//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 - Did he just do that?! // Story: A Bhaalspawn in Equestria // by Thadius0 //------------------------------// I stared at the quite obvious leader of these guards in front of me and slowly turned my head back and forth to take in how many I was facing. Besides him, ten unicorns and ten pegasi. Nothing I couldn't deal with in my own way. This was hardly the first time I'd encountered law enforcement, though it was contending for one of the more even encounters I'd fought through. Don't get me wrong, I was still going to win. But only because of a last resort I'd saved. I began to talk while reaching between my pack and my back with my right hand. "Well. This is rather interesting. All this trouble, for me?" The stallion in charge snorted. "Apparently this isn't the first time you've run from the law, so yes. Along with the fact that you're holed up in here with the Bearers. So I reiterate: Come with me if you want to live. Fail to do so, and I will have no other options save force." I chuckled at that and gestured at Pinkie and Fluttershy with my left hand. My right had found the glass bottle I'd sought. "These two can tell you, quite clearly, that I am not to be messed with. Pinkie moreso, I would think, seeing as how she actually saw the beastie in question. They also know more about me than any other living being in this age, including the ones you arrested in Manehatten." At this, Rarity spoke up. "You mean the den of thievery that the Guard dealt...with..." Her voice trailed off as she connected the dots. I smiled and gave a showman's bow, giving me the chance to move the bottle from my back to in front of me. "Indeed. Marketh Shadeblade, runner of every major thievery guild in Equestria...up until they were forced to disband, anyways." I stood up and looked the stallion in the eyes. "And now that I've said that, what makes you think, sir, that I would come with you of my own volition?" He blinked a few times as he looked at me, then shook his head and glared. "You're going to wish you did." He raised a hoof to signal his guards. He never got a chance to finish that signal. The moment his hoof raised, I popped the cork on the bottle and downed its contents. After just a second, I'd vanished from the visible light spectrum. Or in other words, I'd turned invisible. ----- (Marketh POV - 250 years ago) "Well, you're an interesting one." The cloaked figure in the bar looked up at me, chuckling as he did. "I could say the same of you. That's not your normal self, is it? Some sort of illusion to deceive others into thinking you're just an ordinary biped." I let out a small laugh of my own as well. "Fair enough, and up until it met you, it was working. I'm rather proud of that. Then again, your more natural camouflage serves you well...zebra." At this, the figure stiffened and looked at me with what can only be termed a death glare. "You got a problem with me?" I laughed again. "Oh no! No, see, I've heard tell that you and your kin are quite adept at potion-making, something I've been meaning to both learn...and make use of. I've quite the laundry list of potions that I could use, and if you know a way to create similar kinds, or tell me how to, then I'd be much appreciative." There was silence for a few seconds as the cloaked figure contemplated my words. He spoke up eventually, though. "Huh. Never thought I'd see someone who'd see past the stripes and look at the skills beneath." I shrugged at that. "What can I say? Being weird has its advantages. You stop seeing other people for what they are and instead look at who they are." The zebra across from me slowly nodded. "Yes...by chance, would you happen to know anything about the strange being that is sometimes said to visit the Everfree...and come back alive? Multiple times?" I grinned widely at that. "You're looking at 'im." The zebra chuckled at my quick response. "Well, I'm not here alone. If you're willing to lead a small party of my fellow zebras into the forest so they can study it, perhaps gather some samples, and defend them while they do, then I'd be willing to lend my alchemical knowledge to you." I nodded at him. "Deal." ----- (Present time) That crazy zebra had pulled through back then, and I was ever so glad for the preservation spell laid into the glass. Invisibility seemed to run by different rules here than the Forgotten Realm's version. I took note that the unicorns were charging spells and the pegasi were blocking exits. I grinned. They stood no chance. I carefully aimed my first knife and nicked the horn of the unicorn closest to the lead stallion. Then I grabbed two more and aimed to slice up a peagsi's flight muscles. Both guards fell, the pegasus due to the sheer pain, and the unicorn because he had lost control of his spell, which turned on him and knocked him out instead. On and on and on this went, me crippling one guard or another, the rest getting more and more paranoid, and the leader getting more and more agitated, lashing out with blasts of magic in an effort hit me. It was futile, but a nice try nonetheless. He didn't even seem to notice that I'd been recovering my knives from where they'd ended up. Very soon we had twenty groaning guards on the floor, in various stages of pain and incapacitation, while the leader was the only one left standing. I aimed to fix that. I jumped and landed on his back, causing him to fall to the ground at the unexpected weight. With a slight ringing noise, I drew both my short blades and rested them at the base of his horn, ceasing his struggles instantly. I faded back into view, causing the girls to gasp slightly. "Know you this, O Captain. I have shown remarkable restraint and mercy to you and yours. Attempt to find or track me down again, and you will find it lacking. The Diamond Dogs ignored my warning. Don't make that mistake." The leader nodded once, jerkily, and I removed my blades from his horn and walked to the door. Just as I got there, I heard a familiar enough voice, though it was no longer bubbly. "Marky? Where will you go?" I turned my head slightly and waved at Pinkie as I left. "Home, Pinks. You should know where that is. Just don't tell anyone here where that is yet, okay?" "O-okay." I smiled at her and the other mares and decided to toss in one last line. "Don't worry, I'll be back." And with that, I took my leave of Ponyville, went to my new home, crashed from all the adrenaline, and decided to sleep. ----- The dream realm is nothing to sneeze at. No, literally, I tried, some dude got up in my face about it. Apparently that's one of his 'dream rules,' can't sneeze in a dream. I've no idea if it would be true without him or not, but there we have it. Tonight's featured film was a scene from today's action-packed adventure at the library. I felt another presence behind me, and responded automatically without checking it. "I know what you're going to say. Or ask, rather. Do I regret doing what I did?' The presence was silent as I held a hand up to the memory and slowly rotated it. "The answer is no. I don't regret doing what I did. In fact, I'm proud. I managed to resolve the situation in more or less a perfect manner. Granted, the ideal solution would be one where it didn't happen, but failing that, I did rather well, don't you think?" Silence for a moment more, and then I heard a response. "Thou think'st that We art proud of what thou hast done to Our loyal guards?" I turned around rapidly to see a blue alicorn with a mane like the night sky standing behind me. I smiled and gave her a showman's bow. "Princess Luna, I presume. It is an honor to meet you, though really, you shouldn't have come here." She tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Whyever not? The realm of dreams is Our domain." I smiled and nodded at her. "True, but you're in MY mind. MY domain. And frankly..." Another voice pitched in then. "We don't share all that well." Luna turned around to see the Slayer standing behind her, and one could almost hear her mind stopping as she contemplated the being before her. "Luna, Slayer. Slayer, Luna. Play nice, you two..."