"Get away from me!"
Octavia growled and shoved Vinyl away from her. The Assassin had been leaning over her friend a bit too close. The Novice then sat up in her bed with a grumpy frown. The head wound she received the previous night still ached painfully. Every time she moved, it reminded her to slow down.
"Can't you let me rest?" she angrily demanded of Vinyl. "My headache is not going to become any better if you hang over me like that!"
"Are ya sure?" Vinyl smiled smugly. "My presence heals wounds twice as fast. It's been proven."
"Har. Har, you inconsiderate buffoon!"
"Can't ya jus' let ya ol' friend be with you? It's kinda boring doing drills without you."
"We've not known each other for that long, Vinyl. I doubt the term 'old friends' can be used appropriately here."
Octavia paused when Rarity entered the room in her usual elegant manner. The click of her heeled boots echoed through the barracks room before she even revealed herself. This was the first time Octavia had seen the Bearer since their mission. With her hands resting behind her back, the Bearer of Generosity strode in with unrivaled grace.
"Good to see you're awake, my dear," she said soothingly. "I wished to be the first one to inform you of our success."
"Success? What was in the carriage?"
"Nothing sort of a dastardly conspiracy," she explained. "The carriage was full of Cloudsdalian-made explosives. Wherever this fateful carriage was heading, it was going to utterly demolish."
"Why would the Templar want to blow something up?" Octavia said and rubbed her head. "It's so sudden and unprovoked."
"Templar don't need a reason to destroy," Vinyl remarked. "That's why they're Templar."
"My educated guess would be the Grand Royal Palace," Rarity suggested. "The Templar despise the Two Sisters. Either that, or they know the location of an Assassin Den."
"Well, whatever the case, we foiled their plans," Octavia smiled.
"We did if there was only the single carriage," Rarity said worriedly.
"Blast!" Octavia snapped her fingers. "If there are multiple bombs, I doubt we could capture them all. What if they all had a respected target? We could see a tragedy take Canterlot any day! I must return to action! Remove the bandages from my head! I am fine! I have recovered fully!"
Octavia started to remove herself from her restricting bed, but stopped midway as shearing pain enveloped her temple. She grimaced and held her pose as the pain slowly subsided. Vinyl was to quick to lend the Novice support by putting her arms on her.
"I see that your words aren't true," Rarity remarked. "Please take it slow. The Templar's strike against you did more damage than you may realize. A helmet to the head is a severe attack. To have you reenter duty now would only harm you further."
"I don't care what that bloody woman did to me. She's a nobody. I'm Octavia Melody! I am an Assassin! I am....terribly shaken..."
Octavia leaned on Vinyl and they walked out of the barrack's room with Rarity behind them. As they slowly made their way through the Den, the other Assassins watched them with suspicious eyes. They still saw the Novice with slight contempt. Octavia did her best to ignore them and the trio went on towards the Bearer Quarters.
When they entered the Bearer Quarters, the usual residents were there. Spike was writing something in the corner, Twilight was reading a pile of parchments with a determined expression, and Whiplash watched the Map with curiosity. When the three came in, the other three gave them full attention. The light blue from the Map covered all their faces.
"Good to see you are getting better," Twilight said.
"Grandbearer, I have something to say," Octavia spoke. "We believe that the Templar have more of these bomb carriages."
"Well, we have no defining proof," Rarity interjected. "However, the possibility is substantial."
"Do not worry, the Den Master and I believe we have it covered," Twilight smiled. "I sent a squad out just moments ago. With the lessening of Templar movements, tracking down any of these bombs will be a challenge. As soon as we see something suspicious on the Map, we'll send any Brothers or Sisters there immediately."
"And good job out there, Octavia," Whiplash muttered. "You stayed in the fight. Take the headache with pride. It's just gonna be another scar to be proud of later."
"Thank you, Den Master, but I must ask all of you this: there was a Templar woman leading them. She was wild, but skilled. I saw on her armor the symbol of a phoenix. I knew she had to be someone of importance. Do you know who she is?"
Twilight sighed and looked down. "Are you sure she bore the symbol of a phoenix?"
"I swear by the Sun," Octavia nodded.
"She's been a Templar leader for some time," Twilight continued. "We have documents on her here. Her name is Sunset Shimmer of Canterlot. Like me, she served as a student under Empress Celestia."
"I presume you knew each other?" Octavia asked.
"Of course. She was the only person that rivaled me in learning. Celestia taught us both and we were great students. That was until I was chosen by the Element of Magic. Becoming an Assassin ripped me apart from Sunset. She did not take it well."
"She joined the Templar based on that?" Octavia seemed appalled.
"It was more than that, but yes. She's dangerous, Octavia. You should do well to avoid her. I consider you lucky for surviving last night."
"Well, I only survived because she was shot by her own man," Octavia rubbed the back of her head, making her forehead hurt more.
"She's dead?" Twilight leaned in.
"No, just wounded," Rarity said before Octavia could speak.
"Well, do not count on her being down for long. She's the toughest person I've ever met. She'll be back, and twice as angry."
"Get back to resting, Novice," Whiplash gestured at the door. "You need to recover quick. We may need you at any moment."
"Consider it done, Den Master."
"We'll not going to see anything from this height, Vinyl."
"Shush! This is my spot."
"It's a lousy one..."
"It takes some getting used to."
Vinyl and Octavia sat on a high slanted rooftop, looking out towards the center of the city. Vinyl had her mask up on the top of her head as she was eating a large piece of bread. It was late afternoon and the day's heat had yet to leave. The white stone they sat on was hot to the touch. Between them, not much was being said. The bustling streets provided a constant background noise, but the real noise was coming from Vinyl's loud munching.
"Could you have some decency? You eat like a savage," Octavia said through her teeth.
"Good to see ya head feeling better. Ya spent all yesterday jus' sitting around in the Den. Ya should be happy to get out again."
"Well, yes. You must remember we have to keep our eyes peeled for any Templar activity. Did you not hear of the second carriage that the Grandbearer found late last night? The Order is mobilizing."
"I did," she took another bite and continued anyway.
"What could be the purpose of spreading such Chaos?" Octavia asked with a stroke to her chin. "What would drive them to attack everything?"
"They're mad. The Templar have never really held a grip in Canterlot. They don't like it. I think they's desperate."
"And destroying people and monuments will help them how?"
"That I can't tell ya. I mean, to Tartarus if I knew. It could be anything. Maybe they want people to rise up against the Two Sisters? Maybe they frighten the people into some sort of submission. For all we know, they could be jus' flexing their power."
Octavia stood up and stretched over her head. She started to pace slowly and surely on the rooftop, trying to find an answer to her questions. Could they simply be monsters? As she paced about, Vinyl finally finished her snack and stood up with her. Together they looked out to the city they protected.
"Vinyl, as I think about this, I can't help but wonder about Celestia and Luna," Octavia began. "I wonder what I've become to them. Perhaps I am just another fallen student; perhaps they take me for dead. Whichever the one, they must believe me to be a disappointment. I could have become something great under their rule. They gave me love and support; they must now think that I was entirely ungrateful. Well, I was ungrateful, but not in the extreme. I followed Sunset and the Grandbearer's route. If they know I joined the Brotherhood, that is."
"Don't ya worry about them," Vinyl laid a hand on her shoulder. "Everything could be a lot worse. Ya was jus' in the wrong places at the wrong times, but hey! hasn't that helped ya? Ya wouldn't be an Assassin if ya didn't chase after Bearer Rarity at Photolia's party. Ya wouldn't be an Assassin if ya didn't get thrown in the Old Dungeon. Ya wouldn't have me as a friend if i didn't save ya from the Royal Guards. See? It's all good."
"You say having you as a friend is a good thing," Octavia glanced at Vinyl knowingly.
"It is. Now, let's get moving."
Vinyl did a hand stand to stretch her body, casually showcasing great balance and core strength. She was one of the most athletic Assassins in Canterlot, so Octavia was used to her feats by now. The Novice rolled her eyes and started to walk away. They had to reach the Central Plaza, where a Brother or Sister waited for them. They weren't far from this location, but they did waste time sitting in Vinyl's "spot." So she prepared to hurry by getting into position.
"Ya wanna race there?" Vinyl asked.
"You'll beat me," Octavia said quietly.
The Assassin leaned on Octavia playfully. "So what? Maybe ya have a chance at beating me. Ya should try for that chance."
"You enjoy making hope where there is none, don't you?"
"It's what I'm best at," Vinyl chuckled from under the mask.
"Perhaps we can try. To the plaza?"
"To the plaza."
Octavia looked forward. Assassins were trained to plan their routes before they ran along the rooftops. It didn't sound like much, but it certainly helped. The Central Plaza was about two miles away, going over four major streets, twenty six regular streets, and possibly thirty alleys. The direct path also including six towers and three spires. She would have to go around them instead of over them. There would be two spots where she could not jump to the other rooftop due to distance. She would have to stop and climb down for that. Perhaps I could avoid that area? She pictured the area in her mind, trying to use all her memories of the place. There was a stone arch that connected the two rooftops over the wide street, but it was 75 meters up the street, which meant it was in the wrong direction. However, running around like that could still be faster than climbing down and then up again. The second area had no such arch and she would have climb down.
Her eyes followed the roofs and she planned her route. Every chimney, sign, lamp, balcony, and rope was a tool in her eyes. Over this. Under that. Sidestep there. Jump there. Avoid that. Swing there. Climb. Slide. Tiptoe there. Reach. Pull. Run. With her route ready, she took the position of a sprinter.
"Ya ready?" Vinyl said as she popped her neck loudly. "Aw, good one."
"I am ready."
She went into position as well. "Let's fly."
With the bright sun as a witness to the race, they were off. Their first obstacle was a place where the roofs suddenly became much taller. These were frequent in Canterlot as, even though all the buildings were connected in long rows, not every structure was the same height. Sometimes two connected buildings would have tremendous height differences. So Octavia and Vinyl dug their boots into the white stone and hopped up to the new building with ease.
Their leather boots sounded on the angled roofs as they sprinted along. Vinyl's strides were much longer than Octavia's, even though they were about the same height. The Novice was holding in there as they ran along, however, she was losing heart quickly.
The first street arrived. It was not a large street at all and the opposite street was in jumping distance. The opposite side was also much lower than the one they were on. So they leaped. Octavia readied for impact and upon hitting the roof, she rolled to ease her knees. She looked to her left to see Vinyl still there, running just as hard as ever. Vinyl's run was nothing like Rarity's. It was so relaxed and effortless. One would easily mistake her for doing an easy morning jog. Like Rarity was all about grace and elegance, Vinyl was about smoothness. Octavia could tell that Vinyl could hold this fast pace for a long, long time.
Together, they quickly crossed another street by tiptoeing along a clothesline. Their quickness and ease made them appear like phantoms even in the broad daylight. The shadows they cast on the streets below were spotted by civilians, who looked up in amazement or fear. The Assassins were athletes they had never seen the like before. Perhaps it wasn't unusual to see runners atop of roofs, but it was special to see them execute their moves in such fantastical ways.
Another obstacle met them. It was another street, a tad wider than the last one. With no rope or arch to cross, they both leaped. Vinyl's strong legs launched her over safely, but Octavia stepped wrong in her run and lost much momentum. As she leaped, she knew she wouldn't make the other side. Her heart fell ans she began to panic while in midair. The trip down was a long one, perhaps not one to kill but certainly one to break several bones. In the moments she had, she angled herself towards a slightly opened window. With skill, she hit this window with her boot and it swung open, allowing her to fall in.
Since the window was already slightly opened, she did not break the glass. Upon entering the home, she fell over a table that had a chess set on it, sending the pieces and the table crashing to the floor. She tumbled on the clean floor and threw herself to her feet once more. She was wasting time in the home, but once she saw a little boy and his friend looking at her in shock, she tried to calm them.
"I apologize for interrupting your game," she said quickly. "I am truly sorry."
They said nothing and simply blinked at her. She then, out of Politeness's sake, she tried to pick up the chess pieces she had spilled. However, upon hearing the shrill call of what could only be the mother of this child, a crawl went up her spine, telling her to flee the home immediately.
"What in Empress Celesti-" the mother stormed in. "Thief! I'll have your hands cut off and fed to ya!"
Octavia jumped out of the nearest window and climbed up to the roofs. The mad woman continued to use language unfit for the little boys to hear, but she could not harm the Novice now. Octavia took a deep and relaxing breath. She was glad she was out of harm's way, but then she saw something that would only further ache her.
"You have been waiting for me?" she shouted at Vinyl, who was about twenty or so meters away, looking at her with the soulless mask.
"Thought I wouldn't go without ya," she called back. "I know it's a race, but it would be unfair of me not to give ya a bloody chance."
"I don't know if I should thank you or not. You are either doing this out of your Kindness, or you are mocking me!"
The Assassin shrugged, giving Octavia more reason to believe it was the latter. Whichever was the truth, Octavia cursed under her breath and sprinted onward. Vinyl started out by running backwards, keeping her slits in the mask looking right at the Novice. With the mask on, it was hard to tell if a sly grin or a placid face was beneath it. When Octavia caught up, Vinyl flipped backwards to point herself in the right direction and they were racing once more.
After crossing another street, the Central Plaza was now in view. Of course, still some spires and high towers blocked the full view, but the plaza was so massive, that seeing just a part of it was recognizable and significant. They swung on a rope, hopped on a crane, ran past balconies, and jumped from lanterns.
They finally reached the wide major street that was not crossable in the air. Octavia took a left and ran upstreet like she had planned. Vinyl did not comment on the route choice and continued straight, climbing down to the street level to fight off the people and climb back up. Octavia smiled to herself as they separated. Filled with confidence in her choice, she reached the stone arch and ran across it with dangerous speeds. She reached the other side and raced harder than ever. There was no sign of Vinyl now. She had taken the lead and a strong one.
"Take that, Vinyl! I have you beat this time!" she cheered to nothing.
Without stopping or slowing down, she ran all the way to the Central Plaza. Not a single mistake was made the rest of the way and she proudly landed on the street to lightly jog over to the benches the other Assassin was supposed to meet them. She gently brushed people aside as she made her way through the thick Canterlotian crowds until she arrived at her final destination. She stopped suddenly and was about to announce herself to the Assassin nearby when she lost all words in her throat. Well, all except two.
"Vinyl? How..." she croaked.
Vinyl was relaxing on the plaza bench next to a Lyra, one of the Assassins Octavia had first met. The Novice simply pointed a limp finger at her friend and her eyes stared at her unblinking.
"How? The question should be, how did ya get so far behind?" Vinyl returned.
"Oh!" Octavia grunted. "Never mind that! Um..." she calmed down. "Lyra, it is good to see you."
"Yeah, it is ain't it?" Lyra grunted back. "Looky, I was jus' tellin' Vinyl here something. Ya see-"
Vinyl interrupted with a poke to the Assassin's arm. "Ya know ya don't have to keep that accent, right?"
Lyra sighed. "Fine," she said in a completely different voice, one far gentler and less heavy on each syllable. "Here," she continued as she gave Octavia a small piece of parchment. "We believe this is a correspondence from the Cloudsdale Templar to Poloman here. It don't tell much, but these days, this amount of intelligence is heav'n sent."
"And when did you retrieve this," Octavia asked as she took the message.
"A wench was acting suspicious in the real early hours," Lyra said. "I decided to investigate and she was carrying that on her."
"A courtesan? I thought we were allies with them."
"Guess not all of them. I didn't kill the gal. No need to. Those girls have it hard enough anyway."
Octavia opened the letter and began reading. It was a short letter done in neat and oddly large handwriting. As she read, due to habit, she muttered the words softly as she went.
Mistress Suri Poloman of Canterlot, I am honored to inform you that Mistress Shimmer is in Canterlot with you. She has an important mission, so important that not even I have full knowledge about. I advise you to seek her out immediately upon receiving this notification. Sunset Shimmer requires your haste and your precision for this. She also has a task force of Templar Knights at her desposal, so it would be wise to combine your Knights with hers. It is time for action.
~May the Father of Understanding guide you.
- Grandmaster Starlight Glimmer.
"Well, what ya think?" Vinyl asked.
"I have read many transcripts from the Royal Guard when I was a student," Octavia began," and none were so informal as this. This seems more like a friendly note than an organizational command. Even the 'Grandmaster' is off. It's not the same handwriting and looks like it was adding after the completion of the letter. So Starlight Glimmer did not want to be acknowledged as Grandmaster. Wait...Starlight Glimmer?"
"Sounds like you know the name," Lyra remarked.
"I do. But when and where?" she started to pace about. "I know I've met a woman with that name. Starlight...Starlight Glimmer of the North! I know now! I met her in the Old Dungeon. She was a preacher of some sort. Like she preached in the streets about equality and was arrested for it. She was freed by Suri Poloman. She also saved me. Poloman was about to shoot me when Starlight intervened. She's the Grandmaster?" Octavia could not believe it.
"Well, we lost all hearings of the current Grandmaster," Lyra shrugged. "Perhaps she is new? They cycle through Grandmasters faster than one may believe."
"Of course, but you haven't met her," Octavia explained. "It's hard to explain how she is like. I'm lost on words to even describe her."
"Well, it needs to be shown to the Grandbearer," Vinyl stood up and stretched. "Knowing who is in charge is a pretty important thing."
"Indeed, but...perhaps this should also go to Empress Celestia?" Octavia hesitantly suggested.
"Now why would we do that?" Lyra and Vinyl both said at once.
"Well, it is her city as it is ours. We know of a possible plot to destroy her city and we keep her in the dark. We also know who is in charge of these att-"
"Naw," Vinyl interrupted. "Tavi, ya forget, we're Assassins. We work in the Dark to serve the Light. Don't worry 'bout Celestia. Why? Cause she'll never know there was a threat in the first place. We got this. We'll fend off the Templar and none will ever know about the plot at all. You've been living long enough to have gone through similar things. Yet ya never knew because the Brotherhood stop the plans from ever blooming. This'll be the same."
"I guess you're right. Well then, back to the Den?"
"Wanna race again?"
"Good heavens, no."
~