The Vile Knife

Chapter two.

You awake to the sound of birdsong, carried through the open window of your room by a gentle summer breeze. The air around you is fresh, crisp and pleasantly warm. A ray of brilliant sunlight shines through the small gap between the curtains, illuminating the many floating particles hanging in the air. It is the start of yet another day in Equestria.

You roll over onto your back, and stare up at the thick oak beams supporting the white-washed ceiling, casually deliberating on what you plan to do today. Ponyville is a small town, and is, unfortunately, rather dull, in your opinion. You can't tell what time it is, as you don't have a clock, but you guess that it is about mid-morning, judging by the amount of light shinning between the closed curtains. Perhaps you should just remain in bed and go back to sleep. Sleeping untill noon had quickly become one of your favourite ways to pass the time. It wasn't like there was anything else to do. You didn't have to worry about work. Money wasn't an issue either, as everything you could possibly want was practically handed to you on a plate.

Still, there were a few things missing. For one thing, it was impossible for you to walk outside without attracting attention. You had grown accustomed to the curious stares of the town's inhabitants, but it still made you feel a little uncomfortable. Still, you are content with the current state of affairs. For now.

Perhaps it would be better to get out of bed. You can already hear the sounds hooves striking cobblestone, and the low murmur of voices as ponies passed your home on the street below. It would probably do you some good to get out of the house for a while. You would at least find someone to talk to, hopefully making the day a little less boring. You sit up, throwing the blankets off to one side, and swing your legs out over the side of the bed. Rising from this position, you stand, and make your way over to the wardrobe set against the far wall. The wooden floor feels warm beneath the soles of your bare feet.

Dressing is a rather complicated affair. First, you pull on a pair of tight black trousers. They hug tightly to your legs, but they are not constricting in any way. In fact, they are rather comfortable. The white linen shirt goes on next, the long sleeves reaching down to your wrists. You don the waistcoat next; it is almost entirely black, apart from the crimson embroidery stitched into it, forming a pattern of thin, curling lines, all connected to a short vertical line that runs parallel on either side of the golden brass buttons that hold the waistcoat together. The back of the waistcoat is made of fine, wine-red silk.

You pull on a pair of long, canvas boots that end halfway up your shins. The soles of the boots are made of firm wood, so that every step you take creates a loud clack as your heels strike the ground. You pick out a dark red jacket with long sleeves, trimmed in gold, but then you decide that this is probably a little too much, and you place it carefully back inside the wardrobe, and close the door. You attract enough attention as it is. You make a mental reminder to ask Rarity to create some more casual clothing for you. The clothes she had already made for you were so flashy, they still made you feel a little ridiculous when you wore them.

And then it happens. Suddenly, the noises from outside stop abruptly. Complete silence fills the air. The breath catches in your throat. The corners of the room seem to darken, and the walls seem to loom over you. They seem almost... fluid. A strange ringing sound fills your ears, and you can taste the metallic tang of blood on your tongue. You start backwards, crying out in surprise, and the strange vision disappears as suddenly as it occurred. The room snaps back into focus, and the sounds from outside resume... but you are left with a feeling of foreboding, and of inexplicable anger. You shake your head rapidly from side to side, and the feeling subsides somewhat, but it doesn't vanish completely. Was that magic? No. It didn't feel like the crackling, buzzing energy that you felt when magic was directed at you. No, this was certainly something else. Alarmed, you leave the house quite a bit faster than you would have done otherwise. You have to tell someone about this... And you know just who to ask.

Out on the streets, the town is already buzzing with activity. The street echoes with the sound of voices, footsteps, underlaid by all manner of clanks, clangs and thuds as carts move up and down the street, some empty, some loaded with goods. However, the event that just occurred has left you feeling slightly queasy and rather irritable, as if you've just woken up after a night of drinking. As you head off down the street, you inevitably attract the curious gazes from the town's inhabitants, but most of them have gotten used to your presence by now. Some of them don't even look up from what they are doing. Most of the attention comes from the young children, staring at you with inquisitive eyes. You can't help but feel slightly irritated by this fact, which seems strange. It never seemed to bother you before. Shaking your head slowly, you continue onwards, towards your destination on the other side of the town.

As you make your way through the central plaza, you spot a familiar, timid face though a gap in the bustling crowds. Fluttershy. She is struggling to put something into her saddlebags, so she doesn't notice you watching her. For a split second, you smell the heady scent of burning timber, accompanied by an irritating buzzing noise in your ears. The whole experience lasts about a second or two, and then vanishes suddenly. Blinking rapidly, you take a step backward. When she finally looks up and notices you looking at her, she smiles shyly and averts her eyes, staring down at her hooves. On any other day, you would have gladly gone over to help and to talk to her, but you have more important things to do. What just happened is proof of that. You smile politely, and continue on your way. The poor mare probably needs to become a little more assertive... Or maybe not, considering what happened last time she tried. You didn't really enjoy being knocked flying by an aggressive yellow pegasus very much at all.

Proceeding onwards across the plaza, you enter a small street leading away from the town centre. Without warning, you are suddenly tackled from the side, the impact sending you sprawling. Lying on your back, your eyes slowly swim back into focus, and you find yourself looking into the baby-blue eyes of Pinke Pie. She is stood directly over you, her forehooves on either side of your head. She is looking down at you, a huge grin on her face. "Hi!" She exclaims. Before she can launch into one of her trademark high-speed, one-sided conversations, you raise your right hand slightly and say: "Ah... Could you let me up? Please?". She stares at you as if you've asked the stupidest question in the world. "Of course I can silly!" She replies. However, she still doesn't move. An awkward silence falls. After thirty seconds or so, you add "...You know, you need to sort of... Move off me a little."

"Well duh!" She replies, rolling her eyes dramaticaly. "But you only asked me if I could let you up, not if I would let you up!" She rolls off you, giggling. As you stand and dust yourself down, you reply: "I think that was implied by what I said in the first place, now I really need to get moving, so whatever you have to say, make it qui...". The end of your sentence drifts off into silence, as you suddenly realise that she is already bouncing happily away down the street. You stare after her, shaking your head in disbelief. Then you shrug your shoulders, and carry on down the road. This sort of behaviour is pretty much guaranteed when dealing with Pinkie Pie.

Finally, you reach your destination. The Golden Oak Library looms in front of you. It is the also the home of Twilight Sparkle, the resident librarian. It is her you have come to see. Suddenly feeling faint, you reach the door, and knock urgently. upon it. An iron clang sounds in your ears, your vision begins to blur, and then to darken. The door opens, but you can only register a blurred, purple smudge in the open doorway. She says something, but all you hear is a muffled and distant voice, the words totally incomprehensible. You sway on your feet for a few seconds, and then fall forwards into the room. There is a thud, a sharp pain in your temple, and a white light explodes in your eyes, and then quickly fades to total darkness.