Twilight felt her sleep drain away to a soft, rhythmical if slightly rustic tune. She stirred, her right fore-leg searching for something, or somepony, to hug in her drowsy state. When she found nothing, she forced her eyes open, finding an empty bed besides her. It was a comfy bed, the covers keeping her perfectly warm while the mattress supported everything with ease and practised comfort.

Twilght rubbed clumsily at her eyes with her hoof, yawning deeply as she stretched her back out, her hooves reaching for the skies as her spine cracked in a few reliving spots. Scratching her tussled mane, the purple mare looked around the room, trying to find whatever was making that blasted tune, and frowned upon noticing where she was. It took her a second to realise she was still in Blood Moon's chambers in Canterlot Palace, only now it was…furnished.

Twilight's horn lifted the covers off of her, the purple glow setting them down again before it made the bed as she hopped off of it, still looking around.

It was all very 'Blood Moon.' A single black rug, red patterns decorating it, covered most of the floor between the bed and doorway. Around the room were a number of different spots furnished with items likely pertaining to different methods of relaxation. Towards one corner were a couple of bean-bags, a table between them with what looked like coffee and toast on it; to her left, where her coltfriend had grabbed their book from last night, was a large shelf, familiar black oak wood reaching the ceiling with a multitude of literary works of both fiction and non-fiction, instead of the boxes that had been kept here last night. Before the shelves of books were chairs and a couch, the same white as the chairs back at the assassin's home, smaller tables around them. A wardrobe sat in a small nook besides the bed, identical to his other wardrobe back home. On the other side was a small bedside table, a glass of water perched atop it. Opposite the bed was a fireplace, a black marble mantel framing it in rose and thorn carvings done to an excruciating detail. There were two black arm chairs before the fireplace, a liquor cabinet between and a small table either side, complete with ash trays, decanters and shot glasses. Aimed at an empty, white wall was a projector, couches and seats positioned around it, a rug between the wall and seats, what looked like a mini-fridge at the side and a cabinet full of film canisters opposite.

Beyond these more prominent features were smaller pieces, tables scattered around, arts tastefully distributed about the room, a desk and office chair pushed against one wall and a few door leading to rooms beyond, likely a bathroom and, if Twilight knew her lover, an armoury of some sort somewhere.

All of this was quickly drowned out again by that rustic tune that had disturbed Twilight's slumber coming back again, a wordless song she didn't recognise drifting in from the Prench windows, now home to drapes of black and silver, that were open. Between the two Prench windows was a large grandfather clock, deep black wood identical to his wardrobe's wood forming the case and dark bronze making up the metal works of the hands and most of the clockwork inside. It read eight thirty, somewhat later than a slightly disgruntled Twilight would have liked.

Shaking her thoughts away and sipping at the water left out, Twilight trotted towards the sound, her hooves sinking into the carpet, and peered out. The view was spectacular, stretching out as far as the eye could see until it disappeared behind the horizon. Surreal, grassy fields with scatterings of trees lay before her, the rising sun at the edge of her vision painting the sky in fiery golds and bronze. Twilight could taste the cool mountain air up here, clear wind whistling gently past her as cold, refreshing air filled her lungs, chilling her in a pleasant way.

The rustic tune stated up again, prompting Twilight to look to her left, finding a stallion sat on a wooden chair, a table next to him with cooling coffee resting on it and a harmonica to his maw. His eyes were closed as he played a smooth, calm tune. Relaxing, peaceful if given a quality of movement and progress with the instrument's 'Railroad Blues' heritage.

Twilight would never say she knew much about music, asides her natural ability to sing and what she had picked up in the books she'd read. But even she knew how much more there was to the art of song. In the history books she'd read, she'd come across notes explaining that during and after the Discord wars, few ponies, outside nobles and scholars, had known how to read. Twilight couldn't imagine such torture. Though because of this, many stories and legends of the modern day were the product of ancient songs, poetry of war at best and glorifying slaughter at worst. Despite this, no few stories were around today thanks to these songs of war. They'd conveyed history in their ballads and lyrics, but here there was something more.

Blood Moon's harmonica wasn't so much history being played for her, it was the stallion himself. She'd often felt that with the pony race's affinity for music, some select equines would be…drawn, almost, to certain instruments that suited them as much their cutie mark did. The harmonica in the assassin's grip was a prime example; a rustic, simple and laidback stallion playing music rustic, simple and laid back music that was as easy to listen to. It just came out in a naturally easy tone. Twilight felt it hard to imagine an 'aggressive' piece of harmonica music. That being said, Twilight had to admit that aspects of the harmonica didn't suit her coltfriend particularly well, its popularity for one thing. Not to mention, there were other clear downsides, most spanning from the harmonica's history; the railroads of Equestria hadn't come from nowhere, most of the miles upon miles of track built by slave labour right under Celestia's nose while she was busy conducting and fighting the wars against the griffons. The Friendship Express may travel them, but the 'Working Pony Ways' were not the results of friendship. One of the most famous pieces of history surrounding these tracks was the music that had arisen from the songs the ponies, griffons, Diamond Dogs and all manner of other creatures that had taken to singing in glum tones to pass the day without thought. The harmonica became of that, through means lost to history, but the struggles that had created it were not.

Twilight cocked her head slightly as she got to know her coltfriend a little better in that moment as her head suddenly picked up on the unspoken words hidden in the specific tune he was playing, over and over.

'Those fights worth fightin', are for those who can't fight at all.'

Twilight smiled slightly as her mind continued to find similarities between Blood Moon and his chosen instrument; almost without class, easy to hide, covered in history and often brushed aside by the arrogant. But it held a certain presence that went unmatched by other forms of percussion. That feeling of progress, that motion of the pistons on the locomotive, the whistle, the chug of the engine.

'Rustic, strangely charming and of a foul history. Don't tell me, Blood Moon invented the harmonica…'

Shaking her head, Twilight trotted closer to her lover, the dark stallion hearing her approach through the sound of his tune as one eye fluttered open to catch her approach. He smiled around the harmonica, moving it away from his lips.

"Morning" he greeted. Twilight leaned over and kissed his cheek, over the scar, and nuzzled him gently.

"Good morning" she replied as she settled down in his chair next to him. He seemed to enjoy the company. They remained silent for a while, just cosying next to each other as the sun wearily climbed the horizon. Twilight felt her coltfriend lean his head on hers.

"You know, that last time I felt this at peace, Celestia had just killed me" he mumbled. Perhaps he was supposed to have been a little quieter, but Twilight still caught his comment.

"That's a nice sentiment" she replied sarcastically in the same drowsy manner that the sun was rising, her magic taking the warm coffee and raising it to her lips as she took a sip. The caffeine burst through her system, but she still felt no inclination to leave her stallion's company. Blood Moon just grunted at her reply. "So" she began after a while, unsure whether to broach this subject "what was it like? Dying as an Alicorn?" She felt the assassin shift as he looked down on her.

"What kind of question is that" he asked in reply. Twilight just shrugged her tired shoulders; she guessed she should be used to late nights by now, but something had her energy drained for some reason. She didn't much mind; she got to snuggle with her lover, for one.

"You just seemed a little…out of sorts yesterday, after it all happened" she replied. Blood Moon shrugged back as a fore-leg went around Twilight's shoulders.

"Well, I had just awakened from a day long sleep of sorts. And I've only now found out that…well, you get the idea" he trailed off. Twilight looked up at him.

"Blood Moon, I can't say that I'm sorry about you coming back. I love you, Scootaloo loves you, Celestia loves you, Luna loves you…you've touched too many lives to just go away" she told him. Blood Moon sighed gently.

"Be that as it may Twilight, even my generosity has its limits. I'm tired of living for others, I want to die…but now, I know it's not going to happen. Throughout all my life, that idea, that I might be able to die as an Alicorn has been a distant comfort to me, but now I know it was all for nought…where do I go, what do I do? I'll be the last stallion on this planet, hay, I'm probably going to live on until the end of the universe…who knows, maybe beyond that." He looked down at Twilight, the mare finding the small bags hidden in the aged wrinkles beneath his eyes.

"You didn't sleep last night, did you" she murmured. He shook his head, Twilight nuzzling him gently.

"Indeed. I brought all my old stuff up from the basement in total silence, arranged it in total silence, watched you sleep for a while and then just sat out here, staring at the moon. Do you know what this has done to me Twi? This is a…a revelation that all I've ever hoped for is hopeless. I'm not going to die" he finished. The corners of Twilight's eyes went down as she snuggled into him further, wrapping her hooves around him as a cool breeze flowed past them.

"But…yesterday, I swear I felt something when you…died. Like something happened to me, to Equestria. I felt a…a hole" she tried to explain. Blood Moon just looked back at the horizon.

"I don't know much about that Twilight, only that maybe I did die, for a day or so, but the magic I've been cursed with brought me back." He looked down at his marefriend. "You see, it's not killing me that's the problem. It's keeping me dead." Twilight took a breath through her muzzle.

"You really know how to be a downer, don't you" she mumbled. The assassin just held her tighter.

"I'm sorry, Twi. It's just…this is gonna take me a while to adjust to…I'm sorry if I seem distant, in the future" he told her "I've just got…a lot on my mind" he explained. Twilight nodded, kissing his cheek again.

"I understand, because I love you" she told him. The dark stallion grinned.

"And you love me, because you understand" he replied. Twilight smiled back as their lips met softly. They lay together for a while longer before Blood Moon's ear twitched, his head turning back to the Prench windows.

"What's up" Twilight asked as he stood from their shared lounger.

"Thought I heard somepony knocking on the door, but…nopony but Celestia and Luna know I'm here" he replied, his horn sparking as the Messorem materialised in the air besides him, his glow surrounding it as he trotted. Twilight stood at the windows, watching with a mind ready to fire a bolt of magic at the door if need be, as her coltfriend opened the door to reveal a guard of low rank.

Blood Moon blinked once.

The guard blinked too.

The assassin aimed his blade at the guard.

The guard screamed.

"AH, p-please don't kill me, I've-I have a message, from Celestia" he squawked, hopping back and covering his head with his hooves. The dark stallion lowered his sword, keeping his hold on the weapon, and watched the guard cower. It was a sight he'd grown accustomed to.

"What's this message" he asked patiently. Peeking from between his hooves, the guard looked up at the towering, and laidback, form of Blood Moon.

"T-the princesses request the company of B-Blood Moon and Twilight Sparkle" the obvious novice replied. The assassin nodded.

"Thank you guard, dismissed" he told him as he turned away. The guard saluted and trotted back to his duties. "I hate that" Blood Moon mumbled as he returned to Twilight.

"Hate what" she asked, smiling slightly at the guard's behaviour.

"Ponies being so afraid when I'm just stood there, having to dismiss somepony just to get them to piss off and having them salute me like that" he grumbled in reply. "Do you know the Equestrian origins of the 'hoof-to-head' salute, Twilight?" Twilight frowned.

"No, military history isn't my forte" she answered as the assassin's blade slipped back into the ether and held his hoof out for Twilight to lead them out the door, the assassin closing it behind them.

"'My hoof over my head' or brawn over brain. Obedience" he answered shortly "which is why I prefer the hoof over the heart, or 'love and strength.' Loyalty" he told her. Twilight hummed as she trotted with him, their pace quick but easy.

"Blood Moon, I can't help but notice that the topics of our conversations have been somewhat…morbid, this morning" she observed. Blood Moon frowned.

"Agreed" he mumbled back. They were silent for a while. "Hey Twilight."

"Yes?"

"What did the farmer say when he lost his plough?" Twilight looked at him with suspicion in her gaze.

"I don't know" she replied uneasily.

"Where's my plough gone?" Blood Moon trotted on as Twilight stopped in her tracks, watching him go before she exclaimed:

"Well, I can't argue with that!" She cantered after her smirking lover and gave him a disapproving look.

"An English-mane, and Irish-mane and a Scottish-mane all trot into a bar. The barkeep says, 'what'll it be?'" Twilight's face was that of only mystified confusion.

"That…that's just a sentence!"

"Hey Twi, how do you get a clown off a swing?" Twilight just looked at him with a look of utter contempt.

"How" she asked at length.

"Hit him with an axe." Twilight just tripped over her own hooves and fell face-first to the marble floor, her head snapping up once she'd landed.

"That's just nasty" she told him. Blood Moon shrugged and offered her a hoof up, which she took as he pulled her back to her hooves.

"I'm sorry Twilight, would you like to hear another?" Twilight just glared.

"Tell me one more joke like that, and I'm gonna slap you so hard…" Blood Moon just grinned as he resumed trotting, Twilight following after him. "Blood Moon, don't ever become a comedian" she kindly advised.

"Says the mare who can't laugh at a clown" he retorted. Twilight gaped.

"It was a dea-it wasn't a real-you…" she caught his smirking face and eloquently finished with "ohhh, I'm soooo gonna get you back for that" she promised. The assassin's grin just went wider.

"I look forward to it" he told her as they trotted into the throne room.

It was apparent that the time Blood Moon had spent sleeping yesterday hadn't gone to waste in terms of repairs; the marble on the floor had been mostly replaced, a few errant spots of grey concrete here and there where it was missing, the walls had been repaired in most of the damaged spots, only the higher up damage still under repair, most of the marble pillars were in the process of being replaced, unattended scaffolding around the bulk of them, while the shards of glass that were the remains of the windows had been disposed of, fresh panes in the process of being fitted. Even the throne had been taken away and replaced by a new, identical, one.

Although beyond these part-way completed repairs, the room was deserted besides Twilight and Blood Moon. They trotted along in silence, Twilight looking around the room while Blood Moon kept his eyes on the entrance before them.

"You two really did a number on this place" Twilight mumbled as they trotted, their hoof steps echoing around the empty room. Next to her, the assassin gave a shrug.

"What did you expect; two ancient powers clashed the other day, the architects are lucky this place is still standing. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be if Celestia had broken out those beams of hers she loves so much" he replied. Twilight nodded absently as she continued to look around the room in semi-state of repair.

"Where do you think everypony is" she asked. Blood Moon shrugged.

"I don't know, maybe-" He was cut off by a stark white hoof slamming into his jaw, sending him sprawling across the floor.

"SHINING ARMOUR" came Cadence's voice "we agreed to talk to him" she told him as she cantered to his side. Twilight remained silent as Shining stared at her, not quite a glare but by no means a happy look on his face.

"Sorry, lost my temper" he replied, still staring at his sister. Twilight gulped, looking away and rubbing her fore-leg up and down as the situation continued to pile on top of her; Shining was staring at her with enough intensity to push a hole through her skull, Cadence was looking between her and her husband with slightly disapproving looks, Celestia and Luna were stood off to the side, both watching with bemusement, and her friends were trotting towards her in varying moods.

"H-h-hi, Shining" Twilight said eventually, unwilling to meet his hard gaze. He remained silent. Twilight looked at her friends, all of which gave a small greeting of their own that befitted their comfort zones in this awkward situation. She returned their smile, nod, 'hey', tipped hat and shy silence with a small smile of her own before she heard a shuffling behind her. She looked back to find Blood Moon standing up, holding his head, and looking remarkably annoyed. Twilight tried to go over to him, only for Shining's horn to spark and catch her tail, holding her back.

"Shining" Cadence scolded, but he wasn't listening. Instead, he set his sister down and trotted towards the assassin. Blood Moon, meanwhile, had shaken his head clear off the cobwebs, muttering something about a 'sucker punch' and looked up to find the Captain of the guard stood in front of him.

"I'd make a comment about 'wrong hooves' only-" He was cut off again by Shining's swinging hoof, Blood Moon ducking under this one. "Listen, would you-" another swung hoof he swerved to the side of "please just-" a jab he ducked to the side of "let me-" a left swing he hopped back from "ah, buck this!" When Shining swung again, Blood Moon ducked, stepped in, took Shining's head in his hooves and slammed his fore-head into Shining's muzzle, sending him staggering back. Blood pumped from his nose rapidly, but he was otherwise unfazed.

"Captain Armour, stand down" Celestia called from behind them before things got out of hoof. She went ignored, Shining Armour throwing a strike that went avoided by the assassin who heaved him away.

"You don't want to get into a fight with him Shining. You won't win." Everypony looked to the owner of the voice, finding Twilight stood where it had come from. Cadence looked at her sister-in-law in estranged confusion, the prospect of Twilight being so brash with her brother a foreign concept to her, while Celestia wore an impressed raised eyebrow, Luna remaining unfazed, while the purple mare's friends were looking between them. Shining Armour himself was looking at his sister in total shock, his lower jaw hanging slightly below his upper, while a deep frown creased his brow. Blood Moon hadn't taken his eyes off of Armour.

"Pardon me" he asked.

"You haven't landed a single strike in open combat, Captain. I suggest you listen to your sister" Luna inputted. His gaze went to her as well, his look disbelieving now, as he was attacked on all sides. His gaze went to Celestia, who remained somewhat bemused but sent him a look that told him to agree with them. With a final look at Cadence, whom gave him a sorry smile, he growled out a long breath as he calmed down. He turned back to Blood Moon, who tensed for a fight, and looked him dead in the eye.

"You, and me, are going to have words" he told him before he trotted off in a foul mood. Blood Moon relaxed again, looking to everypony else in the room before loosed his own calming breath.

"Well, now that that's out of the way…"

Everypony went their ways; Shining and Cadence retreated a few steps away from the group, at Cadence's request, so the princess of love could see to her husband's broken muzzle and scold him a little more; Celestia and Luna trotted towards Blood Moon and Twilight, but kept their distance for the minuet, allowing Twilight's friends to approach them first.

The Elements of Harmony quickly swarmed Blood Moon, Pinkie in particular lunging at him as she wrapped him in a gleeful hug, the assassin laughing with her as he rolled to his back to land properly. When the other mares had eventually managed to pry Pinkie away from the assassin, everypony else stood around him and Twilight.

"So, uhh, jus' what happened yesterday" Applejack asked first. Blood Moon shrugged.

"I died, put simply" he answered. AJ and no few of the other girls all frowned.

"Did you? That didn't look like what you said happened before, back at Fluttershy's place" Rainbowdash retorted.

"Indeed, that wasn't what I expected" he agreed.

"So what was ya'll expectin'" Applejack asked before he could continue.

"To stay dead" he replied "what you saw yesterday was me dying, as an Alicorn." Applejack cocked her head.

"Alicorn? Oh yeah, ah remember-"

"An Alicorn? Awesome" Rainbow exclaimed as she darted around the assassin, looping in the air, and frowning at him as she took to hovering above him "I don't see any wings" she informed. The assassin could see where this was going.

"Rainbow…"

"Could I-uhh, we see them" she asked as she darted to his face, her features only as close as a pretty mare or dentist was usually allowed to the assassin's face. That said, he wasn't calling her unattractive.

"Rainbowdash, don't make me get them out" he pleaded. Rainbow pouted, crossing her fore-legs.

"Aww, c'mon, pleeeease?" Puppy dog eyes, engage.

Blood Moon shook his head at the display of Rainbowdash trying to make herself look like one of the CMC. And doing a little too good a job of it.

"Rainbow, I hate my wings as much as I hate my immortality, I'm not about to-"

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?"
Blood Moon took a long sigh, his eyes going half-lidded in a defeated, dead kind of way, as though he'd woken to a hangover, and looked around himself. Twilight gave an apologetic shrug, Pinkie was watching with wide, pleading eyes, Applejack looked like she didn't give a damn, Rarity was muttering something about 'uncouth' while Fluttershy refused to meet Blood Moon's gaze. The assassin's mood took a dip as he eyes fell upon the animal caretaker, how he'd left her last coming back to his head with a wave of guilt. No matter how much he felt what'd done was a good idea, he couldn't drop the sensation of feeling bad for her. He looked back to Rainbowdash, still hovering in front of him, and mentally shrugged.

His horn glowed, a wave of darkness tearing from the shadows around the room and flowing over the dark stallion. When the darkness met his back, it seemed to grip the fur and muscle there, pulling it up in rippling black flames forming the shape of a pair of hawk-like wings, the assassin's back curving with the nerve-tickling sensation of his body growing a pair of extra limbs within a few seconds.

When his spell was complete, Blood Moon had broken a blood-oath he'd made to himself three times in the space of less than a week.

"Is it just me, or are you going Alicorn a little more often than you intended?"

'The latter. I doubt I'll be able to avoid it for a few weeks now that the girls know. Let's just hope the get bored of the novelty quickly.'

"Let's…"

In the realms of reality, the girls had loosed a chorus of 'whoooa's when Blood Moon's wings grew. The Elements of Harmony, minus Twilight, all stepped a little closer towards him to get a better look at him, Rainbow hovering over him to get a good look.

"Hey, not bad for a unicorn" she remarked, gazing at them from above. Around the room, Blood Moon's new trick seemed to have garnered some attention; Cadence was looking over with a raised eyebrow, her gazed locked onto the dark stallion with suspicious interest in her expression; Shining watched him carefully, wondering just how badly his sister had saved him just now; while Celestia and Luna just appeared either impressed or estranged that he'd revealed his wings so easily.

A few questions were thrown around, Blood Moon answering them all, and before long everypony but Rainbowdash had grown bored of his feathered appendages. The assassin drew his wings back into his body, thankful that the droves of assassins that lingered in the rafters normally weren't here to watch, and turned his attention to everypony else. He trotted to Luna and Celestia, Twilight remaining with her friends, and greeted them.

"Morning Luna" he said as he embraced the younger sister before he turned to Celestia "what be the shizzle, Celesizzle?" If looks could kill…

"The buck did you just say to me" Celestia muttered to him. Blood Moon just grinned.

"Good morrow, Tia" he said with a slight incline of his head. The princess of the day shook the thought away as Luna just held her breath to stifle her laughter.

"Glad to see you didn't leave" Celestia said without humour. The assassin raised an eyebrow.

"Really, that's all you've got? Ten thousand years and you still haven't gotten around to having that stick up your ass surgically removed." Luna stifled a snicker badly while Celestia just held back a pout.

"You're a real jerk, you know that" the princess of the sun informed. Blood Moon shrugged.

"So I've been told" he answered. "How are you both today?"

"Better, knowing that you decided to hang around, and that the repairs are making progress" Celestia answered.

"Sleepy" Luna yawned "after supper, I'm going to bed." The assassin frowned, that Luna should be resting by know only just dawning on him.

"What are you doing up anyway?" She gave a tired smile.

"What, and miss breakfast with daddy?" The assassin grunted, a smirk on his face, and at that moment he noticed a pony slip in and mutter something to the guard who had appeared next to the door.

"Breakfast is prepared" the guard announced in a booming voice. Luna gave a small 'goody' and went immediately for breakfast, Celestia shaking her head and following after her sister, the girls insisted Twilight eat properly today while Shining and Cadence cut off the assassin when he went to follow. When they were alone, the princess of love spoke.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Blood Moon. I've heard a lot" she greeted. Blood Moon nodded.

"The pleasure's all mine Cadence. I've heard promising things" he answered. Cadence frowned lightly at his words, but made no further comment.

"That's Princess Cadence to you" Shining Armour informed. Blood Moon turned his attention to the guard Captain.

"Ah, yes. Shining Armour, youngest captain of the royal guard in history, receiver of Celestia's Star, the Lunar Cross and the Royal Distinguish Service award, not to mention one of the youngest guards ever to receive the Royal Veteran's Medal. You've been a worthy foe" he told the captain. Shining Armour frowned.

"What do you mean, 'worthy foe'?" Blood Moon smirked.

"I'm the Chapter Leader of the Shadow Weavers here in Canterlot, I have been for a long time. You made things difficult for me. That's not an easy thing to do" he replied. Shining Armour just narrowed his eyes.

"You kissed my sister yesterday" he said in an all-to-calm voice. The assassin shrugged.

"I did."

"Why" Shining demanded, leaning his head in slightly.

"Because she didn't recognise me. At the time, it felt like a good idea" he said with another nonchalant shrug. Shining Armour glared, leaning his face into the assassin's.

"Let's make sure that never happens again" he growled. Blood Moon remained straight faced as he leaned in, putting his maw next to Shining's ear.

"When you were a guard, did you ever have a young punk, some kid, try to intimidate you? You stood there, clad in armour, sword at your waist, and he was standing around with his pals, trying to look big? Some fourteen years old, trying to make you scared" the assassin said in a low voice. The guard Captain said nothing. "That's how I'm feeling right now" he finished. He then gently put his hoof to Armour's chest and heaved him back with barely a grunt. Glaring the white stallion down, Blood Moon watched as he grunted and turned away, trotting to the dining room. The assassin turned his gaze to the princess of love.

"Anything to say, Cupid" he challenged. Cadence raised an eyebrow at the name, but made no comment.

"No. I saw the way you kissed Twilight yesterday, the way you two trotted so closely, how you look her right in the eye when you speak" she smirked a devilish smirk "the way she widens her hind legs ever-so-slightly when she looks at you." The assassin grunted, his own smirk on his face. "It's all there, clear as day to me. Some of the truest love I've ever seen" she said with a wistful smile on her face as she stared into the ether "I'm so proud of her, to find somepony she can call her own." Blood Moon noticed the tears of joy welling in her eyes before she forced them back with a small, choked cough. "Either way, I'll be sure to be getting to know you Blood Moon. For both myself, and my little sister." The dark stallion inclined his head.

"I look forward to it" he informed. Cadence smiled a pleasant smile before she went to turn away.

"Oh, and before I forget" she said, sounding as though the thought had just occurred to her. She then reached down and grabbed the assassin by his chest fur, hauling him with ease to eye level, her glare almost on par with Celestia's own. "I'm well aware that you already know this, but I'm just going to…reinforce it for you; should you hurt Twilight, should she ever come galloping to me, crying over how her coltfriend upset or betrayed her…" she let a fearsome snarl taint her otherwise beautiful face "I. Will. Destroy you." The assassin just smiled.

"Get that from your mother, do you?" Cadence blinked more than once in confusion, loosening her grip and letting him drop. He spared her a single glance, a wry smirk still on his face, and trotted in the direction everypony else had gone. The princess of love just watched in confusion; her mother? Cadence had never truly had a mother, the mare who'd raised her back at her home village, the resident florist, had told her at a young age that she hadn't been Cadence's birth mother. It was her who's grave she'd been stood over, crying, when Celestia had found her, offering a friend who was like her in the world that seemed forever different.

She shook the tear-jerking memories from her head, putting images of Twilight, Shining and her aunts into her head instead. She looked up to find the assassin waiting for her at the doorway to the throne room.

"Coming, Cadenza?" She glared gently at the name but followed after him all the same. They trotted in silence for a while. Cadence had her head angled to watch the assassin, while he made no move to observe her, although she still had the strange feeling of him watching her.
"If you've something to say to me, say it" he said suddenly. Cadence looked at him properly.

"What do you mean?" The assassin turned his head to her slowly.

"Forgive me, but I got the feeling the intense stare, cautious trotting, that you haven't taken your eyes off me, you have magic building in the base of your horn and that you haven't shown any positive emotion since we met all meant you couldn't wait to have a slumber party with me" he replied dryly. Cadence gave a small huff, Blood Moon stopping in the hallway, the princess of love stopping with him. "Let's hear it Cadence" he prompted. The pink Alicorn narrowed her eyes again, standing to full height as she regarded him.

"I don't know what to make of you, Blood Moon. Aunt Luna told me a lot of things about you, some good some bad. I know both Aunt Celestia and Luna are glad to have you back, but the way I see it, you're still just an assassin. I don't care if you raised my aunts, are dating my little sister or what you're willing and capable of doing. I'll have my eye on you" she told him before she started trotting again. Blood Moon smirked and followed after her.

In silence once again, the assassin watched Cadence in her reflection on the marble floor; she'd grown up to become a beautiful mare, of sound mind and great compassion. He was glad to see that she wasn't blinded by said compassion though, that she was capable of suspicion. With a few hundred years of experience, she'd be a great princess and a better leader.

"I…do hope for the best though" Cadence finished suddenly a few seconds later. Blood Moon cocked his head slightly, another smirk on his face.

"Optimistic, yet cautious. Loving of all, trusting of few. Protective of your family and friends, yet never willing to smother them. I think we'll get along fine, Cadence" he told her. Cadence let a smile of her own grow.

"I'm glad" she commented quietly as they stepped into the dining hall.

The Canterlot Palace dining hall was something that took all aspects of grandeur, the lavish lifestyle of the Alicorn princesses and all the riches and splendour of the castle and multiplied it all by a factor of ten. This was where foreign diplomats, rulers of distant nations, the patrons of great factions of war and trade were all entertained by the princesses, as such it was perhaps the most extravagant room in the whole palace. The high ceilings depicted famous scenes from Equestria's history, the Discord wars, the Sombre Wars and the Griffon Wars were a few amongst the many scenes up there, all given picturesque imagery to take away from the brutality that those wars had seen. At the corners of the room were small outcrops of pillars, golden streaks running up them and spreading into the ceiling. Perfect squares of marble made up the floor, polished to a mirror shine. More artwork was along the walls, Twilight and the Elements of Harmony, Celestia, Luna and Cadence, the sun and moon.
Further decorative colours were worked into the artwork, purples and golds, pinks and reds.
All of it created an image of splendour and grandeur, the golden doors at the middle of each wall only adding to the image, the guards posted around the hall all wearing decorated armour, polished to a flare.

In the centre of the room was the table, the table that the princesses of Equestria dined at and was that easy to imagine; gold and bronze made up the fifty meter table, chairs of the same metals around it at even distances, plush, red cushions resting on the seat and back of each chair. There were pleasant flowers along the length of the table top, golden vases holding flowers of all kinds, exotic and local, common and rare, but they all served to add to the beauty of the room as they stood proud and tall. There was only cutlery on the table at the moment, as well as the appropriate plates and bowls for the upcoming meal.

The assassin watched as the guards observed him from afar; it would be interesting, to see the reactions of the guards when Celestia told them that he was on their side all of a sudden. He could feel their glares now, and their worried glances, on his back as he trotted.

At the head of the empty table Celestia and Luna stood, Twilight and her friends next to them,
while Shining Armour was stood beside his sister. All glanced their way, with varying expressions, as Blood Moon and Cadence trotted towards the main group.

"What took you" Celestia asked as she took her seat at the head of the table. Luna sat to her right, Cadence to her left, while Blood Moon sat between Luna and Twilight, Shining next to his wife and the Elements of Harmony scattered along the rest of the table, Rainbow, AJ and Pinkie on Cadence's side while Rarity and Fluttershy sat on Luna's.

"A few family issues" the assassin replied cryptically. Celestia glanced at Cadence, who offered a small shrug, and simply smiled the subject away.

"Well, in any case, I think it's time Luna had a proper supper and the rest of us a proper breakfast, you in specific Twilight" she added with a motherly smile on her face. Twilight just gave a sheepish smile as she looked at her hooves.

Before anymore comments could be made, the doors at the sides of the dining room suddenly flung open, ponies of all races and colours cantering out with silver trays balanced perfectly upon their backs, the white chef hats perched atop their manes while the white of their jackets remained spotless after their time in the kitchens. While earth ponies carried the food, unicorns lifted it to their proper places on the table, the Pegasi of the small platoon of cooks all placing napkins, goblets, glasses and other assorted cutlery items upon the table before floating to the sides of their cohorts, all of them bowing, much to the assassin's distaste, and trotted away.

"I see you're still only hiring robots, Tia" the dark stallion commented. Celestia gave a small, bemused huff before she looked at everypony on the table.

"Well, we don't want this to go to waste. Dig in" she advised. Everypony quickly complied. Everypony all picked from the available spread, a wide array of food that couldn't honoured by any description in its diversity or sheer vastness, and hid themselves in their food.

Conversation was lax, to say the least. Nopony really had the heart to talk given the situation; Twilight refused to meet the gazes of anypony, still unsure as to how to handle the hard stare of her brother, the raised eyebrow of her mentor and the small glances of her old foalsitter. The Elements of Harmony all remained passive in the volley of silence been thrown between each pony, Fluttershy in particular hiding in her mane once again while Applejack simply hid her face beneath her hat, despite Rarity's protests at wearing it to the table. Not to mention, the humble ponies of Ponyville were all slightly intimidated by the royalty in the room. The princesses all had their eyes on either Blood Moon or Twilight, their glances between the two not going unnoticed by either unicorn, while Shining Armour followed suit, only his gaze was still a glare.

Blood Moon, however, just smirked at the awkwardness, wondering what the ice-pick should be to this ice. After five minutes of the sounds of eating and cutlery on plates and bowls, he spoke up.

"So, Tia" he began, gathering the attention of the solar princess as she took a dainty bite of the egg on her plate "has Molestia broken free recently?"

Despite all royal lessons on remaining calm, Celestia quickly spit out her food with a horrified lurch forward, her eyes going wide as Luna fell to her back, laughing uproariously, her hooves kicking in the air as she struggled for air between her bouts of laughter, holding her pained ribs as best she could. Twilight, meanwhile, had just breathed down a fork-full of lettuce leaves and had promptly begun choking on them, the assassin next to her patting her on the back, her friends all going down similar routes to her and her teacher. Cadence had simple frozen in shock, a fork suspended in a baby blue glow, her mouth half-open for a bite as her eyes went slowly wide, her magic flickering out and dying, her head dropping to the table as her mane pooled around her head. Shining Armour simply sat still in his chair, wishing the universe would swallow him up.

The assassin wore a grin on his face that almost split his head in two, his head leant on his fore-hoof as he watched his adoptive daughter's face continue to hold that purely horrified look as her world crumbled slowly around her.

Hesitantly, and still somewhat horrified, Celestia turned her head to the dark stallion.

"B-b-b-beg your pardon?" The assassin just leaned his chin against his hoof as he continued to smirk.

"Has Molestia broken free recently" he repeated. He had, of course, heard the stories of what had supposedly happened a year or so back; an undetailed incident at Canterlot Palace followed by another undetailed incident in Ponyville in the same night, involving the Elements of Harmony, the Night and Solar guard, some showmare and both princesses. Celestia swallowed gently, staring her bodyguard dead in the eye, silently begging him to stop his tormenting. He chuckled to himself and leant back in his chair, basking in Celestia's embracement and blush.

Celestia herself fell back into her chair with an almost dead grunt, staring blankly at the ceiling. Luna had pulled herself back into her seat, her head laying on the table as she continued to fail at stopping her laughter. Celestia covered her eyes with her hooves, wishing it all away. Meanwhile, Twilight had recovered from her choking.

"Y-you know about Celestia's…other half" she asked with trepidation. Blood Moon snorted.

"Damn right I do. Hay, when Mollie first broke free, a little after the Discord wars, I was the only one who could suppress her." The room was silent.

"Y…you what" Twilight asked, her words echoing throughout the room, almost endlessly. The assassin looked around the table, finding almost everypony wearing a somewhat horrified face at his choice in topic, asides Luna, who was still laughing into her hoof.

"Yeah. She'd gone without…relief, for a few too many months and she snapped. Sixteen guards with pelvises that were almost crushed, twenty who were in comas for three days from extreme exhaustion and one fatality" he recounted.

"Death by Snu-Snu" Luna giggled into her hoof, Celestia glaring at her. Rainbow's voice spluttered to life.

"You mean you and the princess had to, y'know, d-d-do the do?" Blood Moon's face would have looked defensive, if it weren't for that smart-flank grin on his face.

"Yeah! My little girl needed help, and I stepped up" he retorted, glad that the CMC weren't here to hear this. Once again, everypony looked horrified, Celestia's face haven fallen into her half-eaten meal, Cadence remaining frozen in sheer horror, Shining Armour hiding his face in his hooves, Twilight resting her head on her fore-legs, leaning on the table, Rainbow was hiding behind her wings, Fluttershy was hiding under the table, Applejack behind her hat, Rarity was doing a bad job of looking impassive while Pinkie appeared confused. "But of course, something did come of that night" he said, his gaze locking with a slightly confused Cadence's for a brief second.

"My, oh my, what's all the ruckus?"

Everypony suddenly felt a chill in the air. The Elements of Harmony looked around for the source of the voice, Shining Armour and Cadence rolled their eyes in annoyance while princesses Luna and Celestia suddenly forgot about the assassin's prior comment. Both snapped upright, their eyes going to Blood Moon, and both swallowed lightly when they saw him.

The cold chill was coming from him, his eyes narrowed to a slit, his grey horn glowing its dark glow as the ether opened to allow the Messorem to fall into the assassin's awaiting hoof. He stood slowly from his seat, the metal of the chair groaning violently against the marble of the floor, and turned to the voice. It was devilishly smooth, mischief and a sense of laidback boredom coating it.

The assassin hadn't heard that voice in years.

Twilight could tell there was wrong with her coltfriend; Blood Moon's movement was slow and methodical, there was an undeniable shift in his attitude and a gust of wind she couldn't feel seemed to be shifting his mane and tail. She began to feel a dull notion in her head, her forehead, at the base of her horn, and it almost felt like the dark stallion beside her was the cause.

Blood Moon snarled slightly when his eyes fell upon the owner of the voice. With movements nopony could make out, the assassin was suddenly upon the voice's owner.

"Oh dear" said Discord as the assassin flew at him.

The Hunter collided with the draconequus like he'd been fired from a cannon, his blade aimed at the aspect of disharmony's throat as he barreled him over, the two rolling over each other in a clearly one-sided scuffle, Discord landing on his back while the assassin pinned him down. Blood Moon focused on the former ruler of Equestria below him, Discord's eyes rolling around in his head madly until he slapped the side of his head and shook it to clear the cobwebs. "Well, not the best introduction I've ever had but still better than that weird stallion with fur like a blizzard" he muttered to himself before he looked up at Blood Moon "Discord Dissonance Disharmony, formerly Doctor Discord of PHD, GCSE, ACDC and BBC until they realised not everything on my resume was quite as accurate as I'd promised. A pleasure" he greeted, holding a claw up to shake "and to whom do I owe the pleasure of sweeping me off my hooves" he asked as law below the-

"Wait, when did we switch places?"

Blood Moon growled, lifted his hind-hooves and launched the draconequus off of him, springing to all fours again from his fore-hooves.

"Ahh, quite the acrobat" Discord commented, holding up a '10/10' sign as he hovered in the air. The assassin sliced it in half with his thrown sword, Discord looking down at it with an unimpressed look on his face. "Wow, rude" he tutted "Tia, just where do you find these ponies?" Meanwhile, Celestia was sat in her chair, holding her head in one hoof as she muttered quietly to herself; Luna was watching the proceeding with a bitten lip while everypony else just looked either confused, worried or a mixture of the two.

"Oh, colt" Celestia said quietly to herself, dragging herself up slowly "Discord, I'm sure you remember my old foalsitter, Blood Moon?" Discord's eyebrows leapt from his face-quite literally- and he turned his face to the assassin, who was glaring somewhat confusedly at Celestia.

"Okay, one: why is he here, two: why is he here and three: why is he here? Now, you may have noticed I just made the same point three times, but I felt it such an important point it required the attention" Blood Moon barked, no humour in his tone "Celly, care to explain?" Before the princess of the day got a chance to answer, Discord swooped down from his spot in the air, wings flapping on his back, and regarded the stallion in a new light.

"Ahh, Blood Moon" he said in that voice of his, as smooth as silk and about as healthy as wallpaper paste "I do believe we've met, no?" He floated around the assassin on his flapping wings, coiling slightly around Blood Moon, who stood still and straight, his eyes narrowed aggressively, his sword leant on his shoulder as his scowl got slowly more and more aggressive.

"Aye" the assassin replied, everypony hearing the tension and hatred in his tone "once or twice. The Discord wars, perhaps you recall?" Discord stopped circling the assassin and took to reclining in front of him, an eagle claw to his bearded chin, his yellow and red eyes looking
off in a random direction as he thought.

"No, can't say that I d-" he was cut off when Blood Moon grabbed his tail and yanked him to the ground.

"Let me trot your memory: millions dead, centuries of misery and no small amount of annoyance on my part. I'm the one who looked after Celestia and Luna while their parents waged war against you, I'm the one who first trotted into your palace and made the first attempt in your life, I'm the one who was trained for the first thousand years of his life to kill you. I promised myself one that I wouldn't kill you for them, but that doesn't stop me from killing you for me" he hissed. Discord frowned.

"Wait a minute" he said at length, his gaze turning to Blood Moon, his eyes filling with recognition as his lower jaw slowly dropped "I remember now" he said with horror in his voice "you were the foalsitter" he burst out, laughing soon after, holding his snake-like stomach in his hands. He soon stopped when the assassin slammed his head into the marble. "Alright, this is getting a little annoying now" he said as he snapped his paw. Nothing happened. Discord looked around in confusion. "That's…problematic" he murmured. Blood Moon smirked.

"Only being of equal or greater power can counter your magic Discord. Unless…" he trailed off with a small grin on his face. Discord blinked a few times.

"Oh my" he said in a tone of realisation.

"Blood Moon, unhoof him" came a voice that cut through the commotion. Both pony and draconequus looked up to find Celestia stood over them, Fluttershy loitering nervously behind her.

"Celestia" Blood Moon said as he stood.

"That's Princess Cele-" Blood Moon slammed a hoof on Discord's face.

"You know, as well as I, what atrocities he's committed, ordered and overseen. I don't know how he broke free from his prison again, but what I do know is that-"

"Blood Moon" Celestia sighed, holding her head in her hoof tiredly "he's on our side" she said at a tired, aspirated length. Blood Moon blinked once.

"Come again?"

"He stands with me and the Elements" she explained.

"Fluttershy is my favourite" Discord commented from below. Blood Moon stamped on his face again absently.

"Celestia…you know, how I respect you, and your decisions, and I believe that everypony is entitled to their freewill and personal freedom, and that I respect that you have much greater knowledge in ruling than me, but WHAT THE BUCK DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME!"

"Goodness gracious, language" Discord tutted as he dug a talon in his an ear. Blood Moon slammed his face into the floor again.

"Unless you want me to feed you into a garbage truck, I suggest you be quiet" the assassin hissed as he got from atop of Discord. The dark stallion held his face in a hoof, covering one eye while the other remained clenched shut in disbelief. "Celestia, Luna" he said pointedly, his uncovered eye whipping over to her "a word" he demanded. Both princesses swallowed slightly as they followed him to an empty side of the room while Fluttershy helped Discord up, guiding him to the table and sitting him next to her.

Once alone, Blood Moon stayed silent for a while more, his face still held in one hoof as he tried to comprehend everything. He took a long breath through his muzzle.

"Alright" he said at length "so, the entity known as Discord, the being the three of us fought for thousands of years to free Equestria from his tyranny, wrath and overall jackassery is now stood in Canterlot palace with his head still attached to his body" he looked up at Celestia "care to explain?" Celestia looked away, almost sheepishly.

"He's reformed-"

"The only thing more bullshit than that is the grass the bull just ate" Blood Moon commented
with a straight face.

"I'm telling you Blood Moon, he's definitely different. He's been out of his stone prison for six months now and there hasn't been one incident" she told him. Blood Moon shook his head.

"That proves nothing" he retorted simply. Celestia glared at him.

"What do you know! You didn't even know he was out until now" Celestia pointed out. Blood Moon snorted.

"Yeah, because when I heard the rumours 'Discord's out and standing with Celestia' my first thought was 'seems legit', obviously!" Celestia snarled.

"What right do you have to question my decisions as a ruler" Celestia demanded. Blood Moon's glare turned more savage.

"My right as a general, assassin, somepony a thousand and a half years older than you and somepony to have faced him on equal hoofing. You may have Twilight and the girls on your side, but you have no idea what he's truly capable of. Chaos, misery and unrule, yes, but on a more physical level…" he let his glare bore into Celestia "you don't have a clue what he can do" he growled. Celestia just huffed, turning her gaze to Discord, who just waved pleasantly, a halo floating above his head.

"He's harmless" she said decisively.

"Tell that to Commander Hurricane" was all Blood Moon said. They all went a bit quiet. "And Luna" Blood Moon said, turning his head to her, the princess of the night straightening up slightly "just what were you thinking when you let her go through with such a mane-brained idea?" Luna turned her gaze away.

"It…seemed like a good idea at the time" she tried. Blood Moon just sighed.

"Listen" Celestia said, her voice diplomatic "give him a chance. He's behaved himself so far, and Fluttershy seems able to keep a leash on him" she told him. Blood Moon raised an eyebrow.

"Fluttershy" he asked, looking over to the yellow Pegasus. Indeed, she was laughing to herself quietly as she spoon-fed a baby Discord cereal. He sighed again, knowing the image would haunt his dreams for a few days now. "Alright" he said after a second "one chance. But the moment he slips up, I'm gonna rip out his spine and use it as a jump rope" he promised.

"Wouldn't have it any other way" Celestia agreed with a smile. They all trotted back to the table and took their seats again, Blood Moon's eye never leaving Discord.

The draconequus hadn't changed at all during his imprisonment; same mishmash of creatures all coming together to form this…abomination. He had what the assassin had heard described as the head of a pony, though Blood Moon still felt it looked more like a goat's head, right down to the bushy eyebrows on his head and the Billy goat beard on his chinny-chin-chin, as Discord would likely describe it. A single fang jutted from his mouth at a crooked angle, a pair of donkey ears flopping around atop his head, an antler and blue goat's horn between them. A black, horse's mane ran down his light grey neck, ending when his neck met the dark brown fur of his body, a batwing and blue Pegasus wing on his back. His left arm was that of an eagle's claw, his right a lion's paw while his legs were a goat's hoof for the left and a lizard's foot for the right. Stemming from his body was a snake tail, a white tuft at the end of the light maroon scales. The assassin's eye drifted up until they found Discord's eyes.

He was watching Blood Moon, who watched back, as they stared at each other's eyes. Blood red met a hectic red and yellow, the pupils of different sizes that spoke the draconequus's madness. Or at least, what passed for madness in the mind of a god. Blood Moon just glared.
Celestia may have forgotten, or forgiven, what he'd done so long ago, but he hadn't. Just under four thousand years of war that ended the lives of at least the current population of Equus, wasn't the kind of thing the assassin could just forgive. Nor the peril he'd put Luna and Celestia through. Nor the hardship. It wasn't difficult to remember it all, just by looking into Discord's eyes spoke a lot about it; mischief and chaos were both almost overwhelming, but hidden deep below was a heart of arrogance, cockiness and far too much pride and ego, all almost to narcissistic levels.

"Blood Moon, are you okay" Twilight asked quietly, pulling him from his thoughts. The dark stallion looked to his marefriend and smiled slightly, Twilight returning the gesture as her hoof found his and squeezed it gently, and tried to pull his mind away from its darker corners.

"Do I detect a hint of…intimacy" came Discord's voice. Blood Moon growled slightly as he took a sip of the water that had been left out, his eyes turning to Discord as he did, but otherwise ignored him.

"Yes, Discord, we've been dating for a while now" Twilight told him, apparently more confident around the subject with Discord than her brother or mentor. Blood Moon couldn't help but grunt at the irony.

"Ohhh, I'm so proud Twilight" he exclaimed, clasping his face in claw and paw at the apparent adorableness of it. Blood Moon rolled his eyes, glancing at a blushing Twilight, who was smiling slightly and sinking deeper into her seat. The assassin couldn't help but chuckle.

"Would it have killed the rest of you to be this supportive" the assassin asked the royalty and guard at the table. Two glared, one huffed and the other frowned.

"I never said I wasn't in support" Luna argued. Blood Moon turned to her.

"Are you?" Luna laughed shortly.

"No. Frankly, it's kinda creepy" she told him. The assassin raised an eyebrow.

"So was you and Tia-"

"So Cadence, how's the Crystal Empire doing" Celestia asked as she crammed a carrot into Blood Moon's gob. Cadence giggled to herself knowingly.

"It's fine auntie" she replied, frowning to herself before long "speaking of which, I need to get back there soon" she murmured to herself.

"It'll be a shame to see you go" Celestia told her honestly.

"And just when all the family got here too" Blood Moon commented absently as he pulled the carrot from his maw and burned it with black fire. Cadence put a hoof to her chin.

"Well…I suppose I can stay a few more days…"

Conversation continued to be small and inconsequential, breakfast hours passing by much quicker with the flow of conversation to carry it. Before long, everypony had eaten their fill and went about their separate ways, Cadence and Twilight wandering off somewhere to catch up, and likely some other 'girl-talk', while the rest of the girls simply meandered around the palace to their heart's content. Shining Armour had apparently elected to retreat to the barracks or his office, whichever was inconsequential to the assassin, while Discord seemed to vanish from the face of Equestria. Blood Moon didn't much care where he went, just as long as he left him alone.

Once left by themselves, Blood Moon escorted a sleepy Luna to her awaiting bed, bidding her a good night (day) with a loving hug and kiss to her forehead. With a tired smile, she told him how great it was to have him back and reminded him how much they'd missed each other.
The assassin had returned the sentiment thoroughly. When he returned, he found Celestia perched quietly on her throne as she looked through a few scrolls and papers that had been delivered to her by whom Blood Moon could only guess to be the stallion stood next to her.

The assassin approached, both ponies looking up as he drew closer, one smiling while the other remained impassive.

"Ah, Blood Moon. I'd like to introduce to you my steward, Scroll. Or, Elder Scroll to his friends."

"Work colleagues call me Elder Scroll your majesty, not my friends" he corrected respectfully in an old but authorities voice, rough and hoarse but still powerful. It spoke of a stallion who knew what he was doing, who liked having a handle on things in life and was more than capable of taking said handle into hoof. Blood Moon decided he liked this stallion.

"A pleasure" the assassin greeted, Elder Scroll inclining his head in return. They took to a brief show of eye contact, the assassin reading a great degree of loyalty and weariness in the stallion before him, before Scroll turned back to his princess.

"If that is all you require of me your highness, I shall return to my other duties" he said, Celestia nodding her head once in agreement as he gave a shallow bow, trotting away without another word. Blood Moon watched as he went, picking up no elderly limp or the fragility of his age.

Once Scroll had left them alone, Blood Moon turned back to Celestia.

"So…princess" he said with a small jut of his eyebrows "what's the plan, oh malevolent leader" he droned dryly. Celestia just smirked.

"Firstly, I've a few announcements to make to Canterlot, and Equestria as a whole. Not to mention the other countries" she said, rubbing her chin in thought as her eyes continued to scan over the document she was reading. Blood Moon shrugged.

"So what's the plan? Call a press conference and say 'hey, y'know that guy we all hate? Well guess what, he's on our side now, yaaay...'" Celestia shook her head, chuckling slightly.

"I'm half tempted, just to see the looks on their faces, but…no, I have to fend off any 'helpful' countries attempting to pitch in first, call a meeting to explain what happened to the other allied rulers and then I'll have to fend off the press with a big stick once I've told them what's happened, happening and about to happen" she listed off, getting more and more depressed as she went. Blood Moon chuckled.

"You see, this is why I'm useful to have around: I'll convince anypony too helpful we're fine,
make sure everypony who allies with you that they understand and scare off the press, no problem" he reassured with a shrug. Celestia shot him a small smile.

"I'm not the one who made you leave" she told him. Blood Moon gave a dry chuckle, his head going back gently as his eyes closed.

"Ahh, back to this are we?"

"No. I'd…I'd rather we just put it behind us for the time being, and deal with anything that comes of it as it occurs." The assassin nodded his head.

"Fair enough" he agreed. Celestia nodded back and stood from her throne, trotting down to Blood Moon and bidding him trot with her.

"But, before any of that, do you have any business that needs to be seen to" she asked. The assassin thought about it; he did have to get word to the Weavers that he was alright, say his goodbyes if he were to live in Canterlot again, get the word out that the Shadow Weavers were about to change alliances drastically and then he'd have to figure out something with Twilight. He hummed to himself in thought.

"Aye, a few things" he nodded. Celestia nodded once.

"Then, might I suggest you see to them before things get too…hairy, around Canterlot, and no doubt Equestria as a whole." Blood Moon tensed one side of his maw.

"I see your reasoning, but I can wait. It's been a long time, and I'm not going to leave you again until I have to Celestia" he replied as he turned to her. Celestia just smiled good naturedly.

"Blood Moon, I appreciate the sentiment, truly I do, but once this is all over, we'll have all the time we want to continue to duck-tape over our past grievances, play all the pranks we desire and just get back to being the loving father and daughter we know we still are." She offered him a small smile. "Trust me dad, I want this as much as you do, but I have a county to rule, you have a band of assassins to coordinate and alongside everything else, we don't have the time to faff." The corners of Blood Moon's eyes went down.

"Not even productively?"

"Not even productively" she replied, the assassin whining like an upset dog. Celestia just laughed into her hoof, patting his mane gently. "There, there" she murmured. Blood Moon just sighed dejectedly before he blinked.

"Wait a sec, I'm the elder in this duo" he barked. Celestia just shook her head at him.

"Of course, Blood Moon." The assassin simply sighed.

"Of course, Tia" he echoed in a bored voice before gave her a kind smile "I'll be back in an hour then" he promised. The solar princess nodded.

"I hope you keep your word." Blood Moon grinned.

"Worry not. I'm not so foolish anymore" he assured before he teleported in a flash of light.

Blood Moon's office was home to four ponies.

The first was Candle, who sat against a wall looking somewhat dejected. His young eyes were sad and his normally youthful spirit was gone. He sat on his flank on the floor, his fore-hooves crossed as he kept his head bowed against his chest, contemplating everything that had happened over the past few days. He did so at Leaf's guidance, his mentor advising him that looking over the past few days and contracts in his mind would allow him to both learn from them and get used to the memories, as they weren't going anywhere fast.

To the side of the room was Falling Leaf, sat silently in an armchair as he quietly ran a whetstone down his katana. He was as still and as stoic as he always was, only the shallow frown on his face betrayed his thoughts and mood. He was troubled, uneasy. He'd quickly retreated inwards to think and ponder the last few days, as he had advised his student, and had come to no conclusions as to this terrible defeat's meaning.

Rubbing his fore-head vacantly was Redwave, an unfinished game of solitaire sat before him on the floor as his mind wandered elsewhere. None of this was right in comparison to what he'd heard about Blood Moon, but he'd seen it with his own two eyes. He didn't like it, nor did he appreciate the way it weighed so heavily on his thoughts.

Finally, sat at the desk, was Ember. She'd wept a lot over the past few days, perhaps more than anypony of the Weavers. She'd never expected to see this day, that out of everypony Blood Moon had known over his life she'd be one of the few to see him die rather than the reverse. She hadn't had as much time for mourning as she'd have liked, however, as she'd been bogged down with a whole lot of paperwork as soon as she'd stepped through the door to the hideout.

It was to be expected after all, as even in an organisation such as the Shadow Weavers, political strife was still something that existed. Many less trustworthy assassins aimed for Blood Moon's position of Chapter Leader in the most wealthy and influential city of Equestria and far beyond. However, as Chapter Leader, he'd already chosen Ember Spark as his successor, as such, he'd painted a great big bull's-eye on her back until she was officially recognised as Chapter Leader. He'd also hung a sign around her neck that read: INSERT BULLSHIT CORRESPONDENCE HERE.

Form after form had been hoofed to the restless mare for her to see to, organise, file away or fill out, all apparently having something to do with the new leadership of the chapter. She was hardly in the mood for it all.

All four ponies remained silent, only Leaf's whetstone breaking the silence as it grinded down the length of his sword in rhythm.

"Ember?" She looked up to find Candle looking over at her, his sad face watching her with concern.

"What" she replied dryly.

"Are you alright" he asked quietly.

"We don't ask stupid questions, Candle" Leaf said before Ember could reply, not raising his gaze from his blade. Ember huffed quietly.

"I'm fine Candle, it's just…it's gonna take me a while to adjust" she answered. They were quiet for a while once more.

"Gee, and I thought Celestia was melodramatic." Everypony looked up from their various activities and frowned, all four assassins looking around the room. Something dropped from the ceiling, prompting Leaf to roll from his chair and bring his sword up, Red to dart to the side and grab his cutlass while Ember and Candle settled into stance.

Blood Moon looked around the room with a nonchalant expression on his face.

"Morning" he greeted in a flat tone. Most everypony frowned, a chorus of 'boss' and 'Blood Moon' going through the room, but otherwise the assassins didn't make a move. The dark stallion turned to Ember, who had trotted from around her side of the desk and approached him. Her hoof raised to his face, landing on his chin as she stroked his jowl, as though making sure he was real. Ember loosed a breath, her gaze going to the floor.

"I don't even know why I'm surprised" she muttered, shaking her head. Blood Moon grunted.

"What, not even gonna slap me?" Ember huffed, her gaze going back up to the stallion.

"Don't tempt me Moon" she grumbled, rubbing her face with a hoof. Blood Moon soon retired to his chair behind the desk, crossing his fore-legs on the tabletop as Ember and Leaf sat on the chairs before him, Candle and Red stood behind him.

"I can only guess that you're awaiting an explanation?" Ember Spark snorted.

"You're damn straight Moon. Two days, two days of no contact and a confirmed Shadow Weaver fatality, and then all of a sudden you show up again, right out of the blue, like nothing happened. What the hay?" Blood Moon grunted and shrugged.

"We're forgetting something" Leaf said before the dark stallion could answer "that Alicorn, that Celestia was crying over. A friend? Or somepony more personal?" Blood Moon smirked.

"As astute as ever Leaf. Well, long story short, I've a few confessions to make…"

The three assassins listened to Blood Moon's tail, Ember watching their reactions to something she'd barely shut up about for three weeks when he'd told her. It was boring, to say the least, Leaf as stoic as ever and Candle unwilling to embarrass himself in front of his mentor while Redwave looked to hardly give a damn. It was disappointing to say the least.
When Blood Moon had finished his story, he looked between the three assassins as they sat in silence, regarding him.

"Well" he asked.

"I want to call bullshit, but I get the feeling you wouldn't lie about…all that" Redwave replied.

"It does seem kind of unlikely, but…well, if I've seen anything of you sir, it's that you are kind of unlikely." Blood Moon could only smirk at Candle's statement.

"It does answer a lot of questions, and fill in a lot of gaps" Leaf muttered to himself, gazing at the floor in thought. After a second of silence, he looked back to Blood Moon. "I get the feeling that's not all you came back to say though" he remarked. The Hunter could only grunt.

"Indeed, that is true. As I said, I used to be Celestia's bodyguard and, as I'm sure you've all figured out by now, I'm going to return to that position" he told them. Ember narrowed her eyes.

"Why are you telling us this" she asked carefully.

"Because, it's likely I'm going to be acting more along the lines of an assassin, a spymaster maybe, than purely a bodyguard. As such, I require I team or, better yet, my order to stand with me to do it properly."

"Nopony is going to agree to this" Leaf told him absolutely. Blood Moon shrugged.

"Not everypony is going to agree to this. And I don't need everypony. I'm well aware that I'm about to create at least fifty Outcasts in this chapter alone, and probably alienate the rest of the order, even with the Weaver's blessings, but to be perfectly fair I don't much care anymore. I need ten, maybe fifteen good ponies to form a good team of spies and assassins.
They will stand with me, not Celestia but that is who they will act on behalf of…and to that end, I extend to you all an offer into this little circle." They all opened their mouths to answer, but Ember cut them off before they could speak.

"Why are you only picking ponies from the Shadow Weavers? I thought you had hundreds of contacts all over Equestria, and beyond" she asked. Blood Moon shook his head.

"No, I cut all contact with them a few days before I got to Ponyville before all this started. I only stayed in contact with the Weavers because I thought it would be good to settle down as Chapter Leader here. That, and I wasn't about to wave goodbye to my protégé" he added, prompting a grin from a slightly bashful Ember. The grey mare nodded her understating amidst her small blush, everypony going to answer again. "Before you all answer though, and I hope this goes without saying… Ember Spark, you are hereby promoted to Master of the Shadow Weaver order. Redwave, you are hereby promoted to Reaper. Candle, your choice of path takes you to a rank 10 assassin, be it Warrior, Murderer or Shadow Tail. Leaf…we'll talk in a sec" he said. Both Candle and Redwave blinked.

"A Reaper? Isn't that…kind of a jump from Cutthroat" Redwave asked. Blood Moon just shrugged.

"You've earned it, and I'm sure your mother will agree when she hears of your exploits" he retorted. Redwave blushed a little at the mention of needing his mother's permission.

"Sir, a rank 10 assassin? I thought I needed much more experience to achieve that rank, hay, I only just came out of training. Last week I was still a Novice" Candle Light argued.

"Don't think I haven't thought this through. You infiltrated the Goldhooves' compound, keeping up with three much more experienced assassins I might add, and survived the attack on Canterlot palace. I'm not splitting you and Leaf up just yet mind you, but you still hold all the honours, perks and other miscellaneous bonuses it brings." Candle looked down in thought for a second before he nodded.

"A-alright, thank you sir." Blood Moon nodded.
"Anyway, back to my question; will any of you accept my invitation to work with me as I work with Celestia?" Ember Spark hesitated slightly before she spoke first.

"I'll...need to think about it..." Blood Moon shrugged a shoulder.

"Of course."

"I’m in" Candle said "I grew up in the Canterlot chapter, and I grew up watching and hearing about you sir" he told Blood Moon "it would be an honour to work with a legend of the Shadow Weavers." The dark stallion smiled.

"Thank you Candle."

"I'm game, just as long as I get to go back to sea every now and then. I don't wanna lose my sea legs" Redwave said. Blood Moon nodded.

"Fine with me, I'm gonna start making arrangements to put you out on the waves. I'm putting you in control of my personal open water operations, alongside any questionable ones Celestia may have. Though I should mention, you're gonna have to tone down any piracy. If you get caught and linked back to Celestia, it's game over." Redwave nodded.

"Understood." Ember turned her head to Falling Leaf.

"Leaf, what about you?" He remained silent, his head bowed in thought. He ran a hoof over his stubble before he answered. There was an underlying message in his tone, a definite reluctance to his agreement.

"Alright" he answered at last. Blood Moon smiled, looking between them all.

"Thank you, all of you, this means a lot to me. I'd suggest you all retreat to a safehouse you own the hay out of dodge, shit's about to hit the fan both within the Shadow Weavers and Equestria as a whole. Lay low for a few days, take a vacation. I'll contact you when you're needed." They all nodded, standing and moving towards the door.

"Alright boss, we'll see you around" Redwave said to the assassin, Blood Moon nodding as they went. Leaf lingered, nopony questioning it as he remained seated in his chair. Blood Moon's eyes met his, the Hunter's horn sparking to life as a half empty bottle of whiskey and a pair of glasses floated towards them, Blood Moon pouring them both a shot.

They sat in silence for a while, both assassins staring each other down as Blood Moon cocked his head slightly, Leaf keeping his head bowed slightly as he regarded the Hunter.

"I trust a pony of your abilities knows what I'm about to say" Blood Moon began. Leaf nodded. Blood Moon sighed to himself as he stood, trotting around the desk until he passed Leaf and stared into the fireplace. "Three years ago, you were sent on a contract. High risk, high pay. You were on of my best, hay, you were the best I had to offer at the time." Leaf simply growled out a sigh.

"Quillrunner" he said under his breath. Blood Moon nodded.

"Aye, Quillrunner. The contract that changed your career for the worst. You failed in a contract" he said as he turned to Leaf. "Before that incident, no assassin of the Shadow Weaver order has ever had to declare a contract a failure." Leaf stood from his chair and faced the dark stallion, both glaring at each other. "You wounded our pride that day" Blood Moon stated. Leaf nodded.

"I know" he said tensely, his own pride being sorely bruised by bringing up these memories. The first in over ten thousand years of activity, that he'd been a Master at the time not helping his situation, had been an almost literal gut-stab for his career as an assassin. It had ruined his reputation, his social standing within the order and put the Loom on his tail for four long months as they decided what to do to him. It was during that period he'd broken up with Scarlet Blade, almost three years ago. Those stitches had never fully healed over.

"But, I never lost faith in you. I know that all assassins make mistakes, that even the manticore can be out-galloped by a rat. You've worked your way back up the ranks Leaf, but nopony on the Loom wants you to return to the rank of Master. I say buck 'em, you're a part of my chapter and you've proven yourself still one of the best. Therefore-" Leaf's eyes narrowed.

"There's no point in advancing me" he interrupted. Blood Moon raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? And why not?" Leaf's glare never quite met Blood Moon's gaze, but instead burrowed into the stallion's chest.

"Ember. She's taken my mantle. The best the Shadow Weavers of Canterlot have ever witnessed, and likely will ever witness, rise through the ranks. That was my podium, one I worked for, and because of one mare who was too much of a cheating, manipulative bitch I get thrown off and replaced by-"

"Say one word against my protégé, and I will make you regret it" Blood Moon said. His tone was ice cold, the air around him chilly. The stoic Leaf swallowed gently.

"Apologies…I…I got caught up in myself" he replied. "All the same, you can understand my…" he fished for a word "mannerisms." Blood Moon couldn't argue. Pride. She was a troublesome mistress.

"Indeed" Blood Moon agreed "but know how to see the pride in that what you have done, and not the lack of pride you take in what you haven't. You are still the resident veteran here Leaf, something Ember will never have until you're gone, and I know you Leaf. All's you care about is the opinion of one pony" he raised Falling Leaf's sword, the Enforcer only now noticing it was gone "his" Blood Moon finished as Leaf gazed at his reflection in the blade. "As a Master, whether or not you join my little posse, you're going to hit the trail again. Maybe with Scarlet, maybe not, I don't care, but I know you're not going to hang around here. What does it matter to you?" Leaf grunted.

"Word travels" he answered simply. Blood Moon smirked.

"That defeats the point of this argument. You're after self-satisfaction. You're pride, not ego. What others think has no place in your mind, but you want something you can't have. Ember has worked just as hard as you have for what she's got, I suggest you just live with it." Leaf wanted to argue, but he had nothing to fight back with. Blood Moon was right; he'd just have to tense up his pride and let it take the blow. Blood Moon put a hoof on his shoulder.

"Listen, don't get me wrong, I know just how you're feeling right now. Your pride is only barely matched by my own, and to take a hit like this isn't something you can shrug off. But come on, you've a protégé of your own who's risen through the ranks at an exceptional rate, you've bounced back from demotion with a harder hit than anypony I've ever seen and as far as I care, this chapter is lucky to have an assassin like you." Leaf crossed his fore-legs and growled slightly, his eyes narrowing.

"I'm not some kid Blood Moon. Don't think you can sway me like that." Blood Moon just sighed as he fell into his chair behind the desk.

"Fair enough Leaf" he said at length, mulling his thoughts over. "I have an assignment for you" he said after a while "it's outta town, recognisance work, easy stuff. Take a break, think, let this all blow over. When you've had some time to consider what's what, come back and we'll talk again about your promotion, alright?" Leaf nodded silently, likely reluctantly.

"What's the job?" He heard silence, looking up to find Blood Moon watching him with an intense, business-like stare.

"Leaf, what I'm about to tell you does not leave this room. This is an inter-order contract, from me to you, understand?" Leaf nodded once. "Good. You remember when we met on the train a while back, Ember said I was after one of the Elements of Harmony." Leaf nodded again.

"Yes, I remember."

"Well, I should tell you; the contract was for Twilight." Leaf raised an eyebrow.
"Sparkle? Interesting" he murmured. Blood Moon could guess what he was thinking, very probably what had gone through his own when he'd first decided to reject the job.

"Yes. Normally, I'd have done this myself, but things have been hectic. Beyond that, I'd have asked Ember to take care of it, but she's gonna be busy so now I'm asking you Leaf." Their gazes met again. "I want you to look into this; find out who want's Twilight dead, why and where I can find them" he finished with a glare. Leaf nodded.

"I'll do it" he said easily. Despite their short conversation together, he'd decided he'd liked Blood Moon's lover. The dark stallion nodded in appreciation.

"Thank you, this means a lot." Leaf shrugged.

"Do I have any leads?" Blood Moon nodded, pulled out a pencil, colours and piece of paper. Within fifteen minutes, he'd sketched the mare who'd deliver the dossier in remarkable detail.

"Look out for her. She was the middle-mare. Find her, find the client, or at the least another link in the chain." Leaf nodded once, taking up the sketch in his hoof. "Again, thank you Leaf. Twilight is a good mare who doesn't deserve to be killed. We're gonna find out who wants her dead and return the favour." Leaf nodded again, stood, and disappeared in a spiral of leaves.
Blood Moon leaned back in his chair and gazed into oblivion for a second.

"You can come out now Ember" he said absently.

"Son of a bitch" a mare's voice muttered as she emerged from the shadows besides his door. She trotted towards him steadily, standing before his desk. Blood Moon smirked and cocked his head. "What gave me away" she asked as she slumped into one of the chairs.

"Nothing. It was just too obvious. If somepony knows you'll be there, there's no hiding from them" he replied with a shrug. He poured them both a drink, Ember's gaze never quiet leaving him.

They were quiet for a while, neither his nor hers gaze leaving the other. He wore a slight grin while she wore a concerned glare that never quite went deep enough to be aggressive.

"So" he began, awaiting answer. Ember narrowed her eyes.

"So" Ember echoed "you're back. You're well. You're planning on retiring from Chapter Leader and putting me in command." Her face twitched, holding down a snarl. "You lied to us all." Blood Moon raised an eyebrow. "You told us Celestia was going to die, but it was all a ploy for you to get back to her." His grin turned to a smirk. "You know, I'd never call you selfish for this, but you really are one manipulative son of a bitch" she told him. Blood Moon shrugged.

"I'm an assassin. It comes with the territory. I don't have to worry about being the good guy because I'm not the good guy. It's one of the perks of being a grey-coat" he replied. Ember just grunted.

"I don't appreciate being lied to" she told him. He sighed.

“Listen Ember-” He hoof colliding with the desk cut him off.

“No Moon, you listen” she told him, her narrowed gaze now a glare as she made no attempt to hide her anger. “For almost as long as I can remember, I’ve...I’ve loved you. I’d have done anything for you, I would have done anything to make you happy because I thought you deserved it but…” she swallowed, taking a breath that did nothing to calm her “over the past few days, I’ve been chewed on and spat out by you, bucked and chuked and then when I tried to get you to admit to you and Twilight that you loved me the whole time, that because you’ve known me for so long, that we’ve been through so much together, that we’ve always been so close” she finished, a tear fighting to escape her eye as she spoke through a sob. “But then you tell me it’s not me. It’s her. The mare you met hardly a fortnight ago is the one you love.” She wiped away a tear creeping down her face angrily, her teeth bared as she clenched her jaw. “I tried to tell myself, I could do this. I could live knowing that...I don’t know, that you’ve never loved me? It doesn't matter now” she growled.

She glared him down, staring him in the eye.

“These past few days...they’ve been a wake up call. That, for all my life, I’ve been in love with a stallion who’d so readily have hundreds die for his own goals, that would lie to those closest to him, who could so easily push me away.” Her lip wobbled slightly. “Who would leave me thinking him dead for two days, let all this grief pile up on me, let everything fall onto me before just showing up again, out of the blue, not a care in the world. Like he’d just expect his loyal companion to come back to him again and again, no matter what he did.” She sniffed. “Look at you. Not a flinch, no move to defend yourself, nothing. You don’t care, do you?” She sniffed again before he face broke into a snarl as her horn burst to life, heaving the desk between them to the side and lunging at him.

Blood Moon didn’t react as she planted her hooves on his shoulders and forced him to the ground, weeping over him.

“WELL NO MORE, DO YOU HEAR ME! NO BUCKING MORE! THAT’S IT, I’M DONE! FIND SOME OTHER DUMB MARE TO BE YOUR PROTEGE! I’M NOT YOUR PARTNER, I’M DONE COMING BACK TO YOU, I’M SICK OF FORGIVING YOU” she screamed before she broke into sobbing. With a sob-stained growl, her hoof slammed into his face before she leapt from atop him and cantered the door, pausing before it.

She sniffed and huffed a few times, wiping away tears with her hoof as she sobbed and cried with every grunted breath, her mane casting a shadow over her leaking eyes. Blood Moon sat up, rubbing his cheek as he watched her. He stood and trotted towards her, stopping when she turned back to him.

“You don’t even care, do you?” He held his ground as they stared each other down. She huffed and went to turn away when he didn’t answer.

“What, that my pupil and one of my closest friends is turning her back on me? Yeah. Yeah, I care, but there’s nothing I can do Ember. You’re right, I betrayed everything I built for everything I left, I lied to you, I don’t love you, I always thought you’d be there” he listed, each thing he said making her scowl and sob harder. “But you know what Ember?” She tensed for a fight, wiping away her tears. “You’re right. I lie, I cheat, I ask far too much of you and… And...and despite how much I care for you, however much I love you, I just don’t like...that, I can’t, you’re my protege, you’ve always been my student. I just...I don’t know why I can’t but...” He sighed. “I can’t ask your forgiveness, for everything I’ve done to you, for how much you’ve worried, how much I’ve hurt you. Because I know I have, and…and I wish it had been different. That this all could have happened without you having to get hurt, and without me having to hurt you, but it has. I don’t regret what I’ve done just...how it happened” he said quietly. He took a long breath. “Ember, I know that coming from me, this won’t mean much to you but...know that I have been...taught to...swallow my pride at times like this, to understand that pride needs to be tempered with humility in order to avoid arrogance. I of all know I’m not perfect, and that mistakes are not something I’m unfamiliar with, but...that doesn't mean that admitting to somepony I care for when I’ve hurt them is below me…” He sighed. “My pride has always been that I can act. I don’t need to cower, that I always take the stand, that I can always stand up for myself and those I love…” He growled out a breath. “But that shouldn’t stop me from standing down for those I love too” he added quietly. “I just...needed to be shown that.”

Ember Spark opened her mouth to speak, raising her hoof, but he beat her to it.

“I’m sorry, Ember Spark. I won’t go back on what I’ve done, but for every second of hardship I’ve ever put you through… I’m sorry.” His view was suddenly blocked by a shadow of body, lips pressed against his own, the feeling of hot skin and tears pressed against his face.

Ember leaned back, a small smile on her face as she refused to meet his gaze.

“Maybe there’s hope for you after all” she said quietly. She sighed again. “You won’t see me for a long time Moon, I’m done. With you, with the Weavers, everything. I’m gonna travel. Don’t try to find me.” She lifted her gaze to his. “But...I’m glad we could part on...at least better terms that we would have.” He nodded once. Ember grunted. “Always full of surprises, eh Blood Moon?” He grunted.

“Keeps things interesting” he answered. She smiled weakly, a hoof going around his neck,

“I’m glad you’re back Blood Moon...somewhat” she told him before she pulled back. He simply gave her a lopsided smile.

“Goodbye Ember Spark. It’s been…” She smiled gently.

“It sure has, hasn’t it?” They matched each other’s smiles. “Goodbye, Moon” was the last thing she said before disappearing in a flash.

With a sullen sigh and a proud smile, Blood Moon did the same.

Blood Moon appeared in his chambers in a flash, his flanking landing on a chair while his fore-leg landed on the table before it, his head resting on a hoof. He took a deep sigh as his thoughts ran through his head, revolving mainly around Ember Spark and the rest of the Shadow Weavers.

'I’m gonna miss that girl. Hay, I’m gonna miss the order. I built that order up from the dirt. It's all gonna fall apart now. Without the combined efforts of the entire Loom and resources, contracts and information from every corner of Equestria, and Equus as a whole, things aren't gonna last too long. Somepony will plan something to take advantage of this rift. It's all a question of where, which chapter they chose to strike…'

"Something got you down?" Blood Moon's closed eyes glared.

"Joy of joys" he mumbled, lifting his head and turning his gaze to Discord. There he was, longing on a floating bed of parasprites. "What do you want" he demanded. Discord snapped his claws and landed on the ground, his paw and claws clasping behind him as he meandered over to the assassin.

"Oh, nothing. Just thought I'd take the time to appreciate this dusty corner of the palace" he said as he dusted Blood Moon's head off with a feather duster he'd pulled from the ether. The assassin batted him away, sliding off the chair and glaring at the draconequus like he was trying to push a hole through him.

"Let's get one thing straight between us: Celestia may have forgiven, or forgotten or whatever, but that does not mean anything between us. I will tolerate you, if that is what Celestia thinks is best, but you'd best remember" the dark stallion's magic made a loop around Discord's neck, yanking him down to his height "I will be watching you. The moment you slip up, I'll be on you like death on a corpse and I will rip you limb from limb." Blood Moon grabbed Discord's muzzle and jerked his gaze towards his own. "Clear?"

"Crystal" he replied. Blood Moon let him go and watched as Discord straightened up.

"You haven't changed a bit, have you Blood Moon?" The assassin smirked.

"I have. Just not towards you" he retorted. Discord smirked back, before he turned his head towards the door a little.

"It's open Fluttershy" he called. The door opened by itself with the draconequus's words, revealing a timid yellow pony with her hoof raised to knock on the door. She looked at Discord and smiled, but the moment her gaze fell upon Blood Moon she hid behind her mane.

"Oh, h-hello" she murmured.

"Ahh, Fluttershy, do come in. We were just talking about you" Discord greeted. The assassin glared at him.

"I will cram a boulder rigged to blow down your throat if you don't-"

"Blood Moon, be nice! Whatever did Discord do to you, didn't your mother ever teach you any manners! What would she think of you" Fluttershy snapped as she darted towards him, a somewhat fearsome glare on her face. The assassin raised an eyebrow, his eyes glancing at Discord, whom was clamping his claw over his maw to hold down his laughter.

"He tried to kill my little girls, and succeed in killing countless others and some of my closest friends. I have absolutely no grounds to be 'nice' to him on, and my mother? Well, she was a common street-whorse who didn't use the proper protection when a sailor came to town; she didn't teach me anything and she wouldn't care either." His eyes narrowed. "Before you try and defend this piece of dirt, try and figure out just what you're defending" he growled.
Fluttershy had retreated behind her mane before he'd gotten the first word out, and just continued to sink deeper inside herself as he spoke. When he was done, she just mumbled out:

"O-okay. S-sorry."

"Fluttershy, I think it best if we remove ourselves from this stallion's company" Discord said, his muzzle raised as he marched past the assassin. Fluttershy nodded and went to turn away, Blood Moon watching her go.

He sighed as she trotted away with melancholy in her step, the dark stallion gripping the bridge of his muzzle.

"Fluttershy, could you wait a sec" he asked simply. The yellow mare looked back with curiosity before her gaze went to Discord. She nodded at him, the draconequus taking it as his cue to continue out. He snapped his claws and the door slammed shut, prompting a 'yeep' from the yellow Pegasus.

Discord's reaction was an eyebrow-raiser for the assassin. Discord, protective of somepony?
He shook the thoughts away before they took root.

He looked up to find a nervous looking Fluttershy stood before him, rubbing her right fore-leg up and down with her left, avoiding looking at him, her mane hiding most of her face. Blood Moon took a long breath, glancing around his room in Canterlot palace.

"Fluttershy" he began, unsure where to take this. He looked left and right, blindly looking for answers, but nothing came to mind. He sighed and looked back to Fluttershy. "I…I'm sorry I wasted your time" he mumbled before he went to turn away.

"You want to tell me you're sorry, but you don't think you have anything to apologise for" Fluttershy told him in her quiet voice. Blood Moon turned back.

"I have something to be sorry for?" He could tell if it had been anypony else, they would have glared. Fluttershy, however, was not the glaring type and simply frowned at the spot of floor she felt more interesting than the stallion. The assassin trotted towards her. "Fluttershy, I know I'm no good for breaking up with you, and I know for a fact I'll be kicking myself sooner or later, but I know it's for the best. I want to give Twilight all the love and attention she deserves, and you deserve somepony to call your own. The last thing I want is to upset you of all ponies Fluttershy, but…" He sighed as he struggled to find the words. "Would…would it at least help to know that I offer my condolences? And that were I a less honest stallion when it came the matters of the heart, under no circumstances would I ever give you up." He shook his head and loosed a breath, turning his gaze to the side. "Son of a buck" he whispered to himself. The quiet and sensitive-eared Fluttershy looked up.

"W-what's the matter" she asked quietly. Blood Moon just grunted.

"First time in my life the goodness in me has thrown dirt on my grave" he muttered in response. He shook the thought away with a slightly self-disapproving look on his face, trotting closer to her. She shied away from him, prompting him to pause. He took a quiet breath through his muzzle. "Fluttershy, have you ever loved somepony" he asked suddenly.
She glanced up at him wearily.

"I…well, you-"

"No, besides me" he cut off. Fluttershy curled up a little further.

"N-no…" she squeaked. She felt a hoof on her chin and looked up to find that Blood Moon had approached her without her realising it. She went to shy away again only to catch his gaze, finding it impossible to tear her own away.

"Then, you don't know my angle here. I love Twilight with all my heart and I want my heart to belong to her. I can't do that sharing it with somepony. If you and Twilight want to stay together, I don't have a problem with that. You've been friends for a while and I can tell you two are close, but…just do me a favour." She looked up at him with a questioning look on her face. "Just…cast me to the shadowy corners of your mind. It's where I'm most comfortable anyway" he said with a shrug as he backed away. Fluttershy turned her head away, a small smile on her face.

"I don't want to forget about you Blood Moon" she told him quietly "just…this part of our friendship." Blood Moon returned her small smile, his hoof traveling around her neck as he pulled her into a hug. She obliged, nuzzling her head into his chest as she took the opportunity to remember him the best she could. From the scent of leather, badly washed away blood, the lingering odour of sweat and a distinctive musk about him she couldn't quite place, like a mix of steel and something more…intimate.

"Never thought I'd meet somepony who knew how to put the past behind them when it comes to love and friendship. Guess I can count on the Element of Kindness to prove me wrong when it comes to the decency of the ponies of Equestria." Fluttershy giggled slightly in his grip, straightening up when he released her. "You're a good mare Fluttershy, you'll find yourself somepony someday" he promised her. The corner of Fluttershy’s eyes went down.

“B-but what if I-”

“And if you don’t just call me mortal” he told her. Fluttershy just smiled gently. The door creaked open, a bored looking Discord sliding smoothly in with it.

"Are you done yet" he droned. Blood Moon shook his head at him while Fluttershy giggled into her hoof. The assassin raised an eyebrow.

"Or perhaps you already have" he said absently. Fluttershy looked at him in confusion as he smirked at her. "Either way, yeah, I think I'm done" he told Discord.

"Good" he replied, his paw snapping as a light enveloped Fluttershy before appearing next to him, her eyes rolling around in her head slightly. "Arrivederci" the draconequus said in a dry voice. Fluttershy just waved him goodbye, a sweet smile on her face, as the door closed in front of them.

The assassin shook his head at the god of chaos's antics, turning away and trotting over to his desk and sitting at it. His horn flared and a few pieces of parchment floated out from his desk, alongside a raven-feather quill and a pot of ink. Dipping the quill into the ink, he wrote out his messages to the rest of the Shadow Weaver community. As the quill scratched away at the parchment, leaving sharp and almost fierce words behind, his thoughts drifted.

He could practically hear the sounds of his fellow assassins sharpening their blades amidst the sound of his quill scratching. Pride had built his band of assassins, and losing their greatest assassin wasn't something a pride as big as a not-so-small planet could handle without retribution. He could sense it. It was a trait you picked up in this vocation; the best way to kill an assassin was with another assassin, Cadaver was a prime example, ergo, Blood Moon had had more than a little experience with dealing with other assassins. It was easy enough to predict when they were going to attack.

He rested his head on his hoof, stroking the stubble that had grown there in the last week. He grunted at that thought. The last week. Just how influential had these last few weeks been in his multiple-millennia long life? A lover, friends, a new filly to call daughter, his old fillies who called him father, a phoenix to stand with. He frowned.

"Just where in the hay is Hunter anyway" he mumbled to himself, looking around. He'd
already re-erected Philomena's old perch for him to use, yet it was still vacant. He shook the thoughts away, confident that his bird could handle himself. That, and Philomena had literally fought alongside him during the Discord wars. He looked back down at the parchment, finding most of the letters to send were done. There were at least one hundred and fifty chapters of the Shadow Weavers worldwide, one in every major city in Equestria and each capital city across Equus. That meant he had to get word out to the Equestrian Shadow Weaver individually, but he could at least leave the foreign chapters to their own commanding chapters.

Blood Moon took a deep breath before his head slammed to the table.

"Paperwork is booooring" he groaned to himself. Glad that nopony was around to witness that, the assassin lifted his head again and returned to his work.

He wasn't sure how long he spent writing out his letters to the other Weavers, but he did know that he stopped when Celestia kicked the door open.

"Blood Moon" she shouted in, looking around frantically. The dark stallion blinked as he looked over his shoulder back at her, raising a hoof with a small 'hey'. Celestia visibly calmed when she saw him, cantering over to his seat. "Oh, there you are. I was worried…" she trailed off. He frowned and looked over at the grandfather clock between the windows. It read that he'd been gone for an hour. And one minute.

"Getting paranoid there, Tia" he asked with a smirk, hopping from his seat. She just shrugged sheepishly.

"W-well, no, I just-" he cut her off with a small laugh.

"Don't worry about it Celestia. I'm not going to leave you again" he promised. She loosed a small breath to calm herself, looking away from him.

"Yeah, I know, it's just…well, you can't blame a mare for being cautious, right?" He smirked.

"Never said I did" he replied, sitting on his bed. "So, what's on your mind" he asked. Celestia sat next to him and shrugged.

"Nothing really. I just got done sending word to the other ruling bodies and I've had Scroll set up a small meeting between us." She left the sentence there, but the assassin could hear more forming before she cut off.

"What's up" he asked. Celestia tensed once side of her mouth.

"Glendrin is going to be a problem" she muttered, mostly to herself. The assassin grunted.

"Not if I have a-" Blood Moon was cut off when a bundle of red and gold feathers slammed into his face with a small 'paff'. He fell from his flank as though a statue, keeping his posture despite having a face full of bird. Celestia giggled into her hoof slightly as Philomena fluttered to her old perch. "We are not amused" came the assassin's muffled voice. Celestia just did a worse job at holding down her laughter. Blood Moon reached up and took Hunter by his tail, lifting him and frowning at him. "This is the second time your flying skills have come into question, Deadeye" he muttered, letting Hunter flutter to his claws and stand on the assassin's bed besides him. The phoenix quickly took to nuzzling the dark stallion, prompting a smile from him as he fussed the bird in response.

"Where in Equestria have you been Philomena" Celestia asked her pet, her hoof delicately running up and down the phoenix's feathered neck. In reply, Philomena looked over at Hunter with a raised eyebrow, the scarred phoenix simply giving his version of a lopsided smile in return. The assassin sniggered as he wing/hoof bumped his phoenix. Blood Moon looked up to find both Philomena and Celestia watching him with disapproval while he and Hunter shrugged. "So" Celestia had muttered as she trotted over to them "you're the troublesome phoenix who intervened in my and Blood Moon's fight." Hunter's gaze narrowed as he straightened up, his chest puffing out and his wings spreading slightly. Celestia recognised the offensive posture and cocked her head to the side gently, her hoof raising and fussing the phoenix's head. Hunter's aggressive demure quickly faded as he enjoyed the solar princess's attention, something that Philomena, privately, grew quickly jealous of.

The assassin looked over at his old bird, raising his fore-leg and gave a small whistle to attract her attention. She perked up and looked over, only to realise who it was and let her expression fade again. She fluttered over to him, feigning reluctance, and came to a rest on his outstretched fore-leg.

"It's been a while, 'mena" the assassin greeted. Philomena simply cocked her head at him before her eyes narrowed. The assassin grunted slightly when she pecked him in the eye with her beck. "Nice, buckin' beautiful" he muttered as he rubbed his closed eye. He shot her an annoyed look as she flew away, perching on Celestia's shoulder as said mare giggled at him.

"It's nice to meet you Hunter" she told the phoenix, who padded over to the assassin and fluttered to his shoulder. Blood Moon shook his head and stood from the bed.

"So, hate to sound like a broken record but, now what?" Celestia shrugged.

"Well, until the other officials turn up tomorrow, things will be at a standstill. It would be seen as 'inappropriate' to address my citizens before I addressed the other rulers and nobles, so I guess we have a little free time" she posed. Blood Moon simply grinned, going to talk before Celestia cut him off. "I suggest we go find Twilight and Cadence, I haven't the chance to catch up with my student properly, and I'm sure that Cadence would like to properly get to know you" she told the assassin. Blood Moons shrugged.

"Sounds like fun" he replied, trotting after Celestia.

The moved through the palace in relative silence, heading toward the library, where they assumed Twilight would gravitate towards. They passed few ponies, the guards taking it as granted that they were to avoid the assassin rather than approach him. Blood Moon couldn't help but notice the glances Philomena and Hunter seemed to be casting each other, though he got the feeling that reluctantly attracted and simply hopeful were major themes of their looks. He couldn't help but smirk at the prospect, Celestia catching his expression and leaning down to him.

"If she ends up with chicks…" She trailed off in an attempt to leave his own mind to the threat.

"She'll have some-phoenix to call her own, children to love and an excuse to let herself go" he replied.

"Are you trying to make a housewife of Philomena?" He laughed, imagining the majestic bird of fire clad in an apron, running a duster over her nest.

"Neigh, only trying to make a life fulfilled by the joy of a family" he replied. Celestia snorted.

"Always the dramatic." He smirked.

"Always the oblivious, you do know that phoenixes have exceptional senses, right? They've been listening to every word we've been saying" he answered. Celestia blinked and tensed slightly, looking to the bird perched on her shoulder, finding Philomena watching her with narrowed eyes. She shrugged an apology.

After a while of quiet trotting, the found themselves in Canterlot's, and possibly all of Equestria's, most complete library. They pushed through the door and heard the sounds of Twilight and Cadence laughing somewhere nearby, both ponies turning a corner to find them both sat on cushions in one of the more social reading areas.

"She's grown into a fine mare" Blood Moon said absently. Celestia's eyes went to Cadence, watching her put a hoof to her maw as she giggled.

"She has" she agreed at length, turning her head to Blood Moon. "You kept an eye on her?"
He nodded.

"Aye. I set up a small shack to the east, close to her village. I couldn't leave her without a guardian, even if…well, you understand" he trailed off. Celestia nodded before she frowned.

"Wait, did you leave…well, was that…" He nodded.

"Yeah" he replied shortly. He turned his head to Celestia. "How long?"

"I didn't want to take her away from her 'mother.' They'd grown attached. I was glad, but I had to wait for the whole family to pass on. I couldn't risk them arguing, she'd figure it out. A generation or two before I visited her again." Celestia sighed. "I hadn't meant to…bring her back that day, but…she was so lonely." The assassin nodded.

"I understand" he told her. "Does she know" he asked after a brief pause. Celestia shook her head, Blood Moon nodding his understanding. "Good move" he murmured. He glanced up at Celestia's distant expression, nudging her slightly. "You've been a good auntie, Tia" he assured her. Celestia just smiled.

"Hey Blood Moon" came Twilight's voice, the purple mare looking over at them, her old foalsitter watching them with her. The assassin smiled and trotted over, sitting down next to Twilight as she kissed his cheek, Hunter fluttering from his shoulder. "Hey you" she smiled, rubbing his head gently, much to his joy.

"Hey Twilight" the assassin greeted in return, nuzzling her gently. Celestia lay next to them, her legs beneath her body, Philomena fluttering to her back where she perched, the solar princess smiling gently at Cadence. The assassin leaned back on the plump cushions. "So, what are we talking about?" Cadence smirked a devious smirk.

"My sister in law's and your relationship" the pink alicorn replied. The assassin raised an eyebrow.

"I heard laughing just now, that wouldn't be aimed at me now would it" he replied, a small grin on his face. Twilight giggled to herself.

"No, just reminiscing our time together when we were younger" the purple mare answered.

"We were talking about when I first met Shining" Cadence said, more to her aunt than anypony else. Celestia smiled.

"I remember back then. You'd just started as my student" she said to Twilight "your parents needed somepony to look after you while you studied by yourself when they were working or busy." Cadence smiled in turn as she remembered days long past.

"I met Shining Armour for the first time when he came to take you home for the night." She giggled into her hoof. "He could hardly get a word out" she tittered. The three mares laughed at their memories of each other and those they cared of, Blood Moon content with sinking into the background and simply watching and listening to their tales. That was, until, Cadence turned to him. "So, Blood Moon, you've been alive a long time, correct?" The assassin nodded.

"Indeed" he replied curtly. Cadence cocked her head slightly.

"So, before you met Twily, was there…anypony else special to you?" He felt his mood sink as the memories rose, Twilight apparently catching on as her hoof found his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Cadence caught the gesture, a small, proud smile finding her face.

"I…yes, there was. One mare, to be honest" he answered. He had intended to leave it there, only Cadence looked at him as though she wished him to continue. He gave a mental shrug before he continued. "I've met and know many mares over my life, almost all of them under a ruse or alias, a false personality. Very few mares I've known have actually fallen for me, myself. Twilight is one of…five, six maybe? But, there was one…" He trailed off, and Twilight could tell his memories were running through his head. She wondered just what was going on in there. As she was about to ask, he shook the thoughts away.

"I'm so sorry" Cadence said after a few seconds of silence. Blood Moon blinked himself back to reality, looking up at her.

"Hmm?" Cadence gave him a sad smile.

"You're immortal. She wasn't." She left it there, Blood Moon's head hanging again. Twilight shuffled closer to him, still slightly uncomfortable being intimate with her coltfriend around her tutor and big sister in law, and nuzzled him gently. "I'm sorry" Cadence said again, the
assassin shaking his head as Hunter cooed at him in concern.

"Don't be, I've lived this long with these memories in my head. What's another day?" Cadence offered him a small smile, standing quietly.

"We'll give you two a moment alone" she said, glancing at her aunt. Celestia took the hint and stood with her, Philomena fluttering to her shoulder, letting her hoof brush along Blood Moon's shoulder, trying to calm, reassure or at least cheer him up.

Outside the small alcove, Celestia and Cadence meandered to a window, looking out at the midday sun, shining down on Canterlot. Cadence crossed her hooves and lent on the sill, letting her breath cast mist on the glass before she drew a small smiley face in the mist with her magic.

"What do you think" Celestia asked. Cadence glanced back from her impromptu art before looking back out the window.

"As much as I hate to admit it…I like him. He's a good stallion, just…maybe a little proud, arrogant even, but given what he's capable of…" she trailed off again, thinking. "I'm glad Twilight met him" she said quietly "he's got a good heart." She huffed as a smile found her face. "I just need to look at the way he looks at Twilight to see that. He loves her, with all his heart" she looked back at Celestia again, a small smile on her face "she loves him too" she added. "You needn't worry" she assured. Celestia smiled.

Back inside their shared alcove, Twilight held a slightly happier coltfriend in her hooves as he leaned back into her, glad for the opportunity to cosy up together.

"Are you alright" Twilight asked quietly. She felt him nod.

"Yeah. She was testing me, see how I'd react probably" he answered. They settled into silence again until they heard a clock chime. Two in the afternoon. The dark stallion sighed.
"I'm getting tired of these long days" he muttered. Twilight giggled to herself, brushing a hoof through his dirty mane.

"You need a job" she commented. He grunted.

"I've got one. Assassin, or bodyguard, whichever you prefer." She smiled down at him.

"I'll take the one when you get to stay with me most often" she replied.

"That'll be unemployed slob" he informed, prompting a small laugh from Twilight.

"Yeah, I'll pass on that one" she answered, the two laughing together.

The assassin stood, Twilight standing with him, and the two trotted out of their alcove as Hunter returned to his perch on the assassin. They found the alicorns of love and the sun stood at a window, talking in quiet voices.

"So, I take it you'll be preparing for the arrival of the dignitaries tomorrow" Blood Moon asked from behind them. Celestia looked back at them, nodding her head.

"That's a good point, I should begin making preparations..." she scoffed to herself quietly "no doubt Glendrin will be expecting some kind of fanfare" she muttered to herself. She raised her head again. "Well, always count on royal duties to pull a princess away from her loved ones" she turned to Cadence, hugging her gently, before she turned to Twilight and wrapped her hooves around her neck. "Look after him. Please" she whispered into her student's ear. Twilight smiled as her own fore-leg went around her mentor's neck.

"Don't worry. I will" she promised. Celestia gave her student a final squeeze before she let her go, straightening up again. She smiled at the assassin, whom winked back, and disappeared in a flash of golden light. The assassin glanced at Cadence and Twilight, finding them both watching him.

"Well, it seems I find myself at a loose end once more" he muttered to himself. Twilight offered a kind smile as she nudged up to him.

"Me and Cadence were going to take a stroll around the palace, see if we could find anypony from when I used to study here. You could come with, if you want." He smiled, but shook his head.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to…reflect on everything, think, consider everything" he answered "besides, I've enough nostalgia of my own around this place" he added, glancing around the palace walls. Twilight nodded in understanding, her lips meeting his for a brief but passionate moment before she pulled back.

"I'll see you tonight then" she said, turning away with her grinning sister in law. He just nodded and winked. Once the purple and pink mares had left him, the assassin disappeared in a flash of light, landing on the balcony of his chambers.

He leant on the railing, gazing out over Equestria, smirking to himself. Hunter hopped from his shoulder, standing next to him as they gazed at the sunlit horizon and fields of grass before them, a gentle breeze ruffling the stallion's mane and the phoenix's feathers.

"You know Hunter…" the phoenix looked over at him "sometimes I wonder…just how did I survive without my little girls."

"You followed one bad decision up with one after another, until all the bullshit piled up and came full circle."

Blood Moon just chuckled as he felt his cutie mark tingle slightly.