Alex
I swiped down at the dummy’s arm, cleaving it off. I twirled around and sliced it in the gut, spilling stuffing onto the floor. With a small leap forward, I stabbed at where the heart would be, twisting my knife and yanking it out. I turned around to War and took a little bow.
“Well done, Alex.” he said, tossing me a ruby. I caught it and stuffed it in my mouth.
“I did good, didn’t I? Think I could beat you?” I said, smirking.
“No, you can’t. Never could, never will be able to.” he laughed. “But you are good. I’d like to make you a proposition.”
“What do you want?”
“How long have I been training you?” he asked.
“Three years. Why?”
“What have I been teaching you all this time?”
“How to fight, how to kill humanely, battle strategy, very vague first-aid, and survival skills.” I listed. “Why?”
“What do you think you could do with that?”
“I dunno, fight crime?” I said, confusedly. “Join the… oh!”
“There you are, girl.” he said.
“Are you offering me a position in the Royal Guard?” I asked.
“I know sixteen is pretty young, but you’re more than good enough. You’ll rise through the ranks quickly if you apply yourself.”
“I don’t know. Seems… troublesome.”
“Come on! Please? I’m really short-handed here, I need the help!”
“Dude! I’m yanking your chain!” I laughed. “Of course I’ll join. What the hell else am I going to do with my life?”
“Fantastic! I had a feeling you’d agree, so I brought you a little ‘welcome to the army’ present.” he said, pulling out a short, black knife, wickedly sharp, slightly curved and viscously serrated. He handed it to me, handle first, with a sheath shoved underneath.
“You know I hate saying ‘thank you’ but, this is pretty cool, so thanks, I guess.” I said accepting the knife.
“You are so tsundere!” he exclaimed with a smirk.
“Tsun-what?”
“Tsundere. It’s a japanese character development process in which- Basically, you’re a bitch on the outside, really sweet on the inside.”
“Funny, that sounds exactly like you.” I said, leaving the armory. “I’m gonna go put this away. We’ll talk later.” I ran upstairs to my bedroom and shoved my knife under my mattress. I sat down impatiently, waiting for Alexandria to walk in with her good/bad news.
“Hello, Alex!” she said, skipping into the room. “I passed!”
“What? You completed the spell?” I asked.
“Yup. I can now cast a perfect regeneration spell!”
“Alexandria!” yelled Conjure, running in behind her. “You didn’t let me tell you!”
“Oh, sorry. What is it you need?” she asked.
“Listen, I’ve been stalling Rarity for the past four years. She’s been trying to see you this entire time. I’ve been delaying it and I just can’t do it anymore. You two have to go see her.”
“Have fun.” I said.
“Come on! I promised her that I would bring her both of you! You trying to make me into a liar?”
“I don’t care. I’m not going to Ponyville to visit Rarity, somepony that I don’t give two bucks about.”
“I would love to go.” said Alexandria cheerily. “I haven’t seen my mother in ages.”
“Thank you, Alexandria. She wants to see you ASAP.”
“I’ll go get ready. I suggest you do the same, Conjure.” said Alexandria, rushing to the bathroom. Conjure teleported out, presumably to tell Rarity that she would be having company. That’s when I got to work. I pulled my pants down to my knees, untied Lord Sombra’s horn from around my neck and wrapped it around my left thigh. I replaced my pants and grabbed a bucket from under my bed. Leaning over it, I stuck my finger down my throat, causing me to retch uncontrollably into it. My vomit filled it up about halfway, filling the room with a horrible stench.
“This is going to hurt. Bad.” I coughed, grabbing the bucket. “All for the glory of Lord Sombra.” I clenched my teeth and turned the bucket over, spilling puke all over my leg.
TSSSSSSSSS!
“Ow! Owowowowowowowowowow!” I cried, tearing up from the pain. “Okay, okay. I have about 90 seconds before the acid eats away at my entire leg. All I have to do is get Alexandria. I can’t walk. I didn’t think this through.” What a pickle.
“Alex, dear, are you sure you don’t want to come? I’m sure they’ll give you some gems.” said Alexandria, walking in.
“Help me!” I cried, clenching my leg in pain. “I threw up on my leg and I have about 35 seconds before my leg is gone!”
“Oh, my! I’ll hit you with a regeneration spell.” she said, bathing her horn in a grey light. A thin beam flew from her horn, hitting my thigh. Instantly, the burning stopped.
“Did it work?” I asked.
“Yes. In a few minutes, your leg will be fine and dandy. Now, how did you manage to pull that off?”
“Oh, you know me, I can be pretty stupid.” I said panickedly. “Don’t you have to go somewhere? Is Conjure going to come pick you up?”
“Conjure is in the armory. I do not need an escort, I can teleport on my own. I’m leaving now.” she said, bathing herself in grey light. “Well, goodbye, and do try not to destroy your leg while I’m gone.”
“Oh yes, of course.” I said.
POP!
“Because I’ll be too busy destroying everypony else.” I said, pulling my pants back down. I yanked Lord Sombra’s horn, which was now glowing with a grey light. I put it down on the ground, then pulled my pants up. Didn’t want him to see me with my pants down. Suddenly, the horn began to shake and sputter. It rose through the air, hovering at about 7 feet. Black smoke poured from it, forming itself into a stallion-like figure. It solidified into a tall stallion with a dark grey coat, deep scarlet eyes, and sharp fangs. His body formed around the horn, becoming the unicorn, Lord Sombra.
“Hahaha!” he laughed. “Yes! I return!”
“Lord Sombra!” I cried. I got up and dropped down to one knee, bowing my head. “You’ve returned!”
“Yes I have, dear Alex! All thanks to you.” he growled, rubbing my head and ruffling my mane. “How long has it been?”
“About four years.”
“What?! What took you so long?!” he asked angrily. “Get up!”
“I’m sorry.” I said, standing up. “It took me almost a year to get your horn and three more to get the regeneration spell in place. Please, forgive me.”
“Don’t fret, Alex, dear.” he said, raising my head with his hand. He pulled out a thin needle and stuck it into my eye. A blood-curdling scream rang in my ears. It took me a minute to realise that it was me producing the noise.
“Why? Is this your will?” I said. “I’m sorry, Lord Sombra. Forgive me.” I grabbed my eye, halting the blood flowing from it.
“Relax. You’re fine. Remove your hand.” he said, yanking my hand away. My eye was perfectly normal, completely unharmed.
“What…?” I asked in confusion.
“Next time I give you an assignment, you are to complete it in a swift and diligent manner, or else I won’t remove the illusion.”
“Y-yes. Of course. I’m sorry.” I said. I hated his tone of disappointment.
“I’m sure you are. But, since I’m not sure I can trust you, I need you to prove yourself.”
“What do you wish for me to do?” I asked.
“Kill the two humans downstairs. They are no longer needed, and I don’t need them alive for my revenge. “
“Of course.” I said, grabbing my knife from under my mattress. “Can I ask what you plan to do? For your revenge, I mean.”
“All in due time. Let us go see these old friends of mine first, shall we?” he growled. We walked downstairs to the armory. I hid the knife behind my back and walked in front of Lord Sombra. I walked in the armory, where Conjure and War were sparring.
“What’s up, Alex?” said the General, not taking his eyes off of Conjure. “Here to join us?”
“If she won’t, I will.” said Lord Sombra, snapping his fingers. Black smoke appeared around Conjure and War’s arms and legs, restraining their movement completely. “What is up, indeed? It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Don’t worry about her, you said. She’ll never succeed, you said. She wouldn’t hurt us, you said!” said Conjure angrily. “What happened to ‘Oh, I’ll deal with her. I’ll ask her to join the guard and she’ll forget all about Sombra’? It seems to me that you goofed, Robert!”
“Chill out.” said War. “So. What’s good, Sombra?”
“What’s good is taking my revenge for 18 years of agony. How’s Pinkie?”
“She’s doing well, thanks for asking. We have a kid now.”
“Lovely. Where might we find them?”
“Why would we tell you, Sombra?” said Conjure.
“Almost forgot about you, Conjure. How are you? Is Twilight here? I’d like a word with her.”
“You are not going to lay a finger on her! If you hurt Twilight, so help me, I’ll have you wishing Silver didn’t miss!”
“So angry. So, I’m guessing you won’t tell me? Very well. Alex. Prove yourself.” I walked forward, brandishing my knife. I went to the General first.
“Sup.” I said, tilting the blade slightly. I plunged it a few inches beneath his collar bone, right in his lung.
“Just like I taught you.” he gasped. “Stab in the lung and force it to collapse so your target can’t scream.” I ripped the knife out and made my way towards Conjure. I placed the razor-sharp blade against his neck and dragged slowly. I cut him all the way across his throat, blood gushing onto my chest. The only reason I didn’t lap it up was because I thought Lord Sombra would find it disturbing.
“Did I do good, my lord?” I asked, turning to face him.
“You did marvelous.” he said, Conjure in the background, gurgling on his own blood. “Where’s the rest of you?”
“In Ponyville, visiting Rarity. Is that where we’re going?”
“Yes. We have to capture the Elements of Harmony and Silver Rift, alive, so I can exact my revenge properly. We will have to kill the spare, however.”
“So, we’re killing two ponies with one stone?”
“I like the way you think.” he said. “Come on. We have work to do.”