Night.
Above me I saw nothing but pitch black sky. In front of me I saw nothing but trees cloaked in shadowy darkness. Around me I heard nothing but the silence of lifeless forest.
It was little else but the unknown. The frightening unknown that made my heartbeat grow faster and my breath grow heavier.
I looked behind at the Shoin-zukuri behind me. A small and square shaped hut, with an exterior of wooden boards, and a tiled roof that curved inwards up to the second floor, a smaller version of the ground floor that was topped with a similar roof. Through the windows I could see a warm orange light, one that spoke of home and comfort.
I didn't have to go. I could always just go back to the light...
'No.' I thought. 'I have to do this. I have to find myself. And I know I'll find it in that forest.'
But even if I wanted to, the darkness around me just...wouldn't let me go.
That was when I saw it. A white light shining on the ground in front of me, as if the soil had begun to glow. I lifted my head, and saw the shadowy clouds above part ways to reveal the white moon.
And from the moon fell rays of white light that bathed the forest below. The grass upon the earth, the lotuses upon the ponds, and the leaves upon the trees all glowed with the light of the moon.
And then, I wasn't afraid any more.
My hooves catching dirt as I walked, I left the orange light of my home behind me, and followed the white light of my destiny that was ahead of me.
As I went deeper into the forest, the silence that was once there slowly disappeared. What was once no sound at all became the whistling of Bay Owls and the calling of crickets. This comforted me further, as the sound of the unknown was just as bad, if not worse, than the sight of the unknown.
I was ready. More than I had ever been. I would find it. The meaning of being a part of the Uma No Yoru. The meaning of being a part of the ninja.
My father had found it here. My ancestors had found it here. I had to find it here.
And the light of the moon would show me the way.
Continuing on through the forest, through thick mud and dense foliage, I followed the path that the white glow seemed to show me. And by doing so, I found what I might have been looking for.
A lake. Still as a tree. It was one of the largest bodies of water I had ever seen. Three hundred metres in length at least. None of the trees surrounding it went within the length of a garden near the lake, as if to pay respect to it. Above the water were countless beautiful Lotuses that sat on green lily pads. And in the middle of the lake, almost right in the centre, was a rock. It wasn't the kind of rock with a rough surface and jagged edges, it was smooth and shiny, like it was created to be sat upon.
The lake glowed with the moon's white radiance, the light reflecting off the wet flowers and the rock as well. It was the perfect place.
My small wings stretched outward, the feathers extending like the claws of a cat. I had been flying for barely a year, and still had a lot to learn. But I had flown across large distances before. I could do it now.
Rising, then falling, my wings pushed against the wind below me. I repeated the process, faster and faster, until I was no longer touching the ground. So many of the other Ninja's in the Uma No Yoru made it look so easy, but for me, staying in the air was incredibly taxing. But it wasn't going to stop me.
I flew over the lake, trying to keep a good, high distance so that I wouldn't disturb the water. For the first few seconds of slow flying, I felt fine.
But as I approached the rock, my wings grew more tired, crying for rest. I really wasn't sure if I was going to make it. And if I didn't, I hadn't been taught to swim yet, and I had no idea how deep the lake was.
My heart racing with fear, and my wings starting to fail me, I thought of the Shoin-zukuri with the orange light. I thought of the home I shouldn't have left.
But then, out of nowhere, came a gust of wind. It wasn't a very strong wind, but it was strong enough to push me. My wings stopped flapping, and spread out, riding the air that may have saved my life.
Gliding in the night, I landed on the rock.
The frightening experience I had just been through had left my breath heavy and my heartbeat rapid once again. But it was all over now, I had reached my destination.
I sat comfortably upon the rock, and allowed my body to return to normal. My breathing slowed down, my heart eased, and my fear was gone. The silence that had scared me was now very calming, letting my mind clear itself and my body relax.
From the view of the rock, the lake was even more beautiful. Surrounded by water, lotuses, and moonlight, I felt like I was sitting in the centre of a piece of art.
Suddenly, everything began to dim. I quickly looked up to see that another cloud had come to block the moon and its light. Once it had covered it completely, the world around me returned to complete darkness, the lake and the forest seeming to disappear. Feelings of fear and began to build up inside me again, along with a wave of loneliness.
But as I looked around, I realised something. The trees, the flowers, the water, it hadn't all gone. It had just become one with the darkness. The night surrounded me, shielded me, and I then knew that it wasn't trying to hurt me, it was trying to help me.
I closed my eyes and let out a deep breath, my entire body becoming as still as the rock I sat upon. I let myself become one with the night. One with the darkness.
When I opened my eyes again, I found that everything was once more bathed in white light. I looked up at the moon, and it seemed to look back, and I knew that it would always be there for me.
I now understood everything. The night was the friend of the ninja. It was my friend.
For the rest of the night, I sat on that rock, letting my surroundings become as much a part of me as I became with them. When my father found me the following morning, he would also discover that the image of the crescent moon in between two blue feathers had appeared on my flank.
I had earned my cutie mark. I was ready.
***
Exceptionalism is a lie.
Free yourself from your cutie mark.
Choose equality as your special talent.
My eyes slowly opened up to the sight of a white ceiling. After further returning from sleep, I realised that my back was lying against something soft, and that the back of my head was placed against another soft object. As I regained the ability to control my body, I lifted my head to see that I was covered in a white blanket. I was lying in a bed.
Turning my head to the side, I saw that I was in a white room with a brown wooden door, a single window, and light hanging from the ceiling. There were two cabinets in the room, with closed drawers and open shelves displaying boxes and bottles. Next to the bed was a counter with a glass of water and what looked like some kind of radio.
The radio itself sat on the counter, saying a bunch of strange sentences in a feminine voice.
Different talents lead to different opinions.
Different opinions lead to bitterness and misery.
Differences lead to chaos and disharmony.
Whatever all that meant wasn't really important at the moment. What was important was remembering where I was and why I was here.
The mountains...
At the sound of creaking, I look at the door to see it open, and a unicorn mare walk through it. Her fur was light Mauve pink and her hair was royal purple with turquoise highlights, while her eyes were a darker shade of purple.
"Ah, you're awake I see." She said in a friendly voice. "How are you feeling?"
I personally didn't even know how I was feeling myself. I tried to sit up to get my mind and body fully active, but as I moved I felt every muscle in my body ache tremendously. I fell back onto the bed as a groan left my mouth.
"Oh dear." Said the pink unicorn. "Looks like you'll still need some more time."
She walked over to one of the shelves and started looking through all the boxes and bottles, while the little radio continued spouting phrases about the positives of equality and the negatives of individuality. As for me, I needed some questions answered.
"Where am I?"
"You're in our infirmary. We found you unconcious in the Crystal Mountains nearby. You clearly needed medical attention, so we brought you here."
That explained what this room was, and how I was no longer in the mountains, but I wanted to know the details.
"What city or town is this?"
The unicorn chuckled. "Neither, its just a small village. You can barely call it that even. This infirmary is in my home as a matter of fact."
"Are you a physician?"
"Oh, no. There are no physicians here, we all take our part in nursing people back to health. Oh, here it is."
Her horn glowed turquoise as a bottle was lifted out of one of the shelves, wrapped in a similar glow. She walked over to me as the liquid was poured into a teaspoon.
"Here." She said kindly, levitating the spoon over to me. "Take this."
I stared at the liquid in the spoon. It was a transparent, hot pink colour.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Just simple medicine dear, we wouldn't want you getting a cold now would we?"
This brought back memories of my training, and how I was taught not to just take in mysterious substances. Although, if they wanted to poison me, they probably wouldn't have rescued me from the mountains and nursed me back to health. But it could also be something that could somehow get information out of her, and revealing secrets was something a ninja doesn't do. Ever.
"No thanks. I'm fine."
"You really should." She insisted. "you don't just fall unconscious in a frozen mountain range and expect to be in perfect health."
The look on her face told me that she was really insisting. But...
'It doesn't matter.' I thought. 'I'm leaving it all behind anyway.'
My mouth opened wide as the spoon levitated half inside and spilled the medicine against my tongue, before I swallowed it down my throat.
"There." The unicorn said happily. "Now that thats all over, why don't we introduce ourselves. I'm Starlight Glimmer. What's your name?"
I hesitated for a moment, once again reminding myself of the rule against information. But then I also reminded myself that the past didn't matter anymore.
"Night Glider."
Starlight looked happy to be getting somewhere with me. "Thats an interesting name."
Individual talents create an imbalance.
Equality makes it all fair.
Similarity brings unity.
"Whats with the radio?" I asked.
"Oops." Starlight exclaimed. "I forgot to turn this off."
As she trotted over to the radio and turned it radio off, it crossed my mind how odd that was to have on a radio.
"Now I think its time you got some rest." Said Starlight. "Would you like something to help you get to sleep?"
"No thanks." Despite the fact that I wanted to forget my past, taking any more mysterious substances from this pony I hardly knew probably wasn't a good idea.
"If you insist." Starlight replied. "Now if you feel good enough to get out of bed, its a small settlement, so don't be shy to look around."
And with that, she shut the door behind her, leaving me in the silence of the infirmary.
She was certainly right about me needing some sleep. Despite the fact that I had just woken up from a sleep that I didn't even know the length of, I was incredibly tired.
I laid my head back down against the pillow and closed my eyes. Strangely enough, the words from the radio started to echo in my head.
Exceptionalism is a lie.
Different opinions lead to bitterness and misery.
Equality brings unity.
It was a bit annoying, but it wasn't really a problem. It would probably be gone once I woke up.
Author's Note
If you're a reader of A Sparkling Sunset than your probably working on that as opposed to this new project. Well first, I'm trying to get that story edited, so I might as well write something new in the meantime. Secondly, I figured 'Hey, new season introduces new characters, might as well try and write about them, possibly kick starting the fandoms interpretation of that character.' (*sigh* I wish). Finally I intended on this being a much shorter single chapter story, but I thought that I started writing a bit too much for it to be that.
If you haven't read A Sparkling Sunset, then CLICK THAT HYPERLINK AND GO READ IT NOW! BY THE POWER OF BEST PRINCESS I COMMAND YOU!
This is also my first First person story, so I apologise if it feels clunky (I kept slipping into third person while writing, but hopefully I fixed all of it.)
As always, please comment and critique so that I can improve for future chapters and stories.
With the last few chomps, I finished the remnants of the sandwich. It wasn't anything special, just lettuce, cheese and butter between two slices of bread. It was pretty strange that this was the third time I was eating a sandwich for dinner.
"Is this really what you eat for dinner?" I ask Sugar Belle, one of the ponies that Starlight had recently introduced me to.
"Yes." She replied from across the short table. "No one in the village is really talented enough to make much more than a sandwich. We can make basic muffins as well, but those are exclusively for lunch."
"That sounds...kinda depressing."
"Its great actually." She said with a strange smile. "If we could all make different types of food, we would all want different types of food. And if we all wanted different types of food, our friendships could be put in serious jeopardy."
"Okay..." I replied. It seemed like a pretty strange way of thinking, but than again I'd never really been this far from home before. I wasn't really familiar with other cultures.
As Sugar Belle was finishing off her own sandwich, I took a look at the village that I had spent the last few days in. It was certainly the smallest settlement I had ever seen, even smaller than...home.
Aside from Starlight's house, which was something of a town hall to the village, there were six other houses, all set up with a line of three houses facing another line of three houses like a mirror image. Overall, I was pretty sure the population didn't go above fifteen.
Come to think of it, the set up of the village was very reminiscent of an equals sign, similar to everyone's cutie marks.
Which reminded me of something I'd been meaning to ask...
"Sugar Belle, how is it that you all have the same cutie marks?"
For all I knew, this might have been a really stupid question. Again, I'd never been this far from home, so I didn't know what differences there would be between the ponies here and the ponies where I was from.
"Thats whats so special about our village." Sugar Belle said gleefully. "We all came here with our own unique cutie marks and the problems that came with them. But once we decided to join the community, we had our cutie marks removed, and our talents removed with them."
I felt myself flinch backwards a bit at the sound of this. Did she just say that they had their cutie marks removed? Was that even possible?
"Your cutie marks were...removed? How does that happen?"
"Some of the most amazing magic in Equestria." She answered. "Within one of the nearby mountains is the Staff of Sameness, one of the nine enchanted items of the eastern unicorn mage Meadowbrook."
Being from the east, I was familiar with the name and reputation of Meadowbrook, but I didn't really know the details.
"So this...'Staff of Sameness' takes your cutie mark away,"
Sugar Belle nodded. "The marks are left in the cutie mark vault, a great display case in the same cave where the Staff of Sameness is kept. We can visit them any time we like to remember the lives we left behind."
'The lives they left behind...' I looked at my own cutie mark for a second.
"Can I see this 'Cutie Mark Vault?'." I asked.
"Of course." Said a sudden voice behind me.
I turned around to see that Starlight was standing right behind me. To be honest, it was a little bit creepy.
"I can take you to the vault any time you like Night Glider. Now would even be fine."
The idea of a vault full of other pony's cutie marks was an interesting thought to say the least.
"All right." I answered.
"Wonderful." Starlight said delightfully, then facing Sugar Belle. "Sugar Belle, would you kindly go wash up your dishes while I take Night Glider to the vault?"
"Of course Starlight." Sugar Belle responded while she picked up the dishes with her aqua magic.
Starlight turned her head to face me again. "Follow me Night Glider."
I trotted after her as she walked. Once we left the village, I followed her up a rocky path that lead to a series of small mountains.
We didn't talk as we walked, we just trotted in silence. Hearing little more than the trotting of hooves, my mind drifted back to the past...
***
Honour. Respect. Reputation.
These were the most important things in the Uma No Yoru. Children were the ones without honour, they were still growing and learning how to obtain it. A fully fledged ninja without honour was as respectable as a child. And as the daughter of the grandmaster, I needed the respect, the honour, and the reputation.
And such was earned either through our accomplished missions, which I wasn't ready for, or duels, which I was currently dealing with.
His name was Secondhorn, as he was the second unicorn the Uma No Yoru ever had, his father being the first of his kind to join. His coat was yellow as a bee and his mane, tail, and eyes were as dark brown as a wet tree trunk. Strapped to his side was a sheathed katana as long as his own body, which looked intimidating enough. What made it look even more intimidating was the cutie mark of two katanas formed in a cross shape on his flank.
As for me, I had my own katana strapped to my side, but I imagined I didn't look nearly as fearsome with it, not with my smaller size and lack of a cutie mark in sword skills.
I looked up at the wooden walkways and rope brides built around the trees that surrounded me. On them were many of the clan members, ninjas and students alike. If I won, they would see it, and I would be as honoured and respected as many of them. If I lost, which was looking pretty imminent, then depending on how well I fought back, I would gain nothing, or lose everything.
On one of the tree walkways was a gong that would signal the beggining of the duel. I watched as one of the older members of the clan approached it with the mallet in his mouth. I turned to face my opponent.
Our eyes locked, and we bowed.
DONG!
I was suddenly reminded of the lack of combat skills I'd really been taught.
As fast as I could, I pulled the katana out of the sheath with my mouth. Once my eyes were fixed back on Secondhorn, I saw that he had used his magic to unsheath his own katana. The blade glowed maroon as it reflected the colour of his magical light. While this initially seems unfair, ninja were taught to adapt to the weapons and styles that were presented to them. He grew up with a horn, he could use his magic. I grew up with wings, I had to use my mouth.
While his telekinesis certainly gave him a wider range of what he could do with his weapon, he had only been training to use his horn for as long as he could use his magic properly. I had trained to wield a katana with my mouth for my entire life.
He made the first strike, a downward slash that would have hit me right on the forehead had I not twisted my neck and parried his blade with my own. He then slashed at my right, which I quickly deflected, followed by a strike at my left. I had to sidestep while turning my body in order to block it, and it was clearly evident that I had to put a lot more effort into this than he had to.
It was also clear that he was going full offense, forcing me to go full defense. His next few attacks were quick, rapid strikes at multiple spots on my body. I had to turn my head to different angles at just as much speed. I could feel the strain this was putting on my neck. This was likely what his plan was. He wouldn't be able to levitate that katana forever, but I certainly couldn't keep this up forever, especially with the fast strikes I had to deal with.
Eventually, I wasn't able to turn my head fast enough and his blade went right into my front left leg. It barely went beyond the skin, but it stung enough to draw blood and get a cry of pain out of me. Those katanas were sharp. Fatal? No. Painful? Shockingly so.
The strain on my neck was bad enough, now the pain on my leg was even more distacting. I could barely keep up with each of his attacks, and he didn't look like he was tiring out any time soon.
And it looked like he didn't see any point in going on with the sword play. When I felt at my weakest, his katana stopped striking at me and hovered over to his side. For a split second I felt confused, but then his two front hooves suddenly lashed out and struck me full on the chest.
The blow pushed me hard to the ground, knocking the breath out of me, as well as sending my weapon flying out my mouth. It was a second before I regained my focus, and when I did, I looked up to see his katana raised in striking position. At that moment, I cursed the lack of combat training my father had given me.
Then it hit me. The reason he rarely taught me hop to fight was because a ninja wasn't meant to fight in open combat. It wasn't in their skill set. A ninja's skills were stealth, agility...
Distraction...
Right before Secondhorn's katana could fall upon me, I dug my wings into the dry earth. Quick as a flash, I flapped them upwards, flinging the sandy dirt right at his face. His eyes, wide and focused on their prey, were struck by the blinding sand.
He let out a cry as his horn stopped glowing and his katana dropped to the ground. While his hooves desperately tried to rub the dirt out of his eyes, I regained my footing.
I limped over to my katana, my left front leg still pulsing with pain. After gripping it firmly between my teeth, I limped back over to Secondhorn. Before he could recover from the sand attack, I thrust the blade into his right hind leg. Not deep enough to cause any permanent damage, but definitely deep enough to temporarily cripple him.
He crashed to the ground, groaning from his wounds. I placed myself right in front of him, losening my grip on the handle and allowing it to slide between my teeth until it was pointed right at his face.
His eyes, red and wet, opened to see the blade that was almost touching the spot between them. They were full of fear.
And awe.
I looked up to the walkways on the trees above, and saw the crowd of ninjas cheering for my victory. The elder slammed the gong a second time to mark the end of the duel, and two pegasi flew down to assist Secondhorn.
"You've done remarkably well Night Glider."
Turning around, I found my father standing right behind me.
As one would expect, his coat was a similar colour to mine, only a slightly lighter shade. Unlike me however, his hair was jet black, with some streaks of white. The most defining qualities about him were the black and white beard that fell down to his chest, and the white and gold robes of the Uma No Yoru grandmaster that he always wore.
"Never before have I seen the tables turn so quickly in a duel before." He remarked.
"Well, that is what we're all about." I replied. "Adaptation. Change. All that good stuff."
"If you truly think that is everything we stand for, you have much more to learn indeed."
"Okay, I didn't mean it literally..." I winced as the cut on my leg began to throb with pain.
My father also took notice of this. "Go get yourself treated. Afterwards, come see me on the tree walkway above the training grounds. There is something we must discuss."
And with that, he turned around and walked away, disappearing through two large bushes. That was it. About half a minute of praise for my triumph and he has gone.
''Sure, I'll just...go get myself healed. Alone. With a bleeding gash in my leg."
He was never really one to help or praise me. Sure, he wasn't a deadbeat father in any way. For years he fed me, put me to bed, and was there when I needed a hug. But when it came to my development as a ninja, he was always more or less invisible.
Though I wouldn't be surprised to learn that this had been going on for a few generations.
The walk to the infirmary wasn't long or hard, since we all lived in such a small settlement. The problem came from my leg, which continued to sting. When I got there, Leafswirl, a former pegasus ninja who now served as the physician of the clan, tended to the cut. A special ointment made from local plants was rubbed into the wound. While it made the stinging feel far more intense, I knew from experiance that it would help the recovery process as well as prevent infection. She then wrapped my leg in clean bandages and told me to keep them on for a week.
When I left the infirmary, I looked through the treetops to see that the sky had turned an orange tint, signalling the sunset.
I thrust my wings out and started flapping, getting me off the gound and into the air. Flying over to one of the nearby trees, I landed on the wooden walkway. The landing hurt a bit due to my leg, but it was easily ignorable.
The training grounds were a short walk away. I went around the tree to find the bridge that was connected to another tree in the direction I was going. Once I got to the other side I just had to go around a few more walkways and cross a few more bridges before I found myself above the training grounds.
The grounds themselves were currently active, with a group of about ten or more trainees doing synchronised excercises in front of one of the trainers. Close by, three other trainees were practicing their bow and arrow skills at the shooting range, while one of the higher level students was in straight up unarmed combat with his teacher.
On the other side of the grounds from where I was standing, my father watched over from above.
Rather than go the long way around, I kicked myself off the wooden boards and flew over to him. Once again, a wave of pain went up my leg as I landed, but it subsided just as fast as the last one.
He stood by the rails of the walkway, looking over the training grounds in silence.
"So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" I asked as I approached him.
He didn't speak or move. He just continued looking over the grounds in silence.
I trotted over to the spot next to him, and looked over the training grounds as he did. For a moment there was just silence between us, filled only by the sounds of trainees chanting as they copied their teacher's moves and the thumping of arrows hitting the weaved targets.
"Do you see all this?" My father finally asked.
I gave it another look. "Yes. I have eyes you know."
He ignored the little quip and continued on. "This is the next generation of the Uma No Yoru. They are all mere students and children now. But one day they may become the finest spy's and assassins in Equestria."
He then went away from the rails and started walking down the walkway. Though he said nothing, he never had to tell me to follow him.
I walked behind him as he took me to the other side of the tree. He then stood by the railings on this side, and I took a look at the next site.
Bellow us was one of the residential blocks. Quite small, there were six Shoin-Zukuri huts constructed in a circular formation, connected by six dirt paths that spread outwards in a star formation. Half of them had orange light coming from the doors and windows, and outside one sat an earth mare in a rocking chair. In her hooves she held a small baby.
"And these my daughter, are some of the few homes our clan members live in. In each of those Shoin-Zukuri lives a family who has done great service to the clan, and will continue to do so through their descendants after them. They are ninjas, yes. But they are also fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters."
Why was he telling me all this? I'd rarely ever left this place my entire life, I already knew everything well.
"That is what the Uma No Yoru are. Weapons of darkness that carry out acts of justice, but also one interconnected family. All of this is the legacy of our own family, who have lead and guided the clan since the beggining."
He turned to me. "As the Uma No Yoru advances on to its next generation, so shall its leadership. As my eldest child, you are to inherit this leadership from me, as I inherited it from my father, and his mother before him."
This was unexpected. I was aware of how the system worked, and I knew that I was next in line. But I never knew when I would ascend to grandmaster, and or what I would have to do in the process. In fact, my father had never actually directly talked to me about this subject before.
"But in order to lead the clan, first you must prove yourself as a full fledged ninja of the Uma No Yoru."
This made me feel a strange mix of excitement and fear. In order to be considered a true ninja of the Uma No Yoru, you had to first complete a mission.
"One of our clients has a new duty for us to complete."
The clients. The Uma No Yoru serve no single master, and our very existence is kept a secret from all of Equestria. We acted through the requests of our clients, those few powerful individuals we made contact with and chose to serve. If the grandmaster thought someone really wanted what was best for Equestria, we would attempt to establish them as a client. If they wanted information, we would get it. If they wanted someone dead...
"There's a stallion in Manehattan named Harmonious Melody. He's one of the most influential ponies in the music industry, and according to our client, has started digging into political matters he shouldn't be."
"I'm guessing the client wants him dead."
"Exactly. And they want him dead within two days."
"Taking out some rich guy? Sounds easy enough."
"You should hope it is, if you wish to become Grandmaster."
Turning around, he began to walk away before stopping for a moment.
"You will leave for Manehattan at dawn tommorow. Make sure the deed is done by the following morning."
With that, he continued walking away from me, disappearing behind the tree.
I stood there for a while, before going back to the rail and looking over the training grounds. It looked like training was done for the day, as teachers and students alike were all packing up and leaving. I looked at the grounds and equipment below me. It would all belong to me. I looked at the trainees and teachers as they left for their hurs. They would all be loyal to me.
All it would take was one death.
***
"And here we are!"
I found my mind suddenly thrust out of the past and back into the present. I looked ahead and saw a small grey mountain with a large dark cave digging inwards, green moss hanging above it.
"Doesn't look very welcoming." I commented.
"As the place where we keep all of our Cutie marks, it doesn't need to look welcoming." Starlight answered.
There was something in the way she said that sentence that I found quite disturbing.
Inside the cave, I found one of the most incredible sights I'd ever seen.
The inner cave was bathed in cyan light, glowing against the rocky walls and stalagmite covered ceiling. The cave itself looked pretty normal, but deeper within it was a round dark pedestal. Above the pedestal levitated a strange wooden staff. It was a simple wooden stick with an outer layer of wood curving upwards and splitting into two prongs.
But the most incredible sight was what I assumed was the cutie mark vault itself. It appeared to be the source of the blue light, and displayed a few cutie marks, each contained within a small square shaped glass case. All of the cases combined into a large glass rectangle, with a blue glowing symbol that resembled Starlight and her friend's cutie marks suspended above it.
"Magnificent isn't it?" Said Starlight, approaching me from behind. I only then realised that I had walked right next to the pedestal while staring at the vault. It was surprisingly hypnotic.
"It sure is a sight." I complimented, then taking a look at the wooden staff. "I presume thats the 'Staff of Sameness' Sugar Belle told me about?"
"You're a smart one indeed, Night Glider." Starlight answered, picking the staff up with her magic. "This is in fact the Staff of Sameness. The staff that Meadowbrook himself forged as part of his nine enchanted items. He infused it with the power to take a pony's cutie mark and replace it with a new one. One that would allow that pony to rise no higher than their peers."
"You mean that?" I asked, pointing at the equals sign on her flank.
"Why yes." She responded with a smile. "Not only are we rid of our talents, but our new cutie marks inhibit our abilities to the point where no pegasus can go faster than a wingless pony, no earth pony is stonger than those with wings or horns, and no unicorn can consider themselves any more great or powerful than another."
"Whats the process like?" I asked. "Getting your cutie mark removed. How does it feel? Tiring? Painful?"
"Nothing of the sort dear." Starlight replied. "Think...a refreasing exhale after taking a deep breath. Only through the flank."
She placed the staff back on the pedestal. After it was firmly placed, I took a long look at it. I then turned my head around and glanced at the cresent moon and twin feathers on my flank.
After all the pain it had caused me...
"I never asked..." Starlight uttered. "Where do you live?"
I thought for a moment about what to say. I definitely wasn't going to tell anyone where I came from, but I also couldn't think of any other good answer.
"I don't really have a home."
Starlight raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"
"I left mine in search of a new one."
All of a sudden, her face perked up. "Well what a fantastic coincidence that you would end up here! We're always hoping for new friends to come and join us. Surely a friendly and peaceful village like ours is the kind of hone that you'd be looking for."
I glanced at the cutie mark vault, and imagined my own mark placed in a glass case among the rest.
"Would I have to give up my cutie mark?" I asked.
"Of course." She answered. "We wouldn't all be equal if there was someone with superior talents living among us."
I took another look at my Cutie mark. We may not have shared the best memories together, but it was still a part of me. Would I give that up?
"I think I'd like to go back to the village now." I said. "I'll think about what your offer."
"Take as much time as you need." Starlight insisted kindly.
As we left the cave, I took one last quick look at the cutie mark vault. All those cutie marks. Locked away. Never to bother the ponies that they had once been a part of again...
The walk back to the village seemed a bit shorter than the walk to the cave. I spent the last few hours of the day talking to the other ponies in the village. Word spread pretty fast about the possibility of me joining the community, and everypony I talked to tried to convince me of how wonderful life here was.
As the sun set and the crescent moon rose above the mountains, I figured it was time to sleep. Starlight had been kind enough to lend me a spare bedroom in her house as the place where I was staying.
The guest room was very simple, yet at the same time very welcoming. The floor was a peach carpet and the walls were of some kind of cobblestone. Aside from the single bed, the room also had one wardrobe and three framed paintings decoracting the walls. Next to the bed was a counter. And on the counter was the radio.
I had woken up every morning to found the radio spouting the same phrases each time. Starlight claimed that she didn't know how it kept coming back on, but I wasn't too stupid to put her above suspicion. Not that I really minded. I had grown quite fond of hearing the radio speak.
I climbed onto the bed, placed my head on the soft pillow, and wrapped myself in the warm sheets. I closed my eyes and let my body relax.
But something didn't feel right. As I waited, paying attention to my surroundings, I realised that it was the silence. There was just something...unnerving about it.
I leaned over to the counter and pressed the button on the radio. As the sound came on, I found myself feeling more comfortable and relaxed.
In sameness, there is peace.
Exceptionalism is a lie.
Free yourself from your cutie mark.
***
Silence was my ally. Darkness was my friend.
Avoiding as much of the light emitting from the mansion as possible, I flew silently over the stone walls. Luckily for me, there were some conveniently placed foliage right on the other side. Easy to hide in. Easy to look through. Easy to move across.
The perfect cover.
But before I jumped in, I quickly scanned over the gardens. Unbeleivably large for a simple back yard, I estimated that it was about four hundred square metres in area. Each side of the inner walls had bushes at their feet, and there were two large ponds, three trees, and a gazebo in the centre.
More importantly, there was a moving yellow searchlight within the gardens. A guard.
Slowly gliding downwards, I landed quietly in a bush. As my hooves hit the ground, my injured leg pulsed with pain. It was a bit of a distraction, but I wouldn't let it get in the way.
Some bushes had hard branches that restricted movement while also making a lot of noise. Luckily, that wasn't the case with the bush I landed in, which had light flexible branches as well as soft leaves.
Moving along the bushes, which varied from hard and prickly to more or less just giant leaves, I slowly got closer and closer to the mansion.
As I did, I felt more aware of the gear that I was wearing for the first time. I was covered in a suit with a dark navy colour, as well as a face mask of the same colour covering my muzzle. Wrapped around me were multiple belts that held several important weapons and gadgets, including a blowpipe, darts, smoke bombs, throwing stars, blinding powder, a katana, and a knife. Of the two blades, I would hopefully have no reason to use the katana.
The knife on the other hand...
But as I approached the walls of the building, one of the bushes in front of me was suddenly glowing with yellow light. I looked to my right to see that the guard was passing by.
It was a unicorn. A stallion. The yellow searchlight shone from the tip of his horn, which was tipped with a navy blue cap.
I stood as still as the bush that covered me, letting the branches and leaves hide my presence. I thought of my cutie mark, and how it represented my ability to become one with the darkness. Hopefully it would be put to use now.
To my inner joy, the guard walked right passed me despite being no more than ten metres away. When I figured he was a good distance away, I continued on through the bushes.
The next bush was much rougher than the last one, featuring hard yet fragile branches that snapped as I moved through them, creating a series of cracking noises.
And as they did, the bush and I were surrounded by yellow light.
Turning around and peeping through the bush, I saw the guard coming towards me, a suspicious look on his face.
'Damn it!' I thought. 'I should have waited until he was farther away!'
As quick as I could, I gripped the blowpipe between my hooves and slipped it out of its strap. I took a dart out of its own strap with my teeth and placed it in the blow hole. As the guard approached the bush, I aimed the pipe at him and blew as hard as I could.
"Gah!" He cried out as the dart hit him in the neck. "Wha..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he started to stumble, before collapsing on the ground.
I quickly moved back through the bushes and dragged him in. I placed him in a spot where he would be hard to find through the foliage, and continued moving towards the mansion.
He would be unconscious for approximately two hours. More than enough time.
When I finally reached the walls of the building, I looked to see which was the right balcony. I had been informed before leaving that of the three balconies that hung from the back of the mansion, the one on the left was the one that lead to Harmonious Melody's bedroom.
I flew silently towards the balcony, watching out for any other guards that could be on patrol. Once I reached it, I peeped over the rails to see if there was anyone in sight.
There was no one on the balcony, and through the glass sliding doors the room appeared empty.
Landing softly on the balcony floor, I opened one of the sliding doors and closed it behind me as I slipped inside.
It certainly looked like the bedroom of a rich manehattanite. The ceiling was higher than any ceiling I had ever seen in a single room before, with a golden chandelier hanging from it. The wooden furniture looked professionally carved, such as the large double bed with four posts holding up what looked like a bed ceiling.
I stepped foward, slowly and silently. Turning my head back, I unsheathed the knive with my teeth. The material of the mask was rough and flexible enough for me to grip the handle despite the slight movement restrictions for my mouth. I scanned the room for any doors that the target could be hidden behind, like a bathroom or a dressing room...
And that was when the door handle at the front of the room started turning.
Fast as lightning, I ducked behind the bed as I heard the sound of hooves entering the room.
Peeking from under the bed, I saw that the hooves were grey, matching the description I'd been given of the target. They trotted closer to the bed, and I was worried that he would spot me. But as luck would have it, he stopped at a drawer, and I could hear shelves opening.
It was now or never.
As I crept around the bed, I got a full look at him. His entire coat was light grey and his mane and tail was orange. Though I couldn't see his face, I spotted the tips of a mustache. He matched the description perfectly.
He continued looking through the shelves as I snuck up on him. One slice in the throat and...
"Must have left it somewhere else..." He mumbled as he turned around.
And as he did, He got a clear look of me. We both froze in surprise and shock.
"Who..."
Reacting quickly, I thrust out my hooves and slammed him against the wall. Before he could fight back or anything similar, I quickly twisted my head to the side and sent the knife cutting across his throat.
And when my head twisted back, I got a good look at his face.
Red blood oozed from the slice in his throat, dripping down his neck and on to my hooves. He tried to either speak or cry out, but all that came out was a rusty whine as bubbles formed in his red throat.
His eyes, wide and brown, were full of sadness, loneliness, and fear...
A fear that I had once felt when surrounded by darkness.
Blood ran down his neck as small tears dripped from his eyes. I looked deeper into the , and saw a lifetime of growing up and learning all come crumbling down as the many years he could have lived leaked from the red cut.
What have I done?
Finally, the life faded from his eyes, and his head dropped low. I backed away, letting his body slump to the floor. I looked down at my hooves, stained red with his blood. The blood that I had spilt.
What have I done?
I began to feel dizzy, and stumpled around the room. As I was about to fall over, I caught myself on the desk. Looking up, I saw a framed picture of him standing next to a smiling mare. In between them stood a happy filly with a cello.
What have I done?
Regaining my focus, I ran out the room and leaped over the rails of the balcony. Spreading my wings out, I flew over the gardens before landing on the other side of the wall. But in my confusion, I landed too fast and hard. As my injured leg hit the ground, indescribable pain shot up my body. I stumbled to the floor, my consciousness wavering as I tried to hold back the tears.
Wether the tears were from the pain or the terrible act I had just commited, I didn't know.
I limped over to the wall, and sat against it. Iooking up at the moon, I thought about what had happened.
I had killed him. With my own mouth and knife I had suddenly ended his life. I was a murderer. And the picture. The mare. The filly with the cello. Had I made a widow? An orphan?
As my mind wrapped around it all, a distant female scream suddenly split through the air, echoeing in my mind, before everything went silent once again.
"What have I done?"
Author's Note
What did I just write?
Well I hope that answers your question, commenter from the previous chapter who asked why Night Glider would leave the ninja life.
Honestly this chapter is a lot longer than I intended. Its like three times longer than the last one. Yet at the same time I feel like I may have rushed some parts. Weird. I also feel like I may have added a bit too much reliance on beloved MLP characters and lore. Y'know, like in badly written stories where a character passes Discord, Vinyl Scratch and Lauren Faust while walking. You know, that kibd of fanfiction. What do you guys think.
Also, I intend on upping the age rating to teen as well as adding the gire tag. But I'm wondering if I'll have to increase the rating to mature and/or add the dark tag. Again, what do you guys think?
As always, please comment and critique so I can improve for future chapters and stories.
Until Your Wings Grow Too Tired
In spite of the coat of fur surrounding my body, and the thick robe on top of it, the cold night air seemed to chill me down to every drop of blood in my body.
The sky above was mostly clear, with the glowing moon and stars revealing a jet black sky with a few clouds slowly floating across the open space. The hard wooden walkway and trees surrounding it were blackened in the darkness, the moonlight twisting the dark colours into shades of grey. From the darkest parts of the woods came the usual hooting of Bay Owls and calling of Crickets and Grasshoppers.
Wet wooden boards creaked as I walked, seemingly colder than the surrounding air. It was almost painful to touch them, but any pain the cold inflicted on me wasn't important.
There was another pain I was feeling. One far greater than any freezing temperatures or sharp blade could inflict.
I trotted over to the nearby rails, and rested my front hooves on them. Recent rain had kept them wet, giving them a similar freezing touch. This particular spot was the farthest that the tree walkways took you from the village. It was free of any pony made sound and light, giving the best view of the moon and night sky.
The moon was why I was here. It had been a week since the mission. A week since I had slit the throat of Harmonious Melody. Seven whole nights, and none of them were without nightmares.
I would see him in my dreams, his neck split open, blood pouring out like a creek of red. I would see his eyes, filled with fear and sadness, before going empty. I saw the picture of the mare and filly that may have been his family, a family I could have destroyed. My hooves were stained with that which gave him life, and there was nothing I could do to change that.
My head tilted upwards, eyes locked on the glowing moon. It had guided me through my life, gifted me with my cutie mark, and answered the questions that simple words couldn't answer. But there was one question still left unanswered.
"Where do I go now?"
Looking at the moon itself, there was no answer for me. Looking ahead at the forest beneath it, I saw a large open space between the trees. The shadows cast from the trunks cut the light into a shape that made it look like a path headed north.
My head dropped, my eyes staring at the wooden boards as a sigh left my mouth. I didn't know what to think of my connection to the moon. I had heard many stories of it being the home of god like entities, and tales of the moon itself being some kind of spirit. My whole life, it seemed to personally guide me, but what if it wasn't? What if it was just a big white rock, countless miles from Equestria.
"What is troubling you Night Glider?"
A gasp left my mouth as my body jolted in surprise. I turned around to see my father standing behind me. I would question how I didn't hear him coming, but I had to remind myself that he was a ninja Grandmaster.
"Dad..." I turned my gaze back to the moon. "...its nothing. I just needed a little walk."
He didn't seem satisfied with this answer. "You haven't slept much for the past few days daughter, do not try to fool me into thinking that everything is all right. I asked what troubles you?"
I closed my eyes for a second, feeling the weight of my breath as it left my body. "When I realised that I would one day be Grandmaster, it became the one thing I would think about. Leading the clan, bringing justice to Equestria, it all sounded so easy..."
"I take it that you feel intimidated by the thought of taking the role?" He presumed.
"No..." I answered. "Its not that. Not that at all..."
"Than what is it? You killed your target. You accomplished your mission. You have proven yourself as a ninja of the Uma No Yoru. There is nothing threatening your status as future Grandmaster. What about this could possibly bring you any distress?"
"Its how I earned it!"
That sounded more emotional than I intended.
"What..." He began to say.
I turned around to face him. "It all sounded so simple. Kill the target and the title of Grandmaster would be mine to keep. But it wasn't that simple dad. It wasn't that simple at all."
He stared at me for a moment, expressionless. "You feel guilty about killing him, don't you."
Of course he'd recognise what I was feeling. He'd probably dealt with plenty of others who'd dealt with similar trauma.
"Every...every time I close my eyes, I can see him. The blood running down his throat, the life dying in his eyes. Every time I fall asleep I'm brought back to that night. And...I can't go through that again."
"If the client wanted him dead than there was clearly a good reason for him to die."
"I KILLED HIM!" I snapped, only then realising that I was crying. "With the stroke of my knife I ended all the years he lived and prevented any other years he could have lived! Doesn't that mean anything to you?!"
"It means that you aren't ready yet!" He replied, raising his voice at me. "In order to send Equestria down the right path we must be prepared to do whatever it takes! Killing is no exception! If you aren't prepared to kill than you can't be a part of the clan!"
"Than I don't want to be a part of the clan..."
He flinched back as his face turned to shock, as if he wasn't expecting me to say such a thing.
For the next few seconds we stared at one another silently, letting the words we had just shared with each other sink in.
"Goodbye father."
Before he could react in any way, I quickly spun around, letting my robe fall off me, and leaped over the railing. I spread my wings out and thrust them against the air, the wind picking up around me as the village behind me grew further and further away. In the distance I could hear my father calling after me.
"Night Glider!"
Was he shouting more in anger, or heartbreak? I didn't know. And I didn't care.
Blinking back the tears, I went north, hoping that the moonlight was truly guiding me to my destiny.
***
Leave your talents behind.
Join in the unity.
Let yourself become one with society.
Click
With a push of the button, the radio was silenced.
I pushed my body upwards, sitting up in the bed. My focus returning to me, I saw that it was the middle of the night, as the entire room was cloaked in darkness. Preventing the room from going completely dark was the moonlight shining through the window.
Pushing the blanket off my body, I shifted myself out of bed and trotted over to the window. Outside, the rest of the village was completely silent, with no ponies outdoors and no light originating from the cottages. Such a sight should have felt lonely or depressing, but instead it felt...peaceful.
Up in the sky, the moon and the stars were shining bright as always.
The moon had done many things in my life. I considered it responsible for my best and worst moments. It seemed to be there for me when I felt lonely or sad, and had brought me here when I needed a place to go. But at the same time, it was responsible for me getting my cutie mark, which in turn lead me to commit the murder that had haunted me so deeply.
Once again, I looked at the village, surrounded by white light, like the moon too was edging me on to join the community.
I looked at my cutie mark, pondering what it would be like to give it up. It was a part of me. The part of me. It defined who I was. Represented my most important traits. How could I give that up?
But then I thought about what it really represented. It symbolised my relationship with the night. My ability to become one with the dark. The ability to hide. To sneak.
An ability that cost Harmonious Melody his life. An ability that made me a murderer.
It was then that I made my decision. If I was going to leave my past behind me, I was going to leave my cutie mark behind me as well.
***
The strong winds howled around me as my body was pelted with ice. My hooves trudged in and out of the thick snow, desperately trying to move onward.
For about two days I had been moving north, following the direction that the moon was leading me. The night I left the Uma No Yoru I flew towards the moon until daybreak. By then, my wings had grown painfully tired and I spent the entire day resting on a cloud that was slowly moving in the direction I was going. While it would have been nice to just stay on that cloud, I had no food, no money, nothing that could help me. I had to move on as fast as I could, to find wherever the moon was taking me. The following night I continued going north, through forests, hills, and rivers. I was unsure where I was going, but I had to put my faith in the moon.
After another day of rest, this time in a cold and wet cave, I followed the moonlight to a huge pass of snowy mountains. While I initially hesitated, what had once been my home was far behind me, and I had nowhere else to go.
As I hiked up the rocky terrain, the wind began to pick up and the air began to grow colder. It wasn't long before I encountered snow and ice, and it wasn't long afterwards that I found myself in this situation.
Through the raging streams of snow and ice that flew in the sky, I could only see the moon, as the stars had been blocked by the weather. It was all that was convincing me to go on. Frost had started building up on my fur, and my wings had gone stiff from the freezing ice. It felt like there were countless needles all over my body, painfully going in deeper as time passed.
I couldn't fly, I could barely walk, and I was struggling to stay conscious.
I was starting to feel regret for leaving my home behind. Had my faith in the moon all been nothing more than blind stupidity? Was I leading myself into a harsh endless wasteland that was slowly killing me?
As I continued on, the pain in my bones and muscles grew stronger as my body grew weaker and weaker. With my last few shuffles through the snow, I toppled over and collapsed onto the freezing ground.
My eyes closing, my mind going numb, I began to pass out. I took one last look at the moon as everything went dark.
Had it really abandoned me...
***
The Staff of Sameness became wrapped in turquoise magic as it was lifted off its pedestal.
I looked around at the crowd of ponies that had gathered around the sight. All of them looked positively elated at the choice that I had made. While I still hadn't managed to recognise most of them individually, excluding the occasional pony like Sugar Belle and Double Diamond, I still felt strangely close to them.
The staff floated over to Starlight Glimmer, whose horn glowed the same colour as she lifted the artefact. She made it do a little spin, as if to show off its power and elegance.
"We are so happy that you decided to join our little community Night Glider." Starlight said happily. "We're always excited to have new friends, and everyone has already grown very fond of you."
Among the crowd came murmurs of agreement and continued joy at my decision to join.
Starlight marched forward until she was face to face with me, the staff standing firmly upright beside her.
"Now Night Glider, do you promise to follow our philosophy and separate yourself from your unique talents and abilities, never to experience them again in order to maintain balance?"
There was a moment of silence as I finally let it all go.
"Yes."
The corners of Starlight's mouth went up in a closed smile. "Then as founder of our village and leader of this community, I accept your offer to join us in equality!"
She took a step back as the staff began spinning in the air. It quickly spun anticlockwise a few times, leaving a trail of turquoise light, before stopping, pointed directly at me.
Two beams of white light shot from the individual prongs, striking me on the chest and engulfing me in the turquoise light.
Starlight was right in her descriptions of the experience. It felt as if my entire body was my chest, letting out a deep breath through my flank. I felt a strange, yet pleasing stretching sensation above my hind leg, as my cutie mark was separated from my body. Once my cutie mark was off completely, it felt as if something inside me was gone, but not in a bad way. It was like my body and soul had been reverted to a much simpler and more relaxed form.
As the turquoise light faded, I heard cheering erupt from behind me. I turned my head back to see that everypony was celebrating at the site of my cutie mark being removed, and I looked down to see that in its placed was an equals sign matching that of all the ponies in the village.
I also realised that my mane had gone from a spiky set of hair curving backwards to a flat mop that partly covered my eyes.
"Fillies and gentlecolts!" Starlight announced. "Night Glider has officially joined us and our way!"
Another round of cheering erupted from the small crowd.
"Now..." Said Starlight, guiding me out the entrance of the cave. "You'll be staying in the same room in my cottage for a while until the rest of the town completes your own cottage."
"That sounds alright." I had gotten used to sleeping in her spare bedroom, so I could wait.
Leaving the cave, I saw that it had quickly gone from dusk to night while I was getting my cutie mark removed. The stars and the moon in the sky never seemed brighter.
"Lets get you home my friend." Said Starlight.
From the viewpoint of the mountain, I got a good look at the village. The white light of the moon shone upon it, and I understood what the moon had been trying to do, where it was trying o take me.
I had reached my destination. I was home.
Author's Note
And so ends the mini story that was meant to be a small, single chapter story, but ended up being a lot longer than expected.
I hope you enjoyed it. I haven't really got much else to say besides please comment! This is a very different story to the ones I did previously and I really want to see what peoples opinions are on it!
Other than that, if you've only just discovered me you might one to check out some of my other well received stories (particularly of you're into sunlight).
