//------------------------------// // A False Start // Story: Leap of Faith // by A bag of plums //------------------------------// Chairman Mahogany Wood stood alone in his office. It was a spacious affair, lined with plush carpets and somber paintings that he had collected over the years. It was raining, and Mahogany stared out the window without seeing it, instead focusing on his reflection. He had to be careful with his complexion; already his green skin was starting to flake from the stress of this entire affair, and his hairline continued to recede, something which no tonic or ointment seemed to be able to cure. The chairman had just finished a meeting with Principal Frost from Fillydelphia, discussing the transfer of one of his students to Principal Celestia’s school. Mahogany didn’t like talking about that Canterlot principal. She was just too good of a person, never doing something she shouldn’t. Even after threatening her job, the good principal still would not bend, never giving them the information they wanted about the girl, Sunset Shimmer. Mahogany sighed. This entire affair was going pear-shaped right quickly. First Cobalt had been killed, the documents he’d been carrying lost, and now Wolfgang seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth. It was enough to make even the most stalwart Templar worry. He had gotten some men to search for that crazy killer, but they had yet to return from their mission with results. The chairman rubbed at his forehead and let out a muffled groan. He tried to think what might have possibly happened to the man. He was one of their best, even gaining the title of ‘Assassin killer’, and yet, after a change of orders, Wolfgang had vanished. Had the Assassins caught on to their plans so quickly? There was a knock on the door. Mahogany sighed heavily, then composed himself. “Come in.” A slim blue-skinned man in a long black coat entered, quietly closing the door behind him as he glided to the chairman’s side. “Ah, Crescent Wing,” Mahogany relaxed a little. “You’ve returned. Are they coming up?” “Yes, chairman,” he bowed. “They should be arriving in a matter of moments.” Crescent Wing had hailed from a small district called Horston, serving as the chairman’s bodyguard since his younger days, like his father had before him, who had served Mahogany’s father until his death. “Thank you, Crescent.” Mahogany shifted himself over to his seat and placed his elbows on the expensive wooden desk, taking up a stance that his father had called ‘the business look’. Soon, there was a knock at the door, and after Mahogany gave his permission to enter, a feminine figure clad in a black leather suit and motorbike helmet walked in, followed by a younger girl with long purple hair, dressed in almost all pink. Both women sat down in front of Mahogany, on the other side of the desk. “Welcome back, Mirror Match. Citrus Drops,” Mahogany greeted with a short-lived smile. “What news do you bring for me?” “Mr. Chairman,” Citrus Drops said formally. “We’ve found Wolfgang. He’s in the Canterlot Hospital, being treated for multiple stab wounds and bone fractures. As instructed, all staff who are seeing to him have been sworn to secrecy.” “Good work, Citrus,” Mahogany wiggled his fingers together. “Any word on who put him there?” “No, sir. Although...” Citrus fished out a sheet of paper from her file. “We have no records of any Assassins in the area, at all. It would seem that Wolfgang incurred his injuries at some sort of construction site, if his wounds are anything to go by.” “Or,” Mirror Match said silkily. “Wolfey was just being an idiot like always. He’s such an amateur.” “Huh… I don’t know, but… no records of any Assassins?” Mahogany repeated. “Well, it must be wrong. You know how these people are. They like to go under the radar, to walk faceless among men. It must be them! And what of the girl? That Sunset Shimmer from Principal Celestia’s school?” “Well, Mr. Chairman, we had Sunset Shimmer until the school year ended, after that, the trail went cold.” Mahogany looked away and snarled quietly. That girl was the key in their whole operation and they had been so close to acquiring her. “That is a pity…” he turned back to face the two ladies. “Mirror Match. What about Cobalt’s papers? Any sign of them?” Mirror Match stared at Mahogany, the visor on her helmet reflecting his face back at him. “I already told you, there’s no point looking for them. Likely they’ve either been burnt or fallen into Assassin hands by now. You’d have more luck finding a better hairdresser.” Things didn’t seem to be going well at all, but then Mahogany remembered the Assassins were faring no better. He turned back to Citrus and flashed her a genuine smile. “That will be all, my dear. You may go.” “Thank you, chairman.” The girl nodded to Mirror Match and left the room. The chairman noted that she was very much like her father. It was a pity that the Assassins had gotten to him; he was a good man, and a great friend, unlike some of the company he kept now. “Those ruthless killers win this time, I suppose,” Mahogany said, switching gears. “But we still need to find that Shimmer girl. Mirror Match, how soon can you get to Canterlot? You’re our best spy after all.” Mirror Match leaned forward icily. “I do not kill children,” she said in a perfect imitation of Mahogany Wood’s voice. The chairman repressed a shiver; he hated it when Mirror Match did that. “You know we’re not trying to do that. We need her alive. Unharmed if possible.” Mirror considered it. “I’m going to have to cancel my appearance at the charity gala on New Year’s Eve, at the very latest,” she said in her usual voice. “And I expect to be paid double my usual fee for working on a holiday.” “That’s preposterous!” Mahogany exploded. “New Year’s Eve is weeks from now! By the time you get there, Sunset Shimmer will have vanished!” “Will she?” Mirror stood up and tilted her helmeted head so it looked like she was staring down at the chairman. “Let’s look at the facts here: Sunset Shimmer is, by all reports and files, an ordinary schoolgirl. She’s not going anywhere, whereas the galas and fundraisers I hold are key to maintaining our front as a respectable organization, instead of what it really is: a poorly managed attempt at a conspiracy which has to stoop to hiring lowlifes like Wolfgang.” Mirror made a fist and pointed her index finger at Mahogany, who leaned away from it. Crescent Wing stepped in and shifted a hip forward, revealing the hilt of one of his sabers under his coat. “It’s fine, Crescent,” Mahogany held out a hand. “Very well, Mirror Match. As long as you get results and what he wants, I have no qualms with what you do.” “Believe me, chairman,” Mirror Match muttered as she turned on her heel and left the room. “Disappointing the Grand Master is the last thing I want.” When she was out of sight, Mahogany Wood put a hand to his head and leaned on it. “Everything alright, chairman?” Crescent walked over to the Templar chairman’s side. “Everything’s fine,” he mumbled into his hand. “It might take longer to get the job done now, but… that girl will be ours, sooner or later.” Sunset Shimmer woke up in the living room, lounging on one of the sofas. She rubbed at her face and stretched her arms out like a cat, feeling her joints crack and pop as she did so. “What time is it…?” she said out loud, turning her attention to an apple-shaped clock on the wall. “Almost dinner time, Sunset,” Apple Bloom announced, walking in from the kitchen door. She wore a green coat over her usual outfit; snow covered her shoulders. “Ya alright there?” “Yeah, I’m fine, Apple Bloom. Just tired, I guess. I didn’t get much sleep last night. Where’s AJ, by the way?” Apple Bloom pointed her thumb to the door. “She’s out back cuttin’ some logs with Big Mac. Figured they would start a fire in the fireplace or somethin’.” “That’s an idea…” Sunset hadn’t moved in a while, feeling the cold seep into her now that she was awake. A fire sounded like a capital idea. “Guess Ah’ll go check on Velvet.” Apple Bloom whistled and headed up the staircase. “Let me know how she is!” Sunset smiled as she watched the red haired girl leap up the steps. Apple Bloom had allowed Velvet to be placed in her room when the group had returned with the new girl. She was bleeding badly, but Granny Smith and Fluttershy had managed to stitch up her wounds and bandage them, stabilizing her for the time being. Sunset had been impressed. She didn’t think her shy friend had it in her to deal with so much blood. She had told herself she would never judge anyone’s skill by their appearances anymore, and that included the mysterious Velvet Breeze. There was definitely more to her than met the eye; as they’d been dressing her for bed, they had found variously alarming articles on her person, most of all a strange bladed contraption strapped to her left wrist. Sunset rubbed at her shoulders and kicked her legs up and down; a feeble attempt to warm herself up while she waited for Apple Bloom to return with Velvet’s status. The fiery haired girl breathed out, watching the air in front of her eyes materialize before it diffused back into invisible particles. She got up and stretched her back, deciding to go grab another jacket before she froze over.         Sunset had only just begun walking up the stairs to get to her bag when Apple Bloom charged back down, almost barreling right into her.         “Apple Bloom?” Sunset asked, studying the younger girl’s expression. “What’s wrong?” She held her breath for a second, afraid that it might’ve been bad news.         “Velvet’s awake!” Bloom said excitedly, almost unable to keep her voice down. “Her head was slightly moving, and she had an eye open!”         Sunset wasted no time in more questions. She quickly leapt up the steps and raced for Apple Bloom’s room. She had been patiently waiting for Velvet Breeze to wake up, but now after the latest update, she was going to wait no longer. The Rainboom grabbed on to the staircase railing and used her momentum to swing herself around, moving at top speed to her destination. She only began to slow down when she caught sight of the green door leading to Apple Bloom’s room.         Sunset’s heart was beating a tattoo in her chest from exertion, taking a few seconds to calm down; she didn’t want to worry Velvet with her panicked state. Sunset gave herself five more seconds before grabbing the doorknob and swinging the door open. Sunset had a second to look at the bed, realizing it was empty, before the door hit into something. Hard. “Ah!” a voice cried from behind the door. Sunset, almost certain of what she had just done, crossed behind the door to glance down at a dazed Velvet Breeze. She bent down and took her hands as Velvet seemed to recognize her. “Sunset Shimmer, I… I’m… you… you’re safe.” The blue-skinned girl smiled faintly before closing her eyes and slipping forward into Sunset’s arms. “Woah!” Sunset staggered back, holding the unconscious Velvet as best she could; she was a lot heavier than she had anticipated.         The fiery haired girl had only begun dragging Velvet back to the bed when Apple Bloom appeared at the doorway. “Sunset, Ah heard a scream! Oh, uh, what happened?” The younger girl walked over and helped to carry Velvet by her legs.         “She woke up,” Sunset heaved, feeling the bones in her back pop with the strain. Finally, they got Velvet back into bed, where she lay silently, chest rising and falling in her sleep.         She looks so peaceful, Sunset thought. It was amazing how a good night’s sleep had changed Velvet; she no longer looked like the haggard girl from school.         Sunset ran a hand through her hair pensively. Part of her was frustrated that Velvet had gone back to sleep: there had been so much she’d wanted to ask her, about Mr. Wolfgang, about her, about everything.         “Nothing to do but wait,” she muttered.         “What’s that, Sunset?” Apple Bloom asked.         “Oh, er, nothing,” Sunset said. “Come on. We’d better let Velvet rest.”         The two girls made it as far as the steps before they were intercepted by a worried-looking Applejack.         “Sunset!” She exclaimed. “It’s your book! Ah think Princess Twilight wrote back.”         Taking the stairs two at a time, Sunset rushed over to her vibrating bag and pulled out the volume that was glowing and shaking, flipping it open to the latest page.         “Well?” Applejack prompted. “What’s it say?”         Sunset held up a finger to silence the two Apples as she skimmed the book’s pages. “Twilight managed to find Satin Breeze,” Sunset reported. At the nonplussed looks from both Applejack and Apple Bloom, she sighed. “Velvet’s sister, apparently. Seems that Velvet really is dead over there.” “Huh,” Applejack scratched her head. “Ah thought that our worlds were almost exactly like each other. Doesn’t seem right that there’d be a dead person or pony over there, but they’re livin’ over here.” “It’s confusing to me too, but there’s more. When talking to Satin, Twilight managed to put together a list of things that we can use to identify if the Velvet who we’ve got here is the same as the one in Equestria.” “Sounds like a plan,” Applejack said, clapping her hands together. “So how do you want to do it?” “We have to go about this carefully; make sure Velvet doesn’t suspect anything’s up,” Sunset got up and began pacing back and forth in the living room, the beginnings of a plan forming in her head. “Do you have any mangoes?”