//------------------------------// // Arc 2, Chapter 2: A Changed World // Story: Assassin's Creed: Beyond // by Tryhard McFatface //------------------------------// As I walked into the town, it became increasingly apparent that It had been attacked, not abandoned. There were definite signs of a battle as I neared the bridge over the polluted stream. Arrows and swords were strewn about, accompanied by bloodstains and slash marks on the buildings as I walked past them, withered with age and neglect. The town was devoid of life. Scraps of parchment blew in the light breeze. Garbage and scraps were scattered about. Windows were broken. Not a sound could be heard, aside from the soft clatter of waste as it hopped across the ground in the wind. It reminded me of the aftermath of the attack on Monteriggioni. It disgusted me. Then, in the distance, I saw them. A tan-colored pony (based on size), probably a mare, cradling the lifeless form of a red foal, weeping over the corpse. A mother who has lost their child... I approached slowly, each step serving only to increase my sympathy for the mare, and my rage against whoever had committed such an act. As I grew near, the mare noticed me. Immediately, she shot to her hooves and stood to guard the body of her fallen young. I stopped, and removed my hood. She made no movements, her sorrow replaced by anger in her features. "Who are you?! What do you want?!" She half-yelled, half-bawled her words. I was internally debating whether or not to question her as to what exactly had occurred, but in her current emotional state, I decided against it, opting to earn her trust first. "I have no intention of harming you. I wish to offer my condolences to you, miss...?" I spoke calmly, compassionately. My charismatic speech won her over, and she fell into a sitting position, the tears resuming their stream down the mare's cheeks. "Mythic Song." With each teardrop, a piece of me fell along with it. Why I felt this level of compassion towards her eluded me, but nevertheless, I walked up beside her, sitting next to her. "May I ask you a question, Miss Song?" She nodded slowly, looking at me with her deep blue eyes. "What was the cause of all this destruction?" Her features took on a surprised look, but quickly shifted to rage. "Don't mess with me. How can you not know?" She questioned me. I stared back at her in silence. Her expression softened. "The changelings happened. They mounted a full-scale invasion, and took over Equestria." She stared at me for a second, her previous grief replaced by curiosity. "Your accent seems foreign... are you Bitalian?" Deciding to play along, I nodded. She sighed. "Well, that explains how you didn't know... news never did travel across the border very quickly... or at all. Maybe if we had gotten the word out in time..." the tears began to well up in her eyes again. "Maybe he'd still be alive." She looked at her foal, fresh tears falling from her eyes. "How did he die?" I asked her. She turned to face me. "Starvation. After the changelings destroyed our farms, they cut off all routes here. There's no food for us anymore. It's only a matter of time before this town loses what few residents it had left." She fell into me, sobbing. I let her cry, my robe absorbing her tears. "Don't worry, Miss Song. The changelings will pay." She looked up at me, surprised. "You're with the Resistance, then?" She asked me excitedly. I shook my head. Her head drooped a little. "I'd like to meet them, though. Do you know where they are located?" She nodded. I took the dead foal on my back, and she led me deeper into the center of the town, to a large, dead tree with a door and windows. The remnants of a balcony lay in a heap of wood off to the side. "This is their base. It used to belong to Twilight Sparkle, but she disappeared, along with the other Elements of Harmony, when the changelings attacked Canterlot." She looked up at a mountain in the distance, and I made out a city, suspended on the side of it. I assumed that it was Canterlot. "How do you know that this is their base?" Her eyes flitted around for a good while, before focusing on me. "I don't. But, I've seen The resistance leader, Rainbow Dash, go in and out on multiple occasions." I nodded, taking the strange names into account. As I stared at her, I couldn't help but find her strangely beautiful. Her (admittedly unkempt) dark brown mane and tail complemented her coat perfectly, and only now did I notice the strange image on her flank, depicting a strange black object that looked like a stick with a ball on the end, wrapped in a colorful aura. "What are you looking at?" She asked me. I quickly averted my gaze, blushing as I did so. She giggled. "Well, you never know unless you go in yourself." I nodded in agreement. "Do you know if anyone is in there now?" She shook her head. "Maybe you could... knock?" She suggested. I sighed, but nodded. I knocked on the door. Once. Twice. Nothing. I opened the door partially. As I looked inside, I saw A group of ponies sitting around a table, looking at a map, probably discussing battle strategy. A cyan pony with a rainbow mane and tail, sitting at the head of the table, looked up and saw me. "Who are you, what are you doing?!" Her voice was gruff, and cold. The others instantly rose and turned to face me as well. I opened the door fully, revealing my outfit. the cyan pony's eyes widened. "A-Altaïr?" I shook me head, before freezing. "You know of Altaïr?" She nodded slowly. "How do you know of him?" "I've met him. I trained under him!" I shook my head. "That's impossible. Altaïr died three centuries ago." She was taken aback by that statement. "No, he was here, in this town before the invasion began three years ago!" She was obviously ready to fight if I said anything wrong. I decided not to give her the chance. "Calm down, signora. It seems we have a lot to discuss."