The Shadow of Equestria

Chapter 8

The Hunt Begins

Celestia paced back and forth, eying the troops that Shining Armor had presented to her. They all stood in perfect posture, staring ahead as if the Princess of Equestria was not present. This slightly annoyed her about her troops but they got things do and she liked that. Celestia turned to their leader, Captain Shining Armor.

"Do you know why I asked you and your troops to gather here today Captain?" she asked as she stood before him.

"No Princess, but I assume that it has something to do with those two murders in the Market district?" He asked looking up at her.

"You are correct Captain, those murders have shocked all of Canterlot and it's not even noon. We have searched and searched but could not find the killer, until I found the one piece of evidence that pointed right to him." Celestia said in a hateful voice. Her horn lit up as a letter materialized in front of her, a copy of the one she had burned out of rage, the one Zhane had wrote.

"Tell me Captain, what do find unsettling about this letter." she said as the letter exchanged magical grasps.

"Hmmmmm." said Shining Armor as he read over the letter. "I find the whole poem unsettling. Who would murder two ponies and then write this?"

"That's exactly what I thought." said Celestia as she started to pace. "I thought what kind of monster would brutally mutilate two ponies, turn around, and write something so...so...so."

"Moving." interrupted Shining Armor.

"Exactly." said Celestia. "I have never seen a poem of that fabrication. To write about the fear of death is somewhat unheard of here in Equestria. However, that was not the thing that set me off. Look closely, what else do you see?"

Shining Armor paused as he looked over the letter.

"I noticed several grammar errors like the word "man". I have never heard of that word and should be replaced with somepony. The next thing is about this Heaven and Hell mentioned later in the poem. I have never heard of these places, so I would naturally think that the killer was from somewhere where they would use these terms."

His eyes scanned over the last few parts of the poem.

From sense of pain and grief we shall be free;

We shall not feel, because we shall not be.

-Mister Zhane

"No." said Shining Armor in disbelief. "There is no way that foul-mouthed, psychotic creature could have done this. I thought it was confirmed that he left Canterlot?"

"So we thought." said Celestia. "It turns out he must have been hiding somewhere where would wouldn't be able to find him. That's when it hit me; the ponies murdered were in Witness Protection. The pony being protected was Looking Glass of The Black Hooves. He led to the capture of two enforcers, Silent Night and Poison Spectre, one of which escaped along with Zhane."

"So that means that Zhane Black, the murderous, psychotic, human with insane magical abilities is in the hooves of Dark Wing and his thugs!" exclaimed Shining Armor.

"I'm afraid so Captain." said Celestia. "Just knowing that Zhane is in the hooves of Dark Wing and not behind bars frightens me. So that's why I called you here today. You may only have been a Captain for a few weeks Shining Armor, but you are just like your sister. Both of you possess what it takes to succeed. Your sister has reached a level of magical ability that could one day surpass mine. You have been able to reach a rank that many covet and earn after years of service and you have only been in the Royal Guard for three years. That is why I called you here; I believe that you can do what I am going to assign you."

"I will do my best Princess." said Shining Armor as he saluted.

"Good, here's what I need you and your troops to do. I want you to sweep the industrial area. Reports state that there has always been an increased percentage of crime in that area. You'll be looking for The Black Hooves. However, your main target is Zhane himself. Now I know what power he possess and I have no idea how much control he has over it but when you find him, send up a signal and the entirety of the Royal guard will descend upon him.

"Yes Princess." replied Shining Armor.

"You are dismissed." said Celestia as she watched Shining Armor and his troops speed towards the city to complete the task at hand.

Celestia took a step back and launched herself into the sky, flying to one of the balconies on the nearby towers of the castle. Looking around the city with a frown on her face, Celestia landed on the balcony.

"I will find you Zhane Black, even if I have to search for you myself."

So there I was, sitting on 50,000 bits, with nothing to do. I contemplated spending it on something but nothing ever caught my eye. I just spent my days in that club sleeping in and drinking the night away. I'm not a drunkard, don't get me wrong, but something about my current situation had me depressed. There were no jobs to be done, no killing, nothing. I was just sitting there, biding my time. Though, I can't complain about my drinking buddy, she sure could lighten things up. I'm talking about the one and only Poison Spectre of course. Over the past few days she and I had really gotten to know each other. She was stuck at the club as well, trying to stay low due to the wanted posters at every street in Canterlot, so she was forced to spend time with me.

We would spend the night drinking and telling stories of past experiences and due to my profession, I was an interesting man. I talked about Lewis and Ashton, the infamous Black brothers to whom I owe the name. I talked about my early and late career, and I talked about general life on Earth. She on the other hand or hoof would go on about the neighboring countries and how she wanted to visit them, she also talked about her partner who was still in the Canterlot dungeon and had to be forgotten about.

This particular day it had hit the afternoon, around 3 or 4. I was sitting in the bar area with Poison Spectre as we started to talk for a bit. Somehow, I got on the topic of my weapons.

"I had this belt designed to hold four push daggers. God I miss those things." I exhaled as rubbed my face.

"What happened to them?" asked Poison Spectre as she leaned in.

"I think they were taken by Celestia when I was in the castle for that week after Nightmare Moon's return. I didn't really have time to look for them while I was escaping. Instead of finding them, I found you. Good alternative, I guess." I whispered as Spectre's face showed a brief flash of anger before mumbling a few swear words under her breath.

"But the one thing that I truly miss is my pistols."

Poison Spectre twisted her head at the mention of the word pistol.

"What's a pistol?" she asked. "I've never heard of something with that name.

"A pistol is a weapon that is capable of slinging piece of metal at incredible fast speeds. The pieces of metal were called bullets and were built with gunpowder to launch the bullet forward. So it's mainly a ranged weapon."

"Hmmm." said Spectre as she sat back. "I've never heard of something like that. The only ranged weapons we have are bows, crossbows, and magic for the unicorns. Bows are used by unicorns mostly because they can pull the string back with ease. It takes years for any other pony to learn how to shoot a bow properly. Crossbows are different; they allow us pegasi and earth ponies to have the same power of a bow just with less accuracy."

There was an awkward silence, one that was spent looking at each other for about thirty seconds.

"Hey, I got an idea!" said Poison Spectre. "I know about this stallion down the road from here that works for The Black Hooves. Even better, he's a blacksmith, so you might be able to spend some of that money of a new weapon."

I sat back in my chair before pushing myself up.

"Might as well, I have nothing better to do."

Poison Spectre smiled and shot up into the air before stabilizing herself at about my height.

"Let's go, I'll lead the way."

We left the club and immediately started to navigate the back alleys of the city. In no time at all, we found ourselves at a shitty looking store front with a crudely painted sign on the front that read "BLACKSMITH".

"So this is the home of the blacksmith that supplies equipment to The Black Hooves?" I asked as I crossed my arms.

"It may not look like anything, but the stuff that's made in here is top quality. You can trust me on that." said Poison Spectre as she softly landed on the ground and walked to the door. She pushed on it slightly and opened it with a ring sound that alerts the store owner that someone is entering the store. I followed her inside and was amazed at what I saw. Weapons lined the room and walls. Swords were neatly hung in the sheaths along the wall; spears were stacked along weapon racks in the hundreds. The heavier weapons were back behind the counter hanging on the wall and in display cases.

"I change my mind, I like this place." I said as I smiled.

"You warm my old heart, thanks for the compliment." said a gruff, old sounding voice from the back of the store. Out came a bluish looking Earth pony whose fur had faded into a mix of blue and gray.

"Zhane, this is Anvil, the blacksmith."

"Nice to meet you Zhane. I've heard talk from the Black Hooves that have come into my store recently about a creature called a Human that was working for them. At first, I didn't believe that a creature from an old mare's tale would be real, but now I see you for my own eyes. Now, what can I do for you today?" He said as he walked behind the counter.

I walked up and placed my hands on the counter.

"I have recently come into a bit of money and am in need of some weapons of my own. I would like something for close range and something for long range."

Anvil nodded and walked into the back room. He took several minutes before reemerging with several weapons in his grasp. He laid them down on the counter.

"These are several bows that I have made in the past couple days." He pointed towards the two bows on the left. "Those are short bows, more suited for medium to long range and are pretty accurate." He then pointed to the one bow on the right. "That is a long bow; I would recommend that one for longer shots."

I looked over the bow and grabbed the long bow and pulled the string back. I smiled, it felt good to finally have my hands on a weapon again, one that I would own.

"I'll take it." I said as I slowly let the string fall back into its original place.

Anvil smiled, "Alright, one to your other request."

Anvil moved over to the heavy weapon wall and looked over the weapons there.

"I think a long sword might do you good. What do you think?" he asked.

"I was thinking of something along the lines of a dagger." I said.

"Really?" he asked in a confused voice. "I would think that someone your size would like a weapon to match his strength but I guess everypony has their favorite." said Anvil as he walked back over to the front counter before reaching under it and grabbing a large roll of what looked to be leather. He placed it on the counter and rolled it out to reveal a large selection of small knifes and daggers.

"Take your pick." he said as he backed away from the counter.

I looked down over the weapons to find the exact one that I wanted. I wanted something lightweight, but slightly bigger than most knifes. I also wanted two of the same kind just in case I had to throw one. If that happened, I would have another one ready to strike. As I looked through the knifes, two finally caught my eye. They were of average length but long enough to cause some real damage.

"I'll take these." I said as I held both of them up for Anvil to see.

"Those are similar to the standard issue combat knifes given to the Equestrian Defense Force once they complete their training. A very good choice."

Anvil rolled up the leather and placed it back under the counter before coming back.

"Anything else?" he asked.

I looked over the things in front of me. A long bow and two knifes for my needs.

"I'll need some arrows." I said as I looked at him.

"I can sell you a quiver of 50 for an extra 100 bits. That whatcha want?"

"That's perfect." I said. It was more than enough.

"Alright, one long bow, two standard issue military knifes, and a quiver of 50 arrows will cost about..." Anvil looked up at the ceiling trying to count the figure in his head. "2500 bits."

I agreed to the price and counted out the amount as he collected my new weapons. Once 2500 bit were counted out, Anvil pushed the things my way. The knifes came with a belt that contained their sheaths with the arrows were secured in the quiver and hung from the back of the belt. I smiled as I slipped the belt on, tightened it, and adjusted the weapons now at my side. I felt happy again, happy that I now had the means to kill and protect myself freely. I got that ability back just in time.

We thanked Anvil and walked out of the blacksmith.

"Do you even know how to shoot a bow?" asked Poison Spectre as she tilted her head.

"It can't be any different than shooting a gun. I just have to account for the arrows speed and lead it properly."

"Whatever you say Zha..." said Spectre as she stopped mid-sentence. "Oh no."

"What?" I asked as I stared at her with serious concern.

She simply pointed one of her hooves up in the air and pointed to a Royal Guard flying through the skies scanning the area.

"That's not good." she said. "If there's one, more are nearby and they're probably looking for you."

I scoffed, those guard ponies were really starting to get on my nerves. That's when an idea popped into my head. I pulled the bow front and center and reached for an arrow. As I pulled it out of the quiver, Poison Spectre interjected.

"You can't possibly think that you'll be able to hit him do you? I doubt that you have the ability to do so."

I didn't listen, I didn't need to. The only thing motivating me to make this shot was the prospect of another kill and I wasn't going to miss. I rested the arrow on the side of the bow and placed it on the string as I pulled it back. I let a breath loose; I remembered that aiming with a bow was as simple as looking down the shaft of the arrow and accounting for the distance and speed of the object.

The guard, a pegasus, was flying along at a low speed. My guess was to see down to street level in more detail, which was good for me. It gave me a less quick target to hit. The distance wasn't a problem either, the guards was only about 15 yards away from me. I smiled and looked down the shaft of the arrow. The guard continued to fly until I found it right in my sights. Time seemed to slow once I let go of the arrow. I watched as it flew from my bow through the air and right under the guard's left wing. This caused him to go limp on one side of his body and float to the ground a couple streets down.

Shining Armor walked the streets of the industrial district with a hateful look on his face. He has spent a good 5 hours searching for Zhane and The Black Hooves with no luck. Everytime he tried to ask the local who lived in the area, he was met with slammed doors and a numerous amounts of swear words telling him to leave. He was beginning to lose hope that he would complete his task.

"Captain!" called a guard from behind him. "We have finished the sweep of the south-side, we haven't found a thing."

Shining Armor growled slightly, "This job is starting to seem hopeless. We've been here for 5 hours and nothing has been achieved. I'm starting to feel like this is an impossible task. I mean, it's not like our answer will fall from the sky."

Just then, a pegasus guard landed on his side a few yards away from Shining Armor. Shining looked at him in horror, because the only thing that he saw was the arrow sticking out of him. Shining Armor shook himself out of it and approached the guard.

"Hey, tell me what happened!" Shining Armor yelled.

The guard coughed slightly and turned his head towards the Captain.

"I...I was flying my route, when I notice something strange moving in the back alleys. I moved away from the route to investigate and that's when I saw that...thing."

"What thing, what did it look like?" asked Shining Armor.

"I only got a glimpse at it but I think it was that thing we're looking for. It was tall, wearing some kind of weird clothing, and holding a massive bow at an angle I've never seen a pony hold at before."

Shining Armor nodded in thanks and smiled. He had finally found Zhane, which meant that he was actually in the Industrial District. Shining stood back and focused his magic into his horn before sending it into the sky in a huge blast.

"I hit him under his left wing, is that a vital spot for pegasi?" I asked as I looked over to Poison Spectre who mouth was currently hanging open. She closed it and cleared her throat.

"No, but you probably have the main nerve running from the body to the wing. It'll keep him on the ground for a while. So let's take that time to get out of here because there are probably more guards around."

I wanted to complain and argue but Spectre's point was valid; I did not want to stir up the Royal Guard after I had escaped and brutally mutilated two ponies. However, I really wanted to finish the guard off, I didn't like the idea of letting him live but what could I have done. I turned and began to follow Spectre but stopped once I heard the sound similar to that of a firework going off. I turned to see that the sky was filled with a purplish hue that looked familiar but didn't register at the time.

"Hey Spectre, what the fuck is that?" I asked as I called over to her.

She turned and started to answer but stopped once she saw the sky. That's when here pupil shrank to the size of pinpricks.

"Th...th...th...that's the emergency alert used by the Royal Guard." she said in a stuttering voice. "We need to go; I have a bad feeling that today is going to be the most difficult day of our lives."

"Why do you say that?" I asked as I continued to look up in the sky.

Spectre pointed to a mass of what looked to be soldiers that we flying towards where the signal had originated.

"Because the entire Royal Guard is about to descend on us."

Here's Chapter 8 for everpony, Enjoy!

I apologize for the lateness of the last few chapters but I have now come into some free time. So expect the chapter to arrive on time once again.

See everypony next Monday.