it back out only to have to block an incoming shortsword swing. Just as he was getting ready to swing, he felt pain in his shoulder. Marx saw the red liquid as it rolled down to his hooves. Marx turned around and sent the scythe into the guilty pony’s chest, a streak of blood flying into the air and spraying on Marx.

Marx ducked a swing from the shortsword before swinging the blood stained scythe at the pony. Another cry of pain and Marx had taken down yet another foe. Before he could prepare himself, there was another sting of pain as Marx’s hoof gave out. There was a deep gash that Marx could see. Behind him, a pony was getting ready for another swing with the curved blade.

Marx disarmed him with the scythe. When he went for the finishing blow, his scythe was knocked out of his hooves by a small projectile. His hooves were in pain from the disarmament. Marx rolled to the side of a battleaxe landing next to him. His hooves were near the halberd that the other pony had. Marx stepped with a lot of force on the handle side of the halberd.

Just when the battleaxe pony was swinging forward again, Marx made contact and the halberd shot up in front of him. Marx grabbed it and quickly beheaded the battleaxe to just a pole. Marx continued his swing and managed to cut and wound a few hesitant enemies. Marx was panting from his exhaustion of the heavy weapons, but there were still a handful of guards left. These guards didn’t look as easily beaten as the others as they stepped on bodies to get to him.

“Finish him!” The leader called from inside.

The five remaining guards didn’t hesitate to charge at once. Marx dropped the dead weight of the halberd and dashed away to not get caught in the center. He raced to the barn doors and jumped in. When one of the guards pursued with his wings, Marx grinned under his racing breath. When the sound of the Wing razor didn’t register, his grin turned into a frown.

“You had one job,” Marx muttered under his breath as he looked around for a new weapon. All the weapons on the walls had been taken, and now Marx regretted dropping the halberd. As the Pegasus reached him, Marx realized the pony was holding one of the Dawn Guard’s spears.

Marx waited for the Pegasus to lunge forward. Time seemed to slow as the spear inched closer to him. Just when it looked like he was going to be hit, Marx used his hoof to knock the spear towards the ground, stopping the Pegasus’ momentum and causing him to fly forward without his spear. Marx grabbed the spear and put up a defensive stance.

Marx turned to face the approaching four guards. The one with a Shadow Guard’s Rapier stepped forward, bringing the rapier towards Marx like he’d used it all his life. When Marx tried to parry, the rapier was brought immediately back for another strike. Marx only managed to block the attacks and jump back the first moment he got. As the next barrage of strikes came, Marx noticed the complete opening.

Marx was scraped on the side of his face and backed away once again. This time, Marx switched the spear to be held dominantly on his left side instead of his right. When the Rapier came, it never reached halfway towards him. The rapier was in air as the spear stuck out of the pony’s body and came in at a forty five degree angle. The rapier dropped to the ground and the pony fell back, the spear sticking out and leaking blood everywhere.

Marx picked up the rapier as the remaining three guards regained their composure. They had silently agreed to let them duel it out. Now, Marx turned to the one in the front and was about to attack until there was a slight click sound. Marx instinctively dropped to the ground as a spear headed bolt shot above him. When he looked up, the remaining three guards were falling to the floor with bolts sticking out of them. One had two because he tried to dodge. He wasn’t very good at dodgeball growing up.

Marx picked himself off the ground, his body suddenly realizing how much stress he put on it in so short of a time. Marx looked up to where the leader was, his face in disgust as moans could be heard in the background. Marx walked up the steps slowly, his breathing quick but under control. When he reached the top, he noticed that there was somepony in the shadows. In the corner opposite him, Marx saw the glint of a blade as it left its sheath.

“Moravia, kill that son of a bitch!” The leader called out. His own blade was sheathed, and he didn’t look like he had any intention to use it. The pony in the corner, however, immediately stepped out of the shadows. Her coat was a light orange, and her mane was a bright but dirty red. She didn’t smile as her blade was held expertly in front of her.

“Get out of my way, I have no quarrels with you,” Marx said quietly. He could already feel his red aura deepening from the bloodshed he’d committed. Nothing please these gods, apparently.

“Neither have I with you,” Moravia said. She had a soft tone, but her eyes looked blurred and lifeless. When she had her blade out, it was almost like she didn’t enjoy what she was about to do.

‘Welcome to the club,’ Marx thought as she made the first move.

Marx was immediately alarmed. She didn’t look fast or strong, but he barely had time to react to the stab. Marx tried to knock the sword away, but she only clashed blades and forced him back. When Marx swung to attack, she dodged the attack like she knew it was coming. Then, something caught his eyes when she turned to dodge. There was something illuminating on her neck.

Marx backed up, curious. “What’s that on your neck?” Marx felt like an amateur, asking questions during a fight. He was really curious though. (Not to mention they do it in anime all the time).

Moravia flinched from the question before Marx heard the leader’s voice in the background. “Don’t just stand there, do as I say! Kill him!” The leader called out. Marx noticed that Moravia’s neck glowed once more as she charged forward.

Marx had to block and dodge the flurry of swings, but he noticed the whole time that Moravia’s emotion never changed. She had a blank face to go with her emotionless eyes. When Marx managed to counter her upward swing, he cut the left side of her face and caused blood to start pouring out. The blood went into her left eye and she had to close it.

“Don’t you feel pain?” Marx was mentally puzzled by her lack of emotion. She did clench her teeth, but that was about it. Then, Marx heard the reason.

“Idiot, she’ll do what I say until she dies! No matter how much you cut her, she’ll fight until either one of you falls. Even if you both die, it won’t stop my plans,” The leader said.

“This isn’t a fucking anime, stop giving me facts about the fight... Actually, is she under your control?” Marx asked. Now that Moravia had turned her head to look directly at him with her right eye, Marx could see the markings on her neck. It was a symbol that glowed brighter when she was given directions. Just then, he could see something. It was a flicker of the eyes as she looked from the leader to him.

Marx had a thought itching in the back of his head. This mare didn’t want to fight, she was being used. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he killed her, actually he would, he’s done much worse, but that’s not the point. Not that it was the wrong thing to do, but you know, karma wise that really would make him go red. Marx thought he remembered something when he was little. It was a long time ago, and he could barely remember what was said.

“Changelings all follow one queen. She controls them all with a mark on their necks,” The voice said. It was a scholarly voice and Marx remembered having a book under his hooves as it was being said. They were being taught this when they were growing up.

“But then the changelings can’t do what they want to do,” Rogue asked.

“Precisely Rogue, although… when she doesn’t tell the changelings what to do for an extended period of time, they get their freedom until she calls on them again,”

“So it’s like having a slave from the olden times?” Marx asked, remembering what they’d learned a few weeks prior.

“I want a slave, then I can do what I want and my slave will get punished for it,” Dalen said enthusiastically.

“Slaves are no joking matter. Also, If the queen chose to, she could give a pony a special mark that lets them have their own slaves, although there is no reason why she would do that,” The teacher said.

“Still, there’s a chance,” Dalen said, not being deterred.

“If the queen lets a pony have his own slave, will the slave have to do everything the pony says?” Rogue asked.

“Of course, although ponies are only limited to one slave. They simply don’t have enough energy to control more than that,” The teacher said.

“It takes energy to control slaves?” Dalen asked, “I’m going to get a lot of energy so I can have hundreds!”

“The queen has a lot of energy so she can do that, but ponies can’t get that much unless you’re an alicorn. When you run out of energy, the slave gets their own free will until you get more, that’s why the queen lets the changelings do what they want sometimes, because otherwise she’ll run out of energy and things could get out of hand,” The teacher explained.

“I’m not going to let my slaves have any free roam, I’m going to chain them up and put them in a cage when I’m not using them, then I’ll get my energy back before letting them out,” Dalen said, an evil grin on his face.

“You’re one messed up colt, you know that?” The teacher asked Dalen. “I think things have gotten out of hand… why don’t you kids go take a break for now?” The teacher asked. A cheer erupted in the room before the kids departed for outside.

“I didn’t want a slave anyway…” Dalen said to himself as he filed out of the room. Marx could tell he was hurt by the teacher’s statement.

Marx looked over to the leader; his face was distorted in insanity and bloodlust. Well if he wanted bloodlust, then Marx would give it to him. Since when he was a kid, he further learned what slaves were. After he learned their true uses in the olden times, he’d suppressed learning about it, but now he was glad he remembered that information. There were a few things he opposed, and this was one of them.

Marx threw the rapier at Moravia, where she quickly deflected it. Moravia rushed forward, seeing Marx was unarmed. “Yes, kill him!” The leader cried as Marx reached his hoof back up. The crossbow was already strapped on and loaded. The crossbow raised and pointed at the leader who showed fear as Marx pushed the trigger. He wouldn’t be able to react fast enough.

Marx didn’t hesitate to fire, but he could feel the pain as Moravia’s blade cut deep into his side and part of his chest in one quick swing. As Marx fell to the ground, he knew that he was going to die. Even still, he fell with a smile towards Moravia as the light on her neck pulsated.

Then just like that, the emotions in the room had shifted. Marx could feel for the first time in a long time that he was content with dying. Even if his red aura was redder than the blood pouring rapidly out of his body, he had at least saved one person in this foolish attempt. It was selfish and he secretly hated himself for only coming to get good karma. Moravia on the other hand, dropped the blade and looked towards the leader who was on the floor, unmoving. Now, she ran down the steps to a cabinet on the wall.

Inside the cabinet were bandages and other first aid equipment. She grabbed a few rolls and ran back up to Marx. After careful administration of the bandages, she checked his heart beat. There was no pulse. As she continued listening, there was a ghostly echo in the room.

Two ghostly figures were standing above Marx and Moravia, both with frowns on their faces. When Moravia started to cry, the one with a bloody scythe stepped forward. “Wait,” The other called. She put a hoof up to stop him and waited.

“He’s dead, you know,” The reaper of death said quietly. The reaper of life beside him said nothing as she continued watching. Finally, Moravia put her hoof on Marx. Her eyes were hollow now, and the tears stopped flowing. She muttered a few words under her breath before a rush of energy visually left her and entered Marx.

“No way,” The reaper of death said. He took a step back as Moravia put her ear to Marx’s chest again. She heard a faint thump. Moravia sighed before sitting back and applying the rest of the bandages.

“Looks like Marx cheated us again,” The reaper of life said with a small smile on her face.

“Still, I can take this guy, can’t I?” The reaper of death asked, pointing to the leader’s body.

“By all means, I’ll be glad to see his soul in Tartarus. But I’m getting really interested in what’s going on in the mortal world. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen somepony like her,” Moravia was shedding tears again as Marx’s heartbeat reached normal levels. “I think I might have some fun myself…” The reaper of life said.

Rogue looked across the forest hill towards the faded red barn below. Immediately, she gasped. The ground below was red with blood and weapons dotted the ground of bodies. She rushed forward with two others behind her. They too, were shocked at what they saw.

The three of them, Rogue, Myst, and O.L. entered the barn. They reached the stop stairs to find only one body on the ground.

“That’s him,” O.L. said to the others. “Guess he got what was coming,”

“O.L., is this what you were looking for?” Myst asked. He was looking at a wall with papers stuck to it. Beneath the wall were rolls of paper and a sheathed golden sword.

O.L. went to the rolls and studied them before looking at the wall. He scratched his chin before nodding. “It’s worse than I thought. This isn’t the only group in league with the changelings. There’s got to be at least ten more. And…” O.L. raised an eyebrow at a drawing that was on the wall.

“And what? Ten of these guys wouldn’t be so bad,” Rogue said.

“And there are two in griffin territory and one in zebra territory. This is going to be a full on war,” O.L. said slowly.

“How long until it starts?” Myst asked, surprised at the information.

“It could be months… or days…,” O.L. said.

“Then let’s get going,” Rogue said. She walked down the steps while O.L. collected the paper off the wall and put the scrolls in his bags. Rogue stopped when she saw a body on the floor with a wooden bow next to him.

Rogue stared at the body for a second. She felt something was off, even more off than the ground that was littered with bodies. It didn’t register with her instantly. It took something Myst said next to her for her to realize what it was.

“Can’t believe somebody beat us to it.” Myst said, kicking the body in front of Rogue.

Rogue squinted her eyes. “Recluse has some explaining to do,”

Author's Note

Alternate Ending was cancelled, that's all I'm going to say. Reason: I'll explain it another time.
In other news, I'll be working on side stories that will eventually lead up to the next continuation of this story. Hope you enjoyed so far, but i need to do something different for once. I've got an agenda now and I don't want to fall behind.

Next Story: Contract is over, What now? And what's my Name?

Cold Blooded

The waves were throwing themselves onto the shore. The water covered the shore for seconds before being thrown back into the sea. Again and again it happened. The waves had no worries, they had a single objective. Then, the sound of hoof steps entered the ear of the waiting earth pony. He looked away from the shore and sighed. He had a job to do.

Marx was never ungrateful. He was given a task, he completed the task, and then he was paid. That was all he did. So why did it feel like he could do so much more? This was all he was given, and it was better than being left alone. But, that’s the problem. He felt alone almost every day now. Only for brief hours at a time did he feel something more.

Now wasn’t the time for that though, because he had a task. Marx pulled out his small crossbow from his side. He slid his hoof through the strap and made sure it was tight. Then, he pulled out a bolt about four inches long and half an inch in length from his bags. Looking at the tip, he gave another sigh. Orders were orders.

Marx slid the arrow into the crossbow and looked down the sights. Beside the shore was a path that led to a bridge. The hoof steps sounded closer and sure enough, a figure was crossing the bridge. The wooden planks on the bridge echoed his steps just enough for him to hear. Marx had his sights on the figure and waited for him to reach the end of the bridge.

Marx felt a breeze hit his face and calculated for the wind speed. He moved his hoof closer to the trigger that would release the arrow. The hoof steps grew quiet and Marx pushed the trigger. He pulled the crossbow back into the strap on his side. Marx got up and walked towards the path. He could hear the sounds of pain.

Marx approached the squirming body of his target. The arrow had his knee and he was desperately trying to stop the bleeding.

“Help, please! It hurts so much,” The pony said.

“Next time, don’t try to scam a scam artist,” Marx said, grabbing the bags from the fallen pony.

“Please no, I’m sorry. I’ll give it back, just help me!” The pony pleaded.

“You’re not gonna die, maybe. But I’m being paid to take that chance,” Marx said, pulling the ruby necklace out of the bag.

“But what about… wait, paid? You’re not the one I scammed that from?” The pony asked, forgetting about his pain for a second.

“No, but he wanted to teach you a lesson, cause he’s paying me more than this junk,” Marx said, examining the ruby necklace.

“Can you take me to… a hospital? Please… I’m bleeding out,” The pony said, not squirming as much as before.

“Sorry, not in my contract, but I’ll see what I can do,” Marx said, putting the necklace in his bag and walking across the bridge.

Marx heard silence for the next few minutes. The bridge was about to end when he saw a pair of other ponies about to cross. He stopped them before they crossed.

“I think I heard someone calling for help on the other side, but I’m in a hurry so if you know any healing magic, see if he needs it,” Marx said to the stallion. The mare looked at him like he was crazy but Marx continued walking. His contract didn’t say anything on this.

Marx walked down the path taking routes that others wouldn’t normally take. He reached his destination when the looming trees filled with darkness were in front of him. He didn’t hesitate to enter. Up to this point, he was following protocol in losing any potential pursuers. Only those in the Organization walked in this forest without fear.

Marx always thought it was strange why the Princess allowed such a place to exist. He knew that the Princess created it as a type of orphanage, but it quickly grew into so much more. There must have been something the Princess wanted from the Organization, because she turns her head on their operations.

Marx sighed, operations ranged from theft to murder. He was usually in charge of the in-between missions such as this. The employer wanted to send a message as well as retrieve the artifact. Marx would comply no matter the cost. He didn’t care about money, nor did he take any happiness in doing the work.

That was what disturbed Marx the most. Why was his destiny so twisted, while his heart was neutral? He asked himself that so many times, he’s grown accustomed to not finding any answers. Now, he looked up at the place he called home. The trees let up and the grass grew a lighter color here. This was one of the only places in the Everfree Forest that wasn’t wicked.

Celestia couldn’t find anypony to take residence here, except for one individual. The Founder, long deceased, took housing in this place on a few conditions, as Celestia had a few of her own. The conditions were never disclosed to anypony except the current owner. They all called him ‘Boss’ because he ruled the place with a firm hoof.

Marx walked up to the house, small for its contents. On the outside, it was a two story Mansion covering up all the space available from the break in the Everfree Forest. But on the inside, it held underground floors developed from old Diamond Dog tunnels. The floors were numbered off from 0-15. 0 being the first floor, 15 being the very bottom floor. There were 17 floors, but the second story was reserved for the Boss.

Marx walked up to the front. Olden style pillars held up the front of the house, while modern wood was used to create it. Boss’ design, built by some of the workponies it homed. The windows were sealed shut and the window curtains were nailed down. The house was a pure white with a red outline. The pillars were a shade of light red with golden lining. The front door was a deep red, the color of blood. The inside of the door was steel, although you wouldn’t know that unless you looked inside.

Marx pushed on the door and stepped inside. He nodded to the guard inside, and shut the door behind him. The guard was only a formality; nopony would be dumb enough to enter this forest unprepared. Marx went past the notice board and the empty wanted board, along with the filled Bounty board. He went to the end of the hall and down the stairs. This was where everything changed. The walls of the lower floors were made from steel and iron. The steps were icy cold and the air was chilly.

Marx walked down the flight of steps to floor 6. The floors before that were all recreational and workstations. 6-9 held officer rooms, and on 6 in particular, the Organization Treasury. Marx turned down the corridor to one officer in particular. O.L. Or Overlord, like he prefers to be called. He was in charge of the mercenary work. Marx found his door slightly ajar, meaning he wasn’t busy.

Marx pushed open the door, finding O.L. looking over a list of papers, he put them down as Marx came.

“Marx, how’d it go? You’ve been gone for days,” O.L. said.

“Finished, but you forgot to mention how hard it’d be to track him down. I had to ask around, probably raised some suspicion,” Marx said.

“But you got the necklace then?” O.L. asked.

Marx took out the necklace and put it on the table. O.L. took out a jar of ink and a piece of parchment. Marx took out his own parchment and put it next to the necklace. O.L. signed his parchment and then Marx’s. Marx had fulfilled his contract. O.L. looked up at Marx with a raised eyebrow.

“Add it to the Treasury, I don’t want the payment,” Marx said. O.L. nodded, that was usually the case. Sometimes O.L. wished Marx would act like a paid mercenary.

Marx was about to leave before O.L. stopped him. “There’s something else here. I want you to do another job,” O.L. said.

“What type?” Marx asked.

“Dead or Alive,” O.L. said, hoping he’d take it up.

“My choice?” Marx asked.

“Yeah,”

“I’ll take it. Get the contract set up and I’ll get ready,” Marx said.

“Alright, be back in an hour, I’ll have it ready,” O.L. said, glad. Marx was the last open professional before he’d have to turn to one of the amateurs.

Marx left the room and left the door ajar behind him. He walked to the stairs and walked back up to floor 3. The workshop he was most familiar with. Almost as if anticipating his presence, Screw popped his head out of the door.

“Marx, you’re back! I was wanting to show you this new contraption I built. I call it the WingRazor, designed to tangle and ensnare even the toughest of pegasi,” Screw said.

“Good for you, I’ll take two. And if you have any more sleeping darts, I’ll take ten. Add in some of your special darts while you’re at it. I have another job,” Marx said.

“Oh, look at you. You sure have gotten busy lately. I’ll be calling you sir in no time. I’ll get right on that order, right after I show you this,” Screw said, pulling out a three foot blade from almost nowhere.

“Wow, what is that?” Marx asked, surprised at the stealth of the blade.

“It’s a nanoblade. Pure energy wrapped around the steel blade. It comes with a nearly invisible sheath. Compliments to my neighbor. He’s a great tailor, he made me my shirt you know,” Screw said, showing off his lab coat. It was stained black and matched his singed light blue hair. His normal coat color was yellow, but that changed with the soot from failed creations.

“Well, nice shirt, but that’s not for me. I’m more of a natural, ranged weapons kind of guy,” Marx said.

“Well you’ll change your mind eventually. I’ll have the equipment for you soon,” Screw said.

“Thanks Screw, always could count on you,” Marx said.

Marx left the workshop area and went back to the steps. He climbed to the top to pass some time until O.L. had the contract ready. When he reached floor 0, he noticed somepony changing the Bounty board. Marx walked over, not saying a word. He frowned slightly when he saw the change.

“Congrats,” A mare’s voice said behind him. Marx was slightly startled before he saw who it was.

“Rogue, stop doing that, you’re going to give me a heart attack one of these days,” Marx said, seeing the black hair slightly covering her face.

“Well you need to realize that even you can be snuck up on. Besides, that’s not why I startled you. Did you see the change?” Rogue asked.

“Yeah, half a mil,” Marx said.

“You’re making it back to the top. Only a matter of time before you pass me,” Rogue said.

“Please, you hit a mil a long time ago,” Marx said, starting to feel worse.

“Don’t say it like that; you just need to find yourself a good job, that’s all,” Rogue said, giving him a big smile. Marx couldn’t help but smile back; she always did make him feel better.

“I guess, I’ve got another one coming in a few minutes,” Marx said.

“Aw, but you just got here. It must be important, huh?” Rogue asked.

“Dead or Alive, my choice,” Marx said.

“Don’t suppose you’re feeling like a badass, huh?” Rogue asked.

“You know my policy on killing,” Marx said.

“Maybe that’s why you’ve fallen so far behind,” Rogue said.

“Well if you haven’t been distracting me, I could have done more jobs,” Marx said.

“Then take this as a way of making up for it,” Rogue said, handing him a sheathed blade.

“Why would I want your old blade?” Marx asked, grabbing it.

“I know you like doing things the old fashioned way, so I thought you could hold onto it while I tried out Screw’s latest design,” Rogue said, pulling out the almost invisible sheath to show him.

“I’ll hold on to it, but I doubt I’d need to use it,” Marx said.

“That’s a shame, I know how proficient you are with your weapons,” Rogue said, teasing him on his cutie mark. A circle with crosshairs in the middle showed Marx’s perfect accuracy with ranged weapons. Although his proficiency reached farther than just accuracy, as many have seen firsthand. He often wondered why that was.

“Right,”

“Then I’ll be seeing you then. I’ve got my own job to prep for, some family jewels to take, the boring old stuff,” Rogue said.

“Hope you won’t need to use that,” Marx said referring to the new blade.

“That won’t be any fun,” Rogue said, walking toward the door.

Marx had to sigh inwardly. He was the only professional who didn’t enjoy killing as much as the others. He pondered how Rogue, a green coated mare, could feel fine with getting blood on her and laugh while doing it. She didn’t seem the type to be up for that. On the other hand, the other professionals looked understandable…

“Ahem,” Rogue said, looking back at him.

Marx realized he’d been staring at her leave, and most pointedly, at her flank.

“Come back after you’ve hit one mil, then we’ll talk,” Rogue said, shutting the door behind her. The guard chuckled at that, but changed his mind when Marx squinted his eyes. You don’t have to kill for fun to be feared.

Marx decided it’s been long enough and he descended the steps. On the way, he passed three of the new recruits talking near the stairs. They looked up, but they didn’t give him acknowledgement. Marx wasn’t in the top five, so they didn’t have to salute or say hello. What made this stand out, was that they were the newest of the new of the recruits.

“Done any jobs yet?” Marx asked.

“What does it matter to you?” The eldest one, with a light brown coat asked. He had a scar under his nose, and he didn’t look happy.

“Just wondering,” Marx asked, wondering what could have gotten him so pissed.

“Mind your own business, huh?” one of the others said. He had a light red mane with half his mane burnt off, leaving a few orange strands where half his hair once was.

“Take it easy, what’s gotten you all in such a mess?” Marx asked.

“Kate…” The third said, looking away. Marx could see some watery eyes before he turned. His blonde mane covered his face from Marx.

“Kate?” Marx asked.

“Just get out of here,” The brown pony said, also turning his head.

“Alright, just learn to keep those feelings aside during jobs,” Marx said walking back down more stairs. He heard one of them reply, but he didn’t care. The new recruits need to learn the hard way not to get too attached to things. They can be taken away in a heartbeat.

Marx went down to the workshop and found Screw at his door. He held the items out for Marx to stuff in his bag in the same positions as always. It was about time for a refill, he’d used quite a few sleeping darts lately. For three inch long shafts and one-fourth inch long diameters, they were easily used up. Then, he looked at Screw when he wasn’t handed the special darts.

“I’m sorry, I’m out of supplies for them right now. I’ll try to get them ready for you next time. You won’t need them anytime soon, right?” Screw asked.

“I can make due, thanks anyways Screw,” Marx said.
Marx made his way to the officer rooms and into O.L.’s room. O.L. handed him the contract without a word. Marx knew the routine, sign the paper and you accept. He skimmed the contract and his eyes fell on the bottom portion where it contained the job details.
Employer(s): The CRG

“What’s this?” Marx asked.

“The employer asked that if you had any questions to meet them at a Café in Canterlot. Also, when you finish the job, they want to personally meet you,” O.L. said. Marx nodded and continued reading.
Time given: Unlimited
Payment on completion: 750,000 bits
Marx jumped to the bottom entries. His eyes lit up on the familiar words.
Target Location: Ponyville
Target: The Elements of Harmony
Accepted by: _______________________________

Marx signed the contract.

Author's Note

I tried to go for a ‘give background while starting the storyline’ kind of first chapter. I’ve planned the beginning and the end, but the middle is on the spot work, so bare with me. This should last longer than it sounds, so I hope it gets your attention early. But give some feedback if you like and get ready for a show because, as you’ll find out, Marx doesn’t miss his mark.

Next Time: Mark I, in the worst times, we see the best of ponies.

Stellar

The wind was blowing softly. The trees around him looked menacing, but also protective. Marx stepped out of the trees into the clearing ahead of him. There, there was a house, abandoned looking yet still bright colored. Marx was pushed forward by a slightly shorter filly behind him as she took in the surroundings.

"Wow! This place looks awesome!" She said, her smile brightening as the clouds parted enough for sunlight to hit it just right. The roof glistened in the sunlight, still wet from rain the night before.

"Yeah," Marx said, still unsure. He looked behind him, the former royal guard smiling for encouragement.

"It's alright, you're safe here. This is your new home after all," He said.

Marx looked at the house again, then he noticed the filly looking back at him. She waited for him to say something, but Marx didn't know what to say. Her look though, did give him confidence.

"Can't wait," Marx said.

"Let's go look inside!" She said, her black mane streaking in the distance as she raced to the house. "Race you there!"

Marx started in a sprint, but he couldn't catch up. She was just too fast, and her laughter as she ran didn't help him either. She beat him and waited for him to make it, their escort not too far behind, a smile on his face.

"That's no fair, you had a head start!" Marx said.

"Excuses, excuses," Rogue said, pushing the door open.

Upon entering, he noticed the faces of the ponies when he entered. An older mare looked from behind at the group, apparently having been waiting for the new arrivals. There were six he didn't recognize, but two he did. One of which, was Dalen, his former friend turned nemesis. The other, Rogue's best friend, Stella. She was cute, Marx had to admit. She was the same age as the others, but she often showed a more mature side than Rogue or Dalen.

Dalen, on the other hand, was really competitive. That was why he thought they were great friends. After an argument, Dalen decided that he didn't want to be friends anymore, and they then hated each other's guts. When the four of them were chosen to be taken from the orphanage, two colts two mares, they decided that they'd stay away from each other.

Their escort, not having given his name, was an ex-guard. He was highly trained, but showed a lot of joy and hadn't been unpleasant in the least. Now, he looked down to the four as well as the other six he brought. He gave a smile before starting.

"Welcome young colts and fillies to your new homes. My name is Overlord, but you can call me O.L." Overlord said.

Marx woke with a start, his body immediately punishing him. Marx gritted his teeth as his body ached like never before. Every nerve in his body seemed to burn when he moved. He relaxed, letting his head drop onto the soft pillow. Wait...

Marx endured the pain to look to his left, a light blue fabric filling his vision. When he looked to his right, there was a wall, but he could see a door on the side away from him. He noticed where he was, the thought making him even more confused. Using up the only remaining strength he had, he reached over and pulled the curtain aside slightly, before dropping back in his bed in pain.

"Morning," Marx heard. He looked to his left, feeling the pain once again. He saw her face looking at him, as well as the other face next to her.

"Didn't think you'd wake up for a few more hours," She said, her light tanned face and blonde mane giving off a friendly feeling," Marx knew better though. She was a killer at heart, one of the worst that Marx knew. Stella, the fallen angel.

"You here to kill me?" Marx asked.

"Nice to see you too," She replied, winking.

"What are you doing here?" Marx asked after licking his dry lips.

"You should be grateful, I had to drag you here from across town. Can't you at least say thanks?" Stella asked, putting on a playful frown.

"She has something she needs to admit..." Rogue said, looking away. Marx remembered that she was the other one he'd seen. She was bandaged on her side down to her hooves.

"Look, and I don't want you to get mad... that's kind of why I told the doctors to hide your weapons... so about that contract you had earlier..." Stella said giving him time to think.

"Yeah..." Marx said.

"I was kind of the one following you," Stella said, giving a smile. "At least for most of the time," Stella said.

"I'm not mad," Marx said with the straightest face he’s ever had.

"Phew, thought I'd have to get some restraints," Stella said, turning to Rogue. "Your turn."

"Okay... I was the one following you, when you failed..." Rogue said, looking towards him.

"And?" Marx asked.

"That's it," She said, a little surprised at his reaction, "Aren't you mad?"

"Why would I? It was part of my contract, so I'm the one who's at fault there," He said. "I don't really care that it was you two who followed me around. I should have known,”

Stella had to admit, she thought Marx was the type of pony who would scrutinize every little problem as a traitorous deed. The way he reacted now, she was regretting having put out the fire on his first night. There was no way she'd tell Marx she did that though. Especially with Rogue here.

"Anyways, I'll need to get out of here before anypony else comes," Marx said, trying to move again, his limbs protesting.

"You don't need to worry about that," Stella said, a grin on her face. "Only five ponies know you were coming to Ponyville. When I was following you, no other mercenary showed up, so I'm certain of that. Of the five..." Stella did some quick math.

"Rogue had a hunch after following you last, I already knew. Mercy and that amateur found you here on accident. You know Mercy owed Clutch after he saved his ass? That amateur's his younger brother. He’s giving him some tips to make things even," Stella said.

"What about the fifth?" Marx asked, curious.

"O.L., so you're safe for now. Just get better... Rogue's orders," Stella said, starting to get up and leave.

"Shut up," Rogue said, a slight blush appearing so she turned her head to the side.

"Seriously though, get better. I have to go check in, make sure O.L. doesn't have any jobs for me. I'll be back in about an hour, that'll give me time to make sure I'm not followed," Stella said.

"You, getting followed?' Marx asked jokingly.

"Never know, it could happen," She said before leaving the room through the door.

Marx looked to his left at Rogue who had been staring at the ceiling, her eyes lost in thought. Marx also looked up at the ceiling, prepared to spend the time in silence. That is, until a thought occurred to him.

"How long have we been out?" Marx asked.

"You've been asleep for two days. Stella said I woke up after a few hours. Mercy came in this morning, thinking you'd already recovered. When he found out the truth, he left," Rogue said.

"Wow, longer than I thought," Marx said.

"You must have been pretty worn out..." Rogue said, her voice trailing off.

"Yeah," Marx said.

The next few minutes were spent in silence, of which Rogue fell asleep, and Marx looked at the ceiling, trying to ignore the ache and pain his limbs were still in. Even after two days, he still could barely move. Marx realized how close to death he was. One fraction of a bigger hit, or a cut from a sword and his body might have failed on him. Two days was a long time, and he’s surprised he’s not dead right now.

Death... Now, he wondered just how Dalen was taking this turn of events. Dalen was probably taking his sweet time walking over here, a smile on his face as he asked ponies for direction. Or maybe Mercy told him. No. Mercy would want Marx to himself and not tell anypony. Dalen was probably still looking...

Dalen approached the house of his target. He was on a job, killing the mayor of this town so that a new law would be approved. He was finding it in the way of his current objective, finding Shadow, and he wanted to get this over with. But that didn't mean he couldn't grow his reputation as he did it. He was still on the streets, ponies walking briskly by.

Dalen heard the whispers as he walked. They were whispering one word, a warning to some, a wakeup call to others. To Dalen, it was one thing, his name. “Death”. Death reached his house, the street now devoid of ponies as they realized what he was here to do. Some went to call the authorities, others to run to safety.

Death knocked on the door, three rapid knocks that gave the owner some surprise. The mayor opened the door, suddenly his eyes grew wide. Standing in front of him, was a light grey pony with a mane blending in with the pitch black hood that hid his face and body. The pony looked at him, the scythe gleaming in the sunlight promising a quick death.

"Wha-," The mayor could startlingly say before his throat was cut, the blood pouring out rapidly. Death pulled back the scythe he had sliced with, the blood stains were a dark red.

"Okay, next up, his son," Death said, before stepping past the still bleeding out pony to the room inside. The table was set for four with an extra chair, the wife and son noticed him enter, their fears immediately growing. The young filly was confused, but stopped her eating nonetheless.

"Room for one more?" Death asked, before raising his scythe. He was ruthless as the room was splattered in blood. The mother tried to scream and shield her child, and Death had to slash multiple times at her to get her to die. The son was wide eyed as the scythe came across his neck, severing it with a sickening crack as the scythe cut through the bone.

Death looked down at the remaining filly, her eyes wide with horror. The trauma cutting deep in her mind as she looked at her mother's body below her, covered in blood and cuts. Her eyes were filled with tears. Then, she looked up at Death’s dark, cruel eyes as he looked into her innocent ones.

"Life is cruel like that, deal with it," Death said, before turning and leaving the scarred filly to cry over her mother. If he had to live with it, so would others.

Death left the house, to find a trio of Dawn Guards waiting for him. They raised their spears, ready to fend him off.

"Stop Death," The one in the front said, his spear reaching forward towards him.

"Nopony can stop Death," Death said, using his scythe to slice off the shaft of the spear, causing it to fall apart. Then he cut a fatal wound in the guard's chest before turning to the others.

Death used one swing to cut across their chests, causing them to fall over and start to bleed out. He lifted his scythe, looking into the air as he did. A group of guards were approaching. Four Shadow Guards, lead by a Divine guard, were headed towards him.

"Shit," Death said before turning and running. A Divine guard was a death sentence to Death himself. He just ran in the direction of the forest. It wasn't too far, but he wasn't taking any chances with the Divine guard.

"So Marx, what now?" Rogue asked, feeling boredom enter her mind again.

"I need to heal up, before Mercy comes back again. When I can stand up again... want to go sparring?" Marx asked.

"I'd love that," Rogue said, smiling as Marx flinched from the pain he felt trying to look at her.

Author's Note

I planned for Dalen to have his own chapter, but I decided to split it into two. The next one will explain his significance in the story, as well as continue with giving background information. I’ve been pretty busy with revising my other story, so I forgot to update this one. Also, the editing I have to do because of my missing editor is really messing up my schedule.

Next Time: ICU, take your pills, man!