Lost in the Dustby Leon BanzChaptersInsipid dreamsUnlawful ImprisonmentsTaking RisksUnlikely FriendsDreams of Blue and WhiteInsipid dreamsCorvo lay there staring at the moon-lit roof. He had not been able to sleep for the past few days, and what sleep he did get, it was in fits. They had been filled with nightmares of the past, and fears of the present and future. He had tired everything from drinking a glass of hot milk, to going out and taking a run across the rooftops and nothing seemed to work very well for him. 'When will I be able to find any sleep at all?' He asked himself. He had asked it multiple times before with no answer that would ever come. He closed his eyes and sighed. From outside an owl hooted. As he listened closer, he could hear footsteps coming closer to his room. Light, unhurried and carefree footsteps. He reached over to his nightstand and silently slid the drawer open, grabbing his folding sword and laying it next to him. He lay there as if asleep and kept a steady breathing pattern. Too much experience with assassins had trained him well. The door creaked open, and a soft voice came from it. "Corvo? Are you still awake?" A young Emily asked from the doorway. She was still young and had nightmares from time-to-time. Quickly, Corvo put his folding blade back into the drawer, shut it and sat up. "I'm surprised you still are, Emily." He said. "Have another nightmare, huh?" She saw her silhouette move across the room and next to his rather large bed. The springs collapsed under her knee as he set most of her weight onto and climbed onto the bed. Laying back down, he positioned himself so he was facing the young queen. "Yeah. It's always the same one, Corvo. The one where everything is on fire and I'm running away from it. It won't go away." She said. She turned to face him, and the moonlight illuminated her features. Fear struck her eyes and every other feature was tired and glossed over. She closed her eyes and relaxed. "Get some sleep, Emily. We have a big day tomorrow." He told her, petting her head like he would a dog to comfort her. He closed his eyes after a while, and sleep finally came upon him. Everything around Corvo was a little less like he remembered it. He was staring up at a sky instead of Emily like he had remembered falling asleep. A few clouds drifted by in the bright sky, adding a calm serenity to the location. Quickly Corvo sat up. He was in a large field of yellow and pink and blue flowers. He could not name them all and did not recognize the area of the castle yard. In fact, he could not see the castle at all. No matter which way he looked, all he could see was open fields and rolling hills. He could see no one else around him. He stood and surveyed the area more. Then he realized he wasn't looking with his normal eyes, but the zooming mechanism in his mask. He put it in the back of his mind after assessing his situation and taking the mask off to look at it. It had an area for his nose and mouth so he could breath, and a small magnifying glass in the right eye for zooming. A sudden shout broke his train of thought and he put the mask back on. He looked up and found that a blurry blue animal was plummeting towards him. Before he could react, the thing had collided with him and knocked him over. He rolled back too where he could pin the thing down. He brought his head back in surprise to find it was a cyan pony with wings. "Hey! What's the matter with you!? Let me go!" It yelled, struggling. It writhed under Corvo's strength. After a few moments of processing the new discovery that ponies could talk, he let go and stood back up. The pegasus jumped up, flapping its wings to gain lift and land on its hooves. As he took a better look, he saw that it had a rainbow mane and tail, and a thunder cloud with a tri-colored thunderbolt leaving it. It opened its eyes and showed it had magenta irises, and its eyebrows came to a furrow in anger. "Do you even know who I...." It trailed off as it saw him, its eyebrows unfurling and raising in surprise. "Lyra was right...they do exist...." It said. Corvo stayed silent, still processing this pegasus. Putting everything to the back of his mind, he reached for his folding blade and found it there. He could also feel his flintlock pistol and his crossbow on his left side. He had no need to look at his left hand to check for the symbol that lay there. The symbol was an intricate one, and looked like a reticle. He glanced back at the pegasus to find it had fallen over unconscious. Corvo sighed and picked her up, walking away from the large field of flowers in hope of finding a town. It had taken the better half of an hour to find the nearest town. Corvo found himself rather tired after carrying the pegasus for three quarters of an hour. She was small but strong from what he could feel. Her muscles didn't bulge, though. As he walked into the outskirts of the town, he could see a farm off in the distance. When he did step into the town, he instantly got odd looks from everyone around. What he didn't expect, was all of them to be ponies like the one he carried. He could hear whispers about his mask and the way he stood, the hilt of a sword on his right and a crossbow on his left. He looked up and found a very large tree that seemed to be made completely of crystal. As he looked closer, he could see that a castle had been ingrained into it. A large star stood at the top of it like it was a christmas tree. He decided to walk towards it, as the pegasus in his arms would most likely receive medical attention there. He tried to ignore the stares he received, but he felt them burn into his back. From the corner of his eye he could see a rather minty pony. Its mane and tail was a light mint green with a white stripe through it. It looked at him with wonder and triumph in her eyes, or so he thought that's what it was. He had payed little heed to it. As he approached the castle, he saw a small crowd standing around someone. Being taller than all of them, he could see who or what was at the center of the crowd. There stood a rather long rod, the handle seemed to be made completely of wood, yet at the top, metal had been worked atop it. In the middle of an upside down metal half-sphere was a rather fine cut crystal. it was blue, and had a faint glow as he looked at it. Just behind the staff stood another pony. It had a purple coat, mane, and tail. Though the mane and tail had two lighter shades of violet in them. Her eyes were also violet. He could also see a horn upon her head, and faintly see wings folded on her back. As ponies noticed him walking toward it, they parted. The alicorn saw this and raised her head from studying the staff. Her eyes widened as she saw the rainbow pony in his arms. "Rainbow Dash!" It yelped. Her horn began to glow, and so did the rainbow pony. The pony that was in Corvo's arms was lifted, then inspected by the violet pony. "Wake up!" It yelled. The rainbow pony jolted and awoke. "What happened?! Where am I?!" It looked around and finally saw the violet pony. "Twilight, what are you doing here? I was just in that field next to the Everfree Forest." From it's voice, Corvo determined it was a female. The violet pony seemed to be female as well. "Obviously not anymore. This nice-sir?-brought you back to town." She let the pegasus out of her magical grip. "Oh! Him! He's a human! Just like the ones Lyra is always talking about." She pointed to Corvo, and every eye was on him. Under his mask, he could feel a bead of sweat roll down his cheek. He could feel that the rest of his day would be rather long. Unlawful ImprisonmentsCorvo stared down at staff the that he held. He looked over the crystal that laid in the middle of the iron half sphere. It glowed a bright blue as he did. His eyes widened at it as the light shot out in front of him. It took the form of something he had never seen before. It seemed jackal-like, with a spike on its chest and the back of its hands. It looked up at him with blazing red eyes. "You." It said, but it did not move its mouth. "You are the one who released me? You are not Sir Aaron! You are not worthy! Bone Rush!" It seemed to yell. A blue light formed in its paw, and it rushed at him. Thinking quickly, he pulled out his folding blade and flipped it out, blocking the swing in the last moment. Corvo grunted, and pushed his assailant back a few feet. He spread his legs and held his sword out in front of him. The creature feinted a blow to the head and swept the bar of light towards his feet. Corvo jumped, easily clearing the low strike. Instinctively, he reached for his crossbow, making sure the bolts were infused with sleep inducing drugs. Blocking the next strike and pushing the creature back, he aimed quickly and fired. The jackal-like creature seemed to vanish, the bolt whizzing into a white pony with an electric blue mane and tail. Its eyes rolled back and it fell, snoring softly. Without warning, a searing pain shot through his right side. Corvo spun around, surprised to see several of the jackal-like creatures standing there with bars of light. 'Seven of them? How? There was only one just a second ago.' He thought. Then his eyebrows raised at the realization. 'There is only one of them. It's an illusion.' He switched to one of the powers that had been given to him in the void, watching as every living thing in his vision turned yellow. Dark Vision, it was called. He smiled as he saw that he was right in thinking it was an illusion. Six of them had vanished from his vision, and one remained yellow. Thinking quickly, he used Bend Time to slow everything around him to a crawl. To everyone around him, he was moving at super speed. He slashed through the six copies, taking aim at the real one with a sleep bolt. He pulled the trigger, and the bolt found its mark. Right in the side of the creatures neck. The glass broke, and released a small cloud of green smoke. A single inhale of the stuff made the creatures' eyes roll back, and it fell over. "Finally, that's taken care of." Corvo said in relief. Without thinking, he pulled his mask off and put it inside his trench coat, letting his face cool off after the fight he had just participated in. Every pony was looking from him to the creature that lay curled up in a ball like a baby. It seemed so innocent despite its rash nature. It had been so aggressive toward him, even when he had done nothing to it. As he looked around, he noticed that they were all staring at his face now, some even wandering forward to take a closer look. He smiled and knelt. They flinched slightly at him, but continued to wander closer. He chuckled at the wide, curious eyes. They reminded him of Emily to a degree. She had always been so curious and adventurous as a child. As they grew closer, he saw that Rainbow Dash was approaching quickly. Her brows were pulled down in a scowl, and her hoof beats could be heard growing even more powerful. When she was right up on him and staring him in the eyes, only then did her rage start to turn into a rosy blush. Which then turned into laughter. "You are so stupid!" She said through the fits of laughter. "You are really, really stupid." She continued to laugh, falling over on her side and kicking her hooves in the air. Twilight sighed, slapped a hoof to her forehead, and walked over. She took one looked at Rainbow Dash and groaned. "Sorry about her rudeness. She's been really giggly for a while now." She glanced over at her companion. "She's laughed at every cool thing anyone has done. It's starting to get really annoying." "Don't worry about it. I'm kinda used to being laughed at to be honest." Corvo told the alicorn-alicorn?-as he took another look at the giant castle. He groaned as memories popped up from the past. "My only question is what will happen to that creature." Twilight looked to it and back to him before answering. "I'm gonna take it into the castle and make sure it's okay before letting it free." She said with fear almost prominent in her voice. She grabbed it in her magic and walked into the castle, taking glances back at him. She seemed to have wonder about him filling her eyes. He passed it off as a trick of the light, more interested in the large castle that stood not thirty feet from him. He sighed, telling himself that he could not enter without the permission of the queen who ruled here. Looking off into the distance, he saw another castle. He could see it quite clearly. It looked to be purple and gold, with waterfalls falling off into the lands below. Corvo found himself marveling at it in the way he had when he first saw Jessamine Kaldwin, Emily's mother. Even from afar he could see its beauty. And with that beauty came a game, a game that some called the Game of Houses. A game where lords and ladies competed with each other for social status. Fake smiles hid deadly knives, long winter coats concealed a poisoned crossbow bolt, and the smallest of threats held the largest danger. He knew the game all to well, for he had had to learn to play the game with the empress before Emily. He felt a tug at his coat and looked down. Three little fillies had come up to him, one pure white, with a small horn on its head. Its mane and tail were mostly pink and had a little but of purple in it. The middle one was tan with a red mane and tail. A bow adorned her head. The last one was orange with a purple mane and tail. Small wings lay on her back. "Who are you, mister?" The tan one said. Corvo sighed to himself. He had been right. The rest of his day was going to be very long indeed. Author's Note Alright, so I had a few problems coming up with the fight scene. I will say that Corvo's abilities are a little different from the game, so I don't get sued for plagiarism. On another note, I am making this fic completely on my own. I have no editor to help me. Everything you read comes from my mind, and my mind alone. As with almost all of the stories I have written in the past. Anyway, back to the main point. Corvo's Dark vision is mostly like the way it is in the game, but he can see things much farther than normal. His Bend Time is essentially Hold Time, and time still continues, but it makes him look like he's moving faster than anything alive to anyone watching. Anywho, if you have any suggestions to the progression of this story, please tell me. And feedback is always welcome, no matter the type. Good day/night to you all. Taking RisksThe three fillies, their names being Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Scootaloo, had lead him around the town frantically. They seemed to be really excited about meeting Corvo. They had asked so many questions that his head hurt. As the man walked back into the town, he looked up at a rather large building. A sign lay on the outside not too far above the door. It had an alicorn with its wings spread and kicking at a ball on its hind legs. Just under the image it said The Moons Rising. He walked over to the door, still holding his head, and pushed it open. The common room wasn't too full, but there were still ponies there. He had learned that most of the males had a more flat snout and were slightly larger, whilst the females had a rounded snout. Every head turned when he walked in, and every set of eyes stared. The innkeeper had come out from the kitchen, looking at him with wondering eyes as well. The bustle of the room had come to a stop, and the pony on the makeshift stage had stopped playing her harp. No one moved a muscle. Some looked about ready to jump him if he moved, so he searched their faces. "What is it that you want, man?" The innkeeper finally said, almost spitting the last word out at him. Corvo ignored him with a sigh and walked out of the inn. Apparently the whole town had gotten word of him in one day. Some didn't mind him, but like the innkeeper, some didn't. He continued to look around, finding that few ponies were still in the streets of the so called Ponyville. He had learned that from the trio of fillies as well. He found himself pulling himself onto a roof with Blink, another power from the void. Instantly he was there. He sighed again and lay down on the uncomfortable tile. He turned onto his back to look at the stars that filled the sky. A full moon lay in the sky like a disc that could be plucked easily from it. He found sleep rather quickly. Corvo stood in a misty forest. He could barely make out the trees around him. His memory was foggy, but he knew he was in a dream. In front of him the mist seemed to swirl and take shape. It was a rather tall pony, with a long horn and wide wings. It took a more solid form, and he could see that its coat was a deep blue. Its mane and tail flowed unnaturally, and seemed to hold the stars themselves within. "How hast thou come to our lands, human?" It said. It used and old and almost dead language to him. "Dost thine voice not work?" It stepped closer to him, stopping right in front of him. It stood up to his chest. "I don't know. I just woke up here." He told the alicorn. She looked regal, and now that he looked, found that a black splash of color with stars and a crescent moon adorned its flank. Her cutie mark. 'Her? How would I know the gender?' He asked himself. He looked back into her eyes, finding that they had narrowed and was studying him. "We will want to see thou in the flesh, but thine body remains in Ponyville." She told him. She backed up into the mist, being swallowed by it. "Wait! What's your name!? Who are you!?" He shouted as she faded. "Luna...." The word echoed through the area multiple times. Corvo looked around, trying to find where the alicorn had gone. Corvo woke again with a start. He felt sweat roll down his cheek and drip onto the tile roof. He had sat up as he woke, and his hand slipped from under him. He tried to stop himself from falling onto the hard ground several feet below him, but with no luck. He tumbled, his legs landing on someone as his head hit the dirt hard. "Sorry about that...." Corvo said to the mare as he stood back up. When he re opened his eyes, he saw that he had landed on an orange mare with a blonde mane and tail. Both were tied at the ends with a hair tie, like the ones Emily used to use. "What in the hay? Where did you come from?" She yelled as she stood and stamped at him. She didn't seem to care that he was human. "Sorry. I was sleeping on that roof and slipped. I tried to keep myself from falling." He pointed up to the roof with his thumb, indicating where he had fallen from. She seemed to heat up at it, but whether it was a blush or anger, he could not tell. "Well be careful where you land next time." She huffed and walked off, carrying a saddlebag on her back. He flank had three apples on it. Corvo stood up, patting the dust from his coat. There were several more ponies about, and they hurried past him when they got near him. He sighed and walked toward the crystal castle. The crowd split around him as he walked. He found it rather amusing to see this occur. When he reached the castle, he saw two ponies standing in front of the door, talking to each other. One of them was yellow with a pink mane and tail. Three butterflies adorned her flank. The other was pure white with a deep purple mane and tail. Three diamonds were on her flank. "...Simply must come along, Fluttershy." The white one said as Corvo stepped within earshot. She didn't seem to notice him, and neither did the one called Fluttershy. "I don't know, Rarity. That sounds like there's gonna be a lot of ponies there. I don't know if I wanna go...." Her voice wast soft, but he could still make out what she said. Her eyes flicked to Corvo, and they went wide with surprise. "Oh come on, darling.... What are you staring at?" The one called Rarity turned to look at Corvo, and she seemed to look through him. Or rather at what he was wearing. He still wore his long tailed black coat and black shorts. His crossbow lay at his left side, his gun at his waist behind him. His folding blade was clipped to his right hip, waiting. A face of disgust formed on her face as she looked his up and down. "Come on darling, let's go see what Twilight it up to." Rarity said to Fluttershy, pulling her into the castle doors as she opened them. They slammed shut with such a force that it shook the ground under him slightly. Unlikely Friends"He means the best, I'm sure about that, Rarity." Twilight was saying as she looked to her friend. The white mare had not taken a very good first impression of Corvo. The yellow one seemed not to talk to much, so he didn't invade on her privacy to much. The three mares sat in high backed crystal chairs that did not look comfortable despite the fact they were cushioned. "I would agree, darling. I'm sorry about that. I was just looking at what you were wearing. I truly am sorry." Rarity looked to the rather tall man with a face of apology. "No need to be sorry. You have no idea what I put up with sometimes." He said, avoiding eye contact with her. "Oh, honey, I can imagine." She brought a hoof up to her muzzle and chuckled a bit. Corvo let his eyes travel to Fluttershy, who sat across the map-like table to him. Her eyes caught his and she looked away quickly with a light blush forming on her cheeks. Ignoring this, he tuned out the voice of Rarity who seemed to be ranting at Twilight about clothes for a big ball in a place called Canterlot. Being sure to stay quiet, Corvo slid out through the doors and back outside. As he did, he saw a small dragon trying to open the door with a stack of books in his hands. Moving out of the way quickly he let the dragon through. "Oh! Thanks!" He smiled up at him and walked through, closing the door behind him. For the age he looked, the dragon seemed fairly mature. 'I must be hallucinating if I can tell things like that. Hasn't been the first time I thought that, though.' He thought to himself. The land he was in, called Equestria, seemed to have natural magic in it. Though they seemed not to have a limit to how much they could use, like Corvo. When he looked up, he noticed a rather odd pony bouncing towards him. It was female, from what he could tell. Her mane and tail were a dark pink and her coat a lighter pink. Three balloons adorned her flank, one yellow, the other two blue. When she got closer to him, he could hear a rather cheery song being hummed. It seemed catchy enough. She stopped a few feet away from him and stopped bouncing. He mouth had dropped open a little and she stared at him. "Uh, can I help you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. After an agonizing minute, she suddenly leaped into the air and gasped. Corvo took a step back and grabbed for his folding sword instinctively. After staying in the air for a solid five seconds, she dashed off at nearly impossible speeds. Especially for a normal pony. He turned to look at the castle that loomed in the distance. It reminded him of when he could see the castle from the streets of Dunwall. He sighed in longing to be back to that lifestyle, where everything wasn't so colorful and cheery. He seemed to be the only thing that was dark and gloomy. As he watched to sky, he found himself staring at a fast approaching blip. He squinted as best he could before he put his mask back on and used the built in zooming lens to get a better look. It was a chariot being pulled by four strong looking pegasi in golden armor. The one sitting in the chariot itself looked rather tall, and was the purest white he had ever seen. He mane and tail flowed like the alicorn from his dreams the previous night, and he found himself thinking that they were somehow related to one another. It approached faster than he thought it would, and his eyes widened when he had to move out of the way quickly. The pegasi scoffed at him and mumbled between themselves. The white alicorn stepped out from the seat of the chariot, and so did a pegasus in all golden armor. He wore a sword attached to the right side of his armor. But what captivated Corvo's attention was how tall the white alicorn was in comparison to him. It looked to be female, and she was almost if not as tall as he. "Hmm...." She seemed to have the same commanding presence as Emily's mother had when addressing subjects. He stood his ground and removed his mask. "Forgive me. My mask has a zooming lens in it and I used it to see closer to your chariot." He told the regal alicorn. Her face relaxed a bit, and a smile found its way upon her lips. "That is quite alright, sir. And who might you be?" She asked. Her gaze remained, but the guard to her right seemed to be disgusted despite his stone cold demeanor. "My name is Corvo Attano." He slipped the mask back into his trench coat. "Nice to meet you, Corvo. I am princess Celestia of Canterlot." She smiled. Corvo found himself slightly surprised to hear she was a princess. "I am deeply sorry, princess. Forgive my rudeness." He placed his left arm behind him and his right hand across his chest, bowing to her. "There is no need for apologies, my child. I am not angry." He thought he heard her giggle. He raised his eyebrows slightly. As he raised his head back up, he could see the disgust on the guards face clearly now. He ignored it completely and focused on the princess. He drew his eyebrows toward each other in thought as he tried to remember the name of Emily's mother. His mind became clouded and started to hurt as he thought about it. 'I need to find a way out of here as fast as I can. My memory is starting to fade.' He told himself, holding his head. He started to feel light-headed, and he fell backwards, fainting on the way down. Dreams of Blue and WhiteAs Corvo came too, he could see nothing more than a pure white void. There was nothing except that void it seemed. He stood and looked around. It wasn't like the beyond, where everything was frozen in time. As he turned to face in front of him, he could see that a sun and moon had appeared. In front of each stood two alicorns that had their eyes closed. They opened them at the same time, revealing blinding light. One white from the one that stood in front of the sun, and blue from the one in front of the moon. "Corvo, you must help to save this planet. There is a pony who wishes to completely destroy the world as we know it." They said in unison. He looked at them, bewildered. "What is that supposed to mean?" He asked. He had saved his castle from a tyrant, but saving a world on his own seemed like something he couldn't do. "...save us from him...." They said as they faded. Corvo reached out to them, trying to bring them back. He jolted upright in a rather fancy room. It looked like it was fit for royalty. He looked around. It seemed to be the room of a princess or a queen. He pulled a hand up to his forehead, trying to cope with his headache. "So, you're finally awake." A voice said from beside him. He looked over to see the blue alicorn from his dreams standing in the doorway. "We have been waiting for you to wake." Her horn was glowing, and she walked in. A tray of food followed behind her. "Where am I?" He asked as soon as she had set the food on his lap. She didn't answer at first as she moved the blanket off of him to check some of his vitals. "You are in the royal castle in Canterlot." She seemed to say it absently. Corvo's eyes widened a bit and he looked out the rather large window. From here he could see the city and its inhabitants. They milled about without much care for the ones around him. "Great...." He said, groaning internally. He had intended to come here, but not this early into his time in the strange land. "We brought you here so Twilight did not have to worry herself over thou. She is too stressed." The alicorn nodded and levitated a cup to his lips. "Drink." He complied, sipping from the bitter tea. He had grown used to it where he had come from. 'Why can I not remember that?' He asked himself. He furrowed his brows in confusion. Corvo looked back to the alicorn that was levitating a sandwich to his mouth. He sighed and took a bite out of it, jerking back at the taste. it seemed to have some kind of fried hay in it, and to him it was rather good. The sandwich also had tomato, lettuce, and pickles on it. He shook his head vigorously as he swallowed the rather weird but good tasting sandwich. "Is there something wrong with the food?" The blue alicorn asked him. He didn't respond immediately, and he panted, his eyebrows drawn down. "I-I never expected something that organic to taste good...." He trailed off as he still stared at the sandwich that levitated in front of him. The only sounds he could hear was his breathing, the alicorn's breathing, and the slight sound of magic flowing. He shook his head and look at the back of his hand, which flared up. To anyone around him, all it did was glow. But to him, a small wheel appeared above it, showing what powers he had available. He still had all of his basic powers, which used up Mana. To the left of the wheel, he could see how much he had left. The bar was almost empty. He sighed and let the wheel disappear. "What is that wheel for?" The alicorn asked. He jumped a little, surprised that she could have possibly seen it. "N-nothing to worry about." He began to wonder to himself how she saw it. "It cannot be nothing. There were weird symbols we have never seen hovering above thine hand." She said. He identified it as a female by the voice. Corvo sighed, not seeing any way to avoid having to tell her about his powers from the beyond. "This symbol allows me to use special powers that allow me to bend the laws of the world to an extent. One of such is called Blink." He held out his hand and pulled himself to the other side of the room, leaving his Mana bar empty. "Though using these powers takes up Mana, which is the source of my powers." He turned around to see that the alicorn was looking at him with an amazed expression. "We have never seen anything like that before. It looks as if you are teleporting, but you are moving too fast for us to sense the use of magic in thou." She smiled a little, approaching him. "Thou hath said that you use a thing called Mana to use these powers?" Corvo nodded, backing up a step as she got close to his face. When she was nearly touching his face with her muzzle, the door to the room burst open, and Celestia walked in and looked at them. Corvo's face went a deep red, and the blue alicorn turned around so fast she nearly tripped. "What have you been doing with him?!" The white alicorn demanded, stomping across the room and staring at the slightly smaller alicorn. Corvo held his breath, watching the alicorn carefully. He could feel he was going to have a long day.
Insipid dreamsCorvo lay there staring at the moon-lit roof. He had not been able to sleep for the past few days, and what sleep he did get, it was in fits. They had been filled with nightmares of the past, and fears of the present and future. He had tired everything from drinking a glass of hot milk, to going out and taking a run across the rooftops and nothing seemed to work very well for him. 'When will I be able to find any sleep at all?' He asked himself. He had asked it multiple times before with no answer that would ever come. He closed his eyes and sighed. From outside an owl hooted. As he listened closer, he could hear footsteps coming closer to his room. Light, unhurried and carefree footsteps. He reached over to his nightstand and silently slid the drawer open, grabbing his folding sword and laying it next to him. He lay there as if asleep and kept a steady breathing pattern. Too much experience with assassins had trained him well. The door creaked open, and a soft voice came from it. "Corvo? Are you still awake?" A young Emily asked from the doorway. She was still young and had nightmares from time-to-time. Quickly, Corvo put his folding blade back into the drawer, shut it and sat up. "I'm surprised you still are, Emily." He said. "Have another nightmare, huh?" She saw her silhouette move across the room and next to his rather large bed. The springs collapsed under her knee as he set most of her weight onto and climbed onto the bed. Laying back down, he positioned himself so he was facing the young queen. "Yeah. It's always the same one, Corvo. The one where everything is on fire and I'm running away from it. It won't go away." She said. She turned to face him, and the moonlight illuminated her features. Fear struck her eyes and every other feature was tired and glossed over. She closed her eyes and relaxed. "Get some sleep, Emily. We have a big day tomorrow." He told her, petting her head like he would a dog to comfort her. He closed his eyes after a while, and sleep finally came upon him. Everything around Corvo was a little less like he remembered it. He was staring up at a sky instead of Emily like he had remembered falling asleep. A few clouds drifted by in the bright sky, adding a calm serenity to the location. Quickly Corvo sat up. He was in a large field of yellow and pink and blue flowers. He could not name them all and did not recognize the area of the castle yard. In fact, he could not see the castle at all. No matter which way he looked, all he could see was open fields and rolling hills. He could see no one else around him. He stood and surveyed the area more. Then he realized he wasn't looking with his normal eyes, but the zooming mechanism in his mask. He put it in the back of his mind after assessing his situation and taking the mask off to look at it. It had an area for his nose and mouth so he could breath, and a small magnifying glass in the right eye for zooming. A sudden shout broke his train of thought and he put the mask back on. He looked up and found that a blurry blue animal was plummeting towards him. Before he could react, the thing had collided with him and knocked him over. He rolled back too where he could pin the thing down. He brought his head back in surprise to find it was a cyan pony with wings. "Hey! What's the matter with you!? Let me go!" It yelled, struggling. It writhed under Corvo's strength. After a few moments of processing the new discovery that ponies could talk, he let go and stood back up. The pegasus jumped up, flapping its wings to gain lift and land on its hooves. As he took a better look, he saw that it had a rainbow mane and tail, and a thunder cloud with a tri-colored thunderbolt leaving it. It opened its eyes and showed it had magenta irises, and its eyebrows came to a furrow in anger. "Do you even know who I...." It trailed off as it saw him, its eyebrows unfurling and raising in surprise. "Lyra was right...they do exist...." It said. Corvo stayed silent, still processing this pegasus. Putting everything to the back of his mind, he reached for his folding blade and found it there. He could also feel his flintlock pistol and his crossbow on his left side. He had no need to look at his left hand to check for the symbol that lay there. The symbol was an intricate one, and looked like a reticle. He glanced back at the pegasus to find it had fallen over unconscious. Corvo sighed and picked her up, walking away from the large field of flowers in hope of finding a town. It had taken the better half of an hour to find the nearest town. Corvo found himself rather tired after carrying the pegasus for three quarters of an hour. She was small but strong from what he could feel. Her muscles didn't bulge, though. As he walked into the outskirts of the town, he could see a farm off in the distance. When he did step into the town, he instantly got odd looks from everyone around. What he didn't expect, was all of them to be ponies like the one he carried. He could hear whispers about his mask and the way he stood, the hilt of a sword on his right and a crossbow on his left. He looked up and found a very large tree that seemed to be made completely of crystal. As he looked closer, he could see that a castle had been ingrained into it. A large star stood at the top of it like it was a christmas tree. He decided to walk towards it, as the pegasus in his arms would most likely receive medical attention there. He tried to ignore the stares he received, but he felt them burn into his back. From the corner of his eye he could see a rather minty pony. Its mane and tail was a light mint green with a white stripe through it. It looked at him with wonder and triumph in her eyes, or so he thought that's what it was. He had payed little heed to it. As he approached the castle, he saw a small crowd standing around someone. Being taller than all of them, he could see who or what was at the center of the crowd. There stood a rather long rod, the handle seemed to be made completely of wood, yet at the top, metal had been worked atop it. In the middle of an upside down metal half-sphere was a rather fine cut crystal. it was blue, and had a faint glow as he looked at it. Just behind the staff stood another pony. It had a purple coat, mane, and tail. Though the mane and tail had two lighter shades of violet in them. Her eyes were also violet. He could also see a horn upon her head, and faintly see wings folded on her back. As ponies noticed him walking toward it, they parted. The alicorn saw this and raised her head from studying the staff. Her eyes widened as she saw the rainbow pony in his arms. "Rainbow Dash!" It yelped. Her horn began to glow, and so did the rainbow pony. The pony that was in Corvo's arms was lifted, then inspected by the violet pony. "Wake up!" It yelled. The rainbow pony jolted and awoke. "What happened?! Where am I?!" It looked around and finally saw the violet pony. "Twilight, what are you doing here? I was just in that field next to the Everfree Forest." From it's voice, Corvo determined it was a female. The violet pony seemed to be female as well. "Obviously not anymore. This nice-sir?-brought you back to town." She let the pegasus out of her magical grip. "Oh! Him! He's a human! Just like the ones Lyra is always talking about." She pointed to Corvo, and every eye was on him. Under his mask, he could feel a bead of sweat roll down his cheek. He could feel that the rest of his day would be rather long.
Unlawful ImprisonmentsCorvo stared down at staff the that he held. He looked over the crystal that laid in the middle of the iron half sphere. It glowed a bright blue as he did. His eyes widened at it as the light shot out in front of him. It took the form of something he had never seen before. It seemed jackal-like, with a spike on its chest and the back of its hands. It looked up at him with blazing red eyes. "You." It said, but it did not move its mouth. "You are the one who released me? You are not Sir Aaron! You are not worthy! Bone Rush!" It seemed to yell. A blue light formed in its paw, and it rushed at him. Thinking quickly, he pulled out his folding blade and flipped it out, blocking the swing in the last moment. Corvo grunted, and pushed his assailant back a few feet. He spread his legs and held his sword out in front of him. The creature feinted a blow to the head and swept the bar of light towards his feet. Corvo jumped, easily clearing the low strike. Instinctively, he reached for his crossbow, making sure the bolts were infused with sleep inducing drugs. Blocking the next strike and pushing the creature back, he aimed quickly and fired. The jackal-like creature seemed to vanish, the bolt whizzing into a white pony with an electric blue mane and tail. Its eyes rolled back and it fell, snoring softly. Without warning, a searing pain shot through his right side. Corvo spun around, surprised to see several of the jackal-like creatures standing there with bars of light. 'Seven of them? How? There was only one just a second ago.' He thought. Then his eyebrows raised at the realization. 'There is only one of them. It's an illusion.' He switched to one of the powers that had been given to him in the void, watching as every living thing in his vision turned yellow. Dark Vision, it was called. He smiled as he saw that he was right in thinking it was an illusion. Six of them had vanished from his vision, and one remained yellow. Thinking quickly, he used Bend Time to slow everything around him to a crawl. To everyone around him, he was moving at super speed. He slashed through the six copies, taking aim at the real one with a sleep bolt. He pulled the trigger, and the bolt found its mark. Right in the side of the creatures neck. The glass broke, and released a small cloud of green smoke. A single inhale of the stuff made the creatures' eyes roll back, and it fell over. "Finally, that's taken care of." Corvo said in relief. Without thinking, he pulled his mask off and put it inside his trench coat, letting his face cool off after the fight he had just participated in. Every pony was looking from him to the creature that lay curled up in a ball like a baby. It seemed so innocent despite its rash nature. It had been so aggressive toward him, even when he had done nothing to it. As he looked around, he noticed that they were all staring at his face now, some even wandering forward to take a closer look. He smiled and knelt. They flinched slightly at him, but continued to wander closer. He chuckled at the wide, curious eyes. They reminded him of Emily to a degree. She had always been so curious and adventurous as a child. As they grew closer, he saw that Rainbow Dash was approaching quickly. Her brows were pulled down in a scowl, and her hoof beats could be heard growing even more powerful. When she was right up on him and staring him in the eyes, only then did her rage start to turn into a rosy blush. Which then turned into laughter. "You are so stupid!" She said through the fits of laughter. "You are really, really stupid." She continued to laugh, falling over on her side and kicking her hooves in the air. Twilight sighed, slapped a hoof to her forehead, and walked over. She took one looked at Rainbow Dash and groaned. "Sorry about her rudeness. She's been really giggly for a while now." She glanced over at her companion. "She's laughed at every cool thing anyone has done. It's starting to get really annoying." "Don't worry about it. I'm kinda used to being laughed at to be honest." Corvo told the alicorn-alicorn?-as he took another look at the giant castle. He groaned as memories popped up from the past. "My only question is what will happen to that creature." Twilight looked to it and back to him before answering. "I'm gonna take it into the castle and make sure it's okay before letting it free." She said with fear almost prominent in her voice. She grabbed it in her magic and walked into the castle, taking glances back at him. She seemed to have wonder about him filling her eyes. He passed it off as a trick of the light, more interested in the large castle that stood not thirty feet from him. He sighed, telling himself that he could not enter without the permission of the queen who ruled here. Looking off into the distance, he saw another castle. He could see it quite clearly. It looked to be purple and gold, with waterfalls falling off into the lands below. Corvo found himself marveling at it in the way he had when he first saw Jessamine Kaldwin, Emily's mother. Even from afar he could see its beauty. And with that beauty came a game, a game that some called the Game of Houses. A game where lords and ladies competed with each other for social status. Fake smiles hid deadly knives, long winter coats concealed a poisoned crossbow bolt, and the smallest of threats held the largest danger. He knew the game all to well, for he had had to learn to play the game with the empress before Emily. He felt a tug at his coat and looked down. Three little fillies had come up to him, one pure white, with a small horn on its head. Its mane and tail were mostly pink and had a little but of purple in it. The middle one was tan with a red mane and tail. A bow adorned her head. The last one was orange with a purple mane and tail. Small wings lay on her back. "Who are you, mister?" The tan one said. Corvo sighed to himself. He had been right. The rest of his day was going to be very long indeed. Author's Note Alright, so I had a few problems coming up with the fight scene. I will say that Corvo's abilities are a little different from the game, so I don't get sued for plagiarism. On another note, I am making this fic completely on my own. I have no editor to help me. Everything you read comes from my mind, and my mind alone. As with almost all of the stories I have written in the past. Anyway, back to the main point. Corvo's Dark vision is mostly like the way it is in the game, but he can see things much farther than normal. His Bend Time is essentially Hold Time, and time still continues, but it makes him look like he's moving faster than anything alive to anyone watching. Anywho, if you have any suggestions to the progression of this story, please tell me. And feedback is always welcome, no matter the type. Good day/night to you all.
Taking RisksThe three fillies, their names being Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Scootaloo, had lead him around the town frantically. They seemed to be really excited about meeting Corvo. They had asked so many questions that his head hurt. As the man walked back into the town, he looked up at a rather large building. A sign lay on the outside not too far above the door. It had an alicorn with its wings spread and kicking at a ball on its hind legs. Just under the image it said The Moons Rising. He walked over to the door, still holding his head, and pushed it open. The common room wasn't too full, but there were still ponies there. He had learned that most of the males had a more flat snout and were slightly larger, whilst the females had a rounded snout. Every head turned when he walked in, and every set of eyes stared. The innkeeper had come out from the kitchen, looking at him with wondering eyes as well. The bustle of the room had come to a stop, and the pony on the makeshift stage had stopped playing her harp. No one moved a muscle. Some looked about ready to jump him if he moved, so he searched their faces. "What is it that you want, man?" The innkeeper finally said, almost spitting the last word out at him. Corvo ignored him with a sigh and walked out of the inn. Apparently the whole town had gotten word of him in one day. Some didn't mind him, but like the innkeeper, some didn't. He continued to look around, finding that few ponies were still in the streets of the so called Ponyville. He had learned that from the trio of fillies as well. He found himself pulling himself onto a roof with Blink, another power from the void. Instantly he was there. He sighed again and lay down on the uncomfortable tile. He turned onto his back to look at the stars that filled the sky. A full moon lay in the sky like a disc that could be plucked easily from it. He found sleep rather quickly. Corvo stood in a misty forest. He could barely make out the trees around him. His memory was foggy, but he knew he was in a dream. In front of him the mist seemed to swirl and take shape. It was a rather tall pony, with a long horn and wide wings. It took a more solid form, and he could see that its coat was a deep blue. Its mane and tail flowed unnaturally, and seemed to hold the stars themselves within. "How hast thou come to our lands, human?" It said. It used and old and almost dead language to him. "Dost thine voice not work?" It stepped closer to him, stopping right in front of him. It stood up to his chest. "I don't know. I just woke up here." He told the alicorn. She looked regal, and now that he looked, found that a black splash of color with stars and a crescent moon adorned its flank. Her cutie mark. 'Her? How would I know the gender?' He asked himself. He looked back into her eyes, finding that they had narrowed and was studying him. "We will want to see thou in the flesh, but thine body remains in Ponyville." She told him. She backed up into the mist, being swallowed by it. "Wait! What's your name!? Who are you!?" He shouted as she faded. "Luna...." The word echoed through the area multiple times. Corvo looked around, trying to find where the alicorn had gone. Corvo woke again with a start. He felt sweat roll down his cheek and drip onto the tile roof. He had sat up as he woke, and his hand slipped from under him. He tried to stop himself from falling onto the hard ground several feet below him, but with no luck. He tumbled, his legs landing on someone as his head hit the dirt hard. "Sorry about that...." Corvo said to the mare as he stood back up. When he re opened his eyes, he saw that he had landed on an orange mare with a blonde mane and tail. Both were tied at the ends with a hair tie, like the ones Emily used to use. "What in the hay? Where did you come from?" She yelled as she stood and stamped at him. She didn't seem to care that he was human. "Sorry. I was sleeping on that roof and slipped. I tried to keep myself from falling." He pointed up to the roof with his thumb, indicating where he had fallen from. She seemed to heat up at it, but whether it was a blush or anger, he could not tell. "Well be careful where you land next time." She huffed and walked off, carrying a saddlebag on her back. He flank had three apples on it. Corvo stood up, patting the dust from his coat. There were several more ponies about, and they hurried past him when they got near him. He sighed and walked toward the crystal castle. The crowd split around him as he walked. He found it rather amusing to see this occur. When he reached the castle, he saw two ponies standing in front of the door, talking to each other. One of them was yellow with a pink mane and tail. Three butterflies adorned her flank. The other was pure white with a deep purple mane and tail. Three diamonds were on her flank. "...Simply must come along, Fluttershy." The white one said as Corvo stepped within earshot. She didn't seem to notice him, and neither did the one called Fluttershy. "I don't know, Rarity. That sounds like there's gonna be a lot of ponies there. I don't know if I wanna go...." Her voice wast soft, but he could still make out what she said. Her eyes flicked to Corvo, and they went wide with surprise. "Oh come on, darling.... What are you staring at?" The one called Rarity turned to look at Corvo, and she seemed to look through him. Or rather at what he was wearing. He still wore his long tailed black coat and black shorts. His crossbow lay at his left side, his gun at his waist behind him. His folding blade was clipped to his right hip, waiting. A face of disgust formed on her face as she looked his up and down. "Come on darling, let's go see what Twilight it up to." Rarity said to Fluttershy, pulling her into the castle doors as she opened them. They slammed shut with such a force that it shook the ground under him slightly.
Unlikely Friends"He means the best, I'm sure about that, Rarity." Twilight was saying as she looked to her friend. The white mare had not taken a very good first impression of Corvo. The yellow one seemed not to talk to much, so he didn't invade on her privacy to much. The three mares sat in high backed crystal chairs that did not look comfortable despite the fact they were cushioned. "I would agree, darling. I'm sorry about that. I was just looking at what you were wearing. I truly am sorry." Rarity looked to the rather tall man with a face of apology. "No need to be sorry. You have no idea what I put up with sometimes." He said, avoiding eye contact with her. "Oh, honey, I can imagine." She brought a hoof up to her muzzle and chuckled a bit. Corvo let his eyes travel to Fluttershy, who sat across the map-like table to him. Her eyes caught his and she looked away quickly with a light blush forming on her cheeks. Ignoring this, he tuned out the voice of Rarity who seemed to be ranting at Twilight about clothes for a big ball in a place called Canterlot. Being sure to stay quiet, Corvo slid out through the doors and back outside. As he did, he saw a small dragon trying to open the door with a stack of books in his hands. Moving out of the way quickly he let the dragon through. "Oh! Thanks!" He smiled up at him and walked through, closing the door behind him. For the age he looked, the dragon seemed fairly mature. 'I must be hallucinating if I can tell things like that. Hasn't been the first time I thought that, though.' He thought to himself. The land he was in, called Equestria, seemed to have natural magic in it. Though they seemed not to have a limit to how much they could use, like Corvo. When he looked up, he noticed a rather odd pony bouncing towards him. It was female, from what he could tell. Her mane and tail were a dark pink and her coat a lighter pink. Three balloons adorned her flank, one yellow, the other two blue. When she got closer to him, he could hear a rather cheery song being hummed. It seemed catchy enough. She stopped a few feet away from him and stopped bouncing. He mouth had dropped open a little and she stared at him. "Uh, can I help you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. After an agonizing minute, she suddenly leaped into the air and gasped. Corvo took a step back and grabbed for his folding sword instinctively. After staying in the air for a solid five seconds, she dashed off at nearly impossible speeds. Especially for a normal pony. He turned to look at the castle that loomed in the distance. It reminded him of when he could see the castle from the streets of Dunwall. He sighed in longing to be back to that lifestyle, where everything wasn't so colorful and cheery. He seemed to be the only thing that was dark and gloomy. As he watched to sky, he found himself staring at a fast approaching blip. He squinted as best he could before he put his mask back on and used the built in zooming lens to get a better look. It was a chariot being pulled by four strong looking pegasi in golden armor. The one sitting in the chariot itself looked rather tall, and was the purest white he had ever seen. He mane and tail flowed like the alicorn from his dreams the previous night, and he found himself thinking that they were somehow related to one another. It approached faster than he thought it would, and his eyes widened when he had to move out of the way quickly. The pegasi scoffed at him and mumbled between themselves. The white alicorn stepped out from the seat of the chariot, and so did a pegasus in all golden armor. He wore a sword attached to the right side of his armor. But what captivated Corvo's attention was how tall the white alicorn was in comparison to him. It looked to be female, and she was almost if not as tall as he. "Hmm...." She seemed to have the same commanding presence as Emily's mother had when addressing subjects. He stood his ground and removed his mask. "Forgive me. My mask has a zooming lens in it and I used it to see closer to your chariot." He told the regal alicorn. Her face relaxed a bit, and a smile found its way upon her lips. "That is quite alright, sir. And who might you be?" She asked. Her gaze remained, but the guard to her right seemed to be disgusted despite his stone cold demeanor. "My name is Corvo Attano." He slipped the mask back into his trench coat. "Nice to meet you, Corvo. I am princess Celestia of Canterlot." She smiled. Corvo found himself slightly surprised to hear she was a princess. "I am deeply sorry, princess. Forgive my rudeness." He placed his left arm behind him and his right hand across his chest, bowing to her. "There is no need for apologies, my child. I am not angry." He thought he heard her giggle. He raised his eyebrows slightly. As he raised his head back up, he could see the disgust on the guards face clearly now. He ignored it completely and focused on the princess. He drew his eyebrows toward each other in thought as he tried to remember the name of Emily's mother. His mind became clouded and started to hurt as he thought about it. 'I need to find a way out of here as fast as I can. My memory is starting to fade.' He told himself, holding his head. He started to feel light-headed, and he fell backwards, fainting on the way down.
Dreams of Blue and WhiteAs Corvo came too, he could see nothing more than a pure white void. There was nothing except that void it seemed. He stood and looked around. It wasn't like the beyond, where everything was frozen in time. As he turned to face in front of him, he could see that a sun and moon had appeared. In front of each stood two alicorns that had their eyes closed. They opened them at the same time, revealing blinding light. One white from the one that stood in front of the sun, and blue from the one in front of the moon. "Corvo, you must help to save this planet. There is a pony who wishes to completely destroy the world as we know it." They said in unison. He looked at them, bewildered. "What is that supposed to mean?" He asked. He had saved his castle from a tyrant, but saving a world on his own seemed like something he couldn't do. "...save us from him...." They said as they faded. Corvo reached out to them, trying to bring them back. He jolted upright in a rather fancy room. It looked like it was fit for royalty. He looked around. It seemed to be the room of a princess or a queen. He pulled a hand up to his forehead, trying to cope with his headache. "So, you're finally awake." A voice said from beside him. He looked over to see the blue alicorn from his dreams standing in the doorway. "We have been waiting for you to wake." Her horn was glowing, and she walked in. A tray of food followed behind her. "Where am I?" He asked as soon as she had set the food on his lap. She didn't answer at first as she moved the blanket off of him to check some of his vitals. "You are in the royal castle in Canterlot." She seemed to say it absently. Corvo's eyes widened a bit and he looked out the rather large window. From here he could see the city and its inhabitants. They milled about without much care for the ones around him. "Great...." He said, groaning internally. He had intended to come here, but not this early into his time in the strange land. "We brought you here so Twilight did not have to worry herself over thou. She is too stressed." The alicorn nodded and levitated a cup to his lips. "Drink." He complied, sipping from the bitter tea. He had grown used to it where he had come from. 'Why can I not remember that?' He asked himself. He furrowed his brows in confusion. Corvo looked back to the alicorn that was levitating a sandwich to his mouth. He sighed and took a bite out of it, jerking back at the taste. it seemed to have some kind of fried hay in it, and to him it was rather good. The sandwich also had tomato, lettuce, and pickles on it. He shook his head vigorously as he swallowed the rather weird but good tasting sandwich. "Is there something wrong with the food?" The blue alicorn asked him. He didn't respond immediately, and he panted, his eyebrows drawn down. "I-I never expected something that organic to taste good...." He trailed off as he still stared at the sandwich that levitated in front of him. The only sounds he could hear was his breathing, the alicorn's breathing, and the slight sound of magic flowing. He shook his head and look at the back of his hand, which flared up. To anyone around him, all it did was glow. But to him, a small wheel appeared above it, showing what powers he had available. He still had all of his basic powers, which used up Mana. To the left of the wheel, he could see how much he had left. The bar was almost empty. He sighed and let the wheel disappear. "What is that wheel for?" The alicorn asked. He jumped a little, surprised that she could have possibly seen it. "N-nothing to worry about." He began to wonder to himself how she saw it. "It cannot be nothing. There were weird symbols we have never seen hovering above thine hand." She said. He identified it as a female by the voice. Corvo sighed, not seeing any way to avoid having to tell her about his powers from the beyond. "This symbol allows me to use special powers that allow me to bend the laws of the world to an extent. One of such is called Blink." He held out his hand and pulled himself to the other side of the room, leaving his Mana bar empty. "Though using these powers takes up Mana, which is the source of my powers." He turned around to see that the alicorn was looking at him with an amazed expression. "We have never seen anything like that before. It looks as if you are teleporting, but you are moving too fast for us to sense the use of magic in thou." She smiled a little, approaching him. "Thou hath said that you use a thing called Mana to use these powers?" Corvo nodded, backing up a step as she got close to his face. When she was nearly touching his face with her muzzle, the door to the room burst open, and Celestia walked in and looked at them. Corvo's face went a deep red, and the blue alicorn turned around so fast she nearly tripped. "What have you been doing with him?!" The white alicorn demanded, stomping across the room and staring at the slightly smaller alicorn. Corvo held his breath, watching the alicorn carefully. He could feel he was going to have a long day.
