Answers and Fruit
It was late in the afternoon when Velvet Breeze stirred again. The blue-skinned girl cracked open her eyes, beholding once again the same room, with one major difference: Sunset Shimmer was now seated in a previously empty corner, arms folded over her chest and eyes closed.
“S-Sun...Set…” Velvet’s throat was dry, unable to get the words out clearly.
Sunset’s eyes shot open immediately, springing out of her chair and hurrying to the bedside.
“Velvet!” she exclaimed. “You’re awake!”
Velvet nodded dumbly, gratefully accepting the glass of water that was held to her lips. She wasted no time in gulping down its contents. “T-Thanks…”
Sunset waited patiently until Velvet’s glass was empty before answering the inevitable “Where am I?”.
“You’re at Sweet Apple Acres,” Sunset explained. At Velvet’s questioning glance, she reiterated, “Applejack’s place. It was the closest.”
“Sweet Apple Acres,” Velvet repeated. She tried to get up, but couldn’t find the strength to do so. “How long have I been asleep?”
She looked around from her position, taking in her surroundings in better detail than before.
“Almost a full day. You must be hungry,” Sunset said after a moment. “Wait right here, I’ll get you something.”
Sunset ducked out of the room, returning a suspiciously short amount of time later with Applejack in tow, both of them carrying a tray of fruit. Velvet’s mouth began to salivate at the sight of the bright mangoes on the two trays, but kept it in check. She also wondered why they had bothered to bring in two trays instead of just one.
“Are… Are all those for me?” she eventually asked, watching them sit beside her bed. Using her arms, Velvet pushed herself up against the backboard of the bed. That small effort itself formed a few droplets of sweat on her forehead.
“Uh huh,” Applejack nodded and smiled. “Y’all eat your fill now, Velvet.”
Velvet reached out her hand and was about to take a mango from a tray, when she looked up.
“Is, uh, something wrong?” she observed their faces.
Sunset stopped holding her breath. “No! Nothing’s wrong. Nothing. Just eat.”
Velvet shrugged and took a mango from the purple tray, completely missing the relieved sighs that escaped Sunset and Applejack’s mouths. Peeling the fruit with practiced ease, Velvet quickly devoured the juicy flesh within, leaving only the skin and seeds.
“Umm… sorry about the sheets,” she said, putting one hand to her dripping mouth and another to halfheartedly catch the droplets of mango juice that shivered on her chin. “Do you have… um, something I could use?”
Applejack headed out for a second before returning with a strangely purple colored plate. “Here ya are.”
“Thanks,” Velvet nodded and took it, keeping it under her mouth why she picked out another mango. She tore into it like it was the last fruit in the world, but slowed down when she noticed the two girls watching her intently. “Umm… Am I disturbing you with my eating?”
Sunset and Applejack instantly broke their stare, suddenly becoming very interested in opposite corners of the ceiling and whistling off-tune.
“Uh huh,” Velvet muttered and bit into her mango again. “Sooo… Are you just going to sit there and watch me eat?”
“Actually, we have a couple of questions,” Sunset ventured.
Velvet sighed. “Yeah, I figured as much. Couldn’t keep it a secret forever…”
Applejack and Sunset traded looks. “Velvet, I hope you don’t mind us asking. What are you, really? Who are you?”
Velvet squirmed uncomfortably in her bed, seeming to wilt. She rubbed at a bandaged arm unconsciously. “Well, my name is Velvet Breeze. Umm… and I’m a transfer student?”
Sunset sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Please just tell us the truth, Velvet.”
“I am!” Velvet insisted. “That’s just not… all that I am.”
“Go on,” Sunset beckoned.
“Hmm… How do I put this,” Velvet fidgeted with her bandaged right arm.”I’m also an Assassin.”
There was a pregnant pause.
“An… assassin,” Applejack said flatly.
Velvet nodded morosely.
“O-kay,” Sunset said warily, moving herself an inch away from Velvet’s bed. “So if you’re an assassin, does that mean you’ve... k-killed people?”
“Only one person,” Velvet said, her shoulders slumped. “And he was trying to kill you at the time, so I’m not sorry.”
“Trying to kill me…?” Sunset thought back to her traumatic experience at the construction site. “Mr. Wolfgang?” She exchanged looks with Applejack.
“Now, I know you don’t agree with the way I operate, but… it had to be done, Sunset. I couldn’t let him hurt you.”
“Uh, Ah hate to break it to ya, Velvet, but…”
“Mr. Wolfgang’s not dead,” Sunset finished. “His body wasn’t at the construction site.”
Velvet swore under her breath. “Damn it! So Wolfgang’s still out there,” she struggled to get one leg onto the floor. “I need to get him before-”
“Woah there, sugarcube,” Applejack held Velvet back, her strong arms easily keeping Velvet in bed. “You’re not goin’ anywhere all cut up like that. Do ya know how long Granny and Fluttershy worked to keep ya stable?”
“But-But… I have to…” Velvet was lost for words. “You’re all not safe if that man is still out there!”
“Velvet,” Sunset stood up. “I’m sorry, but even in this state, what do you hope to do against him?”
Velvet leaned back against her pillows, shoulders slumped in resignation. “You’re right. B-But what if Wolfgang comes back?”
Applejack chuckled humorlessly. “‘Way Rarity put it, you got him real good. Don’t think Wolfgang’s in any shape to do anything soon either.”
“Rarity? How did she know? Did she see him?”
“Saw the crater where he landed. We all did.” Sunset uncrossed her arms and patted Velvet’s leg comfortingly. “See, you haven’t killed anyone after all.”
“But that might very well come back to bite us,” the wounded girl complained, reaching for another mango. “You saw what he was capable of. He’s a dangerous man! He’s nothing like what you believed him to be.”
“Actually, that was another question on my mind. Why was he trying to kidnap me? I have a feeling you know who he is. And… why he was in our school.”
“Ah, well,” Velvet chewed on a mouthful of fruit thoughtfully. “That’s kind of a long story.”
Applejack pointed at Velvet’s bandages, then the snow that was piling up outside the window. “We’re not goin’ anywhere, and neither are you,” she pointed out.
“I don’t know if you’ll believe me,” Velvet sighed and wiped her mouth. “He’s… well, umm, he’s what we call a Templar.”
“A… Templar…?” Applejack confirmed, receiving a nod from the bedridden girl. “What in the hay is a Templar?”
“They’re a group of people who work in secret to try and take over the world,” Velvet said matter-of-factly. “The Assassins have been fighting them for generations.”
Sunset sat back down and put a hand to her head. “Wow… For real? And… You’ve been fighting them yourself? That’s why you’re here in Canterlot?”
“Something like that…” her eyes darted around, refusing to meet Sunset’s. Only after a long pause and the stare the fiery haired girl was giving her, did Velvet relent and explain. “We received information that the Templars were after you for some reason and I got sent here to watch you.”
“Woah,” Applejack said then added, “Wait a minute, they sent you? Just you?”
“I was the only one young enough to infil- to join your school and blend in. I’m sorry that I lied to you.”
There was another moment of silence.
“So let me get this straight,” Sunset said after a long think. “Velvet, you’re an assassin who is part of a larger secret group of other assassins who got sent to CHS because another secret group called the Templars, who want to control the world, are after me because of some unknown reason?”
Velvet pushed her fingers together and blushed. “...yes?”
“That,” Sunset said. “May well be the most far fetched and unbelievable thing I’ve ever heard.”
Velvet held up her hand. “Now, wait a minute-”
“...And that’s exactly why I believe you.” Sunset finished.
Both Applejack and Velvet blinked at the same time.
“Huh?”
“Two reasons. One: I don’t think you would construct an entire outrageous background history just to lie to me. Right?”
Velvet shook her head, still looking confused.
“And two: you did save my life back at the construction site. I can’t think of any reason not to trust you after that, Velvet.”
“Oh, well…” Velvet pulled at her hair. “I couldn’t let him hurt you, Sunset. Orders and all that.”
“I owe you, Velvet,” Sunset gave her a small smile. “But I still need answers. Although,” she added ironically. “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been caught up in a plot to take over the world.”
“Wait, what?” Now it was Velvet’s turn to look puzzled. “What do you mean, not the first time?”
“It’s a long story,” Applejack chuckled.
Velvet smiled as Sunset took a deep breath and said, “It all began about a couple months ago, around the Fall Formal…”
The lobby of the Trottingham bureau was cold and quiet, taking in the chill air that the winter weather was giving them this night. Nothing but the sound of the the wind outside and the soft tap of a finger against a screen could be heard.
Frigid Night dialed the number for a fifth time and waited as the ringing continued and continued, eventually ending with an answering machine. The Assassin cursed and hung up.
“Still no luck?!” he muttered to himself.
Frigid Night had assigned himself guard duty, keeping a close watch of the bureau’s entrance all by himself. Usually, Assassins did their duty in pairs, but Frigid had insisted on being alone, refusing Morning Blade’s help three times. His partner had nodded sadly and returned to her room while Frigid had made his way downstairs.
For now, he sat on the side bench, his eyes never leaving the entrance. He had tried to call Velvet Breeze, to ask where she was. For the past day till now, the novice hadn’t called back to report anything, troubling more than just Frigid Night.
The clatter of something metallic on the lobby’s tiled floor attracted Frigid’s attention for a second. He returned his focus to the front door after finding out it was just his old friend. High Noon bent down and picked up his can of root beer.
“Sorry, my bad,” he said. “I’ll, uh, I’ll clean that up later.”
“What are you doing here, Noon?” Frigid asked, keeping his eyes on watch.
“Well… uh, I was actually heading out to look for the Novice, and… well, Dewdrop. I’m worried about her. She hasn’t responded in days. I should’ve been more careful. I let her go, Frigid. Now…”
Frigid sighed. If he didn’t tell him, he was probably going to figure it out later anyway. At least he wasn’t Keila.
“Noon, I met with Mirror the other day.” The look on the cowboy’s face turned into one of shock. “Dewdrop’s safe. She’s in a hospital in Chicoltgo.”
“Well, I should go get her!” High Noon began to proceed out when Frigid shot a hand in front of him and pushed him back.
“No, Noon,” Frigid said sternly. “We’re low on numbers, you know that. Dewdrop is fine. She’ll return once she heals up, but I need you here in case we have to get something done.”
“B-But Dewdrop!” the cowboy stammered. “I can’t just leave her there.”
“And there we have it again,” another voice said from the shadows. Frigid grumbled internally as Keila stepped out to join them, folding her arms. “You’re saying you’re not going to do anything. That’s why you need him here. That’s why you need a child out there to do your work for you!”
“If you haven’t realized, Keila, I did take down Cobalt, and I’m busy coordinating things from here,” he said without looking at her. “What about you, huh? What have you done in the last two years?”
Keila rolled her eyes. “Oooh, look at me,” she said in a sing-song voice. “I’m the Mentor’s lieutenant, that means I get to belittle anyone I don’t like, even though I was just given the post because there was nobody else skilled enough for the job. I’ve done plenty,” she continued in her normal voice. “So sorry that you’re not observant enough to notice.”
“Yeah?” Frigid challenged. “It’s my job to keep track of all our missions. You haven’t left the bureau since we came back from Saddle Arabia. High Noon’s been out more than you. So, what have you done, Keila? Snooping around the bureau as usual?”
Keila growled. “I could ask you the same thing. Been meeting with that traitor again? How and why the Mentor keeps letting you get away with it is beyond me.”
Frigid was about to raise the question of how she knew, but he could only blame himself for that. Keila had probably been standing in the dark of the lobby, just waiting for him to mess up, and he had. High Noon shrugged and backed up a step. “She’s provided me some good information, if you didn’t know. Now I know where Dewdrop is. She’s safe.”
“Not if we leave her there, she’s not!” Noon protested, but Frigid simply raised a hand for him to stop. The cowboy looked down, but did so.
“What’s that say about us Assassins if we have to rely on the enemy’s intelligence instead of our own?” Keila sighed and dropped her bandaged arms to her sides. “Fine. What’s Mirror Match got to say about Velvet?”
“I haven’t met her since that night,” Frigid admitted, lowering his voice a fraction. “I’m still trying to get Velvet on the line, but she’s not picking up.”
Keila’s eyes narrowed. “Still think that sending her out on her own was a good idea?”
Frigid wanted to argue his point, but her words carried shreds of truth and logic to it. Even he couldn’t refute them. “No. I guess not...”
“So let me go look for her!” High Noon spoke again, one hand nervously playing with his coil of rope at his side. “Then I can just swing by and pick Dewdrop up on the way back! Easy. Please, Frigid.”
“Give her another day or two,” Frigid persuaded, though a fragment of his conscious agreed with his friend. “This is meant to be Velvet’s mission, and if she needs to go radio silent for a few days, we have to trust her.”
“There’s a fine line between trust and overconfidence, Frigid Night,” Keila said frostily. “But fine. We’ll give her another five days. If we haven’t heard from Velvet by then, High Noon can go ahead with his plan.”
“I can?” he looked at her hopefully, mouthing the words ‘thank you’ to her, away from Frigid’s eyes.
Frigid frowned, but wasn’t directing it at anyone in particular. “Alright. That’s fine with me.”
“Maybe you’re not so heartless after all, lieutenant,” Keila muttered as she strolled away.
Frigid took a long breath and sat back down on the bench and sagged his shoulders. High Noon dropped down beside him, his fingers finding a bag of chips in his coat pocket.
“I don’t think you’re heartless, Frigid,” he gave his old friend a smile. “You’ve done plenty of good. I mean, you brought me to the Brotherhood when I was lost. In my book, that’s a big one.”
“It seems like you’re the only one who thinks that,” Frigid sighed. “Keila’s right… It should be me out there, not Velvet Breeze. I should have said something.”
“I’m sure Morning Blade agrees with me. I mean, she really looks up to you,” High Noon replied, slicing the bag open. “And it’s never too late to change things. We can look for her. I’ve already volunteered. I’ll go, Frigid. I’ll bring them both home. Then after that, m-maybe you can pull her from fieldwork. Y-You know, what you said just now.”
“Yeah, but I just hope Velvet’s all right, for my sake,” Frigid said, getting up. “You’d best be on your way, Noon, before Keila rails at me for being distracted on guard duty.”
“It takes two to guard the bureau effectively, Frigid,” High Noon said and passed the bag of chips over. “And I’ve already brought the snacks.”
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Sunset telling Velvet about her time trying to rule the world? Or is she leaving that out?
Something tells me that Frigid Night isn't exactly who he says he is? Or could be Mirror Match is not really a Templar? AH I DONT KNOW! I like that.
your writing is so awesome!!
You know, I'm kind of shocked that I never found out about this book until now... I never was into Assassin's Creed (though that mostly because I've never played it before
) so this story did leave me worried. But alas, I am enjoying it if I'm reading right here and now 
Do keep up the proud work, I'm sure this boo will very much shine. Now I do wonder if Friendship Games may end up being non-canon or not to this story... 
Well I think that the assassins will soon be relocating because they will understand that not acting will be bad for two worlds. Poor Velvet she just stumbled into the mother load of things and now she will need an army.
This chapter isn't bad at all
If someone was staring at me while I'm eating, I'd be weirded out too. Velvet must feel pretty awkward here.
Three of my favorite Sunset fics updating on the same day? But my birthday isn't until Saturday!
And Sunset and the rest of the mane 7 do seem to get caught up in more than their fair share of world domination schemes....
I get the distinct feeling that Frigid Night is not well liked at the bureau. Also, where is the Mentor in all this? Can't wait to find out more!
Just read through from the beginning. Pretty good story. I especially enjoyed the places where you made the reader think Velvet was gonna kill Sunset, and then she doesn't. Very nice touch given the reader's expectations of assassins.
There were also a lot of neat little things you did. Like use Sunset's knowledge of Velvet's arm wound to keep Sunset from becoming suspicious when Velvet tries to hide her hidden-blade equipped armband (at least, I assume that's what she's doing). I particularly liked that. And in general lots of small things Sunset notices about Velvet, but Velvet still manages to keep it together. She's clearly a novice in everything she does but she can at least keep a basic secret about who she is.
Only thing I kinda wish is different (and there's still a chance I suppose since we're right in the middle of that bit still) is Velvet's explanation of the Brotherhood and the Templars. The story has been building to this point. A secret conspiracy spanning centuries that nobody (except perhaps Pinkie) has no clue about. There's also a bit in the library or whatever where the girls discuss history and the reader may realize the Assassins and Templars were clearly involved behind the scenes. So at least for me that made me expect a fuller history lesson later from Velvet.
One thing Assassin's Creed does well is to link real, historical events (even if they stretch them a bit) with their fiction to give it credibility and possibility. Velvet should likewise, imo, talk about the origin of the Knights Templar and where they came from, what they are today (people in positions of power searching for powerful artifacts) and how history remembers them wrong (notably, they were never really broken up). I think it would be better than just saying Templars are after Sunset and leave it at that. Sunset deserves to know a bit more. And then of course, a similar explanation of the Brotherhood.
Another odd thing is the girls' reaction to the idea that pony Velvet is dead. In my mind, they are two distinct individuals, and one being dead and one being alive is likely to be a common thing if you just look at random pairs between worlds. I am not sure what you are doing here, unless it's to foreshadow that pony Velvet is actually alive; then I would suggest you invent some technobabble (magicbabble?) to enforce a rule, or at least heavily suggest, that both the pony and human must be alive or dead at once. Then that would make more sense.
To be clear: I only nitpick because I like this story. :)
There doesn't seem to be a pony Brotherhood, unless the ponies we're seeing that match our assassins (not a coincidence, I think) are very good at hiding it from Twilight. I suspect "Templars" do exist, but perhaps like pony Assassins not the same name but similar motivations. I'm calling it now, the "Grand Master" of both is Queen Chrysalis. That said, the Templars mention a mysterious "him" so maybe not. But I bet Chrysalis plays a key role, at the very least. Maybe pony Velvet faked her own death and even joined up with her.
Guess what? I've been reading this again, because.
decided to look deeper at the assassins. After seeing High Noon's picture, I get the feeling like he's some really tough guy. From the story itself, he seems to always be worrying, as if he's paranoid. And the food. I've noticed he likes eating. Is that intetional? 
6874770 I do agree with you!
There should be more of the history, and also I wonder if the other Velvet is alive?
6874517
Chrysalis is clearly connected in the pony world to the pony versions of our assassins. But she is suspiciously absent from the human world; the way I see it, she is probably going to be either the Grand Master or a high-ranking Templar, or Mentor.
It would be kind of genius if she was Mentor. We accept that the human Assassins are the "good guys", that's sort of the premise behind the game; the Templars are trying to gain power, the Assassins are against them. But that not necessarily be the case in Equestria, it could literally be a mirrored case of Chrysalis and Velvet Breeze (and possibly even the pony assassins, though there's no hints that they are assassins at all or anything other than loyal guards in ponyland) being bad guys. We haven't seen pony Templars... I would expect not to see them if they really are the "good guys" until the reader discovers the pony assassins are the bad guys, then they show up to help Twilight.
6877460 how meta would it be if Velvet had to fight her pony self?
6878285 Eh, whoever wasn't in their native form would get their ass/tail handed to them (depending on species).
Twilight's storyline is clearly going to go somewhere interesting, at any rate. I'm starting to hope she DOESN'T come through the portal and finds interesting leads solely in ponyland.
6874770 Everyone's got to look more into the whole thing. It's not just the story that's out, but the art posted in plum's blogs are huge. Here you can clearly see a shadow behind Mahogany, the Grandmaster. It's quite obvious it's Sombra. And it makes sense in the pony universe: Sombra was a conqueror and a tyrant, pushing his own agenda. Prime Templar business right there.
In regards to Velvet being dead, it's also quite obvious that she's alive in the human universe and dead in the pony, while her sister is dead in the human while alive in the pony. Mirror Match might be one of the only ones who might have the same sort of position between the two universes. The roles are quite different with everyone else. With the sisters dealing with Sombra and Luna's banishment, things were bound to change quite drastically on the pony side of things. In addition, since Celestia and Luna are mortal on the human side, they must be ancestors of an Assassin that looked similar to if not exactly like the modern Luna. Explains why there's a picture of her on the table. A theory I made up a while back is that Luna's part of a secret cell of Assassins who are only known by a select few individuals in the Brotherhood, if not no-one whatsoever. Either that, or she's got Eagle Vision, and saw Wolfgang as an enemy.
Now, the connections between the organizations in both universes are still unknown to us for an obvious reason: not enough information. Instead of everyone going bonkers and bashing on the story because it isn't clear yet, we should be admiring the level of complexity here that is worthy of an Assassin's Creed game. Nothing is black and white, only shades of gray. We've seen in AC Rogue how the Assassins and the Templars are easily able to switch roles depending on the individuals and depending on how much power the organizations hold. When one holds all the reins, it's tempting to abuse that power for a misguided sake of protecting people from themselves. But when one is the underdog, they can focus more on their ideals because you have all this proof out there that the enemy is abusing their power, and thus it's easier to gain allies as long as they aren't turned off by odds. For all we know, in the pony world Celestia is a Templar while Luna is an Assassin, and the whole Nightmare Moon incident was a wake up call to both of them, for Celestia's Templar organization to stop being oppressive and not following the path of Friendship, and for Luna's Assassins to not be so fanatical as to play 52-pickup with everyone's lives for the sake of showing the truth or eliminating the Templars. Maybe they learned to co-exist (at least the Equestrians' branches), which would explain why a Templar Celestia would reject the brutal idealism of Sombra, and why an Assassin Luna would reject the fanaticism of Chrysalis: in the meantime, Chrysalis is too busy keeping the Changeling Brotherhood stuck in the past, and thinks Luna is just giving up because Celestia is her sister.
In the end, who knows? Speculation is great, but for those who are bashing or commenting about this all not making sense, just be patient. Judging by the number of achievements on plum's user page, we should have at least two other acts to this story after the second one is completed. Not to mention the name of the next in line, Like a Fiddle, is suggesting that someone is about to have a really bad time being fooled. With the Templar insignia inside the Assassin's, I'm willing to bet that it has a lot to do with Mirror Match. My prediction for it? I'm sorry, but I want to let you guys have a bit of a surprise if I end up being right...so keep on making your observations and predictions, but throwing your cards on the table face up on every chapter is starting to get old. Just enjoy the story for now, guys!
At least look at some other things for the next chapter or two, like how the Hell did Wolfgang survive, who is this student Principal Frost was speaking of last chapter, is Crystal Academy possibly going to get involved sometime in the future, and ohdearLunaWolfgangisstillalive someonecallthepolicetoreportthepedophile. Did I mention Wolfgang is still alive? His strength must be powered by the tears of innocent children and the nightmares he gives them.
Edit: I think I got triggered or something, I notice only half if not less of the comments on this chapter even mentioned the relation between the pony and human Assassin-Templar issue.
Double Edit: And now I just realized I think I know who the Mentor on the human side of the mirror is...
Guess you weren't kidding when you said you were a complexity addict, huh? So much speculation, but I somehow think that what really happens will be totally different from my own guesswork.
6881030
Good stuff. I didn't notice Sombra there.
It's worth noting that, based on how Wolfgang lured Sunset, the Templars have to know a heck of a lot about Equestria. And it's RECENT intel too (like that Twilight is a princess and Sunset knows her). Though the intel could have been acquired from Sunset's book, though it's not clear how they might have done that.
I'm betting Twilight's subplot will reveal more about this. Possibly there's only one Templar group/two groups working together as one.
6881030 yup. I think the mentor is either Luna or Chrysalis.
I don't think any of our guesses are going to be right!
and also I'm curious,
6881030 who do you think the mentor is?
6881260 I think Wolfgang overheard them talking in the library and bluffed his way through to Sunset.
I wonder if there is another assassin army in that universe like
The Free Syrian Army
6916214
i don't think there's a Syria in MLP.
I could be wrong but won't that just be weird? To include present day problems? From the looks of it, he isn't really focusing on the middle east or anything.
6920476
Just a thought since assassins came from Syria
Ah geez pulling that old trick to lure someone else to help you guard something? Low move, McCr- er High Noon
IT'S HIGH FUCKING NOON
I got so happy when I saw that High Noon had a Stetson. All he needs is a revolver and some flashbangs. Heh, it's high noon now, draw!
"And three, I'm actually a talking horse from a world of talking horses. I took this form when I went to your world. I'm a unicorn over there!"
Dead silence. A mango splats onto a plate, before Velvet's head hits the pillow as her eyes roll up.
"...Came on a little strong?"
"Ya might have, sugercube."
"After what she just said I thought she could take it."