- Knights of Haysead Chapter 2:
Just sayin' thanks again to Yoonicorn and space_pony for filtering out my buck ups, you guys are awesome!
Complete darkness gave way to light, bright light. At first it was blinding, but as his vision adjusted, Silent Step was eventually able to see the white walls of what appeared to be a hospital. He tried to sit up but felt something tug at his wrists. He tried to get his bearings using his other senses. His ears perked up to listen to any stray conversations.
“… I guess we’ll have to begin funeral preparations immediately, considering… the Royal Guard will be taking him tomorrow.”
Funeral preparations? Am I dead? Why would I be…? As his memory returned, there was a sudden surge of realization that hit him like a freight train. Horse apples!
“Well, look who’s awake!” The doctor walked in with a smile. He tapped on the shackles that bound Silent Step to his cot. “You had quite a night, son! It’s not every day that I get somepony who fell off a roof!”
“How long was I out?”
“Twilight brought you in two days ago. You broke your leg, two ribs and fractured your elbow, I have to say, it was quite a doosy trying to…”
“Wait, Twilight brought me here?”
“Of course, she was the only one there when you fell.”
“What did she tell you? About the other night?”
“Well, she said something about a body, and you being her lead suspect, so she summoned in the Royal Guard and well, here we are!” The strange grin never left the doctors face. It probably came from years of dealing with irritable patients.
Silent Step shifted his head to try and see out of the open door. He was able to get a glimpse of Royal Guard armor standing stoic at the door. Damn it! He would never hear the end of this… if his brethren were still alive. What if the same murderer that killed Sly Horn had gotten the rest of his team, too, and Rainbow Dash? He couldn’t live with himself if something had happened to that innocent little mare.
Just as he was about to begin hyperventilating, the Pegasus ran into the room, panting. “Silent Step, you’re alive!”
Silent Step began to laugh, immediately being betrayed by his injured ribs. “Glad to see you’re okay, Dash. What about the rest?”
“Everypony’s fine, in fact, Wisp said she’d be coming by later to check on you.”
Silent Step sighed in relief, now that he knew everypony was alright, he could actually worry about himself. He was probably going to prison for life, and his only defense was comprised of other Khazae and a teenage Pegasus.
“Alright, Rainbow Dash that’s enough. Let him rest.” The familiar voice came from behind the doorframe.
“Well, if it isn’t my hero. Come on in, Twilight!” Silent Step mockingly beckoned the unicorn into the room. She stepped in with a grimace on her face.
“What is your problem, Silent Step?”
“I should be asking you that. You accused me of murder and backed me off of a roof, and then just bring to the hospital? You’re so… spineless.”
“Well, I’m sorry for saving you’re life!” The spatter was quickly turning into a heated argument.
“There must have been a reason, why’d you save me? You could have just left me there to die, but no. Did you feel bad for Dashie? Did you just not want another body in your town? Or, perhaps, by some astronomical odds… do you actually like me?”
“What are you talking about?!”
“I don’t know, the fact that you acted so quickly to spare the life of a pony who a few seconds earlier were calling a murderer!” His chest felt as if it had been stabbed. He screamed bloody murder.
As if on cue, Grey Wisp ran into the room in response to her brother’s cry. She was followed by the other Khazae. “Brother, are you okay?!”
Silent Step swallowed back the pain. “I’m fine… I just… needed to get that out of my system.”
Wisp looked angrily at Twilight, “I don’t think you should be here.”
“I was just…”
“GET OUT!” The yell resonated through the hallways, accompanied by a long silence before, Twilight slowly began to leave.
“C’mon Rainbow Dash.”
Dash was about to turn away when she felt a hoof on her shoulder. “Actually, I wanted to speak to Rainbow Dash… alone.”
Twilight and the remaining Khazae left the room and Dash leaned in close to Silent Step.
“Alright, listen to me Rainbow Dash, first of all, thanks for not completely abandoning me after the whole incident at the Curio Shop, it’s just that, well, with protocol, and you were just in the wrong place at the wrong...”
“It’s okay Silent Step, I understand.”
“Okay, now to what I really wanted to talk to you about…” Silent Step took a deep breath before continuing. “I’m probably going to end up being sent away for murder…”
“No! I won’t let that happen! I can’t…”
“Shhh! Let me finish. It doesn’t matter what you, or any of the other Khazae say, everypony else thinks I killed Sly Horn, and I’m probably going to go to prison for it… or worse.”
“No! Don’t say that!” Rainbow Dash was becoming hysterical.
“Let me finish! I need your help to complete this mission, you’re the only pony on my side that knows anything about Ponyville and its citizens. Wisp is going to need your help with this. She may be hesitant, but just tell her, ‘blood martyr,’ and she’ll cooperate.”
“What the hay is a ‘blood martyr?”
“It’s an ancient position of the Khazae, every generation there is a new blood martyr born into the family. They’re the one that takes the blame if the mission fails. The punishment used to be death, but now we’ve become more… civilized. Anyway, we need you, Dash! And hopefully, the guy we’re looking for is the same pony that murdered Sly Horn, if they haven’t beheaded me by then, I’ll be released.”
This was a huge shock to Rainbow Dash, She new Twilight would kill her if she joined the Khazae. She was Loyalty, she couldn’t just go behind her friends’ backs. But then again, she couldn’t abandon Silent Step in his time of need.
“Well, I’d love to help, but, I’m just not sure if it’s something I want to get involved with. Also, Twilight probably doesn’t want me doing it.”
“Who cares what Twilight says? She isn’t your mother! Listen to me, you know I didn’t kill Sly Horn, don’t give up the chance to prove that.”
“Well, I guess I can think about it…”
“Please Dash, we need you, I need you…”
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“I just don’t think you should have jumped to the conclusion so fast!” Rainbow Dash was ‘taking her turn’ in the discussion occurring in the library. There, Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and she had gathered to discuss matters of the newcomers.
“What are you talking about, Rainbow Dash? I saw him there that night right next to the body!”
Pinkie decided it would be fun to join. “Mere circumstantial evidence!”
The girls were beginning to take sides. Applejack was the first to pick, “I’m sorry Dash, but I told you they were bad news when they first arrived!”
Pinkie stood, looking insulted, “Objection! Personal Prejudice!”
Rarity was next, “I must say, even though they are vicious murderers, their uniform looks wonderful! It’s sleek, modern, and above all efficient, I mean did you see the way that they were able to move it was absolutely…”
Twilight was beginning to get annoyed, “Well, what about you two?”
Pinkie stood proudly and slammed her hoof on a nearby desk. “Your honor, the state of Pinkeminia abstains courteously!”
Fluttershy timidly lifted her head, “Ditto…”
“Well, you know what?” Rainbow Dash stood and headed for the door. “I don’t need your approval! I’m going to go and prove Silent Step innocent, whether you like it or not!” She stormed out, still rather uncertain, but she had to put on a confident façade in front of her friends. She hoped to scare them enough to make them reconsider.
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The carriage ride was rather turbulent. Silent Step had been in Pegasus carriages before, but none that belonged to the Royal Guard. The bumps and shakes were doing a number on his still healing wounds. Magic was an efficient form of medicine, but it wasn’t perfect. There were two Guardsmen in the carriage with him, one of whom was the current Captain of Celestia’s Best. He stoically watched Silent Step throughout the course of the bumpy ride.
The ride was also quiet, very few words were exchanged between the Guard and their prize catch. “You know that you’re going away for a long time, Khazae.”
Silent Step didn’t respond immediately, he was focusing on the younger Guardsman, a private by the look of it. The young guard cringed back from the stare that he was receiving from the convict. He looked back at the leader of the two and smirked. “I hear Canterlot’s beautiful this time of year, who says I’ll want to leave?” He was toying with the guards, for his own entertainment, but also to get a reading of the Captain. He’d dealt with Royal Guard types before, they’re usually very professional, but occasionally you can get them to slip for just a moment, which Silent Step would try to use to advantage. The Captain didn’t budge, but that wasn’t really a surprise.
Silent Step resumed his previous state of silence, looking out of the window in the carriage, the clouds were passing below them, there was a certain mellowness in the air. He found it hard to believe that he would soon be in a holding cell in Canterlot, awaiting an almost certainly false conviction…
The ride was over as soon as it began. The carriage landed near the castle in Canterlot. “Welcome to your first glimpse of hell.”
“Believe me, this isn’t my first…” Silent Step again turned to the younger of the two. “Hey kid, good luck getting a catch like this ever again!” He laughed as a new pair of guards escorted him into the castle. He was walked into the court of Princess Celestia, limping the whole way. This was where his trial would be in two weeks, where he would probably be convicted of the murder of his own brother.
Princess Celestia happened to be standing in the front of the court looking over tapestries on the wall. Silent Step quickly bowed, shocking both of the guards who were in the process of saluting. The Princess approached Silent Step, smiling. “Well, it’s been a while since I have seen one of you here.”
“The Khazae live to serve, my liege.”
The guards were completely confused, but Princess Celestia didn’t seem to react at all. “Well, glad to see that your values are the same as before your change in leadership.”
“Our leaders are bound to the same laws as we. That, my liege, will never change.”
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“I don’t give two flying figs if you know what the blood martyr is. I refuse to allow you to join our order. You can’t just waltz in here and expect acceptance.” Grey Wisp was shifting around in the small hideout, trying to avoid talking to Rainbow Dash.
“Listen! Silent Step trusts me to prove his innocence, and he told me that step one was convincing you!”
Wisp was uncomfortable talking about the sensitive information involving their mission. “Remember what happened last time you meddled in our affairs?! Sly Horn ended up dead! You might as well be the reason he’s gone!”
“What?!” Rainbow Dash hadn’t thought of it before, but it was her fault that Sly Horn had gone out that night, her fault that he was up on the rooftops all alone, her fault that sword had gone through his back. “I didn’t want…”
“It doesn’t matter what you wanted to happen! Sly Horn is dead, and my brother is probably going to be executed for it! I’m not exactly in seventh heaven here!”
“One of those doesn’t have to happen.” Rainbow Dash was trying to refrain from yelling. “Listen, I’m honestly sorry for what happened to Sly Horn, but ignoring me is not going to help with our current problem! You’re not the only one that wants to get your brother out of jail!”
“What if I don’t?”
“Wha- Wisp?”
“You don’t know us, kid. Silent Step had his fair share of issues with Sly Horn, he also has some spurts of really bad temper. I wouldn’t put it past him to have accidently killed Sly Horn in a blind rage.”
“But I was there! I was with Silent Step the entire time, from the last time we saw Sly Horn alive, to when I found the body.”
“The entire time?”
Rainbow Dash had to think back. There was the time when they had split up during the search, which lasted about a half hour, certainly enough time to commit a murder.
“No! I know he didn’t do it! How can you say that?”
“Alright, kid, listen. I need a guide around this village. That will be your one and only job. You are not to search for any evidence pertaining to Sly Horn’s murder unless it specifically relates to the mission we came here for!”
“And what is that mission?”
“We are looking for a traitor to the crown.”