“Lulu, how does Neo Canterlot fare underneath your night? Are the Equusians safe at home?” Celestia asked, sitting across a wire table with a beam of light illuminating the two.
“All of the Equusians sleep in their quarters as intended… except for the pink pony known as Pinkie Pie. My thestrals do not see her within the violation of curfew, and they have even established a friendship with her.” Luna responded. Her eyes scrolled to the left and right. She leaned inwards and moved her hoof to the right of her mouth. “I feel as though bringing mention to her name has placed me in surveillance under her all-seeing eyes.”
“Maybe you are just paranoid, Lulu. No one and I mean no one is capable of sneaking past the sentry we have set up around this building.” Celestia assured, tapping Luna’s shoulder with her right front hoof.
“You mean like this?” Rundas asked, leaping down from above the ceiling and onto the table.
Luna squealed and leaped back from the chair, knocking it over. Her heart was about to explode from the pressure of the scare. Rundas took notice of her chest expanding and compressing at rapid increments along with her hoof on her chest and her deep breaths. With her body sustained, Luna scowled at him.
“Do not scare us like that next time!” She shouted. “We thought you were an assassin sent by the Van’Goth.”
“Your name is Rundas, correct?” Celestia asked with a calm tone.
“That’s my name.” Rundas responded.
“How did you ever sneak by the guards, and why are you even here in our private time?”
“Being a Dark-type has its advantages, mainly when it comes to sneaking around. As for the other thing, I heard from Lith and the spa twins that you hand out bounty assignments.”
Celestia and Luna exchanged a narrow-eyed glance and then looked towards Rundas.
“So the reason you snuck onto us was so that you can take on a bounty?” Luna asked.
Rundas lied on his side with a cocky smile on his face.
“That’s right. I used to be a bounty hunter back in my world, but I only go after the criminals with evil intentions.”
“Should I tell him what we really offer, Lulu?” Celestia asked with a pleading voice.
“I shall tell him, ‘Tia.” Luna responded. “Rundas, we do not exactly offer bounty assignments here. We offer assassination assignments.”
Rundas sat up from the table and looked towards Luna with his pupils on the right side and crooked lips.
“Wait a moment… what’s wrong with keeping the bounties alive?”
“There are several reasons why we should not keep them alive. If we keep bounties alive, then we have to imprison them and they are expected to be released into society again. In addition, we have to waste precious resources with keeping them imprisoned. Considering that we are not in the best of positions to imprison others, assassination is a favorable option for us.” Luna explained.
Celestia walked towards a bare wall to the north and pushed on a pressure tile on the floor. A portion of the wall moved away, revealing an electronic board with a list of names on it.
“I realize that this may be a mentally daunting task for one that has not killed outside of battle, but would you be of assistance and take your hit?” She asked.
Rundas gazed at the board of holograms and names. He moved his right claw towards the center of the board and touched the name there. The name flashed, revealing the mug shot of a bright pink unicorn mare with a lavender and aqua-striped mane. Her blue eyes radiated with stoicism. An image of a pink ‘x’ and a white cross with two blue wisps stood on a different hologram.
“She doesn’t seem like she is the type of girl to commit any heinous crimes or such.”
“Her name is Starlight Glimmer. On the outside, she seems to be a normal, everyday mare. But, we have received incriminating amounts of evidence and witnesses that she is trying to bring forth a rebellion within the city. We cannot afford any internal strife during this time. Even if one percent of the citizens are not in accordance with us, then our chances of winning decrease immensely.” Luna explained.
Rundas shut his eyes and let out a soft sigh. He looked back towards Celestia and Luna with sorrowful eyes.
“I’ll do it.” He said, tapping his watch and sucking the information inside of it.
“We are glad that you made the right choice, Rundas.” Celestia responded with a confident smile.
Rundas gazed upon the image of Starlight Glimmer and walked down the empty street. Down the sidewalk to the left, Spitfire walked and hummed a low tune with her eyes closed and a content smile on her face. The two smashed into each other and found themselves on the ground.
“Spitfire!” Rundas stated, rubbing his head. “Aren’t you supposed to be overseeing operations at H.O.R.S.E.?”
“I’m taking a break. What are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be out with Mono and Fei patrolling the city?” Spitfire asked.
Rundas and Spitfire stood up from the ground and brushed the dust off of them.
“I heard about the bounties that the council offered. I checked it out and…”
Rundas shied his head away. A cold itch shot down to his neck.
“Now you have to assassinate your target?” Spitfire responded with a dry voice.
“Going against the norm to pursue justice is in my veins, Spitfire. Bounty hunting provided me with that as well as an escape from the regulations of the law. No one ever told me that all the bounty missions here are assassinations.” Rundas said.
“So how good are you at taking lives?”
“I’ve done a lot of thing in my life I wasn’t proud of, but I could never take a life outside of battle. I make sure to keep everyone alive.”
A small smile cracked on Spitfire’s face. She wrapped her left front hoof around Rundas’s neck.
“Sounds like you have a problem on your claws. The desire of the hunt and the will to not kill are warring inside of you.”
“What advice can you give me, Spitfire? I’m not really much of a thinker. I just do.” Rundas asked.
“Just follow your heart on the matter. If you believe that this person should truly see the light of justice, then you carry it on as normal. If not, you’ll find out a way to satisfy yourself and the council.”
Spitfire pat Rundas’s back and walked off, whistling the low tune she stated with. Rundas leered forwards and saw a pony that resembled Starlight Glimmer’s appearance entering through the front door of a store. He raised an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders. He leaped upwards and rode a wave of ice towards the top of the store. He slashed an exhaust and leaped into the hole.
He crawled through the metal vents and moved with the silence of a strider. A panel of light on the ground that is broken into three bars greeted his line of sight. He leaned his head over the grate, seeing Starlight Glimmer with a basket of bread and cans held in a blue aura. In front of her is a white-coated pegasus mare with a straightened mane and tail in the color of blue. Her eyes were a brilliant yellow.
“How has everything been going for you, Starlight?” The mare asked, moving the items through a scanner.
“Everything has been okay, but things could be better. Not many Equusians can appreciate my philosophy. But, I’m glad that you are able to, Day Breeze.” Starlight Glimmer responded.
“It is a shame too. Your speeches have moved me to look at how I perceive the deity we look up to. Equusians will always cling onto any form of hope rather than create our own hope.” Day Breeze said.
“It’s especially true with how they treat the aliens that have recently begun living with us. They are not our saviors nor are they the key to salvation, but the Equusians believe them to be like the second coming of Deus. Isn’t that sad?”
Rundas raised his right eye and cocked his head. His eyes moved along to the food being slid into Starlight Glimmer’s bags. Starlight Glimmer waved and left. Rundas raised his wrist to his face and tapped it. An image of Sophia’s head appeared above it.
“Oh, hey Rundas! What do you need me for?” Sophia asked.
“I need your investigative skills to uncover just who the heck this Deus is. Apparently, it’s a huge part of the reasoning with my target’s plans.”
“Got it. It was starting to get a bit boring around here since Boreas and Jasmine left to do some coast patrol and Rondo’s being annoying like always.”
The hologram of Sophia’s head vanished back into the watch.
Celestia, Luna, Victoria, Serva and Carapace sat around a circle of seats. Serva’s eyes moved towards Luna, whose body shook with small vibrations.
“Luna, you look a bit rattled today. Is something on your mind?” She asked with a warm tone filled with concern.
“It’s nothing, Serva.” Luna replied, shaking her head.
“Lulu got scared by a Pokémon surprising us.” Celestia responded with a quick and witty tone.
“‘Tia! Not in front of the council!” Luna whined.
“The council has every right to know, Luna. It means that our security measures are lax if a Pokémon can sneak by.” Victoria announced.
“You mean like this?” Sophia asked, jumping down from the balcony.
“Gah!” Carapace shouted, leaping back in his seat.
“Victoria is right; you five do need to increase security measures for your chambers.”
Celestia sighed and pinched the bridge of flesh between her eyes.
“Sophia, what business do you have with us that required sneaking here?”
“You know, I’ve been hearing a lot of Equusians throw around the word ‘Deus’. Deus this, Deus that, Deus everywhere. Does that word carry a lot of significance?”
“Is that all you wanted to know?” Carapace asked. His raised eyelids and frightened exterior melted away into a mellow smile. “We will be more than happy to tell you about that.”
Serva stood from her seat and walked over to a panel on the wall. The wall lit up with life, detailing a five-pointed star with a brilliant light in the center.
“Deus is our god. It was stated in the old legends that he appeared from nothingness and cultivated the land and all Equusians. It is through his will that we are animated. Everything began with him, and everything will end with him.” Serva explained.
“Sounds a lot like Arceus back where I came from. So Deus is your universe’s equivalent to Arceus then?” Sophia asked.
“If Arceus is the god of your universe, then it is a perfect synonym. Just think of Deus as Arceus and you will get why we revere him so highly.”
“That is very helpful information. Many thanks council lady Serva. Good luck with that troubling teenage son of yours!” Sophia stated, grinning, waving and running out.
“How… how did she know about my son?” Serva stated with a thousand-yard stare and a dumbfounded tone.
“How much does she know about us is the better question?” Victoria asked with her talons held out with a threatening air.
Starlight Glimmer stood within an alley, looking towards the street with left and right movements. A small sigh escaped her mouth upon seeing the empty sidewalks. She pressed her right front hoof against a metal tile of the wall. The floor nearby folded into a set of stairs leading downwards. She descended upon them, unaware of the shadow that snuck behind her.
Shelves filled with potions and ancient artifacts greeted Starlight Shimmer’s eyes. She walked down towards the center, where a gnarled wooden staff that ended in a fork sat. Her right front hoof made its way towards grasping it. Three needles from the ceiling above struck the area between her hoof and the staff. Starlight Glimmer took a step back and turned around. A smug grin cracked onto her face.
“Show yourself. Do not be afraid now.” She taunted.
Rundas dropped from the ceiling and stared towards her. He poised his right claw fixed towards his front.
“Your life is forfeited, Starlight Glimmer. Prepare to die.” He said.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Aren’t you going to kill me?” Starlight Glimmer answered with a calm tone.
Rundas grunted and clenched his teeth. He leaped forward and sliced towards her direction. Starlight Glimmer blocked his slash with her bare right hoof. She moved it to her left. With a quick twist of her body, she bucked Rundas between his legs with her right leg. Rundas’s eyes widened and his mouth shot open, releasing a pained groan.
“That… was a cheap shot.” He uttered out, dropping onto his right knee with a twitching right eye.
“And sneaking into my personal abode to kill me isn’t? You need to learn a lot more about ladies if you want to impress me.” Starlight Glimmer egged on.
Rundas leaped into the air and formed a platform of ice underneath his claw. He formed a path of ice around Starlight Glimmer and rode it down towards her. He leaped off and held his right claw towards a firm direction below. Starlight Glimmer vanished from her spot, reappearing a second after. Rundas clicked his tongue and flipped towards the ground before him.
“What is your reason for trying to rebel against this city? Do you not know we cannot afford to have any sort of defiance within the city?” Rundas asked.
“My purpose isn’t to rebel. It is merely… to subjugate the citizens into a new order. An order that has no need to rely on a god that has abandoned us. Who are you to ask me such trivial nonsense?” Starlight Glimmer responded with a straightforward glare.
“Rundas, a Weavile. I don’t care much about your god either, but this Deus sounds like the binding glue that holds everyone’s hope together.”
“Are you just going to keep talking or are you actually going to kill me?”
Rundas’s breathing stopped cold in its tracks. His claws glimmered with a dark aura.
“Let’s see who’s talking when I cut you down with my Night Slash!” He shouted, slashing horizontally with his right claw.
Starlight Glimmer stood in her spot, feeling the air rush across her face and a burning sensation along her right shoulder. She shook her head and clicked her tongue.
“Why are you so afraid of killing me? Am I not an unrepentant criminal that is against Neo Canterlot?”
“Realistically speaking, what else have you done to the city? You haven’t hurt anyone based on the records on here. Even if you are a big smug and prone to taunt others, I see no reason why others would dislike you to the point where you have to be murdered.” Rundas answered.
“Simple. You see that staff at the altar I have set up?” Starlight Glimmer asked, pointing towards the staff. “This is the fabled Staff of Sameness that I have recovered on my travels outside of the city. It has the power to remove cutie marks and the will of difference. With this, I shall turn bring true happiness to Neo Canterlot and we will all unite over our similarities.”
“That thing?” Rundas questioned with narrowed eyes and an unimpressed voice.
He inhaled a torrent of air through his nose and breathed out a frigid air that formed into icicles above the Staff of Sameness. The icicles dropped onto the staff, shattering it upon collision. Starlight Glimmer’s neck reeled backwards and a gasp of ruined intent crawled out of her voice.
“My staff! You destroyed my staff!” She shouted.
“With your staff destroyed, there is no way for you to resume your plans on rebelling against Neo Canterlot.”
“You think that just because you destroyed my staff, I would give up? While I do admit that it is an offset to my plans, it did not stop my plans as a whole. I just got to work hard and gain followers so that we can achieve a true utopia. With that said, you clearly do not have the mentality to even handle me. Is there any reason why?”
Rundas dropped his stance and looked towards the ground. He shook his head.
“The thing is that I can’t kill, at least not if it was aggravated. From what I see, you did absolutely nothing wrong to become a target of assassination.” He folded back his claws. "In the end, I don't think I would have to kill you."
Starlight Glimmered let out a sigh of relief.
“You have no idea how hard it was for me to keep on this shtick with the government breathing down my neck, Rundas. What the citizens of the city need to realize is that change is important. Yes, it is all fine and dandy if the Equusians are happy living the way they are now. Sooner or later, the council will end up getting too powerful and truly bring forth ruination upon the city.”
“There is a part of that I agree with. I know for a fact that war can lead to drastic measures, but that just shows how unstable we are as a community. Without that stability, how can we even be sure if we are the good guys anymore?” Rundas asked.
“I know that my ideas are inherently foolish, but I cannot stand to see the last bastion of equinity fall as well. There has to be some way where we can just all get along for true happiness.” Starlight Glimmer stuttered out.
“At this point, all you can do is just place your hopes on H.O.R.S.E. It may not be your style, but we are determined to win this war.”
“That’s all I can do it seems. I’m clearly too weak-hearted to take on the Van’Goth myself, and I made myself an enemy to the city.”
“Yeah that’s gonna be a problem. Since I failed to kill you, then they would just go send another assassin after you. Not to forget to mention that I would be in serious trouble with the council.” Rundas stated, crossing his arms together. “If there was only a way to make you disappear…”
Starlight Glimmer’s eyes lit up with brilliance. Her mouth hung open with a smile and a lightbulb of epiphany flashed above her head.
“You need a kill for confirmation and I need to lay low for a while. So I have an idea on how we can solve both of our problems.”
“I’m listening.”
“Can you do that Night Slash thing again, but aiming for my jugular vein?” She said, pointing towards the side of her neck with her right front hoof.
“You know that will kill you, right?” Rundas asked.
Starlight Glimmer levitated a vial of purple liquid towards Rundas’s left claw.
“Just collect a sample of my blood from there and quickly pour that serum onto the wound. It closes it instantly and regulates the bloodflow.”
“That’s a bit insane, but it’s better than no idea.”
Rundas raised his claws and a dark energy took his claws. He threw his claws towards the direction of Starlight Glimmer’s neck.
Celestia and Luna traveled down the plush carpet in the narrow hallway. At the turn of the corner, Rundas ran into the two council ladies.
“Celestia! Luna! I was looking for you two.” Rundas stated.
“Did you finish your assignment as instructed?” Luna asked.
Rundas presented a white rag stained with a dark red splotch on it and handed it towards Luna.
“This blood is fresh from the jugular vein of Starlight Glimmer. You can do DNA testing and splotch testing to confirm it.”
Celestia and Luna looked at each other with stunned expressions. They looked onto Rundas and smiled.
“Well done. We didn’t think you had it in you to assassinate someone. We earnestly believed that you would have just dropped it altogether.” Celestia stated.
“Well, when I have my thoughts straightened out, I can do anything I put my mind to.”
“We will have you posted in the future then. We could always rely on someone like you.” Luna stated.
Rundas shook his head and carried himself towards the first floor of apartments. His sharp eyes detected Sophia, who sat on a metal platform by the door he headed towards.
“Sophia! What are you doing out here so late? Shouldn’t you be at home with Fei?” He asked.
“I would, but Jasmine told me that I needed to see you before anything else. She got quite the glimpse of you and was worried about you.” Sophia explained.
“I took a life. That’s what matters at the end of the day.” Rundas stated.
“Buuuuut you didn’t?”
“How would you know? I got her blood on my claws.”
“Because I talked with her outside of the city. She was not happy, but smiled at the same time. Last I heard, she was going to get stronger so that she can fight the Van’Goth. Now is there something you want to tell me?” Sophia asked with an interrogative tone.
“Okay, so I didn’t kill her. I couldn’t bring myself to kill one that hasn’t actually claimed a life.” Rundas admitted.
“There’s the Rundas I know. You are willing to hurt others, but only those that actually deserve to be hurt. But you will never kill unless if the other person has killed.”
“Please don’t rub that in. It’s already difficult when I had pressure put on me to kill someone. I barely got out of that situation with Celestia and Luna.”
“Don’t worry, Rundas. I understand. I would never take a life on-purpose as well.” Sophia stated. “But, that is all I wanted to tell you. Your decision isn’t wrong and you shouldn’t feel bad despite the circumstances that had happened.”
“Wait, that can’t be all… can it?” Rundas stated.
“That would be all. I waited at this platform all day and night just to tell you this subjective piece of advice. Anyways, I got an important request tomorrow, so I have to go now.”
Sophia leaped off of the platform and sprinted up the stairs underneath Rundas’s abode.
“I can’t seem to get a grasp on that girl now can I? Then again, girls have always been confusing for me.” Rundas closed his eyes and chuckled. “I guess that Starlight Glimmer might have even captured my heart. Or... maybe I just got bucked in the nads too hard.”