//------------------------------// // Amnesiac // Story: Deadly Courier // by RhetCon //------------------------------// "I hoped you've learned your lesson." The barrel of a gun is the last place you want your nose. Especially if the wielder is primed to shoot. ‘Y-yes, yes. I have.” On your knees is a position that shows weakness, or inferiority. Unless you’re proposing, I guess. “So, can I have your signature?” “Y-yes…” On his knees, in the middle of a club, was a mob boss, surrounded by his subjects. Each and every one of them was previously disarmed and helpless. His eyes flicked to the side where he called a man over to hand him a pen. “Great. I’m gonna need you to sign here, here, and here.” He clicked the pen and signed the three spots quickly, handing me the clipboard after he was finished. “Thanks, pleasure doing business.” Flipping my pistol back into its holster, I turned around and waltzed out of the club. Or I would’ve, had a cluster of mobsters not gathered outside, each with their own firearm. “Shoot him!” they yelled. Bullets were sprayed in my direction, lighting up the club’s entrance and damaging the wall behind me. No bullets touched me, of course. My job description explicitly states not to hurt any customers or their personnel. I couldn’t kill the men, but I could rid them of their guns. Quickly, and precisely, I collected all of the guns from them and threw them to the side in a pile. “Sayonara.” I took off down the street of the densely populated New York street. If they pursued, I didn’t notice. After a few blocks, I ran into an alley and jumped into the wall, my boots auto-adjusting to the change in traction. Truly, the grav-boots were majestic. After climbing up the wall, I pulled myself up onto the roof. Walking along the top of the building, I got an opportunity to open a call. I flicked my wrist, the small pad sliding into my hand. I pressed a few buttons and put it to my ear. “Job’s done,” I said simply over the phone. “The mafia may want my head on a plate now, but, hey. It’s a part of the job.” “That’s fine. I’ve wired the money into your account,” said the distorted voice over the phone. “I hope you’ll be fine with 10,000?” “Absolutely fine,” I said. “We’ll keep in touch, then?” “Yes.” The call ended, and I pulled the phone back into its place in my sleeve. I turned around, ready to head back home. A writhing mass of black was behind me. My reflex was to reach for my gun. I ripped it from its holster and aimed it at the swirl. After a few seconds of no reaction, I lowered my aim, the gun still firmly in my hand. “Well then,” I said, slowly approaching it. “Wouldn’t be the weirdest thing to appear in NY, I guess.” A gunshot rang out and startled me. A sharp pain ran through my abdomen, my mind numbing, and my body weakening. As I fell to a knee, the mass swallowed my upper body whole. The rest of the body quickly followed, soon knocking me unconscious. Damn. My day was going so well too. I woke up with the pain still excruciatingly present. When my eyes opened, I couldn’t hold back the tears. “You’re awake!” said a voice. “You weren’t supposed to be up yet!” “It hurts… so much,” I said through gritted teeth. “All for a small wound...” “W-wait, I’ll stabilize you! Just give me a few minutes.” “Gah! My ribs feel like they’re liquefying.” “It can’t be that bad-” “Do I even still have a stomach…?” “Okay, the process has started,” said the voice. “Just wait for a minute, or so.” “My heart feels like it’s beating in my eyes!” “I’m sorry. This is my fault.” I stayed silent. Mostly because my face pained to even move. My eyes zeroed in on the person who’d been talking to me, the sight of purple filling my bloated, wet eyes. All at once, the pain disappeared. The lack of pain made my entire body shudder. “There!” Said the voice, now clearly female. “You should be fine now. Do you feel any pain?” “No…” I said. “That’s amazing, uh…” I looked at my healer in awe. Her skin was purple, and her forehead had a small horn protruding from it. Her eyes were a soft purple, and her hair was… also purple. It had a pink stripe, though. “Uh…” “Oh, where are my manners?” She said, straightening herself up. “My name is Twilight.” “Twilight...” I said getting a feel for the name. “My name’s Stephon. May I ask a question?” “Actually, there is no time for questions. You need to meet Princess Celestia ASAP!” “Okay, I guess...” I said, getting to my feet. “Will this princess answer my questions?” “Uh, hopefully?” She opened the door and went into a large hallway. After following suit, I was swallowed by sunlight seeping in through stained glass. In my state of marvel, I failed to realize that Twilight was leaving me behind. I quickly followed her. “So, care to tell me where I am?” I asked. “There’s no problem if you answer them on the way, right?” “I suppose not,” she answered. “You’re in the land of Equestria, a land inhabited by magical beings.” “Did I come here via… writhing black space portal?” “Yes… I assume you mean the other-world gates?” She asked. “Princess Luna herself summoned you to this world.” “So, we have two princesses’ now?” “Four, in fact,” she said, a pair of wings sprouting from her shirt. I didn’t know how I hadn’t noticed it before. “I am one of the four.” “So, what exactly are you?” “We are ponies while you are human,” she said. “We have access to magical devices that allow us to communicate between the worlds. The gates are one example of this.” “Why was I summoned here?” “That… I don’t know.” “Ah,” I said. “So I assume this Princess Celestia knows?” “If she does, she has neglected to share such information with me…” she said sadly. “Maybe she simply forgot.” I would’ve bumped into Twilight, had I not come to an abrupt stop. Before us stood two people, both with old fashioned swords on their hips. They stood still like palace guards in London. Behind them stood an ungodly large set of double doors, way larger than they had any reason to be. Without any other action, the doors slowly, and loudly swung open, revealing a large open room, a cluster of seats at the far back. “Follow me,” said Twilight, entering the room. I continued following her into the cool, quiet room. Upon closer inspection, two thrones could be seen. One white and one black. Each one had a woman in it, One with almost completely white skin, horn and wings, and one with dark blue skin, horn, and wings. Twilight stopped at the foot of their thrones. “I brought him,” she said. “He was shot, but I stabilized him. He should be fine.” “Should be?” I murmured to myself. “I see…” said the one in white. “Thank you, Twilight.” “I’ll just get to the question of the day,” I said. “Why am I here?” “Then I will give you a quick answer,” said the bright one. “But first, introductions. I am Celestia, and this here is Luna: Princesses of the Sun and Moon respectively.” “Stephon,” I said. “Professional Courier.” “I understand that was not your only profession,” said Celestia. “A hitman trying to live a lower maintenance life, no?” “Lower maintenance…?” I said slowly. “Nah, I just got tired of the business.” “Tired, huh?” she said. “So, the question of the day. How would you like to join my personal army?” “Sorry,” I said. “I’m not an army man.” “You misunderstand,” she said. “You will not be joining a traditional army like the ones on Earth. In fact, it will be more akin to your old profession.” “You want me to be an assassin.” “That’s one way to put it.” “No.” “And why is that?” “I’m bored of that kind of thing.” “Is that truly the reason?” I wanted to open my mouth and retort, but nothing came out. Why didn’t I want to rejoin the profession? I’d make good money, probably be able to settle down back in New York and live an actually peaceful life. “Stephon?” asked Twilight, snapping me out of my daze. “Are you okay? You look a little bit confused.” “I have to be scared, I think…” I said. “Scared of something. Mortified. I… can’t think of what it is, but that must be the reason.” “I see,” she said. ‘We will assure your safe passage, then. Luna, if you will?” “It will take me a few minutes to get another gate open,” Luna reported. “Ah, I see,” she said, once again. “Maybe you will entertain yourself in our courtyard, Stephon?” “The courtyard?” I asked. “What is there to do in the courtyard?” “It’s a pleasant evening outside, in any case,” said Celestia. “Maybe you’d like to witness my setting of the sun and Luna’s rising of the moon?” “Seems like fun,” I said. “I could use a breath of fresh air anyways.” A set of large doors to our right opened, leading towards a grassy outdoor space. Celestia, Luna, Twilight, and I all headed towards the open doors and into the cool, blowing air. A long pathway leading further into the greenery came into view. With Celestia in the lead, we ventured further into the outdoor space. One the further side of the courtyard, a lone figure could be seen. She was an oddity, standing alone with a bow in her hand, primed to shoot at a target. Her form was beautiful and inspiring, her stance very confident and her long pink hair swayed to and fro in the wind and a pair of wings sprouted from her back. We stopped only a few feet away from her. “Who’s that?” I asked. “A friend of mine,” answered Twilight. “Watch.” A long, strong wind blowing. Right after this wind ended, she let the arrow fly, the tip landing right in the middle of the target seemingly 300 feet away. She reminded me a lot of myself. After she smiled at her accomplishment, she turned around, and all of her confidence broke. “U-uh…” she said. “Bravo, Fluttershy!” said Celestia, clapping. “You never cease to amaze me.” “Oh… t-thank you very much Princess,” she said nearly inaudibly. “P-please this was nothing noteworthy.” “What is that distance?” asked Luna with a smile. “Nearly 90 meters?” “Yes…” she said. “A-again, this is nothing much. I don’t deserve such praise.” “What do you think of it, Stephon?” asked Twilight. “Very impressive,” I said. “I have done something similar, actually.” “Oh?” asked Luna. “Would you be up for a little sport, then?” “Sport?” both Fluttershy and I asked simultaneously. “Yes, sport,” said Luna. “A friendly competition. Simple, but fun in some respects.” “I guess I have no problem with that,” I said. “Let it be known, though. I’ve never wielded a bow in my life.” “It’s really never too late to learn,” said Twilight. “By the time the match is over, you’ll be on your way home.” “Okay then,” I said. “It’s only for fun, anyways. I love having fun.” “U-Um…” Fluttershy was silent as lined up next to her. “G-good luck…” “To you as well,” I said, taking a bow from a stand to my right. Approximately 300 feet away, a small apple lay on the heads of straw dolls. Fluttershy drew her bow and I followed suit. Although it was hard at first, after concentrating, I was able to focus my aim. Athena’s Sight. The entire courtyard became blue, thousands of pieces of information entering my head. Suddenly, drawing a bow didn’t seem so complicated. Aiming just right wasn’t hard anymore. I could sit back and shoot. As I let the string go, I saw it sail right into the apple’s core, tearing it asunder and ripping it in two. Athena’s Sight withered away and I lowered my bow. “Amazing,” said Twilight. “Are you sure this is the first time you’ve wielded a bow?” “Pretty sure,” I said. “It couldn’t have been that har-” Fluttershy’s arrow sailed straight into the Apple’s stem, nailing it to the wall behind it. The courtyard was silent once again. Everyone was shocked, even Fluttershy.I had to break the silence. “That,” I said. “Was amazing.” “That shouldn’t even be possible,” said Twilight. “Absolutely astonishing!” “Yes, quite,” said Luna. “I think it’s clear to see who shot the more impressive shot.” “Yeah,” I said, turning to my opponent, who was still shocked. “Congrats.” “I… I…,” she said. “What was…?” “Hm?” I asked. “You okay there?” She shook herself away, lowered her bow and blushed. “N-nothing. It was nothing,” she said quickly. “Thank you for the match.” She quickly walked away, going towards the interior. “That was most unusual,” said Luna. “Perhaps she saw something during her shot?” “Maybe,” said Twilight. “Maybe not.” “Hey, Celestia,” I said. “Is that girl in the army?” “Yes, she is,” she said “In fact, she is a fellow assassin. Very skilled at what she does.” “Then I am not needed?” “Yes, very much so.” “She’s clearly better than I am,” I said. “Why am I needed?” Celestia sighed. “She was very precise when she asked us to bring you here,” said Celestia. “You are missing important pieces of your memory. We have all met before. Recall, what did you have for breakfast?” “That... I had…” I said. “Are you serious?” “Yes,” said Twilight. “I answered your questions before. Can’t you remember?” “Not a damn thing,” I said angrily. “I remember being a hitman, and I remember doing that job earlier…” “By being here, she wanted you to regain your memory,” said Luna. “That’s why we were so insistent in you becoming our assassin. Stephon, you were a hitman for us” “You keep mentioning this she person.” I took a deep breath as I saw the women exchange glances. “Who is she?” “Does the name…” Twilight’s horn lit up. “Does the name Leila strike any bells?” I would’ve said no, but my voice instantly dried up. Quick images flashed past my vision, each one showing me with a girl. She looked just like me, same brown hair, and eyes, same tannish skin. For some reason, I started to cry. Something saddening was overwhelming me, and I was angry I didn’t know what. The sharp pain returned, clouding my vision to nothing. I’m pretty sure I fell backward, the three women swirling around to help me. The only thing I could hear in my head was Leila. My sister.