The Assassins of Equestria

The Bleeding Effect

                                                                                  Written by: Ballpoint

" Its alright, Faith. Just relax." I was on edge, stroking my mane roughly, my expression dire as I couldn't rip my view off the Animus, the cause of my stress. Spells and Dream sat next to me on my futon, trying to calm me down and get information out of me, but yielding no results as I just sat there, bug eyed. So many questions surfaced in my head that it put it in a spin, the , most predominant getting my attention, why did I take Paxs death so seriously? The Animus as well as prior knowledge told me that none of the events that took place are real or physical, so what were these conflicting emotions with someone I barely knew. Guilt was the thing ripping me apart, my pupil-Celer's pupil was killed because of m-Celer’s reaction. Why did I think these events had happened to me?

" Come on Faith," Dream coaxed," tell us what happened." I looked at the mare and looked deeply into the white bandana the she wore under her horn, it seemed strangely familiar, but I couldn't pin it down. For some reason, I felt calm in her company, so I sighed deeply and tried to calm my frayed nerves, my mane strokes becoming more careful and steady," You ready to talk?" I gave myself another minute before I nodded, exhaling softly.

" Pax." I said, my voice low but loud enough for them to hear," I saw a mare named Pax."

Dream thought about the name for a minute, her expression not showing any recollection of the name," Who were you? What is the name of the ancestor you relieved?"

" I think her name was Celer Novo." That brought some faint nervous emotions to the equines face, but was completely replaced by a face of recollection.

" I believe I heard that name before. Hold on a minute." She hopped down from the couch and went over to her station, the monitors changing from the still line of a pulse to the white screen of a search engine.

" Faith," I turned to the Animi's operator, he sounded guilty," I, I didn't know it would be so intense for you, I..." He trailed off, looking down floor. I wanted to tell him that it wasn't his fault which it wasn't, but right now I needed some guidance, and more importantly answers.

Stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent.

" What?" I looked at the open air, what was that?

" Huh, what's wrong" Spells felt guilty as is but know he sounded like he was expecting something. I didn't answer him, just hopped down from futon, looking around nervously.

Your target is Malnum Sidus, he is a Diversus spy who has worked in low levels of the Creed, thankfully not receiving much information. He has broken off from the Creed and will be hosting a party tomorrow night and you shall take your apprentice Pax with you, this will be her first kill. Make sure you both come out unscathed...

" Gah." I grunted. These were thoughts, memories, but they aren't my own, they were Celer's. This was already way too much then I bargained for, the freaky memories, the realism, too much. But answers were needed.

" You're scaring me now. Tell me-" I put a hoof in his face, silencing him as I sat on the floor, sighing deeply.

" Are there side effects or something to the Animus?" My voice was monotone as I transitioned back into my more calm self, still not settled about earlier.

He sat down next to me on the floor," Why, are you exhibiting things like bloody nose?"

I shook my head," Nausea?"

I shook my head once again, making Spells expression turn grim and he turned away from me for a minute," It can't be happening this fast already..." He muttered.

" What?" He exhaled as he tried to steel himself for the coming confession.

" The Bleeding Effect, I think you're suffering from The Bleeding Effect."

I cocked my head at the "Bleeding Effect" and shuddered at the word "suffering"," And that is?"

He cleared his throat," I would say its kinda like your retaining some of you ancestors memories." What? I can retain-no, I have the memories of some other pony that I barely knew.

Celer Novo, born January 5, 1053...

" Why suffering though, its not like its life threatening or anything like that." I looked at him, his face blank," Right?"

" No!" He answered a bit quickly while he was snapped back into reality," I mean no, it is on a mental ailment for first time or excessive users of the Animus. It shouldn't be much a problem if we pull you out every hour. But do you even want to..." He trailed off, seeing a fragile smile find its way onto my lips.

" Yes, I want to go in again." I had all kinds of doubts and questions that I wanted answered but I wanted to see what happened to Celer, see her tale through, maybe it had the answers I desired.

" Are you sure about that? I mean even if the Bleeding Effect is only subtle at first, it can still progress over expansive p-"

" Spells, I'm going to go in again." Now I was demanding, I felt like I needed this, which I probably did.

" Okay but are you hungry or anything like that. Can't have you starving to death right?" I chuckled lightly before realizing I didn't even have breakfast this morning, and it was already twelve. My stomach growled in response with my gentle nodding," I'll go make you a sandwich, drink?"

" Grape." He smiled and hopped up and trotted over to my kitchenette. I wonder what Dream is up to.

So I myself got up and trotted over to the mare, who was hurriedly typing in words, phrases and names into her computer. Before I chose to disrupt her search, I looked at some of the things that she was looking up, Celer Novo, 11th century, Faith Wings... Huh? Why my name? Was there really any important ace to me that would cause ten links tied to my name to pop up? Half to my profile on several social networking sites and a few that surprised me. A old online article from over twenty years ago, which-

" Hey there Faith." Dream snapped me out of my observation along with the webpage being snapped off to the screen saver," Looks like you're feeling better." I nodded with a weak smile to convince her.

" Uh what were you just looking up?"

" The name that you gave me, Celer Novo. I was trying to see if I could pull anything up, like a family tree or something but I got nothing. But I found that the name is relevant to the 1100s or but a bit earlier, maybe the 11th century." Hm, that explains the atmosphere and primitiveness of the memory I relived, but my name, what dose I have to do in all of this other than me piloting the Animus.

" Good to know, but I saw that you-"

" Faith!" Ugh, everyone is interrupting me today!" Got your food ready!" Did he really need to announce it, he couldn't bring it to me and give me the precious second I needed to complete my sentence? Might as well set the thought adrift, it was probably nothing, so I trotted away to retrieve my lunch.

***

I savored the last bite of my sandwich, enjoying its superb taste...or maybe it was because I was starving, who knows, it still tasted delicious. While I was dining on the meal, I had explained to Spells, Bran, and Dream what had had happened inside the memory, provoking both nervous glances and interested encouragement to continue my tale. They asked how well Instinct worked and I had to admit, I felt like I was the same person, like me and Celer were one but there were some things I was confused about, like something called the Diversi, and why was Celer an assassin. They couldn't provide any real answers but it felt like they knew something, but I kept it too myself, wanting answers and not suspicion.

With a final sip, I finished my drink, took my plate and glass, placing them in the sink and turning back to the three ponies I had spent my morning with, talking to each other quietly.

" Guys." I interrupted, them immediately breaking conversation.

" Hm." Spells asked.

" Are we going to start?"

" What, I thought you would want to wait a bit longer." Spells implied but it sound heavily as if he was trying to keep me out of the machine.

" Ah come on Spells, lets just do this, I'm interested as to what happens next." Dream injected, her a bit anxious to hear the next chapter in Celers tale, me as well. The aqua unicorn nodded uneasily, all of us walking over to the Animus.

I crawled into the simulator once again, Bran strapped me in while Dream sat at her station as well as Spells took a seat beside the Animus. My breath quicken as the machine began to recline, slid the visor over my vision and display the familiar strands of DNA from my first use.

Bran was once again going to explain," Since you have completed one of her memories, another has unlocked itself, so highlight it now." I complied and I looked at the longer variant of the first strand reading memory unlocked," This is going to be your second memory, remember, follow Instinct, avoid desynchronization, and Faith." I looked up a the black colt, caring in his eyes," Just remember, none of it is real. Don't want what happened earlier to happen again."

" Okay." Inhale," Lets go." Exhale, then darkness.

***

" Tell us what you know woman!" The torturer yelled, him holding a metal pole, its white hot tip about to make another burn on my sides. Once again, I found myself in Celers body, but restricted of movement, bonded by metal binds that hung me by my fore hooves from the ceiling, the rest of my body dangling. I was in immense pain, numerous cuts and burns were inflicted all over my hide, blood dripping to the filthy dungeon floor.

I held my head low, holding back tears and information, ...the third and most important tenet of the Creed, never compromise the Brotherhood. Following that tenet, I closed my eyes and resisted shouting in agony as the the pole burned my hide, smelling searing flesh. A lone tear drained from my tear duct and hit the floor along with the small puddle of blood from my fresh wounds. Unfortunately, the pony inflicting the pain noticed this and I could feel his evil smile plaster itself across his face," So you do feel pain, Assassin." This time, he struck me with the pole rather than shearing me with it making me grunt sharply.

He repeated the process again and again, until my body was limp and bruised, but I yielded, the pain was unbearable but I would not relinquish the Brotherhood for my own life. Soon he gave up, tossing the cooling pole to the ground, and sighed," You are just lucky that we need you alive, or I would have done something much, much worse." I was weak and running on adrenaline and pure rage. Quickly, that subsided to give way to guilt, and the young Pax, making me sob quietly.

My pupil was labeled a dog by her target and her body most likely thrown into the very dungeon I hung from, to rot because of her Masters foolishness. I was to die here as well, which was deserving of a unfit mentor of my caliber, slowly bleed out from the tip of a torturers instruments.

With my regrets tearing my mind apart, I hardly noticed the cell door open and a stallion walk in, but he wasn't the torturer. He was clad in familiar white robes that were tainted by the frequent splatters of crimson, him holding a folded white cloth under in his mouth under his shrouded face.

" Did the Brotherhood send you?" He nodded quickly, placing the cloth on the table with its various torture instruments, picking up the key, his face still shrouded in mystery," Answer me!" I coughed up some blood as the pegasus hovered over to my binds and unlocked them, me dropping to the ground, landing in my own puddle of blood, causing even more pain.

I grunted as I got up, and stretched out my own wings to have the cloth tossed in front of me, which turned out to be a white robes and a red sash, but weren't my original master robes that were stripped from me by Malnums minions. I lifted the robes in my hoof, they were simple, that of an initiate," What are these?"

He opened the cell door and looked back at me," Yours initiate, you have been demoted."

Utter shock found its way onto my bruised face," You can't be- wait..." I began to look past my saviors hood and began to recollect on his voice," Brother?"

He sighed heavily," Yes sister, we don't have time for this, put on your garbs, we need to go." Garbs, seems fitting for this attire. Compiling, I quickly adorned the robes with great disdain, tying the read sash, securing it with a steel buckle. Soon, I found myself looking at the lone leather sheath over my back, having no sharpened steel in it.

" You expect me to fight with bare hooves Velox?" He smirked.

" No, I expect you to stay behind me." Beaten, demoted, and rendered a lackey of my little brother, I really messed up this assignment. I nodded reluctantly, him taking the lead, we silently trotted through out the labyrinth of corridors, seemingly endless. Soon, Velox stopped me when we reached a wooden door, it was extremely worn, green moss growing between its planks like much of the stone hallway.

" What is it?" Quickly he shushed me before quickly creaking the door open, looking through the small crack and exhaled, opening the eroded door, revealing a winding staircase lit by torches following the staircase.

" Did you forget your years with Creed, sister?" I was going to object but he was already heading up the stairs, so I followed him.

***

The mansion of Malnum Sidus was silent, save for a few guards frequenting the main hall. The staircase we came up let out to the kitchen, various clay stoves, and fire pits. I closed the iron door behind us as Velox was already on the other side of the room, holding a glistening dagger between his teeth, preparing to open it to the confines of the large hall, where the party was held.

" Hurry." My sibling whispered and I quickly trotted beside him, not entirely used to being someone's companion. According to the familiar sounds of clanging swords against armor, I guessed that there were about two outside near the entrance of the hall and maybe a one on the in the actual hall.

" Wait a minute." I nudged the stallion, before he opened the door," Let me check outside." I was going to push the door open but Velox stopped me.

" No, did you forget who your superior is?" That hit a nerve and now, in my slightly agitated state became fully enraged, and I faced him, fire in my eyes.

" Even if you are my superior, I have been in the Brotherhood longer than you have and I deserve the same respect I had when I was a master, and we both desire to get of here alive. Now step aside." I continued to glare at him until he faltered and moved out of my way. Satisfied, I pried the door open, peering into the hall, and it turns out that there were three heavily armored ponies outside, but one at the entrance and two monitoring the hall, he seemed bored and tired, an advantage for us.

I slipped back inside shutting the door quietly," Three, two in the hall on at the entrance." He nodded, thinking about his next move, myself doing the same.

After a minute of thought, Velox tapped my shoulder, me looking up immediately," When I came here there is a back exit to the garden at the back of the hall. Me and you can take out the guards in the hall quietly, there are probably more than we realize are about."

" And what do you expect me to work with?" A smirk spread onto the colts lips as he nodded back toward the kitchen and I groaned when I realized what he gesturing toward, a large cleaver that was wedged into a cutting board. I was never a fan of cleavers, more accosted to stabbing than slashing but this was my only option and Velox was under the Creed so he could never lend me his own blade.

After yanking the large knife from its resting place and clenching it highly between my teeth, my brother let the door swing open, him taking cover behind a column, and me galloping quickly toward a old corner table, crouching behind it. With the cost of a few bored sighs we managed to evade the guards presents. After about a minute, I peeked around the wooden table, seeing the my target was facing away from me, giving me my opportunity, which I took in a swift hop around the table, a silent trot over to my target, and a pounce, knocking the heavily armored pony down.

Before his comrade could even react, he already had a knife driven from the back of his neck and the metal obstruction spout from the front, him sputtering burgundy. On sight, I brought my cleaver to my own kills throat and jerked it, holding him down as he bled out. Once he seized, I got back up to see my brother finishing off the last guard, placing him down almost tenderly and closing his kills eyes, I never really took part in that ritual, it gave your enemy too much time to act.

Once I wiped the blood from my weapon and sheathed it in my empty holster, I faced the cautious Velox as he made his way to the back. I followed close behind as we continued our steady walk toward the garden, not entirely certain that everyone in the mansion were those three guards.

The back door was wooden but not as worn as the others I'd seen, but more ornate and the vines growing on its planks seemed intentional. Soon it was open to let out into the purple of sunrise, as well as the many variants of plants, flowers and other vegetation. The were some buildings surrounding the small garden, them looming over the fenced off area, threatening to consume the small space. Directly in front of was only an iron gate separating us from the streets of Canterlot.

But soon our obstacles were going to increase as I heard some yelling from inside the mansion as well as what sounded like the collection of guards, they found the bodies. Velox turned to me," Oh sweet Celestia."

Strength in numbers sometimes means to have the what little you can...