If I Could See the Future, You'd Be the First I'd Tell
“Sister, I believe you may have casted too strong a sleep spell on him.”
“Maybe not, look at him.”
Reynauld began to wake up, his eyes catching sight of an intricate white ceiling. Church? That couldn’t quite be where he was.
“Creature, have you come to?” A soothing voice called to him as he rose up, feeling the iron clasps on his hands and feet.
First time for everything, “where am I?” His eyes stared straight at the ponies sitting at their thrones at a pedestal high above him. He checked himself over, his ripped clothing was still all there, reminding him of his peasant beginnings.
“Canterlot.”
“Equestria to be precise.”
“Fortunate that it speaks our language. What is your name?”
“Where...where is Mora-,” he cut himself off when he quite remembered it didn’t matter where he was, but rather who was with him. His head spun about and he looked around the whole room, managing to come to his feet, “Rhett, where is Rhett? My brother?”
He didn’t give any of those three in front of him much attention.
“Brother? I found you alone, no other creature was with you,” the white one spoke up and in yellow light, the chains and clasps fell off him.
“Sister, are you sure that is wise?” The blue one spoke up, “we do not know if he is capable of misdeeds.”
Reynauld didn’t waste anymore time in front of these ponies and chose to instead flee and run right to the doors of the throne room without waiting for any of them to finish their sentence.
“Hey! Wait!” The pink one managed out as he ran through the entire castle.
He’d never made it into something this large and massive before. Regardless, he stil found himself exiting easily enough. He hid out in the woods of the castle garden, taking a moment to check himself over. No money was on him, that’s the status quo, he did have things he would need though, like his lockpicks and cast iron knife.
He could make it in any world, but for now all that mattered was finding his brother.
It had been months and he had moved unseen all over the world and if something did see him, he quickly made sure it forgot the rest of what happened. He was making it by himself just fine.
His brother was not as ruthless as he was, raised to both be angels only one of them fell from that grace and dragged the other along.
Listen, I’ll get us a better life, we can go where we want, sleep in whatever town we want, eat whatever we want, and do whatever we want. You’re about to swear vows today and rot in that monastery, please, Rhett, brother. I’m begging you to come with me and we can see the whole world.
That promise was eating him inside, it used to be the source of his still human part. But after months of chasing all over this nation and not finding any clues or leads, he returned back to the castle in that marbled city, Canterlot. He snuck himself into the throne room undetected easily enough in his ripped browns and blacks.
That conversation he heard that day changed him. Some kingdom was returning and he wanted to be there, it could be a place where he could find his brother if he yet lived all in this world.
Rhett wasn’t the brightest man, wasn’t the strongest man, wasn’t the quick man either. Rhett could...was actually barely called a man only because he had the bravery of his brother Reynauld. Reynauld was called a gross abomination and rejected from monkhood when he put in a request as everyone knew he was constantly up to shady stuff. Theft, burglaries, assaults, muggings, banditry, and even murder if someone paid him enough. The worst is that everyone in that monastic town knew why he did it. His reasons did not absolve him from sin or their judgement though, but at least Rhett was safe and could eat and grow and get what he needed.
In hindsight, maybe he babied him too much and stunted his growth. As a monk, Rhett would be sealed away and taken care of for the rest of his life. Reynauld would never see him again, but that part didn’t bother him as much as it did now. He just wanted peace of mind that his brother would be safe and alive. Growing up as orphans wasn’t easy, especially when the church demanded so much of them both in terms of devotion and chores.
Reynauld grew up very conflicted about that. On one hand, the church provided, they were very much like parents to the both of them. On the other, the parents of normal families were never that hard on their children and the brothers were basically working as a manservant day in and day out with no time to themselves.
Since he was born, Reynauld never knew freedom and he wondered if that ever bothered his dimmer brother. Reynauld was smart, ambitious, and he wanted much more than to wash the walls, touch up the fransican murals, sweep the floor, dig the graves, and countless other house chores that the presbytery needed doing. So when he was old enough to throw his first punch, he began his delinquency.
And he savored that taste of real freedom, leaving Rhett to rot in the church. It wasn’t like he felt bad, but Rhett said he was okay with it and even moreso wanted to rather than do what his brother was doing to make ends meet. The church was already incredibly angry that Reynauld kept skulking around just to see his brother, the parish priest and the one in training were so close to banning him from the ground. It escalated when Reynauld showed up one day with a sword and dagger on him.
Then they kicked his brother out.
So Reynauld turned to even harder crimes to get more money to keep Rhett up in an inn at least and even pay for lessons in reading so he could get him into the monastery easily, despite his reputation tainting his brother. Rhett, being as slow as he was, took a long time to learn how to read and then even more to learn how to write, he was almost done when this happened.
That’s why he was on the train to this Crystal Empire, having snuck aboard to find his brother there and see if there was even a way home for the both of them. They didn’t belong, at least he knew Rhett didn’t. Rhett deserved an easy and peaceful life as one of the Benedictine monks. Reynauld was fine with the way he was living, if the world was so cruel that his parents rejected him then he had no moral qualms with all the things he had done and the things he would continue to do.
Fuck ‘em, right? It was all only about survival and everyone had different games to play.
The train had come to an easy and slow stop at the station and while he heard all the ponies in the cart over stand and start to move to the cargo car to retrieve their things he sprinted out and away. Trusty dagger in hand and ready if he ran into the trouble that was warned about in this wealthy but desolate kingdom.
Hours were going by and he didn’t have any new information on his brother or a way home, but he did manage to score some food and drink at least. He needed to stay on his feet and taking it from homes was easiest way to get it. He leaned into shadows in an alley, eating a carrot without much care for taste when he saw a great demonic visage outside the cyan shield that he was able to pass through when he first entered.
Something stronger than those princesses or whatever, he thought. Someone who might have answers for me or could actually assist with finding his brother.
So he approached the shield, ensuring nobody could see him at this distance and the red eyes formed from black mist in front of him, a toothy grin spreading across the smaller mass. Reynauld could feel something try to pierce his mind, but recoil.
“Hate...you reek of it.”
“I don’t know who you are, but...you look strong. You have any idea where my brother is? Looks kinda like me, only other guy like me in this whole Equestria place,” he didn’t care for manners, spitting venom into every word like he always did.
”You want to find your brother?”
“And I want to get him home, where I came from.”
”I can find your brother...but.”
There it was, the price.
”You’re perfect to help me.”
A criminal knows what a criminal looks like, even in another world. Reynauld bit his cheek for a second, “I’ll bite, what do you want me to do?”
”The pink bitch, in the alace,” this apparition’s words seeped out slow, “kill her, so I can have my Empire.”
Reynauld fiddled with the dagger hanging from his side until he grasped it fully, “that’s it?” He was a bit smarmy, smiling wide, “that’s all you want me to do? I’ll go do it now,” the price was so low he thought to himself. Kill one pony here.
”The one with wings and a horn, slit her throat.”
Reynauld walked off, smirking to himself. Now he could get his brother back if such a thing was on his side and make sure he was sequestered away safely. Then Reynauld could really set himself free and do whatever he wanted, the world would be his to choke for every piece of coin he wanted.
The entire walk to the tall spiring palace was long, not a single one of the depressed ponies gave him any heed and the palace seemed to be entirely unguarded by guards that just didn’t care for...anything. That made it easy to walk himself all the way up to the throne room. He imagined this pink pony was that alicorn he saw when he was still clasped in chains. Reynauld passed by an armory on the staircase up and took time to find a sword, slapping the scabbard on his side and strapping it on firmly.
In case there was more trouble than he was anticipating.
His mind wandered as he roamed corridors, trying to find exactly where to go and where his payday was. Why were all these ponies so despondent? They didn’t care for an oddity like as nearly as much as any pony that saw him elsewhere did. That was definitely a question to ask, but not something to put his priority on.
Maybe that black cloud was the reason? That just meant he was making a very strong ally.
Reynauld’s thoughts concluded there as he come to the throne room, finding that pink alicorn princess.
Cadence or something.
And she was being tended to by a white unicorn with built muscles, some kind of guard, must be a really good guard. He peeked through the open doors without either of them facing his way. The attention of this unicorn was torn between her and the black apparition that pounded on the shield. Yeah, adversaries for sure. He knew this, the side who could offer him the most is what got the deal most of the times. Unless negotiating was dangerous.
Reynauld held the dagger firm, sneaking in quietly, stepping exclusively on the rug and slowly making his way to the pair. His heart was pounding hard. Why was he nervous? He’d killed before. He murdered in broad daylight whne nobody was around. He had lured the unaware down a sidestreet and choked them with his own hands. He’s snuck into houses and shoved a knife into someone’s neck right there next to their wife.
Why was this different? Something was wrong here and he understood his intuition was telling him that much. He stopped moving for a moment, pondering his actions and potential death that his adrenaline was alerting him to. If he went down here, nobody would be alive to care for his brother. He’d need to be alive to make sure that demon whatever honored the agreement, that was for sure.
Whatever problems that would follow this, he resigned to dealing with later. He had a clearer path than Cadence in front of him offered with the other ruling power here. His feet resumed, but he wasn’t quite quick enough as the unicorn turned around to see him. Reynauld zipped quick, moving to the alicorn and gripping her exhausted form roughly, his dagger pressed to her throat tight, drawing a little bit of blood out already.
Her fur was soft and welcoming. He’d kill a lot of kind people, but somehow killing this pony felt, different and he hesitated.
The shield faltered as he felt magic envelope him.
“No! Don’t! He’ll get through!” The unicorn shouted and the magic left his body while the shield resumed and a great cackle echoed through the air and into the palace.
The unicorn made some movements forward, “don’t you dare fucking move or this dagger is gonna finish,” he threatned as the unicorn pulled a spear from his back, not moving from his position.
Reynauld stood, the alicorn’s eyes met his in fear. His hand wanted to push, but his head wasn’t willing to give that order.
“What do you want?!” The unicorn shouted, “you can have it, just leave her alone!”
Reynauld’s greedy mind took the stage, “my brother. You know where he is?”
The unicorn gritted his teeth, “no, but I can help find him-.”
“I got someone stronger than you who’ll help me with that. Someone who’ll even get him home,” Reynauld was reminding himself with his words of why he was here holding this alicorn hostage against this guard.
“Please, that’s my wife. Just walk out of here, I’ll even let you go free and I swear I’ll help you find your brother.”
Reynauld had heard infinite amounts of pleas and begging during these kind of threatening negotiations for someone’s life, “it’s...you have no guarantee and the thing out there had more promise than you do. Than your precious princesses did. Is that all you can offer me?”
A silence fell over them.
“Guess not.”
“Wait!” The unicorn took a big step forward.
“One more hoof of yours gets closer and she’s dead no matter what,” Reynauld coldly warned, knowing his exact position and bargaining chip in the room.
“You want to find your brother, you care about him. Please, leave my her alone, I care for her the same.”
That was a common argument, but if he learned anything it’s that empathizing didn’t get you any-fucking-where. You had to take action to get what you want.
He had to take this life to get his brother. That was the way the world was, cruel and unforgiving to him. That was the ruling dogma.
His flat smile stayed as he plunged the dagger deep into Cadence’s throat, hearing her gurgle blood immediately after while he wrenched it around. These ponies were capable of magic and he wanted to be thorough, brutality was the means for that reasoning.
After a moment, he dropped the alicorn, taking his dagger as the uniconr just stood in shock at his position. The cyan shield fell and the light outside started to vanish, turning dark.
“Do...do you even know what you’ve done?” The unicorn breathed out, dropping his spear while he made his way to the dying body of his wife.
“If you want something, you take it. That’s how it’s always been. No bad blood,” he stated and saw the appariation flood into the throne room and form into a black unicorn with a red horn, adorned with some kind of fancy red coat.
“That’s right, he knows what he’s talking about,” it spoke, “I’ll get you your brother, don’t worry. My name is Sombra, King Sombra,” the black tyrant touted, “and you just became my right hand.”
Sombra definitely kept up his end of the bargain as he waged war against Equestria, enslaving the populace he captured alive and taking cities and towns. He sent countless reports to Reynauld who continued to kill and fight in his name, skulking about and killing important military leaders and disorganizing forces. Sabotaging everything as he went. Every single one of those reports gave a detailed recount of what was present and mentioned there was no evidence of his brother to be found.
Equestria hadn’t seen a proper infiltrator or assassin since days long long past. By the time one garrison or fortrification figured out what was going on, it was too late to even send a report about it and Sombra’s army was upon them within moments or killed any fleeing messengers.
All that murder lead the sole human where he was today. Reynauld had only recently figured that out just now, staring at the report in his hands after he had successfully gotten past enemy lines and all the way to Canterlot as Sombra commanded him.
He stood in a war room with two princesses and six things called elements in front of him on the war table filled with maps and strategic clues.
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,
We’ve successfully looked everywhere else all over Equestria for some kind of sign of another creature like Reynauld. Your suspicions of him being behind Sombra’s successful and quick advance are founded well. He’s made it past the war frontline and was spotted once around Manehattan, but we have no idea where he went so be on guard.
As I write this letter, Manehattan has fallen and I’m being hauled on a chariot through the air as I make some kind of quick plan. We might be staring down an army we can’t win against. Sombra refuses to leave the Crystal Empire still which means our plan to use the Elements of Harmony on him by Twilight and the others will likely never happen.
Your point in that this Reynauld is our only saving grace is made even more apparent. The Elements could change him to our side and push the hatred from his heart, I urge you to keep my sister and her friends close by along with those six golden artifacts.
Even if we are unsuccessful in using the Elements of Harmony to cause Reynauld to have a change of heart, we can likely reason with him as we are the only ones who knows the fate of his brother. The last place we dispatched a search party for this Rhett was the Everfree Forest and we found clothing a lot like what Reynauld wears around a skeleton inside of a cave of an Ursa Major. We lost two ponies on that excursion, but we now know what happened to him.
We can use this information to our benefit and maybe even convince Reynauld to go back to the Crystal Empire and kill Sombra to bring a conclusion to this war. At any rate, Reynauld is the centerpiece for this war, he has in inhibitions and lived a harsher life. He’s accustomed to this.
Awaiting further orders and better news,
General Shining Armor
Reynauld felt his heart sink, he brother was dead, this report confirmed it. He looked up to the two sleeping and exhausted princesses. Both of them were sprawled over the table, an inkpot had been spilled over.
Reynauld drew his dagger, he was ordered to kill the both of them. This new information made it clear that he bet on the wrong horse for the first time ever. He was the only person responsible for his brother, the only person who would care about the idiot.
He didn’t feel any sadness or remorse, but he did feel a feeling he only felt way back when he killed for the first time. Back then, he had the resolve to double down because it was for his brother’s sake. It was to strike back at the world that struck him and his brother down at birth. That regret didn’t melt the hatred from him, but it directed it to himself. He failed to protect his brother until he could get to a monastery and in a world that didn’t even bash him once. He came to the conclusion that he really didn’t belong here and neither did his way of thinking. All the spite he had shouldn’t have been directed here.
These ponies kept his interests in mind, albeit to stop the war, but in the writings it seemed they wanted to redeem him rather than condemn him as all other humans wanted to do.
He raised the dagger and brought it down.
“Augh...”
And he did it again, tilting the blade so it would enter upwards in the long arc.
“Rruugh.”
A third and fourth time before the dagger clattered to the floor and the princesses in front of him awoke, groggy at first. Then at seeing his face they were awake all at once.
Reynauld fell over in pain, slamming against the shut door as Celestia and Luna rushed to their hooves, staring at him with curiosity. Worry was what had their attention first. He had managed to sneak all the way here with the goal of killing them, but he didn’t.
“What...what are you doing?!” Celestia shouted at him as he bleed out from his abdomen and coughed blood out of his mouth.
Luna pointed her hoof at his hand that still held the report from Shining Armor, “sister, he found out.”
Reynauld clutched the report like it would bring him solace, but it was the closest thing to his brother that he had.
“I.”
“I couldn’t protect him.”
That’s all he managed to get out while the princesses fluttered around him in worry and shouted for help. Reynauld laid in a growing pool of his blood as the door opened and he fell with it, his head slamming down and his vision spun. Shouting was all around him while he lost the cold gaze that always followed his face.
With no smile, he stared right at the two princesses and reached weakly for his dagger, grabbing it blade first with his open right hand, “the attack...Manehattan was a ruse. I...I sabotaged and killed a lot of leaders there,” blood was gurgling his words, “an army marches here under the cover of night, around Foal Mountain...South along river,” Reynauld warned them.
He wasn’t sure why exactly he said it, but he felt his regret lift a bit. These ponies never stopped looking for his brother and succeeded in finding him. They didn’t deserve the surprise attack that was coming.
Reynauld lifted his dagger to the white alicorn whose hooves were now reddened with his blood, “when the time comes,” he spat a large glob of crimson out of his mouth, “you kill that whoreson Sombra with this. You make him choke on it.”
It wasn’t an apology, but it’s probably as close as he could come to one. Princess Celestia took the dagger by the handle, looking it over with no distaste, but with a look of resolve. She received the wishes of a dying man.
While the other ponies looked on in shock, the princesses had gathered their composure and sent the doctor, nurses, and most of the guards away. Luna and Celestia were listening intently.
“And bury me with it so I can make him choke on my knife a second time myself...”
“In Hell.”
He spat the last word with a physical amount of hate. The diarchs nodded as his head lolled back over to stare at the ceiling. his eyes managed to blink a few times as he reflected his last moments before his eyelids no longer shut.
If I Could Do Right by You, I Wouldn't
Author's Note
Alternate Ending! This picks up where Reynauld had just finished reading over the report.
If I Could Do Right by You, I Wouldn't
He stared the report down with his own eyes, looking back at the princesses before he gripped his dagger hard. Rhett was dead and his actions were for naught. He could see his future, in the hottest pits of hell for every sin he committed. God forgives them all, but blasphemy. A dogma he was told.
And Reynauld remembered when he crossed that line, defacing a church just to get at gold and silvers to sell for his own profit. That’s right, none of this was ever for Rhett, it was all for him. If anything, he wanted to put Rhett away in a monastery just so he could feel good about it, like he wasn’t a complete hells-condemned sinner. He looked at an empty plate of food, crumbs of something still evident on it, it sat innocently on the war table. The reflection of himself on that silver plate mocked him, as if he willingly refused to acknowledge this truth.
So Sombra must have used him, big fucking whoop. Reynauld already accepted that he hurt all these ponies and killed countless of them, but he knew what he needed to do next. It wasn’t even for wiping his slate clean or making himself feel the remote bit better about how evil to the core he truly was. This was for ego, for pride, and for spite. Reynauld was frozen over with silent anger for a while longer before an idea struck him.
That’s something he could play in his advantage, Sombra would likely assume he died in the attempted assassination on the Princesses lives. He could sneak in easily, wait for the perfect moment, and end him in return for using him like this. Then he could maybe settle up things with his brother and find something to do. His motivation was slipping, Rhett was his drive to keep on commiting crime. Reynauld had already tasted every sweet bit of luxury the world had to offer, the best inn maids, the best wines, the best weapons, the fanciest clothes, and more. None of that really interested him on bit, what did were the actions.
And even those were losing its taste.
Reynauld took the quill left on the war table and dipped it in spilled ink, writing over the war map in big black font.
Attack From East
And circled the river next to Foal Mountain. Reynauld had slain most of the patrols along the way so the time they detected them, it’d be too late to mobilize anything and Canterlot would be at a huge disadvantage. Reynauld didn’t particularly care, but if the surprise attack went awry, it would point more to his possible death and a boon in his subterfuge. He slipped quietly from the war room.
Reynauld went all the way out of Canterlot, taking the same path of slain sentries he did to get in. The moment his feet touched the grassy fields North of Equestria’s capital, his head churned as he walked low, keeping himself hidden in the grasses with the cover of night.
Sombra would assume he died and failed and the war would rage on, a new frontline would be established and Sombra would have to be ordering directives out more and more instead of relying on his new human to do the lifting and pointing his hoof for his forces to attack after the sabotage.
Equestria had her first real assassin and he craved sin second to vengeance.
It was a grueling few days, making ground over lands stained red, grasses burnt black, and scars of magic across the skies. He made it back to the Crystal Empire, every mineral was turned some shade of blakc or grey from Sombra’s influence. He’d cast a spell to tell his paranoid self when magic crossed over into his domain, but since Reynauld had none the tyrant when unalerted.
Reynauld found himself skulking about the city, which could barely be called that. It was a ghost town and all food was being given to those fighting the war and barely a scrap to any of the enslaved ponies here. It almost reminded him, no did remind him.
That bastard Arnulf, he did the same for his own ego, very much like Sombra. Very much like Sombra, he didn’t stop until he was dead or rather dying and even then countries still pillaged the lands he lived in until he could sneak Rhett out. Maybe if he had chosen to stay and defend his brother would have lived.
Not that it mattered to him.
Reynauld chose to infiltrate into the Crystal Palace, making sure he went completely unseen through the lessened patrols. Sombra had gotten very confident with having his human assist him in conquering Equestria. He made it all the way to the throne room, choosing to climb the outside jagged crystals to the balcony. Not a single pony could see him from down below. The palace was black, he wore all black, and even if he was noticed they could easily assume he was just some crow looking to nest.
That was until he reached the balcony and could hear Sombra speaking to some general of his, “you mean to tell me in all those many words that my surprise attack failed,” the despot’s voice boomed while he sat on the throne, kicking off of it in anger.
Reynauld was making silent little steps to the back of King Sombra, he dagger was already drawn and the general surely noticed him, “what is it that has your attention besides me?! Explain your failure before I lock you behind my door!” Reynauld stared the general in the eyes and shook his head, a clear indication that Sombra was not the most menacing presence in the room.
“Why won’t you speak?! Are you such a foal that-,” and his steam ran out of his sentence, “that-,” he was beginning to choke on Reynauld’s dagger.
“You used me, my brother was dead all along and you’ve been hiding it since we advanced on Ponyville to make a break in their second line,” Reynauld breathed coldly into Sombra’s neck, “I don’t fucking like that and I don’t fucking like you,” Sombra’s mouth opened to speak.
Reynauld pulled the dagger from his throat and shoved it into his mouth next, piercing the inside soft flesh and earning a screech from Sombra, “shut up. You’re done,” he yanked the dagger free and covered his own hand and arm with splatter of blood as he stabbed the King.
It wasn’t until the sixteenth or seventeenth time that it lost flavor to him and he dumped the fresh corpse onto the stained black crystal, staring at the general.
“L-L-Lord Reynauld!” The general bowed to try and save his own throat from such a fate.
“I’m no Lord,” Reynauld kicked the body of Sombra, “and he’s no King,” his dagger pointed at the general, “and you’re no general. If any one of you ponies take up Sombra’s place, I’ll kill that bastard,” Reynauld left past the general, striking quick and hard into his back, nothing life threatening but it would be very painful to move for a while.
Silence fell over the Crystal Empire as news spread. There were many shouts at first of Sombra’s assassination and many still loyal to him attempted to apprehend Reynauld. He’d long since drew his sword proper, having experience thanks to banditry, and slew those who would stand in the name of the dead King all the way out of the Crystal Empire. He took a train, heading all the way to the loosely controlled Ponyville, where every single pony that pledged themself to Sombra was overwhelmed.
There were the willful and the forced in this conflict. Sombra would brainwash some stronger ponies into fighting for him, but with his magic gone along with himself, it caused riots to break out in encampments. Oddly, Reynauld was not stopped as he peacefully strided away, unsure what to do anymore.
And he didn’t even notice that he was wandering into the Everfree Forest until the canopy darkened the sky further. Reynauld was certain his sins would never be forgiven, he’d meet Satan in hell, and he didn’t care to repent or beg for absolution from whatever church, pope, Jesus, God, or whatever else was capable of granting it for him. He was the rotten apple that dropped every year from a tree, eaten thoroughly on the inside.
Reynauld accepted that he would continue to be eaten inside, but only by himself now.
