Evershade Dominion

To live your life to its fullest, some must give theirs.

December 24th, 2003 8:23 P.M.

~Location Unknown~

[The estate is fifty meters ahead, requesting permission to begin operation.] I relayed into the microphone that was placed around my ear as I hid amongst the moonlit shadows of the forest.

[Copy that Lionel, you are clear to engage. Get in and get out, your target should be on the second floor mingling with the VIP guests. Remember if you raise any alarm our contract is nullified.] A scratchy voice responded as I shook my head. I already knew the terms of our contract inside and out, him relaying it to me for the umpteenth time didn’t help my patience any.

I stood and exited the forest allowing the moonlight to shine down on me as I walked towards the estate entrance and knocked three times. [Entering the estate now.] I whispered into the microphone as the door opened revealing a butler in a ice white tuxedo.

“Hello sir, please come in. We have been expecting you Mr. Shadow.” he stated pleasantly as he bowed slightly. I held back a snicker as he said my false name. My real name is Lionel Varellian, a mercenary for hire. The name I am currently going by is Silver Shadow and the device I was currently wearing allowed me to take on the identity of the once famous musician. The real Silver Shadow is currently residing in the pits of Tartarus.

“Thank you, where may I find Winter Gust this evening?” I asked politely as he motioned towards the staircase.

“He is currently in the study with the other guests currently, you are welcome to join him.” he replied as I held in a smile. Nodding I started my way up the staircase and towards the study my target was in. Looks like this will be an easier job than originally anticipated. I thought as I rasped on the door two times.

The door cracked open as an eye poked out to see who it was. I smiled and waved to the pony behind the door as their eye opened wider in surprise. The door shut followed by the sound of a chain lock being taken off. The door opened fully after that to reveal that Winter Gust had only two other guests in the room with him.

“Ah, there you are Silver! I thought that you wouldn’t show up tonight! It is great to see you have received my invitation!” Winter exclaimed happily as I entered the room and gave him a hug, slipping a tiny device into the fur behind his neck. You made this far easier than I wanted, such a shame.

“Happy to be here Winter, I wouldn’t have missed this party for the world.” I replied as we retreated from the embrace. “Who might these fine gentlemen be?” I asked as I motioned to the two others standing in the room. The first one to step forwards was a pegasus pony that had a pure white coat with a light grey mane and deep blue eyes.

“Greetings Silver Shadow, my name is Thunder Spark. I’m sure you have heard about me from Winter Gust here, or at least of my writings.” he said pleasantly as I shook my head.

“Can’t say I have Thunder Spark, but I’m sure your books are quite delightful. Who might you be?” I asked as I turned towards a midnight blue unicorn with a black mane and silver eyes.

“My name is Midnight Ace. You already know what I do.” he stated with a hostile tone as I took a step back to feign fear.

“Okay well, I need to use the restroom now. Where might it be Winter Gust?” I asked as Winter pointed to the left of the door. “Thank you Winter.” I stated happily as I exited the room, dropping my smile and entering the bathroom.

[Mission accomplished, leaving the estate now.] I whispered into the microphone as I used the device to turn into a butler for the estate.

[The target isn’t dead, your mission isn’t over. Get back in there Lionel and kill him.] my earpiece screeched in my ear. I rolled my eyes and ignored him as I proceeded downstairs and out front of the mansion. [What are you doing?! GET BA-] I cut him off as I pressed a button on the cufflink of my shirt followed by blood splattering against the window of the estates study.

[Don’t tell me how to do my job. I expect my payment to be in my account by tomorrow morning.] I growled into the microphone as I walked away from the estate and deactivated the hologram device, revealing the real me. I have light gray fur that ends at my wrists and heels. My hands and feet have no fur on them but they do have powder blue markings present on them as well as a powder blue crescent moon underneath my right eye.

I wore a black cloak over my normal gear that consisted of a tact vest overlayed with a leather chest strap that went in a X across my chest and around my waist with small throwing knife cases on my left and right shoulders. I personally attached a sheath on the back of the straps to hold one longsword while I made a smaller sheath for my belt that held a collapsable bo staff. Anything else that I needed to carry would be kept in the knapsack I carried over my right shoulder.

Snow was gently falling overhead as I continued on my trek down the hill towards the town known as Vanhoover; a military town for the Equestrian Royal Army. The ground beneath me crunched with every step I took, the snow burying itself into my feet. As soon as I arrived at Vanhoover I would be leaving again back to where I lived, a country that is meant to maintain peace between all races. Utopia.

I could care less for any of the creatures of this world, as far as i’m concerned I am the only one alive in this cruel world. Those around me use me as their means of taking power from power hungry assholes such as the Winter Gust fellow I just killed for a client, no information to be given as all details were classified.

I lived in the city beneath the country of Utopia, Dystopia as named by its founders. Utopia became a country for those who had been banished from their home country. Forced out of their homes by kings and queens who thought the world to be righteously theirs. I am no different than those living there.

My family was forced out of our homeland as my father had chosen to oppose the king. When it was found out that he was plotting for the kings untimely demise, they slaughtered him and banished the rest of my family. We heard about Utopia several months after said incident and thought it sounded like a pleasant country to live in. How sorely were we mistaken.

We arrived to have our family split apart once again. To live in Utopia you had to give up something or someone to the government. The choice was unanimous and I was sent away to become a soldier for their army. I curse my families names to this day and I swore from that day on that I would kill them, someday.

I served the Utopian military without fuss or complaint for twelve long years before retiring from service. By that time I was 28 years old, yet I never heard from or about my family again for another 6 years. I was in the Utopian market one day doing some grocery shopping when I saw my brother. He was behind a stall selling some books and when I approached him he didn’t recognize me, but oh did I recognize him.

“Hello there! What can I do you for?” he asked pleasantly unaware of who he was talking to. I clenched my fist so that my nails were dug deep into my hand, making it bleed heavily.

“You can’t do anything for me you bastard. You and that wretched family.” I growled back to him while my hand continued to bleed as he raised an eyebrow to me.

“Sir, please leave my stand, you’re scaring away customers.” he replied with worry. I proceeded to jump at him and slam him into the wall. Simultaneously glaring with pure hatred into his eyes. Something went off in his eyes as he realized who I was. “Lionel?” he asked cautiously as I brought him back and slammed him into the wall again.

I reeled back my arm as far as it could go and then punched a hole into the brick wall next to his head. “YOU ALL ABANDONED ME! You sold me off so that you could live here. You all left me to the military and now I lost twelve years of my life in the service.” I growled as he chuckled lightly.

“Oh please, we gave you a life. We honestly thought you would die, but look at you no-” I cut him off by breaking his neck. His body just fell limp to the ground below me as the crowd around me stared in bewilderment at what I had just done.

“I promised that I would kill all of you. I intend to make good on that promise you coward.” when I turned away from my old brothers dead body, I was surrounded by a group of guards. Many of which I recognized as my comrades, two of them were really good friends of mine that had tears in their eyes for me. They knew the consequences behind killing somebody in Utopia.

“You are under arrest for murder! Put your hands behind your back and get on the ground!” one of them shouted. I looked into my friends eyes and nodded, him and my other friend both clattered to the ground as I gathered the magical energy needed and teleported away. I re-appeared at the top of the central utopian tower, the guards caught in the rift were teleported as well but were quickly plummeting towards the ground. I used what little magical energy I had left to slow their fall, most of them broke a few bones and two were unlucky.

That day I decided to move down into Dystopia to live out the rest of my life as Utopian government is unable to enter Dystopia or even speak to their residents. I created a new name for myself, Lost Solstice. A new name for a new life as I was no longer a retired veteran of Utopia but a mercenary for hire.

The cold was finally starting to find itself deep into my bones as I arrived at Vanhoover. Maybe I should rest here for tonight and leave in the morning. I thought quietly to myself. After standing there for a few minutes contemplating whether I should stay or leave, I decided to stay. Leaving tonight wouldn’t be in my best interest as I was waiting on the payment from my previous contract to be put into my account. Leaving now would mean if I wasn’t paid that I would have to travel twice the distance to my contractor.

What my contractors don’t know is that I do background checks on each of them before I take on their job so that if I don’t get paid, they have to pay twice the money originally offered to keep their life. If they don’t pay me after that, I kill them and take all of their money. You waste my time and resources, I make sure you pay the price.

I started walking down the street in the direction of the closest hotel. I got many hate filled glares from the ponies walking on the sidewalk and driving by. Somebody ran into me, trying to knock me over only to have themselves knocked onto their rears. I towered over them and they looked up at me in fear, I held out my hand to help them up. It was knocked away as they scrambled up onto their feet and started yelling at me.

I didn’t stay as I pushed past them, closer and closer to the hotel. I felt a bottle hit the back of my head but I ignored it. Over and over I felt objects hit me as other citizens yelled racial slurs at me. Luckily for me, the hotel was a non-discriminatory establishment. When I entered the building I was greeted with a warm smile from the clerk behind the desk. She was a changeling with silver eyes and chitin. I removed my hood and returned the smile.

“Greetingsss, sssir. How may I help you?” she asked pleasantly as I sighed.

“Well, if you could turn a blind eye to me murdering an entire city of ponies, that’d be great.” we both laughed at my little joke. “Anyways, on a serious note. May I rent a room for tonight?” I asked with happiness in my voice. Finally, somebody who isn’t a flaming racist.

“That will be 60 bitsss pleassse.” she informed me as she held out her hand for the money. I reached into my bag and pulled out a medium sized coin pouch and handed it to her, wide eyed she tried to give the bag back. “Thisss isss way too much, it’sss easssily 250 bitsss!” I waved my hand.

“60 bits for the room and 190 bits as a tip for you.” I beamed at her as she shook her head fervently. “Go on, take it. I’m sure you need it more than me, especially since you live in a town like this.” I reminded her as I gestured my head to the glaring ponies outside.

She thanked me so much that I thought she was going to explode before she handed me a key and directed me to my room for the night.

The room had one bed in the corner, a door that led to the bathroom and a single nightstand beside the bed with a lamp and an alarm clock on it. I placed my knapsack next to the bed and rummaged through it for a minute before pulling a tablet and a pair of headphones out of it. I plugged the headphones in and spread out underneath the covers, still wearing my armor.

I unlocked the tablet and navigated to my bank account and saw that the 20,000 bits for this contract had been funded to my account. An average payout was around the 10K range but this one required more than simply finding my target and eliminating them. So naturally I told them either add 10K to this contract or they could find somebody else to take care of their little problem.

Considering I am one of 6 mercenaries for hire in Dystopia, and the others were out working already, they had little choice but to say yes.

I closed the application and pressed play on the music widget. Listening to Hurt by Johnny Cash brought tears to my eyes as I remembered tonight was Christmas Eve. The third Christmas that I would spend alone, ever since my wife was taken away from me. The only child I ever had was quickly whisked away when he was 3 years old to somewhere in Equestria and never heard from again. I doubt that he would remember me now anyways, he would be 12 years old by now.

The time now was 11:58 P.M., mere minutes away. As the clock reached midnight I whispered into the cold air “Merry Christmas Jazmine and Leon.”