Elements of Honor

by SpitFlame

Chapter 2: Adequate Explanation

"You!" cried an enraged Celestia. Every stallion in armor advanced round Corvo with their spears held ever so closer to his mask. The entire scene seemed to be intentionally arranged, as the cloaked assassin refused to move, even with fourteen metal spears aimed at his glass eyes. Twilight's eyebrow twitched involuntarily, as her vision became transfixed. Her gaze jumped from Corvo to Celestia, and back.

"How dare you come back after all the harm and chaos you have caused in these lands!" said Celestia wrothly. Her horn was encompassed with a golden yellow aurora, and a buzzing noise of muffled thunder was heard—she began to charge her horn.

"Aye! Stop right there!" Corvo yelled, keeping his arms to his sides, but his fingers opened near the base of his sword. "The past is the past; I have put it behind me, and you should too!" His glass eyes then turned to the lavender alicorn, who once noticed he was looking at her, heavily gulped and stood aghast.

"I can't fully understand what had happened," said Twilight. "But whatever you speak of, it's not going to cut it with us frying you!" She then, too, began to charge her horn, with a burning purple aurora.

"If you wish to learn why I am here, stop," said Corvo, more thickly and stern. "Hear me out, please, and in return, you will have something to think about." There was a stretched pause, with both alicorns' horns dying down. "Very good," Corvo continued. "I seek redemption in Equestria, in these lands. I have come to—ah, help you, to say I am sorry, to see what I can do. Last time I was here, events took the darkest turn; I regret those days. What they are, I cannot explain now, but know that I am not a threat to you; also know that lying is not what my intentions are."

With his monologue finished, a second, much more wary moment hung in the air.

"What you have done here, in Equestria, in the past is unacceptable," said Celestia, looking hard at the assassin. "You have the nerve to come here, ask for forgiveness and think it is all done?"

"I understand that," said Corvo. "I have not harmed a fly with my time here, not on this day, and yesterday. I say that I am sorry, and I have said that lying is not my cup of tea. When I left this world last, it was brought back to peace. I wish to further increase that peace, for I know problems will be coming here, if not, they have already arrived."

Both Twilight and Celestia exchanged looks with grey shadows over their faces.

"How do you know about these events?" asked Twilight. "You are right: there have been many strange occurrences throughout Equestria—many of which cannot be explained—do you think we will trust you when you seem suspiciously connected with these disasters?"

Corvo said nothing.

"Well?" said Twilight. "Do not think you will be leaving this place. Princess Celestia and I will finish you off for good!"

Corvo remained silent, and still as a statue; his face was dark, like nightshade swayed over the front of the castle. His voice was also hard to explain, it wasn't convincing, but made Celestia very wary.

"You ponies are being fools," said Corvo in a harsher, monotone voice. "You are accusing me of such dangerous deeds, when I try to tell you; do my explanations mean nothing to you?"

"How dare you!" cried Twilight. "Calling Celestia a fool! She's wiser than the both of us!"

"Please, give me a moment to think," said Celestia in despair.

The moment was filled with a sense of rush, Corvo being practically immobile, but seemed as threatening as a one-man-army.

"I am very capable of toiling," he said. "I will say this a last time: I seek redemption, and if you give me what I seek, what you will find, you will be grateful for."

"Your words seem fairly rational," said Celestia. "But your reputation, assassin, causes me to doubt your sincerity." Twilight remained silent, signaled by Celestia to not provoke him.

"I'm afraid that there is no hope for you here," said Celestia with an added sigh. "Your threatening nature is your weakness."

Corvo, once again, said nothing.

"Well, are you not going to answer me?"

"I have already told you, but your stubborn student here spoke in front of you," said Corvo with press. Twilight hung low, behind Celestia. "Do not be blind—as I have said before—denying me a chance for redemption hurts both of us. If I seem so intimidating, so threatening to you, well—hmm, you would change your mind if you would think clearly." Corvo looked round him, and all the guards twitched; the ends of the metal spears shook wildly.

Celestia let out a much needed sigh as she gave Twilight a look of surety. "Twilight," she said, "please, go finish up with your royal duties." Celestia started to hesitate. "I-I will deal with things here. Now please, go."

Twilight bowed, wobblier than normal, and ran off down the bright corridor, much faster than needed. With her student out of harm's way, Celestia looked to the assassin, with over a dozen tensed guards locking him in place.

"What is your name, creature?" asked Celestia abruptly.

"Corvo," he said.

"Well, Corvo, I do not know, nor do I wish to know what went on in your head to make you come back here. It would seem like madness, even in your part, at the very least. But how do I know I can trust you with your word?"

"You... don't," said Corvo. His voice was feigned, yet very unnatural. "I thought I could uncover this land—in the past—and I was right. Now I seek redemption. I have also said this before: lying is not my cup of tea."

Celestia squinted her eyes. It seemed like this assassin would attack at any given moment. He seemed so angry, threatening, and any other quality she could have given to an assassin, thinking back centuries ago when she had to deal with them. But this one was different. He had an unbendable will of steel—or so it seemed.

That's why, when the silence had gone for nearly a full minute, Celestia bellowed a sudden command. "Guards! Move back, and attack!" The command wandered aimlessly in the air, as the armored stallions slowly walked back, several meters back, then they each charged at the assassin.

Corvo ducked low as a shining spear swung under his back. He rolled, dodging several other digs, and jumped over another guard, stomping on his helmet for added weight. Corvo landed five yards from the fray of ponies, but they charged once more at him. A point of a spear came lunging at him, in the stomach. Corvo, using his palm, grabbed the side and whipped it out of the stallion's hoof; he threw it to the side. The flat end of another spear flew directly at Corvo's temple, knocking him down to the ground. When he looked up, seeing the same blurry fray of armored ponies, two round shadows became larger to his eyes—the closest guard bucked him square in the chest, sending Corvo painfully to the nearby shrubbery.

Corvo coughed, looking up again to see the metal point of a spear speeding directly at his mask, which would end in a fatal stab.

"Stop!" A second command was yelled, as all the guards froze, panting lightly. They each trotted off, slowly, to the sides of the yard as Celestia walked to the grounded assassin. "Good job," she said. "You have passed the test."

Corvo coughed violently, pressing a palm to his knee and standing—in front of the royal princess he was; she stood at eight feet tall, with him being at six.

"Test?" said Corvo. "I—ah!" he grunted as the burning feeling came to his chest. "What—but what test do you speak of?"

"You said you were not a threat," said Celestia, but then her voice fell into a sigh, "so I needed to make sure. You were true to your word, Corvo, and you did not harm a single pony here."

"Do I now have your trust?" asked Corvo, "or was this in vain? Can you see my words as I have said them?"

Celestia, much to his surprise, shook her head, turned round and headed back to the castle . She swung a hoof, telling Corvo to follow.

"I do not trust you," she said. "I cannot for sure. Only with time will I see if you mean your word, but I will be watching with a close eye."

* * *

The princess and the assassin walked about the long brightened hallway; upstairs they wandered, where many wooden doors leading to many rooms of different uses, each connected by golden hinges. The walls were plain and yellow, and both Corvo and Celestia stopped eastward at the end of a hall, in front of an arched door.

"This will be your room for today," said Celestia.

"My room?" said Corvo. "What is this about to you?"

"You will be staying here for the rest of the day," said Celestia, more strictly and ignoring the assassin's questions. "It will be many hours before dusk, but you will stay here, until tomorrow morning at the earliest. Do not try to escape for this room was designed to be magic-resistant." At the mention of that, Corvo clutched his left hand—where his magical mark was borne—against his coat.

"There will be a meeting tomorrow," Celestia continued. "You will be attending."

"Meeting? What do you mean?"

"There are some ponies in mind that you will get to know tomorrow morning. They will have reactions of hatred and grief, but they will get used to your presence... eventually. Now, good day and night, and I hope you keep to your word. Don't try anything sinister, Corvo; I will see you at the meeting."

Celestia used her magic to twist the doorknobs, swung the arched door open and push Corvo inside. Once he stepped on the wooden-slabs which counted as the floor, the door slammed shut, and a soft click was echoed through and over the room itself.

The room was simple: there was a small window, a brown bed laid to the wall, with a closet and a mirror. Nothing much was left. The assassin stood midmost.

"Well," said Corvo, sitting on the bed and rubbing his hands together, "I will have to make this work."

Comments

[Walking Dead Fanboy]

My god.... Can it be? After all this time? INSTA-FAVE!

[Trevor12300]

I hope corvo just doesn't let the ponies beat him up when hes just trying to seek redemption

[Hatty_Hattington]

What happened to this story?
You got really far into it, and then all of those chapters have been deleted, this is confusinng

[Alphanian]

corvo seems a bit...less op

[SpitFlame]

4332993
This story will be focusing on Corvo's mental and emotional side, more than his physical one.
4332601
The story wasn't satisfying, and thus, was re-done – in a much cleaner and worded fashion.
4332420
Do not worry. Corvo will be a badass, and he just got beatin up in the beginning to prove a point. He's not gonna let it happen again.

[stormkiller74]

Where have you been man? we were waiting for this story to get updated!But, I say it was worth it.Keep up the good work!

[Stalwartheart14]

its been a while... the story has lost some of its sheen from that, its a like/fave but not a strong one

[StarChaser01]

Her haze

Her Gaze