My consciousness slowly returned as pain made itself known in my stomach, right foreleg and across my left eye. I could feel the warmth of the Sun, the gentle pressure of a blanket on my body and some kind of cloth over my left eye as I heard the beep of my heart monitor. I tried to open my eyes but had to keep my left eye shut to avoid further pain. With my right eye opened slightly, I saw that I was in the castle's infirmary again with Blast Shield standing by. He didn't notice that I was conscious until I tried to move resulting in sharp pain in my gut.
"How're you feeling?" He asked as I gently laid back down.
"Like I was stabbed by a lunatic, but otherwise alright." I replied as I relaxed some letting the pain subside. "How long was I out?"
"About eight hours. Maybe more than that."
"What happened while I was out?" I asked and more carefully sat up, pain making itself apparent in the process.
"Not much. After you were taken here and Cyclone Shade was taken to the dungeon everypony tried to get some rest."
"What about Hofnarr?" I asked as I looked at a clock on the other side of the room and saw that it was past nine twenty A.M.
"Princess Luna gave him a guest room to use until we get this mess better sorted out. He was pretty shaken up and made it perfectly clear that he wouldn't spend a minute in the dungeon as long as Cyclone was there." Blast Shield replied as a unicorn nurse entered the room with a tray of food held by her magic.
"Your breakfast." She said as she levitated the tray to the bed and left. I wondered if she knew that I was awake or was bringing it now regardless. She was out the door before I could say thank you.
"So what's happened to Cyclone Shade since then?" I asked as I began to eat. As I did I felt the hunger for love rise.
"He's still in the dungeon but Shining Armor and Sinistar are going to try interrogating him soon."
"Should Sinistar really be a part of that interrogation? Cyclone Shade seems to know something about Sinistar that bothers him."
"All I know is that it was Shining Armor's idea." He told me as I finished my meal. Remembering that Blast Shield didn't really care if I fed off of him, I began to feed. A steady stream of green mist began to flow off of Blast Shield and into my mouth. As usual I kept a close eye on Blast Shield's condition while I fed, and once he began to seem unbalanced I stopped feeding. Feeling much better after that I slowly got out of bed. My stomach was still in pain, but it wasn't enough to keep me bedridden. My eye wasn't in much better shape either. It didn't hurt all the time, but if I tried to open it it hurt a lot. "Feeding really heals that much?"
"It heals enough. Will you take me to Princess Celestia?" Blast Shield nodded, got up and began leading me. The pain made the walk unpleasant. "What do you think the Princesses are going to do with him?" I asked.
"I have no idea. I do know that Cyclone Shade has a long and bloody reputation. From what I heard, there have been over four-hundred murders that he's claimed to be responsible for. He's wanted in six countries and has murdered more than thirty councilors, kings, queens and other important political members. He has been arrested before but he always escapes. In a few cases it was reported that others had been sent to break him out of wherever he was being held."
"Do you think that someone will try to break him out of here?"
"It's possible, but Shining Armor is taking as many precautions as he can to make sure no one so much as looks at Canterlot without a guard knowing and reporting it. Normally I'd think it's excessive, but knowing who we're dealing with changes the entire game. This isn't somepony we want to get away." After a few minutes of pondering we arrived at the interrogation room, which had two guards by its door. Blast Shield lead me into the observation half. Princesses Celestia, Luna and Cadance were there. Princesses Celestia and Luna weren't surprised to see me, but Cadance's eyes widened when she saw me.
"What happened to you?" She asked as Blast Shield and I walked over to where they were.
"Got into a fight with Cyclone Shade last night. Luckily Hofnarr got one of his paralysis darts and used it on him before he could do worse." I explained while Cadance continued to look at me with concern. I looked through the interrogation room's window and saw Cyclone Shade sitting quietly in his chair, with an amount of binds, cuffs and chains that made Hofnarr's look like nothing. "What are you going to do with him?" I asked.
"He's a mass murderer wanted in dozens of countries. We should just execute him, but we need to know who sent him here and why. Whoever sent him may send another in his place if we do execute him." Princess Celestia said as the door to the interrogation room opened and Shining Armor and Sinistar walked in.
"It's about time you got here. I was getting bored." Cyclone Shade said as a smile formed on his face. "So let's go through this old, dull, overused song and dance routine until you get tired of unsatisfactory results, shall we?"
"We want to know who sent you here and why." Shining Armor said as Cyclone Shade looked at Sinistar with a raised brow.
"What, do you have nothing to say, Sinistar? After all the trouble I've caused I expected something more... fierce." Cyclone Shade said as Sinistar put both his forehooves on the table between them and leaned forward.
"Who sent you?" Sinistar asked as Cyclone Shade's smile grew.
"What are you hiding from them? Would they even let you have this job if they knew?" Sinistar growled and moved his face right up to Cyclone Shade's.
"We could give you to the Diamond Dogs for the things you've done, and let me tell just what they'd do to you." Sinistar threatened.
"Something tells me that the torture they can inflict is nothing compared to the torture you've done to yourself, Sinistar. Such a disgrace to your family that you could―" Sinistar flipped the table out from between them and shoved Cyclone Shade to the wall.
"Sinistar!" Shining Armor shouted, but Sinistar ignored him.
"You arrogant psychopathic vile imp!" Sinistar said in rage as Cyclone Shade began to laugh.
"I am all that and much more. But what are you going to do about it? Look at you; your blood rushing, your wings flared with rage, and your teeth ready to rip out my throat, but you are held back like a dog on a leash. For once in you entire career, drop your foolish morality and paint this room with my blood." Cyclone Shade said as Sinistar pushed him harder into the wall and Shining Armor's horn began to glow. Sinistar stared into Cyclone Shade's eyes as he continued to breath heavily with anger.
"Come on! Rip this cocky smile off my face!" Cyclone Shade shouted through his smile.
After a few tense moments Sinistar released Cyclone Shade from the wall. Then he walked to the door and left, slamming it behind him while Cyclone Shade began to laugh again. Shining Armor left the interrogation room and came to our side of the mirror. As he started talking to the Princesses, likely about if they should continue with or without Sinistar, I left the room. I knew that trying to talk to Sinistar about this was probably a bad idea, but I figured I'd try while the others planned their next move. When I stepped out of the interrogation room I saw Sinistar slowly walking down the left side of the hallway.
"Sinistar." I said as I jogged up to him, but he kept walking. It didn't take much to catch up to him, but when I did Sinistar let out a long, agitated sigh and faced me. There was a vast mixture of sadness, regret and anger coming from Sinistar.
"Why can't you get the message through your thick exoskeleton head? What does it take to make you leave me alone?" He asked before I could say anything. Then he took a deep breath and looked at me with a less tense look on his face.
"I'm only going to say this once, so you'd best listen. I want to apologize for both now and last time. I know you're just trying to help and I shouldn't have snapped at you like I did. However, I shall also make this clear: I do not want to be your friend, nor do I want you to try to be mine. I don't care about you or whatever you want or whatever you have to say. It just isn't something I'm going to concern myself with, so you shouldn't waste your time trying. Do I make myself clear?" I simply nodded in reply. "Good. Now if you'll excuse me I need some time to think."
Without another word from either of us, Sinistar walked away. I turned around and began heading back to the interrogation room. When I got back to it Shining Armor was back talking to Cyclone Shade. The Princesses looked rather unsettled, which unsettled me.
"The griffins would burn my chest, gouge my eyes, scalp me, 'clip' my wings, pull my teeth and still have the gall to say that they know how to torture me. They know nothing of the craft." Cyclone Shade said as Princess Cadance put her right hoof to her lips with a suppressed gasp.
"Gotten anything out of him yet?" I asked as Princess Luna shook her head.
"Only things we'd rather forget. Anything useful he may know he has so far withheld. It's hard to interrogate somepony who doesn't seem to fear anything. Be it because of arrogance or courage I do not know."
"Let's be honest here, Captain." Cyclone Shade said, regaining our attention. "You may have all the evidence you need to prosecute me and such, but that doesn't get the answers from me you want. But nothing you have can scare the truth out of me. Because the truth is that there is only one thing you have to offer me. Freedom,"
"No. In no case do you get to walk away from this."
"Oh but I will. You see, very much unlike you I know who I'm working for, and I also know how hard he she or them will try to get me out of here. And let me tell you, I will leave this place, it's just a matter of if I am broken out by my employer or am let out after helping you. But do you know what? I'm done talking to you. Send me Princess Celestia and then we'll see if we can't make a deal." Cyclone Shade answered as he faced the mirror with a smile on his face. With a frustrated grunt, Shining Armor left the interrogation room and returned to our side.
"If Cyclone Shade refuses to talk to you then there isn't much that can be done." Princess Celestia said as she walked towards the door. "If he wishes to talk to me than I will comply." None of us were sure of what to say or do, so we just let her go and turned to Cyclone Shade. The moment the door opened Cyclone Shade's eyes were fixated on Princess Celestia while he chuckled to himself.
"Hello, your highness. How long has it been since our last, and first, encounter? After so many years of bloodshed I can hardly remember."
"It has been more than fifty years, Shade." Princess Celestia said as I looked at Shining Armor.
"If they met fifty years ago, then how old is he?" I asked.
"From the profile I read he's about fifty-nine years old..." Shining Armor said I refocused on the Princess and Cyclone Shade's conversation.
"Shade... It's been ages since I've been called that. Ha ha ha... Nowadays almost everypony's too afraid to even say my first name. Why did you call me that, Princess?"
"I remembered that you preferred it. You said that it had a nicer ring to it."
"And how do you remember that after all these years?" Cyclone Shade Said as he leaned forward with narrowed eyes.
"You skinned a cat. You were the first to do something like that in years, and it makes some things hard to forget."
"I'm sure you can imagine my surprise when you, Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria and bringer of the night and the day came to speak to me after doing such a horrible thing. Tell me, Princess... why did you come see me all those years ago?"
"Because I wanted to know why anypony would do something like that. Something so cruel."
"And was the answer you got satisfying? Did it help you sleep at night knowing that I had tortured that useless animal because I was angry? Because I wanted to hear its suffering?" Cyclone Shade's smile widened with the words.
"I had a very hard time sleeping after that. But not because of what you told me. It was what you didn't tell me that kept me awake. You never told me what made you mad enough to hurt something like that." I could hear the sorrow in Princess Celestia's voice. We were all paying very close attention to what was being said. "You also didn't tell me how you had gotten your bruises and cuts. You had a recently broken nose when you were arrested. Who was hurting you, Shade?"
"And what did you think when my father paid to bail me out? Would surprised be an understatement?" Cyclone Shade asked like he didn't hear her question.
"Why would I be surprised? What parent wouldn't have gotten their son out of jail as soon as they could?"
"My father wouldn't let me leave the house for any reason after that. And do you remember what I looked like when I was brought to court?" Princess Celestia paused as she thought about what he asked. I heard her quietly gasp before she answered.
"Your father―"
"Yes, my 'daddy dearest' was the one who hurt me. He was an abusive drunk who thought it was funny to listen to me cry, begging him to stop hitting me." Cyclone Shade said as the creepy smile he had worn the whole interrogation faded.
"Shade... why didn't you tell me what he was doing? Why didn't you tell anypony what he was doing? We could have done something. We could have―"
"It was my word against his. And tell me, Princess, would you have sided with the colt who had just skinned a cat, or the stallion who just lost his wife? And as long as we're on that subject, tell me if you think my mother 'fell' down the stairs. There was indeed a fall, but it was no accident." There was silence after that. On both sides of the window. For a moment I could have sworn that I saw tear from Cyclone Shade's eye, but his black coat made it hard to really tell.
"And three years later, when I was released from prison, do you remember what the next headlining story was?" Cyclone Shade asked, finally breaking the silence. Princess Celestia didn't reply. "And you don't even know the details of what I did. All that was found of him was a blood stained skeleton with a heart carved into the forehead. I spent a lot of time and skill on that task. It was such a pleasing result as well. After that, I was in the wind. Both meteorically and literally."
"Why did you tell me all of this, Shade?"
"Because I want you to understand this, Princess: When I killed my father, I did it for vengeance and justice, but now? Ha ha ha. Now I kill and torture for fun. But you see, evil is not real. It is an idea and opinion that is chosen. To some, what I did to my father was right, but to others along myself... he didn't suffer enough." Princess Celestia seem very disturbed by his words. "But I think we've been off topic long enough, hmm? I know who sent me and why, you can let me go. So allow me to make you this offer. Two-thousand bits, and my release from your holding and in exchange... I give you the name of every client I ever had. Who they are, where they can be found and why they wanted the targets dead. This information includes, but is certainty not limited to, the one who sent me here to kill one of royal blood."
Everyone's attention was instantly increased.
"What did you say?" Princess Celestia asked with audible concern in her voice.
"Hahahahaha! Oh yes, I was sent here to kill a member of the royal family. And I must say that I got pretty damn close to achieving that goal. You want to know who sent me and who was supposed to die? Then you'll let me go and pay me. And just to make things more interesting, you have one hour to decide. Yes, I can tell if an hour has gone by without a clock." We all stood staring at Cyclone Shade with mixture of concern and fear.
"Who would want one of us dead?" Princess Cadance asked.
"Maybe Chrysalis..." Shining Armor said with an angry look on his face as Princess Celestia left the interrogation room. Then three guards came into the room to escort Cyclone Shade back to his cell. When Princess Celestia returned to our side of the mirror, the other Princesses had many questions. Mostly about the fact that she had known Cyclone Shade since he was young. But as they asked their questions Shining Armor pulled Blast Shield and I aside.
"Fragment, I want you to tell Hofnarr about Cyclone Shade's deal. Given that he's the one Cyclone Shade's been after the past few days. I think he has a right to know about the possibility of him just being let out."
"What, just tell him that there's a chance Cyclone Shade is going to walk away unpunished?" I asked, imagining Hofnarr's reaction to that news being less than agreeable.
"Make it clear to him that if Cyclone Shade does give us the information he promised then we'll be able to get whoever hired him to capture Hofnarr in the first place. No payment, no motive." I nodded in understanding as Blast Shield lead the way out. As the door closed behind us, I thought of something. "Where is Hofnarr, anyway?"
"I have no idea. I guess we'll just have to look around for him." Blast Shield said with a shrug as we began heading through the castle to try to find Hofnarr. I was curious as to how he was after everything. As we walked I could feel the pain from the stab wound in my stomach getting stronger as we walked. I knew that I'd either have to feed more or rest, and while the latter would take much more time, the former would tax whoever I fed off of. The pain got pretty bad after a few minutes of fruitless searching.
"I think I need a break." I said as we came to an four-way intersection in the castle.
"Why? We've barely been searching for ten minutes."
"It's this stab." I said and tapped my stomach to indicate what I meant. "I haven't recovered completely." I said as I heard what sounded like someone running up from behind me. As I turned to see who it was, I instantly felt myself caught in an air constricting, exoskeleton cracking hug. As I struggled to get some air, I noticed who it was that was hugging me. "P-Pinkie... Pie?" I managed to say as I also saw Twilight and Fluttershy heading our way from down the hallway.
"That big meanie changeling killed Striker and you couldn't do anything..." Pinkie Pie said as her grip tightened and I began to get an idea as to what was going on. But before I could actually put things together I had to get some air.
"Please... let... go..." I managed to say as Pinkie Pie only loosened her grip rather than let go. But at least I could breathe. I saw that Twilight and Fluttershy had very concerned looks on their faces.
"What happened to you? You look terrible." Twilight asked as Pinkie Pie let go of me fully, allowing me to catch my breath. I saw that she shared their concerned expression.
"I got into a fight with an assassin this morning." Their interest in what happened to me spiked as the word assassin passed my lips.
"My goodness, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked while she looked at my bandages.
"I'll be fine, I just need to take it easy for a while. But what are all of you doing here?" Pinkie Pie didn't give the others a chance at answering the question.
"I got your letter from Spike because he burped it up and I was so excited and was like 'oh my gosh Fragment replied super-duper fast!' And then I started reading you letter and when I read that you were taking flying lessons from Spitfire I was like 'Rainbow Dash has GOT to hear this' and then I told everypony that Spitfire was teaching you we were all like 'whoa' and Rainbow Dash couldn't believe it! She seemed kinda jealous but I kept reading and read that Striker was dead and we were all shocked! So I said that we should come here to make sure you were okay, but I knew that Striker had a marefriend so I said that we needed make sure that Lightheart was okay too so we decided that Twilight, Fluttershy and I would come here as soon as we could which was today while Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash checked on Lightheart!" Pinkie Pie explained in a single breath.
"In other words, we wanted to make sure you were doing okay." Twilight summed up as Pinkie Pie nodded. "But what happened to you? What assassin are you talking about?"
"It's kind of a long story. Come on, I'll tell you while we get Hofnarr." I said as Blast Shield started walking down the hallway again and I motioned for the others to follow. "His name is Cyclone Shade. He's the self-proclaimed 'world's best assassin' and is a sociopath. When I first fought him he used a paralysis dart on me, saying that he loved that poison because it stops the victim from struggling but lets them feel pain." I heard Fluttershy gasp at that.
"What kind of pony would do something like that? Much less make a living like that." Fluttershy said. Apparently someone who was abused as a child... I thought to myself.
"What happened with this assassin? Are the guards keeping security on high alert until he's caught?" Twilight asked as Pinkie Pie bounced up beside me.
"He was captured early this morning. After he tried to kill me Hofnarr stabbed him with one of his own paralysis darts."
"Who's Hofnarr?" Twilight asked. Pinkie Pie beat me to answering.
"He's one of the changelings we captured in Ponyville! He was the one who hit Rainbow Dash."
"How do you know that?" I asked.
"You told me his name was Hofnarr in your letter, silly."
"Yeah but, how do you know that Hofnarr is the same changeling? The one that hit Rainbow Dash could've been the one that got killed or got captured by Cyclone Shade."
"Oh come on, Fragment, it's not that hard to figure out." She said as Fluttershy spoke up.
"What do you mean killed by Cyclone Shade?" She asked with much concern in her voice.
"From what we've learned, whoever hired Cyclone Shade wanted the changelings we had here captured."
"Why would they want to capture captured changelings?" Pinkie asked as she got ahead of us but bounced backwards so she could still face us."
"We have no idea. As I was saying, one of the changelings Cyclone Shade was supposed to capture he wound up killing instead." Fluttershy looked bothered by that. Just as I tried to think of a way to change the subject, Pinkie said:
"There he is!" She said pointing down a hallway on our left, where Hofnarr was...
"What the heck is he doing?" I asked as we stared at Hofnarr. He was walking along the inside of a door frame with a pegasus guard standing nearby watching him. Hofnarr didn't seem to notice us as we approached him, and once we got close enough I asked the question we had all been thinking.
"Hofnarr... what in Tartarus are you doing?"
"I am stressed! I am very, very stressed!" He said as he continued his walk.
"Uh... Why?" I asked as I still tried to figure out why he was walking along the door frame like he was. It was a very strange sight.
"Because the crazy assassin guy who wants to kill me, or capture me, or torture me, or capture me, torture me and then kill me is in the same building as me. That is a bothersome fact!" Hofnarr stated as he slightly increased his pace.
"Yes, but he's also in the dungeon. I'm sure after everything he's done Shining Armor wouldn't skimp on security." I reassured.
"You've got nothing to worry about, you big silly!" Pinkie Pie added as Hofnarr stopped at the top of the door frame, letting his body hang down. He seemed to freeze when he heard what Pinkie said, but his ears were panning for some reason.
"Who said that?" Hofnarr said after a few oddly quite seconds, then he turned his head and saw us. His eyes narrowed on the others. "It's you!"