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?
After defeating the Dazzlings and freeing Canterlot High School from the threat of eternal strife, the girls finally seem to be able to wind down for the winter holidays.
With less than a month left until school lets out, Sunset Shimmer finds herself being followed around by shadowy individuals who know of her otherworldly origins. As the year draws to a close, Sunset's only hope of making sense of it all may be a mysterious new transfer student...one who is very good at avoiding her.
The streets of Trottingham were no place for any self-respecting person to be in the middle of the night, but as Cobalt quietly slid out of a hidden side door in what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse, his sense of self-respect was the last thing on his mind. Tightly grasping an attaché case in his left hand, the business suited man walked briskly down the deserted sidewalk.
As he passed the window of a closed barber’s, Cobalt ran a hand through his navy blue hair and increased his pace. His breath came out in clouds, each puff of condensation tinted orange in the streetlamps.
Cobalt glanced back over his shoulder, scanning the street for any sign of life. When he found none, he slowed down and brought out a packet of cigarettes from an inside pocket, setting down the case to strike a match and light one. Smoking had always calmed Cobalt down and as the sweet, faintly cinnamon taste of the tobacco rolled over his tongue, Cobalt allowed himself to breathe, to collect himself.
There was really no reason to be so nervous, he mused. It wasn’t as though he was in trouble with the boss, or that his task was particularly dangerous. Far from it. So why the devil was he sweating like a pig in summer and glancing over his shoulder every few seconds like there was someone out to get him?
Taking a long drag of his cigarette, Cobalt looked down at the case, sitting innocently next to his leg. It was fairly small, the size of a large laptop case with silver clasps and a sturdy looking combination lock. Its simple appearance, he knew, was a front for its contents: intelligence that could potentially give him and his organization a major edge over their competition.
Finishing his smoke, Cobalt once again took up the case and resumed walking, this time a little more leisurely than before. All he had to do was walk two blocks, get in his car, and then he would be home free-
“Hey! Hey, mister!”
Jumping, Cobalt’s head swiveled around as he tried to locate the person calling out. It didn’t take long; just ten feet ahead and leaning against a phone box was a young man with offensively purple hair, dressed in a worn looking pair of jeans and a black sweatshirt. He was holding a small packet in one hand and waving with the other.
“Hey mister! Got a light?”
Common sense told Cobalt to just ignore him. He’s just a punk. You have places to be. You need to get home as soon as possible.
Only trouble was, this punk was directly on his path to his car, and there didn’t really seem like there was any reason to say no…
Sighing, Cobalt dug out his box of matches and approached the young man, who grinned even wider as he held out a cigarette to light.
“Bit late to be taking a walk, old man,” the youth remarked, exhaling smoke. “You seeing a mistress or something?” he laughed at his own joke, dropping ash over his sweatshirt.
Cobalt was nowhere near as amused. “Actually, I had a business meeting. What about you? Someone stand you up on a date?”
The young man gave Cobalt a wry smile. “Not bad, mister. ‘S matter of fact though, I’m waiting for someone.”
“Is that so?” inquired Cobalt distractedly.
There it was again. The uneasy feeling. His mother had often told him that he’d had a knack for smelling trouble, and this kid was reeking of it.
“I really must be going. Best of luck waiting for whoever it is you’re waiting for.” Gripping the case, the blue haired man suddenly felt a hand fall heavily on his shoulder.
“Hold up.” The kid spun Cobalt around effortlessly and gave him a rather less jovial smile. The streetlight shone at them from his back, reflecting in the kid’s eyes.
“Y-yes?” stammered the older man as he clutched the attaché case in front of himself like a shield.
For a moment, the youth simply eyed Cobalt as though he were in a butcher’s and he was selecting a piece of choice meat.
Then he laughed and drawled, “Thanks for the light, mister.” and walked off ahead into an alley with a hand raised in farewell.
It was only then that Cobalt realized that his knees were shaking and that he’d been holding his breath. He let it out, almost wishing that he had another cigarette between his lips but that soon passed. No, the sooner he was in his car, the better.
Gathering up the case and his courage, Cobalt resumed his walk to the parking lot around the corner. He reached into his pocket and readied his keys, gaining a crumb of confidence when his hands closed around the cool, familiar ring. He would make it. Get in, shut the door, start engine, drive home to a soothing cup of tea.
So focused was he on that happy thought that Cobalt failed to notice a tall, hooded figure leap off a rooftop behind him and land not two steps away from his heels. Nor did he see the silvery glint of a blade as it buried itself in the back of his neck.
Frigid Night straightened up from his strike as the business suited man gasped and fell to his knees, then onto his face. The stab wound was small but deep and Night wasted no time in pulling a rag from inside his hooded coat to staunch the bleeding, pressing with both hands.
At the same time, another figure alighted from the rooftops, a female with a long, off-white coat just like Frigid Night’s and an indolent look on her lime green face. Taking the now dead Cobalt’s feet in her hands, the two hauled the corpse into a cul-de-sac and into a deserted apartment. The wood paneled floor was stained and uneven, and the walls were cracked and peeling as though they hadn’t seen a tenant in years. A rickety old table dominated the center of the room, positioned under the ceiling light.
In other words, perfect for their needs.
“Took your sweet time killing him,” grunted Morning Blade, the woman. From her left arm hung the black attaché case, its silver clasps glinting in the dark.
Frigid Night rolled his eyes as they set their cargo down onto the floor. “I’d have gotten him sooner, if that kid hadn’t asked him for a smoke. No witnesses, remember?”
“So just take down the kid too. Gang stabbings aren’t exactly uncommon here, Night.”
Frigid Night frowned and lowered his hood, revealing dark yellow skin and a mop of silver hair. “That’s not how we do things, and you know it. Besides, we got the case, didn’t we?”
He reached over to the wall and clicked a switch, flooding the room with stark white light. Morning Blade unhooked the case from her wrist while Frigid Night shut and locked the door.
The two eyed the case with no small degree of apprehension and hunger. Wordlessly, Morning Blade flicked her wrist out, eliciting a tiny snick as a short, thin blade eased out from the depths of her sleeve. She dug it into the lock while Frigid Night held the case still.
A dog barked outside. They ignored it and worked on, the silence broken only by the occasional mumbled swear from Morning.
Almost twenty minutes later the lock finally gave, pins and tumblers clattering to the tabletop as Morning’s weapon broke through the last bastion of defense that the owner of the case had put up. She retracted her blade and lowered her hood, blowing a lock of sweaty white and green striped hair out of her face.
“Nineteen minutes and forty-three seconds,” Frigid Night straightened up and stretched his fingers. “Not bad.”
Morning Blade didn’t answer, instead flipping the clasps on the case up and laying it open under the naked bulb.
For a moment neither of them spoke as they tried to comprehend what they were seeing.
Inside the case was a thick sheaf of papers, all held together with two heavy duty paperclips and tied up with twine. Laying on the top were four photographs, taken from what looked like a long distance lens and scribbled on with red ink.
The first one showed a building, a school from the looks of it. The front doors were missing, as was a large chunk of the façade. People, presumably students, could be seen in the hole as well as outside, but most notably, and outlined in a red circle, was a blurry orange shape that looked as though it was flying above the ground with wings.
The second photo was of the same building, but during the daytime and with far fewer people in it. The closer camera angle showed two young men, possibly high school boys, struggling with a wheelbarrow full of building debris and a taller girl with fiery yellow and red hair sitting dejectedly next to a partly repaired wall. She was also circled in red, with the word important scrawled next to it.
The third picture was noticeably different. It displayed, from a long way away, a sideways view of a stage, bleachers, and a grassy hill. The venue was packed with people, though the stage was only populated by three figures. A red circle highlighted the grassy hill where a white vehicle of some kind was parked. Seven people were standing around this vehicle, nearly all of them brandishing musical instruments and facing the stage. A familiar girl with red and yellow hair was there, this time dressed in a sleeveless top instead of a leather jacket. Once again, she was tagged with the word important.
The final photo appeared to be a newspaper clipping, as some of the surrounding text was still clinging to the picture. Seven high school girls struck a pose in front of the photographer, grinning from ear to ear and holding up a trophy. Their names were noted in the caption, but only one was underlined.
“Sunset Shimmer,” read Frigid Night, his brow creased with confusion. “What in the world is going on here?”
“Maybe, just maybe, the Templars have some interest in this girl,” remarked Morning Blade sarcastically and rifled through the rest of the papers. She cursed under her breath. “It’s in code. Might take some time to… wait.”
From the bottom of the stack she pulled a single sheet, an unfolded brochure decorated with colorful words and images. Grimacing, she tossed it to Frigid Night.
“Canterlot High School. What are they doing creeping around a high school?”
Morning shrugged and suppressed a yawn. She hated stakeouts, and it was starting to show.“Bucked if I know. But if the Templars are there, then we need to be there as well.”
Night agreed, although his reaction was a bit more tempered. “I’ll call Mentor. Secure the intel and take care of the body.”
Ignoring the glare that Morning Blade shot him, Frigid Night whipped out his cell phone and pressed speed dial.
After precisely two rings, the call got through.
“Mentor… yes. We intercepted the target and disposed of him. Working on that now, but we discovered something pretty big here… yeah, bigger than Saddle Arabia. Looks like the Templars have their sights set on Canterlot High School, in Canterl-sorry, Mentor. It’s just late and… sorry.” Morning smirked. Frigid always did have a habit of putting his foot in his mouth when talking to the Mentor.
“Anyway, we have reason to believe that a girl who goes to school there, called Sunset Shimmer, is being targeted for reasons unknown… four photos, Mentor, each of her and a bunch of encoded documents. I think we need to follow up on this.”
Morning Blade watched as her partner fell silent. She had a shrewd reason why; their Mentor was known to order abrupt moments of silence during conversations in order to think. Talking during that moment of silence would earn you a whack on the head, as most of them learned the hard way. She shrugged and tucked the documents into a hidden inner pocket in her coat and got to widening the stab wound in Cobalt’s neck so it looked like it had been caused by a random gang attack rather than a skilled Assassin.
Meanwhile, the conversation picked up once more.
“Mentor. Yes. I’m sure. What do you mean- sorry. You’re right. It’s just that this seems very fishy and would require a lot of blending in- but I can still- “Night’s shoulders tensed up and fell in defeat. “Yes, Mentor. I’ll tell her immediately.”
He hung up, looking rather less chipper than he had before.
“Mentor thinks it’s worth following up on, and that we did well.”
“So what’s the part you’re not telling me?” Morning quickly rifled through Cobalt’s pockets, unearthing a fat wallet and a set of car keys. She pocketed both.
“We’re not going.”
“Figures. Not as if we’d fit in anyway.”
“That’s what Mentor said, but…” he hesitated and chewed his bottom lip.
Morning Blade’s mouth stretched in a catlike yawn. “Look, Nighty, I’m already tired from having sat on a chimney in the cold for six hours. Just spit it out and help me hide the body.”
Frigid Night blushed at being called ‘Nighty’ and helped his partner haul the corpse of Cobalt out the door and lower it against a dumpster. As an afterthought, he chose an empty glass bottle from the trash and smashed it over the body’s head.
“Nice touch.” Morning flicked her hood back up and did a few stretches to combat the stiffness of standing in a room for twenty minutes. “Now tell me who Mentor’s sending and we can go home, because I sure won’t remember to ask you in the morning.”
Frigid Night told her. Morning’s face shifted through a barrage of emotions, a frown of confusion, a sidelong glance of doubt, but settled on a shrug of indifference and resignation.
“There’s no one else. Besides, it might be a good chance for her to make some friends.”
“We’re Assassins,” said Frigid Night glumly as he pulled his hood up as well and stamped his feet to warm them up a bit. “We don’t have friends.”
“Excuse me, you might enjoy playing the mysterious loner, Frigid, but some of us do enjoy mingling with the people we’re sworn to protect. You should try it sometime.”
“And get a shank in the back for my trouble? No thanks,” quailing under the stern look that Morning shot him, Frigid Night amended his statement. “Okay, okay. Not everyone is a Templar in disguise, but I’d rather not take the chance. You have the documents?”
Morning patted her coat. “Right here.”
“Good. You go take them back to the bureau, and I’ll go tell the novice that she’s going back to school.”
Nodding one last time to each other, the pair parted ways to their respective destinations, leaving the streets silent and empty once more.
“And that wraps up the last unit of the study guide. We’ll spend the next week or so playing review games and going over test material.”
It was the last period of the day at Canterlot High School on Thursday afternoon, and Mr. Discord the science teacher had just finished covering the blackboard with exam material. He wore a stained lab coat, a pair of yellow tinted safety goggles, and one rubber glove that was clasped around a stick of chalk.
“For homework, I would like you all to read up on the chaos theory and write me an essay on what you would do if you were me, to be turned in on Monday. That’s all, class dismissed.” Tossing the chalk into his mouth, Mr. Discord bowed and swept out of the room like a multicolored hurricane just as the bell rang for the end of the day.
Sunset Shimmer scrawled down the last formula and sighed. She stretched her legs out under her desk and began to pack up, a gloomy expression adorning her face. It had only been a couple of weeks since the Canterlot High musical showcase, but already the defeat of the Sirens was becoming old news. While Sunset was in many ways glad that school life was finally returning to some semblance of normalcy, she wished that this normalcy didn’t have to come in the form of midterm exams. Every teacher from Ms. Cheerilee to Mrs. Harshwhinny seemed to have had some kind of gear in their heads switched that put them on, as Rainbow Dash called it, 'full yawn-o-rama mode'.
She sighed and pulled out her phone, tapping Mr. Discord’s assignment into her planner and giving a little groan when she saw how much she already had to do that night. Thanks to the grueling amount of work everyone at CHS had been subjected to, the Rainbooms hadn’t been able to get together to practice for a while, something which many of its members lamented during the lunch period.
Sunset sighed and left the classroom for her locker. Rarity and Applejack were also there, each with a stack of books in their arms.
“Hello, Sunset,” greeted Rarity. “How was class?”
“Awful.” replied Sunset flatly. “Mr. D wants an essay about the chaos theory on Monday, on top of the studying and the fifty questions for Calculus.”
Her friends winced in unison. “Wow.” Applejack whistled. “Who’d a’ thought Mr. D would get caught up in all this, of all people?”
“I know exactly what you mean, Applejack. I have a poetry analysis due tomorrow too!” Rarity said. “Perhaps Fluttershy can assist me…”
The three girls stuffed their books into their bags and walked out the front doors, still comparing who had the biggest workload. The wind bit at their exposed skin, making them hurry along to Sugarcube Corner to meet up with the rest of the band.
By the time they got there, Sunset Shimmer was really missing her pony form’s fur coat. The gale had intensified, blowing in smudges of grey cloud as they walked. By the time Rarity pushed open the door to the sweet shop, the sun was completely gone.
After ordering their drinks, Sunset, Applejack, and Rarity quickly found Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy nestled in a corner booth crowded around a newspaper.
“Hey girls,” Applejack said, setting down her backpack with an audible crash. “What’re ya reading, homework?”
“Nope!” said Pinkie Pie cheerily. She was in the act of tearing open a sachet of sugar and emptying it into her drink, but missed and dumped it on the table. “Dashie’s been looking at it all afternoon!” Taking a straw, the puffy haired girl inserted it in one nostril and began to inhale the spilled sugar.
“Uh-huh. Rainbow? What’s up?”
Rainbow Dash lowered the newspaper, rubbing her eyes. She hadn’t had much sleep recently; none of them had. And since Daring Do was the only kind of literature that Rainbow found worth her time, the reading assignments that Mr. Cranky Doodle had given them to review were often left until late into the night.
“Nothing much.” replied Rainbow. “Just reading about a murder that happened in Trottingham two days ago. Some poor guy on the board of education or something.”
“Really?” Rarity asked, sitting down with her smoothie. “May I see that?” Nodding, the athlete slid the newspaper over and took a sip of her own drink. The article was short but to the point, with a blurry photograph attached that showed a pair of policemen covering something with a white sheet.
“Residents of Trottingham are saddened by the sudden death of Cobalt, a well-known member of the board of education. Cobalt, aged 27, was found dead in an alley near the west end of the city with a stab wound to the neck and severe cranial trauma. Trottingham police are still on the lookout for the killer, though all signs point to local gang violence.” Rarity read aloud. “Well, that’s dreadful business.” She concluded and returned the paper.
“I know,” Rainbow Dash said through a mouthful of pastry. “I have friends in Trottingham who live near there, so I’m…y’know, worried.”
“I’m sure they’re fine.” Fluttershy said soothingly. “The police will make sure nothing like this happens again.”
“Yeah…”
Deciding it was time to change the subject, Sunset Shimmer plopped herself down next to Pinkie. “How are you girls getting on with the homework? I got a ton of it today.” She stuck her tongue out in mock disgust.
There was a general murmuring of agreement from everybody but Pinkie Pie, who was wearing an uncharacteristically concerned look on her normally carefree face. Then one of her legs twitched violently, shaking the table and drawing a few curious looks from adjacent tables and her friends.
“Wow,” said Sunset wryly. “I didn’t know that it was possible to be so opposed to homework that you got a seizure just at the mention of it.”
“No, it’s not that, though homework itself is pretty ugh. That was my Pinkie sense!” She pressed a hand on her twitching leg and gave the entire interior of Sugarcube Corner a careful look. “Twitchy leg, dry tongue…there’s someone hiding from us in here.”
As one, the rest of the girls gave the entire bakery a once-over. It didn’t take very long.
“Uh, Pinks? I don’t see anyone hiding.” Rainbow Dash pointed out. It was true. Aside from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon texting on their phones, Flash Sentry and his gaggle of bandmates, Octavia Melody sitting on a bench with two of her friends, and the Cakes behind the counter, there was nobody else. And the furniture didn’t exactly leave a lot of places where someone could conceal themselves.
Applejack was just as confused. “You’re sure that someone’s hidin’ in here? Because there ain’t a lot of places to hide in here, jus’ saying…”
“Maybe you’re just tired.” Rarity suggested with an understanding smile. “I sometimes think I see things when I stay up working on dresses…and these days we’ve all been rather stretched.”
“Yeah…” Pinkie said as she sank back into her seat looking unconvinced. “Maybe.”
Rainbow Dash finished her drink with a loud slurp. “Well, I gotta run. Soccer practice.”
“M-me too. The animal shelter’s decorating for Christmas, and I said I’d help…”
One by one the girls trickled out of the bakery off to their own activities. Sunset Shimmer was the last to leave, hoisting her backpack onto her shoulders and waving to some classmates as she walked out into the chilling wind. Her spirits sank as she remembered the daunting amount of schoolwork that had to be done tonight. Pulling her leather jacket close around her body, Sunset bowed her head against the wind and headed home.
Precisely twenty seconds after Sunset was out of sight of Sugarcube Corner, Octavia started as a girl next to her in a white hoodie stood up and headed out the door. The cellist blinked a few times, surprised that she had not noticed the stranger earlier.
Lyra, who had been sitting on the other side of the bench, looked equally perplexed.
“Uh, did you know who that was?” asked the mint green girl. Octavia shook her head. Already details about the strange girl were fading from memory, almost as though there had never been anyone but her and Lyra on that bench all afternoon.
“How odd.” Octavia muttered. For a single, clear moment she had a suspicion that she had just missed something important, but then someone spilled coffee on her blouse.
The next morning was cold, grey, and every bit as unwelcoming as the previous afternoon. Sleepy students filed into Canterlot High, rubbing their hands together in appreciation of the school’s indoor heating and swapping answers about the previous night’s assignments.
Sunset Shimmer took her seat next to Applejack in Mrs. Harshwhinny’s homeroom just as the bell rang to start the day. Their teacher was in the middle of taking roll when there was a knock on the classroom door. With an audibly annoyed sigh, Mrs. Harshwhinny put down her clipboard and answered the door.
“Oh! Principal Celestia. What a surprise. What can I do for you?”
The principal of Canterlot High motioned for Mrs. Harshwhinny to step outside, which she did but not before telling the class to “behave while I’m gone.”
Which is why Sunset was not in the least bit surprised when, as soon as the door shut, everyone started talking, some getting out their homework to fill in some answers at the very last minute, others simply lounging around with their feet on the table.
Turning to Applejack, Sunset jerked a thumb at the door and asked, “So what do you think Principal Celestia and Mrs. Harshwhinny are talking about?”
“Maybe cancelling the midterms?” joked Rainbow Dash, sauntering over. “You two get any sleep last night?”
“Not as much as I’d a’ liked,” admitted Applejack. “Big Mac and I had to start winter proofin’ the farm yesterday, and then I had reading on top of that so I’m plumb tuckered out.”
“Think you’ll get it done on time for the snowfall?” Sunset inquired. Sweet Apple Acres was a sizable farm, and winter proofing the entire place was no small undertaking. The farm girl smiled though, and reassured Sunset that they would have it done by Monday, although it would definitely mean a few more sleepless nights.
“How about you, Sunset? Got any plans for the weekend?”
The sound of the doorknob turning brought a swift end to the chatter as Mrs. Harshwhinny came back into the classroom, followed by a girl Sunset had never seen before. She slouched in after the teacher, hands in the pockets of her jeans and surveying the room with an air of bored disinterest from under the hood of her white jacket. The girl stopped at the front of the room, glancing at the teacher for further instruction.
Mrs. Harshwhinny cleared her throat for attention. “Attention everyone. This is Velvet Breeze,” she announced, gesturing to the hooded girl. “She’ll be joining our class from today onwards.”
Velvet Breeze gave a little bow to the class, sweeping her orange eyes over each and every student there. Sunset suddenly felt very self-conscious under those eyes, as though she was a mouse caught in the sights of an eagle. She gulped and sank lower in her seat, trying to look anywhere but at the new girl. The feeling passed as quickly as it had come, leaving Sunset with sweaty palms and a newfound interest in the new girl.
“Pleased to meet you all.” Velvet reached up and lowered her hood, revealing a dusky blue face framed with shoulder length hair in shades of teal and grey, held out of her eyes with a hairclip that was shaped like an inverted letter ‘V’. “I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you.”
Even to Sunset it sounded rehearsed, but Mrs. Harshwhinny simply smiled and guided Velvet over to an empty seat next to Trixie at the second last row of the room. Ignoring the surreptitious stares of her new classmates, the new student sat down and retrieved a pen and notebook from her bag, looking at the teacher expectantly.
“Erm, yes. Anyway, I want you all to do your part in making Miss Breeze feel as welcome as possible here at CHS…now please take out last night’s assignments and pass them up to the front.”
The rest of the class passed in a slightly uncomfortable manner, with Mrs. Harshwhinny droning on about what would be on the literature exam and how to best prepare for it, but no one really was paying much attention, instead finding more sport in sneaking looks at the new kid rather than copying down everything the teacher was saying.
Halfway through the class, Sunset chanced a look over her shoulder at Velvet. There she was, sitting two rows behind her and writing in her notebook with one hand while resting her head on the other.
Nothing unusual there, thought Sunset. She glanced across the room and caught Rainbow Dash waving at her, mouthing something unintelligible. The athlete was leaning out of her chair and had her legs wrapped around her desk to keep herself from falling off.
“What?” Sunset mouthed back.
Rainbow repeated the silent message, exaggerating the movements of her mouth to no avail.
“What is it?” hissed Sunset, keeping her voice as low as possible while keeping one eye on Mrs. Harshwhinny. The literature teacher had her back to them and was in the process of outlining an essay draft.
The rainbow haired girl frowned and slowly slipped out of her seat, stealthily making her way to the box of tissues at the other side of the room near where Sunset and Applejack sat. Rainbow made a small spectacle of blowing her nose and disposing of the tissue, and after she was sure no one was looking, stopped by Sunset’s desk on her way back.
“What is it?” asked Sunset Shimmer again, looking concerned. She kept her voice low and bent over in her seat in case anyone was listening in.
Rainbow Dash swallowed, smiled sheepishly and said, “Can I borrow your blue highlighter?”
Failing to keep the deflated look off her face, Sunset wordlessly reached into her bag and handed over the highlighter.
By the time she left her classroom for lunch, Sunset’s nerves were beginning to fray. Not only had Mr. Cranky Doodle decided to keep them after the bell, he had also added a whole chapter of extra reading for the weekend. Clenching her fists around the straps of her schoolbag, Sunset lamented the lack of magic in this world; her back felt like it was going to telescope from all the books she was carrying.
As a result, Sunset was all too happy to be able to join her friends in the cafeteria. She freed herself from the burden of her backpack and dug into her plate of mashed potatoes and celery with gusto as the rest of the girls chattered about their plans for the weekend.
“Think we could get in some practice on Sunday?” Rainbow Dash asked no one in particular. “My parents are going to be at their friends’ house, so I’ll have my place to myself.”
“Maybe you should visit a stationery store instead,” Sunset suggested dryly.
Taking the hint, Rainbow sighed good-naturedly and tossed over the borrowed highlighter. “Thanks for that; I left my pencil case at home today.”
“Hey, it’s no big deal. I just thought you wanted to talk about something more urgent than not being able to do your notes properly.”
“You mean like tha’ new girl?” Applejack asked. Sunset nodded, impressed as always with the farm girl’s ability to cut to the chase.
There was a clatter as Pinkie Pie dropped her spoon. She practically bounced forward in her seat with glee. “Did you say new girl? Where?”
“Our homeroom,” Sunset said, washing down the last of her lunch with a swig of juice. “Name’s Velvet Breeze.”
“Yep. Just transferred in or something.” Applejack agreed. “Must be from out a’ town, I reckon.”
Rarity snapped her compact shut, having just finished touching up her lipstick. “At this time of the year? But the only thing we’re doing now is exams! Do you know where she’s from?”
“Nope.” Rainbow said, shrugging.
“And you didn’t think to ask?”
“Hey, I had bigger things to worry about!” Rainbow said defensively. “And if you’re so curious, why don’t you ask her yourself?”
Rarity resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her athletic friend’s lack in inquisitiveness and was in the midst of getting up when she realized she was missing a crucial detail.
“Ahem, Sunset, dear,” she said delicately, sitting back down. “What does Velvet Breeze look like?”
“Oh, oh!” Pinkie exclaimed, her poofy curls bouncing in time with her outbursts. “Is she wearing a white jacket, blue jeans, and a silver hairclip?”
Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Sunset Shimmer exchanged looks that verged on disturbed. “Actually, yeah, but how did you-“
“Duh! I know everyone in Canterlot High! All I had to do was look for someone I didn’t recognize. She’s right over there, by the way.”
The rest of the table followed Pinkie’s finger to the far left corner of the cafeteria. Sure enough, there was Velvet Breeze. She sat alone, a half-eaten apple in one hand and a pen in the other, scribbling furiously in her notebook. Every now and then she would glance up and look around the cafeteria, almost like she was waiting for something.
“She looks lonely.” Fluttershy ventured.
Sunset was about to agree, but ‘lonely’ somehow didn’t seem appropriate. She knew what it was like to be lonely, especially after the Fall Formal. To be excluded from everyone’s social circles, to be longing just a bit of attention, of acceptance. Even as they watched, a trio of students from Sunset’s class walked past, waving to Velvet who gave them a smile and a nod in return.
No, not lonely. ‘Solitary’ was a more fitting term.
And then there had been that moment of unease when Velvet had introduced herself…
Although she felt guilty about suspecting this new girl over nothing more than a brief moment of the shivers, Sunset couldn’t deny that her intuition had come in handy before.
“Say, Applejack, Rainbow, did you notice anything…off about Velvet when you first saw her?” She tried to keep her voice casual, but in retrospect there really was no ‘being casual’ about something like this.
“You mean like the Sirens?” Rainbow deduced her meaning instantly.
“Yeah.”
Rainbow’s face scrunched up as she tried to remember. “I don’t remember feeling like anything was off…”
“What about you, Applejack?”
“Not really, other than thinkin’ it was kind of strange to wear a hood indoors. Why, did you feel somethin’ unusual?”
Sunset squirmed in her seat. “Well, not really…” she lied. “It was probably just me being overly cautious. You know, this school has a history of unusual new students.”
Everybody had a good chuckle at that. They all remembered, with mixed degrees of fondness, just what each of those students had brought to Canterlot High. From Sunset’s arrival from Equestria all those years ago to the Battle of the Bands, no one could deny that sudden additions to the student body tended to herald…interesting events in the school’s history.
“But still, it’s kind of weird that someone would transfer in so close to the end of the year. Why not wait until the end of winter vacation?”
“Maybe it’s a personal matter.” Rarity said. A sharp look came into her eyes. “Although if you do find out the reason, make sure you tell me.”
“Mhhm.” Sunset had been planning to find out more anyway. It wasn’t as though it was a crime to ask the new kid a few questions anyway, right?
Sunset walked out of Mr. Discord’s class that afternoon with a considerably lighter heart than she had expected, not to mention a lighter workload. The eccentric science teacher had accidentally incinerated his lesson plan with a Bunsen burner midway through his lesson on exothermic reactions, and in exchange for keeping it from Principal Celestia he had agreed to give them a weekend free from homework.
“Our little secret, all right?” He smiled nervously as his class filed out of the room.
As she dropped her heavy science textbook in her locker, Sunset saw a familiar flash of white at the corner of her eye.
Turning around, Sunset was just fast enough to catch sight of a hooded person duck back around the hallway corner. She frowned. There had been no mistaking that jacket, or the gleam of orange under that hood.
Sunset frowned. It was one thing to attribute an odd feeling as paranoia, but peeking around corners at people was not normal behavior, even for a new student. Something was up.
Grasping her bag, Sunset pushed gently through a group of oncoming sixth graders and toward the same corner. She slowed down as she prepared to turn. With luck, Velvet would be caught by surprise if she was still there. And even if she wasn’t, the adjacent hallway was a dead end; there was nowhere to go.
She stopped just short of the turn. Perhaps if she waited here, then Velvet might decide to peek around again, which would confirm her suspicions that the new girl had something to hide. However, if she waited too long, Velvet would have time to conceal herself, or maybe even make up an excuse.
Well, that wasn’t happening. If her experience with the Dazzlings (and in hindsight herself) had taught her anything, it was that if you stopped the problem early it meant a whole lot less hassle and heartache later. And there was no way she was letting another crisis hit Canterlot High so soon after the last one.
“All right, Velvet Breeze,” Sunset smiled self-assuredly to herself. “Time to spill the beans.”
Stepping out from her hiding place, Sunset Shimmer barely had time to throw herself to the side as a crowd of jersey-clad teenagers stampeded past her and toward the soccer pitch, leaving behind a miasma of deodorant and air freshener.
After she peeled herself away from the wall, the amber girl shot a glare at the retreating backs of the soccer team and scanned the hallway for Velvet Breeze’s hooded form.
But the hallway was completely empty.
A gust of cold wind and the tinkling of the bell announced Sunset’s arrival at Sugarcube Corner.
“What took you so long?” Asked Applejack as Sunset joined them with a steaming mug of coffee.
Sunset, still lost in thought, didn’t immediately answer. She raised the mug to her lips and drank, gazing at her reflection in the inky liquid as if hoping to find the answer to life’s questions in its depths.
Fluttershy looked at her, unsure of what to do. “Um, Sunset? Did something happen?”
“…I think I saw Velvet Breeze.”
“You think you saw her.” Rarity repeated. “You don’t sound very sure.”
Fortifying herself with another gulp of coffee, Sunset recounted the afternoon’s events, carefully leaving out the part where Mr. D had almost set off the fire alarm with his shenanigans. She’d spent a good half hour banging around the hallway, searching for a locker that someone her size might have hidden themselves in and it had only been after Vice Principal Luna had come out and told her to head home that she had stopped.
“It just doesn’t make sense!” Sunset finished moodily. “People don’t just disappear like that!”
“Except me!” piped up Pinkie, her head appearing out of Fluttershy’s backpack.
“Except you.” Sunset conceded. “You’re not related to her, are you?”
“Velvet? Nope, but she’s good at hide and seek! I wanted to talk to her after lunch earlier, but I lost her right outside the cafeteria. Hey, I know! You’re in her homeroom, right? Can you pass her this?”
Reaching into her voluminous hairdo, Pinkie retrieved a peppermint lollipop and a glittery pink envelope. The treat she stuck into Sunset’s mouth, the envelope into the now-silenced girl’s hand.
“It’s an invitation to her ‘Welcome to Canterlot High Party’ that I’m throwing! Can you give it to her on Monday?”
Sunset nodded. She could have taken the lollipop out of her mouth to answer, but the candy was surprisingly good.
“You’re invited too!” Pinkie addressed the entire table. “Friday afternoon, next week in the gym.”
Swept away by a chorus of cheering, Sunset soon forgot about the afternoon’s incident. After all, it was the weekend. There was no reason to believe she would see Velvet Breeze until Monday.
Shelving her worries for another day, Sunset spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying herself with her friends.
As the sky began to darken, the six girls reluctantly parted ways to return to their respective homes. The wind had intensified, the chill cutting at any exposed skin like a knife. Although the weather report had predicted that snow wasn’t due for two weeks at least, Sunset was sure she saw a flake or two drift past her face on the way back to her apartment. Perhaps it was time for a change of wardrobe; if it really did start to snow, her skirt and jacket ensemble wasn’t going to be much protection from the elements.
Parting ways with Fluttershy at the traffic light, Sunset stood under the pole and crossed her arms to keep the cold out. She was just making a mental note to ask Rarity just which fabrics would be best suited to deal with the upcoming snowfall when a shiny black car pulled up to the curb. It was clearly a foreign model, as Sunset didn’t recognize the brand or the name of the city on the license plate. She stepped back expecting someone to get out, but no one did.
Instead the driver’s window buzzed down, revealing a grey-skinned man in his middle ages, his face partially hidden behind a pair of tinted glasses and a dark blue trilby hat. There was another person seated on the passenger side but before Sunset could get a good look at them, the driver crooked a finger in her direction, motioning for her to come over. After a second’s hesitation, Sunset warily made her way to the edge of the sidewalk.
“Excuse me, young lady.” The driver said with a half-smile. “Do you know where Canterlot High School is? I’m meeting someone there and I’m afraid I have gotten a little lost.” He had a slight accent, but not enough for Sunset to pinpoint what exactly.
“Uh, yeah, yes I do.” Replied Sunset. Were they new members of the staff or parents scouting out the school for the next semester? “It’s just off Rider Street, three blocks that way,” She briefly unfolded her arms to point in the appropriate direction. “Turn left at SugarCube Corner, then follow the road down, you can’t miss it.”
“Rider Street, eh? I must have missed it on the map. Do you go there?” The driver peered at Sunset over the top of this glasses, his eyes shining in the shadow of his hat. There was something in that look; not exactly hostile but not just friendly curiosity either. Sunset found her legs tensing up, ready to run.
“Uh, yes.” she said.
The driver, seemingly oblivious to her discomfort, gave her a slightly wider smile and began to buzz the window back up. “Thank you, Sunset Shimmer. Have a nice day.”
And with a purr of the engine, the car sped off down the road, leaving Sunset in the dust with a frown on her face and a question in her mind.
She hadn’t told him her name…so how had he known who she was?
As fate would have it, Sunset was not the only one wondering that.
High above the crossing, a figure dressed in hooded white robes leaned against an old chimney, having just finished listening in on the whole conversation.
Velvet Breeze’s gaze jumped between Sunset Shimmer’s retreating form and the black car. It had a head start on her, but it was late afternoon traffic; the streets were packed with commuters leaving their workplaces.
After using the soccer team as a convenient smokescreen, Velvet had doubled back around and waited for Sunset to show up at Sugarcube Corner, as she suspected she would. For three hours she had waited, waiting for the moment to make her move. And had it not been for that car, Velvet would have followed through with her original plan and trailed Sunset home.
But now…
Sunset was still within striking distance, her head bent down against the wind. She’d never see her coming. The car was at a junction, stopped at a red light but that would change in a minute or two. Velvet had to decide now.
Casting one last look at Sunset Shimmer, Velvet Breeze spun around and took off after the black car.
She broke into a run, leaping from rooftop to rooftop as the gusts of wind that threatened to throw her off balance whipped the ends of her robes around. Her legs burned with familiar exertion, but she didn’t slow down one bit. She loved running, the feeling of flying high above the ground.
Her quarry made a left turn at Sugarcube Corner just as Sunset had instructed. Velvet skipped down to an overhanging balcony and leapt off the railing. Her hands caught a hanging planter and she used her momentum to swing ninety degrees and up.
Smirking under the shadow of her hood, Velvet poured on the speed as the car accelerated into the bus lane. Whoever was driving seemed to be in a hurry to get to Canterlot High, if indeed they were going there. Velvet vaulted over a ventilation duct and ducked around a chimney. She had to keep the car in her sights no matter what. She had to-
And suddenly there was no ground beneath her feet and an awful lurch of disorientation as the open sky was replaced by a rush of bricks and mortar, followed by the feeling of something hard and unyielding slamming into her back, accompanied by a stinging in her right arm.
For a moment, the girl could do nothing but lay still, her hood askew, staring up at the slice of sky that taunted her from between the two buildings that she had fallen in.
Panting more from shock than anything else, Velvet Breeze painfully picked herself up off the ground and staggered to her feet. Her ribs and spine were throbbing and she would have some lovely bruises in the morning, but as she glanced down she realized how lucky she had been. A foot or more to the left and she would have landed on a rake.
The rumbling of a passing car jolted Velvet out of her trance and she half ran, half limped out to the road looking around wildly for the black car, but almost immediately she knew that there was no point. Even if the car had still been in sight there was no way she was going to be able to catch it at this distance.
Mentally berating herself for not watching where she had been running, Velvet briefly contemplated going back for Sunset but another stab of pain from her mouth nipped that thought in the bud. Somehow she’d managed to bite her tongue in the fall and blood was oozing down her chin, ruining any chance of blending in normally.
With all her plans for the day shot, Velvet could only imagine what the rest of her brotherhood would say if they had seen her today. As she slunk back into the shadows, there was no doubt in her mind that it would not have been anything good.
There was nothing Sunset quite liked more than sleeping in on a Saturday morning. She snuggled deeper into the covers as the patter of rain tapped against the window, clueing her in on the day’s forecast without needing to open her eyes. She had been having a dream about something pleasant which she vaguely remembered involved lollipops and when she shifted her head, Sunset realized with mild dismay that she had drooled all over her pillow.
“Ick.” Sunset said blearily as she sat up and pushed the pillow to the floor.
Sunset rolled out of bed and into her slippers, shivering as the blankets slid off her shoulders. Another chilly day. She pulled off the pillowcase and dragged it into the bathroom with a towel, taking a look at her wall clock on the way. It was twenty past ten.
Well, that was plenty of time for Sunset. She switched on the heat lamp in her bathroom and after tossing her pajamas into the same basket as her soiled pillowcase, Sunset was soon basking in the refreshing caress of a hot shower.
She was just washing the shampoo and soap out of her hair when the monotone sound of rushing water was broken by a series of sharp trilling sounds from her bedroom.
Sunset paused and poked her head out of the shower, still blinking suds out of her eyes. It was her phone. It was lying on her bedside cabinet, still plugged into the charger from last night and warbling to notify her of an incoming call.
She sighed, almost considering letting the caller get redirected to voice mail, but relented and tiptoed over to the bedside after drying her feet on the mat. Careful not to let her hair touch the phone, Sunset tapped ‘answer’ and help it up to her ear.
“Hello?”
“Hiya Sunset!” Rainbow Dash’s voice blared into her ear. “Am I interrupting something? Took you a while to pick up.”
Sunset shook her head even though she knew Rainbow couldn’t see her. “No, I wasn’t doing anything much. What’s up?”
“Just wanted to know if you were free later today. I just got done with my morning run and since Flutters and AJ are busy, I wanted to-“
“Rainbow. We have a heap of homework to do, remember?”
“But that’s exactly it!” Rainbow said, sounding exasperated. “Apart from you, they’re the only people I know who take AP Lit! I need your help or I’ll never get this report done on time!”
So that was it. Sunset grimaced ruefully as she remembered the extra chapter of reading the Mr. Cranky Doodle had assigned them and sighed. That old coot never did let up.
“Fine. Where do you want to meet?”
“Awesome!” Sunset moved the phone further from her ear as Rainbow’s voice cracked with happiness. “Can we meet at noon, my place? I can come over and pick you up if you want.”
“Uh, it’s ok. I’ll walk.”
“Look, I swear my driving’s improved from last time,” Dash persuaded. “and it wasn’t my fault that the flagpole happened to be in the way.”
“We’ve gone over this.” Sunset said flatly. “I’ll see you at noon. Bye, Rainbow.”
“Bye, Sunset. Thanks again!”
By now, Sunset was standing in the middle of a sizable puddle on the floor and her nose was starting to run from the cold. Tossing the phone unceremoniously onto her bed, she hurried back into the bathroom and finished up her shower.
The rain had stopped by the time Sunset left her apartment. The air had that peculiar smell that comes from rainwater meeting asphalt, one that she found strangely enticing. Her backpack hung from one shoulder as she strolled the relatively short distance to her friend’s house, one which would take little less than fifteen minutes to cover.
In addition to her leather jacket, Sunset had elected to don some leggings and wrap a scarf around her neck, a decision which she was took pride in, because even with them on the air was as Pinkie had once called it, ‘bum-chillingly cold’. She snickered at the fitting description and walked on.
A few turns and zebra crossings later, Sunset was still ten minutes away from her destination when she spotted something that made her take out her earbuds and slow down.
“Principal Celestia?” Sunset said under her breath. She couldn’t recall ever seeing them outside of school hours, but those clothes and hairstyles made it impossible for her to mistake them for anyone else.
The spectral haired principal and her younger sister were walking toward her, both on either side of a tall, formal looking man who was wearing a familiar looking trilby, though this time the tinted glasses were missing. Looking behind them, Sunset also spotted the stranger’s black car parked on the street corner. The three adults were apparently deep in conversation, because it was only when Sunset walked up and said hi that they noticed her presence.
“Good afternoon, Miss Shimmer.” Greeted Celestia warmly. “I’m sorry I didn’t see you; my sister and I were just talking to Mr. Wolfgang about his role at Canterlot High.”
The man from yesterday, who was apparently Mr. Wolfgang, gave her a nod and shook her hand. “We’ve met. Miss Shimmer was the student who directed me to your wonderful school yesterday. My thanks.” He tried to smile, but his face somehow couldn’t quite manage it. His eyes remained calm and analytical no matter how many teeth he showed.
“You’re a teacher?” Sunset asked.
“In a manner of speaking.” Vice Principal Luna said. “Mr. Wolfgang is an inspector from the board of education. He’s going to be attending classes at CHS for the rest of the semester and sending reports back to his superiors in Manehattan.” Luna put a slight emphasis on the word reports that made Sunset suspect that perhaps Luna wasn’t very happy about this.
“I’m sorry to have come at such short notice.” Mr. Wolfgang said with a regretful smile. “The inspector who was supposed to be doing the job was, ahem, killed during a business meeting in Trottingham. I’m sure you saw that on the news.”
“Killed? Oh, how awful!” Celestia exclaimed.
“Gang violence, I’m afraid. These things happen…young ones who have too much pent up energy often try to expend it in ways that aren’t socially acceptable. I trust that Canterlot is better in that regard?” As he spoke, Mr. Wolfgang reached into his pocket and extracted a stubby cigar which he inserted between his thin lips but did not light.
Vice Principal Luna crossed her arms and gave the inspector a cold look. “Of course. We do not tolerate such behavior at Canterlot High.”
“I’ll be the judge of that. Now, you have quite a few forms to work through before Monday, so I think we should get started right away.” Mr. Wolfgang’s eyes roved over Sunset’s body once more before he took up his stride down the street again, the two staff members following closely. “I’ll see you on Monday then, young lady. Do stay out of trouble.”
Sunset watched the three until they were out of earshot, but what she did hear was all administrative mumbo-jumbo that did nothing to ease the feeling of apprehension that was building up in her chest.
First a new student, and now an inspector? Something here just didn’t add up.
One thing Sunset would never quite understand about Rainbow Dash was how she could catch on to the tiny nuances and foreshadowing the A.K. Yearling put into her novels with no problems at all, but struggled to even grasp the simplest metaphors in the assigned reading.
“Ok, so when the poet says the sky is blue, she meant that she was tired of living inside all the time?” the athlete tried, her worksheet covered in whiteout and scratched out ideas.
Resisting the urge to groan, Sunset gritted her teeth and shook her head. “It means that the poet’s heart is full of sorrow, but looks forward to a bright future with freedom. It alludes to that in lines sixteen and fifty-four.”
“How the hay am I supposed to know that?!” Rainbow cried, throwing her arms up in the air and nearly spilling her drink. “Why can’t she just come out and say that instead of dancing around it for seventy-four stanzas?”
For the hour and a half, the two girls had been hacking away at a particularly thorny poem written during the classical era which their stubborn mule of a teacher seemed to be convinced was the greatest expression of thought of all time. He had made it no secret that he assigned this piece of reading every year, and those who had taken his class had an endless collection of stories to tell about how they got told off when they interpreted it incorrectly.
“And this is going to be on the midterm!” moaned Rainbow Dash into her knees. “I’m so doomed.”
“Well look at it this way,” Sunset said jokingly as she patted her friend on the back. “at least if the class does badly, Mr. Cranky’ll be forced to change the syllabus for next year.”
Rainbow gave Sunset a sidelong look.“Why’s that? He hasn’t changed it in years. He’s in love with that poet Matilda, I tell you. If they lived in the same time period, they’d probably be a couple.”
“Because,” Sunset said patiently. “this year there’s an inspector from the board of education coming to check on the staff or something. I met him on the way here.”
Rainbow Dash sat up in her chair and shook her hair out of her face. “What’s he like?”
Sunset frowned. There wasn’t much she really did know about Mr. Wolfgang, but what she did know was hardly going to fill Rainbow with confidence.
“Honestly? I don’t know. Vice Principal Luna doesn’t seem to like him very much though.”
“Do you think he knows about…you know, all that other stuff? Princess Twilight and the Dazzlings and, uh, you?”
That was a good question, and one that Sunset found more than a little sobering. It was unrealistic, once she thought it over, to expect people to stay quiet about the magical happenings at CHS. After all, giant rainbow waves, a flaming she-demon blowing up the front of the school, and the astral forms of ancient monsters appearing during a concert weren’t the kind of thing people could be trusted to keep quiet about. In fact, it was probably a miracle that no one had come to investigate sooner.
“Principal Celestia did say that she wouldn’t tell anyone…” Sunset began.
“Yeah, but this is the board of education we’re talking about.” Rainbow twirled her pen around her fingers, something that Sunset knew she did when she got nervous. “She might lose her job if she doesn’t tell the truth.”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that.” Sunset couldn’t imagine a Canterlot High without Principal Celestia. “They just said he was going to be dropping by classes to make sure things were going fine.” She stared morosely into her glass of soda at the thought of it.
They returned to work, but soon realized that neither of them was able to concentrate any more on the assignment.
“Look, why don’t we go for a walk or something?” Sunset suggested, closing her textbook and binder. “I think we both need a break from this.”
Rainbow Dash didn’t need any further encouragement. Slamming shut her own book, she and Sunset were soon bundling up and heading off to a nearby café, a moderately sized establishment with good food and indoor heating called The Silver Reins. After being shown inside by a waiter who Sunset suspected was not really French but only putting on an accent, the girls placed their orders and sat down to wait.
“Not too many people here today.” Commented Rainbow Dash. It was true. The Silver Reins was usually packed with people from a nearby law firm, but today it was unusually desolate. Only two other booths were taken up, one by two women in frilly dresses and the other by…
“Principal Celestia?” Sunset muttered, her eyebrows threatening to jump off her face. “Again?”
The principal had a small explosion of important looking forms spread out over her table and was sucking on the end of her pen, looking majorly bothered. An empty plate and a tall mug of coffee had been pushed aside to make room for a laptop computer and she would look over at the screen occasionally, tapping a key or two.
Her curiosity piqued, Sunset nudged Rainbow and pointed. Rainbow’s laid back expression rapidly gave way to a look of vague surprise.
“What do you think she’s working on?”
“Maybe those forms that the inspector mentioned…he did say there was a lot to get through.”
Rainbow gave a low whistle. “That’s a lot of forms for just one guy. Maybe she is in trouble for all the crap the CHS went through.”
“Maybe.” Sunset slowly got out of her seat and walked the short distance to her principal.
“Oh, hello again, Sunset.” Principal Celestia looked startled but covered it with a smile. “Fancy seeing you here.”
“Where’re Vice Principal Luna and Mr. Wolfgang?”
Principal Celestia pursed her lips and gave the nest of papers a gaze of distaste as she answered. “My sister is currently showing Mr. Wolfgang around the campus and helping him to get an office set up. I…decided to stay here so I could complete the paperwork in peace.” She finished her explanation with a mouthful of coffee that did nothing to alleviate the tired look on her face.
“Look, if the board of education’s on you because of...because of the Fall Formal, maybe I can tell them that you weren’t involved in all that.” Sunset said hopefully. “I mean, maybe I can change their minds.”
But Principal Celestia simply gave Sunset a wan smile and shook her head. “That won’t be necessary, Sunset. Mr. Wolfgang did ask about the Fall Formal as well as about the Battle of the Bands, but only because he needed a complete list of all the school events. No, this is just a routine inspection…one that came out of the blue, but it’s nothing. Every school gets them from time to time.”
“Oh.”
“Besides,” the principal continued. “not all this paperwork is about the inspection. There’s still the matter of Miss Breeze’s enrollment. Luna was supposed to take care of that, but as she is busy, I volunteered to do it.”
Sunset Shimmer sat down across from Principal Celestia, who didn’t seem to mind. In fact, the woman’s face seemed to grow warmer as she beheld the girl in front of her. With a pang, Sunset realized that the position was strikingly familiar; she and Princess Celestia in Equestria had used to sit like this when she was still her student. A ball of nostalgia rose up in Sunset’s throat as she wrenched her mind back to the present.
“I imagine it must be a lot of work for you.” Sunset managed to croak. “I wish I could help.”
“You can help by being on your best behavior in the coming three weeks. I don’t know if you noticed, but Mr. Wolfgang doesn’t seem to be the kind of man who enjoys levity. In fact, he seemed most interested in our disciplinary procedures, but I digress. It’s really not as serious as it seems.”
As airy as Principal Celestia was trying to sound, Sunset noticed that the smile on her face seemed rather forced. There was more at stake than was being said, but past experience with both principal and princess had taught Sunset that anything they wanted to say, they would say when they were ready and not a moment before.
Nodding, Sunset was about to go back to her own table when something Rarity had said from lunch yesterday crossed her mind.
“Principal Celestia?”
“Yes, Sunset?”
“If I’m not being too nosy, where did Velvet Breeze transfer in from? I didn’t get the chance to ask her yesterday.”
“Well, I don’t see any harm in telling you that…” Shuffling through the morass of forms scattered across the table, Principal Celestia fished out one sheet with Velvet’s name printed on the top and read over it. “Here we go…Velvet Breeze is from Trottingham.”
“No school name?” Sunset knew from various unsolicited trips to the principal’s office in search of blackmail material in the past that student profiles usually detailed what school they had attended beforehand, if any.
“I’m afraid not. All it says is-” Catching herself, the principal chuckled to herself and began rearranging her documents into less of a mess while checking something on her laptop. “Well, you can probably ask her yourself. As a member of the staff, there are some things I’m not really at liberty to share.”
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll need to get back to CHS before Luna does something she’ll regret. She’s even less happy about this inspection than I am, though I suspect for very different reasons. See you on Monday, Sunset. Say hi to Rainbow Dash for me.”
Shuffling the last of the papers into her bag, Principal Celestia made her way to the cashier and then out the door, disappearing into the afternoon crowd.
Rainbow Dash looked up from her game of Flappy Pegasus as Sunset returned to their table.
“So? What’s the deal?”
“I’m not sure. Mr. Wolfgang’s arrival has definitely ruffled Vice Principal Luna’s feathers, but Principal Celestia seems to be ok with it for the most part.”
“So is this about the Sirens? Principal Celestia only looks that grim when talking about stuff like the Fall Formal. No offense.”
“None taken.” Sunset found it amusing how her friends still felt like they had to apologize for mentioning the Fall Formal around her. “But I think we should warn everyone else about this inspection. Give them time to prepare themselves.”
“Good idea." Rainbow agreed. "Especially Pinkie; can you imagine the kind of heat Canterlot High would get if she tries to prank the inspector?”
Sunset and Rainbow both resolved to text as many people as they could about Monday, but Sunset also made a mental note to write to Princess Twilight on this as well. If anyone could help her find out just what was going on, it was Princess Twilight.
It’s good to hear that everyone’s doing great, even with all these tests you have to study for. Personally, I recommend keeping a tight schedule on it, since distractions are everywhere, even more so than in Equestria. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take breaks; if you don’t let yourself reflect on what you’ve studied you won’t learn anything either.
About the new arrivals to Canterlot High School you wrote to me about, Spike and I have been checking through the archives and records here, but I haven’t been able to locate anypony named Velvet Breeze from Trottingham. If my theory about the link between our worlds is right, then it’s highly possible that she could be right here in Ponyville, or is not likely using her real name. I’ll ask Pinkie Pie in the morning. In the meantime, keep a close eye on her but until she does something outright suspicious, try not to spook her. It wouldn’t do to alienate someone just over a bit of paranoia.
As for this Mr. Wolfgang, I’m still looking for him. If he’s really an inspector from the board of education, please do your best to keep his view of Canterlot High a positive one.
I’m afraid that I won’t be able to make it to your world for more than a month at least; my duties as the Princess of Friendship are especially heavy during the time of Hearth’s Warming Eve. Don’t worry too much though, I’ll still write regularly about all the goings-on here in Equestria. Should anything arise, please inform me of it too; we can face it together, as friends.
Please give my warmest regards to the rest of the girls, and good luck with the upcoming exams.
Your friend,
Twilight Sparkle
It was a rather less helpful of a reply than what Sunset Shimmer had expected when she had written to her Equestrian friend on Saturday night.
But then what were you expecting, Sunset? she thought bitterly as she got ready for school. Princess Twilight to solve all your problems in one letter? That’s not how things work.
While this kind of attitude was exactly what Sunset Shimmer had been trying to wean herself off of, in the back of her mind she blamed whoever had been in charge of Sunday afternoon’s TV programming.
“Who in their right mind decides to air a Mare Do Well marathon during exam season?” she grumbled as she laced her boots.
She pulled out her phone and checked the time. Seven thirty-eight. She’d had closer calls than this before and it honestly wouldn’t have bothered her overly much even if she had been late today…were it not for the fact that today was the first day of inspections by Mr. Wolfgang, and Sunset had a sneaking suspicion that he had his eye on her.
Sunset’s stomach growled but she ignored it. She would just have to eat later. Right now, Canterlot High School’s reputation was at stake, and she wasn’t about to let her friends down.
It was just nearing eight o’clock when Sunset jogged into view of CHS’s front gates. She unwrapped the scarf from around her neck and slung it over her shoulder with her bag, reveling in the cold breeze that tickled her exposed neck. She hadn’t realized that she’d been sweating so much, but for all the panting and wheezing she was making, the run had been worth it. She was right on time.
Given the cold weather, Sunset hadn’t expected to see anyone outside and she was not disappointed; the campus grounds were completely deserted as she advanced on the front doors.
And then, as though on some hidden cue, there was a tiny click and the tip of something cold and metallic pressed into the back of Sunset Shimmer’s neck.
Sunset stopped dead in her tracks, her entire body stiffening. The object did not move, poking into the nape of her neck with an almost painful pressure.
Then a hand clapped down on her shoulder from behind and pulled, spinning her in a half-circle. Momentarily disoriented, Sunset’s eyes regained focus on a gleaming silver point that was leveled at her nose like a sword, held in the grip of a familiar figure in a knee-length white coat.
Velvet Breeze’s face was blank as she spun the thing around her fingers before offering it to Sunset again. “You dropped this.”
Sunset rallied quickly, stepping backward and examining the object. It was a ballpoint pen, sleek and thin with a chrome casing. Her pen.
“T-Thanks.” Sunset said shakily, taking it back and returning it to her jacket pocket.
Velvet shrugged and brushed past her. Sunset caught a whiff of something that smelled like antiseptic cream as she walked by.
The blue girl stopped at the front doors, cocking her head back to pin Sunset down with the same stare that she had been wearing on the day they had met. Once again, Sunset felt as though Velvet’s eyes were boring through her like a laser beam, reading everything about her in that one look.
And then the moment passed as the bell rang and Velvet returned her attention to the swell of students behind the glass doors, leaving Sunset with a dry mouth and a sudden desire to be somewhere far away.
“We should hurry, Sunset Shimmer. Class is about to begin.”
It was clear that Mr. Wolfgang’s arrival was a surprise not only to the student body of Canterlot High, but to the staff as well.
Homeroom had been an…interesting affair. Mrs. Harshwhinny read off the roll at a volume that was almost indecently loud, making exaggerated check marks on her clipboard while shooting clandestine glances at Mr. Wolfgang. The inspector had parked himself in the corner of the room closest to the teacher’s desk with a clipboard of his own, intermittently making notes presumably about Mrs. Harshwhinny’s performance. Sunset had never seen her teacher so nervous, not even when she had been put in charge of the annual sporting fair last year.
Not that all her attention was focused on the adults in the room, though. In the reflection of her open pencil case, Sunset kept a close eye on Velvet Breeze, seated two rows behind to the left.
She hadn’t removed her coat despite the temperate atmosphere of the classroom, and was slouched in her seat almost languidly as the lesson went on. Every now and then she would write in her notebook but otherwise there was nothing that suggested Velvet Breeze was anything but a bored student in a boring class.
A far cry from the girl who had nearly stabbed her with her own pen earlier that morning.
Sunset thought back to Twilight’s letter. It had said to keep a close eye on Velvet, but Sunset was starting to have misgivings about that particular piece of advice. Not that she doubted the Princess of Friendship; she just couldn’t think of any reason to approach Velvet without seeming suspicious.
Still pondering this dilemma as Mrs. Harshwhinny dismissed the class, Sunset was suddenly struck by an idea. Maybe there was something she could use to get close to Velvet.
“Thank you, Pinkie Pie.” She said with a smile.
Mr. Wolfgang was markedly absent from the rest of Sunset Shimmer’s lessons up until lunch, something for which she was thankful. The review session from homeroom had been decidedly unhelpful as Mr. Wolfgang had butted in with questions every few minutes, completely killing the mood and flow of the class.
The rest of Sunset’s friends were seated at their usual table at the far end of the cafeteria, but Sunset didn’t approach them right away. Instead, the amber skinned girl gave the lunchroom a perfunctory scan, searching for a lone figure in a white coat.
“Looking for someone?” a snide voice said behind Sunset.
Sunset turned around, almost hitting the speaker with her lunch tray. “Trixie. What do you want?”
Running a hand through her cornflower blue striped hair, Trixie smirked. “Why, nothing. As if Trixie would need the assistance of someone such as yourself. As a matter of fact, it seems as though it is you who needs the help of Trixie.”
Loathe as she was to stroke Trixie’s already inflated ego, Sunset had to admit she was right. She couldn’t see Velvet anywhere in the cafeteria, and her lunch was getting cold.
“All right, maybe you can help me.” Sunset sighed. “I’m looking for Velvet Breeze. You know, the new girl. She’s wearing a-“
“A white coat, yes. Do you think Trixie is blind as well as desperate? Of course I know who the new transfer student is.”
“Do you know where she is? I need to speak with her.”
Trixie gave her chin a thoughtful stroke. “Admittedly, Trixie does not know where Velvet Breeze currently is. However, to compensate for not being able to provide you with the information you wanted, Trixie will instead provide you with a piece of gossip.”
“The girl you are seeking, Velvet Breeze, we share the same chemistry class. Trixie sits next to her, and all through the class today she was asking Trixie questions. Questions about you.”
“About me?” repeated Sunset, now giving Trixie her full attention.
“Indeed! She was most curious about you. Almost…licentiously so. Trixie found it very distracting.”
Trixie began to walk away, but Sunset reached out and caught the magician’s arm. “What kind of questions?”
Trixie pried Sunset’s fingers off her jacket sleeve and gave her an aloof smile. “Trixie promised to give you a piece of gossip, and you have heard it. Trixie has more important things to do; eat, for one. Being the most talented girl in CHS requires keeping myself well nourished.” A greedy look came into Trixie’s eyes. “That is, unless you were willing to trade something to Trixie in exchange for my knowledge?”
Sunset frowned. “I’m not telling you the Rainbooms’ next practice date, if that’s what you want,” she warned. The last time Trixie had found out about their band’s practice times, she had come in and demanded to be given a spot on it.
“Nothing like that,” Trixie huffed, “and Trixie is hurt that you would think someone such as myself would try the same trick twice.”
“Then what do you want?” Sunset was running out of patience, not to mention hungry; having skipped breakfast, she had been looking forward to a nice, filling lunch.
After an agonizingly slow moment that was interrupted by the growl of Sunset’s stomach, Trixie’s face lit up. She eyed Sunset’s lunch tray craftily.
“In exchange for this gossip,” she declared, “The Great and Powerful Trixie desires none other than…your peanut butter crackers.” Her demand made, Trixie held out her hand expectantly.
“Fine.” Sunset deposited the foil package into Trixie’s hand with rather more force than was necessary. “Now tell me what Velvet asked you.”
Her mouth watering, Trixie stuck the peanut butter crackers into her pocket and gave Sunset another smirk. “Velvet Breeze asked Trixie all sorts of questions about you. But what stood out most to Trixie was how she kept asking if I knew your address.”
“You didn’t tell her, did you?” Sunset asked, aghast.
“Of course I didn’t.”
“Oh good-“
“But I did suggest that she ask Flash Sentry, what with him being your ex and all.”
“You WHAT?!”
The words tore out of Sunset’s lips louder than she intended, and rather more forcefully too; Trixie actually took a step back and those seated at nearby tables turned around to look for the source of the disturbance.
“And,” said Sunset, trying to keep her voice down, “did Flash tell her my address?”
“H-How should I know?” Trixie said nervously. “Trixie hasn’t seen either of them since!”
Not waiting to hear another word, Sunset abandoned her lunch tray on the closest table and was off like a shot. She had to find Flash before Velvet could get to him.
Sunset found Flash Sentry sitting with Soarin and Spitfire in the gym, chatting about the results of last night’s soccer game. Seeing her, Soarin gave Flash a nudge and a grin before scooching over to make room.
“Hey there, Sunset.” Flash said, treating her to a warm smile before he noticed her flushed and sweaty face. “What’s happening?” he asked with a touch of concern.
“Did...Did you tell her?” Sunset panted, bending over and resting her hands on her knees.
Now Flash truly looked worried. “Did I tell who what?” He gently took Sunset by the arm and steered her over to the empty spot on the bench. “Is everything all right?”
“Give her a moment,” Spitfire instructed sternly. “Just breathe.”
Sunset gave Spitfire a grateful nod, taking in deep lungfuls of air as her heart rate settled back down. Realizing that she had been unconsciously leaning on Flash for support, Sunset blushed and adjusted herself.
Soarin held out a bottle of water, which Sunset politely waved away.
Spitfire tugged on her armband. “So Sunset,” she coughed, “what’s eating you?”
“Flash.” Sunset said, unable to keep the urgency out of her voice. “I need to speak to you. Alone.”
“Uh, sure, but what-“
“Now.”
Flash was dragged aside, a pleading look on his face as he looked back at Soarin and Spitfire. Soarin shot him a thumbs up as Sunset pulled him into a storage closet and slammed the door.
After fumbling around for the light switch, Sunset let go of Flash’s arm and exhaled heavily.
“Sorry about this, Flash. There’s…something I need to ask you.”
“Uh, sure.” Confusion was written all over the boy’s face. “But what’s so secret that we need to be in a storeroom to talk about it?”
“You’re in Trixie’s chemistry class, right?” Sunset asked as she fixed her disheveled hair.
“Y-yeah.”
“Do you know that girl who sits next to her in that class?”
Flash thought hard as he tried to recall the details, not an easy feat when most of his attention during chemistry was focused on the teacher. “Um, you’re talking about the new girl, Velvet Wind or something?”
“Velvet Breeze,” corrected Sunset. “Yes, I mean her. Has she, asked you any questions about me?”
“We haven’t even spoken to each other. Why, is this about the Fall Formal? Because nobody here blames you for that anymore. You don’t have to worry about us badmouthing you.”
“No!” Sunset Shimmer aimed a kick at a nearby bucket of brooms in frustration.
“Then what is it? Please, Sunset,” Flash pleaded, “I want to help you, but I can’t unless you tell me the problem!”
Same old Flash Sentry. Sunset thought as she considered the best way to word her response. Always ready to help, even if he doesn’t know how. She almost wished she had recognized how good a guy he had been while they were still together, only rescinding the thought for Twilight’s sake. She’d had her chance and she’d messed up; the sooner Sunset moved on from that the better.
Realizing that Flash was still looking at her expectantly, Sunset cleared her throat. “Okay. Flash, I have reason to believe that Velvet Breeze might come looking for you later and ask you where I live.” She looked Flash dead in the eye and crossed her arms. “You can’t tell her.”
Flash blinked. “Is that it?”
“What do you mean, ‘is that it?’”
The blue haired boy turned his head to the side, keeping his eyes on Sunset. “Sunset Shimmer, I’m not just going to tell people your address just because they ask me,” he said gently. “You don’t think I’m that easy, do you?”
Feeling embarrassed, Sunset shook her head. Of course Flash wasn’t going to just give away her address to any random person.
“Don’t worry, Sunset. We’re friends. We look out for each other, right?”
Sunset smiled, mirroring the one on Flash’s face. “Right.”
A loud growl broke the warm mood of the moment, causing Flash to look around in alarm and Sunset to wrap her arms around her abdomen.
“Sorry.” Sunset felt heat rise up in her face as she straightened back up. “I skipped breakfast. And lunch.”
“You mean you haven’t eaten all day?” Flash looked borderline scandalized. When Sunset shook her head no, he put an arm firmly around her shoulder and marched them both out of the storage closet and toward the cafeteria. “You’re not starving to death on my account. Let’s see if they have any fish and chips left, shall we?”
“You don’t think I’m that easy, do you?”
“We look out for each other.”
“We can face it together, as friends.”
Despite the freezing wind that assailed Sunset every step of the way home, she didn’t feel any of it. Although none of her friends had been able to locate Velvet Breeze after lunch or during classes, Sunset was touched that they had gone and looked without even needing to ask. Flash had even bought her lunch, a gesture which had warmed her heart more than she would have cared to admit.
Bolstered by the warmth of friendship, Sunset Shimmer found herself back at her apartment sooner than she expected. Fishing out the key, she slowed her pace and looked up at the sky with a radiant smile on her face.
It’s good to have friends.
From the top of a roof garden on the opposite side of the road, a pair of orange eyes observed as Sunset Shimmer entered her apartment complex and shut the door.
Partially concealed behind a marble statue of a soaring dragon, Velvet Breeze thoughtfully lowered her hood and pushed aside a few stray strands of hair. Acquiring Sunset’s address had been tougher than she had expected; while the girl called Trixie had suggested that she get it from Flash Sentry, the boy had been uncooperative.
That left only one course of action, which had been to tail Sunset back home via the rooftops. Her back still ached from her mishap on Friday and the bandages on her right arm were beginning to unravel by the time Sunset had arrived at her destination, but she had done it. Memorizing the nearby landmarks and the actual address itself, Velvet now had everything she needed.
Or she would have, were it not for that inspector.
There was something familiar about Mr. Wolfgang, something that rubbed Velvet the wrong way. She had surreptitiously taken photos of the man on her phone during the school day, and now that she knew where Sunset lived, the next order of business was a quick trip back to her place to send the pictures to her Mentor for identification.
Velvet Breeze yanked her hood back over her head and set off at a run, leaving behind a small cloud of dust.
Just you wait, Sunset Shimmer. I’ll be back for you.
It was just after two in the morning in the city of Trottingham. The world lay in quiet slumber, awaiting the first rays of the sun to bring warmth and light back to it again, and all was calm and serene. A thin dusting of snow had fallen during the night, giving the entire landscape an almost storybook appearance as it blended beautifully with the multicolored strings of lights that had been set up for the upcoming holiday. Even the increased presence of police officers on the streets couldn’t dampen the overall aura of cheer and tranquility that pervaded the city.
High above Trottingham’s central square, a lone figure stood vigil in the belfry of an old cathedral, her long coat flapping in the icy wind. Still as a statue, the only thing that betrayed the fact that she was still alive was the occasional cloud of condensation that escaped her mouth.
A scuffling noise from the edge of the belfry made her turn. Her deep purple eyes narrowed as she flexed her gloved hands, unfurling two hidden blades from within her coat sleeves.
A hand came up over the railing, then another, followed by a sweating orange face shrouded by a white hood. The first figure relaxed and allowed her blades to retract back into her coat.
“High Noon,” she said with a cheeky grin as she helped pull the newcomer up. “What do you have for me?”
“Dewdrop,” High Noon slumped against one of the tower supports, panting for breath. “Mentor wanted to give you this.” Reaching into the depths of his coat, High Noon produced a small beige folder and handed it over.
Taking the file, Dewdrop lowered her hood and shook out a long mane of sea blue hair before giving her fellow Assassin a dazzling smile. “You came all this way just to give this to me? Oh, you shouldn’t have!”
High Noon returned the smile with notably less teeth. While he trusted Dewdrop and respected her skills as an Assassin, he could never feel comfortable around her. Why this was, he couldn’t quite place.
“Actually, I came here to pass on a message as well.”
“Is that so?” Dewdrop asked pleasantly, thumbing through the file. “Well, you didn’t have to run all the way out here to tell me; my phone would have sufficed.” She walked slowly over to High Noon, her hips swaying gracefully in time with her footsteps. “Or were you just that eager to see me?” She placed a hand on High Noon’s cheek.
“I-I… Mentor told me to come out here,” stammered High Noon as his face turned five shades of red. “She said the exercise would do me good, and that there’s been news that you need to hear in person.”
“Aw, how nice of her,” Dewdrop slid her hand down High Noon’s cheek and onto his chest. She could feel his heart racing through all the layers of clothing. “And what does our esteemed Mentor have to tell me?”
High Noon took a deep breath, steadying his nerves. “She wanted me to tell you that Wolfgang’s been spotted.”
The change in Dewdrop’s demeanor was immediate. The hand on High Noon’s chest dropped to her side, and the half-lidded eyes sharpened into a concentrated gleam that could have cut glass. Dewdrop spun away from her fellow Assassin in a cloud of lavender-scented perfume, leaving High Noon feeling more than a touch shaken.
“Are you sure?” Dewdrop asked quietly, her voice carrying easily on the night breeze.
Nodding, High Noon retrieved another file from his coat. From it he took out a handful of photographs, taken by Velvet Breeze at school the very day before. “The novice in Canterlot sent these in to be verified. There’s no doubt about it; it’s Wolfgang.”
Dewdrop snatched the photos from his hands. “And by the ‘novice’, you mean Velvet Breeze. She has a name. Use it.” After looking through the snaps of Wolfgang with a nonchalant air, Dewdrop tossed them back to High Noon over her shoulder. “You can tell the Mentor that I’ll be off to Fillydelphia immediately for the assignment. And then I’m going to Canterlot.”
“But you can’t!” High Noon protested. “This is the nov- Velvet’s assignment, not yours; protocol says you have to return to the bureau after every mission. With so few of us left, it’s important to-"
High Noon babbled on, but Dewdrop had long since stopped listening. She ran over the calculations in her head as she adjusted her coat, stashing her assignment inside a concealed pocket. If she timed it right... and her target was where the file said they would be… she might just be able to make it.
Striding confidently to the edge of the belfry, Dewdrop’s progress was suddenly halted by a hand on her upper arm.
High Noon’s eyes were full of fear as Dewdrop rounded on him, towering over him like a snow ghost. Although he was the elder of the two, there was no doubt that Dewdrop was more formidable. He almost let go, but his loyalty to the Creed kept his hand in place.
“Let me go,” Dewdrop said frostily. Her free arm tensed up as she waited for her associate to comply.
But High Noon would not be cowed, not even by her. “No. Not unless you give me your word that you’ll follow protocol and come back after Fillydelphia.”
Dewdrop glared daggers at High Noon, who managed to keep the eye contact for almost a minute before glancing to the right. In that short moment of distraction, Dewdrop dropped to one knee and swept her leg in a horizontal arc, knocking High Noon over onto his back.
“Screw protocol.”
Without waiting for High Noon to get back up, Dewdrop ran full pelt at the belfry railing, mounting it with one foot and leaping up and out into the snowy void. For a second she hung in the freezing air, perpendicular to the ground. Then she plunged down, flipping over once before landing with a faint whoomph in a snowy shrub.
From the top of the cathedral tower, High Noon looked on with despair as Dewdrop rolled out of the bushes and sprinted for a nearby shed where her motorbike was kept. A cry of frustration rose up in his chest and he punched the railing, splitting the skin on his knuckles.
High Noon could only watch helplessly as a dark motorcycle and its white-clad rider tore out of the shed a moment later, kicking up the snow as it raced out of Trottingham.
Sunset Shimmer peered out through the tiny slits that were cut into the school locker. She stood stock still, with only her cyan eyes darting back and forth in the dark. Her left hand rested on the catch, keeping the locker from clicking shut while still giving the appearance that it was.
She shifted her leg ever so slightly. Pins and needles were beginning to set in, but that was a small price to pay if her plan worked. She craned her neck to look down at her phone screen, squinting as the glare hit her eyes. Three minutes until lunch. With everyone else at study hall under the impression that she had gone to the nurse’s office, Sunset had quickly set about finding the closest empty locker near the science lab and hidden herself inside as quietly as possible.
This time, Sunset thought with determination, I’ll be the one doing the surprising.
She tucked her hand into her pocket where the party invitation was, slightly bent but all there. Initially her plan had been to hand it to Velvet Breeze at the start of homeroom, but in a stroke of bad luck, Velvet had arrived to class late and Mr. Wolfgang had decided to drop in as well. Not wanting to tarnish Mrs. Harshwhinny’s reputation any more, she had wisely kept at her own desk and waited until the end of class, but somehow in the mad rush to get to the next period, the white coated girl had vanished again. It infuriated Sunset that Velvet was constantly just out of her reach, all the while being right in the same building.
With one last cursory glance out her peephole, Sunset silently lifted her hand off the catch and stepped out of the locker, making sure to shut it as soundlessly as possible. She crept over to the science lab door and peeked in.
Mr. Discord was sitting at his desk, building a house of cards out of post-it notes while his class was busy packing away their things, chatting quietly amongst themselves. She searched for Trixie; she had mentioned that Velvet sat next to her in class. All she had to do was find Trixie, and…
“Aha,” Sunset smiled. There she was, sitting near the back of the class and zipping up her courier’s bag and straightening her coat. Velvet’s expression remained blank as Trixie said something that was clearly meant to be a joke, offering Sunset a brief moment of amusement as Trixie’s face twitched with annoyance at the lack of positive feedback.
The bell rang, signaling the beginning of lunch period. The halls began to flood with students from classes all over campus, all united in the single-minded desire to fill their stomachs. However, the cafeteria was on the other side of the campus; there wasn’t any chance of her losing sight of Velvet in a crowd here.
As the door to the science lab swung open and the class began to trickle out, Sunset Shimmer kept her eye out for Velvet’s distinctive white coat.
For the smallest moment, a white sleeve flashed in her field of vision, and without thinking, Sunset’s arm shot out, grabbing hold of the owner’s wrist. Grinning triumphantly, Sunset pulled, looking right into the startled face of…
“Hey, what gives?” squeaked a cream colored girl in a white sweater.
“Bon Bon?” Sunset gasped in astonishment, letting go.
“Sunset Shimmer? What did you grab me for?”
“I-I-uh… nothing.”
Observing Sunset’s abashed expression for longer than was strictly needed, Bon Bon made a noise of disapproval in her throat and walked after Lyra, who had been watching the scene from the nearby water fountain.
“Sorry,” muttered Sunset. The wind completely taken out of her sales, she turned to head over to the cafeteria and almost bumped into someone standing directly behind her.
“Gah!” exclaimed Sunset, leaping backward and banging her head on the open science lab door.
Velvet Breeze didn’t seem at all affected. “Waiting for someone?” she asked disinterestedly.
How did she manage to get past me? Sunset wondered to herself as she rubbed the back of her head. Did she teleport or something?
She looked back at Velvet, who had begun to walk away. Not willing to lose her again, Sunset Shimmer lunged forward and caught hold of Velvet’s left arm.
She almost wished she hadn’t. For the third time, Sunset found herself caught in those fiery orange spotlights that were Velvet Breeze’s eyes. Her palms grew sweaty and she was forced to avert her gaze, picking the nearest possible item of interest: Velvet’s hairclip.
“What do you want, Sunset Shimmer?” the blue girl asked, pulling her arm out of Sunset’s grip, eyes flashing darkly.
Forcing her mouth to work, Sunset said, “I… um, wanted to give you this!” she plunged a hand into her pocket, bringing out the glittery pink envelope and presenting it to Velvet Breeze.
Taking the envelope, Velvet slipped it into her bag without a word and started off again, only to glare back at Sunset, who had taken hold of her arm again.
“What now?” Velvet asked, her expression growing irritated.
And Sunset Shimmer simply smiled nervously and said, “Would you… maybe like to join me for lunch?”
Normally, Sunset wasn’t too big of a fan of Taco Tuesday. The tortillas were usually soggy and the fillings were more often than not either too salty or not salty enough. Today, however, she felt she could make an exception if it meant not letting Velvet out of her sight. Both girls joined the queue for lunch with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Sunset helped herself to a taco and a bottle of fruit punch while Velvet skipped the main event, instead opting for a fruit salad and a can of iced coffee.
The rest of the girls were already seated in the middle of eating by the time Sunset and Velvet got out of the lunch line, all of them looking more than a little surprised by the new arrival. Doing her best to act natural, Sunset took her usual place at the table and motioned for Velvet to sit down next to her.
“So…” Sunset said after taking a bite of her taco. “Velvet, these are my friends, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy,” she pointed each one out in a clockwise direction. Everyone, this is Velvet Breeze, from my homeroom.”
“Nice to meet you, Velvet!” Pinkie said, leaning forward to shake Velvet’s hand vigorously.
Rarity followed suit. “Velvet, dear. So pleased to make your acquaintance. How are you finding Canterlot High so far?”
Velvet Breeze seemed to carefully consider the question before answering. “It’s welcoming enough, I guess. Everyone seems so relaxed.”
“Pfft,” scoffed Rainbow Dash. “You kidding? Everyone here’s been more wound up than ever with the midterms on their way. If this is relaxed for you, I’m not sure I’d want to go to your old school.”
Putting a cube of melon in her mouth, Velvet shrugged. “It wasn’t so bad.”
“Was it hard, moving here from…” Fluttershy trailed off.
“Uh, Trottingham. I’m from Trottingham.”
Sunset could have sworn she had heard a note of uncertainty in Velvet’s voice in that statement, but before she could continue this line of thought, Rainbow Dash was speaking again.
“You mean, Trottingham, Trottingham? The place where there was a murder last week?”
“Yeah.”
“Must have been a relief to get away from that,” mused Applejack.
Shrugging noncommittally, Velvet replied, “I didn’t really notice. Stuff like that’s pretty common where I used to live.”
Ignoring the stunned looks of everyone else around the table, Velvet proceeded to crack open her can of coffee and take a long drink.
“I didn’t realize Trottingham was so dangerous,” whispered Rarity.
“It’s not,” Velvet said, sounding utterly uninterested. “It’s just a matter of not crossing the wrong people.”
She has good ears, Sunset noted. How much else has she overheard?
Rainbow Dash was looking uncomfortable, which was understandable; only last week she had been fretting over her friends’ safety in Trottingham, and now here was someone who was actually from Trottingham, acting as though it was all part of everyday life.
“Aren’t you worried about your friends and family there?” the athlete asked hotly. “The killers haven’t been caught yet. They could still be out there!”
“They probably are,” agreed Velvet. “Though just the same I’m not worried. They can take care of themselves.”
“Riiiiiight,” Pinkie managed, looking desperate to change the topic to something less morbid. “Uh, how are you getting on for the exams, Velvet? Must have been hard transferring in at the last minute.”
“Exams?” For the first time since she had sat down, Velvet Breeze actually looked confused before comprehension dawned a second later. “Oh. Those. I, um, already took them back in Trottingham. My guardian wanted me to come here with a clean slate.”
“Wow, you’re lucky…”
Stealthily exiting the conversation, Sunset went about finishing her lunch, taking the change to check out their guest up close. The locks of teal and grey hair weren’t exactly messy, but there was a certain lack of care about it just the same, as though Velvet hadn’t brushed it in a long time. She didn’t seem to be wearing any makeup besides a faint layer of eyeshadow that made her look as though she hadn’t been sleeping well. The rest of her was unremarkable; there was the typical white hooded coat, the jeans and the running shoes.
The only other feature that stuck out to Sunset was a thin ribbon of pale fabric that dangled just barely in view out of Velvet’s right sleeve and the familiar smell of antiseptic cream. A bandage? Sunset couldn’t recall it having been there on Friday, and her observation skills were pretty perceptive, honed sharp by years of studying magic. Out of nowhere, she was almost tempted to pull back the sleeve and see what Velvet was hiding, if only to gain some petty satisfaction for all the disappearing acts Velvet had put her through. But then her thoughts went back to Twilight’s letter and the temptation passed.
Lost in her ruminations, Sunset jumped as the bell rang to signal the end of lunch period. One by one, the five others got up and disposed of their trash, leaving Velvet and Sunset alone.
Okay. Time to get this out of the way.
“Say, Velvet,” Sunset said casually. “You know, Trixie told me something interesting yesterday.”
Velvet gave her a look, though this time without the eerie undertones that it usually carried. “Oh?”
“She said you wanted to know about me. Am I that interesting?” While she kept her face pleasant, Sunset’s voice carried a wary undercurrent.
Velvet drained the last of her beverage. “What? Oh. That.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. It just felt like the right thing to do.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t know.” Again, the look of irritation. “Look, Sunset. We should really get to class. I hear the inspector will be in your next period. You should hurry.”
Velvet swung her bag up over her shoulder, but Sunset wasn’t about to give up that easily. She situated herself in Velvet’s path, crossing her arms.
“Okay,” Sunset said vehemently. “I don’t know what kind of a school you used to go to before here, but at CHS, or heck, anywhere, if you want to know about someone, you ask the person you want to know about, not sneak around behind their back. Why do you care where I live?”
Velvet Breeze’s eyes ignited with their trademark glare again, but Sunset forced herself to stare at the other girl’s hairclip, waiting for the onslaught to subside.
Finally, Velvet relented, her eyes losing their heated edge. “I don’t. It’s who else might care that’s the issue. That answer your question?”
“What?” spluttered Sunset. “That doesn’t answer anything! Tell me the truth, Velvet Breeze!”
Pushing past the fiery haired girl, Velvet simply ignored any further questions and opened the cafeteria door. Looking back, she muttered something in a low voice, just loud enough for Sunset to hear.
“Nothing is true, everything is permitted. Have a good day, Sunset Shimmer.”
Have a good day, Sunset Shimmer.
The words reverberated in Sunset’s head as she sat down on her bed and turned up the radiator. It was going to be a cold night, almost freezing, and she was wearing a sweater on top of her pajamas to ward of the evening chill.
The rest of the day after lunch had been terribly standard, with Mr. Wolfgang being the only varying factor in the monotony. The inspector had approached her after science class and asked to see her the next morning about her academic record. Sunset had reluctantly agreed, remembering the barely concealed look of despair Principal Celestia had worn back in The Silver Reins. No matter how much Principal Celestia tried to hide it, there was a lot riding on this inspection. If there was anything, anything at all that she could do to make sure the school passed with flying colors, Sunset was willing to do it, even if it meant a little dirt on her records.
Sunset opened her bedside cabinet and pulled out her magic journal. She lifted her pen and touched it to the paper, leaving a small black spot on the crisp white sheet.
Dear Princess Twilight, she wrote. Then she stopped. There was so much to say, yet none of it seemed important enough to bother Princess Twilight about. The talk with Velvet at lunch had been strange, it was true, but there hadn’t been any evidence to suggest that Velvet was anything more than a girl who had a few screws loose at worst, and at best was still adjusting to CHS.
And the meeting with Mr. Wolfgang tomorrow, well. She could already predict what Twilight would say about that. Sunset put pen to paper again and scrawled out,
Dear Princess Twilight,
How are you doing? Things are getting pretty hectic over here with exams, but we’re all managing. I think it might snow soon, so if you plan on coming over during the holidays, make sure you write ahead of time so we can come pick you up. Good luck with your royal duties, and tell Spike I said hi.
Your friend,
Sunset Shimmer
Capping her pen and putting both it and the journal away, Sunset Shimmer settled herself beneath the covers and rolled onto her side. As she gazed out the open window at the sky, Sunset sleepily thought back to the encounter at lunch. Velvet had seemed so indifferent, so apathetic to the situation in Trottingham that it had almost seemed unreal. Was she really so used to death and violence that it was no more shocking to her than a walk down the street? Or did she just not have anyone back in Trottingham who she cared enough about? Come to think of it, Velvet had only mentioned a guardian, not her parents.
Maybe all Velvet needs, Sunset decided before sleep claimed her, is a friend.
The brick wall stood tall and daunting in the dappled moonlight. Velvet Breeze stood at its base, measuring, calculating. Still dressed in her school clothes, the dusky blue girl cinched the strap of her bag tight around her body and launched herself at the masonry, grunting as her hands found tiny protrusions in the brickwork.
With the reassurance born of hundreds of hours of practice, Velvet swung her left arm upward, catching hold of an old pipe and hauling herself up the wall to a crumbling piece of ornamental awning. Once she was sure it was safe to put her weight on, Velvet shimmied along the strip of stone to an uneven patch of wall that looked like it had been recently repaired. Her prying fingers found another handhold and she continued her ascent, looking about every so often to make sure she was alone.
A short while later, Velvet Breeze’s hands closed around the edge of the roof. Using every last ounce of strength left in her arms, she heaved her body up and over the top, rolling onto her back and panting with exertion.
After a while she sat up, letting her hood fall back. This rooftop was cluttered and messy, with air vents poking up through the concrete like weeds and an old garden that was dry and barren, littered with crumbling rocks. A couple of old deck chairs lay piled in a corner, the wood warped and stained with age.
Keeping crouched down, Velvet carefully navigated the expanse as she crept over to one particular side of the roof and looked down. The next apartment was a scant four meters away, separated by an alley.
And on that opposite wall, nearly at eye level, was Sunset Shimmer’s bedroom window. The curtains were thrown wide open, offering Velvet a splendid view of Sunset’s slumbering form. The gold skinned schoolgirl was curled up tight, the very picture of serenity.
It almost made Velvet feel guilty for what she was about to do.
She got to work, unclasping her bag and opening it with care, trying not to disturb the contents overmuch. First, she drew out a long length of rope, tying it around the rooftop fire escape’s door handle. Looping it around the handle three times, Velvet tied it off around one of the air vents, knotting it twice to be sure it would hold.
Next, she selected the most intact of the deck chairs, dragging it quietly over to the rooftop’s edge and setting it down at an angle at the wall, propped up at a slant against the brickwork. She meticulously cleaned up the loose gravel and debris around it until there was a rough square meter of clean concrete.
The chill was starting to set in by now, and Velvet would have been lying to herself if she had said that she wasn’t looking forward to this last part. Her breath fanning out in snowy clouds, the white coated girl knelt down at her bag and drew out a large black canister, a bulging plastic bag, and finally, a long silver knife with a specially molded handle.
Velvet licked her lips unconsciously as she held the knife in front of her face, glancing past it at the sleeping Sunset. A flicker of disquiet stirred in the pit of her stomach. Poor Sunset. She hadn’t really been that bad of a girl. Was it really the right thing, what she was about to do?
Catching sight of her own uncertain face in the blade’s reflection, Velvet Breeze shook her head to clear it and steeled her resolve.
No. She thought. It may not feel right, but it’s the only thing I can do. Might as well get it over with.
And with that final thought, Velvet Breeze sat herself down behind the upturned lawn chair, reached into the plastic bag with her free hand, and drew out a plump, ripe mango.
Unable to keep the grin off her face any longer, Velvet wasted no time in cutting it in half and taking a huge bite, skin and all. Wiping the dribbles of juice off her chin, she set about finishing the rest of the slice, then the other half of the fruit.
Next she unscrewed the black canister, closing her eyes appreciatively as the thick, heady smell of black coffee permeated the night air. She helped herself to a sip and recapped the thermos to prevent heat loss.
It would be more than seven hours until the sun rose again, but Velvet wasn’t too worried. After all, she still had plenty of mangoes.
Sunset’s pen raced across her notepad as Mrs. Harshwhinny dictated the guidelines of the all-important essay questions. She hung on to every word, making sure to get it all down before class ended. Normally, Sunset would have trusted her brain to be able to keep track of all the information with only a few footnotes, but today was a special case.
As the ticking of the clock counted down to the moment when class would end, Sunset took out a folded sheet of paper from her jacket and nudged Applejack.
“Hey, AJ,” she whispered. “Can you do me a favor? I need to go see Mr. Wolfgang after class and I might be a while, so can you give this to Mr. Bray for me?”
Applejack deftly accepted the note and put it inside her Stetson with a concerned look. “Yer not in trouble, are ya, Sunset?”
Sunset exhaled, puffing out her cheeks. “I honestly have no idea. The guy just found me after school yesterday and asked to see me about my school record or something.”
“Uh-huh…” Applejack said, sounding thoughtful. “Do you know if he’s asked to see anyone else like this?”
“Nope,” Sunset said, purposefully sounding nonchalant to cover up the growing bundle of nerves that had been buzzing in her gut all morning. Like it or not, there was every chance that this meeting could make or break the inspector’s assessment of CHS, and Sunset had spent most of the morning rehearsing and memorizing various points that she would be able to bring up in order to put less blame on Principal Celestia.
“Well,” Applejack said conspiratorially, “I don’t mean to start rumors, but I’ve been hearin’ things about this Mr. Wolfgang.”
Checking to see that Mrs. Harshwhinny wasn’t looking at them, Sunset allowed herself to stop writing and give her friend a curious stare. “What kind of things?”
“I hear he locks his office when he’s not in it. Like, even when he goes out to inspect classes, he keeps it locked.”
“That’s hardly proof of anything,” Sunset said obstinately.
“An’ fixing it with a fancy-schmancy combination lock isn’t? ‘Specially if he only plans to be here for a couple of weeks?”
“AJ, you’re starting to sound like one of Rainbow Dash’s adventure novels,” Sunset chuckled, but Applejack didn’t share in her levity. While the farm girl didn’t voice any more conspiracy theories, she did part ways with Sunset with an uncharacteristically fretful expression on her face.
Finding the office was a task in itself, as Sunset soon realized after her third trip past the water fountain. While Mr. Wolfgang had asked to see her, he hadn’t told her where his office was. Given Canterlot High’s impressive size for a high school, Sunset had anticipated the problem and had left forty minutes before the meeting was strictly meant to take place, but it was quickly becoming apparent that she had underestimated the challenge. She’d been wandering around the empty hallways for nearly half an hour and there was still no sign of her destination.
Stopping outside the girl’s restroom, Sunset allowed herself a moment of respite to mentally map out CHS and rule out areas that she had already been to.
“Already checked the library… teacher’s lounge? Nah. How about… no, I was just there,” Sunset rattled off more and more spots, her forehead beading with sweat as the map in her head grew more and more convoluted with every location she listed.
“This is impossible!” she groaned in defeat, her mental map shattering into a thousand pieces. “Why didn’t I ask him yesterday?!”
A drop of sweat rolled into her eye, eliciting a growl of annoyance from the already frustrated Sunset. She swiped at it with her index finger, only for it to drag across the thin sheen of sweat that had gathered on her face during her school wide marathon.
Gingerly wiping her hand on the front of her jacket, she pushed open the door to the restroom. Well, if she was going to be late, she may as well be late but clean.
The lights were switched off, which was a bit strange. There was also a pungent chemical smell which Sunset chalked up to the janitor having just passed by. After a moment’s fumbling, Sunset’s hand found the light switch and depressed it.
Someone shrieked, startling Sunset and almost making her lose her balance as she stepped back onto a loose piece of paper towel.
“Velvet?” she said in disbelief.
“Sunset?” Velvet gasped back.
The blue girl was leaned up against the washbasins, looking more surprised that Sunset could ever remember seeing her. Velvet’s right sleeve was rolled up to her shoulder, exposing a full length of her bare arm to Sunset. It was lean and muscled, surprisingly so for someone who looked as though they spent more time writing in notebooks than playing a sport, but that wasn’t what caught Sunset’s attention.
What she couldn’t tear her eyes off of was a ragged, four inch long gash that ran lengthwise down Velvet’s forearm, standing out starkly against the skin like a crack in the flesh. It was clearly recent, because the pile of dirty bandages that lay coiled in a heap next to the sink were spattered here and there with the brown smudges of dried blood.
To her credit, Velvet didn’t do anything to try and hide the injury, only pursed her lips and reached into her open bag, withdrawing a half-empty tube of antiseptic cream and a roll of clean bandages.
As she unscrewed the cap of the cream, Velvet inclined her head and said, “Hello, Sunset. Shouldn’t you be in class?” She sounded slightly out of breath, as if she had been preparing to fight or flee. The girl squeezed the tube of cream with her left hand and watched as a long blob of white gel dropped onto the cut.
“Velvet?” Sunset said again, eyes wide and staring. “What-what happened to you?”
Velvet Breeze shrugged, working the cream into the wound using her fingertips with methodical care. “I fell.” She said simply, not quite meeting Sunset’s eyes.
“You fell,” Sunset repeated. “Onto what, a nail?”
“Don’t be silly, Sunset. Nails leave puncture wounds. This is a slash wound,” she continued to rub cream into her arm, the corners of her mouth twitching whenever her fingers touched upon a sensitive area. “What are you doing out of class anyway? You look like you’ve just run a mile.”
“I was looking for Mr. Wolfgang’s office. You know, the inspector.”
“Oh,” Velvet frowned, puzzled. “Why?”
“He just wanted to talk to me about school stuff,” Sunset replied. Situating herself next to Velvet, she turned on the faucet and splashed water on her face, washing away the sweat. Looking into the mirror, Sunset used a paper towel to wipe off any excess moisture, then dried her hands.
The relative silence was punctuated by Velvet’s deep breathing as she put the cream away and unrolled the bandages, winding the white ribbons around her forearm and covering every inch of the cut. Taking one end of the wrapping in her free hand, she raised her arm to her face and ripped through the other end with her teeth before tying it off with some difficulty.
Having finished treating herself, the blue girl glanced over to Sunset, who had been watching from the sidelines. “I read the invitation, by the way. I wanted to say thank you for your kindness.”
Sunset gave her a bright smile. “Hey, you’re welcome. It was Pinkie Pie’s idea though. I just delivered the envelope.”
“I see. Well, give her my thanks as well,” Velvet bundled up the dirty bandages and threw them into a side compartment on her bag.
“Don’t you want to put those in the trash?” Sunset asked. The idea of someone carrying around a bunch of dirty, bloody bandages in their bag made her queasy.
Shaking her head, Velvet stowed away the rest of the medical supplies and washed her hands under the tap. “I’d prefer to dispose of it myself. Less hassle that way.” She hitched her bag back over her shoulder, but the clasp caught on the bandages around her arm and pulled them loose, baring the grisly wound to the open air once more.
Fresh blood gleamed on her skin as Velvet dropped the bag and hissed in pain. Sunset rushed forward to help, but Velvet waved her away.
“Don’t worry about it,” she said through clenched teeth. “I’ve suffered worse.” Her fingers fumbled around the loose end of the bandage, unable to get a grip on the dressing through the shaking. “Just… give me a moment…”
Sunset was having none of it. Squaring her shoulders, the amber skinned girl steered the weakly protesting Velvet back to the sinks and wound the gauze back around the cut, making sure to layer it twice over the site of the injury. Velvet watched in silence as Sunset tended to her arm, the trembling subsiding as the bandage was tied off securely at the wrist.
“There. That should hold up better,” Sunset said, examining her handiwork. Velvet’s arm was now enclosed in a neat sleeve of white linen, wrapped snugly but comfortably around the entire limb.
Velvet tentatively flexed her arm, testing the mobility.
“You didn’t have to do that,” She said eventually, giving Sunset an unreadable look, almost one of uncertainty. “But thank you.”
“It’s the least I could do for a friend,” replied Sunset with an airy wave of her hand.
“A friend…” Velvet repeated as her brow furrowed. “Huh.”
“I mean, if you want to be friends,” Sunset backpedaled, anxious about stepping into unwarranted territory. “It’s okay if you don’t want to be.”
“No, I mean, yes, I mean, I don’t know,” Velvet said, looking flustered. “I mean, are you okay with that? Me being your friend, I mean.”
“Of course I’m okay with it. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Let’s just say back where I come from, people aren’t nearly as outgoing as you,” Velvet explained darkly. “We have… trust issues.”
Squashing down the feeling of apprehension that threatened to rise up, Sunset put on a lopsided smile and asked, “Where did you say you went to school before this?”
“A small place in Trottingham. Out of the way, with a few people.”
“So why’d you come here then?” Sunset asked curiously. “Was it because of the murder?”
“No, no. I already told you I’m not afraid of that, nor is my guardian. She just thought it would be a good change of scenery; Canterlot is a much nicer looking place than Trottingham.”
It seemed like a bit of a flimsy reason to Sunset, but she shelved that for later. “Yeah, I guess it does look nice.” She agreed. “Did you… have many friends back in Trottingham?”
Unexpectedly, Velvet gave a bitter bark of laughter, placing both hands on the washbasin as if bracing herself. “Not many friends, no, but those I had I trusted with my life. Made it all the more hard when they had to go…” she finished in a whisper. Was it Sunset’s imagination, or were Velvet’s eyes, normally either piercing or emotionless, shimmering with tears? Before she could confirm her theory, Velvet blinked heavily, returning them to their traditional coolness. “I’m sorry, Sunset. I guess I’m just a little homesick.”
After giving her head a shake, Velvet swallowed and slung her bag back onto her shoulder, taking care to avoid her arm before pulling the sleeve back into place to cover the bandages.
“You mentioned you were looking for Wolfgang’s office, right? Well, it’s at the end of the east hallway, behind a door covered with posters.”
In all honesty, Sunset had completely forgotten about her meeting with Mr. Wolfgang. “Oh. Thanks.”
“You had better hurry,” advised Velvet as she held the bathroom door open for Sunset. “It’s almost time for your meeting, if I’m not mistaken.”
Already plotting a course for the east hallway, Sunset thanked Velvet again and set off, but a hand around her arm halted her progress. Looking up, Sunset found herself locked in the gaze of Velvet’s uncomfortable stare.
“Watch yourself around Wolfgang, Sunset. I doubt he’s here for the reasons he says he is.”
Just as Velvet had predicted, there was an old door at the end of the east hallway, cleverly hidden by a combination of misplaced lockers and a flickering lightbulb. At first, she was hesitant to even go down to the end of the hallway; hallways with dim lights tended to bring up unpleasant memories. Nevertheless, Sunset soon found herself with her fist raised, ready to knock on the door.
On the fourth knock, the doorknob jiggled and turned, the hinges on the door squeaking with age and disuse. As the door yawned open, Sunset’s nose was beset by the smell of mildew and tobacco, not at all a pleasant bouquet. Resolving to breathe through her mouth, Sunset stepped into the office.
It was a tight, cramped place, dimly lit by fingers of sunlight that poked through the blinds of the window. A scratched and dented wooden desk dominated the space, a chair on each side. Filing cabinets, the only things that looked new, were pushed up against the left wall. With a growing sense of trepidation, Sunset noted that Applejack had been right to some degree; each cabinet was sealed shut with a heavy combination lock.
The man himself was seated behind the table, outlined in the dusty light. Without a word, Mr. Wolfgang gestured for Sunset to sit down. As she did so and her eyes adjusted to the gloom, Sunset was surprised to see that the man was wearing an absolutely revolting wool sweater with a strange badge on the breast. A curious ornament made of black crystal, it was fashioned in the shape of a cross and held in place with a bronze pin.
Unsure of what to say, Sunset sat in silence, awaiting the inspector to make the first move.
He didn’t.
“Uh, so…” Sunset scratched at the back of her head. “You wanted to see me?”
Mr. Wolfgang seemed to give a tiny start, almost as though he had just noticed she was there.
“Oh, yes,” Mr. Wolfgang reached under the table, bringing out a blue plastic file with Sunset’s name on it. “I’m sure your time is as valuable as mine is, so I’ll keep this short. I was looking through your academic record, as I did with the entire student body, and I happened upon an interesting little tidbit of information.”
Reaching into the file, the inspector’s fingertips pulled at the corner of a dull yellow sheet of paper. “You see, Principal Celestia was kind enough to supply me with a list of school events from the past few years, and I happened to notice that you seem to feature in quite a few of them. Quite prominently, in fact.”
“Is… is that so?” Sunset gulped with a sinking feeling, not liking where this was going.
“Indeed. Although I would like to mention that while your academic record has more than a few smudges on it, your overall scholastic performance appears to have taken a climb in the most recent months. I’d say you’ve become quite the model student.”
“Thank you, sir,” said Sunset awkwardly. This wasn’t at all what she’d been expecting.
“You’re very welcome. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if Principal Celestia herself thought very highly of you. Which brings me to my final point.”
Steepling his fingers, Mr. Wolfgang leaned over the tabletop and gave Sunset what was probably meant to be a friendly smile, but the effect was rather spoiled by his icy cold eyes.
“You see, as an inspector from the board of education, it’s important that I know anything and everything there is about a school in order to properly judge and rate it for my superiors. Unfortunately, your principal and vice principal haven’t exactly been forthright with me on a few things.”
“You understand, I am still missing a lot of information on what exactly happened during the most recent Fall Formal and the musical showcase known as the Battle of the Bands. All my attempts to glean even the tiniest crumb of data on them have been rebuffed by Celestia and Luna.” An unsavory gleam crept into the inspector’s face. “It’s almost as though the staff are hiding something from me. Something that they’d rather the board of education didn’t know about.”
Squirming inwardly, Sunset tried opening her mouth but no sound came out. After the Fall Formal and the Battle of the Bands, it had been an unspoken agreement amongst the students and staff of Canterlot High School that the magical details of both events be kept among those involved only. The student body had been very understanding about the whole thing, perhaps in part due to being exposed not once but twice to the magic of friendship.
Completely misreading her expression, Mr. Wolfgang nodded vigorously. “I know it’s shocking. But you have to believe me when I say that if I don’t get that information, and all of it, my report back to the board of education might put this school in a less than glowing light. And if the board of education’s not satisfied, then…”
The threat hung in the air like the tobacco and mildew stink, hazy and stifling.
“Well, let’s just say that Celestia and Luna might be prompted to take their talents elsewhere.”
“Wh-what does this have to do with me?” Sunset stammered.
Wolfgang looked mildly surprised. “Why, I thought it fair to notify you of the stakes, just like I did Celestia and Luna, though I hope you’ll be more reasonable than they were.”
So that was it. As repulsive as the man’s offer was, Sunset had no illusions about what would happen to CHS if word about its magical happenings got out.
“I don’t know anything, sir.”
“No, I didn’t think so,” Mr. Wolfgang shrugged good-naturedly. “I was just hoping that you might be able to talk some sense into your principal before the end of the school year… otherwise, I’m afraid my report might look rather harsh without that crucial information, if you know what I mean.” He concluded with a smile that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a church gargoyle.
Sunset’s heart was beating into overdrive as she sat paralyzed in her chair. Every instinct in her body was screaming at her to do something, to say something that would change Mr. Wolfgang’s mind.
“I’m not sure they’ll listen to me, Mr. Wolfgang,” Sunset tried. “I mean, I could tell you about what happened during the Fall Formal and the Battle of the Bands.”
“Mmm, I don’t think so. Every student I’ve asked about it has given me a different version of it so far. Not that I doubt your honesty, of course, but I’d rather hear it from the people in charge.” After brushing a speck of dust off his horrible sweater, Mr. Wolfgang put Sunset’s file back into the cabinet and locked it. “I’m sure you’ll know to do the right thing, Miss Shimmer. If you learn anything, anything at all, come and find me, and I’ll revise my report straight away.”
“Now if you’ll excuse me, Miss Shimmer, I have a class to inspect. Why don’t you head off to lunch early and think about it?”
And with that, Sunset was escorted out of the dingy office and into the dimly lit hallway. She was still standing there long after Mr. Wolfgang’s footsteps had faded into the distance.
Even after school, the inspector’s words haunted Sunset as she sat down with her friends at Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie was presently keeping the group entertained with a particularly colorful story about how she had once ended up nearly painting her room with frosting after she and Maud had gotten the paint cans mixed up. Judging by the copious amounts of guffawing and giggling that was going on, it must have been quite a good tale, but Sunset just wasn’t in the mood.
“Um, Sunset?” it was Fluttershy. “I don’t mean to pry, but is something wrong?”
Looking up from her root beer float, Sunset Shimmer realized that all five of the other girls were regarding her with varying levels of concern.
“You’ve been staring at the table for the past fifteen minutes,” Rarity added. “You’re not ill, are you, darling?”
“Yeah! You totally missed the part where Maud tried making rock cakes with paint, only to realize that-” Pinkie’s rambling was stoppered by Applejack putting her hand over the pink dynamo’s mouth.
“We get the idea, Pinks. But seriously, Sunset. You’ve been looking a mite under the weather all afternoon. Is there anythin’ we can help ya with?”
“As long as it’s not poetry,” Rainbow Dash interjected. “I don’t think I can stand another mushy line about comparing someone to a warm summer’s day.”
“It’s not poetry, Rainbow. Don’t worry,” Sunset laughed, the rest of the table laughing with her. “It’s about the inspector. You guys know that he wanted to talk to me today, right?”
“Uh-huh. ‘Bout your school report or something, right?”
“Yeah… turned out it wasn’t about that.” Egged on by the inquisitive faces of her friends, Sunset continued, “He wanted to talk about the Fall Formal and the Battle of the Bands.”
“Horseapples…” Rainbow Dash said under her breath. “Are you suspended or something?”
“No, but it might be easier if I was,” reflected Sunset with an ironic grimace. “Mr. Wolfgang wants me to get Principal Celestia to tell him what really happened at both events.”
“You mean, with all the magic and lasers and rainbows?”
“Yep.”
“And Twilight?”
“Probably. And he said if he doesn’t get the truth, the board of education is going to fire Principal Celestia!”
“How does this guy even know what the truth is? For all he knows, Principal Celestia’s telling the truth already!” Rarely had they ever seen Pinkie Pie so distraught. She in particular held a special fondness for their spectral haired principal; no matter how big of a mess her parties and celebrations made, Celestia would only let her off with a friendly warning, something they were sure no other principal would have done.
“I don’t know, Pinkie,” Sunset said resignedly. “But what do I do? If I don’t convince Principal Celestia to come clean with Mr. Wolfgang, she’ll be replaced, and it’ll be all my fault!” She buried her face in her palms, grinding her teeth at the impossible situation. “What am I going to do, girls?”
Sunset hadn’t actually been expecting a response, so she was suitably surprised when she heard someone quietly say, “You could always kill him.”
In a blur of gold and red hair, Sunset pulled her head up and joined everyone else in looking at who had spoken. It didn’t take long. Seated alone at the booth right beside them was Velvet Breeze, staring at some kind of fruit pastry in her hand as though trying to mentally dissect it.
Rainbow Dash chuckled uncertainly. “Oh, hey, Velvet. Didn’t see you there.” She cleared her throat. “You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d have said you just suggested that Sunset kill Mr. Wolfgang.”
Velvet took a bite of her pastry with all the enthusiasm of someone about to have their wisdom teeth extracted. “No, you’re completely right. That’s exactly what I suggested.” Upon seeing the aghast faces of the Rainbooms, the blue girl shrugged and added, “I’m joking, of course.”
Everyone noticeably relaxed at that, though Sunset noticed that despite the claim that she had been jesting, Velvet did not crack even the slightest smile.
“Dude,” Rainbow admonished. “Don’t joke about things like that. I thought you were actually being serious!”
Velvet shrugged. “I’ve never been good at jokes. I didn’t mean to alarm you.” She took another bite. “So is this what you girls normally do after school?”
“Mm-hmm!” Pinkie confirmed, practically bouncing up and down with excitement. “Did Sunset give you your party invitation?”
“She did. I’ll be there, unless something comes up.”
Applejack adjusted her hat, treating Velvet to a thinly veiled squint. “’Comes up’? What, are you expecting somethin’ weird to happen on Friday?”
Shrugging, Velvet finished off her pastry and dusted off her hands. “Not really, but you just never know.” She glanced at her phone. “Sorry everyone, but I need to be heading back home to freshen up before heading to work. I didn’t get much sleep last night, if you know what I mean. See you tomorrow.”
Velvet Breeze waved goodbye to the gang and went over to the counter before exiting the café with a tall cup of coffee.
“Work? I didn’t know Velvet had a job,” Rainbow Dash remarked, looking ever so slightly impressed. “Maybe that’s what she meant by something coming up.”
“Maybe that’s where the cut came from…” mused Sunset under her breath, frowning at the possibility of a job that might inflict such a wound on an employee.
Fluttershy looked at her amber skinner friend curiously. “What’s that, Sunset?”
“Nothing…” While she trusted her friends implicitly, Sunset Shimmer didn’t feel like sharing her encounter with Velvet in the bathroom with them just yet.
Craning her neck, Sunset followed Velvet’s progress in the window until she was out of sight. There was too much she didn’t know, but she was already formulating a plan to rectify that.
“Are you sure we should be doing this, Sunset?” Rainbow Dash asked as she pulled her track jacket closer around herself to trap the heat.
She and Sunset were seated on the steps of Canterlot High School’s front entrance, watching as the campus gradually emptied, shivering as the wind tickled under their skirts. Sunset stared at her phone, seemingly transfixed by the small, glowing screen. In reality, the phone was on the home screen and Sunset was using the reflective surface to keep a close watch on everyone leaving the campus. Even now, she spied on Derpy as she waltzed down the road to her parents’ car with a handful of textbooks.
Last night, Sunset had called Rainbow Dash up and asked, politely, to meet with her after school under the pretense of discussing Mr. Cranky Doodle’s final assignment. Of course, the real reason had been anything but.
“I mean, it seems like kind of a creeper thing to do,” Rainbow added as she popped a strip of gum into her mouth, amusing herself by blowing bubbles.
Sunset sighed. “Look. All I want to do is find out where Velvet Breeze works. I kind of want to earn a few extra bucks myself and maybe they’re hiring.”
“Ri-ight…” said Rainbow, not at all buying it. “Doesn’t explain why you need me along.”
“So I can use you as a reference, of course! Who wouldn’t hire me after seeing how awesome of a friend you are?”
“Hmm… I am pretty awesome,” considered the rainbow haired girl as she put a finger on her chin. “But don’t job interviews take a while to set up? And can’t you just ask Velvet where she works? I think she’d tell you.”
Because I’m not entirely sure I can believe anything that comes out of that girl’s mouth. Sunset thought grimly. But outwardly, she shrugged and said, “I don’t want her to think I’m taking advantage of her.”
Turning away so she wouldn’t have to see the dumbfounded look on her friend’s face, Sunset went back to watching the school entrance on her phone just in time to see the very person she’d been watching for stride down the steps and onto the sidewalk.
“Dash,” Sunset whispered, adding a nudge after. “Let’s go.”
Rolling her eyes, Rainbow Dash grabbed her bag and started after Sunset.
Keeping at least two people between them and Velvet, they were soon off campus and shuffling down the well-trodden path to Sugarcube Corner.
Sunset could have sworn that Velvet looked a little more tired today than usual. She hadn’t been paying much attention during the school day, having been too caught up in her little scheme to care about anything else but now that she looked closely, the white coated girl seemed to be having trouble walking in a straight line, making sudden changes on her path to avoid oncoming pedestrians. Taking careful note of this, they continued on their way, trying to act as surreptitious as they could.
The door to the café required patrons to turn ninety degrees to open, so Sunset and Rainbow slowed their pace and hid behind a hair salon’s sandwich board advertisement while Velvet stepped into the bakery.
Rainbow rubbed her hands together and blew on them. “You think we can go inside as well? I’m freezing.”
“Shh!”
Sunset Shimmer risked a peek into the café window. Velvet Breeze was standing at the end of the line, leaning against the closest chair. Her hair was even more unkempt than normal, with tufts of teal and gray poking out at odd angles like she’d been wearing her hood up for hours. Her eyes, usually so alert and observant, were half-lidded and devoid of any emotion whatsoever.
Looking at her, Sunset felt a pang of pity for Velvet. It must have been hard, moving from such a faraway town to Canterlot, then working a job on top of school; if she found out that Sunset, the only person whom she had opened up to, was stalking her out of suspicion… well, Sunset didn’t particularly want to follow that trail of thought. She almost would have turned around and gone home right there, except that the small, rational part of her mind would not allow it.
You’ve come this far, Sunset rationalized. You may as well see it through to the end.
“But it still feels wrong,” she murmured. “This is the kind of thing the old me would do.”
The little Sunset in her head put her hands on her hips. Yeah, but it’s for a good cause this time. It’s not as though you’re going to blackmail Velvet or anything, right?
“N-No.”
Then stop pussyfooting around and get back to spying. You spend a good part of your study time planning this out, and by Celestia we are going to see this through!
“Right!” Sunset agreed, pounding her fist into her palm with renewed vigor.
“Uh, Sunset?” Rainbow’s voice came from a couple of paces away. “If you’re done talking to yourself, Velvet’s almost done buying her drink.”
She looked wistfully at the large coffee that was being poured behind the counter. “I hope she goes to work after this; I’m coming right back here to get me some hot chocolate.”
However, much to the disappointment of Rainbow Dash, Velvet didn’t head to work afterwards. Their quarry instead headed to the park nearby and sat down on a bench alone, drinking her coffee and stretching her denim clad legs. She gazed pensively out over the pond at the ducks that paddled across its mirror-smooth surface.
For an agonizing hour and a half, Sunset Shimmer and an increasingly irritated Rainbow Dash sat on their schoolbags behind a hedge, watching Velvet like hawks. She had finished the coffee in record time, the now-empty paper cup perched next to her on the bench. Now she sat slumped back in the chill wind, having seemingly zoned out.
“Come on…” groused Rainbow with a glance at her phone. “I’m missing the hockey game here.”
Even Sunset Shimmer was starting to grow impatient. Had Velvet actually drifted off to sleep on a park bench? The sun was almost touching the horizon, and neither of them had any plans to be out after dark when the temperature took a dive.
Just as Sunset was about to turn and apologize to her friend for dragging them both out here for nothing, a shrill beeping noise rang from Velvet’s direction. Both of them looked over just in time to see her pull out her phone, look at it, and visibly sigh. Standing up, Velvet tossed the empty cup into the trash and left the park, Sunset and Rainbow in tow.
A short walk later, Sunset and Rainbow found themselves outside a CanterMart, a supermarket branch that had outlets all over the city.
“She works here?” Sunset said, a little thrown. She hadn’t been expecting such and ordinary place at all.
“Great,” Rainbow Dash replied as a pair of snowflakes fell past her face. “Can I go home now?” She sounded absolutely bored, and not for the first time Sunset wondered if she should have brought along Fluttershy instead. Then again, she had every right to complain; Sunset knew that she would have felt the same in her shoes.
Putting on her most understanding face, the fiery haired girl patted Rainbow on the shoulder. “Look, I just need you to stay out here for about ten minutes more while I go on in and, uh, apply for the job. Then we’re done, okay?”
“Ugh… okay. But hurry it up. My ears feel like they’re going to drop off.”
Rainbow Dash made herself comfortable under the awning of the CanterMart and Sunset hurried inside and into the aisles. Thankfully, the shoppers were few, due to it being a school night. Christmas music played gently over the speakers, competing with the overly bright tinsel for the most obnoxious feature of the supermarket.
Settling on a grid search pattern, Sunset swept the aisles for Velvet Breeze, trying not to allow ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’ any quarter in her head. She forced herself to concentrate. Velvet had to be in here somewhere, and she scrutinized every uniformed employee she passed just in case, but there was no sign of the girl anywhere.
“Damn it,” Sunset said, shaking her head in disbelief after her second round of the supermarket. As impossible as it was, Velvet Breeze had escaped her again.
Almost without meaning to, Sunset trod back to the confectionary aisle. She picked out two candy bars: one for her and one for Rainbow Dash as a way of apologizing for dragging her all the way out here for nothing. After a moment of consideration, she decided to buy some soda as well; they hadn’t so much as had a sip of water since school had ended.
The aisle for beverages was located at the far end of the CanterMart, next to the small alcove that stocked medical supplies and first aid. Sunset ducked under a low-hanging wreath and ran into someone who had been concealed behind a plastic Christmas tree.
“Ow…”Sunset groaned, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment. “Sorry, miss.”
“Don’t worry about it,” mumbled Velvet Breeze as she went back to rearranging her basket.
Sunset did a double take. “V-Velvet?” she spluttered. “I was looking-I mean, fancy running into you here!”
Barely sparing Sunset a glance, Velvet continued to move cans of drink from the shelf to her basket. “Oh. Yeah. Fancy that,” she blinked a couple of times and yawned. “Yeah,” she said again.
Sunset peered into Velvet’s shopping. “You, uh, like the taste of Red Bull, huh?” she ventured, pointing at the silver cans that took up almost half of the basket’s volume.
Shrugging, Velvet put two more cans into her already hefty stash. “Not really. I just like to be prepared for those all-nighters, you know? Need to keep up my energy. Mmm…” she yawned once more, stretching her back at the same time.
“I know what you mean,” Sunset nodded, picking up two bottles of Coke. “But once exams are over, we’ll be able to catch up on all that lost sleep."
Velvet made a noncommittal noise and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I don’t know. Maybe. Probably,” she swayed on the spot and grabbed hold of the shelf to steady herself.
Out of impulse, Sunset reached out and put a hand on Velvet’s shoulder. “Hey, are you okay?” she asked, her face full of concern. “You seem really out of it.”
“I’m fine,” insisted Velvet, wearing a brave smile beneath her dark ringed eyes. “Just tired out from all the… studying. Lots to get ready for.”
“Didn’t you say you didn’t have to take the exams?” Sunset asked, thinking back to their lunchtime conversation. Velvet seemed thrown for a moment, but recovered nearly as quickly.
“Oh, yeah, but I’ve got lots of other stuff to study as well. You know how it is,” grinning a little too widely, the blue girl whipped out her phone and looked at it. “Oh, my. Is that the time already? I really need to hurry home and drop these off.” She smiled apologetically. “I gotta run, Sunset. See you tomorrow.”
Moving surprisingly fast for someone burdened by a full basket of energy drinks, Velvet strode off to the checkout with such speed she left a ghost image in Sunset’s vision.
“Hey! Wait!” Sunset cried. She broke into a run after Velvet, but out of nowhere her shoe slipped on something and all she could see were stars.
“Oooh…” She moaned in pain, unconsciously massaging the back of her head and waiting for the ringing in her ears to go away. She looked at her feet, glaring at the sheet of paper that lay next to her left foot.
A sheet of paper that looked vaguely familiar.
Bending forward, Sunset Shimmer pinched the sheet in between her fingers and examined it. It was small and folded in half, and one edge was ragged like it had been torn from a notebook the size of the one Velvet Breeze was always scribbling in.
Her curiosity piqued, Sunset unfolded the note and read it.
-Energy drink (canned) -Coffee (instant and beans) -Mangoes etc. -Bandages and dressing -Liquid hand sanitizer -Paper napkins -Soap
“It’s a shopping list,” Sunset said baldly. Then she noticed that a lot of the items on the list rang a bell. Velvet’s shopping list. It was strange; just by reading this list, Sunset felt as though she had just received a glimpse into the other girl’s life.
The bandages and hand sanitizer seemed self-explanatory; Sunset herself had seen enough to know why Velvet would need medical supplies like that. The mangoes and paper napkins seemed innocuous enough as well, but it was the energy drinks and coffee that brought Sunset’s eyebrows together. This was the list of someone who didn’t want to sleep, but from their entire day out, sleep was the first thing Sunset thought Velvet would want. The poor girl had looked absolutely smashed.
Dusting off her skirt and leggings, Sunset folded up the list and slipped it into her pocket. Velvet may have escaped, but today hadn’t been a total failure.
“Well?” Rainbow said expectantly as Sunset left the CanterMart. “Did you get the job?”
“Er, no. They weren’t hiring any more people.”
“Better luck next time, eh?” Rainbow said resignedly. “It’s snowing, by the way.” She pointed up, where a steady stream of white, crystalline flakes wafted down onto their heads. “Maybe they’ll even close CHS tomorrow!”
"I hope not; Pinkie would be pissed." Sunset laughed, unable to hide her excitement both at the snow and the prospect of the party tomorrow. Even back in Equestria, she had loved playing in the snow, and not even coming to this world had been able to curb her enthusiasm for subzero weather. Her good mood proved contagious, and Rainbow was soon laughing along with her.
“Thanks for sticking with me today, Rainbow. I’m sorry it was all for nothing.”
Reaching over, the athlete ruffled Sunset’s hair and smiled warmly. “Hey, what are friends for, right?”
Gratefully accepting the candy bar and Coke from Sunset, the two friends left the supermarket behind, disappearing into the falling flakes.
Dewdrop braced herself against the air conditioner vent in a sprinter’s crouch as she gauged the distance between her current location and her target destination.
She had arrived in Fillydelphia the night before, pushing her bike to the limit through the driving snow. Then she had spent the night in one of the many safehouses that the Assassins kept across the land, studying the case file for her mission and seriously denting the garage door when she had kicked it out of frustration. And it didn’t help that her phone was full of messages from her brotherhood telling her not to go to Canterlot.
Well, too bad for them. Nothing short of another Assassin coming to drag her back to Trottingham was going to stop her from heading to Canterlot after this. It put a sour taste in her mouth to disobey the Mentor, but once she had killed Wolfgang, Dewdrop knew she would be ready to accept any punishment the Mentor handed her. Perhaps she might even get away with it; how many Assassins of the past, both great and obscure, had begun their campaigns with revenge?
Eyeing the office building that was two floors shorter in height, Dewdrop went over the steps of her mission in her head for one final time like she always did. According to the file that High Noon had given her, this office complex was the main headquarters for the board of education in Fillydelphia, and the recently deceased Cobalt’s usual workplace. The documents that Morning Blade and Frigid Night had stolen off his corpse had been undecipherable, even after two straight days of work.
With nowhere else to turn, the Mentor had sent Dewdrop to Cobalt’s workplace to see if she could find the key to the coded papers. Her first stop had been Cobalt’s home, but a thorough search of his flat had turned up empty. However, she did learn that as a member of the board of education, Cobalt had kept an office here in the heart of the city, and so she had made her way over to check it out.
With the moon rising high in the cloudy sky, Dewdrop pulled a scarf around her neck to keep out the cold and breathed in deep. Balancing her bag so it nestled comfortably on her lower back, the Assassin forced herself to focus, to calm down and concentrate.
Then, she ran. She ran like the wind, her climbing boots kicking up snow behind her as she sprinted toward the edge of the building and jumped, sailing over the gap between the high rises and into the icy night air. Dewdrop held her breath. She was ten stories up; if she missed by even a fraction, she would break her legs for sure.
And then her flight was over just as soon as it began, and the Assassin rolled on the office complex’s rooftop, coming to a perfect three-point stop. She snapped her head up, scanning the concrete surface for any signs of security. When she found none, Dewdrop stealthily padded over to the fire escape. It was locked from the inside, but after a minute with a lockpick, the Assassin was in.
Dewdrop reached behind her back and pulled up her hood, carefully tucking back her long blue hair. Now, the real work began.
Navigating the fire escape stairs had been simple enough; there were no cameras at all in the dark concrete passageway and the thick, steel-bound doors muffled any sounds she might have made while descending to the fourth floor.
After prying open the emergency exit and slipping into the maze of cubicles and glass walls, Dewdrop produced a small penlight. In its tiny circle of illumination, Dewdrop reached into her pocket and pulled out the key that she had procured from Cobalt’s home.
“Office 453…” she breathed as she looked at the number engraved on the key. Looking at the closest door, the Assassin smiled. She was right outside Office 460. Office 453 couldn’t be that far off.
Quiet as a church mouse, Dewdrop crouch-walked past the raised cubicle walls and felt her way along the wall as she waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. As it was, every shadow looked like a guard, and once a passing truck forced Dewdrop to freeze and unsheathe her blades before she realized that there was nothing to fear. This was an office building, not a military outpost she was infiltrating. There wouldn’t be guards posted on every floor just waiting for someone to break in.
Buoyed by this information, Dewdrop allowed herself to stand up and walked quickly, but not hurriedly, to Office 453.
It, too, was locked, but the Assassin simply inserted the key and let herself in. Shutting the door behind her, Dewdrop drew the curtains and turned on the lights.
Cobalt’s office was rather spacious for that of a simple inspector, more than ten meters square with a long maple desk that overlooked the street and a smaller one that was piled high with papers. Closer scrutiny revealed that they were all empty forms that had been there for days, collecting dust in the absence of the office’s owner.
Dewdrop disregarded those and turned her attention to the maple desk. Unlike its peer, this desk was clean and sparsely decorated, with only a calendar and a name plate with Cobalt’s name on it. There was also a large plasma monitor on the right end, connected to a powerful looking computer that rested in a specially made compartment. She would get to that later.
The drawers were locked as well. Dewdrop tried the key, but it didn’t fit. Still, that was no problem. Pocketing the key, Dewdrop allowed her hidden blade to ease out from her sleeve. With another flick of the wrist, the normally straight blade pivoted on an axis and settled at a ninety degree angle in an icepick grip. Wielding her blade like a dagger now, Dewdrop dug it into the wood around the lock with fresh enthusiasm.
It took longer than she anticipated, but half an hour later, the drawer and the desk finally had enough space between them for Dewdrop to retract her weapon and smile to herself.
“Now, let’s have a look at what you’ve been hiding, Cobalt,” she said triumphantly and pulled out the drawer.
Almost immediately Dewdrop knew that she had done something wrong. As she pulled, the drawer caught on something that snapped, something with the thickness and tautness of a fishing line. A half second later, the stale, processed air was filled with the sound of sirens, and through the office window she saw the entire floor of the building light up.
“Damn.”
This wasn’t good. There was no doubt in her mind that soon the entire place would be swarming with law enforcement, something the Templars had on their side that the Assassins didn’t. Given how close they were to the nearest police station, Dewdrop figured that she had about ten minutes to get everything done and get as far away from here as possible. Not a lot of time, even for one as skilled as her.
With the alarms blaring in her ears, the Assassin began to shuffle through the contents of the drawer, keeping as low as she could in case someone happened to look inside and see her there.
Dewdrop began to thumb through the drawer’s papers, sorting them into two stacks: one for documents that might be important, and one for those that weren’t. Given the daunting amount of files that were in here, it would be a miracle if she made it in time. No. She couldn’t think like that, or she’d never make it for sure. All she had to do was concentrate on the task at hand, and everything would sort itself out-
The door to Office 453 slammed open with enough force to crack the glass in its window. Two identical and burly men dressed in the uniforms of security guards barreled inside the office, weapons raised. They spotted Dewdrop immediately and circled around, shutting the door and cutting off her only means of escape.
“E-Evening, gentlemen,” Dewdrop greeted, standing up and smiling at them. “Could you show me the way to the bathroom? I really need to go.”
“Huh? Bathroom?” asked the guard on the right, scratching his head with his nightstick. “I think it’s down the hall, third door on the-“
“Shut up, Cinderblock!” the guard on the left barked. The other guard flinched, but settled back into a combat stance. “She’s not looking for the bathroom, idiot! She’s an intruder, and she’s coming with us.”
“Er, no, I’m not,” objected Dewdrop.
“Yes,” insisted the guard on the left as he drew a wicked looking combat knife from his belt. “You are. We can do this the easy way, or the-”
As his mouth formed the words ‘hard way’ the Assassin took that as her cue to vault over the desk and make a break for the door. The mission might be a bust, but if she didn’t get out now there would be more to worry about than just two guys.
However, the guard with the nightstick had other ideas, and he stepped in front of the exit, cutting Dewdrop off before she even cleared half the room. At the same time, the second guard took two paces at her and slashed his knife. Dewdrop didn’t flinch, continuing to run as fast as she could at the only way out.
Then at the last moment, she dropped to one knee.
Sliding forward under the deadly arc of the knife, Dewdrop grabbed the leg of the guard as she passed and pulled, toppling him onto his face. Dewdrop scrambled to her feet and swiveled on one foot just in time to block the second guard’s nightstick. The impact jarred her right hand and it hurt, but the Assassin kneed the man in the gut, causing him to double over. Unsheathing her left hidden blade, she plunged it, deep, into the back of his now-exposed neck. Droplets of blood pattered across the floor and Dewdrop’s face as she pushed her victim to the ground.
A blur of silver flashed toward Dewdrop and she threw herself aside as the first guard’s knife nicked her hood. With a guttural growl, she lashed out with a back kick. Her boot connected with the security guard’s chest and he flew backward into the small desk with a deafening crash, his knife dropping harmlessly to the carpet.
Dewdrop raced forward and scooped up the fallen weapon, spinning it in her grip as she ran. Leaping over the upturned table, she rammed the blade smoothly under the dazed guard’s chin and into his jaw, twisting the hilt. The man spasmed for a moment, then collapsed backward, dead.
Breathing heavily, Dewdrop released the hilt and staggered away, glaring at the wall she was leaning against.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” she hissed. Of course there was an alarm on the drawer, and judging by the distant peal of police sirens, these two goons weren’t the only ones who had been alerted by the theft. There was no time to lose, but Dewdrop couldn’t leave just yet.
Abandoning all pretense of stealth, the Assassin yanked out the entire drawer and began rifling through the contents. Anything that looked important was stuffed roughly into her bag, while the rest was thrown aside, where they drifted down like autumn leaves. After the drawer was empty, Dewdrop knelt down and pulled the computer tower from its alcove. Jamming a hidden blade into the plastic casing, she soon worked the thin wall of the computer away, exposing it innards.
The ever-approaching noise of footfalls brought sweat to Dewdrop’s brow, but she was nearly done. Locating the hard drive was simple, as was removing it. A couple of wires cut, and the small silver box was dropped into a resealable bag and into her coat pocket. Now all she had to do was get out of there-
“Freeze!”
Dewdrop froze. Still half hidden behind the desk, she risked a glance up even as her hands fiddled with a complex series of catches on her wrists.
Okay. She thought, her brain whirring at top speed to make the best of the time she had. Three guys, one exit, one gun.
The one who had shouted at her to freeze, a solidly built man, advanced on the crouched Assassin with his backup in tow. The others, a man and a woman, both armed with nightsticks and what appeared to be knuckle dusters, formed a rough semicircle around the desk.
The leader, who wore a protective vest and sunglasses over his dark uniform, aimed the gun and shouted, “I want you to stand up and put your hands in the air. No sudden moves, or I will shoot you.”
Her face as blank as the walls, Dewdrop complied, standing with her feet apart and raising her arms on both sides of her head.
“Okay,” she said, tilting her head toward him. “You got me.”
The guardsman only grunted, not bothering to lower the gun. It was a small, but serious looking piece of machinery; Dewdrop had been on the wrong end of a gun several times before, but the one before her was obviously well cared for. The entire thing gleamed sleek and deadly in the man’s rock-steady grip. It gave her an idea.
“You,” he barked, addressing the woman, who was wearing a black baseball cap on top of her short violet hair. “Check those two.”
The female security guard gave him a curt nod and bent down next to the guard who Dewdrop had stabbed in the back of the neck. Blood pooled around the body, already congealing at the edges and staining the floor a deep scarlet. She moved to examine the second, but shook her head after seeing the knife in the underside of his head. “Dead, sir.” She reported, glaring at Dewdrop with newly ignited hatred.
The head guard’s eyes narrowed and he took another step at Dewdrop. “So what are you here for, thief? Secrets? Information?” His eyes traveled across the papers that littered the floor, then to the open bag at Dewdrop’s side. “You’re not taking anything from this building. Fern.”
The other man, a slightly built fellow with dull purple skin and closely cropped blue hair, unclasped a pair of handcuffs from his belt.
Dewdrop allowed a smile to creep into her alabaster face. “Actually.” She said, shuffling away a tiny bit. “There is one thing I’m going to need to take before the night’s done.”
“Oh really…” the purple haired woman scoffed. “What do you plan to be taking with the three of us here, and only one of you?”
At that moment, the last guard, the man named Fern, chose to grab Dewdrop and move the handcuffs into locking position. Faster than blinking, Dewdrop seized him by the neck and swung him in front of her just in time to block two shots from the head guard that had been aimed at her. Fern’s body jerked as the bullets drilled into his flesh and a fine mist of blood filled the air in front of them.
Dewdrop dived to the ground and back behind the desk as the gun roared again, a volley of gunfire splintering into the wall above her head. Reaching into her coat pocket, she drew out a spherical object the size of a golf ball and threw it at the female guard, looking away just as it burst into a corona of thick, white smoke.
As soon as she heard coughing, Dewdrop charged through the already thinning smokescreen and toward the nearest enemy. Her fingers splayed as her hidden blades extended and she rammed both of them savagely into the head guard’s eyes, smiling as she felt them punch through into his brain. He screamed and thrashed, discharging his weapon uselessly into the air. She stabbed him again in the throat for good measure and pushed him to the ground, then swept up the pistol and fired it into the remaining guard’s abdomen. Squeezing the trigger as fast as she could, Dewdrop put another bullet into the woman’s chest, then a third between the eyes.
Dewdrop panted through clenched teeth, surveying the carnage around her with no small sense of satisfaction. Tucking the gun into her waistband, she retrieved her bag from behind the table and secured it on her back. She gave the room one last glance, feeling very much like an angel of death as thin rivulets of blood dripped off her leather coat and onto the already sullied carpet. She shook her head and smirked.
They never learn.
The sound of police cars outside brought Dewdrop rudely back down to earth. There would be time to gloat later; right now she was still in the danger zone and this place was soon going to be swarming with cops. It was definitely time to go, but leaving via the ground floor like she had planned was clearly not going to work out. The roof? This office was the shortest building of its kind in the block, and while that had made it easy to get in, getting out from the rooftops was not going to be nearly as simple.
A police chopper swooped past the window and Dewdrop ducked behind a cubicle as its powerful searchlight illuminated the place she had just been standing.
Although the helicopter’s presence would make her escape that much harder, the Assassin couldn’t help but feel slightly impressed by the vehicle’s presence. She wasn’t this important, was she?
Feeling very much like a character in the Maretrix, Dewdrop kept low and sprinted for the fire escape. She threw it open and looked down into the stairwell, cursing as she beheld the half dozen police officers charging up at her. Pulling back, Dewdrop grabbed the nearest office chair and wedged it under the handle. She looked to the elevator, but with a thrill of horror, the numbers were already climbing up from the ground floor.
“Come on, Dewdrop!” she said under her breath. She could feel herself beginning to hyperventilate. “There’s got to be a way out. There’s just got to be.” Seeing another security guard approaching, she slid under a desk and hid.
The guard had his flashlight out despite the fact that the entire floor was lit up like a Christmas tree, and he held his nightstick up near his face, ready to strike. Dewdrop held her breath as she saw his hobnailed boots pass by the desk she was hiding under.
When he didn’t turn around, Dewdrop emerged and approached him at a run, punching him in the throat just as he wheeled around. The man’s face turned purple as he dropped the nightstick and clutched his neck, but Dewdrop wasn’t done yet. Hauling the helpless guard to his feet, she held him out in front of her like a human shield and drew the gun from her waistband.
As they approached the wide glass window, the security guard began to struggle. Dewdrop bashed him on the head with the butt of the gun. Then, taking a deep breath, she took aim and fired the remaining bullets at the window and leapt through the broken glass, keeping the guard’s body in front of her the whole time.
The ground rushed up to meet them. Bracing herself against the body of her hostage, the Assassin felt a shudder course through her bones as the both of them smashed into the snowy concrete in the alley between the office and the block of flats next to it. Coughing, Dewdrop checked herself for any injuries, relieved to find none, which was more than could be said of the man she had used to cushion her fall.
Hurling the empty gun into a nearby dumpster, Dewdrop straightened her hood and stood up from the guard’s body. Her bike was parked two blocks away; it would be a simple matter now to sneak through the back streets and get to it and then out of town. After that, she would have to lay low for a while until the whole thing simmered down before heading to either Canterlot or back to Trottingham.
With the wail of sirens still too close for comfort, Dewdrop cast one last look at the clamor she had made, then dashed off into the darkness.
Princess Twilight’s eyes flew open as a particularly violent snore rocked her body. She jerked upright, blinking like an owl in the near complete darkness that she found herself in. The odor of candle wax coming from her left ignited a few neurons in her groggy brain, and the alicorn soon had the bright idea to use a spell and shed some light.
As a soft, lavender glow spread out in a small circle around her, Twilight Sparkle smacked her lips. The inside of her mouth tasted a lot like week-old alfalfa, which by a mental gauge that she had developed on her own after countless all nighters, indicated that she’d been asleep for at least three hours, four at most. There was a crick in her neck as well but that was hardly surprising; sleeping on desks, no matter how ornate, was a poor substitute for a bed.
The princess yawned widely and slid out of her chair onto the floor. Channeling a bit more energy into her horn, she expanded her circle of light to cover her entire workstation. Over the past few days, she had set up an increasingly elaborate space in the Canterlot archives where she had spent every spare moment of her rapidly diminishing time poring over records and census books. With Hearth’s Warming just around the corner, her royal duties were beginning to eat up more and more of her schedule than ever before.
But from the moment that her friend Sunset Shimmer had written to her about a suspicious new student who seemed to do nothing but stalk Sunset around Canterlot High, a niggling seed of worry had planted itself in her brain. And the more Sunset wrote to her about it, the more determined she had become to find the truth and root it out.
Though admittedly, it was proving to be a tougher challenge than even the studious Princess of Friendship had anticipated. Any attempts to find ponies from Trottingham called Velvet Breeze were turning up blanks, and given Trottingham’s population was quite large after accounting for several decades of marginal error, she was only three thirds of the way through them. But no matter how daunting the task, Twilight was determined not to give up. Canterlot High had already fallen under attack twice by ‘new students’, and by Celestia she was not about to let it happen a third time if she could help it.
Twilight gave the mountain of tomes on her desk a look of distaste, reluctant to dive back into their bland depths without at least a proper meal in her stomach and a short flight session to give her wings a stretch.
Swiftly navigating the maze that was the Canterlot Castle library, the princess nodded goodnight to the two night guards that had taken the places of the two Solar guards who had let her in. It wasn’t long before she stood on the threshold of the castle gates, breathing in the cool night air. Soon the unicorn mage’s council would be ready to start winter and cover the capital of Equestria in a thick blanket of snow for winter, but tonight, the night sky was as crisp and clear as the arctic north.
Much like when she had been studying under Princess Celestia’s wing, Twilight looked up at the stars as she took the meandering path back to her old tower, where she had left Spike earlier that day. Despite no longer being strictly Celestia’s student, the princess kept Twilight’s former lodgings well-furnished and cleaned, just in case. She had to remember to thank the princess in the morning…if she could get out of bed by then.
Lost in her thoughts, Twilight was jolted back to reality when her muzzle collided with another pony, knocking them both onto the grass.
Twilight was the first to recover, using her wings to push herself back upright before using her magic to levitate the other pony up as well. Judging from her white coat and golden armor, she had just knocked over one of Princess Celestia’s Solar guards.
“Sorry…” she muttered, straightening her plumed helmet. “I didn’t see… you… there…” Without warning the guardspony sank to her knees and touched her nose to the grass. “Oh, Princess Twilight Sparkle! I’m so sorry, your Majesty! I should have watched where I was going.”
Twilight stood there in an embarrassed silence while the guardspony profusely apologized for the collision, never once lifting her muzzle off the ground. Twilight winced. No matter how many times it happened, she could never get used to ponies tripping over themselves just to adhere to what they believed was how they should behave in front of royalty.
“Uh, miss?” Twilight interrupted once the mare paused to draw breath. “It’s okay. I’m not hurt, and I’m sure it was just an accident; it’s not like I was watching where I was going either. Please stand up.”
Like a young filly who had been caught sneaking cookies out of the pantry, the guard gradually lifted her head and straightened her legs. “A-are you sure, my Princess?”
Twilight nodded in what she hoped was a reassuring manner. “I’m fine. What are you doing out here so late? I thought the Lunar guards were supposed to take your shifts at sunset.”
“Oh, I’m just standing guard out here until my relief comes, that’s all. Can’t leave the palace unprotected, your Majesty.”
“But it’s well after midnight,” Twilight pointed out. “What if your relief doesn’t show up?”
“Then I will stand here until the sun rises, your Majesty.” The devotion in the guardspony’s tone was unquestionable. “Nothing is getting past me tonight, no, ma’am.” She returned to her original spot in front of a nearby stone archway and planted herself at the dead center, eyes flicking left and right like a metronome, her horn shining a spotlight around the immediate area.
Twilight found herself impressed, though at the same time mystified. “Isn’t that the way to the Royal Canterlot Memorial?” she asked. The Memorial was a secluded sub-section of the Royal Canterlot Gardens, where ponies from all over the city could come and pay their respects to guardsponies who had given their lives in the line of duty. Though the aftermath of the royal wedding had forced some additions to the number of tombstones that stood among the crumbling statuary, it remained a mercifully small area.
In short, it was a cemetery. Hardly a place that would require constant surveillance.
The guard threw the princess a crisp salute. “Yes, your Majesty! I’ve been told to stand guard here, and that’s exactly what I’ll do.”
“Um… okay…” Twilight was beginning to feel a little weirded out by this mare’s overzealous nature, especially considering that if she had not moved from this spot which would mean the pony had been standing here for almost twenty-four hours. She decided to try a different approach. “What’s your name?”
“My… name, your Majesty?” the Solar guard shuffled her hooves nervously.
“Yes. And don’t worry,” she said, correctly interpreting the clouds of worry that had begun gathering over the guard’s eyes. “I’m not going to report you for anything. I just want to know your name.”
The guardspony gave a poorly concealed sigh of relief. “Corporal Dewdrop, Solar guard. Your Majesty.” After which she gave Twilight another enthusiastic salute. “Been serving for almost six years now.”
“Really?” Twilight pressed, trying her best to look friendly. “That’s quite a long time; in fact, I think I was still living in Canterlot six years ago.”
Dewdrop’s smile widened. “Yes, I remember. I was just a rookie at the time, but you used to come down to visit your brother after training was done for the day. He was quite proud of you.”
Twilight blushed at that. “I’m glad,” she said simply, making a mental note to buy her brother something nice the next time she went to the Crystal Empire. “You sound like you knew my brother pretty well.”
“Oh, not really. He was our captain, so of course we got to know him just like he got to know us. I’d wager our new captain, Frigid Night could tell you more about him than me.”
Twilight had no idea who that was, but nodded assent all the same. “Thanks for the tip.” Out of things to say, the princess simply smiled at Dewdrop again before taking her leave. “Thank you for your time, Corporal Dewdrop. Good luck with your, uh, guarding!”
Dewdrop bowed one last time. “No, thank you, your highness. Take care.”
Feeling buoyed by her conversation with Dewdrop, Twilight spread her alicorn wings and soared off into the dark velvet sky, quickly shrinking into a tiny dot.
Dewdrop watched her go until the princess was out of sight. Once she was quite sure she was alone, the guardspony wiped the smile off her face and surreptitiously tapped her hoof against the archway three times. Then she waited.
A couple of seconds later, a bush that was half-hidden in the shadow of the castle rustled and a cloaked figure wearing a hood popped out. The mantled pony skulked over to the arch, staying as much in the shadows as possible.
“Sorry for the wait,” Dewdrop whispered, dimming the light from her horn. “Had to talk with a princess. You ready?”
The other pony nodded once, slipping a hoof into her cloak as if checking something underneath.
“Good. I think I can give you about an hour. Is that okay?”
Another nod.
“Okay,” Dewdrop repeated as she stepped aside for her consort to pass, not daring to look back as the night swallowed them. “Good luck.”
Sunset Shimmer’s flailing arm collided with her alarm clock, knocking it onto the floor and silencing the wretched thing. She withdrew her arm almost instantly, returning it to her side in the pocket of soft warmth that the blankets had become.
She lay there, curled up in a ball and still half in the land of dreams for a long while, drifting between wakefulness and sleep before common sense overrode her fatigue. Sunset forced herself to sit up in bed, giving an involuntary shiver as the icy air invaded her pajama top.
Yawning helped Sunset wake up, the chill creeping into her lungs and she left her room. It was still early, but Sunset planned to get a head start today, as uncharacteristic as that might seem to an outsider. As she passed by the window, Sunset paused to rub a hole in the condensation that had fogged up the glass. Thick white flakes of snow cascaded earthwards on the other side of the glass, and Sunset wanted to be able to take a long, leisurely stroll through them on the way to school.
After a quick but hot shower, the only thing Sunset had to do before getting dressed was to make breakfast. In the meantime she threw on a scarf and overcoat, buttoning it securely to ensure maximum warmth.
A quick check of her school supplies later, Sunset Shimmer stepped out her front door and into the lightly falling snow, inhaling the frosty but refreshing air on her route to school. Young children scrambled past her, tossing snowballs and chased by their harried-looking parents. Sunset smiled to herself; no matter which world, the first snowfall seemed to herald something magical.
Cheered on by the sight of people just enjoying themselves, Sunset found herself walking up the front path of CHS before she knew it. She joined the throng of bundled up students at the lockers, folding up her coat and carefully stowing it in her locker. Sidestepping a puddle of melted snow, she entered the classroom and sat down, waiting for class to begin.
It wasn’t long before Rainbow Dash arrived. The athlete was holding a newspaper, one with a rather blurry and pixelated picture on the front. Dumping her bag at her seat, Rainbow hurried to Sunset’s desk and unceremoniously placed the paper on its surface.
“Good morning, Rainbow,” Sunset gave her friend a smile, which was returned. “You’re in a good mood today.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Rainbow laughed. “It’s snowing, and my hockey team made it into the finals! Check it out!” She flipped to the sports section and pointed at the chart for the annual hockey tournament. The Cloudsdale Sidewinders’ name was prominently printed at the top of the page. “I even made it home in time to see the winning shot, so no hard feelings about yesterday’s trip.”
“I’d have thought you had forgiven me after you ate my candy bar,” Sunset said sardonically.
“Well yeah, but… this is so awesome! Finals here we come!”
Rainbow soon left to relate her tale to anyone who would listen, leaving the newspaper with Sunset.
Class was still ten minutes away from starting. Out of curiousity, Sunset flipped to the front page of the newspaper and examined the photo, then the headline. Her stomach seemed to drop into her feet, taking her good mood with it.
Fillydelphia Break-In, six dead in suspected act of corporate espionage. Full article on page 6.
The picture was that of a policeman looking down at the street through a broken window, with a censored red patch on the ground that Sunset had a horrible suspicion was a body. She flipped to page six, where the full-page article described in grisly detail how an office at the Board of Education headquarters in Fillydelphia had been ransacked by a mysterious assailant, who had then proceeded to kill five security guards who had rushed in to stop them. A sixth had been found dead in the alley outside a broken window.‘While the police are still looking over the crime scene, we can assure the public that nothing of importance was stolen during the break-in.’ Board spokeswoman Citrus Drops had announced. ‘The Board has been told that the authorities are well on their way to apprehending the culprit and bringing them to justice.’
Sunset had just finished reading when she became aware of a shadow falling over the paper.
“Good morning, Sunset,” Velvet Breeze greeted neutrally. She seemed a bit more awake than yesterday, though the dark rings around her eyes had deepened. “What are you reading?”
Sunset wordlessly passed her the article. Velvet read over it laboriously, taking a far greater interest in the report than Sunset expected. Eventually the white-coated girl blinked and handed it back, her face completely unreadable.
“How interesting. Well, I’m sure it’ll get cleared up or forgotten about soon enough,” Velvet followed this outrageously passive comment with a wide yawn before going back to her spot, completely ignoring the scandalized look Sunset shot her. “Thanks.”
Lunch was among Sunset’s favorites that the school served: macaroni and cheese, with a slice of freshly baked apple pie for dessert. Normally this would have been cause for celebration but when she got to eating, Sunset found herself to do anything other than pick at the food.
“Darling, your pie’s going cold,” Rarity pointed out once she came back from putting her plate away. “Are you feeling unwell?” Her worried expression was mirrored by everyone else at the table.
Sunset mumbled something non-committally.
“You’re not still hung up about not getting the job, are you? I told you ya should have just asked Velvet if they were hiring.”
Rainbow cocked an eyebrow as everyone turned to her instead. “What, you didn’t know? Sunset and I went to see where Velvet Breeze worked so Sunset could try and get a job at Cantermart, but they weren’t hiring. I almost missed the game.”
The worried faces dissolved into a kaleidoscope of looks, ranging from relieved to amused.
“You mean you stalked Velvet after school?” Rarity’s face cracked into a grin. “Oh my.”
“I wasn’t stalking her, I was just… you know, seeing where she worked,” Sunset finished lamely.
Rainbow Dash gave everyone a smug look. “Totally stalking her.”
“Gaah!” exclaimed Sunset, burying her head in her arms. “I was following her, Rainbow, to see where she worked, not for anything else?”
“We spent an hour watching her in the park,” Rainbow added unhelpfully.
“I wasn’t-” Sunset’s rebuke died in her mouth once she realized that the more she argued, the flimsier her case became. “Whatever. It’s not like anything happened anyway.”
“Oh, come now, dear,” Rarity cooed consolingly. “At our age, it’s perfectly natural to be developing feelings for someone else. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“Rarity…” the growl coming from Sunset’s throat was enough to shut the other girl up, to say nothing of the dagger-like stare.
Applejack swooped to the rescue. “Well if y’all weren’t *ahem* following Velvet outta friendly curiosity, then what were ya doin’? Come on, Sunset; ya can tell us the truth.” The rest of the girls leaned in, waiting for Sunset to spill the beans.
“Yeah. We won’t make fun of you, no matter what you say,” Fluttershy added as she gave Sunset’s outstretched hand a gentle squeeze.
“Really?”
Everyone, even Rarity, nodded as one. “Really.”
Sunset drew in a deep breath. “Well, okay… I asked Rainbow Dash to help me follow Velvet yesterday because she’s been giving me weird looks all week and bumping into me at strange times and when I try to ask her what her deal is all I get is cryptic answers that don’t really mean anything and I’m starting to think that there’s something seriously wrong with her,” she blurted, face turning redder as a blush crept into her already breathless complexion.
For the longest moment nobody said anything, only exchanging extremely loaded looks. Applejack and Rarity in particular seemed to be having some kind of psychic conversation with their face as the medium. Eventually the farmgirl sighed and turned back to Sunset.
“Sugarcube… Ah don’t know how else to say this, but…”
“I think I may have had it the wrong way around,” Rarity whispered slowly, as though she were on the verge of a scientific breakthrough. “It’s possible that instead, Velvet Breeze may have feelings for you.”
“What? That’s the most-”
“Just hear me out, will you, Sunset? If Velvet is indeed acting like you say, with the turning up in awkward places and giving you strange looks, I don’t think it’s too farfetched to say that these may be signs of a budding attraction?”
“We only met this Monday,” Sunset rebuffed flatly.
“Love at first sight, darling!” Rarity tossed her perfectly coiffed tresses, wearing a disturbingly dreamy expression. “Isn’t it romantic?”
Rainbow Dash was far less impressed. “If by romantic, you mean sappy. Come on, Rarity. Aren’t you reading too deep into this? Like Sunset said, they’ve only known each other for a week tops, it’s not like they’ve been fooling around in the bathroom or anything right?”
“Rainbow Dash!” Applejack admonished, a blush rising on her freckled cheeks.
Across the table, Pinkie Pie’s hands were a blur of movement as she adroitly manipulated a balloon, stretching and tying it off until she was holding a bright blue doggie. “Oh come on, girls! It’s not as if Velvet Breeze belongs to some secret organization that’s existed for centuries and is secretly fighting another faction that’s also been around for centuries right under humanity’s collective nose, right?” She bopped the balloon animal over her shoulder and smiled innocently back at everyone’s dumbfounded faces. “What?”
“We worry ‘bout ya sometimes, Pinkie, ya know that?”
The party planner wasn’t fazed in the slightest. “Oh, Applejack. I always knew you cared!”
“Excuse me." A grey hand reached over Pinkie Pie’s shoulder and deposited the balloon dog back in front of her. “I’m not interrupting, am I?”
Mr. Wolfgang had somehow managed to get right up next to them without any of them noticing. Sunset felt his bespectacled eyes wander over her body, not unlike Velvet’s disturbing stares, though somehow Mr. Wolfgang’s gaze felt even more intrusive. Creepy. Were they related?
“I have a message for you, Miss Pie,” continued the inspector in his low, smooth voice. “Principal Celestia would like to tell you that the gymnasium is now ready for you to begin setting up your party decorations.”
“All right! Thanks, Mr. Wolfey!”
“That’s Mr. Wolfgang,” he insisted, an edge of ice seeping into his voice. “And Miss Shimmer, I need you to come with me. We have something to discuss, in private.”
Not liking at all what this might mean, Sunset reluctantly left the table and followed the inspector out of the cafeteria, neither of them realizing that they were both being watched.
As soon as the sounds of students eating and talking had faded away to a tiny buzz, Mr. Wolfgang wheeled around and craned his neck so that he was almost on Sunset’s level. All the while, Sunset made sure to keep her face carefully arranged in a look of polite curiosity, even though she had a looming feeling of dread she knew exactly what this was about.
“Now, Miss Shimmer,” Wolfgang’s face was as impassive as ever, but the rest of his body was tightly coiled like a spring, as if it could snap at any moment. “It’s almost the end of the semester, which means I need to send my report very soon.” He spoke slowly and deliberately, as if to a small child. “So I must ask you, have you any information about the Battle of the Bands or the Fall Formal from Principal Celestia?”
It was at moments like this when Sunset was cruelly reminded that while she was a powerful unicorn who could have blasted a manticore to dust, on this side of the mirror she was just a child who still wasn’t allowed to drink hard cider. A child who would no doubt be blamed for anything that happened to Principal Celestia should Wolfgang’s report go through.
“Uh, well… I tried to talk to her, yeah.” This was, of course, a lie. With her entire fixation on Velvet, talking to the principal about Wolfgang had completely slipped her mind. A decision that she deeply regretted, more so once Wolfgang’s oily smile melted into a frown. “But she just told me she wouldn’t hear another word of it and sent me away,” she quickly added.
The inspector peered unblinkingly over the top of his tinted frames at Sunset, who for the first time couldn’t help but take notice of just how his mouth seemed to have more teeth in it than was natural. It made him look, well, wolfish.
“That’s unfortunate,” Wolfgang said after a good twenty seconds or so of staring. “I suppose it’s not your fault though, if Celestia is too stubborn to do what’s best for herself. Though that does raise another problem.” He pulled a stubby cigar from an inner pocket and examined it with interest before putting it to his lips. “I do wonder that when I was talking to her just now, she mentioned that she hadn’t seen you all week. Now why might that be?”
Sunset Shimmer’s mouth went dry as she realized her mistake. Of course Wolfgang would have spoken to Principal Celestia and asked her about the events. Something must have shown on her face because Wolfgang’s smile grew wider.
“I may be new here, Miss Shimmer, but I know when I’m being played.” Abruptly, the inspector’s arms were on either side of Sunset’s head, pinning her against the lockers with a slam. There was an ominous glow in Wolfgang’s eyes as they bored hungrily into her own. “I want you, right now, to tell me the truth. What is Celestia hiding about the Fall Formal and the Battle of the Bands?”
“I don’t know!” Sunset fought the urge to shove Wolfgang away, but it was difficult to maintain a clear head when his face was mere inches from hers. “I really don’t!”
“I don’t believe you.”
Wolfgang opened his mouth to say more, but all of a sudden the man was thrown aside in a small explosion of cardboard boxes. The man tumbled onto the ground, cigar flying as the boxes scattered all over the hallway.
“Oh! I’m so sorry, Mr. Wolfgang!” Sunset’s jaw dropped. Her rescuer was none other than a flustered looking Velvet Breeze, who had rushed up to help the inspector to his feet, patting the dust off his pants and sweater. “Are you all right?”
How did she know I was here?
Wolfgang waved her away crossly. “Oh, for… what’s the meaning of this?” he snapped as he straightened his glasses. “Can’t you watch where you’re going, girl?”
“I’m sorry!” Velvet said again, picking up the impressively large amount of boxes that she had no doubt been carrying and stacking them precariously in her arms. “I was just taking these out to the trash for Mrs. Granny Smith, and I thought I’d save time by moving them all at once.” Indeed, by the time all the boxes were arranged, Velvet was pretty much invisible behind the pillar of beige cardboard.
Mr. Wolfgang harrumphed, his glare completely wasted since Velvet could no longer see him. “You watch it next time. I’d hate for you to suffer an… accident.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Velvet chirped as she tottered away, either ignoring or missing the inspector’s threatening tone. “And hi, Sunset. Pinkie says she needs your help with mixing the fruit punch. Right now, I believe were her exact words.”
Sunset didn’t need to be told twice. Before Wolfgang could say anything more, her fiery long hair was already disappearing around the corner.
When she arrived in the gymnasium, Sunset found Pinkie teetering on the top of three stepladders. Her poofy pink updo held half a dozen reels of streamers which she was in the process of hanging from the lights.
“Hey, Pinkie,” Sunset peered up at the ribbons that had already been hung up, predominantly teal and grey. “It looks amazing so far.”
Pinkie beamed down at her. “Aw, thanks! I thought it’d look good with Velvet’s hair. She keeps it under her hood so much; she should wear it long, it’s prettier that way.”
“I guess,” said Sunset distractedly. “So you, uh, wanted my help with the punch?”
“Punch?” Pinkie looked confused. “But I thought Applejack was helping me with the punch already. Right, AJ?”
At the sound of her name, Applejack popped out from behind a towering pyramid of multicolored balloons, a bottle of juice in each hand. “You called, Pinkie?”
“Sunset wanted to know if you needed any help with the punch!”
“Well that’s mighty kind of ya, but,” Applejack gingerly pushed some of the balloons away to reveal an already filled punchbowl. “I just finished.”
Sunset shrugged nonchalantly, joining Pinkie in hanging up the streamers. “Oh, well. I’m just happy you called when you did; Mr. Wolfgang was getting way too creepy.”
This caught both the other girls’ notice. “What d’ya mean, creepy?” Applejack set down the bottles, giving Sunset her full attention. “He ain’t one of them sickos who’s into little kids, is he?”
“Ew, no! Or at least, I don’t think he is…” The unpleasant truth was, Sunset could easily see Wolfgang being that kind of person. His leering face would be burned into her memory for the rest of the week. “He just keeps pressing me to get Principal Celestia to tell him about what really happened at the Fall Formal and the Battle of the Bands. I know I have to keep it a secret, but I don’t want to be the one who got Celestia fired!” She gave a small cry of frustration and pounded her fist against the wall.
Pinkie and Applejack looked grim. “‘T’aint your fault, Sunset,” a glass of punch was pushed into her hands. “But Ah won’t deny that this is a sticky spot we’re in… Ah hate to admit it, but I’m startin’ to think it’d be better if this inspector just disappeared or somethin'.”
Pinkie’s eyes brightened. “Ohhh! Why don’t I show him my magic disappearing cabinet trick! We can even saw him in half before making his disappear! And we can do card tricks and pull flowers out of handkerchiefs, and-what’s that smell?”
“What do you mean-” Then Sunset smelt it too. The smell that heralded something that every student at some point prepares for, but never expects to actually encounter. And it didn’t take the clarion of alarms or the stampeding of students past the gym for them to realize what.
“Fire!”
It was, Sunset reflected in what she would later realize was a startlingly casual way, nothing like how they rehearsed fire drills every other time. There was no orderly line up of students by classes. There were no teachers standing watch at the doors to guide their charges into the safety of the outdoors. Nobody just dropped everything and quietly did as they were told.
Instead what they did get was a mass pile-up at the front doors of CHS with student pushing and shoving each other to get outside and away from the fire as quickly as humanly possible, though Sunset didn’t blame them. The air was full of thick, cloying smoke that suggested a fire of moderate size, billowing out the front doors and wrapping its foul fingers around everyone’s windpipes. The fire alarms were ringing incessantly, adding to the voices of hundreds of teenagers like a discordant opera.
Stumbling free of the scrum at last, the three girls were welcomed with open arms by Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy. They collapsed onto the trampled snow, coughing and hacking as they expelled the acrid smoke from their systems.
“Haahh… haaahh… is everyone okay?” Sunset spluttered once her mouth no longer tasted like overcooked plastic.
A ragged chorus of “Yes”s rang from her friends. Rainbow Dash’s hand swam into view and Sunset took it, allowing herself to be pulled upright. She blew a lock of red hair from her face, still breathing heavily.
Principal Celestia had taken charge, rallying the teachers and turning the evacuation of Canterlot High into less of a disorganized charge and more of an orderly retreat. Under her watchful eye, the last few stragglers piled out of the front doors just as a bright red fire engine pulled up in the front drive.
“Wow,” Rainbow whistled, patting the snow from Pinkie’s back. “Just wow.”
Sunset knew exactly how she felt. “Well, who’d have thought,” she said with a weak laugh, trying to inject some humor into the situation. “That fire drill last month came in useful after all.”
“Did anyone see where the fire started? I mean, there’s so much smoke, someone must have seen it.” Rarity patted down her skirt, grimacing at the idea of having it dry cleaned if she found a single soot stain. “I bet it was Mr. Discord again, wasn’t it.”
“Actually, no. Flutters and me were just talking to him in the cafeteria,” Rainbow Dash nudged Fluttershy for credibility, but the pastel yellow girl was too busy fumbling with the straps on her bag to care.
With a jubilant cry she unzipped her pack at last, reaching inside and helping out one fluffy white rabbit. “Oh, Angel! I’m so glad you’re okay!” She snuggled the critter up to her face, tears of relief streaking down her cheeks and onto the bunny’s fur.
Sunset’s heart melted as she looked on, the fire shoved aside for the moment while the all too adorable sight of Fluttershy and Angel were memorized for her to look back on later. Perhaps she would even write to Twilight about it. It might make for a good friendship lesson. Sunset unconsciously reached behind her back to retrieve her journal.
The realization hit her like a slushball to the face.
“Oh no…” she breathed, all the peace on her face melting away to form a kabuki mask of pure terror. “Oh, no, no, no.”
She had left the journal inside Canterlot High, where even now a sizable fire was probably making its way toward the gym, devouring everything in its path. The journal may be magical, but Sunset was certain that being fireproof was not one of its many traits.
Without any time to lose and ignoring the shouts from both her friends and the firefighters, Sunset Shimmer ran headfirst back into the burning school.
The thick smoke invaded Sunset’s lungs immediately, filling her mouth with the taste of ash and burning chemicals. Her eyes wept and stung, forcing the girl to fumble along in the smog by touch alone. She banged into a locker, bruising her ribs as they slammed into the metal surface. Picking herself up, Sunset jogged on through the pain, barely noticing how hard it was becoming to breathe.
This is crazy. You’re going to choke to death in here.
Sunset ignored the voice in her head and zeroed in on the one thought that mattered. She had to get that journal back, or she’d have no way of contacting Equestria anymore. Even worse, she had a terrifying notion that if the journal on this side burned up, the magic that allowed Twilight Sparkle to visit whenever she liked would be extinguished. They would be separated once again. It was an idea Sunset could not bear to consider so long as she had the tiniest chance of changing it.
Jets of cold water drizzled from unseen sprinklers above as the school tried to combat the blaze, but all it did was make the floor even slipperier than usual and drench poor Sunset to the bone. Recalling something she had learned back in Equestria, Sunset kept low and pulled her soaked shirt up over her mouth and nose. The smoke was everywhere, but if she stayed down near the ground, there would at least be less of it.
Somewhere in her oxygen deprived brain, a thought was trying to make itself heard, but it was only after Sunset was almost to the gym that it put itself into words.
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Here’s the smoke… where’s the fire?
She stopped crawling and listened. There were sirens, the muffled voices of everyone outside, the fire alarm, and even the pattering of water hitting her on the back. But the one sound she was waiting for, that of crackling flames, was completely absent. Odd.
Think about it later! Just because you can’t see the fire doesn’t mean you won’t asphyxiate.
“Heh heh,” she mumbled. “Asphyxiate.” What a funny word. Such a complicated sounding term for what was a pretty simple concept. Oblivious to the fact that her face was no longer covered, she pushed open the gym door and set about finding her backpack.
It took a minute or two of fumbling around in the smoke, but eventually Sunset’s hands closed around the familiar fabric straps of her bag. There was no time to unzip it and check on the journal; she would simply have to take the whole thing with her.
Sunset coughed, grimacing at the taste of blood. The back of her throat felt raw and dry, though for some reason this didn’t alarm her as much as she thought it would. Instead what she did feel was an overwhelming sense of relief. She had done it. She had saved the journal and now everything would be all right.
Leaving the gym, Sunset pushed her drenched hair out of her face and stumbled drunkenly out toward the front door. Strange… was it always so far away? The hallway seemed to stretch out for ever in front of her, the way out becoming a miniscule pinprick of light in the gathering shadows that clung to the edges of her vision.
One foot in front of the other. One foot in front of the other. One foot in front of…
How odd. She had somehow ended up on the floor, gazing listlessly at a puddle of water. There was something she was meant to be doing right now, Sunset was sure of it, but every shred of common sense was now so far buried beneath the black haze that it was too hard to concentrate on them.
Perhaps I’ll be able to remember after a short rest... she thought groggily. The floor wasn’t hard anymore, far from it; in fact it felt very welcoming indeed, and it had been a very stressful day... just a short while…
The linoleum was as soft as a feather mattress as Sunset Shimmer closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Twilight Sparkle was furious with herself. The lavender alicorn streaked across the sky like a comet, mentally berating herself for her carelessness. Not only had she left the library without taking her crown, she had left the journal in there too! The crown, that could be replaced, but the journal was a different matter. She couldn’t quite place why, but just before she had been about to push open the door to her tower, a sudden urge to have the journal had gripped her, which had led to the discovery that she had so foolishly left such a powerful magical object unguarded! What would Princess Celestia say if she ever found out?
The wind ruffled Twilight’s wings as she alighted, nay, slammed into the royal library balcony. It was a method of entry that was not strictly allowed, but right now the library was closed to all but Equestrian royalty. Unlocking the expansive Prench door with a tap of her horn, Twilight cantered inside and down the steps into the archives.
Only when Twilight had found her way through the maze of shelves and scrolls back to her makeshift workstation did she breathe a sigh of relief. There was her crown, nestled on top of her saddlebag, just where she’d left it. And there was the journal, the same as ever, open to the most recent page with no new entries. She levitated both over, tucking the book under a wing and securing the jeweled crown on her head.
The Lunar guards at the door didn’t even blink when she trotted out the main door for the second time that night. Twilight admired their imperturbable attitude; from her experience, many Solar guards would have passed a small jest if she had done that during the day, though that was hardly a surprise to her. The Princess of the Night’s entourage were generally a lot quieter than their daytime counterparts.
Speaking of Solar guards… Twilight smiled impishly when she neared the place where Dewdrop had been standing guard not too long ago. She was probably still there; maybe she would walk past her and see how she reacted. The princess slowed to a walk, making an effort to conceal her hoofsteps in the softer patches of grass. Maybe she could even take Dewdrop by surprise, something that not many ponies could claim to have done to a guard of any princess.
However, as Twilight got within a stone’s throw of the arched entrance, she stopped on the spot and furrowed her brow. The entryway to Royal Canterlot Memorial was completely deserted, with not even the ghost of a pony standing guard.
Twilight frowned. What was it that Dewdrop had said? Something about standing there until the sun rose and nothing getting by her? Well right now, even a newborn foal could have gotten into the Royal Canterlot Memorial with very little effort.
Somehow she doubted that Dewdrop would have abandoned her post. There had been that manic gleam in the guardspony’s eye that had unnerved even Twilight, and she had stared into the eyes of chaos without flinching. No. Something was up here, and Twilight Sparkle was determined to find out what.
She took to the air, hovering just high enough above the path to avoid making a sound or leaving hoofprints, then gradually, warily, made her way down into the cemetery.
The moon was a thin sickle in the sky tonight, casting a meager sliver of light down onto the slumbering Equestria. The tombs of guards and soldiers past stood sentinel in rank and file, as solemnly and dutifully as their residents had done in life. Shining Armor had taken her here only three times before, to look at the grave of a friend, or to comfort a fellow guard who had lost somepony close. Either way, not a single visit had been a cheerful one, and this time was no different. It was as though the ghosts of ponies past were wafting around her body, making her fur shiver and crawl.
“...stay here very long.”
Twilight’s ears perked up and she froze, her eyes darting back and forth. Somepony had spoken. Somepony nearby. She slunk behind a statue of Princess Luna and peeked out between the marble legs for the origin of the voice.
There. Two rows down, almost invisible in the shadow of a looming clock tower, two ponies sat before a tombstone conversing in hushed tones.
“I need to get back to my post.” Twilight recognized the voice of the one talking now; it was Corporal Dewdrop without a doubt. “Ponies will notice if I suddenly vanish.”
The other pony was almost featureless. She, if it was even a mare, was covered from head to fetlocks in a nondescript black cloak with a hood. She said something back to Dewdrop, but it was so quiet that Twilight could only catch the last few words. “...visit her again soon?”
Dewdrop was squirming now, clearly uncomfortable. “We’ll see,” she said eventually. “But I need to get back up there, and you have places to be too. You should get going before the sun comes up.”
The other pony nodded assent and nuzzled Dewdrop before taking to the skies on ebony wings, the billowing cloak making her look like a surreal nightmare. The guardspony released a heavy and audible sigh before straightening her helmet and stalking back to her post. Twilight promptly ducked down behind the statue to conceal herself as the unicorn marched past.
Only after counting to forty did Twilight risk peeking back up. It was now as quiet as the grave, with no sign that either Dewdrop or her mysterious companion had ever been there. She could see the light from the corporal’s horn glimmering from the archway now, so she must have gone back to standing guard.
Dozens of questions bombarded the princess’s tired mind. Questions that would need addressing in the morning, but right now the only question Twilight felt like answering was that of how to get up to her tower without being seen. It was an easy question, since the answers were fixed to her back.
She extended her wings and got ready to thrust down but the tiniest flash of white stopped Twilight’s wings cold. She glanced back to where Dewdrop and the hooded pony had been sitting. There was something white on the grave, something that stood out amidst all the grays and blues of the night.
The smell told Twilight what it was a few steps before she got to the grave. The scent was unmistakable, since Princess Luna kept vases of them in her quarters at all times. They were moon lilies, a somewhat rare and pungently aromatic flower that was often seen as Luna’s personal floral emblem. They only bloomed at night, and only when touched by moonlight. Twilight had never tasted one before, but by all accounts they said to be sweet enough to put even the richest honey to shame.
And a bouquet of them had been left respectfully on this particular grave.
Her curiosity aroused, Twilight Sparkle lit up her horn and leaned in close to the carved headstone. Who, she wondered, was buried here that would warrant such a gift?
The blood in Twilight’s veins turned to ice as the words on the tombstone were cast into harsh relief. No. This was impossible. Her mind reeled and she had to clap a hoof over her own mouth to keep from crying out.
This can’t be…
Engraved on the stone were three short lines, captured forever by the mason’s chisel:
Sunset Shimmer sat in her apartment’s living room, Fluttershy and Rarity across from her. The former unicorn was swathed in a fuzzy gown and her feet were snugly encased in bunny slippers. The heater was turned up full blast and all three of them held a steaming mug of hot chocolate.
Rarity ran a critical eye over her fiery haired friend, checking for any signs of discomfort. “Think nothing of it, Sunset. We’re just glad you’re alright.”
Fluttershy sipped timidly at her hot chocolate; her mind kept rewinding the previous day when Sunset had dashed into the burning building, for her bag, no less. When the firefighters had carried her friend out, soaked and unconscious, Fluttershy had almost burst into tears. Principal Celestia had wasted no time in calling an ambulance and when it arrived, Sunset was taken away with an oxygen mask on her face and a drip in her arm. It had shaken all the Rainbooms, but poor Fluttershy had not gotten a single wink of sleep last night from worrying about her friend, all alone in the hospital.
So that morning, Fluttershy had waited until the sun had risen to call Rarity, who by either luck or unconscious synchronization, had been about to call her so they could go see Sunset together. But when the two of them had arrived at the hospital later that morning, it turned out that Sunset Shimmer had been released from the clinic only an hour earlier. Another short drive later, they now sat in Sunset’s apartment, feeling weary but relieved.
“It wasn’t that serious,” Sunset shrugged, sounding braver than she had felt. From the bags under her friends’ eyes, it was evident that they had been worried sick; there was no need to add to it by telling them just how terrifying the experience had been. “Honestly, I don’t remember all that much of it.”
“You ran,” Rarity reiterated with pursed lips. “Into a burning building. A burning building, Sunset! Of course it was serious, Sunset! What if something had happened to you?”
Sunset Shimmer at least had the good grace to look ashamed. Looking back on it, being hauled outside wet and unconscious by firemen probably hadn’t been too good for Rarity, or any of her friends’ peace of minds.
“I’m sorry,” Sunset said, chastised. “But I had to do it, Rarity.” Before the fashionista could say another word, Sunset produced her still-damp school bag and pulled out the journal. By some miracle the sprinklers hadn’t ruined it, only left a small stain on the spine.
“Is that…?” Rarity said, her eyes wide. Fluttershy peeked up from her phone to look.
Sunset nodded. “The journal. I had to save it, Rarity.” Now that she had her friends’ full attention, Sunset continued, “I know, I know. It was stupid of me to run into a burning building, but I couldn’t leave it behind. If it had burned up, we’d have no way of contacting Princess Twilight any more. Not to mention,” Sunset’s expression grew thoughtful and borderline grim. “If there’s no journal on this side to connect to Equestria, there’s no guarantee that Twilight’s portal would be able to get to us anymore. I couldn’t risk it.”
Silence reigned as the two girls individually contemplated what would have happened if the magical link between their worlds had been severed. At last, Rarity coughed and patted Sunset on the arm.
“Well, I’m sure Twilight will appreciate you going into a blazing inferno for the sake of your friendship, hmm?”
“But that’s just the thing,” Sunset dropped the journal and stood up. “When I went in there, I saw a lot of smoke, but no actual flame.” She ran a hand through her already disheveled hair and pouted. “Have they looked into the cause of the fire yet?”
Rarity shrugged. “As far as I know, the Canterlot High’s been roped off since yesterday afternoon, darling. Only the firefighters have been allowed inside.”
Fluttershy mumbled something, but it was too quiet for anyone to hear.
“I hope it’s not going to be like this all weekend,” the fashionista said to herself, eyebrows scrunched. “The thought of all that party food, sitting unrefrigerated… ugh.” Rarity finished with a shudder.
Another mumbled something from Fluttershy, which also went ignored.
Sunset ducked into the kitchen for some more hot chocolate. “Well, it’s snowing now, so it won’t be all bad. Not like when Pinkie left the fridge open during the summer fair.”
“Girls!” Both Rarity and Sunset jumped at Fluttershy’s outburst. The pink-haired girl was on her feet, phone in hand and looking a little mortified at her own daring. She fell back into the couch before saying, “Um, Rainbow just shared this with me. I-it’s this morning’s news.” Fluttershy passed Rarity the phone before taking a large gulp of hot chocolate to calm her nerves.
Sunset shuffled to the couch. “What’s it say?”
“Canterlot High Blaze: A Mountain out of a Molehill.” Rarity read aloud. “Friday afternoon at Canterlot High… fine example of leadership under pressure…fire department responded in record time…. Et cetera et cetera,” she scrolled down to the bottom. “Firefighters report that the fire was extremely small and non-threatening, and caused by an overheating electrical outlet which set alight a stack of cardboard boxes in a broom closet. Hmm. So much for your heroic tale of friendship,” Rarity muttered, sounding just a tiny bit disappointed despite herself.
“I still could have suffocated,” Sunset said reproachfully. She pulled out her own phone and quickly found the story. It matched what Rarity had said; a small fire which had burned itself out by the time it had been found. The verdict was that the snow had somehow melted into the wires, causing an electrical short, which had then gone and set the cardboard on fire. “And I don’t know. This seems… too ordinary?” Ordinary didn’t seem like the term Sunset was looking for, but any further word-searching was abruptly cut short by a faint scratching sound.
“What’s that noise?” Rarity cocked her ear out, trying to locate the source. “You don’t have… mice, do you, dear?” She pulled her feet up onto the couch and peeked around nervously. “Please don’t let it be mice!”
“I think it’s coming from the door,” Leaving Fluttershy to calm Rarity down, the flame haired girl straightened her gown and shuffled off to answer the door.
Just as she suspected, the scratching sounds were coming from the other side of Sunset’s front door. Specifically, the area near the handle and the lock. Was someone trying to break in? She frowned; it was just past noon, surely any burglar would wait until nightfall to try housebreaking?
Sunset’s hand closed on the doorknob silently, the other reaching for a baseball bat that she kept in the umbrella stand for such an eventuality.
She prepared herself to fling the door open.
One, two…
“Three!” In one smooth motion Sunset gripped the knob and pulled, bring the bat to bear. “Aahhh!”
There was a startled cry, and before Sunset knew it, something struck her dominant wrist and a pair of hands were yanking the bat out of her hands. The girl stumbled back into her apartment and raised her fists before lowering them.
“Velvet?! What are you- are you okay?”
Standing on her doorstep with Sunset’s bat in her hands, was Velvet Breeze. The latter part of Sunset’s question came spilling out when she beheld Velvet’s sooty jacket, her rat’s nest of hair, and her overall exhausted profile. She looked, Sunset thought with concern, as if she were about to collapse on the spot.
Velvet Breeze didn’t even seem to register Sunset’s question at first. She swayed on her feet before her eyes finally focused onto Sunset’s troubled face.
“Oh. Sunset. You’re home,” Velvet said blandly, as if she couldn’t muster the energy to be surprised. The girl glanced down at the bat and grunted. “Sorry about that. Reflexes.”
Sunset accepted the bat back, deciding it would be better for the both of them if she didn’t question what kind of reflexes cumulated in a perfectly executed disarming maneuver. “Okay… you want to come inside?”
For a heart-stopping moment, Sunset was afraid Velvet was going to say no. The word was certainly forming on her lips, but a whiff of cocoa scented wind blew out the door and engulfed them both. Velvet’s decision was made for her.
“Well, maybe just a little while.”
It took almost an hour and three mugs of heavily caffeinated hot chocolate to get Velvet Breeze coherent again. Rarity had insisted on tidying Velvet’s hair and would have dusted off her jacket too, but Velvet seemed extremely protective about anyone going near her arms; she shied away from even the smallest touch. Sunset sat by and watched another fruitless attempt by Rarity to get that smeared hoodie off and inwardly apologized. She still hadn’t told her friends about her encounter with Velvet in the bathroom and it was probably because of that injury that the blue girl was so defensive about her personal space.
“So, uh, Rarity,” Sunset said at last to distract her friend. “How’s studying for midterms coming along?”
“All right, I suppose. I think I’ve got my literature and mathematics down pat, but I still need to brush up on my computer and multimedia notes.”
“You take notes for that class?” Sunset said incredulously.
“I take notes for every class, Sunset! It’s a key part of my study plan.”
“Yeah, but multimedia? Really? Half the stuff Mr. Pierce teaches doesn’t even make it into the weekly tests.”
“Mr… Pierce?” Velvet mumbled, startling everyone. They’d half-forgotten she still listening.
“Yeah,” Sunset nodded, pleased to hear Velvet speak. “He teaches computer, but he’s kind of weird.”
Rarity sniffed in disapproval. “Try overly violent. Did you know, he used that collapsible pointer of his to knock out two of the baseball team’s members for disrupting his class? Rainbow Dash was on the warpath when she found out.”
“Sounds like somebody I used to know,” Velvet said thoughtfully, not seeing the borderline Neolithic looks that the three other girls were shooting her.
“What kind of school did you say you went to before CHS?” Sunset queried after she cranked her jaw back up.
“A small one.” Draining her mug, the blue girl looked at Sunset and her friends meekly. “I’m sorry I missed Pinkie Pie’s party yesterday. It couldn’t be helped.”
“I’m sure Pinkie understands,” Fluttershy said soothingly. “You couldn’t have known there was going to be a fire. We’re lucky everyone made it out okay.”
Sunset could have sworn that Velvet had a guilty look on her face, but then Twilight’s letter came to mind. There’s no need to start being overly paranoid about things.
“Y-yeah. I heard you almost didn’t make it out, Sunset.” The look in Velvet’s eyes was suddenly focused and genuinely startling. “I’m so glad you’re unharmed.”
“Oh, it wasn’t so bad.” The lie came easier and easier the more she told it, but it was obvious that Velvet didn’t believe her.
“Sunset.” Velvet‘s hands gripped her shoulders; Sunset could feel their wiry strength through her dressing gown and she had to fight the urge to recoil. “You have to take better care of yourself. My- that is, I would be… very unhappy, if you got hurt, or killed, or kidnapped.”
“Kidnap- what?!” Sunset cried, finally scurrying back into the welcoming arms of Rarity and Fluttershy. “What the hell are you talking about, Velvet?! What aren’t you telling me?”
“I’ve already said too much,’ Velvet whispered. She jumped to her feet. “I should go. Thank you for having me, Sunset. I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Velvet! Wait!” Rarity made a grab for the retreating girl, but for someone who looked like she was about to pass out she could move pretty quickly. The door was already shutting by the time the three Rainbooms had gotten up.
Sunset stamped one bunny-slippered foot in frustration. “What is up with that girl?”
Rarity patted her friend on the back in a futile attempt to placate her. “Reading between the lines, dear, I would hazard a guess that Velvet either is delusional, or has a bit of a crush on you. A rather creepy, obsessive crush...”
“We’ve been over this, Rarity! I’m pretty sure she does not have a crush-"
Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt.
“Is that someone’s phone?” Sunset snapped more harshly than she meant to. Fluttershy and Rarity shook their heads, the pink haired girl pointing timidly to the magic journal. It was shining with an arcane glow and vibrating gently against the coffee table.
“Finally. Maybe Princess Twilight can make some sense of what I’ve told her.”
As Sunset read Twilight’s letter, her friends watched uncertainly as the former unicorn’s face went from confident, to puzzled, to dumbfounded, to borderline horrified. Finally, the journal slipped from Sunset’s nerveless hands and unto the floor.
After a full two minutes, Rarity coughed politely. “…Sunset? Darling, what did she say?”
“Twilight… she found Velvet in Equestria.”
“Oh, good. Did she ask her about-"
“She’s dead.”
“…what?”
“Twilight found Velvet’s grave in Equestria.” Sunset licked her suddenly dry lips and rushed to the window just in time to see a hooded form whip around the corner. “It… it says she’s been dead for over a year.”
All the color had drained out of Fluttershy’s face, leaving both her and Rarity almost the same color. “B-b-but if Velvet’s d-d-dead…” she squeaked fearfully. “Then who were we just talking to?”
Velvet Breeze slowed to a stop a block away from Sunset’s home, breathing heavily. She’d really said too much back there, almost given away her real purpose for coming.
Nothing is true, everything is permitted, Velvet repeated to herself like a mantra. The life of an Assassin was a lonesome one, but she’d known that ever since her sister had died and the Mentor had taken her in. But it hadn’t been until now that Velvet had seen what that truly meant. Even if Sunset thought of her as a friend, Velvet knew deep in her heart that it could never be. It hurt more than she thought it would.
The young Assassin forced her thoughts away from the happy scene she had just fled and focused on the mission. After the fire had started, she had hidden in the kitchens and waited for night to fall. With the school cordoned off, it had been childishly simple to pick the lock on Wolfgang’s office and get access to all his papers. With their contents safely on her phone’s memory banks, all that was left to do was send it back to the bureau and wait for further instructions.
With one last, lingering look back at Sunset’s flat, Velvet began the cold and lonely trudge back to her place on the other side of town. She stopped only to throw a box of matches away into the trash.
The Templar agent adjusted the scope on her rifle, bringing the snowy road below into sharp view. From here, she could easily spot anyone coming or going, and still have plenty of time to put a bullet into them before they even heard the shot being fired.
The gun itself was a complex affair, part dark grey metal and part laminated walnut wood, but all business. She’d put it together herself, using parts from all over the world to ensure that it was every bit as good as she was at the job. And she was the best.
The agent peered through the scope, sweeping left and right methodically. She had been lying here for almost twelve hours, barely moving save to brush the occasional snowflake off the scope lens. Any other man or woman would have either given up or frozen to death by now. But not her. She would stay up on this godforsaken rooftop for as long as she needed to, or until her weapon rusted away. Hopefully not the latter.
The police hadn’t been able to gather much from the security cameras back in Fillydelphia, which meant that the Templars didn’t have much to go on when it came to tracking down who had taken the key to Cobalt’s papers. The Grand Master had been less than pleased, at least until she had arrived on the scene. From there it had all been a simple matter of retracing the Assassin’s footsteps from the broken window all the way up to the roof where they had first entered, then cross referencing it with the manner in which the guards had been killed.
Most Assassins fought with some degree of finesse. Their basic training ensured that combat was quick, lethal, and economic; nothing overexerting or loud. The fight in the office had been anything but: it had been flashy, anger-fueled, and desperate. The fighter was good but obviously not Assassin trained, at least not on core basics. This deduction narrowed the choices down to two, and then taking into consideration that the agent had personally killed one of them four years ago, it could only mean that Dewdrop was the one she sought.
The agent breathed out a thin stream of fog. While being out here wouldn’t kill her, it was still a lousy way to spend the day and the sooner she was back in Manehattan, the better, even though it would mean going back to the Templars. This was what she was reduced to: a hitman, taking orders from some delusional bureaucrat with more ideas about changing the world than he knew what to do with.
A rare flicker of annoyance flared up in the agent’s chest, like a coal in a long-dead fireplace. Once this all blew over, she would find the Templar Grand Master and give him a piece of her mind. Then she remembered who was really pulling the strings and quashed the little ember of irritation, stowing it in a box for later. For now, there was nothing for her to do but lie here and wait for Dewdrop and whoever might be accompanying her to come along.
The day wore on. The wind blew and blew, each gust bringing with it a fresh layer of icy powder. The Templar agent glared through the scope of her gun, watching as the sparse few cars that dared brave the weather passed by below, ignorant of their hidden observer.
Then the wind changed direction and the agent stiffened. She sniffed at the air. Sniffed again.
The agent shook the snow off herself and took up a proper firing position, one elbow cocked out, the other arm steadying her rifle. She would know that scent anywhere.
A motorcycle rounded the corner in the far distance, nothing more than a cone of light.
The agent took in a breath of frigid air and held it. The rifle gleamed in her hands, unshaking and deadly as the plague. She looked through the scope one last time, finger curling around the trigger.
The motorcycle roared into view, breaking through the veil of falling snow like a battering ram. The agent caught a flash of dark leathers and black helmet with sea blue hair streaming behind the rider like a banner.
The agent smiled thinly. Gotcha.
Then she fired twice.
Dewdrop had been speeding along the empty road when she suddenly lost control of her bike. One moment her ride had been humming along, the next she was fighting for control. She wrenched the handlebars to the side and slammed on the brakes, but instead of the squeal of tires against asphalt there was the tortured screaming of metal scraping on road. Dewdrop barely had time to register that her tires had both burst before the bike flew off the highway, smashed through a wooden barrier and ploughed into a snowdrift.
Freezing powder invaded the top of Dewdrop’s leathers and the underside of her helmet, making her gasp. The visor cracked as her head was thrown against the handlebars. Her vision spun and she tasted blood.
Ow.
For the longest time Dewdrop lay in the snow, stunned and in a daze from the crash. Only when the stars in her eyes went away did the Assassin crawl out from under her bike and into the open air; luckily the heat from the engine had melted a large enough hole for her to get out without too much trouble. The rear wheel stuck up into the air, scraps of black rubber still clinging to the rim. From the looks of it the bike itself wasn’t damaged too badly, but without both tires she was going nowhere fast. At least the compartment which held the papers was still locked.
As Dewdrop moved to pull her bike out from the snow, something on the rim caught her eye: a narrow groove in the metal, as if something had augured its way through her ride and shredded the tire on its way through. Something like a drill… or a bullet.
Just before she had lost control of her bike, hadn’t there been a sound? An echoing crack like a gunshot? Dewdrop instinctively dropped down on her knees, making herself a smaller target if, as she suspected, there was a gunman. Her head and eyes swiveled all around but the falling snow was too thick for her to see any further than a few dozen meters in any direction.
This was bad. If the sniper was good enough to hit her bike while it was moving, they’d have no trouble killing her now that she was standing still.
However, Dewdrop still had one card left to play. Drawing a short, straight-edged sword from inside her jacket, the Assassin forced herself to calm down and focus. Gradually her heartbeat slowed and her vision darkened, taking away the flurries of snow and replacing them with a featureless dark expanse. When she looked back down at her hands, they were highlighted in blue. Dewdrop smiled to herself; it had taken years to master, but using eagle sense always gave her a faint thrill of triumph.
With any visual distractions removed, Dewdrop crouched behind her bike and peeked out at the road and the surrounding buildings. If the sniper was lining up another shot, she’d see him in bright red. But there was nothing but grey all around.
“You’re a hard woman to kill, Dewdrop,” a voice rang out from behind her. Dewdrop stiffened and spun on the spot, keeping her sword out and ready.
Not ten paces away was another woman all dressed in a tight, black outfit, all covered in straps and buckles. She had pale mauve skin and her green and brown hair fluttered in the snowy breeze. Her entire body was highlighted in a brilliant red. A heavy pistol hung on her belt next to a black crystal badge in the shape of the Templar cross.
“Mirror Match…” Dewdrop held back a snarl. Mirror Match was one of the Templars’ most prolific assassins. Originally an Assassin like Dewdrop, Mirror had switched sides abruptly after six years of flawless service to the Mentor. Why she had changed sides was still uncertain but Dewdrop didn’t really care; if she stood in the way, she would die like any other Templar would.
Mirror Match saw the glare on Dewdrop’s face and smiled. “Sorry about your bike, but it was either that or you, and I’d much prefer to deal with you in person.”
“I’ll kill you.”
“Articulate as always,” Mirror Match said, the smile not leaving her shapely face. “You haven’t changed at all.”
“Shut up.”
The Templar agent took a step forward, her arms outstretched like she wanted a hug. “My, my. You are in a bad mood, aren’t you? If I’d known you would be so cranky, I’d have bought you dinner first. It worked pretty well with Satin.”
“I said shut up!” Dewdrop roared, red mist filling her vision. She dashed forward, sword whirring at Mirror Match’s neck in a silver crescent.
Mirror Match took a step backward and the sword missed. Dewdrop felt the Templar’s boot crack into the side of her head and her helmet went flying. She recovered just in time to parry the blade of a trench knife that Mirror had drawn from her shoulder. Their weapons clashed together and they pushed against each other, but to Dewdrop’s dismay she was the one being forced back.
Dewdrop kicked at Mirror’s legs and she stumbled, giving Dewdrop the chance to go on the offensive. Mirror’s blocks were lightning fast but Dewdrop was unrelenting and eventually one of her strikes would break on through. Her sword sheared through a strap on the Templar’s leg, but didn’t draw blood.
Then Mirror headbutted her and Dewdrop was sent stumbling back. Mirror Match drew her gun and fired, the bullets crashing into the Assassin’s sword and tearing it from her hands. Dewdrop responded by unsheathing both her hidden blades and charging at the Templar, screaming bloody murder.
Mirror fired again but the bullet missed and Dewdrop was on her in an instant, twisting the gun from her hands and stabbing with her free arm. The Templar kneed her in the gut and they staggered apart. Blood trickled from a tiny cut on Mirror’s stomach, eliciting a small laugh from the killer.
“So, that’s the way it is...” she said softly. Dewdrop raised the gun to finish it, but before she could pull the trigger, Mirror Match leapt backwards and vanished.
Dewdrop blinked. What the hell?
She swiveled back and forth with the pistol. A sharp, throbbing pain was building up in her abdomen and the side of her face hurt from Mirror’s powerful kick. There was no way she’d be able to use eagle sense like this.
Then Mirror Match’s trench knife came whistling out of the snowstorm, the thin blade turning once in the air before embedding itself in Dewdrop’s right thigh with a sickening squelch and sending her down on one knee. The Assassin cried out in surprise and pain, but then Mirror Match came sprinting out of nowhere, juking left and right to avoid the remaining three bullets in Dewdrop’s gun.
Against her protesting body’s wishes, Dewdrop forced herself to stand. Both her hidden blades scythed at the Templar but she avoided them easily, seizing Dewdrop’s hand and using the exact same maneuver to twist the pistol from her hands. She followed up by firing three swift punches into Dewdrop’s side, each one making her black out for a second.
Dewdrop felt hopelessness overwhelm her; she knew she was outmatched. Mirror was just too fast, too skilled, and too strong for her to beat, and as if to prove it the Templar got her left arm in a lock and twisted it behind her back, pulling each muscle and tendon to the breaking point. The edges of Dewdrop’s vision began to darken as her consciousness slipped away from her with each passing second.
“Sorry it had to be this way,” she faintly heard Mirror Match say before the Templar agent pulled just that tiny bit harder and casually dislocated her arm.
White hot pain flared up in Dewdrop’s entire side and she screamed, but then Mirror Match chopped her on the neck with the blade of her palm and the Assassin knew no more.
Mirror Match observed the unconscious Assassin’s body for a few seconds before blinking. The girl had put up a decent enough fight, but in all honesty there hadn’t actually been any chance of her winning. The superficial cut on her belly had already stopped bleeding, and any further injuries would be gone before the hour was up.
No contest at all, really.
Ignoring Dewdrop for the time being, Mirror went over to the bike and used a skeleton key to open the storage compartment. A cursory glance confirmed what she had suspected: The Assassin had been transporting the papers from Cobalt’s office to the bureau in Trottingham. They were all still here, stacked neatly in spite of the crash. She nodded to herself with satisfaction and closed up the compartment.
It took fifteen more minutes to move both Dewdrop and the bike back to the abandoned block of flats where she had left her rifle, and ten minutes more to clean up the blood and bullet casings back at the site of the crash. By the time she had finished, Mirror was feeling much better about the whole thing. Soon she would be back at her penthouse in Manehattan, and out of this ridiculous outfit, and a couple hundred thousand dollars richer to boot.
Her car was parked in a side street, and after disassembling and stowing away her rifle she hurried inside, turning up the heat as far as it would go. She had already called the police to investigate a motorcycle crash, but it would be better if she wasn’t around to answer any of their questions. Mirror Match started the engine and called her boss.
“Sir,” she said as neutrally as she could.
“Mirror Match,” Her boss answered, his voice tinny and artificial on the speaker. “Is it done?”
“Yes, sir. Mission accomplished.”
“The Assassin is dead?” Her boss pronounced the word ‘Assassin’ as if saying it somehow made him unclean.
“Yes, sir. The Assassin is dead by my hand.”
“Good. And what about the papers? Do you have them?”
Mirror glanced back at the flats where she had left Dewdrop and her bike. “No, sir. The Assassin didn’t have them. I would guess that they were either destroyed or handed off to someone before I killed her.”
There was a disappointed pause from the other end of the phone, and Mirror Match smiled darkly as she imagined what her boss was thinking.
“…Very well, if that’s the way it is...” he said after a full minute. “If that’s all, then you can come back to Manehattan for debriefing. Payment will be wired to your account as usual.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Just get back here as soon as you can. We have much to do, and the Templars need you to do your part.” There was a click, and the line was cut.
Mirror Match sighed and put the phone away, pulling the car out onto the snowy road. Through the endless sea of white, she fancied she could hear the wail of sirens as the police closed in on her location. While she doubted Dewdrop would tell them what had really transpired, the Templar had made sure to disarm her and stow her hidden blades in her bike with the papers. With any luck, Dewdrop would be out of commission long enough for Wolfgang to finish his task in Canterlot.
Sleep well, Dewdrop. Tell dear Frigid I said hello.
The Trottingham bureau stood on its spot atop the hill, overlooking the sea, a phantom of the proud building it once was. Cracks and grime covered the cemented walls that hadn’t been cleaned in years, making the establishment look like it was abandoned. Two hooded figures stood on the roof of the bureau watching the surrounding area, while two more stood in the lobby, gazing at the sleeping city from the front doors.
Inside one of the planning rooms, two more Assassins hunched at a table covered with papers and pictures of documents taken from the young Velvet Breeze’s phone, and two cans of root beer. One Assassin slowly but methodically inspected the words on the pages while the other man flipped a revolver from one hand to another. Eventually he gave up and returned the gun to its holster; it was getting damnably cold in here and he was tired of standing up.
“Nothing…” Frigid Night tossed a photo he was holding to the ground, watching as the paper slowly floated down, resting on the ground face down. His partner, High Noon, didn’t blame him. They’d been poring over Velvet’s transmissions for a good half the night with nothing to show for it.
“How about that girl? Sunset Shimmer?” High Noon asked as he took a swig from his hip flask and bent to pick up the picture Frigid dropped, shivering pleasantly as the alcohol rushed through his system. “I mean, she seems rather important in the Templars’ grand scheme.”
Frigid picked up a report about Sunset Shimmer and shoved it in High Noon’s face. “Read it. It details what Sunset Shimmer does in her regular school day, but nothing important or even why they’re targeting her.”
“Huh…” High Noon sighed and sat down on a black swivel chair and spun once before stopping back at the table. He picked up a bag of chips and cut a hole in it with his hidden blade. “So did Velvet find anything useful, then?”
“Why don’t you read it yourself?” Frigid began walking to the door. “It’s all right here.”
Frigid Night inwardly fumed as he climbed the steps to his office, which he spent most of his recent days inside. Over three weeks they’d been stuck on this Sunset Shimmer case. Three weeks of sleepless nights and the Mentor constantly pressuring him to get to the bottom of it. He rubbed his eyes; now Dewdrop wasn’t even answering her phone. Knowing her, it was either out of battery from neglect or she was avoiding answering it just so she could go out drinking. He wasn’t too eager to see her himself, especially after that stunt she had pulled in Fillydelphia. Subtlety was something that Dewdrop seemed to lack or outright disregard; he’d never bothered to find out which.
There was someone outside the office when he got there. Frigid took one look at her and the lines in his face deepened. It had to be Keila of all people. Two inches shorter than him and wrapped sparsely from head to toe in bandages, the Saddle Arabian Assassin and Frigid had never gotten along, not even from day one.
“Good evening, lieutenant,” Keila said pointedly. She was the kind of person who could make even a prestigious title like ‘lieutenant’ sound like the lowest kind of insult.
“What do you want, Keila?” Frigid walked past her and pushed his door open. “As you can see, I’m busy, so if you have nothing useful to say, please leave.”
“Yes, I’m sure you’re so busy staying here at the bureau, while a child does all your fieldwork.”
“Well, unless you want me to pose as a student, it wasn’t going to work. Velvet’s the only one who could infiltrate that school and get what we need.” He would’ve shut the door behind him, but Keila jammed a foot in the space between the frame.
“You know just as well as I that there is more than one way to get intelligence from a school that doesn’t involve blending in with the students,” Keila hissed, her one visible eye shining angrily. “You know that, and you still sent Velvet off to Canterlot. Don’t you know that Wolfgang is there too?”
“We didn’t know that until she was on site, and she was the one who told us in the first place.” Frigid could do nothing about closing his door, so he just left it and headed to his desk. The Saddle Arabian Assassin followed him in, her knee length hair almost getting caught in the hinges. It was black from the waist down, then abruptly switched to a snowy white up to her head; a grim souvenir from two years ago at Masyaf.
“So now you know. Call her back,” Keila’s hands slammed on top of Frigid’s desk so hard that a container of pens toppled over. “By the sands, Frigid, she’s a child! Send someone who actually stands a chance!”
Frigid rubbed at his head as he thought about what Keila was telling him. “There’s one more thing, Keila. Sunset Shimmer. Velvet Breeze is the only one who can talk to her without raising too much suspicion. We need her there to find out why the girl’s so important.”
“Oh, for- We’re Assassins!” Keila finally exploded, storming up to the lieutenant close enough for him to smell the antiseptic cream on her bandaged face. “Blending in is what we do! Don’t give me some bullshit excuse about needing a kid to do your dirty work just because you’re afraid of running into Mirror Match!”
That was the breaking point. Hearing the name of the Assassin-turned-Templar had burst the formal conversation function in Frigid’s head. He shoved the chair away as he got up, looking down at the female Assassin. “Mirror Match has nothing to do with this! There is a reason Velvet is there and not us! She’s capable of handling herself in this situation!”
Keila sneered at the lieutenant and ran a finger along her scarred belly. “Yes, because when a child is more qualified for a mission than the second in command of all the Assassins, that really fills me with confidence. You’re heartless, soulless, and spineless, Frigid Night.”
“Yes. I am. Because I do what the Mentor has tasked me to do!” Frigid retorted. “Do you? Or do you just sit around the bureau, expecting pity from everyone else?”
“Says the one who was busy talking to a traitor when he should have been fighting alongside his brothers and sisters in Saddle Arabia! They fought and died for you, just like Velvet is doing now! Tell me, did you ever have a heart, or were you born with a chunk of ice inside?”
“I didn’t- wait. How did you know I met with Mirror before we came to Saddle Arabia? Who told you?” The lieutenant’s voice dropped to a low growl that was somehow even more frightening than a shout.
“I didn’t,” Keila said smugly. “You just did.”
Frigid could’ve slapped himself if he didn’t have more control. That was a rookie move, and he fell for the trick, hook, line, and sinker. He quickly regained his composure and glared at her. “Well, it’s not your problem!”
With a final look of derision, Keila snorted and patted a loose strip of linen back into place. “You disgust me. If you had even the slightest shred of honor, you’d go to the Mentor right now and tell Velvet to withdraw. Otherwise those scars of yours are nothing more than badges of shame, and your friend gave his life to save a coward.”
Frigid Night instinctively put a finger to the scar on his right cheek, where a bomb blast had left a deep furrow in the flesh. He had been lying at the bottom of a pit, drugged by Mirror Match, and only the timely intervention of a good friend and senior Assassin had saved his life. The experience had left that friend fatally wounded and Frigid’s face moderately scarred, condemned to be reminded of Mirror’s treachery every time he looked into a mirror.
Frigid felt his pulse rise: for all he cared, Keila could insult him until she ran out of words, but no one dishonored Dust Fencer. Before he knew it both of his hidden blades were out, eight inches of deadly steel ready to strike into Keila’s body. “You take that back.”
Quick as lightning, the female Assassin’s knives appeared in her hands. “Make me.”
Before either one could strike the other, a pair of green hands had pushed their blades aside before Morning Blade appeared in between them.
“Enough,” she said firmly. “We shouldn’t be fighting each other. Please, I know I’m not as experienced as you two, but we need to focus our anger against the Templars instead. What would everyone else think if they saw this?”
Frigid blinked a few times before stepping back and stowing his blades. Morning was right; he had let a pointless argument get the better of him. What would the Mentor have said if he had indeed injured Keila? He grudgingly backed down and smoothed out his coat before returning to his seat by his desk.
“I’m sorry, Keila,” he said after a short moment of silence. “But do not speak of Dust Fencer like that ever again. A great man’s name should never be slandered by someone like you.”
Keila stowed her knives but the look on her face remained as hostile as ever. “Don’t you dare lecture me on honoring the dead,” She spun on her heel and stepped toward the exit. “Not when you’re sending children off to die in your place.” And with that parting shot, Keila left the office, nodding curtly to Morning Blade on her way out.
Frigid leaned back against his chair and sighed, suddenly feeling very old. Keila really couldn’t let a day go by without having some sort of argument with him. He was already doing the best he could, trying to find out what the Templars were up to but for all the good it was doing he may as well be trying to beat a brick wall at tennis.
“Morning,” Frigid asked his former apprentice hesitantly. “Do you think sending Velvet out there was a bad idea?”
Morning Blade shrugged. “It doesn’t matter what I think,” she said with the usual stiffness that her voice reverted to whenever he asked her opinion. “If the Mentor thinks it’s what has to happen, then that’s the way it is.”
Frigid nodded and went back to work, not noticing the sadness that crept into Morning’s eyes. “That’s good,” he said after a while. “At least I can count on you to do what’s right for the Assassins. Too many people around here seem to forget that Velvet wanted to go on this mission too; nobody’s forcing her to do this.”
“If you say so, Frigid.”
Morning Blade wiped the doubtful look off her face before Frigid could see it, but whether it was some kind of instinct or just good guessing, the Assassin lieutenant’s shoulders slumped even lower, as though the weight of the world were on his back.
Please come back safely, Velvet, Morning Blade pleaded silently. If you don’t, this whole bureau is going to fall apart.
Sunset Shimmer made her way through Canterlot High’s front doors, heading straight for the canteen to meet the rest of the Rainbooms. Last night, they had all agreed to meet in school an hour early today to go over their exam notes, just in case someone had conveniently forgotten to take any notes at all. She pushed open the windowed doors to the cafeteria and headed to the table where her friends were already seated at.
Rarity was already busy explaining to Rainbow Dash a long math equation by the time Sunset put her bag down. “Hey, girls.”
“Good morning, Sunset. Uhh… and not like that Rainbow…” Rarity sighed as she pointed at a variable. “First, you have to multiply this one by itself before you can add it to ‘x’ and ‘z’.”
“Ugh!” Rainbow threw her hands up into the air before dropping her head into her arms. “I’m never going to get this done! Mr. Bray is going to have my head! And the rest of me!”
“That sounds kinda wrong…” Applejack snorted into her textbook.
“Yeah…” Fluttershy said behind a monstrous stack of notes. “It’s not a nice image.”
“Whatever!” Rainbow groaned. “How am I going to get past this week? How am I going to survive?” She punctuated this statement with an index finger pointed at the side of her head.
“Maybe that’s why you shoulda’ studied before exam week, Rainbow?” Applejack rolled her eyes and directed a hand at the athlete.
Rainbow’s only response was to slip off her seat and onto the floor while glaring at the farm girl. “I know your thing is honesty, AJ, just for once… I wish you’d try lying to make me feel better.”
“I can help make you feel better, Rainbow!” Pinkie popped up under the table with her. She pulled her party cannon closer with a large grin on her face.
“Pinkie, I don’t think-”
A loud pop under the table sent the girls jumping back as Rainbow rolled out, confetti strewn all over her head. Pinkie loomed over Rainbow’s prone form, grinning from ear to ear. “Feel better yet, Dashie?”
“Uhh… a little,” she replied before sitting herself up. “But it’s not going to help me with the exams!” She grabbed her head and bent forward. “What am I going to do? Rarity, how do you do it? Even in computer class? How?”
“Avoiding a beating comes to mind…” Rarity left her rainbow haired friend to wallow for the time being and scooted closer to Sunset. "Sunset, dear. How are you feeling? Are you sure you're up for the exams now?"
"I'd prefer to get them over with now," Sunset explained. "It's either that or come back during the holidays to take them. Besides, I'm fine. I had the whole weekend to rest up."
"How about your studying? You lost time over the weekend to revise your notes."
"I'll manage." Sunset gave her friends a reassuring smile. Truthfully, Sunset felt she wasn't exactly ready, but she didn't want her friends to worry about her. Besides, what were a few midterms next to what she’d gone through at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns?
From behind Applejack, a green-skinned boy with brown hair tied up in a ponytail swaggered over from another table and looked around a bit before walking around to Rainbow's position on the floor. "Hey, boss. Mind if I borrow your notes? Uhhh... Lightning needs them. Yeah. That's right."
Rainbow Dash squinted at him. “Lightning Rain studies more than the rest of the baseball team put together. I don’t think he needs my notes, Jetstream.”
“Not to mention ya don’t have any notes,” Applejack muttered with a smirk.
“But then how am I- I mean Lightning, how’s Lightning going to pass the midterms now?”
While Jetstream and Rainbow argued in hushed voices, another boy wearing a baseball jacket sauntered up to the sports captain.
“Yo Jets,” he said, looking rather bored. “You done bothering Rainbow about your ‘lost’ notes yet? I’m pretty sure she’s got better things to do than listen to your tall tales at a time like this.”
Pinkie scratched her head, making the final folds on an origami crane that she’d been making with one of her quizzes. “But I thought Jetstream said they were for you?” The boy in question made hushing motions at Pinkie as she spoke, but the damage was done.
"Oh, did you now, Jets?" Lightning folded his arms and stared down at the other boy. "I figured you'd pull something like that."
"Well... You... You shut your face!" Jetstream shot before running out of the cafeteria as though he had just hit a homerun.
"Sorry, captain," Lightning said before turning around. "You know how that guy is." He jerked a thumb back to his own table. “I’m going to go back to work. Good luck on the midterms, Rainbow.”
After Lightning Rain left, Rainbow squeezed back into her spot and tossed a piece of gum into her mouth. “Wait, why’d he only wish me good luck?”
"Maybe ‘cause you're the only one that needs it?" Applejack suggested with a grin.
“You’re really pushing it, AJ.”
Sunset Shimmer set her pile of books down on the table before pulling the chair out to sit on it. The first two exams had gone by rather smoothly, for herself at least. Rainbow Dash sat next to her, her head hidden underneath her hands as a low groan emerged from her mouth, interlaced with muffled swears and halfhearted wishes of doom upon the poor soul whose idea it had been to have midterms.
Other than the small sounds, the rest of the library was quiet. A few other students populated the place, textbooks and notes in front of them, their eyes busily trying to take in everything they could before their next exam. Although, Sunset did spy one kid with long white hair and a cap, sitting by a computer with some kind of video open, trying to hold back his laughter before hurriedly shutting it off as Mr. Wolfgang stalked past. The inspector glanced in the Rainbooms’ general direction before disappearing into a shadowed alcove.
"Rainbow, you should really get studying," Rarity lectured as she watched the athlete despair. "At least get some material in."
"Well, she wouldn't be in this mess if she had just taken her notes an' stuff," Applejack reminded the others again.
"Applejack, seriously!" Rainbow shot her head up, a snarl on her lips. "I get it. I didn't take notes, but can you stop rubbing it in my face?"
"Alright, alright," Applejack said, moving her hands, trying to get Rainbow to calm down. "Ah'm sorry. ah didn't mean to upset ya like that."
Rainbow eventually lowered her shoulders and relaxed back in her chair. "It's fine. I'll just make sure to revise right now. Rarity, what'cha got for me?"
Sunset turned to Fluttershy as her rainbow haired friend got to her review. "So, Fluttershy? How were the first exams? Shouldn't be a problem for you, right?"
"I hope so," the timid girl said as she pushed some stray hair behind her ear. "I mean, I studied, but I won't know how well I did until they give it back to us."
"But, Fluttershy! You always do soooo well!" Pinkie suddenly burst through a stack of books, knocking it all down to the ground with a loud thud. "Oopsie."
"Sssssh!" Ms. Cheerilee hissed over from a nearby shelf. “Do keep your volume down, Ms. Pie.”
“Sorry!” Pinkie whispered back. She sat back down and immediately pulled out her history book to study for her next exam. “Guys, how’s the study for history coming?”
“Not bad,” Applejack said as she flipped to the next page. “It’s just all these historical events that happen elsewhere. Why do we need to know all that? ‘Specially the ones in the East. Why do we need to learn about the East?”
“I think it’s an interesting topic,” Fluttershy began. "During the Mareji period, Shogun Dragonskin declared war against Emperor Sunrise. If not for his great tactician, Scarlet Lily, Dragonskin would've won."
"Yeah... Okay. Which part of rememberin' that is interestin'?" Applejack asked.
"C'mon, AJ," Sunset tried to help. "Don't you think history is amazing? What happened if Dragonskin had won that day? Things would be different. Maybe even for us."
Rarity seemed to agree, but Rainbow Dash simply blew a raspberry and said, “Eggheads,” in a stage whisper. “Why’s it even matter to us anyway? They lived a hundred years ago! All of them are probably dead anyway.”
“If you recall, Rainbow, the Dazzlings were over a thousand years old and they still managed to do a significant amount of damage.”
“Psh, that’s ‘cause they were magical beings.” Rainbow Dash was still unimpressed. “As if this Scarlet Lily is still alive today.”
“Actually,” Fluttershy flipped through her notes enthusiastically, pointing out one neatly penned line. “It’s said in Eastern myth that Scarlet Lily vanished near the end of the Mareji period, and that her disappearance led to the downfall of the dynasty! I forget exactly what year she’s said to have disappeared during, though… I think the reference book’s over there?” As quietly as she could, the pink haired girl left her seat and tiptoed to a nearby shelf which held the ‘Eastern History’ section.
Sunset returned to work when a startled yelp came from Fluttershy’s direction. She looked up to see her friend looking at her while pointing a finger at something beyond the shelf. Sunset had no idea what Fluttershy wanted, but when she continued to point, Sunset shrugged and got up, walking over to see what the big deal was. After turning her head around the bookshelf, Sunset noticed someone in a dirty white hoodie, half-sitting, half-lying motionless at a table in an isolated corner.
“Is she…?” If Fluttershy’s voice had gone any higher, it could have been used as a dog whistle.
“No, she can’t be…” Sunset slowly made her way towards the still body. Getting close enough, she noticed the familiar tangled teal and gray hair and V shaped hairclip of the same girl who Sunset had caught scraping at her door two days prior. She slowly lowered one hand in front of Velvet Breeze’s face and was relieved to feel the warm draught of her breath.
Sunset let out a sigh of relief after realizing Velvet was just asleep. She had noticed how tired the poor girl had looked for the past week, so she let her be. Waking her would only take away what little time to rest she had that wasn’t already being stolen by her mysterious job.
I really should have asked about that on Saturday.
"It's fine, Fluttershy." Sunset waved with a hand. "Velvet's just sleeping. I think she really deserves it."
"Yeah, she looked really zoned out when she was at your house the other day. I hope she's alright..."
"Well, we should get back to studying." Sunset looked up to the clock on the wall. "We've got ten more minutes before lunch break is over."
“So what was that all about?” Applejack lowered her pen and yawned. “Couldn’t find the book ya wanted?”
"I have it," Fluttershy whispered as she lifted a book for Applejack to see. "It's just Velvet Breeze. She's sleeping back there."
“Y’all sound awful relieved about that.”
“Well, at least she’s not dead,” Sunset muttered before she could stop herself.
"Say what now?" Applejack tilted her hat and looked back at the shelf. Even Pinkie stopped her antics to stare at Sunset. “I must'a misheard ya…” the farm girl said with a nervous laugh. “For a second Ah thought ya said ya expected Velvet to be dead.”
"Oh dear." Rarity put a hand to her mouth, momentarily distracted from her review with Rainbow. "You haven't told them, Sunset?"
"Told us what?"
“Princess Twilight wrote back over the weekend,” Sunset explained. She retrieved the journal from her bag and opened it to show her friends. “Starting from last Tuesday, I asked Twilight if she could find Velvet Breeze’s pony counterpart in Equestria.”
Pinkie’s eyes were wide as saucers. “Did she?”
Sunset looked grimly at Rarity and Fluttershy. “She did. Or rather, she found Equestria Velvet’s tombstone in the Canterlot Castle Memorial. She’s been dead for over a year.”
The temperature of the library seemed to drop ten degrees. Pinkie’s hair went flat almost instantly and Applejack’s Stetson fell off her head as she jumped back in shock.
"So the question is..." Sunset paused for a moment. "Who is this girl?"
"Why is that?" Rainbow asked, the topic interesting her more than the exams. "Could be that she's dead there but alive here. I mean, I've never met a human Twilight or Sunset here. Who knows? Maybe they're dead here."
There was the sound of all the air in Rainbow’s lungs being expelled at once as Rarity slapped her on the back with a rolled up bundle of papers. “Rainbow Dash! What a thing to say!”
"What?" Rainbow complained as she rubbed her back. "I was just... shooting in the dark! That’s how it was in Con Mane vs. Daring Do: Bonds Across Space and Time!"
"This is not a movie, Rainbow!" Rarity spun a finger in front of her face. "Don't say that about people. We should get back to your review. That's more important."
"But your favourite actress was in that movie. Didn't you see it? I mean, sure, I think Sunflower is a much better actor, but Ebony Wings is still pretty good."
Rarity really looked like she wanted to talk about her, but she was using a considerable amount of willpower to say no. "As much as I want to talk about Ebony Wings, Rainbow, you need to review!"
Sunset returned her attention to the others as Rarity got back to making sure Rainbow knew her material. "Well, whatever the case, Rainbow did make a good point. If this Velvet is the real Velvet, then we have nothing to worry about!"
"Yeah... I never considered that," Fluttershy replied. She looked gratefully to her childhood friend. "Guess Rainbow could be right."
Sunset nodded, but still believed there was something more to Velvet Breeze than she was letting on. Whether she was the real Velvet or not, Sunset was confident that the girl was hiding something from them, and she was going to find out what. Assuming she didn’t die before then, as morbid as that thought might be. While Rainbow Dash’s theory was plausible, there were too many similarities between this world and Equestria for her to believe that Velvet’s death back home was completely innocuous.
Before she got back to her notes again the bell rang, indicating it was time for their next exam.
"Noooooo! Already?" Rainbow grasped at her head. "I haven't memorized everything yet!"
“Aw, don’t sweat it Dashie! Just wing it!” Pinkie giggled as they joined the throng of students flooding out of the library. “Heehee… wing it. Get it? Because when we use magic, we have- Mmph!”
Sunset clapped a hand over her friend’s mouth before she could finish her joke. She didn’t know why, but all of a sudden she had been overcome with a sensation of extreme uneasiness, almost like that one she got from Velvet’s stares, but far more nauseating. From her idle letters to Princess Twilight, they’d theorized that even when a pony crossed over to this world, not all of their magic was lost; what she’d been feeling recently might have been the equivalent of a sixth sense, warning her of impending danger.
She hoped to Celestia she was wrong.
Wolfgang went around the back of the school campus and made sure no one else was around before he whipped his phone out. It was late enough for the sun to be nearing the horizon, but sometimes he still spied a few kids roaming the grounds so he could never be too careful. And that pesky Mr. Pierce, the computer teacher. Wolfgang wasn't sure why, but that man never did seem to ever leave school. Due to his position as an inspector, he had plenty of reason to stay long after the last bell, but no matter how long he waited, Vice-Principal Luna and that Mr. Pierce always outstayed him. It rankled him to no end, but at least there didn’t seem to be any Assassins about. Saddle Arabia had really put a dent in their numbers.
He adjusted his Templar badge as he waited for the chairman to pick up the phone. His assignment here had been incredibly boring, but it was almost over. Only a few more school days remained before the winter holidays, and then he would be able to return to Manehattan and perhaps do something more exciting.
Wolfgang heard the single click as someone on the other end picked up the call. "Wolfgang. Report."
"Hello, chairman," he said as properly as he could. "I believe I've gotten just about everything I can out of the school, but neither Celestia or Luna has a single thing to say about that girl. Not even threatening to fire them has gotten anything valuable about Ms. Sunset Shimmer out of them. In fact, it’s my personal opinion that neither of them actually know anything of use to us.”
“But,” Wolfgang continued. “I overheard that Shimmer girl and her friends talking in the library today, about magic and other worlds and a whole bunch of things that I think the, uh, big man would find extremely interesting... I think it's time to take the next step." His boss couldn't see it, but Wolfgang turned his mouth into a devilish smirk.
"Very well, if you have no other alternative. Capture her if she's alive. If not... kill her."
Wolfgang took a step backwards after hearing that last statement. Did I hear that right? He cleared his throat before confirming it with his boss, "Sir, could you repeat that? I must've misheard you earlier."
There was an audible sigh on the other end before the Templar spoke. "Capture her, and bring her to us. Everything the Templar Order has been planning over the ages hinges on this. Do not disappoint us."
"That's what I thought you said, sir." This was it. This was the green light for Wolfgang to enact his plan. He'd been waiting for it ever since arriving at the school. Still, he wouldn't get to kill anyone, but kidnapping was another of his specialties after all. "It will be done, chairman. You can be sure of it."
"I'll be counting on you, Wolfgang. Make sure I'm right to do so."
With everything said, Wolfgang ended the call and stowed his phone as he strolled back to the front of the school building. He smiled to himself once more before walking the short distance to his car.
Very well then, Sunset Shimmer. Wolfgang pulled out of the school’s carpark and lit up a foul cigar. Soon enough it won’t matter how well you’re hiding everything. I’ll bring you in and finally, there will be no lies. The inspector took a long drag of his smoke and almost laughed with fiendish glee. His charade was almost at an end, his organization was about to triumph, and not an Assassin in sight. All was right with the world.
For Sunset Shimmer, exam week was no straight, neatly-paved road. Despite what she’d told Rarity on Monday, the midterms still managed to throw more than a few curveballs at her, reaching back to lessons which had surely been behind the recent surge in coffee sales down at the local cafe. Former unicorn or not, Sunset had no intention of relying on prior knowledge of this world to get by. After Monday’s exams, she and the rest of the Rainbooms had rallied to Rarity’s house and organized a last-minute study session. Surprisingly, Fluttershy of all people had taken charge, delegating subjects and practice questions late into the night with a ferocity that they had, up until now, assumed was reserved for misbehaving animals. Even Rainbow Dash cancelled that week’s sports events to follow the plan.
With the schedule even dictating their sleeping and waking times, Sunset had little time in between to do anything but study and eat, much less ponder the not-so-subtle change in behaviour from Mr. Wolfgang. The inspector now seemed to show up with alarming frequency, being present in nearly every single one of her exams and camping at the rear of the room, often with a slice of chocolate cake which he would devour noisily and messily. Sunset would feel his eyes boring into the back of her head, but refused to let her nerves get the better of her. In this uphill battle, every single stroke of her pen counted against the multi-headed beast of midterms, and it was with no small satisfaction that on Friday afternoon that Sunset finally capped her pen and walked out into the frigid air.
She chuckled as Pinkie Pie leapt up into the air with a big whoop, throwing all her books above her head and watching them land on the ground a second before their owner did.
“Exams are OVER!” Pinkie announced to the world.
"Hold yer horses, Pinkie," Applejack grabbed the back of the hyperactive girl's sweater before she could go anywhere.
Sunset walked out behind them, glad that the exams were indeed over. It had been a somewhat tough week, but they'd all made it through. Even her rainbow haired friend had given up on complaining after the third day.
"Nightmare slain!" Rainbow cheered as she walked triumphantly outside, arms outstretched and a cocky grin etched on her face. "Holidays, here we come! We gotta celebrate!" The rest of the band laughed; while calling midterms a nightmare was a bit of an exaggeration, the suggestion to celebrate was a sentiment everyone shared.
"Hot chocolate, guys?" Pinkie shook excitedly. "To Sugarcube Corner, hoooooooooooo!" And she charged off, leaving the other five girls in the dust.
The distance to the small cafe wasn't far, and the girls soon found themselves seated at one of the tables, their drinks already ordered and steaming.
“So what are you all doing over the holidays?” Sunset asked the others in between sips of her cinnamon flavored drink. "I think we should plan to do at least one thing together."
"Well, Ah'll definitely be here workin' out the farm," Applejack put an arm on the table. “Spiced apple cider’s one of our best sellin’ winter goods, an’ Ah figure with this sorta weather, it’ll sell even better this year,” she finished with a contented nod.
“And I’ll have some clothes to make,” Rarity put a hand under her chin and smiled. “I’ll be sure to have some fashionable winter get-ups all ready for the holidays! I’ll have so much more free time to create!”
"Another thing..." Sunset looked around the cafe before leaning in closer to her friends. It seemed a little unfair to bring this up now, but she would rather get it all over with so she could enjoy the break in peace. "Have you noticed Mr. Wolfgang during the exams? I think he was following me."
"As if anyone could miss the sound of that man scoffing cake in the middle of an exam," Rarity said, eyes narrowed. “It was most distracting.”
“Yeah!” Pinkie agreed, nodding so hard her face became a pink blur. “If I’d known Wolfey was such a noisy-pants, I wouldn’t have sold him the cake at all!”
“I dunno…” Sunset shrugged. “I just have this… really bad feeling.”
“Well, let’s not ruin the start of our holidays with all this talk!” Rainbow slammed a palm on the table, startling her soft-pink haired friend. “Let’s talk about celebration! Where should we go? AJ’s place? I vote yes!”
“Thanks for invitin’ yourself, Rainbow…” Applejack joked. “But yeah. We can use my place. It’s the biggest after all.”
“Woohoo! Slumber party at Applejack’s place!” Pinkie grinned and slurped up the rest of her hot chocolate in a single gulp. “Shall I run home and grab my balloons? Ooh, ooh! Maud got me this amazing new boardgame last week! Great idea, girls! I’ll see you in a biiiiiiit!” Pinkie had run off before finishing her last word. Sunset listened to it trail off as the party planner disappeared out the front door and past their window at speeds that would have made a professional sprinter’s jaw drop.
“I guess boardgames are going to be a thing tonight.” Rainbow put her hands behind her head and leaned back in the cushioned seat, smiling like a cat. “Anyone feel like taking me on?”
“Ah’m always up for a challenge,” Applejack smiled confidently. “‘Specially one where everyone’s around to see me win.”
“You’re on, AJ!” Both girls grappled each other’s hands with a loud smack. Suddenly, it turned into an arm wrestling match as each one tried to push the other’s arm down.
“Honestly…” Rarity sighed exasperatedly and drew back as she watched their two friends’ contest.
The other Rainbooms had a good time cheering both of them on, making all sorts of sounds whenever one of them was pushed lower. Eventually it ended in a draw, both vowing to pick it up again later on.
"Good try, Applejack," Rainbow said and pretended to dust off her sleeves. "But next time, I'll make sure to end it quick."
"Keep tellin' yourself that, Rainbow."
After finishing their drinks, the Rainbooms headed out of Sugarcube Corner, making their way to Sweet Apple Acres for their post-exam party. The cold air stung refreshingly at their exposed skin as the five bandmates chatted excitedly about their plans for the rest of the day, subjects ranging from slumber party ideas to speculations about what their teachers and classmates would get up to over the break. Sunset thought briefly back to Velvet Breeze before dismissing the idea. Now that the holidays had started, the odds of running into that girl and her quite honestly creepy behaviour were one in a million.
"Applejack, you've got that new Neighstation Six right?" Rainbow asked eagerly, walking astride the farm girl. "Instead of arm wrestling, let's have a showdown on Field Fighter! That'll prove who's the most awesome!"
“You’re sure ya wanna take me on?” Applejack chortled good-naturedly. She brushed a small pile of snow off the front of her hat and caught a flake on the end of her tongue. “Ya do realize Ah got home field advantage, right?”
“Wouldn’t be a fair fight if you didn’t have it. You’re looking at the three-time winner of the annual Cloudsdale Field Fighter Tourney here!”
Applejack and Rainbow Dash lead the group forward, talking all about how each of them was going to destroy the other with a set of combos that Sunset had no knowledge about. The former unicorn just stuck to the back, helping Fluttershy and Rarity compile a list of all the homework they’d been assigned over break. In the past, she would do a bit here and there whenever she felt like it, but in the wake of their midterm revision scheme, Rarity had insisted on asking for Fluttershy’s input on the best possible method of getting it done.
“I try to finish all of it as quickly as possible…” Fluttershy told them. “That way, I have more time to do the things I want to do.”
"Gee, Flutters," Sunset was genuinely impressed; first the study plan and now this. It would seem that even now, there was more to these girls than met the eye. “I didn’t know you were such a diligent person.”
Fluttershy’s face went five shades of red and ducked her chin into her scarf. “Uh… umm… thanks. I just like to have more time to help out at the animal shelter that it just sort of happened.” Nevertheless, Sunset noted that the timid girl seemed to stand just a little straighter.
"Perhaps we should get a start on it today," Rarity suggested as they crossed a traffic light. "That way we'll get it done in no time, and be able to spend the rest of the holidays as we like!"
"Uhhh... I don't think it's possible to finish all of it in one day. Even with Fluttershy's help. Trust me, I’ve seen the book we have to read."
"That's a shame..." Rarity looked rather disappointed. "We shall at least try to, right?"
Sunset put a hand onto her friend’s faux-fur trimmed shoulder and smiled. "Sure we will."
Rarity said something in response, but Sunset didn’t hear it. A sudden chill had overtaken her body, a chill that had nothing to do with the sub-zero weather. Sunset’s hands pulled her jacket tighter, uneasily thinking back to their study session in the library on Monday. She slowed down, taking deeper breaths at the same time.
“Umm, Sunset?” Fluttershy asked, noticing her friend’s distress. “Are you alright? You’re so pale.”
“It’s nothing,” Sunset put up what she hoped was a reassuring smile, but the effect was somewhat spoiled by the sight of a familiar and ugly wool sweater on the street ahead. Its wearer was making his way through the other pedestrians toward them, hands in pockets and a serious expression on his face.
“Ms. Shimmer," he grinned after stopping inches away from Sunset and her friends. "I need to have a quick word with you. Will you follow me, please?"
It sounded more like an order than a question, but Sunset didn't budge one step. “Anything you want to tell me, you can say right here.” She regarded the inspector warily. His crystalline cross badge was reflecting the afternoon sun, making it hard to look at him.
"Are you sure, Ms. Shimmer?" Mr. Wolfgang pulled his hands out of his pockets and rubbed them together. "Because what I want to say regards... Equestria." This last word hung around the girl’s face in a cloud of tobacco scented fog.
“E-Equestria?” Sunset was stunned. How did the inspector know about her world? Did Principal Celestia finally cave in? Or was he something else entirely, like a messenger from back home? Perhaps that had been why he’d come to CHS in the first place and she’d completely misjudged him.
"Yes. Equestria. Now unless you want people on the streets listening in on this conversation, perhaps you would like to follow me."
The group made a move to go with Mr. Wolfgang, but he held up his hand. “Just Sunset for now."
"What? But she's our friend," Rarity narrowed her eyes at the bespectacled inspector.
“I’ve been given strict instructions,” Mr. Wolfgang insisted. “Princess Twilight’s orders.”
“Psst.” Rainbow Dash leaned in close behind Sunset’s ear. “Didn’t Twilight say she didn’t know who this guy was?”
“Of course she would say that,” Mr. Wolfgang said, demonstrating an exceptional sense of hearing. “I’m a secret agent. I was hoping to give you this message at school, but since I’m out of time, I’ll have to give it to you now. So, if you’d kindly follow me…”
"Sunset, I don't know..." Fluttershy shook behind Sunset.
"It's fine, guys." Sunset took a step away from the group. "If it’s that important for Princess Twilight to send a secret messenger, of course I’ll go."
"Smart choice, Ms. Shimmer." Wolfgang pretended to bow and motioned with a hand. "Right this way, please."
“You girls go on ahead,” Sunset waved to her bandmates. “I’ll catch up with you at Sweet Apple Acres.” Her friends didn’t look too happy with the arrangement, but started off again anyway.
Mr. Wolfgang led her down a side road, one which wasn’t one of Sunset’s usual routes to school. Every now and then he would glance over his shoulder at her, as if to check she was still following along. They walked together for a good five minutes before Mr. Wolfgang finally motioned for her to stop. Sunset brushed a bit of snow off her shoulders and looked around; they were in front of an incomplete building, one which she remember being mentioned in the papers as an over budget condominium that the city council had stopped funding. Clearly it was already being torn down; only a few floors of the structure were left, ugly grey walls and exposed steel beams jutting out like weeds.
“So, uh, what’s the message?” Sunset’s eyes darted about uneasily; aside from a stray cat, it was just her and the inspector. All of a sudden this didn’t seem like such a good idea.
This hunch was further cemented by Mr. Wolfgang smiling and walking in a half circle around her, coincidentally blocking the passage that they had only just come through. In the pallid light that filtered through the clouds, the man’s expression seemed almost hungry.
“Ah, the message. Well, I’m afraid I haven’t quite been truthful with you, Miss Shimmer.” Sunset’s blood turned to ice and she took a step back as Mr. Wolfgang reached into his sweater and drew out a compact black pistol, pointing it directly at her chest. “The message isn’t from Princess Twilight or whatever code name you’re using, but I still do have a message for you.” His finger tightened on the trigger. “You’re coming with me. Whether you’re conscious or not when we get in the car is up to you.”
Sunset balled her fists. How could she have been so stupid? One mention of Twilight’s name and she’d lowered all her defenses, letting this creep get the upper hand. Backing away, she looked about for a means of escape, but Mr. Wolfgang had chosen his ambush site well; every other way out of this lot was blocked off by heavy-duty construction materials, and she doubted she would get any further than a few steps before this man’s bullet caught up with her. Again the lack of magic in this world was thrust upon her; if this had been back in Equestria she would have fried him with a spell, or more simply, just teleported away.
With no other options, Sunset Shimmer did the only thing she could. She raised her hands and took another step back. Her foot bumped into the first step of the unfinished building.
“You have five seconds to decide,” Mr. Wolfgang called, his hand unwavering and firm on his weapon. “Five, four, three, two, one!”
Sunset threw herself flat as Wolfgang’s first shot whistled over her back, slamming into the exposed concrete above. Looking up, the girl saw the inspector cursing and pulling back the slide on his gun, readying it for another shot.
Her heart racing at a hundred miles an hour, Sunset pushed herself up and sprinted into the shadowy depths of the incomplete apartment.
This is insane.
The thought raced through Sunset’s head even as she scrambled through the remains of the lobby. A school inspector, gunning for her in the middle of Canterlot? She vaulted over a portable cement mixer and winced as her knee scraped across the craggy floor. The concrete had ripped through her leggings and Sunset could feel the spot begin to sting.
She also heard the furious growl of Mr. Wolfgang as he entered after her. “You can’t run from me!”
“The hell I can’t,” Sunset panted. She grabbed a pillar and used it to turn the corner just as a second shot drilled through the spot her back had been occupying milliseconds earlier.
Even though she knew she would be wasting precious seconds, she slowed herself down to glance back. The shot had left a wet stain on the wall, and the remains of some kind of feathered dart lay splintered on the ground. It would appear that Wolfgang needed her alive. That suited Sunset just fine; small comfort that it was, at least the maniac wasn’t trying to kill her.
“Come back here, damn you!”
The inspector’s cries hot on her heels, Sunset Shimmer found the stairs to the second floor and took them two at a time. A third dart streaked past her leg; Wolfgang was already at the foot of the stairs and reloading for a fourth. Sunset willed herself to go faster.
There was a plastic container of ball bearings at the second storey landing and she kicked them down the stairs, rewarded moments later by the sound of her pursuer slipping and falling back down. Sunset allowed herself a half smile before dashing into the depths of the second floor, hoping there was another way down from here.
A stitch was growing in Sunset’s side by the time she barrelled the third doorway, only to find that it opened onto a windowless room like the previous two.
“Come on, come on!” Sunset’s breathing was hoarse in her ears and her entire leg had tiny rivulets of blood running down it. With a jab of terror, she saw Wolfgang’s hand grasp the doorless frame and she took off running again. She was painfully aware of how loud her footfalls were now.
The fourth doorway opened onto the elevator shaft. To Sunset’s dismay, the hole continued down below ground level, making it an impossible jump. Without a second thought she hurled herself at the plastic orange maintenance ladder that hung down from the next floor. For one heart-stopping moment it looked like she would fall short. Then her fingers wrapped around the lowest rung and Sunset found herself dangling over the yawning pit, heart hammering.
The sound of Wolfgang’s footfalls getting louder added strength to Sunset’s arms and she forced herself to pull her body up. Grabbing the next rung, the terrified girl repeated the process, not daring to look down for fear of seeing Wolfgang aiming his gun at her.
By the time Sunset’s upper half emerged on the third floor, her shirt and jacket were streaked with various oils and dust and her hair was in the kind of disarray that would have given Rarity an aneurysm. Sunset didn’t care. She hauled herself up the final few rungs and lay there wheezing, sweat now running down her face in thin streams.
As soon as she could breathe properly again, Sunset stood up shakily and looked around. What she saw was not comforting at all. She was standing on an almost featureless flat platform with only a scant few walls and pillars to decorate it. A jackhammer and various toolboxes lay about, abandoned for the day by the builders. A heavy tarp was stretched overhead, preventing the snow from getting in.
“Crap,” Sunset muttered. She had been hoping that there would be another way down from up here; as useful as the ladder had been, it was a one way trip- there was no way she could make the jump from the ladder back to the second floor, even if Wolfgang wasn’t following her up the shaft right now.
Thinking about the madman made her glance back to the elevator shaft. She hadn’t been lying there for that long, but surely a grown man like him could climb up much faster than she could?
Sunset steeled herself and edged back toward the hole. Peeking over the rim, she was surprised to find the ladder completely untouched. A further inspection revealed that not only was the ladder an emergency tool, it was also retracted up. Sunset easily located the catch and watched the ladder slide all the way down the first floor elevator opening.
Then she heard a metallic click from behind her and instinctively rolled to the left at the same time that something tugged at her scarf. She cried out and tugged at the length of fabric, her hands brushing the feathery end of the dart which had become tangled up so close to her neck. Sunset threw the scarf to the floor and stood up just in time to see Wolfgang’s pistol leveled at her heart.
“Nowhere left to run, it seems,” Wolfgang’s face was a mask of pure, evil amusement. He aimed the gun higher and huffed, “You’ve really become quite an inconvenience for me, Ms. Shimmer. Now hold still. I promise this won’t hurt. Hehe, much.”
Sunset’s mind was blank with fear. This couldn’t be real. There was no way it could be. Even now she clung to the vain hope that she would wake up in bed, just like all the nightmares before it. But then she saw Wolfgang’s finger tightening on the trigger and knew that it was all over.
A blur of silver.
Wolfgang’s face twisting into angered shock. A thin line of red opening up on his neck.
The gun, aiming no longer at Sunset but at a dark figure leaping from the adjacent rooftop at them both.
The figure and Wolfgang tussling on the concrete, the gun spinning out of the inspector’s hand and off into oblivion.
Finally Wolfgang kicked his attacker off, but she recovered magnificently, cartwheeling and snatching up the knife that had very nearly buried itself into the man’s neck. Wiping it on her white hoodie, Sunset’s saviour planted herself firmly between her and Wolfgang, glaring daggers into the now snarling inspector.
Sunset couldn’t believe her eyes. If the previous events were too unreal to be true, then this just took it to the limit. All this time, and she had never even guessed…
“Velvet…?” Sunset whispered, eyes and mouth agape.
“No time to chat,” Velvet Breeze said in a short, businesslike voice that Sunset hadn’t heard her use before. “Get out of here. I’ll handle this.”
Sunset Shimmer felt as though the entire floor had been pulled out from under her feet.
Velvet saved me? Who is she? And why?
“Sunset!” Velvet barked. She angled her head back to glare at her. “Go!”
“But what about you?”
Wolfgang snarled and began to circle around, Velvet keeping her knife between them at all times. “Don’t worry about me. Get out of here. Now.”
“But-”
“Go!”
Moving slowly but carefully, Sunset and Velvet backed up to the elevator shaft. Not taking her eyes off Wolfgang, Sunset lowered herself onto the maintenance ladder, the plastic frame easily holding her weight. Mimicking those action movies that Rainbow so loved to watch, the girl slid down to the last rung.
“I’m at the bottom!” Sunset called once she alighted on the first floor.
Velvet Breeze glanced back at the shaft. Then without warning the blue girl’s knife blurred in the air, slicing through the heavy-duty straps holding the ladder in place. Sunset jumped back in surprise as the mass of orange tubes clattered into the hole and out of sight.
“Velvet…” She whispered. Then Sunset was running as fast as her feet could carry her, out away from the construction site and to safety.
Wolfgang continued to circle the Assassin as he pulled a switchblade from under his sweater. With a well-practised flick, he brought the blade out from its handle.
“You do realize I can just take the stairs, right?” He smirked.
“And turn your back on me?” Velvet stared coldly at her foe. “I don’t think so.”
“Ah, and I should have seen it from the very beginning…” the inspector licked his lips and waved his knife thoughtfully. “New transfer student. Had to be you, of course. But I wonder… Why would the Assassins send a kid after me? Are they so lacking that they have no choice but to send you?”
“I’m more than enough to take you down,” Velvet shot back. Her grip on the knife tightened until her knuckles turned white.
“You’re welcome to try, Ms. Breeze.” Wolfgang feinted to the left before darting to the right, an arm already swinging the small blade at Velvet’s exposed neck.
The girl ducked and swept at Wolfgang’s legs with her feet, but he was too quick for her and leapt away before rebounding back at her. The switchblade tugged at her shoulder and Velvet winced as the steel bit into her skin.
Wolfgang raised his knife again but overextended himself and Velvet kicked him under the chin, sending the man flying backward and onto a box of nails. Velvet watched him land and then leap back up into the air, clutching at his backside and howling.
“Not bad, for a little girl,” Wolfgang said with bared teeth before resuming his attack, dashing towards Velvet, spinning his blade skillfully between his fingers before plunging it towards the top of her head. In a flash, the blue girl seized a short plank from a nearby stack and swung it like a baseball bat into the side of Wolfgang’s face, crushing his glasses against his temple. He stumbled back as one of the spectacle hinges gave way. The blow had cracked one of his lenses, messing with the inspector’s vision.
Wolfgang growled and tossed his broken spectacles away. He reached behind his sawdust-covered wool sweater and whipped out a second switchblade, snapping it open threateningly.
Velvet Breeze ducked under the whirring crescent of Wolfgang’s first knife, the blade shearing through a stray lock of hair and throwing up sparks as it scraped into an exposed metal beam. Before she could react, his second knife jabbed through the denim of her jeans and deep into her thigh. Eyes watering from the pain, Velvet thrust her own knife at Wolfgang, whimpering when the switchblade dragged itself through her flesh as he stepped back to avoid being gutted.
Wolfgang noticed her discomfort and laughed. “Oh yes, it hurts, doesn’t it? Didn’t your Mentor tell you? If you decide to play Assassin…” The switchblades swirled around Wolfgang as he flourished them. “...You’d best be prepared to get hurt.”
The two clashed again, ducking and weaving around each other’s strikes in a deadly dance. Now that Velvet had lost the element of surprise, she was quickly forced onto the defensive, her long knife flashing high and low, parrying desperately. Step by step, the teenager was driven backward to the edge of the platform.
Then, disaster. Whether it was by bad luck or Velvet’s increasing fatigue, one of Wolfgang’s blades broke through her defensive web and sank into her right forearm, dyeing the entire sleeve crimson. Wolfgang grinned, pressing his weapon in deeper and Velvet lost her grip on her knife, sending it clattering down and off the edge of the building.
“My, my...” Wolfgang twisted the blade a few degrees, grinning darkly at Velvet’s paling complexion. He released his knife and gave the girl a shove. Velvet’s head struck concrete and she saw stars, the world spinning around her. “It’s a pity you Assassins die so easily, or I might have some sense of satisfaction.” And he readied his remaining knife for the killing blow.
Wolfgang’s arm seemed to fall in slow motion. The sun reflected off the switchblade’s keen edge and Velvet’s left hand flexed, releasing her last resort weapon with a snick. At once, a short, thin blade shot out from her sleeve and she plunged it into Wolfgang’s knife arm, stopping it in its tracks and showering them both with warm blood.
“Aaarghhh!” Wolfgang shrieked, dropping his weapon off the edge and waving his injured limb in front of his face to dislodge the hidden blade. As soon as it was out the Templar punched Velvet viciously, making her black out for a moment.
“I don’t need a weapon to kill you,” Wolfgang panted through clenched teeth. He knelt over Velvet’s prone form and pinned her left arm down with his foot, at the same time he wrapped both his hands around her throat and began to squeeze.
Velvet’s right hand grabbed at the inspector, but his grip was like iron. As if realizing it would do no good, the girl’s arm fell aside against a toolbox, her face rapidly deepening in hue as she gasped for air.
“Hee hee! How do you feel now, Ms. Breeze?” Wolfgang gloated. He put his ear next to Velvet’s fluttering lips, still strangling her. “What’s that? I can’t hear you!”
Through the last few gasps of air, Velvet focused her hateful gaze on Wolfgang and choked out, “Screw… you… Wolfgang…”
All of a sudden, the Templar felt a sharp, jabbing pain in his belly, followed by another, and another. With a yelp he let go, clutching at his now-bleeding abdomen and stumbling backward. He took a step toward the stairwell, but Velvet wasn’t going to let him get away. Seizing him by the collar of his rapidly darkening garment, the girl yanked him back to the edge before following up with a fourth stab to his chest, right between the ribs.
Wolfgang groaned in agony. His hands reached out for Velvet one last time. Finally, the girl reared up and planted a solid kick into his sternum. For a heartbeat, the inspector hung in thin air, connected to Velvet’s shoe by the thinnest string of blood.
Then he plunged straight down and out of sight. There was a sickening crunch.
Velvet Breeze waited, listening for any sign of movement from below. When none came, only then did she allow her right hand to relax, dropping the bloodstained screwdriver she had used to turn the tables.
The girl took in a long, shuddering breath. Everything hurt, and she could still feel Wolfgang’s hands around her neck. Another few seconds… she gave her throat a gentle rub with her left hand, grimacing at the shoe imprint on her hoodie. Her entire outfit was so bloodied and worn that only tiny patches of white were still visible; everything else was stained a dark, sticky red. The entire concrete platform was also splattered with scarlet from their fight, pools of blood rapidly congealing around her feet.
Mentor… is going to kill me… Velvet thought numbly. She’d botched the entire assignment. Sunset now knew about her secret, and all this blood would make it onto the news for sure once the builders got back. Not to mention that if Wolfgang hadn’t been working alone, Sunset was now easy pickings.
The bleeding girl sank down to her knees, suddenly feeling very tired as the adrenaline from the fight drained out of her. Focusing on the pain that emanated from her wounds, Velvet forced herself to her feet, dragging her injured leg behind her as she gingerly descended the staircase. Each step sent a spike of discomfort through her entire body, but she welcomed it as an indication that she was still alive, that she had survived her first fight.
Alighting on the second floor, Velvet glanced down and realized with dull surprise that she’d neglected to remove Wolfgang’s second switchblade from her right arm. The stubby black handle stuck out at a ninety degree angle in her arm, almost right on top of the cut she’d gotten from falling off the roof.
She clenched her teeth together as she grabbed for the handle. With a quick motion the knife followed her left hand, along with a spurt of blood that spattered against the closest wall. Velvet held back a sob through her teeth as she clutched at her wounded arm.
Have to get back home… patch myself up… The world spun around Velvet and she fell to the ground with a damp splat. Have… to… find… Sunset…
Faintly aware of the growing blackness that was gathering on the edges of her vision, Velvet crawled into into the corridor that led to the next set of stairs.
“Sun… set…” she whimpered even as each muscle in her body screamed in protest, even as each of her limbs began shutting down. “Wait… for… me…”
Princess Twilight Sparkle stepped through the alabaster marble archway that led into the verdant Canterlot Castle grounds, panning her head about as she looked at the squads of guards that were currently drilling for their duty. It was a sight that brought a faint warmth to Twilight’s heart; how many times she had come sprinting here after her lessons with Princess Celestia just in time to see her B.B.B.F.F. get off his shift? Twilight shook her head in fond remembrance. Back then, Shining Armor had been her only friend in Canterlot, nay, in Equestria, if one counted Celestia as a mentor. Now she was the very Princess of Friendship! If somepony had come up to her back then and told her that in a few years she would be trekking all across Equestria solving friendship problems, she’d have told them to go get their head examined.
Speaking of friendship problems…
Sunset’s letters and reports about what was going on in the other world were becoming increasingly worrying. Talks about being followed by people and now a fire at Canterlot High! If not for the fact that the mirror was all the way back in Ponyville, she would have rushed over the moment she had gotten the message.
In fact, the urge to do so was still there, scratching at the back of her mind like a mouse behind a wall. Sunset was in trouble. Of that she was certain. But at the same time, Twilight had the oddest feeling that the answer to Sunset’s problems was not in the other world, but in this one.
Velvet Breeze. She was the key to this whole thing, Twilight was sure of it. And while she wasn’t about to start resurrecting the dead to interrogate their remains, she did have the next best thing: the pony who had left the moon lilies on Velvet’s grave.
Which brought her to where she was now. The Canterlot Castle’s guard training grounds, searching for one Corporal Dewdrop.
With their armor on, most guards looked the same, but Twilight vaguely remembered the one from that night to have straight blue hair, with some kind of streak in it. Plus, she was a unicorn mare. Not a whole lot of the guards were mares after all.
“Excuse me.” Twilight stopped the first guard she came across who wasn’t in the middle of a drill. “I’m looking for one Corporal Dewdrop. Do you happen to know where she is?”
“Yes, princess,” the guard replied respectfully after snapping to attention. “She should be with her unit over at the dummy training. Furthest row, fourth pony from the left.”
Twilight gave her thanks to the guard and trotted through the main courtyard, heading to the corporal’s supposed location. The lavender alicorn passed by a couple of recruitment posters and stopped for a second to see what they had come up with this time. The last ones she saw had her brother on it (something which Shining Armor had been very proud of), but these ones must have been part of a newer set.
The Solar Guard poster had a muscular, pale yellow stallion replendescent in gleaming battle-dress, standing proudly against a stylized Canterlot Castle. A slogan reading, 'Become one of Celestia's Lights. Join the Solar Guards now!' framed the bottom of the poster in blocky golden letters. The Lunar Guard poster had a slim-built female bat pony, leaning against a spear in an almost provocative fashion. The words, 'Guard the Night. Princess Luna needs you!' were written along the bottom in spiky blue lettering.
Twilight recognized the one on the Solar Guard poster. Frigid Night. The pegasus had bought them a lot of time during the changeling invasion, and if it weren't for him, Twilight and her friends would have never made it to the Hall of Elements, though in the end, it was Princess Cadance and Shining Armor who stopped the changeling queen from winning that day.
Eventually, Twilight continued on, watching other guards stick swords and spears into the straw dummies as if they were their sworn enemies. She winced as a brown coated earth pony slashed his sword in an arc, decapitating the dummy with that one quick blow and sending straw fluttering up like confetti. Its head rolled across the ground and stopped in front of Twilight’s hoof. The royal guard turned and saw her, quickly galloping over and kicking the head into a corner sheepishly.
“Forgive me, princess,” he said as he took his helmet off and bowed. “I was careless. I didn’t see you there.”
“It’s f-fine,” Twilight replied, shaking the memory out of her head and giving him a warm smile. “You’re just training. It’s what you do. Please, continue. I’m just looking for Corporal Dewdrop.”
“Oh.” The stallion put his helmet back on and pointed a hoof towards a group of ponies by the castle wall. “She’s right over there.”
“Thank you… uh…” Twilight waited for his name.
The stallion widened his eyes and leapt to attention as quick as a whip. “Private Wreckhouse, princess!”
“Right. Thank you, Private Wreckhouse,” Twilight smiled before approaching the other guards. “You have a good day of practice!”
The three solar guards by the side of the wall looked up as Twilight approached them with a smile on her face. One had a pale green coat, while the other two had white coats. Twilight immediately recognized Dewdrop as she approached them, remembering the mare’s features.
“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” the white coated pegasus greeted as three of them stood at attention. “Lieutenants Summer Wind and Morning Blade, and Corporal Dewdrop at your service! May we assist you with anything?”
“Yes, actually.” Twilight pointed a hoof at Dewdrop. “May I speak with the corporal?”
“Of course, princess.” Summer Wind motioned with her head for Dewdrop to head over to Twilight.
“Yes, princess?” Dewdrop’s expression was almost friendly, if it hadn’t been for the too-wide grin she was sporting. “What can I do for you?”
“Corporal, I wanted to talk about the other night,” Twilight began casually. “When you were guarding the memorial?”
As soon as Twilight mentioned ‘night’, Dewdrop’s face seemed to pale, if that was possible for a pony whose coat was already white. “Uh… y-yes, princess,” she stammered. “W-what do you wish to know?”
“Might I ask why you were standing guard for Velvet Breeze’s grave?”
“What’s this about Velvet?” Summer Wind and Morning Blade turned to Dewdrop, apparently having overheard their conversation. “What were you doing, Dewdrop?”
“Oh, nothing really. Just… Oh, I think I heard my name being called.” Dewdrop put a hoof to her ear. She gave the most innocent smile she could as she backed away. “Duty calls. Sorry, princess.” And then she was off, galloping towards the castle as though the hordes of Tartarus were on her tail and leaving behind three very confused ponies.
“Uhmm… okay…” Twilight frowned. She entertained the idea of giving chase, but then a thought struck her. “Lieutenant,” she said, glancing back at Summer Wind and Morning Blade. “You mentioned Velvet’s name? What do you know about her?”
“Unfortunately, princess. Not much,” Summer Wind lowered her head. “I only know Dewdrop is a good friend of Velvet’s sister.”
“Maybe she should check with Captain Frigid?” Morning Blade asked her fellow lieutenant with a nudge. “Normally we’d suggest your brother, but he’s out of town.”
“Fantastic idea.” Summer returned her attention to the Princess of Friendship. “Princess Twilight. The captain would be able to assist you in your search. I’m sorry that we don’t have the information you want.”
“Thank you, and it’s fine.” Twilight flapped her wings and hovered above the courtyard, recalling where the captains’ offices were located. “Sorry to have troubled you.”
Leaving the guardsponies to get back to their drills, Twilight Sparkle gave her wings an almighty flap and rocketed toward the looming castle. Somewhere in there was the answer to Sunset’s questions, and by extension her own as well. A pleasantly familiar feeling suffused Twilight’s body; there was no problem that friendship, and a good long bout of research couldn’t solve.
A single ruby-red droplet of blood shivered on the tip of Mirror Match’s finger, the tiny orb of sanguineous liquid reflecting and refracting the candlelight around her. Carefully, she moved a long, needlelike stick beneath it and let the droplet fall, staining its length a deep crimson. Licking the pinprick of a wound to close it up, Mirror Match took the stick and knelt reverently onto the tatami mat that decorated the floor in front of a towering glass display. There were no electrical lights in this part of her penthouse. This particular alcove was dotted with numerous holders for scented candles, all of which were now burning low in their bowls, none of them placed near enough to actually illuminate what the display actually held. She herself was wrapped in little else but a simple black silk robe, patterned sparsely with orange dragons.
Flicking open a lighter, Mirror Match applied the flame to the bloodstained stick, holding it there until the flame caught, the acrid scent quickly filling the room. This twig of incense joined the others before the darkened shrine, smoldering in the smoky gloom.
Mirror Match began to chant repeatedly.
“I offer you my blood as penance for my sins, O friend of my heart. May it please you, wherever you may be, in this life or the next, and may we soon be together once more.”
She remained kneeling until the last of the incense was extinguished.
Giving a final, respectful bow to the shrine, Mirror Match rose to her feet and snuffed out the remaining candles. Her stomach growled as she left the alcove and sealed the door behind the wall-size painting which hid it; she had been kneeling for almost the whole day, and the entire city of Manehattan was now dappled in the dying light of the winter sunset.
No matter. With the amount of money that the chairman had paid her for taking care of Dewdrop, she could afford to buy out several supermarkets to sate her hunger.
Of course, that was hardly necessary. Mirror’s luxurious three floor penthouse had a well-stocked kitchen that rarely needed to be refilled; she did live alone after all. But even the finest foods in her larder could not compare to what she was about to sink her teeth into… provided her contact showed up, that was.
Waltzing around to the second floor, the Templar agent shed her dressing gown carelessly onto the floor, making a mental note to pick it back up once she got back. In no time at all, Mirror had changed into an outfit that closely resembled an Assassin’s garb: a maroon cloak with a hood over a purple and grey set of combat robes, topped with a pair of dark violet boots and a jaunty red waist sash, held in place with her Templar badge.
Her outfit complete, Mirror’s last task was to walk over to an antique walnut bookcase that stood vigil next to the balcony door, where she kept all manner of useful things, like binoculars, several of her favorite romance novels, and most importantly, a grapple gun.
After switching on the security grid that ran throughout her house, Mirror Match aimed the grapple gun at the nearest rooftop, the tool’s kickback driving the stock into her shoulder and the industrial-strength cable uncoiling like a slinky.
Mirror smiled as she felt the grappling hook bite into something out of sight, but still gave it a few tugs before tying her end onto one of the many anchor points she’d had installed when she had first moved in. Her penthouse was the tallest building around for blocks, and using the rooftops to get around was a lot easier than taking the lift down to the ground floor and walking. For the same reason, she had also made sure to remove any possible obstructions on her balconies that could be grappled onto from a lower elevation.
Night had completely fallen by the time Mirror Match slid across the cable and hit the rooftop running. It was a long way down, but a drop at this height didn’t bother her. She was more concerned with her meeting, which she now had about ten minutes to get to and was on the other side of Manehattan. She smirked; this was going to be close.
Her legs blurring with the speed, Mirror Match vaulted over outcropping walls and air filter units and sailed high over streets, never slowing down. Each footfall kicked up a small explosion of snow and once she almost slipped, but a quick backflip combined with a cartwheel was more than enough to make up for any lost time.
As she ran, Mirror sniffed at the air, searching for that one scent among millions that would point the way to her contact. It was faint, but as she ran it grew stronger: the vaguely stale smell of duty and repression mixed with an almost completely buried smell of affection, all slathered with a coleslaw of internal conflict. She suspected that if she had her way, it wouldn’t stay buried for much longer.
Nine minutes.
The smell was almost overwhelming now. Mirror took a deep breath and activated her eagle sense.
The world fell into a dark grey with nothing but the sound of Mirror’s own breath and the blood pumping in her own ears. Most significantly, two rooftops away a figure highlighted itself in bright gold.
Gathering the strength in her legs and leaping the remaining distance, the Templar agent sailed through the sky and landed feet first in front of Frigid Night.
The Assassin lieutenant jumped, startled into dropping the remains of his hamburger. Frigid’s hidden blades shot out by pure reflex, but they were withdrawn just as quickly once he took stock of who it was.
“Bit paranoid, aren’t we?” Mirror tittered, reaching up and lowering her hood.
Frigid did the same before bending down to pick his burger from the snow, salvaging what he could. "You can never be too safe. Being backstabbed once is enough."
Mirror’s smile widened and she shrugged. “Oh, come now, if it didn’t kill you then, I don’t think it’ll kill you now. Besides, I was in a short temper that day. Woman scorned and all that.” Her words sounded just as insincere as her expression.
"Well, what did your temper have to do with me?" Frigid asked as he tossed a soggy bun away after noticing it was beyond redemption.
Without warning, Mirror Match stepped right up to Frigid, caressing his cheek with her hand. “My temper? Nothing to do with you at all. You’re a victim of circumstance, darling.” Frigid could have stabbed her then and there, but he knew from experience that doing so was not only pointless, but a good way to get stabbed in return. So he held his instinct in check while the agent chuckled and backed away. “I have been known to possess a rather… explosive temper, hmm?”
Frigid's countenance darkened as he understood the double entendre; he raised his right hand to touch one of the scars that marred his face. "I've never known you to have a bad temper, Mirror. You were always so nice and considerate and…” his voice trailed off.
“...and skilled and sexy, I know,” Mirror’s laughter echoed around the rooftops, the cold air carrying it for blocks around. She breathed deeply: the scent of affection was much more potent now, almost eclipsing the scent of stale duty. “But it was never going to work, Friggy. Our paths in life aren’t exactly compatible now, you see?” She closed her eyes and the smile faded away, replaced by something almost regretful. “You made your choice, and I made mine.”
Frigid looked at his almost finished burger, suddenly losing his appetite. "You wanted me to abandon the Creed. To give up the reason why I fight.”
“I wanted you to find a new reason to fight. Not the same thing, Friggy.”
"I fought for you too, Mirror. I did everything I had to so that we could have a future together... But I would never join the Templars.”
“If you recall,” Mirror said in a short, clipped tone. “I didn’t ask you to join the Templars. You ignored me, just like you ignored my warnings not to go to Saddle Arabia. And look where that’s landed you and your Assassins.”
Frigid Night remained silent and looked away.
Mirror Match sighed. This wasn’t going how she’d wanted.
“Hey,” she walked back to the Assassin and put her hand on his shoulder. “Are you alright? Mentor giving you a hard time?”
Frigid closed his eyes and shook his head. "Mentor's doing her best to keep things under control. The others though… I don’t know if they’ll ever treat me the same again."
Exhaling through her nose, Mirror Match shrugged and picked at a loose thread on her cloak.
“You don’t sound like you’re treating the others too fairly either,” she said. “Even before Masyaf, you were hardly the most level person with Keila and Dewdrop.”
“How do you-” Frigid stopped himself, resigning back to the conclusion that Mirror just seemed to know things that she should have no clue about. “I can handle Keila,” he grunted. “As for Dewdrop, she’s gone missing. Probably passed out drunk somewhere in a pub somewhere. Always knew she was a loose cannon.”
“Dewdrop,” Mirror took a series of steps toward Frigid, her face downcast in disapproval. “Is probably in the Chicoltgo hospital for a dislocated arm and multiple blunt trauma wounds. I’m disappointed that you’re so fast to assume the worst about those you work with,” she huffed. “Put up quite a fight too, that minx.”
"How- What did you do to her?" Frigid stared into the Templar's blue eyes.
“Nothing permanent,” Mirror said in a sing-song voice. “She’ll just be out of commission long enough for Wolfgang to finish his work in Canterlot. If I know Dewdrop, no amount of police can keep her down for long.”
"Why do this, Mirror?" Frigid pleaded with her. "Why help the Templars? What are they so interested in this Sunset Shimmer girl for?"
“You’re all business and no fun these days,” Mirror Match rolled her eyes. “If you must know, I have absolutely no interest or intent to get involved with any Sunset Shimmer. And,” she pulled up her hood. “As for why I’m helping the Templars, even you can’t be that stupid. You’re on your last legs, holed up in a dilapidated old ruin in Trottingham, while I’m living like a queen-ahem, princess in an apartment at the peak of Manehattan, finally being appreciated for my skills. I think it’s rather obvious why I work for the Templars!”
Frigid lifted a hand and put it on her shoulder hesitantly. "When we first met, you told me you joined the Assassins because you wanted to do good for the world and to look for someone. What would that person say about you now?"
‘Well, that’s an easy one,” Mirror Match smirked, but there was no heart in it. She shrugged his hand off her shoulder and walked to the edge of the rooftop. “I think they’d be rather proud of me.”
Before Frigid could say more, Mirror Match had hurled a smoke bomb onto the ground, causing the Assassin to cough and wheeze until the smog dissipated. By the time the air was clear, Mirror Match was gone.
Frigid sighed heavily before pulling up his own hood. He wasn’t sure why he kept meeting up with Mirror Match, when all it did was cause him more grief and earn him more flak from Keila. With a heavy heart and even heavier feet, Frigid Night swan dived off the roof and began the long journey back home.
Concealed under a loose tarpaulin a single rooftop away, Mirror Match giggled, her stomach no longer growling. Same old Frigid Night. It was almost a pity that she couldn’t just take him home and keep him.
Princess Twilight trotted down the snowy marble castle halls, heading for the captain's office, just waiting to get some answers. The office door was polished and well cleaned like every other door in the palace, though this one had a little bronze plaque on it labeled ‘Cpt. Frigid Night’, and an engraving of his cutie mark, a blue ice crystal in front of a crescent moon.
Twilight breathed deep before knocking a hoof on the door.
"Come in," a low, gruff voice called from inside.
Twilight pushed on the door, feeling it swing open on well-oiled hinges, and entered the office. It was in many ways very similar to her brother’s old quarters; filing cabinets lined the right wall while a map dominated the left wall, covered in little red flags over each major settlement. Finally there was the big wooden desk that every official in Canterlot seemed to own, positioned in front of a wide window that offered a glorious view of the city and the training grounds.
There was a tall, well muscled stallion seated at this desk, all clad in armor except for his head. His helmet was placed neatly on a stand and was in the process of being polished by a pretty, reddish purple maned unicorn wearing a maid outfit that looked a size or two too small for her.
"Ah, Princess Twilight!" Frigid Night said as he stood up to salute, his face brightening. The maid also paused to give Twilight a bow before resuming her work. "Good to see you again. What may I assist you with?"
Twilight trotted to the chair opposite his desk and sat herself down. “Captain, I’m actually looking for answers of a certain guard that I know of. Velvet Breeze. Would you be familiar with that name?”
Frigid Night nodded and rested a hoof on his table, thinking to himself before gasping. “Yes, I’m familiar, princess. She’s, uh, no longer around. Did the guards a real service after your brother’s wedding. Would you like to see her memorial?”
“That won’t be necessary, captain,” Twilight shook her head. “I’ve been there. What can you tell me about Velvet?”
Frigid cleared his throat before continuing. “She was a Lunar guard, if memory serves. One of Princess Luna’s batwings. Not my jurisdiction, you see, but even you must remember that fuss that got kicked up in the weeks after the invasion.”
Twilight nodded. Guards had been sent out to deal with changeling attacks all across the kingdom. Most returned with minimal scratches, but one platoon took heavy casualties, slaughtered by Queen Chrysalis herself.
"Velvet Breeze was sent out with her squad to find and capture the changeling queen. Unfortunately, only one guard made it back. They were ambushed by the changelings on their way to the reported sightings," Frigid Night looked at his polished helmet to take his mind off the sordid memory. “You know the rest of the story, princess.”
Twilight stared glumly at her forehooves. She did indeed know the rest of the story; the tranquil fury that Princess Luna had exhibited when the news had come back was still with her to this day. Chrysalis had then been swiftly captured and brought back to Canterlot for judgement, only for a particularly puzzling series of circumstances to occur, culminating in the Changeling Queen’s escape. Officially, Queen Chrysalis had somehow contrived to slip past the royal guard while in disguise and fly away to safety before anypony could respond. Twilight’s frown deepened. The unofficial story was far more sinister, but that wasn’t why she was here.
“But, Velvet Breeze, captain?” Twilight brought the conversation back to the matter at hoof. “Is there anywhere else I can learn more? It’s very important,” she insisted.
“Well, you can check with the night captain, Captain Glimpse,” Frigid suggested. “Velvet Breeze was under her command when… that happened. I’m sorry. I wish I could help you, princess, after all you’ve done for Equestria.”
The captain bowed his head apologetically. Twilight wasn’t too disappointed; over the course of her entire career as a student of Celestia, she had rarely encountered a research project that had been straightforward. This search for Velvet Breeze was no different.
In a gesture of comfort, Twilight patted Frigid on the shoulder and smiled. “It’s not your fault, captain. I’ll go talk to this Captain Glimpse and find out what she knows. Thanks for your help!”
Captain Frigid stood up respectfully to see the princess out of the office. Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight saw the maid eyeing her with a strange, almost pensive expression on her face. Then the moment passed and she went back to dusting the shelves, just another member of the legions of staff that Celestia and Luna employed.
Twilight left the captain’s office and cantered down the corridor, heading to the Lunar guard offices in search of this Captain Glimpse. While she was fairly well-versed in the Solar side of things because of Shining Armor, Princess Luna’s half of the kingdom’s military was for the most part a mystery to the Princess of Friendship. Maybe she could change that today.
It was a long walk from the East wing to the West, but soon, the lavender alicorn found herself trotting past the western gates, keeping an eye out for the little bronze plaque of Glimpse’s office. Berating herself under her breath for not asking what Glimpse’s cutie mark looked like before leaving Frigid’s office, Twilight meandered down three corridors and five dead ends before finally she elected to ask one of the patrolling guardsponies about it.
"Hi there," Twilight began. "I'm looking for Captain Glimpse's office. Could you show me where it is, please?”
"First corridor, on your left, princess," he replied.
Twilight nodded her thanks and allowed him to resume his patrol as she continued her search for the night captain's office. It turns out that she was already pretty close, finding it on her first try in the next corridor. It was the first door in a row of offices, sporting the same plaque as Captain Frigid's, while a eye-shaped cutie mark rested underneath it.
Twilight knocked on the door and waited, but no sound was heard from within. "Umm... Hello?" she called again, knocking on it again. The door remained firmly shut.
“Hmm.”
Twilight knocked a couple more times for good measure, each impact of her hooves on the wood sending her excitement down another notch. Eventually the princess stopped knocking and knelt down to peer into the keyhole, but it was too dark inside to see anything. Maybe it was a night guard thing.
I am not going away until I get some answers, Twilight scowled resolutely. My friends are counting on me, and as the Princess of Friendship, I have a duty to help them, no matter how long I have to sit knocking on this blasted door.
As she raised her hoof to resume knocking, a lightbulb went off in Twilight’s head. The alicorn lit up her horn, a spell already on her lips.
Twilight’s magic struck the door, the whole surface glowing for a brief moment before fading away.
Then the door began knocking itself.
It was as if there was an invisible pony pounding his hooves on the door as hard as he could. Applejack herself bucking the door down couldn’t have been louder.
Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.
Twilight sat back to admire her handiwork before conjuring a pair of earmuffs and fitting them snugly over her ears to wait.
This will get her to come to the door for sure.
However, even with a spell doing the knocking for her, it was still pretty boring out here in an empty hallway. Deciding that she would probably know once Glimpse came out of her office, Twilight pulled a novel out of her saddlebags and flipped to her latest page.
Instead of somepony coming out from behind the door, Twilight soon found another pony trotting down the hall, wearing a puzzled look on her blue face. She seemed to be saying something, but no sound was coming out of the other princess’s mouth. Princess Luna frowned and lit up her horn, levitating the earmuffs from Twilight’s head.
"Twilight Sparkle?" Princess Luna asked, narrowing her eyes at the self-knocking door. "What in Equestria is going on?"
"Princess Luna!" Twilight leapt to her hooves and stuffed the book back into her bag. "Was the noise disturbing you? I'm sorry. I'm just looking for Captain Glimpse." Twilight quickly uncast the magical door knocking spell.
"Captain Glimpse is asleep in the barracks, Twilight Sparkle." Twilight's eye twitched and she resisted the reflex to slap a hoof into her face. Of course she was still asleep. Lunar guards didn't go on duty until the sun went down. "Is there something of importance you require from the captain? Perhaps we will be able to assist you?"
Princess Luna was the best pony to ask. Twilight realized she could've just gone to her from the beginning. Sometimes, it's the smallest details she overlooked. "Princess, I'm trying to find out more about a guard you had under you. Velvet Breeze. Could you tell me more about her? I'm investigating something for Sunset Shimmer and the others."
Luna nodded, as if she had been expecting this. "Walk with us. We shall explain what you wish to know, to the best of our ability. Now, what do you wish to know about Sergeant Breeze?"
"Sergeant?” It took Twilight a second to realize Luna was talking about Velvet. “Oh. Well, the thing is, I’m not quite sure what I’m looking for.”
Luna did not seem surprised; on the contrary, an understanding smile graced the Moon Princess’s muzzle. “‘Tis often the case with matters of the heart, and what are friends but those closest to yours?”
Their path took them up to one of the many turreted towers that pierced the heavens above Canterlot Castle, where a secluded table stood, already set with a piping hot teapot and sweet-smelling seed cake, one of Princess Luna’s well known favorites.
“Tea, Twilight Sparkle?” she asked as she magicked two small ceramic cups towards them, filling them midair with practiced ease.
“Thank you, princess,” Twilight smiled and wrapped her cup in a magical aura before bringing it down to her mouth to take a sip; it was thick and dark and was almost too sweet, but then she noticed that Luna was taking hers alongside bites of the cake, which helped to balance it out.
The two princesses enjoyed the repast in relative silence, broken only by Luna asking if Twilight would like more tea or cake. Only when the last crumbs had been swept from their platter and Luna had patted the corners of her mouth with an embroidered napkin did Twilight sense the mood of the room change to a more grave, formal mood.
“Thank you for having tea with us, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna intoned. “It is rare that we get the opportunity to spend time with a friend. We am most grateful for your company.”
“No problem at all, Princess Luna,” Twilight replied as she levitated her cup down. “Could you tell me more about Velvet Breeze?”
“Certainly,” A lick of blue fire dropped a scroll onto the table at Luna’s hooves. She offered it to Twilight. “Sergeant Velvet Breeze. A good pony, by all accounts. Loyal, brave, and true, like the rest of her platoon. Made it all the more difficult to send their coffins off,” Luna finished somewhat bitterly.
“Princess,” Twilight started, remembering the scene in the memorial. “A week ago, I encountered a mysterious cloaked pony, placing moon lilies on the sergeant’s grave.”
“‘Tis not unusual,” Luna shrugged. “Many ponies often visit the memorial to pay their respects to the fallen. As for the cloak, there are numerous reasons why somepony would want to keep their identity hidden. We did something of that sort when we first came to Ponyville, did we not?”
“That is true…” Twilight put a hoof to her chin as she thought about it. “Another thing, Princess Luna. The reason I’m searching for answers is because Sunset Shimmer says she’s being followed by someone calling herself Velvet Breeze. I’m still not too sure how closely our two worlds are related, but could our Velvet still be alive? Or could it be that the human Velvet is wearing a false name? There are so many possibilities.”
Hearing this, Luna frowned and sat up a little taller. “Our knowledge of this other world is limited, Twilight Sparkle, but from what you and Sunset Shimmer have told us, the impression that we have received is that both our worlds are very similar, at least in the manner that as there is a me here,” Luna rested a hoof on her belly. “There is also a Luna on the other side. We would be inclined to believe that this Velvet on the other side of the portal is an impostor, but…”
Twilight tilted her head three degrees to the right. “But?”
“But we are loathe to leap to conclusions without any solid evidence of either fact.” At Luna’s behest, Twilight unrolled the scroll. It was a military record for the Lunar guard, but it wasn’t Velvet’s file. Instead the photograph at the top displayed a slim, grey bat pony who Twilight thought looked familiar, but couldn’t quite place her hooves on it. Neatly printed under the picture was the name: Satin Breeze.
“Satin… Breeze?” Twilight repeated off the parchment. “A relative of Velvet’s? I don’t understand.”
“If the Velvet Breeze of the other world is truly the parallel of the one on this side, then it is simply a matter of seeing if she fulfills a certain number of similarity checks,” Princess Luna sipped at her tea, only to stare distastefully at how it had gone cold. “We do not know all the intimate details of each individual member of our subjects, but if there is anypony who can tell you about things that only the real Velvet Breeze would know, it will be her family.”
“Thank you, Princess Luna!” Twilight’s mouth formed into a grin. the Moon Princess had just given her a fantastic idea and a more efficient way to continue her investigation. “When may I talk to Satin? Is she awake by any chance?”
“To be honest, we are not sure.” Twilight’s brow furrowed. Princess Luna now knowing if somepony was awake or not? That seemed strange. “Satin Breeze has a rather… erratic sleeping pattern. If you’d like, I can send somepony to call ahead for you?” She stomped a hoof onto the ground and like magic, a bat pony mare in dark armor dropped down from the ceiling where she had apparently been hiding and bowed to Twilight and Luna, completely unfazed by Twilight yelping and jumping back in surprise.
“Princess Twilight,” the pony spoke with a distinct Prench accent. “Would you like me to accompany you to Satin Breeze?”
“Oh, that won’t be necessary, Agent Eclair. I don’t want to trouble you. Actually,” Twilight said curiously. “I thought you said you were going back to Prance?”
“Oui, I did, but Princess Luna offered me a post here that I simply could not turn down. There are questions about the changeling invasion that, how do you say, are still sans résponse. I am sure you remember at least one very big one.” A shadow passed over her face.
Twilight knew all too well. As much as she would like to help Eclair with her own work, the Princess of Friendship had a more pressing task at hand. “I try not to worry about it.” Twilight picked up her saddlebag and slung it over her back. “Well, I better go find this Satin Breeze. Take care, Princess Luna. Agent Eclair.”
The other two watched her go. Once Twilight Sparkle’s hoofsteps had faded completely, Luna gave a sidelong glance at her guard.
“Another Velvet…” she murmured thoughtfully. “I wonder if…?”
Eclair stretched one of her wings; staying on the ceiling really gave her the cramps.“You wonder what, my princess?”
“Nothing, Agent Eclair. But I think that Tia and I will be having a little chat later tonight.”
The tea had gone stone cold by now, so Luna and Eclair followed suit and descended the tower, leaving the remains of the meal to be taken away by a maid with a reddish purple mane.
Sunset Shimmer scurried down two steps at a time, not stopping for anything as she made her way down. She had almost lost her footing once or twice, but she eventually found her feet on dirt as she hit the bottom of the construction site, running out to the streets as fast as her legs could carry her.
Sunset was panting and sweating from the encounter with Wolfgang and her escape, but the freezing weather still got to her, biting at her exposed skin.
“Velvet,” Sunset muttered as she looked up at the unfinished building.
Whoever Velvet Breeze was, she had bought Sunset plenty of time to get away. The fiery haired girl felt that she owed it to Velvet to get her out of here as well, but she couldn’t do it alone.
The icy air needling the inside of her lungs, Sunset made for the streets, practically flying through the crowds that were meandering along the sidewalk, eliciting cries of surprise and outrage as she bumped into pedestrian after pedestrian.
“Sorry, sorry!” Sunset yelled out as she focused on getting to her destination. She had to find someone who could help her and she could only think of five really good friends that would help without question.
Sunset took the next crossing at the traffic light, making her way out of the busy streets towards the outskirts. On a good day, it would be at least twenty minutes to get to Sweet Apple Acres, but the way things were going, Sunset would reach there in ten, as long as her heart didn’t give out before then.
“Come on, Sunset,” She dodged between two men who were shoveling the front of a shop. “You can do this. Just a little more.”
To be honest, she wasn’t sure what she was going to do once she got to Applejack’s house. With the little oxygen that wasn’t being pumped to her arms and legs, Sunset harbored misgivings toward bringing her friends into this. Wolfgang was clearly a highly dangerous individual, and if Velvet hadn’t stopped him, the inspector would have shot her.
Not bothering to wait for the light to change, Sunset vaulted over the hood of a car and kept running, paying no attention to the angry screams from the driver inside.
Just a little more. She could go the distance, and hopefully get help for Velvet.
Big Macintosh lounged against the countertop of his kitchen, a stalk of celery in one hand and a can of cider in the other. The eldest of the Apple Family watched with polite curiosity while Pinkie Pie amused the other four members of the Rainbooms by blowing bubbles in cake batter.
All of a sudden, the moment of calm was shattered by the sound of the front door slamming open, followed by the anguished rasps of someone who was clearly low on oxygen.
Sunset Shimmer staggered into view, her leggings torn with blood oozing down one knee, and her scarf missing, panting like Winona on a hot summer’s day.
“Sunset?” Pinkie let go of the straw and the bubble she had been blowing popped all over her face. “What happened to you?”
Rainbow and Rarity got up to help their friend sit down, but Sunset waved them off.
“There’s no time! We have to go back and help Velvet! Wolfgang’s crazy!”
“What do ya mean, crazy?” Applejack said warily. “He ain’t some kinda evil creature from Equestria, is he?”
“I mean he tried to shoot me!” At that, everyone in the kitchen took a collective gasp. “Velvet saved me, but I don’t think she can take Wolfgang on her own.”
“Velvet? Velvet Breeze? The new student?”
“Yes! Her! Now come on, we need to go back there!”
Sunset made for the door again, but Rainbow Dash had other ideas. She seized Sunset by the arm and spun her about.
“Look,” the athlete said seriously. “If Mr. Wolfgang has a gun, don’t you think we should call the cops or something? I mean, they’re better equipped to deal with this sort of thing, right?”
“Rainbow’s right, dear,” Rarity added on. “Who are we to deal with a madman with a gun? Taking down magical creatures is one thing, but this… I don’t know if we can handle this.”
As much as Sunset wanted to refute Rarity’s logic, she couldn’t deny its validity.
“But I have to help her,” Sunset said, stumbling a step as the adrenaline began to wear off. Velvet was her friend, and friends didn’t leave each other in moments of need.
“Ah can help,” Big Mac said from the counter, finishing up his stalk of celery. “Tell ya what, Sunset. Ah’ll come with ya, on the condition that ya don’t do anythin’ foolish. We can take mah truck.”
“But if Mr. Wolfgang’s still there,” Applejack added. “We’re callin’ the cops. No ifs, ands, or buts.”
“We’ll all come with you!” Pinkie yelled and whipped out a trumpet of sorts from her pocket. “To war!” She put it to her mouth and blew out an awfully flat note, though the volume was deafening.
“Uhm, not to war, if that’s okay with you…” Fluttershy squeaked.
“Eeyup. Ah’m hopin’ it doesn’t come to a fight.”
When no one else voiced any objections, the group all left the house, stopping only to tell Applebloom to stay put and to grab Big Mac’s shotgun from the shed.
“It’s loaded with rock salt,” Applejack explained. “Keeps the varmints out of the orchards without hurting them too bad.”
The seven of them piled into the one of the Apple family’s pickup trucks and with a screech of tires on asphalt, they were off. The ride there was relatively silent, with only the sound of the truck’s powerful engine and Pinkie’s trumpet blowing filling everyone’s ears.
Following Sunset’s directions, Big Macintosh was able to find the construction site with little trouble. After parking the truck just out of sight, the motley crew of high schoolers crept toward the unfinished structure. The sun was setting, casting deep shadows all about, giving them plenty of places to hide.
Big Mac was at point, his shotgun cocked and ready to fire, while the Rainbooms stayed just behind him, seeing as the rest of them were unarmed.
“Careful, Big Mac,” Sunset warned as they stepped into the site proper. “I don’t know how well armed that man is.”
“Eeyup.”
As their eyes adjusted to the gloom, the search party was greeted by a grisly sight. Blood was spattered sparsely all around the ground, congealing in the snow. A short distance away, a pair of knives lay abandoned. Sunset recognized one of them immediately.
“That’s Velvet’s knife.” She picked it up and examined it, the cold steel reflecting her face.
“Hold up a second,” Rainbow said a little too loudly. “Velvet’s knife? Why would she be carrying a knife on her? Did she know she would have to save you?”
Fluttershy had ducked back behind Applejack before pointing to the bloodstained snow. “W-what if t-that all belongs to Velvet…”
“I’m sure it isn’t, and I’ll explain everything later,” Sunset replied, sounding more confident than she felt. In truth, the fiery haired girl was beginning to have misgivings about coming back. If Wolfgang had killed Velvet, then taking on seven kids wouldn’t be much of a challenge for him.
“Hey, come have a look at this,” Rainbow waved her friends over. “Looks like someone fell down here.”
There was a human shaped imprint in the snow, the imprint clearly depicting an adult sized person lying spread-eagled on the ground. They must have hit the ground pretty hard, Sunset mused, to have left such a deep imprint. Some of the ground was visible in the crater, under the bloodstained snow. Footsteps led away from the point of impact, tracking all the way back to the entrance; the prints seemed to be a little uneven.
The group looked up, trying to deduce where the body might have fallen from.
“You don’t think…” Rainbow licked her lips, which were becoming cracked from the freezing air.
Rarity bent down to closer examine the point of impact. “Looks to me like a fall from the third floor, just over there.” The group followed her finger to a pillar above, partially stained with what looked like more blood. “I would think a fall from such a height would mean death.”
Everyone stared at Rarity, who at least had the grace to look perturbed.
“What? I’m not allowed to know about things other than fashion?”
“Well, yeah,” Applejack rubbed the back of her head. “Ah just never figured ya for the sleuthing sort.”
“I’ll have you know that I own the entire Nagatha Christie collection, and make it a point to watch Sherclop Pones every Saturday afternoon-”
Rainbow stepped in between Applejack and Rarity.“Okay, okay, we get it. Can we get back to checking out this place? Rarity, would you do the honors.”
“Why of course, Rainbow.” Rarity flipped her hair back and headed up the steps. “Although… Big Mac! Perhaps you could lead? Just in case?”
“Eeyup. Gonna need a light though; it’s getting awful dark in here.”
At once, six phones were whipped out and their flashlights clicked on, six beams of light cutting through the darkness like swords.
Rarity lit the way for Applejack’s brother, who kept his firearm pointed forward, warily keeping an eye on his surroundings.
There didn’t seem to be any other sounds emanating from the building besides their footsteps on the concrete. The group decided to listen to Rarity and headed for the third floor.
As they arrived on the second floor, Pinkie Pie was the first to see something.
“Hey! Guys! Look! Someone’s over there!”
There was a body in the corridor, lying motionless on the ground. It was dark and too far to make out any details, but the hoodie and teal-grey hair stood out like a sore thumb.
“Velvet!” Sunset gasped and rushed past Rarity and Big Mac.
“S-s-she’s not… dead, is she?” Fluttershy trembled at the back.
“Come on!” Rainbow was next to head to the unmoving girl’s body. “If she’s still alive, we’ve gotta get her out of here!”
Sunset bent down over Velvet and shook her gently, wincing slightly as her knee wound flared up.
“Velvet?”
It was then that she noticed the small puddle of blood spread around the hooded girl, spreading slowly from the garish wounds on her body.
Sunset tentatively placed a hand on Velvet’s face, sighing with relief when she realized the blue-skinned girl was still breathing, though just barely.
“She’s hurt!” Sunset yelled as her friends crowded around her. “We need to get her help immediately!”
Sunset’s world became a blur of motion. Should she try to move Velvet? Should they call for an ambulance? Was Wolfgang lurking in the shadows somewhere, just waiting for someone else to come along?
Applejack knelt down next to Velvet’s body, placing two fingers on the fallen girl’s neck.
“She’s stable, y’all. We could call for an ambulance, but it’d take ‘em a while to get here. Plus,” she added after straightening up. “Ah don’t reckon getting the police involved is the best idea for Velvet.”
As expected, this statement drew everyone’s attention.
“What?! Why not?” Rainbow demanded.
“Ah’m guessin’ the girl’s got some kinda deep secret if she saved Sunset outta nowhere. There’s more to all this then we think, and Ah’ll bet Velvet has the answers. If she even is Velvet,” Applejack recalled Twilight’s message.
“So what do we do, then?” Rarity asked. She was gingerly stepping over tiny puddles of congealed blood to get a closer look.
“We could take her back to the farm!” Pinkie bounced in the back. “Or we can take her to my place, or Rainbow’s place, or Rarity’s! And Fluttershy can help! She’s used to helping animals! She can check Velvet’s wounds!”
“Actually,” Big Mac spoke up slowly. “Granny’s got some trainin’ as a nurse from way back then. She can help look if y’all ain’t up for calling the authorities.”
“I think that’ll be the safer choice,” Sunset nodded. “At least until we figure out who she really is.”
“Is it okay to… move her?” Rarity said squeamishly. “We won’t be making it worse, would we?”
“We’ll have to,” Applejack tilted her hat. “We need to get her back home all quick like. She’s lost a lot’a blood.”
Big Mac wasted no time. Passing his gun over to his sister as he gently picked up the unconscious girl in both arms.
“All set, Big Mac?” Applejack asked as she readied his shotgun.
“Eeyup.”
“We better get goin’ then. It’s gettin’ awfully dark, and Ah don’t want to be around if Mr. Wolfgang comes back or somethin’.”
“Don’t worry about me. Get out of here now.” “But I wonder… Why would the Assassins send a kid after me? Are they so lacking that they have no choice but to send you?” “If you decide to play Assassin… You’d best be prepared to get hurt.” “How do you feel now, Ms. Breeze? What’s that? I can’t hear you!” “It’s a pity you Assassins die so easily…” “Sunset! Go!”
Velvet felt as though she’d been run over by a truck, then tossed off a mountainside and into a bramble thicket. She tried to remember just why she felt like this, but her body’s operating capacities didn’t seem to stretch that far yet. Just lying down and breathing were all she could do right now.
After an indiscriminate amount of lying down and breathing, Velvet chanced cracking open one eye, but even that was a titanic effort. There was far too much light anyway. Dark felt nicer.
Bit by bit, the feeling returned to the rest of the girl’s body, which she instantly regretted: her head began pounding like someone was trying to suck out her brains and each limb had the dexterity and mobility of a lead pipe. There was also something warm and heavy draped over her, but Velvet didn’t feel like looking to find out what it was.
She felt as though she should say something. ‘Where am I?’ was a classic, although ‘help’ was also a favorite. In the end she settled on a mixture of both, but it came out of her parched mouth sounding a lot like a feeble ‘Aaarnnghhhnn’.
A noise came from somewhere in the distance. Or it could have been closer. It was so hard to tell when the room refused to stop spinning.
“...Hello?”
A voice.
Human.
Good.
Could have been female.
But too high pitched to be her.
Velvet’s fatigued state left her wondering whether she was actually hearing it or not. A loud thumping followed the greeting, but that was something she was grateful for. There were worse things to hear after waking up, like the sound of someone saying ‘did anyone get his number?’ or ‘you two hold her hands behind her back’. Either of those, however, was better than the sound of a knife being unsheathed.
Bit by bit, Velvet’s eyes made the decision to brave the light again. Millimeter by millimeter, the room came into view. She was laying flat on a bed in a room that she didn’t recognize, surrounded on all sides by muted wallpaper in stripes of green and white. The rest of the room was rather desolate, with wooden floorboards, a tartan rug, and a short nightstand upon which were placed three bottles of some kind of medicine, a bowl, and a clean washcloth. Somewhere in the distance there was music playing; the upbeat chords of an acoustic guitar.
So Wolfgang hadn’t killed her. That was the good news. The bad news was that with the light hitting the backs of her eyeballs, the resultant headache almost made Velvet wish he had.
The strain was too much. Velvet shut her eyes just as she heard the door swing open again, but by then the young Assassin was already sinking back into the comforting arms of unconsciousness.
It was dark when Velvet awoke again, feeling marginally better than before, though that may just have been because there was no more sunlight lancing at her brain.
Okay. Let’s try this again.
Velvet shuffled her arms under the sheets, bringing her elbows into a bracing position. With a grunt of exertion, the girl managed to push herself into a slumped sitting stance. The mattress creaked a little, but it wasn’t loud enough for anyone to take notice.
As she brushed the sleep from her eyes, the condition of her hands became apparent. Each of them had been carefully wrapped in white bandages, all the way from her wrists to her elbow, and there was the heavy scent of antiseptic in the air.
Now that the dominoes in Velvet’s mind had begun to topple their way into wakefulness, the next piece to fall was that someone had moved her from the construction site and to wherever this was, and moreover, all of her equipment was gone.
Velvet glanced down; she was now clothed in a thin blue nightgown, sleeveless to bare her linen-wrapped limbs. A quick inspection at the rest of her confirmed her initial suspicions: someone had rescued her from the place where she’d passed out.
Right. Inch by inch, Velvet slid one stiff leg out from the covers. It too was wrapped up snugly in white and sent a shiver up the girl’s spine as it touched down on the icy floorboards. Let’s see how much trouble I’m in.
Paying no heed to the oncoming headache that these meager motions were beginning to cause, the young Assassin edged her other foot out and onto the floor. Using the nearest bedpost as a crutch, she levered the rest of her body out from under the covers, goosebumps forming on her exposed skin; the snow outside was still falling thickly and made Velvet wish for her coat more than anything.
Velvet pushed off the bedpost and managed to stay upright for a full two seconds before overbalancing and slamming into the wall. A muffled groan escaped Velvet as her wounded shoulder was jarred by the impact, and once more as she slid to the ground in a heap.
Panting, the young Assassin waited for her vision to stabilize before trying to stand up again, but her legs would not bear her weight.
“Come on…” Velvet croaked. “Stand up… please.” Sunset’s out there somewhere and I have to find her.
Finally giving up on her lower limbs’ functionality, Velvet dragged herself slowly toward the door. Each centimeter of floorboard was like a frozen pond, and she could feel it sapping the strength from her limbs with every pull of her hands.
After what felt like hours, Velvet reached the door. She rolled over and reached up to turn the knob. Twice her fingers slipped from the polished brass, but on the third she managed to grasp it firmly and-
Velvet froze on the spot. There were footfalls rapidly approaching and the girl let go of the doorknob, sliding on her backside and frantically looking for somewhere to hide.
Under the bed? No, too obvious.
Behind the curtains? No, too short.
The paltry furnishings in this room offered a rather poor selection of spots to hide, Velvet thought.
Sequestering herself behind the door’s swinging arc, Velvet curled up into a ball and waited.
The footfalls got louder, louder, louder, and then softer again. Whoever it was must have walked right past her door. Velvet breathed a sigh of relief.
And then the door to her room swung open, smacking the girl right in the head and making her yelp.
Stars spun in Velvet’s eyes as she slumped to the floor, dazed. As the black began to close in around her vision, a concerned face swam into view. A face crowned with yellow and red striped hair. A face that Velvet wanted to see more than anyone else in the world.
“Sunset Shimmer,” Velvet breathed, her eyes closing. A pair of warm hands clasped her own as the blue girl gave up the fight to stay awake. “I… I’m… you… you’re safe.”
Twilight Sparkle trotted down the streets of Canterlot by herself, heading towards the location Princess Luna had given her. This was a residential area, sprinkled with manor houses and tall towers and dusted with the occasional park.
Some little fillies and colts were playing ball on the streets while an older pair watched over them. Twilight smiled as she passed them, both as a greeting, but also looking back to a memory.
She never had any friends when she was younger, but her big brother, Shining Armor, was always there for her whenever she needed somepony to spend time with.
The Princess of Friendship used to live around this area of Canterlot, but she didn’t know the address she was looking for. It was either a new establishment, or a really old one.
A few ponies began to notice her presence, bowing to her as she passed. Twilight smiled and waved her hooves but otherwise kept going. There was an important discovery to be made today and she wasn’t going to let her friends in the other world down.
It didn’t take long for her to become hopelessly lost, so Twilight pulled the papers that Luna had given her from her saddlebags, levitating them out in front of her.
“Let’s see what it says…” she muttered to herself. “Number six, Fifth floor, Pine Towers, East Canterlot. Now if memory serves, Pine Towers should be… that way?”
Twilight’s memory wasn’t as good as she wished it was today. She continued down the way she thought the place was, but when she reached the dead end, the princess knew she was in the wrong place.
“Okay,” Twilight grumbled, turning around. “No more little miss nice pony.”
Setting the paper on the ground, she focused the power in her horn and zapped the paper with a bolt of magenta. The paper floated up to eye level.
“Point me,” Twilight commanded.
Obediently, a tiny arrow made of magic formed above the paper, pointing at a side street. Following the arrow, Princess Twilight was soon able to find her way to Pine Towers, where she ended the spell.
Twilight let out a sigh of relief and stowed the paper back in her saddlebag. The building was of a typical postmodern Canterlotian make, all tall spires and overhanging balconies. The lavender alicorn trotted up the short flight of steps into the lobby before making her way up the main stairs inside.
Getting to the fifth floor was easy enough. Now all Twilight had to do was find a door with the number six on it. The hallway was small and narrow, but the princess managed to find the door she was looking for right at the end of the hall. Like everything else, it was shiny and smelled of fresh polish.
She knocked on the gleaming wooden door with a hoof and stepped back, silently hopping, please don’t be asleep, please don’t be asleep, please don’t be asleep!
To her astonishment, Twilight heard the sounds of hoofsteps inside before the door slowly opened, revealing a familiar face.
“Corporal Dewdrop?” Twilight said incredulously.
“Princess Twilight?” The guard sounded almost as surprised. “Uh, uh… What a pleasant surprise! W-what are you doing in this part of Canterlot?”
“I was looking for a Lance Corporal Satin Breeze. I was told she lives here?”
“Uh, yes, princess,” Dewdrop flashed Twilight a nervous smile. “Your information is not wrong. Thing is, she’s not home right now-”
“Dew?” came a soft voice from inside the flat. “Who is it?”
Twilight watched Dewdrop’s face cycle through surprise, concern, doubt, and finally settle on a mixture of resignation and nervousness.
“Nevermind. I guess you’d better come in, Princess.”
The first thing that Twilight noticed upon entering was how dark it was. All the curtains and blinds had been drawn, leaving only a faint white outline around the windows. It smelled faintly of fruit, but Twilight couldn’t pinpoint exactly what. Once her eyes began to adjust to the gloom, the alicorn was able to make out a selection of simple but tasteful furniture, all in dark shades which blended in a bit too well with the overlaying darkness, as more than one bumped hoof made evident.
Following Dewdrop, Twilight was led into a bedroom. The fruity smell was stronger here, and more importantly, there was a batpony sitting up on the bed, one who looked familiar for some reason.
“Sorry for the impromptu visit, but-”
“Oh, Princess Twilight,” the batpony left her bed to bow. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
Twilight waited for the obligatory bowing to be over before saying, “Uh, thanks. But I’m not going to be staying for long. I just had a few questions to ask you.”
“Of course, princess. It is an honor to have you in my home, even for a brief moment.”
The darkness in the room seemed to fade slightly as Twilight’s eyes fully adjusted themselves. It was then that the Princess of Friendship realized who it was she was speaking to. She recognized the attractive batpony mare from the recruitment posters outside Canterlot Castle.
“Umm… Are you Lance Corporal Satin Breeze?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Satin threw her a rather sloppy salute, kicking a few discarded bits of Lunar Guard armor under the bed as she did so. Dewdrop cringed a little, but said nothing.
“Lance Corporal Breeze, I have some questions regarding Sergeant Velvet Breeze,” Twilight said as carefully as she could. She didn’t know how close Satin was to Velvet, so she didn’t want to sound disrespectful. “First off, I know it sounds like a silly question, but may I know how you are related to her?”
Immediately, Twilight knew she had said something wrong. The pupils of Satin’s eyes shrank to tiny dots, and her breathing became hard and erratic.
“V-Velvet?” Satin muttered. “She’s my… my sister. Yes. That’s it. We’re sisters.”
“Satin, if you don’t want to do this…” Dewdrop said gently.
“I-it’s fine, Dewdrop…” the slim batpony sighed. “The princess n-needs answers…”
“I’m sorry, if it’s a bad time, I can always come back?” Twilight said, unsure how to handle the situation.
“It’s okay, princess… Coming back later won’t change anything,” Satin continued, closing her eyes. “It’s just… I miss my sister. Very much.”
“Look,” Dewdrop said at last. “Princess. I don’t mean to be rude, but this is kind of a touchy subject right now. So how about instead of asking Satin, you ask me? In the living room? Please?”
Twilight agreed and nodded, though a part of her wanted to give the corporal a piece of her mind. If she had been this cooperative, Twilight wouldn’t have had to go through all the trouble to find this place. She trotted into the next room behind the corporal, who opened the blinds a tiny bit. As she did so, Twilight couldn’t help but turn up her muzzle at the mess that was brought to light. A bowl of overripe fruits lay atop the cluttered coffee table, and she counted at least five bottles of wine littered about, all in various states of emptiness.
“What… What happened here?” Twilight couldn’t help but ask as she stepped over an old hairbrush.
“Like I said, Princess,” Dewdrop said grimly. “It’s a touchy subject.”
“If I may, corporal. What is your relationship with the lance corporal?”
“She’s… my best friend, princess,” Dewdrop lowered her head. “We’ve known each other for years.”
“Well, corporal, I’m truly sorry about Lance Corporal Breeze, but...” Twilight sighed and sat on the floor. She couldn’t know what Satin was going through, but she still had a friend out there that needed answers more badly than Twilight herself. “What do you know about Sergeant Breeze?”
“I can tell you a bit more than most. Sergeant Breeze was a Lunar Guard, one of the better ones, if I dare say so. Younger sister to poor Satin, you know. She was devastated when the news came back.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.” Twilight felt chagrined. Of course asking the relative to a fallen soldier would get this kind of reaction, she berated herself mentally.
“Yeah. Never even found the body,” Dewdrop said, sweeping an empty pizza box off the couch. “Stinking Chrysalis. I hope they catch her and lock her away for a thousand years.”
“Did they ever catch the one that broke her out of jail?” Twilight went off topic for just this question.
“No, and more’s the pity,”the Solar Guard grumbled. “I’d have liked a few minutes with that one to show her who’s boss.”
“I’m sure a lot of ponies do, corporal. Anyway, back to the reason why I’m here. What was Sergeant Breeze like? I will be grateful for anything you have.”
“Well, that’s her over there,” Dewdrop gestured vaguely over to a photo on the wall. Twilight stood up and walked over, taking a closer look at it. It was a picture of a blue coated batpony with teal-grey hair. “She was a kind mare, always checking up on her sister, even though she was the younger sibling. She had joined the Guard first, you see. Satin joined much later.”
“I see,” Twilight’s quill worked furiously on her parchment, recording everything. “And where are they from, Velvet and Satin?”
Dewdrop raised a curious eyebrow. “Why, Hollow Shades of course. Like almost every batpony, princess. Velvet joined the guards almost seven years ago now, with Satin just finishing her fifth. They’ve been here in Canterlot ever since.
“Now I have a question for you, if you’ll excuse me, Princess Twilight,” Dewdrop looked Twilight right in the eye. “Why the sudden interest in Velvet? All this stress isn’t good for Satin’s career, you know?”
Twilight thought about what to say before opening her mouth. “I have a friend who’s in need of some help. She says she has a girl following her who said her name was Velvet Breeze. After discovering Sergeant Breeze is… no longer with us, I couldn’t help but think: is this girl a fake? And so here I am, looking for answers.”
“Somepony impersonating Velvet?” Dewdrop growled, startling Twilight with her sudden hostility. “Point me to them and I’ll take care of it, princess. If it’s a changeling…”
“Wait, wait!” Twilight threw her hooves in front of her face. “We don’t know anything yet! I still have to relay all this information to my friend.”
“Well, I hope your friend is able to catch this fake Velvet. I can’t stand the thought of someone walking around as her!”
“Well the thing is…” Twilight trailed off before she could reveal any more information. There was no concrete evidence that this other Velvet was a fake, but somehow she doubted that the grim-faced corporal would react well to talks of parallel universes and an entirely different species.
“I’d prefer to keep this quiet until I have a definitive answer,” Twilight finished. “Safer for everypony that way.”
Despite Twilight’s inner reservations, to her credit, Dewdrop calmed down quickly.
“Well, who am I to argue with the mind of a princess? I’ll do anything I can to help your investigation.”
Twilight nodded, pulling up the list of questions she had compiled on the way here.
“What was Velvet’s favorite color?”
“Purple.”
“Favorite food?”
“Mangoes.”
“Family?”
“One older sister, one mother and father.”
“Any distinguishing features?”
“Well,” Dewdrop scratched her head. “There was this scarf that Satin gave her.”
“Anything else I should know about this scarf?” Twilight jumped on the point.
Dewdrop shrugged. “Just a red scarf, Princess. Only thing they managed to recover from the… incident. Satin’s got it now, but I don’t think…”
“Don’t worry,” Twilight said quickly. “I won’t ask to see it.”
The rest of the afternoon was spent learning as much as she could about the late Velvet Breeze. From what Dewdrop had told her, Sunset’s Velvet already seemed uncannily similar to her own one, but Twilight had to make absolutely sure. Only when the sun was nearing the horizon did they finally reach the end of Twilight’s list.
“Whew!” Twilight exclaimed, wiping a droplet of sweat off the parchment she had been using to record everything on. “I think that about covers it. Thank you for your cooperation, Corporal Dewdrop.”
“Don’t mention it,” Dewdrop saluted. “It’s an honor to help out a princess, in any way I’m able; that’s why I joined the guards.”
Twilight nodded. Dewdrop’s enthusiasm for her work certainly was uplifting; it reminded her a bit of Applejack.
“Well, I should be going now…” Twilight rolled up her scrolls and packed away her quills.
“Sure you don’t want to stay for a drink?”
“I’d love to, but I can’t,” Twilight said, smiling as she magicked the front door open. “I need to get these matched up with my friend to see if her Velvet is a fake or not.”
“Oh,” said Dewdrop, mollified. “Of course. See you later then, Princess Twilight.”
Twilight turned back one last time at the door. “Corporal, I saw another pony at Sergeant Velvet Breeze’s grave that night I met you. That was Lance Corporal Breeze wasn’t it?”
Dewdrop widened her eyes, not knowing Twilight had seen anything that night, sighing when she realized she couldn’t keep up her game. “Yes. It was. Satin visits it frequently. I’m sorry I lied to you, princess. I thought I could keep Satin safe that way.”
“Don’t hit yourself for it, corporal,” Twilight returned and placed a hoof on the guard’s shoulder. “I too would do everything I can to help my friends.”
Waving a final farewell to Dewdrop, Twilight descended the stairs, already assembling the letter to Sunset that she would compose as soon as she got back to her tower.
She had almost reached the bottom of the steps and the end of her imaginary letter why she ran smack-dab into another pony, a pink pegasus with a yellow mane.
“Ohmygosh, I’m so sorry!” the pegasus said. “Let me help you up.”
Twilight flapped to her hooves and smiled at the other pony. “No need to worry; I’m fine.”
“Oh! You’re Princess Twilight!” The pegasus made to bow, but accidentally tripped over her own hooves while she was doing so and tumbled to the ground herself, which only flustered her more. “Sorry! I mean, sorry about me, Princess Twilight, I don’t know what’s gotten into me!”
“Breathe,” Twilight commanded as she levitated the pegasus upright. “Just breathe, okay? You don’t have to bow just for me.”
“But I have to! It’s traditional, and what if somepony sees me not bowing, what would they say-” A glare from Twilight. “Right, right. Breathe. Okay.”
“Now, let’s try again,” Twilight gave the pegasus a friendly smile. “I’m Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship.”
“S-Sunny Skies, Princess,” the pegasus bobbed her head slightly, clearly fighting the urge to bow again. “I’m on the w-weather team. That’s right.”
“Well, that’s nice, Sunny Skies,” Twilight magically dusted off the pink pegasus. “Are you on your way up?”
“Uh, no, not really.”
“Oh.” Twilight paused for a moment. “Umm… So, uh, why are you here, Sunny?”
“Just, y’know, on a stroll. Nothing like a brisk walk in the evening to get the blood going, you know?”
“Sounds good, Sunny. Well, have a nice walk!”
Twilight and Sunny Skies parted ways, with Twilight making for her tower at the castle and Sunny heading toward the eastern part of the city. Eager to get her findings to Sunset, Twilight took flight and was soon out of sight.
Unobserved by both Sunny Skies and Twilight Sparkle, a pair of narrowed eyes watched them depart. Concealed inside a rooftop garden, Agent Eclair kept careful vigil over Princess Twilight. It hadn’t exactly been the most stimulating of jobs, but it had finally paid off.
That pegasus, Sunny Skies, had been standing outside Satin’s flat for almost an hour before Twilight had bumped into her. All she’d done was pace around outside, occasionally bumping into or waving at passers-by. And now she was setting off down a narrow alleyway, looking over her shoulders furtively.
A textbook example of stealth, Eclair hopped out of the shrubbery that had been her cover and crept to the edge of the rooftop. Sunny was just turning the corner into the alley, so Eclair spread her wings and soared to the other end of the street, ready to catch her off guard.
Executing a perfect four-point landing, Eclair flattened herself against the wall, and just in time. The sound of hoofsteps was approaching. Closer, closer, closer, until…
“Stop!” Eclair jumped out and glared right into the eyes of… a pure white unicorn with a pale blue mane.
“Huh?”
“Oh, uh, sorry. I mistook you for somepony else.” Eclair stepped aside to let her pass. “Terribly sorry.”
“It’s okay,” the unicorn said graciously. “Were you by any chance looking for the pony with the pink coat and yellow mane?”
Eclair decided how much to tell the unicorn. “Yes. That’s the one. Did you see her?”
“Yup. Doubled back the way she came and went into a crowd. Did she do something wrong?”
“Oh, nothing wrong. She just dropped something and I’m planning to return it.” Eclair finished with a straight face, putting years of experience to practice.
“Oh. Okay,” the unicorn shrugged noncommittally. “Good luck with that.”
The white unicorn began to trot away.
Eclair watched her leave, disappearing through a marble archway. How odd… I could swear she was about to show…
Retracing Sunny Skies’ predicted path, Eclair ended up back at Pine Towers, but there was no sign of the pink pegasus anywhere. Cursing, she dashed down the street, completely missing the sight of Sunny Skies reappearing from behind the archway with a satisfied smirk on her face.
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?”
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.”
“...And that’s how my friends and I saved the world from the sirens,” Sunset concluded.
“Wow…” Velvet Breeze uttered as Sunset Shimmer finished her tale. “So there’s another world out there? And you’re really from this… uh, Equestria?”
Applejack nodded. “Eeyup. It’s probably a lot to take in, but it’s all true.”
“And you thought me being an Assassin was strange…” Velvet chuckled, rubbing her upper arm. “I mean, I knew there were weird things out there before, but a whole other world is just… wow.”
“Ya seem to be takin’ this pretty well,” Applejack leaned back in her seat and raised an eyebrow.
“Well…” Velvet looked to the ceiling. “I did meet a vampire when I was younger.”
“A vampire?” Applejack goggled at Velvet. “For real?”
“Seems we all have our unbelievable stories to tell,” Sunset let out a small laugh, followed shortly by the other two girls.
“Yup,” Velvet nodded, placing her empty plate on her lap. “So this Princess Twilight that’s been helping you, she doesn’t come here often?”
“Hold up, about the vampire…” Applejack mumbled, but she was ignored.
“She’s a princess after all,” Sunset raised a palm out. “She has duties back in Equestria. I can’t thank her more for coming here to help me, even when she has so much work to do back home.”
“Sounds like she’s a great friend to have,” Velvet nodded and looked down at her hands, sadly. “I wish I had good friends like that…”
“We’re your friends, Velvet,” Applejack clapped her on the shoulder.
“But all I’ve done is lie to you since the first day,” the young Assassin pointed out, looking at both girls.
“Everyone deserves a second chance, Velvet,” Sunset grinned. “I of all people should know that.”
“In fact…” Applejack placed both feet on the ground and leaned forward, pulling out her phone from her skirt pocket. “How ‘bout Ah get the others over? We can get a real introduction all sorted out for ya.”
The injured girl’s eyes widened. “Umm… I don’t know if that’s a good idea...”
“Why not?”
“You know…” Velvet rubbed her hands together anxiously. “You… weren’t supposed to know any of this. The fewer people the better, right?” The blue-skinned girl let out a short laugh.
“Velvet,” Sunset looked into the girl’s orange eyes. “Trust us. We’re your friends.”
The teal-grey haired girl looked hesitant, but finally relinquished, nodding in agreement with them. Applejack gave her a reassuring smile and left the room, holding the phone to her ear, leaving Velvet with Sunset.
“So… an Assassin, huh?”
“Uh huh…” Velvet looked down at the bed. “Do you think… umm… I could have my blade back?”
“Your blade? Oh, yeah,” Sunset said with realization. She opened the cabinet next to Velvet’s bed and drew out a compact metal device with four straps attached. “Is this one of those assassin tools?”
“Thanks… And, yes. All Assassins have these.” Velvet took the blade, but left it by her side, feeling safer that at least her weapon was close by. “Sometimes more than one. Mine’s pretty basic, seeing as I’m just a novice.”
Sunset sat beside Velvet on the bed. “You know, when you first came to CHS, I thought that you had some kind of problem with me,” she said. “You kept giving me these glares whenever we met.”
“Oh, right…” Velvet let out a nervous chuckle. “You don’t know… that’s something we Assassins call eagle vision. How do I explain this…” she tapped a finger on her chin thoughtfully. “It’s like I can mark out certain people in a crowd and keep track of where they are.”
“Oh?” Sunset widened her eyes, interested. “That sounds awfully useful.”
“It is,” Velvet shrugged. “Sorry if you took it the wrong way; I just wanted to make sure I could tell where you were at all times.”
“It’s all fine now, Velvet,” Sunset waved a hand. “You were doing what you were told. Tell me… How did you become an Assassin?”
“I’d… rather not talk about it.” Velvet said, looking down, her mouth set in a firm line.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Velvet, if I brought up bad memories. Umm…” Sunset looked around, thinking of what to say. “How about we talk about the other side? The Templars? What do you know about them?”
“Not as much as I’d like to,” Velvet said, fiddling with one of the straps to her hidden blade. “I haven’t been allowed to participate in Assassin affairs until I graduate beyond novice rank. But now I know that at least one of them is on the Board of Education; I suspect that’s how Wolfgang got into CHS so easily.”
“And you have no idea why they’re after me?”
“Sorry, Sunset,” Velvet slumped back onto her pillow. “I don’t have much to go on there either. I mean, I snuck into Wolfgang’s office once to see if I could find anything, but whoever he got his orders from was keeping all the details out of print.”
“Oh,” Sunset said. “Well, at least you tried, right?”
“But that’s not good enough, Sunset. We still haven’t figured out why they want you. How can I help when I don’t even know what I’m helping for?”
“You’ve helped plenty of times, Velvet,” Sunset put a hand on the Assassin’s shoulder. “You’ve protected me from Mr. Wolfgang on multiple occasions. That counts.”
“Well, uh,” Velvet’s voice became suddenly very small. “I did almost kill you once.”
Sunset tilted her head, not understanding. “Do you mean that time you tried to give me my pen back?”
“Not quite…”
“What?” Sunset mumbled. She couldn’t recall any other time that the girl in the white hoodie had tried to kill her. “When?”
“I’m talking about the fire at Canterlot High,” Sunset’s eye went wide. “I set it.”
“That was you?” Sunset leaned back, almost unable to believe it. “Why? What would a fire help you accomplish?”
“I needed a distraction. It wasn’t a big fire. I just needed to make sure there was enough smoke to chase everyone out,” Velvet explained miserably, unwilling to look at Sunset. “That was the day I snuck into Wolfgang’s office to see what I could find. I’m sorry. My job was to protect you, but… I almost killed you.”
Sunset’s mouth was still open from shock. “Do you have any idea how much danger you put everyone in? Let alone me?”
“I know, I know!” Velvet looked down over the bedside. “I’m so sorry, Sunset. I didn’t plan it out too well. I’m sorry… I messed up. I didn’t expect anyone to still be inside...”
Sunset was still busy contemplating how the other girl could do such a thing. Did she not expect her actions to hurt someone? Was that how all Assassins operated? Sunset just didn’t want to believe they could be so cold.
“I’m sorry…” Velvet said again.
Just then, Applejack returned, pocketing her phone as she walked in. “Good news. The others are all on their way. Uh, did somethin’ happen?”
Velvet was about to explain the fire again, but Sunset quickly cut in. “It was nothing. Velvet was just telling me more about the Assassins. It’s a lot to take in.”
“Ah’ll bet,” Applejack whistled and returned to her seat. “Must be mighty odd, bein’ an Assassin. Ah mean, your job is to kill people. That can’t be easy or healthy for a person.”
“Remember, she hasn’t killed anyone yet,” Sunset told her friend.
Applejack wasn’t convinced. “But still… It’s her job. Doesn’t matter if she’s gone and done it or not, it’s still somethin’ she’s gotta do. That’s what scares me. No offense, Velvet.”
“It’s not all about killing,” Velvet pointed out. “Assassins do more than just kill Templars. We spy and sabotage and infiltrate places too. It’s all part of keeping the world safe.”
“But aren’t you conscious about breakin’ the law and all that?”
“We Assassins have a saying: ‘Nothing is true, everything is permitted’,” Velvet said. “It’s like our Creed.”
“Creed?” Sunset asked. “What’s that?”
“‘S like a motto, Ah think,” Applejack put a finger to her chin. “Like what them fancy schools have.”
Sunset waited for Velvet to elaborate.
Velvet looked back to her before starting. “We Assassins aren’t lawless like you might think, Sunset Shimmer. We have rules. We don’t just go out there and kill as we like. Those are people like Wolfgang.
“The Assassin’s Creed means that we have to take responsibility for what we do, whether it’s a good or bad outcome. Having the freedom to kill, is also the freedom not to kill, if that makes any sense. It’s what keeps the Assassins on track. Or so I’ve been told,” she finished.
Sunset folded her arms and leaned back, looking to the floor. She didn’t know how else to speak sense to Velvet, nor did she think the blue-skinned girl was going to be convinced that being an Assassin wasn’t such a good thing.
“So… this group of people. How long have they been around? How long have you been a part of this secret order?”
Velvet Breeze scratched at her head and swallowed. “Well, you see… I haven’t learnt up much history about the Assassins. This is only my second year serving with them. Truthfully, I-I didn’t see a point in learning up their past. These are questions you should be asking the Assassin Mentor.”
“Mentor?”
“The Assassin leader,” Velvet explained. “Every bureau… uh, headquarters, has one. The one back in Trottingham, she’s the mentor of Mentors. She knows best.”
Sunset sighed. “Knows best, huh…” Somehow she doubted it, but kept her face carefully neutral.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t answer all your questions,” Velvet replied, playing with the straps of her hidden weapon. “I’m not as seasoned as the others. I’m still a novice after all.”
A doorbell sounded from downstairs, catching the three girls’ attention. It was followed shortly by a voice they knew well, echoing throughout the large house.
“Applejaaaaack! We’re heeeeere! It’s party time!”
Applejack stood up and pulled her coat tighter around herself. “Well… Ah guess Ah’ll get them in. Time for ya to make some good friendships, Velvet Breeze.”
The north side of Manehattan Central Hospital was more quiet than the usual day. It could’ve been because of the recent death of a elderly man, whom the hardworking doctors had desperately tried to save, or it could’ve just been the fact that all the other patients had been moved to the other wings, except for one man who now lay under a single fan in the room, unable to move from the pain and broken bones, but also from the casts and bandages wrapped around his entire body.
Wolfgang lay in his bed, unmoving, eyes closed. Through the work of Citrus Drops, Wolfgang had been moved back to Manehattan, just in case the Assassins were to look for him. In their current state, they wouldn’t dare attack the Templars in their home turf.
A sound, something like a spark of electricity, came from outside, startling the bedridden Templar’s eyes open. Wolfgang groggily moved his eyes around, unable to open them wide enough to get a proper look. The white door to his left was pushed open as a few figures walked in.
Wolfgang was unable to turn his head to look at them as they stood beside his bed. They were just out of reach from his eyes.
There was a disappointed cluck before a familiar voice spoke. “What a situation you’ve gotten yourself in, Wolfey. And to think you were good at this.”
“He’s in no position to answer you, Mirror Match,” Mahogany Wood spoke.
“Exactly why I said it, sir.”
“Did Citrus say anything? Does she know who did this to him? Would you know who did this to him?”
“Not without examining his wounds, which, as much as I might want to, could kill him, given the amount of blood he lost.” Mirror said with a shrug. “Nothing much I can do now, sir.”
“Hmm… How unfortunate. So there is nothing we can do, but to wait till he recovers. Is that what you’re saying?”
“Yes, sir.” The Templar agent adjusted her motorcycle helmet and little clicks came from inside, as if an invisible hand was cracking its knuckles within.
Wolfgang returned his eyes to the front, unable to do anything to look at the others talking about him. He really hated it when Mirror Match called him ‘Wolfey’. He hated it when anyone called him that.
“Whatever the case, I believe he’s been away too long,” Mahogany said flatly. “Wouldn’t you agree, Crescent?”
“Yes, chairman,” the bodyguard replied.
Chairman Mahogany Wood turned away to look out the expansive window, with Crescent Wing following him. Mirror Match shrugged and pocketed a piece of cheese from Wolfgang’s leftover dinner, her hand going back to her side just as the doors swung open again.
Except this time, there was no one standing in the open doorway. Instead a vast, dark mass of shadow filled the entire hallway, roiling and churning like a thunderstorm in the enclosed space. And at the heart of the darkness, was a small golden sphere, about the size of a softball and covered in bright markings. Immediately, Mahogany Wood, Crescent Wing, and Mirror Match dropped onto one knee and knelt before the darkness.
The orb, held aloft by a tendril of shadow, began to emit tendrils of light, each gossamer thread spiralling out from the surface of the sphere and diving into Wolfgang’s skull.
First, Wolfgang experienced a small tingle in his head, like something was zapping the corner of his skull, trying to get inside it. Then it increased in intensity, going right through his skull to his brain. He shut his eyes, trying to endure the searing pain. It reached a point where he had tuned everything else out, crying internally as it radiated in his head.
Then it was over. Just like that.
Mahogany Wood and Crescent Wing stood and returned to the killer’s bedside, observing him. Finally, the chairman plucked up the courage to speak.
“Is… is it done, Grand Master?”
Wolfgang lay back in his bed, breathing the deep breath of sleep.
The darkness, which had diminished with the orb’s display of light, flooded back in full force.
“Yes. It is done.” The voice was a grim growl, easily dominating the entire room with no effort. With that said, the darkness swirled out of the room, dissipating out of the swinging doors.
“I’m glad that’s over with,” Mirror Match patted at her helmet’s visor. “So what now, chairman?”
Mahogany rubbed at his chin. “We now know the Assassins have people in Canterlot. We can only assume they know of our plans with the Sunset Shimmer girl.”
“Maybe not,” Mirror Match waved a hand casually. “Wolfey here might’ve been stupid enough to reveal himself and the Assassins moved to take him down. There’s still a possibility that they have no idea what’s really going on.”
“I’d rather not take our chances,” Mahogany narrowed his eyes. “We should take necessary precautions. As of now, we don’t know what’s going on there. Crescent, I need people in Canterlot. I want to know exactly what happened to Wolfgang.”
“I’ll see what I can do, chairman,” the orange haired man bowed. He lifted a phone from his coat pocket and put it to his ear as he walked out of the room, leaving Mahogany with Mirror Match and a bedridden Wolfgang.
“Mirror Match,” the chairman turned to her. “How much do the Assassins still trust you?”
Mirror scraped at her helmet with a finger and chuckled. “What makes you think they still trust me? It’s been so long since I left them, and believe me, it wasn’t on good terms.”
“Well, you were one of their own. Do none of them still think that way?”
“Chairman, I’m responsible for killing at least four from the Trottingham bureau. I don’t think I’m in any of their good graces. That being said,” Mirror stretched an arm out and examined the back of her gloved hand. “I’m still quite good at the whole spying game, and I don’t need to talk to Assassins to get results. You know that to be true.”
Mahogany smirked and returned to the window. “Yes, I do. You’ve a simple task. I want to know how much of our plans they know, and if possible… I want them thrown off track.”
Mirror threw the chairman a mock salute. “Aye, aye, sir.”
Crescent Wing returned from the hallway, giving the chairman an affirmative nod as he stowed his phone.
“Excellent,” Mahogany walked for the door. “As for Wolfgang, I suppose he’ll have to stay here until he recovers. I’ll make sure to post security close by, just in case. Mirror Match, I want you in Trottingham tonight. We can’t waste any time.”
Mirror Match nodded and left the room, the keys to her bike already spinning around one finger.
Mahogany waited until the woman’s footsteps had faded into nothing before speaking again.
“We should get moving too, Crescent. Time and tide wait for no man, and we’ve lots to do for our Grand Master.”
“I brought the snacks!” Pinkie Pie yelled and tossed at least a dozen bags of chips up into the air.
“Pinkie!” Applejack flinched as one bag hit her square in the face.
“Oopsie,” the pink girl held back a laugh. “So where’s Velvet? Is she hiding? Is she going to surprise us?”
“Velvet’s upstairs, resting.” Sunset joined the girls around the door, as they removed their snow boots and scarves. The weather was still getting colder. Having the front door open already chilled Sunset down to her bones. “Come on in, everyone. It’s really freezing out there.”
“You c-can s-say that again,” Rarity shivered as she tossed back her red scarf. “I’m glad your p-place is heated, Applejack.”
“Aren’t all our places?” the cowgirl scratched her chin, but waved the thought off. “Doesn’t matter. What matters here is that we make Velvet Breeze feel welcomed. Y’all think ya can handle that?”
“Absoooooolutely, ma’am!” Pinkie stood at attention and gave Applejack a snappy salute. “Should I bring all the food up? I totally should! If Velvet’s resting, then we should bring the party right to her!”
“She does have a point,” Rainbow Dash pointed a finger to the ceiling. “That way, Velvet can just lie in bed and stuff.”
Everyone else seemed to be in agreement, so one short trip upstairs later, Sunset and the rest of the Rainbooms found themselves outside Velvet’s room. Applejack and Rainbow had carried up one of the farm’s foldable tables to place all their food items, while the other girls helped to carry everything Pinkie had brought.
Sunset was the first through the door, opening it with one hand while she cradled three bags of chips in her arms. “Velvet? We’re back.”
The blue-skinned girl lay in bed, quickly shifting her hidden blade under her sheets before widening her mouth into a forced smile. “Right. Hello, girls.”
“Velvet, you remember my friends from CHS, right? Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie,” Sunset pointed to each respective girl. “They came by to see how you’re doing.”
“Sunset told us about how you saved her from that ghastly Mr. Wolfgang,” Rarity said. “Very noble of you to do so.”
Velvet wore a thoughtful face. “She told you all that, huh?” She looked to Sunset, silently asking how much she had told her friends.
The fiery haired girl nodded her assurance to Velvet. “Yeah. Just when I thought it was over, in you came, jumping in between me and that crazy man.”
“Sounds pretty heroic,” Rainbow said, clapping Velvet on the back and making her wince. “Wish I’d been there to give that guy a piece of my mind.”
“Trust me,” Sunset muttered. “You don’t.”
“Yeah, I do,” Rainbow pounded her fists together.
“Really, you don’t.”
Rainbow took a moment to think. “Maybe not,” she conceded. “But I still wish I could have been there to see him fight you, Velvet. You must have thrashed him if he ran away with his tail between his legs.”
“Don’t forget she had plenty of injuries of her own, Rainbow,” Rarity pointed out. “I’m glad Fluttershy and Granny Smith could patch you back up. I was almost afraid you wouldn’t make it, dear.”
“Fluttershy?” Velvet turned her almost bewildered face to the girl hiding her face behind her pink hair. “Well, you have my thanks, Fluttershy.”
“Oh, you don’t have to thank me,” the girl said softly, blushing slightly. “I couldn’t just let you stay hurt. A-After all, I have some practice at the pet shelter.”
“Animal shelter, huh?” Velvet shifted herself to sit up straighter. “Well, however you learned it, I’m grateful for your help, Fluttershy. And your grandmother’s too, Applejack.” She angled a nod to the farm girl.
“Well, it’s nice and all, but…” Rainbow yawned and kicked back to a chair behind her. “When’re we starting this party?”
“Ah thought it’s already started,” Applejack directed a hand to Velvet. “Guest of honor here and all.”
“Today’s all about you, Velvet,” Rainbow Dash reached a hand to clap her on the back again, but remembered and stopped herself. “We wanna be friends. Good friends.”
“Oh.” Velvet gave Rainbow a crooked smile, as if she was unsure of something. She looked to Sunset, as if to ask for help.
Sunset smiled back, remembering that she, too, was relatively new to the whole friendship thing.
“Don’t worry about it,” Sunset said, patting Velvet on the arm as Pinkie began pouring out cups of soda. “We just want to get to know you better, that’s all.” Sensing Velvet’s hesitation, she continued, “Have you… had friends before now?”
“Not really, no,” she admitted. “I’m… well, I wasn’t ever in one place long enough to make good friends.”
“Well, that’s a real shame,” Applejack whistled. “How ‘bout them other people. Uh, the ones you’re with now? Any friends among them?”
“Friends?” Velvet repeated. “I don’t know if you girls consider them friends, but… I think they’re more than that. They’re more like family.”
Rarity waved a hand to get their attention. “Sorry for interrupting, but… who are these people that are like family to you? Do we know them?”
Velvet looked to Sunset again, but the blue eyed girl simply nodded. Velvet understood. Sunset was telling her that she could trust the other girls, but also wanted to let her know that in the end, it was her choice whether to tell them or not.
“Well...” Velvet accepted a cup of soda from Rainbow Dash. “The thing is, I’m… not who I said I was...” she finished rather lamely.
“Kiiiinda figured that part out already,” Rainbow said impishly. “What with you rescuing Sunset and all. Not stuff a normal transfer student does. So spill it, Velvet. Are you on the secret service or something?”
Velvet darted her eyes around the room, trying to avoid the stares the other girls were giving her. “Well, you see… Does the word ‘Assassin’ mean anything to you?”
“‘A person who murders an important person for political or religious reasons’,” Pinkie read off her phone.
“Umm… you could say that…” Velvet lowered her voice.
“You? Velvet Breeze, a killer?” Rarity took a single step back. “But… But why? Why be an assassin?”
“That’s assassin with a lowercase ‘A’,” Velvet explained patiently. “I’m an Assassin with a capital ‘A’. Totally different.”
“And… what makes your Assassin with a capital ‘A’ different, dear?”
Velvet pulled herself straighter up. “Well, the Assassins that I’m a part of don’t just kill people, we only kill Templars. They’re a group who-”
“Are trying to take over the world in secret?” Pinkie interjected with a wide grin.
“Yes…” Velvet blinked a few times, bewildered. “H-How did you know?”
The poofy haired girl shrugged. “Meh, just a hunch.”
“So umm… you kill people?” Fluttershy asked, trying not to sound too frightened about the fact.
Velvet shook her head. “Not yet.”
“Well that’s a relief!” Pinkie slung an arm around the blue-skinned girl.
“You’re not a bad person, Velvet,” Applejack added in. “Ah mean, ya saved Sunset, riskin’ your own life.”
Rarity adjusted her hairpin before stepping next to Applejack. “What I’d like to know is why you’re with such… such people, dear. Why would you associate yourself with Assassins?”
“They’re not as bad as you put them to be,” Velvet answered. “A lot of them are really nice, once you get to know them.”
The other girls were looking to question Velvet more about her mysterious organization, but Sunset had other plans. “You know, girls, we’re here to welcome Velvet as one of our friends, not question whether these Assassins are just or not.”
“Yeah, c’mon y’all.” Applejack grabbed a bag of chips and slapped it into Pinkie’s arms. “Party time, right?”
“Yoooooou betcha!” Pinkie popped open the bag and dug out a handful of salty chips. “We’re gonna make you feel really welcomed, Velvet!”
“Y-Yeah,” Velvet said, giving Sunset a look of grateful relief. “Thanks, everyone.”
High Noon crept through the dark hallways of the Trottingham bureau’s second floor, moving as quietly as he could towards the staircase leading to the roof. It wasn’t helping that his boots had spurs on them. Thankfully, he had disabled the spinning mechanisms when he became an Assassin, seeing as they would cause more harm than good, but the shiny pieces of metal were still metal; metal was noisy and clunky.
The cowboy was about to cross over a doorway, when it suddenly opened, forcing him back; he hid himself against the wall and stopped breathing. Dr. Patch, the head medic for the Assassins, walked out of the room, scratching at her messy pink hair. From the looks of it, she hadn’t been getting enough sleep for the last week or so, likely still trying to find a cure for that poison Mirror Match used.
Poison.
High Noon remembered each of Mirror’s victims, slowly dying from the dreadful poison inflicted upon them from that blade of hers. That girl had really had done a number on the Assassin Brotherhood and all singlehandedly. She had wounded everyone, not just physically, but mentally as well, including the cowboy himself.
Luckily for Noon, the good doctor simply shuffled out and headed across the hall, likely going back to the medic wing. The brown haired Assassin sighed and wiped his forehead, which had already begun to weep droplets of sweat. Normally, there wasn’t anything wrong with walking around the bureau at night, but what the Assassin was planning was definitely going against what Frigid Night had told him.
High Noon didn’t want to just sit around the bureau all day, while Dewdrop was in some hospital in Chicoltgo. If the Templars were to learn of her location, if Mirror Match were to tell her superiors, he couldn’t forgive himself for letting the blue haired Assassin leave on her own.
After another two minutes of sneaking around in the dark, High Noon arrived at the stairs going up. He sighed with relief and began his climb, heading all the way up to the roof. He pushed the doors open as silently as he could. Every night, the Assassins posted two guards down in the lobby, and two on the roof.
The cowboy squeezed his head out, checking out his surroundings before widening the doorway. Before he could even take one step out into the open winter air, something grabbed him roughly by the hood and yanked him back into the stairway. High Noon struggled to keep his balance on the steps, managing to steady himself after grabbing the railing. A figure swooped past him and shut the door, standing between him and the rooftop; her raggedy brown cape stopped fluttering once the door was closed.
“Keila? How did you...” High Noon hissed. He had forgotten that Saddle Arabian Assassins had a special way of sneaking around in the shadows. “Nevermind. Wh-What brings you here this fine n-night?”
Keila didn’t seem to be in the mood for jokes. She simply folded her arms and frowned. “Where do you think you’re going tonight?”
High Noon pulled at his beard. “Uh, nowhere. Just the roof. I wa-wanted to get some cool f-fresh air.”
“You’re going out there, aren’t you? To look for Dewdrop?” Keila smiled when it showed all over High Noon’s face. The man was never any good at hiding secrets.
“I-I don’t want to just leave her defenseless like that. She’s vulnerable. The Templars could find her any minute.”
“The lieutenant gave his orders, Noon.” Keila seemed to have trouble getting the next set of words out. “I think it’s best that we do what he says. At least for now. What’s Dewdrop to you anyway? She’s always picking on you.”
“It’s not because she dislikes me,” High Noon said, twisting the coiled rope at his side nervously. “I understand her. This is her way of getting over her loss, and I’m more than happy to help her.”
“Really?” Keila wasn’t convinced.
“Yes,” High Noon said adamantly. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have tried to stop her that night; I hurt her feelings. Hay, I should’ve gone with her. I need to get out there now and bring her home. Please, Keila. Surely you understand?”
The Saddle Arabian Assassin relaxed her face a little. “I get it, I get it. You want to correct that mistake by making sure she’s fine, but what happens when Lieutenant Frigid finds out that you left? He’s already not right in the head. You don’t want to make it worse.”
“I’m willing to do it for Dewdrop’s safety.”
Keila moved forward and placed a hand on the cowboy’s arm. “Please, Noon. Just stay. It’s for your own good. Dewdrop will recover. Once she heals up, she’ll be back, no problem. She’s been in hospitals before.” Mostly for drinking too much. Keila added mentally.
High Noon wanted to protest some more, but he couldn’t come up with anything else for his case. He scratched the back of his head. “Well… Fine. Four days. Four more days until Frigid said I could go get her. I hope she’ll still be alright in these four days.”
“That’s assuming she doesn’t contact us before then,” Keila reminded him. “This is still her mission, and we shouldn’t butt in unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
High Noon was so concerned for his friend’s safety that he had forgotten all about her mission. For all he knew, Dewdrop was already back out there, finishing her job. “Right. Thanks, Keila… For talking me out of this.”
Keila shrugged. “I’m only doing this because I gave the lieutenant my word that I’d wait it out. Otherwise I’d be getting in the car with you.”
Sunset awoke the next morning with a crick in her neck and the sun shining through a gap in the curtains right on her face. Instead of getting up to stretch out her muscles, she turned over on her other side and pulled her blanket tighter around herself. The temperature was just too good to waste, thanks to the heater that stood quietly puffing away in the corner, small clouds of steam rising and fogging up the window.
She might’ve gone another few hours before getting up, but someone had suddenly planted a foot in her back and it was starting to bother her. Shifting her body slightly, Sunset got up into a seated position and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Pinkie Pie lay strewn across her mattress and Sunset’s, one leg still twitching where Sunset’s back had been a few seconds before.
“Oh, Pinkie…” Sunset yawned and stretched out her arms as far as they could go.
The rest of her friends were still asleep, including Velvet Breeze, who lay atop Apple Bloom’s bed. They were all still probably pooped from the party last night. Carefully stepping over a half-empty cup of soda, Sunset tiptoed to the window and pulled the curtains open. The sun had already passed the snow-covered hills surrounding Sweet Apple Acres, and judging from the height, it was already close to afternoon.
“Boy, did I sleep that long?” Sunset pushed some hair away from her eyes.
“Ugh, what’s with the light?” Rainbow Dash asked as she got up, rubbing at her face. “It’s still so early…”
“Have you checked the clock, Rainbow?” Sunset chuckled and folded her arms. “It’s definitely not early.”
“Still feels early. What time did we fall asleep yesterday?”
“Close to four,” Sunset remembered.
“That explains it.”
“Mornin’ girls…” Applejack got up and scratched at her head. “Everythin’ alright? How’s Velvet?”
“I’m fine.” The girls turned to Velvet Breeze’s bed and only now did Sunset notice that the teal-grey haired girl’s eyes were open, staring up at the ceiling. “Don’t worry. I wasn’t up all night.”
“You had fun yesterday?” Sunset walked over to check on her.
“Yeah…” Velvet panned her eyes to the others. “Thanks... For being my friends.”
“Eh, it’s what we do, Velvet?” Rainbow Dash put on a smug face. “Literally. Friendship is our thing.”
“So I’ve heard,” Velvet said with a smile. She tugged at her sleeve, as if unsure of what to say next.
“How’re ya feeling today?” Applejack asked as she grabbed for her hat. “Ya good enough to start walkin’?”
“I… I guess so,” Velvet swung her legs off the bed and put them on the floor. “Wouldn’t be the first time I- woah!”
The young Assassin swayed and would have fallen, had Rainbow and Sunset darted in the grab Velvet’s arms.
“Careful, Velvet! Not so fast!” Sunset and Rainbow steered Velvet back to a sitting position. “Just take it easy, okay?”
“Alright, alright,” she complied, first placing her good leg down. Her injured leg soon followed, tapping on the floor gently. “Better?”
“Yup,” Sunset nodded with a smile. “So, how’re you liking the place? Is it up to your standards? Everything alright?”
“It’s nice,” Velvet answered as she gingerly put a little weight on her bad leg. “Each room has a lot of space if that means anything. Plus, it’s nice to have some fresh food for a change.”
Applejack let out a whistle, followed by a chortle. “You’re right about that, Velvet. Here at Sweet Apple Acres, you’re gettin’ the products before they’re even shipped off to who knows where.”
“The apples are really good,” Velvet managed a smile and began to stand; Sunset and Rainbow held on to her arms just in case. “Then again, it’s your speciality, am I right?”
“You know it, kid!” Rainbow Dash guffawed and clapped her on the shoulder, receiving a warning glance from Sunset. “Right, well, AJ here gets us the best apples in the city. You’ll find nothing better!”
“I can’t argue with that,” Velvet said as she rubbed her shoulder.
“Speaking of apples,” Rainbow turned to the cowgirl. “AJ, when’s breakfast? I’m starving!” The athlete rubbed her belly to emphasize her point.
Applejack laughed. “Judgin’ by the smell, breakfast’s already cooking. C’mon, let’s go.”
The group hurried downstairs, with Sunset aiding Velvet, where just as Applejack had predicted, Big Mac was flipping pancakes on the stove, the warm, sweet scent filling the kitchen and keeping the outside chill at bay.
“BREAKFAST!” Pinkie yelled and dashed past Sunset and Velvet, immediately sitting herself at the dining table. “Morning, everyone!”
“Eeyup,” Big Mac said without turning away from the frying pan, tossing a pancake up.
Before long, the table was set and the girls began mowing through the large stack of pancakes Applejack’s brother had made.
“These are good,” Velvet said, taking a bite of her third pancake.
“Eeyup,” Big Mac said. “Family recipe.”
“Ah, by the way, Velvet, this is my big brother, Big Macintosh,” Applejack explained as she gobbled down another pancake. “Ya might’ve seen him in school, might not.”
“Nice to meet you,” Velvet shook his hand.
“Eeyup.”
Sunset watched, amazed that Velvet had began on a fourth pancake. “Is there anything else you’d like, Velvet? Anything we can do for you?”
Velvet looked up and swallowed. “Food wise, you’ve done more for me than anyone has ever done, so no. Something you can do for me… yes. I think you can.”
“And what would that be?” Sunset placed an elbow on the table and waited.
“I need to get home,” Velvet replied. “I need to let… let the others know I’m fine.”
“Home?” It was only now that Sunset realized she had no idea where Velvet actually lived.
“Yeah,” Velvet wiped at her mouth with a napkin. “Or at least, where I’m currently staying. It’s not far from school. I’ve been away for so long. The others must be worried.”
Sunset nodded slowly. “You mean, the other Assassins.”
All eyes turned to Big Mac, but he didn’t seem affected by that word.
Velvet sighed and rubbed at her arm. “Yeah. My Mentor must be worried sick. I should let her know I’m still alive.”
“You could use my phone, dear,” Rarity fished her purple mobile device from her coat pocket. “I always make sure it’s got enough battery to last.”
Velvet lifted a hand and waved it. “I can’t. Thanks for offering and all, but it’s safer if I use my laptop, back at my home. It’s encrypted so that Templars don’t listen in on our conversations.”
“Encrypted so the Templars can’t listen in on your conversations…” Rainbow repeated slowly with a shake of her head. “Wow. You take this whole Assassin thing pret-ty seriously, don’t you? This is like, Con Mane levels of paranoid.”
Velvet shrugged ruefully. “It’s just how things are.”
Rainbow speared another pancake on her fork. “I guess with everything else you’ve dumped on us, I shouldn’t be surprised, but hey, sometime, you’ll have to tell us all about this Assassin stuff.”
“Well, I’m not supposed to, if you recall. I’m probably already in trouble for explaining what we do to you girls.”
“Right, right,” the athlete leaned back in her seat. “It’s cool though, but yeah, wouldn’t want to get you in trouble or anything.”
“So, Velvet,” Sunset cut back in. “You’d like us to take you to your home? I don’t mind.”
“Neither do we,” Applejack gave her a confident grin. “You’re a friend now, Velvet. Friends help each other. No way we’d let ya walk there on your own. ‘specially not when you’ve got a bad leg there.”
“Thanks girls,” Velvet smiled and lifted her now empty plate. “Could I get one more pancake?”
Sunset held on tighter to the side of the truck as it jumped over another speed bump, heading back to the city. Applejack and Velvet Breeze sat in the front while the rest of the girls were in the back with Sunset. She and the others had donned a second layer under their jackets, along with scarves and leggings to combat the increasingly cold weather.
“Oh, do watch the speed limit, Applejack,” Rarity warned from the back after a knock on the glass. “We want to stay on the truck if you don’t mind.”
“At least Rainbow Dash ain’t the one drivin’,” AJ replied with a laugh, letting go of the accelerator a little.
“Hey, I only crashed once!” the athlete yelled to the front. “Once!”
The next turning brought them all up the highway and into the city, which thankfully didn’t have much traffic, seeing as it was still mid-afternoon. Snow had already covered a good portion of the road, but still enough for cars to drive along safely.
“Someone needs to drive one of them shovel-car thingies and get this snow off the road before someone gets hurt,” Applejack thought out loud as she checked her right before changing lanes. “Where to, Velvet?”
“Next exit,” Velvet breathed. Velvet had borrowed a beige coat from Applejack, seeing as her white hoodie was still in the wash. “Then just keep right and follow the road for a while.”
Sunset was busy looking at all the tall buildings pass by when someone suddenly nudged her in the ribs. She jumped for a second before rubbing at her side and looking at Rarity.
“What kind of house do you think she lives in?” the fashionista asked her. “Judging from her appearance, it’s nothing fancy, but it could be big. And she lives alone, so maybe something small and manageable?”
“Can’t we just wait till we get there, Rarity?” Sunset frowned. “I mean, it’s no big deal how large her house is.”
“Well, I’d like to know,” the pale-skinned girl flipped her hair back.
“Like I said, we’ll find out when we get there.” Sometimes, Sunset just didn’t know why certain things were such a big deal. “How far is your place, Velvet?” she called to the front.
“Not far,” the blue-skinned girl replied as she monitored the road. “Maybe twenty minutes. Exit here, Applejack.”
The truck headed down from the highway and made a right turn around the train station, driving along Canterlot city’s streets, heading out and away from the center. A good amount of people were about on the streets, likely looking for presents for the coming Christmas Day. The rest were probably staying home, probably resting beside the fireplace or in their warm beds away from the cold.
Sunset herself wished she had brought a third layer, but it was too late now. All she could do was hope that Velvet’s house was near enough, and whether she had an indoor heater.
“Left,” Velvet instructed. “Left again.”
And then they were out of the city, driving down the suburbs where most of the girls stayed. Apparently, Velvet’s home was just one the outskirts of the city, one of the first buildings they saw when they entered the suburbs.
“You can stop here,” Velvet breathed on her hands to keep them warm. “That’s where I’m staying.”
All heads turned to what looked like an old apartment, five stories high and looking quite derelict. It looked empty and abandoned, as if no one had lived in it for years. The front door was sealed up with a heavy chain and a steel padlock.
“Uhhh, not what I was expecting…” Rarity smiled awkwardly and scratched at her ear. “So… You live here? In this… fine establishment?”
“Ye-es,” Velvet said, looking uneasy. “It might not look like much, but it’s been home to a lot of Assassins before me, and they placed a high priority on blending in.” Noticing the others’ uncertain looks, she added quickly, “It looks better inside.”
“That explains the desolate look…” Fluttershy pulled her scarf closer to her nose.
“Does this place even have internal heating?” Rarity pulled at her violet hair. “Too much cold is bad for my hair.”
“Follow me.” Velvet led the group round the side of the building. They moved through the snow, some of them shivering more than others until Velvet came to a side door, this one sealed by a single deadbolt lock that Velvet undid with a key. The door swung open, revealing a surprisingly clean, carpeted floor.
“Come on in,” Velvet gestured with her free hand.
Even though Sunset had known this girl for a while now, she still find something inside her keeping her from immediately following after her. She couldn’t help but feel she was being dragged into the start of something big.
Eventually, her need for warmth pushed her and the other girls in after Velvet, who closed the door and locked it behind them.
As they walked inside, Velvet flicked on the lights, revealing that they were in a long corridor, with a neat tan carpet laid underfoot and wood paneled walls that were covered with white wallpaper. It was vastly different from the ramshackle exterior, with electric lamps placed every few paces to light the way.
“Oh. This is… nicer,” Rarity poked at the wall, returning with a dusty finger. “Nicer is the word.”
“Thanks,” Velvet said way at the front. “Normally there’d be other Assassins here, but this place hasn’t really been used in years. Not since… Saddle Arabia, anyway.”
“Saddle Arabia?” Sunset turned back to Velvet. “Did they all go there?”
Velvet’s mouth tightened. “Something like that.” she muttered.
The group followed Velvet to the end of the corridor, passing several closed doors and went up a flight of stairs, arriving in what must have been the common room. There was a wide expanse, as if the walls had been cleared away, and in their place was a kitchen, a long table, some chairs, and a large TV. A few paintings adorned the walls, each one displaying some kind of exotic location. Sunset recognized Prance, Trottingham, and Manehattan.
“Much better, dear,” Rarity walked around the room, checking everything. “At least this room seems well kept. Where do you sleep?”
“Bedrooms are that way,” Velvet jerked a thumb at a door at the far end of the common room. “Next to the armory.”
“May I?” As soon as she got a nod from Velvet, the violet haired girl dashed off in that direction.
“Armory?” Pinkie zoomed from painting to table to kitchen. “Do you have swords in there? How about guns? Armor? Tanks?”
“Mostly swords and knives, Pinkie,” Velvet went to one of the kitchen cupboards and took out a packet of dried mangoes. “I don’t know how to fire a gun.” Sunset frowned; she could have sworn Velvet sounded disappointed.
“So Velvet, where’s your laptop?” Sunset Shimmer reminded her the reason the way here.
“Oh, it’s in my room,” she pointed to her now opened door. “I’ll just go get it.”
Sunset leaned against the wall and sighed once Velvet had left. Even after all this time, she still couldn’t take all this in. Assassins, Templars, weapons, killing. This was a new field for her, and nothing she had experienced thus far could have prepared her..
“Hey, checph ‘e out!” Everyone turned to Rainbow Dash, who held one sword in each hand and a knife in her mouth. “Cool wight?”
“Rainbow Dash, put those down!” Applejack walked over, but kept a safe distance away. “Those things are dangerous!”
“But wook at ‘e!” she swung one sword, almost taking a chunk out of the wall. “Itscho cool!”
“It’s so dangerous…” Fluttershy tried to hide behind Sunset.
“Well, you’ve had your fun,” Applejack motioned to put the weapons down. “But put those away before someone gets hurt!”
“Awright, awright, oo win…” The athlete turned around and headed back to the armory.
“I got it!” the girls heard Velvet call from the room before she began making her way out with Rarity helping her hold her laptop. “I won’t be long. I just need to let them know I’m still alive. I hope they haven’t been worrying too much. And please, don’t say anything while I’m on the call. I’ll be in big trouble if they find out I told a bunch of civilians. Well… you can speak, Sunset. I should let them know the Templars didn’t get you.”
Sunset watched as Velvet opened her computer and tapped a few keys. As soon as it booted up, Velvet clicked on a program with a blue icon and waited. Soon, she was ready, waiting for someone on the other end to pick up.
While waiting, Sunset decided to explore the rest of Velvet’s room, seeing what else she kept in here. All the paintings of places on the walls were interesting, though there wasn’t anything special about them. They were just cities with a nice painted sky behind them. Sunset figured one of the Assassins That used to live here liked collecting paintings.
The kitchen itself didn’t look like it was used much. There was a cutting board and a knife on the counter, but other than that, Velvet didn’t seem to own any pots or pans.
What does the poor girl eat…?
Sunset knew Velvet Breeze liked mangoes, but she couldn’t possibly only been living off those things, could she?
Another strange thing about the room was that it didn’t have any windows. If the lights were turned off, she doubted she would have been able to see anything.
“Psst Sunset…” Fluttershy tapped on her friend’s shoulder. “D-do you think he’s still out there, looking for Velvet, that Mr. Wolfgang? Or y-you?”
“It’s fine, Fluttershy,” Sunset assured. “I’m sure he won’t be well enough to start again so soon. Velvet said she really got him good, remember?”
“I suppose…”
“Okay, shhh…” Velvet told all of them, waving with her hand to lower the volume. “They’re on.”
The screen showed a darkened room with a hooded figure sitting at the end of the table. The lights in the room were off, but as the camera compensated for the darkness, Sunset beheld a young woman seated there, her face hidden by a grey hood.
The figure gasped, pulling her hood off to reveal a light green face with white and green hair braided down the side.
“Velvet! You’re okay!”
Velvet nodded. “Hey there, Morning Blade.”
“Is everything alright? We were so worried.”
“I’m fine now. Is… Is the lieutenant there?”
Morning Blade thought for a moment. “I think he’s talking with the Mentor right now.”
“Oh.”
“But I can pass along anything you have to say,” Morning added enthusiastically. “How was CHS? Has it changed much?”
“No offense, Morning, but I wouldn’t know,” Velvet shrugged with her good arm. “I wasn’t there before, remember?”
“Oh. Right,” Morning changed tack. “How goes your mission? Everything going alright on your end?”
“More or less,” Velvet replied. “I got into a fight with Wolfgang, but he got away.”
“Wolfgang?” Morning Blade stood up and put her face closer to the screen. “What happened? Are you hurt?”
“He was trying to kidnap Sunset, Morning. I had to stop him. We got each other pretty good, but so long as he’s still breathing, it’s not safe for Sunset here.”
The older Assassin seemed to relax a little. “Well, I’m glad you’re not dead. Wolfgang is a dangerous man. Do you know why he wants the girl?”
“No, I don’t. Not even Sunset knows why he wanted her.”
“You’ve spoken to Sunset Shimmer?”
“I’ve got her right here, in the Canterlot bureau,” Velvet explained. “But I don’t think I can protect her on my own.”
“You brought her…” Morning Blade controlled her surprise. “ Alright, alright. That was a smart move. Hmm… Then we still have no leads. Did you learn anything else?”
“Not really,” Velvet scratched her head, tugging at her borrowed coat. “I’m not sure how well I’ll do if Wolfgang brings reinforcements. I think I’ll need you guys here.”
“You want us to go over there?” Morning Blade squirmed. “I’m not sure I can give the okay on an order like that… Besides, I think the others convinced Frigid to let you come back.”
“Come back? But what about Sunset? I can’t just leave her here.”
“None of us expected Wolfgang to pull such a move, so I don’t know if we have the clearance to bring Sunset Shimmer over here. I’m sure we can talk to Mentor about that. Do you think you’ll be able to hold out for at least another day or two? I could come down there on my own, but I don’t know if Frigid will allow it.
“Tell you what,” Morning said. “I’ll tell the Mentor that you’re all right, and that you need some help. I’m sure Mentor will know the best course of action. In the meantime, sit tight. Try to stay as low-profile as you can, and await further orders.”
“Got it,” Velvet nodded. “What about Sunset?”
Morning Blade leaned back and placed a hand to her chin. “Hmm… Don’t let her leave your sights, at least until I get Mentor’s orders. Is she there? May I talk to her?”
Oh! Um, yeah. Sure. I’ll go get her.”
Sunset watched as Velvet hobbled over with a smile on her face. “She wants to talk to me?” she whispered to the Assassin.
“Yeah…” Velvet pointed to the computer screen. “Would you?”
“Sure, I don’t see why not.” Sunset headed to the computer and sat down before it. “Hi there, I’m Sunset Shimmer. I heard you wanted to speak with me?”
“Hello,” the green-skinned Assassin greeted. “I’m Morning Blade, and I don’t know if Velvet has told you, but you’re very important to our cause and she’s a very important person to us. For the next day or two, at least until we can send help or something else, I need you two to watch out for each other. The Templars are still out there, and we can’t risk losing you or her. Do you understand how important all this is?”
Sunset didn’t know all of it, but she got the rough idea. “I think so. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure Velvet doesn’t strain herself.”
“And be careful,” Morning Blade said with a stern voice. “Those Templars cannot get you. We don’t know why they want you, but it can’t be for something nice and friendly. I’ll be sure to notify Velvet on our next move. Until then, stay safe, stay together.”
“Umm… I’ll try,” Sunset scratched her cheek. “They’re not going to come after us in force, will they? I mean, what about the authorities?”
“I wouldn’t place too much faith in the authorities. Guards and police can be paid off and the Templars have their fingers in places even we haven’t experience with. Just lay low, and wait for further orders.”
“Okay then.” Sunset looked to Velvet, who returned to the front of the computer.
“We’ll do just that, Morning. Don’t worry.” Velvet gave her the biggest smile Sunset had ever seen from the girl.
“Alright,” the Assassin on the screen nodded. “Then I’ll get back to you when I hear from Frigid.” She looked around for a bit, as if she was checking for anyone else. “I do hope he makes the right choice. He’s changed, Velvet. I just hope he finally realizes it.”
“Yeah…” Velvet sighed. “Well, I’ll be seeing you, Morning Blade.”
“Take care, Velvet, and Sunset Shimmer.” With a final wave, the feed cut off, leaving Velvet and Sunset staring at the Assassin’s laptop wallpaper.
“So, no backup?” Applejack tipped her hat. “Not even with them Templars on your tail?”
“Not for a day or two,” Velvet admitted. “But I’m sure they’ll send someone soon.”
“I hope so…” Fluttershy patted at her hair. “I don’t want to see Mr. Wolfgang for as long as I live…”
“Follow my lead for the next day or two, and we’ll be fine!” Rainbow Dash jammed a thumb to her chest. “Rainbow Dash has you covered!”
“You do?” Velvet raised an eyebrow.
“Sure! We’re all friends here, and with our help, you’ll get through these two days just fine.”
“So…” Rarity folded her arms and looked at Rainbow Dash. “What’s this great plan you were talking about?”
“Glad you asked, Rarity!” Rainbow punched her fists together. “We’re gonna head on out of here and have some fun!”
“Fun?” Applejack frowned at the thought. “Have ya been payin’ any attention, Rainbow Dash? Sunset or Velvet might be in danger if we go out there.”
“Yeah, we’ll be careful!” the athlete cracked her knuckles. “Avoid deserted areas, make sure suspicious people aren’t around, and I’m pretty sure Velvet can figure out the Templars from the normal people.”
“Well, what do you want to do then?” Rarity asked impatiently.
“First thing on my list…” Rainbow Dash paused for a second. “That new action movie about killing people and stuff comes out today, so let’s go see it!”
“Now why on earth should we go watch this movie? Violence isn’t something high on my watchlist.”
“Because…” Rainbow wore a sly smile. “Your favorite actress has the lead role.”
Rarity seemed to vibrate on the spot. “E-E-E-Ebony Wings is in that movie?”
“You bet she is!” Rainbow swung an arm. “So, we watching the movie or not?”
“A movie sounds safe enough,” Velvet said slowly. “There isn’t much chance of running into any Templars at the theater. But,” she raised a finger. “I’ll need to visit the armory for a second. I lost my knife back at the construction site and I don’t feel safe with just my hidden blade.”
“Wait, wait, wait!” Sunset blocked the Assassin’s path. “I know you, uh, kill people to keep us all safe, but I don’t think I feel comfortable with you carrying such a dangerous weapon around.”
“Sunset, I’m trying to keep you alive here, not give our enemies an advantage,” Velvet explained with a frown. “I need to be better armed than with just this.” To illustrate her point, Velvet furled and unfurled her hidden blade.
“I know, I know, but we’re around, Velvet,” Sunset reasoned. “We’re not like you. Seeing a weapon like that, I don’t know if we can handle watching you gutting even an enemy up, you understand?”
Velvet looked as if she were about to argue, but then she saw the looks on everyone else’s face.
“Okay,” she relented. “Not as if I’d be much good in a fight right now anyway. How about a baton, would that be agreeable?”
The girls looked at each other and nodded. “Yeah, sure.”
“No harm in a baton, I suppose,” Sunset shrugged. “I mean, even Mr. Pierce has that extendable one he uses in class to teach us a lesson.”
“You’re going to have to tell me about this Mr. Pierce one day,” Velvet said as she ducked into the armory, returning with a collapsed metal baton. “You make him sound like a man I knew once.”
“Eh, I doubt it,” Rainbow shrugged. “Old Mr. Pierce is really boring. Anyone you know must be exciting!”
“Well, let me grab my scarf and we can be off,” Velvet smiled and headed to her room.
The girls followed, with Sunset taking in the new surroundings. Velvet’s room was a simple square with a desk by the wall, and a small white bed on the opposite side. A chair stood near the bed with a red tattered scarf draped over the top. The only other thing of note was a silver ring, sitting all by itself on a bedside shelf.
“That dreadful thing, dear?” Rarity took a step back, a little shocked. “No offense, Velvet, but that thing looks like it’s been through war and back. If you would like, I could always fix up a new one for you.”
“No!” Velvet held the scarf tightly. “I mean, no thanks, Rarity. I like this scarf.”
“Oh… Alright.” the fashionista gave up. “It’s not my place to make you get a new one. How about I fix it up for you?”
“You don’t have to,” Velvet said again. “I like it the way it is, thanks.”
“Well, if we’re all set, let’s go!” Rainbow rushed for the door. “We’ve a movie to catch! There’s a show in fifteen minutes!”
“Wow, she must really wanna see that,” Applejack lifted both eyebrows to Sunset.
“You know how she is…” Sunset chuckled.
“I don’t mind,” Velvet said as she pulled the scarf around her neck. “I could do with a movie. It’s been years since I’ve seen one.”
Velvet Breeze led the girls out, not forgetting to lock her doors before finally setting foot back out into the icy air. Sunset rubbed her hands together before stuffing them into her jacket pockets. It might’ve been cold now, but this was still just the start of winter. It was only going to get colder from here.
Sunset helped Velvet up beside Applejack in the front before hopping into the back of the truck with the other girls. As soon as they were all ready, Applejack started the engine and headed back towards the city.
“So what’s this movie you want to see so badly, Dash?” Sunset couldn’t help but ask. She wasn’t all too familiar with the latest movies.
“It’s called Manslayer’s Doctrine,” Rainbow brought up the film’s page on her phone to show the others. “It’s about how Ebony Wings’ character is captured by these evil scientist whackos and forced to relive her ancestor’s memories or something. Sounds like a good time, no?”
“Manslayer’s Doctrine?” Rarity repeated. “Why not Assassin’s Creed? It’s a lot less of a mouthful.”
“Oh yeah, she’s right! Hey, Velvet!” Pinkie called to the front. “Don’t you Assassins have that creed thing as well? This movie could be about you! Have you relieved your ancestor’s memories before? What’s it like? Is it cool? Do you have to wear ancient clothes?”
Velvet gingerly rubbed at her arm. “No, I haven’t ever relived my ancestor’s memories, Pinkie, as much fun as that might sound. So I can’t answer your other questions either.”
“Awww…” the poofy haired girl sat back down.
Sunset began breathing again. She thought Pinkie was going to fall off the truck. This time, they didn’t take the highway. Instead, AJ turned the truck down the first street in the city, parking the vehicle in a small rectangular carpark right next to Canterlot’s theater.
“Well, here we are, girls,” Applejack turned the keys in the ignition before pocketing them.
“Movie time!” Rainbow somersaulted out of the truck. “I’ll go ahead and buy the tickets, you girls can just wait in the main hall.”
Sunset hopped out of the truck, her boots crunching in the snow. She led the others into the warmth of the theater, happy that the building provided a decent internal heating. Infact, it was warm enough for her to take off her scarf, the others doing the same, except for Velvet, who kept it wound tightly around her neck.
There were a few crowds of people dotted around the place, waiting for their movie to start; Sunset figured most of them were here to see that Manslayer’s Doctrine, seeing as it came out today.
“Hey, girls, look’a this one,” Applejack took their attention, pointing to a poster of the latest Daring Do flick, Daring Do and the Griffon’s Goblet. “It’s cousin Sunflower.”
“She looks good as Daring Do,” Pinkie complimented. “I mean, she’s Dashie’s favorite actress, she must be really good.”
“But look at her!” Rarity pointed to the character standing behind Daring Do. It was a blue-skinned woman clad in a black catsuit holding a gun and a goblet. “Isn’t Ebony Wings just the best actor ever?”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Yeah, we know ya love Ebony Wings, Rare. And from what Ah hear from Sunflower, she’s pretty fun to work with.”
“Sure,” Applejack replied. “Ah mean, they act together. Even been to her house a couple times.”
“I’m sorry, but who’s Ebony Wings?” Velvet said. Upon receiving a look of shock from Rarity, she backpedaled, “I don’t have a lot of time to watch movies, with my, uh, training and all.”
“Who is Ebony Wings?” Rarity clasped her hands together and smiled. “Why, only the best actress in the world! You should see all the awards she’s won! She can adapt to almost any role, which is a skill you don’t see much. I mean, really? She’s the best actress out there! You won’t find anyone better.”
“She’s that good?” Velvet’s eyebrows shot up at Rarity’s passionate outburst.
“Yes, she is!” Rarity squealed again. “And she does it all while taking care of her daughter. She’s our age, if I recall.”
“Alright, you’ve got your point across, Rarity,” Sunset giggled. “She’s a good actress.”
Sunset decided to take a walk around as Rarity continued blabbering on about Ebony Wings. The fiery haired girl went to check out the other movie posters for either upcoming movies, or recent movies. The Manslayer’s Doctrine one was there. It was a picture of Ebony Wings again, but this time, in a hood and an old pirate outfit, with a sword and blade drawn. Sunset couldn’t help but feel like the blade looked a little like Velvet’s, but coming out from the top instead of under the arm. Under the character, it read, “Watch it in 3D.” Sunset guessed her athletic friend was going for that.
There was yet another poster of Ebony Wings of a movie titled Topview. She was facing her back to the camera in some kind of futuristic skintight suit, holding a long rifle. Apparently her name was Viper, according to the poster. Sunset found it weird that her outfit had a bat theme, since her name was Viper. The tagline at the top read, “The World Needs More Heroes.”
The next two posters down the line were of other characters in Topview, starring alongside Ebony Wings. One was a pale-skinned woman in a brown jacket and green-black tights named Tracker, while the other was some guy called Agent: 67, who was in what looked like a baseball jacket, along with a visor and mask. Sunset didn’t know who the actors were, but Rarity probably did, even if she wasn’t interested in them. There were more about Con Mane: Phantom, Happy Crows, The Space, Rapid and the Angry 6, Live Softly, Rainbow Monkeys, and one called Finest Fantasy, which Sunset presumed was based off those games that Pinkie and Rainbow liked so much. Ebony Wings was in that one too, as someone called the Pale Sorceress, but as a side role.
“Interesting what people come up with these days,” Velvet appeared beside Sunset, looking at the poster of Finest Fantasy. “The last movie I watched was Batpony, and that was a long time ago, before I joined the Assassins.”
“Why did you join the Assassins, Velvet?” Sunset asked. She realized she didn’t know the answer to that question.
“Long story short?” Velvet thought about it. “I just wanted to help out. I couldn’t sit by and watch them struggle on. They needed all the help they could get. They still do today. Besides,” she said with a hollow laugh. “It’s not like I was ever given much of a choice.”
“What did happen to your Assassins? From what you’ve said, it feels like something big had happened.”
Velvet opened her mouth, but her voice was overpowered by Rainbow’s as she walked over with the others. “Here you two go! Two tickets to see Manslayer’s Doctrine, in 3D!”
“I knew it!” Sunset snapped her fingers and took the ticket. “Thanks, Dash.”
“I know…” Rarity dragged. “I told her that the 3D glasses aren’t good for your nose, but she doesn’t want to listen.”
“Rarity, it doesn’t matter,” Applejack added in. “Ah mean, they’re just glasses. You wear ‘em when you’re sewin’ right?”
“She does…” Fluttershy whispered, but no one heard her.
“Whatever, girls,” Sunset cut in quickly. “Let’s just go watch that movie Rainbow’s been dying to see.”
“Yeah! To the theater!” And the athlete was gone, disappearing along the corridor.
Before Sunset knew it, they were all seated in the dimly lit room. Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rainbow were in front of them, while Rarity, Applejack and Velvet sat with her. Only Rainbow had bought popcorn, but she gladly passed it around for the others to share.
“Thanks for bringing me here,” Velvet said after she swallowed a bunch of popcorn. “It’s not everyday I have friends to hang out with.”
“Don’t worry about it!” Rainbow flicked her 3D glasses on. “For now, you can just sit back and enjoy this awesome movie. Glasses on, everyone!”
Sunset listened and placed her black frames on her face, leaning back against the red fabric seat as the lights went out. A set of trailers began playing, advertising a few of the other movies and some hair products. Soon, the screen widened itself as the real show began, starting with logos from Twentieth Century Horse and Epic Pictures. A voiceover began.
“I thought my work was finished. I was wrong.”
The movie then panned over to Ebony Wings’ character standing behind a bar, polishing a glass with a rag.
“Isn’t she a natural?” Rarity whispered. Applejack rolled her eyes.
The front door of her establishment flew open as three men in suits and sunglasses walked in, their hands all held together in front of their bodies.
“Sorry, we’re closed,” Ebony Wings told them and continued her work.
“Are you Desert Shine?” one of them asked her, completely ignoring her earlier statement.
The bartender sighed and looked away. “Yes, but we’re closed, so if you could kindly-”
Sunset slightly jumped in her seat as a hand flew across the screen, smacking Ebony Wings’ character of Desert Shine in the face, sending her stumbling against the shelf of glasses, shattering a few as they fell.
“Wh-what?” Desert placed a hand to her head, which came back with blood.
“Bag her, go, go!” one yelled and immediately began talking into an earpiece.
The other two grabbed Desert and quickly dragged her into the back of a black van, instantly leaving the establishment in the dust.
“What a way to start a movie…” Applejack whispered over to Sunset.
“Tell me about it…” Sunset continued watching.
The next scene started with Desert Shine waking up in a new building before some scientist person came in to talk to her about her ancestor, Desert Fox, one of the world’s most notorious pirates. Sunset had no idea why someone with the name ‘Desert’ would become a pirate.
Soon, they placed Desert Shine into some kind of table, strapping her in. A little scene that looked like some kind of light tunnel played before Sunset and the rest of the audience found themselves looking into Desert Shine’s past, living as her ancestor, Desert Fox.
“Hey, that’s pretty cool,” Velvet nodded her approval at the scene. “Getting to live out as your ancestor? It’s like reviewing history as though you were actually there. I should tell Morning Blade about this. She loves history.”
“Yeah, cool,” Sunset smiled. The 3D glasses had really brought out that last scene. It was almost as if they were the ones going through the light tunnel.
The next hour or so introduced Desert Fox and her crew, along with action scenes showing how good they were as pirates. She seemed like any other common criminal to Sunset until she met a man named Flintlock, who showed her there was more to plundering and pillaging, along with the real dangers of the world: the Crusaders, a group of individuals who looked to control the world’s trade, which would be catastrophic for everyone else.
Joining the Manslayers, Desert Fox began helping the people out, stopping Crusaders where she could, using the ship she once used to rob them as her tool to save them.
Sunset had to control herself not to duck whenever a cannonball flew towards the screen. She thought she was going to get hit multiple times.
“Sunset, quit squirmin’,” Applejack held back a laugh. “It ain’t really there.”
“Sure feels like it though…” Sunset rubbed the back of her head.
Every now and then, the scene would shift back to present day, with either Ebony Wings strapped to the table, or locked in a cell. The Crusaders would talk to her, trying to get her to understand why they needed her memories. Sunset doubted she herself would understand what a person’s memories could be used for.
“Man, this movie rocks!” they heard Rainbow Dash whisper to Fluttershy. “Though, I really want to see the Manslayers, not this present day stuff.”
The rest of the movie dealt with Desert Fox’s dismantling of the Trottingham Crusaders, taking them down one by one. In the end, she faced off against their leader, Punch Up, who had rather die than see her tear his work apart.
In the end, the Manslayers had prevented the Crusader’s takeover of the World’s trade routes and were awarded as heroes to the public eye. However, the same couldn’t be said about Desert Shine. She was pulled back out of the machine before being thrown into a new cell.
“Your work is done, Desert Shine,” one of the modern Crusaders smirked at her weak form; she hadn’t received a proper meal or rest in days. “You are of no more use to us. You shall remain here until we decide what to do with you…”
Sunset felt sorry for the character as she lay there in the dark, sobbing quietly, unable to do anything to help her situation, even if she was a fictional character. Those Crusaders had no right to treat her like that. She was human, not some kind of experiment they could throw away when they were finished with it.
Without warning, an explosion almost threw Sunset up into the air as masked men and women rushed into Desert Shine’s cell, pulling her away through the ruined wall into sunlight.
The camera panned over to the hole, then Desert Shine’s voice was heard.
“I thought my work was finished. I was wrong.”
Then the movie was over as the credits began rolling.
“That. Was. Awesome!” Rainbow jumped up on her feet and cheered as the lights came back on. “Don’t you girls think so?”
“Ah think the effects were decent enough…” Applejack breathed as she stretched her arms and back. “Ah mean, nothin’ spectacular. Just fancy light shows and stuff. Gotta say, the 3D thing was interestin’ enough.”
“Well, I’ll be waiting for the sequel. I bet it’s gonna be good!”
“I didn’t particularly like it…” Fluttershy rubbed an elbow. “There was way too much violence in this movie.”
“I thought it was okay,” Sunset joined in, standing up and smoothing out her jacket. “Interesting plot idea. I really wonder if they somehow got inspiration from you guys, Velvet. Like that blade. I mean, it comes out over the hand, but it is kinda similar.”
“Who knows…” Velvet shrugged as the girls made their way back to the main hall. “Directed by Action Tape. Never heard of him. Then again, I haven’t been in the Brotherhood a long time. Maybe he met another Assassin.”
“Well, what now, girls?” Rarity asked, dropping her 3D glasses with the rest in a plastic box outside. “Rainbow Dash?”
All eyes turned to the rainbow haired athlete. “Well… I kinda only planned for this one awesome movie.”
“Well… Velvet, dear. I have some things I need to take care off at my boutique,” Rarity checked with the blue-skinned girl. “Perhaps you would like to come see it? Perhaps we can pick something nice for you.”
Velvet rubbed at her head nervously, but the pale-skinned girl quickly wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Don’t worry, dear. I’m not going to take that scarf from you. I meant something nicer. That hoodie of yours got all dirty in your… fight, afterall.”
“Is it really okay?”
“Of course it is!” Rarity chuckled. “I’ve given out my fair share of clothes. One more isn’t going to change anything.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Sunset agreed, nodding her support to Velvet. “It’ll be fine, Velvet. Plus, Rarity’s place is pretty safe. No one’s been able to break in before.”
Velvet looked unsure. “Are the rest of you okay with this?”
Rainbow shrugged. “So long as I don’t have to model any fancy clothes, yeah, sure.”
“Here we are!” Rarity removed her scarf and turned the lights on, revealing a spacious room with racks of cloth on the sides, a few mannequins to the right, a table in the middle, and a well-sized platform at the back. “What do you think?” she asked with hopeful eyes.
“Looks like a nice place,” Velvet Breeze nodded her approval. “I mean, it’s well organized, and I’m sure you’ve got plenty of choices to pick from.”
“Precisely,” Rarity said as she walked over to her rack of bolts. “My little sister, Sweetie Belle, messes them up sometimes, but I manage to put it all back together.” She looked at a section of red bolts of fabric, noticing a few of them were green and yellow. “Mostly.”
“How about those scorch marks over there?” Velvet pointed to some circular black marks on the carpeted floor by the window, which had a crack going along the center of the glass panel.
“That...” Rarity said with narrowed eyes. “Was an ill-fated attempt at blending chemistry and cooking. Rest assured, she will not try it again.”
“Wait, Sweetie Belle tried to blow somethin’ up here too?” Applejack inspected the marks closer. “Apple Bloom tried that recently. Nearly set the barn roof on fire if Ah didn’t step in sooner.”
“Your sisters want to be scientists when they grow up?” Velvet asked both of them. “Not like the both of you or anything?”
“They don’t know what they want to be when they grow up, Velvet,” Rarity explained. “That’s why they’re trying all kinds of things, like trying to blow up my shop.”
“And settin’ the barn on fire,” Applejack reminded.
Rarity returned to the young Assassin with a grey bolt and a long strip of measuring tape, rapidly applying it to Velvet’s arms, sides, and every other conceivable surface of her body.
“Ummm…” Velvet mumbled as her violet haired friend swooped around her, taking notes. “What are you doing, Rarity?”
“Why, taking measurements, dear,” she answered as she grabbed a pair of red spectacles from her table. They looked awfully huge for her face, reminding Velvet about the comment Applejack made in the theater. “When I said I was going to make you something, I meant it.”
“Thank you, Rarity,” Velvet smiled slightly. “I owe you one. I owe all you girls.”
“Now, the things is… what should I make for you?” Rarity pulled at the fabric in her hands. “A new hoodie, or maybe a jacket? Hmm…”
“Well, her hoodie’s in the wash,” Applejack pointed out, placing her hands on her hips. “How ‘bout ya make her a jacket instead?”
“I don’t mind a jacket,” Velvet agreed with a nod. “All the other Assassins wear jackets. I just prefer hoodies because you don’t have to zip or button them up.”
“Then it’s settled!” The fashionista rushed back to her table and spread the bolt of fabric across it, quickly placing markers on it before grabbing a pair of scissors and getting to work. “Would you like to try anything on, darling? Perhaps you could help me model for a few fine pieces of mine.”
Velvet looked to the mannequins by the side, each one wearing a different kind of fancy suit or dress. “I don’t know… They’re a little too… showy for me, if you know what I mean.”
“Ya should see when she tries to dress Rainbow Dash up,” Applejack bent back in laughter. “One time, Rarity had her lookin’ like a good ol’ clown.”
“Not funny, AJ!” Rainbow covered her face with her hands. “I’m supposed to be awesome! That wasn’t awesome.”
“Well, it’ll be fine, Velvet,” Sunset jumped in. “It’s not going to hurt or anything. It’s pretty interesting.”
“But still…” the blue-skinned girl rubbed her arm unconsciously. “I don’t know…”
“No harm trying, right?” Sunset wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Besides, girls do this all the time. It’ll help get you back to being one of us instead of… well, an Assassin.”
Velvet thought about it, but eventually conceded, seeing as there was no way a bunch of clothes could hurt her. Right?
Sunset led her into one of Rarity’s changing rooms around the corner, holding a set of white clothes on her arm. “Here, try these on, Velvet. I think they’ll suit you.”
“Alright, if you think I should…” Velvet took a set and headed through the white door, closing it behind her.
The young Assassin got to work in removing her borrowed coat and her regular clothes. She didn’t ask Sunset for help, deciding that as an Assassin, she had to at least learn how to get about with injuries on her own.
Her friend had picked out a longsleeved white t-shirt, along with a red skirt. Velvet didn’t particularly like skirts, seeing as she had to jump across rooftops on a regular basis. She didn’t know how some of the Assassins lived with that, knowing they were showing a lot when they were going about; a small number of them wore skirts, while most wore pants or jeans.
Taking her time to put on the new clothes, Velvet finally walked out, smiling awkwardly as Sunset examined her. “W-well…? Is it alright?”
“Looks good on you,” Sunset nodded and motioned for her to follow as she returned to the main room. “Girls. What do you think?”
“I think it suits her,” Fluttershy said softly.
Velvet Breeze gripped the hem of her skirt. It felt awfully airy under it; a lot different from when she had her jeans on. It was nice not having the tightness of pants around her waist, but she felt like skirts were just too exposed.
“You look adorable, dear,” Rarity added from her table as she used her sewing machine. “Though… Velvet, why do you wear a hair clip when you don’t even use it to keep hair out of your face?”
Velvet looked up, unable to see it without a mirror, but she knew what Rarity was asking. “I wear it for sentimental value. I don’t actually need it.”
“Well, since you’re wearing it…” Sunset unclipped it and shifted Velvet’s fringe up before putting it back in its place. “There. How is it?”
“It looks good on you, Velvet,” Fluttershy muttered with a smile.
“You look wonderful, Velvet!” Pinkie hopped up and down, bouncing around the workspace. “I think everything works well on you! Maybe you should get more of these!”
“Pinkie!” Rarity flinched as the girl almost knocked over her mannequins. “Be careful!”
“Gotta agree with Pinkie here,” Applejack whistled. “Like this, ya don’t give me that Assassin impression like with your usual getup.”
“You didn’t even know she was an Assassin until recently,” Rainbow Dash pointed out.
“What Ah meant was when ya think about it.”
“Sure.”
“Well, come on, Velvet,” Sunset pulled her back towards the dressing rooms. “Let’s try more clothes on you.”
The next hour and a half saw Velvet switching out to different kinds of clothes as the Rainbooms worked to see what went well on Velvet and what didn’t.
The young Assassin didn’t mind shorts, seeing as she used to wear them most of the time when she was younger. skirts still weren’t on her top priority list, but they were alright; at least they were still better than dresses.
Velvet didn’t like those. The girls had picked a full length white dress for her. Sure, the material was soft, but there was no way anyone could run or climb walls in that thing. Dresses just weren’t practical.
In the end, of all the things the girls had her try on, Velvet’s favourite were the longsleeved shirt and the skirt. Perhaps maybe once all this blows over, she could wear that from time to time.
“You can have them, Velvet,” Rarity chuckled and lifted another piece of grey fabric to examine. “All yours. No charge. They look good on you.”
“So many?” Velvet blushed and held her injured arm. “I don’t know… One is enough. I don’t really need that many.”
“Nonsense!” Rarity waved a hand. “You can never have too many clothes, darling. They’re yours. Simple as that.”
Sunset grabbed the set and shoved it into Velvet’s arms. “Don’t worry about it. Just take it. If Rarity wants you to have it, then she wants you to have it.”
“Well… Thanks, Rarity… I mean, wow, it means a lot. Thanks for these.”
“Don’t mention it, Velvet…” She lifted the finished coat. Velvet couldn’t believe it had only taken her less than a day to get it done. She must really have some talent with clothing. “And your new coat is done too. I figured this could replace your hoodie while Applejack tries to wash the bloodstains off of it.”
“Ah assure ya, we can do it,” the cowgirl winked.
“Nobody’s that good,” Rainbow challenged.
“Oh ho ho, trust me, Rainbow, we are,” Applejack replied with a smirk.”Granny’s really good at the laundry too.”
While they chatted away about Velvet’s coat, the blue-skinned girl had decided to try out the coat, changing back to her regular purple shirt and blue jeans before putting it on. It fit just nicely, hanging down to her calfs. The material was strangely soft, but also resilient at the same time.
“Wow, this feels incredible,” Velvet admitted. She would’ve started running around in it, for testing purposes of course, but she still had that injury on her left leg, so that would have to wait.
“Of course,” Rarity lifted her chin higher. “I use only the best fabric in Canterlot. I don’t settle for anything less. I even made you a hood, seeing as you Assassins seem to like them.”
“You got that idea from the movie, didn’t you?” Applejack snickered and leaned an arm on her friend.
“Maybe a little…” Rarity looked around and folded her arms. “Well, my work is done here, girls, and ooh, look at the time. I believe it’s almost time for dinner. Shall we eat out?”
“Actually…” Applejack started. “Granny’s cookin’ up some mango pie, just for Velvet, so she’ll be expectin’ us to be back at the farm for dinner.”
“Why, that sounds brilliant!” Rainbow rubbed at her tummy as she thought about dinner.
Velvet had to admit, mango pie did sound rather delicious. She had to control herself to run for the door when the girls began leaving. She probably would’ve just tripped and fallen along the way anyway, seeing as one leg wasn’t good right now.
After locking her front door, Rarity and the others piled into Applejack’s truck as the girls began their return to Sweet Apple Acres.
Velvet wrapped her scarf tighter around her face as the truck hit the highway; even the inside of the vehicle was starting to get cold. Snow was also descending from the sky at a much faster rate than in the afternoon, plus the sun had almost disappeared beyond the horizon now.
“Don’t ya worry about the cold, Velvet,” Applejack told her as she kept her eyes on the road. “We’ll be back before ya know it. Besides, it’s a mighty fine weather. Beats bein’ hot all the time.”
“That’s true…” she replied, but gripped the scarf tighter. “Though, I wouldn’t mind a regular temperature. Neither hot nor cold.”
The ride home seemed to take longer than before. Maybe it was the cold, but the in-car clock seemed to be moving slower than usual. After what felt like forever, Velvet watched the truck pull up into the Sweet Apple Acres’ garage, glad to finally be back in a warm place.
Dinner was most excellent. Velvet had never had mango pie before, but it was a fantastic new experience. The young Assassin enjoyed it so much that she’d had thirds, and would have gladly gone for fourths if she hadn’t gotten too full.
“That… Was… So good…” Velvet held back a burp as she leaned back in her seat, too full to move. “Applejack, you’ve got to thank your grandma for me.”
“Sure thing, Velvet,” she cowgirl guffawed. “Ah mean, from what Ah saw, you really liked that pie.”
“You bet…” Velvet scratched her cheek. “So, what are we doing tonight?”
Velvet didn’t understand most of it, but she was looking forward to spending more fun time with her new friends. Was this what it was like? To spend time with friends? When she was younger, she never really had any real friends. The other kids in her class just sort of acknowledged her presence, but they never spent any time with her outside of class.
Maybe that was one reason why it was so easy to be an Assassin.
Pinkie Pie hopped up on her chair and shot a stack of board games out of her little backpack. Fluttershy and Rarity had to duck out of the way to avoid them.
“I brought games!” she shouting happily, giving them all a wide smile. “We can play them all night!”
“Not another all nighter,” Rarity wagged a finger. “Staying up too many nights in a row is bad for the skin.”
“This is only the second night!” Rainbow mentioned. “We can still afford to stay up all night! Besides, it’s only a little bad for your skin.”
“Looking after yourself is important, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity began lecturing the athlete about her personal health care regime.
Velvet looked to her left as Sunset touched her arm, signalling for her to stay quiet. Following after her, Velvet and the others snuck out of the dining room as Rainbow and Rarity continued to debate over their different health care methods.
Once back in Applejack’s room, Velvet burst out into laughter, unable to control it anymore. The other two Rainbooms didn’t seem to even notice the rest of them had left.
“Phew!” Applejack wiped her forehead and smiled. “Don’t know how long those two will be at it. Could be years before they realize we’ve disappeared.”
“Board game time?” Pinkie asked, widening her already large grin, holding a rectangular white and black box in her hands. “I brought Monopoly!”
Monopoly was a game even Velvet was familiar with. She soon found herself seated amongst the other girls, rolling a dice to move her little game piece, which was a shoe. She had managed to buy up several properties, getting loads of money from Applejack and Pinkie Pie.
“Applejack and Pinkie, nil…” the party planner said in a low monotonous voice and looked at her remaining hundred dollars. “Velvet Breeze, loadsamoney!”
Along the way, Rainbow Dash and Rarity arrived, at first shocked that the other girls had been in Applejack’s room already playing a board game, but later, amused that they had no idea the rest of the girls had left while they argued.
Joining late in the game, the two of them didn’t get much property, and Velvet had managed to siphon a decent amount of cash from them, snickering when Rainbow Dash made a fuss about not being at her full power.
After two more hours, the game was finally over. Surprisingly, especially to Velvet, Fluttershy had won the game by a large margin, even though Velvet had gotten so much money from everyone else.
“Congrats, Fluttershy,” the young Assassin leaned back and laughed. “To be honest, I didn’t think you’d be the one to win. You barely said anything the entire game.”
“It’s the quiet ones that win,” Applejack blew hair out of her face and tossed her remaining money down on the board. “Cause ya never know what they’ve got planned. Take Rainbow for example. She’s always hinting to ya what she’s gonna do.”
“I do not!” the athlete widened her eyes.
“You totally do, Rainbow,” Sunset patted her rainbow haired friend on the back. “I’ve got to agree with her on that one. Fluttershy never says anything. That’s how she totally caught us all by surprise.”
“Just chance…” Fluttershy hid behind her pink hair. This was a little too much attention for her. “I got all the right cards and numbers… And Velvet, you did pretty well yourself.”
“It was nothing,” Velvet shook her head. “I simply rolled the dice and moved accordingly. It’s as Fluttershy said. Chance.”
The girls spent the rest of their night playing a few more simpler board games before heading to the bathroom to wash up. After Velvet had finished up and changed into her borrowed pajamas, she had found the others had already rolled out their sleeping bags, ready to call it a night.
“Ya can take my bed tonight, Velvet,” Applejack pointed to her blue bed. “Ah figure we let Apple Bloom have her room back.”
“Thanks, Applejack.” Velvet yawned and strolled over before pulling out the sheets to lift herself in.
She was starting to get used to her injuries, finally able to maneuver around most of the pain as she moved about without help.
“Well, goodnight girls,” Rarity was the first to say, tucking herself in before placing a sleeping mask over her eyes.
“Goodnight, y’all,” Applejack nodded and turned off the lights once all the others were lying in their sleeping bags. “Sleep well, Velvet.”
“You too,” Velvet smiled and leaned down against the soft pillow. “Goodnight, girls. Thanks for everything again.”
Velvet closed her eyes and waited, unable to fall asleep like the Rainbooms did. Once she was sure they were all soundly away in dreamland, Velvet silently scooted herself up, resting her back against the pillow and the bedpost, focusing her eagle vision to cut through the darkness, instantly finding the golden aura of Sunset Shimmer, resting on her side, her form moving up and down as she breathed.
Though they were in the safety of Applejack’s home, Velvet wasn’t going to take any chances. If Templars did show up to try to take Sunset, she was going to be ready. Velvet had hidden her baton under the pillow earlier, and now, it was in her right hand, ready to be extended the moment a threat were to appear. Her hidden blade was also strapped under her left arm, but that was only for emergencies. She didn’t want to mess up Applejack’s room with someone else’s blood, and she doubted Sunset would be happy about her gutting someone so close to the rest of them.
The darkness brought the cold, but the internal heating kept most of it away, though she partly welcomed it, seeing as it was keeping her more awake. Velvet continued to watch through the darkness, occasionally looking out the window for any signs of the red aura her enemies gave off, at the same time, watching Sunset’s golden form turn to her other side, safely asleep on the floor beside her.
Don’t you worry, Sunset. I’ll keep watch. I’m not letting any Templars get the jump on you, not now, not ever.
It was going to be another long night, but to Velvet, it would all be worth it.
“Absolutely not, Morning,” Frigid Night sighed as he walked up the stairs towards his office with his partner following by his side. “Outsiders shouldn’t be here. We can’t risk that. It’s part of our Creed. We can’t have them learning about us.”
“But she’s in as much danger as Velvet is,” Morning Blade tried to reason her point. “She’ll be safer with us than out there by herself. What if the Templars get her? We still don’t exactly know what they want. She could be really important to their plans, sir.”
“Morning…” Frigid stopped outside his door and placed a hand on her shoulder, almost gently. “I get what you’re trying to say. Yes, we can keep her safe, but we can’t risk drawing civilian attention to ourselves. Sending Assassins to watch her is a much better idea to me.”
“But Frigid,” she looked into his blue eyes with fierce determination. “I don’t think that would be enough. Can a few of us keep her safe? And besides, Velvet Breeze isn’t going to leave her side.”
“Velvet has to come back here,” Frigid looked to the darkness of the bureau hallways. “Keila was right. I’d already put her in too much danger. I want her back here and away from the field.”
“She’s not going to unless Sunset Shimmer comes with her,” Morning explained. “That I can assure you.”
Frigid frowned and pushed open his door, walking in with Morning Blade. “Then we’ll have to get her to understand. We simply can’t bring an asset here. It’s too risky.”
“I think your former apprentice is on to something, Frigid Night,” a voice said from the Master Assassin’s desk, drawing both their attentions.
A single hooded figure was seated on his chair, going through a file from one of Frigid’s drawers, her metallic gauntlets gleaming in the lamp light.
“Mentor,” Frigid nodded his greeting to the shrouded woman behind his desk. “But what about our Creed?”
The purple-skinned woman closed the file she was holding and placed it atop the desk, her hooded face only partially visible from the dim table lamp. “There have been instances where Assassins have made exceptions in our long history. I… We can sense it. This girl is different.”
Morning Blade smiled. She was glad the Mentor was on her side. She couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to get Frigid to understand, though she wished she was able to help him understand his trust problem as well.
“Velvet Breeze has suffered enough for a girl her age,” their Mentor said stoically. “It’s time for her to come home. As for this Sunset Shimmer, I want her here as well. I think we shall be able to learn a lot from what she has to say.” The Mentor stood up and placed a hand on her golden sword’s pommel, which was shaped like the head of a horse. “Is there anything else you would like to add, Frigid Night?”
Morning knew what her partner’s reply was going to be. Even the lieutenant wouldn’t dare talk against the Mentor.
“It is as you say, Mentor,” the grey haired Assassin bowed and stepped aside as she passed him.
“Then I bid you both goodnight,” the Mentor said without looking back, her greaves clinking against the concrete floor. “Morning, send Velvet a message. Tell her to come back to us… and to bring the girl with her. It’s high time we make our move.”
Sunset Shimmer and the rest of the Rainbooms sat with Velvet Breeze in her home, waiting for the Assassin’s phone to ring once again.
The girls had left Sweet Apple Acres early that morning, heading right for Velvet’s home when the Assassins had called her. Velvet’s hoodie was still in the wash, so the young Assassin had decided to don the new coat Rarity had made for her.
Velvet had instructed the others that Morning Blade had only asked for Sunset and her, seeing as she had yet to let the Assassins know about the six other friends she had made. The rest of the girls refused to let the two of them go alone, so here they all were, waiting for an Assassin to arrive to supposedly pick them up.
“Don’t worry, Velvet,” Sunset assured, propping herself on the kitchen counter beside the young Assassin. “We’ll explain to them why the others are here. I’m sure they’ll understand.”
“I hope you’re right,” Velvet said quietly.
“Don’t sweat it, Velvet!” Rainbow Dash pretended to flex her arms. “There’s no way we’re letting just the two of you head off without us! We’re your friends. We stick together.”
“It’s not that which I’m worried about,” Velvet said. “If Wolfgang manages to report everything back to his superiors, then the Templars might know that you’re Sunset’s friends.”
“Yeah, so?”
“The Templars might start targeting you as well,” Velvet pointed out, checking the contents of a black slingbag she had retrieved from her room earlier. “Sunset was lucky enough to escape that madman once. You girls don’t want to have the Templars coming after you too.”
“But that’s exactly why we need to come along, dear,” Rarity folded her arms. “At least with you and the Assassins, we’ll have protection. What if they come after us while we’re home alone?”
“I’m also not sure just how the rest of the bureau is going to take it. Technically speaking, we’re not supposed to get civilians involved. It’s part of our Creed.”
“Well, whether they like it or not, I’ve been involved since Mr. Wolfgang attacked me,” Sunset explained, knowing it to be true.
“And if Sunset’s involved, then so are we,” Rainbow pumped a fist to the air.
Velvet looked down to her feet, deep in thought. There was no turning back now. Whoever the Mentor sent, Velvet hoped they would understand and allow the girls to tag along. She’d hate to see the Assassins use force to keep them away.
“But what about your families? Won’t they be worried if you don’t come home?”
Pinkie shrugged. “That happens all the time with our slumber parties. Hard to think of a time when we do give notice that we’re not coming home.”
“I tell them…” Fluttershy whispered from the corner, seated on one of the old couches.
Velvet grimaced and nodded. “All right. I hope whoever they send to pick me up is understanding enough to let you girls come too.”
“Speaking o’ that,” Applejack took her hat in her hands. “When do you think they’ll arrive? Ya said your base is in Trottingham, right?”
Velvet nodded. “They could be arriving any moment now.”
Sunset pondered this. What kind of person would the Assassins send for them? Would they be cold-blooded killers like Velvet had described, killing all those who stood in their way? Sunset shook her head. The Assassins were on their side. The real problem was shaking these Templars off her trail. She had no idea what they wanted from her, and she wasn’t at all sure that she wanted to find out either.
On cue, Velvet’s phone began to ring. Lifting the screen to her head, Velvet accepted the call and placed the mobile device to her ear. “Hey, High Noon... Yeah, we’re fine... Should we meet you outside? Sure, see you there.” With everything said, Velvet ended the call and deposited her phone in her bag.
“So?” Applejack hopped off her stool and grabbed her coat. “We leavin’?”
Velvet nodded and slowly inched off the counter with a little help from Sunset. “Yeah. We’re meeting the Assassin outside.”
After a quick headcount, Velvet switched off the lights and heaters before leading the party down the steps and out into the snowy streets. Just outside the bureau door was a parked white van with a hooded orange-skinned man twirling a hat on a finger. He quickly stowed it to his side when he saw the group of girls and he was clearly shocked that they numbered more than two.
“Hey, Velvet. Glad to see you’re walking about…” he looked behind her and his smiled dropped. “Uh… Weren’t there only supposed to be two of you? What’s with the… the others?”
“That’s what I want to talk to you about.” Before Velvet began her explanation, she turned around and pointed at the others. “High Noon, these are Sunset Shimmer and her friends. Girls, this is High Noon.”
“Uh, well, a pleasure to meet y’all I’m sure…” the man smiled at them awkwardly. Then he bent closer and whispered to Velvet. “Kid, why’d you bring so many? You know the Creed. This is… Well… Yeah, you know.”
“Here’s the deal,” Velvet said. “The Templars are after Sunset, but I’m worried about her friends too. Wolfgang might have told the Templars that Sunset has friends, and we both know that it’s all too likely they’ll come after them to get to Sunset. If we let that happen, we’d be propagating civilian casualties, and that’s not allowed by the Creed, is it?”
Sunset was impressed. Although High Noon was clearly older, Velvet had him wrapped around her finger just like that.
“Uh… Hmmm… Well…” High Noon was lost for words. Finally, he conceded and let out a low sigh. “Frigid’s gonna kill me for this… You make a strong argument, Velvet.” He slid the side door for the van open and stood aside. “Hop in, kids. I’ll get us back to the bureau, but let me tell you first. Not a word of this to anyone.”
Rainbow whooped and led the others into the back of the vehicle. When Applejack was about to head in, the Assassin suddenly lifted a land before her to stop her.
“High Noon, what’re you doing?” Velvet looked at him puzzled.
“Nothing’s wrong, Velvet,” the brown haired Assassin shook his head. “But… I know you. Uh, what was it… Apple Tree, right?”
“My name’s Applejack,” Applejack corrected. “But whaddya mean ya know me? Ah’m pretty sure we ain’t never met before. Ah’d remember someone like you.”
What he said next surprised the girls. “Braeburn’s cousin, right?”
“Yeah…” Applejack’s jaw almost lost its strength. “Ya know my cousin?”
“Braeburn and I were best pals back in the day. You and your family visited him from time to time back in Appleloosa. Well, I guess you were much too young to remember me. You were just a little toddler then. How’s your granny doing?”
“S-She’s doing fine…” Applejack still looked bewildered by this turn of events.
“Well, let’s try to keep it that way, eh?” High Noon chuckled at his words. “Wow… Small world.”
“High Noon,” Velvet tugged on his sleeve. “Not to interrupt you or anything, but we should head out.”
“Oh, right, right, of course!” The Assassin flipped his hood off and replaced his hat back on his head. Only now did Sunset understand why he had a hat. “Come on aboard, Applejack. We can chat more later. Uh, and don’t forget your seatbelts. Safety first, you know?”
As the girls buckled themselves in (with Velvet taking the passenger seat), Rainbow Dash nudged Applejack. “I didn’t know you had history with the Assassins, AJ. That’s sooo cool!”
Applejack looked less enthused. “‘s news to me too.”
“I like how he simply started chatting with you,” Sunset smiled and leaned back against the metal. “Maybe these Assassins aren’t as cold-blooded as we thought.”
“They need a better name,” Fluttershy suggested with a small laugh.
The girls watched the front and rear as High Noon maneuvered in and out of traffic, skillfully avoiding all the other cars on the road. There was the occasional honk from passing vehicles, but not once did he make Sunset feel like they were going to crash.
“Hey, Dash, he seems to be a much better driver than you,” Sunset joked.
“One time,” Rainbow groused. “I run into a flagpole one time and this is what I get.”
The girls all shared a laugh as the van picked up speed once it hit the interstate. For a rickety old van, it sure could drive pretty well.
“Everyone alright back there?” High Noon pushed open the glass window separating them. “Velvet wants to check on y’all.”
“Yeah, we’re fine,” Sunset reported. The van’s suspension kept them from feeling any of the bumps in the road, and not even the snowy roads seemed to deter High Noon’s driving skills.
“Just wanted to let you know, no one is to know the location of our bureau, got it?” the driver reminded as he swapped lanes again. “If you tell anyone, I’m going to be in big trouble.”
“You got it, Mr. Cowboy Assassin!” Pinkie leapt to the window and yelled behind his head, startling him, swerving the car a little.
“Careful there!” High Noon managed to get back control of the car. “And what happened to your seatbelt? Put it back on, please.”
“It is on.”
Only then did the others notice the seatbelt was still fastened around Pinkie’s waist, somehow stretching all the way to the front. It shrunk back after she hopped back to her seat, smiling from ear to ear.
“How in the…” High Noon watched from the rearview mirror. “Nevermind. The faster we get back the better.”
Even though the van was pretty steady, it didn’t seem to have a very good heating system. The cold was already seeping through the van’s walls, creeping into Sunset’s skin even through her winter getup.
“Woo…” Applejack shivered and hugged her arms across her chest. “It’s gettin’ m-mighty cold in h-here… Hey, could one of y-y’all turn on the h-heatin’ or somethin’?”
“Heating?” High Noon asked while watching the road. “Oh, heating. Sorry kids, we don’t have that here. This is a pretty simple van. Inherited it from an old friend of mine after he left. He never was very afraid of the cold, so he didn’t have heating installed.”
“Must’ve b-been a very odd fella…” Applejack mused. “Ah mean, it’s r-really cold back here…”
“The previous guy was probably a really… Cold-hearted Assassin. Right, guys?” Rainbow slapped her hands together and laughed, but stopped when no one else joined her. “What? It was funny, wasn’t it?”
“Well, you’re not far off...” High Noon gave a wave to some car on the left. “I’d say the guy was a robot if I didn’t know him better. Very little emotion, monotonous, and he even spends more time with technology than with us human beings. Can you believe that? Ha ha!”
“I liked him,” Velvet added. “He’s the one who taught me to use the baton.”
“Well, I’m quite sure we can believe it just fine,” Rarity checked on her make up. “We’ve got one like that back in school. I can’t stand a minute of his class. Ugh.”
The next hour of the ride went about silently with the exception of breaths and clattering teeth. Each girl just tried to keep themselves warm in their own way as the cold fought to fully enter the van.
Sunset had wrapped her purple scarf tightly around her ears and mouth, while she dug her gloved hands deep into her jacket pockets, unable to do much else.
Just gotta put up with it a little more. You can do it, Sunset. Just think about a warm sunny beach. Clear waters, swimming turtles, the hot sun…
An uncertain amount of time later, Sunset’s reverie was broken by High Noon’s voice.
“We’ll be arriving in about five minutes,” the cowboy Assassin reported. “When we get there, please don’t wander off. Stay with me and Velvet, okay?”
“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” Pinkie finished after sticking a fist in her eye. “Got it, Mr. Cowboy Assassin!”
He looked to Velvet for an explanation, but all the young Assassin did was shrug her good shoulder. “They will, High Noon. Don’t worry.”
“They better…” the orange-skinned Assassin nervously swallowed. “I’m already sticking my neck out on this one. Frigid isn’t going to like this one bit…”
As the van pulled into the bureau, neither the driver nor the passengers noticed a black and green motorcycle lingering in an alley between two distant buildings. Its black-clad rider slowly lowered her binoculars and slid her helmet’s visor back down over her face. A phone was produced and dialled.
“Hello, chairman,” Mirror Match said. “I just thought you should know, they’ve arrived.”
Sunset Shimmer felt the cool winter air bite into her exposed flesh and pierce through her thick defense the instant she opened the van’s door, quickly wishing she hadn’t.
Applejack whistled and tipped her hat lower to her eyes. “This cold’s really pickin’ up speed. Won’t be long before we need a full winter attire.”
“I’m p-pretty sure we a-already need one…” Fluttershy chattered her teeth as she zipped up her coat.
“Is the place nearby?” Rarity whined. “This cold isn’t good for my hair!”
Sunset didn’t know how High Noon was standing with them in a short sleeved coat. The Assassin turned and pointed to the lone building right at the top of the hill, a few meters from their position. Tall and foreboding, the building was a castle-like manor house built of dark grey stone. Towers and turrets speared toward the sky, and an ornate iron gate stood watch outside the atrium. Somewhere in the distance, Sunset could hear the ocean waves; the structure must have been built close to the seaside, but in the evening light, she couldn’t make out much more than that.
“Right there, kids,” High Noon beckoned the girls. “Come on. It’s warmer inside.”
“It better be...” Rarity muttered before following the rest of the girls up the short incline.
Only when they got closer did Sunset notice two hooded figures on the roof, looking down at them. Sunset was sure she could see the look of surprise on their faces, but then again, she might’ve only been imagining it, seeing as their hoods covered most of their faces.
“Wh-who’re they?” Fluttershy pointed a trembling finger to the roof.
“Just guards, don’t worry,” Velvet explained. “We need people up there to watch the surrounding area for any sign of Templars.”
“Even in this weather?” Rarity continued to pick at her hair, much to the annoyance of Applejack.
“It’s our duty,” High Noon took over, talking to them from the front of the group. “We do it to keep the others safe. Sometimes, sacrifice is necessary to keep the others alive, even if the weather is against you.”
Arriving at the entrance of the bureau, which were a set of metal doors, High Noon waved to two more Assassins inside, who immediately looked to the group he had brought with him.
“Noon, what’s the meaning of this?” one of them, an Assassin with orange hair asked. “You were supposed to bring back Velvet and the Sunset Shimmer girl, not the rest of the school.”
“I know, I know…” High Noon raised both palms up. “Hang on. I’ve obviously got an explanation. You see… uh… well, um…” He leaned over to Velvet and whispered to her. “Kid, help me out here. I’m kinda at a loss for words…”
Velvet sighed and stepped past him. “Wolfgang knows Sunset’s connection to the other girls. If the Templars learn about them, they could very well be in danger as well. If we want to keep Sunset with us and out of Templar hands, then her friends stay as well.”
“But that doesn’t mean we just bring them all here,” the Assassin thrust both his hands forward. “Now they know us Assassins exist!”
“Wreckhouse is right,” the other guard Assassin, a woman with dark blue skin, spoke. “There’s a reason the cops have yet to catch us. They don’t know we exist. If people figure out what we do, that’s it for us.”
“This girl is important, Tangent,” High Noon tried to get his point across. “The Templars need her for something. They cannot be allowed to get to her. That’s why her friends are here. The Templars can’t use them as leverage against her.”
“B-But… ugh…” the one called Wreckhouse placed a hand over his face and shook his head. “Well, too late to do anything about that now. I just hope you know what you’re doing, Noon. You know how… you know how Frigid is now.”
“Oh, I know, don’t you worry,” High Noon clapped his fellow Assassin on the back. “Alright, we’ve got the green light. Follow me.”
The inside of the building had a huge main lobby, filled with potted plants and benches positioned evenly around the entire space. A huge marble staircase in the middle led up to what looked like a single room, while two more staircases, one on each side of the lobby, lead up to what was likely the rest of the bureau. Another door seemed to lead further back into the depths of the building.
They were only halfway up the stairs when another Assassin ran up behind them, catching their attention. She had white hair with green streaks, and Sunset remembered her from the computer screen back at Velvet’s home.
“Velvet!” the Assassin called and grabbed her in a hug. “You’re back!”
“Yeah, good to see you too, Morning Blade,” she shifted to avoid pressure on her arm. “Morning, about the others here…”
“I was going to ask about them, yes,” she released the younger girl and stood up straight. “But I figured High Noon can fill me in later.”
“It’s a long description, Morning,” the Assassin rubbed the back of his head. “Anyway, has there been any news from Dewdrop? Is she alright?”
Morning Blade put a hand to her chin. “Afraid not. We’ve tried contacting her several times, but with no success. But I wouldn’t be too worried, Noon. This isn’t the first time she’s gone AWOL on us.”
“I hope you’re right…” He looked almost disappointed for a second before remembering the girls were still here. “Oh, right, let’s move on. The Mentor’ll want to see you. Morning, do you know where Frigid is?”
Morning shrugged. “Knowing him, he’ll either be in his room, his office, or in the Mentor’s office. I’d say your best bet is to check her office first.”
“Well, alright. Just where we’re headed,” he nodded. “You coming with us?”
“Nah. I got some work to do over in the library. I’ll see you around, Noon.” And with that, Morning Blade went back down the stairs and back up another set, disappearing into a side door.
“Come on,” Velvet called her friends. “Let’s get to the Mentor’s office.”
“Gee, this looks like a real large place,” Applejack tilted her head up to look at the high ceiling. “How many Assassins do ya have here anyhow?”
High Noon’s shoulders seemed to slump. “About twenty-five,” he confessed.
“And this is your main base?” Rainbow queried, her forehead creased in puzzlement. “Doesn’t seem like a lot.”
Pinkie Pie suddenly hopped up in front of him and bounced around. “And how many do the Templars have? Is your Mentor just ahead? Is she super awesome?”
Her question was put on hold when the Mentor’s door swung open, revealing a pale yellow-skinned man in a white hood, with what looked like lots of armor all over his body.
“What is the meaning of this?” he yelled, immediately turning his attention to the cowboy Assassin. “We said Velvet and the asset. That was it.”
“W-Well, there were complications, Frigid,” High Noon fumbled. “We found out Wolfgang knows of Sunset’s friends. They could be used as leverage, s-so we brought them here…”
“And now they all know of us, Noon,” Frigid pointed at each one of them. “Civilians. We’re to keep them out of our affairs. It doesn’t matter if they’re targets. One of them here was more than enough. Mentor would agree. She specifically said to only bring the two of them. Oh, and welcome back, Velvet.”
“I couldn’t just leave them there,” High Noon retorted. “They’re just kids, Frigid. They wouldn’t know the first thing about protecting themselves from Templars.”
Frigid placed two fingers on his forehead and rubbed it. “Look, Noon, it doesn’t matter. We can’t be doing this with every civilian out there. This is going against the Creed. Velvet, why didn’t you stop him?”
“She did,” High Noon quickly added in, stopping Velvet as she opened her mouth. “B-But I told her doing this would be safer for them.”
“Of all the-” Frigid broke off and scowled. “You’re supposed to do as you’re told, High Noon. If every Assassin starts making decisions for themselves, where would we be?”
“We might be in a better place,” a woman’s voice said gently, just loud enough to be heard.
Sunset looked past the Assassin lieutenant to see a woman clad in some kind of armor, along with a red tattered cape going down one arm, and a golden sword at her side, tucked away in its gilt sheath. Her hood was off, baring a youthful purple face. But the most striking thing about this newcomer was her hair. Multicolored in various shades of purple and pink, the tumbling locks glittered like gemstones in the hallway’s electric lighting. A sword was belted at her side, the pommel gleaming gold.
“Mentor,” Frigid swiftly turned to her. “High Noon’s brought more than you asked for. Isn’t that against our Creed? He said they’d all be safer here.”
“And he’s right,” the Assassin Mentor said, her voice never rising above a conversational volume. “Whatever the cause, these children are safer here than any other place in the world. Well done, High Noon, though I would like to hear the reason behind your decision as well.”
High Noon looked to Velvet and prepared his speech once more. “Well, Mentor, y-you see, Wolfgang probably knows of their connection to Sunset Shimmer. He could probably use them for leverage to take her from us, so we brought them here as well.”
The Mentor nodded calmly. “You did well, High Noon. I’ll take it from here.”
Frigid looked appalled. “Mentor, but-”
“Not now, Frigid Night. I would speak with them first. Come, children.” The Mentor headed back into her office after beckoning the girls to follow. Sunset brushed past the Assassin lieutenant, taking some small amount of pleasure from his shocked face.
The inside of the Mentor’s room was dominated mostly by bookshelves that were piled high with files and binders, an ornate wooden desk, and a king sized four poster bed.
“I apologize for the lack of sitting space,” she said as she stopped by her desk. “Please, make yourselves comfortable wherever you please.”
“Sweet!” Rainbow Dash immediately went for the bed and sat on it. The others stared at her, but she simply shrugged back. “What? She said wherever we please.”
“It’s fine,” the Assassin Mentor motioned for them to do the same. “You may sit on my bed.”
Sunset elected to sit on the floor, just beside the bed. “So what did you want to speak to us about, uh… I’m sorry, how do we address you?”
Without warning, the Mentor’s sword let out a low hum and began to vibrate in its scabbard, followed shortly by a plume of golden sparks.
“Uh… Is that normal?” Rainbow bent closer and asked.
Then Sunset felt it. Something warm welling up within her as the sword continued to jump in its sheath. The feeling was almost that of casting magic from a horn. Something Sunset had left behind a long time ago.
When the lights finally faded and the sword still, the Assassin Mentor placed both hands over it and looked up at Sunset, a look of understanding on her face.
“So that’s why the Templars want you…” she whispered before unbuckling the sheath from her side.
“Mentor, what was that?” Velvet blinked a few times and looked at the golden blade.
“Wooooow!” Pinkie popped her out from behind Rainbow, and then Fluttershy, who shrunk back with a soft squeal. “Does that sword have some kind of power? What is it made of? It that magic?”
“Hold your horses, Pinkie!” Applejack pulled her back down before she could start wrecking the place. “Let her speak at her own time.”
Even the Mentor seemed at a loss for words. “I… I… I need time to think. Velvet, please take them to the canteen. I’m sure you children haven’t had your dinner yet.”
“Yes, Mentor,” she nodded and moved for the door. “Come on, girls. Follow me.”
Once the door was closed behind them, Rainbow Dash stepped up and pulled Sunset back to her and whispered in her ear, though not very quietly. “What do you suppose that was, Sunset? Is it some kinda magical weapon? Maybe it can like, shoot fire or something!”
“Velvet, do you know anything about it?” Sunset tossed the question over.
“I’ve heard the stories,” she replied. “But I haven’t seen any of it myself. From what I heard, the Mentor can wipe out whole armies with it, but at the cost of her own life force.”
“Whole armies?!” Rainbow Dash squished her cheeks together. “That’s sooo awesome! Where can I get one of those?”
The girls continued to chat about the Mentor and her weapon all the way to the canteen. Pushing open a set of double doors, Velvet led the girls into an expansive room, which bore some resemblance of their school’s cafeteria. It even had the part where you move along a line to get your food.
“This is how you Assassins eat?” Rarity examined the worn out blue trays and eating utensils. “I won’t get sick eating this, will I?”
Sunset was still concentrated on what she saw and felt in the Assassin Mentor’s office, not paying attention to anything her friends were saying. She had felt something familiar, reminding her of home. Of Equestria. Could the sword have somehow gained magic properties? Or was it a weapon from Equestria? Even the Mentor struck Sunset as different. She had yet to meet anyone else with hair like that.
“Hello? Sunset? Are ya there? Hello?”
Sunset shook her head and blinked hard before returning to reality. It seemed during her time thinking, she’d already gotten some of the meatloaf the canteen was serving and had found a table to sit at with her friends.
“You alright there, Sunset?” Rarity pointed a fork at her. “Did something happen?”
“No, it’s nothing,” she waved them off. “Just had a lot on my mind is all.”
“Well, howdy, kids,” High Noon walked over with a tray of his own. “Mind if I join you?”
“Oh, sure.” Sunset scooted over a little to make room for the Assassin.
“So…” he looked at the girls eagerly. “What did the Mentor say? Any idea why the Templars are after you?”
“She didn’t exactly say anything, High Noon,” Velvet told him. Instead of the meatloaf, she had gotten a plate of assorted fruit. “But… Something weird happened. Her sword kind of went crazy for a bit. Like, shaking and sparking crazy. Seen anything like that before?”
“Crazy, you say?” High Noon placed a hand under his chin and hummed. “Can’t say I have. The only really crazy thing I’ve seen is Mentor burning out a building full of snipers.”
“We’ll have to wait and see, I suppose,” Rarity went back to her meal. “All we can do now is make assumptions. Nothing concrete. Why don’t we just sit back, relax, and enjoy our dinner?”
“Sounds good to me,” Applejack said as she began slicing her piece of meat into more portions. “By the way, High Noon, Ah’ve been meanin’ to ask ya. How long have ya known my cousin?”
“Aw, hay, he and I used to hang out when we were young back in Appleloosa. I haven’t seen him for years now. How’s he doing?”
Applejack swallowed a mouthful of food. “He’s doin’ good. Still working on that apple farm, if Ah remember right.”
“Yeah, your family always had a thing for apples,” High Noon chuckled, reminiscing the old times. “Makes me wonder if I’d have gone into the business with him if I hadn’t become an Assassin.”
“Um, how did you become an Assassin?” Fluttershy asked politely. “If you don’t mind telling us, that is. Were you as young as Velvet when you joined?”
Sunset leaned closer, eager to hear the story.
“Nah, I don’t mind. Thing is, I used to be a Templar.” Smiling at the collective gasp, High Noon continued, “When I first left Appleloosa to look for work, they hired me as a bodyguard. I thought their goal was just and great, but wow, I sure was wrong.”
“Then what happened?” Sunset asked, intrigued by the story.
“Well…” High Noon paused and his smile dropped. “Wolfgang happened. If you didn’t see the news back in the day, that individual was a dangerous killer, wanted for multiple murders across the country. Once the Templars hired people like him, I knew something was wrong. That guy scares the life out of me.” High Noon shivered, remembering his experiences with the killer.
“A killer?” Rarity sat back, aghast. “How on earth did he come work in our school if he was a wanted criminal?”
“The Templars have a really good public relations officer. My guess is that she somehow managed to pull some strings to clear up Wolfgang’s name. Well, continuing where I left off, the Templars soon tried to get rid of me, but I managed to make it home, back to Appleloosa. That was a great time, but it didn’t last long. Soon, they had come looking for me again, and I knew they wouldn’t stop until one of us was dead. To keep the town safe, I did what I had to do. I came straight here and joined the Assassins, and that’s where I am today. Right here.”
“Sounds c-complicated,” Fluttershy said meekly.
“Great story though,” Rainbow nodded. “Maybe you can go back to visit Braeburn sometime. I’m sure he’d be glad to see you.”
High Noon smiled. “Maybe. But I won’t be able to go anytime soon. Not until we win this battle. I promised Braeburn I would return after this is all over. I intend to follow through with that. Uh, don’t tell anyone else my story. Outsiders aren’t supposed to know.”
“Well, Ah’ll be sure to tell him ya said hi the next time Ah see him. Unless ya see him before Ah do,” Applejack placed her utensils down on her now empty plate. “Hoooweeee. That was some real good meatloaf.”
“Really?” High Noon looked over at their plates. “Usually the meatloaf stinks.”
“Oh, and High Noon,” Applejack continued. “Ya said ya remember me? When Ah was younger?”
The cowboy Assassin nodded and smiled excitedly. “Oh yeah, you and your family would show up from time to time to visit Appleloosa. Your granny always brought really good apple pies with her. I remember those pretty well. Then there was you and your brother, uh… Little Mac?”
“Big Mac,” Applejack corrected. “Big Macintosh.”
“Right, my bad. Anyway, you two were probably much too young to remember me, but I do. Hay, I even carried your brother once. A heavy little baby, that one. How many years has it been… More than fifteen, I reckon.”
“Gee, that’s pretty interestin’ how small of a world this is. Ah can’t believe cousin Braeburn is friends with an Assassin. Ah can’t believe ya knew me.”
“Yeah…” High Noon took off his hat and looked at it. “You know, if someone had told me I’d be an Assassin all those years before I left… I would’ve called them crazy. See, the thing is, I’m not what you call brave, or even confident. I don’t know how I became an Assassin, but I do know I’m doing the right thing being here now. I just wonder sometimes if life would be better if I never left Appleloosa.”
“Well, I think being an Assassin is way cooler than being an apple farmer,” Rainbow leaned back and stretched her legs out under the table. “No offense, AJ. You know, when I grow up, I wanna join you guys.”
“Umm… no ya don’t Rainbow,” Applejack frowned.
“Yeah. I do.”
“No, ya don’t.”
“Being an Assassin is scary…” Fluttershy shrunk down a little.
“I’d seriously reconsider,” High Noon interrupted. “The life of an Assassin is no simple path, nor is it a happy one… You lose friends on the way. Sometimes… sometimes the ones you love as well.”
“I’m terribly sorry, High Noon,” Rarity spoke up for Rainbow. “My friend here doesn’t know what she’s saying sometimes.”
“But you guys are still alive,” Rainbow directed her words to High Noon. “I know, I’m sorry that you’ve lost people, but you’re doing things to protect the world! Isn’t that just cool?”
Sunset looked to Velvet for help. The young Assassin turned to the athlete and said, “Most Assassins don’t live past forty. Are you okay with that?”
“Uh, well, uh…” Rainbow sputtered like a fish for a few seconds before sitting herself back down. “Okay, maybe being a pro athlete sounds much better.”
There was a minute of silence before Applejack decided to resume the conversation. “Oh, High Noon. Ya mentioned loved ones. A while ago, ya mentioned someone called, uh, Dewdrop?”
“Oh, Dewdrop?” The cowboy’s eyes widened and began darting over the room. “Yeah, she’s currently missing after a mission to Fillydelphia. I’m… I’m just worried that I won’t see her again. I tried to stop her that night, but she disobeyed orders and left on her own. I realize my mistake. I should’ve gone with her. To keep her safe.”
“Boy, you really care about this Dewdrop a lot!” Pinkie popped up beside him from under the table. “Is she your girlfriend?”
“What?” The girls watched as High Noon’s face began changing colors, from his orange complexion to a bright red one. “Oh, no no no no… He he, no, she’s not, nope. Uh… Well, you see, yeah no. She’s not. She’s just a close friend.” He tipped his hat lower to hide his glowing face.
Sunset couldn’t believe how out of place he suddenly looked as an Assassin. It just didn’t match the look of a skilled killer.
“Well, if ya like her, the best thing to do is to just tell her how ya feel about her,” Applejack tried to help out.
“Oh no, I could never do that…” the Assassin’s voice said from behind his hat. “I… I’m afraid I don’t have the courage to do so. Besides… I’m pretty sure she knows…”
“But you two aren’t together?” Rarity suddenly took much more interest in the topic. “Do go on. Why not?”
“I… well… the thing is… I don’t think she’s really into men...”
“Oh…” Rarity sat back down. “You just had to have a complicated relationship, hmm?”
“It’s okay, High Noon,” Applejack patted his shoulder. “Ah’m pretty sure you’ll find someone else out there for ya one day. What’s so interestin’ about this Dewdrop anyhow?”
“A-A lot of things…” High Noon began nervously playing with a coil of rope attached to his belt. “I’ve known her a long time and she’s one of my closest friends… We’ve been through a lot together, I think I’m probably the only one left who understands just how she feels, and… plus… well... s-she’s hot. Like really hot. Umm… Yeah.”
“Well, Ah think it’s best ya still tell her how ya feel anyhow. At least then you’ll have it off your chest. Better now then never.”
“Now then never, huh?” High Noon sighed. “Yeah… I guess you’re right. Don’t want to have another repeat of the past…”
At that moment, another Assassin stopped behind the cowboy, looking down at the girls. Most of her body was lined in bandages, with only one green eye looking back at them.
“Velvet Breeze,” her mouth formed into a thin grin. “It is good to see you again, safe and sound.”
“Hi, Keila,” Velvet smiled back. “It’s good to see you too. How are you holding up?”
“I’m getting by,” she leaned an elbow against High Noon. “We were more worried about you than things here. At least here we only have one troublemaker.”
“Frigid’s no troublemaker,” High Noon sighed and tried to shake Keila off his back, but failed. “He’s just lost and… irritable.”
“Yeah, and that makes him a troublemaker,” Keila’s one eye narrowed. “I don’t even know why the Mentor made him lieutenant. Don’t you agree, Velvet? He’s too volatile to be in charge around here.”
“Um…”
“Nevermind that,” Keila focused on Sunset and her friends. “So this is the fabled Sunset Shimmer and her group of friends that I’ve been hearing about. I’m Keila; nice to meet you.”
She mock-curtseyed and gave them a warm smile. Pinkie was the first to leap up and give her a firm handshake before going on and on about being friends and parties. By the time the rest of the introductions were made, the girls had all finished their food.
“Interesting…” Keila pulled at a loose bandage. “So the Mentor has some idea as to why the Templars are so interested in you.”
“Yeah…” Applejack looked up at a clock on the wall; it now read eight o’clock. “So, uh, how long do we have to be here? Ah mean, do we get to go back home or anythin’?”
“It’s not safe for you back home,” High Noon answered. “For now, it’s best if you stay here.”
“But how long is this gonna take?” Rainbow demanded, causing the Assassin to flinch a little. “I mean we have families and stuff.”
“If you want to keep them safe, then wait it out. If you go back now, you could make yourself and your loved ones a target.”
“Well, uh…” Rainbow Dash sat back and stopped talking.
“He’s right, girls,” Sunset looked at her friends. “You all came here because you wanted to look out for me. I think it’s better that we all stick together.”
“Sunset’s right,” Applejack slammed a fist into her palm. “We chose this. It’s up to us to follow through. We ain’t gonna let anythin’ happen to Sunset or Velvet. That’s what friends are for.”
“Right,” Rainbow patted Sunset on the shoulder reassuringly. “We’re with you, Sunset. No matter what.”
Sunset smiled, glad that her friends had come along with her. “Thanks, girls.”
High Noon watched and chuckled. “You’re a lucky kid, Sunset, to have such good friends.”
And at that moment, Sunset did feel lucky, despite being thrust into a world full of killers and cutthroats; it was comforting knowing that whatever happened, she could count on her friends to be there for her. And as long as they were together, Sunset just knew that they’d be able to pull through, no matter what they faced.
After dark, Keila had shown the girls to some spare rooms where they could rest for the night. To Sunset, it seemed like more than half the building was no longer in use. She wondered exactly why so few people would choose to use such a huge space, especially since most of the dormitory areas seemed to be deserted.
The girls had split up in twos, taking a total of three rooms. Each room was a simple rectangle with a single bed in the middle against the wall, a small bedside table, a wooden cupboard, and a seating area by the corner, consisting of a round table and two chairs. There was also a door at the other end of the room that led to a bathroom; ones that looked like they hadn’t been cleaned in ages.
After washing up to the best of their ability and changing back into their clothes, the girls retired to bed, with Pinkie and Fluttershy sharing a room, Rainbow Dash and Applejack, and Rarity and Sunset. Velvet had headed back to her own room after showing them where they would be sleeping.
“Goodnight, Sunset,” Rarity said before easing into a sleeping mask she happened to be carrying in her coat pocket. “Get some rest, darling. You look like you need it.”
“You too, Rarity,” Sunset lay on the other side of the bed and tucked the blanket up to her neck.
Sunset Shimmer had closed her eyes and welcomed the darkness, but about an hour in, she found out the darkness didn’t want her. No matter how hard she tried, she just didn’t seem to be able to fall asleep.
Come on, Sunset. You can do it. Just… Count sheep. Yeah. That’ll work…
After she hit five hundred, the fiery haired girl gave up, deciding it was getting her nowhere. Grumbling to herself, she inched out from under the blanket and sat up, rubbing at her face. She didn’t even feel remotely tired with this much on her mind; this was almost as bad as their exam week. Maybe worse.
Seeing as there was no chance in the next hour or so that she was going to sleep, Sunset shuffled off the bed, careful not to wake Rarity who was peacefully snoring away, probably dreaming of some kind of fashion or something.
Feeling a little adventurous, Sunset opened the door and headed out into the dark hallways of the Assassin bureau, deciding not to take her jacket and winter gear. Perhaps a little exploration would ease her mind and allow her to rest.
Sunset silently crept along the left wall, careful not to accidentally wake someone up. The air around her was slightly cool, but not not too cold for her to need a jacket or scarf; it was almost enjoyable. She soon came to a staircase and decided to take it down, back toward the atrium. The lobby was much cooler from the chill wind rushing in from the open front doors. Two Assassins sat by the front, their eyes focused on the outside. Sunset held her breath and walked as slowly and quietly as she could, not wanting to disturb them, but also not wanting to have to answer questions as to what she was doing.
The faint sound of crashing waves caught Sunset’s attention, and she decided to head towards it. Perhaps watching the ocean would calm her mind. Locating a door against left side of the lobby, Sunset gently turned the knob, every second sending spikes through her heart. She flinched every time she expected the door to squeak, but thankfully, it never happened, allowing her to open the door wide enough to slip out, though at the same time, allowing the cold winter air to waft in, instantly making her wish she had brought her jacket.
Well, no turning back now…
Deciding it too much time and effort to go back and grab her jacket and scarf, Sunset gathered her nerves and took a step out into the cold air. The icy air bit at her exposed skin, but Sunset persevered, leaving the warmer bureau behind and ending up in a wide, snow covered courtyard. It was enclosed on three sides by the wings of the building, with the fourth side in front of her stretching out into the night. Small yellow lanterns hung sparsely on the pillars that ringed the courtyard, lending the entire scene an almost mystical, dreamlike quality with flurries of dancing snow. The waves below the courtyard could be heard smashing themselves against the cliffs below, almost rhythmically.
Sunset rubbed her arms and blew on her palms, trying to stay warm. Step by step, she trod through the thick snow and out toward the open edge of the courtyard, listening to the crashing of the waves growing louder as she did.
Eventually she reached the low wall at the end of the courtyard. Resting her arms on the stone, Sunset looked down and out, taking in the sheer drop that the cliff cut off into. Far, far below, she could barely make out the sight of the ocean’s waves breaking on the rocks. White foam mixed with the falling snow, dissipating as the next wave rolled in, forming more before being washed out by the next wave. The process continued and repeated as Sunset watched, trying to distract herself from the cold. It had been cold even with her jacket and scarf on. It might’ve been a really bad idea for her to walk out without any protection, but Sunset told herself that if it wasn’t for too long, it was fine.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” a voice came from Sunset’s left.
Sunset jumped; she hadn’t heard anyone approach. Turning her head, Sunset beheld the shining hair of the Assassin Mentor, her armor gleaming in the faint light of the lanterns.
“Oh, uh, M-Mentor!” the girl quickly greeted, her teeth shaking from the cold. “Ummm… I’m s-sorry. I c-couldn’t sleep.”
“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for,” the Mentor said soothingly. “I often come out here myself when I have trouble sleeping, though, it’s a touch chilly tonight for your attire.” Without further ceremony, the Mentor took off her red cloak and draped it across Sunset’s shoulders.
“T-Thanks,” Sunset chattered. The cloak was very warm, if a bit threadbare and worn with age. She wondered just how old it was. “And, y-yeah… I-I didn’t think I’d n-need my jacket.”
The Mentor smiled. “Come on back inside, Sunset Shimmer. You’ll catch a cold at this rate.”
“S-sure,” she nodded and followed the armored woman back indoors.
The Assassins on duty caught sight of Sunset, but the Mentor simply waved a hand and they got back to watching the doors. Beckoning for the girl to follow, Sunset went with the spectral haired woman up to her office. Sunset peeled off the worn cloak and handed it back to the Mentor once she closed the office door behind her.
“Thanks for the coat, Mentor…” Sunset breathed, feeling the snow in her hair begin the melt.
“Steel Shine,” the Mentor said. “My name,” she explained. “And I should also be thanking you. You’ve given Velvet Breeze friends, and it’s good to see her happy. I never wanted this life for her.”
“You didn’t?” Sunset decided to ask.
“No, I didn’t. She begged me to let her join. True, we had lost of a lot Assassins when she asked. In the end, I allowed it.” She sighed, a surprisingly gentle sound. “Sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision.”
“Oh, that’s interesting,” Sunset smiled as her temperature adjusted itself. “So… Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?”
“Yes, but not here.”
The Mentor made sure the door was locked, then glided across the room to a bookshelf, reaching for a leather bound volume with gold lettering. Pulling it, there was a faint click and the whole bookshelf slid aside, exposing a set of stone steps leading down into the depths of the earth.
She beckoned to Sunset. “Follow me.”
The girl followed the Assassin down, her footsteps echoing in the passage. The further down they went, the colder it became, once again making Sunset wish she’d brought her jacket along.
The passage seemed to stretch on and on, continually descending into the ground. Sunset was sure that they had passed ground level by now and still they kept going down, the steps spiralling into the dark.
Then abruptly, the passage widened and leveled out, followed by a sudden fwoosh of fire. Sunset covered her eyes as a series of torches were lit, illuminating a wide, expansive room laden with memorabilia. There were piles of scrolls and books, banners on the walls embroidered with the Assassin emblem, and various tall glass cases propped up against a wall, each one containing a set of Assassin robes. A wooden door at the far end of the room stood shut, and the entire room smelled of dust and age, with a faint afterodor of coffee and smoke.
Steel Shine pulled an ornate silver battleaxe off a chair and dusted the seat. “Sit down, Sunset. I’m sure we have much to speak about.”
Sunset eyed the battleaxe and took a big gulp. “Umm… Yeah, I guess we do… So, where do we start?”
“First, let me apologize for the poor welcome I gave you girls earlier,” Steel Shine drew her sword and pointed it at the fireplace, a bolt of golden light shooting out of the tip and setting the logs alight, much to Sunset’s surprise. “I just didn’t expect it to happen in my lifetime.”
“Poor welcome?” Sunset raised an eyebrow. The only poor welcome she registered was the lieutenant, Frigid Night, though that magic sword had taken up most of her thoughts. “Oh, your lieutenant? It’s alright. I understand his worry. But wait… Lifetime?”
“The arrival of the Crystal Empire’s chosen emissary,” Steel Shine said enthusiastically. “Just like it was foretold in the Assassin’s Book of Mentors.”
Sunset had to make sure she heard that right, but excited curiosity shone in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Mentor Steel Shine. You know of the Crystal Empire? Are-Are you from Equestria?”
Steel Shine pursed her lips and put a kettle on the fire, after filling it with water from a nearby faucet. “Perhaps I’d best start at the beginning.
“When the Templars started targeting you, I had a suspicion that there was more to you than meets the eye.”
“Wait, how did you even know about me to start with?” Sunset asked.
Mentor Steel Shine reached into a pile of papers and drew out a handful of photographs, each one of Sunset and sometimes with her friends.
“We intercepted these photos from a Templar messenger a couple of weeks ago in Trottingham. That’s how we learnt of the Templars’ plans concerning you.”
“A few weeks ago…” Sunset remembered the incident in the newspaper Rainbow Dash was reading. “That principal right here in Trottingham. The murder. That was you?”
The Mentor nodded. “That’s right. Lieutenant Frigid Night and Morning Blade saw to his assassination and recovered these from him. These Templars, Sunset Shimmer, they make up most of the Board of Education. They’re not to be trusted.”
“Do you know why they want me?” Sunset rubbed her hands and moved closer to the fireplace.
“At first, no. All the plans that were with the photos are heavily encrypted. I had another Assassin, Dewdrop, go and try to recover the key, but she has yet to return to the bureau. But now that we’ve met, I believe I have an inkling as to why.”
“It’s because I’m Equestrian, isn’t it?” Sunset put the pieces together. “But you didn’t answer my previous question, Mentor Steel Shine. Are you from Equestria too? You kind of do remind me of a crystal pony.”
The Mentor chuckled. “You’re half right. I am not from Equestria, no, but my ancestor, the first Assassin, was a crystal pony.” She held up a thick, leather bound volume with a green crystalline emblem on the front. “It’s all written in here, Sunset Shimmer. All the details about her flight from Equestria up until the day she died and handed it down to her daughter, like my mother to me. It’s part of my inheritance, just like my armor, and my hair and eyes.” Steel Shine leaned close to Sunset, holding open one dark pink eye to show her the crystal pattern within.
“But-but… This must have been ages ago!” Sunset eyed the ancient book. “Meaning the only time your ancestor could’ve come over to this world was… before the empire’s disappearance. Before King Sombra.”
“That is correct,” Mentor Steel Shine nodded. She seemed to be well informed on the Crystal Empire’s dark history. Perhaps that book was more detailed than Sunset had thought. “From studying her journal entries, my ancestor arrived in this world through a prototype portal from yours. From there on, she established a group of people who would eventually become the first Assassins.”
“But why did she come here in the first place?” Sunset asked.
The Mentor stood back up as the kettle began to boil, and she poured the water into an antique looking teapot, throwing in a handful of tea leaves. As she put the teapot down to let the tea steep, the armored woman drew her mighty sword from its scabbard once more, laying it flat across on the table between them.
“It’s all to do with this,” the Mentor tapped the sword’s golden blade with a finger.
“This weapon?” Sunset examined the length of the weapon, noticing every inch of it was gold and silver. Odd for a weapon. “What did your ancestor want, Mentor?”
“This is no ordinary sword,” Mentor Steel Shine said seriously. “According to the book, this sword came from Equestria, alongside three other artifacts. They were purportedly created by a great wizard called Star Swirl the Bearded in Equestria, and when he deemed them too dangerous to be used in wrong hands, he sent them here. That’s why my ancestor came to this world, because she needed the artifacts to defeat King Sombra back in Equestria.”
“She tried to save the empire…” Sunset came to realization. “Before it was banished.”
“The sword reacts in the presence of Equestrians,” the Mentor continued. “That’s how I knew you were one. But… forgive my surprise; I thought that an emissary from the Crystal Empire would be… older.”
“Ummm… Emissary, Mentor?”
“Yes. That’s why you’re here, right? To take up my sword and lead us to victory?”
“I think you’re mistaken, Mentor Steel Shine,” Sunset slowly shook her head. “I… Well, I wasn’t always a good person. The reason I first came to this world was to seek power. I realized my mistake and that’s all in the past now, but I’m not from the Crystal Empire.” Sunset watched as the expectant smile slowly slid off the Mentor’s face, feeling terrible about being the one to dash her hopes. “I’m sorry, Mentor. I didn’t know you were expecting someone else.”
The Mentor took a sip of her tea. “But… but you’re an Equestrian. Everything’s just as the prediction said…”
“I apologize again, Mentor Steel Shine. Yes, I am Equestrian. But I’m not from the Crystal Empire. I was from Equestria’s version of Canterlot. I’m no crystal pony. Umm… What exactly does the prediction say, Mentor? I might be able to help.” Sunset put on the best smile she could muster.
Mentor Steel Shine kept her current expression, but nodded. She opened the old book and traced a finger down a page, stopping somewhere in the middle of it.
“One day, perhaps far from my time,” the Assassin Mentor read out aloud. “Somepony would step up and finish what I started. For my descendants, look for them. One day, an Equestrian shall arrive and bring this power back to my home and vanquish the dark king, once and for all. This, I know…” She closed the book shortly after.
“The prophecy doesn’t specifically say an emissary from the Crystal Empire, Mentor,” Sunset said, hoping this one bit was enough to cheer her up again. “But I have a question. King Sombra has already been defeated. A friend of mine made sure of that when the Crystal Empire returned. The dark king is no more, so does the prophecy still, um, count?”
“Sombra is defeated?” The Mentor’s face had shock and confusion written all over it. “You don’t know about it, do you?”
Now it was Sunset’s turn to be confused. “What do you mean?”
“The Templar’s leader, their grandmaster… I don’t think he’s from my world. He’s very likely to be from yours.”
“Grandmaster?” Sunset put the pieces together. “Sombra is their leader? Equestria’s Sombra?” The Mentor nodded. “But… How is that possible?”
“I don’t know how he came to this world, but… I have no knowledge on how your kind can enter our world. Perhaps he came in the same way as you did, Sunset Shimmer.” Mentor Steel Shine poured a cup of tea for the girl and handed it to her.
“I came here through the mirror over at CHS.” Sunset gladly accepted the cup and drank its hot contents. It agreed very well with her stomach and throat. “From what I know, that’s the only way to this world, b-but… I don’t know how Sombra could’ve taken it here. I don’t even know how he survived the Crystal Heart’s power. Oh, uh, the Crystal Heart is the Crystal Empire’s defense against its enemies, by the way..”
“I know about the Crystal Heart,” The Assassin Mentor frowned and hummed to herself. “ And I guess the only real way to know is to ask him ourselves, but that’s never going to happen, is it?”
Sunset chuckled. “Well, unless you two have those things where you meet and debate. Uh… Summits. That’s right. Summits.”
“No, I’m afraid that can never happen, Sunset Shimmer. Not while that ruthless grandmaster is in charge. But no matter. That is not important. What’s important is that this prophecy comes to pass. It is as you’ve said, Sunset Shimmer. I’ve been careless. The prophecy does not speak of any emissary from the Crystal Empire. It simply speaks of one from your world. You could very well still be the one we need.”
Sunset nodded slowly. While she herself wasn’t sure she wanted any part of the prophecy, there was no denying that she was up to her neck in it now. She might as well see just how she fit into all this.
“So let’s say that I’m the person this prophecy is talking about. What then?”
“Well, you’ve already passed the first test,” Mentor Steel Shine said. She gestured to the sword on the table, its gilt finish reflecting the firelight.
“First test- oh! You mean in the office-?”
“Yes. Traditionally, this sword is passed down from Mentor to Mentor, from mother to daughter.” Steel Shine gave the sword a tap. “But I’m afraid that that tradition ends with me. I have no children, and I am long past the age to have them.”
“You don’t look that old,” Sunset said consolingly.
Steel Shine smirked. “How old do you think I am, Sunset Shimmer?”
“I don’t know, late twenties?”
“I shall be sixty years old this year, Sunset Shimmer.” Sunset choked on her tea, but managed to swallow it after a hard struggle.
“Wow, I must say… You look incredibly youthful, Mentor.”
“I think, at least in part, it’s due to the sword’s magic. Without fail, every Mentor that has died of natural causes has lived abnormally long, and remained relatively untouched by time. My mother was exactly the same… before she died.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Sunset took more interest in her cup of tea.
“Don’t be. She gave her life helping the Assassin cause, and was able to save many lives before the sword claimed her life. There was no finer way to go out.”
“I’m sure she was a real hero. So this sword… It… It kills you? I don’t have to use it, do I?”
Steel Shine placed her cup on the table and picked up her sword, placing it flat across her lap. “Yes and no. You see, Sunset Shimmer, the reason that every Mentor, and the Templars, have been waiting for someone like you to come along is that only a pureblood Equestrian can wield the artifacts to their full potential. My ancestor made a note of it in the book, that after herself, every successive descendant’s ability to wield these artifacts would wane with each generation. You see, the sword, and by extension, the Apple, the Templars’ artifact, drain the life force of ordinary humans to work.”
“Apple?” Sunset inquired, the term new to her.
The Mentor placed the sword back onto the table and opened the book, flipping the pages until she lighted onto a page with a colored sketch on it, one of a golden sphere with silver lines running across its surface.
“The Apple of Equestria,” Sunset read. “Mind control… immortality, control over light and shadow… And the Templars have this?”
“That’s correct. They stole it from Assassin hands during the Renaissance, and despite our best efforts, we have yet to get it back.”
“But if Sombra from my world is their grandmaster… Then won’t that mean they have someone who can fully use the Apple’s power?”
The Mentor nodded grimly. “That’s why the prophecy is more important now than ever before. We need your help, Sunset Shimmer. I believe it is you the prophecy is talking about. You are the Equestrian destined to rid Sombra from this world and yours.”
Sunset looked pensively at the flickering flames in the fireplace. Too much of this rang of sorcery and magic, elements that she thought she had left behind in Equestria. To hear of it here, and in a manner that was so intimate and specific made her uneasy. Was she truly the one the prophecy spoke of?
“Mentor,” she said. “I appreciate all you’ve said of me and all the questions you’ve answered, but I’ve never held a weapon in my life. The best I’ve done is wield magic, but that was just right out of my horn and my hands. I don’t know how to fight. I don’t think I can stomach the thought of taking a life as well. I don’t know if I’m able to do this at all…”
“There’s only one way to find out,” the Mentor said quietly. She stood up, taking up her sword in both hands, then reversing her grip so that she was now holding the blade, the hilt facing toward Sunset. “Take up my sword, Sunset Shimmer. Unless it acknowledges you, then all this talk of prophecy is just so much dust in the wind.”
Sunset looked at the hilt of the sword, then at the Mentor’s encouraging face, then back to the sword again. She gulped. A lot of options cycled through the girl’s mind, but the Mentor had been really nice to her, and she didn’t want to betray her kindness.
Eventually, she decided. If she could lend a hand to Mentor Steel Shine, then it was the least she could do. After all, there was still a chance the prophecy was talking about someone else.
Taking a deep breath and standing up, Sunset tentatively tried holding the sword with two hands, wrapping her fingers around the cool metal hilt. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a golden corona of light flashed out from the hilt of the sword, enveloping Sunset in a cocoon of shining radiance. Sunset felt the top of her head begin to tingle, just as if she were playing the guitar and about to pony up.
Then the moment passed and she let go, stumbling backward as the golden light faded away into nothing.
“Woah…” Sunset fought to keep her balance. “What was that…?”
“The sword accepted you as its master,” Mentor Steel Shine said in a hushed, awed voice. “You truly are the one my ancestor was waiting for.”
“Oh dear…” Sunset mumbled. “Mentor, still, my earlier statements still stand. “I can’t kill someone else. It’s just… I can’t. I’d love to help you, but I don’t think I can kill for you. I’m sorry, Mentor.”
“And nobody’s asking you to kill. You’re still a child, and killing is for adults. All I ask of you is that you consider what I’ve said here tonight, and perhaps when you’ve grown up, you can join us. For now, all I can do is offer our protection from the Templars for you and your friends. Is that agreeable?”
“Umm…” Sunset rubbed at her shoulders. “Okay. At least it’s a lot of time to think. But can you wait that long, Mentor? What if the Templars attack soon? You can’t possibly protect me for so long.”
“We shall do what we can for the better of this world. The Templars seek to control it, Sunset Shimmer. To place one man as leader of the whole world… That is something we cannot allow. No one man should have all that power.”
“That’s why you’re fighting each other?” Sunset asked. “Because they want to rule the world? Have you tried a peaceful solution?”
“There cannot be one, Sunset Shimmer. Not while the Templars have the Apple. The Apple has the ability to bend others’ minds to its master’s will. Take Wolfgang for instance. He was never such a composed man. Before Sombra, he was the most vicious individual my Assassins have ever met. His brains weren’t really there, but his ferocity was. When Sombra took over his mind, he became a more… civilized human, though the enchantment doesn’t last long. But Sombra is getting stronger, Sunset Shimmer. I can feel it. It won’t be long before he decides to challenge me. At full strength, he might even be able to turn the world against us. To establish his perfect world order.”
“But there must be something you can do against him,” Sunset looked at the sword again. “I won’t be of much help here.”
The Mentor shrugged. “I don’t mean to ask too much of you, Sunset Shimmer, but-”
At that moment, the Mentor was interrupted by a faint trilling sound, coming from her right pocket. With a raised eyebrow, she retrieved a phone and looked at its screen before placing it to her ear.
“Yes?”
Sunset wondered how her phone managed to get signal all the way down here, but the question was shoved out of her mind when the Mentor suddenly shot to her feet, sword already in hand.
“They know she’s here. That’s… Nevermind. Focus your efforts on repelling them. I’ll get back as quickly as I can.”
“Umm… Mentor?” Sunset asked, afraid of what was happening. It was clear enough that the Templars were here, likely looking for her. It was too soon.
“They found you,” Mentor Steel Shine pocketed her phone and placed a hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “The Assassins need me. Stay here.”
Sunset was about to do as Mentor Steel Shine had said, but she stopped herself. “Wait, Mentor. My friends are still up there. I need to get them! I can’t stay down here.”
“It’s too dangerous, Sunset Shimmer, and it’s you the Templars want.”
Sunset was adamant. “I need to protect my friends. What good of a friend am I if I abandon them all? I’m coming with you, Mentor.”
“Very well…” Mentor Steel Shine gestured for Sunset to tag along behind her, leading the way out and up the staircase once more. “Stay behind me. I shall keep you protected. You are our only hope, Sunset Shimmer. We cannot lose you.”
Frigid Night ducked low as another volley of bullets bore into the concrete wall just where he was standing a second earlier. He whipped out two throwing knives and peeked out from around the corner, activating his eagle sense.
From what he could tell, the Templars had stormed the main lobby, instantly filling in and spreading out, likely looking for the Shimmer girl. Wreckhouse and Tangent, who were guarding the front doors, were probably dead, but at least they had gotten out a warning in time.
Frigid frowned as he saw two red shapes walking over, their rifles pointed in his direction. The Templar guards in front wore their standard white covers, which consisted of a white ensemble of a trench coat, pants, shirt, and white gloves, along with that silly cap that Frigid didn’t particularly like, just because of its squarish shape. Their black rifles were a stark contrast against their chests.
The Templars had never dared attack the bureau straight up like this. Something must’ve changed, and Frigid reckoned it was because Sunset Shimmer was here.
The Master Assassin dashed out from behind the wall, diving for the ground as he loosed both knives, catching both Templars in the chest. They grabbed for the bladed weapon before slumping down, dead.
Frigid got up and passed them, looking out for anymore signs of life. He had been in his room when the alert rang out, still contemplating the Mentor’s decision. Now for sure he knew it had been a bad idea. By now, the other Assassins must’ve already engaged the enemy, but he had no idea who was still alive.
The Templars had moved swiftly, already investigating the first floor, but there was no way Frigid was going to let them get any further. Further down the hall, Frigid heard the sound of steel clashing, before a series of gunshots pierced the air. Then it was all quiet.
Frigid Night picked up his speed and unsheathed both hidden blades. Rounding the corner, he kept low, instantly spotting three Templar guards, their rifles pointing at a body on the ground. The rest of the area was littered with fallen Assassins and Templars, dead from an earlier fight.
No…
With welled up anger, Frigid closed in, stabbing two of them in the back before jumping up and activating a shoe blade, kicking the third man across the face, cutting deep.
He released the two in his arms, letting their lifeless bodies fall to the floor as he checked on the wounded Assassin at his feet.
“F-Frigid Night…” the Assassin choked, blood dripping from his mouth. “D-Didn’t think y-you’d be the one… to rescue me…”
“Just hang in there, Red Card,” Frigid pressed a hand into the elder Assassin’s wounded side, trying to stop the blood as he reached for a pack of bandages in his white coat. Red Card was a senior Assassin, in charge of handing out the contracts. He’d been alive longer than Mentor Steel Shine, but his age had caught up to him, forcing him to stay in the bureau.
“No… Too late…” he mumbled. He reached for Frigid’s coat and grabbed it with a weak hand. “Don’t let the Assassins d-down… You hear m-me…?”
Red Card let go of Frigid’s coat and closed his eyes.
Frigid sighed and got up, listening out for sounds of combat. “You got it, old man.”
He had no idea how many Templars had arrived at the bureau, but he was sure of one thing. He was going to make sure none of them were standing by morning.
“Come on, Morning,” High Noon called with one hand, while his other held on to his revolver.
Running out from one of the spare rooms, he unsheathed his hidden blade and jammed it through an unsuspecting Templar’s neck from behind while Morning Blade ran a second one through with her steel katana, clearing the immediate hallway.
“We’re good here, go, go!” Morning Blade whispered back to their group.
Behind them, Dr. Patch leapt out, bringing with her five other Assassins, her hidden blade also at the ready, alongside a sleek black pistol.
“How’d they even get so close?” Patch wondered out loud. “There’s no way they could’ve slipped through our eagle vision.”
“We’ll worry about that later,” High Noon pointed his gun forward, just in case any Templars were to round the end of the hallway. “Let’s just focus on finding the others.”
Gunfire erupted ahead, likely another group of Assassins fighting against their attackers.
“We need to help the others!” Morning Blade rushed her group as she pulled out her own compact pistol. “Forget about stealth! They need our help!”
The others nodded and readied their weapons. Morning Blade led the run, quickly turning out into the main lobby, where at least a dozen Templar guards were positioned, their rifles at the ready. Two other Assassins were kept busy behind one of the pillars as some of the guards fired their weapons at them, tearing plaster and concrete off the pillar. As soon as Morning heard the sound of guns being reloaded, she popped out from behind her cover and squeezed the trigger of her pistol, two shots felling two Templars with bullets to the chest, their crimson blood bright against their white coats. She soon caught the rest of the Templars’ attention, all their guns training on her.
High Noon rolled in, quickly fanning his revolver’s hammer, taking down four more Templars with six bullets, while Patch and the other Assassins with guns joined in, firing back at their enemies, taking down five more before the last four retreated behind cover.
“That’s right,” High Noon yelled to the other Assassins. “Keep it up! We’ll push them back!”
High Noon hadn’t done something like this in a long time. He couldn’t even remember the last time he left on an assassination mission. Fortunately, he didn’t lose touch with his aim.
Two Templars had positioned themselves behind a fallen bench, but High Noon could see someone they couldn’t. Just above them, Frigid Night stood on a balcony, tridents blades at the ready. High Noon watched as his old friend leapt down, hands unseen behind the bench, but he could imagine what the lieutenant was up to before he stood, blood spatters covering his white coat.
“Lieutenant!” Morning Blade called as she ran in, sliding under gunfire before jamming her hidden blade up, crippling the gunman before shooting the last Templar in the head, through his jaw. She recovered and finished off the downed man with her poison blade, catching him under the arm. If the blade hadn’t already killed him, the poison surely would. “Glad to see you alright. Have you seen any of the others? Mentor? The kids?”
“I called the Mentor as soon as the attack began,” Frigid said, wiping off his hidden blades. “I’m not sure where the children are. They shouldn’t have come here, Morning. I hope they have the sense to go hide somewhere while we deal with the Templars.”
“I think we’ve finished them all…” High Noon pointed as he began reloading his revolver. “Unless there’re more of them inside, we’re clear. Doctor, any survivors?”
The Assassin medic quickly rushed over to the fallen Assassin bodies and checked them. High Noon noticed Wreckhouse and Tangent lay close to the entrance. He sadly shook his head, remembering his time with them. If anything, at least they died together.
“None,” Patch got up and returned, disappointment scrawled on her face. “They’re all gone… As if we didn’t already lose enough Assassins.”
“Well, at least we got them all,” Morning wiped her katana clean on a fallen Templar’s coat. “What I want to know is why they’d suddenly dare to strike at us here of all places. Don’t they know that with the Mentor here, that’s tantamount to suicide?”
“Plus, Mentor didn’t even need to show up,” High Noon pointed out as he spun his revolver back into its holster.
“Yeah, we handled this just fine,” one of the other Assassins cheered and gave another a high five. “Perhaps they thought we were really weak after Saddle Arabia. Ha! How wrong they were tonight.”
“They did terminate some of our brothers and sisters this night,” Patch reminded with a downed look. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save any of them. They were all heroes tonight. Especially Wreckhouse and Tangent. If not for them, we wouldn’t have even known the Templars were here.”
“I’m just surprised that they didn’t send any of their heavy-hitters,” Keila had joined them, both her knives out of their sheaths, stained with blood. “I mean, they just sent a bunch of grunts with rifles. We faced scores of those in Masyaf. Where are their Dragon Unit soldiers or the Witch of Manehattan?”
“They were probably overconfident,” Frigid suggested. “They probably didn’t think we’d be able to put up a fight.”
“Hey, has anyone checked on Velvet or the other girls?” Keila looked to their numbers to see if they were already among them. They weren’t.
High Noon scratched his head. “I think they’re still up in the dormitory area. I hope they’re alright. It’s probably for the best they aren’t here; I’d hate for any of them to be traumatized by us.”
Just then, the Mentor’s office door slammed open, followed by the Assassin leader swiftly rushing down the steps with Sunset Shimmer right behind her.
“Uh, I spoke too soon…” High Noon walked over to where Frigid, Morning and Keila were standing and quietly inserted himself behind them.
“What’s the situation?” the Mentor asked, her golden sword already in her hand. She surveyed the area before turning to Frigid. “Lieutenant, have they all been dispatched?”
“Looks like it, Mentor…” Then he honed his vision in on Sunset, narrowing his eyes. “Mentor, they’re here for the girl. We shouldn’t have brought her here. We need to get her out or her presence will only bring more of them here in time.”
“Frigid’s right, Mentor,” Patch scratched at her untidy pink hair. “The Templars already know she’s here. We need to get her to another location. One the Templars know nothing about.”
“Yeah, we gotta go. Now.” Frigid grabbed for Sunset’s arm, but she quickly shook out of his grip.
“Not without my friends,” Sunset said sternly. “I’m not leaving them behind.”
Frigid’s frown grew deeper. “Look, kid. The Templars are after you. Not your friends. If you want to protect them, you go. Now.”
“But my friends-”
“Can wait. Come on, let’s go.” Frigid tugged at Sunset’s arm again. “You can leave them here with us.”
Sunset struggled in the man’s iron grip. “No! Mentor, please! Make him stop!”
“Let her go, lieutenant.” Reluctantly, Frigid relinquished Sunset’s arm. “The threat is over, and the Templars dealt with. Now is not the time for rash decisions. Morning Blade. You will accompany Sunset Shimmer up to the dormitory and check on the rest of our guests. The rest of you, I want you to check the bodies for any clues. I refuse to believe this was a random attack, and one of them must have been carrying orders. I want them found, ASAP.”
“Yes, Mentor!” the Assassins shouted in unison.
Morning Blade nudged Sunset. “Come on, let’s go check on your friends.”
Carefully, so as to avoid stepping in the spreading pools of blood, Morning led Sunset in a delicate dance to the stairs, with Sunset averting her gaze from the corpses, lest she regurgitate the dinner she’d eaten. She had never seen this much death in person, and she could scarce understand how these Assassins could deal with it so easily.
“Are you okay?” Morning Blade asked as they proceeded to the dormitories.
Sunset dry-swallowed and nodded shakily. “Yeah. Just fine.”
They mounted the stairs and followed its spiralling path upwards, then to the left where the sleeping quarters were situated. The Templars didn’t seem to have made it up here yet, and it was just as quiet and clean as before.
“Coast is clear,” Morning Blade said after using her eagle vision. “Come on. Your friends should still be fine. Doesn’t look like the Templars made it this far.”
Morning pushed open the first door, pistol in hand just in case. This was the room where Sunset and Rarity had been assigned to. It was empty.
They approached the room where Rainbow and Applejack had been sleeping in next. It too was empty.
“Hmm.” They reached the last door, the one where Pinkie and Fluttershy had been staying. Morning rattled the doorknob. It was locked.
The Assassin knocked on the door.
“Hello? Girls, are you in there?”
There was a scraping noise, followed by the sound of a latch being drawn back. The door swung open a crack, revealing an orange eye.
“Morning?” Velvet said, pulling the door open fully once she was sure it was safe. “We heard gunfire outside. What’s going on?”
“Templars,” Morning said simply. “They attacked the bureau. It’s over now; you can come out. Are the other girls with you in there?”
Velvet nodded. “They’re all safe in here.” Then she turned her head and called, “It’s okay, everyone. Battle’s over.”
Rainbow Dash and Applejack were by the bed, each having a chair in their hands, while Rarity and Pinkie Pie stood at the back, holding on to a frightened Fluttershy.
“Sunset!” Rarity walked over to give the fiery haired girl a hug. She still had the sleeping mask over her head. “Thank goodness you’re alright, dear. I panicked when you weren’t there when I was woken up. We’re glad you’re okay.”
“I checked the bathrooms and hallways, but I couldn’t find you,” Velvet told her. “I’m glad Morning found you and not the Templars.”
“Well, I was with the Mentor,” Sunset explained. “Couldn’t sleep, so I went for a walk. Ended up talking with her.”
“At least you were safe.” Rainbow placed the chair down and leaned a hand against it. “Maybe being an Assassin isn’t as fun as I imagined.”
“There were all these scary noises outside,” Fluttershy trembled as she spoke. “But thankfully, no one tried the doors…”
“It’s not safe here. Not anymore,” Velvet told them. “Morning, I think we need to move them. Somehow, the Templars know they’re here.”
“That’s what Frigid and Patch said,” Morning pulled at her braid. “I think you’re all right. We may have won today’s battle, but we can’t hold out forever. We lost Assassins today, Velvet... Red Card was one of them.”
The young Assassin stepped back and leaned against the doorframe, clearly shocked. “No… He’s old and can’t fight like the rest of us. It’s not fair. He shouldn’t have…”
“There’ll be time to mourn later,” Morning said quickly. “Right now, the Templars know that we brought Sunset and your friends here. I’m not sure how, but you can’t stay here. We barely managed to repel the troops they sent here. If there’s a second attack, we might not be able to hold.”
“Well, why don’t we all head back to that van o’ yours and get outta here?” Applejack grabbed her coat and a few others, handing them out to her friends. “High Noon’s a pretty good driver. Ah’m sure he can outrun them Templars.”
“We should find the Mentor,” Velvet shrugged and accepted her scarf from Applejack. “She’ll know what’s best.”
“Right,” Sunset nodded. She noticed the girls had grabbed all their winter gear and hers before meeting in this room. At least they had the idea to get them, just in case they had to escape out into the cold winter night.
The girls followed Morning Blade as she led them back to the staircase that lead down to the bureau’s lobby. The first thing Sunset noticed was the group of Assassins, still searching the bodies, looking for orders from their Templar leader or something. Sunset guessed they had yet to find it. The other girls’ pace began to slow as the saw the bodies on the ground, especially Fluttershy, who covered her face and hid behind Rarity.
“Mentor,” Morning Blade alerted her superior. “I’ve got them. What would you have us do now?”
“Mentor, I say get them out of here,” Frigid joined in, walking over from one of the bodies. “While the Templars have been defeated, we should move them.”
Mentor Steel Shine seemed to be in deep thought before finally nodding her head, much to the Assassin lieutenant’s relief. “Very well. It is a wise plan, at least for the time being, we need to move you to a secure location, Sunset Shimmer. The Trottingham bureau is no longer safe for you.”
“I can drive them, Mentor,” High Noon volunteered, giving the girls a reassuring smile.
“Girls, High Noon’ll get you to one of our safehouses,” the Assassin Mentor nodded her approval. “He’s the best driver we’ve got.”
“Let’s just hope we don’t meet any Templars on the road,” High Noon pulled his hood down and put his hat on his head. “Don’t want them to know where we’re headed.”
“We should leave now,” Velvet directed the girls to the exit. “The faster the better.”
“I’ll come with you,” Morning Blade grinned. “Three Assassins are better than two. I mean, if I may?”
“Sunset Shimmer.” The Mentor walked alongside the group. “Whatever happens, remember that you are our only hope to end this war. We need you.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, Mentor Steel Shine,” Sunset replied. “Thank you for what you’ve done for us today.”
Just as they were about to set foot out of the bureau’s front doors, the Mentor’s hand shot out, blocking Sunset from leaving.
“Wait. Something doesn’t feel right…”
At that moment, the Mentor’s naked sword began to glow, pulsing with a dim golden light like a heartbeat. Both Sunset and the Mentor looked at the sword, their eyes meeting midway.
“Uh, what does that mean?” Sunset pointed at the pulsating light.
The Mentor’s mouth was set in a grim slash. “It means, Sunset Shimmer, that we are about to have company.”
At that moment, a flicker of movement caught Sunset’s eye. Out there on the snowy ground, a plume of dark vapor rose like smoke from a campfire, eerily serpentine and writhing in the dim electric lighting. The plume of dark vapor grew in size until it was twice Sunset’s height, hissing and melting the snow beneath it. Then, abruptly, the smoke solidified and formed a rough black rectangle, the edges of the shape still smoldering; it looked almost like a door or portal of some kind.
The Mentor tensed her grip on her sword.
“Assassins,” she called. “To me. Velvet Breeze, you and the rest of your friends stay behind me.”
The Assassins dutifully obeyed, spreading out in a rough semicircle, with Frigid Night taking his place next to the Mentor. Velvet pouted, but did as she was told, ushering Sunset and the Rainbooms back into the lobby. Rainbow craned her neck, trying to see what was going on.
Meanwhile, the Assassins watched the black rectangle like hawks, weapons at the ready.
Patch swallowed hard and reloaded her pistol. “Mentor, is that-”
“Yes. Be ready.”
Morning Blade looked back at the girls with a reassuring nod before readying her compact pistol in both hands.
“What’s going on out there?” Rainbow Dash stood on her toes. “I wanna see!”
In the meantime, the Assassins slowly tightened the noose around the black portal, blades and pistols raised.
A moment passed.
Then a wave of shadow blasted out from the portal’s surface, sending the closest Assassins flying backward. High Noon and Morning Blade both landed at the Mentor’s feet, rolling in the snow.
At the same time, a shadowy foot stepped out of the portal, landing in the snow with a hiss. The rest of the body soon followed, a figure of darkest black, save for the eyes, which shone bright green with red pupils and purple smoke trailing out of them. One hand was closed around the hilt of a sword that looked like it was made of black crystal, while the other was clasped around a glowing golden ball.
“Your king has arrived, Assassins… And so has your death.” The shadow seemed to vibrate as the face spoke. The shadows quivered for a second, then dissipated in a whirlwind of darkness, revealing a muscular body clad in burnished dark silver armor with a flowing red cape. His entire person radiated power, and the Assassins wavered at his presence.
“You will never be king, Sombra…” Mentor Steel Shine lifted her blade and pointed it at the grey-skinned man ahead. “The Assassins will never submit to someone like you.”
“I see that you must learn discipline,” Sombra growled. “So be it.”
Sombra raised the hand with the orb in it, the artifact flashing gold as light began to gather around it, the smell of ozone filling the air.
Mentor Steel Shine’s eyes went wide.
“Get behind me!” She rushed forward, trying to put as many Assassins behind her as possible before stabbing the tip of her sword into the ground.
Sunset gasped as the familiar feeling of magic came back to her, the sensation of sorcery making her head twinge.
Then all the light gathered around Sombra’s Apple released all at once with an echoing chime, thin beams of light lancing out like javelins and striking toward each Assassin. However, when the beams of light struck the Mentor, they bent and shot off into the night sky, like a flashlight off a mirror. Behind the Mentor, Frigid Night, High Noon, Keila, and Morning Blade stood unharmed, as were Sunset and her friends.
Each Assassin that the light had struck remained standing, some of them shuddering or grasping at their chests with their hands, then Sombra lowered the Apple and they all slumped to the ground, a clean sizzling hole burned through their bodies where the beams of light had struck.
Fluttershy immediately began sobbing, covering her eyes at the instant execution. The other girls tried to shield her, but none of them were prepared for that, nor were any of them ready to see so much death in one day. This was too much for any normal person to see. Even Pinkie Pie had gone dead silent, eyes wide and averted from the dead bodies of the Assassins.
“Dr. Patch!” Morning Blade attempted to run forward to the fallen Assassin medic, but Frigid grasped her arm and held her back.
“It’s too late, Morning…” he said softly. “There’s nothing we can do for her. For any of them. They’re gone.”
“But sir…” a tear streaked down Morning’s green face. She didn’t know what else to say.
The darkness shifted as Sombra approached them, a white smile on his dark face. “The king will not be questioned or opposed.”
“You’ll pay for that, Sombra,” the Mentor spat. She drew her sword from the ground and pointed it at Sombra, a bolt of gold lightning crackling out of its tip and striking the dark figure head on. Energy exploded from the point of contact, sending Sombra sliding back a step. The Mentor fired another bolt, but this one was intercepted as Sombra raised his Apple and absorbed the shot, his artifact glowing brighter as energy hummed within in.
“A scratch,” the Templar Grandmaster stepped forward, drawing the Apple to his chest level. “That is all you are capable of, weakling.Save me the trouble and hand me that sword. Perhaps I might let you serve as my pet if you surrender.”
Mentor Steel Shine glared at Sombra.
“The Assassins will never surrender to you.”
She followed this statement with a third blast of lightning, this one twice as large as the last. The bolt slammed into Sombra’s chest and lit up the front of the bureau with light. The shadows wavered at the sudden illumination, and Sombra growled, shrinking back away from the light.
Sunset watched as the Mentor grasped her sword in both hands, the glow from her weapon spreading to engulf her entire body. A pair of pony ears sprouted atop her head, and her glittering hair grew into a long ponytail. Two golden-feathered wings erupted from the Mentor’s back, shining in the night like twin spotlights.
It’s just like when we play our music, Sunset realized.
Sombra grunted, stepping back away from the luminous form of the Mentor. He began to gather his darkness around him once more, but Mentor Steel Shine blasted them away with another bolt of lightning before levitating herself a few feet off the ground, settling into a fighting stance.
“So you do know how to put up a fight,” Sombra boomed. “Very well then; have at you!”
Sombra raised his sword and launched a ball of shadows at Steel Shine, who slashed her own sword in a horizontal arc, effortlessly deflecting the attack. Sombra gathered the shadows around himself and surged forward like a surfer on a wave, smashing into the front of the bureau. Loose debris fell down and the rest of the Assassins quickly fell back further into the building, ushering the girls as they went. This was not a fight that they wanted to get caught in the crossfire of.
The Mentor stabbed forward at Sombra, who leaned to the side to dodge it, then retaliated with a rising slash of his own, the Templar Grandmaster’s blow skating off Steel Shine’s armor, scoring a long scratch in the polished metal. The Mentor kicked Sombra away, blasting him with a beam of light before taking to the skies, her wings shedding ethereal feathers as she went.
Sombra growled, gathering the shadows around him and launching himself into the night sky like a rocket, his Apple gathering fractals of gold around it as he went. The tendrils curled around Steel Shine’s body, constricting her before she managed to cut herself loose. Flapping further to gain height, the Mentor pulled in both wings to dive, but Sombra was too quick. Slowing his ascent, the Templar leader swatted the Mentor with a pillar of shadows, sending her crashing into the bureau’s rooftop, smashing a hole in the building with a shower of tiles and bricks.
Sombra roared in triumph, an inhuman, beastly sound, before descending on the hole in the roof, only for Steel Shine to fly out of the hole, giving the Templar leader a long, concentrated burst of energy from her sword. Sombra deflected the attack with his own sword, channeling the Apple’s power into his blade and redirecting it into the bureau, where the energy blast set the roof alight with an earth shattering boom.
Inside, Sunset and the others winced as dust and loose plaster rained down from the hole above, flames licking at the edges.
“Oh my...” Fluttershy breathed quietly.
“We need to move,” Frigid decided. “Come on, kids.”
“Hey, who are you calling a kid-” Rainbow started, but another beam of light slicing through the roof cut her off.
“Move, kids,” Frigid said again, but with more force. “Now. Unless you want to end up a pancake under all that.”
“We need to get out of the line of fire,” Morning Blade muttered.
There was an explosion from outside, shaking the entire building. Some of the lights flickered out.
“That sounded like one of the generators,” Keila said. “They’re really tearing the place apart.”
Outside, one of the towers exploded into bricks and mortar as Sombra and the Mentor locked weapons, the former pushing the latter at least fifty feet midair. Steel Shine’s wings flapped furiously to maintain lift. She held out one hand and an energy bolt shot from her palm, splitting into dozens of smaller bolts that pummelled Sombra’s form, leaving a cloud of smoke in the air.
The girls and Assassins continued to watch the fight from under a remaining staircase, looking out through the now ceilingless building.
“Get him, Mentor!” Rainbow cheered and swung her fists like she was in a boxing match.
“She can take out that mean ol’ baddie, right?” Pinkie dusted plaster off her poofy hair. “She’s so cool, all glowy and flying and all!”
“You bet’cha, kid,” High Noon made sure they were all safely under the steps before looking back up. “She can do things no normal person can. I know she can win this.”
Through the thinning smog, Sombra held out his own sword, the black crystal glittering in his grip. He swung it, shooting a crescent shaped wave of dark energy at the Mentor, who did a barrel roll to avoid it. Speeding through the air, Steel Shine thrust her sword at Sombra’s neck. The Templar Grandmaster narrowed his eyes and dissolved into smoke, re-forming behind the Mentor and smashing her with the back of his Apple-clenched fist.
Steel Shine recovered quickly, flipping herself upside down, blasting Sombra with another bolt of lightning, lighting up the sky for a second before sending him flying higher into the air. As Sombra rocketed up, he became smoke again, spinning in the air before zooming back down, spiralling around another of the Mentor’s bolts. He collided with the Mentor and they both went down, entangled with one another, one trailing light and feathers and the other trailing smoke and shadow. The two of them crashed down into the bureau’s main lobby, leaving a sizeable crater in the tiled floor.
Frigid Night and the others stepped further back, the Assassins drawing their weapons, just in case. Morning Blade and High Noon stood by the girls, keeping them behind their backs to make sure they were safe.
“Give me that blade!” Sombra reformed from the smoke, reaching a hand towards her weapon.
Mentor Steel Shine pushed at his face with her free hand while she stuck both legs under him and kicked him off her, lifting her golden sword to fire another bolt at the Grandmaster. It hit Sombra in the shoulder, but otherwise didn’t seem to injure him as much as the previous ones.
Before she could get properly airborne again, Sombra reached out with a tendril of shadow and wrapped it around the Mentor’s leg, pulling her back down. Sombra waved his sword and the tendril whipped down, smacking her into one of the pillars so hard that it broke, showering the atrium with concrete dust.
Steel Shine recovered and wiped a dribble of blood from her mouth, panting a little. Locking her angry eyes with Sombra, she dashed towards him in a blink of an eye, her sword tip lancing for his chest so fast that Sunset couldn’t even follow the weapon. Sombra leaned to the side, barely avoiding the sword‘s tip as it screeched across his armored chest, carving a furrow in his breastplate. He retaliated with a point-blank shot from the Apple, its energy splashing into the Mentor’s form and engulfing her in angry golden light and flinging her back into a wall, burning debris showering down around her.
“Your death shall soon be upon you, Assassin…” Sombra levitated forward, light and shadow snaking around his feet. “Why do you still fight? It is a pointless effort.I can spare your life. All you have to do is give me that weapon.”
Mentor Steel Shine disentangled herself from the wall and glared at Sombra. “If you want it, you’ll have to take it from my cold, dead hands.”
“So I shall.”
Sombra flew for her again, smashing her into the ground and then throwing the Mentor into the wall, explosions of heat and light cascading down in fire.
Sunset grabbed Frigid Night’s coat to get his attention. “You have to help her. She explained her powers to me. She can’t keep it up much longer. You’ve got to help!”
“What do you expect us to do?” Frigid pointed to the ruined lobby. “We’d be vaporized in an instant! Mentor has to do this on her own. Besides, she wouldn’t want us to unnecessarily throw our lives away.”
“But you can’t just let her die!” Sunset looked to the four other Assassins for support.
Morning Blade shook her head sadly.
“We wouldn’t stand a chance, Sunset. You know that to be true.”
Sunset balled her fists. “I refuse to just leave it like that…”
Without warning, the fiery haired girl dashed from her cover, running for the new hole in the wall.
“Sunset!” her friends called before running after her.
Frigid Night grumbled, but followed his fellow Assassins as they chased after the kids.
Sunset arrived at the ruined wall, carefully avoiding the fire and debris, just in time to see Sombra grab the Mentor by the throat and tossing her into one of the lampposts out in the courtyard. Steel Shine groaned and fought to stand up, her ethereal wings flickering. By now she was breathing heavily, the sword already taking a toll on her strength.
“Your power fades and still you challenge me. Don’t be a fool. Stand down.”
“Hey!” Sunset yelled to the Templar Grandmaster, instantly getting his attention. “Leave her alone!”
“That’s King Sombra to you, human.” He lifted the Apple to swipe her down, but just like the sword earlier, it began to vibrate and spark, casting shock and surprise over his ruthless face. “What is the meaning of this?” Then he seemed to understand, looking back to the girl. “It’s you. You are the one. You’re like me, are you not? Equestrian.”
Sombra turned to face her, facing his back to the Mentor. Sunset resisted the urge to run, standing her ground.
“Yeah, that’s right,” Sunset shouted, sounding a lot braver than she felt. “You’ve been looking for me; well, here I am.”
“Sunset, no!” Velvet shouted, almost to Sunset’s side.
Sunset ignored her friend and continued. “It’s me you want. Not her.”
“You wish to relinquish yourself to me?” The Apple had stopped vibrating, returning to its original state. “For her?”
Sunset gulped. This wasn’t the way she had wanted things to go at all.
By now, the others had caught up, with Keila and High Noon pushing her back, their weapons raised for combat.
“No! Let me go!” Sunset struggled as Frigid held her back. “I can’t let her die!”
“You can’t Sunset. Sombra is not to be trusted.” Morning Blade stepped ahead and pointed her pistol at the Templar Grandmaster.
“Ah, yes. The last of the Assassins, here just in time to watch me kill your beloved Ment-”
Sombra paused mid sentence. He looked down at the tip of the sword that was protruding through his chest. He looked back at the surprised face of Steel Shine, who had put all her weight behind the two handed thrust.
“Ah, thank you for your weapon, Mentor,” Sombra bent his head back and laughed. He reached a hand up and grasped the blade, still protruding from the mass of shadow that his chest had become.
The Mentor’s face was set in grim determination.
“Laugh this off, Sombra,” she said.
At that moment, the sword suddenly began to glow white hot, splintering cracks spreading from where the Mentor’s hands held it all the way up to the tip of the blade. Sombra’s eyes widened in shock.
“No. What have you done?”
Frigid saw it and pushed the girls to the ground.
“Get down!” The Assassin lieutenant flung himself to the floor, dragging High Noon and Keila with him.
The was an immense burst of blindingly white light and a roar of heat, light that shone through Sunset’s closed eyelids, and then there was a cry of pain from Morning Blade. The light seemed to grow brighter and brighter, then abruptly it stopped, plunging them back into the dark of the night.
“Everyone okay?” Frigid Night got up and noticed his partner bent over, clutching at her face with both hands. “Morning, are you alright?”
He moved over to inspect her. Sunset noticed runnels of blood trailing down from where Morning Blade’s hands covered her face; she had been wounded.
“I-I’m fine, sir…” she said through short, shallow breaths. “I-It’s just m-my eye… It hurts…” Frigid removed her hands, only for Sunset to see that the blood was coming from the female Assassin’s right eye. A fragment of golden metal was jutting out from it.
“You need help, right now.” Frigid began searching his pockets for something to help. “Stay strong, Morning.”
Sunset slowly got to her feet and surveyed the courtyard. There was no Sombra in sight, and the walls all around were peppered with tiny shards of golden metal, each one still glowing red-hot under the night sky. The rest of the courtyard had been wiped clean, almost as if there hadn’t been anything there to begin with. The Mentor was lying in the middle of a circle of melted snow, unmoving. Sunset rushed to her side.
“Mentor Steel Shine,” she gasped. Steel Shine’s body had been pelted with gold shards, embedding themselves in her armor. Blood oozed from various wounds where the shards had pierced her attire. Her entire front had been scorched from the blast, smoke and vapor still rising off her body.
“S-Sunset Shimmer…” The Mentor cracked open a single eye slowly and turned it to the girl. “Is he-Is he g-gone…?”
“Yes,” Sunset said gently. “He’s gone.”
“Good…” she coughed, more blood trailing from her mouth. “Listen. You n-need to go… Leave this place… while you can...”
“We’re not going to leave you, Mentor Steel Shine. You’re coming with us.”
“It’s… too late for me,” the Mentor gasped. “You... have to go... More Templars are coming.”
“I… I can’t, Mentor,” Sunset shook her head, her eyes blurring with tears. “I can’t leave you.”
By now, High Noon and Keila had arrived at Sunset’s sides, with Frigid helping Morning Blade over, the fragment still embedded within her eye. Velvet Breeze and Sunset’s friends stayed by the ruined wall, though they were careful to avoid standing under any loose debris or cinders that could fall from above.
“Mentor’s right, Sunset,” High Noon panned his head past the broken walls, surveying the city with his eagle sense. “Templars. A whole lot more of them, closing on the front door, or what’s left of it.”
“Assassins…” Steel Shine slowly turned to face them. “You have… to get Sunset Shimmer away… Keep her safe.”
“Mentor…” High Noon pulled his hood back and looked down. “We can get you out. I’m sure there’s something we can do.”
“You h-have to leave me...” the Mentor said more forcefully, her breathing becoming heavy and labored. “The sword has…” Her hand went to her pocket, pulling out a small iron key. “Frigid Night… you are the Mentor now. May the Creed… keep you all.”
And with that, the Mentors hands went limp, and her eyes glassed over. She was gone.
“No, no, no…” Sunset grabbed Steel Shine’s hands. “Mentor, you can’t go yet! I don’t know what I’m supposed to do! I need your help…”
Frigid stopped beside her and bent down to pick up the key, his face almost as still as the Mentor’s. “Kid, she’s right. We need to go before the Templars get to us. And Morning Blade needs medical attention that we… no longer have the expertise to handle. We need to leave.”
“We can’t leave her here!” Sunset objected still. “How can you be so… so cold?”
Frigid frowned and waved her off, but scooped his arms under Mentor Steel Shine and hoisted her up. “Go. Now.”
The group made their way quickly to the main lobby, noticing that there were black-coated Templars moving away the debris that was blocking the front door. One of them noticed the Assassins and the Rainbooms and shouted, but the group only quickened their pace, making their way to the late Mentor’s office.
“Keila, the bookshelf,” Frigid directed with his head while he grabbed numerous papers and documents from the office, stashing them and a slim silver laptop inside a bag. “That thick book there. Pull it.”
Keila did so, and as the bookshelf slid aside, a piece of burning rafter fell down, blocking the shelf from moving further than three feet.
“This whole place is coming apart,” Keila said under her breath. Then in a louder voice, she said, “Come on, everyone get through before the bureau comes down around us.”
Velvet Breeze led the way in, followed by the Rainbooms and Morning Blade, then the other Assassins, with High Noon bringing up the rear. There were more tremors as the building above continued to collapse, raining burnt plaster down around them. Just as High Noon was about to follow the others, there was a loud crack above, and a pile of masonry and flaming timbers came crashing down in front of him, forcing the Assassin to dive backward to avoid it. The debris lay there in a smoldering heap, blocking his way forward to the others.
“High Noon!” Velvet pushed against the rubble, unable to move it with just one good arm.
“It’s manageable,” Frigid returned, passing the Mentor’s body to Keila. “We can get you through in no time, Noon.”
High Noon stood and looked to the door, then back at the rubble. “We don’t have that time, Frigid. Go. Don’t worry about me. I’ll find another way out.”
Applejack joined the others at the front. “Come on, guys, we gotta get this out of the way! We’re not leavin’ him to get out on his own!”
“It’ll take too long,” High Noon pulled his hood back on. “Just go. I’ll buy y’all some time.”
“There’s gotta be somethin’ we can do,” Applejack looked to the others for help.
“There is, actually.” High Noon walked over to the debris and unclipped his hat and stuck it through. “Get this to Braeburn. Let him know I tried, and that I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise.”
Applejack hesitantly took the hat. “Ya hand it to him yourself. We can still get ya outta here!”
High Noon pulled out his revolver and faced the door. “If I do make it out, I’ll find you guys, but… Applejack, one more thing. If you do see Dewdrop, tell her… Tell her that I’m sorry it didn’t work out between us.”
In that instant, the first Templars arrived outside the Mentor’s office, immediately getting shot down by High Noon as he took cover behind the Mentor’s large bed.
“Go!” he yelled back at the others. He dug a hand in his pockets and fished out a car key, tossing it over to the debris where Velvet managed to grab it.
The others paused, then did as they were bid, retreating down the stairs and closing the secret door behind them as best they could.
“All right, let’s do this.”
High Noon loaded some fresh bullets into his revolver, gunning down another Templar grunt who came through the door, his body flying backward as the heavy-caliber round struck him in the chest.
For once in his life, High Noon wished the bureau had windows; at least then he would have a way out. But he reminded himself he had to keep the Templars away from the others.
He heard the rush of footsteps outside before more Templars appeared by the door. He fired twice before he had to duck back behind cover, the Templars’ bullets tearing into the fabric and wood around him.
“Circle around him,” the cowboy heard one of the Templars bark. “You two, find out where the others went.”
Not gonna happen, buddy.
High Noon dived from cover and kicked out a foot, sending a Templar falling against a bookshelf while he fired off another two shots from his revolver, catching one in the head, and the other in the chest. Both went down as the rest of the Templars turned to him.
Taking out a throwing knife and one of his combat knives, High Noon spun around and finished the first Templar off with a stab to his head, then tossed the throwing knife into the arm of another Templar, throwing his aim off.
High Noon rushed the others, extending his hidden blade. He dodged what he could, but he felt a bullet or two hit him before he was on them, spinning like a top, cutting and slicing at the Templars, using their cries of pain as motivation to push on, harder than ever.
Before he knew it, they were all dead at his feet, blood oozing from their various cuts across their bodies.
High Noon panted from exertion and wearily stalked back behind the bed, getting ready for more Templars. He only had five bullets left for his revolver, so he had to make them count.
Checking his body, the cowboy Assassin realized he’d been shot in the side and in his right thigh. Not vital spots… Good.
He unwound the bandages from his left thigh, the ones he had kept from so long ago to remind himself why he fought, and tied them around his other thigh to try and stop the bleeding there. Right now, there wasn’t much he could do, but he had to press on. The others were counting on him.
The Templars didn’t give him anymore time for a break, returning with more rifles and a new item. It bounced by High Noon and stopped by his feet. With widened eyes, the Assassin quickly picked it up and spun himself around before giving it a good toss. It sailed out the office door and detonated somewhere below; Noon also heard the cries of some Templars when the grenade went off.
Unfortunately, the explosion rattled the bureau more, causing more debris to drop. One Templar was immediately crushed as an entire block of masonry fell on top of her, while High Noon got off lucky with just a few small rocks pelting his body. Sure, they still hurt, but it was still better than getting crushed.
Just leave, Templars… The building’s already coming apart. Just go home.
High Noon rubbed at his brow, where a sharp piece of metal had cut open his skin, dripping blood over his left eye. Right now, his whole body was hurting, but he couldn’t give up yet. After all, he still had a few more bullets.
Leaning out, High Noon pointed his gun at the distracted Templars and fired, at the same time, making his way to the door. The first man was caught totally unaware, while the second one got shot up close, knocking him on his back. A woman dived in and tried to jab High Noon with a stun baton, but the Assassin spun sideways, delivering an elbow to her neck, before sinking his hidden blade into the center of her chest, using her body as a shield as the other Templars fired at him.
The cowboy stuck his revolver between the body’s arm and waist, firing two more shots at another two Templars, felling them instantly. Tossing the body aside, High Noon leapt over the next one, lashing out with a kick to the man’s head as he fired his last bullet at a Templar, whose rifle had begun firing at him. One round clipped High Noon in the ankle, but the rest lodged themselves into a bookshelf, missing him.
As soon as High Noon took care of the recovering Templar, he rushed for the door, but as soon as his hand touched the handle, the now weak piece of wood was shoved really hard and fast into his face, shattering against him as he fell back, grasping for his nose, which started leaking blood.
“My, my. If it isn’t Hiiiiiigh Nooooon. How nice to see you here…”
Standing in the open doorway, dressed in a dark trenchcoat and matching trousers, was Wolfgang. A lazy smile adorned his skinny face, and a knife gleamed in each hand, the blades shimmering in the firelight.
“W-Wolfgang!” High Noon scooted back a few feet, a hand still on his bloodied nose. “What are you doing- how? V-Velvet made sure you won’t be going anywhere anytime s-soon.”
Wolfgang twirled one of his knives between his fingers. “The Grandmaster, in all his wisdom, chose to heal me in preparation for the assault on you and your Assassins. Though come to think of it, I expected there to be more of you. The rest of you turned tail and run?”
You can’t run this time, High Noon. Your friends need you more than ever.
For once in his life, facing the deranged killer, High Noon recovered, stood up, and wiped the blood away from his nose. “They’re out of your reach, Wolfgang.”
“Oh, really?” Wolfgang peered around High Noon, his eyes settling on the askew bookcase as his mind put two and two together. Then to the men who were gathering behind him, he said, “The Assassins have a bolt-hole. Probably leads to their carpark. Go and secure the vehicles; this one’s mine.”
“No!” High Noon rushed forward and tried to jump past Wolfgang, but the killer simply stepped in his way and knocked him back with a shoulder. “Get out of the way. You’re not harming my friends today.”
“Didn’t you hear me the first time?” Wolfgang’s smile grew into a bloodthirsty grin. “You’re mine.”
Seeing no other choice, High Noon reached back and pulled out his second combat knife, wielding both of them in his hands.
“Then come get it.”
Sunset followed Frigid Night as he led the way down, following the same path to the Mentor’s secret room below. Using the key Mentor Steel Shine had given him, he opened the door to the Mentor’s secret study. Once inside, the lieutenant made sure everyone was through before locking the door.
“Right. Follow me. We’re halfway there.”
He led them to the back where another door stood in the wall, almost blending in with its surroundings. Twisting the key in the lock, he thrust the door open before waving for the others to go. Keila proceeded first, holding Mentor Steel Shine’s body, followed by the Rainbooms, who directed Morning Blade along, her eye still bleeding.
Sunset was about to follow when she suddenly remembered something. She turned back and rushed to the Mentor’s table, gathering the papers and stuffing them between one of the pages in the Book of Mentors.
“Sunset Shimmer, what are you doing?” Frigid hissed. “Hurry up! Forget all that! We need to move.”
“This is the Mentor’s book,” Sunset held it up in her shaking hands. “We can’t just leave it here, I’ve got to take it.”
Frigid grumbled and pushed her ahead. “Just… keep going. Go, go. You’re too important to leave behind, kid.”
Sunset clutched the book tightly to her chest as Frigid closed and locked the door before shoving her down the hallway. The others were waiting just ahead, waving their hands for Sunset to hurry.
Sunset Shimmer knew to do so. High Noon was back out there, buying them time to get away. She had no intention of wasting that time.
High Noon swung his blades, directing one to Wolfgang’s right arm, while the other looked for his neck. Wolfgang spun to the side, deflecting the lower knife with his own and dodging the one meant for his neck. At the same time he kicked out, his boot slamming into High Noon’s already wounded thigh.
“Agh!” The Assassin crumbled to a knee, but managed to kick himself back to avoid one of Wolfgang’s blades, which lodged itself in the carpeted floor.
High Noon picked out a throwing knife and let it loose at Wolfgang as he hopped back up on his good leg. Wolfgang hit it out of the way, but allowed High Noon time to close the distance again, slashing out at the Templar. The first slash caught Wolfgang in the upper arm, and the second sheared a portion of his blue hair off his fringe before the killer bent low and tackled High Noon, not stopping until he crashed into one of the bed posts. The four poster bed collapsed as the bed post snapped, sending High Noon and Wolfgang tumbling down, the latter rolling away, stopping only when he hit his back against the wall.
High Noon rolled around and rubbed his injured back, feeling all the pain finally catching up to him. He glared over at Wolfgang and got up, wiping more blood away from the cut above his eye.
Wolfgang recovered quickly, snatching up his blades and advancing on the Assassin. The killer swiped at High Noon, who tried to dodge backward, but there was no more room and the knife cut into his side, drawing blood. Wolfgang grinned and pressed the attack, slashing both high and low with short, precise cuts. High Noon parried up, but saw his mistake too late. Wolfgang’s knife cut deep into High Noon’s right wrist, forcing him to let go of one knife, before Wolfgang’s second knife stabbed into his abdomen, knocking the cowboy to the ground again.
“Nnngh!” High Noon groaned through his teeth. He couldn’t feel the fingers in his right hand.
“Is that all you got?” Wolfgang twirled his knives in his hands and sneered. “I expected more.”
“You want more?” High Noon lifted his left hand, raising his palm like he was trying to take something from the killer.
Wolfgang wore an amused face. “What? Are you going to shoot an energy ball from your hand or something?”
High Noon didn’t have the strength to respond. His wounds were quickly sapping his strength. Instead, he simply flicked his wrist like he would for a hidden blade. Instead of a blade, a mechanism clicked and pushed a small hidden revolver into his hand, his index finger immediately curling around the trigger.
Wolfgang’s mouth dropped open. “Oh…”
High Noon squeezed the trigger, emptying his hidden revolver’s four chambers in quick succession. Wolfgang stumbled back as the bullets tore into his leg, his chest, and his abdomen. The killer staggered and went down on one knee.
Then he coughed and stood back up, grasping at his injured leg.
“You miserable wretch!” Wolfgang hissed. He unbuttoned his trenchcoat to reveal the bulletproof vest he had been wearing beneath. “You dare to shoot me? Me?”
Wolfgang grabbed tightly to the two of his switchblades and drove them hard into High Noon’s chest, spraying the Assassin’s blood over his white coat.
High Noon gasped and grimaced, his eyes already struggling to maintain contact. He simply spat a gobbet of blood at Wolfgang’s face before he let his head hit the carpeted floor beneath him.
High Noon reflected back on his life in his last moments. He’d done all he could to help out, and for him, perhaps that was enough. He imagined the faces of his friends, including the ones that have already passed on before him; he was going to get to see them soon.
I’m sorry, guys. I’m sorry, Dew. I couldn’t stop him. I thought I could help you. Take him down… for both of us, Dew.
High Noon stared Wolfgang in the eyes until his vision faded to black and his heart finally stopped beating.
Wolfgang surveyed the fallen Assassin for a moment, then turned on his heel and strode back outside into the bureau’s main hall.
“Now, where are the rest of them?”
Sunset held on to the Mentor’s book tightly, not wanting to risk dropping it, or worse, losing it in the dark. Her friends ran just ahead of her, with Velvet Breeze leading their group on. Applejack seemed a little down, running slower than the others, still looking at the hat High Noon had given her.
“Hey, don’t worry AJ,” Sunset said as she ran alongside her. “I’m sure he’ll make it out. He’s a tough one.”
“Ah hope so, Sunset,” the cowgirl replied slowly. “Ah mean, he’s a nice guy and all, and Ah don’t want to be the one to break the bad news to cousin Braeburn the next time Ah visit him… Ah thought it’d be some good news for him, that one o’ his old pals is still alive and kickin’, ya know?”
“Yeah…” Sunset sighed. She’d never have to bring the news of someone’s death to anyone before. It wasn’t a task she relished doing.
“Are we almost there?” Rainbow Dash complained beside them. “You think a secret passage wouldn’t be so long?”
Frigid frowned and sighed. “I didn’t build it, kid. This passage was put in over five hundred years ago. Now less talk, more running.”
“Velvet, are you holding up okay?” Rarity and Fluttershy ran close to her. “Do you need help in running, dear?”
“I’ll manage,” the young Assassin admitted. “Let’s just get out of here as fast as we can.”
The path eventually began to spiral, leading up a small slope, which soon turned into steps. With only the dim light of some wall sconces, Sunset slowed her pace to allow herself time to find the next step; she had no intention of tripping and falling all the way back down.
Then abruptly, the top of the steps stopped right at the face of a wall.
“Uh… Dead end?” Rainbow Dash looked around to see if they had to take a different path.
Pinkie jumped over the others and landed at the front of the group, beside Keila. “Is this a secret door or something? Do you have to tap the wall in a certain combination or something? Maybe like this?”
Pinkie pressed a hand against a few of the bricks. Much to everyone’s surprise, the wall began to open outwards, folding to the sides as the bricks moved themselves, almost like the wall was imbued with some kind of magic.
“How in the world did you know to do that?” Keila questioned her with widened eyes.
“Eh…” Pinkie shrugged. “Just a hunch.”
“Hunch or no… You’re dangerous,” Frigid said as he pushed to the front. “Make sure the Templars never get a hold of you.”
Once the bricks were all out of the way, Sunset realized they were back at the carpark, just below the hill where the bureau was, the night as cold as ever. They were just about to run to the Assassin’s van when Frigid suddenly pushed them back into the tunnel before diving to the ground beside a parked green car.
“Down!” he yelled as the first bullets struck the bricks in front of them, sending up puffs of dust.
“The Templars knew we were coming,” Keila breathed angrily. She turned around and handed the Mentor’s body to Morning Blade, who still had a hand over her eye. She bent down to better support the Mentor. “Morning, stay here with the girls.”
“I can help, Keila!” both Morning Blade and Velvet Breeze said at the same time.
“You’re hurt, both of you.” Keila eyed them both one more time before darting out to join Frigid behind the car. “Just stay put!”
“They knew?” Sunset pressed her back against the wall as the sound of bullets echoed around the tunnel, amplified in the enclosed space.
“What about High Noon?” Fluttershy covered her ears and closed her eyes. “He’s still back there.”
“We… We can’t risk going back for him,” Morning Blade shook her head sadly. “We’d be lucky to even get out of here alive. And we need to leave. The longer we wait, the more Templars will arrive. Velvet, can you lead them to the van?”
“But what about the gunfire?” The blue-skinned Assassin peeked her head out and quickly retracted it when more bullets smashed into the masonry close to her face.
“Frigid and Keila will deal with them…” Morning scrunched up her face; her eye must’ve been hurting really bad. “When you see your chance, run for the van.”
“But what about you?” Velvet asked. “You’re in no condition to fight. You need to come with us. Plus, you’re carrying Mentor’s body.”
“I’ll follow behind you, don’t worry...” Morning managed a smile. “My… vision just isn’t what it used to be…”
Sunset returned her attention to the two Assassins outside the tunnel, their backs pressed against the now damaged car. Its windows had been shattered by the gunfire and there were lots of dents in the reinforced metal.
With no way to combat the Templars from this distance, Frigid Night and Keila dashed out in two different directions, heading away from the white van High Noon had used to drive them here.
Sunset noticed the bullets had stopped flying into the brick wall, but out in the carpark instead, targeting the two Assassins.
“Now’s our chance!” Velvet whispered loudly to them. “We need to move, fast. I’ll help Morning Blade carry the Mentor. You girls take this.” Velvet held out the car keys to the girls. Seeing no alternatives, Rainbow Dash grabbed it. “Make for the van and get in. The others will know to join us when we’re ready to leave.”
“Okay, but why is Rainbow Dash the one driving?” Rarity complained. “That’s a little dangerous, don’t you think?”
“Hey, you wanna drive?” Rainbow barked at her. “Right now, maybe dangerous is what we need.”
“Less complaining, girls!” Velvet hissed and pointed to the van. “Ready?”
“As ready as we’ll ever be,” Sunset replied. They really had no other options, ready or not. They simply had to get out of here or get killed by the Templars. It was an obvious choice.
The group sprinted from cover, Sunset and her friends quickly overtaking Morning Blade and Velvet. Morning Blade was having trouble keeping up with one missing eye, Sunset had wanted to slow down and help them, but Velvet waved her off, silently asking her to keep going.
Rainbow Dash was first in the van, quickly starting up the vehicle as everyone else piled in in the back. So far so good; they hadn’t been shot at yet.
“All set?” the athlete called back to her friends.
“Frigid and Keila,” Morning answered as she pulled down her hood and placed a hand over her wounded eye. “They’re still out there.”
On hearing the ignition, Frigid Night and Keila had begun racing back to the van. Sunset held the back doors open for them, willing them to move faster.
Understanding their intentions, the Templars began firing at the van, pelting the sleek white metal with their vicious bullets.
“Taking fire!” Rainbow instinctively ducked as more bullets hit the van, one cracking the window just beside her. “Hurry!”
Frigid was the first in, turning around and reaching a hand out to Keila. Accepting his help, the brown-skinned Assassin grabbed on, allowing Frigid to pull her in before nodding to Sunset to close the doors.
“Drive! Drive!” he yelled as Keila got off him, dusting at her brown jacket.
Rainbow stepped hard on the accelerator and watched the van lurch out of the car park, jumping once as she went over a speed bump, speeding away into the main city of Trottingham.
Soon, the gunfire began to die down around them as the Templars got further and further away, soon nothing but specks in the distance.
“Phew…” Rainbow wiped her forehead. “Close one. Everyone alright back there?”
“Y-yeah… We’re good…” Sunset finally began to relax, leaning her back against the side. “Today’s just been… just been…”
She hadn’t realized it at first, but her eyes had begun clouding over. With all their time spent running for their lives, Sunset and the girls didn’t have the time to stop and think about what had really happened this night.
All her life, she’d never seen death like this; it was all too much for her to handle. Sunset held the book closer and closed her eyes, shuddering as she let her tears fall. Her friends did the same, breaking down one by one.
Applejack clung to High Noon’s hat, quietly crying, while Fluttershy was very much shaken to the core, sobbing all over Rarity’s shoulder. Even Rainbow Dash was tearing a little, unable to keep the van going straight.
“There, there…” Sunset heard Keila say before a hand began patting her back. “I’m sorry you kids had to witness all this. This isn’t one of our best moments.”
Even Velvet was looking out the back windows, tears dripping down her cheeks. Losing so many Assassins in one day, including Mentor Steel Shine must’ve really impacted her as well. Maybe not all Assassins were cold like Frigid Night.
The male Assassin himself was seated on the floor, silent as ever, his face almost emotionless. He finally spoke, unable to do nothing any longer. “Kid, stop the van. Let me drive. Your crying’s going to crash us somewhere if you keep it up.”
Rainbow sniffled and wiped at her eyes before nodding. She stepped on the brakes and pulled to the side before fully stopping the vehicle and putting it on park.
“Right…” she said as got out.
Frigid got up and pushed open the back doors, letting a blast of cold air waft in. The cold made Sunset wish she hadn’t been crying, but there was nothing she could do right now.
“Get in the back, kid,” Frigid clapped Rainbow on the back as he passed her around the side of the van. “You did well. Now leave it to me.”
Sunset watched her friend enter the van, but also caught sight of something else. A flicker of white out there near a furniture shop.
The fiery haired girl quickly wiped her eyes and nose and pointed a finger out. “D-did anyone see that? I saw someone out there, hiding behind that shop.”
“Someone?” Keila quickly looked out and narrowed her eyes.
“Could’ve just been someone on the streets heading home,” Velvet suggested. “Or not…”
“Could be…” Keila said seriously. “But they won’t be hiding from us.”
Suddenly, there was the clatter of boots against concrete, and then four men in white appeared in Sunset’s view, pointing their guns at the group.
“Everybody hands in the air!” one of them barked. “No sudden moves or I blow the rainbow haired one’s brains all over the van!”
Keila had reached for her daggers, but seeing that she had no way to protect all of them, she sighed and complied, putting her hands up.
There were the loud roars of engines before Templar vehicles showed up. Sunset could hear them from all around her, and the ones she could see formed a line behind their van, blocking any way back; the front had likely been blocked too.
There was a scuffle in front of the van and not too long later, Frigid Night was shoved into view, where a Templar pushed him down to the ground.
“Try anything, and everyone in that van is dead!”
Frigid gritted his teeth and stared daggers into the Templar, but did as he said, placing his hands over his head.
“Very good,” the lead Templar smiled and kicked him in the gut, causing the Assassin to groan as he grabbed for his stomach. “Now, the rest of you, out! Assassins first!”
Sunset held her breath as the Assassins were pulled out. The Templars didn’t seem to have any mercy, shoving Morning Blade to the ground, even though she was injured.
“Don’t hurt them!” Sunset found herself saying, flinging herself in front of the mean red haired Templar. She soon found herself playing the same card. “It’s me you want, isn’t it?”
“That’s right.” One of the Templars approached her and roughly grabbed her, pulling her away by her arm. “Tell Wolfgang. We have the girl.”
“Wolfgang?” Sunset asked, shocked at the mention of that man’s name. “No, he can’t be around!”
“You can bet he is! He’s good enough to even kill that cowboy Assassin of yours. Ha! He didn’t even stand a chance.”
“No… No!” Sunset’s initial shock turned into anger as she began struggling more, trying to escape his grasp. “How could you?!”
“We do what we must, girl,” the lead Templar said and pointed his gun at her friends and the Assassins. “The rest of you, line up.”
“No! You can’t do this! Please… don’t!”
The Templars ignored Sunset and readied their weapons. “Line up!”
Her friends and the other Assassins did as they were told, fearing the worst.
Sunset looked to Frigid, willing him to try something. Surely someone like him wouldn’t go down without a fight.
Sunset Shimmer continued to struggle in the Templar guard’s iron grip, trying to get to her friends to protect them, but there was no use. No matter how much she tried to get away, the man’s hand was still firmly latched onto her arm like a vise.
“Let go of me!” Sunset punched him in the shoulder, doing what she could to try and hurt him, or at least, to loosen his grip on her.
The lead Templar and the others had finished arranging the Rainbooms and the remaining Assassins in a single line, pushing them down to their knees.
“Say goodnight, Assassins,” he smirked as he pointed his rifle at the Frigid Night’s head. “Your Brotherhood ends tonight.”
Sunset strained against her captor, but there was no breaking his grip, and nothing she could do to save her friends. She closed her eyes, hating herself for not being stronger, not being able to help her friends.
Then out of nowhere, there was the deafening roar of an engine, and a blazing spotlight seemed to fall on the whole scene.
Ramping over the car barricade and smashing into the lead Templar, came a black motorcycle and its black-clad rider. The front wheel ground the Templar into the dirt, his rifle flying up into the air.
The rider caught it, immediately taking advantage of the moment of surprise by sweeping the rifle’s muzzle in an arc and gunning down three more Templars before they could recover.
“What?” one of the Templars turned and aimed his gun at her, failing to see Frigid Night jump up and stick a hidden blade through his back.
The Assassin lieutenant and Keila spread out, picking targets from the ranks of enemies and tossed a few knives, downing a few from afar before closing the distance, their hidden blades and daggers drawn. A knife had found its way into the Templar holding Sunset, allowing her to run to her friends, who had retreated back to the van for cover with Velvet Breeze and Morning Blade.
The rider continued to shoot down Templars until the gun clicked empty, then she dropped it and aimed her wrist at the last Templar standing. She cocked her hand and there was a loud click as her hidden blade shot from her wrist and into the man’s throat with a blur of silver. Bright red blood spurted onto the snowy street as he went down.
Frigid and Keila quickly returned, their weapons dripping with the blood of their enemies, joining the rider by her bike as Sunset looked on, comforting her friends at the same time.
“Dewdrop?” Keila spoke first. “Is that you?”
“About time,” Frigid said, wiping his hidden blades on a fallen Templar’s coat. “Where have you been? We’ve been trying to contact you.”
“Nice to see you too.” Dewdrop removed her helmet, her sea-blue hair spilling out around her shoulders in a wave. “What’s going on? I saw a lot of fire and lights coming from the bureau, and now you guys are out here. What the hell happened?”
“Templars…” Frigid sighed and began his walk back to the van. “Lots of them. Sombra too. But now’s not the time. We need to go.”
Dewdrop held up a hand. “This is about that Sunset Shimmer girl in the Templar files we stole, isn’t it?”
“Yes. They’re trying to get her. How did you know?”
Dewdrop’s mouth twitched. “Well for starters, she’s standing right there.”
Sunset noticed the new Assassin looking at her and gave her a halfhearted little wave. So this is the Assassin I’ve heard so much about.
“Yes, well…” Frigid opened the van door. “Now that you know, we need to go. We’re wasting valuable time.”
“Wait, what about the Mentor?” Dewdrop stopped him again, much to his visible annoyance. “Is she alright?”
“The Mentor’s gone, Dewdrop,” Frigid said in a low voice. “She sacrificed herself to take Sombra down.”
Sunset watched Dewdrop’s mouth open, then close. Finally, she nodded once.
“What’s done is done. Now’s not the time for mourning. What’s the situation now?”
“Like I said, we need to go. The Templars are still on our tail. We need to get the kid out of here. Right now.”
“In the van?” Dewdrop said scornfully. “You’ll never outrun them in that old thing.”
“It’s outrun cops before,” Frigid reminded her.
“I’ve got a better plan,” Dewdrop said. “That is, if Sunset Shimmer doesn’t mind going along with it.”
If there were any good plans, Sunset was all ears. “What do you have in mind?” she asked, not leaving the Rainbooms’ side.
Dewdrop scuffed a boot against the ground. “The way I see it, the Templars are after you, right?”
Sunset nodded yes.
“So if we split up, you guys can get away, while Sunset and I lead the Templars off. My bike is faster and more maneuverable than your van, so escaping a couple of guys in cars should be cake.”
Sunset looked to her shaking friends, scared out of their wits from the near execution. She didn’t know if she could leave them, but she didn’t want something like that happening again. Sunset knew what she had to do.
“She’s right. I should go with her. You girls will be safer that way.”
“But Sunset-” Applejack began.
“It’s better for you guys right now. Don’t worry. We’ll see each other again,” Sunset assured.
“B-but… that’s what High Noon said…” Applejack glanced to the hat again. “And now…”
Dewdrop looked up the moment she heard her friend’s name, looking at the hat in Applejack’s hands. “High Noon. Is he alright? Where is he?”
“Please, Dewdrop, not now,” Frigid stressed. “We’ll fill you in later. We need to get going. Sunset, go with her. We’ll regroup in Canterlot, back at the bureau there.”
“Sunset!” her friends called her.
Sunset went back and handed the Mentor’s book over to Fluttershy and headed back out. “Hold on to this for me, Fluttershy. It’s really important.”
“Al-alright… be safe, Sunset,” she gave her friend a meek smile.
Sunset walked to Dewdrop’s bike. “Don’t worry girls. I’ll make sure to come back. See you later.” She hopped onto the back of the bike where Dewdrop was patting with a hand.
“Here,” Dewdrop passed Sunset her helmet. “You should probably take this.”
The fiery haired girl accepted it and placed it over her head, giving her friends an encouraging nod.
Dewdrop bent down to one of the fallen Templars and picked up a radio. Setting it to all open channels, she spoke into it.
“All Templars, hear this. We have a change in situation: The target, Sunset Shimmer, is now on a motorcycle, not in the van. I repeat, the van is a non-priority. Over.” She glanced back over to Frigid and tossed him the radio. “You keep it, just in case. We’ll wait here till they arrive. You guys had better get going.”
“Right.”
Without another word, Frigid started the engines and began to drive away. Sunset’s friends waved to her from the back of the van, but it was a little hard for Sunset to make their shapes out. She just waved back and hoped for the best.
They watched the van drive down a slope before the first Templar car appeared from around the corner, coming down from the bureau’s direction.
“Ready, Sunset Shimmer?” Dewdrop revved her bike. “Hang on tight.”
The bike didn’t have shelter like the van, but the cold was one of the least worries Sunset had right now.
Sunset placed her arms around Dewdrop. “I don’t really have a choice, do I?”
The bike shot off down the road before making a sharp left turn, heading in a different direction from the van. The wind blow roughly around them, but Dewdrop didn’t seem to mind it. Sunset on the other hand, was trying her best not to shiver or loosen her grip. She didn’t want to accidentally let go of Dewdrop because of the cold.
Sunset turned around to see two Templar vehicles behind them. Unfortunately, there were no other cars around at this hour, allowing the Templars to increase their speed, threatening to catch up with the Assassin’s bike.
“So, why do the Templars want you, Shimmer?” Dewdrop shouted over the roar of the engine, her voice slightly muffled by the helmet Sunset was wearing. “Do you know yet?”
“Well,” Sunset shouted back. “It’s because I’m Equestrian. Like Sombra.”
“Equestrian?” Dewdrop turned the bike again, making a beeline for the highway. “That means you’re from the other world, right? You don’t look like Sombra. With him you can tell he’s from another world. You? Not so much.”
“It’s complicated,” Sunset replied. She doubted Dewdrop would appreciate a whole lecture about Equestria and the mirror right now.
The Assassin nodded and sped up. “I’ll take your word for it.”
“So what’s the plan?” Sunset wanted to make sure she knew what was going to happen. “We’ve lured them off. Now what?”
“Now we lose them…” A small smile formed on Dewdrop’s face and she leaned lower, accelerating the motorbike way past the speed limit.
“Ummm… Is this safe?” Sunset had to yell over the wind rushing past them.
“Pft. No. But don’t worry there, Shimmer. I’ve got this! You just hang on tight!”
Without warning, Dewdrop made a ninety degree turn around a lamppost, speeding out through a different road, turning so fast that Sunset would’ve flown off if she wasn’t gripping so tightly to Dewdrop’s waist.
“You can ease up on the grip there, kid,” Dewdrop shouted back as she made another turn.
Sunset turned her head to watch one of the Templar vehicles attempt to follow them down the smaller road, but turned too quickly, rolling and skidding on the snow and ending up on its side as it skipped into a pile of snow that had been shoved to the sidewalk, blocking the entrance to the road.
“Well… that worked out extremely well.” Dewdrop swerved right and then another right. Before long, they were back out on the main street, heading back towards the highway. “They should’ve lost sight of us by now.”
The roar of another engine made itself known. Two streamlined black cars barrelled into view, each one with a black crystal cross on the hood.
“Damn. Guess not,” Dewdrop sighed. She gunned her bike’s engine and the two zipped off down the highway. The two cars gave chase, following close behind Sunset and Dewdrop as they raced down the highway. Dewdrop’s bike may have been able to outmaneuver the previous Templars in their large SUVs, but these cars were faster than the ones before. “Sunset Shimmer, do you know how to use a gun?”
“What? No!”
“There’s a gun in my left coat pocket,” Dewdrop shouted as the cars began to catch up with them. “I need to you take it, and shoot out their tires!”
Sunset hesitated. The cars got nearer.
“Do it! Or we’re both dead!”
Sunset unstuck her throat and reached into Dewdrop’s coat pocket, coming back a few seconds later with a sleek black pistol. “How do you use it?” she asked frantically; the sight of the gun in her hand gave her more chills than the weather itself.
“Turn off the safety, then aim and pull the trigger,” the blue haired Assassin briefed. “Safety’s the little switch just above the trigger.”
Sunset easily found the safety, disengaging it at eighty miles an hour. When she looked back, she was rewarded with the sight of both cars drawing up alongside Dewdrop’s bike, one on either side, penning them in.
“Do it, Shimmer!”
Sunset’s finger curled around the trigger, its cold metal pressing into her finger. Taking careful aim, she squeezed the trigger, and almost fell off the bike as a deafening bang came from the gun, which jumped in her grip, nearly causing the girl to drop the weapon. A huge flash of orange erupted from the gun before something crashed into one of the cars’ doors.
“Aim lower,” Dewdrop told her, still trying to get ahead of the two cars. “You have to take the recoil into account.”
Sunset nodded, one arm still wrapped around Dewdrop’s midsection. The car on the right swerved, as if to hit them, but Dewdrop was too quick and maneuvered the bike out of the way. Aiming again, Sunset pointed lower, squeezing the trigger again. Her arm swung high from the shot, her bullet hitting the snowy road, barely missing the tire. Sunset tried again, learning from her mistakes. Her third bullet found its way into the car’s tire, popping it with a louder sound than the gunshot. At that moment, several things happened. The car that Sunset had shot skidded, spinning out of control on the icy roads, swaying and jackknifing into the other car. Dewdrop accelerated, barely getting out of the way as both cars collided, slamming into the waist high wall of the highway and exploding into a massive orange fireball.
Dewdrop skidded the bike to a halt, watching as burning fragments rained down around the crash.
“Well damn. Nice shooting, kid.”
Sunset widened her eyes and shakily returned the weapon into Dewdrop’s pocket. “I… I d-didn’t just do that d-did I…? What have I done…?”
Dewdrop turned round, concern in her eyes. “Feeling alright, kid? Remember, you did what you had to do, nothing more.”
“I-I know…” Sunset continued to stare at the fire from the explosion, trying not to throw up. “But… I killed people… I-I’ve never done s-something like that before… I shouldn’t… Oh no, I… I can’t believe it.”
“I’m sorry to have made you do something like that, Shimmer,” Dewdrop placed a hand on Sunset’s arm. “But if not for you, we might not have made it out of that one in one piece.”
Sunset pulled off her helmet and gulped a couple of times until her heart stopped pounding so hard. The icy air soon cooled her down and settled her stomach.
“Better?” Dewdrop asked sympathetically.
Sunset grimaced. “Not really…”
“Well, I’m afraid we don’t have much more time to let you recover. We have to move before more Templars show. Besides, that explosion would’ve caught more than just the Templars’ attention. We better go before the authorities show up…”
Dewdrop trailed off as a faint rumbling sound filled the air, coming from behind the crash. Suddenly, bursting through the flames, came a black and green racing motorcycle, its engine’s roar filling Dewdrop and Sunset’s ears. The rider was clad in a black jumpsuit with a matching helmet, its visor tinted to hide the rider’s face.
“We really have to go. Now,” Dewdrop spun the bike around and started slow. “Helmet on, Shimmer.”
Sunset pulled the helmet on, but the other motorcyclist had other plans. Tires skidding on the asphalt, the black and green motorbike swerved around and stopped right in front of Dewdrop’s bike, blocking her advance.
Sunset held on as Dewdrop stopped the bike, pulling on the brakes. The Assassin seemed to stare at the other rider for a good ten seconds before the rider turned the key in the ignition and got off, stalking over to Dewdrop’s bike.
The fiery haired girl looked between them worriedly, debating whether she should get off the bike or not. Her question was answered when Dewdrop turned the engine off.
“Out of the way, Mirror Match,” Dewdrop said violently, a hand reaching low for what looked like swords, hidden in sheaths on the side of her bike. “You’re not getting the girl. Never!”
Mirror Match’s head tilted at the sword, her arms dangling at her side like a gunslinger’s. There was a heavy looking pistol strapped to her leg but she didn’t go for it.
“We’ll see about that,” she said.
Dewdrop moved first, grabbing a sword and flinging herself off the bike in one quick motion, the blade’s tip already aimed for the Templar’s visor. Sunset got off the vehicle and took a few wary steps back, keeping a good distance away from the fight.
Dewdrop’s first strike skated off the surface of Mirror’s visor, leaving a small scratch in the tinted material. The Templar ducked low and delivered a quick punch to the Assassin’s thigh, followed by a second one to her gut, sending her falling forward and to the side.
Dewdrop had dropped the sword and was now clutching her abdomen, coughing and rolling in pain. “I-I’ll kill you…!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Mirror muttered, her voice muffled by her helmet. “I’ve heard it all before.” She picked up Dewdrop’s sword and snapped it over her knee like a twig, throwing both pieces away. “Now, on the the business at hand…”
Dewdrop grabbed Mirror’s leg as she passed, gripping on firmly. “You leave that girl alone.”
Then she extended her hidden blade, watching the long blade pierce through Mirror Match’s heel.
“Hey!” Mirror withdrew her foot, kicking Dewdrop as she went. “These boots are expensive, you know. Is that any way to repay me for sparing your life?”
“As long as you’re fighting for the Templars… Yeah. It is,” Dewdrop spat blood from her mouth, rubbing at her jaw where Mirror had kicked.
“Just stay down,” Mirror pointed a finger at the Assassin.
Sunset heard Mirror mutter something that sounded like, “Humans these days,” and then Mirror Match was upon her, reaching out to grab the girl.
And then, an inch from Sunset, Mirror’s arm halted.
There came a peculiar sound from inside Mirror’s helmet. It sounded like… sniffing. Yes, definitely. There was a sniffing sound coming from Mirror’s helmeted head.
“Thissss…” Mirror said quietly, withdrawing her hand as if it had been stung. “This cannot be… You can’t be… She never had any children...”
“Wha-what?” Sunset took a defensive step back. “What are you talking about?”
Mirror Match brought a hand up and lifted her helmet’s visor, revealing a pair of pale blue eyes and a light purple face that Sunset could tell was pretty, even from the small swathe that she could see.
“You… Where are you from?” Mirror started quietly, so Dewdrop could not hear, looking at the girl from head to toe. “No. There’s no time for that. You are her heir, aren’t you?” Without waiting for Sunset to respond, she continued, “This changes everything. You have to get out of here, and fast. I can delay the rest of the Templars for a while, but you’ve got to leave. Now.”
Sunset looked at her almost as though she had just ordered her to drink acid. “You… what? You’re letting us go?”
“And be quick about it,” Mirror whispered. “Sombra has some dark designs that I would rather you not be part of. You must go, now.”
Sunset was still reeled back from the Templar’s words, but eventually nodded her head. She was about to run back to Dewdrop when a loud gunshot pierced the air around her, forcing her hands to her ears instinctively. She looked around, but she couldn’t tell what had happened, that is, until Mirror Match stumbled and fell to her knees, turning her head to look back.
Dewdrop still lay in the snow, but her pistol was in her hand, the barrel smoking from the bullet it had just fired.
“Hmm…” Mirror said thoughtfully, casually flicking her visor back down. “Ow.”
“No!” Sunset rushed to Mirror Match’s side as she began to fall forward, catching her before she could hit the floor. She looked around the Templar, who had a single puncture in her back, just between her shoulder blades. “I-I can get help! Do you have a-any supplies in your bike? Anything? Dewdrop, why’d you shoot her?”
“She’s a Templar,” Dewdrop said as she pushed herself up. “Why are you helping her? Let her go. We need to get out of here.”
Sunset looked down at Mirror Match, then back to Dewdrop. She was right, they had to go.
“Go…” Mirror Match coughed. “Don’t worry about me.”
“But-”
“You’re only wasting time, Sunset Shimmer.” Mirror Match squeezed out of Sunset’s arms and pushed her towards Dewdrop. “Go, before more Templars get here…” Then she slumped down to the ground and stopped moving.
“Sunset Shimmer,” Dewdrop called again and swung back on her bike. “Let’s go. You heard her. Time to go!”
Sunset did as the Assassin said, but looked back one more time at Mirror’s body, remembering her words. She had let them go, but why?
“Dewdrop, you didn’t have to shoot her,” Sunset said as the bike began to pick up speed on the highway. “She let us go. She wasn’t going to take me.”
“Let you go?” Dewdrop scoffed. “Are you joking, Shimmer? Mirror Match is the Templars’ deadliest assassin. Do you know how many of our brothers and sisters she’s killed? She deserves to be put in the ground.”
“But she did…” Sunset whispered and looked away towards the passing buildings across a bridge. “She let me go…”
Back at the crash site, Mirror Match stood up and dusted herself off. She reached up and took off her helmet, and coughed into her palm. Dewdrop’s bullet dropped from her mouth and into her hand, along with a few spatters of blood. By some luck, Dewdrop’s shot had managed to slip between the kevlar pads that she had lined her suit with.
Throwing the bullet away, she meandered over to her bike and sat back on it, ready to make the long journey back to the Templars’ headquarters. Unhooking her radio from her belt Mirror said, “Attention all Templars, this is Mirror Match. We have a negative on the target. I repeat, the target has escaped. Set a grid search on the city of Trottingham and call off all pursuit units. Over.”
She lowered her radio and slipped her helmet back on.
I’ve done what I can, Emerald. From here on, Sunset Shimmer is on her own.
Sunset Shimmer was still shaken from her encounter with Mirror Match as Dewdrop pulled alongside the dilapidated Canterlot bureau, hiding her bike behind some of the bushes that lined the building. The morning sun was already up, shining low in the sky as Dewdrop fished around her bike’s compartment, retrieving a stack of papers and shoving them into her coat.
Mirror Match had let them get away, only for Dewdrop to shoot her. Sunset didn’t know what to think after hearing about what the ‘Witch of Manehattan’ had done to the Assassins. If she had been such a bad person, why did she let her go?
“Sunset Shimmer.” Dewdrop’s voice penetrated Sunset’s thoughts. The Assassin was already standing by the side entrance, looking around for any sign of Templars.
“Huh? Oh, sorry,” Sunset shook her head and walked to Dewdrop. “Did you say something?”
“I said to watch out,” Dewdrop restated as she opened the lock with a key. “You never know when there might be Templar spies watching us.”
“Oh. Yeah. Right.”
The two of them crept inside, with Dewdrop lingering at the door to watch for anything suspicious. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she shut the door and locked it.
“Seems we’re all good here,” Dewdrop sighed with relief and pulled back her hood. She noticed Sunset was deep in thought again. She walked closer and placed a hand on her shoulder, at the same time, leading her further into the bureau. “What’s on your mind, kid?”
“The same thing…” Sunset mumbled and looked at the ground. “She wanted to help us, Dewdrop… But not just that. From what you said, she’s a bad guy, so why? Why would she let us go?”
“Could be she was just going to shoot you in the back when you got far enough,” Dewdrop suggested as she opened another door, letting Sunset go first. “The witch likes to play with her prey, that much I do know.”
“Maybe…” It sounded like a logical reason for Sunset, but she couldn’t help but feel that Mirror had genuinely let her go. “Though, Dewdrop, the name Mirror Match rings a bell.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ve heard of her. She’s famous on the news, always giving money to all kinds of different charities and organizations. The reclusive millionaire of Manehattan.”
“And you just shot her,” Sunset said grimly. “Won’t that just make the police come down on us like a load of bricks?”
“Between you and me, Sunset Shimmer, I’m not at all sure my bullet killed her. She’s survived much, much worse. Oh look, the others are back already.” She had pushed open the last door, leading Sunset back into the living room where her friends and the other Assassins sat.
“Sunset!” Her friends gathered around her in a group hug, smothering Sunset in their arms.
“It’s good to see you girls too!” Sunset smiled and gave them a pat on their backs. “Did you get here okay?”
“Yup!” Pinkie Pie bounced on the spot. “Frigid Night got us here really quickly! And the Templars never came after us! How great is that?”
“Yeah, that’s really good,” Sunset chuckled. “Hey, is Morning Blade okay? Did you get the thing out of her eye?”
Her friends parted to the sides to let Sunset see for herself. Morning Blade was lying on one of the couches, a bloody bandage over her eye. She gave them a quick wave before getting back to resting.
“Fluttershy managed to get it out minutes before you arrived,” Keila explained with a smile. “You’ve got yourself a promising young surgeon here.”
Fluttershy put her hands behind her back and looked down. “It w-was nothing… I just did what I had to do…”
Frigid Night sat by the table, his eyes on the laptop he had taken from the Mentor’s secret room. “You have my thanks for saving my partner, kid, and good to see you alive, Sunset Shimmer. Dewdrop, did you get the key from Fillydelphia?”
“Sure did. I also got us a hard drive. Don’t know how much help it’ll be though. Not as if we still have Network with us.”
“We’ll work it out,” Frigid nodded as Dewdrop handed him the files. “We haven’t had him for two years now. Not like we need him. Templars follow you?”
Dewdrop smirked triumphantly. “They tried, but we were too fast for them. Sunset here was a great help.”
“I-I didn’t mean to kill them…” Sunset muttered, reminded of the Templars she had accidentally killed when she shot the car’s tire out.
“You did it to save yourself and Dewdrop, kid,” Frigid told her as he began looking through the papers. “Do or die. You made the right choice. You should be glad it was them and not you.”
Something in Sunset had snapped. She was tired, but she was also tired of the way the lieutenant behaved. “I’ve had it! Why are you like that? Don’t you have feelings? Don’t you understand what other people go through?”
Sunset would’ve gone right up to him to give him a good punch across the face, but her friends held her back, though she was thankful they did so. She couldn’t imagine herself doing that.
To Frigid’s credit, he didn’t look angry, nor did he look like he really cared. “Kid. We’re Assassins. If we go about feeling sorry for every person we kill, then this job isn’t cut out for us. Trust me. I know. You don’t.”
“Okay, enough,” Dewdrop quickly cut in, standing between the both of them. “We’re different. No point arguing about it. Shimmer, why don’t you go hang out with your friends and Velvet in her room. Frigid, let’s not waste anymore time and start deciphering that code.
“Also, does anyone want to tell me what the hay happened at the bureau? No one’s told me anything.”
Keila decided to tell her, watching Frigid remain silent, returning to the laptop screen. “Dewdrop… The bureau’s gone. Sombra came. The others… they’re all gone.”
Dewdrop widened her eyes and looked around the room. “High Noon?”
“I’m sorry, Dewdrop. He’s gone.”
“He stayed back to make sure we got out,” Applejack added in, still holding the Assassin’s hat. “He talked about ya, Dewdrop. Said he was sorry for tryin’ to stop ya, and… he wanted us to tell ya that he was sorry that things never worked out between you two.”
“High Noon’s… dead?” Dewdrop looked for all the world like the universe had come crashing down around her ears. “And the Mentor too? I.. .I…” she stammered, swaying on the spot. “I need a drink...” she concluded and stalked off to the pantry.
Keila shook her head sadly. “We’ve lost so many Assassins now… I’m sorry. I know you two were close.”
“Yeah…” Dewdrop had returned with a bottle of whiskey, and she sat down and poured herself a generous glass of the amber liquid. “Do you know what happened to him?”
Sunset decided that she owed Dewdrop for getting her out of there. “We weren’t there to see, but one of the Templars mentioned Mr… I mean, Wolfgang, had killed him.”
“Wolfgang…” Dewdrop seemed to freeze upon hearing the name. “Wolfgang! That scumbag! Do you know where he is? Let me go end him now!”
“Unfortunately, we do not,” Keila was the one to break the news. “After everything that’s happened today, we still haven’t gotten the time to rest and think.”
“Wolfgang…” Dewdrop smoldered and took a big gulp of whiskey, shuddering as the liquid trickled down her throat. “When I get my hands on him…”
“We all want to see him dead too,” Keila folded her bandaged arms. “Him and Frigid’s traitorous girlfriend.”
Frigid looked up when he heard his name, but simply grumbled and got back to work, though Sunset could feel the air change around her.
Velvet probably felt it too. “C’mon girls, you can sit in my room while they figure things out.”
As they passed Morning Blade, who appeared to be sleeping, Sunset’s eyes lighted on the golden shard of metal that lay there twinkling on the coffee table, doubtless the one which had recently been lodged in Morning’s eye. Without quite knowing why, she picked up the metal shard and slipped it into her pocket.
Once everyone was seated in Velvet’s room, the young Assassin closed the door and sighed. “I’m sorry about the others. They’re all just on edge after what happened. I can’t imagine what it must be like to suddenly be exposed to so much… death in one day.”
“I don’t even really know what to think anymore, Velvet,” Rarity rested her head against both palms. She didn’t seem to mind her rugged appearance for once. “What’ll happen to us now? What will our parents be thinking? We haven’t been home in a few days, and I don’t know if Granny Smith’s already told them we left Sweet Apple Acres.”
“Do the Templars have ties with the cops?” Rainbow questioned, leaning against Velvet’s bed. “What if our parents call the cops? The Templars could use them as leverage against us.”
“I… I don’t know. I don’t-”
At that point, there was a trilling sound from someone’s pocket. Someone’s phone was ringing. It seemed so unnatural after all that had happened, something as mundane as a phone ringing could even occur.
“Ah think it’s yours, Sunset,” Applejack tapped her on the shoulder.
“One sec…” Sunset dug a hand into her pocket and eventually returned with her phone, the vibration and ringing more audible now.
“Who is it?” Rainbow Dash leaned closer to look at the screen.
“I’m… not quite sure, Dash,” Sunset didn’t recognize the number, and she didn’t have worried parents like the others. Seeing no harm in picking up, she accepted the call and put the phone to her ear. “Hello?”
“Sunset Shimmer?” the voice said on the other end, whispering. The connection must have been shaky, because it sounded almost as if two women were talking just out of sync.
“Umm… yes, hello, who is this?” Sunset replied.
“This is Mirror Match. You might remember me from a little while ago." The voice snapped back into the tone that Sunset had heard on the highway.
Dewdrop was right. She was still alive. “Mirror Match! You’re alright!”
The rest of the room grew quiet as the girls all stopped to listen.
“Obviously. Now listen to me. You’ve slipped through Sombra’s clutches, but he doesn’t seem angry, which to me says that his plans for you have changed. How fared you?”
On hearing the news, Sunset’s heart dropped. “Sombra survived…? But that means Mentor… She sacrificed herself to save us…”
There was a pause and Sunset could hear Mirror’s breath. “ I see.” she said eventually.“That is… unfortunate. I can’t say I’m not sorry to hear that. But keep the faith. I will call you again when I have learned more. For now, it would seem that Sombra’s interest in you has waned.”
“Wait, Mirror,” Sunset quickly blurted out. “You helped us, back on the highway. The Assassins said you’ve done plenty of horrible things, so why did you let us go?”
“Because I made a promise to someone a long time ago. Oh, and Sunset? I have a message for your Dewdrop.”
“Oh… Sure, I can tell her for you. What did you want to say to her?”
“Tonight makes two times I’ve spared her life,” Mirror said ominously, her voice crackling back into the two-toned inflection for a moment. “One way or another, there won’t be a third. Tell her that, would you please?
Sunset gulped and nodded before remembering the Templar couldn’t see her. “R-Right… I’ll be sure to tell her, but Mirror, whose side are you on?”
“Mine.”
And the line went dead.
Sunset slowly brought the phone down and stared at the black screen for a couple of seconds.
“Mirror Match called you?” Velvet Breeze’s face was plain with shock. “How- Why?”
“She-she wanted to relay a message to Dewdrop,” Sunset said, still trying to guess what Mirror Match’s motives could be. “And that Sombra’s still alive.”
“We heard it…” Rarity placed a finger on her chin. “But we’re still trying to believe it. To think that the esteemed Mirror Match of Manehattan is involved in all this...”
“Yeah, the Mentor totally blew him up!” Rainbow Dash imitated the explosion with her hands. “How could someone survive that?”
“Mirror Match seemed sure he was alive…”
“Mirror Match is a liar,” Velvet said firmly. “She betrayed the Brotherhood, and I’ll bet this is some Templar scheme to get us to lower our guard. I don’t know how she got your number, but we shouldn’t take anything she says at face value.”
“I don’t know…” Sunset rubbed the back of her head. “I think I just need a break. There’s been too much action in our lives since yesterday. We haven’t even had our sleep yet. Why is it I’m not tired? That’s odd…”
“You’re just too worked up, Sunset,” Rarity finally began to take notice of the dirt and soot on her clothes and swiped off what she could. “You’ll only fall asleep when you let your mind relax.”
“But I don’t want to relax, Rarity,” Sunset said glumly. “I’ve almost been killed who knows how many times tonight, and I still have more questions than ever! How the hay am I supposed to relax?”
“Ya definitely need to relax, Sunset,” Applejack raised both palms up. “Bein’ like this ain’t gonna get ya anywhere. Calm down and think it through.”
Sunset stood up and made to leave, but Fluttershy spoke up.
“Wait, Sunset?” she said timidly. “Your book. Do you want it back now?” She opened her backpack and drew out the Mentor’s book, its green jeweled cover gleaming in the lamplight. “Maybe you can learn some things from this…”
“Oh.” Sunset had completely forgotten about that book. Luckily her friends had remembered.
“Thanks, Fluttershy,” she said and took it. “I hope there’ll be some answers in here. Mentor Steel Shine mentioned it contained all the notes of every Mentor ever to lead the Assassins.”
“Hey, no worries!” Pinkie plucked some confetti from her hair. “We can read it together. That way, we’ll have more fun!”
“Yeah, guess you’re right, Pinkie.” Sunset was glad her friends could always find a way to cheer her up. She was about to open the book to start reading, but a sudden wave of drowsiness swept over her. She placed her hand atop the book cover and leaned back. “You know, before we start getting into this book, maybe a few hours of sleep wouldn’t hurt…”
Mirror Match waited outside a tall pair of oaken doors, dressed in her red Templar’s robes. She leaned against the wall, considering whether she should be whistling or not. She had been waiting out here for almost fifteen minutes and boredom was starting to set in.
After about three minutes more, the great doors opened, and a harried-looking messenger scrambled out.
“K-King Sombra is ready to see you now.”
Mirror nodded to the messenger and strode in, one hand unconsciously brushing against the hilt of a dagger that she kept under her cape.
King Sombra sat at the far end of the room, on an upraised throne made of pure black crystal. Shadows and dark vapor clung to the regal seat, and Sombra was almost lost among them, were it not for his glowing eyes and artifact.
“Your majesty,” Mirror knelt before the throne, head bowed.
“What news do you bring me, Mirror Match?” Sombra growled, the Apple still working to restore his power after the battle with the Assassin Mentor. “Has the girl been found?"
“No, your majesty,” Mirror kept her head bowed. “Despite our best efforts, the Shimmer girl has evaded us. We have no leads on where she might be now.”
Instead of blowing up with anger like he normally did, Sombra leaned back against his seat and laughed, loud and booming.
“No matter. She may remain where she is, Mirror Match. Without the other artifact, the Mentor’s sword, she is no threat. Nothing will stand in my way now."
The Apple glowed brighter, expanding until the entire room was lit up, with the exception of Sombra and his shadows.
“Of course, your majesty.”
“Your majesty,” A red-skinned man with spiky orange hair stepped forward from where he and a few others had been lurking at the edge of the room. “There are still a few final touches that need to be tended to before we can begin construction of the auditorium and a few more runs to complete. If you have the time, would you consider looking over the plans?”
“Very well, Talon,” Sombra raised a hand. “The faster the better. Once it is done, Equestria will be mine.”
“And this world too, your majesty?” Chairman Mahogany Wood bowed from his place. “To establish our perfect world order?”
Sombra frowned for a second, but nodded. “Yes, yes. Your world shall be yours, chairman. Nothing in this world or the other will have the power to stop us. Not even Princess Celestia and her little sister will be able to match my power."
“Very good, your majesty,” Mahogany smirked. “After one thousand years, our goal is almost at hand, all because of you, Grandmaster.”
“Long live the king!” Talon raised a fist skywards.
“Long live the king!” the rest of the Templars echoed.
Sunset Shimmer was awoken by the smell of pancakes cooking.
Hmm… Something smells good… She shifted herself off the bed and pushed her fringe out of her face. Wait, why am I in bed? What time is it?
Velvet Breeze and the rest of the Rainbooms weren’t around, nor did the Assassin have a clock in her room.
Sunset lazily pushed herself to her feet and headed for the door.
Where’d everyone go?
Emerging in the hallway, Sunset began hearing her friend’s voices, but they were too muffled to understand. The smell of pancakes got stronger as Sunset approached the living room, making her legs move faster. She realized that she hadn’t had breakfast yet.
“Any word from the other bureaus yet?” she heard someone ask, their voice echoing down the hallway.
“I told you, Keila, there hasn’t been any answer.” It was Frigid Night’s voice for sure.
“Well… keep trying.”
Pinkie Pie was the first to see Sunset from the table, waving to her with a wide grin on her face. “Hey, Sunset! You sleep well? What am I saying. Of course you did!”
The rest of the Rainbooms were seated around the round wooden table, while Morning Blade, Velvet Breeze and Keila occupied the couches in the middle. Frigid Night was seated on the floor by himself in a corner, still fixated on the laptop, his fingers tapping away on the keys.
The pink haired girl was standing in the small kitchen, tossing a pan of pancakes up into the air without looking.
“Yeah, I had a pretty good sleep,” she managed a smile and scratched her head, watching the pancakes go up and down. “What time is it?”
“Just about time for dinner, Sunset Shimmer,” Morning Blade said from the couch.”We didn’t want to wake you.”
“Dinner?” Had she really slept that long? The whole previous night’s events seemed like a nightmarish blur of blood and frantic chases, and were it not for the fact the she had awoken in the Canterlot bureau and not in her own home, Sunset would have been willing to pass it off as a bad dream.
“Ya bet ya did,” Applejack tipped her hat higher. “Compared to us, ya didn’t even get any sleep, so we decided to leave ya to rest.”
“Pinkie decided to make dinner, seeing as she’s the best cook here,” Fluttershy pointed. “And… ummm… sorry that we didn’t wake you for this, Sunset, but… we went to bury the Mentor’s body out at the back…”
“Wait, what?” Sunset recoiled back a step. “You went to bury her and no one bothered to wake me?”
“You were sound asleep, Sunset,” Rainbow added in to help Fluttershy. “You really needed that sleep.”
“But Mentor Steel Shine… I wanted to be there.”
“We’re sorry, Sunset,” Fluttershy rubbed at her head. “Maybe I-I should’ve woken you…”
Sunset sighed but chose to forget the conversation. What’s done is done. “It’s fine, Fluttershy. You and the Assassins did what you thought was best. It’s my fault for falling asleep during all that.”
“Glad you understand, Sunset Shimmer,” Keila said from the couch. “We couldn’t keep the body like that for too long. We needed to put it in the ground. Rest assured, wherever she is now, she has not forgotten you.”
Sunset nodded. It made sense to do that. Since she couldn’t do anything else, she chose to keep the Mentor’s memories alive with her. I owe you, Mentor Steel Shine. I’ll do what I can for you. I’m sorry I couldn’t help.
“Dinner, Sunset?” Rarity patted her on the shoulder. “You’ll need some food in you as well.”
“Yeah… Pancakes for dinner though?” Sunset asked, pulling up a chair with the rest of her friends. “Is that enough? Are the Assassins okay with that?”
“Of course I’m making more than just pancakes, silly!” Pinkie smiled and pulled out a packet of sausages from her hair. “After everything that’s happened, we need a good meal to keep up our strength.”
As Pinkie began to fry the sausages, Sunset found a seat on a couch and looked around. Frigid was on his laptop, and Keila was polishing one of her knives while Morning seemed content to just recline and rest. Velvet was scrolling down something on her phone. From the looks of it, she was bored.
“Where’s Dewdrop?”
“One of the other bedrooms,” Keila replied, not looking up. “She had a bit too much to drink.”
“Like always,” Frigid grumbled from his spot.
“Just keep calling them.” Keila shot Frigid a look and said nothing further.
“Do you want me to go check on her or anything?” Sunset volunteered. “You know, to see if she’s awake.”
Morning Blade shrugged. “You can if you want, but I’d prefer she come out on her own. Dewdrop can be a grouch when she’s hungover.”
“I heard that,” Dewdrop’s voice came from the hallways. Morning Blade looked away, flustered and pulled at her braid. The blue-haired Assassin had a hand pressed to the side of her head and wore a pained grimace on her face.
“Hey, Dewdrop,” Sunset walked over to help, but the Assassin waved her away. “You alright? Do you need more rest?”
“I’ll be fine…” Dewdrop found a free spot on the couch and flopped down onto it. “Could use a glass of water though. Inside of my mouth tastes like crap.”
“Right, I’ll get it,” Sunset made her way to the kitchen, avoiding Pinkie as she slid over from the stove to the oven, placing a tray of rolls in it. “Pinkie, where did you get all that food?”
“I had it with me,” the girl answered happily, returning to the stove to toss more pancakes.
“Oh.” Sunset grabbed one of the cups on the counter and filled it with tap water before returning to Dewdrop, handing her the glass.
“Thanks, kid.”
Sunset squirmed slightly. The events of last night had just finished rearranging themselves in her head, including the phone call from Mirror Match. Sunset dug the tip of her boot into the floor, unsure of what to say.
“Umm… Dewdrop. I, uh… I just received a phone call. It was from… uh, well… It was from Mirror Match.”
That name seemed to catch the lieutenant’s attention. “Mirror Match? You saw her? Where?”
“That’s not the important question right now, Frigid,” Keila interrupted him. “Continue, Sunset Shimmer. What did she want?”
Frigid frowned, but shook his head and returned his attention to the laptop.
“Wait. None of you are surprised she got my number?”
“Not really,” Dewdrop drank some of her water. “She can do things we can’t explain. Anyway, what did she want from you? Why did she call?”
“She told me about Sombra,” Sunset began. “He’s alive, but he might be changing his plans. She said he wasn’t angry that I got away and that he’s lost interest in me for some reason.”
“I told Sunset that it could be a trap,” Velvet spoke up. “But if it’s not, then we’re in trouble. No one but the Mentor could stop him.”
“And…” Sunset continued. “She had a message for you, Dewdrop.”
“Oh?” the blue haired Assassin pointed to herself. “Me? What does she want? To tell me to go jump off a cliff?”
“She said she’d already spared your life twice, and that there won’t be a third,” Sunset finished with a swallow.
The room was quiet for a few seconds as everyone contemplated on the information they’d just received.
Dewdrop was the first to break the silence. “Well, whatever. I’ll just have to make sure she stays down next time.”
“This is indeed troubling news,” Frigid muttered. “But I find the notion of Sombra merely losing interest in you hard to believe, but… we can trust her.”
“Here we go again…” Morning Blade mumbled to herself before turning away, covering an ear.
“Trust her?” Keila stood up and glared at the lieutenant. “She’s a Templar. She betrayed the Brotherhood and still you put your trust in her? What is wrong with you, Frigid Night?”
“Is there any reason for her to lie? She could have used Sunset’s phone to track us down, but she didn’t.”
“How do you know she hasn’t? For all we know, the Templars could already be on their way.”
“I know Mirror Match. She would never do something like that,” Frigid replied adamantly. For once, Sunset thought she heard a hint of emotion in his voice.
“You think you know her, Frigid,” Keila quickly shot back. “You think just because you two were together that you know everything she does and doesn’t do, but you’re wrong. You don’t. She’s not the woman you think you know. She’s played you, Frigid, and still you don’t see it! Are you that dense to understand that?”
“Okay, can you both shut the hell up?” Dewdrop snapped. “You’re making my headache worse, the two of you.”
“Just in case, we should be on alert,” Keila said. “If the Templars do show up, you’ll be to blame, Frigid.”
Frigid sighed and got back to work. “Fine. Do as you wish.”
Sunset, who had been standing there the whole time, continued to stare dumbfoundedly at the Assassins. She had no idea what was going on, but there were definitely mixed reactions towards Mirror Match here.
Keila turned and headed toward the rooms. “If High Noon were still here, he’d agree with me.” Then she disappeared around the corner.
Frigid sighed even louder and pulled his hood lower over his head. Dewdrop also became a little downcast at the mention of the cowboy’s name. There was another moment of silence.
“Sooooo…” Pinkie said eventually. “Who wants some pancakes and sausages?”
Sunset and the rest of the Rainbooms ate their food quietly, all of them seated at the table, while the Assassins spread out across the bureau to have their dinner, with the exception of Velvet.
“I don’t know how you brought this much food, Pinkie,” Velvet said as she stuffed another pancake in her mouth. “But I’m glad you did. This is great. I didn’t know you could cook.”
“I can do a lot more than just cook!” Pinkie said, lightly spraying the table with pancake crumbs. “I can plan parties, I can roller skate, I can also play airsoft-”
“Please keep your mouth shut when eating, darling,” Rarity pulled her bubbly friend back down into her seat.
“So… girls.” Applejack picked up the plate of sausages and passed it around. “Do ya think we can head on home? Ah mean, if that Sombra’s stopped comin’ after you, Sunset. Our families must be worried about us by now.”
“I guess so,” Sunset sighed. “If he’s no longer after me, then it should be safe for you girls too.”
“That’s good,” Fluttershy gave a small smile. “I messaged my brother to let my parents know where I was, but, I kind of miss them. It’s been a while since I was home.”
“Likewise,” Rarity added. “If I don’t come home soon, I fear I’ll be in for a grounding.”
“I guess we can’t expect you girls to stay here till it’s all over,” Velvet agreed. “So when do you plan to leave?”
“We should get going before dark,” Rainbow checked the time on her phone. “Plus, my phone’s almost dead. Haven’t charged it since yesterday back at AJ’s.”
“Another night not in my bed will surely worry my parents…” Fluttershy nodded in agreement.
“What about you, Sunset?” Pinkie asked as she reached for a bottle of maple syrup she had apparently been carrying in her backpack as well. “Will you be heading home too? Your family isn’t here, so you don’t have limitations like us!”
“I was actually thinking of staying here,” Sunset began, looking to Morning Blade, who was having her meal at the couch area. “To, you know, help them out.”
“We were going to ask you to stay anyway,” Dewdrop said from her spot on the floor. The blue-haired Assassin was holding a bag of ice to her head and gave them a half-smile, half-grimace. “We don’t know that the Templars aren’t still after you, so it’s not safe for you to be walking the streets alone.”
“But my friends are free to leave, right?”
“Yeah, well, if the Templars snatch one of them up, then we’ll know we screwed up. You’re the one who the Templars had photos of, so you can bet we’re not letting you out of our sight.”
“Remember, girls,” Sunset turned back to her friends. “If you do see anything suspicious, do call me and let me know. I’m not letting any of you get hurt.”
“Aye aye, captain!” Pinkie puffed out her chest and saluted. “Any sign of Templars, we are to report straight to you, sir! I mean, ma’am!”
“This isn’t a game, Pinkie,” Sunset reprimanded softly. “I really couldn’t take it if any of you got hurt because of me.”
“I know!” the pink haired girl smiled happily and chomped down on another pancake.
“Don’t you worry, Sunset,” Rainbow Dash said confidently. “We’ll make sure to notify you if we go anywhere. I’d probably be spending a few days with my family, seeing as I’ve been away for a while now.”
“Same here,” Fluttershy nodded.
“I suppose I shall do that too,” Rarity joined in. “I had better make sure the boutique’s still standing and whether Sweetie’s been trying anything new in there.”
“That’s good,” Velvet agreed reluctantly. “We Assassins have no right to hold you here while your families worry about you. You should go home. Be with them.”
Sunset could have sworn she heard Velvet’s voice waver, but dismissed it for the time being.
“In the meantime, we still have to figure out what the Templars needed you for, Sunset. I’m sure it isn’t just because you’re competition to their Grandmaster. There must be more to it. Something we’re missing.”
“Well, what are the Templars’ plans exactly?” Sunset asked. “Maybe we can start from there.”
“Well,” Dewdrop said, pulling out the bottle of whiskey and taking a swig. “That’s what Acting Mentor Frigid’s job is. Mine is just to stab people.”
“And that’s what I’ve managed to do,” the gray haired Assassin said as he emerged from around the corridor, the laptop in one hand. “I’ve got it.”
“You have?” Dewdrop looked up at him with an amused face. “Really?”
“Yes, of course.” Frigid walked over and placed the laptop on the table, tilting the screen back a little. “I won’t bore you of the details, but I simply matched the right keywords and symbols together, and here we are.”
The girls crowded around the screen, looking at what the lieutenant had fished up. There were orders of blueprints, texts, materials, and even soldiers. If Sunset didn’t know any better, she’d say the Templars were trying to build something.
“So, uh, what does it all mean?” Applejack voiced.
“These are details of something they’re making,” Frigid began his explanation, pointing his finger at various different texts and notes. “They’ve called it the ‘auditorium’.
“Unfortunately, not all the information about this auditorium was on the papers we got. It speaks about the plans to create it, but not what the Templars intend to use it for, or where it even is. It could be a weapon, like their Eye all those years back.”
“We could disrupt their shipments,” Morning suggested. “Slow down their construction until we can figure out what they want it for.”
“Good plan,” Keila said, appearing from around the corner, placing her empty plate on the table. “Any names? I’m sure the plans must name some important Templars. Unless your skills weren’t enough to find any?”
Frigid rolled his eyes and grumbled something to himself. “Yes. I found some. The first one’s a Templar I’ve encountered on a few contracts. His name is Talon, an ex-military member of the inner circle, leader of the infamous Dragon Unit. Ring any bells, Keila?”
“I’ve heard of him, yes,” Keila looked unamused. “What about him, Frigid? I don’t care if you’ve fought him before. I’m more interested in what he’s doing.”
“Well, the papers here say he’s in charge of overseeing the shipment of materials. Metals, cement, you name it.”
“That sounds big,” Morning Blade said. By now, she and Dewdrop had joined everyone else by the table, looking at the computer screen. “To put Talon in charge of all that? It must be pretty important.”
“So where is this going down?” Dewdrop asked, placing a hand over one side of her face, still sore from her hangover. “Manehattan? When they were still making the Eye, they were shipping things all over the city.”
“I already said I don’t know where they’re planning to ship it. Cobalt’s plans were incomplete; I would guess that he only got the plans that pertained to him. The rest of it might be on the hard drive, but I need to spend some time cracking it. In the meantime, we’re going to do something about Talon and the Templars’ resources.”
“Dewdrop and I will go,” Keila tapped one of her knife sheaths. “We’ll finish what you never could, Frigid. We’ll take Talon down.”
“We’ll need to plan this out first, Keila,” Frigid ignored the insult and continued. “We’ll need to figure out the route he takes and the amount of men he brings along. Only then can we move in for the kill. Besides, I’ve already decided who to send.”
“Have you lost your mind?!” Keila shouted, standing up so abruptly that the plastic dish in her lap fell to the ground with a clatter. “You can’t send them out!”
“I know my choice isn’t the best one, but what can we do?” Frigid Night yelled back at equal volume. “I need you and Morning here to guard Sunset Shimmer. It’s like you said, Keila. If the Templars do show up, it’s up to you to defend her.”
“You- you seriously think that sending Velvet and Dewdrop out instead is a better idea? This is foolish, even for you.”
Frigid narrowed his eyes. “You have a better idea? You’d rather I have Velvet protect the girl? What if the Templars show? Velvet and Morning alone won’t be enough. They’re both wounded. This is the only way, Keila. Stand down.”
“The hay I will. You said it yourself; Velvet’s hurt. You can’t possibly expect her to handle herself out in the field like that!”
“Dewdrop knows how to look after her,” Frigid replied. “That’s why I’m sending the two of them, and not you and Velvet. She knows Velvet better than any of us. She’ll look after her, won’t you, Dewdrop?”
Dewdrop sighed and rubbed her forehead. “I’m not letting anyone hurt you, Velvet.”
Keila turned to face Dewdrop, her mouth set in a scowl. “Don’t tell me you’re actually going along with him and his plan? Sending children out to do your dirty work. Again.”
Dewdrop shrugged. “Plan or no, I’d rather have Velvet close by. She’s had to deal with so much at this young age. I’ll be sure to keep her close.”
“Case closed, Keila. Drop it,” Frigid said again, more irritation in his voice. “You’ll be here with Morning Blade to protect Sunset Shimmer. As Mentor, that’s an order.”
“Oh, just because you’re the acting Mentor, your word is law? That’s not how we Saddle Arabians do things, and it’s definitely not how you should do things either. Do none of you,” she looked at each of the others. “Not see anything wrong with his thrice-blasted plan?”
Sunset and her friends decided to stay out of it. There was way too much drama going on for them to want to voice their opinions.
“I think he’s right,” Velvet finally spoke up. “Sunset’s more important than taking down some Templar. She should be better protected. I’ll go with Dewdrop.”
“I also agree with Frigid,” Morning Blade nodded, pushing a bandage back into place. “As Mentor, he should know what’s best, just like Mentor Steel Shine did.”
“You’re mad. All of you!” Keila shook her head with disgust and stalked off further into the bureau. “Mark my words, this plan is going to end with someone dead, and then you’ll see.”
“When Talon is dead, I’ll see,” Frigid muttered under his breath. “Okay, any more objections? Good. That’s the plan. We start tomorrow morning.” Then he picked up the laptop and headed back to the room he was using, closing the door behind him.
“Woowee, that was pretty heated,” Applejack wiped her forehead. “Velvet, are ya sure ya wanna go along with this plan? Sounds mighty dangerous.”
Velvet tugged at one of her sleeves. “Well, if it will help the Assassins, then I don’t really have a problem with going. I trust Dewdrop, and I know she’ll keep me safe. Besides, it’s only one assassination, it’s not like I’ll be gone long.”
“Do be careful, Velvet,” Fluttershy placed a hand on the young Assassin’s shoulder. “You’re our friend too.”
“You girls too,” Velvet looked to each of them. “You’ll all be going back home today. Stay safe and remember, let us know if you see anything weird or suspicious.”
“Will do,” Rainbow Dash stretched her arms out. “Well, I guess we better go grab all our stuff. We should probably get home before dark.”
“I’ll help,” Sunset volunteered and followed as her friends headed back to Velvet’s room.
After entering the room, Sunset got to helping her friends grab all their belongings and stuffing them in their backpacks. Thankfully, they weren’t carrying luggages or any of that so it was pretty easy to get all their things together within half an hour.
“Thanks, Sunset,” Rarity took her scarf from the fiery haired girl. “Are you sure you’ll be okay alone here, dear? We could accompany you if you’d like.”
“You girls have family remember?” Sunset giggled as she followed her friends back out to the living room. “And grounding, remember?”
“Please, don’t remind me, Sunset,” Rarity groaned and placed the back of her hand on her head for dramatic effect. “I didn’t expect to be pulled into a world-ruling scheme like this.”
“We do tend to get roped into more than our fair share of world-domination plans, don’t we?”
“That we do, girls,” Rainbow Dash slung her backpack over her shoulder and laughed. “Looks like it’ll be up to us again, huh?”
“Well…” Applejack looked at Sunset. “It’ll be up to Sunset here.”
“Yeah!” Pinkie swooped between her friends. “It’s like you’re the chosen one, Sunset! You’re here to save the world! Not to destroy it! Uh, no offense.”
Sunset sighed but smiled. She’d lost count of how many times she’d already said this. “None taken, Pinkie.”
“So, any of y’all need a lift back?” The cowgirl twirled her keys on a finger. “Our truck’s still out here after all.”
“Ooh ooh! Me! Me!” Pinkie jumped around excitedly.
“Sure, I don’t see why not,” Fluttershy nodded sheepishly. “Thanks Applejack.”
“Guess we’ll all be sticking together till we get home,” Rainbow cheered. “Beats walking home.”
“Safer too,” Velvet reminded them as she closed her room door after leaving. “We don’t want any Templars nabbing you off the roads when you’re alone.”
“Don’t forget, we’re just one phone call away.” Sunset and Velvet followed their friends out the building, stopping before Big Mac’s truck as her friends tossed their bags in the back. “I’ll miss you girls. Do stay in contact.”
“We’ll do just that, Sunset,” Rarity was the first to give the fiery haired girl a hug. “You do the same. Let us know what you’re up to and whether you need any assistance.”
The rest of the girls exchanged hugs and farewells before climbing in the back of the truck. Rarity sat with Applejack in front.
“Don’t you worry, girls,” Velvet patted snow off her shoulders. “I’ll be sure to keep Sunset safe. We all will.”
“You make sure you stay safe yourself,” Rainbow leaned over the side to say. “You’ve got a dangerous mission tomorrow. Come back alive, huh?”
Velvet chuckled and mock-saluted with a finger. “I’ll do just that, ma’am.”
“Well, see y’all around,” Applejack tipped her hat before starting the engine. “Take care, Sunset. Velvet.”
And then the truck was off, trundling down the street before finally picking up speed just after the next block. Sunset waved to her friends until the truck disappeared around the corner.
Sunset didn’t know what she was going to do without her friends around, but at least she still had Velvet for the time being. Even her newest friend was shipping out the following day, heading over to assassinate someone. Sunset shivered at the thought. She’d had enough violence for a lifetime.
“Come on, Sunset,” Velvet pulled on her arm. “Let’s get back inside before you freeze.”
“Yeah…” Sunset continued to look down the street, but did as Velvet said, following behind her. “Velvet, have you… have you ever killed anyone before? Like, you’re doing that tomorrow.”
Velvet shrugged. “Like I said, Wolfgang was supposed to be my first kill. But since he got away… I guess the answer’s no, I haven’t.”
“Oh.” Sunset was slightly relieved by her answer. “Is it easy? To take a life, I mean. When you’re about to bring that… uh, knife down into someone’s heart. Would you be able to do it?”
“I wouldn’t know, Sunset. You’re really better off asking one of the others about this sort of thing.”
The two girls returned to the bureau, heading back to Velvet’s room to rest before the next day’s work. By what Velvet was saying, it sounded like it was going to be a long day for the two Assassins.
Velvet sat down on a couch, looking pensive as she unfurled her hidden blade and inspected it. To Sunset, it didn’t look like it was really worn out or anything, meaning Velvet had really never used to to take anyone’s life before.
“Velvet,” Sunset started as she sat down against the bed. “You told me once that you joined the Assassins to help out. What did you mean by that?”
“Oh, that,” Velvet said, placing her hidden blade on her lap. “A few years ago, a lot of Assassins had gone to Saddle Arabia for a mission. I don’t know the details all too well, but only a handful made it back. Those that survived that and last night are all here in the bureau. There’re some in the other bureaus, but I haven’t seen any of them before. This group looked like they could really use all the help they could get back then, so here I am today.”
“All gone, huh?” Sunset could only imagine what had happened. After seeing what Sombra and the Templars could do, she figured something like that had happened, but on a much larger scale.
Sunset thought back, trying to remember if the news had covered anything big like that in Saddle Arabia, but she couldn’t come up with anything. She must’ve been too busy scheming to take over Equestria back then to notice much of what was going on in this world. That was another thing she could add to her list of regrets.
“Velvet, another thing I wanted to talk to you about…”
“Sure, go ahead, you can ask me anything,” the young Assassin smiled and stretched her legs out.
“I wanted to ask you, about your sister, Satin,” Sunset said after a pause.
“My sister? Wait. How do you even know about her?” Velvet toyed with her hidden blade and frowned. “I don’t recall mentioning her to you.”
Sunset decided to come clean. “Well, you see… back when you were, umm, still following me, I had a friend from Equestria, Twilight, do some… follow up on you to see who you were. Oh, before I go on, this world is like a mirror of Equestria. An example is that there would be another Sunset Shimmer in this world somewhere, wherever she is. Uh, is this all making sense to you?”
Velvet nodded slowly, remembering Sunset’s crash-course explanation about their two worlds. “Yeah. But what does this have to do with my sister?”
“Well, my friend, Twilight, found your sister in Equestria,” Sunset continued on, trying to word it carefully. “You see, the thing is… you… you’re not alive in Equestria anymore, but your sister is. So that’s been puzzling me for some time now. So that’s the first thing I want to ask, Velvet, and I hope I’m not stepping too far into your comfort zone, but… what happened to your sister, Velvet?”
Velvet seemed to shrink in place, drawing her knees up under her chin.
“Satin… she’s dead. One day she left home and never came back.” Velvet shrugged, looking away and scrubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. “That’s just the way it happens. Assassins… don’t have great life expectancies.”
“I-I’m sorry Velvet,” Sunset looked at her with concern. “I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories. I was just curious. If you’d like, you don’t have to go on. We can change topics.”
“No, it’s fine. I thought I got over it a while ago… but I guess I didn’t. Satin was a great sister, and from what the others told me, a great Assassin too. I’d give anything to know who killed her though.” She ended with a frown, her eyes going hard.
“Yeah… Why’d she join the Assassins, Velvet? I mean, I know your reason, but what about hers?”
“To be honest, I don’t rightly know,” Velvet said quietly. “I mean, things were never great back in Hollow Shades, with my parents fighting all the time. She took me away from all that, and moved us into Trottingham. In fact, I never even knew she was an Assassin until the vampire came.”
“Vampire? Oh yeah, you mentioned meeting one once,” Sunset nodded as she thought back to their earlier conversation at Sweet Apple Acres. “So you did meet a vampire? I’ve never seen one before. I’ve only heard the stories.”
“You don’t sound so surprised,” Velvet raised an eyebrow.
“Well, I became a she-demon, remember?” Sunset tapped the side of her head. “I could even fly and shoot fire out of my hands.”
“Right, you’ve seen your fair share of weird here. Well, this vampire was the one who came to me with Satin’s scarf and hairpin… That’s why I wear them, Sunset. To remember her.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Velvet, about your sister…” Sunset looked down at her own hands, remembering the Templars she had killed, accident or not. They probably had families too, and just like Satin Breeze, they never went home that night.
Velvet seemed to sense Sunset’s discomfort and moved over to sit next to her. “I know. All this killing, whether it’s us or the Templars… It’s not something to take lightly. Everyone has family. When we kill Templars, even if our cause is just, others lose their fathers and mothers, or siblings. What you shouldn’t do is brood over it. They made their choice to attack you, Sunset. You made your choice to defend yourself. It’s not your fault.”
“I know,” Sunset sighed. “I guess I’m just having a tough time coming to grips with it.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t think it’s easy for anyone.”
“Well, except your acting Mentor,” Sunset looked to the door and rolled her eyes. “He doesn’t seem to be the caring type.”
“Lieutenant- ahem. Acting Mentor Frigid Night is… somewhat of a black sheep, Sunset.”
“Black sheep?” Sunset repeated, confused.
Velvet shrugged noncommittally. “I don’t know all the details, but he’s had a… a complicated past. Let’s put it at that.”
“Doesn’t tell me much, but okay,” Sunset shook her head. “You don’t have all the details anyway. Whatever happened to him… Well, he shouldn’t make life worse for everyone because of it, you know?”
“Yep, I understand what you mean. We just deal with it, really. Morning and I seem to be the only ones not arguing with him. It’s just the way he is now. Nothing we can do about it.”
“If only we could change people, huh?” Sunset chuckled and breathed out.
“Well, if that’s what you want to do, then you’re on the wrong boat,” Velvet joked. “That’s the Templars’ goal, not ours.”
“Oh, well, maybe I should change sides then...” Sunset held back a laugh as Velvet nudged her in the side, on the verge of laughing herself.
“Well, prepare for global domination then,” Velvet joined in, bursting with laughter now.
“Jokes aside…” Sunset said at last, after wiping tears out of her eyes. “Tomorrow’s going to be something, huh? Assassination and all. Normally I wouldn’t agree with all this, but… Sombra needs to be stopped.”
“Yeah…” Velvet sighed. “I don’t know if I can do it, but I’ll have Dewdrop with me. She’ll know what to do.” Velvet got up and dropped back against her bed. “Well, it’s pretty late now, Sunset Shimmer. We should get some rest before tomorrow.”
“You get some rest,” Sunset said as she got up to leave. “You’ve got a long day. I’ll wait for my friends to call before I go to dreamland.”
“If you insist, Sunset. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Velvet.”
Sunset had barely gotten any sleep. Again. She’d stayed up all night, waiting for her friends to call, finally getting them one by one as they all let her know they were safely at home with their families. Rarity, unfortunately, had gotten a few days of grounding, but at least she would be in the safety of her family’s presence.
Sunset would have slept in longer to catch up on her rest, but the sound of many things hitting the ground outside had woken her with a startle. Unable to go back to sleep, Sunset got up and slid herself outside, curious to know what had caused all the commotion.
Velvet was bent down, picking up a knife from a box of many more blades, strewn across the floor. “I-I’ll take this one. This will do. Umm… I’ll clean that up.”
“Don’t worry about it, Velvet,” Dewdrop motioned her out of the way and began placing the dropped knives back in their box. “I’ll get it for you. You shouldn’t have been carrying it in the first place. How’s your arm?”
“It’s getting better,” Velvet rubbed at her shoulder as she placed the knife in a sheath before placing it in her small slingbag. “I’ll be running alongside you in no time as well, Dewdrop. You’ll see.”
“Yeah, but not today, Velvet. I want you to take it easy. You still need more time to recover.”
“You got it,” Velvet nodded.
The young Assassin had on her usual attire, along with the new coat Rarity had made for her. Dewdrop had changed into a blue coat, with a grey jacket and a red shirt with the Assassin emblem underneath it. Sunset thought to herself that Dewdrop might as well paint a huge red target on her head if she was going to wear that. She had also slung a set of three swords across her back.
“Oh, Sunset,” Velvet noticed, giving her a wave. “You’re up. You should go back to sleep. You need it.”
“Mnh. I couldn’t sleep. Got too much on my mind.”
“Are your friends all back home safe and sound?” Velvet seemed worried about them too, but relaxed after Sunset nodded her answer over. “That’s good. Well, can’t sleep or no, we’re leaving soon, Sunset. Once we’re done prepping.”
“And we’re done,” Dewdrop said as she placed a couple of pistol magazines in her pockets. “This’ll have to do. Ready, Velvet?”
“You know it, Dewdrop.”
“Hidden blade?”
“Yup. Got my knife too, and that extra one you wanted me to hold on to.”
“Smoke bombs?”
“Yeah, a couple.”
“Laptop?”
“Got it.”
“Got a water bottle in there? You know, just in case?”
Velvet chuckled. “Yeah, I have one.”
“Hmm… Looks like you’re all set. Don’t want you carrying too much.”
Frigid Night and Morning Blade walked over from another room, holding a large piece of paper. Morning gave a wave to Sunset and a pat on the back as she passed her. Sunset also noticed that the white haired Assassin had placed some kind of eyepatch over her right eye. She must’ve made it quickly.
“Here’s the route, Dewdrop,” Frigid handed her the paper. “Marked it out for you in red.”
“Got it,” the blue haired Assassin folded it and placed it in her pocket after taking a quick glace at it. “We’ll be sure to hit it when they least expect it.”
“Just make sure you avoid broad daylight,” Frigid warned. “The Templars have more influence over the local law enforcements than we do.”
“Actually, we don’t even have any left,” Dewdrop cut in, reminding the lieutenant they were the only ones left. “So alright, we’ll strike at a less populated hour. Probably some time at night.”
Frigid nodded. “Sounds good. Talon probably won’t be expecting you, but I’ve prepared a little dossier on him for you in case it helps you should it come to a fight. I’ll email you more instructions as things go on, so remember to check in on Velvet’s laptop every now and then.”
“And remember,” Morning raised a finger. “Stay in contact. There aren’t many of us left and we don’t want to lose you two as well.”
“Don’t you worry your face off, Morning,” Dewdrop clapped her on the shoulder. “I’ll do everything I can to keep Velvet safe. I’m not going to let some big oaf of a Templar do her in.”
“You’ll be back after taking care of this Talon, right?” Sunset asked.
Frigid averted his gaze and said, “Yeah. Sure. They’ll be back.”
“It’s just one guy we’ve gotta kill, Shimmer,” Dewdrop formed a thin smile on her face. “What’s the worse that could happen?”
“Uh… You both could be killed?”
“Right, yeah,” Dewdrop placed a hand on her sword strap. “That. Well, we’ll try our best not to get killed then. Velvet, ready to go?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess,” Velvet shrugged as Dewdrop made for the exit.
“I’ll get the bike ready,” Dewdrop said from the hallway. “I’ll radio in after it’s done and if the coast is clear for you to come out.”
“I’m getting back to work, so… good luck, kid.” With that said, Frigid returned to his room, disappearing into the darkness.
Morning Blade walked over and gave Velvet a hug and a pat on the back. “Remember, Velvet, anything wrong, you both come back. Don’t risk it if you can’t get to Talon.”
“Yeah, I’ll try to get Dewdrop to do that,” Velvet smiled.
Sunset guessed that wasn’t something easy to do. And then Morning Blade was gone, heading back to her room to get more rest before the sun rose, leaving Sunset standing in the living room with Velvet.
“So…” Velvet scuffed the toe of her shoe against the carpet. “I guess this is goodbye?”
“Listen, Sunset,” Velvet reached over and took Sunsets hand in hers. “In the case that… I don’t make it back, I wanted you to have this.”
Velvet drew her hands away, leaving a familiar silver object in Sunset’s open palm. It was Velvet’s hairclip. Only now did Sunset realize her friend wasn’t wearing it.
“Velvet, this is your sister’s. I can’t take it.”
“I want you to have it, Sunset. You’re my friend, and even if we’re apart, if we think of each other every now and then, we’ll never be alone.”
“Well then…” Sunset fished around in her pocket. “You should have this. Mentor Steel Shine wouldn’t want you to be alone either.” She brought her hand out, revealing the shard from the Mentor’s sword she had taken earlier. “Better to have two people with you, hmm?”
Velvet solemnly accepted the shard and slipped it into her pocket, then abruptly wrapped Sunset in a rib-cracking hug.
“I’ll miss you,” Velvet whispered.
“Y-Yeah, me too… Velvet…” Sunset tried to breathe.
Velvet soon let go, giving Sunset a confident nod before a hand went to her ear. “Yes, Dewdrop? Okay, got it. I’ll be right there.”
“All set?” Sunset asked.
“Yeah, Dewdrop says there’s no one in sight and she’s ready to leave.”
“Then you better go,” Sunset gave the young Assassin a slight push. “Come back safely.”
“Don’t know how many times I’ve heard that now,” Velvet grinned as she began to leave. “But yes, I’ll do my best to stay alive.”
Sunset decided to walk Velvet out, seeing as she wasn’t going to sleep anytime soon. The winter air wrapped around her like ice-cold snakes, but it was nothing compared to the night Sunset had gone out in just her shirt and skirt, so it didn’t bother her too much.
“Morning and Keila’ll take good care of you, Sunset Shimmer,” Dewdrop said when she saw Sunset following Velvet. “And I’ll be looking out for Velvet here, so we’ll be sure to see each other again.”
“Right.”
Velvet took the helmet from the older Assassin and slipped it on before getting up on the back of the motorcycle. Dewdrop started the engines and revved the vehicle for a second before taking off down the quiet Canterlot street, heading back for the highway to Manehattan. Sunset gave them both one last wave before retreating back inside to the warmth and safety of the bureau, making sure to put all the locks back into place.
She reentered the room she was using, flopping herself down on the bed. She couldn’t help but worry about Velvet, but there wasn’t much she could do.
Wait, there’s one thing I could do.
Sunset sat back up and grabbed for the Mentor’s book, which she had placed on the bedside table. She could help out by understanding more of the Assassin’s history. Perhaps she could even figure out what Sombra was up to.
“I found the backup power.” Dewdrop walked back to the main room as she slipped her outer coat off. With the internal heating back on, she wouldn’t need so many layers of clothing.
“And I’ve got the router and cable all set up,” Velvet Breeze said as she tapped away on her laptop’s keyboard. “I’ve got connection.”
Just that afternoon, Velvet and Dewdrop had arrived at one of the Manehattan safehouses, picking the closest one to the route Talon was supposed to take.
“Great,” Dewdrop walked over and sat beside the young Assassin on the old yellow couch. Judging by its color, no one had used this safehouse in years; maybe even longer than the Canterlot bureau. “Acting Mentor Cranks should’ve sent us a dossier on Talon.”
Velvet accessed her email, immediately finding the mail Frigid had sent her, titled, “TALON”.
“Let’s see what we have here…” she said as she opened the folder, bringing up a huge wall of text on her screen, including a photo of the Templar, revealing a red-skinned man with a buff body, clad in a green military coat and what looked like a plate of scales underneath.
“That’s Talon alright,” Dewdrop nodded. “He hasn’t changed much. What do we have on him?”
Velvet scrolled down the text. “Ex-military, leader of the Dragon Unit, left after indirectly causing an accident leaving a general dead, not wanting to be reminded of his guilt every time-”
“Guilt?” Dewdrop spat, slamming a palm on the dusty coffee table Velvet’s laptop was on, making the computer jump. “Yeah right. That guy’s a hard one. He probably killed the general with his own hands for all we know. Whoever had talked to the media must’ve been really convincing.”
“Huh… Well, it says here he’s now the Templars’ top enforcer, training the guards and soldiers how to properly use their firearms and other weapons, teaching them formations and tactics… Dewdrop, taking him down would do a lot of good for us.”
“Yep, I heard you loud and clear.” Dewdrop rubbed her chin and paced the room. “We can’t miss this chance, Velvet. While he’s out here, leading the convoy, we need to kill him. No matter what.”
Velvet gulped. “N-No matter what?”
“Oh, well, not at the cost of your safety, don’t worry about that.” Dewdrop returned and wrapped an arm around the young Assassin. “I’m not going to let anyone hurt you. You know… Satin would be proud of you if she saw you today.”
“Would she?” Velvet’s shoulders slumped lower. “She never told me about this. She always mentioned her workplace wasn’t good for kids. I don’t think she wanted me to be like her, Dewdrop.”
“Not that, Velvet. Satin would be proud that you did what you had to to protect someone else,” the blue haired Assassin gave her a squeeze. “You’ve sacrificed your childhood to help us out. You didn’t have to, but you did. I’m glad you’re making friends. Everyone needs them. Even I do…”
“You’ve got friends, Dewdrop,” Velvet smiled at her. “I’m your friend. Morning Blade’s your friend. Umm… I’d say Frigid and Keila, but I’m actually not too sure on that.”
“I’m not too sure on that either, but…” Dewdrop encased Velvet in a warm hug. “I’m glad you’re my friend, Velvet.”
The two Assassins continued to read up on their target, learning everything they could about his combat style. According to the dossier, he was a close-quarters combat expert, meaning they wouldn’t want to get too near to him. If Frigid couldn’t kill him, maybe Dewdrop wasn’t going to be able to do it either.
“Hey, I’ve got a gun,” Dewdrop took it out and polished the slide. “This’ll be useful.”
“I’ve got…” Velvet held out her knife and hidden blade. “Nothing good for long range.”
That just means you’ll keep a good distance, Velvet. Just keep that radio on and be my eyes in the sky.”
“But I want to help, Dewdrop,” Velvet pouted and folded her arms.
“That’s helping, Velvet,” Dewdrop began explaining. “If you’re watching out for me, I’ll know where all the Templars are. That’s a better plan than both of us rushing in at once, isn’t it?”
“I… I suppose so…”
“Atta girl, Velvet,” Dewdrop said as she stood up and grabbed for her blue coat. “I think it’s time we head out there. Time to find this loser and finish him once and for all. Just wait till Frigid hears all about this one.”
Dewdrop and Velvet Breeze sat atop one of the office buildings at the edge of Manehattan’s city, peering through a pair of binoculars down at a seemingly harmless group of men and women below. There were rows of warehouses here, perfect for storing all kinds of materials and resources.
From any normal point of view, they were simple preparing a bunch of metal and bricks for a construction site somewhere, but a normal person wouldn’t have noticed the black crystal Templar crosses on their uniforms. Plus, no normal resource convoy would have so many armed guards.
A squad of Dragon Unit soldiers, clad in their usual black trenchcoats and motorbike-like helmets, stood at the ready, watching the white-coated Templars scurry back and forth as they continued to wheel the Templar resources over to the convoy of trucks.
“They haven’t seen us yet,” Dewdrop whispered, keeping as low as she could to avoid detection. “That’s good, but no sign of Talon yet. You?”
The two Assassins had traveled from their safehouse on Dewdrop’s bike, hiding it in the shadows under the building they were currently watching from.
Velvet activated her eagle vision and looked for any traces of the gold hue she needed to find. So far, all she could see was a swathe of red shapes below.
“Nothing,” Velvet shook her head. “Maybe he’s in the building.”
“Stay here,” Dewdrop held out a hand before moving into a crouching position. “I’ll scout things out.”
“What? Dewdrop, wait-”
And the older Assassin was off, scaling down the side of the building before leaping across to an opposite wall. With a precise kick and swing, Dewdrop had grabbed ahold of a pipe before flinging herself through an open window, landing in the dark corridors of an old warehouse.
Scanning her surroundings, this old warehouse really was an unused one, lacking the Templar presence the other one had. Walking forward, Dewdrop used a hole in the floor to drop down to the previous level, arriving on second floor, peering through a broken window. The Templars were just outside now, across the road at the next warehouse. The Dragon Unit soldiers were still observing the area, mostly looking up.
Good, Dewdrop thought. They won’t be looking down here where it matters.
Dewdrop crept along the walls until she found a staircase leading down to a hollow room filled to the brim with rubble. It almost looked as if the whole ceiling had collapsed down into the room.
I see why no one uses this place…
Dewdrop made her way to the front of the building, careful not to accidentally fall and twist her ankle. Spying out from behind a ruined wall, she surveyed the area with her eagle vision searching for her target’s golden aura.
And then she saw it. A faint golden shape just behind a metal shutter in the Templar’s warehouse, standing by a pallet of metal coils, directing the workers.
“Velvet,” Dewdrop placed a hand to her earpiece. “I’ve got him. Just inside.”
“That’s good,” the girl replied in her ear. “What are you going to do now? Should I join you down there?”
“Negative. I’ve got this.”
Dewdrop waited until all eyes were turned away from her before leaving her cover, keeping low as she sped along, planting her back against the warehouse wall, making sure none of the Templars would be able to see her from this position. Moving around the building, Dewdrop located an open window at the back.
The perfect way in.
Taking a few steps back, the Assassin ran up to the wall and ran up the wall, a hand grabbing the sill of the open window. Soon, Dewdrop was climbing in, landing quietly inside, quickly looking around to make sure there was no one close by. One Dragon Unit soldier had her back to her, watching the Templars crate a few metal parts.
His mistake.
Dewdrop approached him and extended a hidden blade. When she was right behind him, she reached up with one hand and covered his mouth while the other jammed her hidden blade deep into his back. The man quickly went limp in her hands, allowing Dewdrop to pull him back into the shadows, hiding his body behind a humvee; a strange vehicle for a job like this, unless it was some kind of backup plan.
Deciding not to risk it, Dewdrop pulled out part of the dead Templar’s rifle and lodged it in the barrel of the humvee’s machine gun, making sure it went as deep as it could go. If the Templars do intend to use it, they would be in for a surprise.
Dewdrop found Talon, still by the same spot he was standing in when she had first seen him. Unfortunately, his back was to the shutter, and unless she could kill him through the shutter, there wasn’t any easy way to settle this.
Backtracking, Dewdrop went around the humvee to the other end, going around the back of the warehouse to get to the other side. About halfway through, she rounded around a stack of machinery, only to come face to face with another of Talon’s soldiers. He turned to her with a startled yelp and pointed his rifle at the Assassin, but Dewdrop had already stabbed up, catching the man under the helmet, driving her blade into his chin.
The soldier’s finger curled around the trigger of his weapon, firing it as he went limp. The gunshots sounded loud enough to wake the entire city.
“Ah, shit.”
“Dewdrop?” Velvet sounded on the radio. “Are you still there? Are you alright?”
“I’m fine, Velvet, but I need to move fast. I’m pretty sure all the Templars and maybe the whole city heard that. Won’t be able to talk right now. Just fill me in.”
Dewdrop stood up and extended one blade and pulling out her pistol in her other hand. She swiftly aimed her gun at Talon, who widened his eyes and ducked down, rushing for the other side of the warehouse.
“Oh no you don’t,” Dewdrop muttered and gave chase, putting a bullet between a Templar’s eyes as she tried to attack Dewdrop with a baton.
Dragon Unit soldiers had entered the building by now, firing their rifles at Dewdrop. The Assassin dropped to a slide and got behind a stack of metal tubes as the first bullets pelted the area around her, hitting against the metal with resounding pings. Templar workers had ran for cover, moving to the side and as far away from Dewdrop as they could.
“Just one clear shot. That’s all I need…”
Crouching low, Dewdrop zigzagged back around to the rear of the warehouse, plotting Talon’s path in her mind. If she was right, he was probably heading for the humvee. Either that, or he was going to get into one of the convoy’s trucks. Dewdrop had a feeling a military Templar like him was definitely going for the humvee. She hoped she wasn’t wrong about that.
“Velvet, get the bike ready,” Dewdrop said in her earpiece. “If I don’t get to Talon in time, we’re going for a ride.”
“Got it. I’ll… I’ll try to start it.”
Dewdrop pulled out a smoke bomb and tossed it to the front of the warehouse, hoping to distract the soldiers while she tracked Talon down. Once she heard the sound of the gunfire stop, Dewdrop stood again and ran forward. She soon caught sight of Talon beyond some more stacks of machinery and shot at him. One bullet hit him in the arm, and one in the chest, but to her surprise, he didn’t seem fazed by it, nor did he look wounded.
Stowing her gun, Dewdrop leapt atop the stacks and hopped to the Templar. Timing it right, Dewdrop threw herself off the last pile of metal and onto Talon, pulling him down to the side.
Talon recovered surprisingly fast, frowning as Dewdrop got back up, unsheathing both hidden blades.
“You Assassins,” Talon grumbled, lifting both gloved fists before his face. “Must you meddle in everything we do?”
Dewdrop didn’t answer. Instead, she stabbed high and kicked down low, hoping to catch him off guard. Unfortunately, Talon had seen it coming, blocking with his calf before grabbing her arm midway, stopping it completely. No matter how much Dewdrop struggled, she couldn’t move her arm. Activating her secondary mechanism, Dewdrop shot her hidden blade out, aimed for Talon’s face.
Moving almost too quickly for his size, Talon bent to the side, narrowly avoiding the blade as it lodged into a wooden cupboard behind him. Gritting his teeth in rage, his left fist found Dewdrop’s face, knocking her to the side before grabbing her coat and tossing her against the wall as hard as he could.
The world seemed to spin and blur around Dewdrop as she watched Talon rush for his humvee, throwing the front door open. She rubbed at her bruised cheek and spat out a glob of blood as she fought to her feet, making her way to the back of the humvee.
She reached it just as Talon gunned the engine, the humvee shooting backward and almost ramming into Dewdrop if she hadn’t jumped to the side. Talon reversed the humvee all the way out, clearing through the smoke at the entrance, its speed helping to dissipate the cloud enough for Dewdrop to see out, but also for the Templar soldiers to see in.
The blue haired Assassin rushed for the window she had come in by as Talon began to right his vehicle. She heard the gunfire start up again, tearing into the brickworks just under her boots before she threw herself over the sill again, landing in the snow outside with a grunt.
“Hey, Dewdrop!” It was Velvet, and she sounded excited. “I figured out how to start your bike! I’m waiting around the side, where you left it. I don’t know how to drive it, unfortunately.”
“It’s fine, Velvet. Stay where you are. I’m on my way.”
Dewdrop sprinted from the warehouse back to the office building they had waited on, firing her pistol at the group of Dragon Unit soldiers as she passed. Two went down, but the rest spread out and began firing back almost instantly.
Dewdrop felt the heat of the bullets as they whizzed past her face, missing her and she weaved in and out of her path back. Reloading a new magazine into her gun, she passed it to Velvet Breeze, who was already seated in the passenger’s seat, helmet on.
“Good work, Velvet, you hold on to that,” Dewdrop nodded and flipped herself on her bike, revving the engines as she shot out from her hiding place, following the humvee’s tire tracks in the snow.
The remaining Dragon Unit soldiers fired at them as Dewdrop swooped out of the alley and down the street, swerving the bike around in hopes of not getting shot.
“Aaah!” Velvet yelped as Dewdrop maneuvered behind a parked car, using it as cover as she hightailed it down the lane.
“Velvet, are you alright?” Dewdrop slowed the bike a little and looked back, afraid of what might’ve happened.
“J-Just startled… I’m fine,” Velvet replied shakily. Dewdrop guessed it was probably the first time she was getting shot at like that. “Keep going, Dewdrop. Don’t l-lose him.”
“You got it, Velvet.” Dewdrop accelerated hard, instantly picking up a few miles per hour as she continued to follow Talon’s tire tracks.
The road they were currently on was devoid of traffic, seeing as it was the middle of the night and that this was a warehouse lane. However, this was Manehattan, and there was never a main road that wasn’t empty. Dewdrop knew she would have to stop Talon before they entered the main city, or they were going to have a problem with being seen.
Soon, she caught sight of him through the thin fog the weather had brought in. His beige humvee throttled on, a bit slower than the average car, seeing as it was bigger and had armor all over it, with one Dragon Unit soldier standing by the machine gun mounted on top of the vehicle.
Perfect… Dewdrop smiled to herself. She was glad she took the time to jam something down the turret’s barrel then.
The sound of her motorbike’s engine drew the soldier’s attention to the Assassins. The Templar hurriedly spun the turret towards them, ready to shoot them down. Just as Dewdrop had hoped, the barrel of the machine gun blew up in a puff of smoke, folding back like a banana as the Dragon Unit soldier clutched a hand in his other hand.
“What happened?” Velvet said close to Dewdrop’s ear. “His gun just exploded!”
“I had a feeling sticking something in that barrel would do us some good,” Dewdrop smirked as she rode towards the Templar vehicle, slowly catching up. “And it’s a good thing I did. I don’t know how well I’d be able to maneuver if they were- Hang on!”
The humvee’s machine gun had been rendered unusable, but Dewdrop had forgotten about the soldier’s actual rifle, now held in his hands. She silently cursed herself as she swerved the bike from side to side, doing her best to avoid the man’s gunfire, at the same time, getting closer.
“Velvet, my gun!” Dewdrop yelled. “Shoot him before he shoots us!”
“Got it!” Velvet answered, her fingers closed around the grip and she held it tightly, disengaging the safety and taking aim.
The humvee accelerated, forcing Dewdrop to fall in behind the car as bullets found the spot her bike had been just a few seconds earlier.
“Anytime, Velvet,” Dewdrop said, moving away and to the other side of the humvee as a trail of bullets followed them. A part of Dewdrop wondered how long they would be able to keep this up before someone caught sight of them, but she pushed the thoughts aside. Right now, they had a Templar to kill.
Firing the pistol, Velvet’s first shot pinged off the ruined machine gun, while the second deflected off the humvee’s back window. They missed the Templar, but at least forced him to duck down behind the machine gun’s nest.
Unfortunately, they didn’t take down the humvee fast enough, allowing it to drift along into Manehattan’s city area, merging with a small amount of cars driving along the road.
“I’m sorry, Dewdrop,” Velvet said. “I couldn’t hit him.”
“Don’t sweat it. We wouldn’t have taken down the humvee in time anyway.”
Dewdrop gassed on the handle, making a sharp turn to follow Talon, narrowly missing a civilian car on the way. The car’s horn blared in her face, but she didn't stop. At least with the civilian population driving alongside them, the Templars wouldn’t dare shoot. Right?
Dewdrop was proven wrong as she closed in on the Templar’s vehicle again. The Dragon Unit soldier had reloaded his rifle and fired a few volleys at them. One cracked the glass at the front of the Assassin’s bike, while the rest spat into the road and another car’s windshield, forcing it to stop.
“Well, they fired back. Go for it, Velvet. Take him out.”
“But, the civilians.”
“That Templar already shot at us. Whether you shoot or not, this’ll definitely get on the news.”
Velvet complied, readying the pistol again. Holding her breath, she fired, the first one going wide. The young Assassin was afraid of hitting anyone walking on the streets, but she fired again, this one hitting the back of the humvee.
“I can’t get him, Dewdrop,” Velvet despaired, still trying to aim the gun. “We’re moving too much.”
“Alright. I can help with that, but we’ll only have one shot at this. Probably. You ready?” Dewdrop turned her head back slightly.
Velvet took a deep breath and nodded. “Ready.”
Dewdrop accelerated again, pushing her bike to its limit, gaining speed as it shot towards the left side of the humvee. The soldier at the back fired at them again, but fell short, hitting the road behind the bike. She only slowed the vehicle when they were right next to the back where the soldier was standing. He had stopped firing and was now pointing his rifle at Dewdrop’s head, almost on equal level with his gun.
“Now, Velvet!” Dewdrop hissed as she watched his finger move for the trigger in slow motion.
His gloved appendage had almost pulled back on the trigger when he fell back against the machine gun nest, clutching his arm. The soldier’s rifle fell out of the nest and clattered onto the road as the man dropped to a crouch.
“Nice one, Velvet!” Dewdrop praised as the girl returned the now empty pistol to Dewdrop’s pocket. “Well done!”
“Yeah…” the girl sighed with relief. “I thought he was going to get you for a second there…”
“Well, he didn’t,” Dewdrop smiled and gunned the engine, approaching Talon’s door. “And that Talon’s about to find out who he’s messing with.”
Suddenly, the humvee veered left, and if Dewdrop hadn’t moved the bike with it, it would’ve knocked them both off. Dewdrop swerved around a truck as it blared its horn at her, going against traffic, still following the humvee from the side. Thankfully, there were only three or four cars she had to avoid as she kept up with the humvee, able to see Talon inside, frowning as he looked between them and the road.
Good. He’s irritated.
“Velvet, get your smoke bombs ready,” Dewdrop instructed as she passed another car before getting the bike close to the humvee again. “Let’s see if he wants to say hello.”
Drawing a sword from her bike sheaths, Dewdrop stabbed it as hard as she could at the humvee’s window, breaking through a tiny portion of the glass, but not enough to reach Talon’s face. The Templar’s frown deepened as he winded down the window, pulling out a sawn-off shotgun and pointing it at Dewdrop.
Just what I wanted.
“Throw, Velvet! Now!” As soon as the smoke bombs left Velvet’s hands, Dewdrop stepped on the brakes, allowing the humvee to move forward, the shotgun blast completely missing them.
The Assassins followed closely behind as the smoke bombs detonated, filling the inside of the car with thick grey smoke. Dewdrop watched as the humvee began to swerve left and right, the Templar unable to discern where the front was as the smoke clouded his view. As Dewdrop and Velvet looked on, the humvee rolled up onto the curb, skidded another few more feet, then finally crashed through a wooden fence that surrounded a construction site. Acrid black smoke began to pour into the night sky as the humvee came to a stop at last.
Dewdrop maneuvered the bike toward the hole in the fence, ignoring the handful of civilians who had gathered around to gawk. The humvee had crashed head on into a bulldozer, the front of the military vehicle crumpled like a tin can. The soldier at the back had been flung in front of the humvee, his body bent at an impossible angle against the bulldozer.
“Huh,” Dewdrop said thoughtfully. “What’s say we go see if Talon’s still breathing?”
Turning off the engines, the Assassins got off and cautiously made their way to the crashed vehicle. The entire car had been totalled, but as they peered through the broken glass windows, they saw neither hair nor hide of Talon.
Dewdrop quickly lunged for the car and peered her head through the window, looking at the back seats. “What? Where could he have gone? We didn’t see him leave!”
“Right behind you,” Talon’s voice came. Dewdrop barely had time to grab Velvet, turn around and dive out of the way before a tongue of fire lashed at the place where she had just been standing.
“You alright?” Dewdrop checked on Velvet before pushing her up and away as another spit of flame roared towards them. “Go, go. Get to cover!”
“I can help!” Velvet insisted, pulling out her knife.
Dewdrop didn’t have more time to answer as another burst of fire torched the ground beneath her feet as she danced back. She grunted as she rushed to the side, pulling one of the three swords from her back. Talon stood before her, wielding a large silver flamethrower in both hands, its tip dripping fire like the saliva of a dragon.
“Stand still, Assassin!” Talon yelled and shot another burst at her.
Velvet tried to close in behind him, but Talon had noticed, turning around to fire a stream of flame at the young Assassin.
“Velvet, stay back!” Dewdrop launched a throwing knife at the Templar.
Talon turned his attention back to her just as the knife hit, bouncing off his chest like her bullet had done earlier. Dewdrop noticed now that whatever that scaley thing he wore beneath his coat, it was bulletproof.
The red-skinned Templar advanced on her, blasting a long jet of fire at Dewdrop as he moved. Unable to get close, Dewdrop ran back and leapt over a stack of wooden panels just as they caught on fire. It was a bad spot to be, but at least it kept the flamethrower from reaching her for the time being.
“You wanted a fight, Assassins!” Talon yelled over the roar of his weapon. “I’m giving you one! Come out and die!”
Dewdrop reloaded her pistol and waited. Talon’s body was protected, but his face sure wasn’t. All she needed was a good headshot. Even better, if she could find the gas tank in his flamethrower, she could take him down with his own weapon.
“Velvet, where are you? You okay?” Dewdrop spoke into her earpiece, having to slightly raise her volume over the roaring fire.
“I’m fine, Dewdrop. Feeling a little hot, but I haven’t been burnt yet.”
Dewdrop sighed with relief. She didn’t want to send Velvet back out there, but she didn’t have too much of a choice. “Listen, Velvet. I need a distraction. Smoke bomb, knife, whatever you want to use. Just keep him distracted and keep your distance.”
“Got it. I’ll do my best.”
Dewdrop retreated backwards and ran along the side of the construction site wall, looking for anything she could use as cover that wasn’t currently on fire. The problem here was that almost everything around her looked flammable.
“Come out, cowards!” Talon roared. He let off a stray stream of flame into the air. “Come and face me if you dare!”
This guy is nuts, Dewdrop thought as she peeked out between two steel girders. The man’s flamethrower probably couldn’t reach her at this range, but she elected to move again just in case. Getting behind a stack of bricks, Dewdrop held her pistol tightly, ready to test her aim.
Waiting on you, Velvet.
Suddenly to the right of the Assassin, further up front closer to Talon, there was a clatter, sounding something like a rock falling, followed by a yelp and then a burst of smoke from a smoke bomb.
“That’s not going to help you this time, Assassin!” Talon yelled and blasted his flamethrower at the smoke, torching a hole straight through it.
Dewdrop tensed for a second, afraid that Velvet might have gotten herself hurt, but then a voice sounded from somewhere on the other side, shouting, “Who taught you how to aim? You missed by a mile!”
The blue haired Assassin smiled. Velvet was still alive and she was definitely grabbing the Templar’s attention. Good. Standing up, Dewdrop stretched her arms out in front of her, pointing the gun at the man. She spotted the flamethrower’s sizeable gas tank underneath the weapon and took aim. She’d rather like to see the Templar go up in a ball of fire; a fitting end for Talon.
Firing, Dewdrop watched the bullets sail in the air. Two bullets pinged off the metal shell of the weapon, but the third had found its mark, rupturing a hole in the gas tank, causing a small explosion of fire, engulfing Talon’s front.
“Yes!” Dewdrop cheered. “Velvet, you alright?”
“Yeah, he didn’t get me. Nice shot.”
Dewdrop watched the fire die down. She was almost about to keep her pistol when she noticed Talon hadn’t fallen over or anything. As the fire dissipated around him, Talon had both arms out in front of his face, shielding most of the blast with his green coat. Dewdrop didn’t know what material they were made out of, but they had barely caught on fire. The Templar’s face, however, had been slightly scarred and burnt by the explosion, his angry orange eyes now fixated on her.
“You’re dead, Assassin!” he roared and ran for Dewdrop.
Dewdrop lifted her weapon to fire, but the Templar was fast. Too fast. One bullet exited her gun before Talon grabbed her arm, twisting the gun from her hands. The bullet had hit, but it had hit his vest, bouncing off without harming the Templar. Dewdrop escaped his grip and readied her fists before her.
Talon smiled and did the same. “Come get some.”
Dewdrop threw a left punch at the Templar’s face, then a right to his shoulder, both easily blocked by the large man. He threw one of his own, barely missing Dewdrop as she ducked down and moved for his legs, punching out at his left knee. Talon answered the attack with lifting his knee, catching Dewdrop in the chest, knocking her to the ground.
“I’m going to have fun with you before you die,” he smirked and cracked his knuckles.
The blue haired Assassin flipped herself up and spun a kick to Talon’s head, but the Templar blocked it with an arm before wrapping his other around her calf. Dewdrop tried her best to dislodge him, punching him as much as she could, but Talon was tough, his frown growing deeper with each hit Dewdrop connected.
The Assassin reached for a sword, but Talon wasn’t having any of that. He grabbed her hand before it could reach back, stopping it from moving. Dewdrop extended a hidden blade to try and stab his hand, but Talon moved and punched her, once in the arm and a second to her chest.
Extending both hidden blades, Dewdrop aimed for his shoulders. Talon blocked one while the second pierced his coat and skin, drawing blood.
“Argh! You’ll pay for that!” he growled.
Talon punched her in the abdomen. Once, twice, thrice, all in the same spot. Dewdrop bent over, on the verge of blacking out from the pain.
After giving a straight punch to Dewdrop’s thigh twice, Talon grabbed more firmly to the leg he had in his grip and swung the Assassin over his shoulder and down against the snowy ground. Dewdrop felt the concrete against her skull through the thin layer of snow before the Templar tossed her to the side, letting go of her.
Dewdrop crashed against the stack of girders she had hid behind earlier, knocking one over before bouncing to the ground, her body hurting all over.
She crawled forward, trying her best to get up, but her legs weren’t following her orders too quickly. Falling to her side, Dewdrop reached a hand up to her head, coming back with blood from where she’d hit it just now.
“Dewdrop!” Velvet yelled in her earpiece. “I’m coming to help!”
“No… Velvet...” Dewdrop tried to speak, her vision going hazy. “Dangerous… Stay back.”
Talon smirked and laughed maniacally before stalking over, standing over Dewdrop’s body. “Get up, Assassin. We’re not through yet.”
He moved a leg back and swung it forward as fast as he could, kicking Dewdrop against the girders. The Assassin clutched for her abdomen, coughing hard. Dewdrop lifted a hidden blade, but Talon bent down and grabbed her arm before bending it back at a painful angle.
“Aaagh!” Dewdrop yelled, unable to fight the Templar’s strength.
“After what you’ve done, do you think I’ll be letting you off easy?” Talon tilted his head and pulled Dewdrop’s arm towards himself, earning more of her screams. “After I’m done with you, you’ll be begging me to kill you.”
Stomping on her back, Talon reached down and picked up one of the girders, grasping it in both hands, lifting it high. Dewdrop turned to look up at him through one eye, unable to find the strength to fight back.
Is this… it? Am I going to die here?
“Vel...vet…” Dewdrop muttered. “Run…”
“Let’s see how much you can endure, huh?” Talon slammed the girder down on Dewdrop’s left leg, causing her to yell out in pain.
Dewdrop closed her eyes and waited for the next one. Then she heard Talon grunt and the next hit didn’t land. She looked up.
Talon was grasping his shoulder, where blood was trickling forth. Velvet stood behind him, her knife bloodied from the blow she had struck.
“Leave her alone!”
The Templar turned around, anger burning in his orange eyes. “So I see you want to join your friend?”
Talon lifted the girder, ready to strike as Velvet slowly backed away from him, the knife held out in front of her. The Templar swung the girder at the exact same time Velvet closed her eyes and swung her knife.
There was a bright flash of light.
Talon stood there, dumbstruck as the girder he had been holding split into two, falling out of his nerveless hands. Then, a line of blood appeared on Talon’s uniform, starting at his left shoulder, ending at the right of his pelvis.
Then, ever so slowly, Talon’s top half slid off his bottom half with a sizzling squelch, both halves falling to the ground with a splat. Even the Templar’s bulletproof vest had been sawn in two, just like that.
Velvet opened her eyes, shocked to behold that in her hands, the knife she held had a ghostly golden aura that extended out over a meter to form a spectral sword blade.
Dewdrop herself didn’t seem to believe what she was seeing as she lay on the ground, looking between Talon’s severed body and Velvet’s glowing blade. She used her good hand and lifted herself up, using the girders for support as she struggled to stand.
“V-Velvet?” she said as the ghostly blade began fading, blinking twice before shrinking back into Velvet’s knife. The girl seemed to sag, her knees buckling beneath her as she sank to the ground.
Dewdrop hurried to Velvet’s side. “Velvet… what was that?”
“I… I don’t know…” the young Assassin replied, checking her hands. “I-I killed him, Dewdrop. I didn’t want him to hurt you anymore…”
“Yeah, but… wow. How did you... do that? It was almost like those stories about the Mentor-” Dewdrop cut herself off. She could hear police sirens in the distance; one of the civilians had probably blown the whistle on them once the fight had begun. “No time... for that right now. We can... talk about it back at the safe house. Can you walk?”
“Y-yeah.” Velvet got up, but her wobbly feet sent her back down after two steps.
Dewdrop herself had trouble standing, but she hooked an arm under Velvet and helped her back towards the bike. “C’mon, Velvet. We gotta go…”
Sunset Shimmer closed the Mentor’s book, eyes wide and mind still processing what she had read. Everything Mentor Steel Shine had said was confirmed in this book. The Crystal Empire, the portal, the artifacts... All of it. It wasn’t like she didn’t believe the Mentor, but it was something else to read all of it straight from the account of the first Assassin.
It was sad. Her journey had begun all because of Sombra, wanting the Empire for himself. Now, here he was again, as much as a threat as he was a thousand years ago.
It wasn’t fair. None of it was fair. How could Sombra cause so much death and destruction just for power? How could he be so brutal? And why was he still around, undefeated? Sunset was sure Twilight and her friends had defeated him.
Twilight! Of course!
Sunset hit herself, remembering she had a purple unicorn princess she could count on back home. Pulling her backpack over, Sunset rummaged through it and retrieved her journal and a pen.
“Alright, let’s see here…” she said out loud as she pressed the pen to the paper. Scribbling down everything she remembered from the first few chapters of the Mentor’s book, Sunset made sure to add extra notes from the First Assassin’s time in the Crystal Empire, hoping Twilight would be able to find out something on her end. Eventually, she placed her pen down and wiped at her hands, admiring her length of text. “All yours, princess.”
Sunset closed the book and sighed. There was so much going on and she hoped Twilight would be able to help her no matter how confusing it all was.
A knock at the door drew Sunset’s attention up as Morning Blade came in with a paper bag with the Burger Queen logo on it. The green-skinned Assassin had changed out of her off white coat and grey pants into a brown coat and pink skirt. The skirt had an image of a wing with stream lines coming out of it.
“Went out to get some dinner,” she smiled and sat down beside Sunset, handing her the bag. “You were busy, so I thought I’d bring it to you. You don’t mind burgers, do you?”
“Not at all,” Sunset shook her head. “Thanks, Morning, but you didn’t need to do that for me. What if people see you? I mean, the eyepatch and all.”
“Oh, don’t worry, Sunset Shimmer. That is why I changed. And as for this this?” Morning placed a hand over the dark colored fabric. “Well, if it pleases you, I can do this…”
Morning Blade reached for her fringe and pulled down her white hair, covering up her eyepatch. If you looked closely, you could still see it, but at least most people would just pass it by.
“That works, I guess,” Sunset shrugged and opened the bag to see a burger, some fries, and a bottle of apple juice. “At least you’re not Keila. How does she go about? With all the bandages and stuff?”
“Keila generally sticks to the rooftops if she goes out, though that rarely happens. She’s still healing after all. Did you know she was the only survivor in Saddle Arabia?”
“The rest of you weren’t there?” Sunset questioned as she unwrapped her burger.
The Assassin shook her head. “By some stroke of luck, we were delayed. We’d only just reached the outskirts of Masyaf when the explosion happened. Mentor Steel Shine protected us, but the rest… They were all gone. Except Keila.”
“Explosion, huh? So it wasn’t Sombra that took you all down that day?”
“Nobody alive really knows what happened that day. Mentor said the explosion was caused by the artifacts, but we weren’t there to see it. The Templars lost a great deal of their forces as well on that day. No one got out of there without scars, physical or mental.”
“I’m sorry, Morning Blade,” Sunset looked in the paper bag. “I couldn’t possibly imagine what you all must have gone through.”
“Yeah…” she sighed and pulled at her braid. “I admire Keila. She was caught in that explosion and was hurt badly, but still she has the will to fight. I don’t know if I would be able to bounce back from that.”
“I almost didn’t.” Keila pushed open the door and stood by the frame, her one green eye looking at Sunset, a half-eaten burger in one hand. “I lost everything that day, Sunset Shimmer. My friends, family, my home. I didn’t have any reason to go on, but to help Mentor Steel Shine. I made a vow to follow the Creed. I expect to follow through.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that, Keila…”
“Don’t be,” Keila played with a loose bandage around her forearm. “What’s done is done. No matter how sorry we all are, we can’t go back in time. What matters is moving on for the better.”
Sunset ate her dinner in silence, thinking about what Keila had said. She was right. Sunset had done plenty of bad things in the past. She didn’t need to keep thinking about them. What mattered was moving on and changing for the better.
“So… How was it?” Morning Blade asked when Sunset tossed the empty wrapper back in the paper bag.
“Delicious,” Sunset finished chewing and swallowed. “Thanks for taking the trouble of getting it for me.”
“Yes, I appreciate the help, Morning,” Keila dusted her sleeves. “If anything, you’re everything our dear acting Mentor isn’t. Nice, caring, and above all, friendly.”
“He’s been through so much, Keila,” Morning Blade said, almost like she’d said it thousands of times. “Give him a chance.”
“I’ve been through a lot! And don’t get me started on the chances I give him,” Keila suddenly snapped, pointing at her bandaged face. “Did I get all frosty and untrusting? No. I didn’t.” Keila noticed Morning’s discomfort and sighed. “I’m sorry, Morning. You know how he is. He shouldn’t be like that.”
Keila pushed off the doorframe and disappeared down the hall.
Sunset placed a hand on Morning Blade’s shoulder. “Everything alright?”
“Y-Yeah, everything’s fine,” she replied, looking down at her legs. “Keila’s right, but different people take loss differently. Frigid just so happened to take it very badly.”
“Yeah, looks like it.” Sunset started on her fries.
“Well, enough of all this brooding,” Morning Blade tried to smile. “Tell me more about yourself, Sunset Shimmer.”
“Myself?” Sunset hummed to herself as she thought. “Well, I’m from Equestria, the other world, but you already knew that. Hmm… I tried to take over the world once.”
“No…” Morning Blade widened her eyes. “Really? When was this?”
“When I first left my world for this one. I wanted power. I didn’t realize it until I was defeated by the girls I now call my friends, but I had been wrong all this time. Friendship is stronger than anything I know.”
Sunset went on to briefly explain her time at school, her evil schemes, her demon form, and went all the way up to the point where they had beaten the sirens.
“Sounds like an interesting tale,” Morning nodded. “Seems I was a few years too early to see all that, huh?”
“Few years early?” Sunset asked.
“Yeah, I was from CHS too,” Morning Blade widened her smile. “Graduated four years back. Just missed you, Sunset Shimmer.”
“Wow… For real?” This really was a small world. “So you know Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna?”
“Sure do,” the Assassin chuckled. “I even knew Applejack’s brother. Though, he was still a young boy then. Never actually spoke to him, but he seemed nice.”
“So you joined the Assassins right out of CHS?”
“Yeah,” Morning Blade looked back in her life. “I was part of the track team. It was High Noon and another Assassin that scouted me out. Did you know that?”
Sunset placed a fry in her mouth. “Now I do.”
“I don’t usually accept offers from people who just walk up to me, but…” Morning Blade placed a hand over her eyepatch. “That day, I just felt like I was meant to be an Assassin.”
“Do… Do you still think you made the right choice, Morning?” Sunset waited for her answer.
“I wonder that myself sometimes…” she leaned back, supporting herself up with her hands. “But I know I was meant for this. Believe it or not, Frigid sometimes needs someone to talk to. If I wasn’t around to be that person, I don’t know if he would be even less reasonable.”
“Oh,” Sunset blinked a few times. “I didn’t know the acting Mentor had that side of him.”
“He’s not like that, Sunset. He’s not a bad person. I think he just doesn’t know how to trust anymore…” Morning looked down sadly.
“He trusts you,” Sunset smiled and patted her arm. “You said so yourself. Maybe you’ll be the one to get him back to normal.”
“Maybe…” the Assassin mused. “Thank you, Sunset Shimmer. It’s nice talking with you.”
“Please, just Sunset will do. We’re practically the same age.”
The two girls shared a laugh as Sunset grabbed for more fries.
“Very well, Sunset,” Morning Blade nodded and stood up. “For now, I’ll leave you to your meal. Goodnight, Sunset Sh- I mean, Sunset. Have a good night’s rest.”
Sunset continued chowing down her fries until there were none left before starting on her apple juice. Eating food like that almost made Sunset forget what they’d been going through. Tossing all her trash in the paper bag, Sunset folded it up and headed out of her room to toss it in the living room’s bin. Keila and Morning Blade were seated on a couch, both of them looking in different directions.
Must be keeping watch, Sunset told herself. Morning Blade saw her and waved to her before getting back to keeping alert.
Sunset wondered if they were going to stay like that all night as she headed for the bathroom to change and wash up. Once she was done, Sunset returned to her room and got into bed, pulling the sheets up to her neck.
Maybe I’ll actually get a good night’s rest tonight.
Sunset wondered what Velvet was up to now, but there was no way of contacting her at the moment. Perhaps she had already finished her mission and was on the way back. That was a thought Sunset kept in her mind as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Sunset Shimmer opened her eyes, gazing up at a ceiling, black as night.
Hmm…? What happened to the light?
Sunset was sure she left the bedside lamp on before she went to sleep. Maybe the bureau had a power outage or something. She groggily pushed herself up, suddenly aware that her bed felt hard and cold, almost like some kind of jewel.
“What is this?” she sat up and looked around.
Sunset was in some kind of vast chamber, the walls, floor and ceiling were covered over by some kind of black crystal.
Black crystal… Wait a minute…
Sunset recognized the architecture around her. The crystalline structures, the banners… She was in the Crystal Empire. But the black crystal wasn’t supposed to be here, not unless-
“This way!” a voice hissed. We don’t have time to lose!”
Sunset instinctively retreated behind a crystal pillar as the the soft sound of something clinking against the glassy surface got closer. Peeking her head out from behind the pillar, Sunset spotted a group of guard ponies rushing across the chamber, some of them constantly looking over their shoulders.
Curious as to what was happening, Sunset decided to follow them at a safe distance, seeing where they were headed. She crossed over into a smaller hallway at the end of the large room, following the group along a carpeted floor, noticing how dark everything was. Even the shine of their crystal pony coats was absent, though one pony, a pale green pegasus clad in a dark cloak and a set of darker armor, seemed to glow brighter than the rest.
This must’ve been the time Sombra took over a thousand years ago. Sunset understood that much, but she didn’t know why she was here or even how she was seeing all this.
Is this a dream…?
Suddenly, the group stopped in their tracks before shuffling back a few steps.
“Back, back!” the cloaked pony whispered to her friends as they scurried down a connecting hallway.
Sunset watched them go, wondering what had happened. Then she heard it. The sound of hoofsteps against the floor, only this time, it seemed to sound like crystal against crystal.
The girl had wanted to stay and see what the ponies were running from, but Sunset felt something like a tug around her waist, almost like her body was attached to the faintly glowing pony at the head of the group. Without warning, her body was pulled along with the group, Sunset’s legs dangling in the air below her.
What’s going on? Sunset’s mind raced with questions, but the only logical explanation was that this was all a dream. But that pony that glowed brighter… Sunset seemed to sense something familiar about her.
“Does this current hallway lead us closer to the workshop?” one of the crystal ponies asked.
Workshop? Could it be?
Sunset remembered reading about a workshop in the Mentor’s book. A workshop of Star Swirl the Bearded, to be precise.
“Perhaps,” another pony answered as they kept moving. “Maybe we should follow it. See if it leads us back around the golems.”
There were whispers among the group before the glowing pegasus pushed forward and lead the group on. As she moved, Sunset found herself being pulled along again, her feet unable to touch the floor. The troupe of ponies watched the halls wearily, looking out for more ‘golems’ or probably even Sombra himself.
Sunset knew the tales plus her knowledge from the account of the first Assassin. Unfortunately, that meant she also knew what was going to happen next.
One of the ponies had just mentioned Sombra’s lack of appearance when his voice boomed across the crystal hallway, each one of them freezing on the spot.
The dark king seemed to melt out of the wall of black crystal, stopping before the group of ponies, his eyes blazing green and red in the darkness, along with the trails of purple flowing from them.
“Sombra…” a guard pony muttered with distaste. “You will never be king.”
As he laughed, a group of crystallized ponies appeared the same way Sombra had, coming out of the black crystals like they were some kind of dark portal, marching over to surround the group. They looked almost like ponies, but they had no facial features and their crystalline bodies looked sharp enough to cut flesh. Sunset shivered at the thought of what these golems could do to ponies.
“I am already king, and as your ruler, I ask you. What are you doing in MY castle?”
The guard ponies seemed to lose their courage as Sombra and his crystal minions made their way to them, their legs shaky and their breaths held. Then before Sunset could figure out what was happening, there was a bright flash of light from one of the ponies, a unicorn in flowing robes, and every one of the ponies scattered, using any means necessary to get past Sombra and his golems, while the bright flash blinded them.
Sunset Shimmer was pulled along with the group, yelping as she phased through a crystal golem, floating along the halls as the group of ponies galloped past a set of gates, the roars of the dark king echoing behind them.
Sunset was glad she hadn’t been born during all this. Even though she was watching them like some sort of ghost, she was scared to the bone of Sombra and his crystal constructs and what they would do to anypony who stood in their way.
And then the walls and ceiling disappeared around them, the group entering into an open-aired corridor. Only a single tower stood ahead, standing tall in the night sky.
“There!” the guard pony in front ran past the others. She looked like she was the one in charge. “The entrance to the workshop!”
She kicked the door open with her hooves, waving for the others to enter. Sunset watched each pony go through, floating behind the one in the cloak, heading down the steps. Then the pony stopped, turning around and trotting back up the steps. The one that looked like the captain was still outside, along with two other guards, weapons in their mouths. Sunset didn’t need to know what they were saying to know what they were planning. They were going to buy more time for the others.
“Jade…” the cloaked pegasus said. “They're buying us time... If we stay here, we're wasting their lives. You need to open the door to the mirror. Dash and Spirit have already made up their minds, and there's no changing them. But us? We still have a mission to accomplish. For the Empire and for the both of them. We will find the artifacts and we will stop Sombra.”
Sunset couldn’t help but tear at the sight of the ponies giving their lives to let the others go on. It was sad, but incredibly valiant. The girl watched the captain and the cloaked one rush down a flight of steps, descending down into the darkness in a spiral. She didn’t like how everything was so dark. From what she’d seen, the Crystal Empire was basically the brightest place in Equestria. To see it fallen to such darkness and shadows was very depressing.
The two ponies regrouped with the rest of their friends at the bottom, proceeding through yet another dark tunnel. Reaching a door, the captain pony took out a golden key, using it to unlock the old door.
This must be Star Swirl’s old workshop, Sunset guessed.
Now, according to the book, these ponies were supposed to be looking for the mirror, an older prototype of the one Princess Twilight now had, created by Star Swirl the Bearded in his early days, which would take them to the human world to find those artifacts like the Mentor’s sword and Templars’ Apple. Sunset knew the rough story from here, but to actually see all this… She knew it was going to be something she would remember forever.
The captain had moved to a barrel of lances and pulled one, opening a secret wall, which looked like it hadn’t been used in ages.
Probably not since Star Swirl was here.
The crystal ponies entered the passage, heading down yet another flight of steps in the darkness. The robed unicorn led the way, lighting up the space with her magic. Sunset noticed the sides of the steps simply dropped off into the abyss and any misstep could simply lead to anypony’s death.
“Whoever built these steps had no idea of decent architecture…” Sunset mumbled to herself as she floated alongside the cloaked pegasus.
That pony herself seemed to be watchful, always keeping an eye out around the space, besides the edge they could fall off from. Her expression remained stoic, unlike that of her fellow guards; most of them had trembling lips or frightened faces. Sunset didn’t blame them. If she had to go through everything they did, she figured she’d simply be crying in a corner, or at least cowering at the back of the group.
And then the steps finally ended, stopping before a large metal door, somehow gleaming and reflective, almost like somepony had been polishing it over the years. There were also magical symbols around the door, ones Sunset had never seen before, spiralling in a pattern around the cutie mark of Star Swirl the Bearded.
“This is definitely it,” the unicorn said as she stopped casting her light. “I can feel the magic behind this door; it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before.”
Inserting the key and twisting it, the captain pushed the doors open, moving across the cavern floor smoothly without a sound. Sunset guessed there must’ve been some kind of magic cast on it to keep it clean and unblemished.
“Get inside, everypony,” the captain pony ordered, waiting by the entrance as each of the other guards made their way in. “Light Speckle, seal the door.”
The pony in the robes, which Sunset knew was some kind of mage from reading the book, fired a spell from her horn, sealing the doors from the inside.
Inside the new room, there were heaps and heaps of items, most likely inventions of Star Swirl, left abandoned all over the place. The crystal ponies spread out, searching the piles for the mirror that would lead them to the artifacts.
“I think it’s over there!” a male pegasus pointed to a raised platform with more junk. Sunset immediately recognized the shape of the mirror behind some of it. It looked almost just like the one she had used to cross into the human world, but this one lacked the decoration and beauty it had. This mirror was but a piece of reflective glass with a horseshoe support around it.
Sunset followed the cloaked pony over as she inspected a scroll that was pinned to the mirror.
“Uh... everypony?” Her face instantly told Sunset that it was bad news. Really bad news. “It says here that the mirror we’re looking for was moved to Canterlot fifty years ago.”
Moved to Canterlot…? Sunset wondered. They must mean the one at Twilight’s! That’s what they were looking for!
“This must be a prototype... there must be a way to get it working somehow.”
The captain and the cloaked pony began arguing, which Sunset thought was rather pointless in a situation like this; there wasn’t time to fight amongst each other.
“How much time do you think we have?” the pale green pegasus asked the mage, the one called Light Speckle.
“If we hurry, we should have-” her voice was cut off when a loud crash echoed around the cavern. Something had thrown itself at the door, creating a large dent in the polished metal. The silence that followed stopped Sunset’s heartbeat as she waited in anticipation for something to happen. “None.”
The ponies began scrambling, each of them doing something different to get the mirror working as more dents began appearing across the door. A group had split off, moving to barricade the door with anything large enough to work. The three ponies in guard armor drew their weapons and stood before the mirror’s platform, facing the door as the cloaked pony and mage searched the mirror, looking for a way to activate it before it was too late.
Sunset knew the rough story from here. She wanted to wake up, to escape the nightmare before the events took place, but she couldn’t. All she could do was watch. The guardsponies had their glimmering coats renewed as they stood at the ready, their fear dissipating and their hope in a better future restored.
Sunset teared at the sight of the guards, ready to give their lives to save their kingdom and all of Equestria from the tyrannical Sombra. It was touching, but also sad that none of them would get the chance to do so.
Suddenly, the doors had blown apart, a wave of dark magic sending the ponies’ barricade flying, the metal door shattering, knocking the guardsponies back in an instant. One was already down, his neck bent at an odd angle, while the other two were clearly wounded, some bones likely broken. One looked like she couldn’t get up, while the other was limping badly. The pony that Sunset had been following didn’t get away unscathed, even at the distance. Something had cut across her head, dripping blood down one side of her face.
“My little ponies...” Sombra stepped forward, his golems following close behind. The room seemed to grow darker from his presence. “I wondered where you were running off to. I already said nopony leaves my kingdom, and as its ruler, my word is law. Your friends have already paid the price for disobedience. Bow down to me, and I may yet spare your pitiful lives. If not…” He looked to the closest pony to him, the one unable to get up, firing a straight beam of magic at her, burning a hole right through her body.
Sunset screamed and threw her hands in front of her eyes, sobbing quietly at the brutality of the dark king. He’d done the same with the Assassins back at the Trottingham bureau and Sunset never wanted to see all that again.
Why? Why am I here? What is this?
“You... you monster!” the captain screamed, homing in for Sombra’s head with her sword.
“Jade! No!” the pegasus yelled with a hoof outstretched.
Sombra responded with a blast of magic, sending the captain up to the ceiling with a crash before letting her fall. She got up one more time, only to be knocked down again.
“I can’t watch…” Light Speckle cried out. “Why is this happening to us?” She covered her ears with both hooves, not wanting to hear the screams of their guard captain. Sombra then picked the captain up in a magical grasp and pulled at her wings, attempting to tear them off.
“Kill you…” the pegasus muttered under her breath. “I’ll kill you!”
Sunset threw her hands to her ears as well, trying to block out the screams of the guard captain being tortured. It was all too much for her to handle. Even while covering them, Sunset could still hear everything, almost like she could do nothing about it all.
“Emerald…”
Sunset looked up, hearing the quiet voice somewhere close by. She removed her hands from her ears and searched for the source. It wasn’t the unicorn that was sobbing nearby, nor was it the guard captain, who was still screaming in agony, so who-
“Emerald…” Sunset noticed the white male pegasus close to the platform, his head slightly twitching, still alive somehow. “Emerald, the mirror!”
The cloaked pegasus and Sunset turned to the mirror, not believing what they were seeing. The mirror was lighted up with a soft purple light, while the horseshoe support was glowing like heated metal in a forge. Sombra’s dark magic must have somehow re-ignited the mirror’s power source.
“I-It worked,” Emerald gasped, staring in disbelief and wonder at the mirror. “It actually worked. Light Speckle! The mirror! It worked-”
And then both their attentions were taken as the guard captain’s screamed before falling to the ground, unmoving, both her wings thrown aside as Sombra stepped forward.
“Who’s next?” his voice boomed as he levitated the mage pony off the platform and towards himself.
Sunset turned to the cloaked pony. So this is Emerald Edge, the First Assassin. Come on, Emerald. You’ve got to do something! The girl knew this was all a dream or vision and that she couldn’t be seen or heard, but she needed to do something.
Almost like she had heard the human girl, Emerald Edge wiped the blood away from her eye and took flight, jetting towards Sombra with a warcry. The dark king dropped the mage and fired a spell at Emerald, but the pegasus turned at the last second, just barely missing the blast, before picking up her friend and swooping back towards the mirror.
Sunset held her hands to her mouth, anxiously shaking as the pegasus flew back towards her, her friend in tow. Would she make it? Then disaster struck as a bolt of magic seared past her left wing. Sunset flinched as the bolt struck her, but sighed with relief as it flew right through her, hitting the wall in the back, leaving a scorch mark across the cavern rock.
Emerald Edge and Light Speckle fell to the ground, rolling along and stopping just short of the mirror platform. Where the First Assassin’s wing had been was now a scorched stump, sticking out of her back like a fin.
“How could you, Sombra?” Sunset whispered, turning her angry eyes to him. “How could you do such a thing?”
And then Emerald Edge was floating, lifted up in a faint white magical aura coming from the unicorn, her face half burnt from the magical blast.
“Light Speckle! Stop!” Emerald yelled, kicking out with all four hooves, trying to break out of the magical aura.
“Go on without me!” the mage said as Sombra moved in for the kill. “The mirror’s going to melt down in a minute, and I’ll only slow you down.”
Sunset watched the unicorn, giving her life so that her friend might be able to get through the portal. The act was so selfless of her, something Sunset wished she had more of.
“It’s okay, Emerald... I’ll see you on the other side. I promise.”
And then the pegasus was hurled through the mirror, with Sunset being pulled back into it as well. The last thing she saw before she was engulfed in white flames was the menacing smile of Sombra as the Crystal Empire disappeared from sight.
Sunset Shimmer jumped up in her bed, her hands scrambling across her body as she released a loud scream from her mouth, echoing in the small room.
I’m fine… I’m fine. It was just a dream… But all those ponies…
Morning Blade and Keila rushed into the room, their weapons drawn.
“What happened?” Keila asked first, her two daggers in her hands. “Were you attacked?”
“It was… It was just a dream… I’m fine,” Sunset wrapped her arms around herself.
“Oh,” was all Keila said before returning back outside, disappearing behind the door.
Morning Blade, on the other hand, stowed her hidden blade and walked over, sitting by the edge of the bed. “Are you alright, Sunset? What was it about?”
Usually, Sunset forgot her nightmares quickly, but this one, this one stayed crisp and clear in her mind, like a movie she had just seen. “It’s a long story, Morning Blade, but… It was about Emerald Edge, the First Assassin.”
Dewdrop pulled over at the side of the street, two blocks away from their safehouse. She was tired and bruised, and she would’ve fallen right off her bike if Velvet hadn’t been holding on to her.
Velvet Breeze herself wasn’t faring any better. After taking down Talon, the poor girl looked like she had the energy simply sapped out of her body, plus, she still had to recover from her injuries from before.
“Come on, Velvet…” Dewdrop limped as she dragged Velvet along, her adrenaline completely faded away by now. “We’re almost… back.”
“I’m sorry I’m like this, Dewdrop,” Velvet said, trying to walk on her own strength.
“It’s not your fault,” Dewdrop replied as they crossed the street, thankful that there weren’t any people around at the moment. They’d definitely be easy pickings for muggers and thieves, even with all the gear and weapons they had on them. “Let’s just focus on getting back first, hmm...?”
“Al-alright…”
The two Assassins finally arrived at the safehouse after what felt like hours, pushing open the front door and slinking into the darkness, which fully enveloped them as soon as they closed the door and locked it.
“We’re safe now, Velvet,” Dewdrop panted, flipping a switch, lighting the main room.
Enduring the last few steps to the couch, Dewdrop placed Velvet down before flopping on the piece of furniture herself, burned out from the beating she’d received from Talon. She rubbed at her head with her good arm, noticing the blood from her cut had dried up, though her head still felt like it had been run over with a truck.
“Are you okay, Dewdrop?” Velvet weakly asked. “I could get some medicine from the supply cabinet…”
“I’ll live, Velvet,” Dewdrop leaned up and rested her elbows on her knees. “I just… need a drink.”
Attempting to get up, Dewdrop fell down to the wooden floor, landing with such a thud that Velvet Breeze jumped in her seat. The blue haired Assassin sputtered and cursed, pushing herself to a sitting position, rubbing at her shoulder. She grabbed hold of a nearby table and pulled herself back up, then sourly stomped her way to the pantry, returning with a bottle of scotch.
“How’s your head, Dewdrop?” Velvet pulled down her hood and leaned back. “I saw you hit the ground… Looked bad.”
Dewdrop waved her hand dismissively. “I’ll live. Sure it hurts a bit, but this’ll help.” She uncorked the bottle and raised it in a mock toast. “Here’s to a job well done, eh?”
Velvet feebly lifted her hand and gave Dewdrop a thumbs up, then immediately dropped it back down on the couch. “Funny… I feel like I just ran a whole marathon, only… I didn’t.”
“Yeah, what was that?” Dewdrop asked around the bottleneck. “How did you do the whole glowy-sword thing?”
“I don’t know…” Velvet sighed. “One moment I was swinging my knife… Next… It just happened.”
Dewdrop returned to the couch and sat down slowly. “Kinda looked like the Mentor’s power, you know?”
Velvet put a hand in her coat pocket and returned with a golden shard. “I think-I think it might have something to do with this, Dewdrop.”
“What is it?” Dewdrop eyed the piece.
“It’s part of Mentor Steel Shine’s sword,” Velvet explained, holding it out for Dewdrop to see clearly. “It… exploded during her fight with Sombra. Scattered pieces of it all over the place. This one was the one stuck in Morning Blade’s eye.”
Dewdrop placed a hand to her chin and hummed. “So, you think this… shard might still contain the Mentor’s sword’s power?”
“That’s the only reason I can think of… Also, I think it was warm when my knife killed Talon.”
“Warm?”
Velvet went on to explain. “Like it was a piece of coal or something.”
“Maybe we should let Frigid know,” Dewdrop took another swig from her bottle. “I’ll get the computer.”
“I’ll do it, Dewdrop,” Velvet leaned up and slowly, but steadily pushed to her feet. “You’re hurt. I’m just tired and I’m getting better. You need more rest than I do.”
Since she was already up, the young Assassin shuffled her feet over to her bag, before returning with the slim silver laptop, placing it on the coffee table in front of the couch before taking a seat on the floor.
Popping the lid, Velvet found the video chat button and double-clicked it. It took a few rings before someone picked up on the other end. Frigid’s face slowly appeared in pixels before forming into a proper clear image.
“Velvet,” Frigid greeted with a nod from the other end. “Is Dewdrop there? Have you both completed the mission?”
Velvet nodded. “Yeah. Talon is dead.”
“And I’m here, Frigid,” Dewdrop called from her spot. “Pretty beat up, but I’m still alive.”
“Good to hear,” Frigid replied with another nod. “Now, details. Were there any complications? Any witnesses?”
Velvet rubbed the back of her head nervously. “Uh, well, there were a couple of witnesses. Nothing we could do about it. Talon made the decision to reveal himself and us to the public.”
“But you weren’t seen up close, were you? You got away before anyone could ID you?”
“I think we did. Dewdrop made sure we got away safely.”
“Sure did, lieutenant,” Dewdrop said, rubbing the side of her head as she shook the bottle of alcohol with her other hand. “No one saw our faces. Plus, they’ve got more to look at. Velvet cut Talon clean in half, through his body armor and everything.”
“You-what? Cut in half?” Frigid looked aghast. “Velvet, more details.”
“I’m still not sure what happened. One moment I was swinging my knife, the next moment, this energy sword kind of just projected out of my blade and cut Talon in two. I’m still pretty puzzled about it.”
“Velvet suggested it might have something to do with that shard she’s got,” Dewdrop leaned back and rested her head against the cushion. “Show him, Velvet.”
Velvet held up the golden metal shard in front of the laptop camera. It glinted in the artificial light, flickering like it was alive.
“You have one of the sword’s shards? That’s the one from Morning, isn’t it?” He waited for Velvet to nod her answer to the him. “So the shard still has power… Hmm, we’ll look over it in detail when you return, but before that… I’ve got one more job for you.”
Dewdrop managed to keep a cool face, but she watched as Velvet’s face contorted into various forms of surprise.
Taking another sip of her scotch, Dewdrop groaned and leaned forward. “Will do, Frigid.”
“B-But… You said we could go back,” Velvet interrupted, looking back and forth between the two senior Assassins. “You said after we deal with Talon, we can return to the bureau.”
“Yes, well, I lied,” Frigid said flatly. “Besides, this is an easy one. Before you know it, you’ll both be back here.”
“But-” Velvet was about to say something else, but Dewdrop clicked her fingers, getting the girl’s attention. The blue haired Assassin made a motion to just accept it. With a sigh, Velvet looked back at the screen and said, “Yeah, we’ll do it, lieutenant.”
“Good. I shall email the target’s dossier over and you can start tomorrow. Good job today, kid. Talon isn’t an easy man to take down.” With everything said, the camera shut off, leaving Velvet and Dewdrop staring at the laptop’s desktop.
Velvet blinked once at the screen before turning to face Dewdrop. “I thought we’d get to go home after Talon,” she said pointedly.
Dewdrop shrugged. “Lieutenant- ahem, acting Mentor Frigid thinks we should go on this next mission, so that’s just what we’ll do. Besides, it’ll be easy. He said so.”
“Yeah, he said so,” Velvet folded her arms and pouted, leaning back against the couch’s bottom. “We’re not him, Dewdrop. You’re hurt and I’m not anywhere near your level of skill yet. How do we know for sure it’ll be easy?”
Dewdrop sighed and tapped the glass bottle, making it ting. “We’ll just have to take his word for it.”
Frigid Night stretched back and sighed as he watched his laptop shut down. His arms had only reached their maximum length when he felt a pair of hands grab them, just above the hidden blades’ tips. A pair of bandaged hands.
“What do you want, Keila?” Frigid said without looking back. “And let go.”
Keila made no attempt to release the Master Assassin. “I heard it all, Frigid. Why did you send them on another mission? You said they’ll be back after this one. That’s one reason why I let you send them.”
Frigid was unable to pull his arms out of her grip, tipped back in the chair he was sitting on. “This one came up. That’s why.”
“Oh, it ‘came up’, did it? That’s your excuse?” Keila shoved Frigid’s hands away, toppling him forward. “Get back on that computer and call them back. You promised that they could come back after Talon.”
Frigid scowled at the Saddle Arabian Assassin and sat still. “They have to do this, Keila. With Talon’s death, the Templars’ media spokesperson will have to come out. This is our chance to get rid of their ties to the news. I’m not calling them back. Not yet.”
“You really think that their media spokesperson is going to be easy to get to?” Keila walked around the table, one hand on the handle of one of her knives. “I doubt that.”
“She never goes around with more than two guards, Keila. She’s a Board member, not the president.”
“If it’s that simple, then why not send Morning Blade or me to do it?” Keila countered. “Surely you can tell that if you send us, then there’s a much higher chance of success? Or are you just that thick?”
“They’re already there,” Frigid returned to his computer screen and scrolled through a list of files. “Besides, they already agreed to do it and it would be a waste of time to call them back just to send you or Morning Blade out there. Oh, and you’ve got a package to protect, in case you’ve forgotten.”
Keila’s scowl deepened, but she took her hand off the knife and sniffed. “Then for your sake I hope you’re right, because if anything happens to them out there, there will be a reckoning between you and I.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to them, Keila,” Frigid narrowed his eyes at the Saddle Arabian Assassin. “Dewdrop is good. She’ll get the job done.”
“Look at you!” she shouted angrily. “What’s become of you, Frigid Night? Why don’t you do the dirty work yourself! Stop throwing everyone’s lives around like they mean nothing! What would High Noon say if he were still here?”
“He’d tell me to go for it.”
“He’d tell you to listen to me!” Keila breathed heavily. “Have you once again forgotten what friends are? Friends aren’t just tools you toss around. You fight to protect them. Look where he is now, because of you.”
Frigid had enough. He pushed off his chair and pushed Keila against the wall, pinning her there. “You have no right to say that! He was my friend! High Noon chose that! I didn’t want him to sacrifice himself, but he did. You think I’d just leave him there? I didn’t want this, Keila. I didn’t.”
“Then how about you man up and actually take some responsibility instead of foisting work on other people, especially children? You want this media spokesperson dead so badly, do it yourself,” Keila shoved Frigid away and glared daggers at him.
The acting Mentor snorted, but didn’t bother to say anything. He returned to his chair and clicked on the file, then attached it to the email to Velvet and Dewdrop before closing the screen, just as footsteps sounded just down the hall, approaching the two Assassins.
“What happened?” Morning Blade asked. Sunset Shimmer was standing by her side, a look of question also on her face. “We heard the shou- oh,” the white haired Assassin said after she saw Keila standing behind Frigid.
“It was nothing, Morning,” Frigid waved a hand. “You can take Sunset Shimmer back to the room.”
“Actually,” Morning piped up. “We were going to go out for a while. You know, stretch our legs. Rarity’s expecting us, well, Sunset and a friend for dinner.”
“Is that a good idea?” Frigid raised an eyebrow. “Your friend’s house might be monitored by the Templars.”
Keila made a noise from the couches where she was now seated. “Didn’t you say that you believed Mirror Match about Sombra’s interest in Sunset fading? Or were you lying about that as well?”
Frigid rubbed a hand through his grey hair and nodded. “I guess you’re right, Keila. You are free to go out for a while, Sunset Shimmer. Don’t stay out too long. Be back before eleven.”
“What are you, her father?” Keila muttered.
“I’m just trying to look out for her,” Frigid said flatly.
“We won’t stay out all night,” Morning said. “We’re just going to have dinner, a while to talk, then we’ll come right back, isn’t that right, Sunset?”
Sunset nodded, one hand holding onto the strap of her backpack.
“Fine,” Frigid gave them his approval before picking up his laptop and heading for the rooms.
Twenty seconds after they heard the front door close, Keila got up and went for the door as well. “I’m going after them,” she announced. “I’m not ruling out the possibility that this Rarity’s house isn’t being watched.”
“Didn’t you just tell me that Mirror said they don’t have any interest in Sunset anymore?”
“Screw that. You might believe her, but I don’t. I’m going.”
Moments later, Keila had whisked out the front door, taking to the rooftops to follow Sunset and Morning, and leaving Frigid Night very much alone.
The yellow-skinned Assassin took a deep breath and exhaled with everything his lungs had. He retreated to his room and placed the laptop on the bedside table before falling onto the springy mattress. He considered leaving the bureau to find Mirror Match, but as much as he wanted to, there were too many possibilities of how the meeting could go wrong. Right now, if they wanted to get through this in one piece, he would have to remain in solitude.
There was a slight chance that Keila was right and Mirror had lied to draw them out, but Frigid just didn’t want to believe that. He wanted to believe that, despite everything, she would come around and tell them the truth. So here he stayed, standing vigil over the last bastion of the Assassins, until time proved otherwise.
“Notes?” Spike asked as Twilight Sparkle levitated a stack of papers into her embroidered saddlebags, at the same time, looking around for something else in the shelves.
“Yup, I’ve got them, Spike,” she replied before she pulled an old faded blue book from the shelf.
“Which book is that?” the baby dragon hopped forward to get a better look.
“It contains some history about the Crystal Empire,” the lavender alicorn explained. “I thought I’d bring this along. It might come in handy.”
“Don’t forget these,” the dragon returned with a bottle of ink and a quill, stuffing them into the saddlebags.
“Right. Thanks, Spike,” Twilight shoved the book in and closed the bags. “I think that’s everything we need for the trip.”
“You sure you don’t want the others to come along?” Spike asked as he trod alongside the alicorn. “I don’t mind the company. I mean, especially if you bring somepony like Rarity along.”
“It’s fine, Spike. We don’t need to bother anypony else. It’s just a quick trip there and back.”
“What so important about going there anyway?” the little dragon threw his hands up as the two made their way to the train station. “Didn’t Sunset Shimmer already tell you everything you need to know in that book?”
“Sunset told me all about these Assassins and how they originated from the Crystal Empire,” Twilight explained on the way. “I want to learn more about what happened there. Directly. And if what Sunset said about Sombra is true, then we need to figure this out, fast.”
“A-assassins?” Spike tremored. “You mean ponies whose job it is to k-kill other ponies? And S-Sombra?”
“Capital ‘A’,” Twilight corrected. “But yes, these ponies- I mean people do kill other people. But don’t worry, Spike. I’m not about to join them, I just want to find out how they started out. And I have a feeling that the answer is in the Crystal Empire somewhere. Maybe we’ll find a way to stop Sombra too.”
“W-what if we find some-some dangerous stuff there?” The dragon looked around, eyes watchful of his surroundings, sweat rolling down his scales. “What if we-we’re hunted for knowing t-too much?”
Twilight gave Spike an amused smile. “Have you been reading that book of conspiracy theories that Rainbow Dash donated to the library again?”
“Umm… No, of course not!” the purple dragon said adamantly. “I-I’m just being cautious. We are dealing with Assassins with a capital ‘A’. For all we know, they might be watching us now, making sure we don’t say anything we shouldn’t…”
“I’m actually pretty sure the Assassins only exist on the other side of the mirror, but that’s part of what I’m going to the Crystal Empire to look into,” she shrugged. “If anything, it’ll be a learning experience.”
The two arrived at the train station, picking a spot under the shelter to wait. It wasn’t too long before a train rolled in, coming to a stop before them as some ponies got out, likely heading home. Twilight and Spike gave a wave to Octavia as she exited a carriage with her cello before entering themselves, finding seats near the back.
“Are Princess Cadance and your brother expecting us or are we dropping by to surprise them?” Spike’s worry seemed to have dissipated after entering the train. “Ooh, maybe we can jump out and surprise them! You know, for fun.”
“I didn’t notify them we were coming, because I didn’t plan on staying very long. I still have Hearth’s Warming duties to take care of back in Ponyville, so I want to keep this visit low-key.”
“Right, low-key…” the dragon agreed. “What do you suppose we’ll find?”
Twilight looked out a window as the train began leaving the station. “Answers.”
The train finally entered the Crystal Empire station, leaving the falling snow behind as it passed into the Crystal Heart’s protection. Princess Twilight Sparkle and Spike prepared to leave as the shining crystal station appeared through the windows as the train came to a slow halt.
“Here we are!” Spike said as he hopped out. “The Crystal Empire. So, uh, it might be a little late to ask, but… where are we starting?”
“Sunset Shimmer did mention a tower in her message,” Twilight rubbed a hoof to her chin. “I don’t suppose there are too many of those here.”
“Maybe we could ask the princess about it?” Spike suggested as the two of them looked towards the palace. “She might know something about that tower.”
“Maybe we should, Spike. I guess that means our first stop is the castle.”
“So much for low-key.”
Spurred on by the thought of meeting her sister-in-law and possibly, brother, again, Twilight trotted off down the main street, occasionally stopping for when a crystal pony wanted to talk to Spike. No matter how many times Spike visited the Empire, the denizens of the Crystal Empire never seemed to tire of Spike or his stories.
These ponies were so happy that you wouldn’t think a dark king had tried to take over in the past. Twilight shuddered at the thought of Sombra returning. They’d only just barely chased him off the last time, plus, she had believed they destroyed him. It seems there was more to this than meets the eye.
Finally arriving at the palace doors, Twilight used her magic to open them, stepping into the crystalline marvel that was the Crystal Empire palace’s main lobby. A few squads of guards littered the area, all out of Twilight’s way, standing at the ready, except for one, a tan colored stallion who she collided into. Again.
“Oh, careful there, princess,” Flash Sentry helped her up with a hoof. “And I apologize for taking your time. They’re already waiting for you.”
“Oohhhh… Thanks,” Twilight rubbed at her muzzle. “And… They’re already waiting? Who?”
The pegasus guard smiled and stepped to the side, pointing a hoof to the throne room doors. “Why the princess, of course, and a couple of guards. At least, I think they’re guards.”
“You think they’re guards?” Spike piped up. “What’s that supposed to mean? Either they’re guards or they’re not.”
“Well…” Flash tapped the side of his crystal helmet. “They kinda look different from the regular ones. I guess you’ll know what I mean when you see them.”
Twilight nodded. “Thanks. I suppose I’ll go see them now.”
“Take care, Princess Twilight.”
Flash nodded at them and continued on his rounds. Twilight glanced at Spike and shrugged. “C’mon, Spike. Let’s go see these ‘guards’.”
Without any further ado, the Princess of Friendship pushed the doors to the royal hall open, where she immediately spotted Princess Cadance and Shining Armor seated at the far end.
“Twilight!” Cadance exclaimed, prancing up to meet Twilight halfway. “Sunshine sunshine, ladybugs awake,” she began.
“Clap your hooves and do a little shake!” Twilight finished happily.
“It’s good to see you again, Twily,” Shining Armor added, pulling his younger sister in for a hug. “And not forgetting you, Spike!” The unicorn nudged the baby dragon’s head.
“I heard you were expecting us?” Twilight questioned the leaders of the Crystal Empire. “How did you know we were coming?”
“Yeah,” Spike added on. “We planned to surprise you and everything.”
Shining Armor turned and beckoned with a hoof. “These two told us. Come on out, guys.”
A grey coated pegasus with an eyepatch over his left eye and wearing a set of gleaming Solar guard armor emerged from behind a pillar, while a familiar batpony dropped from the ceiling, landing close by. As Flash Sentry had said, they did indeed look different from the regular guards, because of their different helmets. Eclipse guard helmets, to be precise.
“You have visitors, Twily,” Shining Armor explained. “Agent Eclair and Agent Cinders.”
“Yes, I’ve met Agent Eclair before,” the lavender alicorn nodded her head in understanding and greeting. “As for Agent Cinders, it’s nice to meet you.”
The stallion nodded and said nothing.
“Oh, you must excuse Cinders, Twily. He doesn’t speak much.”
“Oh, umm… No problem. It’s fine,” Twilight put on her best smile. “So, what are you two doing here? You’re awfully far from Canterlot.”
“The princesses sent us here to aid you on your quest,” Eclair said, saluting crisply. “They told us to assist you in any way possible, Princess Twilight.”
“Princess Celestia and Princess Luna sent you?” Twilight was amazed that the two princesses cared so much about her work. Maybe this was bigger than she had first thought.
“Indeed they did,” Eclair confirmed. “So, Princess Twilight, would you mind briefing us so we can get to work? I’m sure the amount of work must be quite a burden if Princesses Luna and Celestia saw it fit to send us to aid you.”
“So what is all this work you’ve come to do, Twilight?” Cadance asked curiously. “To have agents from both the Lunar and Solar divisions… This must be pretty important.”
“Actually,” Spike said cheerily. “We were hoping you could help us out, Princess Cadance. We’re looking for a tower that used to be the workshop of Star Swirl the Bearded. You wouldn’t happen to know where this tower is, would you?”
“A tower…” Cadance placed a hoof on her chin, tapping it in place as she thought. “I’m not so well-versed in the Crystal Empire’s history, but there are quite a few towers in the castle. I think the library might help you there.”
Cinders tapped Eclair on the shoulder and began an array of interesting gestures that Twilight couldn’t completely follow. The batpony seemed to understand what he was saying and nodded her head.
Eclair noticed Twilight tilting her head to the side and smiled. “Agent Cinders is saying we can double our search efforts, princess. We shall take to the skies and search every tower for this place.”
“Do you know what it looks like?” Spike questioned.
“We will find out, dragon,” Eclair answered him.
Bowing to the royalty, both Eclipse guards spread their wings and swooped out one of the windows, disappearing out of sight.
“That was… fast,” Twilight continued to look out the window. “They might just find it before we arrive at the library.”
“Come on, right this way,” Cadance beckoned, already at the main doors. “I’ll take you there.”
“I’ll get some of the guards and help out in the search,” Shining volunteered. “I’ll see you later, Twily.”
Shining Armor cantered away, leaving Cadance with Twilight.
Cadance beckoned to her sister-in-law. “Come on, Twilight. The day’s not getting any younger.”
Sunset Shimmer and Morning Blade trudged through the last few feet of snow and up to Rarity’s front door. Shivering as the wind went down the back of her shirt, Sunset raised a hand and knocked on the door.
Moments later, Sweetie Belle’s face appeared in the crack between the door, breaking into a smile as she beheld Sunset, then morphing into a face of confusion when she looked behind Sunset and saw Morning Blade.
“Oh, uh, hi, Sunset,” Sweetie Belle said, inviting them in. “Who’s your friend?”
“Oh,” Sunset turned around and pointed at the Assassin. “This is Morning Blade. She’s… uh… An old friend! Yeah. She kinda dropped by unexpectedly, so… I figured I could bring her with me. You’re okay with that, right?”
Morning Blade waved a hand in greeting and pulled at her white braid nervously.
“Oh, okay. What happened to your eye?” Sweetie looked up at Morning curiously.
Morning quickly pulled at her fringe to further hide the eyepatch, blushing slightly. “Oh, well, this… Hey, is that chicken I smell?”
At that moment, Rarity came down the stairs and saw them, a smile breaking out on her face as she did so.
“Oh, Sunset! You made it. I trust you had a… safe journey?”
“Yeah, Morning says we weren’t followed,” Sunset shrugged as they entered Rarity’s home, dusting snow off their shoulders. “How about you? Anything weird?”
“Fortunately, everything has been just fine. Sweetie Belle here even helped me close up shop, isn’t that right, Sweetie?” Sweetie Belle nodded happily as Rarity gave her a pat on the back.
“I still don’t know what’s going on about all this sneaky action,” Sweetie Belle called them towards the dining room. “Rarity said to watch out for ‘strange people’, so that’s what I’ve been doing. Hey, maybe it could be something I’m good at! You think so?”
“I’d rather you try something a little less dangerous, darling,” Rarity chided before returning her attention to Sunset and Morning. “I believe dinner is almost ready, so shall I show you where you can wash up for the meal? Right this way…”
Rarity led the girls into her dining room, which was much cleaner than Sunset had ever remembered it to be. Maybe it was because she was coming over, but it might’ve also been because the fashionista’s parents were home.
“Why, good evening, Sunset Shimmer,” Hondo Flanks smiled, twisting the end of one side of his moustache. Then he turned his eyes to Morning Blade. “I don’t believe we’ve met. Hondo Flanks, and this is my wife, Cookie Crumbles.”
“Nice to meet you,” Morning said warmly, bowing to Rarity’s parents. “I hope you don’t mind me being here.”
“Oh my, how polite,” Rarity’s mother clapped her hands together. “Please, sit. The food’s all ready and we have more than enough for you too!”
“Thank you very much, ma’am,” the Assassin smiled and bowed again, sitting only when Sunset and her friends found their seats after a quick washing of hands at the kitchen sink.
The dining table held an interesting and fragrant array of food, consisting of corn, peas, carrots, potatoes, but what caught Sunset’s eye was the whole chicken, seated in the center, the delicious smell wafting up her nose.
Back in Equestria, she would never have thought she’d ever consume meat in her life, but times have changed and most of the humans here ate meat, so Sunset figured she’d do the same. Besides, it tasted great.
“Think of this as an early Christmas dinner, kids,” Cookie said before everyone picked up their cutlery. “Eat as much as you want.”
“Yay!” Sweetie Belle was the first to dig in, pulling out bits and pieces of everything and tossing them on her plate. “You’re the best, mom!”
As soon as the younger girl was done, Morning Blade took the cutlery and dished out a little of everything for Rarity, the fashionista’s parents, Sunset, then for herself.
“My, you didn’t need to do that,” Hondo Flanks chuckled and tied a napkin around his neck. “But thank you, dear.”
“Sorry, it’s how I was… brought up,” Morning Blade smiled and pulled at her braid again. Sunset noticed the Assassin only did that when she was either nervous, embarrassed, or hiding something.
“Well, your parents brought you up very well, young lady,” Rarity’s father said as he chewed on his dinner.
“Oh, did you know?” Sunset asked aloud for everyone at the table. “Morning Blade’s from CHS as well. A few years ahead of us.”
“No, really?” Rarity widened her eyes as Morning nodded her head. “Small world, isn’t it? So I take it you know most of our teachers?”
Morning Blade looked to Sunset before speaking, like to see if it was alright to tell them. “I know Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna. They were such nice heads. As for teachers, there was Mrs. Harshwhinny, Mr. Bray, Mr. Plugs, Mr. Coach and Mr. Cranky Doodle, I mean, if they’re still there.”
“Hmm, Mr. Coach left just this semester. I don’t recall any Mr. Plugs,” Rarity shrugged after giving it some thought. “What did he teach?”
Morning swallowed her food before speaking. “Computer class.”
“Oh,” Sunset joined in the conversation. “Yeah, we’ve had a new teacher, Mr. Pierce.”
“You don’t know how lucky you are, not having him as your teacher,” Rarity flipped her hair back. “Far be it from me to speak ill of someone behind their back, but his classes are so boring that I’d rather not do up my hair than listen to him speak.”
“What, a teacher can’t be that bad, can he?” Hondo laughed, spilling some chewed peas on his napkin.
“You don’t know the half of it,” Rarity muttered.
“Sounds… sounds like an interesting man,” Morning Blade grabbed for her braid again, stroking down its length a few times. “Glad I didn’t… have to see him.”
Sunset glanced at Morning and frowned slightly. There was something else going on here, but she decided to drop it for now. If she started talking about Assassins and Templars, it would only draw more trouble to Rarity’s family, and that was what she was trying to avoid.
So instead, she asked, “So, uh, Sweetie Belle. Have you and the other Crusaders done anything interesting lately?”
“Oh yeah!” the purple-white haired girl beamed brightly. “We tried farming the other day, you know, maybe we could be apple farmers like Apple Bloom or something.” She looked to Rarity a little nervously. “Umm… I don’t think we were cut out for it…”
“Came back and tracked mud all over the house, if that’s what you mean,” Rarity chided. “Next time you go and do something so physical, so make sure you wash up before coming home.”
“Ah, I remember the days when we were young,” Cookie Crumbles wiped her mouth and hands before continuing. “You know, Hondo and I wanted to be dish washers at one point. Little did we know that it wasn’t a job that paid too well. Well, Sweetie, maybe you’ll be like your sister.”
“Oh no, she’s far too untidy to work in my shop,” Rarity quickly added with a wave of her hands. “Maybe something outdoorsy will work for you, little sister.”
“Well, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo think I’m good at singing, but I’m not so sure myself…”
Sunset relaxed and continued to eat her dinner as the conversation devolved into small talk about schoolwork and what Rarity’s family would be doing over the school holidays. Nice, safe topics, none of which would draw the attention of any nefarious groups that might be listening in.
As they finished up dinner, Rarity motioned for Sunset and Morning to come close.
“I trust that you didn’t come here just for a free meal, Sunset. Have you learned something that you want to tell me?”
“Kind of…” Sunset said nervously, thinking back to her dream.
“I see,” Rarity said. “Well, once you’ve put your dishes away, come up to my room. We can talk there in peace.”
Morning did most of the clearing up, placing all the now empty dishes in the sink. She would’ve probably started washing them too if Rarity’s mom didn’t shoo her away.
“It’s fine, dear. Go spend some time with your friends. I’ll do the washing.”
“Oh, um, as you say, ma’am. Thank you. Oh, and thank you for the food as well.” Morning bowed slightly and left, following after Sunset and Rarity.
“Gee, Morning,” Sunset said as they proceeded up the staircase. “I didn’t know you were so well-mannered. No offense, of course, but I didn’t think… your people were like that.”
“What, you didn’t think Assassins could be polite? We’re not just killing machines. Most of us are- or were human beings like the rest of you.”
“What do you mean ‘most of us’?” Sunset questioned as Rarity closed her door behind them. Morning found a comfortable spot by the wall, while the two younger girls sat on Rarity’s bed. “You’re talking about Frigid Night, aren’t you? That soulless man. You think he’d at least have a heart for the people you all protect.”
“Don’t be too quick to judge him,” Morning sighed. “He’s been through a lot. He still is going through a lot, having been elevated to be acting Mentor.”
“Okay, okay,” Sunset conceded. “But I wish he would just tell us what’s wrong rather than just shutting us all out. It’s not healthy, what he’s doing. He makes it impossible for others to empathize with him.”
Morning Blade sighed again. “It’s not that simple,” she said with a shrug. “As far as I know, he doesn’t want to be empathized with.”
“Yeah, I figured...” Sunset slouched down.
There was a short silence in the room before Rarity brought up another question. “So, Sunset, you had something you wanted to tell me?”
“Yeah…” Sunset breathed in before starting. “I think I had a dream of some sort. I saw her, Rarity. Emerald Edge, the First Assassin.”
“The First Assassin?” Rarity drew back slightly. “You mean how it all began? Are you sure?”
“I think so. I read it in the book, Rarity. The Mentor’s book. Just last night, I dreamt of it. It was so real, how everything was happening in front of me, the crystal ponies, Sombra, all that death… It felt so real that I thought it had to be.”
“From Sunset’s account,” Morning Blade said. “It seems she might be right. Besides, she remembers too many details for it to be just an ordinary dream.”
“Well, if it’s not a dream, what else could it be?” Rarity folded her arms and concentrated. “Could you really have been there?”
“I’m not sure myself, but…” Sunset thought of something, back when Mentor Steel Shine was still around, something that might’ve caused her to see Emerald Edge. “Rarity, Morning, do you think it could’ve been some kind of… side effect from when I touched Mentor Steel Shine’s sword? She said something, about the sword accepting me. Could that have been it?”
“I… don’t understand much of the Mentor’s powers,” Morning admitted, once again, as Sunset had anticipated, pulling at her long braid. It must be a nervous tic, Sunset thought. “She never really spoke to any of us about what she could do, but maybe you’re right, Sunset. That sword was definitely beyond our normal understanding.”
“Morning Blade could be right, dear, but what of these, um, visions?” Rarity mused. “If they are indeed visions, what did they want you to see? Why show you all this?”
“I… I don’t know...” Sunset couldn’t think of anything logical.
“Maybe it’s to show you the history,” Morning Blade shrugged as the girls looked at her. “You know, how the Assassins began. Or maybe it’s to help you understand why you should fight? I’m just tossing ideas around.”
“Hmm,” Rarity mused. “While I can’t be sure of the purpose of these visions, one thing is clear to me. Whatever is causing you to have them must have a reason for showing them to you. If there are more, I would take careful note of what happens in them, just in case it’s important.”
“Wait, you mean there’s going to be more?” Sunset sat back further in shock. “I don’t want to see anymore! It was terrible! All that death and mutilation… I don’t want to see it again!”
“We-ell,” Rarity drew out the word. “In all the books I’ve read, and I have read a lot of them, the dreams won’t just stop at one. I would guess that there will be more, whether you like them or not.”
“Oh man…” Sunset sighed. “Looks like I have no choice then. I better gear myself up before I sleep. Well, enough of me. Rarity, how’s everything been? No offense, but… are you still grounded?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“Grounded?” Morning Blade swallowed when both girls’ eyes turned to her. “I don’t mean to intrude, but on what reason? If you don’t want to, you don’t have to explain. It’s not my place to ask.”
“It’s alright,” Rarity said. “I simply stayed out too long with you Assassins and Sunset. Now, if you don’t mind yourself, I’d like to ask you a question. Why are you so uptight, Morning? You don’t have to ask permission for everything. Just do as you please, dear. We don’t mind.”
Morning Blade shrugged and shoved her hands in her coat pockets. “It’s how I was brought up. I guess my parents didn’t want me to be rude and all that. That, and in the Assassin Brotherhood, Frigid was a very strict teacher. I learned to ask about doing things from him.”
“Frigid Night was your teacher?” Sunset gasped. “But you’re nothing like him.”
“Yes,” Rarity added. “I find it hard to believe that an… ahem, unusual man like him could have trained someone as charming as you.”
“To be fair, he didn’t do all that much training,” Morning Blade shrugged again. “I already knew how to run and climb when I joined the Brotherhood, and he never did teach me much about how to fight. I’m still not much of a fighter, which is why I use the weapons that I do.”
“Were you on the school’s baseball team, by any chance?” Sunset smiled, wanting to know more about Morning’s time at CHS. “They run pretty fast. You know, most of our baseball team members go by the name, Winds of Destruction, because of their speed.”
“That’s cool. There weren’t any Winds of Destruction when I was still in school. And to answer your question, no, I wasn’t on the team. I couldn’t play baseball for nuts, unfortunately. I was actually on the track team.”
“Oh, that makes more sense,” Rarity nodded, kicking her legs back and forth under her bed. “But how did you learn to climb? I’m sure the track team doesn’t offer such training.”
“Well… I kinda learnt climbing and all that from expeditions and hiking. I’d go on those most summer breaks.”
Both Sunset and Rarity widened their eyes and leaned forward. “You go on expeditions?”
“Like, to the jungle and stuff to look for treasure?” Rarity asked, interested in what Morning had to say.
“Something like that,” the Assassin confirmed. “I guess I’m what you call a history maniac. I love studying about history. If I didn’t become an Assassin that day, I think I’d be in college right now, studying history.”
“You’ve got a lot of interesting things about you, Morning, dear,” Rarity said as she arranged her hair. “It’s a wonder why you became an Assassin. There’s just so much more to life for you than all this.”
“I know,” Morning leaned her head against the wall, looking up at the ceiling. “But… I knew this was more important. What’s the point of studying if the Templars are going to take over the world? I had to do this. I had to join the Assassins.”
Sunset understood Morning’s reasoning, but she could never see how someone could simply leave their normal lives to join a group of killers to protect the world. They were fighting for what’s right, but they were doing it their own way, going around the law.
“Well, Sunset…” Morning stretched her arms back and stood up. “It’s about time we go. Frigid wants us back by eleven.”
“What is he, your father?” Rarity made a face. “If you must leave though, then you should, Sunset. You don’t want that cranky Assassin to hound you for staying out late.”
“Keila would agree with you, Rarity,” Morning Blade chuckled and held the door open. “After you, Sunset.”
Sunset got up and gave Rarity a hug before heading for the door. “Thanks for dinner, Rarity. Let your parents know that it was delicious. Remember, make sure to let me know if anything strange happens.”
“Same to you, Sunset,” Rarity followed them out and down the steps. “Don’t get yourself hurt. Morning, you’ll keep her safe, yes?”
The Assassin nodded and pulled her hood over her head. “Yes. I’ll do everything I can to keep Sunset safe. Thanks for having me, even though you don’t know me too well.”
“Hey,” Sunset patted the Assassin’s shoulder. “It’s a start.”
“I’m bringing it up, Dewdrop,” Velvet Breeze alerted the older Assassin as she opened Frigid Night’s email.
Dewdrop walked over, tossing her blue coat over one shoulder as she bent down to look at the lines of text, along with a photograph of their next target.
“Citrus Drops,” Dewdrop read aloud. “The Templars’ media spokesperson… Daughter of deceased Templar, Cough Drops… We already know all this.”
“Well…” Velvet scrolled down, seeing all these notes about their target for the first time. “She’s got family in Canterlot, non-Templar affiliated.”
“Yeah, well, most Templars have outside family,” Dewdrop folded her arms with a snort. “Doesn’t stop us from killing them. They deserve it.”
Velvet went on. The dossier also said Frigid was the Assassin that killed her father and she took his place soon after. Her mother was divorced, living in Canterlot with her younger sister, whom Citrus was very close too.
Velvet was unsure. She didn’t want to take someone’s family member away from them. It didn’t sit right with her.
Dewdrop seemed to sense Velvet’s confusion and sat down beside her. “I know it sounds bad and everything, but these Templars picked their side long before. Remember that. They chose this life. They know their risks and so do we.”
“I guess you’re right, Dewdrop…” Velvet sighed and scratched her hair. “But when you think about it, it kinda gets to you.”
“That’s because you haven’t killed enough of them, Velvet. You haven’t become cold and jaded like us…” Dewdrop seemed to shrink beside the young girl.
“You’re not cold, Dewdrop,” Velvet patted her shoulder. “You have feelings. I’m sure High Noon would think the same if he was still here…”
“Yeah, he would…” Dewdrop sighed and looked away. “Hmm… I wish he was here right now, actually.”
“I miss him too,” Velvet pulled the end of her coat. “High Noon’s always there to cheer me up, even when I didn’t need it.”
“He was, wasn’t he?” Dewdrop smiled slightly, thinking back.
“And he was there for you too,” Velvet blushed, remembering walking in on the two Assassins a few times. “Umm… You know, with all the, umm… Stuff you two do.”
Dewdrop bent back with laughter, only stopping when her head began to hurt again. “Ouch… You’re right, Velvet. He was always there to make me feel better. Don’t you worry, though. We haven’t done anything past kissing. Welllll… there were some exceptions...” Dewdrop smirked. “But even then, we didn’t get very far.”
“Oh, umm… Th-that’s good… I think…”
“But yeah,” the older Assassin slouched forward and blew at her fringe. “I miss him. I wish we left off on better terms. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so critical of him. He was just looking out for me.”
Velvet Breeze didn’t know how to brighten up their conversation. She did indeed miss the cheerful Appleloosan Assassin. High Noon would always talk to her awkwardly, especially when Dewdrop was around, bringing a smile or laugh to the young girl’s face. She’d also noticed that Dewdrop would be nicer after spending time with the cowboy. Even Frigid Night seemed to have gotten worse with Noon’s absence. Without High Noon, Velvet didn’t know how long the Brotherhood was going to hold out for, but she hoped it was at least long enough until Sunset and her friends were safe once again.
“I-I need another drink…” Dewdrop broke the silence, heading over to the small kitchen. “Why don’t you pull up Frigid’s plans, Velvet? See where this Citrus Drops is going to be?”
Velvet nodded silently and pulled up the second email, clicking on Frigid’s name at the top. From what she could gather from his information, Citrus Drops was going to be out, needing to speak to the media about Talon’s demise, which was likely all over the news by now.
This was their chance to get her. To cut off the Templars’ ties with the media. Without Citrus, they’d have to act much more discreetly, unless they wanted to blow their cover.
Velvet sighed. Whether she liked it or not, Citrus Drops was going to have to die. She had family, but so did Sunset and her friends.
Velvet Breeze watched as Dewdrop slung her swords and a strange gun-like object over her back before pulling her grey hood low over her eyes, keeping most of her face in the shadows. The young Assassin did the same, tightening her slingbag across her back to make sure it wouldn’t flail around too much when they were traveling.
She pulled her hood over her head and nodded to Dewdrop. “All set.”
The sun had already began to set in the sky by the time the Assassins left the safehouse, immediately rushing across to the start of the city block before using the pipes and uneven bricks to climb up to the roof.
Snow had stopped falling from the sky for the time being, but Velvet didn’t expect the skies to be clear for very long.
From what Frigid had sent them, Citrus Drops had a room in the Board building where she gave her reports and news to the media. After Talon’s demise, that’s where she was going to be and that was where Velvet and Dewdrop were going to strike. The news reporters were definitely going to be gone before dark, which would leave a little window in between before Citrus herself were to leave the media room.
“Are you sure we’ll make it there at the right time?” Velvet asked as she hoisted herself over a condenser, flipping around and landing on the other side with barely a sound. “What if we miss it? What then?”
“We’ll make it,” was all Dewdrop said as she grabbed the side of a raised wall, climbing up to the top of it before looking back. “We always do.”
The two Assassins made their way over various obstacles, moving from roof to roof as they pushed closer towards the Board of Education’s main building. The email had mentioned Citrus’ office was at the highest floor, which made the Assassins’ job much easier.
“How’re you holding up, Velvet?” Dewdrop asked as she vaulted over to the next building, stopping with a roll, beckoning for Velvet to do the same.
The young Assassin gathered her strength and ran hard, leaping at the last second, sailing in the air for a while before landing on the other side in a short run. Her leg still hurt a little, but it wasn’t enough to stop her from doing what she needed to do.
“I’m handling it,” Velvet huffed as she straightened her hood. “What about you?”
“Nothing a little drink won’t cure after this is over,” the blue haired Assassin patted her friend on the head before continuing their run.
Just as the sun’s rays began sinking below the tallest buildings, Velvet Breeze and Dewdrop found themselves standing on a smaller building, just across the headquarters of the Board of Education.
“So, how do we get across now?” Velvet looked down at the busy streets.
The Board building was well placed, keeping away from any rooftops, situated in the center of surrounding buildings, just like a park in the city.
“Well…” Dewdrop coughed and unslung the gun she’d brought earlier. “I happened to find this in the safehouse. Figured it’d come in handy for reaching our destination over there.”
“What is it?” Velvet asked, inspecting the gun from top to bottom. It was black and long, sort of like a sniper rifle.
“It’s a grapple gun,” Dewdrop held it up in both hands and took aim at the Board building. “You remember Trueshot? I’m pretty sure this belonged to him. It basically has his name written all over it. Now, let’s see here…”
She angled the gun high and pulled the trigger, the grappling hook shooting over to the Board building, trailing a length of heavy-duty cable behind it and biting deep in the brickwork. Dewdrop gave it a few tugs to make sure it was secure before tying their end to a girder.
“Looks good,” Dewdrop smiled and turned to her young partner. “I’ll go first. You hang tight, Velvet.”
Attaching a harness to the cable, Dewdrop took a deep breath before sliding down towards the Board building. Velvet watched anxiously as Dewdrop whistled through the air before alighting on the roof of the Board building with a combat roll.
The blue haired Assassin turned around and waved for Velvet to come over. Stepping forward and taking a deep breath, the young Assassin hooked the harness to the cable, holding tightly to the handles.
Here goes nothing…
With a kick, Velvet left the safety of the roof she was on, holding her feet up like she was hovering over lava as she slid down towards Dewdrop, who was already waiting for her with her arms out.
As soon as she was close enough, Velvet unhooked herself and dropped the last few feet, stopping in Dewdrop’s arms. “All good, Velvet?”
“Yeah,” Velvet backed away and took a few steps to calm her shuddering legs. “Now what?”
Dewdrop smirked. “Now, we crack this joint.”
The two Assassins crept across the rooftop, keeping an eye out for any security cameras that might have been placed on the roof. Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any.
There was a fire escape at the far end of the roof, the red-painted door standing out in the dark. Dewdrop tried the handle, but it seemed that this door could only be opened from the inside. Dewdrop cursed under her breath and gave the door a kick.
“Okay,” she said quietly. “We’ll have to find another way in.”
There was a skylight not too far from their location, and Dewdrop wasted no time in checking out the square frame. There was a lock on the skylight’s edge, and Dewdrop smiled.
“Bingo.”
Producing her lockpicking kit, Dewdrop got to work on the skylight, defeating the lock in less than a minute.
Velvet watched Dewdrop stow the kit, giving her a quick clap on the back. “Good one.”
Hoisting the horizontal window up, Dewdrop grinned and pointed at the hole.
“And in we go.”
Following Dewdrop in, Velvet Breeze landed down on a soft blue carpeted floor of a narrow hallway, her training instantly kicking in, her eyes focusing her eagle vision to scan her surroundings for Templars or anyone else.
“Looks good. Most of the people should’ve already gone home.”
Standing from her crouch, Velvet whipped out her knife from her coat, ready to defend herself if the need arose.
“This way,” Dewdrop whispered, silently making her way down the hall. “She should still be here. Keep an eye out for cameras and people.”
The young Assassin followed her, ducking down under a row of office windows, where a set of late workers seemed to be rushing to get their job done so they can head home.
Just at the turning in the hallway, one of the doors pulled open, forcing Dewdrop and Velvet back into one of the other rooms, which thankfully, was open.
Dewdrop closed the door behind them just as a foot emerged from the next doorway, sighing with relief that they weren’t seen.
“Close one, huh?” she smiled and gave her blue fringe a flick.
Only then did both of them notice a woman seated behind a desk, staring dumbfoundedly at both Assassins. She dropped the pen she was holding and froze on the spot, her brown eyes locked on them.
“Um… Hi, there,” Dewdrop said without moving. “Don’t mind us, we’re just waiting for someone.”
The woman tried to get up, but the older Assassin was already on her, swooping over in a blink of an eye, grasping her head in a chokehold. The woman gasped and gagged, reaching behind her to try and dislodge the Assassin.
Velvet, unsure of what to do, simply waited by the door, watching as the woman’s actions began to slow, before her eyes rolled back and her legs gave way. Dewdrop relaxed her grip and placed the woman back in her chair, putting her arms and head down against her desk like she was taking a nap.
“There,” the blue haired woman dusted her hands. “Like we were never here.”
“Is she alright?” the young Assassin inspected the body, unable to find a Templar insignia on her coat. “She’s not a Templar, is she?”
“Well, I suppose that’s why she’s still alive,” Dewdrop shrugged, opening the door a little, peeking back outside. “Eagle vision, Velvet. Remember, it’s more useful than you might think.”
Turning her head left and right, Dewdrop made sure the coast was clear before calling Velvet out, heading around the corner, looking for the media room. They had to creep past another room with a man standing just by the door, checking something out on his phone. Fortunately, whatever it was he was looking at, it had all his attention.
“It should be around here,” Dewdrop whispered after they passed the occupied office, looking from door to door. “Keep your eyes peeled.”
Velvet concentrated again, turning everything around her dark as she searched for her target. There were plenty of white shapes in some of the rooms, but no sign of any red or gold. Velvet raised an eyebrow as she panned her head, unable to find a single hostile person in the immediate area.
“Dewdrop,” the young girl hissed ahead. “Why aren’t there any Templars here? They’re all highlighted grey.”
“I don’t know, but don’t trust it, Velvet. There’s bound to be some here, perhaps even already ready for us.”
There were voices coming from a few of the office rooms ahead. One was talking about putting food on their families and another was talking about how he was really rich, but the one that caught both Assassins’ attention was the one just up ahead at the end of the corridor.
“Thank you very much for the interview. I’m sorry for the loss of Talon. I hope the authorities find whoever was responsible for this… I think we better go. It’s getting dark and we still have to get back and edit all this.”
“Thank you, and please, don’t let me keep you.”
Velvet and Dewdrop looked at each other before ducking to the right into an empty office, quietly closing the door behind them.
“That’s got to be the one,” Velvet said. She turned to Dewdrop, but the older Assassin was busy looking out the window, her pretty face contorting into a frightening scowl. “D-Dewdrop? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Dewdrop replied quickly, her eyes never leaving the door to the media room.
Velvet kept her eagle vision activated, peeking her head up above the door, watching as the media room door opened, letting two people with a camera and notepad leave, probably the news anchors for some TV channel.
“Coast seems clear now,” the blue-skinned Assassin noted.
Before she could ask Dewdrop what they were going to do next, the pale-skinned Assassin was already moving, pushing their door open and crouching along the corridor without a word. Velvet quickened her pace, unable to go at full speed from her leg injury.
Dewdrop pushed the door open quickly, startling two people in the room with her sudden appearance. One was highlighted red, probably a guard, and the other was highlighted gold, letting out a startled yelp upon seeing the Assassin. She had on a pink fur coat of some sort and a beret atop her purple haired head.
Citrus Drops.
The bodyguard whipped out a pistol and a stun rod as Dewdrop sprinted into him, colliding with the guard and knocking the pistol out of his grip. The guard punched Dewdrop, but she ducked under it and did a leg sweep, sending the guard down onto one knee. The man grunted and swiped at Dewdrop with his stun rod, clipping her across the arm and sending thousands of volts through her system.
Velvet watched as Dewdrop spasmed for a moment, but remained in control enough to deliver a vicious kick to the guard’s chin, knocking him and his stun stick away.
Citrus Drops had retreated to a corner, fear written all over her face, both hands covering her mouth as Dewdrop wrestled with her bodyguard, punching him in the face several times. Velvet was about to rush in to help, but Dewdrop had already extended her hidden blade, bringing it down into the man’s chest multiple times, each time a gasp or gurgle emerging from his mouth along with some blood.
“You okay?” Velvet asked, walking into the room and then closing the door behind her, locking it.
“Better than him.” Dewdrop stood up and kicked the body once. “Now, as for this one…” She turned to the cowering Templar media spokesperson in the corner.
“P-Please…” Citrus shook, tears already streaming down the sides of her face. “Wh-why? Why are you doing all t-this?”
“Why?” Dewdrop sheathed her hidden blade and walked up to her, crouching down a few inches away. “Because you Templars deserve it.”
“Tem-Templar?” Citrus shrank back from the Assassin. “Wha-what Templar? I didn’t do anything!”
“Playing dumb isn’t going to help anyone here,” Dewdrop reached forward and grabbed the purple haired woman by her scarf. “Especially not you. Actually, nothing you say is going to help you. Velvet? Come over here.”
“Yes, Dewdrop?” the young Assassin anxiously stepped forward.
“I think it’s time you learn that these people have already made their choice.”
Velvet looked between Dewdrop and Citrus, nervously rubbing at her hands. “I don’t know, Dewdrop…”
“These people deserve to die. They ruined all our lives, Velvet. All they want is world domination, no matter who stands in their way.”
“No, we don’t want world domination,” Citrus sobbed pathetically. “We’re just the Board of Education. We can’t do any of that!”
“You think we’re going to believe you?” Dewdrop pulled harder on the Board member’s scarf, pulling her forward. “You Templars kill and take everyone and everything from us all. You expect us to believe you don’t do all that?”
“Please, I don’t know what you’re talking about! I’m-I’m just the Board’s media spokesperson! I don’t know anything about this Templar business you want!”
Velvet felt like she needed to do something about this. She had never seen Dewdrop like this before. “Dewdrop, maybe we should-”
“Don’t let her fool you, Velvet!” the older Assassin whipped a hand across Citrus Drops’ face. “She’s just lying to save her own skin.”
“I really don’t know what you’re talking about!” Citrus wailed, feebly trying to extricate herself from Dewdrop’s iron grip. “Please- I have money; please don’t kill me!”
Velvet didn’t know why, but she believed the woman. Something about her seemed genuine, but then again, why would she work so hard to protect the Templars? The young Assassin just didn’t know what to do.
“Come on, Velvet,” Dewdrop called over with her other hand. “You can do this.”
The young girl looked at her hidden blade and then to the Templar. She looked so terrified, not anything like Wolfgang or Talon. They had made it easy to get into the mood of killing, but Citrus was completely defenceless.
“Please…” Citrus looked to Velvet. “I-I have a younger sister. Please don’t take me away from her! We’ve already lost our father to you killers. Don’t make her lose someone else, please…”
Dewdrop growled. “And how many of us have you Templars killed? Don’t try playing the pity card, you gutless wretch.”
“But I don’t know what you want!”
“That’s an easy one,” Dewdrop glared at her. “We want your end. An end to all you Templars.”
There was a knock at the door, followed by a voice. “Hello? Is someone in there?”
Dewdrop quickly shoved a hand over Citrus Drops’ mouth, while her other gestured for Velvet to remain silent, before grabbing the media spokesperson’s hands.
Velvet stood by the desk as still as a statue, slightly holding her breath as one eye watched the door, expecting it to rattle open at any moment.
Citrus squirmed and tried to yell under Dewdrop’s hand, but the older Assassin clamped harder on her mouth and she stopped, tears sliding down her cheek and onto Dewdrop’s hand.
“Come on, Fax, we should go if we want to be home for dinner,” a female voice outside said.
“Yeah. Must’ve been my imagination,” the first voice replied. Velvet heard footsteps leaving the door. “I thought Citrus was still in there with the newscast or something.”
“I’m pretty sure they’d already left. Come on, I’m starving. Let’s go,” the other voice said, fading away.
After a few more seconds of silence, with the exception of muffled whimpers from Citrus, Dewdrop looked to Velvet again, calling her forward with a head motion. “Time to finish here, Velvet.”
Sighing, the young Assassin stepped forward and extended her hidden blade, causing the media spokesperson to struggle more in Dewdrop’s grasp. Velvet Breeze looked into her eyes, raising the blade up, hovering close to her neck, ready to strike.
Even though Dewdrop had a hand over Citrus’ mouth, Velvet could almost imagine what she was saying from the look in her fearful eyes.
“Please don’t do this…” It was almost as if Velvet could actually hear her in her mind. “I have family. Please let me go back to them.”
Velvet knew what she had to do. If they were going to keep the world the way it was, the Templars had to go, but Citrus… Citrus didn’t feel like a Templar.
The young Assassin paused her arm, holding it back, then slowly lowering it as she sheathed her hidden blade. “I… I can’t do it, Dewdrop. She… She doesn’t deserve it.”
At this, Dewdrop seemed to bristle, her eyebrows coming together.
“She is a Templar. They took your sister away from me. Isn’t that enough of a reason to kill her?”
“B-but… I don’t think she is, Dewdrop,” Velvet looked at the cowering Citrus Drops. True, she did lose her sister to these people, but Citrus was no killer. “Just look at her. I don’t think she knows what’s really going on.”
Citrus shook her head in agreement. Dewdrop slowly removed her hand, wiping Citrus’ spit on her pant leg.
“We’re sorry about all this,” Velvet moved in to help the shaken woman. “But you work for very bad people, Citrus. They’re not just some random Board of Education. They want to control the world and they’ll stop at nothing to get what they want.”
“But… How? The chairman-”
“The chairman isn’t in charge.” Velvet used her eagle vision to make sure Citrus wasn’t hostile. Her gold aura had faded into a grey one, which was a good sign. “You’re all being controlled by someone called Sombra. He’s a terrible man, killing anyone standing in his way.”
“W-What?” Citrus seemed more confused about her own organization than the two Assassins.
“You can’t help him,” Velvet patted her shoulder. “You have to let the world see them for who they really are. If you stop covering for them, they won’t be able to act so openly.”
“Velvet, stop telling her everything,” Dewdrop scowled and folded her arms.
“She needs to know the truth about the people she works for,” Velvet explained, hoping the blue haired Assassin would understand. “The Templars are bad people. Citrus, if you leave this city and the Board, we’ll let you go as long as you stop helping them. Go be with your sister instead.”
Dewdrop frowned as Citrus looked from Assassin to Assassin.
“Y-You mean that? If I just leave town, you won’t kill me?”
“You can’t work for these Templars anymore,” Velvet tried to sound as convincing as you can. “Leave your job. Find a job close to your family, anything that will get you away from this fight.”
“O-Okay…” Citrus wiped at her eyes as the young Assassin helped her stand up. “I-I will. Thank you, thank you for this second chance. I-I’ll make it up to you, I promise. I’ll do just as you said.”
The Assassins stepped aside, allowing Citrus to leave. Velvet watched Dewdrop, afraid that she was going to get yelled at or something, but the other Assassin’s eyes weren’t fixed on her. They were still fixed on Citrus, a fierce scowl forming on her face.
“Dewdrop,” Velvet said softly. “It’s the right thing to do. She’s not really one of them. She’s not hostile.”
The older Assassin didn’t say anything. She simply shoved both hands into her coat pockets and continued to stare at Citrus as she made for the door.
Pulling the door open, Citrus Drops gave Velvet one last nod, one of gratitude, before exiting outside. She had barely left the media room when a loud gunshot blasted right next to Velvet’s ear, making her jump.
Then there were a few more shots as Citrus fell to her knees, cradling her chest; Velvet could see multiple wounds on her back, blood quickly spreading across her pink coat.
“Dewdrop, no!” Velvet yelled, watching the smoking barrel of the blue haired Assassin’s pistol fire three more shots before clicking empty, each bullet puncturing Citrus’ back.
And then the purple haired woman fell back, her glassy eyes staring straight back at Velvet, followed by the sound of footsteps from down the hallway.
“It’s Citrus!” she heard someone yell from outside the room. “She’s been shot! Get security!”
“We need to go. Now.” Dewdrop stowed her pistol and yanked Velvet by the arm, heading for one of the room’s windows.
“Dewdrop, you didn’t… You didn’t have to…” Velvet couldn’t take her eyes off Citrus’ body as she followed the older Assassin.
Dewdrop pulled Velvet along as the thundering footsteps of security guards made themselves known. “Yes, I did.”
Pushing open the window, Dewdrop held it up to let Velvet go first, keeping an eye on the door. The young Assassin crawled up on the windowsill before hopping up and grabbing a pipe, using it to haul herself up to the roof. Reaching the top, she turned around and helped Dewdrop up, the other Assassin just a few seconds behind her.
“Thanks,” she rubbed at her head where her cut was. “Now let’s get out of here, before the heat arrives.”
Deciding that she’d leave the conversation for later, Velvet broke into a jog, running closely behind Dewdrop as they rushed for the opposite side of the building. She didn’t know what happened back in the media room, but she had plenty of questions buzzing about her mind.
Dewdrop went off the building first, diving over at a flagpole where a flock of birds had gathered. Velvet Breeze did the same, feeling the wind blow against her body as she fell towards a dumpster.
She felt bad for giving Citrus hope where there was none, not to mention she was furious and confused by Dewdrop’s actions. When they returned to the safehouse, Velvet hoped she would get the answers she wanted.
“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.
Sunset Shimmer’s eyes fluttered open, noticing the dirty beige ceiling above her head. The girl groaned as she rose to a sitting position, rubbing at her head.
“What time is it…?” she mumbled to herself, looking around her room.
“Eight AM, Sunset,” Morning Blade said. She was seated on the floor, next to the door. “You slept well,” she ended with a yawn.
“What are you doing here?” Sunset patted at her hair. “Shouldn’t you be out in the living room with Keila?”
“I was going to see if you wanted breakfast, but I didn’t want to wake you,” Morning Blade rubbed at her eyes. By the looks of it, she was the one that needed sleep; she had dark circles under her eyes and seemed to be swaying on the spot.
“Morning, did you even sleep last night?” Sunset asked.
“Hmm? Well… not exactly…” the Assassin scratched at her white hair.
Sunset shifted her feet off the bed and stretched her arms and back. “I know you’re protecting me and everything, but you still need to sleep. It’s important.”
Morning Blade got up and dusted her brown coat. “We’re Assassins. Sleep isn’t something high on our list.”
“It’s still important,” Sunset countered. “How can you protect me if you’re about to collapse from exhaustion?”
“Don’t you worry,” Morning placed a hand against the wall to steady herself. “I can still catch a fly with my hidden blade, no problem.”
At that moment, Keila popped her head around the door, a breakfast roll in her mouth.
“Sunset’s right, you know. After a good night’s sleep, I feel so much better.”
“What if the Templars decide to attack at night?” Morning Blade retorted. “What then?”
Keila rolled her eye. “Morning, the door is made of solid reinforced steel. If the Templars show up, we’ll know. Besides, our acting Mentor assured us that they won’t show up, remember? If anything happens, it’s all on him.”
Morning Blade looked unconvinced, but then she yawned widely.
“Well, maybe a couple of hours of sleep couldn’t hurt…” she said quietly. “But that means Keila’s your bodyguard now. At least until I wake up.”
“No problem,” Keila said brightly.
“Do watch out for her, Keila,” Morning headed out the door. “She’s… pretty fun to talk to.”
“So…” Sunset looked around the room after it got quiet. “What are we going to do?”
“That depends entirely on you, Sunset Shimmer. I’m fine with whatever you deem worth doing.”
“Well, uh…” Sunset scratched her head and thought. “I’ve been kind of wanting to go back to my apartment. You know, get some fresh changes of clothes? Can we do that?”
Keila stepped aside and gestured with her hand. “Lead the way, Sunset Shimmer.”
Sunset waved to Morning Blade as she headed back to her room, her feet close to shuffling themselves, encountering Frigid Night at the living room table. Sunset had never seen him sleep, but he looked like he didn’t even need to, and that made him less human than the girl already thought he was.
“Any word on Velvet and Dewdrop?” Sunset found herself asking the yellow-skinned Assassin. “When are they coming back? You said it was a quick one.”
“They did it,” Frigid said without facing her. “They’ve taken care of the target. The Templars have lost their hold on the media.”
“Good,” Keila placed a hand on Frigid’s shoulder, and by the looks of it, she was putting a decent amount of pressure on it. “Now call them back. I don’t care what you say. You are not sending them on another mission.”
“I told Dewdrop she could come back,” Frigid shrugged. “But she wants to go after Wolfgang, seeing as he was spotted in Manehattan not too long ago.”
“You told her, didn’t you?” Keila raised her voice and squeezed harder on the acting Mentor’s shoulder. “You knew she would want to go after him. Call them back now, Frigid. Do it.”
“I told you, Keila, I tried,” the male Assassin shrugged out of Keila’s grip and stood up. “I told her to come back, but she insisted she take down Wolfgang first. If you have any beef, you take it up with Dewdrop. I’m simply doing as she requested now.”
Keila gritted her teeth and pushed past him, walking for the main door. “You’re full of it, you know that? Come on, Sunset Shimmer, let’s go.”
Sunset gave Frigid one last look, before following after Keila. Sometimes she really wondered what was going on in that man’s head for him to do what he did.
“Really, you know?” Keila said after she locked the door behind them. “Frigid is just the worst. I tried to be nice, back when we first met, but he just refuses to open up or trust us.”
“Morning Blade said to give him time,” Sunset pulled her scarf tighter around her neck. “She thinks there’s still good in him.”
“Yeah right,” Keila shook her head. “If there was any good left, it went out the window when he sent Velvet to your school. He’s a coward, Sunset Shimmer.”
“No offense, but Frigid wouldn’t exactly blend in well as a student.”
“There are other ways to get things done. It’s because he was afraid, Sunset Shimmer. He was afraid he’d run into Mirror Match.”
Sunset heard the stories. “But why? Doesn’t he have history with her? Like, that kind of history with her?”
“He’s afraid that he can’t do what is needed, and believe me, he can’t.” Keila picked up her speed, forcing Sunset to move faster. “He needs to stop chasing her and do the right thing.”
Sunset Shimmer watched the Saddle Arabian Assassin as she walked beside her, her brown coat flapping in the wind behind her shoulders. Not too long into their walk, Sunset felt she needed to address the problem.
“Umm… Keila? I know you’re used to wearing your coat only on your shoulders, but… don’t you think it’s a bit… suspicious to walk around with all your bandages showing?”
“Nah, not really.”
“But aren’t you cold?” Sunset asked, looking at Keila’s bare arms and abdomen, and back to her own scarf and leggings.
“I don’t feel the cold,” Keila explained. “Haven’t been able to since my fight with Sombra back in Masyaf.”
“Is that because of the explosion?” Sunset watched the Assassin stride alongside her. “The one in Saddle Arabia a few years ago?”
“Remember how I told you I was the only survivor from Masyaf?” Sunset nodded. “Well, after the explosion I went back to look for anyone else who might have made it, and I ran into Sombra. He… kicked my ass, pretty much. Blasted me with the Apple. Since then, I’ve been unable to feel things like cold, or heat, or even some kinds of pain.”
“So that’s why…” Sunset folded her arms. “But feeling is one thing. Doesn’t it still affect you the same way it affects us? What if you get hypothermia? Or heat exhaustion? You can still get those, right?”
Keila shrugged. “I dunno. Never really cared to find out. Well, enough about my life, Sunset Shimmer. It hasn’t exactly been all rainbows and sunshine. Tell me about yours. I heard you were a magical demon once.”
As they walked along the streets of Canterlot, Sunset explained to Keila all about her travel from Equestria to the human world when she had first left Princess Celestia. She already knew what to say, seeing as this was the third time she was explaining everything within the month.
They had only just passed Sugar Cube Corner when Sunset ended with the defeat of the sirens and her acceptance by the student body. Unsurprisingly, Keila wasn’t shocked or even a little bit impressed with her tales of magic and creatures.
“Well, I’m glad you’re on our side now, then,” she said as she moved out of the way of a fairly large man wearing a black coat. He didn’t seem bothered by her lack of winter wear. “Imagine if you were to ally yourself with Sombra. Now that would be something to fear.”
“Yeah…” Sunset remembered Sombra tearing apart the crystal ponies and wiping out the majority of the Assassins back at the Trottingham bureau. She didn’t want to have any part in that. “I’m glad I found the magic of friendship before he found me.”
In order for Sunset to get home, she had to make a trip past Canterlot High School. It was on the pavement on the other side of the street did Sunset notice there was something new at the front of her school.
Standing next to the pavement were several construction workers, each of them crowded around a truck. A small crane had been set up on the side, and it was currently in the process of lifting a tall spire of black crystal that was at least three meters tall. Two other similar spires decorated the lawn around the Wondercolts statue.
As Sunset and Keila watched, the crane lowered the spire onto the grass, where it settled into a pre-dug hole, standing at attention and pointing skyward.
“Black crystal…” Sunset immediately recognized the dark colored obelisks. “This must be Sombra’s work, but…”
“This must be the auditorium Frigid mentioned in the reports,” Keila narrowed her eyes at the construction project. A group of workers lugged a cart of metal plates over to one of the spires. “They’re building it here, right at the front lawn of your school. What are they up to?”
“We should go around,” Sunset pulled on Keila’s coat sleeve. “They might recognize you.”
Keila pulled her coat out of the girl’s grip. “I want to know what they’re up to.”
The Assassin stalked up to the construction site, only to be stopped by a portly man in a fluorescent jacket and a yellow hard hat.
“Sorry miss, no entry past this point. We’re still working here, and it’s dangerous.” He didn’t seem to be bothered by her bandages.
Keila looked like she was about to brush past the man, but Sunset grabbed hold of the Assassin’s hand, holding her back.
“We can’t do that, Keila,” Sunset hissed, pulling the Saddle Arabian back to the border of CHS’ lawn. “You’ll get in trouble.”
“But what are they building here?” Keila turned her head back to the construction site, where some plates were now being arranged against one of the black spires. “What is this auditorium for?”
“Sunset Shimmer?” Sunset and Keila turned to see Vice Principal Luna approaching them from the main building. Besides her usual attire, she had on a blue scarf and a purple jacket going down to her knees.
“Vice Principal Luna?” the fiery haired girl raised both eyebrows in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“Why, I’m overseeing the construction,” she pointed a finger at the spires. “Someone has to make sure they don’t damage anything. So, who’s this? A friend?”
Sunset looked and Keila and smiled. “Umm… Yeah, she’s a friend. She’s from… out of town.”
Luna eyed the Assassin from head to toe and nodded. “I can tell, no offense, of course.”
Sunset decided to quickly change the subject, in case her vice principal decided to ask about the bandages.
“So, Vice Principal Luna, what is this that they’re building here?”
“Oh, this? It’s a new auditorium, Sunset. A gift from the Board of Education.”
“An auditorium? Out in the front lawn?”
“They insisted our Wondercolt statue be the centerpiece of this new building. The… prize of the auditorium.”
“Prize?” Sunset wasn’t buying that reason. Did Sombra know of the portal to Equestria? “But on the front lawn?”
“I don’t know, Sunset,” Luna shrugged and folded her arms. “That’s all the Board informed me. I know it’s strange to have it block the school building, but it’ll be a new place for us to host events and such.”
“You should ask about it,” Keila finally spoke. “Don’t you find this any bit suspicious?”
The vice principal tilted her head. “Suspicious? Why on earth would I think that?”
Sunset quickly intervened, pushing Keila back towards the streets. “Well, it’s nice to see you, Vice Principal Luna, but we’ve got to go. I still need to grab some stuff.”
“Well, take care, Sunset Shimmer,” Luna smiled and waved as Sunset pulled Keila along. “Enjoy the break!”
“Why did you pull me away?” Keila asked once they were out of earshot. “We still don’t know what they intend to use it for.”
“I can hazard a guess,” Sunset looked back one more time to the school’s statue. “I think I understand Sombra’s plan. We need to get to my place. I need to warn the princess.”
Vice Principal Luna looked down at her phone, pressing the send button as she watched the bar fill up. On her screen was a picture of Sunset Shimmer and her bandaged friend, walking away from the site.
Tapping on the text box, the vice principal began a new message.
Sighting of Sunset Shimmer as you have requested, Chairman Wood. I’ve done as you’ve asked. I hope you remember your promise.
She sighed and kept her phone in her jacket, looking up to the sky as the sun shone its rays down around her. She felt guilty for ratting out a student’s information like that, but she had no choice. Celestia remained adamant about giving the Board the information they want, but Luna didn’t want to sit back and watch her sister lose her job.
She knew Celestia wouldn’t like what she was doing, but Luna knew she was doing it all for her. CHS was their home and if they wanted to stay, one of them was going to have to do as the Board of Education requested, and Luna was that person.
I’m sorry, Sunset, but this is for my sister. I hope you understand.
As soon as they arrived at her apartment, Sunset Shimmer wasted no time in grabbing the extra clothes she needed, before unzipping her bag and retrieving her book. The floor was a little dirty, seeing as she hadn’t been home in a few days, but otherwise, everything was as she had left it.
“So what do the Templars want?” Keila leaned back against the wall and folded her arms. “You seem to be in a hurry to let your friend know, so I guessed it must be important.”
“That statue in the middle, Keila?” Sunset said as she flipped the book open to a blank page. “That’s the way to Equestria, my world.”
Keila stayed silent for a few seconds as Sunset put her pen to her paper, starting her message to Twilight Sparkle. It was only when Sunset had written her fifth sentence did Keila speak again.
“So what do you think he wants?”
“I’m afraid that Sombra knows about the portal, and is trying to do something with it, like maybe siphon off more magic from it or something. If that happens, I’m afraid the portal might lose its magic, closing the way between our worlds...”
“Siphon? He can do that?”
“Maybe,” Sunset nodded her head. “We don’t exactly know what that auditorium is for, but it might just be that.”
“You’ve seen what he can do with the Apple,” Keila said. “More magic? Sounds bad.”
“That’s what I think,” Sunset continued to scribble in her book. “We won’t know for sure, but I have to let my friend know. Maybe she can do something about it.”
“What about us?” Keila pointed out the nearby window, overlooking the streets. “We can go back, smash everything they’ve built up.”
“That sounds like a terrible idea,” Sunset said flatly. “Won’t that just draw a big target on Canterlot and have Sombra send in all the Templars to look for us? Besides, if those black crystals are magical, they could explode if we try to break them. Crystals tend to do that when magically charged and put under pressure.”
“You’re right, Sunset Shimmer,” Keila blew at her hair. “I hate that. Well, are you finished? We should head back.”
“Here’s hoping my friends can do something about Sombra from the other side.” Sunset lifted her pen and reread her work, before closing it and replacing it in her backpack. “I’m ready. We can leave.”
“Good,” Keila smiled and walked for the apartment door. “When we get back, I’ve got something planned for you.”
“You want to teach me what?” Sunset stared at Keila, her mouth agape.
The two had earlier returned to the Canterlot Bureau, situating themselves in the living room, before Keila returned from the armory.
“I want to teach you how to defend yourself,” Keila said plainly. “If by some freak chance the Templars manage to track us down and catch us unawares, it would be good if you knew how to fight, just in case we’re unable to do it for you.”
“Yeah, but…” Sunset shook her head. “So what, you’re going to teach me some martial arts moves?”
“Better than that,” the Assassin smiled and reached behind her back, drawing a thin sword and offering it hilt-first to Sunset. “I’m going to teach you how to wield a blade. Now as there’s no time to teach you the finesse required for a hidden blade, I think that we might be able to make some headway with a sword.”
“But I can’t go around carrying… carrying that!” Sunset took a step back. “What would people think?”
“I’m not asking you to go around carrying it, but in the case that the bureau is attacked, I think it would be wise to know your way around a blade.” Keila’s expression softened. “I’m not asking you to kill anyone. That’s our job. But you should at least learn how to look the part; it might give any attackers pause enough for us to get to you.”
“Well…” Sunset didn’t see anything wrong with that. Maybe it was a good idea to at least learn how to handle one. She accepted the sword from the Assassin and held it firmly in her hands. “Okay, I guess I’ll give it a try, but I’m sure it takes years to learn how to use one. What are you going to be able to teach me in a day?”
“Well, for starters, we can work on your stance. Looking ready to attack is the first stage of actually attacking. Put your feet apart like so, and raise the sword in front of you.”
Keila demonstrated the correct form, which Sunset did her best to copy.
“Blade higher up, and not so much of a hunch… and there! You look ready to fight.”
Sunset looked at herself and then back at the Saddle Arabian Assassin. “I’m sure anyone can be ready to fight.”
“Sure. That’s why I’m teaching you.” Keila turned her body to face Sunset, lifting her blade high. “Now, let’s move on to protecting yourself from another’s blade. I’m going to teach you a disarming maneuver. You see, when an opponent comes at you like so…” Keila swung her sword in slow motion at Sunset. “You catch it with your own sword and rotate it so that your opponent is forced to drop their weapon.” She then demonstrated the move. “Now we’ll practice. I’m going to come at you-”
And that was as far as Keila got before Sunset’s blade darted out and twisted the sword from the Assassin’s hands, sending it clattering against the wall, before it fell to the ground. Even Frigid Night looked over and pulled his hood back in surprise.
“How did you…” Keila looked down at Sunset’s hand, which still held the sword. “How did you do that so quickly?”
Sunset looked equally perplexed. “I-I don’t know. It just felt like the right thing to do,” She looked up at Keila’s face. “Beginner’s luck?”
“Hmm…” Keila moved over to pick up her sword and readied herself again. “Let’s try it again.”
Sunset swallowed and got her stance ready again. She was aware the acting Mentor was now watching them, his eyes away from the computer screen.
Keila swung her sword again, this time a little faster than the first, aiming it for Sunset’s head. Without thinking, Sunset raised her own sword to block, then twirled on the spot to knock the Assassin’s blade wide before bringing her own sword up to Keila’s neck.
“Okay, that’s definitely not beginner’s luck.” The female Assassin raised both hands and grinned at her. “Are you sure you haven’t done this before?”
“I-I don’t believe I have…” Sunset lowered her arm and inspected the sword. “What’s going on, Keila? How can I do all this?”
“I don’t know…” Keila put her hand to her chin and looked down. “You don’t think the Mentor’s sword did something to you back at the Trottingham bureau, do you?”
“I don’t know. She never taught me how to fight, unless…” Sunset recalled the dream she had last night. “I dreamt of the First Assassin again last night. Do you-do you think it might be something to do with it? She was using a sword and I swear she looked right at me before I woke up.”
“Special dreams, hmm?” Keila continued to ponder. “Hey, all this magic and stuff is new to me, so it is a possibility.”
“I don’t know,” Sunset admitted. Did the dream really give her the skills to swordfight?
“I want to see this for myself.” The fiery haired girl turned her head as Frigid Night got up and walked over, standing across from Keila. “Come on, Sunset Shimmer. My turn to test your skills.”
“Back off, Frigid,” Keila took a step towards him. “I’m training her. Don’t you have work to do?”
“Does it matter who she learns from?” Frigid stared at her. “I just want to see what she’s capable of. If this dreaming thing is all real, she should have no trouble defending herself against me, correct?”
“M-Maybe I should stop,” Sunset stepped back towards the way, further from the acting Mentor.
“Just one round,” Frigid said as he unsheathed both hidden blades. “I’ll try not to kill you.”
“Frigid, stop,” Keila stepped forward and raised a hand between the two of them. “You’re not going to hurt her.”
“Yeah, I won’t be. Step aside, Keila.” Without waiting any longer, the grey haired Assassin ran forward, pushing past Keila and thrusting a blade at Sunset’s head.
“Frigid, no!” Keila reached out.
Sunset acted before the Saddle Arabian could pull Frigid away, raising her sword and redirecting the hidden blade strike away from her head in a plume of sparks. She blocked a second stab before following through on the motion, sweeping the sword at Frigid’s midsection. The acting Mentor leapt away to avoid it, but Sunset pressed the attack, raining down heavy, measured blows on the Assassin. Despite their difference in height, Sunset seemed to hold the advantage, seemingly able to defend against all Frigid’s attacks.
How am I doing any of this? Sunset asked herself with much disbelief.
Then Frigid did something Sunset did not expect. With a flick of his wrist, the single hidden blade on his left hand split into a trident formation and caught Sunset’s sword in between them. The acting Mentor then thrust at Sunset’s chest with his right-hand blade.
But Sunset would not be so easily outdone. She kicked Frigid away before lining up for the big thrust, the Assassin temporarily off his balance. Stabbing forward, Frigid was barely able to twist aside as Sunset ran the blade through his coat. She laughed, the exhilaration of it overwhelming her. No longer was she a helpless human to be looked after. Now she could fight, and protect those she cared about. Flicking the sword to the side, she parried one more hidden blade before ducking under another incoming stab.
Sunset was about to spin another attack in when Keila stepped between both of them, pushing them back. “Okay, that’s enough. Frigid, I believe you’ve seen enough for yourself.”
“I have.” The male Assassin sheathed his blades and straightened his coat, looking at the new hole in the side. “You did well, kid.”
Then he went back to the table and got back to work on his computer.
Sunset panted and breathed, still trying to believe everything she just did. She looked at the sword in her hands once more, before handing it to Keila.
“You did really well, Sunset Shimmer,” the black and white haired Assassin accepted the weapon. “Whatever it was that happened to you, I’m glad it did. For once, I get to see Frigid put in his place.”
“I heard that,” the acting Mentor grumbled.
Keila ignored him. “I thought I was going to train you to defend yourself, but look at yourself. You don’t need any training.”
“But… How could all this happen? From one dream?” Sunset pushed her hair out of her face. “What is this dream?”
“Maybe it’s not a dream,” Keila threw out as she sat on a couch. “Maybe it’s more than that. Perhaps a gift from the First Assassin herself.”
“Whatever it is, I’m glad it happened,” Sunset smiled and clenched a fist. “I can now protect my friends and I owe it all to Mentor Steel Shine. Perhaps if she didn’t let me touch that sword of hers, none of this would happen. I’m sure of it, Keila. That sword is more than a weapon. It held her essence. Emerald Edge’s essence.”
“That’s a lot you’re guessing, Sunset Shimmer.”
“Yes, but the more I say it, the more reasonable it’s all starting to sound. Touching the sword must’ve given me these dreams. Emerald Edge wants to show me something. It’s my job to figure out what.”
“You’re an interesting girl, Sunset Shimmer, I’ll give you that,” Keila wore an impressed face. “Well, training’s done. What would you like to do now?”
Sunset was going to answer, but her stomach answered for her first, giving off a low growl.
Princess Twilight Sparkle had only spent a few hours in the library with Princess Cadance and Spike when word came back that the two Eclipse agents might’ve found the tower.
Closing the book she had, Twilight followed Cadance out, explaining to her the reasons why they were here.
“Emerald Edge,” Cadance repeated as she threw the library doors open with her magic. “I know that name. Royal spymaster of my predecessor, Princess Amore.”
“Spymaster?” Twilight asked as she beckoned for Spike to hop on her back.
Cadance and Twilight took flight, moving through the castle halls with speed. “Back in the old times, the princess would have one spymaster, a pony that could gather information and, ahem, remove threats to the empire secretly, perhaps something like the Eclipse agents today. Emerald Edge was one of them.
“They gave their lives for the empire, Twilight. No one really knew what they were doing until you mentioned all this, but each brave pony held strong against Sombra to the death.”
“I feel sorry for them,” Twilight shook her head sadly. “The risked it all to get Emerald Edge to the other world.”
“Well, it makes sense that nopony’s ever heard of this if they were locked away in some tower,” Spike said his piece as they flew out through a window into the night sky.
They soon spotted the tower with help from the Eclipse guards; Agent Cinders was outside the tower’s only door, reflecting moonlight off on a small mirror to signal the princesses and Spike.
The grey coated agent quickly moved out of the way to allow them to land, their hooves clattering on the crystal floor before coming to a halt.
The guard raised a single hoof and pointed it downward.
“Down?” Spike asked as the agent headed through the door, directing them to follow.
Cinders nodded.
“Well then, let’s go,” Twilight was the first to move after him. “Lead the way, Agent Cinders.”
The princesses lit up their horns with magic light as the tower’ steps led down into total darkness, the light from the doorway already fading.
The area around them was quiet, almost like the calm before a storm, and it wasn’t a pleasant feeling.
Agent Cinders seemed to know where he was going, trotting down ahead of the princesses, ahead of the light source. Twilight figured he must’ve been somewhat used to the dark, but that was odd, considering he was a Solar Eclipse agent.
“Umm… Twilight?” Spike brought her attention back with a pat. “Your saddle bag is shaking. Is it your book? Is Sunset Shimmer trying to contact you?”
“Sunset?” Perhaps her friend in the other world had more news, but unfortunately, now wasn’t a good time to get the book out. “I’ll check the book when we get to a brighter spot. Plus, I don’t want to fall down into the depths right now.”
“But… You have wings.”
That comment made Twilight step in her tracks. Of course, she had wings!
“Why are we still walking?” she giggled and spread her feathery appendages.
Stepping off the steps, she glided down in the dark, her horn lighting the way down. Soon, she was able to see the floor below, reflecting her light back at her.
“Good thinking, Twilight,” Cadance landed close by, followed by the silent agent. “Sometimes we forget simple things like that.”
The path ahead was also pitch black, but nothing a little magic couldn’t handle. With a cast of her horn, Twilight lit up a row of wall sconces, lighting the long hallway with bright pink lights.
At the end stood an old door, its frame off the hinges, along with Agent Eclair, who was inspecting the door thoroughly.
“Ah, Princess Cadance, Princess Twilight,” she bowed slightly. “I believe this is it. The door, it has indication that it was blasted off with something powerful. See the scorch marks? Magic.”
“Not just any magic,” Cadance stiffened and frowned. “Do you feel it, Twilight? There is still some residue here. It was dark magic.”
Only one pony had that a thousand years ago.
“Sombra…” Twilight breathed.
“Therefore, this must be the correct tower,” Eclair explained. “We searched a few others. This is the only one with damage like this, and…” Eclair pointed a hoof above the door, where a faint sigil of a swirl of stars could be seen, worn with age. “Cinders was the first to see it. No mistake, this is it.”
“Good work, agents,” Twilight smiled and moved to the door. It was made of solid wood and yet, was able to withstand a blast of Sombra’s magic without being shattered to pieces. Star Swirl the Bearded must have cast some strong magic on it when he was still here.
“Here,” Cadance joined her sister-in-law and wrapped the door in magic. “Help me with this, Twilight.”
The lavender alicorn did the same, the two of them steadily lifting the heavy door, placing it at the side, leaving a large enough gap to allow them to head inside.
“So what do we have in there?” Twilight huffed as she released her magical grip on the door.
“Equipement,” Eclair looked around, searching high and low. “Weapons, armor. It is like a storeroom.”
“This is it?” Twilight took a look around for herself. “This is Star Swirl the Bearded’s workshop?”
Instead of scrolls, books and potions, metal, armor and weapons took up the space. It looked more like a commander’s office than a mages’ den.
“This can’t be what Sunset Shimmer wrote to you about, can it?” Spike asked, lifting a piece of faded armor in his hands. “Do we have the right tower?”
Cinders pointed a hoof out and spun it in circles, then stomped it on the floor twice.
“Agent Cinders believes we are looking for a secret passage,” Eclair translated for the others. “That would make sense. Look for anything that does not match.”
Twilight and Spike checked the tables, looking through piles of metal pieces, while the others spread out across the room.
“Normally I’d suggest it would be a book,” Spike patted at the table with his hands. “You know, you pull it and the secret passage opens.”
“Well, we have to remember, Spike, Star Swirl lived a long time ago. For all we know, it’s just something simple that we’re overlooking.”
“Can’t you just cast some magic to locate the secret passage?” Spike groaned as he came up with nothing after all the sifting through.
“I could always try,” Twilight shrugged. “Let’s see what we’ve got.”
“Wait.” It was Agent Eclair, stopping beside a barrel of what looked like lances. “Look at this.”
“What?” Spike bounded over eagerly. “What did you find?”
“Do you see it?” Eclair directed a hoof to the rusty old weapons.
“What are we looking for?” Spike asked her.
“This one,” Eclair narrowed their eyes down to a single lance. “See this. The dust has coated over the weapon for so long, but you can faintly see marks on this one. Marques de dents. Teeth marks.”
Twilight bent lower and examined it, but she didn’t see anything that would make it different from the other lances.
“I don’t see it,” she gave up, stepping back. “You’ve got sharp eyes, Agent Eclair.”
The Lunar Eclipse agent smiled. “A necessary qualification, princess. Now let us try it…”
Eclair grabbed the lance’s shaft with her teeth and pulled. It didn’t move for a second, but when it did, the sound of a mechanism activating could be heard, before a portion of the crystal wall slowly descended into the floor. Beyond the secret door was another dark hallway, leading down a flight of stairs.
“Cool!” Spike ran up and looked down the tunnel.
“Good work, agents,” Twilight joined him and lit her horn up. “Let’s see what we have down here.”
“Are you sure this is the place, Dewdrop?”
The two Assassins were perched on a rooftop overlooking a squat white building. It was sparsely lit with floodlights and had three cars in its parking lot. Though it looked unassuming, Dewdrop knew from a previous visit that it was anything but.
“Positive. This is where… this is where Satin died. I would know it anywhere.”
“And you think Wolfgang is inside?” Velvet asked.
“Frigid mentioned the labs,” the older Assassin clenched her fists. “This must be the one. Even if he’s not here, someone should know about his whereabouts.”
“So what’s the plan, Dewdrop?” Velvet watched the windows, only spotting four people seated at desks, typing away on their computers. She then activated her eagle vision, highlighting them all as grey. Civilians.
Dewdrop grinned darkly. “Simple. We break in, find Wolfgang, and kill him.”
“And if he’s not there?” Velvet asked, unfurling her hidden blade and retracting it.
“Then we find someone who knows where he is a make them squeal.”
“So how do we get in?” Velvet looked around for the different possible entrances. “Do you still have Trueshot’s gun?”
“I was thinking of taking the back door,” Dewdrop said. “That’s the place I escaped from when we were last here… Yeah, we can get in through there. If there are any Templars, we’ll kill them. Simple as that.”
“O-Okay.”
Dewdrop led the way down, scaling down a water pipe, before tossing herself over a fence, dropping into a dumpster on the other side. Velvet swallowed before following, only breathing again when she landed in the same dumpster; it smelled really bad.
“Good work, Velvet,” Dewdrop pulled the young Assassin out and threw an old apron with red stains off her shoulder. “Come on. This way.”
The blue haired Assassin led Velvet around the back of the Templars’ labs, keeping out of the lamplights, sticking close to a steel fence, the one they had jumped over. When they were close enough, Dewdrop dashed across the place, silently gliding over to the door. Velvet did the same, joining Dewdrop by the grey door; there was a keycard reader next to it.
“Okay, this wasn’t here the last time I was here…” Dewdrop stared at the card reader for a moment. Then she kicked it.
Beep.
The door swung open.
“That was… easy,” Velvet said as they both slinked inside.
“I didn’t think that would actually work,” Dewdrop said happily as they proceeded down a white plaster hallway, passing by a vending machine as they made for the stairwell. “Come on, let’s head up to the labs. The second floor will do.”
Velvet Breeze kept close behind Dewdrop, her eyes darting around every corner, looking for any signs of Templars. Looking out from the stairwell doorway, the Assassins spied two women working at their desks, one writing reports, while the other tapped away on her keyboard; they both had labcoats on.
“Looks good,” Dewdrop whispered. “We can ‘ask’ one of them. I’m sure one of them should know something about Wolfgang.”
She pushed open the door and slinked out, keeping low behind the other desks, slowly making her way towards the first, which was the woman writing the report.
However, before Dewdrop could get within striking distance, a guard rounded the corner, immediately seeing Dewdrop and Velvet. He raised his radio to his mouth, but Dewdrop was faster, shooting out one of her hidden blades and skewering his radio hand.
“Ahh!” he exclaimed. The women who were at the desks looked up and, upon seeing what was going on, instantly bolted.
Dewdrop was on the guard in a heartbeat, pinning him to the ground and pressing her remaining hidden blade to his neck.
“Wolfgang,” she growled. “Where is he?”
“Wolfgang? I don’t know who you’re talking about,” he said sharply.
Velvet, unsure of what to do, stood by the stairwell door, watching.
Dewdrop wasn’t having any of it. She moved the hidden blade and stabbed it down in the guard’s arm. “Where is he?”
When the Templar didn’t answer, she stabbed him a few more times, down the length of his arm, ending in his palm.
“Aaagh! Okay, okay!” the man cried out. “I-I don’t know where he is-”
Dewdrop punched him in the face with her other hand.
“Wait, wait!” he brought up his other hand to cover his face. “I don’t know where he is, but I know where he’ll be!”
Dewdrop returned her hidden blade to his neck. “Where.”
“Wolfgang mentioned that he was going to a masked party at Match Mansions! It’s the day after tomorrow! That’s all I know.”
“Thank you,” Dewdrop smiled sweetly, then jabbed her blade through his soft neck.
“Dewdrop…” Velvet gasped as the man fought for air. After a few seconds, he stopped moving and went limp. “He told you what you wanted.”
“We couldn’t risk him raising the alarm and warning Wolfgang.”
Velvet gestured at the guard. “And a dead body won’t?”
“He would’ve blabbed, Velvet,” Dewdrop cleaned her hidden blade on the guard’s shirt before retrieving her other blade. “We can’t have them ready for us when we go for Wolfgang.”
“The Templar mentioned Match Mansions,” Velvet reminded. “Sounds familiar.”
“Match Mansions,” Dewdrop repeated, patting Velvet on the shoulder and directing her back to the stairwell. “Home to the infamous Witch of Manehattan. She throws a lot of parties. This is probably one of them.”
“Mirror Match?” Velvet said aghastly. “We can’t go there! You know what she’s capable of! We don’t stand a chance.”
At that moment, the alarms to the building went off, one such speaker blaring above their heads just above the stairwell door. The blue haired Assassin pushed her friend in, before leading her down the stairs and back outside the building, running back to the fence they had flung themselves over.
“We need to do this, Velvet,” Dewdrop cut the barbed wire at the top of the fence with a sword and spun herself over, landing in a crouch on the other side. “If we miss this chance, who knows when we’ll find Wolfgang again. He needs to die.”
“But Dewdrop-”
“But nothing,” Dewdrop said. They mounted Dewdrop’s bike, hidden around the corner in an alley, and sped away from the scene, passing a police car on the way back to the safehouse.
“What are you even working on now, Frigid?” Keila fell against a chair next to the Assassin, sticking a leg on the table. “You act like you’re so busy all day, but what are you actually doing on that thing? Playing web games?”
“I’m doing work, Keila, leave me be,” Frigid Night pulled his hood low over his eyes. “The data we got from Cobalt is heavy. There’s a lot to read.”
“Pffft, yeah,” Keila spat and gave him a push with her other leg. “You have all this information. Why don’t you call Velvet and Dewdrop back and we’ll work a plan to beat the Templars? We don’t need to keep them out there, Frigid. If we all work together, I’m sure there’s something we could do.”
“Once again, Dewdrop’s out there because she wants to be,” Frigid stressed as he scrolled down the document. “I told her she could come back, but she wants Wolfgang dead.”
A slight beeping sound got Frigid’s and Keila’s attention, staving off further argument, before a white notification box appeared at the bottom right of the laptop screen. Clicking on it, Frigid brought up the faces of Dewdrop and Velvet Breeze, looking back at him from their laptop screen.
“Dewdrop, Velvet,” the acting Mentor said, pulling his chair closer to the table and placing his arms on the table. Keila got off the chair and walked behind him, also looking at the screen. “What can I do for you?”
“We found out where Wolfgang is headed,” Dewdrop explained. “There’s a party at Match Mansions in two days. That’s where we’ll be.”
“Match Mansions?” Frigid didn’t need Keila to tell him to know that there were a thousand ways their plan could go wrong. “No, Dewdrop. Abort. You know what Mirror Match is capable of. If she finds you there…”
“We’re not passing up this chance, Frigid,” Dewdrop frowned and slammed a fist on the table. “Wolfgang won’t get away again. He killed Satin. He killed High Noon. Don’t you want to see some justice?”
“Wolfgang isn’t the problem, Dewdrop,” Keila joined in. “Mirror Match is too dangerous. You can’t go there.”
“Nothing doing, Keila. We’re going to that party, whether you like it or not. The only thing we need is money for outfits. Can you wire the money our way?”
“We’re not-!” Keila looked helplessly from the screen to Frigid, then back to the screen. “Frigid, say something.”
“For once, I agree with Keila, Dewdrop,” Frigid sighed and pulled his hood back. “If you go there, there’s no guarantee you’ll get out of there alive.”
“We’re not amateurs, Frigid. There’ll be crowds of people there. The Templars won’t dare try anything with so many people around.”
“You’re not an amateur, but Velvet is. Don’t you think taking her to such a dangerous place is a bad idea?”
“Then Velvet will go back.” The young Assassin looked at Dewdrop with shock all over her face. “I’ll go to Match Mansions alone and kill Wolfgang.”
“No, Dewdrop, you can’t,” Velvet pleaded. “It’s too dangerous alone. Please, don’t do this.”
“See, Velvet agrees with us,” Keila waved a hand at the screen. “Come back, Dewdrop. Forget this one. We’ll find him again.”
Dewdrop seemed to consider her options for a second, then shook her head at the screen. “I’m doing this. You’re not stopping me. Dewdrop out.”
“Dewdrop!” Keila yelled as the screen minimized, the call ended. The Saddle Arabian Assassin slumped down on the ground by Frigid’s chair folding up to her knees. “Why? Why won’t she just listen?”
Frigid leaned back and breathed out through his nose. Maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea to tell Dewdrop about Wolfgang. Perhaps if Mirror Match wasn’t involved, it would’ve still been okay, but he didn’t know what she was going to do if she caught Dewdrop in her home.
The grey haired Assassin looked at Keila and did what he thought could help. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze. It was something he hadn’t done in a long time.
“Keila, I’m sorry.”
The Saddle Arabian Assassin made no attempt to speak or move.
“I see my mistake and perhaps… Perhaps you’re right. I’m just a cold and heartless killer. I wanted to get things done, but I forget that you are all your own person and I shouldn’t throw your lives around like that.”
“You almost sound like you care, Frigid,” Keila shook her head.
Just then, Sunset poked her head out of her room.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s Dewdrop,” the acting Mentor began. “Mirror Match is involved and she doesn’t want to come back. Not till Wolfgang is dead.”
“What?” Sunset leaned away. “What about Velvet?”
“I doubt she’ll come back on her own,” Frigid assumed. Velvet Breeze has a strong will. If Dewdrop was staying, then she probably was too. “She’ll stick with Dewdrop. She won’t let her do this on her own. It’s my fault. I told Dewdrop about Wolfgang. I didn’t expect him to be attending a party with Mirror Match.”
“It really is all your fault, Frigid,” Keila’s voice turned frosty. She brushed his hand off her shoulder and stood up. “Because of your greedy decision, it isn’t just Dewdrop that might get killed, it’s Velvet too. They aren’t ready to handle Mirror Match. You can be nice all you want, but it’s too late.”
“Keila-”
“If anything happens to them, it’s all on your head, Frigid Night.” The black and white haired Assassin stomped off, slamming her room door behind her.
Frigid turned back to his laptop screen and brushed a hand through his grey hair and sighed.
“Keila’s right, you know?” Sunset folded her arms. “This is your fault. Don’t you care about anyone else?”
“I… I don’t know…” Frigid admitted. “I did once, kid, I’ll tell you that.”
“Then what? Was it Mirror Match?”
Frigid looked at her. She was a lot smarter than she looked. “Yeah… She was everything to me, you know? Then she turned around and stabbed me in the back. How can I trust anyone else after that? Hmm? How?”
“From what I’ve heard, you still trust her. You still love her, but what about the Assassins? How can you love your enemy more than your brothers and sisters?”
“I wonder that myself, kid, but I see my mistake this time. This one’s on me. If Mirror Match kills Dewdrop or Velvet Breeze, I don’t know what I’ll tell Keila or Morning Blade.”
“So what are you going to do about it?” Sunset quizzed.
“For now, I’ll do what I can to help them out from here to give them the best chance at coming out of his alive,” Frigid said and put his fingers to his keyboard. “They need funds for disguises.”
Frigid also added the entire Templar dossier to the folder. Perhaps the added information would help them with their plans.
“I hope they know what they’re doing,” Sunset walked backwards to her room.
Once she was gone, Frigid let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes as his email went on his way. “Me too, kid. Me too.”
He had contemplated taking Mirror up on her offer several times, to leave this war together. Looking back now, perhaps that would’ve been the better choice. At least then, none of the others would have to worry about her.
Frigid Night leaned down on his arms. Perhaps he didn’t know what he was doing after all.
Twilight Sparkle kept an eye on the edge of the steps below her feet, careful not to take a step off of it.
For some reason, they were built without safety measures, meaning anypony could simply fall off the side into the darkness below, lost forever. Whoever the architect was, they weren’t a very good one.
They had long left the crystal structures behind, returning to that of stone, probably deep below the Crystal Empire now.
“I see a door ahead,” Princess Cadance directed their attention. “Or at least what’s left of one.”
At the bottom of the steps were the remains of two large doors, broken metal and wood littered the area outside and inside.
“This must have been Sombra’s work,” Cadance assumed as they got around the door, inspecting the ruin from both sides.
“Blasted in,” Eclair pointed a hoof to the debris inside. “And all this? The crystal ponies likely tried to barricade the door, but it looks like that didn’t work.”
Further words were cut off when all their eyes settled on the scene within the cavern. There were four glimmering skeletons laid around, each of them in a different spot.
“I believe we’ve found our dead guards,” Princess Cadance whispered. “Oh, I wish we’d found this sooner. They should receive a proper burial for their selfless sacrifices.”
“They will, princess,” Twilight patted her shoulder. “So it’s all true. What Sunset Shimmer said.”
One skeleton, close to the middle, was lying on its side, two skeletal appendages on its left and right, broken off. Twilight didn’t need to be a forensics expert to know that those had been wings.
“This is horrible…” she muttered, observing the evil Sombra had done. “I knew he was bad, but I didn’t think he was this bad…”
Flapping her wings, Twilight Sparkle floated herself over to a raised platform, containing what looked like melted metal mounts. In the middle of all of them was a burnt metallic shape, bent outwards in all directions. There were bits of shattered glass all around it, and the platform had a large scorch mark, originating from the piece in the middle.
“The prototype mirror,” Twilight breathed.
She had known that Star Swirl likely made more portals, and this confirmed that and what Sunset had told her. This was the portal that Emerald Edge had used to enter the human world a thousand years ago.
“We’ve found it, Spike,” the lavender alicorn said as her little dragon friend climbed up onto the platform beside her. “We’ve found the truth. This is where it all began.”
“Looks like it,” the baby dragon nervously rubbed at his scaly hands. “It’s… a bit much to look at.”
“Yeah…”
Twilight watched as Eclair and Cinders patrolled the cavern, investigating every nook and cranny, including the skeletal remains of Princess Amore’s guards.
Princess Cadance stood to the side, her head down, likely imagining the horrors that had happened right here in her home. Twilight didn’t blame here. She felt it too, all the sadness and ruthlessness of what Sombra had done.
“Oh yeah, Twilight.” Spike’s voice drew Twilight back to reality. “Your book. Could’ve been a message from Sunset Shimmer.”
“Oh!” Twilight had completely forgotten about the book. Spike had mentioned it earlier. She levitated it out of her saddlebag and flipped through it, at the same time, expanding her magic light to see better.
The Princess of Friendship thought that her day couldn’t get any worse, but after reading what Sunset Shimmer had written to her, it might just get worse. Much more worse.
Sunset had written to her about strange dreams about Emerald Edge, which by the sound of it, sounded more like visions. That raised a bunch of question in Twilight’s mind, but the second half of her message raised the hair on her back.
“Agent Eclair, Agent Cinders!” Twilight called. The Eclipse agents immediately rushed over, stopping before the platform. “We might have a serious problem. I need one of you to return to Canterlot. Princess Celestia must know about this.”
Agent Cinders saluted and pointed at himself.
“It’s Sombra, in the human world. My friend believes he’s trying to siphon power from the portal. From experience, I know it holds great magical power. If he were to take it, not only will he close the way between our worlds, but he might be too powerful to stop. You need to warn her.”
Cinders nodded and took off, zipping back out the door as fast as his wings could carry.
“Twilight?” Cadance walked up to her. “What’s the matter?”
“It’s Sombra. I think he’s trying to harness the portal’s magic for himself. We already know what he’s capable of. We can’t let him get any stronger.”
“W-What should we do, Twilight?” Spike bit on his claws. “I think I prefer to fight Assassins than that m-maniac…”
Twilight stomped around, trying to figure out an answer. She didn’t have any.
Dewdrop stepped out from behind the curtain, twirling once for Velvet Breeze to see.
“What do you think, Velvet? Does it suit me?”
Dewdrop had on a bright pink strapless dress with frilly flower patterns going down the sides and the top.
“Erm…” Velvet tried to word it well. “I think… I think it’s a bit too… girly for you, Dewdrop.”
“Huh. Well okay…” She went and picked out a bright orange backless dress. “How about this one?”
“The color’s awful,” Velvet said flatly.
“Really?” Dewdrop put it back on the rack, searching for a nicer one. “What do you think’ll work?”
Velvet put a hand to her chin and hummed. “Maybe something purple?”
“Purple, huh?” Dewdrop picked up a purple dress with yellow stripes going down its length, before disappearing back into the changing room.
Velvet sighed and walked around for a while, looking for a dress that would work for her. She never really cared for fashion when she was young and she certainly didn’t care about it now, but she didn’t want to stick out at the party with some kind of dress that was just terrible on her.
The young Assassin patted on a green one, then moved down to a black one, still unsure of which to choose. “Dewdrop, I don’t know which one to get.”
“Why don’t you pick one and try it out?” the senior Assassin answered from the changing room. “That’s what I’m doing, aren’t I?”
Velvet went and picked up a red dress, but she didn’t like the sleeves. Putting it back, she said, “Dewdrop? Are you sure we’re doing the right thing?”
“What do you mean, Velvet? You know my answer. Wolfgang has to die.” Soon, the door opened and Dewdrop came out in the purple dress with yellow stripes. “So, how do I look?”
“It’s better,” Velvet shrugged. “But you’re pretty, Dewdrop, no matter what dress you wear.”
“Aw, thanks, Velvet,” Dewdrop smiled and picked at the skirt portion. “But I think it’s a little tough to walk in this one. I guess I’ll try another.”
“How are we going to get our gear in without being spotted?” Velvet said, changing into a gold dress with silver accents. “It’s not like we can hide things under these dresses.”
Dewdrop searched through a section of purple dresses. “I’ve got that covered, Velvet. You know parties always have alcohol. We simply need to find the company that’s shipping the goods to Mirror Match’s place and we stash our gear and clothes in a crate. Simple.” Dewdrop’s hand returned with a two-toned purple dress with a strap over one shoulder and detached sleeves. “I think I’ll try this one out.”
“We’ll mark the crate with our gear in it, right?” Velvet found a simple pink dress, not too ostentatious, yet tasteful.
“Yep. That’s how it works. Then we can use our eagle vision to find the crate in the wine cellar.”
“Match Mansions has a wine cellar?” Velvet looked impressed. “Just how wealthy is Mirror Match?”
“Trust me,” Dewdrop vanished into the changing room again. “She’s probably the richest person in Manehattan. Or at least the most well known one.”
Velvet headed into another changing room and changed out of her clothes. “How does working for the Board of Education make you rich? The other members don’t have large buildings, do they?”
“Mirror Match is different,” Dewdrop said, disgust creeping into her voice. “The Templars paid her well for selling out her former comrades, and she’s their top assassin as well. I’m not sure why, but the Templars pay her way more than the usual lackeys. I think it’s because she’s different.”
“Different? What do you mean?”
“You haven’t seen it, Velvet, but Mirror Match can do things normal people cannot. She’s survived explosions, gunshots, she can paralyze you with a bite and she’s way faster and stronger than the regular human. She beat Star Lance, Velvet. I mean who beats Star Lance?”
“Is that why she’s called the Witch of Manehattan?”
“Well, that name was coined after she supposedly helped two Assassins from Fillydelphia.”
“Really?” Velvet’s eyes went wide in surprise. “How do you mean?”
“From their reports, she brought one of them back from the dead. Aaand… she healed the eyes of the other.”
“She can do that?” Velvet slipped the pink dress on. “That’s scary. Do you think she’s magical? Like Sunset and her friends, or the Mentor, I mean.”
“What I can say is that she definitely isn’t human.” Velvet heard Dewdrop open her changing room door. “She should’ve died long ago if she was.”
“And we’re going to gatecrash her party? Dewdrop, I’m not so sure about this any more.”
“Wolfgang will be there, Velvet,” Dewdrop’s voice was a little shaky. “I can’t miss this opportunity. I have to take him down here… For Satin and Noon.”
“Dewdrop, I know they meant a lot to you, but don’t you think that this is a little bit rash?” Velvet pushed her door open to see Dewdrop in her latest dress. It looked good on her, but her eyes were red, like she was about to cry. “I mean, you know more than me how dangerous Mirror Match is, but you’re still going to go? Shouldn’t we stop and think about this?”
Dewdrop took a few deep breaths and leaned her back against the changing room wall. “I don’t know when we’ll get the chance to find Wolfgang after this. You didn’t have to come, Velvet. Just… please, let me do this… They depend on me to avenge them.”
Velvet put an arm on Dewdrop’s. “No. If you’re going through with this, then I’m coming with you. I’m not letting you face the impossible on your own.”
Dewdrop pulled the young Assassin in in a tight squeeze. “Thank you, Velvet.”
“Don’t sweat it,” she grinned. “So, how’s my dress?”
Dewdrop smiled, a true, genuine smile. “It looks great. Now, let’s get our masks.”
“Masks?”
Dewdrop nodded. “It’s a masked ball. So we’ll need masks.”
The two Assassins changed back into their regular clothes, before moving over to a wall of masks. The blue haired Assassin scanned each one from left to right, finally reaching up to grab a grey one with pink and grey feathers.
“I think this will suit you nicely, Velvet,” she handed it over to the blue-skinned girl. “Put it on.”
Velvet did as she was instructed, tying the string behind her head to keep it in place. “How’s this?”
“Perfect,” Dewdrop patted her on the head. “Now, what to pick for myself…”
Dewdrop looked at the wall again, taking down two masks. One was a green and brown mask with a sharp extension over the left eye, and the other was a blue mask with horns on the side, somewhat resembling a bull.
“Which looks better on me, Velvet?” Dewdrop placed both against her face and grinned.
“The blue one’s a little much,” the young Assassin replied, pointing to the green one. “I like that one better.”
“This one it is, then.” Dewdrop placed it back on the wall and strapped the green mask over her face. “Looks like we’re all set. Happy with what you have?”
“It’ll do,” Velvet admitted, holding up her grey mask and pink dress. “I’m not one for fashion. As long as they don’t make me stick out in a crowd, they’re perfect.”
“Alright then. Let’s go pay and then prepare for the rest.”
Velvet Breeze scratched at her rear as she and Dewdrop approached the line of well-dressed people, looking to gain entry into the esteemed Match Mansions.
They had on their new dresses and masks, along with a coat each, to protect themselves from the cold.
“Velvet,” Dewdrop saw what she was doing. “Quit it.”
“There’s something back there,” Velvet complained. “It’s tickling me.”
“Well, try to ignore it, at least till we get to the wine cellar,” Dewdrop whispered as they got closer to the line. “It’s probably just a tag or something. Just make sure people don’t see you touching your butt. You’ll make a fool of yourself.”
“I’ll-I’ll try…” Velvet mentally hit herself for not checking the dress before putting it on. Now she had to deal with this itch on her bottom. Just deal with it a little longer, Velvet. Easy, right? Easy…
Match Mansions was a towering condominium, standing tall at thirty-three floors in total. Painted a bright white, it blended in well with the clouds of falling snow that were depositing themselves on the party goers. The tallest building for blocks around, it was a veritable hive of activity this night. The opening of the condo was decked out in tinsel and fairy lights, a testament to the upcoming holiday.
A guard was at the door, snow piling up on his cap as he checked invitations.
“So what? We’re just grabbing off an invitation from some complete stranger?” Velvet looked from person to person. “Is it easy? Pickpocketing, I mean.”
“If you know what you’re doing, yeah. Watch and learn, Velvet.”
She looked around, eyes settling on a woman who had an insect mask and was idly taking a pull at a cigarette. Dewdrop walked past her, pretending to stretch and at the same time bumping into the woman.
“Oh, I am so sorry about that,” Dewdrop pat at the woman’s coat, smoothing it back. “I apologize. I should be more careful.”
“You got that right,” she snorted and looked away.
Dewdrop then sauntered back to Velvet, winking at the girl as she did so. There, in her hand, was an invitation.
“Wow, that was amazing, Dewdrop! Can you teach me how to do that?”
Dewdrop smirked as they got back into line, brushing snow off her shoulders. “When we get this over with, I’ll teach you anything you want, okay?”
“Deal.”
The two Assassins waited in line, slowly getting closer and closer to the entrance, though it wasn’t going as fast as they had liked. Soon, Velvet got bored and started to play with her fingers, tapping them on the back of a hand, making a sort of popping noise when it hit in between her knuckles. She wanted to touch the golden metal shard that Sunset had given her, but it was securely tucked into her sock, and she didn’t want to risk looking out of the ordinary.
A suddenly scuffle up front had taken Velvet’s focus away from her hands. She looked up to see a woman, the same one that Dewdrop had taken the invitation from, yelling at the guard, trying to force her way in, but he held her back, shouting for help. Two more guards came out from within the building and pushed the woman back.
“No invitation, no entry, miss,” one in a suit said, shaking his hand. “I’m sorry. Rules are rules.”
“But I’m telling you, I had one! I must’ve dropped it somewhere,” she said and looked around the ground.
“No invitation, no entry,” the man restated. “Now, please leave or we’ll have to call the police.”
She stalked away, stomping footsteps in the snow, turning around at the other side of the street to shake her fist. “This isn’t over!” Then she left, heading away to a black car, disappearing inside.
People began murmuring about the whole uproar around the Assassins. Velvet looked at Dewdrop, who smirked and gave her a concealed thumbs up. Eventually, the line moved up enough for Dewdrop to present her stolen invitation.
The guard took it and looked it over, raising a questioning eyebrow at Velvet.
“She’s with me,” Dewdrop said quickly.
The guard grunted and returned the square of cardboard. “Have a good night, ladies. Welcome to Match Mansions.”
And just like that, they were in.
Once inside, Dewdrop and Velvet Breeze were welcomed by the sight of the brightly lit lobby, which was also generously decorated with tinsel and plastic snowflakes. Soft orchestral music was playing in the background, and there were tables piled high with ice sculptures and finger food. Dewdrop saw the champagne fountain and her face lit up.
A woman by the side was taking coats from the guests, storing them in a side room as they passed. Dewdrop and Velvet shed theirs and handed them to her as they made for the lobby.
“Looks fun, huh, Velvet?” Dewdrop smirked and headed for the champagne fountain. “Come on, let’s see if we can’t enjoy ourselves a little.”
Velvet followed, looking around at the other guests. It was hard to tell with all the masks, but she thought she recognized various celebrities, a man from a TV talk show, a minor actress or two, and even a man she recognized as the mayor of Canterlot.
“Looks like a pretty high profile party, Dewdrop,” Velvet gulped. “Are we sure they won’t find us out of place?”
“They won’t if we keep our masks on,” Dewdrop muttered, sipping from a tall, fluted glass. “Hey, this stuff is good.”
“I’ll just settle for some punch,” Velvet looked at the large glass bowl in the center of a white table and headed for it.
When she was almost there, she noticed the itch was there again and struggled not to scratch at it. She grinded her teeth together and walked on, finally arriving at the table. The young Assassin poured herself a glass of punch, sniffing at it before placing her lips to the glass, taking a sip.
Mmm… grape.
Satisfied, she returned to where Dewdrop was standing, only to notice she wasn’t there.
Great. Where’d she go?
Velvet moved around the lobby, looking from table to table for her friend, at the same time, quickly sneaking a scratch to her rear to satiate her need for the moment, hoping no one saw her do it.
Most of the guests were standing around, drinking from tall glasses like the one Dewdrop had taken, while the rest were either dancing or eating. One such guest had spat out a mouthful of alcohol after his friend had told him something funny. It would’ve gotten all over Velvet if she hadn’t jumped back. The chubby man didn’t even seem to realize he had almost gotten his beverage all over her. Velvet Breeze ignored him and kept going, wanting to get as far as she could from the man.
Eventually, she found Dewdrop, standing by an ice sculpture of a lion, conversing to a man in a gorilla mask.
“So where are you from, my dear?” Velvet could hear him say when she got close enough. “Might I add, you look absolutely stunning.”
The young Assassin was afraid Dewdrop was going to start insulting him and start a scene, but thankfully, she smiled and looked to the side instead, pretending to act shyly.
“My, you’re such a flatterer. I’m from San Franciscolt.”
“Ah, San Franciscolt. Allow me to be blunt,” the man showed his two rows of white teeth. “You are very beautiful. I cannot see your face, but I know more beauty hides behind that mask.”
“Thank you,” Dewdrop took a sip of her champagne, before setting her eyes on Velvet. “Sorry, but if you’ll excuse me, I must attend to my sister.”
“Please, go ahead,” the man motioned with a hand. “Perhaps you would like a dance later?”
“Maybe,” Dewdrop waved to him and joined Velvet. “Did you see that man? The nerve.”
“You’re picking up guys really fast,” Velvet laughed into her glass. “So I’m your sister now?”
“You know, to keep up the act. Besides, you would’ve pretty much been my sister.”
“I kind of like that, Dewdrop,” Velvet closed her eyes and chuckled. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a sister.”
“And today, we’re here to avenge her, Velvet,” Dewdrop wrapped an arm around the girl’s shoulders. “Just you wait. We’ll do what we came here to do.”
Deciding to enjoy more of the party first, Velvet grabbed a plate of strawberries and grapes, while Dewdrop got another fill of champagne. They walked around the lobby, searching for signs of Wolfgang, but they had yet to see him. Instead, countless men had approached Dewdrop, fascinated by her beauty.
Velvet rolled her eyes as the latest one, a man with a rat mask, nervously tried to hit on her. His palms were sweaty and beads of sweat dripped from his face; it was unpleasant.
Then there was a tap. The sound of someone tapping a finger against a microphone. Suddenly, the crowd of guests looked upward, directing Velvet’s and Dewdrop’s attention to a second floor balcony, where a familiar face was.
Mirror Match leaned an arm on the balcony railing, a microphone in her other hand. She had on a beautiful black and green floral dress and some sort of black mask with a horn in the middle of its forehead. Together with her hair, which was tied up into a bun with two sticks protruding out the top and a translucent cape around her shoulders, she looked like a character out of the East.
The guests fell silent, all of them waiting for their host to speak.
“Season’s greetings, everyone!” Mirror said. “I’d just like to thank everyone tonight for coming. As you know, eighty percent of the proceedings tonight will go to charity, so I’d like to thank you for your part in that.
“Also, in addition, I will be donating a hundred thousand dollars to the Manehattan Home for Orphaned Children.” She held up a large check, and the photographers proceeded to snap pictures of her with it. “Again, I’d like to thank everyone here for coming. That’s all. Please enjoy your evening.” There was a great outpouring of applause and cheering.
A woman next to Velvet muttered, “She’s so generous.”
“Huh?”
The woman turned to Velvet, her face beneath the mask red and flushed from the champagne. “Mirror Match is not only one of the wealthiest people in Manehattan, she’s also one of the most open-handed. She frequently gives money to all sorts of worthy causes. I wish I could be like that…”
Velvet watched as the woman sashayed away. Squinting up at the balcony, Velvet focused her eagle vision on Mirror Match. If she truly was as dangerous as Dewdrop said, it would pay to know where she was, if only so that she could avoid her. Mirror Match was still having her photo taken, and when Velvet’s eagle vision washed over her, it highlighted her not as red or grey, but as…
“...Purple?” Velvet muttered in surprise. She blinked several times, then refocused her gaze on Mirror again. There she was, still highlighted in a purple aura. Velvet had never seen a purple one before. “Dewdrop? What does this mean? Why is she purple?”
“Purple?” the older Assassin looked at her. “What are you talking about?”
“Eagle vision,” Velvet explained. “It turns her up as purple.”
“You must be mistaken,” Dewdrop shook her head. “She’s clearly red. Did you have something to drink?”
Velvet frowned, confused. “She’s purple to me…”
She looked back to the balcony, but Mirror Match was no longer there. However, someone else was. Someone highlighted in gold.
“Dewdrop,” Velvet tugged on her friend’s sleeve. “Look.”
“What?” The blue haired Assassin fell silent as her eyes settled on the man in a wolf mask at the balcony. “Wolfgang…”
Their target had on a light grey suit, carrying some kind of walking stick in his hands, talking to someone else up there.
“What do we do, Dewdrop?”
Dewdrop glanced at Velvet. “We can’t assassinate him out in the open like this,” Beneath her mask, her eyes were narrowed. “Let’s go closer. Maybe we can get him alone.”
Velvet followed behind Dewdrop as she gently pushed past crowds of masked people, heading to the side to find a staircase. Some shot them irritated stares, but they calmed down after seeing Dewdrop.
Psssh… These people… Velvet frowned and watched them peripherally as they watched the two Assassins move on. They were so quick to fall under Dewdrop’s charm.
It wasn’t hard to locate Wolfgang’s trail after they arrived at the second floor. The golden light left behind by the man lead all over the floor, and Dewdrop had no trouble going after it.
Velvet’s eyes weren’t as trained, so she had to rely on Dewdrop’s as she followed the senior Assassin, unable to see the golden trail herself.
“Don’t you worry, Velvet,” Dewdrop kept an arm around her. “Just follow my lead. I’ve got this.”
They traveled past two lounging areas, where groups of people sat back and relaxed on large couches, drinking champagne from tall glasses.
Further down, it seemed a woman might’ve had too much to drink. She was lying on the floor, likely passed out, a guard beside her trying to get her up.
Velvet didn’t know why people attended parties. All they did was drink, eat and dance. For her, it wasn’t much to do, plus, they had to wear fancy dresses like these, which continued to irritate her rump.
A bathroom door on the right side opened, a man walking out groggily, wiping at his mouth with a tissue. He probably ate and drank too much.
Suddenly, Dewdrop stopped, looking to the side, to a shady alcove draped with swathes of dark blue fabric, obscuring it from prying eyes.
“Is he in there?” Velvet whispered.
“The trail leads there, yes.” Dewdrop steadied her breath and went on slowly.
“We shouldn’t get too close,” Velvet pulled at Dewdrop’s dress. “They might see us. This area isn’t exactly crowded.”
And it was true. The second floor wasn’t exactly flooded with guests like the first. It was more of a spot where people could get away from all the noise and just relax.
“I just need to get close enough to listen,” Dewdrop crept closer to the alcove, Velvet in tow. They clung to the shadows, hiding behind a floral wreath and an ice sculpture of a rearing stallion. From there, voices from the alcove could be heard. Dewdrop peeped in through a tiny gap in the fabric, revealing four people standing around a table, a glass of champagne before each one.
“...not sure how they managed to kill Talon,” A man wearing a tree mask was saying. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Correction,” Mirror Match’s voice came. “You have seen it once before. I believe the name Bullseye rings a bell?”
“Talon’s lieutenant?” Tree Mask sat back and swapped his glass to his other hand. “You mean it was the Assassin Mentor that did him in?”
“The Assassin Mentor is dead,” Wolfgang said. “I saw it myself.”
“Then how else can you explain his death? He was sliced in half, Wolfgang. Clean. What blade could’ve cut right through his armor, but her sword?”
The fourth member of the party, a man wearing a crescent moon mask, shifted and looked around the room. Dewdrop quickly drew back as his gaze swept over the small crack in the curtains. Satisfied that there was no one watching, the man in the moon mask went back to the conversation.
“Well, we have to take proper precautions,” Tree Mask said. “Now that we’ve lost Citrus, we can’t exactly operate out in the open like we used to.”
“Yes,” Mirror Match chuckled. “Didn’t you make a promise to her father? That’d you would keep her safe and away from this war? If it’s one thing I hate, Mahogany, it’s empty promises.”
“Watch your tone, Mirror Match,” Crescent Mask went for something at his side. From Dewdrop’s view, it looked like a sword.
“Or what? Are you threatening me?” Mirror said quietly.
“Just making sure you watch your words around the chairman,” Crescent Mask grumbled, taking his hand off his sword.
“Weapons are not necessary, Crescent Wing,” Mahogany raised a hand. “She is right. I failed to protect her adequately. I only have myself to blame.”
“Anyway,” Mirror said. “It’s not as if Grand Master Sombra needed her much longer. His auditorium has been taking up most of his time. Why, he couldn’t even attend my party!” She sniffed derisively. “I’m sure he would have had a grand time.”
“He isn’t even in Canterlot,” Wolfgang sneered and pushed his mask up higher. “Though I will say this is a right proper party. Nice speech, by the way. The people seem to love you.” He raised a cigar to his mouth and lit it.
Mirror smiled behind her black mask before removing one of her gloves and snuffing out Wolfgang’s cigar with her fingertips. “Of course they do.”
“Party aside, Mirror Match,” Mahogany Wood dusted at his sleeves. “Crescent and I will be heading to Canterlot to oversee the construction of the auditorium in a few days. When will you be joining us there?”
“Their auditorium is in Canterlot!” Velvet hissed to Dewdrop. “We should warn Frigid.”
Dewdrop nodded, but remained quiet.
Mirror drank a sip from her glass. “Soon, chairman. I just need to finalize all the charity donations before I’m free. Although, I suspect the auditorium will be done by the time I arrive. The Grand Master really is putting his all into it. Makes one wonder what exactly is so important about it.”
“He’s planning to force his way to the other world,” Mahogany entwined his fingers. “We will have order, not just for our world, but for his as well. We will make both worlds better, all because of him.”
Mirror nodded once, her expression inscrutable behind her black mask. “If you say so, chairman.”
“If anyone is to blame for this wretched world we live in, it’s the Assassins. They can’t see that there will be peace if we achieve our goal. No more killing, no more hate, isn’t that right, Crescent?”
“Absolutely, sir,” the orange haired man nodded.
“A world full of love and peace, hmm?” Wolfgang snorted. “Yeah. Sure.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Mirror said dreamily. “I think a world full of love would suit me rather well.”
“That is why we must push forward, no matter the odds,” Mahogany leaned forward and put his arms on his knees. “It’ll all work out. We just need to keep the Assassins away until then. After he is ready, even those killers will fall under his control.”
“Well, if that’s all…” Wolfgang said, preparing to get up. “I plan on getting some more food before the night’s out.”
Mirror’s hand shot out, stopping Wolfgang from leaving. “One more thing,” she said softly. “I think it’s fair to tell you, there are Assassins here tonight.”
Dewdrop and Velvet held their breaths, stepping further away from the little opening in the alcove.
“Did she hear us?” Velvet looked around worriedly, watching out for guards. “She knows we’re here!”
“She couldn’t have,” Dewdrop looked back in carefully.
“What?” Mahogany hissed. “Why didn’t you tell us immediately?”
“I didn’t feel like alarming you,” Mirror said coolly. “But they’re here, hiding amongst the guests. I would guess that they’re here for either you, chairman, or you, Wolfgang.”
“You’re not concerned that they might be here for you?” Crescent muttered.
“Oh, it would take more than a few Assassins to kill me. Unlike the rest of you, I have a reputation.”
Mahogany scrunched up his face and stood up. “Crescent Wing, I want you to search the area. Any sign of the Assassins, I want you to take them out. Discreetly, if possible.”
“And risk ruining my party?” Mirror pouted. “No, I won’t have it. Chairman, you and Crescent must leave immediately. Take the back entrance to the carpark. Wolfgang, if you would… come to… “ Mirror’s voice dropped to a whisper, so that Dewdrop and Velvet could only hear snatches of her words. “... floor thirty-one… express elevator… hours.”
Mahogany Wood buttoned up his suit jacket and proceeded towards the exit of their alcove. Dewdrop pulled Velvet back behind the sculpture, finding a bench, sitting down on opposite sides of a man in a mask with wings on the sides.
The Board’s chairman and his trusty bodyguard emerged from behind the blue cloth, turning in the opposite direction, walking away without noticing the two Assassins. He was soon followed by Wolfgang and Mirror Match, each of them going separate ways, not even looking once toward the bench.
“Close one…” Dewdrop sighed, pushing at her fringe. “You catch all that?”
“Catch what?” the man in between the two of them smiled, pushing his combed hair back. “You? I’m certain I did.”
“I’m not talking to you,” Dewdrop pushed him forward. “Velvet, you catch that?”
“Floor thirty-one, express elevator,” the young Assassin nodded. “That’s all I could get.”
“Ooh, floor thirty-one, eh?” the man interrupted. “Perhaps you’ll like me to accompany you? I hear the view there is quite… romantic.”
Dewdrop slapped a hand to her forehead and held back a groan. Then she smiled sweetly and looked at the man again. “We could… after you get a glass of champagne for me. How’s that?”
“You got it,” he said and swiftly ran off, heading back down the stairs.
Dewdrop quickly grabbed Velvet and ran in the opposite direction, towards the second staircase. “I’m tired of people hitting on me. You know, once or twice is fun, but not every single man here. Ugh… Not even a single pretty woman.”
Velvet nodded, taking care not to trip on her dress as they descended the stairs and returned to the first floor. She spied the man that Dewdrop had sent off, rushing back up the opposite stairs with two champagne glasses in his hands.
“Well, he’s going to be disappointed…” she mumbled to herself, trying not to laugh.
They kept to the wall, looking for the entrance down to the wine cellar. Eventually, Velvet saw the sign, pointing down to a dark corner at the rear of the lobby, where a waiter was returning from, two bottles in his hands.
Velvet increased her speed, excited to be out of the dress soon; the itch was becoming unbearable again.
The pair descended into the cool darkness of the wine cellar, checking quietly for any other members of the staff that might be down here. Satisfied that the cellar was empty, the two Assassins quickly found the marked crate that had their gear in it. Dewdrop yanked off the cover and dug deep, pushing aside the top layer of bottles to reveal their outfits and weapons. They got dressed swiftly, discarding the dresses and masks in the crate. Velvet strapped on her hidden blade, feeling much better now that she was out of that itchy dress. She also transferred the sword shard from her sock to her jacket pocket.
“Perhaps if we have time, I’d like to come back down here to retrieve that dress,” Dewdrop pulled her blue coat over her shoulders. “I rather like it.”
“I didn’t,” Velvet rubbed at her rear and pulled her grey hood over her head. “Glad to be out of it at last.”
“All set?” The senior Assassin pulled her hood low over her eyes after slinging her swords on her back.
“You know it,” Velvet put her slingbag on.
The two Assassins returned up the stairs, hiding around the corner from the party guests. The elevators of Match Mansions were positioned just across the hallway, within five meters of their position. Dewdrop waited until there were no guests looking in their direction, then sprinted across the open area to the safety of the elevator lobby. She jammed a finger on the button, before pressing herself against the marble wall.
Velvet joined her, keeping low as she ran across from the cellar staircase to the lift lobby, joining Dewdrop by the wall.
Unfortunately, a man rounded the corner on the other end, a glass of champagne in each hand.
“Ah, there you are, my dear,” he smiled when he saw Dewdrop. “You’ve changed your attire? Might I say, you look lovely.” He didn’t seem to see the weapons on her back.
Dewdrop looked to Velvet and rubbed at her head. Then she widened her eyes, like she suddenly had an idea. Looking back to the man, she pulled down her hood as he walked over, handing her a glass.
“Thank you,” she accepted the drink and smiled. “I thought I’d get ready before meeting you here.”
“And you’re absolutely beautiful,” he nodded his head. “You look so much better without your mask on.”
“You’re so kind,” Dewdrop stepped closer. “I think you deserve a little something. Close your eyes.”
Excited, the man did as Dewdrop said. Instead, the blue haired Assassin walked around him quietly, then hit him hard with the side of her hand at the back of his neck. The man’s eyes rolled up his head as he dropped forward; Velvet crouched down and grabbed his falling champagne glass, not wanting the sound to attract any attention.
“Men…” Dewdrop downed her glass and shifted the man’s body so that he was leaning against the wall. She took the glass from Velvet and placed a glass each in of the man’s hands. Now he looked like he had passed out from too much drink. “That’s how you get things done, Velvet.”
After a few more moments, the elevator arrived, allowing the Assassins to rush in, before anyone else could appear out of nowhere.
The elevator only had two buttons, an arrow pointing up and an arrow pointing down. There was also a numeric keypad next to the buttons. Dewdrop pressed the up arrow, but then the keypad beeped.
Please enter code. It read.
“Code?”
“I don’t know,” Velvet said in a whisper. “What do you think it is?” She glanced up at the elevator ceiling. There was a single security camera there, nestled in the corner and watching them with its one unblinking eye.
Dewdrop was about the press a button when suddenly, the elevator doors closed with a quiet slithery noise and the lift began its journey upwards. Dewdrop’s eyebrows shot up and she glanced at Velvet.
“Hey, I didn’t do anything,” the girl shrugged. “Maybe it’s a malfunction.”
“I doubt it,” Dewdrop looked up at the camera and drew her pistol. “I have a feeling Mirror Match has her eyes on us.”
And Velvet was afraid.
“What are we going to do, Dewdrop? What if she’s waiting for us up there?”
Dewdrop looked at the girl grimly. “Then we’ll finally see if it’s possible to kill a nightmare.”
“But we came here for Wolfgang! We aren’t ready for Mirror Match!” Velvet pleaded. “Please, Dewdrop. Let’s just get out of here. You know we can’t beat her, especially not in her own home.”
At that moment, the elevator bell dinged, and the doors slid open. Ahead of them was darkness, and when Dewdrop tried to press down, a metal panel slid over the buttons, concealing them.
The space ahead was completely dark, with only the light of the elevator illuminating the first few feet. It was absolutely silent, with the only sound being the breathing of the two Assassins.
Velvet Breeze tried to remove the metal panel that was covering the buttons, but to no avail. The only way now was forward.
“I’m sorry, Velvet,” Dewdrop took the first step out, looking around. “I should’ve listened to you before we arrived. Now… Now there’s no turning back.”
Dewdrop took another step, only for light to suddenly ignite, powerful lamps set in the floor lighting up the hallway. In fact, it looked as though the entire penthouse had sprung to life. Dewdrop and Velvet were momentarily blinded.
“What do we do now?” Velvet covered her eyes and staggered forward. “Is there another way out? A staircase? A emergency exit?”
Dewdrop was about to reply, but a third voice cut her off, sounding like it came from all directions at once.
“Well, well, well. What have we here?”
Dewdrop placed a protective hand by Velvet and drew a sword. “That’s Mirror Match, alright. Where are you, witch!”
“Around,” Mirror answered, a smile in her voice. “But of course you’d like to find me. That’s why you came here, isn’t it? To slay little old me. Or am I mistaken?”
“You are mistaken,” Dewdrop held Velvet’s shaking hand. “We’re here for Wolfgang, not you.”
“Wolfgang? I’m afraid you’re too early for him. He’ll be around in an hour or two. In the meantime, why don’t you come find me? I’ve got tea set up for our little gathering.”
“D-Dewdrop, what do w-we do…?” Velvet wheezed out of her throat, her legs threatening to drop under her. “I… I can’t do this… I can’t, Dewdrop…”
“Velvet, Velvet, take a deep breath,” Dewdrop held her close, patting her back. “Don’t let her scare you. You’ve got to stay calm. We’ll get through this, don’t you worry.”
Velvet did as she was told, slowly taking more controlled breaths, doing her best to stop her shaking.
“Look, why don’t we try the elevator again. Maybe it’ll work-”
“Not fair, tasty ones,” Mirror chided. “Either you start moving, or I’ll have to come find you. And believe me, that will be far less pleasant.”
Dewdrop cursed and looked back to the elevator, then to the space ahead. “Velvet, we should move. Don’t worry. I’ve got you. Just stay by me.”
Velvet started walking forward, holding onto one of Dewdrop’s arms. The two Assassins progressed down the lighted path, watching out for any unexpected encounters. Their path led them into a spacious living room with a wall-sized TV on one side, and a minibar next to the couch.
“Where are you, Mirror?” Dewdrop called out, her voice echoing in the silence. She held her pistol in one hand, ready to fire it at any sign of the Templar agent.
A flicker of movement came at the edge of Dewdrop’s eye and she whipped around, firing her pistol twice. When she looked to see what she had hit, it was a pot plant.
“Tsk. You brought a gun into my house? Such disregard for common courtesy. Here I am, offering you tea, and you have the nerve to shoot up my home? Really.”
The Assassins searched around her living room, trying to find any indication of where she could be. Dewdrop threw open a door, revealing a single bed and bedside table beside a large window.
“Any sign of her, Velvet?”
“N-No,” the young Assassin didn’t see anyone close by, even with her eagle vision. “Dewdrop, can you track her with your eagle sense?”
“I can try,” Dewdrop said before focusing her senses. At first, she didn’t see anything, but then a faint trail of golden sparkles appeared on the path beneath their feet, this one leading away from the bedroom and around the corner. “I-I see something. It’s kind of hard to make out, but there’s a trail here.”
The two Assassins followed the golden trail, rounding the corner and appearing at the foot of a set of stairs.
Dewdrop led the way up, holding her sword firmly in one hand and her pistol in her other. Velvet walked up behind, keeping close to the blue haired Assassin, her knife in her hand.
This floor was vastly different from the first. Whereas the first floor of the penthouse had been tastefully decorated with various kinds of white furniture, this floor felt like a museum, with plush red carpets and walls, dim lighting, and glass cabinets that seemed to hold various outfits and other historical knick knacks.
“Ah, you’ve reached my halls of history,” Mirror giggled, her voice amplified by the hidden speakers all around. “Feel free to look around, but don’t tarry too long, the tea’s getting cold.”
Velvet peered through the closest case, looking at a circlet of sorts. It had a crescent moon sigil on the front of it. “What’s all this stuff?”
“Historical remnants,” Dewdrop answered as she looked a display of a steel katana with a chipped end.
“Right you are, but not just any historical remnants. These are my historical remnants.”
“Whatever, you found them, so what?” Dewdrop slapped the display case.
“I did much more than find them…but if I tell you everything, that’s no fun. Much better if you figure it out for yourselves.”
The Assassins crept along the hallway, passing glass cases with a suit of armor, a spear, and another with a folded set of robes in them. Then they came to a glass case that was unlocked, this one with an open book in it. A quill pen was set aside the book, its tip still wet.
“An ocean of blood, For a smile from Chrysalis, I would gladly spill.” Dewdrop read aloud. She turned the page.
“The blood in my veins, Calls me back toward your side, My queen, Chrysalis.”
“For a single touch, Of your perfect hands on mine, I would trade the world.”
“Who wrote this?” Dewdrop muttered, turning to the front page. “Scarlet Lily. Who the hell is Scarlet Lily, and why does she have such a fascination with this Chrysalis person?”
Velvet turned the page and read, “I yearn for your love, Without it life means nothing, My beautiful queen.”
“My dearest sister, When will I see you again? It is so lonely.”
“It certainly is… poetic. I can relate to that last one,” Velvet said, thinking of Satin.
“Wait. Queen?” Dewdrop said flicking through the pages and then looking at the quill and ink. “It can’t be… some of these entries are over seventy years old…”
“How can you tell?” Velvet leaned closer. It all looked the same to her.
“There are dates written next to the poems,” Dewdrop pointed to a set of Eastern characters that were scrawled next to each haiku. “The earliest is eighty-three years ago…”
“You read Eastern?” Velvet looked at the characters. She didn’t know what any of them said.
“Rose Petal taught me how to read a little, but that’s not what’s important. What is important is that the poems mention a Queen Chrysalis. And how this Scarlet Lily is pining after her. But… but that means…”
“What? What does it mean?”
“Is this the same queen that Mirror Match was killing for back then…?” Dewdrop said to herself.
“Ah, you’ve almost figured it out,” Mirror said gleefully. “Almost.”
“Enough riddles, Mirror!” Dewdrop spun around and yelled to the air. “Where are you? Why are you still hidden? Come on out!”
“Ah, but that’s no fun. However, if you insist…”
For a moment, Dewdrop and Velvet were alone, the next, the lights went out and a dark shape blurred out of the gloom, snatching the gun from Dewdrop’s hands before darting back into the shadows.
“Hey!” the blue haired Assassin yelled and looked around.
Somewhere in the near distance, there were a series of metallic noises, and then the lights went back on again. There, scattered all across the floor, were pieces of Dewdrop’s gun.
“What gives?” She bent down and began picking the pieces up. “You know I can just put it back together, right?”
“I do, but I also kept the slide. Good luck shooting that without it. Now, if you could proceed? You’re almost at one of my favorite items.”
Dewdrop looked at the pieces in her hands and tossed them down angrily.
Velvet decided to play along, moving past her friend to the next display case. It was the mask that Mirror had been wearing to the masquerade party. Up close, it looked almost alive, glaring out at Velvet with its hollow sockets. The horn on its forehead was gnarled and twisted, spearing out aggressively.
“Ah, yes. My assassin’s mask. For all the times when you don’t want to be recognized in the midst of a murder. Did you know that an Eastern assassin from the Mareji period known only as Razor Gale also wore that mask? I wonder how she’s doing.” Mirror’s voice practically squealed with excitement.
“I’m pretty sure she’s dead,” Dewdrop answered. “So we’ve seen your precious mask. Where are you?”
Mirror sighed. “You’re no fun, you know that? Now, onto the jewel of my collection… just around the corner, if you please.”
The Assassins pressed on with Dewdrop leading the way again. The golden trail was brighter here, meaning that the Assassins were now getting closer.
Velvet looked from case to case, noticing more and more ancient artifacts from different time periods, like the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Finally, the trail of artifacts ran out and there, at the end of the hallway, was an enormous painting.
“Looks medieval,” Velvet placed a hand on the frame. “It must be over a thousand years old!”
“So what, it’s a painting,” Dewdrop scoffed and went ahead, looking around for a way out.
“Was paint even invented then?” Velvet asked her. History wasn’t one of her best subjects. “Morning should be here. She’ll go nuts over all this stuff.”
“You don’t recognize a family portrait when you see one?” Mirror’s voice seemed softer, as if she were reminiscing about something. “And you call me uncultured.”
“A family portrait? But you’re not even in the picture!” Dewdrop was getting tired of Mirror’s little exhibition. “Just show yourself so I can stab you,” she growled.
“O-Or at least give us a way out,” Velvet tried her luck. Maybe Mirror would just let them go if they left her and Wolfgang alone.
“I assure you, I am in the picture. But it seems that Dewdrop is growing impatient. You wish to meet me? Very well.”
The lights went out again, plunging the two Assassins into darkness. Something whipped past Dewdrop. Velvet screamed and reached out for her friend, but it was too late. When the lights came back on, the girl was gone.
Dewdrop spun around, but came up with no signs of anyone. “Velvet? Velvet! Where are you? Mirror, where is she!”
“Why don’t you try using that eagle vision that you Assassins taught me?” Mirror replied with amusement in her voice. “The girl is safe, for the time being. What happens from here, is up to you.”
Dewdrop grated her teeth together and ran forward, looking for the staircase. She wasn’t going to let that witch harm Velvet. She honed her eagle sense and looked up, the golden path materializing itself again, leading around another bend and finally, up a black flight of steps.
“I’m coming, Velvet!” Dewdrop yelled out, hoping the girl could hear her. “Wait for me!”
She hopped up the steps, two at a time, moving as fast as she could go. Finally, she burst out into the open air, and there, sitting next to Mirror Match, was Velvet.
Mirror Match had changed into a red kimono with white lily patterns, and she and Velvet Breeze were seated at a squat, square table beneath a cherry blossom tree that was gently shedding its petals over the scene. An Eastern teapot and a set of cups was placed atop the table, and Mirror greeted Dewdrop with a smile as the Assassin ran over. The setup was placed on a balcony that overlooked the snowy city, giving Dewdrop a beautiful view of Manehattan.
“Ah, there you are at last, Dewdrop. We were starting to think you wouldn’t show,” Mirror gestured to the empty seat. “Please, sit and have some of this dragonflower tea. I had it imported from the East last week.”
“Velvet, are you okay?” Dewdrop ran to the young girl’s side. “Did she hurt you?”
“She-she bit me,” Velvet whispered. “I can’t m-move.”
“You monster!” Dewdrop wrapped her arms around Velvet protectively. “You bit a kid? I thought you supported orphanages?”
“I do, and if you don’t sit down, we are going to have a disagreement.” Mirror lifted her hand and there in her grasp was a gleaming katana, the point leveled under Velvet’s chin. “So sit, please, and we will talk.”
“I-It’s okay, Dewdrop,” Velvet gasped, unable to lift her head away from the weapon. “Ju-just do as s-she says.”
Dewdrop scowled at Mirror Match, but went along, sitting herself down opposite the Templar agent.
“Here, let me pour for you,” Mirror said comfortably, as if she were among friends. She poured Dewdrop a cup of tea, the smell wafting up and tickling the Assassin’s nose.
Dewdrop accepted it, only drinking it after Mirror gestured for her to do so. She had expected it to be poison, but instead, it was rather fragrant and delicious.
“So? How’s the tea?” Mirror grinned and waited. “You know, I’ve been told that I’m good at brewing and cooking. I can thank dear Friggy for such compliments.”
It was good, but Dewdrop didn’t feel like fueling her ego. “It’s tea. What more do you want?”
“You know, I wasn’t expecting you initially,” Mirror’s grin seemed to shrink. “I was expecting Friggy. How is he doing these days?”
“What do you want, Mirror?” Dewdrop ignored her question. “Why are we here?”
“You are here, because you foolishly decided to invade my party, and attempted to break into my home. As for what I want, I want a great many things, but from you? I want to know why you ignored my warning. Yes, that will do for starters.”
“It’s not you I want, Mirror. It’s Wolfgang. All I need to do is kill him. As a Templar, you should know what he’s done to us. He deserves to die, as do you, but your time wasn’t now. But maybe it is now.”
“I thought I told Sunset Shimmer to warn you that the next time we met, I wouldn’t spare your life. Or did she not tell you?” She waved her arm, the kimono sleeve making a strange clinking noise as she did so.
“She did, but Wolfgang’s death far outweighs my fear of you,” Dewdrop narrowed her eyes at the ex-Assassin. “Just tell me where he is!”
“And I said, he’ll be along soon enough. But if you want a shot at him, you’ll have to face me first.”
Mirror Match stood up and held her katana above her head, the point facing Dewdrop. Dewdrop drew her own sword, leaping to her feet. The two women circled each other around the tea table, with Velvet Breeze in the middle, unable to move her body.
Dewdrop moved first, hopping atop the table and delivering a diagonal slice to Mirror’s midsection. The Templar parried it and countered with a slash at Dewdrop’s feet, which the Assassin avoided with a somersault off the table, landing beside Mirror Match, sword raised to block another of Mirror’s attacks.
Pulling out a second sword, Dewdrop pushed against Mirror, bringing down blade after blade, trying to break the Templar agent’s defense. Mirror countered with quick, measured slashes of her own, keeping Dewdrop on her toes.
“Just die already!” Dewdrop shouted as she blocked and slashed with her two swords.
She was so close, so close to avenging Satin and High Noon, but this witch had to stand in her way, keeping her from accomplishing her goal.
Tears fell from the Assassin’s eyes as she realized how close she was, but yet so far away from finishing it.
“Yes…” Mirror’s eyes shone like lanterns in the dark, the cherry blossom petals giving the whole scene a quiet, unearthly feel. “Love them more…”
Dewdrop unleashed a warcry and jumped up, cutting down hard. Mirror stepped out of the way as Dewdrop’s blade cut into the wooden flooring, before kicking her away, sending the Assassin bouncing on her back and stopping a meter away, her sword still in the floor.
“I’ll kill you…” the blue haired woman snarled and unsheathed her third blade.
“Very well!” Mirror laughed and backflipped away, landing next to the cherry blossom tree. “Let this next strike end our contest. Are you prepared?” The Templar agent flourished her sword in a quick circle at her side and gestured to Dewdrop, her sleeve making that strange tinkling sound again.
“Please, don’t do this,” Velvet squirmed, trying to break out of her paralysis. “Mirror, you were an Assassin. You understand why we do what we do. Please stop this. You don’t have to do this. Please don’t hurt Dewdrop. She’s like a sister to me.”
Mirror lowered her sword a fraction. “I know of sisterhood. I had a sister, once. However, I cannot ignore Dewdrop’s trespass, nor can I ignore yours. Now come, Dewdrop. Let’s finish this.”
“It’s okay, Velvet,” Dewdrop returned a sword to one of her sheaths, then holding the other one in both hands. “I’ll end this here. I’m ready, Mirror Match.”
Velvet watched helplessly as the two women rushed each other, Mirror Match and Dewdrop sprinting at top speed, blades shimmering in the lamplight.
There was a flash of steel, and suddenly it was as if Dewdrop and Mirror had swapped places, both of them standing with blades outstretched, backs to each other.
For a heartbeat, no one moved.
Then Mirror Match stumbled, a swathe of her now-cut kimono falling away.
Dewdrop stood up, triumphant. Then her hand went to her side, coming away with blood on it.
Velvet Breeze moved her eyes to Mirror Match as she began laughing, soft at first, but slowly increasing in volume.
“Look at you, Dewdrop,” Mirror said as she stood, almost as if she wasn’t injured. “Thought you’d won? Thought you’d finally killed Mirror Match?” She resumed her laughter.
“But… how?” Dewdrop said through gritted teeth. The pain in her side seemed to increase with every beat of her heart. “I cut you… I felt my sword hit you…”
“Certainly you did,” Mirror smirked. “But still, you never had a chance. Behold!”
Mirror swept in front of Dewdrop and Velvet, showing off the cut section of her kimono. Behind the thin silk, tinkling in the lamplight, was a thick layer of chainmail. The steel links had held strong against Dewdrop’s attack, with not even a scratch on the armor to show.
“You’ve ruined a perfectly good kimono, but I suppose I can forgive you. After all, you’ve not much longer to live.”
“What do you mean…?” Dewdrop staggered upright and looked down at the cut in her side. It was small, barely two inches long, but something about it was sapping her strength, making her weak.
Mirror laughed, her hand reaching into the depths of her kimono and pulling out a short, jagged dagger with a black blade. “Anta wa mou shinderu yo.”
Dewdrop’s eyes grew wider as she stared at the blade. “That blade…”
“Oh, you recognize this dagger, I see,” Mirror lifted it higher to for them to see. “I’m sure you remember your friends who have fallen to this weapon of mine?”
Dewdrop knew the deadliness of that small dagger Mirror Match had. A few Assassins had suffered under the poison of that blade; it was coated in a deadly toxin that would kill the afflicted within three days, keeping them alive as much as it could until then. And now she had been cut by that same weapon. She knew the outcome.
Dewdrop slumped to her knees, holding her side, her sword clattering to the floor. “Couldn’t beat me in a fair fight? Is that it…? Nnngh…” She fell to her face, both hands on her wound now.
“Dewdrop!” Velvet called out, straining with all her might against Mirror’s paralytic poison.
Mirror fluffed her hair like a model. “I don’t believe in fair fights. Oh, I believe a song is in order for celebration, wouldn’t you agree, Velvet dear?”
Velvet continued to struggle, trying to break free of Mirror’s poison. She could feel her fingers starting to wiggle, but that was all she could do for the moment.
Come on! You gotta go help Dewdrop! Fight it. Fight the witch’s poison!
The Witch of Manehattan stowed her black dagger back within her kimono and paced over to the cherry tree.
“This day has gone just perfect, So very well that there’s no room for much more growth, Templars and Assassins fight, Over what they think is right, What they don’t know is that I have played them both!”
“What are you… talking about, witch?” Dewdrop pushed herself up to her knees. “I should… kill you. Come here so I can stick my sword in you…”
“Oh, there’s no need for that,” Mirror clucked her tongue as she walked in a circle around the table. “You can barely stand, I don’t want you straining yourself.”
“Please, Mirror,” Velvet teared at the sight of her weakened friend. “She doesn’t deserve this. You have a cure, don’t you? Please, let her live. I’ll do what you want.”
Mirror ignored Velvet’s pleas, instead stalking to Dewdrop’s side, her katana glimmering in her hand.
“Still, I see no reason why you should suffer,” Mirror mused to herself. “After all, you’ve not been marked up for execution.”
Mirror ran a finger along her katana’s blade, then held it to Dewdrop’s neck.
Dewdrop groaned and looked up defiantly at the Templar’s eyes. “Get it over with…”
“No!” Velvet yelled. She willed herself to move, to run over to save her friend, but her body still failed to respond to her demands.
Then she remembered the shard in her pocket. Her hand was on her lap, close to her coat pocket. If she could get the shard to work, maybe she had a chance of saving Dewdrop.
Trying with all her might, Velvet Breeze moved her hand towards her coat, watching it inch a centimeter forward, then stop again.
You have to save Dewdrop! Please, move!
“So I shall release you now,” Mirror whispered, her eyes shining with excitement. “It has been a long time since I’ve been able to kill someone like this, but you know what they say, it’s like riding a horse. You never forget.”
“No!”
And then Velvet felt a familiar warmness radiating from her coat pocket. It was almost like a piece of coal recently taken from a fireplace.
And then she was enveloped in a blinding bright light, the space in front of her disappearing into a golden void.
Dewdrop watched from her spot as Velvet Breeze stood up, her eyes like glowing lights, focusing on Mirror Match. Her ears had somehow shifted to the top of her head, kind of like a horse’s ears, and her short teal and grey hair had extended into a long ponytail, ending at her knees.
What caught Dewdrop’s attention the most were the pair of luminous glowing wings, jutting from Velvet’s back like an angel. They seemed to be made of golden light, the same as Velvet’s glowing eyes.
“This can’t be…” Mirror Match lowered her blade from Dewdrop’s neck. “That’s impossible.”
Then Velvet Breeze lifted a hand, her palm facing up. Mirror Match was lifted into the air, her katana falling to the wooden floor with a clatter.
“No… How are you doing this?” Mirror squirmed in her invisible grasp.
Before she could say anything else, the Templar agent was smashed to the wooden floor below, breaking a portion of the wooden floorboards, before she was dragged across it and flung to the other side of the room, against one of the glass panels surrounding the spacial room. She impacted into it with a loud thud, but it didn’t shatter.
Dewdrop guessed it was made with some very strong material; the force at which Velvet flung her looked really powerful.
Then she was lifted again, continuously smashed against the glass, which finally began to crack from the force.
Mirror coughed, blood running from the corner of her mouth. “This can’t be… Sunset Shimmer is the heir, not you.”
Pulling back again, Velvet slammed the Templar against the glass, turning her around so that her face was turned to the cracking glass.
“N-No… Emerald… I-It’s me. You promised…” Mirror gasped, her voice shifting to a cultured Canterlot accent while green flames escaped her mouth. “You promised me…”
Dewdrop, who had been silently cheering Velvet on, watched in confusion as the young Assassin released her grip on Mirror, allowing her to fall back to the wooden floor. The Templar crawled forward and breathed deeply, clutching at her chest as she coughed up blood on the planks below.
“Psi… Thyra…?” Velvet asked in a voice that sounded like two people were speaking, her own and that of an older woman.
“Ye-es…” Mirror Match nodded, down on all fours. “It’s me, old friend...”
Dewdrop wasn’t believing what she was seeing. She wanted Velvet to keep it up.
“Don’t listen to her, Velvet!” she yelled over, the strain hurting her side. “She’s trying to trick you! You’ve got to take her down, now!”
Velvet shook her head like a dog coming out of the water.
“Yes, that’s the way, Emerald…” Mirror said, inching closer to her katana. “You remember, you promised not to ever use the artifacts against me or my family. I’m so glad you-”
Mirror’s speech was cut off as Velvet surrounded the Templar agent in a soft golden aura, picking her up off the ground.
“Wait!” Mirror cried out. “You can’t do this, Emerald!”
Velvet stared at Mirror, her eyes burning like golden flames.
“My name is Velvet Breeze, and I made no such promise.”
And with that, Velvet whipped her hand down, launching Mirror Match over the edge of the balcony where she disappeared with a frightful scream.
There was silence for a few seconds, maybe minutes. Dewdrop didn’t keep track of the time. She had pushed up to her feet with as much strength as she could muster and slowly staggered over to Velvet, who was now reeling back, like she had been punched in the gut.
“Velvet?” Dewdrop called out as the girl fell to a knee, the glow in her eyes fading, her hair and ears returning to normal. “Velvet, are you okay?”
The blue-skinned girl shook her head a few times and placed a hand over one eye. “I-I’m… I don’t know, Dewdrop.”
Dewdrop tried to smile, but the poison turned it into a grimace. “You did it, Velvet. You killed Mirror Match.”
“A-Are you sure?” Velvet said weakly. She felt as if she had spent the day hiking over the Canterpathian Mountains, and could barely muster the energy to stay standing.
“Come on,” Dewdrop arrived by her side, using the side of her knee to support the girl up. “You tossed her off the balcony, not to mention you probably broke her bones and all. There’s no way anyone could survive that. You’re the hero once again, Velvet. I owe it to you…” Dewdrop grabbed her side again, her legs threatening to give way.
“What’s going to happen to you, Dewdrop?” Velvet looked up at the older Assassin. “I remember what happened to the others, or at least you’ve told me the stories. I don’t want you to go, Dewdrop. Is there a cure we could find?”
“Nng… If there is a cure, then it probably died with Mirror Match. She’s the only one who’d have the antidote.”
“Maybe it’s in the penthouse somewhere-”
The pair’s conversation was interrupted by the crackling of a radio, one which Mirror Match had left under the tea table.
“Mirror Match, it’s Wolfgang. The crew and I are on our way up.”
Velvet’s eyes widened with concern. “It’s Wolfgang. He’s coming, Dewdrop. We’re in no shape to fight him…”
“Then we’ll have to… we’ll have to leave,” Dewdrop held an arm to her side, while her other one helped Velvet up, placing it under her arm to support her. “Come on. Maybe there’s a way down from that balcony.”
“But what about the cure?”
“We’ll worry about that later. Now, focus on getting out of here.”
The rest of the balcony was plain and nondescript, without any ornamentation or decoration, only a smooth wall separating them from open space. There was a small hook on the wall, and next to that was placed a long, rifle-like device with a length of rope attached to it.
“Hey, Mirror Match has one of those too,” Velvet pointed to the sleek black gun. “Do you… Do you think we could use that to get down?”
“Maybe… we can use this...” Dewdrop picked up the gun, but winced when she tried to hold it against her shoulder.
“Let me, Dewdrop,” Velvet gently took the gun from the blue haired Assassin’s hands and aimed it at one of the adjacent buildings, all of which were lower in elevation. As she aimed, she looked down. There were what looked like police cars gathering around the base of Match Mansions. They had to get going, and soon.
Picking the closest building Velvet fired the grapple gun, a length of high-tensile rope uncoiling after the grappling hook, flying way over to the building before latching against what looked like a roof extension.
“I think it’s secure,” Velvet said quickly, giving the rope a tug. “Can you hold on, Dewdrop?”
“I don’t think it’ll hold both of us,” Dewdrop pointed out. “You go first. I’ll follow.”
“I want to make sure you’re safe, Dewdrop,” Velvet placed a hand on the older Assassin’s arm. “You got poisoned by that thing. I want to make sure you’ll be able to get across alright. You go first.”
“No, Velvet. You go first,” Dewdrop insisted.
“B-But-”
“No buts, Velvet,” Dewdrop looked into her orange eyes. “I promised I would look after you. That’s what I’m doing.”
“But Dewdrop-”
“No, Velvet,” Dewdrop wrapped her arms around Velvet, trying her best to ignore the pain for the moment. “You’re like a sister I never could have. You’re just about as important to me as your sister was and I will do everything in my power to keep you safe, so you go first.”
“Al-alright…” Velvet conceded and picked up one of the glides that was kept next to the grapple gun and hooked it over the rope. She glanced down and her stomach did a flip flop. Velvet took one last deep breath and kicked off from the balcony, the glide effortlessly transporting her across the length of rope and depositing her onto the rooftop.
The blue haired Assassin sighed with relief as Velvet Breeze waved back to her, arriving at the other rooftop without a problem.
Dewdrop was about to follow when she heard footsteps on the planks behind her, back in the room. She turned to see Wolfgang and five other men walk into view. Wolfgang was armed with only his cane, but his cohorts all hefted assault rifles.
“Assassin…” Wolfgang snarled, unsheathing his cane’s outer layer to reveal a sword blade. “Where’s Mirror Match? What have you done with her?”
Looking back down to the young Assassin, Dewdrop smiled calmly, unsure if Velvet would be able to see or not. Not wasting another second, she unsheathed a hidden blade and cut the line before tossing the gun off the balcony, quickly dodging to the side, against the glass wall as gunfire pelted the concrete wall of the balcony where she had been standing.
Dewdrop placed a hand at her side while she drew a sword. Velvet had made it out and that was all the Assassin cared about. She had let revenge and hatred for Wolfgang consume her, eat at her on the inside, but not anymore. Dewdrop realized her folly and revenge had only endangered Velvet further.
“I’m sorry, Velvet,” Dewdrop muttered. “I’m sorry for putting you through all this… I’m sorry Satin, High Noon.”
Knowing she had to buy time for Velvet, Dewdrop looked through the glass, watching two men approach her position, while Wolfgang hung back, smiling devilishly from ear to ear.
If I am to go down, I’ll take as many of you as I can.
“If you did take down Mirror Match, Assassin, you’ve got some skill!” Wolfgang shouted to her. “If not for you, I would’ve killed her one day myself after everything she’s done to me!”
“Ngh… Not a very organized group, are you Templars?”
Wolfgang shrugged. “Maybe not, but from what I hear, neither are you Assassins. The last few of you hiding somewhere after we burned out your hive, eh? I bet Grand Master Sombra would love to know where the rest of you are. Cuff her, boys! I want her alive, at least for now.”
One of the guards drew out a pair of handcuffs, putting down his rifle and edging closer to the Assassin. The rest of the guards closed in, with Wolfgang remaining at a safe distance.
“No funny business now,” Wolfgang said. “Or these fine men will shoot your legs full of lead. You won’t need them where you’re going.”
“You won’t need it where you’re going,” Dewdrop suddenly leaned out and cut the man’s hand off, then running him through with her sword as he screamed in pain. “If you’re taking me, Wolfgang, then you’re not taking me alive.”
Dewdrop tossed the man’s body down as bullets shot around her feet, forcing her back behind the glass panel she was using. She winced and reached a hand down at her side, Mirror Match’s blade wound still sapping away at her strength.
Four of the remaining guards turned the corner, firing their assault rifles. Perhaps yesterday’s Dewdrop would have been able to get out of the way, but today’s Dewdrop had deadly poison coursing through her veins, and she was too slow to avoid a volley of bullets piercing her left leg and arm. She stumbled and fell over onto her face, clutching at her injuries.
“How feeble…” Wolfgang said from inside the room, shaking his head with a smirk on his face. “What did I tell you? Now, someone, cuff her.”
Three guards kept their weapons on Dewdrop as one reached for another pair of cuffs behind him. Dewdrop crawled away from him, weakly holding a sword. She threw the weapon at the guard, who sidestepped it.
“Looks like you’re all out of weapons,” Wolfgang said, spinning his cane sword at his side.
“Not quite,” Dewdrop said, splaying her hand and extending her hidden blade.
Wolfgang looked amused. “And what do you plan on doing with that puny thing? In case you haven’t noticed, we’ve got you surrounded, and you’re in no shape to fight us. Give up, and I promise I won’t toy with you long after Grand Master Sombra is through with you.”
“There’s one thing I can still do…” Dewdrop said quietly. She took her hidden blade and pointed it under her chin.
Wolfgang’s eyes bulged as he realized what she was about to do.
“Stop her!” the killer shouted, but he was a hair too slow.
Dewdrop’s thumb brushed the release for her hidden blade, sending the entire length shooting up into her skull. The Assassin swayed, then fell onto her back, lifeless.
Wolfgang and his men looked down at the dead Assassin.
“Damn,” Wolfgang said eventually. “Oh well. You four, clean up this mess and help the cops. Me, I’m going to get some more champagne.”
Velvet Breeze stumbled down a wall, falling to her knees as she struggled to hide.
She was lightly sobbing, the strength taken up by that little effort, as she unsteadily ran through an alleyway.
Dewdrop had smiled at her before cutting the rope. She knew she wasn’t going to follow behind Velvet. She knew.
Velvet placed herself behind two trashcans and sat down, wiping at her eyes as she fought to keep quiet. Dewdrop had meant a lot to her, not just as a friend, but as family. She was there for her all the time after Satin had passed, but now, now Velvet didn’t know what had happened, but she assumed the worst.
Lying down on the dirty concrete, Velvet closed her eyes and cried herself to sleep.
Princess Twilight Sparkle paced around Star Swirl’s destroyed prototype mirror, hoping to find answers as to how Sombra would be able to siphon magic from the real portal.
From the looks of it, the mirror had blown apart from an overload of magic. Twilight hazarded a guess that perhaps the portals could absorb magic, but would that mean their magic could also be taken?
“What do you think, Agent Eclair?” she decided to ask the Eclipse guard. “If magic can be absorbed by this portal, would Sombra be able to take it as well?”
“It is a possibility, princess,” Eclair walked up to the mirror and touched it. “But I am no unicorn, so I apologize. I do not know a lot about magic.”
“We should expect the worse,” Cadance floated up into the air and landed behind the ruined mirror. “If Sombra did find a way to steal its magic, we need to know how to stop him.”
Spike raised a hand and pointed the other to the mirror. “If Sombra does manage to take the portal’s magic, won’t that mean we can’t go to the human world?”
“Spike’s right,” Twilight realized, forgetting that point. “If he steals the magic, how can we stop him?”
“Perhaps there is a way to contain the magic from this side,” Cadance suggested. “Maybe we can stop him from taking it with a spell of our own. A barrier spell, maybe.”
“Perhaps you are right, princess…” Eclair studied the destroyed portal, feeling the edges of the bent metal.
Then something astonishing happened. Walking around, Eclair’s greaves kicked into a tiny piece of debris, which bounced over and disappeared within a piece of glass with a flash of light.
“Did-did anypony see that?” Spike looked between the three ponies.
“Oui, dragon,” Eclair bent low and picked up the piece of the mirror. She tried to stick a hoof through it, but it was too small. “The pieces, they still course with magic.”
“But how is that possible?” Cadance looked at the other pieces of glass strewn around the metal remains of the portal. She levitated a small rock over and dropped it, watching as it too, disappeared through the mirror piece. “How does it still work?”
“Today just so happens to be a thirtieth moon, but I don’t see how the portal still functions...” Twilight frowned and trotted to the metal frame, examining it closer. “Maybe Star Swirl cast some sort of lasting magic on this? Something that would keep it activated even if it were to be destroyed?”
“We may find something if we clear the soot and dust off the frame,” Eclair lifted a wing and flapped, blowing what she could off the mirror’s frame.
“Leave it to me.” Twilight cast a spell, her horn lighting up with magic. Soon, a wooden bucket and sponge appeared before her head. “Let’s see what we can do.”
Squeezing the sponge in the bucket of water, Twilight wasted no time in scrubbing the metal, watching as the black soot started to disappear, revealing an old rusted metal frame, similar to the portal she had, but lacked the aesthetic decorations around it.
“What’s all this?” Spike asked as he scratched a claw in a indented shape on the first frame.
On closer examination, there were more markings along each frame, from top to bottom.
“Runes…” It didn’t take being a unicorn for Eclair to know what those markings were.
“Magical imbibers,” Twilight bent closer and looked as Spike wiped away at the remaining dirt. “That’s how this mirror absorbs magic.”
“But can it also be taken, princess?” Eclair asked.
“I’m not sure,” the lavender alicorn shook her head. “Runes are before my time, but by the looks of it, they still work.”
“Perhaps this is how Sombra got to the other world,” Princess Cadance guessed. “After you beat him, he simply wisped away somewhere, likely down here. I’m sure as a body of smoke, he would’ve been able to go through the mirror pieces and we would’ve never found him down here. All he had to do was wait for the portal to open, like today, and he could go through.”
“That makes sense,” Eclair nodded and picked up a piece. “So the dark king was never truly vanquished… And this is how he got away.”
“But what should we do now?” Spike tried to stick a foot in through a piece, but even that was too large. “How can we defend the portal against Sombra?”
“I built a machine that lets us use the portal whenever we want,” Twilight reminded him. “Maybe I can engineer it to create a barrier instead?”
“It’s worth a shot,” Cadance nodded in agreement. “But how long will that last?”
“I don’t know…” Twilight admitted. She’d only heard of the artifacts from Sunset, and she’d never seen one before, so she had no idea how much power one would have. Though, if she had to guess, they couldn’t hold Sombra back forever. “I think it’s time to head back. We’ve gotten all the answers we can from this place.”
“I’ll come with you,” Princess Cadance said.
“As will I,” Eclair placed a hoof to her armor. “I will have to report to Princess Luna about all this.”
The group proceeded out the cavern, heading back up to the old armory. For Twilight, some questions had been answered, like how the Assassins had originated right here in the Crystal Empire, and what Star Swirl had kept away from Equestria for its own good, but now she had more questions.
What would happen if Sombra succeeded in draining the portal of its magic, and did they have enough time to stop him?
Velvet Breeze had dragged herself back to the Manehattan safehouse just as the moon had reached its peak, high in the night sky above.
Snow had started falling again when she had woken up from her spot, and thankfully, she hadn’t frozen over.
Locking the safehouse door behind her, the young Assassin walked over to the coffee table, dropping her bag beside it as she fell to the ground, still trying to accept Dewdrop’s absence. Even if the blue haired Assassin survived, she wouldn’t have long before Mirror Match’s poison did its work.
Dewdrop wasn’t going to be there for her anymore.
“Why, Dewdrop…” Velvet wiped her eyes as she began crying again. “I m-miss you…”
She let herself cry it out once more before retrieving her laptop, opening it up to report back to Frigid.
The screen booted up as the Assassin’s acting Mentor appeared, worry somehow etched across his face.
“Velvet, you’re alright! Thank goodness…”
Then he was pushed out of the way as Keila, Morning Blade and Sunset Shimmer squeezed their faces in, glad to see her as well.
“Velvet, good to see you!” Sunset gave her a warm smile.
“We were so worried, Velvet,” Morning Blade said. “We thought they had gotten you too.”
“What?” Velvet assumed they must've seen something on the news. “Dewdrop sent me down the zipline, b-but… she didn’t follow…”
Suddenly, all their smiles faded, the others all reeling back from the laptop’s camera.
“Velvet, Dewdrop didn’t make it…” Keila was the one to break the silence. “It was on the news.”
“They said she killed Mirror Match...” Frigid sighed. “Is… Is that true?”
Velvet shook her head, tears threatening to fall again. Now for certain she knew Dewdrop didn’t make it. “I did. I was the one… She was going to kill Dewdrop. I had to do something.”
“It’s fine, Velvet. You did the right thing.” It looked like it took all of the acting Mentor’s strength to say that. “I’m sorry. Wolfgang got to her, but apparently she killed herself before he could do her any harm.”
Velvet leaned back and covered her face. Once again, it was that name. Wolfgang. Not only had he taken Satin and High Noon away, but now he had taken Dewdrop away as well.
“I’m sorry, Velvet,” Sunset tried to console her. “I know it must be hard. Dewdrop was a nice person.”
“It’s all my fault…” Velvet whispered. “If I had only used the shard sooner…”
“It was the shard again?” Keila asked. “You used that to kill Mirror Match?”
“Yes,” Velvet sniffed and wiped at her eyes, taking the piece of the Mentor’s sword out of her coat pocket and displaying it on the screen. “I think I know how to use it now.”
Velvet Breeze knew what she had to do. Wolfgang had taken too many of her friends and family away already. She had to do what Dewdrop had been aiming for, she had to kill Wolfgang once and for all.
“Let me find Wolfgang,” Velvet gripped the shard in her hand, tightly. “Let me end him.”
“Velvet, I know he’s a terrible person, but come back,” Sunset pleaded with her. “You shouldn’t have been sent out in the first place. Come back and we’ll work things out.”
“Yes, Velvet,” Frigid Night nodded his head. “I should’ve never sent you. Come back. We’ll talk about what to do next.”
Velvet shook her head. This time, she wasn’t going to listen to herself. She had the power. She wasn’t the same weak girl she was before. Now, she had just what she needed to kill Wolfgang.
“No. I’m doing this. With the shard’s power, I’ll finish what Dewdrop set out to do. I’ll avenge her. I’ll avenge Satin and High Noon as well. Please don’t stop me.”
Then she clicked the disconnect button, closing the video call off. Shutting her laptop, Velvet stood up and pulled her hood up, looking at the shard in her hand.
“Please work with me again,” she said to it. “I have to do this for them all. I won’t let that maniac kill anyone else. I won’t let him kill my friends. Please, help me do this…”
Then Velvet Breeze headed for the door, a faint golden glow in her eyes as the corner of her mouth twisted up into a smirk.
Frigid Night fell to the ground, rubbing at his jaw where he was punched.
“This is all your fault, Frigid!” Keila yelled at him, fists raised. “You just had to go and do that, didn’t you? They would’ve been fine if you called them back, but you sent them after Wolfgang. You’re to blame!”
He pushed himself up and looked at the Saddle Arabian Assassin. “I know, I know… I’m sorry. I was foolish to not trust anyone. I don’t know best. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry isn’t going to bring anyone back!” she crouched down and punched him again.
“If punching me will help, then do it,” the grey haired Assassin said, closing his eyes. “I deserve it.”
She was probably going to punch him again, but Morning Blade stepped between them, pushing Keila back.
“Stop it, Keila! Don’t hurt him. It won’t change anything.”
“Yeah? I’m just giving him what he’s done to all of us,” Keila shook a fist at him. “He did all this, Morning. It’s all on him.”
“But we don’t need to fight amongst ourselves,” Morning countered. “Please, let’s not break apart now.”
“It’s too late for that, Morning,” Keila folded her arms. “I made a vow to Mentor Steel Shine that I’d continue to uphold the Creed, but you aren’t Mentor Steel Shine, Frigid Night. I think it’s time I go.”
“What?” Morning was taken aback. “No, Keila, you can’t.”
“He’s thrown all our lives away like pawns on a chessboard! How long before it’s you or me? I’m leaving before that happens.”
“But the Creed, Keila!” Morning Blade yelled back. “You can’t abandon the Brotherhood like that. We should see this through.”
“The Brotherhood is gone! We’re all that’s left. I think the Creed only applies to an actual Brotherhood,” Keila turned around, her coat flapping behind her. “There is nothing left for us here, especially if Frigid Night is still around.”
“Keila, no.” For once, Sunset saw Morning asserting herself. The white haired Assassin swooped around Keila and blocked her path. “You can’t abandon us. You can’t betray us! Not like that traitor did!”
“Things are different now. This man,” Keila pointed a finger at Frigid’s face. “This man is going to lead us all to our deaths. Leave while you can, Morning. Don’t waste your time with him. If he wants to get things done, he should do them himself.”
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Sunset tapped Frigid’s arm.
The acting Mentor sighed and got up, pulling his hood down. “Keila’s right. It’s my fault that Velvet’s where she is right now. You don’t need to associate yourselves with me.”
“But Frigid!” Morning Blade couldn’t believe her ears. “No, I can’t allow this. We were taught never to leave our brothers and sisters, especially in times of need. Keila, you can’t leave. I’ll… I’ll fight you if I have to!”
“Leave it, Morning,” Keila whipped out both her daggers in an instant. “You won’t be able to beat me. Stand down.”
“I’m not letting you betray us,” Morning took out her pistol and pointed it at Keila’s chest. “I have a duty to perform, whether I like it or not.”
“Oh, and please explain how shooting me is going to solve anything. Frigid Night has earned neither my respect nor my following, so that’s it. In Saddle Arabia, I’d have ditched you sooner.”
Morning frowned and pursed her lips, but didn’t say anything. The gun in her hands didn’t falter.
“Please, you two,” Sunset decided she had to step in, placing a hand over Morning’s pistol. “Just stop! Shooting or killing each other isn’t going to do anything. We should be figuring out where Velvet is going instead. If you don’t agree with each other, at least agree that we need to save Velvet.”
This seemed to give the Assassins pause.
Keila’s mouth worked furiously, but she sheathed her knives and grunted, “You know something’s wrong when the kid in the room shows more wisdom than the oh-so-mighty acting Mentor.”
Frigid looked away and stalked up to the wall, taking more interest in the worn out paint instead.
“She’s right…” Morning Blade lowered her gun and placed it back in its holster on her right leg. “I hope you understand, Keila. This is more than any of us. It’s about everyone in this world. We have to fight. If not for the Creed, at least for the people.”
Keila glared one last time at Frigid Night. “But you, acting Mentor, you’re the problem. I suggest you do something about it. I really… I can’t stand being around you.”
The Saddle Arabian Assassin pulled her hood down, covering her face as she headed back to her room.
“What’s happened to us…” Morning Blade slumped down on a chair and covered her face. “How did it all come to this?”
Sunset sat down next to her, unsure of what to say.
“Oh, come on, Morning. It’s not all that bad…”
“Isn’t it?” Morning said miserably. “High Noon’s dead, Dewdrop’s dead, Velvet’s missing, and what’s left of the Assassin Brotherhood is tearing itself apart. What are we to do now?”
“It’s not over, Morning,” Frigid Night appeared behind them, placing a hand on his partner’s shoulder. “We still have a part to play. Keila’s right. If I want something done, I should be the one out there.”
“So what’s the plan, sir?”
“The Templar’s auditorium is still in construction,” he pointed to his laptop screen. “I think we should go slow them down a little.”
“What, are you just going to barge in there and wreck the place?” Sunset placed her hands on her hips. “I doubt that’s going to work.”
Frigid breathed heavily and rubbed at his grey hair. “Whatever we’re going to do, let’s just leave it for tomorrow. I think we’ve had enough of today. Get some rest, Morning. You too, Sunset Shimmer.”
“What are you going to do about Keila?” Sunset asked him. “She seems really pissed off. I think you’ll have to do something about it.”
Frigid looked down the hallway, stopping his eyes at Keila’s room. “I’ve got much to think about tonight, but… I’ll try to speak to her in the morning. Alone. If anything happens to me, maybe it’s for the better.”
And the acting Mentor was off, getting up and returning to his room, closing the door behind him.
Morning Blade had asked if they could bounce back up from this. Sunset truly didn’t have an answer for this, but she knew they had to. Their worlds depended on them.
Sunset Shimmer awoke in a small stone room, the sun shining in through a frameless window turning the whole room yellow.
“Where am I this time?” the girl scratched at her hair as she stood up and walked to the window.
She realized she was nowhere in Canterlot that she’d seen before. Beyond the hole in the wall were plenty more stone buildings like the one she was in, packed close against each other, with stone paths in between them and a vast landscape of sand surrounding everything.
“Where am I this time…?” Sunset repeated.
The sun rays shone brightly in the sky; it was probably really hot right now, but thankfully, she couldn’t feel any of it.
Sunset returned her attention to the room she was in, only now spying a familiar face on some kind of couch by the room’s door, along with someone else in a bed close by.
Emerald Edge sat there, watching the sleeping woman. By the looks of Emerald’s worried face, it was someone she was close to.
The woman had long blue and white hair and pale blue skin.
Why did you bring me here, Sunset wondered. What did you want me to see this time?
Then the brown wooden door opened as the pink haired archer from before, Posey, if Sunset remembered, entered, her bow strung over her back.
“Emerald…” she whispered, watching the blue haired woman sleep. “Emerald, are you free?”
“What can I do for you, Posey?” Emerald asked without turning.
“It’s about this,” Posey walked in, silently closing the door behind her. “Moon Tide can’t be there to help you every time. I want to teach you some things I know, Emerald. Things that will help you improve.”
“But I can’t leave her now. She needs us. She’s weak after what she did.”
“Then I shall teach you your first skill here,” Posey nodded. “It’s something I’ve… I’ve kept a secret from everyone. A… technique, you could say...” Posey pulled at her bandana, slightly smiling. “It’s helped me out on more than one occasion.”
“A technique? What kind of technique?” Emerald asked, puzzled.
“I’ve taken to calling it ‘eagle vision’.” Posey whistled with her fingers. Soon, an eagle flew in through the window and landed on her arm. “Gabriel taught it to me.”
“Your bird taught you this technique?” Emerald was skeptical.
Sunset didn’t know what to think. It kind of sounded weird that her pet eagle would be able to teach her eagle vision. Sunset remembered what Velvet Breeze had told her about eagle vision, how it could be used for tracking or for determining which side someone was on. But hearing that it all started with an actual eagle? That was admittedly a little strange.
“Well, he didn’t tell me, if that’s what you were asking…” Posey scratched at her cheek embarrassedly. “L-Let’s just say I learnt it from observing him, hmm?”
“Well, it is as you say,” Emerald shrugged. “So how do you use it? This eagle vision?”
“You have to focus your vision,” Posey pointed at her eyes. “To see that which is normally hidden.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Sunset asked aloud, looking at the two women.
“Well, how do you do it?” Emerald squinted her eyes and looked around. “Is this it?”
“Not exactly. You have to focus. Concentrate on what you want to see, on what you cannot see.”
“I want you to imagine the world as it is now, only you need to focus on the important aspects. Let me see…” Posey ducked out the door for a while and returned with three training mannequins. She then proceeded to drape them with a heavy cloth each, forming three ghostly shapes under the roof.
“I’m going to hide behind one of these mannequins, and you have to use your eagle vision to find me.
Sunset floated around the mannequins, trying to discern what the archer was trying to do. There she was, hiding behind the middle one. The girl looked back at Emerald Edge, watching as the First Assassin squinted and bent closer, like she was trying really hard to see something far away.
“Are you behind the left one?” Emerald said at last.
Posey peeked her head out from behind the middle one. “Not quite,” she said. “Let’s try again.”
Sunset Shimmer watched the archer move to the left one this time, waiting for her friend.
“Right?” Emerald guessed.
“Are you just guessing them?” Posey stood up from behind the left mannequin. “Focus, Emerald. Hone your senses.”
Sunset glided back over to the First Assassin, stopping beside her, trying to see what she was seeing.
Emerald Edge closed her eyes, her eyebrows twisted down, concentrating.
“You can do it, Emerald,” Sunset told her. “I know you can’t hear me, but it feels helpful to talk every now and then. I mean… Okay, now I’m just talking to myself.”
“Are you behind the middle one?” Emerald said at last.
“Unfortunately, no,” Posey said, emerging from behind the right hand side mannequin.
“This is impossible!” Emerald pronounced, throwing her hands up in the air. “How long did you take to learn this, Posey?”
“Well, umm… over a month…” she replied meekly.
“So how can I get it in a day?” Emerald paced on the spot. “I can’t just magically gain an eagle’s vision just like that.”
“I’m not asking you to get it in one day,” Posey said comfortingly. “All I’m asking is for you to try.”
“But I am trying. I’m trying my best.”
“No,” Posey said sharply. “We will know your best when it emerges. Come, Emerald. Let’s try again.”
Sunset blew at her fringe as she watched Emerald try again and again and again. She was glad that no one was getting killed in this dream, but it was starting to get boring just watching the Assassin try to figure out which mannequin the archer was hiding behind.
Finally, Posey emerged from behind the mannequins and gave Emerald a pat on the shoulder.
“Good effort today, but we’ll pick it up again tomorrow. For now, how would you like to go for a run?”
“A run?” Emerald raised an eyebrow. “How is a run going to help me fight?”
“Have you seen the city, Emerald?”
Sunset hadn’t exactly been in it, but she knew what it looked like from the window.
“The assassins that attacked you and Moon Tide,” Posey continued. “Yes, they overwhelmed you with numbers, but what if you could use the cityscape against them?”
“Use the cityscape?” Emerald tilted her head to the side.
“Come, I’ll show you,” Posey beckoned from the doorway. “I’ll send one of the others up here to look after Moon Tide in your place. Just for a short while.”
“O-Okay…” Emerald went to the bed and sat down beside the blue haired woman. “Moon Tide? I need to step out for a while. Will you be fine for the time being?”
The woman cracked open an eye and forced a smile on her face. “Y-Yes, go ahead. I’ll manage. I just need more rest…”
Emerald patted her on the arm and stood up to follow Posey. As soon as she left the room, Sunset felt the tug at her waist and was pulled along, heading down a set of stony hallways before emerging out in an open walkway, looking down into the city, at the same time, giving Sunset a view of the rest of the city behind them. There was a larger landscape of buildings leading down to the center of the city, where a large palace stood.
“Just where am I…?” the girl scratched her chin.
Looking down, she noticed they were standing on a long open walkway, looking down over rows of small buildings below, all pressed together so closely like the buildings in today’s Manehattan.
“I want you to jump down, Emerald,” Posey placed her hands behind her back and hopped up on the ledge, balancing on her toes. “From this spot.” She walked out over to a small wooden beam jutting out of the structure.
“What, are you crazy?” Emerald looked down and swallowed, then looked back up to Posey.
Sunset looked down and her stomach went on a rollercoaster ride. The drop alone scared her, but how did the archer expect Emerald Edge to survive that?
“No, I’m not. Watch me.”
Posey assumed a spreadeagled position on the beam of wood and in one smooth motion, leaped out into empty space. She hung there for a second, suspended in the air and then she was sailing downward, flipping once before landing in a haystack.
“...What?” Emerald’s jaw dropped.
Sunset had covered her eyes, but sighed with relief when Posey stuck her upper body out of the haystack, giving them a wave. She’d seen the Assassins do some crazy stunts before, but nothing like that, and she was thankful she didn’t have to. Seeing Morning Blade or Velvet Breeze do something like that would have given her a heart attack.
“Your turn, Emerald!” Posey called up and moved away from the haystack. “Just do what I did!”
Sunset watched the First Assassin as she shook her head a few times, blinking the stunt out of her head. She seemed to be processing how she could do such a thing.
“No. No way am I doing that,” Emerald was muttering to herself. She peered down at the distant haystack and at Posey, who was gesticulating at her to jump. She shook her head, but Posey only nodded more.
Finally mustering up enough courage, Emerald clambered atop the ledge, making her way down the wooden feature. She almost slipped once, but managed to right herself before she could tumble down.
You can do it, Emerald… Sunset thought out in her head, willing her confidence over to the Assassin.
“I can’t do it, Posey!” Emerald yelled down to her friend after reaching the end of the beam.
“You can, Emerald!” the archer shouted back. “You just have to take a leap of faith! You’ll be fine!”
Sunset watched as Emerald swallowed, then looked back down at the tiny haystack. It was barely the size of her palm at this height. She took a deep breath, and then she jumped.
Sunset followed Emerald’s progression down, only to be jolted and pulled along as Emerald fell, arms and legs flailing around before she landed with a heavy whump in the pile of hay. Sunset had screamed all the way down, but her body had stopped right as she was about to hit the haystack, now floating just above Emerald Edge as she popped her head out, spitting out a strand of hay.
“See, you did it,” Posey helped her out, hauling her up under the arms. “How was it?”
“Terrifying,” Sunset said, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves.
Emerald Edge placed her feet on the solid ground and dusted hay off her shoulders. “It was… exhilarating! A few more and maybe I’ll get the hang of it. What’s next?”
Posey smiled. “Well, I promised you a run, so why don’t we do that?”
“Sounds good.”
Emerald followed as Posey ran off down the streets, with Sunset being pulled along behind.
“Just do as I do!” Posey yelled back as she dodged a passerby holding a jar on her head.
Emerald spun around the same person, but Sunset simply phased through her, seeing as she wasn’t actually here.
“Hmm… It pays to be a ghost sometimes,” she smiled to herself.
The Assassin followed behind her friend, avoiding people as they appeared when Posey suddenly hopped to the right, jumping atop a basket, then a crate, before grabbing ahold of a pole, using it to swing herself up on the side of a building.
Emerald didn’t stop, following behind, doing the same exact thing, grabbing a window at the top, using it to follow Posey, who was already halfway up the first building, using grooves and ledges to get to the top.
Sunset levitated beside the First Assassin, watching the people below as they looked up at the two women like they were some crazy drunkards.
Sunset knew they were anything but. Skillfully, the two women clambered up onto the rooftops, the square buildings stretching out as far as the eye could see under the scorching hot sun. Posey broke into a sprint, vaulting over a roof garden and leaping from this rooftop to the next. Emerald followed suit as best she could, jumping over the alleys and narrow roads beneath them. The wind whipped at their hair and sweat beaded on their brows, but Posey and Emerald kept on running.
Despite everything, Sunset wished she could join them. It looked like a lot of fun, flying over the roofs of wherever this was.
“I’m getting the hang of this!” Emerald called to her friend ahead.
“Good work, Emerald!” Sunset cheered for her.
The Assassin and archer went on around the city’s stone buildings, leaping and vaulting over various obstacles, with the occasional human looking up to see their madness.
“Wish I could join you with this, Emerald…” Sunset said out loud as she floated alongside her. “Might come in useful in life too, you know? Like in school or something.”
Sunset didn’t expect a reply, but somehow, the First Assassin turned her head in Sunset’s direction, somewhat of a grin on her face.
“But Sunset Shimmer,” she said, making the girl do a double take. “You can do this. This is all my gift to you.”
“Did-did you just talk to me?” Sunset rubbed her eyes and looked again.
The Assassin wasn’t looking at her anymore, vaulting over a row of plants, nor did she say anything else to her again.
“That was odd…” Sunset scratched at her hair. “Was I dreaming in a dream?”
Her questions were left unanswered as Posey slowed down, allowing Emerald Edge to catch up.
“How are you doing? Tired?” Posey patted the First Assassin’s back as she bent down, breathing heavily.
“Just… a little… But keep going… I need to… get better…”
“Then onward ho, Emerald,” the pink haired archer chuckled and ran up a wall, kicking off the first few feet before grabbing the ledge at the top to haul herself up.
The Assassin grinned and followed suit, copying Posey to the best of her ability.
Sunset Shimmer watched the race across the city, jumping, spinning, somersaulting, climbing, swinging, even sliding along their plotted path, soon almost arriving back at the place where they’d started at, looking back down at the smaller buildings below.
“Great run, Posey…” Emerald gasped and breathed, resting her back against the wall before sliding down to a sitting position. “That sure… taught me a lot…”
“You see?” the archer stretched her arms from side to side. She didn’t seem to be out of breath like Emerald Edge was. “This city is good for things like that. In combat, use the environment to your advantage. Besides, it also helps when you need to get to places.”
“So true,” Sunset giggled, thinking about how great it would be if she could get to school like that. It would definitely help her avoid the traffic.
The fiery haired girl remembered her sword fighting with Keila and Frigid Night. If that somehow managed to seep its way into her instincts, maybe, just maybe, all this would as well. She hoped it would. Being able to do all that was certainly cool; it would even make Rainbow Dash drop her jaw.
“It’ll take more than a day to get the hang of this,” Emerald placed her hands on her back and stood up straight. “Still… This isn’t bad. I shall look forward to more runs, Posey.”
The archer took a seat on the ledge overlooking the part of the city, swinging her legs back and forth over the open space. “Certainly, Emerald. I shall do all I can to aid you in retrieving the artifacts.”
Sunset Shimmer watched the city with the two women for a few more minutes before she began to feel herself float up to the sky. Whether she saw it right or not, Emerald Edge looked up to her once last time, nodding to her with a confident face, just like at the end of her previous dream.
As everything turned white, Sunset was sure she heard a voice, almost like it was right next to her ear. “Save our worlds, Sunset Shimmer. It is your destiny…”
The first person Sunset Shimmer saw when she shuffled out of her room was Morning Blade, seated on a couch with her legs pulled up to her chest, watching something on the television.
“Didn’t sleep, Morning?” Sunset tidied some of her hair up.
“Too much on my mind,” the white haired Assassin shook her head, rubbing at her temple.
“What’re you watching?” Sunset went over and sat down beside her. “Oh, the news. Umm… Anything interesting?”
Morning Blade shrugged and leaned against her knees. “Some building in Baltimare caught on fire and some rich fella was shot in Las Pegasus. Umm… no, that’s not interesting, is it?”
“How terrible…” Sunset tried to block out the forming images in her head. “No, that’s not interesting at all…”
The news then switched to a tall glassy building, with police cars all around. “Just yesterday, disaster struck in Manehattan as Match Mansions was raided by a pair of uninvited guests during a masked party gone wrong. Mirror Match, the owner of the establishment, was found dead at the bottom of her home.
“Police have investigated the scene and concluded that she had been pushed off her balcony on the thirty-third floor, killed by the fall.”
“Fall?” Sunset looked at the screen as officers pointed at the cracks on a glass panel overlooking the balcony. “Did Velvet push her out?”
“Who knows…” Morning Blade continued to watch blankly.
“One of the suspects was found dead at the scene, while the other is said to have escaped. Wolfgang, a business associate of Mirror Match, had this to say…”
Wolfgang’s face appeared on the television screen. His face was arranged in an expression of solemn mourning.
“It’s a dreadful thing, when killers roam the streets like this. My thoughts are with the deceased’s friends and family during this time, and I hope the police manage to apprehend the other suspect.”
“And what do you have to say about the dead suspect?” the camera panned to a news reporter with a golden goatee. “Did she fail to escape and sought to fight her way out?”
Wolfgang shrugged. “By the time I got to the penthouse, Mirror Match was already gone. I tried to stop the killer, but the suspect decided to kill herself rather than be caught. People these days...”
“Yeah right…” Sunset clenched her fists, remembering the time Wolfgang had tried to kidnap her. “He’s probably the one who did it.”
A picture of Dewdrop appeared on the screen, against a white backdrop. “The perpetrator was identified as Dewdrop, a gang member from Trottingham. With the gang wipeouts in the recent years, we believed her to have died, but we don’t know why she emerged now only to kill a respected member of the Board of Education..”
The screen switched back to the news anchor. “Police have indeed identified the broken body as Mirror Match, but further investigations on her death had been halted when her body disappeared from the morgue. Police are still looking into-”
Morning Blade turned off the TV and sunk her head into her arms.
“Morning, are you okay?” Sunset patted the Assassin’s back comfortingly.
“Why does she get all the condolences and Dewdrop doesn’t?” Morning sniffled, shuddering slightly. “Why has everything turned upside down, Sunset?”
“I guess it’s just the way things are,” Sunset rubbed Morning’s back. “Things don’t always go as planned, but… but it’s our job to get back up.”
“I know, I know… It’s just not easy to get over, how hard everything’s become.”
“Being an Assassin can’t be easy, Morning,” Sunset said. “But you do it anyway. Why? Because you know the world needs you. It still does. Mentor Steel Shine trusted me to help you. You better believe that’s exactly what I’m going to do, whether I’m able to or not.”
“Thanks, Sunset,” Morning lifted her head and wiped her eye. “Thanks for remaining optimistic.”
“Hey, I’ve learnt a thing or two about friendship since coming here,” Sunset smiled. “If you need convincing and cheering up, I’m here for you.”
Morning pulled Sunset into a hug. “Friends… Yeah, I like that. Thank you, Sunset.”
“Mhm. So Morning, I was thinking of stepping outside for a bit. There’s something I want to try out.”
“What do you have in mind?” the Assassin pulled away and leaned back.
“Did Keila or Frigid Night tell you about my… uh, apparent swordsmanship?”
Morning nodded once. “Frigid mentioned something along those lines. You had a dream and now you can sword fight with the best of us?”
“Yeah, something like that. I had a dream about Emerald Edge using her sword, and I think somehow her skill got transferred to me. And last night, I had another dream about her and the archer woman called Posey go free running. I wanted to see-”
“...If you picked up on any of their skills?” Morning finished, an eyebrow raised thoughtfully. “Well, I don’t see any harm in trying out your theory.”
Excitement shone in Sunset’s eyes. “Let’s go, let’s go!”
“Alright, alright,” Morning got up and buttoned up her brown coat. “Let’s see if you can outdo me in a run.”
The two girls were heading for the door when Morning bumped right into Frigid as he came out of the hallway, his attention elsewhere.
“Oh, sorry, Morning,” Frigid continued to look around. “Have you seen Keila?”
“No, why?”
“She’s gone.”
From a plan to go run around for fun, Sunset Shimmer and Morning Blade decided to go looking for the Saddle Arabian Assassin instead.
None of the Assassins had heard Keila leave, and Morning was awake all night. She hadn’t left any messages or notes, so no one had any idea where she was, though Morning Blade did seem to have an idea.
“She left us, I just know it,” she grumbled to Sunset. “How could she? She betrayed the Creed. She betrayed us.”
“You don’t know that, Morning,” Sunset tried to think of another reason. “Umm… I’m sure she has her reasons for disappearing like that.”
“Yeah. She wanted to have nothing to do with us anymore.”
“Let’s just… Let’s focus on finding her for now.” Sunset noticed that when it came to rules, Morning Blade wasn’t someone you should mess with.
“Fair enough,” Morning conceded and led Sunset up to a wall with a railing at the top. “So, Sunset. Think you can make this?”
“I believe I can,” she nodded her head. It looked way too high for her to reach, but she remembered Emerald’s words. “You know, strange or not, she told me I could do this, Morning. The First Assassin did.”
“She spoke to you?” Morning looked at her. “In your dream?”
“Yeah. She even said my name.”
“Okay, surely she’s trying to show you something. Her life, perhaps? Or maybe just to grant you the skills you need to help us.”
“Maybe…” Sunset shrugged at eyed the wall.
Taking a step back, she ran at it, remembering Emerald’s run through the desert city in her dream. Almost like she knew what to do, the fiery haired girl kicked off the lower segment of the wall like she was running up it. Then as her momentum slowed, she pushed off the wall and reached high, feeling her fingers grapple the ledge at the top.
Sunset hauled herself up as Morning watched with much fascination. “Amazing, Sunset. It really worked!”
“Yeah,” the girl almost couldn’t believe it herself. “I can’t deny this is really cool.”
“Sure is, Sunset,” Morning said before running up the wall, joining her on the length of the wall.
Both girls scaled the next wall, using pipes and indents to get to the roof, where they found a ladder, leading them higher.
Sunset felt the muscles in her arms burn as she pulled her weight around, but whatever it was that Emerald Edge had given her, it sure helped with distributing her strength to all the necessary areas.
“This looks like a good vantage point,” Morning Blade surveyed the landscape. “Alright, Sunset. If Keila’s still out here, we’ll be able to see her.”
Sunset Shimmer helped out, looking as far out as she could, looking for any signs of her bandaged Assassin friend.
It wasn’t easy.
From where she stood, Sunset tried to observe each person walking along down roads, the ones in cars, and even those in shops she could see. She tried her best, spying from human to human, trying to located the Saddle Arabian Assassin.
Then something strange happened. Everything around her phased into a dark blue hue, startling the girl for an instant. Then she noticed the people walking around below had all turned into grey shapes, still doing what they were doing before her vision changed. Sound was muffled, as if she were holding her hands over her ears.
“What’s going on?” Sunset looked at her hands. She too, was highlighted in blue.
“Hmm?” Morning Blade heard her question. “Something wrong, Sunset? Are you feeling alright?”
“Yeah, everything’s… I can’t see very well. It’s all dark, at the same time, people are glowing.”
“That sounds an awful lot like eagle vision, Sunset,” Morning stepped closer. She appeared blue in Sunset’s eyes. “It takes months to even start seeing the world like that. A single dream did this for you? That’s really something.”
“Eagle vision, huh…” Sunset murmured, thinking back to her dream. Emerald had struggled to master it, but it seemed that the cumulative effect had carried onto Sunset. She saw the world in grey and blue, but there was something she needed clarification on.
“Morning,” Sunset said, turning her head to survey the street better. “What do all the colors mean?”
“Well…” Morning surveyed the area, activating her eagle vision too. “Blue means friends, like me. Grey means civilian, just your average joe. They don’t mean any harm nor are they your friends, particularly. Red means enemy, like the Templars. White is hiding places, and gold is for targets or people of importance.”
“So Keila is going to be… golden?”
“If we’re looking for her, she should be.”
“Hmm…” Sunset looked closer, searching the dark world for any signs of gold. Even with this enhanced vision, she saw only blue and grey.
“She’s not here…” Morning Blade sighed after four more minutes. “Why should she be? She might’ve already left town. That traitor… Come on, Sunset. Let’s get back and report in.”
“Alright…” Sunset followed Morning, first, spinning off the railing and grabbing the ledge below it, the slowly dropping down the brickwork, grabbing ahold of different things on the way down to shorten the drop. Only when Sunset had reached the bottom did she realize an interesting problem. Everything around her was still dark.
“Umm… Morning?”
“Yes, Sunset?” the Assassin turned around and pulled her hood low.
“How do you get it to stop?”
“Ah, Morning Blade, there you are,” Frigid Night said as Morning and Sunset Shimmer returned from their walk. “Any sign of Keila?”
The female Assassin shook her head and pulled at her braid. “No. She’s gone. I have no idea where she could’ve possibly gone.”
The acting Mentor sighed and sat back down on his chair. “Great. I should’ve planned to talk to her sooner… Well, I have more news. I intercepted a Templar message. Mahogany Wood’s coming to Canterlot.”
“The chairman himself?” Morning sat down beside her old teacher and looked at his laptop screen. “To oversee the auditorium. This is perfect! They don’t know we’re here. This could be the best time to take him out of this war.”
“Exactly what I thought myself,” Frigid agreed. “I would go alone, but… I think I’ve been looking at life wrong all these years, Morning.”
“Hmm?” She looked confused.
“I have no reason not to trust you,” Frigid looked at her and seemed to force a smile. “Let’s do this together. Properly, as a team should.”
The white haired Assassin grinned happily and gave a mock salute. “Yes sir!”
“Wait, what about me?” Sunset asked. “If you two are going, I want to be there. To help.”
“I know you’ve got skills now, Sunset Shimmer,” Frigid eyed her. “But you have never killed anyone before. Do you think you can do it when the time comes?”
“Just stay here, Sunset,” Morning placed a hand on her shoulder. “We don’t want you becoming like us.”
“But by myself?”
“You’re hardly defenseless anymore, remember?” Morning patted her back and got up, straightening her attire. “But… maybe you should go over to a friend’s? Just in case?”
“I agree,” Frigid added. “We’ll contact you when we’re finished, then you can come back.”
“If-if you insist…” Sunset rubbed her arms.
“Hey, don’t worry about us,” Morning looked at her confidently. “We’re Assassins. Mirror Match isn’t around anymore.”
“Yeah, she isn’t…” Frigid leaned back and looked at the ceiling.
“You miss her?” Sunset asked him, curious as to what he still felt for the Templar agent.
“All the time,” he admitted. “I still wish things hadn’t turned out this way. I wish she never betrayed us.”
Frigid dug into his pocket and came back with a small folded photo. Sunset bent over to see it, noticing it was a picture of the Assassin himself, along with another with orange and green hair.
Mirror Match.
They both hand their arms around each other’s shoulders and large smiles on their faces. They looked nothing like what they were like now, at least it was the case for Frigid.
“Things don’t always turn out the way we want them. But we can’t let them eat at us like that. We move on,” Sunset explained, taking a seat beside him. “When I first discovered the magic of friendship, I was afraid. Afraid that people would still remember me for what I did to them, afraid that a part of me was still hungry for power, but I let it go. My past doesn’t determine who I am. What I do today will determine that.”
“You’re right,” the grey haired Assassin nodded his head. “I let it all get to me. Because of me, we’ve lost so many good Assassins… Mirror’s gone, but there’s no use dwelling on it. I’m done isolating myself. I think it’s finally time to look ahead, to do what we can for the Brotherhood.”
“That’s right, sir,” Morning Blade joined in. “We’ve always been here for you. High Noon, Dewdrop, me, even Keila. We’re your friends, Frigid. Friends help each other, isn’t that right, Sunset?”
“Hey, if you need a lesson a friendship sometime, I can probably arrange something like that for you,” Sunset joked. Then again, it wasn’t exactly a joke if she could actually do it.
“If I ever need something like that, kid, I’ll make sure to let you know. You know… I haven’t said this in a long time, but… thank you, Sunset Shimmer. Mentor Steel Shine was right about you.”
“I’m glad to be of help, Frigid,” Sunset gave his arm a pat. “It’s a start.”
“Yeah. So what are we going to do, Frigid?” Morning asked him. “What’s the plan?”
The acting Mentor straightened himself and got back to the laptop, scrolling through different files. “We find the best way to get to the school without being seen, plan out Mahogany Wood’s path, and we kill ourselves a Templar. For all our brothers and sisters we’ve lost, this is for them all.”
“Thanks for letting me stay for a while, Fluttershy,” Sunset Shimmer gave her friend a hug as she entered the house, leaving the blowing snow behind her.
The wind had really picked up the night before, turning the outdoors into a freezing landscape. Sunset had been shivering even through her two coats, scarf and leggings.
“It’s no problem, Sunset,” Fluttershy took the girl’s coat off for her. “It’s what friends do after all, isn’t it? Besides… I like having friends over. So does Angel.”
“Yeah… How’s everything been around here? All quiet?” Sunset looked around the place.
Fluttershy’s home was very neat, everything placed in an orderly fashion, including the photos on the wall and even the footwear by the doorway. The only untidy place in the house was her brother’s room, but the rest of it was sparkling.
“If you mean Te-Templars, then you’ve got nothing to worry about,” Fluttershy answered as they headed to her room with Sunset’s bag. “We haven’t seen anyone strange, though, you know the house just down the road? The one that’s been empty all this time?”
“Yeah?” Sunset recalled the ‘for sale’ sign the last time they passed it. It was just down the street, along the same row of houses.
“Well, it was sold. I hear there’ll be people moving in after the break. I’m pretty sure there’s nothing suspicious about it. Houses are bought and sold all the time.”
“Hmm… Well, you mentioned after break, so I think we’ll have that covered for a few weeks.”
The two girls entered Fluttershy’s room, placing Sunset’s bag by the doorway. The room was mostly pink, filled with many different stuffed animals, along with a little white bunny, eating a carrot on the pink haired girl’s bed.
“Angel, we have a guest,” Fluttershy motioned to Sunset.
The bunny continued to chew on its carrot, looking to the window.
“He’s glad you’re here,” Fluttershy whispered.
“Well, it’s good to see a close friend every once in a while,” Sunset sat at the edge of the bed and stretched her arms back. “You and the other girls do anything interesting while I’m gone?”
“All of us met up two days ago,” Fluttershy mentioned, sitting down beside Sunset, petting her bunny. “We’re all fine, but we’re still worried about you and this whole Assassins business. We’ve seen d-death, Sunset… It’s not s-something I want to see again soon… Especially not a friend’s.”
“Hey, don’t worry,” Sunset pointed a thumb at herself. “You won’t believe it, but I’ve picked up some skills myself. You remember the messages I sent out? About my strange dreams?”
Fluttershy nodded and took her phone out of her pocket, opening her messages. “Yeah, I remember. About how you’ve been dreaming about the Assassins’ founder?”
“Well, the thing is, after every dream, I pick up a new skill. Something the First Assassin picked up when she arrived in this world.”
“A new skill? You mean s-something like-”
“Swordfighting and parkour are just some to name,” Sunset nodded and grinned. “Oh and the Assassins’ eagle vision.”
“Eagle vision…” Fluttershy tried to recall. “What’s that again?”
“It’s uh…” Sunset waved her hands in the air. “Seeing things that are unseen.”
“Oh, umm…”
“Well, it’s just a way of highlighting people with your eyes,” Sunset tried to narrow it down. “You know, someone taught it to Emerald Edge. That someone kinda reminded me of you.”
“Oh?” the pink haired girl asked. “She does?”
“Yeah, she does.” Sunset went on to describe Posey to her quiet friend and the more she talked, the more she was sure that Posey was somehow related to Fluttershy. “Do you have an ancestor like that, perhaps?”
“Oh, I don’t know much about my family line, Sunset,” Fluttershy tapped her fingers on her knees. “But an archer… I don’t think I’ll be any good with a bow and arrow. A-And I don’t think I can stomach s-shooting anyone…”
“Don’t worry, me too,” Sunset patted her friend’s shoulder. “I don’t think I can ever be an Assassin like these guys.”
“Yeah, Assassins…” Fluttershy scratched at her hair. “Umm… I saw the news, Sunset, about… about Dewdrop. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, me too…” the girl leaned back on Fluttershy’s bed and rubbed a hand down her face. “And Velvet… she doesn’t want to come back, Fluttershy. She wants to find Wolfgang for killing the others. We don’t know where she is now.”
“Oh dear…” the pink haired girl breathed. “But don’t worry, Sunset. Velvet’s tough. I’m sure she’ll be alright.”
“I hope so… Ugh…” Sunset covered her face with her hands. “This winter break is too much, Fluttershy. I mean, we’ve fought the sirens and everything, but this is totally different.”
“Y-Yeah, it’s too much, alright,” Fluttershy hid behind her hair. “I just wish we could just forget everything. The weapons, the bad guys, the d-death…”
“Sure wish I could forget,” Sunset sat up and hunched her shoulders. “But I made Mentor Steel Shine a promise. I’ve got to follow through with this, Fluttershy. And I can’t just sit back and let Sombra take over both our worlds.”
“You won’t be alone, Sunset,” Fluttershy tried to make a confident face. “The girls and I are here for you.”
“Thanks, Fluttershy. I appreciate it, really I do.”
“Mhmm,” the shy girl nodded happily. “Friends always stick together, no matter wh-what we have to face. I may be afraid, but, it won’t be as bad when I have you girls with me.”
“Someone say girls?” Fluttershy’s room door burst open as a energetic Pinkie Pie cartwheeled in. “Hiya, Sunset!”
“Pinkie Pie?” the fiery haired girl drew back in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, we heard you were staying at Fluttershy’s for a while and since we haven’t seen you in such a long time, we decided to crash the party!” Pinkie said in a breath, pulling out a colorful tube from her bag. “So it’s party time!”
“Wait…” Sunset raised a hand. “We?”
“Well, yeah, silly. We!” Pinkie pointed a thumb to the doorway.
One by one, the rest of the Rainbooms entered the room, with Sunset’s eyes growing bigger and bigger as her closest friends stood by her.
“Girls! You’re all here!” Sunset gave them all hugs.
“Of course! We’re pretty awesome, aren’t we?” Rainbow flexed an arm. “We’d never leave you by yourself. We’ve always got your back.”
“Ya sure do, Sunset,” Applejack tipped her hat. “Maybe we can beat this Sombra with a little hocus pocus with our magic and all.”
“So, what did we miss?” Rarity brushed her violet hair with a comb. “Do tell. Eh, with the exception of the gory bits, if you please.”
Sunset and Fluttershy looked at each other and chuckled. “Sit down. I’ve got a lot to say. Just wait till you hear what happened.”
The winds howled around the two Templar guards as they shut the back doors of their truck, swiftly making their way to the front and getting into the vehicle where it was warmer.
“Gee, it’s freezing tonight…” Low Tone, a black haired man shivered and pushed snow off his cap.
“Well, the faster we get this shipment to the outpost, the faster we can get home,” his partner, Flightpath started the truck engines. “I’m ready to go to sleep.”
“You want me to drive?”
“It’s fine,” Flightpath waved her hand. “I don’t want to get out again. I’ve got this.”
They pulled out of the lane they were in, carrying two pallets of bricks and a few buckets of cement in the back of their truck. The cold had seeped into the truck, but thankfully, they had internal heating.
They drove for about half an hour, with nothing but the radio to break the silence. Finally, they arrived at their destination: a Templar outpost that was in need of refurbishment. Flightpath was just pulling the truck through the gates when she saw something.
“Hey,” she said, nudging her partner. “Look up at the sky.”
The man dutifully glanced up. There was what appeared to be a tiny golden glimmer up in the clouds, twinkling like a star.
“What do you think it is?” Low Tone muttered.
“Looks like a comet. Wanna make a wish? I wish we were out of this weather and some place warmer.”
“It’s growing brighter,” Low Tone observed. Indeed, the golden sparkle in the sky was growing bigger, more intense, like a comet, crashing down to earth. “Well, I wish we’d get the week off.”
The thing in the sky grew and grew in brightness, until it was blinding.
And then suddenly, the truck was rocked by a titanic impact, shaking the truck’s suspension and sending Low Tone and Flightpath jolting in their seats. The airbags burst from the front, enveloping Low Tone and Flightpath in their size.
“What... was that?” Flightpath rubbed at her head, where blood began oozing out from a cut. “Were we hit?”
As the smoke cleared, both Templars were surprised to see a teenage girl kneeling on the now cratered hood of their truck, glowing with a golden aura and a pair of gossamer wings extending from her back. She had ears on top of her head, like some kind of freaky humanoid creature.
All the glass on the truck had shattered, letting the cold wind in, which bit at their exposed skin almost immediately.
Low Tone pushed down his airbag and widened his eyes. “What the f-”
Then a pair of hands reached in, bursting both airbags, before pulling the Templars out by their throats, holding them above the ruined hood, their feet not touching the vehicle.
“W-What are you…?” Tone looked into the girl’ glowing eyes, doing his best to breathe.
The girl tilted her head towards him, no emotion on her face. “Where is Wolfgang?”
“Wolfgang?” he repeated. “Why’re you looking for him?”
“Where is he?!” The girl’s grip on the Templar’s throat constricted, choking the breath out of him.
“I-I… Augh… I don’t know!” Tone squeaked, unable to inhale.
“Where?!” she yelled again, tightening her grip.
“Stop! Stop it!” Flightpath begged, pulling at the girl’s hand. “I’ll-I’ll tell you. Let him go! Wolfgang’s back at the Board’s main building, last I saw him. Please, that’d all we know! Don’t kill him!”
Then nothing happened for a few seconds. Low Tone and Flightpath continued to hang in the air, but then eventually the girl let go, tossing them both back into the truck through the windshield.
“If you tell anyone of this,” she warned the Templars. “I will find you. Don’t make me have to waste my time.”
Crouching, the girl blasted back up into the sky with a mighty flap of her glowing wings. She would’ve already vanished from sight if not for her glow.
Low Tone grabbed his throat and gagged violently, finally able to breathe once again; it became red from the girl’s iron grip.
“Tone, you okay?” Flightpath patted his shoulder. She herself had come out unharmed, with the exception of the girl landing on their truck.
“Y-Yeah…” he leaned forward and exhaled. “What… what should we do? This is going to be something to explain to the chairman.”
“You heard what she said!” Flightpath hissed at her partner. “If we blab, she’ll find us again! No way! I don’t want to see her again!”
“What do you want? To just go home and forget that this happened?” Tone waved a hand over the hood of the truck. “Even if we left the girl out, how are we going to explain this? We crashed into… into thin air?”
“So you want to tell the chief?”
“We don’t have much of a choice. And come on, like it or not, Wolfgang is one of our own. We can’t just let him die.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll radio it in…” Flightpath began to shiver again as their adrenaline decreased, allowing the cold to seep into their veins. “I just hope we know what we’re doing.”
Velvet Breeze flew through the cold wind, barely feeling it all across her body. Whoever was in the shard with her, she was keeping her safe and warm, and keeping the shard from draining everything from her.
Velvet had heard the name Emerald from Mirror Match, but it couldn’t be the First Assassin, could it? How could she be in the shard with her.
But no matter. Velvet had received information on Wolfgang’s whereabouts. She knew what she had to do. For High Noon, for Dewdrop, and for her sister, Satin. This time, Wolfgang was going to be on the other end of the stick.
With power coursing through her veins, Velvet Breeze flapped her wings harder, gaining speed as she shot towards the Board’s building once more.
Velvet Breeze eyed the Board of Education headquarters from afar, hidden behind a cluster of clouds, her magical glowing wings keeping her afloat.
She could see them all. All the Templars visible within the building, red and grey alike, but there was no sign of the gold she was looking for.
The young Assassin contemplated her choices, but she had already decided the moment she arrived at the Board.
She clenched a fist around the shard and watched as her veins pulsed within her hand. She didn’t need to do this stealthily. All she had to do was find Wolfgang and eliminate him. No one else was going to be able to stop her.
Folding her wings back, Velvet Breeze dived down, whistling through the air as she broke her cloud cover, her destination the building’s rooftop. Her glow was sure to attract unwanted attention, but Velvet didn’t care. To her, all they would be, was flies.
The Assassin tucked in her legs and wings and spun once before landing in a crouch, this time as quietly as a church mouse. Like the tongue of a frog, Velvet was by the rooftop door in an instant, ripping it off its hinges as she made her way down the stairs.
Two men down in the stairwell looked up immediately, shock all over their faces as Velvet approached them. One of them, a fairly chubby man with blonde hair, ran as soon as Velvet got close, tripping and tumbling down the steps while the first man whipped a pistol from his holster, firing two bullets at the young Assassin.
Velvet folded her wings in front of herself, the bullets pinging harmlessly off them until she got close, upon which she backhanded the shooter with her wing hard enough to throw him into the wall. He never got back up.
Turning downstairs, Velvet stalked after the chubby Templar, each step bringing herself closer to him as he struggled to get off the floor, but it was as if the concrete below him had turned to ice. He slipped and slid, continuously falling down to his knees as he made for the lower floor’s door.
“Wolfgang,” the Assassin growled. “Where is he?”
The man didn’t reply. He reached for the door handle, but Velvet pulled him away, slamming him against the brick wall.
“I don’t want to repeat myself. Where. Is. Wolfgang?”
She slammed a fist into the wall beside the Templar’s fat face, leaving a sizeable dent in it.
“I-I-I don’t know!” he squirmed under Velvet’s grip. “H-He may be on t-the lowest floor! That’s where h-his hideout is! I s-swear, I haven’t seen him today!”
Smirking at the corner of her mouth, Velvet Breeze turned and tossed the man down the next flight of stairs before going down herself, heading all the way down until she reached the bottom. Drawing a foot back, she kicked the door open, startling a group of men and women, who were sitting at their desks, typing at their computers.
“Who are you?” a man with a moustache stood and asked her.
Velvet lifted a hand, causing the man to be lifted in a golden aura. His coworkers screamed and ran as Velvet closed the distance between them, her grip on the man getting tighter.
“I have no bone to pick with you. Just Wolfgang.”
Then she tossed him over his cubicle and into the next with a crash. Proceeding on, Velvet levitated to a row of doors, kicking them all open to check what was behind them. The first two were storerooms, but the third one led down a dark set of steps. Velvet was unable to see the bottom, but she could only guess what would be down there.
“I’m coming for you, Wolfgang…”
Velvet floated down, not making a single sound on the staircase, her golden aura illuminating the way ahead. She arrived down in a dark room, with only a single lightbulb lighting the center of the room, which held a round table and four chairs, with a small refrigerator to the side.
“Hold it right there!” a voice yelled behind the girl as she walked over to inspect the table.
Slightly turning her head, Velvet noticed a troop of Templar guards standing against the wall behind her, submachine guns in their hands. The sound of footsteps echoed out above the stairwell, as more guards entered the room, training their guns and laser sights at the young Assassin’s chest.
“Surrender and come quietly and maybe we won’t have to kill you,” one guard barked at her.
Velvet looked around, assessing her situation. There were at least twenty guards here, and perhaps more were still on their way. Using her enhanced eagle vision, she noticed that this room was indeed Wolfgang’s; she could still see his residue aura by a chair and the refrigerator, along with a golden path leading out a door at the far end, bolted down by two bars; he had only left recently.
“No,” Velvet said grimly. She held out her hand and a ghostly sword blade materialized in it. “You surrender.”
Velvet rushed forward at the same time the first bullets flew. With superhuman reflexes, she raised her sword and deflected the first volley before closing the distance between her and the guards. She plunged her sword into the closest guard’s chest, cutting clean through his bulletproof vest, following through on the strike by scything it through the legs of another man. Velvet turned, slashing with her wingtips at anyone who was foolish enough to stand in her way.
Bits of human body parts littered the area as Templars lost their arms, legs, and for some, even their heads, which rolled around on the floor, kicked out of the way by the Templars falling back. In no time at all, ten guards lay dead and the others were retreating down the hallway.
Velvet wasn’t having any of it. She held out her free hand, golden light gathering at her palm before a bright, golden beam of light shot out, vaporizing the remaining guards on the spot, leaving nothing but ashy outlines on the floor.
Velvet staggered slightly, feeling the drain on her strength from using the shard’s power.
Just a little more, she thought blearily. I just need to hold out until I find Wolfgang. Help me. Help me protect my friends.
Velvet took heavy steps towards the back door, slashing the bars in two with her sword. She pushed it open and immediately felt the winds blow against her, now slightly colder as part of her strength faded.
The door led up a short flight of stairs, heading up some kind of secret door to the side of the building, just behind a row of planted trees outside the Board building.
Velvet didn’t need her eagle vision to see the multitude of footprints left in the snow, leading away to the pavement. Only after the trail ended at the road did Velvet need to use her eagle vision again, following the faint golden trail again, watching as it disappeared into the darkness on the other side of the street.
The young Assassin spread her wings and took to the sky, following it from a decent height, turning along the road as the trail did so. Eventually, she came to an apartment complex. It was rundown and dilapidated, but this was where the trail led.
Here you are, Wolfgang…
Velvet landed by the main doors of the building, whipping her wings down, releasing a gust of wind that blew the doors open. Stepping inside, the young Assassin was glad to be out of the cold weather.
Her strength and consciousness was slowly slipping, but she willed herself to go on, at least until Wolfgang had finally paid for his deeds.
The insides of the apartment building were in ruins, likely untouched in the last year or two. Cobwebs were strung across the ceiling and walls, but surprisingly, the stairs leading up weren’t. There were footsteps in the dust below, likely a troop of guards along with her target.
“So that’s where you’ve gone…” Velvet narrowed her eyes and headed up.
The girl had only taken the first step up when an explosion ripped through the doorway on her left, pushing her against the wall as splinters and fire engulfed her and the bottom half of the staircase.
Her wings instinctively folded around her person, shielding her from the blast as the flames roared and swirled around her. As soon as it died down, Velvet unfolded her wings are glared at the offending doorway.
Three Dragon Unit soldiers stood at the fiery doorway, their motorbike-like helmets reflecting Velvet’s angry face. She raised her hand at them, picking them up in her telekinetic aura before closing her fist, crushing them together in a spray of blood and bone.
Velvet dropped their mangled bodies and proceeded up the remains of the staircase, searching for the man she came to find. Just on the second floor, the Assassin met another group of Dragon Unit soldiers, each of them holding a rifle in their hands.
“Now!” the one to the right yelled, as each of them fired a disc of sorts at the walls around Velvet.
As soon as they touched, they connected in electricity and sparked around her like a crazy fly zapper.
“Out of my way!” Velvet shouted, flapping down with her wings, creating a shockwave that blasted out, knocking the soldiers over, at the same time, destroying all the little shock discs they had fired.
Rearing back up, the Templar soldiers fired their regular bullets at the girl, but like everything else, they failed to halt Velvet as she dashed through them, two already falling in half as her wings cut clean through them.
Spinning in an arc, Velvet Breeze cut down another two soldiers before deflecting the rest of their bullets in the air, dropping back down with a punch, destroying the wooden floor and sending the remaining soldiers falling to the floor below.
Wasting no time, Velvet made her way up again, encountering yet another group of soldiers. Materializing a sword in her hand again, she slashed and stabbed, dismembering and mutilating the Templars as they tried to engage her, their bullets and daggers uselessly bouncing off her magical wings.
“Retreat! Fall back!” one yelled before half his head was splattered against the wall with a blast of energy, leaving only his lower jaw.
The other soldiers tossed down smoke grenades as they opened a silver door, rushing in as quickly as they could. Velvet blew the smoke away with her wings, just in time to see the silver door close, locking a single soldier outside with her.
“Hey, let me in!” he bashed a fist on the door, but it remained closed. “Let me in! Hurry!”
Velvet loomed over the lone soldier, her eyes burning like two golden spotlights.
“Oh shi-” the soldier managed to spit out before Velvet launched him across the room with a punch. Not hard enough to kill, but hard enough to put him down for a few hours.
Velvet growled, stretching out her hands. The golden light spun around her fingertips until there were inch long claws made of energy protruding from the ends of her fingers. Gripping the doorframe, she pulled. The door may have been made of solid steel, but the surrounding wall was made of brick and mortar and Velvet was soon able to pull the door right off the wall.
Velvet looked at the last few soldiers, trembling before her, their rifles trained on her chest as she tossed the door down with a loud resounding clang. Behind them all, stood a grey-skinned man with blue hair, half standing behind a desk, a pistol in his hand.
“Velvet Breeze…” he mumbled. “You just couldn’t stay dead, huh? I should’ve known it was you who was looking for me after what I did to your friends. But how unfortunate that you have found me in this safehouse. I was hoping to get away and kill more Assassins.”
“Not this time,” Velvet clenched a fist. The effect was immediate, as the first guard began to fold like a tin can, his screams turning into gurgling as blood dripped from his mouth and eyes before Velvet let his body fall. “Do you all wish to fight me?”
The Templars remained unsure, some taking steps back and away from their fallen comrade.
“What are you waiting for?” Wolfgang bellowed behind them. “Shoot her! Shoot her!”
One soldier began shooting first, allowing the rest to pick up their courage and open fire at the Assassin girl. Velvet brought up her wings and covered herself, their bullets pinging off uselessly like all the previous times.
Bringing a hand up, Velvet Breeze released a blast of energy, so strong that the first row of soldiers instantly blew up in a spray of blood, bones and brains, all across the room’s walls, while the rest, including Wolfgang, fell back a few feet. One more Templar soldier had hit his head against the side of the table, likely breaking his neck as he fell to the ground; his head was bent at an impossible angle.
Two Templars fired at the Assassin from the ground, hoping to catch her off guard, but Velvet had already been ready for them, thanks to her enhanced eagle vision. Her magical wings protected her before she released two feathers from each wing, the astral projections thudding into the soldiers’ heads, spearing their eyes. They cried out for a second, but fell flat to the ground as the feathers punctured their brains. Blood dribbled out of their eyes as the feathers dissipated.
“You fools, what are you doing?” Wolfgang cursed at his men. “That’s not how you kill her! Try harder!”
One more man got up and plucked a round object from his belt, pulling the pin and tossing it at Velvet.
Watching it fall towards her, Velvet Breeze lifted a hand and stopped the grenade in mid air, holding it for a second before sending it back to its owner.
The soldiers only had a second to gasp before the grenade went off in front of their faces, rocking the building with a series of explosions as the other grenades on their belts went off, forcing Velvet back out of the room as the entire floor collapsed, including a portion of the ceiling above them.
When the smoke cleared, Velvet floated back to the room, looking down at the ruins and scattered body parts of the Dragon Unit soldiers. Fire had caught across the walls, slowly spreading as Velvet descended down to the rubble below, kicking a soldier’s arm out of the way as she searched for her target.
Then she saw him, crawling out from under a wooden support, holding his shoulder as he shuffled to safety.
“Wolfgang,” Velvet called out, standing before him atop a pile of rubble.
The Templar growled and turned to look at her. Blood was trailing down the side of his head, mixed with the dust and dirt of the debris.
Just the sight of the man enraged her, but then the aura around Velvet began to flicker, her strength fading after the light show she put up to get here.
No, not now, not yet…
“Oh?” Wolfgang put on an amused face. “Are you finally running out of juice?”
“Not yet, Wolfgang…” Velvet walked down the debris, her wings completely fading behind her.
The man raised his pistol at her, but Velvet kicked it out of his hands before punching him across the face, sending him to the dusty ground.
Wolfgang reached for one of his knives, but faster than he believed possible, Velvet was as his side, stomping down on his arm. Something snapped and Wolfgang howled in pain before the Assassin lifted a knee, hitting the man in the nose, sending him falling back again.
The golden glow in her eyes flared and she lifted Wolfgang up by the neck, his legs kicking harmlessly beneath him.
“Wolfgang…” Velvet growled, her voice sounding as though two people were speaking at once, her own and an older woman’s. She threw Wolfgang to the floor and the light spun back into a pair of claws around Velvet’s fingers.
The magic made her lightheaded, but she fought against the fatigue with only one thing on her mind. Please, give me the strength to finish this, Emerald. I’m so close.
Velvet stalked behind the downed Wolfgang, pushing her claws down into his back, tearing through his clothes and skin, feeling them stir at his organs within. The Templar coughed and yelled in pain as Velvet dug around other parts of his body.
“Don’t worry,” Velvet said slowly, removing her claws and kicking Wolfgang in the head. “I’m not going to kill you. Not yet.” She hauled Wolfgang to his feet and punched him in the gut, sending him flying against the wall before collapsing onto the ground. “First, I’m going to make you suffer.”
Velvet closed in on Wolfgang and the night was rent with the sound of screaming.
Frigid Night and Morning Blade pulled their coats closer around themselves as the strong winds continued to blow all around the rooftops near Canterlot High School.
Through a pair of old binoculars, Frigid watched the squad of construction workers pile the last set of bricks atop each other, completing all four sides of walls around the school’s horse statue in front.
He had earlier intercepted a message, detailing the evening’s schedule for the Board’s chairman, Mahogany Wood. Apparently, he was to arrive here at Canterlot High School at seven for a meeting with a Vice Principal Luna. That would be their perfect time to strike.
“Are we sure this vice principal isn’t a Templar?” he asked his partner. “From what I’ve gathered, she’s been supplying the Templars with tons of information on Sunset Shimmer.”
“She’s not a Templar,” Morning said steadfastly. “I knew her for four years, and she would never join them.”
Frigid made an unconvinced noise in his throat. “Yeah, well… We’re not here for her now. We’re here for Mahogany.”
The Assassins continued to spy on the streets, looking for the convoy that the chairman was supposed to arrive in. It was already two minutes past seven, and he still had yet to show.
“So Morning,” Frigid called to her. “I’ll head down over to that alley way there, just beside the last car, before he arrives.” The acting Mentor pointed at it. “Once I see the chairman, I’ll move in. Then you get over to the statue and cause a distraction.”
“Got it,” Morning Blade nodded. “Good luck, sir.”
Frigid looked down and swung himself over, grabbing a pipe on his way down. Using his momentum, he let go and grabbed a ledge, before making his way down the building.
Blending in with a group of three regular civilians walking along the pavement, Frigid kept his hood low as he paced over to the alley he pointed out earlier, shifting himself into the shadows.
He eyed the construction from his position, watching as a crane lifted a sharp triangular crystal cover atop the four black pillars. Whatever Sombra was planning to do with it, he sure knew how to make it look fancy enough.
It was about seven twelve when Morning’s voice appeared on his earpiece. “Frigid, they're here, just around the next street. They’ll be showing up in less than a minute now.”
“Got it. Thanks.”
Frigid honed his sight and activated his eagle sense, watching as a group of three black SUVs rolled along past him, the last one stopping just inches away from the alley.
“Come on…” the acting Mentor muttered. “Which one are you in, Mahogany?”
One by one, the doors to the SUVs opened. The first one contained a trio of guards, armed with only pistols and collapsible batons. The third contained the same thing, but the second, out of the second SUV stepped one guard, and two people that showed up as gold.
Chairman Mahogany Wood and his loyal bodyguard, Crescent Wing. The chairman had on some kind of golden cloak, hanging over his shoulders.
Slinking over to the entrance of the alley, Frigid crouched behind the way and waited as the group of Templars turned and began walking over to the school premises.
“Morning, they’re on the move,” Frigid pressed his earpiece. “I’m going in. Go for it.”
“Yes sir.”
Suddenly, there were a series of gunshots and a few cries of surprise, somewhere close to the construction site. Frigid smiled to himself and moved faster, closing in on the guard all the way at the back.
Great work, Morning.
Extending a hidden blade, Frigid grabbed ahold of the man’s mouth from behind, before jamming his blade deep into the man’s back. The Templar struggled for a heartbeat, but went limp almost as quickly as it had started.
Frigid placed him down near the alleyway as he went on, careful to avoid civilians as he approached the next guard.
Back at the statue, chaos reigned. Morning Blade darted from cover to cover, making use of the construction site as best she could. The Templar guards fired in her direction and she ducked down, the bullets whizzing over her head. More had exited from the school building, but the Assassin had managed to get to a good position, firing back at them after reloading her pistol.
Two went down as red spurted from their chests, but three more already had their own pistols trained on her, firing at her cover, which was a stack of bricks.
A construction worker tried to stop her, but Morning spun around him and delivered a quick kick to his gut, knocking him down before she kicked him in the side of the head, taking him out.
From what she could see now, most of the Templars’ attention was on her. If Frigid was going to do anything, now would be the perfect time to do so. She waited behind the bricks anxiously, but she knew she could trust him. Frigid might not have been the nicest of people in the recent years, but she knew there was still good in him, waiting to come out.
Suddenly, Vice Principal Luna appeared at the school’s front doors, her eyes widening as she beheld the battle that was taking place on her school’s grounds. Then she saw Mahogany and his guards approaching from the west and ran over to them.
“Chairman Wood, what the hay is going on?!” She ducked as a Templar fired at Morning’s position. “What is the meaning of this?!”
“Some common criminals trying to steal from the site, no doubt,” he said with disgust. “But do not worry, Vice Principal Luna. We shall have this settled in a matter of minutes. In the meantime, I would advise you to go inside.”
Luna nodded and dashed back inside the school.
Morning sighed with relief as her old vice principal left the area. She wouldn’t want her caught in the exchange out here.
“Sir,” she said on the radio. “What’s going on?”
“They haven’t noticed the missing guards yet, which is good. I’m almost behind him. Give me a bit.”
Morning peeked out from her cover, ducking back when more rounds punched into the masonry. Without looking, she poked her gun around her piece of cover and blindfired back.
Then she heard a series of shout as Frigid jumped at them, swinging three of his blades, cutting down the remaining guards around the chairman and his bodyguard.
“Assassins,” the chairman spat, facing him. “You just had to try and ruin our plans, huh?”
Morning thought her teacher was going to say something classy, but in the end, he simply charged and aimed his blades at Mahogany.
The chairman drew back, just in time to allow Crescent Wing to move forward, bringing out a saber to deflect Frigid’s attack.
“Oh no you don’t!” Morning vaulted over her cover and pulled out her katana as she shot four bullets at Crescent and Mahogany.
The bodyguard moved out of the way, avoiding the shots, but only realized his mistake when two bullets hit Mahogany in the chest.
“Chairman!”
“Good work, Morning,” Frigid said as he took the chance to attack Crescent Wing, slicing at him with his trident blades.
But then something happened that the Assassins did not expect. Mahogany Wood had fallen back, grasping at the spots where the bullets had hit him. Then his cape began to glow, and the chairman stood up straight, throwing away the two bullets. He reached into his coat and pulled out a tomahawk and a sword with a glittering black crystal blade.
“Sorry, but that won’t be happening this time,” Mahogany chuckled and slashed at Morning Blade, sending a wave of dark energy slicing towards her.
The female Assassin reacted quickly enough, ducking down as the beam slashed off the end of her braid as it followed her down. Her white and green hair began to spread out, but she had no time to worry about it as the chairman slashed another beam at her.
Frigid pushed his opponent away and tackled the chairman down, stabbing him in the back multiple times.
“Morning, switch up!” he ordered. “I’ll take the chairman. Scar face is all yours.”
“Got it!” Morning brandished her katana and rushed Crescent Wing. The scar faced man took one look at her and drew his second saber, taking up a combat stance as she approached.
Mahogany Wood pushed himself up, slipping away from Frigid as he slashed back with his tomahawk, the wounds on his back closing up as the cloak worked its magic.
“Grand Master Sombra provided me with this magnificent garb to face Assassins like you,” he smirked and cut down with a vertical slash with his dark sword, forcing Frigid to perform a combat roll to get out of the way. “You’re not stopping him. Our goal is almost at hand. Today, you will know true defeat.”
Frigid Night ran around as the Templar chairman blasted more beams at him, while Morning Blade and Crescent Wing circled each other, their weapons raised in front of their faces.
Crescent flourished his sabers. “Scared, Assassin?”
Morning smirked back. “You wish.”
With a battlecry, Crescent stepped toward Morning, slamming both of his sabers onto her katana, trying to throw her off balance. Morning parried both strikes and countered with a leg sweep. Crescent jumped backward to avoid it, while at the same time spinning around to check on Mahogany. Satisfied that the chairman was handling himself well, Crescent darted back toward Morning Blade. He rained down heavy strokes onto Morning’s guard, but the Assassin would not falter so easily. Keeping her sword raised, the Assassin waited for Crescent to tire before lashing out with a stab. She was quick and the tip of her katana embedded itself in Crescent’s hip.
The bodyguard twisted himself out of the blade and away to the side, cutting at Morning’s katana, pushing it away as he advanced on her. The Assassin ducked under him and extended her poison blade, just missing his ankle as the foot collided with her chin, knocking her down.
“Just like Assassins to employ sneaky moves like that,” Crescent chided. “You lack honor.”
“Honor. Really?” Morning rubbed her jaw as the Templar walked around her, the tip of one saber pointed in her direction. “If you want honor, then bring order to the world the right way, you scumbag.”
She suddenly cut up with her katana, nicking the Templar across the shin as he jumped back, a little bit too slow. Morning took the chance to get up and press the attack, cutting at him from the left and right, her blade like a blur in the air.
Crescent dug his right foot into the ground and cut upwards with both sabers, catching Morning’s katana in the air, coming to a stop just inches from his face.
“You’re quite good,” Crescent admitted as they pushed against each other.
Morning grunted in response, breaking the contact as Crescent kicked at her. She scuttled a few more feet away, and the two fighters circled each other once more.
Frigid Night flipped himself over a energy wave, an inch of his coat’s edge sheared off as the wave passed under him, burying into the grass, throwing up soil.
“Stand still!” Mahogany Wood ordered as he sliced wave after wave at Frigid, each one missing its mark as the Assassin danced left and right, trying to close the distance between them.
When he saw his chance, Frigid threw a throwing knife at Mahogany, catching him just in the center of his chest. The Templar chairman staggered back a few steps, but grabbed ahold of the dagger and ripped it out, tossing it to the floor. The skin underneath already began to heal as the golden cloak worked its magic once more.
Frigid knew that if he wanted to win, that special cloak was going to have to go.
Mahogany swung again and sent a wave to dark energy slamming into the ground at Frigid’s feet, throwing up a cloud of dirt, allowing the Assassin the smokescreen he needed to throw himself at Mahogany, cutting the wrist holding the black blade.
Mahogany stepped back and grasped for his hand, allowing Frigid to scoop up the weapon in his hands. Smiling to himself the Assassin slashed the blade at the Templar chairman as his wrist began to heal, but no dark energy was released from the attack.
“You fool!” Mahogany spun his tomahawk over to his other hand. “Only a Templar may use the full power of Grand Master Sombra’s weapons.”
“Oh yeah?” Frigid cut his blade across the chairman’s chest as he ran through him, the crystal sharp enough to cut through his clothes and skin. Then he jumped up and kicked backwards, sending the chairman sprawling to the ground. “It’s decent enough as a sword.”
“Well, you’re going to have to try harder than that…” Mahogany winced as he stood up to face the grey haired Assassin. Frigid watched as the huge cut on his chest began to close up and repair itself. “You can’t kill me. It’s only a matter of time before I kill you.”
Frigid raised the sword and gestured at Mahogany. “We’ll see.”
Then he ran at him and clashed the crystal sword against Mahogany Wood’s tomahawk.
Construction workers had run away from the ongoing battle, leaving their gear and equipment as their instincts kicked in, telling them to get as far as they could from Canterlot High’s front lawn. One already had his phone out, likely calling the cops.
Morning Blade’s katana flashed, slicing at Crescent’s head. He ducked, and Morning’s sword sheared off a bit of his orange hair before he kicked up, knocking Morning down on her back.
“You are no match for me,” Crescent flourished his swords and got back into stance.
Morning growled and jumped up towards him, only to rush straight into the Templar bodyguard’s knee, falling to the ground again. But she was unyielding, returning to her feet once more, already spinning her katana towards Crescent’s head.
He deflected her first strike, stepping past her second and parrying her third, before Morning Blade spun a low kick, trying to catch him off balance. Crescent simply lifted his foot and cut out with a saber, catching Morning across the right collar bone, cutting deep.
“Ah!” she stumbled back and clutched at her injury, crouching down.
“You’re outclassed,” Crescent said. “Surrender, and I will give you an honorable death.”
Morning Blade staggered to her feet, holding her katana steady. “Never.”
Crescent grinned and pointed both sabers at the ground, then took up a combat stance. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
The Assassin rushed the Templar bodyguard, who mimicked her, sabers dragging on the grass as he and Morning closed the distance to each other.
And then they were upon each other, both combatants slashing at the other.
They passed, both standing back to back, swords outstretched and breathing heavily. Then Morning Blade fell to her knees, dropping her katana and clutching at her side. It wasn’t very visible on her red shirt, but there was a stain spreading across it and her brown coat where she had been cut by the Templar; Every breath she took hurt her side.
“It is over, Assassin,” Crescent turned to face her, unscathed. “You fought well, but you were never close to matching my skill. You tried your best, I’m sure, so I’ll put you out of your misery.”
The Templar bodyguard loomed over Morning Blade, his sabers ready to be brought crashing down onto the Assassin’s back.
Then, out of nowhere, there was a gunshot.
Crescent staggered backwards, his sabers falling from his now nerveless grip. A patch of red began spreading across his chest.
Morning Blade slowly stood up, her pistol in her hands and a smoking hole in her coat where she had shot him through.
“Trust an Assassin… to play dirty,” Crescent Wing coughed out blood and fell back, grasping his chest. “No wonder… you do not wish… for a perfect world.”
Morning eyed the fallen Crescent listlessly, walking around him until she was standing at his shoulders. Then Morning raised her pistol and shot Crescent in the head.
“Requiescat in pace,” she muttered.
She held a hand to her side and took a deep breath, trying her best to stave off the pain. Then she looked back to Frigid as he moved around, slicing the Templar chairman all over the place with his own black sword.
“I’m coming, Frigid…” she muttered to herself and staggered over, breaking into a light jog.
Morning Blade attacked Mahogany from behind, sticking her poison blade into his back, catching him off guard.
“Agh!” the aged man cried out and turned around to slap her across the face.
Morning fell back and hit the ground on her bad side, taking the breath from her lungs.
“Foolish Assassins!” Mahogany shouted out, raising his tomahawk high. “I’ll kill you all!”
He swung his weapon down, but as his hand traveled down, his weapon didn’t.
“What?”
Frigid stood behind him, tossing the tomahawk and dark sword away as he extended both hidden blades and their trident attachments.
“You’re not touching her,” he simply said.
The Assassin’s acting Mentor drove both blades into the chairman and ran on, tossing him over Morning Blade, watching him roll once on the grass before coming to a stop on a concrete pavement.
Then Morning felt herself being hauled up, one of Frigid’s arms now supporting her.
“You good?” he asked his partner.
“I’ll be fine…” Morning nodded her head. “We can worry about it later. This man needs to go.”
Mahogany picked himself up as his wounds closed up again. “And how do you hope to win? I cannot die.”
“Sure you can,” Frigid helped Morning stand on her own. “Just not yet.”
He attacked first, running up to the chairman and kicking him in the side, extending a shoe blade at the same time, cutting him across the arm. Frigid pressed the attack, leaving wounds all over the Templar’s body. With every wound that healed up, the Assassin created a new one. He didn’t let Mahogany have time to recover, now that the Templar had lost both his weapons.
“Crescent!” Mahogany called, but then he noticed his loyal bodyguard lying on the ground, face up, a bullet hole in his head.
Then Morning Blade was behind him, her katana in her hands once again as she ran it through his back, pushing it all the way to the guard.
“He’s not coming to help you, Chairman Wood,” she strained.
Then she grabbed one side of his cloak, while Frigid grabbed the other, and at the same time, they pulled it off his shoulders, tossing it aside.
All the wounds that had been closing up stopped healing, including Morning’s katana that was sticking out his front.
“N-No…” Mahogany choked and gasped, clawing at the sword’s blade.
Frigid smiled to his partner and gave her a pat on the back before walking over to the chairman, closing his trident attachments back into a single hidden blade.
“It’s over, chairman,” Frigid lifted the blade to Mahogany’s neck. “You’re finished.”
Mahogany slowly sank to his knees, then pitched over onto his side.
“It doesn’t matter,” He croaked, blood running from his mouth. “Soon, Grand Master Sombra will force his way... into the other world, and we will have... world peace both here and there... You Assassins are too late…”
“What do you mean? What are his plans?” Frigid barked at the dying Templar.
“Did you think… he was going to settle for just our world…?” Mahogany’s mouth began to fill with blood, which bubbled in his voice. “He’s going to change… his world too… You wait and see. It’s over…”
Then Mahogany Wood let his head fall against the ground as he closed his eyes.
Frigid grumbled, but sheathed his blade and returned to his partner, handing her back her sword.
“Morning, you need help,” he dug through his pockets and retrieved a roll of bandages and painkillers. “Let’s get you patched up before the cops get here.”
“Or…” Morning picked up Mahogany’s shroud, draping it over her shoulders. She sighed with relief as her injuries began to heal.
Then the cloak shimmered and dissolved into black gem dust.
“Aw…” She still held a hand to her side. It still hurt, but at least it wasn’t life-threatening now.
“Guess it’s just like the sword. It only works on Templars.” Then she could’ve sworn Frigid let out a little laugh as he scooped a hand under her arm to support her. She could hear the sound of sirens in the distance, getting louder by the second. A few civilians watched them from the side, but there was nothing they could do about that now. “Come on. You’ll be fine for now. We should get out of here before the authorities arrive. I’ll patch you back up at the bureau.”
Morning Blade turned back one last time to look at the bodies of Crescent Wing and Mahogany Wood. With them dead, the Templar inner circle was all but eradicated. The only one left was Sombra.
The thing that troubled her was the Grand Master’s plans. He hadn’t planned on siphoning the school’s magic portal for power, like they had thought. He planned on returning home, likely to conquer it. She didn’t know how the other side worked, but she knew it wouldn’t be good.
They had to get back and they had to warn Sunset Shimmer.
Sunset Shimmer had only just placed the cup of hot chocolate to her lips when her phone began to vibrate and ring in her coat pocket. Sighing, she put the drink down and fished her mobile device out, looking at the screen. It was Morning Blade’s number.
“Give me a sec, Fluttershy,” she told her pink haired friend, who was watching her from the other corner of the bed. “Morning! How’s everything. Did you accomplish your mission?”
“Everything’s fine, Sunset,” the Assassin said on the other end. “I got a little careless, but Frigid’s patching me up, so I’ll be fine too. Mahogany Wood’s dead. Now, the next part is what scares me. When can you come back to the bureau? We have some things we want to discuss with you.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Sunset said.
“Excellent. We’ll see you soon.” Then the line clicked off and Sunset stowed her phone back in her pocket.
“Sorry, Fluttershy,” Sunset told her friend. “We’ll have to hang out another time.”
“It’s okay, Sunset,” her shy friend acknowledged. “All this is more important than hanging out. Besides, I’ve had good company for the last two days.”
Sunset looked down at her cup and downed its contents, smiling internally as her insides were warmed up by the drink. “Well, thanks for having me, Fluttershy.”
“No, thank you for staying,” Fluttershy got up and followed her friend all the way out the front door. “Be careful, Sunset.”
Sunset wrapped her scarf around her neck. “I will. See you, Fluttershy! Thank your parents for me, oh, and tell your brother to clean up his room. It really is a mess.” Sunset waved to her friend and started off on a light jog through the snow. The winds had died down, but it was still pretty cold.
It wasn’t long before Sunset found herself standing outside the Assassin bureau, looking around the area with her new eagle vision before knocking on the door, to make sure the coast was clear.
She heard the bolts and locks rattling before, to her surprise, Frigid Night threw the door open and beckoned for her to enter.
“Where’s Morning?” Sunset asked him as the male Assassin resealed the door.
“She’s inside. I just finished stitching her up. Don’t worry, she’ll be fine.”
Sunset quickly ran in, spotting the female Assassin sitting up on a couch. She didn’t have her shirt and coat on, allowing Sunset to see the red stains on her skin, along with two stitched up wounds, one on her collarbone and the other on her side; it was pretty gruesome to Sunset.
For once, Morning’s hair wasn’t tied into a braid. It hung behind her, reaching just below her shoulders. Sunset didn’t remember it to be so short.
“Hey, Sunset,” Morning Blade greeted. “Have a good time off?”
“Sure did,” she sat beside the Assassin and placed a hand on her arm. “You okay? You don’t look too good. And aren’t you cold like this?”
“I’ll live,” Morning managed a smile. “We’re Assassins. Getting injuries is normal. And cold? Yeah, it’s a little cold, but we’re not done. I’ve still got to bandage up my wounds, you know, just in case.”
Morning reached for the roll of bandages, but Frigid Night returned, taking it from her hands.
“No you don’t. Leave it to me,” he told her. “It’s my fault you weren’t prepared to face Crescent Wing properly, so it’s my duty to patch you up.”
It was nice to see Frigid helping Morning out. Sunset didn’t think he had it in him, at least not anymore from what she’d heard about his past.
Sunset sat there and listened to the Assassins’ mission as Frigid wound the bandages around Morning’s waist. It sounded alright at first, but when they got to explaining to her Mahogany Wood’s dying words, Sunset’s face began to change, first from one of confusion, then to one of complete shock.
“No no no, I should’ve seen it sooner!” she ran to her room and returned with her book and a pen. “Of course he plans to return to Equestria! He’s going to try to finish what he started! I’ve got to warn Princess Twilight!”
“You do that,” Morning said. “We’ll just finish up here.”
“I just can’t believe that the vice principal got away,” Frigid muttered.
Morning and Sunset looked to him with curious looks, before the female Assassin spoke. “I told you, she’s not hostile. We can trust her.”
“I don’t know...” Frigid didn’t sound terribly convinced. “Now hold still, Morning. Just a bit more…”
He finished up with her side, then started on her collarbone, looping the linen around Morning’s body before tying it off around her shoulders.
In the meantime, Sunset had flipped open her book to an empty page and wrote to Twilight, her words full of warning as she scribbled them down. Her friends in Equestria had to know of this and Sunset hoped Twilight wasn’t currently too busy to read her message.
Sunset closed her journal, her message delivered.
“So, what now?”
“Well, with Mahogany dead, that means the entire inner circle of Templars is no more. All that’s left are the little underlings and the Grand Master.”
“I’m not sure how we can stop him,” Sunset slammed a fist on her book cover. “The portal is normally closed as long as Twilight has the book with her. But I trust Sombra knows something about that too, otherwise he would’ve already tried to walk right through the statue long ago. I think he might’ve found a way to force the portal open from this side.”
“Maybe it has something to do with the auditorium,” Morning suggested as she tested moving her shoulder. “I mean, I don’t know much about magic, but could something like that be used to open the portal?”
“I don’t know,” Sunset shook her head. “But I’m hoping Twilight can figure it out. As for us, we have to find out, Morning. We need to see what we can do to stop him.”
“We can destroy the auditorium,” Morning shrugged and began putting her shirt back on. “Keila suggested that when she was still here. I mean, if we break it, they can’t use it, right?”
“I doubt it’ll be that easy,” Sunset said grimly. “Police patrols are sure to have increased around here after what you did to Mahogany, and the place where he died is sure to be swarming with police by now. And with all that’s been going on, with the explosions and crumbling buildings and everything, I’m sure there’ll be added security all over the place. We wouldn’t be able to get close any time soon. Besides, magical constructs are usually only vulnerable to magic.”
“Then what do you suggest we do?” Frigid folded his arms and leaned back. “I don’t see any other alternatives.”
“We could wait for a reply from Princess Twilight,” Sunset said. “She’ll know what to do.”
Frigid looked like he was about to say something, then he shut his mouth and walked back to his computer.
“Well, fine. But that means we’re playing the waiting game,” Morning Blade buttoned up her red shirt. “And you know what they say about the waiting game.”
“What?”
“Everyone loses.” the female Assassin ended with a humorless smile.
Grand Master Sombra stood at Mahogany Wood’s office window, looking out at the streets, eyeing the different humans as they traveled from place to place, some of them rushing, others taking their time. They all had their winter gear wrapped around themselves, using it to warm themselves from the snow and the cold winds.
Sombra had never known the cold. Even as a young colt, it had never bothered him and it certainly didn’t as a stallion. Perhaps umbrum were just immune to it, seeing as they were all just beings of shadow.
It had been a few years since he’d arrived in this world, but yet, it still seemed so foreign to him. The humans and their ways were so different from the ponies that he was used to yet also similar. He shook his head. This was not the world he belonged in.
Sombra hated to admit it, but he missed home. The shimmering crystal buildings, the frozen wastes just beyond the borders, and the only friend he had. If it was anything he knew for certain, it was that times change.
A knock at the door took the Grand Master’s attention away from the wandering humans outside as he glided over to the door in a wave of shadows. With a shadowy tendril, he opened the door, looking down at the surprised face of one of his attendants.
“What?” Sombra bellowed, the Apple shining brightly within his shadows.
“It’s Chairman Mahogany, sir,” the attendant said.
“What about him?”
“He-He’s dead, sir.”
Sombra seemed to step back into his shadows, but then rose higher as his shadows spread across the room. “He’s dead, is he… Well, he proved useful in his time alive. His services are no longer required. The auditorium is almost done.” Though, he did question how the chairman was killed, after he had enchanted the cloak and everything. The orb’s power prevented injuries. Unless the chairman was a complete incompetent, there wasn’t any reason for him to have died already.
Sombra looked through his orb, glancing through the eyes of one of the construction workers he had dominated with the artifact’s power. All four walls had been built, and the doors were already being carried into place, but in the end, it didn’t matter. The building didn’t need to be fully built for him to use it.
Police were about the area, questioning her workers, likely about the event that had just occurred. They were a hinderance to his plans, but nothing a little mind control couldn’t solve. When the time came, he would see to their departure.
“How did he die?” Sombra asked idly, already having a shrewd idea how.
“We think it was Assassins, sir. They ambushed the chairman’s convoy and did him in.”
“Is that so?” It made sense. Assassins were trained killers. He doubt anyone else would’ve lived long enough against his dark crystal swords to be able to disrobe Mahogany Wood and eliminate him. “You humans… Can you be any more pathetic? How can I trust any of you to do my work if your chairman cannot even defend himself when he is practically invincible?”
“S-sir?”
“Perhaps it is time to dispense with the pleasantries. Useless, all of you.”
He lifted the Apple higher, pulsing a wave of energy out around him, then turned around to face the expanse of the chairman’s room. At first, nothing seemed to happen, but slowly, the shadows on the edges of the room began to grow, becoming darker and sharper with every passing moment. Then, out of each shadow climbed an entity of black crystal, vaguely humanoid, but made of glittering black facets.
“Behold my new army,” Sombra raised his hands and welcomed his crystal golems as they approached him. “No more will I waste my time with your weak race. It is time to do what I came to do. You think your world would do your bidding? I care not for this world.”
“Ummm…” the Templar attendant cleared his throat. “What should we do, Grand Master Sombra?”
Sombra laughed, a dark and chilling laugh.
“You can die. I do not need you Templars any longer. Goodbye.”
Floating back, Sombra watched as his crystal constructs stalked towards the man, their crystalline arms raised, ready to do their master’s bidding.
The Templar tried to run, but Sombra shot out a smokey tentacle and pulled him back in before shutting the door, holding him up by a leg as the constructs closed in. To the attendant’s dismay and to Sombra’s approval, each golem’s fingers were sharp and pointed, like the edge of a blade.
One by one, they thrust their hands into the poor attendant, each stab causing a scream of pain. Soon, the man hung limply in the tendril’s grasp, before Sombra released him, dropping his dead body on the floor.
Without having to say anything, one of the constructs moved over, picking up the body before lifting it over a shoulder.
Sombra liked these minions. They would never question him, and all he had to do was simply will them to kill everyone in the building, and they would do his bidding.
He had no more use for humans. His crystal golems would take care of everything else from here, the Assassins included. After killing Mahogany, they were surely holding out at some secret headquarters in Canterlot. If he was fast enough, perhaps he could still catch them before they went anywhere else.
“You Assassins will not stop me,” Sombra expanded his shadows across the room, even picking up the chairman’s piano in his shadowy grasp. “Beware, Equestria. King Sombra is coming back, and nopony is going to stop me. Not Celestia, not Luna, and certainly not Twilight Sparkle. What the king wants, the king receives. Long live the king!”
Velvet Breeze sat up from the floor, rubbing at her head, feeling like an entire building had collapsed on her. It wasn’t until she got her bearings did she feel something sticky on her hair.
“Ugh… What happened…?” she cracked open an eye.
Velvet immediately regretted opening her eye, as light streamed in and struck her retina, causing fireworks to go off in her head. For a while the only thing the girl could do was sit there, eyes shut until she felt brave enough to try again.
The Assassin sat up and rubbed at her head again, once again her hair felt sticky and there was also something squishy near the top.
“What’s all this…?” Velvet patted at it, feeling disgusted by how squishy and slimy it was.
Picking it up, Velvet brought it down before her face, wanting to know what it was. It was a red flappy thing, wiggling in the light as Velvet shook it. There was something yellowish white sticking out of it and it looked like a tooth.
Then Velvet realized what it was as tossed it aside, yelling disgustedly as she scooted away until her back hit the couch.
It was definitely part of someone’s mouth. The worst part was that she didn’t remember doing something like that.
Deciding to investigate herself further, the young Assassin got up and walked to the bathroom, noticing that her hands were covered up to her elbows in dried blood, staining her coat sleeves when she looked in the mirror.
“What happened…?” she asked aloud. The looked down at her palms, noticing the shard was still on her palm, gleaming golden through all the gore. “Did I… do all this?”
She wanted to pick it up and examine it, but when she pulled on it, it felt like if was glued to her skin; it didn’t budge.
What in the world?
Almost as soon as she gave up trying to move it, it started glowing, filling her head with visions. She saw herself, tearing her way through hordes of Templars, then she saw herself standing before Wolfgang, golden talons over her fingers, tearing into him like a crazed beast, prying open his ribs, pulling out his innards and throwing his dismembered and gutted body all around the room until the walls were painted red..
Velvet fell back, placing her hands over her ears and shutting her eyes, trying to cancel out the visions. Now she remembered what had happened. She remembered it all. She had done this. She was responsible for all the blood and bits over her clothes, skin and hair.
“What have I done?” she mumbled to herself as tears fell down her face, mixing with the dried blood.
“Why are you crying?” a voice said in her head. “He deserved to die. You were right in carrying out the assassination.”
“What?” Velvet looked around, but no one was in the bathroom. “W-Who said that? Where are you?”
“We did, Velvet Breeze,” another voice, also female, said. “We are the Mentors of the Assassin’s Brotherhood. While our bodies have passed, our memories live on in the sword’s power.”
“B-But… You made me do all this? You made me butcher all those people.”
“Yes,” many voices echoed. “Their assassinations were necessary.”
“But why to that extent? I hated Wolfgang, yes, but you made me tear him apart. That makes me no better than he is! I’m-I’m a monster now.”
“Justice!” one of the voices hissed.
“Death to the Templars!” another howled in agreement.
“After what he’s done to the Brotherhood, he deserves more!”
Velvet pressed against her ears harder and winced. “Yes, I agree, but not like this, please…”
“You are our hand, Velvet Breeze,” a different voice commanded. “You will act as we see fit. It is for the best of the Brotherhood.”
And then almost at once, the voices stopped, leaving Velvet alone again. She slowly lowered her hands and looked up, pushing off the tiled floor as she looked down the corridor.
When she felt safe again, the young Assassin shuffled out, heading for the table her laptop was resting on. She figured Frigid Night and the others needed to know about her assassination of Wolfgang.
She sat down after opening her laptop screen, watching as it booted on, her messy reflection disappearing as the screen lit up.
She was about to click on the video call when something in the corner caught her eye. It was a notification of an unread email.
“Oh, did I get more instructions?”
Velvet clicked on it, reading the words as soon as they came up.
“Vice… principal Luna… a Templar?” she said in disbelief as she read the mail.
“Yes!” a voice came back in her head. “She supplies the Templars with information. She must be eliminated.”
“You must do it, Velvet Breeze,” another beckoned. “For the safety of the Brotherhood, you must eliminate her!”
“I-I can’t.” Velvet remembered the woman when she was at Canterlot High. It wasn’t long, but she knew enough to know that Vice Principal Luna couldn’t have possibly been a Templar.
“She is a Templar! Do not be deceived by your connection to her. She hides well, playing on your emotional ties.”
“Do our bidding, Velvet Breeze! Assassinate her!”
“Strike her down in the name of the Assassins! Your Mentor has spoken.”
“No, I shouldn’t!” Velvet shook her head. “She can’t be.”
“If you will not do it, then we will do it for you,” another Mentor said. “We will make you see the light. You are an Assassin. You work in the dark to serve the light.”
Suddenly, Velvet’s arms grew heavy, forcing her to drop them at her sides. Then her eyes flashed gold, filling her mind with images of the Assassins and Templars through history. She saw people fighting, Assassins leaping off tall wooden structures with their hidden blades out, Templars firing crossbow bolts at them, people, Assassin and Templar alike, falling to the ground.
Then one image seemed to linger longer in her eyes. A Templar picking up the Apple from a dead Assassin, a grin on his face.
The Apple was never meant to fall into Templar hands and since then, because of that artifact, many more Assassins had fallen to Templar blades. Velvet realized there were still lives she could save. The Mentors were right. As an Assassin, she had duties to uphold, no matter what she thought.
“The Templars must be punished,” Velvet said at last, her eyes glowing ever brighter.
Sunset Shimmer had thought she wouldn’t be able to sleep with so much on her mind, but when she awoke in an old stony building with a checkered floor beside Emerald Edge, she knew she had definitely fallen asleep. The place was large, like she was in some kind of hotel lobby, only, she doubted they had hotels like this back then.
This time, the Assassin was old. Like, really old. She had dozens of wrinkles all over her green face and her shimmering turquoise hair had dulled over the years she’d been here. Her back was slightly hunched and she no longer wore the armor that Sunset had seen her in before she left Equestria, but she had something familiar strapped to her side.
“The Mentor’s sword…” Sunset said.
“There you are, Emerald,” a voice said behind Sunset. She turned to see who it was, recognizing the woman she had seen resting in bed in the previous dream.
“Moon Tide,” Emerald’s voice was somewhat frailer than before, but it still carried the strong tones that the First Assassin had used in her youth.
“You wanted to see me, Emerald?” Somehow, Moon Tide looked like she almost hadn’t aged at all since the last dream.
“My time is almost here,” Emerald Edge looked out at the setting sun through a high window. “I think it’s time we go down to the vault. Do you have them, Moon Tide?”
The blue robed woman pulled a long clothed pack from behind her back and held it out for the Assassin to take.
“Ah, the artifacts I came to this world to find,” she made a smile on her old face. “If only I could’ve found a way home, Moon Tide. With these, I could have vanquished Sombra forever. But alas, it is too late now.”
“It is never too late, Emerald,” her companion told her soothingly. “Your children will carry out your work for you. Who knows? One day, they might find a way back to your world and finish what you started.”
“That would please me greatly, Moon Tide, but I fear it might not be as simple as that,” the old Assassin chuckled and proceeded carefully down a set of steps, carved into a small alcove under a second floor balcony. “I’ll explain below.”
Sunset followed them down, the stairs leading into a rounded chamber with different paths. Emerald, however, didn’t take any of them. Instead, she rounded the central pillar and took a second flight of stairs down.
The next area was a simple straight hallway, deep underground, carved from rock, by the looks of it. Several flame sconces lit her path ahead, bringing the women into a large circular room with a single chair in the middle.
“What is this place?” Sunset wondered out loud as she took in the surroundings.
There were statues of the First Assassin herself, carved into the stone walls around the room, her features forever immortalized in stone.
“Thank you, Moon Tide,” the Assassin spoke again as she placed a hand on the chair’s armrest.
“Whatever for, old friend?” the other woman asked.
“For helping me plan out this place. Both you and Nightfall. Ah… I wish she could be here to see it today when we seal it all…”
“We’re all that’s left, are we not?” Moon Tide leaned against her staff. “The others were good friends, but none will ever be a friend like you, Emerald.”
“Who knows, Moon Tide?” Emerald sat down and leaned back with a smile. “Destiny has an interesting way of changing and proving you wrong.”
As Sunset watched, Emerald unraveled the cloth-wrapped objects, bringing out a long staff and a large shield, both of which shone gold and silver in the cavern’s dim lighting, radiating off their own light.
“But now I see it. A prophecy, if you will, from what these artifacts have shown me,” Emerald held the golden items and sighed. “Somepony from Equestria will come… and they will be the one to wield my artifacts and vanquish the dark king, Sombra, once and for all. I’m afraid this heir may very well not be one of my children, but when the time comes, may one of them, and you, Moon Tide, help the heir in their time of need.”
“Of course, Emerald,” Moon Tide nodded. “I will watch over your children and I’ll keep a good lookout for this heir of yours. I promise.”
“Thank you. I’ve lived a good long life, Moon Tide, having all of you beside me on my journey in this world. I shall never forget all the times we spent and I shall never forget any of you…
“Posey, Nightfall, Jewel Pin, Spectrum, Honeygold, Parisa, Speckle… You all mean so much to me now. But it is time. Time for me to leave.” Emerald unclasped her golden sword from her side and held it up to Moon Tide. “Now it is time to pass this on. Please, Moon Tide, give this to Emerald Dusk for me.”
“I will, my friend...” Moon Tide took the weapon and held it in both hands. Sunset watched as tears fell from her eyes as she grasped the sword tightly. “Must you really go? I will never have another friend like you, Emerald…”
The Assassin rested the staff on her shoulder and reached up to pat the blue haired woman on the arm.
“No, don’t say that… Whether it is my descendants or another from Equestria, I’m sure you and my heir will become the best of friends. My line shall never lay a hand on you as long as you remain a friend to them.”
“I’ll miss you, Emerald,” Moon Tide leaned in for a hug.
Sunset wiped her watering eyes at the sight of the two friends, saying their final goodbyes. It was never nice to see a friend for the last time.
“Moon Tide, before you go, I have a request…”
Moon Tide looked at her friend and smiled. “Anything for you, Emerald. It’s the least I can do.”
The First Assassin nodded and looked up at her. “May I see you as you truly are once more?”
Sunset played that question back in her head again, but she didn’t know what Emerald Edge could’ve meant.
Moon Tide drew back a step, looking confused, but then she straightened herself and dug around her pack for something.
Sunset watched as the woman’s hand returned with a vial of greenish liquid, or at least she thought it was green; it was hard to tell in their current lighting.
Unstoppering the bottle, Moon Tide poured the substance on a hand before lifting it up, rubbing it all over her face and hair. Then she removed a waterskin from her side and poured out water over the top of her head, sending the drinkable liquid down her head, droplets dripping down her robes as well.
Then Sunset looked at her, shock on her face. Moon Tide’s blue skin and hair seemed to begin melting off her face, almost like this was some story about a witch, dripping into a forming puddle around her feet.
Under Moon Tide’s blue skin was now one of charcoal color, and her hair had turned royal purple. What surprised Sunset the most were the woman’s eyes, which now shone back at Emerald and Sunset with familiar acid green, along with slitted pupils.
The fiery haired girl had never seen a changeling up close, but she knew one when she saw one. This Moon Tide was certainly a human world variant of one.
“Well, here I am. This is me, Emerald,” she said in a different voice, no longer an old Canterlotian accent. Sunset felt that it sounded familiar, but she couldn’t quite place her finger on it.
To her credit, Emerald wasn’t surprised like Sunset was. “It is nice to see your true self again, even if it’s just to say goodbye. You haven’t aged a day. I know you don’t trust the humans of this world as much, but I know that there will be a day where you can once again roam around, free of your disguises. Maybe my heir can help you with that.”
“Maybe, my friend,” Moon Tide tied her purple hair up into a ponytail. “But I fear it will not be anytime soon. You’re the only one I trust with this secret.”
“And I shall be taking it with me when you seal me in,” Emerald placed a hand over her heart. “Thank you for granting me my request. I think it is time.”
The two women shared one more embrace before Moon Tide began shuffling away, unwilling to leave.
Emerald looked as confident as ever, looking back to her friend with teary eyes as Moon Tide flipped a lever near the doors.
“Goodbye Emerald…” she said one last time as the place began to shake.
As Moon Tide left down the hallway, three huge and heavy walls began moving together, sealing up the hallway they had come from before.
Emerald tilted her head down as a single tear drop pattered down on her tunic.
“Goodbye, Psithyra…”
So this is where the First Assassin was sealed… Sunset remembered bits of information Morning and the other Assassins had told her. This was the place of the Saddle Arabian explosion two years ago.
“Sunset Shimmer…”
Sunset looked around the room, but then she realized it was Emerald that was talking to her, her purple eyes now focused on the girl.
“I didn’t imagine it,” she said out loud. “You did talk to me in the last dream.”
“Yes, that is right,” Emerald nodded her head. “I showed you all this to help you understand. You are the heir, Sunset Shimmer. I believe that to be.”
“But you want me to beat Sombra?” Sunset questioned the Assassin. “How can I do something like that?”
“It is why I showed you the last two dreams, Sunset Shimmer. I have given you the skills you need to challenge him. All that is left is to accept your destiny and do what must be done.
“These artifacts,” Emerald sighed. “I came here to find them, to use them against the dark king. I never expected him to come over and use them himself. That is why I sealed myself here, you know. These artifacts are too great of a power to be found by just anyone or anypony. The sword was to be carried by my daughter, Emerald Dusk, and the Apple to my son, Shadow Steel, as gifts to be passed down my line, but you see how history has changed that…”
“But the sword is gone,” Sunset reminded her. “How can I beat him without it?”
“You are resourceful, Sunset Shimmer,” Emerald Edge smiled kindly. “What the time is right, I am sure you will know exactly what you have to do.”
Then the world around Sunset began to swirl, like it was being sucked into a vortex. The next thing she knew, she was sitting up in her bed, panting.
Twilight Sparkle paced around the room, contemplating her choices. They had only just returned to Ponyville when she got Sunset Shimmer’s message. Now that she thought about it, it seemed all too clear.
Of course Sombra’s plan wasn’t to drain the portal of magic. He was Equestrian, just like Sunset and herself. Of course he would want to come back home and rule. He had no reason to fight for the human world.
“There, message sent, Twilight,” Spike dusted his claws and wiped at his mouth. “What now?”
“I think it might be a good idea to move the portal,” Twilight voiced her opinion. “If Sombra succeeds in getting through, we’d want to be somewhere secure.”
“The Crystal Empire will do,” Princess Cadance said. “The Crystal Heart can protect us from him. That would be the safest place to be, even if his artifact can defend himself against it.”
“But we just came from the Crystal Empire!” Spike threw his hands up in irritation.
“Well it’s either we go back or watch Sombra come over here,” Twilight gave her assistant the options.
It was a clear decision for the baby dragon. “You know what, going back to the Crystal Empire isn’t all that bad.”
“Yes,” Princess Cadance trotted to a window and looked out at the horizon. Snow had begun to fall again, blanketing the green hills with white. “Maybe we can hold him back with our combined magic, but I don’t know how much he’d be stronger with one of Star Swirl’s artifacts. He did seal them away for good reason, after all.”
“Well, I did mention to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to bring a troop of guards in the message,” Spike mentioned. “You know, just in case.” Then he considered what he said and pulled out another scroll. “Aaand… I better let them know we’re moving the portal to the Crystal Empire. Don’t want them sending guards here by mistake.”
“I doubt they could stand against the dark king himself, even if they were the best Canterlot has to offer,” Twilight gulped. “But it’d never hurt to have some around. Some of the guards are pretty hardy and resourceful, like you, Agent Eclair.”
The batpony with them looked away from the mirror and floated over. “Oui, princess, but I am no longer a guard. Agents do not train in the same combat courses as the regular guards do. We specialize more in subterfuge and stealth, at least, the Lunar Eclipse guards do.”
“Well, maybe you can plan some sneak attack against Sombra, you know?” Spike threw a few punches in the air. “Catch him off guard when he isn’t looking and steal that artifact from him?”
“I’m pretty sure he won’t just leave it around while he goes off somewhere, Spike,” Twilight chuckled. “I’m afraid we’re going to have to leave it to Sunset and her Assassin friends.”
“It doesn’t feel right to just hang our hope on somepony, er, someone else, but I guess we have no choice this time,” Princess Cadance shook her head. “All we can do is hope we hold Sombra long enough for her to do her job on the other side.”
“I trust Sunset,” Twilight looked through the mirror at her reflection. “She’s been through a lot, but I know she’ll be the one to get it done. Betting it all on her isn’t just a leap of faith. I have complete confidence in her. She’ll pull through. I know it.”
Sunset Shimmer got out of bed, shaking stars out of her head having gotten up too fast. Needing a drink of water, Sunset threw her covers off and headed outside, shuffling soundlessly down the hall as to not wake anyone else; According to her phone, it was only four in the morning.
She had neared the living room when she noticed the TV was on, casting light against the back wall, illuminating the shadows of the couch and someone sitting on the main couch.
She continued out, exiting the hallway, spotting Frigid Night sitting back, looking at a small square photo in his hand. He looked up and saw Sunset, and immediately stowed the picture in his pocket.
“Sunset Shimmer,” he said. “You’re up early.”
“Had another dream,” she rubbed her eyes and walked over, deciding to sit down beside him. “What’re you looking at? Was that the picture of you and Mirror Match?”
The Assassin’s acting Mentor sighed, but pulled it out again and looked at it. “Yeah… She was everything to me, before she left. To this day, I still don’t know what made her change sides. I really don’t.”
“Well, here’s a question you might be able to answer,” Sunset watched him, his eyes still on the picture. “After what she’s done, why do you still love her?”
“I guess it’s because of who she was,” he said at last. “Even in my darkest moments, she was always there for me, even when none of the other Assassins were. But… I see now I was wrong. I did have friends there for me all this time, but I was foolish and pushed them away. And here I am, reminiscing about her again. I thought I could move on from her death, but I guess I’m still brooding over it.”
“I… I’ve never lost anyone before, not like this,” Sunset said. It was sure easy to console someone, but she could never really understand what it felt like. “But I think letting go of the past is the first step. There’s nothing we can do to change it, is there?”
“I guess we can’t,” he hung his head down. “You know, I never knew she could be killed like that. Mirror Match is a tough one, but it looks like the artifacts are still stronger than anything she can throw at us. I don’t know where she is now, but I do hope she’s watching out for us instead of that terrible Grand Master Sombra.”
“Yeah. He’s the only one left?”
“The only important one. All the other Templars in the inner circle are dead. Finally, things feel like they’re coming to a close. You can believe he’s preparing himself to face us any time now.”
“If he does… Do you-do you think we can win?” Sunset asked nervously.
Frigid looked at Sunset and nodded his head. “If Mentor Steel Shine believed in you, then I do too. You’re the only one who can truly stand up to Sombra. We know you’ll figure this out.”
“Thanks, Frigid. You know, I was wrong about you. You do care,” Sunset grinned.
“And I hope I continue to do so,” he looked back at the picture with Mirror Match. “I let one woman change the way I did things. I may miss her, but you’re right. I need to look forward to who is still alive, to those I need to protect from Sombra.”
“Sounds splendid, Mentor,” Sunset gave him a pat on the back. “So what are we going to do now? We need to stop him from using that auditorium.”
“And we will,” Frigid answered. “We just need to know how that auditorium functions. For now, Sunset Shimmer, go back to bed. You still have a few hours to catch.”
“I guess it won’t turn, huh?” Sunset got off the couch and rearranged her pajama top. “Well, good night, Frigid, or good morning. Whichever one it is right now.”
The Assassin nodded his head again and got up, walking to his laptop on the table.
Sunset returned to her room after getting a glass of water and immediately fell on the bed, pulling her sheets around herself. She didn’t realize she was so tired until she felt the soft pillow below her head.
Well, at least Assassins have good beds…
Sunset Shimmer dried her hair off with her towel before slipping her regular clothes on.
Just after lunch, Frigid had discussed with her his possible plans for stopping Sombra’s auditorium. Their last ditch option was to simply drive a truck or at least something heavy into the structure itself.
Sunset had mentioned the magical consequences to the auditorium’s destruction, but if they had nothing else, it was something they would have to consider doing. Though, after the assassination of Mahogany Wood, law enforcement had begun investigating the area for clues on the Templar leader’s death. It wouldn’t be wise to attack the auditorium like that, at least not yet.
After their conversation, Morning Blade had taken Sunset out on a run, trying to help her build up her stamina.
The female Assassin had done up her hair in a braid again, though it was shorter than before. Sunset had found out that she lost part of her braid in her fight with Crescent Wing, Mahogany Wood’s bodyguard. Morning Blade didn’t like it, but at least it wasn’t all cut off.
The Assassin had only received her injuries the day before, but she seemed to be able to run alongside Sunset without much trouble. The fiery haired girl could still remember the stitched up skin, shuddering at the mental sight of it.
Sunset’s shoulders still ached from the run, but it wasn’t all that bad. Besides giving her the skills, Emerald seemed to have also given Sunset the ability to control her muscles well; she didn’t feel as tired as she normally would after a long run.
When she left the bathroom for the living room, Morning Blade and Frigid Night were already at the table, discussing something.
“Hey, Sunset,” Morning Blade waved with a hand. “Did you happen to hear about the news?”
“What news?” the fiery haired girl asked as she pulled up a chair beside the Assassins.
“There was an apartment building in Manehattan that was damaged. The police found bodies of Dragon Unit soldiers all over the place. I could only guess it was Velvet’s handiwork.”
“We’ve been trying to get ahold of her for the past hour,” Morning explained. “But she’s not picking up. We don’t know where she is or what she’s planning.”
“And apparently, there was a massacre at the Board of Education,” Frigid added in. “More bodies of Templars and educators alike were strewn all over the upper floors, multiple stab wounds. Wolfgang and many other Board members have been deemed killed, or missing.”
“Do you think Velvet had something to do with all this?” Sunset thought about it. Could she really have massacred so many people on her own volition? She never thought Velvet could be capable of such violence, even if she was an Assassin.
Frigid rubbed at his hair and looked at his laptop screen. “Some bodies were found completely crushed or cut into bits, and I think these are Velvet’s work. Remember what she did to Talon and… and Mirror Match?”
“The Mentor’s shard!” Sunset hit herself for not thinking of it sooner. “If it still has power like that, maybe, just maybe we can use it to defeat Sombra! We have to find Velvet.”
“Been trying, remember?” Morning dangled her phone between two fingers. “She’s not picking up.”
“Well, we could go look for her. She should still be in Manehattan, right?”
“Who knows,” Morning Blade rubbed her forehead. “She could be anywhere by now. There are too many possibilities…”
Frigid sighed and looked away from the two girls. “No. I… I think I know where she’ll be.”
“What?” Morning turned back to him. “You do?”
Frigid looked at the far wall, remaining silent. If Sunset didn’t know better, she’d think he was hiding something. Something important.
“I… I told her-”
Before the acting Mentor could continue, there seemed to be a crash outside, coming from the door.
“What was that?” Morning Blade got up, flipping her coat away from her right leg, her hand hovering over her pistol in its holster.
Both Frigid and Morning wearily kept their eyes on the front door, while Sunset slowly inched back, unsure of who it could be.
“Sunset Shimmer, go to the armory,” Frigid instructed, not taking his eyes off the door as more crashing was heard outside. “Grab something, anything that you think you can handle.”
“W-What if it’s someone on our side out there? Should we see who it is first?” Sunset took a few steps towards the armory door.
“Keila’s the only other one with the key to this place and I doubt she’d be banging on the door like that. Assume the worst. Get a weapon, now.”
Sunset didn’t have to be told another time. She bolted through the armory door to the first weapons rack she could find. She figured since she had used a sword before, she’d just stick with it now; she had no idea what other weapons she was capable of using just yet.
She joined the Assassins back by the door when a strange black crystalline object jabbed through the steel door. “What is that?”
“I don’t know, but get ready,” Frigid unsheathed all four of his blades. “Looks like trouble.”
As abruptly as the noise had stopped, the door was suddenly ripped from its hinges as a mass of human-shaped crystal golems stood outside, their featureless faces looking in at the Assassins and Sunset.
“What are these things?” Morning Blade drew her pistol and flicked off the safety.
Sunset recognized them from her first dream about Emerald Edge. There were crystal monsters like that back in Equestria, but they took the forms of ponies instead, but there was no doubt, these constructs were the work of Sombra.
“It’s Sombra,” Sunset told them. “He found out where we are.”
“Well, we defend ourselves,” Frigid scowled at the crystal constructs. “Watch your surroundings, Sunset Shimmer. Do not let them catch you off guard.”
Sunset took a slow and long deep breath, grasping her sword in both hands. This was it.
Frigid Night placed his arm out, motioning for Morning Blade and Sunset Shimmer to get behind him. He figured if he could handle this, they wouldn’t even need to fight.
Morning Blade was still wounded and he didn’t want her to hurt herself. As for Sunset, if she didn’t need to fight, then it was better to let her stay out of it.
The first golem lumbered inside, its faceless head angled at the Assassins and Sunset. Behind it, two more stomped inside. The lead golem raised its arm, and all could see the long, wickedly curved crystal blade that it had in place of a hand.
Let’s see what you’ve got…
Frigid ran for it, sliding under its arm and kicking up with a shoe blade. His blade connected with the golem, chipping the crystalline material, but otherwise, did nothing to slow the creature.
“What?” Frigid said as he rolled to the side, avoiding one of the creature’s feet as it tried to stomp on him.
The golem brought its blade arm crashing down next to Frigid, missing him by a hair. Behind, the other two golems advanced, brandishing their blade-like limbs menacingly.
Frigid grabbed ahold of the first golem’s arm, using it to swing himself up, kicking it in its featureless face, knocking it back into the others as he hopped back to his feet. Unfortunately, it didn’t stumble like he wanted.
The second golem slashed at the air with its bladed arm, sending a wave of dark energy at the Assassins.
“Down!” Frigid yelled, before turning and tackling Sunset Shimmer to the floor, just avoiding the beam.
The dark energy slash kept going, stopping only at the far wall, cutting through it a decent amount.
“Watch out!”
Frigid turned around just to see Morning throw herself between him and a crystal golem, locking her katana with the golem’s bladed arm.
She held it long enough for Sunset and Frigid to get away, but soon began to crumple under the golem, one hand reaching for her side.
“We’ve gotta help!” Sunset ran in, dodging the second golem, cutting sideways with her sword, chipping little fragments off the construct, while Frigid jumped for the third, kicking it back outside the door, the impact jarring his foot.
It stabbed for her head, but Sunset had already moved, kicking back with a foot at the second golem while thrusting her sword at the first one’s shoulder. The sword skated off the smooth surface, leaving the creature completely unharmed. Sunset dodged another cut and brought her sword crashing down onto the golem’s arm. The blade made contact with the black crystal surface and shattered, leaving Sunset with a broken hilt. A crack formed in the golem’s surface where the sword had landed.
“They’re too resilient for our blades!” Sunset yelled and continued to try to pry the golem off Morning Blade. “There must be something else!”
Frigid returned and kicked off the other golem, ramming into the one grappling with his partner, throwing it off her.
Morning Blade dropped her sword arm and panted, still gripping her side. Sunset rushed to her aid, tossing her sword hilt aside.
Frigid watched both of them and gritted his teeth. Their normal weapons didn’t exactly work very well against these things. He was going to have to change their plans a little.
“Morning Blade, Sunset Shimmer,” he called to them as the golems began to stagger forward again. “Get out of here. Get to the van. I’ll hold them as long as I can.”
“What?” Morning was aghast. “No, sir, we’re not leaving.”
“Just go! We don’t have time,” Frigid kicked at one of the golems, his right shoe blade shattering against the golem’s crystalline surface. “Use the roof exit. Now. I’ll catch up when I can.”
Sunset looked to Morning, but the Assassin simply stowed her katana and pulled Sunset along, heading down the hallway towards the staircase.
Frigid looked down at his broken shoe blade and scowled at the constructs. “This time, no one else is getting hurt because of me.”
Running at the first golem, Frigid stabbed at it with his trident blades, watching his weapons slide off after slightly chipping at its body, dodging under another dark beam as he kicked at the golem’s leg from underneath. As the construct fell, Frigid ran at the second one and tackled it, not stopping until he rammed it into the third one, knocking both back outside.
Snow blew around the Assassin, falling on his coat and the crystal golems. The open area gave him more room to fight, but he was also in plain sight for anyone passing by to see. Frigid shook his head. Now wasn’t a good time to worry about civilians. He had to protect Morning and Sunset.
The rearmost golem raised its hand, the appendage becoming shrouded in black fog. When the mist cleared, the golem no longer had a blade hand, instead it sported a mace-like limb bristling with spikes.
The golem swung down with its mace arm, hitting nothing, but sending a swarm of black crystal spikes flying at Frigid. The Assassin dodged back into the bureau, though not fast enough to avoid one nicking his shoulder, tearing right through the armor.
The Assassin said nothing, instead focusing his attention on his attacker. These golems were far more unpredictable than he first expected. He would have to be more careful if he wanted to win this.
Frigid slid under another row of spikes, jumping up right before the golem and slashed at it with his trident blades, trying to cause at least enough damage to weaken the construct. Surely they must have a weakness. His hidden blades were already starting to wear out, their edges getting chipped and broken the more he attacked.
Frigid’s continuous attacks seemed to agitate the golem, making it swing its mace arm at him. He spun around it, just in time to see the spikes stab into the first golem, which staggered back, sending an arm out to steady itself against the wall. The spikes had gone through its front, embedding themselves in its chest.
So, you can hurt each other, hmm?
All three crystal constructs approached him, arms raised to attack, somewhat like boxers.
“Come on then,” Frigid muttered. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Morning and Sunset scrambled up the stairs to the roof, throwing open the trapdoor and emerging into the snowy twilight. The night was quiet, except for the sounds of battle down at the first floor.
“Come on, Sunset,” Morning Blade grabbed the girl’s hand and led her to the back of the building, brushing snow off her nose. “The van’s back here. We’ll have to jump.”
“What about Frigid?” Sunset asked as they ran. “We can’t just leave him! High Noon said the same thing before he…” Sunset’s voice trailed off.
“Orders are orders,” Morning said resolutely. “He told us to go, we go.”
Sunset stopped running, looking at Morning as she searched for the jumping spot. “Morning, how can you say that? Don’t you care about him? We can’t just run off without him.”
“He told us to, Sunset. As the acting Mentor, I have to listen to what he says!”
“I know you follow rules and orders really well, Morning, but sometimes you’ve got to know when not to do it.”
Morning Blade looked between the roof ledge and Sunset a few times. “Al-alright, Sunset. But let’s go get the van and drive it around. We want to have a getaway ready.”
“That’s the spirit, Morning,” Sunset patted the Assassin’s shoulder. “So, how are we getting down?”
“Down here,” Morning Blade motioned off the ledge with her head. Sunset looked down and saw a pile of dirty old mattresses at the bottom near a rusty dumpster. “You haven’t done this, have you? A leap of faith?”
“J-Jumping?” Sunset swallowed hard. “Nope.”
“Simple. Just do what I do. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
Morning Blade went first, spreading her arms out to the side before leaping slightly, her body sailing through the air, spinning once so that her back was facing down. Then she was bouncing on the mattresses, before pushing herself up and calling Sunset down with a wave.
“Well, no sacrifice no victory,” Sunset muttered and did the same, standing with her arms outstretched, thinking back to her third dream.
If Emerald could do it, then so can I.
Sunset Shimmer kicked off the roof, floating down with gravity as she felt the wind rush against her face. Then almost as if she had already done it a thousand times, Sunset curled forward, flipping herself around, just like Morning Blade had done. Before she knew it, she felt the mattress below her back, not as soft as she had thought it’d be.
“Great job, Sunset,” Morning helped her up. “Now let’s go. We gotta get the van and get Frigid!”
Then they were off, rushing over to the side where they had last parked the van. Sunset hoped they could make it back in time, but she trusted Frigid. He might not be the nicest of people, but she at least knew he could hold his own in a fight.
Frigid Night dodged to the side and pulled the crystal golem’s arm forward, stabbing it through the chest of another one, piercing through its body, sending cracks across snaking across its form.
Both his trident blades had broken to the point of becoming ineffective, forcing him to rely on his hands instead.
One of the golems swung at Frigid, cutting through his coat. Another one battered away at his exposed side with its club-like fists, knocking the Assassin down.
Frigid grunted, feeling the cuts and bruises across his body, but got up again, redirecting the mace construct’s hand at another’s head, cracking it like an egg. He let out a cheer as the construct’s head shattered, falling to the ground along with its body. The golem’s body continued to crawl toward Frigid before grabbing his leg in a death grip.
Frigid bent down and scooped up a long crystal fragment, jamming it over and over again into its arm. As the Assassin was breaking the construct’s appendage apart, he felt something sharp pierce into his back, just above his tailbone.
He stifled his yell and turned, watching as the bloodstained arm blade came at him again. Kicking the crystal remains off his boot, Frigid side stepped, before jamming his crystal fragment into its head.
The golem stumbled back, grabbing for its new horn sticking from its forehead, giving Frigid the time to scramble for two of the dead golem’s fingers.
Then the one with the mace hand stumbled over, kicking him across the face, sending the Assassin spinning to the floor. Frigid wiped at his mouth, noticing a new cut across his lip and chin.
Frigid Night brought himself back to his feet again, watching as the same golem turned around and began walking inside the bureau, in search of Sunset Shimmer and Morning Blade.
“Oh no you don’t!”
Frigid ran for it, stabbing the first crystal fragment into the back of the construct’s neck, spearing it deep. The golem turned and swung a mace arm at him, but the acting Mentor dropped to his knees, avoiding it and coming back up in front of the golem, pushing his second fragment into its neck, using his other hand to hammer it in deeper. The two pieces met in the middle as cracks formed around its neck.
As it raised both arms to attack Frigid, the Assassin slid back and jumped for its head, kicking out with both feet. The force cracked the rest of its neck, sending the golem's head tumbling down it’s body, rolling on the ground, stopping at the wall.
The body swung its mace arm once, twice, then fell flat on its chest with a tinkling crash.
Frigid turned to the last golem. The black crystal creature was standing a few meters away, quite still. Then, a pool of shadows grew beneath the construct, seeping into the joints like ink. The once-featureless face glimmered, displaying a pair of crimson and green eyes, trailing purple smoke.
“Assassin…” Sombra’s voice echoed from the final construct. “I thought three of my golems would settle this loose end, but it seems I have underestimated you. You’ve really become quite an inconvenience for me.”
“Well, you’ll learn, Sombra,” Frigid spat, trying his best not to fall. The wound on his back hurt pretty badly. “We Assassins learn how to adapt. You won’t win.”
“Very well then,” Sombra’s voice came. “Adapt to this.”
The golem held out both its arms, the crystal shifting and melding to form two long, straight blades. Then the golem broke into a thundering run, slashing at Frigid with twice the speed of its previous fellows.
The Assassin ducked and weaved around, each time just narrowly missing the blades. He looked around the ground for more shards he could use against the construct, but Sombra was keeping him too busy on his feet to get one.
The golem bellowed, the first sound they had made since arriving and spun like a top, cutting away like a buzzsaw, while advancing on the Assassin. Then it stopped, and raised it left blade arm at him. There was a pulse of energy from the golem and suddenly the entire lower arm shot free, flying at Frigid like a giant arrow.
Frigid dove out of the way, but even he wasn’t fast enough to prevent it stabbing right through his side, impaling itself into the wall behind him, dangling meat between them.
Frigid gasped and fell, the pain blazing across his body as he felt the wound. The projectile had taken out a good portion of his side.
“Adapt you say?” the golem stood over him, admiring an arm. “I didn’t see any of that. Perhaps you are not as good as you think you are, Assassin.”
“I’m not done… yet…” Frigid reached up and slashed at the golem’s thigh with his broken trident blade. The weapon barely scratched the surface, losing one side of its trident attachment.
The golem slashed Frigid across the chest with its remaining arm, tearing through his knife slings, shirt, skin and insides, before raising the stump of its left arm. Dark vapor gathered around it and clung to the base, recreating a working hand.
“It would seem my golems are more adaptable than you, Assassin.” The golem stood over Frigid and raised its blade. “Prepare to-”
There was the crack of gunfire and the golem staggered, an apple sized hole blown through its chest.
“What is the meaning of this?” The crystal construct turned around, just as another gunshot echoed out around the bureau entrance.
Its head had bent back, a hole where Sombra’s face had been. A few more shots impacted the construct from the doorway, shattering more of its crystalline body, one arm dropping to the floor. Soon, the entire golem fell face down, defeated as smoke began to evaporate from it, disappearing out into the night sky.
Frigid gasped and panted, trying to stand himself up. He had only brought himself to a sitting position, but couldn’t gather enough to get all the way up. All he could do was shift himself so that his back was against the wall, one hand already inspecting the damages to his body.
“Frigid!” Morning Blade and Sunset ran through the doorway, dropping down beside him. His partner kept her pistol and looked down at his side. “No no no, what should I do?”
“Nothing…” Frigid told them. He knew the outcome. This time, he didn’t have Mirror Match or even a special cloak to get him back up again. “Nothing you can do. Did my best, but… it wasn’t enough…”
“No, don’t say that, sir…” Morning Blade pulled off her coat and pressed it to Frigid’s side, trying to stop the blood. “Sunset, get some medical supplies from the cabinet!”
“On it,” the girl ran off to the kitchen.
“You can’t, Morning,” Frigid pushed at her arm. “Not good enough… You can’t save me. Go. Sombra will be back… You must get… Sunset Shimmer away… from here.”
“No, I won’t leave you!” she choked, pressing down her coat harder. “I can’t leave you… We shouldn’t have gone. We should’ve stayed and fought with you. It’s my fault. All my fault…”
The acting Mentor lifted a hand and placed it on Morning’s shoulder. He should’ve never doubted her. He should’ve never doubted his friends. Only now did he realize he hadn’t been living his last few years like he should’ve.
“It is not your fault, Morning… It is mine. I failed to figure it out sooner. You were all right there in front of me, especially you, Morning. I should’ve seen it… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for pushing… all of you away.”
Morning Blade shook her head sadly. “It’s okay, sir. The past is the past. You’ve already shown me that there’s a better side to you. I know it now. You’re not cold, Frigid.”
Sunset ran back over, carrying a box with the medic cross on it. “Found it. How’s he doing.”
“I can’t stop the blood,” Morning looked at her bloodstained coat. “His internal organs have been damaged. I can’t-I don’t know what to do.”
“There’s nothing more… you can do for me…” Frigid coughed, dripping blood down his chin. “But… Morning, I’m not a good person… I never will be. I need to tell you both something. It’s about Velvet…”
Frigid knew it was wrong to do it, but he had thought it was a good idea. Looking back, it probably was one of the worst ideas he’s ever had.
“Your vice principal… I sent Velvet Breeze a message, about her affiliation with the Templars… about her supplying Mahogany Wood with information… on Sunset. I fear… that’s where she’ll be next.”
“You what?” Sunset widened her eyes so big that they looked like dinner plates.
“I shouldn’t have… I should’ve trusted you, Morning. Once again, I’m sorry… I am cold. I can’t feel what… anyone else feels.”
Morning also looked equally shocked, but it didn’t stop her from trying to help her friend.
“We can worry about it later. You can’t die, Frigid. We still need you!”
“Morning… Morning…” Frigid moved his hand to her cheek, his strength already fading. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay… You can do this without me… You’re stronger… than you know.”
The female Assassin took ahold of his hand and squeezed it tightly. “No, you can’t go! We still need you here. I need you, Frigid!”
Sunset walked closer and placed a hand on Morning’s shoulder reassuringly. Frigid smiled. He knew that as long as she was around, they could beat Sombra. He believed in her.
“Sunset Shimmer…” he called. He continued only when they girl was close enough. “I’m… sorry for the way I treated you and your friends… I know now that you… were right. Friendship can never… be replaced with something else. Can you forgive me…?”
The girl nodded. “Of course. I forgive you.”
Frigid Night nodded and looked up to the ceiling, his head tired from holding itself up.
This is it…
“No, Frigid, stay with me,” Morning begged him to hold on, tears welling up in her one eye. “Don’t go.”
Then almost as if it were some kind of magic, the ceiling seemed to bend and warp as white-blue light descended down around him, a hole opening up above him.
Oh? What’s this?
From the hole, someone seemed to emerged, bending down over it, a mauve hand reaching out towards him.
“Mirror Match?” Frigid continued to look up at the blinding hole. Was it really her?
Morning and Sunset raised their eyebrows and looked up.
“Where?” Sunset asked him. “I don’t see her.”
“I see her,” Frigid said slowly. He reached his other arm out to her, trying to touch her hand. “She’s calling me.”
“No. We’re losing him,” Morning Blade’s hand squeezed harder on Frigid’s. “No, Frigid, please, just wait. We can patch you up. Sunset, the box!”
Frigid felt Mirror’s fingers curl around his as she pulled him up towards the bright hole. As he got closer, he could see the pleasant smile on her face as she held him close, her blue eyes absolutely stunning in the light. She pulled him in for a hug and leaned her head against his, both happy to be with each other again.
Finally, we are together once more. I’m here, Mirror Match. I’m here…
Morning Blade continued to call out Frigid Night’s name, even after his hand had fallen back to his side. She held his other hand firmly, unwilling to let it go unless he opened his eyes and woke up.
“No, you can’t go, Frigid! Not yet! Please… Please come back…”
Morning Blade tipped forward and placed her head against Frigid’s shoulder, crying into it.
“Morning,” Sunset Shimmer looked back out the door, her vision blurring. “We can’t stay here. Someone must’ve heard all this noise.”
Morning Blade didn’t seem to hear her, instead continuing to sob into Frigid’s body.
“Morning, I don’t know what you must be feeling,” Sunset tried to reason with her. “But we can’t bring him back. He’d want us to go. That’s why he stayed behind.”
Morning Blade stood up and wiped at her eye. Then she nodded to Sunset and walked out the door without another word. Sunset took one last look at Frigid’s body before following behind the female Assassin, heading out into the snowy night. Sunset pulled her scarf closer over her mouth as she heard the sound of sirens increase in volume. Then she remembered something important and ran back in, grabbing Frigid’s laptop off the dining table. She took a second to wipe her eyes before continuing on.
The two of them went back to the van, climbing in. Morning put the vehicle in gear and drove out onto the silent streets, heading out of the immediate area.
Only now did Sunset have the time to think about Frigid. She had hoped for more time to get to know him better, but that wasn’t meant to be. She didn’t like the Templars taking away so many of her new friends, whether they were good people or not. If she knew one thing for certain, she was going to defeat Sombra. The other Assassins had believed in her and so did Emerald Edge. Perhaps it was time to start believing in herself.
Then Sunset remembered Frigid’s words to them. They needed to find a safe place to stay, but besides that, they still had a vice principal to save. Sunset just hoped Velvet hadn’t gotten too far of a head start.
“I think it’s this way,” Sunset Shimmer pointed at the next turning, watching the van’s headlights illuminate the road and signposts up ahead. They could still hear the police sirens behind them, but at least they had avoided their sights.
Morning Blade nodded, but remained silent as she turned the steering wheel.
Sunset watched her with a worried expression. Morning hadn’t said a single word since they left the bureau. Sure, Sunset herself was still shaken and saddened by Frigid Night’s death, but Morning Blade was taking it hard.
Sunset Shimmer had also called her friends earlier, first, apologizing for waking them up in the middle of the night, but to also let them know of Velvet Breeze’s supposed plans to eliminate Vice Principal Luna. They had all agreed to meet down at Principal Celestia’s and Vice Principal Luna’s place as quickly as they could; none of them were going to let their favorite vice principal get killed.
Perhaps if they couldn’t stop Velvet by conventional means, maybe a little friendship magic would do the trick.
Sunset was so busy in thought that she failed to notice Morning Blade had already stopped outside Vice Principal Luna’s place. She looked up and out the window, only now looking at the squarish two-storey house with a brown wooden porch and a dark brown tiled roof.
“Oh, we’re here! Yeah, this is it.”
Sunset had forgotten Morning Blade would’ve known the location of the place, since she had grown up right here in Canterlot.
She looked at their principals’ house, inspecting it for any signs of a break in or anything that would hint at Velvet’s presence. Sunset focused her eagle vision and looked around, unable to see any colors except for the dark blue world all around her. Everyone must have been sound asleep by now.
“No sign of anything, Morning,” Sunset told the Assassin. “I don’t think Velvet’s been here yet. Maybe we should wait and see.”
Morning nodded her head and turned off the van engines. The night around them grew silent, with the only sounds being the occasional bird call or cough from Sunset.
“Does Velvet even know where Luna lives?” Sunset said eventually, opening Frigid’s laptop that she had taken from the bureau. “I mean, the dossier doesn’t give her address.”
“I don’t know, Sunset...” Morning said despondently. “But we can’t let her hurt Vice Principal Luna. She’s innocent.”
Sunset smiled and patted the Assassin’s shoulder. “Glad you’re talking again. You okay?”
“No, no I’m not,” Morning said quietly. “But we still have a job to do, and as an Assassin, I have to see it through, regardless of how I feel.”
“Alright…” Sunset nodded her head. “I’m sorry, about what happened to Frigid. I wish I could’ve done something to help sooner.”
Morning sighed and looked out the window, resting an elbow on the van’s armrest. “You don’t have to be, Sunset.”
Then Pinkie Pie smashed her face against the window on Sunset’s side, scaring the life out of her. The fiery haired girl had jumped to the side, screaming at the top of her voice, but calmed down once she saw the grinning face of her poofy haired friend.
“Pinkie… you scared me!” she said as she rolled down the window. Besides her, Rainbow Dash and Rarity had also arrived, the latter looking more than a little harried without her usual makeup.
“Sorry!” she whispered. “But I got your attention! So what are you still doing out here? What’s happened? Is Vice Principal Luna okay? Should I kick the door down and rescue her?”
“Yeah, yeah, nothing’s happened yet. We haven’t seen any signs of Velvet yet.”
“Are you sure she’ll even come here?” Rainbow pulled on her jacket. “What if she knows better? I mean, she came to CHS for a while. She knows Vice Principal Luna.”
“I don’t know,” Sunset shook her head. There had been too many things going on in the last few hours to have a good time to slow down and think. “But if she is indeed going to kill Vice Principal Luna, we have to stop her.”
“Darn right, Sunset,” Rainbow flexed an arm. “We’re not letting anyone harm our favorite vice principal!”
“How did it all come to this anyway?” Rarity said, looking around the street. “Last I heard, Velvet and Dewdrop were going to assassinate that Talon fellow.”
Rainbow shrugged, pulling out her phone and bringing up the news on it. “Talon’s old news, Rarity. The Assassins have been really busy with all the others too. Don’t you watch the news?”
“Honestly, I haven’t had the time,” Rarity folded her arms and looked away. “Sweetie Belle’s been hogging the TV all week. There’s been this new video game called One Man’s Lie or something. She’s totally absorbed into it. I don’t see what the point of it is. All she does is run around and try to encounter other players.”
“Well, if you did watch the news, you’d know that a whole lot of the Board of Education members had been killed in different attacks. The reporters are saying this could be classified as a high level emergency.”
“Well, I’d be panicking if the people in charge of education were wiped out overnight too,” Rarity wiped at her head, brushing snow off. “Luckily, it’s a holiday. Things would be in chaos right now if school was still going on.”
“Maybe they’d even cancel school,” Rainbow hoped.
Just then, a pickup truck pulled alongside the Assassin van, with Applejack waving at the group from the driver’s seat. Fluttershy waved at them from the back, all snuggled up in a large warm winter jacket.
“Howdy, y’all. Nice night, huh? So what’s goin’ on, Sunset?”
“We have reason to believe Velvet will try to make an attempt on Vice Principal Luna’s life,” Morning Blade said tensely. “I-We can’t let that happen.”
“Hold your horses,” Applejack held up her hands. “Anyone wanna tell me exactly why Velvet’s tryin’ to kill Luna?”
“Frigid, he told Velvet of her involvement with the Templars…” Morning Blade looked away and out the window. “He told us before he… left us…”
“Frigid Night is dead?” Rarity held a hand up to her mouth. “How? What happened?”
“That’s why we're here,” Sunset took over, knowing his was a hard topic for the Assassin. She pushed the door open and joined her friends. “After all the recent deaths on the news, we’re not going to let Velvet accomplish this one.”
“Luna would never willingly work with the Templars,” Morning said, clenching the steering wheel in both hands until her knuckles turned white. “Velvet has this all wrong.”
“We won’t let her, Morning Blade, don’t you worry,” Fluttershy said as she got out and walked over to the van. “Though… can’t we just talk to Velvet? I’m sure she’ll listen to us. We’re her friends.”
“Yeah, she trusts us, doesn’t she?” Pinkie was playing with the falling snow. “So where is she now? Taxi? Bus? Plane?”
Sunset was about to answer, but then her ears caught something, the sound something swishing through the air like an arrow. Before she could pinpoint its exact location, something smashed through the roof of Principal Celestia’s and Vice Principal Luna’s home, throwing tiles and splinters up into the air around the girls.
“What was that?” Sunset looked through the opening in between her arms to make sure it was safe.
“Was that Velvet?” Applejack swiped a piece of wood off her hat. “Kinda looked like her, ‘xept she was all glowin’ and stuff.”
“I didn’t know she could fly!” Pinkie jumped up and down.
“Well, let’s go,” Sunset led the way forward. “Whoever it is, our principals are in danger.”
She ran at full speed to the front door, only realizing that it was locked when she tried the handle.
Oh, of course it’s locked… What did you expect?
“I got this, Sunset,” Morning arrived and eased past her, pulling out her lockpicking kit.
Sunset waited to the side anxiously, watching the metal pick move up and down as Morning tried to get in. Soon, the lock clicked, allowing the Assassin to throw the door open, with all of them rushing in, looking for Vice Principal Luna.
Then they heard a scream from the second floor, directing the girls to the staircase, with Sunset taking the lead, going up two steps at a time.
Just as she rounded the corner at the top of the staircase, a bat had swung out from the darkness and would’ve caught Sunset across the jaw if not for her newly acquired skills. The fiery haired girl dropped to her knees and slid ahead, standing up on the other end in a combat stance, but relaxed after realizing it was only her school principal.
“Sunset Shimmer?”
“Principal Celestia!” Sunset caught her in a quick hug. “You’re alright! But no time. Where’s Vice Principal Luna? She’s in danger!”
“That’s where I was heading when I heard you kids enter my home,” Celestia looked at the stairs, where Morning and the rest of the Rainbooms were standing. “Wait, Morning Blade? Is that you?”
“Nice to see you, but no time to talk, Principal Celestia! Luna’s in trouble!”
The Canterlot High principal nodded her head. “I heard her scream, that’s why I came out with the bat.”
“Then let’s go!”
Sunset ran down the hallway, searching for their vice principal’s room. She heard noises coming from the one, second from the end and pushed it open.
Inside, Vice Principal Luna was being held by her nightshirt in front of Velvet Breeze, who was aglow like a thousand candles. A pair of ghostly golden wings extended from her back, and her hair was long and in a ponytail. The pair of equine ears atop her head confirmed Sunset’s suspicion: Velvet had learned how to harness the shard’s power.
The ceiling above had vanished, opening up into the cold night sky, with snow slowly falling into Luna’s thrashed room.
“Please, help! I don’t know what she wants!” Luna called out, struggling in Velvet’s grasp.
“Velvet! Stop!” Sunset Shimmer ran across the room, only to be lifted up in an invisible force, keeping her hands by her side. “Velvet, what are you doing? Let me go! Vice Principal Luna isn’t the enemy!”
“Sun… set…?”
“Yeah, Velvet, it’s me. Come on, stop all this. Vice Principal Luna isn’t a Templar. You’ve got it all wrong.”
The rest of her friends, along with Morning Blade and Principal Celestia entered the room, crowding around behind Sunset, whom Velvet released, allowing her to drop to the floor.
“Velvet Breeze?” Principal Celestia took a step forward. “What’s going on? What are you doing with my sister?”
“I can hear them, Sunset,” Velvet put a hand to her head, shaking it at the same time. “All the Mentors, each and every one of them…”
“All the Mentors?” Sunset asked. “What about the Mentors? What do they want?”
“They demand I uphold the Creed… by following acting Mentor Frigid’s orders…” Velvet’s free hand flexed, and the golden light spun into a set of claws around it. “The Templars need to die.”
“No, don’t harm her!” Celestia ran forward, only to be thrown against the wall by Velvet’s magical force.
“Velvet, no!” the Rainbooms yelled collectively. The young Assassin’s glow intensified as a pulse blew out around her, knocking everyone down.
“Don’t do this, Velvet,” Sunset sat up and pleaded with her. “Frigid was wrong to give you that information. He knew it himself. He told us, before he died. Don’t go through with this!”
“Frigid Night’s… dead?” Velvet paused for a second.
“He died trying to save us. Vice Principal Luna’s not a bad person. He was wrong. Put her down, Velvet, please.”
“Yeah, you were at CHS, Velvet,” Rainbow Dash added in. “You know she’s not the bad guy.”
“You d-don’t have to do this, Velvet,” Fluttershy hid behind her friends. “You c-can trust us…”
“Put her down, Velvet,” Applejack joined her friends in a line. “She don’t mean ya any harm.”
“Yeah, you partied with us!” Pinkie Pie popped up next to Sunset. “Friends stand up for each other, silly!”
“That Sombra’s the one you want to fight, Velvet dear,” Rarity rubbed at her head and got up.
“Som… bra….” Velvet clutched at her head as if it were about to burst. Then all of a sudden she straightened up and went still, dropping Luna onto the floor.
“Velvet?” Sunset ventured.
“Sombra. He’s here.”
“What?” Morning Blade looked around, brandishing her hidden blade. “Where?”
Velvet’s glowing eyes turned to the wall. “At… the school,” she forced out, as if her voice was failing. “Must… stop him…”
Almost as quickly as she had arrived, she flapped her glowing wings, disappearing up into the sky before jetting off in a blink.
“School?” Sunset ran over to help Luna up. “Vice Principal Luna, are you alright?”
“I’m-I’m fine. Just shaken,” she replied.
Principal Celestia had already recovered, rubbing at her head where she had hit the wall. “What’s going on? What happened to Velvet, and who’s this Sombra?”
“It’s my fault, sister,” Luna shook her head. “Velvet, she was asking about my involvement with Chairman Wood.”
“Involvement?” Celestia raised an eyebrow as she dusted off her hair. “What sort of involvement?”
“I did it for our jobs, Celestia,” Luna began to explain. “I couldn’t let you lose your job just because you wouldn’t submit information.”
“What are you saying, Luna?”
“I did what the chairman requested, sister. I did it to protect both our jobs. I wasn’t going to let him fire you just because you didn’t submit the reports. I’m sorry I went behind your back.”
“It’s okay, Luna,” Celestia gave her a big hug. “You did it with good intentions. Though girls, what really is going on here?”
Rarity shrugged and brushed snow off her coat. “Just another plot to take over the world, Principal Celestia. We sure get our fair share of having to save the world, don’t we? Uh, no offense, Sunset.”
“None taken,” the fiery haired girl chuckled. “Hey, it’s been a while since I’ve had to say that.”
“Well, time’s wastin’,” Applejack looked up at the hole in the ceiling. “Velvet’s already gone out there to find Sombra or whatnot. Shouldn’t we head on out to help her out?”
“Right,” Sunset nodded. “Principal Celestia, Vice Principal Luna, we’ll explain everything when we have the time, but will you two be fine?”
“Don’t worry about us,” their principal answered, tossing a blanket over her sister. “We’ll be alright. Go on. Go save the day. Morning Blade, keep them safe.”
“I will,” the Assassin nodded. “I hope we get to catch up when this is all over.”
With everything said, the Rainbooms and Morning rushed back to their parked vehicles, with most of the girls scrambling into the van, while Applejack and Rainbow Dash took the pickup truck.
“Why is Sombra at school already?” Sunset asked Morning Blade as she got in the front beside her. “They couldn’t have completed the auditorium that quickly, could they?”
“Maybe he doesn’t need to,” Morning suggested as she turned the van around. “Maybe he already has what he needs to enter your world.”
“What do you mean?”
“He doesn’t need the whole building around the statue, does he?” Morning picked up speed and zoomed down the straight road. “I’m sure he only needs a few specific things to get that portal open. Maybe those black crystal spires he has?”
“Then I hope Princess Twilight and the others are ready,” Sunset swallowed. “I don’t know if we’ll make it there in time.”
“Good to see you, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna,” Twilight Sparkle greeted the alicorn sisters as they trotted down to the Crystal Empire courtyard from the sky. A troop of both Solar and Lunar guards followed behind them, some flying, running and some even teleporting in.
“Same to you, Twilight,” Celestia nodded her head, but kept a serious expression. “So it’s true. Sombra wasn’t vanquished and he’s planning to return…”
“That’s why we’re needed here,” Twilight pointed to the mirror that they had placed in the center of the courtyard. “We can’t let Sombra return, not with the artifact he found in the human world.”
“So Sunset Shimmer has a plan?” Luna asked. “She knows how to stop Sombra?”
“I hope so,” Twilight looked worriedly at her reflection in the mirror. “But I believe in her. She isn’t the same pony that stole my crown. She knows what she has to do.”
“We will see to our preparations with Princess Cadance and Shining Armor,” Celestia and Luna walked over to the mirror. “Sombra shall not return this day.”
Twilight watched as the royal guards trotted past her, following their leaders. She spotted Agent Cinders gesturing to an older guard, but he gave her an understanding nod when he saw her.
“Princess Twilight, an honor to see you again,” Satin Breeze said, stopping beside the Princess of Friendship.
“Lance Corporal Breeze! You’re here!” Twilight placed a hoof to her mouth in astonishment. Then a familiar Corporal Dewdrop walked up beside them, her golden armor shimmering in the moonlight. “And Corporal Dewdrop! Nice to see you both here.”
“I only have you to thank, princess,” Satin placed a hoof to her scarf. “I heard the news from the princesses. I would very much like to see this other Velvet Breeze, but if Sombra returns, I doubt I will get that chance. So here I am. I’m not going to let anypony else suffer the same fate as my sister.”
“And you’re not alone, Satin,” Dewdrop placed a hoof around her back. “We’re all here for the safety of Equestria. We’ve got a job to do.”
“Troops, forward!” a batpony up front in Lunar guard armor yelled. “Squadrons!”
“Well, Captain Glimpse is calling,” Satin looked to Twilight and Dewdrop and nodded. “I’ll see you around, Princess Twilight. Stay safe, Dewdrop.”
“You got it, Satin,” Dewdrop smiled as the lance corporal hovered off to her ranks.
“Is Captain Frigid Night here?” Twilight asked as she watched most of the guards get into position.
“He should be somewhere ahead,” Dewdrop looked past the pony heads. “He’ll be leading my division. I better go join up. I’m a unicorn, after all. We’re needed up front. Good luck, princess.”
Twilight watched as the guards formed a perimeter around the mirror, each of them already grasping a weapon each. She’d never seen so many guards together before, not even when she used to visit her brother in Canterlot Castle. The unicorns stood at the front of the battalions, forming a smaller circle around the mirror and the princesses, who were joined by Princess Cadance and Shining Armor.
Spike returned, holding a list of instructions. “Well, Twilight, everything seems to be in order. Guards are all here, civilians are all in their homes and Agent Eclair is standing by with the Crystal Heart, just in case. Anything else you’d like?”
“I think this is all we can do, Spike,” Twilight looked around at their increased defenses. “We just have to hope we can hold Sombra back when the time is right.”
“How do we know when he’s coming? For all we know, it could be weeks from now.”
“I’ve got my book with me, just in case,” Twilight nudged at her saddlebags. “If Sunset says anything, I’ll be right here.”
“What if she doesn’t?” Spike bit at his claws.
Twilight breathed in. “Then we’ll just have to be ready, no matter what.”
Sombra stood on the front lawn of Canterlot High School, watching as his golems assembled the final piece of his plan. The Templar’s Eye machine. Years ago, they had planned to use it to locate someone who could use the Apple for them, to lead them in their plans to bring order to the world. None of them saw what Sombra did. Instead of locating magic, Sombra had found a way to make it transmit magic, like a conduit.
As his crystal golems placed the Eye on the grass, just facing the portal to Equestria, Sombra smiled to himself and looked around. These constructs should’ve been his option long ago. Relying on the Templars had done nothing but slow his plans. Now, most of them were dead, but it didn’t matter. He wouldn’t ever have to worry about them once he left this wretched world. On the other hand, his golems had killed most of them in the headquarters already, so whether he left or not, they would never be a threat to him.
“Finally my time has arrived!” Sombra grinned wickedly as he felt the Apple radiate energy from within. “Nopony shall stand in my way as I retake what was rightfully mine!”
The Templar Grand Master released the magic in his artifact, snaking a long tendril of golden light towards the Eye, powering up its center as a glowing ball of energy began to spin within it.
“Mine…” Sombra gazed intently at his reflection in the Apple.
All his plans were coming together perfectly. Earlier, he had used the magic of the Apple to send the police back to their homes, leaving the school all to himself. He wasn’t going to let the authorities get in his way of returning home. Then he had sent out a second wave of magic, putting the entire immediate area into deep slumber. Nothing was going to stand in his way.
After searching and finding the location of the Assassins’ hideout right here in Canterlot, he had sent golems to dispatch them. One and the Shimmer girl had gotten away, but no matter. He had struck a blow to them. By the time they would recover, he would’ve already returned to Equestria.
All he had to do now was wait for the machine to activate.
Sombra turned his head. Even with his magic all around him, he still sensed it. Another artifact, close by. But that was impossible. The Mentor’s sword had been destroyed. No artifact remained to challenge him.
The dark king looked up into the sky, beholding a tiny golden glimmer, one that was rapidly getting larger and brighter. He grunted and wisped up at it, expanding his shadows into a comet of darkness, zooming up to meet it the light.
They clashed in the middle, light and dark smashing against each other, scattering blinding rays and shadows across the sky above Canterlot High, neither one moving backward or forward.
“Who dares to challenge the king?” he growled, bringing up his Apple. He shot a golden beam out, piercing through his shadows and the light barrier his opponent had thrown up.
With their obstacles clear, Sombra realized it was the young Assassin girl, the one with blue skin, floating above him with magical wings, long hair and pony ears.
“You… How are you doing that?” he gathered his darkness around himself like a vortex.
“Sombra…” Velvet Breeze said, her voice layered with the traces of Assassin Mentors past. She held out a hand, shooting a bolt of golden light into Sombra.
However, the dark king simply raised his Apple and made a shimmering shield, blocking the energy bolt.
“You will have to do better than that to best me, youngling...” he smirked.
Sombra reached out with a shadowy tendril, wrapping it around Velvet’s leg and pulling her back down to earth with a crash, watching dirt and grass fly up in the air, along with a cloud of dust.
“Did you hope to beat me like that?” Sombra floated down, his shadows snaking across the ground at his feet. “You aren’t even Equestrian. How are you not dead?”
Velvet said nothing, struggling to her feet as the golden aura around her flickered.
Sombra laughed. “You are already at your limit. Why even try?”
Sombra turned and glided back to the machine, not bothering to even deal with Velvet personally. He willed his crystal golems forward, three of them closing around her with sword hands extended.
Unable to fly any longer, Velvet simply extended a sword of pure energy and got ready to fight.
Velvet Breeze had already cut down two of the golems when more emerged from the ground, forming out of swirling shadowy portals.
She grasped her light sword in both hands and stabbed forward, piercing the head of the golem she was fighting as the rest surrounded her, forming their crystalline hands into all sorts of weapons.
“Come, then,” Velvet said to them, her voice wavering between speakers. “Come face me.”
She began slashing through each of them as they attacked, some falling in half in a single strike, dissolving into the ground as they stopped moving.
Velvet fought her way towards Sombra, tearing through his golems easily enough, trying to get to the Grand Master before he could open the portal. She had just cut off a golem’s arms when she was picked up from behind, lifted high into the air by a larger crystal golem, standing at least four meters taller than the regular construct.
It held her close to its faceless head as it began to squeeze her, pushing the breath out of the Assassin’s lungs.
“Unhand me…” Velvet said in a multitude of voices, freeing a hand and blasting the golem in the face with a ray of light.
Its head fragmented right off its shoulders, sending chunks of dark crystal down, crushing some of its smaller brethren. Velvet pushed her way out of its hand right before she hit the ground, tumbling a few feet before coming to a stop. By now, her strength was almost faded, even with help from Emerald Edge and the other Mentors. The large golem fell back, crashing against the road, dissolving into the ground in an instant before disappearing completely.
“So pathetic…” Sombra was beside her, shadows pouring from his body. “But I’m going to leave you alive, if only to show you my return to my world. You cannot stop me.”
He swirled his shadows around Velvet, binding her arms behind her back and her legs to the ground, immobilizing her. The girl struggled against the bonds, but it was useless. Sombra’s shadows were tougher than steel.
“Let… me… go!”
Sombra chuckled. “Not likely. You will be the first to bear witness to my glorious return to Equestria. With the Apple, none shall be able to stop me now.”
The Templar Grand Master directed his Apple’s energy at the surrounding dark crystal spires, watching as they began to glow a brighter purple the longer he kept the artifact’s magic on it. Soon, magical energy began to transmit between the spires, creating a barrier of purple energy around the top of the four spires.
Velvet Breeze continued to struggle against her restraints, but her energy was close to zero. The golden aura around her flickered, and then finally went out. Velvet clenched her fist around the shard, but although it remained fused to her palm, no more energy came out.
“Yes, it is almost time!” Sombra lifted his hands to the air. “Who can hope to stop me now?”
“There’s us!”
Sombra turned around, the smile on his face shrinking. Behind him, getting out of their respective vehicles, were Morning Blade, Sunset Shimmer, and the rest of the Rainbooms.
“You have returned…” Sombra growled. “But no matter. What do you hope to do here?”
Morning Blade raised her pistol. “This,” she said, and fired.
The bullet exited her gun, and Sombra raised his Apple, creating a hexagonal golden shield in front of himself. Morning’s shot pinged off the barrier, and Sombra smirked.
“Go, my golems. Crush them in the name of King Sombra!”
The faceless constructs turned to the group and began lumbering towards them, many of their hands morphing into thin sword-like blades. The girls got behind Morning Blade as she reloaded her firearm, her eye darting around, mapping out her surroundings and the crystal golems.
Before anything else could happen, there was a flash of light from the Canterlot High statue as the Templar’s machine began resonating with the magical portal, turning the white magic of the portal to one of gold.
“Yes! Yeeees!” Sombra raised his fists up. “The portal is opening. It’s almost time to go home!”
“No!” Sunset yelled. “We can’t let him leave!”
The first golem jumped forward, pulling an arm back as Morning shot it at close range, shattering its head as it fell back. A second golem ran for her, forcing the Assassin to dodge to the side before firing two bullets into its chest, slowing it down, allowing Sunset to come up behind it to kick it in the chest, breaking it in half.
A third had run up behind Sunset, but the girl sensed it, immediately flipping herself over the golem with a somersault, kicking it in the head, sending it falling towards Morning, who shot it in the face.
“That was rad, Sunset!” Rainbow Dash had to hold her jaw up. “Keep it up! Goooo, Sunset!”
Sunset spied Velvet from the corner of her eye, still tied down by Sombra’s shadows, her eyes closed. “I’ve got to go help her!”
“Go,” Morning Blade said and took her katana in her other hand. “I’ve got the golems.”
Sunset ducked under a golem’s slash, slid under another’s feet, then flipped herself over another golem, pushing it forward with her hands before sprinting for Velvet.
Almost like they lost interest, the dark crystal golems ignored Sunset and moved for her friends.
“Eek!” Fluttershy covered her head as one golem tried to attack her, only to be parried by Morning Blade’s katana.
“Get back!” the Assassin ordered as she placed her pistol atop her blade, firing it through the golem’s head. “Get to a safe distance.”
“But we can’t just leave ya to fight them alone,” Applejack looked around for something she could use. “We can help take ‘em down!”
Morning emptied the rest of her clip on a towering golem, shattering a melon sized hole through its chest. She reached into her coat, pulling out her last magazine, slotting it into her pistol.
“Girls, I don’t mean to alarm you,” Morning said, backing up from the army of golems that were advancing on their position. “But I’m almost out of ammo. We might need to-”
Morning was cut off as a golem materialized behind her, raising its sword arm. The Assassin turned her pistol around to fire, but before she could, there was a loud crack, and the golem’s head exploded into shards of black crystal and smoke.
“What...?”
“You need to be more careful than that, Morning,” a familiar voice said.
Keila ran in with a duffel bag in one arm and a smoking assault rifle in her other.
“Keila, you traitor!” Morning immediately unsheathed her hidden blade. “What are you doing back here?”
“I came back to help you,” Keila said. As she came into the light being shed by Sombra’s machinations, the girls and Morning Blade noticed something different.
“Keila, your bandages!” Rarity exclaimed. “They’re gone!”
“Never needed ‘em,” Keila winked. “I brought more guns and a lot of extra ammo, Morning. That enough to break even with you?”
The white haired Assassin was about to say something, but the approaching golems changed her mind.
“Here, go for it,” Keila tossed her a magazine as she pulled a shotgun from her bag.
“Hey, we can help!” Rainbow Dash and Applejack volunteered, looking at the pack of guns. “There’s more than enough for us all in there.”
“Sure,” Keila turned back to the duffel bag, but found Pinkie Pie already standing over it, tossing a rifle to Rainbow and a shotgun to Applejack, before retrieving two pistols for herself. “Uh, kid, what do you think you’re doing?”
“Saving the day!” Pinkie said happily as she tied a blue bandana around her head. “I play airsoft you know? Easy! We can help out! Let’s do this, girls!”
With their new firepower, the two Assassins and three girls fired at the constructs, mowing the front row down almost in an instant.
“Woohoo!” Pinkie cheered above the gunfire. It was loud enough to wake up the entire neighborhood. Surely their battle wasn’t going unnoticed. “We got this, girls! Keep them coming, Sombraaaa!”
“Yeah!” Applejack stuffed another shell in her gun and fired, blasting a golem’s head and part of its chest away in a single shot.
“Keep it up, girls,” Morning encouraged. “We’re pushing them back!”
Sunset Shimmer reached Velvet Breeze, immediately trying to tear the shadowy tentacles off her friend.
“Come on!” she grunted as she pulled with all her might.
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t break the young Assassin free.
“S-Sunset…?” Velvet looked up and opened her eyes.
“Velvet!” the fiery haired girl exclaimed. “Are you okay?”
“I’ve been better,” Velvet grimaced, a thin trail of blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. “You came for me, Sunset. You came…”
“Of course,” she continued to yank the shadows. “I’m not leaving a friend behind!”
Velvet watched as Sunset attempted to free her, still to no avail. “It’s no use, Sunset. I’ve… reached my limit. I can’t help…”
“Doesn’t mean I can’t!”
Sunset continued to pull, but soon stopped as a dark shape glided beside her, watching her with glowing red and green eyes.
“Puny pony…” Sombra said, the Apple glowing brightly in his hand. “You cannot help her and yet you try? Why throw your life away for another? You can be so much more. Join me. You do not need to die today. You are like me, Equestrian. We can return and rule. Isn’t that what you want? To return home with powers beyond your comprehension?”
“Maybe that’s what the old me wanted…” Sunset muttered, glaring daggers at the dark king. “But not the new me! I’d never join you, Sombra! For all your power, you’ll always be alone! Me, I’ve got friends on my side, and together, there’s nothing we can’t do!”
“Friends?” Sombra looked to the gunfight ahead with narrowed eyes. “What good are friends? I had a friend once, but she betrayed me! She turned on me! No, I do not need friends, and if you care so much about your friends, then you can join them.”
Sombra’s shadows grew around him like claws, folding in towards Sunset Shimmer like they were trying to grab her.
“No you don’t!” Morning Blade had gotten closer, firing two bullets at Sombra’s head.
The dark king brought up a wall of light with the artifact, blocking the two bullets before slamming it into the Assassin, knocking her down as Keila and the rest of Sunset’s friends joined them, firearms pointed at Sombra.
“You dare?” he boomed. “Your human weapons are nothing compared to what I can do to you.”
“Doesn’t mean we’ll stop trying,” Keila pumped her shotgun. “Your crystal minions have fallen. Didn’t expect that, did you?”
“No, but did you expect this?” With a wave of his hand, more crystal golems emerged around Sombra.
Keila said nothing and fired her shotgun, taking one down instantly as the rest advanced on them.
While Sombra was distracted, Sunset had swooped behind Velvet, a plan formulating in her mind.
“Velvet, where’s the shard?” Sunset asked her. “That might be the only chance we have at beating Sombra.”
“My hand…” Velvet said weakly.
Luckily for Sunset, Velvet’s palms were exposed, but when she tried to pull the shard from Velvet’s hand, it didn’t budge. She tried again and again, but it was just like the shadowy tendrils. It was stuck to her skin.
“Velvet, I can’t get it out,” Sunset told her, trying to dig her finger under the golden shard.
Velvet groaned. “My hidden blade… You’ll have to cut it off…”
The young Assassin splayed her left hand, the hidden blade shooting out into view. Sunset gingerly wrapped her hand around the shaft and pushed hard. With a little resistance, the hidden blade snapped off in Sunset’s hand, leaving Sunset with a six inch long knife.
The fiery haired girl looked up, keeping an eye on Sombra as he focused his golems on her friends. Sunset didn’t want to just leave them to fend for themselves, but she had no choice. She needed the shard first.
Swallowing, Sunset slipped the blade between Velvet’s skin and the shard, part of her still unsure if she wanted to get it out like this.
“Do it, Sunset… You have to… It’s still draining my strength… Please, get it off…”
Sunset steeled herself and touched the tip of Velvet’s hidden blade to the shard. Then she pushed it in, feeling the tip of the blade break skin. Blood began to well up around the point of contact, running down Velvet’s arm and further staining her coat sleeve, which was already tainted red.
“Velvet, you okay?” Sunset looked around to check. The young Assassin wore a pained expression, but nodded her head for Sunset to keep going.
Sunset Shimmer steeled herself and cut further, eventually cutting the metal piece off Velvet’s hand, watching as it rolled down her fingers and dropped down into a palm she held out.
Immediately, Sunset could feel a change come over herself. The sword shard was warm, as if it had been sitting out in the sun on a hot summer’s day. It fit just right in her hand, its surface rippling and shining like a star. Closing her hand around the shard, Sunset’s hair grew long, extending into a lengthy, tail like style while two pony-like ears popped into existence atop her head.
“Hey, check Sunset out!” Pinkie pointed over as she fired multiple rounds into a golem with her pistols, both guns clicking empty. “You go, Sunset! Get him! Give him a good sock! Bam! Whamo!”
“Cool!” Rainbow pumped a fist up. “We didn’t even have to play our music!”
The transformation and outburst didn’t go unnoticed as Sombra turned to face her, partial surprise on his face.
“How… The shard…” he looked down at Velvet’s bleeding hand. “So you think you can face me now, because you have that little fragment of an artifact? Let me show you what a real artifact can do, girl.”
Sombra conjured up a row of crystal spikes around the Assassins and Rainbooms, sealing them up in a pyramid shaped prison, then brightened the aura of the Apple, almost too bright to see. Then a lance of light burst out of the artifact, spearing straight for Sunset’s heart.
She brought up a light hexagonal barrier, but as soon as the spear hit it, it shattered into thousands of pieces, though it took the spear along with it.
“Foolish girl,” Sombra bent back with laughter. “Don’t you see defeat when it’s staring you right in your face? I made you an offer to rule with me and yet you refuse and choose death?”
Holding onto the shard in her right hand, Sunset held out her left hand and fired a bolt of golden light at Sombra. The dark king dissolved into mist, the attack passing through him harmlessly, before reappearing behind the girl, knocking her down with a slap with the back of his hand. Sunset rolled to avoid Sombra’s foot that came crashing down next to her head. She scrambled to her feet, but Sombra stomped his foot and a shard of dark crystal erupted out of the ground, almost impaling Sunset as she scooted back for some breathing room.
“You do not even know how to use that thing,” Sombra smirked and expanded his shadows around himself. “Why don’t you just surrender? It would be so much easier. Besides, having to kill you would be such a waste.”
“I’ll never surrender to you,” Sunset snarled.
“Hm. Pity.”
Sombra raised his Apple high, and all around Sunset’s feet, the ground began to bubble and boil. Then waves of black crystal erupted from the earth and encased Sunset’s feet, creeping up her legs and onto her body.
Sunset threw up light barrier after light barrier, but they only managed to stop the crystals for an instant before they broke through, rising high around her every time. Then her left arm disappeared into the amassing crystal, slowing her barrier projection.
“Nnngh! No! You’re not getting away with this, Sombra!” she yelled at the dark king as the crystals began to climb her chest.
“I already have…” Sombra answered as Sunset’s head disappeared within the newly formed crystal spire. “Equestria is mine.”
Sunset Shimmer awoke with her face pressed against something hard and warm. She opened her eyes, beholding a smooth, golden surface. Groggily, she got to her feet- and that was when she noticed something odd. She was standing on all fours, and in place of hands, she now had hooves! A quick check of herself confirmed her suspicions. She was a pony again.
“What happened?” Sunset muttered, looking around. It was a golden featureless void, stretching as far as she could see.
There came the clip-clop of hoofsteps, and Sunset turned around. Behind her stood a pony with a glittering light green coat and wings, and a turquoise mane and tail.
Sunset immediately recognized her from her dreams. “Emerald Edge.”
“Sunset Shimmer,” Emerald said, trotting up to her and giving her a hug. “It’s so good to finally meet you.”
“Where are we?” Sunset asked. The hoof around her felt real, unlike in her dreams where she was immaterial.
“We,” Emerald stretched a hoof wide at the void. “Are inside Excalibur, or the Sword of Equestria, as you may better know it. And my home for the past thousand years.”
“You’ve lived here?” Sunset looked around, unable to see anything besides a vast flat plane. “Since that day you locked yourself in that vault? You can do that?”
“Since the day I died, my spirit has been housed in the Sword. I have seen the rise and fall of the Assassin Brotherhood many, many times. I’ve helped every Mentor along the path, and I have been waiting for what feels like an eternity to finally meet you.”
“That’s the question, Emerald. How did you know you were going to meet me? I saw the dream with the vault and all, but… how did you know?”
Emerald shrugged. “I just knew. One day a pony from Equestria would come along and finish what I started. It’s been a long wait, Sunset. Longer than you will ever know.”
“But what about Velvet? She had the shard since the attack in Trottingham. I remember Mentor Steel Shine saying only someone from Equestria can use its power, but Velvet managed it.”
“Ah yes. The poor girl. Her body was never meant to undergo the immense strain that comes with the artifacts,” Emerald shrugged. “I helped her shoulder the burden as best I could, but even so, I’m afraid her life may be at risk from using the shard.”
“Is she going to be alright?”
“I have no way of knowing, Sunset. She shouldn’t have used the shard to that extent, and she would’ve perished long ago if not for her intentions. You see, Sunset, friendship powers these artifacts, so it really was Velvet Breeze’s want to protect you and your friends that kept her alive for so long.”
“Velvet suffered so much for us?” Sunset murmured.
“She did,” the Assassin nodded. “And now, you’ll finish it, for her, for everypony and everyone.”
“So how did I get here?” Sunset scratched at her head with a hoof. “Did I… Did I die?”
The crystal pony shook her head. “You are still alive, Sunset. Though, challenging Sombra with only a shard of the sword has put you very close to death. It is due to this near death experience that we are able to meet.”
“I’m-I’m nearly dead…?” Sunset turned a little green. “How do we stop him? Can we still stop him? My friends, they’re still out there! Please, Emerald. Tell me there’s still a way!”
“There’s always a way,” Emerald trotted ahead, and as she did, numerous white whirlpools appeared in the air around her, opening up to show a vision.
“Ever since I passed the sword down to my daughter, Emerald Dusk, every Mentor has awaited the arrival of someone like you. Someone who will finally be able to finish the real purpose of the Assassins.
“You see, the Assassins were founded not to protect the balance of the world, but to safeguard the artifacts from those who would misuse them, along with waiting for the heir to show herself.”
The portals shimmered, each of them showing various women all dressed in the same armor that Mentor Steel Shine had been wearing, though as the visions went on, the armor seemed to change a little each time.
“So this was the original purpose of Assassins?” Sunset turned back to the crystal pegasus beside her. “Then how did assassination come into all this? And what about the Templars? Why did all this happen?”
Emerald Edge looked at a previous vision where a Mentor jumped off a wooden pole, spearing a woman below with a hidden blade.
“Times change, Sunset Shimmer. About the renaissance era, the Apple was taken by the Templars, who had been trying to get the artifacts from us since their founding. They were inspired by… by an old friend of mine who had lost his way. He sought to control the world with the artifacts’ power.
“After the loss of the Apple, the Assassins looked to get it back, but the only thing they could do was work at it patiently, slowly disabling the Templars one by one. That’s when they really took on the name of Assassins. I… I did my fair share of assassinating, but I had wanted to be the first and last of it.”
“It must’ve been painful, watching years of your work unravel. I don’t know how that must feel,” Sunset patted the First Assassin’s back.
“I never wanted any of this to happen…” Emerald muttered sadly. “All the battles, all the bloodshed, all the lives lost, and in the end it didn’t mean a thing. Just look at Masyaf.”
“The explosion two years ago,” Sunset remembered what the Assassins had told her and it was also Emerald Edge’s final resting place. “What happened, Emerald? What caused the explosion?” Sunset figured it might’ve been a Templar weapon, but there was also the possibility that the Assassins triggered it to keep the artifacts hidden.
“The artifacts,” Emerald gestured with a wing at the air, and another vision showed itself. In it, a male Assassin brandishing a gilt staff charged a bearded man wielding a gold and silver shield. The two men clashed several times before both artifacts began to crack and the vision was full of blinding white. Then Emerald closed the portal, ending the memory. “They were never meant to be used against one another. When two bearers of equal power clash, the result can be ruinous.”
“So the artifacts caused the explosion…” Sunset reeled back, the devastation still in her mind. “This is why you locked those two artifacts away. No one was ever to find them again, not even your own people.”
“Indeed, although in the end it hardly seems to have mattered,” Emerald said bitterly. “Just look at what’s happened.”
Sunset nodded. In the last few weeks, it seemed like death had become a normal occurrence in her life. “What do we do now, Emerald? How long do I have before I…” her voice trailed off as she thought about it.
“Before you die? Not long, I’m afraid. But even if you break free from the crystal prison, you must realize that challenging Sombra with only your piece of the artifact is suicide. You must face him on equal terms.”
“But how do I do that, Emerald?” Sunset begged the pegasus. “Please tell me what I have to do.”
Emerald smiled kindly at Sunset. “Trust me,” she said simply. Emerald’s form shimmered and in the pegasus’s place, now stood the human Emerald Edge, garbed in her armored robes. She held out a hand, and Sunset felt herself change back into a human as well. “Take my hand, and let us fight Sombra together.”
Sunset reached out to her. “Together?”
Emerald clasped Sunset’s hand firmly, her grip strong and warm.
“Together.”
King Sombra watched with much excitement as one of his golems threw a few spikes at the humans fighting him, wounding the one with the cowboy hat in the arm, her gun clattering uselessly on the grass.
“Foolish humans,” Sombra said, sending a blast of energy at Morning Blade, who leapt aside just in time to dodge it. “Kneel before your king and perhaps I will let you live as my pets.A king needs pets, after all.”
The Assassin with the black and white hair placed a hand to a wound on her thigh and shot down another crystal golem. “I’d rather die than submit to a liar like you.”
Then Sombra recalled his golems, breaking them down into crystal fragments, creating a barrier of spinning shards around the group, slowly pushing inward, constricting their movement and penning them in. They fired at the shards, but it did little to nothing as they continued to close in on them.
Sombra stretched his arms out and laughed maniacally. “No one can stop me now! It is time. You humans have been fun, but I’m afraid it ends here with your death. You will see your Sunset Shimmer friend soon enough. As for this young Assassin girl…”
Sombra looked down at the girl, Velvet Breeze, who was beside him.
“You’re sick…” Velvet spat blood on his steel boot.
“Hmm… funny,” Sombra looked at his greave. “But I like your spirit, girl. When I take Equestria, I shall keep you as my personal slave. You only need amuse me when I request it.”
“I’ll never do as you say…” Velvet struggled against her restraints again.
“Trust me. When I’m done with you, you’ll be doing everything I say, girl.”
Sombra looked back to the trapped Assassins and Rainbooms, watching as the razor sharp crystals got closer and closer to them. He wanted to see what a shredded human looked like and soon, he would get to.
He was about to laugh again when something on the side caught his attention. The spire he had formed over the Shimmer girl was glowing with golden light from the inside, its intensity slowly getting stronger and stronger.
“What? Impossible…” He watched the dark crystal spire. She shouldn’t be able to do anything more. She shouldn’t still be alive.
As the glow neared the intensity of the sun, the spire exploded out, scattering shards into the air and knocking Sombra back against one of the walls the Templars had built around the Wondercolts statue.
“Arise, Sunset Shimmer.”
“Emerald…”
Sunset Shimmer floated down to the grassy floor, her glowing eyes looking at Sombra as he dissolved into shadow, reforming himself into a standing position.
“You…” he looked at her eyes and snarled. “How are you still alive?”
Sunset settled on the ground, her form shimmering with a set of ghostly Assassin armor, the same set that Emerald had been wearing in her visions. The translucent armor gave way to a pair of glowing golden wings at the back, which gave a few experimental flaps, ready to take flight. And gleaming golden in her hands, was the fully repaired Sword of Equestria.
“How is that possible?” Sombra looked to the other artifact. “I destroyed it. There are no more artifacts but mine. You should be dead.”
“The sword is my artifact, and responds to my decree,” Emerald’s voice came from Sunset’s throat. “And it is now in the hands of a pure hearted Equestrian. The time of your judgment is at hand, Sombra!”
“You wish to challenge my power?” Sombra floated up as his shadows glided around him, swirling in a small cyclone as his orb began to absorb light. “What the king wants, the king shall have!”
Then multitudes of shadow and light tendrils speared for Sunset, their tips snaking for her heart in a flash.
But when they reached the girl, all of Sombra’s attacks were blocked by Sunset’s new armor, the tendrils of light and shadow dying in their tracks the moment they touched her. Then with a beat of her wings, Sunset took to the skies, holding her golden sword aloft. Beams of light shone down, vaporizing the black crystal shards that Sombra had been using to surround her friends and all the remaining golems.
Sombra was dumbfounded for a moment. “Impossible. Impossible!”
Then he disappeared in a ball of shadows and zoomed up to face Sunset, hurling straight for her, crashing into the girl with a force strong enough to collapse a building. As it was, the force of the blow knocked Sunset back several meters, her new wings flapping furiously to maintain lift. With a kick, she disconnected from Sombra and shot a radiant beam of light at him with her sword.
The blast struck Sombra full on, dispersing his shadows and scorching his armor. Sombra growled, holding out his empty hand, a blade of black crystal forming in his grasp. He flew at Sunset, swinging his sword at her. Sunset, with inhuman speed, whipped around with her blade and sliced right through Sombra’s weapon, opening a gash on the dark king’s cheek. Shadows began to leak out into the night from the cut.
“You dare!” Sombra held up his artifact and shot out thin spears of light at close range, forcing Sunset back.
The girl felt her arm shoot out, deflecting each one with strikes of her sword, before plunging it towards the dark king’s heart.
Sombra spread his shadows out, reforming behind Sunset, grabbing her in a chokehold, his teeth bared in a snarl.
“You have no right to stand in my way! The Crystal Empire is mine! I shall return to Equestria and rule over all! It is my destiny!”
Then there was a glow from below as the Wondercolts statue’s mirror began to shine brightly, rippling slightly as the magic of the artifact began to open the portal forcefully.
“It’s open! The way home.” Sombra spun around and tossed Sunset as high as he could before wisping down to the statue in a cloud of shadow. “Equestria is mine!”
Recovering from the throw, Sunset streaked down toward Sombra, but he was too far ahead.
“I’ll never reach him in time!” Sunset said through gritted teeth.
“Get the book,” She heard Emerald’s voice say in her head.
“What?”
“Your friends in Equestria. You have to signal them that Sombra is on the way.”
Sunset didn’t want to sidetrack from Sombra, but Emerald was right. She could still slow him down if Twilight and the others were ready.
Turning back, Sunset flew down to the Assassins’ van, opening the back door and grabbing for her backpack. In no time, the book and a pen were in her hands as she busily scribbled down a quick message for the Princess of Friendship.
“Well done,” Emerald told her. “Now let us catch up to that usurper and finish what I set out to do.”
“Unicorns at the ready!” Shining Armor ordered as he got back into position.
Twilight Sparkle floated down beside her brother and wrapped her horn in a magical glow, just like all the others.
She had just received the message from Sunset Shimmer. Sombra was on his way and it wouldn’t be very long before he would arrive out through this portal.
It was time to work their magic.
“Project the barrier!” her brother shouted, firing up his magic.
The unicorn guards did the same, all their magic pooling in together like a net, dropping over the mirror. Princesses Celestia, Luna and Cadance did the same, adding more protection over the portal as it began to glow with golden energy.
“H-He’s coming!” Spike bit on his claws, hiding behind Twilight’s back hoof.
“Not today,” Twilight nodded and fired her magic at the net.
The rest of the royal guard stood around, their weapons at the ready in case their magical defense were to fail. Twilight watched them, knowing each pony was willing to give his or her life to save Equestria from Sombra and that filled her with confidence and determination to see that Sombra never makes it to Equestria.
“Spike, go to Eclair,” Twilight told him without taking her eyes off the portal. “If we fail and Sombra gets through, I want to know that the Crystal Heart is ready.”
“At once, Twilight,” Spike ran off, but stopped as he reached the line of unicorns, turning back. “Be careful, Twilight.”
“Of course,” she flashed him a smile. “I’m not letting Sombra take this world from us.”
Just then, the mirror seemed to shimmer, its glowing light wavering in the center as an armored hoof seemed to push its way through the glass, followed by a familiar face with flowing black hair.
“Sombra,” Princess Celestia narrowed her eyes and put more magic into her spell. “You shall never return.”
The dark king pushed his head against the magic net, but couldn’t penetrate it. “Celestia. You think this magical contraption is going to hold me? I have more power than you will ever imagine!”
“You may have found new power over in that world, but we’ll do everything we can to stop you from returning. Count on that, Sombra,” the white alicorn said. “Ponies! Push him back!”
All the magic users around the mirror fed more power into the net, making it smaller, pushing Sombra’s head back towards the mirror.
“No! You shall not deny me my right!” he struggled against their magic, slamming it with walls of golden light. “Very well. Then you shall all face my wrath.”
Sombra pushed another hoof as far as he could out the mirror, and it shimmered through the glass just enough for Twilight to make out a portion of a golden orb, resting atop his hoof.
“The Apple of Equestria…” she mumbled, seeing one of Star Swirl’s artifacts for the first time.
Then a wave of golden energy arced out around the portal, stumbling a few guards and staggering the rest and the princesses. They continued to power the magical barrier, but Sombra had managed to push out further. Several of the unicorns around Twilight fainted on the spot, their magic spent. Sombra’s onslaught was indeed mighty, even rivalling that of Tirek when he had been full of alicorn magic. Princesses Luna and Celestia strained and pushed back, further reinforcing the barrier with their own magic. However, with every passing second, it became abundantly clear that even then, it might not be enough.
“When I get out of this portal, you’re first, Celestia. You shall witness my new strength!Long live the king! Death to the princesses!”
Sunset Shimmer glided along the rainbow tunnel between their worlds, spotting Sombra on the other end, already trying to force his way back into Equestria.
“We need to go faster!” Sunset told her friend within. “We can’t let him get through!”
“Hold on!” Emerald Edge took over, flapping the wings hard, sending Sunset propelling for the dark king at a high speed.
Sunset felt the power welling up inside her as Emerald raised her arm, firing a bolt of light from the sword, directing it at Sombra. She watched as it hit him square in the back, scorching a hole through his red cape.
Sombra turned around and growled, dissolving into shadow and retreating from the portal’s exit, splitting into two different directions as he swirled towards Sunset Shimmer. Emerald took over again and flew for the one on the left, at the same time, firing two bolts of energy at the shadow on the right. The balls of shadow evaded her blasts and swarmed around behind her, pushing her towards the first one, which enveloped her. Then Sunset blasted a hole through it with her sword, escaping the dark confinement as Sombra reformed himself, snarling at Sunset.
“You cannot stop me, little girl. You may have power, but you will see that I am still stronger than you.
Sombra sprouted shadowy tentacles from his back and formed a long dark crystal sword in his other hand before charging at Sunset again. Pony ears formed atop his head and his hair grew longer behind him, flowing like a shadowy veil.
Then they clashed again, sword against sword, sending light and darkness sparking off their weapons as each tried to break the guard of the other.
Sombra pushed harder, his crystal sword already cracking under the strain, barely a match against the Sword of Equestria. It soon exploded into fragments as he dissolved into a wisp of shadows, swirling around Sunset and entangling her in their grasps, one around each limb and more around her body, squeezing her.
Emerald Edge took over and released a shockwave of light from her armor, sending the shadows falling back as Sombra reformed himself, a fierce scowl on his face.
Sunset and Emerald didn’t give him time to do anything else, launching a beam of light, further scorching his armor and sending the dark king flailing back in the tunnel.
Yelling, Sombra lifted the Apple and fired his own light back at Sunset, forcing her to pivot around the first shot and block the second with her sword, stopping her offensive.
“You cannot deny me my right!” Sombra conjured a sword of light in his other hand and slashed at Sunset. “It is my destiny to rule. The Crystal Heart said so! It cost me everything I held dear, but it has never been more correct. I will return and Equestria will be mine!”
Emerald Edge took over and skillfully parried each of Sombra’s attacks with her sword, sending waves of golden light crashing around the portal’s tunnel.
“Equestria will not be yours, usurper!” Emerald spoke through Sunset. “I will make sure of it to my dying breath.”
“Then die faster,” Sombra said and lashed out a tendril, smacking Sunset across the face, sending her spinning back before shooting a beam of light at her with his Apple.
Regaining her momentum, Sunset zipped forward, making a sharp turn at the last second, going around the beam and cutting at Sombra with the Sword of Equestria, shearing off a portion of his red cape before he could phase away from her, materializing a good three meters away, his eyebrows tilted down in a fierce frown.
Sunset felt the burn on her cheek where Sombra had hit her, but it was already starting to fade. Whatever magic the sword had, it was very strong. Perhaps Star Swirl had the right idea of disposing the artifacts in a world without magic. It was only too bad that things had turned out this way.
Sombra stood opposite the girl, straightening his posture as he held the Apple out before his chest. “You have been too much of a thorn in my side, girl. You and that sword. I underestimated you, thinking I could best you at half my power. This has gone on long enough. It’s time to end it.” He ended his sentence with an intensifying glow around his artifact, slowly expanding across the space and around him.
“Very well, Sombra,” Emerald answered and grasped her artifact in both hands.
The Sword of Equestria began to emit a piercing glow, expanding to match the dark king’s artifact. Sunset watched in awe as the rainbow colors in the tunnel began to fade, gold replacing each color as their weapons increased in power.
Sunset watched as the sword seemed to grow in length and size, now reaching almost triple her height. Sombra’s Apple grew on both sides, forming light into a double-sided blade, about the same size as Sunset’s weapon.
Sunset swallowed hard, but Emerald could sense her thoughts. “Do not worry, Sunset Shimmer. Sombra isn’t the one that’s going to walk away from this fight. I have spent my life waiting for this moment. I’m not going to let him win.”
Sunset nodded, feeling the power of her sword grow, well up inside her and then come spilling back out. She was both a pool and a conduit. She felt… safe, as if she had spent her whole life getting ready for this fight.
She could do this. She could win.
Then they were both off, blasting straight for each other as they readied their golden weapons to attack.
They met in the middle, both light blades clashing against each other, sending waves of energy exploding around them, threatening to rip the portal’s tunnel apart as it grew almost too bright to see.
Sunset could feel the sword heat up in her hands. At first, it was warm, but as she continued to push against Sombra’s attack, it began to reach burning temperatures.
“Emerald, what’s going on!?” Sunset shouted over the harmonic pulses being emitted by the artifacts, but even before Emerald answered, Sunset realized she already knew.
“The artifacts were never meant to be used against one another. When two bearers of equal power clash, the result can be ruinous.”
Sombra also seemed to realize something was happening, but he kept on the offensive, pushing against Sunset’s sword with his own.
“This was to be my hour of victory!” Sombra bellowed. “Why do you persist? You would throw your life away like this?”
“For the safety of our worlds and our friends, yes,” Sunset nodded, squinting as the brightness intensified. “I’d gladly give it my all to make sure you never touch them, even if it means giving my life to stop you.”
Sunset struggled to keep the sword in her hands, fighting off the want to toss the burning weapon as far as she could. Getting her fingers scorched was the least of her worries right now.
And then lines began to fracture across her sword and Sombra’s Apple, glowing with blinding light from within.
Sunset only had enough time to close her eyes as both artifacts exploded out, encasing both her and Sombra in a ball of white light. She heard the dark king scream out before her ears were deafened and her body was beset by an immense pulse of hot energy, burning right through her armor and clothes, flinging her away into the depths of the now white tunnel.
When Sunset Shimmer opened her eyes again, her surroundings were still walls of white light, formless and limitless, but she did notice her feet were touching a floor of sorts, though she couldn’t tell what was what. Just ahead of her, a few meters away, was a shadowy mass, formed into a human body with only a grey face visible, looking up, his red and green eyes focusing on nothing in particular.
Sunset felt like she’d been in the sun for hours; her arms and legs were slightly numb and warm, like she was having a fever.
“Sunset Shimmer, are you unhurt?” Emerald’s voice echoed in her head.
“Y-Yeah…” Sunset croaked, her throat a little dry. “What happened? We didn’t die or anything, did we?”
“No.”
Sunset was so focused on Sombra’s form that she almost missed the spectral form of Emerald Edge walk in beside her. She turned her head and slightly jumped, but calmed down when she realized it was only the First Assassin.
“Emerald?”
“Yes,” the turquoise haired woman nodded. “We are once again able to meet, Sunset. You are here because of my artifact’s magical armor, but I’m afraid I had expended the last of my magic to save you. I don’t know how much longer I can stay, but I want to see this to the end.”
“Is there anything we can do?” Sunset looked around the white world. “Where are the artifacts? They’re gone?”
“The artifacts are no more. In a way, it worked out. Without the artifacts, both the Assassins and the Templars are finished. Nopony can ever use the artifacts for their own gain anymore, but for Sombra and I, we can no longer remain, but thank you, Sunset Shimmer. Because of you, my journey has been complete.”
“I was glad to help,” Sunset smiled. “I wasn’t going to let him turn Equestria into a land of darkness, but it wasn’t just me, Emerald. I wouldn’t have gotten this far if not for my friends and the Assassins. I wouldn’t have gotten this far without you.”
Emerald Edge smiled and placed a hand over her chest. “It has been my pleasure to get to know you, Sunset. Come, let us finish this.”
Emerald led the way to Sombra, who was still looking up. Even when Sunset and the Assassin were next to him did he look over, though it was just a glance.
“So, it has come to this, hasn’t it…” he muttered, his shadowy body flailing about like a fire; his armor was absent. “I never chose this path. I didn’t want this, but the Crystal Heart showed me the truth, it showed me what I must become.”
“You don’t have to do it just because you were shown the future,” Sunset told him, kneeling down beside his body. “I was shown that I would have power, more power than I could imagine. It wasn’t until I was shown my mistakes did I know that friendship was the strongest magic I could have.”
“I had a friend, girl…” Sombra looked at her and sighed. “But even she couldn’t understand the weight on my back. In the end, she ran from me, she abandoned me just like everypony else. Even Princess Amore. She knew my future and she knew the outcome, but yet she decided to hide my choices from me. It was there that I decided the only way to be happy was to do as I please as king of the Crystal Empire. That was my destiny.”
“That’s just it. If you always think about yourself, you’ll never understand. Having friends means looking out for them, taking care of them, understanding them and being with them in their times of need. Sure, maybe yours wasn’t with you when you needed her the most, but others deserve a chance at that. Taking over will only make things worse, not just for everypony else, but for you too.”
“Your kind doesn’t want me…” Sombra went on even as his shadows began to diminish. I was shunned, oppressed, deemed a loser by the ones whom I tried to befriend. I am the way I am because of the ponies I’ve met. No, I know my destiny, girl. Your kind will never accept me amongst them.”
“We can, Sombra,” Sunset explained. “Not all ponies are the same. You just have to give us the chance to show you. Friendship… really is something else.”
The king closed his eyes as his shadows began to evaporate up into the white unknown. “Maybe you are right, maybe you aren’t. However, I know this: one day, I shall return and I will see what the Crystal Empire has to offer then. If they still cannot accept me, then know I will wreak havoc across Equestria until the world is mine to rule. Long live the king…”
And then he faded away, wafting up into the air before shrinking into a tiny black flame, which also flickered and died out.
“Rest now, Sombra,” Emerald looked up. “Your journey is at its end, as is mine. With him gone, my promise to my queen has been fulfilled.”
“So what happens now, Emerald?” Sunset watched as the white world seemed to shift and flicker around her.
“Now,” Emerald looked at her hand. “Now it is time to say goodbye. Thank you, Sunset Shimmer. I shall never forget what you have done for me, for my empire and for my princess. I will forever be in your debt. Go, return to your world. Your friends will want to see you.”
Sunset nodded her head sadly. “People won’t know history as it was, but I will remember it, Emerald. I will remember the sacrifices you have made to protect the Crystal Empire. I will be sure to let the princesses know of your feats.”
Emerald chuckled and looked to the left. “Then I wish you all the best in life, Sunset. Use my gifts well. I’m sure you can find an everyday use for them.”
“I sure will…” Sunset rubbed at her head and smiled. She already knew some of her new skills would come in handy for getting around.
Around her, the world began to brighten, like it wasn’t already bright enough. Sunset shut her eyes as she felt herself being pulled away into the unknown. After this long night, she was ready to see her friends again.
Twilight Sparkle lowered her hoof and cracked open an eye, noticing the portal wasn’t shining it’s blinding light any longer.
“What happened?” she asked as the magic net they had thrown rover the mirror began to disintegrate, falling away in charred fragments. “Did Sunset do it?”
Princess Cadance stood beside her, helping a unicorn guard up, who rubbed at her head. “Wait, somepony’s coming through.”
Twilight’s eyes widened as she readied her magic again. Then she stopped as a faint form of a turquoise pegasus trotted out of the mirror, looking around at the Equestrian forces.
“Who are you?” Princess Cadance asked her, keeping a wary distance.
“Crystal Princess…” the spectral pegasus said softly, sinking into a bow. “Have I served thee well?”
“Who are you?” Cadance took a few hesitant steps toward the newcomer. “You can’t be… Emerald Edge?”
“It is I, princess,” she said without looking up. “Sombra is vanquished. Equestria is safe. Have I served thee well?” she asked once again.
Cadance felt tears spring to her eyes. “Even after a thousand years, you kept your pledge to serve the Crystal Empire. I can’t think of anypony else who is more deserving,” the princess of love wiped her eyes. “Yes, Emerald. You have served me… us well. Go now. Be at peace.”
“At last… rest at last.” Emerald sighed, smiling. Her body dissolved into thousands of tiny green motes and drifted away on the breeze.
“Sunset!”
Sunset Shimmer felt the crushing arms of her friends as they wrapped around her as soon as she stepped out of Canterlot High’s statue.
“We were so worried, darling,” Rarity patted Sunset’s head. “Oh dear, were you exposed to large amounts of sunlight? Your hair’s awfully pale.”
“Is it?” Sunset rubbed at her head. “Well, it was pretty hot in there and I think I’m going to be ill for the next couple of days… But it’s over. Sombra’s gone and our worlds are safe.”
Snow was gently falling around her, but she couldn’t even feel the cold.
“Gone? That’s a relief,” Fluttershy widened her smile.
“It’s over…” Applejack rubbed at her bandaged arm. “Hoowee, it feels like it’s been a while since we started out on this journey. Ah’m glad we’ve finally arrived at the end…”
“Sure is,” Morning Blade joined the group and patted Sunset on the back. “Good to see you in one piece, Sunset. I didn’t know if we would’ve pulled through, but I knew for sure that you’d get the job done. Frigid and Mentor Steel Shine would’ve been proud of you.”
Sunset nodded, then looked around quickly. “Where’s Velvet? Is she okay?”
“She’s with Keila,” Morning stepped aside to show Sunset. Velvet Breeze was lying on the ground with her upper body resting against Keila’s leg. “She’s weak, but she doesn’t have any physical injury.”
“I think it’s from the strain of the artifact shard,” Sunset knelt down beside them, checking Velvet’s heartbeat. It was faint, but at least it was still beating. “She had it for so long, fighting to protect us. Only an Equestrian can use the artifacts without dire consequences.”
Just as Sunset was about to try and wake Velvet up, the young Assassin’s eyes stirred as they fluttered open slowly, looking around before focusing on Sunset.
“S-Sunset…?” she croaked, her voice weak. “You-you’re here… Is it… Is it over…?”
“Yeah, it’s all over, Velvet, we’re safe,” Sunset held her hand as the blue-skinned girl tried to lift it. “Sombra’s gone.Things can go back to normal now.”
“I’m… glad to hear… Sunset,” Velvet said. “I’m sorry… I wasn’t myself… I tried my… best, Sunset. “I… I should’ve known better…”
“It’s alright, Velvet, don’t use your strength,” Sunset patted her hand softly. “You’ve done so much. Thank you, Velvet, for looking out for us all this time.”
Velvet coughed, and specks of blood made themselves known. “I’m glad you’re… with me, Sunset. Even… to the very end.”
“End? No, no, Velvet, you’re not going to die. You can’t.”
“I… I don’t think I can… go on, Sunset…” Velvet’s grip loosened on Sunset’s hand.
Sunset gripped Velvet’s bloodstained hand tightly. “Come on, stay with me! Velvet. You can’t die, not here.”
At that moment, Sunset became aware of the Wondercolts statue’s base shining with magic, and out stepped Princess Twilight and two older women. One of them had dark skin and wore a tattered red scarf around her neck, while the other was…
“Dewdrop?” Sunset mouthed, looking confused.
The woman looked confused for a second and pointed to herself. “Do-Do I know you?”
“S-Satin…?” Velvet whispered, looking at the other woman. “Is that… you? It can’t be… and Dewdrop…?”
Dewdrop still looked as confused as before, but Satin quickly rushed forward, taking over Keila to support Velvet.
“Velvet, my dear sister… It’s so good to see you,” she choked, holding her close. “Even if you’re from this world… you look just like my sister.”
“Satin…”
“She needs medical attention, stat,” Twilight declared after a quick look at the young Assassin. “We can save you, Velvet, but you’re going to have to trust me,” Twilight motioned for Sunset to come closer. “We need to bring Velvet back to Equestria. It’s the only place where we can help her.”
“What? But why?” Sunset asked. “We can’t do anything for her here?”
“Velvet’s in this condition because of magic. We need to use the magic in Equestria to heal her,” Twilight explained. “Don’t worry though, we’ll send her back here as soon as she’s well again.”
“Al-alright,” Sunset said hesitantly. She didn’t like the idea of sending Velvet over to Equestria, but she trusted Twilight. She probably knew better about these sorts of situations. “I’ll leave her in your care, Twilight.”
“Don’t worry, Sunset,” Twilight gave her shoulder a pat. “We’ll look after her. No harm will come to her while she’s with us. Lance Corporal Satin, if you will.”
“Yes, princess,” Satin answered and scooped Velvet up in her arms. “Don’t worry, Velvet. We’ll help you.”
“The resemblance certainly is uncanny,” Dewdrop muttered, adjusting her hair with her fingers. “Though looking like this, I’m not surprised.”
Pinkie Pie looked among the two newcomers, rubbing at her chin when she inspected Dewdrop. “You look just like Dewdrop, though your hair’s a little shorter.”
The girls busied themselves with Dewdrop while Satin carried Velvet over to the portal, ready to step through.
Sunset was about to say goodbye, but then she thought of something and took off her dark leather jacket, placing it atop Velvet’s body. “Here, Velvet. I want you to have this. Your current coat’s kinda… stained, plus, I’d like you to remember us when you’re over there, and trust me, you’ll like Equestria.”
“Thank you… Sunset…” Velvet murmured before snuggling deeper into Satin’s arms.
“We should get going, Satin,” Twilight motioned for the mirror. “And Sunset, thank you. If not for you, Sombra might’ve returned to Equestria, more powerful than ever.”
“It wasn’t just me, Twilight,” Sunset accepted a hug from the lavender girl. “The others helped, Velvet helped, then there’s also Emerald Edge.”
“I know, we met her. She came to Equestria to say goodbye.”
“Seems we have lots to talk about,” Sunset placed a hand over her forehead. It still felt like she had a fever, but so warm that she wasn’t bothered by the winter air. “But you better go, Twi. Velvet needs you now.”
The princess smiled and stuck a leg through the portal. “Well, whenever you want to talk, just drop me a note! I’ll be sure to reply when I can. Take care, Sunset. You’ve earned a good long break.”
And then she was through the portal, shortly followed by Satin, who gave Sunset a nod of thanks.
Dewdrop seemed to have gained the popularity of Sunset’s friends and the two Assassins, but eventually said goodbye and vanished through the portal as well.
“She’ll be safe there, girls,” Sunset said as her friends crowded around her, all six of them looking at the portal and Sombra’s auditorium leftovers.
“So what happens now?” Keila flicked snow off her shoulders. “Things are kinda over for us, aren’t they, Morning?”
The white haired Assassin nodded her head. “We’ve actually reached the end of our war. No more Assassins, no more Templars. It’s actually over.”
“And how does that feel?” Pinkie popped up between the two in a shower of confetti.
“Feels pretty good, considering we were almost killed by crystal constructs,” Keila patted her injured leg, which she had bandaged up. “And Morning Blade, I’m sorry I left without saying anything. I was wrong. I thought Frigid Night was a useless cold-hearted man who couldn’t handle himself in battle. I… I was wrong and I’m so sorry.”
Morning pulled back her hood and nodded sadly. Then she turned away and walked to one of the remaining walls, suddenly taking interest in it.
“Don’t worry, Keila,” Sunset told the Saddle Arabian Assassin. “She’s not mad at you. She just hasn’t gotten over the fact that Frigid’s gone.”
“I guess that’s just the way things have turned out, huh?” Keila slung her bag of guns over a shoulder. “It’s almost dawn. I think… I think I better make a move. Look, Sunset Shimmer, this city is Morning Blade’s home and I’m guessing she’ll be staying. Do me a favor? Look after her for me. Make sure she doesn’t do anything silly?”
“I will,” Sunset looked to the white haired Assassin. She was resting her head against the wall. “But Keila, where will you go? Are you going back to Saddle Arabia?”
“Well, the way I see it, the Assassins and the Templars are both finished. So I guess I’ll head over to Trottingham to sort out things there, then, who knows? Maybe I will head back to Saddle Arabia.”
“Keila, um, if you ever need anything,” Sunset told her. “If you need any sort of help. You can always find us here.”
“I’ll hold you to that, Sunset Shimmer,” Keila started off, but stopped and waved a meter away. “Thank you, kid, and take care!”
Then she turned back and walked down a street, away from the school’s front lawn.
Sunset watched her go for a few more seconds, before turning to Morning Blade, placing a hand on her shoulder.
“You okay, Morning?”
“I’m trying to be,” she said softly. “It’s over. It’s all finally over, but I just can’t help but think of the sacrifices of all my friends. They gave their lives for the Brotherhood for us to be here today.”
“They did, Morning,” Sunset put a hand on the Assassin’s shoulder. “They’ll be remembered, Morning. I won’t forget what they did.”
“None of us will, of that you can be certain,” Rarity added as the rest of the Rainbooms joined Sunset around the Assassin. “The same goes for you and Keila. We won’t forget you two.”
“You’ve risked your lives even to save us,” Applejack patted her own chest. “We weren’t even really important in all this, but ya did so anyway.”
“Thank you, girls,” Morning Blade turned around with a smile. “I’m glad I got to know all of you.”
“Hey, friendship kinda is our thing,” Rainbow Dash looked at her hands. “So that would make us rather awesome at it.”
“Never thought Ah’d hear ya brag again, Rainbow,” Applejack pulled at the scarf around her neck. “For once, Ah don’t mind. It’s nice to hear somethin’ normal after what we’ve been through.”
“I don’t know if I’ll ever get over their deaths, but at least you girls have given me a future to look to,” Morning looked up to the sky, which was slowly turning a little orange. “A future where we all still have free will.”
“I think I’m done with world-taking schemes for the rest of my life…” Fluttershy whispered, pulling her coat closer around herself.
“Yeah, it’s been so long that I’ve sorta forgotten what normal life feels like…” Sunset rubbed her head. “Plus, I’m kinda beat. It’s been a long night…”
“Well, I dooo!” Pinkie threw up more confetti around them. “When we get back, I’m planning a party for us! It’s going to be a blast!”
“I can’t wait, Pinkie,” Sunset rubbed her forehead and looked on as the sun began to rise over the skyline. “But I think I’m going to need a few days off after this.”
“You’re in luck, Sunset,” Applejack rested an arm on her shoulder. “It’s the winter break. You’ll have all the time ya need to rest up.”
“That is sooo true,” Rainbow Dash put a hand on her other shoulder. “This was one hay of a way to start the break. Even I need a break from all this.”
“At least we’re all still here,” Fluttershy cracked a smile. “Together.”
“Fluttershy’s right,” Rarity brushed snow off her violet hair and joined them. “It hasn’t been easy, but that’s why we have each other, right?”
“That we do, girls,” Pinkie wrapped her arms around all their necks and pulled them in. “Group hug!”
Sunset looked over and waved for Morning Blade. “Come on, Morning. You too.”
“Really?” she scratched at her cheek.
“Yeah, come on!” Rainbow called.
The Assassin complied and joined in between Rarity and Sunset.
“Welcome back to a normal life, Morning Blade,” Sunset grinned.
Sunset and the girls watched as the edge of the sun became visible over the tallest of Canterlot’s buildings, already brightening up the area around them. The auditorium was in shambles around the school’s Wondercolt statue, but that was a job for someone else to clear. For now, all Sunset wanted to do was watch the warm morning sun rise, signalling a new day for them all.
Sunset Shimmer arrived to school early like she always did, walking up the front steps, stopping only to gaze at the sun in the sky. It was now spring, and all the snow had melted away, leaving the Canterlot High School’s grounds green and lush.
School had been in session for a month and a half now, and Sunset was still getting used to her new outfit. After using her new abilities to head around the city, she figured that wearing jeans was a much better idea than her old skirt. Safer too.
There had also been a few other instances where her skills came in very handy, but they were stories for another time.
Needing to stop by her locker before homeroom, Sunset found her way down the Canterlot High halls, remembering the exact location of her locker by now. She soon found it, along with a surprising sight in the form of her locker neighbor. He usually wasn’t this early to school.
“Morning, Sunset,” a blue haired boy greeted her as she grasped her lock in her hand.
“Oh, good morning, Home Run,” she wished him back. “You’re early.”
Home Run had been a new student over from Fillydelphia State School after winter break, and things had been a bit weird at first, but Sunset had come to trust him and call him a friend.
“Yeah,” Home Run let out a short laugh. “Bike broke, so I got a lift from Lightning Dust.”
Sunset knew exactly what that meant. Lightning Dust wasn’t one of the safest drivers. “Regretting it?”
“Yup,” the boy nodded. “Oh, by the way, you’ll be getting a surprise later in class.”
“Oh? What might that be?”
“I won’t spoil it for you. I guess you’ll find out when we start class. I’m just gonna grab a drink before the bell. I’ll see you later.”
Sunset said goodbye and proceeded on to her homeroom, sitting down and idly thinking of her journal. On a whim, she pulled it out of her bag and began to write.
Dear Princess Twilight, I’m just writing to say hi. Things have been relatively calm recently. No Templars or Assassins, and certainly no Stalker, has approached me or the girls, so I think it’s safe to say that both groups have disbanded, and our mysterious friend is nowhere in sight. I’m also writing to ask about Velvet. From your previous letters, you seemed to say that she was recovering well. I just want to know when she’ll be able to come back to our world? Pinkie’s already got a welcome back party planned for her, so I hope it’s soon. Yours faithfully, Sunset Shimmer
Sunset closed her book and returned her attention to Rainbow Dash, who was busily illustrating a story about how she had single-handedly won a soccer match. It sounded so overly exaggerated that she didn’t know whether to believe it or not. Not too long after, Home Run came back into the room with a bottle of soda in hand. Sunset smiled and gave him a wave as he made his way to his seat.
“Hey, Sunset,” Rainbow nudged her, getting her attention. “Mrs. Harshwhinny is never late. Do you think she’s sick today? Maybe she caught whatever Mr. Pierce had? When is he coming back again?”
“No idea, Rainbow. Maybe we should go visit him if you’re so concerned.”
Rainbow Dash’s eyes bugged out for a second. “M-Me? Visit Mr. Pierce? Good one, Sunset.”
“Yeah…” Sunset laughed for a bit. “Though, you’re right. Mrs. Harshwhinny usually gets here earlier to set up her lesson. I wonder if she is indeed sick today.”
At that moment, the classroom door opened, revealing Mrs. Harshwhinny and another girl who was wearing a familiar black leather jacket. Her hair was long now, but there was no mistaking the silver hairclip or the welcoming expression on her face.
And Sunset caught her eye, holding the gaze between the two, holding it as only two soldiers who have fought side by side could manage.
![http://orig14.deviantart.net/14d3/f/2015/270/4/8/achievementleapsm_by_drawingaccount-d9b2ud9.jpg[/img]](http://orig14.deviantart.net/14d3/f/2015/270/4/8/achievementleapsm_by_drawingaccount-d9b2ud9.jpg[/img]){kind=link}