Heartwarming day, a typical utopian holiday. A whole day dedicated to spend time with family and loved ones. A day full of presents, good food, and good company. The holiday being celebrated in winter was just a bonus, everypony could stay cozy inside their homes, near a fireplace, just watching the snow fall from the sky. Truly a season loved by all....
"Thank you so much Aurora, i'm so sorry for coming by at the very last second." Said an old mare, caring a few bags with groceries in them.
"Is no problem, Ms.Cherry peacks, enjoy the holidays!" Said Aurora waving her hooves goodbye.
*Deep breaths*
"Time to close the store."
Aurora Lunamoon was originally from Equestria, but the constant fight between the three different pony especies started to annoy her more and more as she grew up. She left Equestria shortly after it was funded, and became a nomad. Looking for a new place to live, she eventually found herself in Utopia. Things were not easy for her at the beginning however, with a very short amount of bits, she couldn't find a place to stay, or even buy fruit from the market. Luckily for her, she met a young colt, he introduced himself as Ánthropoi Efcharistiménoi. He just recently opened a convenience store, and he was looking for a cashier. He said that the payment would be fair, and she would have a place to sleep, the place being the storage room.
Without much of a choice, she accepted the job. And things went well, not just on her job, which she actually enjoyed. But also her relationship with Ánthropoi, as they started dating shortly after she started working on his store. Five years later, and they're now a happy couple. She still works in the store as cashier, but the store is much bigger. The biggest store in the city of kýrios, the closest city to the castle.
Heartwarming day, was a very exciting season for Aurora. Because not only it meant less hours of work, but it was also her husband's birthday. She was always blooming with happiness at that time of the year. At least for the last five years....
"I wonder what his reaction will be for my present this year." Said Aurora with a large package tied on her back.
It was already night time, it wasn't very late but the streets were very quiet. As most ponies were enjoying the holidays on their homes. Even though the streets were quiet, the city was bright and colorful, full of decorative lights and snowponies. Aurora was enjoying her walk back home, murmuring a holiday song. She quickly stopped when on a nearby alley, she saw a huge figure go by. Her curiosity took the best of her, and she decided to investigate. She kept following the figure's shadow, until she finally manage to catch up to it.
When she noticed, she was already out of town, near a cliff. When she turned around to see the figure she was following, she let's out a scared gasp.
"W-w-what are you?"
The creature was a pony at least twice as tall as her, With a dark gray fur and huge orange mane, they also had a sparkle mark on their chest, the pony looked terrifying. The pony then dropped an object close to her, it looked just like the mark on their chest, but it was solid. The pony then speaks...
"Grab it."
Aurora was scared, so she reluctantly went to grab the object. However, the moment she touched the object, it flew directly at her chest. Her eyes started to glow, and her body went numb for a second. When she opened her eyes, she had the same mark as the pony.
"W-what!? i-it can't be..." She said in confusion.
When she looked up, the pony was gone, and she hears a voice behind her.
"There you are, i was worried about you. What are you doing here?" said Ánthropoi, who was together with two guards.
Aurora turn around surprised, revealing the mark on her chest. She quickly regretted turning around like that, as she accidently made a specific gesture with her head. After the gesture, one of the guards was pushed towards her with an immense force, she dodged his incoming body and the guard fell to his death. Both the other guard and her husband stared at her in shock.
"W-wait! i-i didn't mean too, it was an accident!" Aurora said in panic.
Ignoring her word, the other guard pins her down and tied her up with a rope. Her husband was just staring at her, still in complete shock and confusion, how could a simple earthpony have powers?
She was taken to jail at the same night, and as King Luz wanted to enjoy the holiday with his marefriend, Prodosia. He decided to judge her right after she arrived in jail. While the preparations for the trial were being made, she was approached by a mare.
"Are you... *gasp*" Aurora was about to ask something, but she got surprised with the mare that approached her, that mare also had the same mark on the chest.
"I just came here to tell you to not worry about getting convicted, but i do hope you have somewhere to go once the trial is over." Said the mare with a blank look on her face, she left without saying anything else.
Once the trial began, Aurora saw the mysterious mare again, she was right beside King Luz, apparently she was the Oracle. And the Oracle was indeed right, Aurora wasn't convicted of murder. Instead she got exiled from the kingdom, Ánthropoi tried to have her sent to jail for a few years instead, as she had nowhere to go. But his efforts were pointless, and by the end of the night she was escorted out of the city.
"Don't worry my love, i will find a way to get you back. Until then, try to stay by the border, it will be easier to find you after this situation gets sorted out." Ánthropoi said.
Aurora followed her husband's request, and was making her way to the border. But just a few minutes later, the mysterious pony appeared again, this time Aurora wasn't scared.
"YOU! what have you done to me!?" Aurora screamed furiously.
"All i did was my job, now is time for you to do yours." The pony said with a menacing tone. "You were given a gift, said gift will be your tool for now on."
"What are you talking about!? my job? gift? don't make me laugh, you gave me a power that did nothing but possibly ruin my life!"
Suddenly everything went dark, and when Aurora noticed, she was on the backyard of her house.
"W-what is going on?"
"Your life was about to be ruined anyway."
She could hear his voice, but the pony was nowhere to be seen. She approached the house's window, and she saw her husband talking to an old mare. Aurora had never seen that mare before....
"Why did it took so long for you to invite us today honey?" the old mare asked to Ánthropoi.
"Oh mom, i had to take care of some emergency business with the store, so i wasn't able to call you earlier." He answered.
(Mom!? but he said his parents were dead, and that was why they didn't came to our wedding.... what is going on?)
Suddenly another mare showed up, this one was much younger, she got into the room running. And to Aurora's surprise, kissed her husband in the lips.
"Do you have any idea how much i've missed you?" The mare said.
"Baby i already told you, i'm a very busy colt with very important things to do."
"I know, but you could at least stay at our house more often."
(W-what is going on? our house? baby? i-i....) Aurora starts to hyperventilate, and tears started to fall from her eyes.
"Haven't you figured out yet?" The pony speaked once again. " Is quite simple, your marriage with him was a lie. You would've had found this out today, if you weren't distracted by me."
Aurora started to cry even harder.
"Two "wives", constant "business" trips. On the holiday you always stayed at work all day, and only came back home at night. "Why did it took so long for you to invite us today honey?" just think on what that could be referring too." The pony said.
"Stop... this is not real! this is your doing... i know it is!"
Suddenly she was back outside of the kingdom.
"W-what!? huh? how d-did..."
"Now this is my doing, if you don't believe me about your "husband" then is your problem. I'm merely a messenger, i wasn't even supposed to show you your husband's secret life."
"T-then what is that message you want to tell me." Aurora said still tearing up.
"You've been chosen to be part of a special event, if you can even call it that. Follow the steps i tell you, and you will have a even greater life then before. First you will need to use that gift of yours to create a name for yourself in the mercenary business, the second step is the simplest. In five years, if you've followed the first step, you will approached by a white unicorn. All you have to do, is to accept his contract."
"You must be joking, and what if i don't follow those steps? what will happen to me then?"
"Your guess is as good as mine, i've already told you i'm a messenger. What you choose to do or not to do has nothing to do with me." The pony disappears once again.
Aurora spent the night thinking on what to do, she decided to check on her "husband" to see if what the creature said was indeed real. She snuck up in the city, and went straight to her house. And to her surprise it was real. She went inside in tears...
"A-aurora!?" Ánthropoi screamed in surprise.
"Wasn't this the mare that killed a guard today?" Ánthropoi's wife said.
Aurora was just staring at Ánthropoi with teary eyes.
"Y-yeah, get out of here murderer!" Ánthropoi said.
"That's no way to speak to your wife!" A voice came from behind Aurora, it was Ms.Cherry peacks. "I came here to see how you were doing, after having your wife exiled. But i see you are a real scoundrel!"
"Wife? what is going on here?" Ánthropoi's mother asked.
"Those two crazy mares, are just trying to cause a scene. I'll call the guards if you two don't get out of here now!" Ánthropoi screamed.
"You-" Ms.Cherry peacks gets interrupted.
"Forget it, it's pointless." Aurora says as she gives one last look at Ánthropoi and closes the door.
"I just can't believe that scoundrel, how could he be so heartless?"
"Just forget about it Ms.Cherry peacks, i'm thankful that you stood up for me but.... why? i killed a colt tonight. On Heartwarming day! now there's a family out there that won't missing a pony, all because of me."
"I stood with you, because i've been frequenting that store for years. You're one of the nicest mares i've ever met, so when i saw you killed somepony, i just knew it had to have been an accident. But do tell me, what do you plan to do now? "
"I have an idea, i'll get a job..... and i will make my name known on the business."
Aurora proceeded to leave without further explanation, leaving the old mare confused.
On the kingdom's border, Aurora joined a group of outlaws and started her job of mercenary. She got famous in the business in a very short period of time, her power was something never seen before, and it was extremely lethal. She named her power "Good Riddance", and soon that name became a rumor around the kingdom.
"Dude did your hear about that crazy mercenary?"
"Good Riddance right? i heard she became more of an assassin than a mercenary."
"Either way, i don't think i want to ever meet her and her crazy powers."
"Yeah, i heard that Ánthropoi colt was killed by her, his body was slashed in half!"
"Yeah that was brutal, how can an earth pony do this kinda of thing anyway?"
"No idea, but it sure is concerning."
King Luz chose to ignore those rumors...
Five years later, in the desert of Pepromeno. Aurora was currently living in a shack on the desert.
"Who's there?" Said Aurora as somepony approached the shack.
A white unicorn revealed himself " Are you the so called Good Riddance?" The unicorn asked.
"Let me guess you're here for my services? if so then yes."
"Well that was faster then i expected, you don't even want to know what you're job is first."
"No need, just tell me what to do."
"Sure, i want you to hunt and kill the royal chef and his husband. That's all, don't worry about payment, do your job and you will get your money."
"Consider it done." Aurora said with a determinated look.
(So far, what that pony told me to do five years ago, has definitely made my life better, i've never been happier with my current situation. The thrill i get when i kill somepony is indescribable. And i get paid for it *laughter*)