> Of Blood and Friendship > by Prisoner 24601 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > The Tunnel > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [I dare you, read this fanfiction while listening to this song: I am serious, imagine the whole fight scene in slow motion, and pay no mind to the lyrics, only the music. Your ears will die from overexposure to epicness. The bartender let the man take his seat, as he was in some way threatening. No one knew his name, or his face, only that he was the assassin. The one who killed Borgia, the one who freed Rome, and the one who's face is never seen. His white hood covered his features, and gave him a huge aspect of mystery. Ezio Auditore De Firenze accepted his offer and took his seat in the corner. The tavern around him was gloomy and damp, with light wood tables contrasting the dark, damp cobblestone that lined the walls. He reasted his arm on the round empty table in front of him, and shouted to the bartender in a heavy italian accent, "Bartender! Pint." He needn't say any more. The tavern itself went quiet with his words, but its reputation of noise was restored with an eyeless glare from the assassin. The pint of ale slid across the counter, and plummeted over the edge, only to be cought by Ezio, and returned to his table. He rested again, drinking his ale without regret, as he was fine with dying there and then. He was still in belief, though, of his secret philosophy: Just when you give up, things make a sprint for the better. He lived by those words, which inspired him to keep going, even when everybody he knew was slaughtered by the Templars. But nothing bothered him any more. His strict training tought him never to regret, never to spare the evil, and never to love anybody. He abided without thought, as it was his bloodline. His ancester was the Altair Ibn-Al'Ahad, and unbeknownst to him, his future kin would free America. He kept going, though, wanting ever so badly for his life to simply end, but silently hoping it would go on, to give him the thrill he recieved from being an Assassin. In his drunken slump he was there again, right in the action - or rather, soon to be in the action. He was dangling upside down in a crounched position from the ceiling of the underground tunnels that criss-cross Rome. He was alone, but he assumed he wouldn't be for long. This was the life he used to live: waiting in the darkness for an unwanted soul, then dropping from the shadows to deliver the god's justices. And speaking of unwanted souls, Ezio could here loud slaps on the stone ground beneath him, moving fast, as if away from something. Then he recognised loud metallic footsteps following: A templar. Ezio found to victim to be a lowly merchant, without shoes or a shirt, just pants and a ragged hat. He tripped on something invisible to Ezio on the gound directly beneath him, and he turned his head back to where his pursuer was. The Templar now stood over the merchant, who pleaded in italian about how he was sorry he missed the payment, and next time he would pay double - triple, even! But the Templar didn't want to hear it. He raised his sword high above his head, and Ezio made his move. Not even knowing someone was above, the Templar didn't even adjust his head as Ezio flew through the air, arms outstretched, but legs curled to his stomach. He extended his legs to give a punishing kick to the top of the Templar's bucket helmet, sending him to the ground. Standing above his foe, Ezio turned his head back to the merchant, and gave a nod, not changing his serious oral exression. The merchant scrabbled to the ground again, and took off down the dark cave. Ezio shifted again to the Templar, who stood from the ground. He brought his sword down on Ezio, who held it in the air with his metal bracers. He jumped, and kicked the enemy in the stomach, sending him backwards again. Ezio stood, crouched slightly, a smirk on his face, ready to finish him. While the Templar prepared his next attack, Ezio shot out one of his wridt blades, and leaped at the man. He thrust the knife into the neck of the Templar, who staggered backward, and fell to the ground, dead. Ezio stood over his good work, then looked back to the dark tunnel the merchant had gone down; empty, and then looked the other direction, not as empty. Before him stood three men, one covered in steel and golden clad armour, another in red and blue cloth, and the one in the middle wearing a noble steel uniform with a large Templar cross on the front. The first one to challenge Ezio was the weakest one, the one in the cloth. He ran, with his sword in the air, hoping to bring it down on Ezio. This time, he didn't hold it in the air, and instead simply sidestepped the blade, and punched the scout in the side of his head. The next one the captain sent to his death was the huge brute, who had a large axe in hand. He swung it to the right side of the assassin's torso, who ducked under, turned around, got on his hands, and thrust his feet into his opponent's stomach. The brute dropped the axe, which Ezio proceeded to pick up. He swung it down, and embedded the blade in the brute's skull. He fell backward onto the cold ground. Ezio was ready to face the captain, when something grabbed him: the man on cloth. He had put him in a chokehold, but Ezio headbutted the enemy, turned around, and pur another one of his wrist blades into his neck. Now dead, the Templar scout fell forward, onto Ezio, who quickly pushed him off. He turned to his last opponent: the Templar captain. His rapier was shined and ready for battle. He drew his sword, and Ezio drew his own, and the battle began. they went back and forth with parrys and blocks, each one getting a good hit or two now and then. But ultimately, one came out on top when the captian tried to kick Ezio. He dodged the kick, and tried to thurst his sword upward into the captain's chin, but he stepped back making Ezio leap up, and fall back down, doing no harm to the Templar. The captain thrust his rapier again, but Ezio jump-kicked it out of his hand. Then he forced himself on top of the captain, laying on the ground, and thrust his blade once again into his throat. Ezio stood again, sure he was done, when suddenly: click! The souind came from behind the assassin, who turned to see the merchant standing there, a pistol pointed at him, and a wide grin on his face. Ezio didn't have time to react as the merchant squeezed the trigger, and sent a bullet faster than the speed of sound through Ezio's left foreleg. In tremendous agony, Ezio fell onto one knee, and looked up at the merchant, walking towards him, gun discarded, and the captain's rapier in hand. His pain distracted him from doing anything as the traitor put the sword tip on Ezio's heart, and whispered, "Finally, we have you, Ezio Auditore." With that, the merchant thrust the sword through Ezio, who awoke with a shout and a jump in the tavern, flipping both his tabel, and his chair. He lay on the floor, panting, grabbing his heart, in so much shock that he didn't realise that his hood had come off. He looked around the tavern, to gaping mouths, and awe-inspired faces. There was one that stepped from the crowd out to help him: a young woman wearing a purple robe, with a tome hanging from her belt. A scholar, no less, who after examining Ezio, motioned a hand towards him. Five other's each dressed in different colors and armors, stepped from the crowd, and helpd Ezio with his table and chair, and his hood. There was the steel-clad warrior with orange insignias painted on their breastplate, a harlequin, all dressed in pink, a white wearing taylor, a kind farmer dressed in yellow, and one of the assassin posers, who wore the same as Ezio, only cyan. He sat at the table with the six. Each had something with them to identify their personality. The scholar had the tome, the warrior had a red apple in hand, the harlequin had a small crystal orb, the taylor had a spool of purple thread, the farmer had one of their prise winning rabbits, and the other assassin had an heirloom: two golden wings making a circle. Ezio, regaining his natural senses as the tavern reverted to noise again, asked, "Who are you six women?" The scholar went first, introducing herself as Twilight Sparkle, the warrior Applejack, the harlequin Pinkie Pie, the taylor Rarity, the farmer Fluttershy, and the assassin Rainbow Dash. Ezio thanked them for their help, but said he didn't need a brotherhood. He had one already. This, when joined by the six's argueing, led to the formation of the assassin oathhood. Ezio was relieved, his philosophy didn't let him down. > The Scholar > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight Sparkle was a scholar. She worked at the roman university, teaching the young literature and history. Her knowledge was unmatched by any in the empire, and she had been told many times that she was a good target for the assassin brotherhood. But she needn't worry. She wasn't just smart. She was an assassin. She'd decided to train after one day. She was walking down the road through Rome, beggars coming, pleading for gold or food. Though she was kindhearted, she ignored the beggars. Pesky nausiances.(???) She continued through the streets, until two horses blocked her path. The beggars had gone, and upon the horses were two Templars. three more came at her from behind. She was thrown from side to side, until on accident, her fist connected with a bare-headed templar, who fell to the ground, grasping his broken jaw. The other four Templars comenced attacking Twilight, who dodged them, and surprisingly accidentally killed three, and wounded the other. Then she ran. She ran home faster than her legs could carry her. She had nightmares, and decided to train in the ways of an assassin. But the nightmares continued. The same one over and over every day for three years, each time, her trying to change something, but it all ended the same way. Until one day, the fatal nightmare came true. Twilight was teaching about ancient literature on the second floor of the university, when another scholar entered the room with a proposal. He took Twilight aside, and said, "Miss Sparkle, I need your help." This was the same thing he said in the nightmares, but Twilight tried to convince herself it was a coincidence, and said, wavering, "And what might that be, Sir Worthy?" He grinned evilly as he pulled a knife from his robe. This was the nightmare all over again. Twilight tried to make herself wake up, but couldn't deny the fact that she was in the cold, hard, reality. The scholar said, "I need you to die." and he jabbed forward with his knife. Luckily, Twilight's training in the brotherhood had prepared her for this, and he easily sidestepped the knife. She bashed the face of the scholar with her elbow, and recovered his fallen knife. Now she had the upper hand. She tried attacking, but when she knocked Sir Worthy to the ground, he shouted, "Guards, Guards! Assualt! Assualt!" Twilight looked to the door, where five Templars had gathered: two in cloth, two in thin steel, and one in huge, thick, steel and gold. The cloth guards attacked first. One tried jabbing at Twilight with his sword, but she jumped back, into the headlock of the other. She pulled out her knife, and stabbed it into the enemy's knee, forcing him to let her go just when the other was preparing for a thrust. She fell to the ground, and the one guard stabbed his sword through the other. Twilight retrieved her knife just as he fell out the stone window. She then turned to the man who had just killed him. He tried bringing his sword down from above his head, but Twilight jumped, and swung her foot around, so it connected with the guard's left temple. He was thrown into the wall, and settled on the ground, moaning. She picked his body up, and threw it out the window onto the ground below with his partner. They were now both dead. She turned to the door again, where the guards in steel started coming. During this time, the students had started cowering in fear in the corner, and the other scholar had stood to join the huge brute in the doorway. One guard she recognised as a knight tried to swing his sword into Twilight's left side, but she ducked, and spun so that the tome that hung from her belt swung through the ankles of the knight, sending him to the ground. Then she stood to see the other knight threateing the students with his rapier. She charged behind him with one of the wooden desks, and hattered it over his head. He stood and turned to face Twilight, and jabbed at her with his rapier. Twilight jumped above his thrust, and kicked him right in the jaw. He dropped his sword, and cllapsed into the mass of students, who commenced cheering as they sucked him into a torrent of fists and feet. He was dead within five minutes. In the meantime, the other knight had recovered and ran up behind Twilight. SHe pulled her knife again, and jumped into the air, to do another air kick. This one stopped over his head, however, and when she dropped, she brought it back, forcing the knight to the ground in front of her. She walked over to the window, stabbed her knife into his throat, and tossed him out, too. She thought, four down, one to go. and she turned back to the doorway. Instead of the brute attacking first, it was the other scholar, who was now barehanded. He tried to uppercut Twilight, but she grabbed her tome, with it's iron cover, and placed it over his fist. When he punched it, he let out a yelp of agony, and dropped to the ground, grasping it in one hand. She then commenced to knee him in the face, sending him backwards, unconsciouss. Then she brought her head up to look at the doorway, but it was too late. The brute was already charging her at top speed, and she knew how this would end. It would end just like every single one of her nightmares ended: with her death. She was surprised as the brute's forearm pushed her chest up and out the window. She landed hard on the dirt, and expected herself dead. But she still lived! This was never the case in her dreams. The brute soon landed down, too, placing his feet on top of two of the three dead bodies between Twilight and the university. He pulled out a huge axe, and prepared to bring it down on Twilight. this is the end. she thought as she closed her eyes, waiting for the millisecond of shock, then the sweet embrace of death. But nothing happened for a few seconds, and Twilight opened one eye just in time to see something new: a third person! This huge warrior wearing steel-clad armor with orange symbols painted all over it leaped from out of view, and tacked the brute to the ground. Then the warrior pulled an axe from their belt, held it high above their head, and brought it down, embedding it into the Brute's facemask. The warrior stood, retrieved their axe, and turned to Twilight, who commenced standing. She could see that this warrior was a woman, a very unusual sight. The woman grabbed her facemask, and pushed it up, to show a kind, yet serious, face. She said, "Well, howdy there," in an accent that sounded nothing like anything Twilight had ever heard, and she was the grandmaster of the great librarium! the warrior commenced saying, "I'm Applejack, and I jus' saved yer life. Now come on, them Templars aign't never good news." The mysterious warrior motioned Twilight after her as she ran off into the brush. Twilight unwillingly followed.