The Creed: Repairing Rome

Chapters

Growing in Numbers.
Three Plus three.
Mission (pt. 1)
Mission (pt. 2)
Mission (pt. 3)
A Perfect Performance (pt. 1)
A Perfect Performance (pt. 2)

Growing in Numbers.

She was sprinting her way towards the edge of the building. As the blades flashed from under her arms, she fell on top of two Borgia guards, the hidden blades coursing through their throats, covering her hands in blood. She sprinted away with the other two guards in hot pursuit. Running away, she saw her ticket out of the horrible, yet all-too familiar, situation. She stomped on the lever of the lift, grabbed the rope, and zipped up out of the guards' view. She sprinted and lept off the edge.

Ah, yes. The days of the Renaissance. All the city of Rome seems to be going well to the un-trained, naive eye. But few, however, know about the fued between the two dominating orders--the Assassins, and the Templars. And even fewer know that the pope of Rome, at this time, is a Templar, along with there's of the Borgia. But a comfort to the Assassins--and a fear to the Templars--is the knowledge that every victory won by the Assassins, is just one step closer to the ultimate goal, no matter how large or small that individual victory is.

Sprinting ever faster and faster trying not to get caught, her luck ran out. As she was running, a Borgia guard grabbed her sky-blue hood, pulling her down to the cobblestone path with a loud thud, revealing her multi-colored hair. A guard went to bring a pike down on top of the assassin, but she rolled out of the way. Swiftly, she raised herself up and drew her sword, knowing a fight was about to go down.

A guard attacked from her left. She moved and blocked the blow with her sword, spun out of the way, and stabbed the guard through the heart. After the ordeal with the ordeal other guards attacking her, and every attack a successful counter-kill, there were only two people left on the battlefield: the assassin, and the guard with the pike. The guard attacked. The assassin grabbed the pole, and then ripped the pike away.

After stabbing the final guard through the chest, she ran and, using the pike, pole-vaulted her way to a wall. She grabbed a ledge and pulled herself up the wall. She sprinted away from the scene of the crime and saw several pigeons perched on the edge of the roof. She sprinted and jumped into the hay-cart below. Suddenly, a noise caught the attention of her ear.

"Hehe...look at what we've got here boys. A thief," she heard a guard say, and a few chuckles In reply.

"I-I-I-," a sweet, timid voice said, before being interrupted.

"Awwwwe. What's the matter? Cat got your tounge?"

"Bu-but I d-didn't do anyth-"

"Do I hear protest to your authority? That's not acceptable around here, theiving scum."

"I'm s-s-sorry s-s-"

"Sorry won't let you out of this one!"

"--sniff, sniff--"

"We've all had just about enough of you around here!"

That was all the assassin had to hear. Jumping out of the hay-bale, she pulls a crossbow off of her back, shooting one of the four guards. She throws a knife, kills second, and jumps on top of the final two, letting the hidden blades slice through the necks of the two men, making blood spurt from their throats. The assassins stood and looked at the lady, who had long, pink hair and was trembling with fear.

"Are y-you here t-to k-k-kill me t-too?" The lady asked, stuttering with fear.

"Huh? Heck no! I hate these Borgia just as much as it appears you do," the assassins replied.

"You d-d-do?"

"Of course! Why else would I kill them?"

"Oh...I guess that makes sense. You know what? I'd like to repay you in some way, but I have nothing to give you...sorry."

"There is a way to repay us, however."

" 'Us?' What did you mean,'Us'?"

"I'm not the only one saving innocent people like you."

"Really?"

"Sure! I'm part of.a big group helping to de-throne the pope and the Borgia."

"Well, I'd sure like to help. Where do I go?"

"Do you see that tall tower over there?"

"Yes."

"Go there and tell them Rainbow-Dash sent you."

"Oh. Your name is Rainbow-Dash. Mine is Fluttershy. Ok, well thanks. Ill go right away. I don't wanna get attacked again. Oh, say, would you like to walk me to the tower?"

"Sure! Ive got nothing else on my to-do list. But I'd much rather climb there."

"Oh, umm, ok. I guess I could try that."

So Rainbow-Dash and Fluttershy reached the rooftop and began going to the tower.

"Oh, wow. You are a great climber, Rainbow," Fluttershy stated.

"Thanks. I can climb most any rooftop in ten-seconds flat!" Replied Rainbow-Dash.

"Wow."

"Yeah. I get that a lot."

After a few more minutes of climbing, walking, and talking, Rainbow-Dash and Fluttershy reached the tower. Fluttershy walked into the tower to get to the top. Rainbow-Dash climbed there to wait for her. Shortly after Rainbow reached the top of the tower, Fluttershy came through the door.

"Hi, Flutters!" Rainbow said.

"Oh my! You nearly gave me a heart-attack," Fluttershy replied.

"Haha. Sorry, my bad. Anyway, did they accept you?"

"Yes."

"That's awesome! However, I must leave. I see my next objective. Catcha later and good luck!"

"Yup. You t-RAINBOW!" Fluttershy looked off of the ledge Rainbow just jumped from just in time to see her hop out of a hay-bale she landed in.

Rainbow-Dash just ran off.

Running, running, and more running. Rainbow was on her way to an un-captured Borgia tower. She reached a certain point and began to feel uneasy. She ignored it and looked for the Borgia leader. A voice called, "Get down, or I throw you down!" Rainbow-Dash ran away, an arrow whizzing by her ear. She saw a heavily armored man, who had a cape with the Borgia symbol on it, running along the path. With the obvious sign this man was the tower's director, Rainbow jumped on top of the man, her hidden blades coursing through the mans head, killing him instantaneously, covering Rainbow's hands in blood. With the knowledge that their leader was dead, all the other guards cowered in fear, or ran off.

Rainbow-Dash took this opportunity and climbed to the top of the tower, perched on the beam, and looked around. She noticed a blonde lady being harassed for her produce and knew where to go. Rainbow-Dash set the top of the tower aflame and leapt into the river below. She knew where to go.

Running and running some more, Rainbow-Dash climbed a building to get her bearings on her surroundings. She noticed the lady off to her left. Rainbow ran towards the blonde lady until she reached the rooftop above the scene. Eavesdropping, Rainbow heard this:

"I done told y'all already, I grew these apples on mah own farm! My very family EATS these apples!" the woman said.

"Well how do we know they're not poisoned or something?"

"What In tarnation gave y'all that ridiculous idear? Ya know what? Imma prove it right now, lookie here!" The woman picked up an apple and took a big crunch right out of the apple, chewed it, and swallowed it. "Ya see," she said after swallowing," now why on earth would I eat one of mah own apples if they're poisoned?"

"Well you coulda had that one saved for a situation like this."

"Wh...what!? Thats the most ridiculous thing I done ever heard! Ive had enough of you guys. I'm fighting for the truth!" The woman produced a dagger from a sheath and pointed it at the guards.

"Oh! A fighter!"

Rainbow-Dash had heard enough. She jumped from the building's edge, flashing her two hidden blades, slicing the necks of two of the five guards. She rolled and when she stood, she thrusted her hands into the backs of the heads of two of the last guards, leaving one shocked, scared Borgia guard left standing. The remaining guard ran off a few steps before Rainbow pulled the crossbow off of her back and shot the loaded bolt at the guard, hitting the back of his head.

"Oh, ah see ya jus wanted ta finish me off yerself. Well its not happening'!" The lady swung the blade at Rainbow, who blocked it with her sword and knocked the dagger out of the lady's hand, then pointed the blade at the woman's throat. "All right fine. You win. Jus finish me off quickly."

"No. I came not too kill you, but to save you," Rainbow replied.

"...R-Really?"

"Yes. Instead, I came to recruit you. I am an assassin, coming to your aid," Rainbow said as she lowered her sword and sheathed it.

"Oh. Are you the one that annoying herald keeps carrying-on about?"

"Well, not just me but my, uh... 'brothers and sisters' probably. There are many of us and we need more to combat the enemy."

"Ah see. Well, I feel ah'd need some way to repay y'all anyway. I guess it'd only be logical. Ah'm in!"

"Awesome. Whats your name?"

"Apple-Jack. What's yer's?"

"Rainbow-Dash. Now do you see that tower over there?"

"Yeah."

"Go there, state your name, and tell them Rainbow-Dash sent you."

"Alrighty then. Well ah thank ya kindly fer rescuin' me from that horrid situation."

"Oh, don't mention it. It was nothing really."

"Ok. Well, I guess I'd best be goin' now. Thank you again!"

"You. No problem. Good luck."

And with that, Apple-Jack was off, running towards the tower.

Well, Rainbow-Dash had nothing to do at this point but take a load off. She went walking around the city, taking in all of the sights. She soon found a random tower and thus, she went to climb the tower doing nothing but enjoying the view...and waiting to see if anything exciting was going on down below. Before she knew it, Rainbow was fast asleep on top of the tower.

Rainbow-Dash stretched her arms and yawned, scratched her head, rubbed her eyes, and sat up. She then noticed just how different her surroundings looked. She was not on top of any tower now, but instead, all she saw were iron bars in front of her and cold, brick walls around her. The guard at the gate said, " 'Morning sleepy-head." Inside her head, Rainbow-Dash cursed herself for being such a heavy sleeper.

"How's it goin'?" The guard asked, surprisingly polite.

"Oh, whadda you think?" Rainbow bitterly replied.

"Heh...you sure are a heav-"

"I KNOW I'M A HEAVY SLEEPER!"

"Oh, a bit of a hot-head, are we?"

"Well how would you feel you woke up and were suddenly in a FREAKING PRISON CELL!?"

"Good point, good point indeed," the guard replied. Rainbow secretly commended the guard for staying so cool in this situation.

"You know I'll probably just break out, right?"

"Oh, most likely not. And even if you do, there are about fifty feet of heavily-armed guards and utterly smooth, twenty-foot tall walls between you and the exit. Did you honestly think you wouldn't be in the maximum-security part of this dungeon?"

"Oh, pshh. Just shut up and leave me alone."

"Well I only wante-"

"Oh, screw you. Shut up."

"Dang... Anger management."

Rainbow-Dash threw a knife past the guard's head and it stuck in the wall beside him. "I said SHUT UP!"

"Ok, ok. I'll just stop talki-"

"GOOD!"

After a few more days of a routine of getting fed and all that other stuff, Rainbow-Dash looked up one day to see a yellow-and-pink cloak rise up behind the guard. The guard then fell over, blood coming from his neck, and Rainbow saw Fluttershy with her hidden blades and hands covered in blood. "Oh, sorry," she said. Just then, an Orange-and-tan clocked figure fell from the roof. It was Apple-Jack.

"Oh darn it Fluttershy. Killin' is yer livin' now. Ya don't have ta feel sorry for killin' someone."

"Sorry..."

Apple-Jack just sighed and turned to Rainbow-Dash and said,"Well, we've come here ta rescue ya from this here dungeon. Now I say get out of here. We is gonna have a big 'ol fight ta get outta here. So I say we leave as soon as we possibly can."

Fluttershy grabbed the key from the guard's body and opened the gate to let Rainbow-Dash out. They walked over and opened the door to leave the room they were in. They saw a whole group of thirty heavily-armed guards, and then drew their weapons.

Author's Note

Hero! Just saying, please tell me of ANY spelling errors. Also, please like, favorite, and all that jazz. Thanks, guys!

Three Plus three.

"Bring it on..," Rainbow-Dash said as the guards rushed towards the three assassins. The three stood back-to-back-to-back, readying themselves for the many troops to come attack them. As the guards,were fighting, a few archers appeared on the wall above them, trying to shoot the assassins. Rainbow smirked, then dashed from the group and ran up a wall, plunged herself off, and landed on two guards with the hidden blades slicing through their necks. Rainbow grabbed her crossbow and shot at a guard, the arrow sticking in his forehead.

Blades were flashing around all over the place when a scream of pain shot throughout the hall way. Worried, Rainbow ran through the throng of guards, dodging, blocking, and perrying attacks. When she reached the source of the shout, the looked down to see Fluttershy with an arrow in her back, bleeding. "We need to get out of here now, Apple-Jack!" Rainbow-Dash yelled. "Cover me!" Rainbow-Dash picked up Fluttershy, and headed for the exit, Apple-Jack coming in for an aid. Most of the guards were dead at this point. They reached the exit and sprinted out.

"Where's the nearest doctor?" Apple-Jack asked.

"Over there! See him?" Rainbow-Dash replied.

"Yeah! Come on!"

After a few more minutes of running, they reached the doctor. Rainbow set Fluttershy onto the table. "Save her," Apple-Jack demanded of the doctor.

"I'll have to see what I can do," she replied, then got to work. "You were two smart people by not taking the arrow out of her back. If you did, she would've bled out faster because there would be nothing to plug up the hole... wait... why was she shot anyway- you're assassins..."

"Now, if ya tell anyone 'bout this, ya will fall by mah blade."

"Oh goodness, no. I'm actually on your side. I believe you are doing the right thing. I've actually always wanted to be an assassin."

"How do ya focus on the conversation and yer job at the same time."

"Experience. Plus I've read books about multitasking. And focus. And anatomy," the doctor said, moving some of her purple hair out from in front of her face.

"Well anywho, we need all 'a the help we can get. If ya really wanna be an assassin, we could easily let ya in."

"Really?! Why, that'd be phenomenal! When do I start?"

"Right after ya finish up our friend there."

"Just a few more seconds."

After another ten minutes, the doctor said, "Here you go. All this lovely lady needs is some rest."

"Why, we thank ya kindly for this favor," Apple-Jack replied.

"Why sure! Now, where do I go?"

"Ya see that tall tower over there?"

"How could I miss it?"

"Well, go there and tell 'em Apple-Jack sent ya."

"Ok, so your name is Apple-Jack, her name is..."

"Rainbow-Dash."

"And my patient's name was Fluttershy?"

"Yup."

"Got it! Oh, and uh, my name is Twilight. Twilight-Sparkle. Well, I guess I should head out, then. I'll see you all later."

"Yup! Bye now."

"Well, Fluttershy," Rainbow-Dash said. "It seems you can't come on any more missions with us until you're better. That sucks."

"Oh... sorry..," Fluttershy replied.

"Well, we befree be going, then." The other two assassins nodded their heads in agreement and started off. Soon, the trio reached a tower. "Ill climb the tower and see where we need to go," Rainbow said. Within a matter of seconds, Rainbow reached the top of the tower. She sat up there for a good three minutes before jumping into the hay pile below her. "You know, I saw some place that I'd like to hit before we get back to the base."

"And what might that be?"

"A tailor shop. I'd love to get an upgrade on my knife belt."

"Ok then. Ah fer one'd like ta change up the color of mah clothes. This white color is pretty boring."

"I agree," replied Fluttershy.

And with those final words, they were on their way to the tailor's shop, which they reached after a few minutes of walking. A lady was the clerk at the shop. She had beautiful white garments on with an indigo hair color. "Why hello, darlings," she said, with a more refined accent," what can I do for you three today?"

"Well, I was wondering if you could add a few more spaces to put my knives," Rainbow said, putting the knife belt on the counter.

"But of course. Let me add some more. It'll not take but a few minutes." She sat down and got to work. With an impressive time of about fifteen minutes, she set the belt, which had five more places to put knives, on the counter. "Done. Now, what can i do for you?"

"Well, mah cloak here seems rather... dull. Ah'd like to dye it a different color," Apple-Jack said.

"Ok. Well, if I could please have you step back here behind the counter."

"Why? Uh, just curious."

"Well, dear, unless you want to be the new color of your clothes, I'm going to need you to take off your clothes. After all, you'd not want to be seen, uh... naked, now would you?"

"Oh, uh, I guess you're right," Apple-Jack replied, blushing and scratching the back of her head. She went behind the counter and then a little wall. She threw her cloak over top of the wall. "Now, Ah don,t wanna sound impatient or anything but could ya mind hurryin'? It's kinda chilly back here."

"I'll go as fast as possible. Now, what colors might you like to dye your garments?"

"Orange with a tan trim."

"Excellent choice," and with that the tailor began her work. Not ten minutes later, the lady had Apple-Jack's clothes dyed and handed back to her. "Now what might I do for the third?"

"Oh, uh, I'd like my clothes dyed. Yellow with a pink trim. Uh, if that wouldn't be too much trouble," Fluttershy replied.

"Not a problem! Just step back here as your friend did."

Fluttershy stepped back to behind the counter, went behind the little wall, and threw her clothes over the top of the wall. Within another span of ten minutes, the tailor had the clothes dyed and given back to Fluttershy. "Is that all?"

"I would say so!" Rainbow-Dash replied. "How much is the cost?"

"It is free."

"What?!"

"Look, I know who you are, it's almost obvious, and I'm on your side."

"Well... how generous of you. And on that note, I'd like to know two things. One: what is your name?"

"Rarity."

"Ok. And two: would you like to join our cause?"

"Oh my... I never in a million years thought that I'd ever get this chance. Of course!"

"Great! Do you see tha-"

"Wait. I might like to know your names as well."

"Well, I'm Rainbow-Dash, this is Fluttershy, and this is Apple-Jack."

"What lovely names! Now, what were you saying."

"Just go to that tower over there and tell them that Rainbow-Dash sent you."

"Wonderful! I'll go just as soon as I close my shop. Well, ta-ta!"

"Good-bye!"

And so, the trio left, back to their base. But, they ran into a small problem along the way. A young woman was sitting on the ground, crying, her long, pink hair laying flat, draping over shoulders. The three approached the young lady. Rainbow-Dash asked, "What's the matter?"

"Those dumb Borgia g-g-guards walked up t-t-to me and destroyed the cart I w-was selling h-h-homemade desserts on," the woman replied, stuttering because of her sobbing.

"Well, lucky for you, we three don't particularly enjoy those losers either. We are here to help."

"R-r-really?"

"Yup! Now tell me, how much total money was the stuff on your cart worth?"

"Last I counted, about th-th-three hundred florins. I was only out h-here for about tw-twenty minutes. Why?"

"Because I'm giving you three hundred florins, that's why," Rainbow-Dash said as she handed the lady a sack of coins.

The young lady's hair instantly perked up into a curly mass of fluff. "Wow! Thanks! I'll never-ever-ever forget this kindness! I feel I have to repay you now, though, but I have nothing to give you.

"Ah, but you do. Your service! You see, we three are assassins that are complete enemies to the Borgia and the pope, and we need more willing assassins for our cause."

"Wonderful! Of course I'll help! My name's Pinkie-Pie, by the way; what's yours?"

"I'm Rainbow-Dash, this is Apple-Jack, and this is Fluttershy. Now, all I need you to do is go to that tall tower over there and tell them that Rainbow-Dash sent you."

"Sweet! Well, I better be on my way then. Bye!" And then then Pinkie-Pie skipped off without another word.

"Well, we'd better head back, Ah guess," Apple-Jack said. "Let's go." The three started to climb some buildings and ran their way there. Soon, a voice pierced the air, saying, "Get down! NOW!" The three looked over their shoulders and saw a Borgia guard with his crossbow raised, pointing at Apple-Jack. "Don't make me use this!" the guard yelled once more. The three started to run. The guard fired the crossbow, sending the bolt flying towards Apple-Jack's head. It grazed her cheek, making it bleed, then flew off into a wall. Apple-Jack turned around and threw a knife towards the guard and it hit his head, dropping him instantly. They kept running and jumped off of a ledge into the street below. They were surprised when they saw several guards chasing them on the ground. Apple-Jack stopped at said, "Go! Ah'll take care of these varmits. " she spat on the ground, looked right st the guards and said, "Come git some..." Apple-Jack drew her sword and stood tall. Rainbow-Dash stopped to go back, but Fluttershy put a hand on Rainbow's shoulder. "She'll be fine, Rainbow. Come on," and then they ran off.

A guard swung his sword at Apple-Jack. She blocked his blow and stabbed him in the chest. As another attacked from behind, AJ swung her sword behind her, stabbed the guard in the chest, and then thrust her sword in front of her, killing another guard. Two more remained, one with a pike, and one with a normal sword. They attacked at the same Time, the heavy guard in front. She grabbed his pike and pulled it behind her, making it stab the other guard. AJ grabbed the heavy guard and threw him behind her, knocking him on the ground. She took this time to stab him in the head with her hidden blades. And thus, the five guards were dead. After this action-packed, high-octane, intense encounter with the guards was over, she began to run to the tower, completely forgetting her cheek was bleeding.

Author's Note

Hope you enjoyed this! Please, tell me if there was any spelling errors. My spell-check is crap. Thanks for any who liked and/or favorited this story!

Mission (pt. 1)

Rainbow-Dash was pacing nervously around the room, picking up speed every minute. "WHEN!?" She yelled.

"Um, Rainbow. I'm sure she's fine. Don't worry," Fluttershy said, trying to comfort her.

"But what if she's not? What if she missed a hay bale and broke a leg? What if she-"

"Rainbow!" Twilight-Sparkle said. "She will be fine. She's a tough cookie."

"Cookie? I want a cookie!" Pinkie-Pie shouted. "Can I have a cookie? Where's the cook-"

"Its just a figure of speech, Pinkie, there is no cookie," Twilight replied.

"Oh... OK!"

"Look, Rainbow, darling, she'll be fine! Don't get too worried. She will be fine," Rarity said.

The conversation was interrupted by the door to the room being creaked open. Apple-Jack stood in the door-way.

"See? There she is now," Rarity said. Rainbow rushed over and gave Apple-Jack a bear-hug. "You're alive!" She said. "I mean, of course you're alive..."

"Wait..," Twilight said, "are you bleeding? On the cheek?"

AJ felt her cheek, then moved her hand down and saw blood all over her hand. She said, "Oh. Ah guess there is. Ah didn't notice. Eh, Ah'll be fine. Don't y'all worry."

"Oh, not on my watch. Get over here, I've got my medical supplies."

"No, Twi. Really, I'm fine."

"Just get over here. I'm not going to just give up. I'm going to help you out."

"I'm really fine. Just leave it-"

"GET OVER HERE!"

"Ok, jeez." AJ went over to Twilight and sat on a stool next to her. Twilight moved AJ's hood down, got a damp rag, and wiped away the blood. She then got a little jar and opened it up. "This might sting... a lot..." Twilight applied some liquid over the cut.

"YOWZA! What on EARTH is is in that jar?!" AJ yelled.

"A bunch of natural healing aids, water, and... I do think that's it."

"Well, sheesh, that stuff stings worse than an angry yella'-jacket!"

"Well, it'll help your cheek heal faster."

"Well thanks, Twi."

A few seconds later, they heard a flapping noise outside the window. "I'll get it," Fluttershy said, and climbed up a ladder up to the window. She stepped out on the woodland saw a pigeon piercing on the bird-house. She brought down pulled the letter off of its back. She read this:

There is a mission that needs to be taken care of. There is a man in the city of Venice who needs to be assassinated. His name is Nicoclo Boccoccio. He is a very prestigious man very close to the governor. You need to take care of Niccolo before he takes care of the governor.

Good luck: Ezio Auditore.

"Master Auditore has a mission for us!" she said when she came back into the room.

"Let me see that!" AJ said as she took the note away and read it for herself. "Well Ah'll be darned! He really does have a mission fer us!"

"Well, don't keep us waiting, dear," Rarity said,"what'sthe mission?"

"It says we have ta go into the city of Venice and assassinate a man by the name of Niccolo Boccoccio who is plottin' ta kill the governor. Why, Ah say that we all git ready ta go as soon as possible."

"Well in that case, what are we waiting for," Rainbow said. "Let's get going!"

And so it was, the six assassins went on there way, riding horses, climbing buildings, and all that other stuff, they finally reached the Floating City of Venice. They started to walk around the city, taking in all of the sights as they went. They saw the beautiful rivers, gondolas, big buildings, and so many people walking the streets. It was surely a sight to behold for any tourist. But the six weren't here to be tourists. They had a mission - plain and simple. But, no one said they couldn't have a BIT of fun, right?

"Alright," Twilight said. "I've been here a few times before. If I remember correctly, the governor's mansion is somewhere ... east of here, I believe. Shall we get going?"

And so the six assassins started to climb buildings. Then Rainbow was the first one to give such an obvious proposal. "Race you guys!"

"OK...ta where?" AJ asked with a small grin coming over her face.

"To that tower over there. First one to the top wins."

"Alright. Yer on! But, I have a bet for you..."

"Like..."

"Hmmm... how about... you... have to go into the middle of that the plaza and start... doin' the chicken dance... 'n front if all those people. Something silly... for a first bet. Because, Ah've a feeling in the pit of my stomach that there are gonna be more bets to come...and they,ll just git worse 'n worse."

"Oh, you're so on! And yeah, you're right. There will be more bets." Rainbow then turned to the other four assassins and said, "I think you better sit this one out. AJ made it personal. Fluttershy, you say start."

"Oh...OK. 1...2...3... go."

No sooner had Fluttershy said start, AJ and Rainbow were running towards the tower. They leapt from rooftop to rooftop sprinting along the roofs, their eyes fixed on the prize. AJ leapt from a roof, but lost her footing and fell into the street below. Rainbow laughed and continued to run until she reached the tower. She grabbed every place she could, climbing so fast it was if she was flying. Finally, she reached the top. She didn't notice an important detail as she yelled to the street below, "I win!"

"Uh, Ah'm right here, ya know." Rainbow looked up to see AJ sitting atop the roof. "But... how did you.. but you... how the..?" Rainbow sputtered.

"Ah do think we had a bet?"

"Fine...FINE!" Rainbow leapt off of the roof into the cart of hay below. She grumpily stormed into the middle of the plaza and started to mimic the moves of a chicken. A few people just stared, a few even laughed. After about five minutes of this, Rainbow started her way back up to the top of the tower. "I hope you're happy now, AJ..."

"Oh, don't be a sourpuss. It's all in good fun."

"Let's get moving..."

So the assassins went on their way to their destination. As they were walking, a man bumped into Rainbow-Dash and politely said 'sorry and moved on. A second later, she realized the man had stolen her coin purse. "Hey! He stole my florins!" And with that, she was running after the man, leaving the other assassins to do nothing but TRY to follow Rainbow.

Rainbow was running on top if the roofs as the man was running away below on the streets, then he turned a corner, against his better judgement, into a dead-end allyway. As he turned the corner, Rainbow leapt off the side and landed on the man. "OK...f-fine. Take your money. Here, have mine as well! Just don't kill me..!"

"Oh," Rainbow replied,"lucky for you, I don't kill civilians. But, no one ever said I don't beat them up!" Rainbow picked up the man and slugged him in the face, making his nose bleed. She hit him again. She went to hit him, but he blocked and punched her. "No one ever said I don't defend myself." He went after her again, and again, landing a hit. After a few more punches were thrown, Fluttershy came around the corner first. She stood between Rainbow and the man, but just as Rainbow threw a punch. She hit Fluttershy, who practically came from nowhere. The hit knocked out Fluttershy's lights, and she slumped to the ground. Rainbow stopped at that very second. The their took this time to run away.

Rainbow knelt down and examined Fluttershy to see if anything seriously bad happened to her. Then the other four came around the corner or jumped from the roof. They saw the scene and started asking 'what happened' and 'how is she.' Rainbow said 'stop' then proceeded to tell them what happened. 'I was heating that guy up who took my money, and suddenly, just as I was throwing a punch, Flutters came around the corner and stood between me and the their, and I accidentally socked Fluttershy in the head and knocked her out."

"Rainbow! Why you-no. We have more pressing matters as of now," Twilight said. Twilight sprinkled some water on Fluttershy's face and she woke up. "How are you feeling?"

"Huh?" Fluttershy replied.

"How are you feeling?"

"My ear is ringing. Sorry, I can't hear really well as of now. Other than that and a splitting headache, I'm fine."

"Why ya done gone and made 'er near deaf in one ear!" Apple-Jack scolded Rainbow.

"Let's not argue, AJ, we need to get to to governor's manor quickly. Come on," Twilight pressed.

"You could cut the tention right now with a knife..," Pinkie-pie said quietly.

Everyone slowly got up and started to walk away, everyone ticked-off at Rainbow. Except oddly, Fluttershy... In a short amount of time, they finally reached a house enclosed with tall stone walls. Undoubtedly the governor's house.

"We gotta find a way past the walls," Twilight said. "But how? They're too smooth to climb. And too tall, by about one foot."

"I might have an idea!" Rarity said. "I travel all over Europe and I picked up something for an assassin, if I ever met one, in Rome. Then I became an assassin and kept it for myself. I was in Constantinople, not but two months ago, and found this at a market." She flashed her hidden blade, showing an extra long blade with a hook at the end of it. "Maybe I could use this to get that extra length and hoist myself over the wall, then I'll throw it over the wall, and someone else will use it to get over the wall, the they will throw it over and- well, you get the idea."

"Rarity, you're a genius!"

Rarity Rand and jumped up and if of the wall and used the hook-blade to get over the wall. She threw it over the wall and then Twilight came over the wall, and thus the cycle was repeated until everyone was over the wall. They walked about, trying to find any possible way to find Niccolo. There were many fields and much land to cover in order to fond Niccolo. Twilight had a plan that just might work. "OK, ladies, here's the plan. We split up I to groups of two and search the whole property. Take care to not be seen or noticed. AJ, you go with Rainbow. Pinkie, you go with Fluttershy, and Rarity, you go with me. Now, let's split up and search every inch of this manor. Go."

And, without further word, the three groups split up and went on their own ways, but still in one unified attempt to find and kill Niccolo before he kills the governor..l

Author's Note

And so it was, another chapter was finished. :yay: yay. Again, please nitpick the little things. I want this story to be as good as possible.

Mission (pt. 2)

So the three groups of two went on their way to find Niccolo and neutralize him.

-=l=-

"So, AJ, why do you think this man, Niccolo, wants to kill the governor?" Rainbow asked.

"Well," Apple-Jack replied," he probably wants a grab at the power the gov'ner has and is hoping to got that same power if the gov'ner is dealt with. Then he'll be free to take the power fer himself. Or maybe the gov'ner is interferin' with the Templar's plans. There are any number of reasons."

"Well, I can't wait until we find him," Rainbow replied,cracking her knukles. "Because when I get to him...he'll wish he was never born."

"Yeah, sure. Well, we best be crackin' down to business now. This manor is so huge, he could be anywhere!"

"Alright. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get him!'

"Woah. Hold yer horses, RD. We gotta go 'bout this in a stealthy manner. We can't just run 'round makin' a scene! The guards will attack us and give Niccolo time to run away and we may not git 'im."

"Well, if he does run, the other four can get him!"

"What if they ain't in the right place at the right time? What if the guards find the other four? Any number of things could prohibit them from nabbin' 'im 'fore Niccolo gits out of here."

"Well, I guess you're right. Fine... But...", Rainbow said with a smile,"I bet you i can make it to the mansion from across this field first!"

"Oh, yer on!"

-=l=-

"So, where are we going, where, where? I wanna go in the building- OOH! What's that?!"

"Pinkie. Don't you think we should quiet down?"Fluttershy replied."We are supposed to be quiet so the guards don't get suspicious."

"How do you be quiet?"

"Just don't say anything, or when you do, whisper. We need to get close to the mansion. First we need to cross this huge olive field. Maybe, do you think, we could climb the trees and jump from them. I believe there are guards in here. I thought I heard something nearby."

"Oh...ok."

So the duo climbed their way into the trees and snuck past the guards in an attempt to reach the manor. Despite how far they had already come, they still had quite a way to go before they reached the manor.

"So, where do we go now, Flutters?"

"Oh. I don't know, Pinkie. I guess just sneak our way to the manor. We may run into the others."

"Well, what are we waiting for, silly?! Let's go!"

-=l=-

"So, where are we going?" Rarity asked.

"Well, it appears we are in a harder spot. We had best hide. I already see guards. But where do we-"

"Shhh. Over there! There is a cart taking corn from one of the fields. Maybe we can hide in it. It even looks as though it's headed to that warehouse which is close the manor. Shall we?"

"Great idea! Let's go!"

The two snuck over and hid in the cart. Not too long after that, the cart came to a stop. The pair waited a few minutes before seeing if it was clear. Twilight poked her head out of the cart. They were indeed in the warehouse. However, there were guards inside as well. They didn't count on. That
To make matters worse, a guard wielding a pitchfork came to inspect the cart. Twilight hid again when the footsteps got close she grabbed the guard, stabbed his neck, and pulled him in the cart so quickly, it appeared to be one single motion. Just then, a voice said,"Nicolas. Find anything? Nicolas? Where did he go?" Another voice replied,"Calm down,Fransisco. Nicolas has always been the one to pull little jokes on the job. I kind of like it. It makes this boring a little bit job fun. He'll show up soon enough."

"Get out and hide under the cart fast,"Twilight said.

The two jumped out and hid under the cart. With a tight squeeze.

"Eww. Do these ruffians ever clean up? My cloak is going to get stained!"

"Shhh. Don't talk. Plus, no one ever said this would be a CLEAN job. Now pipe down. On the count of three, we will sprint out and hide in or behind those barrels. Be swift. Make as little noise as possible. Ready? One...Two...Three."

-=l=-

"Hey, AJ?" Rainbow asked," Where do we go now?"

"Perhaps we might be able to hide in that there shed. But be sneaky. I see a few guards."

"So? We can quickly take 'em down!" Rainbow replied, flashing her hidden-blade.

" Now wait just a cott'n-pickin' minute! Lives are precious things, even if they are the enemy. We only kill people if it jepr'dizes the mission, if they attack us first, or if it's our mission. Got it?"

"...Fine... I'll race you to the shed!"

"Bring it!"

-=l=-

"Where do we hide next, Flutters?"

"Ummm...let's see...there's a small stone building over there. There is smoke rising from the top, though, so be careful and quiet. Got it Pinkie?"

"Uh-huh."

"Good. Now let's move."

Author's Note

And so we leave our heroes one step closer to Niccolo.

Mission (pt. 3)

Author's Note

Constructive criticism guys...please. (This chapter has swearing in it. Y'all done been warned!)

Mission (pt. 3)

" So, AJ," Rainbow asked,"where to now?"

" Well, we are rather close to the house itself, now. I reckon we make a mad dash and climb to the roof. We can deal with any guards up there. But be quiet. We don't want the whole place after us.. They will probably think we're trying to kill the Govn'r. Attract no attention!"

"Got it! I be I can make it to the top of the roof Bedford you!"

"When will you learn? I WILL win."

"Alright, hot-shot. We go on three. One...two...THREE."

The two sped off, while still trying to remain silent. They hopped in hay carts, snuck past guards, and sprinted with swift feet until they reached the building, AJ slightly ahead. As Apple-Jack started to climb the. Building, Rainbow jumped off of a fence to the wall. Before she could get RD could get a grip on the side of the manor, AJ grabbed RD's leg and pulled her to the ground with a thud. AJ then swiftly climbed up the building until she reached the roof. The instant she pulled herself up onto the roof, Rainbow pulled herself up as well.

"Well, I reckon we,ll just call it a tie...again," AJ said." Will one of us ever actually-"

"Get down from here! Who are you?!" A guard yelled.
The last thing you'll ever see..," Rainbow replied as she pulled the mini crossbow off of her back shot a bolt straight through the air into the guards chest. The guard fell over dead.

Rainbow walked over ,picked up the body ,and then threw it off the edge of the building. "That'll take care of the body!"

"But what if a-you know what. I give up on you, RD."

-=l=-

"Well, we are right by the house," Fluttershy said,"At least we don't have to worry about-AHH!"

A guard's corpse fell from the roof right by Flutter's feet. She jumped under a cart and hid there, shaking like a chihuahua.

"I knew I sensed something. But what are you afraid of?" Pinkie asked. "It's only. A dead body!"

"Exactly..!"

"Well I'm guessing RD is up there."

"How can you tell?" Fluttershy asked, crawling out from under the cart.

"The complete lack of care of how the body was dumped. Well, I'll take care of it." She picked it up and threw it in the hay bale beside them. "Okie-dokie-lokie! Let's go up there and meet them!"

The two climbed up the wall onto the roof, and met the other two.

-=l=-

"We are close to the house. We can get a better vantage point on the roof."

"Good idea, Twilight," Rarity replied.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's roll!"

The duo started sprinting their way towards the big stone house. They ducked, rolled, and hid to dodge all the guards. After reaching the building, they climbed onto the roof only to see the other four.

"Howdy, y'all!" AJ greeted them. "The other two met up with us not but five minutes ago."

"Huh...well what do you know?" Twilight said. You know what I think? We need to get on top of that watchtower. Let's roll out!"

The group of four started climbing up the tower. Once they got there, they took a moment to get there bearings on all of the land.

"Look over there!" Rarity whispered. They turned their heads only to see a figure standing on the tower across from them. The man slowly went down the stairs of the tower into the building.

"Guys,"AJ said. "Ah think we found our man..."

The group starts to head to the other tower. AJ and Rainbow-dash go straight for the top of the other tower. Twilight and Rarity jumped into the hay cart below. Fluttershy and Pinkie make a B-line for the main doors. With this plan...that wasnt actually planned...they were hoping to cut off his exit points.

-=|=-

AJ and RD reach the top of the tower and look down to see the man's figure run down the large spiral stairs. "Get him!" AJ says as they run down the stairs. They reach the bottom of the stairs and see a door to their left close. They run through the door. As soon as they do, there is a loud BANG and Rainbow goes down to the ground on her chest. "AAAAAHHHHHHH!" she yells. AJ sees the man at the end of the hall with a pistol clenched in his fist. He turns and continues to run through a different door. He got away from them.

AJ kneels down beside her friend and goes to pick her up. Instead, RD turns on her back, holding her leg, her hands saturated in her own blood.

"Ah gotcha, RD," AJ says to her fellow assassin.

"What are you doing he-GAAAH-is getting away!" RD replies.

"There are four other assassins after the same guy. Ah ain't leaving you. Do not object, Ah am staying right here. Now lay down."

"But I-"

"Do it..." RD lies down. AJ produces her dagger and looks at RD's leg.

"GAHHH! Don't touch it!"

"Oh, lay still and quiet down." AJ holds the dagger in her mouth as she examines her friend's leg. "Now fis ish gonna hurt shugercoob," AJ says, voice muffled from the dagger. She presses her thumbs at the edges of the wound and slowly starts to move it to get a better look, making Rainbow-Dash scream. "Dish'll hurt a bit moore." AJ sticks her thumb into the bullet hole to try to feel the bullet.

"AAAAAAAHG! FUCK!" Rainbow yells.

"Found it!" AJ spits out the dagger. "This is going to hurt even more. Don't worry, it'll all be fine, trust me. Ah just need you to hold REALLY still or this will end up worse than what it is now, got it?"

"Fine, whatever! Hurry it up!"

"Alright, here goes. Keep really still." AJ digs the knife tip into RD's wound and puts it behind the bullet. She pulls up, pulling the bullet out of Rainbow's leg.
, "OH! AAAHHG, FUCK!" RD yells as the bullet is take out of her leg.

"Alright, the worst is by far over. It'll hurt sometimes but nearly as bad." AJ reaches down and rips off a section of her cloak's hem. She rips that in half and wads one up. She slowly presses it into Rainbow's wound. The long strip, she wraps around the whole leg as a strap to hold in the fabric blocking the wound and as another layer of protection. The next strip, she ties tight around the area just under the knee to act as a turnekit. She picks up RD and puts her over her shoulders and walks to the nearest exit to wait for Twilight to heal Rainbow.

-=|=-

Pinkie and Fluttershy go do a door and open it up. The first thing they see I'd the man in the same hallway. He turns into another door and keeps running.

"Get him!" Fluttershy says. They run down the hall and turn into the door the man went in to. As soon as they open the door, Pinkie-Pie is hit with a knife in the shoulder. The man turns back around and keeps running. Nothing more does Pinkie than take the knife out of her shoulder, toss it to the ground, and keep going. Fluttershy is still standing there, totally shocked.

"Come on!" Pinkie says, with her normally raised voice as her hair again somehow deflates.

As Fluttershy is snapped into reality by Pinkie's yelling, she keeps running.

They run through a different door, but lose sight of him. They keep going, running randomly from room to room, hoping to find the man or other assassins.

-=|=-

Twilight and Rarity run through the courtyards, hoping to find the man. As they turn a corner, they see him coming from a doorway. As soon as they see him, Rarity yanks the crossbow from her back fires a bolt. As she was grabbing the crossbow, the man runs away and around a corner. The two assassins follow him.

As they turn the corner, the man is aiming a crossbow at the two and fires. As the bolt courses through the air, Pinkie Pie jumps in the path and takes the bolt for Rarity. As all this happens, if all people, Fluttershy jumps from the building and land on the man, knocking the weapon from his hand and sending the hidden blade through the man's shoulders.

"I got Niccolo," Fluttersy announces.

"Hah... You fools. I am not Niccolo. I was just leading you on. THE Niccolo Boccocio is in the carriage that has the prime minister in it now! They left fourty minutes ago. You'll not catch them now."

"Oh no!" exclaims Twilight. "What are we going to do now?"

"Help the friend that got shot by a crossbow," Pinkie says, holding the bolt that stuck in her arm.

"Oh please," Rarity says, walking over to the stranger,"Why did we not do this earlier," she continues, pushing Fluttershy out of the way. She aims her arm at the man laying on the ground and fires a bullet from her hidden gun straight through his skull, killing him instantly."See...that simple."

"How could you be so cruel?!" Fluttershy yells, starting to tear up.

"Oh you're right," Rarity says,"I should have done it in a more clean fashion; I got blood splatter on my nice white cloak!"

"Umm, guys, I think that is the least of our worries. Niccolo may kill the governor at ANY second and we don't have any idea where AJ and-" Twilight is interrupted, while trying to patch up Pinkie Pie, by a shout for help. "It was AJ. Let's go!" The four assassins run off to their friend's location.

As they reach the other two, Fluttershy gasps from the sight of the blood leaking onto the hallway
floor. Twilight runs over to RD and starts to examine her. She looks at the leg and takes off the bandages. "Now this WILL hurt, Rainbow, just don't scream about it." Twilight says while examining the wound. She cringes and looks away. It's really bad, but on the bright side it missed bones, so nothing is broken. It may take less time to heal than we think, thanks to AJ's quick thinking. I estimate about 1 1/2 weeks until healed enough to go back into action. Thankfully, I always have a first-aid kit...a really advanced one." She produces a box and opens it up. It contains many things from a few medical knives to thread-and-needle and jars of who knows what. "This is going to hurt even worse...by a mile..," Twilight says as she opens a vile. She ook a cloth out of the box and soaks it in this liquid, which smelled like a dead skunk, and put it over the wound. Rainbow cringes and lets out a slow, low groan of sheer pain. "Now we wait a few minutes," she says as she corks the bottle and readys another.

"Rarity, AJ, follow one road. Fluttershy and Pinkie, go the other at. Search and get i to from the streets if you must. We can NOT let the governor be killed! I'll stay here with RD and being her back to the tower. GO!" The other assassins speed off as Tailight takes this other bottle and pours it in the very wound itself. Surprisingly, to Rainbow, Rainbow-Dash can't feel a thing...in her whole freaking leg... Twilight then proceeds to grab a torch from the wall. She holds the wound closed as she presses the torch against the leg, searing the wound shut. THIS hurts RD, but still not as much as it should. Twilight then grabs the needle and thread and starts to sew the wound down mire securely. After this she takes RD and picks her up. She the. Walks out of the manor and proceeds to the tower.

-=|=-

As the other four assassins ran through the streets, they saw a group of four guards on horses. They knew exactly what to do. They kill the four guards and take the horses. They speed off until they find a fork in the road. Rarity and AJ start to speed down one path as Flutters and Pinkie speed down another.

"Uhh, Pinkie, are you ok?" Fluttershy asks, noticing that Pinkie's hair isn't as inflated as it normally is.

"Sure! Of course I'm fine silly. What makes you think I'm not?" Pinkie replies, with a forced smile.

"You just seem...off..."

"No, no.. I'm *sigh* ...fine."

The two galloped along the road until they came upon a large, ornate carriage. Instantly, they both knew what it was. They rode up next to it and jumped off the horses on to the carriage's roof. They jump grab the edge over each door and swing down. They kick in the doors and stand in the fairly large carriage. The sight before them horrifies them. All they see is the governor, his throat slashed, and a man holding a bloody knife. Blood stains the seat and floor. They can just a few seconds too late. As they look on, Pinkie's hair just deflates. She looks on with a sad expression. Fluttershy stumbles and sits on the seat on the other side of the carriage. Pinkie stares at the man, who is sitting frozen with shock.

"We...We're too late," Pinkie says slowly, a tear forming in her eye. Suddenly, her mouth turns to a flat expression, showing no emotion. " We're...too...late..." She looks down. When she looks back up at the man, her face turned to a twisted smile. "We're too late...now it's too late for you..."She presses a hand on the man's chest and pushes him back, sitting him back in his chair. The man thrusts his knife at Pinkie who grabs his arm and twists it back so far and fast, his arm breaks and turns the opposite way it should. She tears the knife from his arm. She presses it lightly on his chest. "You see," she says right in his ear,"you make a four," she presses slightly further, braking the skin,"inch," she presses the knife further,"incision," she slowly presses her hand into the wound she made,"then it will be," she pushes further,"all," pushes further,"over." She pulls her hand from his chest, holding something. Fluttershy stares in utter horror as she beholds the heart Pinkie Pie holds in her hand. Pinkie reaches down with her other hand and cooses the man's eyes."Requiescat en pache, Niccolo." Fluttershy starts to hide her head in her arms and cries.

Pinkie's hair stands back to its normal curly style. She looks at her hand, totally saturated in blood and holding the heart in her hand. She looks at the scene around her and remembers what happened. She drops the heart and goes down to try to comfort Fluttershy. She pushes Pinke away and jumps out of the carriage and starts to run toward the direction they came from. Pinkie runs after her, completely forsaking the two dead bodies in the carriage.

A Perfect Performance (pt. 1)

Author's Note

This is one of the chapters with crude jokes. Reader discretion is advised.

A Perfect Performance (pt. 1)

-=|A few days later|=-

Pinkie-Pie knocks on the door to Fluttershy's room in the watchtower. "If you will just come out and let me explain, please!" she yells. Twilight walks over to Pinkie. "She's been in there for the last three days! I scared her and she won't let me explain!"

"Well, from what I understand, she would have a reason to be,"Twilight paused,"...nevermind. Better to not say it."

"No, no. Go ahead and say it. I know it's a problem. It's not the first time... I just want a chance to explain to her exactly what-" Pinkie is interrupted by the door creaking open. Rarity and AJ walk in. No injuries, just a slightly annoyed look their faces.

"Well," AJ starts," ya'll could told us that the mission was over with the end a complete BUST! We done spent the past few DAYS roamin' 'round ta try an' find Niccolo! On the bright side, we did find someone who can help us all out. Good god, he was almost killed by them damned Borgia." As AJ steps aside, a tall, fairly muscular man stepped out from behind AJ. "You were almost killed by them Borgia, weren't you Mac."

"Eeyup," he replies.

"Well, we have our own problem right now," RD says, a bandage around her leg.

"What the matter?" Rarity asks.

"I seemed to dispatch Niccolo in a really...terrifying way," Pinkie says. "I-I scared Fluttershy and she's hiding in her room. We can't get her to come out."

"What did you do?" AJ asks.

"Well...do yo really want to know?"

"Why else would Ah ask?"

Pinkie-Pie recounts exactly what happened to AJ. AJ stares with a look getting more and more sickened, all the while Raity just has a flat look on her face. "And...that's what happened. Now she's scared and she won't come out of her room. She's been in there since we got back, doing nothing but sobbing."

"Well, how's about you let me talk to her," Mac replies.

"No offense, brother, but ya jus' git here. She don't even know who you are," AJ replies.

"Well, there's an excuse fer me ya introduce mahself to her. Now, Ah'm goin' in." He walks over and knocks on the door softly. "Excuse me, ma'am. May Ah come in?" The crying they hear beyond the threshold stops. The door opens slightly and fluttershy peeps from behind the door. She opens the door and lets Mac in and quickly shuts the door.

"Well, I'll be darned. He actually done gone in and did it," AJ says,"Well, Ah guess we can only wait. He does seem to have a certain...effect...on ladies. He'll pull through."

A day passes. Two days pass. Even three. Only after that amount of time did Fluttershy and Mac come out of the room. Fluttershy has a blissful look on her face and Mac has a simple smile. He looks at Twilight and completely changes the subject on hand and says,"So when we were on our way over here, AJ done told me what she knew 'bout the assassins. I'd like to join in. How do Ah get there?"

"Well you may want to ask Rainbow about that. She's the one who brought us all into the assassin brotherhood."

"Alright," Mac says walking over to Rainbow Dash."So..."

"Well, first of all, you need to go through a little bit of training before you're ready," RD says."I would train you, being the most awesome, but I'm not fit for that right now. How long do I got left, Twilight?"

"Well...I'd say...only about another day u too the bandage comes off then only another three until it's totally ready. I could try to apply some medicine to help it heal faster, but it is not tested yet," Twilight says quickly.

"How much faster?"

"About two days...or it could extend the time by two days...I wouldn't suggest it."

"Yeah, I guess I'll play it safe this once. Anyway Mac, you need to go through some training. If you wait and train with me, you will get it from the best."

"Well, Ah guess Ah'll wait until yer better. No harm in it, right?" Mac replies.

"Good choice! Now we wait."

-=|Four days later|=-

"Alright Mac, now our training begins!" RD says after her leg is healed.

"Well, we have an even more important problem," Rarity says," Ot appears that headmaster Ezio has a new mission for us."

"What is it?" RD asks with an annoyed tone.

"Well, he's found out that some Borgia Templars are planning to kill a famous target just to make a few florins!"

"Who are they planning to eliminate?" Twilight asks.

"Oh goodness, how horrible! They are planning to kill Octavia Melody in the middle of one of her performances! Anyone who has any taste in culture knows the famous Octavia Melody! Oh, I just ADORE her music!"

"Well, Mac," RD starts,"it looks like you gotta train on the go! Fluttershy, get a cloak, sword, dagger, and hidden blades and guns. Mac, get dressed and ready to go! You gonna train by performing a mission with us!"

"Oh, RD,"Fluttershy says,"could I, uh, maybe stay behind with him and, uh, maybe train him as we go along? I-if that'll be fine, of course."

"Uhh, but what if you fall behind and-"

"We'll be fine. We can catch up. Um Rarity? What theatre is she performing at?"

"The biggest one. Right in the middle of Rome," Rarity replies.

"That's a fair distance. I can do it."

"Alright, I guess so, Futtershy."

So, the six assassins and one trainee run out if the door way. The first thing they do is climb a tower to get their bearings as to where they are. Five of them make it up, waiting for Mac and Fluttershy. When they get up there, Twilight points to a building in the distance and jumps off, followed by Rarity, RD, AJ, and Pinkie Pie. "Now jus' how do WE get down?" Mac asks Fluttershy. She just smiles and grabs his arm then jumps from the tower into the hay cart below. Fluttershy jumps out and pulls out a trembling Macintosh. She runs off to follow the others as Mac tries to catch up, fumbling his way over and around buildings. Eventually, the five ahead stopped long enough for Fluttershy and Mac to catch up. Fluttershy is there and doesn't even break a sweat. Meanwhile, Mac practically drags himself along, huffing and puffing, his clothes half way soaked with sweat. "Can we...take a...break...for a few...minutes?" Mac asks between breaths.

"I guess so," RD says. "We can take a pause for a few minutes."

So the seven just wait in the area, pacing around and thinking of a strategy for the mission. Fluttershy gently takes Mac by the hand and says to the others,"I'm going to teach him a few more things about climbing. Is that ok, Big Mac?"

"Ah guess so, jus' don't go too fast," he replies. So the two go off and train.

After about an hour, the other five are just relaxing when RD asks,"Shouldn't they be back by now?"

"Well, darling, Fluttershy did say she was going to train him," Rarity replies.

"Oh, Ah think it's the other way around, if y'all know what Ah mean," AJ says with a sly grin over her face.

"Apple-Jack!" Twilight yells as Rainbow-Dash breaks out in laughter.

"Oh, Ah'm jus' teasin'. But if you want me to be honest, a few nights ago when Mac was in Fluttershy's room, Ah was woken up by some strange sounds."

"What kind of strange?" Rarity asks with genuine curiosity.

AJ's eyes get big and she scratches the back if her head as she blushes. "Oh-uh-just some...creaking sounds. Nothin' ta worry 'bout, Ah'm sure."

"And just what do you think made the creaking sounds?" Rainbow asks slyly, fully understanding what AJ was talking about.

AJ glares at Rainbow with a certain look that says 'don't make me come over there'. Rainbow just snickers as Twilight rolls her eyes. Pinkie is totally oblivious to anything that just happed. Not too long after that, Fluttershy and Mac return.

"Return from your 'training'," RD says, making air-quotes when saying training.

AJ walks over and smacks Rainbow, who just breaks into laughter.

"Eeyup. Ah guess Ah can actually be of some use to ya'll now," Big Mac replies. So, what's the battle plan?"

"Well,"Twilight starts," we go into the theatre and we postion two of us back-stage to keep watch of Octavia as the rest keep an eagle-eye view by hanging in the rafters. If we see any Templars, we give out usual bird whistle as a signal. We will do whatever it takes to protect Miss Melody."

"So, when is the performance?"

"It is at...I think headmaster Ezio said at...4? No, 5:00 P.M."

"What time is it now?"

"About three."

"Well what are we going to do until then?"

"I don't know. Anyone have any ideas?"

"Oh! There is a tea house nearby that I absolutely ADORE!" Rarity says.

"Sure!"RD yells,"Let's go empty our pockets on TEA! Tea is so expensive!"

"Not the place I'm talking about! They sell tea at extremely low prices! It's run by a nice man, I've made friends with, named Gale. OH does he make a rather superb cup of earl grey!"

"Well, Ah am thirsty,"AJ says. "A cup o' steamin' hot tea does sound like it'd hit the spot!"

"Well, take us, Rarity!" Pinkie Pie yells.

"Alright, alright. Calm yourselves! Let's go!"

The assassins went off to the tea shop that Rarity was talking about. When they got there, those noses were cilled with scents of various tea-leaves to sugar. They look around the quaint building; it's not very large at all and a really nice place overall. They find sears and wait patiently for someone to wait upon them. Their waiter is none other then the shop-owner himself.

"Greetings," he says. "How are you all?"

Everyone says things like 'not too bad' or 'pretty good'. "So," Rarity says,"how are you, Gale?"

"Not very good to tell you the truth."

"Well why ever not?"

"Well, a portion of the Borgia's funds come the stupidly over-priced tea that they sell and they consider me as on to be in the way if things. They are threatening horrible things to my little tea shop, being practically only place that sells tea at a price that makes sense..."

"What are they threatening?"

"They say they are going to burn the place down. One guard even went so far as to saying they would... extinguish me from being a problem."

"Death threats!?"

"It's sad but true. Anyway, that's not the point right now. What can I get you ladies and gentleman?"

The seven place their orders and thank Gale for his service. They sit around and talk about whatever until Gale comes back with their order and gives it too them. "Oh, and by the way, this order is on the house," Gale says to them. "All the work you do for the city of Rome is enough payment!"

"Why thank you!" exclaims Rarity.

So it was that the six assassins and one trainee slowly drank their tea having a conversation about what to do in the theatre when Pinkie-Pie exclaims," Guys, we need to get going! Just look outside!"

The others looked outside and beheld the sundial outside of the window. It was almost time for the performance to begin. They leave the cups on the table and run out the door, waving to Gale.

They start to sprint through the streets towards the theatre. Suddenly, without giving any warning to Mac, they climb buildings and run on the rooftops. He slows down and fumbles his way to the roof, Futtershy still staying near him. They eventually catch up with the rest. Fluttershy asks,"Where's Rainbow-Dash?" AJ simply points ahead of them and they see Rainbow way ahead of them. She soon drops to the ground. The others run even faster until they catch up to her. Pinkie-Pie grabs her crossbow and fires a bolt into the heart of a guard on the same roof. Twilight kneels beside Rainbow and examines her. A crossbow bolt to the side. Twilight wrenches it from a wounded Rainbow-Dash.

"What are you-AAHHG-doing?" Rainbow scolds. "You will be too late!"

Twilight looks right into RD's eyes and flatly says,"Semper fidēlis," and continues her work. "You others, go to the theatre, we will be there soon." The others rush off.

AJ, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Mac, and Rarity reach the theatre's entrance. They scope out the area quickly just as Octavia starts her music. AJ points up to a crossbeam and looks at Pinkie and nods. Pinkie-Pie slowly creeps her way through the crowd and starts to climb a wall to the huge building and in no time is in the rafters. AJ points to another crossbeam and nods at Mac and Fluttershy. They are practically there no sooner than AJ nods. She then looks at Rarity and whispers," We will go different ways and try to get back- stage." Rarity nods and they go their separate ways. They soon snake their ways to separate ends of the backstage and position themselves on crossbeams above the ground. They then wait.

Twilight and Rainbow walk into the theatre and notice the positioned assassins. They position themselves hanging off of each wall. They look down. They wait. Watch. Soon, they hear a shrill eagle's whistle come from backstage. They are quickly backstage. They see a sight of ten total guards backstage. It looked like they were expecting trouble. They jumped from rafter to rafter as they made their way to the other end of the stage. They drop down to the ground and look to see one guard raise his crossbow and points it at Octavia Melody. Twilight takes initiative and sprints out in front of the performer. The bolt courses troughs the air. Twilight jumps in the way. Hit. She tumbles to the ground in a loud thud. The music stops. Everyone is dead silent. Another bolt course through the air, this time to the guards. The assassins show themselves on the stage. The bolt strikes a guard in the head, dropping him dead in an instant. The theatre is cleared in a matter of minutes by a whole bunch of people yelling and clamoring out if the building. However, Octavia is still standing out of shock.

The leader of the group of guards point to the assassins. "Ōppugnā!" he yells and the the other guards rush at the assassins. Mac sprints over and grabs Octavia and throws her over his shoulder and turns and runs. Fluttershy picks up Twilight and runs. Rarity grabs the cello and runs. Pinkie goes with them to keep the safe. AJ however stays.

A Perfect Performance (pt. 2)

The door slams shut behind them. Fluttershy lays Twilight on a chair in the tower, Rarity sets the cello down, pinkie slumps on the ground, tired, and Mac gently places a confused Octavia on their large, comfy couch, and Rainbow-Dash just stands there, pacing. A few minutes pass with no communication among them until Pinkie-Pie simply asks,"Where's Apple-Jack?"

"I'm sure she'll come in in a few minutes, darling," Rarity assures Pinkie. Five minutes pass. Fifteen. Thirty. An hour. Still no Apple-Jack.

"I'm going back for her," RD says.

"Oh no you don't! We work together as a team,"Twilight says,"Semper fidēlis , semper vigilans."

"As mush as I agree with those statements, you can't come; you're injured."

"Well fine. I'll wait here."

"I guess I'll wait here with you, darling," Rarity say. "After all, I don't want anyone to get lonely."

"You just don't wanna mess up your cloak, do you?" Rainbow says, sarcastically.

Rarity blushes. "Well, not really, but it is a plus." She gives a cheesy smile.

"Right. Well, Let's go see what AJ's up to." The other assassins run out of the door.

-=+=-

Rainbow-Dash and the others finally reach the theatre. When they open the door, the sight they see is a horrific one. Fluttershy almost faints. They run over to the stage and see all the guards dead, some so horribly that they were decapitated. But the actual thing that sickened them was the fact that AJ lay on the ground, barely breathing, with a large pike not only clear through her side, but literally pinning her to the ground. Rainbow was the first to the scene and quickly picked up AJ, yet did not remove the pike.

"What are you doing?!" shouts Pinkie Pie. "Take the pike out!!"

"NO!" Replies Rainbow. "The pike is blocking some of the blood-flow from leaving her body. If we remove it, she will die quicker."

"Well, what are ya'll idiots argue'n fer?" Says Mac. "Git her to a doctor now! GO! GO!! GO!!!"

They rush to a doctor and lay a wounded Apple-Jack on the table, making the doctor give a surprised look. "Well," he starts," I'm honestly surprised she's not mortuus. I will see what egō can do."

The assassins wait for hours waiting for the doctor to reply. He finishes and tells them that AJ will need to stay at his house and get well there until AJ is ready in five days. So with low heads, the assassins head back to the tower.

-=|=-

Five days later, Big Mac, Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy start back for the doctor. They find him and he greets them. "Ahhh, salvē amīcæ! I have your friend ready to go, but she still needs to take it easy for a few days. Now as far as a fee...as much as I'd like to make it free, I can't. The charge will be 2500 florins."

Twilight hands the doctor a large sack full of money. "Keep the change," she says. "You have done an unimaginably great favor. Gratiās tibi agō."

"To you as well. Well, farewell!" The assassins wave goodbye to their friend and start walking back for the tower. On their way back, Fluttershy taps on Apple-Jack's shoulder.

"Whach'a need, sugar cube?" AJ asks.

"May I...uhh...sī placet...talk to you...privately?"

"Uuhh, sure, hun." AJ falls back with Fluttershy. "What's the matter?"

"Well...I..." Fluttershy's face gets beet red. She whispers something in AJ's ear. Apple-Jack's own face gets bright red and her eyes grow to the size of saucers.

"Wait...you...uhhmmm..."

"Big Mac amō..."

"I well...uhhhh-" AJ is interrupted by Fluttershy starting to cry. It turns quickly into slow sob. Apple-Jack pulls Fluttershy into a hug and starts to lovingly weave her fingers into Fluttershy's long, pink mane. "Shhh. It's ok, no need to cry 'bout it."

"Will you-sniff-hate me?"

"Oh, of course not, sugarplum. But I don't get why you're telling me this. I'm not the one you love, Big Mac is. Why not tell him?"

"Timeō..."

"Oh, don't be scared. Tū nōn necot. Just tell him; it'll be fine."

Fluttershy looks up at AJ with a smile. "Gratiās tibi agō." She walks up to Big Mac and whispers in his ear. They fall back to where AJ is and she moves up with the rest, leaving Fluttershy and Mac to their privacy.

"Is something the matter, darling?" Rarity asks.

"Nope," replies AJ,"Ah'm sure ya'll found out in due time." She looks over her shoulder one last time just to see Mac and Fluttershy exchange a kiss. AJ smiles. "Ya finally found one, brother. A good one Ah'm sure."

-=|=-

Soon, the assassins reach their home. "Well,"Apple-Jack starts,"Ah best be hittin' the hay. Ah need plenty of rest. Doc said fer 'bout five more days. Ah apparently heal quicker than most people. Normally this'd take about a week... Well, G'night!" AJ slams the door shut behind her and flops on her bed.

"I should sleep, too,"Twilight says. I'm pretty tired myself." Twilight goes in her own room.

"I'll go do a few small contracts for Ezio," RD says. Those Templars won't kill themse-well they might if they know I'm coming." RD sprints out if the door.

"I need to rest too," Rarity says.

"Me three!" Pinkie chimes in.

Everyone goes in their respectable rooms, leaving Fluttershy with Big Mac. They just stare at say other for a long time. Fluttershy says," Well...I, uh, guess I'll be...heading to bed."

"Well Ah'll come with you. Don't want ya gettin' lonely," Mac replies, making Fluttershy turn red. They go in the same room. The door shuts. "Tū amō, Fluttershy."

"Tū amō, Big Mac."

Author's Note

There will be words you don't understand. They are LEGIT Latin. If you don't know what they mean, ask me.