Chapter 4: Gadgets and Ponytails
"Shining Armor," I asked as I climbed out of bed, "isn't he your brother?"
"Brother," Twilight repeated, "I don't have a brother. Where in all of Equestria would you get that idea?"
"I... never mind," I said as I put on my belt and sword, "so what do I have to do?"
"Shining Armor is the High Overseer and is directly connected to Chrysalis," Twilight said, "you are to eliminate him and retrieve the black book. It will contain the whereabouts of Pinkie as well. Rarity's down in the workshop across the courtyard, and you must have caught her fancy, because she has specially made some gear for you without asking for a single bit. I advise seeing her before heading out."
"Alright," I nodded, but before I headed out, Twilight grabbed my hoof and continued.
"Oh, and one more thing," She said as she released my hoof, "one of our allies, Daring Do, has been missing for a couple of weeks and we believe she has been captured. If you can, I would like for you to save her before it's too late."
'I'll do what I can," I replied.
"Thank you, and may our enemies' heads fall without you taking a scratch," Twilight smiled.
I nodded again as I headed out of the attic and down to the shop were Rarity was waiting.
"Ah, Derpy, I must say what an honor it is to make weapons for such a handsome young stallion like yourself," Rarity cooed.
Oh, this is what Twilight meant when I caught Rarity's fancy... oh boy...
"Uh... thanks? I guess," I replied.
"You're quite welcome," Rarity smiled as she presented items I was very familiar with... thank goodness I love Dishonored.
"So here are some weapons I've made for you: A crossbow, silenter than anything you 'haven't' heard before... a sort of, tweaked if you may, version of the royal guard's pistol... and this," Rarity picked up a mask shaped to fit a ponies face, "the assassin mask. Everypony knows your pretty face, and, unfortunately, I must cover it up with something that will strike fear into their hearts... now hold still so I can adjust it..."
I stood still as Rarity put the mask on me while levitating a screwdriver to adjust my vision.
"Can you see normally," Rarity asked as she finished.
"Yes," I replied.
"Good... there's also a thing I wanted to ask you," Rarity said with a serious tone.
"What is it," I asked.
"Well you see, my older sister, Sweetie Belle, had to join the royal guards to help support our small family, but thanks to her smarts, was able to rise all the way up to captain... but her mind isn't as easily corruptible, and in knowing this, Shining ordered one of his men to poison her at their meeting tonight... I was just hoping you could see to it that my sister survives," Rarity asked with pleading eyes, "isn't that what you used to do, protecting ponies before, you know, became an assassin?"
"I'll see what I can do," I replied as Rarity gave me the rest of my gear.
"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you," Rarity cheered, hugging me... gosh is she annoying, "Well you best be going off and may our enemies' heads fall without you taking a scratch."
I thanked her as I headed out to find Rainbow Dash stretching out her wings.
"You ready," she asked as she did one final reach to the sky.
"Yeah," I said.
"Alright, let's go," Rainbow said as she picked me up in her hooves and we flew off.
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"Ok," Rainbow told me as we neared the royal guards' base on the other side of Canterlot, "I can get you underneath the bridge to the military district. Once you climb your way up, you can either try to sneak through main street and deal with the Changeling Watch, or through the alleyways controlled by the Ponytail Gang. This area is low on Parasprites but don't let your guard down, they can always group up when you least expect it."
"Thanks Rainbow," I replied as she set me down on the cliff side right underneath the bridge.
"Hey, your doing all the hard work, I'm just getting you to your job," Rainbow smiled as she pulled out a tea kettle, "I'll be here."
I started to climb up the steps underneath the bridge and looked around as I hid behind a box... what's that noise... sound like... a rune? No, Luna said Moon Shards. Ok, then let's see how this works.
I pulled out the Heart and expected to see the little pictures, but saw nothing... I just felt like I knew. Like I just know where they are... I let the feeling fill me as my instincts told me that the Shard was... above me?
The next thing I knew, something fell on top of me. It was a pony shaped body bag... and the Shard was inside. I looked up and saw that another one was falling as I heard voices.
"So what happenzzz to thezzze poniezzz," a Changeling's voice buzzed.
"I don't know," a pony voice replied as another one fell next to me, "all I know is that we're suppose to throw them down there. It's rumored, though, that another crew goes down there and sends them off to the Ponyville District."
"Ponyville Dizzztrict? Didn't that place fall to the Plague?"
"Yeah, that's why they're sent there."
The two kept up the conversation as I pushed the pony off of me. I extended my sword as I cut open the bag to reveal a dead pony with blood all over it's chest and front left leg cut off, but in his right hoof was the Moon Shard. I grabbed it and put it in my pouch as I asked the Heart for an upgrade.
"Dark Vision," was all that it replied.
"Dark Vision," I repeated as I felt the Shard leave my pouch and another surge go through me. I put the heart away and flicked my left hoof, turning my vision into an orange red. I looked up and saw the yellow figures of the Changeling and the pony through the bridge next to a pile of bodies.
I walked up the steps underneath the bridge as I ended Dark Vision to see the two still throwing the bags off the bridge. I saw the bridge blocked off from extending back to Canterlot, so I couldn't escape that way even if I wanted to. I looked the other way to see two perpendicular streets. One led off into what I suspected to be the ally ways Rainbow talked about, and the other was the main street, but had a weird machine outlining the road to the next area. There were three guards, excluding the ones that were ridding the bodies, patrolling the cross section.
There was some flat, metal junk positioned to where I could blinked behind them... let's hope my knowledge of the game will help me.
I blinked behind one of the metal pieces as I slowly peeked around. I could see one of the guards was a pony while the other two were Changelings. The two Changelings were standing at the machine while the pony was keeping the ally way under watch.
"Come on man," one of the Changelings grinned, "Do it."
"I don't know," the other replied, "we could get in trouble."
I snuck around the metal piece as I blinked up on top of a weird metal outpost and watched the two Changelings to see one had a Parasprite.
"There izzz no one around," the Changeling not holding the Parasprite grinned, "Juzzzt do it. It feelzzz weird."
The Changeling holding the Parasprite looked at the other for a second, then walked through the machine. When he did, it seemed as if the machine was triggered, and all at once, a green beam shot from one of the rods sticking out and zapped the Parasprite but ignored the Changeling. The moment it hit, the Parasprite was coated in slime, then the slime disintegrated and the Parasprite was gone.
"Oh," the Changeling that walked through the machine said, "that feelzzz awezzzome."
"Told you. The Wall to Zzzlime.. oh zzzhoot," the other exclaimed as a bigger and tougher Changeling came out.
"Hey," he yelled, "You better not be Parazzzliming!"
"Zzzory, zzzir," they said as they went back to patrolling the streets and the big Changeling went back into his outpost like the one I was standing on.
Wall of Slime, huh? This should prove a challenge.
One of the two Changelings walked off and stood guard at the entrance of the bridge while the other walked up and down the street. I saw a wire connected to the wall of slime and followed it until my gaze came upon two boxes, one smaller than the other. I assumed the smaller one was the box I could use the re-wireing tool and the bigger one must hold whatever this world uses for whale oil.
I could also see down the ally way from where I was standing and saw the pony just standing guard... I could go that way, but what if the Ponytail gang is more than I can handle... but if I take the main street, I'll have to deal with another wall of slime, if my memory serves me correctly, and quite a few of the Changeling Watch... I'll ask the Heart!
I pulled out the Heart, but when I did, I felt another Moon Shard was near by... I must go after it... in the ally way!
I blinked onto an air duct that ran across one of the buildings into the ally way. Without making a sound, I followed it while I held the Heart in my mouth. I stopped for a second and let my instinct tell me where to go... the Moon Shard was inside the building. I found an open window and climbed through to see a passed out pony with what looked like the Equestrian version of the Overseer mask in his hoof. I saw the Moon Shard on the ground next to the couch the pony was sleeping on. I grabbed it, put into my pouch, and headed out the window again... looks like I got my answer, I'm heading down the ally way.
The pony was still looking down it, so I would be unwise to jump down before I reach around the corner, so I continued down the air duct and was in luck; it stopped just a little past the corner. Seeing nopony to be around, I blinked to the ground and made my way through the muck and trash.
I went a block through through the ally way without running into a single pony... This is strange. I turned the corner and heard a buzz to my left. I used Dark Vision as I saw a bunch of Parasprites flying around inside a boarded up building. Still using my powers, I looked down the street and saw that in the fog, a pony was walking around... throwing up... Is that a Weeper this early? Well, I can't expect it to be exactly like the game now can I.
I started walking towards the the Weeper until, right before my Dark Vision ended on it's own, I saw a another yellow shadow moving quickly towards the Weeper. My powers ended, so I could only see the Weeper for a second before somepony killed it. The pony looked up and I saw the gas mask on the pony, like the one I fought on the day Celestia died... an assassin.
I extended my sword as the pony removed his from the Weeper. I was about to attack until four more, two on each side, appeared next to the pony... now what?! I can't fight five at the same time!
The pony that killed the Weeper noticed my hesitation, and while I was still deciding what to do, he pointed his hoof at me as a bright light shined from it, causing a strong blast of wind to fling me backwards and land on my side.
"Huh, my demise came quicker than I thought," I coughed as I got up and the five ponies started to walk towards me, "oh shoot."
I took a step back, but then felt something small bounce against my side from inside my pouch... my grenades!
("These grenade has five seconds before it explodes," Rarity told me as she continue to explain the gear, "so try to use perfect timing to make it explode on impact.")
I took one of my grenades from their pouch and pulled the pin out with my mouth... one...
The other four ponies each pulled out a sword using unicorn magic...
Two... Three...
The ponies started to gallop as the distance between us got shorter and shorter...
Four...
I threw the grenade at the boarded up building, surprising the five to a halt...
"Five," I grinned as the boarded up windows were blown to pieces and a swarm of Parasprites came out. The five ponies screamed as the Parasprites came after them, chasing them pass me and down the street into the fog. I chuckled, but stopped when I turned around to meet eye to chest with a big pony, much bigger than me. I looked up to see his eyes for a second, then he started laughing, making me just look at him strangely.
"What do you know," he smiled as his roaring laughing died down, "Those ponies been giving us trouble for weeks, and it looks like all we need was a pipsqueak to get rid of them! No offense, though, Biceps is truly grateful that you did that... and you know what? Bulk Biceps doesn't like to be in debt, and we know what you're here to do."
"We?"
The moment I said that, ponies came out of buildings, appearing on rooftops, and popping out of trash cans.
"The Ponytail gang of course," Biceps replied, "We know you are trying to kill High Overseer, Shining Armor, and since you helped us with our little 'friends', I'll repay you by getting you inside the Overseer building, nopony will know your even there... however, that's our only offer, we won't be there to get you out."
"I'll take it," I nodded.
"Ok then," Biceps grinned, "First, we need to kill you..."
(To Be Continued...)