The baby dragon looked through the books carefully as he mumbled to himself, “no, no, no, hmm…”
As the young dragon looked at the book, he held it up and spoke, “how about this one Allen?”
Allen who was looking through the books beside him looked at the dragon and took the book from him, “hmm… The Minotaur and the Labyrinth.”
Hearing him read the title aloud, Twilight spoke from the stack of books she was looking through, “I think I remember that one… isn’t that the story of Icarus and his dad Daedalus?”
Allen nodded his head and replied, “Yea, about the feathers and wax wings. It was a good story, although I think the Minotaur’s role seemed a little overdone. Anyway, wax wings and feathers isn’t a good idea for research. First off, the story tells that the sun melted the wax and caused Icarus to fall, so that’s a bad start to begin with. I already tried feathers anyway… it didn’t go so well.”
The dragon smiled in a joking manner, “oh, so the feathers idea didn’t fly? Very well?”
Allen could only give the young dragon a hopeless look as the dragon smiled, “oh yea… I went there.”
Allen sighed, “No they didn’t. Anyway old stories like that usually border fantasy, so I think we should stick to modern literature, science books would help too.”
Twilight looked at her assistant and spoke, “hey Spike? Do you have that story about the abilities that pegasi are able to do that border’s magic? Maybe they will have examples of why pegasi can’t use magic that explain aspects of Earth ponies.”
Spike thought to himself and went to another part of the shelf, “well… I think Cloud Chaser checked that one out, but I think there is another one about a dragon who could use magic.”
Allen looked through a couple more book titles as he put his hoof on his head and spoke, “we’ve been at it for almost three days… and we haven’t even found anything that could help us.”
Spike shook his head, ‘That’s not true; we did find that book on the science of pegasi wings.”
Allen replied, “I’ve already read that one. In fact, that’s what I used my prototype aircraft design from. But it’s still no good.”
All of a sudden, the doors to the library opened as a guard escorted Derpy in, “Twilight Sparkle, you have another visitor.”
Twilight looked at the guard and replied, “Thanks I can take it from here.”
The Guard nodded his head as he turned and left the room leaving Derpy to smile and speak, “I’m here now… so how can I help?”
Knowing Derpy enough to be hesitant, Twilight tried to think of something to say as Allen replied without hesitation, “Derpy, can you look at the title of each book and try to find one over earth pony talents. Hopefully we can find something earth ponies are good at to help my research.”
Derpy smiled as she saluted in a playful manner, “Yes sir, captain sir.”
Derpy trotted to a pile of books and began looking through each title as Twilight trotted up to Allen and whispered, “are you sure it’s a good idea for her to help? She isn’t the most coordinated pony there is ya know.”
Allen whispered back, “please don’t say that Twilight, Derpy is my friend and if she wants to help then I think it’s a good idea. The more the merrier I always say.”
Twilight looked at Derpy who opened an atlas and looked at the maps as she replied, “well yea… but just look at her. I don’t think she even remembers what you asked her to look up. It’s no wonder why your motor blew up in your face if she was controlling it.”
Allen gave Twilight an annoyed look, “I'd appreciate it if you wouldn’t say anything like that about her. Sure, the motor blew up, and if it was her fault then it was her fault, but the purpose of that test was to see if the propeller could move the cart without any connection to the wheels, and thanks to her help, the test was a success. So now that I have a motor, I just need to work on my weight, durability, and control problems now. I would ask her to look up the types of metals we could build it out of, but I know as well as you that she wouldn’t know the differences in elements so that’s why I gave her a simpler task. Besides, if you want to keep the friends you have it’s best to support them even if they are only supporting you.”
Not having any friends other than Spike and her brother, Twilight rubbed the back of her head as she replied, “well… sure… I guess…”
Allen nodded his head as he replied, “Don’t worry Twilight; Derpy is reliable in her own way. I have no doubt she will be helpful to our research.”
As Derpy continued looking at the atlas she found, she turned to Allen and spoke, “Hey Allen… Did you know that there used to be an alicorn city called Eden?”
Allen smiled, “Yea… but did you find what I asked you to find?”
Derpy blushed in embarrassment as she replied, “Oh… sorry I got a little distracted. I'll keep looking.”
Meanwhile just down the hall in a closed and guarded room, Princess Celestia sat at a table with her night commander, her day commander and The Reaper as the day commander slammed his hoof on the table, “THAT’S PREPOSTEROUS! How dare you insult the royal guards like that!”
The Reaper sighed as she replied, “Get mad all you want… but it won’t change my theory.”
“So you believe that one of the royal guards… MY royal guards, is a traitor, and is responsible for killing a so-called Innocent civilian?”
The Reaper gave him an annoyed look as she replied, “So-called?... what exactly are you insinuating commander?”
The day commander replied, “My guards would never kill an innocent pony for no reason. And furthermore, Your Cutters are anything but innocent!”
Keeping her composer, The Reaper replied, “So your saying, that Mr. Rich who happens to be a well-respected member of the community, just shot himself with three arrows before digging a sword into his skull? Is that what you’re saying?”
the day commander shook his head, “of course not, but if what your saying is true and one of my guards is responsible for Mr. Rich’s death, then no doubt it was an act of self-defense to defend himself from one of your… assassins.”
The Reaper glared at the commander as she replied, “My Cutters are restricted from harming any royal guards. So to assume such a thing is nothing more then ramblings of an ignorant pessimist.”
Out of anger, the commander stood up and yelled, “WHAT DID YOU CALL ME YOU B…”
“COMMANDER DEURNE, LADY MIST PLEASE CALM YOURSELVES!!!”
Hearing the princess’s outburst the commander sat back down as he replied, “My apologies your majesty… but this merely proves that the existence of The Cutters is nothing more than a pointless excuse for the nobles of Canterlot to overlook your laws and do as they please.”
Princess Celestia sighed, “The Cutters may act outside my laws… but it was I who signed the Cutter’s Bill which gave them the right to do so. So despite your hatred towards them, I will ask you to keep your opinion to yourself and stay focused to the task at hoof. Commander Soul, what is your opinion on The Reaper’s theory?”
Princess Celestia and the rest of the room looked at the large bat pony as he replied, “If I’m not mistaken, we have seen betrayal in the royal guards before. If The Reaper says there is a traitor amongst us… then perhaps we should consider the possibility and think of ways to counter this threat should it ever reveal itself. I don’t know about you, but getting stabbed in the back isn’t the way I intended my life to end.”
Commander Deurne sighed, “typical… taking the side of your wife. I should have guessed it.”
Commander Soul stood up, “Got a problem with it sunshine? Even if we are married, that doesn’t rule my decision in this matter! A traitor is a traitor, and a murderer, is a murderer!”
The annoyed day commander leaned back in his chair as he replied, “big deal… I for one refuse to listen to a band of assassins and their leader’s bat pony husband.”
The Reaper gave the stubborn commander an angry look as she replied, “then you’re willing to just let a ruthless murderer continue running the streets until he murders somepony close to you?”
Commander Deurne looked back and replied, “Careful Reaper… that sounded like a threat to me. What’s to say that this isn’t just some ploy to get what you want in the first place? For all we know… you yourself could be this murderer, eah… Ms. Grim Reaper?”
Princess Celestia sighed with hopelessness, “This is getting us nowhere fast. Commander Deurne this is my order, Keep your eyes out for any suspicious activity amongst your soldiers and report any such activity to me personally. This order goes for you too Commander Soul. If The Cutters are correct in assuming one of our guards to be a traitor, then I want him found as soon as possible. However, I will not rule out the possibility that it could be a civilian too. All we know about the murderer thus far is that it could be one or more culprits and that he or they are skilled with a bow and sword. The possibility of them being earth pony, pegasus, or unicorn is out there so don’t expect the assailant to be just one of the three.”
Commander Soul sighed as he added, “Four… as much as I hate to say, there is a chance of the assailant being a bat pony as well. Nevertheless, I agree, this matter must be handled quickly and with diligence. Whomever we are up against is skilled and dangerous. Not many ponies exist who can face a Cutter and live.”
The Princess nodded her head as she replied, “agreed, this matter must be taken care of carefully I'd rather we not lose any more to this menace. Do we have anything further to add before we call this meeting adjourned?”
The day commander turned away as he sighed in anger, “Nothing more, than my usual complaint.”
The Reaper spoke next, “nothing further your majesty.”
Commander Soul shook his head as the final answer before Princess Celestia nodded hers and spoke, “then I will see you all next week, hopefully by that time we can have more information on this subject or at least a name. Meeting Adjourned.”
As everypony in the room stood up to leave, Commander Deurne approached The Reaper and spoke, “A little advice miss assassin… don’t think I won’t consider you to be the murderer. You’ve taken many lives before… what’s one more to you supposed to be, right… Ms. Reaper.”
With an insulting scowl, Commander Deurne pushed The Reaper out of the way, as he exited the room and trotted down the hall with his head held high as if he had proven some point of dominance over the cloaked mare.
After Commander Deurne was out of sight Commander Soul approached The Reaper and spoke, “don’t worry about that moron Jasmin, just because he commands the day guards doesn’t mean he’s very bright. Anyway, I suppose I should head back to the caverns for some rest. Though I know you will go back to The Cutters’ Haven, if you ever want to drop in for a visit, feel free to do so. Clan laws or not, I don’t intend to turn away my wife if she decided to come home.”
The Reaper smiled as she replied, “as happy as that offer sounds, you know that my place is with The Cutters. But if it’s all the same to you… The Haven will always welcome your visit.”
The commander shook his head, “Bat pony or not… that is a cave that even I dare not enter. But perhaps we could get together sometime… as… Lady Mist and her husband Commander Soul?”
The Reaper nodded her head as the commander turned to leave the room, “Perhaps…”
As the commander left the room, Princess Celestia approached The Reaper and spoke, “Must you shut him out Lady Mist? It seems so heartless.”
The Reaper sighed as she replied, “A bat pony who resides in a city that denies surface dwellers… and a leader of an organization that denies actions with outsiders… sounds like a tragic ponytale doesn’t it?”
Princess Celestia sighed, “And yet, we all know how those stories end… don’t we?”
The Reaper put the hood of her cloak over her face as she replied, “every story has and ending your majesty… it just up to us to choose it wisely.”
The princess nodded her head, “and how will yours end?”
The Reaper smiled as she left the room, “We shall see…”
Outside in the hall as Commander Soul made his way through the corridor, he turned a corner and saw Silvia as she was on her way to see Allen in the library, when they saw each other they both stopped as Commander Soul spoke, “Silver…”
Silvia replied, “Daddy…”
He continued, “I see you made it hear safely… though I am curious as to why your trotting through the castle unescorted.”
Trying to hide her annoyed expression, she replied, “Princess Celestia gave me full permission. Besides, I’m here to assist Allen in his studies of flight.”
The commander smiled as he replied, “ah… so the earth pony survived the forest did he… well then perhaps I underestimated him even more than before. Does this mean you’ve completed your life debt?”
Silvia shook her head, “my debt won’t be paid until Allen gets what he came for and I return both him and Derpy back to Ponyville safe and sound.”
The commander gave her an unconcerned stare as he replied, “Very well then, carry on Silver.”
With nothing further to say, the commander trotted past his daughter and kept going with a cold and heartless action as Silvia turned and watched him as she mumbled to herself, “Really… after all I’ve been through he still has nothing else to say to me? Fine… who ne…”
As Silvia mumbled to herself, both Princess Celestia and The Reaper trotted around the corner of the corridor as they both stopped and Princess Celestia spoke, “oh… Silver… I didn’t expect to see you here, um… this is… uh…”
Thinking quickly The Reaper replied, “My name is Janet from Saddle Arabia. I was sent here to check the status of our ally’s Economy and I must say I’m quite pleased with what I’ve seen thus far.”
Trying to play along Princess Celestia replied, “Well… um… thank you Janet.”
The Reaper looked back at Silvia as she continued, “And thank you again for your assistance in the Equestrian Caverns, had I not know that pegasi were unwelcome in such a place, I could have sparked an unhealthy conflict between the bat ponies and the surface ponies. However thanks to you, I refrained from entering such a place and assisted on keeping the relationship between the two mutual.”
Also knowing that The Reaper was merely hiding her identity, she replied as she nodded her head, “um… anytime…”
trying to avoid suspicion Princess Celestia spoke, “well if you will excuse us Silver, it’s time that I escort Miss… Janet to the castle doors. She must be returning to her homeland to make her repo…”
The Reaper interrupted, “if it’s all the same to you your majesty… I would like it very much that this mare would escort me herself, I would very much like to ask her a few questions, call it… a cultural exchange. What was your name by the way… Silver was it?”
Princess Celestia felt a little nervous as she replied, “well… um… if it’s alright with you Silver… then I see no reason why not.”
Trying to follow the string of lies that were being strung in front of her, Silvia nodded her head, “well... I guess.”
Keeping her acting convincing, The Reaper smiled cheerfully, “Splendid, then lead the way miss Silver.”
With a thick cloud of confusion in the air, The Reaper started trotting alongside Silvia as Princess Celestia was left in the corridor with a confused expression on her face.
As the two continued through the corridor and exited the princess’s sight, Silvia spoke, “Very clever… but I’m fairly certain that I know exactly who you are, Ms. Reaper of The Cutters.”
The Reaper replied, “and I you… Silvia… but keeping two acquaintances from knowing that the other knows of you is a perfect way of keeping yourself unknown… you know?”
Trying to follow the remark, Silvia replied, “Um… I guess.”
The Reaper giggled at the remark as she continued, “Anyway, I remembered you from the Equestrian caverns. So I just had to speak with you personally. Silvia AKA Silver Stream.”
Silvia nodded her head as she asked, “So… did my dad tell you about me when you were in the Equestrian caverns? Or are you just that observant?”
The Reaper and Silvia exited the main corridor and entered the courtyard as The Reaper replied, “Don’t be too surprised, The Cutters have unlimited resources in gathering both information and surveillance on anything that is, or could be a threat to the kingdom in the future. Your name is Silvia, your last name, to your knowledge is unknown since your father informed you that you have taken your mother’s name, but refused to tell you what it is. Your father is not only the clan leader of the last remaining bat pony clan in Equestria, but the commander of Princess Celestia’s night guard. You have one brother who is in charge of the clan’s personal guard, and you yourself used to be a royal guard until an accident that costs the lives of your squad as well as your ability to fly. Recently you have been traveling with two ponies from Ponyville, an earth pony with the dream of one day flying through the sky on an invention he hopes to create. And a rather odd Pegasus, who despite her intellectual standing. Has a somewhat bubbly personality and is very likable if I were to say so myself.”
Silvia stared in shock at The Reaper as she replied, “But… how do you know so much about me? Is there a reason you’ve been spying on me?”
The Reaper shook her head as she looked towards the sky and replied, “well… yes and no. but I have to first discover something that could only be discovered by speaking with you personally. I would like you to tell me your opinion on… Segregation.”
Just when Silvia though she couldn’t be more confused, that particular comment threw her for a loop, “S-Segregation? You mean, treating other ponies differently because of certain traits they have?”
The Reaper nodded her head, “yes… it is my understanding that many bat ponies show a dismissive attitude towards surface ponies because of how they are raised. I know that you were the commanding officer of a squad of interspecies ponies at one time, but I would rather hear it in your own words. What is your opinion on the thought of surface and bat ponies living together in peace?”
Though Silvia though it was an odd topic to venture into after just formally meeting this mare, she could only reply with her honest opinion, “what’s there to say? We are all ponies after all… saying that we should live any other way is no better than saying that a male and female pony should hate one another, or that a pink and yellow pony should be bitter rivals just because of their colors. If you ask me, the way a pony looks, talks, or speaks shouldn’t change anything. In the end, we are all the same. We all have dreams, fears, hopes, and opinions about everything around us. The way I see it, if your blood is the same color as mine and you live by the same basic values of morality, then I don’t see a need to separate you into a group. Bat pony, Pegasus, Earth pony, even zebra, in the end we are all the same… even if we are in our own way different.”
Hearing the answer she was hoping for brought a smile to The Reaper’s face, “Spoken like a true keeper of the peace.”
Silvia looked at The Reaper then asked, “so… what about you? I know that you’re supposed to be some heartless killing machine… but do you think the type of pony we are should classify us individually?”
The Reaper smiled as she replied, “if I did… then I would disgrace the name that The Cutters work so hard to uphold. You see, we of The Cutters strive for peace, and nothing more. We place our existence solely on creating a united Equestria that will never be threatened by war. Calling us a killing machine makes us seem like senseless mercenaries who eliminate our threat then abuse the victim in hopes of payment. However, we are nothing of the sort. We merely do everything necessary to prevent any kind of war from breaking out in Equestria… and that’s all we do.”
Silvia added, “Even at the cost of another’s life?”
The Reaper smiled, “if that’s the cost, then so be it. We don’t decide the fate of many by the actions of one. In our eyes, we are merely protecting what’s truly important in a kingdom… it’s citizens. Without them, this kingdom wouldn’t exist. It’d just be a princess and her rundown castle.”
Silvia nodded her head as she replied, “But does that give you the right to judge others? To kill one because of their values?”
The Reaper nodded her head, “I agree that what we do isn’t noble in any way… but sometimes, an immoral action must be made to protect a moral cause.”
Silvia continued, “So… how many have you killed?”
The Reaper didn’t even look at Silvia as she replied, “That’s beside the point. As leader of The Cutters, it’s my burden to place Equestria’s safety first. So… what about you? As a royal guard, wasn’t it your duty to protect Equestria and its princess from any threat?”
Silvia nodded her head as The Reaper continued, “Same thing… we merely do our part in letting the ponies of Equestria live in peace, free from the burden and worries of war. The only difference between what you used to do and what we do is that we are never praised. Ponies never thank us for our service, nor do they ever realize they are in danger in the first place. All we ask in return is that the kingdom and it’s citizens live their lives to the fullest. Find true love, reach for your dreams, and achieve them without worry of failure. I think you understand what I’m saying don’t you? Right now, you’re traveling with a stallion who is doing just that. Reaching for his dreams.”
Silvia nodded her head as she mumbled to herself, “That… well… that’s true.”
The Reaper looked at her daughter and spoke with a smile, “And someday, you will find that mare of your dreams, and live a happy life just as everypony should.”
Silvia blushed as she had a hard time replying to such a comment, “Wha… I… um… that is…”
The Reaper giggled as she replied, “Don’t be so modest… as I said before, we have our resources. But… there is something I must ask you.”
As The Reaper finished her statement, her tone became dark, as she spoke with an extremely serious voice, “That night… when you and your team were attacked… did you see or hear anything out of the ordinary?”
Silvia was shocked at the sudden change in tone as she replied, “Wh… what?”
The Reaper replied with even more seriousness in her voice that seemed as if she had become a completely different mare, “the night your team was killed… did you see, hear or even suspect that anything was out of the ordinary? Anything at all…”
trying to figure out whether or not this mare was the same pony who was speaking to before, Silvia replied, “um… no… I don’t think anything was out of the ordinary. At least nothing seemed like it.”
The Reaper gave Silvia a skeptic look as she replied, “Really… how about last week. When you and your two friends were in the Everfree Forest… anything unusual?”
Silvia shook her head as she replied, “n-no… nothing at all.”
The Reaper looked down in deep though as she replied, “Hmm… I see…”
Curious about the questions, Silvia asked, “why would you ask that?... is something wrong?”
Without looking back at her daughter, The Reaper started trotting away as she replied, “Nothing that should concern you… yet. Till the next time we meet, and we will… I hope you will keep safe.”
Before The Reaper was too far to speak, she stopped and asked without turning around, “But first I must ask one more thing… who gave you the order to search the forest the night Serene was killed?...”
Silvia replied, “um… it was dad… he left a letter with the order while he was in the Equestrian Caverns.”
The Reaper continued on her path as she replied, “Interesting… then I will look into it.”
Silvia was confused, “Look into it?... what’s there to look into?”
Without a single word to reply, The Reaper left Silvia standing alone in the courtyard as she reached the castle gate on the other side and vanished into the shadow.
Not long after leaving the Castle, The Reaper found herself trotting through an alley as another cloaked mare stepped out from behind some trash cans, “I didn’t expect you to meet with Silvia in the castle of all places, but I suppose better now than never… Did you tell her who you were?”
The Reaper shook her head, “until her life debt is paid, there will be no need to tell her just yet, however, I think I have confirmed my decision about her.”
“And?...”
The Reaper smiled, “She’s perfect. Just as I had hoped. Continue to stay with her Octavia, I'd rather she be observed by somepony she trusts rather than a complete stranger.”
Octavia smiled as she replied, “That idea seems suitable.”
The Reaper started to trot past her subornment as she continued, “then I will expect you to check in with either me or Phi Phi each and every day. At least until she completes her life debt… oh and Octavia?”
The musical mare looked at The Reaper with an expression that showed she was paying attention as The Reaper continued, “The next time you see Fancy Pants, tell him that I want an investigation started on the commanders of Equestria.”
Octavia nodded her head, “understood, which commander would you like investigated?”
The Reaper continued trotting away as she replied, “Both of them.”
Back at the castle, Silvia trotted into the library as the three ponies and the dragon assistant was searching through a countless number of books that were now staked vertically on the ground rather than on the shelf. When Silvia entered Spike stood up, “Oh hey Silver how’s life treating you?”
Still confused about what happened with The Reaper, Silvia replied as she tried hiding her concern, “Oh… well… it is treating me… although I can’t tell if it’s well or not.”
Without much concern for her reply, Allen spoke up, “well if you want to help feel free to grab a seat and a few books, it doesn’t matter what you find since so far I’m not seeing much of anything.”
Silvia smiled as she replied, “thanks… but no thanks. I’m not much for the whole reading thing. Plus judging by how you talk, I wouldn’t know what I was looking for even if it was right in front of my face.”
Twilight replied, “That’s okay, neither does Derpy. I don’t know if she even understands the topic at hoof.”
Feeling a little offended by the remark, Derpy put her eyes on a book to try to ignore the comment as Silvia replied, “Nah, I’m good. You’ve been at this all morning haven’t you?”
Spike nodded his head as he replied, “Yea… and they haven’t even slowed down for anything. It’s like working with robots or something.”
Allen looked at a clock and replied to the comment, “C’mon Spike, it’s only been about… four hours?... Ok never mind then.”
Twilight looked at a nearby clock as she replied, “oh… that’s right, we were planning on breaking for lunch almost an hour ago. Hey Allen, wanna go catch a bite to eat? I know this place on main called the Grain Attraction. I know… the name is terrible but the food isn’t bad.”
Allen thought to himself as he replied, “well I could use something to eat.”
Twilight nodded her head as she looked at her assistant, “How about you Spike? Care to get some food?”
Spike gave her an annoyed look as he replied, “that depends… did they add Gems to the menu?”
Twilight shook her head, “um… no.”
Spike shrugged his shoulders as he replied, “Then that’s my answer. A dragon can only live off of so many daisy burgers and hey fries before he has to say enough is enough.”
Allen nodded his head as he looked at Derpy and asked, “How about you Derpy? Wanna join us?”
Still feeling the invisible sting of Twilights remark, Derpy looked at Allen then shook her head as she looked back down at the book and replied, “um… no thanks… I um… I ate before coming here… so… um, I’m not hungry.”
It wasn’t hard for Allen to tell that something was on her mind, but since she seemed like she didn’t want to talk about it, Allen just nodded his head as he replied, “oh… um… okay, well then if you want you can continue looking or head back to the inn to get some rest, it doesn’t matter to me.”
Derpy nodded her head as she replied, “sure… I think I'll keep looking, so um… enjoy your lunch Allen.”
As Allen and Twilight approached the door to leave he replied, “Thanks, I won’t be too long.”
As the two intellectual ponies trotted by Silvia and exited the library, Twilight turned to Allen and asked, “So what was it that gave you the idea to use that type of motor that blew up on you yesterday?”
As the sound of the two ponies conversation continued to echo through the hall, Silvia looked at the unhappy expression that started to slowly appear on Derpy’s face as she spoke, “well that seemed cold didn’t it?”
Spike nodded his head, “yea… they didn’t even think to ask you if you wanted to grab something did they?”
Silvia looked at the clueless Dragon as she sighed in hopelessness as Derpy sat continuing to look at the same book that she had been looking at since Twilight made her cruel remark. Feeling uneasy, Derpy finally stood up as she spoke to Silvia with a fake smile, “Ya know what? I think I’m going to go back to the inn after all. For some reason, I’m feeling a little pain in my chest… I don’t know… maybe I’m getting sick. I'll… I'll see you later Silvia, Spike.”
With that action, Derpy turned and left the room with both Silvia and Spike standing there knowing full and well that something was wrong with the sad little pony.