Memoirs of a Canterlot Assassin

The train came to a screeching stop of smoke and steam; Dinky and her mother waited, their breath trapped in their lungs, as the passengers exited the train.

"Is that him, mommy?" Dinky asked pointing into the white cloud. Her mother tried to focus her eyes, as the smoke cleared she could make out two stallions coming out of the train. She nodded to her daughter nearly spilling the baskets of muffins on her head. Dinky started bouncing straight up and down out of excitement, while her mother fluttered her wings and waved at the colts, getting their attention.

Both colts walked up to the mare.

"Hello Derpy!" they said in union causing the stallions to look at one another in surprise.

"Well," said the brown stallion, "Small world Echo."

"True." Echo responded with a little suspicion in his tone.

"Pardon me Echo, but I have a massage for our friend here." The stallion cleared his throat, "5 days, Tall Tale, abandon theater, Tail Tale, follow, open support."

To most ponies, including Dinky, that was gibberish, but to Derpy and Echo they understood the message. "Well good day Derpy, Echo." To everyone's surprise the brown stallion did a 180º got right back on the train.

"Well, that was random!" Dinky cried out. Her outburst brought Echo's attention to her.

"Well now, what is this thing?" he lifted Dinky up into his hoofs, "Tell me pretty bird", he grabbed Dinky by her back hoofs and hung her upside down, Dinky started to giggle as the blood rushed to her head. "Is this thing yours?" Echo asked, playfully thrusting the foal into the face of the mare, as if Dinky was a fish.

Laughing even louder, Dinky planted a kiss on her mother's face as she hung upside down.

Smiling at Echo's antics she decided to play along.

“Well that's what the hospital told me."

"Hey!!" the filly shouted. The two laughed as Echo place her on the ground right side up.

"So little one," Echo addressed her directly, "may I have your name?"

"Nope, it belongs to me, but you can barrow it; just make sure you give it back." The filly giggled at her own joke.

"Savvy aren't we?" Echo said playing along. "Ok how about a trade? I'll give you my name if you give me yours."

Dinky inspected her hoof as she answered, "I an't no normal filly mister” she then pointed her hoof at him aggressively. “You need to sweeten the deal."

"Hmmmm" Echo held his hoof to his lips thinking. "How about I teach you spell?"

As if someone hit a switch in Dinky, a huge smile swept across her face, "Really?!"

"I'm assuming we have a deal little filly?" He answered.

"Yep, yep, yep! I'm Dinky!"

"I'm Echo." He then kneeled down so he was face to face with her. "But do you know who I really am?"

Just as fast as it came, the happiness left her face quickly replaced with a look of worry. She looked up to her mom who gave her an encouraging smile and waived a hoof at the filly.

She looked back at Echo, "My, daddy?" she said almost scared of the answer.

Using his horn, he slipped it under her and tossed her on his head. She found herself giggling as she landed. Hearing her laugh again Echo couldn't help but to make another joke.

"Well, that's what your mother tells me." He said mimicking Derpy.

Now Echo has seen dragons and demons at their worst, saw the great wrath that Celestia has hidden away, and has seen more death than any solder in history. But nothing has ever scared him more than the glare that his mare was giving him right now.

Echo gulped and looked up at the confused filly. "Yes Dinky, I'm your father," he started to make his way off the platform, balancing the filly on his head, she wrapped her forelegs around his horn, "and we have a lot of catching up to do."

Blending into the crowd on the platform, three griffins watch the family walk away from the station. A look of suppressed anger glittered in their expressions. Without taking their murderous eyes off their target, they regrouped in the middle of the platform.

"Is that him?" one of them asked. Their gaze was so intense the ponies around seem walk around their line of sight.

"Has to be; I've never seen a pony with a coat like that. So how should we do this?" they looked at the griffin between them.

He was looking more at the family unit than just Echo. A brutish smile grew across his face, "Publically" he spat.

The couple was making their way to the market area of Ponyville. Both local and out of town merchants were peddling their goods today. This made the market exceptionally busy; Echo thought the place looked like a small festival event.

Despite all the noise and distractions that the market had to offer, their attention was squarely on the filly ridding on Echo's head.

"Are those muffins?" Echo said suddenly, eyeing the basket on the mares head.

"Yep, you wanna trade?" asked the mare, looking up at her daughter.

"Tempting, I am a little hungry, but this thing is keeping my horn nice and warm."

"Hey!" cried Dinky, "I'm not a thing!"

"I thought you were a Dinky?" he rebuttal.

"Yes but I'm not a Dinky thing." She said in a whiny voice. "Besides, mommies muffins are the best, you should eat some if you're hungry"

"Why?" Echo kept up the teasing.

"Because there're tasty!" she exclaimed.

"I bet you're tastier." Echo said with a smirk.

"what?" was the only thing Dinky had time to say before Echo flicked his head down flipping the filly onto the ground landing Dinky on her back. With Dinky's belly exposed Echo started blowing raspberries and nibbling at her. Young laughter filled the air in the market causing a few onlookers to stop and smile at the scene.

Echo suddenly stopped, and a look of intense focus over took his face.

"What's wrong Mr. Echo?" Dinky ask out of concern.

"Nothing dear, but why don't you take a nap?" he tapped his horn on hers and Dinky's eyes gently closed.

As he relaxed his body time seemed to slow down around Echo. The sounds of so many ponies became distant while the wind became a deafening whistle.

Echo suddenly lurched himself backwards; bending at the spine, his horn suddenly grew in length quickly becoming longer than his own body. His horn had found its way through a griffin's chest.

The griffin's paws and talons were flailing inches from Echo's face, while blood flowed down his horn.

As his injury took its toll on his body, blood seeping its way out of his beak, the attacker stopped moving, and with what little strength he had left he spoke, "Basta-!"

If smiles could leer, Echo's would be.

"You shouldn't hover over a target to long; I noticed your shadow long before you began to dive. I knew you would try to drive your talons into the back of my head," the impaled griffin glared through bloodshot eyes as Echo mocked him, "a quick kill, if it had worked." Echo tossed the griffin off his horn before the weight of death made him too heavy.

Screams and shirks of terror filled the plaza just as the limp body hit the ground. Panic filled the air as ponies started to run in every direction.

"Derpy!" Echo yelled out, "get," he turned to see her already flying far from the scene with Dinky in her arms. Good, he thought to himself, now I doubt this guy was working alone.

Sure enough three more shadows seem to come out of the sun. One landed a distance away the other two were hovering on either side of him.

A flanking position; these are not civilians. thought Echo. Ironic, I hid in the shadows they hide in the light.

"That was an interesting attack", the griffin on the ground said, "never seen a unicorn do something like that with their horn."

Echo retracted his horn to normal size, "I can cast alteration spells on my body without the use of my horn."

Three griffins in broad daylight, in public, and most of Echo's magic has been locked. Echo was at a disadvantage. He needed to stall, he needs to keep them talking.

"Didn't know unicorns can cast magic without their horns," the one speaking seemed to be in charge as the others just stood by as if waiting for something.

"Anyone can use magic; the horn just makes it easier. Now, why attack me? Is pony on the menu again? I thought griffins stuck to fish and small game." Might as well find out what's going on. Echo thought to himself.

"No, nothing like that" he said casually, "we came to stop you, killing you is just the easiest way."

"So you know who I am then?" come on keep talking.

"We know what you have planned for our general."

He's being way to revealing. Echo thought. He's not in charge, he's a distraction, he's also stalling, there's a fourth griffin!

As if his realization was a queue, Echo found his legs magically bound to the ground.

"You were right, pony, anyone can use magic." The new voice belonged to a smaller griffin that was making his way from behind one of the merchant stalls. Rune like markings circled his eyes, his wing tips were fading to white but he had a very young face; a cruel smile was etched into his beak.

"My name is Crowley, and I have orchestrated your death today. Remember that as I send you on your way"

With barley any magic to counter with, Echo was a sitting duck, refusing to give into his panic he weighed his options, he could counter attack a griffin easily but if all three attacked while he could not move…well he would still take one of them with him.

WHOOSH! A streak of gray and yellow shot out from nowhere slamming into one of the air born griffins, knocking him out of the air; as if it used the griffin as a spring board, the streak bounced off him and went right past the other hovering griffin.

Just like his companion the griffin fell from the sky, first his body then his head.

It happened so quickly that not even the wind made a sound, all the remaining griffins could do was stare in disbelief. What seemed like hours went by as nether party moved an inch. All three set of eyes were gawking at a gray and blond mare hovering upright, like some kind of angle of death. Her fore hooves gilded three 12 inch long blades, like a pair of claw, her back hooves had a single blade just as long as the others. Echo's favorite part was her eyes, they were closed the whole time.

It was her talent, she could sense the air around her, like echo location only a thousand times more accurate. this hyper sensitivity was why her flank sported bubbles.

Sudden movement rattled Echo from his thoughts; the griffin that was stalling for Crowley took flight right at Derpy.

"You're dead mare bitch!" the griffin screamed at her as he rushed her.

Idiot, Echo thought as he watched, he’s already dead.

The griffin seemed to take off like a missile, aimed at her back.

Derpy didn't move an inch until the last moment. She swept one of her back hooves towards her attacker then barreled rolled out of his way. The griffin landed roughly and started grabbing at his neck as if someone was chocking him. A sickening gurgle could be heard from the griffin's throat.

She had sliced his neck so cleanly that instead of bleeding out, he was drowning in his own blood, a horrible way to die.

The mage! Echo snapped his head around but he was already gone, there were clear signs that he may have teleported to escape.

Well we better get out of here before we become Ponyville's most wanted. He thought to himself as he looked back up at Derpy.

"Oh pretty bird" he sang up to her. She opened her eyes and gave him an acknowledging smile. "Head home before someone sees you; I'll meet you up at the cottage." She took off without a word.

Echo did the only thing he could do, he ran.

Echo made his way across town as a red unicorn with a blond mane and tail; he was weaving illusion magic through his coat, bending the light. He has used this trick in the past to camouflage himself better, never thought of using it to disguise himself till now.

He found Derpy's house nestled in the town with all the other homes. Knocking on the door he didn't know what to expect. So many things came to light all at once that he was uncertain what his next move would be.

How they knew who he was, did someone tell them? It can only be a member of the royal family, which would mean there was a traitor in the palace. If they know who he is do they know who Derpy is and how important she was to him or worse, their daughter? One things is for sure, he's leave is going to be cut short.

Echo was still preoccupied with his thoughts as the door creaked open to little Dinky. She looked up at him and smile, "Mom! Mr. Big Mac is here!" she yelled over her shoulder.

Echo hardly got a word of confusion out before he saw the gray mare coming into his view… and burst into giggles.

"Glad to see you in high spirits after what happened." Echo said to her.

"Come on in 'Big Mac'" she teased.

"Who's this Big Mac?" he asked as he walked in. Dinky was hanging off to the side a little confused.

"He is THE farm boy in Ponyville; he's red with blond hair." She waived her hoof up and down over him. "And he is just as big as you."

A look of understanding swept across his face. Then he remembered the battle in the market. The blond mare seemed to have read his thoughts as she placed a hoof on his lips and stopped him from speaking.

"Why don't you play with your daughter? We can talk when she goes to bed."

"You have a daughter mister?" Dinky spoke up.

Echo was about to give her a horrified look then realized he still had his spell turned on.

"Dinky it's me Echo remember that spell I said I would teach you?"

All Dinky heard was spell and teach. She gave Echo the biggest smile he's seen on her and nodded.

"Ok I'm going to teach you this" His red coat faded to solid black while his mane and tail went back to its white color.

"So tell me little one" Echo cockiness seemed to have returned to him. "What color is your bed covers?"

"Blue with yellow stars"

Echo smirked at her, "why don't we see if you can make them purple with white stars?"

The sun was saying goodnight as Echo tucked Dinky into her new purple blanket with blue stars. "Sorry we couldn't get the stars white dear."

"Its fine," the filly yawned, "Mr. Echo? Mommy said you went away to protect us." Dinky was nodding off barely keeping her eyes open. "That's silly don't do it again."

"Pardon?" Echo was genuinely confused by the statement. "Why is it silly?"

"Because I feel safer when you're here." After that she was gone.

All Echo could do was stare at the filly in admiration. Celestia once said that the words of a foal could move mountains and stop armies. Now he believed it.

Echo made his way into the living room of the house, finding the gray mare waiting for him on the couch.

"Before we start talking about today… I have something to make apparent."

The mare patted the couch.

Echo did as she wished and sat next to her.

"Me and you, we agreed that keeping Dinky as far away from what I do was best. I know this is selfish but I don't want that anymore. I want her in my life, I want you both there. Not just someone I visit and flirt with-"

The gray mare poked his nose playfully and made a 'womp' sound. Getting the hint Echo decided to shut up.

"First off," she tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, "it's a little strange to flirt with your daughter,"

"That's not what I men-" "Womp."

Derpy was smiling at him with her hoof on his nose again.

"Second I agreed with keeping her far from our work not far from you, that was more your decision."

"I was doing what I-" "Womp"

"Third, it's not selfish of a father to raise his foal. She would be happier with you around, you may think it's not safe, but no one is happy when they play it safe."

All Echo could do was stare at her, then he laughed, only around her did his real laugh come out.

"Glade I make you laugh, but" her expression became dark, "we need to talk about the attack today. Those griffins knew who you were, where you'd be, and they already knew what you're planning…I don't even know that. You don't just figure that stuff out."

Echo nodded at her. "I thought the same thing. Someone fed them information. This is big pretty bird." Echo went on to update her on their latest assignment.

"This changes everything" Derpy put her head in her hooves, "this is bigger than just a botched kill."

"It's worse than that," Echo added, "Celestia isn't just some political leader, she is a true ruler. She's a damn general if she needs to be, you should see her play chess, she can be downright scary. So if she has sent me to kill this griffin then it's the only way she can beat him without letting Equestria fall into disarray or even war."

"But with so much intel leaked and this much on the line that can only mean-"

"A traitor in the royal family" Echo finished.

"Even though the griffins know your coming you still have to kill this guy or all of us will be in danger." Derpy's voice showed signs of defeat. "Then there is that mage, I'm sure he was in the crowed watching us the whole time, he knows about Dinky."

"Won't matter if he's dead."

"Even if you succeed they can pin this all on the princess turning this general into a martyr and sparking a war anyways."

"There is a way to avoid that, and make me out to be just a crazy pony that got a lucky kill."

"How?"

"We kill the Princess."