'Many years ago, I used to write. It was long before I was a member of the Royal Guard, and longer than the PD or what monster I am now. I wrote fiction novels, none were ever published but none had anything to do with each other either. They were philosophy you see, about how I saw life. It's all changed now, I live a different life. In those years I had still lived with the church.'

In those days with the church all I had done is write. It was my prison you see. The novel I wrote was about that. It was about two brothers living in a village in a far away land, one anti-social and hated by all who saw him. He was cursed to do wrong in all his life, if he were to pull water from the well it would turn to dirt.

His brother, however, was loved by all he knew. He was a friendly and hospitible pony. Everything he did, he did it right. One day, the son murdered his perfect brother and was exiled from the land. Roaming the wastes his dead brother would visit him each night.

In the end, he realizes he never had a brother. He had killed himself. His brother was actually just a part of him, and by killing a part of him he himself was dead. In the end he is thanked by his brother for setting him free and never seen again. It made me realize that when there is murder, there is intent. When there is intent, there is reason.'

'It may be the one thought that keeps me going.'

"Umm, Dasher?" Octavia interrupted my thoughts.

"Yes, Octavia. What is it?"

"You've been stareing at your knife for a while now. Is everything alright?"

She was right, I was sharpening my knife before I had begun to think. Getting it ready for tonight. If I were to repeat what I did to Filthy than I want to make it a lot cleaner. Guess I got lost in thought.

"Yes, my apologies. Just been thinking that's all."

I pulled the Microtech knife back into itself by pushing the blade downwards and then pulling the long band on the bottom. The blade retracted into the handle, ready for use.

"I see, what about?"

I looked at Octavia, what should I tell her?

"It's nothing really, just thinking about before."

"I see, you were a royal guard isn't that right?"

"Yea, I was."

"What happened about that?"

A million memories flashed in my head. But one as clear as day.

"Sit down Tavi, I have a story for you."

She sat on the bed beside me, and I could feel the matress press down with the pressure of another body on it.

"Long ago, I was a different stallion. You already know that. I joined the Royal Guard to escape a life I was trapped in."

"What do you mean 'Trapped in'?"

"I lived in a small village, one with only a thousand others. I was the son of a priest and expected to surpas him when he died. I never wanted to live the rest of my life sitting in a temple, worshipping a god that I didn't believe exist. I stayed there until I was seventeen. Until I was old enough to join."

"So you ran."

"I didn't run, I set myself free. Once I had completed training they wanted to ship me out, they had let me choose my MOS."

"You didn't sign open contract?"

"No, it's always a trick. I wanted to get a job I'd like, not one I'd learn to hate. I chose to be a Designated Marksman. It was available to only me out of my platoon."

"Why you?"

"I had an exceptional score on the marksmanship test, so they armed me with a M14 EBR and a list of other weapons they would normally have in the arsenal that I was allowed to select and sent me on my way. The list was the M16A4, M4A1, MK18, M14 EBR, M21EBR, M39 EBR, M40A3 SR, SR25, the M45 handgun, and the M92 FS. Each of them were better at their own thing really. The M14 was for mid range along with all the other EBRs (Enhanced Battle Rifle) I was assigned to be able to use. The SRs are Sniper Rifles, you know what those are for, and everything else was for close range sustaned combat."

"You carried all those at the same time?"

"What? Hell no! What made you think that?"

"Oh nothing."

"Oookay then... Well back to the story, when I arrived I had first chose the longest ranged rifle in my arsenal. It was the M40A3. I loaded a magazine of .308 into the rifle and moved to a perch I was ordered to. I had a clear view of the road, after a few hours I saw a griffon approaching the road to our Forward Operations Base."

"Wait, you were in Griffonia? During the liberation of Kuwania?"

"Yes, that's where I was. Now the Griffon moved towards us without hesitating, he was carrying a backpack on him. What was in it I didn't know and at the time didn't care to know. We went by standard procidure and fired a warning shot far from him. It was procidure to try to get him to stop after he passes a certain sign on the road. It worked and he just stopped and stood there. I had the crosairs on his chest but I cold see him thinking hard about something. It was a look in his eyes. We sent a small shock trooper squad to approach him and escort him away. As soon as the door opened to let the squad out, however, He spread his wings. Out of the bag fell an object, which flashed a light in my face, so I fired."

"You killed him didn't you?"

"The round ripped a hoofball sized hole through him, going through the neck and severing connection between the spine and the brain. Upon further examination of his bags they found 10 grenades strapped togather by a string around the pin. What had fallen out was a picture in a frame. Within it was an image of him sitting next to a female griffon. She was smiling, and he looked like the luckiest man around."

"So you killed him."

"What do you think?"

"I'm sorry..."

"Since then that's the only time I've felt remorse for my target. Although whenever I am about to do my job, he comes to mind."

"And you are doing it again tonight?"

"I guess so. I don't want to take the risk of being caught on campus, so I'm going to do something else."

Before she could ask the clock struck 11. It was time for me to leave. I walked out the door, and tried to close it. Something stopped the door so I turned around. Octavia had put her hoof between the door and the frame, she was stareing at me. Almost contemplating. She slowly closed the door.

"See you cowboy."

"Wanted dead or alive huh."

I as soon as the door closed, I walked to the highway and made haste. The same taxi was there just as I asked him to earlier that day. He flashed his lights to let me know it was him. I hopped in the cab, and he floored it down the road. He did exactly as I payed him to do as well, no licence and another cab following. One was for the entrance and transport, which is the one I'm in. The other one was a distraction, I'd need it later.

We were pulling into the neighborhood already, I looked through the back window and gave the other taxi the symbol. He would head to the front gate and start honking. My taxi would pull me to a road that leads parrallel to the one we're on, this is to reduce suspiscion and allow the second taxi to do what he was instructed to.

The cab came to a stop and I had a clear view of the driveway. I pulled the promised check of 1,000 bits out and handed it over to the driver and exited the car. As soon as I was out he left and went around the corner. He was out of sight... perfect.

I sneaked on over to the grass just outside the very corner of their driveway, there were bushes that I could hide next to so I used them to my advantage. The taxi was there was well, waiting for my signal. I waved it to him and he started honking his horn. Not like a normal honk, but just a honk that went on and on and on. What happened next was exactly what I wanted. The guard who was posted at the gate walked to the taxi... and outside of his security camera's vision.

I could hear him reporting a taxi to the other security guards in the house. I was willing to bet there were probably about 20-30. As soon as he gave the all-clear and said he was going to get the taxi to leave.

"Hey buddy, quit it with the horn. We don't have a problem here do we?" He said, putting a hand on his belt.

I gave the taxi driver the classic 'honk your horn' signal reserved for truckers. The driver snickered and complied. Which caused the guard to just get more irritated. He was about to draw his firearm, time to intervene. As soon as it was out of the holstier I grabbed his hoof and pointed it upwards, punching him in the jaw and throwing him in the bushes while I was at it.

He was disoriented but not dealt with, I punched him in the throat and threw the headset off his head. If another guard tuned in and heard this the whole plan was fucked. The other issue, however, was that the guard wasn't dead yet. I grabbed his firearm and got to work, bludgeoning him to death with the handle of the weapon. It was made out of cheap polymer, so it broke as soon as he died. The handgun's magazine and magazine catch were the first to fall out.

Then I dropped it and it all fell apart. The slide, barrel, recoil spring, sear, and trigger mechanism just fell out the firearm. That is why I don't buy from the company he buys from. The company is HiPoint, they're cheap but with a reason.

Throwing his body on the other side of the bush, and I threw the remaining parts of the firearm in the bush itself. He was the only gate guard, so I slipped across from where the camera was looking unnoticed. They put it facing too far forward and not enough down, so I could just hug the wall and remain unnoticed. There was a button that opened the gate, which I didn't press. Opening the gate would be too obvious. I climbed up one of the trees, which took a bit and one of the branches did fall off, but it got me over the fence.

As soon as I was over, I spotted 5 other guards. One was Standing on the balcony, I'd need to be careful about him. Another two were talking to eachother just at the door. One was sitting in a chair on the far side of the lawn, and the last one was walking the perimiter. The one in the chair would be the first to go.

I walked the perimiter, out of sight of the guard who was doing the same, after all he was on the other side of the lawn.
I made sure he didn't see me coming, if he did he'd surely alert everypony else. So I went carefully. As soon as I was behind him I pulled a peice of high resistance fishing wire out from my pocket. It'd do the trick just fine.

I wrapped it around his neck quickly and proceded to turn his head rapidly and violently until it had broken his neck and windpipe or he had been strangled to death. His neck snapped on the third thrash. I threw the body in the container next to him. Not before taking his jacket and hat off, I needed those. I put them on over my jacket and waited for the guard.

As soon as he approached he looked at me suspisciously.

"Hey buddy, I wanna talk to you." He said quitely

I didn't repsond

"Hey asshole, when I talk to you, you respond. get over here now."

"I stood up and raised my hands, he told me to get on the ground. I had no intention of doing such. As soon as I felt his handgun against my head, I set my improvized plan into action.

I swung my leg hard into his groin. He wouldn't be screaming any time soon. I swung all the way around and delivered a solid round house kick to his face, he was down. I could tell right away his nose was broken, and the jaw was barely being held togather by the skin. I pulled him into the same basket the other guard was in. Rather then leave him there, I pulled the rope again and wrapped it around his neck, pulling it tight against the neck until I felt the life drained from his body. He was gone.

I then saw my shadow. Odd seeing as it's the middle of the night. Wait, I'm in a flashlight! I turned around to see the two guards who were by the door looking at me.

"What are you doing over here? Who are you?"

I didn't respond.

"Hey, I said who are you!"

I didn't respond.

"Oh what you think you're too good to talk to me."

"No, I just don't talk to the dead."

They seemed puzzled, but then the guard with the flashlight recieved a punch in the jaw, the other recieved a microtech knife to the artery. Blood poured out of his neck and all over the jacket I had put on. Some was on my face and in my hair, not much but if any was seen when I make my escape I am in big trouble. I pulled it out of his neck and thrusted it into the temple of the other pony. He was dead before he could even get a good look at me.

I ran up to the porch that they had stationed in the far back of the front lawn. It was just a wooden porch, nothing special about it. I didn't see it when I was scouting because I never got behind the wall. The guard had his back turned to the incidents that just took place, but he was about to turn around, I rushed to the porch and stood just behind the railing. Putting my knife at the ready, I bit into the back of his collar and pulled him down, stabbing his throat as he leaned back. He wouldn't live. I pulled his body over the ledge and made way to the door.

I stopped just outside it, maybe I was thinking about what I've done. Maybe I was thinking of a plan. I still don't know. So I went onwards.

Author's Notes:

some help for some of you non gun nuts:

M16A4: American modernized assault rifle built off of the M16/AR15 platform. Using a forged stamped receiver it is the standard issue firearm in the US military. Firing the standard 5.56, it's the workhorse of the USMC and US Army. Most, if not all, M16s are used in Semi-Automatic and three round burst, sighting the issues with gas release and barrel heating.

M4A1: The classic M4A1 is a carbine model designed on the AR15 platform. These are most commonly used by the United States Marine Corps due to their considerable firepower and their excellent durability. Most US Marines are in love with the 1980 classic rifle. They are so popular in the US that demilitarized variants of the carbine can be baught (Designated to be the AR-15, though Smith and Weston modifies them to create their M&P series AR-15s). They fire the 5.56

MK18: A smaller variant of the M4A1, the MK18 is used by the US army as a carbine. It has an irregularly small barrel size so it can be used by paratroopers. I am not the most familiar with it seeing as, unlike all the other weapons on this list, I have never gotten the chance to operate one. They fire the 5.56 that the US Army has made standard for assault rifles and carbines.

M14 EBR: The M14 was first invented in the 1950s to replace the M1 Garand. The Garand was used in WW2 as a battle rifle, but by the time Korea broke out it was too outdated in comparison to the Soviet SKS Carbines that the Russians had used. They needed a better replacement so they chose to use the Springfield M14. The original M14s were made with wood and standard gun metal. The modernized EBR (Enhanced battle Rifle) Variants do not use wood, but rather a polymer frame and adjustable stock. They also come with full auto capabilities. They fire the 7.62x51.

M21 EBR: A longer ranged sniper rifle variant of the M14. I have never gotten the chance to operate one but I suspect it fires either the .308 or the 7.62x51.

M39 EBR: Modernized M21, practically the same save for the barrel and polymer frame.

M40A3 SR: The M40A3 is .308 bolt action sniper rifle utilized by the USMC and US Army in the 1990s and was used in desert storm. It has since been replaced by the M40A5. It is simply a modification of the Remington 700, I have fired the Remington 700 but not the M40 variant.

SR25: This is a modern semi-auto sniper rifle that has been dubbed the 'AR-10' and the 'SR-110'. Fires a 7.62. I have never operated one. I based the design off of the SR-25 E2 ACC design that is non standard and sold to civilians... totally not trying to hint anything.

M45: The M45 is a nonstandard US used 1911 model manufactured by colt firearms. It operates the same as the other 1911s built by colt and was rejected from standard issue for price problems. As the name indicates, it fires the .45. I am a proud owner of a M45.

M92 FS: First introduced to the US in the early 80s, this 9mm handgun has become a standard for nearly 30-35 years in the US military arsenal. it comes in many variants but the US military prefers the FS model.

That is the longest description ever. Just remember I like keeping things realistic so I did it for you