Detective Pie - Episodes from Manehattan

by Random Gamer

The Order - Part 4

After an unknown amount of days, still somewhere within the Assassin Order sanctuary.

Twilight slowly opened her eyes and found herself in some sort of prison cell, dirty, with a putrid smell coming somewhere from the outside. Her chest had multiple layers of bandages but even that didn't stop the blood from leaving marks on it. She slowly stood up from the bed she was laying on and approached the doors. When they couldn't be moved with her magic, she tried to move the iron bars around them, but that didn't work either.

"Don't waste your strength," said an unknown female voice behind her. "they're under his control."

Twilight looked to the other side of the room and saw a mare sitting on a bed who bore a striking resemblence to Celestia, but had green eyes and missed one color in her mane. Her height, mane and tail were also shorter, but her coat was pure white. Her voice was also very similiar to Celestia's.

"Who... who are you?" asked Twilight.

"I'm Solaris." she said. "I've used quite a lot of hair to make those bandages. Are you feeling better?"

"Yes." said Twilight. "Thanks."

"If you're wondering, yes I'm Celestia's relative and no," she said. "I have no idea why she never mentions me."

"You're... her relative?" asked Twilight. "I mean, I know Prince Blueblood is her nephew but I had no idea she had a bigger family."

"She never told you that?" said Solaris. "I'm BB's cousin. My aunt's family is actually a lot bigger but a lot of them aren't royalty."

"I'm her student for ten years now, but she never told me about her family." replied Twilight. "Do you she doesn't trust me?"

"Well, obviously, she does, since you're her student." said Solaris. "But there are a bunch of things she'd never told you because she though they weren't important. I guess she didn't tell you anything about her rather colourful life."

"No, she didn't." said Twilight.

"Well, you really don't want to know all the things she did. But I'll tell you it was a long and bumpy road for both her and Luna to become princesses and a lot of things happened during that." said Solaris. "In short, love is complicated and don't ask them about it."

"Okay..." said Twilight. "So how did you end up here?"

"Pretty much the same reason you ended up here," she replied. "but I didn't try escaping. I tried taking down the Grandmaster himself. Ended up getting tied, beaten and thrown in this hellhole. Been half a year now."

"And no one came looking for you?" asked Twilight. "Does no one miss you?"

"Well, I'm kinda nomadic, which means I never stay in one place too long." replied Solaris. "The few of my friends who can keep up with me are adventurers and we rarily meet. Guess I should have listenened to Tia's advice to settle down and form a family."

"Do you know of a way out?" asked Twilight.

"Nah, but I know we're at least fifty metres or seven stories underground." replied Solaris. "But I'm quite sure you're not the only one who wants to escape. Truth be told, some guys at cell seven are trying to dig their way out. They broke over seventy spoons so far, but dug quite a lenghty tunnel. Once they hit a brick wall, they'll know they reached the Manehattan underground. From there, it's pretty much navigating a maze with just four or so exits."

"Have you seen a pink mare being brought here as well?" asked Twilight. "She's a friend of mine."

"Yeah, I did." replied Solaris. "They've locked her up in a secure cell, though, so no idea how to get her out." A guard approached the cell, opened a small hatch on the door and gave us food. It was just two, half-rotten apples with a similiarly-rotten bread. Instead of handing it to us, he threw it threw the hatch and laughed.

"Enjoy your meal, ladies!" he said and returned to his post. Twilight didn't return to her bed and eat like Solaris did. She just kept waiting and watched the guards as their walked around in the prison.

Suddenly, one of them collapses and one by one did the others. All of them had one, gaping wound in their back but the killer was nowhere to been. Before she could think about it further the doors opened and an assassin pony appeared out of nowhere.

"Twilight," he said. "It's me, Mayday."

"Mayday?" she replied. "How did you-"

"Well, I wasn't alone." he said and two more assassins walked to doors of our cell.

"I was starting to think you guys are as dumb as the last batch." said Solaris. "You do realize this is a rebellion, right?"

"We've seen the Grandmaster do horrible, horrible things and that fact that he forced a friend to nearly kill you was the last straw." said Mayday. "You might not be a good assassin, but you're a good pony and good ponies shouldn't really be here."

"The four of us will have a higher chance of getting out." Solaris kindly pushed Twilight out of the way and looted one of the dead guards for a hidden blade.

"Four of us?" asked. Twilight. "Why not release all the prisoners?"

"Agreed." uttered Mayday. "Let's do that." And so, the group released everyone from their cells, Pinkie included. She was very sorry for almost killing her friend but agreed to help. Now, with a small army wreaking havoc on the sanctuary, they used the distraction and reached the grandmaster's chambers. When they found him, he was in a deep state of meditation with his back turned on them. Solaris slowly walked closer to assassinate him but he overheard her steps and turned around.

"You..." he said and looked angrily at the group. "You have caused great harm to the Assassin Order and leave me no other choice but to carry out justice!" He opened his vest and reached for his horn but before he could grab it, Twilight took hold of it and aimed it at him.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Instead of using the horn on him, she tossed it aside, breaking it.

"We're escaping." said Twilight. "And there's nothing you can do to stop us."

"Why, you ungrateful little-" Before he could finish his rant, he was immobilized by Solaris' magic which froze himin place.

"That'll shut him up." she said and the group made their way to the room with levers. After pulling all four of them, the doors opened and they were now in a more recogniseable part of the sanctuary. It contained the same doors Twilight used to enter and upon opening them, they found themselves back on the street. The escaped ponies bid farewell and went their own way each except for Pinkie and Twilight, who were going for the postal office. Since Spike was at Canterlot, she had to use something more conventional than scrolls.

At the postal office.

"You sure you want to write the letter yourself?" asked a stallion who wrote letters for those with awful writing.

"No, I'm good." replied Twilight and started writing a letter to Celestia. After she was done, she drew an Assassin Order insignia and a Solar Order insignia. If the new mayor wasn't lying, she'll recognise them immediately. After sending it, both of them returned to their hotel where they talked about what they could and didn't do at the Assassin Order. Pinkie was still sorry for stabbing Twilight, but Twilight knew she was under the grandmaster's influence.

Their relaxation was put on hold when a mail pony knocked on their door and told them he had a super-fast delivery for Twilight Sparkle. Pinkie opened the door, smiled, took the letter and closed it.

"Well, what does it say?" asked Pinkie after giving it to Twilight.

"Dear Twilight Sparkle..." Twilight read the letter out loud. "What you have said was all true. Both orders were created to provide protection for me and my sister but weren't created by us. A group of ponies insisted on protecting us, even though getting nothing in return and thus, the Solar and Lunar Order were created. It's true the Lunar Order became superior after Luna's banishment and while it's members were corrupt too, I personally spent the first day of my ruling to ensure they won't stay like that for long. I've had absolutely no idea remnants of the Solar Order became the Assassin Order, which, like you wrote, you accidentally joined. I will send a small group of ponies to investigate what you found. Their leader appears to be led by delusions since the Lunar Order no longer exists. I will put an end to the Assassin Order for the sake of them not killing any more innocent ponies who are descendants of members of the Lunar Order. Thank you for reporting this to me. Signed, Princess Celestia."

"Do you think the mayor will want to hear about it too?" asked Pinkie. "We weren't at the right Order, though."

"Well, we heard that it's a place full of weed-smoking monks." replied Twilight. "I have no reason to go there. But I will visit the mayor tomorrow."