Assassinverse: Shadows In The Moonlightby Joker the HedgehogChaptersChapter 2: The First TargetChapter 3: Secrets of The NightChapter 1: The Man In The White HoodChapter 2: The First Target“What happened here?” asked Shining Armor as he entered the room where the bodies of Twilight’s killers lay as the first tiniest traces of dawn began to peek over the horizon. The corpses were being examined by forensics as other soldiers milled about collecting what evidence that could. Shining Armor's replacement as Captain of the Guard, a thestral mare by the name of Evening Glory approached her predecessor and shook his hand. “We’re… not entirely sure, sir. Do I still call you ‘sir,’ or do I call you ‘Your Majesty?’” Evening asked Shining Armor. Shining chuckled. “Sir will do,” he replied. “Okay, sir, as I was saying, we’re not entirely sure what happened here. I mean, clearly, there has to be a reason these guys were murdered,” said Evening as a third guard approached them. “And I found that reason,” the guard said, holding up an evidence bag containing a bloodied knife. “Recognize the material?” After gazing at the knife for a moment, Shining Armor’s eyes went wide and his jaw dropped like a bad habit. “That’s orichalum,” he said. “And I’d bet bits to donuts that that’s your sister’s blood on there, which means-” “These are the guys who killed Twilight,” finished Evening Glory. As he gazed down at the bodies of his sister’s killers, Shining Armor got another shock to his system. “I recognize all these guys. They’re in the Royal Guard.” ”Were in the Royal Guard you mean,” said one of the guards. “You know what’s weird though? All of them have their eyes open, except for this guy,” he continued, pointing down at one particular corpse. Shining Armor bent down and gazed at the corpse of who he immediately recognized as Gallant Heart, who had been something of a brother to him prior to his marriage to Cadence. “Do we have any idea who could’ve done this?” Evening asked her comrades. “Guards who first arrived on the scene reported seeing an unknown entity in some kinda white hood. They didn’t get a good look at his face before he threw a smoke pellet and escaped capture,” said the Guard who was holding the evidence bag. “That doesn’t exactly help much in terms of catching this guy,” said Evening Glory. Shining Armor stood up and turned to face the troops he once commanded. “As much as I don’t want to, considering that he’s just done the Princesses, my family, and Progressives as a whole a public service by killing these oathbreakers, that doesn’t give this hood guy the right to murder. We need to take him down before he hurts anypony else.” “Agreed,” said Evening Glory, nodding her head. “And to do that, we need to find out who these killers were working for and get to them before this hood guy does. All right, men, let’s pack it up and move it out!” … Ezio opened the concealed door of his clocktower lair and/or home and lowered his hood once more. This had been where he had woken up a few days ago, after he’d been saved from death by what had looked like a holographic woman of some kind following a police raid when he’d found that weird bobble, and who’d told him of a great, unavoidable tragedy that would befall a distant land, resulting in its destruction. Next thing he knew had both the memories and skills of Ezio and most of those from his past life. Only questions were, why him? And why Ezio? Ezio took a seat at the computer stationed on a nearby desk. Fortunately, one of the memories of that he’d retained of his past life was how to use a computer. After a quick internet search, Ezio discovered that Lord Cosmo Starwing was the son of Lord Galileo Starwing. The Starwing family were nobles who had a massive investment in Astronomy research, an investment that had come from centuries of power and influence in the Equestrian government. One of Twilight’s reforms called for the common folk having a say in politics, rather than the nobles, thus stripping the Starwings, along with their fellow nobles, of their power and titles. All who gain power are afraid to lose it, Ezio recalled having heard once, although he couldn’t quite pinpoint where. Perhaps it had been in his past life. In any case, he needed to find out where Cosmo would be so that he could put an end to him and his family’s schemes, and hopefully find out who else was involved in the plot to kill Twilight Sparkle. ”And what makes you think that merely slaying those who’ve slain the young princess will prevent the civil war from happening?” said an all-too-familiar voice behind Ezio. Ezio stood up and turned to face the shimmering holographic form behind him. She had long curly golden hair, storm gray eyes, and wore a strange attire that appeared to be nowhere near as human as her looks. “I never did catch your name the last time we spoke. Or why you chose me to take on the form of Ezio Auditore da Firenze,” said Ezio. ”I am Athena. Some of your kind refer to me as the Greek Goddess of Wisdom and War. Unlike my second cousin, three times removed, Ares, I seek to prevent war, not cause it. As for your second question, I cannot say exactly why. Suffice it to say that you had certain… qualities… that were needed for this land to endure the dark days that are on the horizon, or perhaps avoid them all together,” said Athena. “What ‘dark days?’ What are you talking about?” asked Ezio, clearly confused. ”I can see that this will require more than just a simple explanation. Follow me, Ezio.” Without another word, Athena phased through the entrance to the hideout and levitated up to the roof, with Ezio following right behind her. Once they had reached the roof, Athena gestured skyward. ”Look at the sky, Ezio. Look at the stars. One of them is not like the others.” she said. Ezio looked up at the sky. Although dawn was rapidly approaching and there were traces of the storm from earlier, the stars could still be easily seen. Finally, after several moments, Ezio found the star that Athena spoke of. “There. That star is… black?” said Ezio, becoming even more confused than before. “Why is it black?” ”It is a dark omen for this land, perhaps this entire world. And only you and the others can stop it.” “Others?” ”The Rising Star. The Lost Son. The Royal Stone. And the Man in White. It has been foretold that these four, and only these four, can stop the Black Star from destroying these lands and purify it from the darkness of the loins that created it.” “So, I’ve to find these others and make them Assassins? Where do I start? Who do I seek out first?” asked Ezio. ”No one. The Nexus has determined that should you attempt to directly seek out the others, it will result in an outcome that sees the Black Star cast its father’s darkness across these lands. Calculations suggest that you should continue your present course, and seek out those nobles who extinguished Twilight Sparkle’s life. You will find the ones who will lead you to the first down below.” With that, Athena vanished, leaving only a trail of golden sparkles in her wake. Ezio looked up at the sky once more, gazing upon the black star. As he did so, a bird cried nearby, catching Ezio’s attention. It was an eagle, gazing upon the reborn Assassin with a gaze that seemed to pierce him right down to the man he used to be. Ezio nodded at the bird before jumping off the building, right into a conveniently-placed wagon full of flower petals. Feeling somewhat sore, but otherwise uninjured, Ezio pulled himself out of the wagon and began his search. What he hadn’t realized, however, was that when he nodded at the bird, a young stallion who had been riding his bicycle across the street had been hit by a drunk driver and killed. … As daybreak emerged over Equestria, Ezio had managed to come across a couple of guards who were talking about Twilight’s murder in a nearby alleyway. Ezio swiftly found a hiding place in a shady corner behind two trash cans and listened in on their conversation. “So, what’s going on with Lord Cosmo? Why’s he packing up to run off somewhere for a few days? I mean, it’s not exactly like the guys who offed that fake Princess are going to talk,” one of them said. “They’re not going to be doing much of anything the way I heard it. They’re dead. Murdered, the way I heard it,” the second said. “What? How?” the first guard asked, sounding surprised. “Nopony’s sure exactly. Story is a fight broke out between them and some nutbar in a white hood. Looks like the Hood won. When our guys heard the disturbance and investigated, our White Hood threw some kinda smoke pellet and vanished. At least, that’s what the rumor is,” said the second guard. “Wow. No wonder Cosmo’s so spooked. Certainly explains why he’s got so many of his guards around his place tonight while he packs up to run off to who-knows-where. Say, if this White Hood knew who killed Sparkle, do you think he knows who else is working for the Traditionalists? Even if they weren’t involved with the deed?” the first guard, sounding a little concerned. “I certainly hope not.” With that, Ezio got the information that he needed and swiftly departed the scene, taking to the rooftops as he returned to his hideout to begin planning his attack on Lord Cosmo. … As the sun began to set, Ezio arrived at the Starwing Manor, and found that the place was indeed crawling with guards. I’m going to have to sneak in there and remain undetected, otherwise they’ll alert Cosmo and he’ll run off to who knows where, costing me my only chance to discover who else is involved in the plot to kill Princess Twilight, thought Ezio. Swiftly and silently, Ezio used his hidden blade to kill the snipers that were out to deter anyone who would try to approach, making sure to loot each of their bodies after they were killed. After all, it wasn’t like they were going to need their coins when when they were dead, right? At least, that’s what Ezio told himself when he’d played Assassin’s Creed in his past life. Once all the snipers were taken care of, Ezio took notice of several groups of guards outside the front and back doors. Ezio then got an idea. He picked up one of the sniper’s bodies in a fireman’s carry and threw it onto the ground below, attracting the attention of the guards at both doors. With the guards distracted, Ezio climbed down off the roof and casually entered the front door. … Inside his father’s study, Lord Cosmo Starwing looked down at the letters he had just finished writing. Both of them said the same thing, but each were addressed to different ponies, his father and Amadeus Blueblood Junior, or Prince Blueblood, the grand architect of Princess Twilight’s murder. Heaving a sigh, Cosmo grabbed a bottle of expensive liquor and poured himself a small glass of the stuff. Heaving a sigh, he lifted the glass to his lips. As he did so, he saw a shrouded figure standing in the open doorway. Although he couldn’t see his face, Lord Cosmo could feel a piercing gaze come from underneath the figure’s hood that made him feel just a little frightened, as though the being before him was a predator and he was his next meal. “Who the Hell are you and who let you in here?” demanded Cosmo as he took a drink and glared at the intruder. The figure said nothing but rather calmly walked towards Cosmo. A loud shak! noise reached Cosmo’s ears, causing his small bit of fear to spike rather drastically. “Now, you listen here, whoever you are, I have guards stationed all across this mansion, both inside and outside. All I have to do is just shout for help,” said Cosmo, trying his best to sound defiant. “Be my guest. You guards inside this house can’t hear you,” the figure said with a thick Haytalian accent, tossing Cosmo a walkie-talkie that had a hole punched clean through it. Cosmo whimpered in fear at the site of the destroyed communication device, before his fear won out. “Please, you don’t have to do this! I’ll give you anything you want! Money! Power! Mares! Stallions, if you’re that kind of guy, can’t say I understand, though!” “If you think you can avoid the consequences of killing an innocent girl, a newly-crowned Princess, no less, simply by offering me whatever I desire,” the figure said, before he stabbed Cosmo through the heart with one of his hidden blades, causing the noble’s eyes to widen in shock and horror. “You are gravely mistaken.” “You… you don’t understand…” choked Cosmo as he tried to breathe. “That girl… that miserable peasant...would’ve overthrown Celestia! Luna… Luna too! What I did… what WE did… it was all to save Equestria from an usurper!” “No, you and your co-conspirators did it so you could maintain your power and influence over the common folk! To keep things as they are! If what I’ve heard is true, the land’s rulers supported Twilight’s changes and reforms. Twilight Sparkle could’ve made Equestria greater than ever before, but you and your ilk were to blind to see it!” the figure said as Cosmo choked on his last breath and finally went still. The figure sighed and reached out to close Cosmo’s eyes. ”Resquiescat in pace-,” Ezio started to say, only for the doors to the study to burst open, and a horde of guards standing there, weapons drawn and aimed at Ezio. “Don’t move!” one of them barked at Ezio as his fellow soldiers surrounded him. ”Merda!” snarled Ezio before he threw a smoke bomb, obscuring the soldiers’ vision and causing them to choke and gag. During the confusion, Ezio grabbed one of the letters on the desk and jumped out the nearby window, safely landing in some conveniently placed bushes before darting off in search of some place to hide. “Request-immediate-backup!” choked one of the guards into his radio.. “Lord Cosmo Starwing has been assassinated! Sus-suspect is wearing a wh-white hooded-ro-robe and a bl-black cape!” Chapter 3: Secrets of The NightAs the night took hold of Equestria, Shining Armor and Evening Glory made their way down to the Grand Conference Hall, where Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence, and the remaining Elements of Harmony were waiting for them. “Thank you all for coming on such short notice,” said Evening Glory. “When ya’ll said ya had news about what happened to Twilight, Ah didn’t hesitate to come right away,” said Applejack, who wore a green button-up shirt, blue jeans, and brown boots. Noticibly missing was he brown stetson hat she normally wore, and in its place were dark circles under her eyes, suggesting that she hadn’t slept in awhile. Indeed, each of the Elements looked a little worse for wear. Rarity Bell, a unicorn mare who wore a fancy outfit with shoes to match looked a little bedraggled. Fluttershy, a pegasus mare who wore a simple outfit, looked as though she too had spent the last few nights crying her eyes out as well. And finally, Pinkie Pie, who’s mane and tail were normally big and bushy, was insead long, sleek, and straight. “Hang on a minute, there’s someone missing. Where’s Rainbow Dash?” asked Shining Armor. The four mares looked uncomfortably at one another. Finally, it was Rarity who spoke up. “She is… indisposed,” she said. The truth was, Rainbow Dash was currently passed out in her cloud home, having indulged in another long night of drinking. They all had their ways of coping, but the girls were getting concerned for Rainbow. “Fair enough,” said Shining. “In any case, we’ve called you here because we’ve found out who ordered the hit on Princess Twilight. It was Prince Amadeus Blueblood Junior,” said Evening Glory as she placed the letter her men had retrieved from Lord Cosmo’s office on the table, which Celestia picked up, read, and passed around. “And, as you can see, there may in fact be other conspirators, Galileo Starwing among them.” “I take this to mean you’ve captured the assassins responsible for Twilight’s death?” asked Princess Luna. “Unfortunately, no. They were all dead by the time we got to where they were holed up. This letter before you was retrieved only six hours ago, after Lord Cosmo had been stabbed through the heart,” said Evening Glory as she placed another bit of paper on the table. “Security cameras picked up this image only two hours ago.” The remaining Elements of Harmony and the Princesses passed around the photo of what appeared to be one of the “human” creatures Twilight had described when she went through that magic mirror to get her crown back from Sunset Shimmer, clad in what appeared to be a hooded robe and cape of some kind with some kind of insignia on the belt around his waist. Nopony present seemed to know what to make of the figure, although when Princess Luna looked down at the picture, Applejack could’ve sworn she saw what looked like recognition in Princess Luna’s eyes. “We don’t know who or what this guy is, but I’m willing to bet Blueblood hired him to tie up loose ends. One way or the other, this guy knows something about who’s involved with Princess Twilight’s murder. I assure you, my Princesses, we will find him and those behind the assassination. You have my word,” said Evening Glory. Princess Luna yawned loudly and stretched. “Well, ‘tis been a very long night for me, so I think I’ll retire to my chambers. I bid you all good night, or morning, rather.” With that, Luna rose from the table and departed, with Celestia following right behind her, muttering what sounded like, ”Here we go again.” … Luna had no intentions what so ever of going to bed when she arrived in her chambers, but rather began making ready to travel to her old castle to pick up a certain... item. One that she’d hoped she’d never have to use again after her enemies had been defeated. Once she’d finished packing for her journey, she turned around to sneak out the castle and the city, only to find her elder sister standing there, a look of the utmost seriousness on her face. “They’re not there, Luna,” said Celestia. “Wh-what’s not where, sister?” said Luna, although she knew exactly what her sister was talking about. “Don’t play dumb with me, Luna. You’re not tired at all. You were going to sneak out of the castle to get your old robes, armor, and weapons out of our old castle. They’re not there anymore.” “Let me guess, you destroyed them after I became Nightmare Moon, didn’t you?” said Luna, crossing her arms and giving her sister an irritated look. “Actually…” said Celestia, removing a framed picture of the two sisters as fillies to reveal a small hole in the wall. Lightning up her horn and inserting it into the nearby wall, the Solar Princess triggered a hidden mechanism that opened a hidden wardrobe within one of the walls, revealing an outfit not dissimilar to the one worn by the “human” responsible for the deaths of Twilight’s killers and one of her conspirators behind the plot, only where his was white, this one was jet black, and where his was red, this one was a deep, dark, blue. The armor on it was also black, the cape was black fabric with a navy blue underside. The symbol on the the belt was also altered somewhat. The wardrobe also had a variety of weapons on the doors, including various swords, knives, tomahawks, oversized axes, smoke pellets, and guns, as well as her twin hidden blades. “I made a few adjustments,” finished Celestia as Luna approached the armor and weapons. “Do you like it?” “Yes, yes I do, sister. But, may I ask why?” Luna said, turning to face her sister. Celestia heaved a sigh. “Sister, you know how sometimes when I sleep, I have visions of the future?” she said. “A feat that somehow still eludes me,” said Luna, nodding to show she understood. “Well, I had one not long after you were banished to the moon. It started with a black star casting darkness over all of Equestria. Ponies everywhere were screaming in pain and running from the star, searching for somewhere, anywhere, to hide. Only there wasn’t any. Then, out of the darkness came a shining ray of light. In it stood a group of hooded figures wearing robes of different colors, their leader wearing a robe of white and red. Among the hooded figures was you, wearing that,” explained Celestia, pointing towards the black robes. “I’ll be honest with you, Luna, I’ve never supported your…activities as part of that Brotherhood of yours. I don’t know how many times I told you that being a princess of Equestria didn’t make you above the law… but now, with the mare I saw as a daughter murdered by these Traditionalists… now, I can’t remember a time when I’ve wanted the death of others to come about so badly.” As tears began to form in Princess Celestia’s eyes, Luna found her own beginning to well up as well. It was with a heavy heart that Luna, Princess of the Night took the robes, selected her weapons, and went behind the changing curtain in the far corner. Once the robes were on, Luna checked her reflection in the mirror, noting that she looked pretty “badass” as the modern-day ponies called it. As Luna walked over to the balcony doors and threw them open, Celestia spoke once more. “Luna? Help our new friend to disappear. And after you’ve done that, bring him to me. I may have some… assignments for you two.” Luna nodded before speaking. “You didn’t just lose a daughter to the Traditionalists, Tia. I lost a hero and a sister.” With that, Luna pulled her hood over her face, climbed up onto the balcony railing, and jumped, her wings spreading wide as she took to the skies in search for her new brother-in-arms. … Ezio was hiding in a hay bale as he watched a squad of soldiers march past him, clearly on the lookout for him. One of them stopped and turned to look at the bale of hay, a thoughtful look on his face. “Somepony could hide in here…” Ezio heard the stallion mutter as he walked closer, pulled out his sword and make to start poking around in the bale. Almost instinctively, Ezio triggered his hidden blade, emerged from the bale of hay, stabbed the soldier, and pulled his body inside. Unfortunately, this act just so happened to be witnessed by one of the other guards in his squad. “THERE HE IS!” yelled the soldier who’d witnessed the killing. ”Merda!” hissed Ezio as he climbed out of the hay bale and began running once more. Assassin or not, he couldn’t keep running forever. He needed to find a way to disappear and get these damn guards off his back. Suddenly, Ezio felt something grab him from behind, and the next thing he knew, he was being hoisted into the air by something with a surprisingly strong grip. Looking up, Ezio found himself face to face with a black robed hooded figure wearing a knife belt bearing what was unmistakably the insignia of the Brotherhood of Assassins, albeit altered a bit. “Hey! What is the meaning of this?! Where are you taking me?!” demanded Ezio. “Where the guard won’t be able to find you long enough for us to discuss how to reduce your notoriety in Equestria, because something tells me you do not know how to do that,” said the Assassin in what was unmistakably a female voice. “I know how to disappear already. Tear down a couple of wanted posters, bribe heralds, and kill government officials who bear false witness against me,” said Ezio. “Indeed, that may be what you are used to back in… wherever it is you came from, as it was for me a long time ago, but things have changed since then as technology and society have changed,” the Assassin said. Ezio remained quiet until the Assassin set him down on a rooftop on what appeared to be a relatively poorer section of the city before landing herself. Turning to face Ezio, the Assassin lowered her hood, revealing herself to be a mare with not only wings, but a unicorn horn as well that, if he had to guess, around his age, with midnight blue fur, a mane that looked like the night sky itself, and a gaze that seemed to pierce Ezio to his very soul. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Princess Luna Eclipse, the Princess of the Night and co-ruler of Equestria, and, as it seems, grandmaster of the Equestrian Brotherhood of Assassins,” said Luna. “You make it sound as though you and I are the only Assassins in Equestria, as you call it,” said Ezio with a small chuckle. “That is because we are. The Brotherhood was disbanded after our enemies, the Knight Templars, were destroyed once and for all,” explained Luna. “Wait a minute, there are Templars here?” asked Ezio, surprised at this news. “There were Templars here. Thanks to the power of the Pieces of Eden, the war between the Assassins and Templars does not stop at the borders of any one world. But, that is besides the point. You have a massive target painted on your back that you need to get off. I’m here to help you do just that. I take it you know that removing wanted posters will help the public forget your face?” asked Luna. “Si,” replied Ezio. “So, how many are we talking about? Two? Maybe three?” Luna chuckled and shook her head. “Once upon a time that may have worked. But, ponies these days have gotten smarter. You’ll need to take down somewhere close to ten, maybe fifteen. Once you’ve finished with that, meet me back here.” Ezio nodded to show he understood before he set out on his task. … A few hours later, Ezio returned to the rooftop where Luna was waiting for him. “You’ve removed the posters?” asked Luna. “Yes,” replied Ezio. “Tell me, while you were out and about, did you see any heralds or town criers?” asked Luna. Ezio thought about it for a moment, before he finally gave his response. “No, I didn’t.” “That is because the time for heralds and town criers has passed. However, there is something else very similar that incites the populace in almost the same way. Follow me,” said Luna as she began jumping from rooftop to rooftop with almost effortless ease. Ezio followed right behind her. Before long, the two of them had arrived on a rooftop outside a what Ezio recognized to be a radio station. “The radio newscasters function in almost the exact same way as the heralds and town criers of old did. Some stations pay their employees very little, most likely because they are not of unicorn descent, so all it will take is a some bits to get them talking about something else. Others, namely those of unicorn descent, require some persuasion from that tool you have up your sleeve,” explained Luna as she handed Ezio a big bag of bits. “Take these and go have yourself a little chat with the newscaster in that station over there, then return to me.” Ezio jumped off the building and landed a little rough on the ground in front of the entrance to the radio station. After taking a quick look around over his shoulder, Ezio opened the door and entered the radio station. … ”There’s a killer walking the streets of our great and noble city! Go home, lock your doors, and stay there until this cold blooded killer is captured and destroyed! There’s no telling who his next victim will be!” the unicorn newscaster said mere seconds before his feed went dead and a large bag full of bits landed in front of him. Looking up, the newscaster came face to face with the very same killer he had just been talking about. The newscaster could feel the hooded figure’s piercing, predatory gaze cut through his very soul. “I’m going to have to ask you to talk about something else. It is best that my work remains completely under wraps,” the mysterious hooded man said. “And what makes you think I’ll keep quiet about what you’ve done? These bits? Please, this job gives me such wonderful benefits, like health insurance and vacation time, on top of a nice big paycheck,” the newscaster said, trying his best to sound defiant. “Then perhaps this will persuade you,” the mysterious hooded man said, producing a hidden blade from under his sleeve as he grabbed the newscaster by the shoulder and raised his blade, ready to pierce the heart of the newscaster. With the threat of death, the newscaster broke like twig. “All right, all right! I’ll take the money! I’ll say anything you want! Just, please don’t kill me! I have a wife and kids!” the stallion pleaded. The mysterious hooded man paused for a moment, letting the tension sink in. Finally, he retracted his hidden blade. ”Grazie,” the man said before he turned on his heel and walked right out the front door. … “Well?” asked Luna when Ezio rejoined her. “It is done,” said Ezio. “Perfect. Then there is but one more place for us to stop. A printer shop,” said Luna as she once more began leaping from rooftop to rooftop. “A printer shop? What for?” asked Ezio. “Where do you think those posters came from? They were mass produced by a machine. If you can persuade the owner of one of the shops that made them, you can create your own propaganda, preferably something anti-Traditionalist,” explained Luna. “Interesting…” said Ezio as he and Luna arrived at the shop. “You know what to do,” said Luna, handing Ezio another bag of bits. Ezio climbed down and entered the shop. Thankfully, the guy in charge was a pegasus, so he was fairly easy to persuade. … A short time later, Ezio and Luna were walking along the rooftop of a particularly high building. “I have shown you three ways to disappear: tear down wanted posters, convince radio newscasters to talk about other things, and persuade printer shops to create your own propaganda against the Traditionalists,” said Luna, as an idea struck her. “You know, I’ve just realized something. I never did ask for your name.” “Ezio. Ezio Auditore da Firenze,” said Ezio. “Well, then, Ezio… let us see if you’ve the right to wear those robes!” said Luna drawing the rapier at her side and aiming it at Ezio. Ezio smiled as he pulled out his own sword. “Very well, then. If you insist. But don’t think I’ll go easy on you just because you’re a girl!” “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Chapter 1: The Man In The White HoodA purple anthro Alicorn with a dark blue mane and tail, both of which had a magenta stripe in them, entered one of the vast guest bedrooms within Canterlot Castle, a thoroughly depressed look on her face. She wore an elegant lavender dress, a pink diamond necklace, and brown sandals with heels. Upon her head was a golden tiara. This was Twilight Sparkle, recently-crowned Princess of Equestria… although, at the moment, she was wishing she was still an ordinary Unicorn, getting ready for bed in her old treehouse/library home, back before Tirek had smashed it to splinters… back before she had to put up with all of this hatred and anger towards her and her politics. I just don’t understand it… why do they hate me so much? thought Twilight as she striped down to her black bra and panties. It’s not like I’ve done anything horrible to them… I’m just trying to make sure that Equestria isn’t left behind in this ever-evolving world we live in now. I mean, right now Equestria is laughably out gunned, lovers of two different species can’t get married, no matter how much they want to, and the Council is made up of royals and nobles who only have interest in themselves rather than the common good. As Twilight snuggled into the blankets and bedsheets, she felt a wave of hopelessness wash over her. Maybe I’m not meant to be a Princess of Equestria is this is how ponies are going to treat me… maybe I should just step down… No, Twilight. You can’t step down now. Do you really think all of this hatred will just go away because you’re not a Princess anymore? a stronger voice told Twilight deep in her subconscious Immediately, Twilight reached into a bedside dresser drawer and pulled out three pictures. One of them was of her and her friends, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. The second was of her and the other three Princesses, Celestia, Luna, and Cadence, all of them looking very formal and elegant in their dresses. The third was a picture of a pegasus stallion with orange fur and a blue mane and tail wearing a Royal Guard dress uniform. This was Flash Sentry, Twilight’s secret coltfriend… although, she was starting to suspect that he was getting ready to propose to her. Twilight thought for a moment about what this might mean for them, given all the hate she’d received. Flash must truly and deeply love her if he was willing to risk going through all of the same minotaur shit she’d been through… and if he wanted to start a family with her. Twilight smiled. As long as she had this group of ponies by her side, she could take anything those nay-sayers and Traditionalists threw at her. And with that, Twilight returned the pictures to the drawer, and closed her eyes… completely unaware of what was going on right under her muzzle. … “Well? Are we going to do this thing or what?” grumbled a voice in the shadows to one of its four fellows. “Are you really sure about this? I mean, we’re about to MURDER A PRINCESS-” “Shut up! Do you want to get us arrested? Besides, we’ve got the one thing that can make our troubles that much easier.” As the voice said this, a faint gleam of light from a shining blade appeared. A gasp was heard. “Is that… is that really-” “Orichalum. The boss stallion had this thing forged just for this sole purpose… something about getting some mare drunk enough not to stand on her own two hooves or something like that. Anyways, this is our room.” As the five shadowy figures reached the bedroom, they silently opened the door. There, sleeping soundly on the bed, was Princess Twilight Sparkle. “Well? Who wants the honors?” asked one of the voices. “I’ll do it.” “She’s all yours, Gallant.” As the single figure crept silently into the room, the orichalum blade in his hand, they felt as though a huge weight was resting upon their shoulders. Finally, the figure clamped his hand down over Twilight’s nose and mouth, causing her to awaken. “Get on her! Keep her down!” As the other four figures held Twilight down, the princess tried to muster up some magic. However, before the princess could muster the magic to fend off her assassin, the orichalam blade slashed across her throat, cutting deep into her flesh. As blood gushed out of the wound in her throat, Twilight stared in horror at her attacker, unable to scream or even breathe as they continued to stab her. Finally, after a moment of fruitless struggling, Twilight went limp and cold, and her eyes turned glassy. She was dead. “Good job, now let’s get the buck out of here!” And with that, the five killers ran for it, leaving their handy work behind. … Princess Celestia, an anthro alicorn mare with alabaster fur and a mane that resembled the lush green fields, the open blue sky, and the pink of love and compassion, yawned and stretched as she woke up and climbed out of her vast four-poster bed and made her way over to the balcony on the other side. Stepping onto the cold white marble, Celestia channeled her energies and focused them at the blazing golden sunset. With seemingly no effort at all, Celestia raised the sun to such a position that gravity would be able to take care of the rest until sundown, where Luna would take over and raise her moon. Celestia smiled. Looks like it’s gonna be a beautiful day… considering, she thought to herself, thinking back to all of her prized pupil’s troubles as of late. I don’t understand it. If these Traditionalists can’t bring themselves to trust Twilight, then why can’t they trust me? It’s not like I’m in any danger. If Twilight really wanted to seize control of Equestria, she would’ve done it by now, and considering how strong she already was as a unicorn, I don’t think Luna and I could handle her now as an alico- Celestia’s inner dialogue was interrupted by a member of her guard bursting into her room, a mingled look of panic and embarrassment at seeing his leader in her nightclothes. “P-Princess C-C-C-Celestia… f-f-f-forgive m-m-m-me,” stammered the guard as he started to turn beet red. Celestia frowned. What could’ve possibly happened to get this guard all worked up like this. “It’s all right, just tell me what’s wrong,” she said. “I-I-I-I-It’s P-P-P-P-Princess T-Twilight… sh-she’s b-b-been… m-m-m-m-m-murdered!” Celestia could almost hear the glass in her mind breaking into a million pieces. Part of her wanted to dismiss and demote the guard because of his lies… and yet, the look on his face and the way he was acting was very, very hard to fake. “T-Take me to her,” said Celestia, doing her best to sound dignified. The guard was taken aback. “Your Majesty, are you-” he began to say, only to be drowned out by Celestia’s anguished voice. “TAKE ME TO HER, I NEED TO SEE HER!” wailed Celestia. Nodding to show he understood, the guard led Princess Celestia out of her room and through the halls to Twilight’s room, where a small crowd had gathered, mostly consisting of royal guardsponies. “Let me through! Let me through!” yelled Celestia. The crowd made way for her. And then Celestia saw her. Her worst fears had been confirmed. Princess Twilight Sparkle lay on her bed as a couple of guardsponies moved around her, examining the crime scene, while a third, who had orange fur and a dark blue mane and tail, sobbed uncontrollably and stroked Celestia’s pupil’s mane. Blood was splattered all over the bedsheets, and there was a dark slash across Twilight’s throat. Princess Celestia couldn’t believe it. She closed her eyes and called upon a healing spell. Twilight’s injuries were repaired but the alicorn did not awaken. Celestia tried a shock spell. Twilight’s body shook and vibrated as though it’d received and electrical shock, but still she did not awaken. No matter what the tear-soaked Princess Celestia tried, she could not get any response from her beloved student. Finally, she was forced to face the truth. Twilight Sparkle had been slain in her sleep. “Twilight… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” wailed Celestia as she fell to her knees and wept. … At the request of Princess Celestia, the Pegasi Weather Patrol had made the sky almost completely hidden under a shroud of dark gray clouds that poured rain upon those adorned in black who’d arrived for the state funeral for Princess Twilight Sparkle. Princess Celestia watched on as more and more ponies filed past the glass coffin that contained the purple princess, who looked so at peace, wearing her coronation gown, her hands forever holding a bouquet of enchanted flowers that wouldn’t wilt for a hundred years… and she couldn’t stop herself from weeping. She blamed herself for bringing this fate upon her most faithful student. If she hadn’t made her a Princess, none of this would have happened. Finally, once everyone was seated before the large podium that had been set up, it was time for the eulogies. "Fillies and gentlecolts... today, we are here to celebrate the life of one very special unicorn, who ascended to become an alicorn princess... only to be taken from us in such a cruel fashion," said Celestia, a glistening tear on her cheek as she began her speech, pausing a moment before she could find her voice. "Twilight Sparkle was... like a daughter to me. I remember the day I met her, the day of her entrance examination... she seemed so happy, so full of life, so eager to learn new things… I could use so many words but they would never be able to truly convey how wonderful she is…. except maybe stubborn. Once she was sure of something she set to it…. and perhaps loyal as well….. I-I’m sorry… forgive me.” Celestia said as she ran off the stage, tears falling behind her, along with Pinkie Pie and Luna. Fluttershy, a butter yellow Anthro pegasus with a pink mand tail clad in a black dress with matching heels, swallowed her pride and, with as much courage as she could muster, took the stage. "H-Hi... I'm Fluttershy," murmured Fluttershy, her knees shaking from both fear and sadness. "T-Twilight... was... one of my... best... friends... and... I MISS HER SO MUCH!" she wailed at the top of her lungs, causing several ponies attending the funeral to jump. Mere moments later, Fluttershy passed out from both her stage fright and sadness. The rest of the funeral, compared to the beginning, however, was really quite uneventful. Finally, it was time for Shining Armor to do his part… something that, no matter how many times he had to it, never got any easier: honor guard. Today, however, he wasn’t just saying good-bye to one of his comrades… he was saying goodbye to the baby sister he’d watched grow up from the day she was born. “H-honor guard!” he barked, his voice choked up. As one, the guard ponies who stood in their black dress uniforms snapped to attention, their horns glowing. “Ready… aim… FIRE!” barked Shining Armor. As one, the soldiers fired off colorful blasts of magic, which exploded into fireworks with a loud Boom! “Ready… aim… FIRE!” Boom! “Ready… aim… FIRE!” Boom! “Ready… aim… FIRE!” With the last Boom! Everypony began to depart the funeral and return home. Not among them was Spike Sparkle, who was a well-built purple and green dragon as tall as a full-grown stallion, despite still being a teenager. He was clad in a black suit and tie as he approached his mother’s glass coffin and sank to his knees beside it, weeping. “I promise you, Mom. I will get stronger and I will avenge you,” Spike whispered once his tears had been reduced to dry sobs. Finally pulling himself together, Spike stood up and placed a kiss on his mother’s coffin, before making his way back to the castle to join the others, only to see something out of the corner of his eye. Turning around, Spike saw a mysterious figure dressed in white standing beside his mother’s grave with his hand placed on it. But, before Spike could investigate, he heard Princess Cadence’s voice calling from inside the castle. “Spike! Come in! You’ll catch cold out there!” Hesitating for a moment, Spike heeded his aunt’s call and entered the castle, but not before looking over his shoulder, only to find that the figure had vanished into thin air. … A hooded figure clad in a white armored robe that had a black leather cape with a red underside, a belt containing multiple throwing knives a sword with an eagle-shaped hilt, and a gun, brown leather boots with greaves made out of the same material as the rest of his armor, and metal gauntlets with vambraces. Concealed underneath the sleeves of his robe were two hidden blades, one of which had a concealed poison needle in it approached Twilight’s coffin and lowered his hood, revealing himself to be a young human man in his early twenties with black hair that was tied back in a ponytail. This was Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a new comer to Equestria. As a matter of fact, he was a newcomer to this entire world, with only vague recollection of where he’d come from. As Ezio gazed down at Twilight’s body, he was taken aback at how young she looked. And judging from the things that everyone had said about her during the service, she must’ve been a kind and good-hearted soul who only had the greater good in mind. And yet, someone had seen fit to take her from this world. And that would not do. He would hunt down these killers and saw to it that they met fitting ends for their crimes. ”Sappi che cercherò coloro che ti hanno preso da questo mondo e vedere che la giustizia è servita,” Ezio said, placing an armored hand onto Twilight’s coffin. ”Resquiescat in pace.” With that, Ezio turned on his heel, and left the gardens, pulling his hood back up as he walked away. He now had a mission to attend to. … As the rain continued to pour down from the skies and lightning flashed across it, Ezio made his way through Canterlot via the rooftops, searching for anything that could give him a clue as to where his targets, who he’d identified by the various wanted posters he’d seen around the city, could be hiding. Come out, come out, wherever you are, thought Ezio as he scoured the city, searching for his targets. It wasn’t long, however, before he noticed that there were a couple of men who seemed to be making an awful lot of effort to keep their faces hidden. Bingo, thought Ezio, calling upon his Eagle Vision, a talent that allowed him to see past tricks and discover secrets. Sure enough, the outline of the two men was a bright golden color, indicating that they were his targets as he began to follow them from the shadows, listening in on their conversation as the made their way through the city. ”Killing that 'Princess’ was easier than I thought it would be. Guess it goes to show you that she should have never tried to change anything.” “Yeah… but, all the same, I sure hope it was worth it to Blueblood. He’d do anything to get his father’s love, and this proves it,” the second stallion said. “Can’t help but agree with you there, man. Hard not to show your son at least some form of respect after saving everything they’ve ever known,” the first stallion said as he and his cohort arrived at a run-down building and entered. Ezio climbed his way to the top of said building and looked down upon them through a skylight in the roof. Inside the room below were two more targets, who were soon joined by the two targets that Ezio had been following. ... “Did anyone see you?” Gallant Heart asked one of the guards who’d just entered. “No, Gallant, no one saw us,” said one of the guards who’d just arrived. “Good,” said Gallant, letting out a sigh of relief. “How long do we have to stay here, Heart?” “We wait until the shift changes, then we make a run for it out of the city and hole up some place safe until we can find the means to get away from Equestria,” said Gallant. I never should’ve agreed to this… but, he threatened my baby brother, what else was I supposed to do? thought Gallant before something crashed behind him, pulling him out of his thoughts. Standing underneath the now smashed skylight stood a mysterious figure in a white hooded armored robe with an assortment of knives and a sword on his belt. The rogue soldiers each pulled out their owns swords and took up their starting stances, ready for a fight. “Flashy entrance. Tell me, have you by any chance heard of a door, or do you just like pulling glass out of your shorts?” one of the guards asked the hooded figure. “I have not come to play games,” said the hooded figure, drawing his own sword. with what seemed to be a thick Haytalian accent. “I have come here to make you pay for murdering that Princess, what was her name… Twilight Sparkle. But, if you tell me who hired you to kill her, I promise to spare your lives.” “Like Tartarus that’s gonna happen,” said a different guard. “Very well, then. Shall we dance?” asked the hooded figure as the four rogue guards surrounded him. One of the guards made the first move, an attack that the hooded figure was easily able to counter, thus ending the stallion’s life with a deep slash across his throat. The three remaining guards seemed to lose their nerve a little was they held back their next strike. “Ugh, I hate these awkward moments. Hurry up, I have to meet a lady friend,” taunted the hooded figure, causing another guard to strike at him. “That’s enough out of you!” the guard yelled as he swung at the hooded figure, only to meet a similar fate as his comrade, leaving only two of them. “Buck this! I’m outta here!” said the third guard as he sheathed his sword and attempted to run for it, only to be silenced by a well-timed throwing knife through the back of his throat. Unfortunately, that left the hooded figure wide open to an attack from Gallant. “Argh!” the figure cried as Gallant’s blade struck him. Thankfully, his armor had taken most of the blow. “Well, well… not bad,” the hooded figure said to Gallant as the two began to circle each other. “You don’t understand why we had to kill Twilight,” said Gallant. “You don’t understand why I had to kill her.” “It doesn’t matter why you had to do it. All that matters is that you did it,” said the hooded figure. “And therefore you must pay for your crimes!” With that, the figure struck at Gallant, who parried the blow and attempted on of his own. Back and forth the two warriors battled until, finally, the hooded figure managed to disarm Gallant and run his blade through his chest. The hooded figure pulled his blade out of Gallant and made his way over to the dying soldier’s side. “You… don’t understand. I had to do this… to save my little… brother… I was trying to stop this madness, but… they made me choose between Gladius and Twilight…” choked Gallant. “‘They?’ Who are ‘they?’” asked the hooded figure. “Lord Cosmo… start with… with…” Gallant tried to say before he released his last breath. The hooded figure let out a sigh. ”Non ho dubbi che hai fatto quello che pensi fosse giusto per salvare quello che più importa a te,” he said in what sounded like Haytalian as he closed Gallant’s eyes. ”Resquiescat in pace.” No sooner had the words left his mouth than the door was kicked down and several stallion wearing armor not dissimilar to the men the hooded figure had just slain. Upon catching sight of the hooded figure, the soldiers turned their attention to him. “Don’t move! Hands on your head! Freeze!” they barked. Acting quickly. the hooded figure reached into one of the pouches on his belt and threw some kind of smoke bomb that filled the room with thick grey smoke and caused the guards to start coughing and gagging. Once the smoke cleared, the figure in the white hood had vanished into thin air, like a ghost.
Chapter 2: The First Target“What happened here?” asked Shining Armor as he entered the room where the bodies of Twilight’s killers lay as the first tiniest traces of dawn began to peek over the horizon. The corpses were being examined by forensics as other soldiers milled about collecting what evidence that could. Shining Armor's replacement as Captain of the Guard, a thestral mare by the name of Evening Glory approached her predecessor and shook his hand. “We’re… not entirely sure, sir. Do I still call you ‘sir,’ or do I call you ‘Your Majesty?’” Evening asked Shining Armor. Shining chuckled. “Sir will do,” he replied. “Okay, sir, as I was saying, we’re not entirely sure what happened here. I mean, clearly, there has to be a reason these guys were murdered,” said Evening as a third guard approached them. “And I found that reason,” the guard said, holding up an evidence bag containing a bloodied knife. “Recognize the material?” After gazing at the knife for a moment, Shining Armor’s eyes went wide and his jaw dropped like a bad habit. “That’s orichalum,” he said. “And I’d bet bits to donuts that that’s your sister’s blood on there, which means-” “These are the guys who killed Twilight,” finished Evening Glory. As he gazed down at the bodies of his sister’s killers, Shining Armor got another shock to his system. “I recognize all these guys. They’re in the Royal Guard.” ”Were in the Royal Guard you mean,” said one of the guards. “You know what’s weird though? All of them have their eyes open, except for this guy,” he continued, pointing down at one particular corpse. Shining Armor bent down and gazed at the corpse of who he immediately recognized as Gallant Heart, who had been something of a brother to him prior to his marriage to Cadence. “Do we have any idea who could’ve done this?” Evening asked her comrades. “Guards who first arrived on the scene reported seeing an unknown entity in some kinda white hood. They didn’t get a good look at his face before he threw a smoke pellet and escaped capture,” said the Guard who was holding the evidence bag. “That doesn’t exactly help much in terms of catching this guy,” said Evening Glory. Shining Armor stood up and turned to face the troops he once commanded. “As much as I don’t want to, considering that he’s just done the Princesses, my family, and Progressives as a whole a public service by killing these oathbreakers, that doesn’t give this hood guy the right to murder. We need to take him down before he hurts anypony else.” “Agreed,” said Evening Glory, nodding her head. “And to do that, we need to find out who these killers were working for and get to them before this hood guy does. All right, men, let’s pack it up and move it out!” … Ezio opened the concealed door of his clocktower lair and/or home and lowered his hood once more. This had been where he had woken up a few days ago, after he’d been saved from death by what had looked like a holographic woman of some kind following a police raid when he’d found that weird bobble, and who’d told him of a great, unavoidable tragedy that would befall a distant land, resulting in its destruction. Next thing he knew had both the memories and skills of Ezio and most of those from his past life. Only questions were, why him? And why Ezio? Ezio took a seat at the computer stationed on a nearby desk. Fortunately, one of the memories of that he’d retained of his past life was how to use a computer. After a quick internet search, Ezio discovered that Lord Cosmo Starwing was the son of Lord Galileo Starwing. The Starwing family were nobles who had a massive investment in Astronomy research, an investment that had come from centuries of power and influence in the Equestrian government. One of Twilight’s reforms called for the common folk having a say in politics, rather than the nobles, thus stripping the Starwings, along with their fellow nobles, of their power and titles. All who gain power are afraid to lose it, Ezio recalled having heard once, although he couldn’t quite pinpoint where. Perhaps it had been in his past life. In any case, he needed to find out where Cosmo would be so that he could put an end to him and his family’s schemes, and hopefully find out who else was involved in the plot to kill Twilight Sparkle. ”And what makes you think that merely slaying those who’ve slain the young princess will prevent the civil war from happening?” said an all-too-familiar voice behind Ezio. Ezio stood up and turned to face the shimmering holographic form behind him. She had long curly golden hair, storm gray eyes, and wore a strange attire that appeared to be nowhere near as human as her looks. “I never did catch your name the last time we spoke. Or why you chose me to take on the form of Ezio Auditore da Firenze,” said Ezio. ”I am Athena. Some of your kind refer to me as the Greek Goddess of Wisdom and War. Unlike my second cousin, three times removed, Ares, I seek to prevent war, not cause it. As for your second question, I cannot say exactly why. Suffice it to say that you had certain… qualities… that were needed for this land to endure the dark days that are on the horizon, or perhaps avoid them all together,” said Athena. “What ‘dark days?’ What are you talking about?” asked Ezio, clearly confused. ”I can see that this will require more than just a simple explanation. Follow me, Ezio.” Without another word, Athena phased through the entrance to the hideout and levitated up to the roof, with Ezio following right behind her. Once they had reached the roof, Athena gestured skyward. ”Look at the sky, Ezio. Look at the stars. One of them is not like the others.” she said. Ezio looked up at the sky. Although dawn was rapidly approaching and there were traces of the storm from earlier, the stars could still be easily seen. Finally, after several moments, Ezio found the star that Athena spoke of. “There. That star is… black?” said Ezio, becoming even more confused than before. “Why is it black?” ”It is a dark omen for this land, perhaps this entire world. And only you and the others can stop it.” “Others?” ”The Rising Star. The Lost Son. The Royal Stone. And the Man in White. It has been foretold that these four, and only these four, can stop the Black Star from destroying these lands and purify it from the darkness of the loins that created it.” “So, I’ve to find these others and make them Assassins? Where do I start? Who do I seek out first?” asked Ezio. ”No one. The Nexus has determined that should you attempt to directly seek out the others, it will result in an outcome that sees the Black Star cast its father’s darkness across these lands. Calculations suggest that you should continue your present course, and seek out those nobles who extinguished Twilight Sparkle’s life. You will find the ones who will lead you to the first down below.” With that, Athena vanished, leaving only a trail of golden sparkles in her wake. Ezio looked up at the sky once more, gazing upon the black star. As he did so, a bird cried nearby, catching Ezio’s attention. It was an eagle, gazing upon the reborn Assassin with a gaze that seemed to pierce him right down to the man he used to be. Ezio nodded at the bird before jumping off the building, right into a conveniently-placed wagon full of flower petals. Feeling somewhat sore, but otherwise uninjured, Ezio pulled himself out of the wagon and began his search. What he hadn’t realized, however, was that when he nodded at the bird, a young stallion who had been riding his bicycle across the street had been hit by a drunk driver and killed. … As daybreak emerged over Equestria, Ezio had managed to come across a couple of guards who were talking about Twilight’s murder in a nearby alleyway. Ezio swiftly found a hiding place in a shady corner behind two trash cans and listened in on their conversation. “So, what’s going on with Lord Cosmo? Why’s he packing up to run off somewhere for a few days? I mean, it’s not exactly like the guys who offed that fake Princess are going to talk,” one of them said. “They’re not going to be doing much of anything the way I heard it. They’re dead. Murdered, the way I heard it,” the second said. “What? How?” the first guard asked, sounding surprised. “Nopony’s sure exactly. Story is a fight broke out between them and some nutbar in a white hood. Looks like the Hood won. When our guys heard the disturbance and investigated, our White Hood threw some kinda smoke pellet and vanished. At least, that’s what the rumor is,” said the second guard. “Wow. No wonder Cosmo’s so spooked. Certainly explains why he’s got so many of his guards around his place tonight while he packs up to run off to who-knows-where. Say, if this White Hood knew who killed Sparkle, do you think he knows who else is working for the Traditionalists? Even if they weren’t involved with the deed?” the first guard, sounding a little concerned. “I certainly hope not.” With that, Ezio got the information that he needed and swiftly departed the scene, taking to the rooftops as he returned to his hideout to begin planning his attack on Lord Cosmo. … As the sun began to set, Ezio arrived at the Starwing Manor, and found that the place was indeed crawling with guards. I’m going to have to sneak in there and remain undetected, otherwise they’ll alert Cosmo and he’ll run off to who knows where, costing me my only chance to discover who else is involved in the plot to kill Princess Twilight, thought Ezio. Swiftly and silently, Ezio used his hidden blade to kill the snipers that were out to deter anyone who would try to approach, making sure to loot each of their bodies after they were killed. After all, it wasn’t like they were going to need their coins when when they were dead, right? At least, that’s what Ezio told himself when he’d played Assassin’s Creed in his past life. Once all the snipers were taken care of, Ezio took notice of several groups of guards outside the front and back doors. Ezio then got an idea. He picked up one of the sniper’s bodies in a fireman’s carry and threw it onto the ground below, attracting the attention of the guards at both doors. With the guards distracted, Ezio climbed down off the roof and casually entered the front door. … Inside his father’s study, Lord Cosmo Starwing looked down at the letters he had just finished writing. Both of them said the same thing, but each were addressed to different ponies, his father and Amadeus Blueblood Junior, or Prince Blueblood, the grand architect of Princess Twilight’s murder. Heaving a sigh, Cosmo grabbed a bottle of expensive liquor and poured himself a small glass of the stuff. Heaving a sigh, he lifted the glass to his lips. As he did so, he saw a shrouded figure standing in the open doorway. Although he couldn’t see his face, Lord Cosmo could feel a piercing gaze come from underneath the figure’s hood that made him feel just a little frightened, as though the being before him was a predator and he was his next meal. “Who the Hell are you and who let you in here?” demanded Cosmo as he took a drink and glared at the intruder. The figure said nothing but rather calmly walked towards Cosmo. A loud shak! noise reached Cosmo’s ears, causing his small bit of fear to spike rather drastically. “Now, you listen here, whoever you are, I have guards stationed all across this mansion, both inside and outside. All I have to do is just shout for help,” said Cosmo, trying his best to sound defiant. “Be my guest. You guards inside this house can’t hear you,” the figure said with a thick Haytalian accent, tossing Cosmo a walkie-talkie that had a hole punched clean through it. Cosmo whimpered in fear at the site of the destroyed communication device, before his fear won out. “Please, you don’t have to do this! I’ll give you anything you want! Money! Power! Mares! Stallions, if you’re that kind of guy, can’t say I understand, though!” “If you think you can avoid the consequences of killing an innocent girl, a newly-crowned Princess, no less, simply by offering me whatever I desire,” the figure said, before he stabbed Cosmo through the heart with one of his hidden blades, causing the noble’s eyes to widen in shock and horror. “You are gravely mistaken.” “You… you don’t understand…” choked Cosmo as he tried to breathe. “That girl… that miserable peasant...would’ve overthrown Celestia! Luna… Luna too! What I did… what WE did… it was all to save Equestria from an usurper!” “No, you and your co-conspirators did it so you could maintain your power and influence over the common folk! To keep things as they are! If what I’ve heard is true, the land’s rulers supported Twilight’s changes and reforms. Twilight Sparkle could’ve made Equestria greater than ever before, but you and your ilk were to blind to see it!” the figure said as Cosmo choked on his last breath and finally went still. The figure sighed and reached out to close Cosmo’s eyes. ”Resquiescat in pace-,” Ezio started to say, only for the doors to the study to burst open, and a horde of guards standing there, weapons drawn and aimed at Ezio. “Don’t move!” one of them barked at Ezio as his fellow soldiers surrounded him. ”Merda!” snarled Ezio before he threw a smoke bomb, obscuring the soldiers’ vision and causing them to choke and gag. During the confusion, Ezio grabbed one of the letters on the desk and jumped out the nearby window, safely landing in some conveniently placed bushes before darting off in search of some place to hide. “Request-immediate-backup!” choked one of the guards into his radio.. “Lord Cosmo Starwing has been assassinated! Sus-suspect is wearing a wh-white hooded-ro-robe and a bl-black cape!”
Chapter 3: Secrets of The NightAs the night took hold of Equestria, Shining Armor and Evening Glory made their way down to the Grand Conference Hall, where Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence, and the remaining Elements of Harmony were waiting for them. “Thank you all for coming on such short notice,” said Evening Glory. “When ya’ll said ya had news about what happened to Twilight, Ah didn’t hesitate to come right away,” said Applejack, who wore a green button-up shirt, blue jeans, and brown boots. Noticibly missing was he brown stetson hat she normally wore, and in its place were dark circles under her eyes, suggesting that she hadn’t slept in awhile. Indeed, each of the Elements looked a little worse for wear. Rarity Bell, a unicorn mare who wore a fancy outfit with shoes to match looked a little bedraggled. Fluttershy, a pegasus mare who wore a simple outfit, looked as though she too had spent the last few nights crying her eyes out as well. And finally, Pinkie Pie, who’s mane and tail were normally big and bushy, was insead long, sleek, and straight. “Hang on a minute, there’s someone missing. Where’s Rainbow Dash?” asked Shining Armor. The four mares looked uncomfortably at one another. Finally, it was Rarity who spoke up. “She is… indisposed,” she said. The truth was, Rainbow Dash was currently passed out in her cloud home, having indulged in another long night of drinking. They all had their ways of coping, but the girls were getting concerned for Rainbow. “Fair enough,” said Shining. “In any case, we’ve called you here because we’ve found out who ordered the hit on Princess Twilight. It was Prince Amadeus Blueblood Junior,” said Evening Glory as she placed the letter her men had retrieved from Lord Cosmo’s office on the table, which Celestia picked up, read, and passed around. “And, as you can see, there may in fact be other conspirators, Galileo Starwing among them.” “I take this to mean you’ve captured the assassins responsible for Twilight’s death?” asked Princess Luna. “Unfortunately, no. They were all dead by the time we got to where they were holed up. This letter before you was retrieved only six hours ago, after Lord Cosmo had been stabbed through the heart,” said Evening Glory as she placed another bit of paper on the table. “Security cameras picked up this image only two hours ago.” The remaining Elements of Harmony and the Princesses passed around the photo of what appeared to be one of the “human” creatures Twilight had described when she went through that magic mirror to get her crown back from Sunset Shimmer, clad in what appeared to be a hooded robe and cape of some kind with some kind of insignia on the belt around his waist. Nopony present seemed to know what to make of the figure, although when Princess Luna looked down at the picture, Applejack could’ve sworn she saw what looked like recognition in Princess Luna’s eyes. “We don’t know who or what this guy is, but I’m willing to bet Blueblood hired him to tie up loose ends. One way or the other, this guy knows something about who’s involved with Princess Twilight’s murder. I assure you, my Princesses, we will find him and those behind the assassination. You have my word,” said Evening Glory. Princess Luna yawned loudly and stretched. “Well, ‘tis been a very long night for me, so I think I’ll retire to my chambers. I bid you all good night, or morning, rather.” With that, Luna rose from the table and departed, with Celestia following right behind her, muttering what sounded like, ”Here we go again.” … Luna had no intentions what so ever of going to bed when she arrived in her chambers, but rather began making ready to travel to her old castle to pick up a certain... item. One that she’d hoped she’d never have to use again after her enemies had been defeated. Once she’d finished packing for her journey, she turned around to sneak out the castle and the city, only to find her elder sister standing there, a look of the utmost seriousness on her face. “They’re not there, Luna,” said Celestia. “Wh-what’s not where, sister?” said Luna, although she knew exactly what her sister was talking about. “Don’t play dumb with me, Luna. You’re not tired at all. You were going to sneak out of the castle to get your old robes, armor, and weapons out of our old castle. They’re not there anymore.” “Let me guess, you destroyed them after I became Nightmare Moon, didn’t you?” said Luna, crossing her arms and giving her sister an irritated look. “Actually…” said Celestia, removing a framed picture of the two sisters as fillies to reveal a small hole in the wall. Lightning up her horn and inserting it into the nearby wall, the Solar Princess triggered a hidden mechanism that opened a hidden wardrobe within one of the walls, revealing an outfit not dissimilar to the one worn by the “human” responsible for the deaths of Twilight’s killers and one of her conspirators behind the plot, only where his was white, this one was jet black, and where his was red, this one was a deep, dark, blue. The armor on it was also black, the cape was black fabric with a navy blue underside. The symbol on the the belt was also altered somewhat. The wardrobe also had a variety of weapons on the doors, including various swords, knives, tomahawks, oversized axes, smoke pellets, and guns, as well as her twin hidden blades. “I made a few adjustments,” finished Celestia as Luna approached the armor and weapons. “Do you like it?” “Yes, yes I do, sister. But, may I ask why?” Luna said, turning to face her sister. Celestia heaved a sigh. “Sister, you know how sometimes when I sleep, I have visions of the future?” she said. “A feat that somehow still eludes me,” said Luna, nodding to show she understood. “Well, I had one not long after you were banished to the moon. It started with a black star casting darkness over all of Equestria. Ponies everywhere were screaming in pain and running from the star, searching for somewhere, anywhere, to hide. Only there wasn’t any. Then, out of the darkness came a shining ray of light. In it stood a group of hooded figures wearing robes of different colors, their leader wearing a robe of white and red. Among the hooded figures was you, wearing that,” explained Celestia, pointing towards the black robes. “I’ll be honest with you, Luna, I’ve never supported your…activities as part of that Brotherhood of yours. I don’t know how many times I told you that being a princess of Equestria didn’t make you above the law… but now, with the mare I saw as a daughter murdered by these Traditionalists… now, I can’t remember a time when I’ve wanted the death of others to come about so badly.” As tears began to form in Princess Celestia’s eyes, Luna found her own beginning to well up as well. It was with a heavy heart that Luna, Princess of the Night took the robes, selected her weapons, and went behind the changing curtain in the far corner. Once the robes were on, Luna checked her reflection in the mirror, noting that she looked pretty “badass” as the modern-day ponies called it. As Luna walked over to the balcony doors and threw them open, Celestia spoke once more. “Luna? Help our new friend to disappear. And after you’ve done that, bring him to me. I may have some… assignments for you two.” Luna nodded before speaking. “You didn’t just lose a daughter to the Traditionalists, Tia. I lost a hero and a sister.” With that, Luna pulled her hood over her face, climbed up onto the balcony railing, and jumped, her wings spreading wide as she took to the skies in search for her new brother-in-arms. … Ezio was hiding in a hay bale as he watched a squad of soldiers march past him, clearly on the lookout for him. One of them stopped and turned to look at the bale of hay, a thoughtful look on his face. “Somepony could hide in here…” Ezio heard the stallion mutter as he walked closer, pulled out his sword and make to start poking around in the bale. Almost instinctively, Ezio triggered his hidden blade, emerged from the bale of hay, stabbed the soldier, and pulled his body inside. Unfortunately, this act just so happened to be witnessed by one of the other guards in his squad. “THERE HE IS!” yelled the soldier who’d witnessed the killing. ”Merda!” hissed Ezio as he climbed out of the hay bale and began running once more. Assassin or not, he couldn’t keep running forever. He needed to find a way to disappear and get these damn guards off his back. Suddenly, Ezio felt something grab him from behind, and the next thing he knew, he was being hoisted into the air by something with a surprisingly strong grip. Looking up, Ezio found himself face to face with a black robed hooded figure wearing a knife belt bearing what was unmistakably the insignia of the Brotherhood of Assassins, albeit altered a bit. “Hey! What is the meaning of this?! Where are you taking me?!” demanded Ezio. “Where the guard won’t be able to find you long enough for us to discuss how to reduce your notoriety in Equestria, because something tells me you do not know how to do that,” said the Assassin in what was unmistakably a female voice. “I know how to disappear already. Tear down a couple of wanted posters, bribe heralds, and kill government officials who bear false witness against me,” said Ezio. “Indeed, that may be what you are used to back in… wherever it is you came from, as it was for me a long time ago, but things have changed since then as technology and society have changed,” the Assassin said. Ezio remained quiet until the Assassin set him down on a rooftop on what appeared to be a relatively poorer section of the city before landing herself. Turning to face Ezio, the Assassin lowered her hood, revealing herself to be a mare with not only wings, but a unicorn horn as well that, if he had to guess, around his age, with midnight blue fur, a mane that looked like the night sky itself, and a gaze that seemed to pierce Ezio to his very soul. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Princess Luna Eclipse, the Princess of the Night and co-ruler of Equestria, and, as it seems, grandmaster of the Equestrian Brotherhood of Assassins,” said Luna. “You make it sound as though you and I are the only Assassins in Equestria, as you call it,” said Ezio with a small chuckle. “That is because we are. The Brotherhood was disbanded after our enemies, the Knight Templars, were destroyed once and for all,” explained Luna. “Wait a minute, there are Templars here?” asked Ezio, surprised at this news. “There were Templars here. Thanks to the power of the Pieces of Eden, the war between the Assassins and Templars does not stop at the borders of any one world. But, that is besides the point. You have a massive target painted on your back that you need to get off. I’m here to help you do just that. I take it you know that removing wanted posters will help the public forget your face?” asked Luna. “Si,” replied Ezio. “So, how many are we talking about? Two? Maybe three?” Luna chuckled and shook her head. “Once upon a time that may have worked. But, ponies these days have gotten smarter. You’ll need to take down somewhere close to ten, maybe fifteen. Once you’ve finished with that, meet me back here.” Ezio nodded to show he understood before he set out on his task. … A few hours later, Ezio returned to the rooftop where Luna was waiting for him. “You’ve removed the posters?” asked Luna. “Yes,” replied Ezio. “Tell me, while you were out and about, did you see any heralds or town criers?” asked Luna. Ezio thought about it for a moment, before he finally gave his response. “No, I didn’t.” “That is because the time for heralds and town criers has passed. However, there is something else very similar that incites the populace in almost the same way. Follow me,” said Luna as she began jumping from rooftop to rooftop with almost effortless ease. Ezio followed right behind her. Before long, the two of them had arrived on a rooftop outside a what Ezio recognized to be a radio station. “The radio newscasters function in almost the exact same way as the heralds and town criers of old did. Some stations pay their employees very little, most likely because they are not of unicorn descent, so all it will take is a some bits to get them talking about something else. Others, namely those of unicorn descent, require some persuasion from that tool you have up your sleeve,” explained Luna as she handed Ezio a big bag of bits. “Take these and go have yourself a little chat with the newscaster in that station over there, then return to me.” Ezio jumped off the building and landed a little rough on the ground in front of the entrance to the radio station. After taking a quick look around over his shoulder, Ezio opened the door and entered the radio station. … ”There’s a killer walking the streets of our great and noble city! Go home, lock your doors, and stay there until this cold blooded killer is captured and destroyed! There’s no telling who his next victim will be!” the unicorn newscaster said mere seconds before his feed went dead and a large bag full of bits landed in front of him. Looking up, the newscaster came face to face with the very same killer he had just been talking about. The newscaster could feel the hooded figure’s piercing, predatory gaze cut through his very soul. “I’m going to have to ask you to talk about something else. It is best that my work remains completely under wraps,” the mysterious hooded man said. “And what makes you think I’ll keep quiet about what you’ve done? These bits? Please, this job gives me such wonderful benefits, like health insurance and vacation time, on top of a nice big paycheck,” the newscaster said, trying his best to sound defiant. “Then perhaps this will persuade you,” the mysterious hooded man said, producing a hidden blade from under his sleeve as he grabbed the newscaster by the shoulder and raised his blade, ready to pierce the heart of the newscaster. With the threat of death, the newscaster broke like twig. “All right, all right! I’ll take the money! I’ll say anything you want! Just, please don’t kill me! I have a wife and kids!” the stallion pleaded. The mysterious hooded man paused for a moment, letting the tension sink in. Finally, he retracted his hidden blade. ”Grazie,” the man said before he turned on his heel and walked right out the front door. … “Well?” asked Luna when Ezio rejoined her. “It is done,” said Ezio. “Perfect. Then there is but one more place for us to stop. A printer shop,” said Luna as she once more began leaping from rooftop to rooftop. “A printer shop? What for?” asked Ezio. “Where do you think those posters came from? They were mass produced by a machine. If you can persuade the owner of one of the shops that made them, you can create your own propaganda, preferably something anti-Traditionalist,” explained Luna. “Interesting…” said Ezio as he and Luna arrived at the shop. “You know what to do,” said Luna, handing Ezio another bag of bits. Ezio climbed down and entered the shop. Thankfully, the guy in charge was a pegasus, so he was fairly easy to persuade. … A short time later, Ezio and Luna were walking along the rooftop of a particularly high building. “I have shown you three ways to disappear: tear down wanted posters, convince radio newscasters to talk about other things, and persuade printer shops to create your own propaganda against the Traditionalists,” said Luna, as an idea struck her. “You know, I’ve just realized something. I never did ask for your name.” “Ezio. Ezio Auditore da Firenze,” said Ezio. “Well, then, Ezio… let us see if you’ve the right to wear those robes!” said Luna drawing the rapier at her side and aiming it at Ezio. Ezio smiled as he pulled out his own sword. “Very well, then. If you insist. But don’t think I’ll go easy on you just because you’re a girl!” “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Chapter 1: The Man In The White HoodA purple anthro Alicorn with a dark blue mane and tail, both of which had a magenta stripe in them, entered one of the vast guest bedrooms within Canterlot Castle, a thoroughly depressed look on her face. She wore an elegant lavender dress, a pink diamond necklace, and brown sandals with heels. Upon her head was a golden tiara. This was Twilight Sparkle, recently-crowned Princess of Equestria… although, at the moment, she was wishing she was still an ordinary Unicorn, getting ready for bed in her old treehouse/library home, back before Tirek had smashed it to splinters… back before she had to put up with all of this hatred and anger towards her and her politics. I just don’t understand it… why do they hate me so much? thought Twilight as she striped down to her black bra and panties. It’s not like I’ve done anything horrible to them… I’m just trying to make sure that Equestria isn’t left behind in this ever-evolving world we live in now. I mean, right now Equestria is laughably out gunned, lovers of two different species can’t get married, no matter how much they want to, and the Council is made up of royals and nobles who only have interest in themselves rather than the common good. As Twilight snuggled into the blankets and bedsheets, she felt a wave of hopelessness wash over her. Maybe I’m not meant to be a Princess of Equestria is this is how ponies are going to treat me… maybe I should just step down… No, Twilight. You can’t step down now. Do you really think all of this hatred will just go away because you’re not a Princess anymore? a stronger voice told Twilight deep in her subconscious Immediately, Twilight reached into a bedside dresser drawer and pulled out three pictures. One of them was of her and her friends, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. The second was of her and the other three Princesses, Celestia, Luna, and Cadence, all of them looking very formal and elegant in their dresses. The third was a picture of a pegasus stallion with orange fur and a blue mane and tail wearing a Royal Guard dress uniform. This was Flash Sentry, Twilight’s secret coltfriend… although, she was starting to suspect that he was getting ready to propose to her. Twilight thought for a moment about what this might mean for them, given all the hate she’d received. Flash must truly and deeply love her if he was willing to risk going through all of the same minotaur shit she’d been through… and if he wanted to start a family with her. Twilight smiled. As long as she had this group of ponies by her side, she could take anything those nay-sayers and Traditionalists threw at her. And with that, Twilight returned the pictures to the drawer, and closed her eyes… completely unaware of what was going on right under her muzzle. … “Well? Are we going to do this thing or what?” grumbled a voice in the shadows to one of its four fellows. “Are you really sure about this? I mean, we’re about to MURDER A PRINCESS-” “Shut up! Do you want to get us arrested? Besides, we’ve got the one thing that can make our troubles that much easier.” As the voice said this, a faint gleam of light from a shining blade appeared. A gasp was heard. “Is that… is that really-” “Orichalum. The boss stallion had this thing forged just for this sole purpose… something about getting some mare drunk enough not to stand on her own two hooves or something like that. Anyways, this is our room.” As the five shadowy figures reached the bedroom, they silently opened the door. There, sleeping soundly on the bed, was Princess Twilight Sparkle. “Well? Who wants the honors?” asked one of the voices. “I’ll do it.” “She’s all yours, Gallant.” As the single figure crept silently into the room, the orichalum blade in his hand, they felt as though a huge weight was resting upon their shoulders. Finally, the figure clamped his hand down over Twilight’s nose and mouth, causing her to awaken. “Get on her! Keep her down!” As the other four figures held Twilight down, the princess tried to muster up some magic. However, before the princess could muster the magic to fend off her assassin, the orichalam blade slashed across her throat, cutting deep into her flesh. As blood gushed out of the wound in her throat, Twilight stared in horror at her attacker, unable to scream or even breathe as they continued to stab her. Finally, after a moment of fruitless struggling, Twilight went limp and cold, and her eyes turned glassy. She was dead. “Good job, now let’s get the buck out of here!” And with that, the five killers ran for it, leaving their handy work behind. … Princess Celestia, an anthro alicorn mare with alabaster fur and a mane that resembled the lush green fields, the open blue sky, and the pink of love and compassion, yawned and stretched as she woke up and climbed out of her vast four-poster bed and made her way over to the balcony on the other side. Stepping onto the cold white marble, Celestia channeled her energies and focused them at the blazing golden sunset. With seemingly no effort at all, Celestia raised the sun to such a position that gravity would be able to take care of the rest until sundown, where Luna would take over and raise her moon. Celestia smiled. Looks like it’s gonna be a beautiful day… considering, she thought to herself, thinking back to all of her prized pupil’s troubles as of late. I don’t understand it. If these Traditionalists can’t bring themselves to trust Twilight, then why can’t they trust me? It’s not like I’m in any danger. If Twilight really wanted to seize control of Equestria, she would’ve done it by now, and considering how strong she already was as a unicorn, I don’t think Luna and I could handle her now as an alico- Celestia’s inner dialogue was interrupted by a member of her guard bursting into her room, a mingled look of panic and embarrassment at seeing his leader in her nightclothes. “P-Princess C-C-C-Celestia… f-f-f-forgive m-m-m-me,” stammered the guard as he started to turn beet red. Celestia frowned. What could’ve possibly happened to get this guard all worked up like this. “It’s all right, just tell me what’s wrong,” she said. “I-I-I-I-It’s P-P-P-P-Princess T-Twilight… sh-she’s b-b-been… m-m-m-m-m-murdered!” Celestia could almost hear the glass in her mind breaking into a million pieces. Part of her wanted to dismiss and demote the guard because of his lies… and yet, the look on his face and the way he was acting was very, very hard to fake. “T-Take me to her,” said Celestia, doing her best to sound dignified. The guard was taken aback. “Your Majesty, are you-” he began to say, only to be drowned out by Celestia’s anguished voice. “TAKE ME TO HER, I NEED TO SEE HER!” wailed Celestia. Nodding to show he understood, the guard led Princess Celestia out of her room and through the halls to Twilight’s room, where a small crowd had gathered, mostly consisting of royal guardsponies. “Let me through! Let me through!” yelled Celestia. The crowd made way for her. And then Celestia saw her. Her worst fears had been confirmed. Princess Twilight Sparkle lay on her bed as a couple of guardsponies moved around her, examining the crime scene, while a third, who had orange fur and a dark blue mane and tail, sobbed uncontrollably and stroked Celestia’s pupil’s mane. Blood was splattered all over the bedsheets, and there was a dark slash across Twilight’s throat. Princess Celestia couldn’t believe it. She closed her eyes and called upon a healing spell. Twilight’s injuries were repaired but the alicorn did not awaken. Celestia tried a shock spell. Twilight’s body shook and vibrated as though it’d received and electrical shock, but still she did not awaken. No matter what the tear-soaked Princess Celestia tried, she could not get any response from her beloved student. Finally, she was forced to face the truth. Twilight Sparkle had been slain in her sleep. “Twilight… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” wailed Celestia as she fell to her knees and wept. … At the request of Princess Celestia, the Pegasi Weather Patrol had made the sky almost completely hidden under a shroud of dark gray clouds that poured rain upon those adorned in black who’d arrived for the state funeral for Princess Twilight Sparkle. Princess Celestia watched on as more and more ponies filed past the glass coffin that contained the purple princess, who looked so at peace, wearing her coronation gown, her hands forever holding a bouquet of enchanted flowers that wouldn’t wilt for a hundred years… and she couldn’t stop herself from weeping. She blamed herself for bringing this fate upon her most faithful student. If she hadn’t made her a Princess, none of this would have happened. Finally, once everyone was seated before the large podium that had been set up, it was time for the eulogies. "Fillies and gentlecolts... today, we are here to celebrate the life of one very special unicorn, who ascended to become an alicorn princess... only to be taken from us in such a cruel fashion," said Celestia, a glistening tear on her cheek as she began her speech, pausing a moment before she could find her voice. "Twilight Sparkle was... like a daughter to me. I remember the day I met her, the day of her entrance examination... she seemed so happy, so full of life, so eager to learn new things… I could use so many words but they would never be able to truly convey how wonderful she is…. except maybe stubborn. Once she was sure of something she set to it…. and perhaps loyal as well….. I-I’m sorry… forgive me.” Celestia said as she ran off the stage, tears falling behind her, along with Pinkie Pie and Luna. Fluttershy, a butter yellow Anthro pegasus with a pink mand tail clad in a black dress with matching heels, swallowed her pride and, with as much courage as she could muster, took the stage. "H-Hi... I'm Fluttershy," murmured Fluttershy, her knees shaking from both fear and sadness. "T-Twilight... was... one of my... best... friends... and... I MISS HER SO MUCH!" she wailed at the top of her lungs, causing several ponies attending the funeral to jump. Mere moments later, Fluttershy passed out from both her stage fright and sadness. The rest of the funeral, compared to the beginning, however, was really quite uneventful. Finally, it was time for Shining Armor to do his part… something that, no matter how many times he had to it, never got any easier: honor guard. Today, however, he wasn’t just saying good-bye to one of his comrades… he was saying goodbye to the baby sister he’d watched grow up from the day she was born. “H-honor guard!” he barked, his voice choked up. As one, the guard ponies who stood in their black dress uniforms snapped to attention, their horns glowing. “Ready… aim… FIRE!” barked Shining Armor. As one, the soldiers fired off colorful blasts of magic, which exploded into fireworks with a loud Boom! “Ready… aim… FIRE!” Boom! “Ready… aim… FIRE!” Boom! “Ready… aim… FIRE!” With the last Boom! Everypony began to depart the funeral and return home. Not among them was Spike Sparkle, who was a well-built purple and green dragon as tall as a full-grown stallion, despite still being a teenager. He was clad in a black suit and tie as he approached his mother’s glass coffin and sank to his knees beside it, weeping. “I promise you, Mom. I will get stronger and I will avenge you,” Spike whispered once his tears had been reduced to dry sobs. Finally pulling himself together, Spike stood up and placed a kiss on his mother’s coffin, before making his way back to the castle to join the others, only to see something out of the corner of his eye. Turning around, Spike saw a mysterious figure dressed in white standing beside his mother’s grave with his hand placed on it. But, before Spike could investigate, he heard Princess Cadence’s voice calling from inside the castle. “Spike! Come in! You’ll catch cold out there!” Hesitating for a moment, Spike heeded his aunt’s call and entered the castle, but not before looking over his shoulder, only to find that the figure had vanished into thin air. … A hooded figure clad in a white armored robe that had a black leather cape with a red underside, a belt containing multiple throwing knives a sword with an eagle-shaped hilt, and a gun, brown leather boots with greaves made out of the same material as the rest of his armor, and metal gauntlets with vambraces. Concealed underneath the sleeves of his robe were two hidden blades, one of which had a concealed poison needle in it approached Twilight’s coffin and lowered his hood, revealing himself to be a young human man in his early twenties with black hair that was tied back in a ponytail. This was Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a new comer to Equestria. As a matter of fact, he was a newcomer to this entire world, with only vague recollection of where he’d come from. As Ezio gazed down at Twilight’s body, he was taken aback at how young she looked. And judging from the things that everyone had said about her during the service, she must’ve been a kind and good-hearted soul who only had the greater good in mind. And yet, someone had seen fit to take her from this world. And that would not do. He would hunt down these killers and saw to it that they met fitting ends for their crimes. ”Sappi che cercherò coloro che ti hanno preso da questo mondo e vedere che la giustizia è servita,” Ezio said, placing an armored hand onto Twilight’s coffin. ”Resquiescat in pace.” With that, Ezio turned on his heel, and left the gardens, pulling his hood back up as he walked away. He now had a mission to attend to. … As the rain continued to pour down from the skies and lightning flashed across it, Ezio made his way through Canterlot via the rooftops, searching for anything that could give him a clue as to where his targets, who he’d identified by the various wanted posters he’d seen around the city, could be hiding. Come out, come out, wherever you are, thought Ezio as he scoured the city, searching for his targets. It wasn’t long, however, before he noticed that there were a couple of men who seemed to be making an awful lot of effort to keep their faces hidden. Bingo, thought Ezio, calling upon his Eagle Vision, a talent that allowed him to see past tricks and discover secrets. Sure enough, the outline of the two men was a bright golden color, indicating that they were his targets as he began to follow them from the shadows, listening in on their conversation as the made their way through the city. ”Killing that 'Princess’ was easier than I thought it would be. Guess it goes to show you that she should have never tried to change anything.” “Yeah… but, all the same, I sure hope it was worth it to Blueblood. He’d do anything to get his father’s love, and this proves it,” the second stallion said. “Can’t help but agree with you there, man. Hard not to show your son at least some form of respect after saving everything they’ve ever known,” the first stallion said as he and his cohort arrived at a run-down building and entered. Ezio climbed his way to the top of said building and looked down upon them through a skylight in the roof. Inside the room below were two more targets, who were soon joined by the two targets that Ezio had been following. ... “Did anyone see you?” Gallant Heart asked one of the guards who’d just entered. “No, Gallant, no one saw us,” said one of the guards who’d just arrived. “Good,” said Gallant, letting out a sigh of relief. “How long do we have to stay here, Heart?” “We wait until the shift changes, then we make a run for it out of the city and hole up some place safe until we can find the means to get away from Equestria,” said Gallant. I never should’ve agreed to this… but, he threatened my baby brother, what else was I supposed to do? thought Gallant before something crashed behind him, pulling him out of his thoughts. Standing underneath the now smashed skylight stood a mysterious figure in a white hooded armored robe with an assortment of knives and a sword on his belt. The rogue soldiers each pulled out their owns swords and took up their starting stances, ready for a fight. “Flashy entrance. Tell me, have you by any chance heard of a door, or do you just like pulling glass out of your shorts?” one of the guards asked the hooded figure. “I have not come to play games,” said the hooded figure, drawing his own sword. with what seemed to be a thick Haytalian accent. “I have come here to make you pay for murdering that Princess, what was her name… Twilight Sparkle. But, if you tell me who hired you to kill her, I promise to spare your lives.” “Like Tartarus that’s gonna happen,” said a different guard. “Very well, then. Shall we dance?” asked the hooded figure as the four rogue guards surrounded him. One of the guards made the first move, an attack that the hooded figure was easily able to counter, thus ending the stallion’s life with a deep slash across his throat. The three remaining guards seemed to lose their nerve a little was they held back their next strike. “Ugh, I hate these awkward moments. Hurry up, I have to meet a lady friend,” taunted the hooded figure, causing another guard to strike at him. “That’s enough out of you!” the guard yelled as he swung at the hooded figure, only to meet a similar fate as his comrade, leaving only two of them. “Buck this! I’m outta here!” said the third guard as he sheathed his sword and attempted to run for it, only to be silenced by a well-timed throwing knife through the back of his throat. Unfortunately, that left the hooded figure wide open to an attack from Gallant. “Argh!” the figure cried as Gallant’s blade struck him. Thankfully, his armor had taken most of the blow. “Well, well… not bad,” the hooded figure said to Gallant as the two began to circle each other. “You don’t understand why we had to kill Twilight,” said Gallant. “You don’t understand why I had to kill her.” “It doesn’t matter why you had to do it. All that matters is that you did it,” said the hooded figure. “And therefore you must pay for your crimes!” With that, the figure struck at Gallant, who parried the blow and attempted on of his own. Back and forth the two warriors battled until, finally, the hooded figure managed to disarm Gallant and run his blade through his chest. The hooded figure pulled his blade out of Gallant and made his way over to the dying soldier’s side. “You… don’t understand. I had to do this… to save my little… brother… I was trying to stop this madness, but… they made me choose between Gladius and Twilight…” choked Gallant. “‘They?’ Who are ‘they?’” asked the hooded figure. “Lord Cosmo… start with… with…” Gallant tried to say before he released his last breath. The hooded figure let out a sigh. ”Non ho dubbi che hai fatto quello che pensi fosse giusto per salvare quello che più importa a te,” he said in what sounded like Haytalian as he closed Gallant’s eyes. ”Resquiescat in pace.” No sooner had the words left his mouth than the door was kicked down and several stallion wearing armor not dissimilar to the men the hooded figure had just slain. Upon catching sight of the hooded figure, the soldiers turned their attention to him. “Don’t move! Hands on your head! Freeze!” they barked. Acting quickly. the hooded figure reached into one of the pouches on his belt and threw some kind of smoke bomb that filled the room with thick grey smoke and caused the guards to start coughing and gagging. Once the smoke cleared, the figure in the white hood had vanished into thin air, like a ghost.
