Living Mark of Courage

by Moowell

Life's Choices

"I'll see you tomorrow, Epona!"

"Yea. See ya at school!" Mirror Child waved to Epona as the yellow filly walked away from Sunset Manor.

Mirrors walked upstairs to her her room and closed the door. As she leaned back against it, her thoughts drifted to the morning. What had happened? Her target was right there in front of her. She had been ready to end the mission with a swift and wonderfully messy kill, but she didn't. Why? What changed? Could it really have been those three words? Just a simple phrase threw all her training out the window like Pegasus feathers? Impossible. Utterly impossible. There was no way.

Her mind wandered to previous missions. She had always worked her way into ponies' hearts with her unique blend of charm and sarcasm. It wasn't hard for her. She would then search for her quarry, tracking them through paper trails and word of mouth until she was certain of her target. Then she would stalk them and take them down.

But then this pony came along.

This one was supposed to be her toughest assignment yet. Track down a pony cunning enough to hide in plain sight, stealthy enough to infiltrate a hidden military base, and powerful enough to defeat a Cerberus. The projected time frame was months.

It only took several days, thanks to school ground rumors, but the pony she was searching for was none of the things she had been told. She didn't seem particularly bright, had no problems making herself known (if negatively) to all of her classmates, and was just a filly! There was no possible way she could take down a Cerberus, no matter how she looked when swinging a stick.

Then Mirrors watched as the pony displayed dimensional magic. She had already shown she was strong for a filly, but now she had powerful magic, too? So Mirrors tricked her into revealing she was actually the one who did it. Recorded the confession and everything. Then she changed her form, hungry for terror she had seen so many times before.

Ya look beautiful.

It was a response she had never expected. No matter the targets she had hunted, whether they were Ponies, Griffons, Dogs, or Changelings, the outcome had always been the same. Primal, instinctual fear had always taken hold. If they resisted, then all the better. The hunt would be an enjoyable pastime. It was exhilarating to hear their screams when they saw her transform!

But this? This was strange and foreign. Mirror Child crawled into bed and lay her head down as she thought.

Wasn't that filly afraid? Surely she had known she was about to get eaten. Nopony is that innocent. She must have known, but there was still no scent of fear. No scream. Did she think she was strong enough to escape if it came down to a fight? Maybe it was a misplaced sense of ability that stopped her fear.

But even if she hadn't been afraid, that shouldn't have affected the mission. Mirror Child still had Epona there, helpless in her claws! There was no way for the filly to escape her fate. All she had to do was take a quick bite and it would've been over.

She rolled over and stared at the stars. Maybe that's why. Maybe it was because there was no scream, no fear, even when there was no hope. Instead, she was called beautiful. Not terrifying or monstrous. Beautiful, even in her lupine form.

"Heh... What kind of pony are you, Epona?" Mirror Child laughed softly as an unexpected smile crept across her face. "I guess the others were right about you. Only a monster would tell another monster she's beautiful..."

A moment later, the door creaked open, letting in the halls light and a blue Unicorn.

"You chose not to kill her."

"That's true." Mirror Child sat up and looked Trixie in the eyes.

"Why not? That was the mark, wasn't it? You should be on your way back to Canterlot by now," noted the mare.

Mirrors shrugged. "She's just a filly. I was told I would be killing somepony worth the hunt."

"Your job is to hunt your target. Are you saying it isn't her?" asked Trixie.

"She's the target alright, but killing her would be a waste. There are better things that we can do with her. Besides..." The filly smiled darkly. "There are bigger fish in Ponyville," she said with a sparkle in her eye. Trixie looked at her curiously.

"Do tell."

~~~~~~~~~~

"Welcome home, Epona," said Obsidian sternly as Epona bounced through the door. "Ivory's already asleep. Any particular reason why you're so late?"

"Ah made a friend today!" She beamed happily, then yawned. "Ah had so much fun, but now ah'm exhausted. G'night, Obsidian."

"Good night, Epona." Epona's door clicked shut.

"I tooold you sooo! Bleeeh!" Canvas stuck out her tongue as she walked out from the kitchen. "Didn't I tell you she would be fine?"

"That you did, Canvas. That you did." Obsidian looked out the window uneasily. "But still. If I'm not mistaken, her new friend is part of that bloodline. Not to mention Trixie as that filly's guardian."

"Who cares? Ponyville is the Empress' 'Haven of Peace' as she likes to call it. They won't start anything here."

"But they're here on the Empress orders. They can do whatever they please."

"What are you so afraid of, Obsidian? Epona's a strong little filly." Canvas pointed out. "She'll be fine!"

"It's not Epona that I'm worried about, and you know it." Canvas opened her mouth to speak, but Obsidian silenced her with a meaningful glance. She withered.

"Ivory isn't going to like this..."

*****

Epona woke up the next morning to the sound of muffled voices coming from the living area.

"Y-you can't be serious..." She cracked the door open and peeked outside. Ivory's face looked like she had seen a ghost.

"When have you known me otherwise, Ivory?" said Obsidian. "Ponyville won't be safe for us much longer."

"But I don't want to leave! All my friends are here!"

"I understand that, but if we stay here, the Empress will find us and take you away. As your sister, I can't let that happen. You are too important." Ivory looked over to Canvas. The white mare nodded.

"It's true. I wish I could say everything would be alright, but sometimes these things happen. We have to get out of Ponyville, and quickly."

Ivory's head fell to the floor. "I'll go tell Epona to pack..." The older siblings exchanged a glance.

"Ivory, there's something else," Canvas said softly.

"More?"

Obsidian rose to her hooves. "Epona can't come with us."

"WHAT?!" Ivory screamed. "Why would you choose to leave her behind?!"

"A magic like hers is tough to hide," Obsidian said matter-of-factly. "If we brought her along, then the Empress would be able to use her to track us."

"We can't just leave her here! She's part of our family!"

"She's not part of the family. She just lives with us." Epona felt the words pierce through her heart like a well-sharpened blade. She staggered backward and flopped next to the bed.

"This is wrong, Obsidian, and you know it!" Ivory accused sharply. "Epona's just as much a part of our family as any of us. Even if she wasn't born a sister, she's our sister now!" Bitter drops fell to the ground as Ivory let out her rage.

"I'm sorry, Ivory... I'm sorry that this is the way it has to be." Canvas took her youngest sibling into her hooves and held her close. "But right now, you are the most important thing. We have to protect you above everything else, until--" The quiet click of a door silenced the group. A moment later, the sound of glass shattering in Epona's room reached the ears of the three sisters.

"Epona!" Ivory shoved Canvas away, rushed toward Epona's room, and threw the door open. The room was empty. "Epona, wait!" Ivory ran toward the window and looked frantically for her friend, but she was nowhere to be seen. All that was beneath the pane was a pony-sized hole in the ground. She whirled to see Obsidian and Canvas standing at the door. "Epona's gone! Are you happy now?!"

Comments

[Stoneificaunt]

Well I'd say this is more than enough of an opportunity to introduce NAVI or a fairy.

[Moowell]

2614750
This is true. However, it will not be a fairy that accompanies Applebloom.

[Starcat5]

...wait... Did Obsidian let Mirror take Epona knowing that she (Mirror) was a hired gun for the State?!?

[Moowell]

6071886
Well, Obsidian really only had two options. Either she could take Epona with them and risk her family being targeted even more than they already are, or she could leave Epona behind. I don't think Obsidian meant for her to overhear and run off like she did, and I'd like to think that she'd provide a way for the filly to be taken care of before they left if possible.

[Starcat5]

6075294
Sorry for the delay in replying, but I tend to read this fic at work on break. That said, my comment was the events of last chapter in light of this one, not the events at the end of this chapter. Your reply doesn't actually apply to my comment as written. (\/)