The darkness welcomed him. Blazing Fire stood before the great Everfree Forest. Even from here, he could hear the sounds of the creatures that lurked within. He took a deep breath, and entered the endless darkness of the Everfree.
Time passed and he still searched. The assassin was determined to find this strange pegasus. Then he noticed a dark silhouette watching him on top of a cliff. The moon shone behind it, giving it a strange metallic glint.
Blazing Fire started climbing up the trees, trying to approach the figure. Upon seeing the assassin move towards it, the figure slowly moved away. Blazing Fire quickened his movements, trying to reach the watcher as fast as he could.
He leaped from the branch and landed neatly at the edge of the cliff. He looked around and saw the figure meters away from him, silently watching. The assassin's hidden blade shot out. Blazing Fire prepared a ready stance, cautious of any danger that may present itself.
“Who are you?” he asked.
The figure silently watched him, waiting for something to happen. The two stared at each other, waiting for a move. Watching their surroundings and wary of the presence of the stranger in front of the other.
Then, the figure did something unexpected. It pointed at something behind Blazing Fire. The assassin turned around, only to be met by a creature he knew all too well. The manticore. The creature had been silently standing there, waiting. It roared and slashed at the assassin with its paw.
Blazing Fire dodged, the manticore's claws missing him by an inch.
The fight took only minutes. The manticore lay on the ground, unmoving. Blazing Fire looked around, sure enough, the figure was still there, watching him.
“You are quite the fighter.” it said. Then it moved forward, the moon illuminated it fully. Revealing the pony's true appearance.
“Stars above....” Blazing Fire said.
He had never seen anything like it.
The pegasus was not entirely flesh. Parts of him were of metal. Yet despite him being made almost entirely of metal, he moved silently. Like the ideal assassin. The pony had a black coat, his mane and tail were white with gray streaks on the side. The most noticeable part of his face was a scar that started from the top of his right eye to the top lip on the left side of his face. And his cutie mark was that of a gray silhouette.
“W-what are you?” Blazing Fire asked, baffled by what stood before him.
“Who I am, you mean. I am ShadowRunner.” the pegasus replied.
“I have heard many rumors of you assassins, but to truly see how one fights...” he continued, “I suspect you came here to enlist me in your group?” ShadowRunner asked.
“Yes. But I now have my doubts.” Blazing Fire said.
ShadowRunner nodded, understanding. Everypony would notice a half metallic, half flesh assassin. It would've been impossible to be stealthy in the day.
“This is why I'm here. To stay out of sight.” ShadowRunner said.
“But perhaps you could still be of help,” Blazing Fire said, “I need information about somepony called Hunter. I was told he was hunting us down.”
“Ah. So you need my help trying to find an enemy with great influence?” ShadowRunner said, “Fine, I will search and tell you what I know. But know this: I am not a part of your Brotherhood just yet.” and with that, he spread his wings, which gave off a blackish glow as they spread apart, and he flew off. Leaving the master assassin in the darkness. Blazing Fire turned, and headed back to the quiet town of Ponyville.
He had arrived just in time. Octavia was waiting for him near the edge of the forest.
“Anything?” she asked. Quickly, he told her of his encounter with the strange pegasus.
“Stars above...” she muttered.
“Exactly.” was the reply.
“Did you find any new members?” Blazing Fire asked, hopeful.
“No, but there is a certain pony they speak of. They say she can craft things of complexity similar to our hidden blades.” she replied.
“Any leads on where this mare is?”
“Yes. She is in Fillydelphia.” Octavia replied.
Blazing Fire flinched, hearing that name brought back painful memories. Fillydelphia was the city where a love of his had been murdered in cold-blood. The city where his life as an assassin had started.
“What's wrong?” Octavia asked, taking notice of his expression.
“Guess I'm gonna have a little trip back home...” he replied.
“But first, we must stay here. We need to rest before we continue our journey.” Octavia said. Blazing Fire nodded, smiling. One thing he admired about her was her intelligence.
They stayed in Ponyville for a day, and in doing so, they had met an old “friend” of Ezio's. Twilight Sparkle was kind enough to allow them into her library to rest.
“I had heard about what happened back in Canterlot two years ago.” she said.
“Yes. We had quite an adventure.” Blazing Fire had replied, a smile forming across his face.
The next day, the duo waited for their train out of Ponyville and into Fillydelphia. It would be a three day trip. And Twilight had generously given them supplies to last the trip.
“Of all the place, why there?” Blazing Fire muttered.
“Why? What's wrong with your hometown?” Octavia asked.
Blazing Fire told her of what had happened then.
“Oh. I'm sorry for your loss.” she said.
“It's alright.”
The train had just arrived. Once it had come to a complete halt, ponies started pouring out, and others started entering, eager to take a seat and enjoy the view from the windows.
The assassins were given a room to themselves and they took off their robes, taking the appearance of a normal couple once more. They stayed inside the room, resting. Blazing Fire was both excited and resentful of visiting his hometown again. But if they were to find out who this pony was, he would have to face it despite all of the painful memories it brought.
He had also wondered how ShadowRunner would find him. He just let the thought rest for a moment.
The next mission was about to start.
This time, the Brotherhood will grow.
Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry for the wait and the fact that this may seem short. But I tried all that I could to finish this chapter. Also, a thought crossed my mind, some of you may like it and some of you may not, but do you think it would be a good idea to have Blazing Fire and Octavia have some kind of relationship? Let me know what you think of the chapter and the question down in the comments section.
Peace off!