In a small, well lit room was a brown earth pony sitting at a desk cluttered with broken quills, crumpled up parchment and empty ink bottles,
“D-d-d-damn it! So much t-t-t-time wasted in 32 hours! Only u-u-u-u-unearth even more complications and with s-s-s-s-so many I cannot progress further!” he brought down his hoof and the six-inch thick table broke in two and all of the parchment flew into the air. He simply sat there with his head in his hooves, completely unaware of the smokey creature behind him until it screeched, “What is it now!?” he yelled unamused by the bird's attempt at a small prank, it flew to his side and screeched again,
“Because D-d-d-d-Diosus! What use do I have for a t-t-t-t-thing that should have the m-m-m-m-means of using even the most simplest forms of m-m-m-m-magic but only to n-n-n-n-not have any capabilities at all! We need to search for a solution to our problem immediately!” he said as he fixed any hairs out of place. The bird responded once again but it only made the pony think deeply,
“Hmm, it's a possibility but if you calculate every factor,” he grabbed a quill and a piece of parchment and scribbled down his thoughts, “not only would it be a major waste of resources but it would be a 0.00001% chance on his own, but maybe if I add a bit of incentive...” he wrote even more and slowly grew a smile,
“Splendid! The chances, if what I wrote is accurate, improve by up to 30%! It's far better than if I had simply left it the way it was. Now all we need is an opportunity, excellent work now inform our informant and see if he can give us anything that would provide said opportunity oh also tell him to see if they're prepared as well.” the bird disappeared and the stallion was alone, “So many pawns at my disposal, it is a crying shame to know most of them will not live to see my hard work bear fruit.”
*******(Canterlot)*******
I was drenched in sweat and covered in dirt, behind me was a large wagon attached to my waist and filled with rubble weighing almost a ton,
“Just a...few more...blocks...” it's been almost two days since the trial and not only was I found not guilty but the Minyochnaen government is now under investigation which includes the chancellor himself. I was going to have another trial with the Griffon Empire but thanks to both Celestia and Luna they settled on a compromise, 70 years of hard labor,
“70 years, probably should have tried escaping...” I mutter as I reach my destination, a scrap yard at the edge of Canterlot. I take off the harness and dump out all of the rubble onto the ground, “Okay you're done for today.” said my boss Mr. Elbowgrease, he is a chubby unicorn with a white mane and indigo coat, he was assigned to watch over me and make sure I get my jobs done, “Thank you Mr. Elbowgrease.”
“Hehe you know it still amazes me that I'm a prince's boss, you have a good night.” when I first met him I thought he was going to be a prick, but turns out he was a very honest and goodhearted stallion. I began the long walk back to the palace and despite it almost being late the street I was walking on was filled with ponies conversing, selling items, or just out for a walk, every time I would pass by they would either glare at me or they smile and whisper into their friend's ear,
“Maybe I should eat before I get back.” I thought as my stomach rumbled. I spot a small cafe with little to no ponies and figured this was the perfect spot to eat, right when I sat down somepony came to me, “Good evening sir, may I ta-” she nearly drops her notepad when she gets a good look at me.
“I-I'm so sorry your highness!” she says as she bows and I roll my eyes, “You don't have to do that.” she stands and smiles nervously, “Of course! So what will it be?”
“A simple salad with extra red cabbage and a glass of water, no dressing.” I said quickly without looking up from the menu, she walks away and finally I'm alone,
“Mind if I sit here?” at the other end of the table was a unicorn mare who I've never seen before, “Usually I don't sit with ponies I don't know.”
“All the more reason for me to sit.” she pulls out a chair and sits down completely disregarding what I said, “My name is Fleur Dis Lee, it's an honor to finally meet you.”
“What do you want?” she gives me a surprised look, “Well that wasn't rude at all.” she says sarcastically,
“You're one of those elite ponies, I can tell because I've already met hundreds of them who tried to use me for personal gain. So I'll just tell you what I told them, I can't help you, fuck off.” she stares at me and then laughs,
“You are a hard ass! Just like the rumors said.” now it was my turn to be surprised, “I already know that you have absolutely no political power and so does the rest of the elite. Besides if I wanted something I would've just went to my reliable sources.” I relaxed and sat upright, “That's a first.”
“Since you're being so straightforward so will I. I want to offer you a proposal.”
“Proposal?”
“Yes, lately more and more demons are appearing all over the country and the most recent incident is just behind this cafe. You are aware of the few demons that managed to come into Canterlot when the wards were down, correct?”
“Yes, we hunted down a couple but there are still others.”
“Then you are well aware that the Royal Guard and the princesses could only do so much and they can't keep track of every incident that happens even within the capital, but I can.” she leaned in a little closer.
“Because of their lagging, for lack of a better term, I developed a very sophisticated system of eyes and ears throughout the country. It is a very reliable system, usually when a soldier reports a demon attack it can take about one or two weeks before it can reach Celestia's or Luna's monstrous pile of other issues they have to tend to. I on the other hoof am able to receive them much quicker, the most it takes is two days depending on how far it is.”
“But.”
“This is where the military and the princesses have the upper hoof, I do not have the means to handle these types of situations and when I tried to recruit ponies they were either too greedy or afraid. I came to you because-”
“It's Fleur Dis Lee!” she was interrupted by three teenage unicorns who came running and screaming and chasing them were two very large stallions in suits, outside the cafe I see two more stallions in suits trying to hold back a crowd of ponies. All of them were snapping pictures and chanting the mysterious mare's name, the stallions held the three mares back and were soon dragging them away, “It's fine, they can come.” the stallion let them go and they nearly flip the table over,
“Miss Lee can I have a picture?”
“*gasp* Is that the prince!?”
“Are you two going out!?”
“Oh my God they are!” they squealed. After forcing her to sign a few pictures they were escorted out, “Let's go to a more private table.” one of the stallions pulls out her chair and I follow her to a different table farther from the windows, “Who are you exactly?”
“Nopony special, just a very successful supermodel.”
“A supermodel? And yet you want to get involved with demons? Now I know you're in way over your head because you're trekking into a very dangerous and deceitful world.”
“I am fully aware of the dangers and I am more than ready to face them.” her eyes went dull and she stopped smiling.
“As I was saying I came to you because you are my last option, even though you are more than capable of eradicating them I wasn't sure if you would be willing to cooperate with us. All I am asking is that you and your friends join us in our mission to protect Equestria and destroy the monsters that we've been fighting ever since the crown was bestowed on Celestia's head, if you agree all of you will be paid in full and upfront for your services and if you need certain equipment you can't normally acquire I can give them to you.” I stared at the two burly stallions sitting next to her,
“Tell them to leave.” both of them stood up and walked away, “Never mind.”
“Something you want to say in private?”
“Yeah, about your proposal, why does it seem so familiar?” her ears flickered as she heard my gun cock underneath the table, “I've been given that same crap and I ended up doing their dirty work. How do I know I can trust you?” her expression did not change, not even a wince,
“Paranoia is persistent, but knowing what you've been through I can understand. I assure you that we will only deal with demonic affairs, pony affairs I will leave to the police and Royal Guard, but if you want I can show you how we operate, or if you don't trust me at all you can just shoot me here and now.” she looked at me dead in the eyes as she spoke.
The waitress came with my food and we never looked away, when I looked a bit deeper I found something in her eyes that is very rare in modern society, dedication. I give her a small smile and I holster my gun, “There is just one thing that is in your way.”
“And that would be?”
“Celestia, if she were to find out, and she will, about your complex system of intelligence gathering which is apparently far more efficient than the princesses and the entire military combined and not to mention the fact that you tried to recruit soldiers making you paramilitary which I don't think Celestia will approve of. They will then proclaim the whole thing as dangerous if used in the wrong hooves and your entire operation would be shut down before it could begin. So here's what I'll do.” she a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
“I will ask the others first and if they agree with your proposal I will do my best to convince Celestia to allow your project to begin.”
“So you agree?”
“Not exactly, my decision will depend on theirs.” I said as I began eating, “Why don't you just use magic?”
“I can't, I'm handicapped.”
“I see, why suddenly trust me? Just a second ago you were holding me at gunpoint.”
“Because I admire your resolve. Why are you so invested in demon eradication?”
“*sigh* As my mother used to say, truth builds trust. A long time ago I was married, this was surprising because I never wanted to marry and I was never interested in him, but his stubbornness got the better of me and I fell in love. Months go by, then years and finally he proposed and we get married, I knew he was the only one for me because there was nopony else that would spend so much time and energy on me like he would and I would do the same in return. Then we went on vacation and he thought it would be a great idea if he bought me a puppy, turns out the desk clerk was more than a mare.” I felt her rage radiate from her body and her breathing got a little shallow,
“I still remember the two guards that came to our suite, both of them looking as if they just seen Nightmare Moon, I still remember the darkened animal shelter surrounded by yellow tape and the tarp covered bodies behind them, and I still remember what they found left of him.” she was extremely angry even though she was very calm, that little spark of dedication turned into a raging inferno of obsession, she really wanted all of them to die.
“To say I was devastated would be an understatement. I was completely crushed, I had to see psychologist after psychologist for a couple months and I nearly beat somepony to death when I had this delusion that made me think she was responsible. I was filled with so much rage I had no idea what to do with it, then stories about you began circulating and I decided to dedicate myself to kill every last demon that wants to roam around this earth.”
“You and I are a lot more alike then I thought.”
“How so?”
“I've had ponies that I loved die too, I even had to witness them die and I ended up hating them myself, but our intentions are completely opposite of each other.” I felt my mind trying to conjure up even more memories but I pushed them back, I didn't want another episode, “What is your reason for killing them then?”
“Sorry, that's a little too personal.”
“Then when will you tell me?”
“Once I no longer have a reason.” she stared at me trying to decipher what I had just told her, “Very well, I'll be expecting an answer by tomorrow afternoon at this very same cafe.”
“Well you're very demanding.”
“Well I'm taking very huge risks already and to top it off I just put my own life on the line, don't be surprised if there are some hard feelings.” she walked away with her bodyguards and she was swarmed by paparazzi and fans when she exited the cafe, “Anything else you would like?” the waitress asked me,
“No that will be all.” I stared back at Fleur Dis Lee, “That mare is something else entirely.”
************************************
Bookworm and I were headed towards the train station, “Do you really have to go today?”
“Sorry Violet but Spike and I have to get back to Ponyville, the library doesn't run itself.” we share a light chuckle, we spent the entire day together trying to catch up with each other. Apparently she became a local librarian in Ponyville, I wasn't surprised, “How come Nero didn't come with you?”
“He's examining the weapons those demons used during the invasion, I was supposed to help with the investigation of the Order of the Sword but I begged Celestia to let me hang with you and she did.”
“Oh I've been meaning to ask you something, when I saw Nero how come he didn't recognize me?”
“Well...he didn't recognize you because he has a bit of amnesia.” she stopped walking, “Really? Then how does he know you are his sister?”
“I found him two years ago in a police station. All he had to do was look at my face.” she started to think deeply on the fact, “Violet can you tell him to come to Ponyville tomorrow and meet me as soon as possible?”
“What for?”
“I just want to ask him a few questions and perform a few experiments.”
“Experiments!?”
“Don't worry Violet your brother is in good hooves with Twilight, even though some of the stuff she uses are a bit creepy.” he reassured as Bookworm glared at him, “Okay I'll tell him. Oh, we're here.” we were at the train station without realizing it, “It's been nice catching up Bookworm.”
“Same here, come visit sometime.”
“Of course I will.” we waved bye to each other and I headed home.
The walk was a lot more lonely than I expected, the whole street was deserted and silent, “Is it that late already? Just how far did we walk?” I heard a can get knocked over in an alleyway followed by rapid hoof steps, as if somepony saw me coming and fled, “Was somepony spying on me just now?” I went into the alley and at the end I saw somepony turn a corner and I followed it. I jumped on top of the roofs and stealthily followed her, below I saw that it was a cream colored mare and she was running with some kind of scroll in her magical grasp,
“Now I'm interested.” she turned another corner and met up with some kind of hooded clergyman looking stallion,
“Did she see you?” the stallion asked as she handed him the scroll, “I don't think so, I made sure of it.” I sat at the edge of the roof, “Good, the Royal Guard is already asking questions and the last thing we need is another problem.” he was wearing snow white robes with gold accents and he sounded slightly older than me,
“Did they find anything?”
“No, we only sent those who are not accepted to the Royal Guard to avoid suspicion. Have you made certain that she is prepared?”
“Yes, even at a distance I could tell that her power rivals Celestia's. To think that a mere child could be at that level.”
“And what about the brother?”
“He is strong but not as strong as her. But shouldn't your main concern be the prince?” “Callidus?”
“We are already finding a solution to the problem.”
“When shall I be accepted? I've already done more than enough dangerous tasks for you and the Order and I believe I should at least be reimbursed in some way.”
“Silence!” he grabbed her by the throat and pushed her up against the wall, I tried not to intervene because I wanted to see if I could get a bit more info.
“You should be grateful to even be considered to join our ranks! Do you know how long you must devote yourself to the Order and what you must do for opportunities like the one you have now!? Those “followers” that you see in our churches every single day, the ones that defile our way of life and our beliefs are nothing more than the buffer. They serve as the naive shields to protect us from the unwanted eyes of the pathetic monarchy you so called ponies live under. We refuse to be ruled over by imposters using cheap parlor tricks when the only true powerful one controls more than just balls of fire or hunks of rock. If you are a true believer then you would never question your orders and simply follow them, just like I have and if you ever think that you deserve a reward for menial labor again then I will not hesitate to see how they want me to take care of an insect like you!”
he let's go and the mare goes into a coughing fit, “Now stay away from the ponies with power like the Royal Guard and await for further instructions.” he teleports out of there and the mare starts to walk away, “Now's my chance.” I hop down from the roof and startle her,
“Care to explain, or do you wanna run?” her horn glowed and a stone pillar sent be back up on the roof, “What was that?” I felt like a huge cramp when I stood up. The mare was now sprinting away and I jumped back down to chase after her,
“Don't make me chase you! It's late and I'm tired!” she only ran faster, “Ahh fuck this!” the demon blood went straight into my wings and I flew in supersonic speed, the distance between us got shorter and shorter and I scooped her up like an eagle,
“AAAAAAHHHHH!” she screamed as she saw the ground moved away from her. She kept on wriggling in my grasp but when I held her upside down with one hoof she froze, “Are you mad!?”
“In the sense that I'm pissed, yes.” I let her go for a second and I caught her.
I flew up to almost 1,200 ft because of lack of control and I could almost see all of Equestria, “Next time I won't catch you so start singing mockingbird.”
“Never! I was sworn to secrecy so your threats are nothing but words! I suggest that you kill me now before something terrible happens!” I let her go and she starts free falling. She kept screaming as she descended, she was going to hit a roof but I caught her, “I was right, nothing but empty threats!”
“No I'm going to let you go again, I just caught you so I can make sure I have the right height.”
“What?” we flew down to three stories and I let her hit the ground. When she landed I heard some of her joints pop out of place, “Get up.” I grabbed her by the mane and flew back up,
“Ready to spill?” she was going to retort but I dropped her again and this time one of her legs hits a trash can. She was crawling away when I flew next to her and I deliberately step on her broken hind leg making her wail, “Let's go.”
“No! No wait!” I stared into those tearing eyes full of fear, she was ready to talk, “Just to be sure.” I grabbed her and flew back up, “Was the Order of the Sword behind the invasion?”
“Yes! Not the ponies who attend church but the ones who built them! How they weakened the defenses I don't know but I know they created those armored demons and summoned the others!”
“Wait created? Are you telling me that ponies made them? They're not from the Demon World?”
“Not just the armored demons, there are more.”
“More? And what are they planning to do with them?”
“I don't know! I'm just a grunt! They won't tell me anything unless I'm accepted!”
“Then tell me what do you want with Callidus.”
“I don't know! All they told me was that they needed to fix him!”
“And what about my brother and me. What do you want with us?”
“They told me to observe you and Nero to see just how far your power reaches! What they want with the two of you I don't know I swear!” she was dry heaving and about to have a heart attack.
“Then tell me who was the hooded pony you were talking to.” before she could say a thin beam of magic shot into her forehead, “AAAARRRGGAAAAAHHHH!!!” she was convulsing and her skin was melting in my hooves, I drop her in shock and she literally went splat leaving nothing behind but a mess.
I looked down to where it came from and I see the hooded pony, I pull out Ivory and fire shots at him but he was quick and blocked them using a magic sphere. I descended at an impossible speed and I broke through his sphere and hit the ground turning it into rubble,
“What?” he was behind me and he somehow broke off an entire wall from a four story building with magic and dropped it on me. I broke out of the pile of bricks and the hooded pony was nowhere to be found, “Where the hell did he go?” I dusted myself off and I found no trace of him. Whoever that guy is I should be careful around him, it's not very easy to summon a demon let alone tame one and somehow he and his friends were able to create an army of them, ponies like that are extremely dangerous and shouldn't be laughed at,
“I better tell Celestia.” I soared into the sky and flew to the palace, “They're planning something huge if it requires an army. That guy did just talk shit about my aunts, maybe they want to dethrone them? No, if they did they would've killed them by now, getting near those wards is just as impossible as setting hoof in their bedchambers. And somehow all three of us are involved so what are they planning?I should hurry.” in just one wing beat I was already at the palace gates.
********************************
“Multi-chambered engine fueled by oxy-acetylene. Three titanium alloy fans below the hand guard. Ambidextrous accelerator built with pivoting ball-bearings and six different speeds. Emergency brake right below the accelerator. Yeah this is definitely not something from Hell.” I prop up my feet up on the table full of metallic parts and lean back on the chair, currently I was in a lower part of the palace where they keep certain things away from the public, it was a very long hallway with heavily armored doors covered in strange symbols on each side and each one having their own guard.
Celestia and I went into one of these rooms to check out the armored demons and their weapons, “You know what these strange mechanisms are?” Celestia asked as she examined all of the dismantled parts, “Yeah, Red Queen has some of these things. These kinds of weapons aren't as sophisticated as Red Queen but you do need a bit of brains to use them right.”
“Are you absolutely sure these demons are not from the Demon World? How can that be?”
“Lower class demons can't make things this complex, they only focus on the killing, and the metal is an alloy, not a pure element like most demon weapons. How that's possible I don't know.”
“Celestia!” barging in out of nowhere was none other than Violet, “Whoa take it easy, what happened?”
“The Order of the Sword was behind the whole thing.” I was slightly unaffected but Celestia looked more than shocked, “How can that be? We've already questioned everypony within the churches.”
“They had a contingency plan for that. I just caught somepony spying on me on the way here, I chased her and I found her talking to somepony about us. I managed to make her talk but before she could tell me who the hooded pony was he killed her.”
“What exactly were you able to find out?”
“The armored demons aren't really demons, they made them.” turns out I was right, “And apparently they created other types. Also, Callidus is somehow involved along with Nero and I.”
Celestia had a stern look and I felt her breath quiver, “Where is he now?”
“He just came back not that long ago. The mare said that they needed to “fix” Callidus, I'm not sure what that means but it doesn't sound all that pleasant.”
“Guards!” two guards appeared at the door and bowed, “Find my sister, my son and Zecora and bring them to my bedchambers immediately.”
“Yes your highness.”
“The two of you come with me.” I went pony and followed Violet and Celestia, “What do you mean that you and I are involved?”
“We can discuss this matter once we are all gathered.” Celestia said. All of us were inside Celestia's room and she spawned a round table for us making this seem more like a business meeting, I sat next to Violet, Callidus sat next to Zecora and Luna sat beside Celestia, “Sister what's so urgent that you had to call me when I am currently meeting with the King of Saddle-Arabia?” Luna asked but Celestia directed her attention on Violet, “Start from the beginning.” Violet cleared her throat first,
“Okay, today when I was walking to the palace I found out that somepony was watching me from an alleyway. I was able to chase her without her knowing and she met up with this hooded stallion. These ponies are directly connected to the Order of the Sword and they were talking about how they were able to avoid detection from the two of you by sending in ponies who have no idea that their sect was responsible for the invasion.” I tried my best to listen intently, these bastards cost me my way back home and for that I'm going to slaughter them,
“Then she said that I was “prepared” and that Nero wasn't as strong as I am. Also the hooded stallion said that they were already finding a solution to the problem concerning Callidus.” I glanced at Callidus and he raised an eyebrow.
“Shortly after I managed to make her talk and she said they created the armored demons and are planning to create other types like them. I tried to to get her to tell me who the hooded pony was but he came back and killed her, I tried to capture him but he got away.”
“Violet just how exactly did you manage to get this information from this mare?” Luna asked while staring at her suspiciously, Violet was looking uncomfortable and started blushing a little, “I...sort of...dropped her from a height of three stories.” she mumbled the last part but Celestia and Luna heard it clearly,
“Violet!”
“That's terrible!”
“Well what was I suppose to do!? I couldn't just point my gun to her head then she would've never talked!”
“Violet.” all of us looked at Callidus who was quiet the entire time, “What did they mean that you were “prepared”, can you clarify?”
“She said that she was ordered to observe how far our power reaches.”
“I see.” he went into deep thought, “Nero.”
“Huh?”
“How is Violet stronger than you?” now it was my turn to feel embarrassed, “Um, well I'm still kind of lacking. We may share the same demon blood but my blood is still dormant.”
“I see, I thought it was strange for the Order of the Sword to not make a move.” all of us were a bit confused, “And what's so strange about it?” Celestia asked,
“I did a bit of research on the amulets and what I found out is that the only way for the amulets to be used to their fullest potential is to have the blood of Sparda. Their goal is to open the door to the Demon World in order for their prophecy to be fulfilled and they have the perfect opportunity right now.” all of us only got more confused which annoyed him.
“Let me explain, let's say that I am their leader or something, I have exactly what I need in order to open the gates of Hell and all I need is the blood of Sparda. Since they are his descendents what I would do is target Nero since I now know he is the weaker of the two, kill him for his blood and there mission accomplished. But they're not going to do any of that, not yet anyway.”
“And what makes you so sure that they won't do anything you just said?” Luna interjected, “Because I am involved in their agendas. I'm guessing when they said that they wanted to “fix” me, they meant to somehow fix my magic handicap. Which is confusing, why am I involved? Why am I important?” he explained,
“Even more confusing, they are creating an army of demons not from the Demon World. For what exactly I don't know, probably for another invasion, but my concern is on why they are so focused on all three of us. Why is it important for them to know how powerful we are? And what are they waiting for?” this got all of us stumped, he had very good points. The Order already has everything they need to bring Hell on earth what else could they want? Celestia thought for a bit before speaking,
“Thank you for the insight Callidus. After hearing this new information we must come up with a strategy in case they decide to become active again. I think it is safe to say there are more ponies like him scattered across Equestria and we need a way to capture them when they are discovered.” I heard a small chuckle from Callidus,
“Funny, just today a mare came to me and proposed something perfectly suitable for this situation.”
“And what did this mare propose?”
“Her name is Fleur Dis Lee, she claims to have created a system of “eyes and ears” that's planted all over the country which transfers information very quickly. She proposed that all four of us join her and help kill demons that appear where ever they are in the country.”
“I approve.”
“Well that was quick...”
“You approve?”
“Considering how dangerous and dire the situation is I can use something like that at our disposal. When you meet her tell her that we accept her offer under the conditions that she must carry out whatever orders I have for her or any of you, we can discuss any further details tomorrow. Besides this can count as hard labor for you Callidus.” she said with a warm smile, “Okay then, I'll tell her tomorrow.”
“But as of right now I am assigning all three of you bodyguards.”
“Bodyguards!?” all three of us exclaimed in unison, “They want something from all three of you and since they are ruthless I want to make sure all of you are protected at all costs.”
“Celestia we understand your reason but all three of us can watch out for ourselves, we don't need bodyguards.” Violet said,
“I know all of you are capable of defending yourselves but we don't what the Order of the Sword is capable of so until this crisis is resolved completely all of you will have bodyguards.” Violet and I groaned while Callidus closed his eyes and looked as if he were about to pop a blood vessel, “It's starting to get late, all of you should get to bed.” all of us stood up and walked to our rooms,
“They're waiting huh? I wonder what's gonna happen when they decide to stop waiting...”