Rose opened the door to her home. It was dark out, a cloudy moonless night. She lit a few candles across the room, dimly lighting her way. Tonight was an interesting night for her, a night in which countless hours of arduous planning and calculations would finally pay off. She took a deep breath to level herself, and stepped into the kitchen to pour herself a drink. She gripped the glass with her teeth and walked back into her front room, waiting patiently. She caught a glimpse of an old photograph brightly reflecting the flickering flame of a candle behind her. As she walked towards it, the flame blurred and the image came into focus, it was herself as a filly lying on the grass with her father behind her. A light smile crept onto her face as she vaguely recalled his voice calling out to her in her childhood memories, memories long since lost in the shroud of cold remorse left in the wake of his death. Her smile turned to a quivering knot as she bunched up her nose. Her eyes narrowed, happy thoughts veiled by her hatred and a thirst for vengeance. She quickly swallowed the wine, slamming the glass down on her mantle, not regarding it's fragility. A crack shot up the center and a small chip shot off the base. Rose left it there and lit the fireplace, further illuminating her home.
Moments later, she heard a knock at the door. Rose smiled grimly and took a deep breath.
"Come in, it's open."
The knob turned, and Rose's heart began to race. Then an older looking stallion walked in, stopping for a moment to look around the room.
"Ah, Rose, it's so nice to see you again. It's been, well about ten years since I last saw you hasn't it?" He spoke with a light raspy voice. His intentions somewhat obvious as he shut the door behind himself and subtly locked it.
"Twelve years Soulstar, it's been twelve." Rose pointed out.
She went into the kitchen and poured two fresh glasses of wine. Carefully holding one glass in each ankle, she walked back into her living room on her back hooves to meet the elder stallion sitting on her couch. He took a glass in an aura of magic, levitating it to his mouth just beneath his muzzle. He gave the wine a deep inhale and shot a glance of distrust at Rose.
"There's nothing in this that I should know about is there?" He spoke with one eye wide open, gazing deeply into Rose's eyes to detect any sign of a lie to follow. There, of course, were none.
Rose took a long drink from her own glass. "Delicious, I bought this wine for the occasion, please drink. And don't worry Soulstar, I know what happened all those years ago was an accident, I hold no grudge against you for my fathers death. I'm just glad to see you again."
"I hope you understand, being a pony of logic, I find that difficult to believe, no offense to you dear." Soulstar twirled the wine around in his glass, looking down at it. He realized how offensive he must be being, especially after so many years.
"That's fine, here, take my glass if you'd like, you saw me take a nice long swig already." Rose cheerfully held her glass out to him while taking a seat on the couch.
"Well then, I suppose that's enough convincing for me." Letting his guard down, he took the glass and a small sip. He had decided that as long as he didn't drink more than Rose did, even if it was poisoned in any way, the effects wouldn't reach him on a dangerous level. Then if it was in fact poisoned, he'd soon know of her treachery.
With the small sip swallowed, Rose stood up, a malicious grin on her face. She stood in front of him, her grin now a full devious smile. She brushed the mane out of her dark backlit face, the fire dancing and crackling behind her.
Soulstar dropped his glass, spilling the rest of it on the floor. "You, little... errr... how?"
His eyes locked opened, his body and legs stiffened, he was effectively paralyzed.
"Isn't it obvious old friend, a concentrated poison of paralysis. Moments before you came here I took a strong antidote, it's so simple you old foal." Rose cockily laughed in triumph.
".... but.. why?"
"Honestly, as if you don't already know. You stole my childhood, you stole my father, and you wrecked my life! All for what?! You're stupid little unicorn studies?! You assured him that your experiments were completely safe, and you killed him with your ignorance, arrogance, and incompetence!"
"It was... an.... acciden.. erc" Soulstar could no longer move or speak.
"An accident huh." Rose scoffed.
"Ready for another accident? I accidentally brewed this elixir to not only allow you to feel everything I'm about to do to you, but to amplify it. You see, me being an earth pony and all, I have a way with plants and herbs, and a very high aptitude for alchemy."
Rose turned around and grabbed a small blade off her mantle, a tool for medical incisions. She walked up to the old stallion, a sense of accomplishment washed over her as she saw the terror in his eyes.
"I've imagined this moment so many times, too many times." She leaned down with the blade tightly gripped in her mouth.
A swift yet precise swipe divided the skin along his neck. His eyes immediately widened, but he didn't move. Tears poured out and his muscles slightly budged as Rose gave him another long smooth slice down the center of his chest leading down to his stomach.
"I should disembowel you... But that's a mess even I don't feel like dealing with." Instead she just sat back and watched her couch absorb the blood.
The life in his eyes began to flicker out, and Rose's sense of satisfaction had reached it's peak. A new sense of power filled her heart, a sense of control and dominance. A sense of superiority.
As Soulstar took his last breath, an icy breeze seemed to fill the room. All the candles blew out simultaneously, and the fire behind her began to dim. Rose looked into it, it began to glow a deep shade of red. She looked deeper into it as it shrank into nearly nothing more than embers glowing blood red. A voice whispered, seemingly coming from the fire.
"Now sleep... my child..." With that, the room became pitch black.
A few seconds later the candles relit. It was dark in the room, and the bloody remains of the unicorn were dimly illuminated by the flickering candles. Rose grabbed a candle and blew the rest out on her way to bed. Oddly enough she felt no fear, but instead, a sense of comfort. She laid down in bed and blew the last candle out. Although she hadn't felt tired, she was soon sound asleep.
After a dreamless sleep, Rose's eyes began to open. There was an eerie glow in the room. She sat up and felt the presence of someone looming over her. Then she spotted him, a cloaked and hooded pony standing in the shadowy corner of her room. The hood covered his eyes and he was grinning malevolently. He began to approach her, walking slowly towards the bed.
"Awake so soon? Is something on your mind?" The strange stallion spoke with a deep and relentless voice, not hiding his sinister personality.
Rose quickly reached over to her nightstand to grab a hidden scalpel, it wasn't there. Her heart began to race as she attempted to form a strategy for attack.
"Relax friend, there's no need to fear me. My name is Lucian Latrot, Speaker for the Black Hoof, and you, are a cold blooded murderer." His voice deepened as he spoke, emphasizing the evil that those dark words held within.
"Why are you here?!" Rose began to panic as her breathing and pulse quickened.
"I'm here to welcome you to your new loving family, if you so choose to join us. We've taken care of your mess downstairs as a token of good faith. I'm simply here as a messenger for the Dark Brotherhood, letting you know that you have a place in our murderous family, if you wish to serve Sithis as we do." Lucian levitated her blade onto the bed in front of her.
Rose's mind filled with several responses. Part of her wanted to gladly accept her place in this strange family and proclaim her new found affinity for bloodshed. Another part of her told herself to choose her words carefully, and speak with respect and humility. The option to say no was clearly available, however she had no intention of choosing it. Strangely enough, she chose to remain silent.
"Think carefully about your decision, if you do choose to join our dark family, follow these instructions. Kill the stallion known as Stone Digger while he's working in his fields, search his slain corpse and take his bits along with a key to his home. Then, sleep in his bed. I hope to see you soon friend, and welcome you to your new home. Take this gift as a token of things to come should you become a part of our family." Lucian began to laugh menacingly as he levitated a well crafted dagger from beneath his cloak over to Rose, he then disappeared into the shadows.
Rose began to think carefully, she vaguely remembered having heard of the Dark Brotherhood before, even the name Sithis sounded familiar. Lucian's words began to eat away at her mind. Murderer, Black Hoof, Dark Brotherhood... Loving family, home... Nothing was for certain, but anything was better than her lonely Ponyville existence. She closed her eyes and made her decision. A brew of hatred had already pierced her heart, opening it for any evil to seep in. The thought of serving Sithis pleased her very core. The thought of murdering again excited her mind, the choice was simple, as simple as could be. She'd kill Stone Digger in cold blood.
Rose climbed out of bed, fixed her mane, and threw on a scarf. She concealed her dagger within it, sheathing it and letting it dangle by her chest. She headed out into the night, the eastern horizon was beginning to lighten, indicating the sun would soon rise. She was more than ready for this, she knew Stone Digger's personally. He was a snotty old stallion, always shouting out vulgar slurs at the passing foals on their way to school. Rose was once a filly among those foals, this cold bitter stallion should welcome his death as a gift of kindness. Severing his soul from this realm would be a great service to Ponyville.
Rose reached his farm as the dawn broke. As expected, Stone Digger was preparing for his workday bright and early. Rose smiled, an easy target. Although he was much bigger than her, he was old and slow. Her reflexes were sharp and accurate. She immediately realized this wasn't a challenge or a test of skill, it was simply a test to see whether or not she'd kill again, and she intended to pass with flying colors. She quickly and quietly approached him, taking care not to be noticed by anyone else around. As she reached his yard, he spotted her.
"Wha?! What are you doing here?" His scratchy sharp voice brought out the worst in Rose.
"I'm here to claim your life for Sithis." Rose smiled as she trotted up to him, this line came out so naturally and fluidly. It felt right.
"Sithis? Wait please!"
Rose violently grabbed the handle of the dagger with her teeth and ripped it out it's sheath, slashing Stone Digger's throat. He took a few steps back and covered his gaping wound with his hoof. Blood flowed around it, staining his light yellow coat. He fell over, attempting to gasp for breath, but only succeeded in choking on his own blood. Rose gazed down at him and laughed as he gargled and slowly bled out on the dirt. That familiar feeling of utter control and domination filled the deepest regions of her mind. In his eyes, she was a god of death, a bringer of judgement and punishment. Rose bit down on the handle of the blade again, and quickly trust it into the side of his chest, piercing his heart. She ripped the blade back out and watched the pool of blood grow beneath his slaughtered corpse. She then kicked his front hoof over, a small bag was wrapped around his shoulder. Inside were a few bits along with a key. She took the whole thing and headed inside. The door was unlocked anyway, but she held on to the key for no particular reason. She went into his room and climbed into the bed. After a few moments her adrenalin subsided, and her lack of sleep caught up with her. She closed her eyes and let her breathing calm to a normal pace, and as she drifted into sleep, a sense of darkness loomed over her heart. She ignored the sense that she was being watched once again. Darkness veiled her mind, and she entered a dreamless sleep.
As she awoke, she was again greeted by Lucian Latrot. "The heartless murderer once again sleeps quite soundly, doesn't she? This time, in the bed of her slain victim."
Rose leaned up, no fear was apparent. "I did what you asked me to, I did it in the name of Sithis."
"That you did, my sister, and you've earned that right. You're now forever contracted with our sweet Night Mother and Dread Father, bound in blood. Welcome to the family. When you're ready, head to the Ponyville Sanctuary, located behind the Everfree River Falls. Approach the black door and reply, Discord, my brother." With those instructions given, Lucian once again vanished into the shadows.
Rose got up and stepped outside, it was now late in the afternoon. She trotted down the road towards the outskirts of town, her blade cleaned and tucked inside her scarf. As she approached the edge of town, she saw saw several ponies playing and frolicking about. A small spark of envy struck her heart, it must be nice to live such simple carefree lives.
Rose quickly regained her directive and continued down a small trail through the Everfree Forest. It followed along a small stream that eventually grew into a mild river. A light mist filled the air along with the resounding roar of a crashing waterfall. She realized she was getting close to her destination and quickened her pace. Behind the trees she spotted the waterfall and continued down the trail. She noticed an unusual path of rocks and debris just behind the falls.
She made her way down the steep edge of the river-bank and found the trail leading into a thin gap between large rocks behind the falls. An even smaller trail led down into the dark miniature cave, lined with a few old stone steps covered in vines and leaves. As she rounded the corner there was an eerie red glow and a deep pulsing sound as if the earth itself had a heartbeat. Rose approached it and placed her hoof on the black door decorated with the grim image of a skeleton piercing a skull with a dagger. A larger image of a skull near the top of the door was radiating the dim red glow, then it spoke.
"What is the essence of life?" A slow deep whisper escaped the door.
Rose let out a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Discord, my brother."
The door opened up and revealed the entrance to the guarded sanctuary behind it. Then it spoke again with the same grim whisper.
"Welcome home."
