//------------------------------// // Chapter XVI: The Dark Below // Story: The Twilight Assassin // by Silentpegasus //------------------------------// Chapter XVI The Dark Below Having a map of the castle that tracked everyone’s movements was possibly the best thing Saber could have. Whenever Ebony or Twilight were meeting with one another he ‘just so happened to be within earshot.’ He also used it to keep track of the Prince and his two guards. Saber didn’t think they were up to something, but he had his orders from the captain. As he studied the map more he discovered that he could control the doorways in his immediate vicinity with the key. He mostly used this to break into Ebony’s office from time to time and take a quick peek at her files or just move things around, possibly a mere six inches to the left or right and he knew it was slowly getting to her. He also spent the next few days training Nova, Fella, Simon, and Willem privately. Nova was an expert climber and showed them how to properly scale a building or tree with relative silence and ease. Fella was an expert when it came to blending in with the crowd, sometimes vanishing entirely while Willem drilled them all in hand to hand combat. Simon’s knowledge of the current noble houses along with alchemical mixtures and potions was extremely interesting to Saber. Saber had found an abandoned room on the map where he started teaching them in the killing arts and the proper way to deceive, vanish and the proper way to listen in on a conversation without being seen. One day while making his way through the castle hallway, he was stopped by Twilight and Ebony. “Something I can help you with Princess?” “I need you and Ebony to accompany me to Sugar Cube Corner.” He obliged and walked with the two out of the castle giving a polite not to Simon and Willem who were polishing armor. The two gave the slightest of nods back at him. The streets were bustling with the usual buyers and sellers. They soon arrived at the pastry shop and made their way inside the pastry shop. Mrs. Cake, a portly woman with bright pink hair done up in a bun in her arms was a small girl with her husband’s bright orange hair. “Oh, hello dear.” She smiled at Twilight. “What can I get you?” “I’m actually looking for Pinkie Pie, is she here?” “Oh yes, she’s here. Let me just find her.” She was looking for something then turned to Ebony. “Beg your pardon captain, but could you hold Pumpkin for a moment?” Ebony didn’t have a chance to respond before the small toddler was put in her arms. For the first time since Saber had met her, the captain looked nervous as she looked down at the small child. No sooner than Mrs.Cake vanished into the other room in search for the bouncy pink haired girl with Twilight trailing behind had the small girl realized that Ebony was not in fact her mother. This sudden realization resulted in the small child wailing and crying. Saber chuckled to himself as Ebony looked around for something to pacify the toddler with until her mother returned. She shot a nasty glare at the assassin who was struggling to keep his composure. “This is not funny.” She hissed through grit teeth. “It is from where I’m sitting.” As much as seeing the captain in any form of discomfort brought a smile to his face, he must admit that the child’s wailing was getting on his nerves and caused his ears to start ringing. “Oh for god’s sake give her here.” Ebony wanted to protest but Saber had already scooped the toddler into his arms and was resting her against his shoulder. He whispered a few words of comfort to the child and slowly she started to calm down. “See? It’s not that hard.” He said as he padded the child’s back and she started to calm down more. A few minutes ticked by and a slim freckled man with curly orange hair came out from the back with a small toddler with a brown hair and white feathered wings coming from his back. “I can take her from you Argent.” Saber handed the small girl back to her father and wiped a little bit of saliva off his shirt. “Sorry, I’m sure you know how kids are.” Saber raised an eyebrow. “You obviously have some skill with children. Do you have any?” saber’s face fell slack and a terrifyingly calm impassivity seemed to sweep over his features. “No, not anymore.” Before he let what said settle in, a muffin collided with the side of his head and he whirled to see Pinkie Pie hiding behind one of the booths. She gestured to saber and Ebony for them to follow her. Saber did as she begged and followed her to a side room. “Good you guys are here, I need to talk to you.” “Is there a problem?” Ebony asked getting into her serious tone. “Yes, Twilight’s birthday is in three weeks and I figured I needed to tell you two. I can normally handle it all myself but I want it to be a surprise and Rarity say’s I’m not really,” She appeared to be grasping for a word that kept eluding her. “Subtle?” Pinkie snapped and pointed at Saber. “Exactly! I need you two to tell the guards and help me sneak in to decorate the whole castle when I have everything.” She reached into her head of bouncy pink curls and pulled out a list before handing it to Ebony. “I’ll do my best.” Ebony said nervously as she pocketed the list. Pinkie gave them both a thumbs up and quickly zoomed off leaving a trail of dust behind her. He wondered how she did that but pushed it out of her mind as Twilight came back out. “So what did she want?” “It’s Pinkie Pie, I’m not going to try to explain it.” She said as she rubbed her temples. She made her way out with the two in tow. Ebony noticed that Saber was being particularly quiet since they left. “Have you ever had children?” Twilight halted and turned to look at Saber. The assassin remained silent and cast a dark look at the captain. “It’s none of your business captain.” He hissed. Tension seemed to rise between the two and Twilight was once again caught in the middle. Thankfully the tension was diffused by someone calling out to them. “Ah Princess, how goes your day?” She turned to see Ramil and Petra approaching them. The store vendors stopped to look and stare but the two changelings paid them no mind. “Very well, how are you?” “Fair, I heard tell there was a traveling wine merchant here today and I decided to investigate. I’m curious to see if they have any Merlot red. Care to join?” He looked to Saber at the last part. “Going wine tasting with a charming chap such as yourself? How could I possibly refuse?” Saber responded completely ignoring Twilight and Ebony. Ramil grinned as Saber’s response. “Shall we?” “We shall.” The group walked through the small town talking amongst one another, mostly it was just Saber and Ramil talking with one another about small things. Ebony’s eyes slowly drifted over to Petra. Her firm expression was fixed on her face like a mask bolted to her face. Her eyes were scanning the streets and Ebony could tell that every muscle in her body was like a tightly coiled spring waiting to strike. Her eyes focused on a trail of thin white scars that were like a trail leading up the underside of her arm. “Why are you staring?” Ebony realized that she was indeed staring at the scars. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to cause offense. I was just wondering about those.” She gestured to her arms. Petra looked down and a small grin appeared at the corner of her mouth. “It is complicated.” They soon arrived to a small horse drawn cart where two men had several stalls set up in front. Many barrels were inside the cart along with cases of wine. The older of the two men had pale skin and fading blonde hair. He was dressed in a nice looking blue tunic and matching pants. The other man was younger and had cream colored skin with a head of dark black curls that were pulled back and tied into a bun. The blonde man smiled as they approached. “Ah, my friends how can I help you today?” “You wouldn’t happen to have any Merlot red would you?” Ramil asked. The man snapped his fingers and started to fish around in the crates and pulled out a dark bottle. Ramil paid the man just as he saw Twilight and immediately bowed to her. “Your majesty,” “Please, rise.” Twilight gestured to him to do so. “How can I be of service?” Twilight gave him a nervous smile. “I’m not that well versed in wine, what do you recommend?” The man’s eyes lit up with delight. “I have just the thing.” He snapped his fingers rather loudly. “Boy, break out the Draconian cask.” The younger man nodded and climbed into the back of cart and started rummaging around. “A very fine vintage.” He said as Saber’s eyes flashed with recognition. The assistant came back out holding a small cask with painted red wood and dark iron bands around the ends. “It is the sweetest wine this side of Equestria.” The boy made to hand it to Ebony but Saber stepped in his path and held out a hand. “I’d like a taste of that.” He said as he took the cask and examined it. “It is not for the like of you. It is the wine of royalty.” Saber ignored him and uncorked the top of the barrel. “You wouldn’t happen to have a cup would you?” The seller huffed and grabbed a small brass tasting cup a little bigger than a thimble. Saber poured the rich red liquid into the cup careful not to spill a drop. He raised the cup to his nose and breathed in it’s scent. “Very sweet indeed,” He said as he pulled it away from his nose for a moment. “Made with only the ripest of grapes.” Saber breathed in the smell again and slowly put it to his lips. His eyes could see the beads of sweat forming on the seller’s brow and the panic in his eyes. “You know, here you are in the hot sun selling your wares. I feel quite guilty." He held out the small cup to the man. “Here, you must be quite thirsty.” The seller’s eyes widened. “I am not worthy of such a drink and it would be bad for me to drink my own wares.” His voice held a light twinge of fear in it. “Do it.” Petra commanded as she put her full attention on the seller, a hand on her sword’s hilt. Ebony’s eyes narrowed and slid her hand down to her’s as well. The seller looked at the group and gently took the cup from the assassin. He slowly put it to his lips watching the group. His hand started twitching the closer it got to his lips. In a flash Saber was blinded as the man splashed the wine in his face. The seller pulled out a dagger and slashed at Twilight. Saber anticipated the move and pushed her back close to Ebony. The wine was still in his eyes and he couldn’t see the dagger slash upwards towards him, but felt the sharp blade slice across his chest and open his skin. The seller got ready to come around for another attack, but his wrist came to a jarring halt at Petra’s strong hand closed around it. The man cried out as Petra jerked his wrist and the sound of breaking bones filled the air. Her other palm slammed into his abdomen and the man dropped to his knees as Petra brought her foot around and kicked him in the side of his head. He crumbled the ground wordlessly and fell into unconsciousness. Her cat like eyes then focused on the younger man who’d dropped the cask he was carrying and was running in the other direction. Cold started to fill the air around him and he didn’t make it past the cart when the wine seemed to reach out and take hold of him, then freeze him in place. Saber looked to see Ebony with her sword drawn, pointing directly where the frozen servant stood. She let out a breath seemed to contain frost. Several guards scurried and formed a protective circle around the group. A familiar orange winged sergeant came up to Ebony. “Captain, what happened here?” Petra walked over to the broken cask and scooped up a bit of the wine. She dabbed her finger in the puddle and raised it to her lips before putting it in her mouth. Her eyes shrank and she quickly spat the liquid out. “Poison.” She hissed. Ebony looked over to Saber who gave her a nod in agreement. Ebony’s eyes flashed to the two sellers and scowled. “Put these two criminals in irons and take them to the dungeons. I’ll question them later.” The men nodded and grabbed the unconscious man and started to chisel the frozen one out. Ebony then hurried over to Saber who was still on the ground clutching his still bleeding chest. Twilight was kneeling down beside him and trying to contain her panic. “How did you know it was poisoned?” Twilight whispered as she helped Saber up. “I didn’t,” He panted. “but any wine merchant would know that Draconians don’t have vintages, they call it aged wine and Draconian wine is famous and sought after for it’s bitterness.” He continued to get up as Petra then walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from moving. “The blade was poisoned too.” She held up the dagger and sniffed it. “Not same poison, manticore venom.” Saber took the dagger from her and saw that there was indeed traces of a liquid on the blade other than his blood. “I have an antidote for it back at the castle.” He was about to hand it back when Twilight put a hand on his shoulder and they were instantly teleported inside her room at the castle. Saber steadied himself against he bed and shook his head. “Warn me next time you do that.” He said as he rolled his neck and stretched. “Don’t move.” Twilight said as she held up the vial that Zecora made for her. Saber took the bottle and chugged the contents. He waited a moment as he felt the antidote circulate through his system and groaned as he still felt some dull throbbing in his muscles. “Remind me to thank her thoroughly." He slapped his own face lightly to get some color back into his slightly pale cheeks. "Now if you’ll excuse me I need to go deal with this.” He gestured to his blood stained shirt. “Let me know when Ebony is going to question the prisoners.” He used the passage connecting their rooms and left her standing in the room holding the antidote. Two hours went by and after patching himself up, Saber made his way down to the dungeons where he found an irate looking Ebony standing in front of a closed off room. “Any luck?” He asked as he approached the two women. “They won’t talk.” Ebony hissed. Saber turned his head to Twilight and she shook her head. Saber let out an exasperated sigh. “Why don’t you let the people person handle this?” Ebony gestured for him to try as he made his way into the room. The two were tied to their chairs and a wooden table sat in front of them. “That woman is insufferable.” He pulled out a dull knife and walked over to them, making them tense. Saber bent down and cut their binds from their wrists. “Honestly that woman has no tact whatsoever.” He sighed as he set the blade on the table and took a seat from across from him. “Can I get you two anything to eat or drink?” They both shook their heads. “Straight to business then?” Saber folded his hands and leaned forwards. “Listen, I don’t believe you two are to blame for this. If you tell me what I want to know then I can arrange preferential treatment.” They both remained silent. “Throw me a bone here Reginald.” The older man’s stoic face fell and he looked at the man. Saber suppressed a grin and padded himself on the back for thinking of checking the crystal map. Apparently it worked on anyone who entered the castle, not just those who lived there. “You two are just wine merchants, I don’t want to lock you both up and if you tell me who hired you and why they instructed you to attack Princess Sparkle I might be able to persuade the captain to do just that.” The sellers looked at one another and Saber could see the younger of the two was starting to waver. “Have something to say Ron?” The younger man opened his mouth but Reginald quickly kicked him in the shin. Ron clamped his mouth shut to smother a cry of pain. “Quiet boy,” Saber furrowed his brows and focused on the older man. Reginald frowned at him. “we don’t talk.” Saber let out a sigh. “I can tell you right now that it’s not looking good for you two. You were caught red handed attempting to poison a Princess and when that failed you drew you blade and assaulted a member of the royal guard and soldiers of the Changeling Imperium. You’re looking at a life sentence in prison at best.” Negotiations continued this way for over an hour and Saber’s patience was being tested. Eventually it did run out. Saber stood and walked over to Reginald who looked ready for a fight. “Are you quite sure that you don’t have anything to say to me?” The wine seller only spat in his face. Saber calmly pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the saliva off his face. He turned back to the door and raised both hands. “Let it not be said I didn’t try to do things the nice way.” In a flash he whirled his right hand glowing a menacing white color as he gripped the side of Reginald’s head, his finger digging into his skin. The man cried out in pain as his fingers seemed to burn. Saber spoke in a commanding voice one might expect from god itself. “Show me what you know.” At this point, Ebony burst into the room with Twilight following close behind. Ron backed up into a corner and was on the floor cowering with his arms over his head. “What are you doing?” Ebony yelled. “This is how you interrogate someone Captain.” He said as his fingers dug deeper into the man’s flesh. The prisoner’s eyes rolled back in his head as he continued to scream. Ebony and Twilight both had the same idea and they each latched on to one of his shoulders. “No!” But his warning was too late, as soon as they made contact with him Ebony felt as if someone had driven a hot blade into her skull. Twilight opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out as countless images and sounds flooded into her mind. Saber was gritting his teeth as he started to feel his mind being split apart. With an excruciating effort, he used his free hand to knock the one attached to Reginald’s face away, severing the connection. Ebony and Twilight fell back onto the cold stone floor and gripped their heads as the pain receded. Saber gripped Reginald by the shirt and looked into his eyes. He had a dazed expression on his face and Saber noticed that he was no longer breathing. He huffed in frustration as he looked back at the two women who had slowly gotten to their feet. He then turned on Ron who was still cowering in the corner. “Here are your options; you either tell me everything you know or end up like your boss.” He said as he cracked his knuckles. The younger man looked at Saber and gulped. “I didn’t know the barrel was poisoned I swear!” He pleaded in an accented voice. “Likely story, I’m out of patience.” Saber said as he raised his glowing hand again. “I swear!” Ebony walked up beside Saber and focused her eyes on the prisoner. “I only worked for that guy for six months and I needed this job, he said he’d have me deported if I said anything.” Saber creased his brow as he looked at Ron and placed his accent. “You’re from Mistral?” Ron nodded quickly. “Where did you get the poison?” Ron frantically searched his memory for when his boss might have picked up the poison. “After we stocked up at Canterlot, I remember we stopped for a traveler who waved us down. Wouldn’t be the first time we stopped on the road to make a sale. He was wearing a long dark brown coat and I saw they had a baldric of knives across their chest.” He ran his hand across his chest diagonally to indicate where they were strapped to. “What did they look like? Anything descriptive?” Ron shook his head. “He kept his hood up and hid his face.” He pulled his shirt up over his nose so the lower half of his face was hidden. “But I did hear a little bit of their conversation. He handed that asshole,” he pointed to Reginald’s unmoving form. “a small vial along with a huge sack of coins.” “What did he say?” Ebony asked. “I couldn’t hear the whole conversation, but I think it was along the lines of ‘make sure the Princess gets this.’ Then he poured the liquid in the vial into the wine barrel.” A long silence fell over the room. “That’s all I know I swear.” Saber rubbed his temples and groaned as his head continued to throb. He looked over to the captain and Princess before speaking. “We will take what you said into consideration when we discuss your sentence,” He made his way towards the door. “which we will do in the captain’s quarters.” “Agreed.” Ebony said with venom laced words as she followed him. Saber could feel their eyes locked onto his back. He didn’t say a word until they arrived in Ebony’s office and made sure they would not be disturbed. Maya perked her head up off Ebony’s bed and her tail started wagging as she saw her master and company. “What the hell was that?” Ebony said as she scratched the dog’s head. “That is what happens when you interrupt me when I’m working.” He crossed his arms and furrowed his brows at the two women. He could feel Twilight’s purple gaze on him expecting a real explanation. “It’s a form of magic that allows me to go into someone’s mind and see what they know.” “And kill them in the process?” “That only happened because you two interfered, if you hadn’t then he would only have a bad headache. On top of that, now all my information is mixed up and it’s giving me a migraine.” He rubbed his temples as he focused on what he could recall from the interrogation. He was silent for several minutes as he sifted through the information and matched it with the young man’s story. “The kid’s story checks out, his employer got the potion from a man in a dark cloak and told him to give it to you. He hid the money he was given and the vial in a secret compartment in the cart under the seat.” “However the poison itself is the interesting part.” Ebony raised an eyebrow at this. “It’s a tricky little potion, slow acting and doesn’t start to poison the drinker until hours later after it’s been digested. My guess is the plan was for you to drink it at dinner then come morning you’d be dead.” His tone was far too casual for Twilight’s liking. “What about the knife?” Saber pulled the blade from the sheath and examined it. The blade was of an extremely fine make and it’s shape reminded Ebony of a slithering snake. “A very fine blade,” Saber balanced it by handle on the side of his hand. “perfectly balanced, not too heavy or light.” He gave a few practice swings and stabbing motions in the air. “It has a good handle and it’s made of Griffonian steel.” “Is that good metal?” The two looked to Twilight. “It is metal of extremely high quality.” Ebony stated. “If you make a sword out of it, you could use it a hundred times over and never need to care for it. It’s the metal of choice for officers.” She gestured to her own sword. “It’s also very expensive. I seriously doubt that wine merchant could’ve bought this. That’s not the interesting part though.” Twilight waited patiently for him to continue. “Someone has obviously done their homework on you Twilight.” He laid the blade in his hand and pointed to it’s spine and hand guard. Twilight and Ebony both looked down to see small letters carved into the metal. “Runes?” Twilight knew that runes were used when it came to enchanting objects like weapons and armor. Some were even used for security in homes. “This is a mage blade, a tool specifically designed to cut through a mage’s defensive wards.” He looked around the room and took one of Ebony’s candle holders and set it on her desk. He told Twilight to make a shield around the candle and a flickering purple shield formed around the candle. Saber pulled out a normal looking dagger and held the handle out to Ebony. “Captain would you kindly try to cut that candle?” Ebony took the dagger and made three strikes against the candle. Each time the shield sparked and the blade either stopped completely or bounced away from the candle. He handed Ebony the other dagger and she gave it one hard swing. The blade cut through the shield and candle as if they were nothing more than wet parchment. Twilight’s jaw fell open as she looked at the dagger and the destroyed candle. “How thick did you make the barrier?” “That could have withstood a claw attack from an Ursa Minor.” She answered as the full realization of how close she came to disaster sank in. Saber took the dagger back and opened his shirt to show a few bloodied bandages. “It’s also enchanted to prevent healing spells from sealing the wound.” He buttoned his shirt back up and took out the blade. “The blades shape, the method used for forging it and the poison used in the wine all come from the Changeling Imperium.” A brick of anxiety formed in Twilight’s stomach. “Do you believe it was the Prince?” “All the evidence points to it.” Ebony said crossing her arms. “I doubt they’d put so little effort into covering their tracks and what would be the reason for killing you?” He looked at Twilight who shrugged. The three were silent for a long minute as they each contemplated why Ramil would order such a thing. “Do you think he’s working for Chrysalis?” “It’s a possibility, but I doubt it. She did usurp his throne, so I doubt that he’s a supporter.” “What about his two guards?” Saber pondered this for a brief moment. “Malik doesn’t seem to be the type to try something like this, he’s not that clever. Petra on the other hand,” He rubbed his chin as he thought of the changeling woman. “she’s definitely crafty and is the more dangerous of the two.” Ebony raised her eyebrow as she compared the mass of muscle that was Malik and the smaller woman who barely came up to her chin. “Regardless, I’ll get my crows to keep an eye on them.” “Crows?” Twilight asked. “The four guards I have under my command. I decided to give them a name.” “You never told me who you picked.” Ebony frowned. “You never said I had to, besides they’re working for me and if you know who they are then I’m sure you’d start getting ideas in that pretty little head of yours.” She frowned at his words. “Anyway, let’s get back on track shall we? I suggest we confiscate the wine cart and track down any other person who may have bought wine from him just to be safe.” Twilight nodded in agreement. “What should we do with the prisoner?” “I say we bring him to Canterlot and lock him up.” Ebony suggested in a firm tone. “He said he didn’t know about the plan.” Twilight countered. “He’s an accomplice, an unwilling accomplice, but an accomplice all the same. He also tried to run from the scene.” “He was scared. Who can blame him?” “Scared of getting caught most likely.” Twilight looked from Ebony to Saber for support. The assassin rubbed his chin and bit his lip before giving her an answer. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree with the Captain.” Ebony’s head tilted to the side as she looked at the assassin. Twilight was looking at him in surprise as well. Since the two have met, Twilight had not seen Ebony and Saber agree on anything and yet here they were. “He may know more than he’s letting on and I’d like to interrogate him properly.” “You are not doing that mind melding thing on him.” The Princess’ tone was firm and unyielding. “My head is still throbbing and it requires a lot of focus, so I can’t use it if I wanted to.” He rubbed his head again. “Speaking of which, why was it so easy for me to get into your head?” Twilight looked surprise by the sudden change in conversation. “You are trained in psychic defense are you not?” Her silence was answer enough. “Oh my god, I might as well be guarding a five year old. How is it you are untrained in psychic defense?” Ebony raised an eyebrow as she looked at Twilight who just looked confused. Saber rubbed his temples. “I’ll have to add it to the list. For now we chart the kid off to Canterlot and confiscate his wine, also we need to find out if anyone else bought form him and test it.” Ebony nodded. “I am not going to imprison an innocent person.” Twilight took in a deep breath and turned to face them both. “Captain, I order you to release him.” Ebony’s dark brows rose at the unfamiliar tone in her voice. “Twilight, I really must,” “I gave you an order Captain. Follow it.” Ebony’s mouth formed a thin line and let out a huff of frustration. “As you command Princess.” Ebony saluted and headed off to the dungeons to release the prisoner. Twilight focused her gaze on Saber. The assassin merely shrugged before he started making his way towards the door. “Thank you.” He stopped and turned towards her. “For what?” Twilight walked up to him and stood eye to eye with him. Even in her boots that gave her a good three inches of height the top of her head only came up to his eye brows. “For taking that hit that was meant for me.” She gave him a nod. “You saved me.” “I was saving myself. You die and I die, remember?” He stated firmly. “You might as well be a lamb fit for the slaughter. I mean really, how is it you never came across anything relating to psychic defense in all those books you read?” She furrowed her brow at the words. “Half the court in Canterlot is skilled in it and they will use it to get any kind of information from one another.” Twilight only rolled her eyes at his words. She took a step to leave when suddenly she felt as if someone had just poked their finger through her skull and into her brain. She tired to move her legs but they wouldn’t obey her commands. She slowly turned her head towards Saber who appeared to be in a state of firm concentration. “Let me go.” Twilight said in a dangerous tone. “Make me.” He said firmly. “Force me out, if you can.” His tone had a condescending tone in it. Twilight rallied herself and focused on the spot where the probe was. She retaliated and she felt the grip loosen then tighten again. Twilight saw Saber shrink back from her counter and pressed the advance. The grip retreated and she breathed a sigh of relief as the probe faded. Saber caught his breath and steadied himself on his knees. “You learn fast Sparkle, not bad for a novice.” Twilight saw a bit of red on his face and saw that some blood was trickling from his nose. “From now on I’m going to invade your mind at random. Your job is to keep me at bay.” “And how am I supposed to do that?” Saber gave her a simple shrug. “Figure it out. You're supposed to be one of Equestria's greatest minds.” He stalked out of the captain’s office and headed down to where the prisoner was being held. Ebony stalked her way down to the dungeons to where the prisoner was being held. She was more than a little surprised to see Saber already waiting for her outside the holding room. “How did you get down here?” “I have my ways.” He shrugged his shoulders before he opened the door. The body of the other man was still there and Ron was still quivering in the corner. “Today is your lucky day kid.” Ron stared at the two. “Princess Sparkle has decided to release you. Tonight you will be escorted out of the castle and taken to a few miles outside of town.” Ebony said as she walked over and unshackled him. Saber walked up to him and sighed. “I hope you will not forget the kindness the good Princess has shown you this day.” Saber leaned in closer to the man. “If I ever see you in this town again, then I will kill you. Understand?” He nodded. “No, I want to hear you say it.” “I understand.” “Good,” With that he turned on his heel and stalked out of the room. He instructed his four guards to bag his head and take him to the edge of town at midnight, which they obliged. As he made his way through the halls he could make out the faint sounds of a bow against strings. He followed the noise to the room Ramil was using. The door was cracked open and he could hear the violin playing a pleasant tune. Saber raised his hand to knock, but the door was pulled open by Petra. “Afternoon,” The music came to a halt. Saber saw the violin and bow in the Prince’s hands. “I hope you all are feeling better despite this morning’s mishap.” “Terrible business. Are you well?” Saber nodded and absentmindedly ran a hand over where the blade had sliced his skin. “The perpetrators have been dealt with accordingly.” Ramil nodded. The Prince was surprisingly calm in his words, even his body language didn’t seem to be showing any anxiety. “You’re taking it rather well.” “It was not the first attempt on my life and it certainly won’t be the last.” Ramil shrugged as he set the violin down. “I didn’t know you played.” Ramil sucked on a tooth and shook his head. “Unfortunately I’m not very good.” “Not yet, you just need someone to teach you the ropes.” The Prince gave him a smile hat showed all of his white teeth. “Are you that someone?” Saber gave him a shrug. “I know my way around music.” “We’ll have to play together some time.” Saber gave him a grandiose bow. “It would be an honor your majesty.” With that, Saber left the trio and proceeded down the hall. Ramil gave Petra a knowing look and she nodded before she vanished from sight and the door closed. Later that evening, the other five elements of harmony joined Twilight for dinner and expressed their worry and relief that she was unhurt. They had some idle conversation and a few other things that Saber didn’t really care about or pay attention to. They soon departed for their own abodes and turned in for the night. Twilight was alone in her room mulling over the day’s events. Mostly on the wine merchant’s attempt to slash her and how quickly Saber moved. She shook the thought aside and remembered that it was literally a matter of life and death. A knock startled her from her thoughts. “May I come in?” Twilight walked over to the bookcase and slid it open to reveal the assassin. She gestured him inside and he stepped past her. “How are you holding up? I imagine it’s been a harrowing experience.” She nodded slowly and took a moment before answering. “I think I’m just surprised.” She rubbed her hands together nervously. “I just didn’t imagine anyone would hate me enough to want me dead.” “So long as there are those in power, there will be those with less or no power at all, and hate them for it.” “But I haven’t done anything to deserve it.” She countered. “I’ve done nothing but protect Equestria from threats that would see it ruined.” “True, you and your friends have accomplished a lot in the past few years.” He remembered hearing about the elements of Harmony while he was in Purgatory. “So despite defeating a crazy Princess of the night, The spirit of chaos, a spirit of a dead king and to top it off, a demon from the depths of Tartarus, Celestia still dragged me out to protect you.” “Are you complaining?” “No,” He said firmly. “just making an observation.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Who knows what goes on in that immortal mind of hers.” Saber scratched his chin and let out a huff of air. Twilight bit her lip as a question she’d been churning over in her mind rose up again. “No sense worrying about it I suppose. Anyway goodnight.” He turned back to the passageway leading back to his room. Twilight stood up and looked directly at him. “I want you to train me.” Saber stopped just as he was getting in the tunnel and turned to face the princess. “I realized that I need to learn how to defend myself against people who can circumvent my magic.” Saber looked her up and down, then once more. The gaze made things in her stomach flutter. “We’ll talk about it in the morning.” He walked down the passageway and the bookcase slid shut behind him. Twilight got into her bed and let sleep take her wholly. Darkness. Darkness and pain was all that filled Twilight’s person. She opened her eyes and saw a blurred figure running up a stone path that lead to a large house with a front gate that read ‘Fallen Star Orphanage.’ The figure was calling out the same five names, over and over again. She followed him with haste. As he got the front steps the house was set ablaze by some unseen source. Flames licked at the windows that soon cracked then shattered. The broken glass in the firelight reminded Twilight of candles lit in dark rooms. The figure continued calling out the same names as he barged through the burning door and ran upstairs. The entire house had been trashed before it was lit. There was a body of a man who had three arrows in his chest and his throat had been slit. His blood had already started to pool and bubble from the inferno that was consuming the house. The man jumped from the hallway down to the landing, narrowly avoiding a falling chandelier. A crack of thunder drew his attention and he looked to the open back door that was ajar and swinging like a broken limb in the wind of the sudden storm. The man scrambled to his feet and bolted out just as a beam came down from where he once lay. As he came out he took a moment to allow some fresh air in his lungs and the rain wash the dirt and ash from his hair. When he turned, everything stopped. He looked as if he’d forgotten the house burning behind him and the corpse that was now most definitely burning along with it. What he saw before him was a large tree with brown bark that stood fifty feet high and it’s branches were thicker than Twilight’s torso. The tree was not what had his attention, it was the four bodies hanging from it. Two of the bodies were smaller, they couldn’t have been more than nine years old. The one on the far right looked older, possibly in their mid forties. The last was a woman in her mid twenties. Twilight imagined that she must have been beautiful once, before the bruises, gashes and burns that now decorated her body like some twisted sort of art. Twilight felt he knees give out and felt the wet ground beneath her knees and hands. She couldn’t hear anything and her ears were hurting so bad she thought her eardrums would rupture. She soon realized it was because the man next to her were screaming. A stray bolt of lighting from the storm struck the tree and it toppled over. The bodied flew from the ropes around their necks and landed on the grass like rag dolls, smearing the wet grass with their blood. As they knelt, Twilight could see that the ash, mud and dirt that coated the man’s hair was beginning to wash away by the rain. In the light of another lightning bolt that struck the burning house, she could see that the man’s hair was a pristine white. The man crawled on his hands and knees towards the corpses. Their lifeless eyes looking up at the raining sky. He rested the woman’s head on his folded knees and ran a muddy hand through her messy dark brown hair. He bent over and started whispering things Twilight could not make out over the torrential downpour. He slid his hand over her eyes and closed them. He knelt there until morning came, it was hard to tell since the storm was still raging. By now the fire had been doused, but the house was now in ruins. The white haired man finally stirred. Saber then reached into her shirt and pulled a familiar pendant on a silver chain before he gently laid the woman’s head down and started gathering the other bodies. He laid them down beside one another and started gathering wood from the nearby trees and the burnt wood from the house. He piled the wood up and around each of the bodies that now each had coins on their closed eyes. The white haired man ignored them and lit the wood one by one. He spoke in a tongue that was foreign to Twilight’s ears. Once the fires had gone out. The white haired man walked back to the remains of the burnt house and started removing rubble. The four cloaked figures moved and started to move the debris aside. Saber stopped as he found a concrete slab. The slab was smooth safe for an indentation in the shape of a metal sword with wings coming from the hilt. He set the pendant in the indent, the emerald shining darkly. He twisted it counter clockwise once then a half turn. The slab slid inwards and then to the right to reveal a set of stone steps leading down. The stone steps led to a small room with a single chest sitting in the center. He opened the chest and removed a dark brown cloak, set of armor and knives. He then pulled out an all too familiar looking blade. Caelena’s edge shined as he stepped out of the room. By now nothing but ash remained of the four pyres. There was something in Saber’s eyes that shook Twilight to her core. Not a threat, but a promise, a promise that nothing would be forgotten. At that moment Twilight’s eyes shot open and woke up to find that she was covered in a cold sweat that had soaked her nightgown and sheets. She could feel her body shaking and rushed to her bathroom to vomit. She wiped her mouth clean of the bile and slowly stood back up. The images of the four hanging bodies was branded into her mind. The Princess changed her sheets with a wave of her hand before climbing back into her bed, but sleep would not come to her that night. She had gotten what she wanted, she had peeked beyond the veil that Saber had so expertly woven to cover the horrors in his life. She had looked into the dark below, and she felt that the darkness had looked into her.