Assassinverse: Inferno

In the darkness of an abandoned warehouse, a blue anthro unicorn stallion with a brown mane and tail wearing a tuxedo was tied to a metal pole, and he was stirring. As his eyes flew open and he looked around, he began to remember what had happened. He was on his way back to his manor after a long business meeting when he was knocked unconscious by a demonic creature of some kind.

“Ah, you’re awake. Good, good. We have much to discuss, particularly about your political views on progress and change.”

The stallion felt a shiver run down his spine as he identified the source of the dark and demonic voice: a pair of glowing green eyes that stood out against the darkness. “What happened to me? Why are you doing this? P-please, I’ll give you anything you want! Mares, money, political power! Just let me go!” the stallion begged.

The voice laughed, a cold and mirthless sound. “Sorry, friend, but you can’t buy your way out of the karmic retribution for the sins of you and your ilk. You want the truth about what happened? Why I’m doing this? I’ll tell you. It all started the day Equestria suffered its heaviest loss… when those unwilling to accept change hired a group of ponies to murder somepony in cold blood who just wanted to help improve life in Equestria. While she was sleeping, no less.”

“P-please…”

The voice growled in anger as bolts of emerald green lightning surged from what the stallion, in his pain and agony, could only assume was an outreached hand. “Shut up. You have no room to talk. You’re no better then them, murderer.  You and the rest of the Traditionalists. You’re gonna to hear what your arrogance created. You’re going to see just what murdering Twilight Sparkle earned you. And you’re going to learn about the monster you’ve unleashed: Inferno.”

…

A purple anthro Alicorn with a dark blue mane and tail, both of which had a magenta stripe in them, entered one of the vast guest bedrooms within Canterlot Castle, a thoroughly depressed look on her face. She wore an elegant lavender dress, a pink diamond necklace, and brown sandals with heels. Upon her head was a golden tiara. This was Twilight Sparkle, recently-crowned Princess of Equestria… although, at the moment, she was wishing she was still an ordinary Unicorn, getting ready for bed in her old treehouse/library home, back before Tirek had smashed it to splinters… back before she had to put up with all of this hatred and anger towards her and her politics.

I just don’t understand it… why do they hate me so much? thought Twilight as she striped down to her black bra and panties.It’s not like I’ve done anything horrible to them… I’m just trying to make sure that Equestria isn’t left behind in this ever-evolving world we live in now. I mean, right now Equestria is laughably out gunned, lovers of two different species can’t get married, no matter how much they want to, and the Council is made up of royals and nobles who only have interest in themselves rather than the common good.

As Twilight snuggled into the blankets and bedsheets, she felt a wave of hopelessness wash over her. Maybe I’m not meant to be a Princess of Equestria is this is how ponies are going to treat me… maybe I should just step down…

No, Twilight. You can’t step down now. Do you really think all of this hatred will just go away because you’re not a Princess anymore? a stronger voice told Twilight deep in her subconscious

Immediately, Twilight reached into a bedside dresser drawer and pulled out three pictures. One of them was of her and her friends, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. The second was of her and the other three Princesses, Celestia, Luna, and Cadence, all of them looking very formal and elegant in their dresses. The third was a picture of a pegasus stallion with orange fur and a blue mane and tail wearing a Royal Guard dress uniform. This was Flash Sentry, Twilight’s secret coltfriend… although, she was starting to suspect that he was getting ready to propose to her.

Twilight thought for a moment about what this might mean for them, given all the hate she’d received. Flash must truly and deeply love her if he was willing to risk going through all of the same minotaur shit she’d been through… and if he wanted to start a family with her.

Twilight smiled. As long as she had this group of ponies by her side, she could take anything those nay-sayers and Traditionalists threw at her.

And with that, Twilight returned the pictures to the drawer, and closed her eyes… completely unaware of what was going on right under her muzzle.

…

“Well? Are we going to do this thing or what?” grumbled a voice in the shadows to one of its four fellows.

“Are you really sure about this? I mean, we’re about to MURDER A PRINCESS-”

“Shut up! Do you want to get us arrested? Besides, we’ve got the one thing that can make our troubles that much easier.”

As the voice said this, a faint gleam of light from a shining blade appeared. A gasp was heard.

“Is that… is that really-”

“Orichalum. The boss stallion had this thing forged just for this sole purpose… something about getting some mare drunk enough not to stand on her own two hooves or something like that. Anyways, this is our room.”

As the five shadowy figures reached the bedroom, they silently opened the door. There, sleeping soundly on the bed, was Princess Twilight Sparkle.

“Well? Who wants the honors?” asked one of the voices.

“I’ll do it.”

“She’s all yours, Galeant.”

As the single figure crept silently into the room, the orichalum blade in his hand, they felt as though a huge weight was resting upon their shoulders. Finally, the figure clamped his hand down over Twilight’s nose and mouth, causing her to awaken.

“Get on her! Keep her down!”

As the other four figures held Twilight down, the princess tried to muster up some magic. However, before the princess could muster the magic to fend off her assassin, the orichalam blade slashed across her throat, cutting deep into her flesh. As blood gushed out of the wound in her throat, Twilight stared in horror at her attacker, unable to scream or even breathe as they continued to stab her. Finally, after a moment of fruitless struggling, Twilight went limp and cold, and her eyes turned glassy. She was dead.

“Good job, now let’s get the buck out of here!”

And with that, the five killers ran for it, leaving their handy work behind.

…

The following afternoon, at Twilight’s Castle near the small village of Ponyville, we find a fifteen year-old purple and green dragon wearing a purple and green t-shirt, blue jeans, and white socks laying on his bed, reading a comic book, titled Power Ponies: A Death In The Family. Spike Sparkle had been hearing rumors that the writers at BC Comics were planning to kill off Humdrum, but it was another thing entirely to actually be reading the comic for himself.

He’d just reached the part where the Masked Matter-Horn was carrying Humdrum’s body out of the rubble amongst the tears of the rest of the Power Ponies, there was a gentle knock on the door. “Spike? Are you in there?”

Spike frowned as he recognized the voice of Princess Celestia. What was the Solar Princess doing here, especially when her most prized pupil was in Canterlot already? Spike put down his comic book and opened his bedroom door to find the Solar Princess standing before him wearing her usual attire, a golden yellow dress with matching heels, a golden tiara with a purple gem embedded in the center, and a necklace around her neck with a sun pendant on it.

However, Spike noticed something alarming about her. Her eyes were red and swollen and her the white fur on her face had tear streaks on it. Spike didn’t recall ever having seen Celestia cry. Except for that one time when their world and a mirror world were merging together and the Good King Sombra from that world, whom she’d fallen in love with, had to become evil in order to set things right again. “Princess…. W-what’s wrong?”

“Spike… i-it’s Twilight… she’s been murdered,” sobbed Celestia.

On those last three words, Spike could almost hear the glass in his mind shatter. “No… no, th-that’s not possible!” Spike said, his voice starting to crack as denial raced through him. “Alicorns can’t die! Mom can’t die! The only thing that can kill an Alicorn is-”

“Orichalum. And th-that’s what she was stabbed with while she was sleeping,” said Celestia, pain in her voice.

As Spike stood there, his mind reeling in shock and horror from the news, a new kind of fire ignited inside him. Anger, hatred, pain, suffering.

“Who did this, Celestia? WHO KILLED MY MOTHER?!” Spike roared, smoke coming from the corners of his mouth as Princess Celestia felt a small pang of fear.

“W-we don’t know yet. Best we can do right now is assume that some of her guards went rogue and killed her, but we don’t know who they are yet,” said Celestia. “Spike, please, you need to calm down-”

“DON’T… TELL… ME...TO… CALM… DOWN!!!!” snarled Spike as tears began to run down his face. “YOU KNOW WHO’S BEHIND THIS, RIGHT?! IT’S THE BUCKING BASTARDS WHO CAN’T MOVE ON FROM THE PAST! EVER SINCE MY MOTHER ENACTED HER NEW POLICIES, THEY HATED HER, THEY’VE WANTED HER DEAD, AND NOW THEY’VE ACTUALLY GOTTEN RID OF HER!”

“Spike-”

“Celestia... they killed… my mother. They killed her because they won’t admit her policies would make life better… they are going to pay for what they did. I promise you.” Spike snarled, making Celestia feel just a little bit afraid. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to be alone for awhile. Keep me updated with your progress in the investigation. I want to be there when you catch them and execute them.”

“O-okay,” said Celestia.

And with that, Celestia turned and walked quickly away. Spike watched from his bedroom window as the Solar Princess boarded her chariot and left. Once the chariot was in the air, Spike was free to unleash his anger and fury. Curtains were shredded, bedsheets were burned, and furniture was knocked over. By the time Spike was able to regain control of himself, the room had been completely demolished. Through his teared-blurred vision, Spike saw an intact photo of himself and Twilight. Picking it up as though it were an incredibly delicate flower, Spike fell to his knees and wept.

…

At the request of Princess Celestia, the Pegasi Weather Patrol had made the sky almost completely hidden under a shroud of dark gray clouds that poured rain upon those adorned in black who’d arrived for the state funeral for Princess Twilight Sparkle. Princess Celestia watched on as more and more ponies filed past the glass coffin that contained the purple princess, who looked so at peace, wearing her coronation gown, her hands forever holding a bouquet of enchanted flowers that wouldn’t wilt for a hundred years… and she couldn’t stop herself from weeping. She blamed herself for bringing this fate upon her most faithful student. If she hadn’t made her a Princess, none of this would have happened.

Finally, once everyone was seated before the large podium that had been set up, it was time for the eulogies.

"Fillies and gentlecolts... today, we are here to celebrate the life of one very special unicorn, who ascended to become an alicorn princess... only to be taken from us in such a cruel fashion," said Celestia, a glistening tear on her cheek as she began her speech, pausing a moment before she could find her voice. "Twilight Sparkle was... like a daughter to me. I remember the day I met her, the day of her entrance examination... she seemed so happy, so full of life, so eager to learn new things… I could use so many words but they would never be able to truly convey how wonderful she is…. except maybe stubborn. Once she was sure of something she set to it…. and perhaps loyal as well….. I-I’m sorry… forgive me.” Celestia said as she ran off the stage, tears falling behind her, along with Pinkie Pie and Luna.

Fluttershy, swallowing her pride and with as much courage as she could muster, took the stage.

"H-Hi... I'm Fluttershy," murmured Fluttershy, her knees shaking from both fear and sadness. "T-Twilight... was... one of my... best... friends... and... I MISS HER SO MUCH!!!" she wailed at the top of her lungs, causing several ponies attending the funeral to jump. Mere moments later, Fluttershy passed out from both her stage fright and sadness. The rest of the funeral, compared to the beginning, however, was really quite uneventful.

Finally, it was time for Shining Armor to do his part… something that, no matter how many times he had to it, never got any easier: honor guard. Today, however, he wasn’t just saying good-bye to one of his comrades… he was saying good-bye to the baby sister he’d watched grow up from the day she was born.

“H-honor guard!” he barked, his voice choked up. As one, the guard ponies who stood in their black dress uniforms snapped to attention, their horns glowing. “Ready… aim… FIRE!” barked Shining Armor.

As one, the soldiers fired off colorful blasts of magic, which exploded into fireworks with a loud Boom!

“Ready… aim… FIRE!”

Boom!

“Ready… aim… FIRE!”

Boom!

“Ready… aim… FIRE!”

With the last Boom! Everypony began to depart the funeral and return home. Not among them was Spike Sparkle, who was clad in a black suit and tie as he approached his mother’s glass coffin and sank to his knees beside it.

“I should’ve been here, Mom… I could’ve done something to stop this from happening to you,” whispered Spike. “I know what’d you say. That I couldn’t have saved you if I tried, and odds are if I’d had, I’d be in the coffin right next to yours.”

“And she’d be right.”

Spike looked over his shoulder to find Shining Armor, sans helmet, walking towards him before he sat down next to Spike.

“I don’t care. I don’t care if she was right or not…. I would have rather died by her side then….. then live like this….. alone.” Spike told Shining Armor.

“Spike that’s no way to talk. Twilight… Twilight wouldn’t want you thinking like that.” Shining told him as he hugged his nephew.

“I miss her, Shining Armor…” sniffled Spike.

“I know,” replied Shining Armor. “But, remember this: she’s not truly gone as long as we remember her.”

“I’m going to make them all pay,” Spike told Shining Armor. “I’m going to hunt down every last Traditionalist and make them pay for what they did to my mother. I swear on my mother’s grave, I will not stop until I have justice for Twilight.”

Shining Armor broke the hug and stared at Spike for a moment. “Spike, that’s not justice you’re talking about, that’s revenge,” he sternly told his nephew.

“Well, aren’t they the same sometimes?” asked Spike.

“No, Spike, they’re never the same. Ever. Justice is about harmony, revenge is you making yourself feel better at somepony else’s expense,” said Shining Armor.

“Shining, you coming?” asked Princess Cadence, who was a pink anthro alicorn wearing a black dress. “We’re suppose to meet up with your parents and the other Princesses in the banquet hall, remember?”

“I’ll be there in a second, honey,” said Shining Armor. “Look, Spike, just think about what I’ve said, okay?”

And with that, Shining Armor stood and walked back towards Cadence and started talking to her while Spike watched on.

Yeah, sorry, Unc, but those Traditionalist bastards killed my mother in cold blood. I cannot let that pass so easily… Spike thought to himself before he got up and began to make his way towards the graveyard exit. He didn’t stand a chance against the entire Traditionalist faction as he was now. Fortunately, during his time with the dragons a while ago, he’d made friends with some of the elders who were masters of the dragon magical arts, as well as gunplay and hand to hand combat. All he needed to do was track them down and take up the offers they’d made him back then. It may take some time, but Spike was sure he could find those elders.

A grin crossed Spike’s face. The traditionalists had just started a fire… and, in time, that fire would grow into a raging Inferno that would consume them all.