Chapters "I'm sorry sister, but I must do this. For Equestria!"
Celestia's horn shined bright and a blinding light flashed on the balcony of Canterlot's Main Castle.
"Celestia! I'll be back and I'll drown this world in eternal night!"
Princess Luna slowly faded away until the last shimmer of her body was gone. The white alicorn turned around and exited the balcony without a word. Her most trusted advisers and lieutenants followed her. All but one.
The earth pony, known as Midnight remained behind. He was Celestia's best and most agile assassin. Things were different back then, Equestria was not the civilized land as most people know. It wasn't a wonderful land full of happiness and friendship. The world was a dark place ever since Princess Luna had gone insane. She made multiple attempts to make the night last forever so that ponies everywhere would see the beauty of her creation.
As Celestia and Luna constantly argued over who would maintain control over Equestria. As Celestia was constantly at war with her sister, law and order fell out of place in Equestria. As a result crime in Equestria had increased due to the lack of security as most officials were constantly trying to quell their leaders arguments. One night, Celestia had called Midnight, one of her guards into her quarters. She said that she recognized his swift and agile nature, and as a result made him her assassin. He was to keep order in Equestria while the trifles with her sister continued. He was ordered however not to kill any pony unless ordered, or unless they resisted. Midnight gladly accepted the position. Celestia removed his armor and gave him a dark gray tunic for his body, a black cape and a small blade with a small image of a crescent moon inscribed on the handle.
For months to come, Midnight worked in shadows, bringing criminals to justice and eliminating any necessary targets in the process. But after a long time of strife and suffering, Luna had been banished, and "peace" was restored, for now anyways.
Midnight looked up at the moon in the night sky. The wind blew against his cloak, pushing the hood off of his head and exposing his long purple mane and black coat. He began to shiver from the cold breeze. He pulled his head back over his head and entered the castle.
The days following Luna's banishment were barely any different than the previous crisis. Crime continued to spin out of control, even beyond the control of Midnight and the guards. Celestia sat in her throne all day, rejecting any entries into her quarters.
Midnight was dealing with a few petty thieves down by the main gate when an officer approached him.
"Sir Midnight, Princess Celestia has requested your presence in the castle immediately."
"Fine, make sure these 3 are dealt with."
Midnight mostly spoke in a very hushed but serious and severe tone. He tossed the thief to the ground and dashed towards the castle. The assassin stopped in front of the castle door. He stuck out his hoof and slowly opened the doors. As he passed through the halls of Celestia's castle he noticed that no pony was in the castle, none of Celestia's lieutenants or her advisers. The castle was bare. He approached Celestia's quarters slowly and knocked on the door. Nothing. He knocked again, when he heard a whisper from behind the door.
"Come in."
The black pony opened the door and entered Celestia's room.
Celestia was sitting in the corner of the room, facing the wall.
"Princess?"
"Come here Midnight."
Celestia spoke in a very light whisper, soft enough that Midnight could barely make out what she said. He approached the alicorn.
"Do you think I did the right thing?"
"What do you mean?"
"Was it the right thing to do to banish Luna. I mean, she was my sister, maybe we could have worked it out."
"Princess, you saw what had happened to Luna, that... that wasn't your sister. That was a tyrant in the making."
Celestia turned around and stood up. She looked down into Midnight's eyes.
"What if she's right? What if this world is destined for darkness? What if Equestria is doomed to bow to the eternal night?"
Midnight didn't speak. He couldn't believe that the ruler of Equestria was acting this way. Something was wrong with her. The assassin remained silent, he just continued staring at Celestia.
Finally, the white alicorn broke the silence.
"You may go."
The Princess turned her head and exited her quarters.
"Something's wrong."
As Midnight left the castle he was stopped by Celestia's main adviser, Thalma.
"So what did the Princess want?"
"Nothing, leave me alone Thalma."
"Oh come on Midnight, don't hide things from me. I'm not stupid, tell me what she said."
Midnight began slowly walking away. Thalma grabbed Midnight and turned him around.
"You're gonna tell me what she said Midnight. I have higher authority around here than you do."
"If you don't let go of me, we'll see how much authority you have with a blade in your throat."
The mare released her grip from Midnight.
"So be it." Thalma hissed as she walked into the castle.
The next morning Celestia was going to be giving a speech in the town square to officially announce her plans after Luna's banishment. She had ordered her top advisers and guards to be at her side. Midnight, Thalma, Varkil, captain of the guard, and Talon, captain of the weather control.
While Midnight held a dear hatred for Thalma, he knew any conflict with her would upset the Princess. Besides, no matter how much he threatened her, Thalma was a powerful unicorn, her magical powers only matched by the Princess herself.
Midnight arrived at town square where Talon and Varkil were already waiting. Varkil wore his heavy silver steel armor. Everyone wondered how he could even move in it, it must have weighed a ton, then again, he was a very large stallion. Talon on the other hand wore his weather suit which protected him from lightning and the rain so he could easily maintain the weather.
"Where's the Princess?"
"She's on her way." Talon replied.
"And Thalma?"
"Probably right next to her, she's such a kissflank. I don't see how the Princess never notices that she's always under her damn hooves." Varkil replied.
Varkil always expressed whatever he had on his mind and didn't care what other people had to say about it. But given his size and strength, no pony really complained.
"Come on Varkil watch it. You wouldn't want any pony to hear you."
Normally Varkil would have had a reply, but as the Princess approached the stand he shut his mouth. And sure enough, Thalma was right next to her.
"Citizens of Canterlot!"
Celestia's voice boomed louder than a thunderstorm.The crowd shuddered and covered their ears as she spoke.
"I am sure you all know of Princess Luna's banishment. I want you to be aware that this had to be done to preserve peace! From now on, I shall govern the rising and setting of the moon and sun!"
Celestia continued on with her speech for quite some time, addressing new changes that would take place. Until she said something that really got every pony's attention.
"From now on I'm having much tighter security. Crime in Equestria has been out of control lately, so, my lead assassin has taken on the role to clean this up."
Midnight looked in shock at Celestia.
"He has already agreed to show no mercy to everyone and anyone who breaks the law regardless of the crime! And anyone who does so, will meet the tip of his blade!"
Midnight was an assassin, but he barely resorted to killing, and even when he did he preferred to incapacitate them by choking them but he rarely used his blade. He saved it for when a target realized his presence and began attacking.
The rest of the ponies looked at Midnight with disgust. No pony seemed to realize that Celestia had given him the authority to do so. Thalma let out a giggle as the crowd stared at Midnight. Celestia dismissed the crowd and walked towards the castle. Midnight approached Celestia and stood in her way, something no pony ever dared to do.
"What was that about?"
"What do you mean Midnight?"
"I never agreed to mindlessly kill every criminal, whether they be petty or evil."
Celestia's eyes suddenly changed and her tone immediately switched.
"You're going to do as your Princess commands you!"
The assassin backed away from the alicorn.
"Now please, go!"
Midnight walked away from Celestia with his head held low. What the hell was going on? He looked up and saw Thalma, standing right in front of him. The light green unicorn stood still with a big smirk on her face.
"You may not be able to get information out of. But the Princess is. I don't understand why you didn't tell me, it's no big deal that the princess thinks that this world is doomed to be enshrouded in darkness."
"Get out of my way Thalma, I'm not in the mood."
"Oooo what are you gonna do? Stab me? Get real Midnight, you can't and won't do anything to me."
Midnight hesitated to respond. If he kept arguing with her, eventually he would lose his cool and end up stabbing her.
"Come on Midnight. Do it. I can see the look in your eyes that you want to. Go ahead. Draw your blade, see how far it gets you."
Midnight could feel his hoof reaching for his blade. He felt the tip of the cold knife on the bottom of his hoof. Thalma's smile began to grow.
The black pony lowered his hoof and walked away. Thalma walked away, laughing quietly to herself.
As Midnight walked home no pony would even look at him. Based on what Celestia had said, he was to kill anyone who committed the slightest infraction, even so much as stealing a piece of food. He approached the front door of his house, when he felt a hoof on his shoulder. It was Talon.
"Hey, I know you're shaken up about that speech, but it'll all work out. I'll find out what the hell's going on here even if it means abandoning my duties as weather captain."
Midnight was happy to hear that some pony sympathized him.
"Oh, but I have bad news too."
Midnight lifted his head and looked Talon in the eyes.
"Celestia has ordered that Varkil executes all of prisoners in Canterlot jail. She also plans to do it in secrecy and she wants to tell the public a phony story about a jailbreak."
"No pony would believe that all the prisoners had escaped! And Celestia is crazy for even thinking about this! She's gone mad!"
"I know Midnight. But what can we do. Thalma will no doubt side with Celestia if we confront her, and me, you and Varkil stand no chance against those two. For now all we can do is lay low and gather information."
"This isn't right. Some of the ponies in Canterlot jail are just petty thieves that have been their for a few weeks! We can't just do no..."
Midnight stopped as Talon glared into his eyes.
"Don't lose your cool. You're one of the only sane ponies left in this town who can think for themselves. Every pony else here thinks you're a bad guy, but not Celestia for ordering it. So watch yourself. And, if there is a thievery, I suggest you do what Celestia orders."
Even though Talon knew the intensity of the situation, he still suggested that Midnight murder any wrongdoers. But what else could he do, stand up to Celestia himself? No, that would be suicide, especially in the state she was in now. For now, all he could do was obey orders and let this play out.
Midnight awoke the next morning, and went straight to Canterlot castle. He made every attempt to avoid any citizens, he didn't want to witness anything that would force him to... obey Celestia's orders.
As he entered the main hall he heard a loud noise from the basement. It sounded like a chunk of metal hitting the ground with tremendous force. He rushed into the basement, only to see something more horrifying than anything else in Equestrian history. There was a long line of ponies, shackled in chains, and at the end of that line stood Varkil and the elite city guard. Behind them stood Princess Celestia.
He knew what was happening, and he couldn't bare to watch it. Varkil looked at him, with a helpless look in his eyes. He was paralyzed with fear as Princess Celestia stood behind him, staring at him like a hawk. Even Varkil, who had been in the field of battle many times, was no murderer. He couldn't take slaughtering all of these defenseless ponies. Execution was a method never used by the ponies of Equestria, it was thought to be too cruel for another pony to mindlessly kill another. This violated everything that Equestria stood for, and the cause of it, was it's own ruler.
Midnight walked up the stairs as he heard the swing of Varkil's battleaxe followed by tons of bloodcurdling screams. As he reached the top of the stairs, Thalma stood at the top.
"Looks like Princess Celestia finally grew a brain. It was about time she ordered those worthless excuses for ponies to be killed. All they did was take up room and supplies that should be going towards important people like me, and maybe even you."
Midnight didn't answer her. He just continued walking. As he stepped outside, he felt no warmth. Even though the sun was out and it was a bright, sunny day, Midnight felt only the chill of death. He began walking towards his house, when he heard an alarm go off. He looked to his left, and saw a rogue pony jet out of one of the local banks with two large sacks strapped to his back, obviously filled with stolen money.
The rogue thief snickered as he looked behind him at the bank. But as he looked in front of him he froze in shock. He looked straight into Midnight's dark blue eyes. He felt as if death was staring him in the face. The thief dropped to the ground and begged Midnight not to kill him.
"Well Midnight. What are you waiting for."
Midnight turned around and there was Princess Celestia, watching over him.
"You know my orders... Do it."
Midnight began shivering vigorously. Everyone in town square was watching him, a simple sunny day to them had just turned into a public execution.
"Midnight, you're an assassin. You have my orders. OBEY THEM!"
Midnight shuddered at the Princesses booming voice. He slowly reached for his blade. The sun reflected off of the metal as he removed it from the case. He held it close to his face and looked at the crescent moon inscribed on the handle, he began to remember the day Celestia handed him that blade, as a symbol of justice, not murder and tyranny.
The thief looked up, at Midnight. A tear dripped from his left eye as he began to beg for his life.
The assassin felt so much pity for this one pony. He had made one mistake, and he was to pay with his life for it. No matter how stupid he was to do it when Midnight had orders to kill any thieves, he still felt so bad for this poor soul.
Midnight felt another presence behind him. And then one more. He looked behind him and Thalma and Talon stood at Celestia's sides. Thalma smirked and spit on the thief, she then looked at Midnight, and winked at him. She was such a bitch, and the black assassin would love for nothing more than the chance to get his hooves around that mare's throat. Talon looked at Midnight and then at the thief, and then back at Midnight. He had a helpless look in his eyes, the same look in the eyes of the prisoners as they were being executed.
Once more, Midnight looked at Princess Celestia. Her facial expression remained the same. Her face showed no emotion, no pity, no mercy.
"Do it."
Midnight looked at the thief and gripped the blade in his hoof. He raised his hoof in the air.
"NOOOOOO!!!"
"NOOOOO!!!"
Midnight swung his blade towards the helpless thief.
He looked down at his blade. No blood. He had struck that ground next to the thief. He lifted his blade, and saw the crack he had made in the cobblestone road. He turned around and looked at Princess Celestia.
"Thalma..."
"Yes Princess Celestia?"
"Bring him to Varkil."
"Yes Princess."
Thalma walked over to the thief. He was still shaking in fear.
"Get up!"
The thief didn't move.
"I said get up!"
Thalma's horn began to glow and she picked up the thief and stood him up. She began leading him towards the castle. Princess Celestia stepped towards Midnight. She stared at him in disgust.
After a few minutes Celestia turned around and walked towards the castle. Talon walked towards Midnight and put his hoof on the assassin. Midnight jerked himself away and ran towards his house.
The citizens of Canterlot continued on with their days surprised that Midnight had shown mercy. But they were even more shocked at Princess Celestia's attitude, what was happening to their ruler?
The following days became worse as they dragged on. It seemed as if all life had been sucked out of Canterlot. The sun was high in the sky but the darkness of Equestria's new tyrant had set everyone moods spiraling into a dark pit of despair. No matter how hot the day was, every pony felt only the cold chill of death. Even Thalma, who had agreed with Celestia's new and cruel methods was beginning to break. Celestia became crueler and more vicious by the day.
One night a small group of citizens had tried to escape but were stopped by Varkil's elite guard, Celestia had them under her control and Varkil had no control anymore. None of the council members did anymore. Midnight was no longer head assassin, Talon was stripped of his weather controlling duties, Celestia had even rejected Thalma as her main adviser. While Varkil no longer controlled his army, he was now forced to do all the executions in Canterlot, since Midnight had already shown mercy once.
Celestia was turning into something more evil than what Princess Luna was aiming for, Celestia herself and brought the darkness she predicted over Equestria. Even smaller towns away from Canterlot began to feel her influence. Guards were sent to every major settlement to maintain "balance" as Celestia called it. Nothing entered the cities, and nothing left. Food became a shortage after ponies could no longer reach the food outside of the city boundaries. But none of this concerned Celestia, she just watched as her kingdom slowly crumbled. Something was causing this, or some one.
One day almost a month after Luna was banished, Midnight was roaming the streets of Canterlot, when he was spotted by Thalma in the streets. She approached him slowly.
"Midnight... I just wanted, I want to apologize for everything I've said. Celestia's gone mad, I'll admit it."
The former assassin stood silent.
"I hate to admit it, but I need your help. We need to stand up to Celestia. Me, you, Talon and Varkil. Together, we might have a chance against Celestia."
"You know the saying, the enemy of my enemy is my friend?"
"Yes. Yes I do."
"Well, the enemy of my enemy, is still my enemy."
Midnight spat on the ground near Thalma's hooves and walked away.
"What the hell is wrong with you Midnight! Look at what Celestia's done to our home! She's destroyed everything we protected all our lives!"
Midnight stopped. He turned around and faced the mare.
"We? WE!? You! Never did anything! You sat by the Princesses side living a luxurious life while I was out defending this land from criminals, while Varkil risked his life defending us from any potential threats, while Talon risked his life by flying into the clouds and keeping us safe from natural disasters. All you did was manipulate the princess in any way you could to make this world more suitable for you!"
Thalma was speechless, Midnight wasn't lying.
"But Midnight, I've changed, I've seen what the Princess is doing and it needs to stop. You know she does, don't you care about anything."
"I used to fight and defend this land because it was an honorable thing to do. But now, it has been overcome from tyranny, even if we were to stand up to Celestia we would either die or defeat her, but then what! None of us can lead this world towards greatness! I've given up hope, because there is no hope. We would have been better off with Luna in charge. Let darkness have it's claim over this world, watch how much I care."
Midnight walked away.
"What about Talon! What about Varkil! They're suffering from this too! We need your help and maybe we can end the suffering."
Midnight didn't respond, he continued to walk.
Night had fallen, and Midnight began his trek home. As he reached the front door, he noticed a piece of paper lodged under it.
Midnight meet me tomorrow night, under the castle bridge, it is urgent that I see you.
-Talon-
Midnight read the words on the letter, and entered his house.
The next day, the black stallion exited his front door. He looked at the destroyed city that was once the beautiful prospering city of Canterlot. The cobblestone streets had been torn up, the fountain in town square had stopped spraying water. The remainder of the buildings that weren't completely destroyed had most of their windows shattered and most of their possessions stripped by bandits. Ponies were dying nearly every day due to hunger, thirst, and executions. The population of Canterlot had dropped from 100,000 to 22,000. More than 3/4 of the city was dead, and Celestia, sat on her throne, and watched.
Although Midnight had lost all hope for the revival of Equestria, he wanted nothing more than to have Celestia's head on his blade. The Princess he once served honorably, had now become the most powerful tyrant any world would ever see. He walked down the streets and observed the dying and weak civilians, while Celestia's royal guard ate and relaxed like kings in the castle. Those that tried to resist were either killed or were put into a trance by Celestia to serve her.
Thoughts raged in Midnight's head. After a good long hour of letting the rage build up inside of him, he decided that tonight, he was going to take the biggest risk of all time. He was going to assassinate, Princess Celestia. He knew Equestria wouldn't be saved, but he didn't want the world to die at the hands of a tyrant, if the world was going to die, Celestia was going to die with it.
After some reconsideration, the assassin decided to wait awhile, Talon had requested to speak with him. He would see what he had to say and maybe they could come up with a plan together. Talon was very agile and could be a valuable asset to his plan. Varkil was too headstrong and could jeopardize the plan and he still didn't trust Thalma. So that was it, he would wait to speak to Talon and then, he would make his move on Celestia.
That night, Midnight waited underneath the castle bridge for Talon to arrive. Minutes later he heard the silent flapping of wings as a shadowy figure descended to his side.
"Midnight."
"What do you want Talon."
"Thalma came to me yesterday, she said you had given up and that you won't stand up to Celestia."
"I have given up. I won't stand up to Celestia, I have other plans."
"What do you mean by other plans?"
Midnight didn't speak. Instead he just stared at Talon. But Talon knew what he was thinking, just from the look in his eyes. Talon had seen Midnight be furious before, and he watched as that fury was what fueled Midnight to kill his targets. Although Midnight tried not to kill his targets, when he was going to kill, he, was going, to kill. And Talon knew he was set on doing this.
"You can't be serious Midnight."
"Why wouldn't I be. I mean admit it, confronting Celestia would be suicide."
"Well what makes you think you can sneak up on her, her guards are constantly around her, you would be able to get close!"
"That's why I need your help. Your help and your help only."
"Why me?"
"You're a pegasus, quick, agile, quiet. You can create a quick distraction and I can easily jump in and take her out."
"You're insane Midnight."
"If Equestria is going to die, the tyrant is going to die with it. "
Talon stood silent for a moment. Finally he replied.
"Ok, I'll help you. What's the plan?"
"Tomorrow during any time of the day, when Celestia exits the castle, you need to drag a storm cloud over Equestria. Aim the lightning directly in front of Celestia's guards. It will surprise them and in that same second, I'll finish her. And most important, don't tell Thalma or Varkil, they could jeopardize the plan."
As Talon opened his mouth to speak, Midnight noticed a small shadow out of the corner of his eye. It lunged directly at the two ponies.
"Talon!"
The pegasus turned around, but the shadowy figure, in midair, sliced open the pegasus's back and knocked him to the ground, before he even had a chance to react.
Before Midnight could launch a counter-attack, the rogue assassin made an attempt at him as well. The black coated stallion reached for his blade, only to discover his case was empty. Midnight's attacker unleashed a flurry of strikes at him. Midnight, in defense struck his attacker and stunned them. He grabbed the rogue pony by the throat and began choking them. Just as he felt his attackers life slipping away, he heard noises in the distance. It sounded like a group of ponies, guards to be exact. Midnight looked behind him and his attacker broke free.
The rogue pony shoved the knife into Midnight's possession and dashed off. He looked down at the blade, and he noticed the small crescent blade inscribed on the handle, this was his blade. Midnight was left alone, with Talon's mangled body lying beside him.
The guards came down into the pit beneath the bridge and saw Midnight, and then Talon. Midnight made an attempt to escape but there were too many guards and they were entirely too fast. They grabbed hold of Midnight and dragged him towards the castle.
Midnight was brought before Celestia's throne, where she stood, with a furious look on her face. Never before had Midnight seen such anger in the Princess.
"Midnight!"
Her voice was so loud, that some of the guards actually fell backwards.
"Even as Equestria is in a state of such suffering, you still felt the need to murder an innocent pegasus."
What was wrong with her! Was she oblivious to the fact that she had caused all this? That she was the cause of the death of thousands of innocent ponies a day! But, protesting against her would do no good. Celestia had gone mad, beyond the point of return, and she wouldn't listen to reason.
"Varkil!"
Varkil stepped forward.
"Fetch your battleaxe."
"Yes my lord."
Varkil slowly walked towards the armory.
"Hurry up!" Celestia demanded.
Varkil returned with his large red and silver battleaxe. It was drenched in the blood of executed ponies, it was no longer an honorable weapon, but rather a tool of merciless destruction.
"Bring Midnight to the basement! And make sure he is... taken care of."
The guards brought Midnight down into the basement and laid him down on the floor and chained him up. Varkil stood directly in front of him. A tear dripped out of his right eye as he whispered something.
"I'm sorry Midnight... But this is the end."
He swung the axe full force at Midnight's head.
"No, not like this. Never. It can't end. Not without vengeance. Not without justice. Not without... revenge."
Varkil swung his axe with extreme force at Midnight's throat. Should it strike, it would instantly decapitate the assassin.
Although Midnight was chained up, he still had enough room to move around a bit. He moved his head to the left, out of the way of Varkil's battleaxe.
The axe struck the chain binding Midnight's front left leg. He then proceeded to knock Varkil off his feet and the axe fell to the floor. Guards instantly piled on to Midnight in an attempt to get him under control. Midnight used his free leg and grabbed his blade out of its case, that was strapped to his side.
He swung his knife towards one of the guards, who ducked under his strike. The guards slowly brought Midnight down. Before they had him completely down, Midnight threw his knife straight into the air. It plummeted down and pierced the skull of one of the guards. While the other guards looked in horror as one of their comrades was shaking vigorously, barely holding on for life with the knife buried deep in his skull.
Midnight wrapped the chain from his front right leg around another on of the guards and began to choke him. In an effort to save his life, he pulled out his key and open the lock on the hook that was holding Midnight. As the ponies brawled each other Princess Celestia simply sat back and watched the slaughtering. She knew Midnight's potential, and she knew that the guards wouldn't hold him very long. She looked at Varkil who was still recovering from the blow Midnight delivered to him. Midnight had no intentions of hurting Varkil, but it was either that or die.
Only 4 guards remained attacking Midnight. One was dead and the other was choking on the floor attempting to get the chain off his throat, however the chain was still attached to the cuff on Midnight's leg so Midnight continued pulling the leg back to keep choking him. After a few seconds the guard grew silent and stopped moving. The black stallion continued dodging the guard's attacks and jabbing at them whenever he could. He couldn't wrap a chain around them because they were on his back legs and his knife was still lodged in the other guards skull.
The guards momentarily backed off of Midnight to catch their breath. One of the reached for Midnight's blade to use it against him. The guard lunged at Midnight aiming for his throat. Midnight jumped backwards. The blade got stuck in between the links of the chain and Midnight shook the chain and the blade went flying. He twirled around in mid air and wrapped both chains around the guard as he ascended. The chain tightened and Midnight was pulled down back towards the ground. When he landed the other 3 guards lunged at the black stallion, showing no care to their comrade was was being strangled to death. Midnight attempted to tighten the chains around the other guard on the floor so he would choke to death.
Varkil then got back up. He attempted to run away from the scene. Celestia turned her head and saw Varkil attempting to escape. She used a spell and pulled him back over towards him. She looked Varkil straight into his eyes.
"I thought you were loyal to me Varkil. I guess I was wrong."
Celestia's eyes grew a bright red and a beam shot out and entered Varkil's pupils.
"Now go. Finish him."
Varkil picked up his axe, and walked towards Midnight. The other guards backed away as Varkil approached. He swing his axe at Midnight, aiming to decapitate him. Midnight ducked under the axe and as soon as the blade was over his head, he swung his hoof up and sent the axe flying. The head of the axe struck two of the guards, instantly slaughtering them both. The axe hit the wall and was lodged inside of it. The floor was soaked with the blood of the 4 dead guards. The white stone floor had turned a dark red, stained with the blood of the once noble protectors of Celestia.
Midnight struggled to get free, but his strength alone wouldn't tear the last two chains binding him. Varkil stopped in front of the black stallion.
"Varkil. Don't do this!"
Varkil didn't reply. He just stared at Midnight, his eyes now glowing a bright red. He raised the axe, preparing to finish off Midnight. The assassin began to pull on his chains even harder, when the last guard came up behind him and restrained him.
"Varkil. Finish him now."
Midnight turned around and looked at the demented guard.
"If that axe strikes it'll kill us both! Do you have so little value for your own life!"
"I shall die to serve my lord."
Midnight was silent. This guard was beyond the point of no return, he had gone mad, like all the rest.
Varkil swung his axe towards the assassin. Midnight, with his two front hooves, flipped the guard behind him into the way of the axe. The axe hit the guard, ripping him in two. Midnight then leaned back and fell backwards onto his back, avoiding the strike. The force from the swing forced the axe out of Varkil's and he took a tumbling spiral to the ground. Close enough, that Midnight could reach him.
"Sorry about this Varkil."
He picked up the stunned warlord and held his front legs tight around his throat.
Celestia began to laugh as she looked at the corpses of her elite guard, all taken down by one pony.
"What's so damn funny!"
Midnight himself had started to go mad. Everything he had once known was ripped from his control and had melted away at the hands of this tyrant. This wasn't the Princess he knew, this ruler, she was evil, composed of pure dark sin and hatred.
The Princess stopped laughing. She stepped close to Midnight.
"Get back, at this point I'm not afraid to break his neck."
Celestia grinned.
"So, do it."
Midnight felt the sweat dripping from his forehead as he held one of his comrades in his grasp. Varkil began screeching and uttering loud bloodcurdling noises. Blood began dripping out of the corner of his mouth.
"Finish him Midnight! End his life now!"
Midnight shut his eyes and looked down at the floor. His muscles strained and then slowly retracted. He dropped Varkil to the floor, and set his two front legs down. The warlord crawled away from the black stallion, and picked up his axe.
"You're weak Midnight! You could have killed him, taken his key and have been free! You had freedom within your grasp and you let it go! Because you showed mercy. Well, I'll be certain Varkil doesn't show you the same courtesy!"
Varkil walked over to Midnight again. He stood just a few inches away from the assassin and looked straight into his eyes. Midnight looked into his friends eyes, and no longer saw the once honorable warrior, instead he saw nothing but darkness. The darkness that now ran Equestria.
"Goodbye Midnight."
Midnight broke his gaze at Varkil, and looked into Celestia's eyes.
"Burn in hell bitch."
Varkil picked up his axe and swung it at Midnight. He closed his eyes and waited for his demise, for his freedom, from this wretched world.
Midnight closed his eyes, preparing for the blow of Varkil's axe. He was done resisting, the guards were dead, and yet he stood chained to the floor before the greatest tyrant any world had ever seen, and her mindless executioner.
Midnight waited, but never felt the hit. He opened his eyes and looked at Varkil, who still had his axe raised. He looked at Varkil, who's eyes were no longer growing red. He winked at Midnight, and from under his hoof, slid Midnight the key to his bindings. Varkil must have had the will to resist Celestia's spell.
"No warrior would go down without a fight." Midnight thought to himself.
Varkil lowered his axe. Celestia turned her head around.
"Varkil! Why is he still standing!"
"I was born a warrior, not a puppet."
"What?"
Varkil launched his axe at Celestia. Midnight grabbed the key and set himself free from the two final chains. Celestia ducked under the axe. But as the blade flew over her head, Varkil grabbed it and held the handle around her throat.
"Midnight now! Finish her!"
Celestia strained, attempting to shake Varkil off of her. The sheer force crushing her throat was too much, she couldn't focus her power to cast a spell. Midnight grabbed his blade from off of the floor.
"Thus ends the reign of a tyrant."
Midnight approached Celestia, who was still squirming to get free of Varkil's grip. The assassin lunged at the princess with his blade extended. Celestia's eyes widened as she saw the sharp edge of Midnight's knife. She struggled with all her might, and flipped Varkil over, in front of her.
The assassin's eyes widened. Time appeared to be in slow motion as he lunged towards Varkil with his blade extended. Varkil gazed into Midnight eyes, knowing that this was the end. The look in his eyes made Midnight cringe. He attempted to retract his knife, but it was too late.
The edge of the blade pierced through Varkil's armor and became lodged in between his shoulder and his neck. Varkil screeched in pain as the blade penetrated his skin. He and Celestia both fell to the floor. Midnight landed only inches away from the petrified warrior.
Blood sprayed from Varkil's body as he attempted to remove the dagger from his shoulder.
"Varkil don't!"
The warrior didn't listened, he pulled harder and harder. Finally he tore the blade out, nearly severing his own arm. He howled in pain as he slid the bloody weapon towards Midnight.
"Go... now. Before she gets up! Run, run Midnight."
Varkil's voice died down. His body became limp as a pool of blood surrounded his body.
"Varkil..."
Midnight extended his hoof towards the warrior, but pulled it back. Celestia's legs began trembling as she began to stand. The assassin bolted out of the castle. As he ran he heard Celestia's voice echoing throughout the halls.
"The darkness rules over this land Midnight! Do not resist it!"
The assassin ran. As he reached the exit of the castle, his path was blocked by a row of Celestia's guards.
"You're not going anywhere Midnight."
"Are you all so blind! Can you not see what that bitch has done to our homes! Your families now suffer from the conditions they are now forced to live under, yet you continue to serve a tyrant!"
"We are sworn to Celestia. Let this land burn and rot if that is the will of our lord."
Just like all the rest, they had gone mad. Blindly obeying Celestia's every command no matter what the task.
"Let me pass. And I shall spare your lives. Do you not value your own life!?"
"Our lives are of no value, only the security and commands of our lord matter."
Midnight sheathed his blade.
"So be it."
The guards charged at Midnight. Every one of them mindlessly swinging their weapons, each of them with the intent to kill.
"Stop."
The guards halted as Celestia's voice boomed.
"Stand down. You cannot win against him, besides, I may have use for you later. Can't have you all getting killed for no reason can I."
Celestia didn't care for the safety of her guards, she just wanted them to live so that they could kill Midnight using different tactics, as a direct approach had already failed, and he was chained up.
"Yes my liege."
The guards lowered their weapons.
"Midnight."
The assassin turned around and look at Celestia. But this was no longer Celestia. Her coat had faded from a bright white to a dark grayish color. Her mane had turned a dark red and blood dripped from it. Her hair no longer flowed instead, it fell straight down, covering her left eye.
"I can't finish you today. After what you've done today, I won't even attempt to kill you. But this won't end, until one of us falls to the ground, never to rise again. And I can assure you, it won't be me."
Midnight was silent.
"I'm looking forward to it."
Midnight left the castle, and walked out of the front gates of Canterlot.
"We'll meet again soon."
"Midnight!"
The assassin stopped and turned his head. There he saw a teal mare running towards him.
"Midnight!"
It was Thalma. Midnight turned around and the former adviser stopped cold in her tracks.
"What do you want Thalma?"
"You can't leave! Celestia will crush Canterlot without some form of resistance."
The two stood silent. Thalma looking at Midnight with a helpless look while he stared at the cold hard ground. She put her hoof on his shoulder. He jerked himself away and spoke.
"So what Thalma!? Am I just a pawn on a chessboard to you?
The unicorn jumped back as the assassin's tone changed.
"So what, you want me to exhaust my energy fighting Celestia and then what? You step in and kick me to the side and assume command? Just like you've always wanted."
"No Midnight! I know I've done some terrible things in the past, but this is still my home, and I'll fight to my last breath to save it."
Midnight was silent. His cloak blew in the wind, covering most of his face. He turned around and spoke silently, his voice muffled beneath the wind.
"Our home is no longer."
The assassin began to walk towards the forest away from Canterlot.
Thalma began to follow him.
"No. Don't follow me."
The teal unicorn paused.
"Go back to Canterlot. If Celestia finds out you're talking to me she'll kill you."
"And why exactly would you care?"
Midnight stopped, and turned around. He looked Thalma in her eye and spoke.
"Because with all the hell that has broken loose here, any pony with a brain or heart, should be left alive. And I don't know why, but I suspect that you still have a speck of sanity left within you. Now go back to Canterlot. Now."
Thalma whirled around and dashed back to Canterlot. Midnight continued onward away from Canterlot, and into exile.
The assassin grew tired of walking. He knew his way around Equestria, he knew the only place that would keep him safe was the depths of the Everfree Forest. Yea it was predictable no doubt, but not even the top of Celestia's guard would brave the depths. The only ones capable of going that far were Midnight and Varkil, and he was dead. The black stallion figured he could hide out their long enough to come up with some sort of plan. Or just wait until Celestia's army became weak enough to finish off. But then what? Even if Celestia was brought down, who would rule? Midnight knew that in his heart, he couldn't lead this world into greatness, he was an assassin. A pony of shadows and stealth, not a leader. Maybe Thalma? But could she even be trusted? Tons of questions flew through Midnight's head as he traveled to the Everfree Forest.
He picked his head up and looked far into the distance. A midst the fog and darkness of the night, he could see the edge of the damned forest. He spotted a small town not far from the edge of the forest. A nameless town, that many years later, would be given the name Ponyville. He decided to stop for a quick rest, surely word had not spread this far from Canterlot already. As he approached the town, he covered his head with his cloak. Surely other ponies would recognize him and the last thing he needed was to draw attention to himself.
He slowly walked through the town, it was in no better shape than anywhere else in Equestria. Windows were shattered, roofs had caved in. The grass in the yards were dead and trees stood bare, their dead leaves lining the streets. Most buildings looked like they had been abandoned for years, but it had only been a few months. There was absolutely no law, criminals ruled and any kind of disaster was neglected. If it didn't affect some pony, they wouldn't help. Everyone was only in it for themselves now, no pony helped each other.
As Midnight approached the inn, he noticed a shadow in the corner of his eye. The shadow lunged at him and knocked him to the ground. In shock Midnight rubbed his head with his hoof, trying to recover from the sudden attack. He opened his eyes, and was staring at a silver short sword, pointed at his throat. He looked up at his attacker, a light gray mare, with soft pink eyes staring at him menacingly. Midnight could sense the weakness in this pony, whatever she was trying to accomplish, she wasn't happy with these methods.
"Hand over the bits." the mare said.
She trembled lightly as she spoke.
Midnight attempted to stand up.
"Don't get up! I'll, I'll slash you if I have to!"
"Easy now."
Midnight spoke softly as he stood up.
"Get down!"
The mares tone became angry, but Midnight still sensed fear in her. She was only doing this because she had to, while it was terrible, it's what most ponies were reduced to these days. Jobs were a scarce and most ponies had become thieves or assassin's as a way of surviving. Equestria's residents were in all out war, with each other.
"Think about what you're doing. Are you any better than the rest of the thieves in this wasteland? Killing and stealing from others only to further your own end? You shouldn't be fighting us, you should be fighting the problem."
"Shut up! Just be quiet!"
The gray mare still continued to ignore Midnight's word, and only shouted and threatened him as a response.
"Look, I'm going to give you one chance to put your sword away, and walk away."
"Oh yeah? And who's going to make me?"
Almost instantly, Midnight spun around and kicked the mares sword out of her grip. She turned her head to look at her blade, when the black stallion finished his spin, and delivered a swift blow to the right side of her face.
She fell to the ground, cracking her jaw on the hard stone street. Blood began to pour out of the left side of her mouth where Midnight had struck her. The assassin knelt down and put his hoof on the mares neck.
"Shit."
He muttered as he pulled his arm away from the mare. She was dead, she must have cracked her jaw open on the stone street. The assassin dragged the mare away from the street. He found a bush behind one of the houses and moved towards it. He laid the mares body in between the house and the shrub.
As he walked away towards the inn he thought to himself,
"Why. Why did I have to kill her? She's a victim, just like every pony else around here, it's not her fault. I mean just think, when they find her body, who's going to care? They'll probably be happy that they get to keep whatever was left on her and then walk away like nothing happened. No pony's going to care that she's dead, it's just free stuff to them. At least now it is."
Hundreds of thoughts went through the assassin's mind. He didn't even know who that mare was, and yet he felt so sorry for her. That all she wanted to do was live her life, until Equestria turned into the biggest hellhole on the planet. In order to survive she turned to thievery, and now paid with her life. It really was terrible.
You'd think an assassin would feel no pity for the dead, but Midnight was no mindless murderer. Every time he was ordered to kill someone as a rookie, when he had no say in anything, he would think.
"Does this pony deserve to die? Was what they did really a crime that should be punished by the end of their life?"
If he didn't care about life, he wouldn't be exiled from Canterlot. He would be happily serving a corrupt rule, I mean, what assassin wouldn't love carrying out a tyrants dirty work? Midnight.
He was always given a bad reputation around Equestria because of his label. When you think assassin, you think murderer, cruel, relentless, kill, cold-hearted, and yet none of these apply to the assassin of Celestia's council. But every pony failed to realize that. And with that thought, he entered the inn.
