Chapters Twilight was breathing heavily as she chased the Griffin Prince Alistair through the narrow back streets of the Griffin capitol city of New Grifburg. Her white and red hood and cloak flapped in the wind and Twilight could just see the barest glint of the knife embedded in Alistair's wing joint, preventing him from taking off and escaping her. She had been sent by Princess Celestia to assassinate the prince, and at first, she believed it was only to destabilise their society with the absence of the Griffin emperor Gregor, but after spending some time amongst the city's denizens, she came to the conclusion that her mission was in fact to save them all from the tyranny of the prince's regime. Alistair changed direction abruptly, heading up some stairs that were attached to the side of a building. Twilight followed, never letting him out of her sight for more than a second. He dived over the railing, landing on a gravel covered rooftop. Twilight didn't hesitate, leaping over the side. Her hooves slipped slightly on the gravel as she landed, but she recovered quickly, barely losing any ground on the Prince. The chase went from rooftop to rooftop, every passing minute brought Twilight closer to her prey. Alistair suddenly opened his wings, and Twilight could see that he had run out of roof. He tried to flap his wings, but the one that held the knife didn't even twitch. Alistair turned as Twilight collided with him, sending them both over the edge of the building. They hit the cobblestone road hard, Twilight feeling the impact through Alistair's body all the way to her hooves. Twilight extended the hidden blade that was attached to her wrist, the purple gem that Rarity had added glowed in the sunlight. Alistair's eyes opened wide as Twilight planted the blade firmly into his heart and turned. With his dying breaths, Twilight asked;
"Why?" Alistair's pained expression changed into one of rage and hatred.
"Because I am not my Father, because Gilda is not our Father. We are better than him, better than you.. Pony." He said, the last word being a curse. Alistair spat in Twilight's face and fell back, dead. Twilight pulled her blade back, now slick with blood, and closed her eyes.
'I want to go home.' She thought as she climbed off Alistair's lifeless frame. Taking a deep breath, she remembered the first time she killed; it had been a Minotaur, very young, his horns nothing more than stubs. Her sword had pierced his chest. Twilight had cried for hours afterward, as the feeling of his last breath stayed on her face. The guilt that she felt then was now non-existent. The war for Equestria had forced her to make the tough decisions that she had never expected to make.
"Is… Is that Prince Alistair?" Said a voice beside her, and Twilight opened her eyes to find a female griffin staring at the body. Twilight nodded, not taking her eyes on the girl.
"Why?" She asked, and Twilight stayed silent for a moment, considering the best answer.
"Because it had to be done." She said, using the same lie that she told herself every time she did something questionable. To her surprise, the Griffin nodded.
"You're right, it did." She said, giving the corpse a swift kick. Twilight turned away, her sense of honour preventing her from enjoying the sight of a cruel dictator having his crimes forced back on him, even after death. Sounds of shouting erupted from behind her and Twilight turned to see a group of royal guards running down the street, weapons drawn.
"You had better got out of here." Said the griffin, and Twilight nodded, staying silent. She took off down the street, the cobblestones feeling cold under her hooves. She could hear the guards giving chase behind her, even if they didn't exactly know what they were after. Running down an alleyway, she hid behind a group of bins. She hadn't yet caught her breath fully from chasing Alistair and knew that hiding was her best option at the moment. Taking a peek around the bins, she saw the group of guards run past the alley.
Twilight let out a sigh, sitting back against the wall of a building and closing her eyes. A sudden sound hit her ears, and peeked over the bins again to see that a guard had broken off from the group and made his way down the alley. Twilight pulled her hood a bit lower over his face and waited. As the guard walked past the bins, she moved into action, batting away his spear as he thrust it at her, and punching him in the face. The guard fell back; leaning against the wall as Twilight punched him again, making him fall to the ground. She extended her hidden blade, and brought her arm back, ready to strike, but paused as she saw the fear in his eyes. Retracting the hidden blade, Twilight dragged the griffin to his feet. He whimpered as she looked at him, her disfigured eye with its white iris making him close his eyes and look away from her.
"What's your name?" Asked Twilight, to which the griffin nervously replied;
"Max… My name's Max, please don't kill me." Twilight let him go and he slid down the wall, looking up at her with confusion.
"I'm not going to kill you Max. There has been enough killing done today. I just want to know who they will get to replace Alistair."
"Well… uh… if Princess Gilda refuses, then the members of the council will vote on which of them should lead."
"And will any of them be better than Alistair?" She asked, and to her displeasure, Max shook his head. Twilight sighed.
"Then my work isn't done here, not yet. Go home Max, it isn't your day to die." She said, starting to walk away.
"No, wait… Please. I want to help you." Said Max and Twilight raised her eyebrow at him.
"What do you mean, help me?" She asked, unsure of just how he was meant to do so.
"I know the ins and outs of the guard system, almost all of the secret paths that the city holds and I know how to defend myself, despite what you have seen. And the biggest reason, I want to save this city. I grew up here, and to see it perverted like this.. It honestly breaks my heart." He told her, making Twilight sigh once more.
"You realise of course, that you will probably have to kill other guards to get the job done." Said Twilight. Max nodded, standing up and looking into her eyes.
"I do, but it won't be a problem. Most of the guards are so corrupt that they deserve no less than to die for forgetting their oath to the Emperor." Twilight thought for a moment, knowing that he may be a liability in the future but also knowing that her mission was too great, even for her. She nodded, and with a large smile on his face, Max tore the armour off his body.
Together, they slowly made their way out of the alley and, with Max leading; to a place he considered a safe house, which turned out to be a closed cathedral in the centre of the city, not far from the palace. Upon inquiring as to the reasons for the closure, Max told Twilight that Alistair had shut the church in order to prevent the mass gathering of those that may rise against him and threaten the regime. They set up a ramshackle camp in the top of the tower that overlooked the town square, and settled down for the night.
"Max, what happens when they discover your desertion?" Asked Twilight, the question had been bugging her for some time. She heard Max sigh, he turned over in his bed and looked at Twilight, who still hadn't taken her hood down.
"Well… They will most likely not find out for a couple of days, but when they do realise it, they will go after my family. In this case my twin sister, Jean. They will either lock her up or torture her, depending on how bad of a betrayal they view it as." Max told her. Twilight was surprised to hear that he was willing to risk so much in order to free his city.
"Tomorrow we can go get her, Bring her back here where she will be safe. What do you think?" Asked Twilight and Max nodded, smiling.
"That would be great. Thank you. Hey, I never got around to asking. What am I supposed to call you?" Asked Max. Twilight hesitated, not sure how to respond. She knew that using her real name could potentially create major backlash for the ponies should it become known that an element of harmony and the student of Princess Celestia herself had murdered a prince.
"For now, you can just call me Dusk." Said Twilight, and Max nodded, turning back over and going to sleep. Twilight however stayed up for a while longer, looking out of the only clear window in the tower, the rest being stained glass, at the stars and the constellations she had only read about in books but never seen before, due to the fact that they only appear in the griffin skies. She thought of Celestia, and how she should have told her about the true purpose of her mission, although she understood why. If she had known that Celestia wanted her to save their society, she would have done it according to a more traditional approach, rather than what she was doing now, which Twilight could only see as preparation for something. But she was oblivious as to what. Finally settling down to rest, Twilight lowered her hood, and smiled as she felt the cool breeze on her face.
Twilight awoke as soon as the morning sun hit her face, and instantly felt somepony watching her. Opening her eyes, she saw a large pair of red coloured eyes staring at her. Instinctively, she used her magic to flip up her hood and jumped to her hooves. The pony that was staring at her smiled, and she took a moment to get a good look at him. He was a dark brown stallion, with a black mane and tail, both of which featured streaks of red running through them. Something twitched at his side and Twilight realised that the stallion was in fact a Pegasus.
"There's no need to hide your pretty face, I've already seen it anyway." Said the stallion, but Twilight ignored him, pulling the hood a bit lower.
"Who are you and how did you get here?" She asked, and the pony began to walk around the room, his eye searching for something.
"A better question would be; who are you and why did you kill Prince Alistair?" He asked, and Twilight extended her hidden blade. The stallion held up a hoof in protest.
"Hey, Hey, there is no need for that. I don't mind, in fact, I'm quite pleased. If somepony didn't do it soon I would have." He said.
"Just tell me who you are." Said Twilight, beginning to get frustrated. The stallions smile returned.
"Okay, my name is Archangel"
"What's your real name?"
"Oh clever girl, but too bad, Archangel is all you're getting. As for why I am here, to be honest I was looking to steal something. And before you say anything, I was asked to steal something from this church." He said, opening a chest near the entrance.
"So you're just a common thief then." Said Twilight, and Archangel looked at her in shock.
"I'm not just a common thief! I prefer to think of myself as the average pony liberator of collectable items." He told her, his smirk returning.
"Must be hard to get business cards." Said Twilight, keeping him distracted as she made her way toward Max in the hopes of waking him up.
"Oh, making jokes now. I like you. And don't bother with the griffin. I gave him a sedative, he'll be asleep for another half hour. You however, piqued my interest. Tell me, what stopped you from leaving the city on the first available ship?" He asked, and Twilight saw no choice but to tell him.
"I'm not done here. There are still those like Alistair that have a position of power and are belittling the lower classes. I want that to stop." She explained and Archangel narrowed his eyes at her.
"That's a noble crusade indeed, and I'm not being sarcastic. Might I ask just how you plan on liberating our fair city?"
"By killing those that would oppress others and putting fear into the ones that have plans for it." Said Twilight. Archangel stared at her for a moment, before opening another chest and pulling out a large silver cross.
"There we are, found it." Said Archangel, putting the cross into a bag that he had strapped to his back and heading for the clear window, which he opened. Just before he took off, Archangel turned back to Twilight, and sighed.
"I grew up in the city, living alone in the streets was always tough, but now. Now it's almost impossible. I support what you are doing, wholeheartedly, and believe me, that's a rare occurrence. Do you need any help in saving what's left of this place?" He asked, and Twilight nodded, retracting the hidden blade.
"Well then… You have another member of your revolution. I'll be back later. Oh, and one more thing, what are you calling yourself?"
"Dusk."
"And your real name?"
"You first."
"Clever girl." He said finally, before dropping out of the open window and disappearing.
'Revolution.' Thought Twilight, 'I like the sound of that.'
Twilight was searching through all of the hidden pockets in her outfit when Max finally awoke from his tranquiliser induced slumber. She giggled to herself as his groggy form lifted off the ground and promptly fell back down, his eyes crossed and his tongue rolling around uselessly in his mouth.
"Whad habbened? Whad time is it?" Asked Max, once again trying and failing to stand. Twilight walked over and helped him to his feet, leading him to a chest in the corner of a room. Max sat down and took long, deep breaths, eventually regaining full control over his body. Twilight told him of her encounter with Archangel and the subsequent drugging of Max. He stretched his wings, and Twilight got a good look at her new companion. He was a smaller than average griffin, his wings tipped with a healthy brown colour, and his talons were much less sharp than Twilight was used to.
"What time is it?" Asked Max, standing up and lifting himself off the ground. He flew above Twilight and into the tower's rafters. He grabbed one and began to do pull ups.
"It's around midday. I wanted to wait until the drug wore off before we went and retrieved your sister." She told him, as Max dropped from the ceiling with a thud.
"Ow, that felt awesome." He said, standing once more. Twilight shook her head and smiled.
"You are quite interesting. Did you know that? You obviously dislike violence, and yet you became a guard, then you joined me at the drop of a hat. You willingly put your only family at risk, not to mention your own life. I just can't understand it." Said Twilight, looking at her new friend with much curiosity. Max smiled slightly and sat down in front of her, beckoning Twilight to do the same. He ran his fingers through the small beard that he had and cleared his throat.
"Okay, so I told you about my sister, Jean, didn't I? Well like I said, it's just me and her. We lost our parents when we were young to a plague that devastated the city. Thousands died, but ponies weren't affected. Suspicion increased, especially when the Emperor took a pony into the palace as his own daughter. When the Empress died from the disease, Gregor completely cut off communication with the city. The guards became corrupt, looking out for their own interests above the safety of the citizens. The reason I'm telling you all this is too make you understand that I have seen the worst that this city has to offer. I became a guard in the hopes that I could make a difference to the lives of the griffins and ponies that live on the streets and die every day because of a lack of compassion. Then I saw you, and what you had done. The crowds were cheering you on as you made your way toward Alistair. And when you killed him, it was as though a great weight had been lifted off the city's shoulders. I want to help you because I came to the realisation that your way is the only way to return New Grifburg back to its former glory." Max told her, and Twilight felt a new sense of pride and gratitude toward him. She nodded, before turning and grabbing a bag off a table. She threw it to Max, who peered inside and smiled. Reaching inside, he pulled out a white hooded jumper that was lined red on the inside, complete with holes for his wings.
"I picked this up at the market while you slept. I thought that if you and I are going to be working together, then you should look the part. It will have to do for the moment, until we can get a tailor to make a proper one in secret for you and Archangel." She said, as Max zipped up the jumper. Flipping up his hood, he smiled wide.
"Right then, shall we go and get Jean?" He asked, and Twilight nodded, retrieving her hidden blade and strapping it to her arm. Together, they made their way through the crowded streets, Twilight doing her best to stay out of the path of the guards. She could make out whispers from griffins and ponies alike, all talking about the mysterious assassin that killed Alistair. The walk to Jean's was six blocks, and every comment that Twilight heard about herself in that time was positive. That she had done the right thing. Twilight did her best to hide her smile from Max, lest he think of her as a monster rather than a revolutionary. When they finally arrived at the house that Max and Jean shared, Max lowered his hood as Twilight stood back, keeping an eye out for any guards. He knocked on the door and a few seconds later, it was answered by who Twilight could only assume was Jean. She bared very little resemblance to Max, her colouring being grey instead of brown. The two hugged, and Jean ushered them inside the house, where Max told her about what had happened and who Twilight was. Jean, much to Twilight's surprise, took it all very well, barely batting an eyelid when she found out who Twilight was, or that Max had abandoned his guard position to join her. After he had finished, Max left to begin packing some things that he wanted, while Jean and Twilight stared at each other for a while.
"Are we going to be safe?" Jean asked finally. Twilight nodded, unsure of what to say to her.
"Am I going to have to go on missions and kill?" She continued, and this time, Twilight shook her head.
"Not if you don't want too. I only want people who are committed to helping me to participate in missions." She said, and it was Jean's turn to nod.
"I'm glad, because as much as I want peace for the city, I don't think I am ready to kill anyone." She said, and Twilight smiled under her hood at the scared griffin.
"I'm sure that it won't come to that. Your brother and I are the revolutionaries. He just doesn't want you hurt." Twilight told her. A series of three loud knocks erupted from the direction of the front door, making both Twilight and Jean jump. Twilight gestured to Jean that she answer the door, while at the same time positioning herself behind it. Jean waited for Twilight to get ready before opening the door, and by the sound of her voice, Twilight could tell that it was guards.
"Hello, can I help you?" She asked the visitors. The one who answered had a very deep, yet gentle voice.
"Greetings. Am I correct in assuming that you are Jean Cumulus? Sister of Max Cumulus?"
"Yes, what is this all about?"
"Have you seen your brother lately?"
"I'm afraid not. He does live at the guard tower though, so it is quite rare that I see him nowadays."
"He no longer resides at the guard tower. From our understanding, he has absconded with the assassin that murdered Prince Alistair yesterday."
"I find that hard to believe. He is a dedicated guard."
"Nevertheless, he has gone missing and is now under suspicion."
"I see, well then I shall tell you if I see him." Said Jean, just as Max walked into the room.
"Hey Jean, do you still have my teddy bear? Oh, I see you have company… I'll just leave." He said, and Twilight cursed under her breath.
"Halt, you are under arrest for consorting with a traitor." Yelled the guard, and in response, Max smiled awkwardly.
"Ah…. Well this can only end badly." Said Max. Twilight rolled her eyes and proceeded to buck the door, which happened to close on the front leg of one of the guards, the heavy oak door closing on it almost completely. Twilight heard the griffin scream as his leg broke.
"Hurry, out the back." Yelled Twilight, grabbing Jean and dragging her past Max.
"But I have no back door." Said Jean and Twilight stopped abruptly.
"Why not?"
"Didn't need one until now." She said, beginning to panic. Twilight groaned, unsure of what to do, as the door was being rammed by the guards outside.
"Follow me!" Yelled Max, galloping past them and diving straight out a window and into an alley at that rested beside the house. Twilight used her magic to help Jean out of the window and just as the door burst open, she dived out the window and the three of them galloped down the alley as fast as they could. Jean opened her wings and tried to take to the air, but Max grabbed her and pulled her back to earth.
"Don't try to fly, it's too open, they will catch you easy. Our best bet is to stick to the little paths and openings in the slums; they wouldn't bother tracking us through there." Said Max, and Twilight could see the he was already beginning to prove himself useful. The trio made their way to the slums of New Grifburg, which was situated at the furthest corner of the city's borders. Ramshackle and derelict buildings were the norm here, and the griffins and ponies that lives there were a sad reflection of their surroundings. They eventually found themselves without pursuers and settled down behind what appeared to be a pharmacy, only that the front of the building was nothing more than a fire blackened mess.
"Is this what I can expect by staying with you both?" Asked Jean, wheezing with every breath. Max produced a blue plastic tube from one of his pockets and handed it to Jean, who then pressed a button on the top and inhaled deeply from the tube.
"Perhaps." Said Twilight, deciding that is was best not to lie to her about the risks that her brother was taking by helping her.
"Well I for one am having lots of fun." Said Max, and Twilight raised an eyebrow at him.
"This isn't meant to be fun." She told him, while at the same time, a large smile spread across her lips.
"Ah, but it is, isn't it. You like this." He said, and as much as Twilight wanted to say no, and be serious, she couldn't help but nod.
"Dusk?" Said a voice above them, and she looked up to see Archangel standing on the rooftop of the building. He jumped off, landing in front of Twilight and the two griffins.
"Archangel, what are you doing here?" Asked Twilight, getting to her hooves and making sure that the hood was still covering her face.
"I live here. You, however, are an oddity in these parts. What happened? Did they find the church tower already?" He asked sarcastically. Twilight shook her head as Max got to his feet and walked up to Archangel, standing in between him and Twilight.
"So you're the one that drugged me?" He said with much venom in his voice. A cocky smile appeared on Archangel's face as he nodded.
"I did indeed. You must be Max; it shall be great to work together for the sake of the city won't it?" He asked, and Max just stared at him in response.
"I guess, but know that if you drug me again. I will beat you senseless, dress you up like a mare, and hand you over to the sailors. Understand what I'm saying?" Threatened Max. The smile on Archangel's face disappeared, replaced with a scowl.
"I understand entirely." Said Archangel. He turned to Twilight, who had been watching the conversation with much interest.
"So what now, fearless leader?" He said, opening his wings and stretching them to the full extent.
"We do the only thing we can; we head back to the cathedral and make up some kind of plan for taking back the city." Said Twilight, and the rest of the group nodded. They slowly made their way back to the centre of town. Max's knowledge of guard schedules aided them greatly in avoiding patrols but even then, it was sundown before they got into the church tower. They all collapsed on the floor, exhausted from the day's events, except for Archangel, who went out to procure them all some food. Twilight watched Jean as she settled down in what had been Max's bed the night before. She was obviously very scared, judging by the way that her body was shaking. Twilight walked over and sat next to her, putting her arm around Jean at the same time.
"Are you okay?" Asked Twilight, and Jean shook her head, slowly exhaling a deep breath.
"I'm nowhere near okay. In the last twelve hours, I found out that my brother is aiding an assassin, and that he intends to become an assassin as well. And to top it all off, I myself have become a fugitive from the very city that I live in. I have been chased clear across the Griffin capitol city, seen the slums I swore I would never return to and now I sleep on the floor in a church that had been closed down by the now dead Prince of the empire. I'm scared Dusk. I'm really, really scared." She told Twilight, and began to cry. Twilight held her tighter and gestured for Max to leave the room. Once she was sure that he was out of earshot. She lifted Jean's chin and smiled.
"Actually, my name is Twilight, Twilight Sparkle. Don't tell anypony okay." She said, lowering her hood so that jean could see her face properly. Twilight thought that her disfigured eye had turned her off, as Jean turned away from her almost immediately. Twilight blushed, flipping her hood back up.
"No, you don't have to. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to offend you." Stammered Jean. Twilight held up her hoof.
"It's fine, I know the effects my eye has on others." She said, removing her arm from around Jean.
"How did it happen? If you don't mind me asking?" Asked Jean, and Twilight sighed, unsure of how to tell her that it happened while she was slaying her kinsmen.
"I was in the war, still am technically. And one day I was unlucky. A griffin's blade raked across my eye, which filled with blood, hence the brown colour on the outside. As for the white iris, well that was a mystery. Nopony seems to have a clue how it happened or how to reverse it. So I am stuck looking like this for the rest of my life." Twilight told her, and Jean looked at the floor.
"I'm sorry." She said, and Twilight smiled. Archangel suddenly returned, saddlebags filled with all sorts of foodstuffs. Calling Max back into the room, the group sat down to eat.
"Thank you Archangel, this is delicious." Said Jean, and Archangel winked at her playfully, and earned a dirty look from Max as a result.
"How did you come by all this food?" Asked Twilight and Archangel raised his eyebrow at her.
"I didn't steal it, if that's what you are implying. There are many in the city that owe me favours. I cashed one in to get the food. I also cashed in another and managed to score Max and I some wonderful outfits that match yours Dusk." He said, and Twilight nodded, impressed with the Pegasi's ability to procure items.
"So Dusk, you must tell us more about yourself." He said, and Twilight shot a look to Jean before answering.
"No I don't." She replied, and Max giggled at the look on displeasure on Archangel's face.
"What I do plan to tell you is our overall plan for the city."
"Which is what exactly?" Asked Max. Twilight smiled, as she looked around the room at her comrades.
"We kill those that are evil and mistreat their authority as they come into power, while at the same time, encourage those that would use their authority to help others." Explained Twilight. Jean and Max nodded their heads in agreement to the plan while Archangel raised his hoof.
"What do we do if there are none that would use their power to help others?" He asked.
"We forcibly put griffins that are good into those positions through the use of the public. We make then like a certain politician if they can be proven as having good intentions. Otherwise they die. Simple as that."
"Simple as that huh? We shall have to see about that." Said Archangel.
"Trust me, New Grifburg will be safe or I will die trying.
Twilight awoke long before the others, and decided to take a walk in the morning air. Tightening the straps that held her cloak in place, so as to keep herself warm in the winter air. She was having trouble adjusting to the climate of New Grifburg, where the snow only begun to fall halfway through the season. But even then, it was still just as cold. Sticking to the rooftops so as not to be noticed, Twilight headed toward the docks and watched the ships come into the harbour. She lowered her hood and sat on the edge of a building, allowing her mind to wander back to Equestria, and to her friends. A smile spread over her lips as she thought of Ponyville and all of the good times that seemed so far away to her now. Her cheeks turned red as she remembered what had happened just before Princess Celestia teleported her to New Grifburg. Her friend, Pinkie Pie, had kissed her, and much to Twilight's utter surprise, she had enjoyed it. Twilight had never thought of romance before, and up until recently, it had seemed unnecessary. But as the war had gone on, she had found herself wanting companionship, and for reasons she was still unsure of, she was always more comfortable around mares than she was around stallions. The magical wards that Twilight had placed around herself suddenly activated, informing her that somepony was approaching.
"No need to get up on my account." Said the pony, and Twilight recognised it as belonging to Archangel. Her horn glowed briefly, raising her hood up and over her head and down low over her eyes.
"Why do you do that? I've seen your face." He asked, and Twilight shook her head, still staring out over the harbour.
"I like my privacy. And the only reason you saw my face is because you broke into my headquarters and stared at me while I slept." Said Twilight defensively. Archangel let out a sigh and sat down on the edge of the building next to Twilight.
"So, Miss Privacy, you thought that you would come to this city, fresh from the war, probably a deserter, and murder the regent of the entire Griffin Empire. You… are… Bold." He told her, smirking. Twilight gritted her teeth during his exposition.
"What is it you want Archangel?" She snapped, causing Archangel to recoil slightly. He paused for a moment, stretching his wings and brushing Twilight's back.
"Dusk, I know who you are. I know that your real name is Twilight Sparkle and that you are the student of Princess Celestia and the Element of Magic." He told her, and before he could continue, Twilight grabbed him by the throat and pushed him down, pressing the leather of her hidden blade against his windpipe. Archangel smiled playfully, not resisting.
"How did you find that out?" Asked Twilight angrily, as Archangel just laughed.
"Don't worry; I'm not going to tell anyone. In this city, I'm not just a common thief. In the slums, I'm also a kind of information broker. Almost all of the information in this city comes through me at some time or another. Occasionally, however, some really important from outside of the city reaches my ears. You and your mission is one such example. I had just found out when you found me in the slums yesterday. I was going to confront you then, but the Griffins stayed too close for the rest of the day." Said Archangel, as Twilight reluctantly allowed him to get up, but extended her hidden blade and recharged the magical wards. Archangel took a few steps back from Twilight, but halted once he noticed a purple glow coming from under Twilight's hood, illuminating her disfigured eye.
"Now Dusk, just relax. I don't want anything; I have no intention of telling anyone of your identity. I… I just wanted you to know that you have a friend here. One you can tell anything to. I believe in your cause, wholeheartedly. I just wanted you to know that." Archangel continued, and Twilight retracted her blade, but kept her horn charged with magic. What Archangel didn't know, however, was that the spell that Twilight was casting wasn't dangerous, it was, in fact, a spell designed by Twilight herself to determine the true intentions in a ponies' speech, and the spell told her that Archangel was telling the truth.
"I believe you. But I really don't want to be my old self right now. I need to be… New. That's why I took the name Dusk. To become somepony different, unrelated to Twilight. Mostly because I realised that the things that I'm going to have to do here are going to be… horrible. So, I need to forget about my other life until my mission is complete. I need to become separate, both in mind and body to Twilight." Twilight told him, and Archangel nodded, and Twilight knew that he understood what she meant. Archangel opened his wings and lifted off the ground, hovering above Twilight's head.
"There's one more thing Dusk. I wasn't sure I should tell you, but… Maybe it's for the best. A few days ago, on the front lines, Princess Celestia was killed by a dragon. Her funeral is in two days. I can get you there if you like." He told her, as Twilight started to cry out of sheer shock. She shook her head and collapsed on the ground, the light around her horn dissipating. She felt Archangel embrace her, but she pushed him away, firing off a quick spell that latched onto her hooves and made them glow. She stood and galloped toward the edge of the building, diving off. The spell that she had cast made her hooves grip the brick wall. She started to gallop normally, tears still streaming down her face. She approached the street below and jumped again, this time causing her to land on the footpath as if nothing had happened. She kept going, heading toward one of the ships that were docked in the harbour. She only hoped that it was on its way to Equestria. Hiding in the cargo hold, Twilight fashioned herself a small cocoon of straw and fabric, both of which were part of the ship's cargo. Once she was certain that nopony was going to discover her, Twilight curled up in her cocoon and just lay there, crying silently. A few hours later, the ship began to move, and Twilight emerged from her hiding space in search of food. Finding some bread in the ship's galley, she spent the next few hours in the shadows, searching for some indication of the ship's next stop. She thought about teleporting, but decided against it on the grounds that she was too emotionally unstable at the time to control her magic properly. Luckily, she overheard the captain mention that their next port of call was going to be Maneflow Springs, a town only three hours of walking away from the battlefield. Going back to her cocoon, Twilight tried in vain to get some rest, only to discover that horrible visions of a broken and dying Celestia were at the forefront of her thoughts. She felt an immense tightness in her chest and the only explanation she could come up with was that she felt guilty. She wished that she could have been there for her mentor's final moments, to hear Celestia's last words and to tell her that she considered Celestia to be her second mother. But now, she could do none of those things. She would never get the chance to hear her voice again, to feel the warmth of her breath in the morning, as she awoke Twilight for her private lessons. She started to cry once more, letting all of the emotion that she had built up over the past few days to be pushed out in one go.
Two hours of rough seas and cold tears later, Twilight snuck off the ship and made her way through the town, stopping only to purchase an apple from the market. Just as she was about to leave through the back gate, Twilight was stopped by two earth ponies, one grey and the other red.
"Sorry missy, but this here gate has a toll attached to it. Ten bits." Said the grey one, while the red one just smiled and nodded. Twilight groaned, rubbing her tired eyes with her hoof.
"I really don't have time for this." She said, flipping her hood down and charging her horn with magic. The two ponies took a step back, but didn't otherwise react. Raising an eyebrow, Twilight cast the spell and encased to two ponies in spherical bubbles of energy. They started to struggle against them, but to no avail. Walking past them, Twilight kicked the bubble containing the grey pony. It rolled down the street, heading for the dock at the other end. Ignoring the looks from the frightened ponies that had gathered to watch the commotion, she replaced her hood and continued the walk out of town. As she walked, she thought about the best way to reveal her presence to her friends, or even is she should reveal herself at all. Thinking back to what she had said to Archangel about wanting to separate her Twilight and Dusk persona's, she eventually decided to remain hidden for the duration of her stay, knowing that she still had to get back to New Grifburg to finish what she started.
Not long after, Twilight spotted the beginning of the graveyard that had formed behind the pony camp, and stretched for far too long into the distance. A little bit later, the camp started to come into view, and it was then that Twilight strayed off the path and into the small remnants of a forest that hadn't been cut down to make way for a battlefield. A few hundred meters into the forest, Twilight found a large cave in the side of one of the mountains that bordered the battlefield on either side. After evicting all of the insects and scorpions that inhabited the cave, she started to set up a camp for herself, making use of the forest around her to conceal the cave, and to create a fire. Twilight lay down next to the flames and closed her eyes, exhausted by the day's events.
Twilight woke up shivering, only to discover herself no longer in the cave, but on a vast, snow covered plane. A blizzard raged around her, the intense cold biting at her face. She called out, but the sound became lost in the wind. She kept shouting, hoping that somepony, anypony could hear her. A light suddenly appeared in the distance, and continued to grow brighter as it made its way toward Twilight. The blizzard slowed as it got closer, and the snow began to melt. Twilight had to turn away when it got too close, as the light burnt her eyes.
"Twilight Sparkle." Said the light, and Twilight looked back to find that the light had changed to become Princess Celestia.
"Princess! I'm so glad you're okay. I had heard you were dead" Exclaimed Twilight happily, bounding over to Celestia and hugging her. But something was wrong; she was cold to the touch.
"Where were you Twilight? I needed you and you weren't there." Said Celestia, causing Twilight to pull away, only to scream as she saw her mentor, her face covered in blood, her horn missing and her wings hanging uselessly at her sides, next to long cuts in her belly. Twilight tried to crawl away, only to be dragged closer by Celestia, her eyes black as the night sky.
"Why Twilight." Shouted Celestia, as Twilight begged forgiveness.
"WHY!"
Twilight awoke screaming, the fire had gone out, leaving the cave in darkness. Panicking, Twilight used her magic to create a hovering ball of purple fire, which provided enough light to illuminate then entirety of the cave, as well as warm her up. She soon realised that she was covered in sweat, and her cheeks were wet with tears. She lay back down, letting the heat from the magical flame return her to some degree of comfort. The rest of the right was sleepless however, the image of Celestia too vivid to forget.
Morning came about all too slowly for Twilight, as she emerged from her cave and proceeded to make her way toward the pony camp as stealthily as she could. It was still going to be another day before the funeral service, but, with luck, Twilight hoped to see how her friends were coping. She checked on Rarity first, as it was the closest tent, and found her curled up in bed with her coltfriend, Black Diamond. Next, it was Fluttershy, who Twilight found in the main tent, also curled up with her coltfriend, this time it being Twilight's friend Big Macintosh. Pinkie was also in the main tent, and Twilight wished that she could approach her, tell her that she was okay. But thought better of it. A pony that she was surprised to see was Celestia's sister, Princess Luna. But she soon realised that it made sense for her to be there for the funeral, as well as too take command of the troops.
Finally, she went and visited the ponies that had become the new elements of loyalty and honesty respectively, The Doctor and a heavily pregnant Derpy Hooves. Twilight smiled as Derpy snored quietly, having apparently kicked The Doctor onto the floor during the night. The morning bugle call started to sound, indicating that it was time to prepare for the first attack of the day. Twilight hurried through the camp, not wanting to be seen by anyone, especially her friends or Princess Luna. She made her way into the graveyard, using the large tombstones to cover her escape. Twilight made her way back to her cave and waited, retrieving a small book from one of her hidden pockets in order to occupy herself. But even then, the day went by slowly. That night, Twilight discovered that she was unable to have a sound sleep once again, much to her dismay. Instead, she conjured up an image of Celestia and spent the night watching it.
Once again, the next morning came all too slowly, but as Twilight approached the camp, she found it a hive of activity, as ponies of all kinds prepared for the funeral. At the morning bugle call, the soldiers made a slow march to the training grounds, where the service was to be held. The elements of harmony stood at the front of the soldiers, as Luna carried Celestia out of the morgue with her magic. Luna, The Doctor, and Black Diamond all gave eulogies to the fallen Princess. After the speeches had been given, Luna, Rarity and a few other unicorns all gathered around Celestia. With their magic working in unison, they lifted her into the air and chanted an ancient song. As they sung, a casket of pure diamond formed around Celestia, preserving her for all time. Twilight allowed herself to cry freely as she watched the casket being loaded into a wagon that was covered in flowers. She was being returned to Canterlot for a state funeral and so that she could be placed beside her parents in the castle's catacombs. Twilight teleported away and followed the cart toward Maneflow Springs, where she was going to hop a ship back to New Grifburg. Meanwhile, she stared at the casket in the wagon, not moving, cold.
"I suppose I should give you my final report, your majesty." Said Twilight, moving closer to the wagon.
"Dear Princess Celestia, sometimes life takes you to unexpected places, and you aren't sure if you can cope with the changes. But then you realise that change is part of life, and that if you don't learn to grow and adapt, you can never reach your full potential. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. P.S. I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you. I will make it up to you somehow, I promise."
Twilight rubbed her bloodshot eyes as she stood in front of what remained of the mirror in the cathedral's bathroom. Hours and hours of crying over the loss of her mentor, Princess Celestia, had left her physically and mentally weak. Her companions, the master thief Archangel and the Griffin twins Max and Jean had been sent by Twilight on a mission to gather supplies and any information that might be useful. The main reason she wanted them gone was because Twilight didn't want them to see her in what she considered a vulnerable state. Looking back into the mirror, Twilight couldn't help but remember Celestia's face, and how her disfigured eye and scar was a part of her because of the loyalty she felt toward the princess. Twilight had fought in the war not just for her friends or for the safety of Equestria; she fought because she didn't want to let down Celestia. Hearing noises from above, Twilight instinctively raised her hood and climbed the spiral staircase to the very top of the tower, where she had set up a headquarters of sort. Finding herself surprisingly pleased to see that is was the two Griffins; Twilight used her magic to lift a large paper bag full of groceries.
"Where's Archangel?" She asked, trying to sound flippant and disinterested. Max, who was carrying a rather large crate, set it down and leant on it, breathing heavily.
"He's still collecting stuff. A lot of what you asked for isn't exactly available at the local market." He said, as Twilight lifted the crate with magic and set it in one of the empty corners. She nodded, opening the crate and pulling out long metal poles.
"What is all that?" Asked Jean, as she started to unload the bags. Casting a spell on the poles, Twilight walked back toward the two and helped.
"Beds, we can't sleep on the floor all the time can we?" Said Twilight, as behind her; the poles connected and fused together in the shape of very simple cot beds, enough for the four of them.
"Good thing that Archangel's contact was able to procure them for us." Said Max, rolling his eyes. Twilight raised an eyebrow at the young Griffin.
"You don't like him do you?" She asked, and Max smiled, shaking his head slightly.
"It's not that. I just remember all of these thefts when I was a guard that we just couldn't explain. Locked rooms with no windows, something in the middle of a guarded area. Never any clue left behind, not even a hair or feather. I have a feeling it was our companion." He explained, and Twilight got the sense of just how dedicated he was to protecting the citizens of the city and doing his duty. They finished unpacking, and Twilight was just about to start training Max in the finer points of stealth when Archangel suddenly burst through the open window, tripping on the windowsill and slamming into the floor, sliding across the wooden floorboards. Jean rushed over to help him up, and Twilight noticed that he looked scared.
"Dusk, you have to help me! A dear friend of mine got caught stealing a loaf of bread to feed her family. We have to save her!" He said in a panicked voice. Max's eyes went wide and he dashed to his sleeping bag, pulling on his white hood and cloak.
"What are you doing? Won't she just get a warning?" Asked Twilight, oblivious to the reason for the distress.
"Damn, I forgot that you haven't been here for a few days. They called a zero tolerance policy on theft. Anyone caught stealing or trading stolen goods is to be hanged by the neck until dead." Said Max, pulling the straps on his daggers sheath. Twilight's eyes went wide with shock at the news.
"You can't be serious!" She exclaimed, as Archangel took long gulps of water from a cup.
"I am dead serious. But what might interest you is that the execution is going to be heralded by Councillor Mercer. He was one of Alistair's personal advisors. Not to mention that he fits your criteria for evil authority figures." Archangel told her, pulling on his own hood and cloak. Twilight didn't need any more convincing, she slipped her hidden blade onto her arm and smiled.
"Here we go; Our first mission as a team. What's the plan?" She asked as the three dived out the window, Twilight being carried by Max. The wind made their voices hard to hear as they glided toward the nearest building.
"She will be held in the dungeons beneath the main guard house. Closest to the entrance though. Guards want to do the least amount of work possible with prisoners." Said Max as they landed. Twilight giggled despite herself. They galloped in the direction of the guard house, occasionally passing a rooftop garden or a ramshackle looking camp. Once they finally reached it, Twilight looked over at Archangel and saw that he was even more scared than he had been in the tower.
"Are you going to be able to do this?" Asked Twilight, concerned for him and his mental state. He nodded once and smiled an obviously fake smile.
"We haven't got much time left; they execute a prisoner every hour now, and it isn't always public." Said Max, his eyes searching for an entrance point. Twilight filled her horn with magic and grabbed the two boys, before teleporting into the building. They found themselves in what appeared to be a broom closet, with barely enough room to fit the three of them in there. After much effort, they managed to get out, slowly making their way through the labyrinth of passages in the prison. The cells were full of Griffins and ponies alike, and Twilight even saw a Minotaur amongst the prisoners. Max took the lead, heading for the entrance to the dungeon, and much to Twilight's hope, Archangel's friend.
"So… teleportation huh?" Said Max, peering around a corner. "Not many unicorns have that ability. You must be special."
"I'm just a regular unicorn assassin. Nothing more Max. Now drop it." Snapped Twilight, irritated that he would ask such a thing in the middle of a mission. None of them talked afterwards. After some time, they reached the cell in which Max assured them that she would be in, only to find it empty. Twilight could see Archangel beginning to panic once again.
"Archangel, just relax, we will save your friend. It will be okay." Said Twilight, not needing a pony whose rampant emotions could get them all killed.
"No it won't Dusk, you have no idea. I didn't tell you the whole truth. This pony isn't just my friend… She's my daughter. She is so young, hasn't even got her cutie mark yet." Exclaimed Archangel. Both Twilight and Max looked at him in utter shock.
"Your daughter? Well then why was she stealing?" Asked Max and Archangel only responded with a raised eyebrow. Max shrugged, getting the point. He gestured for the ponies to follow him, and they made their way up the stairs and into the guard house proper, being very careful to check their corners as they did so. At one point, they came across a guard that was blocking their path outside. Twilight, with skill that surprised the others greatly, killed the guard in a swift and silent movement. She stuffed the body into a chest that rested in what Twilight could only assume was the armoury, although it was almost entirely devoid of weapons.
"Cutbacks for the war effort." Explained Max as they lay a blanket over the corpse. Eventually, they found themselves at the top of the guard house, which Max referred to as 'The smokers sanctuary.' Looking down into the streets, they saw a crowd starting to gather in the town square. Without a word to the others, Archangel opened his wings and took off, heading in the direction of the crowd. Twilight called out after him, but knew it was no use. Max suddenly lifted her off the ground and gave chase, despite Archangel's lead. They found him sitting on a roof top that overlooked the square, his wings sat limp against his sides and his shoulders shook. Twilight walked next to him and peered down at the scene.
What she saw made her eyes well up with tears and her hooves shake with uncontrollable rage. In the centre, a wooden gallows had been erected, and suspended underneath were five shapes. Three were griffins, one was a unicorn and the last was the smallest shape; a light blue Pegasus filly dangled by her neck, swaying slightly in the wind. In front of them, pacing up and down the platform was a griffin, clad in the ceremonial robes of a council member. He was middle aged, judging by the slight grey colouring of his beard. Twilight turned to Archangel, as he cried silently. She put her hoof on his shoulder, only to have it batted away.
"I don't need your pity, nor do I want it. What I do want is vengeance. I am going to kill. Them. All." He shouted, getting back to his hooves. Tears were still streaming down his face as he turned to Twilight.
Are you going to help me or not, because I am going down there right now." He said, and Twilight hesitated, looking back down at the gallows and the filly. She nodded, pulling her hood lower over her face. Archangel scowled, opening his wings and leaping off the rooftop with a mighty yell. Twilight gestured to Max and he followed the grief stricken Pegasus, as Twilight poured magic into her horn and looked at the gallows.
What followed was nothing like Twilight had expected; Intense noise and heat, adrenaline coursing through her system as she moved completely on instinct. Her hidden blade glinted in the sunlight, the purple gem casting its colour over the scene. She could hear Archangel's pained screams as he cut down guards with no mercy. Twilight punched a griffin that was flying toward her, sending his head into the ground so hard that it shattered his skull. She looked up to see the council member, cowering behind on of the gallows support beams. She made her way to him slowly, suddenly becoming aware of Max and Archangel beside her. They stood over the griffin, and Twilight smiled with satisfaction when she realised that he had peed himself.
"You.. you can't do this. I am a member of the council, advisor to Prince Alistair himself." Pleaded the griffin. Archangel took a step forward, stamping his hoof on the wood as he did so.
"Does that give you any right to SLAUGHTER CHILDREN!!!!" He yelled, and tried to jump on the griffin, only to be held in place by Twilight's magic.
"For your crimes against the citizens of this great city, we, the warriors for the oppressed, hereby sentence you to death. May your soul never find peace." Said Twilight, finding the need for such a speech.
"It's more mercy than you deserve." Said Archangel, spitting on the griffin. Twilight extended her hidden blade, dragging the council member toward her with magic at the same time. She put her hoof on his chest as she struggled against the magic bonds. With one last look into his eyes, she plunged the blade into his throat, letting his own pulse drain him of every last drop of his blood. She pulled it out and turned to see Archangel cutting his daughter off the gallows and holding her in his arms, tears running down his face as he held her. Max bent down and whispered in Twilight's ear.
"We can't stay here." Twilight nodded, wiping blood off her hooves.
"Just let him have a little longer with her, he needs this." She told him.
That night, Twilight and Max travelled to the slums, where Archangel's daughter, whom Twilight learned was named Fire Orchid, was to be buried. She learned that Archangel was a single parent, the Mother having abandoned them both in favour of a rich socialite. He cared for her the only way he knew how, by showing her how he had survived and teaching her how to do the same. Fire Orchid was buried in the light of the full moon, with Archangel clinging desperately to Twilight for support. She conceded, lowering her hood in respect for both Archangel and the filly. Afterwards, as they solemnly walked back to the cathedral, Archangel suddenly looked at Twilight and said;
"What I said earlier, about killing them all…. It still applies. No matter what, they will all pay for what happened to my baby. I will not let her death be in vain. I will take back this city…. On dead Griffin at a time." He said, and for the first time since Twilight had met him, she was scared. Scared that he would fulfil his promise.
"I'm here for you." She said.
Twilight sighed as she stared out of the open window into the frigid night air. Two weeks had passed since Archangel's daughter had been hanged, and a week since he had gone missing. Twilight attributed that to his grief, and for a time, believed that he would return, but lately, her faith in that had wavered. Max had brought rumours of an assassin, killing griffin criminals in the slums, dressed completely in black. She turned to check on him, as he got ready to follow her in search of the killer, who Twilight assumed was Archangel. Quickly running her hoof through her mane, now cut very short, but long enough that it was still feminine, she thought of the rage that Archangel had shown when they found his daughter. Max had gone off on a major rant about Archangel once he was confirmed missing. He was furious that he had left the team without so much as a goodbye or a reason for leaving. Twilight tried to defend him, hoping to make Max understand what Archangel was feeling. Unfortunately, Max was determined to prove that Archangel was the scumbag that he thought him to be. Twilight gestured to him irritably, trying to make Max hurry up as he lazily walked around the room, collecting his gear.
"Hurry up Max! We haven't got all night." Yelled Twilight, in no mood for games .
"I don't get why you think we need to find him. He abandoned us!" Exclaimed Max. Twilight jumped off the window sill, galloping straight up to him and shoving him into the wall.
"Just stop it Max! Whether you like it or not he is one of us. He is the reason that we have all of the stuff you see around you. The beds, your hood and cloak. Everything. Why can't you get over your self righteousness and grow up enough to realise that we need him if we are ever going to take back this city for the griffins, for you and your sister." Yelled Twilight, pushing him harder into the wall. Max collapsed on the ground, looking up at Twilight with a look of absolute fear upon his face. He looked over at Jean, who was giving him a dirty look.
"She's right Max. I just don't get why you are so antagonistic toward him." Said Jean, as Max looked at the ground ashamedly.
"I… I just can't handle being abandoned by another stallion." Said Max sadly, a single tear rolling out of his left eye. Twilight raised an eyebrow at him, before turning to Jean, hoping that she would elaborate. Jean nodded in the direction of the door, a look of realisation on her face. Twilight followed her down the spiral staircase to the main hall. Jean took a deep breath, looking around the abandoned church awkwardly as Twilight stared at her.
"We probably shouldn't be too hard on him. He has been scorned like this before, and it tore him up inside." Jean told her, and Twilight was surprised to learn that Max, behind his tough exterior, was nought but a regular griffin, prone to the same heartbreaks that all beings have to go through.
"The Stallion's name was Sooty; he worked in one of the factories in the industrial zone. Max and he were together for about five years, and then…. Sea Worthy rolled into town. He was a sailor from.. Uh, Baltimare I think, but anyway. Sooty just up and left Max. He got on a ship with Sea Worthy and sailed off into the sunset. We found out a little bit later that Sooty had been sleeping around behind Max's back for a long time. He was devastated, he started drinking very heavily and staying out all night. He quit his job at the local bank, and moved in with me. It was such a long time before he was even able to leave my house. From what I can figure, he has developed serious abandonment issues." Continued Jean, her voice becoming slowly softer.
"I see, I… I should apologise. I didn't know that he was so… pained." Said Twilight, feeling very ashamed that she had spoken so harshly to him. Jean shook her head.
"Don't. He needed to hear what you said, even if it was painful."
"I still need his help to find Archangel. He knows this city much better than I do." Said Twilight rubbing her eyes, exhausted from a lack of sleep that had afflicted her since Celestia's death.
"Perhaps not. I know the city just as well as Max, and not to mention that I actually want to find Archangel." Said Jean, looking at Twilight with anticipation.
"But I thought that you didn't want to go on missions." Said Twilight, raising an eyebrow at Jean.
"Hey, I said I didn't want to kill. Besides, I'm tired of being cooped up in here all the time, I need to get some fresh air." She said, pleading with Twilight. She hesitated, unsure if taking Jean on a potentially dangerous mission was such a good idea. Then she remembered that she needed a local to help her navigate, otherwise not only would she get lost easily, she would most likely find herself in the wrong situation, such as in the middle of a guards patrol. She nodded, and Jean let out an excited squeak. Together they made their way back up the staircase, where Jean happily donned Max's old white hooded jumper, much to Max's displeasure.
"Just what do you think you are doing?" He asked, getting off the floor and wiping tears from his eyes. He walked over to Jean and grabbed her by the shoulder angrily. Jean grabbed his wrist and tore it away, scowling at Max all the while.
"I'm going to help Dusk look for Archangel, since you are obviously too busy wallowing in self-pity to help your friend." Jean said poking Max in the chest with every word. She flipped her hood up, covering her eyes, and then she spread her wings, revealing a wingspan much larger than her brother's.
"If you want me, I'll be with Dusk, doing your job." She continued, before turning and making her way over to the window. Twilight followed her, not looking Max in the eye, lest she buckle and tell Jean to stay. She and Jean dived out of the window together, Twilight enjoying the freedom of freefalling for a few seconds before she was grabbed around the wrists by Jean and taken high into the air. They glided for some time, Jean finding thermal currants with expert skill, meaning that she was barely moving her wings at all, just allowing gravity and her wings to take them where they needed to go. As they headed over the slums, Twilight could see tiny points of light spread out all over the place in a seemingly random pattern. Upon realising that they were in fact small campfires, Twilight got a sense of just how big the slums actually were. They seemed to cover an area about one and a half times the size of Ponyville, if she were to include Applejack's and Carrot top's respective farms. Twilight whistled once and Jean closed her wings, putting them both into a steep, yet silent dive. She pulled up just before they hit the ground, coming to a sliding stop outside of what appeared to be the remains of a school.
"I used to go there when I was a kid. It was great, up until the rich griffin that was funding the school died. Then when the money that there was dried up, they had no choice but to close down. Sad really." Jean told Twilight, a glint of nostalgia and innocence in her eyes. Twilight smiled, but inside she felt guilty that she had grown up in such a privileged way. She had come from a loving home, been the personal student of Princess Celestia, and was an element of harmony, while all around her there was suffering. In New Grifburg, as well as Canterlot, poverty and crime was everywhere, ponies died just because they had nowhere to sleep on cold winter's nights. Twilight swore to herself then and there, that once the war was over, she would see to it that every single citizen of this slum would be granted a new lease on life, a new house or something, anything to improve their lives.
They walked away from the school and started their search of the slums, with Jean taking the rooftops, while Twilight took to the street level, her eyes constantly searching for any signs of Archangel. The ponies and griffins that she came across gave her a wide berth, as though they were scared of her. She didn't blame them. She had lowered her hood to give herself a greater field of vision, but as a result, her eye was exposed, and the white iris glowed slightly in the moonlight. Twilight's breath was mist before her, as the cold night air clung to her face. Her ears twitched constantly, shivering as they tried to pick up the faintest of sounds. A sudden scream pulled Twilight out of her trance. She galloped toward the source of the scream, her horn becoming charged with magic as she ran. She soon found herself in a park, a single flickering fire lighting up the entire area. In the centre, near a set of rusted playground equipment, was a figure, clad completely in black, standing over the limp body of a griffin, a pool of blood forming under it.
"Archangel?" Said Twilight cautiously, keeping her horn charged. The wings on the back of the figure opened up fully, and Twilight had no doubt in the world that they belonged to Archangel. He turned, lowering his hood at the same time.
"Hello Twilight, or is it still Dusk?" He said softly. He slowly made his way toward Twilight, each one of his steps forward mirrored by Twilight going backward.
"Why are you doing this Archangel? None of this will bring back Fire Orchid." Said Twilight, hoping desperately that she could help him.
"I know that Dusk! I'm just trying to do something that will bring back my honour here." He snapped, and Twilight recoiled, too unsure of what he was going to do next.
"We only want to help you through this Archangel." Said Jean, who suddenly appeared behind him. He turned sharply, startled by her sudden appearance.
"What is this? An intervention?" He exclaimed, before flapping his wings and trying to take to the air. Twilight fired off a spell that she had prepared. It locked his wings to his side, forcing him to stay on the ground. He struggled against the spell, but to no avail, only serving to tire himself out. Twilight walked over to him, her horn charged with another spell, this one designed to disable him.
"Please, just tell us why you ran away. We are your friends, we want to help." She said, putting her hoof on his shoulder. Archangel screamed, before collapsing on the ground in a heap, weeping. Jean and Twilight stood over him, watching as he howled in grief. He eventually stopped, sitting up straight and looking at the two girls sadly.
"I… I got a lead on the pony that sold out my daughter. It turns out that someone tipped the guards off as to where she was after she got away from them. I found them, with much effort, and… I got back at him. I thought that if you found out, then you wouldn't want me back in the team. So my only choice was to go rogue and here I am, killing rapists and murderers. There, are you happy." He asked, looking down at the ground in shame. Twilight shook her head and sighed, while Jean just stood there with her mouth agape. Finally, Twilight bent down to look Archangel in the eye.
"While I don't condone what you did. I understand the need for vengeance. If you still want to, I will welcome you back with open hooves. But know this; if you ever do anything like this again, you're out. Do you understand?" She said monotonously, without a hint of how angry she was in her voice. Archangel nodded, and Twilight released his wings from the spell.
"Jean, can you please escort him back to the church? I want to go for a walk." Twilight asked. Jean nodded, grabbing Archangel's wrist and taking to the sky. She watched them disappear into the thick cloud cover that was rolling over the city, obscuring Luna's moon and leaving a sense of closure to the night. She walked out of the park, lighting up her horn so she could see the road in front of her, all the while thinking of Archangel and his quest for revenge.
'Should I have done the same thing as Archangel? But how? Princess Celestia was killed by a dragon, one that she herself killed at the same time it killed her. For Rainbow and Aj then? Should I take all of my rage and guilt out on Gilda. But then what about Rarity? She was violated by that dirt bag Tinker. Should I go and kill him? I just don't know! I wish to death that I was a home right now. In the library, curled up next to the fire with Spike and a good book, not thinking of senseless revenge.' Thought Twilight, becoming more and more confused the more she thought about it. She knew that vengeance was not the right way to solve her conflicts, but couldn't shake the feeling that if she were to finish off the ones that had hurt her friends, then she might find some kind of satisfaction or peace.
When she got back to the church, she found the others had already fallen asleep, even archangel, who had abandoned his black hood and cloak. She gently shook him awake, a single question burning in her mind.
"Was it worth it? The revenge?" She asked, and to her surprise, he shook his head.
"It only served to make the hole in my heart even larger, because now I have nothing to cling to. Not my daughter, not the thought of killing her betrayer, nothing." Archangel told her, before falling back to sleep. Twilight smiled, knowing that even though the hole in her heart was always going to be there, it wasn't going to get bigger.
The grey tinged snow melted slowly in the windowsill as the new spring sun shone through the stained glass windows in the church tower, filling the octagonal room with a mix on blue, green and red colours. Twilight was pleased that winter had ended, so that she could make a bigger effort on helping the city, without the threat of her horn freezing off. Her new friends were also pleased, as it meant that New Grifburg would soon be having its annual Spring festival, an event that brought together the rich and the poor in the name of mutual celebration of the end of Winter and the upcoming season of hatchlings. Max and Jean had informed Twilight of the significance of the event, as it was only in the spring and summer months that Griffin eggs would hatch. They also told her that only a handful of griffins had even been born out of season, two of which were Prince Alistair and Princess Gilda. It was a time of peace for the griffins, one of the few times during the year when they would call a truce with the ponies. The streets would be filled with griffins and ponies alike as they partied and drank themselves stupid for a week, then the second week would see the beginning of the hatchings. During Jean's heartfelt reminiscing of previous years, Twilight's thought's turned to Pinkie Pie and how much she wished they could be together at a time like this. Pinkie would love to be at a party of this magnitude, when an entire city revelled in fun and laughter.
Twilight forced those thoughts from her mind, not wanting to be reminded of all the things she left behind. Max and Archangel suddenly flew in through the window, large bags of supplies being carried over their backs, as well as their mouths. The animosity between the two was still strong, even more so than before Archangel's disappearance and return. Neither one would ever look the other in the eye. For Archangel it was a matter of guilt, his quest for revenge over the death of his daughter had tarnished his own sense of honour. As for Max, he was mad that another stallion had scorned him when he needed them most.
"So did you get everything?" Asked Jean as she started to rifle through the bags. Both boys gave short affirmative grunts in reply. Jean turned to Twilight and sighed, Twilight begun to think that they would never speak to each other again. Archangel walked up to Twilight and handed her a slip of paper with an address on it, one she didn't recognise.
"One of my contacts gave me that. He thinks we should check it out. Wouldn't elaborate on the why." Archangel told her, before Max snatched the paper away angrily.
"And what? Are we just meant to trust your street urchin friend?" He said, balling up the note and throwing it back into Archangel's face. Twilight started to worry that they were going to come to blows as they stared daggers at each other. Jean sighed, getting in between the boys before anything could happen.
"Okay, I'm so sick and tired of you both! Max, he left because he was in pain. Archangel had just lost his daughter. You have no idea what he's been through. And Archangel, you have to understand that Max has had too many ponies and griffins abandon him to just forgive it again." She yelled, pushing both of them away from each other. Max and Archangel looked away from her, and Twilight could tell that they were ashamed of how they had acted.
"Since you two obviously can't work together, so Jean is going to help me investigate that address." Said Twilight, hoping to cut short the argument and keep the peace to some degree.
"What!? No, I forbid it!" Yelled Max, shaking his head violently. Jean shot max a dirty look, and her brother took a few timid steps backward.
"You.. forbid it? What am I to you? A child that can be ordered around. Don't you forget that I am a full eighteen minutes older. I'm going with Dusk and there is nothing you can do about it." She told him sternly, before walking over to her bunk and pulling the white hooded jumper over her head.
"Jean has proven herself to me and I believe that she can handle herself. Now we are leaving to investigate while you two stay here and talk out your problems. If we can't work as a team, then the griffins have already won." Said Twilight, effectively ending the argument in one swift move. Both boys nodded silently, and Twilight felt a sense of power that she quite liked. The girls headed for the window, and just as they dove out the window, Twilight heard Max say "Be safe."
As she wandered over the rooftops of the city, Twilight could see citizens start to get ready for the festival, with stores stocking up on party supplies, alcohol and food. It was a side to New Grifburg that she hadn't seen before, and liked to imagine that it was going to be the norm once all of the corruption was gone.
"How long does the city stay in this state of peace after the festival ends?" Asked Twilight, taking a glance over the side of the building into the street below.
"Unfortunately, only for a few weeks, then it goes back to normal. The rich sometimes donate to a charity if some of the impoverished make an impression on them, but it's a lot more rare than it should be." Replied Jean, smiling a little, as though a pleasant memory had surfaced.
The address that Archangel had been given turned out to be in the industrial zone, a large factory to be precise. Three brick chimney's stretching into the sky, all spewing thick black smoke. It was surrounded by a chain link fence that was topped with barbed wire.
"Now that is a fortress." Said Jean, and Twilight was happy to see that she shared her brother's sense of humour.
"I could teleport us in, but I'll be pretty weak afterwards. If it was a full moon, it would be easy. My magic seems to be strongest then." Twilight told her, sighing. She looked at Jean, who was looking at her with a raised eyebrow. She shrugged, not understanding what Jean was getting at, until she spread her wings.
"Know any invisibility spells?" Said Jean, smiling. Twilight nodded, allowing her to be gripped around the waist by Jean's talons, while at the same time, she charged her horn with magic and cast the spell. The world shimmered for a moment, as a bubble formed around the two. The spell was one of Twilight's own design, and it worked by bending the light around the bubble. It was based off the special ops armour Rarity had made for the war. Jean took to the air, with Twilight suspended precariously underneath as they infiltrated the base. Jean flew in the direction of a small catwalk that clung to the side of the factory. The metal creaked as they landed, and Twilight could tell that it was almost rusted through, just painted over to fool a safety inspector.
"Maybe you should keep to the air for a while. I have a spell that will help us to keep in contact over distance." Said Twilight, casting the new spell. It caused a pink glow to appear around the top of Jean's head, and a purple to one to form around Twilight's ears.
"You never cease to impress me with your magic Dusk. Are you sure you are going to be okay by yourself?" Asked Jean, as Twilight left the protection of the invisibility bubble. She nodded, and then she felt a small rush of air as Jean took to the sky. Twilight followed the path of the catwalk, hoping that the metal wouldn't buckle before she reached the door. Once she was inside, Twilight headed for the lower levels, in search of offices that might contain the information she requires. Much to her surprise, the labyrinthine hallways were suspiciously empty, despite the fact that it was the middle of the work day. She soon found what she was looking for; an office that had the word 'Foreman' written on the door. Inside, the walls were lined with filing cabinets, and as she went through them, Twilight started to become discouraged. The folders were filled with nothing but employee records and logistical information about their product, which appeared to be something called a 'Firearm.' Having no clue what it was, Twilight put the files back as neat as she could, and left the office, still looking for anything that would have piqued the interest of Archangel's contact.
"Anything yet?" Asked Jean, her voice coming through as clear as if she was standing beside her.
"I'm afraid not. This place is deserted. Not a soul around. It's quite strange." Replied Twilight, rounding a corner to find a staircase leading downwards.
"Well if you want my advice, I would head toward the main production area. If you wanted to find where the action is. That is where it would be." Jean suggested, and Twilight agreed, heading down the stairs. A few flights later, Twilight heard a multitude of voices and other sounds of industry, and they only got louder as she descended in the bowels of the factory.
The air got progressively hotter as Twilight walked down the final hallway to the production floor, and the noise was almost deafening. The door at the end of the hall wasn't locked, but it was heavy, and Twilight needed some magic to help her. What lay inside shocked the purple unicorn all the way to her core. The entire room was filled with ponies and griffins, as well as machines that spewed fire and black smoke. Twilight slowly entered, taking great care not to attract attention. Hiding amongst some crates that rested against a wall, she started to try and determine what it was that they were making.
"Jean, I'm on the production floor, and by the looks of things, some kind of a weapon is being made. I have no idea of the nature of it, but it doesn't look overly dangerous. It's just a long tube attached to a piece of wood." Said Twilight, but received no response from Jean, even after trying repeatedly. She soon decided that it was time to leave, lest she be discovered and become a test subject for the weapon. Making her way back toward the door, an alarm suddenly went off, an air horn on a repeating blast. Out of nowhere, dozens of guards appeared, grabbing what Twilight reason were the finished weapons. She panicked, galloping toward the door as fast as possible. Twilight blasted them open with magic, no longer caring is she was discovered or not, only wanting to get out before whatever was setting off the alarm caused her more problems.
"Twilight! We have to get going now! I've been discovered." Said Jean, shouting into Twilight's ear.
"What! How did that happen?" She asked, galloping up the flights of stairs.
"Well, I was… relieving myself, and a guard happened to walk into the bubble. I knocked him out, but his friend ran off and activated the alarm." She told her, and Twilight could tell that she was embarrassed.
"Look, just meet me on the catwalk in a few minutes." Replied Twilight as she galloped past the foreman's office. When she got to the catwalk, her eyes darted around in search for any signs of Jean. All of a sudden, the grey coloured griffin appeared out of nowhere, having enveloped Twilight in the bubble of magic.
"I'm going to have to deactivate the invisibility I'm afraid." Said Twilight, causing Jean to panic slightly.
"What!? Are you crazy?"
"Not according to any Equestrian psychologist, but my last check-up was a few years ago. Just relax, I'm going to re- absorb the magic from the spell, and hopefully it will give me the energy I need to do a short teleport." Twilight said, trying to reassure her. Jean nodded, and Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath, lighting up her horn as she exhaled. A swirl of purple energy formed over their heads and spiralled around the whole bubble, before dissipating as a cloud of purple mist that was then drawing into Twilight's horn. Right at that moment, a pair of guards burst through the door and onto the catwalk, each of them holding one of the new weapons in their hands. In a flash, Jean grabbed Twilight and took to the air, climbing as fast as she could. Twilight on the other hoof, was focusing on a location for the teleport spell. Just when she had finally figured out the location, Jean let out a piercing scream, her wing became limp and as a result, they started to fall from the sky. Twilight looked behind her to find a trail of blood coming from the side of Jean's chest.
Twilight closed her eyes and lit up her horn, concentrating as the ground rushed to meet them. When she opened them, the ground had been replaced with the walls of the church tower that she had come to know so well. Jean rested on top of her, a dead weight that Twilight could not move.
"JEAN!" Screamed Max, running over to meet them. He pulled her off Twilight and cradled her in his arms as Archangel grabbed a first aid kit and started to treat the wound.
"How did this happen?" Asked Max, tears beginning to fall from his eyes.
"It was some kind of new weapon. I have no idea what it did to her, she just screamed and then we started falling." Said Twilight, becoming panicked as Archangel pushed a set of tweezers into the wound, causing Jean to cry out in pain.
"There is something lodged in here." He said, carefully working the object out. They soon discovered it was nothing more than a tiny lead ball. Archangel then started to disinfect the wound so that he could stich it up.
"She's lucky it was stopped by one of her ribs. I would hate to see what this would do to anypony." Archangel said, as he applied the pure alcohol to the wound, every tiny drop causing Jean to yell.
"We can't let this weapon get to the battlefield. The ponies wouldn't stand a chance." Said Max, his rational side taking over for the moment. "I'll go back and blow the place up."
"No Max, you stay here and look after Jean. I got her into this and it is my responsibility to make sure that nopony or griffin ever becomes a victim of this new thing again. I'll destroy this one on my own." Proclaimed Twilight, getting to her hooves. A look of pure determination burned onto her face.
Dark red hoof prints followed Twilight as she walked toward the open window, her eyes burning with rage. Behind her, Jean's pained screams were mixed with the panicked stuttering of Max and Archangel's desperate attempts to calm the two griffins down. She looked back at the scene, and the expression on Jean's face brought a tear to her eye.
"Dusk! You be careful. By the look of these wounds, this new weapon has a lot of power." Said Archangel, still doing his best to stitch up the hole in Jean's side that was made by the tiny lead ball. Twilight stared at him, and at the entire team.
"So do I." She told them, charging her horn with magic that took the shape of fire. She then turned and dived from the window sill, unable to enjoy her few moments of free fall like she usually would. Teleporting to the nearest rooftop, Twilight began to gallop as fast as she could toward the factory in the industrial zone, her mind focused on destroying the new weapon, so that no one would be hurt again. The city was nought but a blur as she sped across the rooftops, gravel crunching beneath her hooves.
The long afternoon shadows from the smokestacks blacked out an entire city block, and Twilight realised just how much of an eyesore the place was, even in the industrial zone. The griffins had placed more guards behind the chain link fence, and Twilight counted a dozen sporting the new weapon. She moved quickly, disappearing behind a nearby stack of wooden pallets. Taking a deep breath, Twilight cast a relatively easy spell that gave her the ability to see anyponies' line of sight, represented in her vision as a cloud of yellow mist. She decided against using the invisibility spell, purely because she wanted the energy to teleport should she get into trouble. Sticking her head out from behind the pallets, she saw a pair of guards walk past with their backs to her. After a quick check to make sure that she was clear, Twilight dashed after them, staying low and as silent as possible. When the two guards turned a corner, Twilight struck. She dived onto the one with the firearm, sticking her hidden blade into the back of his neck, then doing a flip off his back and slicing the throat of the other one before he could react. She dragged the remains behind a low wall, using a spare piece of tarp she found to conceal them. She then made her way to a nearby door, using the dirty window to check for signs of yellow mist before proceeding.
Inside, the sounds she had heard on her last visit were louder, as though the factory had gone into overdrive after her escape. Twilight came across an observation room that looked out over the production floor. The reinforced glass had been warped near the bottom by the heat rising from the furnaces below.
'I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like for the workers down there.' She thought, catching the briefest glimpse of a young pony galloping amongst the machinery. The realisation suddenly hit her that she had no way of destroying the entire building, let alone getting the workers out before she did so. An extremely loud whistle suddenly erupted from somewhere in the production area, and for a moment, Twilight panicked, fearing she had already been discovered. But then she realised that it was in fact the signal of the end of the work day. The ponies and griffins that had been scurrying about like ants in the rain abruptly dropped what they were doing and left, the odd cheer echoing across the cavernous expanse. She stood still for a moment, stunned that such a lucky thing had happened to her.
Twilight made her way down the nearest staircase, hoping to find something on the production floor that she could use to disable or blow up the factory. The furnaces they were using relied on the use of coal, unlike the ones that Pinkie had told her about that used superheated oil instead. Pinkie had destroyed a Minotaur compound with a single explosive charge attached to one of the furnaces. Twilight had nothing like that at her disposal. A yellow mist appeared in the corner of her eye, and Twilight instinctively dived for the floor, using a pile of scrap metal to hide.
"You can come out now pony. I know you are there." Said a voice, as Twilight silently cursed herself. She didn't move, hoping that they were bluffing.
"Come now, don't be shy. I just want to talk Dusk. That's your name right?" He said, and Twilight reluctantly stood to find herself facing a group of about twenty griffins, all armed with the firearm weapon. In the centre stood a griffin she recognised. He wore the robes of a council member and had stood beside Prince Alistair on the day that Twilight had assassinated him. He was younger than some of the other council griffins she had seen. He looked as though he were around Gilda's age, and of a similar build. Twilight stared at him, waiting for him to make the first move, but he just stared back at her, the smallest hint of a smirk on his face.
"Do you like the new toys?" He asked, taking one from a guard, and twirling it in his hands.
"It's quite impressive." Said Twilight, her eyes darting around for some means of escape. She would have teleported, but reasoned that she had come too far to quit.
"It is, isn't it? We call it the Flintlock. A tiny lead ball is blasted out of the end of the barrel by the use of gunpowder. The same stuff we put in cannons on ships. Exciting stuff. And in a week, we shall be rolling these out to the front lines. Can you imagine the devastation that will occur once these are in the hands of every single warrior out there? It will be… Lunacy." He said, shooting Twilight a strange look.
'Lunacy?' Thought Twilight, as her eyes narrowed.
"And I must say, it looks absolutely terrifying in the light of that Sunbeam." She replied, completing the exchange. He nodded, winking at Twilight. She smiled out of pure shock.
"That it does. Would you like to meet the inventor?" He asked, waving his hand. An older, skinny griffin with a long, thin moustache walked forward, standing next to the council member with a scowl on his face.
"Now this is interesting Dusk. Did you know that he is the only griffin in the city to have the plans for these? Locked away in his office where nogriffin can get to them. And to think, you were so close to killing him and destroying all of this. Every single Flintlock could have gone up in smoke as simple as one… two… three." He said, and as the last word left his mouth, the griffin swung the Flintlock to the left, holding it up against the head of one of the guards. At the same time, Twilight leapt, extending her hidden blade and teleporting as she did so. She landed on top of the inventor, her blade going into his windpipe as the council griffin pulled the trigger. The skulls of four of the guards exploded into red mist as the inventor exhaled his last breath.
A moment of silence came across the room as the remaining guards stared at the two killers, unable to move out of sheer shock. Twilight removed her blade from the inventor's throat, turning her head to face the guards to her right.
"Move." Said the council griffin, as he picked up one of the dropped firearms, and fired it, causing another guard to violently recoil from the force of the projectile and fall down. Twilight jumped off the freshly made corpse and onto the nearest guard, slashing her blade across his face as the others levelled their weapons at her. They fired, as Twilight braced herself behind the safety of the guard's body. A multitude of loud bangs and tufts of smoke filled the air, as her makeshift shield was torn apart by the weapons. A single ball grazed Twilight's shoulder, creating a deep gash in her skin. She grit her teeth against the pain, allowing the guard to collapse in front of her. Behind her, she could hear the guards screaming after being shot. The griffins in front of her rushed to reload as she bounced from head to head, slashing and stabbing, splattering's of blood spreading over the walls.
As the last guard fell on Twilight's side of the room, she turned to find the council member watching her, wiping his hands on his blue robes. The smile on his face made Twilight uneasy and after retracting her blade and making certain her hood was down, she walked up to him cautiously.
"I think we make a good team, don't you?" He asked, as he started to unbutton his robe, much to Twilight's confusion.
"I have two questions." Said Twilight, keeping a close eye on the griffin.
"Only two?" He said, smiling, as he sat down on one of the many boxes that were littered throughout the room. He was too relaxed and happy for Twilight's liking.
"Firstly, who are you, and second. How did you know our code? And lastly, why?" She asked.
"That's three questions."
"You're right, answer them." She snapped, filling her horn with magic and illuminating her face. The griffin raised his hands in a gesture of peace.
"Hey hey, relax. I'm actually on your side. My official title is Councillor Aurora. But you can call me David. As for your other two questions, well… They have the same answer. You aren't the only resistance movement out there Dusk. Okay, so you are the most effective, I'll give you that. I am a member of the Griffin Solar Empire. We believe that the city would be better off if we made peace with the ponies and created an alliance with Celestia. And we even have permission from Celestia herself to fight in her name. I personally approached her not long before the war broke out, but I haven't heard from her in a while." David told her, and Twilight could tell that he was sincere by the tone of his voice. She decided not to tell him about Celestia's death, not seeing it as appropriate at that moment.
"If you're a member of the resistance, then how come you are a councillor?" Asked Twilight, still suspicious.
"It seemed like the best way to cause upheaval from the inside. My group isn't like yours, we have a tendency to fight according to the laws around here. But then I saw you in action on the day of Alistair's death, and…. I was inspired. I requested to be put in charge of this project simply because I knew that it would attract your attention." He replied, getting off the box and making his way toward Twilight. Once he stood directly in front of her he kneeled, bowing his head.
"What are you doing?" She asked nervously.
"I, David Aurora, hereby pledge my services to you in the name of Princess Celestia, until such a time as my heart stops beating or our mission is complete." He declared, every word was clear and precise, as though he had practiced it a hundred times. Awkwardly, Twilight smiled and patted him on the shoulder, prompting him to stand, firing off a quick salute as he did so.
"Uhhhh…. Thank you?" She said, not prepared for something like that. David nodded, visibly relaxing back to how Twilight had seen him before.
"So… David. Do you have any plans for blowing this place up?" Said Twilight hopefully. David just smirked, walking back to the box he had been sitting on and opening it. Inside were ten sticks of dynamite. Twilight's eyes widened when she saw them, mostly out of shock, but part of her was excited to see the explosion that was coming. The two set the dynamite all around the factory, looking for places that were going to do the most damage. Twilight stumbled across a room that was filled with barrel upon barrel of gunpowder. As she set up the explosive, she found herself growing more and more excited.
Once all of the sticks had been laid and connected together onto a single fuse. David and Twilight lit it and ran. They managed to cross two full blocks before the explosion ripped through the building, sending a wave of heat and force that almost made Twilight trip. When they thought they were far enough away, Twilight and David turned to watch the building burn. The smokestacks luckily fell backward when they collapsed, crushing the outlying buildings in the compound. The fire brigade arrived after a while, forcing Twilight and her new companion to flee before guards and other authority figures turned up.
David followed Twilight through the streets, as griffins and ponies all watched the enormous cloud of black smoke drift across the sky, blotting out the last remnants of the sunset. Twilight was already hearing whispers of her name, and how she must have been the one that did it. Most of them were pleased as they spoke, but the occasional citizen expressed their outrage at such an act so close to the Spring festival. As they got closer to the church, Twilight led him down an alleyway that branched off in the opposite direction, before turning and using her magic to pin him against a wall.
"Well thank you for your help, but I'm still not sure if I can trust you." She said, placing her hooves on either side of David's head.
"I learnt this little trick from a very unusual pony that had an obsession with a blue box." She smiled, as her thoughts quickly turned to her friend The Doctor. She touched her horn to David's forehead, sending a pulse of purple energy into his mind. It was a strange experience for her, as David's memories and deepest secrets appeared in her own mind's eye. She concentrated, narrowing the memories down to his recent ones, catching a brief glimpse of Celestia amongst it all.
Twilight pulled her arms away, her smile growing at the same time.
"What in the hay was that?" Exclaimed David, starting to struggle against the magical bonds. Twilight released him, and he collapsed onto the ground, his muscles weak.
"That just showed me that you are sincere about helping me, and that I can trust you. Now come on." She said, beckoning him to follow her. David walked shakily, as if he hadn't slept in days. They entered the church through the front door, not bothering to check to see if there were guards, as they both reasoned that the guards would be busy with keeping the factory clear of looters.
They climbed to the top of the tower, with Twilight going ahead of David, both to prepare the others, but also because he was climbing very slowly. When she entered to octagonal room, she found Archangel and Max still crowded around Jean, who, much to Twilight's joy, looked like see was breathing normally. She walked in silently, sitting down next to Archangel.
"How is she?" She asked, looking at the pool of dried blood that was caked to the floor around Jean, as well as Archangel's hooves.
"She's going to be okay. I think. I stitched up her wound as best I could, gave her a sedative, and we have been watching her sleep for the past couple of hours. And I assume your mission went swimmingly, judging from the incredibly loud sound that echoed across the city a little while ago." Said Archangel, giving Twilight a pat on the back with his wings.
"It did indeed, and I also managed to add another member to our little team." She told them, gesturing at the door behind her with perfect timing, because just at that moment, David walked in the door.
"David?" Exclaimed Max, getting to his feet. The look of shock on his face was the last thing Twilight expected.
"Max?" Asked David, equally as shocked. The two stared at each other as Twilight and Archangel gave each other questioning glances.
"So how do you two know each other?" Asked Archangel quietly.
"David's my ex-boyfriend." Replied Max.
An eagle's cry echoed in the distance as the small group of griffins and ponies that had taken asylum in the abandoned cathedral sat in awkward silence. Twilight's eyes darted between Max, the griffin guard that had abandoned his position to join her band of assassins and the newest member; a griffin councillor named David. The revelation that David and Max knew each other, and even used to be in a relationship, came as a major shock to the two ponies that sat in the centre of the octagonal room.
"Wait…. What?" Said Archangel, raising his blood stained hoof into the air, much like a colt would in school. A groan came from the floor, as Max's sister Jean lay injured on the wooden floorboards. Max bent down and put his hoof on her chest, keeping her steady as Archangel gave her a look over.
"David and I were together back in high school. We broke up… because of reasons," explained Max, gently stroking his sister's face.
"We broke up because he wanted to be a guard and I disagreed. I wanted to change this city, not become part of the problem," said David, still awkwardly standing in the doorway and staring at the group.
"Does it look like I became part of the problem?" Asked Max sarcastically and David made an aggressive move forward. Max quickly got to his feet and took a step towards him, only to be stopped by Twilight as she got in between the two.
"Now hang on. We don't need any of this aggression here. I don't care if you have issues with each other. What I do care about is helping Jean get through the night. So if you can't be civil, then I'm going to have to ask you to leave,' Twilight told them forcefully. Max and David stared daggers at each other, and Twilight could feel the tension in the air.
"Well, this is pleasant," joked Archangel, only to receive a stern look from Twilight that shut him up. Max let out a low growl that was soon mirrored by David. Twilight rolled her eyes as the growling got louder, the lion side of the griffins becoming dominant.
"I said; That's enough!" Yelled Twilight, throwing up two walls of purple energy in front of Max and David to prevent them from doing anything. They pressed up hard against it, growling like angry dogs.
"Some suggestions would be much appreciated," said Twilight as she poured more magic into the walls. Archangel just shrugged, and she could see that he looked uncomfortable.
"Well aren't you just the most helpful Pegasus ever?" She said sarcastically. All of a sudden, Jean sat upright, a loud cry of pain accompanying her awakening. Max broke off his staring contest with David to look at his sister. He dived around the wall, sliding across the wooden floor and coming to a rest next to Jean.
"Jean, just lay down ok-" started Max, before Jean stopped him with a powerful slap to the face. He was spun around by the force of the blow and hit the ground hard.
"Max…. You are to show respect to Dusk and our new guest. Hello David, it's nice to see you again," said Jean weakly, before passing out once more. Max stood up, his face bright red in embarrassment, and looked back at Twilight and David. Twilight watched him closely as he licked his beak.
"David… I… I understand that you are mad at me because I didn't follow you in the way that you wanted. But you need to know why. That girl there on the floor…. That's why. I became a guard because I had to take care of her. Sure I was trying to make a difference from the inside, but it was all for her. You and I…. We didn't matter. This city… didn't matter. All I cared about was making certain that she always had food on her table. I'm sorry that we grew apart, so much so that you have no idea. But it happened, and now we have a chance to make a difference. With Dusk, with Archangel. We shouldn't let our history jeopardise what we are trying to do," Max told him, holding out a hand in a gesture of peace. David sighed, hesitating for a moment before he nodded, and Twilight lowered the magical wall. He walked forward and shook Max's hand, as Twilight let out a relieved breath.
'That went better than expected,' thought Twilight. She knelt down and checked on Jean, her sudden awakening had caused her to pop some of her stitches, but Archangel was already fixing them.
"Did you know?" Enquired Archangel quietly and Twilight just shook her head in response. Out of the corner of her eye, she could still see Max and David shaking hands and staring at each other.
"Do you ever have the feeling that things are going to go violently wrong?" Asked Twilight, only to receive a quizzical look from Archangel.
"Yeah, the second those two locked eyes," he said, pulling the needles through Jean's skin and tying it off. He stood up and eased his way past the stony faced griffins to the door. Twilight sighed, trying to think of the best way to defuse the situation.
"So….. David, if you would like to come this way, we'll set you up a cot so you can get some rest. And tomorrow I'll get Archangel to fit you for a hood and cloak," said Twilight happily, gesturing to the opposite corner of the room.
"I've been meaning to ask; what's with the clothes? You think you would stand out? David asked, following Twilight while still keeping an eye trained on Max.
"You'd be surprised what ponies don't notice when they aren't looking for it. Although to be honest the white material was originally to help me disappear in the snow," She explained, levitating a pile of metal rods and green canvas out of a large crate.
"Hey… I have to ask, are you and Max going to be okay? Because I meant what I said earlier. If you can't work together, then you can both leave." David took a deep breath and held it for a moment before letting it out slowly and nodding.
"I think so. But do you know what? I'm not mad at him at all. In fact; I'm overjoyed that he's here," he whispered, checking to see if Max was near.
"Well then how come you and he have been so aggressive toward each other since you walked in?" She asked as she magically put the cot together.
"I assume that it's because we are both incredibly stubborn and neither of us wants to be the first one to admit just how much we missed the other," David explained. Twilight finished putting the last pieces onto the cot and set it down next to the others, and specifically, away from Max's. David smiled and nodded as he took some bed sheets across and got it ready for the night. Twilight took a quick glance over the room, and she knew that all of her plans were going wrong. Jean, the one member of her team that hadn't wanted to go on missions at first, now lay on the ground with a serious injury in her side. Max and David wouldn't even look at her, and Archangel was still emotionally unstable after losing his daughter. Her thoughts drifted back to Ponyville and her friends, and how much she wished she could leave all of the pain, anger and stress behind her in favour of a few days of quiet relaxation in front of her fireplace with a good book and her friends all enjoying themselves.
"Are you okay?" Asked Archangel, jolting Twilight from her daydream. She realised that she was crying and quickly wiped the tears away before anypony else saw. She nodded, pushing past him and making her way over to the open window.
"Hold down the fort Archangel," she told him, diving from the window like she had done many times before. The wind roared past her ears as her eyes narrowed against the cold. Her cloak flapped wildly behind her as she fell, and just when it looked like she would become a permanent stain on the sidewalk, Twilight teleported to the rooftop of a nearby building, the momentum from the fall adding to the speed of her gallop. She leapt from building to building, unleashing the day's pent up negativity with every step.
Before she knew it, Twilight was standing a mere road width away from the palace walls. Her breathing was heavy from the effort of the run. She pulled a miniature pair of binoculars from one of the hidden pockets in her cloak and brought them to her face, systematically searching the enormous windows that were dotted across the walls. She soon found the griffin she was looking for; Gilda, or Princess Gilda as she was known in the city. Twilight's hooves began to shake with anger as she watched her shovel food into her mouth like the animal she was.
'You started all of this. You attacked Rainbow, you framed Big Macintosh. You lied to your father and started this stupid war that has all but torn apart everything and everypony that I care about. I won't let you hurt anyone else.' She thought, putting the binoculars away and jumping off the roof, landing hard onto the cobblestone street. She started to walk toward the main entrance, determined put an end to all of her pain. All of a sudden, she felt a hoof on her back. She spun around as fast as she could, extending her hidden blade and forcing the stranger to the ground as she did so. She pressed the blade against their neck, and was surprised to discover Archangel, his red eyes wide in fear. She didn't move, keeping the thin blade pressed firmly against his jugular.
"I thought I told you to hold down the fort," she said angrily as Archangel swallowed.
"To me that means making sure you don't do something stupid. I saw that look in your eyes Dusk. It's the same look that used to greet me every morning in the mirror after my daughter died. You're the one that told me that vengeance wasn't the answer, and yet here you are; willing to throw everything you ever said to us out the window so that you can feel better. Don't do this. I'm here for you. Max and Jean, and even David are all here because we believe in you and what you represent. I promise that Gilda will pay. But we have to play this smart," Archangel told her, and Twilight had to grit her teeth at the wave of sadness that suddenly gripped her. Her hidden blade retracted as she climbed off Archangel. She curled up on the ground and started to cry, as memories of the time before the war rushed to the forefront of her mind. She felt Archangel stroking her side as she wailed, and it only made her feel worse, like she had not only failed in Equestria, but also in the Griffin Empire. Archangel's promise drifted in front of everything else and it momentarily steeled her. She got to her hooves, wiping her face of tears and looking at Archangel.
"I'm done with all of this. The war, the pain, everything. From now on, a councillor dies every day. A corrupt business owner or slave driver dies every day. We work our way through. I want Gilda dead as soon as possible, and you and the others had better be on board with that," Twilight promised as her white iris glowed in the moonlight.
The fourth floor window shattered as a lavender unicorn wearing a torn white hood and cloak and a red feathered griffin wearing a suit sailed out of the large building. The unicorn was straddling the griffin and mercilessly beating him with nothing but her own hooves. Shards of razor sharp glass moved dangerously close to her eyes, getting caught in her dark coloured mane. Twilight's hood had been forced back during her fight with the griffin, revealing her white on black eye. The two started to fall after a moment, the midday sun illuminating the scene as the cityscape was laid out before them. Twilight hit the griffin a few more times, his teeth being spat out with each hit. They hit the ground together, Twilight bouncing off and landing on the ground next to him. They both lay still for a moment, breathing heavily. She let out a gurgling cough that was accompanied by a spurt of blood. She slowly tried to get to her hooves, every muscle in her body arguing with her mind, telling her to stay down and rest. She willed herself past the pain, stretching her back and hearing quite a few of her vertebrae crack. She shot a look at her target, and was surprised to see his chest moving. She sighed, extending her hidden blade and pressing it firmly against his throat. The griffin stared at her with bloodshot eyes and tries feebly to hit her. She batted the weak talon away and flipped her hood over her head with magic.
"No more slaves," she whispered, noiselessly piercing the griffin's throat with the blade. His eyes slowly started to close as his own pulse forced the blood from his jugular. Twilight waited for the blood to stop flowing, using the time to recover from the fight that had taken her over half an hour. The slave owner had been a lot stronger then she had expected, even managing to leave long, deep slashes across her belly with his talons.
***
She closed her eyes, her body limp with exhaustion. A small smile of satisfaction spread across her lips as she mentally chalked up another successful hit. A week had passed since her vow to kill an evil griffin a day. So far, ten had died this week, not including the red feathered griffin, due to the fact that Twilight and her team had been lucky enough to find a secret meeting of slave owners and the one that Twilight had just killed was the only one that had managed to escape. All of a sudden, she heard the sound of something approaching. Her hidden blade was still extended, slowly dripping blood falling from the tip. She tensed the muscles in her arm, getting herself ready for an attack.
"Well that was definitely dramatic," said the voice, and she soon realised that it belonged to Archangel, the only other pony in her team of assassins. He helped Twilight to her hooves and started to lead her away, Twilight leaning on him and limping away, feeling a great pain in the knee of her left foreleg. They stuck to the dark alleys that crisscrossed the city, trying their best to avoid the masses of unfortunate homeless that resided there. When they eventually arrived at the cathedral, Twilight looked at the spiral staircase that led to the top of the tower and sighed.
"Do you want a lift?" Archangel asked and Twilight just smiled and nodded weakly. He bent down and she clambered up onto his back, and much to her surprise, he was more than able to lift her weight. Together, they flew up to the top of the tower. Archangel deposited her onto her bed. Undoing her hood and cloak and using it as a blanket. Next to her, Twilight could see Jean in her bed, still recovering from the wound inflicted by the flintlock weapon. Archangel got to work patching up the various cuts and such that covered her body, working his way over her with the gentlest touch. When he got to the larger wounds on her belly, he pulled a small syringe out of his first aid kit.
"Now Dusk, I'm going to have to clean out that wound with disinfectant. I won't lie, it's going to hurt. A lot. So I'm going to give you some painkiller to numb you. Okay?" he told her, not waiting for a response before pricking her with the needle. A few moments passed before Twilight started to feel the effects of the painkiller, as light-headedness overtook her. She turned to Archangel, the pain all over her body all but completely gone. She smiled at him, lazily lifting her hoof up and brushing his cheek.
"You know… I've always been impressed that you never made a pass at me," she told him weakly, only to receive a smile from the brown Pegasus.
"Would it have done any good? I get the impression that you have a special somepony at home," he replied, pouring a few drips of disinfectant into the cuts. Twilight hesitated, subconsciously remembering her own promise not to reveal herself too much.
"You're right. At least I think so. I can't seem to forget about her for too long at a time. And just before I came here… She kissed me," she said eventually, looking away from him. Archangel turned her head to look at him, and looking her deep in the eyes.
"Keep your eyes on me. I want to make sure you haven't lost too much blood. Now, what's the mare's name?" he enquired, picking up the curved needle that he used for doing stitches.
"Pinkie Pie. Her name's Pinkie Pie," she said, a large grin spreading across her face as she thought about the energetic pink pony. Archangel smiled, pulling the needle through her skin. Twilight started to tell him all about Pinkie and her adventures in Ponyville.
***
Half an hour later, Archangel pulled the last stitch through, tying it off and cutting the excess. Twilight was still under the influence of the painkiller, as the world swirled in her vision. Archangel helped her to move underneath the covers of her bed, while he took her hood and cloak to try and get it repaired. Twilight shifted her body, trying to find a position that was comfortable and wouldn't put strain on the injured parts of her body. When she did finally find one that worked, she closed her eyes and let out a deep breath, relaxing her muscles and allowing herself some time to recover. She started to drift off to sleep, despite it only being the early afternoon. As she passed into unconsciousness, her mind turned to Pinkie Pie and she smiled.
***
Twilight was shaken awake by Jean, who still had a blood stained bandage wrapped around her chest. The octagonal room was empty save for the two girls, and Jean had prepared them both dinner. The painkiller had apparently worn off, as Twilight discovered when she tried to get out of bed. A sharp pain spread across her body from her belly, and she groaned, rolling off the bed instead of trying to sit up. Jean had prepared a bowl of some kind of stew. It was nothing like Twilight had had before, full of flavour and chunks of vegetables. They sat in silence as they ate, Twilight out of guilt and Jean because it hurt to talk. After a time, Jean set her bowl down and spoke;
"So… Do you know where the boys are?" she asked, and Twilight shrugged, looking away awkwardly.
"I'm afraid not. Max and David were on a mission and Archangel must have just patched me up and gone out," she replied, finishing the last of her stew and setting the bowl down on the table. Another moment passed and Twilight sighed, looking at Jean.
"Hey look, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that you got hurt. I should never have put you in that position and-, " she started, before Jean held her hand up to stop her.
"Dusk… Twilight, stop. You don't have to apologise. I willingly went out with you and put myself into danger. You saved my life and I will never be able to pay you back for that," she said, moving around the table and hugging Twilight, before they both recoiled from the pain of their individual injuries. They smirked, pressing their foreheads together instead.
"What is going on here and what are you doing with my sister?" asked a voice behind them. They both turned to look at the source of the voice; Jean's Brother Max, who was standing by the large window with a smirk on his face. Behind him was David, the other griffin on the team, and a former council member. Max shot them a wink before David pushed him off the window sill playfully. Twilight was pleased that they weren't as hostile toward each other like they had been when David had first joined the team, but each still held a strange animosity for the other that she was concerned about. They had a tendency to play small but dangerous pranks on each other, such as the time that Max tripped David as he was going down the stairs, or when David put his pet tarantula in Max's bed. She hoped that she had put a stop to it, but wasn't sure.
***
The two male griffins took off their hood and cloaks, and Twilight could spot the blood stains on the leather bracers that held their hidden blades.
"So it went well?" she enquired, ignoring his earlier joke. They both nodded, making their way over to them as Jean served them up a bowl of stew each.
"Yep, we didn't have too many issues. A couple of close calls but nothing too serious," Max told her, sitting down next to them and picking a spoon.
"Although it was a bit awkward to find Councillor Desmond and Councillor Sandra in bed together," he laughed, giving Jean a nudge with his elbow.
"Made it easier though," Max pointed out, his mouth full of food. David nodded, giggling to himself. Twilight and Jean stood and walked back to their beds and lay down as the boys gave them a detailed report on what happened. It didn't take long, and she was very grateful for that. She was incredibly tired from the fight, and still in quite a lot of pain. She only half listened to Max and David as they talked, her mind turning back to Pinkie.
'I miss you,' she thought, closing her eyes again, and she could picture her. Her poofy pink mane, her absolute randomness and the way that she could get an entire town to break into song at the drop of a hat. A loud noise shocked her back into reality, and she painfully sat up to find Archangel sliding across the floorboards on his hooves.
"Dusk! Get up! We need to move right now!" he yelled, throwing her now repaired outfit at her.
"Why? What's happened?" she asked, putting it on as fast as her injury would allow.
"I'm not sure; all I know is that something is happening in the slums and my contact tells me it's bad," he said, opening up the box that rested next to his bed. He pulled a long sword out and attached it to his belt, and Max and David scrambled to get dressed. Twilight sighed, pulling the last of the straps on her cloak.
"Let's go," she said, as the thoughts of Pinkie drifted from her mind.
"Wait for me," said Jean, pulling the zip on her white hoodie. Max shot her a look, and Twilight rolled her eyes, foreseeing an unneeded argument.
"Jean… I don't think that that's a good idea," Max said calmly, much to Twilight's surprise. Jean smiled, walking across the room toward the others. She put her hand on his shoulder and pressed her forehead against her twin's.
"You know why I'm not going to listen to you right?" she asked, closing her eyes. Max nodded, embracing the grey feathered griffin with his wings. Archangel gave Twilight an impatient nudge, gesturing toward the exit. Large beads of sweat left dark trails down the fur of his face. Twilight gave him a nod and tapped Max on the back, bringing the two siblings out of their small trance.
"Hurry up. We can hug later," Twilight told them and the two nodded, heading over to the window. Max and Jean left together, with Max helping her to fly straight. Twilight got onto David's back, and Archangel followed them out of the window and into the sky. The small group of assassins flew toward the slums as fast as was comfortable for their injured members. Twilight looked back at Archangel, and the look of utter fear on his face unnerved her. He had been avoiding the slums as much as possible since he had returned to Twilight's side after going rogue. It was awkward for him since Max had discovered that he was more or less the leader of all the vagabonds and outcasts that resided there.
There were still approximately three blocks away when Twilight started to hear the sound of screaming coming from the maze of ramshackle houses and abandoned buildings. David put on a burst of speed, pulling up beside the griffin twins.
"Can you see anything?" Twilight asked over the roar of the wind. Max and David shook their heads in unison as they searched for the cause of the disturbance that Archangel had spoken of.
"Everyone I can see is running in the one direction," Jean piped up, "They seem to be heading for the wall,'
"Why aren't they flying?" David enquired, as the group lowered their altitude to get a better look.
"Same reason we usually don't I assume," said Archangel, suddenly appearing between the griffins. Twilight nodded in agreement as she scanned the thin pathways that snaked through the buildings. A tiny sparkle of light caught her eye, one that was moving quickly.
"There are armoured guards down there!" She exclaimed and David set himself into a steep dive, levelling out above the rooftops. Twilight stood up on his back, instructing him to lead to others toward the wall. David nodded, his talons kicking up sparks on the corrugated tin that made up the roof. She hit the metal galloping as the brown griffin took to the sky once more. Twilight headed straight for the nearest laneway, hoping to find a guard she could interrogate. Peering over the rusty guttering, her eyes widened in shock and rage. Below her was a scene she never wished to hear about again. Two guards stood over a white earth pony; she was struggling against one as he tried to pull her toward him, maniacal laughter coming from his friend. The guard that was assaulting the pony had taken the armour off, exposing his underbelly. The white pony cried out for help, a black eye adorned her face and her tail was being held away from her body. With an almighty war cry, Twilight jumped off the roof, landing squarely on the assaulting guard with her back hooves. The skin on his face contorted from the impact as he was forcibly thrown from the pony, who immediately crawled backwards up against a wall.
The guard's head slammed into the wall and with no helmet to protect it, made a very audible crunching noise as it made contact with the concrete. Twilight scrambled to her hooves as the other guard fumbled with his spear, obvious panic written on his face. The unicorn dashed forward, deflecting a wild stab from the spear with her right foreleg, before throwing a left hook that caused the guard to recoil. The white pony behind her let out a squeal.
"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you Rarity," Twilight yelled, deflecting another stab, this one much more controlled. She uppercut the griffin, his helmet flying off as a result. Twilight quickly gripped the shaft of the spear, using a quick magical blast to break it. Spinning around, Twilight used the top half of the spear to open up the guard's throat. She was panting heavily, watching the guard drown himself with his own blood. Her hooves were shaking as gurgling sounds accompanied the guard's collapse onto the cobblestone path.
A moment passed before Twilight turned to face the white earth pony she had saved. She was cowering amongst some bins that had been stacked against the wall. Twilight bent down to look the pony in the eyes as she slowly took her hooves away from her face.
"Please don't be afraid. I promise I won't hurt you." She panted, hoping that her eye was sufficiently covered. The pony reluctantly looked at her with deep green eyes that were glistening with tears. She threw her arms around Twilight, hugging her tightly and whispering thank you over and over into her ear. Twilight returned the hug, before standing and telling the pony to find somewhere safe to hide.
"Just tell me one thing," said the pony as Twilight started to leave. "You called me Rarity. Who is that?" Twilight let out a long sigh, not turning to look at the mare.
"She's somepony who was in your position and I wasn't there to help her. I… I didn't realise I said that. Now hide, quickly," She said, pulling her hood a little bit lower to hide the tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
***
She set off at a gallop; the only indicator of where she was headed in the labyrinthine slums was the enormous wall in front of her that surrounded the city. As she got steadily closer, the sounds of mass panic got louder. Quickly making her way back onto the rooftops so as to give herself a clear run at the wall, Twilight noticed tall plumes of black smoke coming from a spot close to the wall. Putting on an extra burst of speed, she pushed past her exhaustion and the pain from her earlier wounds. She knew she had popped more than a few stitches in the fight, but also knew that it was worth it. When she finally arrived, she realised that she was in the very same park where she and Jean had found Archangel and convinced him to re-join them. The plumes of smoke were the result of multiple bonfires that were dotted around the park. At the far side of the open clearing she spotted four figures in white standing proudly in front of a large crowd of griffins, ponies and other creatures. What appeared to be an entire platoon of fully armoured guards were advancing on them slowly, as though they were waiting for the order to strike. Twilight took off toward her team, still running on the buildings that bordered the clearing. As she got closer, Twilight could see Archangel standing at the forefront, his natural leadership instincts haven taken over. He had his sword gripped tightly in his mouth and all of them had their wings splayed to their fullest extent. An intimidation tactic that was obviously not working. She leapt off the rooftop, rolling as she landed and taking up her position in the middle of the group, beside Archangel and Max. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted the guards whispering to each other in a strange cascade that made its way to the back of the group. A single moment later, a loud voice could be heard above all of the scared citizens behind her, an unnaturally happy voice that sent a chill down the unicorn's spine. The group of guards parted to a very old and skinny griffin in a dark green robe that was practically dancing toward her. Twilight gave Archangel a quizzical look, only to receive a shrug in return as the griffin let out a shrill laugh when he got to the front of the group.
"Oh my god! Is it really you? Dusk, the infamous avenger of the weak and helpless in the city of New Grifburg. Assassin of a prince and an apparent immortal," he exclaimed, his face suddenly becoming very serious.
"Nice to know I have a fan," replied Twilight, trying to keep him talking until she could come up with some sort of a plan.
"I wouldn't call myself a 'fan.' More along the lines of a begrudging admirer. I applaud your skills at disposing of your enemies, but I really dislike the way you are upsetting the status quo. Like now for example. Princess Gilda wants this dungpile of a suburb levelled so that she can erect a wonderful new arena for her subjects to enjoy. It will have everything; Hobos fighting to the death, rabid manticores, free popcorn on Saturdays, It will be great!" he yelled, once again becoming extremely happy, even making a point of throwing his hands into the air and fist pumping as he talked about the arena. Twilight looked down the line at Jean, who was gripping a small dagger so tightly that her knuckles were turning white.
"So what about all of these people behind me?" asked Archangel, embedding his sword in the ground so he could speak. The griffin's face changed back into a serious expression and his red eyes seemed to be looking into Twilight's very soul.
"The ones that resist; die. The ones that don't get a chance at glory in the arena," he told him, and a scowl spread across Twilight's face. All of a sudden, Archangel had his mouth next to her ear and was whispering.
"David just informed me that this is Councillor Ignatius and apparently is a major psychopath, however, his sanitation reforms are revolutionary," Twilight raised an eyebrow, only to receive a shrug in response.
"This doesn't have to go this way Ignatius. Just walk away and no one has to get hurt. You can just tell Gilda that the slums are under our protection," she declared, stamping her hoof on the ground. Ignatius looked at the guard next to him, one that was adorned with many a medal and was obviously the leader. He suddenly snorted, as the two started to laugh hysterically. Twilight's eye twitched in embarrassment and frustration.
"W-what kind of pony do you think you are?" Ignatius asked, holding his side as another wave of laughter hit him. Twilight's horn glowed as she let out a low growl, a silver flash flying out of the folds of her cloak and hitting the guard leader right between the eyes. Ignatius let out a gasp as the guard's eyes crossed to look at the knife that had become embedded in his face, before they rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed.
"No second chances, that's what kind of pony I am," said Twilight flatly. Ignatius' expression went serious once more, but his eyes narrowed as he stared at Twilight.
"Very well… You want war? Then have it, but you must know that you will not survive,"
"If I die… Then I die knowing that it was for a cause that I truly believed in. One that sought to bring about a new and better way of life for those that had never had it previously. And I think that I speak for all of my team when I say ; We are prepared for that," she said proudly, as Archangel, Max, Jean and David took a step forward, smirks appearing on all of their faces.
"It. Is. On," Twilight said as she started to charge.
The sounds of fierce battle and the cries of the fallen filled Twilight’s ears as she galloped through the park where her small team of five was defending a group of scared citizens from a horde of city guards. Their armour flashed in the ever diminishing sunlight, while Twilight’s white hood and cloak gave her the appearance of some sort of spectre, an ethereal spirit of rage and vengeance. The thrust of spears and the slash of swords did nothing to slow her down, her mind was set on one target; Councillor Ignatius of the griffin council. She could just make out the flapping of the green robes through the constantly moving wall of feathers and flesh. Her breathing was deep but calm, the pain from the wound in her stomach being forced back by nothing but her own force of will.
Sliding between the legs of a guard, Twilight slashed at his ankles with her hidden blade, causing him to scream in agony and fall to the ground, his back legs now all but useless. She leapt to her hooves, colliding with another guard’s chest and knocking him over. The guard became a springboard for the purple unicorn, launching her into the air and over the heads of a group of astonished griffins. Twilight rolled as she hit the ground, continuing the chase. Ignatius was much faster than she thought, always managing to stay ahead of her as he ran in circles around the park, cackling manically. Twilight’s scowl grew wider as she watched the green robes swirl around in sync with Ignatius’ exaggerated movements. Every so often, a white shape would catch her eyes, and despite knowing that her team could really use her help; she felt compelled to continue chasing Ignatius. He turned to face her, running backwards through the crowd. The sudden sound of a screaming Jean made Twilight break eye contact with Ignatius. She stopped, searching for the white hoodie that Jean was wearing, while at the same time ducking and dodging that multitude of angry griffin guards that were all looking for the glory of taking her down.
Twilight finally spotted Jean as she climbed up onto a guard’s back, pressing her blade against the back of his skull. Jean was being pushed back toward a bonfire by three guards; she had taken possession of a spear, and was using it to block the swords of her attackers. Twilight started galloping toward her, only stopping to take down an attacker of her own. When she did finally arrive, Max was already there, tackling his former comrades and taking them out. Jean, however, was using the distraction to take a rest, wiping some sweat from her brow. Twilight made her way over to Jean, quickly checking her over for wounds, as Max got back to his feet, pulling his sword from the body of the other guard.
“Now is not the time Max,” Twilight snapped, bucking an approaching griffin. Max ducked under the swipe of a blade, punching his assailant in the face before quickly slashing the griffin across the throat with his hidden blade. With a flick of his foot, a discarded spear flew into his hand. Giving it a twirl, Max blocked the sharp end of a spear, deflecting the attack. The back end of Max’s spear spun about, colliding with the side of the guard’s head. The guard recoiled, stumbling from the force of the impact. With a small flap of his wings, Max lifted himself into the air slightly, lifting the spear over his head. With a grunt, he brought the spear back down on the guard’s head, caving it in slightly.
“Don’t mind him,” said Jean, bending down to pick up her dagger. “He’s just scared.”
***
The platoon of guards was slowly diminishing as the blades of the five assassins flashed in the light and became slick with blood. Twilight had instructed the others to injure rather than kill if possible, the reasoning being that it would take two guards to drag an injured one off the battlefield, thereby eliminating three potential threats from the fight. Some of the citizens that had huddled against the wall were beginning to cheer for their saviours, even stepping forward to help them, until Twilight set up a magical barrier between the people and the fighting. Twilight herself was bleeding heavily from her earlier wound, creating a large, dark red wet spot on her belly. Max had taken a spear to his right shoulder, leaving his strong arm almost useless. David’s face was covered in his blood, a deep gash resting just above his eyebrow. Jean’s hoodie was almost torn to shreds on her left side, the tell-tale signs of talon slashes. Finally, Archangel had been cut across the muscles of the hind leg on his right side, causing him to limp around as he fought. The guards had taken many casualties, but throughout the entire battle; Councillor Ignatius had been standing at the other end of the park, always making himself visible to Twilight and the others. His constant smirk had done nothing but irk the unicorn, adding to her already high feelings of stress and frustration. The assassins had drawn an exhausted line in front of the magical barrier, as still more guards advanced. It seemed like an endless sea of feathers and metal, and Twilight shot a quick glance at her friends, the determination on their faces belied the fear that she could see in their eyes. Twilight felt certain that that same look was in her eyes as well. More guards advanced on them, heavily armoured and with spears outstretched.
“We have had them outnumbered for the entire fight, and yet a force of over a hundred has been reduced to you twenty useless featherbrains by five injured do-gooders. Now back off!” He screamed shrilly. He then walked forward through the remaining guards and stood in front of Twilight, the smirk on his face extremely unnerving.
“Does it matter? You are injured, and in all honesty, I want to see you all fight when you are at your prime,”
***
“Well I don’t. I have plans Miss Sparkle. And my plans involve you and your little group of killers. Oh, but don’t get any ideas, I’m not going to join you, not at all. But sometimes, when you play the game of thrones, you need to obtain outside help,” he whispered cryptically, giving her a little wink. Twilight’s scowl grew, and she poured more magic in her horn, creating a magenta fire that engulfed it. Ignatius let out a low chuckle, shaking his head as he walked back to the guards, all of which were still standing at the ready, waiting for the order to attack. Twilight soon felt a presence beside her, and turned to see Max, his right arm dragging uselessly along the ground.
“And what are you going to do about it Max,” Ignatius asked, and Twilight could hear the uneasiness in his voice. “Yes, I know who you are. You are quite famous among us politicians. I mean, COME ON, how could you not be?” Ignatius then turned to address Twilight and the others. “Here was a griffin that, despite the occasional reprimand for not following orders, had a perfect service record. He was a strong, intelligent soldier that had the respect of every single one of his superiors. But then he gave it all up to join this band of murderers,”
“Do not try to fight me boy. You remember the time of the plague do you not?” He asked angrily and Max barely moved his head to acknowledge him. “You remember that it was I that had to come into this worthless little suburb and burn the corpses of the dead, that it was my responsibility to put the infected to death. What do we call that time boy?”
“Really? Go on then, I’m an open target,” He said, standing upright and spreading his arms wide. Max twisted his body to allow his arm to get momentum, before throwing it with a cry of pain. Just before it hit, the arm was grabbed from the air by the councillor, and wrenched backward, causing Max to be forced onto his back. Twilight stepped forward to drag him off, but it was too late; Ignatius had done continually punched Max in the chest, and Twilight could hear every sicking crack of his breaking ribs. When he saw her approaching, Ignatius jumped back, holding his hands in front of him in a mock plea of innocence. Max was on the ground, writhing and screaming in pain. Blood was almost flowing from his open mouth but he was still breathing, meaning that none of his ribs had punctured a lung.
“I gave you the chance to leave, to come back and fight when you were in better form, and you just spat in my face. Well no more. Guards! Kill them all!” He ordered, and the remaining guards smiled, lowering their spears once more. Twilight stared into Max’s eyes, her friend that had been the first one to join her, the first one who truly just wanted to protect others.
The shockwave rippled up her arm as her hoof collided with the cheek of a griffin guard. Twilight’s mane and tale were ablaze with magical fire; mostly for show, it was just an illusion to make herself look more intimidating. Her entire body was covered in magical armour; plates of glowing magenta energy that defected nearly any blow. Around the knees of her hind legs and going all the way up her legs and spine was a complex mechanical system of Twilight’s own design. It supported her knees and back so that she could stand upright, much like Pinkie Pie after her bout of brainwashing. It was both a huge strain on her body and her magic. The spell used up a surprising amount of energy and with Twilight already exhausted from her earlier fight, she was struggling to keep it stable.
‘I’ll give them some credit, these guys are pretty dedicated to their job,’ she thought as she threw a knife into the chest of an advancing guard. The twenty that remained had done their job well, protecting councillor Ignatius from Twilight’s near infinite wrath. She had managed to take a spear from one of the guards and was brandishing it with near expert skill, having read multiple books on the subject and also receiving training from a pony whose special talent was with weapons. Using it to help keep her upright and taking some of the strain off the spell, Twilight waited for the next one to attack. Her white glowing eyes were still trained on Ignatius; the griffin’s cold expression felt as though it was cutting into her soul.
“Going… to… kill you!” Twilight shouted, swinging the spear in a long sweeping arc that knocked two guards onto their backs. Another one thrust at her, only to have it blocked by Twilight. The offending spear was knocked into the dirt and the back end of Twilight’s was used to hit the guard in the face. He dropped the handle of the weapon, and Twilight seized her chance, spinning her own and impaled the guard through the belly. The two that had fallen were now back on their feet and advancing on her with nothing but their own talons. She smirked, ripping the spear head out of the still twitching body of her last victim. She sprinted toward them, her spell beginning to fade and making it extremely difficult to stay upright. With a twirl, she hit them with the blunt end, before another swing had her slashing them across the chest with the spear head. Their legs quivered for a moment before they buckled and both guards collapsed into a heap. The plates of her armour were flickering between active and inactive, and her eyes had lost their glow.
Twilight tried to stay upright without the armour, but even with the spear propping her up, gravity won out and just before she started to fall, Twilight lifted the spear onto her shoulder and heaved it toward the head of Ignatius. Had she used her magic, it would have certainly found its mark. However, with only her injured and weary body as a means of propulsion, the spear narrowly missed Ignatius, instead getting embedded in the ground behind him.
“Wow… Good throw,” Ignatius said sarcastically, giving her a slow clap that only infuriated her. “Look, this is just getting pathetic, and as much as I would like to continue this and have you all killed, I’m afraid I have a dinner date.” With a single gesture of his hand, Ignatius and the six guards that Twilight had not yet managed to kill took to the sky, heading back toward the centre of town and the guard barracks that resided nearby. Twilight watched them leave, before turning and hastily making her way back to the others and to the injured Max. Drying blood was caked around his mouth as he coughed up spurts of blood. Archangel and a lime green unicorn pony that she didn’t recognise were bent over him, treating his wounds.
***
“How is he?” Twilight asked, crouching down beside her friends. Archangel shook his head, shrugging slightly as he injected Max with the same painkiller that he had used on her earlier. Twilight gestured to the other pony, giving Archangel a quick look.
“This is Panadol, she is a very accomplished surgeon that taught me everything I know. She was part of the group that we were protecting. I asked her to help because I have no idea what to do here. It’s so far past my pay grade,” he explained and Panadol smiled as she rubbed a mashed pea coloured paste straight onto Max’s chest.
“This paste should help the bones knit back together but we have to get back to my surgery and get that piece of rib out of his lung,” she told her, wiping her hooves on Max’s cloak. She got to her hooves and filled her horn with magic, creating a light green stretcher out of thin air underneath Max. He rose into the air, letting out a gurgling groan. Twilight was much more concerned about him than she let on, not wanting to panic anypony present, especially Jean, who was crying as she herded the throngs of griffins and ponies away and back into the maze of the slums. When they had disappeared, she raced back to her brother as he was carried back to Panadol’s house, which was referred to as ‘the clinic.’ When they finally arrived, Twilight was less than impressed with the building; it was nothing but a ramshackle tin shack with boarded up windows and when she tried to open the door, it had to be bucked in by Archangel. Inside however, it was a sterile white environment, with a very small area set aside for Panadol to sleep and eat. Max was laid down on a surgeons table, as Archangel opened up a cabinet and started to retrieve medical tools. Twilight put her arm around Jean, hoping to comfort her as she shook with fear for her brother.
Max had long since passed out, and he was barely breathing, each one sounding full of fluid. Panadol quickly went about getting her scrubs on, tying her white mane into a bun.
“Dusk, please take her outside. She should not have to see her brother being cut open,” he told her, almost pleading that she do what he wanted. Twilight just nodded once and started to lead Jean outside, only to be shrugged off.
***
As the sun finally set and the light of Luna’s moon spread out across the city, casting long shadows in the maze of dilapidated buildings and shacks, the slum’s denizens travelled to the clinic en masse to give thanks their saviours; the assassins of New Grifburg and Dusk herself. Those trained in first aid patched up Jean and Dusk, but neither of them revealed their faces. They brought food and drink, every single one offering their thanks and even what little money they could, which was always declined. Jean was silent for the most part; thoughts of her twin were nearly visible in her eyes. She was cuddled into close to Twilight’s chest and the feathers around her face were wet with tears.
“Jean, I am so sorry for dragging you both into this, but I swear on my life that Max is going to pull through this. You told me that he is a fighter, and that everything he does is for you. So he won’t ever give up, because if he did, it would mean failing you in his eyes, and Max would never allow that to happen,” replied Twilight, pressing her forehead against Jean’s.
“I think I’m starting to understand why everyone thinks you are so incredible. It isn’t because of what you do or what you fight for, but the way in which you inspire them. You make us; you make me feel like I need to be as good as you. To become more than ourselves. I don’t know why, I mean, remember what I said to you when we first met? I said that I don’t think I could ever kill another, and look at me now; I just killed dozens of guards to protect a bunch of complete strangers,”
“Assassin, not murderer,” Jean replied and Twilight smiled, hugging her friend even tighter. More and more griffins and ponies arrived, placing more gifts in front of them. Twilight felt guilty for accepting them, but at the same time it also felt nice to be appreciated for her efforts.
***
After some time, Archangel opened up the door and collapsed onto the ground next to the two girls. His silence seemed to say everything and Jean began to cry once again, and Twilight’s eyes began to water as well.
“Now don’t worry, I saw him just before we started to move Max. He’s gone back to his own group of rebels to try and organise some sort of guard to make sure that something like this doesn’t happen again,” he told them and Twilight let out a relieved sigh. Her heart had skipped at the thought of one of her team having gone missing. She had yet to lose a member of her team and despite some close calls by both of the griffin twins, no one had died. She was grateful for that fact, as the war had already claimed far too many of her friends and she knew that she would only lose more as time went on.
“Well my dear, I have some good news. Your brother is going to be absolutely fine. He was fortunate that his lung didn’t receive too much trauma. The rib that punctured the wall of the lung wasn’t broken completely, so the puncture wasn’t too severe. I won’t bore you with the details, but rest assured that he will live,” she said, and Jean let out a happy cry, leaping to her feet and hugging the unicorn doctor. “Well I appreciate the hug… please let me go. I can’t let you see him today but if you come by tomorrow, and if I decide that he is stable, then I will be more than happy for you to say hello. So please go home, rest. You have all done so much for us, and I think you deserve a few days of recovery,” The assassins all agreed, gathering up the gifts that had been left for them and starting to make their way back to the cathedral. As they walked, Twilight looked at Jean and Archangel and smiled.
“I don’t know if I have ever said this, but… thank you, both of you. I seriously doubt that I could have done anything like what we accomplished here today,” she told them, receiving both a smile and a nod from them both.
“You don’t have to thanks us, like I told you earlier; you inspire us to be the best that we can be, to rise above ourselves. If you hadn’t come along, nothing would ever have changed,” Jean said, making her blush slightly.
“So what do we do now?” Archangel enquired and Twilight had to take a moment to think before she answered.
The city was buzzing with talk of what had become known as ‘the slums incident.’ Twilight and Archangel were walking through the market, dressed in black hooded jumpers. The white hood and cloak that was used to be their disguise was now the only thing giving away their identity. Since they were taking some time off to recover, and owing to the fact that the spring festival had started and the city was in a state of peace, there wasn’t much need for them to intervene in anything. Archangel was still walking with a limp, the injury he sustained to his hind leg healing slower than normal because he couldn’t find the time to rest it. Since he and David were the least injured members of the team, they had taken it upon themselves to not only take care of the others, but to also train the four new recruits that had joined them, three ponies and one griffin. The one that Twilight was most surprised to see was a white Earth pony with green eyes and a silvery mane and tail. Not long before the battle near the wall, Twilight had rescued her from being assaulted by a pair of guards, and she had decided to return the favour by joining their cause. Her name was Chroma and she was a blacksmith’s assistant. In fact, she was the one who had been decorating the hidden blades for Archangel and the others. She had always been curious as to what they were for, and had secretly made one for herself because she loved the design and the mechanism in the blade.
Twilight and Archangel were collecting supplies such as food and water for the group, as well as picking up a hood and cloak for the new members. Twilight’s own injury was making walking difficult, not to mention the strain that the saddlebags were putting on her. They sat down on a bench near the middle of the square where the festivities were taking place, watching as ponies, griffins, minotaur and even the odd Zebra danced, laughed, sang and just generally had a good time.
“I don’t remember it too well, but from what I heard, this is what the city was like before the plague as well,” he told her, getting to his hooves and waving as somepony in the crowd.
“Hello Willow, what news do you have for me?” he asked the filly, who simply held her hoof out expectantly. Archangel just chuckled, before reaching into his bags and retrieving a small pouch of coins. As soon as the filly had them stashed away, her demeanour changed completely. She jumped up and hugged Archangel tightly as he nuzzled her neck.
“Hey, what’s wrong, what did she tell you?” Twilight enquired, discarding what was left of her apple.
“So that means that he can basically do whatever the hay he wants, we have to do something,”
“I know, I know. But think about it, most of this city supports us, except for the rich. Now if we were to kill the griffin they elected, then we are pretty much saying that we oppose the rich,”
After being shaken awake by Archangel and walking back to the cathedral, Twilight threw herself onto her bed and turned over, waiting for Archangel to get to changing her bandages, as had become the custom since they started their week off. However, it was not just Archangel that approached this time; instead, it was the entire set of new members, which included Chromia, a yellow unicorn stallion named Lemon Drop, an orange Earth pony mare named Mandarin and a grey feathered female griffin named Allison.
“Hi there Dusk, Archangel wanted us to come over here and do some first aid training,” said Chromia and Twilight just pulled her hoodie down over her wound.
The next half hour that followed consisted of Twilight feeling like a science project, being poked and prodded and studied. He then let Chromia do the new bandages and even though she had to restart the wrap twice, she did a fairly good job once she had gotten the hang of it.
After reluctantly deciding to follow them around for the rest of the lesson, Twilight went and watched as Archangel described the flintlock weapon and the way that it had all but killed Jean, before proceeding to replace her bandage. A smirk crossed her lips when she saw all of them but Chromia and Allison turn green at the sight of blood.
“Hey Archangel, I’m going to go and see how Max is going okay?” she called out, as Archangel produced a CPR dummy that he had stolen from Panadol’s clinic. “Are you coming Jean?” Jean nodded and clambered toward the staircase.
***
Twilight and Jean arrived at Panadol’s clinic to find it in a state of complete disarray. Dozens of straw, twig and what appeared to be torn cloth nests covered the floor, with only a few small paths for ponies to walk through. Max was lying in the middle of the room, with the green Unicorn doctor; Panadol looking over him. Tiptoeing through the nests, they approached the table and Twilight smiled when she noticed that Max was not only awake, but smiling. Jean kissed her brother on the cheek when she got to him, and he cringed a little when he tried to turn, letting out a groan of pain.
“So how are you doing?” Twilight asked and Max just raised his eyebrow and gave her a look. “Good point.”
“Well I managed to separate white blood cell from red blood cells, and since they are the cells that help with the immune response, I simply added some other compounds that are well known for their healing properties and made it into a paste. If you like, I can write you the recipe so you can make it yourself,” Panadol told her and Twilight accepted the offer, leaving Jean to talk to her brother in peace. They made their way carefully to Panadol’s small living space in the corner of the clinic, which simply consisted of a bed, a sink and a little eating area.
“Hey… I never got to say thanks for saving Max. I know it’s your job and all but… thank you for supporting us,”
“I respect that, but still… thank you,” she said and Panadol just smiled. As they started to return to Max and Jean, the front door burst open to reveal a pair of griffin guards. One was carrying the other, who seemed to have passed out.
“Aw ponyfeathers,” muttered Twilight.
Twilight and Jean took up defensive stances as the armoured guard dropped his friend, drawing his sword and brandishing it nervously. Twilight was scared for Max’s life. With him in his severely weakened state and with her and Jean not only injured, but also lacking their hidden blades, the coming fight was going to be very difficult. An audible sigh came from behind her and Panadol stepped in between them all, creating an awkward silence as she carefully tiptoed through the nests.
The door was slammed behind the three of them, followed by a dead silence.
“We are only trying to help,” Twilight called after him and the guard stopped, turning on his heels to face her.
“Then help us,”
“Didn’t you hear me? I’m dedicated to working INSIDE the law, not outside. I will never condone what you do. Murderer,” he snapped, spitting on the ground. That last word was like a knife into her chest. Even though she consistently referred to herself as an assassin rather than a murderer, hearing it from one of the guards who she had never thought of in any way beside that of corrupt lackeys for the council was a huge blow to her. Twilight gritted her teeth, biting back tears of hurt and regret. Jean must have seen this, because she suddenly appeared behind her, pulling her into a tight embrace.
“But am I? I mean, really?” Twilight asked, returning the embrace. “All I do is kill and cause chaos, how does that help anypony?” She broke away from Jean and started walking back toward the cathedral. Jean had to jog to catch up with her, draping her grey wing over Twilight.
***
The town square in front of the cathedral was bustling with activity. The dancing had died down, but now the market had grown to make up the space. Stalls full of food, homemade art and surprisingly beautiful clothes. Twilight had a rare moment of girlishness then, letting out a high pitched squeal at the sight of a navy blue dress that was covered in stars. She considered buying it, until she realised that she didn’t have any money.
Jean and Twilight were in the middle of getting a smoothie, courtesy of Jean, when a sudden ear piercing scream broke through the crowd. Twilight and Jean ignored their drinks, running toward the source of the noise. With a quick flash of her horn, she flipped her hood over her head, covering her eyes.
“What’s going on here?” asked Jean, keeping her voice as flat as possible. The stallion just gestured toward the bin and shook his head. Twilight walked forward, cautiously glancing inside, before dry retching when she saw what it was. Inside the bin was what appeared to be the burnt up corpse of a large male griffin. Twilight backed away, letting Jean have a look. Jean, to her credit, didn’t even bat an eye at the sight of the charcoal blackened body.
“How can you stand the smell?” Twilight asked as Jean picked up a stick and started to examine the body.
“It’s a badge of office, you should recognise it. David used to have one,”
***
When they got to the top of the stairs, Twilight had to actively try to not break out in laughter. Archangel was being suspended upside down by his hind legs, with his wings tied tightly to his chest. The new recruits were surrounding him, swinging him as they laughed and asked him questions.
“Thanks for all the help, do you need something,” he said drily, biting through the rope that held his wings in place. Jean produced the golden badge, holding it in the palm of her hand while he examined it.
“But that’s crazy! I’ve never heard of any griffin having psychic abilities,” exclaimed Twilight, throwing her hooves up in the air.
“I’m not sure, but judging by the size of the beak it had to have been councillor Udina,”
“I see your point, and if you want to investigate, I will back you up,” Jean told her. Twilight nodded her thanks, before making her way over to her cot and retrieving her hidden blade. Jean did the same and the two headed back to the top of the stairs, before Archangel stopped them.
“You both realise that if you kill anyone now, they will execute you. No hundred days of torture, just a hanging and then… they will eat you,” he warned and Twilight just nodded once in response. Flipping the hood back over her head, Twilight and Jean left the cathedral, heading straight for the alley where the corpse was. Even though she knew that it would be crawling with guards, they needed to look for more clues.
***
Sure enough, the entire city block had been cordoned off, while a group of griffins that were dressed from head to paw in white carefully searched the area. Upon catching a glimpse of Ignatius, they dived behind a low wall, watching intently as he talked with one of the griffins in white.
“Can you hear what they are saying?” asked Jean, and Twilight shook her head, before her eyes brightened.
“Amplification spell,” explained Twilight, “The speech of anypony we focus our gaze on will be amplified for us and us only.” Jean smiled, and they both turned to watch Ignatius once more. The Spell worked almost perfectly, albeit with some distortion of the sound. It made everything sound like it was underwater.
“…Is there any way to trace it back to the council?” Ignatius asked the white clad griffin.
When they finally arrived, the girls were surprised to find the building unguarded. The spell told her that there were many individuals inside, but there was no way of knowing if they were guards or not. Sneaking around the back offered no entrances, as every window had iron bars over the glass to prevent break ins and vandalism. A fire escape on the side of the opposite building seemed to be the only way in, regardless of the fifty foot gap that separated them.
***
The climb to the top took much longer then it would have a week ago, the injuries that both of them were dealing with was hindering their progress. Twilight’s hooves slipped a little on the loose gravel at the top, and the expanse of the upper city surrounded them. The buildings were in pristine condition and well groomed plants lined the white cobblestone. Well-dressed ponies and griffins that seemed oblivious to the pains and concerns of those in the rest of the city laughed and sipped coffee at the numerous café’s that were up and down the streets.
“Filthy habit,” she muttered to herself, turning and walking to the other side of the roof. Jean stood beside her, and they stared at their target. “Can you fly yourself across?”
‘Three…Two…ONE!’ she thought and with the audible sound of contracting air, she disappeared, mere metres from the ground.
“As I’ll ever be. Let’s go find the skeletons in the closet,”
After making their way the stock standard concrete stairwell, Twilight and Jean found themselves in a stark white hallway with gold painted decorations lining the ceiling and floor. The few paintings that Twilight could see all looked very similar, and on closer inspection, discovered that they were all picture of former chancellors. The amplification spell was starting to wear off, causing it to become unstable; to the point where they could hear conversations happening through walls and behind closed doors. While convenient, considering what they were doing, it also made for a few awkward moments, such as when they walked past a bathroom.
Eventually the spell dissipated and left the two girls with nothing but a bit of luck and their own skills. Twilight took the lead, using her natural sense of direction to lead her through the labyrinthine hallways. The pure white walls were starting to get to her, however, giving her a severe feeling of nausea. Twilight closed her eyes for a moment, knowing that it wasn’t the time to be betrayed by her own body. Jean took the lead from then on to give Twilight a moment to think. Even if they did find proper evidence that it was Ignatius and the council that killed Councillor Udina, they didn’t have anyone to give the evidence to.
“What the?” whispered Twilight, as she looked around the room and saw more trails of coloured orbs in the air.
“Hey, come check out this wall,” she said, and Jean made her way over with a puzzled expression on her face.
“A secret passage? Now that’s just cliché,” Jean whispered, as they both flipped their hoods over their faces and started to make their way down the steps, both of them pressing their bodies against the walls on either side of the tight staircase. Twilight’s vision was filled with brown orbs and although it had initially been very distracting, she was already starting to get used to it.
“That’s what I was afraid of,” Twilight replied quietly, slowing down in pace as the sound of talking hit her ears. It was slight, and had an echo that indicated that it was still a fair ways off, but the sheer fact that she could physically hear herself getting closer to the truth made her heart beat faster in anticipation.
The staircase finally ended, revealing a long, hallway that was dimly lit by a few gas lanterns that lined the walls. At the other end of the passage was a large double wooden door that had wrought iron bands around it at irregular intervals. In the centre of each door was a large metal dragon skull shaped knocker. The girls walked up to it cautiously, hoping that it didn’t just burst open as there were no places for them to hide. The trail of brown orbs was phasing through the door, and it just made Twilight’s heart beat even harder. They pressed up against one of the doors and checked their blades, while at the same time mentally preparing themselves for whatever could possibly be inside.
“Are you ready?” asked Jean and Twilight had to take a deep breath of rancid air before nodding. She deactivated the spell and got down low into a ready position.
***
Twilight kicked out with her hind legs and struck the door, only to have it resist her blow. The voices on the other side of the door stopped abruptly.
“It’s a pull door you idiot!” she shouted, and Twilight blushed with embarrassment. Jean walked over to the door and gingerly pulled on one of the knockers, the door swinging on its hinges effortlessly. Twilight let out a sigh and got back into her ready position, before charging through the door as Jean swung it open completely. As soon as she crossed the threshold, however, her charge stopped as her brain took in the scene in front of her; a dungeon like room that was almost entirely taken up by a single U-shaped banquet table that was covered in a white tablecloth and gold candlesticks. But it was what was on the table, as well as what decorated the walls that all but brought her to tears. On three silver platters, one for each section of the table was what appeared to be a roasted pony with entire sections either cut or torn out of each mass. Along the walls were a mix of a bunch of different races strung up onto metal hooks. Ponies, Zebras, Dogs and even a single griffin were simply hanging as though they were a decorative piece. Seated at the table were fifteen griffins, all of whom Twilight recognised as members of the council. In the centre of the table, on the largest and most ornate chair, which she could only describe as a literal throne, sat Ignatius. While everyone else had stopped to stare at the intruders, he was ignoring them, instead just staring at him hunk of pony meat and taking great chunks out of it with his beak.
‘Hello Dusk, I see you found our little conference room,” he said between bites. Twilight just nodded, too shocked to do anything besides stare at him. “And what do you think? I decorated it myself,”
“And you would be correct,” piped up Jean. Her voice was shaky as she looked at the gory scene in front of her.
“But that’s crazy!” Jean shouted, causing Ignatius to scowl and stand up straight. “I mean, there are far too many griffins that are vegetarians these days in respect to the other races we deal with. I’m a vegetarian for Gregor’s sake!” Twilight closed her eyes and sighed as Jean talked, knowing that she had gone too far. She opened her eyes and glared at Jean, who had her hand stuck over her mouth and a shocked look in her eyes.
“I don’t think that was the right thing to say,” said Twilight drily and Jean just nodded once. When she looked back at Ignatius, she thought that his facial feathers were going to catch alight from rage. His wings were extended to their fullest and quivering slightly. Twilight locked eyes with him, and could see the rage and the insanity that was hidden behind his golden eyes. Ignatius’ expression went cold, and he sat back down in his chair, before lazily waving his arm toward them.
***
Twilight ducked under a wild swing, flicking her wrist and extending her hidden blade, before thrusting it into the neck of a female councillor. Taking a few steps back with the griffin still twitching, Twilight used it as a meat shield as a few of the others attacked. Within mere moments, the back of her shield had been shredded, the wings hanging on by a few strands of sinew. Twilight then kicked the lifeless mass away, using it as a projectile to knock a couple of her attackers over. She chanced a quick glance over to Jean, and found her in a similar situation, but still looking on top of it.
The main thing Twilight was happy about was that her currant enemies had not been trained in combat like her usual ones. Their attacks were wild, uncoordinated and full of emotion, mainly rage. A couple of quick jabs with her hoof knocked another out, while at the same time a councillor dived at her. In his hand he was holding one of the metal hooks that had been used to hold up Ignatius’ ‘decorations.’ Twilight side-stepped him, getting low and then trying to uppercut him with her hidden blade. The blade barely missed his face and he wrapped the hook around her right arm. The barb at the end of the hook dug into the leather bracer and latched on, which only made it easier for the councillor to drag Twilight around by her wrist. He twisted her arm and wrenched it around behind her. She let out a cry of pain as one of the griffins that had been knocked over by the one with the shredded back advanced on her with his talons raised. She kicked out at him, catching his knee with her hoof. She heard a loud crack, followed by a scream as he fell onto his face. The griffin behind her pulled on her arm again, causing her to yell. He laughed in her ear, pulling her arm even harder.
“Aw, what are you going to do now, little pony?” he jibed and Twilight gritted her teeth against the pain as she filled her horn with the first spell she could think of. A single purple spark shot out of her horn, colliding with the ceiling before detonating in a flash of searing light. The grip on her arm was released as her assailant covered up his face. The hook was still embedded in her bracer and she pulled it out with a grunt, giving it a quick spin before jamming the barb into the griffin’s eye socket, dragging him to the ground and twisting the hook. Twilight whipped around, only to see Jean brutally slamming a female griffin’s head into the wall at the other side of the dungeon. Twilight made her way over, only stopping to finish off the griffin whose leg she had broken as he writhed in pain on the ground.
When she put her hoof on Jean’s shoulder to try and calm her down, Jean turned around and backhanded Twilight’s face. She took a step back, rubbing her cheek as Jean gave a high pitched squeak and dropped the griffin she had been beating.
“Councilfeathers, if you would be so kind, I need to speak with Dusk and her friend in private,” he said, raising his hand into a fist and hitting a brick in the wall. The sound of gears filled the room, followed by an extremely loud bang, and then all ten of the councillor’s heads exploded as thick metal spike burst forth from the wall behind them, piercing their skulls and showering the girls with blood.
“Oh that’s better, peace and quiet,”
Twilight wiped the blood and gore from her face, leaving a smear of red over her fur. A lump of bile had become stuck in her throat and it took all of her will power to keep it down. Beside her, Jean was shaking with shock. Ignatius let out a high pitched cackle as he danced around the ponies. The decapitated corpses of the rest of the griffin council continued to bleed out onto the stone floor as the chaotic scene played out in the dungeon.
“W-why?” Twilight asked quietly, utterly appalled at what she was witnessing. Ignatius stopped his mad dance and made his way up to her, caressing her face with his hand. She recoiled, his touch feeling like the dirtiest thing she had ever come across. A scowl came over the griffin’s face, and with one graceful swing of his hand, he slapped Twilight across the face, sending her barrelling into Jean, who fell over as though she were a statue.
“Come on Jean, get up! You said yourself, you’re no stranger to dead bodies,” she whispered sharply into Jean’s ear as she got to her hooves.
“Judgement by whom?” Ignatius asked, as he did a one handed handstand on one of the pikes that had killed the councillors. “I am the chancellor of the entire city. I have the guards in my pocket and the royal family listens to my guidance. Who are you going to turn me over too? Please tell me, I am curious.” Flipping back onto his feet, Ignatius walked around the table slowly, carefully picking up an apple that hadn’t been covered in blood and taking a large bite. Twilight shot a look to Jean, looking for some kind of response, but she was just stammering in a feeble attempt to respond.
“Well then… Maybe we won’t take you in? Maybe we just leave you here?” said Twilight, not taking her eyes off Jean.
***
With a flourish, he threw his cloak at them, but Twilight simply incinerated it with her magic. He leaped at them, talons flashing. The girls dived in the opposite direction to each other, surrounding Ignatius, before they attacked together. Twilight shot a bolt at his feet, while Jean lifted off the ground, extending her blade and aiming straight for his head. Ignatius simply sidestepped the bolt, before grabbing Jean’s arm right out the air and forcing her to the ground with a thud. He then placed his foot on her back, twisting Jean’s arm and pulling on it. Twilight immediately shot another bolt that only barely grazed the griffin’s face, but it did nothing to make him lessen his grip on the howling Jean.
Twilight rained punches onto Ignatius’ head as he clawed at her hoodie. Throwing her off, Ignatius rose to his feet, with blood running down the side of his face.
Ignatius faltered, his left foot slipping on a small pool of blood. Twilight ducked under his failed swing, before pushing upward with both hooves and catching Ignatius under the chin and sending him sprawling. Taking advantage of the distraction, Twilight dashed over to Jean to make certain that she was unhurt. She nodded to indicate she was okay and started to get up.
“Just give up Ignatius, nopony else has to get hurt,” Twilight panted, charging her horn up once again. The skinny griffin slowly got back to his feet and stared at them, breathing heavily as well.
“Are you sure? I’m the one responsible the deaths of almost the entire council. I’ve done more for this city than you guys have,” he jibed, smirking slightly. Letting out an exhausted sigh, Twilight attacked again, with Jean jumping to the side so as to try and flank him. Together they began to assault Ignatius with blows, working in sync to deliver the most amount of pain. Ignatius, to his credit, barely showed any indication that he was in pain, instead, he weakly attempted to block the oncoming attacks. Twilight smiled when she realised they were starting to wear him down.
***
With one final punch to the end of his beak, Ignatius knelt over backwards and fell to the stone floor, becoming silent. The girls dropped to their knees, exhausted. After a moment, Jean let out a breathy laugh, which soon turned into a full fit. Twilight joined her, relieved that it was finally all over. All of a sudden, there was a brown flash the whipped past her, colliding with Jean and forcing her up against the wall at the opposite end of the room. Jean screamed as Ignatius twisted her arm all the way around, forcing her face into the ground.
“Ignatius! Leave her alone!” screamed Twilight, scrambling to her hooves as he put his hand on her arm and started to put pressure on it.
Shiny white bone punctured the flesh, along with a spurt of blood, as Jean howled in agony, crying all the while. Twilight leapt at Ignatius, hoping to throw him off before he did any more damage, but he reached out with one hand and caught her by the throat. With a powerful beat of his wings, Ignatius was launched across the room, Twilight still being held firmly in his talons, before slamming her up against a wall with such force that Twilight was certain she heard one of her ribs break. She looked into his eyes, to the fire of rage and the chaotic tempest of insanity that dwelled within, feeling a great wave of terror overcome her.
“I’m going to kill you, then I’m going to eat you, and leave your remains strung up in the middle of town square for all to see,” he told her, his voice full of venom and hatred. “Or perhaps… something else. Why should I be so selfish? Why don’t I have you both hanged as an example to any who would take up arms against me? That should break the spirits of the people a bit, force them back into line.” Twilight’s eyes went wide, another wave of fear overcoming her.
‘He’s got us, he’s won, and I can’t do anything about it, unless…’ she thought, formulating a plan that might save at least one of them.
***
Twilight snapped upright, taking a deep breath as she did so. Taking a moment to explore her surrounding as her eyes slowly got used to the low level of light, she found herself in another dungeon, this one considerably smaller. A small beam of light hit the floor in the middle of the room from a window near the ceiling. A chain tethered her right back leg to the wall behind her. Her throat was dry and the skin around her neck was tender from Ignatius squeezing her throat. A bowl of water rested nearby and after trying multiple times to bring it toward her telekinetically, she reached up and felt her horn, and the magical inhibitor that rested there. Silently cursing to herself, she crawled over to it and took a long drink, sating her thirst. Twilight let out a long sigh, rubbing her eyes with exhaustion.
‘Well this is just great. This is only going to end badly,” thought Twilight as she leant up against the wall, resigning herself to doing nothing until somepony came for her.
It didn’t take long however, until the sound of the door unlocking filled her ears. Her head snapped around to see Ignatius garbed in a red cloak as he swished into the cell. His right eye was swollen and miscoloured, which gave Twilight a strange sense of satisfaction. Reaching into his cloak, he retrieved a brown paper package and dropped it in front of her; before he crouched down to look her in the eye.
“I got you a present,” he told her gleefully as he put his head in his hands. Twilight reluctantly took the parcel, gingerly peeling back the paper to reveal a white hood and cloak. “Oh don’t worry; it’s your real one. I got that Archangel pony to drop it off in town square. You don’t need to know the details.”
Ignatius took the cloak back off her, giving her a warm smile as he tucked it back into his cloak.
***
That night, Twilight was awoken by an intense light that filled her tiny cell. She had to shield her face against the heat that the light was giving off, as it dried out the air and made her eyes sting. Then a sweet voice that she never expected to hear again filled her ears.
“Hello again my faithful student,” said Princess Celestia.
“I didn’t realise I was so afraid,” she said quietly, ashamed to reveal that to the princess.
“I will, thank you Celestia,” said Twilight and with that, the cell lit up again, brighter this time, and burning even hotter. When it dissipated, the room was dark and empty, apart from Twilight, who just watched the space where Celestia was. A moment passed, and Twilight sat back down to reflect on what had just occurred.
***
Morning came around all too quickly for Twilight, as three guards entered her cell, unchained her and dragged her to the guard house. While she was there, she was given a shower, food and groomed. When she asked why, she was informed it was because Ignatius wanted her to look her best. She was then dressed in her hood and cloak, complete with hidden blade, which didn’t help her in the slightest as all four hooves were immediately shackled.
The whole time she was being handled, Twilight kept a stoic face, not letting them know how scared she was. A few hours later, Ignatius sent for her and she was led through the streets, heading for the centre of the city and the gallows that had been erected there overnight. One of the guards that were escorting her she recognised as the guard who she and Jean had almost fought in Panadol’s clinic.
“How is your friend?” she asked and judging from the surprised look on the griffin’s face, she had caught him off guard.
“Ladies and gentlefeathers, today is a historic day. Today the pony that murdered our ruler will pay the price. And due to their heinous crime, we are forgoing the usual hundred days of torture. Instead, we are going to hang her, eat the flesh and send the bones back to Celestia! So without further ado, I present to you; the assassin,” he shouted, eliciting a wave of sound from the other side, but it wasn’t the sound she was expecting.
It was cheering. She walked onto the platform and was greeted by happy and smiling faces that were all calling out her name in elation. Ignatius walked over and stood next to her, a scowl contorting his face. Gripping the back of her hood, he wrenched it down, revealing her face. The sound of the crowd grew as they cheered louder for their hero. She gave Ignatius a tooth grin, which only served to make his scowl grow even wider.
The noose was placed around her neck and the shackles around her legs were taken off. The executioner, an extremely large griffin dressed in a black hood, took up a position next to the lever.
“Any last words?” Ignatius enquired smugly.
The lever was pulled, and Twilight could feel the trapdoor giving way beneath her hooves. Her sense of time seemed to slow down as she fell, giving her the opportunity to look at the faces of the crowd as they looked on, horrified. Something caught her eye, something fast, heading straight for her. Time sped up again as Twilight hit the cobblestone road beneath the platform, the noose still around her neck had been severed a foot above her head. Angry shouting erupted from above her as Ignatius called for guards to apprehend her liberators.
A second later, Ignatius dropped through the hole, meeting Twilight in the enclosed supports of the gallows.
***
The two agile warriors clashed in the underside of the useless gallows. Diving and sliding through the support beams in a furious battle of blades and wits. Ignatius seemed to get the better of her at one point, tackling Twilight and trying to stab her, only to have her grab his head and slam it into a beam. It eventually devolved into blows, as each of them threw everything they had at each other. Brutal impact after brutal impact followed, with neither combatant wanting to lose, because they both understood the cost. Last time they fought, Twilight had been exhausted, her magic reserves had been depleted, and her injury had been giving her trouble. But now she was refreshed, her horn was sparking with excess power and she was at peace with the world. Nothing was going to stop her. Ignatius got the upper hand again, gripping Twilight’s throat firmly. She filled her horn with magic, her white iris beginning to glow and pulsate in time with her horn. The colour drained from the griffin’s face when the realisation of what was about to happen hit him.
“All the power in the world and there’s one thing you can’t do,” she grunted as she let loose with the bolt, blasting him off his feet and through the wood on the opposite side of the platform out onto the street. Moving quickly so as not to get caught under the collapsing gallows, Twilight jumped through the hole where the trap door was and leaping off the platform just as it folded in on itself.
Her head whipped around in search for Ignatius, and a smile crossed her lips when she saw him. He was crawling away from the scene on his hands and knees, smoke wafting off the charred feathers that covered his face. Twilight walked calmly over to him as he tried to escape, and as she got closer, she noticed the foot long piece of wood that had pierced his side.
“G-Get away from me pony!” he begged as Twilight approached. Pity briefly entered her heart, but was pushed away as memories of all the terrible things Ignatius had done drew themselves to the forefront of her mind. She kicked him in the side as hard as she could, making him cry out in pain and turn over onto his back, where he lay there staring at the sky in pain.
“Just that… When you play the game of thrones, sometimes there are sacrifices,” he replied, closing his eyes as Twilight extended her hidden blade and pressed it against his neck, hesitating before she pressed it in and severed his carotid artery, thereby causing his blood to seep out as every beat of his heart forced more out of the wound.
‘Right,’ thought Twilight as she retracted her blade. “Time to find out who saved my life.”
Author's Note
So this was meant to be the last chapter, but I decided that it was just a bit too long, so I'm going to split it into two chapters. The next one is just going to be Twilight's version of Chapter 14 of 'A New Harmony'
Twilight galloped through cobblestone streets as fast as she could, her white cloak billowing in the wind behind her. Her sights were set on the great cathedral, where she was certain that the pony responsible for saving her from the gallows was waiting for her. As she crossed an intersection, a group of falling white shapes caught her eye as descended upon her. Skidding to a halt and extending her hidden blade, Twilight prepared to be attacked.
“Hey now, there’s no need for that,” joked the brown Pegasus that had landed in front of her.
“Well aside from the broken arm, she’s fine. I’m sorry I doubted you,” he said, looking at the ground in embarrassment. Twilight put her hoof on his shoulder and gave him a warm smile.
“Actually Dusk… that wasn’t us at all. We have no idea who severed the rope and the only evidence I was able to find was this,” he explained, reaching into the pocket of his cloak and retrieving a long black arrow. It looked entirely unremarkable, except for the pink arrow feathers that Twilight knew all too well.
“I’m fairly certain that they went that way,” she said, her voice full of confusion. Twilight started running in the direction she had been shown, and after a moment, was joined by the others.
“Archangel, Allison and David, do a fly over and tell me if you can see any large groups of guards going in one direction,” Twilight ordered, ignoring Archangel’s question, as well as the confused looks on the faces of the others. Her three gravity defying teammates took to the sky and started darting around at high speed. Five minutes later, Allison flew down beside her, having had found what they were looking for.
“Three blocks across, one block up. I found two groups of guards closing in on two ponies,” she reported. Twilight’s heart skipped a beat.
***
After running, jumping and teleporting the four blocks to the location of the two ponies, Twilight was breathing heavily as she followed one group of guards as they chased her liberators. When they finally stopped, she looked ahead to see that the two were now boxed into the small alley. One was an extremely large Earth pony stallion. His coat was a bright red and complimented his orange mane and tail. The other pony was a yellow Pegasus mare with a short mane cut that was not unlike Twilight’s own, aside from the fact that it was pink. Both of them had weapons drawn, the stallion with a long curved sword and the mare with a bow that was made out of a dark red wood. The guards started to close in on them, spears held outstretched in front of them.
“We need to move now!” said Twilight in a panicked tone. “Protect those ponies.” All six of them then leapt from the roof, surrounding the two ponies and taking up aggressive stances. Twilight looked straight at the leader of the group in front of her, standing tall to try and look intimidating.
“You all know who I am, who WE are. So I am being generous today; leave and you can go back to your families. These ponies are under our protection,” she declared, loudly enough for everyone to hear. “Oh, and one more thing… You may need to find a new Chancellor.” She extended her hidden blade, holding it up into the air and showing them Ignatius’ still-drying blood coating the metal. The guards seemed to hesitate for a moment, as though they were gauging whether they could take the assassins or not.
Twilight let out a sigh of relief as both groups of guards turned and hurried away. She retracted her blade, suddenly becoming very aware of the Pegasus staring at her.
“Look Twilight, we have a mission to complete and ah intend to complete it,” Big Macintosh snapped, poking Twilight in the chest. His impressive bulk was the most intimidating thing she had seen in ages.
***
“Twilight, where are we” asked Big Mac, looking around the modest set up. Archangel and the others lowered their hoods, but Twilight kept hers raised, not wanting Fluttershy and Big Mac to know just how glad she was to see them, and knew that her eyes would betray her.
“This is our base of operations, located within a church,” she explained, careful to keep her voice deadpan. “And I think that it’s time for you both to leave. I don’t want you here.” To Twilight’s surprise, Fluttershy gave her the dirtiest look that she had ever witnessed.
“How dare you! We risk our lives coming here to search for you on Luna’s orders and you don’t even say hello! What is your problem? Do you even care about us anymore? This isn’t what Celestia would have wanted!” yelled Fluttershy, and every word felt like one of her arrows hitting her in the chest. Twilight looked at the ground, to ashamed to look them in the eye.
“I know, you were sent her to assassinate Gregor’s son,” said Big Mac in a disapproving tone.
“And who is your main target?” Fluttershy asked expectantly and Twilight could tell what name she wanted to hear, because it was the name she was thinking of as well.
“Ah love it when you get forceful,” he said, making Twilight feel a little uncomfortable.
***
That night, after Archangel had graciously covered up the moonlight with some clouds, Twilight, Big Mac and Fluttershy made their way toward the royal palace. With a little help from a teleporting spell they were able to get past the gates, but from there they had to get into the actual building on hoof. It took some time, mainly because Big Mac’s large size made stealth difficult for him. They managed to enter the palace through an unlocked servant’s entrance at the side. The entire building was eerily silent and Twilight swore she could hear her heartbeat echoing in the hallways.
After making their way to the second floor, they set out to find Gilda’s bedroom, hoping to catch her asleep. Eventually they found it; a simple looking set of double doors, one of which had a gold star with a ‘G’ in the middle. They entered the room as silently as possible, with every creak of the floorboards sounding like a clap of thunder. With the meagre amount to light available to her, Twilight could see that the covers of the large four poster bed were bundled over something. Twilight stood back, watching Fluttershy and Big mac as they worked. Big Mad readied himself next to the bed, gripping the corner of the coves with his teeth. Fluttershy, however, was floating just above him, drawing a dagger that had the initials ‘R.D and AJ’ carved into the blade.
Big Mac suddenly tore the covers away as Fluttershy dived, plunging her dagger over and over into the shape. When Fluttershy stopped abruptly, Twilight made her way over and was surprised to find that it wasn’t Gilda that Fluttershy had been stabbing, but instead a creepy plush replica of Rainbow Dash. The sound of hoof steps outside caused her to tense up. Twilight flipped the hood back over her head and waited by the door. When the source of the sound got close enough, she reached out and pulled the pony inside. She put her hoof in his mouth to silence him and extended her hidden blade.
“Please don’t kill me Dusk! Please!” he begged and Twilight put her hoof on his shoulder to calm him down.
“Looks like you two are going to get your wish, I’m going where Gilda is,” she said to Fluttershy and Big Mac, who nodded and smiled at her. Twilight wasn’t returning just because of Gilda, nor because she wanted to see her friends. It had finally dawned on her that the city no longer needed her protection. With Ignatius and the council dead, the good elements of society would start to surface, unopposed. Archangel and the others would continue to protect the citizens of New Grifburg without the need for her to interfere. It was time to go home.
***
The servant showed them a secret way out of the castle that came out onto the streets only a few blocks away from the cathedral, on the walk back, Fluttershy continued to ask questions about her time in New Grifburg, all of which she answered without going into too much detail.
When they did finally arrive, Twilight was overjoyed to find that both of the griffin twins were back. Max still looked like he was having difficulty breathing, but was walking around, and even gave her a hug when she walked in. Jean kissed her on the cheek and showed her the cast that she had around her arm, making a pang of guilt hit her square in the chest. Twilight ushered Fluttershy and Big Mac out of the room, wanting to talk with her team in private.
“Everyone, I just wanted to say a few things. Firstly, you should know that I am leaving with my two friends. They are taking me back to the front lines,” she told them, eliciting a gasp from all of them.
Archangel was the first to step forward and hug her, but soon they all joined in, culminating in a huge group hug that lasted for a full five minutes. Twilight desperately hoped that she would get to see them again.
***
Twilight packed a few of her things away, leaving most of it for the others to use and was then led down to the docks, where she, along with Fluttershy and Big Mac stowed away on a ship called the ‘obsidian.’ It took the better part of five hours to reach the next pony port in the town of Maneflow Springs, where Luna was waiting for them after Twilight had sent word via carrier pigeon.
When they arrived at the Pony camp, Twilight was overwhelmed by the hero’s welcome she was receiving. So much had changed in the time since she had left, such as when Derpy and The Doctor introduced her to their infant daughter; Sparkler.
As soon as she spotted Pinkie Pie, Twilight made a beeline straight for her friend, pulling her into a tight embrace and kissing her passionately. It was her way of showing that she didn’t want to miss another opportunity to show Pinkie just how she felt about her.
‘Perhaps now I can finally get some peace,’ she thought as she drifted away on thought and bliss.
Author's Note
So now we have reached the final chapter of the story, and I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone that read, faved or commented. It means a lot to me.
Also, I just want to remind everyone that this story takes place in the middle of a series. So if you would like to know what happened to Twilight after she left the city, have a look at my story 'Always Connected- Aftermath'
