The Assassin's Quandary

by Yamgrenade

Rating: teen
Tags: Dark, Sad
Length: 11820

Not a AC Crossover. This story follows a troubled young assassin torn between his duty to kill Twilight Sparkle and his morality. He had previously been able to distance himself from his targets, but that will all change with Twilight...

Silen Step is a unicorn whose incredible instinct has made him a prominent assassin. Unlike others of his profession though, he tries to distance himself from his targets as much as possible to avoid hurting himself, as his occupation is not one of choice but rather of necessity. When he is hired to kill Twilight Sparkle though, he learns too much, and knows that he must make a choice between failure and despair. His whole life will change either way, but will he be able to adapt? Will he be able to abandon his primal instinct, or will his only tool of survival lead to his demise?

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-01-25 03:01:08 UTC

Unwanted Discovery

Wait for it. A guard stood less than 5 feet from me. Wait. I wanted to run. My hiding place behind a cart was mediocre at best and I had made noise near the entrance to the castle, so they would be on the watch for anything suspicious.

The guard had been standing in the doorway for many minutes, and I doubted I could stay hidden if another patrol passed by me. Wait. I couldn’t wait much longer. Wait. Finally, the guard was called by a friend to chat. Now. I leapt from my hiding place and into the doorway, carefully peering through the keyhole. The room was mercifully empty and I crept inside, silently closing the door behind me. I was frustrated by the difficulty I was having. This was supposed to be easy, especially considering the fact that it was the tenth time...or was it eleventh? Twelfth even?

Snap out of it. Go through the window in the corner of the room. I made my way onto the ledge and shuffled towards the next window. This had to be the tenth time. Unless you counted the bandits, but they had wanted to kill ME, so that doesn’t count, does it? Maybe there was more. Focus.

The next window was pretty far away, and I was worried that my cloak would flutter if the wind blew, attracting the eye of a guard. I wanted to get back inside as soon as possible, except...

The room I wanted to enter was inhabited by several ponies. The orange earth pony and the cyan pegasus. They’re trouble. They were both friends of the one I was here for. The pegasus is the most dangerous one of all of them except for the target, and the orange one had immense skill with a lasso. Stepping in this room would be very risky. I cracked open the window, cringing when it creaked. Luckily, they didn’t notice.

“So what do you figure we’re here for?”

“ Probably just one of Twilight’s egghead study-sessions with the Princess.”

Twilight. A name. The first step to failure.

Snap. Out. Of. It.

“Hey now! Twilight's no egghead! And ah would suggest that you watch what ya say about the Princess.”

“Whaaa-tever. I just wonder why she dragged all of us here.”

Suddenly, a beautiful white unicorn burst into the room. She had a magnificent purple mane that gracefully bounced when she walked.

“I’m not complaining. I’ll take any opportunity for a trip to Canterlot! I won’t question the generosity of our good friend, especially considering these lavish suites she arranged for us!”

Before long a yellow pegasus and a pink earth pony had entered the room. I recognized them from the pictures I had been given. The yellow one was generally shy but was able to stand up for her friends, and while the pink one would be easily distracted, she apparently had some strange powers of prescience and was equally able to defend her friend. “Great,” I whispered. “She has 5 additional bodyguards, and these ones have something personal to defend.”

Now! While the pink one is singing!

I jumped through the window, which creaked open loudly. Shortly after landing on top of the chandelier, I checked to see if anyone had noticed. The pink one’s song had luckily been loud enough to cover the sound of my leap into the room. They continued to laugh and talk and sing; I was suddenly overcome with sadness and envy. I wanted to stay, to witness the laughter even if I couldn't take part in it... Onwards. Too late for that.

I looked around the room for a way to continue quietly, and noticed a dumbwaiter that was barely large enough to fit inside. It was not spacious, but it would do. Watch out.

“Rainbow Dash, would you be a dear and close that window? It’s absolutely frigid in here.” Watch out for the pegasus.

“Ugh, fine. I don’t see why you can’t just magic it closed...” Go. Now. She’s coming. The only escape was the top of a bookcase on the side of the room, 15 feet away. I could make the jump, but the ledge was so small, and it was in a bright spot, and...

No other option. Go.

It was almost an unconscious decision. At one moment I was atop the chandelier, and the next I was on the bookcase, pushing myself against the wall. So bright here. Next move was to get to the dumbwaiter. I heard a slam as the pegasus- Rainbow Dash- closed the window. Running out of time.

I withdrew a small piece of clockwork from my cloak, flipping a small switch as I sized up the ponies. The pink one, she would just play with it. The orange one or cyan one (Rainbow Dash) would stomp on it, and the yellow one, if the files I had been given were correct, would pick it up and make friends. The white one, though, would be perfect. I threw the small contraption at the unicorn and readied myself for another jump.

“Oooahhh! A mouse!” She dashed across the room with my small machine in tow. The other ponies chased after her with the intent to do just as I had thought. I blocked out their yelling, hoping that I didn’t pick up any more names.

The dumbwaiter shaft was just large enough to fit in. It was a hellish climb to the final floor, but it was my final destination. The floor that she was on. Twilight. Forget her name.

Go.

There were many more guards on this floor, as it was home to the Princess herself. Patrols were much more frequent, and hiding places more sparse, but my close proximity to my target and my eagerness to be done with it all quickened me.

I was a shadow in the corridor.

Before long I arrived at the door to Celestia’s private library. Celestia. That was a name I couldn’t ignore. Even peering through the keyhole I could see her magnificence, her beauty, her subtle but modest regality. Her mane shone so brightly, but not with light that I always try to avoid, not with the light of accusation but rather one of beauty. The patrol will be here soon. Get inside and hide. The door slid open easily. It was sad to me that they felt so secure that they allowed their doors to go unlocked. That I could simply walk inside and take the life of Twilight.

Twilight. I crept behind a bookcase, positioning myself such that the fireplace would blind those looking at me without revealing my position. I was regrettably good at my job.

I had purposely been averting my gaze from the lavender unicorn that stood beside the princess. Even from the corner of my eye I could see the way she looked at the Princess, with such admiration and confidence. The way I am sure I would have looked at a teacher, if I had ever been graced by one. My teacher would have  been kind and loving, not unlike the princess herself...It’s almost time. Stay alert.

“...But why? And why bring my friends? Is something wrong? Do we need the Elements again?”

“Nothing quite like that. There is, however, something very wrong. Twilight Sparkle, I think somepony may be trying to kill you.”

Heart stopped.

Too late to turn back. Finish it.

“Kill me? What for? Why? Wha-”

Twilight collapsed to the floor, moaning softly.

Celestia softly stroked Twilight with a hoof. “I know that this is all a big shock for you. This is why I wanted you to bring your friends.” She magically grasped Twilight and lifted her to eye level. “Twilight, I will do absolutely everything in my power to protect you. You will have guards stationed outside of every door, as well as an escort between rooms. You are welcome in my castle until we resolve this.” She set her on her feet, and Twilight stood on her own- shakily, but indepently.

“Ca-Can w-we stay here for a while?”

Celestia looked at her and I realized what the two really had. Celestia was more than a teacher, and Twilight was more than a pupil. Indeed, Twilight was probably closer to Celestia then she was to her own mother.

Twilight began to ask more questions. She was inquisitive, as I’m sure I would be if not for my profession. She was beautiful, not like the white unicorn, but in a more quiet, subtle way. She was modest despite her lofty position. I’m too damn perceptive to do this. I know too much. This one, this one is gonna hurt.

Get ready. They began to leave. Now! No more chances! I saw her walking out the door, knowing that this was my best opportunity to strike. I withdrew my knife from my cloak and held my breath, waiting for the perfect moment...

The First

A small unicorn colt, barely old enough to be alone outside without arousing suspicion, sat on a street corner. It was winter, and winter was harsh; the pegasi had lost control of the winter skies, and clouds endlessly dropped their icy payload. The colt had been begging for money. He performed tricks with a small stick, bouncing it from hoof to hoof, tossing it about with his mouth, and grasping it with his magic. Few ponies noticed him, and even fewer gave him money.

The city was dead, ravaged by a disease that nopony could seem to grasp. The symptoms were, in the beginning, fairly mild. Infrequent shivers, coughing, maybe a trivial fever- distinct, but not life threatening. The disease used this pretense to spread throughout the city, and before long it had found its way into everypony’s body, becoming a constant but negligible nuisance.

Everything changed when the virus mutated.

It all happened too quickly for doctors to respond. The virus evolved into a new strain practically overnight, becoming a very serious condition in which the muscle in the body essentially tore itself to pieces, starting in the limbs and ending in the heart. The virus was almost invariably fatal, and ponies everywhere dropped like flies. It wasn’t long before the city was plunged into chaos. Aid from other cities would have come swiftly, if not for the massive snow banks that blocked the roads. The city was truly alone.

After a few hours of sitting in the snow, he finally became too cold to continue. He limped back inside a nearby building. The building had been raised within weeks during the golden age of the city; ponies from all of Equestria had dreamt of living in this Utopia. Now though, the hallways were dark, and the bricks were cold. Coughing echoed from within each room- rooms inhabited by single, lonely ponies simply waiting to die alone.

He made his way to the end of the hallway and opened the door to room 108. There lay his mother and his uncle, shivering in the bed they shared despite the large collection of blankets that had been stacked on top of them. Both were sick with the horrible disease that had already claimed the lives of their spouses and children. Now only Brother and Sister remained.

They had been talking, and their voices were strained and wearier than usual. “But we can still beat this, sis. Other people have done it. Your son beat the hell outta it, and he’s a shrimp.” They hadn’t noticed his entry. His hoofsteps were always quiet.

“Silen is much stronger than his body would suggest.”

“Still a shrimp. You know that without me, we all would have died. Silen may be resourceful enough to care for us now, but it was me got him where he is now.”

“Hmph. It’s easy for you to say that. I bet you’ve never even given a thought to all the innocent ponies he’s stolen from to get us our food and medicine. How are they supposed to live, when Silen steals from them? I love my son, but you’ve turned him into a thug.” She never would have said the last sentence if she knew that he could hear her.

His mother had always been the loving one. She had taught him well in the few years they were together; she taught him to value friends, to pay back debts, and to remember the names of those who helped you. “Names are more than just words,” she had said. “They are identity made tangible. They are what makes a lump of flesh into a pony.” She had taught him the little magic that he did know- telekinesis, which he barely was able to grasp, and teleportation, which he had actually showed great promise in, given the difficulty of the spell- though he never really pursued it. She had made life worth living for him.

If his mother had made him want to survive, it was his uncle who gave him the means to do it. His uncle had told him that life was a test, and that if you were given a problem that had only one solution, you had to take the one way out, no matter how horrible. “Life is gracious to you if She gives you a way out,” he once said to the colt as he walked him home from school after getting into a fight. “Sometimes you’ll have to choose a way, or find a way, and that, that is harder than any moral dilemma you may think you have.” He had taught him things, horrible things, about how to fight and steal and hide and even kill. Silen owed his life to him, and he hated that fact.

The snow had started melting. The town was finally able to receive aid from other ponies, and good-hearted doctors and healers came to the town. However, there were not enough doctors for everybody and supplies ran short.

A miracle came to the city in the form of Flip, a unicorn colt who came to the town peddling medicine. He came with hope in a time where none could be found. He came with promises of health and pictures of wellness. But the wonderful medicine was expensive, and Silen had to work very hard for the money to buy it. He told his mother that he had begged for the money or found work; his uncle knew the truth.

Eventually, Silen had gathered enough bits to buy two doses of the medicine. As he approached the cart, he noticed that a massive crowd had gathered around it. “Come one, come all! Plenty of drink for everypony! Step right up, only 50 bits per bottle!”

Ponies rushed to the cart to buy their medicine, tripping over each other in anticipation. Silen took a place near the cart, but not directly in the line, and rushed forwards when a gap appeared. He was able to get out of the crowd without getting shoved around and made his way home quickly.

“Si...Silen...” His mother’s voice was a whisper which emanated weakly from a violently shaking bundle of blankets. His uncle, on the other hand, remained silent, saving his strength. He hurried to the bed and struggled to hold their mouths still as he gave them the medicine. They stopped shaking almost immediately and fell into a comfortable slumber with smiles on their faces.

Silen withdrew from their tiny bed and trotted to his own, which was really more of a piece of cloth on the cold stone floor. He slept for longer than he had ever slept since the disease came.

When he awoke, he saw his Uncle and Mother standing in the kitchen. It looked odd to him somehow- it didn't occur to him that this was the first time he had seen them upright since they had become infected. What he did notice though, was that they were not wearing smiles of gratitude as he had expected. Instead, they looked worried and subdued. “Mother?” He whimpered. “Is something wrong?”

“Silen,” She croaked. “Ponies across the entire city have been dying to a mysterious poison. Apparently the poison was being sold as an antidote, and will actually help ponies recover, for a time. But everypony has told me the same story. It always ends with death.” She turned away and started sobbing. His uncle walked over to him.

“We know that you gave us medicine last night. We know that we feel better instantly. Only the so-called antidote has shown recoveries that manifested this quickly.” He knelt down, eye-to-eye with the young colt, who was now crying. “Silen. It’s too late for us. But you have to do something for me.” He levitated a knife from the counter and put it in front of Silen. He began to whisper. “Kill him. Kill the man who promised you he would save us. He promised you our lives. Now take his away.”

They spent the rest of the day quietly speaking. His Uncle instructed him on where to insert the knife, how to confidently and innocently make his way to the target and drift away as if nothing was wrong. Finally, they took the final drops of “medicine” and coated the blade with it. Silen cried softly the whole time.

He said goodbye and left.

Despite an entire day of sad agony and anticipation, he felt strangely calm as he strode through the snow-covered streets. He wore his Uncle’s over-sized black cloak, which he had carefully tucked the knife into. It was warm, but not comfortable. Functional, not sentimental.

Silen found the cart parked outside of one of the few inns still in business- the place his Uncle told him to check first. He strode inside and walked to the counter. “I have business with Flip. Would you direct me to his room?” The innkeeper told him that he was welcome to wait in Flip’s room until he was back, which wouldn't be long. Silen moved to the room and found a hiding place inside a closet.

After waiting for what seemed like hours, the door finally creaked open. Flip’s voice could be heard talking excitedly. Silen’s heart froze: had Flip brought somebody? What can I do when an innocent person may be endangered? He opened the closet very slightly and peeked out. Flip was reading a letter- and, praise Celestia, he was alone.

“Dear Flip, the boys have finally arrived! I say boys because we have received twins, and I must say they look just like their grandfather Flip. We have decided to name them Flim and Flam after you. You simply must visit so that you can see them!”

For the first time that night, Silen began to doubt whether or not he could do what he set out to do. This was a colt who had a family just as he had a family. Could he really bring himself to do this?

Unfortunately, it was also the night that he heard the voice. The voice that would become his greatest ally and worst enemy. The voice that told him that he had to go now, before he thought it through too much. Now, it said. Now or never. Your uncle had one wish. Kill. This. Colt.

And so it was that Silen Step killed the First by plunging his poisoned blade into the soft flesh of Flip’s neck. There would be many more.

He buried his Mother and Uncle the next day. Little was said about Flip- one life wasn't worth much in those days. His Mother had tears across her face when he had found her, but his Uncle...his Uncle had the most chilling smile he had ever seen- a smile of approval.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sorry if it has taken a long time, this second chapter was pretty difficult for me. Hopefully it's good though! Lemme know what you think of it!

Captivity

I have killed eleven ponies. I have stolen their life, usually without a good reason. But I never thought about their deaths in the way that I thought about Twilight’s death. If I killed her, I wouldn’t just be ending her life; I would be taking a large part of the lives of those around her. Her friends were bound to her in ways that I could only dream of; in ways I had always hoped for. But more than just killing her and her friendship, I would be killing any hope of having the life I always dreamed of. Killing Twilight would mean abandoning any hope of discovering friendship.

But the contract I had received would pay enough for me to abandon this career if I were able to complete the job. I could finally live a normal life, or, at least as normal as I could at this point. After all, I have killed eleven ponies. I can’t abandon that part of me.

She’s getting away. You’re going to kill her, now, before it is too late.

I watched as my knife descended towards her back. Time seemed to slow as the blade shimmered in the dim light. I urged it to stop, hoping with all my being that I could overpower my instinctive decision before it was too late. My eyes closed and I envisioned the knife stopping just in time as student and teacher left the room, unaware of the titanic mental battle I had engaged myself in.

Sadly, as I opened my eyes, I realized that I had done nothing to avert the lethal strike. My heart dropped, but I couldn’t stop looking at the soon to be contact point. What I saw next made me think I had closed my eyes and started imagining a happier alternative again.

A bright yellow transparent shield appeared centimeters away from Twilights skin, colliding with the knife in a bright explosion that wrenched the knife from my magical grasp and knocked me to the ground. The room became blurry and dark. A ringing in my ears deafened me.

Stay on your feet.

I struggled to remain upright, but soon the darkness invaded me completely and I slumped to the floor.

The manner in which I awoke was somewhat reversed from the way I blacked out. The blackness seeped out of my vision and made way for color. My hearing gradually returned and soon shapes took form. I became aware of a strong magical grasp around me.

“...Caught this one skulking around in the library. I don’t think you need me to tell you what he was trying to do.”

“Thank you, Shining Armor. You may leave us now. Go tend to your sister.”

“Yes, your Highness. And please, be careful.”

At first I was confused. What had happened to me? I tried to piece together what had happened. Castle, library, Twilight...and the explosion. What had happened?

The Princess responded as if she had heard my thoughts. “You are in the castle dungeons of Canterlot. I know you were trying to kill Twilight Sparkle. I know she would be dead if not for the shield I placed on her. What I do not know is why. My spies told me of a plot to assassinate Twilight. You are obviously the result.” She pinned me against the wall of my cell. “So I suggest, should you want your stay to be comfortable, that you tell me exactly who sent you and why.” I stared at her cluelessly and felt tears rising in my eyes.

“So be it, whelp.” She released me and I slid to the floor, still staring at the Princess. She walked out of my cell without another word. My eyes loosed the dam that had been holding back tears, and now they flowed freely but silently.

It took me several hours (by my best estimate) to recover my senses. I was in a dark stone cell. The walls were damp, the the floors were dusty, and the room was completely bare save a small window which would have provided light if it were day. It was essentially a box.

Feel the room. Try to find some weakness.

I probed around the room blindly. All solid stone, save the steel door. The room was totally secure except for one crusty corner. The stone would chip away slightly if I struck it with enough force. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

What are you waiting for? Start chipping.

I busied myself until morning digging away at the small corner. I had barely formed a dent, and my hoof was bloody and raw.

Hide the hole. Clean the blood. They’ll know what you’re doing if you don’t cover your tracks.

I cleaned my hoof with my cloak as best I could, then bundled it up and set it down near the dent in the wall. It would do for now.

Occasionally a guard would come down to the cell and give me a tray of food- usually plain bread and water- but otherwise I was left alone. I was no stranger to solitude, but the boredom was unbearable. If not for my digging project I would have gone mad within days. My dull life continued for a week or so before the Princess returned. She stepped into my cell and gazed at me intently.

“Well? Have you come to your senses?”

Unlike last time, I was fully collected. During my week of monotony I had gone through this conversation a thousand times in my head. I swallowed hard and looked her in the eye.

“Princess Celestia, I would like nothing more than to give you the names of my employers and the reason they hired me.” I paused to make it clear that I was waiting for her response.

“Well? If you want nothing more than this, why not tell me?” All was going as I thought it would. The questions were being asked and answered as I imagined.

“Princess, were I to tell you the truth, you would think me either crazy or a liar, and neither one would serve to improve my position here.”

“Well,” She said. “I prefer a madpony or a liar to a stubborn thug. Tell me the ‘truth.’”

I sighed deeply and looked her in the eyes with a strength I didn’t know I had. It was firm, but not defiant. “I do not know who hired me, or why they did it. All I know is that I was supposed to kill her.”

Celestia responded with silence, this time urging me to continue.

“You see,” I said. “My occupation is one of necessity, not choice. Killing is not easy for me, as hard as you may find that to believe. I would not last long if I knew all about my...” I searched my head for a better term, but couldn’t find one. “About my targets. Even knowing their name makes it difficult for me to do what must be done, so you can see why I would also have to avoid details such as people who would want them dead, and why.”

Celestia snorted, but was nice enough to humor me. “So how do you acquire jobs? Surely you must have some interaction with your employer?”

“I do, but not in any meaningful way. I recieve a location, a description, and a small portion of my pay. Nothing else.”

Ask, answer, ask, answer.  Ask.

“So you have no idea who could want Twilight dead? Not even a description?”

Answer.

“I do have one piece of evidence- The contract describing Twilight and her location. However, I obviously don’t have it on me, and...” I choked up a little. Continue. “And I’m afraid I can’t reveal its location to you.”

Ugh. Helping her would end this so much faster, but without a bargaining chip I would no doubt spend my life in this stone box, chipping away at a hole in the corner.

This was the part I was unsure of. How would she react? I could handle anger, sadness, even violence- but what happened next was worse than any of them. Celestia wordlessly stepped out of the cell. A voice came from outside, but it did not belong to Celestia. It was a voice I had known my whole life but had only recently discovered, but I couldn’t quite remember who it belonged to.

“Please...You have to help me...” The purple unicorn herself limped through the doorway, heavily bandaged and disheveled. One eye was covered by an eyepatch, but as I looked into the other, all of my strength dissipated.

“You have to tell me...who wants me dead?”

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Geez, this is taking a lot longer than I thought it would! As always, tell me what you think!

The Book's Cover

Section B

Entry 36: Silen Prime

To say that Silen possesses a split personality would be inaccurate. While a few hours of experimentation and probing his mind has revealed another significant body of thought separate from his mind, he is constantly lucid and displays no signs of “switching” personalities. Moreover, the separate personality (which I have named Silen Prime for ease of reference) has a severely truncated set of processes compared to a fully functioning pony mind, especially in comparison to a Unicorn’s mind.

While my experience in neuromagics is limited, the books I have studied show that Silen Prime is very similar to the minds of predators located near the top of their food chain, particularly those that hunt alone. This presumably bestows Silen with a primal instinct that has been unknown to ponykind for thousands of years at the least. Who or what embedded Silen Prime into Silen is unknown, but I suspect they did it to enhance his assassination abilities.

I humbly advise that Silen remain in the dungeon of the Canterlot Castle for ease of study. If I can find out more about Silen Prime I could possibly trace it back to the people who want me dead. Also, he may be much more able than we anticipated. Avoid provocation if at all possible.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle

Section B

Entry 37: Silen Prime’s Inception

My books describe inception of a second psychological structure to be incredibly complex, invariably leaving the subject with mental scars that can be linked to the inceptor. However, after examining Silen Prime, I have found no such evidence. Silen Prime is far too simple to be a psychological flaw, but at the same time far too complex to be created without leaving behind any telling scars. I have a few theories- either Silen Prime was made by Silen himself, who would be able to create Silen Prime without seriously disrupting his mind, or I missed something.

More likely than either of those, though, is the possibility that we are dealing with an immensely powerful neuromage. I humbly advise that a catalogue of all prominent neuromagi be constructed and examined for possibly motive.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle

Twilight set her quill down just as somepony knocked on the door. “Come in,” she said softly. An orange mare walked through the door. She looked around the room and noticed the array of papers sitting on Twilights desk. “Now Twilight,” She lectured. “Ah know you want to find out more about this Silen fellow, but you need rest. Yore injured, and keepin out of bed ain’t gonna help ya get better anytime faster. Celestia’s shield spell did a number on ya. Why not just have Spike handle things for awhile?”

“Spike has been running experiments on Silen for me. Besides, it’s not that bad, Applejack,” Twilight responded as she shifted her eyepatch. “It could have been much worse if not for the Princess’s shield.” The two paused for a second, grimacing at the possible outcome. Twilight quickly broke the silence. “I just don’t know why she had to use the exploding shield spell...” The two laughed it off and Applejack eventually talked Twilight into taking some rest.

“Well?” whispered Rainbow Dash immediately after Applejack closed the door. All five of Twilight’s best friends quietly stood, posed, or hovered near the door.

“Ah got 'er to go to bed, finally. But shes been workin mighty hard the past few days. She can’t take her mind off Silen.” She pointed towards her bulging saddlebags. “She wrote all these papers in the last few days. Ah'm supposed to deliver them to Celestia.” She politely gestured towards the hallway and the other ponies cleared out of the way.

As she walked down the hallway, she realized that there were many more guards stationed inside the castle then any other time she had been there. Not even the royal wedding a few months ago had warranted this many guards. Shining Armor had probably had to withdraw guards from all over the city just to protect Twilight. I suppose I would do the same thing for Apple Bloom, if it ever came to that, she thought. After having her saddlebags searched (and being assured many times that it was just policy) Applejack was allowed inside Celestia’s throne room.

“Ah, Applejack, what a pleasant surprise. I’ll be with you in just a moment.” Celestia had been writing a letter. “The kingdom doesn’t halt on account of one attempted murder.”

“About that,” Applejack responded. “Why did the shield spell hurt Twi so bad? The knife never even touched ‘er.” Celestia carefully rolled the parchment and ignited it. “Shield spells like that are tricky for anypony. To achieve the level of protection I needed to ensure her safety, I had to admit the fact that the shield could be volatile.”

“Ah, well, I don’t really get all that magic stuff. Anyway.” Applejack threw the saddlebags full of Twilight’s notes to Celestia’s feet. “Twilight has been sortin through Silen’s head, tryin to find out more about him. Ah finally got her to get some rest, but she said she needed you to look through these as soon as possible.” Celestia looked surprised at the large amount of notes that Twilight had taken.

Celestia sorted through a few of the papers. “These are very interesting. It would appear that Silen may not be as dishonest and self-centered as I thought. According to Twilight, he’s been modified- his mind isn’t normal.” She continued flipping through the pages. “I need to read these, which may take awhile,” She chuckled. “Make sure to keep an eye on Twilight, Applejack. We need her in top shape to continue these studies. Thank you very much for delivering these.”

+~+~+~+~+~+~+

Two dark figures sat around a table in a dimly lit room. Red light from the fireplace bounced off the bare walls and threw shadows onto the table. The building was located inside the heart of the Everfree Forest, and so neither sun nor moon could penetrate the foliage and give light to the small hut.

“He failed.”

“He didn’t fail. He delayed.”

“Either way, Twilight still lives.”

“She can’t stop us in her current state. And Celestia won’t allow her to leave the castle while she knows somepony wants Twilight’s life.”

Two grins appeared in the darkness, illuminated by a bloody red light. The two figures chuckled but one halted abruptly.

“But if Celestia discovers us...”

“Don’t worry. If we kill Twilight by then, she won’t be able to stop us anyway.”

The two grins reappeared. One figure threw an ornate knife into the air which spun slowly before reaching the top of its arc, pausing, and plunging into the table.

“Send another. Send the best you can find. And tell them to kill Silen too.”

“Silen could still be useful. He’s still closeby.”

“We can’t afford to have loose ends. We finish him off after Twilight.”

The other figure shrugged. “Agreed.”

A Sheep in Wolf's Clothing

At first, she never came herself. She sent the baby dragon, or sometimes one of her friends, but she never came herself. They asked me questions. Where did you come from, who hired you... The things that Celestia or her guards had asked me hundreds of times already. But eventually they started asking me more questions- About feeling things, otherworldly things that only I could feel, or about paranoia. My answers always seemed to disappoint them.

It wasn’t long before the baby dragon (Spike) and I developed a strange bond. I wouldn’t call it friendship, but then again I never really had a friend. If it was left to me to describe, I would call it appreciation. I was glad to have his company, and he mine, but Spike always felt some fear towards me, no matter how much I wanted him to realize I had no wish to harm him.

Eventually, she came to me in my sleep. I could feel her in my dreams. She was a presence that had previously been unknown to me, always watching in my dreams.

My dreams have always been the safest place for me to be. They were the one place I had complete control, the one place I could be whoever I wanted. I dreamt every night, savoring the sweet solace that came with slumber. But when she entered them, it felt so...different. She had no ability to interact with me, but I could feel her gaze upon me. She was simply observing me. My dreams became stressful; I had no idea to what extent she could examine my mind and dreams, and that frightened me.

Then, one day, she came to me while I was awake.

She had almost fully healed from her injuries. Her eyes sparkled and shone just as they had the night I met her- or rather, tried to kill her. Her mane had been combed casually, and the only remainder of her injury was a cloth wrapping around her midsection. I couldn’t find the words to say, so I stared at her stupidly, cursing myself for not preparing for this.

“Silen. Silen Titus Step. Approximately eighteen years of age. Unregistered in any official documents until sixteen days ago, when you became incarcerated in the Canterlot dungeon. Since then I have been able to link you to eight or so other murders, but I’m sure there are some we don’t know about as well.” She paced slowly in front of my cell door.

“But despite all that, I really don’t know much about you, Silen. You’ve done a remarkable job obscuring your history.” The way she talked wasn’t with contempt or frustration or even fear. It was almost like she was talking to herself, trying to solve a difficult problem by speaking aloud.

“Celestia says that you are unwilling to give us information about your employer. Perhaps that may be a bit much to ask, as we both know that after you tell us what you can you’ll be transferred to a more secure prison, probably for life. Maybe, though, you could tell us about yourself. I want to know all about you, Silen. Spike says I could possibly come to trust you. Celestia thinks you may be an ally. I can’t do that unless I know more. After all, you did try to kill me.”

I was surprised that Spike would go so far as to advocate for me. We were friendly towards each other, but it was still so premature- and I knew that he still feared me. As for Celestia, it was understandable that she would think to tame me- she now knew that I had no love for assassination.

What I didn’t get was the speed with which they came to this understanding. I had barely known these ponies for two weeks, and already they were prepared to accept me? At this point, I had no idea what was in store for me. Even if they did trust me, what would they ask me to do?

“Well? Celestia said you might be uncooperative.”

Twilight’s voice snapped me back to reality. “You want my history? Not much to tell there. I grew up in the old land, technically outside of Equestria. The town was founded on the historical unicorn city of Hornsville. We became prosperous...until the windigos returned. They came during the worst plagues in history, and the windigos were able to feed off of the chaos and hate that the plague spread. The blizzard was too intense for others to lend aid until it was too late. My family died, and I turned to the knife.”

Twilight looked touched by the story. It was an expression I didn’t quite understand, but I appreciated it nonetheless. “What came next?”

“I left Hornsville. It crumbled to the ground after the plague. I did whatever I could to make money, which led me to some shady contacts. Eventually I became their best man, and they asked me to kill for them. It wasn’t long before I had made a name for myself.”

“So that’s it? You’re family died and you became a killer?”

“I would tell you more, but I don’t actually know any more. Distance has been my only ally for these past several years. If I get close to the target, it becomes difficult to kill them.”

“Doesn’t that make it more difficult? If I were an assassin, I would want to know everything about my mark.”

I snorted. “Easy for you to say. Tell me, Twilight, have you ever killed someone?” I stood and walked close to the door. “Have you ever been so close to them you can feel their warmth, hear their heartbeat, smell their fear? Have you ever put a piece of metal into a pony you never even knew, and felt the weight of their death press upon your every waking moment for weeks after?” She looked surprised by my response.

“Well...no...I’m sorry, it’s just...”

“No, forgive me. I should explain more fully. I can’t quite explain it, but...I know things. I can see things coming before they happen. There’s something deep inside of me that guides me. Without it, I would have died long ago. It helps me complete jobs quickly, without getting too attached- like I was with you. I didn’t even know your name before that night, but I almost couldn’t bring myself to do it. If I had known any more about you, I would have let you go.”

“Well then,” She cracked a smile. “Why don’t we get to know each other?”

+~+~+~+~+~+~+

“Rise and shine, Silen! Princess Celestia is waiting for you!” I groggily opened my eyes and watched the world come into focus. Spike was outside my cell door, waving at me. “And maybe this time you’ll wear your cloak? You should look your best for her.” I mumbled something to the effect of “Ok” and withdrew my cloak from the corner it spent most of its time in and looked for something to fill its vital place. I had received some sparse furnishings once it became apparent that I was in for an extended stay. I shifted a table to obscure the hole and stuck my hooves through a hole in the cell door. A guard put cuffs on me, with a special gearbox attached. “What’s this?” I said to Spike as the door opened.

“It’s a null-magic device to keep you from casting spells. One of Twilight’s friends made it awhile ago.” Spike looked saddened by the thought. Maybe the friend was dead now. “Anyway, she’s waiting for us. We better hurry.”

We walked down an ornate hallway, flanked on both sides by royal guards. “So why is Celestia asking for me again? Is she expecting me to have a change of heart just because I get to leave my cell for the interrogation?”

“Nooooot quite,” Spike said nervously. “You’ll see.”

You’ll see. That made me nervous. I hated not knowing what I was getting into, especially when it came to dealing with other ponies.

When I arrived in Celestia’s throne room, I was greeted not only by her but by Twilight and her friends as well.

“Greetings, Silen. I will make it clear right now that I do not trust you. Twilight thinks that I should, but her reasons elude me. However, with it being her life on the line, I feel comfortable allowing her to make this decision.” She nodded towards Twilight.

“Silen, how would you feel about moving out of the dungeon and living with us for awhile? Now, keep in mind, you would be wearing those handcuffs the whole time, and there will be guards watching you the whole time-”

“And me! I got my eye on you, creep!” Yelled Rainbow Dash.

“Er, yes, and Rainbow Dash. Anyway, I think we really can trust you. I’ve really enjoyed talking to you these past few days, and...”

“Yes.” I had no more room for words in me. The feeling of being trusted so completely filled me with an overwhelming joy. Spike patted me and I broke down crying. The yellow pegasus fluttered over and took off my hood, gently stroking my mane.

“Lets go pack your things, Silen.”

+~+~+~+~+~+~+

I didn’t have much to take with me from my cell. There were a few books, some paper and quills, and a blanket- all given to me by Twilight. I could hold all the contents of my cell in a small saddlebag.

“All ready?” I nodded. Spike and I walked up the stairway leading to the suites.

“I’m sorry Spike, but I haven’t entirely processed this.”

“What are you confused about?”

“Well...first off, why? I don’t see the point of all this.”

“Twilight trusts you. No offence or anything, but I don’t really get it either. She said that you would help us, eventually.”

“How well does she think she knows me?” Spike shrugged and we continued walking.

When we entered the block of rooms that made up the suites, we were greeted by Twilight and her 5 friends. I had seen them a few times already, but I only knew the names of Rainbow Dash and Twilight.

“What are you lookin at, creep?” Rainbow Dash. She didn’t want me here and she made no effort to hide that fact. Probably the most athletic of the group. She likes attention, but remains fiercely loyal to her friends.

“Rarity. How do you do, Silen?” She took a small bow. Rarity. Seems nice enough, but obviously doesn’t understand me. Very concerned about appearance, which makes me think she’s possibly just pretending to be nice. Either way, she was a good actor.

“Oh, I’m Fluttershy. You can skip me...” Fluttershy. Her name suits her even better than most ponies. Compassionate. Artistic. Too timid to reveal much.

“I’m Pinkie Pie! And you’re Silen! Silen is such a funny name, isn’t it?” Pinkie Pie. Random. Fun loving, but more intelligent than people give her credit for.

“Uh...I’m Applejack. Pleased to meet you...” Applejack. Her voice was strained as she greeted me. She obviously had a hard time lying. Her physique suggested that she did lots of manual labor, but her cowpony hat and hairstyle showed a playful side as well.

I felt like I knew all about them already. While I could normally pick up on small traits just by looking at somepony, it felt different this time. I felt the need to impress them, to prove that I wanted their friendship. The blue one is trouble... Something brought me back from my reflection, and I saw them all looking at me intently.

“Oh,” I said sheepishly. “Well, I’m Silen, as you know, and...uh...Thank you...” I could barely stammer out the sentence. “Where’s my room?” I whispered to Spike.

After I dumped off my belongings, I went to look for Twilight. She was the only one I felt comfortable with around her, or around anywhere for that matter. I knew that if she was to trust me I would also need to win the trust of her friends, but just the thought of talking to them made me nervous.

As fate would have it, I ran into Fluttershy on the way to Twilight. She was very kind, but neither of us were very good at starting conversation.

“Oop! Excuse me, Silen...”

“Oh, sorry...”

We awkwardly nudged past each other. I cursed myself for not saying anything more.

“Oh, one thing!” I barely caught her delicate voice from behind me. “I think this is yours...” She passed me the clockwork mouse that I had used as a distraction all those nights ago.

“Thank you! This little guy would have been nice to have in my cell these past few weeks. Quite the cool toy, is he not?”

“Oh, of course. So life-like too! I thought for sure Rarity was about to squash him when I came in and snatched him up.” She let out a small giggle. “You aren’t so bad, Silen. Maybe Twilight was right about you.”

“Trust me,” I said as I walked away. “She was.”

Gaining Trust

Section C

Entry 4: Magical Potential of Silen Prime

If my theories are correct, Silen could actually hold the potential to be a hugely powerful unicorn. As we all know, there is a spark of magic in every creature- unicorns do have a more powerful and more obvious spark, yet this does not mean that other creatures have an insignificant amount of magic. Silen could hypothetically tap into the power of Silen Prime to enhance his normal abilities.

I humbly advise that I be allowed to remove the null-magic device from Silen’s hoofcuffs to study his extra potential. I understand that this is dangerous, but I am willing to take the risk.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle

Dear Twilight,

I cannot allow you to place yourself in such a dangerous position. Silen is, as far as we know, an amatuer magician, but if what you say is true he may be able to kill you without any training in magic. I am sorry, but this is far too risky.

-Celestia

“This is a dangerous gamble, my dear Twilight.”

“I know.”

“I’m not sure you do.” Rarity’s voice took on a harsher tone. “You aren’t just trusting him with a room. You’re trusting him with your life. You’ve been very generous, giving him a chance, but I fear that the payoff will not outweigh the risk.”

“He needs me as I much as I need him- and trust me, I have looked into every lead we’ve come up with. We need him.”

“What makes you think he’s so reliant on you? Silen may be weak with magic, socially awkward, arguably schizophrenic, and hesitant with a knife, but he’s still incredibly dangerous. If he wants to kill you, those hoofcuffs and guards aren’t going to stop him.”

“Rarity, you don’t understand him like I do. I don’t think anypony does. Silen has a strange mind- one part drives him to do horrible things, but the other is healthy and beautiful and... and friendly! He just doesn’t know it yet because he’s never had anypony to share it with, and the bad part takes over. But I just know that if we help, the good can take over.” Twilight shared a smile with Rarity, who sighed, still unconvinced.

“Promise me one thing, Twilight- Let us check off on him before you spend too much time with him? We just don’t want you to get hurt is all...”

Twilight winked. “I wouldn’t expect anything else from my best friends.”

+~+~+~+~+~+~+

“Soooo...” Silen bounced a small pink ball between his cuffed hooves. “I bounce the ball over that cup, kick it onto the track, wait for it to gain speed, switch the track, and launch it through the hoop?”

“Yup! And put this on!” Pinkie Pie handed him a small fake mustache.

“O...K?”

As Silen played Pinkie’s strange game, Applejack and Rainbow Dash watched from the corner.

“I can’t believe everypony is just letting him in! Have they forgotten that he tried to kill Twilight?” Rainbow Dash said just quietly enough to avoid being heard by Silen.

“Ah know how ya feel. But Twilight asked us to give ‘im a chance. Besides, Pinkie and Fluttershy like him well enough.”

Rainbow Dash looked appalled by her answer. “YOU’RE on his side too? AJ, I thought you were smarter than the rest.” She turned around and crossed her front legs while floating in the air.

“Now Rainbow Dash,” Applejack replied. “All Ah'm sayin’ is that we owe this to Twilight. We let her down when Silen first came, and-”

“And what? You want us to let her down again? Appejack, that guy is trouble. And I can prove it.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “And just how are ya gonna do that?”

The pegasus looked intensely at Silen. “I’ll find a way.”

+~+~+~+~+~+~+

“It’s just so... bland. No accessories or... or anything! Just plain black!” Rarity stammered as she rushed around an uncomfortable Silen.

“It’s necessary...it helps me...get around without being seen...” Silen fidgeted endlessly, unused to such attention.

“So uninspired! I simply must make you a better piece of attire!” Rarity continued to magically measure and prod Silen.

“It’s fine, really...”

“And we could add a bit of red here! I think you would look marvelous with this trim, and maybe even put a strap there, and, oh, you’ll need pouches and a belt, so let's put that here...” Rarity furiously sketched as she held up pieces of cloth to Silen’s body.

“Really, this is too much... I appreciate it, but there’s no way I can accept your gift.”  Just as Silen was preparing to leave, Rarity jumped in front of him and blocked his path.

“PLEEEAA-SSEE!” She fell to the ground and hugged his legs. “I haven’t been able to create for weeks! You simply must allow me to do this!” Unsure of how to react, Silen simply nodded his head and stood still. Rarity grinned and resumed her place behind a simple desk, speaking softly to herself about the dress.

As Rarity continued to harass Silen, a pair of blue wings fluttered outside the window. Rainbow Dash had been following Silen all day, hoping to find some piece of evidence to convince the other ponies of Silen’s obvious nefariousness.

Nefariousness, thought Rainbow Dash. What a weird word. I hang out with Twilight too much. The thought sent a pang of anger through her. I gotta keep an eye on this guy, or he’ll make another move on her. What frustrated Rainbow Dash the most though, was that she had found absolutely nothing pointing to the conclusion that Silen wasn’t changing in the way Twilight had told her. It was so convincing, a small part of her thought that they could actually be friends- but that was a small part easily silenced by the rest of Rainbow Dash’s mind.

When it became obvious that nothing would be discovered from watching Silen model for Rarity, Rainbow huffed away to talk to Applejack, the one pony that would actually listen to her rants against Silen.

“I just don’t get it. He just waltzes in here and nopony even cares! Am I really the ONLY one who thinks he’s still dangerous?”

“Well...” AJ shifted nervously. “Yeah, you are. Ya see, while I was helpin to fix up a whole in the castle armory...” Rainbow’s expression briefly changed from frustration to confusion.

“Spike accidently lit a keg of powder, and, well, ya know how that goes. Anyhow, Silen volunteered to help out too, and while we were workin, I got to talk to him some. Now, I know it sounds crazy that I would come to trust the would-be killer of one of my best friends just 'cause we plugged up a big hole together, but...I have a thing for honesty, I guess. Elements of Harmony and all that.”

“I can’t believe this! You guys are too soft! Just LETTING him in! Rarity, is making clothes for him, Pinkie is playing games, you’re doing home improvement together...I bet Twilight is even tutoring him or something!”

+~+~+~+~+~+~+

“That’s right, just focus on where you want it to be, not how big it is.”

A large chunk of crystal levitated inches above the ground, held aloft by swirling white and black magic. Silen’s strain was visible; large beads of sweat rolled down his face as he slowly tugged the shard towards a massive sinkhole. Suddenly, just as the shard was nearing the hole, Silen’s legs buckled and he collapsed along with the crystal.

“That was close,” said Twilight as she effortlessly chucked the shard into the abyss. “You just need more practice.” She helped him to a seat and gave him a cup of water. “We better get back soon, or the others will start to think you made off with me,” Twilight said as she rolled her eyes.

+~+~+~+~+~+~+

“Is he in position?”

“Almost. He’s joining the guard. Shining’s massive increase in conscription has made that easy.”

“I love it when they help us.”

“Even better if they think they’re making it harder on us.”

“What has he learned so far?”

“Turns out Twilight knows how to make some good plays.”

“How so?”

“My guy says Twilight is really reaching out to him. Teaching him magic, letting him out of the dungeon...”

“But he’s playing her, right? Just waiting for the perfect moment?”

“My guy says she takes him down to the gem caves underneath Canterlot to give him lessons. I may not be an assassin, but that seems like a pretty prime place to do it.”

“Correct. He could hide the body and be out of there before anypony knew he was gone.”

“In that case, he’s no use anymore. Tell your man to follow them inside and kill them both.”

“Agreed.”

A brief moment of silence. “Any news on stage two?”

The opposite figure opened a small case and displayed its contents to the other figure.

“Got it right here.”

“Beautiful.”

Persistence

Though I had only known her for a couple weeks, Twilight was already my best friend. I was closer to her than I had been with anyone. Even my mother never truly understood me in the way Twilight did. But more than that, Twilight liked me for who I was; while my mother loved almost out of obligation, Twilight truly enjoyed my company. It was a magical experience.

The others were less important to me, but just the thought of having friends would have overwhelmed me mere days ago. They were less tense around me now; perhaps they were starting to see what Twilight meant about me.The small traces such as fluttering curtains or soft sounds told me that Rainbow was still following me and therefore didn’t trust me, but hopefully the others would persuade her.

We were on our way to the crystalline caverns when I realized something was... off. Slight clues that I had not noticed on our previous sessions. It is following you.

“Twilight?” She turned slightly. “How much trouble would we be in if we were discovered?”

“Well,” she replied, “You would probably be thrown back into the dungeon, possibly executed- it doesn’t happen much, but it has happened- and I would probably be denied contact with you. Celestia gave me specific orders not to do this with you. Why do you ask?”

What could I say? Somepony is following us? It was nothing more than a feeling. Push it away. “No reason. Just curious.” Get ready. Don’t let your guard down. We continued to walk, but this time in silence.

“Here we are. Pretty amazing formation, isn’t it? I would love to be able to study it and discover how it got here.” She kicked a pebble into the massive hole and paused. “I didn’t even hear it hit the bottom. Did you?” I shook my head.

Twilight looked worried. “Are you ok? We don’t have to practice today if you-”

“I’m fine. Let’s start.” Careful. Something lurks here.

Twilight approached me to take off my cuffs when a bright flash appeared in between us, knocking us away from each other. When my eyes readjusted, I saw a grinning unicorn grinning devilishly at a dazed Twilight. “Oh, Twilight, I would prefer it if you didn’t do that. Killing Silen will be so much easier if he’s wearing hoofcuffs.” He withdrew a jagged knife, dripping with green slime. “As for you, I-”

“You stay off of her, scumbag!” A blur of color zipped through the cavern, flying directly towards the mysterious new figure. Just as they were about to collide, the unicorn dove out of the way, leaving Rainbow Dash to smash into a stalagmite. She easily plowed through it, but was left stunned for a few moments. Before she could even react, the unicorn shot a spray of yellow goo from his horn, pinning Rainbow to the ground. He turned back to Twilight. “Now, where were we?”

Kill.

No.

Kill, now, or die. Or she dies. And her. They die. You die. Now kill.

No weapon.

Bad excuse. KILL.

“No, please, just tell me what you want...” Twilight’s whimpering brought me back to consciousness.

“What I want is to kill you! I thought that much was obvious. You know, maybe you aren’t as smart as you think.”

“Silen, h-help me!” She yelled. That was it. Kill.

Just as the assassin raised his blade, I leapt at him, raising my front legs high above his head. As I landed on him, I shifted the chain connecting my hooves around his neck and pulled up hard.

Harder. Choke. Strangle. He was stunned for a few seconds, but I knew he would try to stab you. He tried to pick up the knife, but Twilight noticed and wrestled for it with him magically.

“S-s-stop,” he gargled weakly. Harder. End him.

He started trying to buck me off of him, but he just made me CHOKE HIM HARDER. By now he was struggling HARDER, and I could tell he was about to grab the knife from Twilight. I jerked up as hard as I could, and his body went limp.

Good.

No.

You had to. Good.

“I didn’t want to.” I was surprised to hear the words exit my mouth. “I didn’t want to...”

+~+~+~+~+~+~+

“Silen.”

Twilight.

“Siiilleenn?”

Rainbow Dash.

“Silen, it’s ok.” A slight nudge. Their voices echoed from miles away, blurry and distant.

My eyes were riveted on the corpse of the assassin. Unlike me, he wore no cloak, rather allowing himself to be fully seen. Black metal spikes were strapped to his white fur, and he had a wicked gauntness to him. His jagged knife was sharply curved and barbed, and slick poison shone in the dim light. By all means he was as evil as he looked, but his death still weighed heavily on me.

“Hey...you need to snap out of it...” Rainbow Dash. Her voice was getting closer.

“Silen.” Rainbow hovered in front of me, releasing my eyes from the corpse. “Silen, it’s okay. Let’s just get out of here.”

+~+~+~+~+~+~+

They left me alone for a few hours once we got back. I sat in my room and took in the luxury around me. Lavish sheets. Delicious food. Colorful flowers. An array of Books. None of this should be mine. I should be back in the dungeon, chipping away at the crusty corner. I spent the night counting the threads in my sheets.

Twilight entered my room in the morning, magically holding a tray of food. “Good morning,” I murmured.

“Hey,” she responded. “We just came to see if you wanted to talk about it.” She nodded towards the door and her friends peeked in, joined by Celestia herself. The Princess walked in and put a comforting hoof on my shoulder. “And I never said thank you. For saving them.” She leaned down and removed my hoofcuffs, and I felt a large weight lifted from me.

“You’re welcome,” I said shakily. “It was...nothing...” I struggled to pronounce the last word. Nothing? Murder is never nothing. Luckily, they knew I was being sarcastic.

“Silen, I don’t mean to be insensitive, but haven’t you... well... killed other ponies already?” Twilight almost sounded excited. It caught me off guard.

“Never like this. Always it was with a knife- clean, orderly, fast. A stab to the neck or slit in the throat. Never... like this.” I shifted up and looked into their eyes.

“Could you do it again?” Celestia asked.

“Yes.”

I was shocked by my own quick response. Judging by the stares of my companions, they were too.

“For Twilight. I can.” It was strange; my answers were almost instinctual. I was talking to myself as much as them.

“I would do it all again. Even like that. At this point, I would rather die than lose Twilight.” Strength was gradually returning to me.

“In that case, you will help us end this.” Celestia made her way out of the room. “Follow.”

We found ourselves back inside of Celestia’s library. “Silen, I trust you. But we can not continue unless everypony else does.”

“So do I,” followed Rarity.

“And me!” shouted Rainbow Dash.

“I trust you,” whispered Fluttershy.

“Absoloootly!”

“Ah trust ya too.”

“I trust you, Silen. And I know you can do it.” Twilight gave a small grin.

“Excellent,” said Celestia, ruffling her wings slightly. “Now, please, follow me. I would like to get started before Twilight is dead. We can’t risk another attempt.”

We walked out of the room and continued to the armory. The section of new wall clashed with the worn stone of the rest of the room. Unfortunately, the armory was filled with heavy armor and long spears- ideal for guards, but not assassins. “I don’t think this is quite your style, Silen.” I awkwardly grumbled an affirmation.

Celestia’s horn glowed yellow and an intricate, circular rune appeared on the far wall. She approached and started manipulating the rune with her hoof, sliding rings of the rune around until she had the combination in place. The rune disappeared, and with it, the wall.

“This vault hasn’t been opened for ages. It contains all of the equipment used by my own assassins, back when they were still needed. Oh, Pinkie Pie, I wouldn’t go near that if I were you. It’s called a springrazor, and tripping it will turn you into several pieces.” As Twilight went to shoo the others outside of the vault, Celestia and I looked around for a suitable blade.

“How about this one?” She levitated an ornate golden knife which glowed brightly as she swung it through the air. “It was used by Sunbringer during the war with Nightmare Moon. It’s imbued with the power of the sun, and will disintegrate night creatures. It wasn’t the stealthiest of weapons, but it was particularly devastating.”

“Much too bright. I would be discovered after the first target.”

“What do you mean by ‘first target’?”

I thought for a bit, but couldn’t come up with anything. “Just a feeling. Tell me about this one.” She unlocked the display case I was pointing to and withdrew the blade. It was a smooth piece of radiant purple crystal, sharp only on one edge.

“This blade would be fitting for you, Silen. Long ago, only a select few powerful unicorns were allowed to publish findings and receive patronage from me or Luna. We had intended for the system to root out all but the best magi and encourage prospective unicorns to push themselves to be the best, but it became a breeding ground for corruption. Power-hungry wizards would send assassins to kill anypony more powerful than themselves. For a time we were reluctant to completely abolish the system, instead establishing an order of hidden bodyguards to protect our best unicorns.” She passed the knife into my telekinetic hold.

“Starswirl the Bearded himself crafted and enchanted this knife for his own protector, Mystic Night.”

“Mystic Night,” Twilight murmured from the doorway. “I’ve never heard of him.”

“Correct,” responded Celestia. “Even an avid Starswirl aficionado- such as yourself- would struggle to find anything about him, mostly because of this knife. You see, Starswirl was so paranoid that this knife could fall into the wrong hooves that he made Mystic Night live a life of secrecy so that nopony could learn of the blade that he carried.”

“That seems a bit severe.” I rotated the knife, examining each sparkling facet carefully.

“It was, especially considering that the only enchantments I can detect on this knife are relatively commonplace, at least when it came to assassins. It contains sound inhibitors and magics to keep the edge razor-sharp, but nothing particularly powerful. I always attributed the paranoia to Starswirl’s...” Celestia looked away. “...Eccentric nature. But Luna said that the knife was worth sealing away, so, I put it here. I think you can put it to a better use than it would find in this vault.”

“Thank you, Princess. I’ll make sure to bring it back in one piece.”

“I would be surprised if you could manage to break it; it’s practically indestructible.” We walked out of the vault, which Celestia sealed much in the same way she opened it.

“What’s next?” I asked.

“We track down your contact. It won’t be easy, but it’s a better lead than anything else we’ve come up with,” Celestia responded.

“Oh, Silen, darling, I have one thing to give you before you leave, it that’s alright.” The snow-white unicorn led me down the hall towards her room. “I know you said you didn’t want anything, but I simply couldn’t resist...” she threw open the door, and in the middle of the room stood a gloriously clothed mannequin.

Unlike my current plain black cloak, this new design was much tighter and more intricate. Silver trim and red detail around the edges gave it a subtle beauty that I had never known could exist in clothing. The hood covered most of the mannequins face, but a hole with a silver ring remained for my horn to fit through. Wide bands of inky black cloth trailed down at the midsection and legs, making the cloak shadowy and ethereal. The back part of the cloak flowed past the rear, forming a wide tail.

“Care to try it on?” I nodded wordlessly, my mouth too busy hanging open to talk. She magically put the clothes on for me and stepped back before squealing in delight. “It looks simply marvelous on you! Oh, and darling, there are a few hidden pockets I put in under your back legs. Go ahead, try them out.”

I fumbled around with the pockets, trying to get a feel for how they opened. Once I had gotten to the point where I could quickly and gracefully pull my knife from the hidden compartment, I walked around the room a bit to get a feel for the cloak. Everything moved easily and fluidly- it felt almost as if the cloak had merged with my body.

“It’s perfect Rarity. I can’t thank you enough.”