My name's Reaper and I work for the Black Order, or at least it did back then, I'm writing all this down in fear of that someday I'll forget about my life and who I am, and I know I will, they all do. Please remember me when I'm gone. Please.
I was running down a street trying to find something large with a lot of ponys around it, I needed to warn all the folk in ponyville about the monster coming while everyone else was fighting it off trying to get it under control again.
The monster was the thing known as the Death Cloud and it wasn't a very nice thing to watch. It got it's name cause when an unlucky pony was caught in it, it would overload their nerves and kill them, then it would eat their soul, which was not a very nice thing to witness, then it would take control of the corps then use the empty corps as its oun personal slave. The cloud was created by a mad scientist named Ryan, who was the first victom of the cloud, we didn't know why he created it, but it was soon contained by my trainer Frosen Spark, we were both pegasi and were the best of friends, untill I had to kill him. Thats another story, but I soon spoted something that would serve my purpose, a fountain in the middle of a town squere off some sorts. I ran as fast as I could jumpping off walls, flying over a pony here and there, and soon enough I was on top of the fountain.
"Citizens of Ponyville, my name's Reaper, I was sent here to evacuate the area, something's coming and you don't want to be here when it comes, so I repeat leave or be more blood on my hooves ta cleanup," I said as loud as I could.
And with that I jumped off the fountain and bolted as fast as I could back the way I came, I never wanted to be in a town longer then I needed to, the last time I did it didn't end so well.
I was out of the town by some forest and cottage with flowers and animals EVERYWHERE. I decided to stay my distance from the house cause that stuff creeps me out, I took out my list of towns that the captain made for me of towns to evacuate.
"Ponyville check, next Manehatten," I put the list back and started my long walk to Manehatten, I never liked flying for a long time, I'm not bad at it, I'm actually quite good at it, but it feels weird with my hood on, I guess I could take it off and take a risk of breaking the rule of someone seeing your identity. I decided to take my hood off and fly, I haven't flied in a while, besides no-one knows me even if someone does see me and no-one's around TO see me. I removed my hood and let my white and grey mane flow in the slight breeze, I'm not old, I was just never born with much color, the only color on me is my red eyes of a dragon, I also liked how the breeze felt on my black coat, it comes in handy when on a night mission, which happens quite often. I decided that I'd put my hood back up about 3/4 of the way there, that way I could fly and still not be seen with it down.
I was about to take off when I head a female voice coming fast behind me,"Hey, you there."
Without remembering that I had my hood down, I looked in the direction of the voice just in time to receive a magic blast to the face launching me back crashing in to a tree.
I got up as fast as I could and quickly put my hood back up and turned to face the purple unicorn in front of me.
"What do you want, I need ta get going, ASAP," I said trying not to look nervous, I knew from experience not to mess with unicorns.
"What were you talking about something bad coming, everything I know of that could cause damage is dead or missing, and I shot you so I could get some answers," she said in a very demanding voice.
I knew I couldn't get out of this, so I spilled the beans,"Something called the Death Could is heading this way, it was created about three years ago by some stallion named Ryan, the others're fight it off, but its not showing any sign of stopping, I was sent as a last resort cause they wanted to reduce the amount of ponies in the crossfire, now if you mind, I need ta get on my way ta the next town," I said squeezing in as much as I could with out giving out too much, but she wanted more.
"What do you mean others, what do you mean somepony created life, how does it kill, where is it-," she said before I shoved my hoove in her mouth to shut her up.
"I'm. Leaving. Now," I said.
But sadly enough, she wasn't going down so easily," Can I come, I'm Twilight Sparkle, student of princess Celestia and I'd really like it if I could study this creature," she said.
I facehooved ,"Are you serious, I'm not going to be anywhere near it, and plus...," I spread my wings which were connected at points with copper plates from injury",... you can't fly,".
When she didn't reply, I thought I finally had her beat, then she threw a curve ball ", What happened to your wings, it looks like it hurts with that metal there,".
With a large sigh I jumpped up and flew away without answering as fast as I could manage.
I landed a mile away from the place I saw the unicorn named Twilight Sparkle to take off my hood for the rest of the trip. I thought about what she said ,"...student of princess Celestia...,"
'Why would that matter, she couldn't do my job, even if she is an Alicorn...'
I giggled, then sighed.
I wonder how the others are doing dealing with the cloud.
I sighed again, pushing the thought out of my mind. I removed my hood and took off, hoping for the best and in the town distant town of Ponyville a storms a brewing of a daring plan.
It was a very enjoying to finally be able to stretch my wings after a cupple of weeks without flying, but sadly enough it had to end at the 3/4 mark of the trip to put my hood back up, then I'd have to hoove it to Manehatten.
I sighed, which I've been doing a lot on this trip," This'd gonna be a long walk, isn't it," did I mention that I also talk to myself. A lot.
So I started on my long walk to Manehatten, then I spotted a pond near by. I knew there wasn't going to be a lot of chances like this and my water bottle was empty, so I made a stop to refill my water and get a drink. The water was surprisingly warm, at the relaxing level. At that point I realized that I haddent washed myself at all these seven weeks I've been on this trip, so I removed my entire cloak to reveal my cuttiemark of a ball of red with yellow mist around it. I knew what it meant, just thought that it was kinda pointless. My cuttiemark was a blob of red matter, a rare material that can only back forged by getting the recipe just right and then heating it with dragon fire. Back before I joined the Black Order to protect my hometown from monsters, I was the only blacksmith in equestria that knew the perfect recipe for red matter and knew how to forge it into weapons and armor for our military. But those days are over. I still know how to make the stuff, but equestria has long forgotten that it even exists, but the Black Order didn't. When I just started my job I was given the job of making red matter weapons for the troops. I wanted to get some points with the current members so I went around bace and asked the only squad at the time for some info on their thought of their perfect weapon, then made a custom one specificly for the pony who asked it. I had to make a lot, but I did it, I made axes, swords, knives, daggers, chains, bows, hammers, and my personal favorite, a scythe, which I still keep at my side on this very trip. It turned out that I did a good thing making all those weapons cause it turns out that red matter was better at dealing with the things that we delt with, and I was soon moved up a rank to air/ground troop for doing a better job then asked with the weapons.
I put my cloak, my bags, and my scythe in a pile on the shoreline and dived into the water. The water was perfect and I soon decided that I might as well wash my cloak cause let's face it, it reeked. So I climed out of the water and picked up my cloak.
I then suddenly heard a twig snap in the forest near by and put my cloak on as fast as I could to avoid getting seen, even if it was a mistake no-one would know, but if it was a pony, I was prepared for the worst. I stomped on the red and yellow blade of my scythe flinging it up into the air, then grabbed it and holding so the blade's leaning against my leg and the blade over my head.
"Who's there,"? I shouted in the direction of the noise, I listened for the slightest noise.
And I heard it, a faint "....no no no...", and that was enough for me. So I let'em have it.
"I know your there, show yourself. Don't make me come in and find you, you wouldn't like that," I said, half expecting nothing and half expecting to hear something running. But what happened took me off guard, I saw something come at me. Fast. A rainbow was the last thing I remember before something hit me, knocking me out cold.
I woke up after who knows how long, only without my scythe and cloak. And I heard a cupple of voices around me, good thing I kept my eyes closed, I could listen to what they were saying.
"Again Rainbow Dash, did you have to buck him so hard?" Said a voice sounding a bit quiet.
"I panicked, what was I supposed to do, quietly ask him NOT to kill me," another said, sounding a bit fierce with a slight bit'o fear.
"I don't think he was gonna kill ya dash," said another, with a strong western tone to it. I've been told by some of my friends that I talk with a weak one, but this one was a bit painful.
I was starting to get a bit uncomfortable laying there on the ground, so I dug deep in my mind looking for some way I could get out of this pickle. I decided that I needed to at least know where I was before I figure out how to get out, so I slightly opened one of my eyes and from what I could see I haven't moved from the ponds bank. I heard a bird chirping in the forest near by and I don't what that had to do with it, but I suddenly remembered my lessons on ventriloquism, they were standard for evey noob at the training camp.
I thew my voice which made it sound like I was behind a tree in the forest,"I've over here you sillies," and luckily for me, they all ran for the tree. With them gone I quickly got up and looked around for my stuff, and found it in a pile by the pond and quickly got my cloak back on, cause that was the most important thing next to my scythe, which I grabed next. I'm lucky I did when I did because they were fast to the forest and when they found out that they've been tricked they turned around to see me picking up my scythe.
"What in tarnation," said the one with a hat.
"I should be the one asking that, what the crap's go'n on here...," I shouted at them,"... I should be in'n out of Manehatten by now," coming to what I just said, I had another question,"how long have I been out,"? Suddenly I recognized the purple unicorn, Twilight Sparkle I think it was.
"Not much, just a cupple minutes," said twilight, "look, I'm really sorry about following you and getting you knocked out, I just really want to see this thing and get some information on it and send a report to Celestia,".
I was tired of this mess she was making, I need to get to Manehatten soon, so I ended it right there, "I'm done here," I said before walking away, but sadly enough I heard hoove steps gaining from behind me, "leave me alone, you've already caused enough problems," I shouted without looking behind me, cause I knew they were following.
Then I heard hat girl speak up, "You're the fella who told us ta leave and if we're leaving our home we're following ya, so ya might as well let us on this little adventure of yours,".
I stopped, I did tell them to leave, but I didn't tell them WHERE to leave to. She made a good point and if I coulden't shake'em then I might as well let'em tag along, "I can't argue with that..." I sighed once again, "...so ya might as well tag along and since you're come'n I might as well answer your questions," I swear I've never seen a cupple'o mares so happy in my life, "But I need ta know your names first,".
"I'm Twilight Sparkle, but I'm pretty sure you already know me," said Twilight
"The name's Applejack, nice ta meet ya," said hat girl
"I'm Rainbow Dash, fastest flyer in Equestria," said a cyan pegasus with rainbow mane.
"I'm Rarity," said one in a fancy hat, kinda creepi'n me out that she was wearing it.
"I'm Pinkie Pie," said a pink pony, clearing at least five feet in a single bounce.
Then we came to a yellow and pink pegasus who hid behind twilint when I looked at her.
I just shrugged it off,"We better get go'n, we don't want ta get caught in the dark out here," I said, so we started moving. We didn't get far before twilight had her first question.
"When we met before you didn't answer my question, what did happen to your wings?" She said, but Dash added right after.
"Yeah, what do you have to get into to get metal plates on your wings?" She said.
I stopped walking and turned around, "why're you so interested anyway," I asked.
But this time rainbow answered, "I've been in some pretty bad crashes myself and I've never had to have that happen to me, what did you crash into,".
"I don't crash, never have never will," I replayed, and by the looks on their faces that wasn't the answer they wanted.
"Then how did that happen," said both twilight and rainbow.
I sighed, "Are you kidding me, I work for a supernatural creature hunting group and you're wondering how I got my wings banged up?" I said.
"You do WHAT!?!?!?" They all shouted.
"What didn't I tell ya before, plus it's not that bad," I said.
"Not that bad, what are you talking about, your wings are being held together with metal plates, how'd that even happen," shouted rainbow.
"Why da ya sure ya wanna hear," I said.
"Yes," they all said.
I sighed, "Fine then, it happened when me and my friend Claymore were called on a mission ta take down a rouge ghast, nasty thing, and I let my guard down and ummmm, it attacked me. But hey, at leaset I still had wings afterwords. But Claymore wasn't so lucky, he had ta have several surgerys before he could get this experimental, light, holographic, fake wings that let'em fly again," I explained, then I started walking again.
They all just stood there, I didn't wait for'em I was late for Manehatten as is.
It took'em a while to catch up to me and when they did they stopped me.
"Is there anything else you'd like ta tell us about ya self that we may need ta know," said applejack.
I didn't have anything else that I they need to know and I've dent with ponies like this, so I said just a fact, "I have a pet phoenix named Syris, but that's not important ."
"You own a PHOENIX, only members of the royal family are aloud to own a phoenix, it's agents the Equestrian law to own one," said twilight.
"Well that's a shame, cause the ponies in the Black Order don't follow the Equestrian law, we don't need it," I said in her face.
We were arguing about the Equestrian law for a while, then something caught eye, something in the air, something red. Then I realized what, or I should say who it was, " SYRIS" I shouted, running towards him as fast as I could before seeing him crash into the ground. When I reached him I saw something different about him, one of his wings was covered in darkness, and he was holding a letter marked URGENT. I picked up the letter.
Dear Reaper,
Please abort your current mission and return to Black Order HQ, the squad taking care of the prisoner #274 failed to report back and we fear the worst.
I picked up Syris and put'em on my back, "Syris, ya know the darkness doesn't do anything, right," and with that he was up and healthy, pecking at his wing. Then I saw the six coming.
"Is that your phoenix, he doesn't looks so good," said fluttershy. Then she saw his wing.
"What happened to his wing, is he okay, what is that stuff," she said.
"We call this stuff darkness, it's harmless, Syris's just a drama queen," I replyed, "But something's come up and I need ta go somewhere else, see ya."
And with that I spread my wings and took off.
'How'd squad #0 get taken down, that could never happen'.
