> Deadly Love
>  by ShadowblazeCR
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> 1-Please Quit Your Day Job
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vinyl Scratch; ex-assassin, part time party animal, full time DJ, and all around symbol of awesomeness. At least that's what I want to put in my resume. The ex-assassin part really seems like a turn off. I could replace it with delinquent, but then it becomes the resume of a delinquent. No one wants a delinquent working for them.

Sure, I should probably add something about my degrees and where I graduated, but it doesn't really add any pizazz to it. Catching the eye of the employer is one of the most important parts of gaining a job. Oh well, I'll just put everything in the resume. The Princess of Ponyville (never understood why it was called that) would totally like a bodyguard who's a jack of all trades. Nothing could go wrong with that. 

The resume was only needed as a formality. Unofficially, I’d come into contact with Princess Twilight after one of her gigs at the castle. She’d recognized me from the Equestrian blacklist and from the last time we met, which had actually been a good while, impressive. It was easy to assume that the whole reason I had been invited to DJ was for that meeting. I like to assume that it was because of my amazing skills. Though, officially, I was being scouted as a personal bodyguard. Which is the cause of the resume. 

I sighed. Being an average citizen on its own was pretty tiring, but all the extra work was wearing me out. It'd only been a year since I'd stopped working as an assassin. The Shadowbolts had decided that I should take a “break” after one particularly cute assignment had maybe, possibly, could have, not actually been killed. Totally not my fault. 

Apparently being one of the top assassins and trained by the Headmaster didn't give you any leeway either. It was practically illegal to kill something that adorable. Even if they are a international arms dealer that sneaks weapons to the bad guys through stuffed ponies. 

So, here I am. Still on my “break”. I pushed away from the table, figuring that I could cure my lack of motivation to write any more with some good ‘ol milk and cookies. Not even the magnificent view of the telephone pole from my balcony would cheer me up. 

The sun had already begun its descent as I made my way to my couch. Not a bad day for an assassination, if I do say so my-

“ACHOO!”

-self. Wow, that was a good one. Anyway, most assassins say that night is the best time for a silent job. But I think that a setting sun is one of the best points in a day for it. Play your cards right and a single glint to blind your target will give you a perfect opening. Plus it's way less work then all the planning that goes into a night assassination. 

‘Work smarter, not harder’. That's what Headmaster used to say at least. It probably included a few more paragraphs of knowledge stuff, but I assume that was the main theme. Honestly, I was more focused on the “armor” and fighting at the Academy then learning. 

My awesome seamstress/armor instructor Miss Jelavic always said: “Stun your targets with yourself, then a flashbang.” Definitely a fan of her work, both her assassinations and clothing creations. She's actually coming for tea next weekend. 

Fighting wasn't just hand to hand combat and whatever squirt gun everyone was taught to handle. It was everything I could imagine and everything I hadn't. It went from a small M1911 to a Desert Eagle, a sword to a chainsaw, even a table lamp to a foam finger.

Man, all this assassination flashback stuff is reminding me of something. It can't be the cookies and milk. I already ate most of the cookies and drank all the milk. Groaning as I pushed myself up, I headed toward my fridge to grab some more milk. The milk-stache disappeared from lip as I subconsciously wiped it, more focused on whether I was thinking about the always annoying problem of have more dip than chips and vice versa or that one time I had to be a bodyguard on Christmas in Equestria. Though over there they called it Hearth's Warming. 

A small squeak of floorboards interrupted my thinking. 

Ah, that was what I forgot about. The intruder. Since I'm on the second floor, that must've been the fifth step squeaking. Man I hate that step. Not much anymore, though. The intruder was just about up the stairs as I finished pouring the milk down the sink. What a valiant waste, giving up your support for the deliciousness of cookies for me. It won't be in vain. 

I made my way to the wall closest to me, situated on the corner of the hallway from the stairs. More squeaking reverberated throughout the house as they opened and closed doors. As the third squeak came around, which meant one more door to go, I looked around to find out my intruder was quite the attractive women. A sleeveless hoodie, with cargo shorts is not too shabby. Problem is that while you're able to carry a ton of more tools for an assassination, but sacrifice speed and stealth. 

I assume the intruder is an assassin based off that. But the dead, heh, giveaway is the dual short swords. The fourth squeak reached my ears and I flung my head back behind the corner. I was lucky. She was more focused on searching, she wasn't very aware of her surroundings. Quite the rookie mistake if I do say so myself.

I took a quite, slow breath and swung my glass around the corner. The glass shattered and sprinkled on the floor, small tinks accompanied them. I quickly slammed the assassin against the closest wall with my left forearm, pressing hard against her collarbone. Though I was dominant with my right hand, which had the other half of the broken glass, I still had a good amount of strength in my left. Totally strengthened by months of training. 

I pushed the glass poking the chin of the assassin, getting slightly distracted by the fact that she only had a hoodie on. Which became evident as it was creating a great V-neck. She definitely paid attention in armor class, at least in the distraction aspect. Not so much with the armor part. 

“So, uh, first of all, I'm Vinyl. Vinyl Laverne Scratch. Also known as DJ-Pon3. The Y is a three, by the way.” A scowl was all I received. “Oh, manners. Uh, so, what's your name?” 

Something wet slide down my cheek. Did she just spit on me?! “Okay, wow. Not cool. Like, I can’t even wipe it off. Am I not speaking in the right language? Sabes que eres muy atractiva?”

Her scowl deepened, but a slight tinge of red showed up on her cheeks. “Ha! Okay, well since you’re so fun I’ll let go. But please don’t run. I don’t want to get the origami out.” Oh, maybe I should try something less complicated. Spanish is too hard. “Do. Not. Run. You. Regret. It.”

“I can understand English and Spanish, you dimwit.”

I exhaled in relief, “Man, that's great because that one sentence was the best I've got.” Silence. Tough crowd. I let go of the yet-to-be-named-assassin and headed back over to the fridge, stopping to sweep the glass away with my foot. The assassin shifted behind me, but something didn’t seem right.

I went with my gut and spun around, raising my broken glass bottle in defense. And surprise, surprise, there she is with her two swords drawn. Both come down, parallel and possibly aimed to chop my arms off. Smart, because what can someone do without arms. Actually a lot, but the bleeding out would definitely limit them. 

I crossed my arms, my left hand redirecting the sword to only skim my clothing and right hand doing the same with the bottle. After I dropped the bottle, I quickly rushed forward, throwing a right hook to stun, then grabbing the wrists of the assassin and pulling her towards me. A knee to the chest and the hard twisting of her arms sufficed to make her drop the swords. 

I expected that to happen and already had commandeered the swords before they hit the ground. The assassin seemed to be left handed, meaning I should probably go for the said hand for an incapacitation. But since it was better to be safe then sorry I gave her a quick shove and drove the blades into her shoulders. A loud cry was what I received, along with a slight amount of struggling, but ultimately the assassin fell relatively silent as she fell into unconsciousness. I rushed to get the neosporin and a few bandages. 

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

This is the dream. I sat on the couch, watching some show that involved ponies. I was currently waiting for the assassin to wake up, who’s head was situated on top of my lap. I’d patched her up quickly, I impressed myself with how well I did it, but she has yet to wake up. 

“Ughh.”

Speaking of the assassin. I looked down to see that she had slightly opened her eyes, gently rubbing them soon after. They opened up wider as she looked around, and fully opened once she looked up to see me. Struggling ensued. 

Once she realized that she couldn’t get off from the couch, after some persuasion from my tight grip on her damaged shoulders (oops), she stopped and stared at me. “First of all, why didn’t you kill me? Second of all, why do I only have on a t-shirt and some sweatpants? Lastly, why am I on your lap?”

I gasped in an exaggerated manner, “So you are talkative! Well, person who’s name I don’t know, since you’re being such a sweet little cooperative thang I suppose I can do a Q and A.” I looked down for her reaction, which, surprise, was a scowl.

I shifted to a more comfortable position, her head still on my lap. “Okay, let's get down to business. Let’s get the first question over with since it’ll probably take the longest to explain. I didn’t kill you for a few reasons. One, because, like I said, you’re hot. Two, I’m on ‘vacation’.” I made sure to add air quotes. ”Doing so would just ruin the experience. Plus, I wouldn’t have been able to do this.” I gestured to Octavia laying her head on my lap.

“Lastly, three, I’d like to know more about you. All these questions have a price ya know. As for your second question, I had to change your clothes because they were bloody. And-”

“You stripped me?!” 

“I had to stitch up your shoulders.” The assassin gave me a, heh, murderous glare. “Hey, don’t worry, I had my eyes closed the whole time.” She narrowed her eyes. “You don’t believe me.”

The assassin scoffed, “Not even a bit.”

“Hey, I’ve defused a bomb with a rubberband, gum, and a paperclip. I’m pretty sure that changing some clothing and stitching pale in comparison.”

“How am I supposed to believe you, when all you did was reference a movie?” 

I grinned, “Okay, so maybe I peeked a little bit. I hope you're happy to know that I quite enjoyed the view. Sure the groaning and occasional yelling didn’t help, but I give the overall experience an eight out of ten.” 

Noticing I succeeded in making her blush I went to the next question, “Anyway, you’re on, my lap because the couch is comfy and you’re on it, so this was the compromise. Plus you need the rest. Oh, and I’ve always wanted to be a lap pillow. Do those answer your questions, mi’ lady?”

The assassin sighed, “Yes, all except one, I suppose.”

“And that is?”

“How long do you plan on keeping me here?”

I tapped my chin in thought, “Ah, well, I kinda wanted to keep you for, like forever. But I guess I can decide after you answer my questions.” 

She gestured for me to continue, most likely already given up hope of escaping. “So, first off, let's start with something simple. What's your name?”

“It's Octavia Philharmonica, if you must know.”

I grinned, “Nice name. Now, let's get a little more into this interrogation. What's your age? Why are you here? Are you currently single? Who do you work for?”

Octavia sighed, “Same age as you, twenty-six. I'm, obviously, here to eliminate you. More specifically, because of the threat you impose on the Princess. Yes, I am. I work for the Wonderbolts, under Instructor Gilda. Is that good enough?”

“You work for Feathers? Oh, she’s a jerk, but I guess she somewhat knows what she’s doing. Now, do you know Dashie? Because she is the bomb! I had her do a fly-over during one of my shows, it was ‘cause of a bet she lost, and the crowed loved it! Anyway, back to the unaliving part of this.” I rubbed an imaginary beard in thought. “I still don’t understand why you want to kill me. Like, you work for the Wonderbolts. They’re pretty much the most skilled assassin company, the only company that even rivals them would be the Shadowbolts.” 

Really the only difference between the two is the mindset. Shadowbolts are more for eliminate everything, celebrate with a beer. The Wonderbolts are like, the exact opposite, where they plan everything out, go in pairs and go after the exact target, keeping collateral damage at a low. It’s why they’re the more popular of the two. Along with the reason for being the Princesses’ go-to people for when they need something more, say, under-the-radar done. 

“ I mean, sure, the two companies are practically enemies, but it’s not like we’ve tried to kill each other before. But I still don’t understand why you’d want to, or have to, kill me.”

Octavia raised her hand, “I can answer that, but I need to know something else first. Are you planning to kill Princess Twilight?”
“What?! No, why? Like, my upcoming job is to bodyguard her, not kill her.”

Octavia nodded her head, “Well, it seems I may be able to answer your question, Miss Scratch. If you are telling the truth, that is. But, nonetheless, it seems we were both set up.”

She paused, after a few seconds I realized that she was waiting for my approval for to continue. I shook my head a few times and she began her explanation, “I was sent here to kill you, yes, but the reason behind my assignment was because Instructor Gilda told me that she’d heard plans of you planning to kill Princess Twilight. Which could be a really bad mix up of her overhearing the Princess talking about you being a bodyguard, but that seems highly unlikely…”

Octavia’s continued explanation of why it was most likely a setup became background noise as I thought about what to do. This could definitely become a problem. I had to get in contact with Rainbow Dash. Gilda was most likely a member of the Infiltration Squad of the Shadowbolts. Which meant my assassination would be taking out loose ends. 

I couldn't go to the Academy yet, Octavia was still recovering. My only worry would be that Gilda had already found out. Though, most likely, she wouldn't become suspicious for at least another week. As I mentioned before, Wonderbolts took their time planning ops, and a week for one mission is considered a quick and efficient success. 

Sure, I could probably give Dashie a call, but I really didn't want to risk it in case Gilda actually had some kind of wiretap or, really anything that would track warning coming in from any electronic. The best plan was to get Octavia to recover enough to get her back to the Academy, who had way better medical treatment then I could ever give, then get to Rainbow Dash after I dropped her off at the infirmary. Plus, Princess Twilight was already expecting me for a meeting at some point, so I shouldn’t expect any resistance. 

I looked down and prepared to tell Octavia the plan, but stopped once I saw she was peacefully sleeping. I smiled, definitely living the dream. I slowly and carefully got up from the couch, cupping her head, definitely her head, and placed it back on the couch gently. I went to go about my business, but not before placing a kiss on her forehead. 

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Octavia was recovering quickly. It had only been a day or so and I should already be able to move her to the Academy by tomorrow. Though most of taking care of her resulted in me having to carry or help her to someplace. Most of the time it was the bathroom, which didn’t give some remarkable moments. I’d rather not think about those times. 

There were times when she wanted to move somewhere different from the couch, places around the house like the porch or maybe just the chair next to the couch. The night after she had come I put her in the guest bed. She particularly liked how comfy it was, though she wouldn’t tell me that she did. The best example for me to deduce that was when she had the covers wrapped tightly around her and was cuddling the pillows while she was asleep. I took a picture immediately after, it’s my wallpaper now. 

Currently, Octavia and I were sitting on the porch. She had wanted to get some fresh air, saying that the house was getting boring and too cramped(?). The porch wasn’t too small or really big, in my opinion at least. It had a simple set up of two chairs a couch of sort, more like a love seat kind of deal, along with a table in the middle of it. There was one small table on one side of the couch in between it and one of the other chairs for whatever was needed. 

It held some books I had been planning on reading, but haven’t gotten to. The porch was on the second floor and was nice to walk around on during the day, since the wood was smooth enough to feel good when it was slightly heated. But the view wasn’t that great since I had chosen a neighborhood near the outskirts of Canterlot for my assignment. I had already been considering the job and moving here before I had to “find a better fit for my skills”. 

Seriously, the higher ups sounded like a board of directors for some business corporation firing some worker for being too lazy and didn’t want to hurt their feelings. Just because of one slip up. Like, sure, the weapons dealer was building a quantum computer and stuff to, maybe, slightly, take over the world. But you don’t just kill a hot babe. 

Plus there wasn’t just one hot babe, there were more. Honestly it probably would’ve been a worse crime to kill them then prevent a takeover of the world. I think it would be in good hands if it was controlled by them. I’m totally not biased or anything. 

Speaking of hot babes, one just happened to be in the vicinity. I looked over to Octavia. She seemed to be looking a lot better, more so than she already had. It seemed like just a good a time as any to find out more about her. Not about her skills as an assassin or more on how she found out about me, none of that stuff really. I just wanna know the good and simple stuff. 

I turned toward Octavia to give her my full attention, “Hey Octy, I’ve got some questions for you.”

Octavia lazily turned her head, fully content with basking in the sun, “Yes, what is it Vinyl?”

I hadn’t actually planned what to ask, so I said the first thing that popped into my mind, “So, what cup size are you?”

Well, that’s a shade of red I’ve never seen. Octavia regained her composure and grinned, “A size larger than you.”

“How do you even know that?!”

She scoffed, “I would think it’s quite obvious Scratch. We Wonderbolts have to know everything about our target. Just in case. And I like to be extra thorough. If we’re getting into that, why don’t we discuss the Christmas incident?”

I gasped, “Okay! Okay! How about we just talk about the really simple stuff. Like, say...your favorite color. Yeah, how about that?”

Octavia gave a sly smile, obviously showing she knew she’d won. I felt like it came from some character in a movie. “I like blue and red, they complement each other well. And how about you Vinyl?”

I had scrunched my face up (that’s possible, right?) in nervousness, “Uh..blue. I like blue too.” I regained my composure, “So, a slightly more serious question.” Octavia raised an eyebrow. “Heh, yeah. Uh, how long have you been working as an assassin? 

She noded slightly, I had passed apparently, “Well, actually, this was supposed to be my first assignment. I hope to get another chance, once this is cleared up with Commander Dash and Princess Twilight, that is.” 

I hummed in agreement, “So, I heard that you’ve got to do a solid fifteen plus years before you’re considered a possible Master Assassin, or at least a chance to be one. What’s the deal with that stuff?”

“Yes, you need at least fifteen years of experience before you even have a chance of becoming a Master Assassin. I hope to become one, as do all other Trainees working for the Wonderbolts. But it requires, at the least, a recommendation from Commander Dash, one hundred successful missions, and to pass the test given to you by one of the Princesses themselves.”

I grinned, “Sounds cool. Do you ever think you’ll be doing anything after? Or at least some hobbies during R and R?” 

Octavia tapped her chin in thought. So cute. “I don’t think I’ll get to the point to where I would want to retire if I made it to Master Assassin. But, I suppose, I would like to learn how to play the cello during my free time.” 

I gently gasped, “I could totally hook you up! I’ve got this guy, Neon Lights, who owns a big music store in the Crystal Empire. It deals with, like, anything you can think of that even vaguely relates to music.” 

“I would love to. But you understand, as much as I want to, I still can’t fully trust you. It will be that way until we go to the Academy and find out if you really are planning to assassinate the Princess or not. And if you are, and you try to escape from the Academy, you won’t make it out alive. Do you understand Vinyl Laverne Scratch?”

I sighed, “Yeah, I got it. Prove innocence. Find culprit. Get reward, or recognition. And finally, get the girl.” I propped my feet up on the table. “But let’s do that all tomorrow. I’m not feeling it today. It’s too hot out. Plus, then I can say ‘all in a day’s work.’ or some cheesy, awesome, one liner.”

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The Academy was way bigger then it seemed like on the brochure. It was included in the letter (who sends letters nowadays anyway?) I got from the Princess, specifically made for when I came, or didn’t come, to accept the bodyguarding job. I liked it, plus, as a bonus, it was free. I always like free stuff.

Octavia and I made our way to the administration desk to check in or whatever you’ve gotta do when you check into an Academy for some of Equestria’s deadliest assassins. The front desk lady seemed slightly taken aback after I walked up to the desk. I was a little curious as to why, because even though I’m well known in the Shadowbolts, I wouldn’t expect to be well known in the Wonderbolts. 

I looked around the desk and wall behind it while pondering the reason and my eyes eventually landed on the wall behind the desk. It had ten profile-like pictures on the wall numbered one to ten from left to right. Thinking it was peculiar I skimmed the pictures and noticed one of them was me. The number above listed me was six, six for what? I looked above the pictures, in large black letters it said: MOST DANGEROUS SHADOWBOLTS.

“Are you kidding me?! I’m only number six?!” I turned to Octavia, “Do you see this, Tavi?!”

Octavia sighed, “I do Vinyl, every time I have to go to work. Which is almost every day.” She looked toward the receptionist. “We’re here to talk to Commander Dash, is she available?”

The receptionist blinked a few times before responding, “Ah, let me check.” They quickly grabbed the nearest phone and began calling Dashie. It didn’t take long until they were done talking. “Commander Dash is busy currently, but she said to tell you two to wait outside her door. Trainee Philharmonica should be able to show you the way. And, you, Miss Scratch, need one of these. 

The lady fished around the desk a bit before handing me a stick on thing that said “My name is _____. I’m just visiting! (Do not kill)”. Subtle. I scribbled Vinyl Scratch in the blank after I grabbed the pen she had in her other hand. I kept the pen though. Maybe that would teach the Wonderbolts to put me at sixth! 

Octavia and I made our way to Dashie’s abode. The trek was long and supplies quickly dwindled from a KitKat and some Skittles to nothing. Octavia wasn’t faring much better with her wounds from the viscous tiger that we encountered. The soles of my feet burnt like my hottest mixtape as I continued what seemed a fruitless endeavor. But there! Over yonder I saw hope! It seemed to be salvation. The door, the place we had been searching for over a fortnight. 

I stopped just short of it. Something didn’t feel right. It was like it had been with Octavia, except lighter and didn’t smell nearly as nice. It seemed like danger was there, but all there was in the hallway were a crap load of doors. It was just a really long hallway. I shook my head, pushing it off as too much suspicion from being in an ex-enemy’s training grounds. Too many potential assassins.

More importantly, I had to get Octavia to go to the infirmary and get her wounds checked. Hopefully I don’t get charged for destruction of military property. “Hey, Octy, shouldn’t you get going to the infirmary. I mean, I get that I probably did an awesome job, but learning that stuff wasn’t one of my priorities when I trained to become an assassin. Dashie’s a good friend of mine, so I don’t think I’ll be in danger or anything.” 

“‘Tis lovely of you to think of me Scratch, but you need someone to watch you.” She mumbled something quickly after. I could’ve sworn she said, at least I hoped, preferably from behind. It seemed like she was saying it in a good way too. 

“Fine, fine. Do what you want.” I knocked on the door with Dash’s name, hoping she’d answer and we wouldn’t have to wait. But something different happened. 

The door opened, and my danger senses kicked in, making me all tingly. Most liked to call it a gut feeling, but I said it was experiance. Through the crack, that was slowly becoming larger, I saw Gilda. Who had apparently just come from a workout, because she was dressed in some tight yoga pants and a sports bra, along with a sweat rag of some sort hanging from her shoulders. 

Which turned out to be pretty sweaty. I found this out after she proceeded to try and choke me with a sweat rag! I went for the first place I thought would benefit me the most; her boob. She grunted a bit, which would be expected of a Master Assassin. But seeing as I was rapidly loosing air, I figured I mine as well actually do something. I elbowed her again, gave a quick stomp to a foot, and ran towards the opposite wall. Which, by the way, did not really help with getting air back.

I continued to run straightforward, but went up the wall and over Gilda while keeping my hands on her rag. This effectively switched our positions, except I remembered to deny all routes of escape by wrapping my legs around her own. Quickly after she slumped forward, but I still held on a little bit longer to make sure. 

The door was still ajar as Dash had rushed over to the commotion and was currently standing outside the said doorway. I grinned at her shocked reaction and waved, “Hey Rainbowcrash!” 
“Vinyl? You weren’t supposed to be here for another week.”

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Shortly after, Octavia and I were seated in two of the seats in front of Dashie’s desk. Gilda had been carried away to wherever they wanted to take her, while we were in Dash’s office to be questioned about the whole fiasco. I had given her a rundown of what had happened in the past week and she didn’t seem all that surprised. I didn’t add certain things, because those would be relayed to her personally and unofficially. 

“So, Soarin just notified me that Gilda had been in contact with King Sombra. Any thoughts on that Vinyl?”

I gave myself a few seconds to think, glancing over to Octavia, who had all her attention and, hopefully trust focused on me. She was quite angry over the fact that her intelligence had been dunked on and T-bagged by Gilda. She’d somehow been used, and I had a feeling a was because of me. 

“I have a theory, but I can’t confirm it because I don’t really have any evidence. But, nonetheless, it seems like Gilda could be apart of the Infiltration Squad of the Shadowbolts. Most likely here because they wanted to keep an eye on everything.” I sighed. “But, in all likeliness, she was activated because of me. But she most likely had gotten lazy and didn’t want to leave here. Because, obviously, you’d have to blow your cover. Which lead to her finding a way to get Octavia an assignment to kill me.”

Both Octavia and Dash were still paying attention. I waited a bit to gather my thoughts before continuing, hoping they were believing me. “So, that still begs the question, why did she want to kill me? Think about it. I’m going to be tasked with being a personal bodyguard for Princess Twilight. The Shadowbolts don’t want any information, especially information that could destroy them, getting out.”

Dash nodded, “Which is why Gilda sent Octavia to kill you. And then tried it herself. I hadn’t paid attention to what she put through as Octavia’s first mission. Gilda had gained my trust enough that I thought she would make a wise decision for the first mission of one of the most promising Trainees we’ve had in awhile.” 

Octavia blushed, I glared, Dash smiled innocently at me. “You’re dead to me.” I silently mouthed. 

Dash continued, “Anyway, if the Princess trusts you with her life Scratch I don’t see any reason I shouldn’t trust you. Plus there’s not any evidence pointing against you. Just be a little careful, we need you alive to guard the Princess. Now,” She waved us off, “you need to get Octavia to the infirmary. I have a ton of paperwork to go through.” 
Octavia and I got up, but at the doorway I stopped. “Hey, Rainbow Dash?”

Dash looked up from her papers. “Yeah?”

“Who’s taking over Octy’s training?”

Dash’s grin returned, “I was thinking about taking it over. But I hear there’s a great assassin coming in to guard the Princess, I was thinking of asking if she could take on a side job when the Princess isn’t needing guarding.”

“Hmm, I think she’d be alright with it.” I waved goodbye and caught up with Octavia, keeping pace in case she needed help. 

We soon arrived at the infirmary. I helped her lay down on one of the beds and called one of the nurses over. One of them had already noticed us and came over, she had a nametag with Redheart on it. Totally knew that because I was looking for it, not at something else. 

“So, do you want me to drive you home? I can wait for them to check you out and everything, I’ve got nothing better to do.” 

Octavia chuckled, “I don’t think that they’re going to let me go after I was stabbed by two swords Vinyl. But thank you for the offer, I live on the dorms provided for Trainees and Teachers on campus so I should be fine.”

I hummed in acceptance, “Well, you know, I heard that the only reason Trainees stay in the dorms are because they can’t afford to stay anywhere. And it just so happens that I’ve been feeling pretty lonely. I was thinking about getting a roommate and I also was wondering if you wanted to be said roommate. With paying the proper expenses of course.”

“I would love to Vinyl, but you said yourself, the reason I’m in there is because I can’t afford living anywhere else.”

I smiled slyly, “Well, I’m sure we can work something out. If you’re-” The Redhart tapped me on the shoulder. There’s a word for people like you. 

Redheart gestured toward the door, “We need to do some surgery on Trainee Octavia, only medical staff will be allowed in for awhile. Please wait outside after you finish up.” She walked away shortly after. 

I turned back to Octavia, having stopped at the door, hoping she would actually accept my offer. Because, while it would be great to be able to take over her training, having her close would be...beneficial. It would be fun to have Octavia there too. Being along in a big house does get lonely, plus I would be able to watch her training more closely and help her improve much faster with her skill. 

It seemed like quite a while before she answered. She really did seem to consider it, thinking over every detail of my sincerity. All this had led up to a chance. A chance to go from hunter and target to student and teacher to master and pupil to something beyond that. To a great pairing of skill, mind, and everything else. 

“Okay, Vinyl. Come back here.” I walked over to her, but still stood. “I think that would be great. Especially because I’ll be able to pay rent eventually and,” She matched my previous sly smile. “I’ll hold you to what you said about finding a different way.” She paused for a breath, “But for now I have to get better for all the training and whatever else you’ll have in store for me. So…” She grabbed my shirt and pressed her lips against mine. “Until then, you’ll have to wait.”

“Uh, huh.”
> 2-Living the Dream
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today was going to be a long day. Okay, so technically it won’t be a longer day than the previous twenty four hour day, but it’ll definitely feel like it. It had only started about eight hours ago and I already had a feeling that it was going to be as long as a lecture from my mother on how I should try different job paths. No mom, I do not want to be a coconut farmer, keeping up the family business is not on the top of my list of priorities. 

My actual list of priorities were infinitely more important, which were not actually typed or anything fancy (they sat on a table napkin I’d grabbed from the coffee shop I got my morning coffee from after a healthy breakfast). I still sat in the said coffee shop, contemplating what I should do and in which order. But hey, at least I had coffee. 

With Octavia still recovering in the medical wing of the Academy I had a few days till she was going to be handed over to me. I was fine with that, ‘cause it gave me plenty of time to get everything set up for when she came to train. On the long list of things to get done today, getting the paperwork done for that in Dashie’s office was one of them. But it would be nice to catch up with her nonetheless, plus it would give me an opportunity to get in with one of the more important assassins of the Academy, something that I assumed would be useful for later. I was pretty sure that she liked me already, but it never hurt to cozy up to your boss (now that I think of it, who is my boss in this situation? Twilight? Dash?), though I would rather be cozying up with someone else. 

Next I would have to reserve (or really just grab one) myself a room in the dorms. Which would probably just be covered by Rainbow Dash when I talked to her, but I still needed one. It wasn’t that I needed one for actually sleeping, though that would come in handy for said sleeping, I needed it for moving my set up of weapons and the like. If Octavia was going to be moving in with me, I probably should be moving the sharp and questionable objects (and my porn stache most importantly) to another location, plus having it close to the academy would allow for easy access to weapons that they didn’t have and the like. 

Then I would have to report in to Princess Twilight. I never really understood why they were called that. I guess it was just a title to impose awe and all that, but it just struck me as pretentious. Sure, you’re the leader, you get to decide what is what, but still. Same with all the princesses, even King Sombra. I figured “Great and Powerful” was taken and that’s why they stuck with Princess/King.

Lastly (hopefully), I would just have to grab a few favors and find a few people in the time remaining to help train Octavia in some specifics that I thought she would need. Though I could probably put that on the agenda for tomorrow or just gradually, Octavia wasn’t getting better overnight, I still easily had another week or so before she would be ready to train. Actually, the last thing on my agenda was sleeping, preferably next to a certain someone, but I could suffice with just visiting the important factor in my newfound energy. 

I checked my watch (sure there’s phones nowadays, but you can always rely on a watch, and duct tape, you can always count on duct tape), when I saw that it was fifteen after eight I sighed. My day would be starting soon, but not too soon, I had to finish my coffee. 

Once I finished up the coffee I made my way out of the shop, mindlessly taking turns here and there while I thought about the new life I had been thrown into. I definitely was liking it so far, honestly I had been itching to get back into my action-packed life I’d been living before and so far it was shaping up to be quite the life. 

Eventually I arrived at the gates to Wonderbolts Academy, the grand buildings in front of me stood strong with architecture that seemed to have aged quite well over the years. To my left a pathway to the dorms meandered throughout the grassy area in front of the gate and fence that accompanied it. The pathway ran along the fence to the left, while a building to the right had a sign out in the front of it labeled Training Wing. Two more buildings followed to the right of the previous one, labeled Main and Dorms respectively. There seemed to be more buildings to the campus in the background, even more buildings too, but I was focused on the Main Building. 

I had to admire the flowing grass that surrounded the premise, along with the trees that dotted various places among the buildings and pathways. What was the most impressive feature of it was the humongous tree in the middle of the three buildings. It was easily as tall as the buildings, picnic tables surrounded the grassy area around it and a few people were sitting under the tree and hanging out around the tables. Unsurprisingly I spotted a couple in the tree, one of them was against the trunk while the other slept in between their arms on top of a random branch. I shook my head at that, having students climb trees and not even bat an eye was just another thing in an academy for assassins. 

As I passed the tree I noticed a few of the passerby looking at me, not really with suspicion, just curiosity or something of the sort. I mean, I know I look good (my V-neck probably helped, and you can make almost anyone look better in cargo pants), but still, no need to stare. I caught one girl that looked like they had just come out of high school staring me in the eyes, probably wondering how someone could get the magenta-colored ones I had. 

“Hey! My boobs are down here!” I pointed to my chest, causing the girl to blush and look away in embarrassment. 

I meandered up the stretch of stairs leading up to the main building, stopping to glance at the list of Shadowbolts on the wall behind the front desk. They had replaced my picture with Gilda, obviously moving fast in that department. I figured that the bigwigs hadn’t wanted the deal with Gilda to gain any roomers, same with having a ex-assassin in their ranks. It was probably best to get any confusion out of the way before it got messy, especially with me. The front desk lady (who had some nice...uh, nice smooth suit-like clothing, yeah, that’s what I was looking at) was still looking a bit nervous, but I was fine with it, I liked the attention. 

“Hey, I’m here to go talk to Dashie.” I said, leaning my arm on the front desk thing. Honestly I’ve never figured out what they were actually called, the ‘front desk’ is too big to be a desk, so why call it one? Why not ‘reporting station of the bored and lost’? Way more catchy.

“D-Dashie?” The lady stuttered.

“Rainbowcrash? The Dash and the Furious? Rain and Dine?” I said, listing off the nicknames I’d heard over the years. Then I noticed the look the lady was giving me. “What?”

“You mean Commander Dash?”

“Yeah, that’s what I said.”

“S-Sure,” The nametag on her breast flashed a glare at me, drawing attention to the name on it; Lily Light. Hm, not a bad name. Her pink hair stood out too, tied in a short, neat pony tail. 

While she called up Dash and did whatever front desk people do I looked around, my eyes resting yet again on the list. I knew why I'd been number six, at least now that I had thought about it. I assumed that I was there based off laziness and not the crazy intent to kill, that's what the top three were for. I wasn't surprised at all with whom they were, the best of the best (obviously). 

Third was Starlight, someone who I figured would be there, most people think that the brawn is more dangerous than the brain, but I beg to differ. Starlight had destroyed and taken over plenty of territory and no one had even known it was her until much, much later. Since she was one of the few Shadowbolts that actually planned and had a destruction sweet tooth, along with being the left hand woman of Princess Luna, Starlight was placed at the third most dangerous Shadowbolt. Starlight as the real star of the show. I chuckled at my own joke, waving off Lily when she gave me a curious look.

Second on the wall was Lighting Dust, who (in terms of raw strength and brawn) left almost everyone in the dust, pun intended. She was someone that the recruits were told horror stories of, in both the Shadowbolts and Wonderbolts. Lightning was also the right hand women of Princess Luna, anything she asked Lightning did, no matter what. 

I personally never liked how that creepy woman acted, she gave me the hibbie jibbies. Lightning on the other hand was almost a carbon copy of Rainbow Dash. There was a few differences here and there, but the largest difference between the two was Lighting’s sense of moral, or lack thereof. 

The first picture (and one of the most dangerous assassins in all of Equus) was Princess Luna. Sadly, it was only a portrait and I wasn’t able to take a peek at her glorious cleavage, I’d only seen her once or twice and boy did she pay attention in class. It was a blurry moment the first time I saw her (and her amazing bosoms), but when she walked by you couldn’t look her directly in the eyes, it just didn’t feel possible.

I looked at the closest thing I could, but I knew that there was a reason she was the leader at that moment, there were no doubts after that. With just a look I thought she could kill me. Sure, it seems like a cliche one at that, but even so, I had a feeling there was a reason for her scanty attire, there always was, no matter who was wearing it. 

I doubted that she wore the clothing out on missions or in the open, but it didn’t matter, there was no one that would dare attack her, and only about four people could even have a chance at killing her. She operated everything with a glance, if she wanted you to do something, you’d do it, or you wouldn’t (because you’d be dead). It was probably just some silly rumors from my recruit days, but I wasn’t going to deny them until something and/or someone proved me wrong. I had a few ideas of how or what she did to get a reputation like that, for example one of them involved a jar of peanut butter, a cardboard cutout, and a lot of booze. It goes like this, first you start wi- 

“Commander Dash should be ready for you within the next ten or so minutes.” 

“Hmm?” Lily raised a questioning eyebrow in response, “Oh, yeah, yeah, sure. I’m not in a rush.”

There was an awkward silence that I couldn’t take after, “So, how do you even get a job like this?”

Lily stopped the typing she’d been occupied with, “Well, it’s just something you get when there’s no one else to do it. They needed a pretty face, not that I’m saying that I have one (there’s plenty of those around here), and I didn’t want to go out in the field. At least, not nearly as often as everyone else.”

I nodded, “Really? There’s nothin’ you’ve gotta get through to get in here, at least the academy?”

“What do you mean?” Lily Light questioned.

“Okay,” I shifted my arm positioning, getting ready to lay down some juicy Shadowbolt knowledge. “Back in the Shadowbolts you had to go through some test; beat this guy, kill this leader, take this job. You didn’t get in there by applying, they applied to you. All the students there are sons and daughters of some of the most dangerous people on the planet, others got in there from the streets, finding jobs to do from mercenary buildings and the like. There’s plenty more to it, but you get the gist, yeah?”

“Mhmm.” Lily had leant back in her chair, on a self-appointed break.

“So, what I’m tryin’ to say, or really ask, is how did you get in here if you don’t have to conquer town or two?”

Lily chuckled, “Y-You’re not serious right? I don’t se-” She saw my face, “You are serious. Hold on, you conquered a town?” 

“Yeah, Vinylville is doing great right now, I heard they just opened up a cake shop recently.” I grinned. “Okay, well, that might’ve been a bit stretched. I had to grab a mission where some mayor was being a little too rambunctious in our territory, Command wanted him gone for me to get in, and next week ‘poof’, he was gone...and the cake shop too, unfortunately.”

Lily Light sighed, “Yeah, I’d say the reason you don’t see as many people like me around is that too many people are turned off by the idea of mercenaries, guns for hire, and assassins walking around you and for some civies it’s not a promising job opportunity. Sure, that’s what’s up for grabs here and what someone trains for, but it’s not the point of the Academy. At least I hope.”

I pushed her on, “And the point of this place is…”

Lily tapped her chin, contemplating, “I’d have to say that the point of the Wonderbolts Academy is to act as security and protect, or something of the sort I guess.” Her fingernails clicked against the table (she had leant forward while she talked), “Like, they don’t just take any job they feel like, or rather, the one that pays the most. The Wonderbolts are there for the ones that need it, for the people that we think are the ‘good guys’ per say.” 

I nodded, “The opposite of the Shadowbolts Academy, really.”

“Yeah,” Lily chuckled, “exactly, I’d say the Shadowbolts have us beat in the ‘bang for your buck’ aspect of this stuff.”

“So, have you gone on any missions? I figure they want you to have at least a bit of field experience just in case.” I asked, still curious about the ways of the Wonderbolts (and I just wanted to know a bit more about Lily, but she didn’t need to know that, shh). 

Lily smiled, “Just a few, the minimal amount required really. I don’t know about the Shadowbolts, but when someone picks a mission, it’s mostly off the board out in the common area, off a list online, or assigned.”

“That’s about the same over there, but probably more fights over who gets what. Survival of the fittest and all that.”

“I chose some of the easy ones, or at least the ones that I liked.” Lily shifted back again in her chair, getting to a more comfortable position. “I took a mission to go save some scripts, something I had dreamt of doing when I was little. I fought a few people here and there, then grabbed the stuff from the temple and made my way back here, delivering them straight to Princess Twilight.”

This was actually kinda interesting, “Really? Why not just keep doing that? If you enjoy all that all that adventure and book stuff, why don’t you just keep doing it? I mean, the book stuff it pretty questionable, I wouldn’t want to be labeled an egghead personally.”

Lily smiled, a bit of sadness seemed to creep in, “I think I would love to. But I doubt that I would be the most qualified for the job. I don’t even have a partner, and I’ve only done a few of those kind of missions.”

I scoffed, “What, you don’t think you can do a few more missions and get on the Princess’ good side? Just take a few ones that seem like they’re interesting, get some extra books that the Princess may like, and you’re good. Simple...ish. I guess there would be a ton of near-death experiences, rabid tourists, and a few hiccups, but I’m sure you’d be fine.” I grinned in encouragement.

Lily giggled, “I’ll be sure to consider it. Is that all?”

I tapped my chin, “Oh yeah, I’ve got something. What’s this thing about partners?”

“You didn’t have partners, over in the Shadowbolts?” Lily asked, obviously curious. 

I shrugged, “It was really just whoever you could trust to at least tell you before they stab you in the back. Sure, you would occasionally get a group of people who would actually work together, and it worked really well. There was just one problem,” I tapped the desk with my index finger for emphasis, “no one really trusted each other. So, you have a possibility of getting things done multiple times faster, having way more loot, and becoming well known, but that problem would arise in everyone’s mind. ‘Who can I trust?’”

“Oh...well, it’s not like that here.”

I laughed, “I can see that.”

Lily waved away my comment, “Anyway, you’re pretty much required to have a partner on higher level missions and for the other, lower ranked ones, it’s optional. The duos are usually an Instructor and Student, a couple, best friends, and so on. By having someone to watch your back and vise versa it creates a bond that is hard to find and build out of the missions and this Academy.”

“And you don’t have one?”

Lily looked down, abashed, “No...no one ever wanted to. I was too much of an introvert to gain any friends, which really was one of the reasons I enjoy being here. I get to have short and sweet interactions, not having to worry about anything that I'd have to in a real friendship.”  

I smiled in encouragement, “I'm sure you'll be fine, you seem like you can grab one if you try hard enough.”

“Yes, well, I guess I'll just have to see. I'll definitely take your advice to heart Miss Scratch.”

I waved my arms around wildly, “Woah, woah, woah! Miss Scratch!? Please, I'm not nearly that old or stuck up like a aristocrat on a Thursday, jeez! Just call me Vinyl.” 

“A-Alright...Vinyl.” Lily glanced at her computer, “It looks like you're good to go. Head over to Commander Dash, her office should be-”

I cut her off, “I'll be fine.”

“Surely you'll need at least some guidance, right?” Lily Light replied. 

“Don't call me Shirley, and like I said, I'll be fine.” I began my way toward Dash’s office. 


::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Yup, I made a mistake. Three hallways, two rights, and a stairwell later and I was lost. I would've asked someone, but no one wants to talk to me. It was like super scary assassin or just a creepy solicitor was walking around. It was probably that one janitor with the name tag ‘Larry’. I mean, who has a name like that?

I continued my journey, content with living my last days in the maze of hallways and random breaks that lead to lounge areas and the like. I had to find a layout of the building, or at least someone that could direct me toward the office. But once the third lounge area popped up (I'm pretty sure it was the same one, I'd just passed it multiple times), I plopped down on one of the chairs, sighing as I propped my feet up. 

This wasn't good, I doubt I could even consider myself fashionably late anymore. I closed my eyes, accepting my fate…

“Hey lady! Lady! Hellooo!”

I kept my eyes closed, maybe the scratchy voice would go away. They sounded young, if I stayed still long enough, maybe they would get bored and leave. Whoever it was sounded like a mini-Dash.

“Lady, are you dead?”

I sighed, still keeping my eyes closed, “I don't know who you're talking about, but I'm sure that I'm not considered a lady. A girl, woman, all that, but definitely not a lady, I don't have enough class for that.” 

I felt a finger poke me in the side, they were still here, “Well, you should probably stop layin’ around. No one likes lazy people, at least that's what I heard. Commander Dash isn't lazy and she's awesome!”

I laughed, “Now that's not something I thought I'd ever hear about Dashie!” I chuckled a bit more, “She's even lazier than me, there's no way she actually got past that.”

“Ow!” They slugged me in the arm, that brat!

I reached out and grabbed the arm, pulling them to the side of the chair. I opened my eyes to give them the stair down, and I was greeted to a young girl with short and unruly purple hair, a jacket and some cargo shorts were her clothing of choice, along with some normal sneakers. I wasn’t too surprised at her age, I just would never had expected the Wonderbolts to take them that young. But hey, I was being trained around her age (most likely even younger), so I can’t say anything. I let go of her arm, “No punching, I’m trying to live out my last days in peace.”

The girl gasped, “You’re dying?”

“Figuratively, I’m dyin’ to meet Dash.” I laughed at my pun.

The girl was not amused, “You got lost?”

“Yupper.”

“On the way to Commander Dash’s office?”

“I also lost my dignity and broke my motivation, but yeah.”

The girl’s face brightened, “So, if I show you to her office, maybe she’ll let me train with her! I’ll get so much credit!” She began to pull on my arm, “Let’s go lady!”

I sighed and pushed myself up from the chair with a grunt, “Sure, kid.”

The girl led the way, her hand grasping mine and pulling me in whatever direction she saw fit. I looked around, glancing at the passing pictures in the hallways. Some were black and white, some recent, but all shared a similar theme; a picture of the assassins themselves, whether it was a group picture, duo, or just them by some impressive vehicle, weapon, or the like. 

Yet again, it was a reminder of just how different the Wonderbolts were to the Shadowbolts. The walls over there were filled with profile shots of all the previous commanders, higher ups, and the like, along with a few serious explosion ones or something like that. Transitioning from there to a place like this was going to be interesting. I turned my attention back toward the girl, giving it to her straight.

“So, who are you?”

The girl held her head high, “I’m Scootaloo, up and coming awesome assassin, number one fan of Commander Dash, and daughter of one of the best assassins ever!”

I laughed, “You’re not biased or anything huh?”

Scootaloo’s face scrunched up in confusion, “Biased? What’s that mean?”

“Your opinion is, like, influenced by your like for your parent.”

Scootaloo huffed, “But mom is awesome!” She kept her head held high, mumbling a bit, “Even after Dad died, she didn’t give up.”

“Mmm, I’m sorry, he seemed to have raised quite the kid, though.” I patted Scootaloo on the back, “You’ll have to let me meet your mom sometime, yeah?”

Scootaloo skipped along, “Oh that’d be so cool! I’ll tell her once she gets back from her mission!”

“What’s she doing?”

“I don’t know, Commander Dash said I wasn’t allowed to know.” She replied, hanging her head.

“Ah, well, I’ll be sure to see if I can get some inside info.”

Scootaloo’s eyes lit up, “You will?”

“Sure, and in payment you’ve gotta introduce your mom to me.” I though a bit, “Oh, and get me to Rainbow Dash.”

I received possibly the most adorable salute, though I couldn’t tell her that, “Yes, ma’am!”

We fell silent for the rest of the way, letting me think just a bit more about what to do. It was probably going time for more food after I talked with Dash, or maybe I could convince her to grab food with me and talk. Yup, new plan!

“Here you go…yeah, I don’t know your name, lady. But here we are.” 

We stood outside the door to Dash’s office, “It’s Vinyl Scratch, Vinyl works fine, makes it a bit easier to say.”

Scootaloo gasped, “You’re the one that took out Gilda, right?”

“That would be me, yeah. Problem?” 

A few seconds passed, I really didn’t want there to be, “Problem? Why would there be a problem? That was awesome! Not as awesome as Rainbow Dash, but still pretty awesome!”

I knocked on the door, “Sweet, well, it was great meeting you Scootaloo. Don’t forget about our deal, ‘aight?”

“Sur-” The door opened to reveal Rainbow Dash, who’s face fell when she saw Scootaloo, but she quickly changed it to a happy one.

“Hey Scoots, what’re you doing here?” 

And there go my eyes. Wow, Scootaloo is just shinning like nothing else, I can’t see. I think every time she blinks the hallway goes back to normal lighting. Yup, those eyeballs are like spotlights right now. 

Scootaloo squeed, “H-Hi Commander Dash, I was, uh, showing, um…”

“Instructor Scratch.” I whispered.

“Instructor Scratch, yeah.” Scootaloo nodded in affirmation, more to herself than anyone. 

Dash ruffled Scootaloo’s hair, “Well thanks a bunch Scoots, I’m sure Vinyl would’ve been very sad if she hadn’t been in your care. Now, go back to Miss Cherilee and tell her what you did, yeah?” Scootaloo nodded, “I’m sure she’ll be very proud. I’ve gotta deal with this stranger that’s been wondering around, I’ll see you later Scootaloo, alright?”

We made our way inside, Scootaloo skipping of shortly after in excitement. The room had a desk in the middle of it, a window right behind showcasing the pond behind it and the pathways that hugged it. The pathways lead to more buildings, something that I mentally noted to explore. The surrounding walls held bookcases, most of the space on said shelves were filled with different trinkets and souvenirs from around the world, but a shelf here and there was filled with Daring Do books.

Daring Do was a great fiction book for all assassins really. A story about an adventuring Master Assassin, fighting villains like Dr. Caballeron and Ahuizotl, something that a lot of assassins dreamt of doing when they first started. The thing was that only a select few knew that she was an actual Master Assassin, one of the few solo ones, the title was really just a polite thing as she wasn’t affiliated with any specific Academy or the like. 

Though in a few a certain rainbow haired side character was featured, leading to some assuming that Rainbow Dash was in some way partnered or knew the author J.K. Yearling, which was true, in a way. Dash had actually been on a few adventures, obviously, each time calling me up to give the exaggerated tale of the books that would come out in the proceeding months. 

Rainbow Dash gestured to the seat in front of the desk while she got into her own chair (one that sadly was more swively than mine). “Go ahead and grab a seat Scratch.”

I watched as she put a folder back into a drawer in the desk, somberly at that, “You good Dash? You're looking a little down, and I doubt that's because you don't get to nap as much nowadays.”

The Commander of the Wonderbolts sighed, “Well, Scootaloo over there has a mother working for me. Everybody works for me in some way, but she works for me, she does a few special missions here and there, you get the gist.”

“Yeah.”

“Anyway, I sent her on an undercover mission, to check out the Mafia over in Canterlot, few days later, today actually, I find out that she's MIA.” Dash rubbed her head, “I don't know what to do Vinyl.”

“You sure you should be giving that info away to an ex-Shadowbolt?”

Rainbow Dash smiled for the first time I'd seen her that day, which admittedly wasn't that much of an achievement, but I had a feeling it had been the first time today, “Emphasis on the ‘ex’ part. You're going to be an Instructor for a very promising student here, along with your upcoming job with Twi, plus you're one of my best friends. 

I laughed, “Good to know.”

Dash continued, “I'll have to notify who's in on this mission, you would've found out eventually, so it's good that everything happened like it did. Just don't tell Octavia okay? I don't want this getting out.”

I gave a loud sigh, “I guess so…”

“Anyway, you're here for all the technical stuff, right?”

I nodded, “Yeah, I need that room too. I’m thinking of grabbing Octavia to train her over at my place, so I need someplace to store some weapons and the like, and to crash when I can’t go back, for when she’s over here. Figured I wouldn't want Twilight yelling at me for loitering around the property or somethin’.”

Rainbow Dash chuckled, “I wouldn't be surprise if that happened.” She paused as she thought about what I had said, “Did you already seduce one of our students?”

I smiled nervously, “Yes? Is that against the rules? Please don’t tell me it’s against the rules, leaving that amazing person alone would be a crime unto itself.”

Dash shrugged, “Nah, you’re good. One of the benefits of us being a private academy of sorts is that we make our own rules, and honestly I think it’s just because too many people here get too close from partnering up for missions. Especially Instructors and Students, just don’t let it get in the way of everything, alright?”

I nodded as Rainbow Dash handed me the paperwork for becoming an Instructor, getting a room, and probably a ton of other things that would help me out, “Yeah.” 

The flippity sound of ruffling papers signified the beginning of a lot of wrist work, nothing I couldn’t handle. Obvious questions ensued. 

Do you mind violent actions toward other people? 

No, unless they’re hot or give me a reason not to, hot being one of those reasons.

If you had to choose between a million dollars and giving away secrets of the Wonderbolts, what would you choose?

Both, a million dollars for not giving away secrets. 

Dogs or Cats? 

Dogs. 

As I signed and went through all the papers, legal junk, trash, and recycling, I talked more with Rainbow Dash. 

“So, how you been Dashie?” I asked, checking off another box.

Dash tsked, “Ugh, I’ll never outlive that nickname, will I?”

“I’m sure you’ll have have it for five-ever, that’s longer than for-”

“You’ve hung out with Pinkie too much.” Dash sighed, “Or she rubs off on everyone else, literally everyone else. I don’t know who isn’t affected by her antics.”

Pinkie Pie was one of the few solo assassins in the world (those few included the aforementioned Daring Do, Zecora, Fox Heart, and a few others). It wasn’t surprising to close friends of her, but when you’re sitting alone at home and all the sudden a sword is sticking out in your throat, your pie is gone, and a sticky note with the message: “Sorry!” written on it, word tends to lean toward the unimaginable abilities of solo assassins.

I laughed, “True, she still holding the record for no failed missions?”

“And the largest amount of missions ever done by anyone. Ever.” Rainbow Dash added dryly. “You would’ve held that title of least amount of missions failed if it wasn’t for the Christmas Incident.”

I glared at Dash, “Oh fight me, I thought we agreed to never talk about that.”

Rainbow Dash grinned, “Officially? Yes. Unofficially, and as friends? Nope.” She leaned back in her chair and propped her feet on the desk, shifting papers and various other thing out of the way, “Anyway, last I heard about Pinkie was that she was somewhere in the East.”

“Around Griffonstone?”

Dash flicked her pointer finger in the air, “The one and only. Said she was going to go have some tea with some god thing, something about s'mores too. And this is right after she single handedly made a revolution stop by, get this,” Rainbow paused for effect, “throwing a party. Sure, the balloons let out toxic gas, but still.”

“Glad she’s not a fan of the Shadowbolts.” I remarked.

“I wouldn’t say that exactly.” 

I raised an eyebrow, stopping my already mentally taxing job (way too much work for the morning) of filling out a way too erratic and detailed packet, “Really? Pinkie Pie can’t stand their ideology or whatever.”

“She doesn’t mind Princess Luna, it seems.”

“No way!” I said, a little surprised I’d never heard of this.

“Oh yeah, she has tea with Princess Luna every Saturday, no matter what.” Dash shook her head, obviously not believing it herself. 

“She's got dedication, I'll give her that.” 

Rainbow Dash chuckled, “I'd say, she should be back soon, are you up for hanging out with me and the girls whenever we do actually do something?”

There's half of the plan over with, “Sure! That'd be fun.” I had a good amount of the packet done, “How's the desk job going?”

“It's about as boring as waiting in a DMV, moves as slow as a granny on a treadmill, and is equal to the amount of fun you'd have watching a plastic cup decompose.”

That got a laugh out of me, “Not able to grab a mission or two every once in awhile?”

Dash waved around a dismissive hand, “A few here and there, not nearly as many as I'd like.”

“Ever consider finding a partner to do it with? Or whatever you guys do here?” I asked, genuinely curious about it.

“I have one actually. But he's off finding some ancient texts or whatever, and I have to deal with all this stuff that's been happening.” 

“He?”

“He, him, man, that would be right.” Dash said, deadpan. 

“You like ‘em? What's his name? How long have you two been partners? Anyone made a move?” I pestered her with the questions, excited that my friend (someone who had stuck with the motto of ‘love is for squares!’) had a partner, and maybe something more. 

“I-I do think he is pretty cool, which is something someone has to be to be a proper candidate for me. His name is Quibble Pants, and we've been partners for about a year or so. No one’s made a move, but if I ever get the time,” Dash sighed in defeat, “I guess I would make one.”

“So,” I held back a laugh, “You'll get in his pants?” 

Rainbow blushed, but still laughed, “You know it.”

I was happy for her. Out of all the people that I'd met, Rainbow Dash was one of the assassins that deserved a happy life. I wouldn't suggest a content life, as she wouldn't be able to sit still, but I knew that with everything she had gone through to get in her position, she deserved the chance to have someone share a bit of the weight. 

Dash had spent a good amount of her time mission-wise in the Middle East, Saddle Arabia was a place that took up most of her time there. Though she hopped around the world for different missions, Saddle Arabia always brought her back. She held true to her old code name “Loyalty”, coming back to work with Twilight and the now disbanded Main Six. Though the rest of the Main Six were usually just doing their own thing unless they were super needed.

The Main Six were possibly the most successful and terrifyingly efficient team of assassins ever assembled. After tensions rose and war broke out over in the Middle East, the Wonderbolts knew they had to do something, or rather Twilight knew they had to help. While Crystal and Canterlot Academy sat on the sidelines it was a battle of wits, brawn, and everything else over in Saddle Arabia and the surrounding places. 

While the Wonderbolts saw it as an opportunity to help out a country in need, not just a country actually, a whole region, the Shadowbolts saw profit. I had taken any missions that seemed like they'd help, take out a dictator here, eliminate an extremist group head there. All were things that I hoped would improve the situation, but not have the Shadowbolts find out I was indirectly helping the Wonderbolts. I had actually met the Main Six throughout the missions, and all of them held up to their code names, though I suppose at that time they weren't the Main Six yet.

I'd met Princess Twilight “Magic” Sparkle in Damarescus, right at the start of the problems over there. She'd been scoping out the different countries that looked like they were going to cause some trouble, little rebel faction here, a few shifty officials there, the usual kind of thing that pops up every so often. At just seventeen years old she was the head of one the Wonderbolts Academy, already seeing how she could spread protection and friendship. I was there looking for some easy jobs, the Shadowbolts didn’t care too much if I came back with something that would benefit them. 

She’d asserted leadership that I only saw every once in awhile, she had a knack for it. Not only was she there for the Wonderbolts, she was there for herself. Twilight was there to assess the situation, not do so from a sheet of paper with statistics and words thrown together. She was going into a high-risk zone for people she didn’t know, to make their lives different, hopefully for the better. Though those two reasons were viable ones, she had another reason in mind; find five of the best assassins for the Main Six, the Elements, the Girls, and whatever other nickname they gathered over the years. 

A few months later I met Applejack in a old bar somewhere in the Saddle Arabian desert. She was there as a hardened mercenary, but humble. She did what she had to, but did what she thought was right, what was acceptable for her moral compass. “Honesty” as a codename fit her well, as when I sat down she immediately told me she wasn’t interested. I had laughed, then curious about the blond that looked like a tough cowgirl. She was there to earn some money for her family farm, by any means necessary.  

Twilight had picked her up after she had ambushed a convoy of slave traders, obviously illegal, and highly appreciated by the princess. A few days later she grabbed Applejack for her super secretive, though it wasn’t so secretive later, (side harem) squad. Applejack eventually became the weapons expert of them, quickly growing into one of the deadliest assassins of our generation, along with the next person I met. Someone who hadn’t seemed too particularly fit for the assassin life. 

Fluttershy, codename “Kindness”, treated me in a local hospital (well, it wasn’t too much of a local hospital, just something the locals set up for her, hence ‘local’). I’d been assisting some local rebels in Iraq, they’d give me some moola, I give them some help (though I probably would’ve done it anyway). Stray RPG, unlucky me, let’s just say I was blown away by how powerful one of those things were. Next thing I knew two ginormous breasts are in my field of vision, all the sudden I felt better. 

She had been holed up in the makeshift hospitable helping out any locals caught in the crossfire. After her peace convoy had been hit by the city military she had been left on her own, eventually getting picked up by Twilight. She then became their resident medic, though rumors surfaced later about her being the interrogator of the group, something that her skill with sharp objects backed up. 

I’d run into Rarity over in Yakistan, a sniper of a different caliber no doubt. She’d been over there to “rid the world of horrible fashion choices forced by horrible dictators”, which I wasn’t about to complain about. She took the fleshy, seductive look of a video game sniper, making me think that she was on of those secret agent ladies who seduced their target then sniped them while drinking some cocoa. Turned out I was spot on, she’s still doing the job she loves to this day. I think she likes the submissive part that the thrill of the kill gives her.

Funny thing is that she actually got recruited by Twilight after she tried to kill her. A few days later, “Generosity” was working for the Wonderbolts, enjoying the time with her new cohorts. The Main Six became so much more deadly after she joined. The ability to hit an apple off someone’s head from a mile away tended to get around, though not enough for her targets to ever find out. After all, “it’s just a rumor”, but boy did they regret thinking so. 

Pinkie "Laughter" Pie had to have been the most dangerous of all of the Main Six. She was an army in her own right, able to complete the mission in some of the most unorthodox ways. You're gonna fire an RPG, plus you're her target? Well, now all the sudden your RPG is a casing filled with ice cream, napalm flavored, yum. She'd been wandering around Iran when I saw her, we talked over a cake and I have to say that I would definitely not want to get on her bad side. 

Twilight found her after she had showed up at one of the (at the time) Main Four’s top secret meetings. It didn't take too much convincing on Pinkie’s part to get them to let her join, which turned out to be the right decision. Later on she became their explosives expert, something I honestly wasn't too surprised about. I'd heard that she could make cupcakes into hand grenades, in a bakery, without any actual explosive material. I try not to think about the amount of scientific laws she breaks just by existing.

The last “Element” of the Main Six I'd actually known since my childhood. Rainbow “Loyalty” Dash had been set on joining the Wonderbolts for as long as I'd known her, while I was training with the Headmaster of the Shadowbolts, Rainbow Dash was at the Academy. Over the years we parted ways, focused on our own taste at hand, but a beer (root beer before we were of age) here and there kept us in touch. Though it wasn't in touch enough that I knew a ton about what had been going on, sadly.

My stomach grumbling interrupted my thoughts. Dash noticed, “Wanna go grab some lunch, figure it's my break.” She got up and made a passing comment, “Though I guess I make them, so it doesn't matter.”

“What's the place we’re goin’?” I asked. 

Rainbow Dash shrugged, “Someplace with chicken.”


::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Half an hour later we sat in a fast food joint a short walk away, sitting and eating chicken. Nothing much, and honestly it was quite funny. Two highly trained assassins sitting around eating some fast food, not something I would assume that most people would think we do. Probably think we’re ravaging villages, throwing pie at small children, or something. 

I sighed and leant back against my chair, “So Dashie, what have you been up to these past few years?”

Dash did the same, “Years, huh? It’s been that long?”

I nodded in confirmation, “Sure has.”

Rainbow Dash sighed, “Anyway, stuff you’ve missed over the years, let’s see...After we stopped talking, when was that? When we were sixteen?”

I thought a bit, “I’d say that’s about right. ‘Round when that quarter-life crisis kicked in.”

Dash laughed, “Oh yes, you’ve gotta tell me about that.”

I waved my hand around in dismissal, “You first.”

Rainbow gave an exaggerated sigh, “Fine. Well, after you so rudely stormed off after I confessed my undying love to you.”

I threw a hand to my forehead, “‘Tis tragic, I know, but it had to be done.”

We chuckled and Dash continued, “I kept working toward climbing the metaphorical ladder of the Wonderbolts. It was pretty enjoyable actually, the only problem is that I haven’t really gotten to go on a solid mission in five-ever...”

I chuckled, remembering the reason for five-ever.

“After I graduated from the Academy I made my way over to Saddle Arabia with Twilight, eventually we got together with the rest of the Main Six.” She sighed at the memory, but continued. “Went on our little convenient Saturday escapades up until we felt that we'd changed the land.”

“Seems to have been a bit fruitless, hmm?” I commented.

“Was it though?” Rainbow Dash said in rebuttal, “We took out the bad guys, helped out the civilians, and kept all the terrorism away from Equestria. It may not look like it now, especially with how the papers spin it these days, but we changed it.”

I leant back into my chair, complacent with her reasoning. For me, I don't think enough was done. After the initial skirmishes and the like had died down, all the academies had left, the Main Six had disbanded last I heard, and all the bad stuff had slowly become worse again. Sure the impact done by all the academies was still there, just now it was back to being bad. Sounded like someplace needed some TLC again.

“True, true.” I admitted. I thought of something to continue the conversation, “So, when did you meet this Quibble person?”

Rainbow Dash blushed, seemingly a bit shy about talking about her (in my hopes and dreams and wishbone wishes) possible new boyfriend. “Well, I met him at a convention believe it or not.”

I laughed, “You actually go to those things? I never expected you to do something like that, too cool for a congregation of nerds.”

Dash had a warm smile, “And he definitely fit into that category, let me tell you. A.K. Yearling was there, and I had to grab an autograph.”

I nodded, still following along, “The only author you really like, yeah?”

Rainbow Dash looked around the restaurant, “Can I tell you a secret?”

I shrugged, “Sure.”

“A.K. Yearling is actually Daring Do.”

I gave an exaggerated gasp, “No!”

Rainbow nodded excitedly, probably happy about being able to share her (hopefully) well-kept secret, “Yeah, yeah, I was actually there to meet her as a friend, but Quibble and I had this big argument on the validity of the series she writes.”

“That’s one heck of a big girl word.” I commented, chuckling slightly. 

Dash chuckled along with me, “Sure, sure. Anyway, stuff happened, we got kidnapped by some supposed ‘Master Assassin’,” She added air quotes to show her displeasure with the villain, apparently they didn’t meet their villain standards. If that was even a thing. “A few complications later and all three of us, myself and Quibble included were running from some monster thing and the villain guy. After that, I went to go hang out with Quibble some more.”

“Oh? Did you show him your bunk beds?” I waggled my eyebrows.

Dash laughed, her cheeks tinged red, “N-No!” She leaned in, whispering a bit, “Eventually, though.”

I gave a hearty laugh, “You gotta make sure who likes top bunk, yeah?”

Rainbow Dash gave an exaggerated wink. “‘Course.”

Sighing, I finished up the rest of my scrumptious lunch, “Well, when are you planning to woo this stallion of a man? I’ve gotta meet him before you do though, gonna judge the pants right off this guy.”

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, “Are you trying to help me or sate some fantasy?”

I shrugged, “Hey, win, win, am I right?” I noticed her expression, “I’m messin’ with ya, Dashie. I just want the best for a friend, alright?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Dash got up to throw her food away, I followed her to do the same, “You know, I bet you could grab him to teach Octavia a few things.”

I cocked my head, “Oh? Like what?”

Rainbow Dash turned to face me, “He’s a logistical genius. He’ll be able to teach Octavia what she needs to do in hairy situations, how to go about a mission, what to do in general, and every other mentality related thing she would need to learn. I may have only met him a bit ago, but I think I’m right on this one Vee.”

I checked my phone for the time, “Alright, I’ll trust you Dashie, just set me up with him whenever you can. I’ve got a meeting with Twi, so I’ll see you later, yeah?”

“Yeah, I’ll text you the time or somethin’. See you later, Scratch!” 

And with that I was on my way to the castle of Ponyville. I was hoping to get some spice in the day, since it had been mostly average and pretty boring for the most part. Boy, did I get what I wanted. I didn’t get some spice, I didn’t get a spice bottle, I got a mix of Isaiah Mustang’s sweat and a truckload of some third world country’s spice market.


::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


I had to note the full on sparkle of the castle. Sure, the amount of sheer glare and sparkle from this place was like a drunk unicorn threw up on it...and then that throw up threw up, but hey, I’m not here to judge. Though I won’t deny that I wasn’t in full agreement with the choice of flare for the castle. I swear it was made purely out of gemstones, or just bedazzled really well, it didn’t matter too much, I was just impressed with the thing as a whole. 

As I meandered through the first hallway, I peeked around. With the twenty foot high ceilings, perfect decor, and soft carpets (I felt them, eight out of ten) I could see why someone would want a castle. The first guards at the entrance had let me through without any problems, but I doubted that it would stay like that. Too many bad stories had probably been told as nightmare fuel or something of the sort to the cadets when they had been training, building a mountain of dislike toward me, now providing what would most likely be a slight annoyance to say the least. I was glad that it hadn’t been evident yet, though I wouldn’t put it past a guard to voice their distaste. 

The attendance desk came into view after I took a turn, a pink haired, blue streaked woman sat behind it. Their name tag gave their name; Clear Haven. I walked up to them, giving a small wave as they noticed me. 

“Yes?”

I grinned, “Hey, I’m here to talk with Twi. Could you see if she’s good and not doing, certain, private things?”

I watched as Clear Haven tried to hide a smile, “Of course, please give me a few seconds.”

I nodded, watching as she called Twilight. A pair of guards passed by me, one of them definitely pushing that armour code. Not that I minded that it only covered the important parts (though not the actual important parts, like legs, belly, arms, most of their kahoots). The guard next to them (a man that had like a gazillion abs) had a bit more armour on, though it seemed to be of the same theme that the other guard had. Twilight definitely had some good taste, I’d have to ask her about what her standards were for guards. 

I was brought out of my admiration, yeah, admiration by Clear Haven, “Miss?”

I turned to look at her, “Ah, yeah?”

“Princess Twilight will now take you. She is open for an appointment.” She pointed to the hallway that was on my left, “Her room is down that way, you’ll know it when you see it.”

I began my journey to Twilight’s room, waving goodbye to the Clear Haven, “Alright, thanks a bunch.”

Eventually I made it to the room. The large, crystal doors guarded by two super buff, male guards was an easy tell. I went to open the door, but their spears crossed each other in front of me. Soon after I heard a cocking sound, almost like they had a gun too. 

“Halt,” Said the guard to my right. “State your business.”

I looked at the tip of the spear (a barrel seemed to be poking out) and then he middle (which had a magazine sticking out), “Is that a spear gun!?”

The guards didn’t move, “State your business.”

I tore my gaze away from the sticks of awesomeness, “Oh right. Uh, hanging out with Twi? Getting mission information? Reporting in?”

The guards glanced at each other, somehow communicating without actually talking, “Very well,” Said the guard that had been talking for the whole time, as they retracted the spear guns. 

“Sweet.” I said, walking toward the entrance.

They opened the doors, letting me see a large room with some impressive styling. At the center of the room there was a circle with multiple seats surrounding it, a 3D holographic map took up the surface area of said table.  An impressive chandelier hung from the ceiling, centered over the middle of the table. Twilight sat at one of the chairs, a purple star symbol was over her head, most likely paying homage to her old codename; “Magic”.

I whistled, drawing the attention of Twilight and the guard next to her, “Nice setup you’ve got here.” 

The guard next to her drew his sword, advancing on me, “Princess! Get back, I’ll deal with this Shadowbolt.”

I began to walk around the table, both him and I walking across from each other, “I’m flattered, at least someone recognizes I’m deadly!” 

Twilight had stayed in her chair, “I tried to put you at number five Scratch, but some people didn’t think you were scary enough. Too many times you’ve done good things, it just doesn’t work in tandem when you try to convince them so.” She paused, taking a moment to think while her guard inched menacingly toward me, “The Christmas Incident really didn’t help.”

“That was one time!” I pointed at her, “Now, can you tell off this guy? I’d really not want to mess up his shiny armour.”

Twilight sighed, “Flash? You can stop now, I’d rather not dirty the carpet with your blood. Red really isn’t my color.”

“Princess, I can’t do that now, this is a highly dangerous assassin. There’s no way I can let you be in the presence of this low-life plebeian!” 

I stopped next to the chair with Dash’s symbol, “Well that’s just not nice.”

With the speed that this Flash guy was coming at me, I only had a few seconds to take in my surroundings. There was a few things I could use to stun him, a vase here, a bottle there, but I needed a way to disarm him along with a sufficient weapon. Something like a leg from the nearby table that held the previously mentioned vase and bottle should work, as the sword should hopefully catch of it. Hopefully.

The rug was also loose enough that I could pull it and have him disoriented. I also had something up my sleeve, or rather, my pocket. I took a glance at the guard himself. The armour was looking like it wasn’t going to be an asset to me in the fight, though it should be something to slow him down. As he got closer I noticed the latches on his armour, chinks really, all of them holding it together. My plan came together then and there, at least what I hoped was at least a base for one. 

I climbed on top of the chair, thankfully it was bolted to the ground and could withstand my weight. Then I jumped up hanging onto the chandelier, hanging onto the metal that held the probably super expensive, dense, but thin crystals. I snapped off a handful. I flipped off, landing on the holo-table. I noticed I was facing Twilight, who had an eyebrow cocked, obviously a bit curious about why I had vandalized her chandelier. I gave a bow. She gave a golf clap. And then I found myself on the floor. 

Well, Flash had tackled me. Looks like I’d have to get a little rough before I continued. His arms had wrapped around my waist, I still had my crystals and put them in my cargo pants’ pocket. I elbowed him in the head, which became a very bad choice, very fast. Helmets were there for a reason, and now my funny bone was crying. 

His hands retracted from around my waist, and I crawled out, rolling as his sword stuck into the ground next to me. I grabbed a crystal out of my pocket, waiting until he pulled the sword out to throw it into one of the chinks in the armor. Gold was glossed over in red as the crystal hit him, I received a grunt in return. He broke off part of the crystal, smart. If he’d just taken out it, the blood would’ve just kept flowing and he’d be dead before he could do any real damage. 

I readied myself for his attack, waiting until he swung to push myself back, letting the sword nick my nose to give him a bit of confidence. I needed to get the helmet off though, I think I had an idea on how to. With Flash off balance from the swing I swept my leg under him, grabbing the helmet as he fell onto the carpet. I ran over to the nearby table with the vase and bottle on it, grabbing both, but pouring out the contents first. 

Flash had gotten up by now, looking at his helmet in the distance, then me. I shook my head, but he scrambled for the protection, earning a bottle to the head and a slight concussion from the impact. A line of blood was dripping down his forehead as I rushed him, cocking back my arm to throw the vase. As I threw the vase, he caught it and threw it back, which did not do much good to my face. I was a bit disoriented, but not too much to not notice the sharp, pointy object coming toward me. 

I rolled back, but not before my arm was sliced. After a quick assessment, while I ran to snap the table leg off, I deduced that it wouldn’t limit motor skills, yet. The table leg was off and I readied myself for Flash’s next attack. A swipe to finish the job that he’d started, I dodged, slamming the leg into his side. Though that didn’t do really anything, armor and all that. 

Great. Now I had to keep trying to get the armor off. 

I continued the endeavor, dodging the sword and trying to hit him in the head. I gained a few cuts, but I was wearing him down, hopefully. A certain sword arc gave me the chance to do something I’d been hoping I would be able to do; have his sword catch on the table leg. I swung the leg toward the ground, taking the sword out of the grasp, then I threw it to the other side of the room. Now we were both unarmed. Ignoring the fact that we both had arms, he and I were down to hand to hand combat, sadly (for me) one of us had more protection. 

I glanced down, the rug was situated underneath both of us. Looking up back at Flash I grinned, but my smile soon disappeared as he charged at me. I panicked and dug into my pants, yelling:

“Pocket sand!” 

The said pocket sand blinded him long enough for me to get off the rug and fling it out from under him. Concussion and Co: 2, Flash: 0. 

Flash got back up, wavering a bit before he got back into a fighting stance. I shrugged, if he wanted to keep going, fine by me, I still had some crystals with his name on it. His armor clanked to the ground as the other link was broken. Tough it was just his chest piece and he still had armored legs and braces for his arms, so I wasn’t totally in the clear. But now it was hand to hand, something I could work with. 

I clenched my fists and brought them up to my face, a cliche stance, but it worked. I moved closer to Flash, letting him have the first go. A right hook later my elbow was in his face, I kept from using my fists to punch, as I didn’t want to break them. I hadn’t had enough time to at least tape them up to keep the fingers aligned, therefore sturdy and able to withstand way more force than they would’ve been able to. 

Flash threw another punch, but this one was quite quick and hit my cheek. My vision was a bit blurry (he still had his armor around his arms and hands so every punch was twice as, if not more, hard) and I backed up, trying to regain my senses. I needed to end this fast, or I would be the one that was worn out and down for the count, no more playing around. I brought my fists up again, it was time to get a bit more reckless.

I threw a right hook, hit. I threw a left hook, miss. I was close enough that I initiated the next part of my plan, I grabbed his head and brought it to my knee. Flash stumbled backwards and I delivered a dangerous, for him, roundhouse kick. He was now splayed out on the ground, I walked over to him as he got to his knees, almost bowing to me in a way. I drove my elbow down, striking his head and watched as he slumped to the ground. After I was sure that he was down (a quick kick to the side made sure of that) I made my way back to Twilight. 

I was welcomed back with clapping, “See, this is why I wanted you. No one believed you would be a good fit for the Wonderbolts because of your, lets say, unsavory background. Yet, here you are, almost unscathed compared to my useless Captain over there.”

I chuckled and plopped down into the chair with Rainbow Dash’s symbol, she probably wouldn’t have minded. Unless she had been there, but that wasn’t the matter, “Yeah, it’s been awhile since I’ve had a good fight. So, he’s not too bad, just needs some spiffing up in the judgement department.”

Twilight giggled at my comment, “Don’t worry Miss Scratch, I’ll give him a stern talking to after our talk.”

“Just call me Vinyl, please.”

“Certainly,” Twilight replied, “So, Vinyl, may I ask why you’re here?”

“I figured I should report in and all that,” I sighed, “See if you had any missions of protection for you or somethin’.”

Twilight laughed, “No, I don’t think I have anything immediate that needs attention, I’m quite the hermit to be honest. I knew that you would be a good addition to the Wonderbolts and grabbed you the first chance I had, so really, your mission currently would be to train the cute student of yours.”

“Oh, alright. She’s still stuck in the medical wing over at the Academy, yeah?” I asked, just to make sure I was gonna go to the right place.

Twilight nodded, “Last time I checked. I recommend waiting until she’s done recovering to do anything too straining with her, alright?”

I grinned, blushing just a bit, “Will do.”

“Good,” She tapped her chin in thought, “I do think I’ll have something for you soon, though.”

“Oh?”

“We had a member of the Wonderbolts go MIA today, I’m still looking into it, but you may have your first mission on your hands.” She took a moment before continuing, “If you train Octavia up to a good standard enough, I might even let it be you two’s first mission together.”

“Sweet, anything else?”

Twilight shook her head, “Nothing I can think of, I’ll call you if I have anything for you. Dismissed.”

I gave a sloppy salute, “Yes ma’am!”


::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Ten minutes later I was walking back on the campus, ready to meet the person I’d been looking forward to checking up on for the whole day. I had glanced at the medical wing on the way to the main building so I easily got there, but now I had to find Octavia. I had gotten a pretty good streak with the front desk people so far, so I stopped at the desk when I entered the wing. 

The lady at the desk looked up, her nametag “Blueheart” was positioned atop her peaks, I mean breasts. Why do nurses always have the biggest breasts? Maybe I should become one, I could finally move up a cup. I waved as I walked up to the desk, “Hey, could you direct me to where Octavia Philharmonica is?”

Blueheart raised an eyebrow, “Only close family is able to visit right now, who would you be.” 

I sighed, “I’m her Instructor, can’t you just let me go over there?”

Blueheart matched my sigh, “I’m sorry ma’am, if we let everyone in that would negate the rule, and that wouldn’t make the princess to happy would it?”

I leant over the counter, “I’ll be back.”

A minute later I stood outside, I sat on a bench outside, calling Twilight on my phone. A few seconds later I heard Twilight, “Hello? Vinyl?”

“Hey, Twi, do you think you could tell this front desk lady to let me see Octavia?”

“Nurse Blueheart?” I could hear her confusion over the phone. 

“Yeah.”

“I-I guess, could you hand the phone over to her.” 

I grinned, “Yup”

Blueheart looked up from her computer as I came back in the building, “Oh, it’s you again.”

“Yeah, it’s me, and someone else too.” I handed the phone to her. “Here.”

Her face showed great confusion, then realization as to who she was talking to, “H-Hello?”

I heard a muffled response on the other side, then a lengthy continuation. A minute later, Blueheart handed the phone back to me. I smiled, knowing what was next, “So?”

“She’s in room 102, take this pass.” 

I grabbed the said pass, “Thanks.”

Soon after I was wondering the pristine halls of the medical wing, glancing at each glass window for each room as I passed it. For the most part, it looked like they were empty. I assumed that there wasn’t too many injuries, because, well, the Students, Instructors, and Members were just that well trained. I grimaced, which meant that a certain Student needed to be trained a bit better, as they were stuck in the medical wing because of lack of actual training. 

With how the whole set up for the assassination of myself had been, it was obvious that something had gone wrong with the rules and assessments to have Octavia cleared to go alone and try to assassinate me. The easiest explanation was that Gilda had just earned too much trust and influence in the Wonderbolts, letting her slack off on training Octavia and also get the mission approved. I wasn’t going to say it was too bad of a thing for the Wonderbolts, after all, the situation had let me meet Octavia.

But it had also left Octavia in the (basically) hospital, which I definitely had to make up, or hopefully make out, heh. She still had a few days left in the wing, giving me ample time to grab a few people to buff out the kinks that she had training wise. While she was still recovering I would have to go around and contact Quibble Pants, call up Pinkie Pie to see if I could talk to her sister (a weapons and explosive expert) about teaching Octavia a few things, and lastly I would have to call up my old teacher to give her a lesson or two on the finer points in an assassin’s arsenal. 

I stopped at the door labeled 102; Octavia's room. Opening it silently I looked into the room, which was a typical medical set up. Medical that I had no clue about was set up around Octavia, bandages were wrapped tightly on her shoulders, probably stitched up a ton too. I grabbed a chair that was against one of the walls and sat to her right, looking at her peaceful face, and thin, very thin, gown that (though it was very tacky) accented her assets very nicely. 

Her black hair was splayed out across the pillow, somehow making her look a solid twenty percent more cute, while drool traveled down out of her mouth and onto the bed. I giggled and wiped the drool off with my sleeve, awaking Octavia in the process. 

She sat up and rubbed her eyes (grimacing just a bit, probably still sore from getting patched up), her messed up hair gave a great aesthetic to her bed head, ”Vinyl?”

I grinned, just plain happy to see her awake, “Hey beautiful.”

Octavia smiled, “Hey Scratch, what are you doing here? I thought only family was allowed.”

I nodded, “Ah yeah, I pulled a string or two and got them to let me in here. Figured someone needed some company, and it was totally not me, nope.”

“Sure, sure,” Octavia patted the space next to her, “Why don’t you tell me what you’ve been up to, love?”

I grunted as I got up from the chair and hefted myself into the allotted space, “Scooch over a bit, I’m not that skinny ya know.” 

Octavia gave me some space, “So, mind telling me about these here cuts and why no one, especially you, have done nothing about them?”

I shrugged, “A certain guard of a certain princess wasn’t too fond of me being in the vicinity of the princess, so I had to teach him a thing or two.”

Octavia looked over the wounds, “Yes, well, who was this guard.”

“Some guy named Flash.”

“Flash Sentry?”

“I guess, never heard the other part of his name.”

“Ah, nobody likes him.”

I shrugged again, “Well, enough about that, how have you been holding up?”

“Good enough,” Octavia sighed, “My parents haven’t visited me, they’re quite ashamed of me to be honest. Though I am happy to admit that my brother is not, he was kind enough to stop by yesterday.” 

I smiled, wrapping my arm around her and yawning, “That’s great, you’ll have to let me meet this brother of yours.”

Octavia nodded, “I’m sure I can arrange something.” She giggled, “I have plenty of time.”

I chuckled, “Well you need to get better soon, I’ve got a sick training regiment set up for you when you get back.”

“Joy.”

I inspected her gown a bit more closely, “I like this new style you’ve got going here, by the way.”

Octavia blushed, “I-I’ll be sure to take that into account,” She looked me up and down, “Though I would’ve expected you to have the more...risky clothes of us two.”

I shrugged, “Usually, yeah. But I had to be presentable and all that because of this cumbersome job stuff. Don’t worry though,” I grinned, poking booping her on the nose. “I’ll be back to wearing those clothes soon enough.”

Octavia smiled, obviously happy about the statement, “Good.”

I sighed, pretty content with the situation so far, “So, I know that you know everything about me, but I don’t think you’ve really given me some fun facts or anything about yourself other than what? Cup size and a few other things?”

Octavia tapped her chin in thought, “Let’s see, I was born in Canterlot, to Heart Melody and True Tempo. I was born two years after my brother, Forte, who works as a musician right now.” She took a moment to let it sink in, “He used to be, how do I put this? A…mercenary of sorts. His stories as I was growing up just a bit behind him fueled my interest in the academy.” 

I rubbed her back absentmindedly, “Well, I'll have to thank him, I wouldn't have been able to meet ya without those awesome stories.” I tapped my chin, “Unless they were those “hold my beer” kind of stories, because that would probably have been a different kind of awesome.”

Octavia laughed, “I can assure you they were very endearing and engaging, something that I hope he will take time to write out someday.”

I hummed in affirmation, “I've always wanted to be an author.”

“You never went to pursue that career?” Octavia mumbled, melting a bit from my back rub. These hands know no bounds on the frontier of cuddling.

I shrugged, “I tried once or twice when I was training, attempting a few ideas here and there. But then I got more into EDM and that stuff, combined with my assassin things I just didn't have the time to write.” I sighed, “Maybe I'll pick it up again, I don't know, it just doesn't really seem my thing anymore. I don't have the personality for a writer anyway.”

Octavia snuggled deeper into my embrace, obviously content with our situation, “I think you should try it, just write what you would like to. Maybe about your days before the Wonderbolts Academy, I'd love to read about your past experiences.”

Another shrug came her way, “Eh, I’ll have to think about it. I can give you some first hand experiences though.” I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively. 

Octavia giggled, “I have to get better, then we can discuss some more strenuous activities.”

“That we do,” I slid my hand just a bit more down her back, enjoying the feel of her naked skin. “I’ll be looking forward to that conversation.” 

We layed on the bed in silence, our conversation and thoughts trailing off after no common ground was found to continue it. But that didn’t stop us enjoying each other’s embrace, which let us speak to each other without words per say. A hum of happiness, a squeak of surprise, or even a giggle or two told Octavia and I what we wanted to hear; each other’s enjoyment of the moment. 

I nuzzled my face into Octavia’s hair, “I could get used to this.”

The nice smelling (and comfortable) mass of hair moved, revealing Octavia’s warm smile to me, “Well, I’m sure that is being arranged, yes?”

I took a minute to think about what Octavia was insinuating, “Oh right, yeah, I got that all sorted out today. Once your better, and good enough to lift some stuff, we can start moving your stuff into my house. I’ll be able to move some things to here so you can come in, it’ll probably take a good day or two, so…” I checked the day on my phone, taking a moment to dig it out of my pocket, “we can start it the day after tomorrow, Saturday. I still have to contact some, well, contacts tomorrow for training next week.”

Octavia smiled, “That sounds delightful.”

I smiled back, “You know what else sounds delightful?” I slid my hand all the way down her back, leaving it just above her bottom. 

I received an “eep” from Octavia who took my hand and put it back up to it’s previous spot. I wasn’t about to lose the battle, the stakes, no, the awards were too great to ignore. I slid my hand right back down, set on achieving ultimate victory. But Octavia still had some fight in her, and she slid it right back up, ignoring my attempts at keeping it in valhalla. 

I still had something up my sleeve though, something learned over years and years of careful practice and training day and night. I waited a bit, letting Octavia think she had the upper hand, once I felt her relax, I knew. It was time to strike, it was my moment. I slid my hand back down, I just need to do it one more time, just enough to trick her into thinking I was back at it again with my persistence. I moved my hand right back to it’s original spot, waiting for Octavia to reach for it. 

She did. I let Octavia do the work as she moved my hand from the middle of her back...right onto heaven. I gave a squeeze and received yet another “Eep!” 

I grinned, looking at her with the utmost joy, “How ‘bout them apples?”

Octavia raised an eyebrow, admitting defeat, “I would ask you the same thing, Scratch. How do you like those apples?”

I laughed, “I wouldn’t mind taking a bite out of them some time.”

Octavia blushed, “I’m sure they would be ripe and ready for the picking, or well, eating, but I recommend taking them to dinner first.”

I chuckled, “Good to know, good to know. Just out of curiosity, where would these apples like to go for said dinner. You know, hypothetically.”

Octavia tapped her chin, “I think that they would love being taken to a nice restaurant over in Canterlot, say tomorrow, when the moon is up and the night looks amazing.” I could tell she was beginning to daydream, the space around her was pretty much sparkling. “The stars above would provide a romantic backdrop to the play of life. While the moonlight would give a natural light to their table through the window, shining into their faces as they kissed in said moonlight.”

“I feel like you’ve read too many romance novels, Octy. You’re making me feel like we’re in your personal fanfiction or somethin’.”

“I-I don’t see why I would have the time to read such atrocities,” Octavia said, blushing, “I’ve been too busy recovering, and before this, training.”

I shrugged, “Sure, sure. I don’t think those fanfiction story things, are that bad, you’ve gotta give them some credit for trying at least.”

“I suppose.”

I layed my head against Octavia’s, “So, where would you like to go tomorrow? After I get that stuff I was talking about, I’m free.”

Octavia yawned, “I would like to go to the Canterlot Cafe, I’ve always wanted to go there.” She perked up, just for a few seconds. “You know, I’ve heard that there’s so many places to go in Canterlot, that you could pick a different place to eat for dinner every day, and still have places to go in a year.”

“Oh, cool.” I never knew that, honestly it’d been awhile since I’ve been there, or it was where Twilight had seen me DJ, I couldn’t recall. I yawned, causing Octavia to yawn too. The sleepiness was probably causing my forgetfulness, or it was just Octavia herself.

I watched as Octavia blinked rapidly, trying to stay awake after her sudden wave of tiredness. Her head bobbed every few seconds, I didn’t say anything, wanting to watch the cuteness unfold. Her eyes shot open and she mumbled a bit, but went back to her previous state of falling asleep. 

I felt Octavia’s body go into a lighter amount of breathing, her chest was rising and falling a lot slower. It had only taken a moment for her to fall asleep, but the battle of staying awake and trying to stop herself from falling asleep had been very cute. I took out my phone (I’d slipped it back into my pocket after checking the date) and took a shot of us, saving it as a new home page, replacing my older one from a week or so ago. 

I didn’t dare move my arm, even though it would probably be dead by the morning, I wouldn’t dare risk waking up Octavia.

This was turning out to be quite the life. I had expected to live the rest of my days living some boring normal life in my house, working at the grocery store, and then die alone. Looking at Octavia, I knew that those thoughts were out the window. These past few weeks had lit the fire back, making me excited for whatever would come next. I didn’t care if it was filling out some more paperwork, dealing with some snotty teenager, or going on missions. As long as I got to come back to Octavia, I would be happy. 

I knew Octavia was definitely special to me, I just wasn’t sure what to call her. We hadn’t gone on dates, I hadn’t asked her out, she was the one that had taken the lead, which I was totally fine with what I thought of us, letting sleep overtake me.
> 3-Setting Up For Greatness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Love is said to be a fickle thing. Something that surprises you, catches you off guard, and just hits you when you don’t know it. I liked to think that it was something you earned. It was earned with blood, sweat, and tears, you don’t just get it. Sure, you can easily fall in love, whether it’s a passing spark of warmth in your heart at that lovely lady down the aisle in the library or a nice evening with your special someone. But to truly be loved back, you had to work for it. That’s what I thought at least, I knew I hadn’t earned what I was given just yet. 

I wanted to work harder to earn what Octavia had given me, because, in my mind, the easy-going, quick to flirt attitude she had adapted was too trusting for me. Don’t get me wrong, it got me all tingly inside when she did that, but then I crashed into what I could only describe as some kind of guilt. A guilt toward not doing enough for her, for not being able to make up for our first meeting, and lastly, possibly more importantly, not being able to fully understand the relationship between the both of us. 

Partners was still the best way I could describe us, and for the time being I would have to deal with it. Yet, while I stretched my arms wide and glanced at the somehow still amazing (though she had quite the bedhead, hence my surprise at how good it looked) hair on Octavia’s head. Then shortly after, my eyes drifted to her face, a cute, content thing, though a small drool trail traveled down the dimple next to her mouth, her slight smile affected it’s path and somehow made her even more adorable. 

I took a bit of my time to stare at the mounds the covers tried to, well, cover. I wasn’t ashamed to admit I could stare at them forever, the soft, light skin that peeked out from her gown beneath the covers was alluring to no end. Octavia’s curves made the covers of the bed look like a makeshift desert, her bosoms acted as hills that held an oasis in between them, that is, the large crevasse that was her cleavage. They were crazy enticing, I felt like I could throw some whipped cream on top and they’d just be these beautiful mountain tops. 

Right then and there I knew I had a side quest; get Octavia to the beach, and in a bikini. Honestly, we could probably pick one up somewhere in Canterlot, and I’d be able to see them in their full glory. Right now, I wanted to play dress up with her in all the hottest clothing I could find, and with a city holding what I assumed was one of the largest malls in Equestria, I might just get that. Plus, I could count it as armour training before we went to Rara. Hopefully, today, when I talked to her and Neon I could figure something out to benefit me in that respect. 

I did have a slight problem that I was not too keen on thinking about (with Octavia’s large breasts pressed against my arm, even touching my own, I was a little distracted), and it had to do with getting Octavia some trainers to help out with the, well, training. Neon was fairly close by, only about four or five hours, so we wouldn’t have to worry about him as we could crash over there and come back on the weekends or something of the sort. Which, again, I’d figure out as I went, because I’d rather be thinking about things, or to be specific, two things. 

As for Rara, I hadn’t gotten that far into the plan yet. I really was just winging it at this point, using my spare time to think up stuff. Rara was all the way over in Manehatten, where she’d set up base last time I heard. Though I think she had just come back from a tour around Equestria not too long ago. Though she was a full time singer, she was also a Master Blacksmith for Assassins of all ages, male or female, from any academy, and so on, she didn’t care, she just wanted you to put the “flash” into “flashbang”. 

Blacksmiths weren’t really true blacksmiths in the Assassin world. Sure, they made all kinds of armour ranging from metal armour to kevlar vests that somehow still let you show cleavage and your belly and still cover vitals, I didn’t question it, I just admired it. They seemed to have adopted a mindset that pertained to most generic MMOs, the less armour, the more defense. I think it was really the effect it had that made how they had the armour work, as you were teased in such a way that (if it did it’s job right) you would forget about fighting your enemy and just stare. 

If it didn’t work, well, at least you looked nice, because good luck covering your whole body in metal and still being stealthy. I think it added an extra layer of skill for Assassins, all having to be a bit more nimble to avoid being poked in those less desirable spots. They did their job most of the time, so that was all I could as of the stuff. Plus, Rara was one of the best in the business, I would trust her to do it right. 

My only problem with having her pimp my student was that she was all the way up to the North of Equestria, and I couldn’t just have her fly all the way every other day to train someone she didn’t even know. I had no idea if the Academy would even allow me to have her around anyway, which meant I would have to do it the old fashioned way; go ask her in person. 

Now, one might think that I could just call her up, she’s a good friend right? Well, for one, she always was getting new phones, and had so many people answer for her, there was no point in even having a conversation over, say, FaceTime, then trying to talk over it. So, I’d just catch a nice train ride over there and get to her apartment by lunch, hopefully. After that, I’d deal with Neon. And lastly, begin my trip to Canterlot with Octavia after checking out with Rainbow Dash. Easy.

I took a moment to take in Octavia, as I wouldn't be seeing her for the rest of the day, I don't know if I could physically or mentally handle it. You can only be deprived of so many cuddle before a cardboard cutout begins to look like a suitable substitute. But alas, Octavia needed her rest, and I needed to get going. 

I grunted as I lifted myself over the side of the bed, doing my best not to wake Octavia. I watched as she shifted, making cute, little noises. Taking advantage of the opportunity I snapped a picture, adding it to my ever growing collection of pictures focused on Octavia. I kissed her forehead, leaving a sticky note on it telling where I'd be for the day.


::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Before I began my trip to Neon, I went to notify Dash about where I was going, just in case any rumors of desertion were spread. She was fine with it, saying she’d keep a close eye on Octavia, not too close, obviously. As I made my way out the door, Lily Heart called out to me, having previously been busy with a phone call when I’d first passed her. 

“Hey Vee! How’s it going?”

I stopped to her left, leaning over the counter, “Great, especially after a good night’s sleep. And you?”

Lily smiled, “Not too shabby, if I do say so myself, thanks for asking. Now, where might you be wondering off to?”

“I have to set up some stuff for Octavia’s training, talking to the right peeps and all that.” I replied.

“Oh, that's good, I hope it all goes well,” Lily trailed off a bit, looking like she was deep in thought, “I thought about what you said yesterday, by the way.”

“Really? About you going to do some of those missions, yeah?” I asked, genuinely curious. Though I thought that Lily Heart did a great job at the front desk (based off my one and only encounter with her), I could tell she had wanted to get out more and explore. I had an itching feeling that she read a lot of Daring Do books.

Lily nodded shyly, her long bangs dipped in front of her eyes, adding even more to the effect, “I think I'm going to put in a request for a mission or two, just after a find a willing partner.” She mumbled the last part.

I tapped my chin, trying to think about any possible candidates, then lifted my index finger up when I did, “I may be able to help with that.”

Lily’s eyes lit up, “You can?”

“Yeah...yeah, I think so. Could you wait until Octavia and I get back from Canterlot, I'll be able to set you up with a call then, alright?”

“A-Alright.”

I grinned, “Great! See ya later!”

Lily gave a polite send off, returning to her work shortly after. 

Thankfully I'd grabbed Octavia’s keys, or I'd have been in a pickle with no money to give to a cab. Neon was not far away at all, but he most definitely wasn't in walking distance. I took in the pleasant breeze and warmth of the newly born morning, letting my arm rest on the opened window of the car. Slow cars let me mentally practice my abilities, which were totally not going to be used on a butthole of a driver someday. Though the thought was strangely enticing. 

The neon sign of the Guns and Lights building came into view after a good twenty minutes of driving, bringing a smile to my face at the hopefully intentional pun. Pulling into the parking lot, I threw on my shades to add to my style and for Neon when I saw him. The glass door of the entrance moved open slightly, pushed by the electronic signal of the handicap button. My laziness had won out, obviously. 

I was greeted to walls of guns, a well lit but dark colored room with the matte black of many of the products not helping the case. It had a distinct smell too, something that I noticed happened in certain places, like an old person’s house. I inspected the different attachments, gear, and miscellaneous things that were to my sides as I made my way down the aisle, noting what I could grab later if I had the time. As I got the end my grin stretched to my ears when I noticed black spiked hair poking out over the counter. I sauntered over to it, plonking my elbow on the glass top. 

The head shot up, “Hey this isn't bulletproof or anything, we’re a gun shop, not a practice range. Though we do have one, but that's not the point"

“Sup sugertits.”

Neon’s eyebrows sprang up to the top of his forehead, a journey that should've lasted forty days and nights completed in a half second, “Vinyl!”

I leant over the counter, exposing my breasts hanging out in my tank top, not necessarily caring to show them to my best guy friend (Rainbow Dash was my girl best friend), “Like what you see?”

“I'd like to see my best friend, and why would you care, you're gay.” Neon harrumphed.

“Hey, I like guys too…”

“Oh yeah, you know how I know you're gay?”

“How?”

“Because you have a rainbow bumper sticker that said “I like breasts in my mouth.”

I tapped my chin, “Well, you know how I know you're gay?”

Neon grinned, “How?”

“Because you aren't enraptured by these glorious mountains.” I said, cupping Thunder and Lightning.

“Hey, I like to be able to manage the boob per hand ratio, you've got just a bit too much my friend. But hey, no shame, I'm sure you'll find some girl that likes it.” Neon said, leaning over the counter to show he wasn't distracted. 

“Excuse me, I've done plenty of boob jobs in my day.” I huffed.

“Using your neighbors eggplant in eleventh grade does not count.” 

“Ugh, that was like, four times, okay?” I waved my hand around in exasperation, “Let's compromise, you admit that I'm flexible with the two sexes and I'll admit that you're possibly not gay.”

Neon shook his head, “Sure, sure, what exactly would it take for me to prove to you I'm not gay?”

I shrugged, “I already know that, I was just going along with the reference you were doing.”

“Reference?” Neon cocked an eyebrow, “I legitimately thought that you had that sticker.”

I blinked, “R-Really? I…Okay, well, I don't know what to think about that.”

“Anyway, what brings you to my humble abode? The garbage collectors just left, maybe you can catch up.”

I scoffed, “Very funny. But no, that’s not why I'm here. I've got a favor to ask, something that I can pay you with...in a way. Probably actually pay, if I have to.”

Neon looked interested, “I'm listening.”

“So, long story short I need you to train a new student of mine in guns n’ stuff.”

“For free? Scratch, you're a great friend and I owe my life to you, but free doesn't work, there has to be some kind of trade,” He sighed, “especially if it's what I'm thinking you're saying.” 

I scratched my head, “Okay look, I can pay you, but not directly.”

Neon tapped his fingers on the counter, “Well, let's hear it.”

“There’s this nice pink haired, perfectly boobied for your taste, good looking girl that works as a front desk lady over at the Wonderbolts Academy-”

“You meant Shadowbolts right?” He took a moment to take my serious face in, “Okay Scratch, this isn't just a long story, this is a sit down and tell me everything story.”

We went to the lounge to talk, instead of hanging around the merchandise. Once we were comfortable, I told him the whole story of what my life had been for the past few months. For the most part, Neon was on board for training Octavia, along with being interested in doing a mission or few with Lily Heart. But he still had one gripe:

“Are you sure they’ve taken care of Gilda?” 

I had to take a moment to think about it. I hadn’t really questioned the methods the Wonderbolts used to take care of traitors and/or enemies, I’d just assumed Gilda was either on the street barely surviving or had been completely wiped off the face of Equis. It was how the Shadowbolts did it, it was what was expected. (insert Tanya’s speech)

“I’ll have to get back to you on that. I never really considered it, Dash never told me. She just said she would handle Gilda.” I said, taking a mental note to find out what happened. 

Neon took a swig of his recently poured sweet tea, “Well, I need some more info on this Lily girl. Some answers to certain questions would be solid.”

I did the same, “Fire away.”

“I gotta say this sounds good and all, but the most important question would have to be,” He lent forward, “Is she single?”

I laughed, “Yeah, she is. Since she’s been itching to go on a dangerous adventure, I figured you'd be the best one to see about a partner in the said endeavor.” I winked, hoping he would take the bait. 

“Is there a time limit, you know? Is there a certain date she wants to have the adventure by? Is she younger or older? Does she have any past experience with this stuff?” Neon rambled out as many questions as he could off the top of his head. 

“No, younger, by just a couple years I'd say, and not entirely. We’ll figure out the details later, alright? Show me around this place.” I gestured to the whole room, more so the building itself. 

“Yeah, yeah, lets get this over with.” Neon grunted as he sat up, nodding his head to one of the hallways. 

I followed him to whatever he was wanting to show me, hoping it would be something that was actually interesting and not his pet rock. I wasn't disappointed as the next place we arrived at was a large arena of sorts, I looked at Neon for a description of the holy land.

“This here is our paintball slash airsoft arena, depending on what's happening and whose training we move it around and accommodate the civilians and military people, or really any type of people that come through. Seeing as this is one of the few places in these parts that you can shoot what you want, as long as it's not lethal, we change them out frequently.” He moved through the fields and makeshift shacks, letting me take in the awesomeness of the place he ran. 

I knew this was the right place for Octavia to train, the versatility that the arenas offered and the experienced people that would train her got me excited for the future. I wasn't that big of a fan for using guns, seeing as they don't always work, they're usually really loud, and they don't have unlimited ammo. A sword has unlimited ammo, a knife isn't loud, and your hands will almost always work.

Octavia needed the training, she and I both knew that. I'd taken her down a little too easily, to be honest it was like I was facing a civilian. There wasn't much that I had seen her do to try and counter me, and it had to be fixed. Sadly, at her point in training she had to be way more adverse at things than she was now. Gilda’s teaching methods were most likely the cause, or the most likely lack there of. 

The crash course I had planned for Octavia in the next few months included Neon, who would teach her everything he could about the ins and outs of weaponry. Eventually she'd be able to hit an apple off someone's head while driving, or at least get a bullseye on a target. I was hoping for the former, but the latter would be a start. I'd take any improvement to be honest. The assignments and missions that I have lined up for us aren't something to scoff at, and by the end of the training I won't be worried about a thing. 

When Neon stopped I almost ran into him but my amazing sixth sense ninja-like assassin skills, also known as situational awareness, allowed for my split millisecond decision making to allow me to do the impossible; stop before I hit him. “Woah, what's the hold up Neon?”

He turned to me, showing the closed doors, grinning as he opened them, “Welcome to The Armory.”

If there was ever a rebellion by edgey teenagers I knew where to come. The Armory was a whole room with sections for guns of Airsoft, Paintball, and even Nerf. Everything I could think I'd want and more flooded the walls and chests within the place. I glanced over to Neon, “We’re trying this out right?”

“Course, what do you want to do first?” Neon lent against one of the few walls that didn't have anything on it, though it had empty tables against it for gearing up.

I clapped my hands together, “Nerf war it is!”

Neon shook his head, chuckling at my slight childishness, “Sure, sure, let's get it going.”

I hustled over to the wall of Nerf guns, checking out the ones that I hadn't seen in years and the ones that I assumed were modified, even some that weren't sold anymore. I'd stopped using them once I got into the real guns, leaving them in a trunk sitting somewhere in one of my closets. As I looked through all the guns waves of nostalgia hit me, all the times I tried to duel wield Mavericks or act all tactical and fit as many things on the new and buff (at the time) Stampede, souping it up with a  bipod, shield, laser sights, and scope on the rails, getting the biggest mag I could find to absolutely destroy my friends in battle. 

Then I remembered the whiles of picking up the darts in the aftermath, I moved on, wanting something a bit more practical and less noisy. I’m an assassin after all. I couldn't resist the Maverick however and holstered it in my cargo shorts, soon after stuffing them full of whistler darts. I took off my jacket to put on the neat vest that allowed me to transfer the darts to a more neat and accessible place, the Maverick fit  nicely into its holder.

I shifted over to the section with elite blasters and nabbed a Retaliator, the reliability and adaptability won me over. I'd used it plenty of times in all out nerf wars, switching between an accurate rifle to a pistol in close quarters. After I filled my vest with some eighteen round magazines I attached one of the shoulder straps hanging from the wall onto it, letting it hang loosely while I searched for my last weapon. 

I wanted a sniper rifle, I just didn't know if I wanted to go overboard or not. The Longstrike was my first, and I recalled when I threw up balloons to try and shoot them from my stairwell. The frequent jamming that occurred when handling it worried me and I knew I had narrowed my choices to the Longshot and the Centurion. The longshot was going to be the all around one, letting me carry it on my back easily and switch to and from better than the latter. It was just the amount of “firepower” the Centurion offered was tempting, it was like the fifty cal of the nerf world in my opinion. 

In the end I went with the Longshot, I wanted to mess around, but not too much. Competition was in my blood, and in missions it combined with a survival instinct to create something deadly. Which worked out fine for me, seeing as I was still alive and kicking, that's not to say the other person wasn't kicking. They just weren't kicking anymore, as well as alive. 

Once I'd decked myself out in Nerf gear I went back to the entrance where Neon was waiting. He grinned when I came into view, “Lookin’ good Scratch, sadly looking cool won't help you win.”

I placed a hand on my hip, jutting it out, “Oh sure man, just wait and see.”

Neon went inside to grab his things, talking to me all the while, “So, this'll be a last man, or woman, just so you don't get your feelings hurt.”

I grabbed my chest, “I don't know Neon, I-I just feel like you don't respect me enough.”

Neon scoffed, “I'm sorry Your Majesty, forgive me for me insolence.” He went to pick up two Stryfes, slipping them in obvious custom holsters. 

“You're forgiven peasant.”

We moved to the wall of bigger blasters, “Anyway, this game goes off a kind of hangman like play style. If you get hit with a bullet in the fingers. Your hand doesn't work, same with your arm, your legs, and yes, you'll have to pop those fake tits if they get hit too.”

“Hey don't hate because you don't have them!” 

Neon rolled his eyes, “I'd rather not thank you. Continuing on, a headshot is obviously an instant win, but skims don't count on anything, catching is allowed too. You'll start at anyplace in the field you'd like, I'll be out in a few.” I stood there for a moment longer trying to see what the third or fourth weapon he'd choose was, but he shooed me away after he reached for a Recon. 

Huffing while I walked out of the entrance I went straight for the second highest tower in the arena, knowing that even if it wasn't the best bird eye view, it let me cover the main intersection and the higher tower if needed. Then I waited for the trap to be sprung. 

After a few moments I saw a shadow peak around the corner, then disappear as Neon most likely went into one of the corner buildings of the intersection. I pointed my Longshot at the open window nearest to where he went in, slipping a six dart clip out of my cargo pocket and setting it next to me, just in case I needed it. 

I was betting on him wanting to cross, eventually trying to get me on the higher tower, where I would then get a quick shot or two in once he crossed. A head came into view behind one of the tables in the room, he was trying to be inconspicuous, but the light was not on his side. I tapped the trigger. The shot went through the window and fell short of the table. 

I tisked, five shots left in the clip. 

I adjusted my aim and let two more fly, grinning as one nailed him in the shoulder. But I knew that I had my position revealed, three shots left I stuffed the other clip back in my pocket and crawled over to the edge of the tower, peeking over to see that the roof of the neighboring building was close enough to jump to. 

A grunt followed once I landed, and my clip jumped out of my pocket and slid off the roof into the intersection. I couldn't get it, anyone could see that it was a lost cause. It wasn't too big of a deal, as I had a couple more, but it was still annoying. And I needed the rest for my rifle, not for something that couldn't work in all the types of combat. 

I jumped down to the other side of the building, using the nearby table as a makeshift stabilizer to fire at the door if Neon came through. But after a few minutes of waiting, he surprised my super legendary unsurprisable senses and came through the large window in the room. I turned my gun and pressed the trigger, but was greeted with silence since it had jammed. 

I pushed the table over, hearing the thuds of bullets from a gun that was definitely not what I'd saw him grab. The fire rate was slower than I'd expect from something pumped and the electric whir caused me to believe that he had some kind of assault rifle. I slipped out my Maverick blind firing over the table with my left hand and working on the jam with my right. Sadly, all that I accomplished was my Maverick running out of bullets, the Longshot still being jammed, and my left hand getting put out of commission. 

I cursed, ditching my guns and bolting through the back door. I would have had the advantage if I'd hit his left shoulder with my sniper, but I'd let myself fall into a statistical probability guess instead of taking a moment to remember that he wasn't right handed. On the bright side, he couldn't use his Recon or the Strykers at the same time or really at all, but that electric gun allowed for him to disregard that. 

This was the mistake I'd made, not choosing something that I could fire without both hands. It could possibly make me lose the game…and my dignity. I essentially had one shot left, unless I wanted to taste plastic and use my teeth to reload, then I had to make the shot count. And I knew exactly how to do it. 

I ran to the ladder nearest to me and climbed to the rooftops, jumping over the gap back to the door that I had ran out of. As carefully as I could, I flipped over and hung by the tips of my shoes, pointing my gun at the aforementioned doorway. Then waited for my prey to come to me. 

The door creaked open eventually, and I raised the rifle to head level, letting my finger itch the trigger. First, a barrel poked out, then eventually the shield attached. If I'd been on the ground, Neon would eventually have gotten me, no doubt. But I was a bat, practically a vampire because I was about to suck out all his fun. With a pump of the trigger, the bullet flew in slow motion, or at least looked like it, because it was at regular speed and doing that weird thing to my brain that made it like I had superpowers. Anyway, I dropped down after the headshot landed, letting my feet slip but doing that cool superhero landing where I land on the ground with my knee propped up and my hand punching the ground. 

It looked cool, but didn't feel too good, “That's how it's done young padawan, maybe someday you'll live up to this legacy.”

Neon lowered his weapon, conceding defeat, “Well we both know that I'd win in a real gunfight, let's be honest here.”

“I know, I know, that's why I came here.” I went over and slapped him on the back, “Alrighty, well I'll be back here in a month or so. Hope you'll have a good training camp prepared for her!” 

“A month?!” Neon yelled, then saw my face and sighed, “Alright, alright, I get it. Win-win, fine. I'll try my best.”

I blew him a kiss, “Thanks buddy,” I sat my gun against the wall, “Now I've got a plane to catch. I had fun, let's do this again sometime!” 

As I made my way out of the building I heard Neon comment, “Why do I always have to clean up everything?”


::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


My next quest was to find a way into Rara’s busy schedule and get her to agree to give Octavia a few lessons in “armour” and the ways of clothing. But with Manehatten so far away I needed to grab a plane ride, and my experiences with commercial planes did not help my motivation to get one. Sadly, I'd already ordered a flight before I'd gotten to Neon’s, so I had to tough it out. 

The flight would only take an hour or so and take off was in about twenty minutes, which gave me plenty of time to grab a large sandwich to bring (or sneak in more specifically) for lunch. I made my way to the deli, glancing around to see the different tourists, business people, and so on. It was always fun to guess who was what and what they did. A family of tourists struggling to move all their bags made me guess that they were going to see the castle and fill the storage of their phones within the first day. 

A child running around while the mother chased them told me that someone was going to become a yoyo child real soon. But it did make me think of my future with Octavia. I obviously wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, as short as it most likely would be in this line of work. I just didn't know how long I would be an assassin for, how long I could go without messing up and making her lose me or the other way around. Even with the many trials I knew that would face us, I already trusted her to have my back. In just a couple months she'd won me over, though it wasn't too hard, I couldn't resist her good looks and tough personality.

I was already doing what I could to prepare her for the future, because I wanted to spend it with her, not worrying about the enemies that would come after us. I hoped to eventually go to a secluded island and not have to do anything but make her happy. And to do that I had to put in some extra work, getting my contacts to train her to the best of their abilities. Because I knew that it wouldn't be some routine missions here and there, something big would come and we had to be ready. 

A nagging feeling had begun to pop up every once in awhile though. Gilda was taken care of, but the fact that she'd been so easily apprehended made me think she was going to find a way to get back. Maybe she wanted to get caught and it was all apart of her dastardly plan to give info to the Shadowbolts so they could take over the HQ. She'd have full control of the system within minutes, and maybe even control of Octavia. Because it's entirely possible she snuck some unknown device that could go off at anytime and explode.

Even though I knew it was impossible, I still worried and since we had taken off I knew I had a chance to call Octavia. Just to hear her voice and calm myself down, because sometimes experience fueled a mixture of my intuition and imagination creating a vision that had somewhat of truth to it but ultimately too crazy to be true. Before I went too deep down the rabbit hole of despair, the ring of my phone snapped me out of it.

A click, then a groggy, “Vinyl? Hello?

“Hey honeybuns, how're yo-”

“Honeybuns?”

I grinned, “‘Cause your buns remind me of honeybuns. Sweet, round, and most likely delicious.”

I could practically hear the blush, “W-Well, as long as you don't call me babe every other sentence then I suppose I'll accept it.” A yawn. “Anywho, whatever are you doing? I thought you had this weekend off.”

I slouched down in my seat, “Yeah...I do. I've been setting up some trainers for you this morning and I'm on my way to the next one, then I'll be back for dinner alright? We can go to Canterlot, yeah? I can get the full tour from you and show you the best clubs I've played in.”

Octavia, hopefully, perked up, “Well, I think that sounds delightful. I'd love to experience another side of you, Miss Scratch.”

I smiled, “I was thinking we could leave today and stay overnight in a hotel. If you're comfortable with that, no pressure or anything.”

A moment of silence passed before she answered, “I'll think about it. It's not a yes or no, just a we’ll see.”

“Works for me. We can talk more when I get back, get some more rest. I'll need you at a hundred percent when we start this stuff.”

Another yawn, “Alright, see you later. Good luck, Vinyl.”

My heart warmed, “Thanks, see ya.”

The rest of the flight went great,  especially with my sandwich that had successfully made it past enemy lines. Within an hour I was in Manehatten, walking down its beautiful streets and hoping that Rara would be able to meet me on such a short notice. And when I made it to her building, Battle Beauties, I knew it was going to be interesting.

I'd met Rara when I was first starting out as an assassin and a DJ, same with her meeting me just as she was an up and coming singer and Blacksmith. She'd wanted to experiment with music and I wanted some better protection, so it became a co-beneficial relationship, along with just a plain old good friendship. After Rara got a big contract for her designs, she took off in the second world of Equestria, putting her career as a singer to second place on the pedestal of importance.

She believed that the Academies were doing the dirty work for the good people of Equestria, letting the higher ups do the things that they couldn't because of some cozy person who wanted to act like they did something protesting about whatever decision they wanted to make. That would be when they would call us up and we'd grab some gear she'd make, at some point in the mission a bullet would be blocked by it, or a sword wouldn't go all the way through, or this wouldn't work or that wouldn't do it. All from the master craftsmanship of a single woman. 

I walked up to the front desk of the building, going straight to the receptionist. The man looked about forty and had black hair with white stripes, “How can I help you?”

I smiled, “Hi, uh, I'd like to meet with Rara please.”

He nodded, “Alright, and your name is?”

“Vinyl Scratch.”

A few moments passed with him scrolling through pages on his computer, “Well I'm sorry to say Miss Scratch, but it looks like you don't have an appointment scheduled with Lady Rara.” 

I scratched my head in nervousness, “Yeah, you see, I kinda want to see her right now and I know, because I didn't schedule one.”

The receptionist cocked an eyebrow, “Miss, I'm sure plenty of people want to see her.”

“Can you call her? I can't seem to get a hold of her, because, well, she's always too busy.” I asked, hoping that he'd comply.

Sadly, he sighed, giving me a look, “Okay, how about this lady? You prove to me that you somehow have the power to stop Lady Rara from whatever she's doing without an appointment and I'll call her.”

I pulled out my phone, flipping to my contacts and went to the picture of us, “Here.”

“That's great and all, but how do I know that's not photoshopped, huh?” He said, a smug look plastered on his face.

I huffed, clicking out of the photo and pointing at the phone number, “There, that's her personal cell...at least the last one that she gave me.”

The spectacled man adjusted his glasses, “Hmm, that does look like it. Fine, I'll let you go to her, with an escort.”

I sighed, “Sure, let's do that. Whatever gets me to her the fastest.”

After some talking on the corded phone a handsome muscled man came along, “Cold Steel here will be your escort. Please behave around him, I wouldn't want you being escorted out instead of in.”

As Cold Steel and I walked toward the elevator I fired off a salute, “No need to worry, I'll be good.”

It wasn't too interesting of a trek to, since Cold Steel didn't want to talk at all. I didn't mind because I was focused on getting to Rara, not making a new friend. Though I'm sure he was a fine person, I just wanted to get back to Octavia and sort out the rest of her training sooner rather than later. Eventually we made it to the door of Rara’s office, just as her latest appointment was making their way out.

I poked my head in, overhearing the conversation that was going on, “-just get the car ready for me, I need to be at the show early to take a final look at the wears, okay? Okay.”

A click of a phone sounded and I took that as my cue, revealing myself through the doorway to Rara’s office. “Hey Rara, how's it goin’?”

The said Rara turned around, “Oh! Vinyl, hi!” She rushed over to hug me, jumping up and down as she did so, “It's been so long since I've seen you.”

I pushed back Rara (totally not because I felt her breasts smack boxing mine) smiling while I held her shoulders, “Hey, I hope I didn't come at a bad time.”

Rara shook her head quickly, “Oh no, not at all, I've got a good hour before I go to watch my new line of bullet proof bikinis and the like go out on the catwalk.” Her eyes widened, “You should come with me! It'd be great Vinyl, we can go have some coffee at the cafe nearby while we wait.”

I took a second to process what she had just said, thinking hard about it, “I'm sorry did you just say bullet proof bikinis?”

“It was Miss Jelavic’s original idea, but seeing as she's a bit busy. She let me take the reins to the beginning of what I think is going to be the newest trend!” Rara walked to a closet, pulling out a set of loose frilly clothes and slipping them on, “Would you please come with me Vinyl? I'd be overjoyed to show it to one of my besties.”

“B-But they're so impractical.” I stomped my foot, “You know I'm fully with Miss Jelavic’s wisdom, and her sayings, but come on Rara, even if the bullet hit the top. You'd probably pop something, let's be honest.”

Rara pouted, “Can you at least make your decision over a drink? Then I can hear about why you're here all the sudden, yeah?”

I sighed, “Fine, I'll hear you out. But you're paying, not just because I don't have any money on me.”

Rara laughed, “I'm sure the bill won't be hard to pay. I bet it'll be quite large seeing as we haven't had a good talk in forever.”

I smiled, “Well I guess I'll have to fix that.”


::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Cold Steel escorted us to the limo with all that fancy stuff that makes it sound cool and professional, like bullet proof everything essentially. The plush leather and actually decent wine helped too. We sat across from each other in the relatively empty limo, only Cold Steel was in it along with the driver who only followed directions. 

I looked at the stoic body guard, curious of why Rara would have one when she was purely capable of handling anything herself. I turned away from my gazing, looking at Rara before beginning my question, “So Raster, what’s up with the handsome body guard dude? You just like ‘em or somethin’?”

Rara chuckled, “First of all Vinyl, you should know by know that the first defence is your appearance. Any false weakness should be our advantage in a fight. In this case, I have a body guard to imply that I’m a helpless wittle blacksmith.” She wiggled back and forth with puppy dog eyes. 

It made sense, “I see…”

She leaned toward me, starting off with a whisper, “Plus, I’m thinking of getting serious with him soon.”

My eyebrows shot up and I whispered back, “You like him!? I haven’t even heard him talk once!”

“Well, you see that’s really just part of his job. I can make him do whatever he wants, along with only talking to whom I say.”

I sighed, “But what if he only begins to date you because you said so. Like, because he doesn’t want to have to eat his own dick or something if he says no to you.”

Rara brightened, “What a splendid idea, you know just what to say Vinyl.”

“Rara noo…” I said, deadpanned.

“I’m kidding Scratch, I wouldn’t do that. I’ve told him specifically to say what he thinks and act the way he wants when we aren’t on the job, because of that specific reason. I think it’s a type of reverse psychology.”

I leaned back, “Sheesh, I’m bad at telling when someone’s joking Rara, don’t do that to me.” I thought back to what she had said, “So, you’re saying that he will do anything you say. Like anything.” I emphasized the last point because I had to be totally sure she understood my question.

Rara shrugged, “Oh sure, watch this.” She gestured to Cold Steel, who scooched over to sit next to her. “Drop your drawers buddy.”

On cue, Cold Steel dropped his shorts, underwear and all, then my life flashed before my eyes. “RARA NO!” I couldn’t believe it, “Oh sweet baby Jesus, look at the size of that thing. You’ll be torn apart faster than a lightsaber slicing through ya. You’re too young to die Rara, remember yourself, I’m here for you, just don’t do it. Wait till marriage at least.” I took a breath, aghast at what I had witnessed.

Rara burst out laughing, “Trust me I’ll be waiting a bit till I put some armour on that bad boy. What’s the problem Vee? You usually find these things fascinating.”   

I shook my head, “No you’re right, that thing is awesome. But I have a partner Rara, I can’t be even near them anymore.” 

“Oh really? Congratulations! Who-” She paused as I pulled my phone out, “What are you doing?”

I tapped the camera, “Taking a picture of that monster of a penis and sending it to her.” 

My friend laughed, “Alright, Cold Steel you can return to your post. Pull your shorts and stuff up too, I gotta keep those things to myself, huh?”

Cold Steel grinned, nodding in response.

In a few minutes we arrived at the coffee shop. Not surprisingly, we were seated right away and Cold Steel stood near us. The quaint shop had the usual smell that came along with it, but the view from outside of the park nearby made it obvious as to why Rara frequented the place. Soon enough, I had a hot cup of joe and had begun catching up with Rara. After I had given her the speal that pertained to her job offer, she went silent for a moment. 

“Why that does seem like an interesting proposition.” She said, leaning on her hand as she grinned. “Now, I must ask, how are you two doing?”

“Great, I’ve gotta say, every time I see her I know the reason I came to like her.” I replied, feeling a bit warmer in my chest, even with the coffee.

Rara tapped her cup, showing a bit more thought, “I just need two things from you to do what you’re asking, alright Scratch? No money needed.”

“Hmm,” Everyone wanted money, and if it wasn’t money they wanted than it was a favor. And favors are way more dangerous than some ‘ol money. “Fine, but only because I know you’re the one of the few people I would trust seeing Octavia with less clothes on to fit her.”

“But of course,” Rara giggled, “I only need her to come to me for a test fitting and to walk around the building to get a feel and do some other training things.”

“And?”

“I would like a favor from you Vinyl.”

I sighed, “That favor would be…”

“Why, being a last minute addition to my show.”

It wasn’t that I didn’t mind showing off my body, honestly I didn’t really care. I had done way worse in way less clothing, but for some reason it felt wrong to do so after I had gotten together with Octavia. It kind of felt like a betrayal in my eyes, letting others see what only one should be able to look at. Then again, I could think of it like going to the beach, instead of going for fun, I was doing it for Octavia.

I tapped my chin, still in thought about what to do, “I don't know Rara, normally I wouldn't mind. But right now it just doesn't seem right.”

“I think that will make our business a bit harder Vinyl, I know you can figure out a way to do it.” Rara seemed to be curious, “You've always been good at things like this, showing off your curves never seemed to be a problem when we worked together before. What's the problem now?” 

“Like I told you Rara, I've got a nice looking girlfriend that I want to stay on the good side of. Acting like a mobile mannequin that people can stare at isn't on the list of things I think would make her favor our relationship.” On the other hand, I thought as I ran my hands through my hair, I could just ask for permission. I mean, that's how these things work, right?

Rara smiled, “Why Scratch, I think this is the first time you've shown a bit of compassion for something other than a weapon.”

“Hey, Dave was the best fifty cal I could've ever had and Becky just had to counter-snipe me through the barrel! Smashed it to pieces, or really shot, but you get the point!” I huffed, not wanting to re-live bad memories.

“Okay, how about you just call her. That would be good yes?” Rara patted me on the arm, trying to calm me down.

“Yeah, yeah that would be good. I was just thinking of that.” I said, pulling out my phone and going to the favorites, then clicking on Octavia’s name. After a few rings she picked up, “Hey Octy, got a quick question.”

“But of course.” Octavia replied, seeming curious from her tone.

“Can I sell my body for your benefit? It’s for a good cause.”

“What?” Octavia didn’t reply for a moment, but began laughing shortly after, “No need to scare me Vinyl. I’m wide awake already for your information.”

“No really, I need you to say it’s okay.”

Octavia sighed, “You have five sentences to explain yourself Scratch, or it will not be looking too good for you in the future.”

“Thanks a bunch Octavia.”

“Four.”

“Uh, well, Rara wants me to be in her show that has armoured bikinis because I owe her if she is going to help us. She’s one of the best blacksmiths I know and I trust her, but I figured I should ask for permission.” Sweat dropped down my brow, “You’ve been a great influence on me for these past few months and I wouldn’t want to dirty that with basically selling my body.”

“Hmm, it seems you have one sentence left to decide the fate of our relationship Miss Scratch.” Octavia said with a very menacing voice. “Is. This. Show...Livestreamed?”

I looked at Rara, assuming that she heard Octavia, nodding furiously. I didn’t care if she had to create a whole channel for the event in the next dozen minutes, it was going to happen. Thank baby Jesus she gave the affirmative. “O-Of course.”

I could practically see the cheshire grin, “Great! I look forward to seeing you! Oh and Vinyl?”

“Yes, my angel?”

“Please do explain the situation before you do something like that again.”

“Definitely.” I said, hoping she could hear the truth behind my answer. 

After Octavia hung up on me, Rara burst out laughing, “Oh that one’s a keeper Scratch! Don’t let her go.”

I rubbed my face, “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Rara got up and patted my back, “Let’s get going Vinyl, we need to get you dressed.”


::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Shortly after that debacle, we arrived at the destination that Rara had been talking about. The modern looking building had cars lined up around it that were worth more than houses, while the people walking inside barely had on what could be called clothing. Someone even walked in with a tablecloth as a cape and that was it. I couldn't believe what was called “armor” these days. 

The outside of the building was like an old theater for broadway, in fact it would likely have been based off something related to that. The big tower that protruded from the front had the show listed on both sides, along with the times that lined up with when we had arrived. Going in there were guards after guards, just to keep the crowd under control. I followed Rara into what seemed to be a dressing room, though it was really a separate area that people got dressed in. There were stations that seemed to be geared toward a specific thing, the first was a deposit of clothing, then a fitting station, eventually a makeup one too.

I turned to Rara, “Why aren’t there, like, separate rooms, or places for each model?” 

Rara giggled, “Oh right, I haven’t given you the background to this operation.” She stopped in front of the “operation”, “This is the first part of my week of showings, so to make it easier and more efficient to show off everything to the highest bidder I created a human assembly line.” She paused, “You know, that sounds weirdly slave related, let’s say a workshop of scantily clad entertainers. No, that’s a brothel...I’ll work on it.”

I laughed nervously, “Yeah, well, do I have to go through that?”

“Oh, no, no, Vinyl,” Rara patted my arm, “I have to give you back to your partner in better condition than I got you!”

“Great…”

She brought me over to what I assumed was her personal room, seeing as it was labeled “Rara”. The room was filled with anything related to fashion that I could think of and recognize, it even had things that I didn't know of. Rara walked over to one of the desks in the room and pulled out a tape measure. 

“Alright, drop the clothes.” She said, pulling the tape measure to its full glory. 

“U-Uh, what?” I stuttered. 

“You really weren't looking at all the other people Scratch? This isn't some sixth grade play where we can't show your shoulders, it's a professional gathering that gets me some good money. So, as I said, drop ‘em or I will.” Rara said, slowly advancing toward me.

“Fine! Fine! I will, give me a sec.” I pulled off my primary clothing, leaving it on the desk and still stood half-naked in my underwear. It wasn't that I was nervous, I knew I had a rockin’ bod. The thought of Octavia, however, still loomed in the back of my mind. 

Rara gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze, “It’ll be over before you know it Vinyl.”

I sighed and dropped the rest of my clothes, “Yeah, yeah, just do whatever you need to.”

“Ah, like to keep it like a desert, huh?” Rara commented, “I guess you have an abundance of rain with Octavia anyway, so it doesn't mattered.”

I covered my crotch, “Hey, I thought you were gonna do your fashion thing. I don't care what I gotta wear, just as long as I don't have to for too long, okay?”

“But of course,” Rara said as she pulled out some utility belts and a few chains of bullets out of the closet nearest to her. “I just need to throw these on you and we’ll be set.”

It only took a few minutes, not even that really seeing as it was just two utility belts and a chain of bullets. I turned around, admiring how I actually pulled off something so trivial. Not that I minded that Rara had somehow done such a good job with so little.

One utility belt wrapped around my breasts, squeezing them just enough to give notice to some solid cleavage. Someday I hoped to catch up to Octavia, but I doubted it would ever happen. I just kept with the good ‘ol motto of “Quality over quantity.” Whenever I felt down about their size. The other utility belt hung slanted over my waist, shadowing and covering just enough. The bullets were wrapped around my left leg on the thigh, supposedly acting as easy access for sniping. I didn't see the point, but it wasn't my place to complain at the current moment.

There was a knock on the door, soon after a head popped in, “Miss Rara, your guest is up.”

I sighed, “Let's get this over with.”

Once the lady that had come to us led me to the line of people going on to do their strut I realized that I really had gotten to the point that I would do anything for Octavia. Sure, the great views in front of me made it a bit better, yet even they made me think of her. A few minutes passed until I heard my name called, and (maybe?) thankfully I didn't even have to imagine the audience in their underwear. 

I thrusted my hip side to side as I walked, letting the belt on my waist jump just a bit with each leg strut. The thrill I got was honestly a bit surprising, watching the sparkles of the camera flashes while people took notes upon notes just because of me caused a spark of interest in how a few seconds of such a preview could entice an audience. The end of the walkway neared and just before I got to the end I stopped abruptly, letting the belt on my chest loosen with the jerk and fall slightly but not a huge amount, showing the audience of fashion peeps what I could do. 

Lastly, I put a foot forward, letting one arm fall on it and I bent down slowly, running my hand along the said leg until I slid one of the bullets out. Right as I turned around I flicked the bullet up behind me, catching it point outwards in my mouth. The increase of flashes and clicks told me I had just won them over, and before they could get anymore I had made my way off the walkway and into Rara’s room.

While she was taking the belts and such off I inquired about the fashion choice, “So, where'd you get the idea to do this?”

Rara shrugged, “Just saw it in a show, it’s really just a concept piece I hope to build off of if I get any offers.”

“And the reason for bare feet?”

Rara scratched her cheek, “Well, the official answer is that it's for increased stealth, but the unofficial answer is it looks better.”

By the time she had finished replying I'd gotten the rest of my clothes on. “Well, I had a better time than I expected. But don't come hoping you'll get me again, ‘cause I didn't enjoy it that much.”

“Sure, as for your new partner, do let me have her come here sometime for a makeover. I hope to get her tidied up before going through the motions.” Rara said while she put the belts away.

“We’ll be in touch. Now, can I grab that limo to the airport? I've only got about an hour and a half before my plane leaves.” I said as I opened the door. “It's no big deal, I was just curious.”

“Oh it's no problem at all, just make sure to behave yourself.”

I chuckled, “No promises! See ya soon Rara!”

“Goodbye Vinyl!”

The drive to the airport was way better than the initial one to Rara’s. I got on the plane easily enough too, all that was left was getting back to Octavia for my first legitimate date since we had gotten closer. I put off contacting the third and final person for her training, since I knew they were coming back soon to the area and would likely be there when we came back. They would be the first person to teach Octavia in what I hoped to be a good six week long training marathon, the longest out of all the training that she would go through at the start. 

I knew Octavia had what she needed down, what was enough to get into the school. That much was obvious since she was already in. But what I needed was the best from her, and she wasn't at that yet from her time spent under Gilda’s wing. I estimated the total amount of time we would spend training before our first mission would be a good two months, bringing us just a couple months before the largest gathering of the world’s most dangerous people in one spot. 

It was interestingly named “The Gala”, really to make fun of how people showed off the new things they made and brag to each other about missions. But the real part of the show was the gathering of all the heads of the academies, which meant it was required that I go since Twilight would be attending. Octavia would hopefully be ready by then, but I would have to wait and see. Right now, I was only focused on getting back to Octavia and spending some quality time with her.
> 4-As Cliche As It Gets
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Warning: Sex-ish scene coming up after the second break. You’ll know when it starts, so skip ahead a few paragraphs to get back into the story. I do have this tagged with sex, but for those that came for the shipping and action I figured a warning was in order.



The drive back after I arrived home was excruciatingly long. Not because of sexual frustration, need of a “potty break”, or that I'd forgotten to bring the aux. No, it was because the car had no Bluetooth connection whatsoever for my phone, which meant limited time contacting my lovely Octavia. Just because I break plenty of laws and other, more permanent, things doesn't mean I don't have some common sense. 

Every once in awhile I updated Octavia, trying to keep myself under control until I got back. The car ride wasn't long enough to make me pull out the license plate games, but enough for me to turn to thinking about what Octavia and I could do in Canterlot. For the day I would take her to my favorite lunch place and we could talk about boys, or wait, girls? Whatever, I guess people watching gone sexual would be better (in reality it's just rating those assets).

Then we could walk to the mall and explore, possibly play some arcade games. And then move on to the castle with the really nice dinner. Anything in any order worked, I just hoped to do something along those lines. Sure, it's basically the most cliche date and I doubt it's because someone has no idea how to come up with something better (cough cough, yeah you know who you are). I thonked my head against the wheel. What even was that? Anyway,  hopefully if it all goes well, the day ends with skinny dipping in the pool atop the hotel or a light cuddle. Whichever works out in the flow of things. 

Thinking about the day ahead had sped things along, fast as a paragraph skip. It didn't take long at all to get to Octavia’s room. I pulled the door open, hoping to surprise her anyway I could, whether it was her changing or not knowing the exact moment I was going to arrive. Sadly it was the latter, and she sat there with her headphones in, taking a nap. So it wasn't really either, because her darn classical music kept her from hearing me. 

After taking a long look at her exposed cleavage I leant over the railings of the hospital bed, kissing her on the cheek. “Hey Octy, I'm back.” I whispered, feeling my heart warm as she opened her eyes and gave me the purest sleepy smile. 

“Vinyl? I'm glad you're back.” Octavia sat up, sadly fixing her clothing to cover herself up more. 

I smiled back at her, “Well I’m here to break you out, you've been cooped up here long enough.”

Octavia brightened noticeably, “That sounds lovely, are we going to Canterlot then?”

“Of course, I don't go back on my word. Especially if it involves a beautiful woman.” I winked.

Octavia blushed, “You're too sweet, let me grab my clothes and we can skedaddle.”

I barked out a laugh, “No I meant me, I can let my sexiness be tarnished by lies. I mean, you're pretty cute too. But let's be honest, it's all about balance and I've got the full package.”

Octavia shook her head, “But of course, there's no other reason I would have you as a girlfriend.”

I felt my cheeks warm, “W-Well, thanks. I'm glad we cleared that up.”

“Are you blushing Scratch?” Octavia giggled, “I thought it was obvious that was what we were.” She pulled me in for a long kiss. Our lips interlocked, giving me a cherry taste on my tongue as I used it to get a bit more adventurous. We only halted our session for a breather, staying just close enough for a strand of saliva to hang from our mouths. 

I didn't say anything. I only stood there, taking in her purple orbs and how it was slowly becoming a favorite color of mine.

Octavia was the first to move, “I must say, every time I am with you I cannot help feel better immediately. Now, let's get on our way. We’ll have plenty of time to continue in the hotel room, I already booked an appropriate one with all the time I had on my hands. I'm sure you would not mind.”

I rubbed my cheeks, trying to get them to stop blushing, “Fine with me, it's your day. I just request a dance at my chosen club and to be the big spoon.”

“I concede the prestigious position to you Miss Scratch, try to remember that with great power comes great responsibility.”

“It totally does, can't wait.”

Octavia got out of bed, possibly doing it purposely slow to let me admire her naked back. She grabbed the clothes on the table next to her, “Would you say these are appropriate wears for clubbing?” She held up a snap up tank top and this plaid short skirt out of some Japanese cosplay, “The nurses recommended them, and if you do not, but have the money, shipping is...how do I say it, ridiculously fast.”

“Ooo, I think I could see you anywhere in those.” 

“Excellent.” The gown dropped to the floor, “Could you close the door, I do not think I am that adventurous just yet. I suppose I can only handle one person at the moment looking at me in this state.”

I smiled as I did what she asked, "I'm always ready for a show. I've only seen your knockers once Octy, I was kinda in a rush at the time anyway."

Octavia smiled back, "Now who said that you could see them?" Slipping off her gown, she masterfully kept her hands covering her private parts. Two fingers were across one breast, barely covering the nipple, while her arm created a strapless, sleeveless, wrap around top. Her other hand was this lithe appendage that obstructing my view, but then teasing me with her amazing thighs. 

I watched as Octavia turned around, leaving a well shaped tush in full view, never bending over enough to get the shorts enough to reveal more. They entranced me with their jiggling as she shimmied them on, but once she turned around the arm was back in place on her chest. My only glimpse of heaven was when she slipped her top on.

"If only you were that fast when I met you, maybe ya would've gotten the better of me when we first met." I commented, "Where's your underwear anyways?" 

I received a noncommittal shrug, "Underwear my dear Vinyl? I thought we were being adventurous?"

"I-I guess, yeah," Sputtering, I grabbed her bag of stuff from its spot near the bed. "Let's get you outta here and see if you're really up to that."





Once everything was taken care of with the hotel, Octavia and I made our way to the mall. The prison of time as I liked to call it, and with Octavia's personality I had expected her to decide on some fancy super expensive place. The mall was as cliche as it got, not too bad looking and actually a few things I liked. We went into the large store that usually sits on the end, Octavia going straight for the swimsuits. 

She absentmindedly looked around, "I actually do not have a swimsuit, can you believe that Vinyl?"

I nodded my head, "Honestly yeah, you never seemed the type." 

"I was always too busy with everything that I never had free time to do those type of things." Octavia picked up a generic black string bikini. "And even if we went in the water it was always that same one piece swimsuit."

I had a perfect idea of what I wanted to do with her options, "Well I guess we should go all out, yeah? We won't have time for stuff like this for awhile so don't go for that regular stuff." I looked around, finding a white string bottom that didn't just have strings on the side, but a g string that nestled in between her cheeks. It was paired with a top that had some Egyptian style that featured two white thin cloths that ran over each breast, really each nipple they were so thin, and were held together by clear plastic string, same as the bottom. They left a large opening in between, hinting that one leap too high could let slip a breast or too, meeting at the top to the clear plastic string that wrapped around the neck. "Perfect, try this."

"Shouldn't we," Octavia took the swimsuit gingerly, "Take it a bit more slowly? I understand the adventure, but this is many steps ahead the 'one-step at a time' saying, dear Vinyl."

"Fine, I'll just one up you alright?" I looked around, finding the best one.

Octavia burst out laughing, "Vinyl my dear, I think you would get kicked out of the Academy if the Princess saw you in that."

The swimsuit was a one piece, which I would normally associate with someone who liked to be modest. However, this one piece was a slingshot bikini, which granted was one piece, but it was practically just suspenders attached to a thong. It was this black v that had two strings that wrapped around either of my shoulders and met at my ass, continuing to meet at the other side of my crotch. Now, it was technically modest enough that I wouldn't be kicked out anywhere, as the strings had two circular patches to cup my nips and one business card sized patch to cover my...lets say main hole. However, if I literally or metaphorically dropped the soap the string definitely wouldn't cover my other one. I gave a slight shrug, mine as well live a little dangerously in a way that isn't life-threatening for once, and I grabbed the one that would fit me and walked toward the fitting room, "Come on Octy, I know I can pull this off. What about you huh?"

Octavia waved her hands in front of her, "No, no, this one is quite fine."

Shortly after we made our way into our respective changing rooms. Once I admired my awesome bod and did a few poses once I put on the slingshot. It was a nice lookin' one with blue covering most of it and a white outline to match my hair. Any hop, shake, and a bounce would knock the knockers loose so it seemed I would have to stay reserved for such an unreserved piece of wear. I liked the idea of it though, it was fun to wear and to look at.

When I got back to our seat Octavia wasn't out yet, which I wasn't surprised about. Hers was a lot harder to put on than mine. But when she came out I reflexively wolf whistled, and I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She was like an angel, some kind of deadly angel that was terrifyingly beautiful. Her well sized breasts filled out the top giving it a gorgeous side boob, while the bottom was one string pull away from being gone.  It didn't matter because it was tight enough to reveal everything without breaking social standards where we were. It did make me quickly consider moving us to Europe. 

"Damn Octavia, you look mighty fine." She came closer, arms on hips and obviously a bit proud of herself, "I hope you got us a hotel with a pool."

"I concur, you look ravishing," She gave a cheshire grin, something I only had seen a few time due to her personality, "Why not give a twirl?"

I smiled, "But of course." I did a slow twirl, letting my hands run down my sides to give it a better effect, "Happy?"

"Very," Octavia tapped her chin, "Maybe a bounce for good luck?"

"We both know what happens if I do that Tavi," I scooted over the the changing room, letting the two string straps drop over my shoulders and carry the suit with it. But since I was facing the room, all Octavia saw was essentially what she had teased me with earlier in the day. "However, I heard karma's a feisty one."

The swimsuits were bought and stashed in the bag for later, and we went on to the next part of our date. Which actually wasn't that far, just on the other side of the mall. It was some big game arcade where you could have lunch called 
Bob and Deadbeats. A quick lunch later and we had some money to play with, literally.

I saw a shooting game that you could do with a partner, obviously I chose the child nearby to kill zombies with me. Way more reliable than an assassin, who could stab you in the back at any time. A kid is always straightforward, could tell you he's got a knife and is gonna attack you and you'll be too enamored with their adorable face to realize that sound of air escaping is a popped boobie. But seriously, who would trust Octavia with a toy gun yet, she's had like no childhood anyway, this kid is in his prime. 

Octavia had went to try out some guitar video game, but come back soon after she had kept failing at it. Or at least her frizzy hair and flustered look told me so. She stalked up to the child, "Hello little one, I would like to take the second player position next to my girlfriend, please."

The kid shrugged, "Sure, whatever lady."

Octavia took her spot next to me, "I decided you would need my assistance in defeating this boss creature. The guitar was never my strong suit anyway."

I looked back toward the guitar station, "Well, I used to play it back in the day. The trick is predicting the next note, then hitting the button and stuff."

Octavia looked back at me, "I think you just described the game Vee. You gave no actual assistance, my dear." 

I chuckled, "Okay you got me, I jest." My game was then ended by a stray bullet that glanced my elbow. Because apparently that has the same importance damage-wise as a head-shot. Sure, makes sense to me.  

We moved onto more generic date things that involved the arcade. The claw machine was like an ex-wife named Karen that took everything and gave nothing. While the skee-ball pitted my stubbornness to get a hundred point hole against Octavia's common sense and statistical prowess of simply rolling her, heh, balls up the middle. It was fun nonetheless and acted as an especially good getaway from the stress and life-threatening job that we had to deal with constantly. Plus, it let me find out things about Octavia that were more enjoyable to find out than through a twenty question kind of game. 

I got to find out that under that calm stature of hers, she was actually a very competitive and easily angered through games.  Her ability to learn quickly transferred to these games, causing her anger to subside quickly once she got the hang of it. One upside to her ferocious style of play included her loss of situational awareness. So, evidently any time a target, air hockey puck, or anything of the like would need that extra stretch over top the counter she would provide an almost unbelievable up-skirt that made the skirt act like it wasn't even there.  And let me tell ya, I almost wanted her to wear more clothing just so I could keep it to myself.

After a good hour of this coincidental one player turns I took so I could  admire from afar, I decided it was time for our lunchtime picnic in the park nearby.  Soon enough we sat on the grass near the pong that the park surrounded. I smiled toward Octavia, just admiring her for a moment. "You look beautiful no matter when or where I look at you, did you know that?"

Octavia glanced over from her lunch, her eyebrows raising in a slight surprise, mirroring my own at how I had blurted out something so gooey. "Why no, Vinyl, I never really payed attention to how I wanted to present myself until I met you. It's only been a couple months, and I must say that I noticed a pleasant change in myself since then."

"I'm glad...proud too. Even excited that I get to spend your training with you, watching you grow into a fierce woman. It's going to be awesome planning and executing these next missions and everything, especially when I get to go off the clock and..." I leant forward and stole a kiss from her, "go right back to spending my time with you." 

Octavia was blushing from ear to ear, "Y-yes, I of course enjoy the time off with you too. Now, I must inquire what's next on this date of ours?"

I looked at the time that told me it was just past two in the afternoon, "I guess we could hit up the water-park. It's a good twenty or so minutes from here, but I've heard it's pretty good." 

"I suppose that's acceptable. I don't mind the drive." She smiled, obviously hyperbolizing her opinion. 





Our trip was short, and we found ourselves inside the park before we knew it. The first stop was the changing rooms right outside the entrance after we bought our tickets in and luckily for me only one was currently open. I felt a tingle of excitement as we made our way to them. "Oooh, darn Octy, looks like there's only one changing room open. Guess we'll just have to share. It's okay, I promise to only be mildly frisky."

"But of course, if only there were other options. For example, the ever fleeting need for patience." Octavia replied deadpanned. But I saw her try to hide her smirk. 

I grinned and grabbed her hand, dragging her into the aforementioned changing room. After we set our stuff down and pulled out the bikinis, I quickly reached for Octavia. "Now, now, my angel, I can't have you straining yourself. Here, let me help ya."

"V-Vinyl...I thin-Oh!" Octavia gave a surprised yelp as I slid her top off, and unclasped her bra while she was complaining. Even though I was behind her, the mirror in front of us gave me a perfect view of her naked chest. Her breasts were large enough to touch each other like a pair of cherries, and they fell downward, shaping up like a dollop of whip cream. I wrapped my hands around, slowly running my left hand south to cope her butt cheek and pull her skirt and panties down. The other hand moved north, snaking around her hips and up her stomach taking in the smooth and well toned abs that she had worked tirelessly on maintaining. My right hand found her corresponding breast, kneading the nipple to elicit a moan from Octavia. As for my left hand, it found comfort in her tightening folds. However that was as far as I would get, since Octavia decided she needed to take the reins. 

Octavia spun around, pulling off my white crop top that featured a u-neck. I had thrown it on in haste of meeting her. "Oh you naughty girl. Don't think I didn't notice that you did not have anything underneath this. I have been dying to suck on those perky tits all day." 

And suck on them she did, because before I new it my jeans were off in the corner with my black thong. "Yeah, Tavi, that's the stuff." 

In a turn of the unusual, I was the one to halt the sexiness that was occurring. I know, I should probably be checked out by the doctor. Preferably one that was Octavia dressed up. With one last good moan I gave Octavia a kiss that took my breath away, "Now, not that I want to complain about the service you're giving me...Don't worry I'll be leaving a five star Yelp review. But I think we should leave this for sometime later, and maybe put these swimsuits to good use. I'm sure we can hit the quota of five people hitting on us before we get to our second ride." 

Octavia sighed in disappointment, "I must hold you to that Scratch, I was just beginning to get out of my comfort zone with this 'naughty girl' act. And do keep the flirting to just that, I think my adventurous bug stops there."

"Yeah, yeah, we'll save the threesomes and up for after we've done some more. But we can't pass up some numbers and the nudes they come with, trust me." I paused for a minute, "Wait a sec, am I your first?"

"As much as I am embarrassed to admit, you would be my first girlfriend Vinyl. I assumed it was quite obvious from my upbringing and focus on the Wonderbolt Academy." Octavia grabbed my hand, intertwining our fingers. "And I am eternally grateful it is you that has taken that first. So lets refrain from taking any of those more, say, kinky firsts, yes? I need to ease into everything."

I smiled, feeling a little giddy, "Wow, Octy, I don't know what to say. I thought you meant like your first time even having a taste of sex, but dang...I guess that means we'll stick to the vanilla stuff."

Octavia tsked a couple times, "I did not say that dear, I was referring to anything that involved more than you and I. I do not think I see anything more than a twosome happening with us. But in this line of work, I suppose I can never rule it out. See, I would rather not divide my attention." She moved behind me, giving my butt a smack. "I would like to focus it all on you and this swimsuit." 

I took the slingshot bikini from her hands, dipping both my feet on either side and pulling the strings over my shoulders. Once I tied Octavia's string for her top, and gave her a peck on the cheek, we were off. Well, after a detour to the lockers to drop off our stuff. "Okay, first order of business is the tallest, most scary ride. Why? You might ask, my angel. Don't worry, I'll answer promptly. See, we need to wind down, not up when enjoying the water park. By the end of this we'll be cruising down the lazy river."

"Whatever you say Scratch, I am just here for the ride." She gave me a wink, "Please be sure to stay in front of me, I cannot bear to lose you."

I snicker, "Yeah, I gotcha. Anywho, there's the Demon Launcher. I think it's supposed to be self-explanatory."

"Sounds extravagant, I do like the name." Octavia mentioned, winking at one of the teenagers that were staring at us.

As we made it to the ride I noticed how the line was pretty long, "Well, it looks like we'll have plenty of time to mess with someone in this line. Sheesh, you'd think they would've figured out how to shorten lines these days." 

"Speaking of Vinyl, I see some, how might you say it? Prey, I suppose, up ahead." Octavia gestured toward the back of the line to these three little piglets. And I was pretty sure they had built up their defenses with straw. 

I could tell the most they had seen in terms of lewdness was the wrong kind of ad on some website. From the back I could tell they had all chosen the simplest bikinis that they could think of. Or rather, it really reflected their knowledge on them. The girl on the left had a pink skirt bottom with some white frills and a matching striped top with the same couple of colors. As for the girl in the middle, well she seemed to embody the look of a tomboy with short purple and a strapless orange top and simple bottom with the same style. The last girl had a pink bow to match her red hair, and the theme continued to her red-orange top that strapped around her neck and some modest short shorts that had the same coloring.

I was the first to speak, "Hey girls, first time on your own out in the big world. Watch out for those wolfs around here, they like to look for yougin's like y'all. Well, legally young if you catch my drift." 

The purple haired one turned around, obviously a bit perturbed, "Hey lady, that's no way to talk to us! We're all eighteen, heck, Sweetie Belle here is turning nineteen in a couple weeks! And we'll kick your as-hold on, I know you..."

Upon closer inspection, it seemed I knew this kid too, "Hey, hey, kid. You're that kid that helped me find Dashie. Thanks again for that."

"You bet. Say, I was hoping to cash in on a favor." Scootaloo looked left and right. "See, my friend Apple Bloom over here is lookin' to apply to the Academy. Sweetie Belle and I are already in the process of getting mentors, but Apple Bloom just got it settled that she wanted to join." 

I nodded along, 'cause why not help out some up and comers that needed it, "Hold up, Apple...say, you apart of the Apple family?"

Apple Bloom shook her head up and down, "Sure am. Applejack is my big sister! Ah don't get ta see her too much, or hear much either. But ah think she's pretty cool, an ah wanna be just like 'er." 

I ran my hand through my hair, "No freakin' way, Honesty is awesome. You know, I once saw her kill a man with just her thumb. It was insane, lost fifty bucks to her and Generosity too." 

Sweetie Belle perked up at her sister's code name, "You knew my sister? She's never tells me anything about when she was a Master Assassin. Says it's too uncouth of her to tell something so secret. Sometimes she even says that I'm not old enough." 

I laughed, "Yeah, that does sound like 'em. Tell y'all what, I'll be even with you Scoots if I give ya some advice and tell these two lovely ladies a story about their sisters."

"Sounds good to me." Scootaloo replied, beaming about it.

I turned to Octavia, "Hey, it's not too much to deviate from our plan right? We'll have plenty left in the day to do stuff. We may have to cut off the little divertissement of flirting though to make up time." 

Octavia stopped mid-nod, "W-what? Where did you even learn that word?"

"Gotta get that word of the day checked off. Come on Octy, dontcha have any good hobbies?"

"I did not expect you to have such a hobby, Scratch." Octavia sighed, "But it seems I still have much to learn about you."

I winked at her, "In many ways."

With our pleasantries out of the way, our group made it to the top while I found out more about Scootaloo and her friends. Scootaloo herself was the most experienced by amount of time spent in the academy. Though you couldn't apply to it till you were eighteen, she had special privilege to be there because of her mother. This allowed her to make friends within the academy and train here and there when her mother was on missions. She had convinced her friends to join after much pestering and the notion of only doing assignments that helped the greater good. Plus, she really liked the idea of becoming an expert in anything that required some fuel (whether it fly, ride, or go across water) and guns.

Sweetie Belle had been the second to join after a stent with one of Rarity's fashion friends Cocoa Pommel. She had taken the less traveled, but well liked road of a Blacksmith. She hoped to be their sole producer of fashion, their medic on missions, and the one in the background of anything that didn't require the trio.  Once the duo became a trio with the addition of Apple Bloom, they would officially begin their training. She actually hadn't been introduced to the world of assassins personally till recently, when Rarity deemed it time for her to know the more, quote, uncouth side of Rarity. And in true role-model fashion, Rarity had carefully instructed on the path Sweetie Belle would follow if she was set on becoming an assassin with her best friends. 

Apple Bloom also didn't get told much and by 'honest' curiosity had searched through her sister's belongings and past during her last summer after high school and went to find the truth. Her sister had found her first, specifically to stop her from going to far down the rabbit hole and, to put it lightly, breaking something when she landed. But instead of being mortified, Apple Bloom had been in awe about her sister's accomplishments and reach in world changing events. She had also been swayed by her friends introduction to their side and view of the academy, so she chose recently to follow through and begin the road to becoming their resident hand to hand and melee weapon expert. 

See, the Wonderbolt Academy had changed a lot since I had applied and gone through the motions. Now, missions required a 'battle buddy' or more. Too many had been gun ho about the lone wolf trend of the past decades before the new millennium, and their constant pile up six feet under had caused the academy to reevaluate their methods and rules. So, each partner or member of the team had to have a certain set of qualifications before taking a contract or mission, especially a weapons expert and medic that most of them required. 

It was why the Main Six had been so efficient and terrifying. They had perfected the establishing of roles and the chemistry required to maximize their ability to accomplish missions that were previously thought impossible and do it consistently. Their work had inspired a new generation of, for a lack of better term, do-gooders. I was proud to have worked with them. And looking at the upcoming generation I saw in front of me, I felt that maybe the legacy they left behind wasn't so much of a long shot to replicate.

By the time I had finished my exposition we were seated at the nearest cafe at the park. We needed a break and something to eat from all the fun we had been having throughout it. I leaned back in my chair, content on the day I’d had so far, “So ladies, I guess we can begin this transaction.”

Apple Bloom bounced up and down, “Oh could ya? I ah’ve been waiting forever to hear about mah sister!”

“Nonono, do mine first. Rarity always says she’ll tell me about what she used to do later. But later never comes!” Sweetie Belle swatted away Apple Bloom’s raised hand.

Scootaloo stood up and slapped her hand down on the table, “I think you know who deserves the first say, Vinyl.”

I laughed, “Alright Scoots, let’s get to you. But be prepared, only few have succeeded in the training I’m about to reccomend to you.”

Scootaloo matched me with a trademark grin, “Hit me with it. You won’t even be ready for me once I’ve completed it!”

“You need to do one hundred pushups, one hundred sit-ups, one hundred squats, and a ten kilometer run everyday." I nodded to myself, happy with finally revealing the information to someone who might use it wisely.

"Pfft," Scootaloo laughed, "No really, what can I do to become an assassin like you?"

I scoffed, "How dare you. I am completely serious, that's a method brought down through generations of us. Okay just me, but it will be generations okay? You can keep it going."

"Yeah, why not. It's not like anything else works." Scootaloo sighed, "But do you have anything that's at least useful for teamwork or something like that?"

"Sure do. Trust them with your life." I said, gesturing to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. "Hear me out, I can already see your eyes halfway into that roll. All these academies are still in their beginnings with this concept of teamwork. It was a man eat man world out there for centuries. Assassins were only there for work and pay, so any addition meant less work and therefore less pay. So, it wasn't apparent until the Main Six came around and revolutionized the idea of 'friends' inside such a ruthless profession."

Apple Bloom's eyes sparkled proudly, "Mah sister really helped that happen?"

"Mhmm, and I think that it saved many of our lives with the method they popularized." I turned back to Scootaloo, "So, with that in mind, I need you to forever trust your teammates. Because someday there will be a team with you that doesn't trust each other, or a situation you alone couldn't get out of, and both would fail without the two you've got with you today."

Recognition seemed to finally dawn in Scootaloo's eyes, "Fine, I guess I'll see how it goes. These two are keepers."

Both of the ones being referenced gave an "Aww" and hugged their friend. I watched contently, glad to see the next generation continuing what the greatest living assassins had taught. "So, as for your stories I promised. Would you like to hear them now."

The three nodded, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom a little more ferociously than Scootaloo. Apple Bloom spoke up for the three, "Don't let up on any details. Ahm an adult now, ah can handle it."

I threw my hands up, conceding to their points, "Alright, alright, so it all began in Saddle Arabia. Where I was with your sisters on a mission to disperse a tyrannical ruler that had taken most of the land. See, he did it through his two dollar store chain, like dollar stores, except twice as expensive. Anyway, he wasn't paying taxes and we were the cheapest way to get rid of them. So, there we were..."





I sat on the so-so quality bed in the so-so quality room that Rarity, Apple Jack and I had booked in the hotel that was across the street from the office building, or rather on the inside a compound that housed the current ruler of Saddle Arabia. We had decided the element of surprise would give us the best advantage, so I was in my suit that featured a red shirt, black tie, and white blazer with the same colored pants to match. Rarity was in her skin-tight leather suit that made her look like cat-woman went through a phase with her stand out purple hair. It had a zipper all the way to her crotch and the only reason she didn't have it all the way down was because of the black belt that hung over the bottom, covering the bits that would show if it was. But the zipper was pulled down within an inch of its end, coinciding with the belt and giving her breasts some breathing room. They were the second largest I had ever seen that were entirely natural, next to Fluttershy's of course. She topped it all off with a leather cap that had a small bump to give off the image of a unicorn. Some red glasses to, from what she insisted, enhance her shooting sat atop her head. Lastly, she had a black collar with three diamonds hanging from it in a triangle like formation.

Apple Jack was wearing a tan jacket that bared her midriff and sleeves that ended just before her elbows. Underneath she wore an orange low cut crop top. She also had a pair of tight fitting black mini shorts that drug your eyes down from her bozoongas down to her booty that was stretching them to their limit. A brown belt over those gives her back some modesty, but Rarity would tell you that their main utility is for ammo and aesthetic. Apple Jack continued this look with a pair of brown, knee-high boots with orange over-the-knee socks. To finish it off she had some black, finger less gloves infused with Kevlar-dotted titanium that really didn't help with her punches that could already knock a man into a coma. 

I stretched my arms out and placed them behind my head, "You ladies ready to get this done and get back to Equestria?"

Rarity nodded absentmindedly, while Apple Jack actually replied, "Well of course sugercube. But ahm more ready for you to give me back those new Deagles after this ends."

I drew back in mock suprise, "Are you telling me that you don't trust me with weapons that I only familarized myself with just yesterday? Apple Jack I know you want them back 'cause your loosing your touch in the strength department, but you don't have to be so roundabout about it." 

Apple Jack scoffed in return, "Tell ya what, ah bet ah could kill a man with just mah thumb and not even touch one of those metal death bringers this whole mission." 

I turned to Rarity, "You in on this, Rares?"

"Darling, of course I am. I need myself a spa day after this dirty deed." Rarity grabbed her bag from the counter she had been at, "It's overdue for Apple Jack to remind us of her prowess. Though I must mention that I will be betting against you. Say, a cool fifty in the pot for the three of us?"

I waggled my pointer finger at Rarity and Apple Jack, "Oooh, y'all are gonna regret this. But sure, I'll go along with it."

Rarity slung her bag over her shoulder, "Well, I must say goodbye for now. You two know I like to make everything perfect before it becomes...less than perfect."

I shooed her away, "Uh, huh, leave it to Apple Jack and I to it. The lonely duo left alone with only their wits, and a pair of Deagles. I can see the credits rolling now." 

"You two willingly chose those because you wanted to have a challenge for once." Rarity scoffed, "You two are extremely lucky that we exist outside the bounds of the academy. I cannot imagine the faces on those boardsman if we told them we had planned anything in less than the baseline of two weeks. Let alone the all-nighter and, what was that horrid movie marathon? Shrek?" 

"That is a masterpiece of theatrical and musical composition and I will not have you defame that in front of tens of people!" I yelled in response. 

"She's right Rares. You can't just do a classic like that." Apple Jack commented. 

"Ugh!" Rarity then stormed out as gracefully as one could.

I packed a few more mags onto my belt, "I guess that lets us take our time getting there."

We did just that, giving Rarity plenty of time while we set up at the entrance of the office building. I placed the last cardboard cutout near a bush that was probably there just for looking good more than anything. Once that was done I sat on the bench next to Apple Jack, "Alright, that's the last one. Now we just wait a few more minutes until it reaches time."

Apple Jack cocked an eyebrow, "Are ya sure that'll work? It seems a little...simple to trick them into thinking there's more of us with something like that."

"AJ, I'll have you know that before I became an assassin that I was a cardboard connoisseur. And before that, a coconut farmer, but I don't like to talk about that part of my life." I slid down the bench, "Just trust me, the people getting hired these days are way overworked any hallucinate on a dime. We'll be fine."

"Ya would think they would do it on a dollar." Apple Jack laughed to herself, stopping short when she saw my blank stare. "Get it. 'Cause they don't get payed enough."

I was about to reply, but all the glass on the first floor of the building shattered at once and the heads of the two dudes guarding the door dissipated in a fine mist. "She grabbed that fifty cal, instead of something more silent, didn't she?" I said instead.

Apple Jack sprung herself from the bench, flipping a few times toward the dozen bad guys that were coming toward us. Her momentum increased with a few more cool lookin' somersaults and she plowed into the nearest one, flinging them into a concrete pillar twenty feet away. I decided I should join in on the fun and slipped one of my pistols out. I began my assault by hiding behind the last cutout I had stood up and popping off a few stray rounds to draw their fire. It succeeded when I shot a dude in the arm, and I swear one unsuspecting black suited woman was un-blessed with a big booty. She now had a good four more holes because of that unlucky shot. Unlucky for them, lucky for me though. 

With a good fifteen or so reinforcements coming through the elevators and stairs into the lobby, I began the true meat of plan. Drawing out my second pistol, I rolled and dove in between cover and behind the several cutouts I had set up. I was careful only to actually hit people when I was behind an aforementioned cutout to really sell that they were real. I was losing hope, until I heard one stray yelp.

"There's too many of them! Fall back and get to the main floor, protect Mr. Fuffles! " A guy that looked like someone important said to the rest of them. "You all, stay here! We're holding them off!"

I rushed through the broken windows, clipping a few legs and finishing them off cleanly as they ran away. But there were still several left. "I've been meaning to try a few new moves, ya'll ready?"

"You're going to die lady. That's what I'm ready for." The main dude replied.

I sighed, "Yeah. Great. So original. Whatever, here I come." 

Most of them had pistols like me, but a couple held SMGs and rifles. I decided the latter was the more important to deal with. I put one Deagle away for later, shot a few rounds, but it jammed. With all the important issues without heads but one rifleman, I took the clip out and chucked the pistol at them. It hit the rifleman on the head, discombobulating them. While they recovered I slapped my other Deagle on the clip and fired the rest of my magazine at them. Now it was finally even and something I could easily deal with, as only a few bad guys with pistols stood in my way. A quick glance in Apple Jack's direction told me she was in a similar situation. 

I sprinted toward the nearest one, unloading my rounds at the couple men behind them. I came close enough to jump at them, and I did so. But I used my momentum to my advantage, wrapping my legs around their neck. "Normally I would mention that this is probably a pleasant experience for the both of us, but then again usually the two of us don't have any clothes on." I said to them, piggybacking them almost, except being on their shoulders. I swung around, letting my body fall toward the ground and placing my hands on it to steady myself. I used all my strength to bring my legs with me, and consequently the dude I had wrapped them around with them. His head hit the ground, and his body kept going. However, my legs kept his neck, and spine, vertical while the rest of the body caused his spine to snap from the ninety degree angle it had struggled to get to. I took a break, waiting for Apple Jack and using the large figure of the dude as a rest stop. 

Apple Jack soon met me, ready to begin part two of the plan. She came to me shaking her head, "Ah don't understand how it worked. But I guess ah ain't gonna question it. 'Cause we're gonna need that dumb luck with this other part."

I waved my hand about, "Yeah, yeah, all you had to say was that I'm awesome. But remember, I won't do anything to the dude if you really can get him with just your thumb."

"Hah, does Howdy Doody have wooden balls?" 

I stopped, "I...uh, sure? You know what, just help me get the table and chairs into the elevator. And grab the Keurig."

No more than fifteen minutes later we sat riding the elevator up to the top floor. We had set up a table inside, with the chairs that we sat in allowing us to face the entrance when we arrived. A Keurig had assisted us in the tea making, but now it sat as a set piece to help the table feel less empty. A ting from the elevator announced our arrival, and we still sat seconds later alive. The twenty or so people on the top floor sat spread around the lobby, with Mr. Fluffles in the middle. The guards were set perfectly symmetrical around him, as all things should be. He was a massive human being, easily seven feet tall with muscles that would probably keep him from wearing long sleeve shirts, let alone anything that isn't sleeveless for the rest of his life. 

"I see you girls have made yourself at home." He said, his gravelly voice was so deep I swear I felt the ground vibrate. 

I laughed nervously, "You betcha. I've always wanted to try out a mobile home. Why don't ya take a seat, we can discuss your assassination like mature people."

Mr. Fluffles looked around the elevator, and by the grace of baby Jesus he made his way inside. Sitting down, he did that dad thing, "Hrumph. Well, lets hear it."

Right then, Rarity's contribution to the second part of the plan came into play. She had positioned herself based of this gander, and replaced her rifle with something that could shoot rubber bullets. The night before she had posed as a fashionable window cleaner and left the window open for what came next. Her single shot flew past Mr.Fuflles' ear, between Apple Jack and I, then hit the back wall, then the button labeled GF (for ground floor, obviously), then the wall again, then the button that closed the doors (this allowed for us to avoid getting shot), and lastly Mr.Fluffles in the back of the head. 

"Ow."

Very quickly, Apple Jack realized this was her chance. She Leaped over the table, keeping one hand behind her back and once she was over her hand she had placed became a thumbs up gesture. It was then inserted into Mr.Fluffles' right eye, she didn't pull it out, instead she gripped his socket and slammed his head into the corner of the table. She pulled her thumb out and jammed it into his left eye, lifting him into a swaying-standing position. To end it, Apple Jack thrust her finger into his neck right into his jugular, slamming it in and out until a snap reverberated throughout the elevator. 

I took a moment to process what had occurred,  "Whelp, I guess you were right." I pulled the fifty out of my pocket, stopping before I handed it to her bloody hand. "Maybe, uh, the other one AJ." 

Apple Jack glanced down at her hand, "Ah, right." 

And with that, a ding sounded our arrival to the ground floor and the end of the mission.





"There ya have it kiddos, a little somethin' about your sisters." I wrapped my arm around Octavia. "I think that's all I've got for ya today. Scootaloo, you know how to reach me. And if you can't, just grab Dashie, she'll probably know where I am. I hope you three do well, I'll be watching your progress."

"Ah can't wait to be like big sis'! Ah won't let ya down Vinyl!" Apple Bloom replied, immediately turning to her friends to discuss the story and how much of it could have really happened.

Octavia and I left after some closing goodbyes. And with a couple hours before the park closed we decided to take a lap or two around the lazy river. We grabbed our tubes and plopped into the river at one of the entrances. I hooked my feet onto Octavia's tube, keeping us together and letting me discuss the day with her. 

"I hope you had some fun today Octy." I said, flicking some water at her.

Octavia giggled, "But of course Vinyl, I cannot complain about spending time with you. Though I am curious what you have planned for the rest of the day."

I rested my hands behind my head, "Well, we can stop by someplace close to the club I used to play at and hang there till we wanna go. We can't stay for too long, 'cause tomorrow morning we're going straight to Neon to start your training."

"I see, how long will this training be?" Octavia asked.

"Umm," I pursed my lips, making a few noncommittal sounds, "I would say that each bit of training is going to be a month or so. Neon may be a bit longer because of the amount of things he can teach you. Then we'll take a trip to Rara and stay there till Rainbow Dash's boyfriend comes back from one of his missions. She said it should give us just a couple weeks of being with Rara, which works out perfectly."

"Marvelous!" Octavia looked confused for a moment, "But how do you know Rara? I thought she only worked for the most prestigious assassins. I heard she has no bias, she will work with Luna, Celestia, and even the Mafia. No offense love, but I would not see her taking such a liking to you." 

I tutted, "Ah, ah, Octavia. You've fallen into the gossip trap, and I thought you were better than that. No, that isn't how she's like. That's just how everyone thinks she is. She'll make anything for anyone as long as they have the money, and aren't rude. She's a good friend of AJ's and I came to befriend her through that relationship." 

Octavia nodded in understanding, "I suppose I should always wait for impressions in person."

"Yeah, I guess. But you'll like her, she's used to the higher echelons of society."

The end of the lap came upon us and I jumped out first, grabbing Octavia's hand and helping her up right after. We turned our tubes in and went back to the changing rooms after we grabbed our stuff from the lockers. Sadly, there were a couple changing rooms open and I didn't get to see a little more of Octavia. My past club, Magic Trails, was a thirty minute or so drive. It gave us plenty of time to chat and just generally enjoy each other's company. Time flew by and soon enough we were at the club after filling ourselves up at a nearby restaurant.

I felt the bass of the music through my whole body as we neared the club. There was a long line, but if we were in luck the bouncer I knew would be on shift. As we neared closer it seemed we were in such luck, "Stone Bounce, how's it goin' my dude?"

Stone Bounce, a six foot, blonde hair and blue eyed man looked down slightly, "Vinyl! Good, how 'bout you? Ya know the club misses you, specially Bass Drop. He's been itching to make another song with ya." 

"Well tell him I need to focus on my girlfriend over here. I've got a lot on my plate anyway bud, this is my only break for awhile." I gave him a fist bump, "But I'll keep it in mind."

Stone Bounce gave a farewell wave, "Good to see ya Vee. Have fun in there."

The trap music hit us head on, but I felt content. Here I was, in a world where anyone could try to kill me at anytime with my angel of a girlfriend. It couldn't get better, except if I could dance with her. Then I guess it would be peak awesomeness. I grabbed Octavia's hand, leading her to the middle of the room. 

"I assume you've never been to this kind of club?" I asked, already positive of the answer.

Octavia looked around, slightly incredulous, "Ah, yes, I might add I have never come across one that allows for such...body positivity?"

I cocked an eyebrow, looking around for her meaning. "What do ya mea-oh, oh, you mean those couple of topless girls?"

"Among the many others, yes." Octavia couldn't take her eyes of them. Granted, I wouldn't have if I wasn't used to it by now.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. We're keepin' our clothes on, and if they get a little frisky they'll be stopped. This is a club, not a brothel with sub-woofers." I chuckled, "But I don't blame you on staring."

Octavia blushed, "I was only thinking that I wished I was as confident as them."

I took her hands, placing them on my hips, "Alright, no time like the present to practice then right? Where's that Octy that I saw in the changing room, anyway?"

"That was all adrenaline and you know it Scratch!" Octavia huffed.

"Sure, sure. Well, I've gotta getcha some confidence before ya get outta here. These hands better have been over every inch of me by the end of the next song. Don't you dare take them off."

The bass dropped and my ass dropped with it into Octavia's slender form. I swayed it back and forth, teasing her waistline with my cheeks. I shadowed her outline with my hands, only pausing to cop a feel when they met her butt. I flipped around, keeping them there and quickly getting in sync with her to swing to the beat. She had gotten the hang of it pretty quickly, her hands riding inside my back pockets told me so. 

I felt warmth flood my body once my forehead touched Octavia's. I couldn't put words to how hypnotizing she looked at that moment. I smelt her surprisingly cherry breath, and I had to taste it. Next thing I knew I had every inch of my lips pressed against hers. I only let up for breath. My tongue flicked her top lip, asking silent permission to enter. She nabbed it with her mouth, continuing on to circle the tip with her tongue. I shivered in pleasure at something I should have been a little more contained about. It was simply a sensory over load. 

The night went on, but not for too long since I finally broke out of my trance and checked my watch. Reality seeped back and I brought us back to my car. And then I was plopping down on the king sized bed, the last forty minutes a blur because of my brain reverting to auto pilot. The shower acted as background noise while I rested. It was my turn soon enough, and my top and bra strewn on the ground were hints to my eventual dilemma of getting out of the bed. Octavia had chosen expertly, the bed felt like heaven and the room was perfectly suited for our one-night stay. In that it didn't feel like we would only be there that night, I could've stayed for longer.

Eventually, Octavia made her way out of the shower, stopping in her tracks once she rounded the corner. "Why hello sexy."

I grinned back at her, thanking whatever above made her shirt. It wasn't big enough to go past her hips, sitting just right on her ass cheeks. Her form was devoid of any underwear, which pained me to say,  "Hey now, it's a look don't touch moment right now. I've gotta get our sweat off me."

Octavia down on the side of the bed next to me, yawning and stretching her arms to reveal her midriff, "I suppose that is quite a fair point my dear Vinyl. But do hurry back, I need my big spoon." She said the last part with a slight chuckle.

I don't even think I felt the water hit my back, before I knew it I was back with a pair of blue panties on and a towel hund around my neck. "Ohoho, prepare yourself Octavia. One swing with this towel and I begin the most lewd game of peek a boo you've ever scene."

Octavia curled her pointer finger toward herself, "Well I am already enthralled by you, so shall we begin the game?"





Octavia and I were mostly silent the drive back to the Wonderbolt Academy. In a few hours we had to grab the rest of Octavia's stuff, go to my house and drop it off, and be back to Neon's for the first few days of training. I had already moved the important training stuff to my designated room at the academy, along with Octavia's training stuff, but we still planned on living together. So, the convenient house that I lived in that allowed perfectly for a couple to live in was quickly transitioned from a bachlorette house to something that we could grow our relationship in. 

It didn't take too long to help Octavia with her stuff and unpack. At one point I took a look around the now more so homey place my house had become. "Ya know, I think some day we should get a dog for this place. It'd be something great to bring along on a few missions and come back to when we're gone." I said to Octavia as she was unpacking the last box.

Octavia's eyes sparkled, "Ooh, yes I agree! My family used to have this most adorable chihuahua and eventually this pure little Shih Tzu! What a splendid idea Vinyl, I have always wanted one of my own."

I sucked in some air through my teeth, "Ehhh, I was thinking something like a...real dog, ya know?"

Octavia scoffed, "And what could you ever mean by that?"

"I try to follow a saying one of my buddies said to me about what a real dog is. ‘A real dog is a dog you can’t drop kick over a fence.”

“How horrid. Princess Muffin was a real dog!” Octavia said, her voice muffled by her hands.

“Well, I would want a German Shepard or Husky. I'm just sayin', somethin' that could keep up with us if we wanted to bring them on missions." I smiled, hoping to calm Octavia down.

Octavia took a second to think, "That is a fair point. I think we may have to save that for another time, I would rather like to get used to things. Plus, I have heard that those are very high maintenance dogs. Much like yourself Scratch."

"Hardy har har, get it in while you still can. Your sass'll be no more once training kicks off."

"And should we not be leaving soon?" Octavia said, checking her watch.

"Eh, we've got another like hour and a half. It only takes maybe half an hour to get there anyhow." I sat on the couch and laid my feet on the table in front. I patted the seat cushion next to me, "Come on, let's relax a bit. We've been unpacking all day."

Octavia snickered, "It's only been a couple of hours Vee, I hardly think that qualifies as all day." 

"Pff, heck yeah it does. Anything past noon qualifies as overtime for me. Seriously, that's just nap time by that point."
I wrapped my arm around Octavia once she sat down.

"And may I assume that you're suggesting nap time?"  Octavia snuggled into me, "Not that I would not be up to it."

I grinned, "Normally I would say yes, but I think that I wouldn't want to leave once we did. I think relaxing here for the time being will have to do."

"I think that is also a pretty good idea." Octavia replied.

And so we relaxed there for the time being. The television was on as background noise, and I made small talk with Octavia. It was nice to sit there and relax for one last time. I had a feeling that the next couple months, possibly years would be chaotic. It would be filled with hardships we couldn't even begin to imagine. I knew that after this training, after she became ready to face the real bastards of the world, that she wouldn't be afraid to do anything or face anyone. The horrors of the world could possibly be quelled with our partnership, and I hoped to anything that it was true. 

Or maybe we'd just kick ass because we would become awesome. I couldn't know, I'm not some omniscient author that knows what everything that would happen in the universe. I just had to be ready for everything and help Octavia get ready for the same. I was excited though, I could not wait to see not just Octavia herself grow, but our relationship too. I was curious how it would impact our dynamic. 

The warmth that came from the sun directly over our heads, along with Octavia's contribution made it hard to keep myself from falling asleep. I looked down to tell Octavia it was about time to go, but her soft breathing told me that just maybe we could be a few minutes late. 

Like some kind of smash cut in a movie we stood in front of Neon's place. A few minutes late, as mentioned before.

I looked at Octavia, "You ready for the best couple months of your life? This stuff ain't gonna be like your academy training. It's going to be long and hard, but I know you learn by having fun so it'll be chock full of things you won't forget. Which is what I want."

Octavia flipped some stray strands of her hair over her shoulder all lady like, "But of course Vee, I would not have it any other way."
> 5-This Is Where The Training Montage Would Be  Pt. I
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I woke up with a slight creak in my neck, deducing from it that Octavia and I had fallen asleep while on the couch. My pocket was vibrating, which meant I wasn't woken up by the beautiful sounds of morning. No, just work calling by the name of Neon Lights. I sighed, wiping off my drool and picking my head up from Octavia's shoulder. The couch was one of those super large ones that acted as a bed too, so I had to shimmy off of it. But eventually I succeeded in maneuvering myself off of it and got off. I opened the sliding doors adjacent to the living room and kitchen we were in, hoping the risen sunlight wouldn't wake my angel. 

Once I was outside I pressed the answer button, "Yo Neon, wassup?"

"Oh, not much Scratch, I just thought I would tell you that I'm prepared for Octavia now." Neon Lights replied, "My training shouldn't take more than three to six weeks, depending on how adept she is at learning new material and applying it."

I nodded to myself, "That sounds pretty good. I'm surprised that you got prepared so fast. I figured you would still be putting your panties on, ya know. I didn't expect this to be a week after I just saw ya, maybe a month easy."

Neon chuckled, "Heh, I just know when to move fast. And having a favor owed from a Master Assassin can come in handy some day."

"Yeah, for plot." Vinyl mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing," Vinyl quickly said, "We'll be ready soon enough. I'll tell Octavia and we can be there tomorrow, 'round lunchtime."

"Gotcha, works for me just fine." Neon replied. He sighed, "Alright, well I'll see you then. I gotta do some final prepping for when ya'll arrive."

"See ya man. And thanks a bunch for everything."

"'Course, I see promise when I know it." 

Vinyl hung up and made her way back into the house, looking for Octavia. I arrived to see her making what smelled like some tea in one of my shirts that I'd lent her. We were so worn out from the day before that she didn't have time to unpack, which meant that since none of my underwear fit I got to see the positives of going without a bra. Her smile was almost distracting enough to drag me away from the semi-transparent plain white shirt I gave her. Sadly, it was cold enough that she had grabbed some of my sweatpants for the moment. Thankfully I didn't have to take quick peeks or wonder about anything, I was able to comment freely on how much I liked her get up. 

I silently slipped in behind her, almost like an assassin, and slipped my hands around her sides. I let them hang down around her waist, pulling her so her butt fit right into my front. "How's my angel doing this fine mornin'?"

"Oh just positively good, dear Vinyl. Say, was that Neon that you were talking to." Octavia took the tea bag out of the kettle, tossing it beside the plate that she'd set aside. "Would you like some tea too?"

"Yeah, it was. He said that we can begin when we're ready, so we'll grab the essentials when we need to go and obviously just take the extra time to go from here to there for the next month. We can relax for the day, but tomorrow is kick off. For the next few months we're gonna get that crash course of everything to make up for Gilda's horrible teaching." I gave Octavia a kiss on the cheek, "But don't worry 'bout it, everything'll go so fast that it's going to feel like a training montage. And no, I'm good for some tea. I'm more of a coffee person myself. Keeps me on my toes."

Once she carefully poured the tea into her cup, the one she had grabbed was labeled 'Made From Scratch'. She turned around, letting my hands rest and her curvy bum. "I suppose that means we have today to relax yes?"

I sneaked a quick peck on her lips, “But of course, anything for my dear angel of my life.”

Octavia giggled, and I could see her cheeks becoming tinged with red, “You flirt. I do think I could always use some more cuddling. Your abode does feature some quaint spots for such a thing.”

“Yeah, I guess it’ll actually be a good while until we get a break.” I picked her up, letting her legs straddle me. After I gave her a few seconds to grab her tea, I set us down on the couch. The view of her from sitting on my lap was almost enough to make me override the cuddling. My shirt was conveniently tight on her, letting some side boob be revealed on the side. Yet again I was pretty much speechless on how lucky I was to be in the situation with such a babe.

“Did I ever tell you how much of a hot babe you are?” I said, voicing my thoughts.

Octavia scoffed, “I cannot say that I’m sure that’s how I’d like to be described.” She leaned closer, wrapping her arms around my neck. “However, I suppose I can understand it’s how you express your fatuation. So, have I told you how especially thrilled I am to be able to be in this position?”

I grinned, “Well you have now.” I noticed Octavia had put down her tea. This led me to navigate her to be the little spoon of the cuddle-fest of the couch. 

“Ooh, I think this is quite nice. And-Miss Scratch, might you wait until a more appropriate time to grope my bosom?” Octavia mentioned candidly.

“Of course, heh.”

Nothing was said for awhile after that. It was  noon so we didn’t have much to do other than our current situation, and even if we did have to do something we’d have plenty of time. It was nice having my girlfriend next to me, warming me up both metaphorically and literally. It’d been awhile since I’d been able to say that. Most of my life had been training and missions, it was why I had become a Master Assassin so soon. 

I’d essentially become a child soldier with a different title. The only time I’d been even close to anyone was desperate attachment to anyone teaching me the ways of leading someone on and other bedroom tactics, all for the mission. Excluding the worst parts of everything, it did let me find out how much women enticed me. I mean, it wasn’t a coincidence that I took a liking to Octavia. She’s got some huge boobs, I mean some serious honkers, a real set of badonks, a lar-

“Vinyl?”

I snapped back to reality, “Yeah?”

"Thanks for this." I could practically hear the smile in her voice.

"'Course, it's not just for you. I mean, I really wanted this too. Like, who doesn't want to cuddle? It's pretty much my secret profession." I said, nuzzling into her neck. Even though Octavia had me beat in certain aspects body-wise, I did have her a bit in height. This lent me to be the natural big spoon, which I gladly took the reigns of.

"No, not this specifically. Not that I do not appreciate it," Octavia mentioned, seeming to notice my heavy silence after it. "It is everything you've done so far."

"Oh do tell. I love having my ego stroked." 

"Mhmm, well. To be completely honest with you Vee, I really never got this far with anyone. As much as I like to act confident and take charge in the flirting per say." I chuckled a bit, thinking back to the applicable moments she was mentioning. But still listening, because I wanted to know every side of her. "I never had time to get a girlfriend or boyfriend, especially when I came here. As much as I want to act like I did, everything we do is a first for me. I never even had practice like you did. Even so, I must say Vinyl, I am having the time of my life in the short time we've been together."

I squeezed Octavia tightly, "I'm a little speechless Octy, but I won't say that I don't appreciate it. I had a girlfriend here, a boyfriend here, and all my hits when I had to, so I can't say there'll be much we're gonna do that I haven't. Still, I have to say for sure that the way I feel for you is definitely a first for my relationships. It was always essentially a fling at most, and I could never have had something that I have with you right now."

Octavia scooted closer to me, "Vinyl...you sweetheart."

I tisked, "Yeah, yeah, I know. Let's get past all this mushy stuff for now and relax. We've got a big, well, month and longer ahead of us." 

"Fine, I guess we can move on to something else." Octavia snuggled into me, "I really mean everything though. I would not want to be with anyone else."

"Same here Tavi, same here."





The next day came way too fast, and before I knew it we were driving to Neon’s shop. Once we got there, it was easy to find him again in the shelves and shelves of weaponry and such that filled the store. We got to him just as he finished up with a customer. 

“How’s it goin’ Neon?” I said, “Ready to show Octy how everything’s actually done?”

Neon walked past us and flipped the sign on the entrance to closed, "You know it Vee, we'll get right into everything." 

"Might I ask what we are starting with?" Octavia asked, looking a bit nervous. 

Neon led us to the range that he and I had been to the last time I was there, "We're going to do a base test of everything today. So, when I see where you're at I can create the plan for however long I need to get you ready for everything. Whether it's gonna be missions, or just defending or attacking, I know you're probably not where you need to be. We need to get you to be able to have a chance to keep up with Master Scratch over here, which could take a couple months or a few weeks depending on this."

"I see..." Octavia mumbled, slightly nodding. 

Thus began the grueling task of going through every single weapon that Neon had. And just when we thought it was over, he would reveal yet another room or shelf, even hidden panels that held weapons I'd only gotten explicit permission on highly classified missions to use. Each of them required to be shot, disassembled, and reassembled in a certain time and with a certain accuracy to pass Neon's standards. It was no wonder he said the whole day would be needed, each one took about ten minutes to deal with. 

It wasn't that Octavia hadn't seen any of the weapons in her time, even I could tell that she was doing fine with all of them. At least, the ones that were easily accessible to someone in her position. The problem that was arising was from her past ability to get hands on training with each gun. Some barely ever saw the light of day because of how difficult they were to procure. Octavia was doing better than I thought she would have been doing, and it seemed to be the same case for Neon too though. 

It was almost midnight when we arrived at the last gun and finished. I had fallen asleep at one point, finding this out by getting shaken awake by Octy and waking up to a glorious view of some cleavage. I grinned, "I like the view Tavi. I wouldn't mind getting woke up like this a little more frequently."

Octavia's squinted her eyes and a thin line formed at her mouse, "Yes, well I will consider it when you behave with a little more couth in front of others hmm?"

I sighed practically feeling my imaginary floppy ears go from pointy to flopped over in sadness, "Okayyy, you know Neon doesn't care." I directed my voice toward him, "You clapped those cheeks yet Neon?"

Neon turned around from putting the gun that Octavia had been firing up, grinning, "Little uncouth of ya to say that in front of your girl huh Scratch?"

"You've only been around Octy for like twelve hours and you're already using her lingo. I'll have you know that I am just trying to support my good buddy here." I stretched, letting myself slump further into my seat and cross my arms. "So, any update?"

Neon made his way over to me, leaning against a table near where I was, "Yeah, nothing much though. Lily Heart and I just had some coffee in a nearby cafe yesterday morning, we planned to go to the mission board at the Academy after I'm done with you guys and I hand in the paperwork." He looked to Octavia, who had occupied herself with one of the other guns, likely for some final moments of practice before we left. Once he seemed confident that she wouldn't hear him, he leaned toward me and whispered. "Listen, okay I think I may owe you one Scratch. She's literally too perfect, and I've only known her for like a day. Everything you described about her wasn't even close to how she actually is dude. What even is that Wonderbolts Academy?"

I stifled a laugh, "They fit right in your hands don't they?"

"Oh, they will, among many other things, don't worry about that." Neon put his fist out for me to bump. Which I did. "Seriously, though, thank you Vinyl. If you need to borrow anything from this stash, 'cause I know I saw you eyein' a few things, don't hesitate to ask." 

"Thanks man, I appreciate it. And I'm glad it's working out." I turned to Octavia, "Hey Octy, I think it's time we get back to home, alright?"

Octavia looked up from her half reassembled gun, "Sounds good Vinyl, let me finish this and we can depart."

I brought my attention back to Neon, "I guess I'll hear where you think she is, the plan moving forward, etcetera when we get here tomorrow?" 

"For sure, I'll need a bit more of the day, so come 'round two and we can go over everything. After tomorrow though, it's full send." He got up to pick up the gun from Octavia, putting it on the shelf.

Octavia stopped beside me, halfway out the door, "Ready, love?"

"Yup, let's go."





It was two o' clock and we sat in a break room with Neon, waiting for him to sort everything and tell us the plan for the training. Octavia and I sat on the couch together, legs entangled and falling in and out of sleep while we waited. Neon on the other hand was sifting through piles of paper, and fixing a white board next to him. Which implied he was likely going to be taking longer than I was hoping to explain everything.

I yawned and shifted so Octavia's head was a little more comfortable on me, "So, Neon, what's the plan here bud?"

"It's something," Neon replied, pinning a few papers with highlights and calendars with magnets on the board, "Just give me a few moments to get everything together and I'll tell you guys the full plan."

True to his word, Neon took a few moments to get everything together. I tapped Octavia awake, and wrapped my arm around her when she shifted to be upright. "Okay, get ready Octavia, these are never entertaining. Sadly, they're always going to be important to anything we do."

"And that is, dear Vinyl?" Octavia asked, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

"A briefing." I said, making spooky motions with my hands and body. 

Neon cleared his throat, obviously trying to get our attention. "Okay you two, mainly you Octavia. Based off the results I saw and gathered from the exercises yesterday I would have to say that training you in everything necessary will take about six weeks."

"That's not too bad." I mentioned.

"Yeah, well each one is highly concentrated with no breaks on the weekends." Neon replied, "This first couple weeks will be purely focused on improving your accuracy with everything, all the weapons that I think necessary to become proficient in. The second couple weeks will be tactics and how to use your new proficiency in everything. The third will be testing you on the last two weeks. Finally, the fifth and sixth week will be testing you on everything and fixing any tidbits that should be corrected.” Neon sat back in his chair. “So how does that sound?”

I stroked an imaginary beard, "Hmm, I like how that sounds. Looks like something I'd plan up, especially the six week constraint."

Neon grinned, "Yeah, can't get away from the classics."

"Well," I clapped my hands together, "Shall we get goin'?"

"Let's." Octavia replied. 

With that we went to the range to get a basis for Octavia's shooting skill. While it was likely decent, even adept compared to most, it was probably not going to be enough for Neon considering his skill level. Even though he ran a quaint little shop, he was considered one of the top snipers in the world at one point. He had enough confirmed kills alone to have them classified, otherwise too many questions would be asked. Obviously, now he didn't do that anymore, his decade or so of missions had caused him to look for some well deserved rest and relaxation. Sometimes he would go to shooting competitions, just to brush up on his skills. But he only did it every so often, since he kept winning them all.

I could already see the serious Neon take over, with his calculating eye judging Octavia's handling of the ever so timeless M1911. I grabbed a chair and a pair of ear pro, sitting down in a position to get a good view of her shooting stance. The ripped jeans she wore hugged tightly and the sleeveless crop top kept her cleavage on a good display. I’d get to see all the jello jiggle nicely once the bigger guns came out, but right now all I was able to do was critique for the future. Neon was already on it, fixing firing stance, breathing and such. But I still kept in mind the most important thing in mind; someone who has learned as much as Octavia is going to have a difficult time relearning everything than compared to someone who is completely new at it.

This day was just a tell period, helping Neon find out what he needed to know, but I could see that he really would need these next couple of weeks to get Octavia close to perfection. “How’s she looking to you Neon?”

Neon looked up Octavia up and down, “Pretty hot in this, I gotta say I understand the fetish for girls with big boobs. They always seem to fill out in the back.”

Octavia went to wack him in the shoulder, but he caught her elbow and redirected her hand to her forehead. I chuckled, “No, dimwit, what’s her skill level look like?”

“Oh, oh I see.” Neon replied, grinning back toward Octavia, “Well, we’re really gonna need the rest of today to tell. Though, from what I’m seein’, I’ve gotta say we’re gonna need the full few weeks.”

I sighed, “I figured that would be the case. I guess that’s what it takes, their training school is a couple months long anyway. So I guess with Quibble Pants and Rara helping out too, that may be what it comes out to. Hopefully less so we can report back to Twilight soon.”

“Well if you two scoundrels would stop discussing such things and actually teach, we could get things moving along, yes?” Octavia huffed, obviously a little fake peeved. 

By the next day, the real training had begun. It was onto practicing the basics, but it was still the most important. Octavia had her posture down pretty well, and after a few tweaks it was perfect. But she was having quite the problem with breathing. Sight picture and trigger squeeze were coming up and I was ready to suggest my age old trick with trigger squeeze. “Keep it up Tavi, every hour you get better. Not as good as I am, but still a respectable amount.”

“Ah, piss off Scratch.” Octavia had been practicing her breathing for a couple hours. It seemed her usual calm demeanor formed from her rich and uppity upbringing had cracked. “Unless you are going to going to provide a calming something, I will continue this escapade of failure.” 

I nodded absently, using all my brainpower to think of something acceptable, “Ah, I see.” I moved over between Neon and Octavia, who had just finished her last mag of bullets for her grouping. I tapped on her ear pro, waiting till she popped it slightly off her ear. With that done, I whispered my suggestion for stress relief into her ear and gestured with my head toward the bathroom. 

“Now, love,” Octavia said to me, her cheeks tinged with red, “As much as I would love to take you up on the offer. I think that the suggestion as a goal is enough for me today, but tonight I expect to cash in, yes?”

“Roger that.” I smirked, sitting back down in my original position to continue watching. And so it continued, their practice steadily continued for the next couple days until Neon felt Octavia was ready for her first test. It would be a simple shooting drill, but against Neon it would likely have to involve some kind of handicap for him to be even close to the same level as her.

In my usual spot I was able to look over to Neon and see him putting on a blindfold. Ignoring the many safety rules we were setting on fire to have this challenge occur, I turned my gaze over to my angel. “You’re gonna do great Octy! He’s only got a slight handicap, y’all are practically on even ground!”

“Oh piss off!” Octavia said back, “I can see it is quite the opposite.”

Thus the test began, and with just five targets and two shots each, it really came down to how close you were to a bullseye with each shot. Every student in all the schools for assassins were able to at least be immensely accurate and decent at precision. The real trick for being considered to be at least professional at this was a grouping all in the ten point circle. In Neon’s case, he was able to keyhole four of five shots most of the time. With the blindfold, well, it took it down to a confidant maybe at two of five shots. 

The last beep came faster than I expected, bringing the last shots with it. I moved out of my seat and to Octavia’s lane once they both had placed their weapons on safe. “How’d you do Tavi? Exceptionally adequate at the least, I hope.”

“Hardy har, dear. I think decent is the word you are searching for.” Octavia said, tapping the paper. It was decent for sure, better than her initial skill level had shown. 

I nodded, “Not bad. But,” I looked over at Neon’s sheet, which had my predicted outcome. “Still need a good bit more experience that practice is only going to help. Sure, he may hold the longest kill ever recorded, which experience helped. But repetition from practice helped him not make any mistakes that would’ve caused him to miss. Does that make any sense, love?”

“I suppose you make some good points,” Octavia admitted, “But I still would like to be able to keep up with you during missions.”

I grinned, “Don’t worry Octy, you’re keeping up where it matters.” Noticing her blush, I pecked her cheek. “Right now experience outranks everything, and you’ll have plenty of time to catch up.”

Octavia’s practice continued, keeping with the basics she had begun with. And by the end of the first half of the three weeks, she had learned the first couple basics. The last week and a half contained sight picture and trigger squeeze, the latter we began with so I could throw my universal teaching method into play. It also let my theory on how Gilda even got in and if she even taught Octavia a lick of anything be tested.

Once I had gotten into researching how Gilda was admitted, I could tell that some sort of bias and trickery was done. The usual admission process was done through an invitation to come try out. The participant would then go through a rigorous testing process, much longer but reminiscent of the training that I wanted Octavia to experience. After they were tested thoroughly, the last test would be one of their instructor’s choosing. Sometimes it was picking a C or so ranked mission from the mission board and completing it themselves. But sometimes it was more obtuse. And I figured she may have, just maybe, have seduced the instructor. 

I had no evidence, but my universal teaching method included stress by flirting. It was a rare method, but worked because of how much it threw people off guard. I figured that Gilda knew about it and had applied it a little too well. Because I heard that soon after they got in, the instructor had left to the mafia because of ‘unrelated reasons’ to the academy. 

“Okay Tavi, we’re almost done with our time at good ‘ol Neon’s. You’ve improved to what I need to bring you to Rara’s. But I wanna make sure that you are truly good to go.” I sat across a table from Octavia, both of us were blindfolded so I couldn’t see her reaction. I could hear her huff though, “Now, this test is going to tell if you really know your way around these weapons and can do well under pressure.”

“As much as I love the application of your new kink Scratch, what exactly does the blindfold and test entail?” Octavia asked .

I grinned internally, “It’s a race, with a small application of my patented universal teaching method. Basically, there is a fully stripped weapon in front of us, and a door to my right and your left. We’ve gotta put it all back together and go through the lane that you’ve been doing for the whole time you’ve been here. At the end, we have one sentence to fluster the other person before you have to immediately shoot for the head on a target a decent distance away. The best results from the lane and the end test will dictate if we leave. Got it?”

“I suppose…” I could hear Octavia shift in her seat, “Why use this method, Scratch? It does not seem very...functional. To say the least."

“Trust me Octy, it’s never failed me.” I didn’t need to tell her that the reason it had never failed me was because I had never tried it. Was it quibbling? Yes. But she didn’t need to know that. 

We headed to our respective doors for each lane, a table next to each door held the stripped weapon that we needed for the challenge. The lanes featured every type of shooting and counted the points electronically with some fancy system I had no time to think about or wanted to. I already knew my sentence that I wanted to say, so I figured I would go a little easy on the lane so Octavia could likely win in the end. She was ready, I already knew that, but beating me  at anything I genuinely put effort into was a whole different mountain she would need to climb. Right now it was about training her for a mission, not her career. 

Within seconds, Neon had given the command to begin and I flew through putting back the weapon into its original state. Though I might win the first stretch of the competition, it was just there to put added stress to Octavia. I was just hoping that she would be able to go through the lane well enough to check of the boxes. For our upcoming mission, I really just needed improvement, not perfection. Octaiva’s results over the training held currently and the future training would truely tell me if she was up for bigger and better things that being romantically and tactically with a Master Assassin would bring.

The lane itself wasn’t difficult for someone of my caliber. Not that my personality allowed for bragging, but the lane was almost too easy. The pop up targets came up so slowly that you knew what the target was, civilian or enemy, before it was even set. Each barricade and C-wire strategically set to slow seemed to help my flow instead of impede it. And our rifles, a simple M4 build with nothing but itself. Normally it would be a Pimp My Weapon extravaganza, but with the need to get Octavia prepared for anything I had requested the stock M4. She needed to be able to shoot the worst the enemy might have the best she could, and it would definitely make shooting through sights extremely easier.

5000 words

Weaving through obstacles, double tapping enemies in the head, and moving like I was looking for a new world record time in the mile high club I finished well before Octavia did. Which was fine, I hadn’t planned to go too easy on her. I leaned on the final table that held the lane for shooting a simple mag of fifteen bullets. It wasn’t much to end with for a reason. The amount of points gained from shooting the target didn’t really matter, it was about the single sentence to fluster the other person.

Not long after I arrived, Octavia made her way to the table huffing and puffing. I laughed a bit, it was cute though, “Are you ready, dear Octy?” 

“More than you Scratch.”

I laughed more, “But of course, as you should be right? This is your test after all. Let’s hear it then, what could you possibly say to fluster me in my current state?”

It was Octavia’s turn to laugh, “Nothing too complicated.”

I made a dramatic motion to cup my ear and hear the full extent of the alleged flustering sentence. There was no way that it was going to happen, but I had to make it fun nonetheless. Her breath tickled my ear, but I was prepared, nothing could phase a Master Assassin. The training to get certified after meeting the requirements was tough, mind breaking, and few made it to the actual title. I shifted my feet, getting as ready as I could. 

“I have recently realized that I don’t just really like you Vinyl, I love you.” 

The sound of fifteen rounds being fired in succession covered my reaction. 

It was a good moment, I wasn’t going to deny it. But it took long enough for me to come out of my stupor that Neon came inside and called the lane. We sat back in the shop soon after to discuss Octavia’s results. 

“I have to say Tavi, you definitely have come a long way in this past month.” I said, waving my hand all womanly in front of my face. One of those fans and I would complete the look. “You’re ready for the last couple weeks of testing, which means I’m going to turn you over to Neon for that. He’s got the things that he and I want to be touched on. Nothing you haven’t done, just some added stuff and pizzazz.” 

I could tell Octavia was pleased with herself, “Thank you Vinyl, when do we start this next phase if I may ask?”

“Tomorrow,” I replied, “You need to rest a bit and have a fresh mind and body for these tests.”

“Shall we get going then?” Octavia asked, already standing up to get out of the shop.

Neon, who had been silent, pulled his earbuds out, “Yeah I agree, you’ve done good Octavia. Let’s get after this and get you on your way. Admittedly, I didn’t just set this timeline for a reason. Lily Heart and I have a window of time we both can go on missions as a first time team that just so happens to line up with your departure.”

I looked to Octavia, “He means that you better not fail any of the tests and keep him from going on his first date.” 

“Of course Neon, don’t expect any less of me. I promise to complete everything to perfection.” Octavia giggled while she made her way out the door. 

I waved goodbye to Neon and caught up to Octavia, leaning down I whispered into her ear, “I love you more.”
> 6-This Is Where The Training Montage Would Be  Pt. II
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

We arrived early the morning after our first tests with Neon. Midway through the latter half of our time with him, Octavia was knocking out the tests as good to the standards we set as I could hope. We’d gotten to Neon’s shop earlier than the set time, hoping to begin with the tests so we could get out at a reasonable time. I was able to sit back a lot more and watch Neon do his thing, and talking to him while Octavia did the aforementioned tests told me he wanted to get everything done sooner rather than later. His eyes told more of the story than he let on and I pinpointed why after pushing him around a bit. 

Lily Heart had signed up with Neon Lights to do a simple D class escort/bodyguard mission with a child of some important position in some random country. And it was set to be a good introduction for Lily and a nice stretch of the old assassin job for Neon. But I could tell that it wasn’t the job that Neon was after, his talk wasn’t just talk. He had been going to dinner with Lily here and there after our training sessions and tests with him and they seemed to be in the “talking” phase. 

Neon commented throughout our sporadic talks about the subject that it seemed he was marking off a lot of Lily Heart’s firsts, and with the way his entire body seemingly melted as he talked about it, it was evident the guy was falling hard. I made a mental note to talk to Lily about their mission when Octavia and I got back from the training to see how it went. Maybe even push her toward some proper relationship with a certain someone if nothing had happened during the mission. Though, a certain gut feeling almost like a story was being written about the two in front of my eyes or rather in some distinctly specific universe, gave me the tell that they would likely have something going on by the time they got back.

It took most of the time we had allowed for testing to get Octavia through everything. With a day to spare before we had originally planned to leave we got on the way out of Neon’s shop and on to Rara’s company. The next chunk of a few weeks or more, maybe less depending on whatever she had in store for us, was going to be filled with likely revealing clothing, I owe you favors, and lessons on espionage and how to blend in when needed. And by the way Neon ushered us out of the door and to the car, I could tell that he wanted to spend the free day with Lily Heart.

Octavia and I drove to the airport, reviewing with a faux AAR of what had occurred over the past weeks. I could see that she was more confident with herself, and her viewpoints on everything confirmed it. The training had thankfully been worth it, and we would need it on the upcoming missions. The next couple training periods would bring her from a trainee to an amateur assassin, but it was better than when we started. I had high standards anyway, so amateur was likely toward the top of her class, so it would be fine. I hoped.

The flight was easy, a crying baby was a given. That was dealt with fast enough I didn’t have to start crying too, so all in all it was easy. Battle Beauties came into view from the taxi, and I already had a feeling that we were going to get roped into something under the pretense of training. I understood the want to get free labor, a good look at Octavia in something form fitting, and training all wrapped in one. I actually looked forward to it. However, it was definitely the mystery of what awaited us that gave me the nervous jitters as we rode the elevator up to Rara’s office. She could be crafty when she wanted, and that could be a blessing or a curse when she wanted it to be and who she was directing it at.

The elevator dinged and Octavia and I waved to Cold Steel as we walked into Rara’s office. She was sitting at her desk, an expensive looking mahogany, likely hand-crafted with her taste, and a couple monitors blocking us from her view. I took a glance around to see what I hadn’t earlier in my rush to get her signed on for training. The walls were filled with pictures of her and her clients, most notably a picture of her and the Mane Six after a mission she was attached to them with. Next to it also sat a portrait photo of Rara and Applejack at what looked like the training grounds of the Wonderbolt academy, mud plastered over their faces. 

I turned back to the desk and the Master Blacksmith behind it, whose squeal of joy had drawn my attention. She rushed around the desk and wrapped both Octavia and I in a bear hug. “Oh it’s so good to see you two. Is it already time for Octavia’s training sessions? Gosh, it feels like it was just a couple chapters ago you were just here.”

Once I wrestled myself out of the grip of the mighty Countess I grinned, “Really now, feels like a couple years if we’re talking realistically.” 

“Anywho,” Rara turned to Octavia, “We have a packed schedule sweetheart, shall we begin?”

Octavia looked between Rara and I, obviously a bit unsure of what was to come, after her last escapade with Rara. “Might I have a quick summary of what is to come? Just for my mental preparedness, yes?”

“Sure, I’d be glad to help any way I can.” Rara sat back down at her desk, gesturing for the other seats as she sat in hers. The cush leather and ample back rest almost made me tune out what she was saying. Something about an upcoming photo shoot the company that the models had backed out just yesterday. 

“-and to get right into it, I assigned you two to the modeling gig. It should be good practice on confidence and seeing what true beauty can be used for. Vee, you should just be able to enjoy yourself. Consider it part of my fee for training dear Octavia.” Rara glanced at her computer and typed for a moment, “I have a room for you two near the penthouse floor. Something quite nice if I must say, I can’t have bad vibes when these shoots happen. Especially during training.”

“Dang Rara, you didn’t have to go that far.” I smiled at Octavia, “Don’t worry though, Octy here is gonna make whatever people are wanting that shoot done bank with those photos. Honestly, they’ll probably make her like September on a calendar or somethin’.” 

Octavia scoffed at me, “I would rather keep any lewd glances toward me constrained to you Scratch. It is not lady like to be on such a product.”

Sometimes I forgot that Octavia had been raised in a very unique rich family environment in Canterlot. “Speaking of product, what’s the shoot for? I missed what it was.”

“Of course, I guess that would be nice to know,” Rara giggled, “You probably don’t know ‘cause I didn’t say. The modeling job was with one of my partner companies that deals gear and clothing for a variety of clients. They go by the name of Lunar Rifle Coffee Company.”

I snorted with laughter, “Are we dealing with professionals or vegan coffee goers that LARP on the side?”

Octavia coughed, likely hiding a laugh, “Vinyl, be nice.”

“I can see where the confusion can come from.” Rara said, “To explain in short, the company works closely with mine to create new products that follow Miss Jelavic’s teaching and ways. It’s a pretty popular up and coming company that uses the, for lack of a better word because someone can’t think of anything better at the moment, sexed up models and operators to model their revealing gear. Usually, coffee is involved somehow, since surprisingly enough it makes around the same amount of profit as their other products of gear and such.”

“Huh, I guess everyone has their kink. I mean, I won’t complain about seeing Octavia in less clothes,” I winked at Octavia, “Plus, I might even find some stuff that I’ll use in these upcoming missions.”

Rara clapped her hands together, “Excellent, it’s in a couple hours. And the venue is just around the block, so we’ll get right over there.”

The building that held the offices for the business side of Lunar Rifle Coffee Company was a decently sized several story building that paled in comparison to Rara’s Battle Beauties building. Though, it was understandable considering from what they told us, the company had just started up less than five years ago. And with the rise of technology and marketing, they had branched out to the rest of the academies and were becoming a revisited and rehired supplier consistently for all of them. 

From what I could tell, likely the mafia too. Which I made note to get friendly with whatever important personnel came in, considering it was likely going to be useful in the future. You never knew who knew what and who you needed to know. I wanted to find more about Scootaloo’s mom anyways.

The dressing room was modest, having full body mirrors on the right side of the room, tables separating them with more mirrors atop them. The left side was filled with racks of military looking gear and equipment, a few employees milled around them, picking some thing up from them here and there. The back of the room held lockers for what was likely robes and clothes for the models that came in, a couple of changing rooms straddled the entrance. For modesty, somehow changing from underwear to less was the game changer in privacy. 

“You two can go talk to Sequin Rose and Garter Stitch Rara gestured to the racks and the said people at them, “They should be able to get you situated. Remember this is for Octavia to build confidence in herself, to be able to have no one question her whoever she goes. We’re teaching the saying “confidence can get you anywhere”, literally and figuratively. So do try to let her take the spotlight, I need to give her the practice.”

I waved my hand, “Yeah, yeah, I’ll do my best. Octy’s already a babe, so I’m sure whatever you put us in she was already going to take the show.”

“Let’s see these outfits shall we then Vee?” Octavia said, blushing from my comment.

“Sure, let’s get on with it.” I smiled at how cute Octavia looked blushing.

Rara turned to exit, “Well I’ll leave you two here to get ready. I have some last minute things to attend to, but I should be able to pop on by sometime during your shoot.”

I waved goodbye, “Alrgiht Rara, see ya.”

And with that we were left to our devices with the two seamstresses. They quickly took over, completely ready to do the job they obviously enjoyed. Talking was kept to a minimum, something unusual I thought for fashionistas. Rarity literally could not stop talking about anything. During buddy team missions we’d done she would always comment on the enemy’s uniform and the things wrong with it, where the armor was based off the design and such. So in the end, the information was always useful for me to shoot, stab, or whatever. But still, it was strange to see the two in front of us just knocking out what needed to be done.

“So, great weather we’re having today. Right?” I said with a meak chuckle, hoping to get something out of them. I received a glare of silence from Sequin, who was placing a plate carrier in front of me, in response.

The seamstresses finally decided on our outfits for the shoot. I was fitted with a plate carrier that squished my boobs pretty good, giving the camera a nice side boob. My cleavage was present above, creased thinly from the pressure of the plates. The breeze from under was nice, since my midriff was completely exposed expressing some toned abs and nice underboob. My tan cargo pants were fitting close, and I had some mag pouches strapped around my ass. Though they did ride a little too much, they brought out the junk in my trunk well. 

I could tell it was made for a more hot weather environment, something where you would be moving through brush frequently. The open fingered gloves were military issued with a little flair from the seamstresses. The black gloves were laced with special fire retardant material, so in case of your vehicle getting hit you can still get out of it with your skin somewhat intact. IEDs were still a thing just as much as Humvees in the world of assassins, and we had learned the hard way about trying to get out of them without gloves on. 

Octavia was tying her boots next to me, some common combat ones that completed her look. A camo patterned short shirt was held up with a belt that had some sustainment pouches and mag pouches. Her FLC was acting as a deep v-neck shirt, among her grenade and more pouches across her chest sat a holster for her pistol. A boonie cap sat atop her head to complete the look, and honestly I was considering asking if we could keep the skirt. I wasn’t gonna say no to some roleplay, no matter how close it was to our actual job.

“Lookin’ good there Tavi.” I gave another glance from the bottom-up, “I have to say, Rara knows what she’s doin’. I would be too busy starin’ at your tits to notice the bullet going through my head.”

“Flattering Vinyl,” Octavia replied, “Now, what does Mrs. Rara want us to do. As much as I like the new look, and to be honest I would like to steal some aspects to it, I do want to get back into my regular clothes as soon as possible.”

“You’re saying clothes made specifically for an assassin isn’t your type of clothes?” I chuckled, “I see how it is.”

Octavia gave my shoulder a light wack, “You get what I mean you ruffian.”

Sequin Rose stood by the door, opening it and gesturing for us to go through without a word. We did just that and let her guide us through the pristine maze of walls and hallways that made up the building. Eventually we made it to a reasonably sized room, rafters above to show that they fully hadn’t finished the room. Likely for the new aesthetic that was going around. A bunch of fancy light and camera equipment that I had no chance of even understanding how to operate filled the room. However, something, or someone, did operate the cameras that I did understand. 

“Photo Finish!” I rushed over to the camera operator, thankful to see someone I hadn’t seen for a couple years. “I haven’t seen you since Tailedo when we took down that illegal bull fighting ring! Those were some legit pics of it though, you really centered the red of the blanket to the photos.” 

“Ah, Vinyl Scratch! My lovely canvas, how are you doing? Photo Finish is exited to work with you again. Das is good gear, yes?” Photo Finish looked me up and down, shifting the plate carrier with no regard to how much she was supporting the free the nip movement with each adjustment.

"I would love to take it out for a test run the next time I get a chance. But today I'm just here for Rara and for Octavia here to get some experience with everything." I wrapped an arm around Octavia, giving her a side hug. "My girlfriend here is a trainee at the Wonderbolts Academy for assassins. And I also just so happen to be her mentor, which means I need to get a good train-up before we go on any missions. Ya feel me? Not too much though, she might get jealous."

Photo Finish clapped her hands together, "Ah how wonderful to see young love in action! I know it vill just brighten the pictures. Perfect! Photo Finish knows exactly how she wants it done. A moment please, greatness takes time and precision."

I laughed, "'Course Photo, I'm here as long as you need me to be. Octavia might have a bed time, but I'm sure we can make an exception. Right, Tavi?"

"Pfft," Octavia scoffed, "I haven't had a bedtime since high school." 

"Wait, really?"

"Yes, really. Did your parents never give you a proper bedtime?" Octavia tapped her chin for a pause, "Actually, I think that would explain partly some things."

"Hey, hey, just because I only got a bedtime for my childhood doesn't mean there was no good reason for it." I scratched an arm, suddenly a bit nervous to reveal why. "Well, it was cause my parents were assassinated right before I got to high school."

"Oh Vinyl darling, I am so sorry I caused that memory to surface." Octavia turned around from the side hug and nuzzled her head into my neck. Her will to comfort me so quickly warmed my heart, and gave a blush to my cheeks. 

I returned the hug and replied, "It's really no big deal, honestly. My uncle, Record Sales, brought me to the Shadowbolt's academy to train and have some purpose in life. Eventually I found the killer, an assassin from the Crystal Empire that had gone rogue because of some conspiracy against my parents." 

"What did your parents do, if you do not mind me asking? Well, as a job and for this...conspiracy." Octavia inquired, looking genuinely curious. 

"See, from what I've found out over the years. And what I remember from seeing them it was something to do with experimental stuff. Some secret "Magic Division" of a part of a few of the academies. Like, the older Princesses, Cadence, Celestia, and Luna had briefly done." 

Octavia cocked an eyebrow, "Luna and Celestia working together? That does sound like a conspiracy." 

"Exactly," I agreed, "The theory goes that the three had put together their finest eggheads in some crazy secret location to create a bunch of super experimental tech that could change the way war is fought. Sci-fi stuff like exo-suits and skeletons. Turning people into super-humans, or giving them wings, even a sort of nano-technologic magic to control things. I don't even know the half of it. The point was that my parents were allegedly a part of it and the assassin was afraid that it would end the world if it went any further." 

Octavia took a second to process it, I could tell by the silence. "Wow, in a way I can see the reasoning behind it. None of the princesses are on good terms, I have heard that it was something personal that caused it. Do you think that they would ever try again?"

I shrugged, "Like I said, it was a conspiracy and I dealt with the one that gave me the info on it. So, right now I know about just as much as you. I wouldn't be surprised if someone picked it up. I'm sure if it was true, it would probably be something all the academies are looking to start back up. And that's why I think it isn't true, because there's no reason for the academies to not to be looking for it. Maybe something happened to lose it, maybe all the stuff relating to it is destroyed, or maybe someone already found it that isn't one of the academies. I just hope that I don't have to deal with it if it's true any time soon."

"It does seem like it would cause a lot of problems." Octavia sighed, "It does sound like it could help save lives and prevent civilian casualties. I can see how they could make an assassin more effective, therefore allowing for everything to be contained more effectively. I think that super-human strength could be quite intriguing if I do say so myself." 

I waved a hand around, "Bah, now you're just getting into the 'what super power would you want' argument. First of all, the nano-tech is way cooler, 'cause the boundaries aren't set like the other two. Can the tech only control other tech? What about objects, or people? Do you need inputs from your mind and to practice with it? If so, does that mean it's unique to each user in what they can do? See, Octy, you gotta be asking the right questions. Not, ooh, me like strong." 

"Of course you would think that. See, dear Vee, you have to understand that to have great strength, you need great precision. And I theorize that this super-human strength would come with some overlooked positives. That is all." 

"Eh, to each their own I guess." I turned away from Octavia, effectively ending our discussion. "Looks like Photo Finish is ready." 

Photo Finish had rearranged the shoot into something different. It was now a couch that looked like something out of Rarity's magazines. The leather looked real and the armrests curled outward all regally and the like. I probably wasn't qualified to be near fifty feet of the thing. It seemed that Photo had come up with something for the both of us, which was fine. I just hoped that Octavia would still get some training value out of it. Whatever it was. 

"Okay my two canvases, get over here. Photo Finish needs to properly place you." And we did just that. Photo Finish grabbed me and sat Octavia on my right on the couch. The cushiness of the cushions, yes I did just say that, bowed the couch and pressed our bodies closer together. 

"What do you have in mind for us today, Photo?" I asked, hoping to get some sort of explanation and guidance. 

"Vee, you must know by now that there is no plan to greatness. It is zee heart that guides Photo Finish to her perfect picture. Now, wrap your arm around Octavia and grab her wrist. You are a vampire dear, act like a hickey is coming. You want to turn Octavia to your side, you've done it once do it again. Yes, exactly. Pose."  

"This seems a little saucy for some gear magazine, huh? What are you guys gonna do with these pics then, put us on a calendar?" I grinned, "I better be September, its my favorite month. Octavia you look more like a December kind of gal." 

"Is that so? What would make you think that?" Octavia raised an eyebrow, tilting her head upward to make eye contact with me. 

I continued to grin, enjoying myself, "You just seem like you like the winter and Christmas more. Just how I usually read you."

"Well just because you are right does not mean you know everything about me." Octavia harrumphed, a little unladylike for someone of her stature. I could tell I was influencing her a bit. 

Before I could reply with an amazingly witty comment, Photo Finish placed us in another position. This time with Octavia flat on the couch and me straddling her. I had my arm straight against the arm of the couch and the other near her head, my face was parallel with hers and I had no complaints. The heat from our bodies and natural tension given by our position seemed to give the shoot a certain aesthetic of sorts. 

I was loosing myself in the moment, leaning in for a kiss, before I was stopped centimeters from Octavia's lips with the flash of the camera, "Perfect you two. Photo Finish can see the lust in your eyes! Mwauh, perfect for poster board.  Keep zis up, just a couple more positions. Are you starting to understand the need behind flashy, but usable, clothing dear Octavia." 

Octavia shook her head a bit, likely getting herself out of the same trance I had been in, "Uh, um, yes of course Photo Finish. It's about using everything you have to keep the enemy unfocused from your movements, right? Something like that I assume." 

Photo Finish snapped her fingers, "Exactly. We have been gifted with a natural distraction. Use it young trainee. Zis body was trained for killing and dazzling. Ve cannot let it go to waste on being covered up and used like some toy at a dog park. The worst villians and goons can rip you apart if you are not careful, zis is why you have us. Blacksmithing is not just about making clothing, it's about something functional that affects a target psychologically . Vinyl here has brought you to get confident in using the tools you've been naturally gifted with."

The rest of the session didn't take long at all. Photo Finish was known for her quick and efficient appointments, and I could tell this was going to be no different than any other. Octavia was like a sponge for all her comments, and it was beginning to look like Photo Finish was starting to take a real liking to her toward the end. Before Photo Finish had become a photographer that I saw now, she had been an assassin becoming a Blacksmith. And I could tell by the clothing she wore that it was meant to be. 

As I had mentioned before, we had met in Spain. Both having took a similar contract from different clientele. There was an illegal bullfighting ring taking people from human trafficking rings to participate in doing whatever they could think up of in the ring. I had been posing as an up and coming announcer for the ring while Photo Finish had come on the behalf of some politician to scout the ring. We had both almost blown each other's cover when we encountered each other, but once we settled we found that our goal was the same. 

After a messy escape and the ring, including those running it, taken care of, we had gotten to know each other over a celebratory drink in a bar far enough away from the chaos. There I had found out that she had been sent by an independent contractor to dispel the ring for a price. She had been working through the Shadowbolts to become a Blacksmith, but never truly enrolled in the assassins' course, so we hadn't met face to face. It was a finicky thing with those that didn't go straight to assassins. Though it was a requirement to have a few missions under your belt before being able to be certified in any other field that the academy offered, some purists said that only those going the assassin route should be considered true Shadowbolts. It was just something those that wanted to complain, had to find something to complain about. 

Photo Finish told me that after she had graduated from the academy with her Blacksmith certification, she had went to help Rara with her company. There she had met someone named Gunpowder who was at the time just starting up Lunar Rifle Coffee Company. There she had been their go-to person for advertisement for their products, and consultant for gear and clothing. It sounded like Photo was having a great time, and I was glad to have been able to reconnect with her. No matter how little I had known her before. 

Rara came back in soon after Photo Finish was done wrapping everything up, talking briefly with her before making her way over to us. "I must apologize for my tardiness, my errands ran a bit longer than I expected. Hopefully Photo Finish treated you two well." 

Octavia waved off the news, "It is no problem dear, I cannot see any problem with that. Photo Finish was fantastic if I must say. I learnt so much from her just in that short time. What is next then?"

"Well, it is getting late. And I know we have plenty of time to get our training done. How long do I have again, Vinyl?" Rara looked at me questioningly. 

I tapped my chin with a forefinger, "Let's see, I think Quibble Pants is hopefully coming back by the end of the month if what Rainbow Dash has been keeping me updated on is still true. So...I would say a couple weeks, maybe a few. Is that enough time?" 

"That is plenty of time Vee. I was planning on only taking maybe a week to ten days anyways. Most of Blacksmithing and things related are more of gut feeling kind of deal. But there are basics that everyone has to follow. It'll be a week of going over styles, what to show when, where to put your pouches and such, where to hide more weapons, and how to use what you've got if you catch my drift. It will be fun, I hope it won't be too much of a bore for you Scratch." 

"Hey don't worry about me, I'm mostly here for the ride. But seeing Octavia in all these different outfits will definitely keep me locked on. Don't worry about that." I winked at Octavia after being obvious that I was checking her out again. 

Rara laughed, "Good, I look forward to starting our training tomorrow then Octavia. You two get some rest, we'll begin the real stuff when I see you next." 

With that, Rara left us to return on our own time. On the trip back I asked Octavia what she thought about the day.

"Like I said before Vinyl, I would rather keep myself to me and you at all times possible. Though my family was full of assassins, they always combined their lessons with the class of the rich and what they considered to be correct. This Blacksmithing and all is not completely with what they taught." Octavia blushed, "And having you there was a great comfort into getting used to it. I feel leagues more comfortable with myself after that. And maybe I might just be more comfortable with what I wear for you too." 

I slid an arm around Octavia's waist, giving a cheek a squeeze. After electing a squeak from her I replied, "Now I don't think I would get anything done if you looked any better than you do normally." 

Octavia gave me a sly smile, "I suppose you might have to get used to it then." 

I grinned back at her, "No complaints from me."

It looked like it was going to be an eventful day tomorrow. And I looked forward to seeing Octavia continue to improve. I could see her becoming more and more prepared for our first mission. From what I had been texting Rainbow Dash about getting it, I had a feeling it was going to involve a pretty difficult introduction to the world of assassins. Everything Octavia was learning was likely to be applied in the upcoming months, I just hoped she was soaking it in as much as it looked like she was.
> 7-This Is Where The Training Montage Would Be  Pt. III
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I woke up to a ding coming from my nightstand. Assuming it was what I was hoping for, Rainbow Dash had finally texted me about Quibble Pants. It wasn't immediately evident, considering I took a minute to get out of my comfy stupor. Dragging myself off to the side of the bed, removing myself from the coveted big spoon position with Octavia, might have been the hardest thing I had done in months. It was nice to wake up to having a special someone in my arms, I had to note. The ability to play off copping a feel like I was hugging did add a nice perk to sleeping together too. 

Eventually, I made it to the phone. Lo and behold, through my squinted eyes I found the text I had been waiting for. A message from Rainbow Dash, the all mighty Headmaster of the Wonderbolt Academy had told me to meet her in an hour to discuss how the training with Octavia went and her future training with Quibble Pants.  It wouldn't take long I hoped, maybe I would even be able to be back before Octavia woke. Just in case, so I wouldn't have to hear about it later more so, I left a sticky note on her forehead giving the five W's (who, what, when, where, why) for any future inquiries. 

Sadly, it wasn't casual Friday, just Hump Day Wednesday currently. So, going pant-less with a large t-shirt over everything was going to be a no go. I had gotten away with it once in my early days as a cadet in the Shadowbolt Academy, only having a couple of my close friends keep the embarrassing knowledge to themselves.  Today was going to be a simple white crew neck t-shirt and green hoodie with some cargo shorts. I didn't expect much to happen, so I slipped a concealed M9 Barretta onto my waist. Enough people around the academy should know by now that I wasn't going to make trouble, unless I had to that was. Rainbow Dash had likely sat down all the instructors and told them what was up, or if she was smart enough to realize the gripes of "this could have been an email", she would have told everyone through some other means. 

I took one last glance at Octavia's sleeping face, and body, to have something to think about on the drive over. The show needed to get on the road, and I was itching to take on some missions. The last few months of training had felt like literal years. Sure, maybe it was just me being hyperbolic with the time, or I just worked at a different speed because of how long I had to be working at a heightened awareness. With just Quibble Pants to go on the docket, I could see the light at the end of the tunnel and it was looking bright. Quibble came with good recommendations, and a little bias from Rainbow Dash.  I couldn't wait to get some new dirt on Rainbow Dash, Quibble Pants had to have hung around her enough with their spicy relationship to give me something good. 

Ponyville wasn't far at all from the Wonderbolt's Academy, really a hop and skip away. I wasn't going to admit it anytime soon, but the campus was far more impressive and scaled than the Shadowbolts. While the Shadowbolts were all about efficiency, the Wonderbolts were about history, grandeur, and all around impressive. Over in Canterston, the Shadowbolt Academy was centered around the training field and area that the whole academy used. Almost all events that were used to properly prepare trainees for their future assassinations were in the literal center of campus. Their buildings were sturdy, white simple square castle-like buildings. A top down view of most of their buildings were a simple, or slightly convex square with turrets at every corner. The barracks that housed all trainees and assassins were exactly that, a four turreted open center building with a checkered concrete courtyard. Each barracks held approximately four to five hundred personnel and had four floors. It was a far cry in quality compared to the Wonderbolt's Academy. 

The campus covered so much ground compared to the Shadowbolts that it sat in its own point on the map, next to one of the major rivers that flowed from Ponyville and the surrounding area. The campus reminisced of the castles in Germany that could be seen from miles across the river. The hand-placed stone architecture was a far cry from the drab, plain white concrete of their rivals. Each building was unique and each room held their own space saving tricks. Though bunk beds were just as prominent in the rooms for their cadets, unlike the Shadowbolts, the bed was lifted up to provide a reasonable amount of storage space. To be a bit corny, I felt like I was in Harry Trotter. 

Their dining hall, the same. The building types, the same. I had been told that the whole Academy ate family style at one time, at least once a day, just like the movies. Word would never get out that I was in awe of the campus, and honestly was looking forward to working in it when lulls in field work came along. Everything but the placement, a very secluded mountainous region compared to a cityscape with the Shadowbolts, beat out the latter.  I had to admit, I became way too comfortable with the place way too quick. I'll chalk it off to my adaptability to my environment, that should be fine. 

In my Applewood stupor, I had finally arrived at Commander Dashie's office. She was exactly where I'd left her from last time, toiling away at her desk. But this time, she looked a little less moody and a little more excited. Her perkiness was noticeable from the doorway, and I wasn't going to let it be. "Sup, Dashie. What's got you lookin' like a meerkat on the lookout for its predator?"

"Well my dear Scratchie, as you probably could have discerned from my text, Quibble Pants is going to be back today." Rainbow Dash did a very unprofessional twirl in her office swivel chair. "And we haven't done anything for the past couple months. He wasn't even able to bring anything to contact him, I mean our way of knowing that he was okay was smoke signals!"

"That doesn't sound very practical." I commented. "Y'all don't have any like covert burner phones? Ya know, those good 'ol flip phone ones that everyone says we're destroying the environment with."

Rainbow Dash sighed, "Yeah, well this one was a complete immersion kind of deal. The man had to build complete trust and we had to trust that he would get the job done. He's very attached to his 'field craft' as he likes to put it. Says no assassins use it anymore, trust their gadgets too much."

I shrugged, "Eh, I understand what he's getting at. All our equipment and such can be crutches if we rely on them too much. Honestly, I'm glad that Quibble Pants will be teaching Octy. It sounds like he won't just teach his techniques but can explain to Octavia the why behind it, ya know?"

"Right, how has everything been going by the way? Or officially, what's your at least twenty percent biased report say?" Rainbow Dash chuckled at her old one-liner. 

"Well, ignoring the shivering cringe that I just felt through my whole body from hearing what I had hoped to stop hearing after you were done with the Six. I mean come on, I thought you just did that to get AJ on edge." I replied, running a hand through my hair. "If I had to summarize, pretty good. She's gotten the gunplay, for lack of a better description, down. Neon Lights helped me out with some good hands-on training for her. He's a Ponyville local, you might've heard of him." 

Dash leaned back in her chair, slamming her legs all uncouthly on her desk. "Actually, I have. Thought it was interesting a mission of ours was accepted by someone that wasn't a Wonderbolt. I mean, its technically not against anything, we just don't have much friends outside these walls especially in the business we're in. One meeting later with Lily Heart to make sure everything was okay, I approved it. And seeing how smitten she was with the dude, I trust her to make the decisions she needs to make to keep them alive." 

"Do all missions have to go through you before the assassins can attempt them?" I asked, curious about another difference between our academies. 

"The job didn't come with the perk of being able to disseminate the important things, I'll tell you what. Every mission, D to triple S has to go through me." Rainbow Dash eyed the mound of paperwork on the corner of her desk. "Face level, it's a good idea. I essentially get an light knowledge of everything anyone is doing in representation of the academy. But man does it add a assload of paperwork that takes the momentum out of me wanting to do my actual job. I'm essentially living my glory days by proxy through the assignments I see." 

I chuckled, "I can see the glory days are far behind you, the Botox is a little easier to see though." Avoiding a pencil thrown at me as a rebuttal, letting it stick into the wall deep enough for just the eraser to poke out, I continued. "Anywho, Tavi also got some training from Rara. Should know how to blend in and effectively use anything y'all will give her. All that's left is Quibble Pants giving whatever training he decides and she should be battle ready." 

Rainbow Dash clapped her hands together, "Sweet, I'll text you when he's ready. I know Ponyville is still a good twenty minute drive from here, so if you wanna hang around you can."

I waved the notion off, "Nah, we've only got my Jeep. I'll just go back and grab Octy, get her warmed up."

"Don't tire her out too much, I need Octavia to be properly ready for him. Try to keep it mouth to mouth alright?" Dashie winked, shooing me out of the room. "Get along then, I'll just continue to wallow that I only get to see the girls once a month now." 

I shook my head, snorting at the comment. "Dude, Twilight is literally like a stone throw away. And I'm pretty sure you can have Pinkie Pie materialize by saying 'cupcake'."

"Where?!" A voice said calmly in the hallway.  

Rainbow Dash and I looked at each other, knowing who the voice likely belonged to. I gave Dash the look. She cocked an eyebrow. Opening the door to her office, I was greeted by the aforementioned Pie of Pinkies. "'Sup Pinkster, come here for what I think you're here for?" 

Pinkie Pie stood in the doorway, bouncing up and down enough that her face disappeared over the door frame. "Of course silly, I can't resist cupcakes! Plus, I can't make you a liar could I now?" 

I giggled, "That's true I guess. Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't have any cupcakes. Were you in the area? Doin' some mission I'm guessing."

"Yeah!" Pinkie replied. She came close and whispered into my ear, "Honestly, I have no idea if I'm on a mission and if so what I'm supposed to be doing."

"Uh," I whispered back, "Shouldn't you know something like that?"

Pinkie Pie looked back and forth, almost like she thought there was a fourth person in the room. "Well, it hasn't been written yet, so how can I know?" 

"Riiight, well, I gotta get going back home. Octavia is probably waking up now, and she's got another big couple weeks or however long ahead of her." I scooted out to the hallway, "Pinkie, why don't you supply Rainbow with a cupcake. I think she really needs one with all the paperwork she's been doing." 

Pinkie Pie gasped, "What a great idea! It's okay Dashie, I'll save you from the monotony of this cruel environment!" 






Just like Rainbow Dash had said, it only took about twenty minutes to get back home. I walked in the door, taking in the aroma of tea and coffee making love in the air.  Practically floating like a cartoon character, I made my way into the kitchen, hoping to see what I was expecting. And what did greet me was a visually stimulating dream. Thankfully I knew I was awake, considering most of the day had happened, otherwise I could have sworn I was dreaming. The sunlight of the sun that had risen hours ago silhouetted Octavia at the kitchen counter, who currently was reliving the tea she had made of its packet. 

Her body was accentuated by the blue booty shorts that were pushed inward by her full cheeks, and her abs from the hard training gleamed in the light. I trailed my eyes from the lithe form, noting the way the skin showed its silk-like features in the light, and the toned forearms that she had developed. Her top was covered, if it could be considered so, by a thin and loose grey deep u-neck sports bra looking top. Inspecting it once I got closer, I realized it wasn’t a sports bra, but a cut tank top held together by a zipper in the front. The zipper was half-zipped, revealing more cleavage. I resisted the urge to take it in between my teeth and unzip the rest, I had to commend Rara for the improved fashion sense. My journey along Octavia’s body finished with a Wonderbolt themed baseball cap that sat atop her head, filtering a simple ponytail through the back. 

“Lookin’ good there Octy, I don’t think I would have won our first fight if I’d seen you in this. Rara taught you well.” I pressed a kiss on the corner of her mouth, “I mean, I probably still would have won. I am pretty awesome.” 

Octavia gave me a half-hearted smack on the shoulder, “Of course dear, I agree. Now, may I hear any of the updates you received from Headmaster Dash?”

We sat down at the table, sipping on our coffee and tea respectively. I filled her in on the small talk we had, nothing much had happened and so the conversation finished quickly. It turned to discussing whatever topic we could think of to fill the silence, eventually causing us to gravitate to the couch. With Octavia snuggled into my side, I took a second to yet again appreciate my situation that I had been dealt with. Just a few years ago I was in the Middle East, running around with the Deadly Six, killing Equestria’s Most Wanted and coming back to HQ every day considering how close I was each time to not coming back. 

Miss Jelavic and the girls were great aquaintances and friends, but there was a void that grew larger every mission. The stress and little knowledge of the future enclosed my thoughts and constrained them to a thin, long tunnel. I had viewed that dark path as an end filled with my head chopped off and dragged through the street, or being burned and hung from the bridges, nothing even close to what I felt now. Octavia had given me a new path, a yellow brick road to a life and retirement filled with maybe a kid or two, and some nice lakeside property. 

Our time that included real bonding and relationship building was coming to an end for the foreseeable future, at least in the easy way that had occurred over the past few months. The missions that we would go on could surely put the relationship on the cliff, a single shake causing it to literally fall apart. I had no real worries, just an intuition at the hardships we would face. There was a reason that the Deadly Six had chosen to go their separate ways, only meeting once a month. Their notoriousness attracted a pull of literal evil their way, a weekly smattering of new villains of the world and city-wiping weapons and plans that they worked to stop. 

Soon, they had found out that it was better they spread their skills individually and helped in their own way. The Six only came together when absolutely necessary, and thankfully that hadn’t been the case in a few years. I could only hope that the Octavia and I didn’t have to be fated for the same. Actually, we wouldn’t be, I made the decision. We wouldn’t need to even consider the option, because we would always find a way to get through it. 

My left pocket buzzed, a text from Rainbow Dash received altering me. Quibble Pants was around twenty minutes out from the academy, meaning Octavia and I had to get going. Didn’t want to keep our last trainer waiting. I looked over to Octavia, who was peering at my phone with a questioning pose, “Alright Octy, time to finish up your training. Should be able to have Rainbow Dash sign off your certification for Apprentice Assassin after this.”

The Wonderbolt Academy held multiple levels of assassins, all the way from students to a few Master Assassins. Including the principle, a Hyper Lethal level Assassin. Only five officially held this title among assassins. Princess Cadence of the Crystal Academy, Princess Luna of the Shadowbolt Academy, Princess Celestia of Everfree Academy, Princess Twilight Sparkle of the Wonderbolt Academy, and likely a couple other unknowns. Hyper Lethal status was obtained by the unrivaled skill and ability to potentially destabilize and wipe whole cultures and countries off the planet. Alone, any of them could change the world stage and who sat atop it. 

The hierarchy of assassins was pretty simple though, it began with students. These students were attending any of the academies, learning the skills needed to become Trainees at their respective schools. While Trainees, they would be assigned a mentor, a Knight level or higher assassin to oversee their training individually. After completing training, they would become an Apprentice Assassin. With this they were able to begin missions ranked E to D, simple assassinations or jobs that they could complete while overseen by their mentor. 

Eventually, once they had completed around fifty E ranked, or twenty-five D ranked missions they would be considered for Assassin. Where they would finally be on their own, though still able to partner up to complete missions they were cleared for. At this point they could go after D and C ranked missions that held some weight. Waivers and teaming up at this point allowed for attempting higher level missions. Assassins were considered able to compete against company sized elements on their own at this point.

To make it from Assassin to Knight Assassin, a committee of Knights had to consider and recommend the Assassin for it. This could come from completing a large amount of missions, having a hand in completing some higher level missions than their allowed rank, or anything else that was taken into consideration. Once they were a Knight Assassin, Captain Assassin was the first introduction to the big shots. Captains were in charge of a squad of Knights at times and covered missions ranking from B to A on the board. And alone are considered skilled enough to destabilize and take down whole armies. 

Lastly, once they’ve completed a reasonable amount of missions and had done at least one S ranked mission on their own, they were instated to the rank of Master Assassin. Less than fifty current Master Assassins were scattered around the world, not counting retired or MIA ones that were off grid, like Neon Lights for example. I had taken down a small nation with some dictator that was dead set on nuking their surrounding nations, nothing too hard, but there had been some close calls I could have avoided if I had been alone. 

My soon to be Apprentice assassin stretched and got up from the couch we sat atop, bringing me out of my expositional stupor. “Well, shall we get going, big day ahead yes?”

“Weeks really, unless we’ve got a genius martial artist on our hands.” I ruffled Octavia’s hair, “And as much as I’m proud of you Octy, I have to say that we’re going to need this training with Quibble Pants to really get you ready. You’re a third-rate pimp with a fourth-rate pimp slap if you catch my drift.”

Octavia opened her mouth for a rebuttal, shutting it shortly after. “I suppose in some roundabout way you are not spouting falsities. Which means we need to get going to this Quibble Pants, I must continue training.”

Within thirty minutes, we stood in some workout clothes facing Quibble Pants in the Wonderbolt Academy’s mat room. Quibble Pants was an interesting fellow, a Master Assassin specializing in dozens of different styles of martial arts. Allegedly he earned the status using the touch of death on his target, and their special forces attachment, and their regular army, and probably a few more things and people to make the story become somewhat of a legend. 

He stood at a solid six feet, built lean and minimal body fat from the hardships of the trade. His black hair was stained with grey stripes, likely from the stress he’d put his body through considering he was my age. He wore simple cargo shorts and a wife beater, looking like a A-list adventure movie star. I could see why Rainbow Dash had taken a liking to him, he gave off a know-it-all vibe because, well, he did know it all. Anything to do with martial arts at the least. 

“Okay Octavia, as I’m sure that the other Assassins that have conducted training with you have done, we’re gonna have a quick bout.” Quibble Pants moved to one of the circles on the mat. “So get some stretches in and lets get to it.”

Octavia did as he instructed, moving soon after to face him on the other side of the circle. “I suppose there might be some stipulations to this fight?”

“‘Course, I can’t have you getting hurt too much. We only have a limited time till I have to go on another mission. So these next few weeks are going to be quick and packed with lessons.” He positioned himself appropriately, perpendicular to Octavia, a hand behind his back and the other arm outstretched toward her. “The rules are simple, three strikes to me and I’ll concede that you need no training and we’re done. Survive for the five minutes of this bout and the same will apply. No street rules like titty punches or nut shots and the like, but any other means or arts are allowed. If its truly your style, even the drunken arts are permitted.”

I laughed, “You won’t have to worry about that man, Tavi is too much of a saint to hold her liquor. I’ve tried here and there I promise.”

Octavia huffed, “Enough of this, shall we Mr. Quibble?”

Quibble Pants chuckled, gesturing the famous symbol for her to attack, “We shall, give it your best. I expect within the minute to have you unconscious. Do your best to break that expectation.”

Octavia took it a little to heart, I could see the fact in her first attack. A sloppy feint and subsequent kick toward Quibble’s chest. He easily caught her foot, moving to push her back with his superior weight class. She seemed to realize this and pushed off with her planted foot, twirling into another kick with it and knocking Quibble in the fake. Octavia landed neatly, backing up quickly before Quibble could retaliate. 

Quibble Pants grinned, “Good, I like the fire in your eyes. Control it and we might have something.” 

Before Octavia could even bring her arms up Quibble had swayed quickly side to side, hunched over in a boxing form, and closed the distance she had set. He used pure kinetic energy and physics to pound her raised forearms, filling her future with aching bruises. Her frame was enveloped by his and she slithered away after a good dozen hits. Octavia ran toward Quibble, cartwheeling to give momentum and flipping into a front flip after a few spins. A leg slammed down on the mat, Quibble already having moved to doge her attack. 

Pivoting, Octavia attempted a roundhouse kick to make up for her miss. It came up empty, while Quibble Pants simply leaned backward and let it sail past. A few hits on the leg as it traveled left Octavia limping, she was on the losing end of momentum she had gained from the first hit. And it showed in the trailing hits and kicks from Quibble, to include the grapple position he had put her in after. Worn down, Quibble had slid in kicking the back of her knee to bring her to the ground and wrapping her in a chokehold. 

His muscles tensed somewhat arousingly if I could put it in the best description. I would be biting my lip if I didn’t care about my pairing with Octavia. It wasn’t a romance story with him, no matter who was shipping. “Nice try Octavia, you got one good lick in at least.” 

Octavia didn’t respond, having lost too much air and passed out from the choke hold. Quibble Pants let go and laid her on the ground, “Alright then Vinyl, she didn’t meet either of the goals set. But I will say it's not the worst I’ve seen. She isn’t too bad for a trainee. I think I’ve got an idea of what to do these next few weeks. Let's get her some water and after a break we can start the lessons.”

The lessons began after the break, just like Quibble Pants said. The three weeks were divided into phases. The first would be teaching Octavia about the basics of the styles and arts Quibble had chosen, giving a good base for the next weeks. The second would be based on advanced techniques and how to combine them. The third would be filled with sparring and application of the lessons that he had taught her. I was confident in Octavia, she was a quick learner and was going to do well. If not for the sake of reaching her goal, but at least for plot. 

Octavia was giving her all, steadily improving each day of the first week. Every day ended with a bout, giving Quibble Pants the new benchmark that allowed for him to decide the training for the next day. It wasn’t long until he was giving real compliments, not hollow ones that were just there for positive reinforcement. I didn’t participate much in the trainings, knowing that while I was likely on par with Quibble for hand to hand, I wanted to give Octavia and him the most time and best focus on their goals. 

At the end of the fourth day of the first week I asked Octavia a question after handing her a Nalgene, “How has everything been going?”

“Swell, if I must say love. This is quite the workout for me, Rara and Neon gave it to me easy.” Octavia swiped her hand across her forehead, wiping the sweat off. “I cannot complain, however, the training value from this is extremely useful.” 

My heart warmed with pride. I was excited to see her constant improvement in the last months, and the training was coming to an end. Thankfully, Octavia had been up to the task. “Great, ready for tomorrow? I think Quibble is gonna begin to teach some more complicated stuff.” 

“As ready as I can be,” Octavia stretched out her whole body, I tried to not pay attention to how good she looked in the short shorts and the sports bra top. “A nice cuddle would properly rejuvenate me, might you know where I could find one?”

I smiled, “Oh do I? Trust me, I know just the place.” 

The cuddle and follow up make-out session proved to be rejuvenating as Octavia had mentioned. The latter half of the first week of training held just as much as the former, with Octavia improving at a steady pace. Her improvement was evident at the final bout of the week. This time she landed two hits on Quibble Pants before getting knocked out by a pinch to the back of the neck from some foriegn technique with some nomads and earth people combo he mentioned. 

A couple days into the second week and Octavia had hit a small wall. Nothing concrete, or brick for that matter, but a simple wooden structure that was hindering her progress. The advanced techniques required certain acrobatics and steady motion that she didn’t have completely. Quibble figured this out by the third day and modified his lesson plan to cover the cons that Octavia was developing. Within the day, she had broken through her barrier.
 
By the end of the second week, Octavia was on a completely different level than she had begun at. She wasn’t getting knocked out cold by Quibble during their sparring matches, and her ability to demonstrate the wax on and wax off technique was immaculate. It had been exciting to see the quick improvements and what happened when something finally clicked. There was no way that by the end of their time there she wouldn’t be ready for whatever awaited them on their first mission.

 During the latter half of the last week, after a major lesson in the acrobatics and increasing Octavia’s flexibility, Quibble announced that they would have a final bout to decide if she was truly prepared to be released into the world of assassins. I could tell that she was a little nervous, but after a quick kiss on the cheek before she met Quibble Pants on the mat I saw her confidence return. Her posture straightened and she gave her neck a crack, moving to meet in the middle. 

The two gave each other a neat bow, and the fight began. Octavia made the first move flipping forward with a cartwheel, jumping into an overhead kick after lifting off with both feet slamming into the ground. Quibble Pants redirected the kick to his left, but Octavia was quick and used the momentum from her foot hitting the ground to turn the missed attack into a roundhouse kick into his shoulder. Quibble grunted at the hit, not backing up, instead he moved forward swaying back and forth. He scrunched forward in a boxers stance, arms tight and head low, attempting to use his pure weight and size to win. 

A few jabs and swings put Octavia on the defensive, as one hit could cause an instant knockout. She ducked left and right, using a chance of his arm getting close to grab it and use his momentum and the weight behind it to fling him over her shoulder. He did just that, but twisted and pulled her close, elbowing her in the face and a few times after that. Only until she landed a triple hit on him by kicking his leg, then chest, and face to push off and flip out of the way did her face get any chance to recover. 

Octavia ran forward while Quibble was stunned, kicking the middle of his knee to cause him to fall to a knee. She used the knee as a stepping stool, pressing off of it to gain some air and slam a kick into his chest. Landing proudly, she kept her feet moving side to side shuffling enough to keep ready in case he got back up. Which Quibble did, demonstrating a perfect kick-up without hands, and promptly going straight into a full-spun backflip to where he slammed his whole leg onto Octavia. 

She fell to the ground with a thud, possibly having a fracture in the shoulder that was hit from the pain it looked like she was experiencing. But she didn’t give up, going from a back-spin to her feet. Octavia rushed Quibble, enacting a last ditch effort before the pain enveloped her. A quick feint or two caught him off guard enough to slip behind. With all her strength she did something I had always wanted to see; a german-suplex straight out of a WWE highlight clip. And luckily it had landed him outside the circle for their fighting.

Collapsing on the ground in a huff, Octavia raised a fist in victory. I clapped, and gave a woot to show my elation. After a short moment, I moved over to Quibble Pants to check on him. He was contently laying, grinning up at me. I chuckled and helped him up, then giving Octavia a hand too. The first to comment on the fight, I directed my voice at the two, “That was awesome y’all. Can’t believe you got ‘em Octy, I was hoping for a few good licks. Not literally, otherwise I’d be a little concerned. But this was phenomenal, I know for sure you’re ready for your first mission. Thoughts on that Quibble?”

Quibble Pants rubbed the back of his neck, likely trying to remove the knots from Octavia’s suplex. “That was a good fight Octavia. I haven’t had someone put me on the ropes like that in years. Hopefully you’ll be back soon, I’d like to rematch. And maybe this time I won’t underestimate how much you picked up on what I taught you.”

Octavia smiled, “I would be honored Quibble. Do not fret, I do not expect to win any easier than I did today when the time comes.” 

I wrapped my arm around Octavia’s shoulders. “Well, I guess we should get going, Octavia and I need to report to Princess Twilight for a meeting tomorrow. So, I need her to get some rest so she doesn’t fall asleep standing in front of the Princess.”

A half hearted salute came in response from Quibble, “Of course, I guess I should get back to Rainbow Dash too. We have a meeting too coming up I need to get ready for.”

I winked at him, “Right, a meeting. Gotcha bud, I’ll be sure to pester her about it the next time I see her. She’s a catch ya know, don’t forget.”

“Trust me,” Quibble Pants chuckled, “She doesn’t let me.”

Octavia and I laughed, saying our final goodbyes and making our way to our car. It was going to be a good night, likely passing quickly considering how tired I saw Octavia was. Training was finally over, and with how long the few months had felt like years, I was excited to see what missions Twilight might have for us. 
> 8-Mission, More Like Exposition
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In usual fashion, Octavia and I were bickering on our way to Twilight's...Throne Room? I don't know what to call it, her lair maybe. Well, we were on our way to receive our first official mission from her and include a small update on the time we had been away. I supposed I needed to give a small introduction to my assassin turned lover, but that would come with the update. It was exciting, knowing that all the work over the long duration of training was culminating in the beginning of something hopefully successful. 

Normally, to receive missions one would go to Lily Heart and discuss signing up for contracts based off their ratings and availability. Most assassins went this way, but with the special contract I had with the one that signed off on such things I was given a special pre-order on such things. I figured whatever she had was going to be a good start to our rapport of mission successes. Obviously I needed to provide some great Master to Padawan guidance, but I was confident that whatever we were given was going to be fine. Its not like we were going to take down some crime syndicate or anything, probably some nice B or C rated mission to get our feet wet.  

In the beginning of my time over in the Shadowbolt Academy, my first mission was a simple D rated one that dealt with a good 'ol Daring Do switch of some priceless artifact in Greece. It hadn't been too much trouble and I even had time to grab some crepes at the nearby café. I wasn't going to let Octavia see, but I was actually pretty excited to get back into the scene. Maybe we would get to go to Antarctica, only place I hadn't been yet. Not many people looked to do much over there, at the time and even now only the Main Six and similarly skilled lone wolves dealt with missions over there. Nuclear launch bases and other super villian-esque things that were up to more do good level things. 

Then again, I suppose I was now apart of those do good level things, which meant I could be in luck with our very first mission. It wasn't going to take long to find out, as my monologuing took us to the main door of her throne room, personal quarters, maybe...base of operations? I was going to have to ask Twilight what she considered everything because I wasn't going to try and reach a word count for an essay of my own thoughts. 

A violet carpet led its way through the center of the throne room, yeah that sounded right. It split it down the middle, meeting an end at Twilight's throne lit nicely from the stained glass above. A few circles of them depicted her and her friends at various points in their famous adventures. I did a quick glance around to see various other depictions of the Main Six and their most famous points in their lives, even some nice aesthetic for each of them. Apple Jack had her lasso, Fluttershy her med kit, Rarity her Barret, Rainbow Dash her plane, and so on and so forth. 

Twilight sat atop the throne, dressed appropriately for the position she held. But still somewhat ready for battle, I was sure of it. A white, purple accented backless dress, with a deep enough V-neck that I tried not to stare too much at the cleavage it revealed. Though the dark purple skirt left little to the imagination with her legs, crossed they were for obvious reasons, I had a feeling it still stored some good weaponry. It was completed by some decent heels that I figured had some sort of knife function if she clacked the pair together. I was sure that it had come in handy more than often. 

I gave a small wave to Twilight and received one back, "Hey Twi, long time no see."

"Ah, Vinyl. It's good to see you again, I presume that means you are here to recieve your mission. Money is all you seemed to care about when I first met you anyway." Twilight grinned, obviously pleased with her joke. 

"Hey, hey, I'll have you know that is the old me. I'm a care about more than money, now it's money and my honey boo Octavia over here." I replied, pinching Octavia's cheek, giving it a small tug. "Though the order varies depending on how many kisses I get per day. Speaking of, today just so happens to need some money in leu of a discrepancy of kisses distributed." 

Octavia placed a kiss on my cheek, "I promise to make it up to you Scratch." She glanced at Twilight, "Princess Twilight it is an honor to meet you. I heard many great things from dear Vinyl and the academy. It has been wonderful the opportunity you and Commander Dash have provided, I do not know when I could even begin repaying the accumulating debt I have toward you two."

"Well," Twilight smiled, "It would seem you're in luck. There is a debt to be repaid as apt reward in your upcoming mission." 

I grinned, "That's what I like to hear. What have ya got for us Twi?" 

Twilight gestured to a guard next to her, who gave her a clipboard stacked with pages. After she flipped through the pages, she returned her attention toward Octavia and I, "I think we should do a quick after action report of your training. I'd like to know if you two think you're really ready and prepared for a mission." 

"Up front I would say that alone, Octavia is ready for at least E to C rated missions on her own." I took the chance to brag a bit about our progress and my amazing talent management abilities. "With me I would say up to a reasonable A rated mission. After some experience and some kills under her belt I think she'll be on track to be taking on your other Captains you have at the school." 

Twilight smiled, "That's good to hear, and because it sounds like you're ready for me to give you what you've likely been waiting for, I will cut to the chase." She paused, probably for some dramatic effect. "Scratch, you might recall me mentioning a lost Wonderbolt, who goes by the name of Velvet Rose the last time we chatted."

I nodded, having already guessed that was going to be the case, "I do, figured this is where you were gonna go with our conversation."

"Oh? It's been quite a while since we discussed this topic. How did you know?" Twilight asked.

I waved a hand in dismissal, "Well I talked to Dashie a bit about how she had an assassin missing in action after a job gone wrong. Talked to her daughter a bit too."

Twilight clasped her hands together in happiness, "Wonderful, than this won't be too difficult to introduce then."

And introduce Octavia and I to the mission she did. I had forgotten how notorious Twilight Sparkle was for droning on about a topic when she got on it. Not even considering the amount of slides in the presentation, or the strange musical that followed and short karaoke segment we joined in on, it was still a monotonous briefing that could have really been an email. But I couldn't avoid things like it anymore, and the suffering continued for a couple hours. 

To break the main points down, we had to Mario-rig this shit. We had no idea if our princess was in another castle, how she faired so far, and how fast we could get to her. Twilight needed us to plan, execute, and properly finish our mission before the summer solstice. Why you might ask dear reader? Because the Bilderhoof meetings of the assassins was occurring at that time, and I had higher obligations with Octavia to attend to. I.e. doing my actual job of guarding Twilight at the said meeting, and good luck to Velvet if I didn't because it was a no negotiating term. We had to rescue her by then or she was gonna have to be a strong independent woman and break out on her own. 

We had the mission broken into three phases; planning, execution, and rescue and relaxation. Planning focused on initially gathering any supplies we needed for what was going to be at longest, two months and likely shortest, a couple weeks. The mafia, which was still a thing nowadays I guess, was a clique that was initiated through blood. Sometimes yours in the form of a finger, or someone's life and both were reasonably negotiable. No kids, and thankfully we were in the cusp of advanced prosthetics, which as much as I'd like a vibrating function on a finger or two, I was still pretty attached to everything I had. For the latter, we really were just betting it was some other crime addicted person that was getting the Glock. 

Execution after we went through the first phase would be as long as needed, but enough to make our deadline. We had to, obviously, find Velvet Rose and hopefully get in and out with minimal problems. This included no dirty kills if necessary, no detection and reveal of ourselves, and a clean extraction. Contacts to gain initial entry were available, again obviously, not the ones that Velvet had used, but still able to get in the same group at the city she had been at. We just had to get enough trust to find out where she was, play along enough to get her out and never worry about any other mafia dealings again. It was the most important paragraph as Miss Jelavic would say. 

Lastly, the review phase would be safely dropping off Velvet at the school, reporting in to Twilight, and receiving our next mission. Though, I did note that depending on how fast we completed this mission, she would likely tell us to rest and relax until the summit. Which was fine, I was all up to another date with Octavia if I could. Maybe I could get the mandatory beach episode out of the way and see her in something nice. Maybe even help her choose it too. Man, it was a good thing I had some stereotypes, cause I wanted and needed a new swimsuit anyway. 

I cleared my throat, taking myself out of my swimsuit clad girlfriend stupor, "Well, I guess we should get on this then. Do you have the mission folder or anything related?"

Twilight nodded and gestured to a guard near her, who eventually pulled out a folder that looked filled an average amount. "Thankfully, the information we have on Velvet is still viable, her mission, description of self, contacts to get you in the mafia, and some other details are present in those documents. Please try to complete this in a timely matter, both for us and Octavia's newly forming reputation as a Trainee turned Apprentice Assassin. Be careful to avoid encountering King Sombra, as nasty as he is, you'll be more worried about him recognizing you Vinyl."

I snapped to a quick salute, "Roger that, thanks for all the info Twi. We'll be back before you finish the commercial break."





Velvet Rose had been tasked with infiltrating the mafia underside of Las Pegasus, finding information about its running's and the core values that were keeping its chapter there afloat. Within six months of conducting her mission, she was to report back with her findings and be relocated back to the academy before anyone there discovered who she was. However, it seemed after a generic 'help I think they found out who I am' SOS to the academy, her tracker among other things had gone dark. And the contact she had used to get into the mafia, well, modular human beings weren't in fashion yet but the pictures gave a good idea of what they could look like in step one of their assembly. 

Thankfully we had another contact that was still intact, and that would be Octavia and I's first stop. Well, second or third after we got some weapons and the needed housing in Las Pegasus. The academy had its own resources for cross-country operations and we would have the necessary equipment and money to execute the mission in the city. Within a few days of receiving the mission, Octavia and I had a quaint one bedroom, one bath apartment on the outskirts. It was near a safehouse that housed the weapons and equipment we needed for when the time came. We had our new identities with us, and the backstory we planned to use. 

Octavia Philharmonica and Vinyl Scratch were now Ting Harmonica and Record Scratch of the Undercity streets of Canterlot, having moved to Las Pegasus for a new start and to get away from the somewhat morally sound people of the Wonderbolt Academy. It wasn't any fancy back story by any means, but it got the job done and was believable enough to get an in to the Mafia. Octavia and I were still girlfriends and would use that to keep each other close on missions, hopefully not needing to separate and have each other's loyalty tested any way. 

The first contact required no weapons, but that just told me that I had to hide them with maximum effort compared to usual. My belt of my jean short shorts was able to snap into a sort of makeshift baton of flexible titanium, my shoe laces on my boots were able to become a garotte wire, and my black crop top was made with special Kevlar rated for up to .45 caliber. Octavia boasted similar specifications on her body, obviously making the more modest jeans and sleeveless hoodie that showed her toned arms from the months of training look better than I could. 

Our meeting place was begging to be a setup for those satellite TV commercials that ended with 'don't end up in a dark alley  because you got cable, get x product'. What I hoped was just dirty cardboard and muddy water, not the worse possibility, littered the dirt path. I tried not to think about the smell as Octavia and I walked up to our contact, Heel Soul, an assassin of similar skill level to Scootaloo's mother. 

"Hey, I hear your the beginning of the journey for my girlfriend and I from some trusted sources." I asked, beginning the conversation in my favor. "Is that true, or should I find some business elsewhere?"

Heel Soul looked behind him, "Well you won't hear about our thunderous prices anywhere else then will you?"

I sighed, this was making me feel dumb, "Not without some lightning fast haggling it won't."

"Okay, now we've got that shit out of the way. On to real business, yeah?" Heel asked, his reddened face showing he felt the same as I. 

"Well, what have you got for us?" I asked, wrapping my arm around Octavia. My glances around the ally looked like curiosity, but in truth were for escape routes and possible unwanted onlookers. I had dealt with the mafia a time or two before, back in the day of course. And it was the epitome of trust no one, not even your reflection. 

Heel leaned against the faded brick wall, lazily letting his legs cross over each other as he gave us a small smirk, "Easy stuff, just something all the new blood has to go through." 

I braced myself for the possibilities, and there were many. We had planned for plenty, whether it would be about offing someone, robbing, or even laundering of any sort it was covered. The contact had no idea to keep as much believability to the actions as possible. All it had to be was the most cliché thing he could think of and we would be in the clear. Even so, any kinks in the plan couldn't be too bad, this guy was a simple contact on the bottom of the totem pole. We just needed an in and little suspicion toward us. 

Thanks to the intel already given by the other contracts taken and received from the assassins of Wonderbolt Academy we knew that the main base of operations for the city held Velvet Rose. A pinch of trust, luck, and skill would get us near the room that held her keycard for the cell, or room, she was in. Hopefully, we wouldn't have any problems and everything would go smoothly. Knowing the premise of our story, and the future outline, it wasn't looking too good. But every once in awhile the hope method pulls through.

"And what would that be dear?" Octavia asked for me, letting her apprehension show in her shifting movements.

Heel Soul pulled a pack of cigs out of his pocket, lighting one up and puffing out some smoke. "See, its easy for the mafia to get angsty teens and people who want to stick it to the man. It's the skill and tenacity that they lack which causes them to fail the entrance tests. Usually, everything is fine and dandy when they need to do a hit on someone or launder some money, even rob a bank. No, what the mafia wants done nowadays requires more tact."

I kept my sigh to myself, of course we weren't going to do something we had planned for.

"What the mafia needs you two to do before you have your foot in the door," Heel continued, "Is to take out this guy, goes by the name Tony Lozuto. Low life kind of dude that thought it would be a good idea to get his own little clique in his own pocket of Las Pegasus. The mafia owns this place, as you two know. And this guy just wrote his own will by trying to defy them."

Octavia looked back and forth between Heel and I, voicing the question I could spot in her eyes, "And is this a... set in stone operation? Or might this man be another plant by the academy that we fake the death of?" 

She was grasping at straws. It was admirable that she was trying to stay optimistic, "No, we're in the big game now. Everything is true unless the next boss above you says otherwise." Or the plot point gets retconned, but Octavia didn't need to know that quite yet. The experience wasn't going to be great for her, but it was necessary. Octavia was an assassin now, and thankfully the morals were a little more straightforward with the Wonderbolts than the Shadowbolts. 

Heel nodded in agreement, tapping his cigarette and taking another puff before talking, "Get this done, and I can take you to the...how to say, front desk to get your paperwork done. The info needed for the rest of this mission and what we know so far is in this folder." He handed me a filled vanilla folder, "If you have any other questions, don't come to ask me. You're on your own after this. Sorry to say girls, but I'm not trying to end up in a barrel sunk at the bottom of a swamp."

And with that, our conversation was over. We had our mission, we knew the overarching parameters, and the last things that we had to do was get the details figured out. I took the time it took Octavia and I to get back to the house to think about our next move. Thankfully, the mafia liked to keep their people close. So they were constrained to a block of Las Pegasus for their headquarters. A skyscraper casino that acted as their façade for all operations in the city, covering a massive amount of land and reaching a good fifty stories into the sky. 

If it was a simple assassination mission, we would have posed as employees of the casino and gotten in and out no problem, no matter what floor the target would have been in. However, this was a higher rated mission for a reason. Everyone knew everyone, and we would only be known after the completion of Octavia's first assassination. With that we could explore here and there, but our skills would be tested to move around the 'compound'. If we had time, infiltration could occur over weeks, if not months. The solstice negated any chance of that, and we had to use the initial entry to our every advantage. 

I had a hunch that based off my previous bad guy compound infiltration experience that they likely were holding Velvet Rose in what was essentially the basement of the building. Hopefully not interrogating her too much, or actually, now that I put some thought into it, maybe at all. The mafia didn't take kindly to strangers and rats, so I hoped she was considered valuable enough to keep alive for a short while.

Back at our temporary house, I spilled the vanilla folder on our kitchen table. Separating the papers into groups pertaining to people, knowledge, and other things like blueprints. We began by going through the few people that we would be interacting with. It began with Duke Venture, the man who would be our primary contact if we completed our mission to their standards. All missions from there onwards, and anything to do with the mafia would be done through him. That would be our front desk situation, and if I was lucky enough I could finagle some info about our operative in the casino. 

Next was Amber Night, a female 'secratary' of Sombra that was the one that oversaw the operations of the mafia and casino while Sombra was off doing whatever illegal things mafia bosses do. Probably destabilizing some state or county by walking through it. If we wanted to know anything about everything, we would have to access her database from either the server room or the personal computer. 

Our other option was the suspected person that oversaw all the dark undersides of the mafia and casino, the one that left pieces of people in jars, cages, and sold them off. Lotus Grain was suspected to have the most time one on one with Velvet and if we could even tail her, I had a feeling we could find who we were looking for. That would need a bit of the hope method that wherever we followed her in the casino would lead us to our princess in the castle and not to a dead end in the mission. Worst case is we tail her and kidnap the kidnapper for information. No way what was practically a plan C would become the plan A and go the worst way it could purely for plot extension and to give us something to do. 

Improbable. 

"Are these the blueprints of the casino?" Octavia asked, touching what was to be assumed the said thing. "I have to say, I am quite curious as to why we do not have a digital rendition of this building and compound. It would seem, how to say, analog of us to have these materials amongst the plethora of other resources the Wonderbolts possess." 

"Everything can be tracked, and I mean even the things that you thought weren't even possible." I thought a moment about how to further explain it, "We give any chance that they could find out what we know and who we know in their ranks, it could topple any chance we have of saving Lily and would kill Heel in a heartbeat. You're right, our tech is probably good enough that a archaic hologram of the place could be projected in Twilight's office. But we bring that into a three block radius of their compound, all the sudden they've hacked our phones because we had the free Wi-Fi on the Starbucks near it." 

Octavia nodded in understanding, "I see." She walked around the table, glancing to and from different papers and pictures. "And we plan to begin tomorrow? Do we know where this Tony person is?"

I gave a so-so motion with my hand, "For the most part. Since he is new on the block in respect to the gig of being mafia material he's stuck in one spot. Probably some warehouse, or a mansion of one of his goon's that's still getting their electric bill paid by the parents. We've got an estimated position near the outskirts of Las Pegasus. Tomorrow we'll take a look around, check out some of the side hustlers to see anything and just in general see if there's anything suspicious going on. "

"It is not worrisome that we will be so open about looking for this man? Will his people not be aware quickly that we are in the area?" Octavia plopped down on the nearby couch, her head tilting toward the ground off the arm of the couch. I tried my best to respectfully at the boob shot I received. 

I cleared my throat to reset my thought process, "Uh, well, normally, yeah. It could be troublesome that we would have to be the only ones aware of what was going on. But in this case, I want them to come to me. People like him are overconfident, and I'm betting on him coming to us in person to intimidate some other overconfident noobs from the mafia or some blueberry cops." 

"I assume this will be done in the daylight. As counterintuitive that is to our job, it would be more efficient to have whoever is watching us from the mafia see everything correct?" Octavia shifted on the couch, and this time I ogled a little less respectfully. 

Grinning, I walked over to the couch and sat on her legs. Letting my ass sandwich itself between the couch and her thighs, effectively folding chairing me beside her. "Ah, so you figured out the main objective of being so reckless. Remember, we aren't supposed to be the level of skill we actually are. The fake us can be prodigies at fighting, sure, but street knowledge is next to zero. The mafia expects that, and that's what we'll give them."

Octavia gave me a pouty face, "So what I am hearing is no quality time with my darling for not even the day. Let alone the next few weeks." 

My cheeks heated up in response to the implication that Octavia had given. As much as I had gotten to know the ins and outs of her throughout the last months, I was still new to the romantic parts of the relationship thing. I wouldn't deny that some of my jobs required some more unique solutions, and that it had led me to take the lead more often than not during our trysts. However, lately, I was reluctant to admit I was falling behind on setting the tone with the two of us. There were no complaints, none at all. 

I moved off of Octavia, becoming the big spoon in the complicated calculus equation of couch cuddling. While I was going to cop a feel with the upper and lower assets in Octavia's tool bag, I did want to create a more romantic and less lust filled environment for the two of us. Her neck was a perfect resting place for my lips, and I took a full inhale of her scent as I grazed my lips along the side of her neck. Cherries filled my nose and I snuggled into Octavia's shoulder, letting warmth envelope me while I created as much body to body contact as I could. 

My legs entangled with Octavia's, totally not bringing some certain cheeks closer to my crotch. "Octy, I can't help but appreciate literally everything about you. And I know that they say it's what's on the inside that counts, but damn I think that the outside is a surefire multiplier."

Octavia giggled and grinded her ass deeper in response, "I think to properly understand each other we should discern the difference between the inside and outside. It is imperative that I know who my girlfriend really is, Vee. I have heard that it is easier to work from the outside in too, and it just so happens to be an opportune moment to do so."

I smiled against Octavia's hair, the onyx colored hair styled into a what would become a signature ponytail as she went on more and more missions. The single hair tie was tossed onto the table nearby after I removed it, I used the opportunity gained from the now free and flowing hair of Octavia to run my fingers through her hair. A pleasurable moan came from the receiving end, giving the unspoken go-ahead to continue. 

The next couple dozen minutes were spent with me exploring Octavia. A bra would be unclasped and hit the floor here and there, or either of the clothes covering our lower half. Eventually it was the two of us in the king sized bed of the single bedroom. I laid topless in a pair of panties that I had scrounged out of the nearby go-bags we had brought. Octavia was, probably subconsciously the opposite of me. She only wore an white debloused collard shirt, no bra and panties to complete her look. 

Even with both of us under the covers, I could see the comforter hugging Octavia's body. I shifted closer, pressing my forehead against hers after I gave it a peck. "I know this mission is a big one in perspective with the fact you've done like zero. Not counting the one against me, obviously. But trust me, at the end of the day, this will be nothing to some of the stuff in the future you do.  This'll be the type of mission you try out new moves and things you would only do on training dummies."

Octavia rolled her eyes and gave me a kiss, "I appreciate the words of affection. Do not fret Vinyl, I have no qualms with the upcoming mission. In fact, I am quite excited to see how my training can be applied."

I smiled, "Great, I'm glad. Now, I guess we should be getting some sleep. Can't miss a throwing knife 'cause of sleep depravation ya know."

"Well, I think that we can start the training for stakeouts and the small amount of sleep packaged with them." Octavia said, as I felt a warm hand sneak its way up my stomach and onto my breast. "Teacher, will you not help me study?"

"Heh, how can I say no to some extra credit opportunities."

We were professional assassins. Some sleep deprivation on the upcoming mission wouldn't hurt too much in the long run.
> 9-It's Like Patty Cake, But With Your Fists
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The outskirts of Las Pegasus were the opposite of the preverbal coin that was the city. A hood-like aesthetic sprawled throughout the landscape of the district that Octavia and I were walking through. The bustling city had been left behind for the dirt and grime of the outskirts, and by the looks that she was getting by the surrounding residents they were definitely getting to the right place. A transition from suit infested, fancy dress, and polos to wife beaters (literal and well, literal but the shirt kind) and sagging pants practically on the ankles was expected, but I forgot the smell that came with the job. 

Funny enough, were were more in my element than the hosh posh of the city. This type of environment is the kind that I grew up in, where I found my adeptness for assassination, and even a hobby of music. The straightforwardness of everyone was a breath of fresh air, well needed in the trash heap filled corners of the street. And that was what I was banking on for the moment, because no sane person would walk through newly attested territory. Not if they wanted to walk out with their lives. 

I could tell it was working by the fact that the street behind us was slowly being blocked off by a large group of gang-like people in purple accented clothing. Subtly, I patted down myself to check for my .45s and my knifes, noting that the dozen or so following were armed with the cliché choices. An Uzi here, Glock with drum mag there, and even a machete or two gave the impression that they thought cool factor influenced bullet ballistics. 

No problem, I needed to get to the point with the operation anyways. I wanted to get to the big fish when I could, not when they wanted me to. I took a peek through my peripheral to find the one in charge, usually the oldest fogey with the most tattoos. Sometimes smoking, in a wheelchair, with a cane; anything that gives them that one characteristic that differs them from their followers. Ah, there they were, this one was bald with tattoos over their head and face. They also held an interesting walking stick, something that looked like it had a mag in it. I could admit when they looked like more than a goon. 

With Octavia in tow, I went straight for the mini-boss. "Hey man, my girlfriend here and I are a bit lost. We're lookin' for a dude by the name of Tony Lazuto, heard of him?"

The dude pointed the cane at me, and I saw the suspicious hole at the bottom of it, pretty much confirming what I suspected, "Who wants to know?"

I shrugged, "Well you see, we're just some newbies to this whole mafia thing. You know how it is, and we heard that if we finish a hit on the guy that Sombra'll take us in."

Octavia gave a short, silent gasp, smacking me in the side. "Scratch, what are you doing."

Leaning over, I replied with a whisper. "Listen Tavi, the best way to deal with low level thugs like this is to just get to the point. You'll need to be couth and all that when we get in the mafia, but here and now is just getting around the dumb stuff. It's fine, none of their stuff can pen our clothes, just don't let them know that."

"Fine, continue on I suppose." Octavia huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and shifting her weight to one foot. 

I tried not to bite my lip at the sight. 

"So you think you can just waltz into our turf, with Tony's name on your lips and think what? That we'll hand him over to you, execute the boss?" The man with the can said to us, wildly swinging around his cane. 

I shrugged, "I mean, unless you want to die. Pretty much, yeah. I may be one of the bad guys in your case, but I'm not tryin' to be a bad guy. I'm here for a job, nothing personal to be cliché." 

The bad man with the sus cane tapped his chin in thought, "I see, how about we compromise like the civilized people we are. I sell your organs on the black market for a sweet penny and you get to see Tony in a fifty gallon drum. Capiche?" 

"Sorry dude, I don't think that I can do that. As tempting as the offer is, I think dead people  are a lot easier to talk to. They tend to be a lot more with the shits than when their alive. Tell ya what, since you've been so accommodating for the two of us, I'll be sure to make it quick." I slipped out my throwing knifes, twirling them around my forefingers for purely dramatic effect. 

Octavia noticed this and pulled out her weapons; a couple of customized Barretta's that I had shipped in from a retired friend of mine, probably sun tanning on the beach with her husband right now. The signature ivory grips and "9mm Sword Cutlass" etched along the length of the slide made it one of a kind. She aimed it at a couple of my blind spots, thankfully understanding my intent out the gate.

"Fuck you." Replied the dude wielding the gun cane, using his response as the figurative and literal trigger he fired the weapon at me. 

Based on what I had taken stock of, there were three baddies behind Octavia and I, two to the left of cane guy and four to the right. This lead me to target those behind first, allowing Octavia the easier job of the front group. Though more in personnel, the ease of access nature to them with her weapons already drawn and directness resulted in a makeshift practice shooting range for her. 

I still had to dodge this bullet cane guy shot at me, so I did what anyone would do and threw myself backwards. Taking the momentum and making it my bitch, I did a backwards ariel and let the bullet pass through my cleavage. With my hands free, and some tasty open targets behind me I took advantage of my flip to finish with throwing the throwing knifes in my hands into a bad guy's throat a piece. The blood spurting out of each of the entries, in conjunction with the guttural sounds and grasping of their wounds, told me I had succeeded in what I initially set out to do. 

Two down, one to go on my end.

Octavia had taken kindly to the challenge I provided her, already unloading the Barretta's into the goons in front of her. She was smart enough to dive and roll into cover for a split second behind the front of a car, using the engine block to her advantage. In my brief glimpse I caught three total down with her volley of thirty bullets, peppered as they might be and a couple others clutching various entry wounds, it was still messy. 

All thirty bullets might have hit, and thirty more were on the way as she moved from the car to the closest house. I hadn't taught her that, so I'm sure the academy had thought to give the amazing wisdom that cars aren't real cover. The Shadowbolts were more of a failure is the best teacher, and the scars and dozens of stiches I had received in my early years had me learning such a lesson the hard way. 

I took out one of my .45's while I finished my arial, one-tapping the last guy in the head who conveniently was still front of me when I landed. Since my part was done, I turned to those that were still alive from Octavia's two volleys of thirty 9mm. It turned out the second had finished off all but two and the by some miracle of plot, the cane guy. None had even thought to shoot at me, even while hiding behind their faux cover of the cars parked on the side of the road. At this point they were suppressed by a constant barrage from Octavia.  

"Hey Octy, I'll finish up here, try to keep them suppressed, we need one alive to tell us where this Tony Lazuto guy is." I yelled over to Octavia while taking my time to walk over to the last guys taking cover, using the distance covered to take out my other .45 and reload the one I had shot. 

With the rest of the distance to the cars I unloaded one of the .45's into the windows of the couple cars they were behind, letting the glass act as extra suppression and cut them up enough to disorient them even more. One poked their head up to run away and I used the other .45 to tap each knee. While the goon was stumbling into one of the freshly cut lawns, I did a nice spin with the weapon for a little flair, hip firing it like a cowboy. This resulted in two to the chest, one in the head. Classic.

What, I was a little bored okay.

I decided by the grace of, well, myself that the cane guy should live. Since, knowing my luck and tendency to kill the boss first and the goon know nothing, well I should at least act like I've learned from my mistakes. With this decision, I dove over the back end of the car the last two were hiding behind, taking less than a second to line up my shot with cane guy's goon. One pull of a trigger later, and they were clutching their throat, doing their best to stop the bleeding. 

With that one dealt with, I ended my dive with a sweet combat roll and shot the cane out of the can dude's hand. The now cane-less dude held his hand, grimacing in pain from the hot metal piercing his skin. I sighed and pointed my pistol at him, "Gonna help your buddy out, dude? Not a good look, I don't think he's gonna make it unless you shove a thumb in there." 

The cane-less guy sputtered at the thought and wiped the sweat off his brow, then his pant leg and shoved the thumb in the necessary hole. He looked back at my two fingers tapping the back of my neck, finally understanding what I was trying to get across he plugged the exit wound with his other thumb. I smiled, still pointing one of my pistols at him. "Great! Now we can get to business, on behalf of The Mafia I would like to inquire where Tony Lazuto is. Please be cooperative, and you can get away with your life."

"I ain't no snitch, you rotten dog!" The guy responded. 

I shot next to his foot, "Next one isn't a warnin' shot. Now, where is he."

"I told ya bitch, I won't say a thing." The next response he chose was to spit at my feet, right on my crocs. Damn.

So I shot him in the foot. While I focused on his mangled toes, I asked once more. "Come on dude, I'm trying to be nice. I won't be so nice, if the next thing you aren't telling me is the location of who I'm looking for." 

Octavia had finished on her end, as evident by the footsteps I heard behind me and her honey voice touching my ears, "How are you doing here Vinyl, find out what we need to know?"

"Well?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow at the still cane-less dude that now had a hole in his foot. 

"Fuck you."

I shifted my weight to my backfoot, "Okay Octavia, here's a nice lesson in following up on your word. It's really a facade in the real world, but down here in the underworld of the mafia, it means everything. Because, not just about the knowledge of someone's integrity, but the knowledge that anything they say goes is what matters. It's how King Sombra made it so high on the totem pole. And it's how we will too my dear beloved." 

The guy in front of me laughed, "You don't have the balls to shoot me."

I shrugged, "Well that's kinda right, I am a woman aren't I. But I did say I won't be nice if you didn't tell me what I needed to know. So, here's the next repercussion."

My left pistol discharged, sending a nine millimeter bulled through the had of the goon that had already been shot in the neck. 

"Bill!" The now fully alone cane-less guy grabbed his buddy's head and gasped in shock, "You animal!"

I crouched down, letting my weapons rest on both my thighs, "What more do you want from me man, I did exactly as I said. So, one very last time, after the like three chances I've given, where is he?"

The man was legitimately crying now, having lost all bearing in front of a true assassin. "Y-You can't be some low-life that got sent after us, there's no freakin' way. Who a-are you?"

I laughed, "Really now, you want juicy tea from me, when you won't even do me the favor first? Wow."

"F-fine, just please don't kill me." The begging had finally begun. Good, that meant he really would tell us. "H-he's over at the warehouse on Calhoon street, about five or ten minute walk from here. The neighborhood here is, well, was filled with the outer security that had developed for the headquarters for his new operation. What am I saying, you only care about him, huh?"

I gave a half smile, "Yeah, but good exposition for everybody else though."

"Vee, I am the only other person here." Octavia mentioned, confused. 

"I know, I know, you'll get it someday. Maybe Pinkie Pie can describe what it is to you." I waved Octavia off, leaving the matter dead in the water. 

The grunt looked back and forth between Octavia and I, "So, that's it right. We're done here? I-I can leave?"

I nodded, standing up to press check my pistols. A couple in one, one in the other, "Ah, about that." 

"Wh-" 

A gunshot rang out in the neighborhood, and a loud thump of a body hitting concrete followed almost immediately after. "Sorry dude, can't have anyone knowing how this went down."

Octavia looked at me with a questioning glance, "I must inquire why you decided to do what you did love. It seemed that he was of no threat, yet you still finished him off." 

I began to talk as I reloaded my mags into the pistols, using the time to properly think out my reply, "So, look at it like this Octy. The Wonderbolts have a great thing going, and I can see how in the long run they're likely to last longer into the future as an organization with their practices. But, and this is the reason, they don't like tying up loose ends. Which is good, but not black and white. You see?"

"I see." Octavia hummed, "How can we know what we need to tie up and what we can leave?" 

"Well, right now, we're playing the part of the mafia. And in that case, everyone that is against us, and everyone that isn't with us is against us you know." I sat on the curb, "We just have some leeway because we're not actually mafia, and we're Wonderbolts so we can essentially decide what happens and control the situation more than the usual goon."

Octavia tapped her chin, "Ah, so here we needed to do what happened because a mafia goon would have done it. Yet, this will not happen often because we have a different... code than these ruffians. We can decide as we go, using our intuition as you might say."

I nodded, "Exactly, with this done, it's onto the boss man to finish up this mission and get inducted into the mafia tomorrow. Easy money."

"Let us continue forward then." Octavia said, offering me a hand to help me up from the curb. 

"Yeah, let's." I replied, taking her hand. 





The warehouse wasn't far away at all, just a five or so minute walk as the now dead cane-less guy had said. It was an old dilapidated place that had vines crawling along the walls. The brick was a bit greyed from the decades of wear and tear, and there wasn't a window that didn't have some sort of crack or was completely broken. Likely, years and years ago, it held palettes stacked upon each other filled with whatever was needed. Now, from our vantage point we could see everything we needed.

The center of the warehouse was a circle of different monitors, computers, and filing cabinets. A corner to the northwest had a massive stack of palettes with likely whatever they had accrued over their short time as an offshoot of their mafia bosses. The other corners had separated their weapons, growing farm of some sort, and a set of SUVs. Our plan, as makeshift as it was considering that we only saw about a dozen there it didn't seem like any problems would arise.

Octavia would position herself above the skylight, ready to break the glass and chuck her throwing knives into the heads of the three men hanging around and in the SUVs. While I would breach through the door and take out another set of three near the growing farm, leaving the rest in the middle of the warehouse. Tony and a few of his goons were occupied by the screens that they had all their communications and such set up with. Which, if we were lucky, we could destroy in the chaos and keep them from contacting any friendlies. 

All that I had to do was wait for the signal and-

"HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP TH-" 

Three succinct sounds of metal lodging itself into flesh was all I needed to know to kick open the door. Nothing happened. 

"Well this is awkward." I took a step back, aiming at the handle to get the most out of it. 

And nothing happened. 

I inspected the handle, pulling it toward me.

Ah.

It opened for me to be greeted by three different guns. I promptly closed it back on their faces, whipping out my pistols and firing into the door. Three separate keyholes parallel to each other dotted the wooden door. The easy distinction of bodies hitting the floor was my clue to open the door again. Once I did, I scanned the rest of the warehouse quickly, taking note that Octavia had killed the three she had been tasked with. 

Which left the group in the middle to me, and let Octavia give cover if need be through the skylight with the rest of her throwing knifes. I dove behind an SUV to take cover from the incoming fire directed at me, rightly so considering I might've just killed a few of their friends. It's hard to not form attachments in this business, I would know first hand. There wasn't much to do until the suppression died down because of reloading, so I took the time given to me to find a nearby weapon. 

I tossed the weapon out of their line of sight, getting the 'ol cliche redirection to occur in my favor. Those that were looking away conveniently had the massive industrial lights that lit the whole warehouse above them. Within seconds I had three crashing down on top of them with my trained marksmanship skills. All in a days work. 

All that was left now was Tony, and considering it was a dead or alive, mostly dead, situation, dead would be the end state this time. He couldn't be a witness to our way out of wack abilities for just some henchmen. An already known rat, would then turn into a snitch, and none of us would last after he spilt the beans. I could tell it would happen by the way he cowered beneath the dead bodies of his comrades. 

I sighed, sauntering over, careful not to step on the broken glass from the ceiling, "Come on dude, die with some dignity. I can't just kill you this easily."

The warehouse was silent. All except for the hyper breathing coming from Tony, but I wouldn't say anything. He could keep thinking he was hidden. Problem was, this wasn't 'nam and even then I would still double tap to make sure. Once my feet were practically touching his face, I crouched down to push over the body he was hiding behind. 

"Okay bud, we've got a few options. But I think the only two that I'll give you is that I can end it right here, or please, please, try to fight us." I tapped the side of his head with one of the Barretta's to make the point. 

Tony looked at me, his face scrunching up in somehow even more worry when he saw Octavia walk up behind me. "Yous think that Imma just let yous walk all over me? Nah, I left the mafia to get away from that." He grabbed the barrel and pressed it against his temple, "Come on sweetheart, finish me off so I can get going. I've got better things in the next life to do then live in a world like this." 

I tsked, "Fine man, have it your way. I'll tell everyone there you said hi. Coulda changed everything from the inside huh, but no, gotta make a statement right?"

The ex-mafia man grinned, "If you knew who Tony Lazuto is, was, maybe that could have meant more. But today, its nothing but the dirt beneath my feet."

I shrugged, "Nothing more off of my conscience." And promptly pulled the trigger. 

Octavia walked over to put a hand on my shoulder, "Well Vinyl, I think it is time we return to find our friend yes?

"Sure, let's get going. I think there's a shaved ice place on the way, we can stop by there and do a quick run through of what went down." I grabbed Octavia's hand, taking the lead to the shop. "I'm sure Heel Soul thought this would take way longer than it did."

It only took about twenty minutes of walking to find a nearby shop that was selling what they were looking for. Thankfully, it was near the rendezvous spot that Heel Soul had given them on the walk over. The phone call was extremely short, it was a little heartening to hear the surprise in his voice on how fast we had finished our task, likely because he was afraid of tracking or someone else listening on the line. I wasn't particularly worried, they could care less about a couple of new prospects. Integrity was the facade, trumped by fear of what would occur if betrayal was on their mind. The past chapter had been evident of that, and I just had to plan a couple steps ahead to keep the proxy war we were executing turning into some sort of all out war. 

They would lose, sure, but at what cost?

"Vinyl, dear, what are you having?" Octavia asked, distracting me from my inner monologue. "There is such a diverse collection of syrups. I cannot think of a time I've been in a place like this."

I chuckled, wrapping my arm around her waist, pulling her closer to press our sides together, "I don't understand, how have you never been to a shaved ice shop? What, did they only have some caviar shops when you were growing up?" 

"Yeah, but..." Octavia mumbled, the red creeping up her neck I saw gave way to her embarrassment. 

"Aw, it's all good Octy. It just means I get more of your firsts." I slid my arm from her, giving her butt a good squeeze. "We'll just spin this wheel thingermagig here and it'll choose something random for ya. You can do it a couple times if you want two things on the same cone." 

Octavia stroked her chin, leaning over to read the options on the wheel, "Fascinating."

I stood back and watched her spin the wheel counter-clockwise, it taking a good set of seconds to finish its spin. At its end, the flavor chosen for Octavia was cherry. And by the time the second spin had ended, the other flavor would be orange dreamsicle. It was actually a half decent combination for a first timer, nothing like lime and rocky road or something I had gotten from the wheel before. 

"Not bad Octy, that's a pretty good couple of flavors there." I said as I walked up to the counter to order our shaved ice. "Hey there, can we get a small cherry and orange dreamsicle, then also a small birthday cake and cotton candy too?"

The lady behind the counter nodded and gave me a smile, turning their back to make what I had requested. It was still a bit strange to go from a literal killing spree to getting ice cream even after all these years, but I still couldn't find any other way I would want to spend it now. Especially with a partner like Octavia, there was no more times of loneliness on the road or in the hotel rooms or anywhere for that matter. I was honestly glad that my mid-life crisis was in reality a sort of quarter-life crisis.

The new experience of now being the one teaching instead of learning was slowly but surly changing my viewpoints on how to execute different missions. It wasn't just get the job done all the time to get the money. Now, it was about getting your team back safe, and bringing lessons into it to properly squeeze all the positive feedback loop from the mission you could get. I hadn't even thought about how I would try to communicate these things during stealth missions or if something ever went wrong. 

In the end, I suppose that I would have to trust the training and growing experience that Octavia has had and will gain to balance any problems out. It was just the beginning of our travels and missions, with us still local relatively to how I had done mine. There was so many spots around our huge world that I was ecstatic about visiting with her on the lulls between missions overseas. Getting paid to go on vacations with your lover didn't sound so bad, especially when the trade off is your life on the line. 

In my monologue to myself, we had sat down and begun testing our combinations. I took Octavia's had gone well by the small moans she would release after every scoop. It was kinda hot in a weird way. 

"Alright Tavi," I said, grabbing her attention. "We've gotta do a quick review of everything, past and present. Anything stand out for you in either?"

Octavia took another scoop while she was in thought, "Hmm, I would have to say that I was interested in how fast paced a plan can move from phase to phase in such a short time. The break-neck speed that decisions have to be made was still a bit jarring for me, but I have to say Vee, this was a wonderful first mission."

I grinned, "Awesome! Just wait till the next three plans fail during the second half of this thing, then it'll really get interesting." 

"Right, speaking of this second part. I wanted to point out how it might be easier to begin the recapture of Velvet Rose immediately. As we have no idea of her exact whereabouts, and the state of her. Well," Octavia took yet another bite. This time shaking her head, and pressing her hand to her forehead. "Good heavens, a brain freeze."

"Octy, you gotta slow down. I'm not gonna test your ability to down a cone of shaved ice." I cocked an eyebrow. "I mean its not apart of the contract, but if you really want me to I guess..."


Octavia waved a hand back and forth, "No, no, I am quite alright. As I was saying, I think that it is imperative that we attempt, no, succeed in retrieving Miss Rose from the casino the moment the opportunity arises to even be in the compound."

"I agree. It might take some quick thinking to knock everything out of the park." I scooted closer to Octavia and wrapped my arms around her shoulders. "But it won't be anything we can't handle. Trust me, we got this as your first mission to get your feet wet, not to die or anything before we got started." 

"Of course, I understand Scratch." Octavia leaned into me, showing me her smile. 

I gave her a squeeze, "Good."

Several minutes later we had finished our treats and begun the trip to meet with Heel Soul. He had voiced his surprise over the short phone call, short because of the need to not get tracked or hacked, on how fast we had completed our task. We had been given a meet up spot to get some final pieces of info and would very likely be in the front door of the casino by early tomorrow morning. 

Once we saw Heel Soul in dark alley number fifty-seven, he gave some last bit of juicy info. Amber Night was not in the area and the left hand of Sombra, Lotus Grain was the next in charge. We would likely be handed off to her from the front desk, the Duke Venture dude, to receive a short welcome and first mission. Where we could then begin the next phase of the mission. All that had changed was the ever growing feeling that I would be right about how it was always the last plan the was the first in all these missions. 

Grand Casino of Las Pegasus here we come.