Groggily rubbing my head, I walk out of the Sanctuary just as the sun is starting to peak up over the horizon. Shaking my head, I jump up in to the air and head off to my cloud castle so as to not arouse suspicion from the girls. Watching the sun make its way slowly higher in the sky, my mind drifts to how connected I am to the Sanctuary. Ever since I was a filly, it has been my true home, not the family cloud castle. It was a lot easier sleeping in the Sanctuary than my old home. I never sleep in my own home anymore - it's a place I try to avoid as much as possible. Now that I think about it, not a lot of assassins slept in their own homes - it feels good to be around ponies who you trust.
I touch down on one of the top-most balconies on the cloud castle and lie down on the edge, looking at the rising sun. Spreading wonderful golds and oranges across the horizon, its light begins to creep over Ponyville, slowly illuminating the waking town. I remember, once again, that I have to go to the picnic with the girls, and let out an unrestrained groan similar to that of an injured animal.
I hated being around them. All my life, they and the assassins were the only things that stayed the same in my life. Of course, they never knew of my involvement with the Sanctuary, or even of its existence. So as time wore on, and as the stories of our triumphs over various evils settled down and were eventually forgotten, so were our friendships. I would say that we found "special somepony's." This would be true. And I would also say that we moved apart.
This would be mostly true. For the special somepony's that my friends found were... each other. And it sickened me. As much as I hated to admit it, it hurt me to see my friends together in... that way, no matter how happy they were. Even to this day I wonder if I'm right in my repulsion from that way of thinking.
Am I? Is it right for a filly to be with another filly, and a colt with a colt? My mind automatically says no, but I push my subconscious and try to approach this with as open a mind as possible. I can reason this out.
If two ponies are happy together, is there any reason why they can't spend their life together? Isn't that that truly the question? What is my problem with that?
After a couple seconds of thought, I realize I have no answer.
I can't call this a resolution, and I don't really feel much better about it, but I can kind of understand the motivation for this kind of thing.
Letting out a sigh, I think I'm ready for the day's events. Off in the distance, I see a small shape flapping towards the castle. I fly up to meet the timid pegasus, who always preferred not having to go to other ponies' houses.
"Hey Flutters." I give her a smile, which she returns brightly. "How's Pinkie doing?"
The yellow pegasus perked up. "Oh, we're doing fine. Business has been really good at the bakery, and I have heard rumours that..." She leaned in close to my face. I laughed and pushed her away.
"Fluttershy, if this is a secret, there's nopony around to hear it. Speak freely!"
She sighed. "Alright. I have heard that... Princess Celestia has almost pushed through this one new law so... me and Pinkie are going to get married soon! Isn't this just absolutely wonderful?" Fluttershy was beaming, her eyes radiant enough that I thought that they would burn through me.
Swallowing, I was able to squeak, "That's wonderful, Flutters."
Still keeping the same wide smile, Fluttershy led me to the field where we usually had our picnics. The taste of rain was in the air - it seemed that the picnic wouldn't really be a success. There was barely a cloud in sight, but I had a feeling that we would be going to somepony's house.
Upon arrival, only Twilight and Pinkie were there, and they looked up from their conversation to greet us. Pinkie threw her arms over Fluttershy, and I thought that she would squirm and fly away, but she just hugged her back. I felt a brief pang of loneliness, which I quickly pushed away. I didn't have time for sentiments.
Fluttershy and Pinkie seemed to be.. busy, so I went over to talk to Twilight. I approach the purple unicorn, who was staring at the sunrise, an open book in front of her. "Hey Twi." I say, breaking her out of her daydream.
"Oh... hey Dash." She looks down and starts reading from her book.
I scratch my head. "Umm.. somethin' wrong Twilight? You seem to be kinda.."
"Absentminded? Yeah, I guess you could say that. I've been pretty busy lately."
I'm about to reply when Applejack and Rarity walk in to the field, both bearing huge smiles. Twi tells me that we're going to have to continue our conversation later. After greetings, we settle down in a circle and start catching up. I'm thankful that they have grown accustomed to not hearing much from me, as most of my day was occupied by "cloud-kicking" and "practising to join the Wonderbolts".
"So darling, have you heard that Celestia was considering-"
"I KNOW Rarity! It's super duper awesomely wonderfully amazing!" Pinkie Pie was bouncing with enjoyment, while we were all sitting on the grass under a shaded oak tree.
"I'm assuming that you and Applejack have the same plans as me and Pinkie, no?" Fluttershy inquired.
"Darn right! This little hayseed hasn't kept her mouth shut about it since she heard!" Applejack gave Rarity a light punch on the shoulder.
I look up. True to my prediction, a few clouds have rolled in, and they have started to meld together in to a dark, ominous mass that promised a pretty heavy Spring rainstorm. Fluttershy suggests going over to Twilight's library to wait it out, so we make our way over. We get to the tree just in time to escape the torrential downpour.
After we're all inside I open the door one last time. Sticking the front half of my body out, I shake my hoof and yell "CURSE YOU CELESTIAAA!!!!"
I kind of half meant it. Pulling my sodden body inside, I quickly towel off and walk upstairs, where Twilight is waiting for me. The others have sat down in a circle, and were all talking about Celestia knows what.
Twilight was looking out the window, and the lights were off. I reach my hoof to flick the lights on, but Twilight stops me with a "I would prefer them off, thank you."
I look at the back of her head quizzically. "Twi, is something wrong? I mean it. You seem to be acting really weird."
She turns around, seeming to be wrestling with a thought in her head. Giving her head a gentle shake, she looks up at me. "I've been pretty lonely, is all. Spike... passed away last night."
I gasp. "Twilight... how come we didn't know? Is he.."
"He's buried out back. The princess didn't know what it was, and he just got worse and worse. He moved on in his sleep, if you can find some comfort in that." She looked at me in a way that told me that the subject was finished.
I disregarded the look. "Is that why you were delivering books to Celestia so late at night? Man, you must have been burning the midnight oil trying to... find a cure or something."
Twilight looked a little startled, but regained her composure, looking a little bit annoyed. "Uh, yes. She had me running all over Canterlot retrieving books. But what I want to know is..." She took a step closer to me, a malevolent look starting to creep on to her face. "What were you doing last night when I saw you. I know that you weren't practising for the Wonderbolts... you never are." She caught my eye. "I know things, Dash."
I paled. Did she know about the assassins? But that was silly - how could she? Before I have my answer, which probably wasn't going to be that good, Fluttershy came in. "Um, hi Twilight. Me and Pinkie are going to leave now. Hey Dash, you should come with us! Pinkie made a really good batch of cupcakes this morning, and you really need to try one!"
Twilight started to talk, but I cut her off. "That sounds like an awesome idea, Flutters. I'll be right down." Fluttershy walks back down the stairs.
I nod to Twilight, and start towards the door. She doesn't say anything. Something strange has just been put between us, a wall made of a substance known only to her.
Rarity and Applejack have already left, and I walk out the door with Pinkie and Fluttershy. The entire town seems to have been thrown in to a bucket of water and strewn carelessly aside. I make an excuse about feeling a little bit sick, and fly off in the direction of my cloud castle. Once the two ponies are out of sight, I make my way to the Sanctuary - I heard this morning that Bon Bon wanted to see me about another contract.
The sun is still ascending to its usual place in the sky, but the Spring environment does nothing to brighten my dark thoughts.
How much does Twilight know?
***
I take a street approach to the Sanctuary. I always like to hear the rumours going on in the streets; most of it was half-truth and I felt a smug satisfaction knowing that I normally knew the whole truth.
Today ponies were talking about an unknown stallion being found dead on the streets on Canterlot, with one stab wound in his chest. The authorities have yet to find the killer, but they have assured the public that they will go to whatever lengths to find the assassin. With a small chuckle, I reach the house.
Once back in the Sanctuary, I head over to one of the rooms in the back, where Bon Bon is waiting for me. But I'm not interested in her presence - more the white unicorn lounging asleep on the bench beside the wall. Cocking an eyebrow at Bon Bon, I express my opinion on the filly's attendance. "What's she doing here..."
She laughs. "I knew you wouldn't like this, but this is a two-pony contract."
It's my turn to laugh this time. "I talked to her earlier - I don't really mind. She's cool." I cast another glance at the unicorn, who is just starting to wake up. "So, uhh... what kind of contract is this?"
"I have already filled in Scratch. She can-"
The unicorn snapped out of her catatonic state and looked right at me. "Yep! I'll be tellin' ya once we're on our way - it's just a spying kinda thing. Go get ready, and I'll meet ya outside." And with that, she trotted out of the room. I smirk at Bon Bon, who didn't look very amused at this point.
She gives me a weak smile. "Good luck. You'll need it. She's very... enthusiastic."
Nodding to her, I make a quick stop at my chest, pick up my supplies, and slip them on as I make my way outside. The sun is just starting to make its descent, and the shadows that the buildings cast are elongating. This is my favourite time of day - where the darkness is trying to hide me from any that might be looking for me.
Looking around, I see Vinyl waving at me. I put my forehoof on my face. She really needed to get better at being covert - luckily nopony is around to see us. I beckon her and start to walk down the road, but she stops me. "Aren't ya gonna go by roof? It's way quicker, and I can keep up with your wings, trust me."
I sigh. "I like being unseen. I would go by roof, and I bet you could keep up with me, but I don't really want to attract attention, seeing as we're about to go spy on somepony."
"Come on... nopony is around to see us anyways. It's a hot Saturday afternoon, and everypony will be at the park or at home. We'll avoid the parks! Come on!" She holds out her hoof, and a hook flies out and latches on to a chimney on one of the nearby buildings. All of the non-winged assassins are equipped with a sharpened grappling hoof that takes the place of their second blade, but can stilled be used for combat. She runs up the wall and lands on the roof. "You coming?"
I don't mention to her that we'll be running on ponies' houses, but follow her anyways. We set off along the rooftops, and I realize that almost nopony is on the streets, just as Scratch said. She has a nack for these kinds of things, I guess. We make quick time, and she keeps up with me just fine, much to my surprise. After a while, I signal for her to move slower, and we start walking side by side.
"So.. where are we going?" I ask.
"Eh, it's not that much farther. We're supposed to be getting intelligence on the rogue assassin that killed a couple us a few nights ago." She swallowed. "They just killed the sentries and left. As if to tell us that we weren't safe. I... haven't really slept well since then. But here's the thing, Dash. I've heard ponies talk about where you came from, and this is apparently the same pony..." She looked me dead in the eyes. "that killed your parents."
My stomach dropped. "Do we know anything about them?" I said simply.
"Nothing. Only that we'll be spying on one of their contacts, who is supposedly one of us. We need to find out who they are and dispose of them 'as necessary'. Bon Bon didn't tell you that this was also to be an assassination."
I laugh. "That's because you interrupted her!"
"Yeah, I'm real twitchy around the Sanctuary. It feels really tense to me. And it doesn't help that Octavia is following me like some kind of stalker-pony. She got across at some point that we were... more than friends, and she just follows me around now. I've tried telling her to stop, but... I don't know." She looked like she was about to say more, but stopped herself. "We're here, I think."
We had stopped at a dock hugging the edge of a large lake on the outskirts of Canterlot. The sun was almost set, and oranges and reds blazed across the soon to be night sky and imposed the look of burnished copper on the surface of the lake. I always enjoyed the sunset.
"I love the sunset." I look over in surprise at Vinyl, who was sharing the same expression that I had a couple seconds ago.
"Heh, yeah." We shared a moment of silence, gazing in awe at the sight before us. A few minutes later, I shook to clear my head and reminded Vinyl, "We're on a mission here."
"Oh, that's right!" She moves in to the shadow of a chimney and motions for me to do the same. "Alright. I heard that the targets will be meeting in the warehouse over there. We are not supposed to attack the assassin that is against us, because... you know, they would kill us. We know nothing but that they're a unicorn, so I don't think that would work out too well for us in any case."
"Yeah, I get it." I see a dark shadow moving out of the corner of my eye, and dart in to the warehouse. "Okay, let's move in."
Hopping across the rooftops, we manage to get a good place on top of the warehouse, where we peek through a skylight and try to make out what we can from the conversation below. The newcomer seems to have a sense of urgency about them, and they are constantly checking behind them for followers. The one waiting though has a radiant calm about them, an imposing aura that whispered don't touch me.
They lifted up and arm and beckoned over the newcomer, the color of their hoof obscured by the darkness. I think that their robes were black, rather cliché considering the role they were playing in my life.
The newcomer shuffled over nervously, and the black robed one finally spoke. "What do you have for me?" I recognized the voice from somewhere, but I couldn't place it. There were two factors affecting this. One, I knew everypony in town, and two, they were trying to mask their voice in case anypony was listening. From what I could hear, they could be either a male or female. It was frustrating knowing so little, when the being of so much rested on what I gathered here.
The newcomer, who I noticed now was wearing grey robes, shuffled anxiously, but gulped and gained their composure. "Not much... the guard will be... light tomorrow. I'll see to that. Oh, and you'll like this. I would... look up if I were you."
My stomach lurched. I grabbed Vinyl and pulled her away from the skylight, but I was too late to avoid attracting attention. The black robed one laughed. "Take care of them." And with that, they were gone in to the night.
The grey robed pony looked up, and launched the grappling hook right at my face, which I was still stupidly poking over the edge of the skylight. I moved out of the way right in time to avoid being skewered. I made a split second decision that I would feel quite bad about after. I waited until I heard the sound of the pony zooming up the line, and then kicked the hook off of the ridge it had found purchase on.
I saw the pony hit the ground, and cringed as they went relatively limp, seeming to sway in sub-consciousness. I made to fly down, hoping to give them a quick death, but Vinyl stopped me.
"Wait. I want to talk to her." She grappled down on to one of the boxes in the warehouse, and I followed after. She walked over to the near-still pony, and pulling the pony's hood down, I could barely hear her whisper,
"Octy, why did you do it? What made it worth it?" I think I saw a tear run down her face, but I couldn't be sure in the dark.
Her voice was barely a whisper. "For us." With lighting quick speed she was up on her feet, blade extended, poised to pierce my throat. I moved, but not in time to avoid injury, and a huge pain ripped through my side. I looked down to assess the injury the blade had left, and was met with a large gash that made my head swim to look at. I needed help, and fast.
Vinyl was stunned, and would be unoperational for a few seconds. Those seconds would be crucial to my survival, so it looked like I would be alone for now. I turn around to face Octavia, but the grey pony was already running out of the warehouse. Being in no shape to follow her, I give a sigh of defeat, knowing that we had failed on both objectives of our mission.
Vinyl had snapped out of her trance, seeming to hold in her emotions for now. Looking at the cut in my side, she cringed. "We gotta get you back quick. Does it hurt?"
I laughed bitterly. "Like a paper cut."
"Ooooh. Ow." She took a roll of white bandage out of her robes and started plastering them on to the cut.
"Except way bigger, more painful, and more life-threatening, of course." I winced in pain as she made the final tie around my body.
"Hah. Alright, that will do. Let's get moving so we can get you some proper help. It should take us a few hours to get back to the Sanctuary, and I think it'll hold until then." She put a hoof on my shoulder. "You feelin' okay?"
I blinked to clear my head. "Yeah. I have a feeling that won't be lasting though, so let's get the hay back to the Sanctuary." I take a few tentative steps, but even the small effort required sends a sharp pain up through my entire body. "Ugh. I need you to help me. And the roofs are not an option here."
Vinyl hitched her leg around my forelegs and half led, half dragged me back to the Sanctuary. I was almost unconscious by the time we got there, and I immediately got taken in to a room designated for injured assassins. It was same as all the bedchambers, but with a cabinet stocked with medicines and supplies in the corner.
I had my now bloody bandages replaced with clean ones, but not before they had cleaned my wound. I blacked out from the pain the disinfectant caused, and my unconsciousness eventually melded in to sleep, and then in to my dreams. As my eyes were fluttering closed, I saw a pair of hateful violet eyes peering at me from the door to the room.
***
I was being followed by dark shapes in the small hours of the morning, just as the sun was rising. I was trying to lose them in a crowd of even more grey shapes, winding through the streets of Canterlot. As we walked on, the shapes eventually melded in to one dense being. I whirled around to face them, having reached the end of a dark alleyway, and they laughed. Before I knew it, I was on the ground, a knife to my throat.
"It's time to finish what I started."
I looked up, hoping to catch a glimpse of the last face I would ever see, the murderer who ruined my life. The sun peeked over the edge of a building, and the assassin's face started to gain some definition. My futile attempts to discern their face were cut short by a mirthless laugh followed by a wall of blackness coming to overtake me.
I had the dream frequently from then on, often waking up in the middle of the night screaming for my parents.
They didn't answer, of course.