Assassin's Creed: Musical Overture

by SaxPon3


Chapter 5: Twilight Part 1

        Octavia ran through the halls of headquarters, closely followed by Rainbow Dash and Jackle App. They were all shocked by the Voice’s revelation, but none more so than Octavia herself. It was strange, what she had experienced. No, beyond strange. It was just downright impossible. Her mind, the mental aspect of her being, had been taken over by some other force. While it was talking through her body, another voice spoke to her mind. Octavia still couldn’t get that voice out of her head; that sentient, ancient, echoing voice was just so powerful.

        OCTAVIA. YOU ARE THE ONE WHO WILL BRING BALANCE TO EQUESTRIA.

        The voices echoed again in her head, causing her to wince slightly as she ran. She remembered that she was suddenly in a pure white world, surrounded by blinding light. The only thing she could see was light, and the only thing she could hear was its voice.

        “Who are you? What do you want from me?”

        Again, Octavia winced. She tried to suppress the memory. Right now, she had a mission to carry out. What little training she had would have to do for now. She ran and ran, knowing that they had to get back to Ponyville as soon as possible. Still, something nagged at her, an almost desperate feeling that made her want to just stop.

        YOU WILL TRY TO SAVE HER, BUT CANNOT PREVENT FATE.

        Was it fate that Twilight was destined to die? If so, who were they to deny that? Octavia shook her head as the trio ran, wanting to clear the negative thoughts. They had to save her. She was the Element of Magic, something that made her more important than any normal pony. Should she die, the other Elements wouldn’t work, and Equestria would lose one of its greatest defenses.

        No, Twilight Sparkle will not die. Octavia was sure of this. No matter what some sentient being says, Octavia would do whatever was in her power to prevent her death.

        “Here!” Jackle said, stopping in front of a stone archway. “This is the Gateway. I’ll start it up.”

        Octavia looked up at the ancient looking artifact, worry in her eyes. “Will this take us to Ponyville?”

        Rainbow Dash bit her lip. “I think it will. I’ve never been one to trust magic portals like these, but we don’t have a choice. Not even I could fly back to Ponyville fast enough.”

        The gray Assassin turned and looked at Rainbow Dash. Worry was etched all over her face, and that look in her eyes...it said that she was close to giving up hope. Octavia put a hoof on her shoulder, startling the young pegasus. She smiled reassuringly.

“Don’t worry, Rainbow.” Octavia said, putting some effort into calming her. “We’ll make it there in time.”

“Speak of the devil!” Jackle shouted as the portal flared to life. “It’s ready!” He turned to his compatriots, and checked them over. “Do you all have your weapons?” They both nodded, each putting a hoof on a sword or extending out a hidden blade. “Armor up to par?” Again, both nodded. Jackle’s beak went up for a grim smile. “Then let’s go save a unicorn.” With that, he jumped through the portal and disappeared, followed by two mares, both ready to kill.


As soon as she came out of the other end, Octavia was shocked to see how peaceful things were. Everypony was going about their business. From their dark alley, she could see Applejack selling her apples, Colgate opening her dentistry office, and Berry Punch stumbling drunkenly back to her home. She stepped out, but was immediately pulled back by a cyan hoof.

Rainbow gave her a stern look. “We can’t be detected, especially with all those ponies out there. They know us. If they acknowledged us, our cover is blown.” Suddenly, her face became even grimmer. “Or worse, they might be the Templar we’re looking for, and we’ll lose the chance to kill the bastard.”

Octavia was about to protest, but Jackle held up a claw to his beak, ushering her to remain silent. He then pointed out in front of her, and Octavia turned to look at what he saw.

Walking past her was Twilight Sparkle and Spike, going through their daily shopping list. They were accompanied by a stallion with his mane oiled back. He had a smug look on his face, one that constantly said, “I am much better than you.” Octavia turned to Rainbow, giving her a questioning look.

Rainbow cursed. “That’s Filthy Rich. He’s just a snob, but he’s going to make our job harder.”

“How so?”

“He’s just another chance to blow our cover. That bastard’s been frequenting the library a lot, recently.” Rainbow said. She pulled up a disgusted face. “Filthy may be married, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t try to bed any other mare he finds attractive.”

Octavia’s jaw dropped. “You mean he’s trying to get Twilight to sleep with him?!”

Jackle choked back a gag, and Rainbow stuck her tongue out. “Yeah. He’s tried that on most of my friends. Even me.” Her lips tugged into a smirk. “I think he still has scars from the whooping I gave him.”

Octavia still felt disturbed, but she shook away her feelings. She peeked out once more, to see that Twilight had stopped and was talking to Applejack. Spike constantly watching Filthy to make sure his eyes weren’t looking anywhere they shouldn’t be. The two were appeared to be having a curt conversation, while the mares were chatting along as if Filthy wasn’t there.

“So, what’s our next move?” Rainbow whispered to Jackle.

Jackle ran his claw over his head. “Don’t ask me. Octavia is the one leading this operation.”

Octavia turned towards her two friends, and thought for a while. Octavia had often woken up to Twilight going through her list of things to buy, which was always very long. If her observations were correct, then Twilight would stay in the market for a while. She was the kind of mare that wouldn’t ever deviate from a set schedule, which meant that she would follow that shopping list to the tee. If that was true, and everything on that list was as they usually were, then she’d be in that market for a long time. So, she drew up a plan in her head.

“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do.” Octavia said, picking up a small stick. She drew up a small map in the dirt, depicting the market. She drew an a small delta in an alley. “This is where we are.” She drew an x on a building to their right. “Jackle, I want you to get up high to that roof. Stay hidden, and keep a visual on Filthy. Should he make any move, I want you to report to me using the communication spell the princess casted on us.” Jackle nodded, and checked his weapons. Octavia drew a small cloud in the center of the market, and put another x on it. “Rainbow, want you to provide overhead surveillance from that cloud. Observe everything that is going on in this market. Should Twilight move, follow her from above. Again, stay hidden.” She drew an x over the the side on a bench near Applejack’s stand. “I will be over here. Should anypony try to move in on Twilight, I’ll be there to intercept them. If I mess up and Twilight is in danger, Rainbow Dash will swoop down and carry her to safety. Agreed?” The other two nodded. Octavia smiled. “Alright. Let’s move.”

Immediately, Rainbow soared up, and got on the cloud overlooking the market. Jackle climbed onto the roofs and moved to his position. Octavia couldn’t help but grin in anticipation. This was her first mission, and already it was an important one. She got up, trotted through the crowd of ponies, and sat down on the bench.

About five minutes had past, and nothing important had happened. Twilight was perusing through Roseluck’s flowers, bending over to smell them. Filthy was being...well, filthy.

Ugh. Can I please fly down a clock that pervert?

Negative, Octavia thought. If you do that, we might spook the Templar.

Octavia, Jackle said. We don’t even know that he or she is here.

That thought had occured to her, but she had dismissed it already. Don’t worry. That Templar is here. I know it.

How so?

I’ve seen him. Twelve o’clock, your three, Jackle. He’s wearing a green bowler hat, and has a star as his cutie mark. Octavia said, her eyes on him. He’s the one.

Rainbow tutted in her thoughts. Octavia, you can’t assume that just because he looks shady that he’s a hostile.

It’s not just that. He’s wearing the Templar cross around his neck.

The gray mare smirked as both of her compatriots cursed. You’re right, Rainbow said. I could just jump from here and assassinate him.

Octavia was about to deny her, but Jackle cut in. Don’t do it. There’s too many ponies around, and they all know you. If you didn’t have that damn desire to show off all the time, I might've said otherwise; you'd just be some random pony.

The cyan mare grumbled about how her friend was such a spoilsport. Octavia chose to ignore these comments, and instead keep her eyes on the stallion in the bowler hat. He was chatting away with some other mare, but his eyes kept flicking back to Twilight. He was definitely the one. Suddenly, he cut his conversation short and waved at the mare goodbye, before walking away.

Shit, Rainbow thought. You guys seeing this?

Aye, I do. Jackle said grimly. What should we do?

Octavia thought for a moment, before responding. I’m moving closer. You two, get ready in case he spots me and makes a dash for it.

With that, she cut off communications for a short bit, and got up off the bench. Strangely enough, nopony appeared to look twice at her strange attire, but that didn’t matter to her. The ponies of Ponyville often saw unusual things, and her uniform was one of the lesser things they’ve experienced. Octavia thanked Celestia for their ignorance; it kept her alive.

She pushed out those thoughts as she drew closer to the stallion. His eyes were boring into Twilight’s head. Octavia now knew that soon he was going to strike. Now only about fifteen yards away, he reached into his saddlebags and pulled out a small knife, which he strapped to his left hoof. That was it. Octavia dashed forward and grabbed the stallion, pulling him into another dark alley. She pinned him to the ground and unsheathed her hidden blade, which she held to his neck.

Nice job Tavi! Rainbow whooped.

Again, Octavia ignored her enthusiastic partner. Instead, she focused on the stallion beneath her.

“I am going to ask a question, and you are going to answer it.” Octavia said, her eyes steely. “Am I clear?”

The stallion gulped. “Well, not like I have a choice, do I?” Then, he smiled arrogantly. ?Of course, my friends here would disagree.”

Suddenly, and arrow whizzed by Octavia’s head and planted itself into the wall behind her. She looked up to see two other ponies, each holding a crossbow. They were both heavily built earth ponies, almost as big as Big Mac. They smiled cruelly and drew up on their hind legs, pulling out their swords. Octavia glanced down at her smirking captive, and immediately decided what to do. She pulled out two knives and plunged them through both of the stallion’s front hooves, pinning him to the ground. He yelped in pain, but the noise of the market drowned it out.

She spat at him. “You stay there. I’ll deal with these two.” Octavia sent out a message. Can either of you assist me? I’ve got two big Templars here.

The sound of a blade echoed through her mind. Rainbow’s voice suddenly came through. No can do, Tavi! I’ve got two pegasi here to deal with. More clashed echoed before the transmission ended.

Jackle?

The griffon answered immediately, though his breathing was heavy. I’ve got a similar problem, Octavia. I got jumped by three ponies, and can’t come right now. I’ll be over as soon as I can!

With that, the connection fell, as did Octavia’s heart. Great. Now, she had to face these two on her own. Her training started to kick in, and her mind began to strategize. The two rushed forward at her, swinging their blades. One slashed at her head, which she dodged by sliding underneath him and coming up behind the pair. They stumbled as they tried to stop and turn, causing confusion.

Okay, so these guys are huge. Octavia thought. But, all that means is that they’re much slower than I am. That’s my advantage: speed. Now that Octavia knew what she had going for her, she decided that she would make the most of it. Drums began to play in her mind, giving her a tense feeling.

Octavia charged forward, surprising the two stallions. They quickly recovered and rushed forth as well, blades held high. However, just as they were about to clash, Octavia sidestepped and jumped onto the wall, using it to push her once more behind the two. Brass instruments blared in her head, giving her adrenaline that stopped her from thinking too much. The two learned from their mistakes however, and instead of attempting to turn around, they got back on all fours and bucked their hind legs at her.

Now, the symphony going through her mind was playing in full earnest. The strings were moving frantically, while the wind instruments kept that steady intense melody. Octavia knew that this was her chance, that the sound of the music in her head was what gave her an advantage. It communicated with her, telling when to strike. Suddenly, the strings held a high note again, and the winds fell quiet. The bass drum beated along with her heart, and her breath echoed throughout the hall. Time slowed as the stallions’ legs moved towards her. Octavia waited, and waited, until the moment was just right. The symphony suddenly stopped, and that was when she moved. She maneuvered between the right and left leg of her opposition, and reached down and grabbed the two limbs. She then leaned back, pulling on them, causing the two Templars to fall on their face. Then, before they could get up, Octavia jumped in the air, and came down hard on them. Her blades flashed, and her eyes became steely.

        Octavia fell, and with her body, so did her two blades. They plunged through the backs of each pony, causing them to gasp in pain before laying still. Octavia stayed there for a moment, taking some time to catch her breath. Then she got up, and saw the blood covering her hooves. That’s when it hit her.

        She had just killed two ponies.

Strangely enough...she didn’t feel too bad about it. However, just that fact that she had ended two lives was enough to render her speechless. She sat down for a moment, before turning over the bodies of the Templars. She saw that they each had a strangely peaceful look on their faces, but something was missing. Immediately, Octavia knew what she should do. She reached over to each body, and brushed a hoof over their faces, closing their eyes.

“Dormi ora, il mio nemico.” Octavia said softly. She got up and put a hoof to her forehead, reconnecting with the other two Assassins. Jackle? Rainbow? Are you both alright?

Yeah, I’m fine. Rainbow said. Those two pegasi couldn’t handle how awesome my moves were.

Jackle scoffed. Hardly. You almost got killed three separate times. Had those two pegasi not been arguing who gets to kill “the” Rainbow Dash, we might not even be having this conversation.

Just more proof to show how great I am!

Chuckling a bit, Octavia cut the connection again. At least her two friends were fine. Now, she moved over to the other Templar, who was struggling to get free of her knives. She got down on one knee and put a hoof on his chest stopping his movements. He looked up at her, fear filling his eyes.

“Now, I am going to ask you a question.” Octavia said, her voice once more cold as ice. “Why are you going after Twilight Sparkle?”

The pony bit his lip, and his eyes flicked around. “T-tartarus if I know! I was just ordered to come here!”

Octavia thought for a bit, before smiling at him. “You know what?”

“Wh-what?” The stallion replied, his breathing erratic.

“I don’t believe you.” With that, she grabbed one of the knives and twisted it, causing her captive to cry out in agony. Octavia once more looked him in the eyes, boring through his head. “I’ll ask you one more time. Why are you after Twilight Sparkle?”

“O-okay, I’ll tell you!” The Templar gasped. “Just stop moving that knife!”

She smiled sweetly, and let go of her torture tool. “Be glad I’m so nice. Now, answer my question.”

“It’s all part of our plan!” Cried the stallion.

Her purple eyes flashed. “What plan? Tell me!”

“So, Twilight Sparkle is an Element of Harmony, right?” Jabbered the Templar. “In order to make the box we stole work, she has to--” Suddenly, and arrow sprouted from his neck, and the rest of his words were lost in bloody choking.

Octavia sprang up, her blades at the ready. She heard chuckling behind her, and saw a silhouette in sun, standing on the roof behind her. A neon red eye flashed at her, and his smile seemed to glow.

“You know, I never liked him. He never was the most trustworthy of my minions.” Said the mysterious stallion. He laid down in a relaxed position, took out an apple, and began to munch on it.

Octavia glared at her mysterious visitor. “Just who are you?”

“Oh? You don’t know who I am?” The stallion’s voice sounded surprised. He got up and jumped down to the ground, letting Octavia get a full view of him. He had a strange mustard green coat, with a brown and blue mane. One of his eyes had a catlike pupil, and he wore a purple pinstriped vest. On each hoof he wore a purple cufflink.

He smiled sweetly at her. “I’m only the one who killed your mother.”

Memories flashed in Octavia’s head...a bloody alley...her mother’s blank, dead stare...the tears and anger...

Without thinking, she unsheathed her blades and rushed at the pony, determined to tear him to pieces. Before she could even lay a hoof on him, however, he disappeared.

“You know, emotions are fickle things.” Said a voice behind her. “They cloud us from what is really important.”

Octavia turned around to see the stallion leaning against the wall, once more munching at his apple. “What is that supposed to mean?”

He swallowed. “Well, for starters...weren’t you supposed to protect Twilight Sparkle?”

Octavia gasped. She had let her feelings get the better of her, and now it could’ve jeopardized the success of the mission. She put her hoof to her forehead, initiating the link to her friends once more. Guys...please tell me you have a visual on Twilight.

Jackle reporting in. No sign of her.

Dammit! I only turned my back for one moment, and she’s gone!

Rainbow, calm down.

Calm down?! This is my friend we’re talking about! A sudden swish could be heard from her end of the link, signalling that Rainbow had flown off to find her friend.

Jackle, follow her!

On it. If we find Twilight, we’ll be sure to take her into protective custody.

Alright. Just be ca--

Suddenly, Octavia felt pain erupting from the back of her head. She crumpled to the ground, looking up to see the mysterious stallion standing over her.

He sighed, as if dissapointed. “You know, I thought that you’d have more sense than that. A mental link conversation with one of your greatest enemies right in front of you?” He shook his head. “How silly of you, Octavia.” Then, his lips turned up into that same sickly sweet smile. “But don’t worry. I won’t kill you. Just sleep for now.”

The last thing she saw was a hoof coming down on her face.