Winter Blade

by F3lix

New beginnings... And, well demons.

I stepped out of the cab just outside of a slightly run down hotel. The city had a musty smell that could only be produced in a cramped concrete jungle. Around every corner ponies could be found fighting, or just generally mistreating each other. It was as if everyone thought themselves better then the next pony, making the city feel like a black hole for generosity.

I walked into the hotel, an elderly gray mare with light pink hair sat behind a large oak desk with a bored expression plastered on her face. She looked up from what she was doing, “Hello sir, welcome to the Homeland Motel, do you have a reservation with us?” I nodded my head head in confirmation.

“Okay sir may I have have your name?”

“Winter, Blade.”

She took a moment to look through a large collection of folders flipping through them at blinding speed. Soon she stopped and opened one particular folder and quickly shuffled through its contents. “Yes, Mister Blade. You have a reservation for the single bed, one bathroom, and no window room, correct?”

“Yes that would be me. May I have my key?”

“Hold your horses! I’m getting it.”

“I was trying to be polite…” I muttered under my breath.

“Okay sir I have your key! Enjoy your stay at the Homeland motel”, she said while handing me the key to my room.

Nodding thanks I made my way across the lobby and down the hall. I made a left then continued a short distance till I was confronted with a door with the numbers 23. Using the room key I unlocked the door and entered the room.

There were no paintings on the walls and the room had a monochromatic tan wallpaper. The only thing interesting about the main room was the oak wood bed with white sheets and three pillows. The end of the bed was covered with a wide and long gold colored piece of fabric that was a good contrast the white bed sheets and pillows.

I dropped my saddle bags off in my room along with my shoto, securing them under the bed so none of the cleaning ponies would find and steal from them. After my belongings were stowed in my room and my crossbow and pistols were hidden with a minor illusion spell, I set out to find the theatre.

I trotted through bustling streets dodging ponies left and right, eventually though I came upon a large square building with glowing lights around a sign that read, Manehatten Theatre. The building was four stories tall with a slanted brick roof. The outside concrete was painted red but was starting starting to fade with age.

I walked into the barren lobby, only a singular janitor cleaning crumbs and popcorn off of the floor could be seen. I Slipped into the bathroom and promptly disguised myself as a female stagehoof with a light brown coat with rusty orange hair done in neat curls.

I peeked out of the bathroom and was pleasantly surprised to find that the janitor pony had left the room leaving me all alone. Good, nopony would see me come out of the stallion’s bathroom as a mare.

I proceeded backstage to begin scouting positions for the ‘job’. Backstage was spacious with more than enough room for performers and behind the scenes personnel to move about without getting in each other's way. A couple of stagehooves working in the back gave me odd looks but otherwise left me alone.

Stepping out onto the stage, I saw that the seats were arranged in a half dome, along with three large balconies placed around the room and overlooking the stage. I kept an idea of using the balconies for my assassination in the back of my mind, but would hold out on choosing to do that until i was sure it was the best possible option.

As I continued my exploring, a snobby looking stallion sauntered up to me, looking down on me like he a king and I a peasant. “You’ll do…” he muttered under his breath before I was promptly voluntold, “You, help me move something for Mistress Lady Sugar.”

‘I can see why Vinyl doesn’t like her if she is anything this stallion makes her out to be.’ I thought to myself.

“Yes I will my good stallion”, I responded, despite my thoughts on mistress Sugar.

“Good, now follow me.”

A white limousine was parked outside the theater with a box of some sort sitting in front. There were no clues of what was in the box nor did I care. It was more than likely a dress or something similar. Lifting the box onto a roller I pushed it into the theatre but stopped and looked back at the stallion, “Where should I put this box, sir?”, I asked him, only the slightest hint of mockery in my tone.

“Put it backstage with the rest of Mistress's items.” he said, talking to me as if I were his personal slave. I wondered if this is how ponies in the city generally treated each other or if this was how this stallion treated everypony.

Wheeling the box backstage, I dropped it off at a mirror labeled “Sugar Cherry”. Afterwards I continued my search of the theatre without further interruption.

Walking along the upper level behind the balconies, I noticed a door labeled 'authorized ponies only’’. Since I was technically a staff member in this form and nopony was stopping me, I went threw open the door.

The mysterious 'staff’ door housed a staircase that led to a catwalk overlooking the stage. ‘Okay’, I thought to myself, ‘Scratch the balconies idea, this is a way better spot.’

The catwalk would be perfect for my mission, if anypony looked up towards my position they would be blinded by the overhead lights and I could make an almost perfect unobstructed shot at Sugar. Additionally, if anypony saw me they would think me a pony working the lighting.

With my planning finished, I snuck out of a side door of the theatre, so as to ensure I would not be observed. Once outside I disappeared into the shadows of the alleyway, switching disguises in a flash of green fire and emerged as Winter. Content I made my way back to the hotel to get some rest.

---

The next day I made my way to the catwalk disguised once more as a stagehoof. I slipped up to the catwalk with my weapons hidden under my clothes and my crossbow under a rough cloaking spell. Looking down from my vantage point, I observed the crowd. Ponies were restless, whispering to each other in excited tones. Suddenly the lights dimmed and sugar stepped out onto the stage.

She wore a flowing white dress with expensive diamonds embroidered into the fabric. I listened to her sing for a few moments enjoying the sound of her voice. Eventually though it was time, I leveled my crossbow and positioned my magic on the trigger. I fired a bolt from the catwalk, aiming at her head. With great speed she dodged it going into elaborate dance moves as part of her routine, not even noticing the crossbow bolt embedded into the floor, until she spun back towards it and tripped on it. I Reloaded as she looked up, trying to spy where the bolt came from despite the blinding light. I corrected my aim and shot for her head once more. She must of been tipped off by my motions as the bolt once more missed and caught her dress right as she was dodged. She looked up at the catwalk with hate filled eyes while she took taking a defensive stance and summoned a shield from her horn. With her shield up, she bolted from the stage to seek cover.

The scene on stage did not go unnoticed by ponies in the crowd. One in the front row yelled, “assassin!”, and started running for the exit. Mass panic rippled through the theatre with ponies to rushing for the exits, clogging them and crushing some ponies in the stampede.

I sped down the stairs from the catwalk and over to the balcony closest to her. Looking over the edge I spotted her then jumped, using telekinesis to slow my descent at the last moment. Trotting up to her with one of my pistols out, I shot her straight through the head, or so I thought… a sack fell to the ground where Sugar had just been. I quickly looked up sensing the anger coming from her. Above me was a unicorn charging a spell as she fell. A beam of bright light erupted from her horn arcing its way towards my position. Taking a defensive stance a green aura enveloped my horn and I promptly released a bolt my own. Our spells negated each other causing a small explosion. She continued to fall and I dodged to the side just in time to escape being crushed by the falling unicorn. Noticing a cut on her coat, I noted that I had hit my mark at least partially. Leveling my crossbow at her tired looking form, I pulled the trigger.

She teleported right before the bolt hit her making it stick in the wall behind her with a loud ‘thunk’. Her voice seemed to come from everywhere, “why are you trying to kill me?”

“Business” I retorted.

Honing in on the mare radiating confusion and anger, I changed my form to a demon looking form with leathery wings, freakishly long fangs sticking from its maw, and the body of a spider. I roared, taking a couple of steps towards her. She screamed, “DEMON!”, completely losing her fake tired expression quickly adopting a look of a terror as she ran for her life from the ‘demon’.

Changing forms took a pretty good amount of mana, especially one rarely used or an absolutely new form. To make a form we literally create each part of it. It’s kind of like using a unicorn’s magic. You reach into the back of your mind and think of a form. The flames that encase our us destroy our previous body as we transfer our soul to the new form. Our soul holds every memorable moment in our lives but many of the small details are lost in the transfer.

I grabbed her with my front claws. Pulling her close as she struggled, I stabbed her through the heart with a long pointed claw and she quickly fell limp. A quick clean death.

The door to the theater burst open and twelve armed security personnel arrived, leveling weapons at me. I would try not to kill any of them because I didn’t want this to make the princesses look into it themselves. Activating a nearby smoke machine with my magic, I changed back into Winter Blade and used what little magic I had left to teleport a short distance out of sight. I fled through a side door brushing by a confused looking guard.

Once out of sight of the guard I hailed a cab, and rode the seven blocks back to the hotel. As I opened the door to my room, I collapsed into a coughing fit as the adrenalin started to ware off. I sat there quite literally almost coughing a lung up and faded into a incredibly deep sleep.

Author's Note:

chapters are gonna be much slower now that schools started again, like this one. sorry about how short this chapter was, and i would like to give anyone who read this, as usual, a cookie and a hug.

Comments

[changlinggod45]

not bad

[F3lix]

7559058 thanks! I appreciate it.