//------------------------------//
// Scoperta, Part Two 
// Story: Ombra della Lama 
// by Vedavyasa 
//------------------------------//

	As my training continued, I began to grow somewhat restless. I had been honest when I told the Princess that my loyalty was to her above all others, but as a young stallion who had seen the world I found it difficult to adjust to the simple life of the palace. To compensate, I trained all the harder and began to wander through Canterlot at night. It was not long before I had gained a reputation among the thieves and mercenaries as a kind but harsh pony, always willing to help them. I began to train the thieves in the arts of stealth, and the mercenaries in combat. In return, they became my allies and friends. Many were the nights when the leader of the mercenaries and I would drink and tell stories of what we had done and seen until the moon began to fall, or I would race the leader of the thieves across the rooftops.

This opened my eyes to a facet of life I had not yet experienced. Before coming to the palace, my life was spent trying to survive. I had no time for such simple things as playing with other foals, finding my next meal was more important. In the palace, I had dedicated myself so thoroughly to my training that I only knew my master, Cleansing Step, and some of the guards. When my master and I began to travel, survival again took precedence. Now I had something I had always valued but never attained, I had friendship. I had allies who would stand by me not out of some perceived duty, but because they cared for my well being and would not have me face a threat alone.

These ponies became, in a way, my family. I embraced them as my brothers and sisters, and I treated them with the respect this accorded them. I was delighted to find that they held me in the same light. Here were ponies that did not treat me as if I were still a foal, or as their student. We were equals, and those truly were the best days of my youth. In later years, I sang with these ponies in remembrance:

	Those were the days my friend,
We thought they'd never end,
We'd sing and dance for-ever and a day,
We'd live the life we choose,
We'd fight and never lose,
For we were young and sure to have our way.

But, like all other joys of my life, this was not to last. That single year was over far too soon, and when it ended I was made a true Assassin. I was taught the Creed that I was to follow in all things, the only three laws that bound me.

	Stay your blade from the flesh of an innocent.
Always be discreet.
Never compromise the Brotherhood.

I accepted these three tenants, and with them I earned a right. I earned the right to rename myself, to choose a new identity. I had done much research and given much thought to this, and in the end I decided on Ombra della Lama. It means Shadow Blade in the common tongue. I feel this name has several meanings, and so I will explain them. Firstly, as an Assassin I am the blade in the shadows, the blade in the crowd, I am the death that hides in plain sight. Secondly, the shadow of my past would always haunt me, and it is what led me to my calling. Lastly, my preferred weapon was my hidden blade and I felt that my name should reflect that fact.

In order to cement my new identity, I was given my first assignment. There was a merchant in Canterlot, corrupt and greedy. He charged exorbitant prices for necessities, and forced his business on to the poor who could not pay those prices. He would give them what they needed, and keep track of what they owed him. When he felt it was enough, he would find their homes and take from them all they had. He was known to go so far as to take young fillies from their parents and sell them in to slavery, to be raped and beaten until they were no longer attractive and were killed. I was given his name, and told to hunt him and kill him. I was given a single white feather, taken from the wing of an eagle, to soak in his blood as proof. I could not return to my master until this deed was done, I would succeed or I would die in the attempt.

I took this feather, and I began my hunt. I walked through the markets, hidden by the thieves, and listened to the talk of the ponies. I found his couriers and stole their letters. I beat the heralds he paid for with money and slaves until they gave me the information I required. It took me nearly a week, but in time I felt I was ready to make the kill. I stole in to his house one night, avoiding or killing his guards as I went. I found his bedchamber, and I waited. In time, he came to me. He was drunk from a night of revelry, and he had brought one of his youngest slave fillies with him. She noticed me before he did, but said nothing. I came from behind him, and with a single strike it was done. I marked the feather, and turned to find the slave filly smiling at me.

She thanked me for what I had done, and told me of his evils. She asked me then to take her with me, so that she would not be blamed for my actions. I obliged, not wishing innocent blood to be spilled, and we made our way to the palace. The Guards returned her to her family, and she thanked me again with tears in her eyes. I smiled at her, more certain than ever that I had chosen the correct path in my life. I found my master, and I presented him with the feather. I told him of how I accomplished my mission.

He smiled at me, a rare thing to see, and congratulated me. I had passed the final test. He was my master no longer, for now I had no master. My fate was now entirely in my own hooves. I bowed to him for a final time and returned to my room. I found a calendar, and I laughed when I noticed something.

It was my birthday. I was sixteen years old. I had finally come of age.