Princess Celestia sat with her sister with a determined, and stoic look on her face. They had called for a brief meeting with the leader of the team of researchers that were to be tasked with studying the strange creature and the power that he possessed. With the attack on canterlot still fresh, she would need to focus her time and power to make sure that the ponies of Canterlot stayed calm enough to follow through with the proper medical aid and reconstruction of the city. There was much to be scheduled.
“Miss, Craft, I trust that you will handle this creature with extreme care, and know that he is dangerous. If he does get out of hand, make sure that he is restrained without harm to him or your team.”
Seal Craft broke her gaze from her princess and gave a short bow. “Of course your Majesty. I will not let harm come to anyone.” She looked back up and noticed a tired look within her ruler’s eye, despite the stoic expression. “Our study of him may take some time though. My team’s initial reports say that his magic is difficult to see. They explained that it was as if his magic is something new to equestria altogether.”
“Take as much time as you need. If you do see fit to wake him, report back to me or Princess Luna, and we will send a linguistician to see about any communication barrier. Until then, keep him asleep. You may go.”
“Yes your majesty.” Seal Craft bowed once more and turned.
Princess Celestia watched as the unicorn pony walked down the hall and finally through the large double doors of the courtroom. Her stoic expression faded to one of worry and guilt.
“This a most troubling time, Sister.” Luna said after that silence between them got too long. “ I can see in your eyes that you blame yourself for these events. When you battled Chrysalis, I believe you did the right thing. If you hadn’t held back, everypony in that room would have burned.”
Celestia closed her eyes tightly, trying not to imagine what she would have done if she had not been in control of her emotions.
Luna noticed her sister’s mental anguish, “Thankfully, the elements were there. And luckily, they were successful in freeing Princess Cadence.”
Celestia opened her eyes. “Thankfully indeed.” she said, her shoulders drooping. “The thing that worries me most is the fact that I did not see this coming. I was blind to Chrysalis's disguise. She imprisoned one our most powerful allies in our own dungeons and i did not even know. It would have taken a simple scanning spell and the whole thing would have been avoided.”
“Over one thousand years of peace will make a leader soft.” There was a moment of silence between them, but the day was not going to wait for them. “Now we must focus on our duties of leading and help our subjects regather themselves.” Princess Luna stood from her chair on the dais. She turned to face her sister. “I am going to prepare a bright starscape for our ponies that will work through the night. As far as this new creature, letting the research team take care of it is best. If what Miss Octavia and Miss Scratch said is true, we may have a very dangerous situation on our hands, even if he was trying to help.”
“I agree. I will go and check on the progress of the City’s repair. Good luck with your- Luna?” Celestia’s stature turned into a more alert one as she examined Luna’s face.
With wide eyes, Luna turned to her sister, “Something has happened in the holding wing. I am sensing a surge of power in the creature’s area.”
Princess Celestia Stood from her chair with haste, her horn lighting up in the process. Before her teleportation spell could be completed, a bright white flash filled the courtroom. Both princesses turned their gazes to the light.
“Shining Armor!” Celestia exclaimed as she noticed his condition.
Though a bloody nose, and a swelling eye, Shining looked up at them with a frown. He limped forward. “Your majesties” He said with a short bow.
“You may skip the formalities.” Princess Luna said Sharply. “Tell us what happened.”
“It was the creature that we captured.” his head rose to meet the shocked gaze of the princesses and began to explain.
~~~Corvo~~~
Corvo felt himself waking, his consciousness slowly overtaking his sleeping mind. He slowly opened his eyes, expecting to see the familiar cold embrace of a prison cell made from stone walls and metal bars. He opened his eyes only to see a small point of light, like a sliver in a blindfold. He began to feel panicked, but his fear subsided as his eyes focused. They hadn’t taken his mask off.
With this new information, he began to feel the rest of his body, trying not to move. First was his arms, and the lack of weight on them meant that his coat was taken. He could only imagine that his equipment was taken as well. He could feel his undershirt on his torso and his pants on his legs. They had also left his boots on. With a quick flex of his biceps and thighs, he came to the conclusion that he was not bound.
Satisfied that his body was intact, he ventured to turn his head to one side and the other. The room, as it was hardly a cell, was not built from the stone walls that he was expecting, but seemed to made from tile or marble. It was a pristine white color that reflected the light source hanging from the ceiling. The walls were perfectly smooth, and even the corners were rounded, leaving the room with no edges.
Confident that no one was in the room, he used his arms to prop himself up, a habit that he acquired from aging, and he couldn’t help but chuckle at the ease of it. A sudden bolt of fear ran through him as he realized what he had just done. He pulled both arms into his vision and stared at the left one. He flexed it and extended it, trying to feel the broken bone. There was no pain, though, and this time his fear turned to panic as he thought about how long it takes something like that to heal.
His head swiveled around, looking for a door or a window or any way out. No matter how many times his eyes crossed over any certain point, the walls remained smooth, and the room remained barren except for the bed and himself.
“Dammit!” He yelled aloud, frustrated at the situation. A room without a way out was no place for an assassin.
He turned his body and planted his feet on the ground. He quickly stood, walking over to the part of the wall nearest him. He put his ear to it and knocked, but it was solid. With an annoyed grunt, he turned around and activated his Dark Vision, silently scolding himself for not doing so in the first place.
The pristine white walls became ghostly in his sight, letting him see beyond them. He immediately spotted two guards standing in front of the room. The wall there was much thinner than the rest. He also saw a pulsating object in his peripheral. He focused on the object and recognized it as the the Heart of a Living Thing. That was his new target.
Corvo cancelled his Dark Vision and willed his power into a Wind Blast. The Outsider’s mark on his left hand lit up brightly as the blast was released. The gust hit the thinner part of the wall with a loud crash, turning it into shrapnel as it was forced outward. In only a second, the carnage was done and Corvo was sprinting toward his gear.
He activated his Dark Vision to get an exact location of his the heart and came to a stop just outside of that section of wall. There was no door, but again, the Wind Blast would work just as well. He cancelled his Dark Vision, focused his power and his left hand lit up. The wall caved inward in a spray of shrapnel and Corvo wasted no time with waiting for the dust to clear away. Sprinting into the room, Corvo immediately spotted his trenchcoat. He focused on the table it was laying on and Blinked forward, knocking the table into the air in the process.
Before the table could fall over, he slammed the table down with a hand and reached for his trench coat. As it swung around to cover his back, he felt the weight of it. They had left his bolts in their place, and with a quick feel of the special pocket, he found the heart. His wrist bow and sword were under the coat, and with a practiced slip and twist, they were comfortably added to his attire.
He turned to face the entrance to the room and focused his power to blink, but was blinded as a white flash appeared in front of him. Corvo could hardly believe his eyes as he saw the guard horse that broke his arm suddenly standing in front of him.
The horse’s face was a mask of anger and his eyes were glaring daggers. The horn atop his head stayed lit up. Corvo confidently guessed that his arrival meant he was in for a fight, and he was not going to let him win this time. Corvo focused on the ground just to the side of the guard, and when the guard’s horn began to shine brighter, Corvo blinked forward. Without hesitation, Corvo jabbed a fist down, landing a blow to the guard’s snout. With a crack, the guards head lurched down throwing him off balance. Corvo sprinted from the room as fast as he could, but a strong bind suddenly stopped his movement. He blinked forward, breaking the bind, and turned with his left hand raised. The Outsider’s mark light up brightly and a Wind Blast shot out.
Without looking, Corvo turned and continued to sprint down the hallway. He activated his dark vision to look for a way out, but was met with multiple orange lights just around the corner of a T intersection. He cancelled the Dark Vision and focused on the intersection. He blinked forward and in an instant had his sword out. Without pausing he prepared a Wind Blast.
Time seemed to slow for Corvo as he threw his left hand out instinctively. The Wind Blast was released with a roar, and it was too late to stop it from slamming into a group of small horses that would hardly be considered guards. A cascade of feminine screams reached Corvo’s ears as he stared in awe at what he had done. He watched as the blast slammed into the small horses, sending them back with monstrous force. His arms fell to his sides and his stomach turned as he stared at the still bodies the he may have just made into corpses.
All of the work he did to bring peace to the Empire of the Isles and he recklessly kills a group of civilians. He let his emotion control his actions. He let himself be subject to his own fear, which was something that he spent years on to make sure that would not happen. He did not take in the situation as it was, and now he did not have a chance to do so. If these small horses were dead, and it really has been weeks since his arrival, he would never see his home again.
With an angry grunt, Corvo returned his mind to escaping the building. He sheathed his sword and reluctantly activated his Dark Vision, not wanting to know if the life of those small horses were taken from them.
Corvo breathed a sigh of relief as each member of the group lit up within his vision. Passing his eyes over them, he noticed that the path behind them ended with a door to the outside. Corvo cancelled his Dark Vision and focused on the door, blinking forward. With haste, he reached for the handle of the door and swung it open. He welcomed the sight of a stone path before him. The thin path was surrounded by high walls made from white marble. Looking up, he could see clear blue skies above.
Yelling made him turn to see the guard chasing him. He half-cantered with a limp and his eyes were watery with tears. Blood ran freely down his snout, but his face was no less furious than before. The guard snarled, baring his teeth and his horn lit up.
Corvo looked up and blinked to the top of the wall just as a ball of light streaked through the doorway. It hit the ground with a bang that knocked corvo off balance. He crouched down to lower his center of gravity and stopped teetering. The blast had torn a hole into the stone path, leaving it scorched and smoking.
He stood back up, thankful that he had moved and began to sprint along the top of the walls. As he ran, he studied the surrounding area, looking for a way to get to better cover. His head swiveled back and forth, looking at the buildings that blurred by, but he could not see past them. The wall ended and he jumped, focusing on the nearest roof ahead of him. He landed on the sloped surface with a dull thud and climbed to the top. His eyes opened wide as he looked around.
He was perched at the top of a building that overlooked the slope of the
gigantic mountain. He turned around and was overwhelmed by the sight of a round spire that reached high into the air. He had to crane his neck to see the top of it, but the dull sound of hooves hitting stone made him look down, just as a flash of light rushed toward him.
He quickly jumped from the path of the light, but was shot away from the building from the shockwave. Before he could land on the ground, he focused his power on the roof and blinked. He landed ungracefully and stumbled as he regained his balance. A sudden sharp pain flared in right side, causing him to buckle over, but he quickly focused and blinked to the next roof, nearly falling as he landed. He shuffled his feet to balance himself and began to climb up again. With the drop of the cliff before him, he jumped, free falling before blinking to a spot on the cliff that jutted out far enough for him to stand comfortably.
He looked up to see that the building he jumped from was high above him, and unless the guard could teleport faster than he could blink, he was free to run as far from that place as he wanted. Getting a small running start, he leaped from the cliff.
~~~~~~~~
“I can’t believe Princess Celestia insisted on us going home without helping the rest of the city.” Twilight said, exasperated.
Applejack pulled her hat over her eyes. “Honestly, after that fiasco, I could use a little rest. My legs’ll be sore from all of that buckin changeling butt. Now I can’t say I don’t feel sorry for the citizens of Canterlot, but I think Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have that situation handled.”
“I know, but still, we could be working on rebuilding some of those houses, and a lot of those ponies were hurt.”
Rarity looked up the tea that she was sipping on. “Twilight, Canterlot is a big city filled with plenty of medically inclined ponies, not to mention there will be plenty of ponies to help with the rebuilding. You should relax, dear, and enjoy the train ride.”
“Uhhhg. I know.” said Twilight, looking down at her hooves. “I just can’t help but to worry about it. What if there is a second attack? What if there are more changeling imposters hiding there?”
”I’m sure Princess Celestia would let you know as soon as possible. And do you really think that any changelings would have the nerve to stay?” Rarity answered before sipping at her tea.
“I suppose not. I guess I should relax, then. Still, it was weird that she sent us back to Ponyville so suddenly. It just makes me uneasy.”
Twilight turned her head to look at the source of a gurgling sound coming from next to her. “Uhh.. Sp-”
Spike interrupted Twilight with a loud belch and puff of green flame. “Huh.” he said as he snatched it from the air. “A letter so soon?”
The scroll was surrounded by a purple aura and lifted from spike’s claws. Twilight quickly opened it and skimmed through the writing, sliding her hoof across the paper. “It's from Princess Celestia… Be careful? Sending a team of trained seekers? You six may be needed in ponyville more than you know… WHAT!?”
Twilight’s outburst was returned with a gasp from each of the ponies in the car.
“What happened?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“It says here that a creature that was apprehended just after that changeling battle has escaped, injuring multiple ponies. She says Shining was one of them!” Twilight spoke with increasing worry in her voice. “Oh my gosh! It says the creature escaped and is heading straight for Ponyville!”
~~~~Corvo~~~~~
Once Corvo was sure he wasn’t followed, he entered a dense forest and followed the edge. He had followed the river that flowed down the mountain that Canterlot was perched on. He sat on a high branch of a tree overlooking a large orchard.
Each tree of the orchard was aligned to make perfect rows. From his point of view, they seemed healthy and lush with their red and green colored fruit.He decided that he should travel down and see just what kind of fruit they were. He also hoped that the farmer didn’t mind him taking a few, as long as they didn’t kill him.
Before he made his way down from the tree, he reached up and found the controls of his mask. He zoomed in to see if there were any workers in the orchard, or anything else that could be a danger to him.
Satisfied, he returned his mask’s vision to its normal setting, then blinked down to the ground. It was a short distance to the orchard, and the distance was made shorter as he blinked toward it. He reached to closest tree to him and binked to a branch that was thick enough to hold him. It wasn’t very high on the tree, but the surrounding branches were lush with leaves and were covered in, surprisingly, apples.
Rich, flavorful fruit like apples were quite rare in the Empire of the Isles, and even when he did get the pleasure of eating one, they didn’t look near as plump and fresh as these did. He stored the majority of them in whatever pockets they would fit in. He took the mask off and laid it on the tree beside him as he sat. He then took a bite of one of the apples.
The taste was surprisingly delicious. It was tart, but still sweet and juicy. Corvo couldn’t remember the last time he had fruit of the same quality. He looked down at the ground below the tree, not focussing on anything specific and quietly thought about his chances. Where they ruined? Would he ever be able to see Empress Kaldwin again?
He brought himself out of his thoughtful stupor and finished the apple quickly. He picked the mask back up and replaced it over his face. He activated his Dark Vision to see if any living being was watching. Only a few birds perched on the branches moved in his sight. He cancelled the Dark Vision and concentrated on the next tree over.
~~~~~~~~
A small group of elite royal guard stood at attention in front of Shining Armor. Two pegasi and three unicorns awaited their orders.
“Okay, we know where the creature is thanks to the tracking spell I hit him with.” Shining Armor spoke out with haste. “We must get to Apple Acres as quickly as possible, so we are sending a team of speed fliers to scout him out.” Shining’s horn lit up and a hexagonal stone appeared in front of him. It had a spiraling rune etched into it that glowed a light purple. Shining looked at the pegasi; “This is a recall stone. We need you two to take this stone no closer than one klick away from the orchard, and only between it and Canterlot.” I will be able to create a portal from here to this stone so the rest of us can travel through. I will create the portal when this stone touches the ground, so don’t put it down until you are sure we can get in without being noticed. As soon as we get there, follow me until I give you the signal to distract him.”
The two pegasi stood tall and saluted before one of them grabbed the recall stone and lifted off. They soared away, a light breeze following their ascent.
“As for us, we will be doing the dirty work.” Shining continued. The three unicorn guards never flinched as he spoke. “It will be your job to detain the creature with extreme prejudice. Do not hold back your strength when you bind him, and if you have to break his bones, then do it. We already healed the one I broke, and he has seriously injured multiple guards and several researchers to thank us. In order to make this as easy on us as possible, we will need to sneak in on him with the help of the speed fliers distracting him. Our mission is to detain him, but if anything goes wrong, do not hesitate to use lethal force. Am I understood?”
The guard ponies stood tall and saluted. “Yes sir!” they said in unison.
~~~~~~~~
Corvo slowed his pace as he came closer to a building situated in the trees. Corvo saw the opportunity for possible shelter and blinked to a tree that would give him a closer look at the structure. The whole building was resting on thick boards that were attached to the tree with bolts. A makeshift set of stairs lead from the ground to a deck surrounded by railing. From Corvo’s position, he could see a window and a door. The window had two shutters with big hearts carved out of them, and the door was decorated similarly. It was painted with autumn colors and decorated with multiple flower beds with flowers whose petals were beginning to close as there was less light in the evening.
He crouched down on the branch and activated his Dark Vision and the house’s walls became transparent, allowing him to see through them. To his surprise, Corvo saw three small figures sitting in a circle, huddled around something laying on the floor. They seemed to be conversing until one of them looked up, nearly directly at him. Startled, Corvo deactivated his Dark Vision and blinked to a branch on the other side of the building.
Corvo crouched on the branch and activated his Dark Vision to see if he was spotted.
~~~~~~~
Two pegasi flew as fast as they could, traveling past the forest in a matter of just a few minutes. One of them raised a hoof and both slowed down as they approached Sweet Apple Acres. Still above the forest, they scouted the area for anything that could be there before descending toward the ground. As they landed, The one that was holding the recall stone pulled it out of a pocket and placed it down. It gave a small pulse before glowing brightly.
~~~~~~~
Corvo could see the one that got up look through the window, turning its head from left to right in search of what it saw. It turned its head back to the others, shrugging its shoulders. It walked back to them and sat on its hind legs, starting the conversation back up.
Corvo decided that he had escaped their knowing of his presence, so he began to turn around to continue toward the town. Just before he deactivated his Dark Vision, a small light caught his eye, then two lights emerged in the distance. He stopped to focus on the approaching lights and noticed that they were coming at him faster than some arrows that he had to dodge in the past.
He didn’t have much time to think as they came closer. He did not know their intention, so he did not know if their target was him or the small horses in the treehouse or if it was the town, so he decided to stand his ground. He turned his Dark Vision off, and flexed his arms and legs in preparation to move quickly, and as the first one come upon him, he blinked to the top of the treehouse. The second one took very little time in turning to attack him (so he was the target) and he blinked to the ground. Then the first darted toward him once more, coming close with a small blade attached to its forehoof. Corvo ducked below his assailant and punched up, landing a direct blow on its lower ribs. He didn’t see the results as the second one rushed toward him, rolling forward rapidly. Corvo blinked to the side, narrowly avoiding the second one’s blade.
The second one took no time in recovering, swiftly turning and swiping with its blade, but before it could connect, Corvo blinked behind it and threw a punch at where he though its kidneys might be. The second assailant lurched forward and hit the ground ungraciously, but again, Corvo had no time to assess the damage as he saw the first assailant out of the corner of his eye. Corvo blinked forward an arm's-length, turning around as quickly as he could, but the assailant changed directions too fast for him to find a location to blink to. Corvo prepared for both the impact and the blade, calling on marshal instinct to push the offending weapon out of the way.
He managed to dodge the blade, but took the full force of the assailant’s body and speed, knocking him backward to the ground. He continued the momentum by curling his knees toward himself, which threw the assailant off of him in the process. Again, he had no time to think as the second assailant was already charging, but Corvo had the advantage of time as he was able to produce a wind blast that knocked the assailant into a nearby tree. Corvo heard the first assailant getting up and turned around, preparing another wind blast, but as Corvo brought his left arm up, a familiar feeling grasped at him.
Know the magical binds, Corvo quickly blinked to a high branch on the closest tree. He couldn’t see anything with his naked eye so he activated his Dark Vision, and cursed as he saw four more small horses in the nearby brush, all of them looking directly at him. He turned his Dark Vision off as a sudden bright light began to grow from one of their horns. Corvo barely evaded whatever it was that was thrown at him, blinking back to the ground. Instantly, magical binds wrapped around his arms and legs, but he blindly blinked forward in an attempt to release them. The binds broke, allowing him a small moment to find a safe spot to blink, but before he could locate a spot, he was tackled by two bodies, all three of them tumbling over one another.
Again, the binds quickly found his limbs, and with the weight of the first two assailants pressing him down, Corvo could do nothing but breath heavily, exhausted from the fight.
With the magical binds tightly wrapped around his arms and legs, a voice yelled out and the two assailants released their grip on Corvo, hovering into the air. Corvo began to lift from the ground, his arms spread out as far as they could go and his legs held close together. He looked at his assailants, and thought to himself that he shouldn’t be surprised, but couldn’t help but feel slightly shocked to see that same guard that had been chasing him from the start.
A sudden though occurred to Corvo and he looked up, turning his head toward the treehouse. He activated his Dark Vision, relieved as he saw the three small figures huddled together in a corner away from the violence. He turned his Dark Vision off and looked back toward the guard, who was approaching him slowly.