Inside of the Void, the most faithful servant of Sithis drifts in madness, until he is called upon.
Arcane Arts is a unicorn working for the Canterlot Royal Research Facility. One day while researching the magic of creating and maintaining portals, she hears a voice call out to her. The mysterious voice causes Arcane Arts to launch an entire research team to investigate how to create a portal into the world the voice described. Weeks of research go into finishing the theories of cross world portal creation, and then it is up to Arcane Arts to tune the portal to where she heard the voice. Arcane Arts is successful, and opens her mind and her world, to the Void.
Arcane Arts sat at the round table that the Canterlot Royal Research Facility used for its meetings. Arcane Arts currently occupied the chair reserved for the head of the spell research branch of the facility. The other eight chairs were for the heads of Agriculture, Transportation, Weather, Alchemy, Biology, History, Runes, and the final chair was reserved to the adviser of the princesses. Each chair was occupied by the foremost researcher of their categories, and they were then overseen by the adviser, they were mostly unicorns, with the exception of the pegasus in charge of weather, and the earth pony in charge of Transportation. Both were famous for their recent breakthroughs, the pegasus single hoofedly created a new method of utilizing the ponies in a town to create a tornado to collect the water from a source to be made into snow for winter. The earth pony himself had drawn up the plans for locomotives and had overseen their engineering.
Arcane Arts looked around the faces of her colleagues. She had plans of a new spell that could revolutionize the way Equestria enacted their everyday life. She was going to need the help of a couple of the other research branches, to team up so she could accomplish her goal.
"So, Arcane Arts. I understand you wished to call this meeting to propose a research team with a few of the other branches." Spell Shield the adviser, a retired military commander said addressing Arcane Arts.
"Yes, I have drawn up plans to create a new spell that could revolutionize Equestrian life. It won't be easy, and the work will not be able to be shoved off onto interns. The research will be carried out by the heads of the branches I am requesting and their most trusted ponies that work under them." Arcane Arts said with a smile as she looked at the faces of the other research branches. All of them wondering if they would be needed.
"And who will you be calling on for the support of your project, and what does the project entail?" Spell Shield asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I am working on a spell that if calculated correctly, and bound into the correct runes, could open a portal in which ponies could step inside and be instantaneously transported to where the other end of the portal has been set up. I have already worked out the theory, but any attempts to prolong the portal will need to be rooted into runes. I will need the transportation team as well to calculate distances of the spell and have it fine tuned to be safe for pony use." Arcane arts said with a smile as she looked at the heads of the two branches she requested.
"Hmm, that is indeed interesting. It would also seem that you have already addressed the issue of pony safety, and have a theory to deal with it. Very well, if the other branch heads will cooperate you have permission to begin your research. What do you say Ambrosia, Sigel?" Spell Shield asked.
"It would be an honor to apply my theories of runic usage in spells for Arcane." Sigel, a large bearded stallion with a runic cutie mark said. Sigel's beard and mane were blond, and his coat was a stark white, many of the other research team heads often asked why the large stallion was not in the Equestrian military.
"As much as I would hate to see my trains become obsolete, I would be mad not to jump on the project that puts them out of commission." Ambrosia, a light yellow mare with a white mane who had an sliced apple as a cutie mark.
"Wonderful, I would like to hold the research team in my facility though if that is not too much of a burden however. I have already gathered the needed materials there to begin research and hopefully we can begin as soon as possible." Arcane Arts said with glee as she clapped her hooves together in excitement.
"Alright, now that the last matter of business for the day has been dealt with, I dismiss you all. And have a happy Hearths Warming Eve everypony!" Spell Shield said with a smile as he picked himself up and departed.
The other ponies then all left, except the three that were to work on project portal. Sigel and Ambrosia trotted over to Arcane Arts and shook hooves, this was the first time any of them had actually worked with each other. Sigel was the only one to ever be in a research team before, and it was with the previous head researcher of spells.
"So how far into this theory have you tested, I can tell from the look you had in your eyes that you attempted the spell at least once already." Sigel said eagerly.
"Well I didn't manage a complete transportation with the spell, but I was able to move my mind across a great distance, I was able to see and hear everything until I ended the spell. I just need a few tweaks and I should be able to move a body along with a mind. Then We need to calculate distances to get it exact, figure of there are any forces acting on the pony when they travel, and then root the spell into the correct runes." Arcane said eagerly.
"So did you only try it once then?" Ambrosia asked out of curiosity.
"No, I attempted it about five times, and all but one attempt was successful in moving my mind to another location on Equestria." Arcane Arts said.
"Wait, on Equestria... Where did the failed attempt send your mind?" Sigel asked cautiously.
"I don't know. It was a dark place, and when I was there I lost all feeling in my body, as if I was cut off. I heard a few voices whispering, but it was completely dark. I admit I was a little scared, but I was able to end the spell and come back no problem." Arcane said drawing circles bashfully on the ground.
"Hey, perhaps before we get our underlings involved we can do a quick test run, maybe observe how the spell works now before we start calculating things later." Ambrosia said with a smile.
"Sure, if that is okay with you Sigel. We can all go to my house where I have a my notes ready. After maybe a few attempts we will come up with some ideas on stabilization and full body transportation.
Back at her house Arcane Arts led her colleagues into her study where she had her butler prepare a small fire in the fireplace, and had a few snacks set out for them as they researched. Arcane Arts looked down at the silver tray and caught her reflection in the mirrored surface. She was starting to look tired, bags were beginning to form under her eyes, easy to see on her light blue coat. Her red eyes seemed redder and puffy from lack of sleep. And her dark blue mane was unkempt and messy.
"Sorry again if I look like a mess, but I have been working pretty hard to get this project to a presentable point." Arcane Arts said with a bashful smile.
"No worries, by the way I heard that your niece appeared in the news again." Sigel said with a hearty laugh.
"Yeah, my favorite little niece sure has been busy." Arcane Arts laughed fondly thinking of her niece.
"Hey yeah, I heard about that. Her and One of my cousins went up north to save the Crystal Empire didn't they?" Ambrosia said with a smile.
"That's right, though I hear my nieces assistant took most of the glory by retrieving the crystal heart." Arcane Arts said with a chuckle.
Arcane Arts levitated her notebook over to herself as she thought fondly of her niece. She then flipped open the notebook and flipped to her most recent entry on the spell she was working on.
"Ahh, here it is. Okay, I am going to attempt this spell, if you two could make any observations you notice and tell me anything I miss that could actually cause this to progress quite quickly." Arcane said as she set the notes in front of her and proofread them quickly.
"Sure thing, have at it." Ambrosia said.
Arcane Arts activated the spell and forced her mind to think of her niece. The spell then threw her mind into the room of her niece, and she was able to watch over as the young Twilight Sparkle read a book in her bed. Twilight's eyes began to droop and slowly she fell asleep, book held in her hooves firmly against her chest. Arcane then undid the spell and returned her mind to her body.
"So, did you manage to notice anything?" Arcane asked.
"Well, I can't tell anything from my end. Magic is a bit of a null spot for my eyes. Give me the questions and set me to calculating when we can get the physical part of it and I'll me ready." Ambrosia laughed.
"And you Sigel?" Arcane asked the stallion who was deep in thought.
"Try doing that spell, but do not just visualize the place you think of, visualize yourself being there. And try it while standing in this runic array." The stallion said with a businesslike tone as he took a sheet of paper out of his satchel and showed the runic array.
"This is a simple runic array to increase the ponies magical intake and channeling while inside. Do you have a place where we can inscribe this onto the floor?" Sigel asked.
"Actually, we can take that chalkboard down and place it on the floor here." Arcane said.
"Wonderful!" Sigel said as he levitated the chalkboard to the ground and in a matter of minutes drew the runes on the board perfectly around where Arcane sat on it.
"Okay, here goes something..." Arcane said as she activated the spell once more. This time she started with visualizing herself, but then she thought of where to send herself. It would have to be far away to make sure she did not just simply cast a minor teleportation.
Something tugged in the back of Arcane's mind, and she thought of the dark area she had thrown her mind before. Arcane did not know why she thought of the place, but she couldn't stop. Her mind acted as if drawn or compelled and she finished the spell.
Surrounding her was nothing but darkness. The entirety of what could be perceived was void of light or even the sense of existing. Though she felt cold, Arcane Arts could not feel anything else. She attempted to raise a hoof in front of her face, but she could not tell if anything actually happened, not even the feeling of weight shifting on a numb limb. The Unicorn wondered briefly if she had accidentally thrown her conscious mind into an empty plane of existence when attempting to travel to the place she was before.
The sound of giggling from a high pitched, but male voice started around the unicorn. Arcane Arts cast her eyes around the absolute darkness, but to no avail as the location of the laughter was as impossible to perceive as the limbs on her body. Nothing seemed to fill this void, but at the same time the laughter seemed to be everything, driving on from a giggle into a cackle, one that was reserved for only the most demented and broken of minds. The cackling racked against Arcane's mind, slowly the unicorn mare felt her mind begin to warp, the madness of the voice seeping into herself. She strained desperately to free herself form her own spell, to return her mind to Equestria where it belonged.
The voice began to say things in between its cackling, 'The laughter is all I have here, but I would trade it all...' Arcane Arts strained her ears against the deranged laughter, waiting for the next coherent word, hoping that the voice could do her no harm. 'To hear your voice...' The laughter stopped as the last part was said, madness dripped off every syllable as the voice lost the high pitch of a raving lunatic, and adopted a deeper hoarse sound as one would use to frighten a child.
Silence continued after the laughter ceased, Arcane Arts shivered in fear as she drifted along in the nothingness of the void. The silence became deafening to the mare, and though she could not feel it, she knew. Tears dripped down her cheeks as a sense of infinite suffering and sorrow rushed into her from the void. Though it was still silent it was as if a million voices told her of their sadness and death.
Arcane arts raised a hoof and wiped the tears off of her face, she was back in her study. The mare just sat there, staring at the magical circle around her, and shivered at what she had done. She had gone in search of knowledge, only to be trapped by the void she ventured into, released only by the mercy of the void's lord.
Arcane looked up into the faces of her colleagues as she shivered. The mare just sat there as the tears continued to fall and she slowly began to calm herself. The other two researchers shared a glance as they waiting, mouths open and eyes wide.
"What... What happened?" Sigel asked with a concerned tone.
"Are you alright?" Ambrosia asked.
"I messed up the spell... I went back to the dark place form before, but it was worse. I was unable to undo the spell at first. And there was this... Laughter... some crazy pony was there and he was laughing. But I could see and feel nothing." Arcane said, a shiver running down her spine.
"You disappeared from the circle, when you came back, the lights all went out and it was completely dark..." Ambrosia said.
"The fireplace... The fire is still out..." Sigel said.
Arcane Arts then noticed that the room was actually fairly dark. the only light came from the dimly glowing crystals on the walls that were once very bright, but now seemed to be drained of their power. Arcane Arts moved to the fireplace and magically lit the logs once more, to cast light around the dim room.
As the light flooded into the room from the fire it cast shadows about. The three ponies all felt a sense of unease, as if they were being watched. They cast their eyes around the dancing shadows at the edge of the room. Arcane Arts felt the air stir behind her, and she slowly turned to face the dark corner where the fireplace's light could not touch.
A pale face leaned out of the darkness and came into view, inches from Arcane Art's nose. The bottom of the face was obscured as an appendage came up from the darkness and a single digit from what looked like a hand came over the faces lips, in a hushing motion. The faces golden yellow eyes playfully stared into Arcane Art's red ones.
"Please do not scream, there was plenty of that in the void that Cicero tried to cover up their silent racket with his laughter. But please do not be silent... Cicero was once tormented by the silence..." The face said, madness playing in its eyes.
The face moved forward and its body came into view, twice as tall as a pony, only meeting Arcane's face because it was hunched over. As it moved forward Arcane backed up, keeping the distance of a few inches as the figure came into view, wearing strange clothing, It wore a shirt that had black and red vertical stripes. The pants the bipedal thing wore were the same cirmson red as the shirt's stripes. A mantle lay on top of the shirt that seemed to be of a strange material and was a dark black with a gold trimming around the edge. the front of the mantle was laced together with the same strange material. The creature had pointed boots on its bipedal feet, and black gloves covering its hands, both had gold trimmings. The face now in the light Arcane could see had a hat, a jesters hat if she was not mistaken.
"The silence... Was maddening." Cicero said in a deep, warning voice that cracked at the end.
Arcane and her colleagues stared in horror, not uttering a sound. Cicero stared intently at Arcane, eyes boring into hers. As the silence dragged on, Cicero's eyes began to tremble, soon followed by his hands balling up into fists that then trembled as well. Arcane then registered what he had said and fear doubled inside of her.
"H-hello..." Arcane choked out, afraid of what might happen if she stayed silent.
Cicero stopped trembling the moment Arcane's voice was heard. He slowly crept his face the few inches closer until his pointed nose touched her snout. Arcane began to tremble as Cicero's face touched hers.
"You brought me here, from the void..." Cicero said in a moment of clarity, for once talking as if he was not completely mad.
"I-I guess so?" Arcane asked more than confirmed Cicero's question.
"Hmm..." Cicero said as he backed off slightly and rubbed his hand on his chin in thought.
Arcane looked back to her colleagues who were still frozen in fear of the thing that had followed their fellow researcher back from wherever she had gone.
"Cicero lives to serve his mother, but she chose another to speak to. Cicero was not the listener... The dread lord sent me with you, and he always works in mysterious ways..." Cicero said as he began to pace back and forth talking to himself.
Arcane turned her attention back to the bipedal figure in her study as it paced back and forth on the edge of the darkness.
"Perhaps the dark lord sent me with a purpose. He did at least keep Cicero separate form the other ones..." Cicero continued.
"The dread lord?" Arcane asked with a trembling voice.
Cicero stopped his pacing and seemed to register that he was not alone, as if he had forgotten they were there in the first place. Cicero considered what was said and a smile broke onto his face and mad glee was in his golden eyes.
"Of course! The dread lord Sithis must have investigated your presence! You were powerful enough to enter into the void, so he must have seen use in you. Perhaps you are to be his new matron in this world!" Cicero said as he began to clap his hands together and caper merrily.
"Sithis?" Arcane asked.
"Why yes, he is my lord, no... Our lord. He must have chosen you if he allowed you to be released, and he even sent poor, sweet Cicero to be your guide and servant." Cicero said as he got down on his knees to be at eye level with Arcane as he put his hands on her shoulders and forced her to sit down.
"Together we will spread the word of the dark lord, all will kneel to the might, of the new Night Mother!"
Arcane Arts backed up slowly as she kept an eye on the strange dancing creature that she had inadvertently dragged back with her from the void. This 'Cicero' as he described himself in the third person seemed to be deranged, and most likely psychotic. Arcane only hoped he would not get violent before she could get the guards to come and save her friends and herself. Arcane cast her eyes behind her as she backed up and looked pleadingly to her colleagues. Ambrosia shook her head signalling she was not going to do anything, but Sigel made a throaty gulping noise as he stepped forward and stood slightly in front of Arcane Arts.
"Uh, e-excuse me..." The stallion said attempting to get Cicero's attention as calmly as possible.
"Hmm?" Cicero made a high pitched questioning hum as he eyed the slightly larger pony with a beard.
Cicero stopped his dance, and ceased clapping his hands as he stared at the pony. Something about the pony sparked a memory in Cicero. With the blonde beard and the larger statue this pony had he almost seemed like a Nord. Cicero despised the Nords, all of them treated Cicero with prejudice without even getting to know him. One particular farmer in Skyrim even had the audacity to tell the guards Cicero had committed a crime he had not so that he would be taken off of his farm. All Cicero had even wanted in the first place was help so that he could get his wagon wheel fixed to be on his way.
"You remind Cicero of someone he does not like..." Cicero said with an eerie look in his eye as he reached for the blade that was sheathed at his hip.
The three ponies all saw the look on the madman's face, none of them had ever seen the look before, but like a primal instinct they knew it was not good. They also all saw him reach for something on his hip, something that when pulled out gleamed in the low light of the room. The dagger glinted ominously as the jester twirled it in his fingers, poising his body to be ready for a strike. Sigel froze up with fear, the air abandoning him as his mouth worked wordlessly as it attempted in vain to beg for mercy. Cicero leaped at the stallion as he let out a deranged bark of laughter.
"Cicero stop!" Arcane Arts screamed at the top of her lungs, finding the courage at the final moment.
Cicero was kneeling over Sigel, elbow pulled back and ready to stab the pony in the face, his other hand gripping the blonde mane and pulling it back. Cicero looked up at Arcane Arts, his anger had vanished at the order of his new matron. Cicero returned the dagger to his belt and let go of the stallion's mane as he stood up, allowing Sigel to get off of his back and jump behind Arcane Arts.
"Please Cicero, do not hurt them, they work with me." Arcane said with a trembling voice.
Cicero considered this for a moment, his golden eyes taking in the two other ponies and weighing them up. The jester crossed his arms in thought as he looked at them, the three ponies meanwhile shared glances but did not dare to speak, lest they warrant another attack in the madman's eyes.
"So, they work with you hmm? Well, the question is will they continue to work with you. Sithis sent me with a reason, he always sends his children for a reason. My reason is to guide you and keep you safe. Keeping you safe will be difficult if your once partners turn on you because they are not loyal to Sithis..." Cicero said as he glared daggers at the other two ponies.
"Why would they turn against me? I haven't done anything wrong..." Arcane said as she looked at her colleagues.
"Oh sure, for now they are fine. But the moment you start sending souls to Sithis your old friends, your old family... They do not always understand. That is why the brotherhood exists, the dark brotherhood becomes your new family, your new friends. Friends that understand what it means to serve the dark lord." Cicero said, his voice taking on a somber tone.
"What do you mean send souls to Sithis?" Ambrosia spoke up in a cautious tone.
"When we take away a life, their soul is sent into the void. The void is the dread lord, and he is very hungry." Cicero said with a murderous grin.
"You want Arcane to kill other ponies?!" Sigel exclaimed, eyes wide at the incredulity of what Cicero said.
"Well, she need not if she want not... She is to be the new matron, so she is the one who gives orders. Humble Cicero lives to serve, and will shirk his keeping duties if ordered by the night mother." Cicero said with a shrug.
"Keeping duties?" Arcane asked suspiciously.
"Why yes, Cicero is the Keeper. I once watched over the body of our matron and made sure it came to no harm. I kept the night mother safe, and guarded her for many years before she chose a new listener. Then... Well... Our family had some, shall we say issues. I was killed defending the Night Mother's honor." Cicero said, crossing his arms again and looking down at the ground as memories of the listener hunting him down and slaying him.
"You... Died?" Arcane asked in wonder.
"Yes, but like you will one day, I lived on in the void. Sithis kept me nice and safe for when I would be needed again. But as the new mother of this world you will hear the dread lord's voice and be able to enact his will. He will tell you of anyone who is looking to have someone else killed. And then you will send me or another assassin to do the job. After you die, you will choose a listener to commune with from the void, and they will relay your orders." Cicero happily explained to his new matron.
Arcane thought over this for a moment. The implication that the void was now a part of her scared her a little bit. But at the same time, the thought that the void did not want her harmed, and had instead meant to protect her was a comforting thought. Arcane was not sure if she should believe the words of a creature that was so surely deranged. Arcane feared her own sanity for even considering the words, the void must have changed something in her.
"Listen Arcane, I'm sorry. But I have to get out of here, I'm freaking out..." Ambrosia said with a slight whine to her voice.
As Ambrosia bolted for the door Cicero did not even look at her, he had eyes only for Arcane Arts, who stood there, frozen. Arcane could hear a deep, rumbling voice inside of her head. The voice warned her 'Do not allow the one called Ambrosia to live, but do not have her killed in your place of residence. Send Cicero to kill her in an alleyway, under the cover of night.' Arcane Arts raised her eyes to meet Cicero's.
"Sithis said... Kill her, but not here. Do it in an alley where it will be away from my property." Arcane said to Cicero.
Sigel gasped, and stared wide eyed at his colleague. Only now did Sigel even consider that Arcane could even think of going along with the jester's ravings of a dark lord and murder. Cicero however clapped his hands together and squealed in delight as he began doing acrobatic flips in joy. The crazed jester then ran to the window and opened it before jumping out into the night. Sigel rushed to look out the window, but somehow Cicero had already disappeared from sight.
"How could you?" Sigel said as he turned to look Arcane Arts in the eye.
"He talked to me..." Arcane said in a dreamy tone as she stared at the ceiling.
"What? Who talked to you?" Sigel pushed on, his fear beginning to turn into anger that Arcane had just ordered the death of Ambrosia.
"Sithis spoke, and I relayed his will. Ambrosia would have hindered the growth of what has started here. Will you also be a problem Sigel, or will you submit to the dark lord?" Arcane said in a serious tone, her crimson eyes locking onto Sigel's.
"I-I..." Sigel began, his mouth working but his voice not finding the right words.
"Y-yes..." Sigel said in a defeated tone. He felt the strength of the hands of the jester. Even with his magic Sigel was no use against the 'Keeper' as Cicero called himself. Sigel had no other option if he wanted to live.
"Then hail Sithis..." Arcane said in an unusually cruel voice as she stared out the window into the night.
Cicero crept in the shadows, leaping from roof to roof as he followed his prey. It had been so, so long since his last contract. His last kill seemed ages ago, so long had it been since he murdered the farmer that wrongfully accused him and had him thrown in jail for a crime he did not commit.
Cicero caught up to his prey easily, his agile limbs carrying him much faster than the ponies running. Cicero leapt down onto Ambrosia, his right foot connecting with her back as he landed, snapping her spine. Ambrosia cried out in pain and fear as Cicero dragged her into nearest alley.
"Now now, don't be so afraid. You are with Cicero now, and Cicero will take good care of you..." Cicero said in a loving voice as he caressed the side of the mare's face with his black dagger.
"P-please..." Ambrosia said with tears in her eyes as the dagger began to cut her cheek, easily parting the skin as it passed over her face.
Cicero smiled as he drew is elbow back and grabbed the mare's hair, pulling her head back and exposing her throat. Cicero giggled as he considered the many possible ways this could end, all of them involved his ebony dagger plunging into the ponies flesh.
"See what happens when we threaten the Night Mother? if you had been willing to serve the dark lord you would have lived..." Cicero said in a scolding voice one would use for a child that had been caught with a hand in the cookie jar.
Before Ambrosia could beg once more for mercy, Cicero pulled her hair once more, bringing her face forward as he stabbed her in the eye. The mare screamed a bloody wail into the night as the jester then began to continuously assault the mare with his blade, plunging his knife into her as one would a needle into a pincushion. Cicero made quick work of her, and then set to sending the message to the populace. He eviscerated the still warm body of the mare and set to work on 'decorating' the alley.
Just as Cicero finished he heard some voices toward the end of the alleyway. Cicero crept into the shadows and scaled the wall, making his way to the roof. Cicero then peered into the empty streets of the town and spotted what he was looking for. The jester then made his way, jumping from roof to roof as he sang to himself with a dreamy smile on his face.
"If I chance to see a cat, I'll feed its corpse to my pet rat!" Cicero sang as he approached a fountain in a market square.
Cicero jumped into the fountain and rinsed the blood off of his hands, boots, and clothes. He then washed his face and double checked himself in his reflection. Content with the lack of blood on himself Cicero then jumped out of the fountain and returned his gloves to his hands. Cicero looked around to make sure there were no witnesses, and then shook himself of some of the water before continuing down the shadowy streets for the house where his matron waited.
As Cicero climbed into the window he had departed from he strode over to the fire and sat in front of it to dry himself off. The Keeper then looked up to where Arcane Arts and the pony that looked like a Nord watched him. Cicero smiled at his matron as he shivered from the chilly air that reminded him of his brief time in Skyrim.
"So, is the task done?" Arcane asked eagerly.
"Yes, indeed it is the traitor is dead. I painted the alleyway a crimson red." Cicero sang happily and a merry tone that sent chills up Sigel's spine.
"And I see you washed the blood off of yourself. So there is no way they can trace this back to us?" Arcane asked eagerly.
"Cicero made sure to clean himself up nice and good, no blood was left on him after leaving the message!" Cicero said happily.
"Message...?" Arcane said warily.
"Why yes, how else are we going to get the word out that the dark brotherhood is now open for business here?" Cicero asked.
Arcane Arts began to have a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. The look in the mad jester's eyes told her she did not want to ask about what the message entailed or what Cicero used to create the message. She had a fairly good idea as it was, and the idea that played through her head made her nearly want to vomit.
"Captain Shining armor, it's good that you came, though it is unfortunate that we need to ask you to oversee this investigation..." A Canterlot guard said to his captain.
"I heard there was a murder, what else can you tell me? Have we any leads, or clues as to who did it?" Shining asked the guard with a hint of worry in his voice. It had been years since the last murder to ever occur in Equestria, and now one happens in Canterlot?
"It is a real mess in there, but there was a message written on the wall, sir... But its pretty bad..." The guard said in a queasy tone.
Shining Armor looked at his soldier and began to worry, if something could faze his men, it had to be bad. Shining slowly trotted down the alley, and illuminated his horn to view the crime scene. Shining Armor immediately let the glow die as he rushed out of the alley and vomited. The captain of the guard grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the bile off of his face. He then returned the cloth and took another one out to cover his face. As Shining held the cloth over his nose with his magic he returned to the scene and once again illuminated his horn.
The body of the mare was hanging on the wall in the back of the alley, suspended on an old sign post from a store that once took residence in the alley. The store closed, and the entrance was bricked off so the rest of the building could make use of it as new rooms, but the post the sign once hung from remained. The new sign was the most horrifying scene Shining had ever seen. The mare was hung using her own intestines that were tied in a noose around the mare's neck and wrapped around the post. The mare's eyes were jabbed in by something sharp, and her tongue was cut out and lay on the ground. The wall next to the body had a message written in blood.
The message was signed with a bloody print. The print however was one that Shining had never seen before, an unknown creature must have committed this. Shining sighed at the revelation that a pony did not do this. But then he shivered at the thought of what could have.
"Sweet Mother, Sweet Mother, send your child unto me, for the sins of the unworthy must be baptized in blood and fear... What could have done such a thing?" Shining muttered under his breath.
Shining was about to leave when he took one final look back at the print, he would need to have some of the forensics unicorns have a look at it and see if they can find out what kind of creature they are looking for.
"Have they found anything else yet?" Cadence asked her husband as she massaged his shoulders with her hooves, soothing the guard captain from a long days work.
"No, apart from the blood that was smeared up the wall and the trail of drops that led back to the market fountain nothing has been found. I just... I don't understand how anypony could be calm enough to leave no trace after doing something so horrible like that. It looked as if the murder was done by a professional." Shining Armor said as he rubbed his temple with a hoof.
"That's nonsense, Equestria hasn't seen a professional murderer for over a thousand years when Somber took the throne of the Crystal Kingdom." Celestia said as she strode in on the married couple.
"P-Princess Celestia!" Shining Armor said as he raised himself off the ground to bow to the leader of Equestria.
"Auntie, what are you doing here? Don't you have royal court right now?" Cadence asked as she strode up to the princess of the sun and nuzzled her cheek affectionately.
"Yes, but Luna is taking care of it for now. I have more pressing matters to talk with Shining Armor about." Celestia said, a kind smile on her face, but the faux smile did not fool the captain of the guard. Celestia's eyes held nothing but business.
"What is it your majesty?" Shining Armor asked as he stood at attention.
"The murder you are investigating, a similar killing has happened just recently. This one was less brutal but the bloody print was there as well." Celestia said with a sigh as her smile turned into a frown.
The princess of the sun lost a little bit of her luster as she frowned. Her mane briefly stopped flowing and fell down, obeying the laws of physics. Without her keeping up her appearance the princess of the sun looked much older, and tired.
"We have no proof but it seems like this one was a political killing as well. The theory of random murder is not something we can consider anymore." Celestia said gravely.
"Why? who was killed?" Shining asked.
"Prince Blueblood was found dead in his own manor. We have no signs of forced entry, and nopony witnessed anything." Celestia said with a sigh.
"Cousin Blueblood?!" Cadence exclaimed in horror.
"Why was this not brought directly to me?" Shining Armor asked suspiciously.
"You must understand, Blueblood's family insisted on their own private detectives working on the case at first, and have just now asked us to aid since they can find nothing." Celestia said with an apologetic smile.
"So... That makes one murder of the royal research facility, and one of the royal family. Who do you think has sent this killer? Diamond Dogs? Griffins? Or do you suspect it is more closer to home?" Shining Armor asked.
"I cannot say for certain, but it seems too covert for either of them. And the way the murderer has left a print both times, its like they were leaving a calling card." Celestia said.
"Well, looks like I will have another late night then..." Shining said apologetically to his wife.
"Duty calls..." Cadence said hanging her head now that she was going to sleep alone again tonight.
As Shining Armor left the room Celestia and Cadence shared a glance. The younger Alicorn cocked her head as if looking at something. Cadence then looked down at the ground and cast her eyes about as she thought of something.
"Do you have an idea of who is behind all of this?" Cadence asked.
"Well, I have been suspecting a few of my advisers along with a few of the other members of the royal family to be plotting my usurpation. If this killer works for one of the royal branches, well... I fear not only for my safety but yours and Shining Armor's." Celestia said with a sigh.
Cadence gave her aunt a reassuring nuzzle and then departed herself from the room. Celestia remained for a moment longer, gathering her will and recasting the glamour that gave her the godly appearance she always had around her subjects.
Cicero dropped a sizable cloth pouch on the table in front of Sigel. The unicorn looked up from what he was reading and stared at the pouch, lifting it in his magic to feel its weight and gauge the contents. The unicorn after a second of lifting it up and down with his magic he set it on the table and slumped in his chair, wide eyed at the bag of coins.
"There must be nearly nine thousand bits in that bag!" Sigel exclaimed as he looked up to the jester.
"Well, Cicero has done a few royal jobs before, and they always pay well." Cicero said with a chuckle as he twirled his blade with his fingers.
"And they just handed you the gold and told you to kill him?" Sigel asked incredulously.
"Mhmm, it was as our matron said it would be. You know what they say..." Cicero said with a dark chuckle, his voice dropping in volume and becoming low and deadly, "Mother knows best..."
Sigel picked up the sack of coins and brought it over to Arcane Arts who regarded the blood money with a slight amount of disgust. Arcane was still not comfortable with what was going on, but as long as she did not have to actually commit any of the dark deeds, she could bear serving her new lord by relaying his will.
"Mother you look distressed..." Cicero said unhappily.
Arcane Arts shifted nervously on the large pillow Cicero had fetched and set out for her to sit on as she communed with the void and relayed where the dark sacrament had been recited. Cicero told her a ritual was once in order to call the dark brotherhood into action, but now a simple oath only needed to be muttered with the intent behind it to call upon the brotherhood. Though they currently only had one Assassin, Cicero did not seem unhappy about the situation they were in, the strange man even seemed to revel in the slaughter of others.
"Cicero... Do you ever feel, guilty... When you take a life?" Arcane Arts asked. The question seemed foolish to him, and he briefly wondered if a prank was being played on him.
"Ohh! You jest with Cicero! Haha, that was a good one mother." Cicero said as he cackled madly at the notion.
"No, Cicero... Do you honestly never feel sorry for taking a life?" Arcane asked.
"Oh, well... There were a few times when fellow brothers or sisters needed to be sent to Sithis, but I always did what was best for my previous mother. Is mother still upset that she had to order the death of her friend?" Cicero asked, concerned for Arcane Arts.
Arcane did not respond to this, only looked down at her hooves as she shifted them around nervously. Sigel silently thanked Celestia that Arcane still had common sense and could still feel guilt for what was happening. The stallion shot a hate filled glance at the jester that turned his world upside down not even a week ago. Sigel was about to speak when Cicero strode toward Arcane Arts and knelt in front of her. Cicero cupped his hand on the side of her face and lifted her face to gaze at him. Arcane recoiled slightly at the touch of the grungy glove that was made of what she found out to be the hide of another living creature.
"Do not worry mother, your sacrifice showed Sithis that you were willing to serve. Because of this he will allow me to remain by your side to defend you. I will let nothing harm you mother, you are my reason for living, and I will never allow anyone to harm you." Cicero said with a warm smile as he looked kindly into Arcane Arts' eyes.
Arcane pushed the jester away and turned her head from him, signalling that she did not want to see him at the moment. Cicero bowed deeply and humbly as he stood up and left the room. As the door closed behind Cicero depressed mumbles could be heard echoing down the hall, until he traveled far enough away that Arcane and Sigel could no longer hear his grumbling.
"Creepy, isn't he?" Sigel said, the breath he was holding finally released.
"Sigel, please promise me something..." Arcane Arts said in a quiet voice.
"What is it?" Sigel asked, a worried look on his face.
"Please do not betray me. I do not want to get too close to my family with Cicero always lurking in the shadows near me. You are the only friend I have that is safe from Cicero. Please do not cause him to act against you. I don't want to be alone..." Arcane said as a tear ran down her cheek.
"He is that bad huh?" Sigel asked in a grave tone.
"Cicero seems to mean well, but I just don't know how much I can trust him. I heard of what became of Ambrosia, and he just seemed too happy about it. He says he will protect me, but what if he slips into madness just for a moment and hurts me?" Arcane asked, her voice trembling with fear.
"Well, tell you what. I promise to stay with you through this, all I ask is that you make sure to not allow his madness to affect you. If you go as crazy as him I don't think I could handle it." Sigel said, laughing nervously towards the end.
"So... What of all this money?" Sigel asked, eyeing the massive sack of gold.
"Sithis told me to take what has been earned through Cicero's work and begin construction of a hideout outside of the city limits. Somewhere hidden and safe." Arcane said eyeing the sack herself.
"What will we need a hideout for?" Sigel asked, a confused look on his face.
"Sigel, you already know that Twilight Sparkle is my niece, so you do realize her brother is the captain of the royal guard. My nephew is hunting for me, and he doesn't even know it..." Arcane Arts said as she looked at her hooves.
"Arcane... Do you fear for yourself in all of this, or do you fear what Cicero will do to your family should they pursue you?" Sigel asked solemnly.
Shining Armor adjusted the bow tie he had around his neck. The captain of the guard finally managed to get a night off from duty. He intended to spend it at the dinner party that was serving as his family reunion. It had been weeks since the guard captain had off due to the spree of murders that had sprouted up and the lack of evidence in each case.
"Are you ready honey?" Cadence called.
"Yeah, ill be there in a moment." Shining Armor called back as he finished straightening his suit. Normally he would wear his military attire, but recently he had worn it quite a lot, and wanted an excuse to wear something other than his uniform.
As the captain of the guard joined his wife in the carriage that awaited them outside of his house, he gave her a peck on the cheek before telling the carriage driver to take them to the reunion.
"So who is the host of this reunion now?" Cadence asked, a curious smile on her.
"Well our family goes through the family tree, taking turns. The host for the next reunion is chosen at the previous one, and this happens every five years. Well, during the last reunion, my auntie Arcane Arts was chosen to host in her manor." Shining said with a smile as he remembered his aunt.
"I didn't know you had an aunt..." Cadence said slightly hurt.
"Well, I haven't been able to see her in a while, she is usually pretty absorbed in her work." Shining said nervously.
"What kind of work?" Cadence asked as she looked out the carriage window and saw a large manor down the road that they were approaching.
"She works at the Canterlot Royal Research Facility, she is actually the head of the spell research branch there. I used to spend a lot of time with her when I was younger, but... When she got the job as head of the branch she was pretty much absorbed by the work." Shining Armor said as his smile started to fade.
Cadence gave her husband a sympathetic look and nuzzled his cheek.
"Hey, at least you will get to catch up with her today." Cadence said with a smile.
The carriage came to a halt and the two stepped out onto the flagstone road that led to the manor gates. Shining levitated the carriage driver his pay and then him and his wife strode through the open gate and into the manor.
Shining was greeted by many of his relatives, and he introduced many of his family members to his wife. Though he saw many familiar faces, he still searched for one face in particular that he wanted to see. The couple weaved through the multitudes of ponies that were all a part of the family tree, but Shining could still not find his aunt.
"Shining, Cadence!" A familiar voice called.
"Twiley!" Shining said as he embraced his little sister.
"Hey Twilight, how have you been?" Cadence asked her little sister in law.
"Not bad actually, especially not compared to how you have been Shining. I have heard about what has been going on, and I have been researching the print to try and find any creatures that match the print." Twilight said with a sympathetic look.
"Hey Twiley, have you seen auntie Arcane? I haven't seen her in years and I really wanted to catch up." Shining said to his younger sister.
"Yeah, auntie is upstairs in her study, she said she needed to check something. She should still be up there if you are looking for her." Twilight said with a smile as she waved off her brother and his wife as they headed toward the stairs.
Shining lead his wife through the house he had not been in for a long time. If he remembered correctly the study was just down this hall. Shining was sure he would remember the room when he came to it, but for now he was simply lost in the maze of a mansion his aunt lived in.
"Are you sure you know where you are going?" Teased Cadence with a giggle.
"I'm sure it's here somewhere..." Shining mumbled to himself.
The shadows stirred to the side of the couple and Shining Armor froze. Cadence gave her husband a questioning look as the guard captain slowly turned his head and looked to the left of where they were trotting. Shining Armor strode over to where he saw the shadow move and peered around, looking for something.
"What's wrong?" Cadence asked, only to be shushed by Shining Armor.
Another blur of motion appeared in the peripheral of Shining's vision, something was moving quickly, and was able to conceal itself when still. Shining's military training kicked into overdrive as he dove after where he had last seen the movement, hoping to keep up with it. Was this the thing that was killing ponies in Canterlot?
The blur of motion ducked around a corned leading into another hallway. Shining Armor ran after it, tearing through the hall as fast as he could gallop, his wife attempting to keep pace with him as he chased the blur. Shining then saw the blur enter a room and silently close the door behind it, Shining raced to the door and stood before it, he had whatever the blur was trapped now. Shining motioned for Cadence to stop and lowered himself into a ready stance as he prepared a defensive spell.
Shining slowly nudged open the door and peered into the room. The room was the study Shining was looking for previously, and inside was his aunt Arcane Arts who looked up at him with a bewildered expression.
"Shining is that you? Oh my how you have grown..." Arcane said as she stood up from a large pillow in the middle of the room and trotted over to give her nephew an embrace.
"Auntie, but... I just saw something come into here..." Shining Armor said as he looked around the room, still in his defensive stance.
"Shining I can assure you we are alone. Actually I guess we aren't, who is this pretty young thing?" Arcane asked as she noticed Cadence entering the room.
"Oh, uh... This is my wife, princess Cadence..." Shining said, slowly releasing the spell and raising from his ready stance.
"Oh, that is right. I never managed to meet your wife since I was too busy to make it to the wedding. Though I guess I was safer since I was holed up in the research labs instead of at the wedding or on the streets." Arcane said with a laugh.
"It is a pleasure to meet you ma'am." Cadence said with a smile.
"I want to hear so much about you, let me just finish one last thing here and I will be right down to rejoin the reunion. I don't want to keep you from seeing the rest of the family but I have some pressing matters with the... Project I am currently working on. It will only take a moment longer but it needs to be kept under wraps. Unfortunately policy states even to you as the captain of the guard Shining." Arcane said with a chuckle as she ruffled the guard captain's hair with her hoof.
"Alright, but be careful auntie. I know I saw something and I fear for you. One research head was already found murdered by the killer. You might be on the list too..." Shining said with worry in his tone as he smiled and left the room to give his aunt the privacy she wanted.
Cadence smiled and nodded to Arcane Arts before following her husband out of the study and closing the door gently behind her. After a few moments of listening for the sound of their hooves to fade Arcane let out a sigh. She returned to where she sat on the cushion and looked down at the new addition to the wealth she had accumulated from Cicero's missions.
The jester as if on cue stepped out of the shadows with a serious look on his face. Arcane noted this and shook her head as she levitated the large sack of coins into a chest where the other payments were deposited. She then turned to address Cicero.
"I know what you are thinking and the answer is no." Arcane said firmly.
Cicero whined slightly as he allowed his hand to drop from the hilt of his dagger.
"That is my nephew, and he is not to be harmed. Neither are any of my guests here today, since they are all a part of my family." Arcane said firmly to the madman whose golden eyes cried out with his blood lust.
"But mother, that male that was just in here, your nephew... He hunts you. He may not suspect you now but when he does, he will not show you mercy as you have today." Cicero pleaded with Arcane.
"I will not tolerate talk of killing Shining Armor, you just saw how kind and courteous he was to me. Does not the first tenet you told me of state to respect the night mother? Has he not done this?" Arcane said in a hushed tone.
"Very well mother, but as keeper I will be entitled to kill anyone that imposes harm upon you. No one will bring harm to you, not even the listener is safe if they break the first tenet." Cicero said with his voice dripping with blood lust.
Knocking emanated from the door as it opened revealing Shining Armor standing here with a slightly suspicious look on his face. Shining took a few steps inside of the room and looked around, checking the corners and shadows for any intruders.
"Auntie, I came to check on you because I was worried. I heard some voices from inside... Is there anypony hiding here?" Shining asked with concern in his voice.
"No Shining, the spell I was practicing is very powerful. When chanting to invoke its power it can warp the casters voice. Now please, I just finished and I am a little light headed. Would you be a dear and help auntie to the refreshments downstairs?" Arcane asked.
Shining eyed his aunt suspiciously for a moment, but then sighed and gave in to the notion that maybe he was being too paranoid. Little did he know the form of Cicero had appeared behind him with his dagger poised to strike. Arcane Arts shook her head and kept her stern gaze on the jester, causing him to once more creep back and disappear from sight. Shining turned around as he felt the air stir but saw nothing. When he looked back to his aunt who was standing next to him now.
"Shall we?" Arcane asked her nephew.
"Uh, yeah..." Shining said as he lead his aunt downstairs to rejoin the rest of the family.
Cicero watched with jealousy from the shadows as his mother spent time with her old family instead of her new one.
"Are you sure they will be safe?" Luna asked her older sister.
"Shining is with them, even if he is not on duty he will go out of his way to protect both Twilight and Cadence." Celestia said hoping to ease her sister's nerves.
"If you say so..." Luna said warily.
"By the way, have you been able to track the nightmares of anypony who could be the killer. Usually after committing a crime one has nightmares of their guilt or of being caught." Celestia asked her younger sister.
"No, not a single nightmare even depicts the scene other than the guards who investigated it, and they were already background checked and alibi's were confirmed." Luna said with a sigh.
"What about dreams. Maybe we have somepony on our hooves that is as demented if not more so than Discord..." Celestia offered.
"Well, it is a possibility. Though I sincerely hope that is not the case." Luna said with a shiver at the thought.
Luna drifted through all the dreams that took place in Canterlot. All of the dreams were bright and cheery, most involving success in events to come, or dreams to come true. All of the dreams caused Luna to smile as she watched over her little ponies, all but one dream.
One dream even from the distance that Luna was at was filled with darkness. Luna approached this dream and peered into it, melding her mind to it so that she could see it better. Something was odd, and it was immediately apparent as Luna took in the dream. The mind of whoever was dreaming was twisted with madness, and Luna found herself unable to leave the point of view of the dreamer.
Luna sat back and watched helplessly as the dreamer stalked a pony, watching it from the rooftops, creeping along slowly. The dreamer then leapt from the roof and landed with complete silence, then taking to the shadows of the buildings as it began stalking the pony even closer this time. The pony that was being stalked opened a door that led into a simple house, but the moment the door swung open the dreamer lunged, and tackled the pony inside. Luna could see the dreamer's arms, bipedal in nature without a doubt as it grabbed the pony by the snout and forced the stallion's mouth shut, muffling the screams. The other hand then plunged a dagger into the throat of the pony, causing blood to spray and stain the floor. The dreamer then took off its glove and pressed its hand into the pool of blood before pressing the hand onto the wall, leaving the mark. The hand under the glove was pale and hairless. A deranged laughter shed forth from the dreamer as it hopped around in joy as it began stabbing the body of the stallion repeatedly, causing blood to spray and cover everything.
Luna cut off the spell feeling sick to her stomach. The killer had killed again, and had reveled in the murder and blood. Luna's worst fear was brought to light. A being of unknown strength was killing ponies because it enjoyed it.
"What is it Luna, you don't look so good." Celestia said as she raised a bite of salad to her mouth and chewed thoughtfully over the look her little sister had.
"I have been following the dreams of the killer for a couple of nights now..." Luna said nervously.
"You found the killer?!" Shining Armor exclaimed from across the dinner table.
"Not exactly. I have found where his dreams are but his mind is too warped to discern where he sleeps." Luna said with a shiver.
"So what kind of pony are we dealing with here?" Celestia asked, her face showing she meant business.
"The dreams are only view-able to me in the first person. I end up sitting in the back of his psyche and watching helplessly as he relives the murders. There is always this laughing, cackling almost as he attacks the ponies. He has had one nightmare recently that was not about a murder. It was the worst of them all." Luna said with a grave tone in her voice.
"What could be worse than watching a killer butcher his victim?" Cadence asked, beginning to look a little green.
"He has a few memories of this place that was filled with complete darkness. Within the darkness there is a large stone sarcophagus with a gruesome visage sitting at the top. The killer sits lovingly in front of the stone coffin and talks to it, offering soothing words as one would a sick parent. Then a shadowy bipedal figure approaches the sarcophagus from behind and attacks, forcing him away. The killer attempts to fight the stranger but is beaten. Then the other figure opens the sarcophagus and takes the body of a strange creature out and walks off into the darkness with it, leaving the killer alone. The dream ends after hours of lying there alone in the darkness, in complete silence." As Luna finished telling of the nightmare, it was easily visible how much the dream had affected her.
Celestia stood up from where she sat and drew her little sister into an embrace. Luna allowed her sister to comfort her as she shivered at the memory of experiencing the dream first hand since she had to view it in the first person perspective.
"I want you to leave the killer's dreams alone. It does not look like anything will come of viewing his madness." Celestia said soothingly to her sister.
Shining and Cadence shared a glance before leaving to give the royal sisters their privacy. As the couple shut the door quietly behind them Shining let out a sigh, before heading for the barracks. Cadence made to follow her husband but Shining turned around and shook his head.
"No, I need to talk to the men I have in charge of this investigation. Luna mentioned it was definitely bipedal and that it laughed like a lunatic. it may not be much to go on but it is a start." Shining said to his wife.
Cadence frowned and gave her husband the puppy dog eyes. The captain of the guard hung his head in defeat before responding to the pleading look.
"Tell you what, I will give them the information, organize a quick patrol through the streets, and once they are out of the castle and on duty. Then I will take some more time off, and come home so we can spend some more time together." Shining said with a defeated smile and baggy eyes.
"Alright honey, but do not take too long." Cadence said in a scolding tone.
Iron Sword shared a glance with his twin brother Iron Shield. Both earth ponies looked at the four unicorn cadets they were leading on their patrol through the streets. Normally when a unit of one type of pony was sent out, they were lead by the same type of pony. But for reasons unknown to them the twins were leading unicorns. This usually brought problems when giving orders, as different types of ponies excelled in different things. The twins as earth ponies could not give orders for spells to be cast very effectively, since they themselves did not know and were unable to cast the spells themselves.
"Cadets I suspect my brother and I have been assigned to lead you because of the lack of guards we have at the moment." Iron Shield said firmly.
"We will not pretend to know about magic, or your potentials in how to use it on the field. But we want you to know we still expect this to be a smooth operation." Iron Sword said in a nearly identical voice as his brother.
The cadets' only way to differentiate the twins was by their cutie marks. Iron sword had a pair of crossed swords in front of a shield, whereas his brother had a shield in front of a pair of crossed swords. One had to look closely to tell the difference, but it was visible if they looked hard enough.
"Sir, yes sir!" The cadets barked as they levitated their spears and slammed them onto the ground.
The patrol group then made their way down the streets of Canterlot. Many other patrol groups like this had been sent out, but this had been the final one to be decided, leaving them mismatched leaders for the cadets.
For hours the patrol went uneventfully. The streets of Canterlot were deserted at this time of the night. Ponies even had their shutters shut and blinds closed since the murders had become more and more frequent, almost occurring every other night.
"So, commanders... We heard that you two have never been separated from each other for more than a day. Is this true?" One of the unicorn cadets said, a bemused expression on her face.
"That is true, my brother and I have always been together. We can actually almost read each other's minds at this point." Iron Shield said with a hearty laugh.
"Yeah, we haven't ever requested to be posted together, but the higher ups decided never to separate us." Iron Sword said with a smile.
"Why is that?" A different cadet asked with a curious look on his face.
"Well, my brother and I are usually very well at coordinating with one another." Iron Sword said.
"We have yet to be defeated in a two on two match with anypony else." Iron Shield said finishing his brother's sentence.
The cadets then shared impressed glances and reassuring smiles to one another. If they chanced over the murderer then their commanding officers would no doubt easily best him. They were still a little hesitant though, they were told that they were looking for a bipedal male creature that was deranged and completely insane.
"Hold up... Sirs, why is that door ajar?" The female cadet that spoke before asked while pointing a hoof at a bakery.
Iron Shield took a closer look and sure enough the door was ajar, but there were no lights on in the place. The twins did not even have to look at one another, they both rushed over to the door. Iron Shield stood to one side of the door and peered through the crack as his brother drew a sword from his side and held it in his teeth at the ready.
Iron Shield gently opened the door and his brother followed close behind him. The cadets then followed, leaving one at the door, and one outside to watch the windows. The two that followed the twins in the bakery looked around warily. They had been trained not to light the area with their horns, lest they alert a criminal before they get sight of them.
The bakery was eerily quiet, not a single sound other than the hoofsteps from the guards. The officers stuck together, keeping perfect pace with one another as they checked the back room. They reemerged with the same vigilant expression they had going in. Iron Shield stopped dead in his tracks and swiveled his ears on top of his head, listening for something.
A faint chuckle could be heard upstairs. The voice was high pitched and spoke in a sing songy voice, "And I said to the baker, you're not dead you're a faker... But if that's your wish I'll oblige!" The voice cackled at the end.
The guards rushed up the stairs into the second floor of the bakery where the baker most likely actually lived. As they reached the top they heard a scream from a stallion. They followed the sound and burst into a bedroom where the body of the baker lay, soaking the sheets and dyeing them red with his blood. The cadets trotted over to the body and checked the baker's vitals. But it was no use, the baker was already dead.
The twins moved back into the doorway and blocked it, standing side by side making sure nothing could slip past. They could sense that something was inside of the room with them, watching just out of sight and waiting for a chance. The cadets picked up on the look their commanders had and lit their horns to illuminate the room. As the light flooded the room the ponies blinked a few times to adjust their eyes to the light. The cadets looked at the corners of the room, and then turned to the twins and shrugged. Both of their commanders stared wide eyed just past them though.
The cadets slowly turned their heads to look behind them and saw, crouching on the end of the bed right next to them was a strange creature wearing red and black clothing with blood splattered across its face. Before the cadets could even react Cicero had his knife buried in the throat of one guard, and had jumped onto the other guard's back. Cicero grabbed the cadet's head in between his knees, and twisted his lower body, snapping the stallion's neck. Cicero jumped off the guard, kicking the body to the ground before landing silently and yanking the dagger out of the mare's head, allowing her body to crumple to the ground.
Both guards stared in horror as they watched two of their cadets die in mere seconds. But they did not stay frozen, Iron Sword dove forward, swinging his sword in a horizontal arc. Cicero jumped over the blade and landed a boot heel into the ribs of the guard. As Iron Sword stumbled his brother charged the murderer, intending to ram him into the wall. Cicero had other plans however as he at the last moment jumped to the side and stuck out a foot. The guard stumbled and his chin hit the ground as he slid on the floor.
Cicero giggled as he ran out of the bedroom and ducked to the left. The twins picked themselves up off the ground and rushed out the door. Iron Shield went out first and Iron Sword followed. The moment the second twin exited the room however, Cicero dropped from the ceiling and stabbed the guard in the shoulder as he tackled him.
"Sword!" Iron Shield shouted as he bucked Cicero in the chest, sending the jester tumbling head over heel backwards.
"I'm alright, he only got me in the shoulder." Iron Sword said as he stood, favoring his front right leg.
Cicero charged once more at the twins, Iron Sword slashing diagonally and Iron Shield bucking his back legs. Cicero deflected the sword and spun out of the way of the kicks, skillfully evading the attacks as he got in close to the two. Cicero looked like a mad little whirlwind of blades as he spun and slashed at the two brothers, landing hits in several but minor places.
The twins stumbled back away from Cicero and looked warily at each other. Neither of them were in a good condition, both limping from the injuries they had sustained from the jester who for some reason would not stop laughing. The twins wondered briefly how one could be so coordinated while laughing all the time.
Cicero saw Iron Sword drop his guard for all of a second, and leapt at his chance, dagger extended as he lunged. Iron Shield saw this and pushed his brother to the ground, protecting his body with his own. The dagger punched easily through the gold plated armor the guard wore.
"Shield! why..." Iron Sword said as he stared, face to face with his brother.
"Because it is how ma' always used to say. I am... Your shield..." The twin said as he coughed up blood on his brother's face.
"Don't be sad, You will both be together in the void. Sithis will watch over your souls for eternity..." Cicero said to the brothers as he yanked out the dagger, eliciting a scream from Iron Shield.
Cicero rolled Iron Shield off of his brother with a foot as he stared into Iron Sword's hate filled eyes. Cicero halted in his tracks as he heard multiple voices from downstairs. The jester looked at the window at the end of the hallway, and then down to the guard, and finally over to the stairway.
"Don't you dare leave me alive. You killed Shield now finish me too." Iron Sword said following the jester's glances.
Cicero crouched over the guard and patted him on the cheek, "Perhaps another time I will return you to your brother. For now I must make my departure."
"Don't you bucking dare!" Screamed Iron Sword, causing the guards downstairs to run up at the sound.
Cicero grabbed the sword from the ground and threw it at the first guard to reach the top of the stairs, piercing the stallion through the mouth and out the back of his head. Cicero then broke for the window and crossed his arms over his face as he dove through and flipped, landing on the cadet that was left to watch the door. Cicero lowered his arms and looked at the other cadet that was left to watch the windows.
The cadet began gathering magic in his horn, causing it to glow, but the spell was never completed because Cicero slashed the cadet throat before tearing off down the street. A few of the guards who went in as backup that had seen the guards posted outside of the bakery looked out the window and watched Cicero disappear into the night.
The guards then looked back down the hall to where one officer lay dead, and the other identical pony wept openly over the body of his twin.
"He will pay for this Shield... He will bucking pay..." Iron Sword assured his cooling brother.
Shining Armor hated having to do this. The captain of the guard presented Iron Sword, the only survivor of the fight with the murderer a medal and equestrian flag in honor of his brother dying in the line of duty. Iron Sword was the only surviving relative of his brother, and so instead of going to his parents, the trophies went to him.
"We will find that monster, and he will be avenged." Shining Armor said with a salute.
"Captain, there was some things about the killer I wanted to share with you..." Iron Sword said as he wiped a tear from his eye and sniffed loudly.
"What is it officer?" Shining said, his full attention on the stallion.
"The murderer can seem invisible in the darkness. He stood right in front of us, and we could even see what should have been behind him. But when one of my cadets illuminated the room he was there, crouching on the end of the bed next to my cadets who had just looked past him before." Iron Sword said, his eyes filled with hate at the memory.
Shining Armor hummed to himself in thought, something seeming familiar in his mind.
"Thank you for this information, that will definitely save lives if we know he can be invisible in the darkness. And once again, I'm sorry for your loss." Both guards saluted each other, and then Shining Armor left the hospital room.
Shining knew he was going to be back in a few days to award him with another medal, the next one would be different though. The silver star was for fallen soldiers, but Iron Sword survived an injury sustained in the line of duty, so he would receive the purple horseshoe.
Shining sat in the carriage that was going to take him back to the palace, and he sat in thought. Something about what the wounded officer said struck a chord in Shining Armor. A memory played through the guard captain's mind.
The blur of motion moved down the hall and ducked around the corner, but Shining could see nothing other than the blur. As he chased it around the corner the blur went into a room down the hall. Shining raced after the blur and opened the door, inside sitting in the room looking at him was...
Silence assaulted Cicero's ears. The silence was torture, it was punishment. Arcane Arts was furious at how the jester had botched the job and had been seen. The pony however, even when warped by the influence of having Sithis speak directly to her was unable to enact physical punishment. But she knew how to punish Cicero nonetheless. The angry mare stared at Cicero, demanding complete silence as penance for his mistakes. Cicero knew he should have finished off all the guards in the building, but there hit a point where the killing became less of an art and more of just a common fight.
Even in his deranged state of mind Cicero had pride in his assassination work, a work that as the keeper he had been unable to take part of for quite some time before his death. The pride of being a professional was still there though, and that is what had stopped him from fighting the rest of the guards. Cicero also questioned his ability to fight any of the magic using ponies in a straight fight. Spells were a dangerous thing if allowed to be cast, so Cicero was all too happy to stick to his cloak and dagger method of dispatching the unicorn ponies. Even the kick from the pony he had killed carried amazing force though, Cicero had to tend to a few cracked ribs from the blow he sustained.
Arcane sighed aloud and shook her head, "You have to be more careful and not get caught out there. My nephew looked like he suspected something, but we were lucky and he let it go last time."
"Mother I'm sorry! Cicero promises to do better!" Cicero said in a pleading tone.
Arcane was about to speak but she grunted in pain and closed her eyes as a wave of nausea washed over her and her stomach cramped up. The doubled over and curled up where she lay on the large pillow. Cicero ran over to her and pulled off his gloves. He then put a hand to her face and felt her warmth for signs of sickness, only to realize he was not sure how warm a pony was supposed to be.
"A-are you alright mother?" Cicero asked, voice brimming with concern.
As the wave of nausea passed Arcane Arts slowly righted herself into a sitting position with her legs curled under her. The mare took a moment to take deep breaths clear her head. The mare shook her head and then met Cicero's golden eyes.
"Can you get me a glass of water? I should be fine then..." Arcane said.
Cicero tore off out the door and down the stairs, his soft boots making no sound as he raced out of sight. Arcane sighed in relief. A sudden *pop* sounded and Arcane's eyes shot open. A scroll had appeared and dropped in front of her. Arcane slowly levitated the letter and opened it, quickly scanning the contents. Arcane's hooves trembled as she reached the end, and she quickly scanned it over again to confirm the contents.
Cicero returned with a glass filled with water in his hands. The jester set the glass next to the frozen mare and sat down with his legs crossed under him, hands in his lap as he waited patiently.
"Are you still feeling unwell?" Cicero asked in a caring voice.
"Shining Armor fears for my safety with all of the murders that appear to have political ties. He fears that as a relative to him and Twilight I could be a potential target and he and his wife are going to move in to watch over me..." Arcane said, a distant stare affixed to her face.
Cicero's face fell at the news. He was no longer going to have free reign of his mother's residence anymore and would have to go into hiding like a rat in a sewer, just like he did in the old days back when the sanctuaries were being found and purged. Worst of all though, he was being forced into this by the very pony that his mother loved like a son, the very pony that hunted her. Jealous rage boiled inside of Cicero, but he kept his face clear of the rage.
"Cicero understands, He will make sure to be extra careful and find a place to hide." Cicero said with his downtrodden expression.
"Cicero... You may want to go into hiding right now..." Arcane said hesitantly.
Cicero adopted a questioning look on his face as he cocked his head to the side.
"They are going to be here any minute, if this letter can be trusted..." Arcane said casting a glance at the scroll.
When Arcane looked back to Cicero she blinked as the jester was no longer there. Arcane Arts heard a knocking at the front door and she picked herself up off the pillow and trotted out of the room.
"I will watch over you from the shadows mother, I will keep you safe..." Cicero whispered in Arcane's ear.
Arcane did not even flinch, she suspected he would be tailing her in the shadows, she just did not expect it that close. The blue mare then made her way to the front door and unlocked it with her magic. Arcane then slowly opened the doors and gave her nephew a big hug as he came inside.
"Oh Shining, thought I appreciate the sentiment you should give me some more of a heads up." Arcane laughed in a scolding tone.
"Sorry Auntie... But if we had a solid plan the killer might have decided to make an act before we could set up a perimeter." Shining Armor said with a smile, beckoning for Cadence to come in.
"Isn't that a bit much for just me?" Arcane asked with a confused look.
"Not at all, you are the head of the Royal Research Facility's spell branch, and you are related to the element of magic and a prince!" Shining said as if it were obvious.
"I hardly doubt anypony would gain from having me killed other than any of my underlings at the facility. Even then they would have to produce a substantial find before becoming the next head of the branch, something they could do at any point without going through the trouble anyways." Arcane said with a small chuckle.
"Is your job really so cutthroat that everypony strives to take your job. You seem to have considered the possibility of being targeted..." Cadence asked.
"No, no... They are all good natured ponies, I was just making a point." Arcane said as she shook her head with a smile.
"So how has the research been going? I heard Sigel has been spending a lot of time going over notes with you, his wife is a guard you know. She is always complaining about his work." Shining said with a chuckle.
"Still at an experimental and top secret stage. But lets not talk about that, would you care for some tea?" Arcane asked .
"That would be lovely." Cadence said with a bright smile.
Arcane turned and made for her kitchen. Shining watched his aunt like a hawk as she left the room, he then noticed something move in the corner of his eye, but when he turned his head he could not see anything there. Shining squinted his eyes as he looked around the well lit manor entrance.
"He's here..." Shining whispered to Cadence.
"Are you sure?" Cadence whispered back, concern in her voice.
Shining Armor merely nodded in response. The captain of the guard stalked over to where he saw the movement and lit his horn, casting his magical light around the area making sure not to miss a single shadow. Shining found nothing at all and frowned before returning to Cadence's side and waited for Arcane Arts.
Cicero meanwhile silently exhaled the breath he had held as he hung from the molding that ran across the ceiling. The jester's hat threatened to fall off, but stayed on nonetheless. Cicero gave a silent prayer to Sithis as he watched the two intruders.
"Here we are, why don't you join me in the lounge. I was just about to take a break from my research anyways, and I would like to hear more about your wedding." Arcane said with a smile, "You know Cadence, the reason I was unable to get time off to attend was because somepony, not naming who, forgot to send his aunt an invitation until the week of..."
Shining Armor froze as his wife shot him a glare. The guard captain began to sweat under the angry gaze of his wife, and he finally hung his head in defeat before muttering an apology and following his aunt down the foyer and towards the lounge.
Cicero waited for a few seconds after the intruders were taken by Arcane deeper into the mansion. Cicero held his breath and stared at where they had vanished, and in a few seconds Shining Armor stuck his head around the corner of a door and scanned the room Cicero hid in. The captain of the guard grunted in frustration before activating his horn and teleporting back to where his wife and aunt were. Cicero then let himself fall and land silently on the floor, before crouching and stalking toward where his mother had gone.
Arcane Arts sat in her study jotting down notes as she sat across from Cadence. Cadence in the meantime sipped some tea and watched the fire crackle. Cadence glanced over to her aunt in law and furrowed her brow. Arcane Arts definitely fit the bookish type, and it kind of reminded her of Twilight. Cadence wondered if Twilight too would end up like her aunt, too fixated on her important job to find a special somepony.
"Arcane...?" Cadence asked timidly.
"Yes dear?" Arcane asked her niece in law.
"Did you ever... Find anypony special in your life?" Cadence asked.
"Well, no... I have always just been to engrossed in my work to meet a stallion and consider a serious relationship." Arcane said, setting her notebook down, and tucking it under the cushion she sat on.
Arcane then stood up and stretched her legs as she moved over to where the teapot had been set. The blue mare then poured herself a cup and magically heated it. Arcane returned to where she sat before and sipped her tea as she addressed Cadence.
"Why do you ask?" Arcane inquired.
"Well, this house is so big. You don't even employ any butlers from what I can tell from the enchantments you have cleaning this place. Don't you ever get lonely?" Cadence asked with a sad tone in her voice.
"Well Cadence, I spend so little time her usually I don't notice. It's actually nice to have some solitude after spending most of my time in the cramped labs of the institute." Arcane said with a small smile.
Cadence thought about that for a moment, and once more her thoughts drifted to Twilight. The young librarian may have gotten her looks from her mother's side of the family, but she without a doubt got her personality from her father's side. Arcane Arts in a way was a spitting image of Twilight, and if Cadence had heard correctly Arcane was almost as talented as Twilight was when she was her age. Cadence frowned at the thought of Twilight living such a lonely life.
"What is the matter Cadence?" Arcane asked with a curious expression.
"Nothing, I was just thinking of something..." Cadence said as she shook her head of the thoughts.
"Why don't I fetch us some dessert, brighten our mood while Shining is off on duty." Arcane said thinking Cadence was worried for her husband.
The older mare stood once more and trotted out of the study and down towards the kitchen. Cadence watched her leave and stood herself, stretching her legs and wings. Cadence then carefully lifted the cushion in search of the notebook, but it was not there. Cadence cocked her head to the side at this and levitated the entire cushion, but it was in vain, as the notebook had disappeared.
Cadence frowned in wonder at this but shrugged. Arcane had said she was doing top secret research that not even the captain of the guard was allowed to see. Cadence wondered briefly however how Arcane had hidden it when all she did was push it with her hooves under the cushion, she had not used magic to hide it else her horn would have lit up.
Cadence then moved over to a large chest that sat in the back of the room. The princess of love attempted to open the chest but her magic was unable to pick the lock. Cadence then tried to simply pry the lid, but the chest reacted to the attempt at a forced entry, and erected a magical barrier. Cadence took a step back and blinked in surprise.
"Now now Cadence, I know you have to be curious about my research but it is by royal sanction that the research is kept under wraps. Only Celestia or Luna may view this research outside of my task group." Arcane Arts said with a quest laugh as she levitated a plate containing a piece of cheese cake over to Cadence.
"Oh my... I'm so sorry for snooping..." Cadence said bashfully as she accepted the dessert.
"No problem Cadence. So tell me, what has Shining been up to? He seems to be pretty busy..." Arcane said as she sat once again on her cushion.
"Oh um, you haven't heard? He has been spearheading the investigation of the murders that have been popping up around Canterlot." Cadence said before taking a bite of her cheese cake.
"Ah, well I do not get out much these days..." Arcane said as she took a bite of her dessert.
Cadence gave her aunt a mournful look. Cadence considered if maybe her husband was wrong on his hunch, and she knew that both of them really hoped he was wrong.
Cicero crept into the open window and closed it quietly behind him. The jester looked around the room before spotting the pony he was looking for. Cicero tumbled across the distance, gracefully landing on his feet next to the sleeping mare. Cicero slowly crept his hand towards her and shook her gently.
"Wha- Who's there?" The mare asked.
"Mother, there are guards everywhere. They are surrounding the manor..." Cicero said urgently.
"What." Arcane Arts said, immediately awake.
"I just finished the job you left on the notebook for me, and on my way back I found those intruders gathering around. Cicero made sure not to be seen, but they are surrounding the entire place..." Cicero said urgently, his voice cracking.
"Cicero, why are they doing this so suddenly?" Arcane asked, her face incredulous.
The door opened and Shining Armor strode inside wearing his battle regalia, sword sheathed at his side, and helmet floating next to him. Shining Armor looked around the room but only saw his aunt Arcane Arts.
"Auntie... How could you..." Shining Armor asked, tears in his eyes.
"Shining, what is the meaning of this?" Arcane asked, feigning ignorance.
"Cadence heard you say only princess Celestia and Luna have authorization to check up on the research you were doing. Under that sanction they questioned your partner Sigel. He told us everything when questioned, we then searched your study and found a chest full of bits, blood money..." Shining said with his head held high, a gesture not matching his tone and face.
"Shining... I really did not want you to get involved in this." Arcane sighed wearily.
The captain of the guard took a deep breath, and sigh out a choked breath as he put his helmet on, "Arcane Arts by royal decree you are under arrest for crimes of plotting murder, and harboring a criminal."
"Don't kill him." Arcane Arts said.
Shining was taken off guard by the statement and opened his mouth to ask his aunt what she meant. The moment his mouth opened though, a knee came into contact with his throat. Shining Armor fell to the ground clutching his hooves at his neck as he gasped for air. The murderous creature stood over the guard captain.
Arcane Arts moved to get up from her bed, but found herself unable to rise. The mare grunted in pain as the wave of nausea hit her and made her unable to rise to her hooves. Cicero moved over to her and looked her over. Shining Armor looked up at the two as he choked for air.
"Come mother, Cicero will get you to safety..." Cicero said as he lifted the mare and held her against him with one arm, drawing his dagger with the other.
Shining Armor watched with a hate filled eye as the strange creature walked off with his aunt. The jester stepped over the prone form of Shining Armor and walked down the hallway. Shining slowly dragged himself to his hooves and coughed as he struggled in deep breaths. The captain then slowly followed his quarry.
Cicero set the mare down next to a grandfather clock and opened it up. Reaching inside Cicero pulled on the pendulum. The clock clicked as it popped slightly into the air, Cicero then pushed it to the side and ushered Arcane Arts inside.
"Get as far as you can, I will join up with you as soon as I can. Be safe mother..." Cicero said as he took one last look at Arcane Arts before sliding the clock back into place.
Arcane Arts huffed a ragged breath before making her slow progress down the tunnel she had installed in the mansion. Cicero on the other side of the hidden door turned to face half a dozen guards. Cicero gritted his teeth as the guards advanced on him.
"You dare defile the sanctity of the night mother? Treachery and debauchery!" Cicero screamed madly at the guards who backed off slightly at the outburst.
Cicero let out a high pitched scream of madness as he dove at the guards, dancing around their spear thrusts, and slashing the weak points in their armor, hitting their necks and ripping open their bellies. Cicero fought as hard as he did the day he fought the betrayer Astrid and her husband. Cicero managed to only sustain minor cuts and scrapes as he finished off the guards.
"Sweet Celestia..." Princess Cadence muttered as she beheld the sight of the mad jester soaked in the blood of half a dozen guards that lay dead on the ground.
Cicero strode slowly toward the princess with his blade held in a backwards grip as he approached her. Cadence began to light up her horn as she prepared to defend herself. The jester was too quick however and landed a spinning kick across the princesses face. Cadence hit the ground, unconscious and Cicero pulled a scroll out from inside of his tunic. The jester opened the scroll and placed it at the front entrance of the manor.
Arcane Arts stopped for a breather as she looked down the tunnel. The exit was not much father down now, and she would be out of the city limits in no time. After that it was just a matter of time before she could make it to the sanctuary Sithis had her prepare.
"Auntie, stop... It's over." Shining called from behind her down the tunnel.
"Shining, why must you continue. I only want you to back off so Cicero doesn't kill you." Arcane said as she slumped against the tunnel wall.
"Is he forcing you to go along with him? Sigel said you were chosen by something in the void... What does that mean? Please, if you cooperate we can help you..." Shining said as he came into view.
"No, it is too late for me. Sithis owns my soul, and with Cicero around he even owns my actions." Arcane said in a defeated voice.
"Sithis? That is the name of the deity that Sigel mentioned. Listen, Celestia can help you if you are being controlled. Just... Please, please come back with me auntie..." Shining pleaded.
"No Shining, you know that will not do. Ponies are dead, I will be executed for being associated with all of this. You know that..." Arcane said as she looked over her shoulder at her nephew.
"Then you leave me no choice, I am truly sorry..." Shining said as he drew the sword from his side.
Arcane collapsed to the ground and writhed in pain while she cradled her stomach, Shining halted in his tracks to look more closely at Arcane Arts. The mare did not look well, and she was sweating from the pain and strain she was enduring.
"Can you really do it Shining?" Arcane asked, her voice suddenly cruel.
"W-what?" Shining asked, taken off guard by the question and the tone that it was delivered in.
"Can you really strike down a pregnant mare?" Arcane asked as she rubbed a hoof over her belly.
"Pregnant! But who?" Shining asked incredulous.
"I have been granted a gift from my dark lord. You see Shining there was a reason that I stuck to my studies and never bothered to find a special somepony... I was born barren, unable to have children. But I have been gifted with offspring from Sithis, I am a holy virgin mother..." Arcane said in a crazed voice.
Shining Armor backed off slightly at this revelation. His aunt always did seem to like his company when he was only a child. Was it perhaps because she could not have a little colt or filly of her own? Shining Armor thought over his options, on one hoof he could not let Arcane go freely. But on the other hoof he could not harm her if she was pregnant for risk of harming the children. Shining looked deeply into his aunt's eyes, searching for any scrap of the mare she was before. But all Shining saw was the angry eyes of a strange mare that looked oddly like his beloved aunt. Shining had made up his mind, he posed his blade to strike with his magic. Shining Armor took one last look into the hardened glare of the mare before lunging.
The blade pierced easily through the chest, puncturing the right lung, but not hitting anything vital. Shining Armor's eyes filled with tears as he looked at the bloody blade. He then looked into the eyes of his Aunt, whose eyes had softened into the familiar ones of the aunt he loved so much.
Cicero put his hand on the guard captain's side and pulled his blade out. Shining Armor crumpled to the ground, his blade clattering harmlessly on the tunnel ground. The stallion watched as Cicero knelt over his aunt and cupped a hand to her cheek.
"Like Cicero said, he will keep you safe sweet mother. Forever,and always..." Cicero said as he gently picked the mare up.
Arcane Arts wrapped her forearms around Cicero for support and to comfort herself as she looked over the man's shoulder at her bleeding nephew. Cicero began to hum soothingly as he walked off with Arcane down the tunnel and toward where the sanctuary had been built.
Down the tunnel, the sound of an explosion went off, and the sound of a building collapsing on itself could be heard. Shining Armor looked down into the darkness from where the sound came from, then looked back to where the jester walked off with his aunt. shining stared as the form of the two slowly faded into the darkness. Slowly Shining Armor lost the ability to maintain the light from his horn, and the world went completely black for the stallion.
Shining Armor opened his eyes, taking the blinding light. He blinked the tears from his eyes as they formed, and then looked around the room he was in. He was in the hospital, and his wife sat next to him asleep on a cushion next to his bed. Cadence had a few scrapes and bruises, and a nasty black eye, but otherwise looked okay. Shining Armor sighed contentedly that his love was safe from the collapse he heard from within the tunnel. Shining Armor moved to get up but grunted in pain as the wound he sustained in his chest protested the movement.
"Honey, you need your rest..." Cadence mumbled as she rubbed a hoof against her eyes.
"But auntie Arcane..." Shining grunted urgently as he attempted once more to raise himself only to fail and fall back into the bed.
"She has disappeared. Wanted posters have been put up in all the big cities across Equestria, and we have sent out numerous search parties. But no luck so far..." Cadence said with downcast eyes.
Shining closed his eyes and thought over what had transpired in the tunnel. He had made up his mind and he was about to end his aunt's life, his pregnant aunt. Shining felt a pang of guilt, even though he had not managed to harm her, and she had associated herself with such heinous acts, Shining could not believe he almost attacked a pregnant mare.
"Cadence, I almost did something terrible..." Shining sighed in defeat as he opened his eyes and met hers.
"Shining, I know she is your aunt but she has done evil things. Even if she did not personally kill those ponies, she harbored a murderer..." Cadence said in a soothing voice.
"No, Cadence, you don't understand. Auntie is pregnant, and I was going to kill her. That... Thing stopped me, but if he hadn't I would have killed innocent foals. Even if auntie has become evil, they have done nothing wrong..." Shining said solemnly.
"Pregnant? How is that possible, she said she had not met anypony..." Cadence mumbled.
"I'm not sure, she said some god-like figure called Sithis granted her barren womb her children. But she was acting deranged by then, I don't know how much to trust." Shining mumbled.
Shining Armor remained silent for a while, until a thought struck him, "Cadence, how long have I been out..."
"About a week now, you were in bad shape. Your lungs had filled with blood... It took us a little while to find you since the manor exploded. Some kind of explosive rune was put at the front door, and when backup came to help us it went off." Cadence said as she ran a hoof through Shining's mane.
"Have anymore murders happened?" Shining asked with a businesslike tone.
"Three..." Cadence mumbled.
Shining sat up, ignoring the pain as he stared wide eyes at his wife, "Three?!"
"That is not the worst part..." Cadence said as her ears flattened against her head.
Shining Armor did not even want to ask, but the look on his face asked for him. Cadence drew her husband into an embrace and stroked his mane soothingly, in an attempt to calm him down before relaying the information.
"Only one of them has been in Canterlot." Cadence whispered.
A pony trotted through the streets of Ponyville, a whimsical smile adorning his face. The unicorn stallion had a dark red coat and golden eyes that scanned the townsfolk as he passed by. The unicorn trotted up to a market stall and placed a small sack of bits before nodding towards the neat stack of sweet rolls. The mare in charge of the market stand smiled at the bag of bits and accepted it before placing a bag over the pile of baked goods and giving it to the the red stallion.
The red stallion then eyed another stall and trotted over to purchase some carrots from a mare who had curly hair that was as orange as her carrots. After the stallion had finished this purchase and had his produce and treats in his saddlebag, the stallion trotted down the road and crossed a bridge that went over a small river. The stallion levitated a sweet roll out and munched on it as he walked, humming a tune as he looked for the pony in particular he was seeking.
The stallion trotted up to the cottage that sat atop a hill, the cottage was surrounded by wildlife. The singing of the birds and the playing of the animals made the stallion's eye twitch, but he quickly shook his head and knocked on the front door. A quiet squeak was heard from inside and the stallion wondered if the house was infested with mice. Knocking again and waiting patiently the dark red pony looked around with a bored expression as he hummed.
Slowly the door opened and a cerulean eye looked out between the crack of the door.
"Y-yes? Can I help you?" Fluttershy asked.
"I understand you have some expertise in medical knowledge. There is someone who needs your help, she is feeling unwell and I was hoping you could take a look at her..." The stallion said in a somewhat suspicious tone.
Fluttershy did not like the stallion at first sight, but she could not just chance that he was not telling the truth, "Why can you not get her to the hospital?"
"She is unfit to come to town, she is holed up at home and has been very uncomfortable. I was in town to get food and I heard you have been known to offer assistance." The red stallion said in a hopeful voice.
"Oh um, where do you live?" Fluttershy asked slowly opening the door more as she decided to help the stallion.
"We live just inside of the forest there." The stallion said pointing a hoof towards the Everfree Forest.
Fluttershy made a squeaking noise as she inhaled and her eyes widened at the notion of anypony living inside of the forest. Fluttershy furrowed her brow and began to think the stallion was trying to play a mean trick on her.
"You're not just trying to lure me out there to get me hurt by some wild animal are you?" Fluttershy asked, in an offended tone.
"What? No, never would I play a trick like that when my mother was in such pain!" The stallion returned in an angry tone.
"Oh my, your mother?" Fluttershy asked, once more turning to distress at the notion of a poor old pony alone in the woods and feeling ill.
"Yes will you please come and help? The animals do not come near when I am around." The stallion said with a pleading smile.
"Okay, let me get my first aid bag though..." Fluttershy said as she trotted back inside.
Fluttershy had been disturbed by the severe lacking of creatures in the Everfree. The stallion had led her a fair way into the forest, not seeming to follow any path at all, but also seeming to know exactly where he was going. The stallion hummed an odd tune as they trotted through the forest, and Fluttershy began to wonder if the tune was what was causing the animals to steer clear, as if it was a warning.
Fluttershy looked once more over the stallion in question, he had an unusually sharp looking horn that suck out from under his odd looking hat. Under the hat Fluttershy could see his slicked back orange hair. Most peculiar though was the cutie mark the stallion had, a black dagger adorned the stallions red flank.
The two came upon a rocky slope and the stallion gracefully leapt from boulder to boulder until he made it to the bottom and looked up at Fluttershy. Fluttershy then flew down and set herself right next to him. Fluttershy was about to ask when they would arrive when a smokey voice spoke from the rocky face of the slope.
"What is life's greatest pleasure?" The voice asked.
Fluttershy jumped and hid behind the stallion who looked back at her with a bemused look before turning his attention towards a ghastly door that had the depiction of some creature's skull with a strange print on the forehead. The rest of the door was adorned with skeletal figures, but the large skull the the glowing print on its forehead seemed to be where the voice came from.
"Death, my brother." The stallion replied.
"Welcome home..." The dark voice trailed off as the door opened.
Fluttershy sat wide eyed at the display and began to scoot away from the stallion.
"Come now, mother is just inside. Please tell me you did not come all this way just to let my mother suffer..." The stallion said in an insulted tone.
"No! no, I will come... Sorry, I'm just a little... Timid." Fluttershy said, keeping her head and eyes low.
The two entered the door, and Fluttershy was greeted with a stairway that led into the ground, and entered into a grand hallway one would expect from a mansion. Fluttershy gaped at the change of view, her eyes popping open at the decadence this hidden shelter had.
"Mother is this way..." The stallion said as he took a right turn and led the yellow mare further into the sanctuary.
"Cicero, are you back?" A mare called from a room down the hallway.
"Yes mother, I have found a pony with medical knowledge as well!" The stallion said excitedly.
Fluttershy could tell she had made the right decision, she hoped she would be able to help the mare, but her voice sounded far too young to be this stallion's mother. As the mare trotted into the room and looked at her patient she gasped. The mare was not that old at all, only old enough to maybe be her own mother. There was no way she was this stallion's mother.
"That cannot be your mother, she is too young!" Fluttershy exclaimed.
"Well, not my mother by birth. But she is the mother of my lord's offspring, making her the only family I care about." Cicero said as he lit up his horn and levitated the saddle bags off of him and set them gently on the ground.
"Please dear, I am going to be in labor soon... Cicero is loyal, but he is not a doctor. And I cannot make it into town, the birthing will have to be done here. Will you stay to deliver my children?" Arcane Arts asked in a kind voice.
"Well, I couldn't just leave you like this..." Fluttershy said with a timid smile, "Wait, did you say that as in plural?"
"Yes, I am having twins..." Arcane said rubbing her belly with a hoof.
Fluttershy gasped and 'aww'ed' at the notion of twins. The cake twins were so cute together, Fluttershy hoped these twins would prove just as special. Cicero coughed gently behind Fluttershy, causing the mare to jump slightly.
"Mother, may I suggest that I show Fluttershy here where she will be staying until you are due?" Cicero asked.
"Yes, please." Arcane said wearily.
Fluttershy then followed the stallion to an adjacent room that had furnishings that would rival even the Canterlot suite that Rarity had stayed in. Fluttershy looked around amazed the the artwork that hung and then halted as a thought donned on her.
"Where is the father?" Fluttershy asked in a concerned voice.
"The father is... shall we say in a better place..." Cicero said carefully.
Fluttershy gasped and then nodded sadly at the news. It was always sad that something like this happened, Fluttershy was at least happy that this stallion had stayed to help the poor mare, even if he was just a servant of sorts.
"Okay now, push. I can see the top of the first one's head." Fluttershy said to Arcane as the older mare strained and screamed.
Cicero in his distress had been unable to maintain the alteration spell Arcane had helped him devise. The form of the pony had burst apart and the human now hid outside of the room, distressed by the wails and screams of Arcane Arts. Cicero dug his fingernails into his scalp, drawing blood as he attempted to stop the wailing from entering and assaulting his head.
"Almost there, the first one is almost out." Fluttershy spoke softly over the screams.
After a short amount of time that seemed like days to Cicero the wailing stopped. Cicero did not even register when it had stopped, he suddenly just became aware that his head no longer threatened to pop with the stress of hearing his mother in so much pain. Cicero began to calm himself before once again casting the alteration spell to change his form into that of a pony once more.
Cicero trotted into the room, eyes still red from his experience. The jester pony took in the sight of the two foals, both male, both alicorns. Cicero noticed Fluttershy was also staring with her mouth open at the foals, but Arcane Arts seemed to have expected her children to be such a rare and powerful breed of pony.
Arcane Arts shot Cicero a look, that was immediately understood. The stallion moved behind the yellow mare and put a hoof on her shoulder. Fluttershy jumped slightly at this and slowly turned to face the red stallion.
"It is time to take you back home. You have done a great service to the lord today, and your service will note be forgotten. Should you ever need assistance, just pray for it." Cicero said.
Arcane nodded in satisfaction as Cicero lead the young mare away. As the two left the mother with her newborns, the mother sighed. Fluttershy was well known as one of the elements of harmony, a good friend of her niece Twilight. Hopefully the timid mare did not tell too much of her to her friends. Twilight might not have been told of what transpired at her mansion, but Arcane was willing to bet all of her bits on Shining monitoring Twilight closely.
Arcane looked down to her twins and smiled warmly. She would need to come up with names fitting the future kings of Equestria. Arcane kissed both of her sons on their foreheads before wrapping them up in blankets and laying down to sleep next to them.
Cicero dropped the timid mare known as Fluttershy off at her home, asking her once more not to talk of what happened in too much detail. Asking that he and his mother be left to their privacy, and that the location of the sanctuary stay a secret. Cicero departed with a headache. He had gone quite some time now behaving as Arcane had instructed, so as to not draw attention. But now he had work to do, Cicero would scope out his targets in the daylight, find where they lived and get to talk to them and learn about them before returning in the night to send them to Sithis.
Cicero enjoyed talking to the ponies before he ended their miserable existences, their belief that they were safe amused the jester to no end. It was as if all the ponies secretly wanted him to kill them, welcoming him inside with unlocked windows. Tonight he had a target here in Ponyville.
Cicero looked around the town until he spotted a mare that matched the description he had been given. As Cicero approached the mare seemed to take not of him.
"Hello, my name is Cicero. I couldn't help but notice you playing your instrument there and I was ever so intrigued, could you play me a tune?" Cicero asked in a merry voice.
"Why of course, I always appreciate when ponies like my instrument!" The mare said as she produced a lyre and began to play a song that Cicero happily sat and listened to as he imagined eviscerating the mare.
Later that night Cicero approached the house the mare lived at in his natural form. The jester took a running start and scaled up the side of the building, catching the bottom of a balcony. Cicero then pulled himself up and over the rail and checked the glass door that lead into the house. It was, like every other door in this entire land, unlocked. Cicero slipped inside and crept through the house.
Cicero checked the first closed door he came across, peering inside he found a mare sleeping in her bed. Cicero crept closer, and posed his dagger over the sleeping mare. Cicero was about to slap the mare across the face so she would be awake to feel the dagger plunge unto her chest, but he noticed she was the wrong pony. This pony had a curly pink a blue mane.
Cicero slowly crept back into the shadows as he exited the room and continued his hunt. Cicero checked the bedroom across the hall from the one he had just visited, and entered as silent as the night. The jester once more checked to make sure he had the right pony, and smiled a toothy grin as he looked down at the minty green mare with a spiked mane that had a white stripe in it.
Cicero decided to have a different kind of fun with this kill, and sheathed his dagger. The jester then gently placed both hands around the mare's neck. Lyra began to awaken at the sensation of being touched, only to be yanked out of bed and slammed against the wall. Lyra tried to scream but found that no air could escape her chest as the hands crushed her throat.
'Hands' Lyra thought in wonder, as she looked down at the appendages she had dreamed of, squeezing the life from her. The mare looked up in wonder at the creature that was in the act of murdering her. Her eyes held not fear, but amazement, and this confused Cicero. The jester tightened his grip, causing the mare's eyes to bulge slightly.
"Strange one you are, not afraid of death..." Cicero mumbled in the ponies face.
Lyra moved her lips to talk, but the gesture was in vain. The life was being siphoned out of her as her throat was crushed under the grip of the man. The creature made a sound, but Lyra could not register it, the edges of her vision were growing darker and darker by the passing second.
Lyra dropped to the floor clutching her throat and gasping in air, a set of piercing yellow eyes stared down at her. The edges of her vision still darkened though, and as the blood once more pumped through her head, the sudden change of pressure caused the mare's vision to completely black out. The last thing Lyra remembered before blacking out were those Yellow eyes, and the wonder they held within them.
A bucket of water was splashed onto her face, and Lyra awoke with a splutter as she coughed some of the water up. She looked around the room, taking in her surroundings. Lyra was in a dimly lit room, the room however seemed to be furnished well. The mare wondered briefly if she was back in Canterlot. She struggled against the ropes that bound her legs, and Lyra only then seemed to register that she was tied to the wall, dangling off the ground.
Lyra looked up and squinted into the dim light to see the length of rope that tied her front hooves together, and suspended her off the ground. Lyra could tell she had been hanging there for a while by how sore her forelegs were from supporting the rest of her weight. Lyra groaned in pain as she tried again to struggle against the binds, but they did not even budge.
"Awake I see..." A voice called from the dim room around her.
Lyra's head bolted up and she cast her gaze around the darkness as memories flooded back to her, being awoken in the middle of the night, attacked by a strange creature, hands around her neck.
"I-is it you? The one with hands?" Lyra choked out in her best attempt of a firm voice given the circumstances.
"Again, you impress Cicero with your bravery. Under normal circumstances one would be begging for mercy or wailing for help. Had that happened... You would have died." Cicero said, still not showing himself from the darkness.
"What d-do you mean?" Lyra managed out, pushing down her fear as best she could.
"We are going to play a game, you and I..." Cicero said finally stepping into the light and being revealed.
Lyra gasped as she saw him, the flat face, small nose, pale skin, bipedal figure, fully clothed, and his hands. This was a human that she had heard and dreamed of. Everypony said she was crazy, and that she should give up on her research of humans, but here one was. Lyra paused at the next thought, the human was interrogating her.
"Now this game will test you, and if you pass... You live, simple right?" Cicero said with a cackle as he jumped back into the darkness, once more fading from view.
The room was suddenly illuminated as torches around the room burst into flames. At the far end of the room Lyra could see several other ponies who had black bags over their heads who were tied to the ground. All of them were struggling and Lyra could swear that now she was listening for it she could hear somepony crying. The jester was off to Lyra's right, hands on hips and smiling from ear to ear as he stood proudly in front of the only door the room had.
Cicero walked over and unsheathed his dagger in front of Lyra, he then cut the bindings, making Lyra flinch away from the blade. Lyra fell off the wall and bounced on a her rump, eliciting a groan of pain as she rubbed her back with a hoof and attempted to stand. Her front legs buckled at the attempt to stand, and caused her to take a moment to let the blood flow normally before trying it again. This time she made it successfully to her hooves.
"See those other ponies on the far side of the room?" Cicero asked a fit of laughter already working itself up.
Lyra nodded to him, and in response Cicero threw the dagger in front of her, where it stuck in the ground, handle up. Lyra jumped back slightly from the sudden appearance of the knife.
"The dark brotherhood has a bit of an initiation ritual. To live you need to kill one of those ponies, but I have a little snippet of information for you..." Cicero said playfully as the laughter built.
"W-what?" Lyra managed out with an incredulous voice as she looked between the human and the three ponies.
"One of those ponies paid me to kill you. I won't tell you who, but one of them wanted you to die. Why don't you go have a talk with them before you decide who to kill?" Cicero said in a dark voice, before bursting into a full blown fit of maddening laughter, causing all four of the ponies in the room to cringe in fear.
Cicero returned to standing in front of the door and twirled his ebony dagger in his hands. Lyra looked from him, down to the gleaming steel dagger in front of her, to the three ponies. The mare wondered why anypony would want her dead, especially wanting her dead so badly they would pay to have it done.
Lyra levitated the dagger in front of her and moved slowly to where the three other ponies lay, bound and hooded. Drawing closer Lyra could see that two of the ponies were stallions, and one mare. Lyra attempted to identify them by their cutie marks, but was unable to due to the black paint that was covering their flanks.
"Wh-who paid him..." Lyra choked out as she began to cry.
None of the ponies even attempted to make a noise, but all of them flinched at her voice. Lyra gazed at each of them, slowly gaining confidence as she pondered over which one could possibly have done it.
"Was it because of my constant research of humans? Was it because you didn't want a crazy pony like me to live near you?" Lyra said bitterly as she looked at the dagger.
None of the ponies moved, Lyra was beginning to get angry that the pony that had put the hit on her head was not even begging for mercy. Lyra put the knife to the stallion who was on the far right's throat.
"Was it you?!" Lyra yelled.
"N-no please..." The stallion stammered.
Lyra levitated the blade over to the stallion on the far left, "Or was it you?"
"Please... I have a wife and two foals!" Begged the stallion.
Lyra then moved the dagger to the throat of the final pony, "Perhaps you did it..."
"Please, Lyra... Don't hurt me...." The mare said.
"Bon Bon?" Lyra choked back a sob.
Bon Bon began to cry quitly as she shied away from the knife on her throat as best she could.
"No... No! Bon Bon would never!" Lyra said incredulously as she stared back at the human.
Cicero merely had a mad look on his face, his eyes filled to the brim with delight at the sight of the crushed pony. Lyra's licked her lips, tasting the salty tears that had streamed down there, and looked back to her closest friend and roommate.
"Bon Bon, did you hire somepony to kill me?" Lyra asked in a firm tone that hid the tears on her face to the currently blinded mare.
"Lyra... You always talked about the strangest things... Ponies were starting to talk, and I was losing business since you live with me." Bon Bon sobbed out.
"How could you!" Lyra screamed at her best friend.
"W-when I heard that there was a group that killed anypony you wanted for nothing but bits..." Bon Bon choked out.
Lyra saw red, her best friend just sat there in front of her, and admitted that she had hired somepony to kill her. Lyra looked back to the human who seemed to be on the verge of cheering at the spectacle. Lyra looked back to her bound and blinded friend and frowned.
"You have yet to say sorry..." Lyra said in a dark tone.
Bon Bon opened her mouth to speak, but before she could offer an apology through the black burlap bag over her face, the dagger was plunged into her chest. Lyra made the dagger slide into her friend again and again as she cried her eyes out. After minutes of stabbing the mare calmed down and looked over to the human, who was now accompanied by a dark blue mare who had a long man that was a darker shade of blue than her coat.
"She seems to have passed with flying colors..." Arcane Arts said to Cicero.
"Yes mother, she will do fine." Cicero said as he tried in vain to control his cackling.
Cicero led Lyra back to her home, through the Everfree Forest. All the while Cicero hummed a tune that gave warning to the nearby animals that he was passing through. It had only taken the jester a week of slaughtering the animals whilst humming the same tune, until their survival instincts taught them the warning.
"So... What did you do with the two stallions that were in there?" Lyra asked timidly.
"They had hits on their head, so they were dealt with." Cicero said happily.
"So, what am I to do now that you have initiated me?" Lyra asked looking up the the tall form of the human.
"You are to read the books I gave you, and practice the spells the Night Mother left in them. Once you are completed I will fetch you to enact your first contract. Then you will be part of the Dark Brotherhood." Cicero said looking down to the pony.
"So... You aren't from this world?" Lyra asked out of the blue.
"Wha- no! Of course not, Cicero's world is on the other side of the void. A wonderful place, where one can easily stab someone with a good enough excuse." Cicero laughed.
"And this... Sithis?" Lyra asked hoping to get more information about the human's culture.
"Sithis is the lord of, and is the void itself. He is all that is darkness and death." Cicero's voice held a serious tone.
Lyra was taken back by the sudden change in the jester. The mint green mare looked up into the golden eyes that held such madness and cringed slightly.
"Are all humans as crazy as you?" Lyra asked with her ears flattened against her head.
"Cicero, crazy? Hehehehe... Now that's madness!" Cicero cackled at his joke as he led the mare on.
"I think I can make it back from here, best if you are not seen..." Lyra said timidly, but regained her confidence as Cicero nodded his approval.
Lyra trotted off out of the woods and bolted straight for her house, keeping her head low and hoping that nopony would stop to investigate her, and see the blood that was flecked over her face.
Cicero watched her go and chuckled to himself, "Cicero has an apprentice..."
The mad jester then looked off to the cabin that was home to the mare that had helped the Night Mother deliver the children of Sithis. Cicero grabbed a tree branch and gracefully swung himself like a gymnist up onto it. He then hopped from branch to branch as he made his way closer to the cabin atop the hill. Cicero then peered down from the tree he was hiding in and looked for the yellow mare. Cicero frowned as he scanned and found the pony named Fluttershy.
Fluttershy was being bullied by a couple of flying stallions. The two were shouting something at her that Cicero could not hear. Cicero was filled with anger at the sight of the one who so willingly helped the Night Mother being attacked on the street. Cicero almost leapt out of the tree right there, but managed to remember to change his form. Cicero breathed in deep and concentrated as he began casting the alteration spell to morph his body into a pony.
The dark red unicorn stallion jumped to the ground and landed on his hooves with a loud thud, catching the attention of the bullies. The two looked behind them and noticed Cicero, and his look of utter rage.
"Hey, check out this guy's hat." Laughed the first stallion.
"Yeah, looks like some kinda loony freak." The second joined in the laughter.
Cicero slowly advanced on the two pegasi, murder was all that was in his golden eyes, and the bullies were too stupid to see it, Fluttershy however seemed to notice the death stare Cicero had, because she shrank back even more than she had from the bullies tormenting.
"Hey, what are you doing freak?" The first stallion asked.
"Yeah get lost or else we--" The second started before Cicero lunged at him and cracked a fore hoof against the side of the bullies skull.
The second bully dropped like a rock, eyes rolling and blood dripping from his ear. Cicero looked over to the first one and grinned madly at the fear he now saw etched into his face.
"Come on fat boy, show Cicero what makes you think you are better than that kind young girl there." Venom dripped off the jester pony's voice.
The stallion attempted to fly away, only to have his wings stick to his side from a dark red aura that glowed around him. The stallion fell the few feet he had flown, and found he was unable to move, only stand there in front of the seething unicorn.
"Please.... Don't kill them..." Fluttershy whimpered at the sight of the stallion who lay on the ground already, bleeding.
"If it is your request then fine, but I will still discipline them..." Cicero said as he tucked the dagger he had just drawn away.
Cicero lifted the stallion's chin with his hoof, before turning around and winding up one of his back legs. The stallion screamed in horror as he was unable to move away from the powerful kick that collided with his jaw, shattering it and knocking him out as he flew .
"They did not cause you harm did they?" Cicero said, voice suddenly full of concern.
Fluttershy shook her head as she hid underneath her wings and cried. Cicero frowned at this and moved a hoof to her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. Fluttershy flinched away and squeaked in fear at the touch. Cicero then held his hoof back, as if he was burned and turned back toward the forest and made his way home.
On his way Cicero changed back to his natural form, but he did not hum the tune. He instead stomped through the forest, attracting many of the different predators. As they came one by one however, Cicero killed them, showing no mercy in his butchery of the animals as he left a trail of corpses back towards the sanctuary.
As Cicero entered the sanctuary he was greeted by Arcane Arts.
"Hello mother, she got there safely..." Cicero huffed in a depressed tone.
Arcane raised her eyebrow at this, "Did anything happen?"
"Well... Cicero saw the yellow mare that helped you deliver Sithis's children, and she was being bullied. I dispatched them, even refrained from killing them as she asked... But she was afraid of me." Cicero said dejectedly as he sat down on the floor.
"Well, I may have something that will cheer you up..." Arcane Arts said with a crafty smile.
Cicero looked into the mare's eyes, his own filled with wonder at what the Night Mother could have for him.
"We have a big task this time. This contract does not come from anypony from this world..." Arcane said with a smile.
"You couldn't possibly mean Sithis has ordered the death of someone?!" Cicero asked, his face losing all trace of sadness and instead becoming filled with glee.
"Yes, Sithis has asked that you go and kill a very special pony..." Arcane said warmly as she put a foreleg around Cicero's shoulder.
"Who! Who has Sithis called for to join him in the void?!" Cicero asked, his voice filled with excitement.
"Sithis has ordered for the death of the sun princess. You are to kill Celestia and allow the night to overtake this world." Arcane purred into Cicero's ear.
Cicero's smile stretched from ear to ear as he began a fit of laughter that shook his entire body.
Cicero watched over the young twins that were the spawn of Sithis. Arcane Arts was sleeping, and had her sons cradled against her body as she lay in the bed. Cicero was silent, not even the laughter that haunted his mind was present, the only sound the jester could hear was the breathing of the mare and her foals.
Cicero was honored beyond words to guard Sithis's offspring, and he was going to be even more honored to evict the one who currently sat on the throne that would one day be these foals'. Cicero silently left the bedchamber and moved to his own room, the one that he had tested Lyra in. The man looked at his wall and contemplated how to go about his job. He had been crafting and collecting the tools of his trade since he came to this new land, and he was already back up to a considerable armory. None of his newly crafted items had the quality of his ebony dagger, but the steel was at least still of good quality.
Lifting a crossbow, Cicero slung it over his shoulder and grabbed a pouch of bolts and put that also over his shoulder. The assassin then set to the task of strapping daggers and throwing blades across his body, up his arms, and down his boots. Cicero then put his favorite dagger and another steel one into their sheaths on his belt. Then he grabbed a few scrolls and slipped them down his tunic for safe keeping.
"So the ruler's name is Celestia eh... Celly won't know what hit her when I get there..." Cicero said darkly to himself as the laughter began to plague his mind once more.
Cicero left the sanctuary, taking the time to check and see if the animals had finally picked clean the last of the corpses from the ponies he had killed in the sanctuary, they had. He then trudged his way toward the city of Canterlot, the sun was setting and cast a scarlet hue over the land. Cicero laughed at the irony of it all as he began to run toward where his prey waited.
Darkness had fallen, and Cicero crept into the city in the cover of night. The gate guards were practically sleeping on the job the way they paid no heed to anything as they nodded off, only to be prodded awake by one another. The guard patrols were slightly more attentive, but they still did not notice the assassin that crept past them. Normally Cicero would have his fun with a guard here or there, but now he had an important job, and he needed the guards to be on as low of an alert as he could manage.
Cicero came into his first obstacle, the castle itself had no windows at the ground floor, and the gate was closed and guarded. Cicero however had planned for this, and he pulled the crossbow from his back. Searching quickly through his bolt pouch, Cicero found the grappling bolt, a large four pronged hook at the end of it. Cicero tied a length of rope to the end of the bolt and shot it over the wall. Cicero then pulled the rope taut and set to scaling the wall.
As Cicero made it over the top of the wall he came face to face with a pegasus guard who had heard the clank of the bolt and came to investigate. The two stared at each other for a few seconds, neither budging a muscle. Then the guard took in a deep breath and turned to yell a warning to the other guards, but Cicero was faster and slit his throat before the air could ever leave his mouth. Cicero then tossed the stallion over the wall, listening for the crunch of impact and smiling to himself before dashing off towards the door that led into the castle. Cicero stopped as he made it to the rampart door and put his ear to the wood and listened. The sound of two ponies talking could be heard. Pushing the door gently open with one arm, Cicero rolled up his sleeve with the other.
"Hey, your shift isn't done yet cade-" The guard said looking back toward the door and freezing as he saw Cicero.
The two guards scrambled to get off their chairs and dash for their spears, but the throwing knives found their marks, and the two guards fell dead to the ground before making it more than three steps from where they had sat. Cicero walked over and pulled his throwing daggers out of their necks, wiping them off on their coats before returning them to their sheaths on his arm. Cicero was ecstatic, it had been so many years since he did a job this big. His old instincts before becoming the keeper was coming back to him, the laughter was even keeping itself to an internal chuckle in his head.
Creeping through the halls of the castle, he stuck to the shadows where he could remain hidden as guards patrolled by, and maids scurried along as they cleaned. Only once when a maid stumbled with the used dishes she was carrying and ended up falling against Cicero's leg did anything of note happen. But the maid was currently stuffed into the closet of an empty guest room, soaking the tile with blood.
Cicero found what he was looking for, two guards stood in front of a door that had an emblem of the sun on it. The guards were at complete attention, as if what they were guarding was the most important thing in all of Equestria, because it was. They even glared daggers at every maid that walked past. Cicero tapped his chin in thought as he watched them on wondered on how to get past them. Cicero looked up and noticed that while there were no rafters to hide on, there was decorative crown molding on the edge of the ceiling that looked like he could get a grip of.
Cicero back tracked a ways so as to be out of sight of the guards, and opened a door. He then climbed on top of the open door, and from there jumped and got a hold of the crown molding. The jester's muscles strained as he pulled his body against the wall, and began crawling along the molding. Cicero made it back to the hall that had the grand door and the guards in front of it. Cicero made his way above the guards and waited silently, watching as slowly the trickle of maids died down to only about once every ten minutes. His muscles screamed at him, but he stayed put where he was, silent and still.
One of the guards sneezed and Cicero took his chance, dropping on the other one and plunging a dagger into the back of his neck, severing the spine. As the guard that sneezed opened his eyes, he looked over to see the human standing over his dead companion. The guard was quick with thrusting his spear, but Cicero was faster with twisting out of the way and jamming the dagger through the guard's skull. Cicero nodded in triumph at the way he had quickly and quietly taken care of the guards without allowing them to raise an alarm. But now was the difficult part, killing the princess and making it out before the alert was out, lest he be trapped in the castle with all the guards on high alert.
Cicero slowly opened the door, and peeked inside. But a magical blast knocked him backwards and against the wall on the opposite side of the hallway.
"So you are the one who has been murdering my little ponies... How many have you killed today alone in getting here?" Celestia said, her face a mask of disgust as she strode out of her room.
"Heh heh, clever little lady you are Celly..." Cicero said as he stood up and unsheathed his steel dagger so he now held a dagger in each hand.
"I asked how many you kill on the way here murderer!" Celestia commanded, tears brimming in her eyes.
"Six in the castle, and one that was out travelling alone on the road outside of Canterlot." Cicero said with a smug grin.
Celestia allowed a tear to drip off her face before she charged another golden beam and shot it at the jester, but Cicero ducked under the blast and charged the princess of the sun. Cicero spun as he got close to avoid a buck Celestia aimed at his chest, and as he spun he slashed Celestia's flank, leaving two deep gashes over the sun that was her cutie mark.
Celestia hissed in pain as she backed away from Cicero, but the man pressed on, his arms a flurry of slashes that kept drawing closer and closer to coming into contact. Celestia charged her horn and shut her eyes as it began to glow with the intensity of the sun. She then bucked the jester in the chest before taking off down the castle halls toward the throne room. It took only a few moment for Cicero to rub his eyes and pick himself up off the ground before he gave chase in the shadows after Celestia.
As Celestia ran past the few maids and guards she gave them orders accordingly to hide or be on the lookout for the murderer. As Celestia stopped at the third group of guards she came into contact with she heard his merry singing.
"When next I meet that fair maid Celly, I'll plunge my knife into her belly!" Cicero sung happily from the cover of shadows.
Celestia looked desperately to the guards in front of her, but saw that they had throwing dagger stuck in their necks. The guards slowly sunk to the ground, and Celestia was once again off towards the throne room. Celestia was beginning to fear she would not make it there in time as the laughter drew closer and closer to her. As the door came into view Celestia readied her spell and teleported inside now that she could see where she was sending herself.
Cicero gritted his teeth in anger as he saw the form vanish. He then heard a commotion coming from inside a large set of double doors. Cicero frowned as he looked at the doors. If he simply walked inside he would be blasted again. Cicero looked in an adjacent room to see if he could climb through a window, but the room he peeked into had no window itself. Just then Cicero heard the sound of hooves rushing down the hall. Cicero peeked down the long hallway that the set of doors faced, and smiled. Shining Armor was rushing with his eyes fixed on the doors.
As the captain of the guard burst into the room Cicero moved to the edge of the door and listened intently.
"Luna! My guards have found several dead ponies around the castle. I believe the murderer is- Celestia what happened to you?!" Shining exclaimed as he looked at Celestia's wound on her flank.
Cicero took that moment to vault over the captain of the guard, landing in front of him and kicking a leg back into Shining Armor's face. Cicero's heel met with a sickening crack as he knocked the captain of the guard unconscious. somersaulting so the side, Cicero evaded another golden magical blast and looked at where Celestia stared with hate filled eyes, and Luna stared with surprised eyes.
Eight guards now closed in on, circling around Cicero. But the jester was prepared and was waiting for this. The man began to spin on his heels as he grabbed the throwing knives strapped to his arms and flung them as he spun, showering the guards in deadly blades. Cicero did a back flip over a dead guard to evade a starry blue blast that landed where he was just spinning.
"What? Is Cicero's performance not to your liking? Does this court not need a jester?!" Cicero screamed as he cackled.
"Thou art a monster!" Luna screamed in her Royal Canterlot voice.
Cicero jumped out of the way of a blast from Celestia's horn that burned a large hole where he once was. Cicero then rolled out of the way of Luna's blast. The two sisters rained blast after blast after the jester, but nothing landed as he cackled and dodged. Soon the sisters were tiring and running low on magic.
"What are you..." Celestia huffed as Cicero unsheathed his ebony dagger and slowly advanced on her.
"I am the Fool of Hearts, keeper of the night mother." Cicero said darkly as he advanced on the princess of the sun.
"Sigel told us of this, the night mother is the chosen one by Sithis to convey his will or something like that..." Luna said to her sister.
"Who is Sithis, where is he hiding?" Celestia asked as she began charging a spell in unison with her sister.
"Wha-?!" Cicero froze, his face a mask of pure rage.
"You dare accuse the dark lord of hiding? You dare blaspheme against his unholy name?! When I send your soul to the void you will surely be judged to eternity of torment!" Cicero screamed.
Celestia and Luna released their spell, one intended to trap the jester in a magical cage. But Cicero yanked the scroll from under his tunic and opened it. The scroll emitted a red light that then absorbed the spell the sisters had sent toward him. Cicero smiled darkly as he dropped the scroll and rushed toward Celestia.
"Sithis judge you!" Cicero screamed as he slashed at Celestia, scoring a hit that was meant for her throat, instead across her face.
Celestia tried her best to dodge, narrowly escaping receiving any critical blows. Luna then attacked, bucking Cicero away from Celestia. The two sister stood side by side, and Luna cast a spell on her sister, causing the minor cuts to heal, but the deeper ones on her flank and face were too great to be healed.
"Two on one is no fair..." Cicero said with a pout on his face.
The Fool of Hearts then opened his left palm, allowing a dark purple orb to appear before he threw it next to him. A blue swirl of magic appeared.
"Greetings brother, you have need of my service?" a gruff voice called from around the room as a spectral being took form.
A spectral man took form where Cicero had thrown the purple ball of magic. The specter looked at the jester, and drew his dagger before turning towards where the two princesses stood with their mouths agape at what they saw.
"So i see, this is the one Sithis has called for himself..." The specter said.
Cicero laughed merrily as he charged, "Your time is now Celly! Your death will don a new age in this world, the age of Sithis!"
The specter charged in unison with the jester, but as the magical blasts began to rain down once more the specter took the lead. Cicero ducked behind his summoned brother, allowing the spirit from the void to take the blasts as they drew closer. Celestia let loose the rest of her power in a blast that was meant to pierce the specter and hit the madman behind, but Cicero jumped at the last second and flew over the spirit as it was shot through.
"Ugh!" Celestia moaned in pain.
"Tia!" Luna screamed.
Cicero twisted the ebony dagger he had plunged into the chest of the princess of the sun. He then spun to her side, yanking the dagger out and plunging it in again and again for good measure. Cicero screamed in triumph as he stabbed and twisted his blade, splattering himself and the ground in the blood of the old alicorn.
The guards arrived in time to see their princess fall to the ground in a pool of her own blood, the strange assassin standing over the corpse, smiling with pure joy. Luna crumpled to the ground and wept, putting her nose in her sisters mane that no longer flowed in the nonexistent breeze like it always had. Time seemed to stop for the ponies, but Cicero still had to end his performance.
"So, after over a thousand years Equestria's sun has finally set..." Cicero started out sincere, only to laugh at his own joke after a few seconds.
Luna continued to weep, but the guards stared at the assassin with hate filled eyes. Cicero took his cue and turned toward the balcony and took off into a sprint before kicking the glass doors there open and jumping off the balcony into the night.
A guard rushed over to the balcony to see if the man had fallen to his death. But he saw a couple of guards with broken backs that had been standing guard below. The back of Cicero could be seen disappearing into the darkness of the streets.
Another guard awoke his captain Shining Armor.
"Sir, what has happened?" Another guard asked Shining Armor.
"The end of the world private..." Shining Armor said with a somber tone, as he shook his head to clear it.
