//------------------------------// // Educational Brutality // Story: Leap of Faith // by A bag of plums //------------------------------// Sunset Shimmer felt as though the entire floor had been pulled out from under her feet. Velvet saved me? Who is she? And why? “Sunset!” Velvet barked. She angled her head back to glare at her. “Go!” “But what about you?” Wolfgang snarled and began to circle around, Velvet keeping her knife between them at all times. “Don’t worry about me. Get out of here. Now.” “But-” “Go!” Moving slowly but carefully, Sunset and Velvet backed up to the elevator shaft. Not taking her eyes off Wolfgang, Sunset lowered herself onto the maintenance ladder, the plastic frame easily holding her weight. Mimicking those action movies that Rainbow so loved to watch, the girl slid down to the last rung. “I’m at the bottom!” Sunset called once she alighted on the first floor. Velvet Breeze glanced back at the shaft. Then without warning the blue girl’s knife blurred in the air, slicing through the heavy-duty straps holding the ladder in place. Sunset jumped back in surprise as the mass of orange tubes clattered into the hole and out of sight. “Velvet…” She whispered. Then Sunset was running as fast as her feet could carry her, out away from the construction site and to safety. Wolfgang continued to circle the Assassin as he pulled a switchblade from under his sweater. With a well-practised flick, he brought the blade out from its handle.         “You do realize I can just take the stairs, right?” He smirked.         “And turn your back on me?” Velvet stared coldly at her foe. “I don’t think so.”         “Ah, and I should have seen it from the very beginning…” the inspector licked his lips and waved his knife thoughtfully. “New transfer student. Had to be you, of course. But I wonder… Why would the Assassins send a kid after me? Are they so lacking that they have no choice but to send you?”         “I’m more than enough to take you down,” Velvet shot back. Her grip on the knife tightened until her knuckles turned white.         “You’re welcome to try, Ms. Breeze.” Wolfgang feinted to the left before darting to the right, an arm already swinging the small blade at Velvet’s exposed neck.         The girl ducked and swept at Wolfgang’s legs with her feet, but he was too quick for her and leapt away before rebounding back at her. The switchblade tugged at her shoulder and Velvet winced as the steel bit into her skin.         Wolfgang raised his knife again but overextended himself and Velvet kicked him under the chin, sending the man flying backward and onto a box of nails. Velvet watched him land and then leap back up into the air, clutching at his backside and howling.         “Not bad, for a little girl,” Wolfgang said with bared teeth before resuming his attack, dashing towards Velvet, spinning his blade skillfully between his fingers before plunging it towards the top of her head. In a flash, the blue girl seized a short plank from a nearby stack and swung it like a baseball bat into the side of Wolfgang’s face, crushing his glasses against his temple. He stumbled back as one of the spectacle hinges gave way. The blow had cracked one of his lenses, messing with the inspector’s vision. Wolfgang growled and tossed his broken spectacles away. He reached behind his sawdust-covered wool sweater and whipped out a second switchblade, snapping it open threateningly. Velvet Breeze ducked under the whirring crescent of Wolfgang’s first knife, the blade shearing through a stray lock of hair and throwing up sparks as it scraped into an exposed metal beam. Before she could react, his second knife jabbed through the denim of her jeans and deep into her thigh. Eyes watering from the pain, Velvet thrust her own knife at Wolfgang, whimpering when the switchblade dragged itself through her flesh as he stepped back to avoid being gutted. Wolfgang noticed her discomfort and laughed. “Oh yes, it hurts, doesn’t it? Didn’t your Mentor tell you? If you decide to play Assassin…” The switchblades swirled around Wolfgang as he flourished them. “...You’d best be prepared to get hurt.” The two clashed again, ducking and weaving around each other’s strikes in a deadly dance. Now that Velvet had lost the element of surprise, she was quickly forced onto the defensive, her long knife flashing high and low, parrying desperately. Step by step, the teenager was driven backward to the edge of the platform. Then, disaster. Whether it was by bad luck or Velvet’s increasing fatigue, one of Wolfgang’s blades broke through her defensive web and sank into her right forearm, dyeing the entire sleeve crimson. Wolfgang grinned, pressing his weapon in deeper and Velvet lost her grip on her knife, sending it clattering down and off the edge of the building. “My, my...” Wolfgang twisted the blade a few degrees, grinning darkly at Velvet’s paling complexion. He released his knife and gave the girl a shove. Velvet’s head struck concrete and she saw stars, the world spinning around her. “It’s a pity you Assassins die so easily, or I might have some sense of satisfaction.” And he readied his remaining knife for the killing blow. Wolfgang’s arm seemed to fall in slow motion. The sun reflected off the switchblade’s keen edge and Velvet’s left hand flexed, releasing her last resort weapon with a snick. At once, a short, thin blade shot out from her sleeve and she plunged it into Wolfgang’s knife arm, stopping it in its tracks and showering them both with warm blood. “Aaarghhh!” Wolfgang shrieked, dropping his weapon off the edge and waving his injured limb in front of his face to dislodge the hidden blade. As soon as it was out the Templar punched Velvet viciously, making her black out for a moment. “I don’t need a weapon to kill you,” Wolfgang panted through clenched teeth. He knelt over Velvet’s prone form and pinned her left arm down with his foot, at the same time he wrapped both his hands around her throat and began to squeeze. Velvet’s right hand grabbed at the inspector, but his grip was like iron. As if realizing it would do no good, the girl’s arm fell aside against a toolbox, her face rapidly deepening in hue as she gasped for air. “Hee hee! How do you feel now, Ms. Breeze?” Wolfgang gloated. He put his ear next to Velvet’s fluttering lips, still strangling her. “What’s that? I can’t hear you!” Through the last few gasps of air, Velvet focused her hateful gaze on Wolfgang and choked out, “Screw… you… Wolfgang…” All of a sudden, the Templar felt a sharp, jabbing pain in his belly, followed by another, and another. With a yelp he let go, clutching at his now-bleeding abdomen and stumbling backward. He took a step toward the stairwell, but Velvet wasn’t going to let him get away. Seizing him by the collar of his rapidly darkening garment, the girl yanked him back to the edge before following up with a fourth stab to his chest, right between the ribs.   Wolfgang groaned in agony. His hands reached out for Velvet one last time. Finally, the girl reared up and planted a solid kick into his sternum. For a heartbeat, the inspector hung in thin air, connected to Velvet’s shoe by the thinnest string of blood. Then he plunged straight down and out of sight. There was a sickening crunch. Velvet Breeze waited, listening for any sign of movement from below. When none came, only then did she allow her right hand to relax, dropping the bloodstained screwdriver she had used to turn the tables. The girl took in a long, shuddering breath. Everything hurt, and she could still feel Wolfgang’s hands around her neck. Another few seconds… she gave her throat a gentle rub with her left hand, grimacing at the shoe imprint on her hoodie. Her entire outfit was so bloodied and worn that only tiny patches of white were still visible; everything else was stained a dark, sticky red. The entire concrete platform was also splattered with scarlet from their fight, pools of blood rapidly congealing around her feet. Mentor… is going to kill me… Velvet thought numbly. She’d botched the entire assignment. Sunset now knew about her secret, and all this blood would make it onto the news for sure once the builders got back. Not to mention that if Wolfgang hadn’t been working alone, Sunset was now easy pickings. The bleeding girl sank down to her knees, suddenly feeling very tired as the adrenaline from the fight drained out of her. Focusing on the pain that emanated from her wounds, Velvet forced herself to her feet, dragging her injured leg behind her as she gingerly descended the staircase. Each step sent a spike of discomfort through her entire body, but she welcomed it as an indication that she was still alive, that she had survived her first fight. Alighting on the second floor, Velvet glanced down and realized with dull surprise that she’d neglected to remove Wolfgang’s second switchblade from her right arm. The stubby black handle stuck out at a ninety degree angle in her arm, almost right on top of the cut she’d gotten from falling off the roof. She clenched her teeth together as she grabbed for the handle. With a quick motion the knife followed her left hand, along with a spurt of blood that spattered against the closest wall. Velvet held back a sob through her teeth as she clutched at her wounded arm. Have to get back home… patch myself up… The world spun around Velvet and she fell to the ground with a damp splat. Have… to… find… Sunset… Faintly aware of the growing blackness that was gathering on the edges of her vision, Velvet crawled into into the corridor that led to the next set of stairs. “Sun… set…” she whimpered even as each muscle in her body screamed in protest, even as each of her limbs began shutting down. “Wait… for… me…” Princess Twilight Sparkle stepped through the alabaster marble archway that led into the verdant Canterlot Castle grounds, panning her head about as she looked at the squads of guards that were currently drilling for their duty. It was a sight that brought a faint warmth to Twilight’s heart; how many times she had come sprinting here after her lessons with Princess Celestia just in time to see her B.B.B.F.F. get off his shift? Twilight shook her head in fond remembrance. Back then, Shining Armor had been her only friend in Canterlot, nay, in Equestria, if one counted Celestia as a mentor. Now she was the very Princess of Friendship! If somepony had come up to her back then and told her that in a few years she would be trekking all across Equestria solving friendship problems, she’d have told them to go get their head examined. Speaking of friendship problems… Sunset’s letters and reports about what was going on in the other world were becoming increasingly worrying. Talks about being followed by people and now a fire at Canterlot High! If not for the fact that the mirror was all the way back in Ponyville, she would have rushed over the moment she had gotten the message. In fact, the urge to do so was still there, scratching at the back of her mind like a mouse behind a wall. Sunset was in trouble. Of that she was certain. But at the same time, Twilight had the oddest feeling that the answer to Sunset’s problems was not in the other world, but in this one. Velvet Breeze. She was the key to this whole thing, Twilight was sure of it. And while she wasn’t about to start resurrecting the dead to interrogate their remains, she did have the next best thing: the pony who had left the moon lilies on Velvet’s grave. Which brought her to where she was now. The Canterlot Castle’s guard training grounds, searching for one Corporal Dewdrop. With their armor on, most guards looked the same, but Twilight vaguely remembered the one from that night to have straight blue hair, with some kind of streak in it. Plus, she was a unicorn mare. Not a whole lot of the guards were mares after all. “Excuse me.” Twilight stopped the first guard she came across who wasn’t in the middle of a drill. “I’m looking for one Corporal Dewdrop. Do you happen to know where she is?” “Yes, princess,” the guard replied respectfully after snapping to attention. “She should be with her unit over at the dummy training. Furthest row, fourth pony from the left.” Twilight gave her thanks to the guard and trotted through the main courtyard, heading to the corporal’s supposed location. The lavender alicorn passed by a couple of recruitment posters and stopped for a second to see what they had come up with this time. The last ones she saw had her brother on it (something which Shining Armor had been very proud of), but these ones must have been part of a newer set. The Solar Guard poster had a muscular, pale yellow stallion replendescent in gleaming battle-dress, standing proudly against a stylized Canterlot Castle. A slogan reading, 'Become one of Celestia's Lights. Join the Solar Guards now!' framed the bottom of the poster in blocky golden letters. The Lunar Guard poster had a slim-built female bat pony, leaning against a spear in an almost provocative fashion. The words, 'Guard the Night. Princess Luna needs you!' were written along the bottom in spiky blue lettering. Twilight recognized the one on the Solar Guard poster. Frigid Night. The pegasus had bought them a lot of time during the changeling invasion, and if it weren't for him, Twilight and her friends would have never made it to the Hall of Elements, though in the end, it was Princess Cadance and Shining Armor who stopped the changeling queen from winning that day. Eventually, Twilight continued on, watching other guards stick swords and spears into the straw dummies as if they were their sworn enemies. She winced as a brown coated earth pony slashed his sword in an arc, decapitating the dummy with that one quick blow and sending straw fluttering up like confetti. Its head rolled across the ground and stopped in front of Twilight’s hoof. The royal guard turned and saw her, quickly galloping over and kicking the head into a corner sheepishly. “Forgive me, princess,” he said as he took his helmet off and bowed. “I was careless. I didn’t see you there.” “It’s f-fine,” Twilight replied, shaking the memory out of her head and giving him a warm smile. “You’re just training. It’s what you do. Please, continue. I’m just looking for Corporal Dewdrop.” “Oh.” The stallion put his helmet back on and pointed a hoof towards a group of ponies by the castle wall. “She’s right over there.” “Thank you… uh…” Twilight waited for his name. The stallion widened his eyes and leapt to attention as quick as a whip. “Private Wreckhouse, princess!” “Right. Thank you, Private Wreckhouse,” Twilight smiled before approaching the other guards. “You have a good day of practice!” The three solar guards by the side of the wall looked up as Twilight approached them with a smile on her face. One had a pale green coat, while the other two had white coats. Twilight immediately recognized Dewdrop as she approached them, remembering the mare’s features. “Princess Twilight Sparkle,” the white coated pegasus greeted as three of them stood at attention. “Lieutenants Summer Wind and Morning Blade, and Corporal Dewdrop at your service! May we assist you with anything?” “Yes, actually.” Twilight pointed a hoof at Dewdrop. “May I speak with the corporal?” “Of course, princess.” Summer Wind motioned with her head for Dewdrop to head over to Twilight. “Yes, princess?” Dewdrop’s expression was almost friendly, if it hadn’t been for the too-wide grin she was sporting. “What can I do for you?” “Corporal, I wanted to talk about the other night,” Twilight began casually. “When you were guarding the memorial?” As soon as Twilight mentioned ‘night’, Dewdrop’s face seemed to pale, if that was possible for a pony whose coat was already white. “Uh… y-yes, princess,” she stammered. “W-what do you wish to know?”         “Might I ask why you were standing guard for Velvet Breeze’s grave?”         “What’s this about Velvet?” Summer Wind and Morning Blade turned to Dewdrop, apparently having overheard their conversation. “What were you doing, Dewdrop?”         “Oh, nothing really. Just… Oh, I think I heard my name being called.” Dewdrop put a hoof to her ear. She gave the most innocent smile she could as she backed away. “Duty calls. Sorry, princess.” And then she was off, galloping towards the castle as though the hordes of Tartarus were on her tail and leaving behind three very confused ponies.         “Uhmm… okay…” Twilight frowned. She entertained the idea of giving chase, but then a thought struck her. “Lieutenant,” she said, glancing back at Summer Wind and Morning Blade. “You mentioned Velvet’s name? What do you know about her?”         “Unfortunately, princess. Not much,” Summer Wind lowered her head. “I only know Dewdrop is a good friend of Velvet’s sister.”         “Maybe she should check with Captain Frigid?” Morning Blade asked her fellow lieutenant with a nudge. “Normally we’d suggest your brother, but he’s out of town.”         “Fantastic idea.” Summer returned her attention to the Princess of Friendship. “Princess Twilight. The captain would be able to assist you in your search. I’m sorry that we don’t have the information you want.”         “Thank you, and it’s fine.” Twilight flapped her wings and hovered above the courtyard, recalling where the captains’ offices were located. “Sorry to have troubled you.”         Leaving the guardsponies to get back to their drills, Twilight Sparkle gave her wings an almighty flap and rocketed toward the looming castle. Somewhere in there was the answer to Sunset’s questions, and by extension her own as well. A pleasantly familiar feeling suffused Twilight’s body; there was no problem that friendship, and a good long bout of research couldn’t solve.