Chapter 1: An Unexpected Arrival

"Come on, Twilight!" Spike said excitedly. "We've got ten minutes and thirty-two seconds until the Lunar Eclipse starts!" The baby dragon jumped up to ride on Twilight's back as she laughed and shook her head.

"Don't worry, Spike. We're not going to miss it." Twilight Sparkle looked up and stared at the night sky in awe as she casually walked through the streets of Ponyville. The stars were stitched into different formations in the dark blanket of the sky, but it seemed that the moon was outshining them all tonight; they seemed somewhat... dimmer. Not only that, but the moon had a slight red tint to it. As strange as it seemed, this anomaly was still awe-inspiring; beautiful, even. "Wow..." she said breathlessly. "I've read about the Lunar Eclipse before, but I've never actually seen one before."

"Well, maybe that's because they only happen every one hundred years," Spike said.

"Hate to burst your bubble, Spike, but that's actually not true... Well, technically you're right." Twilight's horn flashed with a violet aura, and a book enveloped in the same color appeared before Spike in a small flicker of light. Spike caught the book before it could fall to the ground and curiously flipped through the pages. "You see, according to a book that was sent to me from the Canterlot Archives, a Lunar Eclipse typically occurs every year—a full one occurs every ten, I think. But the one that we're about to see is much different than your average. Every one hundred years, when Luna raises the moon and it reaches its peak in the sky, it’s supposed to turn blood-red. Not only that, but-"

"'Will they arrive?' "

"Who?"

Spike scratched his head in a confused manner with his brow raised, his gaze still focused on the book. "I have no idea."

"Then why were you asking me if 'they' would arrive?"

"I wasn't. I was just reading this part of the book aloud. There's this illustration in the book of these two ponies standing under the moon, and then there's this passage underneath it that says: 'Will they arrive?' " Spike jumped down from Twilight's back and presented the book to her so that she could see what he was talking about. He pointed to an illustration of two hooded ponies standing underneath the full moon, their features disguised by the strange garments wrapped around their bodies. "And see this? It says: 'When the moon is bathed in blood and its light shines the same, they shall arrive from a world with an unknown name. They will serve as our beacon of light, and they will lead us into battle in the darkness of night. This is my warning to those who heed it, when Shadow and Wolf come in our time of crisis.' The rhyming is a bit off, and the message is super-cryptic. It sounds like something Zecora would write."

"It does, but..." Twilight's voice trailed off when she saw something sticking out of one of the pages. "Spike... What is that?"

"Huh?" He pulled the item of interest out from between the pages and presented it to her. When she saw what was written on the piece of parchment, her complexion immediately paled.

'Property of: Starswirl the Bearded'

"No way!" Spike exclaimed. "Starswirl wrote this?"

"How have Princess Celestia and Luna not notice this?" Twilight took another look at the parchment, and she immediately realized that it was Starswirl's hoofwriting as well. "Surely they would have noticed this when organizing Starswirl's many documents and spells... Unless..."

"Unless what?"

Twilight didn't respond. There were so many thoughts racing through her mind, trying to piece together this puzzle. Why did Starswirl write this cryptic passage? What dangers was he trying to warn them of? And how come Princess Celestia never told her about this?... Did she not know herself? Whether she did know or not, Twilight was absolutely certain that her teacher knew something that could help them. But before Twilight could react, the bottom of the page flashed with a dim light, and a new set of lines appeared underneath the previous passage. She began to read it aloud.

"'On the hundredth year, when the Princess of the Moon has returned from her exile, the celebration will come when the moon is high. But when blood washes the sky in its crimson stain, it will be the night when they will arrive.' Now this sounds like something Zecora would say, but what does it mean?... Wait a minute..." With the book still in Spike's grasp, Twilight began pacing back and forth as she started piecing everything together. " 'On the hundredth year, when the Princess of the Night has returned from her exile...' That part of the passage must be referring to Princess Luna. But then it says that 'they' will arrive when the moon is 'stained in blood.' Stained in blood... On the hundredth year..." Her eyes suddenly went wide. "When she has returned from exile!"

Spike seemed to have caught on to what she was saying, for his eyes were as wide as hers. "So that means..."

"It means something is going to happen tonight; something bad." Twilight kneeled down. "Hop on, Spike! We need to warn Princess Celestia about this immediately!"

"Right!" With the book held tightly in his claws, Spike jumped up and onto Twilight's back just as she began her course for the town hall. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna would be there, and hopefully they could provide some answers.

Meanwhile...

San Francisco, California
15-Dec-2021
22:19:08 Pacific Time (10:19 P.M.)

It was another miserable night in San Francisco, California. Instead of a nice, calm flurry of snow, a terrible blizzard had laid siege to the city. The snow and sleet came down hard, painfully nipping at the skin of any unfortunate pedestrians that happened to be out at this late hour—which there was barely anyone at all. But lurking in the alleyways was a single man, his posture tall and proud as he gradually descended down the backstreets at a rapid pace. His upper body was wrapped in a white military jacket—which resembled that of the Army Combat Uniform—with a hood attached to the strange garment. On his lower body was a pair of black military combat pants with small knee guards on the exterior, and he wore a pair of black military combat boots. He looked like a soldier, but the different insignias on his jacket revealed that he was not apart of any branch of the US Military. The symbols that stood out the most, however, were the ones that many people around the world knew and feared: The symbol of the Assassin Order, and the mark of the Red Wolf. If these two marks did not draw attention to him, then the many different weapons he carried certainly would.

Red Wolf soon approached the end of the alley, and his destination stood before him; a tall, dark, and abandoned warehouse. He was about to step back onto the streets and assess the building more closely when a group of men stepped out from behind the corner, quickly blocking his path. Red stopped dead in his tracks, but his posture never faltered. The men standing before him were dressed in dirty rags, their smell so awful and potent that Red had to cover his nose. The red mask he wore over the lower half of his face helped filter the smell somewhat, but either way, he could not stand their retched stench. The man, whom he assumed was the ringleader, stepped forward, trying to appear as menacing as possible. His attempt was terrible.

"Yo, soldier boy!" the leader spat. "How about you give us dat there uniform o' yose?"

Red sighed and brought a hand to his forehead. "God damn. Are all of the wannabe thugs as stupid as you? And Jesus Christ, when was the last time you had a bath?" The shadowy man's almost toothless smile immediately turned into a scowl.

"Boy, you best watch yo' damn mouth before I break yo' moda' fuckin' face!"

"Come on, Damien! Fuck his ass up!" one of the goons sneered.

"Yeah!" They began to move forward, drawing batons and switchblades from their pockets. "Make him your bitch!"

Despite their attempts to frighten him, Red Wolf still stood undeterred. He took a step towards Damien, causing them to tense up. "Look boys, I'll only say this once..." He glared straight at Damien, his feral-green eyes piercing straight through him. "Get the fuck out of my way before I put you in a world of pain. You're not my problem right now, so act like good little gangsters and sag your poor asses back to the hole you crawled out of." There was a moment of silence, the only sound being that of the wind howling as the blizzard raged outside. It was a while before Damien spat onto the ground and pulled out a small handgun. Red only needed a quick glance at the firearm to know what kind it was. 'That's a Glock 18.' He thought analytically. 'Judging by the make and model, that gun has a standard seventeen-round clip with a semi-automatic and an automatic firing system. How the hell did this little thug get his hands on one of those?' Red's train of thought snapped when he heard the slide frame being pulled back, the weapon primed and ready to fire.

"Sorry, cracka'," he sneered. "But I'm the only one giving orders 'round here. Any last words before I pop a cap in yo' white ass?"

"I have a few..." Red tightened the straps of his backpack and scabbard before falling into a defensive stance. "Racquiescat in pace, bastardo." Upon hearing this, the group of 'gangsters' looked at one another in confusion.

"Man, th' fuck did that nigga' sa- Aaah!" Damien cried out as he felt something sharp stab him in the abdomen before quickly pulling itself out of his body. He didn't even see Red as he sped past him in a white blur with his hidden blades drawn. The leader quickly fell to the ground, gripping at his side in a futile attempt to stop the rapid flow of blood. Red didn't waste anymore time and lunged at pair of thugs converging on him with their small blades, casually burying both his blades into their throats like it was almost nothing. That was three thugs down; only two more were left. One of the said two was right behind him, ready to strike him down with a baton. But right as he swung his weapon, the assassin stepped to the side, the blunt object coming into contact with his friend’s skull and sending him to the floor faster than he already was falling. "Holy shit!" he screamed, dropping the baton and turning around to run, but he sadly could not get too far with his pants sagging down to his knees, and he quickly found himself falling face-first onto the dirty ground below. As much as Red wanted to finish him off, he did not have the time to do it; not when there was one more thug behind him with a switchblade poised for his liver. Thanks to his heightened senses, he was able hear him so he could quickly spin around, grab his assailant's wrist, and shove the blade directly into his jugular. The thugs eyes went wide as he began to choke on his own blood. He desperately clung onto Red's shoulder, almost as if he thought that doing so would somehow prevent the inevitable.

One would think that Red's enemies had been vanquished. But then again, one was not like the Red Wolf. The edges of his vision suddenly flashed red, and a high-pitched sound—almost like an eagle's cry—went off inside his head, automatically alerting him of the unseen danger behind him. Red grabbed the knife and kicked the thugs corpse off of it before turning sharply on his feet and throwing the knife back at Damien, who had propped himself up and managed to aim his gun at him. But before he could pull the trigger, the knife lodged itself in his eye, causing him to cry out in pain and drop his gun in order to clutch at the invading object. Almost instantly, the knife was roughly pulled out of his socket and then lodged deep into his throat; a similar fate that his friend had shared. Red stared down at the thug, watching emotionlessly as Damien's life ebbed away and pooled at his feet. Once he was sure that he was dead, he stood up and slowly turned to look at the final thug. The wannabe-gangster looked like he was scared out of his mind, fearing that he would share the same fate as his fellow comrades. Red smirked, then pretended to lunge at him.

"Boo!"

Almost instantly, the smell of feces and urine overpowered his senses. The man screamed in horror and immediately scrambled to his feet, and he hauled ass as he ran down the alley from which Red had come from before completely disappearing from sight. Finally, silence. At least, there was a brief moment of it before a voice sounded in his earpiece.

"-Was that at all necessary, Red?-" The voice had a light italian accent to it.

Red chuckled before putting his right middle and index finger to his ear, pressing down gently on the earpiece. "Nice of you to drop in, Kysuf. Didn't know you were watching." His smile only grew wider when he heard his friend scoff over the radio.

"-I'm serious, Red. They didn't have to die. You know the tenat's say...-"

"'Stay thy blade from the flesh of an innocent.' Kysuf, I know. But I really don't think that these are your average muggers."

"-What makes you say that?-" Kysuf asked inquisitively.

"For one, it was the way they approached me. It looked like they were simply waiting for me, like they knew I was coming."

"-Okay, and your point is?-" Red resisted the urge to bring his palm to his forehead.

"Jesus Christ, Kysuf, I thought you were smarter than me." He groaned, shaking his head. "Muggers and gangsters will tail you before they jump you, and they don't normally do so in groups; it's almost always a solo act. Plus, the guy leading the charge had a goddamn Glock 18; a seventeen-round Glock 18."

"-C' diavolo. How did that ladro get his hands on an illegal firearm?-"

"Normally, I would say that since we're in San Francisco, purchasing illegal firearms is a little easier than you would think, but this time it's different. Judging by the intelligence we gathered, our target is supposed to be holed-up in this warehouse in front of me. Now, tell me, who else has access to illegal weaponry? And who would hire muggers and give them police-issued batons and Smith & Wesson switchblades?"

"-... Derrik Rosland.-"
Red Wolf snapped his fingers. "Bingo, you've got it!"

"-Red... You know what we have to do.-" said Kysuf.

He sighed. "As much as I want to kill the son of a bitch, we can't risk it. The president ordered us to take him alive."

"-Then you know that means that you can't rough him up too badly.-"

"You know I can't promise that," Red chuckled.

"-I knew you wouldn't. Either way, I'll be providing support if you need it. If I can find a vantage point, then I can set up a position and cover you.-"

Red took a look at the exterior of the building. All the windows were covered up and blocked, and the walls of the warehouse looked like they had been reinforced. He sighed before replying, "I appreciate it, pal, but you're not going to be able to shoot shit in this warehouse. The windows are boarded up, and this thing looks like it was constructed with reinforced metal. You can probably use a thermal scope and see what we're dealing with, though."

"-Hm... I think I have one in my 'pack.-" Kysuf informed. "-Give me a minute and I'll be set up. In the meantime, find a way inside that warehouse. Once you find a way in, tell me so I can give you a heads-up on how many guys are in there and where they are. This places looks pretty rundown, so I'm sure that it'll be pitch black inside.-"

"Sounds like a plan, Kysuf. But don't forget that I can still use my Sight to navigate my way through the dark." Red began walking towards the warehouse, alert and vigilant. "Alright, I'll find a way in. Don't fall off a roof or something while I'm gone, okay? Red Wolf, out." He took his hand away from his ear and examined the building again. 'Okay,' he thought. 'The front door is always an option, although, Derrik probably rigged it somehow. And the windows don't seem like they're accessible... Maybe there's one that I can access through the rear of the building, though. And if not, then maybe there's a skylight on the roof.'

Red immediately went into action and ran across the street. The first place he would try would be the Loading Dock. Even though his plan was to check the windows, it was best to check the nearest possible entrance before investigating all other contingencies. Red Wolf stopped in front of the first Loading Dock door. He crouched down and pulled up on the handle, only to find that it was unlocked. Red knew that something wasn't right. Why was this door unlocked? Was it a trap? With his left hand still holding the door up slightly, he drew his silenced Beretta PX4 Storm. If this was really a trap, then he had to be ready to go in 'guns-a-blazin'. He took a deep breath and exhaled. Well, here goes nothing. Red Wolf threw the door up and aimed his gun... There was nothing there. "This is too easy," he said to himself quietly. It was just a small room with one door in the middle. There was a sign next to it that said: "Entrance." Yeah, this was definitely too easy. No guards? No explosives? What the hell was going on? Red cautiously made his way to the door, making sure to check his surroundings as he ventured through the room. Once he had reached his goal, he holstered his weapon and reached for the doorknob. But he didn't grab it; there was just something suspicious about all this. Red backed away from the door a tad bit and then blinked. When he opened his eyes, they were completely blood-red; his Sight was active. Everything was a little more enhanced, every detail more visible and every sense of his heightened ten-fold.

Looking down at the doorknob, he saw that it was flashing red. This meant that someone had rigged it, making it dangerous to open the door. The color quickly changed to a light blue, and small sparks began to dance off of the object. 'Son of a bitch. They electrically-charged the doorknob so that way it shocks the hell out of anyone who tries to enter. Damnit!' Looks like this way was no longer an option. He turned around and walked out of the Loading Dock, and his radio came to life.

"-Alright, I'm in position. Thankfully, I have a thermal scope handy. How are things on your end?-"

Red put his hand back to his earpiece. "Not good. I tried the Loading Dock, but the door leading into the warehouse was rigged with a high voltage charge. There's no way I can go through there without making too much noise, and the electric charge could stop my heart if I tried to open the door."

"-Well, that definitely makes our job a hell of a lot harder.-"

"Amen to that." Red Wolf sighed. "Alright, I'm going to head around back now. Tell me when you have the thermal set up so we can figure out what we're up against."

"-Roger that.-"

Red took his hand away from his earpiece and turned to look at the side of the warehouse. Once again, he discovered that all the windows were boarded up and blocked off, but it only took him a second to see the scaffolding leading up to a window on the second floor. And much to his surprise, there were no glass panes; it was just an empty space leading into the warehouse... 'Aw, no way!' Red sprinted for the scaffolding and began to climb up at rapid pace. He had done this thousands of times, so he didn't have to go slow just to reach his objective.

In nearly forty-five seconds flat, Red Wolf was at the top layer of the scaffolding just outside of the open window. He pressed his back up against the wall and quietly whispered into his radio. "Kysuf, I need eyes on this warehouse. What do you got for me?"

"-You're not going to believe this," Kysuf started. "-But there's only one tango inside.-"

Red could not believe what he was hearing. "Are you sure?"

"-Positive. I'm not picking up any other heat signatures, and this guy's just standing by himself on the first floor. I think it's Rosland.-"

"I'm gonna have to trust you on this one. Keep me posted, alright? I'm going in." He peeked around the corner, surveying his surroundings and looking for a way down to the first floor. Sure enough, there was a ladder that led down to where he needed to go. Red walked over to the ladder, grabbed ahold of the sides of it, then slowly slid down to the ground. Once he reached the bottom, he slowly crept his way through the warehouse. Even though it was abandoned, there were still boxes of different imports and exports from years ago. Looks like whoever used to own this building wanted to get the heck outta dodge, and didn't even bother to remove the goods before leaving. Red Wolf stopped and looked at a label one of the boxes:

'Imported: June 12, 2015. Exported from: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.'

'Jesus,' he thought. 'No wonder why our country was sinking in national debt; these fucking people were just lazy.' Red shook his head and sighed before moving on. After walking for a bit more, he soon found himself in an open space.

"-He's to your right.-" Kysuf said over the radio.

Red Wolf looked to his right, and sure enough, there was a man dressed in an all-black version of Red's uniform -although his hood and mask were not on- standing in front of a colossal window. He didn't seem to notice that he was behind him at the moment, so he was relieved that his task would be a little easier to carry out. But just as he began to approach him, he heard the man speak.

"'The same moon is above Fuzhou tonight.' " Red froze up and drew his hidden blades. But before he could make a move, the man turned around to face him. Now he could make out his dark brown hair, but the rest of his features were still slightly silhouetted. "'From the open window she will be watching it alone, the poor children are too little to remember Ch'ang-an.' " He could finally make out his facial features now that the man had taken a step forward into the dim light that shone through the window. His face was unshaven with a slight stubble, and a scar ran down his jaw on the left side of his face. But what stood out the most for Red was the sorrowful expression on his face and in his eyes. And he could also see... Regret? "'Her perfumed hair will be dampened by the dew, the air may be too chilly on her delicate arms. When can we both lean by the wind-blown curtains and see the tears dry on each other's face?' "

There was at least twenty feet between them now, and the two men just stared at each other. After a few seconds of silence, Red sheathed his blades. "Tu Fu; 'Moonlight Night.' I didn't think you'd still remember that poem, Derrik."

"Five years of solitude and being on the run give you a lot of time to remember, John Redwoods."

John chuckled. "Getting sentimental, are we?"

Derrik's sorrowful expression turned to one of anger. "I am not some emotionless monster, Red Wolf. Yes, I've done many things that are deemed horrible and evil in the eyes of others, but I do those things in order to purge this world of the evil that resides within it."

Red rolled his eyes and scoffed. "You sound just like the Templar's. Even though you Red Artist's are quick to talk of peace and preventing the spread of evil throughout the world, you will not hesitate when it comes to murdering innocents and controlling the will of others. Obliterating free will is not a solution for world peace; you of all people should know this, but it seems that you've forgotten."

Derrik scowled at Red. "And you Assassin's speak of the same things. If you will be so inclined as to listen, I will remind you of the three great ironies of the great Assassin Order. One: Here you seek to promote peace, but murder is your means. Two: Here you seek to open the minds of men, but require obedience to a master and set of rules. And three: Here you seek to reveal the danger of blind faith, yet you are practitioners yourselves." He chuckled. "Altaïr was such a fool."

"You used to be an Assassin like us! Now you're murdering your own former brothers and sisters! Do not speak ill of your comrades and your friends!"

"If you used to be my brother..." He snapped his fingers, and a group of soldiers surrounded him, drawing assault swords from behind their backs. Judging by the multiple boots he heard against the floor, John guessed that there were at least eight other men. "Then you can die like the rest of them."

"-Red! You have twelve tango's in there!-"

'I think I noticed, Kysuf.' Red Wolf felt a hand grip his shoulders as two men from behind him tried to push him onto his knees, but he quickly turned around and stabbed them both in the throat with his blades. The other soldiers suddenly looked a little hesitant to approach him, which only served to worsen Derrik's temper. "Kill him! Now!"

"No!" John shouted, turning on his heel to face his arch-nemesis. "Don't even think about it! If you're too cowardly to fight me yourself, then just say it. But don't throw down these men's lives just because you can't accept the reality that you've lost." Red Wolf drew his sword from the scabbard on his back and pointed it at Derrik. This sword wasn't your average weapon that you could simply buy from an antique store. The entire thing looked like it was custom-made from the black wolf head-shaped pommel, to the blood-red stained blade. "It's time for your to give up, Rosland!"

Suddenly, the clouds parted and the snow stopped, revealing a full moon in the sky. John knew that it was a lunar eclipse, but something about the blood-red tint on the surface gave it a more sinister look to it. Derrik smirked.

"Amazing, isn't it?" He pulled his own sword free from the confines of its scabbard and twirled it a bit, almost as if it were a toy to him. "They say that the lunar eclipse is also called the Day of the Blood Moon. It's the perfect night for me to finally kill you, Red Wolf." Derrik pulled on his hood and mask before lunging at Red with his sword at the ready. John sprinted forward to meet his opponent halfway and swung his sword, aiming for his legs. But it seemed that he saw it coming, for he moved his blade to block the attack. Their swords connected, and a bright, blinding light erupted from their weapons upon impact, engulfing everyone in the room.

Constantinople
March 21, 1519
Noon

In the bustling Galata District, a young man with black hair was conversing with one of the local blacksmiths. The topic? Their past and present troubles with women. The young man wore a strange black hooded robe, and had a mask of equal color hanging around his neck. He had several different weapons with him, ranging from his sword to his hidden blades and a belt of throwing knives. He may have stood out from the crowd, but the citizens knew that he was another Assassin who protected the city; they knew he was not a threat.

"... And so, my wife is now spending our money faster than I can make it." Said the blacksmith, his voice heavy with an italian accent. "I still don't quite understand what I did wrong. I mean, ever since the fall of Roma, she's ignored me for weeks at a time, only speaking with me about matters of money and asking me if I've been unfaithful to her. It's been at least fourteen years, Night Angel, and it seems that one year we fight with each other, and the next year we don't." He sighed and ran a hand through his long dirty-blonde hair. "I don't know what to do anymore, mi amico. At this point, I'm tempted to separate with her. Night Angel, what should I do?"

Night Angel shook his head and chuckled. "I don't think that I'm the right person you should be asking about problems concerning marriage, " he said jokingly, his voice holding a much lighter italian accent. "Because as you can see here..." He held up his left hand for him to see. "I'm clearly not married."

"I know, I know, but I thought that you could tell me something. After all, every woman and puttana from here to Firenze has taken a liking to you."

The assassin sighed and put his hand on his forehead. "Have you ever considered having children?"

The blacksmith threw his head back and laughed. "Vai a farti fottere, maniaco! Me? Children? Andiamo, you can't be serious."

"Don't you get it? Obviously, you haven't seen how happy many couples are when they have children. When there is a rip in your marriage, they stitch it back together. I recommend that you consider it if you actually love this woman." Night proceeded to slip his mask over the lower half of his face and his hood over his head before placing a fist over his heart, bowing his head respectfully. "I must leave now. May God be merciful-" A blood curling scream suddenly pierced through the peaceful atmosphere of the streets. Night Angel turned around to see someone falling from the top of the Galata Tower. "C' cazzo?!"

"Night Angel!" The voice calling out to him was another italian. Once again, he turned around, this time to see an assassin running towards him. His attire was very much similar to Night's, only he wore robes that were white with different red ribbons tucked into his belt and flying freely as he ran.

"Antonio!" The assassin ran straight past him, so Night followed suite and sprinted up the street until they were side-by-side. "Do you know what's going on?"

Antonio nodded. "Sì, mi amico! Rogue Assassins!"

"Are they associated with the Templars?"

"No," he replied. "They're not like the traitors who came here five years ago when Ezio Auditore was still our mentor. These bastardi have turned away from the Assassin's and the Templars. I've never heard of rogues like these."

After a few short seconds of weaving through the crowds, Night Angel and Antonio arrived in the courtyard in front of the Galata Tower. Thanks to the earlier commotion, the clearing was crowded by the many curious citizens. Night Angel looked around to see a few of his fellow Assassins in the crowd as well. Good, at least now they had reinforcements in case they were forced to fight.

"There! At the top of the tower!" Antonio pointed skywards, and Night followed his gaze all the way to the pinnacle of their point of interest. There he saw five people dressed in colors and garments that resembled his own—excluding the mask. They all looked alike, all except for one in particular who stood at the front of the group. The only difference between them was that this one wore red ribbons around his belt like Antonio. The leader made a sort of gesture with his hand to one of his companions and they disappeared for a moment, only to return with a woman who had a sack over her head and her hands tied behind her back.

"Citizens of Constantinople," he shouted, his voice carrying an italian accent. "We are the Order of Blood, the true rulers of this city! For too long, you have been forced to live under the 'protection' of the Assassin's, yet all they have done is steal the food in which you eat and the lives of your loved ones. But no longer! We will purge this city of its evil, and you will submit to our rule! If you do not, then you will suffer the fate of this whore!" Murmurs rippled through the crowds of the now nervous citizens, a wave of doubt and uncertainty now beginning to set in.

"Now, some of you may want to save this woman, and we will give you a chance to spare her life! All you have to do is bring us the one you call 'Night Angel!' " By now the murmuring and whispers had turned to idle chatter and a few shouts of rage. Night Angel began to assess the situation. For one, these men were not spouting false threats and demands. If he did not present himself immediately, then this woman would die because of him. But even if he did reveal himself, they might still kill her; there was no doubt about it. Night then spotted a cart full of hay, and a plan suddenly came to his mind.

"Antonio," he said softly. "I think I have a way to save her."

Antonio raised a brow at him. "What do you have in mind? A distraction?"

"No." He shook his head. "There is a cart over there by the stairs." Night Angel pointed to the object of interest. "If we they throw her off the edge of the tower, and if we can move fast enough, we can position that cart so that it will break her fall." This plan had to work. If he could leap from that tower himself and land safely within the hay, then the woman would be unharmed as well. Antonio thought on this for a moment before nodding.

"Va bene. Let us hope your plan works."

Night was about to give the order to execute when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to see a small band of mercenaries standing behind him, all smiling and brandishing their weapons. "We are with you, effendi." One of them said proudly. "These bastards are in over their head. It is time we show them who the actual guardians of this city are."

The black clad assassin smiled underneath his mask. "Grazie, mi amici. I promise to treat you all to a drink or two when this is all over." Night Angel looked back at the cart and took a deep breath before exhaling. "Andare! Andare!" With Antonio and the mercenari close behind him, he sprinted forward and pushed his way past the crowd. "Everyone! Move!" At that moment, he heard a feminine scream. Night quickly looked up and saw that the leader had grabbed the woman by her arm. "Quickly!" He jumped behind the cart and began pushing it forward with all his strength, Antonio quickly taking his place beside him while the mercenaries positioned themselves at the sides and front of it.

"Very well!" He heard the leader shout. "She dies!" That was when he heard the scream yet again, this time knowing that she was falling.

"Fanculo! Faster! Move the cart underneath her position!"

"She's coming down fast!" One of the mercenaries replied.

"Then move faster!" Antonio barked back. The group only had to move the cart a few more feet before the woman crashed into the hay, sending straw flying in every direction. Everyone staggered backwards in surprise and shock, and an uncomfortable silence filled the gap between them, the citizens waiting for any signs of life with baited breath. It felt like eons before the hay began to shuffle around and a few whimpers fell upon the ears of those closest to the cart. Night Angel and Antonio reached into the hay and carefully pulled the woman out, and the crowds cheered and applauded the heroes. Once the woman's hands were freed, she tore the burlap sack from her head and looked around frantically.

"Josefina!" She quickly turned to Night Angel, her cheeks stained with tears. "Señor, where is my sister?" Her gaze suddenly fell upon something behind him, and Night knew all too well what it was. She gasped. "No... Please, no..." The spanish woman pushed past him and fell to her knees beside the bloodied female corpse. All Night Angel could hear then was the loud sobbing of the poor woman as she grieved for whom he now knew was her sister. An unholy rage suddenly began to boil in his heart and he glared daggers at the men who were responsible; he was furious.

"Enemies of Constantinople!" He shouted angrily. "I am the Night Angel, guardian of this citizen and it's people!"

"At last, the angel of death has revealed himself! Night Angel, for far too long you have been blinded by lies and deceit that the Assassins have fed you all these years. I am here to open your eyes and show you the truth!"

"All I see is a traitor who wishes to warp the minds of others!" Antonio howled back.

The leader ignored his comment and continued speaking. "Allow me to introduce myself on behalf of the Order. I am Severino Stornello, the leader and founder of this great foundation."

"Enough with the pleasantries, maniaco!" Night Angel balled his fists up. "Stop stalling and surrender now!"

"Night Angel, you fail to understand what I'm trying to tell you!" Severino kept talking as if his command had not phased him. "We are here to purge this city of its evil! We are the only ones who can do that! Join us, and we can cleanse these filthy streets together!" Night then smirked.

"'Let he who is without sin cast the first stone!' " He said, amused. "Do you even know who I am?! I am an Assassin! I have made a vow to protect the innocent, even at the cost of my own life! You too were once an Assassin, but it seems that you have forgotten what it means to be one! Nothing is True..." Night raised his hand up, and at that moment, every Assassin within the vicinity drew their weapons and stood beside him, some were even on the rooftops with crossbows and rifles aimed at the band of rogue assassin's. "Everything is permitted!"

Severino laughed. "Impressive! I see you have brought your forces with you. Well, so have I!"

Night Angel then saw multiple rogue assassin's in dark hoods reveal themselves from their hiding places, drawing their weapons and taking their positions around him and his comrades. The citizens began to panic, and quickly began to flee from the scene. He quickly drew his own sword while keeping his gaze glued on Severino, then his Sight became active, and he was able to see everything around him without looking away from his target. He felt like he was floating around the street, yet his physical body had not moved an inch from its place. Night could see everyone and everything in the immediate vicinity, the innocent citizens being illuminated in a soft white light while his enemies were highlighted in red. All the other Assassins were glowing blue. After only a few short seconds, he was able to identify how many rogues there were. He blinked, and his eyes returned back to their sky-blue color. Twenty against twenty; the playing field was now even, but the battle would most certainly be a difficult one. There was only one thing left to do…

"Assassin's!" He cried, raising his sword high above his head. "To arms! To victory!"

"To victory!" The Assassin's chanted before rushing into battle. Night Angel was about to climb the tower to Severino when he saw that he had already disappeared from the top. Antonio tugged on his arm.

"Night Angel, he's escaping!" He pointed to the streets before them, and Night watched as their target raced his way through the crowd. "That bastardo is heading for the harbor! If he manages to reach the ship's there, then he'll be gone!"

"I know, Antonio!" He signaled for two Assassins that were not engaged in combat for them to come to him. "I will go after him. Make sure these rogues are taken care of!" There was a sad look on his friend's face, but Antonio nodded before drawing his sword.

"Be careful, mi amico, and bring that sick bastard to justice!"

Night Angel nodded sadly and spun on his heels. "Come, my brothers! After him!" The chase was on. Night Angel and his Assassin's took off down the street after Severino, skillfully weaving past the terrified citizens that were retreating from the battle at the Galata Tower. His eyes scanned through the crowd, and his target soon came into view, shoving anyone in his path to the ground. Severino then hopped onto a lift and cut the rope, the weight carrying him up and to the rooftops as the bricks on it suddenly came plummeting down onto a few unsuspecting innocents, killing them instantly. Night scowled under his mask. This man used to be an Assassin, and now he was killing the people he had once sworn to protect without any sign of hesitation.

"He's getting away!" One of the Assassin's shouted.

"Calmare, mi amichi!" He replied confidently. "I will follow him from the rooftops! You stay on the streets so that way we can cut him off if he comes down!" Night Angel ran up a small stack of boxes before jumping onto a set of wooden beams that connected to the rooftops above. Once he climbed up onto the roof of the building, he looked all around to see where his enemy had gone, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Night Angel!"

Night turned and saw one of the Ottoman archer's pointing towards the docks. "Hurry! He went that way!" The Assassin nodded his thanks and took off in the direction the archer had pointed in. Sure enough, Severino was now within his line of sight, running across the rooftops in hopes of reaching the harbor. He could also see his fellow Assassin's following in the streets below before a group of three rogue's cut them off. Night was about to jump down and provide support, but common sense told him that they were perfectly capable of handling themselves. So, with a small hint of guilt, he continued his pursuit. 'I can't let him get away!'

After only a few seconds, he was only a few feet behind his target, and they were merely a few dozen lengths from the harbor. Severino jumped down from the roof of the building and rolled onto the streets; he was dangerously close to his destination, and there was a ship still anchored and waiting to set sail. But before he could make a mad dash for the vessel, Night Angel pulled a bomb from his pouch and threw it. The explosive landed in front of the rogue Assassin, and a loud BANG! filled the air, causing him to reel backwards and put his hands over his eyes. Satisfied, Night jumped down and slowly began walking towards Severino.

"That is a recipe that Master Yusuf left behind before he was murdered." He said, amused. "He called it a 'Screaming Thunder Bomb.' It temporarily blinds and deafens you." Night Angel stopped a few feet from him. "No more running, Stornello. Surrender now, or die by my blade." Despite being deafened, Severino looked up at him and laughed.

"And if I don't?"

"Non mi testare, bastardo. I will gladly put you down like a dog."

"Oh really?" Almost immediately, a group of rogue's converged on him from the streets behind him with their swords drawn, followed by another group of four that took their places beside their master. It took him a moment to realize that they were the ones that stood with him at the top of the Galata. "Night Angel, I will offer you one last chance." Severino drew a cutlass sword, skimming his fingertips across the sharp edge of the blade. "Join us, amico, and you will have power beyond your wildest dreams."

Night Angel drew his sword and pointed it at his foe. "This ends now, Severino." His smile quickly turned into a frown.

"Very well then." Severino dashed towards Night with his sword at the ready, but the Assassin didn't move an inch until he swung his blade at him, quickly raising his own sword to counter the attack. Their weapons made contact, and a blinding flash of light erupted from the impact.

Twilight Sparkle and Spike finally reached the town hall after navigating through Ponyville's crowded streets. The lavender alicorn scanned the crowd for a certain princess, but she didn't see her anywhere. How could she not find her? She was nearly three to four feet taller than she was!

"Oh no..." She muttered anxiously. "Where could she be?"

"There she is!" Spike blurted out. He pointed to the town hall, and Twilight followed his gaze to the open doors. There she caught a quick glimpse of an ethereal rainbow mane before it slipped out of sight.

"Good eye, Spike!" Twilight weaved her way through the sea of ponies until she had made it into the town hall. Once she was past the doors, she immediately bumped into someone. Twilight and Spike looked up to find Princess Celestia standing before them with a warm smile on her face.

"Good evening, Twilight Sparkle. How are you doing on this lovely night?"

"Excuse me, Princess," Spike blurted out once again. "But you need to see what we found." He jumped down and pulled the book free from the confines of Twilight's saddlebag, opening it to the page of the cryptic prophecy before presenting it to Celestia.

"Oh! What is all this, then?" Said a male voice. Twilight rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Not now, Discord." The draconequus materialized into existence above the lavender alicorn with a toothy grin. "This is serious."

Discord laughed. "I bet it is, Twilight Sparkle. Now, I do not wish to come off as being nosey, but I couldn't help overhear your little conversation about that book. I didn't hear everything, so I'm very curious as to what you found." He playfully nudged her with his elbow. "Care to share?"

"Discord!" Both Twilight and Discord looked at Celestia, who had not once averted her gaze from the book. Her expression was one of annoyance. "Not. Now." He shrank to the size of a mouse and sat atop Twilight's head with his arms crossed.

"As you wish, Celestia."

"Thank you." She said with a sigh of relief.

"Well, howdy there, Twilight!" Twilight turned around and let out her own sigh; her friends were finally here, so now she was a little more at ease. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash; they were all here.

"Thank goodness you're all here now, girls." Celestia said suddenly, causing them all to look at her. "Twilight, this is a very old prophecy written years before the death of Starswirl the Bearded. He foretold of a great danger that would arise sometime in the near future, and that the Lunar Eclipse would bring forth a threat supposedly greater than Tirek. I just never thought that it would happen so soon."

Rainbow Dash waved her hoof dismissively at the solar princess. "Pssh! So what? It's not like it's anything we can't handle." Applejack shot her a glare immediately after she said that.

"As much as I would like to believe that you girls can handle this situation, I don't think that you are the answer."

"W-what do you mean, Princess Celestia?" Fluttershy asked timidly. "Are you saying that we can't stop this?"

"I believe that it is referring to the two individuals mentioned in the first passage." Discord was now back to his original size, now suspended in mid-air while reclining in a comfy-looking leather chair while looking through a book entitled: 'Discord's Diary.' He also now sported a fancy black top hat with a monocle and an ugly plaid blazer, which earned him a disapproving look from Rarity. "What did it say? 'Shadow and Wolf '?" He slammed the book closed and looked up with a confused expression. "Now even that has me absolutely bewildered. 'Shadow and Wolf '?"

"Yes, it is rather confusing, isn't it?" Celestia said with a nod before closing the book with her magic and giving it back to Spike. "But right now, that is not our biggest concern. We must focus on the safety of Ponyville, because-"

"Welcome, one and all, to one of our most ancient traditions in history! I would like to thank everyone for coming to witness this spectacular event, as it has been too long since this has taken place." Celestia's eyes went wide at the sound of Luna's voice.

"It's about to start!" She looked at Twilight and her friends with fear in her violet irises. "Please, you must stop her from casting the spell!"

"And so, without further ado, prepare for a night that will forever outshine every other one before it!" Twilight and the other's ran outside to see Luna standing at the center of a stage that stood before hundreds of eager spectators. She could see the lunar princess preparing to cast a powerful spell, the visible aura of her magic charging up to its maximum capacity. Without a word, Twilight began pushing her way through the crowd as fast as she could without hurting anypony. She had to stop her!

"Fillies and gentlecolts..."

'No!'

"I give to you..."

"No! Stop!" The cheering of the crowd started to increase in volume, drowning out Twilight's cries.

"The Lunar Eclipse!" And with that, Luna cast her spell, sending a bright blue ball of light spiraling into the night sky and directly towards the moon. The magical projectile made a loud BOOM! onceit made contact with the surface of the silvery orb, and the moon suddenly took on a blood-red color. Twilight stared at the spectacle in horror. "Twilight Sparkle! Perhaps thou would like to join us?"

"Luna! What have you done?!" Celestia shouted.

"Sister? What art thou talking about?"

"The prophecy of Starswirl, Luna! Do you not remember?!" Luna's eyes went wide at that sudden statement.

"The prophecy of Shadow and Wolf?!" The moon suddenly pulsed brightly, sending a ring of red drifting through the sky. The lunar princess looked back down at the crowd. "Citizens of Ponyville, you must flee! You are all in grave danger!" Another pulse of red filled the sky, followed by a loud BOOM! The ponies in the crowd panicked, running away from the stage, even trampling over each other in a desperate attempt to escape whatever danger was coming. Twilight Sparkle found herself staring up at the sky in awe, mesmerized by the sight before her.

"Now, what th' hay is going on here?" Applejack said.

"Um... Maybe we should just... Leave?" Fluttershy let out a small 'eep!' when Rainbow Dash pulled her back towards the group.

"Come on, Fluttershy!" She scolded the yellow pegasus. "We can't just run away from something that we don't know about. It may seem scary, but we don't know what will happen yet. Let's stick around! Maybe we can kick some tail while we're at it!"

It was Rarity's turn to scowl. "Rainbow Dash, that is not the appropriate way to think. Perhaps we should try diplomacy first before resorting to violence, you ruffian." Rainbow merely rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at the fashionista.

"Yeah! Maybe we can throw them a 'Welcome to Equestria' party!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed excitedly.

"I commend you for your enthusiasm, girls." Princess Luna said softly. "But I'm afraid that this is no longer a time for celebration or joy. This night will soon be bathed in blood."

As soon as she uttered those words, a beam of light erupted from the moon and struck the ground, causing the ground beneath their hooves to shake violently with the force of an earthquake. Twilight raised a hoof to shield her eyes from the powerful glare. Once the light died, she lowered her hoof, and her eyes went wide at the sight before her. There were twenty-two hooded bipedal creatures standing before them, each separated into two groups of fourteen. Some wielded swords, but others held strangely-shaped weapons of different sizes that looked rather menacing and evil. She also noticed that one group was dressed differently from the other; one sporting a more urban look, the other dawning an ancient... classical appearance. They all looked around to take in their surroundings, bewildered and confused.

"What. The. Hell?" Said one with a white tunic and a red mask, its voice sounding male.

"Stornello," shouted another creature wearing a black robe with a black mask—also male. "What did you do?!"

Another creature who was similarly dressed—whom Twilight assumed was Stornello—responded. "Do not blame me, Night Angel! This is not my doing!"

"Everypony," Twilight whispered. "Stay silent and don't- Pinkie, what are you doing?!"

"Holy shit!" A male dressed in a black tunic with a red mask exclaimed, pointing his weapon at Pinkie Pie as she bounced on her hooves towards them. "Derrik, what the fuck is that thing?!"

"What do I look like, a goddamn encyclopedia?!" Barked Derrik, a bipedal male wearing all black.

"Hi there!" She said with a wave. "I'm Pinkie Pie, and-"

"It fucking talks?!" He drew a sword and held it defensively.

Night Angel stared at Derrik with a blank stare. "Who are these people?"

"They're fucking salesmen." The male in the white hood retorted sarcastically.

Rarity walked up to Derrik and his companions, smiling. "Now, gentlemen. Please do not be alarmed; we mean no trouble. We merely wish to welcome you to our world. And before I say anything else, I must say that you have a rather nice outfit." She pointed a hoof at the white hooded male. "Mister...?"

"Just call me Red Wolf, ma'am. But hey, thanks for the compliment."

"Shut up!" Derrik snapped. "Enough of this shit! Kill the damn things!" He was about to bring his sword down upon the two mares when a loud BANG! filled the air and a small projectile struck the ground a few centimeters from his foot. Everyone suddenly fell silent and froze up before looking back at Red Wolf. The hooded male was holding one of the strange weapons in his hand, a weapon that reminded Twilight of a cannon, only much, much smaller. He holstered his weapon, glaring at Derrik.

"Okay, you need to stop right now. All they wanted to do was express themselves peacefully, and you don't even give them a chance to even show that they meant no harm! Plus, how dare you attack that sweet little thing after she gave me a compliment?! Seriously, Derrik!" He looked over to Pinkie Pie and Rarity, who were both now cowering behind Celestia. "Um... You guys just... Stay over there, okay? I'll deal with these assholes." Red pointed at the second group of creatures. "As for you guys, stay there. Alright? I don't know if you guys are fighting each other or something, just don't interfere with us, please. Capiche?"

Night Angel nodded. "That is an acceptable compromise."

"So, you'll take care of those fucker's, and I'll take care of these fucker's?"

"Get on with it!" One of Derrik's men said frustratedly.

"Then without further ado..." Red drew his sword. "Let the battle commence!" He then bulleted towards Derrik and his compatriots, his blade ready to tear through the flesh of his enemies. At that same moment, Night Angel converged on Stornello and his men, and the clearing was a battleground. Twilight and her friends stood there, watching them in strange fascination as they fought. There was a brief moment of silence between them before Rainbow Dash spoke up.

"Shouldn't we... I don't know, help him?" She suggested.

"What?!" Twilight exclaimed. "Why?!"

"Because that Red Wolf guy looks like he's pretty friendly, so I assume that we should try to help him, you know?" Rainbow floated in the air. "Come on, Twilight! This prophecy you were talking about a Shadow and a Wolf, right? Well, what if Red Wolf is the wolf in the prophecy?"

"... That... Makes a lot of sense, actually." Rarity nodded and stepped out from behind Celestia, her expression one of determination. "I'm with Rainbow Dash. We should help the stranger. After all, he did stop that maniac from harming Pinkie Pie and I, and I feel that we should repay the favor."

"If anything, it is best if you try and distract Derrik's subordinates, and the same can be said for Stornello and his compatriots." Luna chimed in. "I don't know why, but there is something about that Night Angel character that I trust..."

"Then I will leave you all to this, then." Celestia said. "I will make sure that Ponyville's citizens are safe from harm. If they are somehow caught in the heat of battle, then I must make sure that I am there." The alabaster alicorn then took to the air, disappearing behind the rooftops of the buildings. Once she was out of sight, Applejack stepped up and tilted her hat.

"Well, what're we waitin' for? Hearth's Warmin'?" She jested with a smirk. "Let's go help them two fellers!"

Twilight Sparkle and her friends ran into the battle, leaving Spike behind as he stood there with a blank stare. Noticing that he was now alone, he quickly bolted for the stage and dove behind the DJ Booth.

Red Wolf threw himself at Derrik, unleashing a flurry of attacks, only to have them parried and blocked with each swing. But despite his opponent's skill, he was having a hard time keeping up with his offensive maneuvers, and he was clearly beginning to struggle. Soon, he wouldn't be able to hold out against him, and John would be able to take him down. Suddenly, Derrik jumped back, and two of his men stepped forward with FAL's trained on him. But before any of them could react, one of the rogue's was brought to the ground by a streak of cyan, leaving his partner absolutely bewildered. Red took this as an opportunity to strike, rushing forward and slicing his throat open with his sword. The soldier dropped his assault rifle and crumpled to the ground, a pool of blood quickly spreading beneath his body and gathering at his killer's feet. Red looked down at the other rogue to find a prismatic-haired pegasus sitting atop his body. The pegasus smirked.

"Never fear, for your friendly neighbourhood Rainbow Dash is here!"

"What are you doing?!" He asked angrily. "You're going to get yourself killed!"

"We're helping you!" The rogue beneath her groaned, and Rainbow Dash bucked him in the head, rendering him unconscious.

"'We'?!" He scanned the battlefield for the other ponies he had seen earlier. Sure enough, he caught glimpses of them, distracting most of Derrik's men. "Huh, no shit! Thanks! I could definitely use the help. But whatever you do, don't get yourselves hurt, and don't touch Derrik; he's mine." And with that, he threw himself at Derrik again, and the fight continued once more.

Pinkie Pie danced her way between two of Derrik's subordinates, using her Pinkie Sense to dodge their attacks. One of them had an AA-12 while the other dual wielded two assault swords. The one with the AA-12 was becoming more frustrated with each 12-gauge shot the pink pony evaded.

"Hold still, you little fucker!" He growled angrily.

Pinkie Pie giggled. "Okie dokie lokie!" She sat down in front of him, smiling. "Now what? Do you wanna talk?" The AA-12 fired another round, this time making contact with its target, tearing Pinkie's head clean off. But, to the rogue's surprise, the pink pony that sat before him was just a cardboard copy.

"What the hell?"

"Get 'em, AJ!"

The two rogues were suddenly ensnared by a lasso that appeared almost out of nowhere, dropping their weapons to the ground as they were tied up. Applejack ran circles around them with the other end of the lasso still held firmly between her teeth until she was an orange blur, stopping once her rope was tied in a knot, leaving them sitting on the ground back-to-back. The farm pony tilted her hat and smirked.

"That's how we do it on the farm!"

Fluttershy stepped in between two of Stornello's men, keeping her head held low. "Um... Excuse me?"

"Sì?" One of them looked down at Fluttershy. Upon seeing her he immediately jumped back and pointing his sword at her, causing the butter cream pegasus to crouch down and look up at him fearfully. "Merda! Kill it! Kill the winged demon!"

"No! Please, I didn't mean to..." Her words died in her throat just as the rogue Assassin did, a sword piercing through his chest and cutting down before withdrawing itself from his body. He fell to his knees and coughed up a fair amount of blood before finally collapsing, the light in his eyes slowly fading away as he stared into Fluttershy's. "Oh my... Oh dear..." She tried backing away from the pool of blood, only for her to bump into the legs of the rogue behind her. Her gaze followed Night Angel as he quickly stabbed him in the throat with a slight spring in his step, a small shower of blood falling onto Fluttershy and sprinkling her face with the red essence. Her eyes began to fill with tears as the rogue Assassin's corpse fell backwards, but she completely lost it when she looked down at her now blood-soaked hooves, sobbing uncontrollably. "B... Blood! Blood e-everywhere!" Fluttershy began whimpering loudly when she was suddenly lifted from the ground. The pegasus suddenly came face-to-face with the black clad Assassin, his sky-blue eyes seemingly piercing straight through her soul.

"Listen to me, creature." He said softly. "You are not safe here. You have wings, so use them! Fly away from here! Hide! Do what you must to stay out of harm's way!"

"But... But I-" Fluttershy shrieked as she was suddenly thrown into the air. Upon instinct, she began to flap her wings furiously, desperately trying to find someplace to hide. She chose to take cover behind a lemonade stand, watching the battle from a distance, cringing as Night Angel dispatched another brace of men. "I'm so... Sorry..." The pegasus said softly.

Red Wolf took out two more soldier with his dual hidden blades. Counting Derrik, there were only six of his enemies that still lived. He stared down Derrik, sheathing his blades and slowly taking a few steps towards him. But despite his sudden advance, the rogue leader smirked. He stepped away, and a soldier with an M16A2 Combat Rifle took his place. Red noticed that there was an attachment on the underside of the barrel, and the rogue was loading something into it. He stopped.

'Oh fuck, that's an M203...' His eyes went wide at a sudden realization. 'Oh FUCK! That's an M203!'

"Hasta luego, motherfucker!" The soldier fired the grenade launcher and John threw his arms out in front of his face as the 40mm grenade was propelled towards him, obviously aware of what was to come next. There was a loud explosion, followed by a blast of smoke, shrapnel and flame. But to his surprise, he was not harmed by the destruction; he was perfectly fine—save for the extremely loud ringing in his ears, that is. Apparently, the blast had been stopped by a glowing violet shield that had encircled him before the grenade detonated. Amazing!... But, how did it get here? Red looked down, and there he saw Twilight Sparkle standing in front of him, her horn glowing brightly with the same violet color of the shield. Wait... Was she using... Magic? 'There's no way that this is magic.' He scoffed silently. 'But... Maybe she is using an artifact?'

"Are you alright?" She asked calmly, never tearing her gaze away from the shield. John deadpanned at her question.

"Um... Other than almost getting blown up and then getting saved by a talking horse? Yeah, I'm fucking perfect; fantastic, even."

Twilight frowned. "We could do without the sarcasm and the language, please."

"Oh right... Heh, sorry." Red replied sheepishly. "It's just not everyday this kinda thing happens to me." The american Assassin looked at the shield and nodded. "Thanks for the help, but you can put the shield down... However the hell you put this up, I must say that I'm impressed—even though this is technically scientifically impossible."

Twilight was prepared to protest, but then closed her mouth, deciding against it and taking down her shield. Red Wolf smirked underneath his mask when he saw Derrik's wide-eyed expression.

"How the hell did you survive that?! That's impossible!" Derrik looked at the lavender pony and growled. "You goddamn abomination! I'll kill you!" He drew his sword and sprinted for the pony and the Assassin, letting out a howl of rage. "GRAAAH!" The rogue Assassin swung his sword with all his might, and he heard a loud CLANG! Derrik gasped and his eyes went wide; his sword had broken in two! Red's sword was positioned right above Twilight, the metal of the blade still holding under the force of the strike. The other half of the blade fell to the ground in front of Twilight's hooves, leaving Derrik wide-eyed and stammering. Before he had a chance to say or do anything, John was already on the offensive. He unleashed a flurry of different attacks, swinging high and low, kicking out at his legs. Derrik tried desperately to keep his guard up, but it was for naught; he fell short and left himself wide open, which earned him a swift kick in the chest. Red watched his opponent tumble to the ground in front of his men, leaving them all staring with shock and disbelief.

"Must be a real shame for all of you to see your great leader looking so... defeated. Well, all I can tell you is that nothing beats pure italian steel. Your cheap metal has nothing on me, Rosland." Derrik looked up at Red Wolf, throwing the broken sword aside. "Enough games. Surrender now... Okay, what is that?" All of Red's attention was soon directed to a white pony—a unicorn, to be more exact—with a wicked blue mane casually strolled up to the battlefield, pushing something that resembled an amp. She wore a pair of purple-tinted sunglasses over her eyes. Rainbow Dash flew up to Red and looked at the unicorn curiously.

“Vinyl? What're you doing?"

"It's cool, everypony." She said confidently—not to mention calmly. "I've got this."

There was a long, uncomfortable moment of silence before Derrik's laughter pierced the night time air. "Oh really? And what is that there?"

"Oh, this?" Red turned around to see that Twilight and Rainbow Dash had disappeared.

"Um... Guys?

" Oh, this is nothing much." He suddenly noticed a major detail about the amp that he failed to notice before: the large red button on top. The sight of it made his blood run cold. Red buttons always meant something bad or dangerous, and John didn't want to be around that... Thing when it was activated. John started backing away slowly.

"This is just my Bass Cannon!" Vinyl slammed her hoof down on the button, and the cover of the device slid away into two different parts, revealing a iridescent, glowing blue amp. There were five cones of the speakers, the one in the middle being the largest. Suddenly, the amplifier came to life, and dubstep music started playing from it. Only, it didn't play at a normal volume; the music was booming, creating a force great enough to knock a man off of his feet. And boy, did Red get to experience it, even if it wasn't at its greatest force. The Assassin was lifted from the ground and sent flying down the clearing, colliding with the stone fountain at the center; Derrik and his men crashed into a large stand that sold fruit pie. As John attempted to stand, his body suddenly clenched up, and his entire being was catapulted into a world of pain. It wasn't just from the impact, though; he felt like his body was being stretched and crushed from the inside. Red clutched at his side and groaned.

"Jesus Christ!" The Assassin staggered to his feet. “I feel like I’ve been mauled by Jesus.” He scooped up his sword and stretched, wincing when he heard a loud Pop!. “Yeah, I’m getting way too old for this shit.” And with that, he rapidly limped for the collapsed stand, hoping that his enemy was already subdued.

Night Angel stumbled against the fountain. His body felt like it was on fire! He shook the cobwebs from his head just as the corners of his vision started to grow dark, looking up to see that Severino was standing just across from him. “Stornello…” Night began staggering. “What did you do to me?!”

“I was about to…” The Rogue Assassin clutched his side and hissed. “Ask you the same thing, Night Angel!” He was surprisingly able to launch himself at Night Angel with his sword aimed for his heart, but even he was not prepared for what was to come next. Night pushed off of the edge of the fountain, propelling him into the air and causing him to perform a backflip. Severino watched in both disbelief and horror. The Assassin landed behind him, kicking him square in the back. The blow sent him somersaulting into the air, and he landed… more than twenty feet away from the fountain.

“What?!” Night Angel looked himself over. “What is going on?! What is this… this sorcery?!” He then looked up to see that Stornello was getting back up, using his sword as leverage. There was blood dripping from a small gash above his left eye.

“Whatever power you may have…” He groaned as he tried to get up. “It… It cannot save you.” The downed Assassin waved his hand, and Night Angel suddenly found that he was surrounded by his Rogue’s. “Men! To arms! Bring me his head!”

“You can try!” Night spat. “But I doubt that you’re men are brave enough to try!”

Severino gave the signal, and his men converged on their target. But before their blades could touch him, a brilliant white light came to life before the Assassin, causing everyone to reel back, letting loose of string of obscene words and colorful profanities. When the light vanished, a dark blue alicorn stood before Night Angel, her horn glowing brightly with a teal-colored aura.There was an angry scowl on her face.

“Enemies of the peace!” She howled with her Canterlot voice. “Leave this place now, or thou shalt suffer the consequences!”

Severino’s men were distracted, giving Night Angel the opportunity that he needed. In a flash, the Assassin shoved his way past the rogue’s as they converged on Luna. As much as he wanted to stay and help her, Stornello was his primary target, and he had to subdue him before he could escape.

Red Wolf staggered away from the stand. Derrik wasn’t there, and neither were any of his men, so he could only assume that they had managed to pull themselves from the wreckage of the stall. A scowl quickly spread across his concealed features, which quickly turned into a grimace as pain coursed through his body.

“Goddamnit!” He cursed quietly. “Where the fuck is he- GAH!” John was quickly sent flying back into the fountain as someone bowled into him, the ring that kept the water inside literally cracking upon impact, even though that seemed impossible. The Assassin howled in pain. There was someone lying on top of him, and he wanted them off of him immediately. But looking down, he saw that it was a hooded figure dressed in black… “... You?!” Red pushed the Assassin off of him and scowled. “Goddamn, you fucking bastard! You let my target get away!”

The dark Assassin got back onto his feet, glaring at him with cold eyes. “Quiet! Stornello is getting away because of you!”

“Because of me?!” Red sneered. “It’s not my fault that you’re a lousy excuse for an Assassin!” Almost immediately, he regretted speaking. The dark Assassin drew his sword and lunged at him with surprising speed, giving him little to no time to react as he started swinging and stabbing at him in hopes of his sword finding it’s mark. Red tried countering his attacks using his hidden blades, but he couldn’t react quick enough to dodge the Assassin’s attacks and try to land a blow at the same time. Then, he saw it; he saw a critical error. When Night Angel came in with a high swing, he left himself wide open, and that was the opening that John needed. He sidestepped the swing at the last second, sending bits of dirt flying into the air as the sword buried itself into the ground.

“Gotcha, motherfucker!” John came back in and decked Night Angel square in the jaw, relinquishing his grip of his sword and sending him reeling backwards, somewhat stunned by the sudden attack. But Red Wolf didn’t stop there. He unleashed a fury of punches at his opponents, aiming for the chest, face, and legs. Night Angel tried his best to evade his attacks, but to no avail. Red Wolf comes in to finish him off, raising his leg up to bring his foot down on his head. But sadly, he took too long, and Night Angel was able to dodge his attack by rolling to the side. Even though his attack had missed its target, Red found this as the perfect opportunity to draw his sword. This time he activated his sight, knowing that it would aid him in combat against a clearly skilled swordsman. His irises turned blood-red, and he turned around to face Night Angel… only to see something else in front of him. He had no idea what to call it, but he didn’t like it. His eyes were now glowing blue, and his body was emitting some sort of smoke. But what really disturbed Red Wolf were two things: the fact that the only thing that he could see was his eyes, and that there were a pair of angel wings that had sprouted out from his back. Jesus Christ! Red thought with a start. I swear that he was human not two seconds ago! What the fuck is that thing?!

Night Angel had also activated his sight, and Red Wolf was nonetheless terrifying to him. What he saw was no longer a man, but rather, a beast that had stolen his skin and wore it like a coat. Now, he saw it’s true form: a bipedal wolf with glowing red eyes, snout, ears, and a tail. The beast snarled at him viciously, causing Night Angel to flinch slightly. Is my Sight revealing his true form? He was human not a moment ago… The Assassin narrowed his eyes. I must destroy this monster… But he knocked my sword away… Night Angel looked behind him to see his sword still buried in the ground, its handle standing proudly in the air. There was hope for him yet if he could just reach his weapon. The chances of him actually being able to land a blow were slim, seeing that his opponent was extremely agile, but he had to try. He glared daggers at Red Wolf.

“Demon…” He said in a dangerous tone. “You are a sin against God’s Creation, and it is my duty to destroy you.”

“Funny,” the demon said in a growl. “I was just thinking the exact same thing.” He lowered himself into a defensive stance with his sword at the ready, his tail swishing back and forth. Night Angel followed suite, only his intention was to turn and grab his sword and then attack; engaging him in combat directly would be suicide.

“Vai a farte fotterre.” The Assassin turned and sprinted for his sword, reaching out for the handle and gripping it firmly before pulling it out and stabbing it towards his enemy. His eyes widened when he saw that Red Wolf’s blade was mere inches from his face. His first instinct was to lean to the side, away from his enemy’s blade, but he winced in pain as the blade slashed through his mask and cutting his right cheek. But the pain suddenly turned from dull to excruciating, and his vision faded to white. The same thing happened to Red Wolf as his own blade slashed his left cheek.

What happened next was an explosion of blinding white light, followed by a shockwave that sent anyone in the immediate vicinity flying backwards. Twilight Sparkle braced her hooves against the ground and guarded her face with a wing, watching as the remainder of Stornello’s men limped away. She was about to shout an order to the guards to go after them when she felt a hoof on her shoulder. She looked to see who it was, and found Luna standing beside her, her expression grim as she gazed into the light with her hoof raised.

“‘Tis a very dark day for Equestria, Twilight Sparkle…” She said quietly. “An new evil has been unleashed on our land, and it is foretold that there are two individuals who can stop it.”

“You think that these are the foretold pair?” Twilight lowered her wing as the light faded.

“If they are, then we may be in trouble.” She replied. “They fight each other as though they are mortal enemies. If this does not change, then all hope is lost.” Her eyes went wide when she saw what had become of the two Assassin’s. Twilight looked to see for herself, and her expression matched Princess Luna’s. There were two ponies in the clearing wearing the clothes of Red Wolf and Night Angel, even though their features were masked by the hood and mask. Twilight could make out a black mane poking out from underneath their hoods though. The lavender alicorn slowly moved towards them, careful to avoid the debris that was scattered everywhere. The pony in Red Wolf’s outfit had crashed into another stand, although he hadn’t destroyed it, thankfully, and the same could be said for Night Angel. Twilight Sparkle stopped in the middle of their two swords which were both pointing at each other, their tips nearly touching her fore hooves. There she was, standing in the middle between the two Assassin’s; the foretold “saviors” of their world, and she had just witnessed them trying to kill each other. There must have been a reason for this… and she was going to find out why.

“Princess Luna!” She said loudly as she turned to face her. “Order a few of your guards to take these two to the hospital. We’ll get the information we need from them when they wake up.”

“And what of their enemies? The one’s who were left behind?”

Twilight thought about this for a moment before she nodded. “Take them as well, but put them in a separate room together, away from the Assassin’s.” She turned back to Night Angel and Red Wolf. “We’ll know why they’re here soon enough, and when they wake up, we can see if they really are the ones who will save us…”

To be continued...

Author's Note

Aaaand... Done! Thank you so much for your patience and your support, and I can promise that there will be more to come. Also, sorry if the end of the chapter seemed rushed, but hey, that's all I really had for this chapter. What do you guys think will happen?

Also, there are at least three references that I've made in this chapter (maybe two.) If you can guess at least one, then you can get a cameo of your OC in a later chapter... Along with a cookie!

Well, that's all I have! I'm Silver Chord of The Adventure Crew! And remember:

Adventure Awaits!