Chapter 57 - An Assassin's Words

Frida was running along the rooftops, happy to be out in the cooling evening air. She and Zecora had been on a date nearby and separated after Frida decided spur of the moment to practice some of her skills.

It reminded her of some of her first days training. Having been given a destination to get to in the fastest time possible in some of the most convoluted cities in the world. She learned quickly that in order to succeed she had to take to the roofs.

She jumped and landed on top of a small office building and stopped for a few deep breaths. That was when she heard a noise nearby. Turning swiftly, expecting an attack, she saw a family head of black and blue hair.

Frida didn't know what Micro was doing here, but she was happy to see him.

"Hey kid! What're you doing…" His head snaps up and Frida sees the look in his eyes. Red from crying, a haunted look behind them, a weird mix of guilt and anger. "Oh...shit. I know that look. Damn I wasn't expecting it to happen already."

She walked over to the wall he was leaning against and sat down beside him.

"Why don't you start from the beginning?"

Like a dam, Micro burst. He told her everything. The message they got while training. The rush to get there. Coming across Fido.

Micro's voice broke as he told her what he did. She hid her emotions, but she was shocked. The look told her he killed, but she didn't think it was like that.

He gave a brief run through of what happened in the ID, clearly not being too upset about that. Finally he said how he took down Gamer's Mind and fled the scene.

"I'm a murderer…" he choked. "I'm a damn monster. What makes me better than-"

A loud smack sent him sprawling. He looked up and saw Frida staring down at him.

"Don't you finish that statement. You are not the same level as that bastard."

"How can you say that! I-"

"Did you really think this might not happen someday? You have been developing your combat skills and, hell, you have me, an ASSASSIN, as your trainer! We might not have gotten that far into our lessons, but you were going to learn how to kill."

"But I-"

"Let me finish. As for the torture, you did what you had to to get information out of him. If you didn't, what do you think would've happened to Scootaloo and the others?"

Images of the girls being sold off to the highest bidder and...used... flashed through his mind. He shuddered.

"But I killed him. He was crippled. Defenseless! And I burned him alive!"

"You snapped." She said, nodding. "He ignited a righteous anger in you and you snapped. That was going to be one of the first lessons to you. How to temper yourself."

She turned her eyes to the sky, as if searching it for a memory.

"When I was first learning my craft, my teachers would tell us about targets. They would list all manner of criminals. From common thieves to human traffickers like the one you killed. The worse the crime got, the more angry I would get, and the more they would reprimand me. 'Anger in proper amounts can give you the push to oppose evil. But too much and you become evil yourself.'"

"So I am-"

"No damn it!" She growled. "You made a mistake! You took your anger out on him! But he hurt those you care for. Who knows how many innocents are still suffering because of his actions. Whether it was wrong, or whether it was justice is a debate that will never end and there will always be those who defend both sides. The only for sure thing that can be said about it is you did it."

"It hurts Frida...I feel sick…"

"And that's good." He looked up at her and saw her eyes were watery. "You regret what you did. You feel bad for taking a life, even one such as him. Use that. Next time your emotions flare up, remember this. That feeling will always be with you. The thing to remember is not to let it consume you."

She closed her eyes as if debating whether to continue.

"Years ago, I had a friend. Well...he was a lot more than that actually. He was the one person I thought could change my life forever. He understood me on a level even Z can't. But then...I was forced to kill him."

Micro was shocked. He wanted to ask why but held back his curiosity.

"I could've given up. I could've put aside all that I learned, all the travesties I could stop by doing what others can't, but I knew my conscious wouldn't let me. Is killing wrong? Yeah. Does killing some people stop innocents from being hurt? Yes. Does that justify it? I don't know, but it's my job to help the world in the way I can. You got your first taste of how grey the real world can be sometimes. It sucks, but I'm here now because I didn't give up. Are you going to?"

Micro looked down. The image...the smell...the screams. They still filled his mind, but now...there was something else.

Resolve.

"I can't take back what I did…" he muttered as tears fell from his eyes. He looked up and Frida say a sad smile on his face. "But I can't let it break me."

Frida smiled too and hugged the boy, letting him cry into her shoulder. After a few minutes, she felt him stop and they separated.

"Want me to come with you back to your friends?"

Micro nodded.

A Bit Later

They didn't find the group in the alley. At first, Micro was afraid they decided he wasn't worth it and went home. Frida convinced him to look around a bit since she doubted they would do that.

After a few short minutes, they found the group or friends sitting around an outdoor table at a closed cafe. Still worried with how they felt about him after what he did, he tried casting Observe.

Nothing.

He tried again and again, but got no screens. He didn't have time to figure out why however, as Chara looked up.

"Micro!" She yelled and bolted down the street to him. The young Gamer didn't know what to do. She looked happy, but also upset. Scootaloo and Silver were also running along with Chara as the others made their way over slower.

"I...I'm-"

SMACK!

Micro held his cheek as it was struck for the second time that night. Chara was staring at him, her eyes wet with tears.

"Don't ever scare us like that again!" She yelled as she hugged him. Scootaloo and Silver both wrapped their arms around him as well.

"You...you don't hate me?"

"Haven't you gotten our messages?" Scootaloo asked. "We've been worried sick!"

"Messages?" Micro said. He never got any…

Quickly he reactivated Gamer's Mind. A flood of screens popped up and he saw a series of chat messages from Chara and Scootaloo.

"With Gamer's Mind down...I didn't see the world as a game. I didn't get the messages."

Now that he realized that, he used Observe again. He only focused on the Relationship section.

Chara: Upset you kill Fido, but only because she worries about how it will affect you.

Scootaloo: Worries how it will affect you and understands why you did it.

Silver: Doesn't like that you killed Fido, but understands the feelings that led to it. Worried for you.

Sugar: Hates what you did and wary of you for doing it, but can't deny he wanted to do the same thing.

Apple Bloom: Slightly afraid of you after hearing about what you did, even if she thinks she might've reacted the same if her family or Sugar were in the same position.

Sweetie Belle: Afraid after hearing what you did, even if she agrees Fido was scum and she understands the reason behind what you did.

Ember: Wary of training you with the Dragon Gem if you would continue to use it in anger like this.

Spike: Upset with you, but only for not showing mercy despite saying you would. Plans to keep an eye on you so you don't go mad with power. Worried he might lose his best friend.

"Of course we don't hate you," Chara said. "I for one would be a hypocrite if I complained, even though I found it a bit excessive."

"I love you Micro," Scootaloo said. "And while I don't like what you did, I get why you did it."

"You were my first true friend Micro," Silver said. "It..is a bit upsetting to know what you did, but…"

"Many of us would be liars if we tried to say we would never do that for those we care about," Sugar said, holding Apple Bloom's hand.

"Y...yeah," Apple Bloom added, though a little hesitant. Sweetie gave a small nod, even though she couldn't seem to look him in the eyes. Spike was looking at him with an unreadable expression, same as Ember. He motioned for the girls hugging him to step back a bit, and walked up to the two Dracokin.

"Ember...I want to thank you for your help today. If you would allow me, I wish to make a request."

"...Go on…" she said with a neutral look.

"I would like to continue lessons, but that's entirely up to you. Either way, please hold onto the gem. I don't trust myself with it for now and need to control my anger."

The leader of the Fangs was taken aback at the maturity in that statement, but nodded.

"Lessons can continue," she said. "But you will hand over the gem after each one. Should a time come when I feel you are ready to use it again, I will return it to you."

Micro smile in thanks before turning to Spike.

"Spike...I-"

"I don't care so much that you killed him," Spike cut him off. "And I will even say the torture to get the info out of him was justified considering we didn't know how much time we had. But-"

"I killed him despite saying I would be merciful and I did it in the most torturous way possible," Micro finished. Spike nodded. Sighing, Micro continued. "I snapped and let anger take control. It doesn't justify what I did, and it was a mistake to act out like that. Can...can I trust you to be there if I need someone to remind me to calm down before I act?"

Spike looked Micro in the eye. He saw all the emotions behind them. Sadness for what he did, anger at himself for losing control, and fear that his friend would abandon him. Spike sighed and looked up with a small smile.

"Of course man. I will always be there to give you a shove in the right direction."

He held his hand up in fist bump and Micro happily returned it.

"Good to see everyone is still friends!"

The group turned to see Frida smiling at them. With the excitement of having found Micro, they didn't take notice of the busty ninja, but they certainly took notice now, especially the girls.

"Holy!" Apple Bloom gasped, making Frida laugh.

"I get that a lot kid. So…" she turned to Scootaloo and Silver. "I know Chara, but which one of you is Micro's other girl? Scootaloo I believe it was."

"That would be me," Scootaloo said after snapping out of her daze. Micro had told her a bit about Frida but...wow.

"Wait," Silver said, looking at Micro and Scoots. "Other girl? Chara?"

Micro and Scootaloo both blushed while Chara grinned.

"You didn't tell them?" Micro asked Chara.

"I explained what happened and the basics of your abilities. That's it. But…" Chara walked around behind Micro and hugged him, also wrapping her arms around Scootaloo. "We don't mind sharing."

Silver blushed. She looked at the trio and images flowed through her head. A small trickle of blood dropped from her nose.

"Looks like someone has a bit of a dirty mind," Frida said, patting Silver on the back. Silver started stammering which made everyone chuckle.

Frida smiles. She managed to break the tension a bit, which was her goal. Despite her teasing suggesting more, she viewed Micro like a little brother (or sister depending on the day). Looking up, she saw Micro smiling at her with tears in his eyes.

Thank you

He mouthed the words and she grinned back.

You're welcome kid

Meanwhile Elsewhere

"Kamoshida failed."

"What?!" A female voice with a haughty accent shrieked. "He was my own personal energy bank? How did he fail?"

"Watch your tone succubus!" The voice said and she felt a stinging sensation where his hand branded her. Not on her face since she needed to appear in public, but...well let's just say that was certainly an unexpected spanking.

"Sorry master," she said.

"He was taken down by a group of school children. As I recall, you are in the same area he was. Do any of these look familiar?"

A group of faces popped up. A boy with blue and black hair. One with red and white. Green. A girl with brown, blue, silver, marro-

"Wait a minute," she said, focusing on the silver haired girl. "I know that brat!"

"Then I suggest you take care of it, unless you want to meet the same fate."

The call cut off leaving the woman in thought. She stood up and exited the dark room.

The hall she entered was extravagant, more so than even Kamoshida's palace. The light blinked off purple hair and the thin layer of sweat that accumulated on her upturned nose from the nerves of the phone call. She wore an inordinate amount of jewelers and a turquoise dress.

A maid was passing by and stopped when she saw the woman looking at her.

"Fetch Diamond Tiara. I have to talk to her about something."

"Right away!"

The maid scurried off quickly. If there was one rule in the house that every servant knew by heart, it was not to disappoint Spoiled Rich.

{Written by Twistedphoenix1}

{Edited by SpedaHooves/KenKanekiTheCat/Me}