It was a shame that the band had to cease playing, I did love that classic they were playing. Especially when the violins swelled and the bass played a chilling string, perfect for my entrance. Cut short just before I could maximize its effect, shame. I looked around the room, deathly silent save for the rush of iron against the marble. A ring of golden-clad guards closed in around us. I let out a single low note of amusement. I was among the most powerful in the land this night, both in terms of wealth and ability. They were all staring at me, though it was appropriate. I would become the guest of honor.

I turned back to the four, the two crowns of Equestria, and two of its martial leaders. There was a clear distance between Celestia, Luna’s party, and myself, all of us formed a triangle in some kind of all-powerful Appleloosan standoff. I fixed my eyes on the solar princess. “Trixie admires the display you prepared for her, what’s the occasion? A treaty between us?” My sneer took on a smug air.

“Over my dead body will Equestria concede to you.” Celestia ground her teeth, but somehow maintained a composed demeanor. “Equally unlikely will this nation give into your will. We do not make concessions for serial killers!” She outstretched her wings, they really were well maintained. I wondered if I could tear them from her body and take them for myself. Alas, I did not come here for that.

I only wanted for all this drama to end, for me to be able to be with Sabrina again. But in my journey to that end, I had to jump across the sun’s table, and risk being pinned beneath its hoof. Here I was, watching the hoof coming down on me, and I could jump out of the way and risk being stamped out by the other hoof waiting for me. Or, I could stop it before it got to me. Of course, there was always the option of cutting the hoof from its foreleg, and as much as I wanted to do that, I knew I’d lose that fight.

“If that’s what you want.” I facetiously remarked, instantly turning the ground around the princess into crystal swords that surrounded her, their shining jagged points barely grazing her regal coat. A circle of guards enclosed around us with their spears drawn.

“Trixie!” General Concrete came from behind Luna and stood between the princesses and across from me. Her face was one of indifference, but I could sense she was running dozens of calculations as to how this interaction would go. The one I was going through now was sure to end badly. I trusted the General’s judgment and sunk the crystals into the reflective marble.

Celestia lowered her wings, turning to Concrete. “What do you think you’re doing, General?” Her stare would’ve liquified anypony of weaker constitution.

“My job, your majesty.” She exchanged a plain look with the princess before turning it to her sister. “While it’s true that we do not protest your wars, admittedly, they’re what keep me occupied. What we do object to is your order of execution on this mare.”

“You dare stand against the crown? I do not make these orders out without thought. She is more dangerous alive than dead. The last pony to stand against me died.” Her voice trembled. “If my kingdom stands against me now, I fear the same.” There was fear in her voice, but I could feel something behind it. Some force pulling her strings to make her play notes of fear or concern.

Concrete turned back to Celestia. “Glass River made a calculation both times, and he was right each time.” She lowered her head.

The princess scoffed. “Excuse me? Are you saying he was right to die? I should court-martial you here and now!” There! That force was much clearer now. It felt somewhat like the Amulet’s own force on me, like a weight on just the right places to make one emotionally move a particular way it desired.

Luna interjected. “No, sister, that’s not what she meant. The Colonel died to bring Trixie here so that we’d make peace with her. She’s only dangerous alive if we make her so.”

I wanted to laugh. That’s not what that swordsman said at all. He wanted me dead because of something about killing me being mercy. However, I wasn’t about to blow this golden opportunity to get off easy. All I had to do was nod and look pretty, both weren’t hard to do. The crowd behind the ring of guards whispered in uncertainty. I could make most of them out clearly, and they all were worried about me leveling the place. As much as I would love to do that, that wasn’t nodding or looking pretty.

“Oh, Trixie agrees,” I nodded. “She doesn’t want any beef between us any more than you do.” All four of them look at me like I was a ghost. Maybe I misspoke, I did just kill a hero of theirs and then say I didn’t want any trouble. “Not that she doesn’t regret what she’s done, of course. If she could make it up to you all, she would.”

Celestia took a step towards me, reducing the distance between either of us. With that single step, the world seemed to close in on me. Despite my godly power, I still buckled under the power of someone closer to godhood than myself. “You wear his armor on the leg he took from you, and you claim that you don’t want any animosity between us? Unbelievable, why should I be listening to you or Concrete?” I gulped.

Celestia didn’t break her gaze with me, and Concrete was dumbfounded, staring at me with widened eyes. “Your… Your majesty, forgive her. She doesn’t know what she’s saying. Think of her more like a defendant.”

The princess spun around, anger building in her voice higher than before. “That would make you her lawyer. You had better have a good pitch here, General, because it seems like she knows exactly what she’s doing.”

“Thank you for hearing me, princess.” She adjusted her collar.

“Yes, thank you, your majesty.” Solstice stood next to Concrete, the two exchanging uncertain glances before he spoke again. “Let me be the first to say what we are all thinking about: If there is violence, everypony here will minimize it. And make no mistake, that if violence does indeed break out, however unlikely that may be,” He glared in my direction. “We will end it.”

“Thank you, Field Marshall.” Concrete continued. “And Celestia, if it calms you, we will not stand against you if we fail to convince you. This is our chance to change your mind. If we should not succeed now, things will be as they were, better really. We’d have less of a worry on our minds.” Concrete gestured to Luna, who hesitantly nodded.

No way! They’re gambling my life, no, their lives on a single argument? An argument with a monarch that wants me dead, and one they’re already losing! Much less one that I can’t participate in!

Celestia heaved a sigh, and it seemed her patience was returning to her, however frail it might be. She closed her eyes, looking pained. “I just have one question for all three of you: Why would you risk everything for this murderer? What has she done for you or could do for you that would make you go against a standard order in this case?”

“Celestia.” Concrete adjusted her cap. “As you know, I am wholly against unnecessary death, despite my profession.” Celestia nodded. “And that it’s a principle I hold across everypony, innocent or guilty.”

“So you’re not denying the guilt of Trixie?” Celestia tapped her hoof.

“Of course not, your majesty. She’s clearly guilty of multiple murders, the topic of discussion is not if she did it, but what we are going to do about it. The usual pony would read the details of this mare and conclude that death is not only fair but merciful. But I ask that you spare her life, as the least and most a monarch can do.” She paced the distance between the princess and me, controlling her breath with the lifting of me and the nation on her shoulders.

The princess’ eyes followed the General as she walked, her eyebrow raised. “You’re asking me to spare her life on the principle that the death sentence itself is wrong? And by extension killing her would make me wrong?”

Concrete stopped. “Yes and no, your majesty.” She took off her cap. “Yes, I am asking you to spare her because killing is wrong, but if you were to do so nopony here would complain.” The crowd murmured in agreement, proving her point. “So you would not be wrong in doing so. But the way you’ve spoken about her would…” She gulped, as though there was bitterness in her mouth. “Well, the way you’ve spoken about her would put even savages to shame.”

Everypony, save for Concrete and myself, gasped. I opened my mouth to say something, only to have Concrete tap the smooth floor and silence me. Celestia’s tone took a turn for the grave. “You had better explain yourself, Concrete, before you lose your chance.”

“I apologize, Celestia. What I meant to say is that you so ferociously attack her, when I don’t think this is like you. You’re usually forgiving to the point some of your officers and advisors consider it reckless. In a case as egregious as this one, I understand your desire. But if killing her is your decision, I would rather you make it with her in front of you than from your throne with her in the dungeon.”

I bit my tongue, holding in the desire to tell the room that her wars were also opposed to this forgiving nature. Almost the exact opposite, she’d declare war over the smallest infraction as of lately. If I were to make it out of here without fighting, I’d have to shut up and let Concrete’s nose brown itself.

“Go on.” Her voice was noticeably lighter, though it had a gravelly undertone. That force seemed to be backing off with resistance. She was being slowly persuaded into mercy! More than that, her heart itself was being changed by her speech. Oh, Concrete when this is over, you’d better get a promotion!

“I am not asking this as a favor from you in solitude nor am I doing it as a favor from her. I am asking you to spare her as a gesture towards the future.” She turned her head up at the princess, making eye contact with the sun itself. “Since before Equestria was founded, blood was spilled in the name of justice, but we look to such tribal warfare with disgust. Barbaric, we call it. But yet, when we sentence ponies to death, we call it an eye for an eye. It’s simply getting even.”

Celestia smirked. “Are you saying that a death sentence is the same as tribal war? I would disagree and would think you would as well. It’s not just about getting even, General Concrete. It’s about setting an example. We should let everypony know that this kind of act is met with this kind of punishment.”

Concrete shook her head, a single strand of gray falling from her head. “The only example it sets is one of misplaced vengeance. If dying mattered to Trixie, she wouldn’t have murdered a single pony. If it had mattered to any murderer, one execution would end the crime altogether. It doesn’t set any example, moreover, such a punishment can make martyrs out of killers.”

“What are you suggesting, General?” She craned her head down towards the mare. “Are you saying that killing Trixie would make her some kind of figurehead?” She returned her head up, with an amused sigh. “You’re comparing Glass River to her, aren’t you?”

“I am. But I am also making a claim to you that we can honor Glass River and forgive Trixie at the same time.” She blinked.

“Why would I? Am I to really believe that doing nothing is the best course of action? Killing her may not set a meaningful precedent, but letting her go will surely set a dangerous one.” She glanced at her sister, who was watching intently. Her Field Marshall the same. Her guards perched still with the spears pointed to me. Then she stared at me, who was standing silently amid the blades poised to kill me.

She knew that they’d sooner bring the ocean home with them in a jar than kill me as I stood there. “Lower your arms.” Concrete and I both let out a sigh, the crowd, however, stiffened in response. “If I am to believe what I’m hearing about Trixie, she would level the castle if anypony provoked her.” That malignant force was faint, almost nonexistent inside the princess. Maybe I would come out of this unscathed after all!

“You and I are both mature mares, you far more than I. We both look upon our past actions with regret every now and then, especially to when we were foals. You may have some recent regrets as well, as I do and I’m sure everypony else does too. If we continue in perpetuating the death penalty here, we will continue in a barbaric tradition that leaves no lasting example and will come to regret in the coming future. When we think of the perfect Equestrian future, killing to move towards a false sense of vengeance and precedents is not what I envision.”

The princess let out a single note of amusement. “You’re saying I’ll regret putting her to death?” She shook her head. “I think I won’t. But tell me, something General, why risk your reputation for her at all?”

It was Concrete’s turn to shake her head. “I’m saying she will be a footnote in history, nothing more if you do. But if you forgive her, she will be the one to end the death penalty.”

Celestia smirked. “And that’s where your name is in history too, isn’t it? You still haven’t answered me, General. What should I do about her if I were to pardon her?”

I could feel the wind changing. Celestia wasn’t asking that as a hypothetical, her voice was one of interest in Concrete’s answer. It looked for her direction, not for a counter to it. Whatever Concrete was about to say, she’d either go fully along with or add more to it. I was out of the weeds! Depending on what the General brought up, I would either go to the fire or the frying pan. Neither was a bad option, considering I was in Hell’s own fire just a bit ago.

Concrete shifted, tension leaving her shoulders as the weight placed itself on both the monarch and the General both. “I suggest you leave her in my care. She can be useful to both of us.” Her voice trailed, holding the ‘s’ sound as well as an implication. One the princess greedily picked up on.

“Yes… Trixie’s quite invincible, isn’t she?” Her smirk stretched further. I could see in her eyes a plot to expand Equestria’s borders in every direction until they all met. World domination, with me at her beck and call! Not that I minded all the bloodshed that would inevitably take place, I would mind however being under orders from the very mare I came here and challenged. What other choice did I have though? Killing everypony in the place? Sure, but what after that? I’d bring Sabrina back in chaos, or I could bring her back as a hero. I’d always pick the option that shows me in the better, truer light.

I was shocked Concrete hadn’t brought up the nature of my murders They weren’t in any sort of hatred. That is to say, they were for a goal and not for the sport of it. I wasn’t crazy, nor was I evil. Even then, Celestia could say I planned those, but Concrete would simply respond by saying everypony plans. Animals plan, any brain that works would plan towards something. Mine happened to pick the highest crime in the land.

“Now hold on!” Luna stamped in frustration. “I came here because I didn’t like wars or the death sentence. Concrete and Solstice might, you and Trixie both as well, but these only benefit all of you. In the meantime ponies of this land have to pay for their own children to fight and die in these useless conflicts!” She hurled electric glares to each of us. “You may have sold it to my sister, General. And you may very well have spared Trixie as well. But you have not convinced me.”

“Then allow me a chance to.” Tension returning across her, in one day she’d manage to purge corruption in a monarch, spare an enemy of the state, and likely secured a promotion. If she didn't become Field Marshall after this, the title was meaningless. “Celestia, if we were to go through with this, would you agree to a pact with every nation? That we will not be the aggressor in any war, and moreover, be laxer with what we consider aggression?”

Celestia laughed as Luna’s frown grew into a grimace. “You gave a profound speech, Concrete. But now I cannot take you seriously. You want me not only to pardon her after what she did, but also change my military policy? Who is in charge of who here?”

Luna took a step forward. “What was the phrase you used when starting this war we’re celebrating now? Trot softly, but carry a big stick? Sister, if you grant mercy on her and go to war with every nation at the same time, you’ll be sprinting and bashing everything before you with a big stick!” She panted, her voice shivering with anxiety, but there was a look of pride in both her and her sister’s eyes.

“I’ll tell you what.” Celestia began, trotting slowly around us. “Here’s my proposal: She takes orders from you, Concrete, not as a soldier of the EUP, not as an involved civilian. She will be something in between. Your orders will ensure that she will only be used in circumstances that require her. I will not be the aggressor in any more wars, as I think I and our subjects have had enough.” Everypony let out a sigh, but the crowd looked apprehensive. They, much like myself, could not believe what was happening. “However.” Her tone plummeted. “The Element’s eyes are on you, Trixie, they are on my immediate summons, if you step so much as a micrometer out of line, I get to decide your punishment, not any court. And you will wish for my death sentence, understood?”

I nodded with a sheepish gulp. Even through all my power, I understood that she surpassed me and could utilize it in far better and more terrifying ways. An unstable mix of success and anxiety brewed itself in me and spread throughout. I had won in this exchange, all by standing there and looking pretty. But at what cost? I was now a pawn, and as the crowd would spread this and the papers would report it, I would likely be a pawn in shame.

“And.” My blood froze. “You will allow us to research that Amulet, so we can properly counter it and you. The Elements might be able to stop you, but I have something in mind for after you step out of line.” She closed her eyes in a gleeful smile. “If you do, of course.”

I nodded like a child in trouble.

Of all the things I expected to happen, the crowns forgiving me was further than the last thing I would have predicted. Concrete’s impassioned defense of me after all I did, after she had to bury the ponies I killed right in front of her, was a testament to the innumerable lengths she’d go to protect life, however diabolical that life may be.

I learned later that night that I was feared across the nation before I was sealed away. Something akin to a Sombra, I heard off Solstice. If that was the case, then they really wouldn’t like me now. I may have gained the Celestia and the EUP’s favor, but the people still didn’t approve of me. They only looked at me in side-eyed glances, only talked about me in hushed whispers like I was listening, which I was, and thought about me only in villainous terms. I guess they weren’t wrong.

What had I become? What had I just done? I'd strolled into Canterlot’s main castle, on a night where everypony was there and demanded I be let go. Was I insane? Maybe I was. Maybe I was on my way there, and maybe I’d been there and come back all at once. This Amulet’s blessing was power, but its curse was your very soul. Who you are was robbed by this infernal jewel. It was all I had left, or it had been anyway. My glowing personality, that’s what everyone always talked about, especially in the papers. Who was I kidding? All I had left was hope on a gamble.

It was only theoretical to be able to raise the dead, there was no guarantee that I could do it. If I couldn't, all of this really had been for nothing. Less than nothing. I was a part of the EUP now, in limbo between civilian and soldier. A special agent to the crowns, whose laws shakily apply to them at most and don’t at the least.

That was probably why Celestia hadn’t vaporized me on the spot: she’d wanted a special soldier. That blasted monarch! She had known this would happen! No, that couldn’t be true, there was something off about her, I could feel it. I was never one for the politics of this country. What could a peasant do to a princess or their royals in the way of convincing them? That’s all we were, well dressed, well-fed, and well-off peasants. That was neither here nor there, what was, however, was that Celestia had been fighting wars on every front, using the weakest of excuses to justify a war.

Her motive, it seemed was to take over everything under her sun, especially if it meant seizing it from other nations. She wanted war, she loved it. Each victory, from what Concrete’s told me in the days that followed, pushed her more and more off the edge. Her defense of me was as directed at me as it was at saving her. That General wanted to show beyond any shadow of a doubt that what she was doing was wrong when none of her advisors or other Generals would step up to.

The economy of Equestria lent itself to producing materials for whatever war we were fighting, which lent itself to contracts, jobs, expansion with each increase of the border. In short: profits. Celestia didn’t strike me as someone who’d go after money. What could she possibly want that her money or her influence couldn’t get her? Money could get power, certainly, but only so much. She understood like I did that power that beats other power becomes greater. Her country being geared to war created a cycle of it, and though she promised to be laxer, Concrete and I weren’t fools. Celestia already viewed the motivations for war as self-defense, nothing would change except her power.

Other countries weren’t foolish either, and they’d want revenge or vengeance. That fucking monarch was playing chess with everypony’s lives and she was winning. She knew I’d show up, and that Concrete would try and defend me. It didn’t matter what Concrete said, Celestia would’ve forgiven her anyway. There was no way she could plan this from the start, but if this really was a chess game, she’d have options for each move. By some miracle, she’d gotten everypony, including me, to play right into her hoof.

I sat in a dimly lit empty servant quarter, alone. The lightbulb above me flickered, sputtering to keep lit. I debated whether I should fix it or let it remain on the cusp of fizzling out. I decided on the latter from my rickety, chipped wooden chair. Beside me was a bed that looked worn by time and rats. Springs poked through the mattress, which itself was stained where it wasn’t chewed through or faded to an almost cracking white texture from a once sky blue. It was a place the kingdom forgot, where they placed those they wished to forget.

But what was that feeling I got off of her? That maligned force that I felt myself? Maybe she was losing her mind, driving herself to bloodlust with each day her soldiers fought. Or perhaps, she was playing me too. She knew I could sense it, and that I’d feel it slip away. She could control it! She’d been playing politics and war for over a thousand years, nothing was accidental with her anymore! I couldn’t believe it. I'd lost.

Then again. Why should I keep my word? Because I would die? I’d like to see them try, they’d only make me stronger. Because I’m honest? Please, a life of the streets and the stage would turn even an apple farmer to a compulsive liar. For the future? Maybe. If I'd ended the death penalty, which I did, then I was one step closer to my goal beyond Sabrina. Fuck, Celestia had won again. She'd not only forced me into place but made sure I’d cooperate in being there.

Wait. If I had ended the death penalty, my leaving wouldn’t make a difference to the law. The precedent was already set, no one would be executed if I stayed or if I left. But, where would I go and what would I do? How would I get there?

The Crystal Empire seemed like a safe bet, not a lot of ponies there. What’s more, it was a nation of ex-slaves who would see Sombra in me more clearly than any of the ponies around here. They wouldn’t fight back at all! Why was I just sitting here? I could grow ever more powerful with the only threat against me being life imprisonment in a jail that cannot possibly hold me! If they could even catch me, the only one that could stop me was the sun herself!

I started for the door, only to catch myself. What was the feeling just now? Something maligned had convinced me of that. It had to be that same force that led me to stroll into the castle, the same that broke me from hell. Black Ice. Well, maybe we can get along after all. If he kept hatching ideas like this, then I'd be the one in charge of things before long. I turned the doorknob imagining Empress Trixie’s banners hanging from Canterlot’s castle with a warm smile.

As the mechanism slid further out of place in the door, another inkling protested. Why do this? Power? Yes, but why did I feel like that wasn't the whole of it? Fun? While I was sure it would be a hell of a time, that wasn't it either. Was it because it was a divine inspiration, that some higher power wanted me to? Black Ice was a higher power than either Celestia or myself, and he did want this, but to call him divine or this his will? No.

Bloodlust. That felt correct. That force within me, the same as the sun’s, was building up within me, calling out almost for carnage. Yes. It was just like the sun’s, that was why she fought, to satisfy that craving. That’s why she would keep fighting. And that’s why I was going to.

The door swung the wrong direction, smacking me squarely in the face and knocking me to the ground in its sudden force. There in the doorway stood 5-star General, Point Blank. I remembered him in Glass River’s mind’s eye, the legendary unicorn known for his brand of combat. Constant bombardment and assault, giving the enemy no chance to breathe. Some, including Glass himself, called him the Demon of the East Theater.

I slammed the door behind him, casting a sphere of silence around the two of us. What a perfect place to start. He barely had any time to react to me slamming my black scale foreleg into his face, turning it from a mind of superior strategy to a pile of pulp. I opened the door as I cast invisibility over the two of us, heading for a nearby window. From there was a breathtaking view of the entire land below, maybe a hundred stories from the ground.

Then the pride of the EUP took a great fall. Why he came into my room I would have no idea, maybe it had been to intimidate me. To work with me, possibly. Either way, it was likely marching orders. Funny, I was wearing his costume now. My mind was given one of rushing warfare, of ruthless dominance and pride. This ‘General’ would take a train to the Crystal Empire to spread the news.

And then all the ice in the north would be black.

Author's Note

Sorry it took so long folks! Life's been extremely busy and more chaotic than I'd like !
But it's finally out! It might not be my finest chapter, but I hope it has that familiar polish you're all used to!
This chapter was proofread and edited by Krixwell! Show them some love!
Don't forget to tell me what went wrong and right in this chapter, I welcome and improve by your critique!