Limitless Skies

by Priceless911

Ch12 The Cutters Haven

With the darkness of the setting sun falling onto the city, Four ponies made their way through an alley as The Reaper stopped, turned to her group and spoke, “This should be the place, for the time being I will let another member of The Cutters escort you from here. I have other matters to attend to.”
As The Reaper started to trot towards the shadows, Silvia stopped her, “wait… you’re just going to leave us here?... Like this?”
The Reaper turned completely around as she continued backing into the shadows, “don’t worry Silvia… your escort will be here momentarily.”
As the shadow of the alley started to cover The Reaper’s cloak, she started to vanish into the darkness of the night as even Silvia lost sight of her.

Trying to see into the darkness of the shadows, Silvia spoke up, “Wait! Reaper? REAPER!...”
when she realized that they were all alone, Derpy looked around in worry as she spoke, “What do we do now?... this place is kinda scary.”
Allen put his hoof on her shoulder as he replied, “Don’t worry Derpy, we’ll think of something. I don’t think we were left as high and dry as it se…”
“Ah so you are here… the boss was right, she never misses a rendezvous time?”
Surprised by the unexpected comment, Silvia Derpy and Allen turned towards the end of the Alley as a cloaked stallion stepped out from behind one of the dumpsters and continued, “A pleasure to make your acquaintance Silvia, if it won’t be too much of a bother, I will be the one escorting you from here my dear. Oh, and I can’t possibly forget Mr. Key and his mare friend Ms. Doo. A pleasure good sir and madam.”

Looking at the polite stallion in complete confusion, Allen replied, “Um… thanks… um… sir.”
The stallion bowed in courteousness as he replied, “You’re quite welcome.”
Trying not to seem rude to their guest, Allen leaned towards Silvia and whispered, “Is… he somepony you know?”
Silvia replied, “I know of him, but we have never been introduced. That’s Fancy Pants. One of the top five richest ponies in Canterlot, and by far the most popular amongst the noble herd.”
Fancy Pants smiled as he replied to the comment that was supposed to be outside his hearing range, “My apologies for not formally introducing myself directly, but there is a little rule about speaking of our true selves when dressed for The Cutters. Call it… a precaution of sorts. Nevertheless, I believe it is time we take our leave and meet with the boss. If I recall, she has an important message for you, which must be discussed in the safety of the Haven. This way, if you please.”

Leaving the rest of the group still slightly confused, Fancy Pants with his face covered by the hood of his cloak, made his way through the alley as they continued into an older part of Canterlot where they had spent a majority of their trip to the city. Not long after entering the area, Fancy Pants lead them out of an alley and approached a building as he spoke, “I believe we have arrived.”
The three confused ponies looked at the front of the building as Silvia spoke, “The Check Inn? This is the Haven you were talking about?”
Fancy Pants replied, “Yes… it most certainly is.”
With no expression on his face, the noble stallion led the group in and approached the bar as Phi Phi spoke, “Sir, Silvia, the boss is waiting for you below.”
Fancy Pants nodded his head as he trotted past the bare and replied, “thank you Phi Phi. Please keep the back clear.”
Phi Phi nodded her head as she replied, “understood stood sir.”

Back behind the stage in one of the dressing rooms, Octavia sat in a chair wearing her cloak and looking into the mirror as she sharpened a dagger in her hooves. Finally, as the door to the room behind her opened, she quickly sheathed the dagger, and turned around as she smiled, “Hey… glad you could make it.”
Silvia kinda expected this when she saw how friendly Phi Phi and Fancy Pants acted towards one another, but that still didn’t prevent her amassed expression when she saw Octavia wearing a Cutter’s cloak, “Octi? You’re a member of The Cutters too?”
Octavia nodded her head, “surprise… I know this seems bad… but I will explain later. Sir? Do you want to enter the Haven?”
Fancy Pants smiled as he nodded his head, “The boss believes her to be ready. So if I may ask, would you mind opening the door Ms. Melody?”
Octavia turned to her dress closet as she replied, “This way Silvia.”

With all eyes on her, Octavia trotted to the back of her dress closet and moved all the outfits to the side revealing a small hole on the wall. With the hole completely visible, Octavia turned to Fancy Pants and spoke, “Your key please.”
Fancy Pants smiled as he pulled a small spike from his side and gave it to Octavia as she inserted it into the hole and turned it like a doorknob. With the needle turned, Octavia gently pushed against the wall as the wall opened up to reveal a staircase going underground. Surprised the see the sight, the three outsiders looked into the dark stairway as Octavia, pulled the needle from the wall, and gave it back to Fancy Pants who smiled and spoke, “thank you my dear. If you like, you may join us in meeting with the boss. Since you and Silvia have history, I’m certain The Boss won’t mind.”
As Fancy Pants sheathed the needle, Octavia nodded her head as she replied, “thank you sir, it would be best that a friends could answer any questions she may have.”
Getting fed up with all the secrets, Silvia asked, “Alright, what’s going on here Tavi? Exactly how long were you going to wait until you told me about this? Or about the fact that you’re part of The Cutters?”
Octavia felt guilty as she replied, “the boss will be able to answer that better than I. Just go down and we can ask her together.”

With nothing more to say on the subject, Fancy Pants and Octavia started trotting down the stairs, as Derpy got closer to Allen, “Allen… I don’t like this… I’m… I’m scared.”
Allen looked back at Derpy as he replied, “it’s alright Derpy, just stay close to me and we will be fine. Right Silvia?”
Silvia sighed as she started following their escorts, “I hope so…”
Feeling uneasy about her reply, Allen and Derpy began following their friend into the darkness of the stairway as they proceeded to travel further and further underground. As they continued, the door behind them closed as their path began getting darker and darker, although if not for the occasional torch that was on the wall lighting the path, they would have been overwhelmed by the darkness around them. Continuing with both worry and curiosity, The three outsiders followed the two members of The Cutters as Derpy whispered to Allen, “where are we going?... to the center of the planet?”
Although he wasn’t supposed to hear that comment, Fancy Pants chuckled at the question, as he replied, “Now don’t fret Ms. Doo. We will arrive at the Haven far before we reach the center of the earth. It is only a little further. I would ask you to please be patient.”

As the group continued going further and further into the seemingly endless set of downward stares, Silvia noticed that the walls seemed to get more and more worn until they resembled the kind of walls you would expect to see in a deep cave. Finally, the group arrived at a point to where the stairs leveled out into a flat hall that lead to a door at the end. As the group stopped at the door, both Octavia and Fancy Pants turned to the other three as Octavia spoke, “Before we enter I must remind you. What you’re about to see cannot be spoken of to anypony. Not your family, not your friends… not even to your lovers.”
As Octavia said that last part, she looked at Silvia who could only look away as Fancy Pants cleared his throat to break the tension, “Anyways, what Ms. Melody is trying to say is that nopony ever enters here without first becoming a member of The Cutters. However, with your group, we must make an exception. So without further ado… Welcome, to The Cutters’ Haven.”
With a smile on his face, the noble stallion opened the door and revealed a massive underground chamber that stretched as far as one mile from the place they were standing. As the group of visitors entered the massive chamber Allen spoke in awe, “This… this is incredible. It’s like an underground city.”
Silvia added, “It’s amazing, almost as big as the Equestrian Caverns.”
Derpy spoke next, “and to think that all of this was just sitting here under our hooves.”

Octavia smiled at the shock on her friends faces as she spoke next, “not just that, the tunnels and crevices down here stretch to all corners of Canterlot. There is even a chamber right under Princess Celestia’s Castle, although we’ve blocked that portion off. It used to be a dungeon for us, but it seemed like we never needed it.”
“It’s because we’ve never had any prisoners down here. In fact we’ve never taken any prisoners in the past millennium that The Cutters have been around.”
Allen, Derpy, and Silvia turned around in surprise as The Reaper trotted past them and continued, “Though it sounds terrible I know, the fact of the matter is that no matter what challenge has come across Equestria, The Cutters have eliminated it without concern, and without mercy. Those who threaten Equestria’s peace will die a traitor’s death. As is our law.”
Octavia smiled as she spoke, “welcome back Boss, did your surveillance find anypony?”
Silvia was confused, “surveillance?”
The boss replied, “No. it would appear that you weren’t followed here… this time.”
Allen tilted his head as he spoke next, “this time? You mean somepony has been following you?”
Octavia shook her head, “Not me Allen… you.”
Allen was even more confused now, “Me?... B-but why?”

The Reaper turned to the young stallion as she explained, “Last night as your group returned from the Everfree forest, Octavia noticed that you were being followed.”
Silvia was amazed, “really? Why didn’t you say anything?”
Octavia replied, “Because I didn’t want to show that I knew he was there, I wanted to keep the element of surprise since I thought he was going to attack us. All I know was that he followed us through the forest in the shadows at first, but once we were out of the forest, he hid in the clouds above and kept his surveillance from high altitude.”
Derpy spoke, “so… he was a pegasus?”
Octavia replied, “I don’t know, to keep my cover, I had to act as if I didn’t notice him and since he kept himself hidden, all I could tell was that he was a stallion and he could fly. Other than that, I couldn’t tell.”
Silvia thought to herself, “But why would anypony want to follow Allen around?... it doesn’t make sense.”
Fancy Pants replied, “Perhaps they were looking to frame you for the Murder. Somepony must be holding a grudge of some kind against you.”
Allen thought to himself, “but… I don’t have any enemies; I don’t even know anypony who would hold a grudge, except for the night commander. But he said that he was trying to defend me back at the castle.”
Silvia though to herself, “you think he lied about that? Dad could be trying to get you back after you survived the challenge against him.”
The Reaper shook her head, “no, he wasn’t at the scene of the murder last night so it couldn’t be him.”

Confused, Silvia looked at The Reaper and spoke, “He wasn’t? How do you know?”
The Reaper replied as casually as she could, “I just know.”
The suspicious bat pony gave the experienced assassin a suspicious look as Fancy Pants changed the subject, “well I’m sure you and your company have had a rather rough day and I’m willing to wager that you all are tired. Therefore, Ms. Melody, would you kindly show our guests to the mess hall. Then after that make sure they are settled into their own private quarters. Though technically they are prisoners here, I would much rather see them as our guests, since we will not be holding them against their will.”
Allen asked, “So, you really are going to let me go?”
The Reaper nodded her head, “yes, I know for a fact that you aren’t the pony who murdered both Mr. Drib and Mr. Rich, however, since you have been banished from Canterlot, you may only go within the boundaries of the Haven which is the upstairs pub and anywhere within the tunnels. But if you wish to return to Ponyville then Octavia will escort you to the city gates where you will depart on your own.”
Fancy Pants continued, “Although if you make that choice, I would highly suggest you wait till morning before your departure. We wouldn’t want a repeat of last night’s predicament now would we?”
Octavia gave Allen and Derpy a suggestive look as she replied, “or do we?”
Allen and Derpy looked at each other and blushed as they rubbed the back of their heads in embarrassment.

The Reaper turned from the group to leave as she spoke, “When you get settled, please come to the plaza. Tonight we will be holding a little get together for The Cutters in celebration for a recent victory. You should come as our honored guests.”
Derpy smiled, “That’s sounds fun, can we Allen?”
Allen smiled, “I don’t see why not, it’s the least we can do for the help The Cutters have given us so far.”
Silvia spoke next, “so what victory are The Cutters celebrating?”
The Reaper replied as she trotted away, “That is classified, although by the end of the night, you might find out on you own. I will leave them in your capable hooves Octavia; see to it that they are settled comfortably.”
Octavia nodded her head in respect as she replied, “Understood boss, I'll make sure they are well taken care of.”
The Reaper replied, “I know you will, as you always have. Fancy Pants could you come with me… I want to discuss something with you.”
Fancy Pants nodded his head as he and The Reaper trotted away and vanished into the crowd of cloaked ponies who were going about with their usual routine tasks. Octavia turned to the group as she spoke, “so… shall we?”

As The Reaper and Fancy Pants trotted away from the new arrivals, The Reaper spoke, “spread the word, I want to hold a special welcome party in the plaza tonight. See to it that everything is prepared, but make it seem as if we have vanquished some terrible foe or something. I would prefer the real reason for the party to be kept from the guests of honor.”
Fancy Pants smiled, “why keep it secret? Why not let the three know the true reason for the party?”
The Reaper looked away as she replied, “I'd rather not say…”
Fancy Pants nodded his head, “in other words you know that if Silvia knew the party was for her, she would probably avoid it.”
The Reaper mumbled in irritation, “Just do as I ask.”
Fancy Pants stopped in his tracks leaving The Reaper to continue on her path as he turned to do as he was told, “Understood… Lady Mist.”
The Reaper ignored the comment as she continued through the crowed of cloaked ponies.

Later that night as the herd of cloaked ponies gathered in the plaza of the underground cavern, Silvia, Derpy and Allen were trotting through the crowds as Octavia approached them, “glad you could make it. So what do you think, not bad for a bunch of nobles.”
The three looked around in awe as Derpy smiled, “this looks fun, hey Allen, we should go over there, I think they are going to put together a small performance.”
Derpy grabbed Allen by his hoof and dragged him away as he tried his best to keep his balance, “okay, okay slow down… I can’t fly remember.”
When the two were too far away to hear, Octavia smiled as she watched them, “I can’t just get over how cute they are together.”
Silvia tried to hide her concerns as she replied, “yea… cute…”
Octavia could tell that something was wrong so she asked, “Silvy? What’s the matter?... or… do you have something to ask me?”
Silvia sighed, “Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you keep this… ALL of this secret… from me?”
Octavia sighed as she replied, “nothing personal… but I can’t say anything about this life to anypony. Not even the pony I love. The only way I could have told you was if I… or you, proposed. That is the law of The Cutters. Even the boss had to keep this secret from her husband till they were married. Although their situation was a li…”

As Octavia spoke, she all of a sudden went silent as she saw The Reaper approach the two with an expression that told her to stop talking. As Octavia silenced herself Silvia looked at The Reaper as the feared leader spoke, “Silvia… can you please come with me? There is something I want to ask you.”
Silvia looked at Octavia in confusion then back at The Reaper as she nodded her head, “sure…”
As Silvia started following The Reaper away from both Octavia and the herd of celebrating ponies, The Reaper spoke, “I’m sure you have a few questions for me too… but I want to ask you something first. What is your opinion on what Octavia said?... about The Cutters restriction on telling loved ones about themselves?”
Silvia lowered her head as she replied, “I don’t know… I still feel a little betrayed about her keeping it secret for this long… but I also see the point in her actions, especially since she and I didn’t work out in the end.”
The Reaper nodded her head, “she did love you by the way… I can’t recall how many times she pleaded me for permission to tell you. However, like all the others before you… I had to deny it. In fact, I even gave her an order to stop seeing you since I felt she was getting too involved… an order that she not only disobeyed… but an order I regret giving. Because she disobeyed it, I was able to open my eyes to who both she… and you truly were. It showed me that love is strong… even if it’s between two mares.”

Silvia felt a little confused, “what do you mean by who she and I truly were. Exactly why was I any concern to this subject?”
The Reaper replied, “It’s just because you’re special Silvia. Even more then you yourself could understand.”
As the two reached the top of a small platform that overlooked the small carnival type celebration below Silvia asked, “Special? What are you talking about?”
The Reaper dodged the question, “exactly what did your father tell you about your last name?”
Silvia felt confused as she ignored the sudden change in the subject, “um… just that my last name was my mothers. But he wouldn’t tell me what it was.”
The Reaper nodded her head, “and with good reason. Just the mere mention of her last name could have very well placed you in immediate danger. But luckily he did as I asked and kept it from you… at least till you were ready.”
Silvia was surprised, “wait… you knew my mother?”
The Reaper smiled, “a skilled flyer… one who could outfly every bat pony in the Equestrian Caverns… though she wasn’t a bat pony herself.”
“She… She wasn’t? Then what was she?”

The Reaper Smiled as she looked into the plaza and replied, “She was a pegasus, and a good one at that. She wanted nothing more than to live a life of peace, but when your grandmother died… she had to make a choice. The protection of her family… or the protection of Everypony in the kingdom. So, she had to leave.”
Silvia became even more surprised, “Leave? But dad says she died.”
The Reaper chuckled at the comment as she replied, “just like your father to try to make it easier on you like this. Underneath all that cold navy blue armor is the heart of a truly caring pony… that’s why I married him.”
Silvia was not only shocked, but she was also incredibly confused, “M-married? You’re not married to dad, dad has only had one wife and that wa…”
all of a sudden Silvia discovered the truth as she stopped talking and stepped back in shock, “Wait… you mean to tell me… that… that you’r?...”
The Reaper smiled as she turned to her daughter and spoke, “My name… is Jasmin Mist. I am the Wife of Nathanial Soul, and the mother of Equinox… and Silvia Mist.”
Silvia stared in shock at her mother as she tried to reply, “you’re… but you’re…”
The Reaper smiled contently as she replied, “yes… you’re my daughter Silvia, and heir to the Mist family fortune… as well as The Reaper’s Scythe.”

Silvia sat down and put her hoof on her head as she tried to process the information, “My mother… is The Reaper… and… but… but how?... I thought that only bat ponies were allowed in the Equestrian Caverns.”
The Reaper replied, “Years ago back when my mother was The Reaper, I was just a pampered little noble with no real interest in being a part of The Cutters even though I knew that one day I would have to take over as all first born daughters of the Mist family must. Well, it was during the Grand Galloping Gala that I met your father. Sure, he was just a rookie cadet at the time, but he was charming so I couldn’t stop myself from falling for him. But since my mother was the very pony who stopped the bat pony rebellion seventy years ago, she held a deep hatred for your race, so both my parents tried to keep me from seeing him. However, as they say, true love knows no bound. So, first chance we got, I fled my home and eloped with him. From there with the Elder’s blessing, we moved into the Caverns together and lived peacefully for a number of years. That is, until the year you were born which also happened to be the year my mother died. When that happened, I had to make a choice, to become the new Reaper and take the place of my mother… or to let The Cutters disband and risk the safety of the kingdom. Naturally, I chose to protect the kingdom… but that meant abandoning your father, your brother, and you. From what I understand, your brother took it rather hard, but you were too young to remember.”

Silvia continued thinking things over as The Reaper noticed her silence and spoke, “I can understand if you’re angry with me… you have every right to be.”
Silvia nodded her head then replied, “I do… don’t I?... but for some reason. I’m not.”
The Reaper gave her daughter a confused look as she replied, “you’re not?... but, I left you without any explanation. Then I missed everything… your first step, first word, even the day you first took flight. How can you not be furious with me?”
Silvia stepped past her mother and looked into the plaza, “I… I don’t know… maybe it’s because I didn’t know what I was missing. I don’t remember you at all, and dad never kept any photos of you around so it was as if you never existed. And every time I asked Equinox he would just brush me away with answers like, Why… it’s not like she’s coming back.”
The Reaper sighed, “That’s horrible… I know he is angry, but that’s no reason to take it out on his little sister.”
Silvia smiled, “it’s alright… I was so used to him bullying me that I set out to beat him at everything, and now I have. Fighting, sprinting, even flyi…”
Silvia went quiet as she looked away in disappointment, knowing that her wing was a touchy subject to talk about, The Reaper put her hoof on her shoulder and changed the subject, “Silvia… do you remember that question I asked you the other day?”

Trying to forget her troubles Silvia nodded her head, “you mean the one about the pony races living in harmony?”
The Reaper nodded her head, “yes… the reason I asked you that question is because I wanted to see your opinion before I decide. And not only did you pass my little test, but I feel confident more now than I did before about choosing you.”
Silvia tilted her head a little, as she asked, “choosing me… for what?”
The Reaper held her head high as she replied in a somewhat official way, “Silvia Mist, as the only daughter of the Mist family, you are the heir to the Mist family fortune, as well, as the position of The Reaper. Upon my death, or sooner if you like, I will bestow upon you The Reapers Scythe and with it the responsibility of maintaining peace throughout all of Equestria.”
Silvia couldn’t believe her ears, “wait… you want me? But… Equinox is the oldest; wouldn’t it naturally be passed to him?”
The Reaper shook her head, “no According to The Cutters, the position of The Reaper belongs only to the daughter or the previous reaper. The only time it would go to a stallion is if either the daughter denied the position, or if no daughter was born to The Reaper.”

Silvia tried to think of other reasons to deny it, “but… I don’t know anything about The Cutters.”
The Reaper replied, “Fancy Pants is my most trusted adviser, he will teach you everything there is to know, including how to hide in the faintest of shadows.”
“But… I can’t fly…”
The Reaper continued, “Do you think that there wasn’t an earth pony as The Reaper before? Everypony type excluding Alicorn and Bat pony has taken this scythe in their hooves and struck down all who seek to disrupt the peace of this kingdom. You will be the first bat pony to do so, and hopefully you will be the pony who unites the kingdom and stops this petty segregation of the bat and surface ponies.”
Silvia put her hoof on her head as she replied, “this… this is a lot to take in, can… can I wait till later to give you an answer?”
The Reaper smiled, “take the time you need. At the very least, relax because even though you don’t know it, this celebration was all for you.”
Adding that to the list of things going through her mind, Silvia turned to the path that led back the he plaza as she replied, “um… thanks… mom…”
with a hastened step, Silvia trotted away as The Reaper looked back into the plaza, “it almost hurts… the way she called me that.”
“Would you rather she refer to you as Boss?”

Knowing the voice, The Reaper turned to the shadows as Fancy Pants trotted out, “Actually I'd prefer it I referred to her as Boss. At least it would let me know that The Cutters are in good hooves.”
Fancy Pants replied, “I say, she took both your identity and her future question much better than I expected, though I expect no less from your daughter after all. It’s only natural that she tends to roll with the punches.”
The Reaper sighed, “but she is still young… she shouldn’t see the world as it is at least till she gets my age. Nevertheless, I worry about her answer… she didn’t seemed too thrilled about the idea of taking over The Cutters.”
Fancy Pants smiled, ‘give her time boss, as you said, she is still young.”
The Reaper nodded her head as she gave him a serious look, “So… do you have a report?”

Fancy Pants nodded his head as he replied, “it is as you said… somepony has been asking around about information on where to find both Mr. Key, and Silvia.”
“Really?... Who?”
Fancy Pants replied, “I don’t know, but from what I’ve discovered they are a pair of Bat ponies.”
The Reaper though to herself, “bat ponies… who are they and why are they searching for Allen and Silvia?”
“I’d say that that answer remains a mystery.”
The Reaper nodded her head, “so it would seem. Either way this proves that whoever these murderers are, they have some kind of quarrel with Allen or Silvia. Keep your eyes peeled for any more suspicious activity and report any and all such activity to me directly.”
The Noble unicorn nodded his head as he replied, “an excellent idea, but what will you do boss? I highly doubt you will place this before your daughter since she has so much on her mind for the time being.”
The Reaper nodded her head as she turned back and looked into the plaza, “you’r right… if I bring this up now it could only strengthen or weaken her final decision. I'd rather she choose in her own. Although, there is a certain stallion amongst them who must have an idea of who our assailants are. Maybe I should have a little chat with him.”

With that said The Reaper dove off the platform and flew into the plaza as she searched for Allen. Inside the active plaza, Allen and Derpy sat and marveled at a few of the members of The Cutters as they demonstrated both dagger throwing and sword juggling for their entertained guests. As they continued, one of The Cutters took Derpy’s hoof and gave her a few balls to try to teach her these tricks. As Derpy tried and failed at her attempts, Allen could only sit on the side and laugh at the determined little pegasus as The Reaper landed next to him and spoke, “Having fun?”
Allen turned to The Reaper and smiled, “Yes, who know that a league of skilled fighters could throw such a fun party.”
The Reaper smiled as she looked at Derpy and continued, “we may be invisible to the world… but we do exist and we know the appropriate way to have fun.”
Allen smiled as he watch Derpy as she succeeding juggling two of the balls but only for a mere second. After she did, she called out, “Allen! Did you see? I did it!”
Allen called back, “Great job Derpy! Maybe your cutiemark should be juggling balls instead of bubbles.”
Derpy rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment as she replied, “well, I don’t know about that…”

As Derpy went back to her juggling attempts, The Reaper smiled, “If I didn’t know any better, I'd say you two were brother and sister. Funny that you two would end up together like this.”
Allen nodded his head, “I'll admit, I never thought the connection we shared went further than just friends. Now… I have no worries for the future. Whether I fly or not doesn’t matter to me anymore, as long as I’m with her. However, since she wants to see me fly so badly, and since I did promise that I would fly beside her someday, I want to continue. If anything, I’m a stallion of my word.”
The Reaper smiled, “and with determination like that, I’m sure you will fly someday.”
Allen nodded his head then he sighed, “Thank you…”
The Reaper smiled, “not a problem, you truly ha…”
“No… I mean… Thank you for coming to my rescue. Both at the castle and in the Equestrian Caverns. It means a lot that you stuck your neck out to save a complete stranger… twice.”
The Reaper sighed, “Please don’t take offence to this… but I didn’t do it for you. The fact of the matter is, I did it for payment.”
Allen looked at the reaper in confusion, “payment? For what?”
The reaper replied, “For her debt.”

Completely lost in the conversation Allen thought to himself, “Payment for her debt… um… I’m sorry, who are we talking about?”
The Reaper replied, “Well… Silvia of course.”
Allen thought to himself some more, “Silvia… I didn’t realize she owed me any… OH! Wait you’re talking about her life debt aren’t you?”
This time The Reaper was lost, “Wh… yea… that’s what I was talking about. Wait a second… you mean you forgot. Isn’t she accompanying you solely to complete this life debt?”
Allen smiled, “Well, that’s the reason she says she is, but to be honest I think she is only with me now because she wants to be.”
The Reaper was confused, “What? You mean you aren’t forcing her?”
Allen felt a little offended as he replied, “Forcing her? No,… the only reason I agreed to this was because I could tell that there was no convincing her otherwise. She said she wanted to escort me to Canterlot, and I could tell that no wasn’t an answer she would accept. I’m not forcing her to do anything; in fact, if she wanted to, she could leave at any time. To tell you the truth, I think she just wants to find reasons not to.”

The Reaper mumbled to herself, “is she is acting on her own accord, then why is she so determined to keep traveling with him.”
Allen asked, “What was that?”
Oh… nothing.”
Allen then asked, “So… why do you want to pay her um… debt for her anyway?”
The Reaper replied, “For many reasons… first off, well… I’m her mother.”
Allen was shocked, “Really? D-does she know that?”
The Reaper nodded her head, “well… now she does but that’s not the point, the point is that whoever was responsible for Mr. Drib’s Murder, could very well be the one responsible for Serene’s murder too.”
Now Allen was beyond shocked as he replied, “S-Serene? You mean Silvia’s Ex-marefriend?”
The Reaper replied, “Yes… but you mustn’t tell her yet. Right now it’s only a theory, but if it’s true, then somepony may be out to kill her.”

Allen sat down as he put his hoof on his head, “but… I thought it was an accident. Wasn’t it manticore that ki…”
“Manticore don’t attack unless they are starving or angry. Even then, the area that she and her team were attacked in wasn’t a normal hunting ground for them. So they were either chasing something there or they were searching for something.”
Allen thought to himself, “searching for something?… like what?”
The Reaper replied, “Who knows, but whatever it was, Silvia and her team were just unlucky enough to be the ones found.”
Still trying to figure it out on his own, Allen mumbled to himself, “yea… and to think that Mr. Drib and Mr. Rich got dragged into this too… I could only imagine how hard she is taking this information right now.”

The Reaper shook her head as she looked towards Derpy who was still trying to juggle, “She doesn’t know… in fact only a hoof full of The Cutters know the connection between that incident and Mr. Rich’s Murder. What I told you must stay between the two of us. I can tell that you’re a pony who doesn’t want to trouble his friends, so I wanted you to know this so that when the time comes, you can be there to comfort her.”
Allen felt confused, “what?... but why would you pass a task like that… to me?”
The Reaper turned around to leave him as she replied, “Silvia trusts you quite a bit. I can’t say why, but something about you and Derpy’s friendship has captivated her. At first, I thought you were simply using her life debt as a means of leverage against her… but hearing your side of the story, and seeing the kindness you show both Derpy and her has only disproven my theory. When the day comes… and it will, I want you help her through the pain and anger she feels when she discovers this truth. I worry she will act without thinking which could mean an unnecessary death.”
Allen turned towards The Reaper as she started trotting away, “You mean she will kill somepony?”
The Reaper replied, “That… or she herself will be killed.”
Leaving no time for him to reply to The Reaper’s cold words, the cloaked mare trotted away leaving Allen speechless as his attention slowly went back to Derpy who was trying her hardest to learn something new.

Upstairs in the deserted Check Inn, the troubled bat pony sat at the bar as she tried to decide what she should do. As Silvia sighed in hopelessness, a glass was placed in front of her as the bartender started pouring Moon Drop into it, “Here… it looks like you need something to cool your troubled mind. And don’t worry about paying for it; this one is on the house.”
Silvia took the drink and smiled, “thanks Phi, I appreciate it… say, did you know about Octavia’s little secret room back there?”
Phi Phi’s face turned red as she averted her eyes, “W-well… I stumbled upon it by accident. But since I have no control over what she does on her… private time and since it is none of my business, I decided to let it be. Just cuz I don’t get into that sort of thing doesn’t give me the right t…”
Knowing that she didn’t understand what she meant Silvia interrupted, “What?... no!... I’m talking about the tunnel to the Cutter’s haven!”
Completely embarrassed, Phi Phi cleared her throat as she replied, “Oh! Oh oh oh. Yea! Yea I knew about that room for years now.”
Silvia asked, “What were you talking about?”
Phi Phi’s face turned red as she replied, “oh… um… never mind… forget I said anything. So… um… I guess you saw The Cutters’ Haven after all?”

Ignoring the unusual change in topic, Silvia replied as she took a drink from her glass, “Yea, I did. So… you’re a member too?”
Phi Phi shook her head, “Not really… I report anything I find out through gossip to the boss, and I also assist in spreading false rumors, but all in all, I don’t kill anypony, nor will I ever. I just tend to the bar here and play as sort of a gate guard for the Cutter’s Haven.”
Silvia nodded her head, “oh…”
After her reply, Silvia looked deeply into her drink as she sighed. Seeing her unhappiness, Phi Phi spoke up, “Judging by your expression, you found out about your mother… didn’t you?”
Silvia replied, “Yea…”
Phi Phi nodded her head, “wow… quite the day for you isn’t it?”
Silvia nodded her head, “it’s been a lot… yea.”

Phi Phi sat down in a stool on her side of the bar as she spoke up, “so… have you decided yet?”
Silvia shook her head, “no…”
Phi Phi nodded her head, “well I hope you think it through thoroughly. You’re talking about a life changing experience.”
Silvia looked at Phi Phi and asked, “Are the Cutters really that important?”
Another voice replied, “That is a very difficult answer to give.”
Both Silvia and Phi Phi turned to Octavia who as entering the room from behind the stage, “since we haven’t seen a time without The Cutters in our generation, we can’t really say. Nevertheless, there is one thing I can say, we, as ponies are a flawed race. When one seeks power and wants it enough, he will find a way to try to take it. But from all the wars we’ve seen break out in the Hooviet Union or The Griffin Kingdoms, we have yet to see a single war in Equestria in almost a thousand years. If that isn’t the work of The Cutter’s then I don’t know what is.”

Silvia shook her head as she looked back at her drink, “but… why me?... why now?”
Octavia smiled, “well for one, you are the daughter of The Reaper, so it’s your birthright.”
Silvia sighed in irritation, “is that why we met?... were you ordered to guard me?”
Octavia shook her head, “At the start… yes, but when I found out you were stronger than me, I decided to back off… by then we kinda fell for each other.”
Silvia took a drink of her drink then replied, “are you sure you weren’t just acting?”
Octavia gave her a disappointed look, “Silvia, don’t be preposterous. You know that I’m not that good an actress. Not to mention, it was you who made the first move.”
Silvia tilted her head in an admitting agreement as she replied, “well… you’re right about that.”
Octavia smiled, “Of course I am. We may not have been the most honest with each other… but we are still friends.”
Phi Phi smiled, “that’s right, and friends have to look out for each other, no matter what.”

Silvia thought to herself, “friends… well I can’t argue with that logic, and I know a certain earth pony who said the same thing to me a few times… ya know what? I made up my mind. Tomorrow morning I'll give her my answer. But for now… I think I’m going to start searching for something.”
Octavia gave her a curious look, “searching? For what exactly?”
Silvia smiled sinisterly, “Phi Phi mentioned something about a… Secret room?... I’m gonna find it.”
Octavia gave her a confused look, “secret room? What are you ta… wait…”
Octavia gave Phi Phi a look of worry as she spoke, “you didn’t…”
Phi Phi bowed her head as she replied, “um… it just sorta slipped out…”
Octavia’s eyes widened, “SILVIA!!! DON’T!!! STOP!!!”
“I’ma-gonna-find it…”
“SILVIA!!!”
As the two mares chased each other into the back room, Phi Phi could only laughed as she watched the two friends play around with each other

The Next morning as Everypony in the large cavern awoke from their night of celebration, Silvia sat on the place where she discovered her heritage as The Reaper approached her, “You up early, did you even sleep late night?”
Silvia nodded her head, “a little, but I’m still getting used to this sleep all night and up all day. Honesty I don’t know how you surface ponies do it? But then again, I did have a lot to think over last night.”
The Reaper nodded her head as she started to turn and trot away, “try not to think too hard… I don’t need an answer right away. Just feel free to tell me when you’ve decided.”
Silvia stopped her mother as she replied, “I did!... Decide I mean. I’ve thought long and hard about what you said last night… and, I know what I must do.”
The Reaper turned to her daughter as she replied, “oh… and what have you decided?”
Silvia sighed to brace herself, “you know, since I was little I’ve heard storied from the elder about a secret organization that kept Equestria safe from war. And even today, it’s impossible for me to say whether or not such an organization actually exists. but my own eyes can’t lie, The Cutters do exists and thanks to The Reaper, Everypony who resides in Equestria can sleep peacefully at night never knowing the dangers that they were saved from by the shadows… but I’m not that shadow. I can’t fly anymore, I’m not sure if I can even still fight… but I can do everything in my power to protect those I care about. And at this time… there are only two members of The Cutters that I care about. And…. Neither of them is you.”

The Reaper was slightly offended and shocked to hear her daughter talk like that, but she kept her silence as Silvia continued, “thanks for the offer… but I don’t want to protect a kingdom from the shadows, when I can protect my friends in the light. Even if I can’t see very well in the sun. If you want to pass your title down, I'd rather you pass it onto Octavia.”
The Reaper kept her composure as she replied with disappointment, “is this… really what you want?...”
Silvis nodded her head, “yea… it is…”
The Reaper nodded her head, “very well… since it is your choice, I'll happily accept it… but, please remember that the offer is always open.”
Silvia nodded her head as she replied, “Thanks… I’m sorry I couldn’t be what you wanted me to be.
The Reaper nodded her head, “it’s fine… I know you don’t owe anything to me anyway so it was foolish for me to ask.”
Silva shook her head, “no… it was a good idea, to be honest, I couldn’t tell if I was the right pony for this job or not, but since I finally found friends who will support me, I think its best that I finish my journey with them first. But who knows… maybe after it’s all said and done. I could come back, and we can redo this conversation… that is, if you will let me.”

The Reaper smiled as Allen, Derpy, and Octavia approached them with The Reaper’s reply, “As my daughter, you are now, and will forever be welcome here. Just, don’t let this earth pony friend of yours get accused for killing another civilian. I wouldn’t want to go breaking him out of jail every time he gets in a bind.”
Allen sighed, “really?...”
Derpy giggled at the joke as Allen looked at Silvia and spoke, “you ready to go?”
Silvia turned to him and nodded her head as The Reaper asked, “Go? You’re leaving already?”
Silvia replied, “Yea… Allen has to finish his dream, and the only way he can do that is if he and Derpy return to Ponyville. As for me, I’ve decided to help him till he is finished, I’m more confident now then before that he will soar above us someday.”
The Reaper smiled as she spoke, “well then, The Cutters also wish you luck Allen. And do you remember what we talked about last night?... I’m still counting on you.”
Allen nodded his head as he replied, “I will… and thanks for everything.”

The Reaper looked at Derpy and continued, “Ms. Doo, I hope you keep that bubbly personality of yours. I think it’s rubbing off on Silvia and I would like my daughter to smile more.”
Derpy nodded her head, “okay I wi… wait… What!?! Your daughter!?!”
Leaving Derpy with a stunned look on her face, The Reaper turned back to Silvia and spoke, “Silvia… I wish you the best of luck in the future. I know I wasn’t there for you in the past. But I'll always be here for you now.”
Silvia smiled, “Thanks mom… I'll keep that in mind.”
The Reaper turned to Octavia, “Octavia? Lead them as far as the city gates. From there they shouldn’t have any problems with the royal guards. And if any try to stop you before you get there… tell them, it is unwise to cheat Death. They’ll know what it means.”
Octavia smiled as she nodded her head, “understood boss.”
With that, the group was led out of the Haven and into the upstairs pub as they exited the building.

As the group left the Check Inn, Shade and Equinox watched closely from the rooftop across the street as Shade whispered, “There… as they said. They entered that pub yesterday and are just now leaving. That has to be the place.”
Equinox nodded his head, “yea… but why is Silvia leaving too… surely mom told her already about her place.”
Shade asked, “Should we follow them?”
Equinox smiled, “Why? Now that we know where The Cutters Haven is, we can move on with our plan. Watch over this area and find out as much as you can about The Cutters. As for me, I’m going back to the Equestrian Caverns to meet with our Guard… I think it’s time we ask our neighbors for help.”
Shade gave Nox a confused look, “Really? this soon? I thought we were going to wait till the beginning of the year that Nightmare moon would return?”
Nox shook his head, “Why wait? It would be better if we started this party with the drinks still cold. Just be sure that The Cutters don’t find anything out. If word gets out, then they will spoil all the fun.”