• Published 2nd Feb 2013
  • 880 Views, 35 Comments

Erebus: Episode 1: Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! - Honey Mead



The Sun and Moon no longer shine over the alabaster walls of Canterlot. A darkness long forgotten has begun to seep through the cracks and erode the morality of those it touches. But at the edge of the light there is shadow, holding back the darkness

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Scene 3

Perched atop the roof across the street, a nearly invisible figure watched the patrons of the Royal Sisters Music Hall spill into the street. His eyes scanned the herd as it dispersed, intent on spying a singular pony. The permanent frown upon his lips deepened as he spotted his quarry and the pony accompanying him.

Too far away to hear their words and at a poor angle to read their lips, the unicorn was forced to settle for studying their body language. The white suited stallion seemed at ease, confident in his present circumstance. When his head turned to a more advantageous angle, it displayed a cocky, self assured grin. The mare, however, struggled to maintain a sophisticated air. Her poise was to be admired, though it did little to hide her nervousness from the observer’s eyes.

The watcher’s attention was diverted by the arrival of an auto-carriage. Indeed many of the departing ponies stopped to gaze at the arcano-tech powered vehicle. The cab was little different from a standard carriage in design: A wood built frame with padded seats and curtains to provide privacy when desired. The major change came in the hitch, or rather the lack thereof, replaced by the arcano-tech motor sitting over a forward positioned front axle. Behind the axle was a similarly boxed-in seat for the driver.

A large, brown earth pony wearing a cheap, but tailored, black suit stepped out of the driver’s compartment and held the carriage door open for Filthy Rich and Lady Rarity to enter. Rich motioned for her to climb in first. She hesitated.

Before Rich could insist, a group of five unicorns, led by none other than the Princess, inserted themselves into the developing scene. After a short clipped conversation, Rich excused himself with a bow before entering the carriage alone. The unicorns remained stationary, watching as the auto-carriage shook to life and slowly pulled away from the music hall. Even from his perch across the street, Lady Rarity’s relief was palpable.

Effectively cleared of association, the watcher wasted no more time on her and turned to gallop after the auto-carriage as it began to pick up speed. For two years, he had been following Filthy Rich almost everywhere he went in the hopes that he would slip up. He was no foal, however, and had not once led the shadow-cloaked figure to his prize.

The Riches had always been a family with money, even before Stinking Rich first dealt with the Apple family and opened their first store, but it was Filthy who had truly expanded the family’s wealth into the veritable empire it was. He was a master of distribution, always able to get the right goods to the right place at the right time. Nopony could figure out how he managed it, and he refused to talk, but that was hardly a crime. The felony rested in what he was distributing in these dark days of Canterlot.

The watcher maintained an even canter along the rooftops, leaping the spaces between buildings as he trailed after the auto-carriage. The appeal of carriages had always been in the luxury they afforded, rather than practicality. With a full four pony team, they could reach decent speeds, but still fell short of any pony on hoof. The auto-carriage was no different, doing little more than replacing the pull team with an arcane engine and driver.

A sudden right turn brought the stallion up short, forcing him to skid to a halt, his hooves scraping along the roof tiles. He watched as the auto-carriage rattled down the cobblestone road leading down the mountain, toward the lower districts.

His face warred between a smile and a deeper frown for a moment before he kicked off and leapt into the air. The cape that had been streaming behind him flared out in a soft blue glow. The stiffened cloth caught the air and he sailed across the street. Landing on the next roof, he took off at a gallop to make up the lost ground.

The gallop became a canter as the watcher closed the gap with the carriage. To his surprise, the passenger door swung open, and the large, brown bodyguard tumbled out into the street. The mass of limbs bounced over the cobblestones, rolling to a stop in the gutter.

Quickly diverting his course, the unicorn dropped to the street, gliding to a stop beside the motionless bodyguard. The pink and blue frosting smeared between the stallion’s eyes was all he needed to see. There was nothing he could do for him.

Lifting a hoof toward the nearest building, a black cable shot out and attached itself to the roof. A quick snap of his fetlock and the unicorn rocketed into the air. The cable detached from the overhang as the shadow passed. His cape flared briefly until he touched back down on the roof and continued the pursuit of his prey.