• Published 20th Dec 2014
  • 6,470 Views, 808 Comments

Leap of Faith - A bag of plums



After the defeat of the Dazzlings, Sunset Shimmer finds herself at the center of an ancient struggle for power. With the net closing around them, can Sunset and her friends find out the truth before it finds them?

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The Second Dream

“That’s quite a story, Sunset,” Morning Blade nodded in awe after Sunset Shimmer concluded her long talk about the Fall Formal and the Battle of the Bands. She’d simplified a lot, but it still took up just about all their time on the way back to the Canterlot bureau. “I wish I was there to see it all. Well, except the parts where the student body gets mind controlled.”

“If I could, I’d like to change what I did,” Sunset sighed as Morning Blade unlocked the front door. “I didn’t know about the magic of friendship then. Power was all I desired. Maybe if I had been nicer, things would’ve worked out much better and these Templars wouldn’t have come looking for me.”

“Maybe, but there’s no use brooding on the past,” Morning replied, motioning for Sunset to go in first. “We Assassins know a thing or two about good and bad choices.”

“Hmm, speaking of Assassins…” Sunset waited for Morning Blade to lock the door behind herself after a quick look at the surrounding streets. “How do you think Velvet and Dewdrop are doing? I hope they’re safe.”

“I’m sure they’re doing fine,” Morning Blade stroked her braid. “Dewdrop’s a good Assassin. She’ll get the job done. As for Velvet, I’m sure Dewdrop’s taking real good care of her.”

Upon entering the living room, Sunset noticed the acting Mentor was seated at the table, his eyes moving from left to right as he scrolled down some kind of text on his laptop.

“We’re back, sir,” Morning Blade greeted, pulling up a chair beside him. “With three minutes to spare. Any word from Dewdrop?”

“Yeah,” Frigid said. “They’ve done it. Talon’s dead.”

“Are they alright?” Sunset joined in, pulling up another chair.

“They’re still alive if that’s what you mean. They’ll be back after the next contract.”

“Next contract?” Sunset knew it wasn’t only going to be one target. “You told me they’ll be home after they finish their mission.”

Frigid refused to make eye contact, instead, continuing to read the words on his laptop screen. “An opportunity came up, so I sent them before we lose it.”

“Who’d you send them after?” Morning Blade asked.

“Citrus Drops. The Templar media spokesperson. She’d have to come out from wherever she works at to talk about Talon’s death. That gave us the perfect timing to take care of her too. Without her, the Templars lose their strongarm in the media.”

“You lied!” Sunset slightly raised her voice. “You told them… You told me that Velvet and Dewdrop would be back after that mission! So how’s this going to play out? Mission after mission? Are they ever coming back?”

Frigid sighed and rubbed his forehead. “When they’re done, they’ll return.”

“What is that even supposed to mean?”

The sound of the front door’s lock clicking stopped the argument as all three heads turned to the main entrance. As quickly as he had turned his head, Frigid went back to the computer screen before the door opened to reveal Keila, dusting snow off her coat before entering and locking the door.

“Keila,” Morning Blade said with surprise. “Where’d you go?”

“I was watching you two,” she simply replied, pushing stray bandages back into place. “I’m guarding Sunset Shimmer too, remember? I must say, you seemed to be enjoying yourselves at dinner. And don’t worry, Frigid. There weren’t any Templars about, nor did anyone follow us back. We’re clear.”

“Good,” Frigid nodded. “Now, I’ve got more work to put together, so Sunset Shimmer, why don’t you go to bed. It’s late.”

“Seriously?” Keila threw a hand up. “You don’t control her. You can do as you please, Sunset Shimmer.”

“Whatever,” Frigid said. “Just leave me to work. I’m putting something together.”

“What, another mission for Velvet and Dewdrop?” Keila pushed the gray haired Assassin. “Call them back. They’ve done enough.”

“Not till they deal with Citrus,” Frigid smoothed back his hair. “After that, they can return if they want to.”

“Yeah. Sure.” Keila headed back to her room, her brown tattered coat floating behind her like a ghost.

“We should leave Frigid to work, Sunset. Come on.” Morning got up, calling for Sunset.

Sunset gave up in trying to say anything nice, so she headed back to her room, deciding to call it a night.

Not like there’s anything else to do here…

“Thanks for allowing me to have dinner with you girls and Rarity’s parents, Sunset,” Morning Blade gave her a smile outside the doorway. “It’s been a while since I’ve done something casual like that.”

“It’s nothing, Morning,” Sunset waved a hand and went through her bag for her pajamas. “You’re a good person. I’m glad you’re nothing like your teacher.”

Morning looked back down the hallway. “Yeah… Well, good night, Sunset. I shall be in my room if you need anything from me.”

“Thanks, Morning. Good night. Sleep well.”


It was well past midnight before Velvet Breeze and Dewdrop reentered the safehouse, finally losing the Templars that were after them. Cars had been sent out to patrol the area in search of Assassins, but thankfully, they’d evaded them all and made it back in one piece.

Dewdrop went straight to the fridge without a word, likely looking for a bottle of alcohol.

Velvet found a spot on the couch to rest, but her mind was still throwing questions around, nagging at her to talk to Dewdrop.

Finally unable to take the silence anymore, Velvet spoke. “Dewdrop, about what you did to Citrus… Why? She wasn’t like the others. She didn’t need to die-”

“She deserved every bullet, Velvet.” Dewdrop slammed a fist into the fridge door. “These Templars all deserve death, especially Wolfgang. She made her choice to cover for them. She should know that we’d be coming to kill her.”

“But she didn’t,” Velvet protested. “I doubt she knew anything about Assassins or Templars. We could’ve let her go.”

“I’m not having any of this, Velvet,” Dewdrop said as she grabbed a bottle of rum from a fridge shelf. “I made my choice. It’s done. I’m not leaving any Templars free to do as they want.”

“But why, Dewdrop? Why-”

“They took Satin from me, Velvet!” Dewdrop yelled as she slammed the fridge door, startling the young Assassin into an upright position. “The Templars have taken the person I care about the most. None of them deserve life while Satin is dead.”

“But that makes us just as terrible as they are!” Velvet shot back, standing up.

“Well, we are, Velvet. We’re terrible people and we do what we must to protect the world from the Templars.”

“No, I refuse to accept that! We don’t need to be like them! Citrus didn’t have to die! She wouldn’t have been a threat to us if we let her go!”

“Would she?” Dewdrop’s frown grew deeper. “We have no way of knowing if she’d betray us later or if she would even leave Manehattan.”

“Eagle vision, Dewdrop! You reminded me to use it. I did. She wasn’t hostile! There was no reason to kill her.”

“I had every reason to kill her. I don’t care what you say, she deserved death!”

“No. We could’ve-”

“Just shut up!” Dewdrop swung an arm through the air and yelled at the top of her voice. “They took Satin away! Any Templar I see will die. I don’t care. They don’t get to breathe while Satin doesn’t! You should know better! You’re her sister. You shouldn’t be questioning me!”

Velvet looked away and blinked a few times, her bottom lip trembling slightly. Her legs wobbled and sent her back on the couch.

“I’m… I’m sorry, Velvet…” Dewdrop seemed calmed down a little, walking over to the couches while popping the cap off the bottle. “I miss her. She meant everything to me. That’s why I want to kill them all.”

“A-And Wolfgang?” the girl rubbed at an eye. “He’s t-the one that k-killed Satin?”

“Yes,” Dewdrop nodded, sitting next to Velvet. “He’s killed many Assassins and Satin was one of them. Now… Now High Noon too.” She took a swig from the bottle of rum.

“Yeah. You’re right, Dewdrop…” Velvet thought more about it. “Wolfgang deserves to die, but Citrus didn’t.”

“Maybe you’re right, Velvet. I’m sorry… I don’t know. I feel lost without Satin or Noon. They were always there for me, to comfort me, to just be with me… I’m sorry for my temper.”

Dewdrop wrapped an arm around Velvet and pulled her close.

“It’s fine, Dewdrop. I know what you must’ve been feeling.” Velvet rested her head on Dewdrop’s shoulder. “I know it’s hard to get over things like this. I thought I’d done it, but I guess I still have a way to go.”

The blue haired Assassin drank deep from the bottle, finishing about a quarter of it in one go. “I’m sorry I got angry at you, Velvet. I didn’t mean to do it.”

“I know. You just miss my sister and High Noon,” Velvet sighed. “I guess I do too. I wish they were still here, Dewdrop. Especially Satin. I really wish she… she...”

Velvet closed her eyes and let her tears fall, gently shuddering as her emotions took over. She still missed her sister terribly. Satin was always there every night, spending as much time with her as she could before she had to go to bed. Satin was the one to run away with Velvet from their abusive household, making a new life in Trottingham. If it weren’t for Satin, Velvet didn’t know what she would’ve become, staying in Hollow Shades.

“I’m so sorry, Velvet...” Dewdrop hugged the girl tighter, tears falling down her own cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

The two Assassins spent a few moments, just reminiscing on the past. Velvet remembered playing ball with Satin when she was younger. She’d always been a pretty good thrower, but Satin was the one that taught her how to do it. They both had a good laugh when Velvet had broken a neighbor’s window, but thankfully, they’d been caught and reprimanded, learning their lesson after.

“Thanks, Dewdrop,” Velvet wiped her eyes and sniffed. “At least you’re still here.”

“Of course,” the blue haired Assassin drank a bit more. “You’re all I have left of Satin. You can bet I’ll watch over you like a hawk.”

“Like an eagle,” Velvet snickered with a partially blocked nose. “With your eagle vision.”

Dewdrop joined Velvet in a moment of laughter before placing her bottle of rum on the table. “You bet. Feeling better?”

“Yeah, a little. I think I just needed to let it out for a bit…” Velvet sniffed again, trying to unstopper her nose. “I think we better report in now.”

“Yup,” Dewdrop nodded and got up. “I’ll get the laptop. I’m ready to head home. You, Velvet?”

Velvet remembered Sunset. She’d be glad to see her again. An actual friend that wasn’t a trained killer. “I’m definitely ready.”

In less than five minutes, Dewdrop had set up the sleek laptop and clicked on the call button, waiting for Frigid Night to pick up on the other end. Before they knew it, his yellow-skinned face popped up on the screen as serious as ever.

“Hey, boss,” Dewdrop started. “It’s done. Citrus Drops is no more.”

Good,” Frigid nodded. “That means the Templars will be losing their hold on the media. They’ll have to be more careful now. Good work.

“So can we go back to the bureau now?” Velvet asked, leaned closer to the screen. “We’ve done what you wanted.”

Frigid nodded on the other end. “Yes. You may come home. Oh, Dewdrop, before you two head off, there’s something I want to let you know. Wolfgang’s been sighted. He’s out of the hospital, likely the work of Sombra, and he’s in Manehattan. He was last seen heading into the Board’s labs.

“Wolfgang?” Dewdrop’s expression immediately changed. “Send me his details, Frigid. I want him dead!”

But you’re done. You wanted to come home.” Velvet thought she saw a corner of Frigid’s mouth move up into a faint smile, but she wasn’t sure if it was the screen playing tricks on her eyes.

“But this is Wolfgang we’re talking about! Give me the details, Frigid. Now.”

As you wish, Dewdrop. I’ll attach an email. Expect it shortly. Good luck, Dewdrop.

And the line clicked off, leaving Velvet and Dewdrop staring at the girl’s wallpaper.

“Dewdrop, surely you don’t want to do this?” Velvet said after a few seconds of silence.

“I want to, Velvet,” the senior Assassin growled and clenched her fists. “Wolfgang needs to go. Removing him from this world will benefit everyone, not just me.”

“But we should go back,” Velvet tried to get her point in. “The others probably expected us after Talon’s death. We should go back!”

“Yes, you’re right.” Dewdrop stood up and straightened her blue coat. “You should go back, Velvet. You stay safe. This is something I have to do, before I lose this chance.”

“Then I’m coming too, Dewdrop,” Velvet replied adamantly. “You won’t have to do this alone.”

Dewdrop smiled and wrapped an arm around the younger Assassin. “I knew I could count on you, Velvet. Don’t worry, I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe. Your life is more important than taking Wolfgang’s.”

Velvet smiled and pulled at her messy hair.

I hope so, Dewdrop.


Sunset Shimmer awoke in a forest, sitting upright as she rubbed at her eyes. All she could see around her were trees and bushes.

Great. Where am I this time?

At first, she saw no one else, but soon, a group of four humans popped into view, two men and two women, stopping by a cluster of bushes, looking down at something.

The men wore full sets of shining armor with helmets atop their heads and swords strapped at their sides. One woman had ruffled pink hair, wearing a set of green and brown raggy clothes, along with a bow held in both hands. For some reason, she kind of reminded Sunset of Fluttershy. A combat trained Fluttershy.

The last woman was more than familiar to Sunset by now. She had on the same plated armor as she did as a pony, except instead of a black cape, she now had a red one with a gold lining. Her pale green skin and shiny turquoise hair were what gave her identity away.

Here stood Emerald Edge, the First Assassin, in human form, now on the other side of the mirror Sunset had seen her go through in the previous dream.

“This is a good position,” the archer said. “We can stay here without them seeing us. Sir Morn, Sir Ganeighn. It would be best if you approach from that side. That way, their backs will be to us.”

Sunset floated over, looking over the edge to see what they were talking about. Down below in a small valley, she could make out a small area with stones set up in weird positions, something like Stonehenge, but not as large. There was a group of humans below, some in brown robes with hoods covering their faces, and some with armor and weapons. If Sunset were to guess, she was looking at barbarians of some sort. A smaller group was huddled in the middle, their arms tied behind their backs and their mouths covered over by cloth.

If Sunset didn’t know better, she’d say they were hostages.

The fiery haired girl recalled the Mentor’s book, reading that Emerald Edge had entered the world in the medieval era, where King Dawn Saber had justly ruled the lands. She knew the history from world history class, but only what was recorded.

Sir Morn and Sir Ganeighn. Sunset recognized those names as Knights of the Round Table, though her textbooks told of the battle between Sir Morn and King Dawn Saber, ending in the defeat of the traitorous knight. Sunset didn’t know what he was doing here with Emerald, but all she could do was wait and see what would happen.

“You certainly give a lot of orders for a peasant,” one of the knights answered the archer and stood up. “But for now, it will do.”

Then the two Knights of the Round Table were off, heading through some shrubbery to another location, while Emerald waited here with her archer friend.

Suddenly, Emerald pointed a hand out and hissed, ““They’ve got Jewel Pin! She sells clothes in Canterlot. She’s a good friend. We need to save her. We need to save them all fast!”

Sunset had no idea which person she was talking about, but it sounded like Emerald knew her well enough.

“Alright, alright, calm down, Emerald,” the pink haired archer said. “Rushing in like the knights wanted isn’t going to do us any good. We wait and see. Then we strike.”

“All right, Posey. What’s the plan?”

The archer, Posey, pulled an arrow from her quiver and nocked it in her bow. “We wait on Sir Morn Dread once more.”

Sunset figured the group of four were staging a rescue mission of some sort. The girl hadn’t read this far into the Mentor’s book yet, but it looked like Emerald had made some very good friends in Canterlot. Knights of the Round Table were very respected and revered during the Middle Ages, and Emerald Edge had two of them around right now, one of them infamous for the betrayal of his king. Besides that, Sunset had never heard any mention of an Emerald Edge during King Dawn Saber’s rule.

History sure is different from what I remembered.

Sunset Shimmer floated over to the edge, looking down, trying to figure out where the knights had gone. Down below, the camp of people suddenly turned in the opposite direction as both knights walked out into the clearing, drawing their swords.

They called for the release of their townsfolk, but all the enemy group did was draw their weapons, ranging from axes, large swords, and little curved daggers that the few cloaked people unsheathed.

While the Knights of the Round table had their enemies distracted, Emerald Edge let Posey know what she planned to do and began descending down a set of rocks leading down the cliff to the clearing, pulling her hood up before starting.

Sunset was once again pulled along, floating beside the First Assassin as she scaled the rocky wall. The fiery haired girl was concentrated on Emerald’s climbing, afraid that she might lose her grip, or possibly worse, alerting the enemy to her presence. Sunset was so intent on Emerald’s footing that she almost missed out the commotion going down in the camp.

“Begone or face our dark magic!” she heard someone shout.

“We fear neither blade nor spell,” one of the knights warned. “This is your last chance; surrender and I swear you will be treated fairly. Resist, and we will use force.”

“Magic?” Sunset asked out loud. “They had magic? Before me?”

Emerald didn’t answer, seeing as she couldn’t hear Sunset. Instead, her purple eyes were watching the scene below.

“Then let us begin,” An aged robed man in front said. From the looks of it, he was probably the leader of this little group. “You knights can add to our sacrifices.”

Three large men with weapons stepped forward, hefting their weapons for the knights to see as they got ready for combat.

Sunset soon found herself descending again, following close to Emerald Edge as she got to the bottom. The First Assassin kept low, getting off the last rock at the back of the group as the knights did combat in front; the knights were doing a good job of keeping the enemy’s attention away from the Assassin.

“Behold our magic!”

Then there was a sudden roar, almost like some kind of monster. Some kind of crazy monster. Both Emerald Edge and Sunset Shimmer watched as one of the men the knights were fighting charged right at them, pushing them back almost as if his strength had doubled.

Could that be real magic? Sunset watched the larger man swing his giant club at the knights. But magic only came in when I interfered with it. Or does it already exist in certain locations…?

Emerald Edge moved forward, soundlessly reaching the back of the group, a hidden blade already finding its way out of its sheath. Sunset was surprised to see such technology in this time period, but she figured that only made it a stronger weapon. The least the enemy suspected, the better it could perform.

Emerald stuck her hidden blade into the first man’s back, reaching up to cover his mouth with her other hand. After he stopped moving, the Assassin laid him down on the grass without a sound. Sunset was impressed; the rest of the barbarians didn’t even seem to realize one of their companions had been killed. Emerald Edge really was a shining example of an Assassin, no pun intended.

She did the same to the next one, placing the body down close to the first one.

Sunset was surprised that she no longer found death as disturbing as it once was. Am I becoming like the Assassins? Cold and heartless? No… No, not all of them are like that. I can’t be like that…

Emerald Edge moved ahead, but the next barbarian turned around, alerted to her presence, shouting a warning as he retrieved his weapons from his side.

Oh no… Sunset held her breath as they slowly approached her.

And then there was a whistle past Sunset’s ear, before an arrow thudded into a hooded man’s chest, knocking him down on his back.

Sunset looked back up the rocky wall, remembering the archer, Posey, was still up there; she had pretty good aim. The fiery haired girl made a reminder to herself to see if Fluttershy was any good at archery. Perhaps their looks weren’t the only thing that was similar.

“There are more of them!” the bearded man pointed in Emerald and Sunset’s direction. “Kill them all!”

Sunset floated as far back as she could as Emerald drew a sleek sword from her side. The First Assassin jabbed the man in the shoulder, pulling it out and parrying one of his strikes as she delivered a quick one-two slash to his torso and arm. She spun the sword and blocked another strike, looking ready to end it, before something yellow in color splashed against the man’s head with the sound of breaking glass.

Was that… a vial?

Without warning, the man leaned back and unleashed a roar from his mouth, then charged straight for Emerald.

Move, Emerald! Sunset bit at her fingernails.

The Assassin dodged and struck the barbarian from behind with her sword. Sunset thought he would drop right there, but instead, he spun around and attacked again, knocking Emerald back after she tried to block his strike. She couldn’t recover in time, instead, dropping her blade as she rolled to the side to avoid the man’s next attack.

“You’re not getting away that easy,” the barbarian kicked her sword away and advanced, a smile across his face.

He raised his axe to finish the fight, with Sunset silently willing the Assassin to get out of there. Fortunately, another arrow flew in from the woods above, piercing the man right in the center of the neck, punching straight through and embedding itself in a tree.

“Get that archer!” Sunset heard one of the hooded men shout.

As four mercenaries rushed up the hill to deal with Posey, Emerald became a blur of steel, her hidden blades flashing like stars as she stabbed and slashed at the mercenary, felling him in a graceful display of acrobatics.

Emerald was going to get back up there to help her archer friend, but the pink haired woman was soon down beside her, cradling an arm, likely hurt or broken. The Assassin handed her friend her sword as the knights finished their battle, now facing the leader of the group, swords pointed at him.

“Surrender, druids!” Sir Morn shouted at the bearded man. “This does not need to end in bloodshed.”

“Druids…” Sunset remembered that word from history class. If she recalled correctly, druids were people who practiced dark arts and human sacrifices. If history did indeed record that correctly, then it explains why they had captured townsfolk and brought them here.

“Oh, but it has to,” one of the druids pulled a bound woman forward. “We need their blood.”

The lead druid opened a brown sack, returning with some kind of red powder on a gloved finger. Pulling up the citizen’s sleeve, he drew his finger along her arm and where his finger touched, boils seemed to erupt immediately.

Just then, the other barbarians returned from the forest, landing back down in the clearing with a thump, looking to kill Posey and Emerald Edge. Sunset looked from between the two women and the two knights.

Emerald and Posey went around the larger men, cutting them in various places and avoiding their blows, while the druids had thrown a fistful of dust into their hostage’s face as the knights watched furiously.

Sunset quickly looked away as the woman’s face grew red and lumpy, her screams slowly choking as the red dust did its work. The fiery haired girl had only seen a glimpse of it, but it was likely she was going to remember the hostage’s agonized face forever.

Sir Morn attacked the druids, but the bearded one grabbed him around the neck with the hand coated in red dust. Emerald stabbed a large barbarian in the neck before facing the knights. “No!”

Sir Morn had grown quite still, and the druid seemed to smile with glee.

Sunset couldn’t forget what the powder had done to the poor woman before, and she didn’t want to see if happen again.

The old druid opened his mouth to say something, when Sir Morn clouted him with his armored fist, the gauntlet crashing into the old man’s jaw, knocking him down to the ground.

“Woah…” Sunset mumbled as Emerald flew past her, jamming both hidden blades into the boots of the last remaining barbarian.

He struggled to free his feet, but the First Assassin held strong, keeping him rooted to the ground long enough for Posey to run him through with her sword, the tip coming out the back and spraying blood across her yellow face.

Sunset cringed. She could never picture Fluttershy to be so at ease with taking a life. Whether they looked similar or not, they were clearly very different people.

As quick as she downed the man, she turned and tossed the sword back to Emerald. “Go. Help them.”

Emerald Edge ran over to help, tossing the druid’s bag of red powder into the nearby campfire. Sunset followed close behind, watching the rest of the druids keep a good distance away from Emerald and the two Knights of the Round Table. Sir Morn had given a good beating to the old man; Sunset noticed he had a missing tooth now.

“Stop! Stop! No more…” the old druid raised a hand in surrender. And then he lifted Sir Morn’s visor and jammed a gloved finger with leftover dust into the knight’s eye, the sudden action causing the knight to let him go. “Nimhe, Galar! Smoke! Now!”

Emerald swooped in to strike them, but then the druids disappeared within a cloud of smoke, spreading to engulf the immediate area. Sunset covered her mouth with a hand, but soon realized it didn’t affect her, seeing as she wasn’t really here. The girl couldn’t see anyone else, but by the time the smoke had cleared, only Emerald, the knights, Posey the archer, and the hostages remained.

Sunset Shimmer was glad that they’d managed to save the rest of the townsfolk. That red dust was a really bad way to go, nor was it pleasant to watch.

Emerald Edge knelt down by the townsfolk, cutting their bonds with her hidden blades.

“Oh, thank you, Emerald!” a purple haired woman gave the Assassin a big hug. “I thought they were going to kill us! The way they killed Flower Wind… Dreadful!”

Sunset didn’t know if she was just missing her friends, but this woman reminded her a little bit of Rarity.

“They probably were,” the other knight, Sir Ganeighn said, placing his sword back in its sheath. “But they were no match for us, eh?” He clapped Posey on the back and Sunset could’ve sworn her cheeks turned pink.

Am I really seeing the past, or is this some kind of whacky dream?

Sunset continued to watch Emerald Edge, but soon found herself being drawn back, slowly getting further and further away from the First Assassin and her friends. Right before everything faded white, Sunset was sure the Assassin looked directly at her and nodded.

Then everything went black.


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