Shadow awoke from his deep sleep slowly. He opened his eyes to see that it was now daytime and he was inside of a building he didn't recognize. He rose from the bed that he was in and tried to stand, but the pain from the conflict the previous night kept him down. After bracing himself, he slowly moved to the edge and placed a hoof on the ground, followed another until he was out of the bed.
He looked around the room, which was strangely decorated. It was painted in blue and red paint. He looked at it with distaste, knowing what the two colors being together meant; whoever had saved him had betrayed one side, but which one? Throwing that in the back of his mind, for he intended to have this as a conversation with this mysterious pony at a later date, he made his way to the door of the room.
As he left, he could hear sounds somewhere else in the building. He went down the hallway leading towards a short flight of stairs. He slowly made his way down them, trying not to make a sound. Reaching the bottom, he heard muffled voices coming from the next room.
Although he could only make out bits and pieces of the words, he picked up three very important ones: Templars taking Ponyville. He began to move closer to the room, inching along the wall on the opposite side. When he was close enough to hear the conversation clearly, he stopped.
"And how many are there going to be? A dozen or so Templars are more than enough to take a small town like this right?" Said one of the voices.
"No, much more than that. Celestia is worried that the Brotherhood is making a move, and would go far enough to say that this is as bold as she has ever seen them." Replied the other.
The first voice let out a chuckle, "If this she thinks this is bold, she has no idea what is coming on the horizon. The Brotherhood has been quiet for a reason."
Shadow stood for a moment, taking in what was just said. What did they mean by 'coming on the horizon'? What could the Brotherhood possibly be planning? While it was true that there was plenty of secrecy among those higher in the Brotherhood, something should have at least been said if it concerned the Brotherhood as a whole. And how exactly did these ponies know about it?
Too lost in thought, he failed to notice that the two ponies had moved across the room to the doorway he was standing in. By the time he did notice, they both were looking right at him.
"Well, you're awake. That's good, we thought you'd be out for a lot longer considering how banged up you were. How are you feeling?" An older looking pegasus stallion, probably in his mid-thirties, asked him. "Before you ask, you already know my name. I am Wayward, and I'd very much like to apologize for my actions up to this point. I couldn't allow my cover to be blown, even if it meant putting your life at risk."
Shadow, looking as confused as he felt, stared at the pony in front of him. "Cover? You mean, you're not a Templar? But... how?"
"I had a feeling you'd ask that. You see, I was sent to infiltrate the Templar ranks several years ago. As time went on, some Templars grew suspicious of me, mainly for my persona as the 'quiet' type. As soon as that began happening, I tried to get close to some of the Knights. It worked, and because of my training with Basilisk and Seeker, I was knighted and sent with them." Wayward explained.
Shadow began understanding, but with this understanding came more questions. "Why? What was to be gained from doing this?"
"Other than putting the organization of the Templars into question by their own," Wayward said, "we have managed to learn what I was sent to find out. The Templars intend to wipe out the Brotherhood and completely control Equestria. They have already made preparations, calling Knights from foreign nations, amassing forces, and the like."
"And do we have a plan to stop this? What has the Mentor decided to do?" Shadow asked the stallion.
Wayward sighed, "The Mentor has yet to see how important the matter truly is. He thinks this is just some little attempt that will fail miserably. What he fails to understand is that it is not only a few Templars and possibly Knights being sent to scout. In the matter of a year, Celestia plans to send a force of thousands to each major city in Equestria and intends to locate the Brotherhood's headquarters."
"I see," Shadow said lightly, "If this is true, then what will happen? The Mentor is a stubborn old stallion. He'll never see it as it is."
"No, he won't. Which is why our fellow Assassin here and I," he said, motioning to the mare who had taken a seat a few feet away, "have decided to take matters into our own hooves. We are going to Canterlot, and we are going to assassinate Princess Celestia and her puppets."
"Yes," the mare sitting apart from them finally spoke, "We are, however, going to need help. Which is why we are asking you to come with us."
Shadow took his time thinking about what he was being asked. Going against the will of the Mentor was a serious matter. There could be very serious repercussions for doing something as serious as taking action against major leaders of the Templars without direct orders.
"Let me ask you something," Shadow said to the two Assassin's with him, "Why did you come to me? There are far more skilled than me out there."
Wayward and the Assassin mare looked to each other for a moment. "Because," Wayward said, "you have something that we can use to our advantage. A skill that runs in your family's bloodline."
"You mean my eyes? What's so special about it? It allows me see things more clearly, what of it?" Shadow said. To him it was nothing but a nuisance most of the time. Sure, it helped him get into the Brotherhood, but that was about it. "And even if it of use, why should I trust you? I don't know anything about either of you. I don't even know one of your names!"
Wayward looked over to the mare, who had now stood up from her seat. "Of course," she said, "I failed to tell you something as crucial as my name. I'm Luminescent, and though you probably don't remember, we've worked together in the past."
"Before we go on, telling one another our life stories, we have some serious topics to discuss. Care to join us, Shadow? We will explain everything that you don't understand. Perhaps we may even persuade you to join us. It will only take a few hours to get everything you need to know."
This was a difficult decision. If he were to help Wayward and Luminescent, Shadow would be frowned upon if the Mentor were to ever find out about it. If he didn't, however, the Templars could truly seek out the Brotherhood in its hiding and wipe them out. He gave it one last long thought before answering.
"Fine, I'm in."