The Mare on the Grassy Knoll
                                      Chapter One : Sunset
 
        The sky was lit with a deep purple hue as the last remainder of the sunlight fell beneath the horizon of Canterlot. The city streets were mostly deserted, with the occasional straggler shambling through the labyrinth of roads. Most of the local residence were busy attending the Grand Ball going on at the Canterlot Palace; A certain six ponies were no exception to this.
 
        “I’m tellin’ ya, Rainbow Dash, there just ain’t no way Rarity’s gonna like you pullin’ off them fancy tricks while you’re wearing the dress she made ya,” Applejack grumbled as she took a swig of her punch.
 
        “Big deal. She’ll get over it,” Rainbow Dash smirked. “Besides, how often do you get a chance to impress your idols?” She questioned, glancing over to where the Wonderbolts were mingling with other guests.
 
        Applejack just gave a disapproving look and shook her head in reply.
 
        The two mares shuffled away from the punch stand and went their separate ways through the squirming mass of ponies dancing, talking, and otherwise socializing.
       
        Dash made her way towards the courtyard to get some fresh air. She pushed and shoved through the densely packed ponies, overhearing conversations about various topics as she struggled along.
 
        Finally, she broke through the living blockade and was faced with the door leading to the fresh and clean nature outside. The pegasus inhaled deeply as she looked up into the soft night sky.
 
        “Nothing like the cool air of a nice night to slap the spirit of flying into you,” She said to herself.
       
        “You can say that again.” Spitfire stretched her wings.
 
        A rainbow formed in midair at the sound of the voice. Rainbow Dash was seen at the end of it, hovering  in midair, clutching her chest.
 
        “Ohmigoshomigoshomigosh-Spitfire! I didn’t see you back there!” Rainbow dash exclaimed, nearly tying her tongue in her haste to get the words out.
        “Soarin and I were just about to go flying ourselves. Wanna come with us?” Spitfire smirked in amusement at the fumbling pegasus.
 
        “Would I ever!” Rainbow dash squeed as she shot into the darkness above. “Catch me if you can!”
 
        Pinkie pie saw three pegasi shoot into the air through the castle windows.
 
        “Yay Dashie!” She bubbled, before quickly turning her attention to some silly thing elsewhere.
 
        “Oh, there you are, Darling. I’ve been looking all over for you,” Rarity greeted.
 
        “Hai, Rarity!” Pinkie exclaimed in her usual chirpy voice.
 
        “You don’t happen to know the whereabouts of Twilight, do you?” Rarity asked. "I've been meaning to ask her someth-"
       
        "Rarity?! Fashion designer extraordinaire? Is that you? You have to help me!" A frantic unicorn begged, grasping at the white unicorn desperately with her hooves.
 
        "Calm down, darling, and slow down, please. What ever do you need?" She soothed, trying to subtly remove the assailant's hooves from her gown.
 
        "M-my dress! It's ruined!" She cried, lifting up the hem of her gown to show the rip to the fashion designer. "It's all torn!"
 
        Rarity was relieved to see such a small problem. "Please, darling. That's just a miniscule tear, easily repaired. Would you like me to stitch it up for you? I'm sure there's a sewing machine around here somewhere," She cooed, confident in her abilities to fix such a simple wound in the fabric.
 
        "Would you? I would be in your debt forever if you could be so kind," The unicorn pleaded, hoping for the best.
 
        "Of course, my dear. I cannot in good conscience allow you to wear that awfully tattered dress," She replied with a simple smile. "If you'd allow me to take it off of you, I'll get to work and have it ready within an hour."
 
        "Oh, thank you so much!" The excited unicorn hopped happily, stopping to give Rarity a constricting hug.
 
        As soon as she had the dress folded and ready to go, Rarity said farewell and began to trot off, only stopping herself when she noticed how rude she had been.
 
        "Oh! I've almost forgot, I haven't even gotten your name, my dear," Rarity stated, feeling embarrassed at her own poor manners.
 
        "I'm Fleur De Lis," The unicorn happily replied, not seeming to notice Rarity's lack of memory of their previous introduction, when fancy pants was by her side.
 
        "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Fleur. I'll return with your dress shortly," Rarity called, already beginning to walk toward the exit.
       
        When she reached the open air, she shifted her eyes around carefully, making sure no one was following her. Once she was sure that she was alone, she trotted carefully down the road, away from the palace.
 
        Pinkie Pie watched as she went, waiting until she could be sure that the fashionista was really gone. After the alarm clocks in her head went off, signaling that a sufficient amount of time had passed, she trotted out the front entrance to an area on the side of the palace. A rather shady area, in terms of both the lighting and law. There, a rugged looking colt leaned against the wall, head downcast, seemingly waiting for her.
 
        "You got the stuff?"
 
        He lifted his gaze forty-five degrees upon hearing the voice. Pinkie could see the twinkle in his eye and the toothy grin lifting up his face.
 
        "'Course I gots the stuff. You got the money?"
 
        She paid for the illicit substance and briskly stepped away, not wanting any unwanted attention. Once she was out of the supervision of the palace, she stepped into an alleyway, and prepared herself. A sigh passed through her muzzle before she began.
 
        "Gonna need this tonight..." The needle broke the skin at the same time the piercing whisper came from her mouth. A warm feeling washed over her as she stood. Her legs urged for a run. She disposed of the needle and sped away, indulging on her endorphin rush.
 
        At the same time back at the palace, Applejack took several more swigs from her punch glass before mixing in more of the liquid in her metal flask. She took another quick sip before giving an approving laugh. Returning her flask to underneath her hat, she stumbled through the crowd, with a plastered smile on her face.
 
        Walking in the direct opposite direction, a timid Fluttershy searched through the crowd with her head hanging low, so as not to be noticed. She was the polar opposite of the drunken Applejack. At least drunken Applejack had some confidence.
 
        Eventually, as all things moving toward each other usually do, they met up in the middle. For the yellow pegasus, this came with a sigh of relief, but for the other, inebriated mare, this came in the form of dishonest eyes looking away from the other mare.
 
        "Oh, goodie, Applejack, I've been looking all over for you,"
 
        She let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding before greeting her friend. "'ey there, gal. What'sagoin' on?"
 
         
 
 
                                                [Add More]
 
                                                *********
 
        Elsewhere on the outskirts of Canterlot, Princess Celestia and her personal royal bodyguard Dusk Onset trotted along the cobblestone pathway toward the meeting spire.
 
        “M’lady, you should be at the Grand Ball celebrating, not going to some drab meeting of bureaucrats who have nothing better to do with their time than whittle it away with dreary conferences.”
 
        “True as that may be, you know how these things are. This nation doesn’t rule itself, and we don’t have anyone else who’d be willing to sit through these things,” Celestia joked with a smirk.
 
        “Perhaps your protege would be a valid substitute? We both know how talented she is in the bland arts,” Dusk replied, avoiding a pothole on the path. “ But I’m sure there’s reason behind your attendance, Princess.”
 
        “I would never dream of asking someone else to be here in my place. These meetings are a fate I would not wish upon my worst enemy,” Celestia dead-panned after a short pause.
 
        “Such a fate is worse than even death,” He agreed with a smile.
 
        Their light around them soon began to dim.
 
        “I believe the torch is beginning to burn itself out, Celestia. Let us make a quick stop.”
 
        The drop in formality was not lost upon Celestia’s ears, but she was not one to question it. Dusk had been her faithful personal guard for nearly a decade, and the fact that he had called her by her first name only showed that he was becoming more comfortable as her escort on that night.
 
        As Dusk began to wrap the torch once more, Celestia’s mind drifted to various topics. She closed her eyes and was embedded within her own thoughts.
 
        She almost didn’t hear the growl.
 
        Celestia’s eyes snapped open at the guttural noise coming from the brush behind Dusk, who was a bit preoccupied with getting the torch relit.
 
        “Did you hear that?”
 
        The torch flared into light right as the words came out of Celestia’s mouth.
 
        “Hear what?” He asked, turning to face the direction she was staring.
 
        “There was a strange growling noise coming from the darkness in those bushes,” Celestia squinted her eyes, trying to make out the silhouettes she imagined within the forest. “Let’s get a closer look.”
 
        Dusk drew his sword, and, waving Celestia behind him, moved in upon the overgrowth.
 
        He held the torch up next to the jutting twigs and leaves, but he saw nothing conspicuous.
       
        “If anyone or anything is in there, I command thee by the power of the Celestial guard to reveal thyself.”
 
        After intently staring into the darkness for what seemed like half an hour, they backed off, satisfied in their safety.
 
        “It must’ve been deeper in the wood. Let’s continue on,” Dusk spoke as he sheathed his sword. “We should be safe.”
 
        Dusk held the torch out front to light their path as they began to move again.
       
        “It’s funny how sometimes things seem to work out better than you expect,” He spoke, breaking the silence. She nodded and smiled back at him in agreement.
       
        It was only when the torch was knocked to the path that she saw how very wrong he was.
 
        The moonlight reflected off the timberwolf’s eyes, who was currently pinning Dusk to the ground, causing an eerie glow to emanate from them. The creature’s teeth snapped and tore at Dusk’s neck, threatening to rip his jugular vein. The only obstacle in its path was the distance Dusk kept between himself and the wolf by holding it back with his hooves.
 
        Celestia reacted almost immediately, using her magic to thrust the timberwolf onto the cobblestone.
 
        The wolf wasted no time in jumping back to its paws, reeling on its attacker.
Celestia would’ve been knocked to the ground by it, had it not been for Dusk’s quick reaction.
 
        He tackled the monster out of the air, all the while plunging his sword into its chest.
 
        The wolf landed on its back, with Dusk keeping the sword impaled in its chest.
 
        The pair did not stay like this for long, however, as the wolf soon threw Dusk into the air and ripped out his sword with its mighty jaws.
 
        Celestia narrowed her eyes as the timberwolf once again went in for the kill. She concentrated her magic into a single focal point on the wolf and unleashed a blast of arcane power.
 
        “AROOO!” The wolf howled, being blasted several feet from the pure magical force.
 
        In just a moment later, the wolf was once again standing. Celestia looked shocked until she saw where the left leg was nearly burned off. She also noticed that the wolf now had a slightly pained posture, favoring its right side.
 
        The wolf creeped closer to Dusk, both of them being locked in a dueling stance.
 
        The wolf flared its teeth at him, who in return used his magic to raise the sword above its neck at a loaded angle. Time seemed to crawl around Celestia as the two beings in her line of sight prepared to strike one another.
       
        Seemingly simultaneously, both of them struck. A razor sharp claw met the bodyguard’s cheek and sliced through it like hot wax. At the same time, the blade came down, separating parts of the wolf.
 
        The foreleg that had cut an abrupt shape into the pony’s face continued going a few feet farther than it would have had it been still attached.
 
        Dusk felt the warm substance that began to run right below his eye and winced at the sharp shock that ran through the nerves in the area. He gritted his teeth and stomped menacingly over to the wolf.
 
        He began to raise his sword again, to deliver the coupe de grace, when the canid yelped and plunged away, stumbling into the forest.
 
        Dusk let out a quick angry grunt as he swung his sword down where the wolf had just been seconds ago. He took a moment to compose himself and take a few deep breaths before turning to face Celestia.
       
        Celestia trotted over and laid a helping hoof on his shoulder. “Let’s hope the meeting is just as fun,” She grinned, eyeing him for any injuries. “Are you alright?”
 
        “I’m a bit roughed up, but I should be alright,” He said simply, but not without a hint of bragging, while rolling his shoulders, hoping to pop them. “As long as you’re unhurt, I’ll manage.”
 
        She shot him a smile and shook her head playfully. “Always so selfless. You really should think of yourself more often.”
 
        “Your health takes precedence over my own, princess.” He said simply, in a ‘no-further-argument’ way.
       
        The rest of the way to the spire was uneventful, with the occasional conversation about events of the time.
 
                                        *****************
 
        As the two reached the end of the broken rocky path, you could nearly hear a pleasured sigh emitted by the two as their hooves glided onto the smooth stone pavement of the bridge to the spire.
 
        “Finally, we reach civilization once more,” Dusk joked in a falsely-proud voice. “May we stay here for an eternity?”
       
        “Maybe that should be the question of the upcoming meeting,” Celestia half-giggled to him.
 
        As the pair neared the doors, they were noticed by an unseen presence from above the gate.
        “Halt! Who stands at the royal meeting spire...--thingy’s entrance?” A female voice shot from above the large wooden arch-doors.
 
        “It is I, The Royal Bodyguard, along with my trusty companion, The Royal Princess!” Dusk yelled, thrusting out a hoof in a mocking salute at the pony who revealed herself above the entrance. “Open Sesame, if you would be so kind as to open this mighty door, it would be much appreciated,” He finished with a grin.
 
        “Oh, damnit, Dusk, and here I thought it was someone important,”  The night-guard-pony mocked while rolling her eyes, grinning.  
        She then turned her gaze to Celestia and smiled warmly. “Welcome, Princess.”
 
        The large arch doors soon creaked, and began sliding inwards to the entrance lobby with a metallic pang.
 
        The Princess and her escort soon trotted into the room, letting their eyes swim around at the luxurious architecture in the interior.
 
        “They’ve really done some nice work on the columns,” Celestia commented, soaking in the relaxed atmosphere. “We should really try to get this architect to help out at the palace, for some of the new unfinished rooms.”
 
        “I agree,” He smirked.
 
        Any possible continuation of the discussion was abruptly halted by a surprised and nervously anxious unicorn secretary.
 
        “Princess! I was so afraid that something had happened to you!” The unicorn subtly exaggerated, pausing a moment before quickly changing the subject to the other matter at hoof.
        “We need to hurry you to the meeting upstairs, the other participants are a bit... unforgiving of your tardiness.”
       
        “That’s quite alright, I don’t mind their suffering any more than they mind mine,” Celestia half-joked, while nodding a farewell to her escort.
 
        “I’ll wait for you in the elegant ‘penthouse’ on the fourth floor,” He mocked, rolling his eyes as they all rushed to the arcane lift.
       
        Celestia narrowed her eyes in an attempt to look angry at Dusk for making fun of her earlier stargazing at the luxury of the room, but utterly failed when she  couldn’t stop the muscles of her face from forming a smirk.
 
        He soon found himself stepping out of the lift box.
 
        “Don’t go wandering off, now,” Celestia deepened her voice in an attempt to imitate his.
        “We’ll see,” He replied jokingly.
       
        He opened the door to their designated suite with a creak. He quickly lit all of the torches situated around the room.
 
        He let his saddlebags fall to the floor as his muscles relaxed.
 
        “Aaahh, much better,” He sighed happily. Before he knew it, he also had his sword and equipment belts taken off as well. He was going to relax for the short amount of time he had before the next stage of the plan.
 
        His relaxation was soon interrupted, however, by a small breeze blowing through the room. The air flowed in between the skin where his cheek had been sliced earlier. He could feel a cold river of blood begin to flow again.
 
        He stood up against the mirror in the bathroom a few seconds later, examining with a hoof the severity of the wound. It would most definitely leave a pink scar jutting through his pinkish-purple coat.
 
        He scruffed up his dirtied blonde beard with a hoof,  admiring the amount of hair he found there.
 
        As he walked back out into the hallway, he strapped a small pair of daggers to each side of himself. He allowed his red cape to cover them from the unwary eye. He felt rather lightweight now that he had shed the royal armor.
 
        He trotted up to the area in front of the lift and waited for the doors to open.
        As soon as he was inside, he used his magic to set the destination to a floor marked as lookout station. A red aura came out of the arcane device, signaling that the floor was forbidden, only to be stopped by Dusk moments later by a simple swipe of his royal duty badge.
 
        He had come prepared.
 
        The female night-guard that had earlier greeted he and the princess had been napping when the doors opened.
 
        “Sleeping on the job again, Open Sesame?” Dusk began to say very loudly, as he walked toward the desk her head lay on.
 
        The pegasus shot into the air at a speed that Dusk had only previously seen done by trained warriors, crashing with a mighty thud into the ceiling.
 
        “Oh, buck. You. Dusk,” She spoke, gasping for breath while rubbing her head with a hoof.
 
        “Now, now, no need to be angry, I was simply reminding you of your duties,” He winked with a mocking smirk as she grounded herself again.
 
        She shook her head while smiling, unable to keep herself from giggling at his charming way of joking.
 
        “Duties my flank, you just wanted to see me,” She teased. “ How sweet.”
 
        “Guilty as charged,” He chuckled.
 
        “So, how’ve you been? It’s been a while,” She spoke, trying to strike up some type of interesting conversation to keep her away from the boredom of her current job. “You never come to see me anymore,” She mumbled.
 
        “I’ve been alright. How about yourself?” He asked, inching his way closer to her subtly.
 
        “Good, good. Hopefully I’ll be able to get out of this boring place for a while when I go on vacation next month,” She lowered her eyelids promiscuously and whispered, “Maybe visit a few old friends...”
 
        He smiled back at her as he inched even closer, not even bothering to conceal it now.
 
        He soon locked his lips with hers forcefully as he pushed her back onto her  desk. She submitted to him and soon lay underneath with him on top of her.
 
        She was left gasping for air after the kiss, beginning to shed off her lunar guard armor.
 
        “So forceful, Dusky boy...” She moaned as the chest-plates came off.
 
        He backed up a bit, much to her chagrin.
 
        “Well, what are you waiting for?” She asked, a bit unpatiently. When he did not answer, she began to shift off of the desk and sit up.
 
        A forceful shove to the desk by his hoof stopped her from being successful.
 
        “What the fuck...” She began as she wheezed from the oxygen being forced from her lungs. It was then that she noticed that his horn was glowing with arcane energy.
 
        She then saw something stirring from beneath his cape. She didn’t have to guess what it was. Years of guard training and experience had taught her how to identify a weapon being unsheathed.
 
        Once again, she tried forcing her way from under the hoof and away, only to be slammed back into the desk. His muscular hoof had moved to her neck and was now crushing her windpipe.
 
        As he crushed harder, she tried mumbling out a call for help. The only thing
that came out were squeaky choked coughing noises and small amounts of blood. Her vision became watery and blurry from the tears forming in her eyes.
 
        Just as she began to black out, a stinging pain invaded her consciousness, forcing her back to reality. She craned her head around his hoof and saw something that shocked her to the point of screaming.
 
        There was a dagger stabbed into her chest, forcing blood to pour out in small, arterial bursts. His purple magic aura surrounded the intruding weapon.
 
        “I’m sorry, my dear, but it looks as if tonight will not include the type of stabbing you’re accustomed to receiving from me,” He consoled her in an insincere melancholic voice. “I hope this one will suffice, though.”
 
        Her hind hoof shot into his unprotected lower chest, forcing the wind from him and causing him to stumble away, losing his grip on her throat and the dagger.
 
        She stood on her hindlegs and jumped up from the desk, eliciting a sharp pain from the area around her lungs and heart.
 
        Stumbling, she tumbled unsteadily towards him on her hind-legs, only making it a few feet. The shock and blood loss was making her woozy. She raised her hooves in his direction him weakly and collapsed towards him.
 
        Dusk regained his balance and stood on his hind legs to catch her as she stumbled into him, whimpering. By now, the blood was covering the path from the desk to him, along with her entire chest and was threatening to flow onto her hindlegs. Judging by his guard medical training, her wound was already fatal.
 
        He felt the warmness of her blood on his chest as he pressed it against hers. She couldn’t fight the embrace. She was too drained and weak. She continued to whimper and cry softly as he lowered her most of the way to the floor. He wanted her last moments to be comfortable, at least. She deserved that much.
 
        “Shhh..” He whispered soothingly, stroking her mane. “It’ll be over soon. I promise.”
        “W-w..Why.. D-Dusk?” She sobbed, her vision beginning to blur. As she asked the question, she swore she saw the faintest wince of regret in his usually confident dark green eyes.
 
        He turned his gaze away from her. After a pause, he spoke again.
 
        “I’m... Sorry,” He soothed. “You...were a...liability. A kink in the armor. We can’t have that.”
 
        She felt the sting of tears begin again as the dismay of betrayal by one of, if not, her very closest friend and occasional lover sank in. A small and weak whimper once again fled her throat.
 
        "I...don't know w-what you're p-planning, b...-but...I-I would've helped you... I w-woul-d've done anything for y-you. I l-lo.. lov-... y-you, Dus-...k..." She stammered while shivering, her body losing temperature quickly. A strange mix of malaise and calm washed through her, utterly exhausting the last of her energy. The warm liquid still pumped from the wound in her chest, flooding out around the blade.
 
        He sighed and cast his eyes downwards. "No. You wouldn't have dragged yourself into something like this. I k-know it," He replied, his own voice beginning to break. He wasn't sure who he was trying to assure more. He had to have been right. He'd just killed her! If she really would've allied with him...-
 
        "Bu-bu..t... Dusk, I l-love you..." She forced out, straining to use the last of her energy to make the words understandable over the tremors in her body and voice.
 
        He pressed his lips against hers again, softly this time. He lingered there for a moment, taking in her sweet smell, strongly contrasted by the coppery taste on her lips. She let out a blissful sigh and slumped down a bit lower, completely relaxing. He broke the kiss and she opened her eyes halfway, unable to go any further.
 
        He opened his eyes back into hers, and, lighting up his horn, lowered her eyelids again. She was too weak to fight him as she lay in a pool of her own blood, her life fading anyway.
 
        "I love you too," He said simply, fighting to keep his voice from breaking. He had to be strong.
 
        She let out her last breath and slipped away from the world of the living. He lowered her head to the ground carefully.
       
        Her death won't be in vain, he thought. I'll see to that myself.
       
        He grabbed the dagger with his magic and pulled it from her, feeling the flesh and muscle resist his pull. He wrung the knife a few times, hoping to sling off the blood, before resheathing it onto his back.
 
        He steeled his expression and moved on, back towards the lift. He didn’t look back.