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// 9. Archive #9 - Our Prince and the Assassin 
// Story: The Archives of Equusweyr 
// by Coranth 
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One day, there came a Pony to Our Fair City from the Outside - Thestral by breed and Assassin by nature - who had been sent by his King that the Prince might be slain such that the Thestral King might sneakily lay claim to what was not his to take. Our Prince's Hoofmaidens stopped the stallion, of course - how could they not - for the Thestral King was vain and hadn't studied Our Prince or even the many, many defenses of our City. As he lay wounded before the Golden Throne, the Pseudo-Alicorn Hoofmaiden who'd brought the Assassin low made then to end his life--but the gentle touch of a hoof to her shoulder stopped her. Disappointed, the Hoofmaiden - whom was a Mistress of Death herself - backed off, allowing Our Prince to approach.

His kind, young-yet-old face etched with pain, the Prince gazed down at the wounded stallion with saddened eyes, a single, whispered word escaping his lips. "Why?"

"Your City," murmured the Assassin, even as the Prince drew upon a touch of his power to heal the stallion. As our Prince helped the would-be killer to his feet, he continued, "My King, Lucius Oraculus, desires your City; to rule it and claim it as his own."

At this, our Prince slowly, sadly, shook his head. "I forgive him -- and you -- for neither of you know what you do," he said to the stallion. Then, he continued, "Your King cannot - will not - have what is not his. Besides... to watch over this place as I do would render a mortal pony mad..."

At this, the Assassin was shocked. "Why?" asked he. It was then that our Prince - through an [ACCESS DENIED - ECHELON LEVEL CLEARANCE REQUIRED] - connected the poor stallions mind to the Master Transceiver; the Neural Transceiver inside his own head. At first, the poor stallion was fine--he heard Equusweyr, and then the contentment of the many Peoples of Our City... but soon, he began to hear Greater Equestria.... the thoughts of all of Celestia's ponies laid bare... as a mare wept for her dead foal as a husband was killed by a manticore as an orphan wished for a home as a noble selfishly gambled his fortune as a grandmare died in her bed as a young colt kissed his marefriend as a couple made love as another couple fought as a mare took drugs as a filly said goodbye to her parents as she left for school as a stallion got promoted as a mare was evicted from her home as a colt watched his mother die of cancer as a filly hugged her parents in thanks for her new pet as a colt wept as his pet died as as as as as as...

The Assassin wept, - he bawled like a foal, unable to take anymore. When at last his cries faded - after our Prince got him a glass of water - he looked at our Prince in wonder. "How... how can you live like this?!" he cried. "Surely... surely you cannot send your Templar Guard to help them all!"

Our Prince shook his head, then "We try... because nopony else can. Whilst we cannot aid all, we can help some, and if not us... then who?" 

The former Assassin had no words for that. Instead, he asked, "How... how is it you hear these things?"

"How is it you do not?" Our Prince replied, softly.