Assassin in Service to the Sunby midashguyChaptersOwt RetpahcEerht RetpahcEno RetpahcRuof RetpahcOwt RetpahcToland's home was a simple apartment on the northwestern side of Canterlot. Many of the diplomats, nobles, and wealthy business ponies lived on the flashy and guilded southeastern side, so that they may watch Princess Celestia's Sun rise each morning. The northwestern part of the city was where most of the servants of either the upper class, or Celestia herself took residence. His apartment consisted of an empty living room, save for the wooden chair he himself had constructed. A barren kitchen he rarely used, a bathroom and two bedrooms one of which had been converted into a workshop. Before Toland had come to Equestria, he had spent much of his free time on entertainment. Movies, video games, books. After a week in being in Equestria, he came to the conclusion he would need something else to do with his time. He began hand manufacturing bullets. When he had first arrived, he had his guns with him, but only a pocket full of ammunition. He set upon rectify this. .22 rounds were the first he began with, being both simplistic in construction, and design. Then came the .308 rounds. By the time Toland had been in Equestria for a year, he had nearly perfected the practice. Nopony knew what he did in his workshop. Toland kept it that way. Though he shared human invention with ponies, the knowledge of guns he selfishly and closely kept secret. His ammunition he kept locked away, his guns hidden. I will not be Prometheus. He mused. Humming a tune, he set a bullet in the casing. Placing the finished round with the others he had made that week, he yawned. Looking at the clock hanging on the wall, he shook his head in minor disbelief. "Eleven 'o' three already? Sheesh." Drowsily getting up, he stretched and left. Locking the door to the workshop but leaving the rounds on the table in plain sight. "Five years..." He muttered to himself. "Five long years, and still I have not seen my knife." Princess Celestial was rather worried at this point. She had gone to the liberty of going through Toland's bank records. Immediately something was off. Bits were entering the account just fine, profit from his various patents, paychecks from his repair work. The issue was where the money was being spent on. Food? Normal. A hefty donation to a charity. Odd, but not concerning. Fifty bit purchase of refined copper. Two hundred bit purchase of "black powder"? Tapping her chin for a moment a realization dawned on her. Black powder was for fireworks. A thousand scenarios of various explosions caused by a murderous biped flashed through he mind, and panic gripped her. "Guards! Get a squad and prepare my chariot immediately!" It was twelve fourty three at night, Toland was asleep in bed. He was rather abruptly awoken by the sound of his front door being shattered. It took only a few seconds for him to bolt upright, reach under his bed, and grab the bolt action rifle that lay there. While his other guns were locked away, he kept his .22 close at hand in case of dangers like this. He aimed the rifle at the door and waited. Dead silence greeted him, followed by what was definitely the creaking of floorboards. Holding his breath, he relaxed his muscles. The bedroom door burst open, the rifle went off, and there was sheer chaos. Something tackled Toland before he could pull the bolt back, he pushed back, hitting what ever it was with the butt of the rifle. It slumped to the ground. Before he could celebrate the victory he was tackled again by more assailants. "Target subdued, but we have a guard wounded here!" He hear one of them shout. Solar Guard? What the hell? "Get him out of here, and search the building for the explosives." That was the last thing Toland hear before he felt a tingling sensation, and the world flooded to black. As Toland regained consciousness, everything was a blur. A prison? Dungeon perhaps? He was being carried down hallway. The first fully constructed thought in his head was what exactly happened? He was dropped into a chair, in front of a bare table, other than the chair and the table the room was almost as empty as his apartment. He laughed at that. Princess Celestia entered through the only door, and seated herself on the floor across the table from him. "Do you always personally interrogate suspects, or shall I consider myself special?" He asked with a straight face. "Where are the explosives." Celestia asked, seemingly calm. Toland saw through the mask. She was bothered. Unnerved. "I passed out as I was attacked, some sort of stun spell your guards employ? I suppose that is better than bindings, or cuffs." Not only did he appear unfazed by his current situation, he almost seemed bored. "A heroic guard was injured trying to stop you, he is currently fighting for his life. I don't care for playing around. Why all the black powder?" The Princess was clearly upset, and doing a terrible job of hiding it. Toland's eyes went wide. "Wait a minute. I gave you my knife, I couldn't have stab him. So I hit what I was aiming at after all. Damm!" Toland cursed himself for a moment. "You have to listen. I can save him. I will tell you where everything is, you have my word, please just take me to his doctor." "Why help him?" The Princess asked. "I gave you my knife. I vowed not to harm anything till I got it back. I don't break promises. Granted, I was defending myself. They broke into my home. Still I intend to set this right. Take my things, lock me away, but I beg of you please let me save him." His request bothered the Princess deeply. He was willing to give up. Just because of a sense of honor? "Fine." Doctor Sweet Stitch was having an interesting day to say the least. She pushed her long crimson mane out of her face. She would have to tie her mane into a ponytail for the surgery. Couldn't exactly have hair getting in the way. First they tell her that a Solar Guard was injured in the line of duty. Then she gets news that Princess Celestial herself, as well as some sort of "specialist" will be watching over the surgery. Sweet Stitch wasn't the greatest surgeon at Canterlot Hospital, but she was the only qualified surgeon awake at two in the morning. "Alright, let's begin." She said with a sigh. "Mmm. He was hit in the left shoulder." A strange creature noted, walking into the operating room. Princess Celestia followed close behind. Sweet Stitch didn't know what to make of the monster, but assumed it was the so called specialist they brought in. "First course of action should be extracting the bullet." He advised. "The what?" Doctor Stitch asked, confused. Toland put his hand on his face for a moment, attempting to stay calm. "There's a lump of metal inside of him right now. Frankly he is lucky. Copper bullet, armor slowed it down on impact, and his shoulder blade stopped it from hitting anything vital. Get the lump of metal out, and he will have a better chance of walking without a limp for the rest of his life." That she understood. Shaking any self doubt in herself, she called out. "OK, clear the room and bring the patient in!" Toland and Princess Celestia had been sitting in the waiting room for roughly fourth five minutes. Neither spoke to one another. Finally Toland broke the silence. "Can you do me a favor?" "Why would I do that?" Celestial asked angrily. Toland only smiled. "It's in your best interest if you do. Let me have my things back. My weapons. Keep my knife of course, that offer still stands, but my guns I need back." "What makes you think I would just give them back after all this?" The smile on Toland's face drained away. "Because if you don't your doctors will be treating a lot more gunshots. I won't Pull a single trigger either. I can't trust ponies with my weapons. They will use them to make more. This world doesn't deserve that, Princess. Give me my weapons back." Author's Note Fun fact #1: I'm writing on a tablet. Fun fact #2: Tablet autocorrect is the Devil Eerht RetpahcToland frowned deeply as he stood in front of the front door to his apartment, or rather the shattered remains of his front door. He had hoped that they would have been kind enough to fix the damages the guards had done to his home. Walking inside, he headed straight to his workshop. Sitting on his table, were his tools, ammunition, and guns, laid out and organized. Toland began to laugh. "So she trusts me, more so than even her own ponies." He said to no one in particular. He laughed again. Checking over his weapons to ensure they were not tampered with, he noticed a note placed amongst his belongings. Toland, Your advice and guidance was a strong asset and aided in the successful operation that saved the life of a noble Solar Guard. I see in you an academic mind, and I believe that your continued assistance could greatly benefit our medical community. So I personally invite you to join the staff of the Canterlot General Hospital as a medical advisor. Help us save lives. Sincerely, Doctor Sweet Stitch Toland smirked, bemused at the thought of him being a doctor. "Don't think I could keep the Hippocratic Oath for long." He muttered. Setting the letter aside, he began cleaning his guns. Princess Celestia lay in her bedchamber, struggling to hold back sobs. How could she just give him back his weapons like that? After he had used them to harm two of her guards, one critically? Should she have just locked them away, or had them destroyed? She felt Toland would have done something far worse if it had come to that. The Princess shuddered at the thought. Toland had explained that the black powder he had been purchasing powered his weapons, yet she felt as if he was using it for other things as well. Celestia debated just locking him away and throwing away the key. If he escaped however... She sobbed again. Never had she feared a creature quite like this. He was just too unpredictable. As chaotic as he was, even Discord was predictable once you understood his motives. Toland however? Toland could be a friend one moment, and a monster the next. How could she possibly predict what he was thinking? A thought struck her. It wasn't exactly moral, and could prove futile anyhow. Yet it might grant the insight the Princess so desperately needed. "Guards!" Celestia called out. One guard meekly approached, mindful of what happens the last time Princess Celestia had called for her Solar Guard so abruptly. "Fetch my dear sister, I require her assistance." "Sister, surely you are not asking me to perform such a deed." Princess Luna asked, mildly shocked. "To invade poor Toland's dreams, in a vain attempt to peer into his thoughts?" "Please Luna, he is dangerous. We need to know what he is planning. I fear Equestria may be in danger if he is allowed to continue unchecked." Princess Celestia begged. Luna mulled it over for a moment. "So be it. I am actually quite curious as to what he dreams about." Princess Luna admitted. "Thank you, this could be exactly what we need." Immediately after entering Toland's dream, Princess Luna could detect something was off. She had arrived in a hallway, or some sort of tunnel. The tunnel was square, equal lengths in the walls, floor and ceiling, all which appeared to be made of concrete. The concrete looked...aged. Bits broken off, cracks everywhere. The tunnel seemed to stretch in both directions for eternity, and it was dark, the only light being a dim red glow in the distance coming from both directions. Luna shivered, though the air was hot, and mildly humid. "...not...be..." Came a muffled voice behind her. She spun around, to see Toland kneeling, his head hung low. "What?" Luna asked. Toland lifted his head, his brown hair still hiding his eyes. He was clothed in rags, and Luna could see he was soaked in sweat. "Your not suppose to be here." He muttered darkly. "Toland, your having a nightmare, I can help you." Princess Luna offered sincerely. Toland ran his heads through his hair, and clutched at the top of his head. He pulled them back down and looked at them, and Luna was mortified to see they were now slick with blood. "Get out." Toland seethed. "T-toland I..." Princess Luna sputtered. "Luna. Get out!" He choked out. Blood ran down his face, and was beginning to pool on the ground around him. An invisible force grabbed the shaken Princess by the horn, and dragged her away. Princess Luna lurched awake, screaming and choking. Princess Celestia was immediately at her side, panicked. "Luna! Are you OK?" Celestia asked. Intense sobbing was her only reply. "Luna?" "Doesn't... deserve..." She mumbled. "Never...deserved..." "Luna, what did you see?" Princess Celestia begged. "He...pain...so much...I..." Luna moaned. She had taken an emotional beating, her eyes bloodshot, her body shaking. "Sister, please get some rest, tell me what happened when your feeling better." Celestia said. Luna weakly nodded, and simply layed there on the floor. Celestia let out a heavy sigh, in her desperate attempt to stay one step ahead of Toland, she had endangered her poor sister. She hated herself for that. But what could have happened in the dream to do this to her? Toland lurched awake, rubbing the side of his head. "Not good." Toland was prepared for nearly any eventuality. He had expected that at some point Princess Luna would attempt to enter his dreams. Princess Luna had seen him so...weak. Seen him in such a vulnerable state. Everything had gone as planned. All she had seen was a nightmare. Nothing more. He was glad she had not attempted to tap into any memories, or other corners of his mind. She had been too distracted with...well...that. Toland chuckled to himself. "Can't stand the heat, don't enter the cauldron." Eno RetpahcOnce long ago, there was Void, and there was dust. Some of that dust was heavier then the rest, and it drew the lighter dust to it. This made the heavy dust heavier, allowing the heavier dust to draw more dust to it. Gravity. This continued for some time, and the dust ball became denser and denser. Under it's own crushing weight it began to warm, and heated up. Eventually it burned. This was the first fire. The first star. More that just burning dust and gas, the fire was alive. The star lived for many years, though nopony was alive to count them yet. Yet as all living things must, the star eventually died. It's death scattered dust far and wide. The heavier dust clumped together with the lighter dust, and the cycle began again. A second star was born. It lived and died, more dust scattered. A third star, then a fourth. Thus, as there was a repetition, a cycle with the accumulation of the dust, there was a cycle with the life and death of the stars. There is a cycle to everything. Time progressed and many stars had lived and died, and the dust and gas had been flung so far that more than one star was born. Countless stars now filled the Void. Around one of these stars, more dust collected. The little ball was too small, and though a fire burned at it's core, it's surface began to cool. This is where we actually begin. Equis. Yet the planet did not develop peacefully, not at first. Smaller rocks and balls of ice orbited it's mother star. Comets and Asteroids, even other planets. A stroke of cosmic bad luck, and a planet, smaller than Equis itself, collided with it. Smashed to smaller peices, gravity drew it back together again, and what remained of the minor planet became the Moon of Equis. The planet's first conflict now over, the surface could actually cool. Centuries passed, and water came to be, a mix of oxygen and hydrogen that had accumulated in Equis's primitive atmosphere. From the water, the rocks of Equis, and a hint of magic. Life began. Small, microscopic at first, but life began to evolve. Millennia passed. Life thrived. Some creatures were agile and sly. Others moved slow and deliberately. Some built empires, while some were content to live in the mud. Fish became amphibians, amphibians became reptiles and reptiles became birds and mammals. Dragons evolved from reptiles. Griffins evolved from birds. Ponies are definitely mammals. You might not recognize the planet as it is now, versus how it was all that time ago. From dust and gas to a livable planet. Nothingness to what is now Equestria. I marvel at this fact. We have achieved so much, yet we mean so little in the grand scheme of everything. Equis could be snuffed out, and it would mean nothing. I find some comfort in this. I do not know why. Princess Celestia put down her quill with a huff. That sounded far too depressing. She tapped he chin with her hoof, lost in thought. How ever, It has become very apparent we are not the only speck of dust dancing on the great stage of reality. Nor is this even the only stage. Meh, a bit too poetic, but the metaphor works. Celestia thought to herself. At least this somewhat explained where he had come from. As far as the Princess of the Sun knew, he most definitely had not evolved on Equis. Were there more of his kind out there? Princess Celestia shuddered at the thought. He has a brilliant mind, she had seen him take that weapon of his apart to either clean or repair on multiple occasions. The way he moved was if he was half discoving something new, yet with the same instinctual familiarity a baby bird knows of flight. If only he put his talents into something other than-... He poked his head into the Princess's room. "What are you up to?" His face twisting into a semi-friendly smile. "Oh, Toland! You startled me!" Princess Celestia said. She quietly hid the paper she had been writing on. This Human had become both a great asset, and a terrible curse. Even with only basic descriptions of what his kind were capable, in the five years Toland had been in Equestria his advice on technological advancement had allowed ponies to develop new medical and mechanical wonders they had yet to dream of. Toland had given Princess Celestia his knife. "This is both a promise and a favor," he had said. "I shall not harm anything with out that knife. However, history can be changed with nothing but a single flick of a blade, and I can assure that one day my skills and service will be required." Princess Celestial shuddered at the memory. "When you need a favor, give me the knife back, and I will do whatever you ask." He had said, smiling like the devil himself. It hadn't made any sense. He had asked for nothing in return. Even more mind boggling was the fact that he had quickly adapted to a domestic life. At her request, he had stayed in Canterlot so she could keep him in check. Yet there was nothing. Every day he woke up, went to work repairing things, and was back at Canterlot castle for dinner. It was if he had forgotten the offer he had made. To think that he had so casually offered to kill for her. It chilled her to the core. "Is there a reason your here?" The Princess asked. "There are some things I must see, things I must do." He whispered. "Oh! You must of meant why am I in the room." Princess Celestial looked at him, puzzled for a moment. "The cook said the dinner would be done in ten minutes or so. Figured I would let you know." He laughed. As he turned to leave, Celestia shook her head. Under that friendly face, was there really the heart of a killer? Ruof Retpahc"Toland is Tartarus walking on earth." Luna explained. A few hours had pasted since she had returned from dream walking, in a vain attempt to peer into Toland's inner thoughts. She was still shaken, but at least had her mind in order. "For one thing, he is most certainly clever. I have no idea how he knew I was entering his mind, but the place we were... It was not memory, I think. He had been alerted to my presence, and in place of memories, or even a normal dream, was the worst nightmare I think he could think up." Princess Luna shuddered. "I hope that was the worse he could think of. I have fought nightmares for so long, I thought I had seen the worst this world could offer. He is something else entirely." Princess Celestia sighed deeply. "I put you through all that, and all we have learned is that he is indeed a monster. One that is not to be trifled with. I am so sorry Luna." Luna merely laughed. "I agreed to it, I have none to blame but my own curiosity. Still there is one thing I noted." "Oh?" That got Celestia's attention. "That nightmare, it retained so much emotion. I could feel it as if moisture in the air." Luna elaborated. "What kind of emotion?" "Pain, hatred, mostly directed at himself. He blames himself for something. More than anything, there was...longing. Sister I feel as though he does all this because he is afraid of being alone." She explained. Celestia shook her head sadly. "What are we to do with him, with Toland?" Celestia asked. "I cannot simply arrest him, in fear he wounds somepony else." "We request his presence, and have him explain himself. All of it. The nightmare, his weapons, what exactly the goal of his little game is. The purpose of the knife he so graciously gifted you." Princess Luna said. "I was not sure how I felt about Toland before, but as of now, I feel horribly wary of him." Toland casually strode into the Princesses' throne room. He noticed neither Celestia nor Luna looked happy to see him, but that was to be expected. He bowed politely, much to Princess Celestia's confusion. Toland never bowed. "You called?" He asked. "Explain yourself." Princess Luna stated bluntly. Toland gave her a saddened look. "I sincerely apologize, for what happened in the dream, your Highness. My dream was invaded without my consent, and I merely lashed out in self defense." Toland shook his head sadly. "I don't want you to hate me, but you seem to want me to be some sort of villain. That is a role I refuse to play." Toland said. "My nightmares are just that, nightmares. They don't mean anything, they don't make me evil." "What of your weapons, and this promise to my sister?" Princess Luna asked. "Consider my promise of a favor a last resort, nothing more. Should you need it, I will be there, but should the need never arise then I will consider it a good day." Toland explained. "It is simply a gift. Can we move on, end these absolutely pointless hostilities?" "Why should we trust you?" Princess Celestia asked. "Because I have not lied yet." Toland stated. "Why would I now?" "Why do you continue to offer your service to my sister, when she has gone against you now twice?" Luna asked. Toland responded with an odd smile. "Personal reasons. Nothing sinister I assure you, but I cannot tell you. Not yet at least. All that matters is that I mean you, and everything else, absolutely no harm. Unless you say otherwise." Princess Celestia stared at Toland with a mix of contempt and mistrust. "What do you even get out of all this?" Toland merely smiled, and placed one hand on his chest, proceeding to bow politely. "What I get is your attention, and that is all I truly need." Celestia shuddered for a moment, and she felt herself blush. What did he mean by that? She straightened her back, her face a blank slate. She projected authority. "As long as you insist you mean no harm, I will allow your freedom. However, if you so much as contemplate harming my little ponies, your punishment will be swift and without pity." Toland smiled sincerely. "You have my word." With that he turned and left. Toland more or less collapsed in his chair. Wiping away a thin layer of dust that was beginning to accumulate on his workshop desk, he sighed heavily. "I knew that being in service to her was going to be eventful, but I wasn't expecting it to be this exhausting." He said to no one in particular. He rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand. "Still could be worse. She has been rather forgiving all things considered." Toland reached for a tool, intent on at least being productive in his off time. "Sometimes I wonder if it would be for the best to just scrap the whole thing and start over. Either that or leave." Toland rambled on, "Still I chose the path this would head a long while back now. Wouldn't feel right to not see it through. Not when the overture is nearly over." Toland poured black powder carefully into a casing. "I just hope I live long enough to hear the applause, and see the curtain fall." He screwed the bullet one to the round, and carefully inspected it for any faults. Any flaws could cause the gun to misfire. Content the round was good enough to use, he set it aside. "I doubt I will though. An assassin rarely lives long enough to enjoy the fruits of his labor." Toland chuckled sadly.
Owt RetpahcToland's home was a simple apartment on the northwestern side of Canterlot. Many of the diplomats, nobles, and wealthy business ponies lived on the flashy and guilded southeastern side, so that they may watch Princess Celestia's Sun rise each morning. The northwestern part of the city was where most of the servants of either the upper class, or Celestia herself took residence. His apartment consisted of an empty living room, save for the wooden chair he himself had constructed. A barren kitchen he rarely used, a bathroom and two bedrooms one of which had been converted into a workshop. Before Toland had come to Equestria, he had spent much of his free time on entertainment. Movies, video games, books. After a week in being in Equestria, he came to the conclusion he would need something else to do with his time. He began hand manufacturing bullets. When he had first arrived, he had his guns with him, but only a pocket full of ammunition. He set upon rectify this. .22 rounds were the first he began with, being both simplistic in construction, and design. Then came the .308 rounds. By the time Toland had been in Equestria for a year, he had nearly perfected the practice. Nopony knew what he did in his workshop. Toland kept it that way. Though he shared human invention with ponies, the knowledge of guns he selfishly and closely kept secret. His ammunition he kept locked away, his guns hidden. I will not be Prometheus. He mused. Humming a tune, he set a bullet in the casing. Placing the finished round with the others he had made that week, he yawned. Looking at the clock hanging on the wall, he shook his head in minor disbelief. "Eleven 'o' three already? Sheesh." Drowsily getting up, he stretched and left. Locking the door to the workshop but leaving the rounds on the table in plain sight. "Five years..." He muttered to himself. "Five long years, and still I have not seen my knife." Princess Celestial was rather worried at this point. She had gone to the liberty of going through Toland's bank records. Immediately something was off. Bits were entering the account just fine, profit from his various patents, paychecks from his repair work. The issue was where the money was being spent on. Food? Normal. A hefty donation to a charity. Odd, but not concerning. Fifty bit purchase of refined copper. Two hundred bit purchase of "black powder"? Tapping her chin for a moment a realization dawned on her. Black powder was for fireworks. A thousand scenarios of various explosions caused by a murderous biped flashed through he mind, and panic gripped her. "Guards! Get a squad and prepare my chariot immediately!" It was twelve fourty three at night, Toland was asleep in bed. He was rather abruptly awoken by the sound of his front door being shattered. It took only a few seconds for him to bolt upright, reach under his bed, and grab the bolt action rifle that lay there. While his other guns were locked away, he kept his .22 close at hand in case of dangers like this. He aimed the rifle at the door and waited. Dead silence greeted him, followed by what was definitely the creaking of floorboards. Holding his breath, he relaxed his muscles. The bedroom door burst open, the rifle went off, and there was sheer chaos. Something tackled Toland before he could pull the bolt back, he pushed back, hitting what ever it was with the butt of the rifle. It slumped to the ground. Before he could celebrate the victory he was tackled again by more assailants. "Target subdued, but we have a guard wounded here!" He hear one of them shout. Solar Guard? What the hell? "Get him out of here, and search the building for the explosives." That was the last thing Toland hear before he felt a tingling sensation, and the world flooded to black. As Toland regained consciousness, everything was a blur. A prison? Dungeon perhaps? He was being carried down hallway. The first fully constructed thought in his head was what exactly happened? He was dropped into a chair, in front of a bare table, other than the chair and the table the room was almost as empty as his apartment. He laughed at that. Princess Celestia entered through the only door, and seated herself on the floor across the table from him. "Do you always personally interrogate suspects, or shall I consider myself special?" He asked with a straight face. "Where are the explosives." Celestia asked, seemingly calm. Toland saw through the mask. She was bothered. Unnerved. "I passed out as I was attacked, some sort of stun spell your guards employ? I suppose that is better than bindings, or cuffs." Not only did he appear unfazed by his current situation, he almost seemed bored. "A heroic guard was injured trying to stop you, he is currently fighting for his life. I don't care for playing around. Why all the black powder?" The Princess was clearly upset, and doing a terrible job of hiding it. Toland's eyes went wide. "Wait a minute. I gave you my knife, I couldn't have stab him. So I hit what I was aiming at after all. Damm!" Toland cursed himself for a moment. "You have to listen. I can save him. I will tell you where everything is, you have my word, please just take me to his doctor." "Why help him?" The Princess asked. "I gave you my knife. I vowed not to harm anything till I got it back. I don't break promises. Granted, I was defending myself. They broke into my home. Still I intend to set this right. Take my things, lock me away, but I beg of you please let me save him." His request bothered the Princess deeply. He was willing to give up. Just because of a sense of honor? "Fine." Doctor Sweet Stitch was having an interesting day to say the least. She pushed her long crimson mane out of her face. She would have to tie her mane into a ponytail for the surgery. Couldn't exactly have hair getting in the way. First they tell her that a Solar Guard was injured in the line of duty. Then she gets news that Princess Celestial herself, as well as some sort of "specialist" will be watching over the surgery. Sweet Stitch wasn't the greatest surgeon at Canterlot Hospital, but she was the only qualified surgeon awake at two in the morning. "Alright, let's begin." She said with a sigh. "Mmm. He was hit in the left shoulder." A strange creature noted, walking into the operating room. Princess Celestia followed close behind. Sweet Stitch didn't know what to make of the monster, but assumed it was the so called specialist they brought in. "First course of action should be extracting the bullet." He advised. "The what?" Doctor Stitch asked, confused. Toland put his hand on his face for a moment, attempting to stay calm. "There's a lump of metal inside of him right now. Frankly he is lucky. Copper bullet, armor slowed it down on impact, and his shoulder blade stopped it from hitting anything vital. Get the lump of metal out, and he will have a better chance of walking without a limp for the rest of his life." That she understood. Shaking any self doubt in herself, she called out. "OK, clear the room and bring the patient in!" Toland and Princess Celestia had been sitting in the waiting room for roughly fourth five minutes. Neither spoke to one another. Finally Toland broke the silence. "Can you do me a favor?" "Why would I do that?" Celestial asked angrily. Toland only smiled. "It's in your best interest if you do. Let me have my things back. My weapons. Keep my knife of course, that offer still stands, but my guns I need back." "What makes you think I would just give them back after all this?" The smile on Toland's face drained away. "Because if you don't your doctors will be treating a lot more gunshots. I won't Pull a single trigger either. I can't trust ponies with my weapons. They will use them to make more. This world doesn't deserve that, Princess. Give me my weapons back." Author's Note Fun fact #1: I'm writing on a tablet. Fun fact #2: Tablet autocorrect is the Devil
Eerht RetpahcToland frowned deeply as he stood in front of the front door to his apartment, or rather the shattered remains of his front door. He had hoped that they would have been kind enough to fix the damages the guards had done to his home. Walking inside, he headed straight to his workshop. Sitting on his table, were his tools, ammunition, and guns, laid out and organized. Toland began to laugh. "So she trusts me, more so than even her own ponies." He said to no one in particular. He laughed again. Checking over his weapons to ensure they were not tampered with, he noticed a note placed amongst his belongings. Toland, Your advice and guidance was a strong asset and aided in the successful operation that saved the life of a noble Solar Guard. I see in you an academic mind, and I believe that your continued assistance could greatly benefit our medical community. So I personally invite you to join the staff of the Canterlot General Hospital as a medical advisor. Help us save lives. Sincerely, Doctor Sweet Stitch Toland smirked, bemused at the thought of him being a doctor. "Don't think I could keep the Hippocratic Oath for long." He muttered. Setting the letter aside, he began cleaning his guns. Princess Celestia lay in her bedchamber, struggling to hold back sobs. How could she just give him back his weapons like that? After he had used them to harm two of her guards, one critically? Should she have just locked them away, or had them destroyed? She felt Toland would have done something far worse if it had come to that. The Princess shuddered at the thought. Toland had explained that the black powder he had been purchasing powered his weapons, yet she felt as if he was using it for other things as well. Celestia debated just locking him away and throwing away the key. If he escaped however... She sobbed again. Never had she feared a creature quite like this. He was just too unpredictable. As chaotic as he was, even Discord was predictable once you understood his motives. Toland however? Toland could be a friend one moment, and a monster the next. How could she possibly predict what he was thinking? A thought struck her. It wasn't exactly moral, and could prove futile anyhow. Yet it might grant the insight the Princess so desperately needed. "Guards!" Celestia called out. One guard meekly approached, mindful of what happens the last time Princess Celestia had called for her Solar Guard so abruptly. "Fetch my dear sister, I require her assistance." "Sister, surely you are not asking me to perform such a deed." Princess Luna asked, mildly shocked. "To invade poor Toland's dreams, in a vain attempt to peer into his thoughts?" "Please Luna, he is dangerous. We need to know what he is planning. I fear Equestria may be in danger if he is allowed to continue unchecked." Princess Celestia begged. Luna mulled it over for a moment. "So be it. I am actually quite curious as to what he dreams about." Princess Luna admitted. "Thank you, this could be exactly what we need." Immediately after entering Toland's dream, Princess Luna could detect something was off. She had arrived in a hallway, or some sort of tunnel. The tunnel was square, equal lengths in the walls, floor and ceiling, all which appeared to be made of concrete. The concrete looked...aged. Bits broken off, cracks everywhere. The tunnel seemed to stretch in both directions for eternity, and it was dark, the only light being a dim red glow in the distance coming from both directions. Luna shivered, though the air was hot, and mildly humid. "...not...be..." Came a muffled voice behind her. She spun around, to see Toland kneeling, his head hung low. "What?" Luna asked. Toland lifted his head, his brown hair still hiding his eyes. He was clothed in rags, and Luna could see he was soaked in sweat. "Your not suppose to be here." He muttered darkly. "Toland, your having a nightmare, I can help you." Princess Luna offered sincerely. Toland ran his heads through his hair, and clutched at the top of his head. He pulled them back down and looked at them, and Luna was mortified to see they were now slick with blood. "Get out." Toland seethed. "T-toland I..." Princess Luna sputtered. "Luna. Get out!" He choked out. Blood ran down his face, and was beginning to pool on the ground around him. An invisible force grabbed the shaken Princess by the horn, and dragged her away. Princess Luna lurched awake, screaming and choking. Princess Celestia was immediately at her side, panicked. "Luna! Are you OK?" Celestia asked. Intense sobbing was her only reply. "Luna?" "Doesn't... deserve..." She mumbled. "Never...deserved..." "Luna, what did you see?" Princess Celestia begged. "He...pain...so much...I..." Luna moaned. She had taken an emotional beating, her eyes bloodshot, her body shaking. "Sister, please get some rest, tell me what happened when your feeling better." Celestia said. Luna weakly nodded, and simply layed there on the floor. Celestia let out a heavy sigh, in her desperate attempt to stay one step ahead of Toland, she had endangered her poor sister. She hated herself for that. But what could have happened in the dream to do this to her? Toland lurched awake, rubbing the side of his head. "Not good." Toland was prepared for nearly any eventuality. He had expected that at some point Princess Luna would attempt to enter his dreams. Princess Luna had seen him so...weak. Seen him in such a vulnerable state. Everything had gone as planned. All she had seen was a nightmare. Nothing more. He was glad she had not attempted to tap into any memories, or other corners of his mind. She had been too distracted with...well...that. Toland chuckled to himself. "Can't stand the heat, don't enter the cauldron."
Eno RetpahcOnce long ago, there was Void, and there was dust. Some of that dust was heavier then the rest, and it drew the lighter dust to it. This made the heavy dust heavier, allowing the heavier dust to draw more dust to it. Gravity. This continued for some time, and the dust ball became denser and denser. Under it's own crushing weight it began to warm, and heated up. Eventually it burned. This was the first fire. The first star. More that just burning dust and gas, the fire was alive. The star lived for many years, though nopony was alive to count them yet. Yet as all living things must, the star eventually died. It's death scattered dust far and wide. The heavier dust clumped together with the lighter dust, and the cycle began again. A second star was born. It lived and died, more dust scattered. A third star, then a fourth. Thus, as there was a repetition, a cycle with the accumulation of the dust, there was a cycle with the life and death of the stars. There is a cycle to everything. Time progressed and many stars had lived and died, and the dust and gas had been flung so far that more than one star was born. Countless stars now filled the Void. Around one of these stars, more dust collected. The little ball was too small, and though a fire burned at it's core, it's surface began to cool. This is where we actually begin. Equis. Yet the planet did not develop peacefully, not at first. Smaller rocks and balls of ice orbited it's mother star. Comets and Asteroids, even other planets. A stroke of cosmic bad luck, and a planet, smaller than Equis itself, collided with it. Smashed to smaller peices, gravity drew it back together again, and what remained of the minor planet became the Moon of Equis. The planet's first conflict now over, the surface could actually cool. Centuries passed, and water came to be, a mix of oxygen and hydrogen that had accumulated in Equis's primitive atmosphere. From the water, the rocks of Equis, and a hint of magic. Life began. Small, microscopic at first, but life began to evolve. Millennia passed. Life thrived. Some creatures were agile and sly. Others moved slow and deliberately. Some built empires, while some were content to live in the mud. Fish became amphibians, amphibians became reptiles and reptiles became birds and mammals. Dragons evolved from reptiles. Griffins evolved from birds. Ponies are definitely mammals. You might not recognize the planet as it is now, versus how it was all that time ago. From dust and gas to a livable planet. Nothingness to what is now Equestria. I marvel at this fact. We have achieved so much, yet we mean so little in the grand scheme of everything. Equis could be snuffed out, and it would mean nothing. I find some comfort in this. I do not know why. Princess Celestia put down her quill with a huff. That sounded far too depressing. She tapped he chin with her hoof, lost in thought. How ever, It has become very apparent we are not the only speck of dust dancing on the great stage of reality. Nor is this even the only stage. Meh, a bit too poetic, but the metaphor works. Celestia thought to herself. At least this somewhat explained where he had come from. As far as the Princess of the Sun knew, he most definitely had not evolved on Equis. Were there more of his kind out there? Princess Celestia shuddered at the thought. He has a brilliant mind, she had seen him take that weapon of his apart to either clean or repair on multiple occasions. The way he moved was if he was half discoving something new, yet with the same instinctual familiarity a baby bird knows of flight. If only he put his talents into something other than-... He poked his head into the Princess's room. "What are you up to?" His face twisting into a semi-friendly smile. "Oh, Toland! You startled me!" Princess Celestia said. She quietly hid the paper she had been writing on. This Human had become both a great asset, and a terrible curse. Even with only basic descriptions of what his kind were capable, in the five years Toland had been in Equestria his advice on technological advancement had allowed ponies to develop new medical and mechanical wonders they had yet to dream of. Toland had given Princess Celestia his knife. "This is both a promise and a favor," he had said. "I shall not harm anything with out that knife. However, history can be changed with nothing but a single flick of a blade, and I can assure that one day my skills and service will be required." Princess Celestial shuddered at the memory. "When you need a favor, give me the knife back, and I will do whatever you ask." He had said, smiling like the devil himself. It hadn't made any sense. He had asked for nothing in return. Even more mind boggling was the fact that he had quickly adapted to a domestic life. At her request, he had stayed in Canterlot so she could keep him in check. Yet there was nothing. Every day he woke up, went to work repairing things, and was back at Canterlot castle for dinner. It was if he had forgotten the offer he had made. To think that he had so casually offered to kill for her. It chilled her to the core. "Is there a reason your here?" The Princess asked. "There are some things I must see, things I must do." He whispered. "Oh! You must of meant why am I in the room." Princess Celestial looked at him, puzzled for a moment. "The cook said the dinner would be done in ten minutes or so. Figured I would let you know." He laughed. As he turned to leave, Celestia shook her head. Under that friendly face, was there really the heart of a killer?
Ruof Retpahc"Toland is Tartarus walking on earth." Luna explained. A few hours had pasted since she had returned from dream walking, in a vain attempt to peer into Toland's inner thoughts. She was still shaken, but at least had her mind in order. "For one thing, he is most certainly clever. I have no idea how he knew I was entering his mind, but the place we were... It was not memory, I think. He had been alerted to my presence, and in place of memories, or even a normal dream, was the worst nightmare I think he could think up." Princess Luna shuddered. "I hope that was the worse he could think of. I have fought nightmares for so long, I thought I had seen the worst this world could offer. He is something else entirely." Princess Celestia sighed deeply. "I put you through all that, and all we have learned is that he is indeed a monster. One that is not to be trifled with. I am so sorry Luna." Luna merely laughed. "I agreed to it, I have none to blame but my own curiosity. Still there is one thing I noted." "Oh?" That got Celestia's attention. "That nightmare, it retained so much emotion. I could feel it as if moisture in the air." Luna elaborated. "What kind of emotion?" "Pain, hatred, mostly directed at himself. He blames himself for something. More than anything, there was...longing. Sister I feel as though he does all this because he is afraid of being alone." She explained. Celestia shook her head sadly. "What are we to do with him, with Toland?" Celestia asked. "I cannot simply arrest him, in fear he wounds somepony else." "We request his presence, and have him explain himself. All of it. The nightmare, his weapons, what exactly the goal of his little game is. The purpose of the knife he so graciously gifted you." Princess Luna said. "I was not sure how I felt about Toland before, but as of now, I feel horribly wary of him." Toland casually strode into the Princesses' throne room. He noticed neither Celestia nor Luna looked happy to see him, but that was to be expected. He bowed politely, much to Princess Celestia's confusion. Toland never bowed. "You called?" He asked. "Explain yourself." Princess Luna stated bluntly. Toland gave her a saddened look. "I sincerely apologize, for what happened in the dream, your Highness. My dream was invaded without my consent, and I merely lashed out in self defense." Toland shook his head sadly. "I don't want you to hate me, but you seem to want me to be some sort of villain. That is a role I refuse to play." Toland said. "My nightmares are just that, nightmares. They don't mean anything, they don't make me evil." "What of your weapons, and this promise to my sister?" Princess Luna asked. "Consider my promise of a favor a last resort, nothing more. Should you need it, I will be there, but should the need never arise then I will consider it a good day." Toland explained. "It is simply a gift. Can we move on, end these absolutely pointless hostilities?" "Why should we trust you?" Princess Celestia asked. "Because I have not lied yet." Toland stated. "Why would I now?" "Why do you continue to offer your service to my sister, when she has gone against you now twice?" Luna asked. Toland responded with an odd smile. "Personal reasons. Nothing sinister I assure you, but I cannot tell you. Not yet at least. All that matters is that I mean you, and everything else, absolutely no harm. Unless you say otherwise." Princess Celestia stared at Toland with a mix of contempt and mistrust. "What do you even get out of all this?" Toland merely smiled, and placed one hand on his chest, proceeding to bow politely. "What I get is your attention, and that is all I truly need." Celestia shuddered for a moment, and she felt herself blush. What did he mean by that? She straightened her back, her face a blank slate. She projected authority. "As long as you insist you mean no harm, I will allow your freedom. However, if you so much as contemplate harming my little ponies, your punishment will be swift and without pity." Toland smiled sincerely. "You have my word." With that he turned and left. Toland more or less collapsed in his chair. Wiping away a thin layer of dust that was beginning to accumulate on his workshop desk, he sighed heavily. "I knew that being in service to her was going to be eventful, but I wasn't expecting it to be this exhausting." He said to no one in particular. He rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand. "Still could be worse. She has been rather forgiving all things considered." Toland reached for a tool, intent on at least being productive in his off time. "Sometimes I wonder if it would be for the best to just scrap the whole thing and start over. Either that or leave." Toland rambled on, "Still I chose the path this would head a long while back now. Wouldn't feel right to not see it through. Not when the overture is nearly over." Toland poured black powder carefully into a casing. "I just hope I live long enough to hear the applause, and see the curtain fall." He screwed the bullet one to the round, and carefully inspected it for any faults. Any flaws could cause the gun to misfire. Content the round was good enough to use, he set it aside. "I doubt I will though. An assassin rarely lives long enough to enjoy the fruits of his labor." Toland chuckled sadly.
