Disappear

by ShimmeringStallion

Obligation

Obligation

Vanish continued to fly to the top of the barrier, changing his wings and coat in the process, to those of Derpy Hooves now that he had reached the top of the magical shield surrounding Canterlot. The ponies followed him with their eyes as Twilight tried understanding where the stallion was heading to. “I don’t get it! He’s gone to the top, he’s well past the Castle Tower, where's he going? We wouldn't even see him if it wasn’t for the light of the…!”

A vocalized gasp accompanied the purple mare's shock of realization, as she muttered just loud enough for the other ponies around to hear her. “Oh, no… Princess…” Princess Celestia had just finished making sure that Spitfire would be taken to the Canterlot Infirmary. They had the best doctors around to look at her, and do what they could for her various injuries. The Princess of the Sun looked at her student, questioning her statement. “I’m right here, Twilight. What’s wrong?” Twilight shook her head, and looked at her mentor’s eyes with fear. “Princess, where’s Luna? Where’s Princess Luna!?”

Celestia’s expression turned from sad and worried, to incredibly panicked. Gather had mentioned how he forgot the ‘time’, and now they knew what he meant; Princess Luna and Princess Celestia worked together to monitor the barrier surrounding Canterlot during the Royal Wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor. Princess Celestia monitored things during the day, but needed rest just like anypony else, so Princess Luna would come down to guard the night during a crisis. She had not been told about who the threat was, let alone being told of their capabilities, but just to come as soon as the moon was out.

They could see her; Princess Luna was in the distance, and Vanish had cloaked himself. The ponies feared the worst. “No... Is he going to do the same thing to Princess Luna that he did to Spitfire?” Rainbow pounced on the toppled stallion stomping on him mercilessly. “ANSWER ME! HOW DO WE STOP HIM!?” Gather coughed at the impacts. “Y-You did this… to yourselves!” She stopped attacking him so that he could speak. “If you didn’t bring me in here… he wouldn’t have had to hurt her!”

Their worst fears were realized: Vanish was planning to attack Princess Luna. As they looked up, they tried waving to her in order to get her to turn back, but she didn’t see them as they were at the side of the barrier. Luna went towards the encompassing shield, but hovered before she could open a hole in the barrier, quickly turning around as if she had suddenly become distracted, or alerted of something. Twilight thought it over. “Did she hear Vanish using his magic?” Suddenly, the ponies saw Luna disappear from sight, though they could hear a rather loud argument occur just above the barrier, as the argument approached them as indicated by the voices getting louder. Vanish was speaking to Luna, but kept himself cloaked so she couldn’t use her magic on him, while Twilight had a theory about what was transpiring. “Is he… negotiating?”

The words stopped, and although the two alicorns still could not be seen, the sound of flapping wings was clear. It was coming from the area next to the barrier, where Vanish had taken off from. Hearing a grunt of pain and the sound of wings no longer flapping, the ponies gathered to the side of the barrier as the stallion uncloaked himself and the princess, having placed his two rear hooves on the back of Princess Luna’s hind legs, and his two front hooves on her rather large, brandished wings, pinning her stomach to the ground as she shouted in protest. “R-Release me at once, stallion! Are you so blind and foolish, as to not know the identity of the one that you are in the presence of!?”

Vanish looked down upon her with a look of dismay. “It is with great regret, that I must direct your attention to the ponies lined up before you.” Princess Luna stopped trying to look at the stallion behind her, and averted her gaze to the ponies in front of her, just on the other side of the barrier. “Sister! What in Equestria is going on?” Celestia bowed her head in a nervous display of regret. “I’m afraid that you’ve encountered the reason why this barrier is up, Luna.” Princess Luna realized the gravity of the situation at once. “Oh… Oh dear me…”

Luna could not turn around to face Vanish, as he had pinned her wings with his hooves, making even the slightest movement from her feel agonizing. Suddenly, Vanish stepped off, lifted her up with his magic, forced her wings to close, and against all expectations, turned her towards him. Princess Luna attempted to use her magic against the stallion as dark clouds began swirling around her, and her eyes began glowing with fury-induced magic while she made her vicious proclamation. “Never in your most terrifying nightmares, could you even begin to perceive the danger you’re in, by attempting to assault the Princess of the Ni-AAH!”

Suddenly, Princess Luna fell out of the air, unable to even take her wings out in time. Vanish dropped her, having released his magical hold on that which had enveloped the alicorn. “I apologize in advance, fair Princess. I am out of options, and it is under the order of my client that I must use your power to my advantage.” Princess Luna was about to get up, but had hurt her left foreleg when she landed, causing her to buckle in response. Vanish placed his hoof in front of her, which she took in order to help her up, before she quickly backed up from the suddenly prim and proper-acting stallion, raising her hoof off the ground to point at him objectively.

“Explain yourself, threat to Canterlot. Know that we of Equestrian Royalty do not take kindly to threats.” Princess Luna seemed sure of herself, but didn’t know whether to trust the stallion in front of her, or to just use her magic to retreat into the safety of the barrier. Then it hit her: The reason he needed her help was obvious, and Vanish could tell that she knew the reason. “You know why I need you, Princess. You are the only one capable of opening a hole, with which I may enter this barrier through, and be reunited with my client.”

The turquoise menace shouted. “Vanish, what are you doing!? She’s right in front of you! Do as we agreed!” Gather was furious, as if something was not going according to his well-laid plans. Vanish turned his attention to his client “You very specifically instructed me to obey the rules of the contract, and that is what I am doing.” Gather was steaming with rage. “No! I didn’t! I demand that you use my magic to take hers, and get in here at once! Do you want your payment or not!?”

As angry as Gather was getting, Vanish remained calm and collected as he composed his response. “I did not wish to resort to this, but you leave me no choice. As my client, I must refer to our contract in front of everypony present.” Vanish used his magic to bring a scroll from behind a nearby tree, where he had left his saddlebag along with the fedora. Gather was grinding his teeth, knowing full-well what the contract said. Princess Luna was very confused by the demeanor of the stallion who had taken her ‘hostage’, but not nearly as confused as Princess Celestia and the Royal Guards were, having witnessed what Vanish did to Spitfire, yet not spoken to the mercenary as the other ponies had done in the past couple of days. Vanish laid the scroll on the ground and unfurled with his hooves, as he sought to disclose the necessary contents.

“Let’s see, here. ‘Binding agreement to obtain the Wings of the Cloudsdale Pegasi, as well as those of The Wonderbolts, The Spirit of the Element of Loyalty: Rainbow Dash, The Spirit of the Element of Kindness: Fluttershy, The Princess of the Night: Princess Luna, Princess Mi Amore “Cadance” Cadenza, and Princess Celestia of Equestria’, as quoted by the contract we wrote and signed.” Gather was beside himself with rage, but could not speak out of turn with any possible comeback as the mercenary continued. “With regards to the means of execution of the aforementioned actions, I may choose my means of action and interaction.”

Rainbow Dash cut in. “Why didn’t you just wait for Luna to open the barrier, before sneaking in?” Vanish had moved the scroll back to the saddlebag while listening to Rainbow Dash. “I had considered that option, but that would be rude. I attacked the Wonderbolts when they attacked me. As for the Princess, she did not do so, and I need her to help me reach my client.” Twilight understood his logic, as the fight on the train suddenly came back to her: The ponies that attacked him were the only ones he fought, but Princess Luna had not become hostile towards the stallion, much like Derpy and Fluttershy on the train. Gather stood on his hind legs, crossing his forelegs as he mocked the stallion on the other side of the barrier by speaking sarcastically. “Oh, how noble of you, fair mercenary… HAH!”

Vanish ignored the taunting as he turned his attention to Princess Luna once more. “Princess? I humbly request that I may be allowed inside the barrier. Otherwise, considering how I would have no other option, I would have to use force against you; this is not a threat, I assure you.” Luna was a bit nervous, but hardly phased by the pony who was speaking to her. “I warned you not to threaten Canterlot Royalty. You will learn your pla-…”

“Let him in, Sister.” Princess Celestia had seen enough. She knew her sister better than anyone, and Luna would not back down, nor did it seem that Vanish would allow her to leave without reuniting with his client. She couldn’t expect her sister to beat Vanish after the Wonderbolts had fallen to him. She didn’t want to surrender, but she saw no other option other than losing her beloved sister, or worse: Even if Princess Luna had lost far more important things than her wings and her magic, or if she were allowed to escape, it would only delay the inevitable. Vanish could locate somepony else from Ponyville, and return in due time. Vanish and Gather had planned for this, but regrettably, Princess Celestia had not prepared for a threat to this degree, specifically a threat that was so persistent. “Shining Armor, remove the barrier around Canterlot. Guards, escort Vanish and Gather to the Royal Chambers. We will continue this conversation, there.”

Gather was prodded forward by the guards, and coughed while he chuckled to himself, as Vanish waited for the barrier to dissolve. He raised his hoof in gratitude. “You have my thanks, Princess.” The gray-maned stallion used the magic of one of horns to remove his wings, causing his coat to return to its’ dark, dark blue hue, and the magic of his other horn to bring the fedora and saddlebag over to him before continuing forward. He kept Gather’s horn on his head, before pointing forward and bowing slightly to the Princess of the Night. “Mares first, Princess.”

Luna didn’t respond with words, just a huff and stepping forward. Night had finally arrived, and Twilight had remembered what Vanish had said: That if nothing interrupted their well-laid plans, then everything would come to an end, tonight. “Vanish?” Twilight tried for his attention, but received no acknowledgement. As important questions stirred in her head, Twilight knew that the time for discussion of the options available to the ponies was approaching its end, but the only conclusions available to be seen, were those of sorrow, regret, and pain. “What can we do to help Equestria, and to help Vanish?”

“Will we even be able to do either one?”