Eyes of the Accused

Ace looked around Cloudsdale as he walked around, it was a whole new place, still the same but everywhere there was banners with the face of Hawkfeather with a text below, “We have won, those saying different must open their eyes.”

“you will never be a good liar.” Ace thought to himself as he kept walking seeing guard posts around nearly every corner.

He had been lucky that no pony saw him last night as he got back to his Cloudsdale home to get himself another pair of goggles to replace the smashed ones and later getting back to the old factory where he used some black paint to paint the parts of his body that wasn’t covered by the suit.

No pony noticed anything, he looked just like any shadowbolt but he knew more than well that he wasn’t, he would do what was considered impossible, he would bring Hawkfeather down from the sky even if he had to tear each feather from his wings to do it.

He couldn’t allow Hawkfeather to continue this, this was madness, Ace stopped and looked up, on a wall the was a notice.

“Wonderbolt prisoner execution today!” Ace was shocked, he was sure that Hawkfeather had noticed the fact that Rainbow Dash wasn’t there as he had expected, most likely the reason for the execution, he couldn’t save them but he knew he had to be there to blend in with the others and with some luck his nemesis would be there too.

Ace walked towards where the execution would be held and not long after a voice announcing that Hawkfeather arrived.

Ace looked up and there he was, the one who had to face justice for his deeds but Ace soon felt a sudden strike of fear.

The white mare from his nightmare was there beside him, standing on a wooden platform carried by two shadowbolt mares, she wasn’t a pegasi, she was nothing but an earth pony, to Ace it didn’t make any sense.

Hawkfeather hated both unicorns and earth ponies and now he had an earth pony there next to him.

Ace hadn’t seen Cloudmane yet, he was glad for that, he didn’t want her to see such horrors as executions if he could stop her, he watched as Hawkfeather stepped up on the podium.

“My dear brothers and sisters of Cloudsdale, we are here to watch the treacherous wonderbolts who has been captured in the war, but I must thank you all for making this happen, I hereby declare a new equestrian order where the solar tyrant is not almighty and powerful, now we the pegasi of equestria are in control and I will listen to you all when I have time and to here to be faced with justice of the new equestrian order here comes the first wonderbolt.” Ace watched as the chained wonderbolt was taken to a podium next to the one Hawkfeather was standing on as he spoke of his new equestrian order.

Ace watched as the wonderbolt got her hood torn off and her head was held down, Ace couldn’t watch as the gryphon raised the axe and left it fall down on the wonderbolt cutting the neck clean and the chopped off head fell down, Ace could tell by the sound as he closed his eyes.

He had never been so glad over the fact that the goggles where made with mirror glass, Ace didn’t know who they where but he couldn’t help feeling sad for what happened to them and soon the next wonderbolt was brought to execution, this one he could recognize. Soarin’ was the next and after his head and fallen too the next was brought up, the execution kept going like that until the evening fell he could hear Hawkfeather speaking again.

“Please let me have your attention, we have no more wonderbolts to execute, it know it’s sad but this has sent a strong message to the escaped solar tyrant, this is OUR equestrian order, we are in control now.” and soon Hawkfeather left.

Ace knew he had to stop him fast, and as the darkness fell across equestria Ace used it to silently follow Hawkfeather to his new fortress.

He used his ability to enhance his eye sight to stay out of what Hawkfeather could see even if he looked directly at where Ace was, the darkness was the perfect cover.

Ace watched as Hawkfeather went inside his massive fortress, guards where everywhere but they wasn’t a problem to Ace, a few lightning bolts would care for that.

Ace stopped on a cloud to make a plan on how to attack but he soon figured that whatever plan he got, it wouldn’t work anyway and decided to only plan on how to get inside and the best plan was to send a lightning strike and as guards swarmed the area he would strike a less guarded point, stunning those he had to.

Ace looked and noticed a cloud matching the size of a pegasi, he soon realized he didn’t have anything but the lightings he had inside his own body to use and began thinking, Hawkfeather definitely had some sort of hidden knife he would use.

Ace looked at his wing, maybe if he could use it somehow, shape a lightning knife around his wing in case he had to kill seemed like a good option.

He extended his wing and tried to focus and soon he could see as a weak barely visible lightning layer forming on his wing, shielding his feathers, Ace smiled as he discovered a new way to use his ability.

He knew that the layer was entirely under his control and decided to let it gain some more power and he could see as the more power he fed it the stronger it became and so did the light it emitted around. Ace tried to shape it and he watched as it began shaping like a knife and he could see as the edge became more and more sharp like a knife blade and he jumped in the air and went for the cloud, he felt no resistance as he cut the cloud in half, sure he felt that he cut it but nothing tried to push back.

“Clouds and Pegasi are different, what if the wing blade was capable of going through ponies as easy as it went through the cloud.” was the only though in his mind at the time.

Ace smiled but the smile turned into terror when he realized what he had learned.

He had learned how to make his own wing into a razor sharp knife that seemingly would be able to cut through anything.

The thought of that it could be used in such way gave him creeps and felt like of all things he was against that was the worst of them all. He began flying towards the fortress and decided to screw the plan he had came up with.

They weren’t stupid and that was cheapest of all cheap tricks and he decided to use his ability to crash directly though the wall and he soon found himself in the middle of the chaos, guards rushing in from everywhere.

Ace just let stunning lightning bolts hit them as they got close and they began backing off, most of them had never seen a fight and they where put into protecting this place expected to be capable of repelling anything coming at it.

Ace didn’t care for them, but before leaving he looked at the terrified shadowbolts.

“Care for you friends.” before charging into the fortress.

Ace soon found that there was no resistance inside, all the defense was on the first line, he soon found Hawkfeather who looked at him in question.

“Who are you assassin?” he asked without showing any emotions.

“Your death.” Ace replied as he showed no feelings.

“I don’t remember seeing any black pegasi getting recruited.” Hawkfeather continued. “because this is not the true color of my coat, you really should have cleaned the old factory, there was more than enough useful tools still there.” Ace replied.

“Good advice, ill take that into a count next time.” Hawkfeather told him with a confident voice, “you can’t beat me whoever you are.” he continued with his confident voice.

“you really should start thinking about new career as you failed with this and besides, there is no next time for you, you are going to die here tonight.” Ace told him before Ace heard as another pegasi entered the room and when he looked around he couldn’t believe who it was.

“yes she is beautiful and yet extremely dangerous, once she gets the opportunity she will crush you like an apple.” Hawkfeather told him. There she was, just like he remembered her, Cloudmane was the daughter of Hawkfeather and Ace soon remembered what Hawkfeather told him, “my daughter made the bomb.” Ace was mad at them both and he just wanted to use his lightning ability to shape his knife around his wing and cut them both headless just like those wonderbolts had been, but it wouldn’t be the right thing to do, they both had to face justice.

“just who do you think you are?!” Cloudmane yelled at Ace before she grabbed a knife and rushed towards him with the knife in her mouth, Ace dodged her and watched Hawkfeather running for the sky lounge at the top of his tower.

Ace chased after the coward but when he almost caught up with the escaping commander Cloudmane threw herself into Ace as he tried to catch Hawkfeather and they both fell out into the rain that had just begun and landed heavily on the balcony below and Ace knew the paint covering his true coat color wouldn’t hold in rain and soon he could see as his wings turned green again.

He looked at Cloudmane who was shocked from realizing who he really was.

“Im so sorry Ace, I didn’t know it was you.” she told him before Ace looked at her through his goggles and replied “You are the last one I expected to stop me.” before he jumped in the air going after Hawkfeather.

Hawkfeather had reached his lounge thinking he was safe until the moment when a lightning bolt smashed into the room.

“you have yet to learn the way I think.” Ace told him as he stormed into the room, it was beautifully decorated room, a shame it belonged to a dirtbag who didn’t care for any pony than himself and Ace cornered the stallion who where obviously scared at this point now when he know who tried to kill him, “what are you waiting for traitor?” he yelled at Ace.

“I’m not the traitor, you are Hawkfeather when you tried to kill me, and I learned that you are no less tyrant than Celestia, you are the worst tyrant Equestria has seen.” Ace replied, keeping his cold voice and as he closed in on Hawkfeather he spread his wings to cast a shadow over Hawkfeather and Ace was just about to stun the stallion when Cloudmane knocked him across the room.

“I cannot allow you to kill him Ace, he is everything I have left and if he is taken away not even you can help me.” she yelled at him, “Then you are equally guilty and must face justice as you did try to kill me.” Ace told her.

“I can’t choose between you or him Ace, one of you has to be lost and I can’t loose him Ace, It has to be you.” Ace noticed as Cloudmane began shedding tears.

“Please let him go, he won’t be a problem ever again.” she continued and the more she spoke the more tears the cried.

“to me you are equally guilty of what happened in the Canterlot raid but Hawkfeather has more lies and actions to face trial for, I am not to judge you, but to bring you in.” Ace told them.

“then you are my enemy!” she yelled at him and rushed towards him with a large knife and Ace barely managed to dodge it, but he did stun her as she passed by and she fell on the floor completely stunned.

“what did you do to me!” she yelled at him only able to move her head.

“I stunned you to make sure wouldn’t stop me.” Ace replied as he turned his back on her, “please don’t kill him, if you must kill some pony for the bomb kill me, I set it half time hoping you would be too close to the bomb to survive.” she cried as she told him, her checks looked like she had been standing in rain for a long time from all the tears. Ace aimed his stun at Hawkfeather who was like frozen from seeing what Ace had done to his daughter.

Hawkfeather fell to the floor as the stun hit him and he looked as Ace turned back to Cloudmane, “I loved you Cloudmane, and you spit back in my face and never truly loved me back.” he told her, he felt his anger beginning to boil, his blood was pure hatred towards the stunned mare, he extending his wing to full length, Cloudmane looked at him as he began shaping a knife around his wing.

“this is an interesting new trick i’ve learned, you should find it interesting.” he told her with an evil grin.

Cloudmane felt as the stun was taken away and Ace soon jumped back.

“Common get up, get up.” he encouraged her, Cloudmane got up fast and grabbed her knife preparing to fight to the end.

“First blood wins, winner gets Hawkfeather.” he told her, he could smell her fear across the room. She rushed towards him in a hope Ace wouldn’t be prepared but he was, he rushed towards her too and they passed each others, Ace looked at his suit after the pass, not a single scratch but when he turned around he could see Cloudmane on the floor.

The knife was the beside her, she had a deep cut in all the way from just behind her ear all the way to her wing base, she was scared, he could tell from her eyes, he looked at her as blood began escaping her body, Ace walked to her, “Ace, please help me, I feel cold.” she told him, Ace looked at her, “you won’t feel it much longer.” he replied to her before he backed off a bit and soon delivered the final blow on her with the electrical blade his wing had became, the hit cut directly though the skull and the brain.

“Rest in peace and may they be fair with you.” Ace whispered to her ear, he knew she would never know he said that but it felt better as he did.

He turned to Hawkfeather, “now let’s bring you to justice.” he said as he used his ability to stun Hawkfeather a little longer before he tied a rope around the body and making sure it would hold the wings if the stun wore off.

Ace used the part of the rope he extended a little bit to use for lifting Hawkfeather and left for Ponyville, as he flew past by Cloudsdale he could see a large number of royal guard and wonderbolts taking it back from the shadowbolts.

Ace didn’t care, it wasn’t his fight and besides he had to find Twilight so she could notify Celestia and hopefully he could come across Rainbow Dash who could help him find her.

Not long after he could actually spot a few ponies walking on the streets and not a single one was wearing shadowbolt suit and soon he heard Rainbow Dash talking to him.

“Ace, never thought I would see you ever again.” Ace looked at her, the paint had worn off as he expected, “Rainbow, I need you to find Twilight.” he replied.

“Twilight is at the library with Celestia, common ill come with you and help you.” Rainbow replied to him and they both began flying towards the library and soon Ace placed Hawkfeather on the ground outside and watched as Rainbow Dash walked inside, Ace hadn’t lifted the new goggles a single time but he wouldn’t now either. suddenly Twilight came rushing out the door with her friends joining her.

“You where right Rainbow, it sounded like a would never happen but here he is ready to face justice.” Twilight told her friend, Ace noticed as Princes Celestia began walking towards Hawkfeather who was still stunned, he turned around and began walking away knowing he was done there.

“going somewhere?” a familiar voice asked from behind as Ace was walking down the street. It was Spitfire and she wasn’t wearing her wonderbolt suit either.

“Not really, just don’t feel like i’m supposed to be here right now.” Ace replied as he looked at her though the goggles, he felt like he didn’t fit into any town or village society whatsoever.

“sorry about Soarin’.” he told her as he looked down into the ground.

“what do you mean?” Spitfire was getting worried, Ace could see it, “There was an execution for captured wonderbolts, I captured Soarin’ and he never escaped.” Ace replied as he looked at Spitfire, he could see her tears and he thought to himself that she would probably blame him for it.

“I don’t blame you, you didn’t know what would happen.” she whispered in his ear, he couldn’t believe it, she didn’t blame him for it.

“I need to get some time alone.” he told her before his time with her was interrupted as a messenger arrived with a letter to Ace. Ace looked down to the ground after he read it, “What was it?” Spitfire asked him.

“My mother hasn’t woken up since she went to sleep last night.” he replied and looked at her, “she was very ill and this morning she didn't wake up they found her, she didn’t breathe and when a doctor arrived he examined her.” Ace took a deep breath as he looked into the dirt below.

“She passed away during the night.”

Ace was on the brink to tears, the news about his mother was the only that he felt would be capable of breaking him down entirely, “I feel like whatever I do ponies always get hurt but I always make it out, it’s not fair, if some pony gets hurt it should be me.”

“Don’t think like that Ace.” Ace looked back up, “Maybe I should leave, maybe find another town or village where they don’t know me.”

“Im coming with you then.” he could clearly hear Spitfire telling him, he wasn't sure if it would be a disastrous mistake like most of his decisions ended up.

But how could he stop her if she really wanted to join him and abandon everything?