A Wispy Night
Moonset adjusted her shades as she drew further back into the rafters. Blowing her ragged blue mane out of her face, she hefted up a crossbow and lined up the shot. Grinning, she set the bow aside and took out a small pouch from under her wings. Opening it up, she pulled out some bolts and set them beside her.
Below the rafters she had nested down on, the night council continued on, unaware of the impending danger. Sitting around a large table spanning the length of the hall were about two dozen ponies. At the head, both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna sat silently listening to one of the ponies.
Tonight’s topic seemed to be scientific research into synthetics, but she couldn’t hear anything but the muddled sound of ponies talking. The current speaker was a thin, nerdy looking unicorn, tan with a brown mane, large coke bottle glasses and a nasally voice. A pony named Natural. He was also the target.
He didn’t look like the type to oppose synthetic research. In fact, he looked like he could be one of the mathematicians behind it. But he did. He happened to be the head of an organization: Ponies for the Preservation of Natural Order. A group that strongly opposed synthetics to replace many magical processes. They weren’t an extremist group, but he had still rubbed a few ponies the wrong way, and they wanted him out of the way.
The Ponies for Synthetic Research had a vision for Equestria. Moonset didn't know much beyond their goal of equalizing all ponies, but she didn't care. Her clan, the Void Clan, had taken her talent for stealth and bred her to the be one of the best assassins in the land. And now, the PSR was making use of that. They had hired her to take out the number one pony in opposition of their progress: Natural.
Moonset had to chuckle. A novice would have spent hours concocting a plan to take out the guards. She had merely snuck into the meeting hall two hours previously and settled in. It had been easy and would continue to be easy. The only guards allowed in the room were the royal guards, and they were stationed at even intervals by each pillar. Too easy.
Taking one last breath, Moonset relined up the shot, her hoof gently squeezing the trigger. A second before she let the bolt fly, a cloud drifted in front of the moon, and the beam of light streaming through the ornate stained glass window narrowed down to illuminate only the Princesses, making it harder to tell what Natural was doing, but she could tell he had just sat down.
She adjusted her aim and quickly squeezed off the bolt before anything else could change. As she felt the projectile leave its cradle, she realized her aim was ever so slightly off.
Too dark! As she heard the bolt strike its target and Natural’s scream of agony, she leapt into action. Jumping from the rafter, she flared her wings for a controlled fall. As the ground rushed to greet her, a blade appeared in her hoof.
Punching forward, she anticipated the soft squelch of her dagger parting flesh as she slammed into the table. Instead, there was a sharp crack followed by a forced scream of pain. One all too familiar to anypony in Equestria.
No! No way! She wouldn’t! Moonset stumbled back, her hoof withdrawing from the bloody body of Princess Luna. The princess toppled over, spattering blood across the table, a look of shock and betrayal on her face. What... what have I done?
Moonset’s mind screamed at her to run, but her body refused. All around her, ponies sat completely still, the shock so heavy that she could almost feel it in the air. Then the screaming started.
At the cries of panic from the other nobles, the guards snapped out of their stupor. They charged her, blades drawn, spears lowered.
“Grab her!”
“Arrest her, now!”
“Get the traitor before she can attack Princess Celestia.”
The yelling shook Moonset out of her daze and instinct took over. As the first guard reached her, jabbing his spear at her, she jumped up and used her hind hooves to slam it into the table. She appeared to run its length and punch the other pony in the throat. He went down with a gurgle and she used his head as a springboard to jump over the other guards towards freedom.
Mid-air, a golden magic aura surrounded her. Panic engulfed her mind. Princess Celestia! Blindly, she threw a knife behind her. Cries of surprise surrounded her as she heard her knife hit something very solid. At that moment, the magical prison dissipated, dropping her to the ground.
Shoving hard, Moonset sent a guard into a group of delegates, clearing her escape path. With a powerful leap, she slammed into the window, her hooves crossed to protect her body.
Time seemed to slow as the colourful glass winked in the moonlight, falling around her. She grunted, sharply inhaling the chill autumn air. For a brief second before she squeezed her eyes shut, she noted that it was relatively cloudless, making the possibility of escape more difficult.
For a few seconds, she let herself free fall. As the mountainside rushed up to meet her, Moonset flared her wings, pulling up hard. As she rose, she could feel her bad wing straining against the wind.
No, no, no! Please! Not now! Gritting her teeth, she tried to even out and reduce stress on her wing. Just as she was about to give up hope, she found herself quickly gliding through the bright night.
Behind her, the cries of some guards giving chase came from the castle. Unlike her, they did not fall. They made a beeline straight for her, their spears outstretched. Because of her bad wing, they quickly gained on her.
With a desperate yelp, Moonset barely dodged the spears, pulling up and around to land on a guard's back. With a practiced motion, she yanked his pinion feathers out. Pushing down, she could sense him lose control, crashing into one of his companions.
I’m sorry. The first rule of assassination: Kill only who you were paid to kill unless it's absolutely necessary, and you forced me into this course of action. She lingered on the thought for only a second before turning her attention to the other three guards. Deftly falling in between them, she noted a forest she might be able to lose the law in.
She made straight for it, bursting through the treetops, she hit the ground running. Behind her the guards followed suite, but on her hooves, she was faster.
Jumping over bushes, ducking under branches, darting around trees, Moonset dashed through the forest, heading for nowhere in particular. Slowly, the voices of the guards faded behind her, leaving her alone in the dark.
Finally, she felt safe enough to slow to a trot. As far as she could tell, she was in the middle of nowhere. A bare amount of moonlight filtered through the thick canopy, not that it mattered to her. Adjusting her shades, she tried to get her bearings.
All around her, trees hugged close together, not leaving much room for anything else on the hard dirt forest floor. Daintily stepping over a root, Moonset tried to slow her breathing so she could hear.
In the distance, she could hear bushes rustling as something big prowled through the night. She quickened her pace, eager to make it out. For a few seconds, she considered just flying out, but brushed the thought.
It’d only announce my location to any guards sweeping the area. Grumbling, she brushed a spiderweb out of her long mane. It was in that moment that she became aware of the heavy steps of a guard charging at her.
“Got you, you traitor!”
He crashed into her, sending them tumbling. He immediately started raining punches down onto Moonset, his hooves slamming into her, though she managed to redirect most of them away from her face and into her shoulder.
In retaliation, Moonset rolled over to get some leverage and used her hind hooves to throw the guard off. He bounced off a tree, growling. It quickly turned into a scream of pain as she kicked dirt into his face. As he flailed about, she rammed into him, pinning the guard against a tree, cutting off his cries. Except for the muffled panting of both ponies, silence reigned over the area.
Just as Moonset was about to deliver a sharp jab to his throat, her ears flicked, the noise of something else running around just out of view disrupting her. Growling, she turned her head around quickly to try and find the source of the disturbance, but found nothing. At the same moment, the guard managed to shift her arm enough to headbutt her and push her away.
Yelping in surprise, she tumbled to the ground cradling her now aching head. She could sense the guard leap again, a blade probably drawn. She braced for the sting of death, but it never came. Instead, something roared as it jumped from the shadows, intercepting the guard.
A scream of terror was the last thing she heard before silence once again enveloped the area. Panting, she leaned against a tree, trying to get a plan together.
Okay... nothing is going as it should have. What do I do? Taking several deep breaths, she cleared her mind. Alright. My first priority is to get home. I’ve got to talk to Cloudy Skies. He’ll know what to do. And then what? Probably run.
What the council would do for this big of a screw up was unknown to her, but it sure wasn’t going to be good. Yes, she determined that running would be the best bet. To the silent sea at the very least.
Turning upwards, she decided it would be safe to fly out now. Guards always traveled in groups, and since only one had just attacked her, she guessed the others were dead as well, or had given up chase. She jumped into the air, cautiously scanning the sky for more enemies. Sensing none, she flew a bit faster, eager to be rid of the forest.
She was so focused on getting home, she nearly missed the tell tale signs that something was following her. Moonset looked back just in time to be thrown further forward as a large shadow burst through the treetops.
Cursing her luck, she struggled to gain control of her wild flight. Rookie mistakes! I was doing so well up until that idiot moved, and I still need to figure out why Princess Luna sacrificed herself for him. Turning back, she could sense the monster slowly closing in, its sheer size slowing it down. She put on an extra burst of speed. Her bad wing screamed out, the heat in it building to unbearable heights.
Panting, Moonset knew she couldn’t go on much longer. Turning around, she took a calculated risk and threw the last of her throwing knives. And as far as she could tell, all three hit the beast dead on, but it didn’t fall as she expected. It slammed into her, sending them crashing into a forest clearing.
Something cracked, but the adrenalin was pumping too hard now. Moonset didn’t pay much attention to it. Rolling back, she barely managed to push the monster off of her. Desperately, she charged through the trees.
Shouting her panic, she jumped over fallen logs, jutting rocks, and bushes, keeping just ahead of the terrible creature. It followed, ignoring all obstacles. Suddenly, something whipped out from its mouth, wrapping around her leg and jerking sharply.
Moonset fell roughly, grunting. Growling, she tried to pull herself free, but couldn’t overpower what she guessed was a tongue. Turning over, she screaming in frustration, pulling out a blade and hacking at the flesh to no avail.
The beast raised its claw, ready to end Moonset as it dragged her into range. Just as it swung down, a bright light struck it in the face. It screamed, rearing up and flinging Moonset into a nearby tree.
Moonset cried out as she felt ribs crack. Her ears rang with a high-pitch whine. Voices in the distant sounded hazy but she could tell that somepony, or ponies were yelling as they battled the monster.
As things faded further, she slowly, painfully raised a hoof, a silly thought crossing her pain-addled mind.
Must make sure... shades are still on before... before I... pass—
“Mooney! Hey, can you hear me?”
Moonset groaned, the gentle pats of another pony slowly bringing her around. With each tap, her head screamed in protest.
“The void draws all in...” she mumbled.
“... and none shall escape.”
The other pony finished the code, pulling her up to her hooves. Immediately, the other pony allowed her to lean into his or her side.
“Shine? A friendly stallion in the middle of this forest?”
“Yeah,” he replied. “I was supposed to be in this area, remember? The plan?”
Moonset rubbed her head, feeling first for her shades, which were still on, before trying to clear her mind. “What was that? Oh... the escape plan.”
Shine Bright caught her as she stumbled. “Careful. We cleaned the blood as best we could, splinted your wing, but you still have a heavily bruised leg and some cracked ribs. You took quite the beating.” He gestured for his squad to follow after them. They got up and fell into formation, making up a group of two pegasi, two earth ponies, and Shine, a unicorn.
For a few seconds, they hobbled on the path. Shine spoke up as soon as they were out of the forest. “Wish we could meet under better circumstances.”
“Yeah,” Moonset grunted. “It is pretty crappy that you have to pull me back home.”
“Well, that and officially, you’re under arrest.”
Moonset groaned. “Already?”
“The assassination of a princess is big news. It gets around fast. You may have also been out for nearly three hours.” Shine adjusted his stride to accommodate Moonset. “What were you doing killing a princess anyways? You were paid to kill Natural.”
“Listen! It was an acci—”
“That’s not the question I asked you. From what I heard over the chatter while we waited for you to wake up is that there are dozens of security orbs that show you shooting a bolt at Natural and then jumping at Princess Luna.” Shine sighed. “As much as I want to believe it was an accident, she’s still dead and the evidence is piling up against you. The best you can hope for is life imprisonment.”
Moonset trod along silently. How? What about that crack just before I struck? That was clearly a teleportation spell. How does a orb miss that? And why? I have to find out why.
She was vaguely aware of arriving at the Void Clan’s central hub, a door opening, and then walking down a long hallway. A few twists and turn later, she found herself facing a pair of large wooden doors. A guard on either side opened them and ushered her through. The sound of hundred or so ponies babbling met her ears.
“I-I don’t understand. The council? Surely they couldn’t have been assembled this quickly?” Moonset shook her head, groaning at the pounding headache she had. “Not some cell?”
“Like I said, killing a princess is a big offense. And big is an understatement. They got together the second they heard,” Shine whispered. “No lawyer either. This is large enough that you don’t get much of a trial. You basically just get to say guilty or not guilty and then they hang you.”
Moonset frowned and gently nudged Shine. “Thanks, that’s comforting.”
“Sorry.” Shine gently nudged her into a waiting group of guards and went to sit down. They caught her as she stumbled forward. Dragging her across the floor, they all but propped her up on the table directly in front of a high rise bench where the ruling council sat.
“All rise.” The voice of the high judge rang through the hall. To either side of Moonset, the ponies rose and dutifully monotoned the century old clan saying.
From the void we are bound together.
From the void we gain strength.
From the void we will prosper.
As the last of the voices died out, the ponies sat down en masse. For a full minute, no pony said a word. To the casual observer, it might have looked like a room of statues.
Finally, the high judge cleared his throat and stood up. “Moonset Void. You stand before us accused of high treason to the Equestrian republic. However, because you are part of this family, it is our duty to dispense justice. Should you be found guilty, you will be given over to the royal house for an official punishment.”
“Do I—”
“Silence!” The judge’s gavel levitated up, slamming back down thunderously. Coughing, he returned to his papers. “Approximately three hours ago, at about nine o'clock in the evening, the Princess of the Night, her majesty Luna had her throat stabbed in a vicious manner leaving her dead at the scene of the crime.” He stopped for a second to shuffle his papers before continuing. “The assassin was described as a light blue mare with a ragged blue mane. Wings, one of which appeared to be slightly damaged. A pair of blades under a crossbow for a mark.” He glared at her. “This is you, no?”
“Yes, but—”
The judge’s gavel slammed down again, causing everypony to jump in surprise. “Silence! Given the severity of the crime, your right to defend yourself has been revoked!”
Moonset could almost imagine him looking around, sneering.
“Will anypony stand for the accused?” A few seconds of silence. “No? Then judgement is passed down for the council to decide.”
Two stallions and a mare pushed the lower bench back and turned to face the high judge.
“High Judge Order, in order for a fair trial, we must examine the evidence.” The voice of Councilor Parchment drifted lazily through the air, almost as if he didn’t really care. He probably didn't.
The high judge waved a hoof at the councilors. “Very well. If the ponies of the audience will hold still, I shall project it into your minds.” He concentrated for a second, and with a burst of magic, an image appeared in Moonset’s mind.
In the misty depths, she could see Canterlot Castle’s grand hall. From the upper right, a bolt shot through the scene and struck one of the ponies just as he shifted. A second later, Moonset followed, striking out at...
… the princess? But I jumped straight at Natural! Where’s the teleportation spell! She shook her head in confusion. How does a security orb miss something as obvious as a spell that big? I can’t be the only one that heard it.
Her thoughts were broken up by the voice of Councilor Parchment.
“And with that, we have solid evidence that it was indeed Moonset Void who assaulted, and killed Princess Luna.” He huddled close with the other two councilors for only a few seconds while they conversed in secret. He pulled back and faced the high judge again. “Your honour, as speaker of the councilors, I can say we have reached a consensus.”
Holding her breath, Moonset secretly prayed to anypony who would listen that something would change. Somepony must have noticed that there was a spell cast. Somepony must have noticed that the security orb had been tampered with.
“Moonset Void is stripped of her title as a void clansmare, thus becoming Moonset N’essallc. She shall be kept here until she is well enough to be transferred to the royal family where she will be dealt with accordingly.”
The high judge slammed the gavel down yet again. “Very well. Judgement has been passed! This court is adjourned!” With a final smack of the gavel, he quickly shuffled off into one of the many back rooms.
All around Moonset, ponies got up, stretching, talking about the trial.
“I can’t believe she’d betray us.”
“Why did she go rogue?”
“Was she paid? How much?”
Growling, covering her ears, her head pounding, she sunk down, the agony of the last few hours crashing into her. Gritting her teeth, she tried to make herself as small and as unnoticeable as possible.
Respite came with the familiar voice of Shine Bright. “Come on Moony. Lets get you out of here. I wish I could throw you in a comfy room, but I gotta take you to the holding cells on level five.”
Groaning, Moonset dragged her up, using Shine for support. “The fifth? But that’s...”
“... Where they keep the most dangerous criminals. I know.” Shine shrugged. “If you’ve ever read your dossier, you’d know they consider you beyond top tier.” Gently leading her across the hall to the stairwell leading down, he continued. “If it makes you feel better, we’re supposed to send no less than half a dozen assassins after you should you escape prison.”
“Gee, thanks,” Moonset grunted. “That’s unlikely given the security on that level and the amount of guards that are going to be escorting me to death’s embrace.” Straining, she wrapped a wing around Shine for additional support. “What I’d really like to know is why no pony stood up for me.”
Shine remained so silent that Moonset could imagine him gritting his teeth, trying to think of anything. As the silence stretched on, they descended the tight spiral staircase. With each step, the air seemed to grow more humid, the stone stairs rougher, moss seeming to appear more frequently. An overall dank feeling.
Finally, Shine broke the silence. “It would have been suicide.”
“So?”
“It’s awfully hard to clear your name if I’m dead as well. It’s the least I can do.” Shine fell back into silence.
Moonset blinked in surprise. “You don’t believe the evidence? You take my word at face value?”
“No. The evidence is pretty solid. I can’t deny that. But I do know you. I find it hard to believe you’d take a job killing the Princesses.” Shine shifted, giving Moonset’s wing better purchase on his back. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed your little two in the morning departures to stare at the moon from a cloud. You loved the night and Princess Luna’s work. I also couldn’t help but notice that you wished could ditch the whole assassination game.”
Moonset blushed, turning her head away. “Oh. Well, you know the clan. A closed society that breeds their members to be the best in their talent and then hire them out for whatever. I just... I just wish I had had more control of my life back then.” She sighed, leaning away from Shine. "Anyways, I didn't think anypony knew that much about me."
Shine chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. “I’ve only been trying to sleep with you for how long? I learn things.”
This caused Moonset to blush harder. “That’s putting it... well, we both know that it wasn’t quite like that.”
“Ah... and this is why I’m not a comedian.” Shine shook his head, the smile fading slowly. “Anyways, we’re here.”
He guided her down the last few steps, careful to avoid the puddle that had formed at the bottom of the stairs. They found themselves in a small room. At the far end, there was a cell big enough for one pony, completely empty. On either side of the door stood two guards at rapt attention, four total.
Gulping, Moonset allowed herself to be led into the cell. Half of her screamed out that she not let go of Shine, the other part wanted to shove him away to let her dwell in her own misery.
Carefully lowering her to the ground, Shine ducked out from under her wing and backed up. “I’ll send a healer down in the morning to get you fixed up. I don’t want to see you in this jail any longer than necessary.”
With that, he quickly backed out and she could imagine him glancing back one last time forlornly at her sorry form. As his hoofsteps faded into the distance, she could also hear spikes slide up at the stairs to seal her off from the outside world.
Curling up, she let the agony wash over her. The first of many tears slid down her cheek.
“No... innocent... name cleared... real killer.”
Moonset’s ears perked up, suddenly alert. The sudden movement caused her to groan in pain, rubbing the back of her neck. She shifted to ease the the pressure on her cracked ribs and broken wing.
“Who’s there?”
She could vaguely sense a candle burning at the opposite end of the room. The guards hadn’t moved. Nor did they respond to her voice.
No rules... no boundaries. She... one.
The words came again, a distant voice she couldn’t quite identify. Bits and pieces floated through her mind, but without the missing words, they made no sense.
“I can hear you! Who are you?” Moonset shouted, quickly groaning at the pressure rising in her chest, pushing against the cracked ribs.
Just as suddenly, the voices stopped.
No matter how much she strained to hear, nothing came. Finally, Moonset gave up and sighed, laying her head back down to rest in the lap of her forehooves. She closed her eyes, adjusting the shades out of habit. Sleep quickly followed.
An Unexpected Alliance
“What’s the deal with the mare?”
Moonset groggily raised her head, the voice of a young guard grating on her ears. She screwed her face up, groaning.
“Ho boy. You’re the new guard, aren’t you? Just got back from your pilgrimage, right?”
The gruff voice of a veteran drifted through the air, causing Moonset’s headache to return in force. Covering her head, she squeezed her eyes shut, praying for them to shut up and just let her sleep.
“Yeah. So?”
“So? You missed Moonset’s rise to power. She assassinated one of the councilors, stealing the job from Overcast. It was supposed to be an impossible task, one reserved for the best of the best.” The guard shifted his spear to lean on it. “Later, when Overcast confronted her, she killed him in fair combat. The council backed her actions and soon after, everypony wanted to hire her.”
The younger guard started pacing, his spear dragging across the ground. “The Void Clan has other assassins. She can’t just be the best. If she were, she wouldn’t be in this situation.”
The older guard chuckled. "Time for some history. Back when the void clan was first started, it really was a clan of assassins. They trained their offspring to be assassins. It was all about killers for hire. But then, they discovered that not all foals that were brought up in the clan developed a talent for the job. At first, they threw them out. But eventually, it meant the clan would die out. So, the first council convened and they agreed to change the clan. Instead of raising just assassins, the focused on honing the talent any given pony found themselves with.
"The clan leaders saw the perfect opportunity in this. The assassination branch sort of died out as they focused on the more practical talents and hired those ponies out to bring revenue in for the clan. As a result, no, we do not have many other assassins. Thus, she gets most of the hype.
“Hype? The only thing I’ve heard since coming back is her name dropped a few times.”
“Aye. She’s been hired for tons of jobs that could have been handled by a pony of lesser standing. It's driving the other assassins out of business.” The butt of his spear poked through the bars, jabbing her. When she didn’t respond, the guard continued. “You see, she has two things in her favor that make ponies want to hire her: Those shades of her’s and a not half bad flank.”
The other guard shuffled uncomfortably. “I don’t know about the flank, but that’s opinion, I suppose. But what about her sunglasses?”
Laughing, the older guard poked her again. “They add an aura of mystery about her. You see, no pony has ever seen her take them off. Rumor has it that they allow her to do things other ponies can’t. That rumor seems to make them want to hire her rather than the assassins that have something to show for their skill.”
The guards fell silent. For a few minutes, Moonset thought she could finally go back to sleep. Curling up, she tried to empty her mind. But the comment about her shades kept her up. Her mind kept going over scenarios where the guards forced her to remove her sunglasses.
“How many hours until we’re replaced?” The older guard’s voice sliced through the darkness, causing Moonset to grimace.
“About three candle hours.”
The older guard snorted. “Good. I’ve got an idea. She’s so injured, she’s practically helpless, right?”
The younger guard grunted, “I would imagine so.”
The cell door squeaked open, clanging into the bars. Moonset immediately tried to stand, but collapsed as her bruised hindhoof failed to support her. Growling, she tried to warn the veteran guard off. Tensing, she prepared to attack him if he tried anything.
“Cover me and stab her if she so much as moves. I’m going to get a look under those glasses of hers, and then maybe...” He ran his hoof along her side, ending at her flank, laughing.
The other guard raised his spear, pointing it directly at Moonset. “Are you sure we should be doing this?” The hesitation was clear in his voice.
“Does it matter? She’s going to be dead in a few hours and it’s been ages since I’ve been allowed a mare.” He reached for her shades.
Just as his hoof made contact, Moonset slapped him away, headbutting him. The headache spiked and she groaned. A second later, she cried out in pain as the guard viciously punched her in the muzzle.
Falling back, she cradled her head, blood freely pouring from her nose. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her breathing became heavy and laboured.
“Try that again and you’ll be killed!” The guard slapped her, leaving a stinging feeling in her cheek. “Maybe I should teach you a lesson in dominance now!’ He walked behind her and placed his forehooves on her flank, pushing himself up, causing her to squeal in pain, her bruised hoof crushed under the weight.
At that moment, a foreign energy built up in Moonset’s chest, spreading outwards. All pain vanished in an instant.
“No!”
The voice rang in her head, sounding as if somepony had shouted in her ear. At the same time, Moonset swung around, her hoof already in motion. It struck the guard in the throat, and she could feel his trachea collapse. With a gurgle, he fell back, the life already fading from his eyes.
Spinning around, she deftly ducked under the younger guard’s clumsy spear thrust. She wrapped her hoof around the shaft and ripped it out of the guard’s grip. Twirling it around, the sharpened tip buried itself in his head. Without a word, he collapsed, blood pooling on the ground at her hooves.
Shocked, Moonset stood there, looking at the two bodies. She stumbled back, looking down at her hooves. To her, it felt like she hadn’t ever been injured. Amazed, she began to hyperventilate.
“Run!”
The voice came back, ringing in her ears. “Prince—”
“Run!”
The voice returned, louder, seeming to echo around the small room. It snapped her out of the stupor. Leaping over the bodies, she darted towards the staircase. The second her hooves hit the ground outside the cell, alarms went off. High up, she could hear heavy slabs of stone sliding into place to seal the prison off. Behind her, more stone rose up from the ground to lock in anypony inside.
Beating at the spikes that blocked her path, she cried out in frustration. “This is stupid! How am I supposed to get out?”
“Worry not, young one. We will ensure your safe passage.”
As if an answer to her plea, the lever that controlled the spikes on the other side fell down. With a metallic hiss, the bars receded into the ground.
Crying out thankfully, Moonset darted up the stairs. Taking them two at a time, she managed to reach the third level just as the stone slab fell into place, blocking her. Below her, another slab prevented backtracking.
Looking around desperately, she sought another escape route. At the far end of the level, Moonset could see three guards slowly approaching her, walking past row after row of cells. Panicking, she pushed against the stone obstacle to no avail.
“The ventilation shaft. You might be able to force yourself through.”
Moonset nodded, her fear replaced by determination. Turning around, she charged at the guards, sliding under their outstretched spears. Jumping up behind them, she shoved the furthest back, causing them to tumble to the ground with their group. She turned to face the next set of ponies. Just as she set off at a gallop, a voice stopped her.
“Kill them. Show them their sins.”
What? No! I don’t kill anypony except the target and those that stand in the way. They aren’t the target, nor are they in the way!
“Need we remind you that it was a guard that was going to take advantage of you?
A great force exerted itself over Moonset’s body and she turned. With a vicious kick, she crushed the head of a guard against the ground. As he fell, she pulled his blade out and thrust it into the chest of the other guard, an older mare. With a scream she collapsed, blood spurting out in great bouts.
The last guard cowered back, scrambling to get his spear into position. Jabbing at Moonset, he screamed bloody murder.
Rolling her eyes, she wrapped a hoof around the shaft and jabbed back hard. With a gurgled cry, he fell back, a large indent appearing in his skull.
Turning her attention back to the other guards, she found them almost on top of her. Jumping into the air, she flew over their heads. As she landed, the urge to kill them all came again in force. Gritting her teeth, she did her best to ignore it.
No one controls me, but me!
Darting around a corner, she ran down another hall. The cells, blocked off by huge chunks of stone, seemed to taunt her. Behind them, she was sure there were prisoners wondering what was happening, banging against the wall, panicking, but she didn’t dwell on it.
Behind her the cries of the guards giving chase grew louder as groups banded together. From other halls, she could see them closing in on her.
Sliding to a halt, panting, she realized she was at a crossroads. From every direction, groups of guards approached, too many for her to take on or even dodge around. Spinning in a circle, she tried to sense any opening to escape through.
“Above you!”
Turning her attention to the ceiling, Moonset realized the ventilation shaft was just about two yards over her. Without hesitation, she jumped up, hovering at the bars. Just out of reach, there was a lever, probably for venting the entire cell bock quickly. As before, it fell down and the bars drew back into the stonework.
With a cry of triumph, she flew straight into the shaft. But to her dismay, it was too small. At about her hips, she became stuck. Struggling wildly, she tried to worm her way in.
Below her, some of the guards flew up to pull at her waist while others used their magic. The weight was too much and she slid back a few inches.
Driving her knees into the wall, she braced herself, trying to drag herself forward at the same time. She could feel their grip on her slipping, the sweat dripping down her entire body making it hard to hold on.
There was a sharp tug and her body slipped back, nearly popping out. Grunting she pulled forward to regain lost ground. As she lifted a hoof, a shadowy strand of something shot out of the darkness, wrapping around her chest. With a sharp tug, Moonset felt herself suddenly rushing through the vent shaft.
Screaming, she could sense a wall rushing to meet her, the strands of shadow pulling her at frightening speeds. Twists and bends seemed to be no issue as she breezed through them. Bracing for impact and imminent death, Moonset put her hooves up and turned her head away.
Then everything disappeared and she knew no more.
“Oh... urgh! Shoot! Shoot, shoot, shoot!”
Moonset groaned and propped herself up. Wait... propped myself up? No pain? No mysterious energy either. She sat still, taking in her surroundings. As far as she could tell, she was in a small room, a simple dresser on one wall, a small bed under the window.
“Hello?” she called out.
The mumbling of the other pony immediately stopped and Moonset felt some pony practically dive into her, giving her a big hug.
“Oh thank the void that you’re not injured! I was afraid that I had put you into a coma!”
Moonset blinked in surprise, awkwardly returning the hug. The other pony was a mare, pegasi, perhaps just having reached maturity.
“Um... still alive and kicking, I guess. Could we make introductions before getting all huggy huggy?” Moonset pulled away, retreating to the corner of the bed.
The other mare shuffled her hooves awkwardly. “Sorry, I’m just real... um... cuddly by nature. My name is Nightwisp Void.” She reached out a hoof, waiting for Moonset.
“Moonset Vo... N’essallc.” Moonset extended her hoof and shook Nightwisp’s. “Where am I?”
“My room.” Nightwisp looked down and kicked at the bed. “In the servant's quarters.”
Moonset slid over to the edge of the bed and sat down beside Nightwisp. “Really? How’d I end up here? These buildings are a good distance away from the central hub and the prisons.”
“I... I was delivering food to the guards on the second level when the security lockdown was enacted. They told me to stay in the office while they went to apprehend the escapee.” Nightwisp sighed. “Soon after that, I just had this incredible urge to go to a certain section of the cellblock. I felt like I couldn’t control myself. Next thing I know, I’m running away from the hub with you in tow.”
Moonset tapped her hoof to her chin, looking up ponderously. “But how? Those cell blocks are completely inescapable after lockdown. If it weren’t for that... thing that dragged me through the ventilation ducts, I would be dead.”
The blush on Nightwisp’s cheeks could almost be felt as she looked away. “I... I think I know how, but I’m not comfortable sharing with anypony. Not yet.”
“Fair enough.” Moonset got up and listened at the window. The noise of everyday life drifted through, indicating it must have been about noon. “Now, as much as I appreciate your help, I really should get going as soon as it’s night time.”
Nightwisp nodded. “Yeah... yeah, that’d be best. I’m technically under house arrest because of my suspected involvement, but the council shouldn’t reach a conclusion until tomorrow. You’ll be safe until then.”
“Wait, you’re under arrest? Meaning, they came and told you to stay put or be thrown in jail?” Moonset raised an eyebrow. “How did they miss me?”
“I have... ways of hiding you. Just stay under the bed until nighttime and no pony will ever find you.” Nightwisp went over to the door and peeked out before motioning Moonset to hide herself.
Moonset nodded and crawled under inbetween the legs, curling up in the far corner. “I’m gonna regret this, aren’t I? Not that I have much choice.”
“You can come out now.” Nightwisp gently reached over and patted Moonset on the shoulder.
Moonset rubbed her eyes and yawned. “Night time already? And I was just getting comfortable.” She crawled out from under the bed and listened at the window. Aside from the distant marching of patrols and the average night noise, there wasn’t much to go on. “Yeah, and that’s my cue to get going.”
She turned and daintily hugged Nightwisp. “Thanks for everything. I’m sure you’ll get off with little to no charges. There’s nothing to connect us together.”
But as Moonset climbed up onto the window, Nightwisp clung to her legs. “No! You have to take me with you! I must have run past a dozen security orbs with you. There’s no way I’ll get away without being charged with treason! Please!” Moonset could feel her tears sliding onto her hind legs. “Please, take me with you.”
Moonset sighed and gently nudged Nightwisp away. “I guess I can’t leave any friend of mine to die. Ho boy. This’ll be difficult.” She thought for a second before mounting the window sill again. “Okay, I’ve got a plan. Stay here until I come back for you. I won’t be anymore than five minutes.
With that, she jumped out, not waiting for a response. On the ground, she quickly darted over to the wall of a house. Edging her way over to the corner, she peeked around it. Straight ahead, about fifteen houses away was the market square, currently empty.
Suddenly, a patrol rounded the corner and Moonset ducked back. She held her breath as they marched past, looking straight ahead. As they passed her by, she rolled into the shadows of another house behind them.
Silently, she darted between the houses, a perfect grid which made it easy to lose oneself in shadows. Three blocks running parallel the market square found Moonset in front of the fire station. In front of the large storage shed alongside it, there were two guards.
Moonset grinned, slinking through the shadows until she was nearly on top of the guards. With a swift, practiced motion, she punched one, darting over to the other in an instant to stifle his cry of alarm. Another well aimed hoofstrike silenced him.
Turning her attention to the shed, she dragged the door open and stepped inside. Her hoof brushed against a container, and she smiled. Perfect.
She ran from house to house until she reached the street that ran through to the market. Staying just inside the shadows, she dragged a container of fire fuel, stopping occasionally to avoid the periodic patrols.
A few minutes later, she reached the edge of the market. Taking care that the last of the patrols had passed by, she huffed, pushing the fuel ahead of her. Her target was a stall in the middle. Heaving, she dumped most of the container all over the stand. As it drained, she dragged it back, leaving a thin line behind her. As she reached the stonework of a nearby house, she ditched the container.
Pulling out some matches she had also nicked, she lit one and casually dropped it. Immediately, a thin flame raced down the line. As she rushed away through the shadows, the stall behind her exploded in a bright fireball.
Mere seconds later, cries of panic and alarm sounded through the small town. Guards raced from every corner, buckets of water already making their way down a firefighting line.
Meanwhile, Moonset jumped back into Nightwisp’s room. Nightwisp gasped, jumping back.
“What’d you do?”
“Created a distraction. Don’t worry. No pony will be hurt tonight.” Moonset gestured, offering a hoof to help Nightwisp out the window. “Now come on, we’re leaving.”
Nightwisp jumped up onto the bed and through the window. “What now?”
Moonset chuckled. “We walk out.”
“Where will we go?” Nightwisp asked as she followed Moonset into the shadows.
Guiding the young mare, Nightwisp kept an ear open, listening for any wayward guards as they neared the gates and freedom. “I don’t know.”
Together, they disappeared into the blackness surrounding the town. Behind them, the fire light slowly died, ushering in an inky blackness.
