[Ponyville]

The best part of having a drink of coffee was in the morning. A clear sky free of clouds and the sun beaming down from the clear ceiling glass window as you enjoy this peaceful morning. Living in a giant mansion was also a perk but right now it doesn’t matter when you’re busy reading the newspaper. Apparently when the party ended the griffon ambassador was found just a few hours in the same secret chamber you were in with a note from Blueblood giving the ambassador human slaves that were not legally owned. It was also a bad time for the ambassador to be accused of murdering the dead prince when the guards came to his room for questioning.

This could be a good way for ponies to question their ruler about this scandal.

Reading further into the newspaper you read that a trial will be held in a few days. Given the evidence against the griffons you can assume that it will take a miracle for them to win. But the best part is that the papers did not say the scene is foul play making you also assume that you destroyed all evidence that could trace back to the organization.

This day can’t get any better!

“Hey, Anon, get your ass over here!” Diamond Tiara yelled.

And this day just turned to shit.

“Coming, my lady.” Putting down your coffee and papers you walked to the front entrance seeing the young mistress in her pajamas.

“Can’t you do your damn job, the doorbell has been ringing.”

“But you’re at the door before me, couldn’t you have done it yourself?” you asked her.

“That’s your job, get it done.” After her command she walked past you and went back to her room to fall back to sleep.

Waiting a couple of seconds of peace you opened the door to see one of your favorite ponies doing her daily rounds, which happens to be this house too.

“Hello Dinky, how’s your mother doing?” You asked her.

“Hello to you too, my mother is just fine; she’s actually going to send some mail to Ms. Dash at her cloud home.” Dinky explained.

“Well, I hope this job is to your liking.”

“To be honest, I actually wanted to do something else, but with so many new residences going to Ponyville I decided to help my mom with mailing all this, I’m starting to like it now.”

“Hopefully you can get passed the small riots happening in the town lately, it can get dangerous.”

Since so many ponies are coming in town it also means a high rate of crimes, most of them is a rising rate of ponies trying to liberate humans from their owners. It was a nice thing at first, but through the recent months they started to get to reckless for any human or pony to not get harmed in the process.

“Don’t worry; the guards are increasing to handle the problem.” She told you.

It also means having a harder time to sneak around town being unnoticed.

“I should be on my way, this is your mail.” Reaching in her mail bag she handed you the mail and a large chocolate muffin on top.

“What’s with the muffin?” You asked her.

“It’s for you, trust me, you’ll need it.” As soon as you were going to close the door you see her wink before it finally closed leaving you a little bit confused.

Doesn’t matter, I get a free muffin!

Putting the mail on the living room table you walk back to the kitchen table and started to bite the muffin until you have the empty wrapper in your hands. You were about to throw it away before you stopped halve way to the trash can. Looking back on the inside of the wrapper you see a folded paper with the assassin symbol stamped in the middle.

That’s a delicious way of giving me a mission.

You looked around so no one is looking you unwrapped the paper and started to read what was written.

“Your kill was completed with a success but you forgot another reason why you were there. Do you not remember what it was, Anonymous?” Pausing for a moment you tried to remember what the other reason was.

Oh, shit. I was supposed to get information before killing him!

“It does not matter since the Equestrian government is having a political dispute with the griffons making your mistake less important. With the royal sisters now busy with this matter it leaves some Templars to their own devises making it easier to locate.” Turning the paper you see your new assignments and their location. If the leader of the Templars are distracted, that means the underlings are now far less observed for you and your team to kill them with less caution.

Putting the paper in your pocket you looked at the kitchen clock to see what time it is. Since the time says you are in the afternoon you can safely assume that Diamond won’t be awake until you get back, even Phil won’t notice you gone since he won’t be home until tonight from work.

I should head to the roof; get the directions to where the rest of my team is.

Climbing all the way up to the roof you used your eagle vision to see which teammate is closer first. Seems the only one near you was Terry at the edge of the Everfree forest away from the public eye and swarming guards.

Time to for a quick change.

Heading back inside you went to your room to get your outfit, opening the closet you combed over your regular clothes to get a large chest hidden under them. With a few minutes of dressing you opened your window and looked down to see the large straw pile underneath your room. You’re glad that Phil hasn’t seen it, but since he is so busy with work he doesn’t have the time to see these things.

I love a good dip in the morning.

Taking a deep breath you jumped out of your window and dived in to the large pile. Emerging with no signs of injury you ran across the yard and climbed the back yard tree leading to the forest. Even if there is less eyes watching doesn’t mean that the sky is empty either.

Running to Terry’s house you spotted glimpses out of the bushes to see ponies doing their daily work. But the most prominent ones to get your attention is the large group of ponies holding a flag with the hand print of a human waving in the breeze. Within the group is the leader of the operation shouting at the ponies.

“What’s wrong with you all? Chaining these intelligent beings like lesser beast! Rise up humans, we will be with you!” She said raising her fist in the air causing the other ponies behind her to do the same.

“Ok, what’s the commotion?” A guard said walking near the protesters.

“You know why, oppressor!” She said.

“Oh, it’s just you, again.” He said casually.

“These lands are supposed to be home of love and tolerance to everyone, why can’t humans be too?”

“Alright, Lyra, this is your third and final strike. You have to come down to the station with me.” Reaching her arm she quickly used her opposite hand and slapped him causing the other ponies behind her to start fighting the other guards coming to rescue their fellow worker.

Things can’t possibly get any worse.

Just then, when you were about to run again you heard a loud gunshot causing all the other ponies to run screaming from the noise.

Yeah, time to start running again.

Running from the screaming and gunshots you reached the cottage away from the loud town and started to walk around the house to find Terry.

“Psst, Terry, I need to speak to you about the new mission.” You said.

Just like the front house you see nothing in the back, for a place that was home to many animals this place is as empty as any abandoned house. As you were about to turn back to the front of the house to check the front again you felt an intense pain causing you to fall on the ground. Looking down your leg you see a large dark brown snake crawling closer to you with it's fangs aimed directly at you. Ready to bite you again, you were about to hit it with something near you when a slender hand grabbed it before the snake’s fangs reached your throat.

“I told you to stop biting our guests, Mr. King.” Terry said, putting the snake back down so it can slither back to whatever home it came from.

“That shitty snake bit me!” You yelled clutching your poisoned leg.

“Hello to you to, Anon.” He said.

“I need to go to the- ow!” As soon as you were about to finish your sentence, Terry plunged a needle in your leg causing you to sigh in relieve as the drug calmed your nerves.

“This antidote should stop the poison from killing you.”

“I still hate that snake.” You said still dazed from the drug.

“Your lucky I was still here and not with my mother trying to calm down Ponyville with the rest of her friends.”

“I heard gunshots while I was going to your house.”

“Yeah, I heard, hold on a second.” As Terry walked away from you still holding your leg, you see him go near the forest and started to shout.

“It’s ok everyone you can come out, it’s safe now!”

One by one, groups of animals began to exit the forest and started to go back to whatever they were doing in front of his house; Terry came back and helped you up from the ground.

“I did not know you can talk to so many animals, Terry.” You said astonished.

“You didn’t ask, Anon.”

“Well, since that whole snake bite is now over its time to tell you what our next target is.”

“Ok, who do we kill now?” He asked you.

You both walked to the front yard bench to sit and told him who the next kill will be.

“Iron will, apparently he has opened a fitness gym in Manehattan.”

“Iron will? My mother told me about him, he was a self-help guru and now he's a fitness trainer?”

“If you think that’s strange than listen to this, as soon as he opened his gym ponies have reported many humans missing.” Just to show your evidence you gave Terry a small list of names from the past few days before taking it back to read more.

“Don’t we usually get these reports like these before?” He asked.

“That was when we get them individually, but here is where it gets really weird.”

“What is weirder than missing humans?”

“Well, the local pony police found the same missing humans only to have no other choice but to exterminate them.” You said to him, you can already tell from his face that he wants to learn more now.

“What?”

“The cop’s report says that the same missing humans they found a few days later are a lot more bulker, including a huge temper.” You explained to him.

“A huge temper, what do you mean?”

“What I mean is those humans were so volatile that the police had no choice but to kill them all.”

“How many did it take? Two police ponies with magic and pistols should have been enough, right?” Terry asked.

“More like three unicorns, five earth ponies, and two blunder busts to take down just one out of the other dozen muscled freaks.” You explained.

“Whatever Iron is doing, we need to stop this, when do we leave?” He asked you.

“Hopefully soon, I need to get this info to Jonah and Mike first before I set up the time to depart.” Pulling up your hood you got up from where you are sitting when, Terry, stopped you and said.

“Don’t worry about those two, my mother wants me to go to the picnic at the park to meet with the rest of her friends, I’m sure I’ll meet them while I’m there.” He told you.

That sure is convenient.

“Then I hope you can make up a lie to tell your mother, because I’m sure we’re going to stay at Manehatten for some time.”

“I’ll think of something but for now, I pray for your safe return home.” Terry reached over for a hand shake you saw a sparkling trinket hanging around his neck, making you hesitate to take his hand.

“Terry…… is that what I think it is?”

“Oh, you mean my cross?” Terry said taking it with two fingers to give you a closer look.

“I mean that religious contraband, just showing that in public can get you in serious trouble.”

One of the major laws for humans is to not hold any belief or objects that do not resemble Celestia or Luna. The punishment will give you a life time sentence, with an execution of being hanged. Since humans are all slaves they do not have the right to hold any faith to other unknown gods, including a god that is human.

“You should get rid of it, does Fluttershy knows?” You asked.

“No, she doesn’t know. I’m not tossing it away either since this is the only thing to remember my parents.” Terry said clutching the cross.

“I’m sorry for being insensitive, Terry.” You apologized to him.

“It’s fine, ever since I lost my parents from hunting griffons I prayed to God twice as hard to get away from all of the pain it caused me when I was young. Ten years later you see me now with all of this.” Waving his hand to the house to show what he means, Terry began to speak again.

“He has blessed me with these gifts and I am grateful for it. Now I wish to spread our religion to other humans so they can have hope for a higher power, more powerful than the princess’s authority could ever amount to.”

“You will accomplish your dream as soon as we win this war, you have my promise.” After several more minutes you said your goodbyes and proceeded to walk back to your house with more knowledge of Terry than ever before.

Still a shitty snake he has. Can’t believe he even has more of those things.

Climbing the house and in to your room you started to undress your gear when you heard loud hoof step getting closer to your door. Having no time to take off all your assassin gear you jumped in your bed and hid your entire body with your blanket before Diamond bursts in screaming.

“Did you not hear me? I said make me dinner!”

“Ok, ok, I’ll be right down, just give me a moment to finish.”

“Finish what?” She asked.

“Um, masturbating." You said awkwardly.

“Gross, you pig, Just hurry up I’m starving.” As she slammed your door you quickly changed and rushed down to the kitchen to make some food for dinner.

For about an hour in the kitchen you set up the plates on the table, set out the food, and changed to cleaner clothes just before you hear Phil walk inside the house with a tired expression from work. Pulling out the kitchen chair for him to sit you gave him a cup of scotch and started to talk to him.

“How was your work, Phil?” You asked.

“Tiresome, those idiots can’t even do a simple signing contract without me holding their hands.” With a quick gulp from his drink he began to speak again before Tiara came in wearing a frilly pink dress, wrapped her arms around his neck and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

“Hey daddy, I hope you like the dinner I made.”

I made the dinner, bitch.

“It’s wonderful dear. How about you make some more food for Anon?” He asked her.

“But I made all this for you.” She said.

“Then there is no problem to make more.” Pulling an extra chair from the table he motioned you to sit and started to talk again while the angry Diamond marched in the kitchen to cook more food.

“But enough about me, I have something to tell you, Anonymous.”

“What is it, Phil?” You asked.

“I have seen you all over the house always full of energy lately”

Actually, I was scouting the house for any other places to hide more weapons, but whatever.

“So I decided to give you a gym membership.”

“A gym membership, to where?”

“I heard it has a wonderful trainer, Iron will they called him.”

That is very convenient.

“Is it possible I can start tomorrow, with my friends?” You said to Phil.

“Friends, since when did you start talking to other humans?”

“It was when I was with the rest of the humans at the gala; I think they will love to tag along.”

“That is a wonderful idea! Just tell me who is housing them and I can let them go with you tomorrow to Manehatten.”

“You should know them; Most of them are family to the ex-elements of harmony.”

“Then talking to them should be far easier than I imagined.” Taking another swish of alcohol he got up from the table and walked to the living room.

“Let me just get the phone book to call them, I’m sure they can accept my offer when I pay for their train ticket and hotel rooms.”

While Phil walked out of the table, Diamond entered with a plate of charred food in her hands. Putting the plate in front of you she went around the table and seated across from you. Seeing her eyes not leaving the plate in front of you, you started to eat it with little success of trying to not barf.

“Your nothing but a slave, you know that?”

You stopped eating and looked back at Diamond Tiara now looking at you.

“I’m sorry?” You asked.

“He’s not even your real father, stop trying to steal him away from me!” She shouted before running back to her room.

Geez, she needs to stop her father complex.

Cleaning out your plate you walked to the living room to see Phil hanging up the phone. His face seemed happy to let you know that his talking has swayed them to join you.

“I called them, and they said that they will join you to Manehatten!” He said excitingly.

“I should get ready for my things then, thank you so much, Phil.”

“Think nothing of it, Anon.”

As you both walked back to the kitchen to finish his conversation you cleaned the rest of the table and started to pack up your things to get ready for the trip. It also means adding your assassin’s cloths and weapons hidden beneath the street cloths you’re going to wear when you reach Manehatten.

Tomorrow is going to be a great trip for you and nothing seems to stop it. Nothing!

[Next day]

Something stopped your great day!

At eight in the morning you walked with Diamond and your master to the train stop. Coming near the station you see the six mares with the rest of your team with the addition of three extra ponies standing next to them.

Must be those blank flanks Tiara has told me about, I’m sure I’ll be getting along with them since I also despise this immature teen.

“Anon, I need a word alone please.” Your master said to you.

Walking to a corner of the station he told you what he needs you to do that made this already shit day turn to even more shit.

“I do not trust my daughter to be alone at the house, so I need you to take her with you.”

“What?” You asked.

“I just hate to see my only child alone while I’m at work and since you two go along so well I just know you will make the best of it.”

If he mean she and I go so well like twins trying to eat each other in the mother’s womb Phil's not wrong there.

“But where are her bags?” I asked him.

“Right over there.” He pointed his finger to a large cart holding all forms of cargo being shipped in the back of the train.

“Which one are her bags, the small ones, or the big ones?”

“All of them.” He said flatly.

God, give me strength.

“Well, I hope your journey will be a good one Anon.”

“I will see you at the end of the week, Master.” You said, shaking his hand than turning back to the end of the train.

“All aboard, Ponies in front humans in the back of the train!” The train conductor shouted.

Entering the back of the train you see Terry, Jonah, and Mike sitting at the corner of the train, using a large case as a make shift table, you sat next to Terry to inform the rest of the team what happens when you four will reach your destination.

“So, did Terry tell you guys most of the details?”

“What? You mean the whole Iron will using humans to become near un-killable monsters, or is there more to this suck salad that we need to know of?” Jonah asked.

“Good question, Jonah, I actually need to know what weapons you three brought.”

“I brought my trusty axe, two flint lock pistols, a hidden blade, and a blunder bust.” Jonah said.

“How can you hide all that?”

“I told my sister to get an extra crate of apples to sell at Manehatten” Jonah explained.

“How about you, Mike? What did you bring?” You asked him.

“I have brought my rifle, with bayonet, two hidden blades, four smoke bombs, and four pistols.”

“And where did you put them, Jonah’s crate?”

“Oh no, I treat my weapons with more care than that.”

“So where did you put your weapons?”

“We’re using it as our table.”

“You mean, right now, this large case that we are using as a table, is full of your weapons?”

“Yes, I told my mother that it’s full of my work out clothes for different styles of exercise.” He explained to you.

“Ok, not going to question your methods. What about you, Terry?” You asked him.

“I took some medical equipment, a pistol, poison blow darts, hidden blade, and my snake Sarah.” Lifting his right hand up his pet snake, Sarah, emerged out of his sleeve and quickly receded back inside her home.

“Where did you get this medical stuff?” You asked.

“My mother thought I might get an injury from lifting heavy weights.” He explained.

“Ok, thanks for telling me of what you all brought we should all get some rest, going to be a while before we get to Manehatten.”

“Why should we?” Jonah asked.

“Because, when we arrive I want us to patrol at night to the area the police reported where the modified humans were located. Now get some rest, we start when the rest of our group falls asleep.

Separating away from the group you stacked up Diamonds belongings into a make shift bed and looked back at what the rest of the group are using for beds. What you thought of seeing old matrasses and dirty blankets was instead replaced with clean nap sacks with fresh clean blankest followed by having the three of your team mates setting it up like their having a sleep over.

“Hey Anon, can I ask you a question?" Terry said.

“What?” You asked still trying to have a better sleeping position.

“You want to have an extra pillow?”

“I can also spare you a blanket, my mother always wants make sure I stay warm.” Michael said to you.

“Hell, you can move over here if you want, better to stay in a group while we’re in this train together.” Jonah said.

Pushing Diamond’s suit cases closer, you take the pillow and blanket from them.

“Goodnight.” Terry said to us.

“Goodnight.” Michael said.

“Goodnight.” Jonah also replied.

“….. Good night.” You said having a better night sleep than you ever thought having on the end of a train.

As you slowly fall asleep you still have second thoughts about what you’re up against. Mystery drug, monster humans, Iron will, none of these seem to come together on this case but if the organization has given this to you than you have an obligation to figure this out. Just as soon as you can get a goodnights rest for the long trip a head of you.

“Anon, you still awake?” Terry asked.

“I am now.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.”

“No, its fine, what do you want to ask me?”

“What do you think about what happened to the humans?”

“If you ask me I think the Templars used some kind of advanced magic Equestria hasn’t discovered yet.”

“I thought you were asleep, Jonah.” You said to him.

“I think they were implanted with some ancient enchantments the Templars use to track other humans suspected of being an assassin.”

“Jesus Christ, Is everyone awake?” You asked them.

“I’m just putting by two bits in the conversation.” Michael said.

“Well, you’re both wrong, the autopsy shows that they had no magic or any foreign objects in their bodies.” You told them.

“Than what do you think it is, Anon?” Terry asked you.

*Exhales* “I think it is some new drug that increases your strength but also makes you quick to anger.”

“In any case we should back to bed, Goodnight.” Jonah said laying back down on his nap sack.

“Goodnight.” Michael was the second to fall back to sleep leaving you and Terry left to say goodnight.

“I hope we can end this problem before it reaches our home.” Turning over to his side to sleep you are the last person still awake.

I hope so too.

[Somewhere else]

Ggrrraaahhh!

“Hold it back damn it! Doctor, we need you to put to it to sleep!” Shouted a heavy armored earth pony holding a chain on a large figure trying to thrash its way out of its shackles.

“I gave it ten times to average dosage; it’s still not going down!” The doctor said to the guard.

Pulling the chain on its right arm a guard went flying towards its direction than was grabbed by her midsection.

“It’s got me!” She shouted. Pulling out her knife she stabbed the monster’s arm repeatedly before it threw her across the room, face first into solid concrete floor, crushing her entire head on impact.

Just as it was taking another victim, two cloven hooved feet smashed down on its head, knocking it out immediately.

“What seems to be the problem, Dork?”

“It’s pronounced doctor, Mr. Iron will.”

“That’s what I said, Dork.”

*sigh* “Our problem is that we’re down one guard, our drugs can't sedate it without being torn in two, and for the past two weeks the ponies owning humans in the area became to paranoid they can't even let one human come out of their homes.” The doctor explained to him.

“I’m not so sure about that.”

“What are you getting at, sir?”

“A phone call from yesterday wanted a gym membership. A train is heading to this city, transporting four human boys, you can see where I getting at.”

“I’ll have the drug ready when they enter the fitness center, sir.”

“See as you get it done, Dork.”

*sigh* “Its pronounced doc.”

Author's Note

Well this is the second chapter to this story and I hope all of you like it. I now it is short from the first but my editor does not like to read long chapters so I had to shorten it. hope you all will lie, favorite, and follow me so you all can get the latest news on the next chapter.

Like always, this is Brotherhoof12 saying "Summer is almost over, No!"