Runes and Mercenaries

Ryan turns around. "Ah, yes," He looks at Lilith, "Lilith, be an angel and make sure our friends here don't get into any trouble?"

Lilith smiles. "With pleasure," she answers.

Ryan for a second looks at Vulsegardt with a slightly angered face before closing the door.

It was less than a minute after when Celestia raised her voice, "What are you doing Ryan? You were the one suggesting to shut down Ares, now you're sending ponies back?" she asks.

"All at good time," Ryan replies. He leads Celestia into what seemed to be a dining area for the politicians and other high ranking people working there. They enter a room especially made for the highest ranking individuals, the room had a big round table where already Xuri and an Unicorn were sitting, waiting for Ryan and Celestia.

"Please," Ryan asks. "Sit down. Let's talk this through."

Celestia sits on a chair that had her emblem on the back. She looks at Xuri with a neutral face. "Xuri," she greets.

"Celestia," Xuri replies with a nod.

Celestia looks at the Unicorn across of Xuri. Unlike Xuri who was sitting on a chair with an EarthGov mark, the Unicorn was sitting on a chair with her emblem on it. "Bright," he greets him with a smile.

Ryan sits down and does the same. "Alright, let's eat!" he picks up a fork and knife and begins to eat."

Bright begins to speak, "I think we should rather speak about the recent events Atlax."

"I agree," Celestia says. "This isn't some bad magic like we thought. It's the old threat from Ares, one which you summoned Atlax!"

she says with a raised voice.

Ryan stops chewing and waves to one of the servants nearby. "Wine please," he asks.

The servant nods and quickly brings a bottle of wine. He puts it on the table and goes back to his post.

Ryan fills his glass with wine. After he takes a sip he looks at Celestia. "I won't lie to you Tia, I hired Vulsegardt to go to Ares," he says.

"But why?" she asks. "You know what dangers come from the Marker, why send anypony there?"

Ryan puckers his lips for a second and nods. "You're right. But while it was working it was so successful, we can't let one mistake take us down," he answers.

"But you also wanted the project shut down," Bright joins the conversation.

"I did," Ryan looks at Bright. "But I have changed my mind." He begins to fill the other glasses with wine. "You see, the opportunity which the Markers give us are just to great to simply put down because of a few mistakes that occurred in the past," he says as he offers everyone at the table a glass.

"You seem to forget about the lives that were lost at Ares," Celestia says as she takes the glass with her magic.

Xuri smirks. "You seem to forget that it was the Changeling terrorist movement that attacked Ares that day," he replies with a slightly insulting voice.

Bright takes a sip from the glass. He cringes, "Pretty strong, I never tasted anything like this before," he says.

Celestia also begins to drink. "Very strange taste indeed, what is it?" she asks.

Ryan shrugs and drinks the whole glass. upon doing this Xuri stares at Ryan with wide open eyes and surprise.  "Earth's wine," Ryan answers. "Very good year too."

Celestia shakes her head and looks at Xuri. "Who says that nopony else might attack? The consequences of a mistake that the Marker brings are just to great for me to allow this," She says.

"This is an EarthGov matter Celestia. I do not require your blessing," Ryan says.

Celestia looks at Ryan with an insulted expression on her face. "Nothing happens on Equestria without my blessing!" she says with a raised voice.

Bright slightly coughs. "Ahem, without the whole UNEE's authorization nothing is allowed on Equestria, and with us disagreeing you cannot make any actions without us knowing," he explains.

Ryan sighs. "This could have gone so well. I will gladly take this to court if you wish," he threatens.

Celestia raises her voice, "Gentlemen please! There are lives being lost out there, that should be our concern, not a civil war!"

"We did not expect nor ordered the Marker to be activated by the agents we sent to Ares, its mostly their fault, not ours," Xuri explains with a calm voice.

"And how are you planning to solve this with Altman missing? He's been gone for several months now," Celestia asks.

Ryan doesn't answer at first. "We could eliminate the infected across Equestria, then restart Ares. Calm the Marker down, gaining some use of this terrible tragedy," he suggests.

"I said no Ryan!" Celestia answers angrily.

"You can't blame me for what my agents did!" Ryan answers with also a raised voice.

"Both Vulsegardt and Fedor Conhanger are not with EarthGov. On who's authority have you sent them?" Celestia calms down and asks.

Ryan and Xuri are both silent.

Ryan opens his mouth to say something but Celestia stands up first. "So if I go to EarthGov archives I will see an order from Earth?"  Celestia asks.

"You have no right going there Celestia!" Xuri says.

Celestia looks at Xuri with anger. "If you have nothing to hide, there is no need for you to worry," she says. "Come Bright, we are heading there right now!"

Bright nods, "Yes, Princess." He gets up and accompanies her outside of the room.

After a few moments of their departure Xuri leans to the silent Ryan. "Why did you drink the wine?" he asks.

"Keep an eye on Celestia," Ryan doesn't answer Xuri's question. "Contact me if she finds anything," he orders.

"Yes..." Xuri nods and agrees.

Several minutes later Celestia, Bright, three unicorn guards and several technicians with Celestia's mark gather by the doors of EarthGov intelligence. Celestia knocks on the door several times. After a minute a Human opens the door. "Can I be of any assistance?" he asks.

"Empty this room and step aside," Celestia answers.

The man looks at Celestia with confusion. "On who's authority?" he asks.

"On mine," Celestia answers as she slightly pushes the man aside. "Attention!" She raises her voice, "Everypony out!"

The staff inside looks at each other for a few moments uncertain on what should they do. Out of fear of the enraged Princess, most of them leave immediately, the rest left a minute later.

Celestia takes a deep breath. "Search everything. Anything that is connected to the Marker is reported to me," she orders.

Her staff sit down at the computers and begin scavenging for information. Minutes pass without  nobody saying anything.

Celestia notices an Unicorn guard among the technicians tinkering on the computer. She approaches him, "Aren't you a guard?" she asks.

He doesn't answer. A few seconds later on the screen where he was working on several windows open with the headline Marker Project.The Unicorn turns to Celestia. "They only gave jobs for guards," he says.

Celestia looks at the information displayed in front of her with wide eyes. "What is your name?" she asks him.

"My name is Local ma'am. Castle Guard," he answers.

Celestia slightly smiles. "I think I can find a job for somepony like you. Now, tell me what can we find here," she says.

"Well..." Local searches. "The last major entry was made three years ago. Everything else seems to be just small updates."

"Can you find any proof that this was authorized by EarthGov?" Bright asks.

Local searches throughout the computer's data. "Seems that only Ryan Atlax signed the papers, not the President of EarthGov," he shows.

Celestia mutters to herself, "I knew it. He was acting so strange lately..." She begins to cough. "Read that major update you mentioned," she instructs while slightly coughing.

Local nods his head and begins to search the data again. After a few moments a video feed begins to play.

In the video feed there seems to be Xuri in a laboratory. "Feed 7, Xuri reporting, Tirek's Stone has been acquired. Given a simple look it may simply be mistaken for any crystal containing Unicorn magic for Humans, but after a close analyses it is shown that this stone has power unlike everything I have ever seen. Unlike a normal magical stone, which requires an Unicorn to power it, Tirek's stone has the ability to take magic. In addition it can hold many spells unlike the normal magical stone. It is also currently the only proof of Marker influence found in Equestria. Different from the ones found on Earth, but bearing the same symbols. I will continue with the research tomorrow, Xuri out." The feed ends.

"I know nothing of this! Another!" Celestia raises her voice and coughs again.

As she coughs Bright looks at Celestia with worry.

Local nods again and loads another feed.

"Feed 13, Xuri reporting. As ordered, Subject 2 was... Removed from the Marker Project." He stays silent for a moment. "Subject's 2 transfer to Subject 1 was successful. Subject 1 renamed to Subject 3 will be decommissioned from the Project until further notice." He takes a deep breath. "It's been a busy day. Xuri out." The feed ends.

Celestia looking at the screen with an angry frown turns to Bright. "Contact my sister immediately," She orders and coughs.

Bright looks at her with concern. "Are you feeling well?" he asks.

"Now Bright Judgement!" she replies with a raised voice.

Bright shakes his head and leaves the room, leaving the EarthGov part of the castle. While walking he notices Xuri in a corner holding a phone  speaking to someone through it. He dodges his vision, returning to Celestia's chambers.

Celestia sighs. She turns back to Local, "Can you load something newer?" she asks.

Local nods and with his magic he operates the keyboard. Several pictures of different Humans and Ponies load, all having a minor description. Celestia steps closer and looks throughout the images shown to her. She stops at a specific image of a man and reads the description. She gasps with the information closed to her. "Ryan... What have you done?" She begins to stare at the ground, saying nothing. She looks back up and turns to Local. "You, guard! A couple of hours ago we have received two visitors..."

"Oh, Vulsegardt?" He asks. "She came with a friend an hour or two ago," Local answers.

"Yes," Celestia answers with slight relief. "Go to my chambers and find them. Get them out of Canterlot, they must be protected, do you understand?" she orders.

"Yes ma'am," Local nods and leaves the room.

"Everypony listen!" Celestia raises her voice. "Make a copy of everything! Guards come with me! We must find Representative Ryan Atlax," She says as he leaves the room with a couple of guards.

With her group she walks down the hallway and stops across the entrance where Fedor and Vulsegardt entered. In the distance, Celestia sees Ryan walking towards her. "Ryan!" she shouts.

Ryan walks until he reaches Celestia. "Ah, I've been looking for you Princess," he says and coughs.

"I know everything," Celestia says with a hostile voice.

Ryan sighs. "I wish we could work this out on more... Friendly terms," he says.

Celestia looks at him with confusion. "You have been holding people against their will, conducting unspeakable things!" she says with a raised voice.

"Oh Tia," Ryan says with a disappointed voice. "What are a few lives towards a goal like this?" he asks.

"Your friends Ryan! They were your friends and you locked them up like some feral animals!" Celestia replies.

Ryan smirks. "They serve a greater purpose now. A purpose which you will not interfere with," he says.

"No!" Celestia denies. "I am contacting EarthGov right now, informing them what have you been doing on their behalf, without their authorization!" She looks at the guards, "In the meantime, Representative Ryan Atlax, you are under arrest," she says as the two guards approach Ryan.

Ryan takes a step back. "I disagree." From his pocket Ryan pulls out what seemed to be a magical stone, he points it towards one of the guards, it begins to glow and it shoots out a bolt of magic which kicks the guard back several meters.

The second guard, being an Unicorn, he shoots out the same bolt towards Ryan, but with the stone in his hand Ryan generates a shield, blocking the attack. Ryan quickly points his stone towards the guard and shoots what seemed to be a lightning spell, which electrocuted the guard making him fall down.

Before Ryan could do anything else, he gets knocked down by a magical force conjured by Celestia. Ryan attempts to get up but Celestia shoots him down again with a magic bolt. She begins to cough as her magic weakens.

Ryan chuckles and gets up. "What's wrong Tia?" He coughs. "Drank to much?" he asks sinisterly.

"You snake," Celestia responds. "You should have used a better poison then, because I still win," she says as she slightly pants.

Ryan begins to laugh. "Now!" he screams.

Suddenly from nothing two Unicorns and four Humans appear surrounding Ryan and Celestia. All of them were holding magical stones with the power of an invisibility cloak. All had weapons pointing at Celestia.

She gasps, looking around for a way to escape. She begins to charge a spell to teleport herself out but her head begins to hurt with an intense pain. She yelps and falls down.

Ryan approaches her. "Modified poison joke Celestia. Mixed with the finest wine of course. I'll have to give Xuri a raise," he says as he smiles.

"No!" Celestia screams and jumps in the air. She sends out a magical pulse, knocking down everyone around her. Everyone except Ryan. He protects himself with the stone in his hand. He extends his right arm and shoots out a spell that seemed like lightning, Celestia responds with doing the same.

The two spells collide and cause a minor explosion.

Celestia panting searches for Ryan in the created smoke. Suddenly she feels a strong sting on her right hip. She turns around to notice she was shot by one of Ryan's men. Celestia quickly dashes forward and shots her attacker with a spell that pierces his chest, instantly killing him. She turns around to notice four others were aiming their weapons towards her. Before she could do anything she is showered with bullets. She quickly casts a shield to block the attacks, but because of the pain in her head the shield breaks, making bullets hit her several times across her body. For five seconds or so, the supposed assassins shoot Celestia. A moment later she falls on the ground making a small pool of blood around herself.

Ryan steps between the guards moving towards the Princess barely hanging to her life. He looks at her with slight empathy. "You just had to go snoop around didn't you?" he coughs and asks with a calm voice.

Celestia coughs some blood and looks up to Ryan. "Why Ryan?" she asks with a frail voice.

"Convergence Tia. I knew you would be against it. Altman was too. But soon, none of this will even mater. When Convergence occurs I will gain my power and a new era of life will begin!" Ryan explains.

"This isn't you Ryan..." Celestia replies and coughs. "That stone... It's killing you..." she says with a sad dying voice.

Ryan smirks and takes out his magical stone. It seemed different from the others. On it there were the same markings that Vulsegardt found on the Marker. "Funny," he says. "I've never felt more alive before.

"Don't make the same mistake Brian did," Celestia says quietly.

Ryan smirks again, turns around and takes a pistol from one of his men. "Matthias was a arrogant weak fool! That's why he's dead," he says.

Celestia slowly lays her head on the ground in her blood pool and sighs. "Altman will stop you..." she says with her final words.

"I think we both know that..." He points the pistol at Celestia. "Won't be happening." he says and pulls the trigger.

The bullet pierces through Celestia's skull, taking her life away.

Ryan stares at Celestia's body with an emotionless expression on his face. "Given the right poison even an Alicorn falls. Shame, I wanted to test the stone more," he says. "Alright, I doubt nobody heard that," he looks at his assassins. "Grab her body and take her..."

"Sister!!!" A loud scream is heard across the hallway.

Ryan slowly looks where the sound was coming from, he sees Princess Luna along with Bright Judgement standing by the entrance where Fedor and Vulsegardt entered, both looking with horror towards Ryan's display.

Ryan quickly looks at Celestia's corpse realizing there is no possible lie that could deny his crime. He looks back to Luna and begins to shout, "Kill them!"

Ryan's assassins point their weapons towards the witnesses but before any of them could pull a trigger, one guard has already lost his head due to a magic bolt shot by Luna.

Luna enraged, blocking all projectiles fired at her with a shield, she steals the assassin's weapons from their hands pointing them against their owners and pulls the triggers. All but one assassin die.

Ryan quickly begins to charge his stone, he becomes invisible, allowing him to escape.

Luna dashes forward and begins to choke the remaining assassin with her magic. She lifts him up only holding him by his neck. "What is the meaning of this?!" she asks with rage.

After a small battle for air the assassin begins to speak, "Ryan wanted your sister dead, he payed us to cloak ourselves and wait for the right moment. We were suppose to weaken her though, not kill her..." he says.

"Why?! For his amusement?!?" Luna asks with teary eyes as she is chocking the assassin with stronger force..

"We were also... Ordered to secure his agents who came here... Making sure they get to Ryan..." he answers while battling for air.

"Miss Vulsegardt and Mister Fedor Conhanger?" Bright says, still in shock.

"Yes! Those two!" The assassin answers. "Ryan had his hitman taking them!"

Luna thinks. She closes her eyes and begins to concentrate. Her horn begins to faintly glow for a few moments. She reopens her eyes. "I know where they are," she says.

Luna stares at the assassin for a short time before throwing him across the hallway like a toy. "Tell your master I'm coming for him next," She says as she picks him up and hits his head to a wall, making him faint.

Bright, quietly panting with fear steps to Celestia's body. He stares at her silently.

Luna quickly walks away, holding back her emotions. "Come Bright! That is an order!" she says with a raised voice.

Bright slowly looks from Celestia to Luna, "But, your sister..."

"Now!" Luna shouts.

Bright nods and begins to follow her. They enter the EarthGov section of the castle.

An alarm begins to ring across the entire building. Celestia's guards and EarthGov personnel begins to run around the entire building, all passing Luna and Bright. Luna ignoring everyone continues walking until reaching a metal door in the secluded area of EarthGov's part.

"Princess, what are we doing?" Bright asks.

Luna ignoring Bright begins to slam on the door with her magic.

Bright looks at the angry Princess with confusion. "Luna, we have to leave!" he says.

Luna keeps slamming the door until it breaks down and falls. She enters the room and notices Lilith pointing a revolver at Vulsegardt.

Lilith gasps and points her weapon towards Luna but before pulling the trigger Luna shots an electrical storm at her, shocking Lilith for several seconds. Lilith, burned alive drops on the floor and faints. Faint smoke is coming out of her flesh.

Vulsegardt quickly jumps to Fedor and unties him.

Bright examines Fedor. "What have they been doing to you two?" he asks with shock.

Vulsegardt looks at Bright. "They tortured us for information... Please help us!" she asks and slightly sobs.

Luna lifts Fedor's entire body with her magic and puts him on his back. "We need to leave little one," she says.

Vulsegardt nods and follows Luna and Bright out of the room. "Is he going to die?" She looks at Fedor and asks with fear.

"Not if we get out of here in time," Bright answers.

They walk down the hallway for a few moments only to be stopped by two EarthGov soldier's and one Celestia's guard. Ryan was standing behind them. "There she is!" He shouts and points. "Princess Luna has killed her sister with the help oh Celestia's right hand!"

Upon hearing this Vulsegardt gasps and looks at Luna. "What?" she asks with a scared voice.

"How dare you?!?" Luna shouts.

Before Luna could say anything else the soldiers begin firing on the group. Luna generates a shield and begins to move back. Vulsegardt and Bright do the same.

Ryan pulls out his stone and shoots a powerful bolt that breaks Luna's shield with ease. He shoots another bolt at Luna but before it could reach her Vulsegardt intercepts that bolt with her own magic.

Ryan pushes the soldiers aside with a force from his stone and conjures blue fire that burns everything in front of him. Bright generates a shield that blocks the fire but after a short while the shield breaks. Ryan quickly shoots a bolt that knocks Bright down.

Luna drops Fedor and dashes forward, she quickly shoots an ice spike at Ryan making him drop his stone. Ryan responds with taking out the pistol he took earlier and begins to fire at Luna.

Luna stops and creates a shield that blocks the incoming fire. As Luna is blocking the bullets Ryan jumps on the ground and grabs the stone. He shoots an unusual spell at Luna, a red force that seemed to weaken her. Luna's shield breaks, she screams and falls down as Ryan gets up and approaches her.

Bright shoots a fireball at Ryan, stopping him from weakening Luna. He begins to drag Luna's weak body towards him with his magic. "Luna! We need to leave!" he shouts.

As she is dragged, Luna nods and her horn begins to glow. A large blue mist is conjured up making Luna, Fedor, Vulsegardt and Bright disappear.

"Fuck!" Ryan shouts and throws his stone on the ground. "They teleported!"