Contracted

by Slywolf930

Life

Life

Twilight tried to close the door, but a hoof stopped it from shutting completely. She backed away, not knowing if she should be scared or angry.

“I didn’t even say anything yet,” Marx said, pushing the door open.

“What are you doing here?” Twilight asked.

“Well it all started when I got this contract…” Marx said. Twilight raised her eyebrow and Marx stopped.

“Long story short, I need someplace to stay,” Marx said.

“You tried to kill us!” Twilight said.

“Just business,” Marx said.

“Tell me why I shouldn’t call the guards right now?” Twilight asked.

“Because, if you don’t let me stay here for a little while, I’ll just go ask Fluttershy. There’s no way she’ll say no… I think. I mean, I stayed over that one night… anyways, would you want the guards to charge into her house to arrest me? That’ll scar her for life,” Marx explained, putting a hoof on the door frame to steady himself.

“What’s to stop me from calling the guards if I let you stay here?” Twilight asked.

“I don’t know, that’s up to you,” Marx said, walking into the library. “Nice place you have here, how many stories?” Marx asked, chuckling lightly.

“Really?” Twilight asked, confused at his attitude.

“Don’t mind him, he’s on some painkillers right now,” Twilight heard from behind her. She turned around, almost not noticing the pony in the corner.

“How’d you get in?” Twilight asked.

“Window was open upstairs, is that a problem?” Rogue asked, tilting her head.

“Whoa now Rogue, we don’t want to kill a librarian. Isn’t that like… a crime?” Marx asked, scratching his head.

“I told you not to take three. The label said only one a day,” Rogue said, her hoof on her forehead.

“Relax… that just means I won’t have to take another one for… three hours!” Marx said.

“W-what?” Rogue asked.

“Is he okay?” Twilight asked suspiciously.

“Okay… so we might have also stopped by a bar on the way over,” Rogue responded.

Twilight looked at her like she was crazy. Considering what conversation they were having, she wouldn’t have been surprised.

“What? He needed something to wash down the pills with. It was his idea,” Rogue said, sitting down and grabbing a book off a shelf.

“Before, or after he took the pills?” Twilight asked.
“After…”
“I never gave my answer to the first question,” Twilight responded, remembering the question.

Rogue looked up from the book, her eyes locking on to Twilight’s. The sword on the floor next to her sparked with energy for a second and Twilight started to back away.

“I mean, make yourselves at home! I’ll go… over here,” Twilight said, walking upstairs to find Spike and the open window she’d heard of.

Marx sat down, looking at the floorboards as he stared into nothingness, his mind turning slowly under the influence. He looked up, the upper bookshelves had barely anything on them, and one near the door had no books shelved on it. Marx stood up, his mind almost at a standstill.
----------
Dear Princess Celestia,
I’d like to inform you of something that’s come up in Ponyville. It would be best if you sent royal guards immediately pertaining to Marx, AKA Shadow. He is hiding in the library, currently under the influence. I believe that this time he would be easily captured. Again, if you could, send guards immediately.

Twilight signed the scroll and let Spike send it out the window in a fiery green smoke. Then, she went downstairs to see if Marx was still conscious.
----------

Death looked down at the town below. His scythe glowed brighter with evil energy. His eyes turned a deep red as he smiled at the sight. The grass and flowers started to wilt around him as he took slow steps forward. When he walked past a tree, leaves started to fall and the branches bent downward.

Nearby, a pony watched in the shadows, his mouth in a frown as he shook his head. It was about time. At this rate, Mercy will…

The pony looked up as he saw a glimpse of a different pony walking into town. It was Mercy, and he was early. When he looked up, he also noticed the flying battalion of guards coming towards the town. At the front, were three divine guards leading five other Shadow guards and ten Dawn guards. The pony’s eyes widened as he saw the problem to come. Moving as fast as he could, he ran to intercept them before it was too late.
-------------

“Well, where’d he go?” Twilight asked, looking at Rogue who had been almost finished with her book.

“I don’t know, the bathroom? He’s got nowhere else to go. And why do you care? Did you call the guards already?” Rogue asked, closing the book.

“N-no, it’s just…” Twilight tried to say.

“You’re a terrible liar. Guess I’ll have to go find him and-,”

Rogue stopped as the door was broken down, Mercy stood there, his shape covering up almost the whole doorway as he looked around the room, his eyes stopping on Rogue.

“Where’s Marx? I heard about Clutch,” Mercy said, his face in a scowl.

“I don’t know; what am I, his babysitter?” Rogue asked.

“Well that baby owes me a fight, and I’m here to collect,” Mercy said.

“Why don’t you-,”

Mercy was pushed inside as the three Divine guards pushed in first, followed by the shadow guards. Rogue immediately stood stiff, the sword ready.

“Why does everyone think they can just come in?” Twilight asked from her position.

“We’re looking for Shadow, he’s wanted for-,” The Divine guard stopped as he saw Mercy. “You…”

“Shit,” Mercy whispered to himself as he readied the big hammer on his side. All of a sudden, there was a breeze in the room that brought an eerie feeling in the air. Dust blew in every direction and the guards covered their eyes. In the middle of the room, a figure appeared standing when the dust cleared, he was looking at Mercy and Rogue.

“I want to have some fun too,” He said, a floating purple orb circling his head.

“Myst, what are you doing here?” Mercy asked.

“Just doing my mentor a little favor, I owe him for showing me the ropes after all,” Myst said.

“Mercy, a bounty of five million bits, Myst a bounty of four million bits, and Rogue a bounty of one point five million bits. You are all under arrest,” The lead Divine guard said, all of the guards getting their weapons ready for battle.

“Not in my house!” Twilight almost yelled, her precious collection of books endangered.
----------

Death walked into town, his eyes set on the library that he could just feel Marx was hiding in. Now, he noticed the figure of Myst teleport outside of the library, taking Rogue and Mercy without asking first. After that, he used his magic, only Death and Myst knew about Myst’s various collection of ancient magicks. Mercy and Rogue were forced to run away, the guards in the library exiting and pursuing them at high speeds.

Death’s smile was venomous, his gratitude to Myst overwhelmed by the possibilities of what would happen to Marx. Death trudged on, his steps growing heavier and his scythe feeding off the evil thoughts. Death made it to the library, his first hoof inside caused Twilight to throw away the broom she’d gotten.

“Yes?!” Twilight nearly screamed.

“Marx, come out,” Death asked, ignoring her. His voice was almost hollow.

“Those pills really did the trick, I feel great,” Marx yawned from the top book shelf. He looked down at Death, who was looking up at him.

“Shit,” Marx said, jumping down. “I don’t suppose you’re here to sell some cookies?” Marx asked, reaching for his sword.

“It’s time for you to face judgement,” Death said, taking the scythe from his side. The tip glinted in the light, and the cracks on it glowed red. Marx could tell there was something wrong.

“Looks like…” Marx said, walking towards the doorway, “you’re taking this Death thing a little too seriously. You even got an upgrade,” Marx said, referring to the scythe.

Death backed out so they could fight in the grassy field behind the library. His eyes never left Marx.

“Geez everypony thinks they can just come in if they feel like it,” Twilight said, picking up the broom and going back to cleaning up.

“Well it is a library,” Spike replied from upstairs.
----------

Rogue had to dodge a katana swing before charging forward and slicing a Dawn Guard. Mercy used his hammer to disarm two Dawn guards, before a Shadow guard raced in and Rogue had to block the strike for him. Myst was using his orb to electrify his opponents, and making their unconscious comrades fight the others.

“Get out of my way,” Mercy said to Rogue before swinging his hammer to the Divine guard, who blocked the attack with his katana with ease. The ground cracked underneath, but the guard didn’t budge.

“You could at least say thanks,” Rogue said, jumping over a Dawn guard to hit a dazed Shadow guard. She was hit from her side and had to right herself up quickly before the katana could cut into her neck.

“Save the talking for later,” Myst said, rolling to the side to avoid the Dawn guard. He activated his magic, the air sparking around the guard before he burst into flames.

“Coming from the mute, I’m not surprised,” Mercy said, stopping a swing from a Dawn guard with his hammer, causing the dawn guard to fall backward, his head hitting a tree.

Myst activated his magic. The guard stood up and grabbed his spear before stabbing a Shadow guard in the back. Myst then had to use his orb on an approaching Divine guard, causing him to slow but not stop. He rolled to the side. His hoof was caught in the swing and started to bleed. The blood fell to the floor, Myst’s eyes glowing for a second.

“Blood moon,” Myst whispered. His horn lit up instantly. Having rolled to the side, he’d fallen in Rogue’s hearing range. She was at first confused, but then she saw the blood on the ground connect to his own and cover the ground with red. She’d heard about this before, but she didn’t know exactly what it did.

“I’ve got you covered, give ‘em hell,” Myst said.

Rogue dashed forward, her sword swinging countless times into a handful of guards. They hadn’t moved, and they were not responding to the hits other than bleed out of the wounds. Mercy raised his hammer, the hit landing on a Divine guard. He was sent sprawling out of the red area, his scream heard after he’d landed.

“What was that?” Rogue asked, as the red ground slowly changed back to normal.

“Doesn’t matter, there’s still two more,” Myst said, looking to the guards unaffected by either of their attacks. There were only two more Dawn guards, one more Shadow guard, and the last two Divine guards that looked almost untouched. They rushed forward, Rogue sliding back from the pressure of his attack. Mercy didn’t block fast enough, his side getting two cuts before he could block.

“Until death… I will fight!” Rogue heard from the side. She had to dodge to avoid the swing. The previous Divine guard had returned, his head and eyes bleeding from the hit he’d taken.

“Make that three,” Myst said, his horn glowing.
----------

Death looked at Marx, his eyes now glowing a bright blood red. The wind blew softly as Marx held his gaze, the sword ready to strike. Now, he pointed it to the sky as he sighed.

“No matter how this ends, I’m not going to think any less of you. I won’t ask for mercy, and I won’t show any to you. Today one of us will die, I need to make that clear…” Marx said, hoping Dalen hadn’t lost his mind completely. They were friends before, after all.

“Enough, It’s time I killed you already,” Death said, getting impatient.

“The day I die… I’ll remember one thing,” Marx recited.

Death flinched, those words hit deep in his past. Back when they were in the orphanage, they’d use it as a secret code. His eyes flickered from bright red to grey and back. The scythe dulled its glow before glowing even brighter than before.

“A friend like you is better than nothing at all,” Marx said, lowering his sword towards Death.

Death felt the scythe’s grip on his mind force through the emotions as his rage intensified. He charged forward, the scythe cutting the air at lightning speeds. Marx brought the sword up to block, the impact causing sparks to burst out of the weapons. The red and green sparks singed his face as he pushed forward and backed away.

Marx charged forward, hoping Death wouldn’t anticipate it. When he brought the sword up, he noticed the scythe coming towards his hooves. Marx jumped, spinning in the air to slash at Death. He managed to slice into his shoulder, before falling to the ground and having to pick himself up.

Death didn’t even react to the cut as he charged to Marx, the scythe following behind. He brought it up, bringing it down to where Marx was standing. Marx jumped away, Death stopping the scythe in midair and headed towards him.

Marx couldn’t stop his midair flight as Death’s scythe had a mind of its own and sliced into his side. Marx fell to the ground, his side oozing the red liquid. He had to roll away as Death’s scythe came down for another swing.

Marx limped, his hoof injured from the fall and his side hurt from the cut. Now, Death was grinning, there was blood coming out of his eyes. His mouth had blood sliding down the side. He didn’t look the same. Now Marx realized that his old friend was gone. The only thing he saw, was a demon on a rampage. It was about time he ended that rampage.

Marx stopped his limp, the pain nothing compared to what he was planning to show to Death. Marx charged forward, the blade in front of him as he went into a stabbing motion. Death didn’t move as he brought the scythe up to knock away the blade. Marx pushed off the ground, his leg painfully obeying as he took a leap at Death. No matter how fast he’d moved, Death couldn’t have blocked the fast paced strike.

Marx slashed the torso of Death before bringing the sword back, slashing again at the torso. Finally, a bloody ‘X’ marked where he planned to stab the tip of the blade. As Marx drove the blade forward, Death brought the deadly scythe down from the heavens and into Marx’s back.

“Marx!” Rogue called, her face bloody but she could still see what was going on just fine from her position overlooking the battle.

Marx coughed up blood as he stood there. His blade successfully into Death’s chest, but the tip of Death’s scythe was protruding out of his stomach as he struggled to breathe. In front of him, Death had gone quiet. His eyes were no longer red, as his grasp on the scythe weakened.

Death had a streak of blood at the corner of his mouth. He was smiling, his slow and ragged breaths entering Marx’s hearing as the sound of blood drops filled the quiet air. Marx could feel his eyesight start to falter as he continued watching Death’s mouth move.

“I’m sorry, I wish it could have… been different,” Death said, his breathing slowing nearly to a standstill. Marx was also starting to close his eyes.

“Me too,” Marx said, his hooves going limp and the two of them falling to the cold ground. The sun shone on their bodies. A crowd had gathered around, they looked sickened at the state of the scene.

Rogue stood on the edge of the crowd, she wanted to run in and do something. Somehow she just knew. She knew that Marx had really died. On her left, Mercy stood there, his cold gaze was on the bodies as well. Myst was behind them both, his face hidden from the others by his hood.

“I’m sorry,” Mercy said, not knowing what to say, “But business is business.”

“Business huh…” Rogue repeated, her voice growing cold.

“This wasn’t just business… there’s something you should know,” Myst said, teleporting the three of them away, again without consent. Rogue wouldn’t have argued anyways, her voice was gone and the look in her eye had changed.

As the crowd looked upon the bodies, they saw a blur of light above the gruesome scene. The blurs were moving, as well as the scythe that was protruding from Marx’s body. The scythe lifted into the air, disappearing as it left Marx’s body. Then, the body of Death had decayed, turning grey and becoming ashes before their eyes.

Marx’s body turned a bright white as it vanished from thin air. The crowd was confused, as the weapons had also left with the bodies. There was no trace anything had happened today, other than the blood puddles behind the library, and the 11 guard bodies lying against the trees. None of them were breathing.

Author's Note:

'Judgment comes after Death, but is determined during Life.' This is probably my second favorite chapter, not because it's well written (oh god, no), but because I'm a fan of dying main characters. Don't worry, the story doesn't end there, and of course we can't have a chapter be called life if the character dies for good, can we?

Next Time: The Conspiracy! Welcome to the CRG! (I blame my editor for making me watch that anime)