Illusions Dagger was ready to make his move. The best assassin that Equus had ever known, was looking forward to putting his boots up. He'd probably need them to store all the gold he was being paid for this job. Even if his employer shafted him, the advance was enough to live the lush life twice over.
The frosted grass crunched under hoof in the moonlight darkness. It took him only moments to cross the clearing before the last of this backwater's hovels and the castle of friendship. As expected, no guard raised the cry, for there were none. None saw him move, for none stayed awake this far into the night.
It would only be a matter of time till the land's newest princess died in her bed. The thought made Illusions Dagger smile. While his name would never be associated with the killing, his hoofwork would be remembered for ages.
The massive doors weren't barred. All he had to do was push on the gates and they swung open with nary a sound. The Princess was making this far too easy. Activating both his invisibility cloak, and his muffling horseshoes the assassin floated down the crystalline halls as a wraith.
The castle was far larger on the inside than expected, but that wouldn't be an issue. His equipment was plenty charged enough for this. He climbed the stairs in the back with ease, quietly checking doors.
Finally, the fifth door on the second floor revealed the passage to the private quarters. Yes, this was what he wanted. As the angel of death, he moved down the corridor to the stately double doors. His stealth remained unbroken, as the hinges were immaculate.
But Sparkle was not in her bed. Illusions Dagger frowned, in his casing of the palace, she was normally in bed by this time. He'd noted that the last candles were always extinguished by the second hour of the third watch, and it was nearly the fourth. A quick survey of the room told him the Drake was in his bed, asleep. He should be finished now, to make it less likely he'd call for help.
He moved closer to the dragon's basket and drew the orlichalcum dagger. It was a prized possession, not only was it guaranteed to kill anything it cut, undead, immortal, divine or otherwise, it made him immune to most magics as long as it was on his person. Truly, there could not be a better weapon for this job.
The sleeping drake was on his back, mouth open as he snored. While his scales may be formidable protection, he was presenting many soft targets, which any skilled assassin could exploit. With the cold deliberation one would expect of a paid killer, he lined the point of the blade with the roof of Spike's mouth. Far too easy.
Illusions Dagger leaned into the blade with a sharp motion, and it sank till the quillions caught the dragon's cheeks. Green eyes shot open, a pair of tiny legs kicked once, twice and were still. The easiest twenty thousand he had ever made.
But Sparkle still needed to die this night, and to that end Illusions Dagger drew a blood stained dagger back and continued his hunt. Out from the bed chamber he continued along the circuit of doors. At the end of the hallway, he could see candle light streaming from under an inner door. Ha, so that was his mistake, a windowless reading room?
No matter, knowing Sparkle's abysmal security measures, she likely read with her back to the door too. Leaving a touch of dark orange dragon's blood on the door frame the assassin turned the knob. He had to suppress a grin. sitting in a comfy chair, facing away from the door was the real prize. Two hundred thousand bits more to end a life this cavalier with it's own preservation? It almost crossed his mind to reject the money. Almost.
Sparkle sneezed and turned the page, her candle nearly burned to a nub. But it was between him and her, and no shadow would alert the princess of the imminent end. Illusions reared up behind her, dagger in hoof, and with an easy motion drove it to the hilt in the back of her skull. The blade made a disgusting sound as it wrenched free, pulling back some of those world renown brains with it. But he wasn't satisfied, grabbing the mouth of the shocked alicorn before she could fall, he slashed her throat and sunk the blade into each lung before letting go.
Twilight Sparkle dropped from her chair, as dead as the stones she laid on. "All too easy." Illusions dagger said, wiping away both crimson and umbar stains on the purple coat of his victim.
He turned to leave. He stood in the threshold of the door when a noise made every hair of his coat stand on end. The noise of a chair scraping along the floor. "Please, you call that an assassination?" He whirled on his hooves and stared bug eyed as the alicorn climbed to her hooves, blood dripping from her cheek and running down her chest.
No, that shouldn't be possible. Not after those injuries, especially not when they were inflicted with a godslayer. His expression must have broken, because she laughed. "Surprised?" Twilight Sparkle asked, approaching him with wings flared. "Let me guess, decided that because I have no guards that this would be easy?"
Illusions Dagger charged, drawing his dagger again. The Princess didn't seem to care, nor did she flinch when the blade was buried in her neck. Instead she wrapped a hoof around his fetlock and twisted to the sharp sound of breaking bone.
The assassin fell backwards as his dagger skittered away. "Now. Twilight said. "You will tell me everything you know about who hired you." The Alicorn continued forward, lightening arcing between her hooves and the floor, filling the air with a terrible crackling.
"I killed your dragon." Illusions Dagger said, getting to his three good hooves. Maybe a little emotional trauma could help him clear the buck out of here.
He turned to run out the door, but it slammed shut in front of him. "DID YOU NOW?" Twilight's voice thundered so loudly that they must have heard it in Canterlot. A book flew from it's shelf and slammed Illusions in the face, followed by another and another as every shelf in Twilight's reading room emptied itself. After the barrage, Illusions was beaten and bruised, but still not ready to talk. He eyed the hundreds of books that floated in the air, wrapped in a magenta aura.
"Why?" A young voice asked from right by his ear. Illusions looked to see the young dragon approaching him, dark orange blood spilling from his mouth to smoke on the floor. "Why?" he asked again, his eyes glassed and hollow.
"Why?" Another voice called out as Mr. Full Moneybags crawled out from under a sofa, the gash in his throat still oozing blood as he approached his killer.
"Why?" Another voice declared, and another and another, till the room was full of dead ponies advancing on the one who had killed them for money.
Illusions Dagger began to laugh, and his laughs devolved to screams.
"Real humdinger isn't he?" Spike asked, watching the would be assassin squirm on the floor kicking and screaming, caught in one of Twilight's anti-malice traps. "What do you think he's dreaming of?" he asked the alicorn.
Twilight shut the door of the castle against the cold and checked the spell. She grimaced. "You don't want to know." she said. "Spike, please go get Copper Buttons, tell him to come quickly." she paused. "Might want to get Dr. Srink too."
"Sure thing Twilight!" Spike said, waddling towards the door."
"And Spike?" she paused. "I told you I don't need any guards."
