Sharp Side watched as Eagle was being flown to the MGD Station. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Eagle Eye, his best friend, the Assassin, had been defeated. He so badly wanted to help, but had no way of doing so.

“Eagle, wake up man!” Sharp Side tried to call to wake up his fallen friend, but nothing worked. Sharp Side was stressing out. His friend was helpless, and all he could do was watch it all happen. He felt terrible, but there was nothing he could do now. All Sharp Side could do was be thankful that Eagle’s father wasn’t home. Fire Streak was away for a work trip in upper Manehattan, and he would be out of town for four more days. Sharp Side would need to think of a plan in that time to get Eagle Eye out of prison.

“Celestia knows how much this shit’s gonna get on the news.”

Fire Streak walked through the streets of upper Manehattan, going about his own business. He had just concluded his business with a few of his clients, and was on his way to a local coffee shop for a good drink.

Fire Streak made his way through the busy streets. This area of the city was much busier than his home area of Manehattan, but it still felt like Manehattan. Ponies were just as busy, the smells were all the same, the buildings were just about the same height, all in all, it was Manehattan.

Fire Streak finally arrived at the coffee shop. The smell of freshly brewed coffee greeted his nose as he entered the shop. It was a pleasant smell for the working stallion. He made his way to the counter and ordered the usual cup of coffee he would get back home. He could only wonder how much different, or similar, it would taste. Paying for his drink, he sat down at a table and relaxed. The Manehattan News was on, and the headline story immediately caught his attention.

“After months of searching and hunting, the Manehattan Guard has finally captured the hooded stallion known as the Assassin. As most of you know, this stallion has been delivering death in the night for months now, and last night, it all came to an end. After the Assassin managed to eliminate the gang known as the High Rollers, the authorities surrounded the Assassin. A chase ensued afterwards, in which the Guard managed to surround him once again on a rooftop. The authorities reported to have engaged the Assassin, in which they defeated him and took him into custody. The Assassin is currently being held behind bars, awaiting interrogation.”

The story sounded like music to Fire Streak’s ears.

‘At last,’ he thought to himself, taking one last sip of his coffee. He stood up, threw out his cup, and walked out the door.

Rainbow Dash flew through the skies of Ponyville, free as a bird. She had just finished her cloud clearing duties, and was now free from responsibility for the rest of the day, which was still young. She practiced some of her moves, doing flips, spins, and such while flying through the air. She noticed her Pegasus friend Fluttershy walking along back home, and as her best friend, Rainbow figured she’d drop by and see how her friend was doing.

As Fluttershy continued to walk to her front door, Rainbow started to fly down to the ground. Landing, Rainbow Dash trotted up to Fluttershy.

“Hey Fluttershy,” Rainbow greeted. The only thing she got in return was a surprised “eep” from Fluttershy. Turning around, Fluttershy saw it was only Rainbow Dash.

“Oh, hello Rainbow,” Fluttershy responded, having gotten over her initial surprise. “What brings you here?”

“Oh you know, just thought I’d see how my best friend is doing, Rainbow responded. The two continued walking to Fluttershy’s cottage. Upon entering, Rainbow Dash flew over to Fluttershy’s couch and decided to lounge around a bit.

“So, how are things with Eagle Eye going?” Fluttershy asked.

“Awesome. He’s a lot better at this relationship thing than I thought he would be. Just think, next month, we’ll be celebrating our six month anniversary. Let’s hope he doesn’t miss that one though.” The two Pegasi giggled at the joke. Fluttershy knew how Eagle missed the one month anniversary, but she paid no mind to it. It wasn’t much of her business anyway.

“That’s great Dashie. I knew you two were perfect together.”

“Yeah, we are aren’t we? Hey, wanna watch some TV?” Rainbow asked.

“Sure, let me just find the remote,” Fluttershy responded, beginning her short search for the remote. After finding it, she turned on the TV and flipped through the channels. Fluttershy passed over the news channel, but Rainbow managed to catch what the story was.

“Wait, go back!” she said, grabbing the remote and going back to the news.

“What is it?” Fluttershy asked. As Rainbow flipped back over to the news, she couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Manehattan News coming back to you with the capture of the Assassin. While previously, only Guard reports were given, we now have eyewitness confirmation that the Assassin has in fact been captured. Eyewitness reports state that the Assassin was still waiting to be interrogated when they saw him. As previously reported, the Assassin was captured last night after killing off the High Rollers and their leader, Big Money. We will bring more on this story after the Assassin’s interrogation has been completed.”

The story had been all over the news, and this was the first Rainbow Dash had heard of it. She couldn’t believe her eyes or ears. The Assassin, her Eagle Eye, had been defeated and captured by the Manehattan Guard. All she wanted to do was bolt out of that cottage and go save him, but she couldn’t let her friends know that she was dating a killer.

“What’s wrong Dashie? Aren’t you glad they finally captured that mean Assassin?” Fluttershy asked, not understanding Rainbow’s predicament. The cyan blue mare turned to her friend with worried eyes.

“What?! Oh, um, well… no, not really,” Rainbow responded, giving a short, awkward chuckle. “I kinda like the guy. He’s been cleaning up the streets of Manehattan, and he even has killed a few crooks in Ponyville too. I think he’s more of a good guy than a bad guy.”

“But who is he to say he has the right to decide somepony’s fate?” Fluttershy asked.

“The ponies that he’s killed were all bad and evil dudes, Fluttershy! Why shouldn’t they be killed?” Rainbow responded. She almost couldn’t believe her words. Rainbow Dash wasn’t a huge fan of hearing or seeing death, but Eagle Eye was doing good, not evil, so she had to support him.

“I guess that makes a little sense, but still, I think he’s going about it the wrong way. I think he deserves to be punished for killing as many as he has,” Fluttershy stated. Rainbow sat back on the couch and changed the channel again. All she could think about now was Eagle Eye and how he was doing behind bars.

‘Don’t let them beat you Eagle. Please…’

“Hit him again,” the Captain of the Manehattan Guard commanded. The soldier delivered another hard punch to the face of the Assassin. This had been going on for twenty minutes now, but Eagle Eye wouldn’t let them break him. They could keep hitting him, but he wouldn’t talk.

“Again!” Another punch was given, this one seeming to be just the same as the rest. Eagle now had a black eye and had bled out on the floor a bit. Luckily, the spells put in place on his robes, mask, and hood kept the guards from removing any gear, thus keeping his identity safe. However, that didn’t stop them from pounding the shit out of him. While Eagle was strong willed and boned, these guards knew how to beat up somepony.

“Why do you persist on remaining silent?” the Captain asked. Eagle just lifted his head back up and looked at him with his red eyes. While Eagle was still able to keep that trick up, if he received any more of a beating, he might lose focus, and his eyes would turn back to their normal shade of blue. But, before Eagle was hit again, the Captain lifted his chin up and looked him in the eyes.

“What are you hiding, Assassin?” Eagle simply looked into the Captain’s eyes and remained silent. The Captain growled and took a step back. “Hit him again!” Another punch was delivered. And another. And another. At this rate, Eagle would be broken, so he figured he might as well let them break him now.

“Alright,” he started. “What do you want?” The Captain snickered and walked up to him.

“What are you after, Assassin?”

“I’m afraid I don’t follow, Captain.”

“How long have you been at this, three, four months? All this time, you’ve persisted on eliminating the criminals of the city and pretending to be a hero. I want to know why?” The Captain spoke with a stern voice. He was not in a mood for playing games.

“First off, I’m not a hero. Secondly, I’m just trying to protect the city from the scum that you and your men seem to have a problem with detaining. I’d say I’m just doing your job, but better.” The Captain drove his hoof into Eagle’s gut with a powerful punch.

“Nopony does our job better than us. It is not our right to say who deserves to die or live. We keep the peace, as is our duty, but not by seamlessly murdering those that do not deserve death.”

“So you feel that all the ponies I’ve eliminated shouldn’t have died? Need I remind you that each and every one of my targets were killers. The way I see it, if you take a life, you pay with your own.” Eagle spoke with so much passion that it almost scared the Captain. Almost.

“Well, if my records are correct, then that means you owe your life at least one hundred times. What makes you different from those you have killed?” the Captain asked.

“Because I kill for the greater good, not because I feel it best suits me or my own personal gain.” The Captain snorted and began circling Eagle.

“It seems that your gear has been spelled so that we can’t remove it.”

“I wouldn’t want anypony figuring out who I am now would I?” Eagle responded.

“Well, last time I checked, you aren’t a Unicorn or an Alicorn, so that means you’re not working alone. Who are you working with?”

“I work alone,” Eagle lied. He knew very well that he didn’t work alone, but he couldn’t let the Guard know that Sharp Side was a part of all this. “I simply… persuaded, a Unicorn to cast the spells on my gear.” The Captain leaned in and looked into Eagle’s eyes again.

“I think you’re lying.”

“That’s your problem, not mine. If you don’t want to believe the truth, I can’t help you with that.” The Captain simply smacked Eagle across the face.

“You really should watch your tongue, Assassin.”

“And you really should watch who you’re hitting, Captain. You’re lucky that you’re the Captain of the Guard. I don’t kill the innocent, or those who do good, such as yourself.”

“Are you trying to threaten me Assassin, because it’s not working,” the Captain responded smugly.

“Oh no, not threaten, but warn. Should I get the chance, my hoof just might find its way to your face.” Eagle looked to the Captain sternly, and the Captain returned the look.

“Now then, what I want to know, is why you and your guards have persisted on apprehending me?”

“Because you are a dangerous vigilante that needed to be stopped, and that’s just what we’ve done. Your escapades of murder and death end here Assassin, because it’s time for you to put an end to all of this.”

“Sorry Captain, but I won’t stop fighting until my true targets have been eliminated,” Eagle responded, hinting at the anger he was feeling.

“And who might those ponies be?” the Captain asked.

“The same ponies you failed to stop that fateful night five months ago.” Eagle was referring to the Dark Flames and their attack on Manehattan, the same attack that cause the deaths of his sister and mother. The Captain looked at the Assassin with a look of surprise. He simply snorted again and turned his back on Eagle.

“I’ll be back for you later. We’re not done yet, Assassin,” the Captain said, knocking on the door for the guards to let him out of the interrogation room. Eagle Eye was left alone to think and plan. He lowered his head, but shortly after, he felt a tear fall from his cheek. Looking up, Eagle saw an apparition of his sister, Ruby. She was smiling at him, but she didn’t stay for long. She turned and walked away, fading into nothingness. Eagle lowered his head once again and began to silently cry.

The Master entered the War Room of the Dark Flames of Heaven’s headquarters. Having also hearing the news of the Assassin’s capture, he now had the perfect moment to strike and see if the Assassin was truly ready to join the ranks of the Dark Flames. Entering the room, Ice Storm and several other high ranking soldiers stood around a table with a map of Manehattan.

“Ice Storm, have we a plan for our assault on the MGD Station yet?” the Master said, removing his helmet and placing it on the table.

“We have a plan, Master. Seeing as though the MGD Station is in a heavily populated area, we will be unable to have our forces rally anywhere in secret on the ground level. Our proposed plan is to use cloaked ships to land on surrounding rooftops, unload our soldiers and catapults, and assault the building. Our spies have reported that the Assassin is still alive in there, and that he seems to still have his gear on, most likely a spell preventing any other ponies from removing his gear. His weapons, however, have been taken to the armory.”

“He will be able to acquire those, with some assistance, of course,” another soldier spoke. The Master nodded and smiled. The plan seemed perfect. The Manehattan Guard would be unable to realize they were under attack until the last second, the Assassin would be able to prove himself at last, and the Master could finally meet the infamous killer. He looked to Ice Storm.

“Are you prepared to die, Ice Storm?” the Master asked.

“If it should benefit our cause, yes, I am ready to die, in the name of the Dark Flames of Heaven. Should I die in vain, I hope to meet the soul of the one responsible for my death in Hell.” The Master nodded.

“Very well then. Men, ready the ships! It’s time to see if the Assassin is ready.”

Author's Notes:

Yeah, another short chapter, but this is basically the build up for the next chapter. Time to see the Assassin put out some Flames. Bu dum bing... Ok, that was terrible, and I apologize.