Will sulked and muttered as the group wandered through the neon lit city. Advertisements glowed like Hearth's Warming Eve trees. It was beautiful, the whole city built to grab your attention. This made Will more weary then ever, while the girls and Arigos marveled at what many called the City of Sin, Las Pegasus. Casinos lined every boulevard, lights flashing and pulsing in an eager attempt to draw ponies into their doors. Greed and lies multiplied like bacteria in the shadows, and money exchanged hooves every second.
There was a reason that Will burned the place to the ground once, he believed it to be a wretched vile place. He had every right to believe it, for it was not far from the truth. So there he stood, grumbling as ponies gossiped and conversed everywhere. None paid him any heed. All species, Griffon, Dragon, Diamond Dogs, were welcome. As long as you had bits in your pocket, they treated you as a friend. Even Arigos was allowed passage, as the group strolled into a casino on Will's insistence.
"Here, go have some fun." Will told Twilight as he handed her an her friends each a sack of bits.
"Huh?" She wondered.
"We need to act natural, as to not attract suspicion." He explained.
"Oh, ok. But where did you get the bits?" Twilight wondered.
"Being such a close friend of the princess does have its perks you know." Will said with a grin.
"Well, ok." Twilight said as they began to wander into the casino.
Arigos began to wander in as well, before Will reached out a hand to stop him. "Follow me." Will said.
"huh?" Arigos wondered.
"We aren't going in. This whole plan was so we could get Twilight and Co. off our backs. What we are going to do is going to be too risky for such a large group." Will explained as he walked along, Arigos tagging behind.
"So where are we going?" Arigos asked.
"Anywhere but here." Will muttered darkly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight giggled as Pinkie won yet another round of Blackjack, Her Pinkie Sense came in handy and the dealer was getting nervous. She had practically doubled what Will had given her already.
Twitch.
Twitch Twitch Itch Scratch.
"Oh." Pinkie said, looking to the exit just in time to watch Will and Arigos walk out the door.
"Something wrong Pinkie?" Twilight wondered.
"Oh, nope. Everything is fine." She said with a weak smile.
"Well, alright." Twilight mumbled and turned back to the card table. If she had caught on to Pinkie's bluff, she was very good at hiding it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
"So...Will. This is the first time its just been me and you in quite awhile." Arigos said, attempting to strike up a conversation.
"I suppose so." Will confessed. "I've been trying to keep a low profile for a few years now."
"How's that working out for you?" Arigos joked.
"Not too well, but you know me too well. Staying concealed is rather difficult when you stick out like a clown as a funeral." Will laughed.
"Interesting choice of words." Arigos chuckled.
"I suppose so, but at least I'm not actually a-.....GAH!" Will exclaimed as his sentence was cut short. He reached behind him and pulled out another knife. This caused every pony in the nearby area to scream and vacate to someplace else.
"You know I'm getting sick of this, learn some new technique please." Will grumbled.
"Its only an old trick because its suppose to be used once. Do the world a favor and stay dead." Berry Punch quipped.
"Really wish I could, but I guess I'm here to stay for awhile." Will retorted.
"You are a wrench in the works demon, soon you and those that follow your cause will be eradicated from this world. There are entities at play that you cannot comprehend. You will die. That will ensured." She gloated.
"Well sorry to cut this little monologue short but I would rather like to get this over with." Arigos interjected. Both Berry Punch and Will gave him a glare.
"Fine. Let's finish this." Will muttered.
"Finish? The game has only begun." Berry laughed.
"Then get on with it already." Will retorted.
"As you wish." Berry Punch said, launching herself towards Will at break neck speed. Will side stepped, and took a few steps back and took up a defensive stance. This caused Berry to lunge yet again, knife in hoof. Only this time she was blasted from the side by Arigos, who had finally found a chance to attack.
"You little whelp!" She screamed, changing her focus off Will and turned her savage offensive on Arigos. The poor changeling had scarce a moment to react before she had tackled him, and began repeatedly sinking her blade into his chest.
"No!" Will screamed. He ran to assist the fallen shape shifter, only for Berry Punch to attack him once again. She attempted to flank him, only for him to begin to throw fire from his hands in a blind rage.
"No! No! No! You take everything from me! Every ounce of meaning! Anything that I have you ruin! BURN!" Will raged.
The sudden act of violence startled the assassin. Will had gone from calm and collected to savage and blind with fury. He charged, screaming at her. She reeled back, fear in her eyes. He took advantage of this, and grabbed the Arigos, who groaned. Will knew that his only chance of getting Arigos out alive was to leave the city, and attempt to find medical aid elsewhere. So Will ran as fast as he could, with Berry Punch hot on his heels. She threw her knife, only for it to impact on the cloud that made up the city. She snarled in frustration. Eventually the trio made it to the edge of the cloud where the city sat. Will gave one look at Berry, a glance at Arigos who still lay over his left shoulder, and one last look at the city.
He took a breath and jumped.
And fell,
and fell
and fell.
And landed on the hard unforgiving ground with a noise not unlike the sound a nut makes when you crack it. Even with all the untainted magic stored in the blue phoenix feather in his pocket, he hurt. Pain, lots of it. One does not simply fall hundreds of meters and not feel anything. He tasted iron as his blood mingled with his saliva, and spat it out coughing.
"Uhhg." Will moaned. "A-Arigos? You ok?"
All Will heard was a wheezing sound. "I'm...hurt bad." Arigos managed to say.
"Yea, I know." Will croaked. "We'll get you to a doctor, I just got to let my magic heal me enough that I can get up."
"I-I don't think I'll last that long." Arigos admitted.
"No...." Will denied. He struggled to get up.
"Don't worry...I had a good run....lasted a whole lot longer than I should have....Guess I have you to thank for that." Arigos croaked.
"No...." Will said again.
"I just wish...that...things could have been different. That.....things....were........" Arigos breathed.
"No....Please.....No.....No...No No No!" Will shouted.
Arigos the Changeling, one of the only friends Will had ever had, and the best detective Manehatten had ever seen, had breathed his last. Will sobbed uncontrollably for some time, and by the time his phoenix feather had healed him, he could cry no more. His face was grim, and inside he was filled with hate.
In peace time, sons bury their fathers.
In war time, fathers bury the sons and friends must bury each other.
This was a time of war.
Will sobbed while burying Arigos, and tears collided with the dry soil, and became mud beneath him. He stumbled through the brush of the harsh dry grassland below Las Pegasus, with no idea what to do. Maybe he should have died all those years ago. It was then that it dawned upon him. He was alone.
Alone.
All Alone.
Again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight was worried. Will and Arigos were no where to be found, there had apparently been some sort of stand off in the street, and now she had no idea what to do. Spike stayed behind, so she could not contact the other princesses, her options were limited.
Go home? No, Will needs us.
Look for him? No, he could be anywhere.
What then? She thought.
I don't know...
She sighed. The only thing to do was go home and await word from Princess Celestia. She hated not being able to help. What if they were in trouble? Or hurt? She hated herself for her inability to help those who obviously needed her help. Why had Will just left like that? What reason could he have for doing that?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Will shambled along, his face pale and grim. He could cry no longer, but he knew that grief would hang over him for centuries to come.
Would have...
Could have...
Should have...
Spectral takes everything from me...just to watch me suffer.
Its all my fault.