//------------------------------// // Decisions, Decisions // Story: Assassin's Creed: Friendship is Sacred // by iDeltaVelocity //------------------------------// Assassin’s Creed: Friendship is Sacred Chapter 4: “Decisions, Decisions” Several Days Later… Twilight awoke to yet another day in this strange and dangerous world. The local Assassins were kind enough to escort her and her friends whenever they chose to go out into the city. Luckily their notoriety had been lowered, so no one, not even the guards, recognised them. It was refreshing, going out for fresh air without fear of being chased through the streets. They also had more questions to ask, which the Assassins answered willingly. Still, despite all that had been answered, there still remained some things that the girls wanted to touch on. As their days came and gone, the debate on what to do—either to stay with the Assassins or take the Element of magic and find another way back to Equestria—had almost come to a close, and it became apparent that they’d have to make a decision soon. She rubbed her eyes as she woke up from sleep. However, upon waking, she found that she was no longer in the cavern. Instead she found herself in an empty, black void, unable to see anything around her. She stood up and walked forward with her hands held out in front of her, hoping to find at least something. There was nothing… Nothing at all… She was suddenly blinded by a bright light, and when it subsided, a small gold orb floated in front of her. And out of the orb stood a human female, surrounded by a shining gold aura and dressed in unusual clothing. “Twilight Sparkle, I presume. Am I correct?” Her voice was soft and subtle, yet Godly at the same time. “Who are you? And how do you know my name?” “Where I originate, I go by many names. But, you may call me ‘Nirvana’. We have watched you and your race grow for many years.” Twilight deadpanned. “We?” “The Ones Who Came Before; the First Civilization…” It startled the former unicorn, but also made her curious about this meeting. How did she know her name? And how does she know about Equestria? The void was filled with another bright light. Before she knew it, Twilight found herself in her old body, standing in the Ponyville library. It felt good to be a pony again, as she thought. “Are we back in Equestria?” she asked, hoping the answer was ‘yes’. “I’m sorry, but no. The artifact has chosen this as your ideal form.” Nirvana was nowhere to be seen, but instead continuing to speak with Twilight from inside her mind. She saw that the remaining Elements of Harmony—Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, Loyalty, and Honesty—were scattered throughout the floor. “You were planning to take the one you have, weren’t you?” The way Nirvana spoke, it did not sound like a question. “This is all just too much,” Twilight said with subtly. She turned her gaze to the ground as her ears pushed back with regret. “The Elements of Harmony are about just that—Harmony! How can they be connected to a war as old as humanity itself? It just doesn’t make sense.” The library faded away, and Twilight found herself back in the void with Nirvana looking down at her. “In time you will understand. But now, you must help protect the artifact from falling into dangerous hands.” A symbol appeared in front of Nirvana as she spoke. “Should its power be abused, the sanctity of your world, and this one, shall be breached, and all hope for peace will be lost. But there are those who seek to prevent this occurrence from happening.” Twilight recognised the symbol; it was the same as the ones on the flags draped around the cavern. “You’re saying me and my friends…” She looked back up at the being with discern, “We have to join the Assassins?” No response, instead Nirvana vanished the same bright light. “Twilight! Wake up!” Her eyes immediately snapped opened, and she found herself staring at the stone ceiling of the underground Assassin Bureau. The strange meeting with Nirvana was immediately put on her mind the moment she woke, the only thing scaring her being the fact that this person—whoever she was—wanted her to fight in a war; to be a killer. It was something she had no desire for. She looked to see Applejack kneeling beside her. “You okay, supercube? You were fidget’n someth’n fierce.” Twilight sat up, trying to focus on anything that could push the crazy meeting with Nirvana from her head. There was little success on that matter, so she tried to ignore it, hoping it would go away in time. “I’m fine. Just a bad dream. How’re the others doing?” “Everypony’s dandy. We’re try’n ta adjust here. But Twilight, hun…” Applejack’s tone suddenly ever grew more serious, “I think it’s better if we leave. One’a these fellas told me ‘bout what crazy stuff goes on in this city aside from this war, and I think it’s way too dangerous fer us ta stay here anymore.” “I was considering the same thing, ever since Benoit killed that guy.” Twilight cringed at seeing the thief’s lifeless corpse hit the ground. “He killed someone? Was it one’a those Templar guys?” Twilight, sadly, shook her head. “No, it wasn’t, but he would’ve been killed, too, if he hadn’t done it. It was in self-defense, right?” “I don’t think it matters,” said Applejack. “The point is—with murderers and all those other psycho run’n around Paris—we’re not exactly one hundred percent safe, even with Assassins protect’n us.” The former unicorn thought about it. Applejack had a point; even with Assassins, they weren’t completely shielded from all dangerous in this world, and she learned in the past that staying in one place for too long was not a great idea. She stood, the same unsettled feeling showing on her face when a few of the bones in her legs cracked. Being a human was weird, she thought. “Where’re the others?” Applejack motioned her to follow. They made their way through the Bureau into the next room, which happened to be a library. Twilight marveled at the large amounts of books stacked in the shelves. I’m really gonna miss this place. They approached the girls, who were sitting in a circle. Benoit stood nearby, leaning against one of the bookcases as he listened to what they had to stay. “What’s going on?” asked Twilight as she and Applejack sat down. “What’s the plan? Do we stay or go?” “I say we just go,” said Rainbow Dash. “Aw, but I like it here. The Assassins are cool,” Pinkie Pie stated. This earned a smile from Benoit, though it was hidden under his mask. “Well if we do decide to leave, we’ll need money if we’re to find some proper Inns to spend the nights at,” Rarity added. “I can cover you with that,” said Benoit. He reached for the small, cottage bag tied to his belt and tossed it to them. “Currency from a variety of nations; Assassins have to be prepared when traveling afar. Inside should be enough to cover you on your way get back to Equestria.” Twilight picked up the bag and looked at Benoit. “You’re just giving us this?” Benoit nodded. “I’ll make sure the Templars believe you’re still in Paris. That way you can travel without interference. Of course, that still means you will need an escort. And we’ll be more than happy to provide.” “Thanks so much,” said Rarity. “Is there anything we can do to repay you?” “You need not worry, my friend. Keep the artifacts you have in safe hands. The Templars are influential in their quest for power. They will do all they can to get their hands on them.” “We promise,” said Twilight. Benoit walked off. “In the meantime, I’ll have to explain this with Volodya. There is no doubt he won’t be happy with this. You should see if any of the Assassins here will escort you out of the country.” Applejack nodded and smiled. “Thanks, Benoit.” They were left in the silence. There was decision was made, but would be a good one, considering all they had known? The Element of Magic might very well assist the Assassins in ending the war if they gave it to them, but at the same time, they’d be giving away the very thing Equestria had safeguarded for years. They had to leave; it was for the best. “I’m gonna miss these guys,” said Pinkie, “They were so much fun.” Rarity agreed with her. “I just hope we can slip away without the Templars finding out.” “Benoit did say we’d have an escort,” said Twilight, “We should be okay.” The girls stood outside the Bureau, accompanied by two Assassins who would be escorting them away from the city. Adeline held out a map of the country, showing them their plan. She was a young apprentice whom Rarity’d become friends with. “We’ll take you as far as Reims and seek out the Assassins there,” she explained, “They’ll take you to the branch in Italy, and finally towards your home.” “There sure are a lot of you guys,” said Fluttershy. “All over the world—we’re everywhere the Templars are.” The other escort, Francois, along with Benoit, emerged from the Bureau, carrying supplies for the trip. “Our guys should be causing distractions in the city by now. It’s the perfect chance to get away,” said Benoit. He looked at the two apprentices, “Make sure they get to Reims safe and sound. Our allies there will take care of the rest, okay?” Francois nodded. “Oui, Master. We’ll guard with them with our lives.” “I trust that you will. Now, go, before it’s too late.” The apprentices did as told and headed off with the girls. It would be a long walk to Reims, so they decided it’d be best to only stop for emergencies. Before she forgot, however, Applejack turned and called back towards the master Assassin: “Benoit! Catch!” She reached into her bag and tossed him a bottle. He read the label on the front; it happened to be a beverage he had never heard of. “Apple… cider…?” “It’s tasty! Trust me!” From afar, looking through a telescope, Gabriel could see the girls moving away from the Bureau. Aside from locating the Elements of Eden (which he determined were in the possession of those six elusive females he had been searching the city for), he’d discovered the location of the Assassins’ main hideout in Paris. This was his perfect chance, he told himself. Once the Elements were retrieved and the girls out of the way, he’d focus on taking out the Assassins for good. He called over to his bodyguard. “Daniel! Inform the guards—tell them to redirect positions over east. We’ve located the fugitives.” Daniel nodded in compliance and did as told. Gabriel smiled to himself. It was all starting to come together. So far, the girls and Assassins hadn’t run into trouble. They passed by a few guards along the way, but with their notoriety down, they weren’t recognised; though they did have one asking them about six girls that were hiding somewhere in the city. It was lucky they came up with a decent excuse to keep the amount of suspicion off of them. They were told that Reims was a few miles away, located near the eastern border of France, but security along the way wouldn’t as tightened as it was in Paris. It’d be a smooth travel if they could keep the heat off them. Adeline lead the group, while Francois kept them covered from behind. She had an unusual sixth sense when it came to avoiding danger, so she’d tell them whenever something was happening. The girls made sure to stick close to each other, none of them wanting to stray too far and get lost. They made their way through the small crowd, using the map Adeline had to lead them to where they needed to go. She noted that some guards were beginning to change shift, much earlier than they usually did. It wasn’t even noon yet. She stopped, which caused the others to halt in their tracks, and looked up at the rooftops surrounding them. “Is something wrong?” asked Rarity. “Get to cover! Now!” Adeline suddenly ordered. She dove behind cover herself as a loud bang rang out, bellowing through the air. The people made a run for it as the girls and Francois hurried for safety. Rainbow looked and saw a small hole in the ground, where Adeline was originally standing. “What was that?” Peering from behind cover, Adeline managed to get a quick glimpse of her enemy before drawing her back, nearly dodging another attack. “Riflemen!” she stated, “We’re facing riflemen.” Francois cursed to himself. “How did they know we were here? Aren’t the others supposed to be distracting the guards?” Initially it didn’t make sense, but then Adeline came to a conclusion. “They must have been following us. They knew where to look, which means they also know where the Bureau is.” “If they knew, then why didn’t they attack?” asked Twilight. “It’s because of the Element. They refuse to go anywhere near as long as we have possession of it. We need to head back before—” “Assassins!” They looked behind them to see a cadre of guards running towards their position, swords, spears, and axes drawn for battle. “Seize them! And take the treasure before they get away!” The two Assassins drew their swords. “Get out of here!” Francois ordered, “We’ll hold them off while you hide! GO!” The girls ran off, leaving the Assassins to deal with the guards. The sound of metal hitting against metal bellowed as they got farther. After days of successfully hiding from the guards they were finally caught; it was almost surreal, acting as fugitives, having to stay out of sight wherever they went. It was different now—too different. They didn’t have the luxury of an Assassin to escort them and keep them safe, the only ones they had fighting to buy them time. They needed to keep moving in order to stay ahead. They shoved their way across the crowd. Escaping Paris was out of the question since they would possibly have the entrance blocked to keep them from getting out, and returning to the Bureau was going to prove difficult since their path back was block and they did know of an alternate route. What proved more problematic was the fact that the guards throughout Paris might have now been placed on high alert. If one spotted them, they would have an entire regiment following in pursuit. They’d have to be careful where they stepped if they wanted to make it out in one piece. But with the streets being like a maze to them, it proved all too difficult for them. They stopped to rest, looking around to see if a guard had followed. They hoped that Francois and Adeline had been able to dispatch the guards; maybe they were on their way now. After being told about the Assassins’ skills in combat, they had confidence that they’d survive. “I hope they’re okay,” said Rarity. “They gotta be. Assassins are pretty tough in combat, right?” Applejack tried her best to look at things positively, but in reality, she wasn’t certain about it. She was told before that Francois and Adeline were apprentices, having only been fighting with the Brotherhood for a couple of months. “What should we do?” asked Pinkie Pie. “We should wait here until one of them finds us,” said Twilight. It seemed like the better solution than wandering aimlessly around Paris. From around the corner, however, a lone guard appeared. “Found you!” His sword drawn, he prowled the girls who backed away. He demanded them hand over the Element, a request that was quickly denied. Angered, the guard quickly advanced towards them. Then, as suddenly as he appeared, a sword was run through his back. He fell to the ground, dropping his weapon; the one who had killed him was Francois. He was panting, heavily, and holding a bloodied wound on his abdomen. Nevertheless, the girls were more than happy to see him. “Are you alright?” he asked. Fluttershy stared on shock at the injured Assassin. “Y-You’re—” “I’ll be all right,” he reassured her, “We need to hurry and get back to the Bureau. More guards will be on their way soon.”