Desmond fluttered his eyes as he came out of the animus. He moved his hand to his forehead and rubbed it,; trying to make the headache he had vanish. He swung his feet to his left and planted them on the ground. They didn't stay there long as he saw his surroundings, but they were different. He blinked and placed his feet back onto the cold and wet stone floors of the cavern. He saw everything. The un-even steps, the large cracks, and the flat and smooth surfaces that surrounded him. He looked around and found another hidden power source. He stood up and walked over to the power node, taking his time. He knelt down to a knee and inspected the small square stone slap before him. He placed his hands on it and felt around.
"There!" Desmond exclaimed silently to himself.
He placed his fingers in between the crack that labeled the secret compartment. Lifting the stone slab, a blue light peeked out and grew as Desmond moved the slab back.
He reached down and plucked out the miss-matched cube device and manipulated it. Satisfied he grabbed hold of it with both hands and walked out into the middle of the cavern, looking around for another power console. There was one, but it was up high. Desmond nodded and his face was stricken with determination. He grabbed his one strapped back pack and placed the power source inside, before slinging it over his shoulder. He walked back over to the stone wall and looked up to the ledge that held the console. He leapt and clung to the wall. With a few grunts of effort, Desmond started to make his way up the stone surface.
After a minute of climbing. Desmond lifted himself up onto the ledge. He was struck by a flash of yellow light. Desmond shook his head and felt a cold touch on his left shoulder. He followed the entity that he had never seen before.
"Desmond Miles, I have been watching you for some time now." said the hallucination. It sounded male. "Ask any question you may have but you only get one." The entity shook his finger at Desmond.
"How did I get these strange powers?" Desmond asked hoping that the entity would understand his question.
"The powers your experiencing come from the marvelous assassin Azure correct?"
"It would seem that way." Desmond seemed bemused.
"Since you already know the answer to that question, I shall grant you another."
"Okay since Azure is a pony, how in the hell am I related to him?" The entity smiled.
"Its because your not Desmond. In matter of fact he is just as alien as me to you. So what you see from inside you're machine is actually happening right now."
"How is that-"
"No more questions, good by Desmond." and with that the entity disappeared and left Desmond on the floor of the stone tower. He stood up, using his arms to aid him. He placed the power source inside of the console. Another platform slid from behind the translucent wall. Desmond smiled and he began his descent back to the animus.
Rebecca sat at the desk that was behind the animus. She looked up at Desmond who strode over and sat back down on the chair that was the animus.
"Desmond we should really get back to Connor." She pleaded.
"I cant." Desmond stated flatly.
"Why not?" Rebecca asked.
"Those beings keep talking to me, and one of them said that I must continue watching Azure, He said that Azure might just help us."
"Cant argue with that now can I. Alright lean back and relax."
Desmond's vision faded and was replaced by Azure's.
Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve.
Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography, 1771
"what's the rush for Azure?" Twilight asked, tailing Azure and Blaze down the Ponyville commons.
"If it is true what Blaze has said, the princess may be in grave danger." Twilight caught up to the two assassins who were purchasing train tickets.
"So it would be most wise for you to go home."
"But-"
"No buts Twilight, its for your own safety." Twilight shook her head and turned away from the train platform. Azure and Blaze took a seat on a nearby bench waiting for a train to pull up. They sat in silence knowing that each passing second put the princess further and further in danger.
"So what is it that we're going to do?"
"Do what?"
"Well when we get there, how are we going to do this. Go in guns blazing?"
The train pulled up and screeched to a halt. Azure leapt from his seat on the bench and forgot Blaze's question. Azure made his way to the train car and as about to board when Blaze called his name. Azure turned seeing Blaze holding a small pistol.
"Sorry Azure. You seem like a sweet pony but no matter you're just a simple obstruction that blocks the way for greatness.
"So you're a Templar? Well played pretending to be an assassin to take me out, should have seen it coming." Azure said sarcastically. "Please tell me how you got wrapped into this?"
"I was asked to join, so I did."
"Did they tell you about my creed?"
"Yes, and I think its stupid."
"Do you know what the Templars plan to do?"
"No not-"
"Or what they are going to do once they've done it?"
"No."
Blaze shed a tear.
"And do you know what happens when a pony like your self gets caught up in this?"
She looked at Azure, who was surprisingly close to her own being. She heard steel slide across steel and felt a small, almost non-existent pain. She looked down to see Azure's hidden blade in her chest and blood freely flowing onto it. She felt her body move across the platform and back onto the bench. She looked up at Azure's face that was blacked out by the sun in the back ground.
"I'm sorry this had to happen to you." Azure's hoof closed Blaze's eyes.
Retracting the hidden blade, Azure boarded the train that was to take him to Canterlot. He nestled himself in his seat and closed his eyes.
Within an hour Azure was standing back in Canterlot and making his way up to the castle. He passed through the main gate with out any royal guards there to check him. He continued down the cobble stone path and eventually found himself at the front door. odd he thought as he pushed the door open. The castle itself seemed to be still the same, but unusually quiet which in turn brought fourth an echo from the throne room. Azure put his ear against the door and listened in on the conversation.
"Please princess if you plan on finding the missing element let us help you." said a unknown pony.
"I'm not sure Blacinto, many of the companies looking for the elements are evil. How can I trust you for the better?" Celestia said, her voice easy to be made out.
"If we were truly evil your majesty, I wouldn't of had this meeting with the most powerful being in Equestria, would I?" He attempted to flatter her but made Celestia frown just a tad bit more.
"And what is it that you want in exchange for your services?"
"Simply to fund my research at Abstergo and you will have both your elements back. We cant live in the world without harmony." At that Azure barged his way in knocking down the doors and taking every one in the room by surprise except for Blacinto.
"Princess do not make that deal, it is one that most certainly do not want to get caught up in." Two Templar guards came to suppress Azure, but they met a gruesome end.
"Princess do not take advice from a cold hearted killer, if any thing he wishes to impede your search for the two elements." Azure shouted
"All he wishes for is for the world to be destroyed so he may rule on top of it with an iron hoof."
"And what proof do you have-assassin?" Azure pulled out Rainbow Dash's element necklace and threw it over the heads of the Templars that stood in front of him, to Celestia's hooves.
"So it proves that you killed the element of loyalty," Celestia said pointing at Azure's blood crusted hidden blade.
"Blacinto you have yourself a deal." He bowed and turned to face Azure. He walked out of the throne room leaving all the guards behind. A pony carrying a gold necklace that bore the symbol of the Templars was given to the princess. She accepted it and placed it over her golden regalia. She stared at Azure and Azure stared right back.
"So what now?" Celestia asked still staring strait at Azure. The Templar guards took their position's in front of the princess to make a physical barrier between him and Celestia.
"Now princess, As much as I hate to say this you're time has come."
"What do you mean?"
"I warned you that you shouldn't have accepted." Azure stood on his hind legs and drawled his sword and un-holstered the pistol. The Templars rushed him. Azure plowed his sword down the throught of a Templar and let him fall back with it protruding from his mouth. Next one to go was with his pistol. Azure dropped it and used his hidden blades that glided out. One by one the Templars fell dead to the ground in an array of different forms of take downs.
Celestia stepped down from her throne once the bloodshed was over and faced Azure.
"If you really wish that my life may end so be it, but my subjects come first. Now I do not know why it is that I must die for being affiliated with Abstergo, but it must be important enough for me to know why?"
"Sorry princess my creed does not allow for one to be spared for being a Templar or an affiliate." She nodded in understanding and kneeled before Azure and was on all fore's. Azure placed his hoof right below Celestia's chest piece. She looked up at him knowing that he was the one to decide her fate. Azure leaned in and whispered into her ear.
"I'm sorry." The hidden blade entered slowly and punctured her chest. Celestia gasped for air when the blade punctured her lung. Celestia's head fell to the floor. Her body slightly twitching as blood spilled out onto the floor. Her breaths grew heavy and slower and slower, till the last bit of air escaped her mouth.
Luna entered the room with two lunar guards flanking her. She just watched the pony in robes take away Celestia's life. Azure closed Celestia's eyes and plucked the Templar necklace of her neck. He threw it off to the side amongst the dead bodies. Celestia's mane and tail stopped flowing in the non-existent wind. Azure removed his hood and faced Luna and the two guards.
"Princess I'm sorry." Luna walked strait and true to Azure.
"How could you do such a thing?" she asked, tears flowing down her midnight blue coated cheeks. "I trusted you."