Braveheart: The Untold Stories Episode 4: Legacy of the Creed

I came down on Chrysalis as the other Assassins dropped on the guards. My sword clashed onto hers with a loud clang. I pushed down with all of my weight, inching the blade ever closer to Chrysalis. Right as my sword touched Chrysalis's helm, she knocked me into the air. I opened up my wings and landed back on the ground. Chrysalis stood up, fuming.

“I can't feed on hatred,” she growled. “That was Sombra's field. How are you alive? You couldn't have possibly survived.”

“Yet here I am,” I said. “It's time to end this.”

“Indeed,” Chrysalis said. She waved her hoof, and more Changeling guards surrounded me. I sighed in annoyance. The guards attacked, and I quickly killed them all. I looked to see Chrysalis flying away.

“Oh, no you don't,” I said. I took flight and chased after Chrysalis. Chrysalis looked back and saw me. She flew faster. I increased my speed as well and kept pace. Chrysalis suddenly stopped. I didn't slow down. I extended my hidden blade, charging toward Chrysalis. I swung my blades, but Chrysalis had vanished. I turned and a shelled hoof struck my face. I spiraled back and regained my balance. Chrysalis drew her sword, and I held up mine. We flew at each other fast. Our swords clanged as we passed each other. We turned around and charged again. Our swords clashed again, creating a powerful shock-wave. We pushed hard, trying to overpower the other. I let my sword go slack, and quickly dodged Chrysalis's attack. I swung down, cutting off a piece of her armor. It slid off and fell down to the ground. I swung again, and Chrysalis blocked it. She pushed me back and dove to the ground. I dove after her. Looking closer, Chrysalis was diving at Sweetie Belle. I sped up and knocked Chrysalis away. We stood back up, glaring at one another.

“Not a chance,” I growled. “Not. A. Chance.” Chrysalis growled and bolted towards me. I jumped out of the way and cut off Chrysalis's flank armor. Immediately following this, I grabbed a throwing knife and flung it at Chrysalis. She grabbed it mid-fly and incinerated it. She tossed the ashes into my face, temporarily blinding me. I quickly regained sight, and was blown back by a magic attack. I crashed against a house, and rubble fell from the roof. I used my magic to catch it and toss it aside. Chrysalis stepped closer and swung down hard. I blocked the attack with my bracer, then jumped and kicked Chrysalis in the face, sending her sprawling back. Furious, Chrysalis grabbed me with her magic and threw me across Canterlot. I landed on a Changeling, my Terminator hoof smashing his head. I stood up and looked down. The Changeling's head was flatter than a pancake, and his brains were splattered everywhere.

“Ugh,” I groaned. I wiped off my Terminator hoof on the corpse. Another Changeling sprinted at me, but an arrow nailed it in the neck, killing it. It fell in front of me as I turned to see Sparks and the other Assassins.

“Nice to see you here,” I said. “How's the fight?”

“Over,” Rainbow Dash said. “Every Changeling warrior across Equestria is dead.”

“All except one,” Sweetie Belle assumed. “Right?” I nodded.

“Chrysalis escaped,” I said. “If we're going to end this, we have to find her, and kill her.”

“Ah agree,” Applejack said. “She's the one who started this mess, and we're the ones who're gonna end it.”

“But where is she?” Applebloom wondered out loud. “We already checked the castle.”

“The only place she could be,” Sparks said. “The Changeling hive.”

“Then that's where we'll go,” I said. We bolted out of Canterlot and toward the Palomino Desert.

~~~

The Changeling hive was creepier than I thought it would be. The caves were black as night, with glowing cocoons. The appearance of it being deserted gave another scary aspect, because we could never know if something or somepony was going to jump out at us.

“Ah'm scared,” Applebloom whispered. “Ah don't like this place. Not one bit.”

“Neither do I,” Sweetie Belle quietly agreed. “It's dark, spooky, and...” She took a sniff of the air and plugged her muzzle. “...it really stinks,” she said. Everypony else covered their muzzle as well.

“It's never smelled this bad,” Sparks said. “We always kept it decently tidy.”

“I never thought Changelings had a sense of hospitality,” I said.

“We do,” Sparks said. “We always have. But ever since Chrysalis became the queen, we've lost that sense. She broke nearly every rule in Changeling law, from indirect feeding to sucking the love from her subjects.”

“How does that even work?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Is it like how the Changelings did it back on the initial attack on Canterlot during the wedding?”

“Exactly like that,” Sparks said. “I even did it along with my kind. But only because we were so hungry. We couldn't think straight. All we could think about was food.”

“Hey, it's all right,” I said. “That was years ago. I wasn't even born yet.” We suddenly heard a pulse deep in the hive.

“Blades out,” I said. We extended our hidden blades and walked on. Sparks directed us through the dark maze, while I used a light spell to keep a clear vision of Sparks. After some time of walking, we reached the throne room. Chrysalis was sitting on the throne, which was made of Changeling shell. She was cursing to herself. We stepped into position, and I stomped the ground hard. The throne room shook from the resulting shock-wave. Chrysalis looked at us with a scowl on her face.

“Why are you here?” she hissed. “All of my kind are dead! I have no other Changeling to use to replicate a new army! Every Changeling is dead! And I shall have my revenge for it!” She sent a powerful magic attack flying at us. I sent my own attack flying. The two blasts struck each other and exploded. Chrysalis came flying through the smoke, sword drawn. We drew our own swords and seperated. Chrysalis came down and her sword hit the hard floor. She blasted another magic attack at Applejack, and Applejack was sent flying into the wall. Applejack fell to the ground, unconscious. Applebloom jumped into the air and tackled Chrysalis. Chrysalis grabbed Applebloom and threw her away. Applebloom landed on her hooves, ready to attack again. Chrysalis shot a magic blast at Applebloom, and Applebloom crashed into the throne, knocking it over and herself unconscious. Rainbow Dash and Sweetie Belle ran at Chrysalis. They swung their weapons down, but Chrysalis blocked the attack. She knocked them away, then grabbed their throats with her magic. As she squeezed the life from them, I hurtled a throwing knife at Chrysalis. It struck her side, causing her to lose focus. She dropped Sweetie Belle and Rainbow Dash, who fell to the ground. Chrysalis pulled out the knife from her side and threw it back at me. I caught it and put it away. Sparks and I flew over and engaged in battle. Chrysalis spawned another sword and blocked our attack. We jumped back and blocked a powerful swing. Our swords clanged throughout the empty hive as we battled. I came down on Chrysalis, but was knocked away. Sparks was grabbed and brought close. I stood up and bolted to Chrysalis. She brought her sword to Sparks's neck and sliced his throat. I stopped dead in my tracks at what I just saw.

“NO!!!” I screamed. Sparks fell to the ground as blood spilled from his neck. Chrysalis stood there, laughing.

“Was #826's life really that important to you?” she asked. “He was just another Changeling, given a second chance. It was only a matter of time before he died in this conflict. He wasn't bred for front line combat.”

“Enough talk!” I cried. I threw a knife into Chrysalis's chest. She dropped her sword and clutched the wound. She fell onto her back, trying to sustain her life. I put my sword away and walked up to Chrysalis. I knelt down and extended my hidden blade.

“No,” Chrysalis gasped. “This can't be happening...I was so close...So close to victory after so many years.”

“You could never win,” I growled furiously. “You were a fool thinking you could win.” I raised my blade up. “Rest in peace, mother-fucker!” I brought my blade down into Chrysalis's throat. The squelch of metal meeting flesh was satisfying. Chrysalis gasped for air for the last time, then died. I pulled out my blade and closed Chrysalis's eyes. I stood up and looked around the room. The other Assassins stood up, and hobbled over to me. I walked over to Sparks's body and knelt down. The other Assassins joined me. I picked up Sparks's body, set the throne upright, and laid him on the throne. I sat him up similar to how Altair's remains were. I put the Apple of Eden on Sparks's hooves, and pulled the hood off to look at him one last time.

“He was the best of all of us,” I said. “He understood the order, and he knew what it meant to be an Assassin. Rest in Peace, Sparks.” I put his hoof with the hidden blade over his heart, and walked away. The other Assassins followed. As we left the throne room, I sealed the doors for good. We walked out of the hive and walked back to Canterlot.

~~~

Back at my house, I was looking through the book Applebloom had translated for me. I had disbanded the Assassins a few days before, and they had gone home. I let them keep the hidden blades just in case, but I kept the robes and other weapons in the armory. I heard a knock on the door.

“Come in,” I quietly called. Applebloom walked into the house.

“Hey,” she said. “You OK?” I didn't answer. I flipped another page of the book. Applebloom sat next to me at the table.

“What do you want?” I asked, not looking up from the book.

“I wanted ta see if you were OK,” Applebloom said. “Ya haven't come outta your house in days. Is it about Sparks?”

“Don't say that name,” I grumbled. “Nothing's wrong.”

“Clearly somethin's wrong,” Applebloom said. “Look. Ah miss Sparks too. Sure, Ah didn't really trust him as much as you did, but Ah still sorta trusted him. He was the best of us. He'd want this fighting ta end. Ya said it yerself, he said he'd never hurt an innocent. Ah bet he hated fightin' anyways. How's about we honor that wish? We'll seal up the armory, and always have the memory of him.” I looked up at Applebloom. I nodded. I stood up and pulled away the rug. Using a heat spell, I welded the armory hatch shut. I pulled the rug back over it and nailed it into the floorboards. Applebloom put a hoof around my shoulder and smiled at me. I smiled back.

“Ya want ta join the Apple Family Reunion?” Applebloom asked. “You could join the festivities and meet all mah relatives, including Babs Seed. Chances are, she's got her cutie mark.”

“Sure,” I agreed. “That sounds good.” I walked turned out the lights of my house, and took one last look at the rug, remembering the Assassins.

“Ya comin'?” Applebloom called.

“Yeah,” I said. I shut the door of my house, and for once, went somewhere to have a good time.