A Shadow's Creed

Chapters

Chapter 2: Memories- The Past
Chapter 3: New Beginnings
Chapter 4: Memories- Sanctuary
Chapter 5: Renovations
Chapter 6: Memories- First Contract
Chapter 7: Training
Chapter 9: Je Suis
Chapter 11: Rest and Pain
Chapter 12: Seals- The Fort
Chapter 13: Blimp Trip!
Chapter 14: Gerpony
Chapter 15: Volcanous
Chapter 16: Seals- The Return Trip
Chapter 17:Memories- The Apple
Chapter 18: Mushrooms and Relaxation
Chapter 19: Memories- The Fall of the Assassins
Chapter 20: The Shadow of Ponyville
Chapter 21: WingBlade Part 1
Chapter 22: WingBlade Part 2
Chapter 23: An Ominous Stalker
Chapter 24: Seals- The Underwater Cave
Chapter 25: The Accountant
Chapter 27: Overworking Pains
Chapter 28: Retraining
Chapter 29: The Everfree
Chapter 30: Ah yes, "Griefers"
Chapter 31: Giant Proportions
Chapter 32: Shadow's Regiment Training: Part 1
Chapter 33: Shadow's Regiment Training: Part 2
Chapter 34: Shadow's Regiment Training Part 3
Chapter 35: Farming Pains
Chapter 36: Weeks Pass and Nightmares Come
Chapter 37: The Lunar Festival Preperation BEGINS!
Chapter 38: Fireworks, Fireworks, FIREWORKS!
Chapter 39: Finishing Preperations with Shrooms
Chapter 40: The Lunar Festival
Chapter 42: The Canterlot Dungeons
Chapter 43: Seals- Crystal Caverns
Chapter 44: A Fancy Pants of a Time
Chapter 45: A Party of Tyrants
Chapter 46: Perspectives
Chapter 47: Has Everything Been for Nothing?
Chapter 48: An Uncle's Tale
Chapter 49: Templars as Usual
Chapter 50: When does an Assassin not Assassinate?
Chapter 1: Falling
Chapter 8: The Assassins Reborn
Chapter 10: Memories- Purple Mushroom
Chapter 26: Memories- A Shadow's Revenge
Chapter 41: All According to Plan

Chapter 2: Memories- The Past

Memories are the images of the past, the decisions for the future, both with happy and tragic moments.
Memories are what define a pony and make them who they are.

*HEADSMASH*

It was a cool summer afternoon, no clouds in the sky and the sun gradually making its way down the steep skyline when the twilight part of the day will appear in the soaring sky leading to nightfall.

*HOOF-SLAP*

Yep, prettiest sight in all of Ponitaly. Well… besides from these group of bandits trying to rob me.

*KER-KICK*

Though I might not have a lot of fighting skill, at least I know more about hitting where they are than these clowns, as I smashed another one in his face.

There were about 4 of them and one of me, an almost even challenge.

But these guys were fighting dirty, as one threw sand in my eyes temporarily blinding me. I desperately tried to rub it from my eyes expecting to get hoofed to the ground from my distracted state.

Just then I heard a voice, a voice I knew only too well.

“SHADOW! I’ve brought some friends!”

Free-runner my dearest brother, always had a never-fear moment.

As I wiped the sand from my eye I stepped closer to the blur that is my brother.

Icy-blue mane check, wings check, climbing cutie-mark check and one of the biggest grins to ever witness on the face of Equestria, triple check.

“Brother it’s so good to see you. Where did you find these people?” I asked him.

“It’s amazing what a few favors and some virtue can do, huh?” replied Free-runner with a laugh.

“Come now brother while they're distracted. Maybe we can return home without being late and avoid a scolding from our father,” said Free-runner.

“Just a second, let me wash my eyes in the fountain around the corner,” I said as we fled the scene.

*Splash*

"Ah it’s so refreshing, finally I'm able to see without all that dirt impacting my eyes… *crowd noises* -wait what was that?" we heard a commotion coming from behind the fountain.

It was a doctor but he looked rather strange: he was red, short brown mane, lab coat (so we couldn’t see his cutie mark), wearing a magnifier on his head, and had an incredibly huge supply of mushrooms behind him. The doctor was tossing out oversized pills and coloured mushrooms to the populace of Ponitaly.

“AH HA! I have the best medicine in the entire galaxy! And who do you have to thank? Its ‘A me MAR-!” shouted the doctor just before he was confronted by the city guard.

“I think we should leave, Shadow,” said Free-runner.

I know that doctor, but I can’t remember who he was...

We escaped the plaza and walked down a not-to crowded alley.

“Come on brother, how about a little race, since were bound to get scolded anyways we should have some fun.”

“Ok, I accept your challenge.” I replied.

“How about roof of that tower?" he pointed to a typical building tower that was common among Ponitaly, "3-2-1 GO!” said Free-runner as he dashed away leaving me in his dust.

“HEY! No fair!” I shouted back at him as I began my own sprint.

The roof to the tower looked pretty complex but we done this so many times that it almost felt natural to upscale a building and use support beams to jump to other cracks in the wall.

Eventually I reached the top of the roof where my brother casually said to me, “I’ve been waiting 5 minutes for you Shadow. YOU’RE TOO SLOW!”

“Well that’s why your name is Free-runner, I’m Shadow Mark, so unlike you I didn’t alert all those guards down below us. But you did,” I said with a fiendish smile.

Noticing the guards surrounding the tower and the fact we’re completely isolated Free-runner says with a glint in his eye, “Well, guess there’s only one way off this roof now!” Free-runner ran straight for the edge and leapt right of the roof.
I peered down to see he was safely alive in a bale of hay.

For you see Free-runner had a condition with his pegasus wing as he can never fly, ever. Instead he took to activities that gave him near-flight experiances.

"Honestly, I prefer this way than to just glide off," I thought as I took a running leap from the roof.

*LEAP OF FAITH*

After our near brush with the law my brother and I await at our front door of our villa praying to Celestia that father won’t make us do courier duty again to punish us for being 6 hours late.

There is absolutely no way he will be mad at us.... aw who am I trying to kid? We're screwed.

I opened the door and right there was our father standing two hoof-steps from the doorway as if he has been waiting for us to arrive with a stern look on his face.

“Come with me,” he said coldly.

*GULP* we both went.

“I’ve heard about your little encounter Shadow, I’m hoping you are safe, since your brother had to rescue you… again,” he said to me while looking towards Free-runner.

“It was my pleasure, father,” saluted Free-runner.

“Then I heard about how two young stallions who climbed the tower of the Banking Lab and leaped off the roof with nowhere to be found,” father said looking directly at Free-runner.

“Ya it was my bad, but you know me… FREE-RUNNER!” he said adding jazzhoofs towards the end.

Rage was building up within my father's face while clenching his hoof, “It… IT…. It reminds me when I was your age,” laughed our father.

“So we’re not in trouble?” I asked.

“HAHAHA! Big time….” said our father as he handed some documents to us.

----------- Morning next day-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grabbing the ledge of a near building, I hauled myself up to the roof and looked west of the sun's position.

Four more roofs till I reach the first contact. Strange how these documents seem to be larger than the ones I normally carry, and the urgency of my father’s voice.

“These documents are of the utmost importance, my son.”

“You can count on me father!”

“Good, because if you drop these, I’m going to turn you inside out…. HAVE FUN!”

Before leaving the house my mother prepped my bag and said sternly, “Come back as soon as you’re done. And bring Free-runner too. There are some things we need to discuss. Now don't get mugged Shadow!”

I jumped from a chimney stack to the next building as I arrived at my first location, the pigeon coop. There was a pink mare there wearing white robes leaning on the coop.

She noticed me and said calmly, “You been followed?”

“No? That’s a strange question to ask. You’re strange,” I replied to the stranger.

“*grumble* littleinsignifgant *grumble*

"Just give me the package, and tell him that we are moving with the plan and he should as well,” she whispered to me as she took the package and ran off.

“WAIT! My coin purse is on the box!” I shouted, knowing she already was a mile away.

I sighed and ran towards the next destination.

This time it was at the town fountain where I escaped with my brother yesterday. I looked at the letter and started to read the name, “Doctor…” I stopped.

Seriously? Him!?

I walked up to the Doctor who was still at his stand from the day before and thrust the letter in his face.
“Here you go Doc-“I said, just as he cut me off.

“AH! THANK YOU MY FRIEND!” he enthusiastically shouted 4 inches into my face while shaking my hoof like crazy.

“Now go tell your father I’ve received the letter, when you are done delivering the rest of your mail,” whispered the doctor, (in the loudest whispering volume available to him which wasn't at all a whispering volume).

“Ok... Wait What?” But just as before he was gone.

“He knew my name” I pondered. This day keeps getting weirder and weirder. OK so what’s the next location, I thought while grabbing the next parcel.

Two hours later I arrived at the marketplace.

“I wonder who my target was” I thought turning my attention to the box I carried.

The card on the box read, “To my most trusted friend, Le Duck.”

I dropped the box.

Le Duck, as in THE Le Duck? The pony, the master thief, the one who broke into the homes of every upper-class family and shoved all their furniture into barrels and was never caught once!?

I looked at the box on the ground. Just then a thought went into my mind.

“AH CRAP! My dad’s going to turn me inside out!” I shouted, as passers-by turned to look at me.

“Looks like my package might be broken,” said a voice behind me.

I turned and there he was, Le Duck a medium built chestnut body of a Pegasus, with a goatee wearing a menacing orange hood and matching robes. I was transfixed by his sight.

“It’s a shame, I was going to use this tonight at a reception.” Le Duck said solemly.

I’m so screwed! I can’t imagine what type of sick weapon is in that box!

“The tea-set is probably broken,” he sadly said.

OH, the horror! He’s going to impale me with fine china! Goodbye sweet Ponitaly! I curse this package!

“Well I thought this would happen, at least I can fix it. Go home now, and don’t worry you did a pretty decent job delivering all those documents,” he chuckled as he picked up the box onto his back and melted into the crowd.

Wait? WHAT!? I’m not dead? Good job? Documents?

Feeling the confused rage building up inside me, I hollered at the top of my voice, “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON! AAARRRRRRGGGHHHH!”

Passers-by noticed me and turned towards me.
“Mommy is there something wrong with him?”
“Just keep walking dear, don’t look at him.”

Well that was pretty incognito. Argh my legs, guess it’s time to head home.

Walking up towards the stone steps of my house I notice something was not right. The front door was fully open with two city guards at the front entrance. Luckily for my over-paranoia personality I constructed ways to get into my villa other than the front door.

It’s called “Second floor window”.

Climbing my way in I tiptoed on the carpet towards the sound of ponies in the living room. Sounds that were not at all familiar. A scream pierced the halls, it was my mother, followed by my brother.
I peered through the door without arousing suspicion to see who was speaking.

That image will forever stay burned in my head.

My mother and Free-runner lay dead with blood splattered across the floor. A huge light-blue stallion covered in noble attire with a hoof drapped over his head, a black star was emblazed on his rump as he held a sword to my wounded father sprawled across the floor clutching his side as blood poured from an open gash.

“You assassins have always been a thorn in our side, filth to be cleansed from this world,” said the stallion coldly and with a slight hint of disgust.

Father… an Assassin?

“Arg, you who seek to enslave all of ponykind to use us as machines to crown you leader and worship you? Look in a mirror, that’s the real filth,” choked my father while gripping his side.

My father noticed me hiding around the door and gave a slight smile and reached into his pocket and discreetly pulled out a letter without Balthazar noticing.

“As long as there are ponies who see the truth, we will never give up and we will defeat you Balthazar,” said my father weakly from pain but proudly towards the malicious stallion.

“I grow tired my old acquaintance.”

“Arrivederci!” Shouted Balthazar as he plunged his sword deep into my father’s back as he let out a shout of pain and slumped to the ground.

I cringed.

Moments later Balthazar left addressing the two guards at the front of the villa, “Avec!”

“FATHER!”

I rushed to my father’s side, he opened his eyes and smiled at me, weakly he said, “Read… this… Shadow... I'm sorry.” Giving me the letter and the blade from his arm and he was gone from my life.... forever.

I open the letter addressed to me, I was fumbling witht he flaps from the impact of emotions I was trying to keep from making me snap.

“Dear Shadow, if you are reading this then it is too late. I’ve always feared this day would come, but not this soon, not until you knew the truth and be ready to face it. I only wish I could have spent more time with my family instead of my work, my real work. Seek out Le Duck at the town gate, (I know you dropped the package and I was deeply disappointed)."

"I guess it’s too late to be sarcastic now, but I want you to know that I never wanted you or your brother to be hurt and was keeping my work a secret for the time, how foolish I was. I am sorry towards everything that’s happened, but it’s imperative to meet Le Duck as soon as possible.”

Nothing is True, Everything is permitted.
From your loving father.

]Emotions welling up inside me, thoughts racing, Assassins, Le Duck, Balthazar… Balthazar… He will pay for what he has done! I WILL HUNT HIM DOWN AND MURDER THAT BASTARDO!
But.... first I... I need to get to Le Duck as quickly as possible.

Running towards the door, I put on my father’s blade. Suddenly the door opened and a guard strolled in.

“Well, well, well look who we have here,” he smiled as he pulled out his sword.

With anger still inside me I shouted, “GET OUT OF MY WAY!” I open the blade and jump on him as I stab him in the neck.
He squirms a bit before going still, I stand up from his lifeless body and look at the blood that covered my hoof with the blade.

I just killed someone. Guess those lessons with my father went well. Father...." I shook my head, "I need to get out of here.

Running up the side of the wall I grab onto a brick and work my way up and my way to the city gate.

I can’t think straight. Assassins, this “hidden” blade, and Balthazar. Who was he? What was this organization? Le Duck would explain everything I guess.

Now with the city gate in site I walk up to Le Duck, he sees the sadness in my eyes and my father’s blade and gives a sigh, “Come now. Let’s get you to somewhere safe,” he said with reassurance, a hoof around my shoulder.

------A Few Hours Later------------------------------------------------------------

“Your father is… was an assassin just like me. He believed that ponies should have free-will and forge their own path. That is what we fight for, we are the Assassin Brotherhood. There are ponies out there that want to take that freedom away and instead force us to obey them like robots,” said Le Duck.

“Balthazar…”

“Yes, he’s the leader of that group. The Templars. We have been fighting this background war for centuries maybe even millennia. Your family’s death is an example of how they force the ponies to submit. They are the ones who pull the strings while we’re here to prevent them.”

“Did you get any training?” asked Le Duck.

“Only the basics of fighting, the rest I improvise,” I replied still saddened by this whole ordeal.

“Pity you didn’t get more training, how about climbing? I know as a Pegasus it might not seem relevant but-“

“Oh yes, I’m great! My brother and I do it all the time… I mean... used to do it,” I sadly corrected myself as I leaned my head down.

“Hey kid. You’re lucky to have experienced such close ties towards your family. I was an orphan with only my brother by my side, but soon we had to part due to our reasons. By your age I was picking pockets for a living and running from the law daily. But enough about me, I’m sure just like Free-runner your name will live up to its potential” smiled Le Duck.

“Anyways, here we are!” he said stopping in front of a wooden door imbedded on the side of the mountain.

“Wait a mountain!? There was a mountain here this whole time?” I exclaimed.

“Really Shadow… you can see it from your bedroom window and no don’t ask me how I know.”

“Now before we go inside I need to ask you… Do you want to become an assassin and safeguard ponykind from these difficult times?”

I didn’t need to think.

“Yes.” I answered.

“Well that was easy, welcome to the Assassin’s Headquarters. Welcome to Sanctuary.” He said opening the door.

We entered into the light of the passage.

Ow, my head. I could still feel my arrow and stab wounds.
But they’re bandaged? Where am I?

I slowly open my eyes as the sun shined through the window, blinding me until I got out of bed and sat upright.

Wait a bed? Also why does this room smell like apples?
It then clicked: falling, apple trees, bandages, apple smelling room.

Just then the door flew wide open showing an orange coloured mare wearing a rancher’s hat.

“How y’all feeling today sleepy-head?” she cheerfully asked.

“Apples,” I replied.

Chapter 3: New Beginnings

All I know is that a few moments ago I was falling and now I’m sitting on a bed in a pony’s house that smells like apples. Tasty.

While pondering to myself I noticed the orange mare looking a bit defensive, she let an unknown stranger into her house and cared for me (noticing the bandages) when she could have left me where I was as most ponies would have do.

She’s looking anxious, time to break the ice with some Ponitalian charm.

“Hello. I am grateful for your caring and hospitality considering I’m a complete stranger,” I said with thanks.

“Well, Howdy to you too! My name’s Applejack what’s yours?” she asked while shaking my hoof with an incredibly fast rhythm.

My arm’s going to fall off if I don’t say something.

“Mm-myyy name ii-ss-sss Sha-adddo-www,” I said still shaking her hoof.

She let go, Oh thank Celestia! “Well howdy’do Shadow! And if you don’t mind me asking: what’s with the getup, why are you injured, and you know you’ve been out for two days right?”

“Well you see- TWO DAYS?” I exclaimed.

“Yup, good thing you weren’t worse, of course you had two arrows sticking out in your body, a stab wound, a few crushed ribs and a lot of blood loss,” said Applejack with concern in her voice but also one with an inquisitive tone.

“Lucky me.” I said looking at my broken wing.

“Doc said that wing will never heal. You can’t fly ever again, I'm sorry. This must be so hard for you,” said a saddened Applejack.

“Nah, it’s fine I never flew much to begin with.” I replied.

Ok I should, end this conversation before I reveal any of my true intentions and blow my cover.

“Thank you for your hospitality, but I really must be-“ I said standing up from the bed only to have fallen to my knees due to the agonizing pain of my body.

“Whoa! Easy there pardner,” she said while picking me up.
“I don’t know who you think you are, but you have to calm down, most of your injuries are still there, and I know this was no accident so don’t bother lying to me. I can see through anything for what it is.”

“Forgive me. I think I just need some fresh air, and maybe go see that doctor for more medicine.” I said with a sheepish smile.

“Well, I guess you’ve need some air. Ok I’ll show you ‘round town and then you can tell me about your…accident,” she winked.

“Deal.” I replied contently.

We moved downstairs with me leaning on Applejack’s shoulder, I noticed two other ponies a big burly red one and a small filly with a bow.

“Big Mac, Apple Bloom, this here is Shadow. You know, our patient.”

“Eeyup,” replied the red one. “Why howdy there!” replied the filly.

“I’m going to show Shadow our town and maybe figure out how he got this way,” Applejack said advancing towards the door.

“I’ve been meaning to ask where are we?” I asked.

Applejack opened the door.

“Ponyville!”

All I saw was a bunch of apple trees and a hill, I have to admit it was a nice hill. A very nice hill.

“Umm.. ya we’re here on the farm and Ponyville is on the otherside just a few hoofsteps away,” sheepishly said Applejack.

“If these hills are nice looking I’m pretty sure Ponyville will look wonderful.” I replied.

------A Few Minutes of Walking------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“*Ahem*, well here we are, Ponyville!”

Cue the musical choir playing in g-major. Honestly Ponyville looked so colourful and new, compared to the century old buildings I experienced in Ponitaly.

“Now then, let’s find that doctor, can’t have you falling now can we,” said Applejack with a smug grin.

“I feel great! Let’s go-“ I said as I tripped falling face-first into a pile of mud.

Ohhhh the emotional pain! THE EMOTIONAL PAIN!

After I cleaned myself off, we approached a cart carrying vast amounts of different mushrooms.

Wait… (I breathe in) ..... Mushrooms?

Just then a red stallion wearing a white doctor’s coat appeared from behind the cart.

“ALLO! DON'T YOU REMEMBER ME?” shouted the strange doctor.

“Oh… it’s you…” I blankly said while slapping my head in shame.

“MAREIO!” shouted the doctor.

“Uh, Shadow you two know each other?” asked Applejack with a confused look in her face.

“Ya, we met in Ponitaly a few times, I barely know him.” I replied.

“Ponitaly that’s exotic, isn’t it Shadow?” she said with a grin and an overconvincing voice.

Ah crap, I told her where I’m from! Well at least she doesn’t know-

“SHADOW! I’m hurt, you know I’ma the guy getting all the contracts and healing you every single time at the Guild! How could you have a forgotten me!”

Noticing my bandages he sighed and shouted, “MAMA MIA SHADOW! AGAIN!? Balthazar is too strong for you and I see your hidden blade is broken too, need I go on!?”

Honestly Mario, just tell her everything, tell her I’m on a rage mission to brutally murder the duke, and while you’re at it tell her I’m an Assassin. Oh wait: Balthazar, hidden blade, guild.
Mareio you really know how to keep a secret, don't you!?

As if reading my thoughts Mareio pulled me towards him and whispered in my ear, “Shadow. I know your trying to stay incognito, but these ponies are friendly, if you open your heart to them you can then find enough star power to save the galaxy.”

“What?”

“Now take this mushroom and go rest, because you’re going to feel like crap in the morning.” Mareio said handing me a red mushroom. “And remember don’t touch the purple ones.”

Images flashing through my head, purple mushroom, those... those poor villagers! NO!

I snapped out of my state and started eating the red mushroom as I walked back to where Applejack was waiting for me.

“So… Balthazar, hidden blade, quite an “accident”," Applejack cunningly said.

“Um… ya maybe when I’m done eating this mushroom,” I said taking a bite out of this red fungus as my eyes widened and a feeling of euphoria washed over me.

Power going through me, adrenaline filling my veins, pain no longer existent...

“YAHOO!” I shouted while jumping through the air.

As soon as I said that a pink blur ran towards me and also shouted, “YAHOO!”

“A NEW PONY! Ohmygosh! Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie!” said the pink mare ecstatically.

“Hey there Pinkie, this here is Shadow, you know the one who was injured for two days,” said Applejack.

“And now your BETTER! OOOhhh, we should throw you a super-awesome-mega-tastic-you-just-got-better-and-welcome-to-Ponyville PARTY!”

“That mushroom might have helped me but I think I’m still too injured to attend a party,” I apologetically said.

“Then we could throw a GET WELL WELCOME PARTY HORRAY, YAY!”
“Meet me at sugar-cube corner tomorrow at noon and don't be late! I'LL BRING MY PARTY CANNON!” she said excitingly as she bounced towards a gingerbread-house.

I don’t know if it was the mushroom, or my adrenaline, but parties are nice! Also is that a gingerbread house? Wow Ponyville is technologically inovative! Too bad most of my recent ones ended… unexpectedly. *hee hee* Also a Party Cannon? Guess this pony loves explosives.

“Yep that’s Pinkie Pie alright. Now let’s go see Twilight at the tree house maybe she can fix your… butter-knife,” said Applejack nearly bursting out in laughter, before calming herself down a bit and stifleing a few chuckles.

Crap, she’s almost piecing this together. Maybe I should listen to what Mareio said and just tell them. Then I remembered his speech on how he saved the galaxy by collecting 424 stars...
Nah, maybe some other day.

Approaching the tree house, Applejack knocked on the door. The door opened with a little lizard-creature standing there.

“Hey Applejack, who’s that?” asked the strange lizard.

“Howdy Spike this pony here is Shadow, is Twilight in?” asked Applejack.

“Hey Shadow. Ya you can find her by the edge of the library doing some studying,” he said showing us inside.

This creature with scaly skin, a tail, hard shell-like exterior, and claws. I wonder if Mareio was right about all those creatures he fought in his youth.

“Twilight! You’ve got visitors!” shouted Spike.

“Damn it Spike! Don’t bother me when I’m studying the Elements of Harmony- oh sorry about that Applejack” shouted a purple unicorn before quickly apologizing.

Elements of Harmony? Piece of Harmony, the Apple? No it couldn’t be. A connection?

“Twilight, this here’s Shadow.”

“Ooo a foreigner! I’m Twilight Sparkle number one apprentice to Princess Celestia,” she said cheerfully.

The Princess!? I wonder if she knows about this war we waged in the shadows.
I doubt it, unlikely that Celestia would even tell her own sister, Luna.

“Twilight, I was wondering if you could fix this… improvised utensil doohickey,” said Applejack showing Twilight my blade on my arm.

“Wow! I never seen anything so improvised! This is amazing! Can I study it? PLEEASE!” pleaded Twilight.

“Go right on ahead,” I said while handing my blade over to Twilight.

“Fascinating, a spring, it uses a paperclip mechinism and an unknown metal,” Twilight mumbled to herself, deep in thought.

“Ok then she'll be busy for the next few hours or so, let’s go see Fluttershy, she’s over by the Whitetail Forest,” said Applejack as we quickly exited the house.

Interesting a pony reading about the elements, apprenticed to Celestia and oppressive over inventions. What’s more interesting is how Applejack covered for me. “Improvised utensil doohickey” I chuckled, what a terrible liar she is.

A few minutes of walking and we finally reached a house covered in flowers, plants and animals.

“She’s probably in her garden.” Said Applejack as we turned around the corner of the house.

Sure enough there was a yellow Pegasus mare with a pink mane hiding her eyes; she was trying to coax a rabbit to eat a carrot.

We were right behind her when I said, “Hello there!”

“EEP!” she squeaked while jumping into the air and taking shelter under a patio.

“Hey Fluttershy don’t be nervous this here’s Shadow,” reassuringly said Applejack.

“Oh you must be that poor pony who had a bunch of wounds and a broken wing that will never heal…Oop..sorry I didn’t mean to make you sad, you’re not sad are you?” she asked me with her eyes getting as big as the moon and a werid uncontrollable amount of d'awww heading my way.

“Uh. No it’s alright no need to get sad it was my fault to begin with. I never will open my wings during a 10,000 mile drop ever again,” I reassured her.

“10,000 mile drop!?” both Applejack and Fluttershy exclaimed with worry in their eyes.

Damn it more details! I wish I was as trained as well as Le Duck.

Le Duck my mentor, pain just went through my heart.

I quickly shook away the negetive feelings and changed the subject, “So Fluttershy are you a veterinarian?”

“Oh yes, I love taking care of animals as well as these plants.” She said showing her garden.

“Wow are those Trilliums, and is that a Euphorbia pulcherrima?” I asked.

“Wow I never thought anyone else would know the scientific name for poinsettias!”

“Here this plant makes a pungent smell when you add sulfur to it,” she said holding up a yellow plant.

Interesting, she knows a lot about healing and the properties of plants to make certain potions and poisons I bet.

“So you can use it like a smoke bomb then. If you ever need to protect yourself from timberwolves.” I said.

“TIMBERWOLVES! WHERE!?” she said as she flew back under the patio, no more unlikely to come out.

“Come on Shadow let’s go to Rarity’s, maybe she can give you some tips about… blending in,” said Applejack again with a weird grin on her face.

Oh crap she’s almost figured out everything. I just hope I can trust her not to tell everyone until the time is right. And even if she does promise I don’t know if she can lie to her friends. She’s a terrible liar.

Now approaching a froo-froo looking house my jaw dropped. “There is no way I’m entering a clothing store as frilly as that; my outfit is fine thank you very much,” I said while remembering the fashions from Ponitaly. The horrible, horrible designer store mishaps....

SO MUCH FRILLS! NO I DON’T NEED ANOTHER HANKERCHIEF ONTOP OF MY OTHER TWO. THESE TIGHTS ARE TOO TIGHT!!

I planted my feet firmly on the ground, and removed that mental image.

“Come on Shadow, Rarity is a bit froo-froo but there’s nothing to be scared about.” She assured be.

“I don’t see you having to try on blouse after blouse after blouse after blouse after blouse aft-“
I said until she snapped my mouth shut and with pure intent looked me straight in the eyes.

“Shadow, you are going to go in that store, if you do, I won’t tell my friends who you really are are deal?”

“Fine,” I said walking towards the door and opening the handle.

It wasn’t as bad as I thought I guess the outside just looks frilly. I walked in and saw two mares an icy-white coloured one with an extravagant purple mane and Twilight from before.

“Darling you’re finally here! Twilight told me you would come eventually. We are just finishing your device. I’m Rarity," said the purple-haired mare with a classy politeness.

Ah a mare in a class as fine as this, needs some of the Ponitalian charm.

“Ah bella madona! A flower as beautiful as you and a heart as generous as the sun, I thank you for your craftmareship on an item so important to me,” I said kissing her hoof.

“Oh, a gentlecolt and a kind spirit. I love seeing such new fashions from exotic places,” replied Rarity feeling my fabric.

“Ok that’s enough you two, now Shadow here is from Ponitaly and he-“ Applejack said.

“PONITALY!” screamed Rarity.

“WOW that place is EXOTIC! But… isn’t it gone now…?” asked Rarity trying to make a less impact on me.

“Gone you say?” asked Applejack looking at me suspisiously.

“Um ya, there was a warring siege on the city and the mountain by the High Duke of Equestria, luckily some the townsponies escaped," I leaned my head down with my hood, "Some."

Applejack saw this and gave me a comforting hug.

“I’m so sorry Shadow, I had no idea. But here is your tool anyways,” said Twilight handing over my blade.

I attached it to my hoof and forced my hoof out, sure enough the blade came out and I retracted it back inside.
I noticed Applejack was fixated on it when I tested it.

“Such an interesting design. Also what is that symbol on your robe?” asked Rarity pointing to my insignia.

“Um, it’s just something to make me remember what I lost,” I replied while looking at the symbol of the Assassins.

“Well it’s been a long day I should head back with Applejack, right?”

“Sure Shadow, but eventually you need to get your own place to live.” Said Applejack.

“Of course. I wouldn’t dream of overstaying my welcome. I greatly appreciate it,” I replied.

After making our goodbyes, Applejack and I headed back towards the farm. I noticed the clock tower in the middle of town and thought I saw something move at the top, something with wings and a beak. I also noticed Doctor Maerio peddling his cart of mushrooms.
Talking to Applejack I confessed my story,

“Well, I guess I can tell you who I am, I’m an Ass-“

*PHOOMP*

I was interrupted as something blue or rather somepony who’s blue slammed into me making me fall right into Doctor Mareio’s cart scattering his mushrooms all across the town streets.

“OH NO! AHH! THE BLUE COLOUR! BLUE SHELL! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!” said Dr. Mareio screamed while flailing his arms and running in circles as his cart was toppled.

The thing that crashed into me went over to me, I noticed it was a light blue mare with a rainbow mane and she was laughing hysterically at me.

I looked on my lap and noticed a purple mushroom in a glass container…

“AHHHHHHHHH! NOT THE PURPLE MUSHROOM! GET IT OFF ME! WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE!” I shouted as memories of that day surged through my head.

“Wooh, dude chill, no need to get upset over a purple mushroom,” she said to me.

“IT”S EVIL! ABSOLUTE EVIL! CELESTIA DAMN IT TO TARTARUS!”

Purple mushroom, purple mushroom, purple mushroom, purple mushroom. Very, very, very, bad ,bad, bad ,bad, bad...

I wasn't usually like this, I was sane but also a bit insane you could say. Let's just say that memory is the most "what the hell" I've ever experianced in my lifetime, and WILL ever be experainced.

Once I was out of my mental breakdown, I turned to the mare and said with a stern look in my eye, “You’re lucky this... abomination already slightly spoiled and is inside this container, oh if it was ripe, if it was outside and it landed on anything, oh then we’re screwed. Now, I’m pretty sure you have a good reason for knocking me into that cart and nearly making Ponyville the living APOCALYPSE!”

“I was testing out a new game, I call it Rainbow Dash DASH!” she said shouting “Dash” with as much emphasis as possible.

“Rainbow, you can’t just hit ponies for fun, it’s wrong and besides Shadow is hurt,” said Applejack helping me up to my hooves and pointing to the bandages.

“Wow your pretty fast I got to admit that, but I bet you’re not as fast as me,” I said to Rainbow Dash, knowing she would fall into my trap.

“Are you kidding me? I’m the fastest flier in all of Equestria! I’ll race you to the top of the clock tower!” challenged Rainbow.

“Hey hold on there! Shadow is hurt, and besides he can’t fly, EVER.” Said Applejack sternly.

“A Pegasus that can’t fly, what’s up with that!?” said Rainbow Dash with me giving a grimacing expression.

“I don’t need to fly,” I said while picking up a red mushroom from the cart and eating it to gain some energy.
Instantly adrenaline flowed through my body.

“Well, ok but I’m sure you won’t win before I do!” said Rainbow Dash as we went towards the clock tower's base.

“3, 2, 1..”

“GO!” shouted Rainbow Dash propelling herself at quite a speed.

I knew I wasn’t a match for a Pegasus that moves at that speed. I wonder if she had more training… no I can’t get these ponies involved in my war, for my revenge. I at least owe them that much.

Grabbing ledge and ledge I hauled myself up at a constant rhythm while using the flapping motion of my wings to give me boost in every step. Surprisingly I noticed Rainbow Dash right next to me; she turned to me with a look of surprise on her face. She was a formidable opponent, but just as I knew it from the beginning I lost.

“HA! I beat you! But I have to admit you’re not bad. How did you learn to do that?” she asked me.

“Maybe some other time,” I said looking around the tower.

“Huh? That’s it? What’s with you!?”

An eagle swoops down and lands on my shoulder.
“I knew that was you up here.” I smiled to the eagle, Rainbow Dash was dumbfounded.

“Rainbow Dash meet my friend, Ace," I showed her my friend.

*SCREE* said Ace as he flew off my shoulder towards his makeshift nest on the tower.

Ace, was my best friend when I joined the Assassins, for you see he was a member himself. Whenever there was a team that needed coordination, Ace would always let out a screech signaling an attack. If it weren’t for him I would be dead. I guess he must have been following me all these years and keeping an eye out. I can always depend on him.

“Wait? You knew he was here? You tricked me!” an outburst from Rainbow.

“Speed matters both physically and mentally, I won one you won the other. So it’s a tie,” I smirked causing Rainbow to puff out her mouth.

After whispering to Ace telling him I’ll be back I went over to the edge of the tower and looked down, a hay bale next to the front doors of the tower entrance was a convenience.

Turning around to Rainbow with me still on the edge I calmly said, “Race you to the bottom!” and I fell down back-first.

*LEAP OF FAITH*

I picked myself up from the hay and dusted my robes off. Not a scratch.

I heard Rainbow Dash call down, “THAT WAS AWESOME!”

And I heard Applejack running towards me shouting, “THAT WAS STUPID!”

“Don’t worry I do it all the time AJ, I’m an expert among experts,” I boasted with a smug grin.

“You are going to my home right now mister. Who knows what those mushroom’s side effects are and the strain of all that climbing and fallin’,” Applejack said while pushing me towards the direction to her orchard.

“See you later Shadow!” waved Rainbow Dash.

Amazing speed. And a devoted heart. With proper training she can easily be the fastest pony around.

-------At the Farm-----------------------------------------------------------------

When will she let go of me? She’s been dragging me for hours! Those mushrooms are fine I feel absolutely nothing at all! At least the farm is right there. “HELLO HILL!” I pretended to shout. “Hello,” it replied back. Those mushrooms were really good not to mention I’m exhausted.

Pushing me through the door and up the stairs, Applejack brought me back to the place where I had laid unconscious for the past two days.

“You mister, need to get some rest!” she said putting me into the bed.

“I’m sorry Applejack. I didn’t mean to scare you, but you must understand that I’ve been doing this for a long time.”

“Finally, I’ve been waiting to hear this all day.” Applejack smiled.

“Well, you see I’m an Assassin.”

I continued the story of my life to Applejack, telling her about my family’s death, Balthazar, joining the Assassins and plotting for my revenge, a part of Ponitaly's fall and my visit to Balthazar's flagship zepplin.

At the end of my story, Applejack was surprised. “My, and here I thought you were a lying, cunning, theivin', murderer. I’m sorry I made you tell me, I never could have imagined-“

“Please do not feel sorry these were my choices and I’ll accept the consequences. All of them, they will forever haunt me and I do not wish or anyone else to suffer what I have suffered so long ago.”

“So the reason you’re here is because you charged after Balthazar without any plan? That’s stupid,” she said with her hoofs crossed.

“Yes I know, but please I don’t want to involve you townsfolk. Or the same fate will befall your village just like Ponitaly. Now if you please, have a pleasant night, I’m sure the numbing effects of the Shrooms will wear off soon.”

“Well ok then, Goodnight Shadow.” Said Applejack closing the door.

“Goodnight.”

Staying awake in the bed without any chance for sleep, these thoughts were torturing my mind.

I can’t involve these ponies, these… friends. Dr. Mareio isn’t an assassin but he is a member and Ace isn’t enough. Each pony I met today had a unique talent that would make our cause more foreseeable maybe even ending the Templar crusades.

But I can’t.

If I stay here I’m only endangering the lives of the innocent.

I walked towards the window and opened it. I leaned out and looked at the height to the ground and back to my damaged wing.

I almost forgot why I was here in the first place.

Almost.

Chapter 4: Memories- Sanctuary

“Interesting… so the mountain is actually the Assassin’s headquarters?” I asked Le Duck as we were walking through the dimly lit passageway.

“Yes, it was originally built about a few hundred years after Equestria was formed and run by a legal/democratic system. Our ancestors wanted to keep Equestria safe and help its ponies to prosper and grow. Unfortunately, back then as well many ponies wanted to claim global dominance and rule pony kind with an iron fist.”

“Wait? What about Princess Celestia?” I asked.

We all worship her, she can banish anyone with the snap of her tail, and she controls the very foundation we live on!

“Unlike those other ponies, the Princess gives us the freedom of choice, and also if you’re no doubt aware… SHE CAN CONTROL THE SUN!”

“Ok, geez sorry Le Duck. Man, how long is this passageway anyway?” I apologetically asked.

“You should give this place more respect Shadow. For every 10 steps you take, that equals one year to shovel by hoof. Of course, with the invention of the jackhammer the process took less time to make.”

Up ahead I noticed a white light glowing brightly at the end of the hall.

FINALLY!

I started to run towards it, but as soon as I did Le Duck held me back with his arm. He smiles at me and pushes a stone in the wall marking with a strange symbol. The wall suddenly opens up showing a second passageway.

Le Duck pointed to the light and said to me, “This is a trap for anyone who isn’t or wasn’t contacted by the assassins.”

He took a rock from the ground and threw it towards the light. Instantly flames shot out from holes in the wall and burned everything to a crisp.

Shockingly I shouted, “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!? COULD YOU TELL ME THE NEXT TIME I’LL BE ROASTED ALIVE!?”

“Motion sensor.” He said pointing to the light.

“Now let’s get going, can’t be too far now,” chuckled Le Duck leading the way into the second corridor.

Seriously… what the hell man? No one would do that… well except maybe 5 people, but Batmare doesn’t count!

I followed Le Duck through the corridor and sure enough we appeared in a large open courtyard.
I looked up and saw the sun was rising.

Wow, all-nighter, first the deliveries, then my family, then the way to the door of the corridor, then the actual corridor itself, then a second corridor hidden in the first corridor… Wow I need some sleep.

Le Duck noticed how tired I looked and ushered me inside a glass-glazed door, “Come Shadow, let’s get you some sleep and we’ll pick up where we were once you feel refreshed.”

Bed, Bed. Warm snuggly wuggly bed. I can’t wait to begin my training and become an assassin like my father: saving the world, breaking heads, free running, Balthazar… Balthazar…..

*SNAP*

BALTHAZAR! HE WILL PAY FOR THIS! FOR EVERYTHING! I WILL HAVE MY VENGENCE!

Then again, revenge can wait. This bed is too snuggly, and I’ve been walking for about 15 hours today. “I deserve some rest” I thought closing my eyes.

------12 hours later-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I opened my eyes to find Le Duck sitting next to me on a chair reading a romance novel.

“Dude, haven’t you dated?” I asked him.

Startled he fell off the chair and dropped the book. Picking himself up he looked at me and said, “Glad to see your awake now. An assassin’s life can be a lonely one too.”

“Huh, well how long did I sleep for?” I asked.

“12 hours.” He simply replied.

“That’s nice… wait? 12 HOURS!?”

“Yep, now let’s hurry, can’t keep the Observer waiting!” He said pulling me up from bed.

“The Observer?”

Walking out the door and across the hallway Le Duck told me, “He’s the leader of the Assassins; he’s greatly trained and very wise. He also takes pride in keeping our tenants sacred and places them beyond everything we do.”

“Well that’s nice for him.”

“He’s also the one who will finally initiate you as an Assassin. He will give you contracts offered by that guy over there.” Le Duck said pointing to a strangely familiar pony with a mustache wearing a white coat hauling a bunch of mushrooms behind him.

“Oh no.” I said blankly, as the pony walked over to us knowing Le Duck pointed at him.

“ALLO! DUCK! IT’SA ME! MAREIO!” ecstatically said the doctor while hugging Le Duck.

“AND HELLO TO YOU TOO SHADOW! SMALL GALAXY, HUH?” said Mareio shaking my hoof.

“Shadow, I trust you already know who this guy is. Mareio here supplies the guild with contracts, contacts, commodities and mushrooms from all over Equestria. He’s not an assassin per ‘say but he is nonetheless the perfect guild member.” Smiled Le Duck.

Noticing his carts and especially the purple mushroom sitting in a glass safe I asked Mareio, “Hey? Why’s this mushroom locked in a cage?”

“DON”T TOUCH THAT!” he said quickly pushing me away from his stand.

“This mushroom, this MONSTROOM can be the END OF ALL of Equestria if it were EVER released!” shouted Mareio.

“It’s just a mushroom. Why don’t you destroy it if you hate it so much?” I asked.

“MAMA MIA! THAT’S JUST WHAT IT WANTS YOU TO THINK!”

“Umm… Shadow, he’s not joking. I’ve heard the legends of how most of Equestria was nearly destroyed.” Told Le Duck.

“And Mareio, it was good seeing you again. But my protégée here is about to join our ranks.”
Le Duck said dragging me off to a big circular door.

“OKEY-DOKEY! SEE YOU NEXT TIME!” waved Mareio.

-----------At the Great Door-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Le Duck opened the door and the room came into view.

Books lined the walls, the floor made of shining marble and a stone staircase leading to a mahogany desk filled the atmosphere with a sense of knowledge and responsibility.

At the desk sat an old grey stallion with a white beard wearing black robes and a hood covering up to his forehead. We approached him and Le Duck started to say, “Observer, here is-“

“CAN’T AN OLD MAN GET SOME QUIET? AS YOU CAN SEE… IM “OBSERVING” SOME DOCUMENTS RIGHT NOW- oh it’s you Le Duck and this must be your protégée. How enjoyed I was to hear of your arrival!”

What… I don’t even…So loud and angry then so calm and jolly. I need to sit down.

I walked to a bench on the side of the Observer’s Desk and sat, hands in my face trying to comprehend what just happened.

“Observer I’m sorry we had to distract you from your duties-“ said Le Duck before he was cut off from a signal of the Observer’s hand.

“Please Le Duck it’s no trouble at all, I only wish that these, DOCUMENTS DO AS THEY WERE TOLD TO DO!" shouted the Observer.

*SLAM*

The Observer hit his arm on the sheets of paper scattering them everywhere. With rage in his eyes he hollers, “GOD DAMN TAX PAPERS! ARRRGGG!”

Shocked. I’m shocked. This was the Observer? THIS was the head of the Assassins? TAXES!? When do we pay taxes if we live in a FRIGGAN MOUNTAIN!

Le Duck walked over to me with the Observer raging around in a circle and quietly whispered to me, “I know the Observer can seem a bit… strange, but he has been here longer than you and seen things most ponies can’t comprehend. Really he’s a nice guy, so come on and let’s get you initiated.”

I stood up and followed Le Duck back to the Observer who seemed to have quieted down a bit. Only by a bit.

“GRRRrrr…. Hello Shadow! So you want to join the Assassins, eh?”

“Umm… yes sir.”

“PLEASE! Call me Observer.”

“Ok then… Observer.”

“THAT’S THE SPIRIT! Now before I let you join our cause there are some things we need to clear up.” Said the Observer grabbing a list from the table.

*AHEM*

After clearing his throat he opened the list and page after page unfolded until the paper reached the end of the room.

“Now the 150 tenants of our guild starting from the least important to the most important rules to follow, and make sure you listen to every single one with the utmost care.” Said the Observer taking a deep breath in.

“Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep.” Le Duck whispered in my ear.

“TENANT 150: PLACE GARBAGE IN THE GARBAGE BIN THE HEADQUARTERS IS NOT A TRASH CAN.”

“TENANT 149: DON’T……………….”

“TENANT 81: DON’T ROB PEDESTRIANS WHEN THERE IS A PERFECTLY RICH GUARD OVER THERE”

“TENANT 69: WE DO NOT TALK ABOUT TENANT 69.”

“TENANT 13: AGAIN I CAN"T STRESS THIS ENOUGH. DO NOT, ABSOLUTELY DO NOT TOUCH THE PURPLE MUSHROOM. DAMN IT IF I HAVE TO GO THROUGH THAT AGAIN.”

“TENANT 4: WHEN TROLLING OTHERS GIVE SOME THOUGHT ABOUT IT INSTEAD OF QUOTING IT FROM A PONYTUBE VIDEO, MMMMMMMMMMM?”

“FINALLY TENANTS 3, 2, AND 1, DON’T COMPROMISE THE GUILD OR INNOCIENTS, STRIKE DISCREETLY, AND OUR MOTTO.”

Everypony in the room said it at once, “NOTHING IS TRUE, EVERYTHING IS PERMITED.”

“AND WE’RE…. done!” ending the Observer.

Oh Thank Celestia that’s over, I don’t think I can remember another-

“Now recite tenants 130, 68, 13, and 1.” Cheerfully said the Observer.

WHAT! CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP! I FELL ASLEEP THROUGH 130-15! ARRRRGGGHHH!

Just then my savior appeared. No it wasn’t Le Duck he was snoozing on the bench after saying his line. No it was… an eagle?

The eagle flew in from an open window behind the Observer and landed on his shoulder. The eagle then flew towards me and landed on my shoulder.

Aw how cu- ARGH!

The eagle’s claws were burrowing into my skin.

“AW I THINK HE LIKES YOU!” very cheerfully said the Observer.

“HAHAHA… NOW GET ON THE DESK ACE. I got some documents for you to get "rid" of.” He said waving the papers at the eagle.

The eagle swooped onto his desk and gave a very loud screech. *SCREE*

“Look, I know you hate documents as much as me… wait… no one hates documents as much as me… well anyways I need you to send these to the Princess.”

*SCREE*

“Come ON! Now you’re just being unreasonable! Ok… When she finishes reading the letters then you can… SHREAD THE DAMN BASTERDS!” he shouted throwing the documents on the table.

Ace gave a slight nod and grabbed the letters and flew out the window.

“So nice to see him again… anyways where were we?” the Observer asked me.

“Um… we finished the tenants.” I replied, not telling him I had to do my parts.

“Great! Would you like to listen to them again?” he said unrolling the tenant paper.

“NO!” shouted everyone in the room, causing Le Duck to fall off the bench who quickly scrambled up back to my side.

“Well, you don’t need to shout.” He said grabbing some stuff from a closet.

“Here you go Shadow your robes and I see you have your father’s hidden blade. Greg was a good pony.” He said handing me my robes.

“GREG!? THAT’S MY FATHER’S NAME!?” I burst out.

“Sure Greg was one of our best. He didn’t say his name a lot so I reminded him whenever I saw him.” Smiled the Observer.

Well, no wonder he seemed so pissed off when I asked what his name was.

“Now back then, the Assassin’s Guild used to cut off the left pony’s hoof when becoming an assassin. We don’t do that anymore, we like having 4 legs. Instead we put our symbol on the robes. HUZZAH!” he said pointing to the insignia on the robe.

“Thank you very much Observer.” I asked, pride now filling my eyes.

“Now like tradition whenever someone becomes an Assassin they need to take a leap of faith.”
He said while bringing me to the window.

“I realise that just like your father and your brother you have a passion for... falling off high buildings.” He said while opening the giant window.

“So I have one thing to say to you… BYE!” He cheerfully said.

He pushed me and I fell.

“ARGHHHHHHH! YOU DICK!” I shouted to him as I was falling down.

“HAHAHAHAHAHahahaha….” Laughed the maniacal Observer getting further away as I fell.

I looked behind me and sure enough a hay bale below me. I thought what the hell, might as well.

*LEAP OF FAITH*

The last thing I remembered before landing was…

Greg… lol.

Chapter 5: Renovations

Overlooking Applejack’s farm from the window of the 2nd floor, I stood on the windowsill looking at the grass ground below me as a gust of wind rippled across my robes, threatening to fell my escape.

Despite my injuries, this height is a cake walk.

I jumped off the windowsill and landed in a flawless roll execution. Patting my clothes clean I looked up towards the second story window I leaped from.

I’m sorry Applejack. But Balthazar is my problem, not yours or any other ponies. I don’t want to see you or any of my friends hurt. Celestia forbid this place to end up like Ponitaly.

I noticed the hill from before and took a moment to contemplate my thoughts, "Well… I can’t really leave here now. I’m still too injured to travel and I’m pretty sure those hallucinogenic mushrooms will wear off soon leaving me completely helpless. These ponies have helped me so much… I might as well watch over them, for now at least. I owe them that much."

As I began to trot away from the Apple family's farm a sudden realization hit me.

Wait.

I am not alone… Ace is still here! That must mean there are others out there! Our cause goes beyond reality and the boundary of morality. Those Templars would rid this village whether I’m here or not!

Of course exposing myself more than I need to would lead the Templars straight through Ponyville. After preparation and planning- maybe... maybe then Balthazar would fall and peace return to Equestria. It sounds too simple, it isn't. First I need to figure out a reliable base of operations, someplace no pony would ever figure out or even want to go to.

A devilish smile spread across my lips.

I know just where to set it all up…

--------At the Abandoned Clock Tower----------------------------------------------------------------

Making sure i wasn't watched by any prying eyes I tested the door knob of the ancient tower with my hoof.

Locked.

"That means this tower doesn’t get much use. It’s perfect for a hideout. Now how to get in?" I paced around looking for any alternative entrances but found there were none on ground level. "I think I remember a hatch on the roof, maybe it leads into the chamber below"?
"Still there is only one way to get up there."

I cracked my hoofs with anticipation and took a running jump onto the wall.

Ever since the race with Rainbow Dash I noticed how this building was easy to climb. Lots of out of place bricks, wooden beams, and even the outside clock handles work nicely if you're quick enough. It would be terrible if the clock handle went vertically parallel. My hoof slipped off the handle as it went vertical, releasing a panicked breath from me but I managed to grab onto the hour hand to prevent my falling demise.

"Whew...", I sighed with relief from my hanging position.

Either this clock tower is very old… or the ponies who built this didn’t know how to read a blueprint. Whatever the case, time kills.

Hauling myself onto the stoney roof I noticed an eagle was sleeping, nestled in his makeshift nest of paper and twigs. I let my better judgement take over and gave Ace a light pet and not a 'Good morning, it is not morning at all, how are you Ace!?', my eyes would've been clawed out by a sleep-deprived avian if I did.
I trotted over to the hatch of the roof, my hoof grabbed it's handle and lifted up as dust rolled off it from not being opened for so long, a creek revealed a darkened inner chamber connected via a ladder. Going flank first I descended my way down the wooden step holders to the inner dwelling of the clock tower.

Everything looked magical from what somepony could expect to see from a clock tower that hasen't been used in decades. Apart from the dustiness, sacks, crates lying everywhere, and bugs- lots and lots of bugs- there were a few plus sides that I was lucky to notice.

The place was completely insulated so it was the perfect room temperature all the time, inside the sacks were potatoes, "YAY!", and the glass window around the clock itself allowed natural light to fill the room with the glow of the night moon cascading down into this abandoned yet beautiful tower.

Why would anypony let this place get in such a run-down state. What a shame for something that could be so much more.

Oddly enough, the light was shining in such a way where it was possible to see everything in Ponyville; from Applejack’s farm to Fluttershy’s house by the woods.

When I looked up at the clock tower before racing Rainbow, I couldn’t see through or inside the glass windows. This building is completely abandoned from top to bottom. BENE!

I emptied some sacks and found straw in a few crates and made it into a makeshift bed, despite the cheapness of it, it was the best makeshift bed I've made in a while. The moment I laid my head onto the hay-filled pillow, feeling it's wonderful comforting sensations as all my troubles seemed to just wander away, the mushroom effects wore off.

“MY LEGS! MY ARMS! MY TAILBONE!” I shouted, knowing that no one would hear my agonizing cries.

*SCRAWK*

Or so I thought… nonetheless I shouted like a filly for the rest of the 4 hours before sleep overtook me.

----------Morning-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ooh, my body still feels like crap. What does Dr. Mareio put in those things?

I looked over to the glass window wearily and saw the morning light streaking through it, my head fumped back on the pillow in annoyance.

Morning already? That was quick, maybe Princess Celestia is messing with somepony again. Hehehe…

Hauling myself out of the poor excuse for a bed, my hoofsteps leqd me towards the clock window. Giving a loud yawn and a quick stretch as something in my body snapped receiving an unsatisfied grunt from my mouth.

Everypony was waking up to the sweet chirping birds flying through the summer wind. It was quite the sight, quite-

*SCREE*

The chirping stopped.

Forgetting that Ace needed to catch his breakfast every morning, I looked towards Sweet Apple Acres and despite how far it was, this place was definately the best for observing anything and everything in Ponyville.

No doubt Applejack is an early riser, but if she cared for me for the 2 days she must be exhausted. Guess my status is still incognito… eugh, what’s that sickening odor?

I sniffed at the air, then at the potatoes, then my clothes. It was my clothes- and me…

Great, now I can be the most odorous assassin in Equestria. I can’t just break into anypony’s house and use their shower...... or can I?

Noticing a lake near Fluttershy’s home I a simple thought came to mind, so simple yet so clever, “Hmmmm interesting…”

I knocked my grey hoof on Fluttershy’s cottage door, I heard frantic hoofsteps and a few moments later she answered.

“Oh hello Shado- AAAHHH!” shouted Fluttershy. She brought her hoofs towards her mouth stopping the screams of terror before quiety saying, "Sh-Shadow?"

I was covered from head to hoof in mud, to her I must've looked like a swamp monster, I quickly wipd a bit off splashing on her doorway as a smile formed on my mouth.

Honestly, you need to see the big picture.

Next to the lake was land, so in between there would be the semi-wet stuff, mud. Seriously, to bathe in a lake without any soap plus the threat of leeches sucking onto my skin left me nauseated. I need my blood!

Second, using the trigonomic ratios to pinpoint the distance from AJ’s farm to Fluttershy’s house and the fact that Fluttershy is quite shy so few ponies would come to her due to their shyness, I determined that I can make it to the lake then to Fluttershy’s house before Applejack told all her friends.

Yes I know I over-exploited Fluttershy, but like tenant 128 says, “Over-exploitation is for the weak and helpless, so be creative!”

Now feeling the withdrawel symptoms of the mushrooms, I was weaker and helpless than any pony in Ponyville.

And Fluttershy helps the weak and helpless.

Though I’m still inexperienced than most other assassins, after falling for 10,000 miles it can really clear your head. Make you think more about what you have in the world. A family, Assassin siblings, a city to call home.....

I have nothing.

“HAIL FLUTTERSHY!" I said eagerly to her before pretending to cough as if I was sick and plagued with a horrible respitory infection. "The medicine Dr. Mareio gave me had terrible side-effects!” I made myself sound so convincing that I was dying, this cheerful attitude is the perfect disguise!

“As you can see I’m covered in mud and I don’t know how that happened, so it is alright if I may use your shower very quickly to wash the mud off?” I said adding a smile towards the end.

“Well… I’m expecting Applejack… I hope you don’t mind… she’ll be here in a couple minutes. But I can’t turn down a poor hurt creature such as yourself, you can use my shower and when you get back I’ll give you some herbal remedies I made.” she timidly said showing me inside.

“Molto Grazie Fluttershy.” I said bowing before heading in after her.

I rushed off to the shower room and locked the door before another word was spoken. Surprisingly Fluttershy had a washer/dryer in the bathroom so I chucked my clothes into it

Turning on the shower I thought to myself biting my lip in frustration, "Merda! Applejack is going to be here soon. Which means when she notices I’m gone she’s going to run here faster to alert Fluttershy!"

I got the soap and quickly lathered and lathered as much as I can down my body until the smell of my fur sweat and all the mud residue was gone. With the shower still running I grabbed my robes from the washer and threw them into the dryer as fast as I could.

I quickly cleaned myself off with a towel, a ding was heard and I hastily grabbed my now puffy dry robes from the dryer and put the outfit on correctly, from robes to vambrace to boots. As soon as I finished I heard light tapping on the door.

“Shadow? Applejacks downstairs she wants to know… if your done… if umm its… not a bother,” said the voice of Fluttershy.

Crap, knowing in a few seconds Applejack herself will kick that door down, how can I escape- oh a window! A window in the washroom? Whatever, I’ll take what I can get.

“NO!” I shouted my panicked answer through the door as I hastily climbed out the window.

Immediately I was out, sprinting with all the might and speed I had.

If the Templars don’t kill me it would be Applejack… Damn mushrooms!

I felt a cramp in my leg and it was BAD.

I need to improvise; I can’t hide in a hay stack. I need to be creative…... wait that’s it!

I noticed a bridge leading from Fluttershy’s house back to town, and then I looked under the bridge, a suitable hiding place.

Perfect.

I dove under the bridge and waited, trying to slow down my rapid breathing and stay as quiet as I can. Hoofsteps could be heard from Fluttershy's and I pressed myself closr towards the brick wall of the bridge's underside as the sound of galloping came over me.

*CLIP-CLOP* *CLIP-CLOP* *clip-clop* *cli-op*

Breathing a sigh of relief and resting for a short bit from that excitement, I came up from the bridge and ran back to Ponyville.

Pulling my hood over my head I sat down on a bench outside the “Quill and Couch” store.
I closed my eyes and focused my hearing so I can hear everything in the general vicinity. My ears perked and twitched as I was brought to a new world to see through. The world of sound.

“That will be 4 bits." "Dang I don’t have enough, let me go home to get some more.”

“Mommy? Why am I a unicorn when you and dad are earth ponies?” "Well sweetie..... umm...."

Eventually I tuned myself from the conversations until I heard the voice of Twilight. I zoomed in my litening and overheard that she was talking to her 5 friends and Spike.

“Ok! We’ll split up and look around town. I’m pretty sure Shadow must be in town still because he’s still hurt. It’s only a matter of time before he’s well, he will then abandon us and this town and not likely ever come ba-“

“AND PROBABLY GET KILLED!” shouted Applejack seething with rage, hoping I was listening. I was, and a gulping noise escaped my throat.

“Applejack you need to stay quiet- for all we know he can be listening to us right now. Shh...”

“We all know what Shadow is and even if he is his last kind, I’m pretty sure our skills don’t match his,” she said tapping on something.

“A book?” I thought. “Maybe I should see what it is later…”

“WAIT!” shouted Pinkie Pie. “Now is his Get-Well Party! He can’t afford to miss that!” said Pinkie pie in determination as she hopped towards Sugarcube corner.

“PINKIE!" Twilight shouted after her but sighed as Pinkie was already long gone. "Ok, you 4 spread out while me and Spike try to get more information. Somepony's got to know if they seen him. No pony is invisible.”

I tuned my sound fields back around to me and opened my eyes.

Well, I never break promises. If the Assassins weren't invisible, we couldn't do our jobs. That's why to maintain our secracy we used to put our symbol outside the headuarters in big visible banners for all of Euetria to gaze down upon........ Alright maybe we're slightly invisible... metaphorically speaking. I should go and see Pinkie and make sure she DOESN'T see me.

Getting up from the bench I made my way towards Sugarcube Corner.
I passed from group to group of ponies, my chin raised upwards as I noticed Rainbow Dash flying overhead.

She can’t see me… she needs to work on that.

Up ahead I noticed Rarity was inspecting everyone going through that street, like a checkpoint.

Damn… I forgot how Rarity can notice foreign materials a mile away. I need to move fast.

Scanning around me I noticed an alleyway, I quickly weaved my way around the ponies towards it.

Dark and dank. Ah, almost like Ponitaly.

I looked up at the roofs overlooking me now safely concealed in shadow.

Ha ha, now I see. If I try to do any building climbing or free-running Rainbow would notice me right away. Luckily Sugarcube corner was right at the end of this alley.

Popping myself out from the alley I quickly dashed around the back of the gingerbread house building and noticed a basement hatch. I opened it and made my way down to a nicely lit basement.

There was baking materials everywhere I looked. Flour, wheat, frosting, eggs, everything needed to make delicious pastry dishes.

I found a pencil and some paper and wrote a note:

Dear Pinkie Pie,

I’m sorry I couldn’t attend your party today. But if you read this then it means I did come over to the best of my abilities. Right now, you and all your friends are out looking for me. Sure, I accept your challenge! Finding me will not be a cakewalk (haha cake…) and make sure you show your friends this next part.

My friends, I’m sorry I’ve been so secretive. I’m sure by now Applejack or Twilight would have told you who I am or you figured it out by yourselves. Know that I do my job for the greater good of all ponies. And that Balthazar has stolen something that can rip the foundations of life, not even Princess Celestia can stop. Again, I apologize for my erratic behaviour and showing of my skill. Just know that it was great to find new friends so far away from home even if it was for a short while…for my time being I’ll be watching over Ponyville, protecting it and all its citizens, this place truely is a haven.

When the TIME comes, then all will be made clear.

Nothing is true, everything is permitted.

Shadow-mark

P.s I left something in here for you Pinkie.

Putting a firecracker into the letter and rolling it up, I sneaked upstairs to the 1st floor.

I saw a sad grey Pinkie, her mane was deflated and tears were forming in her eyes, wearing a party hat in the decorated store. It tugged my heartstrings, I haven't felt this is a long time.

Taking the letter, my hoof tossed the letter in front of her and I quickly jumped through an open window as to not be seen by her. But I know her reaction will be what I expect.

A few moments later…

*POP*

“HEHEHEHEHEHE! THANKS SHADOW!” shouted Pinkie hoping that the near-invisible foreign pony was still somewhere around to hear her words.

I walked back to where Twilight addressed the group and sure enough she was still there with Spike holding the book looking bored, he yawned ready for a nap rather than standing around interrogating/questioning any passing ponies.

I grabbed a rock I considered to be equal the size of that book and walked behind Spike. Where I found this size of a rock on short notice is a mystery but do not question the forces behind it. This rock holds many powers indeed, including the one of gravity acting on a heavy freaking rock I'm trying to steathily swap.
Twilight was engaged in reading a book about “The Dark Arts” and didn’t notice me or Spike for that matter.

Ahh… a classic novel. True story really, now to carefully switch…

My hoof reached out behind the scaley dragon, persperation dropped down from my brow. I bit my lip in anticipation as my hoof lightly grasped the book. The beads of sweat were rolling down my cheeks, now was the time to act. With a lightning flash movement of pure reflex, I switched the book in Spike’s hand with the useless rock subtitute.

SUCCESS!

Ducking back into cover with both of them not knowing what just happened, my hoofs took the trip back towards the clock tower door with the book tucked under my good wing.

I can’t climb the building without attracting Rainbow’s attention. Wait… I saw Le Duck do this once on a locked chest.

I extended my blade into the building’s lock and fumbled around the tumblers a bit. Eventually the lock itself fell off as if it was the most pickable lock to ever be picked.

I’m a master lock picker!

I looked closely at the lock and found that it was actually slashed in half by my blade from my crude friction method and lack of skill.

What a shame. Guess my skills didn't level up..... I must pick more often, next time a Templar bank perhaps!

I opened the door and appeared on the first floor of the tower. I went up the stairs until the path was cut off.

Literally the stairs weren’t there anymore, only a bunch of wooden beams and remnants of stair handles were still left in place.

FREE RUNNING TIME!

I hopped to the 1st wooden beam sticking out from the side. Instead of there being normal stairs this was a makeshift staircase of beams and handles, that weren’t that difficult but rather fun.

Now seeing a ladder I leaped for the platform and just barely managed to hang off from it. I pulled myself up and up the ladder.

I appeared in the same chamber that I spent the night in before. My pathetic straw bed caught my sights and instantly a wave of exhaustion hit me. I took of my hood wearily and collapsed onto my bed.

Pulling out the book I exchanged a rock for from Spike, my hoofs skimmed over some diagrams, skipping them from being overly detailed but I stop immediately as my eyes noticed some key components.

I read the pages.

Assassins, Templars, The Observer, and designs of weird contraptions.
Wait is that....?

It was a sketch of a hidden blade, MY hidden blade. It showed how to make them, the background information of how they're used and what they were intended for.

Skimming through the pages more with my hoof I noticed a rather strange vehicle, I angled the book left, then right, and upside down too.
It looked like a giant bat with oversized wings.

I wouldn’t want to come across that thing in the dark.

Huh, Twilight did a lot of work in just one day. I wonder if she can handle contracts and letters.

Nah, it’s probably Spike writing everything down. He's diligent but he really should work on his own esteem and independance. Even if he is a baby, he seems pretty grown up for his age. Reminds me of myself.

I put the book aside and closed my eyes on my hay pillow, it was not comfortable and not one I expected from a bed made of potato sacks and decade-old hay.

I woke up hazily and noticed the sun was gone and replaced by the moon instead, shining through the glass window.

Strange, I feel refreshed and it’s the dead of night. Insomnia perhaps?
I looked at the reverse clock handles and counted the time. 10pm.

Guess it’s safe to get out then, Rainbow Dash properly wouldn’t see anything running around at night.

I went to the roof via the ladder and looked over to Ace's nest which was occupied by the gallant eagle. He was snoozing peacefully.

Awwwwww.

Then I noticed the pile of bird carcasses on the other side of him.

Aw…Ewwwwwwww.

I looked over Ponyville and scanned it from left to right but suddenly my ears pick up on something .

*AIIIIEEEEEE!* GET AWAY YOU SONS OF A-

Someone is in danger! Where, oh where… THERE!

I saw Dr. Mareio surrounded by 3 bandits at the town square. He was beaten up and his cart completely wrecked.

I spread out my wings and jumped.

Sure I can’t fly but at least I can glide. Glad I practiced this before my “wing” incident.

Heading straight for a bandit I dived towards them and reached my hooves out for the impact, 3..2..1.

My hoofs collided with his face as he was sent flying though the street and collided further with a streetlamp.

“What!? NO! You’ll pay for that!” said a big green coloured bandit pulling out a sword from his sheath.

A slightly smaller purple coloured bandit pulled out a dagger.

“What are you nervous? ARE YOU?” snickered the purple bandit as he waved his small sharp object at me.

I ran up to the purple pony and kneed him in the chest. I pulled his cloak over his head and stuck his dagger through it into the ground, his head was trapped and to no avail of his struggles, he couldn't escape with the dagger wedged in the ground.

Seeing how his friend was stuck the big green pony charged me with his sword drawn to the side.

“YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT!” he said approaching his target, bringing his sword down.

“No. You are.” I responded stepping on his sword, canceling his attack.

Immediately, I reached out for his hoof and grabbed it.

*SNAP*

“ARRRGGGHH! MY ARM!”

I threw him down and landed my back hoof on his chest.

*CRACK*

“AGRH! MY RIBS!”

I stood over his helpless body and arced my hoof fist-like.

*PAUNCH*

A knock-out.

The smaller purple pony now freed himself by ripping his cloak and noticed the other bandits. One was knocked out with broken ribs and a leg, while the other had made a dent in the streetlamp.

“I…I.. can still take you!” he nervously said.

I pulled out my hidden blade and showed him it's glimmering metallic luster within the moonlight, a raised eyebrow was all it took to break him.

“NO! I don’t want to die!” he shouted running away from Ponyville and never to return.

My hidden blade retracted into it's vambrace as I went over to help Dr. Mareio back to his hooves. We picked up all his remaining mushrooms, making sure not to directly touch the purple one which was sealed inside a glass box. We both knew of the consequences should it re-open.

That is one memory I wish to forget.

“THANK YOU SHADOW! YOU’VE BEEN A GREAT HELP TO ME!” shouted Mareio.

I noticed a crowd of ponies forming around us and more importantly I saw her, Applejack within them.

“HI APPLEJACK!” I waved to her non-chalantly.

“Ok Mareio here’s your chance to get some customers.” I whispered to him before giving him a friendly pat on the back.

Seconds later, his shouts echoed through the town, “50% OFF EVERYTHING!”

A mass of ponies filled the space between me and Applejack and I dashed into an alleyway.
Knowing Applejack would follow me I quickly climbed the building till I reached its roof.

Hopping from building to building I reached my safe house and went to the door. The door-knob didn't budge, I slammed my body against the door and it still didn't.

Locked once again.

What? Didn't I break it? Ok then, the roof I must go.

Reaching the top of the tower (it was much faster now that I done it a few times but for some reason, wait why is there grass here?), I opened the hatch and cautiously dropped down with my hidden blade out to what awaited me below.
The room was pitch-black, my vision didn't have enough time to adjust as I bumped my hoof against a chair, receiving a mutter of a Ponitalian swear under my breath.

Immediately lights flooded the room, blinding me.

“SURPRISE!”

I was greeted by 6 ponies in a nicely decorated interior adorned with Assassin logo banners, a more comfortable bed, fireplace, a desk made out of mahogany, and many more sets of furniture and decorations that I could not comprehend how uikly everything was set up. My mouth hang agape.

“Were you surprised? Were you? Were you?” said Pinkie as she jumped up and down next to me.

“I…I’m shocked…H-How?”

“Well you see yesterday when you left Pinkie that letter we had to do something.” Said Rainbow Dash.

“So we all went together and got stuff for the new hideout.” Said Applejack.

“I got the desk, books and paper!” said Twilight.

“Oh, speaking of books.” I said giving her book back to her, a confused expression caught her face as she wondered how I obtained it to begin with.

“I did the décor you see.” Said Rarity pointing towards the banners and atmosphere of the room.

“I..I got you the roof garden.. do you like it?” nervously asked Fluttershy.

“I took out all those boring potatoes and replaced it with real food! ALSO CRAFTING TABLES!” ecstatically said Pinkie.

“And I made everything 20% cooler!” Rainbow Dash said feeling quite highly of herself.

“Wow I really appreciate this… from all of you, but why me?” I asked, this kindness I haven't experianced in ages.

“That’s what friends do! When we need help we don’t run away, we stay and work together!” said Applejack bringing her hoofs out to remind me what they all did to the room.

“I noticed all your skills and you’d all make great specialist assassins but I couldn’t bear to see my friends get hurt like last time."
"This is real killing, meaning you will actually MURDER somepony."

"This isn’t a game.” I coldly said.

“Well of course not, sugar cube! After hearing your story and your letter, we can’t allow these… Templars to take over Equestria.” Said Applejack.

“It would make everyone UN-HAPPY!” protested Pinkie.

“This is about making sacrifices. That’s why we all want to be assassins. Princess Celestia even recommended it!” said Twilight, receiving some gasps including from

Wow! The Princess herself, maybe things are worse than I thought… well then.

“Ok then! I will train you in the arts of my lineage to be assassins. Together, we will win."

*YEAH!*

“First, we still need to do some more……………..Renovations.”

Chapter 6: Memories- First Contract

Dear Celestia! What is wrong with the Observer? His split personality and his insanity nearly killed me! Why would the assassins be led by that maniacal dictator!? Seriously, is everyone here insane!?

I was lying face first in a pile of hay; I looked up towards the window to where I was thrown off from. Then I noticed the distance between the window and the hay bale, I turned around to find myself halfway down Ponitaly’s rocky mountain.

It’s amazing how I fell down half the mountain and landed in this 3 metre stack of hay unscathed. Is… is the Observer really that skilled?......Nah, I’ve always been aerodynamic. Besides Free-runner could have done that without skipping a heartbeat.
Free-runner… I’m sorry.

I sat on the hay pile contemplating my thoughts for what appeared to be ten minutes until I saw Le Duck casually walking from the side road.

“Get up! We have a long hike back up to the headquarters!” he shouted motioning me to come over to him.

Still in shock I rushed over toward Le Duck and gave him a hug with my face pressed within his robe shouting and crying.

“Wow… I didn’t think the initiation would hurt you so much.” Said a surprised Le Duck.

I released all the emotions I had endured for the past week.

“MY ENTIRE FAMILY IS DEAD! FATHER, MOTHER, FREE-RUNNER! WHY HIM? HE NEVER DID ANYTHING WRONG! BALTHAZAR IS A SICK BASTERD! I WISH HE’D JUST DIE! I WANT TO AVENGE MY FAMILY! AND ALL YOU GUYS DO IS SPEAK ABOUT USELESS TENANTS, USELESS MUSHROOMS AND THE PERSON IN CHARGE IS AN INSANE HOMICIDAL JERK WHO THROWS ASSASSINS OFF CLIFFS FOR NO REASON! AND-“

“ENOUGH!” shouted Le Duck.

“You may not realise this but the Observer has more skill than you can possibly imagine. The tenants were made with specific purposes in mind that don’t just aid you but the guild as well as the citizens of Equestria! Just like you I was thrown from the very same window ledge overlooking the same cliff and the same amount of hay and I’m Alive aren’t I?” said Le Duck.

“And Shadow.” He said looking at me at eye level.

“Not all your family is dead….. You still got the Assassin’s Guild as well as me.”

Wait… did I just see the faintest hesitation from Le Duck?

“What about Dr. Mareio?” I asked.

“Oh, praise Celestia he’s not. He’s not really a member of the family. Let’s say…. he’s…. like your…. Your next door Neighbor!”

We both laughed the pain in my heart easing.

“Shadow.” Said Le Duck placing his arm around me. “We’ll get Balthazar. But you need to see that revenge isn’t the answer. You don’t want to let it consume you and control your life. Believe me, I experienced that.”

Le Duck going ballistic over revenge? What could have made him go over the edge?

“It’s getting late; let’s head back to the guild, Assassin.” Smiled Le Duck.

Great I can’t wait to get inside my warm snuggly bed. Falling like that can take a lot out for somepony who witnessed his family’s murder. I hope I won’t fall like that anytime soon.
Who knows? Instead of 5,000 feet it could be 10,000 feet.
Ha! No way will that happen!

We hiked back up the mountainside along the way I noticed a magnificent waterfall flowing through a forest brimming with exotic colourful creatures ranging from toucans to birds of paradise. I saw a group of eagles together, a family.

I wonder if they’re Ace’s family as well. In this area I guess everyone’s family.

Looking up, I saw the Assassin’s headquarters from the outside. It looked like a fortress with an enormous cross-hatched gate. Fortifications ran the walls and the inside of the fort features a wide open field adorned with a central fountain and stone walkways.

“On your left is the training hall and armory and on your right is the guild library.” Said Le Duck pointing first towards a dirt patch surrounded by a low stone wall, then to a tall triangular tower with stained glass windows.

A stereotypical training location and a wizard’s tower, not bad. I could learn more about the Assassins at the library, and I could train at the training grounds (duh). Who would train me though? The Observer? Celestia I hope not. Dr Mareio? AH! THAT’S EVEN WORSE!

I turned to Le Duck and asked him, “Who will train me?”

“Don’t worry Shadow, I will train you! I’ve seen your skills around Ponitaly, I know that you can free run but I’ll teach you everything else to become a true Assassin.” Cheerfully said Le Duck.

“Awesome.” I said as we entered the Guild hall and turned to the barracks.

“Goodnight Shadow.”

“Goodnight Le Duck.” I said closing the door to my room.

I jumped on the bed and saw the romance novel Le Duck was reading before.

Well, Im not that tired yet… lets see.

I flipped open the book and read a part from the 3rd chapter where Le Duck left his bookmark.

Edzeo leaned closer to Catherina and whispered in her ear, “Would you like to see my hidden blade?”

“Oh Yes!” shouted Catherina.

Edzeo took out his “hidden blade”.

“Oooo, Impressive…”

“I’m rather fond of it myself.”

I closed the book before it would scar me for life and tucked it under my bed.

I’ll get rid of you later, now I can see why going to sleep is good for you.

I closed my eyes and let the wave of unconsciousness overtake me.

*One Week Later*

I ran up to Le Duck at the training grounds who was impatiently waiting for me.

“15 minutes.” He grumpily said.

“Yes I know mentor, but-”

“NO EXCUSES!” shouted Le Duck.

“I know you’re caught up in your reading but-“ said Le Duck pulling something out from his sleeve.

“THIS! IS NOT AN EXCUSE!” he said showing me a burnt romance novel.

Damn! I was sure the flame trap would have finished it off. WHY DO YOU STILL EXSIST!

“Now then today-“ Le Duck started.

He was interrupted by an assassin running towards us.

“Whew, Shadow-mark, Le Duck. The Observer wants to see you, something about Shadow’s first contract?” said the assassin.

“Thanks Paul. Well, well Shadow looks like it’s finally time for you to spread your wings.”

I nodded and we went towards the Observer’s office.

Entering the pristine office I noticed the Observer shouting at Ace.

As usual…

I then noticed a pink coloured assassin wearing her white robes leaning on the wall with a bow on her back near the Observer.

Wait… I know her… but from where?

We approached the Observer’s desk just as his hoof hit the desk.

*WHAP*

“Ace listen to me…very…closely……YOU WILL SUBMIT TO MY IDEA OF LOCALIZATION , SO HELP ME CELESTIA THAT I WILL TEAR YOUR WINGS OFF AND STUFF YOU AS AN ORNAMENT UPON MY DESK! … Oh, well hello there Shadow!"
"I and Ace here were simply discussing philosophical boundaries between time, space, and accounting principles. Eh…What do you need?” softy said the Observer.

“Umm… you wanted to see me about my first contract?” I asked.

“What? Hmmmmm… AH! Of course! You need to kill a corrupt minister by the name of- Fumbles… or was it Rumbles? I don’t know. He is in Ponitaly so make it as quick as you can! You will have a partner to accompany you,” he said with both hooves pointing towards the leaning assassin on the wall.

I went over to her and asked, “Did we meet before? Because I’m sure I gave you something or something?”

“We met when you gave me the package back in Ponitaly. Well just to save time, I’m Sniper-shot and you’d better not be in my way when I strike. Meet me at the Church of Domes, assuming you even know where that is… newbie.” she said to me as she gently shoved me aside with her hoof and left the office.

Well that was rude. And NEWBIE? Ohohohoho, with my rebelious teenage past and a no-nonsense training from Le Duck, I was far from being a lower level!

“Well? What are you waiting for newbie? I’m not going to kill this guy for you!” said the Observer.

It’s Time….

“Hey Observer! Do you want to know what I have right here for you?” I taunted him.

“OOOOOOOOOOH! I LOVE SURPRISES!” cheerfully clapped the Observer.

“REVENGE!” I shouted performing a jump kick towards his head.

In an instant I went from attacking the Observer to lying on my back with the Observer overtop me. He pulled out not 1 but 2 hidden blades from opposite hands and brought it towards my neck.

“You should have learned Shadow, that at my skill I could kill you in 25… 26 different ways right now.” He whispered to me.

I gulped.

“Thats without my hidden blades… and someday if you keep training you can get… 2 BLADES AT THE SAME TIME!" he cheerfully said while pulling me back to my feet.

He brought me to the window around his desk and cheerfully said, “But until then you are stuck training and studying like the rest of the assassins! And Shadow?”

“Umm… ya?” I nervously said, still shocked from the near-death experience.”

He opened the window and said to me, “You ever do that again… I’LL GET ACE TO CLAW OUT YOUR INTESTINES SO I CAN JUMP ROPE WITH THEM WHILE BALANCING MY WORKSHEET!....... Understand?”

“YES SIR!” I saluted him.

“Good, now then… GOOD LUCK!” he said throwing me out the window.

Crap. Here we go again.

This time I didn’t scream down and I distinctively thought I heard “Newbie” in the distance.

I landed in the hay stack as squarely as the first time. Instead of taking the long way to Ponitaly I simply scaled the mountain downwards until I found another haystack. Approaching the city gates, I arrived back to where it began.

My home.

The villa was completely ruined, the windows were broken, the house was ransacked and almost everything was burned to the ground. It was as if my family died in a horrible house fire. If only the truth wasn’t worse. I couldn’t find my family among the carnage of the wreaked house. To be expected I suppose, after all I'm the only one who knows where they've gone. The city would never know and everypony would be left clueless and continue their days as if nothing happened.
All I found was a book with images of seals on the cover. I carefully opened the near destroyed book and read the contents.

It explained how there were 6 hidden crypts scattered all across Equestria and each one contained a seal.

It means there has to be something that requires those seals. How peculiar… Interesting there is a mention of the crypt hidden under Ponitaly.

I read the last visible line of the book,
“When all are made whole, will the reward appear where it first began.”

This seems important I might as well take it. I stored the book in my robe. Now the fastest way to the Church would be the rooftops, simple enough.

-----------5 minutes later-----------------

“GET THE BASTERD!” shouted a city guard.

Seriously? How was I supposed to know they stationed more guards on the roofs?

I dashed across a balcony and grabbed onto a lamp swinging me to the other side. Continuing jumping across various barrels, wooden beams and ivy bars I made my way back up to the rooftops of Ponitaly. I looked behind me and saw no one chasing me.

“Whew, I lost them.” I panted.

“NOPE!”

A guard snuck behind me and tried to stab me with his rapier. I counter-dodged and flung my hidden blade into the base of his skull. His body fell down in a heap.

“Damn, at least that’s the last-“

“MURDERER!” shouted another guard accompanied by 2 others, rage filling their eyes.

Crap! Wait I’m in Ponitaly… merde!

Suddenly the 3 guards stopped in their tracks and dropped dead. Arrows sticking out in all their backs.

“Noob.” Said an all-too familiar voice.

Sniper-shot yanked the arrows out of the guards and quivered them.

“Seriously Shadow? Tenants 77, 13, and 2!?”

“Hey I didn’t hit that old lady! And excu-use me prin-“

“Tenant 4.” Said Sniper-shot shaking her head.

“Argh, enough, let’s just get this guy Fumbles was it?” I asked her.

“Guild master was right, Fumbles is a corrupt minister who passed many laws allowing the Templar organization better access around the city, such as couriers and these extra guard patrols.” She said kicking to the body of the deceased guard.

“Do you know where he is?” I asked.

“When I was looking around the dome waiting for you, I found out that a group of key Templar personal are having a secret meeting under this very church. Of course they won’t just let us in and I’m sure they are in a hidden room to ensure maximum protection.”

“Wait. I think there are catacombs that run under the city, there might be a passage that leads to the hidden area.” I explained to her.

“MIGHT?” she asked.

“It’s our only option if we want to know what their meeting is about.” I reasoned with her.

“Fine. I’m sure that sewer grate over there leads towards the catacombs.” She said pointing to a grate on the city floor.

--------Under the City-----------------------

“Yuck there are dead ponies everywhere!” I said nearly tripping on a skull of a unicorn.

“SHH! Do you hear that?” she said motioning me with her hoof.

Around the corner were 4 guards, 2 regular militia, a captain and one wearing a winged cap.

A Scout, damn I hate scouts. The only ponies that can actually run faster than me, not for Free-runner though.

I carefully sneaked with Sniper-shot around the corner until we could hear what they’re saying.

“- and that’s why we’re stuck here for the next 2 hours, Luigi. If you leave now then we won’t be paid.” Said the guard captain to the scout.

“Very well, but if I hear anything I’ll run to the other guard post so help me Celestia!” said the scout as he went away towards an open gate.

“Any ideas?” I asked Sniper-shot.

“I’ll take the captain out with my arrow then you run straight for the scout before he reports to the other base.” She said drawing out an arrow.

*Zing*

The arrow went through the captain’s head and he fell. The 2 militia guards were stunned and the scout began to run.

“SHADOW AFTER HIM! I”LL TAKE CARE OF THESE 2 GUARDS!” shouted Sniper-shot pulling out her sword.

I sprinted as fast as I could; shoving the 2 guards out of the way I go through the wooden gate.

With the wind rushing through my hood I see the scout run towards a second gate and flip a lever closing the gate behind him. I chose an alternate path and scaled a wall onto a platform, where I can see the scout running though the floor underneath me. I jump trying to land an air assassination.

Missed.

He runs now jumping onto old stairs which crumble beneath him. I notice a lamp and jump towards it as it swings onto a wall I climb my way up. I thought I lost distance from doing that but I was closer to the scout than he realised.

Unfortunately for my luck a boulder fell from the ceiling and landed in between him and an opening. I noticed some boxes to the left and jumped on those to reach a small gap in the wall behind. I dove through and saw the scout was almost to the other guard post. I sprinted with all my might to a platform directly above him.

Let’s hope it works this time.

Running out of platform I leaped in the air onto the scout and stabbed him in the neck. He lay dead.

*Whew*

I reach the guard post and noticed they were in a middle of playing a card game.

“Got any unicorns?” “Go Pony.”

I sneaked my way around and came towards a small door; I opened it and found myself in a dimly lit room with voices in the distance. I edged my way to the voices, which I found where on the floor below me. I looked through a hole in the wall and saw a group of various ponies all from different places around Equestria.

“So Fumbles, I trust you convinced the city council to ignore our plans.” Asked a light blue stallion with a dark-blood-brown mane, covered in fine robes of a nobel and with a black star cutie mark towards a yellow pony.

Balthazar…

“Yes my master. The council was easily swayed by my… contributions.” Answered Fumbles

“Volcanous and Je Suis, what do you have?” asked the stallion to a bulky red stallion with a blacksmith hammer and a darker blue unicorn wearing a monocle.

“Oui Master. We have everything your troops require: weapons, armor, and technology. With all la finest craftsmareship from Maris and Gerpony.” Answered the dark blue unicorn.

“Gut Work.” Said Balthazar towards the red one who smiled hearing Gerponian so far from home.

“And what about you Dave?... Dave?” asked the light-blue stallion talking to an icy-white unicorn wearing glasses, a casual white shirt, black jeans and a business tie. A pony with a low-ranking business position that I ever saw. He was looking right at me through the hole.

He smiled.

I darted my head back just realizing my cover was blown.

“Dave? Are you ok?” I heard Fumbles ask.

“Yes.... I thought it was the wind. Now if you’d all excuse me.”

*CRACK* *WHOOSH*

I quickly popped my head back up to the hole and saw Dave was gone from the rest of the group.

“HE IS’D VERY ODD ACCOUNTANT!” boomed the red stallion.

“Be careful what you say Volcanous. He is much more powerful than you think. Besides you should be honored he took out some of his time to see the rest of us!” said a dark green hooded pegasus mare.

“Silence, WingBlade! I know as his personal guard you speak highly of him, but now is not a time to quarrel. Now is the time to PLOT!” enforced Balthazar with a stamlp of his hoof.

“MWA MWA MWAHAHAHAHA!” laughed the light blue stallion.

“HAIL BALTHAZAR! HAIL THE TEMPLARS!” shouted every pony in unison.

Either it was the shout or I thought the wall behind me jiggled a bit. I examined it and fell through a revolving stone door. A chamber sprawled across my view with a statue of a pony holding something in its hoof.

A seal?

I picked up the seal and stowed it away in my other pocket. I saw a sewer grate above me and I climbed to the surface of a street corner. I immediately noticed Sniper-shot pacing around back and forth under a streetlamp as I closed the grate.

I walked over to her and said, “There were many ponies all together, I think they were all Templars. They said something about weapons for troops and bribing the city to ignore them. It looked like they were all lead by Balthazar.”

“BALTHAZAR!? HE'S HERE!? We need to see the Observer NOW!” shouted Sniper-shot as she dashed away from me.

“WHAT ABOUT FUMBLES?” I chased at her.

“F**K FUMBLES!”

Was it really that easy to quit a contract?

Chapter 7: Training

----------A couple of days later…-----------------

I’m sitting at my mahogany desk writing off the list of things needed to completely call this an Assassin Hideout.

Enough hidden blades and assassin robes for everyone…

I looked over to the weapons counter and saw several shining blades and assassin clothing, courtesy of Rarity who got the designs from Twilight’s book.

Check.
These are really good quality. I’m impressed with Rarity’s attention to detail.

I headed towards the door where we recently installed the broken stairway of the clock tower.
As of today, the stairway has been repaired so instead of having to climb broken railings, wooden beams and scaffolds we can easily climb up the new stairs.

Check.

I headed back towards the centre of the main chamber and looked around me. There were 7 stations (including my desk, my mahogany desk) each tailored to their respective ponies.

Twilight’s station had a built in library lined with assassin tomes and invention sketches, there is even a little workspace for Spike who can do most of the bookkeeping.
Fluttershy had a miniature garden and assortment of flowers and plants. If need be she can also collect ingredients from the roof garden as well as various areas around Ponyville. She also has a cabinet filled with alchemic devices, medicines and poisons.

Pinkie Pie’s area featured a sign specifically saying, “DANGEROUS MATERIALS! DON”T MAKE ANYTHING NEW WITHOUT APPROVING WITH SHADOW-MARK. THAT INCLUDES YOU PINKIE.”
Besides the giant warning sign there were cabinets lined with various substances and bombs. From simple smoke bombs to shrapnel shells, Pinkie had pretty much everything to make anything.

Pray Celestia, we don’t get a hole in the wall… Or something worse…

EPIC FORESHADOWING

Rarity’s station had everything needed to repair anything you need. She can even make weapons with pristine accuracy and attention to detail; turning a butter-knife into a dangerous rapier. There is no questioning, there is only…Rarity. Asides from a repair station she also has a huge contact list for everypony whose anypony on her desk.

Rainbow-Dash’s station is where our armory is located as well as our weapons cache. Her station has maps from everywhere around Equestria. It’s a bit barren but only because she prefers to work outside.

Or nap on a cloud for the whole day.

Applejack had told me in the beginning that she just wanted a desk and nothing too fancy. So her station ended up looking even more barren than Rainbow’s. Rarity couldn’t stand to see it like that, by adding a few couches and a pygmy apple tree Applejack’s station looked better than it did before.

Finally there was my office at the front of the glass window of the clock tower. It was pretty basic as far as everything else. I had 2 small bookshelves on each side of the window, a puffy bed with a real pillow this time at the edge of the window. But most importantly my desk. My beautiful, beautiful mahogany desk.

Everyone had a desk or worktable of their own, but theirs was made of maple. Mine is the true mahogany…

Finally the most important thing of all in the entire hideout, and no it’s not Ace’s quarters (we gave him a sheltered coop with connects to our chamber below).

I looked down and felt it against my hooves.

CARPET!

Checking of the last of my list I carefully shuffle my way across to my bed and lie my head down.

Training begins tomorrow, how exciting! I just hope everyone will be here on time or else my strict training schedule will be useless. Now to go over the plan 1 more time…

-------5am--------------

“ATTENTION!” I looked at the 6 ponies and dragon in front of me as I addressed them from my desk.

Twilight had bags under her eyes and was carrying a full sack of books with her with Spike sleeping on her back.
Applejack was raised on a farm so it was a cakewalk to wake up this early in the day.
Pinkie was peppy and bouncing across the room.

Must be the sugar.

Fluttershy was nudging Rainbow Dash who was fast asleep.

“Rainbow… Rainbow…” nudged Fluttershy.

“Huh? *YAWN*” stretched Rainbow Dash.

“Why are we here so early in the morning anyway?” she asked me.

“SILENCE MAGGOT!” I shouted in my commander voice.

Everyone went quiet.

“You are here because YOU want to be an assassin. Well… IT’S NOT THAT EASY!” I slammed my hoof on the table.

“Your body and mind needs to be disciplined in such a way that can utilize both your skills and your unique talents!”

“By following Shadow’s NO-NONSENSE TRAINING PROGRAM, you can have the necessary skills needed to become an assassin.”

“Now I know how scary it is to commit murder. BUT! In doing so do we save the lives of hundreds of thousands of ponies! I’m not expecting you to just run around and start killing ponies, no you all need to realise this is for the greater good! The good of Equestria! The good-“

“WE GET IT!” shouted everypony.

Perhaps I gone a little overboard, maybe I should start off with something easy.

“Very well, training begins… NOW!”

“YA! Let’s start fighting!” shouted Rainbow Dash.

“No Rainbow, before we fight, we need to learn. Applejack do you have that apple I asked for?”

“Umm… ya but I don’t know why’d you need one of em.” She said passing the apple to me.

“Being an assassin is always about improvisation, planning ahead and staying true to our creed. Now turn around so I can hide the apple.” I motioned the ponies.

They all turned around and when I made sure they weren’t looking I hid the apple in my hiding place.

“Ok, you can turn back now. I’ve hidden the apple somewhere in this room. Your first test is to find it.” I told them.

“This will be easy as pie!” said Pinkie.

-----------10 minutes later----------------------

Boxes were overturned everywhere, everyone’s workstation was a mess, and documents were spread all over the carpet. Had we kept the potato sacks, we’d be having French fries and mashed potatoes for dinner.

“ARG! I CAN’T FIND IT!” shouted Rainbow Dash.

“Keep looking, it’s got to be here somewhere.” Said Applejack shoving her face in a desk drawer.

They’ll get it soon enough it’s only a matter of time-

“Wait! It must be with Shadow!” shouted Twilight.

Everypony ran towards me at lightning speed.

Uh Oh. This can’t end well.

*CRASH*

We were all paved out on the floor tired and exhausted.

“PLEASE! Just tell us where it is!” pleaded Rarity.

“Ok! Since you asked.” I cheerfully smiled.

“WHAT? JUST LIKE THAT!?”

I walked over to Applejack’s pocket and pulled out the apple where it was originally stored.

Everypony had their mouths open.

“For an assassin the easy way will get you killed, the hardest way will cost you the most time, while the best is what others won’t notice.” I said a line from the How to be an Assassin guidebook.

“Looking everywhere had cost you time and thinking it was me was a step in the right direction, but the simplest answers lie in front while the improvising lies behind.” I said pointing to my flank.

“But how did you..?” asked Twilight.

“Like I said an assassin needs to think on the spot. Now get up all of you. We’ll do the next lesson outside.” I said while we helped each other to our hooves.

----Outside-----------------

“Ok everyone! It is 6:00am right now and for the next 4 hours I will teach you the basics of free running which is the stuff I showed you how to easily get from one place to another.” I said to everyone with the sun rising past the horizon.

“Now before we begin I need to ask you something. How did you all get to the clock tower chamber in the first place? I mean the stairs were out and I’m pretty sure most of you didn’t climb.” I asked them.

“Well as a Pegasus that CAN fly; I flew onto the rooftop with Fluttershy.” Boasted Rainbow Dash.

Oh no she didn’t! But seriously that hurt a bit.

“Me and Rarity used our unicorn magic to teleport to the top of the tower.” Said Twilight.

“What about Ace? Didn’t he try to stop you?” I asked them suspiciously.

“You have a nice eagle Shadow. I was talking to it and asking what it was doing on the tower in the first place.” Said Fluttershy.

“Well he went, *swack*. Oh, but what he was saying was, he was waiting for you.” She answered.

Ace was waiting? How did he know I would fail in my mission? Guess that eagle is smarter than I thought. Guess the old Observer really did train him well.

I looked towards Pinkie and Applejack and asked, “How did you two get up? You don’t have wings or magic.”

“Unlike everypony, I did go through the broken-down stairs and climbed my way up there.” Said Applejack.

Really!? Applejack seems to have more athletic skill than I thought and the way how shes honest to everypony and stubborn towards every challenge that lies before her. She has the true makings of an assassin.

“I BROKE THE 4th WALL!” cheerfully shouted Pinkie.

“Well that’s a useful skill; I’m surprised you know how to do it.” I said casually.

“WHAT!?” everypony shouted.

“Yes, the old assassin leader, the Observer did it all the time. He has...had great skill and wisdom… I only wish he was alive so he could share it with us.” I said sadly.

I looked to the sky and noticed a cloud. It was unlike any cloud I’ve seen before. It…it was the Observer.

“HEY SHADOW!”

“AHH! HE’S HAUNTING ME FROM THE DEAD!” I terrifyingly shouted.

“Hey Shadow! Chill out!” said Rainbow Dash.

Whew, it was Rainbow. At least I’m not being haunted-
“YOU EVER FORGET WHO I AM AND I WILL START HAUNTING YOU! Now go have some fun!”

What the fu-----------

I warped myself back to reality and said to the 6 who were all impatient from waiting, “OK! Let’s Free RUN!”

“First you need to run towards your wall not jump on it, then you reach out……..”

--------2 hours later-------------------

“Not bad Twilight!”
“You need to reach further Rarity!”
“Fluttershy stop hiding, and climb the damn wall!”
“Pinkie?... You know what I’m not even going to ask.”

“HEY Shadow! Why do I need to learn how to climb, when I can just fly?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“In some cases, there are places where you can’t fly and if you should ever hurt your wing you will at least know how to do this.” I told her.

“I’m Rainbow Dash! I doubt even you can hurt my wing!” she boasted yet again.

I pointed to the dented streetlamp on the other side of the road then to the hospital from the bandit attack.

“Darlin, you don’t remember how you hurt your wing during the pet race? Or the time when your wing caught on fire from doing a sonic rainboom that one time, and that other time-“
Said Applejack to Rainbow Dash.

“OK! OK! I’ll do the climbing, sheesh!” she said interrupting Applejack, and gets back to climbing the wall before her.

*WHEW* *HUFF-PUFF*

“Ok everypony! I think you are ready to face my 2nd test.” I said with a grin.

“I call this the Great Chase! Whoever is able to tackle me down, I will teach them the tricks to unlocking their special assassin talent.” I said.

Their ears perked up.

Good they’re interested. Let’s see if they can figure this test out before it gets too out of hoof.

“Now here are the rules, I will stay in Ponyville this includes the land around it, but I won’t go into the forests or houses. You can use magic ONLY if you’re falling from a building, and flying is not permitted, you can only glide to make things… fair.” I said looking at Rainbow Dash.

“I’ll use any techniques I learned to evade you as best I can, but don’t worry I won’t kill you.
Now you have 2 hours to catch me…good luck!” I said while dropping a smoke bomb at my feet.

I ran towards an alley and out onto the noticeable Ponyville streets. I sat on a bench with 2 ponies with grey fur.

Excellent, now to focus my hearing.

*BUZZ*

“-Ok, how are we going to catch Shadow?” said Rarity.

“The last time we completely messed up. If we didn’t have that letter than we would have never found him.” Said Twilight.

“Ok, listen girls I got a plan…I….working….left around…..strike….” quietly said Applejack.

Bah! Too much interference. I guess Applejack figured out how to keep the group silent. That’s good. I better change position before they find me here.

“HEY SHADOW!”

“Oh hey Pinkie….SHIT!” I ran from the bench as soon as I noticed Pinkie sitting next to me.

I ran across the groups of ponies who were starting out their routine mornings. I saw a shadow on the roof next to me and I immediately stopped. Fluttershy dropped down in front of me.

“Oh. Shoot.” She said.

“Next time try sidling next to the building and duck more lower.” I said as I darted around the corner of a post office.

I saw Twilight and Rarity guarding the path around the corner.

I shouted at them, “Why turn when I can go over?”

I flipped onto Twilight’s back and vaulted myself across and ran past them as they were dumbstruck at what just happened.

“DASH!” I heard a voice behind me.

Rainbow was dashing as much as a rainbow could dash while dashing a rainbow.

I saw stacks of boxes piled on top of each other and jumped on them onto the roof of a tall building
Rainbow Dash slipped on the boxes and fell harmlessly to the ground.

“I told you! You need to train more!” I shouted over my shoulder.

Applejack appeared on my side after climbing the building where Rainbow had failed and was ready to tackle me. We were running towards the edge of the building.

“I’m impressed! But sometimes you need to have faith in these situations!” I said jumping of the tall building.

Applejack stopped in her tracks before she fell over the edge and looked down. I fell into a cart filled with hay being pulled by a pony.

“Ah, excuse me signore.” I said to the pony as I jumped off his cart and ran towards the lake.

I looked behind me and saw the 6 ponies were gaining on me taking formation to trap me around at the lake. I stopped on a small hill overlooking the lake with the 6 ponies forming around me, slowly closing the gap.

“Nowhere left to run!” they all said.

“Sometimes you need to do things that others aren’t willing to do.” I said turning towards the lake.

I dived into the lake.

“Shadow! Gets a 6!” shouted Pinkie while holding a sign.

I resurfaced at the middle of the lake.

“Only a 6? What did I do wrong?” I shouted back to her.

“It’s because there’s a giant water snake right next to you and you landed his tail.” She happily said.

I looked to my side and saw a massive 50 foot pissed off snake glaring at me. It stuck out its mouth revealing his gleaming white fangs.

“Sorry Mr. Snake. I’ll be going now.” I said before fear took over me.

“ARRGHHHHHHHHHHH!” I screamed and paddled so fast across the lake I didn’t feel water under me.
The snake had grabbed me by my leg and threw me across the lake with me landing on the other side.

*HUFF-PUFF* *COUGH*

I was exhausted from the running, swimming, and the snake throwing me a mile, but I continued to run towards Apple Acres. I ran to Applejack’s barn and tried to open the door.

Locked.

I turned around and saw the 6 mares upon me. I slumped to the ground and sighed.

Guess I was right. These ponies are ready to work as a team. All according to plan.

They all placed a hoof on my chest at the same time.

“WE ALL WON!” they shouted, exhausted but happy.

“Well, I knew you were all good with teamwork. As assassins we may appear alone, but we work as a team.” I panted.

“SPIKE!” I shouted.

Spike came around the corner of the barn carrying 6 hidden blades.

“I got you the stuff you asked Shadow and I set up the dummies.” Said Spike.

“SPIKE? What are you doing here? What dummies?” asked Twilight still tired from running.

“Oh, Shadow led you all here so you can start part three of your training.” Answered Spike.

The ponies once again, have seen the incomprehensible thinking power that is Shadow-mark.

“Thanks Spike.” I said taking the blades from him and giving them to the ponies.

“Now we will learn about what we assassins actually do…. Assassinate.”

“Alright ponies! I know you’re all tired, but this is part of my no-nonsense training program. You will see how this will benefit you all. Now there are many different ways to go about killing your target.” I said to the ponies, still with exhaustion in my voice.

“You can simply walk up and stab your target.” I poked the target in the chest.

“Or if you want to be a little less discreet.” I ran towards the target jumping on it and impaling my blade into its head.

“Those are the basic skills, now there are many trick skills you can also do to effectively eliminate a target or a guard.” I said, while some ponies paid attention, Twilight was writing notes, and Pinkie Pie was being, Pinkie.

“First the ledge assassination-” I ran up to the ledge of the barn roof where Spike put a dummy there previously, stabbed it and threw it down.

“HEY! It was hard getting that up there!” shouted Spike from below.

“NOW! THE AIR ASSASSINATION!” I called down, noticing some of the ponies were taking a breather.

I jumped and landed on the training dummy I had thrown off and stabbed it in the head.

Everyone who was relaxing got up and looked at me, impressed.

“Note how I used their body to cushion my fall while inflicting theirs. Now-“ I said ducking into a hay bale near the dummy.

I reached out and stabbed the dummy in the neck and finished by pulling its body into the hay bale.

“And that’s the hidden assassination. Any questions?” I asked the stunned ponies.

“No? Good, then let’s get started.” I ushered the ponies.

“THAT”S WHAT YOU SAID THE LAST 2 TIMES!”

Training started and I saw some progress. After the trainees finished toying with the blades they gave it a try on the dummies. That is everyone except for Fluttershy.

I walked over to her to see what was wrong, “Fluttershy is something the matter?”

“I…I…. I CAN’T DO THIS! I CAN’T KILL SOMEPONY! I’M A DOCTOR NOT A MURDERER!” Fluttershy outbursts.

She was crying with tears rolling down her cheek. I wrapped my wing around her and whispered to her, “Fluttershy, you are not a murderer. You are an Assassin; we do this because there isn’t any other choice. These Templars want to hurt innocent ponies, and not just the ponies but the animals too.”

“The…*sniff*… the animals?” she asked.

“Yes, these horrible ponies won’t rest until they have global dominance meaning, THEY WILL BURN DOWN THE FORESTS AND ALL THEIR INHABITANTS! YOUR RABBIT, ANGEL WON’T HAVE ANYWHERE TO LIVE. THEY WILL EXTINCT EVERY SINGLE SPECIES THROUGH POLLUTION OR WORSE….hunting.” I said encouraging her.

“Those…big….dumb….MEANIES!” she shouted while slicing the head off of the straw dummy with her hidden blade.

Everypony else noticed Fluttershy’s rage including Spike who noticed the sliced head of straw lying on the ground and fainted.

After Spike recovered and the ponies continued to train until satisfied with their skills, we retired back at the hideout.

--------At the Hideout---------------

It’s amazing how fast these ponies can learn, especially Applejack. She made everything look like the basics.
That’s it I decided.

“Everybody! Gather around.” I said motioning them to come closer.

“You all did great work today, but remember the 2nd trial?”

“Oh oh oh! I do I do! You will help us with our special talents!” jumped Pinkie.

“Exactly. Now for the 2 weeks I’ve been here I’ve been observing each one of you hoping to see what specialist you all are.”

*Ahem*

“Now then, Rainbow Dash I noticed your speed and agility.”

“Duh.” Said Rainbow rolling her eyes.

“And that you covered ground in a short amount of time and mapped out places, thus you shall be the Scout.”

“Rarity.” I said looking at her.

“Your attention to detail is unmatched, you make wonderful items and have many contacts all around Equestria and you shall be the CraftsMare of our guild.”

“Fluttershy, you heal the wounded and have the best knowledge for plants and ingredients. What’s best is that you have a kind heart, therefore you will be our Apothecary, or Doctor.”

“Twilight, I’ve seen or rather heard your intuitiveness and organization, you have a great passion for information and with the help of Spike your specialty will be that much better. I dub thee, Bookkeeper!”

Twilight had a big grin on her face when I said books; Spike moaned and slapped his forehead.

“Pinkie Pie, your cheerful and explosive personality has left an imprint of laughter within our hearts. You shall be our explosives specialist or Pyro or “Bombardier” and Pinkie… just be careful.”

“YIPPEE!”

“Finally Applejack, yours is a talent I can’t really explain. You’re honest and you always fight to protect the truth. You’re more stubborn than me and you can adapt to any situation. That is why, Applejack I ask you to be my 2nd in command. If I ever leave the guild for some contract, quest or some shit. I’ll trust you to keep the guild running when I’m gone. Do you accept?” I asked Applejack.

“I..I don’t know what to say….Yes! Yes I will be your 2nd in command!” saluted Applejack.

“Thank you Applejack and thank you everyone. With a team like us the Templars won’t know what hit them!”

*HERE-HERE*

“Do you know what we need? A PARTY!” said Pinkie as she ran off towards her station.

“Well I was thinking the leap of faith ceremony but ok, we can do that later!” I said to everypony else.

Moments later she dragged something…something…big and covered by a sheet.

“HERES YOUR PRESENT!” she said pulling the sheet of her “present”.

“WHOE NELLY!”
“WHAT IN THE?”
“I’m scared.”
“MY WORD!”
"I...I..Don't..."

“Well? Do you like it?” Pinkie smiled.

“Umm… Pinkie…” I started.

“Where…. Where did you get that…. Nuke?”

Chapter 9: Je Suis

----An hour later------------

All the assassins were in attendance at the hideout. Everyone was still sore from the training the day before, however the ponies and the eagle quit complaining when they saw the serious expression sprawled on my face.

I took a deep breath and began.

“Assassins. I and Dr. Mareio had found us a target, corrupted by greed; blind ambition and vanity… believe me when I say we aren’t ready to go after him.” I strongly said.

“Then why bother telling us?” confused Rainbow Dash.

“Here let me rephrase that. We aren’t ready to after him…yet.”

“The ponies we hunt today are the ones I failed to get in my past life.” I admitted.

Everyone looked shocked.

“So what? We’re just here to clean up your mess?” said an annoyed Rainbow Dash.

“Quiet Rainbow!” Applejack shouted.

“Now I know Rainbow was rude, but she’s also right. Are we all here just to help you for your quest of revenge?” Applejack asked me.

Revenge… It’s been such a while since I’ve felt it. Ponyville may have softened the blow, but my heart is still filled with guilt and hate. Maybe Applejack is right?

No…

I looked back at Applejack then to everyone and said, “Even though I want vengeance for the slaughter of my family, I do this to also protect other families from the Templar’s reach. I said that when I first told you I was an assassin.”

“But how is killing individuals going to help us?” Twilight asked me.

“You see, the Templars have main components to each other. Take those pieces out and their machine won’t work. However…” I said.

“What is it?” asked Fluttershy.

“The Templars stole a very important device from the Assassins. We wanted to destroy it but we couldn’t and we weren’t able to hide it.”

“The next day Ponitaly and the Assassins were wiped from existence.” I simply stated.

“The Templars did THAT!?” exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

“What could they have wanted so badly to destroy fair Ponitaly?” asked Rarity.

“*Sigh* The Templars wanted… stole from us a Piece of Harmony, called the Apple.” I admitted at last.

“A PIECE OF HARMONY!?” shouted an astonished Pinkie.

“What’s a piece of harmony?” she asked.

“A Piece of Harmony is just like the Elements of Harmony. However there’s a huge difference between the two. While the Elements of Harmony are non-physical forms that reside within ponies such as us, a Piece of Harmony is a physical object that can demonstrate the same or different powers.” Stated Twilight.

“Well I can see why you’ll want them Pieces of Harmony but why in tarnation is this…Apple so important?” asked Applejack.

“As Twilight explained the Pieces of Harmony can be freely wielded by anyone. Unlike the Elements of Harmony which uses friendship to harmonize Equestria, these Pieces can be used to give ponies what they harmonize the most.
Put it in the hands of a corrupt lunatic and then his harmony would be a living hell.”

“As Twilight also mentioned these Pieces of Harmony can have different powers involved. With the case of the Apple it can control ponies’ minds and make them bend to their will.” I said.

“You think the Templars would want to brainwash all these ponies and get them to serve them?” asked Twilight.

I nodded.

“Well that’s just awful. I wouldn’t like to be brainwashed.” Commented Fluttershy.

“And we won’t let them!” I said confidently.

“Luckily Mareio has found us a target, who if we took him out and his operation would be a death blow to the Templars. Now the target is in Maris so-“

Rarity cut in, “MARIS! As in THE French capital of Equestria!?”

“Um… that’s correct Rarity. We’re going after a stallion by the name of Je Suis-“

“JE SUIS!?” Rarity cut in once again.

“Why who is he?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Well if you must know, he’s the head of Purifier Industries. They’re the leading company in technology and medical science.
Everything they make is extremely expensive and high-tech. Their main office is at Maris as well as their armory.
I hear that Je Suis always visits the various company stations once a year.” Said Rarity.

“Yes, but as you all heard from Rarity, our target would be heavily protected and if we mess this up we can lose a whole year waiting for him to show again, or worse…get one of you killed.” I said.

“Well we can’t just sit here doing nothing. I say we attack their headquarters!” confidently said Rainbow Dash.

“Of course, by train it would take us 3 days to get to Maris and if Dr. Mareio’s sources are correct-“

“THEY ARE ALWAYS CORRECT!” shouted Mareio.

“Then we can strike Je Suis when he makes a press conference at the front of the headquarters.” I finished.

“Ok everyone, get your essentials ready for tomorrow and meet me at the train station. Also Pinkie and Twilight can I speak with you two?” I asked as the other ponies and Ace left to prepare their things

“Yes Shadow, what is it?” they asked.

“Before we kill Je Suis we need to have a distraction to draw away his guards and the crowd.”

“OH! You want to use my FUN NUKES!” excited Pinkie.

“Yes, and also Twilight are you still working on your bat thing?” I said turning my head to Twilight.

“Umm… yes but’s it’s not ready yet.” She apologetically said.

“Can you bring the bat with you to Maris? We can all work on it and our plans when we get to Maris in 3 days.” I asked.

“Well… ok then, but we need a big cabin and those things are expensive. Also Spike should stay here and keep an eye on the place. He’s a baby dragon after all.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll think of a way.” I winked.

-----------The Next Day-------------------

After getting Twilight’s “Science Project” into the train we were all seated comfortably in the train as it was getting ready to depart.

“Hey sugarcube! Isn’t Dr. Mareio coming with us?” asked Applejack pointing to the waving Mareio outside our window.

“He said he will drive there and that he has some contacts he needs to speak with.” I told her.

“Wow this train cart is simply large and divine, how did you afford all of this Shadow?” asked Rarity admiring the built in carpet.

Everyone looked at me as I began to explain.

“Well….”

-----3 hours before boarding the train-------------

“Hello! Can I get the Super-Deluxe Cabin please?” I asked the train clerk.

“Sorry sir, but I sold the last ticket to that pony over there.” She said pointing to a bright yellow pony heading towards a washroom.

“Would you like to get a ticket for a later time?” she asked me.

“No thank you. But thanks for the wonderful service you do here.” I charmly said.

I headed for the washroom, opened the door and closed it behind me.

“…”

*KER-KICK*

A few moments later I came out of the washroom tucking the ticket into my sleeve.

“Dr. Mareio knows many ponies in high places and I got this ticket on….sale.” I lied.

The group bought it and we began to work on Twilight’s bat as the train departed the station.

“Ok, this part goes here and this… PINKIE!”
“GIVE ME BACK THE GLUE!”
“THAT DOESN’T GO OVER THERE!”
“WE NEED TO FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS! MY INSTRUCTIONS!”

“Oops sorry Twilight.” Said Pinkie handing back the glue which was attached to a book, a tuba, her own hidden blade, and a confused Fluttershy.

“Did I do something wrong?” asked Fluttershy.

After ungluing everything and getting back to work I needed to ask Pinkie something.

“Uh Pinkie?” I started.

“Yes Shadow?”

“Can you get me a laptop with internet connection?” I asked knowing she can break the fourth wall.

“Here you go!” she said handing me a laptop she was hiding behind her back.

Pinkie. If I never knew how crazy the Observer was, then I would freak out every single time you broke the fourth-wall.

Ah space-time physics… how you mean so little in this world.

I sat down in a chair and actually took a glimpse at the train cabin I “purchased”.
A plush carpet lined the floors, we had 2 windows and there were 8 beds, one for each of us.

If you forgot that Ace was still with us going on this trip then… SHAME!

Really the cabin looked like something the Princess would ride in all the time.

I’m sure she doesn’t “actually” purchase the tickets. Damn us lesser ponies.

I relaxed in my chair and opened the laptop. Immediately I looked for as information as I can find on Je Suis, his company, and the conference we’re planning to crash.

I scrolled through the information; cutting and pasting anything I could find that can be some use to us. I then came across a map of his headquarters layout.

It showed the area in front of a mansion sized building where the conference would take place and behind it was the armory for their technology and I assumed their weapons as well. Two office buildings lined that area so there was a bit of room between the armory and the field everything was built on.

If I can’t get him in the mansion I can lure him into the armory, interesting.

I looked at a clock and saw there was still a lot of time left and everyone was either helping Twilight with the bat or lazing around.

Why not?

I surfed the web and explored everything it had to offer.

No! Moonlight! You can’t leave her, you just can’t!

I was reading a romance fan-fic of a popular kids TV show that I saw a few times when I was younger.

I was trying my best to hide my tears and to stop hyperventilating.

After my emotional breakdown, I went to a different story and I read all of it. I wish I didn’t.
The story was about a pastry-chef making gourmet dishes out of her best friends and wearing their skin and bones.

I looked over at Pinkie.
She turned her head and had a great big smile stretched across her face.

I got up from my seat and closed my computer screen which was still on. Ace was sleeping peacefully on his bed.

“Excuse me.” I simply said to everyone as I went to the bathroom stall at the other end of the train.

*ARRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHH!!*

Pinkie…no…evil smile… bagel… bagel… bagel bagel. ARH! Why did I make her the PYRO!

I knew I would be haunted from that story for a few days, I just hope that it didn’t distract me from my task at hand.

I came back to the other ponies that all had shocked expressions on their faces including Ace who slapped me with his wing and flew back to his warm bed.

“What in tarnation was that?” asked Applejack.

“Oh, uhhh…… when I opened the door I saw 2 ponies in the washroom fighting over a...a…. Toilet, TOILET PAPER! AND THEY WERE ALL OUT OF IT AND THEY YELLED THEN I DID!”

The ponies didn’t look convinced, so instead I went to help Twilight with her project. A few hours later and we all went to sleep.

------Morning----------------------------

I had very bad dreams, very, very bad dreams. I’m going to pretend I never slept in the first place.

I got up from my bed and went over to the computer I left lying on the chair. I opened it and realised I forgot to close it the night before.

But there was something strange on the computer…. It looked like someone made changes to the stuff I copied down. I scrolled down the page of information and came across the map.

The map was covered in red dots and below it said “Guards”. I went down to the bottom of the page and I saw some text I didn’t add.

“GOOD LUCK……..”

Good Luck? Did someone hack the computer? Why would they help us by giving the guard locations? Very strange indeed.

I closed the computer, properly this time and went over to Twilight’s bat project. The bat was brown coloured and was covered in thin sheets of leather and paper. Only a wing remained unfinished.

Another day and we’ll be done, and when the bat dries for day 3 then I can tell the others about my plan.

I started working on the bat’s wing and eventually the others woke up and helped too. After many hours of stitching, gluing and drying the bat was complete. Even if it was a little… moist.
We packed up for the night and went back to sleep.

On the 3rd and final day, the last day of the trip and the night when Je Suis will die I talked to the group and explained the plan.

“Ok Rainbow, when you’re done scouting the area with Ace report back to us.” I said to Rainbow.

“Then we’ll split into 2 groups while Pinkie is in the crowd with her… nuke. I’ll be on the Tower of Iron, Maris's tallest landmark with the bat helping Pinkie cause the distraction.”

“Wait? You’re going to jump off the Tower of Iron? Isn’t that suicide? We need to test it first!” said Rarity not wanting to see me plunge down from the tower towards my death.

“Do not worry, that is the test!” I boldly said.

While Rarity shook her head I continued, “I will drop smoke bombs down below to cover you from the guards who I think will be carrying guns… or worse.”

"I’m sure with that commotion Je Suis will run to the safety of the mansion. But if I should fail to kill him in there I need you all to get the guards on the roof of these office buildings here.” I said pointing to my map.

“We’ll then lure him into the armory if necessary where he’ll be trapped and I can finish him.” I finished.

“Um... I have a question Shadow… that is if you don’t mind.” Said Fluttershy.

“Not at all, go ahead.”

“How will we get the scary bat on the tower in the first place? Also how can Pinkie hide a nuke in the crowd?
I mean I’m not judging your vision but I’m sure they’ll all see Pinkie’s warhead and go absolutely ballistic and I don’t want them to do that too soon.” Said Fluttershy.

Crap. Nuke in a crowd, nuke in a crowd…. I GOT IT!

“Pinkie will bring in a “war monument”, activate it by “mistake” and get out before it blows.” I cleverly said.

“Well, it can’t be an accident when I “push” the button.” Pinkie joked.

“Ah Pinkie…” I shook my head.

I regained my focus and continued.

“For the bat let me handle it from here.” I said to everyone who looked unsure.

“Don’t worry, it will work… I hope.” I said as the train reached its destination, Maris.

I hauled the bat which was about 2 sizes bigger than me from the train station towards the Tower of Iron.

Shit this thing is heavy! Only a few more blocks. I hope the city ponies don’t notice.

“Mommy? Why is that pony carrying a giant bat on his back?”
“DON’T LOOK AT HIM!”

Eventually I made it to the entrance of the Tower of Iron. Luckily the ponies weren’t fixed on my giant bat but were watching something more interesting.

A fight.

*OOF* *POW* *KICK*

An old lime-green stallion wearing a curator’s uniform was being beaten by guard ponies with high-tech equipment, body armor and guns.

“Why do you do this to me? I just work the tower, I`ve done nothing wrong!” shouted the old stallion.

“Shad-up vous!” said a guard as he kneed the old stallion in the chest.

“We know you work for Le Red Fox! Un traitor!” a second guard shouted as he started beating up the old stallion with his gun.

I couldn’t watch any longer, I dropped the bat glider and ran straight for the guard beating up the stallion and threw him up towards a wall while grabbing his gun. I shot the other two guard’s guns and broke the third one in half with my knee.

“Guns are so boring!” I provoked them as I threw the gun pieces to the ground.

“GET LE BASTARD!” shouted the closest guard as he ran towards me.

I stopped him from running by grabbing his waist and threw him down behind me on his head breaking his neck.

As the guard that was beating up the old pony got to his feet I ran towards the other guard and grabbed his leg.

*CRACK*

I didn’t leave him time to yell in pain as I pulled him towards a wall and began punching his body multiple times in the head then in the chest. I finished by disemboweling him and he slumped down the wall and lay there with his head down.

The last guard was enraged and pulled out a military knife and rushed towards me.

“At least now we can play fair,” I said pulling out my hidden blade and ran towards him.

*STAB*

Blood fell down to the floor... as well as the military knife.

I had stabbed him in his arm. As he looked at me in shock through his blast shades, I flipped him over to his back and stabbed him in the neck.

I went over to the old stallion who was recovering and I helped him to his feet.

“Wow, thank you kind sir. No one had ever stood up for me before.” He said shaking my hand.

“Why were they attacking you?” I asked.

“These dogs are always pushing businesses like us around. Because we don’t want to join Je Suis company. He’s trying to take over Maris!”

“Who is this Red Fox they spoke of?” I asked.

“He is a shadowy character that helps the poor and helpless all over Equestria. Don’t tell the guards but I think he does good work. If you ever need help don’t be afraid to ask.” He said.

“Well, I was wondering if I bring my “kite” to the highest point of the tower.” I said gesturing to my giant bat.

“Ahh, a “kite” I’m sure the winds are faring this night… You may go, friend.” He said opening the express elevator with his master control key.

“Ah thank you or should I say merci?” I said to him as I picked up my bat and went into the elevator.

I brought the bat to the highest point of the tower and looked towards the Purifier headquarters. I jumped off the building and glided my way down to the meeting spot for Rainbow’s report.

I saw everyone together including Rainbow Dash and Ace. I also saw Pinkie pulling a FUN nuke standing on a stone pedestal marked, “War of the 3rd Crusade”.

“Ok I put the bat in the tower what about you girls?” I asked them.

“I made the FUN DOUGH! Now everyone’s sure to stick around!” cheered Pinkie.

“The engraving was my idea.” Said Rarity.

“Great, Rainbow Dash what do we have?”

“The good news, the guards are shifting to the front where Je Suis will do his speech.” She said.

“The bad news?” I was afraid to ask.

“They still got a ton of guards everywhere. Getting in might not be the problem, but getting out. You got me there Shadow.” Said Rainbow Dash.

“Don’t worry when the time comes… improvise.” I simply said.

“OK! LET’S DO THIS!” I shouted a bit too loud.

“Mommy? Why is he-“
“DON”T LOOK AT HIM!”

-----Nightfall-------------------------------------------------------------

I was stationed at the tower looking towards the conference.
I closed my eyes and focused my hearing on the meeting.

“Attention ladies and gentlecolts! Now introducing our beloved chairman of Purifier Industries, JE SUIS!”

*Cheers*

“Merci merci mes amies! Je suis Je Suis. And I thankez vous for attending this conference.” Said Je Suis.

*Ponies shouting*

“Ah yes! We at Purifier Industries are working on a secret nous projet. In time ve will show everyone this product of our labor and hope you might enjoy it as much as ve do.” Je Suis said.

A project? Could it have to do something with the apple? Maybe I can find out… after I kill him.

“Yes! And we also have a new line of le military attack heli- …. What is a nuke doing here? NON! NE PUSHEZ LE BUTTON SI VOUS PLAIT!”

*BOOOOOOOM*

“AHH THERES CAKE EVERYWHERE!”
“I’M STUCK! I CAN’T MOVE!”

Guess it’s my turn to fly. I just hope Twilight’s calculations were correct.

I grabbed the bat and ran off the tower as fast as I could as I performed one last jump before I started falling to the ground. I pulled the bat upwards and sure enough I was gliding.

I grabbed the smoke bombs from my pouch and dropped them over the crowd.

I just had to let out a hearty, “YAHOO!”

As smoke engulfed the crowd I saw some guards trying to escape. I swooped down on my prey as I saw Ace do many times before and knocked them out with my hind-hoofs.

“AHHH! WHAT IS THAT THING!”

“I CAN’T SEE A THING!”

“I’M STILL COVERED IN CAKE!"

I went straight to the roof of the mansion and jumped off with the glider crashing into a rooftop guard sending him over the ledge and to his death. I opened a window on the roof and by open I shattered it with my elbow and fell inside.

No one noticed my crash as they were too distracted by what was going on outside. I sneaked to the first floor while dispatching 2 patrolling guards and saw Je Suis talking with some other pony. I thrust myself against a pillar and peered my head over to get a better look.

“Vous don’t understand Dave! There are les assassins trying to kill me!” Je Suis said while talking to an icy-white unicorn wearing glasses, a plaid shirt, and jeans. An accountant.

Wait an accountant? That must mean…

“Je Suis you need to learn to relax. The assassins know who you are and they will get you. It’s only a matter of time.” He said looking towards a clock.

“Dave. Tu etes un morte?” Je Suis said to the accountant giving him a death stare.

“As much as you want to kill me, you need to realise something. The assassin has come for you.” He said pointing to my hiding place.

Crap! How?

“MERDE MERDE MERDE!” shouted Je Suis as he raced towards the back exit.

I immediately gave chase and as soon as I was past Dave he said, “Good Luck….Shadow.”

Damn! He knows who I am and how did he see me in my hiding place? I can’t focus on him right now I need to kill Je Suis.

I opened the door after Je Suis and chased him out to a courtyard. He kept running on the path towards the armory. I began chase, but then…

*BOOM*

An explosion appeared at my side, followed by another and another. I looked up and saw the roof guards of the office buildings had RPGs.

RPGS!? HOW MUCH SHIT DID THIS GUY MAKE!?

I had to keep running through the explosions and hope none of them would hit me.

*Boom* *Boom* *ARRGHH*

Then about halfway through the courtyard everything stopped. I looked up to the roofs still running and I saw the 2 assassin groups clearing the roof of guards. I pursued Je Suis with confidence strengthening my speed.

He was almost at the door when Applejack the Assassin jumped from the roof and stabbed him in the arm. The height made her stumble and gave Je Suis a little extra push sending him into the armory.

“ARG!” shouted Je Suis as he entered the door and tried to close it behind him.

I got enough speed and jumped through the crack between the door and landed inside with the blast-door closing shut behind me.

I looked around the only room of the armory. A large room with a large computer and a large map of Equestia was displayed on its screen.

This isn’t an armory!? What’s with the giant computer? Is that the world of Equestria?

Je Suis was crawling towards the machine with his stabbed arm. I took a throwing knife and chucked it at his leg.

*Ching*

“ARRG! MY LEG!” he said falling down, now crawling on his side towards the computer.

I rushed towards him at lightning speed but I was too late. Je Suis got to the machine controls and pushed a big red button.

“SELF-DESTRUCT WILL BE ACTIVATED IN 5 MINUTES.” Said an automated voice.

I reached over to Je Suis and I stabbed him in the chest.

“*Cough* Do not think that vous winnez assassin. Our plan is already in motion. Neither you nor Celestia can stop us now! *Cough* *Cough*” said the nearly dead Je Suis with broken monocle, and ripped suit.

“What plan? Is that the project? Tell me!” I grabbed Je Suis’ neck collar.

“Project Purify has begun. Now before I die, I have something to say to you... assassin…”

“Vous gaspillée deux minutes de traduire cela.” He said in French.

“Huh?” I asked.

“Here use my Phony,” he said giving me his high tech phone.

After inputting the message I got, “You wasted 2 minutes translating this.”

“You DI…” I started to shout at him, but saw he was already dead.

I only have 1 minute to escape this armory. I try the doors but they’re locked down.

Wow I never thought I would die in a place like this. Ah Maris you can never be Ponitaly…

Suddenly the roof exploded open and I saw an attack helicopter. It hovered near me and I saw everyone except of Ace riding inside it.

“I STOLE A HELICOPTER SHADOW! GET IN BEFORE YOU DIE!” shouted Pinkie who was driving the helicopter.

I jumped inside and got pulled in my the other ponies as Pinkie flew out of the supercomputer room. A few seconds later.

*BOOM*

The armory exploded and so did the entire headquarters. I breathed a sigh of relief until I noticed something.

“Ok Pinkie one where did you get this and two YOUR DRIVING!?” I asked her.

“Oh there were 2 of them outside the office building and YUP!” she replied.

As soon as she finished I spotted the other helicopter flying behind us with military guards firing RPGs.

“Pinkie fly higher! I’m going to do something I might regret!” I said lowing myself to the helicopter’s skiffs until I was hanging down about a few hundred metres from the ground.

“OOKIE DOKIE!” she replied increasing the helicopter’s height.

When the height was perfect I jumped from the helicopter and landed on the windshield of the other one. The driver was completely shocked. I stabbed my blade through the glass and killed the pilot. I jumped off and glided towards the ground as the helicopter behind me fell and burst into flames. I came in too fast and landed on the ground HARD. I felt like I broke a leg.

I looked up and saw that Pinkie was losing control of the helicopter and they had to abandon it and jump. They all landed pretty hard but not as bad as me. They helped me stand up and we limped towards a road.

2 unmarked vans showed up. The 1st opened up bringing a bunch of angry ponies outside as well as the old stallion in charge of the Tower of Iron.

He went over to me and urgently said, “Don’t worry, the Red Fox’s men will stall the guards and police just get to the other van and run!”

We went to the 2nd van as fast as we could and the door opened revealing a happy doctor.

“HELLO! IT’SA ME! GET IN EVERYBODY!” shouted Dr. Mareio with Ace on his shoulder.

Without saying anything we got in the back of the van and drove off back to Ponyville. Back to home.

As everypony was chatting with each other, Applejack noticed my grim expression.

“Hey sugercube, why so glum? You did kill Je Suis after all.” She comforted me.

“Yes, but before he died he told me of a project the Templars are making calling it, “Project Purity”. And Dave damn…. Wasn’t expecting him.”

“Project? Dave? Who’s Dave?” she asked me.

“Later Applejack, I need to rest and think a while.” I said closing my eyes.

Project Purity, even the name sounds ominous. I know they plan to use the Apple but how?

Red Fox is also strange. He fights for the people, could he be… no.

Dave… The way he said “Good Luck” as if he wanted us to kill Je Suis.
But isn’t he a Templar as well?

Damn it Dave…what game are you playing? Are you just as bad or worse than Balthazar?

No. No one is worse than him.

Chapter 11: Rest and Pain

“And then we all safely returned home with no complications besides my broken leg.

-Shadow-mark”

I let out a sigh of relief and put down my quill on top of my mahogany desk.
We were all back at our hideout safe and sound after 3 days of driving in a mushroom van and it was high noon as off now.

I turned down and looked at my leg. It was bandaged and in a cast fixed by our doctor Fluttershy.

Lucky we didn’t suffer anything worse than a broken leg.

I still can’t believe we were riding in a stuffy van for 3 days straight. And that time Pinkie got carsick making everyone carsick. Thank Mareio that he gave us health and stamina shrooms.

I chuckled.

I’m glad I was mostly unconscious during that time; I just wish I didn’t have to recall that mushroom dream. I thought I put it behind me a long time ago.
But more or less we’re back and I can finally send my letters to the Princess.

I looked at the pile of documents and reports on my table totaling a grand 40 pages considering I started to make these about 6 hours ago.

I reveled in the glory that was my finished paperwork until Twilight walked over to me.

“Twilight… did you find how much money they needed to manufacture those high-tech weapons and vehicles?” I asked.

“Yes Shadow… let’s just say it was a lot.” Nervously said Twilight not wanting to reveal the sum.

“Come on….there must be something more than that,” I said trying to work my Ponitalian charm.

“Fine. The exact number is…”bringing her mouth to my ear.

*whisper*

“REALLY, THAT MUCH!? ARE THEY CRAZY OR SOMETHING!?” I shouted startling the other ponies.

Fluttershy flew under her desk with Spike, Rarity mis-stiched an outfit, Rainbow Dash who was fighting some training dummies ended up punching her hoof on the stone wall, and lastly Pinkie Pie was mixing some dangerous chemicals together and added to much sulfur causing her bomb to make a tiny explosion filling the room with smoke.

Applejack was at her farm bucking apples for the day so she didn’t have to suffer like the rest of us.

“SORRY!” shouted Pinkie over the smoke.

After the smoke cleared and I apologized to everypony I added a page to my letter to Princess Celestia.

“If you turn your castle into solid gold then it still wouldn’t be enough.”

“This is a big blow to the Templars and they won’t recover so easily from this, we should hit them now while their defenses have been breached!” I confidently said standing up too fast from my chair.

“OW! My leg.” I yelped in pain as I fell to the floor.

“Shadow you need to rest and so do us. We just went to another country and did a huge amount of damage towards the Templars. We can attack another of their main operations some other day.” Said Twilight helping me back into my chair.

Spike who noticed my fall came to help me back up as well.

“Hey Shadow, you ok?” asked Spike.

“Yes Spike don’t worry it’s only a broken leg.” I reassured him.

“Great! So… are you ready to send the report?” he asked.

“Yep, here you go.” I said pointing to my stack of documents.

Spike took a deep breath in.

“WAIT!” butted in Twilight.

Spike ignored Twilight releasing a green fire onto the documents. They didn’t teleport instead all 40 document pages were burned to ash, unable to be recovered.

“SPIKE! We needed to use special scrolls to send letters to the princess, these are just paper sheets!” shocked Twilight.

“Eh… oops.” Shrugged Spike.

“Uh oh.” Said everypony in the room.

I slammed my hooves on the desk and stood up not feeling the pain in my legs, but the rage that was building inside of me.

My eye twitched.

“If you’d excuse me everyone.” I casually said as I walked out of the room and onto the roof.

Ace was eating his lunch as I charged off the roof and glided as far as I can as fast as I can away from Ponyville and looked for any place devoid of life before my rage explodes.

I spot a flat field with nothing in sight and I make my landing there.

I planted my hooves firmly on the ground as the wind starts to push away from my body and a dark red aura engulfs me.

“HRNNNNGG….” I grunted trying to contain my rage.

Crap…can’t….hold…it….Grrrrrrr…

“AAAAARRRRRRRAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGG!” I shouted at the top of my lungs.

*KER-SMALLSION*

A crater had formed around me, but unlike the Observer’s rage explosions this one was smaller and didn’t involve the demonic clouds and lightning strikes.

I marveled at the sight of a crater… that I made.

Wow, I can understand why the Observer had so much passion for hating documents.

My thoughts were interrupted when… something snuck up behind me and growled over my shoulder. I turned and I stood face to knee of an Ursa Major, a gargantuan bear constellation.

And she looked pissed.

But so was I.

With the dark red aura still engulfed around me I shouted at the bear in a slightly demonic voice, “I don’t have time to deal with you now! LEAVE ME BE.”

The Ursa Major was unfazed and let out a large roar, “GRRRROOOOWWWW!!” as spit slammed into my face.

“YOU WANT TO GO? I’LL SEND YOU BACK TO THE SKY WHERE YOU BELONG!” I shouted as I began to charge the Ursa Major at lightning speed.

Just before I hit the Ursa Major into the heavens above I saw something in her eyes.

Fear.

*KER-UPPERCUT!*

The Ursa flew into the noon sky where she eventually disappeared from sight only to re-emerge as a daytime constellation for all to see.

The rage now leaving my body I came back to my senses and realised what I’ve just done.

“I vanquished an Ursa Major! YAHOO!” I jumped.

I jumped… with a broken leg and with no rage to quell the pain I was going to regret this.

*crack* went my leg as it touched the ground.

“OW! Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow!” I cried out in pain as I held my broken leg and jumped around on my other.

Somehow I managed to crawl… CRAWL back to Ponyville and the hideout without drawing attention to myself.

Guess that’s why I’m called Shadow. Ow I need to get to rest soon.

I reached the guild room (don’t bother asking me about how I went up the stairs) and silently crawled on the guild carpet.

“OW! CARPET BURN!” I shouted out in pain alerting the other ponies.

“Shadow, are you ok?” “Do you need me to get some ice?” “I told you’d needed to relax!”

“Just get me to my desk I need to rest a bit.” I weakly said as they helped me to my hooves.

I relax in my mahogany desk chair and begin writing the new documents for the Princess.

40 pages here we go again…

Twilight and Spike came over to my desk and removed my paper and quill from my hoofs.

“YOU need to rest Shadow. I and Spike will write the report to Princess Celestia, ok?” asked Twilight taking my stuff with her magic.

“Ok Twilight I trust you with this. Make sure to get in the cost of manufacturing those… guns.”

Rainbow Dash overheard us and interrupted, “GUNS ARE BORING!”

We all nodded in agreement.

But cannons? Now that’s progress!

While Twilight and Spike went to work on the report I called in Pinkie who was doing something with a cupcake.

“Pinkie… what’s that? No. I don’t want to ruin the surprise. Anyways do you still have that laptop with you?” I asked.

“Sure here ya go!” she said dropping the laptop in my hooves.

Ok time to rest and relax….

The moment I opened the laptop a message appeared on the screen.

It read, “Sorry about your leg Shadow, Get well soon!, Love Dave.”

I looked at the message then back to Pinkie, “Do you need this?”

“No why?” she asked.

I snapped the laptop in half and discarded the pieces.

“Oh it just had a … little virus.”

I was still waiting at my desk doing absolutely nothing. Occasionally some ponies came to check up on me.

“Oh… Shadow I made you this crutch so at least you can walk properaly and don’t have to crawl everywhere you go.” Said Fluttershy.

“Grazie Fluttershy.”

Rarity also came to me asking about all the foreign places I’ve been too and been planning to go to as well.

“Shadow, I hear the Assassins down south have curved blades, CURVED BLADES. How can they stab ponies with a rounded edge?” Asked Rarirty.

“Ah yes, the curved hidden blade. I never seen one myself but I think they use it more for climbing and practical purposes. I bet they have other tricks up their sleeve… among other things.” I said.

After many hours and with the sun almost setting I can finally say that I’m…

Bored. My butt is so numb from sitting on this chair all day. Plus the fact I was semi-conscious for about 3 days on mushrooms.
DAMN THIS LEG!

Twilight and Spike came back to me from their report writing. I noticed that Spike’s left and right hands were stuck in a way best described as “Writer’s Cramp”.

Then I noticed the stack of papers that were supposed to be 40 pages long were much, much longer than that.

“Umm... Twilight how long is it?” I said afraid to ask.

“80 pages, 2 paragraphs, and 3 sentences long. Would you like to read it?” she excitingly asked me.

What would the Assassin code do in a time like this… think… think…

“Umm… AHA! I can’t read it once the documents are 100% done and judging by this amount I say it is. You know how it is Twilight with “for her majesty’s eyes only” we need to protect the secrecy of the Assassin Brotherhood!” I said to her about something I’ve read in an outdated assassin handbook a few years ago.

“Oh that’s too bad. Tenant 53 is really strict on that. Okay Spike you can send the letters!”

“Will do Twilight!” Spike saluted while gathering up air inside him.

*Fwoosh*

And all the documents and letters were gone, about to drop on top of the Princess in a big heap.

Oh Crap…..

-------Outside--------------------------------

I convinced Fluttershy to let me out for the rest of the day which was about 2 hours before night falls.

Now, what can I do for 2 hours without hurting my leg?

I slipped my hoof into a pony’s pocket as I passed them and pulled out a few bits.

Pickpocket… YAY!

I weaved through the crowds of people returning home before darkness fell.
4 bits here, 3 bits there. Eventually I got around 200 bits from spare change.
I looked at the semi-medium pouch of bits I’ve collected and thought.

Do I really need all this money? All the renovations are done and we have plenty of materials and food. Hmmm… what am I going to do with this?

I noticed a small stand that had a big sign reading, “Building Charity for the Habitat of Ponies”
And it was run by 3 young fillies. All who I recognized from the school.

“Hey Applejack, Scootaloo, SweetieBell what’cha doing?” I asked them.

“Oh HI SHADOW!” excitingly said Applebloom.

“We’re trying to find our cutie-marks still!” said Scootaloo.

“That’s why we’re….” prepared SweetieBell.

“CUTIE-MARK CRUSADERS CHARITY ORGANIZERS!” they all shouted in unison.

“Well that’s great, did you raise any money?” I asked them.

“No…” they all sadly said with their heads down.

“Here maybe I can help a bit.” I said tossing the coin purse towards them.

“WOW! THANK YOU SHADOW!” they all said excitingly marveling at the sight of my donation.

“Anytime!” I said turning around.

“Well that was a kind thing to do Shadow.” Said a recognizable voice in front of me.

“Applejack… how long have you been following me?” I asked the orange pony amazed at her stealth.

“It was easy considering y’all have a crutch there.” She said pointing to my wooden crutch.

“And I’m mighty surprised you didn’t use those bits you stole for yourself.” She sneered.

“Ah yes, can’t afford to get rusty now can I?” I chuckled.

“Of course Applejack, nowadays I depend on other ponies’ generosity and I feel that I should return the favor.” I said.

“How noble Shadow, stealin from the rich to give to the needy.” She said with sarcasm.

“Applejack, you know as well as I do that I only take what ponies don’t want or use unwisely. You don’t mind me taking this apple no?” I asked holding out a red apple I took from Applejack’s pocket.

“HEY? How’d you do that? I’m not wearing any clothes!” she holstered.

“Assassin Magic.” I said taking a bite from the apple.

We walked for a few minutes talking about the past days and my “abilities” when we heard a scream coming from the outside of the Quills and Couches shop. We hurried there as fast as we can.

POWER-CRUTCHING!

I saw 4 ponies harassing the teacher Cheerlie who was a huge stack of text books.

“Hey, Hey, Hey! What’cha doin with all them books Teach?” said a huge brown stallion wearing a bandana.

“Please don’t hurt me I’m just a school teacher! I’m trying to help my students.”

“Ya well, why don’t you help us with our cash problem.” Said a skinny white pony with yellow teeth.

“Those textbooks seem very expensive.” Said 2 identical magenta mares who looked more like teasing the teacher rather than mugging her.

“BASTA!” I shouted moving towards them using my crutch.

“Yo, did he just call you a bastard? Want me to take care of cane-y here?” said the skinny white colt to the fat brown stallion.

“Nah man. He’s just a BROKEN DOWN OLD PONY THAT SHOULD MIND HIS OWN BUSINESS!” the brown stallion taunted me.

“ARG! Your all so culturally impoverished…” I shook my head.

“NOW LISTEN UP! WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO MUG THIS MARE LIKE THAT? DON’T YOU HAVE ANY RESPECT?” I shouted at them.

The two identical mares looked at each other then said, “Look we were just teasing her, we’re not in any mugging. Come on let’s go.”

2 down and I’m sure the big one won’t back down and his lackey would follow him anywhere.

“YO MAN! I A’INT LISTENING TO SOME WHINY BROKEN LEG GUY. BIG T DON’T GIVE A SHIT!” said the fat brown stallion.

Applejack started to get closer, I signaled her to stop and let me handle this.

“YA T! YOU SHOW THIS GUY WHO YOUR MESSING WITH!” said the skinny pony.

“FOO! LEARN SOME GRAMMER!” the stallion shouted at the skinny pony.

He turned to me and shouted, “TIME TO GET THE TASTE OF THE T!”

The stallion charged me and arced his hoof out to land a big punch.

I stopped it with my hoof while holding my crutch in my other hoof without moving an inch.

My menacing eyes, hood and the fact I stopped his attack with only one hoof had him scared and shaking.
I pulled him closer to my face and stared at him with my scarlet eyes. I whispered to him so only he can hear what I was saying.

“I can break 7 of your body parts with this hand… right… now. I’m pretty sure you don’t want to end up in a hospital bed for 8 months wondering how a pony with a broken leg had severed your spine. Now you go over to that teacher and you apologize.” I said with a monotone death voice.

“Uhh..uhhh yes sir whatever you want.” He nervously replied.

“Good and when you’re done, don’t bother coming back to this town. Because by then my leg would have healed and my 7 turns into a 23…” I said with a devious smile.

I released him and he ran towards the teacher.

“I’M SO SORRY! I DON’T KNOW WHAT CAME OVER ME! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!” he said bursting out in tears.

“Umm… I forgive you?” responded Cheerlie who was very confused at the moment.

“Come on! WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE!” shouted the brown stallion grabbing the skinny white pony and running out of Ponyville.

I went over to Cheerlie and comforted her, “Are you alright Cheerlie? Did those rude ponies hurt you?

“No… I’m fine Shadow. I was just startled that’s all.”

“Would you like us to walk you home?” I offered.

“No thanks Shadow I think I can manage..." she said picking up her textbooks.

"Before I go however let me thank you.” She said giving me a short kiss on my cheek.

“Stay safe Cheerlie!” shouted Applejack.

“Wow Shadow, I’m impressed you took on those thugs without having to beat up one of them.”

“Well Applejack, wounds can heal while words are always printed.” I said.

“Oh no not these puns again. Do all the assassins use these quotes?” she asked me.

“It all started from one seed and grew into a tree… an apple tree of knowledge.”

“This is going to be a long night.” Sighed Applejack.

We approached the guild room and I was still talking.

“And oranges are the scourge of scurvy, while bananas bring forth…”

“ENOUGH SHADOW!” said an annoyed Applejack.

"..."

“more bananas…” I finished quietly.

We entered the room and I was instantly surrounded by worried ponies.

“Shadow darling, we thought you were hurt.” Said Rarity.

“We were all like, WOOH WHERE’S SHADOW? When you didn’t return for a few hours.” Said Pinkie.

"I wasn't worried I knew you'd be fine." boasted Rainbow Dash.

“Don’t worry everypony I’m fine. Like I said just stretching my legs.” I mock stretched.

“—and your mouth too.” Added in Applejack.

We all laughed.

I don’t get it.

A piece of paper fell from my heart coat pocket and landed on the floor from my laughter.
Twilight picked it up and looked at it.

“Shadow… are these…”

“Yes. They are the targets I‘ve failed to eliminate in my past.” I confessed.

“Well there are only a few left,” she said crossing out Je Suis’s name.

Everypony and Spike huddled around the list.

Twilight read out the short list, “Volcanous, WingBlade, Dave the accountant?”

“Trust me. He’s BAD.” I said.

“And finally in bold, Balthazar… not much of a list if you ask me.” Said Twilight.

“I plan to add more names when the time comes, in the meantime we can focus our efforts on… Volcanous.” I decided.

“Volcanous?” asked Rarity.
“Isn’t he a commander of the Gerponian army now? And aren’t they about to go to war with the Belponians? I’ve seen it in the news.”

“Yes and Yes Rarity. Luckily they will only be armed with swords; however it’s about 100,000 soldies to 8 Assassins.” I said.

If you forgot about Ace…. Erg!

“We’ll need lots of planning and lots of diversions.” I said looking to everypony.

“Let’s go stop a war!” I confidently shouted bringing my bad hoof down to a stomp.

*crack*

“ARG! Ok… maybe later… there’s still plenty of time...”

I just hope this time will go a bit smoother than with Je Suis.

Pray Celestia that Dave doesn’t show up again…

Chapter 12: Seals- The Fort

“Look Fluttershy I understand that your worried about my leg. But can’t I just climb?” I pleaded.

Fluttershy shook her head, “Shadow it’s only been two days, a broken leg can take up to 4 weeks to heal.”

“Fluttershy, I’ve been sitting on my ass on that chair for 3 days now. Can’t I do some light climbing activity?” I complained.

“Shadow you need to listen to me. Taking on a scary… Ursa Major then cracking your leg twice, is the reason why you need to stop moving and just rest.” She said pushing me towards my bed.

“But Fluttershy…” I whined.

“No buts.” She said shoving me into my bed and wrapping me like I was some kind of burrito.

“But it’s the middle of the afternoon!” I exclaimed.

“Hush now quiet now, it’s time to lay your sleepy head.” She started to sing.

“Fluttershy…. What are you doing?” I asked confused about what she was trying to do.

She continued to ignore my questions and kept on singing

-----1 hour later----------------

“Go to sleep now….. Are you asleep yet?” Asked Fluttershy who was exhausted for singing for such a long time.

“…no” I responded.

“But you want to know what I’m feeling right now?”I asked her with an annoyed look on my face.

“What is it Shadow, is it something joyful?” asked Fluttershy.

“BOREDOM!” I shouted jumping out of bed.

“Shadow your leg!” exclaimed Fluttershy.

I landed... and nothing happened.

“Trust me Fluttershy I heal fast, I don’t even need that crutch anymore.” I reassured her.

“HEY! DID I HEAR YOU WERE BORED?” shouted Pinkie from across the room that then stood up to me face to face.

“Because Shadow you can help me with my Cupcake BOMBS!” she excitingly shouted.

Testing out… PINKIE BOMBS? NO WAY!

Twilight came over to see what the commotion was about, “Um... sorry Pinkie but I need to ask Shadow about something. Hey, why don’t you get Spike to help you?”

THANK YOU TWILIGHT… and sorry Spike…

“GREAT IDEA TWILIGHT! SPIKE CATCH!” she said throwing one of her cupcake bombs at Spike.

“Huh?” said a confused Spike.

*boom*

"Ah!" shouted Spike.

Smoke filled the room and Spike was knocked out from the artillery cupcake.

With Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy attending to Spike’s injuries Twilight came over to me, “Shadow. I understand your looking for these “Seals”.

“WHAT? How would you know?” I asked her.

“Oh I borrowed your book about the seals from your coat pocket. Now then I understand there are 6…”

Twilight you little thief. I’m so proud!

“…And by cross referencing these I determined that there are a bunch of them hidden around Ponyville and other places.” She finished.

“I’ve found one but I left it in Ponitaly and are you sure there’s one hidden in Ponyville right now?” I asked wanting to know if she was correct on this.

She nodded.

“There’s no doubt about it, it’s hidden in an abandoned fort.”

“Well what are we waiting for let’s go get it!” I said.

“It’s in the… Everfree Forest.” she nervously said.

Crap.

We were walking in the dark forest despite the fact that it was still in the afternoon. The sun didn’t have enough power to pierce through the fog or the bog of the forest’s structure.
Vegetation was abundant everywhere I looked.

If this is the plant life I can’t imagine the animals that live in here.

I just hope that Applejack can keep the guild intact while we’re gone.

-----10 minutes before-----

“Hey Applejack! I and Twilight are going treasure hunting so can you make sure that the place doesn’t get burned down by Pinkie… thanks, bye!”

Ya she’ll be fine.

*rustle*

I signaled Twilight and turned around towards the noise which leads into a bush.

“Could it be a Cerberus? Or a cockatrice!?” said Twilight who was shaking from fear.

The bushes continued to rustle; I got closer to the bush and carefully put my hands on opposite sides of the shrubbery. I pulled the bush apart quickly and we saw the mysterious creature of the dark forest.

A grey rabbit.

“Whew…” we breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’m just glad a Manticore didn’t come out and own me.” I chuckled to Twilight.

*POW*

A paw came out from the other side of the clearing and rammed against my face sending me flying down the path.
I wiped the blood from my lip and saw what had attacked me.

A Manticore.
Ask and you shall receive… Tenant 27.

I climbed back up to my hooves and saw the winged beast charging towards Twilight.
I was fast, but I was faster.
Despite my broken leg injury I propelled myself to Twilight shoving her out of the Manticore’s path of destruction.

The Manticore turned around and huffed at me readying another charge attack.

Fighting him head on is useless, I just need a little…lift.

The Manticore roared and charged at me this time with Twilight safely out of the way. I began to charge at him too. Just before we collided I stuck my hidden blade out and used it to stab a side in its mane and for me to climb up onto its back.

“RIDE EM MANTI!” I shouted trying to imitate what Applejack would say.

The beast was confused and began to get enraged trying to shake me off. When that failed he tries to impale me with his scorpion tail. I dodged left and right around his body until the stinger had pierced the Manticore’s own back.

He yelled out in pain, but was still determined to get me.

I can’t kill him but I have to finish this.

I jumped from the Manticore and grabbed his tail with me as I landed behind him.

“YOU THINK THAT WAS PAINFUL? WHAT ABOUT…THIS!” I said sticking the Manticore’s tail into an uncomfortable place.

He yelped out in pain and awkwardly ran into the thick forest.

“Shadow… did you?” Twilight said as I helped her up.

“Yep…” I said turning to the where the Manticore disappeared.

“RIGHT UP YOUR ASS!” I shouted into the forest.

We crossed a bridge that lead into a broken down fort.

“Wow I haven’t been here ever since we defeated Nightmare Moon a long time ago.” Acknowledged Twilight.

We entered the broken fort and made our way into a room with a pedestal of the 6 Elements of Harmony.

“Now my book says that there should be a secret chamber underneath this room.” Said Twilight as she looked around the walls and floors.

I looked at the pedestal and I looked at it very closely.
There near the bottom of the stone monument I saw a symbol.

The Assassin’s logo?

I examined it more closely and saw that it was indeed the Assassin’s insignia and there was a small hole in the middle of it.
Twilight came over to me to see what I was doing.
I stuck out my hidden blade and inserted it into the insignia’s opening while turning my wrist to see if it was some kind of lock mechanism.

*click*

The pedestal started to move outwards from the centre of the room until it revealed a big hole leading into pitch darkness.

“After you.” Offered Twilight.

I jumped down the dark hole and landed into the chamber below.

“Oof,” uttered Twilight as she landed next to me.

“What in the…” said Twilight with an astonished tone.

The chamber we landed in wasn’t just a chamber it was a cavern. Dim lights decorated the stony walls of this enormous cavern.

A natural waterfall was made at the edge of the cavern accompanied by a flowing river. I and Twilight stood at an edge where a pathway had broken up leading to a centre platform in the middle of the river had taken place. What was worse was that platform was elevated by a precarious stalagmite supporting the rocky platform and underneath span a raging whirlpool.

I took a closer look at the platform and saw a pony statue holding a round object in its hoof.

A seal.

I scanned the cavern looking for a route to use to get me across to the centre platform.
I noticed many rocks were out of place and many scaffolds (probably used for excavating this cave) were still intact.

“Ok Twilight I’m going to get that seal on the statue over there.” I told her.

“How? There’s no direct route.”

Now I know my leg’s broken but I was wondering can you use your magic to give my leg lift as I scale the cavern’s wall.” I asked.

“Well… ok Shadow, but just be careful alright?” she said as a purple light enveloped my leg making my broken leg feel better than normal.

“Don’t worry Twilight, I will.” I told one last glance to Twilight before I ran up a wall and grabbed the edge of a small hole.

I hauled myself up until I found a secure piece of scaffolding to hang off of.

Why would they hide these seals in places like this? Who would hide these seals?
I guess I’ll get my answer when I’ve collected all of them.

I swung from the scaffolding and landed on an outcrop off the wall. I pushed myself off the wall just barely reaching a wooden scaffold imbedded in the wall.

It started to break off and fall into the raging river below. I quickly scampered my way up as best I could then the whole thing came down. I thought I heard a yelp from Twilight as I grabbed onto a wooden block at the last second just before I could fall in the river with the rest of the scaffold.

Let’s try this again.

I worked my way upwards using as much stone placements and cracks than the rickety wooden scaffoldings. I continued to go higher and higher until I've reached the ceiling of the cavern. I looked behind me and saw the platform was a big drop below me and it was still pretty far.

If this height can help me though...

I push my legs off the cavern wall with all my strength and fell towards the river. I stuck out my hoof which was then caught by the centre platform’s edge as the rest of my body dangled above the raging currents and whirlpool.

Carefully I climbed up to the platform’s dusty rock floor.
I picked myself up and went over to the statue and finally in a sigh I pick up the seal.

Finally, now… how to get back?

*FWOOSH*

Twilight had teleported next to me on the platform scaring the daylights out of me.

“Why didn’t I just teleport us across from the beginning?” asked Twilight.

“It would spoil the fun also…” I started to talk before the platform’s precarious stalagmite holding up this weight gave away.

*Snap*

"That..."

The rocky platform fell into the river and we started to go downstream at a high velocity.

“AHHHHH!” screamed Twilight who didn’t want to fall in the river or get slammed into the cavern wall.

“YOU FORGOT TO PUT A “Y” IN FRONT OF THAT!” I shouted over the rapids.

The platform crashed from wall to wall spinning us in a circle as pieces of the platform started to break off I could hear Twilight panicking.

Then it just stopped.

We felt daylight on our fur as the speed of the river ride subsided and we were just casually floating on a small platform with a pony statue.

“All right Twilight! We’ve got the seal now if we can only find our way back..”

*crack* my leg snapped, as Twilight’s spell wore off.

“HOME!” I yelled out in pain as I sat down and held my poor broken leg.

“Teleport?”

“Teleport.” I weakly asked.

In a poof we appeared back in our hideout.

Sweet…sweet… cupcakes?

We landed on a gooey batch of cupcake residue. I looked around and saw the room in chaos.

There are Cupcakes EVERYWHERE!
And what’s with all the rainbows drawn on the walls? IS IT WASHABLE?
What is…is that? A giraffe?

Animals from all over Equestia were everywhere in the room eating cupcakes from the floor as well as making their own…
I noticed Rarity with a broom frantically sweeping the mess away from her workstation, “First cupcakes, then the animals, NOW THIS!?”
Spike was running around trying to get letters and documents back from the animals.

Applejack saw me and quickly galloped towards me with a sad expression on her face.
“Shadow, I’m so sorry first Pinkie’s bombs then the animals, I tried getting Dr. Mareio to help but he only made things worse!” She shouted point towards Dr. Mareio who was giving a chimp a green mushroom.

“That comes to 3 bits… thank you come again soon! … AH SHADOW! Business is wonderful! Who knew these animals were so civil when bartering for goods. Would you like to buy one Shadow… Shadow?”

I started to grind my teeth then I stopped breathed out and said calmly, “Ok everyone let’s just get this mess cleaned up. Then we can talk about…”

*CRACK*

An elephant had snapped my mahogany desk… in half.

“Wooh Nellie, “said Applejack taking off her hat and diving under a table.

“EVERY’A BODY DOWN!” shouted Dr. Mareio as loud as he can bringing all the assassins together under the same desk Applejack hid under.

My… My… Desk.

“When a mahogany tree snaps somewhere in the world a desk has been as well.” I recalled from Le Duck, after seeing for myself what happens when an Observer's mahogany desk breaks.
Mahogany…

A dark red veil surrounded the desk then surrounded me.

“My… desk.” I said turning around so everyone can see the tear falling down my cheek.

All the animals stopped. Everyone can feel the change in the air and I can feel the change within myself.

I spread my wings open and inhaled deeply,

“RAGE…”

A wind bellowed towards me as I said the first word.

“FOR…”

This time the wind pushed back so hard that a hole had appeared at the end of the room.
Everyone knew what was going to happen next and they bunkered down.

“DA!!”

I shouted at the top of my voice as a huge gust of wind escaped through my mouth blowing all the cupcakes, graffiti, and animals out the hole in the wall to who knows where.

I let my rage pass by me and picked myself emotionally back up.

“Ok everyone! Let’s fix the hideout!” I cheerfully said knowing that I’ve done about half off the work already.

Everyone looked shocked by my sudden change of attitude.

After fixing the hole and cleaned up around the place some more. I retired at my desk.

Rarity had fixed it so well that you can’t even tell that I was shattered in half by an elephant.
“Ok everyone great work! Gather up!” I shouted around the room as the ponies started to converge.

“Now that, that mess is cleared up let’s talk about the next one we have to clean up as well. Mareio?” I said gesturing to the doctor.

“YES SHADOW! We found Volcanous is currently in GERPONY!” he said with a tune.

“Great now, we’ll need an edge to help us against him as I’m already aware he has about 100,000 ponies on standby.”

“How would you go about it?” asked Rainbow Dash. “I would just charge in but I’m sure you all aren’t as fast as me!”

“I’VE GOT AN IDEA!” Dr. Mareio shouted out.

“THE RED FOX!”

“The Red Fox? Who’s he?” asked Applejack.

“He’s a RENEGADE! Help the people prosper and yadda yadda.” Answered Dr. Mareio to Applejack and the others.

“I can arrange a meeting with him!” he said excitingly.

“Excellent Mareio… now about transportation. We need a ride that can carry our crafting stuff and ingredients so we can make the necessary preparations. I don’t think a train cart would allow such things.” I wondered out loud.

“LOOK OUT THE WINDOW!” shouted Mareio.

We all turned around my desk and went on my bed to get a better look out of the window..

“Ehh... Mareio is that a…”

“NUKE!... That’s what you’ve said the last time Shadow!” Pinkie burst in.

“Ahem…. Is that a… Zeppelin?” I asked.

“SILLY SHADOW! ------- It’s a MUSHROOM!” Dr. Mareio corrected me.

Chapter 13: Blimp Trip!

I stared gingerly at the floating contraption in front of me as the others went up to the roof of the hideout. A spotted giant red mushroom was floating just under the height of the clock tower.

“Mareio… where…” I started as I looked at Mareio dumfounded.

He turned his head to me with a great smile that would even rival Pinkie’s,
“SILLY SHADOW! You cannot tell? I MADE THE MUSHROOM!”

We were all shocked by Mareio’s answer. Except for Pinkie Pie who was too busy bouncing back and forth from the roof to the wooden observation deck on the mushroom blimp and didn’t notice Mareio’s remark.

“You… MADE THIS!?” I said astonished as Dr. Mareio nodded his head.

“What does your mushroom blimp run on?” asked Twilight who was intrigued by the design and the overall function of a mushroom vehicle.

“Same as all my other mushroom vehicles. STAR-POWER!”

Star-Power?
How could this pony get his hands on star-power?
Isn’t that stuff in the far reaches of space?

“SMALL GALAXY WE LIVE IN HUH?” I recalled Mareio saying.

Well… at least he’s on our side…

As I was probing my thoughts Dr. Mareio ignored all the questions everypony kept asking about his mushroom and “star-power”. Instead he calmly said (and by calmly said I mean shout like a maniac),
“EVERYPONY GET YOUR THINGS! GERPONY AWAITS!”

Everyone retreated down below to gather up their supplies including Dr. Mareio who went down and only a few moments later came up carrying all our tables and work equipment as we all boarded the mushroom blimp.

“DR. MAREIO WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” I shouted at him as he dropped all our worktables and etcetera in front of him.

“Gerpony is 4 days away by mushroom and we need all the help we can get or make...… CATCH!”

Dr. Mareio threw a 20 pound mahogany desk in my direction. I couldn’t risk losing the one symbol of my office so I grabbed the desk just before it hit me, I fell to the ground and the desk crushed my leg, breaking it once more.

“AAAAHHH! COME ON! WHY!” I shouted in extraordinary pain.

But that didn’t end there. The rest of our furniture and workstations were being thrown onto the blimp by Dr. Mareio himself.

In my pained state I thought,

Wow… there go Twilight’s books… and Rarity’s crafting table… Fluttershy’s plants… Rainbow’s weapons… Applejack’s miniature apple tree.... and Pinkie’s bombs……..

PINKIE’S BOMBS!?

I saw through my blurred vision Pinkie jumping and bouncing all over the blimp to catch her cupcake bombs. Ace was laughing at us… until a bird lounger chucked by Dr. Mareio hit him from behind sending him crashing to the observation desk’s wooden floor.

After 5 minutes Dr. Mareio ran out of stuff to throw and we were stuck in a pile of our stuff.

Rainbow who was stuck in a maze of swords, battleaxes and maps yelled at Dr. Mareio, “HEY! WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO, KILL US?”

“YOU’RE TOO SLOW!” mocked Dr. Mareio in a personality unlike himself.

After we recovered ourselves from the carnage and set everything up on the observation deck as well as the interior of the mushroom, we were ready to head off.

Except for one.

Spike was pleading with me to join us on our trip, “But Shadow… it’s going to be so boring here, can’t I come, please?”

“Look Spike, this is extremely dangerous. We are entering a war which is likely to break out, and I don’t want you to…”

Spike exploded from anger, “TWILIGHT IS GOING INTO DANGER TOO AND I WANT TO BE THERE FOR HER!”

I can’t keep doing this; we’re running out of time.

“Fine Spike, you may come…BUT… you will need to listen to everything Twilight says. Everyday life is a suicide-mission and the last thing I want is a baby dragon adapting to that lifestyle. Understand?”

“YES, SIR!” Spike saluted me as he ran over to Twilight’s side.

I assembled everyone onto the observation deck with all of them wearing their assassin robes.

“Everyone! Getting to Gerpony will take 4 days so use that time to plan and make anything that can give us an edge over what we might face. ARE YOU READY!?” I shouted with charisma.

“YES WE ARE!” everyone shouted back.

“Good, let’s go-whoa!” I started to say before the pain in my leg made me trip and land face-first onto the wooden floor.

“OKIE-DOKIE-LOKIE!” shouted both Pinkie and Dr. Mareio in unison as the doctor went to the steering wheel and set the speed to max.

*BOOM*

The mushroom blimp shot into the air in the afternoon sky at an amazing speed. Though we were moving at approximately just below Rainbow Dash’s max speed I didn’t feel any wind change in the mushroom itself.

“Mareio, why isn’t there any wind trying to blow us off from the mushroom?” I asked as Rarity came over to me and helped me up from my broken leg.

“STAR-POWER MAKES GRAVITY BUBBLES!” exciting responded Dr. Mareio taking his hooves off the steering wheel.

The blimp started to tumble until Mareio regained control of it as he placed his hooves at 4 and 6.

“Doctor, don’t you have anything for this poor, poor stallion’s leg? It’s been broken for about 4 weeks now.” asked Rarity to the doctor.

“I told you,” shouted Fluttershy from across the deck.

“I might just’a have the thing you’a need,” said Dr. Mareio as he reached into his left pocket of his doctor’s uniform and pulled out a yellow mushroom.

“Great now I can finally stop feeling this pain…arg.” I commented as a pain rushed up through my leg.

“OK Shadow! But as your doctor I must warn you of the side-effects…”

“SCREW THE SIDE-EFFECTS! GIVE ME THE DAMN MUSHROOM!”

Mareio shrugged and shoved the mushroom into my mouth. I chewed and swallowed the yellow fungus. Instantly my leg filled with energy and the pain was no more.

“YOU CURED ME DOCTOR! YOU…”

I fell to the floor once more startling Rarity but the doctor was unfazed. My legs felt like jelly and I couldn’t move them at all.

I looked at Mareio as he looked down on me and cheerfully said, “Now you can’t move your legs for 3 days!”

“WHAT!? I shouted in disbelief.

I sighed and looked at Mareio straight in his blue eyes, “Any other side-effects you want to tell me?”

“Only 1….. PAINFUL URINATION!”

These 3 days are going to be so joyful.

Everyone was working on their projects and plans until an unpony-like shout originated from the mushroom’s latrine.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

Dr. Mareio who was showing Pinkie how to fly the blimp shook his head from the shout of pain, “I’va warned him…”

I fell from the porcelain toilet onto the bathroom floor, clinging to my bladder as tears went down my cheeks.

Dear Celestia that was the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced.

I crawled inch by inch to a pair of arm crutches Fluttershy had made at her workstation which had fallen over further than where I left. I grasped my hooves around the handles and hauled my body up using the strength in my arms.

My bladder still boiling from the extreme pain that yellow mushroom had brought into my system ached every time I took a step with my crutches. I took a very long and grueling time to get up the stairs leading to the observations deck.

As I got up everypony looked at me with remorse as I seated myself at my mahogany desk which was bolted to the deck. I took a minute to just relax and work out the pain from my broken leg which had transferred and manifested into even more pain in my bladder.

I hunched over my desk and started to write a journal for our time to Gerpony.

Day 1: Mareio fed me a yellow mushroom which jellied my legs and gave me combustible urination problems. Apart from that everypony is working on their projects. I’ll get over to Rainbow Dash and see the layout of Gerpony.

Just then a pink head popped out underneath my quill and shouted, “HI SHADOW! WHAT’S UP!”

“AAH PINKIE!” I startled as I almost fell from my chair which was also bolted to the ground and had armrests.

I regained myself and answered to the awaiting smiling Pinkie, “I’m just starting a journal for our trip to Gerpony. What are you doing Pinkie?”

“MAREIO IS TEACHING ME HOW TO FLY!” shouted Pinkie with the utmost excitement.

“Wait if you’re here…” I said before looking to the blimp wheel not being piloted.

“CRAP!” I power-crutched as fast as I could over to the empty wheel and stabilized the mushroom before it began to dive.

“Oof!” Pinkie butted me from the wheel and took control just as Dr. Mareio appeared from the stairs from the lower deck.

“EXCELLENT JOB PINKIE!” he shouted across the observation deck.

“Ugh…” I facehoofed.

I was in the middle of writing some taxation documents when Rarity and Twilight showed up carrying a hidden blade with a protective brace.

“Hey girls, what’s up?” I asked them as I stored my quill back in the ink bottle.

“I’ve been looking up on Assassin weapons and tactics and I’ve stumbled on an idea, that you can use TWO hidden blades at the same time!” Twilight excitingly said.

“And then I thought that this blade can look much more extravagant with some steel guards,” pointed in Rarity.

“Thank you so much… I remember the Observer had two hidden blades of his own. I also remember he nearly killed me the day I saw him use his blades.” I joked to them as they had shocked expressions on their faces.

I took the blade from Rarity and attached it to my right arm. I tested the blade out as it popped out instantly and retracted with ease.

“Thank you Rarity, once again your work amazes me beyond belief.” I said charmingly as Rarity blushed and returned to her station.

Twilight was beginning to go too but I stopped her, “Wait Twilight.”

“Yes Shadow?”

“I understand you want to learn more about the Assassins and my guess is you want to know about the Observer himself.”

“Yes…” she said trying to figure out where this is going.

"..."

“Well… what are you waiting for? Pull up a chair!” I said eagerly.

“And that’s the last of the Observer before we were betrayed by one of our own.” I finished my story noticing that Applejack and Rainbow Dash had joined in listening to my story as well.

“Wait so he threw you off a cliff… HOW MANY TIMES?” said an astonished Rainbow Dash.

“Did you find the good-for nothin betrayer?” asked Applejack.

“Yes…” I answered solemnly.

“Well what in tarnation happened? Did… did you…”

I never knew. No one knew. We were all so blind.

I moved my eyes down to my side not making eye-contact with anypony and more importantly to hide a tear forming in my right eye.

“Oh…”

“That must have been hard,” admitted Rainbow Dash.

“Just one more question Shadow, I noticed you mentioned a purple mushroom then skipped over it. What happened?” asked Twilight who was very intrigued.

Images flooded into my mind.

Purple mushrooms… mushponies…

Breaking down… all my fault… the suffering

“YOU CANNOT ESCAPE. WE ARE YOUR SALVATION.”

“Shadow? SHADOW!” snapped Applejack as I returned back to reality.

“Shadow what’s wrong with you? You look pale,” noted Twilight as I sat back upright in my seat.

I thought long and hard and gave them an answer.

“You ever heard of Poni Town?” I asked the three ponies listening to me.

“No?” They all said wondering about the name.

“Exactly…”

I rolled into my bed below deck with all the other ponies in their respective rooms. Ace flew in and nestled up comfortably on my stomach. I petted him with my left hoof while I tested out my second hidden blade on my right arm.

I’m getting better at this. Soon I can kill two at once. I might need to change my fighting style a bit.
Maybe in the morning…

I closed my eyes and recounted the stories of my past.

I woke up drenched in sweat my eyes dilating as I desperately tried to get my crutches to leave my room. I knocked Ace over who was sleeping nicely on the edge of my bed and woke up with an annoyed attitude.

*Swack*

“Sorry Ace, I’VE GOT TO GO!” I shouted rushing towards the washroom as fast as I could.

Wait.

I stopped at the door with my hoof on the handle.

It’s going to hurt like hell. I don’t think I have enough mental power to withstand that pain again.

“HEYA SHADOW!” shouted Dr. Mareio from across the hall as he started to walk towards me.

He continued on walking past me and whispered in my ear very quickly, “It’s going to hurt more the longer you wait…”

I rushed into the washroom and released my anger and pain.

I recovered with just as much pain in my bladder as yesterday. I weakly get up onto the observation deck and take a seat at my desk as I’ve done the day before.
I open my journal and I make a new entry.

Day 2: The second time was much worse than the first. Luckily Twilight and Rarity crafted a second hidden blade for me to use. I’m sure it will come in handy. I miss the good old days with the Observer throwing me out the window and Le Duck and I going on missions. Then again I like how my life ended up with my friends.
I just wish I won’t suffer the same pain as I did when I lost my family and the Assassins.

I finished the entry and crutched my way over to Fluttershy who was watering her plants.

“Hey Fluttershy! Do you have any fruit I can have? It feels like I haven’t eaten anything for the past 4 weeks…” I asked her as she put the watering can down.

“Hi Shadow… I’m sure I have something here…oh will this do?” she asked me as she held out an orange.

“Yes thank you Fluttershy,” taking the orange from her and starting to eat it.

Dr. Mareio came over as he noticed my orange he said, “Shadow wouldn’t you rather have one of these?” he asked holding out a red mushroom.

“NEVER AGAIN YOU CRAZY MUSHROOM DOCTOR!” I shouted in rage scaring Fluttershy who ducked under her potions table, while the doctor looked unfazed.

“Well, I though you wanted some of my breakfast… oh well.” He said taking a bite out of the mushroom.

As soon as I finished the orange Mareio smiled and said to me, “Shadow… CITRUS BURNS!”

OH SHOOT! Should have seen that coming.

An idea pooped up in my mind. I raced over to Rainbow Dash who was punching a wooden dummy.

“Yo Rainbow! Mind if I train with you?”

“Sure, I could always use a sparring partner. But aren’t you a little… jelly?” she asked me pointing towards my gelatin-like legs.

“Trust me; I know what I’m doing.”

-----4 hours later------------------------------------

*POW*

“Seriously Shadow, you COUD’VE DODGED!” Rainbow shouted at me as I tried to get myself back up to my feet after suffering yet another blow to my chest.

I was covered in sweat with every drop smelling of citrus.

Perfect step 1 is complete... now for Rainbow Dash…

“Come at me again!” I challenged her huffing from the exhaustion.

“Fine, but this isn’t going anywhere…” said Rainbow as she planted her feet and charged at me with a tired pace.

As soon as she was close I jumped from my spot using my crutches and landed firmly on her back.

“Hey! What are you doing?” she turned her head behind me and saw me lounging on her back.

“Nothin… just chilling.” I said casually looking at my blades.

Rainbow was fuming and begun to fly upwards while I still hung from her back a crutch fell down onto the observation deck below.

“Get off me!” she shouted trying to see if I was still hanging on.

“Nope.”

“ARG!” Rainbow Dash was now absolutely furious and she dashed towards the pile of map boxes she brought along for the trip.

*CRASH*

The boxes fell all over the place spilling their contents including a confused exhausted Rainbow Dash. I lightly glided down towards her still gripping a crutch to support myself.

I had jumped off the moment she charged for the boxes.

In an over-exhausted voice I huffed, “Remember Rainbow… if someone’s too strong…*huff*... then confuse and tire them before you strike. *whew* Just… just remember not to… tire… yourself…”

I fell from exhaustion onto the wooden floor and passed out.

It all went according to plan. While I was busy teaching Rainbow a lesson on fighting, I purposely let myself sweat profusely. Getting rid of the excess water may help with my bladder combustion as well as to see where my limits changed due to my broken leg.

I groggily opened my eyes with blurred vision to what I think was my room on the mushroom blimp. I looked around the room and saw Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were dozing off on a couch. Pinkie’s pink hair looked a shade of grey and Rainbow Dash’s mane was ruffled and she had bags under her eyes.

I rubbed my eyes trying to adjust my vision until I realised I didn’t have my hidden blade on.

I feel a bit naked.

I looked at my right hoof and noticed my other hidden blade was missing too. I looked at my gray furred chest and saw that I wasn’t wearing my robes.

I turned my head to the left of my room and saw my clothing which was greatly cleaned and puffed out as well as my hidden blades.
I tried to get out of my bed but as soon as I did the bed springs made a slight creak noise.

“HEY EVERYONE! SHADOW’S AWAKE!” shouted Pinkie who had bounced over the bed and landed on me giving me a great bear-hug.

“*zhonk* …huh? Shadow...? SHADOW YOUR AWAKE!” woke up Rainbow Dash who zoomed over to me and Pinkie and also gave me a bear-hug.

The door burst open and my room was filled with more ponies and a dragon all trying to hug me as hard as possible.
I couldn’t breathe so I did the next best thing, I pretended to die.

“AAH SHADOW NOOO!” shouted everypony releasing their grip on me.

As soon as everyone let go in shock I stood up and patted the dirt off myself, “Relax everyone, I’m fine.”

“Shadow…” said Applejack pointing to my legs.

I looked down at my legs which were standing upright underneath me.

I was standing.

“So that means three days passed? I was passed out for a day then… huh.” I thought while scratching my head.

I went over to my stuff and started to dress myself, but before I finished Pinkie stuck a hoof at my cutie mark, “SO THAT’S YOUR CUTIE MARK! …what is it?”

I looked down at my cutie mark; it was an angelic white Pegasus wing covered around a shadowy hole.

“Oh it means that I never give up hope even in the darkest situations. If you notice closely you can see the wing is actually floating over the darkness and it uses the darkness in order to float and give itself hope.” I said to everypony who looked confused at my metaphoric explanation.

“An example would be, I always improvise something even in the direst of times or I use anything in an environment to help give me an edge.” I said from a practical viewpoint.

I clothed myself and saw Dr. Mareio was also in the cabin. I reached out and gave him a big hug.

“Thank you for your help, Doctor.”

"It'sa nothing."

Then I noticed something. Something wasn’t right. Something was horribly wrong.

“Ummm… Mareio if you’re HERE and Pinkie’s also HERE… Who’s flying the mushroom?”

“ACE!” he excitingly shouted.

Now we’re screwed.

We ran up to the observation deck and saw Ace reading a magazine in his bird lounger. The blimp suddenly banked towards the ground at the same Rainbow Dash speed.

“EVERYONE GRAB ONTO SOMETHING!” I shouted at the top of my voice as I grabbed a railing.

*CRASH*

I crawled out of the mushroom wreckage and onto a countryside surrounded by flat grasslands and shrubs.
Minutes pass and more ponies pull themselves out of the wreckage. Spike was pulled out with a giant glob of mush-blimp stuck in his mouth. Ace climbed out of my hood, but Mareio didn’t show.

“MAREIO!” I shouted into the smoldering wreck.

"..."

*BEEP* *BEEP*

A van dove right out from the charred blimp and halted to a screech in front of us. The door opened and a happy Mareio was seen driving the van.

“My mushroom is a mess but my stock is OKAY! GET IN!” he chuckled as he motioned with his arm to get in the back of his van.

Still dizzy from the crash we clumsily got to his van with some supplies we scavenged from the blimp accident. I shut the door behind us and listened to Mareio giving us the directions, “GERPONY IS OVER THAT HILL!”

“Hey Mareio? Where are the seat belts?” asked Applejack as she failed to find any.

“NO SEATBELTS EVERYONE!” cheerfully said Mareio as he floored his van.

Day 3-4: My sweat plan worked and I can finally walk again, bad thing I was unconsious for a day or so. The blimp crashed and we’re heading to Gerpony in a mushroom storage van without any type of safety equipment…

I think my legs are going to break again…

Chapter 14: Gerpony

“MAREIO! Can you drive slower I think Pinkie is going to puke!”

We were tumbling in a mushroom van which smelled of medication and sanitisation smells one would experience at a hospital. A doctor floored the vehicle on the bumpy road with a cheery expression on his face, while a pink coloured passenger started to turn green.

“There is no time! Gerpony’s gates are just past this border checkpoint!” shouted the doctor over his shoulder to the rest of us.

“Shadow… I don’t feel so good…” sickly said Pinkie as I held her head across my lap trying to keep the motion sickness from affecting her.

“Shh Pinkie… we’re almost there…” comforted Fluttershy while patting Pinkie’s forehead.

The movement of the truck halted to a stop.

“Mareio, why are we stopping?” asked Applejack.

“BORDER GUARDS!”

Two ponies wearing dark green outfits fitted with a small hat of the same colour approached the window of the van. One peered inside our van and looked cautiously.

For his perspective we must look like mushroom junkies trying to smuggle contraband into Gerpony. This is a great disguise for our true intentions but I need to think of something while they’re distracted.

Think…

“WHATZ DIE HAVE IN DIE VAN! SPRECH!” shouted the Gerponian border guard in an unbelievably heavy accent.

Think, THINK! …. GOT IT!

I silently motioned to Rarity to copy what I was about to do.

“OH THANK YOU SIRS! Our friend here is very sick; we need to save her before passes out into a sleep that she’ll never wake up from!” I pleaded with a high pitched voice in distress trying to annoy the guards as best I could.

Thank you Ponitalian acting classes!

Rarity noticed what I was doing and joined in, “Please, only you brave guards can save our friend!”

“It would mean SO MUCH TO ME!” pleaded Rarity giving the guards big round cute eyes which seemed to have worked.

“FRITZ HELP DIE LADY!” shouted the border guard to the other border guard.

The guard went around the van and opened the back doors. We hauled the green Pinkie out of the van and carefully moved her to the border outpost building. The guards entered first, I gave a nod to Rarity and we went in after with a sick Pinkie over our shoulders.

*SLAP*

*POW*

*UUURRRRRRPPPP*

We exited the outpost followed by a vibrant jumping Pinkie Pie.

“WEEE! Carsickness was fun let’s do it again— OOOOOOHHHHH! I GOT AN IDEA!” shouted Pinkie as she charged into the van at a lightning speed.

Confused I and Rarity entered the back of the van and closed the door. As soon as I did Mareio floored the van once more.
I saw Pinkie fumbling with a miniature version of her FUN nuke.

The day she discovers Plutonium is the day we’re screwed…

Ignoring Pinkie’s science project I looked around the van. Surprisingly the back of a mushroom containment vehicle was roomier than I expected. In total eight ponies, a dragon, and an eagle somehow managed to fit in a van stockpiled with mushrooms of varying sizes and colours.

After driving for a few more minutes and admiring the countryside Mareio stopped the van just slightly out of view from the city gates of Gerpony right behind a giant bush. We peered through the window and saw the entrance was heavily guarded by six Gerponian soldiers all carrying swords.

“I don’t think we can get through these guys as easily as we did back at the border outpost,” whispered Rarity trying not to alert the guards who were 15 feet from our window.

“IT’S DONE!” cheerfully shouted Pinkie as she held up a miniature version of her FUN nuke as a grenade.

“SSHHHH!” we all hushed her but it was too late, the soldiers noticed our van hidden behind the bushes and started to approach us with swords drawn.

Pinkie went ballistic and threw the mini-nuke grenade right in front of a guard.

“DON’T LOOK AT IT!” she urgently shouted while covering all of us from the view of her grenade.

Except for Spike.

“Whoa… the colours are so… uhhhh…” Spike was looking straight at the grenade and his face had turned completely green.

A second later he vomited on the dashboard and passed out.

We waited a minute before we knew the grenade’s effects have worn out. I opened the back of the van and we all came out except for Twilight and Dr. Mareio who had to nurse Spike back to health.
I went to where the grenade had landed. Six green-paled guards were unconscious with a smell of bile and waste emitting from their mouths.

“Pinkie? What the hell was that!?” I asked wondering how I can over-exploit this useful bomb.

“We’ll you know how I had a FUN Nuke right? And when I was really really sick from riding in that mushroom van, I realised just how distracted I was, then I went OOH when I found out I can get other ponies to do the same!
Just attach some fun blinking lights and a disco ball and you get a P.U.K.E!” said Pinkie who was eagerly bouncing up and down from the success of her bomb.

“P.U.K.E?” asked Applejack who was completely confused on what Pinkie was talking about.

“Puke… Puke… AHA! It’s an anagram: Ponies UpchucK Everywhere!” I answered using my collective intuition and the fact that I’ve seen the results of one of these bombs.

“YAY! You win! Now Gerpony awaits us!” cheered Pinkie as she bounced towards the gates.

Wow… this place is so…

Sad.

What I saw shocked me as well as the other assassins. Gerpony was nothing like the books I’ve read about it. I heard it was supposed to be a fun happy city, with chocolate rivers pouring down the streets and the smells of market fresh produce and baked goods.

Instead what I saw was the most miserable spot in the world. Broken glass and trash littered the streets, the houses were broken-down and grey and they appeared to be slouching over. Cracks filled the road and clouds overhanged the city which didn’t allow Celestia's sun to shine through leaving the city feeling… empty.

Empty?

“Where are all the ponies?” asked Applejack with a worried face.

No city should be empty like this… wait what’s that smell?

*Sniff*

Death…

We kept on walking until we heard an angry ruckus coming from the centre of the city.
We ran as fast as we could so we can see the ponies that were supposed to be seen on the streets.
The closer we got the stronger the scent of blood and decay filled my snout.

We arrived at a place that feature a great gallows stand and it was surrounded by many ponies, maybe even the entire population. On the stand however I saw a bulky red figure shouting at a white coloured unicorn and the stage was surrounded by many Gerponian soldiers.

I motioned the group to split up and blend within the crowd. I pushed my way through until I could get to listening distance. I looked up and saw who the bulky figure was. It was a red stallion with a brown coloured mane with a full-line beard. He was wearing a blood splattered blacksmith outfit and was carrying a finely crafted iron blacksmith hammer.

He let out a menacing hearty laugh.

Volcanous…

“YOU THING! HORRIBLE TRAITOR! DIE SHNEIDER!” shouted Volcanous to the white unicorn who had his horn broken in half and was covered in his own blood.

He kicked the unicorn and the unicorn shouted out in pain, “Why! I’ve done nothing wrong!”

The unicorn coughed up blood and Volcanous raised his arms to the citizens, “Why?......WHY!? It IST not my fault I’m here, IT’S YOURS!” he gave a blow to the unicorn’s leg using his hammer. It cracked and bent the other way, the unicorn screamed in pain.

“RED FOX? Oh we knoz about him… And you’re die REBEL!” shouted Volcanous to the defenseless unicorn.

“It’s true I serve the Red Fox, but I believe that he can bring this tyranny of yours down!” backlashed the white unicorn.

The unicorn turned to the audience and shouted as loud as he can, “GOOD GERPONIANS! STAY STRONG, WE WILL HAVE OUR FREEDOM AGAIN! WE WILL----“

*CLANG*

Volcanous brought his hammer down upon the unicorns head with full force before he finished his speech. The unicorn fell down never to move again, his head squished into the stage as blood splattered on Volcanous and the front row.

“THIS IS WHAT WE DO TO TRAITORS!” Vulcanous pulled the hammer from the unicorn’s head and brought it down upon it again.

I closed my eyes not wanting to see what would happen next.

*CLANG*

The blood splattered more so onto Volcanous as his face was now drenched in specks of the unicorns blood. He had a sinister smile when he took his hammer out from the non-recognizable unicorn and showed the crowd his blood-stained hammer and the unicorn’s exposed skull.

“NO, FRED!” shouted a distressed purple earth pony from the front row as she charged towards the stage she was caught by a guard.

Volcanous looked at her with an unmerciful smile.

“Kill her…” he said to the guards before leaving the stage.

The soldier nodded and a sword came out from the mare’s chest, he pulled it out and the mare dropped to the ground.

These monsters! THESE PONIES ARE INNOCIENT! I need to stop him… I need..

A shout erupted from the crowd as many ponies wearing green armbands and held swords jumped into the soldiers’ area and violently attacked them. The citizens of Gerpony fled from the fear they witnessed as fighting broke loose.

A distraction....

Show-time, let’s get this shit started.

I cracked my hooves.

I ran towards the front of the stage where the first protester was fighting against a much larger soldier.
I pulled out my hidden blade and charged into the soldier who was about to kill the first arm-band pony, I stabbed him in his chest twice and helped the “rebel” to his feet.

“You’a fight for us?” said the stallion who had a giant brown mustache and brown mane, green fur, and had a Ponitalian accent.

I nodded as I picked up the sword the soldier had dropped and went towards another soldier.

As for the other assassins: Applejack had already taken down two soldiers while Rainbow Dash and Pinkie went behind the stage to prevent any soldiers from fleeing also for Ace to lure some soldiers in their direction . Rarity, who was completely disgusted by what just happened, stabbed the pony that killed the purple mare. Fluttershy had found a bow dropped by one of the rebels and took a few shots at the soldiers.

1..2...…6 guards were down when Fluttershy needed to reload.

I snapped a soldier’s arm and flipped him to the ground while stabbing him in the neck. Two soldiers approached me with their swords drawn thinking I couldn’t handle them at the same time.

How could they ever be so wrong….

I pulled out my second hidden blade and jumped on both of them digging my blades into their skulls. I immediately rolled to a soldier and thrust his own sword arm into his back after I slashed a solder in the face with my second blade while spinning I stuck my final blade combo into the chest of the third soldier.

The fighting stopped as all the soldiers now lay dead with their bodies and bodies of the rebels covering the streets.
Cheers erupted from the crowd as the rest of my assassins formed around me with Ace landing on my wing.

The Ponitalian rebel I helped came over to me and bowed solemnly, “We’A thank you kind warriors of the shadow, without your help we…”

“PONIGI!” shouted an all too familiar doctor’s voice.

No way…

I turned around and saw Dr. Mareio running quickly towards us with Twilight behind him holding Spike on her back.

“Mareio? …. MAREIO!” shouted the green pony as he ran towards Mareio in open arms.

They hugged each other and they cried tears of joy.

I think they know each other.

While they were having their “moment” I asked Twilight about Spike, “So… how is he?”

“He’ll be fine, that’s just what bright colours would do to scramble up a brain!”

“FIRST IT’S SO SAD, THEN IT’S SO HAPPY!” cried Pinkie who gushed tears from seeing these two ponies being reunited.

After the heart-filled tears and the hugs were exchanged I went over to Mareio and Ponigi.

“I’m assuming you know each other?” I asked them.

“YES! For you see we are…” Ponigi answered breaking off into a dramatic pause.

In unison they shouted, “THE MUSHROOM BROS!”

“Mushroom bros?” wondered Rainbow Dash.

“YES! For you see Ponigi here is my contact for the Red Fox… ISIN’T THAT SUPER!” said Mareio who was overly enthusiastic.

“SI! Now I’m sure you all want to meet the Red Fox… LET’S A GO!” shouted Ponigi leading the way through the city.

As if one wasn’t enough… sheesh

We walked for an hour with Mareio and Ponigi telling stories of the good old school days until we stopped at a bar with a Ponitalian name.

“Nessun volpe per voi? What’s that?” curiously asked Twilight.

“It means, No Fox for you in Ponitalian. Clever how the Gerponian soldiers don’t know anything about a destroyed culture.” I translated, not realising I mentioned Ponitaly’s destruction out loud.

“Ponitaly… SHE’S DEAD!?” shouted Ponigi.

I sadly nodded my head and Ponigi burst out in tears as Mareio comforted him with a hug.

A minute later and Ponigi was feeling better… almost too better.

“OH WELL! Let’s see the Red Fox now, YAHOO!”

We entered the bar and saw it was empty except for a senior grey coloured bartender smoking a cigar while washing a cup.

“Hey, what’s up!” said Ponigi to the disgruntled barkeep.

“I was wondering where everyone left to.” He replied still washing the cup.

Ponigi was walking towards a closet and put his hoof on the handle when the bartender smashed his glass cup on the table. We were all startled including Fluttershy who hid behind Rainbow Dash.

“HEY! What was that for?” said an annoyed Rainbow who flew over in front of the bartender’s face.

“Any new personal needs to sign his or her name in the book, no if’s ands or buts.” He grumpily said while pulling out a giant brown book and a pencil from under the serving table.

I went over to the book and wrote a fake name.
The bartender slammed the book together with my hoof still stuck inside.

“OOOOUUUCCCCHHHHH!" I shouted out in pain as I took my hoof out of the book.

The bartender was shaking his head back and forth, “Now I know your name aint “Bob”.”

I grabbed the pencil again and tried to write my name in the book. The bartender took his cigar out and pushed it into my hoof.

“OWWW! WWWHHHYYY!”

“Tsk tsk, only I get to write in this book. Now then your names…” he said grabbing the pencil and spinning the book around to him.

“Shadow-mark, Mareio, Ace, Twilight, Spike, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and… Rainbow Dash.” He said out loud writing down our names in the book grinning devilishly at Rainbow when he ended with her name.

“How… how did you?” asked Applejack.

“Easy, they don’t call me Name-writer for nothing.” He said showing us his cutie mark of a quill writing in ink.

“Now go on through!” he motioned to Ponigi to open the closet door.

In the closet was a ladder leading down to what I thought was the basement.

I was never so wrong.

A huge brightly lit bustling carnival was under this depressing shit-hole of a town.

“WHAT! NO WONDER EVERYTHING IS SO SAD ABOVE. THE PARTY’S DOWN HERE! WAHOOOOO!” Pinkie ecstatically shouted before running into the crowds of the townspeople.

“I would have never believed it…” astonished Applejack.

“Wow everything looks quite fabulous!” Rarity commented.

“IS THAT A FERRIS WHEEL!?” shouted Rainbow Dash.

“Oh… there is so much noise…” distressed Fluttershy.

“How I don’t even…” said Twilight.

*ScreeO*

“MAMA MIA!” shouted Mareio.

“Euuuuhhhhhhh,” groaned Spike who was still nauseous.

It is unbelievable. But I need to know where the Red Fox is…

I saw banners of a red fox sprawled across the underground carnival and at the end of it was a bigger one than the rest.

So clichéd…

I ran out ahead onto the carnival streets and in a moment I vanished from the other ponies’ sights. Every pony I passed by on my way to the Red Fox looked cheery and happy, but….

I know they are feeling hatred and sadness inside…

I cut threw a quartet into a back alley and I’ve ended up about half-way from my destination.

Who knew there was a city this big hidden under a city?

The sights and smells of freshly baked bread and 5-pound chocolate bars were pleasing to enjoy but I needed to focus. Ignoring the bustle of the streets below, I took to the rooftops and free-runned my way to a platform overlooking the city below. I tried to climb over the railing but I was exhausted from running a city length non-stop.

“Here, let me help you.” A chestnut coloured hoof grabbed mine and hauled me over the edge of the railing and onto the platform.

“Thanks.” I said looking to see who helped me.

It was a chestnut coloured Pegasus wearing a dark faded orange hooded robe, he had a goatee and his left eye was scarred giving the Pegasus a menacing blind eye. He smiled at me.

Who is he?

The rest of the assassins showed up a minute later. Mareio noticed the stallion in front of me and waved to him. The stallion slightly nodded to Mareio.

“Well, Shadow you see me before you, I am the Red Fox.” He bowed.

“Do I know you from somewhere?” I bluntly asked.

He looked shocked, “Really? You don’t remember who I am?”

He looks so familiar… why can’t I remember who he his!
I KNOW HIM!

“Here maybe this can help jog your memory, Shadow.” He said handing me a charred book.

I flipped over the pages until I could read something legible.

Edzeo put his hidden blade into the Maiden’s Tower control mechanism. He twisted carefully not wanting the lock to break under the strength of his blade. A moment later and the floodgates of the Maiden’s Tower opened drenching all the soldiers with…

“AAH! YOU SICK PERV!” I shouted throwing the book on the ground.

Then my mind snapped.

No… it can’t be… he’s dead.
Against 15 soldiers not even the Observer could have…

My thoughts ebbed away from me and I looked at the smiling chestnut stallion and I saw the assassin insignia on the end of his faded robe.

I looked straight at him with tears forming in my eyes.

“Le…Le Duck?”

He nodded.

Chapter 15: Volcanous

I ran towards Le Duck with his arms outstretched expecting a hug from me.

*HEAD-SMASH*

I head-butted Le Duck and he recoiled in pain from the attack I gave him.

“Why didn’t I hear from you? WHY DID YOU ABANDON ME IN PONITALY? WHY!?”
I shouted at Le Duck and he noticed the rage in my face and was confused by my reaction of seeing him after all this time.

“Shadow, I didn’t expect this from you. You know that I will always be watching over you.” He said regaining his balance.

“Ya I know, “A Duck will always be watching you, that’s Anatidaephobia.” That’s the last thing you said to me before the passageway caved in and the last time I saw you…. until now.”

“And I have, I’ve heard your progress of remaking the Assassin Brotherhood, all on your own too. That’s something even I couldn’t have done easily, I’m very impressed.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere… Uncle.” I said coldly to Le Duck.

“Shadow… I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’ve deceived you all these years and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that our family isn’t entirely gone.” he had a sad expression on his face.

I was shocked, in all my time training with Le Duck never have I once heard him apologize so solemnly.

I ran up to Le Duck and hugged him with all my might, “Uncle… I forgive you, you didn’t have a choice. You had to save the other assassins.”

He hugged me back, “Shadow… I see you’re here, Ace and Mareio I'm sure others surveived maybe even "her".
Did you…?”

I looked at Le Duck with tears in my eyes, “No… I couldn’t save her.”

I burst out in tears as I remembered the siege on Ponitaly and "that" memory was repressed at the back of my mind.

Her pure white fur and long pink mane.
A Pegasus who loved me and I loved her.
Taken away from me by Balthazar.

Flora… I’m sorry…

After the agonizing minutes of reliving the constant pain I’ve suffered I manned up and looked at the group of assassins and the Mushroom Bros who all witnessed my somewhat happy reunion.

“Everyone, this is Le Duck. He is my mentor and my uncle.” I introduced Le Duck to my friends.

Pinkie immediately ran up until she was eye to eye with Le Duck, “HI! I’M PINKIE PIE!”

“Ehh… Hello?” responded Le Duck whose personal bubble space was feeling a bit violated.

After the rest of the assassins introduced themselves to Le Duck, Dr. Mareio and Ponigi walked up to him.

“Ah Mareio I’m so glad you’re safe, and even more so to see the Mushroom Bros reunited.” Le Duck said to the Mushroom Bros.

“YAHA!” Dr. Mareio and Ponigi high-hoofed each other.

“Now with the introductions out of the way, how about we enjoy the rest of this day and save the business for the morning.” Le Duck said to the group.

“Last one to the Ferris wheel is a smelly lizard!” Rainbow Dash shouted before launching herself towards the carnival below the platform.

“I resent that…” muttered Spike.

Le Duck and I were walking around the carnival tents with the rest of the group split up all across the Gerponian carnival.

“I’m amazed Le Duck, how does Volcanous’s soldiers not know of this place?” I asked Le Duck as we were passing a donut shop.

“You know how you entered through a closet door right? You see there’s a special magical lock on each opening into this underground city with some certain fire-breathing motion sensors and if your name isn’t inside a lock-book then….”

“Ya you don’t need to finish.” I interrupted him.

“Shadow… I’ve noticed your wing. You can’t fly can you?” Le Duck asked me.

I nodded, “Another thing Balthazar took from me…”

“Shadow, you cannot let revenge cloud your mind. Believe me… I have made that mistake and I’m not just the only one paying for it.” He urgently told me, trying to convince me to let go.

I won’t forgive him… not now not ever.

“Let’s change the subject, why the Red Fox?”

Le Duck thought for a moment and then answered, “I took the character from my book. I understood that for the assassins to gain any kind of advantage against the Templars we needed the support of the ponies. That’s why I’ve spread my operation all over Equestria and I try to help as many ponies as I can from corruption and the greed of the Templars.”

“You might remember when you were hunting down Je Suis. The getaway vans and troops were from you aiding the ponies of Maris, or in this case helping that curator of the Tower of Iron. Simple deeds like that can help you immensely.”

I see… if we help the ponies then tyranny can be overthrown.
It makes sense, but what if the ponies helping us get hurt?

Then it would be entirely our fault... again...

As I pondered my thoughts we came around to the centre of the carnival which stood a large well.

“Hey Le Duck, why are we stopping here? Also how can you tell what time it is?”

“Really Shadow, you don’t have a watch?” he said showing me the time on his digital watch. It was late in the evening.

“Also this “well” is actually a secret tunnel system that runs all over Gerpony.”

-----Later---------

We waited until we’ve assembled the assassins together near the well. As soon as everypony showed up Le Duck climbed into the well and we followed.

The well tunnels were damp and dark; it was so confined I thought how we could all even squeeze into the stony walls in the first place.

What felt like hours turned out to be only 5 minutes as we appeared in a huge spaced room adorned with furniture, books, a fireplace and doors leading into even more rooms.

“A SECRET ROOM!” excitedly said Pinkie.

“Wow, first a city under a city and now a house under the city that’s under the city. Gerponian architecture is so complex, and beautiful.” Rarity commented as she was awed by the Gerponian designs and architecture.

“Le Duck, can I read some of your books?” asked Twilight.

“Of course, what good is knowledge if it can’t be shared?” replied Le Duck pointing the way to his extensive library.

Mareio approached Le Duck with a sad look on his face, “Le Duck… I’m sorry I’a didn’t mention this sooner. The Mushroom… she is fallen.”

“Well that’s a shame… I’ll send some of my ponies to fix it. Don’t worry Mareio, she will fly again. You have my word.” Le Duck put his hoof on Mareio’s shoulder.

“WE A THANK’A YOU!” both Mareio and Ponigi cheerfully thanked with smiles beaming on their faces.

I’m glad everyone’s enjoying this… but tomorrow…
Volcanous will die, no longer will he harm these innocient ponies.

“I’m going to bed.” I boldly said, heading into a random room.

“SHADOW NO!” Le Duck shouted.

I opened the door and a beam of fire appeared in front of me.
“AH!” I shouted in shock as I quickly closed the door before my fur would be singed.

“Shadow, that’s our incinerator…”

“Oops…” I said scratching my mane in embarrassment.

I lie awake in bed, the past was haunting my thoughts preventing me from sleeping.

My mind is a wreck and my heart is heavy.
Ever since I became an Assassin all I’ve done was help others.
But… everything I did… everything I was…
It’s my fault the guild is destroyed… all because of that THING.

The apple…

Balthazar’s greed has no bounds, if I never brought that thing back, maybe the other assassins would still be alive and Ponitaly not destroyed.

Flora… if it wasn’t for me than you’d still be alive too...

I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…

-----Morning-------------------------------------------------------

I stepped out of my room into the main fireplace area with all 10 assassin members waiting around an un-proportionally small coffee table with a map laid out.

“Hey there sleepy-head how y’all feeling today?” Applejack asked me as I stretched and stifled a yawn.

“Apples.” I said.

We both laughed while the other ponies looked confused.

“I don’t get it,” said Rainbow Dash.

I walked over to the table and I asked a question to Le Duck who was lounging in a recliner with Ace sleeping on his shoulder, “So what’s up? Are you planning how we’re going to kill Volcanous?”

“Well… the thing is…” Twilight started.

“We can’t find him now. He’s either in the city or in the Gerponian barracks outside of the city,” Le Duck finished.

“Well that’s not that difficult, I say we split into a few teams and scout the areas.” I said to everypony and Le Duck noticed my quick resolution to this problem, a grin of pride appeared on his muzzle.

“Ok, so me and Applejack will head for the roofs of Gerpony and take out any patrolling soldiers.” I looked at Applejack who nodded her head.

“Twilight and Rarity I want you two to scour the ground and ask any citizens who have the whereabouts of Volcanous, also try to be discreet I bet the Gerponian military have reinforced the city since the rebel attack,” Twilight and Rarity nodded.

“Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy head over to the barracks and scout what you can, avoid combat as much as possible. I don’t want Volcanous to catch wind of what we’re planning.”

“You can count on us!” Rainbow saluted while Fluttershy looked nervous about flying into a heavily armed military compound filled with blood-thirsty corrupt soldiers who wouldn’t pause in killing an innocent pony.

She’ll be fine…

“Finally Pinkie I want you to create a signal bomb or something like that and possibly something that can cause a nice distraction.” I said to Pinkie.

“Why’a do you need a signal bomb?” asked Ponigi.

“Ah… that’s the beauty of this plan. I want you two to rally the rebels and perhaps even the citizens and scatter them throughout the city. When I send the signal the rebels will create a ruckus all over Gerpony.
Wherever Volcanous is he will have to spread out his troops all over Gerpony thus leaving his position more weakened whether he’s at the barracks or not.” I explained to Ponigi and Mareio.

“You can always count on… THE MUSHROOM BROS!”

“Hey Shadow, what can I do?” asked Spike who felt a bit left out.

Le Duck stepped in, “Well Spike you can help me in documenting the reports to the Princess and maybe even write a speech to calm the citizens once the deed has been done.”

Spike smiled and nodded his head enthusiastically.

“Great, meet back here in five hours and then we’ll begin.” I ended.

“So how the hay do we get back to the surface?” asked Applejack, the back route would take too long and it was reasonably cramped.

“Well, you can always just climb out the fireplace, but you can—,” Le Duck started to say until I cut him off.

“We don’t have TIME!” I grabbed a bucket of water from the emergency “in case of fire” shelf and threw the water over the fireplace dousing the flames.

I toss the bucket aside and I begin climbing through the sooty chimney.

*Cough* I spat out a black dust cloud.

If Le Duck said to use this then why isn’t it cleaner!?

I crawled through the confined chimney space upwards using the bricks until I’ve reached the opening at the other end. The Gerponian clouds still haven’t moved away from the city.

*COUGH* *COUGH*

Ah finally made it…

I jumped from the top of the chimney to the street below as soon as I landed I was greeted by a group of ponies.

“My goodness Shadow you look terrible.” Rarity said to me.

I was in shock, “How did you get up here so fast I thought you can only get up this quickly by chimney!”

“Just after you climbed through that chimney, Le Duck told us of a nice escalator leading to a door that leads right outside this building,” Twilight said with an amused look on her face.

Le Duck… you just want me to make you wanna… ARG!

“Ok everypony you know what to do. Applejack follow me!” I said just as I ran up a rickety old house and started to climb.

The five departed and Applejack followed me up to the roof. I helped her over the edge and we began to run across Gerpony.

After running what felt like an hour I stopped Applejack and pointed her in the direction in front of us. There were 2 soldiers smoking on the building opposite to us and are too distracted to notice us creep over to a ledge above them.
I signaled Applejack and she nodded her head. We both jump at the same time and strike the soldiers opposite from each other by air assassination.
I pick up a body and I dump it in an alcove on the roof, Applejack slowly drags the body into the same place as the other.

I motioned her and we continued to run across Gerpony.

After a while of running Applejack breaks into conversation, “So Shadow… you seem to be slightly quieter these days…”

I jumped on a wooden beam, “Really? Maybe it was because I was screaming in pain every time I needed to use the washroom for 3 days and the fact that my leg broke just about every ten minutes. But beyond that… I just have a lot on my mind.”

I and Applejack ran across a rope wire, “Well… if something’s troubling ya’ll then I’ll listen.”

I stopped on a roof to give Applejack a breather, “If I’m completely honest… I’m just thinking about all the work we do. As soon as we stop one Templar another would be put into place, I just can’t see this war ending at all.”

“Well Shadow that is a heavy thought… what I think is the more ponies we help the better their lives would be. And maybe just maybe the Templars can end their silly game of world domination and see that we all need to have peace.”

“That or the Templars would sprout like weeds and take over everypony.” Applejack said.

“Then we better get mowing.” I joked.

*AAAAAAHHHHHHHH*

Applejack and I turned our heads down below us and saw five soldiers ganging up on a mother holding a child.

“If you can’t pay taxes then you can’t keep the child,” one of the soldiers said with an evil smirk.

I motioned Applejack to get that one and protect the family while I distract the other soldiers.

She jumped and landed right on top of the guard harassing the mother and stabbed him in the neck. I followed up by extending both my hidden blades and jumping on two others killing them instantly.
Everything happened to fast for the other two soldiers to react, I stabbed one in his upper spine and Applejack finished of the last soldier with a swift buck to the head.

I didn’t think she killed him so I went over to the unconscious guard and pointed my knife downwards on his throut.

“NO!” Applejack grabbed my arm and pulled it away before I could puncture the soldier's throat.
“You can’t just kill him. He’s as much a victim of Volcanous as they are.” Applejack said pointing to the mother and child.

A victim… I never thought of these soldiers like that… still I can’t have this pony alert any others.

I went over to the family and said to the mother, “Hurry home the streets aren’t safe.”

“Thank you kind stranger!” she said as he headed quickly back to her home.

I went back to the unconscious body of the soldier and I hauled him over my back.Applejack and I walked across the empty street and I saw what I needed.
I placed the soldier in front of a bar and placed him in such a way that when waking up he would think he had too many beers.

“Clever…” Applejack smiled at me.

“I always try to think outside the chimney.” I laughed.

After a few more hours of roof clearing I could see that Applejack was a bit drained.

“Come on AJ! I can’t carry your arse back to the base, it might break my leg!” I joked.

“Oh hardy har har---“

Applejack’s sarcastic laugh was cut off by shouting and clanging about a street length away.
We quickly sprinted to the source of the noise and saw Twilight and Rarity.

They were both exhausted and were surrounded by 8 soldiers in which three were already dead. Without waiting I jumped from my height off the rooftop and landed smoothly on two guards killing them with my blades.

“SHADOW!” Twilight and Rarity exclaimed with joy radiating of their faces.

A soldier noticed my back was turned to him and he charged straight for me, before he can slash me with his sword Applejack landed right on top of him crushing his spine.

The last two got scared and began to run, but Twilight and Rarity threw a throwing knife each and they both landed squarely on the soldier’s fleeing backs. They fell down with a thud and didn’t move. I approached them and saw they were both dead, I pull the knives out of their corpses and head towards Rarity and Twilight.

“Ladies, I believe these are yours.” I said to them with my Ponitalian charm and they both blushed, Applejack just .
face hoofed.

“Any news on Balthazar’s movements?” I asked Rarity and Twilight.

“No, we looked all over the city and most of the citizens say they didn’t see him since the execution,” replied Rarity.

Maybe Rainbow and Fluttershy would have gotten something.

“Ok everyone I think we’ve done enough for now, let’s get back to Le Duck’s house. Hopefully tonight we can use the darkness to our advantage.” I said as we all started to walk down the street in the direction to Le Duck’s base.

A few minutes of walking passed by until Twilight asked me a question, “Shadow when you were…“reunited” with Le Duck who were you talking about? Who couldn’t you save?”

Wow Twilight you and your awkward questions…

I thought for a bit then I said calmly, “Someone I held very dear, until Balthazar took her from me.”

“Well can’t we find her? I bet we can get---”

“Forever.” I bluntly said with a slightly harsher tone, Twilight's face went shocked.

“Oh… Shadow I didn’t—.” Twilight started to apologize.

“It’s ok.” I cut her off. “It was Balthazar’s fault… but it was mostly mine.”

“Come on everyone we’re nearly there.” I pointed to the corner that leads to Le Duck’s base.

-----At the Base------------------

We entered the lobby of Le Duck’s place and I saw that the rest of the assassins were assembled.

I looked over to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, “Did you see Balthazar at the barracks?”

“Yes… but—,” Fluttershy started to speak until she was interrupted by Rainbow Dash.

“There were like a thousand soldiers, A THOUSAND SOLDIERS!”

“That is troubling…” Le Duck thought out loud.

I looked over to Mareio and Ponigi, “Did you rally the rebels and tell them of our plan?”

“YES! Right about’a now they must be all ov’a the city!” Mareio claimed and I nodded in approval.

“Good, now Pinkie do you have the signal bomb… thing?” I turned to Pinkie.

She handed me a relatively small firecracker and Pinkie saw my “what the hell is this” expression, “BIG things come in SMALL packages!”

*Swack Screek* Ace replied stifling a laugh.

I’m assuming that’s one on those, “That’s what she said jokes”.

“I see that everything is going accordingly, while I’ll go set off this flare I want the rest of you to get to the barracks and silently take out any stragglers around the battlements,” I said to the assassins who nodded in reply.

I thought Gerpony looked different underground, but up here I can’t image how to could have turned into such a desolate place.

I was at the very top of the highest point in Gerpony, a huge monumental church. I took out the small firecracker and I threw it up into the air as high as I can possibly throw it.

A second later…

*POP*

The night sky was covered in a vary amount of lights that exploded outwards from the firecracker. It filled the sky completely around the church tower, seconds passed and I heard clanging of steel and fighting from the city below me.

Then the firecracker fell down still blazing out lights as it headed straight for me.

“CRAP!” I shouted quickly running off the building to where I noticed a bale of hay below.

*LEAP OF FAITH*

I crawled out of the hay and started to run north of the city to where the barracks are. I passed through fighting groups of soldiers and rebels alike each side fighting to claim dominance over Gerpony, a civil war. I ignored them and ran to the rooftops using a barrel to aid me so I can avoid the clash on the streets below.

As I was running I looked over to the execution area and I saw a pony… the same pony that I saw countless times before, a unicorn surrounded by mystery and immense power.

Dave? What’s he doing here?

Dave was walking calmly around the battlefield munching on an apple completely oblivious to the carnage and warfare that was happening around him. A soldier shoved Dave and the apple fell to the ground. Dave turned to the soldier and stabbed him in the chest, I couldn’t see what weapon he used.

A rebel that noticed Dave stab the soldier gave a cheer, which was then silenced by Dave who had impaled his blade into the rebel’s face.

That’s when I saw what weapon Dave had.

A hidden blade? No… there’s something different about it.

It’s a pen…?

He’s stabbing ponies with a pen-blade!?

Dave retracted his pen into his hidden pen vambrace and walked towards the apple that he dropped, it was half submerged in a pool of murky grey water.
He pulled it out and started to eat the half that wasn’t dirty and he continued his leisurely stroll through the battlefield.

I can’t deal with him now… I need to get to Volcanous and save this poor city from this terror.

I ran to the outside of Gerpony and saw the Gerponian Military barracks a short distance away.
Using the cover of night I climbed over the battlements and onto the roofs of the military encampment.
I saw some shadows move on the other side of the fort.

Good they’re here…

My thoughts were interrupted when a hearty Gerponian voice boomed throughout the fort, “SEND MORZ SOLDIERS! THEZE REBELS MUST DIE!”

I looked down below and I saw Volcanous carrying his iron hammer which was still stained with blood from the unicorn addressing a group of soldiers.

As soon as his speech ended the soldiers dispersed outside the fort and Volcanous went around the barracks until he reached a blacksmith station and entered an abnormally large shed. I glided down the stone walls of the battlements to a shadow covered corner of the blacksmith area.

A few minutes later and Volcanous emerged from the shed wiping his hands which were covered in machine oil. He sat on a small stool and began to hammer a piece of metal on an anvil.

Time to strike, but there isn’t any cover in his smithy area.

With Volcanous’s back turned busily hammering an ingot I snuck as quickly and as quietly as I could behind him, I was near inches away from his neck.

I pulled out my hidden blade, as soon as I did Volcanous swung his hammer around to me dodging me by a few inches.

“AHA! I KNEW YOU PUNY ASSASSIN WOULD COME!” Volcanous shouted pulling his hammer over his shoulder.

Without hesitation I ran to his armed hoof and slashed through his skin with my blade.
Blood poured from the wound but Volcanous was unfazed he grabbed me, “Try again, Assassin.”

What!?

He threw me with his unarmed hoof and I toppled over the sandy dirt of the smithy area.

I picked myself up quickly and I ran to him again, Volcanous swung his hammer in around in an arc; I slide underneath his hammer and put two hidden blades in his back.

Volcanous grunted and swung his hammer around back and made contact with my ribs. I was sent flying from the impact and landed with a thud.

Urg… my ribs...

This pony’s strength is incredible; he shrugs off pain as if it wasn’t there.

Better go long-range.

I took out a throwing knife and I aimed it directly at Volcanous, it pierced his shoulder and was stuck inside his flesh.

“HA! YOU THINK THESE PUNY TOOTHPICKS CAN STOP ME!?” Volcanous laughed as he pulled out the knife from his shoulder and tossed it to the ground without reacting to any pain.

What is with this pony!?

I can’t hurt him with these attacks I need a mortal wound.

But how? I need a distraction…

*SCREE*

We both looked up and saw Ace circling around Volcanous from the sky.

Perfect.

Volcanous saw my grin and laughed, “A bird? A BIRD!? OH HOHOHOHO--- ARG!”

An arrow landed on Volcanous’s back and another followed piercing through his backleg all the way through.
Volcanous fell down on one knee and tried to recover, but before he could…

*ZING*

Throwing knifes appeared from all over the blacksmith area and landed into Volcanous.
All the members of my assassin group showed up from the shadows around the barracks.

Fluttershy was very enraged, “YOU WILL NOT HURT MY FRIEND!”

Volcanous just sat there on one knee unmoving. I wasn’t going to risk it so I ran up to him and stabbed him in his chest, a large spot of blood stained his blacksmith outfit.
I held his head with my hoof and he began to speak.

“You assassins are all the same… “freeing” the ponies. Ha…”

“Unlike you we don’t spread fear into the hearts of Gerpony’s citizens as well as her military.” I said to him, Volcanous merely shook his head in disapproval.

“Oh silly Assassin… Die cannot think this was ALL our army… no. This was just the beginning…” Volcanous coughed.

“The beginning? Beginning of what!? Is it part of project Purify?” I demanded from the defeated Volcanous.

“You will see soon enough *cough*…”

“Requiestat en pace…” I said to him as I brought my hoof over his eyes.

“FOOL!” Volcanous shouted at me as threw me off of him, he rose to his hooves.

He pulled out as much knives and arrows as he could and began to limp towards the shed.

“TAKE HIM DOWN!” I shouted at everypony.

Fluttershy aimed an arrow at Volcanous’s back while Twilight and Rarity threw knives. The arrows and steel blades stuck into Volcanous’s back and he only studdered, his destination in sight as headed towards the shed.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash ran in front of him to block his escape.

“RAAAAHHHH!” with a burst of strength Volcanous charged through them and violently shoved them to the ground. His strength increased his speed and he was almost at the shed.

“PINKIE!” I shouted, but she didn’t answer, she was nowhere to be seen in the smithy.

As Volcanous entered the shed the steel door closed shut behind him.

“DAMN IT PINKIE!” I shouted at the top of my voice.

A few seconds later and the steel door of the shed burst open as a black armored tank ran through it, it was labeled
“Iron Vulcan” and was adorned with the Purifier Industries logo.

I could see Volcanous driving the tank as he passed us he shouted, “JE SUIS MAY HAVE BEEN WEAK BUT AT LEAST HE’S NOT A FOOL! O HOHOHOHOHO!”

Volcanous continued to laugh as his tank crashed through the wall of the battlements. It drove quickly at a fast speed towards the sunrise.

“We can’t catch him now…” Applejack said sighing from the exhaustion.

Pinkie appeared from the destroyed shed hauling a nuke on a launch pad, “We can’t catch him, but THIS CAN!”

“Pinkie I don’t think a party nuke can help us here.” I pointed out.

Pinkie shook her head, “Don’t worry Shadow! When I was sneaking around the shed I found this strange powder I think it was called PLU-TON-IUM, what a funny name!”

“Anyways I filled up this nuke with a whole ton off that stuff, so I think that this nuke will be even better than my first one! OOOHH! I’ll call it PLUTONIFUN!” Pinkie shouted out in joy as her hoof came ever closer to the launch button.

“PINKIE NO!” We all shouted.

“FIRE!” Pinkie said with excitement as she pushed the button.

The nuke sailed into the sky and started to fall on a downward arc towards Volcanous’s tank.

“TWILIGHT GET US AS FAR AS POSSIBLE FROM HERE!” I shouted at her urgently.

A purple glow emanated from her horn and with a *crack* we all appeared on the top of the church tower in Gerpony.

I saw the nuke sail through the sky until it found its target, the Iron Vulcan.

*BOOOOOOM*

A large mushroom cloud formed around Volcanous’s truck and a few seconds later we were buffeted by a strong wind.

After the smoke from the mushroom cloud cleared Pinkie ecstatically shouted. “WOW! HOW NEAT WAS THAT!?”

“Oh Pinkie…” I face hoofed.

At least that’s the end of Volcanous…

----Nuke Crash Site--------------------------------------------

Burning embers surrounded the ravaged landscape with nothing left alive.

The Iron Vulcan was destroyed and various pieces of the wreck were scattered around the crash site.

“………………………..”

From the centre of the nuke’s landing area a pile of rubble began to shift.

As the shaking from the rubble got more erratic, a charred red hoof burst up from the ground

It was grasping an iron hammer.

Chapter 16: Seals- The Return Trip

“YOU WHAT!?”

We were all back at Le Duck’s base and I was the unlucky soul to tell Le Duck about what had happened ten minutes ago.

“Uhh… ya Le duck, Pinkie did…fire a… nuclear… type… missile filled with Plutonium at Volcanous’s tank,” I responded to Le Duck trying to make the story sound less guilty, he just shook his head in absolute disappointment.

“YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN IT! IT WAS HUGE!” Pinkie ecstatically shouted as she bounced around Le Duck.

“IT WAS THE MOST AWESOMEST THING I’VE EVER SEEN!” Rainbow commented while flailing her arms to demonstrate just how awesome it was.

“I think it was the most DUMMEST thing I’ve ever seen. Pinkie I really think you should think through your bomb plans before you nearly blow up a country,” Applejack said disappointingly to Pinkie Pie who was still excited that a mushroom cloud could reach 2km into the sky.

“Why? What do you mean?” Pinkie looked puzzled as if she’d done something wrong.

“Well for starters, there’s a three mile hole right outside of Gerpony and don’t let me get started on the fallout—,” Applejack started to lecture Pinkie until she was interrupted by Rainbow Dash.

“I LOVE THAT GAME!”

As soon as Rainbow Dash interrupted the rest of the ponies interrupted as well.

Mareio and Ponigi were confused for they never saw a “mushroom cloud”, who then asked Twilight what a mushroom cloud was, who was in the middle of writing a letter to the princess and had spilled ink all over Rarity ruining her assassin outfit who then yelled out loudly scaring Fluttershy under a desk who has already developed a fear towards explosions and nuclear devices.

Ace was on Le Duck’s shoulder laughing maniacally at the scene before us.

Just stay calm… everything will be fine…

Spike came over to me and tugged my shirt, “Shadow can you read over all these documents to see if I made any spelling errors? Thanks!”

He handed me about 40 pages of size 5 font writing. My eye twitched.

Le Duck noticed and muttered, “Oh no…”

Documents? … DOCUMENTS!?

“QUUUIIIIIEEEEEEETTTTTTT!!!!!!” I yelled at the top of my voice while shredding in half all 40 pages of documents together with my bare hoofs.

Everyone immediately stopped for a second….... then they continued to argue.

I walked over to Pinkie’s rucksack and I pull out a P.U.K.E grenade.

“OK EVERYPONY!” I shouted in a demonic voice and brought my hoof to the pin ready to pull.

“SHADOW STOP! We’ll stop arguing, JUST DON’T PULL THE PIN!” everypony shouted.

“TOO LATE!” I pulled the pin.

“NO! NOT AGAIN!” Spike shouted trying to hide behind somepony before the grenade activates.

“…”

Nothing.

I chucked the grenade behind me, “Good now that I’ve got your attention with the grenade decoy, we can focus on our next steps… back home.”

Everybody let out a sigh of relief.

“But how are we’a supposed to get’a back home? The mushroom is crashed,” Mareio said to me not fearing my bombing attempt from before.

“Well then I suppose you want to look outside Gerpony then Mareio,” Le Duck said heading for the escalator to the ground floor.

“SHE’S ALIVE!” Mareio and Ponigi jumped for joy.

The colossal red mushroom blimp was restored; it looked even shinier than it did before the accident. Mareio then realised what needed to happen, he looked to Ponigi and he nodded.

In a split second they were hugging together and crying out loudly from both tears of joy as well as sorrow.

It’s so sad… after all this time they meet again and for a few days they need to part ways.
They are a classic example of Ponitalian family values.

“I guess this is where we also say goodbye,” Le Duck put a hoof on my shoulder.

I turned around and gave him a hug, “For now, at least.”

After our farewells we all boarded the mushroom blimp (Rainbow and Rarity needed to separate Mareio and Ponigi from each other using force as well as words of comfort).

Mareio put his hooves on the steering wheel and shouted, “LET’S A GO!”

The mushroom flew up into the sky and a second later the engine underneath it activated as it shot us across Gerpony’s sky.

I looked over the edge to Gerpony and saw a mass celebration, the town was being re-painted, revamped and everyone was enjoying life. Some soldiers had even joined the party and helped move the underground carnival to the top of Gerpony.

I guess everyone was a victim. I’m glad to see an example of what good the assassins can do.

I turned my gaze to the nuclear impact site which was a giant crater.

Wow, I haven’t properly killed a target in a while, first Je Suis died before I could give him the last rites and Volcanous… well he’s the most toughest son of a bitch I’ve ever seen.

I have a feeling that none of my targets are just going to simply die.

I continued to watched at the crater and saw something move.

… No… it can’t be.

I looked back again and saw nothing; sweat was dripping down from my face.

It must be my imagination, not even Volcanous can survive a nuclear strike!

Laughing quietly to myself about Volcanous’s “survival” I slumped into my desk which was still intact since the crash and I begin to write my letter to the princess.

Dear Princess Celestia:

Our mission to Gerpony was a success even though there might be some media speculation about certain events that have happened… such as a nuclear strike.

That would be Pinkie Pie’s idea.

Aside from that I have discovered that the armies Volcanous had used were not his true intent, but a “sample” as he said.

I will continue to investigate Project Purify and keep the rest of the assassins as safe as possible.

-Shadow-mark

I rolled up the paper and I walk over to Twilight who was also writing her letter to the princess. Before alerting her to my letter I peeked at her writing.

Dear Princess Celestia:

I’ve learned that friendship can make anyone stronger but I’ve encountered a pony that completely relied upon himself and his ruthlessness to win, he was tough but not as tough as a nuclear missile (Shadow will fill you in about it).
I also find that Shadow is experiencing slight trauma and revenge issues that may have originated from repressed memor----

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” Twilight stopped writing and turned to see me staring at her paper, she had a very angry look on her face.

Pinkie noticed us and said, “OOOO CAN I STARE TOO!?”

I quickly recovered my status by handing her the letter, “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to disturb your letter to the Princess. I know just how important it is to get the format right.”

Twilight grasped the letter from my hoof, “Well at least you didn’t see any spoilers.”

*Hmph* she walked across the observation deck to the stairs leading below deck to finish her letter in peace and without anyone staring at it… except for Pinkie who followed her and continued to stare.

I thought hardly about the state Twilight said I was in as I walked for my desk, but I somehow ended up bumping into Applejack who was busy practicing on a training dummy.

*OOF*

We both fell to the floor and Applejack said annoyingly, “HAY! Watch where ya’ll goin!”

“Oh Applejack! Mi dispiace, I’m sorry,” I apologized as I helped her up.

“You know Shadow you’ve been acting a mighty different lately. Is there something wrong?”

“No nothing…” I lied.

Applejack studied my face knowing that I was lying, “We’ll I’m sure you just need sum rest, you practically been to two counties in the past week alone! You’ve got your ribs cracked by that Volcanous fella and your legs been broken for who knows how long!”

“Ya… I guess it is the stress, I’ll try to relax when we get back to Ponyville,” I promised her as I walked to the downstairs level and head towards my room.

That…. As well as the guilt…

I laid down on my double-sized bed still in my assassins robes and took a nap, hoping that the nightmares would stay away.

NO! FATHER, MOTHER, FREE-RUNNER!

The corpses of my family were spiked on top of the wall of the Assassin’s Headquarters. Their blood washed down the windows and stained the glass red.

A dark menacing figure on top of the roof was laughing maniacally as darkness started to form around me, the blood of my family encased inside the swirling vortex.

“ARG! BALTHAZAR!”

“You killed everyone I’ve held dear!”

“AND I SHALL KILL EVERYONE ELSE!” Laughed the shadow Balthazar as he held out the Apple and lifted it towards my face.

I saw the images of my assassins… my friends inside the orb; Le Duck, Mareio and Ace were also in there, Ponyville appeared next, then all of Equestria.

Balthazar shattered the Apple in his hoof and I heard the agonizing screams of pain of my friends surrounding me.

"WHY!?"

"I THOUGHT YOU WOULD PROTECT US!"

"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"

A figure that I’ve seen to many times forms around Balthazar, it was Dave who looked as he always did in his accounting outfit came into the swirling vortex clapping his hoofs together.

“How does it feel knowing that all of this was your fault?” Dave sneered at me.

He teleported to my side in a poof of black magic, “Shadow… all of this” he said pointing to the burning buildings of the Assassin’s Headquarters then the scene changed to all of Ponyville, “Is your fault…”

“NO! I will stop this… I will stop Balthazar.”

Dave sighed, “Oh dear oh dear… Don't go over your head. Looks like I have a meeting to catch.” He pulled out his
pen-blade.

“Wakey Wakey Shadow…” he sneered at me a shadowy smile appeared on his face.

Dave stabbed me in the chest.

I woke up covered in sweat, my breath was rushed and I felt dizzy.

Celestia… not another nightmare…
Is it really all my fault?

Maybe when I kill Balthazar I’ll have the answers.

Putting my thoughts behind me I climbed out of my bed and headed for the observation deck, it was night and I could only see Dr. Mareio piloting the mushroom while Ace flew in a large arc in the mushroom’s bubbled force field.

I approached from behind him and he heard my hoofsteps, “Ah Shadow! Nice’a time for a flight, no?”

“Yes Mareio… the night does look wonderful,” I replied to him as I turned my gaze upwards and saw Luna’s moon and the stars.

“You know I’va been up there.”

I quickly turned my head back to Mareio and shockingly said, “Really!? Celestia banished you to the moon!?”

“Oh no no no no no… I mean UP’A THERE!” he said pointing his hoof directly upwards to a dark patch of space surrounded by stars.

“Space?”

He nodded his head and I face hoofed

Oh Mareio… you and your stories…

As I went away from Mareio and explored the observation deck at night I noticed a book labeled “Seals” on Twilight’s desk.
I went over to it and flipped through the pages examining every detail about the seals and their locations.

After what felt like hours my trail of thought was interrupted when a purple unicorn went *AHEM* in front of the desk I was sitting in.

I closed the book and I saw Twilight with an angry scowl on her face, “Oh hey Twilight…” then I noticed the sun pointing down from the middle of the sky, “Wow its noon… WAIT WHAT!?”

I sputtered out of the desk and I fell to the floor I felt that I had a cramp in my leg from sitting for six hours.

Twilight helping me to my hooves and before she could antagonize me about sitting in her desk I quickly said, “I think there’s a seal on the way back to Ponyville!”

“What!?”

“Ya see… there’s a Templar castle on the extreme far outskirts of Ponyville and this newspaper you found and put into the book said a group of ponies found a strange artifact and brought it there. It must be a seal!”

I was ecstatic and jumped around like Pinkie while Twilight looked confused. The rest of the ponies joined in and Pinkie was bouncing alongside me.

“Hey everypony! I forgot that I bought a funny magazine from Gerpony!” Pinkie shouted as she enthusiastically pulled out a magazine with a blank white cover.

We all looked into it and we were all disgusted (except for Pinkie who was laughing).

“What is that?”

“Oh it’s going into her eye!”

“EW how much stallions are on top of her!?”

“Uh… I think I’m going to be sick…”

Mareio came over and said, “HELLO! What are all’a you reading?”

I took the magazine from Pinkie and I blankly looked at Mareio, “Mareio… get back to the wheel.”

“OKIE-DOKIE!”

“Pinkie you don’t know what this is, but it’s very wrong… It’s called a ClopMag.” I said to Pinkie.

“A ClopMag? What’s that?” said Pinkie who was too pure to understand.

“You don’t wanna know,” I shredded the magazine with my hidden blade and threw the pieces over the edge of the mushroom.

A piece however didn’t fly over the edge and had landed on Spike’s eyes just as he came up from below deck.

“Hey guys what’s… *Whack* huh? AAAAHHHHHHH! MY EYES!”

Twilight and Fluttershy ran over to Spike to help him recover from the emotionally scarring moment of his life.
While they were distracted I looked over the edge and I saw the Templar castle a few thousand feet below the mushroom blimp.

I turned to the rest of the ponies and I said, “Ok I’m going to go to that castle down there, anyone else want to join me?”

Rainbow Dash dashed towards my right side, “YES! Ive been waiting to do something awesome since Pinkies nuke explosion!”

“Great! So Applejack make sure the mushroom doesn’t go on fire. BYE!”

I jumped off the mushroom headfirst and I fell towards the castle, I saw Rainbow Dash next to me a few seconds later.

“Ok Shadow, what’s your plan to get rid of the Templars at the castle?”

“Well seeing that we’re falling down thousands of feet with no cover, no stealth and that the sun is completely shining meaning we lose the element of darkness I guess that means we just beat the crap out of everyone.” I smiled to her.

Dash’s eyes lit up and she said excitingly, “AWESOME! Ok I’m going to do something completely cool, don’t blink!

Rainbow zoomed straight down towards the castle and a cone formed around her. I saw some terrified faces on the ground as I knew what was about to happen.

*BOOOOM*

A colourful rainbow mushroom cloud appeared over the castle with many Templars flying through the air.

Huh… a Sonic Rain-nuke… last time I saw that was when the Observer
found that Templar Spy in the guild… poor bastard.

I landed on a guard to cushion my fall and I saw that the entire place was leveled except for some of the main stone towers.

Rainbow came up from the dust and she said to me while coughing, “What did you think?”

“Awesome.”

With the outside clear of enemies we entered the main tower and saw two flights of stairs.

“I’ll go down you clear the top.” I said to Rainbow Dash, she nodded and I descended into the basement of the castle.

The moment I stepped into the basement I was absolutely amazed.

“HOLY ****”

There was an enormous topaz coloured dragon chained to some kind of dragon trapping device. The jailer of the dragon turned his head around as he heard my shout.

“Away with you Assassin, I do not wish to fight you.” the jailer said to me as I menacingly stepped over to him.

“Me neither…” I pulled out my blade.

*STAB*

The jailer fell with a wound through his skull.
I went over to the dragon that had tears forming in his eyes and looked absolutely sad, lonely and afraid.

“Aww… poor guy…” I petted the dragon on the head.

“SHADOW SHADOW!” Rainbow Dash appeared at the doorway to the stairs.

“The captain has the seal he’s getting away he’s…. HOLY SHIT!” she shouted noticing me petting the trapped dragon.

“Don’t worry Rainbow… he won’t get far…” I looked at the dragon’s eyes with a devilish grin forming across my face.

“THIS IS AWESOME!”

Rainbow Dash and I were flying our topaz friend outside of the evergreen forest chasing the Templar Captain with the seal the castle was completely destroyed as soon as I released the trapped Templar victim.

I CAN’T WAIT TO TELL LE DUCK!

Our dragon dived onto the captain and grabbed him with his talons.

“AAAAHHHHHHHH! NO DON’T EAT ME!” the captain shouted as the dragon hauling him high above the ground of Equestria.

“Then give me the seal, NOW!” I shouted at him from my seat on the dragon.

“Here, HERE TAKE IT! JUST LET ME GO!” the captain handed me the seal and an evil look appeared on my face.

“As you wish…”

The dragon let go and the Templar captain fell through the sky. A moment later I saw him flying behind us, he was a Pegasus.

“OH NO YOU DON’T!” I shouted at the Templar as I threw a knife into his wing sticking it together with his body and he fell to the ground.

“HA!” Rainbow laughed.

After everything calmed down we were sailing through the skies directly towards Ponyville on our kick-ass topaz beast.

I then noticed Rainbow Dash looking at me with big cute eyes, I shook my head,
“Rainbow… we can’t keep him…”

“AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW WHY!?” Rainbow shouted disappointingly as she crossed her arms.

“I know… but he’s a dragon he needs to be free… don’t ch’ya Sparky.” I petted the dragon and he roared in reply.

Sparky the topaz dragon flew us over a hill and on the horizon I could see the Assassin’s home.. my home...

My home…Ponyville…

It’s great to be back!

Chapter 17:Memories- The Apple

Oh Dear Celestia, what does the Observer want me to do now?

A few months of dedicated training had passed and I was a more experienced assassin. But compared to everyone else I’m still a newbie. I was heading towards the Observer’s work chamber to receive a new contract.

Since the “Purple” incident the Observer hasn’t trusted me to take out high priority targets. I usually got the grunt work such as sneaking, eavesdropping and pickpocketing.

But today, I feel something different will happen.

I still can’t believe that Frank was a Templar spy... despite that I pitied how the Observer sonic rain-nuked the poor fool…

I still can’t believe how the Observer can fly through the air without wings…
HE’S AN EARTH PONY, THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS!

I arrived at the door took a deep breath and entered the chamber. Before me I saw a group of experienced assassins including Sniper-shot, Mareio, Le Duck and the Observer huddled around the table.
They were whispering about something and didn’t notice me enter the room and sneak towards them; I could just make out the words they were saying.

“Really? It’s there?”

“No shit Sher—.”

“SHH! Do you want anyone else to hear us?”

“Are you sure about this? I mean I don’t…”

“Relax he’ll be fine, besides he’s doing a good job listening to us speak about him,” said the Observer.

Instantly everyone turned around and saw me peering over their backs.

“Hey… what’cha got there?” I asked in the most creepiest voice I could do.

“Shadow! Don’t you know it’s rude to eavesdrop on ponies?” Le Duck asked me.

“It’s an assassin’s duty to collect as much information as possible,” I saluted remembering what Le Duck said during one of our training sessions.

“Good lad!” he placed a hoof on my shoulder.

Sniper-shot blurted out to the Observer, “Don’t you think he’s… I don’t know, a little… inexperienced?”

“SILENCE! YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE FORCES I CONTEND WITH! ….. Besides if he does this than he apparently would have more experience than you would!” the Observer replied in both of his tones.

*Grumble* *Grumble* Sniper-shot muttered to herself as he left the room.

Ok now I’m confused. All I got was important mission, me being better than Sniper-shot, and… wait a minute… AN IMPORTANT MISSION!?

YES!!

Casually refraining from jumping with excitement I asked the Observer, “So what’s the mission I need to do for the guild?”

“Well Shadow I’m glad you asked, for you see…"

"We want you to retrieve an ancient artifact loaded with power and surrounded in mystery from a dangerous mountain in the northern reaches of Equestria, the wind is as cold as ice freezing a bone and the challenges that lie ahead are enough to make anypony break down in fear with their head between their hooves."

"At the very peak lies a place called SkyPoint Temple which is surrounded by blinding blizzards and vicious wildlife."

"Shadow my boy… are you up to the task?” the Observer said in a heroic voice.

“I… well... is there…” I stuttered.

“GREAT! I’ll get Mareio and Le Duck to load you up with baggage and assorted commodities,” he pointed to Dr. Mareio and Le Duck.

Just as he finished Ace flew through the window carrying a tiny package. He dropped it at the Observer’s feet and flew onto his shoulder.

“Oh what’s this? Can it be?” the Observer asked himself as he picked up the cardboard box and ripped it open with his hooves.

“YES! MY PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED!” he pulled out a pink Princess Celestia calculator with scientific function buttons and displayed it for all to see.

“FINALLY, ALL MY ACCOUNTING WILL ACTUALLY…”

Ace slaps the calculator out of the Observer’s hoof and it falls to the ground shattering into multiple pieces.

“…be….done…”

"..."

The Observer looks down at the broken pieces and picks them up, he starts squishing the plastic shards together with his hooves.

What is he doing? Is he trying to… oh no… OH NO!

From the pieces of metal and plastic the Observer had formed a miniature toaster and aimed it at Ace who began to circle around the room.

“You know what they say…” he cranked the handle.

“All toasters toast TOAST!”

The Observer fired a flaming piece of bread from the appliance and nearly hit Ace, the bread stuck to the wall of the Observer’s chamber.

He continued firing his toaster all over the room, strangely none of the pieces of bread hit us and we took that as our queue to leave.

We emerged from the Observer’s office and barricaded the door behind us with desks and wooden chairs.

After we finished protecting the rest of the hideout I asked Le Duck, “Where did he get the bread!?”

“You don’t want to know…” Mareio replied instead.

Le Duck had given me everything I needed for the trip: a sword, throwing knives, provisions, and most importantly my hidden blade.

While Dr. Mareio gave me a bunch of green and red mushrooms which he claims will give me stamina and health boosts.

I doubt it; I think it’s just laced with a different type of drug. I'll toss em later...

I stood at the gate to the Assassin Headquarters and just before I left on my journey Le Duck pulls me towards him and gives me a hug.

“Stay safe Shadow, the roads are dangerous at night…”

“I know....… I am.” I smiled devilishly.

Mareio patted me on my back and I was off.

--------5 hours later------------------------

Wow when the Observer said it was far, he ment it!

I was walking along a dirt path my hooves were tired and sore, I was surrounded by a forest brimming with life and as I looked behind me I swore that I’ve heard some leaves rustle, but I dismissed it as my paranoia.

About 10 minutes later I heard the noise again, this time it was closer. I spun around and looked at the bush.

I pulled out my sword and shouted into the forest, “Come! Show yourselves you cowards!”

And slowly, very slowly a group of 3 ponies emerged from the undergrowth they were smoking blunts which smelled of tree leaves and cucumbers and they wore mesmerizing coloured tie-dyes.

Oh Hippies, not again!

“Dude, you should try some of this stuff,” said a hippie pony who was smoking a blunt.

“Ah, no thanks I don’t smoke shit,” I replied coldly drawing my sword into my sheath.

“Come on man… we’re gonna smoke the shit out of this forest,” said another hippie and from that a murmur of agreement went across the other hippies.

“Well… you see… I can’t let you do that…” I said scraping my hooves on the ground.

“Screw you! We can smoke anyth--,” he was cut short by a kick in his chest by me.

The hippie slumped to the ground crying out in pain, the reaction times of the other hippies were diminished so I swung around behind another and grabbed him. I flipped him around and made him land on his neck, hard.

As the hippie I first struck recovered in pain the third hippie ran at me shouting, “DUDE! NOT COOL!”

He reached out to punch me but I blocked his hoof, I twisted it and he fell to the earthy ground. To keep him down I grabbed his leg and snapped it in the other direction.

“ARRRHHHH…ah.....” the hippie shouted before falling unconscious.

The first hippie I’ve hi in the beginning of the fightt had up righted himself up but was still not fit to attack me, instead he grabbed a leaf from a nearby plant and lit it with his lighter.

Just before he smoked it I grasped him and held him in the air with both of my hooves, the bruning leaf dropped to the ground and I stepped on it, extiguishing the flame.

“You are sick… SICK!” the hippie shouted at me, I just shook my head in disappointment.

I kneed him in the chest again and he slumped to the ground holding his stomach, Getting into my philosophical state I say to all the injured hippies, “Ponies who claim to love nature then proceed to destroy it are the very evil that they fight against.”

I left the hippies lying on the ground and I proceeded out of the forest.

------2 hours later-------------

I looked up and saw the sun dip below the horizon and the moon rise above from the other side.

Wow, have I’ve seriously been walking for 7 hours?
At least I can see the mountain over that hill on the horizon; I’d better set up camp for now.

I go out looking for timber and any bedding I can make and upon returning I made a makeshift campsite with a small fire and a small pile of leaves that are supposed to be my bed.

This is the best campfire for miles around!
Now to get some rest… I just hope nothing with attack me tonight…

*Snore* *Snor-UNK*

“Huh? What the…” I opened my eyes lazily and I saw something small and brown sleeping beside me.

A Timber wolf… or rather a Timber wolf pup.

“Aw you’re so cute! Where did you come from?” I asked the pup who had just woken up and gave a great big cute yawn.

D’AWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

The small timber wolf pup turned around and looked at me with his big adorable eyes, he tried to stand up, but I noticed a limp in his right paw.

“Oh, come here you.” I picked up the pup and I placed him down on my lap, I then opened my rucksack and reached in.

I pulled out a first-aid kit and got out the bandages, I wrapped it around the poor pup’s paw and he smiled content that I helped him.

I carried him as to not put pressure on the paw and a minute later I heard howling.
I spun around and I saw piercing yellow eyes glowing from the bushes, a group of Timber wolves had surrounded my campsite.

They looked hungry, tired and had a blood thirst in their eyes.

I stepped back while still holding the pup in my hooves as the Timber wolves advanced towards me their teeth barred, ready to sink into my flesh should they attack.

Before they could get any closer my pup jumped from my grasp and landed on the ground, he began to bark at the other Timber wolves and they stopped.

*Bark*

*Bark BARK… Bark*

*woof…*

*AHUUUUU*

Many of the group dissipated into the night while a larger than average Timber wolf approached me.

The Alpha Male… I hope he doesn’t gore me…

He went right next to me and stuck his paw out towards my hoof, I grabbed it and we shook.

Wow… I can’t believe I’m shaking hands with a Timber wolf, this is so cool!

I wonder if he can communicate more…

I asked the wolf, “Why is your pack is such bad shape? Did someone do this to you guys?”

The Alpha Male took the pup by the scruff off his neck and placed him on top of his back he turned around and did a slight point with his head in a direction, he barked at me and began to run.

Maybe he’s leading me to whoever had done this to his pack.

I chased after the Alpha Male in the dead of night.

We stopped at a low hill and he crept to the top ever so quietly and slowly, I followed suit and I saw what was over that hill.

Smoke pillaged the air but through it I saw a small ditch covered in a few tents and inhabited by ponies wearing animal skins and furs, they were toasting and most of them were drunk.
I peered closer and I saw a figure being served a drink.

Poachers! These ponies are animals killing innocent animals for their own selfish gain!
And that over there must be their leader…

I scanned the area looking for a place to sneak up on the poachers.

Damn, there’s some cover but there are too much ponies for it to be effective!

I looked over to my Alpha Male friend and I motioned him to regroup at the bottom of the hill.
Once down I said to him, “We can’t attack them, there’s too many.”

He immediately took a deep breath and howled in the moonlit night.

Swiftly a large pack of Timber wolves appeared all around us, they were angry and ready to fight.

Excellent, this is just what we need…

We were all positioned around the poachers’ campsite, I nodded my head to the Alpha Male and he howled fiercely and loudly.

Pack among packs of wolves swarmed the campsite; the poachers were alarmed and confused.
Before they regained themselves and fought back against the pack, about half of them were already down or fleeing.

I observed the campsite before it was my time to strike, I found the Poacher leader taking on two wolves at once. He took them both down with his hunter’s scimitar and I took that as my queue to strike.

I jumped from my place in the shadows and charged the leader; before he could block me I grabbed the sword in his hand and stabbed him in the same hand so I could grab the scimitar.

He grunted but then pulled out a small knife with his other hoof and charged me, I sidestepped his attack and grabbed his armed hoof pointing the knife away from my direction.

*SNAP*

“ARRGG!” the poacher leader screamed out in pain as he fell towards the ground.

Before he was able to right himself up, I stomped on his knee to prevent him, he squirmed on the ground in pain.

“AAAAHH! YOU BASTARD! I HOPE TO SEE YOU DEAD, ALONG WITH ALL THESE MANGY MUTTS!”

The camp had gotten silent all the poachers were either dead or had fled from the fight, what only remained was about 25 hungry angry wolves eyeing down the monster that starved them, hunted them and pelted them.

I stepped back from the leader and I sent out my hooves giving them the “Do what you will” gesture.

Immediately the pack jumped all over the poacher leader, he screamed in pain and agony but it was nothing compared to what these poor wolves had to endure.

Not wanting to watch anymore I turned around and started to head back to my own camp.
The Alpha Male dove under my belly and lifted me up onto his back so that I was riding him.

He started to run towards my campsite and I held the injured timber wolf pup in my hooves.
I shrugged.

I’m riding a Timber wolf… ehh what the hell?

We arrived back at my campsite and I began to fill my rucksack with my essentials, the sun was starting to rise over a new day of Equestria.

I looked at the long distance to the mountain then back to the Timber wolf Alpha Male, “I don’t suppose you could give me a lift to that nearby mountain over there?”

We’ve reached the base of the tallest mountain in Equestria, the weather slightly changed to a light snow showering the base of the mountainside. I dismounted my wolf friend and I waved to him as he departed back to his pack.

I turned my gaze back towards the mountain peak.

How in Celestia’s name am I supposed to climb this damn mountain!

“Well howdy there pardner! Somethin on your mind?”

I quickly turned around to see who spoke; it was a bright yellow stallion wearing a cowboy hat and a matching vest.

“Um… ya, do you know a way that leads to the top of this mountain?”

“Sure do buddy! But before I show you can you help me with an itsy-bitsy favor?” he pleaded.

“Okay, what is it?”

“I need you to get my fishin rod from that there Fishmonger on the other side of town on the base of this here mountain. Easy as can be!”

“Well… alright, I’ll get your fishing rod then…”

-------3 hours later-----------

Easy as can be… YA RIGHT!

I rushed back to the pony and took the fishing rod from my rucksack.

“Well howdy, how goes the--,” he started to talk but I interrupted him.

“Ok I killed the Goblin Priest to get her eye which I gave to the Doctor who gave me a textbook which I gave to the school teacher who gave me an axe to give to the blacksmith who let me haul 3 boxes of apples to a farmer on the outskirts of this town, then she gave me a jar of honey to give to neighborhood dragon who had a sore throat who then left his cave so the Pegasus ponies can make the clouds rain, then the Pegasi gave me some rainbow in a bottle to give to the tailor so he can give me a quota of the fish counts which I gave to the fishmonger who gave me your fishing rod and here...
I AM GIVING THIS TO YOU!”

I shoved the fishing rod in his face and while I was still fuming I asked him, no….
I demanded from him, “TELL ME HOW TO GET UP THE GOD-DAMN MOUNTAIN!”

“Alright alright geeze, there’s a stairway that leads up to two-thirds of the mountain and rest of the way you have to hike through blizzard like conditions.”

“I DON’T CARE ABOUT THE CONDITIONS! Also…. THERE ARE STAIRS!?” I shook the pony who became fazed from my violent shaking. I dropped him and I shot up the stairs using my rage as fuel.

I HATE SIDE-QUESTS!

Stepping from the last step and onto cold snow, I advanced through the thick blizzard and continued my way upward.
I shielded myself as best I could from the onslaught of pelting snow and hail on my skin.

While wading through thick snow and getting stung by hail the size of marbles I noticed a huge stone temple ahead of me.

Ah this must be it… almost there I just need to push through this storm…

I stepped closer to the temple and the wind stopped, the snowflakes and hail were transfixed in the air. I pushed one and it gently moved the way I touched it, it was if gravity no longer applied to this precipitation. I picked up a pile of snow and tossed it up.

It didn’t come back down.

I look at the entrance to the temple; there were no doors just a giant rectangular hole in the stony architecture. I stepped into the entrance and I stepped closer to my goal.

The temple was in fact just 1 large room surrounded by torches and stacks of bookshelves lined with tomes to the brim.

*Scribble*

I heard quill writing on paper and I climbed up a minor stairway and reached something I wasn’t expecting to see.

A Pony.

This bearded gray stallion was wearing a bright white hooded robe lined with red velvet and a golden lace making a pattern of design appear on his robes, he was writing in a book on a mahogany desk.

Without looking up he spoke, “Welcome Shadow-mark… I have been waiting patiently for you to arrive.”

He… he knows my name?

“Of course I do Shadow and I know why you’re here,” he closed his book and went over to a nearby shelf.

“Who are you? What are you?” I demanded from him reaching for my sword, but it wasn’t there.

“Shadow you need to relax, revenge won’t get you anywhere…” he pulled my sword out from the bookself.

I walked over to the mahogany desk and I saw the title of the book we was writing in, “The Rise and Fall of Ponitaly.”

He put something round in his back pocket and walked towards me, he handed back my sword and said, “Let’s just say I’m a friend… after all isn’t that what we Assassins are supposed to be to one another?”

"Your an Assassin?" I asked, he nodded.

“So now that we’ve discussed the who, let’s discuss what you came here for…” the strange stallion said, I still didn’t get to see his eyes because of the hood he was wearing.

He reached for his back pocket and pulled out a glowing golden orb its light was eradiating across the room.

What… what is it? It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen or heard of even in fiction stories.

“This Shadow is called the “Apple”, it is a Piece of Harmony imbued with divine power that any pony wielding it can possess.”

I was transfixed on the orb, its light was far beyond pure magic it was in its own class of power.

“Well? Go on take it! I’m not going to stand here waiting with your mouth open,” the stallion held to orb in front of me and in a second I nervously take the artifact.

I could feel the power of the Apple trying to channel itself into my body, but I resisted the temptation to wield this deadly power, I was in control.

“Ah very good Shadow, you see this is exactly what we Assassins fight for...."
"First you protected the environment from those savage hippies, then you saved the innocent Timber wolf pack, you’ve helped a market economy in the small village below this mountain and when I offered you this artifact, instead of giving in to its power you resisted.”

He sat down at his desk, “Nothing is true, everything is permitted.”

Interesting... so I am a cause for good...

“So what? Do I just go now?” I asked, the stallion chuckled.

“Ah yes of course, this being your average not-so ordinary temple whenever anyone leaves this place they will be sent back to the place their heart calls home. Now if you would excuse me I need to write another chapter…” after saying that he pulled out a different book and began writing again.

I stored the artifact in a small pouch on my side and I began to head towards the exit until the stallion shouted across the room.

“Shadow, though the past may be hard look forward and never give up on hope, your redemption through the void will lead you to a new life.”

The past… never give up… the void… new life?
What is this? First the Apple, now a prophecy thing? I need to go see Le Duck and the Observer…

I stepped out from the entrance of the temple and I appeared before a fountain in a town square in the moonlit night.

Ponitaly, home sweet home…

I turned around and saw that the temple had disappeared.

Looking around to see if there was anypony watching I took out the Apple and I gazed at it, it gave off a small yellow glow as I held it in my hoof.

Divine power… it makes sense that the assassins should keep it safe and not the Templars.

I stared into the orb and it grew brighter.

“What secrets are you hiding, you Piece of Harmony?”

Chapter 18: Mushrooms and Relaxation

“Umm Rainbow? I don’t think landing in the town square was a good idea…”

Our rather large topaz dragon Sparky was taking a long drink from a nearby fountain while the citizens of Ponyville were freaking out.

“AHH! IT’S GOING TO EAT US!”

“CELESTIA HELP US!”

“WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST!”

“SCREW THAT! IT’S EVERYPONY FOR THEMSELVES!”

“RUN!!”

Wow… it’s like these ponies never saw a 30 foot dragon before.

Ponies locked their doors and retreated to the insides of their houses peering through cracks and closed curtains wondering why the dragon came all this way to drink the town’s water supply.

Once Sparky had his thirst quenched he gave a slight nod and I gave a quick wave, he shot up into the sky and flew towards the mountains.

“AW Shadow, WHY CAN’T WE KEEP HIM!?” Rainbow Dash asked me hoping I might reconsider.

I stepped a few hooves back and I spread my arms open showing her the empty desolate place Ponyville had become.

“Oh…”

-----At the Hideout-----------------------------------

“YOU WHAT!?” the ponies all gathered around Rainbow Dash who told the story of Sparky the dragon and how he was rescued from tyranny.

Meanwhile I was at my desk trying to get some last minute work in, but I was distracted by the ponies’ conversations.

“So then we were like falling, then I did a Sonic Rain-nuke and we found Sparky…” Rainbow started.

“Sparky?” Rarity asked not wanting to know the answer.

“Ya the dragon we named…. Anyways, so we freed him and then we chased….”

What the couple of weeks this has been…
First Je Suis and his high-tech weaponry, then Volcanous… I’m not sure what to think of that pony, what did he mean by “this isn’t all our army… this is only the beginning”?"

The beginning of what? Is it related to that map of Equestria I saw back in Je Suis’s computer room…

What are you planning Balthazar…?

“Then he flew away but besides that everything was…. AWESOME!” Rainbow did her awesome face.

“Rainbow wait a moment… did you say you landed the dragon in Ponyville?” Twilight asked.

“I LIKE THE PART WITH THE SONIC RAIN-NUKE!” Pinkie shouted.

“I’m glad you saved that poor dragon… even if things did get… violent…” Fluttershy commented.

With everyone chatting about today’s events Applejack walked over to my desk, “Wow… the stories Rainbow tells are just something.”

I folded a letter in half and pulled out the seal me and Rainbow had gotten from the Templar captain, “Ya, some story…”

Applejack’s eyes went big for a few seconds realising the whole “dragon” thing really did happen and that Rainbow was not over-exaggerating.

I looked back at the group and I saw Twilight arguing with Rainbow.

“Well we couldn’t just let him leave without getting a drink!” Rainbow shouted.

“WELL Rainbow, you don’t LAND a dragon in the middle of Ponyville! Think about the psychological trauma you and Shadow had put through everypony.”

Their argument was cut off when the doors swung open revealing an ecstatic doctor hauling a cart of mushrooms and mushroom accessories.

“HELLO EVERYBODY! IT’S A ME--.”

We all interrupted him, “MAREIO!”

He started hauling his mushroom cart to the centre of the room where we all assembled around it; piles of different colours of the rainbow (not including purple) littered the cart.

“Mareio… what is--,” I started.

He interrupted me by shouting the one word that made the day unbelievably better.

“LUNCH!”

Cheers and applause came from all around.

I reached over and took a red mushroom but Mareio slapped it out of my hoof and it fell back in the cart.

“Not so fast for you see I’va made SPECIALTY SHROOMS!”

Specialty Shrooms? I hope it wasn’t as “Special” as that yellow one I had back on the blimp…

From a secret compartment on the side of his cart he pulled out a mushroom for each of us, including Ace, Spike, myself, and even one for Mareio.
One by one he handed out the mushrooms individually and we all took some time to gaze upon what we were about to feast on.

Applejack had gotten a red mushroom that strangely looked like an apple, she looked confused if Mareio had tricked her with a real apple.

“What does it look like?” Mareio asked.

“An apple…” Applejack replied.

“What does it smell like?”

“Like Apples…”

“What does it taste like?” Mareio said with a small grin.

Applejack bit a small piece of the mush-apple, “Well… its tastes like a…. MUSHROOM!?”

With a satisfied smile Mareio says loudly, “YA-HOO!”

Rarity had gotten a completely white mushroom, she poked it and it sagged.

Mareio enlightened her, “It’s a Marsh-room.”

“Oh, very funny I’m laughing my sides out,” she replied sarcastically taking a bite into the marshmello body.

Rainbow Dash had gotten a rainbow-striped mushroom and she just simply said, “Awesome.”

Mareio came to Fluttershy and held out a hoof to her showing nothing. Fluttershy asked wondering where her special mushroom was, “Um… I don’t see anything…”

“EXACTLY!” Mareio flipped his hoof on top of Flutershy’s and I saw a small imprint on her hoof.

“It’s invisible?” she asked taking a bite into the air around her hoof and then her face lit up with happiness from the taste.

Pinkie had received a very delicious-looking cupcake muffin from Mareio she commented, “This isn’t a mushroom… IT’S A CUPCAKE!”

She bit into the cupcake-shroom and she stopped chewing almost instantly fire shot out from her ears and mouth, we were all shocked and Mareio had a great big smile on his face as he took a bottle of hot sauce out from his doctor’s coat.

“SURPRISE!” shouted Mareio, Pinkie just started laughing and fell to the floor holding her sides from the funny prank Mareio just did.

Who knew Pinkie was such a good sport when pranking?

Mareio placed a golden mushroom in Twilight’s hoof, “This mushroom came from the tree of’a knowledge!”

Twilight with a confused look ate the mushroom and her body gave off a dim yellow light.

“あなたはこれを読んで五分を浪費している!” Twilight said looking puzzled at what she just said in Japonese.

Hang on a second; let me get my mental translator…

…

You’ve got to be joking…

Ace got a mushroom with wings and Spike had gotten a purple one with dragon spikes, he ate it and gave a happy burp from his lunch.

All that was left was my mushroom; it was dark in colour like a shadow but there was something… off with it.

I took a bite and I smiled in delight from the foamy texture of the inside had tasted like a heavenly divine caressing my tastebuds with the gentle touch of the mushroomy texture.

“Mareio… THIS IS THE BEST MUSHROOM EVER!” I shouted in amazement.

“YES SHADOW! This’a mushroom is delicious by how much work I’ve put into making it as you have done too!”

Mareio smiled at me and I smiled at him then with a large thunderous voice he shouted, “GOODNIGHT!”

What…

The room began to spin, I fell to the carpet floor with a thud and the last thing I saw before I blacked out was Dr. Mareio taking a bite out of a Red Hatted Mushroom.

Damn it! I knew there was something strange about him!
Well with Dr. Mareio everything he does is strange…

I was floating in an empty colourful void which I assumed was my subconscious.
Then I realised something that I haven’t been experiencing lately…

Peace and Quiet…

There aren’t any nightmares of my failures or any revenge dreams, I’m just… floating… relaxing is more like it.

Oh… so that was his plan all along… clever.

When I regain consciousness I’ll thank Mareio for this chance to finally relax.

As I floated in space for a while longer I saw a deep blue tidal wave rushing towards my space, I couldn’t move or swim away in this state and so I let the wave crash into my body.

*SPLASH*

“Eurgh…” I mumbled feeling something cold and wet splash across my face.

“Do it again he’s waking up!” somepony shouted.

*SPLASH*

“AHHH! I’m awake I’M AWAKE!” I shouted from the cold water drenching my upper hood and I took it off my head.

I looked up and saw Twilight levitating an empty bucket with everypony huddled around me except for Mareio who wasn’t in the room anymore.

“What happened? All I remember was eating that shroom and then all black…” I asked as Applejack helped me to my hooves.

“You fell asleep from Mareio’s mushroom he said it would help you relax, both physically and mentally? I’m not really sure what he ment by that.” Twilight said putting the bucket back in storage.

“Ok then, remind me to thank him later… Anyways how long have I been out for?”

“A few hours the sun’s not goin down soon but it’ll be evening later.” Applejack answered my question as I dusted myself off.

“Um... Shadow… I hope I’m not interrupting but… we all worry that you still need to rest.” Fluttershy said with concern in her eyes.

“Yes, darling you must take some time to just relax you already took down the french Je Suis and then that ruthless Volcanous fellow.” Rarity said with a concerned tone to her voice.

I sighed, “Well at least the targets I could find are gone at least…”

“What do you mean?” asked Rainbow Dash as the ponies all crowded around me to hear my explanation.

“You see, I only had 5 names on that list at the time: Je Suis and Volcanous are dead, but there still is Balthazar who we can’t get to without getting rid of many other ponies including Dave the accountant who is already nearly impossible to find as well as WingBlade, his personal bodyguard/assassin/bootlicker.”

“Well we only need to get a corrupt duke, a mediocre accountant and an even less cool bodyguard. How hard can that be?” Rainbow boasted thinking that we were powerful enough to take them on.

I shook my head, “Balthazar is way too powerful now, and Dave… I don’t know there’s something with that pony that I can’t put my hoof on, all I know is that he shows up and does something I don’t expect a Templar to do and he has as much unbelievable power as the Apple.”

Dave… just who are you?

“What about the bodyguard, I’m sure that she can’t be as elusive as Dave.” Twilight said after pondering the possibilities of finding the targets.

“I was thinking the same thing but just like Dave she wouldn’t be seen freely roaming Equestria. I say that we save this for another day and just relax for the rest of today as well as tomorrow. I’m sure that you all have your own jobs and duties you need to do.” I proposed my idea and many ponies nodded in agreement.

“Now if you’d excuse me I need to go outside for a bit…” I said as I tried to casually move towards the ladder to the roof.

I was stopped by Fluttershy who said assertively, “Shadow you need to rest. Now.”

She moved me to my desk and sat me down I sighed and said, “All right, I’ll try to relax but really all of you should be relaxing too. We need to be our best when we go after any other these 3 dangerous ponies.”

Everyone looked relieved and proceeded to leave the hideout, I waved them goodbye and the door closed with a creak.

I leaned back in my chair and looked up at the ceiling.

Okay… gotta relax… really need to relax now…

"..."

After 2 minutes I stood up from my chair and said aloud to myself, “I’M BORED!”

I rushed out from my chair and headed straight for the roof, as I opened the hatch I saw Ace guarding the exit and he squawked at me.

“Look Ace, I know I need to be relaxing now but free running helps clear my head and it reminds me about the good old days of Ponitaly,” I said my sad tale to Ace as he too remembered the times we went on missions in our home city.

He flew off the building and began to glide around Ponyville enjoying the flight.

Even stone-cold eagles can experience home-sickness, maybe I’ll go back one day…

I looked over the edge of the clock tower and leaped from the top of the tower straight into the bale of hay on the ground.

A better leap of faith can’t be achieved unless I jump from a mountain or a zeppelin… fat chance that’ll happen again.

I stepped out from the hay bale and onto the streets of Ponyville, I dusted myself off from the pieces of hay still sticking to my outfit and made my way to the centre of town.
As I entered the plaza in front of the Mayor’s office I saw two rich smug looking unicorns walking towards my direction.

Great these ponies are from Canterlot, Im sure they wont miss a few bits…

As they were of noble class they didn`t step out of the way when I “accidentally” bumped into them and “happened to take their coin-purse.

The opulent unicorn stallion was surprised, “My word! I believe I got touched by a Pegasus… from Ponyville no less!”

The stallion’s wife who was also a unicorn looked at me with disgust, “I do say darling, I think Ponyville has set the standards… at a bare minimum…”

Oh… first I was being nice about taking a only a few bits but now…

They turned their heads and went *hmph*, they were so busy being uptight and snooty that they didn’t realise me sneak up behind them and completely empty their pockets of bits.

I went around to a dark alleyway and opened the bags of money.

100…200… WHOA! THEY GOT 500 bits here!

Pleased with my pickpocketing success I headed towards the marketplace of Ponyville.
On the way I kept pondering about how much money I had and what I was going to do with it.

We don’t really need anything at the guild since we usually find or make our own materials.

Maybe I should do what Le Duck had done and give back to the town.
Ya… I think that would be best, considering how much danger I put through everypony.

I stopped at a store called “Repair’s for You” I looked at my money pouch and thought why not.

“Thank you again kind sir! And please, come back anytime!” the owner of the shop waved to me as I left his store after investing 300 bits.

It feels good to give now I need to…

I looked over down the street towards an alley and I saw a gray pegasus pony with tears in her eyes being harassed by 3 other ponies covered in tattered brown robes, there was a green one, a small purple pony and a dark yellow pony with a cast on his head, he was also a unicron.

Wait aren’t those the bandits I beat up a few weeks ago?
That yellow one I think was the one I knocked out with that streetlamp.
Maybe I should do an even more aggressive entrance since my leg isn’t broken this time.

I saw a nearby building and I began to run up it and scale the wall, while keeping an ear on what the confrontation was below.

“Please, leave me and the mail alone!” sobbed the gray Pegasus.

“Ooh… did I make the baby cry?” the purple bandit said while ripping a letter.

“Please Stop!” shouted the Pegasus as she saw the mail getting destroyed.

The green bandit stepped on a shredded letter and squished it into the ground with his hoof.

“Sorry girl, but no one is gonna save you. We’re in the middle of a dark alley and nobody’s gonna hear you scream.” The green bandit said with a sadistic smile.

*HEEEEEELLLLLLLPPPPPPPPP MEEEEEEEE!” shouted the Pegasus as loud as possible hoping somepony would hear her.

“Sorry, but it’s not like someone is just gonna fall from the sky—,” the dark yellow pony started to say until…

*OOMF!*

I landed right on his head with my hooves where I had previously jumped from the top of the roof. I heard a distinct snap coming from his horn as I stepped up from his unconscious body.

The other bandits looked at me and fear filled their faces as they remembered who I was, “OH CRAP! QUICK GET HIM WHILE I GET MY THING READY!” the green pony shouted to the purple pony.

The purple pony nodded and pulled out a small dagger from his satchel and ran towards me rather quickly but it wasn’t something I couldn’t handle.

Just as he lunged at me trying to cut into my gray fur, I grabbed his arm and took the dagger from his hoof. I swung his robe around him and tied him into a burrito shape; I placed the dagger through the cloth so he couldn’t escape.

Standing up he realised what I was about to do, “NO DON’T DO IT!” he pleaded but it was too late. I kicked him and he rolled out of the alley, getting hurt everytime he rolled on a rock.

“Hold it right there!”

I turned around and I saw the green pony pointing a gun towards the gray Pegasus as she cowered in fear.

“Don’t you move a muscle or this pretty little thing is going to have her brains splattered all over the floor…” the green pony said seriously with hate in his voice.

“SHADOW!”

I looked behind me and I saw Cheerlie at the entrance to the alley, she dropped a bunch of textbooks and she looked mortified at the scene in front of her.

I promised her, “Don’t worry, she’ll be fine…”

I looked to the ground in front of me and I saw an intact letter I bent over to pick it up.

“Hey hey! What are you doing!” the green bandit shouted at me.

As I picked up the letter I secretly slid a throwing knife underneath it so it couldn’t be seen.

“You know what? I hate you more hooded freak! Have fun in hell!” the green bandit laughed as he pointed the gun towards me.

In an instant I whipped the throwing knife which was concealed by the letter on the underside; it flew straight at the barrel of the gun and stuck in there. The green bandit pulled the trigger just as the knife entered.

*BANG*

Cheerlie shielded her eyes afraid that the bandit shot me, she nervously opened them and saw that the bandit’s gun was completely blown apart and his hoof was charred from the resulting small explosion.

That's why you don't mess with my town.

Now with the enemies all incapacitated I held out a hoof to the cross-eyed Pegasus who was shocked by what happened.

“Are you ok Miss...?” I asked her as I helped her up to her hooves.

“Derpy! That’s my name! I’m the mail-mare of Ponyville … at least I was…” she notice the piles of destroyed letters on the ground and her cross-eyed expression changing to an unbelievably sad look.

Hmm… AHA!

“Derpy why don’t you take these letters to the Repair’s for You store. Just tell them Shadow sent you and they will fix those letters up in a second!”

“Wow! Thank you so much! I’m going to tell everypony about you!” she said excitingly as she shoved the ruined letters into her bags and skipped into town.

It feels good to help… wait… EVERPONY!?

A second later I heard a loud voice saying, “THE SHADOW OF PONYVILLE SAVED ME!”

I face hoofed and Cheerlie noticed and asked, “What’s wrong? I thought you would be glad to hear praise from the ponies.”

“Well you see it’s complicated… I’m…” I said trying to hide my Assassin origins.

“You’re what?”

“I’m… actually very shy around ponies and I’m not cut out to be a celebrity…” I lied, partially.

“Well, I need to be going back to the school, it was nice seeing you again,” she started to walk off but I interrupted her.

“Wait, I’m heading that way too, would you like me to help carry the books?” I asked her, trying to work my Ponitalian charm.

“Okay, I could use the help and the company would be nice…” she said unloading more than half her book bags onto my shoulders.

OH DEAR CELESTIA THESE ARE HEAVY!
Not as heavy as the tax reports I’ll have to do soon…

We walked off towards the school talking about what happened during the past week.

“And then Sweetie Bell said, “But aren’t those two things different?” Hahaha!” we both laughed.

“What about you Shadow? I haven’t seen you this past week and a half…”

“Well you see I went traveling to Gerpony with Twilight and her friends so we could study their culture and do something about a friendship report or something like that. I would’ve brought some Gerponian cuisine back with me but Spike ate it all.”

“Gerpony? Wasn’t that the place that was going to go to war until that nuke exploded?” Cheerlie asked, trying to figure out if I had something to do with it.

“Well you see I’ve…”

“ALLO SHADOW!” a booming voice shouted from behind us.

I curved my head and I saw Dr. Mareio waving at me from his mushroom stand with a crowd of customers surrounding him.

“Mareio! Thank you for that mushroom it really helped my rest issue,” I hugged Mareio.

“AH Ms. Cheerlie how are you!?” Mareio asked Cheerlie shaking her hoof.

“Oh hi doctor, I’m fine just letting Shadow help me carry my books to the schoolhouse.”

“OOH! HOW ROMANTIC!” Mareio shouted alerting most of the other ponies.

I blushed and I noticed Cheerlie also blushed too.

Mareio pulled me aside and whispered to me, “So I’ve been hearing a lot about “The Shadow of Ponyville” trying to follow in your uncle’s footsteps hmm?”

“Really? How many ponies know?” I asked, he just pointed to his crowd and motioned me to listen.

“Yo did you hear about the Shadow of Ponyville?”

“I’ve heard but I think he’s just a myth like the Red Fox.”

“Still, I’m glad he’s helping out Ponyville just like the Mare-do-well.”

“MY WALLET IS MISSING!” shouted a Canterlot unicorn.

Mareio pulled me back, “You see Shadow, YOU’RE A HERO!”

“SHHH! We can’t let anyone know that the Assassins are here, or else they would come here and burn this place down like they did to Ponitaly. Would you want that?” I whispered rather coldly to Mareio to get him to shut up.

The Shadow of Ponyville…
Is it a good thing or a bad thing?
I'm helping ponies and my identity itself hasn't been compromised.

I just hope this doesn’t come to bite my ass later…

Chapter 19: Memories- The Fall of the Assassins

After spending some quality time in Ponitaly I rushed back to the Assassin’s Headquarters holding the pouch in which the Apple was stored in. Under the moonlit night I burst through the doors of the main building and quickly hurried to the Observer’s office.

I turned around a corner too sharply and bumped into somepony.

*OOF*

“MAMA-MIA!”

A rain of mushrooms fell down over me and immediately I noticed who I bumped into.

“MAREIO! Have you seen the Observer? Is he still in his office?” I asked quickly to the dazed doctor.

“YES! He is--,”

“Thankyougottagobye!” I shouted back to him as I sprinted to the Observer’s office which was now within my reach.

I slammed the doors open with my hooves and I saw the same group of ponies I’ve seen before I went on my quest. Le Duck was leaning on a statuette reading his… “subliminal” fiction novel, the other experienced assassins were enjoying a conversation, the Observer was at his desk arguing with Ace about who should compensate for the toaster incident and Sniper-shot had her hooves crossed and was waiting impatiently for my arrival.

“Well, there you are. It took you long enough.” Sniper-shot remarked in a harsher tone of voice than usual.

I then noticed something about Sniper-shot…

She’s sweating even though it’s not hot outside and no one would train at this time of night. She’s hiding something…

Before I could figure out what was wrong the Observer long jumped over his desk and grasped me with his hooves as he gave me a huge bone-shattering hug.

“D’AH!”

“OH SHADOW MY BOY, YOUR BACK! We all thought you were eaten by a dragon or slaughtered by a pack of ice wolves. Anyways… WELCOME BACK!” he shouted with enthusiasm tightening his grip around me.

“Gre…to…be…ack…” I struggled to say to the Observer who then let go and let me regain my breath.

“So Shadow, did you find what the Observer wanted you to find?” asked Le Duck as he closed his novel and joined in on the conversation.

“Yes, I have it right here…” I said reaching for my pouch.

I pulled out the Apple and held it in my hoof, a faint yellow glow emanated from the artifact.

All the ponies in the room stopped whatever they were doing and hung their mouths open to the beautiful sight of the orb I was carrying, even the Observer looked a little surprised.

You can fly without wings and stop purple mushrooms and those doesn’t faze you…
WHAT IS THIS THING I’M HOLDING!?

After a few more moments of gawking at the orb in my hoof and my arm about to go numb from holding it for so long the Observer took the Apple from my grasp and placed it on his mahogany desk.

“What are you all gawking at? It’s like you’ve never seen an ancient glowing artifact before,” the Observer said, reawakening anypony who was still transfixed on the Apple.

“What is it?” asked Sniper-Shot with slightly more enthusiasm.

“Oh this?” the Observer said holding up the orb in his right hoof.

“This is nothing special really this is practically the only thing THAT CAN MAKE THE TEMPLARS TAKE OVER ALL OF EQUESTRIA AND SUBJECT US AS THEIR SLAVES WHILE THE TYRANTS OF POWER MISUSE THIS ANCIENT POWER FOR THEIR OWN SELFISH GAIN!” the Observer shouted with sarcastic rage.

“Oh but this specific artifact is called, “The Apple” and these artifacts are what the ancient ponies called “Pieces of Harmony” which I believe was around the same time the Elements were born… but I wouldn’t know BECAUSE I’M NOT A HISTORY TEXTBOOK!? HONESTLY WHAT DO THEY TEACH YOU KIDS NOWADAYS!? AAARRRRRRGGGG!” the Observer banged his desk as hard as he could without damaging the mahogany or the artifact.

*tap*

Well that didn’t seem very Observer for the Observer…

Then the Observer channeled his energy and hoofed the wall next to him. A small hole leading to the outside air showed up, he just noted, “Window…”

Now that was the Observer we all know and… admire?

He places the Apple on the table and walks over to me, “Sooooooooo Shadow…. Did you “find” the temple alright? HMMMMMMMMMM?”

“Um… ya I had a few misadventures but in the end I did find Skypoint temple on the top of the mountain.” I asked confused about what he really meant.

“AHA! AND THAT RIGHT THERE SHADOW IS WHY YOU'RE… special…” the Observer creepily said.

“Why’s Shadow so special than the rest of us assassins? Aren’t we good enough to protect Equestria?” Sniper-Shot aggressively asked the Observer.

“Sadly, I didn’t think that we Assassins would be able to end this war with the Templars on our own. With this artifact and for any future ones we find, we can protect the innocents from the plight of the Templars who would use these for their own selfish gains.”

“And TWO… Shadow was able to find Skypoint Temple. For you see, if the average pony went to the top of the highest mountain they wouldn’t be able to find anything. But… those with special roles or destinies can see the temple and enter it when it is necessary for them too.
I thought I was the only one who could enter the temple, but it seems that our fledging as turned into a rising eagle.”

A special role?
Only the Observer could see it before, did no other alive today see it?
I just want to get revenge on Balthazar for killing my family, once that deed’s done that’s it.

“Then why not send me as well? Maybe I would’ve seen--,” Sniper-shot questioned but was silenced.

“If you recall Sniper-shot… I SENT YOU TO THE DAMN MOUNTAIN ALREADY A LONG TIME BEFORE! YOU DIDN’T SEE ANYTHING AND THEREFORE THE TEMPLE WASN’T OPEN TO YOU!”

“IT’S NOT FAIR! WE REGULAR ASSASSINS STRUGGLE THROUGH OUR DAILY LIVES AND ALL YOU DO IS SIT IN YOUR CHAIR ALL DAY ARGUING WITH A BIRD!” she vented at him as she angrily slammed the doors open breaking the hinges and stomped out the office.

“What’s her problem?” the Observer asked shaking his head until a shocked look went into his eyes.

He let out a gasp and clutched his chest as he kneeled over onto the floor.

“Observer!” we all shouted as we helped him back to his feet.

“Terrible things are going to happen…. we won’t be able… I won’t be able…” the Observer started mumbling while we dragged him to his chair.

He slumped in it and we gave a sigh, “Dude, don’t scare us again like that,” I sighed with relief.

“Something terrible is going to happen, Shadow YOU MUST MAKE SURE THIS DOESN’T GET INTO THE TEMPLAR’S HOOVES!” he shouted holding up the shining Apple to my face.

“Observer you must rest… you’ve been through a lot today--,” Le Duck tried to reason with the Observer.

“Fine… but Shadow this will be for you tomorrow after all I can’t give you your birthday present today!” the Observer cheerfully said.

Oh Crap! I can’t believe I’d forgotten about my own birthday! With all this work I didn’t even notice.

“Well I think Shadow needs to get to sleep for his big day tomorrow don’t you agree?” Le Duck asked me with a pat on my back.

I nodded and he laughed, we made our way outside the office and into the main hallway.

“Shadow… I’ve been meaning to tell you something. Something I’ve been hiding away until the time was right.”

Le Duck hid something from me? It wouldn’t have been the first time…

“You see Shadow, you have family here: the Assassins, Ace, and me. What I didn’t tell you was that I am your un--,”

We were about to head for the dormitories when a loud voice interrupted us across the room.

“LE DUCK! I NEED YOUR HELP! I DON’T KNOW HOW TO BAKE!” said the voice which I recognized as Mareios’.

“Oh Dear Celestia, MAREIO DON’T TOUCH ANYTHING OR YOU’LL BLOW UP THE ROOF LIKE LAST TIME!” Le Duck shouted back as he rushed towards the kitchen.

Oh well… maybe he will tell me tomorrow…

On my way to my room I was stopped in the middle of a hallway by Sniper-shot.

“Hey, Snipe what up?” I casually said.

“Shadow… you need to leave, now. I don’t care where you go but it needs to be as far away from this place as possible. Take your girlfriend with you and leave, please.” She said coldly to me.

“Why? Is it because of that thing with the Observer a few minutes back? Look I’m sorry but I’m not abandoning the Assassins and Flora is safely in her home in Ponitaly.”

“Not for long…”

What does she mean about that?

“Fine… enjoy this pathetic rat’s nest you call an Order.” She said coldly turning around and walking away.

Sniper-shot…
What happened to my partner?

-------The Next day---------------------

I was fast asleep in my bed until something that smelled delicious woke me. I looked outside a window and saw that it was the crack of dawn. I turned around from my bed and saw a birthday cake; it had a picture of me sprayed into the cake and the words,
“Happy Birthday Shadow-mark!” engraved with blue icing.

Just as I stood up to get my outfit on and to taste the succulent cake something smashed through the ceiling and landed on my cake.

“WHAT THE HELL!?” I shouted in confusion.

There on my cake lay a large stone cannonball, immediately after I felt more rumbling and crashing noises around the room. I quickly put my stuff on and rushed towards the entrance to the Hideout. I swung the doors open and stood in shock.

What… how in Equestria...

(Epic Music)

Fires were all around the large Assassin courtyard with cannonball impacts covering the ground. I saw an assassin pulling another assassin from a ditch, he was dead.

“WHAT’S GOING ON!?” I shouted at the top of my voice.

Mareio came rushing towards me with a sack of healing mushrooms, “SHADOW! THE TEMPLARS ARE HERE! THE TEMPLARS ARE HERE!”

“What? How did they find us?” I asked.

“I DON’T KNOW! YOU NEED TO MAN A CANNON OR DO SOMETHING! I NEED TO SAVE LIVES!” Mareio shouted at me as he quickly jumped towards an injured assassin.

The Templars? How did they find us?

I shook my head and headed for the battlements. A cannonball wised past my head and landed behind me creating a small crater. I flew towards the ladder I scampered my way up the top of the battlements.
I reached the top to see Le Duck swinging his sword against two Pegasus Templars; I ran behind one of them and stuck my blade in their chest as Le Duck slashed the other one.

As I looked around the mountain we were standing on I saw hordes of guards and Templars surrounding the mountain with siege towers and cannons. Assassins lined the battlements with arrows and crossbows.

“GET DOWN!” Le Duck jumped on me as an RPG rocket wised past my head and hit the headquarters, collapsing a tower.

“Le Duck… how did--?”

“They must have stormed around the mountain during the night. I’ll deal with the Pegasi while you attack the ones on the ground with the cannon,” he said pointing to the cannon.

I manned the cannon and took aim at an RPG party.

*BOOM*

A mass of enemies appeared marching towards the gate. I turned the crank so I could aim at the end of the group, I pulled the trigger.

*BOOM*

The bottom half of the large group of enemies were down and the Assassin archers fired at the remaining group. As I finished reloading another cannonball a Templar flew straight into me knocking me over. I recovered and hoofed him in the face as he flew back towards the end of my cannon. I leaped for the trigger and pulled it.

The Templar sailed into the sky with a cannonball wedged in his chest as he made contact with a gunpowder group.

*BOOOOM* the group scattered throughout the sky as the explosion rocked around.

“Not bad,” commented Le Duck as he threw two non-pegasi off the battlement wall.

“Where’s the Observer?”

Le Duck pointed to the top of the Headquarters and I saw the Observer standing on the roof holding the Apple in his hooves. A bright light emanated from his position and a crackling ray of energy was sent straight from the Apple piercing a siege tower as it engulfed into flames and crumbled away.

Just before we could celebrate a cannonball shot through the air and broke the platform I was standing on. I fell to the courtyard below and landed in a pile of hay.

“THEY BROKE THROUGH THE GATES!”

Hordes of guards poured through the entrance followed by the group of ponies I saw in the secret chamber back at Ponitaly, including Balthazar. An assassin ran up to Balthazar trying to stab him but the bulky red pony Volcanous swung his hammer at the assassin cracking his skull and killing him.

“SILENCE!” shouted Balthazar.

Everypony stopped fighting and listened to the Templar leader. The Templar guards retreated to cover the walls with no escape for us.

Balthazar turned his head over to the Observer who was still standing on the roof holding the Apple, “HELLO MY OLD ACQUAINTANCE! Why don’t you hand over the Apple like the good Observer you are and we will spare Ponitaly.”

The Observer turned his head to look at Ponitaly, he held the Apple out and said, “Balthazar… you can’t win… as long as there is still one assassin left WE WILL WIN!”

“Unfortunately for you my old friend, there won’t be any left…”

Dave who was standing next to Balthazar lit his horn with black magic as he smiled sadistically.

*CRACK*

A huge black portal appeared over the skies of the Headquarters and a moment later it dissipated revealing a large lead blimp carrying high-tech soldiers and weapons.

“HAH! YOU THINK THAT WILL STOP US? YOU…. think…I…”

The Observer fell from the roof and landed on the ground with a thud and dropped the Apple on the ground.
An arrow had pierced right through his heart.

NOOO! He can’t be dead… HE CAN’T DIE!

I looked at the rooftop again and I saw Sniper-shot holding her bow out with a smug look on her face.

Sniper-shot? No... my partner, she can’t be a traitor!

A dark blue unicorn wearing a monocle that I recognized as Je Suis, he levitated the Apple to Balthazar and he grasped it.

A sadistic smile appeared on his face and after another *CRACK* a dark swirling portal appeared behind him with Dave gesturing him in.

Very quietly but still audible Balthazar started laughing then his laughter got louder and louder until it became a menacing mad-pony's laugh.

"..."

“Kill them…” he said as he stepped through the portal.

The portal closed and chaos erupted.

Immediately the blimp started dropping off ponies wearing high-tech armor and electric swords as they surrounded the courtyard. The regular guards charged in with the Assassins defending themselves. I got out from my hay stack and looked around the battlefield; a soldier noticed me and ran up to attack me.

Why… why would Sniper-shot do this to us…
The Observer’s dead and the rest of us are going to die.
Because of him…

I stopped the soldier’s sword arm with my hoof. I squeezed my hoof and his arm snapped as he dropped the sword. Rage filled throughout my body as I pulled out my blade and stabbed the guard 4 times in the chest. A dark red aura surrounded me and I charged a group of Elite Ponies who were finishing off a couple of assassins.

“RAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!”

As I made contact with them a blast of energy erupted from my impact sending the ponies flying across the battlefield. They were all dead.

“SHADOW!”

I turned around and my raging sprit softened as I saw Le Duck approach me.

“We need to go back we need to retreat!” he said urgently to me.

“But Balthazar just… the Observer… he’s…”

“Shadow you need to forget that for now, if Balthazar was telling the truth Ponitaly may be under attack as well.”

Ponitaly…
OH DEAR CELESTIA NO!

We rushed towards the nearly destroyed headquarters, I noticed Volcanous taking on 10 assassins and he threw all of them from his back and smashed them with his hammer.
Any other assassins trying to flee or fly away were cut down by WingBlade’s sharp metallic wings. Je Suis was eating a croissant while his Elite ponies took down anyone who tried to get close to him.

We entered the main hall which was about half destroyed, cannonball debris scattered the room, but fortunately the underground stairs were fine.

(End Music)

Before we got a chance to enter the steps leading to the hidden passageway a figure appeared from around a corner clapping his hooves together.

*Clap*

“Excellent show out there, a shame the Observer had to die. We had so much in common…” said an icy white unicorn wearing bold glasses, a white shirt and black jeans.

“DAVE! Why are you doing this? I thought you of all ponies would want to preserve balance not wreak chaos!?” Le Duck shouted at Dave.

Dave chuckled while shaking his head, “Oh Le Duck… as always you never think 10 steps ahead. I determined that the best way to create balance would be to destroy the assassins, I know it doesn’t make sense but it time it will.”

Le Duck pulled out his sword and Dave laughed, “You honestly think you can defeat me? We both know what would happen if you try…”

What does he mean? How does Le Duck know Dave?
WHY IS EVERYTHING SO CONFUSING!?

“Unfortunately for you two I have to do some accounting…” he snapped his hoof.

*CRACK*

A dark portal appeared behind him sending a gust of wind rushing towards us.

“Oh, and don’t worry Shadow we’ll meet soon again…” he said with a smirk as he entered the portal.

*WOOSH*

The portal closed behind him. Immediately the windows to the main hall were smashed open and 15 Elite ponies entered the room waving their electric swords in front of us.

“Target in site, preparing to engage,” an Elite talked into a headset.

“Shadow… go,” Le Duck whispered to me has he raised his sword to the enemies.

“Le Duck…I…”

“BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!”

He shoved me down the steps and into the underground chamber as the Elite ponies surrounded the outside of the passageway. We ran to the hidden wall leading to the other passageway out of the mountain I went through to the other side but Le Duck stayed behind.

“Shadow… whatever happens just know that a duck will always be watching you, that’s Anatidaephobia,” he laughed.

“Le Duck…” I urged him to run with me.

“Go Shadow… know that you are my most favourite nephew and I was glad to be your uncle…”

He flipped a hidden switch and the tunnel between us started to cave in.

“LE DUCK! NO!” I shouted at him, but he just stood there and smiled as the rocks covered the door.

He was… my uncle…

I started walking down the passageway with fog clouding my mind and my steps were shaky and I stumbled as I headed for the door at the end of the stony passageway.

I still had a family member… and Balthazar took him.

He took my father, my mother, my brother, my uncle Le Duck, the Observer, the Assassins…

He stole my family he stole everypony I’ve ever loved…

A thought came to my head.

Everypony I’ve ever loved… NO!
Dear Celestia...

No no no no no no!

I ran towards the door as fast as I could and stepped outside.

“NO!” I shouted in fear and disbelief.

Ponitaly was being sieged by war machines and the remnants of Balthazar’s forces; the city was crumbling and masses of civilians poured out from the city gates.

“FLORA!!” I shouted as loud as I could as I entered the war-torn city I once called home.

The sun was setting on this horrible day. This atrocious day that was placed on my birthday, will be a constant reminder of what I lost.

But I have nothing left now, nothing to live for, nothing to fight for.

The only drive I experience is the rage flowing through my veins, the hate I have for the Templars, the hate of what they have done, and the enormous hatred of the pony that started it all.

Balthazar.

After paying my respects I crouched down into a beautiful garden of flowers, the garden where I had experienced true love for the first time… and the last…

I laid a pure white rose in the centre of the garden which had a freshly made dirt mound; I had also placed a slab of ivory with some writing engraved into it onto the grave in front of me.

Flora

When all is lost a ray of hope will shine on the land and purge the darkness from within

From our Love a seed of hope can spring into life

Let Love take the place for Hate

Loving Wife of Shadow-mark

Requistcat in Pace

I stood up from the grave and placed my hood over my head, I turned around not looking back.

Chapter 20: The Shadow of Ponyville

Me and Cheerlie arrived at the schoolhouse a while after we said goodbye to Dr. Mareio.
I looked up into the sky and saw that the sun had already set and replaced by the moon.

Damn all that time and I still didn’t get to do any running…

I dropped the books I was carrying by Cheerlie and she did the same.

“Thank you Shadow, I wasn’t sure I would have carried all these books by myself,” Cheerlie thanked me.

I did a slight bow, “Cheerlie, it was my pleasure to help you in need.”

She blushed a little bit and petted her mane which looked adorable.

I think she is falling for me.
But…. am I falling for her?

“Um… Shadow? I was wondering… if you’d like to…” she stuttered.

Oh no, I think she’s going to ask me out.
If I had gotten Balthazar before then things would work, but… I can’t let her be caught up in a war that she has no part in.
Course it is just a harmless date, what harm would come of that?

“Shadow?”

Ponitaly was destroyed along with everypony I’ve ever loved.
No, I can’t do this to her.
Flora died because of me and I don’t think I would…

“SHADOW!” Cheerlie shouted into my ear.

“AHH! WHAT!?”

“You just kind of zoned out for a second, I asked you if you could come by the schoolhouse someday and teach the students more about the various cultures you’ve experienced.”

Oh great it’s not a date!
Still… she hasn’t found out my secret and by keeping it secret it would do her more good.

“Ah, sure I’d love to teach the children about the places I’ve been too!” I excitingly said.

“Great! And thank you Shadow from before…” she reached out with her hooves and hugged me.

“Like I said, it was my pleasure.”

I departed from the school and went straight back to the centre of Ponyville, the nightlife was beginning to open all around and ponies began to enjoy the dim evening.

Knowing that I would be able to hide myself better in the dark, I walked to a nearby alley and started climbing towards the rooftop. I was about halfway up when I noticed a perfectly good ladder two feet from me.
I shrugged my shoulders and ascended towards the roofs of Ponyville.

I looked ahead of me and saw that most of the houses were tightly packed, I started to rub my hooves together and made sure my hood stayed on properly.

Let’s do some Free-Running…

In the memory of my brother I sprinted towards the edge of the roof and leaped towards the opposite building and landed firmly on the other side. I looked up and saw a rope line attached from a tall building to a much shorter building across the street. I scaled the building and observed the rope.

I heard that down south the Assassins would use these to get around the city 20% faster.

I gripped the rope and began to shimmy down the line. The rope burned into my grey hooves every time I moved down.

*Creak*

I looked behind me and saw that the line was about to give away.

Merda!

Ignoring the searing rope burns I pushed myself faster and faster to get across. Suddenly the line snapped and I plummeted to the ground below me.

Fortunately the ground below me was in fact the small building. I nodded my head from my accomplishment and continued running across Ponyville.

------45 minutes later--------

THIS FEELS GREAT!

I dashed from rooftop to rooftop enjoying the wind rushing through my hood. I was near a little outcropped house as I jumped from its chimney to the top of a building that gave a great view of Ponyville.
I sat down and enjoyed the view as I regained my breath.

Ponyville is truly amazing…
I’m glad that I fell out from the sky that day…

I then heard hoofsteps, I quickly got up and turned around to only be tackled by an orange blur.

“HA! GOT’CHA VARMIT!”

I looked up and I saw Applejack wearing her assassin robe, she had pinned me by all fours and we were on the rooftop… alone.

“Oh Applejack, I thought even you would have resisted my charms… it seems I was wrong…” I said rather seductively to Applejack.

“SHADOW!?” she leaped off of me realising how sexually explicit this was.

I had a seductive look and my face and Applejack was blushing immensely, “I…I couldn’t see… I thought you was a…”

“Relax Applejack, I’m just teasing you.” I said as I brushed the roof dust from my clothes.

“Anyways, why are you up here Applejack?”

“I could ask you the very same thing, I heard from Derpy an hour ago hollering about “The Shadow of Ponyville” or something running around Ponyville. Did you see anypony like that?”

I face hoofed, “Applejack… are you serious?”

“Uh ya, why?”

I took a deep breath, “Okay Applejack, what did you say about what the Shadow of Ponyville was doing?”

“Running around Ponyville, probably doing bad things.”

Quite the Opposite in fact.

“Who did you find running around the rooftops?”

“You…”

“And finally what is my name?”

“Why your Shadow-mark sugarcu-- Oh….” She face hoofed.

I explained to her how I rescued Derpy from the group of bandits and how I economically improved the town.

“But you still STOLE from em!” she argued.

“Those Canterlot ponies weren’t doing anything with it and they certainly didn’t like the town. I thought that with a ‘small’ contribution Ponyville would benefit from their tourism.”

“Small? YOU TOOK EVERY DARN BIT THEY HAD!”

“Then Ponyville benefited even more!” I contradicted her, she just turned around from me.

I put an arm on Applejack’s shoulder, “Applejack… you need to understand that what we’re doing is helping Ponyville. I never stolen from anypony that that needed those bits, and every bit I take I give back to the ponies that NEED it.”

“Looks like you’ve still got sum left,” she pointed to my pouch of leftover bits.

I threw the pouch to her, “Fine then you can go invest these, just remember with a store you need to be… persuasive, make friends with them and they will probably give you a discount or something useful.”

“Another lesson from Le Duck?” she asked me.

“Number 11.” I grinned.

We dropped down to the streets of Ponyville and began walking trying to find good store to invest in. In the meantime Applejack asked me questions about Le Duck.

“How long did you know him?”

“He was there right after my family… ya and basically from that up to now, except for those 2 years that I thought he was dead.”

“Ouch, I understand why ya’ll head-butted him back in Gerpony, speaking about Gerpony how’s the city?” she asked me.

“I’ll need to check back with Mareio on that later…”

“Also why did Le Duck call himself the Red Fox?” she asked me to continue the conversation.

“I think it was his alias after Balthazar destroyed the Assassins Headquarters. Whats worse is that I think it came from one of his subliminal Assassin books.” I shuddered from the thoughts about the explicit books.

“Hey Shadow, do you think this one’s any good?” she asked me as we arrived at a local bank.

“Banks are good; they might let us get some steady income for the Assassins.” I said as we entered the bank.

It was small and there were only 3 bank tellers, I noticed Dr. Mareio was on the one in the far right.

“What would you like to withdraw?”

“MUSHROOMS!”

“How many?”

“ALL OF THEM!” the doctor demanded.

We got to a teller and Applejack began investing, “Ah hi! We would like to…”

*SLAM*

“NOBODY MOVE THIS IS A ROBBERY!” shouted an angry voice from the front of the bank.

We turned around and saw 4 ponies wearing ski masks and knives burst through the doors.
Applejack turned her head to me and I silently told her protect the citizens. I advanced my way towards the knife-wielding robbers and before I knew it I was surrounded by all of them.

“Oh look who we have here! A pony who wants to play hero, let’s shown him what we do to troublemakers,” a robber said pulling his knife out towards me.

He lunged and I immediately grabbed his arm and twisted it, he dropped the knife from the agonizing pain. A robber ran behind me with intent to stab, I shoved the robber I hurt out of the way and dropped a smoke bomb. The area around the robbers became engulfed in smoke.

“Hey! Where did he… AAAHHHH!”

The smoke cleared and only three robbers were seen in the bank.

“Hey man, where did Charley go?” the injured robber nervously asked.

“THERE!” the robber pointed to the pony I knocked out and hung from the wall.

They approached the wall and didn’t notice me hiding above the room on a wooden beam.
I snuck around behind them as they tried getting their friend down.

“How did… NOOO!” a robber shouted as I whisked him away to the ceiling.

“Not again! We need to find him and take him down!”

As soon as the robber on the ground finished speaking I attached a rope to the unconscious robber and threw him over the beam.

“Where oh where is… AAH!” a robber shouted as the body of his friend dangled from the ceiling with a rope tied around his back.

As he cut him down the other robber ran to rejoin with his ally, he wasn’t fast enough.

*POW*

The robber heard the thud of his friend and noticed he was the last one standing. I panic he ran towards the group of people Applejack was protecting and took a mare as a hostage.

“SHOW YOURSELF, OR ELSE THIS MARE’S GONNA DIE!” he barred his knife across her throat.

“Gladly,” I whispered from behind him as I grabbed his arm and hoof-locked him.

He dropped the knife and the hostage and turned his body towards me with fear in his eyes as he views me in my menacing hood.

“What are you?”

I grabbed him with one hoof and held the other in a fist.

“I’m the Shadow.”

*KER-HOOF*

As the last robber fell unconscious on the bank floor applause erupted from the group of patrons and bank tellers.

Sure I’ve exposed myself, but at least no pony will recognize me.

“HOORAY FOR THE SHADOW OF PONYVILLE!” everypony cheered.

Applejack came over to me and quietly said, “That was amazing Shadow, the way you moved around the room and took out all those thieves was… wow.”

“You should see how Le Duck would have done it, or better yet the Observer. Anyways you should go invest the money, I bet with this we’ll get even more benefits.”

Just as I was about to leave I remembered something, “Applejack? Do you need any help at the farm? I need to know that our work doesn’t interfere with your daily lives.”

“Sure Shadow, come by bright an early and we’ll get you to work!” she cheerfully said.

And with that I fled the scene as the ponies showered me with praise.

I still had some energy so I climbed to the top of the clock tower where I met a sleeping eagle.

Aw… Ace looks like such an angel when he sleeps...

Without wanting to wake him I crept to the ladder and descended below to the Assassin chamber. I rolled into my bed only taking my hood off my head and slept the rest of the night.

---------In the Morning------------------

I woke up to beautiful sounds of chirping birds telling that they day has started.

Then they stopped, I looked out the window and saw Ace dive bombing a couple of birds for his breakfast. I dismissed his intent on a murderous diet and collected myself off the bed. I looked outside and saw the sun had just risen.

Applejack should probably be awake right now…

As I collected my things and tidied myself up I noticed a package of papers on the desk, on the top there laid a card. I picked it up and read it, “WingBlade and Dave. Status: Nothing yet!” on the back was a mushroom stamp.
I placed the card back down on the documents.

Damn still no leads…
I wonder, maybe if I be a little less discreet they would come out of hiding and try to attack me.

I pondered the idea in my head for a while but then I found a major contradiction.

They wouldn’t just attack me they would attack the rest of the Assassins as well as Ponyville.

Perhaps I should stay a bit incognito with the whole “Shadow of Ponyville” fiasco.

After all, it’s only a matter of time…

I climbed to the roof of the clock tower and spread my wings; a minor pain came from my damaged right wing reminding myself that I can’t fly, ever. I plunge my body over the edge and glide across a great distance to Applejack’s farm.

A few minutes later I landed on a lumpy mass of hill, the same hill I first saw and the one that I had hallucinations with. I walked a bit from the hill and saw a small body print indented in the ground next to the hill.

Wow… it has been a while.

I turned to the hill and shouted, “Why you no catch me before!?”

The hill stayed disinterestedly silent.

I ignored my crazy outburst and made my way to Applejack’s farm.

“WELL HOWDY SHADOW!” Applejack shouted from across a row of trees as I went near the red farmhouse.

I waved to her and quickly ran up next to her, “Alright Applejack I’m here, what do you want me to do?”

“Well you can start by helpin us buck them apple trees,” she pointed to the mass orchard.

“ALL OF THEM!?” I shouted surprisingly.

“Nah, not all of em just the south field over there, come I’ll show ya,” she said leading the way.

We got to the south field and Applejack wanted to see if I could buck a tree properly.

“No problem,” I said getting my back hoofs ready.

*KICK*

The tree only wobbled a bit and no apples dropped.

“Try again!” Applejack encouraged me.

*BUCK*

The tree shacked a little bit more but alas only one apple fell out.

“Time for some Ponitalian street bucking!” I said tensing my back legs.

*KER-KICK*

The tree violently shacked and all the apples fell out this time.

“Alright Shadow you did it! Now I need to work over there, I’ll check back on you in an hour or so,” she said as she trotted down the row of apple trees.

For the next couple of minutes I continued bucking every apple tree with my signature kick, trouble it my kicks are usually centred on ponies and trees are denser. After one more tree I bucked, I laid my back on the trunk to catch my strength back.

As I relaxed I saw a big red pony bucking a few apple trees near me, it was Applejack’s brother Big Mac.

“Hey Big Mac! You on apple bucking duty?” I shouted across to him.

“Eeyup.”

“Do you think I bucked more trees than Applejack today?”

“Nope.”

Ok time for something different than a yes or no question...

“Big Mac, how would you rate the economy of Ponyville considering the long-term effects of a diminishing market gap influx on a marginal cost outtake considering that the Princess hires subordinates to calculate monthly gross revenue at a ratio of current assets not equalling to their owner’s equity?”

“….”

“…I win,” I smugly said.

After my brief rest I bucked a few more trees and then Applejack arrived with Big Mac, “Shadow you’ve done well for today, but now the reason why you here…”

This tree is HUGE!

I was standing at the base of an abnormally large apple tree in the middle of the orchard.

“Shadow meet Steve the Stubborn, he’s been here for generations but for some reason whenever we try to buck his apples off he just doesn’t give. I tried doing it and so did Big Mac but whatever we did was worthless.”

“And you think I can buck Steve?” I asked and she nodded.

“Well alright then…” I said getting my back hoofs ready.

“Steve you ain’t so stubborn,” I said to myself trying to gain myself morale.

*KER-KICK*

The tree didn’t budge, I was speechless.

“See told you he’s a stubborn one,” Applejack implied.

This is going to need drastic measures…

I ran to the tree and started punching it repeatedly with my front hooves.

“Ah, Shadow? That’s not gonna work.”

“IT’S GOING TO WORK!” I shouted with rage building up within me.

After striking the tree countless times I noticed a dark red aura start to form around me, it didn’t look as powerful as the time my desk got broken or when my 60 page report was burned by Spike, but it still gave me strength.

“LET’S TRY THIS ONE MORE TIME!” I shouted with a slight demonic voice as I rushed back from the tree and sprinted with all my might and my hoof clenched in a fist.

*KER-HOOF*

A small explosion of air erupted from the tree and sent Applejack’s hat flying; the stubborn apple tree had a large gash from my impact.
I looked up at an apple on Steve’s branches and it still didn’t fall.

“OH COME ON!” I shouted in denial.

*Fump*

The apple landed in a basket.

A large grin appeared on my face, until the crack in the tree started to spread and Steve fell uprooting himself from the earth never to be stubborn to anypony else ever again.
Big Mac went over to the destroyed tree and picked up an apple, he looked at it and a manly tear dropped onto the apple.

“Uh Shadow? Maybe you should help some other ponies for a while…” Applejack quietly whispered in my ear.

“Got’cha, also sorry about Steve,” I said to her as I tried to get out from the orchard as fast as possible before Big Mac goes on a hunting spree.

Whew… I think I’m far enough. Where am I anyway?

I turned around and saw a giant gingerbread house in the middle of Ponyville, Sugarcube corner.

Well I might as well help Pinkie considering she did make those bombs for us and destroyed Volcanous.

I entered the pastry and biscuit shop and was greeted by two little baby ponies.

“Aw aren’t you two just the cutest!” I bent over to them and rubbed their heads.

The babies smiled and laughed at me.

I guess nopony is resistant to the Ponitalian charm…

“HEY SHADOW!” shouted a voice right behind me.

“AAH! PINKIE!?” I turned around to see the pink pony staring directly at me.

“Yes that’s me! So what are you doing here Shadow? I know that you have a bunch of icky work to do, OH I KNOW! YOU WANT A PARTY RIGHT!?”

“Ah no Pinkie, I was just wondering if you needed help with anything. I’m trying to kill time as finding WingBlade or Dave is a near impossibility,” I said.

“NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE! You just need to hope, and hope and hope and hope and POW! Enough about work, time to get BAKING!”

“Baking? Pinkie I’m a terrible cook,” I admitted remembering a time me and Mareio baked George the Eternal.

There was pancake batter everywhere and the roof was gone!
Oh, those were the good times…

“Don’t worry, we’re making CUPCAKES! It’ll be easy and FUN!” she bounced to the kitchen.

“Alright but I’ve warned you…”

---------10 minutes later---------------

“Ok what about this batch?” I said handing a tray of burnt cupcakes to Pinkie who began to gobble them up.

“OOH! Even better than the last one!” she said with a mouthful of ruined cupcakes.

I took a piece of the cupcake and examined it, “Pinkie the last one was green and the one before spontaneously combusted.”

“So?”

Just then Dr. Mareio crashed through the wall of the kitchen, “Shadow… are you BAKING!?”

“Uh you see Mareio we were just…”

“WITHOUT A ME!?” he quickly jumped towards the oven and began mixing batter.

Oh no, this is why we never allowed Mareio to be in a different kitchen than his mushroom one.

“Mareio what are you… No you wouldn’t, YOU COULDN’T!”

“I A HAVE!”

“Do what?” Pinkie asked us.

“Let’s just say Mareio is trying to make something called George the Eternal and we can’t stop him…”

“George sounds FUN, why is he eternal?”

“It’s a part of Dr. Mareio’s mind, whenever there’s a chance to make baked goods he goes crazy for some reason and tries to make the largest thing he can possibly make, George. I was there the last time and I even helped him…”

“HE IS ALMOST DONE!” shouted Mareio as he loaded up the oven.

Celestia save us all…

-----5 minutes later-------------

*SPLOOSH*

The entire gingerbread house was filled with cake batter; it seeped through the windows and the doorway. Me, Pinkie Pie, Dr. Mareio and the toddlers were flung outside onto the street as we marveled at the sight before us.

“GEORGE THE ETERNAL IS ETERNAL!” Mareio shouted with triumph.

At least he didn’t put in the Life Mushroom this time…

“So now what?” I asked them.

“WE EAT IT!” they both shouted.

They turned to the streets and shouted, “HEY EVERYPONY, FREE PANCAKES!”

A mass of ponies rushed from across town to savor the fine crusine that is George the Eternal. With the large crowd blocking the gingerbread house I ungooped myself and headed towards Twilight’s tree house.

I’m sure a calm, logical pony like Twilight will give me something less suicidal to do.

I knocked on the door of the tree house and the door creaked open, it was unlocked.

“Uh Twilight? Anyone?” I shouted into the house.

“I’m over here Shadow!” I heard Twilight’s voice and so I entered the house.

Wow… what the hell is all of this?

Books that were supposed to be on the shelves were instead all laid out on the floor, in fact there was no floor I was standing on a pile of books. The pile beneath me began to shift and then a purple scaly hand shot out from the pile of books.

“Spike?” I reached the hand and pulled out a pale baby dragon.

“Light! I’M SAVED!” shouted Spike as he ran outside for fresh air.

I continued down a hall until I saw Twilight reading a book on a podium.

“Hey Twilight, what’s with the books?”

“Oh those? I was just studying a bit on Templar and Assasin history, also I’ve been trying to find anything about WingBlade or Dave, but so far nothing,” she said sadly.

“Also Shadow, the Princess would like to see you one day and deliver a report to her in person.”

Just then a crazy sadistic thought went in my head.

“Twilight, remember the giant bat thing we used for Je Suis? I was wondering if there could be a modification,” I asked.

“What do you have in mind?”

“A cannon…”

Twilight burst out laughing and dropped her book; I saw the cover was the same cover that Le Duck’s book had. I quickly snatch the book away and tuck it into my robe pocket to save Twilight from subliminal explication.

Once Twilight recovered she asked me, “Are you serious? Maybe we should find WingBlade or Dave first and then worry about your cannon project.”

“Alright then, I see you don’t need any help from me so I’ll just be going now…” I said as I headed towards a nearby window.

The window got a purple light around it and it shut, “Shadow, would you like to help tidy all these books with Spike?” Twilight said with a smile.

“Okay Twilight… also sorry in advance,” I said.

“Sorry for wha--?”

*CRASH*

I jumped through the window smashing the glass around me as I landed outside, I sprinted as fast as possible away from Twilight’s magic range.

“SHADOW!” shouted Twilight from her house.

Damn I am so screwed today…

After running for what seemed like an hour I arrived at Rarity’s shop, the Carousal Boutique.
I headed towards the door and knocked.

Please don’t let it be outfitting, please don’t let it be outfitting…

Rarity opened the door and a smile appeared on her face as she pulled me inside, “OH SHADOW! WHAT A SURPRISE! COME IN! MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME!”

“Uh Rarity do you want some help?” I offered.

“Oh Shadow, there is absolutely nothing I could hide from you. You see I’m having a bit of a… fashion block. I just can’t think of any new designs. I need something MODERN, something EXOTIC, something that is… you.” she said pointing to my clothes.

“I would like to give you some ideas Rarity, really I would but I have no idea about fashion sense. I know a lot about charm and passion but asides from that I don’t…”

“THAT’S IT! PASSION! CHARM! Those two elements were what was missing from design, now if I can get a…”

*AIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE*

Me and Rarity tensed up from the loud shriek, I instantly recognized the shriek belonging to Fluttershy’s voice. Without waiting I jumped through a window display, breaking the glass once more and ran towards the direction of the scream.

I arrived to where Fluttershy had screamed I saw her trying to help Rainbow Dash who was unconscious and had bleeding slash wounds coming from her wings.

“Fluttershy what happened?” I asked her just as Rarity caught up to us.

“Rainbow Dash!” she worryingly said.

“Shadow… there was this… frightening green Pegasus wearing a darker green hood.”

Realization hit my face.

“Fluttershy, what were her wings like?”

“They were silvery and metallic… she used her wings to cut through Rainbow Dash like this,” she looked back towards Rainbow.

I heaved the unconscious Rainbow onto my back, “Come on we need to get to the hospital quickly, before she hurts anymore ponies!”

“She?” Rarity and Fluttershy asked.

“WingBlade… she's here and she found us…”

Chapter 21: WingBlade Part 1

We ran as fast as we could to the hospital, the ponies we all passed by recoiled in shock of the wounded and bleeding Rainbow Dash. Her wings had large red slashes through them and her body was also deeply cut. With her on my back I could feel her blood starting to stain my robe and my fur.

Rainbow started to mumble on my back just as we had gotten sight of the hospital.

“Rainbow stay with us! We’re almost there!” I tried to keep her unconscious but all she let out was a small weak, “Thank you…”

Rarity and Fluttershy held the doors open as I rushed in the hospital towards the receptionist.

“Hello how may I… AAH!” she screamed at the sight of Rainbow Dash and me covered in her blood.

“Please you’ve got to help her…” I said exhaustingly with Rainbow on my back.

“MEDIC!” she yelled down the hall and a moment later a stretcher came to pick up Rainbow.

I placed her in the linen stretcher and watched her leave as the medical personal took her to the operating room.

Fluttershy and Rarity took a seat in the waiting room chairs while I just stood in the middle of the waiting room thinking about WingBlade’s attack.

It’s my fault… Rainbow was hurt because she was an assassin… because I was arrogant

I’m the reason WingBlade is here…

“Um excuse me sir? But can you please sit down?” the receptionist said to me.

I ignored her; I was too deep into my thoughts to notice or even care.

The hospital doors swung open and there came in Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie, Dr. Mareio and Ace.

“Shadow what happened? All we heard was a rainbow coloured pony was seen being carried off by a shadowy figure.” Twilight asked me.

“Why are you covered in red stuff?” Pinkie said to me refereeing to the blood.

I ignored their questions and shut my eyes tight from the guilt.

If she attacked Rainbow then she knows about us, about the rest of my friends.
Ponyville too…

Dear Celestia… if she tells Balthazar…

It’ll be my fault again, Ponitaly, Flora, Rainbow, the rest of the assassins, Ponyville.

Heck, because Balthazar has the Apple I found, Equestria is also doomed…

“Shadow?” Applejack attempted to put a hoof on my shoulder.

*CRACK*

I sent a bone-shattering punch to the white-bricked hospital wall and it got a medium sized hole.

“IT’S ALL MY FUCKING FAULT!” I cursed loudly; tears began to drip from my hood.

Everypony stood silent until I regained myself I turned to Applejack and said quietly, “WingBlade is here… protect Rainbow…”

I headed towards the door but I was stopped by Dr. Mareio, and he said softly, “Don’t worry Shadow, I’ll a help her…”

I threw his hoof off my shoulder and charged though the glass door not bothering to open it. As soon as I was in the rays of the sun I ran straight for the hideout.

------HOSPITAL POINT OF VIEW----------------------

“What was that all about?” Twilight asked the other ponies who were just as stunned at Shadow’s outburst.

“I don’t know really, but Shadow said to protect Rainbow from WingBlade,” Appljack told her.

“Wait… WingBlade? She’s here?” Twilight asked with interest.

“Yes darling, at least that’s what Fluttershy told us who did that awful thing to Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said and Fluttershy gulped.

“It was so scary… while I was getting some plants with Rainbow to make some potions… somepony swooped down and tried to attack me…. Instead Rainbow shielded me and now she’s in the hospital…” Fluttershy explained.

“So I’m guessing the blood on Shadow was Rainbow Dash’s,” Applejack inquired and Fluttershy nodded her head.

“Still that doesn’t really explain why Shadow went all enraged like that,” Twilight pondered with her friends.

Mareio came over to them and said, “Sit down. I’ll a explain.” He then whispered in Ace’s ear and Ace immediately took off and left the hospital.

As soon as everypony was seated Mareio explained the story of Shadow, “You see… it was a while ago when Shadow’s parents and brother died. They truly an example of a happy Ponitalian family.”

“What was the cause of death?” Twilight asked.

“Balthazar…”

----Shadow-mark’s POV----------

I climbed to the top of the hideout to where I could get a clear view of all of Ponyville.

I know that WingBlade would never skip out on a job as big as this.
If I can’t find her then it’s all over…

I scanned the city around me with no luck from my observation skills.

Damn it! Where are you!?

*SHHHHHH*

I heard the movement of wind behind me and I immediately turned around and put my hooves out in front of me. WingBlade was diving towards me with her wings unsheathed, I blocked her wings with my hooves but the force of her impact sent us over the roof.

“Assassin, I have found you…” she said with a snake-like tongue as she grabbed me with her hoofs.

We started falling towards the ground and I could only do one thing to save my life.

*KER-HOOF*

--------Hospital POV------------

“So Balthazar is why Shadow is so obsessed with revenge…” Rarity commented after hearing Mareio’s story.

Mareio continued, “Because Shadow found the Apple he’s believes that the attack on the Assassin Headquarters was’a his fault. Continuing onwards with Ponitaly and his wife…”

“WIFE!?” everyone said in shock.

Mareio nodded sadly.

“Her name was Flora…. such an early marriage to be ruined by such a horrible TEMPLAR!” Mareio shouted in rage.

“So he believes that all of that was his fault… wow I never thought just how much he was suffering…” Pinkie said with a frown.

“And now Shadow thinks WingBlade would turn Ponyville into Ponitaly!” Rarity anxiously said.

“I get it, so when Rainbow was hurt he blamed himself because he made us Assassins…” Twilight said solemnly.

“It’s just awful,” Fluttershy said very sadly.

“IT’S SO SAD, WAAH!” Pinkie shouted with tears coming from her eyes as she took out a tissue.

“Well what’re we waiting for? Let’s go help him!” Applejack said as he got out from her chair.

“NO!” Mareio shouted putting Applejack back in her seat.

“Shadow will come back in one hour he’s just scouting. Now all off you don’t go anywhere I’MA HELP RAINBOW DASH!” Mareio shouted as he went towards the operating doors.

The receptionist stopped Mareio at the operating doors, “Sorry sir but only doctors are allowed…”

*SLAM*

“I’MA DOCTOR! DOCTOR MAREIO, THE MUSHROOM DOCTOR!” he shouted as he swung the operating rooms doors open.

“That was… odd?” Twilight remarked.

“I just hope Shadow is alright…” Fluttershy quietly said.

“Don’t worry Mareio said things will be fine,” Applejack reassured her.

-------Shadow’s POV---------

THINGS ARE DEFINITELY NOT FINE!

We were still falling from the plunge off the clock tower and WingBlade had me positioned under her so I couldn’t see the ground.

And probabley to get crushed…

“First I’m going to kill you then I’m going to tell Balthazar all about your “friends” and this pathetic town,” she said nastily.

“Screw that!” I raised my hoof and punched her in the face.

She’s not a lady… she’s a monster!

She just shrugged it off and tried to bring her wing towards my neck.

“Game over kid….”

*SCREE*

“For you…” I said smugly.

*HEAD-SMASH*

She recoiled in pain and released me, I immediately opened my wings and glided towards the hospital to get
back-up.

“WHAT IS THIS, A BIRD!?” she confusingly shouted.

3…2…1…

*SWACK*

“AAH MY EYES! IT’S PECKING MY EYES!”

I looked back and saw WingBlade throw Ace away from her as she flew at an astonishing speed towards Ponyville and ignored me.

I was a few metres gliding from outside the hospital when I saw the entrance door. However there wasn’t any intention to use it. I had another entry in mind…

*CRASH*

I flew through the hospital window shattering the glass all around me and slid down the floor to where I saw my friends sitting in the waiting room.

“Shadow?” Twilight asked.

“No time! WingBlade is here and she flew into Ponyville!” I quickly explained and everypony franticly stood up from their chairs.

“Applejack and Pinkie I want you two to stay here and guard Rainbow in case WingBlade will come back to finish her. The rest of you follow me we need to search Ponyville,” I ordered them as me, Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy left the hospital while Applejack and Pinkie guarded the hospital.

We walked into a shadowy alleyway to prevent WingBlade from seeing us all together and blow our cover.

Besides I’m sure if she knew Rainbow Dash was an Assassin then she knows we all are, but she won’t be expecting all of us at the same time…

I huddled my group together with my hooves, “Ok team, we need to find WingBlade who is still somewhere in Ponyville hunting for us. What we need is stealth and patience if we’ll ever catch her.”

“Capture her?” Rarity asked me.

I nodded, “At least that’s what I would like to happen because since she’s Dave’s personal bodyguard…”

“Then she would lead us straight to Dave!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Exactly. Now, we need to divide Ponyville up so you and Rarity can search for her with your magic. As Wingblade is highly dangerous I figure it was best to split up for 2 ponies per group.”

“Oh… Shadow?” Fluttershy asked me, I nodded for her to continue.

“How can we get her if we don’t have anything to defend ourselves? I don’t want to be…cut by those… scary… metal… razor-sharp wings…” Fluttershy frightfully said noticing that they didn’t have any hidden blades or their robes.

“Like I said, we need to capture her. I know that magic can be used to restrain ponies and I also know that you can hear any odd noises like WingBlade’s wind streak. So I’ll protect Twilight and do the search in the market district while you stay with Rarity and search in the housing areas.”

With that Fluttershy and Rarity departed from the alley while we went around to the other side.

--------An hour in-----------------

Twilight was on the ground scanning the markets and stores using a book as a cover while I followed her up on the rooftops and used any shadows to hide me from the sun’s glaring view.

I kept sneaking around the rooftops and the alleyways while Twilight still scanned everything she could see.

A few more minutes and we were done searching the market district. I jumped down from a small balcony and landed beside her.

“Did you get anything?” I asked her.

“No…” she shook her head disappointingly.

“That’s a shame… maybe Rarity and Flutt--,”

*AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH*

The scream came from the housing area and it was followed by many more screams.

“Twilight!” I shouted to her.

She nodded and her horn lit up, a second later we appeared next to Rarity and Fluttershy in a poof of purple smoke.

“Fluttershy Rarity, what happened!?” I urged them to tell me but then I saw the sight lying next to them, Twilight wrenched back in fear.

Two ponies were slaughtered in the middle of the street. They had cuts and slash marks going all over them, dark thick blood fell from the open wounds and stained the ground around them.
I looked closer and I saw that these two ponies were the Canterlot unicorns I robbed from before. I couldn’t tell they were unicorns because their horns were completely cut off from the rest of their body.

“Damn it WingBlade…” I muttered, disgusted by what she had done.

“Why would anypony do something as horrible as this?” Rarity exclaimed.

“I…I don’t…” Twilight began to shudder and Fluttershy comforted her.

“We’ll get her back, I promise.” Fluttershy coldly said.

WHOA! When did Fluttershy become such a badass!?
Still this does look like WingBlade’s work; even it is a touch small from her usual…

I went over to the dead bodies and closed their eyes, “Requistcat in pace.”

My thoughts were interrupted as something punched me in the back of my skull. I recoiled in pain but turned to see the attacker standing behind us.

“My my… there are more of you? Maybe I should tell Balthazar your all here… or better yet I’ll cut all your delicate little bodies for fun and leave your bodies to fill the streets with your own blood,” WingBlade said with an evil smile as she pulled out her metal wings.

“Twilight… *cough*… Rarity…” I choked on the pain.

They instantly shot out entrapping spells towards WingBlade who merely yawned and reflected the magic back to Twilight and Rarity with her shining metal wings.
Purple and light blue bubbles formed around Twilight and Rarity trapping themselves inside.

“WHAT!?” everyone shouted in surprise.

“With wings as beautiful and pristine as mine, I take very good care of them. And they take good care of me,” she smiled deviously as she rushed towards Fluttershy with her wings unsheathed.

“NO!” I shouted as I did a large leap towards Fluttershy and pushed her out of harm’s way.

“ARG!” I shouted in pain.

I looked to my shoulder and saw that my outfit had a tear and blood was coming out from a gash in my fur. WingBlade was laughing and in a slight anger pushed me up from the ground and I took out my hidden blades protecting Fluttershy.

“Oh don’t think there will be a nice ending for you whelp! I’ll cut you so much that by the time I’m finished you’ll be begging me to kill you.” she licked my blood off from her metal wing.

I stood my ground and got my hidden blades ready for whatever came next.

“CHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“What the…*POW*” WingBlade started to say but was then hit by a rainbow mane square in the chest.

“Rainbow Dash!?” we all shouted in surprise.

She pointed over to WingBlade who was trying to right herself up but an orange hoof kicked her and she tumbled down the street.

“Howdy everypony!” Applejack greeted us.

“Wow you all came here… wait, where’s Pinkie Pie?” I asked.

“HERE I AM!” a garbage can next to me opened up and Pinkie was inside it startling me.

We all grouped up together and I asked the bandaged Rainbow Dash, “How did you get out of the hospital so quickly.”

“Dr. Mareio…” she began telling the story.

-------Rainbow’s POV---------------

Rainbow was brought into the hospital’s operating room where the doctors immediately began the surgery on her slash marks.

“Scapel…” a doctor asked

“Scapel.” a doctor gave him the tool.

*SLAM* the doors swung wide open and there stood a weird red pony with a mustache and a white doctor’s coat, the receptionist was behind him trying to get him to leave.

“I’MA DOCTOR! DOCTOR MAREIO, THE MUSHROOM DOCTOR!” the strange doctor pony shouted as he came across the room to the unconscious Rainbow Dash.

“Sir I don’t know who you are, but I need to ask you to leave, we need to save this pony’s life!” the operating doctor said.

“YOUR’A NOT DOING IT RIGHT!” Mareio shouted with a cheerful attitude.

He shoved the doctor out of the way and examined Rainbow Dash.

“MAMMA MIA! This looks like a time for LIFE SHROOM!” he shouted in triumph as he took out a mushroom with a heart design imbedded on it.

“What is he gonna…?” the doctor started but didn’t finish as Dr. Mareio lodged the mushroom down Rainbow’s throat.

“AAH, ARE YOU MAD!?” the doctor shouted at Mareio but he raised a hoof to the air.

*SLAP*

“LEARN YOUR A FREAKIN PLACE!,” Mareio said with less cheer in his voice to the doctor after bitch-slapping him.

Rainbow swallowed the mushroom and a moment later she woke up gasping for air.

“WHAT DID YOU PUT IN THAT, BARF!?"

"SUCCESS!" Mareio shouted.

The doctors were amazed by Mareio’s medical breakthrough and began bandaging Rainbow Dash’s wounds which had also receded in blood and healed a bit.

*CRASH*

“Was that a window?” a doctor asked wrapping a bandage over Dash's wing.

“Nope,” Mareio said with a dumbfounded look on his face.

-----------Later-------------

While Mareio was teaching the doctors his superior vast intellect of pony and mushroom biology and Rainbow Dash was recovering a loud scream was heard throughout Ponyville.

“FLUTTERSHY!” she shouted as she got out of bed and raced out the hospital, joined by Applejack and Pinkie.

---------Shadow’s POV----------------------------

“And then I tackled her and here we are!” Rainbow finished.

“I liked the part with the mushroom!” Pinkie commented.

“IF YOU’RE DONE TALKING CAN YOU HELP US OUT!?”

We turned around and almost forgot Twilight and Rarity were still stuck in the magic bubbles.

Wait a moment… where is…

“YOU FOOLS!” WingBlade’s voice boomed above us.

We all looked up and Rainbow shouted, “I’ll get her!” as she jumped into the air then fell forgetting her wings were bandaged.

“You whelps are beginning to be a nuisance to me. Now I no longer want to toy with you, that’s most of what that idiot Dave’s been doing. I’ll head back to Balthazar and his mighty army will destroy this pathetic town and you along with it!” she shouted just before flapping her metal wings and shooting herself across the noon sky until we couldn’t see her past the horizon.

“DAMN IT!” I punched my hoof to the ground. “NOW WE’LL NEVER FIND HER!”

“She’s going to Manehatten.” Pinkie simply said.

"..."

“What… how…?” I asked her how she knew.

“Pinkie Sense!” she cheerfully said, everyone face hoofed and I was left confused.

Pinkie Sense? Is it like how the Observer sensed all those stuff before it happened?
What did he say… “DON'T ASK QUESTIONS, IT’S TRUE!”

“Alright then Pinkie, let’s get our stuff and you can lead the way.”

We'll find you WingBlade and we'll stop you.

By any means nessesary...

Chapter 22: WingBlade Part 2

*Click*

My hidden blade opened followed by the clicks of the other assassin’s blades, then we all retracted and went to our respected areas. I picked up a couple of throwing knives from the weapons counter and tucked them in my shoulder sleeve. I looked around the hideout and saw the rest of the assassins grabbing their stuff and putting on their robes.

Let’s see… Applejack is bringing a rope that’s good…
Rainbow re-bandaged her wing.
Twilight and Rarity seem to be ready with their unicorn magic…
Fluttershy is trying to find her bow and Pinkie is….. where’s Pinkie?

“PARTY NUKES!” Pinkie shouted from behind me as she took out two rather large nuclear warheads from under my desk.

“AAH! Dammit Pinkie, don’t scare me like that!” I shouted in annoyance.

“But scaring ponies is so much FUN!!” she said with a goofy large smile.

“Ok Pinkie *ahem* let’s be professional about this…. NUKES!? NUKES IN MANEHATTEN!? DON’T YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN!?”

“No, what?” she asked cheerfully.

I face hoofed, “They will lock us in a room, separate us and interrogate us individually until we tell them about the assassins,” I explained to her about how far Templar corruption went.

‘Well that doesn’t sound so bad!”

Everyone face hoofed, I went up to her and whispered to her, “No fun….”

Her bright pink mane shot straight down and she turned a rather somber grey colour. I could see that she was greatly hurt by this and before she goes crazy and kill us all I took a P.U.K.E from her explosives backpack.

“We can’t use party nukes but we can use these!” I cheerfully said handing the vomiting grenade to her.

Her face lit up like a light bulb and her colour returned back to its original pink fluffiness.

“YIPPEE!”

Once she was done bouncing around we all assembled around the room with our stuff ready and us willing to hunt down WingBlade.

“Okay everypony! I’m just going to put this out but Manehatten is a big place, but if Pinkie can sense her then it should be easy to track WingBlade. Unfortunately we’re also at a disadvantage.” I stated.

“What are ya’ll talking about?” Applejack asked me followed by many nodding heads.

“Well you didn’t see before but because of WingBlade’s err… wings, she can deflect magic. Also with Rainbow Dash’s wings broken we have to chase her down on foot as I’m pretty sure Fluttershy you wouldn’t want to do any 400mph flight speeds, do you?”

“Um… no Shadow, I really wouldn’t want to…” she said nervously.

“So she can fly and is resistant to magic… quite a combination if you ask me. Anyways that means we need to use practical assassinations and fighting techniques and I’m pretty sure one of us will get a broken leg at the end of the day from doing so much free-running and roof jumping.”

I mainly pointed to myself and everypony gave a slight chuckle.

“Any questions….? GOOD! LET’S DO THIS!” I encouraged them as we started to march out the door.

*SLAM*

The door was thrown open and a small purple dragon ran quickly inside.

“Did I miss it, am I too late?” Spike asked.

“Sorry Spike, but you can’t come with us. It’s much too dangerous for you.” Twilight said sweetly to her baby dragon, which merely shook its head.

“BUT I WANNA GO!!” he shouted at all of us.

I went over to Twilight and I whispered in her ear, “Don’t worry let me handle this…”

I walked over to Spike and kneeled down to his eyelevel and I began to speak, “Hello Spike.”

“Uhh… hi?”

I leaned closer to him to make him feel uncomfortably uncomfortable, “We’re going to Manehatten to catch a Templar by the name of WingBlade.”

“Oh cool! Can I--,”

“Her wings are made of solid steel and she uses them to cut her way into the flesh of her victims, she has already killed two here and wounded Rainbow Dash. I know that you don’t have your wings yet and we’re going to be chasing her up on 50 floor rooftops with the possibility that she will throw you off the building towards your doom. She will, if she gets a chance to completely turn you inside out and show you your own heart before she finishes you off."

“Now, I know that you are a brave dragon, so why don’t you join us on this lovely trip?” I said with a weird cheerful voice.

“Uhh…. Maybe I’ll stay here and help Ace and Dr. Mareio.” He said as he ran underneath a table from fright.

“Oh that’s too bad… LET’S GO EVERYPONY!” I shouted as I stepped towards the door.

“I don’t know, maybe I should stay…” Fluttershy squeaked.

“EVERYPONY!” I went back and grabbed her as I shoved her out the door along with everypony else.

-----An hour of walking later-----------

“Pinkie do you still have her signal?” Twilight asked her.

“IT’S OKIE DOKIE LOKIE!” she smiled back.

Just then I remembered something rather important.

“Um.. girls?” I asked with a confused look.

“Yes Shadow?” they replied as we all stopped on the dirt path.

“I didn’t see him at the hideout, but uh… Where’s Dr. Mareio?”

-----Mareio’s POV------------

Mareio was seen in the reception room getting swarmed by the hospital doctors and nurses.

“Oh Doctor Mareio, your medical experience is a true inspiration to us all!” shouted a nurse.

“You have upgraded the medicine technology by 50 years!” exclaimed a doctor.

“Oh it was nothing. After all… IT’S A ME!” Mareio laughed and the other ponies laughed too.

Suddenly a nurse ran around the corner holding a clipboard and she shouted, “Doctor! There’s a patient in the E.R!”

Mareio stopped joking around with the doctors and walked over to the nurse. He held out a hoof in the air and shouted confidently, “LET’S A GO!” just before running towards the E.R.

The other doctors and nurses quickly pursued Mareio.

“MUSHROOM!” a shout came from the emergency room’s closed doors.

A few moments later and applause erupted from the room as the doors swung open with Mareio and the patient being held high in the air by the hospital staff.

“You cured me doctor!” the patient said in a healthy voice.

“MAREIO! MAREIO! MAREIO!” the staff chanted in unison.

That was when Dr. Mareio had remembered all the times he has helped somepony or treated someone nicely, or just put a smile on somepony’s face, he took a deep breath in and shouted at the top of his lungs.

“YAHOO!!”

-------Shadow’s POV--------------

“I’m sure whatever he’s doing won’t bring us any trouble,” Applejack reassured me.

“I hope you’re right AJ,” I replied as I took a step on a slab of concrete.

Ahead of us the bustling city of Manehatten roared at our arrival. Carriages of ponies swarmed the streets as every corner was filled with their contraptions.
I focused my view upward and saw the tall high-rise buildings and skyscrapers covering the sky from view.

Pinkie Pie was so entrapped by the sights and sounds of this big city that she didn’t notice herself stepping off the sidewalk and into the carriage lane.

“PINKIE!” I shouted as I grabbed her from the lane before she got hit with a carriage.

“HEY! MOVE IT BUDDY!” the angry driver shouted back at us while I helped Pinkie recover.

“YOU WATCH IT!” shouted Rainbow with an angry hoof shaking in the air.

This city sucks; I remember the last time I went here…
Almost got run over by a truck and nearly mugged those two times.
Also can’t forget that these buildings are SO FRIGGAN TALL!

I got the group together and we carefully crossed the street and walked into the city of Manehatten.

-----A few minutes of walking later-----------

“Wow… this place is so… huge,” Fluttershy said just as a rather loud bus honked past her and she jumped up and landed on Rarity’s back from fright.

“Darling, you can’t be scared of every little noise. That’s what Manehatten is based upon,” Rarity said to Fluttershy has she helped her off her back.

Applejack said aloud, “This city is huge; I remember the time I went here when I was a filly. I must’ve gotten lost a whole bunch of times.”

“Say Pinkie how’s your radar?” I asked her as she was leading the way down the street.

“It’s OKIE DOKIE… lokie?”

Immediately her body started to spaz out as she made fluttering, twitching and jumping movements with all her body parts.

After she finished her pupils dilated and she jumped towards us shouting, “WATCH OUT!”

*CRASH*

A window smashed right where we were standing, it would have crushed us if we didn’t get saved by Pinkie.

“Thanks Pinkie,” I sighed with relief.

“Uh-oh…” she said just as her body started to jump up and down.

She expanded into a balloon and her knee’s started to shake as she then experienced body movements that I couldn’t even explain.

“Trash can, mugging, car moving, window-cleaners, pigeon poop, WHY IS THERE SO MUCH GOING ON RIGHT NOW!?” Pinkie shouted in despair as she laid her head down to the ground and began to weep.

Pinkie was in dire pain and we rushed over to her side, “Pinkie you need to turn off your sense! Manehatten has too much crap going on!” I tried to reason with her but she shook her head.

“I CAN’T TURN IT OFF! MAKE IT STOP!” she shouted out in pain as she slapped me in the face.

“OW! Twilight! Cast a spell or something!” I asked her rubbing my cheek from the impact.

Twilight’s horn grew purple and a small light enveloped Pinkie’s body, her movements dulled and eventually she stopped moving altogether and stood firmly on the ground with a smile.
Many passersby stared in awe by our presence and Pinkie’s body spasms.

“Ok, so now we can’t use Pinkie Sense or fly over the city.” Rainbow grumbled.

Still feeling the pain in my cheek I asked Pinkie quietly, “Why did you slap me?”

“Car Chase!” she said happily.

A car chase?

Just then police sirens were heard around the corner of the street as a brown convertible rode down the street with two ponies riding in the front.
A second later, five police cars showed up and pursued the car down the street.

The passenger of the convertible who was wearing a plaid shirt shouted to the driver,
“SHIT NICKEL! IT’S THE COPS!”

The driver who was wearing a brown vest and had a thuggish appearance shouted back to the passenger, “SHUT UP NORMAN! WE’LL GET TO THE DAMN BOWLING ALLEY!”

The car passed us as well as the police cars, while the pedestrians were distracted I motioned the group to slip away into a nearby alley.

When I was sure we weren’t followed I sat down on a small stony stairway with a hoof in my cheek as I tried to think how we were going to find WingBlade.

We can’t use Pinkie Sense anymore and Rainbow Dash can’t scout over the city, and I couldn’t bear to see Fluttershy go up over the city alone. These buildings are too tall to climb and we’ll take too long going over each one. We can’t split up or else we’ll get lost or worse if WingBlade picks us off one by one.

A magic search might work but over the size of this city would be impossible to do, and the police wouldn’t help us anyhow and the longer I stay here and think the more time WingBlade has to escape.

What am I going to do!?

“SHADOW!” Applejack shouted in my face and broke me from my trance.

“Eh… sorry Applejack, I was trying to figure out how we can catch her, so far I’ve got nothing,” I shook my head and stood up from the stairway

“Come on Shadow, there has to be a way,” Applejack tried to encourage me.

Well Le Duck did say the best information is from the people and your observations, and maybe seeing all of Manehatten from one roof can help… THAT’S IT!

“Twilight!” I shouted over to her as she was just helping Rarity get a discarded banana peel off her back hoof.

“Do you know the highest building in Manehatten?” I asked her.

“Yes, it’s the Pony State Building I think.”

“Can you and Rarity teleport all of us there?”

A purple and blue light enveloped all of us as in an instant we appeared on the roof of a staggering tall skyscraper overlooking the entire city.

I stood at the edge and closed my eyes.

“Uh… Shadow?” everpony asked but I shushed them.

“I’m listening for the changes in air pressure, WingBlade is probably flying above ground and I might be able to hear her air current,” I returned my attention on the city.

A few minutes passed until my ears picked up on a small abnormal breeze coming from near the skyscraper.

“THERE!” I shouted and alerted everypony as I jumped off the roof and opened my grey wings.

I glided while focusing on the anomaly with my hearing as I got closer and closer to the source. I looked down below me and saw WingBlade casually flying beneath me by some distance.

I folded my wings and dived straight down towards WingBlade.

“GAH!” she shouted as I plunged onto her back and grabbed her tight as we both fell towards the ground.

“WingBlade… you’re not getting away from us…” I coldly said to her while keeping a tight grip on her wings so she couldn’t open them.

“Assassin… I’m surprised you have found me, this all makes my day that more interesting…” she hissed at me as she tried to pull her wings open and cut into my flesh.

With a devious look she tore open a wing from my grasp and tried to slice me with it, but I countered it with my hidden blade.

As we continued to fall through the sky, my strength in my right hoof was getting weaker from her wing’s strength; I had to level the playing field.

I tried stabbing the wing but the steel was too strong and WingBlade just laughed sadisticly.

“OH THAT’S IT!” I shouted back at her as I got my head ready.

*HEAD-SMASH*

She recoiled in pain and didn’t notice how close we were to the ground. We slammed into the concrete surface on an angle as we both rolled from the impact and landed in a back alley. We both immediately stood up to our hooves as we both unsheathed our weapons.

My blades vs her wings.

“You’ll pay for that you little brat!” she shouted as she charged me with her wings.

I held my blades in a defensive stance as the first impact of her wing hit my blades. She kept slashing and hammering her wings at me and I countered and blocked all of them.

“WHY AREN’T YOU DYING!?” she shouted with rage has her barrage increased.

“Easy… these blades are made of PLATIRON!”

I saw a gap in her attack and stabbed her left wing with my blade which only appeared to bounce off and do absolutely nothing. WingBlade laughed and as she continued her barrage of wing attacks upon me.

That’s it… just a little more….

Then she did something I didn’t expect her to do, she stopped.

She took a step back and Rainbow Dash appeared from the air with her blade out and missed her air assassination.
The rest of the assassins appeared from around the corners and walls of the alley regrouped behind me.

“So… you have brought the rest of your pathetic squabble. It’s not my job to fight you, it’s my job to ruin your lives and all the lives that reside in Ponyville,” she said with a sinister grin as she turned around and started to run while flapping her wings.

“NO YOU DON’T!” I said as I threw a throwing knife at her left wing and the knife pierced through her wing.

“ARG!” she shouted in dismay and confusion as she noticed her beautiful wing had blood coming out from the knife wound.

She ripped the knife out with her teeth and shouted at us, “My wing… you’ll all pay for this! I will make you all SUFFER!” She ran around the corner and we gave chase.

Good thing Rarity made those gem-encrusted knives and also how she didn’t notice my blades making a crack in her wing plating.

We went around the corner and saw her enter a subway train. I ran as fast as I could to the door, but it closed. I slammed my hoof against the door and on the other side she stuck out her tongue as the train started to leave.

“Shadow, we can’t catch her and teleporting into a moving train would be suicide,” Twilight explained to me.

“SCREW THAT!” I shouted with adventure in my voice as I got ready for what I was about to do next.

“Shadow what are you…” Fluttershy started to speak but was cut off.

I leapt from the subway platform and onto the back of the train’s railing while it was still moving. I climbed to the roof of the train and crawled my way over to an escape hatch. I opened it and as I hauled myself down I saw a tunnel that the train was going into.

“SHIT!” I said as I dived into the hatch.

I landed in the subway car and heads turned and gasps were heard as I fell onto the floor.
I got to my hooves and saw the green clothed pony at the other end of the car; she noticed me and began to run towards the end of the train.

I sprinted over as fast as I could while shoving other ponies out of the way. When I entered the next train car WingBlade was holding a small filly by the throat of her neck and brought her sharp edged wing towards her neck. The rest of the passengers were in shock by what they were seeing.

I took a cautious step forward to WingBlade and reached for another throwing knife and she raised a hoof, “Uh uh uh Assassin… you don’t want this precious filly to not she her next birthday won’t you?”

“Please….help….” the filly croaked.

What can I do…? Come on Shadow! THINK!

*CLANG*

A lead pipe appeared out of nowhere and slammed right into WingBlade’s skull. She released the filly and she slumped over a pole. I looked over to see who had aided me and saw a familiar brown vested pony.

“Thanks dude,” I tried to speak in a Manehatten accent.

“Neit problem—GACK!”

WingBlade recovered from the pipe smack and stabbed her wing through the chest of the brown-vested pony. She pulled her wing out with a sickening sound as the pony fell to the floor and started to bleed heavily.

With rage I charged at her but she slashed her wings up at the ceiling and made a hole leading to the top of the train. I jumped outside with her and we stood a few hooves from each other as the train continued to move.
\

(Cue Chase Music)

I jumped towards her with my hidden blade and she took a side-step as my blade pierced into the train car. She tried to slash me with her wing but I blocked it with my right hoof and pulled my blade from the train hull.

She spun her wings in an arc as I dodged and gave her a roundhouse kick in the side. She slightly budged and punched me in my face. I fell over to the edge of the train car and held onto its side skirt with dear life.

“Oh… look who can’t get up…” she said just before striking her wings next to my hooves gripping the train.

I hauled myself over to the roof of the train without getting hit by the steel wings and started to charge.

“Wait… what are you,” she said but she didn’t finish as I rammed my body into hers, we both flew off the train and landed in a small park.

We both grunted in pain as we got to our hooves, I was faster and managed to strike her damaged wing again at the same spot causing a larger hole to form on her wing.

She winced in pain and began to run away from me.

I sprinted after her, even though she had those heavy wings she was still pretty fast. We ran into the middle of the street as cars and carriages sped to a halt and crashed into one another. I jumped off the roof of a taxi and landed on a sidewalk.

WingBlade tossed garbage cans, newspaper stands and even a pedestrian in front of me to slow my pursuit. I simply jumped over each obstacle and gained precious distance as she turned around a corner.

I came around to the corner to where a crane was in the middle of the street and stood there in confusion, there was no sign of WingBlade anywhere.
I looked at the building next to me and saw the company logo.

Purifier Industries of course…

As it was still a chase I burst through the glass window and saw a group of security guards armed with assault rifles aiming down at me. I took cover behind a desk before they opened fire.

Crap, I really wish I had something with me I could use!

*POOF*

“ARG MY EYES!”

“THE COLOURS”

“BLARG!”

Wait…. Was that a…

I glanced over from the desk and saw the guards were incapacitated, vomit covered the ground and they were all pale green and unconscious a small blue grenade lay open on the floor. A pink figure bounced over to me and shouted, “SURPRISE!”

“Pinkie?”

“Who else silly? Come on! The rest of us got your back get WingBlade!” Pinkie shouted at me as another wave of guards appeared from a door.

“Thank you,” I said to her just before running towards the stairs.

I dashed down an empty hallway chasing WingBlade’s trail, that was until a guard showed up at the end pointing at me with his gun.

*Zing*

An arrow flew straight into his head and he fell to the ground, I looked behind me and saw Fluttershy aiming with her bow, I gave her a wave and continued running through the building.

The next room I entered had Twilight and Rarity making a magical square box around the guards who were then trapped within. I went past them to see Rainbow taking on 5 guards at the same time.

“COME ON BRING IT!” she shouted at them.

The moment one moved she kicked him in the chest and shouted with a confident laugh, “TASTE THE RAINBOW!”

She proceeded to beat the crap out of them as I noticed Applejack running quickly up a few stairs, I chased her to the top letting the other assassins take care of themselves. As I reached the top of the plight of stairs I see her and WingBlade hoof to hoof trying to push each other away.

WingBlade reflected a ray of light from her wing into Applejack’s eye, distracting her as WingBlade kicked her and jumped through a window and landed on the crane outside.

I rushed over to Applejack’s side to help her out but she just shook her head and pointed to WingBlade who was escaping. I jumped out from the broken window and landed on the construction crane.

WingBlade was running towards the edge of the crane while trying to flap her wings.

She’s going to fly!? Not on my watch!

I sprinted as fast as I could just as she clumsily took flight over the crane, I jumped from the edge of the platform high above the ground and reached for her.

I grabbed her bottom hoof and we began to fall.

“You fool we’ll BOTH fall!” she shouted over to me as she tried to kick me off.

“The only one falling is YOU!” I stabbed my blade into her damaged wing.

She screamed out in agony as every time I struck her wing she began to descend faster and faster with more and more blood being lost.
With one final push I thrust my blade into her wing, pierced it and sliced it all the way across.

*SNAP*

Her wing snapped in half as she screamed out in blistering pain as her and her wing fell towards an alley, I opened my wings and glided down after.

(End music)

Her body lay slumped in the middle of the alley as her cut off wing landed next to her in a pool of blood. I trotted over to her to see if she was alive.

*Cough*

I pull out my hidden blade and advanced towards her.

I reached over to her other wing and impaled my blade into her steel flesh, she screamed out in pain as her wing was punctured. I stabbed more times into her wing, the blood splattered across my robes.

“You bitch…. You treat us and everypony you meet like a piece of meat. Toying around with them and cutting them up for your own sick sport. I’ll make sure you never slay another pony as long as you live.”

“SHADOW STOP!”

I turned around and saw the rest of the assassins, my friends, they were in shock at what lay before them, a tired blood-covered pony sticking a blade out towards a pony with barely no wings left and was crying out in pain.

“Shadow this isn’t you, you aren’t her!” Applejack shouted at me.

I looked over to the no-winged WingBlade who was suffering on the ground and had fear in her eyes as I observed her.

No… I’m not a monster; I won’t stoop down to her or Balthazar’s level.

I leaned over to her and interrogated her, “Where… is…Dave?”

She slapped me and tried to stand up but was tackled by Rainbow Dash.

“Please Shadow, allow me,” she said to me before turning her attention on WingBlade.

“WHERE *SLAP* IS *SLAP* DAVE!?”

“That traitorous swine? *cough* I don’t know where he is *cough* for most of the time. What makes you think…”

*Clap*

An accountant appeared from a dark corner clapping his hoofs in a mocking rhythm, his glasses gleamed through the dark alley lighting and his icy pelt did the same.

“Oh very good Shadow, now that was an enjoyable performance if I do so say myself,” the pony laughed, still clapping.

“Dave…” I grunted at him.

“Come now Shadow, don’t let me believe you don’t enjoy my presence? After all isn’t that why you chased after my traitorous assassin?” he said as he walked over to us.

“I’m a traitor? YOU’RE THE TRAITOR DAVE!” WingBlade shouted at Dave, but he merely shook his head in disappointment.

“Oh WingBlade, you do realise that it was you who went against my order in the first place...”

“But I was trying to find the assassins I was trying to help Balthazar,” WingBlade choked on her pain.

“The irony of all this…. WingBlade, I already knew the location of the assassins.” Dave chuckled, and we all got surprised looks.

“What you mean you knew!?” Twilight shouted out in confused rage.

“Well of course…Twilight,” she gasped as her name was mentioned by Dave.

“I know all about you and everyone here, after all isn’t that what an accountant must do? Find information and use it efficiently and effectively to acquire a balanced statement?” Dave said while straightening his business tie.

“But you Dave… why didn’t *GACK*,” WingBlade choked on her words as she levitated slightly into the air surrounded by a black aura coming from Dave’s horn.

He ran his hoof through his black mane, “Unlike you WingBlade I think 10 steps ahead. I have no longer use for you…”

*SNAP*

WingBlade fell to the ground, dead.

“You horrible pony! How could you have done that to her!?” Rarity said enraged at Dave.

“Well Rarity you see: she called me a traitor, ignored my orders, had complete incompetence, and come on! She doesn’t have her wings left; I felt that she was too ironic and too useless to continue in our endeavor,” Dave slowly walked over to her and she backed away.

He shrugs, “Shadow I really don’t know how you get the ladies.”

“Dave… what is your game?” I coldly asked him.

“Game? Oh, no game,” he started to pace around us. “You know my goals; I just want to have absolute balance throughout the whole world. If you want to know more just ask Le Duck.”

“He’ll tell you all about it, or maybe he even wrote a book! I just don’t like his choice in literature, it’s a bit too… subliminal,” he joked.

Le Duck? Why would Le Duck know any of this?

“What you call balance is chaos!” Twilight shouted at Dave who continued to pace back and forth.

“No not chaos… that would be Discord’s thing, not mine. Though I did meet him countless times, he really is an enjoyable fellow once you get to know him, “ he smiled at her with his dark purple-blue eyes and a look of disgust went across her face.

Discord? Might have to ask Twilight later…
But really is all that Dave wants is balance? Is he fighting for what we’re fighting for?
His methods are different that's for sure.

“Now sorry to be a downer but you really must excuse me… I have to do some… accounting…” he said menacingly while snapping his hoof in the air.

*CRACK* A dark swirling vortex formed behind him and casually he began to walk towards the portal.

“YOU’RE NOT GETTING AWAY!” Rainbow shouted as she ran towards him, but a transparent black cube appeared in front of her and she slammed into it.

“Don’t worry… we will meet again, very soon…” He took a step into the portal and stopped he then said, “Oh! And don’t worry about your secrets, it’s not part of my plan to tell Balthazar where Ponyville is,” he chuckled as he stepped into the swirling black void.

*WHOOSH* It vanished from existence.

We were all left in shock with a decaying Pegasus lying next to us and an accountant that knew who were were, where we lived and who had extrordinary power.

Dave… just what are you?

Chapter 23: An Ominous Stalker

“AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

I woke up covered in sweat in my bed back at the Assassin’s Hideout.

Crap! Not another nightmare! Okay Dave where are you!?

I looked around the night-dark room with my hidden blade drawn and realized I was the only one here. Lying back down on the bed I gave a sigh of relief.

It’s okay, he’s not here…
Dave didn’t tell Balthazar where we are…. yet…

I don’t care if Dave says he’ll keep our promise, I don’t trust him and neither do the rest of the assassins.

A tear rolled down my cheek with the last thought I had before I went to sleep.

I don’t want Ponyville to end up like Ponitaly.
I don’t want it to be my fault… again.

This time the sun was shining in my face when I next woke up from my rough sleep.
I reached over for my clothes and my second hidden blade (I always sleep with one) and put the clothing over my grey body.

There were some glass shards imbedded into my outfit from yesterday’s chase with WingBlade along with a couple of slash marks and a small tear in my right shoulder.

Guess I’ll get Rartiy to fix these for me later.

I took some of the glass shards out and placed them upon my mahogany desk, also on the magnificent wood laid a blank scroll and a quill with ink. I knew immediately that I still had to update the Princess on what the assassins are doing.
I took a seat in my chair, picked up the quill in my right hoof and began writing.

Dear Princess Celestia,

We were able to chase WingBlade out of Ponyville and killed her at Manehatten before she revealed our location and identities to Balthazar.

Though we should celebrate, we cannot because while she didn’t give anypony that information the other Templar Dave (though I’m confused if he really is a Templar), or rather their accountant, had knew long before we chased WingBlade our identities, hideout and even what we were going to do and with that information he says he wasn’t going to do anything with it, which I consider a lie and if he does… let’s just hope that ordeal won’t happen again.

Right now I don’t consider any moles or treachery within the Assassin Order, but this pony Dave is… different. I recommend to you Princess that you keep a close eye on Dave as I’m sure his plan to “Balance” Equestia is the same plan the Templars want to do, I am of course referring to “Project Purify” which we still are trying to find what information we can.

Currently Balthazar still has control of the Apple and I’m positive that Dave would know about it as well as he is armed with both powers and cunning intellect.

Though I know that you can’t aid us (being your political position and all) can you at least do a search for Dave? He disappears into portals and can use magic that I would never dream of and if we were to take him on, we would need more information if it is to be successful.

Again, thank you if you can we’ll continue to search here in Ponyville.

-Shadow-mark

I placed the quill back in the ink can and rolled the scroll up with my two hooves.

I’m sure that the rest of the assassins would come around here throughout the day; I’d better write a note for Twilight to get Spike to send this.

With my scroll firmly rolled neatly I reached back over to the quill and just as I was taking it out of the ink the can rolled over and poured thick black ink all over my scroll and my desk.

My eye twitched, but then I thought of a better idea.
I wiped any ink from the quill and placed the now dry quill over the desk. I wrote through the ink so it left noticeable letters in the mess.

“To Twilight, send letter to Celestia and also know how to clean ink off a desk?”

With a slight smile I left my message in the ink and walked over to the ladder towards the roof.

While Ace was still snoozing on the rooftop I took a leap of faith from the roof-tower and then went to a random location in Ponyville.

Though there was a bright shining sun overlooking Ponyville it was still relatively early in the morning and Ponyville was just waking up to a brand new day.

Considering yesterday those two Canterlot ponies were brutally murdered.
Hopefully nobody saw us when we were chasing after WingBlade.
Hmm… I wonder.

I started making my way towards the spot where WingBlade had killed the unicorns.
Upon arriving I noticed some police tape surrounding chalked outlines of two figures and a pony I didn’t get a good at who then left the scene.

Ignoring the bystander that just left, I went under the tape and examined the murder scene closely. The spots on the ground where the outlines of the deceased laid were still stained with blood.

I still can’t believe that some ponies can just do this.
But… am I no different? I don’t kill my targets like this but still I kill…
Is there any morality in that?

I then noticed a quick blur running towards an alley; it looked like the same pony I saw before.
I took at least two steps towards the alley before…

“HELLO SHADOW!”

“AHHH!” I turned around and saw the happy goofy looking Dr. Mareio, with a sigh of relief I said to him, “Damnit Mareio… you shouldn’t sneak up on me like that.”

“So how was’a your trip? Did you get WingBlade and save Equestria from evil?” Mareio whispered in a heroic voice.

“And you’a forgot me…” Mareio said with a sad ominous frown.

“Um… well… you see…” I stuttered until Mareio changed from his frown to a happy laughing smile.

“I’ma just joking Shadow, ho ho ho!” he laughed as he placed a hoof around my shoulder and we began to walk.

While we were talking about yesterday’s events I looked back to the alley and saw that the pony was gone.

Strange…

“I WAS A HERO!” Mareio shouted at the top of his voice waking up the rest of the town.

“…at least until they saw my bill,” he sheepishly smiled.

“Really how much was it?” I asked cautiously.

“Ah Shadow, a doctor never reveals client information with another. But I will say to you that it was SO MUCH that I gave them a discount!” he shook his hoof and held up a weird electronic device.

“What is it?”

“IT’SA MY PONY-BOI!”

Oh damn… video games, I never had one and I never will want one.
The moment your hooked BAM! Templars take over.

Mareio started to dance randomly and was attracting a crowd around us who awed in joy to see such a funny thing so early in the morning.
Taking this as my cue I weaved through the crowd until I had gotten to a bench that was rather far from where Mareio and the bystanders were.

Might as well see what I missed from yesterday, maybe I can even find clues for certain things.

I pricked my ears open and closed my eyes shut as I listened to the many voices of the morning Ponyvillians.

*Static*

“…and I said that’s not my hoof.”

“OH YOU SLY PONY!”

I switched to a different part of Ponyville and focused my hearing there.

“Did you hear? Two ponies from Canterlot were murdered, right in front of my house!”

“Wow that’s shameful… where was the Shadow of Ponyville this time? Or even Mare-do-well?”

“You don’t think that the Shadow would have…. done it… would you?”

“I don’t know anymore, we are living in strange times indeed…”

“…”

“Hello Shadow I know you can hear me…” said an all-too familiar voice.

Dave.

I snapped myself back to reality and started gasping in shock; a pony who sat next to me on the bench reached over to my hyperventilating body and tried to help me.

“Are you okay?” the brown stallion said to me.

I righted myself back up and stood from the bench, “Umm… yes thank you.”

I immediately stood from the bench and looked over to where Mareio was dancing; he was still being ambushed and adored by his fans.

Damnit Mareio! I need to find someone so we can go after Dave…. I know, Rarity!

I started to sprint towards the Carousel Boutique but didn’t notice the dark figure watching me from the rooftops.

*KNOCK*

“RARITY!” I shouted through the door.

A clatter of sounds came from behind the door and it opened revealing a distraught alabaster unicorn.

“WHAT!? WHAT IS IT!? ….Oh it’s you Shadow come in come in!” Rarity answered as she dragged me inside her house.

I looked everywhere around her house and saw that everything was cluttered smashed and destroyed, it looked like a hurricane had hit the inside of Rarity’s house. I turned to her and saw that her mane was frizzled and it looked like she had just recently gotten out of bed.

“Um... Rarity… everything alright?” I asked her.

“Oh whatever do you mean Shadow? Of course everything is alright but look at you! Those cuts and sears on your outfit are simply off-putting your natural physique,” she pointed over to the holes in my outfit.

“Ah yes Rarity, I wanted to ask you about that but before I…”

She put a hoof to my mouth and said, “Say no more I’ll fix your fashion problem even if it’s the last thing I do!”

With Dave running around… it probably is…

-------Half an Hour Later---------------

“So Rarity now that you’re almost finished can I ask you why your house looks so trashed?” I said while I relaxed on a couch.

“It was inspiration, now wait… just one… more… THERE!” she held up my fixed armor with her magic into the air and it appeared radiant in the glow.

I quickly put my armor back on and went over to a mirror, “It looks good Rarity, it looks… looks...”

“What Shadow? What’s wrong with it?” she came over to the mirror and saw me shaking.

“Shadow?”

I looked at the mirror to where Rarity had just come to the mirror and on the reflection I saw Dave’s cheery face that looked like he was right behind me and he was pulling out his pen-blade.

“LOOK OUT!” I shouted to Rarity as I turned around and shot a throwing knife behind me.

“AIE!” Rarity screamed in shock.

The knife was wedged into the wall with no sign of Dave anywhere to be seen.

“WHAT WAS THAT SHADOW!?” Rarity very unladylike shouted at me.

“I…I thought… ARG!” I took the knife from the wall and stored it in my knife belt.

With a sigh I turned back to the shocked Rarity, “I thought Dave was here in Ponyville., I saw his reflection in the mirror.”

“Dave? You mean that pony yesterday who knew all about us?” she asked me, I nodded in reply.

Immediately her horn lit up a beautiful light blue and a few seconds later she stopped, “I used a scan spell and I can’t find Dave anywhere. Maybe we should get you back to the hideout.”

“That might be a good idea Rarity. It must be the stress again,” I said as we left her house and trotted towards the hideout.

“SHADOW! DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO WASH INK!?”

We were back at the hideout and the first thing that hit me was a washcloth thrown by an annoyed purple unicorn. The second thing she threw at me was Spike.

“YOUR MESS YOUR WORK!” Twilight angrily said to us and we just nodded our heads.

We went over to my desk and began to scrub the dry black ink from the mahogany.

“Shadow, why did you leave ink all over your desk and the scroll?” Spike said as he helped me wipe a corner.

“I wanted to troll Twilight and see if she would actually clean my desk,” I joked.

“HAH! That is funny!” Spike laughed.

I looked over my shoulder and saw Twilight was confused as why Spike was laughing.

“IT’S NOTHING, REALLY TWILIGHT!” I shouted over the room and then muffled my laughs.

As we were washing my table the rest of the Mane 6 showed up and we all exchanged pleasant hellos and good mornings.
I looked back at my table and saw that the ink was turning red; I frantically started to scrub the ink which now turned into the colour of blood.

I scrubbed harder and harder trying to remove the ink as fast as I could.
I stopped and looked at the bloody mess, there were letters written within the bloody ink.

“Scared Shadow?” they read.

What? How can Dave do this? This doesn’t make any sense!?

“… shadow”

“Shadow…”

“SHADOW!”

I looked up and saw my friends and Spike with worried looks on their faces, I looked back down at the table and saw that most of the ink was gone and the rest that was there was left was black as any normal ink would be.

A hoof landed on my shoulder and I saw it was Applejack’s, “Are you okay sugarcube?”

“I… I... don’t know, this whole thing with Dave and…. and I see him everywhere but he isn’t there… I don’t want him to tell Balthazar where we are… I don’t know why he’s doing all these mind-games! I just…. I just… don’t want to lose anypony else,” I admitted with my head down, I was on the verge of tears but I wanted to appear brave.

“Dave? That stallion that killed WingBlade? You think he’s here?” Twilight asked me, this time Rarity nodded.

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner, this is a serious problem!?” Fluttershy said.

“You made me wash the desk and…” I dropped the washcloth as I looked back at the desk.

They all turned their heads to the desk and gasped.
The desk was completely clean and the only thing on top of it was a sealed envelope and one of that Pony-boi’s I seen Mareio use.

I nervously picked up the electronic device and clicked the start button; an image appeared on the screen. It was a picture of Dave.

“HELLO SHADOW! Sorry for messing with your head today, but it was essential for the last phase of my plan,” the electronic Dave smiled at us.

“What is it Dave? What do you want!?” I shouted at the screen.

“And Shadow, this is a pre-recorded message so shouting would get you nowhere,” he waved his pixilated head back and forth.

“Now then, in the envelope I placed a few necessary things for you to find this,” he held up a round object which I recognized as a seal.

A Seal? How would he know about something like that? Things aren’t adding up.

“Also know that I’ll be waiting for you there and maybe I’ll tell you a bit more about my plan…” he looks over at a clock on his hoof, “You better hurry Shadow, I got a lot of work to do… and so do you…” the pixilated Dave left the screen.

We all were in shock from his minor scare speech, but Rainbow Dash quickly ran for the letter and opened it up, the contents included: a map, compass, and a small note.

Rainbow took the note and read aloud, “Also that Pony-boi is a bomb….you got 5 minutes.”

“A BOMB!?” we all shouted.

“WEEEEEEEEEEE!!” Pinkie shouted as she took the Pony-boi and started to hug it.

“Pinkie stop being a Pyro and get rid of the bomb!” I shouted to her.

“OKIE DOKIE LOKIE!” she tossed the Pony-boi into the hands of Spike.

“AAH!” he tossed the Pony-boi into the air.

“CATCH IT!” we all shouted as it fell towards the ground.

Applejack quickly caught it and asked in confusion, “Uh… where do I put this?”

“Give it to me I’ll get it out in a dash!” Rainbow flew a little too fast into Applejack and the bomb was knocked from her hooves and fell into the middle of the room.

Immediately everypony except for me jumped towards it and began fighting for it.
Ace from the falcon entrance to the roof flew down and landed on my shoulder, he saw the scene and began to laugh.

“EVERYPONY STOP!”

Everyone immediately stopped, except for Ace who was still laughing at the whole situation.

I went over to their pretzel tangled bodies and took the bomb which was grasped in Pinkie’s hoof, the Pony-boi began to beep violently and I quickly threw it towards the clock window shattering the glass as the bomb started to fall.

*BOOM*

A searing fireball engulfed on the outside of the clock tower and I was pushed back from the window and tumbled over to the other side of the hideout.

Dazed I looked at what I grasped in my hooves before the blast happened, the map to the 4th seal.

The map to Dave.

Chapter 24: Seals- The Underwater Cave

A smoky gray smoke cloud filled the room as well as outside where the bomb had exploded.
We were all covered in soot and all the glass from the clock window was blown off and scattered all over the hideout’s red carpet.

“Is everypony alright?” Applejack said non-visibly from the smoke covered room.

“*COUGH* I CAN’T SEE I CAN’T SEE!” Fluttershy started to panic.

“EVERYPONY! GET DOWN BELOW THE SMOKE!” I shouted throughout the room as I laid on my stomach so I was below the smoke cloud.

After a few seconds I saw everyone else crouched to the ground with their stomachs to the ground.

“AAH! I CAN’T SEE!” shouted Spike who was still head-up in smoke.

I grabbed his leg and pulled him down towards the ground.

“To the door, NOW!”

We crouched our way towards the door leading to the rest of the clock tower. As soon as we made it to the bottom of the smoke-free area we all gave a sigh of relief.

“Whew… am I glad to be out of that,” Applejack sighed with relief.

“It wouldn’t have happened if Applejack kept her hoof on the bomb!” Rainbow angrily said.

“ME!? You flew in too fast! Anyways Twilight, Rarity where were you!?”

“US!? You think this to be our fault? I can assure you I’m not to blame….. it was Twilight’s fault,” Rarity said with her nose up.

“WHAT!? HOW IS IT MY FAULT!? PINKIE THREW THE BOMB TO BEGIN WITH!”

“No it’s your fault!” Pinkie shouted back at Twilight, which then made the group burst out into fits of arguing and confusion.

What’s with these ponies!? Where’s the teamwork in all of this!? Unacceptable!

I clenched my hoof and said through gritted teeth, “ENOUGH! IT WAS ALL OUR FAULTS!”

Everyone shut up and then began to ponder my outburst.

“Teamwork is essential for the Assassin Brotherhood, and what I see here is a clear example on how NOT a team works!” I said angrily.

“Shadow take it easy,” Rainbow tried to calm me down but failed.

“TEAMWORK is what makes us strong without it we’d all be dead right now! When you were initiated as Assassins by taking the Leap you’ve shown me that I can trust you and that you can trust us. And what I see here is a bunch of Disorganized, Arguing, Sloppy fillies that nearly got everypony killed!”

Everyone was saddened by my painful realisation.

“Without trust is…. is without hope,” I sadly said as I leaned my head down remembering Sniper-Shot’s betrayal.

“Shadow… I… we’re,” Applejack began to say but I hushed her.

“Guess I’m going to have to give you part two of Shadow’s No Nonsense Training,” I said with a small smile.

They may have been disorganized right now, but I won’t lose hope on them.
Never.

“Alright then! We need to go after Dave before he does one of these things again, and I’m sure that if I didn’t take all you along it would be suicide,” I joked.

They saluted me and I turned around to the clock-tower’s main door and opened it wide.

The hell is this?

“WHY WAS THERE AN EXPLOSION!?”

“ARE YOU TESTING MILITARY GRADE WEAPONS HERE IN PONYVILLE?”

“IS IT A CONSPIRACY!? BECAUSE I KNOW ALL ABOUT IT!”

“THERE’S GLASS IN MY EYE! ARRRRRRGGGG!”

Practically all the citizens of Ponyville were outside our doorstep shouting out about the recent explosion. All the ponies went quiet when a sandy mare with a grey coloured mane who looked rather important stepped up towards us.

“I am the Mayor of Ponyville and I demand to know who you are and why there was an explosion just now!” she said with her mayoral voice.

Oh crap what do I do? I can’t say it was Dave or it would blow our whole cover plus Ponyville did protect me all this time, I might as well be honest for once.

I stepped forward to here from my group and said with my Ponitalian charm, “Oh where are my manners? I am Shadow-Mark, if this pleases your first question Madame Mayor.”

She merely looked disgusted by my charm while the other rioting ponies grew intrigued with my class, “Shadow-Mark, I’ll be sure to keep a record on that name…. Now why was there an explosion at the clock-tower? Also why are you here? This tower is strictly off-limits for foreigners without permits--.”

“WAIT!” Twilight shouted from behind me.

“Ms. Mayor we already talked about the arrangements for us to use the tower and Shadow here is a member of our team, as for the explosion…,” she trotted over to the mayor.

“I DID IT! I MADE THE EXPLOSION!” Pinkie shouted at the top of her lungs to the group of rioters.

“What!?”

“Oh come on! I went all this way for nothing!?”

“Pinkie… I knew it was Pinkie….”

The rioters grumpily dispersed and all that was left was the Mayor.

“Well… Pinkie don’t let the happen again,” the Mayor said with a stern tone, and Pinkie saluted her.

“As for YOU!” she turned her head to me. “I’m keeping an eye on you… Shadow-Mark…”

The Mayor left us and began to trot back to town. I let out a sigh and pulled out the map Dave gave us.

Ok, if we’re here… then that must be….
A lake?

Then it hit me.

Oh… THAT lake…

I folded the map away and turned to the girls, “Alright everypony we ran into a riot, but unfortunately now we need to head to the lake near Fluttershy’s house. Hopefully we’ll be able to find out where Dave is from there.”

As soon as we all left Spike came to the soot covered remains of our Hideout, with all the smoke clear he began to clean a table from the black dust.
About five minutes in Spike had a rather bad stomach ache and burped green fire revealing a scroll covered in the word “URGENT”.

“Urgent huh? Let’s see what’s so urgent from the Princess…” Spike opened the letter and he began to read out loud.

“Shadow-Mark whatever you do don’t engage Dave. I repeat, DO NOT ENGAGE DAVE! He has as much power as Discord and he can alter reality…”

“WHAT!?” Spike dropped the letter. “DISCORD!? I better tell Shadow before he gets to the lake!” Spike said out loud and ran for the stairs with Ace flying casually behind him.

He tripped on a loose screw and began to fall down the stairs, “OH NO!”

*OUCH*

Ace fell to the floor squawking with laughter.

After walking for some time with the map held in my hoofs we arrived at the lake.

Ok… so if the lake is here then where would Dave be? I can't see him at all.

I was confused as only a large body of water was the only thing I could see, Dave wasn’t there at all and I couldn’t think of anything except the water.

“Here Rainbow, since you’re so good with maps why don’t you figure out where we’re supposed to go from this point,” I hoofed the map to her.

“On it Shadow!” Rainbow began to look at the map extensively.

While Rainbow was reading the map with some help from the rest of the assassins I approached the lake shore and peered my head over to the light blue water.

Maybe….

Taking a breath I swan-dived into the lake and very carefully opened my eyes so I could see the environment around me. Behind me was the wall where the lake met the ground but everywhere else was shrouded in the light blue water. My eyes looked down and met with nothing but a vast void of empty water. I tried to focus my sight closer to the bottom and for a brief second everything flashed darker. I closed my eyes to stop the stinging sensation I felt. I reopened my eyes a second later and everything was fine.

Arg, my eyes must’ve screwed up for a second.
Wow, this lake is deep… I wonder what’s at the bottom.

Suddenly a dark long figure swam a few metres below me. I panicked slightly but it was enough for me to gasp for air. Forgetting I’m still underwater my lungs desperately started to choke on the water and I desperately swam back towards the glowing surface of the lake.

*GASP*

I coughed the water out from my lungs and weakly stood up at the lake bank with my clothes drenched.

“Shadow! Are you ok?” Fluttershy came to my side and supported me as I coughed the rest of the lake water out. “Rainbow Dash said she found a tunnel somewhere in the lake.”

“A tunnel? *cough* Really?”

The rest of the mares joined up with me and Twilight spoke to me, “Yes, while you were ‘swimming’ I came up with a spell that can make us breath underwater and keep us nice and dry.”

She noticed my wet clothes and said with a smirk, “At least most of us.”

“Alright then Twilight, though I think there was something swimming in that deep water.”

Fluttershy had a panicked look on her face, “Something…. Something swimming?”

“Duh Fluttershy there are fish in the lake,” Rainbow told her before bringing me over to her map. “So Shadow, there’s this tunnel right here see?”

“Got it, but judging by the placement of the tunnel it seems likely it’s at the bottom of the lake near the bottom.” I said pointing to the mark on the map.

“Ok now that ya’ll done drowning yourself and scaring each other with fish stories, why don’t you let Twilight do her unicorn magic,” Applejack said a little impatiently.

We all formed a circle around Twilight and her horn glowed a bright purple colour and moments later we were all covered in some weird transparent bubble suits.

“Even though I feel a bit bulky at least my gorgeous mane won’t get wet,” Rarity said with a smile.

“Twilight? If these are bubble suits than anything sharp would burst them?” I asked her.

“Correct, these suits can store plenty of oxygen, combat water pressure, and help us swim more easily underwater. But if anything sharp connects with it the suit will pop and bad things will happen,” Twilight shuddered not wanting to think about a suit being popped 50 feet below the surface.

Well there goes my hidden blades and pretty much everything else.
Though I wonder why Dave would be at the bottom of a lake.

There must be more to this.

“Alright then everyone… Move out!” I said as I jumped into the lukewarm waters. Everypony else followed me in.

With the bubble suit on my clothes I couldn’t feel the water, at least on the outside of my suit.
We all descended downwards getting deeper and deeper towards the bottom of the lake.

“Hey look over there!” Pinkie pointed towards a semi-large hole in the ground.

“That must be the tunnel then, the question is, is Dave on the other side?” I said as we went over to the mouth of the tunnel.

“Only one way to find out!” Rainbow said bolting towards the hole with us following behind her.

“How much further is it? I hope we have enough oxygen,” Twilight said as we swam through the underwater tunnel.

“It’s been some time Twi I’d say we got about 15 minutes left,” Applejack reassured her.

“Hopefully this tunnel isn’t too long, I can’t wait to find Dave and teach him a lesson for nearly blowing up Ponyville,” Rainbow said looking back at Pinkie.

“Ya that mean pony didn’t follow the guideline when making bombs. I ALWAYS follow the guidelines, going outside them would be crazy!” Pinkie replied.

“Pinkie… Nevermind,” Twilight facehoofed.

I do know that Dave is powerful and I know that he’ll do anything to bring his perfect balance to Equestria, but why does he want to meet us under a lake!? More importantly why does he have a Seal?

Maybe I get more answers when I…

We reached the end of the tunnel and came to a vast column of a cave; we were at its ceiling.
I looked down and saw nothing but dark water; I couldn’t even see the bottom as there was almost no sun going through the cave.

Dear Celestia.....

“Wow… this place is so huge!” Pinkie said with a giggle.

“It’s so… deep,” Fluttershy said with a bit of fear.

“Ok Rainbow where does the map say to go now?” I asked her.

She pulled the map from behind her mane in the bubble suit and looked at it carefully, she gasped.

“Hey sugarcube what is it?” Applejack asked her with a puzzling look.

“The map…. it… it.”

“Rainbow what’s the problem?” I swam over to her and looked at the map.

How…. what!?

The map had changed its design from Ponyville and the lake to a large circle with various fish and objects on it, the most distinct was a big bold arrow pointing downwards in the centre of the circle.

“I guess we’re going down then,” I chuckled slightly holding back my fear.

“You mean down there? Where it’s all… dark?” Fluttershy cowered while pointing directly below us.

I looked directly down and I saw something enormous and long moving through the black water and my fear of depth rose up to my chest making myself feel nauseous.

Come on I can do this! I won’t let my fear keep me from doing my mission.

“OK everypony this isn’t going to be easy, though we lost most of our oxygen and I have no idea how far down this cave goes and we won’t be able to see which way is up when we’re down there, plus there might be some creatures down here we don’t want to meet, and…..”

“WE GET IT!” the six shouted at me.

I cleared my throat, “We’ll use the wall to get our way to the bottom with Twilight and Rarity using their magic to make light. But that might be bad considering we’ll be attracting a lot fish towards us…. or something much worse.”

We swam our way to the nearby wall of the cave and sinking our fears we descended downward towards the abyss.
The lighting around us started to get weaker and weaker until it was so dark that I couldn’t see my hoof in front of my face.

“Everyone,” I whispered not wanting to alert any hearing-sensitive fish. “Put your hoof on the wall and use that as a guide, follow my voice I think we're about halfway down.”

“EEEEEEEEEEK!” Fluttershy screamed. “Something swam by my leg!”

We all screamed too when something slippery slid past our bodies.

“Twilight! Light!” I shouted behind to the darkness.

Instantly our area grew to a bright purple and before us was a simple fish.

Flutteshy still screamed.

“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”

“GLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”

The fish screamed and puffed up into a spiky ball as it swam away, we all laughed including Fluttershy.

Suddenly my eyes began to sting again and the area in front of me flashed, I saw an enormous serpent-like body swimming a few feet away outlined in red. My eyes readjusted and I looked in front of me and saw only blackness.

The hell was that? It looked like the snake that threw me that one time when I was giving assassin training to the mares… But why was it red? Was it my eyes?

Am I having….. vision problems?

No way am I eating another one of Mareio’s body correction shrooms, speaking of which I wonder how he’s doing…

--------At the Assassin Hideout------------

Mareio whistled a merry familiar tune as he entered the clock tower on the ground floor. He didn’t notice Spike who was still lying on the floor with a broken arm and tripped over him landing on his face.

*SQUACK CAW CAW!* Ace laughed who didn’t bother to help Spike as the other assassins were away.

“MAMMA MIA! Spike what are’a you doing on the ground?” Mareio helped Spike up to his feet but Spike immediately fell down after and clutched his arm in pain.

“AH! THE PAIN! I think it’s broken, but Mareio you gotta listen to me! You need to warn--,” Spike started to say but Dr. Mareio shoved a yellow mushroom into Spike’s mouth.

Spike swallowed it and said with disgust, “Eueh that’s nasty but… hey I can stand again and my arm's all better!"

He got up to his feet and shouted with might, "I HAVE THE POWER!”

Dr. Mareio had a smile that looked almost sinister, “Wait for it….”

Spike's arms sagged to his sides he desperately tried to move his arms up but they only swung around like a spaghetti string.

“AAH! I can’t move my arms!? What is this…. Wait…… you didn’t give me THAT shroom did you? Please tell me you didn’t!” Spike pleaded to Mareio who merely laughed.

“PAINFUL URINATION!” Mareio shouted with happiness.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”

We descended down even further until we actually reached the bottom of the cave.

“Ok girls, I think there should be another tunnel nearby. Twilight and Rarity can you both focus your magic to illuminate the floor as much as you can?” I asked them.

Almost immediately the entire floor of the cave lit up and I saw a hole a few metres away from where we were. The problem was it was surrounded by sharks and a slightly pissed of sea serpent that hates me, a lot.

“Everypony swim! SWIM AS FAST AS YOU CAN!” I shouted as the creatures swam towards their prey, us.

We rushed towards the hole narrowly getting eaten by a passing great-white, I hoofed a shark in the nose and it swam away in pain but the other sharks started to circle around me.

“SHADOW HURRY!” everyone said from the safety of the hole.

I was about to swim their direction but a 50 foot snake headed straight towards me with its mouth wide open and it’s glistening teeth shining through the fading light of Twilight’s spell.

"WHY DO YOU HATE ME SO MUCH!?" I shouted at the snake as it engulfed me with it's open mouth.

It closed its jaws together with a snap.

“SHADOW!” everypony shouted in shock.

The serpent licked it's lips and did a smile of satisfaction.

"No it can't be... it just can't be!" Applejack started to cry.

"Oh Shadow..." Rarity said with sadness. "He had so much good planned for this world."

Without giving the ponies a chance to mourn the serpent swam towards them looking for more prey to eat.

Suddenly it's eyes went wide the serpent’s mouth opened with Shadow holding the serpent’s teeth open to prevent it from closing with his hooves, two on the top two on the bottom his bubble suit was broken.

“SINCE WHEN DO SNAKES HAVE TEETH!?” I joked at the ponies as the snake plunged its head into the hole with me along with it.

I released my hold on the snake and swam outward into the tunnel with the rest of my friends just as it’s jaws clamped shut. It started to wiggle and drive it's head back into the hole, it snapped it's white sharp teeth at us which was merely a few inches from my muzzle.

“It’s too big! It can’t get in!” Rarity noted.

The serpent gave on last final push and thrust his head towards us making a current in the water.

“AAAAHH!” we all shouted as the current pushed us further down the tunnel and my suit popped from the pressure.

I opened my eyes and found that I was still breathing even though my bubble suit was destroyed and that the other’s suits were also destroyed and they were all safe too, more importantly we were on solid ground with no water.

"SHADOW!" Applejack hugged me hard and I fell to the ground.

I gave her a reassuring smile and she blushed slightly hugging me tighter, it followed by with hugs from the other ponies who dog-piled ontop of me.

"Too...much...hugs..." I said weakly with 6 poines all ontop of me crushing my lungs.

“Where in tarnation are we?” Applejack got up to her hooves followed by everyone else after the confirmation that I wasn't eatten.

I looked around us and saw that we were in a brightly lit cave; the walls were covered in torches and behind us stood a tunnel with water floating behind a weird magical wall.

“Glad you all made it out ok, did you have a nice trip?” said a voice behind us.

I quickly turned back in front of me and saw Dave typing on a laptop while sitting on a flat stone the Seal was by his side. He readjusted his bold glasses and he gave a sinister smile.

“I was wondering when you’d show up.... Assassins.”

Author's note: I apologize for how long I took for this chapter, playing Mass Effect 3 had it's costs but I did finish it in 4 days so my writing schedule will hopefully improve back to normal as I have a lot of ideas I want to get out, plus a fight scene I want to try. Again any feedback is accepted as it'll make this story better in the long run. And my plan so far says it is long.

Chapter 25: The Accountant

{Picture of Dave for those wondering what he looks like, but might go and change him once I make a few changes or so}

(Dave's Theme Music)

“Dave, why are you here!?” I shouted over to him as he still typed on his laptop.

“Hmm?” he looked up from his laptop, “Some late accounting work that I needed to prep… as well as something else,” he chuckled while busily typing on his keyboard.

“But why Dave? Why drag us down to an underwater cave, and what about that seal? How could you have known about them in the first place?” I pointed over to the seal behind him.

“Oh come now Shadow, I didn’t force you to come to this cave. No, all I did was persuade you with a few ‘minor’ tricks. After all isn’t that how you assassins work nowadays?”

Applejack stepped up and stomper her hoof on the cave ground, “Minor? MINOR? You blew up our base! And now you tempt us with one of them seals? I don't know who you are but I know for certain you’re not an assassin Dave, and you never will be!”

“… Feisty mare you have there Shadow, I see why you made her your second in command. Though with that stubborn attitude of hers… I don’t know how you manage that,” Dave shrugged his shoulders.

“Dave…. What are you really after?” I asked him while preparing a throwing knife.

He stood up to his hind-hoofs and made his laptop disappear into thin air. Dave used his magic to pick up the seal onto his hoof and flashed it towards us.

“Shadow, I already told you what I want... what I need to know is, what do YOU want?” he held the seal in the palm of his hoof.

What I want? What is he talking about?

The seal in his hoof started to glow and a flash of light engulfed the room. I shielded my eyes and the rest of the assassins did the same. Once the bright light dissipated I looked over to what Dave held in his hoof.

No…. it can’t be…

It was the Apple.

How... Wait!
This is my only chance; I need to take the shot!

I whipped the throwing knife I prepped at Dave as it sailed right towards his chest.
He took his other hoof and grabbed the knife mid-flight, a few inches from his chest.

Dave shook his head disappointingly, “Tsk tsk Shadow, do you really believe you can win a fight against me? Just like that and your goals in life…” the Apple he held glowed as white light streaks surrounded it revealing the seal in it's place.

“Are an illusion at best,” he smiled evilly as the seal itself disappeared in a black light.

“RAAAH!” I shouted at him as I ran towards him with my hidden blade with the intent to end his life right there.

I stabbed to where Dave was but my blade hit nothing but air. I looked around the room trying to find Dave and he appeared a few seconds later; streaks of light dissipated around him as he sat on a boulder.

“Well Shadow if you truly want to fight me what right do I have from stopping you?” he jumped down from the boulder and readjusted his glasses.

“Don’t worry Shadow we got your back! We’ll defeat him...”

“TOGETHER!” everypony shouted.

I’m so glad I have my team with me, otherwise I’d probably die…

Instantly a white transparent box surrounded the other assassins.

“Hey what is this?” Applejack asked realising they were trapped.

"This looks like a barrier of some kind, but I've never seen anything like it," Twlight pressed a hoof against the box.

Rainbow Dash punched a wall and it didn’t budge, “We can’t break free!”

Dave merely laughed, “Of course, after all we don’t want you to interfere with our fight now? How can Shadow take down the Templars if he can’t even defend himself?”

“Don’t worry girls; I’ll buy you some time! Just get out of that box while I deal with Dave,” I shouted over to my friends not taking my eyes off Dave.

“Shadow are you crazy!? We can only do this together! You said so yourself!” Twilight shouted from the box as she helplessly watched me and Dave prepare to fight.

“Don’t worry Twilight! I’m not going to kill him; Shadow still has purpose for this world!” Dave shouted to Twilight. “Maybe I'll beat him to an inch of his life and gather my data. I just need to test him…” he said sinisterly to me.

I pulled out both my hidden blades and got into my battle stance.

“Engarde Shadow!” Dave shouted as he snapped his hooves.

(Battle Music)

Wait… since when can Ponies snap their hoofs?
Enough about that, its do or die time!

“Mares fist Shadow,” Dave taughted me with a slight laugh.

Without replying I rushed towards him and swiped my blade vertically but he sidestepped behind me and kicked me down. I quickly got up from the ground and turned back to Dave who did a mock yawn.

“Come on Shadow I said ‘engarde’ it means fight me, not get your ass kicked in the first 5 seconds.”

Ignoring his insult I closed the distance between us and stabbed him with my blades which only connected with air, Dave had dodged my attacks but he was still in my range. I continued to stab wildly around him in hopes to break his defense. Dave ducked down as he nearly got a horizontal swipe from my blade, I followed with a thrust and Dave jumped backwards.

“Now that’s better Shadow, you just need to work on your aim. Here let me show you…” he smiled fiendishly as he snapped his hoof.

From nowhere a group of pens appeared and floated around Dave in a large circle, he smiled at me and shot his hoof out. The pens shot straight at me at near bullet speeds; I rolled to my right as the pens missed me by inches and embedded themselves into the cave's wall. I looked at the pens which suddenly disappeared in a black light, unicorn magic obviously.

He’s completely in control of his magic, he could even rival the Princess’s magical power…

“GAH!”

While I was distracted Dave had shot an extra pen into the back of my right shoulder.

“Shadow you need to focus! Or a pen in your back will leave you dead like a tack!”

Dave snapped his hoof and even more pens appeared, he launched them towards me but I was ready this time. Using my hidden blades I deflected the pens and slashed them mid-flight. As the barrage of pens started to waver I grabbed a pen with my hoof while it was still flying spun around with all my strength and tossed it back towards Dave.

Checkmate bitch!

Dave crossed his hoofs and gave a smirk; the pen disappeared right before it could hit him.

“Better Shadow! You now have more skill than a kindergartener… whoa!” Dave started to mock me but quickly disappeared into streaks of light as my throwing knife nearly lodged into his eye instread it harmlessly got stuck in the wall.

“Behind you,” a voice whispered from behind.

I turned around to slash Dave but instead I got bitch-slapped with his tie.

“A tie!? Come on!”

“Improvisation Shadow, now…” Dave took a couple of steps back as his right hoof started to flash a black light and what appeared on his hoof was his signature pen-blade, emblazed with the Assassin’s logo and the Templar’s logo together.

Is he a Templar or an Assassin? Is this his idea of world balance…

“Ah you like my pen-blade? I do like your assassin designs and the Templar's cunning initiative. I guess you’re wondering about why I have both symbols on here, you can say it makes it more… balanced.” Dave gave a small chuckle.

“Course I won’t tell you anymore right now as you need to learn things for yourself. Plus it’ll ruin the fun!” Dave joked while calibrating his blade.

It doesn’t matter who or what he is, if I can kill him now that’ll make everyponies lives easier.

Without waiting for him to finish I charge him with my blades, he doesn't react fast enough and I managed to tear a cut on his black jeans as he jumped backwards.

“Now it gets serious,” Dave said coldly pulling out his pen-blade, his smile turned into a blank expression.

I charged him once more hoping to stab him in his chest but he deflected my blade with his. He cleared his throat and with quick speed he countered with a hoof in my chest and punched me in the face after. I fell to the ground and scampered to my hooves as Dave lunged at me with his blade. I tried to block his blade with mine but his strength was too great and his attacks were relentless.
I was losing my defense and was getting tired from this fight, which surprised me.

Come on… just hold out a little more…

*SNAP*

Dave had slashed through my left blade breaking the steel then followed with a roundhouse kick to my chest. I tumbled to the floor and tried to get up, exhaustion pulling me back every second.
My body felt like stone from the exhaustion and the best I could do was get on my knees.

Dave approached me with his blade and held his pen-blade out to one side of his body; preparing the finishing blow.

I closed my eyes and awaited my fate.

I didn’t imagine to die like this: helpless, alone and weak. If I couldn’t beat Dave now, how could I save Equestria? I failed so much in life and I'll continue to fail in my death. I'm sorry to everypony that I forced this war upon, they didn't need to get mixed up in all this.

I failed Ponitaly, I failed my family, I failed Ponyville and Equestria. Most importantly I failed my friends...

Maybe I'll be able to seek redemption, at least I’ll join my family, wherever they are…

"..."

*SMACK*

Dave slapped me across the face with his pen and I fell over to my side in both pain and shock.

“OW!?” I shouted in confused pain as my lip started to bleed.

“Shadow, like I said you still have purpose and I won’t kill you… yet,” Dave said to me though my blurred vision.

“SHADOW!”

I looked over to my side and saw that my friends escaped through the box through a large hole, they all circled around Dave with their hidden blades unsheathed, ready to attack the fiend that hurt their friend.

“Don’t… he’s too…. strong,” I weakly coughed as blood dripped down from my lip.

“Shadow, shut up. And you Dave! You’re goin down!” Applejack shouted at Dave with rage, the rest of the assassins nodded their heads in approval.

Dave mearly shrugged and with a sigh he said, "Applejack, I think this is going to be a waste of time but I guess I can spare a few more minutes to brutaly humiliate all of you." His glasses flashed and his smile came back.

"Bring it."

With a battle cry they all jumped towards Dave.

I can’t bear to watch…

(End Music)

------2 minutes later-------------------------

Everyone lay on the floor exhausted and beaten; Dave overlooked us and laughed in pity.

“You’re all weak! Especially you Shadow, this is your team so I expected a lot more but instead I got to fight the most disorganized group of ponies I’ve ever seen. Therefore you’re weak and a complete disgrace to your assassin ancestors.”

“Why…you…” I tried to stand up but failed.

“See Shadow, why don’t you come back when you’re a little more mmmmmmmm… stronger?”

He saw the pain in my eyes and sighed, “Well I’m not a cold-heartless pony like the other Templars so I might tell you a bit about myself since your whole life has been dominated by fear and guilt and I pretty much messed with your head today. Afterall it’s only fair, *Ahem*,” he cleared his throat.

“What Balthazar is planning is big, both Project Purify and the Apple will be used and let’s just say that
every... single... pony in Equestria will obey the Templars once his plan succeeds. As for me I see his plan as a way to provide balance to Equestria though I have been watching you for some time Shadow and I am interested about your methods to end Balthazar and claim the Apple.
So after some research I came up with a plan provided with the best possible balance for Equestria and for myself."

"The only variable is you."

Me?

“So you’re not aligned with the Templars?” Rarity asked through painful bruises.

“Oh… I am but it’s fun to watch you try to figure out my puzzling foreshadowing,” Dave laughed at his joke.

“Shadow before I forget…” Dave pitifully dropped the Seal he had sent away before the fight right into the ground in front of my muzzle.

“If you want to know more about these, why don’t you ask Le Duck? I bet he know all about THIS and more.” he sneered at us as he turned around and began to walk away.

Le Duck? What would he know about these Seals or even Dave for that matter?

“Plus Shadow I’d love for you and Le Duck to see my dimension, it’s quite homey if I do say so myself, after all it’s only a matter of time…” he snapped his hoof and a dark vortex appeared in front of him.

Before he stepped in he turned his head around and said to us, “Me and Balthazar are planning something soon, you should join us when we’re done. I’ll send an invite,” he cheerfully said as he stepped in the portal.

“Ta-ta assassins,” the portal closed behind him.

“DAAAAAAAAAVVVVVVEEEEEEE!” I shouted at the top of my lungs in fury but quieted down as I used up the last amount of my energy.

But he is right, we are weak… I’m weak. I just hope some retraining will reteach the girls with better assassin skills. But what about me? How would I improve? Still, I don’t understand Dave… did he go to a different dimension? How is that even possible? I need to shut up with the questions, I can’t think straight now I need to help my friends.

I turned to the exhausted assassins and shouted over to them, “Everypony alright?”

“We’re bruised and exhausted but apart from that we’re fine,” Twilight answered. "I think you have the most servere wounds out of all of us."

“Good… that’s… good…” my voice started to trail off.

“Shadow…..? Shadow?” Applejack tried to ask me but I was falling unconscious.

“Shadow! Stay with me!” she crawled over to my side despite the aches and pain.

I could see the pain and exhaustion in her eyes but I couldn’t hold myself conscious anymore, “Heh… Applejack, sorry but I… gotta write some documents…” I joked and closed my eyes.

I start to hear rushing water but before Applejack or I could say anything I passed out.

Chapter 27: Overworking Pains

Oh dear Celestia the pain…

I hazily opened my eyes and saw a clear afternoon sky, the sunlight washed down my face then stung my eyes making me groan in discomfort.

Where am I? I thought we were at the bottom of a lake stuck in that cave.

I looked over to my left side and saw the 6 unconscious ponies that journeyed with me. Upon closer inspection they appeared to be breathing heavily and were dripping wet despite the sun’s evaporation powers. My clothes were also slightly drenched in water.

Sigh, at least they’re safe I didn’t think we would have come out of that alive.

I looked down past my hooves and saw the crystal blue lake.

So if we went all that way from the lake, then how did we get back up here?

I slumped my head to my right side and saw one of the most frightening things in my life.

Teeth. White, sharp, jagged teeth.

“AAH!” I recoiled in fright and quickly got to my hooves.

Oh crap that was a bad idea.

I fell back to the ground and landed with a thud from the unbearable pain in my legs, this plus the shout woke up the sleeping rainbow pega nearest to me.

“Huh… what’s going… OOONNN WHOA THAT'S BIG!”

Rainbow had noticed the enormous sea snake which scared the crap out of her as she did a loud shout of terror alerting all the unconscious ponies….. as well as the snake itself.

“Rainbow, why are you screaming…” Applejack then noticed the snake. “Oh…”

Everyone then screamed in terror while I tried to block out their painful ear shattering wails. I noticed that the serpent itself looked rather annoyed and wrapped itself into a little ball to block out as much noise as possible.

WHY…DON’T…. THEY…. STOP!?

“SHUT UP!”

Immediately all the ponies grew quiet and looked to where the shout originated from I looked too, it was Fluttershy.

She then walked up to the cringing snake and gently poked it’s side, “There there, my friends all stopped shouting so it’s safe for you to come out.”

Strangely the snake unwrapped itself and sighed with relief for the peace of quiet there was.

For a moment things were peaceful… that is until the snake picked me up in his jaws and half ingested me.

“AHH! WHAT THE HELL? SAVE ME!” I shouted from inside the snake’s mouth while flailing my legs on the outside.

I felt the snake’s tongue roll all around me, it seemed to savor whatever taste I had on myself, and personally I felt this was a violation to my personal space, and it just felt so wrong.

“LET ME OUT!” I hoofed the roof of his mouth repeatedly and the snake spat me out.

I was shocked by what I just went through, my robes were covered in slime and snake saliva, my hair was standing up at the back end and what was worse was in the first time of my life I didn’t have something ironic to say.

The ponies burst out laughing, the more they laughed the angrier I got.

I wiped some saliva off my hood and placed it back over my head and gave my friends a confused slash annoyed look, “Why are you laughing? I was almost eaten by a snake… AGAIN!”

Fluttershy giggled a bit and tapped me on the shoulder, “Don’t worry Shadow, this snake is a vegetarian.”

“Well… that doesn’t explain why he TRIED TO EAT ME!”

The snake whispered into Fluttershy’s ear and she translated for me, “Oh he wasn’t going to eat you, he just liked how exotic you tasted. He’s a big fan on the tastes of the world.”

“Well that explains it, you’re from Ponitaly and that place certainly is exotic, so… very… exotic,” Rarity said starting to salivate from the culture and fashion trends she once heard from me.

I cleared my throat, “So what you’re… he’s saying is that I taste good?”

The serpent nodded its head.

“Well… thanks, I guess?”

The sea snake roared out in discomfort and we were all shaken back by it.

“What was that, what’s wrong?” I asked.

Fluttershy went up to the snake who whispered in her ear, she relayed the message to us, “He says that he can’t move on the ground and he wants to get back into the lake before he dries out. Also he’s hungry.”

“Well come on everyone let’s push him in the lake together!” I said placing my front hooves on the snake’s back and my strength immediately failed me. “*Huff* Alright maybe tomorrow when we’re all rested, we’ll push Scales here into the lake.”

“Uh Scales?” Twilight asked unsure who I was talking to.

“THE SNAKE HAS A NAME! WE NEED A PARTY TO CELBERATE!!!!” Pinkie jumped up and down until realising she just used the last of her strength to perform the act.

“It was worth it,” she smiled through her tired gasps for air.

Well we can’t just leave him like this or he’s going to starve.
And we can’t push him until we’re all rested and cooperating together.
What to do…..

“Hmmm… IDEA!” Rarity shouted with delight.

Instantly her horn lit up and a huge pile of mangoes, pineapples, tangelos and various other exotic fruits appeared in front of the serpent, he licked his lips with his slippery tongue and began to devour his feast.

“I think I got something Shadow!” Rainbow exclaimed, I nodded my head to let her speak, too tired to use words now.

“Maybe with some help from Applejack I can bring a raincloud over to Scales and he’ll be wet until morning!”

“Well what are y’all waiting for Rainbow let’s give this poor critter a shower!” Applejack responded.

They both left in search of the cloud and I turned my head to Rarity and quietly asked her, “Where did you get all those fruit?”

“Let’s just say a festival in the little town of Arborfront wouldn’t notice a few fruit missing, considering they don’t like to share with other towns. I took it upon myself to make them learn a little thing about generosity.”

Damn, Rarity’s sneaky and not just a blade in the dark sort of way.
Kind of reminds me about myself when I was younger...

After immersing myself in my past thoughts for a few minutes; Rainbow Dash and Applejack showed up exhausted and with a drizzling rain cloud. They positioned it over the snake and he enjoyed the refreshing water.

Applejack fell to her front stomach with a satisfying *uff* and Rainbow softly fell on her back from the sky onto the grass.

I took this as a moment to quickly address the situation, “Alright, Scales will be fine till the morning, but what about us? We’re all exhausted from Dave’s battle as well as from helping Scales here.”

“Twilight, can you teleport us to the hideout? Or anywhere near it?” I huffed in exhaustion.

“I’m extremely tired and magic can take it’s toll but I’ll see what I can do…”

Her horn lit up and the scenery changed from a feasting sea serpent to Ponyville’s town square.

Crap, I hate to say this but I need to say it…

“We have to crawl our way back.”

Moans of disapproval were heard behind me but I back the long crawl home by placing my hoof forward one after another
.

-----15 minutes later--------

“Mommy, why are those ponies crawling? Are they trying to be slugs?”

“DON’T LOOK AT THEM!”

I silently reassured myself the whole way with random assassin phrases and environmental checks to make this painful ordeal was easier to cope with.

Stay incognito, don’t make eye contact.

They can’t see me, I am blending in.

Dave when I get my hoofs on you, you’re going to pay for all of this and I'll get the Apple and I'll kill Bal....

Tenant 69: We don’t talk about Tenant 69…

--------At the Hideout-------------

With a last gasp I push the bottom of the door to our hideout, that was after we climbed (or rather crawled) up the stairs to Ponyville’s highest building. The door gently slid forward and we were all greeted by enthusiastic voice.

“HELLO! HOW ARE A YOU!?”

“Dammit Mareio…” I grumbled, “Fix us you crazy mushroom doctor…”

“OKIE DOKIE SHADOW! Also don’t wake up Spike, he had a nasty fall, HOHO!” and Mareio leaped over to his mushroom chest and began to sort through his various wares and medicines, all of it mushroom related.

We all groaned our way inside and made an exhausted circle in the middle of the room on the soft carpet.

“ARH! I got ground burn on my chest!” Rainbow scoffed in pain wiping the dirt marks off her chest.

Mareio then came over with a tray of brightly green shrooms, “STAMINA! GOOOOO!”

He immediately shoved a mushroom into each of our mouths and somehow we swallowed the fungus in a single gulp. After resting for a few more minutes I felt my body starting to feel less tired, less painful, and by the miracle of mushrooming medicine I was able to stand up to my hooves, even though I did it rather weakly.

“Mareio that stuff tastes nasty but it works,” I joked while noticing that the rest of the assassins were stand up on their own now.

“Wow that stuff sure works! I could use some to help us out down by the farm. How much are…” Applejack began to speak to Mareio but I quickly put a hoof over her mouth.

“Applejack, don’t ask about the price. Mareio could technically own half of Equestria with the prices he charges,” I quickly whispered to her and removed my hoof.

Mareio waved over to us oblivious to the situation. I limped my way to my chair as the mushroom’s effects haven’t completely regained my strength. I took a relaxing seat and popped open 3 scrolls, one for my thoughts and current plan, one for the Princess and finally one for Le Duck.

I took out a quill and extensively began working on my letters.

----An Hour of Writing Later-------

“Shadow?”

I looked up and saw Applejack who was slightly weary and had a worried expression on her face.

“Yes Applejack? Why so glum?”

“Shadow, I’m worried about you. We all are. You’re working too hard, and from me that’s no joke. There’s all this stuff with Dave goin on, every mission you’ve been on you gotten hurt somehow and to top it all off you’ve been here working for the past 3 hours nonstop.”

“Three hours, I thought it was only one?”

Applejack pointed outside the window, to which I saw nighttime had already fallen.

I’m never wrong about the time… NEVER!

-----Correction: 3 hours and 1 minute later----------

“See Shadow, all of this is taking a toll on you. I don’t want something to happen to you from all this work. The moment you nearly died back in that darn cave, I was afraid what would happen to the rest of us assassins, what would happen to Equestria? I couldn’t bear to see you in pain like that…”

“Shadow, you need to be CAREFUL!” she slammed a hoof on my desk, pain filled her voice.

I gave some thought on my past actions and sighed, “You’re right Applejack, I have been working too hard. BUT Dave completely beat us without a sweat; we need to improve our skills not just individually but as a team. I can’t rest knowing that maniac of an accountant is still alive out there. If he could beat us just like that imagine what he could do to Ponyville, or even Equestria! He needs to be stopped, that’s why starting tomorrow I want you and the rest of the assassins to meet back here so we can begin training once more.”

Applejack was about to protest but I held a hoof up to silence her, “I know you think I should rest but my instinct is telling me that we need to be ready the next time the Templars will do something. Sure it’s taking a toll on me, but for most of my life being an Assassin has done that. We have sworn to protect the innocent from the corrupted, and I am hell going to live up to that oath.”

We gave each other a long stare, sadly this was for the good of Equestria and we both realised that.

“With Dave gone we can focus our effort on Balthazar and the Apple. Stop Project Purify and save Equestria from whatever the Templar's are planing. I just wish we didn’t have so little time to do it.”

I then heard a small creak coming from my chair.

“Uh Oh…”

*CRACK*

My chair broke and I fell from my desk, fumbling the letters I had written all over the ground.

“Shadow you’re more stubborn than me,” Applejack laughed while she helped me pick up the papers, “Maybe now you’ll take a break.”

She playfully swished her tail in my face and went over to her friends who made a circle around Spike. He was still unconscious from his fall.

I put the papers on the top of my bed (nicely located behind my desk and destroyed chair) and went over to the group, I cleared my throat and announced my plan, “Okay everypony… and eagle… and unconscious baby dragon…. Starting tomorrow we are going to being training and retraining our assassin skills. I don’t know how we managed to do those past missions but Dave today showed us that we are a lot less strong than we think…”

“YA! I can’t wait to kick him in his smug glassed jerk accountant FACE!” Rainbow jump kicked in the air and knocked over a bookcase, I had an un-amused look on my face.

“Sorry, for that.”

“*AHEM* Ok so let’s meet back here at around… noon? I’m sure that once these mushroom effects wear off we will be back in pain. That’s why Dr. Mareio will come with us and provide any medical assistance required.”

Mareio gave a jump for joy and Ace just laughed as he sat on top of Spike peaking his head.

“Ace, you’re coming with us. We need you to help with coordination,” I gave a smug smile.

Ace annoyingly flapped his way out of the room to his bed on the roof via Eagle Window.

He'll show up, Ace never disappoints.

“What about Spike? Dr. Mareio needs to give him constant medical attention,” Twilight worriedly said.

Bringing a baby dragon to hardcore assassin training? Well at least he might learn something and maybe take his life a little more seriously after were done…

“Alright, he can come with us and that would mean we would all have to show up tomorrow, no excuses. We need to take down Dave and we need to retrieve the Apple before it’s too late.”

“DISMISSED!”

“See you all tomorrow!” Pinkie jumped ahead of everyone and waved to me, eventually everyone waved at me and I waved back.

“Mareio you can stop waving now they’re all gone,” I said to Mareio who was still flapping his arm.

After he put down his hoof I turned to my bed where my scattered papers were, then I just realized something important.
I looked at my left hidden blade.

It was still broken since the fight from Dave. I rummaged in my pockets and found the broken pieces of my blade and held them dearly.

Applejack is right, I am not being careful nowadays. I remember when I would just sneak across half of Ponitaly and no pony would have seen me. But… it feels like I’m losing myself hunting Balthazar all this time.
Hopefully this is just temporary.

I removed my broken blade and the pieces, and placed both on top of my mahogany desk. Grabbing the two letters I have finished I called over Mareio and gave him the mail.

“Alright Mareio, one’s for Celestia and the other is for Le Duck. Do you think you or Ace can get these to them soon? It’s rather urgent.”

Mareio gave a slightly confused look when he deliberately opened the letters and read them, “The Princess will be fine, but Le Duck? What I'A heard from him was a GIANT WARHEAD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PONIDRIATIC!”

“But I’ll see if we can do it… AND WE WILL!” he gave a reassuring slap on my back and tucked the letters into his doctor’s coat pocket.

I nodded then leaped into my snuggly bed, still fully clothed in my assassin robes as usual.

*Creeeeeeeeek*

Dr. Mareio pulled a wooden stool out to the foot of my bed and observed me with his eyes wide and a creepy full face smile.

“Uh… Mareio what are you doing?”

He took a huge deep breath in, and to my horror I knew he was about to shout. I grabbed my pillow and placed it over my head to deafen the impact of Mareio’s voice.

DEAR CELESTIA HELP ME NOW PLEASE!

“ASSASSSIN NIGHTGUARD MUSHROOM DOCTOR! AND IT’S ALL THANKS TO ME TO PROTECT YOU ALL FOR TONIGHT SHADOW! ALWAYS ON VIGIL ALWAYS ON STANDBY, I AM.....”

“DR. MAREIO!!!!!”

His booming voice ruptured my pillow in half and my ears succumbed to his over dynamic shouts.
Everything turned black and I passed out.

I was walking down a long hallway; ahead of me lay a bright shining white light behind me lay saw nothing but darkness.

Normally I would hide in the darkness and use the shadows to my advantage,
But something feels off.

I looked forward into the light and I could make out something round and shining at the centre of the light.

It was the Apple.

I tried to run towards the Apple but the lights shut off and I was completely submerged in darkness, alone.
Suddenly I hear laughing, then a voice.

“Well well Shadow lost in your subconscious I see, sorry I horribly beat you today. But as you know you’re too weak.”

Dave? I thought he would leave my head alone! That bastard!

“Still leaving you in a cave to die might not have been my smartest decision, I probably should have killed you right there.”

“DAVE! Where are you, show yourself!” I shouted into the darkness.

“I would but I only have time to give you a message. A 'gift' you could say.”

“Shadow… if you manage to live I’ll leave you and your assassins alone for a while. No more mind messages, no more randomly bombing your hideout. I’ll just come tell you in person when it is time for the Party. I’m sure Balthazar would be very pleased if you managed to show up. Assuming you're not dead by the time.”

“Dave do you want to kill me or don’t you? You leave clues, hidden messages, your so called gifts! But most of it nearly killed me. And that’s what I mean, NEARLY. You can’t win.” I sneered at the darkness.

A long pause then Dave answered calmly, “I’m still trying to see how you fit into my little equation Shadow. And with that kind of optimism I have no doubt you’ll do well in the future. Sooo….”

*SNAP*

“Let the Foreshadowing BEGIN!” Dave’s laughter echoed through the darkness.

Suddenly I felt a presence behind me and quickly turned around expecting Dave.

What the hell in Equestria is that!?

It looked like a giant black lobster, but it was covered in high tech machinery. It almost looked like it itself was a type of machine. It towered above me and it was roughly the size of a 5 story house.

*Static Robot Sounds*

I think it’s trying to talk to me, a machine?

It opened a round chamber from inside the front of its underside and began to glow red and grow with energy.

“OH SHIT!” I ducked to the left.

*PING*

A red plasma beam shot forward from the lobster machine and blasted a large area behind me.
With this power opposition there was only one thing I could do.

Run.

The lobster thing gave chase by raising its legs and slamming them into the dark floor, each step it took was a at least a street block long. It kept firing it’s red beam aiming for me and left impact crators.

“WHAT IS THIS, HOW IS THIS A GIFT!?” I ducked my head just as a beam shot right over and blasted a crater in front of me.

I still ran, not knowing where to go considering everything was just black unconscious matter, I stopped just before a leg impaled in front of my path and I was trapped.

Looking up to the machine, I saw it was charging its beam and it wasn’t going to miss.
The area around me glowed red and I shielded my eyes from the glow with my hoofs. The light grew brighter and brighter until I shut my eyes not from the brightness but from fear.

*PING*

I woke up with a start and looked straight up to see Dr. Mareio with his same strange smile overlooking me.

I yelled out in fright from both my dream and his creepy face.

Mareio was taken back, “AAH! WHAT DID I A DO?”

I put my hoofs on Mareio’s shoulders and stared him straight in the eyes.

“Giant Laser Machine Lobsters!”

Chapter 28: Retraining

“Shadow….” Mareio quietly said to me creating emphasis for his next line.

“That… was… some….. DREAM! HOHO!”

He fell onto the floor and rolled back and forth laughing his sides off.

“HAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!!!!”

“GIANT LOBSTERS!? LASERS? OH SHADOW YOU ARE A KILLING ME!!”

“Mareio this is no time for jokes, Dave is going to bring them to Equestria!” I shouted over his cries of laughter.

Mareio stopped laughing and took in my statement. His eyes widened and he immediately stood up on all hooves with a stern expression on his face.

AHA! He does know what I’m talking about.

“How do you know of a this? If you are lying I will a give you the most painful mushroom bowel evacu….”

“Mareio I’m not! Dave can somehow enter my dreams or pretty much anywhere he wants to, he said this was foreshadowing…. Mareio what is he talking about, I know that you know--.”

“MAMMA MIA! DAVE HAS BEEN VISITING YOUR HEAD!? NO A WONDER HE MUST’VE INDOCTRINATED A YOU!” Mareio shouted at the top of his lungs in fear and worry.

“Wait! He said he would stop and give us time to train,” I tried to reason with Mareio but he shook his head in disapproval.

Mareio sighed, “If you are really sure Shadow there is only one thing to do.”

I wonder what would that be… oh right probably something with a mushroom.
Please tell me I’m wrong.

Mareio reached into his left pocket and took about a plastic bag filled with white powder. He opened the back and said happily, “Sorry Shadow!”

Then he threw the powder into the air, it covered my face and I breathed in the substance.
A few seconds later my vision started to blur. The room spun for a few moments and I gradually became weak in the knees and my senses started to shut down from the hallucinogenic effects of whatever Mareio threw into the air.

Mareio was left staring at me with his goofy wide smile. He took no initiative to help me whatsoever as I approached the full effects and teetered over the edge of my hooves.

“Mareio you… son… of… a…..”

*THUMP*

I wearily opened my eyes to sunlight shining through a window erradiating it’s bright energy onto me. All seemed peaceful until a purple hoof contacted me right across the face.
Recoiling in pain I quickly got back up to my hooves to see a somewhat angry purple unicorn.

“What is this Shadow?” Twilight said pointing to the white powder all over where I was previously knocked out.
“Were you doing drugs!?”

She prepped her hoof for the next slap but I quickly grabbed it and started to explain, “Mareio threw this strange white powder…”

“SPORES! MUSHROOMING SPORES!” Mareio shouted from across the room, he was hastily writing down something on his mushroom cart.

“Anyways, I fell unconscious and now Mareio…. *ahem* Dr. Mareio will explain…” I turned my attention to Mareio, “WHY THE HELL HE JUST DID THAT!”

From my rage I dropped Twilight’s hoof and charged towards Mareio who was still writing whatever it was he was writing. Just as he noticed me coming towards him I push up from my hooves and tackle him from the chair.

“EH! WHAT THE HELL A ARE YOU DOING!?” Mareio said with annoyance as I pinned him to the ground.

“What did you do to me Mareio? If I’m having one of those bladder problems I’m taking you down with me!” I seriously said reaching for a yellow mushroom next to me on the floor.

“You need to a chill Shadow! I only went into your mind!” Mareio then burst out into tears, “YOU AREN’T INDOCTRINATED! YOU’RE JUST MAD! VERY VERY MAD!”

I stopped holding him down and helped him to his hooves, Mareio was still sniffling and then he wrapped his arms around me and gave me a powerful bear hug.

“OH THE PAIN! THE PAIN YOU SUFFERED! IT FILLS ME WITH SADNESS!”

“Its….. okay…. this… hurts… me… more….”

Mareio now almost choking the life out of me released his grip as he shifted from his depression state into a cheerful laughter as he frolicked over to Spike who was now waking up.

….. I’m not even going to ask.

Ignoring the laughter coming from the demented doctor I trotted over to Twilight, “Say Twi, why are you here so early? Even Applejack isn’t here.”

“I came to check up on Spike, I felt so worried for him when he broke his arm. Dr. Mareio said he fixed it but even I’m not sure a medical miracle like that would work easily as he explained it,” she said looking over to Spike who had just risen from his sleep.

“To be honest he really had a lot of accidents and near-death experiences, and he’s only just a baby!”

Wow that little guy sure has been through a rough time.

Spike saw us and Twilight gave a little wave, Spike smiled then tried to move his arm only for it flop to the side like a jelly-like substance.

Oh no… he didn’t…

Spike’s expression changed to one that would make somepony cringe, he ran on his tiny feet towards the washroom and slammed the door behind him. Mareio turned his head to us and gave his doctorate smile.

I facehoofed.

“What’s wrong?” asked Twilight.

“Remember when I got that broken leg and Mareio “fixed” it during the blimp ride?”

“Yeeeeaaaaa…….”

I pointed to the washroom door, and Twilight’s eyes grew wide, she realized what’s going to happen to Spike right about now…..

“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! IT BURNS!!!!”

Mareio clapped his hoofs together and chuckled to himself as he sat back in a desk.

“Spike! You gotta release it as much as you can as quick as you can, believe me!” I shouted through the bathroom door, trying my best to help the little guy from this ordeal.

"IT HURTS! I'M SCARED! NO NO NO! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!"

After many long gruelling painful minutes of terrifying screaming the door opened revealing a very emotionally scarred baby dragon, he was trembling from the fear. Twilight picked him up and tried her best to bring Spike back from his shock.

What Spike needs is encouragement, dragons like nothing better than appearing strong after suffuring a wound.

I quietly whispered to Spike who was now in the fetal position between Twilight`s hooves, “Spike, you are very strong; even stronger than Sparky when he sent that Templar castle to the ground. Believe me when I say that you are our number one Assassin assistant and that we NEED you.”

This got Spike’s attention and I quickly made my closing statement, “Spike? Are you strong?”

“Um well, I…”

“That’s not an answer, ARE YOU?”

“Yes….” Spike said with a pipsqueak voice.

“I CAN’T HEAR YOU!”

“YES SHADOW! I AM STRONG!” Spike said leaping from Twilight’s arms to the ground and started to flex his muscles.

Well, at least he’s in a better mood. Also I think I found my trainer’s voice once again…

Spike ran to a table and grabbed a piece of paper with his teeth and headed back to me.

“It’s from the Princess!” Spike said when I removed the paper from his mouth.

I scanned the paper then simply tossed it into the waste bucket.

“Why would you do that? You don’t ignore a letter from the Princess!” Twilght angrily said to me.

“Well Twilight…. The letter told us that we shouldn’t fight Dave, but assuming we left earlier before Spike gotten the letter my bet was he rushed after us holding the letter and fell down the stairs. Therefore if Spike didn’t get the letter he wouldn’t have bladder problems and his arms wouldn’t be jelly and we still would have fought Dave nonetheless.”

“So what you’re saying is that…”

“Yes, the Princess trolled Spike on accident and on purpose,” I said with a grin.

After some more discussion time the rest of the assassins showed up and we were ready to begin today’s hardcore training, taught by none other than myself.

They all lined up in a straight row as I addressed them from the front of my desk.

“Alright maggots listen up! Today we are going to train; we are going to train our training until we have mastered the art of training. Today will be a day of activities that I will improvise, meaning you are learning to adapt to whatever I tell you to train on.”

“Can we call you sir?” Pinkie asked.

“I don’t care for formalities but whatever you call me will be fine.”

“Alright Mr. Sir Candy Bubblegum Huggy-Paw-Kitten!” Pinkie said excitingly.

“….just call me Shadow,” I said shaking my head, completely losing my commander’s tone.

“Everyone let’s just make today’s training worthwhile, so Dave won’t kick our flanks again.”

“Um… Shadow?” Fluttershy raised a hoof.

“Yes Fluttershy?”

“Aren’t we going to go help Scales down by the lake now, I’m sure that he must be very tired and very hungry and…”

OH SHIT! I FORGOT THE SNAKE! WHY WHY WHY WOULD I FORGET THE SNAKE!?
*Facehoof* *Facehoof* *Facehoof*

I BLAME YOU DAVE!

“And… Shadow why are you punching your head?” Fluttershy asked just as I noticed myself facehoofing.

“Um… headache… ONWARD TO THE LAKE THEN!”

Leading the way out the door the rest of the assassins followed behind me chatting about what we would do today, Ace grumpily flew onto Mareio’s shoulder not wanting to train when he could be sleeping.
To show his annoyance he dug his claws even further into Mareio’s shoulder which had a bunch of holes from previous shoulder-clinging activities.

Mareio did not even notice the pain.

“PUSH!”

We all pushed against the snake’s body, the supply of fruit was gone and the raincloud had dried up leaving a very dry scaly body for us to push.

“COME ON! ONE MORE!” I shouted as I gave one last final shove onto Scales.

With our combined efforts Scales slipped into the lake and took a refreshing swim, feeling good about our accomplishment I sat down and took a sigh of relief.

“Shadow what are you doing? Now’s no time for a break now’s the time to train more!” Applejack sarcastically said to me as she lifted me back onto my hooves.

“Alright alright I just need to think for a second what we should…. AHA!”

“What is it darling?” Rarity asked me.

“Remember when you all chased me around town trying to catch me? I thought we could do a type of game like that, under a certain set of rules…”

“What kind of rules?” Twilight asked.

“First off, anything goes…. BUT! You can’t use magic to trap me, flying is permitted but not recommended, and I certainly don’t want to get stabbed or break my leg again,” I shuddered remembering the blimp ride.

“Which means anything in the environment, Ponyville in this case. Can be used to try to catch me. This is a variant of hide and seek and tag, except hopefully I’ll get you to think on your hooves.”

“And last but not least Dr. Mareio and Spike will be here to help with any injuries, worries, or personal issues. Also Ace here would be glad to help coordinate you all, aren’t you Ace?”

Ace started straight at me with no emotion.

“So how do we know when to start? I mean how long should we wait for you to hide?” Applejack asked me.

I trotted over to Scales who had now fully hydrated and was interestingly listening to us by the lakeshore, I whispered into his ear and he nodded his head.

“What is he doing?” the girls wondered as Scales was bringing his tail over his head in a long arc.

I looked over to them and smiled, “GOOD LUCK!”

The tail came around in a full circle like a golf club and whacked me into the skies.

I sailed through the skys and landed facefirst right into a haybale cart in Ponyville’s interior.

Leap of Faith!
Now the fun begins…

I jumped out of the hay and quickly put my hood on top of my head as I walked through an alleyway discarding the pieces of hay that stuck to my outfit.

Assuming that everyone is going to try to get here as fast as they can, I’m assuming that Rainbow Dash would be flying past here right about…

A cyan rainbow-maned Pegasus flew over the buildings above my head at a breakneck speed.

Good she didn’t see me, but it’s bad that she didn’t. She could learn more about observation.

My ears then picked up multiple hoofsteps running towards the town. I think it was a good time to leave the alley and head away from the sounds towards the busy marketplace.

Coming onto the path I felt a bit too exposed so I headed for a bench where I saw two ponies reading the daily newspaper, and luckily for me there was a discarded one right in the middle of the bench.
I took my place in between them and said a little greeting as I opened the newspaper and waited.

Not a moment later Rarity came up to the path and started to scan the area. Peering through a crack I made in the paper I saw her talking to a couple of stallions.

“…he’s a Pegasus, wears a hood and possibly the most exotic looking pony you’ll ever find in Ponyville. Did you see him?”

They shook their heads; Rarity thanked them and did one last look before leaving down the path.

Dodge successful, now’s my time to leave, quietly…..

I got up from the bench and accidently stepped on the pony’s hoof next to me and he cried out in pain causing his newspaper to fly up into the air and right onto Applejack’s relative, Granny Smith’s head.

“AHH! THE PAPER IS AFTER US! RUN AWAY!”

From that commotion Rarity turned her head and saw Granny attacking a newspaper, she shrugged and continued down the path in her hopes of finding me.

Luckily right after I stepped on the pony’s hoof I darted around to a very close alley and made my escape undetected.

Wow that was too close… I got to stay on my hooves and avoid mistakes like that…

While walking through the alley I saw a shadow outline of a pony’s hat coming from the roof above me.

“CRAP!” I did a forward leap.

Applejack landed right behind me catching nothing but air but a few extra inches of air.

“Hello Applejack wonderful weather we’re having, OK BYE!” I said running to the outside of the alley.

“Consarn it Shadow!” Applejack gave chase.

I shoved a few ponies aside apologizing to them in advance but this only gave Applejack more time to catch up so instead I changed tactics and weaved through the crowds trying to lose her.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING…. AHH!”

I looked back a saw a bunch of ponies were flung over and the crowd shield behind me burst open with flying ponies going everywhere and showing a very determined Applejack.

Ack! Darn her stubbornness… maybe I can use that to my advantage.

Now completely veering off the path I jump through a window of a nearby house, the glass sprayed everywhere from the window and I quickly ran up the stairs to the top floor.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE!?” a disgruntled sea-green unicorn shouted at me.

“Sorry Madonna…. Miss, I’ll be leaving momentarily.”

As so as I finished Applejack jumped through the smashed window and I had to get out right now. This time (being polite) I opened the window then leaped out and grabbed the building next to it and started climbing.

Applejack shouted through the window, “OH NO YOU DON’T!” she then jumped out and gripped the building by the time I got onto the roof.

I bought myself some time, but with all this commotion I feel something is off…

Just then a purple light appeared at the end of a line of the rooftops I was running on and Twilight appeared with a smug smile on her face.

Oh you think you have me beat? I’ll just turn around and…

I looked back and saw Applejack charging towards me with no stopping, she was determined and that nearly scared me.
Nearly, ss I thought of a great plan to use that against her.

Perfect…

With a smile under my hood I ran faster towards Twilight, she got a quizzical look on her face then ignored that and got ready to catch me as I got closer and closer towards her.

At the last moment with a hoof’s reach away I do the sharpest right turn imaginable and jump off the building. Twilight slammed her hoof into the roof from anger then tried to use her magic to teleport herself. That is until a certain stubborn orange mare slammed headfirst into Twilight’s side and they both fell off the building. Luckily a nice bush broke their fall, a ROSE bush.

I chuckled then departed for the town square, maybe rooftops weren’t the best thing right now.

As soon as I set foot in the town square a horde of rabbits came out of nowhere and surrounded me. I got confused then I realized who of our group liked animals. Fluttershy appeared right in front of me (she was hiding behind a nearby tree).

“Oh Shadow you wouldn’t harm any of these bunnies now would you?” she looked at me.

“Being an Assassin requires tough decisions…” I replied back trying my best not to get covered in rabbits.

“Would you? Really?” she eyed me now and I felt something strange happening to my insides.
It was almost as if she was staring into my very soul.

Oh I know these techniques; first they butter you up then bam! You’re trapped.
I really hated the Observer, he did that daily...

“Would I? Fluttershy?” I gave her back my counter-stare and this spooked her a bit, but she continued to give me the stare.

We stared. We stared for a very long time. It wasn’t a matter of catching me now it was all about who would blink first, who would succumb to the other’s willpower.

Suddenly the world around me flashed and everything got darker; I looked at Fluttershy and saw that she has glowing a faint blue colour. Before I could figure out what my eyes were doing, my vision stung a lot more painfully and I quickly shielded my eyes with my hoof and galloped away as fast as I can from Fluttershy.

“Um… did I do something wrong?” she asked to herself.

Wow my eyes hurt, I thought my eyes were just tired or something but these strange colours appear out of nowhere. Maybe Dave did do something to me… No….
It happened before…
Maybe I’ll figure this out soon enough.

I rubbed my eyes with my hoof and opened them revealing the world back to my original vision.

Alright now with that delt with I can focus on not getting caught by my friends…

“Hey Shadow,” Pinkie Pie said next to me.

“Oh, hey Pinkie………. shit.”

She tried to leap onto me but I quickly grabbed her in the air and threw her down across from me. As she recovered I ran away from her and she bounced happily towards me. I picked up speed and dashed through the streets of Ponyville. I ran so far ahead that I couldn't see Pinkie behind me, instead I saw a rainbow and I instantly knew I was screwed.

“You can’t outrun me Shadow!” Rainbow dash taunted me.

I’ll never outrun Rainbow Dash!

Still I ran, somehow I made it to the school to where I saw fillies and foals playing outside for recess with Cheerlie, who was watching them from the front of the school door.

“HEY LOOK IT’S SHADOW!” a filly who I remembered as Scootaloo shouted getting the attention of all the other kids.

“SHADOW!”

“HEY SHADOW!”

“WHY SO FOREIGN?”

“YOU’RE AWESOME!”

I nodded my head to the children and shouted over to Cheerlie, “TEACHER TO TEACHER ASSISTANCE?”

She looked behind me and saw Rainbow Dash chasing after me, Cheerlie opened the door and I leaped in. Just as Cheerlie closed the door Rainbow slammed right into it. I could hear a moan than an ‘ow’ followed by the children outside cheering for Rainbow Dash.

That’ll keep her busy… in the meantime….

“Thank you Cheerlie for aiding me in this predicament,” I bowed to her.

“What in Celestia’s name are you doing?” she asked with a little concern in her voice.

“Some…. hardcore teaching regiment I’m trying. Rainbow is one of my students.”

“Interesting… what do you teach exactly?”

“Well, you see I’m…I’m…”

I let out a long sigh, I knew this would come but not so soo.

“Cheerlie, I’m sorry. I can’t be honest about who I am right now. It’s better for my identity to be a secret, I’m trying my best to help Equestria, to help everypony I can in the world. And it kills me to not to be able to tell you for who I really am.”

I looked into her eyes, “Cheerlie, I don’t want you to get hurt for the things I’ve done. Too many ponies have suffered because of me, because of my arrogance and my rash decisions. Because I wasn’t there to protect them. Believe me when I say that, I’ve lost too many things in life and I don’t want you or Ponyville to also be lost. Please forgive me when I say this…”

“Shadow… I,” I put a hoof over her mouth and shushed her gently.

“Cheerlie I’m really from a long line of ancient ancestors that changed and helped develop Equestria from behind the curtains..."

"I am really an Ass---.”

I was interrupted, the door began to slam inward as Rainbow tried to get her way in through force.

I stood up and said to Cheerlie, “Though I may be a secret I live up to my promises. Can I come tomorrow and give the students that lecture on Ponitaly?”

“Yes Shadow… yes you can, I'm sorry you can't tell me. It must be so painful.”

“Grazie, and please no need to apologize, I'm the one that has to deal with my own crusaders.” I gave her a smile.

I just wished that Applebloom, Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo would have picked a name other than what the ancient Templars were called. The Crusades were so messed up.

I went over to a window, unlocked it and climbed outside. I tried to sneak around but an alabaster unicorn who had been following my trail found me.

“AHA! FINALLY!” Rarity shouted with triumph.

Crap crap crap!

This alerted Rainbow Dash and she flew around the school towards me, I ran.
After a period of running I looked behind and saw that the rest of the assassins were chasing me except for Pinkie who was nowhere to be seen. I pointed my head upward and saw Ace flying overhead guiding them, they were relying on teamwork to help them with this challenge.

Good they finally learned. About time…

I took my run up a flight of stairs and got onto the roof of another building, a rather tall one to be exact. I stopped at the edge, and looked down. There was nothing below and it was pretty high up.

“Gotcha you slippery varmit!” Applejack shouted from behind me, covered in rose thorns.

“You can’t do anything Shadow, no hay to save you this time!” Twilight exclaimed who was also covered in rose thorns.

“And you can’t outfly me!” Rainbow boasted.

“Give up so we can end this silly little game!” Rarity reasoned with me.

I know I’m gonna get hurt and regret this but....

“That would be easy Rarity, but a major rule of being an Assassin is to never give up!”

I spread my hooves out past my sides and fell back-first over the edge.

“Is he crazy? There’s no hay there!” Twilight shouted out in fear.

“Relax Twi, remember the plan with Pinkie?” Applejack reminded her.

Her face lit up and she gave a little giggle to what I was about to fall into.

Seriously, why did I jump? They did wonderfully and they did great, I’m sure I could have showed them a different example without me getting a broken leg.

Or dying…

I couldn’t see what I was falling onto, would I be lucky and live? Or would I splat into the ground?

Please, I have faith in FAITH!

*SPLAT*

“CAUGHT YOU! TEEHEE!”

Pinkie grabbed me from a weird sticky container. She was covered in a sticky red substance that smelled like raspberry jam. Coincidently I was also covered from head to hoof in jam.

“Uh Pinkie? What… what is this?”

She grabbed a piece of grain and covered it in jam then she shoved it into my mouth.

“PIE!”

“Pie?” I chewed and sure enough it tasted like the best pie ever.

The rest of the group came down from the building as well as Spike and Dr. Mareio from around a corner. They marveled at the site of Pinkie`s trap and everyone had a nice afternoon snack.

I was still dumbfounded on how Pinkie could have made a pie large enough to save my life.

Time for some answers…

------Back at the Hideout--------------

“Wait, hold on a second… You all planned this!?” I was shocked, everypony nodded their heads.

“Alright then, explain how,” I crossed my hooves and leaned on my desk (my chair was still busted).

Rarity stepped up, “Well, first Rainbow Dash flew to the other side of town so she could flank you when the time was right, I walked down to the market as I know that there would be many ponies and that you would try to blend with them. My job was to try to expose you while Applejack and Twilight were waiting for the ambush.”

Applejack continued, “Right so when Rarity came to us after mah poor Granny got spooked I knew immediately it would have to be you. So me and Twi split up, I followed you on the rooftop then chased you after. I was tryin to get you up on the roofs but instead you had to use them crowds and break into that house.”

“Well at least I apologized to the poor mare,” I shrugged.

Twilight cleared her throat, “So when you eventually got onto the roofs I used my magic to get ahead of you and trap you. Instead me and Applejack got a bush full of thorns. So while Fluttershy distracted you with her stare, Pinkie showed up and told us she needed more time to make the pie.”

“Contradiction! When did Pinkie first say when she would make a pie?” I asked.

“Back at the lake just before we all left, I think her exact words were…”

“GOTTA MAKE PIE TO SAVE SHADOW! BE RIGHT BACK!” Pinkie interrupted Twilight.

“Um… ya then she just went poof and disappeared.”

Pinkie being Pinkie Pie.
Of course…

“So after Fluttershy occupied you with the stare, I randomly showed up and surprised you to not make myself suspicious. IT WAS THE PERFECT PLAN!” Pinkie laughed maniaclly, which we all just ignored.

Rainbow Dash stepped up, “Then I showed up and chased you here to the school, the fillies and children just absolutely loved me! I had to give them my autograph! While I did that I bought Pinkie more time to make the pie while you hid in the school.”

“Then I found you and alerted your presence triggering all of us to chase you to the top of that building,” Rarity finished.

“And then I fell into the pie. The question is who did you know I would live?” I asked them.

“We weren’t sure Pinkie would have made it in time, but I’m glad she did! We need you alive Shadow if we’re going to end this war with Balthazar we need your help,” Twilight said.

"You all might be still fine, not perfect... but fine," I joked.

I looked over to Mareio and Spike, “And where were you two?”

“WE HELPED BAKE THE PIE!” Mareio exclaimed.

I nodded my head and clapped my hoofs together, “I’m impressed, excellent work team. Even the Observer would have been impressed by that show of teamwork and skill.”

He’d still probably say they were mediocre compared to him. Especially me...
Oh big time.

Everyone cheered and celebrated their accomplishments, but sorry to say I had to break the mood and get back to the task at hoof.

“We still got to train hard, also I have part two of today’s training regiment thought of right now,” I said with a devious smile on my face, ready to accept the ponies feedback.

“OH COME ON!”

“MY LEGS ARE TIRED!”

“Um... I’m still covered in pie…if that’s not a problem…”

“Dreadful. ABSOLUTELY DREADFUL!”

"CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!"

I gave a nice long laugh, after all they haven’t experienced the hardcore training I had to offer for today and to be honest I was just getting started.

“Alright so who's up for some camping for tonight!”

“Great! I’ll get my stuff!” Dr. Mareio said to us just before rummaging through his mush-cart.

“Um… Shadow?” Applejack asked me stifling a laugh.

“What is it Applejack? Something on my face?”

“Well you could say that!” she burst out of laughter followed by the others.

I looked at my outfit and saw that I forgot to wash off the jam from the pie before, I was covered in raspberry, a bear's favourite berry scent.

Well Bear-crisis averted. Still I wonder if they can survive a night in the Everfree…
You never know what may be lurking there…

Chapter 29: The Everfree

Before I was skeptical about Doctor Mareio`s plumbing skills. After all he is a Doctor what would he know about getting a washroom in a broken down clock tower?
I barely even noticed we had a washroom here, Rarity had told me they installed it when they did the renovations.

Since that day I had turned the shower knob expecting a nice shower, but instead I got the greatest showering experience ever, it felt like a waterfall was gently drenching my body.

(And my robes, as they too were covered in jam.)

I stepped out from the shower and dried myself off with the towel; my outfit’s material absorbs liquids like a sponge and auto dries itself.

I still don’t know how it does it, never question Assassin technology.

Opening the door to the main part of the hideout I eradiated a wonderful glow from my cleaning prowess. My outfit was fluffed and everything felt comfortable, no signs of jelly everywhere.

“Mareio!” I shouted over the room to get his attention, “Why are you a doctor when you should be a plumber! You’re a master of the pipes and water-heating systems!”

“Why can’t I be both hmmm? I have plenty of hobbies and skills that I like to do. Mushrooms are my favourite, don’t question that!” he chuckled.

“Ever…” he said with a straight face.

Applejack walked over to me, seeing that I’m done cleaning and asks, “Wow Shadow, you know how long you took in there? It’s almost nighttime and we’re all packed and waiting for you.”

“I see, well let’s not keep everyone waiting.”

We walked to the exit of the hideout (bottom of the clock tower) and I saw everyone else ready to go. Twilight was reading a book on how to camp, Pinkie was trying out her ghost stories on Fluttershy, Rainbow was flying alongside Ace as they talked in conversation.

As much as a pony and an eagle can communicate I guess.

And Rarity she had……. about 4 suitcases, a monster folding tent and her backpack.

“Rarity, what is all of this?” I asked her.

“Oh darling it’s just the essentials that I most absolutely need for this trip!”

“Rarity? Really? All you need is this,” Applejack said pointing to Rarity’s backpack.

Before Rarity can argue I quickly said, “This exercise is about survival under stressful conditions. So therefore only what you are able to carry by yourself.”

“Fine Shadow, maybe I will actually learn something useful today!” Rarity gave a huff.

Mareio came down the stairs with Spike who both had their knapsacks ready to go.

“Is everyone here? Are we ready to go?” Twilight asked counting all the ponies.

“Well…. not just yet,” I went over to a crate and pulled out a hidden blade gauntlet for each pony as well as Fluttershy’s bow, and some of Pinkie’s pyro equipment.

“Why do we need all of this? We’re just camping, no biggie,” Rainbow Dash asked after receiving her gauntlet.

“Because we aren’t just camping anywhere…” I replied to her.

Applejack’s pupil’s dilated, “You don’t mean we’re going to that forest, are you?”

I nodded my head and said excitingly, “We are going to spend a night in the Everfree!”

“WHAT!?”

We made our way to the forest clearing, the scenery looked just as gloomy as the time I went with Twilight for that seal. The forest looked even more ominous in the setting sun.

Now we just need to go in and find a suitable camping spot without getting attacked by anything along the way.

Before we headed in I raised my hoof to get everyone’s attention, when they all quieted down I spoke the plan for the night.

“So this is the Everfree, the most hazardous and mysterious forest in all of Equestria. I don’t know what we’ll find in there, but that’s the whole point of this exercise.”

“Expect the unexpected, and keep on your hooves. An assassin’s greatest asset is their ability to adapt in these kinds of situations. Whatever we encounter we have to deal with it so improvisation is key.”

“Also who knows? It might be fun,” I give a slight chuckle. “Alright, any questions? ….no? ONWARDS THEN!”

The group behind me stayed silent as I took the first couple of steps into the lush jungle of the Everfree forest. After a while of walking the group loosened up and began to talk quietly amongst themselves, I didn’t eavesdrop on their conversations as I wasn’t a part, though I felt a bit left out.

Maybe they just need to trust me on this, I’m sure after their training everything will seem like a cakewalk.

Mareio nudged me on my shoulders and said, “An Assassin’s life is a lonely one, that’s what Le Duck said.”

“Speaking of Le Duck, did you send the messages? I’m sure that with the small time gap you couldn’t have…”

Mareio patted me on my shoulder, “Cheques in the mail!”

“Thanks…. maybe we’ll get this whole mess with Dave sorted out. Are you going to tell me what you know about those lobster robots sometime?”

“Campfire story, it will be a wonderful time!” Mareio laughed, though I did see a bit of fear in his eyes.

To break the mood Mareio asked me, “Why didn’t you a bring anything? Nothing importento?”

“I only need my gear and my blade; after all there were many of times I had to survive in a forest or something else. That’s what I mostly did after Ponitlay, survive. Remind me to tell the timber-wolf story at the campfire.”

“Deal!” Mareio and I shook hooves.

After walking for about 30 minutes the forest was getting more and more dark, soon we would have to set up camp for the night.

I’d rather avoid walking in the blind darkness.

My ears picked up something and I raised my hoof signaling everyone to be quiet.

*rustle*

I quickly threw a throwing knife into the sound of the rustling bushes.

*GRAAAAAAAAOOOOOO!*

The bush moved once more and a brown long body came out no eyes and no mouth, just a knife stuck in its side.

“Is it a worm?” Pinkie asked.

“It’s a tail…” Fluttershy notified us.

Now we’re doomed…

The tail twisted around and a large foot crushed the bush in its place. A loud roar came from the foliage in front of us, and I opened my hidden blade to the creature standing before us. 4 gargantuan heads popped out from the tree covers and eyed us with rage.

I closed my blade and took this moment to shout at my team.

“HYDRA!”

We ran as a group away from the beast it roared and gave chase, the earth quaked beneath our hooves for each step it took. We tried to slow it down by dashing through some trees but it just easily ripped the trucks off from the ground and pursued us.

“Applejack! I’ll try to give that hydra something to worry about, you just focus on gettting the rest of us to safety.”

“Shadow are you crazy!? That thing will crush you!”

“Not if it doesn’t catch me it won’t,” I gave her a reassuring smile then split from the group towards the left side of the monster.

I climbed a tree and waited for it to get near as it hasn’t noticed anything but the group. As soon as its leg was is reach I leaped from the tree and opened both my blades as I stabbed them into its knee.
I roared out in pain from the impact and went to see what had attacked it. It roared again as I started digging my blades upward towards its heads.

I climbed some weird stuff back then but this one puts all the others to shame.

I was about halfway up its chest when a head came down trying to bite me off. I side-climbed and avoided the attack, but it wasn’t done just yet. With its opposite head it reared it’s mouth towards me and this time I knew what to do.

Just before it impacted I leaped backwards from its chest and grabbed onto the long brown neck. I raised my blade and plunged it into the slippery flesh.

This hurt the Hydra more than the other times as I repeatedly stabbed my back into it's neck. Tt violently shook me off and I fell back into the forest’s interior. Once it was done shaking the hydra vented it’s rage and frustration on the clearing of trees in front of it. It wanted to find and devour the pony that ruined it’s 4th head.

Too bad for him, the moment I hit the ground I ran in the opposite direction he was facing and blended into the forest’s surroundings.

I waited in a tree and observed the hydra going on a rampage across the Everfree.

Well, I hope that was the worst thing to find in the forest. I can’t image anything more terrifying than that. Now I should get back to the rest of team before they worry.

Running might leave me exposed, there’s got to be an alternative.

I noticed the trees were very close together and that their branches seemed to be thick enough to support my weight. It reminded me about a book I read on the Northern Assassins. As there are little to no buildings they used trees to maneuver around quickly and quietly.

I saw a branch in front of my hoof and I shrugged.

Might as well learn something myself for a change.

I took a leap off the bark and began to run on the forest’s ceiling.

TREE-RUNNING!

Why didn’t I try this before? It’s so convenient!

I swung from a branch onto the trunk of a tree, I have made a lot of ground by doing this technique and the best thing is that most of the wildlife below me didn’t even notice me swinging above them.
Repositioning myself against the truck of the tree and a branch to help me balance I noticed how quiet the forest was, it felt surreal as if I was the only one here free to tree-run as I see fit.

I’m not I need to go find the group now, knowing them they must have set up camp nearby.

Using my long-range hearing I tracked some murmurs and the cracking of a fire being made a short distance away. I leaped from the tree and gripped a branch as I made my way towards the sounds. The clearing ahead had a faint orange glow colour that would have been made only from a fire. Sure enough as soon I was above the flames while hidden in the trees I saw the group starting to unpack.

Applejack had a worried look on her face as she was talking to Fluttershy, “I really hope that Shadow is okay, why go up against a monster that is a mountain bigger than you?”

“I think that Shadow was trying to protect us, I can’t even imagine myself facing against a Hydra. That would be so scary.” Fluttershy said.

I snuck my way from the branches and jumped right into the middle of the campsite.
Finishing a forward roll I shouted out loud, “I’M BACK!”

*POW*

A hoof hit me at the back of my head and I fell to the ground in pain.

First rule of scary forests, don’t surprise your friends… it really hurts.

I clutched my head and squirmed on the ground as the pain started to recover. Once it felt like only a stinging sensation I got up to my hooves and looked behind me, Rainbow Dash was smiling sheepishly she was embarrassed for hitting me.

“It’s alright Rainbow *ow* my fault to begin with.” I rubbed the back of my head.

“Anyways that Hydra’s been dealed with, at least I hope it has…”

“Shadow what were you doing up in that tree?” Twilight asked me.

“Tree-running!”

Everyone expect for Mareio looked confused, “Tree-running?”

I explained to them about how in the north there are only trees so the Assassins there had to adapt to their environment and they developed tree-running.

“If I get a response from Le Duck I’ll ask him to give you a book on the various cultures and lifestyles of Assassins.” I said to which pleased her and she gave a small giggle.

I looked around the campsite, “I guess you guys wouldn’t need help unpacking now. Lucky I didn’t bring any camping gear or that Hydra might have gotten me for sure.”

“Shadow what about a bed, or a sleeping bag? You couldn’t possibly be sleeping on the ground or a tree. I will never dare you to!” Rarity said.

“I’m not going to sleep on the ground; I’m going to be on night duty for most of the time. Somepony needs to make sure we aren’t eaten by a Cerberus before the morning.” I joked.

“What are we going to do now sleep? BO-RING! Let’s tell each other scary campfire stories!” Pinkie suggested and a nod of approval came from everyone.

We got a few logs around the campfire and we began to tell our tales from beyond the crypt.

I first told them about the Hydra battle that I had, I tried not to boast and maintain my character but in the end they were surprised I managed to take down a head.

Next was Twilight who told the story about the headless horse-mare. I’ve heard this story countless times before but it was even freakier when Twilight appeared as a ghost. Mareio fell out of his chair laughing as Twilight revealed she used a minor illusion spell.

Applejack and Rarity were fighting between each other with “The Unbelievably Uptight Unicorn” and the “Dreadfully Dirty Farmer”.

I sense some past conflicts emerging from those two…

“My turn!”

“No its mah turn!”

Pinkie Pie shoved them apart and cheerfully said, “No sillies it’s my turn!”

“I call this story…. Pastries…”

Wow that story sounded almost exactly the same as that story I read on that train trip to Maris.
WHY PINKIE? WHY WOULD YOU TELL US SOMETHING LIKE THAT!?

Everyone was freaked out including me, Mareio and Ace. Twilight gripped Spike like a plushy and Rarity and Applejack were in a terrified hug. Strangely Fluttershy was only fidgeting in her seat like the rest of us. However for Rainbow Dash she was completely more than 20% terrified. She curled up in a tight ball and quietly murmured to herself to help calm her down.

Pinkie with a smile reached behind her and pulled out a tray of cupcakes, “Who wants cupcakes?”

She hoofed a rainbow coloured cupcake towards Rainbow Dash, her eyes rolled back and she fainted from fright.

We all passed on the cupcakes and Pinkie shoved them all into a tree as we helped Rainbow recover from the story’s aftereffects.

After we all experienced the mass effect of Pinkie’s story we were too nervous to speak another story, let alone get any sleep for this night. Instead I motioned to Dr. Mareio to explain the giant mechanical lobster dream I had.

Seriously no one would come up with a laser shooting gargantuan lobster killing machine.
Not even Dave could have come up with that from the top of his head.

Mareio went over to the centre of the fire and cleared his throat as approximately 90% of us weren`t ready to hear another scary story especially after the Pastries one.

“Everypony pay attention to a me! I will now tell the story of the Griefers!”

“Griefers? That doesn’t sound very pleasant,” Rarity commented.

“They are these most horrible beings that live in a mysterious place way up there,” he pointed to the night sky above. “In a realm called “Dark Space” ooooooooh!”

“Mareio that can’t be correct: there’s only Equestria, Luna’s Moon and Celestia’s Sun. How could there be life out in the far reaches of space? It’s not scientifically possible to live in space without a planet!” Twilight protested.

“There are plenty of places out there you just need to…. Well back to the story ignore what I said!” Mareio stuttered as he tried to hide something.

“These Griefers are ancient beings that want to do nothing more than cause misery and grief for anypony that lives. These giant mechanical space lobsters harvest the pony’s fear and immediately kill a civilization! MAMMA MIA!”

“Giant Space Lobsters?” Applejack looked in confusion not believing that.

“MECHANICAL! THEY ARE SYNTHETIC!”

“Anyways they come to a planet and blow it up killing everyone! Each Griefer can range from a skyscraper’s height to even larger masses!”

“Sorry Mareio but I just don’t believe that, everything you usually say I don’t believe it. Even Pinkie’s Pinkie sense makes more sense than these so called ‘Griefers’,” Twilight said.

“But it’s a true! If Equestria is under attack by them we will all die!” Mareio protested to Twilight.

Twilight pulled out a book and flipped to a page outlining the Griefer myth, “See Mareio they’re just a myth, they’re not real and they never will be! Equestria has dismissed your claim!” Twilight said rather too loudly as the ground beneath us shook with even more force than the Hydra did before.

“Um… what was that?” Rainbow asked not wanting to appear frightened.

“Quiet everyone!” I raised my hoof to them and carefully focused on the forest in front of me.

Alright, is it the Hydra? How could it have found us… wait what’s that noise?

*BZZZT*
*static*

It sounds like something is being charged…

*PING*

A red blinding laser shot out from the trees and blew up the campfire, we all managed to jump away from it but what the other ponies didn’t know was that I knew exactly what it was.

*CRASH*

An enormous metallic leg crashed down upon the trees we were looking at. It revealed a dark ominous gargantuan being. It was pitch-black all over with some lights sticking out from inside its frame which I assumed were its eyes. The front part of the being opened revealing a red core while radiating an extraordinary amount of power.

“IT’S A GRIEFER!” Mareio alerted us.
"THAT'S A GRIEFER!?" Everyone shouted in shock.

What is a Griefer doing here? It looks exactly like the one that Dave sent after me in my dream!

The sentient being indeed looked identical to the one I had in my dream. It's core had the same red glow, it pointed its body straight towards us as though it was aiming and it almost appears to be charged up.

“EVERYPONY RUN!” I shouted as we jumped away from its aim.

*BZZZZT* *PING*

Everything around me turned red as it shot straight at us. The laser hit the ground behind us were the campsite was. I shoved Twilight in front of me forward as a large explosion from the blast erupted behind me and I was sent flying into the air.

My body was scorched from the blast, weakly I climbed back up in pain and seen the damage this Griefer had caused in a matter of seconds. I looked to my right and saw that Twilight and the others were okay and unharmed.

Hate you…. so much right now… Dave...

Chapter 30: Ah yes, "Griefers"

I stood up from the smoldering ashes; my outfit was covered in burn marks from the Griefer blast and everywhere around the forest I looked was a torrent of flame and brimstone.

Also there was a 150 metre Griefer standing right behind me with only intent to kill the one pony it’s been seeking. Me.

Damn it, so these Griefers do exist. But why would Dave show me that dream and with the same Griefer here showing up? It can't be a coincidence.

{Play Music}

“Shadow! You’ve got to hurry!” Rainbow Dash shouted over to me with the rest of the team behind her.

Weakly I attempted to sprint toward my team, the blast had gotten me but the burn injuries weren’t severe. Suddenly a red laser arced between me and the rest of the assassins; I stopped and did a backwards roll to evade the Griefer’s attack. When I recovered there was a large cut out trench in the forest ground.

Damn it! It cut me off from the rest of my team!

I shouted over the trench to the others, “Run! I’ll buy you some time, we’ll meet back around!”

“Shadow that’s suicide!” Twilight yelled back.

I ignored her and turned around towards the Griefer looming over me.

Of course, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Without hesitating I run towards the metallic beast, it raises a leg and crushes it down before me. I leap past the leg towards the Griefer’s underside. It fired its devastating laser to the left side of me blasting the ground behind. The scenery exploded around me and I used the aftershock to propel myself past its underside.

Now safely behind it I sprinted towards the woods, the Griefer turned its body around with aid from its crab-like legs and chased after me.

“AAH!” I shouted just as the Griefer began to rapid fire into the forest.

Trees exploded from all around and debris fell through the air, I didn’t stop running knowing if I did the Griefer would catch up and tear me apart.

Just keep running, I got to get distance from it from the rest of my team.

The ground quaked from behind; I looked back and saw it was a pitch-black leg dug into the ground. Despite its size the Griefer moved very quickly at city block lengths, each per step it took overshadowed the Everfree. Luckily it couldn’t aim quite as well when it’s moving this fast.

The Griefer caused a great disturbance around the forest and burned everything in its path from preventing it from completing its mission. Blasts erupted around my hooves and the ashes from the habitat fell onto my body as I dashed even further.

From a group of bushes a random green pony came out smoking a cucumber,
“Dude… what’s the rush?”

“OUT OF MY WAY HIPPIE!” I shouted at him as I shoved him out from my path.

The hippie looked up and saw a metallic leg coming down on him, “Dude….”

*CRUSH*

Crap, crap!

I jumped over a small hill and looked behind me to see the Griefer almost directly on top of me.

MERDA CAZZO PAR PONITALIANO!

“CURSE YOU DAVE TO EQUESTRIA’S CORE! I AM NOT DYING TODAY!” I shouted at the Griefer as it blasted a 2 metre hole in front of me which I easily jumped across.

A leg shot down in the hole just as I landed making the ground shake even worse which caused me to lose my momentum and trip over a rock onto the soil.

“DAMN YOU ROCK! NOW WE’LL BOTH DIE!” I shouted at the inanimate object.

I turned my attention back to the Griefer who was now almost directly on top of me; the machine spoke in its static robot language and began to charge up its laser. Its core glowed a sinister red ready to take the final shot.

*BZZZT…….*

I didn’t close my eyes as I knew the one thing it wanted most was grief and I was not giving it mine.

*BOOM*

What the hell?

One thing the Griefer was charging up its laser the next a giant Pinkie Nuke came out of nowhere and covered the Griefer in its creamy sticky baking dough trap.

A Pinkie nuke? How could Pinkie bring one during this camping trip!?

“Are you alright?” an unrecognizable voice behind me said.

I turned my neck and saw a serious looking brown earth pony. His mane was black and cut short like an army style and had faint stubble outlining his lower muzzle. The interesting thing about this pony was the black power armor he was wearing. It had a long red and white stripe running the length of his right arm-armor with the symbol, N7 written on it.

Not knowing if he was friend or foe I asked aggressively, “Who are you?”

“I’m Commander Beard, Equestrian Military. I know you have a lot of questions but Shadow you need to trust me for now,” he held up a hoof to help to me up.

Reluctantly I took his armored hoof with my gray ashen hoof.

Can I trust him, he might be a Templar.
Between him and the Griefer….
The answers obvious…. At least for now.

The Commander helps me up to my hooves, just as the Griefer began to fire through its sticky trap of prebaked goods.

“Dammit! Shadow we need to MOVE!”

We ran down a path as the Griefer had blasted the last of the Pinkie nuke from its metallic processors. It raised a leg and gave pursuit to the fleeing targets.

Commander Beard had a very high-tech assault rifle which he shot behind him as the Griefer got closer. Unlike bullets the shots looked more like laser dots. We took bunker in a maze of foliage and strange empty pod-like plants.

Wait a moment…. these aren’t plants

A loud shriek echoed around us and I got slapped in the face with a wing. I grabbed the assailant and chucked it over to some trees in front of us. I looked at it closer and saw it was an enormous butterfly… with teeth…. very sharp teeth…

“Not carnivorous butterflies! Where there’s one…” Beard started to say but was cut off.

A swarm of hungry pony-sized butterflies flew up in front of us and salivated in delight, as ponies provided an excellent meal to their mass.

Beard raised his gun with his hoof on the trigger to the swarm of monstrous insects…

*PARAGON ACTION*

“Wait put your gun down!”

“I heard you Assassins were crazy and fearless but not stupid!” Beard said in surprise not taking his sights off the bugs.

“Please you got to trust me; I trust you and you could be a Templar for all I know. Beard, put down the gun now.”

He grunted in frustration and holstered his gun up to his back.

I stepped ahead of him and raised my hoofs to the flying insects, “Giant big carnivorous bugs of the Everfree, listen to what I have to say! We are not your enemy! That giant walking lobster behind us is!”

I heard a few chuckles from the butterflies but I ignored them, “It wants nothing but to destroy this forest and you! All of your tribe would be extinct because of its need for grief. So will you join us in retaking back your home?”

A few coughs were heard from the group, right until a large red laser come from the sky and blasted the area we were hiding in. As I looked to see what the damage was about half of the butterflies were gone. The remaining that lived was angry and swarmed the Griefer which was standing right behind us.

“Now Beard while it’s distracted!” I urgently said to him, he nodded his head and we ran from the threat.

*BAZOOM*

I looked back after a few miles of running and saw that all the butterflies were dead and the Griefer started to follow us.

That was until a still pissed off Hydra slammed into the Griefer knocking it backwards and a massive fight broke out between them. The Hydra slammed it's tail into the side of the Griefer as the Griefer counter-attacked by trying to impale its legs into the Hydra.

"Great! That will buy us some time," Beard said. I nodded in agreement for it was better that the Griefer was attaking that Hydra rather than us.

{END MUSIC}

We parted past some trees until we got to an open field filled with the ponies of my team and two others I haven't seen before.

“Shadow you’re alive!” everypony ran over to me and gave me a quick hug.

“Why of course, I’m not going to let a mythological super-monster kill me. That would be too unprofessional for an assassin of my rank. Plus we're still not done training," I smiled at them.

“Ah, so this must be the assassin we heard so much about,” a pale green pony wearing a visor and blue power armor holding a sniper rifle said with a slightly sarcastic tone in his voice.

“He’s still a weakling compared to Beard,” a red battle-scarred armored muscle-ripped red pony said to me while holding a steel shotgun.

“Rex I’ve seen this kid handle a Griefer on his own, do you think you can last longer?” Beard taunted the red armored pony referred as Rex.

“…..maybe.”

Rex, well that’s a suitable name. But he looks very familiar I just can’t put my hoof on it.
He’ll probably break it off anyways…. Wait….

The blue armored pony went up to me and stuck a hoof out, “Where are my manners? I’m Garrus and this Gerponian brute’s name is Rex. You’ve already been acquainted with the Commander here so that speeds up everything nicely.”

Gerponian… AHA I KNEW IT!

“Say Rex do you know a Volcanous by any chance?” I asked him as he looked almost identical to him.

He gritted his teeth and said, “Ya, he’s my idiot brother. I heard he was killed by a nuke in Gerpony. Completely pathetic if you ask me, though the ponies that faced him had guts,” he gave me a somewhat devious smile.
“He knew what he was getting into joining the Templars, but in my family we don’t die easily not even a nuke can do that properly.”

Good thing Volcanous is dead nonethelss… nothing could have escaped that nuke not even the Griefer. If I had to face him again, then... WOW!

“Alright enough chitchat!” Beard said to us, “We can get to know each other later, right now we need to figure out how to take that Griefer before it heads for Ponyville.”

“WHAT!?” we all shouted.

“As far as we can tell the Griefer was after the biggest threat; Shadow in this case. But now it’s attacking that Hydra.” he pointed behind us and sure enough the Hydra was still putting up a fight.

“Wow I didn’t notice that! Monster fight!” Pinkie excitingly said pulling out a bag of popcorn from nowhere and enjoying the show.

Commander Beard had a blank look of confusion on his face and so I said, “It’s just Pinkie being Pinkie. Anyways do you have a plan to stop this Greifer?”

“I’MMA BACK!”

I turned around and saw Dr. Mareio luging a large yellow red spotted mushroom behind him.

Wait, Mareio wasn’t here? Why didn’t I notice, I ALWAYS NOTICE!?

Mareio dropped the mushroom in front of us and Commander Beard noticed him.

“Mareio?”

“COMMANDER! Wow the last time I saw a you was back at…” Mareio started to speak but Garrus did a mock cough and Mareio shut up his conversation.

“Sorry classified information!” Mareio said to me enthusiastically.

Hmmmmmmmmm……………………………..ok

“So Mareio? What’s with the a….. giant mushroom?” I asked him.

“Oh this? MEGA SHROOM!” he shouted as he waved his hooves about.

I was completely confused but a purple hoof tapped me on my shoulder.

“When you chased that Griefer from us Garrus and Rex found us and brought us here after they saved us from a Cerberus. Mareio told us that he needed to get a native shroom from the forest. Apparently if we can concentrate it into a potion it’s said to make a pony as large as the Griefer!” Twilight exclaimed the idea to me.

“And luckily for us there’s a zebra who lives here called Zecora who can make it into a potion,” Rarity added.

“Trouble is there is still that Griefer we need to distract, but the Hydra is doing a better job at it,” Rainbow Dash said.

"I just hope that terrible horrible Griefer doesn't pay attention to us on the ground," Fluttershy said.

We all turned back to the battle and saw that the Hydra was really kicking some ass.

Wow just look at the clash between those two, both are evenly matched, evenly skilled, the Hydra might actually win!

*PING*

Or maybe not….

The Hydra fell down to the forest below with a hole burned through its chest. With that problem gone the Griefer turned its attention back at the new threat, us.

“Dear Celestia! PINKIE!” I shouted over to her and she dropped her popcorn and assumed her assassin stance, “I’m overriding all safeguards! Use whatever you can to take it down!”

Pinkie bounced up and down from the amount of sheer fun she was about to have.
She lifted a curtain from the ground…

“Where did that curtain come from?” Garrus asked but we quickly shushed him.

From the curtain Pinkie revealed a large set of nukes and crafting supplies, all from the “100% do not let Pinkie touch this” section of our hideout.

While Pinkie was crafting a extremely volatile mix I turned my attention back to the rest of the ponies, and Spike. (Ace flew off towards Ponyville to quickly get a message to all the important ponies that needed to hear about this Griefer issue.)

“We need to split into two teams, one needs to stay back and buy us enough time while the other makes it to Zecora’s to fix this mushroom potion,” I looked at the ponies and decided who of my team should stay or go.
“Twilight I need you and Spike to show us the way to Zecora and Mareio for the mushroom.”

Commander Beard stepped up, “That’s too small a team, I and Rex will go with you.”

“Alright, so Applejack you’re in charge of the rest.” I walked closer to her put my hoof on her shoulder and whispered, “Don’t worry we’ll get through this, I promise...”

Garrus readied his rifle and said, “We’ll cover you and slow that Griefer as best we can.”

I nodded and with a loud heave of the mega shroom from Mareio we followed Twilight back into the dense forest.

*BOOM* A loud missile exploded onto the Griefer, staggering it.

What have I done? If it’s not the Griefer it’s Pinkie’s pyrotechnics destroying this forest.

“Twilight how much further?” Beard asks her.

“Not far now just over this ridge… Incoming!” she shouted back at us.

A swarm of carnivorous butterflies flew down towards us, their eyes were an endless void and their once colourful patterns were dulled and had a sickly gray tinged look.

“OH MAMMA MIA! THEY HAVE A BEEN INDOCTRINATED!” Mareio shouted from under his oversized mushroom.

“AAH! I DON’T LIKE BUGS!” Spike shouted in fear.

Beard and Rex pulled out their guns and shot the swarm back. I quickly took 3 throwing knives from my satchel and threw them at 3 butterflies taking them down instantly. The Griefer in the distance was getting resistant to Pinkie’s blasts and my team’s attacks. It got closer and closer every second we ran.

“I can see the house!” Twilight exclaimed just as Rex hoofed a butterfly to the ground.

The Griefer was fast approaching us but we made it to the door of a twisted old tree.

Looks inviting…

Twilight knocked on the door rapidly and a zebra opened the door.

“Ah Twilight this is a surprise! Why does your friend carry a mushroom of giant size?” the zebra spoke in rhyme and pointed over to Mareio who surprisingly wasn’t struggling to carry this mushroom of gigantic proportions.

“Zecora or whatever your name is!” I said with haste, “We need you to turn this into a potion so we can destroy a Griefer!”

“A Griefer? You must be joking I infer. Why an old pony’s tale would lead you amidst when they surely don’t exist.”

*PING* A red laser shot next to Zecora’s tree.

“HOLY SWEET CELESTIA THAT THING IS REAL! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR YOU MUSHROOM OAF, CAN’T YOU SEE IT WILL EAT US LIKE A MEAL!?” Zecora shouted at us and pulled Mareio into the tree with the mushroom barely fiting through the door.

“Uh, the mushroom is stuck,” I said.

Rex hoofed the mushroom and it broke the entire doorway, “Fixed”

Hopefully I won’t get on his bad side…

I turned around and holy crap that Griefer is close, also I think the swarm had gotten larger.

“There’s too many!” Twilight said as we defended the house from the increasing attacks.

Rex finished taking down a monster size of a butterfly and yelled to Beard,
“Beard! I’ll clear the way, just keep holding the line!”

“Rex…”

“Good luck Beard and good luck to you assassin,” Rex said to us as he turned towards the swarm and the Griefer ahead.

Wait he’s not going to…

Rex charged forward into the swarm and shotguned 5 bugs as one slammed behind him. He recovered and grabbed it’s wings and ripped them off with his bare hooves with blood spraying everywhere on him. He picked up his shotgun and slammed it into two more butterflies until he was left facing the Griefer covered in bug blood.

*PING*

The Griefer fired its laser at Rex; he fell to the ground on his knee and was scorched to a crisp from the red beam of energy. Part of his armor broke from the blast and any body part not protected by his armor charred into a black layer of flesh.

As the Griefer finished its attack the body of Rex stood motionless, after all no one survives a Griefer's blast.
Suddenly the charred Rex gave a slight laugh he weakly stood up from his knee onto his four hooves, now laughing at complete enjoyment and letting out a loud battle cry.

How did he live from that? A blast from a Greifer!?

“RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

Rex charges for the Griefer’s leg at full speed and at ten times the power.

“I AM REX! I AM PONY!!”

He head smashes the Griefer’s leg which only made a loud clang noise. The Griefer lifted its front leg and drived it down towards Rex.

He lifted his hooves and caught the leg in the air not letting it crush onto him.
Rex notices a cliff next to where they are and with one last final thrust he pushes the Griefer and himself over the edge of the cliff.

“REX!” Commander Beard shouted.

I could hear a loud crash from the abse of the cliff and then silence.

Wow…. just as tough as his brother…

Suddenly a large lobster arm went up to the side of the cliff and the Griefer’s core came up shortly. It looked at us with pure annoyance and frustration as it continued to climb itself back up the cliff.

The door slams open and Zecora and Mareio are holding a bottle of yellow liquid, “Drink this now before we fry! I don’t want to die!”

I grabbed the concoction and gave it an onceover.

This better not be piss or “Medical Testing Liquid”.

I chugged the potion and almost instantly my body grew to the near exact size of the Griefer. I could see all over the forest and I was officially the second biggest thing in Everfree.

From the ground Mareio put on some sunglasses.
“Dat Mass.”

The Griefer righted itself up and stood slightly taller than me getting ready to fight. I opened both my hidden blades (the potion made my equipment and outfit big as well) and got ready in my stance towards the Griefer.

“Shadow! You only have some time until the potion’s effects wear off!” Twilight shouted from the ground.

“Time to pay for the lives you’ve taken Griefer!” I shouted at it with rage.

*BZZZZT ZOON* It replied.

“SHUT UP DAMN YOU!”

I sliced it’s metallic leg off with my blade and the battle of the giants commenced.

Chapter 31: Giant Proportions

*BBZZZZRRRG*

The Griefer shouted out in pain in it's robotic language as one of its metallic lobster legs fell to the forest’s floor. Severed.

It however still stood upright on its remaining 3 limbs and charged me.

Surely if it lost a leg it would be slightly slower…

*BONK*

The Griefer slammed into me at full speed causing myself to fly backwards from the impact and clear a line of forestry with my back.

Ow, ok only slightly.

“Shadow watch out you nearly crushed us!” the really miniscule Commander Beard said with urgency from next to my hoof.

{Epic Battle Theme}

{Or Play this Music for something a bit different}

As I got myself up from the pile of trees that cushioned my blow I saw the Griefer approaching its severed appendage. Cables that looked almost like synthetic flesh came out from the damaged hole of its body and attached itself to the leg. It pulled the leg back towards the body and they fused together.

“Oh so you can regenerate now? This means I can kill you all night!” I laughed at the machine.

“Cybernetic Augmentations, a priority…”

Wait, did that Griefer just speak in our language?

I shook my head thinking that it must have been the aftereffects from the charge attack.
Then I eyed the Griefer with intrigue and hate, trying to coax it to speak once more to see if I wasn’t experiancing a concussion.

*BBZARGH*

Content with its response I stamp my hooves down and rush towards the sentient being with my left hidden blade drawn. As I neared, the Griefer closed its open core with layers of metallic shielding and brought a leg up towards itself to block my attack.

My blade clanged off the side of the metallic shielding and the Griefer followed through with a counter sweep attack with its repaired leg. It hit me in the side with tremendous strength and I skidded towards the edge of the cliff, my head was hanging off from the side.

Before I could recover the Griefer went over top of me, I gave a quick blow to its body with my hoof but it did almost nothing. It raised its front legs high into the air and brought them down upon my arms pinning me to the ground.

The Griefer loomed its body over me and opened its protective body shielding, revealing the core. The core grew brighter and brighter as it positioned itself closely over my head making absolutely sure that it will not miss this time.

“That’s a little close don’t you think?” I joked in the face of death.

*HEADSMASH*

I slammed my head right into the core staggering the beast. As I quickly brought myself back up I grabbed a leg and brought it over my shoulder past the cliff’s edge, this made both of us fall into the field of trees below. I positioned myself on top of the Griefer as we fell and it crashed below my hooves taking damage from the impact.

I quickly gave it a final stab in its underside before it swung me off from its body.

From the cliff above us Applejack’s team had reunited with Twilight and Commander Beard’s team and looked down to the fighting below.

“KICK IT’S A FLANK!” Mareio shouted from down the cliff.

“WOO YA! GO SHADOW!” Spike cheered from on top of Twilight’s back.

“Wow you assassins sure grow up fast,” Garrus sarcastically remarked to Applejack who just shook her head in annoyance.

“Now Garrus don’t forget that Shadow is fighting an ancient sentient being over there using the power of a medicinal fungus,” Beard said to Garrus.

“Well what are we waiting for? We can’t just do nothing!” Rainbow said hovering above everyone in anxiety.

“Well Rainbow Dash…” Garrus said pulling out his sniper rifle, “Observe.”

Garrus aimed through the scope of his gun at the Griefer attacking Shadow and pulled the trigger. The bullet flew out of the barrel at tremendous speed and hit the Griefer’s outer carapace causing an incredible 2 inch dent to form on the 150 foot machine.

Garrus put his gun away and gave Rainbow the “I told you so look” to which she huffed in frustration.

“That’s no good we need something bigger, something more reliable, something more….”

“PINKIE!” Pinkie shouted in excitement as she wheeled out a large nuclear warhead from some trees behind the group.

Commander Beard had a blank look on his face, “Where did she get THAT!?”

Spike whispered over to Beard, “It’s better that you don’t ask questions about Pinkie. It’s better that way.”

Back over to the missile Applejack went over to Pinkie,“Pinkie are you mad? You’ll hit Shadow if you launch that missile!” Applejack shouted in fright as Pinkie calibrated the systems.

“Don’t worry AJ! Thanks to Shadow’s override I can make so much more useful party explosives! I filled this nuke up with bricks and CAKE! AND LOTS AND LOTS OF GUN POWDER!” she excitingly said as she bounced all over her nuke.

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Fluttershy said too quietly for Pinkie to hear her properly.

Pinkie regained her composure and said, “I figured after watching Garrus take down a few butterflies with his gun that guns would be EXTREMELY accurate so what better way than stuffing this beast with POWDER!”

“Oh Pinkie you mustn’t you could destroy the whole forest—,” Rarity was about to say but Pinkie beat her to it.

“FIRE!” she slammed her hoof down on a giant red button.

The no boundaries, the maximum force nuke shot out from its firing platform and headed on a direct course to the Griefer.

As well as the giant Assassin in the way.

*Boop Boop Boop*

“What is that noise?” I asked out loud just after dodging a leg sweep from the Griefer.

I turned around and saw a nuke, not just any nuke but Pinkie’s nuke and I know that it was filled with the materials that Pinkie shouldn’t handle… EVER.

|I knew this would happen, why did I make her the pyro?

I quickly leaped towards the side with the nuke just barely grazing my robes as the Griefer stood there ready to take the impact of a pure 100% non-restricted Pinkie nuke.

*BOOOOOOOOOMMM*

The hot air buffeted me from the close proximity of the explosive warhead to which I sheltered myself to the falling debris. Once everything felt back to normal I quickly looked over behind me and saw the nuke hit right at the Griefer’s core. The Griefer itself sparked out red electric bolts as if it was wounded from the blast.

It lifted itself back onto its 4 legs with the same strength as it did before, if not more. It crushed the the ground causing tremors and opened its protective shell casing.

That Griefer is so pissed off right now… I’m going to be in a world of hurt.

“PINKIE ARE YOU CRAZY!?” Twilight grabbed Pinkie with her hoofs causing Spike to fall off her back. They looked at each other and Twilight sighed as she released Pinkie, “What am I even asking?”

“Well whatever was in that nuke damaged the Griefer, at least we know they can be hurt,” Commander Beard said.

“Now we need about 50 more to take it down to be honest I only think it’s mad at us now,” Garrus said.

“Oh don’t you a worry, with the lobster fighting Shadow it wouldn’t notice us at all. Absolutely 100% complete no interest in us whatsoever,” Mareio said with reassurance.

*PING*

A bright red laser blasted the side of the cliff where everyone was standing on, the rock broke from the cliff and everything began to fall down.

Applejack gave Mareio a stern look and he just shrugged before the platform underneath everyone broke apart and they all plummeted to the ground below.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy managed to grab onto Commander Beard and Pinkie, while Twilight teleported to the ground along with Rarity. Applejack, Mareio, Garrus and Spike were still flying through the wreckage in the sky.

“Luckily for you guys I’m a Pegasus,” Garrus said rather casually as he pressed a button on his left hoof. It revealed two slits in his back armor and a pair of large light green wings appeared.

He grabbed onto Applejack, Mareio, and Spike and flew downwards, crashed into a group of trees to slow down and then landed face first on the ground as they tumbled around the dirt.

“It was a perfect landing,” Garrus smiled at the ponies and dragon he held around his hoofs.

“NO!”

The Griefer had fired its laser at the cliff where my friends were stationed at and the cliff face broke apart and fell towards the ground.

I looked back at the Griefer and kicked my fore-hoof at it, it slammed right against the Griefer’s core stunning it as I ran towards the cliff hoping that my friends were safe from the blast.

“Hey Shadow!”

I stopped in my tracks and looked over my shoulder to where I saw Rainbow Dash hovering above it.

“Rainbow! Are everypony else ok?” I asked with anticipation.

She nodded her head and pointed her cyan hoof down to a group of trees concealing the group, I let out a sigh of relief.

Thank heavens they’re safe…

*BBZZRRRT- PING*

“AAH!” I gripped my other shoulder as a laser stream passed by right through my outfit and burned my flesh.

I turned around behind myself to see the Griefer standing before us.

“This hurts you.”

“What!? That thing can talk?” Rainbow shouted out in amazement.

Good, so I’m not crazy and hearing giant metallic space lobsters speaking to me.

“So what are you doing here? Why do you attack us?” I asked at it as I held my shoulder in pain from the laser.

“Organic life is a mistake, we are its solution. You are its main flaw. Ponies.”

“You’re just a machine you can’t decide whether a species should die or not. Think of all the factors of life!” Twilight exclaimed from below.

“Unicorn, strong magic potential. Advances in technology will lead to dependency which will lead to false Unicorn superiority followed by the worlds collapse.”

“How rude! Thinking that we would not share our magic for the sake of others!” Rarity said in disgust.

“Ya’ll just need to learn it’s not okay to come here can cause all this grief for your flawed accusations! Machines are just machines, and I don't trust 'em.” Applejack raised a hoof at the Griefer.

“Earth Pony. You are considered….. too primitive.”

“LET ME AT IT! I WILL A SHOVE A MEGA SHROOM RIGHT UP IT’S.. *muffle* *muffle*” Mareio shouted in disarray before Commander Beard and Garrus restrained him and quieted him down.

“Pegasus. A viable possibility, genetic potential limited. Species behavior… circumstantial. Augmentations required.”

“Well I didn’t expect a Griefer to be nice, but this one is being a complete ass,” Garrus said nonchalantly.

The Griefer turned its attention back to me.

“Pony. Further species development would be insufficient, unattainable, and useless. Your species are the problem; to what you refer to as “Griefers” we are your salvation.
Do not resist.”

Something inside me snapped; this being this giant metallic lobster is telling us that our society is flawed and that we should do nothing except to accept our fate and get killed by them. That is their plan that is why they are named Griefers, that is why Dave sent it to attack us.

Another test…..
TO EQUESTRIA’S CORE FOR THIS!

I shouted in rage and slammed my blade right across it’s sternum, the impact brought the beast backwards and put some distance between us.
The Griefer’s core glowed brighter as it fired a laser towards me. I dodged it and ran towards it with my blades drawn.

It fired more blasts near me, most I merely dodged but for one laser that I couldn’t roll from I stretched out my blade at an angle.

*BAZOOM*

The Griefer fired and the laser deflected off my blade as I got right in front of the Griefer. I grabbed it with one hoof to hold it steady as I brought it down to its back and I stabbed my hidden blade into its core.

“I’VE

*stab*

HAD

*stab*

ENOUGH

*stab*

OF YOUR

*stab*

DISINGENUOUS

*stab*

ASSERTIONS!”

*crack*

I slammed my blade with great impact deep into the Griefer’s core; its robotic static sounds indicated that it was being hurt. It knocked its back leg into my side and flipped me from its body.

Looking back at the Griefer I saw a series of red sparks shoot erratically from the lobster menace, the core blinked on and off as it had a large open gash in the centre where I had stabbed it.

“Shadow you’re shrinking!” Applejack shouted from down below. I looked at my surroundings and saw that the landscape was getting larger.

I need to finish this quickly.

With a race against time I leapt over to the Griefer and jumped on its head. I brought strength to my hooves and jumped straight up into the air above it. My body shrank drastically as I spun my body towards the Griefer below.

It aimed its damaged core up to me and began to charge.
I brought my blade out forwards and my body dived straight at the core.

The core grew brighter and brighter, my body returned to normal and the massive height I gained propelled me like a bullet. I was almost at the core my blade was ready to crack the Griefer in half.

"DAMN YOU! THIS IS FOR REX AND FOR EVERYONE ELSE YOU CAUSED GRIEF TO, YOU MONSTER!"

My blade collided with the core just as the Griefer fired its beam.

*PIN-----BOOOOOOM*

{END SONG IF IT HADN'T ALREADY FINISHED}

Everyone watched helplessly as the Griefer exploded before them turning the forest around it into a large fiery inferno. They shielded themselves from the blast and once the winds died down they looked to see that the Griefer was a large heap of wreckage, no power emanated from its core which was damaged to impossible measurements.

“SHADOW!” Applejack shouted into the debris and fires of the defeated monster.

Everyone frantically shouted my name; they looked in the pieces of debris surrounding the Griefer. But they couldn’t find me for I was stuck in the actual Griefer itself.

Suddenly to everyone’s surprise a piece of the Griefer began to move.

I thrust both my hooves forward touching the hot metal shielding in front of me and pushed the debris away from me seeing my friends marveling at my survival.

“Shadow Mark da Ponitaly! Master Assassino!” I bowed before my friends, right until Applejack grabbed me and hugged me just as Mareio piledrived his body onto me followed by the rest of the assassins.

“If I wanted to see a sappy friendship story I would have gone to Canterlot,” Garrus said to Beard.

*PARAGON ACTION*

Commander Beard brohugged Garrus, “We destroyed a Griefer, be thankful that we survived.”

“Unlike Rex that is, all word and no hoof,” Garrus said releasing the hug from Beard.

“What did you say about me?” said a disgruntled voice from behind them.

We all turned to see a blood soaked, flesh scarred/burned, armor damaged muscular pony.

“REX!”

He coughed out some blood onto the ground and smiled at me, “Shadow you are… badass… assassin…” he then collapsed with blood pouring out from his wounds.

“NO!” Beard shouted as he came to Rex’s side.

“Stand a back! I AM A DOCTOR!” Mareio shouted shoving the Commander out of the way.

Mareio reached into his doctor’s coat pocket and pulled out a green spotted mushroom.

“Rex’s mouth is hemorrhaged you can’t put that in there!” Twilight said.

“Good thing this is a SUPPOSITORY!” Mareio said shoving the mushroom right up Rex’s… *ahem*

While Mareio was treating Rex something from the Griefer began to make noises. I looked and saw that the core had a very insignificant red glow.

“It’s still not dead!?” I asked in amazement.

From the core a blue ray of light came from it revealing a figure dressed in jeans, a shirt and tie, and bold glasses.

“Dave…. I knew it,” I said to the holographic projection of him.

“Shadow my favourite assassin! You had done well, much beyond to my expectations. Well done!” he clapped.

“Dave why in Equestria would you send a Griefer after us?” asked Twilight who was annoyed.

“Oh but Shadow already figured it out didn’t you? It was a test, nothing less than a pure simple enjoyable test of skill, thought, and assassin techniques. I’m glad to say that Shadow and all of you passed!” Dave said with excitement as we stayed our emotionless faces.

He noticed the newcomers and commented, “And I see that you got help from Garrus the Top Equestrian Military soldier, Volcanous’s brother Rex and OH!” he looked at Beard.

“Commander Beard, this is certainly interesting a Spectrum coming to help Shadow I bet. Or is it something more I wonder? I really have no idea what Celestia is doing nowadays. Oh wait.... I do!” Dave laughed, Beard and Garrus were amazed that he heard of them, and were afraid that he knew what 'missions' they go on.

A Spectrum? Commander Beard is a Spectrum directly linked to Celestia?
That might explain him being here but for what purpose I don’t know.

“Anyways Shadow, I always honor my promises. I won’t bother you or your assassin buddies for the weeks to come, at least until that party I mentioned where I would come to Ponyville and invite you perosnally... So in the meantime enjoy your freedom from any mind-tricks or Griefer attacks.”

“And since I’m feeling generous I’ll tell you something important about our plan,” Dave readjusted his glasses and grinned devilishly.

“Project Purify?” I asked him.

Dave’s projected head nodded, “You see this Griefer behind me, in front of you. There’s more of them, much more. All at a snap of my hoof.”

“You can’t be serious; these… things will destroy everything. It will be chaos!” Rarity exclaimed.

“Ah but see this,” he motioned to the wreckage around us, “In order to bring balance there must be chaos in order to bring order to Equestria. The reason I’m not killing you all now is that you displayed balance when you killed the Griefer. It gave me some data I need to analyze and cross-reference so I can better determine your longitudinal development into the world’s balance system, which…”

*RENGADE ACTION*

I grabbed Commander Beard’s assault rifle from his back and pointed it at Dave.

“My my Shadow has finally learned to be assertive. Kind of rude, but it’s a step in the right direct--.”

A dark red aura emanated from my body as I aimed the gun with one hoof. My absolute hate for Dave and his “games” had finally driven me over the edge and I was sick at having to deal with these damned tests.

“I’ve had enough of your bullshit for today Dave. Arriverderci.”

I shot the rifle rounds through the projection into the Griefer core behind and Dave’s projection began to fade from the core's resulting damage.

Dave chuckled then said lastly, “Prepare for the Arrival, Shadow.”

The core exploded and the projection was completely gone. I hoofed back the rifle to Beard and looked over to Rex who was now recovering from Dr. Mareio’s and Fluttershy’s treatment.

I went over to the Commander and asked sternly, “Beard, why did Celestia send you?”

“Shadow this isn’t the time--.”

“Tell me. Right now,” I said menacingly to the Commander showing him my blade bracer.

“She gave us your information, assassin references, and battle tactics. The Princess sent us to see if you went rogue as you haven’t written much letters or communicated with her.”
“Being a Spectrum I knew all about the Assassins and I knew that you would be armed and deadly, so that’s why I brought Garrus and Rex.”

“And a ton of ammo,” Garrus added in.

She wanted us to stop you from fighting Dave and don’t ask me why because that’s all she told us about the mission.” he said truthfully.

I sighed then announced to everyone, “Alright everyone let’s get Rex to a hospital before he bleeds to death, move it!”

Finally I just want this day to end… Cazzo Griefers.

Chapter 32: Shadow's Regiment Training: Part 1

-------At the Hideout-----------------------

After Dave’s announcement and Griefer attack leading from our FAILED (though I consider the survival challenge a success) training plan we headed back to town using Rainbow’s scouting abilities as well as Garrus’s built in GPS in his visor. We brought Rex to Ponyville’s only hospital to where the doctors had said they couldn’t do anything for him…..

That was until Dr. Mareio came through the front door shouting…

“You a sons of a bitches! You do not know the true power of the medicinal practices that I have once taught you! Mamma mia!”

“Um… you’re a doctor?”

Mareio bitch-slapped the doctor right across the face.

“That’s a Doctor Mareio to you! Now shut up and do you’re a job!”

So that’s how Rex got his own hospital room…… and his own suppositories….

After the hospital visit I offered Beard and Garrus to stay at the hideout for the night. Sure enough they agreed, better for me to keep an eye on them. As for everypony else I was convinced that they should take a break from the fact that we just took down a sentient ancient lobster machine.

As for me I wouldn’t, Dave’s projection made me realize how so little time we have to take down Project Purify. So I told the ponies that I would continue working, they tried to convince me to relax but I told them…

“Even if you girls deserve a break it doesn’t mean I should. I’m a true believer of my Training Program!”

The Commander and Garrus behaved well last night and did nothing more than sleep. Applejack and Pinkie came by earlier to introduce them around Ponyville, I’m sure they would keep an eye on them and make sure they aren’t conspirators.

And so here I am… standing…
My chair was still non-existent and I couldn’t rather I SHOULD’NT lean or sit on my desk.

After all, one does not simply touch mahogany.

I used this time to contemplate the things in my mind.

Celestia thought I went rogue? We assassins are known to be shady and secretive but maybe this whole Dave business has gotten both of us over the edge. Maybe the Equestrian Military ponies would prove to be valuable assistance should Ponyville be attacked.
I can trust the Princess...maybe but…
If she doesn’t trust me would that be pointless? Again the answer is simple.

Find out what Project Purify is, kill Dave and Balthazar, get the Apple and save the world.

…I wish it was that easy and when we do have the Apple will it create any problems?

Now this is why I don’t take a break, now I’m confused again and pissed off.

With a sigh of frustration from my thoughts Ace flew inside the hideout and dropped three letters on my desk.

“Hey Ace thank you for the mail,” I said to him as I picked up the mail.

Ace crossed his wings and gave me a stern look, he was annoyed about something but I don`t know what.
He slapped his wing on his head and gave a loud *SWAAK* at me.

“…..OH! You want compensation! Of course Ace here let me get something…” I said as I started to look through a pile of boxes.

From the boxes I pulled out a potato, but it wasn’t an ordinary potato it was a potato…. WITH CHEESE!

The potato flew through the air as I had thrown it and my hidden blade shot out from underneath it, slicing it into fry-like proportions which landed next to Ace who happily gobbled up the treat.

Now looking at the mail I found one from Celestia, Le Duck, and an advertisement for increasing the size of one’s wingboners……. which then got shredded by Ace as he finished his potato.

I first started with Celestia’s Letter:

Dear Shadow Mark,
I was worried that my message would have not reached you in time. And from your lack of reply I assume that something has ‘happened’ so I have sent 3 of my best Equestrian Military personal to make sure that you and the others would be safe.
I don’t like being in the dark Shadow as I am sure you wouldn’t like it too. If it is about Dave please be extremely careful. Dave is…. not normal….
In fact I wouldn’t put it past him if he’s been intercepting our letters. He is that powerful.
Shadow I await your quick response and hope that the Assassins and yourself didn’t experience anything traumatizing… or worse.

-Celestia

I took a quill and still standing from my desk I wrote my reply to her letter.

Dear Princess,
I’m terribly sorry that I couldn’t write to you for what seems like ages.
Before I say anything else I need to tell you something.

I’m not rogue.

I know you’ve sent those 3 to first find me and presuming that if I had let corruption take hold of me I would be filled with bullets right about now. To be honest Princess I’m flattered you would send three Equestrian Military operatives to “see” me especially that Spectrum, Commander Beard.

Sorry if I’m acting a bit rude but it just so happens that during the time you sent them we were fighting a Griefer sent by Dave in the Everfree Forest.
And yes I am talking about Griefers you could go there and see the destruction it did to the forest. Rex is in the hospital with near-death wounds and everyone else is fine.

I’m sure that Twilight will bring you up to date and confirm about what my suspicions for Dave and the rest of the mission include.
-Shadow Mark

I sealed the letter and placed it next to Ace who was taking a small nap on top of my desk, not wanting to disturb him I carefully take the letter from Le Duck and open it.

Greetings from the Pondriatic!

Hello Shadow! How is my favourite nephew doing?
I could tell not that well from the letter you’ve written to me also a drawing by Mareio was enclosed. He would have instantly failed Pony kindergarten easily, HAHA just kidding!

Now this business with Dave, I knew this day would come sooner or later. Shadow, Dave is…. well let’s just say that he’s more deceptive than Balthazar and I would say about 3.7 times more ruthless, he might not seem bad but he is a master of mind-bending, and I'm sure contact with the Apple has changed him to a level even I could not comprehend or relate to.

He is also…. isn’t… bah that’s not important for now, the important thing to remember is that he is obsessed with balance, he will do ANYTHING to become whole once more.

So please Shadow, don’t do anything rash while I’m disabling a warhead over here.
Also send me a letter if Dave has done anything to your or the rest of your team.

- A Duck will always be watching, Le Duck

I laughed at his letter and wrote him how Dave had brought a Griefer over to Equestria and nearly killed us then told us about a party or something. I added in some personal updates as well as my friends and ended with Celestia sending her military ‘assistance’. Finally I restated my thoughts about Dave why he is either trying to kill us, or he's not doing a good job and from the battle at the lake I could tell he can kill us at anytime he wants to.

I put both the letters together and cracked my back.

Standing and writing is not a good combination.

Ace was now soundly asleep with no intention of waking up, but there was still one person that could send these letters.

Spike! To Twilight’s house!

Gliding over Ponyville with the wind through my mane never had felt more relaxing than it did before.

I’m sure it was because a Griefer nearly killed me last night that I’m feeling slightly more loving about living.
And also the thought of getting my payback with Dave brightens my mood.

Just as I was gliding over a café I noticed Commander Beard and Garrus sitting at a table with Applejack and Pinkie nowhere in sight.
I landed behind the building and quickly ran to a table with a newspaper and held it to my face, I also made sure to remember my hood was up.
I peered past the newspaper to see Beard drinking a small cup of java and Garrus was doing something with his gun.

I went up from my table and went to one that was closer. Then I got closer and closer until….

“HEY! WHAT’S UP!? WHERE’S THE OTHERS?” I shouted with a fake smile from the chair in front of them.

Commander Beard spilt his coffee and fell out from his dining chair, and Garrus accidentally pulled the trigger of his gun and shot a bullet into the air alerting everyone to shocks and gasps.

“GAH! SHADOW!? How?” Commander Beard lifted himself from the ground and reseated himself into the toppled chair. "Never mind, you have your skills that's a good thing."

“Relax Shadow, those two showed us around town then left to do their own things. I’m sure you can find them after all the things we’ve heard about you from the briefing room,” Garrus said while re-polishing his gun.

“Alright then, so what are you two doing now?” I asked them.

“We’re on our downtime right now. Believe me when I say being a Spectrum isn’t the easiest job in Equestria. We try to enjoy our downtime whenever we can so I thought I could see around town later and maybe… endorse a few stores. While Garrus on the other hand, he’s… um…..”

“Calibrating my gun," Garrus said without taking his eyes off it.

“Guns are boring,” I blankly say.

Garrus stopped calibrations and looked at me with a slight hint of annoyance.

“Oh so you melee everything then? That must save you a lot of bruises.”

I facehoofed, "I have range equipment. Throwing knives, bombs….”

Beard cut me off, “But you must want a better more accurate device to shoot from? I could tell by that fight with the Griefer you could have used some long-range weaponry and avoided a few attacks.”

That is true, throwing knives are good but I might need something else in case I can't reach one…

“So that’s why you go to Equestrian Arms and buy yourself a Magnum XXS Calibar…”

“What about a crossbow?” I rudely cut Garrus off.

He shook his head, “Too big, you will get noticed right away.”

A passing mother and child looked at us and the child noticed Garrus’s sniper rifle on his lap.

“Hey Mommy why is that blue armored pony carrying a metal stick, I want one of those!”

“No you don’t! Don’t look at him!”

She shielded her son and scurried away as far from the café as possible, I gestured my hoof towards Garrus to explain himself.

“Well I’m not an assassin and I love to get noticed by my supporters and fans.”

Commander Beard facehoofed, “Garrus…”

“Eh sorry about that. So like I was saying you should get something smaller and less conspicuous.”

Something less noticeable but not a gun…… AHA! That’s it!

“How about a crossbow bolt? I could get Twilight to modify my blade with a bolt firing option. Hidden and Practical!”

They both nodded and Beard said, “That could work, you could even mod it for different situations.”

“Good, I’ll head over to Twilight’s place and tell her about this idea. I’m sure by then Mareio would have fixed Rex.”

“Mareio is handy, without him I’m sure that besides Rex a lot of ponies like me and Garrus would be already dead.”

“Say, how did you meet Mareio?” I asked them with a quizzical look.

“Classified.” Garrus said.

Figures…

I got up from the table and casually trotted over to Twilight’s tree a few blocks from here.

“I still say he should have chosen the gun…”

Classified, of course. I seriously hope they aren’t acting this out, otherwise they would be pretty good Templars.
Pretty dead as well.

But in today’s world the line between ally and foe is too faded. I should stop these paranoid thoughts, after all it wouldn’t matter once Dave is dead.

Then I would have a clear head…. I hope.

Still at least I’m probably going to get a new invention from Twilight soon. Speaking of Twilight…

I stopped in front of Twilight’s tree house and raised a hoof to the door to knock.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

Damn it! I knew Dave was lying!

I broke through the door into the house and with a heroic cry I shouted, “Don’t worry Twilight! I will…. I…”

Her whole library was a mess, piles and piles of books littered the floor covering up any piece of furniture in between the room. I saw Twilight with her mane frazzled while frantically reading through a book.

“No not this one, I need to know. I NEED TO KNOW!” she shouted as she threw the book towards me.

I caught it in the air with my hoof and said, “Twilight what happened here? Where’s Spike?”

“Learning learning, need to read about Griefers need to find the truth… the truth the truth MUST BE HERE!” she dived into a pile of books and began to rummage through them.

“TWILIGHT!” I grabbed her and retrained her, “Calm down, I know what you must be going through. When I learned that was a real Griefer I couldn’t believe it either! Twilight, listen to me.”

She stared into my eyes without a word.

“I need you sane, WE need you sane. Otherwise how would our team function? I’m busy enough as it is and I’m sure that Applejack must’ve had a hard time making sure you girls are safe while I’m away killing myself or some other reason. As I said in the beginning my goal is to keep you Assassins safe at all costs. I don't want you to be hurt, physically or emotionally. I'm the leader and I should bear the burdens of my fellow friends.
Everypony who died in Ponitaly, I’m the one to blame for their deaths,” I solemnly said.

"Shadow it's not your..."

“Twilight… it’s okay, we may never know why we can only just observe and act. After all how would life be interesting if we knew everything? That’s what the Princess has been doing this time and without the Templars Equestria would be a true paradise for everypony but just like us Celestia doesn't know everything and if she did then what? Consider that Twi.
Now, let’s clean up this mess and organize your books.”

I held my hoof to her and helped her up.

“Thanks Shadow.”

“Anytime.”

As we cleaned up the room I heard Spike shout again from inside the house.

“Where is he?” I asked as I shoved a pile of books onto a shelf.

“Spike’s in the washroom, he still has another day to go through Mareio’s ‘treatment’,” she levitated a book onto a neat pile.

Poor guy, guess those letters will be delayed.

I was about to give Twilight my letters and the plan for the Hidden Crossbolt when I tripped on a book lying on the ground. It flipped to a page and my eyes landed on the words.

“Oh Edzeo, how can you overcome this task?”

“Like this…” he revealed not two but a third hidden blade.

“Impressive,” the sultry woman admired his ‘third’ blade with ecstasy.

I facehoofed but continued reading.

Edzeo plunged all three blades into the hole, he thrusted them further and further making sure they were all in securely. He pushed them back and forth rubbing them from inside the hole; the heat was tremendous from Edzeo’s pushing strength.

“Come on! I need to go faster!”

Faster and faster he thrust his blades into the hole making each impact with the side rattle the cage.

The heat grew too intense for the mare and she passed out just as Edzeo finished with one last thrust.

From the cage lock in front of him burned out from his lock picking strategy, had broken apart and now Edzeo can explore the mysterious cavern of the ‘Prance Tunnel’.

I immediately closed the book.

NO PONY SHOULD READ THIS, IT’S TOO SUBLIMINAL!

I lifted my chest robe pocket and saw a pile of ash, I remembered that it was the past subliminal book I secretly took from Twilight to avoid her to exposure.

Guess the Griefer fried it….. excellent.

I stuffed the book into my coat so it would never see the light of day until I throw it into a fire.

“Oh Twilight when Spike is feeling better could you get him to send these letters?” I hoofed her letters and she nodded.

“Also I was wondering if you could make something for me. A modification for my hidden blade?”

“Maybe Shadow, what is it?”

“A Hidden CrossBolt, cause a gun would blast my hoof off,” I smiled.

Chapter 33: Shadow's Regiment Training: Part 2

“Thank you again Twilight!” I waved my hoof to her as I left her house.

Now while Twilight is making that device I should find the Commander and see Rex at the hospital.

With a nice mood to my step I went back to the Café shop where I thought they were still sitting at. I arrived and saw that their table was empty.

A pony wearing a café outfit and carrying a tray of drinks started to clean the table.

“Excuse me Madonna! But did you happen to see where these ponies at the table went off to?”

“No, sorry I just started my shift. I’m sure they’re not that far from here.”

Darn, I better find them before they do something too noticeable.

I thanked her and ran towards a house connected to a series of other houses. I ran up the wall and climbed to the top and began to sprint my way across the rooftops.

My eyes darted left and right, scanning for the two power-armored soldiers that should be walking somewhere within the market district.

Seriously, how difficult is it to find a brightly coloured blue pony carrying a sniper rifle and a shining black armored Commander with an assault rifle?

-------2 hours later--------------

WHY IS PONYVILLE SO COLOURFUL!?

After running without a break on the rooftops (plus a few pots and baskets accidentally getting smashed) I leaped down from a low roof to the market below. My body landed with a slight thud but was noticed by some passersby who mumbled why I would do something like that.

“Is he crazy?”

“I have a feeling that he isn’t going to live very long.”

“Feels like I’ve seen him before, is he a foreigner?”

“Hey Shadow!” said a farmer accented voice from behind me.

I turned around to see Applejack waving at me from an unfinished apple stand.

Good, at least they didn’t hurt her and I’m assuming Pinkie’s safe as well.
Maybe I should trust them more….
But never completely.

Ignoring the bewildered ponies and heading to Applejack’s stand I saw that she was unloading a large supply of apples from a barrel.

“Hello Applejack, would you like some help?” I offered.

“No thanks,” she said now lifting a heavy looking box from her supply pile, “I’m just fine!”

“Now Applejack, you do know that it’s supposed to be a day of relaxing. After all we did take down a Griefer! Here let me assist you at least,” I said picking up a box full of apples.

“So Applejack *hnerg* did you happen to see Beard or Garrus anywhere? *aah*”

“I think so, they were doing some store endorsing or something…. hey isn’t that them there?” he dropped her box and pointed at a couch store with blue and black outlined ponies.

“Great! Say Applejack, after I visit Rex would you like me to help at your farm? I need to train still even though the rest of you aren’t going to for today.”

“Sure Shadow! That sounds like a handy good use of your time! But… aren’t ya forgetting something?” she looked at me quizzical.

What more was there? Maybe I need to visit everypony else? I gave my letters to Ace… Mareio is at the hospital…. There’s something missing…

Applejack sees me hard in thought and says, “Applebloom told me that you are going to do a guest lesson at the school later today.”

I facehoofed, personally I blamed the Griefer for making me forget.

“But there’s still time before I need to show right?” I asked her.

She nodded but said, “There’s not that much time left, you could maybe do one more thing.”

“Thanks Applejack, see you at the farm later!” I waved to her as I went straight towards the blue and black outlines.

“….yes I know I’m a random stranger but I’m telling you that if I endorse your store your sales will triple! So let me say this again, I’m Comm---”

“Commander!” I shouted at him who was arguing with the couch store’s manager, Garrus was off to the side hustling him as well.

“Hi Shadow, did Twilight make the modification yet?” he asked.

“No, now what I need to ask you two is when you get to the hospital could you tell Dr. Mareio to come see me after at the school when he’s done treating Rex?”

“Sure thing Shadow, might even tag along,” Garrus replied.

Satisfied with their answer I ran through a crowd of ponies towards the schoolhouse.

Commnader Beard turned his head back to the manager, “Alright, where were we…..” he said with a devious smile with Garrus slapping his rifle with his other hoof.

*GULP*

Got to move faster got to move faster!

I see the school right before me with the children entering it from their recess conclusion.

I’m going to make it!

*RING*

I’M GOING TO MAKE IT!

I jump through the front gate and saw the impatient Cheerlie stomping for hoof at the doorway.

With a sigh of relief from the running I trotted up to her and apologized,

“Sorry, am I late Miss Cheerlie?”

She undid her serious expression and went to one of pure radiance, “Just on time Shadow, come the class is waiting for your lesson.”

I brought my hood behind my neck and stepped into the schoolhouse to be met with salutations and applause from the students inside.

“YA SHADOW I WANT TO LEARN!”

“PONITALY! WOOOO!”

“I told you he’d show up!” I recognized Applebloom talking to a pink pony wearing a tiara.

“Settle down children, settle down!” Cheerlie raised a hoof, “Now today is special because we have Shadow Mark here to teach us all about his hometown and his many adventures around Equestria. So I want all of you to be on your best behaviour!” she smiled.

The pink tiara wearing pony stuck out her tongue and Cheerlie quickly responded, “Especially you Diamond Tiara!” she sunk back into her desk.

“Okay Shadow you can begin when you’re ready,” she smiled at me then took a seat at her desk.

“Well thank you Madonna Cheerlie, as many of you must know I’m not from Ponyville. Rather I’m from a wonderful city called Ponitaly which is very far from Ponyville. She was known as the city of culture and political debate,” I laughed.

A hoof rose up from a desk, “Yes what is your question?”

“Why are you talking with a funny accent? And why did you call Miss Cheerlie Madonna? Also why did you call Ponitaly a she?” said a small white pony, pipsqueakish in size.

“Well, ponies from all over Equestria had developed their own languages, mine is Ponitalian. We refer to places and ships as having both female and male qualities. Madonna is Ponitalian for Miss or Madam.” I answered him.

“Really Pip? You didn’t know that, why I think Shadow’s information on Ponitaly is too easy for me to even consider learning!” Diamond Tiara said with inattention.

I guess she’s the troublemaker of this class; I’d better keep an eye on her…

“Any more questions before I proceed on Ponitaly’s history?” I asked the class.

An orange hoof belonging to Scootaloo rose up, “Forget Tiara, what I want to know is where did you get those cool ash burns!?” she pointed to my outfit.

What ash burns, I don’t see any… oh damn.
The Griefer strikes again.
Even in death it’s still tormenting me.

“Well..... there was a fire... in the Everfree, I saw the smoke from the town last night and I made my way over there as quickly as I could, being the good Samaritan as I was. I arrived there to see a bunch of traveling ponies who were camping when they heard something strange and their fire spilled onto a tree,” I lied.

“I’m sure you can see them in town, they look very professional as I found out they were part of Equestria’s Finest. Also I’m going to the hospital later to see if one of them is alright from the blaze.”

Take that Beard and Garrus, now you will have children to deal with later!

I silently chuckled to myself when Tiara’s hoof went up, “I don’t see the point in why we’re doing this, you’re just boasting about what you did. I bet none of those stories were even true!”

Cheerlie went to speak but I quickly stuck my hoof out to tell her I’ll take care of this.

“Ah but Tiara, I am teaching you things. The fact I didn’t say squat about Ponitaly’s history and the only story so far was one from last night is what I needed to teach you about.”

“Do you understand him Silver Spoon?” she asked a grey filly next to her, “Anypony?”

“For one thing patience, the next listening, finally interpreting. After all what I can be saying is a lie. In fact I might not even be Shadow Mark!” I laughed.

“WHAT!?”

“As such attaining information is a very risky business. But it isn’t the same as learning, if you really want to learn about Ponitaly I’m not enough. One would have to actually go to Ponitaly to truly learn about it. Sadly, that’s no longer the case…”

“Shadow, you aren’t making sense! What are you talking about?” Tiara yelled at me.

“Ponitaly’s history of course! Now that is an example of how the politics felt like in Ponitaly, a debate if you will with no clear side or plan of action for its citizens. Okay enough of my little philosophical understanding of the pony’s mind and government system, let’s do some Ponitaly lessons!”

Tiara was completely confused, she shutted up and looked at me with sheer determination to not be as confused and humiliated as she was just now.

I love my persuasion abilities…

After talking about the ancient history of Ponitaly I moved onto the more recent times of its history. Specifically the time between my birth and now.

“So then Balthazar the High Duke took a visit to Ponitaly. (Smug bastard, how I'd like to tear him limb from limb)
And the government…”

“Excuse me Shadow?” Applebloom raised her hoof, “I heard from my sister that you had a rough time in Ponitaly, would talking about it make you feel better?”

I should have expected this… guess I should talk about my past somewhat. Might help with my sleep as Mareio had suggested so long ago.

I took a breath and sighed, “I once had a family, a brother and the most wonderful parents a pony could ever ask for. I just wish that…. well there was a ‘fire’ at my home, made by some horrible ponies,” I said solemnly making sure to lie about the murder scenes and other gory stuff of my family’s death.

“Then after… I don’t know how I lived. Luckily I still have my beautiful…. sorry, I mean had… and… after a while things didn’t feel as normal as one might had expected. I was also married.”

“A few years later and all of Ponitaly was just…. gone…”

“Everything… Everypony…. all just…"

"There was no one left for me...I was all alone......... it was my fault….. I…. I’m sorry,” I said not refering to the children in front of me.

Tears were forming in my saddened eyes, the entire class fell into sad silence with a few muffles of crying, even Cheerlie noticed she was beginning to shed a tear.

“What I should be saying is we shouldn’t forget the past, rather we should take the information from it and use it for the future,” I ended with a pang of guilt in my heart.

Tiara raised her hoof with shakiness, “Did that all happen, is Ponitaly really…”

I nodded.

“Oh….”

Well I just completely killed the mood, I don’t even know why talking about this helps anypony. To see all these sad faces… knowing it’s my fault… knowing that Ponitaly was also my fault.
Mareio is a doctor, not a psychiatrist… hehe

“Well it wasn’t all bad, I managed to escape from the siege of Ponitaly with a hawk friend named Ace and a pony doctor named Mareio. Also I discovered that my Uncle is alright! Though I have no idea why he’s in the Pondriatic at the moment.”

This gave some laughter to the classroom and so I continued, “Hope is what we can fight for, with hope anything can happen. That’s why I believe that with one of us standing Ponitaly’s tradition and culture with never go away!
I just wish that Mareio’s mushrooms didn’t have so many side-effects, I really didn’t want to turn my wings into a butterfly's, SUNLIGHT HURTS!”

“Not to mention the time I could barely use the washroom, 3 days he said, small pain he said!”

More laughter came from the class now until the pony called Pip asked, “Is that Mareio over there?”

I looked at the window to see Mareio’s face completely pressed up against the glass making a funny face. The class burst out into laughter as Cheerlie stifled a giggle and opened the window.

“AH HELLO EVERYPONY! IT’SA ME MAREIO!”

“SHADOW YOU MUST COME! REX IS AWAKE!”

“What!? He is? Sorry class but I think I might need to go now and check up on that friend in the hospital.”

“It was nice to have you here Shadow, make sure to come by and tell us about the places you’ve been too!” Cheerlie waved to me.

“Will do, Miss Cheerlie also how did you think I did?” I asked her as I headed for the window.
“You have style but a teaching position wouldn’t be enough for your ambition, maybe a principal?” she said.

“I might consider that Miss Cheerlie,” I said getting my legs ready towards the window.

I burst into a run through the classroom, “Arriverderci students learn hard and study well!”
I then jumped through the window right onto Mareio who then picked me up and we began to head for the hospital.

“LET’S A GO!”

We burst through the hospital doors… without opening them. Glass sprayed all over the reception office just like last time with some shocks and gasps coming from waiting family members.

“Don’t worry! I’MMA DOCTOR!” Mareio shouted before running down the left hallway.

I followed him ignoring the glass pieces everywhere and met him at an open doorway.

“Rexy! You have a visitor!” I heard Garrus’s voice from the inside of the room.

*SMASH*

“Hey! Watch where you throw that lamp!”

I quickly made my way inside the room with Mareio closing the door behind me.
The hospital room was completely white in colour with two beds each carrying a patient. One was a light green pony covered in a full body cast.

The other contained a giant red muscular pony covered in scars and bandages. Beard and Garrus sat in a chair in front of the red pony, the wall behind Garrus had a lot of holes and debris from the various broken pieces of furniture scattered around him.

“Rex, how do you feel?” I asked him from the side of his bed.

“With me being in bed all day, a Griefer fried me like a bacon strip, I fell off a cliff, and now Garrus is talking crap about me I wold say fine. Except that Mareio over there did something to me when I was asleep.”

“My ass is killing me for some reason.”

Mareio, you and your suppositories, may I never take one ever again.

We all laughed. When we stopped we heard a feminine giggle coming from behind us.

A pink blur shot up into the air, “HIYA! I’ve come to cheer you up Mr. Rexysaurous!”

“Hey Pinkie,” I said casually.

“Why are you so calm about this? She just appeared out from nowhere!” Commander Beard said in surprise.

“Believe me Beard when I say, Assassins have experienced very, very interesting lives.”

Pinkie was now dancing on top of Rex’s bed, Mareio also joined in the fun and began to sing along.

“Rex you are so sick!”

“He’s really sick!”

“That griefing Greifer made you sick!”

“He really Griefed!”

"Now in a medium sized bed!"

"It really is too small!"

“He is sick from a Griefer…. And now he’s stuck in bed!”

“SHUT UP ALL OF YOU, MY ASS IS ON FIRE!” Rex shouted at them throwing both Pinkie and Mareio off from his bed.

Mareio pulled out a small mushroom then hoofed it to Rex with his same smile, “Take this, I’m sure you know where to put it!”

Rex grabbed the shroom then devoured it in his mouth.

“Close enough,” Mareio whispered to me.

“So… what now? I’m getting pretty bored after spamming Rex with my creative remarks.”

“Me too! Let’s do something fun!” Pinkie shouted.

“Like what?” me and Beard asked.

“Fight….” Rex said from the bed, a sinister wide smile spread across his mouth.

I shrugged, “Why not? Good for training I guess. Alright Beard you versus me. I want to see how a Spectrum can fight!”

“You’re on Shadow!”

We all left the room minus Rex, Mareio and the fully casted colt.

“I’ll watch from this window here,” Rex said weakly getting out from his bed and heading for the window.

“Okie Dokie!” Mareio said to Rex.

Mareio turned to the other patient with his doctorate smile as he pulled out a mushroom.
The casted pony started to shake and muffled screams came from him as he tried to fidget away from the advancing doctor.

*mmfm*

Mareio was next to him, smiling while holding the mushroom closer to the patient, his smile never went away, it never changed not even for a moment. The pony’s eyes went wide as Mareio lifted his tail and held the mushroom in his other hoof.

“I love my job!” Mareio happily said before giving the patient his ‘medicine’.

Now outside of the hospital I turned to Beard as he hoofed his gun over to Garrus.

“So how do you want to do this? Fight until one gives up?”

“Though it’s a friendly fight, so I’ll make sure not to break any of your bones,” Beard laughed.

“Then I’ll make sure not the break your precious armor then,” I grinned.

“OH! THIS GONNA BE GOOD!” Pinkie yelled from excitement attracting the visitors in the hospital outside.

“I’m glad I don’t have to do this. Might ruin my reputation if I was randomly beating up ponies,” Garrus whispered to Pinkie.

We assumed our positions from each other; I shouted “You ready Beard?”

“Always!” he replied.

“3….2….1…. RUMBLE!” Pinkie shouted through a microphone she pulled out from her pocket.

I jumped forward landing a blow to Beard’s side which he blocked with his right hoof.
He counter-attacked by thrusting his hoof out forward which I grabbed onto. A knee came up underneath my hold and hit me in the chest.

“First blood Shadow,” Beard boasted as I recovered from the attack.

I snickered then ran towards him, he brought his hoofs out forward but I got low and side a leg sweep right from under him. Beard fell onto his back on the grass.

“Alright no holding back!”

The Commander leaped from his back onto his hooves then charged me head on, his body slammed into mine and I flew backwards.
I righted myself just as Beard charged me once more, I jumped into the air and did a vertical spin kick right onto his head.

“Ooooh, that’s gotta hurt!” Garrus commented as he closed his eyes from the sight.

I wasn’t done yet. After landing back on the ground I leaped up into the air once more and extended my elbow towards his back.
Landing straight onto his armor with my elbow, the armor withstood the force and my elbow didn’t causing me to wince out in pain.

Damn that armor is thick.

“Gotta love these: armor, shields, and a minimal mobility loss.” Beard said from underneath me as he raised me up into the air with his hoofs.

He threw me down to the ground with all his might, I did a back somersault just as my flank reached the ground and I was able to stand back onto my 4 hoofs.

I stamped the ground with my front hoof breathing out steam from my nose.
Beard taughted me and I rushed towards him.

“Oh I know what he’s going to do, this will be so good! Popcorn?” Pinkie offered the bag to Garrus.

The Commander stood ready to intercept my attack. As he stood there I reached past his head with my hoof and grabbed onto his armor, I vaulted myself over his back.

*KER-KICK*

A powerful roundhouse kick hit the Commander straight at his flank as he was sent flying by my attack.

“Go Shadow! Kick his flank! …. Even though you already did it…. KICK IT AGAIN!” Pinkie supported me.

A round of applause came from the crowd of hospital visitors, doctors, and patients alike watching our fight.

“Come on Beard! Let’s show these ponies a real battle! Hoofticuffs!” I shouted to him.

We got within close-quarters of each other and consecutively began to land and dodge blows on each other.

“Got to admit *pow* you are pretty strong *block*,” Beard said as he launched a hoof at me.

I blocked it with one hoof and countered with another, “Not bad for a Spectrum!” I laughed.

He hoofed me in the face and I hoofed him in the stomach.

“Who’s gonna win? The suspense is killing me!” Pinkie shouted in nervousness.

Time to finish this.

I brought my head back and launched it forward.

The Commander did the same and launched his.

*HEAD-SMASH*

We both recoiled from the attack and passed out onto the ground.

“Tie?” he asked me through panted breaths.

“Deal.”

“YAAAA WOOOHOOO, AMAZING!” the crowd of ponies shouted around us: applauses, flowers, and cheers fell down before us.

I helped Beard up to his hooves and we both bowed to the crowd.

“Interesting, Shadow is certainly keeping it low profile,” Garrus sarcastically said.

“WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?”

The applauses stopped and a section of the crowd moved revealing a sandy coloured pony wearing glasses and a floppy grey mane.

The Mayor… crap

“Oh if it isn’t Shadow Mark, that explains the fighting,” she turned her attention to the other ponies and said, “Alright everypony back to the hospital!”

They moaned in displeasure and the crowd dissipated.

“Can somepony explain to me, what the hay is going on?” the Mayor seriously said.

“Well you see Miss Mayor we were…” I was beginning to explain myself when I was cut off by Commander Beard.

“Mamn we were doing a routine training schedule offered by the Equestrian Military. I was sent here to see if Shadow would like to be an asset to the war effort,” Beard winked at me.

“Yes, sadly I don’t see myself as going into the army. I prefer to stay here and spend time in this wonderful town. Maybe go adventuring once in a while,” I said with certainty towards the Mayor.

She squinted her eyes down on me until Garrus walked up behind her and said, “Relax Mayor, we do this stuff all the time. It’s just that the practice fighting is usually for rare cases.”

“HI MAYOR HOW ARE YOU!?” Pinkie jumped up next to her.

“Oh hi Pinkie, maybe I’ve been acting with a bit with prejudice towards Shadow. I just want this town to be safe, ever since he’s got here… I don’t know a bad feeling perhaps,” she sighed.

“Don’t worry Miss Mayor; I usually try to stay blended into Ponyville’s background. I wouldn’t like to see any harm come to it either.”

She smiled then gave me a death glare, “I’m still going to watch you Shadow Mark, and you better not do anything to mess up my town…”

The Mayor trotted off into the distance and Garrus said, “Let me guess, you’re the friendly incognito assassin neighbor? Still she has a big grudge towards you Shadow, what did you do?”

“Honestly, I don’t know….”

*GASP* “SHADOW WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!?”

I looked behind and saw Rarity and Fluttershy gasping in shock at my tattered, ash-stained clothes which were also covered in small blood splatter from the fight.

“Oh Rarity it’s no problem, I can still work and look good doing it,” I smiled as I lifted my posture providing sex appeal to everyone who saw me.

Rarity started to drool but then Fluttershy snapped her out of it, “No you need me to wash it, and I need you to help me design clothes!”

Design… clothes… standing for hours again?
I’ll have to go back to that place, with the needles, material, and standing?
No I don’t want to go back, never want to go back.

Curse you father for making me and my brother wait for 6 hours getting that outfit ready for that banker meeting!

Wow… maybe I should stop reliving these horrible past memories I’m having…

….

Why do I suddenly feel lighter?

I looked down to see me hovering a few feet off the ground in a light-blue light.

“Rarity…. You know what, I will count to 60 and if I’m not out of this magic aura by then, then I will break it…” I seriously said with a blank morbid expression on my face.

1…2…3…

“Maybe you should do what he says Rarity, he looks…angry,” Fluttershy tried to persuade her noticing my morbid expression.

6…7…8…

“Fluttershy darling, he’s just nervous about stepping back into my clothing store again. He doesn’t want to admit it but he’s a fashion inspiration to all of Equestria!” she beamed.

…..I sort of like that comment, I’d better restart then…

1…….2……..3…….4…….5…

Garrus then whispers to Beard, “Try to get an endorsement from her later.”

Chapter 34: Shadow's Regiment Training Part 3

We entered into Rarity`s house/clothing store, Rarity was busy babbling on about the new designs she would be able to finally apply to her artistic talent. Fluttershy trotted with a fearful pace behind my floating body, she was nervous about eye-contact but she never took an eye off my serious expression. Fluttershy knew I was doing something, and whatever it was it was coming soon.

50…51….52…

“It will just be darling! I can’t wait to try out these new ideas!” Rarity cheerfully galloped as she still suspended me in the air with her magic.

53…54…55…

“I know I don’t mean to brag, but this is just absolutely fabulous!” Rarity said with flair, not noticing Fluttershy gently poking her in the chest.

“Rarity, I think you should see Shadow….Rarity?”

56…57…58...59...

Fluttershy desperately tried to snap Rarity out of her fashion fantasy state, but didn’t notice me raise my hidden blade towards Rarity’s magical aura surrounding me as I counted up to fifty-nine.

“SIXTY! THAT’S IT!” I shouted through my confinement alerting both Fluttershy and Rarity.

I plunged my blade into the magical aura and a second later it popped and I dropped to the ground, anger flowing through my veins.

“Shadow! How did you?” Rarity began to ask but I quickly shoved her away from me as I dashed past her towards a table.

On the table stood a lamp, just your average fancy decorative lamp one might see anywhere. I grasped it in my hoof and turned my head towards Rarity who was dumbfounded and Fluttershy how was cowering from fright.

“What are you doing with my lamp!?”

I swung my hoof bringing the lamp towards the floor; it crashed in a series of pieces with the floor tiles beneath it causing a slightly hard hole to form.

“RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!” I shouted into the noon sun.

After my shout I calmed down and cleared my throat, “Alright, let’s do this before I change my mind. After all I need to help you pay for the damages,” I smirked as I stepped over the broken floor tiles.

Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief, “At least that’s done with.”

I took off my robes which were still ash stained and slightly burned from the Griefer fight and hoofed them to Rarity.

“I’m ready, just make it quick.”

Rarity looked at my robes in her hoofs and her face turned to one of pure joy.

“….INSPIRATION!” she exclaimed as she skipped to a different room, Fluttershy looked at me and I shrugged.

“Shadow… how did you break the magic with your blade… also why are you so scared about clothing stores? I mean I’m scared of everything but never of Rarity’s boutique, do you want to talk about it… that is… if it doesn’t make you uncomfortable…” Fluttershy said.

“An interesting thing Fluttershy is that magic barriers always have one weakness, a successful strike on the right area and its down. As for my fear of clothing stores, it’s not really a fear just a series of agitating long events that was caused by my father’s bank meetings.”

“The short version is, he was very fussy with style always dress to impress. For me and my brother… well let’s just say 6 hours of being prodded with a needle has its repercussions.”

“I find clothes to be quite comfortable if I find the right ones. Also if you didn’t realize I’m technically still training today while everyone else isn’t. That’s why Fluttershy, could you do something for me if I start to relive one of those memories?”

“Sure Shadow, I would be glad to help you. Um... just asking what is it?”

“Stare at me,” I said seriously.

“St... stare?” she asked nervously to which I nodded my head just as Rarity entered the room carrying a series of fabrics and needles.

“Alright Shadow let’s begin your cultural expedition!” Rarity then hoofed my old clothes to Fluttershy, “Could you be a dear and fix these while I work on Shadow?”

“Well… I’m going to have my hoofs full watching Shadow and…” she squeaked but was ignored by Rarity who had put an outline on top of my back.

“Here we go!” Rarity said bringing her needle down on me.

Oh no, I knew I should’ve jumped out a window after I broke her lamp….

“Come on Shadow! Just a few more stiches!” Rarity encouraged me as I started to sweat profusely.

I can do this… I can do this……. NOPE!

“Fluttershy stare! STARE AT ME BEFORE I LOSE MYSELF!” I shouted at her as a repressed memory of bargain hunting burst into my mind, making me relive the horrifying moments of shopper rage.

Fluttershy dropped my robes she was working on and grabbed my head to look into her wide open eyes.

I stared deep into her eyes, my memory spasm stopped and all was calm, except for the fact we were now having another ‘stare’ contest.

“I’m not losing this time Fluttershy!” I joked to her as rarity prodded the needle at my side.

We stared at each other for what felt like eons then finally came the satisfying sound I’ve waited for all this time.

“Done!”

Fluttershy closed her eyes to release her stare hold and Rarity removed the fabrics from my body.

“Whew who knew dressing up could be so agitating?” Rarity laughed as Fluttershy hoofed my fixed clothes to me and I put them on.

“Well I don’t know about you Rarity or Fluttershy but I’ve learned a lot from this little event.”

“Oh really?” Fluttershy said.

“Patience and assistance, plus here’s hoping I don’t break anything else in Rarity’s house!” I laughed.

Our laughter was stopped when a nearby window crashed bringing a cyan Pegasus flying through the room and landing into a pile of dresses.

“Man Shadow, how do you do those window jumps anyways?” Rainbow Dash said while holding her head from her dizzying impact.

“Rainbow! What a pleasant surprise to see you here, even though you broke my window…” Rarity said with a fake smile.

I came over to the cyan Pegasus and helped her up to her hooves, “You should be more careful Rainbow; my outfit protects me from most of the shattered glass.”

“Ya…but I guess that slows you down right? I need to be the fastest flier in Equestria!” she said.

“Well, I’m still fast despite my outfit. Remember when we raced up the hideout, also remember who won?” I baited Rainbow with my trap.

“Of course I won, I’m the best!” she boasted.

“And on the way down I did so it was a draw,” I smirked, Rainbow’s face went to a bright red.

Trap card activated!

“No! I won and I will prove it again, I challenge you Shadow to a race to see who really is the most fast and daring of us!”

“Ok Rainbow I accept. Where do you want to race to?”

Rainbow went over to the window and scanned outside until she spotted something.

“That mountain over there!” she pointed her hoof to a nearby mountain. “First on to get to the top wins!”

I motioned my hoofs towards the window, “Ladies first.”

Rainbow had an annoyed look on her face then quickly flew out the window towards the mountain, I tuck and rolled through the window and chased after her on hoof.
Fluttershy and rarity were left behind bewildered.

“Um… what just happened?” Fluttershy asked.

“I don’t know, now I need to replace my window… again,” Rarity facehoofed.

I was chasing Dash who was miles ahead of me with her wing power as we raced through the town of Ponyville.

So it would be Ponyville, then some forest and finally the mountain itself. This race is more about endurance rather than speed. I’m sure to catch up once she’s burned out.

Still I should take as many shortcuts as I can.

Avoiding the filled streets of ponies I climbed onto a small building and raced along the rooftops. I could see her flying speedily over the town as I vaulted over a low chimney.

Running out of roof I leaped from the building and rolled on the ground below to maintain my momentum.

The crowds of ponies noticed my high-profile racing actions.

“What is he doing, is there a race going on?”

"I'm just a civilian I don't know anything!"

“I thought I saw Rainbow flying above me, poor sucker must’ve challenged her.”

“Damn kids and their damn racing games! In my time we…”

As I ran through the streets I noticed I was back in the marketplace, Applejack’s stand was gone from the day’s work.

Maybe I could see her once I’m on top of the mountain.

Then I heard a familiar pair of voices a few blocks ahead.

“I’m Commander Beard and I’m telling you THIS is the best store in Equestria!”

“Commander!” I shouted at him and Garrus who were hustling a store clerk.

“Oh if it isn’t Shadow, what’s the rush?” Garrus said as I got closer to them.

“BOOST! I NEED A BOOST!” I shouted back.

“Alright one coming up!” Beard said bringing his hoofs together as he prepared for my jump.

I stepped onto his hoofs and he flung me as hard as he could into the sky. Soaring through the air, I carefully open my wings up and glide towards the forest in front of Ponyville.

Garrus looked over to Beard once he was done, “Everypony needs a boost sometimes, now for this guy to get a little boost of his own…” they turned their attention back on the nervous store clerk.

The distance I was able to cover due to Beard’s help was commendable. I landed in a nearby tree and grasped my hoof onto a tree branch as I balanced myself.

Still didn’t see Rainbow yet… doesn’t mean I should give up the chase.

I thrust my hoof downward on the tree branch as I propelled myself across the above foliage. Nearly running out of trees I landed on the grassy ground and ran through the thick woods until I noticed some hoof steps marked in the ground in front of me.

Its Rainbow’s trail I bet, guess she finally got tired and continued on foot.

Without wasting any more time I followed her trail as I proceeded closer to the mountain.
Suddenly a flash of a rainbow mane caught my attention darting through some bushes I ran closer and heard pants of exhaustion.

I could either sneak by or rush ahead or I could cut through this clearing and motivate her to move.
It’s not just about my training but I guess it’s Rainbow’s too.

I jumped through the bushes scaring Rainbow on the other side.

“What… Shadow? How did you get here so fast!?” she exclaimed.

“Hello Rainbow Dash, nice weather we are having!” I shouted to her as I overtook the lead.

Now running ahead I burst through the foliage of the forest to see the mountain standing at its steepness of its incline.

Guess I better climb…

Rock climbing wasn’t so different compared to buildings so I was able to get a good hoof hold in the mountain’s base. I reached up and grabbed a jagged rock as I hauled myself up the steep side.

About two-thirds up the mountain I paused at a small outcrop of a cliff and laid my back against the cold stone. Peering over the edge Rainbow Dash was struggling but continued to fly upwards despite her exhaustion.

I noticed around my surroundings that certain rocks seemed to be sticking out providing a pathway to climb even further up.

Suddenly my head started to hurt, this caused me to give a moan of pain and I fell down to my side as my vision blackened. Just as quickly as my headache came, it went and I was able to stand up on my 4 hoofs once more as if nothing happened.

Damn that hurts! Maybe I hit my head on something before or it’s the lack of oxygen.
Whatever, I need to continue up this mountain.

My hooves touched the stony surface as I gripped the side of the mountain once more. After 15 minutes of climbing the cold upper wind buffeted me from behind. My hoof slipped on a holding but I quickly jumped to another outcrop.

I heard a voice behind me, “That was a close one Shadow, but you still can’t win!”

Rainbow! I need to climb faster now that we’re almost to the top.

I scrambled up the side of the outcrop and paced my way up the mountain’s side. Rainbow Dash was flying almost alongside me trying to tackle gravity with pure wing power alone.

“Rainbow! You need to climb or else your wings will give!” I shouted next to her as the wind deafened my voice.

“Then I wouldn’t be able to use the updrafts then!” she smirked as a gust of wind flew from beneath us and made her rise even higher.

This was a perfect time to do my wing/climbing combo. I spread my wings as wide as I could without getting hurt from my damaged right wing. A gust of air propelled me upwards and I was literally jumping up the mountain with my hoofs. I caught up to Rainbow and I exchanged a smile with her as we raced closer and closer to the top.

Hoof after hoof, gust after gust there was no stopping our determination, our goal in mind, the top.
I could see no more of the rocky surface just a few feet up; it was the finish and Rainbow and I were neck and neck.

Rainbow thrusted her wings up as hard as she could and grabbed onto the edge of the peak.

“HA! I WIN SHADOW, I WIN….. wooah wooAAHHH!” the rock she was holding onto broke and she fell downwards, her wings were too tired to open and save her.

“Rainbow!” I leaped off the side of the mountain and grabbed her mid-air.

A gust of freezing cold air rushed up under my wings and we both glided to the snow-capped mountain peak. We were finally at the top and more importantly we are safe.

“Shadow…. a draw?” Rainbow asked as I put her down.

“Sure thing Rainbow,” I chuckled.

We took in the amazing view on this staggeringly high mountain, it wasn’t as high as the one on Canterlot but it didn’t matter for we could see for miles around Ponyville.

“It just takes your breath away doesn’t it?” Rainbow softly said. “That’s why I love to fly, to be able to see this sort of thing every day. But it was the first time I actually flew up this entire mountain. The highest I’ve ever been up here was when Fluttershy defeated that dragon so long ago,” she said as we both sat down on the snow.

“Fluttershy defeating a dragon? Now that’s shocking but I guess it’s better she’s on our side,” I joked.

“Thanks Shadow for convincing me to have this rematch,” Rainbow said as she laid on her back on the cool snow.

“Anytime Dash I was worth it, tell me when you need me to persuade you to run up a mountain again,” I laughed but was then silenced by a snowball from the laughing Rainbow. I recovered and we continued to stare off into the distance.

It has been a while since I was on a decent viewpoint, but this trouble with Dave and Balthazar has completely made me lose touch with my natural side. I don’t know where they are or how to get them.
All I have now is that party Dave mentioned…. I know it’s a trap.
We’ll meet soon enough…

I stood up from my flank and went over to the side of the peak, I looked back at Rainbow who was lounging in the snow, “You going to stay up here for a while?”

“Ya I like it up here, it gives me time to think about stuff. What about you?”

“Oh I just need to help Applejack with a few things on her farm, but I guess other than that my training is concluded for the day.”

Rainbow shook her head, “Guess you should get going soon, the sun is starting to set,” she pointed over to the sun which passed its afternoon mark.

“You always have a plan don’t you.”

“Always, now if you will excuse me Rainbow….”

I leaned over the edge of the mountain peak.

Folding my wings back I took a leap forward.

A moment later and the wind rushed across my body as I fell downwards back to Ponyville.

Chapter 35: Farming Pains

The wind rushed past me as I plummeted down the mountain headfirst, the feeling of weightlessness surrounding my entire body. I positioned myself so that I was directly parallel towards the side of the mountain. The velocity increased as I cut through the air with relative ease, I needed enough speed in order to glide to The Apple Farm in the shortest time possible.

The mountain base started to widen, if I continued this all of my Ponitalian assassiness would be splattered across the jagged rock.

Just a bit more speed….

Sharp rocks outlined my descent threatening to impale me as I got closer and closer to them. Just as my body finally reached the right speed I unfolded my wings and arc them upwards to loop me back towards the sky.

Now I was gliding straight towards the farm to which I see hundreds and hundreds of apple trees outlining the countryside.

Hmm… I hope I have enough distance to get there; I can’t exactly flap my wings to increase it due to Balthazar using the Apple to cripple my right wing.
On closer inspection my wing looks perfectly fine, but the damage done is under the flesh.
The ability to never truly fly (or to experience a true wingboner on my right side, I might add).

It doesn't matter.

Whatever, what’s done is done.
Maybe I would end up landing close to the farm and then having to walk.

Bringing my body towards a rather large hill I made my landing as best I could, my hooves dug into the grass as they halted me to a complete stop.

I love this hill.

After admiring my “hilly-friend” I looked back at the mountain I jumped off from, it blended into the background quite nicely. I turned my attention to the front gate of the Apple family’s orchard which was a good couple of yards from where I was standing.

So I did what I would usually do, I sprinted towards the gates as fast as I could and leaped right over them. I approached the door at break-neck speed, much faster than what normal ponies would call; let’s just say I’m going EXTREMELY fast. Then with the door in front of me I raise a hoof for the point of impact and… gently gave 3 knocks.

The door opened and I was greeted by Applejack, “Hey Shadow, glad you can finally make it!”

“No Applejack, it is my pleasure I am here to assist you. Despite the workload I always have time to help,” I bowed.

“Stop charming and let’s get some work done. Unless from all your “training” you might be getting hungry?” she said as she escorted me into her house.

“Well I would say that my training is all done for today, that is if helping and training are two different meanings. Anyways I’m not really that hungry…” I said but then my stomach gurgled disproving my statement otherwise.

“On second thought maybe a snack would do some good…” I smiled sheepishly and Applejack laughed.

She went over to a stove and asked me, “What’ll you have? I can make anything with an apple!”

I pulled up a chair and pulled down my hood as I crossed my hooves on the table in waiting.

“Surprise me then.”

In a flash Applejack grabbed a tray and spun it around as she got ingredients from the fridge. She preheated the oven and shoved the ingredients into a mixing bowl as she sped her hoof around the bowl, liquidizing the batter.

I couldn’t help but cheer her on her cooking; this prompted her to go faster as she increased her flair ten-fold. Amidst the show a light-green old pony that I recognized as Granny Smith joined with me in the cheering.

After pouring a few glasses of cider and sticking the mix into the oven, she gave a sigh and hoofed us the drinks.

“That’s my girl Applejack! Now uhh… who’s this pony here?” Granny pointed to me.

“That’s Shadow, Granny,” Applejack said as she wiped the sweat off her brow.

“OH! IT IS! My, what a handsome young stallion you are! When I was your age I was the crown jewel of Equestria, I…….”

“…….and that’s how I ended up in the kitchen. Have a nice day now Shadow!” Granny said taking her cider into a separate room.

“Wow…. Shadow I’m impressed,” Applejack said with a grin, “You must be almost as stubborn as me!”

I LISTENED FOR THE ENTIRE TIME WHILE SHE WAS TALKING.

“Well we used to do things like this back at the headquarters in Ponitaly, Granny should have met the Observer, wow that would be hilarious!” I laughed.

The oven behind Applejack dinged and she quickly opened the door and pulled out the most sweet-smelling pie I’ve ever seen. She placed it on the table in front of me, my mouth started to water heavily. In no time I stuck my face into the pie and began to devour and savour the very essence of apple cuisine. I chugged down the cider which tasted just as divine and with a pleasant burp I finished.

“Oh, excuse me.” I apologized for the burp.

“You’re welcome!” Applejack smiled.

“Applejack, you do realize that you are the best cook I have ever met?” I said and she slightly blushed from my compliment.

Guess I’ve found her weakness finally, no pony can ever resist a Ponitalian’s charm for long!

“You all ready to head out for the end of the day’s work? I need your help on bucking a few apple trees I didn’t get around to do, on account of Big Mac’s sorry-sad state.”

“Oh, is it still about Steve, the tree I accidentally knocked over?” I asked to which Applejack nodded in reply.

“In fact we had to move it to the inside of the barn because Big Mac couldn’t let go of him. The thing is I really need his help and to stay focused because the apple harvest is almost here, and from the last time I realized I needed all the help I can get.”

“Well I guess I’ll take it as my cue to go help your brother out anyway I can,” I stood up from the table and prepared myself as I cautiously walked out the house towards the barn.

Always expect the unexpected…
Big Mac would probably attack me in his fit of rage when he sees me.
Or maybe he’ll be too depressed and using some of my persuasion knowledge would be useful in this type of situation.

*GACK*

Big Mac had his hoof pressed against my neck at the wall of the barn. I managed to hold onto his hoof with mine to resist his force. He had a death glare on me the entire time, I knew that if I didn’t do things right things were going to get a whole lot worse.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve to show your face here again,” Big Mac said as he pushed harder at my neck.

“Big Mac, I’ve only come here to talk.”

“Talk!? Talk about what!? The fact you bucked Steve right off his roots and killed him, he was in our family for generations! And you show up and turned Applejack into… into…”

Big Mac was desperately trying to figure out what he meant but I beat him to it with a simple reply.

“An Assassin.”

“That’s right! She told me everything about it.”

Well that makes sense; Applejack can’t keep secrets for long.
But… somehow I still knew she would tell her family regardless.

Through his hoof still on my neck I calmly said, “Then you would know that the Templars will do if they happen to win. I didn’t force Applejack to become an assassin, that was her choice and the choices of her friends, to be honest I worry practically every day what would happen to any of them should they get hurt.”

“You still turned a farmer into a killer!” Big Mac thrust his hoof further and I could start to feel the wood behind me begin to crack.

“But think about it Big Mac…” I choked through my words.

“Do you want Applebloom to grow up in a world ruled by corruption and greed; to be ruled by Templars?”

This surprised the giant red pony and I felt his grip begin to loosen.

“It was never my choice and I never wanted any other pony to be forced into this war. But listen to me, an Assassin doesn’t have to be a killer. It just needs to be a pony that wants a better future for Equestria.”

Big Mac released his hoof-hold and I dropped to the floor gasping for air, after I coughed out a lungful of air a red hoof helped me back up to my hooves.

“You’re right Shadow, I might not be a government fella but I know that something just ain’t right about the world today. Sorry for thinking you were just a murderer… and for nearly choking you just now.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it! I usually get stuff like this happening to me frequently,” I weakly joked.

Big Mac then brought his head over to mine and stared into my eyes, “You better not let my sister get hurt because of this or I WILL come after you and hunt you down myself.”

“Big Mac, I promise to protect Applejack and every single one of us with my very life, I will never allow harm to ever come to her. You have my word,” I seriously said.

“Well if you’re going to say that, then I guess we’ll have to make you an official friend of all the Apple family! You’re welcomed here anytime Shadow!”

Morto Bene, if I remember from Granny’s story their family is quite large indeed.

“Well with that thing settled I guess we can focus on why I came here in the first place,” I pointed to the tree lying behind Big Mac.

“Eeyup.”

I went over to the tree and carefully cut a branch from it with my blade.

Me, Big Mac, and Applejack were at the very spot where Steve the Stubborn originally was, the dirt hole was still there and that’s where I planted the branch right into.

After I was done I turned back to them, “I don’t really know much about biology but branches can regrow apart from the main tree. Meaning you could have a bunch of Steve’s around here. But I think for this purpose we name this branch Steve the second.”

With a nod of approval and an ‘eeyup’ from Macintosh we began to work on a few trees before the sun went down for the day.

Applejack brought me to a lane of apple trees with some conversation along the way.

“So I can tell things went smoothly in the barn, how were you able to cool my hot-headed brother?” Applejack asked.

“Easy, I gave him the truth.”

“Oh right, sorry about that. I know I shouldn’t be talking about my assassin training but--.”

I shushed Applejack with my hoof, “Don’t worry about it. Actually I knew you would tell your brother eventually, it’s best not to keep secrets from family as I have learned from experience. Just don’t go into detail if you have to,” I said and she nodded.

“I also told your brother that I wouldn’t let anything happen to you or the other assassins. After all I can’t stand the thought of losing anypony else in my life.”

“Aw, Shadow you big ol’ softy,” she joked as she gave me a friendly jab in the side then she put a comforting hug around me.

“Like a rock,” I chuckled hugging her back.

Then suddenly a sharp pain went into my head, I let go of Applejack and the pain was so intense I fell down onto my knees while clutching my skull.
Sweat beaded down my brow as my head buzzed with infuriating pain.

Then it just… stopped.

What in hell was that? Maybe I hurt my head somehow when I raced with Dash, or maybe at Rarity’s somehow that was stressful. Not to mention the fight I and the Commander had.
I just realized how much shit I’ve done today, no wonder my head’s hurting.

I recovered myself and casually said to Applejack, “I’m fine now, just a little migraine from today’s improvised training sessions.”

“Hmmm…. I don’t think we should have you do apple bucking today. Maybe you could help me with something… else?” Applejack raised an eyebrow.

“Alright what is it? I’ll be glad to help in any way possible,” I replied.

“Well… you see we… happened to have ‘lost’ a precious family heirloom, a golden apple to be exact,” Applejack said very unusually.

Hmm… she ‘lost’ an ‘Apple’ this should be interesting.
What’s also interesting is that I can hear some hoof steps that aren’t coming from Big Mac.
Interesting indeed….

“Okay Applejack I’ll find your apple, any idea where I might start?”

“Maybe in the orchards over there,” she pointed to a group of trees in the distance.

“One thing before I go Applejack, is this undoubtedly, uncertainly, a test just to get me to conveniently leave this area?” I asked with a smirk.

“Um… ah… no— NO! Yep! There is definitely not anything going on when you’ll be looking for that apple, nope absolutely nothing…” she said nervously with a trickle of sweat coming down her forehead.

I squinted my eyes at her then immediately gave a cheerful smile, “Bene! I’ll find you that apple in no time!”

I then walked away from her and headed towards the apple trees she pointed at in the distance.

When I was enough distance away from her I stuck my hoof in my robe pocket to find nothing.

Thought she might have done what I did last time I made the assassins do this challenge.
Maybe she wasn’t kidding when she ‘lost’ it. I’m sure I could find it in a few minutes of searching.
Nothing escapes Shadow Mark the Assassin!

-----3 hours later---------------------

Trees, trees, and more trees; all filled with delicious apples and not a single one being gold in colour!

This is getting ridiculous, I need a new plan. I just wish something from my assassin training could help me here…

There was that thing the Observer said to me once…

“Just open your eyes Shadow…”

“BUT THEY ARE!”

“No they’re not; you’re seeing when you should be SEEING them.”

“What are you talking about? Why are you putting emphasis on that word?”

“I think that is enough practice for today… NOW GET THE **** OUT OF MY OFFICE! Oh and say hi to Dr. Mareio for me!”

I don’t even know why I bothered to remember that. Instead I peered at the rows of endless apples lining my sight. I focused harder and harder but then a wave of vertigo overtook me.

I collapsed onto the ground almost seamlessly. Bringing my body back up I opened my eyes to see the world caked in a dark shroud. As I spun my head around the backgrounds moved fuzzy and lagged until I stopped my head and the outlines of the trees returned to focus.

Another headache came and my vision reverted back to the normal colour of a twilight-time apple farm. Before anything else could happen I quickly righted myself back onto my hooves and as I did my vision changed once more making the environment look darker.

What the hell is happening to me!?

My vision began to alternate back and forth between these two sights causing an enormous amount of headache pain, nausea, and vertigo to overcome me.
I figured my best course of action is to run out of the orchard and get Applejack to help me.

I dashed through the trees as my vision blurred and dimmed then grew intensely vibrant and colourful. I looked down on the ground in my dimmed state and saw there were hoof-prints in the dirt and more importantly they were glowing yellow. My vision changed back to normal and the hoof-prints were not glowing anymore and looked more difficult to find.

I ignored my headaches and followed the trail as a way outside of the orchard. The backgrounds flashed and my breathing became more rapid and uncontrolled but I strained past these and kept on following the trail. Darting through a bush a major migraine overtook me and I fell down to my knees, I let out a wail of pain as I covered my eyes from the changing sights.

“Shadow! What’s wrong?” I heard Applejack’s voice calling some distance away.

After a rush of hoof steps I felt her presence in front of me, I carefully removed my hoofs and looked up at her. Applejack was surrounded in a bright blue aura and her hat was glowing the same golden-yellow colour as the hoof prints.

Weakly I stood up with what little strength I had left and gently removed her hat; I dipped my hoof into it and pulled out a golden apple.

“I found it… Applejack… good hiding…spot...”

I collapsed.

----A few minutes later--------------

My mind hurt so much I didn’t even focus on any dreams I might have had (most of them would be nightmares anyways). What was that vision change? Why did Applejack glow blue and the other things in those colours as well?

Am I going crazy or am I just overworking myself again?
I don’t know, I don’t even want to know.
All I can feel right now is the leftovers of that headache and my body slightly shifting.

I think I’m being transported.

I groggily open my eyes still from the pain of the headache and found that my vision returned back to normal. I saw that I was being carried by Applejack on the way to the hideout.

“Psst… Applejack… I’m awake,” I mumbled to her.

A sigh of relief came to her, “Well howdy Shadow, you just kind of collapsed in front of me after you found the apple in my hat.”

“It was a good hiding spot,” I weakly laughed. “Do you want me to get off you, I’m sure you wouldn’t want to be carrying me all night…. though I would,” I flirted with a grin on my face.

“Um… well you see I was just… carrying you because… well you…”

I rolled off of her back and landed on the ground, I looked at Applejack’s eyes and smiled, “Only teasing you again Applejack. However I might still need some help getting there…”

She helped me up and I rested a hoof on her back as she supported me to the hideout.

“You and your Ponitalian… ness!” she annoyingly smiled.

“Forgive me, I’m a charmer. An essential Assassin skill Le Duck once said to me.”

We laughed and we continued on the conversation about our days to make the trip seem less time and less awkward.

“I’ve heard from my sister that you teached your fancy Ponitalian culture and everything at the school today. It’s a mighty good thing she’s learning more about the world, she can’t wait for you to come back and teach more.”

Yes, I have an admirer! MAGNIFICO!

“Let’s hope I don’t die anytime soon then, maybe I should cut back on my training for a bit. But… I can’t.”

“Why not? Of all of us you should take a break, you still didn’t tell me how you ended up passed out on my back?”

“I was having weird vision things, you were glowing blue and your hat glowed gold and somehow that’s where the apple was. Maybe it was me overworking or taking too many blows today. Despite that I still can’t stop training, I can’t. With Dave still out there how can I be sure we will all be safe?”

We had climbed our way to the top floor and Applejack had her hoof on the knob as she pushed the door in, “Well I’m sure you could go for a little rest now and then.”

We entered and saw the rest of the assassins and the Equestrian soldiers huddled around my desk; they were all giving excited smiles.

“SURPRISE!” a pink head popped up next to me. “Come Shadow we have something to show you!”

Pinkie pushed me over to my desk and the group around stepped back revealing a very slick and comfortable black chair.

I gave a high-pitched squeal as I leaped over the desk and sat firmly into the cushion.

OH THE LUMBAR SUPPORT! THE PADDED SEATS! THE ERGONOMIC BENEFITS!
THIS IS A TRUE PARADISE!

As my back sunk into the delightful seat of pleasure I looked over at my assassins, my friends,
“I love you guys.”

D’awws were heard from all around except for Ace who was too busy turning a sleeping Spike’s head into a nest.

I lazily sunk back even further providing my back with a well-deserved rest from my years of work. Twilight started to explain the plan of how all the ponies I’ve helped (including Commander Beard and Garrus) were planning on this wonderful gift and were distracting me to attain it.

I completely ignored her entire speech and I quickly fell in to the most comfortable sleep I’ve ever experienced in years.

“And then there’s was Applejack and she--,”

Fluttershy put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, “Twilight, he fell asleep.”

“Good, kid deserves some rest. There’s no way to predict what might happen in the future, may be why he needs to train so much,” Beard said.

“He’s a doing this to a protect us, what a wonderful Assassino!” Mareio excitingly said.

Nods of approval followed but then Garrus abruptly said, “He’s lazy.”

Silence spread across the room as the atmosphere changed with Garrus receiving glares.

He facehoofed.

“I meant lazy as to NOT have time to rest. Damn my sarcastic jokes, I knew I should’ve just calibrated my gun again…”

He pulled out his gun and began calibration #58 of the day.

A few minutes later of clearing some papers and other stuff with Applejack the last one to leave she turned over to Shadow Mark and gently gave him a sweet kiss on the forehead.

“Sweet dreams Shadow, you’ve earned them,” she said as she quietly left his side and to his comfortable slumber.

Chapter 36: Weeks Pass and Nightmares Come

A few weeks have passed since the advanced training had begun. We grew stronger as each day passed; we were determined and prepared for whatever Dave has in store for us.

At least, that’s what I thought.

I’m sitting here at my mahogany desk while the others go about their daily lives around the hideout. All I can do is work; it’s the only thing I can do. It’s been impossible to locate anything about Balthazar; and Dave, well no pony could track him and his portals. Without any leads this was making me furious exhausted and irritable over the time of training.

It doesn’t help that the nightmares came back, they’re so bad not even Dr. Mareio’s cures can fix them. Ever since that day at Applejack’s orchard I didn’t experience any vision changes but I keep on getting constant headaches and vertigo from time to time. Overall I’m just worried and stressed out because of Dave’s message/taunt back in the forest.

Seriously a party? Sounds like something Pinkie would do if she were a Crazy Templar Accountant. Luckily she’s our Crazy Assassin Pyro technician….. That’s better right?

I laid my quill back into its holder and clasped my hoofs around my head as it dropped and laid itself on the table’s surface.

All my past regrets welled up inside me with the fear of uncertainty in the future; I don’t even think my adaption or improvisation could help us out here.

I just… don’t know…

As I held my head down in torment I heard the hoof steps of a pony approaching my table, I instantly slammed my hoofs onto the desk and regained my composure as I noticed it was Twilight.

“Hello Twilight what brings you to me today?” I asked with a slightly fake smile.

“Well I know that you’ve been hard at work but I’ve come to tell you that the modification for your blade is finished!” Twilight beamed despite the off put I’ve made previous.

"My blade modification?"

I looked at the empty part of my left hoof where my blade was supposed to be.

“Oh, right. Mi dispiace, I forgot I’ve given it to you weeks ago. Well what are we waiting for? Let’s test it!”

Twilight brought my modified blade up to me and hoofed it over. I strapped it to my hoof and inspected it closely.

“As you can see, I’ve added a turning mechanism to switch from the hidden blade and the crossbolt. When you do turn it just aim it and with the same motion as using your blade the
bolt-arrow will fly out. What’s even better is that I’ve added slots for it so you can have multiple bolts at once!”

“I think it was pretty handy and the overall design took me AGES to come up with, first I had too…”

As Twilight rambled on I turned the mechanism and aimed my hoof at a training dummy. With a small zing the bolt flew across the room and hit the dummy……’s shield. It rebounded off the corner of it and went over to Rarity’s workstation.

*CRACK*

“AH! MY MIRROR!”

The bolt continued through the shattered remains of the mirror and went straight towards Applejack’s hat.

“Whoa Nellie!” she shouted as she quickly sidestepped and the arrow bounced off the wall and flew towards the middle of the room.

Ace did a corkscrew midflight avoiding the arrow and Rainbow Dash flying down with a map got a hole located where Marelantis was.

“HEY! Now we’ll never find where those sea ponies live!”

“AH MAKE IT STOP!” Fluttershy ran under a table as the arrow went right through a pile of mushrooms on Mareio’s cart.

A mushroom was skewered right through the arrow and continued to sail across the hideout.

“NEATO! IT’S SO FAST, IT’S SO COOL! I WANT TO TRY THAT!” Pinkie shouted in excitement as she propelled herself like an arrow across the room.

The arrow then got imbedded on a banner and finally stopped. Doctor Mareio was sitting in a chair next to it; he reached out and grabbed the mushroom.

“THANK YOU SHADOW!” he shouted across the room as he took a big bite.

Everyone in the room stared at me with glaring faces.

“The aim is a little off, nothing some practice can do to fix it,” I sheepishly smiled.

Once the whole bolt-arrow incident cleared up and I practiced with it a few times (as close to the dummy as everyone is comfortable with) the day was nearly over and everyone was lazing about.

“Alright! Who wants to do more of my Regiment Training?” I excitingly asked.

“NO!” everyone shouted at me with enough force for me to fall on my backside from my chair.

“Okay, okay, I didn’t realize my program was so detrimental to your emotional feelings,” I said standing back onto my hoofs and readjusting my comfortable seat as I made everyone feel guilty.

I'm so devious.

“Well… no… it’s not that…” Fluttershy squeaked.

“It’s because we need to get ready for--,” Twilight started to talk.

“THE LUNAR FESTIVAL!” Pinkie shouted with much more excitement than usual.

“Lunar festival? What’s that?” I asked them.

Twilight cleared her throat, “Every couple of years or so, the moon gets closer to Equestria literally engulfing a large part of the night sky. Basically we just celebrate how grateful the night is with the moon and stars lighting without the complete darkness overshadowing all of Equestria. It’s a really big deal and Celestia wanted us to oversee some preparations as her sister, Princess Luna will also be arriving here along with some of the royal guard.”

“It will be a lot of work, but then we’ll be able to enjoy the days this festival has to offer after!” Applejack exclaimed.

“How long is this going to take?” I asked once again.

“We have been slacking off a bit on the preparations which we’ll do tomorrow as the festival starts the day after and will last for 3 days I believe,” Twilight answered.

“Due tomorrow, do tomorrow!” Pinkie laughed.

“But it will be easy to set up if we all work together. Shouldn’t take less than a few hours,” Rainbow said.

“Hey! I just got a great idea! YOU should take the 3 days off too!” Pinkie pointed at me.

“I can’t,” I bluntly said. “No leads and no information means I still have to work. I still haven’t heard back from Le Duck and quite honestly I don’t think I can rest. For me being an Assassin is 24/7, got to be ready for anything.”

Everyone in the room including Ace facehoofed.

“COME ON SHADOW!” Rainbow Dash shouted in annoyance.

“You can’t be serious darling!” Rarity exclaimed.

“YES I AM! I have a ton of work to do and I can’t do any of it because I CAN’T FIND DAVE DAMMIT!” I slammed my hoof on the table to express my frustration, all combined with stress, improper rest, training and the reoccurring nightmares.

“Sorry, it’s been… stressful. Tell you girls what; if you can best me in a little “Training Oversight” then I’ll postpone my work for the time being and help with the festival and try to enjoy myself.”

“Otherwise you all stop inquiring about my overworking habits which I already know about for the next month.”

They all huddled up together and all of them nodded their heads.

“I WOULD LIKE TO A JOIN!” Mareio raised a hoof.

I shook my head in disapproval, which only made Mareio sad for about 0.15 milliseconds then he got his goofy smile back.

He grabbed Ace and shouted to him as he held him up in the air, “ACE! LET’S GO ON AN ADVENTURE!”

*SWACK* (Holy crap, NO! No no no no no no no no...

Ace desperately tried to flap his wings from Mareio’s grasp but with Mareio’s iron grip they both quickly exited through the door.

“So let’s do this then!” Rainbow Dash said feeling pumped.

“After all of you, mares’ bella donna,” I complimented them with my Ponitalian accent receiving some eye rolls and giggles from the ponies.

“Tenant 8: Understand the essence of charm.” I think I’ve got that.

We went up to the roof of the hideout which was renovated a long time ago to include grass for Fluttershy’s plants to grow without her having to go back to her cottage every single time. I stood at the centre as everypony else surrounded me in a circle.

“So how do you want us to start? A countdown or a word--,” Twilight asked before being shoved aside by Rainbow Dash as she flew up in the air.

“ACTION!” Rainbow shouted as she aimed a flying kick at me.

She doesn’t waste any time.

I quickly ducked so her hoof grazed down the side of my back and I gently pushed her from her landing away from me.

“What are we just standing around for? Let’s get him! PINKIE FORMATION!” Pinkie shouted as she charged at me.

Everypony else shrugged then did the same thing as Pinkie.

So now it begins…

Pinkie lunged at me which I sidestepped from only to have taken a hoof from Applejack in the side. Twilight struck a hoof out as I rapidly blocked it and counter-attacked Applejack in the shoulder. Rarity came from behind and struck my back and I fell to my knees.

Ooh… my back. Hate those late night document days….

Twilight attacked again as I was momentarily stunned by Rarity but before she could I did a leg sweep from under her and quickly slid right under Rarity so I was right behind her.

*Push*

She fell with a huff as her cushion (Twilight) grunted out from discomfort.

“OH, THAT’S IT!” I heard Rainbow Dash shouting from across the roof.

She flew right past Fluttershy who was still a pacifist party and not really fighting.

Rainbow barraged her hoofs and wings towards me at a lightning speed. I blocked as many as I could with my hoofs but some found their mark on my shoulders and torso.
Before she could do more damage I grabbed onto her wings and vaulted over her and sent her to her backside against the grass.

This is an overview no need to give any unwanted bruises or broken bones.

“EVERYONE ATTACK NOW!” Applejack shouted as the rest of the ponies recovered and charged me once more.

I braced myself and put my fore hoofs towards my face as a multitude of hoofs aimed at me.

“ACE! LOOK OVER THERE! SHADOW’S A GETTING HIS FLANK KICKED!”

Mareio was flying a giant triangular red hang glider over Ponyville with a white letter ‘M’ in the middle.

Ace was strapped on the front with no way of flying from the glider.

No escape.

“OOH AND ANOTHER LEAP FROM PINKIE! LOOK AT ALL THE DODGES AND BLOCKS HE’S A DOING! HO HO HO! I FEEL SO YOUNG AGAIN!” Mareio shouted as he precariously tilted the hang glider towards the ground of the clock tower.

*SQWACK*

"DON"T WORRY ACE! I DO THIS ALL THE TIME!" he shouted as the hang glider got absolutely within crashing distance to the ground.

I blocked a few hits from Rarity and Applejack as a minor explosion erupted from behind the clock tower on the ground. A bright red fiery mushroom cloud filled the small part of sky but I chose to ignore it for now.

As I shoved Pinkie from another leap and Rainbow from a flying drop I noticed a glint of light from the corner of my eye. I spun myself around in slow motion towards the glint coming from Ponyville, a brief shadow darted away and disappeared from my view.

What was that...

From my distraction Fluttershy finally joined the training battle, came at me, pushed me towards the ground and placed a hoof right on top of my chest, pinning me to the ground with her strength.

“Um… did I win?”

Snapping myself from my thoughts I looked up at Fluttershy and sheepishly nodded my head from the ground. Immediately Pinkie scooped up Fluttershy and threw her up into the air as everyone gathered around and cheered for her.

“HOORAY! WAY TO GO FLUTTERSHY WOOOOO!”

They all ended the celebration with a well-placed group high-hoof.

-------A Few Hours later from the Training------------------------------------------------

Everyone left for the day bidding me farewell and a remark from Applejack about showing up tomorrow to do some festival prep and NOT working at my desk.

Dr. Mareio went to his room still carrying his completely combusted hang glider still strapped to his chest.

“Are you sure you don’t want to take it off?” I inquired.

“I can fix it better from a here. DON’T JUDGE ME!” he smiled which completely didn’t fit his choice of words as he closed the door behind himself.

How does a wooden plastic hang glider even burst into a mushroom cloud?
Meh whatever, Mareio's done stranger things.

Ace waddled to the lounge couch covered in bandages and burn scars from the hang glider crash which Fluttershy immediately treated him for.

The entire time he waddled he muttered under his breath in his eagle language.

Probably cursing Dr. Mareio I bet...

Ace turned his head upwards and let out a very loud, “SQAUCK!”

“Hey mister! Watch your eagle-speak! I’ve got a pretty good idea what you’ve just said and personally I barely use that one myself,” I lectured Ace from my desk.

Ace turned his head and gave me the most disturbing death stare a burn-scarred eagle could possibly make.

“Alright, minor curses are fine…. just don’t do it excessively, okay?”

With a painful but excited flap of his wings Ace happily swore under his breath multiple times as he made it up to the couch in the lounge area and curled his wings as he sat down neatly on the fabric.

Back at my desk I’ve put all the papers in my to-do drawer so as not to be distracted by work tomorrow should the urge to keep doing so prevent me.

I just need to find Dave… if I can find him I can definitely find Balthazar.
After all… he was the one who ‘helped’ me before in finding him.

What also plagued my mind was the small glint of light I caught coming from the town during the training observation.

What was that? Was it my imagination? Could it have something to do with those sight issues I had before? All i've had were those vertigo episodes but nothing like that time at Applejack's orchard. I seriously hope I’m not going blind or anything…. don’t want to take the mushroom to cure that. Bleh!

With the sun setting and for the time of the festival with having no work to do, I got up from my chair and went over to my neatly made bed.

As I was about to get myself in I stopped my hoof from the bed sheet.

I was scared. Scared knowing that the nightmares that haunted me and intensified ever since I became an Assassin would again trouble me tonight as they have done so for the past couple of weeks. More so concerning my condition from my overworking, or whatever Fluttershy and Dr. Mareio had said to me.

With hesitation I continued until my body and robes was completely lost within the white sheets.
My eyes carefully closed and I released an exhausted sigh.

Maybe this time it won’t be so bad…
I hope so…

“Come on brother! This way!”

I was back in Ponitaly again running on the rooftops with my brother, Free-runner.
It was a most familiar pastime we both enjoyed in our youth, I was happy to see him again. It had felt so long.

“It’s so good to see you Free-runner, I thought I would never have gotten the time to do this again,” I said to him as we leaped over a small roof arch.

Free-runner turned his head up and looked at the sun. He turned his head back to me and shouted, “Crap! We’ll be late to get to father in time. Step it up Shadow!”

We sprinted much faster and climbed down a few stacked boxes to get back onto the ground. We ran through the busy streets of Ponitaly knocking over and shoving people in our way to our villa.

I cheerfully shouted back to an old mare as I just ran through her groceries, “Your wrath doesn’t compare to our fathers’!”

Finally we arrived at the front of our villa, Free-runner turned to me and smiled.

“Looks like we made it brother… Come let’s get inside and rest after this long day has been done.”

As he smiled, a warp of light flashed across his face. I could see the pristine building that is my home suddenly turn into a pile of burning wreckage for a second then back to the villa as if nothing happened.

Oh no.... dammit to hell!

Free-runner immediately ran inside as I stuck a hoof out.

“WAIT!”

As I ran inside behind him the scene completely changed.

Crimson blood is splayed all over the floor as I step inside. As I see the sight before me I collapse to my knees onto the blood staining my clothes.

In front of me lay my dead family and an all too familiar dark blue pony with a black star cutie mark.

Free-runner who was so full of life is now an unmoving corpse with slash marks across his neck and his torso. My mother had the same marks as he did. She died protecting him.
My father, his body is lying on his back to the floor. Blood is still flowing through his wounds and I can see through my teary vision that his neck was punctured with the sword still in place to murder him and the rest of my family with. The murderer still gripping the hilt with his dark blue hoof as he yanks the blade back out and turns his attention to me.

“Assassins…. every single one will die. The dawn of the Templars are coming,” he raised his sword to the air and shouted with corruption in his voice, “A NEW RULE! WITH ME BALTHAZAR AS PONYKIND’S NEW RULER, I WILL CONTROL EVERYTHING AND EVERYPONY!”

He dropped his sword down to my level and looked straight at me with his cold black eyes, “Those who do not submit will die. Just like you assassin.”

He lunged his sword straight forward at me; I cringed at his attack and held my hoofs up to my face ready to get the blow.

It never came.

I took my hoofs away from my face and the scene changed as I now see the Assassin Headquarters being sieged by the Templars. The Observer on the roof holding the Apple of Harmony out, a second later an arrow pierces through his heart and he falls dead to the ground. The Assassin symbol at the top of the Headquarters breaks as Balthazar retrieves the Apple and laughs at his victory over us. He clenches his hoof as a signal and the Templar attackers charge and slaughter all my Assassin brothers and sisters.

I couldn't help but see how entrapped Balthazar was as he held the Apple to his eyes, basking in it's ancient power. He steps through the dark portal and is closed off by Dave. He looks at me, adjusts his glasses and gives me a smile.

He snaps his icy-white hoofs.

A migraine in my head happens as I quickly shut my eyes to the pain. The pain recceded and I am able to open my eyes once more. Upon opening, the city of Ponitaly is burning and I am at its centre. Fires are everywhere; the landscape is barren and full of debris from the ancient buildings that are destroyed. Ponies are screaming in fear and pain as falling debris crushes the survivors. A blast rips through the streets as everything in that area is reduced to rubble.

None of that mattered at the time because I was carrying someone in my hoofs as I lay down on my knees. She looks at me and smiles; she weakly wipes a tear from my face with her pure white hoof. Her eyes close and I embrace her closer to my chest. Her blood-stained pure white body went limp as her last breath of life extinguished from her body forever.

I wept.

She had died in my hoofs, my one true love. All because I was an Assassin all because everything that happened was my fault and I will never be able to change anything I had done.

She died because of me.

My tears flowed for an eternity as I stroked her light-pink mane and whispered to her over the sounds of Ponitaly getting destroyed.

“Flora, I’m sorry…”

My head pounding, I wake up in my bed to a still dark night. It was probably 4 o’clock in the morning. My body restricts me to the bed as my thoughts pondered on the dreams. Not moving and breathing calmly. Those dreams had felt real as the other times I’ve fallen asleep.

That was because they were.

The Balthazar pointing a sword at my face was new though…

My heart is heavy from the remembrance of the ones that suffered; the ones that died, the ones I will never see again.

I groggily force myself out of bed and onto my work desk area.

Looking over everything is neat and tidy I give a long sigh and reach for the supply drawer.

I’m not getting back to bed anytime soon. Might as well do something to keep me busy.

Grabbing a quill and a blank sheet of paper I begin to work.

As the sketch marks for the words took form I stopped, crumpled the paper and tossed it into the waste bucket.

A promise is a promise after all, still I need something to take my mind off of….
Better not think about it.

I got up from the chair and twisted my modification under my blade as I went over to a training dummy. I aimed my hoof at it and launched a bolt at the side of its chest.
I couldn’t help but think for the entire time as I continued to fire, on the one entity that I’ve been trying to find for all these years, the amount of revenge and hate I have for that corrupt stallion.

Balthazar. When I find Dave, you’re next….

The bolt flew out from my blade and the dummy got its head pierced with the metal rod.

For the next couple of hours I will continue to fire and every time I do I’ll think about Balthazar; how he killed the ponies I’ve once called family, and the ones he hasn’t killed yet. The ones we Assassins are protecting from his corruption.

Another bolt pierces through the head and I take the time to reload as I wait for the morning to arrive and for the festival preparations I was bound to do for the day.

Boom. Headshot, you cazzo.

(Authors note: Apologies for the 4 week hiatus. Honestly I didn’t want to wait this long for the next chapter but procrastination and paperwork can really lose one’s track of time. Sadly with exams looming over the horizon I might not be able to update properly for the next two weeks. Or maybe I will as the next chapter is planned out…. mostly)

(Second Author’s note: Originally this chapter was going to be longer but I’ve decided to split it down a bit. Next chapter should be a longer one unless I split it again. Are you ready for a Festival of a time?)

(Third Author's note: Thank you to everyone who has been paitent for the chapters I've been desperately trying to get to write. Truely you are all the best support I could possibly have and that's what will make this story great. Again, thank you.)

Chapter 37: The Lunar Festival Preperation BEGINS!

The sun rose over the horizon caking Ponyville in its soft warming glow as it went higher over the mountains waking up all the ponies to a new day and more specifically the festival preparation everypony was eager to do that morning.

All except one who was awake hours before anyone else was.

“It’s a new day… but am I any stronger?” I pondered out loud.

After hours of practicing my new modification the training dummy was completely covered in sharp metal bolts piercing all over through its sack and straw composition. Needles in its arms, head and torso, it was literally covered in what some ponies would consider to be way too much sharp imbedded splinters of metal.

Bringing a hoof over to the dummy I yanked some bolts out and deposited them into my hidden cross bolt mod.

Now with all this waiting around done I should get down to Ponyville and work on this festival before the others chew my hide for not taking a day off.

My sigh as I climbed up the ladder to the roof expressed not by my tiredness of working straight for the past few weeks but a life full of hardships, the mistakes I’ve made that to this day I continue to endure.

Alone.

A sprinting leap off the clock tower and a few seconds later I landed squarely in the bale of hay outside from the front door to the hideout getting up from the bale I brushed the hay fibers from my robes and continued my way into town.

Each hoof step I took filled me up with a grumpy exhaustion from my tireless night but… also fear?
My head turned back behind me and I saw nothing unusual, nothing was behind me or at least what I can tell behind me was the usual scenery.

Weird…

I went through town seeing everypony getting ready with their supplies to decorate Ponyville and prepare for the festival. More importantly was the arrival of Princess Luna that has gotten them worked up.
Looking down on my hoofs as I walked still remembering how detailed my nightmares were, a shout came from in front of me a ways away.

“SHADOW! Come join me and Garrus for some morning coffee and baked goods!” Commander Beard waved to me from a table from the usual café I’ve seen both he and Garrus visited frequently.

I made my way over to the table and pulled up a chair on the other end, “Hello my friends how have you been?” I tried to say as friendly as I could as to not draw attention to my grumpiness.

“This vacation leave was a very fun and nice time but unfortunately…” Beard started to say but then I interrupted.

“You all are leaving?” I asked.

They both nodded their heads.

“We would have left sooner but Rex still needs to get fixed up at the hospital. But what I do know is that it might be a while till then….” Garrus nonchalantly said.

“Why’s that?”

*BOOM*

A small explosion was heard coming from the hospital followed by an angry yell which I remember belonging to a certain red armored patient.

“Rex really doesn’t like doctors,” Garrus took a sip from his coffee.

Just then a doctor fell right on the ground next to us completely shaken and scared.

“THAT PONY IS A LUNATIC! HE NEARLY KILLED ME! I’M NOT GOING BACK THERE!” the doctor shouted up at the Spectrum and the War Specialist from the ground.

Garrus jerked his rifle and aimed it right at the doctor’s face whose expression grew from casual fear to absolute horrification.

“I can aim this here gun at 100 yards… without scope. Now you just run along back to the hospital and fix up our friend alright? Then we’ll leave and you won’t have to deal with him anytime soon.” Garrus did a little dismissive wave with his sniper rifle.

The doctor fearfully nodded and quickly made his way back to the hospital without a word and as much cover as he can.

“Nice. But Garrus, you can only shoot up to 80 yards without scope,” Beard grinned.

“What he doesn’t need to know won’t hurt him… speaking about that…,” he aimed his gun down the road to where the doctor was by my standards a good reasonable distance.

The doctor took a break thinking he was safe from the distance away but with a pull of the trigger a bullet ripped through the air to the ground next to him. He jumped up in fright and ran with all his might to the hospital hoping to not get hit.

“Well that should get him going for a couple of hours,” Garrus said as he reloaded his sniper and leaned it against his chair.

“Double nice,” Beard grinned.

I face hoofed and shook my head as I grinned as well.

After talking a while about the plans for the festival and Luna’s arrival the cafe waitress came by our table to collect the plates.

“Excuse me miss, you might not know me but I come here every day. So can I give you an endorsement and you give us a discount maybe?” Beard said to her with his persuasive commander’s voice.

“We can’t do that sorry,” she said taking the dishes from our table and back inside the café.

“Dammit!” Beard gently slammed his hoof against the table but quickly got up and said to her across before she closed the door.

“We’ll bang, okay?”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

“Don’t worry Beard, she likes you. You’ll get that discount soon, it’s only a matter of time,” Garrus patted him on the back.

“Just make sure you don’t ‘jump’ the ‘gun’,” Garrus stopped patting him and held out his rifle.

Once again I face hoofed.

“Shadow are you okay? You’ve been awfully quiet this entire time, and I don’t think slapping your hoof across your head is a good way of communicating, I should know,” Beard said.

“Sorry, I just had a long night. Nothing for you two to get worked up about.”

“Alright but just remember to take some breaks from time to time but not too much. We both know the down-time between missions can be difficult and our jobs are hard enough to deal with. But Shadow, just make sure you don’t lose yourself in the process of working. You do have your group of assassins to look out for,” Beard said as he quietly whispered the word ‘assassins’.

“I’ll keep that in mind…”

“SHADOW!” a voice called out to me from behind.

I turned around on my chair to see Twilight and a pure white unicorn stallion with yellow lightning designs coming from his hoofs. He was also covered in royal guard armor.

Well… this will be interesting…

I said arriverderci to Beard and Garrus and went over to Twilight and the mysterious unicorn.

“Salute Twilight how are you today and who is this stallion I might ask?” I asked them.

“Shadow I would like to introduce you to Captain Thunderhoof. He’s in charge of Princess Luna’s arrival and protection.”

Thunderhoof took out his lightning-clad hoof and I accepted it with a firm shake.

“Nice to meet you Shadow Mark, I’m familiarizing myself around Ponyville and trying to make sure this festival goes off without a hitch as many ponies will be coming here to celebrate. I must stay vigilant and protect them and the Princess from any and all threats.”

Twilight gave me a wink from behind him when Thunderhoof mentioned protecting the ponies.

“Well that’s good to hear; Ponyville is a relatively nice place to be in and rarely gets any crime in the first place. But it’s always nice to see somepony wanting to absolutely make sure bad things won’t happen to the other ponies,” I replied to him.

“Ah yes, Ms. Sparkle told me about how much of a civil servant you are in protecting this town. Really, I can tell you’re a foreigner and coming into Ponyville, a town you’ve never been in and you strive to help it. Why that’s a very noble thing for you to do Shadow.”

“I try to work from behind the scenes; after all I don’t need praise for something that was meant to be done. Helping others any way I can is its own reward,” I said through the shadow of my hood.

He gave a friendly pat on my shoulder and said, “Even a nobler deed! I like you Shadow and we need more ponies like you around in today’s changing times. With that attitude you would make a great royal guard with the right training!”

“I think I might pass on that one, I’m happy where I stand so far. But tell me… what is happening in the world?”

Thunderhoof’s expression fell serious and he whispered, “ I shouldn’t say but… it’s…”

“Terrible. Governments are being corrupted, economies are falling, and strange rumors circulating that don’t seem possible. We don’t know what it is, but all I can say is that it’s big, bigger than what we all could imagine.”

I do know what it is.

Templars… and it seems they’re growing in power.

And everypony thought I should take a break… hardly.

“Anyways I’ve said too much and I need to patrol the perimeter around Ponyville, goodbye Shadow and goodbye Ms. Sparkle. I hope to see you two again during the festival,” he tipped his head in a gentlemen fashion then trotted away from us and around a building.

I turned back to Twilight and said with a smug smile, “I’m sure you didn’t tell him everything, right?”

“Of course not Shadow,” Twilight rolled her eyes, “But I have to admit your cover was flawless.”

“I try my best.”

Twilight pulled out a clipboard and checked off a few things using her magic on her quill, “With the guard situation done with I’ll bring you to the places where you can do some setup work for the festival.”

“Say where is Spike? He’s usually eager to assist you with these things,” I asked her as she stuck the clipboard back into a rucksack hanging from her side.

“Oh, Spike is sleeping for the day so he can get the rest to stay up for the Lunar Festival. Most of it is going to happen in the nighttime after all. So Shadow we should get you to do some light work around the town square and maybe then you will learn to relax.”

“Very well, lead the way then,” I ushered her forward with my hoofs.

We trotted over to the town square where a large number of ponies where bustling about hanging streamers, banners and the likes all around the area.

This place is really starting to look like a festival would take place in.

“Okay Shadow. You can first start with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash hanging the streamers on the town hall,” Twilight pointed to the familiar large building the town workers resided in.

“Then after you can go around town and offer your support with any other pony, with Spike asleep I didn’t get enough time to pencil you in for the job overview.”

“Don’t worry Twilight, I’ll do my thing and help out everypony as best I can,” I reassured her and she gave a sigh.

“Alright, just make sure you don’t overwork yourself too hard and if you see Pinkie tell her not to blow up anything.”

“Wait a second Twilight,” I quickly grabbed her shoulder, “Two things… all these props and decorations for the town square, I’ve noticed in the other parts of town they’re not so heavily decorated”

“That is because the Princess is making her chariot arrival to here and we need to make sure everything is right and looking perfect.”

“My second question… what is Pinkie’s job in all of this?” I asked through a nervous gulp.

“She’s… in charge… of the……………….”

“…….”

“Fireworks.”

I face hoofed myself and shook my head side to side.

Arg… Pinkie…
Why did I make you the pyro? WHY!?

I recovered from my astonishment and said, “Don’t worry about it; I’ll try to handle things right.”

She nodded and headed on her way to a group of ponies hanging a sign saying “Welcome Princess Lu…”.

I seriously hope I can.

*Mental facehoof*

Recovering myself from the amount of “what did I do wrong” moments I’ve just experienced I gave a loud exhausted sigh and walked over to where Rainbow Dash was urging Fluttershy to hang a streamer up higher.

“Almost Fluttershy! Just maybe about twenty percent more higher, or maybe slightly higher than that!” Rainbow shouted from the ground.

“I can’t do it, it’s just too… high...,”Fluttershy squeaked from her rather mediocre height level.

Coming up next to Rainbow Dash I shouted upwards, “Fluttershy you can do this, easy! You’ve been through much higher challenges than this!”

Fluttershy still cowered as she now taken hold of the town hall wall and is not letting go.

“That pony is just so scared of everything, I don’t even know how she was able to do all those training and mission things we’ve been on without fear affecting her,” Rainbow said worryingly to me.

“She just needs a bit of support Dash,” I cracked my neck and aimed my voice up to Fluttershy.

“FLUTTERSHY! YOU CAN DO IT! LET THE COURAGE FLOW THROUGH YOU. YOU ARE PEGASI, YOU ARE THE MASTER OF THE SKY AND YOU CAN DO THIS! LET MY WORDS OF POSITIVE FEEDBACK GUIDE YOU UPWARDS BECAUSE YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN DO THIS FLUTTERSHY! FLY FLUTTERSHY, FLY!”

She opened her eyes and determination went across her face, “I can do this, I WILL DO THIS!”

Her wings sear up forward from the wall propelling her into the air like a jet, wind currents buffeted behind her as her blur of pink and yellow made it to the top of the town hall. Fluttershy mounts the streamer on the small top placement and lets out possibly the most epic of victory cries ever to be heard arcoss Equestria.

“Yay.”

“Alright she did it! She…” Rainbow started to jump up in joy but then stopped and facehoofed.

Fluttershy was clung to the roof of the town hall and held on for dear life with her wings glued together firmly shut.

“Um… somepony…if it`s not too much… HELP!” Fluttershy started to panic.

Mission accomplished? I guess I better get this sorted out.

Giving a sigh from my tried over-paper worked body I reached over to the side of the town hall and climbed my way up.
About halfway I rested on a window and stretched my back from the cramping pains.
My curiosity got the better of me and I peered through the window to see the Mayor reading through a newspaper, she looked over her paper at me and her eyes grew wide at the sight of me hanging outside her window.

I gave a nice friendly smile and a wave.

She immediately put the newspaper back up in front of her nose and pretended as if nothing happened.

After climbing for a few short seconds after I made it to the roof where Fluttershy was still gripping the top placement.

“Fluttershy! I’ve come to get you down!” I reassured her as my hoofs moved me closer towards her.

I’m assuming she can’t fly now and if I remember there aren’t any piles of hay to drop her in.
Besides she wouldn’t like that.
I can’t fly but maybe gliding can work?
It’s worth a shot… but I think I’m going to be in pain again…. A LOT OF IT.

“Come on Fluttershy,” I said to her as I picked her up.

“What are you doing Shadow, wait are you going to…” realizing as fear went into her eyes.

“Just close your eyes and you’ll be fine my friend.”

I grabbed her back with my hoofs and spread my wings open as much as I can. My right wing usually hurt slightly but with all the desk work I’ve been doing it’s more irritating now.
But I have to do this.

Leaping off the edge the weight of another pony caught me off-guard as we went faster than I liked towards the ground. Not wanting Fluttershy to get hurt in the process I barrel rolled halfway down so my back was towards the ground.

The impact of the ground against my back and wings hurt incredibly as my robes got scrapes and small cuts formed on my wings from the slide I took on the ground but the good news was that Fluttershy was unscathed in the fall.

“You can open your eyes Fluttershy, you’re safe… also can you get off my stomach please? That landing really hurt my breathing,” I joked to her through my panted breaths.

She opened her eyes and quickly got off me, “Oh Shadow! I’m so so sorry. You got hurt because of me.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said just as Rainbow Dash quickly flew over and righted myself onto my flank at least, “I’ve grown accustomed to falling over my life.”

“Shadow… THAT WAS AWESOME!” Rainbow excitingly said, “The way you just leaped off and spun around to just take the impact was so… so…”

“Awesome?” I finished her sentence.

She smiled immensely and gave me a high hoof while Fluttershy inspected my wings.

“You should relax Shadow and let your wings heal a bit after that fall,” Fluttershy recommended.

Oh great… rest…

I fell onto my back with a *pomf* and watched the skies and their faces with an over-exasperated smile spread across my face.

Finally… nothing like a fall to get some rest. If you would call THIS resting.

I laid there for a solid 5 minutes until…

“HIYA SHADOW! I NEED YOUR HELP WITH SOMETHING!” Pinkie randomly appeared next to me and as quickly as I noticed her she put me on her back.

“Wait! Pinkie! I’m supposed to be resting!” I shouted in protest still in pain from the landing.

“You can rest later Shadow, right now it is PINKIE TIME!” she giggled and skipped down the road along with me on her back leaving behind the blue and yellow pegasi in confusion.

Oh no… this can’t be good…
Pinkie with explosives and me near them? Not good at all.

Chapter 38: Fireworks, Fireworks, FIREWORKS!

From what Twilight told me, Pinkie is in charge of the fireworks….
Suitable but…. argh……

Giving myself another face hoof Pinkie skipped down the road with me still lying on her back until she stopped for a moment, opened up a pink door and we hopped right in.

“Here we are Shadow!” she said excitingly as I fell down from her back and tried to right myself up with difficulty from the earlier fall. To no avail I just gave up for now and landed back on my back.

“Twilight was going around town and told me you were helping EVERYPONY and I really need the help! So can you help me? Can ya, can ya?” she pressed her face uncomfortably closer to mine.

“Umm… well… I’m in pain right now but…”

“GREAT! I’ll get the stuff while you can lie down and learn how fireworks are made!”

Pinkie hopped into and around the kitchen grabbing various mixing bowls and apparatuses that would seem better for making pastries as compared to volatile explosives.

A few seconds later an adult couple I remember as the “Cakes” walked in to see me sprawled out on the floor with my back and Pinkie going into overdrive trying to find everything she needed to make fireworks.

“Oh buon giorno Mr. and Mrs. Cake, Pinkie’s in charge of making some stuff with the festival and somehow I’m here to learn? All I know is that my back has been killing me all day.”

“Let’s get you up Shadow,” Mr. Cake said as he helped lift me back onto my hoofs from my sore back.

“You really shouldn’t work so hard Shadow. Pinkie told us all about the work you sit through on a daily basis. It must be difficult,” Mrs. Cake said worryingly to me.

“Don’t worry Mr. and Mrs. Cake I plan to take a very long break during the festival but after it’s back to work, after all somepony has to do it right?”

“Ah Shadow, always such a hard worker. You’ve been a good influence to our Pinkie and to the town. We’re all so proud of you and the help you’ve brought us,” Mr. Cake said shaking my hoof.

“Really, it is no trouble,” I said giving back a smile.

“Oh dear, we should really get going and pick up the foals,” Mrs. Cake said to her husband.

‘That’s right! Shadow can you make sure Pinkie doesn’t explode the house while we’re out?”

“I’ll try my best,” I reassured him.

They both gave a sigh of relief then quickly left the building leaving me there to give myself another face hoof. As soon as I finished Pinkie grabbed me from my spot and brought me over to the kitchen where everything was surprisingly well organized and neat.

Asides from those were the piles of clearly unlabeled materials and powders as I immediately recognized as explosive reagents.

“Pinkie you know we’re making fireworks, not cupcakes right?”

“Well duh! But a nifty trick I’ve found are that bomb recipes are similar to baking recipes!” she clapped her hoofs together.

“Pinkie you can’t be serious? Making bombs is a careful and very-closely timed mixture to do--,” I started to say but a pink hoof blocked my mouth.

“Enough talking, it’s time to get baking!” Pinkie ran over to a hidden stereo and turned it on playing a somewhat catchy tune I might add.

Oh no… she’s not going to…

Pinkie took a deep breath in and let out her loud hearty musical vocals.

~All you have to do is take a cup of glycerine!~

Add it to the mix!

Now you take a little something combustible!

A bit of string just a pinch!

Building these fireworks is such a treat!

Add a barrel of gunpowder!

Add a little more and you count to four!

And it makes you shout out louder…

Fireworks! So loud and colourful!

Fireworks! Now light the fuse! Fireworks!

~Fireworks, fireworks, FIREWORKS!~

Sure enough before me lay a large tray of perfectly made fireworks…. straight from the oven?

Still that song and the actual making of them forced me to plant a very hard and impacting face hoof on my forehead.

“Silly Shadow, you can’t make fireworks if you just keep hitting your head!” Pinkie smiled at me as she spun a tray from her head to my hoofs.

“Wait a second Pinkie, you don’t expect me to make these fireworks also?” I stared confusingly at the tray I held.

“Nope.”

Whew what a relief, I know cooking makes me look sexy but this is just too much…

“We’ll do it together!” Pinkie raised a hoof in triumph.

This can’t end well…

------3 and a half minutes Later-----------------

“Pinkie I’ve got smoke! I don’t think that’s supposed to happen!” I shouted to her while holding out the potentially ticking time-bomb my hoofs were grasping onto.

“Mmm! It looks delish!” Pinkie came over and wafted the smoking fumes coming from my firework stick.

I have never heard an explosive substance be described like that before.
What am I saying!? I HAVE A LIVE EXPLOSIVE IN MY HOOFS!

“But you might have to throw it out so we can work on a different batch okay?” she said before walking to her oven while humming to herself.

Where do I throw this away!? Not in the house that’s for sure!

My other hoof grabbed a nearby window opening and the other chucked the firework outside. A few seconds later a small pop was heard and the breaking of dishes coming from outside.

“NO! MY 2000 YEAR CHINA!” a voice from outside shouted which I quickly closed back the window and let out a sigh of relief.

“Okay Shadow I’ve got more stuff why don’t you try it again?” Pinkie came back holding the usual ingredients for fireworks.

Make it stop please! I can’t handle these explosives anymore!
“Oh it’s just like baking, how hard can it be?”
Ya right, now I’m stuck here until I can do this right.

I grabbed the materials, wiped some sweat from my brow and began the cooking process for the firework recipe once more.

It’s GO TIME!

Mixing the materials, spinning the bowl faster and faster with the stirring stick, getting the texture just right and sticking my creation into the oven at 350 degrees. All my concentration was fixated on this one simple of creation, the one explosive that was sure to aid my release from this infernal bomb factory and from Pinkie’s grasps.

THIS IS 100% ASSASSIN RELATED BUSINESS!

A small ding came from the oven which I immediately pulled out the still-hot explosive mixture and deposited it into a firework casing.
Lifting it proudly above my head I gave a victory yell then calmed down and put my creation onto the counter.

“Yippee! You did it Shadow!” Pinkie came over and gave me a hug of accomplishment.

“It was no problem Pinkie, guess I just needed some time to adapt and learn how to make them properly.”

“We should celebrate with some fireworks!” Pinkie shouted eccentrically while carrying a firework in her hoof.

“NO PINKIE!” I quickly swatted the explosive from her and it fell to the ground.

But there was something wrong… the fuse had gotten lit from the scrape along the kitchen tiles.

Doing the rational thing I usually would do if there was a live explosive device near me, I immediately grabbed it with lightning reflexes and tossed it well away from the vicinity of me and Pinkie.

Whew… crisis averted…

The thrown lit firework landed in a pile of other fireworks lighting them all.

“OH SHI-- PINKIE GET DOWN!”

My grey hoof grabbed her pink one and I situated both of us behind a table after flipping it over it's side with a kick to protect us from the blast.

"....."

“…..”

It never came.

Pinkie was giggling and my look went from mortified to confused. Peering over the counter slightly as to not get an explosion to rip through my skull, the fireworks I observed on the counter are completely burned out and white foamy fluff was coming out from them.

“Pinkie?” I looked back at her as she was trying ever so hard to stifle her laughter.

“Those fireworks are not actually fireworks, they’re FIREWORK CAKES!” Pinkie burst out into tears of laughter as she clutched her sides.

“Dammit Pinkie!” I shouted out in rage.

But then my mouth betrayed me with a small grin and my illusion broke, I too began to laugh my flank off from Pinkie’s creation.

Some moments later we picked ourselves up from the ground and began to clean around the kitchen until Pinkie stopped and used her mop to balance her.

“Shadow can I get your opinion on something absolutely fantastic!?” Pinkie asked me.

Just this one thing, but then I’m out of here. Got to help everyone else too.

“Sure Pinkie what is it?” I replied while putting down my broom.

She ushered me into the next room and showed me something I couldn’t believe she was actually going to do. My mouth hanged out and my mind was completely shocked as Pinkie gave a little showing off gesture.

“Pinkie… where… you know what I don’t even want to know. But you can’t… use this… you just can’t,” I said from my astonished, astounded and horrified face.

No it wasn’t a Pinkie Nuke. It was a PINKIE NUKE FIREWORK!

“I thought the festival could end with a big bang! A really really REALLY BIG BANG!” Pinkie grinned ear to ear.

“Pinkie there’s something’s you do and something’s you just don’t do EVER. This counts as one.”

I then face hoofed myself. Except this time it was very hard much harder than the other times from that day, I recoiled from the pain and my vision clouded. My eyesight started to flash and my head became washed in a dizziness of nausea as I stumbled onto the ground.

“….okay Shadow…. you….”

My head cleared and I can finally hear properly again.

“Are you okay Shadow? You didn’t look so good,” Pinkie said with worry in her voice.

“It’s alright,” I got up from my position, “Too many things happening today that are challenging my thoughts, very painfully I might add.”

“You know what Pinkie you do whatever with that firework, can I get some fresh air for now, I’ll be fine?”

“Okie dokie lokie Shadow! Try not to bump your head again!” Pinkie waved to me goodbye as I went over to the door outside.

Shutting the door behind me I slumped my flank onto the steps of Sugarcube Corner while rubbing my eyes with my hidden blade bracers.

In truth I was not fine.

My head pounded with such ferocity that it made me almost unable to stand back up to my hooves.

At least the baking madness is over with.
Still got to see Applejack and Rarity as well as anyone else who might need my help.

Another sudden pain happened in my head and for some reason I took a small look around myself just to see the usual festival decorators hard at work.

A strange feeling I’m getting… *head-trob*
Arg, I just hope I can deal with this pain until tomorrow; maybe Dr. Mareio can give me something.

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts as well as the headache I started to trot my way back into the festival preparations.

A short distance away a dark figure was overlooking Ponyville from a rooftop and more importantly had its sights fixated on Shadow walking out from Sugarcube Corner while rubbing his head in pain.

“You do make this sometimes oh so easy for me Shadow.”

The figure brought a hoof up to its face to readjust something on top of its nose from under a large smuggish grin.
Not a second later it vanished, not even leaving a trail of wind behind.

Chapter 39: Finishing Preperations with Shrooms

Looking around town while I rub my head from the earlier pain, I’ve seen that Ponyville is now almost completely redecorated and ready for the Lunar Festival.

Wow, how long have I been at Pinkie’s for?

I gazed up towards the sky and saw that the sun was reaching its late afternoon peak. Bringing a hoof up to my head which immediately stopped in its tracks before it could make contact and likely give me another, worse headache than from the short while ago.

Don’t want to do that again.

Placing my hoof back down on the ground another throbbing pain in my head took place receiving an annoyed grunt from my mouth.

Guess I better find Mareio and get him to fix this damned headache.

So, I trotted in the one place I knew Dr. Mareio was likely to be at during the amount of ponies rushing to get the decorations and settings in place.

“MUSHROOMS FOR SALE! GIVES A YOU THAT KICK WHEN YOU NEED IT!”

Mareio was shouting from the middle of the marketplace from his mushroom cart. He flailed a brightly red mushroom around the air in his right hoof hoping to get a chance to get a curious customer to sell his wares to.

“YOU CAN EAT IT, COOK IT, CLEAN IT; I’MMA DOCTOR SO YOU KNOW IT IS A GOOD!”

As I watched from the sidelines not wanting to get roped into another mushroom-selling scheme.

Considering I don’t want to be his guinea-pig customer to “sample” his merchandise.

A small group of ponies had in minutes formed around him to hear about the wondrous healing and eating effects of the large stack of mushrooms behind him.

A small colt nervously went up to him and asked, “May I buy a mushroom good doctor?”

Mareio turned to him with his doctorate smile, kneeled down to the colt’s eye level and hoofed him a rather delicious red mushroom.

“It is on the house my dear boy!” Mareio smiled happily receiving a look of pure delight from the small customer and he playfully ruffled the colt’s mane.

“Thank you kind sir, I’ll be sure to tell all my friends about you!” the colt said to him as he took a bite from the mushroom and hurriedly trotted back to his family’s house.

Now with the space available I quickly made my way through the side of the crowd and greeted Mareio.

“Hello my friend. That was a kind thing you did just now, but you wouldn’t get any business if you give all your merchandise away for free.”

Mareio still smiling at the audience positioned his neck closer to my head and quietly whispered, “Just a you watch Shadow!”

Immediately after he finished the crowd erupted into a frenzy of wanting to buy the “limited” supply of mushrooms Dr. Mareio had.
He eagerly accepted their money and gave them the assorted mushrooms in return.

“I A KNEW THAT WOULD WORK!” he shouted back to me now with a ton of business on his hoofs to satisfy his customers.

Give the ponies what they want; a small act of kindness leads into its own large rewards.
Mareio you sly, sly businesspony.

Remembering what I came here for I waited for business to die down a bit before I request medical aid from the mushroom doctor.
The small group of customers quickly turned into an outrageously large group as time went on and more and more ponies finished their festival preparations.

This is going to be a long day…

I sat my flank onto a nearby bench, carefully dusted some cake powder off my robes from Pinkie’s fireworks before, and before I knew it my head nodded off to sleep.

“Shadow wake up,” a familiar voice next to me said.

“Oh Applejack, your apple pies are so amazing,” I mumbled still half-asleep.

“I’m flattered but ya’ll really should wake up now,” which I immediately recognized as Applejack’s voice.

Waking my eyes up in realization from my slumber I saw Applejack sitting on the bench next to me with my head on her shoulder, I quickly raised my head off her in realization and she laughed a bit when she saw my embarrassed expression.

“Oh Applejack, hello,” I tried to retain my composure, “I was just taking a few minutes to myself for Mareio to finish with his customers.”

“Well there’s not too many left, maybe you can talk to him now?”

Nodding to her I got up from the bench, stretched myself and headed over to Dr. Mareio as he was finishing up a transaction.

“Thank you, please a come again!” he waved to his customer then quickly deposited the bits he earned into his now empty mushroom cart.

“Heck of a business you run Mareio,” I commented from behind.

He turned around and smiled, “Always a pleasure to the Assasssinos!”

Of course with Mareio, the term “subtlety” or “incognito” doesn’t apply to him.

“Anyways I was wondering if you could do something about this headache I’ve been having for most of the day, I just took a nap right now so it’s feeling a bit groggy at the moment.”

“A headache? That’s not good. Let’s a see what I can give you,” Mareio said now rummaging through the reserve parts of his mushroom cart.

A few moments of shuffling around the compartment of his cart Mareio raises a dual red and green coloured mushroom roughly the same size as his hoof.

“Here you go, on the house! The Assassin house that is,” Mareio laughed and gave me the oddly-coloured mushroom.

“Seriously Mareio, if this mushroom messes up with my body again like that time in Gerpony; I will hunt you down to the ends of Equestria.” I gave him a stern look.

“Okie dokie!” Mareio completely oblivious to my threat just did his usual over exaggerated doctorate smile.

Taking a deep breath I began to gouge on the fungus as fast as I could trying to get as much as I can into my system.

Despite the years of mushrooms I’m getting used to, they still leave that mushroom taste.
Blech!

Fun thing was this mushroom actually tasted pretty decent as I finished it and my headache cleared, receiving a look of satisfaction from Mareio.

“Mareio I still have to ask for safety reasons, what was in that mushroom?”

“A painkiller shroom moe powerful than the usual ones I’ve given to you after a mission. You really should be more careful.”

“No promises there Mareio, you take care now,” I gave him a friendly pat and went back to Applejack who had gotten up from the bench.

“So what was that all about?” she asked me as we began to walk in a direction with her leading.

“Had to get some medication from Mareio, today has really been… interesting, but by all accounts not so much than the usual.”

“Of course there isn’t an average day with you around,” Applejack teased.

“Well we still got a few hours left till nightfall,” I checked back up at the sun, “Anything left doing around here? I noticed practically all of the preparations are done.”

“I’ve still got some extra stuff to do before the festival begins tomorrow, would you like to help?” Applejack asked me but immediately she shook her head, “What am I thinkin? You should be back at the hideout getting rest, you should…”

I raised a hoof to interrupt her, “It’s alright Applejack, I promise not to push myself more than I have to. Maybe I’ll actually have some time for this ‘rest’ everypony speaks of,” I joked.

“All righty then, just make sure you don’t push yourself too hard.”

We arrived at a large set of boxes, seemingly prepped with straps and harnesses to easily transport.

It just had to be heavy lifting again, always on Applejack’s to-do list.
Also I'm getting a tingly feeling in my left hoof... now in my right... sort of tickles

As I finished chuckling to myself Applejack turned to me and said, “Alrighty then, we need to move these here boxes all the way to where Princess Luna is going to land her chariot."

“But I was just there! Especially after saving Fluttershy from that fall…” I quietly whispered to myself but Applejack noticed.

“What did you say?” she asked as she tested a box to see how heavy it is.

“Um… nothing just some spare work I did there before,” I quickly half-lied.

Wouldn’t want Applejack to know I nearly broke all my bones saving Fluttershy from that roof ordeal. Should’ve been resting she’ll say, should’ve saved my assassin and my friend I would reply.
I’d rather avoid that verbal spat for now.

Applejack wasn’t too sure what I just said but she immediately dismissed it and placed a crate on my back.

“HOLY CRAP APPLEJACK THIS IS SO HEAVY!”

I nearly collapsed from the weight but straightened out my hoofs to add more support and suddenly a surge of energy began to flow into me.

With a small chuckle I said, “Don’t worry I think I can still lift this all the way there.”

It must be the painkiller mushroom Mareio gave me, that’s a good side-effect.
……. I just hope that there aren’t any other ones.

“ONWARDS APPLEJACK THE NIGHT IS ALMOST HERE SO WE MUCT GET MOVING!” I said with a heroic victorious voice as I began to gallop with around 100 pounds on my back.

Applejack face hoofed herself and quietly muttered, “Just had to be a mushroom again... Well this is going to be an interesting night…”

-----------10 minutes in---------------------------

GAH! MY BACK! Maybe running with a box of….. hey…. what am I carrying anyways?

“Hold up a second Applejack,” I said to her as she passed by me with her load.

“What is it sugercube?”

Quickly undoing the box I said back to her, “Just checking what we’re carrying, feels like bricks…”

The moment my hoofs lifted open the flaps of the cardboard my eyes fell onto the contents inside and my jaw dropped.

“THESE ARE BRICKS!” I shouted back to her lifting up a brown/orange coloured brick in my hoof.

“Probably used to build a runway or something, come on Shadow we need to get these boxes there,” she said with an annoying sigh not noticing the slight changes to my emotions.

My hoofs began to twitch, my forelegs became jittery, the world started slowing down and speeding back up, my head felt like a... cloud... a happy cloud... with determinated focus (likely from the effects of that hallucinogenic painkiller mushroom).

I AM SO FOCUSED RIGHT NOW!

Quickly grabbing Applejacks shoulders sending a small startled jump through her I started to sing with my Ponitalian accent, “Applejack my bella assassino buddy! Let us deliver these fine slabs of brick....bene… and whose that over there? I see a group of ponies from the corner of my eye and I just gotta say SALUTE!…. HEY CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS COME OVER HERE!” I shouted at the trio that just so happened to be passing through.

They quickly ran up to us and the one I recognized as Applebloom (hence what my mind is telling me that her bow is very VERY unproportional to her head like about 3 times larger), “Oh hey Shadow, hey sis. Why were you shouting at us?”

“Oh him? He’s just in a state of something I don’t even know, give me a second,” Applejack said to them just before turning to me and giving me a large slap across the face.

“WOO Applejack that’s some hoof you got there. Sorry about that, these painkillers are really messing up my head, thanks for the slap,” I casually said to her rubbing my pain-dulled cheek.

“Anytime,” she smirked.

Looking back on to the trio of fillies I quickly whisper to Applejack, “Um… why are they here?”

“I don’t know you called them.”

“Really?”

“Yep.”

“Guess they’re my problem now.”

“Eeyup."

"You're not Big Mac."

"I'm his sister remember?"

"So you have the right then?"

"Sure thing."

"Cazzo."

"I know that was a swear."

"Sorry, my bad, trying to think..."

"They're still my problem now right?"

Applejack nodded this time not wanting to continue the conversation.

After a long sigh I crouch down to the eye level of the eager yet confused trio and say, “Hey would you 3 like to be box helpers for us, we could really use the assistance.”

“I think that would be nice,” Sweetie Bell said but was quickly shushed by Scootaloo.

“Why would we want to be box carriers? That doesn’t make any sense!”

The trio began to nod their heads and Applejack gave me a look saying, “why would you try to get kid labor from them?”

Alright time to analyze this conflict…..
………. and done!

“Well you three wouldn’t have to be box carriers, in fact we just need help with transport, apply the fundamentals and you can get science professions, there are brick in here so carpentry would work, in fact I can think of 12… no…. 23 different cutie mark possibilities you can get.”

This immediately brought a smile to their faces and I knew my plan worked.

Thank you mushroom creativity!

So with the help of 3 more ponies we finally were able to get the boxes full of bricks to the same place I was back in 5 hours or so.

Depositing my box to the landing site and receiving a thank you from the unloading coordinator I went over to a pile of grass and laid down on my back from exhaustion.

“Gee Shadow you look tired-,” Sweetie Bell began to say but I immediately jumped back to my hoofs.

“Nope never felt tired like that, lifting boxes was fun, transporting them was good, I’m so glad you three could help us, I thank you all so much, HUG TIME!” my voice sounding the same talking speed as an excited Pinkie Pie I gave them a large hug for their hard work.

“Can’t breath…”

“I’m telling you…. he’s….

“Nuts….”

I released my grip on them and Applejack quickly pulled me away, “Now that’s done with your head isn’t feeling right, I know this isn’t you Shadow. Well I mean you’re a fun yet slightly crazy pony, but that mushroom completely made you lose your sense on reality.”

“*sigh* Applejack I’m trying to fight it, maybe you’re right maybe I should go home and rest-.”

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

We both looked at each other and realized that was Applebloom’s voice we just heard. We turned back to the trio only to find that there were two of them left.

“Scootaloo, Sweetie Bell, where’s mah sister?” Applejack frantically said.

“She just got grabbed by that pony over there, and he’s getting away!” Scootaloo pointed over to a light blue Pegasus carrying a screaming Applebloom.

“HELP ME!”

“Cazzo, Applejack you stay here with the kids I’ll hunt that bastard down myself,” I said with a rather disturbing anger in my voice.

“But what about that mushroom still taking effect?”

“Whatever I will deal with it!” I shouted back to them as I began my sprint toward the fleeing Pegasus.

No way I’m letting Applebloom get kidnapped, that Pegasus…. is going to pay.

Using the numbing effects from the mushroom my movement sped up faster than it would have been from a pony lifting boxes and doing festival preparation all day.

A small group of frantic decorators blocked my way as the stallion was escaping with Applebloom. I leap up into the air and land on their heads as I strategically made my way over to a few crates leading to a rooftop.

Using a bit of cover on myself I observe the stallion looking behind him to see if he’s being chased. He breaths a sigh of relief but is having a hard time holding onto the struggling pony he’s kidnapping.

“LET ME GO!” Applebloom wailed, passersby only looked in shock at what was happening.

“Shut up girl, you’re coming with me. If all goes well you’ll be back home and I will be a few thousand bits richer,” he gave a sinister smile then opened up his wings to take flight.

This is my chance.

Going back a bit from the roof’s edge I rush forward and leap from the building onto the back of the now flying stallion. He didn’t expect the surprise attack and accidentally dropped Applebloom a safe distance into my arms. Gliding back to the ground I softly place Applebloom who was whimpering from fright back onto the ground.

“Don’t worry you’re save Applebloom,” I reassured her by wiping away her tears gently with a small but careful stroke of my gray hoof.

“Thank you…”

“Now Applebloom, would you excuse me to teach that jerk a lesson?”

“GET THAT VARMIT SHADOW!” Applebloom unexpectedly burst out in anger, giving me something to smile about.

Oh ho! That guy’s going to get it now.

Looking back up into the sky I see the faint light-blue outline of the kidnapper Pegasus trying to escape, unfortunately for him painkiller mushrooms also add the bonus of having an extreme amount of focus and precision.

Aiming my hoof up to the outline, I twist the small mechanism under my blade bracer switching to the modification. With one eye closed and the other focusing on the body a small *ping* burst through my hidden blade.

It was a crossbolt.

And it hit its mark.

The Pegasus despite not being too far away but not close either made it easy for me to judge where he was going to land. I menacingly stood at a spot and sure enough he falls headfirst right in front of my hoofs, then clutches his chest

“ARG! You bastard! You shot my wing, I think I might have broke my ribs—AAH!”

He shouted out in pain as I ripped the crossbolt out from his wing.

“Oh I’m sorry, did that hurt? Here why don’t I try to make it better?” I said grabbing his wing with my hoofs and began to bend it.

*SNAP*

He bellowed out in pain from his wing being broken and gave me a curse to which I replied.

“Oops, my mistake… let me try that again.”

This time I aimed a well-placed kick to his ribs he mentioned could’ve been broken.

Well they are now…

“Please… stop…”

I picked him up with my hoofs and looked dead straight into his eyes, my red colour reflecting off his terrified black.

“You think it’s okay to go to a town and try to kidnap a filly? Doing so just to ransom her off, do you not realize the pain you've caused for her….. DO YOU!?”

“Please sir, it was an honest mistake, I was just *AAAAAHHHH*” this time receiving another kick in the ribs as I still held him up with my hoofs.

“BULLSHIT! IT’S BASTARDS LIKE YOU THAT MAKE LIVES FOR OTHERS DIFFICULT. YOUR NEED FOR GREED TO AFFECT ALL THESE WONDERFUL PONIES. AND NOW YOU LIE TO ME!? ….. You should either feel scared or glad that I’m on a powerful painkiller right now, now that things have calmed down a bit. Will you ever come back, will you ever trouble these ponies again?”

“What do you think?” he spat on my face.

I wiped the saliva from my face and calmly gave him a glare.

“I think you should find a hospital Mr. kidnapper… you want to know why?”

Grabbing onto his slightly brusied left forehoof from the fall, my hidden blade bracer placed firmly against his fur. A small hoof movement later from my part and a crossbolt fired deep into his appendage from its point blank range actually piercing it's way all the way through to the other side of flesh but still wedged inside, blood started to soak around the wound

Again another scream of pain came from him; I loaded another bolt into my firing chamber to finally rid the world of this sick bastard and from his screams of agony. Talking aim at his skull, tears now flowing down from his eyes, they shut awaiting the inevitable end that would happen.

Had it not been an orange hoof slapping my gray one away that Pegasus would’ve died, on my account instead the next shot harmlessly landed through a closed window.

“Shadow stop! He’s done, it’s over…” Applejack said as she tried to restrain me.

I let go of her grip and switched back to my hidden blade, bringing it out to the Pegasus’s head I say coldly, “You better get out of town, come back here and you will die, understand?”

My body turned away from him not wanting to see him crawl as quickly as he can away from there, only a few passersby still gawked at what had transpired but I ignored them through my hood. The three ponies I didn’t see were the CMC.

“Applejack, where’s Applebloom and the rest?”

“I’ve sent them back to their homes soon after you shot your crossbolt thing the first time. Honestly I thought that the Royal Guard ponies would’ve been here by now, I know I saw a Captain but looks like he wasn’t doing his job otherwise he would’ve been here to arrest that damn critter.”

Giving a loud and frustrated sigh I turn my weary eyes to Applejack, “That fight…. it’s… it’s not me… Maybe it’s from the stress of work but…. Applejack. Am I going insane?”

“I think ya’ll just tired, and that’s was the mushroom stuff talking not you. I know you would’ve bruised him up pretty bad and likely if I was in your same position I would have shot him dead like you were about to after what he tried to do with mah Applebloom.”

“Well at least my cover isn’t blown; guess that minor adrenaline washed most of that poison Dr. Mareio gave me from my system. I still feel a bit loopy though… but… he said it was strong... should actually still be in here but I don't know.”

Immediately I fell to my knees and broke down into anger, “DAMN IT APPLEJACK WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME!? FEELS LIKE SOMEONE’S MESSING WITH ME BUT I DON’T KNOW! THE PRESSURE IS GETTING TO ME, NOTHING I DO IS RIGHT, PONIES GET HURT, THEY DIE BECAUSE OF ME!”

“Hey Shadow get a grip! I really think you should go home and try to get some relax--.”

“Obviously I’m not relaxed Applejack! I”VE BEEN TRYING TO DO THIS SINCE THE MOMENT I WOKE UP FROM MY DAMN NIGHTMARE THIS MORNING, BUT NO THERE’S ALWAYS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO GET BUCKING DONE!”

I broke away from Applejack now both of us tense.

“YOU KNOW WHAT APPLEJACK, HOW’S THIS FOR RELAXING!?”

Immediately I dropped my body down to the ground so my stomach laid flat on the grass, then I began to slide and inch my way along the ground.

“Hey Applejack look at me! I’M A SLUG YAY!”

“Shadow…. what…?”

“No pony can stop the awesome power of a Master Assassin Slug! I can slide anywhere I go, no one can do anything to stop my path!” I slid around Applejack in my high/loopy state.

Applejack just rolled her eyes realizing that all that rage and this craziness was still from the mushroom’s effects.

“Well if I can’t fight with reason, I’ll just use this!” Applejack reached from a small un-manned concession stand and grabbed a salt shaker; she began to salt me, the Ponitalian Assassino Slug!

“Noooooo! Balthazalt! My eternal enemy!” I curled around in a tight ball and pretended to shrivel up.

Of course a mother and young son just happened to be passing by this spectacle.

“Mommey look! I knew slug ponies were real!”

“DON’T LOOK AT HIM!”

Just then an alabaster unicorn walked towards us in shock (whom despite my state I recognized was Rarity from her glamor), “Applejack darling! What’s going on here?”

“Just some real bad side-effects from a mushroom Shadow got from Mareio. He should be fine in the morning, least I hope so.”

“That’s horrible! And to think I wanted to show him the completed outfit I had made for him!” she said reaching into a bag and pulling out a pair of ceremonial white assassin robes.

In my cloud-headiness state I looked up and asked, “When did you make that?”

“A few weeks ago you helped me do some slight modeling and I got this idea. It would look perfect on you for the Festival!” Rarity beamed.

Immediately grabbing the robes with my hoof I wore them right on top of my usual gray ones. The only difference with these robes is that they’re white. They still have the same red and brown parts other than the belt being scarlet red, in fact the same yellow crest I still have on the top of my hood has been replicated.

I adored this outfit and likely more so in my current thinking.

“Rarity its BENE FABULOUS! I LOVE IT!” I gave her a strong firm hug and she awkwardly returned it.

“It was my… pleasure?”

She quickly whispered to Applejack, “Those must’ve been some really strong mushrooms.”

Satisfied with my day of adventure and near-deaths I quickly said to both of them, “Sorry ladies but I must return to the hideout and rest for the festival. Arriverderci bella donnas!”

SHADOW MARK…. AWAY!

The two confused mares were left behind in a small smoke trail from me as I sprinted and parkoured faster than I ever did back to the hideout. Heck just for fun I decided to climb the outside wall again instead of taking the stairs.
Reaching the top I see Ace is sleeping soundly so I take it as the perfect time to wake him up.

“HEY ACE! MAREIO GVE ME A MUSHROOM AND NOW I’M LIKE WHOA SO GONNA SLEEP NOW, OKAY BYE!”

I descended into the hideout from the roof leaving Ace with a questioning look on what he had missed today. He ignored that feeling and tried to get back to sleep.

Actually before going to bed because I still ahd some time left before true night I figured it would be a good idea to focus on some late paperwork and deadlines I’ve been procrastinating over.

Being hyper on that shrooms can make me accomplish anything!

129 pages later now conveniently moved to my “out” bin the exhaustion had finally came up to me and I could feel myself getting back to normal.

I rubbed my head then immediately noticed my clothes.

“When did they get white…… oh right, it was after that kidnapper and the whole slug thing…”

It pained me to remember what I did to the kidnapper, but what Applejack said wasn’t the truth, how it was the mushroom adding that rage to me.

No.

All of that…. all of that what I did, placing my brace against his hoof and then his skull…. I would have done that to any Templar… to any threat…

I guess maybe it is all this stress getting to me, at least now I can put this all behind me for the festival… though I do wonder where Captain Thunderhoof left off to.. maybe back to a base or something to talk to his superiors. After all they shouldn’t really be here until tomorrow to protect the Princess as well as everypony else.

At least I hope they would take that initiative…

Noticing the amount of work that I just did in my hyper-active state I gave another sigh for the day.

Now I need to check all of those to see if I didn’t mess anything up… guess after the festival then.

I turned to my bed and laid myself on the surface in what is now my “double armor set” for the festival at least. I quickly began to close my eyes and soon a snore erupted from my mouth.

After all I was too tired to care if I would get a night mare again…

First everything was black but then a scene flashed before me. Fires were burning everywhere, I was standing on top of what was the highest point of that city. I could see everything.

Buildings burning, Ponies dying.

“Ah welcome Shadow, I was wondering when you’d come back!” an all too familiar voice said behind me.

“Dave… what do you want, why are you here, TELL ME NOW!” I was surprised at his apperance considering he was staying quiet for most of the weeks since we last spoke.

“Shadow. Shadow. Shadow,” he shook his head in disapproval.

“Always wanting to get to the point. I know you haven’t seen me in a while, I apologize because of some extra side stuff I needed to make sure would go right,” he gave me a smug grin.

“Dave, stop being a confusing… whatever you are… stop hiding so I can finally kill you bastardo!” I shouted angrily at him unsheathing my blade.

“I see this is where your current mindset is at…. hmm this is going to be easier than I thought. Don’t worry Shadow we’ll play soon just you wait, nothing escapes from my plans or deadlines after all,” Dave readjusts his glasses, "Ah DEADlines I always love that one."

“Also you have a nice pair of robes there…. a very nice pair indeed, I would love to wear them-.”

“ENOUGH OF YOUR CHATTER DAVE! Tell me, why are we here, why are you here!?”

“Oh… you don’t know where you are in this dream, this ‘vision’, I’m beginning to question your observational prowess. Why don’t you take a look and see where we are,” Dave opened up his hoofs to the sides of his body.

I turn my head to the fires and the screaming below… the ground was barren, the buildings were covered in smoke and flames, the only thing that seemed to be more intact was this tower I’m standing on… this… clock tower….

Realization hit my face and Dave smiled menacingly from my reaction.

“No… no it can’t be… this isn’t…”

“Yes it is Shadow, welcome to Ponyville! Or what remains of it after Balthazar’s plan is done. Shame too, I did like the colours and the mare-to-colt ratio.”

“You’re lying!” I shouted back at him.

“Really Shadow, when did I ever lie to you?” he smirked.

That is… actually true… what am I thinking! He’s a mind manipulating Templar!

“Well my only advice would be just be prepared Shadow… after all I’m sure Le Duck is doing fine at the Pondriactic sea. Heard about that nuke he had to disarm, to bad it wasn't a Pinkie nuke. Oh don’t look so surprised, it’s my job to know what is happening around Equestria.” Dave laughed.

“Especially a certain Lunar Festival to take place tomorrow. Maybe I’ll take a trip and “meet” with her royal highness along with a couple of your friends around Ponyville? I’m sure we’ll all have a splendid time Shadow!” he said that one with what appeared to be joy just as a chunk of rock split from the tower and fell to the ground below.

With me completely quiet Dave gave in and said, “Just remember Shadow, know that while you’ll try to be watching me, I’ll definately be watching you.”

He took a few steps closer to me with me standing closely to the edge of the remnants of the Assassin hideout.

“So I’m planning a little game tomorrow… I really like your outfit by the way, Rarity has a knack for artistic vision!” Dave said getting off-track he sheepishly coughed.

“Just a small game but I know you will like it Shadow, anyways I’ve got to do some last-minute adjustments to some numbers so for now I say this…”

He shoved me right over the edge.

“Bonna fortuna Shadow!”

I fell into the fires below burning Ponyville to ash. Looking up at Dave I see him with his smug expression as he casually steps away from the edge and a blinding dark light consumes him leaving nothing.

My mind… still shocked from what Dave said but this is what I’ve got.

He’s coming to Ponyville… and he’s likely going after Luna…
I don’t like what he said about his “plans” or “games” I just hope I can withstand his mind tricks compared to last time.
I need to warn the others…

Still falling I look around as the clock tower begins to completely crumble itself away.

But avoid telling them this… it’s only a dream after all…

At least I think it is.

That was my last thought before my body landed on the ground.
Immediately everything went black as the noises and sights from my dream faded into nothing.

Chapter 40: The Lunar Festival

Opening my eyes from the darkness I see the ceiling of the hideout, with no damage or any sign of disturbance to indicate I was still in that horrible dream.

Was that a dream? It had nothing to do with my past… it was though it was…
In the Future… Could that happen?
Then again it was Dave who was invading my personal space once again.

But… what if it wasn’t?

A slight pain rushed to the back of my head as the sleeping numbness wore off. I glanced around to find that I was on the floor next to my bed and that I likely fallen from.

Well that might explain the “falling feeling” I got when I was shoved off the tower.

Still feeling the pain, I will myself up to my hoofs and took a look outside the nearby clock window with my hoof pressed against the glass for support. It’s still relatively early, and the party decorations are all set up for today’s festival.

The Lunar Festival.
Princess Luna and a bunch of other ponies are arriving in Ponyville to celebrate.
Dave certainly made his point that he will be here, that is if he's telling the truth, he might still be trying to mess with my head so I should take some precautions; though he can hide I can also use the large crowds to my advantage.
I just hope I see him before he does.

I need to watch my back, pray that paranoia will not overtake me.

After fogging up the window during my thinking time I finally realized that whatever insane thing inside my bloodstream last night was, it was completely gone, rather my system felt clear and purified. Still I was annoyed by how far that mushroom took me from my sane…. well… sane-enough mind and left me a fool in front of most of my assassins.

Next time I’m sticking with the normal health and stamina shrooms…
Curse you Mareio, I will hunt you down!

I stifled a small bit laughter knowing how great it was to relive those familiar feelings I've felt when I first began my work in Ponyville. After doing paperwork and finding leads for so long it was nice to have the usual random events on the side. Guess they were right; it really did take a bit of a toll on me.

I made any last minute preparations on my blades as I did my routine test of them. From the corner of my eye I noticed Ace was waking up from his sleep and preening himself for the day ahead. After all, an eagle’s got to look fashionable for a festival as big as this.

“Morning Ace,” I went over to him as he continued to preen his wing taking no notice.

“Now for today Ace, since I know you want to spend some time relaxing can you do me a small favor?”

This time he moved from his left wing to his right.

“When you’re out flying I want you to notice any suspicious ponies or anything that doesn’t seem right. Can you do that?”

Again, he took no notice of my request.

“Dave is here, Ace,” I said coldly.

His head perked up from the mention of that name, his gaze met my serious one and he nodded in reply.
Immediately he flapped his wings into the air and made his way outside through the “Eagle Hole” specifically designed for Ace to enter to and from the inside of the hideout with no problems.

Glancing back at the window I thought I saw a dark blur go past on the outside but I quickly shook my head and dismissed it.

With Ace out of the room and no one else to hear me, I let out a very exhausted breath for what challenges I might face.

Something just didn’t feel right.

That’s why instead of usually taking a leap from the top of the tower, I took the stairs.

I opened the door from the ground floor letting in the sunlight of this new day peer into the clock tower’s base before closing the door behind and cutting off the warmth to the inside.
As I made my way out I noticed that the usual haystack next to the hideout was completely gone, not a fibre was left.

Guess it was a good idea to not take a leap of faith this morning.
Still, I wonder where it left.

Knowing that I’ll likely get an easy replacement from Applejack I continued my way into the heart of Ponyville.

It was still early out so there weren’t many ponies on the streets considering the festival lasts throughout the night and many will need their energy to last up for that long. With my nightmares and my work I am particularly a night owl myself.

Feeling just a slightly bit on edge I scanned the area around myself as I trotted down the road.

Tree…
Flower…
Coffee shop with no usual Equestrian Military members that I know… strange.
A kid getting hassled by his grandmother…
Few empty bench seats…

Guess nothing is amiss around here.

Suddenly a grey blur crashed into me and I fell to the ground with piles of letters erupting from it landing all over me.

“Oh I’m so sorry, are you okay?” a hoof reached to me which I accepted and got back onto my hooves.

“I’m fine, what’s the hurry?” I asked while dusting off my white robes from some dirt before getting a better look at who crashed into me.

“All this mail needs to be delivered before most of Ponyville wakes up and I need to-,” she started to say but then immediately dropped a pile of letters she was holding.

“YOU’RE THE SHADOW OF PONYVILLE! HORRAY, YOU CAN HELP ME!”

I quickly put my hoof to her mouth, “Shh! It’s supposed to stay quiet, remember Derpy?”

“Right Shadow, sorry, just got a bit excited.”

“It’s alright, now let’s clean up these letters and send them on their way,” I said reaching over to help with a pile of letters.

“Thank you.”

As we picked up the letters there was something that was bugging me.

“Derpy? I hope it’s not rude for me to ask, but can I ask why your name is like that?”

“Well, my real name is Ditzy Doo but I’ve gotten Derpy as a nickname since I’m always… well… crashing into stuff. With these darn cross-eyes! It just makes me feel pathetic that most ponies just joke and tease me because of that.” she said with a frustrated sigh.

“I don’t think they’re bad somehow they rather suit you. Maybe you should go back to being Ditzy? Do a good job in the mail field and ignore those that try to put you down, I’m sure eventually everypony will come to see that what they made fun of you before was wrong.”

“That could work, maybe it’s about time I stop getting pushed around based on what I look like, maybe even make everypony see who the real me is! It’s so great to get advice from the actual Shadow of Ponyville!” she said with an excited giggle.

“Oh but Ditzy, mind to keep that still on the down-low? I can’t risk my identity being found out otherwise my methods of helping will be less effective.”

“You can count on it, I’ll try my best to keep your secret safe. Alright that should be the last of the letters,” she said stuffing them into her mailbag, “OH! I think there’s one left over there!”

She pointed to the spot where there was a letter and I quickly went to go pick it.
I gave it back to Ditzy who thanked me but then immediately stopped as she looked at the letter.

“Oh, Shadow it’s for you,” she hoofed me the letter.

Really? Maybe it’s from Le Duck. Come to think of it I haven’t heard from him in a while, letters go by quick so I’m wondering if he replied why it’s taken him the weeks to do so.

I skimmed over the letter to see it was just written in my name in black ink, “Shadow Mark”.

“What’s strange is there’s no return address, there has to be one otherwise the letters don’t go through the sorting part. This is really odd. Anyways I should hurry and get back to my duties. Thanks again Shadow!” she said to me before taking flight and leaving me clutching the letter within my hoof.

I open it and my eyes widen.

Good Morning Sleepyhead,

Rest nicely? Because this day is just getting started.

With what I have planned for you and everypony else.

I'm sure it will be a wonderful surprise for you and no one else definately wouldn't expect it.

Try to find me if you can… I’m sure you will see me.

Because I can definitely see you.

Always got your back, you should look behind you sometimes – D

I place the letter carefully into a pocket fold while silently taking out my hidden blade.
Quickly turning around with my blade unsheathed before stabbing I see 2 familiar faces.

“Whoa, Shadow take it easy. Festival’s just getting started,” Commander Beard said holding his assault rifle who was standing next to Garrus.

“Sorry guys, I think I might have a Templar stalking me today,” I sheathed my blade.

“Shouldn’t that be the other way around?” Garrus remarked but received an eye roll from Beard.

“We’ll be glad to take an eye out and look over the town while we make our patrols. It’s also our job to protect Princess Luna once she arrives so you’ll know where to find us. Just curious, do you know who the Templar is?”

“A certain Griefer summoning accountant we all know,” I joked.

“Guess we need to be on our hoofs then, no telling what Dave will do. Maybe it would be a good idea to tell Captain Thunderhoof about this development, what do you think Garrus?” Beard said.

“Would be good if we knew where to find him. Only seen him yesterday around noon, my guess is he’s either still sleeping or sorting out some last-minute protection for the Princess’s arrival.”

“Or maybe he’s…”

As they continued to bicker on the Captain’s location I noticed something in the corner of my eye. I turned my head to see just the fainted dark blur go past and into an alleyway.

“-What do you think Shadow? …. Shadow?”

I snapped out of my small trance and replied back to the Commander, “Haven’t seen him since yesterday. I should be going, good luck on the protection details.”

Immediately I left them and began to furiously climb the building adjacent to the alleyway. I reached the rooftop and observed around from the elevated position. There was nothing.

My hoof reached up to my forehead and wiped off a bit of sweat from the brow from the small sprint just now. I make my way over to the edge of a long series of connected buildings and sit myself along the edge.

The day passes by slowly with the sun baking me in its warmth. Yet every moment I wait for night to come I keep thinking about the letter, about Dave, about what might be to come.

Just need to stay calm, obviously he’s up to something but I can’t tell what. Just can’t let his plan work and focus on protecting the Princess and the other ponies for now.

I figured my time spent on the rooftop was well enough, couldn’t see anyone else elevated so it should be clear for the time being. Also there happens to be a group of spectators down below me.

“OH NO HE’S GOING TO JUMP!”

“LISTEN TO ME MAN! THIS AINT THE WAY TO GO DUDE!”

“WILL ALL OF YOU SHUT UP, I’M TRYING TO SLEEP! ... AND OH MY CELESTIA THERE’S A PONY ON MY ROOF WHAT THE BUCK!?”

Best I be going now.

I secretly made my way down without anypony noticing and started again my walk about town.
Time is passing and I’m hopeful for that as the day will soon be over, but I am anxious for the night. I should be though, it’s likely Dave’s still on my trail.

There’s nothing I can do now, my best bet would be to make him think whatever he’s doing is working…

More ponies are now up and about and likely a crowd is going to form sooner or later.

More are going to show from around Equestria once it gets darker, might make good use of crowds by then.

I turned my head back up just as I was about to bump into a walking pedestrian, quickly I staffed to the right and avoided the confrontation. I then noticed a familiar magenta earth pony.

“Ms. Cheerilee!” I called her and she turned her head looking back at me and giving me a wave before I trotted towards her.

“Hey Shadow, almost didn’t recognize you without your usual clothes! I haven’t seen you in a couple of weeks, have you been off traveling again?”

“Unfortunately I haven’t, been too busy with some paperwork that needed to get done,” I replied.

“That’s too bad, I was wondering when the next time you would come in as a guest speaker. The children love it when you show up, to be honest I don’t know but there is something quite charming about you- I mean that foreign charm of adventure is an inspiration to us all!” she said with her cheeks turning flushed.

“Well the next time I’m off to somewhere you will be the first to know where my travels have taken me.”

We conversed a bit until a rancher accent greeted us, it was Applejack.

“Howdy Shadow, hey Cheerilee. Are you both ready for the festival tonight?”

“You know me Applejack, trying to rest but not being able to do so,” I laughed and so did she.

“Ya, I wouldn’t call last night a restful evening,” Applejack laughed.

Cheerlie looked dumbfounded on what we’re talking about so I told her about the mushroom Dr. Mareio gave me and the… interesting side effects. (Leaving the part about taking down that pony out of the story of course.)

“Sounds like a night to remember!" she chuckled, "Oh sorry for asking but do any of you have a pen at the moment? I need to add something to the list of things to teach this week, and I’m liking the ‘beware the shroom’ topic,” Cheerilee joked.

Applejack lifted her hat, “Nuthin under here.”

I started to ruffle through my white robe, “I doubt I have a pen, after all who would carry one?” my hoof felt something smooth and pulled out a simple ballpoint pen from a pocket.

How did that get there?

I gave it to Cheerilee who thanked me then quickly scribbled with the pen in her mouth on a piece of paper then gave me back the pen, which I put EXACTLY back where I found it in my pocket.

“Alright, you two enjoy the festivities I need to organize some stuff back at the schoolhouse, bye!”

We waved each other off and my cheerful smile went to serious as I turned to Applejack.

“Applejack, I don’t know what’s going on but I know for certain that Dave is here!” I said urgently to her.

“What!? Really? It would make sense considering Princess Luna is coming. It would make her a prime target. Are you sure Dave is here though? He might just be messing with your mind the last time or maybe you're still under that shroom Mareio gave ya.”

“That’s why we need to be on edge for whatever happens. Applejack, I think Dave is stalking me right this instant. Things have been… well let’s just say I’m having the worst anxiety I’ve ever felt in a long time. Applejack you know I don't carry a pen, I always use quill and ink.”

“Probably from overworking and being cooped up in that hideout for so long, the mushroom from last day didn’t help either. Maybe it’s still in your system and your experiencing it still? As for the pen, you probably just picked it up from somewhere.”

“You could be right Applejack, but please, just keep an eye out alright? I couldn’t bear to see anything happen to you,” I said with a sincere smile.

“Oh Shadow…. do you really mean that?” Applejack said with a slightly happy tearful voice.

“Of course, I do my best to protect everyone in my family. All my friends, all the assassins, all their families, all their families families. Heck even Mareio I’ll protect after I kill him for giving me that shroom,” I joked.

“Oh, alright then,” Applejack said with a slight hint of disappointment?

“I should get going too; see you at the festival Shadow. I’m also liking the white robes, they look much better than your other one covered in sewn arrow and knife holes,” Applejack smirked and with a swish of her tail started to trot off.

“Really? You should learn to be more observant Applejack because I’m wearing both robes at the same time!” I smiled then quickly waved to her, “See you then, Applejack.”

Before I turned back to continue my walk about Ponyville, I reached into my pocket where I originally had taken and put my pen in.

It was gone.

----- A few hours later (Early Evening) --------------------------------------------------------------

Ponyville is more crowded as the start of the festivities is almost upon everypony.
I’m sitting on a bench to avoid being dragged into the large crowds that are forming.
A nearby bard carrying a lute and wearing a formal jester’s outfit come up near me and rested against a wall.

“I can’t believe I’m in Ponyville. This cesspit of a town has nothing for what a highly-renowned bard master of the lute needs. They should marvel at the sight of my musical genius!” the bard annoyingly boasted himself.

“That coming from a pony who willingly came here only to insult its inhabitants and to play an annoying racket of poor notes and low sound keys?” I replied to him.

I’ve dealt with enough bards in Ponitaly to know how types like these work.
You haven't met a bard if you haven't met one from Ponitaly. Those ones are just... agitating

“You fool! You do not understand the artistic genius behind my moving poems! Listen to what may be the sweetest, most tender rhymes I may bestow upon thee,” the bard said picking up his lute.

~You listen to me sing this song~
~You will like it you will love it~
~Hours and hours of me singing this long~
~Bring to me your finest items to you who shall commit~
~This festival day it just feels so wrong~
~To be stuck in this Ponyville cesspit!~

The bard finished then bowed towards me giving me the chance to swipe his lute away from him.

“Hey! Give that back!”

“Now you listen to what I have to say, bard.”

~No pony likes you go away~
~Why bother to show your face here today?~
~If you didn’t want to go then don’t come~
~Call Ponyville a cesspit one more time then you’re going to get some~
~But still I have the patience for thee~
~If you will allow, explore our small city~
~So I hope you will enjoy the festivities~
~Because in a bit I’m going to make my finale!~

I stopped playing and almost immediately the bard began to laugh at me hysterically and point his hoof.

“You can’t sing for anything! That was absolutely THE worst performance I’ve ever heard! My Great Grandmother can play better than that, and she is completely deaf!” he laughed even harder.

The small crowds around us heard our small music competition and began to boo the bard, even the ones not from Ponyville began to show their disgust for the musician.

“EVERYPONY! DO YOU WANT TO SEE THE FINALE I MENTIONED?” I shout to the crowd receiving a thunderous wave of cheer and encouragement.

I take the lute and hold it in such a way that I have a better grip on it as I advance towards the bard, who now noticed the sinister effect I made with my hood.

“Wait, what are you-.”

I bring the lute down hard against his front hoof like a melee weapon as the instrument breaks in half, the bard falls to the ground in pain. Turning to the crowd I say, “Grazie” and take a bow receiving even more cheers.

The cheering started to stop when a loud voice was moving from inside the crowd.

“EXCUSE ME, MOVE, WHAT’S ALL THIS RUCKUS?”

The pony came out revealing herself to be the one and only Mayor of Ponyville.

Just my luck… here we go again.

“Oh, of course it had to be you Shadow Mark. It always is,” she gave a frusterated annoyed sigh.

“Hello Miss Mayor, nice to see you too,” I gave a slight head bow.

“You come with me. Everypony else get back to what you were doing before. But make sure you spend a lot of MONEY on our gift shops!” she said almost too ecstatically.

Following the mayor to the outside of the nearby town hall, she turned to me as we arrived just outside it.

“So, now you are beating up the musicians we hired for this festival?”

“Believe me, that bard would likely cause more problems rather than fixing them.” I replied smugly.

“Just watch it Mr. Mark. You’re skating on thin ice here. It’s also lucky that our law enforcement is very lenient with your… actions,” she furrowed her brow.

“Truthfully I try not to cause such a ruckus as I did but-.”

“No, not another word from you. You will listen to what I currently have on record about you... I have reports of aggravated assault around town, refurbishment of rooftops, I’ve seen you outside my window yesterday so I know it was you climbing onto owned property, danger to yourself and others……..”

She continued on and on but I blocked her out and noticed something in a window inside the town hall.
I squinted my eyes to get a better look and they were met by an icy-white hoof waving from inside.

Dave…. so you are here…

His smile pierced through the window as he readjusted his glasses. His hoofs went down below the window to where he then brought up a large white billboard with the word, “Soon” written on it. He gave a laugh before stepping behind the giant cardboard piece.

“Are you even listening to me!” the mayor shouted into my ear.

“Sorry Miss Mayor, but I think you need to add one more to that list…”

Immediately I rushed the window and jumped through it landing on the white billboard and bringing it to the floor with no Dave or anything behind it.

Damn it! I almost had him! He couldn’t have gotten far.

Racing upstairs I made it to the highest floor in the building having cleared the other rooms with no sign of Dave anywhere to be seen. I open a window and crawl my way out and back to the ground outside.

CAZZO, I COULD’VE SETTLED THIS! GET THIS MADNESS TO END, BUT NO! HE JUST LOVES TO DO ALL THIS CRAP WITH THE MIND GAMES!

My mind was in a rush, my senses were dulled in my small fit of rage and frustration, I’m frantically looking around for any sign of Dave I could see, turning up with nothing each time.

My shadow on the ground slightly changed revealing a smiling figure in its place. I bring my hidden blade down upon it but all it does was get wedged into the dirt. Some ponies stopped and noticed the small stir I made with my blade impact. I quickly yank it from the ground before running as fast as I could into an alley to escape from this madness.

Just got to relax…
Important thing to know is that he’s not a hallucination. That I don’t think.
He’s here, and he’s trying to mess with me. It will not work this time.

Taking a large deep breath of air I relaxed myself and emerged from the alley. Everything felt calmer now; guess Dave needs time to think of some new creative ways to attempt to torture my head.

As I walked I noticed a group of children huddled around each other so I decided to cgo take a look on what was going on.

“—Oh dude you were so close that time! Almost beat my high score!” the children then noticed me coming and the one who spoke asked me, “Hey mister do you want to play? It’s about this really cool new video game called The Creed of Assassins, it’s about a group of stealthy ninjas that you need to get from point A to B without getting caught and be forced to do tests by the evil development company called Apstergoture Industries. You want to try?”

Bah technology, I never played video games, too much parkour time with my brother Free Runner I think. But this game...it does sound awfully similar to those books Uncle reads…

“Alright then,” I said as they gave me the handheld gaming device.

The game started out normal and I was doing well past level 49 which surprised most of the kids. That was until the unthinkable happened.

A pixilated version of Dave appeared on the screen giving me a wink and startling me.

“AAH!” I dropped the game onto the ground.

“Wow, I guess the old-timer couldn’t handle it. Dude nearly broke my game, come on you guys let’s go somewhere where an adult won’t cramp our style. Bye Mr. Hooded Pony!” the children picked up the game then left leaving me confused.

Get a grip; it was just another Dave illusion.
Got to hoof it to him though, that was pretty creative.
Even though the last time he did that it was a bomb…

And who do those kids think they are calling old?
Perhaps all this stress is getting to me, Dave’s certainly not making it any better.
Hmm…..

I looked up at the sky to see that it’s nearly time for the moon to come out.

Wow, guess video games are the ultimate time-waster after all. But of course they would never compare to the power that is the Assassin paperwork, ho ho!

Figured it would be best for me to blend into the crowd and wait for Princess Luna’s arrival.

I stand within a large group of excited ponies from all over Equestria as we waited near the chariot arrival path that the Princess would come down in her chariot. Still being paranoid I turned my neck around to see if there’s any chance Dave might be also hiding within this crowd.

So far nothing yet…

I did see a few familiar faces such as the ponies I’ve met today as well as the other assassins were talking amongst themselves. It did seem that Twilight was sweating profusely and was still clutching the clipboard I saw her with last day.

Poor mare, always trying to get things so perfect for these kinds of things. Guess I'm somewhat the same.

I also noticed Dr. Mareio within the crowd, his doctorate smile was one that could be seen for miles. As I was about to go over to him and beat him senseless for that mushroom he gave me earlier, I then felt a small tug on my robe so I looked down to see it was Spike.

“Hey Shadow, almost didn’t see you with your new getup,” he said to me.

“Then how would it properly work then?” I joked.

“Shadow, is something wrong? You just seem kinda fazed right now,” said with a concerned voice.

“Um… yes and no… well… I’m not entirely sure… just that Dave is-.”

“OH LOOK! SHADOW IT’S STARTING!” Spike shouted as he pointed upwards into the sky.

A dark spiral of clouds circled above Ponyville as a wave of lightning streamed out from the center expanding to the sides around the swirling gas vapors of dihydrogen monoxide. The clouds spun faster, the lightning grew more intense every second providing the ultimate effect of a chariot pulled by two members of the Lunar guard to burst through the middle in a flash of lightning at a fast speed. As it went out a squadron of more Lunar guards appeared from the hole and landed down on the runway. The chariot landed with a hollow sound of the chilled night wind blowing through the crowd. All was silent until a pony with her flowing midnight blue mane stepped out from the chariot and gave the transfixed crowd a long stare before opening her mouth releasing what I’ve read before once known as “The Royal Canterlot Voice”.

“GREETINGS CITIZENS! ARE THOU READY FOR THE NIGHT’S CELEBRATIONS? AS WELL AS THE OTHER NIGHTS TO COME?”

…..ouch, I probably shouldn’t have been listening for any signs of Dave.
Maybe I should switch back to my normal hearing before…

The crowd erupted into a loud frenzy out shouts and cheers for the arrival of Princess Luna. I clutched my ears and fell to the ground in pain from the many voices bombarding my hearing.

"LET THE LUNAR FESTIVAL BEGIN!

“Shadow!” Spike said as he came over to help me up.

“My mistake, guess I shouldn’t have been scanning the crowd during that time.”

“Scanning for what?”

I was about to tell Spike who was likely going to inform the rest of our friends but I was stopped dead in my tracks as I saw something I didn’t expect from the other side of the crowd.

A pony wearing a white robe blended themselves within the group of cheering ponies but I was able to make out a few shocking details about their outfit, the pony noticed my look from afar and turned away before heading out from the mass of ponies.

The thing was those weren’t just any white robes…

They were exactly the one’s I’m currently wearing… same design, same patterns, and same colour.

The same One-of-a-Kind hoofmade by Rarity only just finished yesterday.

“Dammit it’s Dave!” I quickly muttered under my breath which Spike clearly heard.

“Dave? Dave what? Shadow!” he tried to stop me to explain myself but I was long gone weaving through the crowds when he shouted my name.

I made my way through the crowd as fast as I could, some I merely pushed while others got a small shove. I made it to the edge of the chariot runway and broke into a running sprint. Luna noticed me and gave a small gasp as a few soldiers flew up and blocked my path thinking I was a crazed fan or something worse.

They didn’t expect that I would vault over their heads.

I made it to the chariot where Luna was still standing next to with her mouth agape. I tipped my head and said, “Apologies Princess, if we do not meet up for a chance to talk,” before climbing on top of the chariot and letting the elevation propel me down to the other side of the crowd who gasped and quickly formed an empty lane to make me run through and chase after the imposter.

“Wait… was that… Shadow?” Applejack said confused at what just happened.

“My why in Equestria would he ever do that?” Rarity said.

“Come on girls we need to get to the bottom of this, either Shadow’s insane or there’s something more important that he broke his cover,” Twilight said.

“Ya! Shadow would almost never break his cover if it wasn’t important… or crazy? Shadow crazy? Even that just seems crazy!” Pinkie remarked.

“He told me that Dave is here,” Applejack said with a worry.

“WHAT!?” everyone shouted.

“But Shadow still looked like he was still under the effects from a mushroom Mareio gave to him earlier. Really I don’t know what to believe.”

“Well whatever it is we got to move and get to the bottom of this!”

I sprinted with as much force as I can do to try to not lose the imposter’s position. I went around a corner and quickly caught a glimpse of him turning around another corner. In that small glimpse I noticed the imposter not only had my same robes, but it was also a white unicorn.

Just like Dave…
Why would he be wearing my outfit? Snap out of it Shadow! He’s only doing that to trick you and everyone to think it’s me and not him.

This was something that had to be stopped, something that had to end. I shoved ponies aside as I began my chase for the disguised Templar Accountant.

The more I ran the more I realized that it had to be him and no pony else.

Of course! He saw my outfit in that dream; as it’s a 1-of-a-kind no pony would be able to replicate that soon EXCEPT for him.

The horn…

His white pelt…

All these mind games today…

It has to be him, can’t be anypony else.

I was bent on catching him, bent on finally getting this madness to stop, nothing will distract me, nopony will stop me from completing this, I turned the same corner he did and saw my imposter galloping through the streets.

Dave… there is no escape this time. You are going to die tonight.

Chapter 42: The Canterlot Dungeons

My eyes open still with some exhaustion, as I could feel myself being dragged by two royal guards across the stone floor. A pure white unicorn with two different shades in his hair and wearing battle armor trotted behind me as to stop me should I do anything funny.

If I was desperate I would have stabbed them and made my escape, but other than complicating matters further I looked down to see every single weapon and gadget I had were gone, the only things left were my white blood-stained robes and my original ones underneath.

“Sir, he’s awake,” one of the guards said as he noticed me trying to blink myself awake.

“Good, it would give our murderer here more time to think before his hearing,” the unicorn said, I noticed his voice and rank made him sound like a captain.

We arrived at a door which the Captain opened it with a key.

With the doorway open he gazed his head down at me and said with a cold tone, “Your hearing won’t help you, just confirm that you’ll be staying here until your mane turns gray or worse. Captain Thunderhoof was my friend and I can’t believe he was killed by some lowlife like you.”

I returned his stare with mine through my hood, filled with a stern look, but with compassion and remorse.

“Shining Armor! Captain! Sir Captain Shining Armor SIR!” another guard arrived panting from exhaustion as he collapsed onto the ground.

“Get a hold of yourself private! What is it?” Shining said as he helped him up.

“Sir, it’s the dragon we’ve captured in sector 5! He’s breaking out of his restraints!”

“WHAT?! I thought I told your squad to sedate it!”

“We did! We gave it enough tranquilizers to knock out 5 elephants!” the guard retorted.

“DRAGONS. AREN’T. ELEPAHNTS!”

Shining Armor quickly remembered that I was still being held by the two guards, he motioned them to toss me into the open cage leaving Shining slamming it shut with a look of disgust and hate towards me.

“Come on, let’s go get that dragon before something serious happens,” Shining said to all the guards as they ran away from my cell.

I give a loud sigh of breath as I take off my stained white robe revealing my original dark gray one.

“Ah good ‘ol Sharpgash, out of everything in here he has the most chance to escape,” a voice behind me said.

I turned around to see a sand coloured earth pony wearing a bandana and a tattered blue and brown vest lined with pockets as he lay on an uncomfortable looking bed.

He vaulted himself off the bed and approached me with a hoof out, “Name’s Lucky Bit, pleasure to make your acquaintance………”

“……..”

*Ahem*

“This is when you say your name?”

“…………. Shadow Mark,” I finally gave him an answer.

“Well great to meet you Shadow, because unless something happens we’ll be staying here together for a very very long time,” he got back onto his bed and sat there.

“So let me be the first to say, welcome to the Canterlot Dungeons!”

He catches a glimpse of my blood stained robe as I toss it into a corner.

“Whoa, what are you in here for buddy?”

“The murder of an innocent, a Captain,” I solemnly said as I take a seat in the middle of the room looking at the same wall the cell door is on.

“Yikes, I’d be amazed if they didn’t give you the death penalty, but I’m sure the Princess would have a kind heart about that. Certainly gave me the number of years when I failed to do my thieving job correctly.”

As he finished silence hung into the air as I didn’t make any motions of wanting to talk.
A rush of cold air floods in, not from any ventilation from outside but from a place inside our cell, an icy-white hoof caught my side-gaze as it stood up next to me and I realized what “in a bit” meant from before my capture.

“Well that certainly was unexpected, for you that is,” Dave chuckled next to me as I ignored him, not moving from my position.

“Hey, who are you?! How did you get in? I’m calling the guar-,” Lucky tried to say.

“Shut up from you. Otherwise I will extend your prison time twofold,” Dave snapped at him before returning his gaze back to me.

“Sorry for that rude interruption Shadow, also I apologize for having to make you go through all of that just for you to be locked up in here. Would you care for some reconciliatory yoga perhaps?” he made a motion with both of his fore-hoofs.

“Well either way it was nice to see that my plan worked with no flaws, as per usual. You’re now in Canterlot and will be well accommodated until the party begins.”

“What party? Another one of your games, Dave?” I asked with spite in my voice.

“I can’t believe you would have forgotten Shadow, did that Griefer message mean nothing to you? I thought we had something, a connection! *Sigh* I guess I should’ve made it more clear. As I want you to attend.”

“So Shadow this was the most efficient way to get you to Canterlot and closer to your goal, because in three days…” Dave looked at a clock just as it went *ding and struck the midnight handle, “Balthazar is throwing a lavish party right after the Lunar festivities finishes.”

My ears perk up when he mentions Balthazar.

“It’s going to be filled with ponies from all over Equestria and it’s located right in Canterlot! How convenient is that? It’s right at the governance’s residence, a nice mansion indeed. Best thing is, Princess Celestia can’t do a damn thing to stop him politically, so bring your party game! We'll all have a nice time, until somepony dies that is,” Dave gave a sinister smile.

“A party right after a party ends… I wonder what Ms. Pinkie Pie would say about that… oh, don’t look so glum Shadow because in three days’ time, you will get your revenge. He’ll be there completely distracted by the other guests, you could just waltz right in and kill him or whatever you Assassins do.”

“You will get another chance, another time for retribution, to end High Duke Balthazar’s life. The choice is yours Shadow…. no rush, after all you are likely going to serve a life’s sentence unless you think outside the cell,” Dave does a small chuckle and lightly pats my back, with his horn lit with his black sinister magic he walks towards a wall, becoming a dark swirling vortex. He steps in it and disappears without a trace.

“WHO IN TARTARUS WAS THAT?” Lucky Bit shouted in confusion from his bed.

“Dave.” I quietly said before returning to my thoughts.

Just three days…. Three days before I get a chance to strike and Balthazar dies…
Along with Dave if I get the chance.

It’s a trap obviously, another one Dave made, but I know I must take it, I must end his life.
Balthazar will die.

“Hey? Shadow you alright?” Lucky asked me.

I gave no response and no attention to him, not to anything, not to anyone.
I will wait and for this to work I need to focus.

I need preparation.

----- Dawn of the First Day ----------------

The guard shifts went around and guarded the cell doors, I could tell it was morning for a small window to outside let in a ray of sunshine.

“It’s ‘Lucky’ that our cell is right next to a cliff so we have a window while the other side doesn’t,” he laughed at his joke as he went up to it and let in a breath of fresh air.

Just then a guard arrives bringing two food trays, a bowl of porridge and a plastic cup of water on each.
He slides them through a small slot opening and says gingerly, “Meal time.”
Lucky quickly makes the way to his tray and kicks other one gently to my direction.

“Bleh I hate this stuff,” he squints his eyes in disgust, “But better than nothing I think, you going to finish that?” he pointed to my bowl of porridge.
I slide it towards him without moving from my spot and he gives a thanks before devouring the meal.

I grabbed my cup of water and looked at it before setting it down in front of me as I continued to do… well… nothing…

At least that’s what it would seem like I am doing…

--------- Dawn of the Second Day ----------------

“So since you’re just sitting there and I’m bored I might as well tell you how I got in here,” Lucky said to me as he leaned himself against a wall with one hoof around his leg.

“So as you can probably tell I got in here for thievin. But the glorious thing about it was I am a pro at what I do. Just for this case I happened to have some terrible luck. Oh and before you say anything about me overusing my luck puns, I have a license here, so I can do this nonetheless,” he pulled out a license to show me he wasn’t kidding.

“So where was I, oh right! So my next job was to go steal a precious heirloom right here in Canterlot Castle wouldn’t you know? Thing is back at the guild they commended me for my skill but despite the warnings for attempting to steal it as it was too risky, I’ve ignored them.”

“So right when I made it past the guards and had the heirloom, a gold vase encrusted with diamonds and other worthless jewels, who else other than Princess Celestia herself to show up and send me in the slammer,” he laughed at this.

“So far, it’s been a couple of months but nothing I can’t handle,” he said as he took his body off the wall and began to walk around me in a circle, nearly tripping on the two cups of water I saved.

“Dude… ah never mind. Anyways I wonder when I get out if I’ll get back into my guild. You know what Shadow? If you ever get out of here why don’t you go by a visit the Brotherhood of Steal located in Canterlot? But obviously nopony gets out for murder anytime soon; still I think the guild leader would have been ecstatic should he have met you.”

Lucky went back to his bed and took out a coin from his pocket and began to flip it.
I still stayed in my place, wondering if my plan would work... just one more day....

----- Noon of the Third Day --------

I still didn’t eat or drink and I could feel my insides start to waver. I take the tray of food and drink and put it along to my other cups of water.
My head started to spin a bit as I stood up, fully rested but food energy drained. Lucky was surprised by this as I turned my head and gave him a small grin just before I collapsed face first onto the cold floor.

“WHOA! GUARDS COME CHECK THIS OUT QUICK!” Lucky shouted to the two guards stationed at our cell. They noticed my body and quickly rushed to get the keys in and open the door.

They approach me thinking I was knocked out from my lack of meal. I open my eyes from the ground and push myself up before they had enough time to react. The closest guard I grabbed him and flipped him over me as he fell onto his back, I bring my forehoof to him and crush his chest as I slam it down and shatter some of his ribs.

The other guard quickly tried to get back to the outside of the cell and lock me in, but only managed to get to the door’s entrance before I grabbed his head.

“HEL-,” he tried to yell as I quickly slammed his head onto the open metal doorway.

*Clang*

He falls to the ground unconscious as I go back into our cell to where Lucky was sitting with astonishment.

He was about to shout out before I quickly hushed him, “Now we can both escape Lucky, but we need to be quiet. Just give me a few seconds to get my strength back up before we go.”

It was true, I was planning this the moment Dave mentioned Balthazar would be here in three days. The festival would’ve ended yesterday meaning his party would be here today. Just some self-starving to convince the guards I’m not faking and now they’re both unconscious….

I look over to the one I stomped on his chest to see he was dazed so I quickly hoofed the side of his head to knock him out.

Now they both are.

I grab the cups of water as I chug each and every single drop down my throat, saving the last one to wash down the porridge I ate after.

“Alright, now I just need to find my stuff and we’ll be out of here,” I said.

“Wait man!” Lucky put his hoof on my shoulder to stop me, “You’ll never get through the guards they have surrounding this castle, believe me I tried. If you would follow me after we get your stuff as well as mine I’ll show you a secret way out of the castle, it’s a tunnel that leads into a cave that stretches as far as Canterlot, though those are just rumors for I’ve never been there.”

“Bene, let’s go then,” I nodded my head in approval as we left our cell.

We stealthily waited around a corner as a guard patrol made its way past us. We ran down a corridor with some rowdy inmate shouting at us which we ignored. Climbing up a flight of stairs we reached a door with “Prisoner’s Possessions” written across it. We both nod to each other as he slowly opens the door. The room was empty, minus a couple of chests and a guard sitting at a desk with clear view of the door.

“Hey, who are you! You’re not supposed to be here!”

I quickly ran over to him and slammed his head down into the desk breaking it in two.

“WOAH DUDE! Where did you learn those moves?” Lucky said with amazement.

I opened a chest and picked up everything that was taken from me, my throwing knives, some ammunition and containment satchels left undisturbed, a smoke bomb, and most importantly my two hidden blades. I strap them on and test them to find they’re working perfectly as before.

Lucky went through a chest and found a few lock picks and burglar’s tools as he stashed them into his arsenal of pockets. He noticed my blades and the insignia that was etched onto both of them as well as the red one my cloak.

“Hmm haven’t seen your kind in a long time… ya don’t worry, the guild and the Assassins known each other for some time. No doubt you’ll be welcomed in with open hoofs.”

With both of us now completely ready and prepared we head out from the possession’s room with the knocked out guard and sprinted down an opulent hallway.

We are now in the “public’s version” of Canterlot Castle.

Believe me; I don’t hate any of the princesses or the guards. I'm still ticked off from what Dave did those few days ago so forgive me if my mood is sour.

We made our way up a stair case, ducking for cover whenever a guard walked by. We go down a hallway with no cover as a single guard makes his way around the corner and we almost bump into each other.

“What are you two doing up here? Shouldn’t you be back in your cells?”

Lucky quickly tackles him and knocks him out as I look for a place to hide the body. I noticed a closet and helped him move the guard into it. He closed the door clapping our hoofs together from dust as we made our way to the corner again.

This time to be stopped by a different guard.
So we did the same thing we did to the other one.

We close the door and this time two guards show up which we quickly knock out and slide into the storage closet.

“Just how many of them are there?” I ask.

---5 minutes later------

We threw ANOTHER guard inside the storage closet landing on top of a large pile of other bodies and knocking out one stallion that thought he must’ve been drunk with so much other sleeping stallions around him. Leaving the 30 or so guards in there I slam the door shut.

Please let this be the last time.

Sure enough no other guard stopped us (probably because we took out 30 on this floor and 3 in the dungeons) so we strolled our way down the winding hallways as we reached the entrance to Princess Celestia's room.

Lucky quickly shoves me into a small alcove as he pointed me to an elite looking guard standing at her doorway.

“Why here Lucky? Why the Princess’s room?” I quietly whisper.

“Because it’s the only one I know that has the passage, thinking if it’s an escape route it would be beneficial to have it in her room don’t you think?”

“Alright then, but what about this guard?”

“This is where we must part ways friend,” Lucky said placing a hoof on my shoulder, “I will distract him and the other guards as long as I can while you gain access to the room.”

“Good Luck,” I said with a grin as I gave him a pat on his shoulder.

“I was wondering where your sense of humor was!” Lucky quietly chuckled as we both nodded and he ran out of the alcove.

“Hey Mr. Guard! Look at me! I broke out of my cell again; let’s see if you can beat your record to catch me this time!” Lucky waved to the guard before running off in a different direction with the guard chasing him.

I used this opportunity to quickly make my way into Celestia’s private quarters. I close the door behind me and then marvel at the luxurious sights decorating this room.
A burning fireplace next to a rug and a bunch of scrolls piled up on top of one another as to the side of the room along with a long line of bookshelves. Her bed was at the far end of the room leading to a balcony with an extravagant view over the world. The inside was furnished with opulent furniture fit for the most powerful pony in all of Equestria to enjoy. My attention shifted to a large chandelier that was positioned in the centre of the ceiling.

Something about it just seems… off.

A slight burning pain took place in my eyes as my “alternate vision” made the chandelier glow a bright yellow. In my vision I looked down to the ground just before it reverted back to normal (painlessly this time) and saw that the stone floor had a very faint outline worn into the rocks of what appeared to be a large assassin symbol, similar to the one on my robe.

Before I could ponder why it was there, my ears perk up, catching a noise coming from outside the door.

Merda! Maybe this symbol has to do something with the chandelier.
I need to move quickly!

Hoofsteps are now at the door, I quickly climb a bookshelf and propel myself off it and grasp for the chandelier, managing to get a hoof onto it. The chandelier starts to go down as I notice it was connected to a chain going into the ceiling.

A switch!

The floor underneath me with the faint symbol opens up revealing a large ominous dark hole. With the door slightly opening I take my chances, release my hoof, and drop into the dark abyss. As I let go, the chandelier started to go back up and as I went through the opening the floor covers itself back up as if nothing happened.

Celestia trots into the room and looks around the area suspiciously; she couldn’t see anything or sense anypony in here, just that something felt a bit off. She lets out a small ‘hmmm’ and walks over to her fireplace where a letter had just appeared and fell to the ground.

Likely from Twilight Sparkle, maybe this is what my sister mentioned about Captain Thunderhoof’s death. I still can’t believe Shadow Mark would have turned, maybe there’s something more to this…

Could it be Balthazar behind it? Couldn’t be, even he’s not this unpredictable…

Celestia opened the letter and skimmed it with her eyes; her face grew more fast-paced as she frantically re-read over and over through the letter absorbing everything she just read from it.

“No…. I can’t believe he tricked us. None of us could have seen this! Not even Luna!” she gasped before teleporting herself to Shadow Mark’s cell.

It was empty, minus the two unconsious guards.

Trotting over to the blood-stained robe lying in the corner, she lifts it up with her magic.

“Shadow, forgive me for not getting here in time.”

Chapter 43: Seals- Crystal Caverns

I plummet down the pitch-black hole, raking in the cold air of the underground system I was about to land in. As I fell, I tilt my head up to see the light from the Princess’s room start to fade as the large stone platform moves its way back to normal covering my escape.

My eyes quickly dart back down as my hoofs make contact with the ground and I do a small recovery roll to ease the tension off my legs. I pick myself up coughing out a lungful of dust as I observed my immediate surroundings.

There shouldn’t be any lighting if this cave system hasn’t been used in centuries like Lucky told me. It must be natural light coming through the ceilings.

This made it easier for me because I was stuck between a wall and an incredibly steep slope that seemed to stretch down for miles. It was the only way down and the only way to go.

Might as well do some suburban exploration while I’m here. I just hope this goes quick.
Maybe without me breaking a leg....

Carefully placing myself over the edge of the slope, I give a small shove and begin sliding down using my hoof to position and steer myself down. My speed increased, faster and faster I slid down. Jagged rocks began to line the path; with my speed increasing I made quick one second decisions on where to steer myself.
I slide to the left narrowly missing some stalagmites by mere inches and ducking my head from the stalagtites from the ceiling.

Yes I know the difference between the two and everypony else should too! Learn your rocks kids!

A wall was blocking half the tunnel threatening me to slam straight into it. I lean incredibly sharp to my right as my weight shifts before I end up splattered across the stone wall.

Obstacle averted, new obstacle in transit.

So what more do I get in this rocky deathtrap of a tunnel? More rocks!

I could hear from behind me tumbling stones and boulders began to roll down the same slope I was on. Likely because I accidently disturbed them as I made my sharp turns. They tumbled down behind me picking up speed, all I could do was release my hoof a bit from the steering and reduce more drag that I would be quick enough.

A small pebble made its way past me; I looked back and saw a group of 3 large rocks right behind me.

The slope reached its end point as I quickly stumbled for a moment before leaping out of the way just as the rocks grazed me. They missed and continued rolling before crashing into a wall.

I picked up myself and dusted the rubble and dust from my robes.

Well that was too close for comfort…

My gaze turned to all around the cavern that I landed in.

Oh…. by the old deceased Observer……..

Crystals…. Everywhere…..

The entire walls of the cave were covered by huge blue gemstones protruding through the walls, their colour was pure and natural from the untouched presance of life.

Imagine if the others were here: Rarity would faint, Spike would salivate, Twilight would get the others to investigate, while Dr. Mareio germinates..... a mushroom.

My hoofs began to move on their own to the center as I marveled at the sight, how something so beautiful could be wedged down below Canterlot for everyone to forget, to never see.

It's for the best.

The light coming from cracks within the ceiling shine down on the crystals making the entire cavern glow a light blue and removing any darkness of there to be had. With my dose of natural beauty in Equestria done for now, I snap myself out of my short trance and look for a way to advance through the cavern.

What I know about caves is that there’s always a system of some kind my best bet would be to look around the walls for any exits.

My hoof reaches out to a crystal and I give it a light tap, I check for any structural damage and make my way around the walls. After doing a full 360 degree circle I ended up back where I started without any clue to get out.

Come on, think! Can’t just sit here and waste my time.
I’m not going to let some crystals stop me from killing that wretched Templar.

I look at the walls, the ground, and the piles of rock that almost murdered me…

All that leaves is…

I look up and see a small hole in between a group of crystal shards. With a smile I run up the crystal next to me and grab the edge of it. My hoofs gripped the cold crystal as I climbed higher up to the ceiling. I place a hoof up to the ceiling above me and grab it, letting go of the wall. With my legs dangling precariously I shimmied my hoofs along the crystal’s edge until a small gap to another one prevented me to continue.

I take a breath and push my fore hoofs from the crystal I’m gripping to, to the next one. I let out an exhausted breath as I continued this motion going from crystal to crystal until I made it to the small opening. I go inside and climb my way up until I reach some solid ground.

Gasping in exhaustion I climb the edge and end up in the cavern above the one I was in.

Might need to… *huff* … switch some training work… *whew*…. from my desk work.

Walking for a few minutes, recovering from my exhaustion but still not done yet with these caves. Making my way through some winding tunnels I reach an incredibly large and deep pit.
I grab a stone and chuck it down.

No echo of it hitting the bottom.

Fortunately for my luck the pit had a few mine tracks on it, and where there’s mine tracks there is likely a cart nearby.
Sure enough it took me no time to find one and I set it onto the track.

Helicopters, blimps, zeppelins, mushrooms…. I wonder if there won’t be anything I’ll ride in my lifetime.
Interesting how I’m still alive after all this time.

Thoughts of Ponitaly began to cloud my thoughts but I quickly pushed them back to focus on this ride that was likely either going to kill me or nearly kill me.

Giving myself a small chuckle, I push the cart and vault my body inside as its squeaky gears grinded down the rusted edges of track.
I grabbed the sides of the cart knowing that this wouldn't be an ordinary ride.

The mine cart screeched down the track as it winded left to right threatening to throw us both from the track and into the abyss below. A split in the track, I take a left as the right path would have me crash into a boulder. The speed increased and these decisions left me with less than a second each time. Left, right, left, left, right, right, left. The mine cart was now just moving much too fast for any ordinary mine cart. I could hear a slight crackling beneath me where the tires were.
I looked and my jaw dropped.

THE FREAKING WHEELS ARE ON FIRE! I must be going at demon-racing speeds! Specifically 77 miles/hour!

Indeed, the burning wheels made the track burn into ash as it passed over. The structure started to shake from the burning supports. I ignore it and instead focus on the cart’s destination; a large hole at the side of the abyss. Problem was the track was about to end in about ten seconds.

I brace myself to leap as I stand up in the cart still holding the edges. It rides straight off the track and into the air, I leap from it towards the opening.

The cart slams against the wall splintering its wood and falling into the pitch-black crevasse. As for me, I managed to grip onto the edge of the cave opening. Without wasting any more time dangling from one hoof over a death drop, I quickly raise myself up and look back to see some of the burning remnants of the track breaking apart and burning as they fall.

How the damn could Celestia consider this an “escape route”.
Oh right, she can fly and teleport at the same time….
Well, I’m hoping this is the last of these caves. I just want to get to the surface. I don’t even want to know where the other tunnels lead around Canterlot.

With a frustrated sigh I trot down the cave and through some more tunnels that take more time than I liked to walk through.

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?”

I shouted at a dead-end room with no visible way of continuing forward.

All that time and climbing and for what? Just to reach a damn end!

It would have been easier sneaking out of the Castle and taking on some royal guards in a hoof fight compared to this crap!

CAZZO!

I paced around the dead-end room, kicking a small rock around with my hoof.
With some breaths I calm down and look around my surrounds again, the walls were completely lined with crystal, no cracks or anything, no ceiling or floor holes for me to crawl through, just the crystals….

Wait a second…

I went over to a crystal on the far side of the room, I barely noticed it but when I did I saw that it was a redder shade than the other blue gems. My eyes looked it over more closely as there was some strange scratch marks on it, they’re too faded to properly read with my sight.

I close my eyes and give some thought, I realize then what the answer was.

I needed that “Special Vision” active.

Alright so how would I do that? It just happens randomly and at no specific time.
Time is something I don’t have.

“THINK SHADOW!” I slammed my hoof against my head receiving a headache in the process. My vision changed and now the room has gotten darker but the crystal’s light is glowing more profusely.

So whenever I want this I need to slam my head against something, easiest way to get a concussion.

I focus my attention back onto the slightly red crystal and see why it was more red than the others.

The Assassin symbol was emblazed inside it, it glows bright red through my vision and the scratches below it form legible text that I can read from.

“To ye who have ventured down these caves. Behind me lies a treasure, one that in the right hoofs will understand it’s potential. If you can see our symbol within this crystal then you are that pony who will understand. That or you’re just really observant. *Ahem*.”

Did the pony really write Ahem into this? Unbelievable…… BUT PERMITTED AS NOTHING IS TRUE!

“Now to enter you must first solve this riddle. Strong in heart, strong in hoof. Ponder and be wise for the aim of which is to be compen-.”

I don’t have time for this.

I slam my hoof against the crystal, shattering it easily revealing a hidden passageway behind. As I entered the narrow space with crystal dust still hovering around the air I noticed a worn out wooden sign on the wall.

“Or you could just kick the door in….”

I shake my head and go down the tight squeeze of the passage, upon reaching the bottom to an antechamber I see something I shouldn’t be expecting to see.

Right in the middle of the room leading from a series of steps, stood a stone statue of a pony cloaked in robes and holding a round object in its hoof.

A seal.

Here of all places? Not even I would’ve expected this. Not even Le Duck, not even the Observer, heck even Dave probably wouldn’t have found it!

I ascend the stairs to the ponified statue and take the seal from it, and gave it a look over.
It was a perfect match to the other ones that I was collecting. I store it into a pocket specifically for finding artifacts like these in my robes.

That takes care of that, now how to get out of this place?

My ears pick up a rushing sound coming from behind the statue. Somehow I didn’t notice there was a stream of water coming down from a tunnel behind and making its way around the statue like a mini moat.

I follow the stream until I get to a worn out ladder with a hatch leaking water droplets

Finally an exit. That took longer but at least no pony will know where I am. Not even Celestia herself nor Luna should she try to lock me up again.

I open it and a rush of water pours in as I try to fight it and force myself up through the torrent.

The sun was setting over another day in Canterlot. An old stallion wearing a sun hat approached a majestic fountain in the heart of the city. He takes a single bit from a pocket and drops it into the fountain, he brings his hoofs together and he wishes extremely hard.

“I wish for…..”

The fountain water began to drain as a soaking wet, gray robed, hooded pony emerged from the receding water and began to walk towards his direction.

“Now THAT is definitely not what I wished for.”

I make my way past him ignoring his comment and gently push myself past him as the drops of fountain water splashed over the ground as I trotted down a street shoving aside any more ponies that got in my way.

I wasn’t stopping for anything now.

I have a Templar to kill.

Chapter 44: A Fancy Pants of a Time

I walked down the street to the location Dave told me where the party would be attended, where Balthazar would be hosting. Nothing was going to stop me this time: not a blimp, not a siege, not from a lack of information for weeks, not even the fiery pits of Tartarus would stop me from taking his life which would only be in a few short hours from now.

With this mindset, I shoved ponies aside, slipped through crowds, and in some cases knocked over a few ponies carrying supplies. Most of the time I received some form of a shout of annoyance from the ponies I rudely pushed through but they stopped when they saw my face.

Under my hood, my eyes burned with pure rage and determination, a small clench of my teeth together told that I was not ready to mess around and installed a bit of fear for anypony having seen me. It was enough to make them shut up and for me to continue walking.

While I did want to be efficient, I didn’t want to alert the guard to my presence.

By now they must’ve noticed the cell is empty. No doubt they would inform the Princesses who would then inform the rest of the guard and finally will inform the citizens.

From the corner of my eye I saw a guard speaking with a family and making gestures with his hoofs in an effort to describe something…. likely me.

“So the pizza’s in the oven and the knob should be turned to six, anything else? Okay thank you honey,” the guard gave a hug to the mare in the group.

Maybe the Royal Guard is lacking their criminal hunting prowess.

Just then a platoon of Royal Guards ran through the street, I quickly managed to make my way to a newspaper stand and pick one up to look through as a disguise before they ran past.

I need to go faster, stay incognito, but I need to reach Balthazar without drawing any of the guard’s attention.

Checking through the paper to make sure there were none left, I put it back onto the stand and quickly ran through the street to an alleyway.

Since these guards fly, taking the rooftops right now despite the nearing of nighttime is too risky, it’s better if I get through these alleys as there aren’t ponies blocking my way.

Avoiding the slightly more “shadier” characters of Canterlot I covered a lot more ground and avoided more of the prominent guard patrols around the city. Dashing from corner to corner and peering around streets for any sign of a law pony, I gained some distance.

I went out of an alley and looked behind to see if I wasn’t being followed by some “backdoor item peddler”, there wasn’t and without looking where I was running, I accidently bump into somepony.

“Oh my!” a sophisticated voice said as I crashed into him.

I was about to regain myself, ignore the pony I bumped into and quickly continue running but he quickly gave a cough and said with a politeness that was truly intricate, “You seem to be off in a hurry young lad! My apologies for accidently bumping into you on this fine day for a stroll. Oh but I do beg forgiveness for my demeanor, it’s not every day you nearly get crashed into. My name is Fancy Pants. Might I ask where you’re running to in such a hurry?”

I looked at the pony I bumped into with more attention; white, unicorn, a blue well-groomed mane, a fancy suit, mustache and a monocle.

Looks like a typical pony you would see in Canterlot, though I can’t shake this feeling there’s something different about him. He seems more…
I don’t know, above average than the rest yet he’s not a snob or anything like that. Just a gentlecolt. Hmm….

I don’t have time for this.

“I’m trying to get to a… meeting, before it’s too late. So excuse me messare as I need to go-.”

“Why that accent seems most familiar to me as a Ponitalian one if I do remember correctly. And judging by your attire you seem to be from a far place away. Not just with the design itself but these you model these robes as if they were a part of you and I’m pretty sure you must be a hit with all the mares,” Fancy Pants gave me a friendly nudge.

“Would you mind if I could just look at these robes for a few minutes, I’m a fashion developer and I’ve always wanted to work with new styles from faraway places. What’s the point of making good fashion if it doesn’t go out to everypony to enjoy?”

I really don’t need this now. My best bet is to just comply and hopefully it won’t drain the time I’m losing to plan my attack.

“Will this take long?” I asked him, not wanting to waste any more time.

“It shouldn’t really, if you would like we could walk and talk so you can get closer to your meeting without running out of time,” he suggested. I don’t know why but I gave him a nod.

There was something about this pony. I just can’t put my hoof on it. Either way I’m sure he would be a good distraction should any guards come by.

Just a simple kick and whoosh, I’ll be gone. Perfect.

From what Fancy Pants said while examining my outfit I learned that he runs a large million bit fashion industry and that he mostly spends his time in Canterlot doing some more designs and working. So even though he might be a typical Canterlot pony he isn’t like the snobs somepony would usually see.

“So, I hope it isn’t rude of me to ask but what brings you to Canterlot Shadow?” he said my name as I given it to him prior.
“Obviously if you traveled this far then it’s for something important I presume?”

“I was looking for someone I haven’t seen in years. I’m hoping at the meeting he would be there and we get to exchange some… welcomes,” I lied.

If you call a welcome 10 blade stabs to the chest. Might throw in some knives and some cross bolts in for good measure to make sure he’s dead.
Who knows………. might get some other Templars in the crossfire. Anything’s possible, it will be a party nopony would ever forget.

“Well that’s good to hear,” he said just before noticing my Assassin insignia on my robe and raising an eyebrow, “Oh, might I ask what this is? A symbol perchance?”

“Um… you could say that,” I gave a small grin before turning my face into a blank expression, “It’s there to remind me of what I’ve lost.”

“Ah, I see,” he said while rubbing his monocle on his lapel.

Suddenly two guards quickly appeared around a corner and ran towards us, I barely withstood a small flinch of me needing to escape fromm here but I maintained my ground and let the guards approach us.

“Excuse me citizens, we’re on the lookout for two fugitives that recently escaped from the Canterlot Dungeons,” one of the guards said.

“OH MY!” Fancy Pants shouted out in astonishment as his monocle fell which he quickly brought back up to his eye and gave a small cough of readjustment.

I remained silent.

“We’re on the lookout for a criminal by the name of Lucky Bit, he’s a known pickpocket and a thief.”

“Like the one from the Thieves’ Guild rumors I’ve heard about?” Fancy Pants said with some interest.

“Please citizen, there is no thieves’ guild in Canterlot and any criminal we find WILL face harsh disciplinary action and consequences,” the other guard said assertively.

“But onto more pressing matters, this pony is wanted for questioning,” the first guard pulled out a poster that looked exactly like me, except that the robe color in the description was white and not my grey that I am currently wearing.
With the hood down it’s hard to tell who it really looks like to begin with.

“He’s armed and dangerous and is wanted for the murder of a Royal Guard Captain,” the second guard elaborated.

“A captain you say? That is most troubling indeed. But I’m afraid I haven’t seen a pony that matches that description,” Fancy said with disappointment, but with also the faintest of grins that only I seemed to notice.

Was that.... intentional? Does he recognize me?

“What about you? Do you have any information on this pony?” the guard literally shoved the poster of me right in front of my face. All the details looked right, a quick sketch but they’ve got the general idea. And ALL the guards have seen this and probably studied this for hours in order to find me effectively.

“…………….”

………………. Are you serious?

“No, I haven’t. Sorry,” I said coldly.

“Well should you find any tips or leads make sure you report it to the Royal Guard, we thank you for your time,” he said as they both walked passed us and began interrogating a frail old mare.

“Well I guess I shouldn’t keep you from your duties any longer Shadow, not with all this excitement running around everywhere. Thank you for letting me see these designs, it should do wonders for my next line of inspiration.”

“Please Fancypants, it was a pleasure,” I said to him with my own politeness just to thank him for how polite he has been for this entire time as well as me wanting to get him to go away so I can get back to running.

“Well good luck Shadow, I hope our paths cross again in the future,” Fancy said before shaking my hoof and walking away.

Well that was nice, he was nice. I guess Canterlot isn’t so bad after all.

I immediately get elbowed out of the way by a mare in a fine dress.

“Well excuuuuuussssee me handsome…… NOT!” she gave a snobbish laugh at me before leaving.

Right….. never mind what I said about this place.

…………

*Sigh* Then it wouldn’t be Canterlot now, would it?

I ignored her and checked my current position to a near landmark of a large observation tower.

Le Duck always did say, “The fastest way to get somewhere is either through or up.”

I cracked my hoofs and placed them one by one on a wall gripping on small cracks of polish marble as I began my ascent up the tower (also receiving some gasps from below, because obviously no pony in Canterlot would do something as crazy as this.)

Crazy? Hah!
Obviously they haven’t met with an Assassin.

-------- A few short minutes later ----------------------------------

I gripped my hoof onto the cold metal railing at the top of the observation tower and hauled myself over receiving quite a few gasps and shocks from the ponies that happened to also be visiting the tower, one mare had fainted. In fact one nearly fell off from my sudden appearance but luckily for him, he was a pegasus.

I took in a deep breath from my rasped pants to regain some rest from the climb upwards as I placed a hoof over the railing to get a bird’s eye-view over Canterlot.

Some guards are still flying over and searching the area for me, but there seems to be less than the ones I’ve had to evade a few hours ago.

That’s odd… I’m sure they would want to catch a trained Assassin as soon as they can…..
Very odd indeed…

My attention shifted to a large mansion quite a few city blocks away, it’s impossible to tell any details about it but what I do know is that’s the one Dave talked about. I looked around some more to see if there were any duplicates in my search to find there weren’t any.

My best bet to know for certain is to get down there and do a bit of recon.

A colt approached me scoffing at what nonsense I was doing, he got startled as I leaped off the edge of the tower plunging to the city below. The mare that fainted from before, had fainted again.

Even though it’s not that dark and it was likely anyone looking up would see me or a passing guard would notice a robed pony falling through the sky. I spread open my wings with my right one sending a small shock of pain through my body as I glided to my destination. No guard patrols were flying in my direction and no pony on the ground had even bothered to look up at the oncoming night, not even a group of guards doing some gateway checks right below me.

I landed on a roof not far from the building and ran across until I made it to one that was right across the street from the mansion. I hid myself between a small stone column as I observed what I needed to infiltrate.

Alright so what do I have?

A pretty open courtyard that I think stretches around back, probably where a garden might be.

There are a few guard patrols on the roof; they don’t seem to be part of the royal guard, they must be part of Balthazar’s, meaning this is definitely the place. Though I think climbing in through the attic would be a good way to go, it might not be the best thing to do since I need to run through the courtyard and I’ll be too exposed to climb the walls in time.

Suddenly a black carriage drives up its way to the front of the mansion, a mare being escorted by a stallion exit from it and the two guards stationed at the door bowed their heads and opened the door for them.

I need to be careful, it’s likely the guests Balthazar invited are also Templars yet I can’t know for certain.

I waited in my hiding spot on the roof as I see more and more party guest arriving at the mansion, this place was going to be packed.

I wonder, maybe I can use this to my advantage, get in through the crowd with their ridiculous fashion getups and get to Balthazar without anypony knowing.

Except for Dave…… cazzo.
I know this is a trap; I need to be extra cautious. I doubt this is just some ruse for Balthazar to throw a random party, if he truly is here, it will be for an important reason.

Some other features I’ve noticed were a couple of windows (perfect for an escape option should things turn bad) a few guard patrols around the courtyard I can time out of the way. Some courtyard shrubbery and bushes can also provide some cover, this is good.

But it seems from what my plan has worked out to be, it would just involve one of the things they wouldn’t expect from a stealthy assassin.

Walk in right through the front door.

I kneeled over the edge and begun adjusting my hidden blade and my cross bolt mechanism to see if they’re in working order. My glistening anger awaits the cover of nightfall and for the last of the guests to arrive before I make my move. As much as I would like to charge in there and kill that bastardo right now, I need to be patient and wait or else it would be suicide.

Balthazar may have everything; guards, weapons, money, power……..

He may also have the night but I will say this…

Balthazar will not live to see the next sunrise.

Chapter 45: A Party of Tyrants

It is time.

With the moon shining with its white radiance across the night sky and the last of the party guests entering the mansion, I leap down from the roof and landed on the grass making no sound. First I started to sneak my way towards the two guards stationed at the front entrance, stopping at some nearby shrubs, I peer through the leaves and see the guards are carrying normal infantry swords.

They only appear to be armed with swords as to not spook the guests with something like a firearm or an assault rifle, because that would be bad.

Ignoring my stealth approach and instead choosing to just appear on the path from my hiding position and advance towards the guards.

“Hey, you! Halt!” the guard on the left side noticed me and shouted as he warned the other one.

I stop right in front of them, my face giving no expression.

“This is a private party. No invitation, no ent-.”

I step in between them; my hoofs shoot out with their blades and stab their necks simultaneously.

Simultaneously they die and both fall into the cover of the bushes thus eliminating my need to hide them myself.
I pull my blades back in my gauntlets and place my hoofs on the wooden front doors, taking a breath to relax my anticipation, I gently push open the front doors and step forward into the party inside.

Holy crap.

Templars…..

TEMPLARS EVERYWHERE!

I went to the top of some stairs leading to the large main party room and everywhere I looked there were ponies everywhere, chatting with each other and enjoying the party Balthazar is throwing.

It would have been my duty to kill off any Templars I see, but not only would that complicate things with a vendetta in Canterlot which I don’t need but Balthazar is top priority and he dies before anypony else.

I need to focus on locating Balthazar. These other Templars will get what’s coming to them soon.

As I walked down into the room being blended in as a ‘party guest’ as my assassin robes didn’t stand out as much compared to the formal attire the other ponies were wearing. In fact, with so much going on no one cared I was walking around them looking to murder the high duke.

But it is interesting to see what everypony was wearing, not everyone had formal attire, yet they did all try to look ready for the party, despite where they’re from.

Most of these Templars, don’t look like they’re from Canterlot, that pony over there is wearing a turban and there’s one that’s carrying around a katana! I’m surprised the guards outside didn’t notice that. Scientists and generals….. wow I didn’t realize there were so much variety with these Templars. I guess anypony can be one…
What... the hell? IS THAT A PIRATE!? Tell me it isn't!

“YAR HAR Har har, this rum be the finest Balthazar has pillaged for us scurvy dogs!” a pony wearing traditional pirate gear (and an eye-patch) took a swig from a bottle, receiving some laughs from the group of guests he was talking to.

By the Observer……… INTERNATIONAL TEMPLARS!
Is no pony a freaking Templar!?

I shook those thoughts away and instead kept an ear out to listen in on conversations to where Balthazar’s specific whereabouts might be.

“Hey handsome, you want to come by my place after the party?”

“And then he said, “I wasn’t even doing anything!” Ha! What a piece of crap his story was! I wonder how it feels to be at the bottom of Equestria’s deepest water trench. That’ll teach him to stand around and do his job!”

“So how’d you get mixed up in all of this? Lemme just say the ponies at my village had a… disagreement.”

“Good 'ol Balthazar sure knows how to throw a party!”

With that name heard I knew he must be definitely somewhere within the mansion. Before I could make a minor distraction by throwing a Templar into a punch bowl and sneak to the upper levels, a trumpet blasted through the party.

Everyone immediately went quiet and I had to ditch my distraction plan, so I put down the random Templar and ducked away.

A line of guards came out from a corner of the room and guarded some kind of stage. I put a hoof on a pony’s shoulder receiving a look from her as I raised my head up above the rows of ponies to see what was happening from the other side of the room.

A dark blue unicorn stepped out from behind the guards.

My hoof tensed and I started gently pushing aside the guests to get closer to the front.

The unicorn’s blood coloured mane stuck out from his formal robes as he raised a hoof to quiet down any remaining ponies.
I managed to make it to the center at the front of the room for a clear view of the pony speaking before his sinister dark voice echoed across the room.

“Welcome, my guests….”

Balthazar.

“I hope you are all enjoying yourselves this evening, because we have a lot to celebrate!”

“You have all made your generous contributions to our plans and from what my accountant Dave has told me…” Balthazar raised a hoof with Dave entering and joining next to him with a smug smile.
“Project Purify’s preparations are finally complete.”

Project Purify? That’s what those other Templars I’ve killed mentioned… what Dave said.
I’m still no closer to figure out what it is. It wouldn’t matter once he is dead.

A guard came by over to Balthazar and whispered something into his ear as well as Dave who nodded his head and looked back into the crowd. I could feel his eyes searching the room but I don’t think anyone has spotted me yet.

“And once it has been flawlessly executed and you all have been generously rewarded, Equestria will finally belong to THE TEMPLARS!” he said with a slight rise of voice and hoof with the guest around him cheering.

Bastard. I know he wants the power all for himself, there’s no way these Templars are going to get anything in the end. They’re all playing right into his corrupted hoof.

I need to end this, here and now!

I adjusted my mechanism on my blade and took aim towards Balthazar’s head.

THIS IS FOR MY FAMILY AND EVERYONE ELSE YOU’VE MURDERED IN PONITALY YOU CAZZO!

The cross bolt in my modification shot out on a clear straight path on the way to Balthazar’s skull. By this range there was no doubt of it being a straight kill, I would have wished if it would not have been such a quick death.

The bolt pierced through the air with everypony else too distracted by their cheering to even notice. It was right on target, inches from impacting into the Templar’s head and finally ending this nightmare of mine, years of hunting this murderer and getting my revenge for my family.

But it didn’t.

Dave immediately reached out and grabbed the bolt in the middle of its flight with his hoof right in front of Balthazar’s face.

“Well would you look at that Bal? Looks like we have an assassin in here,” he said with a grinning smile, tossing away the bolt right back into my direction.

The crowd noticed where the shot had come from and landed, and moved themselves away from the assassin who was left standing, wondering how the High Duke is not dead, why his need of revenge isn’t gone after so many years hunting him down.

“Ah, so good of you to join us. Dave has told me the possibility of someone uninvited crashing my event. What my guard tells me is that it was you who killed the guards at the entrance. And to think, here you are, trying to ‘assassinate’ the High Duke all by yourself,” Balthazar gloated.

I clenched my teeth trying to withstand the amount of rage coursing through me.

“Wait a moment. You look familiar…. HAHAhahaha!” Balthazar burst out laughing hysterically. “I can’t believe you’re still alive! You, the only thorn left in my side. I thought you would have died after I’ve crippled your wing. But here you are, years later! You Assassins are resilient I’ll give you that…”

I’ve had enough; I took my blade out and let out a yell of exalted rage as I charged towards him and his guards.

“You really think you can kill me now? NO ONE CAN KILL ME! NOT WITH THIS!”

Balthazar immediately took out a bright yellow glowing object from his coat and blasted the room around him with unbelievable energy. The guests cowered to the ground from the power and the guards were pushed aside and slammed into the walls by the pulses eradiating from the object Balthazar wields.

I was blown back to only find myself floating and entrapped in translucent yellow lines of energy spreading apart my arms and legs. No matter what I do, I can’t move my hoofs or escape from these constraints. It just felt I was being held up by pure force alone by such power.

The room pulsed with such power, and right there where Balthazar was grinning with corruption and commanding that power, lay in the palm of his hoof.

The Apple.

My body was whisked towards him as he looked at me with a twisted lust for power and I gave him a look of pure hate in return.

“Did you really think you could kill me Shadow Mark? Did you really think you could put a stop to any of my plans? Everything you’ve done has been worth NOTHING!”

“What do you mean? Explain!” I shouted at him with spite.

“Alright where to begin? Ah, how about the CEO of Purifier Industries, Je Suis?” he said with an unsettling sinister voice. “Before that “Bat” flew out from the sky and the entire facility blew up, no one realized what he was going to say in his speech.”

“He was retiring,” Dave interrupted with a grin and a look of bewilderment went across my face, “He already had chosen his successor, meaning the only thing you did was make us lose that facility which can now be easily paid for by Je Suis’ retirement fund he no longer needs.”

“As for Gerpony…. Well… how best to say this? It’s the same way Ponitaly is right now,” Dave said with Balthazar grinning a sinister smile.

No… I couldn’t believe it; Balthazar got Gerpony, just like Ponitaly.
No no NO!
Damn it…. why…..

“Oh and as for Volcanous….. You know what, never mind about that. I’ll leave it a surprise for you to discover. But a nuke…. really? Heck even I’m amazed Shadow.”

“And so that leaves us with WingBlade who as you know I killed her myself. She served her purpose and I guess… you’re about to serve yours,” Dave gave me a quick pat on my back as a mocking statement.

“I am not afraid.”

“In that case I should be the benevolent ruler that I am and make your wings a complete set, and throw you off an even higher platform!” he said noticing my slightly crooked right wing. "But then that means you’ll just come crawling back with your fancy assassin tricks,” Balthazar thought for a bit before turning his head towards me with an evil look.

“No, I can’t have that. Just like all the Assassins before you, you will die.”

He gripped the artifact harder and unleashed more power out from it, its bolts and pulses directed itself at my nerves making me shout out in agonizing pain as I felt my head start to burn followed by my body. My mind started to quake as my head was impacted over and over with the Apple’s magical force.

The pulses grew larger and more violent that the entire building itself began to shake. The walls vibrated and cracks formed as the building around began to break apart under all the stress it’s suffering from the Apple. More and more energy shoots out from the apple, Balthazar’s eyes were entranced on how much power he could unleash on me and burn me by such ancient power.

Most of the energy was focused onto me, the pain…. It’s unbearable.

Suddenly the Apple went back to the way it looked like before Balthazar unleashed its power.
I coughed out from the pain as the energy got subdued and switched off as Balthazar released his attacks from me, fell to his knees and clutched his head.

*Groan* What…. What happened? Why did he stop?

“Arg, Dave.... WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME IT WOULD HURT THIS BAD!?” Balthazar shouted in an explosive anger of pain.

“Don’t blame me on how ancient artifacts work and what repercussions they might have. Using it for prolonged times must be its little nasty side-effect. As long as it works for the Project then everything should go smoothly. Really I think you just went a little bit overboard with it.”

“I…. I will have its power… it will be mine to command,” Balthazar panted as he raised himself off the ground and tucked the artifact into his robes.

“Would you care to let me finish this?” Dave asked him with a small suppressed chuckle as he looked at me trying to right myself up.

“….BAH! Fine, I need to return to my ship. Soon Assassin, very soon, the world will belong to the Templars and ALL will submit with me as their LEADER!” he shouted but quickly gripped his head in pain again. His blood red mane spun around as he headed out from the mansion with the Apple.

The guests and guards begin to get up from the spectacle that just took place and looked to see Dave using his magic to pick me up and keep me hovered in the air. He brought out a hoof and his pen-blade materialized onto it as he advanced towards me.

“I’m sorry Shadow, I really am, and you always were my favourite Assassin to mess around with. Ah, such wonderful times. Sure you might have pissed me off a little bit and I might have tried to kill you a bunch of times, but I say we really have bonded after so long. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“You wasted… all your time trying to kill me… all your damn plans don’t mean anything… sending me into this trap… now that I’m right here… you’re going to finally kill me? Despite how… *cough*…. unpredictable you might be… you still are… a predictable accountant.... cazzo...”

Dave gave it some thought and readjusted his glasses, “Who knows maybe something unexpected will happen? After all…. It’s all according to plan, despite what may or may not happen. But I’m afraid that you will no longer be part of it now for this time,” he took out his blade and gave me one last grin with his lenses flashing.

“Goodbye Shadow Mark, my Ponitalian Assassin.”

Dave thrust the pen-blade into my stomach.

His magic hold broke and I fell to the ground with blood flowing out from the stab wound as I grunt in pain, he walked above to me and gave me a quick smile and a chuckle.

The world around me began to blur black, as I hear glass being smashed followed by some shouts. I tried to turn my head and I could just barely see what I didn’t expect to see.

The rest of my Assassin friends fighting with Balthazar’s conscious guards, an orange robed pony stabbed one across the chest and noticed me on the ground with Dave staring at them.

He ran towards me and jump-kicked Dave who blocked his attack, “Damn it Dave! Shadow you need to stay alive, we’ve tried to come as fast as we could!”

Uncle….?

“Good to see you again Le Duck! I guess it has been a long time since we have last seen each other. Normally I would go with a quick scuffle for old times, but looks like you need to make a choice.”

“Me. Or Shadow,” Dave spread his arms as to invite himself.

My sight and hearing began to black out considerably. I missed some swears by Le Duck, closed my eyes and opened them a second later to see Dave is gone with a rush of air leaving a closed portal.
Le duck went above me and tried to bandage the wound as my vision nearly faded, his frantic words were nearly inaudible to understand.

“He needs help!” Le Duck shouted to the mares that had finished dealing with the guards.

I could feel hoofs on me as I’m lifted with all feeling in my arms and legs going numb. My senses are nearly gone, all obscured by the pain Balthazar and Dave inflicted upon me. The last thing I see is my blood soaking into Le Duck’s robes and spreading across my chest, as the familiar faces around me have looks of worry.

“Don’t worry….. Shadow we got you… will make it....”

“……you……….. always do….”

Chapter 46: Perspectives

My eyes hazily open revealing the world around me. I stare up at the ceiling from a bed; the view was slightly obstructed by clock gears and mechanisms but the ceiling was higher than what any normal building would have.

This place feels so familiar… but it can’t be…
Dave stabbed me… I should be lying dead in Canterlot…

I can move my hoofs but I stay within the confides of these white sheets, still wondering if all of this was a dream, that it was a flashback or a hallucination. Yet, I could feel it in my gut all of this is real.

I…. I’m alive?

Sudden realization hit me as I quickly yanked myself forward on the bed causing great pain to flow into my chest where I was stabbed.

“Crap, that hurts,” I say to myself as I glance down and see that my abdomen is completely covered in bandages; a small red blood stain almost made its way past the barriers. I wince as another pulse of pain went through my chest.

I am not dead.

For now anyways…

“Whoa, easy there lad,” a pony clad in orange robes who was sitting on a stool next to where I was laying in this bed. I immediately recognized who he was.

“Uncle?”

“That was some bit of a mess you’ve gotten yourself into, just like always Shadow. Uncle’s going to have to save your flank over and over again,” he joked.

“Uncle’s going to get a blade up his ass if he doesn’t stop telling me things I already know,” I joked back as I laid back down.

We both laughed, with me having to stop early and clutch my chest in pain again. My breathing came as rapid gasps of air but eventually all was well again.

“Would you like to know how you lived Shadow?” Le Duck said pulling something rectangular from a table counter. It was a horribly charred barren book covered in bloodstains and overall looked like a real mess; something told me that it would have been unreadable.

“No way, are you telling me I’ve had that blasted subliminal piece of inferno literature since Dave threw that Griefer at us!?”

“Ha ha yes…. Wait what?”

“Ah, long story, but I’m more interested how I even got back to the hideout. Actually I’m more interested about how you got here Uncle, and how you got me back from Canterlot, and-” I asked him with a curious eye before he cut me off.

“And, we all have questions of our own we’d like to know,” Le Duck said with a smile.

Immediately Dr. Mareio came out from under my bed…….. and noticed I was wake before hollering at the top of his lungs, “SHADOW IS AWAKE! YAAAAAHOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Argh my head, damn it Mareio WHY!?

My whole bedside was soon covered with the rest of the team all with excited looks of relief on their faces. Before I could say anything from my startled expression, Applejack came over and gave me a hug. It felt nice.

Then Pinkie gave me a hug. I nearly passed out within her pink iron grip of pure friendship.

Then followed by everyone else, all saying how do I feel, what happened, are you okay, do you need more hugs, etc, I have a stab wound for crying out loud!

“Thank you my friends, but really I am fine.”

My lungs went into a coughing fit and I spat out a wad of crimson blood on the ground receiving some horrid looks, “See? Fine. Usually stab wounds would do worse, like kill me.”

“Fluttershy and Dr. Mareio helped fix you up as soon as they could, you should thank them,” Le Duck said.

“Thank you Fluttershy, your medical talents are marvelous beyond belief,” I said with a smile causing her to blush with shyness. “As for you Mareio…”

“Yeeeeeeeeeessssss?”

My hoof launched out from my covers and poked him in the eye making him yell out in pain and me recoil back in pain from the strain.

“THAT, was for that mushroom that made everything think I went crazy,” I then turned my head to the others who didn’t look so sure. “Fine, crazier than my regular semi-lunatic assassin self.”

As soon as things went back to normal I was bombarded with yet even more questions.

“What were you thinking!?”
“How did you break out of the dungeons?”
“PLEASE tell me you didn’t eat oatmeal there!”

“ENOUGH!” Le Duck raised his voice as everyone quieted down. “Shadow needs his rest; though you have your questions I’m sure he has his own.”

They nodded and began to perk up their ears and listen.

All of that joking and happiness vigor for some reason suddenly left me as my thoughts were poisoned and bombarded with my recent failure, from all these events. First the captain, then the dungeons, then the party….. and the Apple………

“How… how did you all find me? Why would you want to even look for me in the first place? I killed Captain Thunderhoof for crying out loud! He didn’t deserve to die! I DIDN’T KNOW!” I grew more restless and a pain in my lung made me choke on my words.

“Easy Shadow, take a breath, there is no need for anger now,” Le Duck said with a comforting yet stern voice. I did what he said and felt slightly better, even if I was still burning with internal anger about everything that happened recently.

“How best to start this? Maybe from the part before I arrived in Ponyville to make it sound more in depth?” he said looking at the others.

“That sounds like a good idea, I’ll start,” Twilight said readying herself to tell the story from the beginning.

The midnight colored force field around Shadow Mark dissipates as the restraining shocks fully lull him into unconsciousness. The alicorn, Princess Luna cautiously steps forward and checks to see if he was indeed unconscious and not a trick, she gives a sigh of relief and levitates him with her magic.

Her eyes turn to Captain Thunderhoof lying in a pool of drying blood on the ground,
“Never before has this happened in what was supposed to be a joyous celebration. Instead tonight is filled with murder and the death of a Captain… along with 5 of my Royal Night Guard being bested,” she looked at the groaning lumps on the ground holding their broken areas.

“Did you say you knew this pony?” Princess Luna turned her head towards Twilight and the rest of the group.

They all nod.

“I see.”

“Princess if I may suggest,” Commander Beard started to say. “Would you talk to your sister about this incident? I’m sure she would want to know the events that transpired.”

“I think she should know. Thank you Commander… I’m sorry for the loss of your ally,” she said both to Beard and Garrus.

Enough time has passed since the fighting took place and any pony that ran or watched from the sidelines began to circle around the area looking at the knocked out guards, the dead one lying in a pool of blood, and the one covered in white robes that murdered the captain being held by Luna. Some gasped, some fainted, and some were just disgusted at how this could happen.

The Mayor walked up closer than the others and shouts aloud, “Ha! I knew it! I knew there was something off with that pony! He will now be forever out of causing any pony harm!”

“Justice has been served!”

I gave a low growl and my left eye twitched.

“Um Twi? I think you might have described that part a bit too much,” Applejack said placing a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder before she continued.

“Oh….oops, sorry!” she gave a sheepish smile.

“Hey everyone! Why don’t we start ALL the way at the beginning?” Pinkie said excitingly, “When dinosaurs roamed Equestria, rainbows shoot out of volcanos, and when Celestia gave all of us cognitive thinking when she was a filly! Wouldn’t that be so super wonderfully fantastical!?”

“Oh Pinkie…. come on this is serious. I understand you’re trying to keep the balance of serious and random but I need to know what happened,” I said to her before turning my head back to Twilight. “Anyways, continue past the Mayor’s…. constructive comment.”

“What will happen to him?” Applejack said with concern to the Princess.

“We will take him to Canterlot where he will be sent to the dungeons and kept under close surveillance. We know he is dangerous hence by tonight’s events but there is no need to feel fear anymore.”

Luna then turned her volume higher so the crowd can hear, “Do not be afraid everypony, the threat is gone! You may now continue your festivities if you want but it is fine if you wish to cancel it as my moon will continue the tradition of providing light in the middle of dark.”

Her horn glowed brighter encasing the guards, Shadow, the deceased Captain Thunderhoof and herself within a midnight blue aura before a flash of expanding light and a snap teleported all of them away.

“What a night this has been, we’ll patrol the perimeter and get back to everyone in the morning, I’m sure you all need time to think,” Garrus said with a more remorseful tone. Commander Beard and Garrus then began dispersing the curious crowd from the scene.

“Come on girls; let’s get back to the tower. We can talk about everything there,” Twilight said with a saddened pain.

The ponies kneelt their heads down as they slowly trudged through town and back to the hideout.

------At the Hideout------------------------------------------

Everypony was gathered around the lounge area of the hideout, each were depressed by what happened. Shadow, taken away to prison for murdering Captain Thunderhoof. That either meant a life sentence or worse.

“I just can’t believe it,” Pinkie said with her pink hair straightened down with a dull shade of gray.

“I know what you mean dear,” Rarity said comforting her from a couch she was laying on. “It just doesn’t seem like the Ponitalian Shadow Mark we knew…. to go off and kill that poor Captain Thunderhoof… we might do that now but there was no reason he should have done that.”

“But… he was acting a bit… strange recently,” Fluttershy said feeling a bit guilty for giving a likely answer.

“Argh! I just want to know what the hay happened!?” Rainbow Dash said chucking a cushion across the room.

“We lost a friend Rainbow,” Twilight said solemnly.

This made everypony’s ears droop.

Twilight noticed Applejack staring out a small side window, “Applejack you’ve been awfully quiet, I know you have something on your mind. Sharing it will help Applejack.” Applejack gave a loud sigh and sat down on a couch with the others.

“Something just doesn’t seem right. I don’t know what it is but I feel something in my gut. I… I just… I don’t know… we weren’t there to help him. I don’t even know…. I can’t believe it, I just can’t….”
Applejack broke down into a soft sob before wiping away the tears with a stubborn hoof, the group of mares comforted her with their own weeps of tears from the loss of their friend they were sure would never see again outside bars.

The door opened and Dr. Mareio came in with Ace squawking madly into his ear (ruining the sad moment). “ACE I DON’T A UNDERTAND YOU! I’MMA DOCTOR NOT A TRANSLATOR!”

Mareio and Ace stopped bickering when they noticed the teary group of Assassins recovering from their sorrow, “What a happened to make you all of a sad?”

The ponies had their throats tightened with emotion but Twilight managed to clear her throat, “Shadow’s been sent to the Canterlot dungeons after killing… Captain Thunderhoof.”

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

Mareio flung himself onto the lounge area and gave everypony a large hug as he bawled out his tears and sobs.

*SQUACK*

Everyone immediately stopped and looked at Ace who was flapping his wings madly and screeching in his eagle speak.

“What’s wrong with him?” Rainbow asked.

“He just wouldn’t stop when I found him flying around just a few minutes ago, IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO SAY, SAY IT!” Mareio shouted directly at Ace in the face.

This only gave a few more angry screeches from Ace as Fluttershy tried to get him to calm down to no avail, “I’m sorry, he’s speaking too fast I can’t understand his Eagle sounds to figure out what he’s saying.”

“SHADOW’S GONE AND ALL YOU CAN DO IS SQUACK, HOW DO YOU LIKE IT!? SQUACK!!” Mareio shouted face-first at Ace which is surprising as his normal doctor-like personality consisted of him being neurotic but calm enough to not get angry.

*SCREE*

“SCREE!”

*SQUACK*

“SQUACK!”

Both sides had enough so that’s when Mareio would do the only thing he would have done in that situation. He took out a green mushroom from his coat pocket and offered a small piece to Ace who gladly accepted and calmed down.

“Ah finally, I’m glad that’s done-” Fluttershy gave a sigh of relief.

Suddenly the front door slammed wide open, everyone tensed up and leaped into battle stances at this intruder as Mareio chucked his mushroom as a projectile towards it. The intruder clad in dusty slightly torn orange robes with his head covered in a hood, grabbed it with chestnut coloured hoof midair and chuckled, “I think I already had dinner Mareio but thanks anyways.”

The familiar voice from Gerpony immediately made everypony remember as he stepped inside and into more light revealing his friendly uncle-like look.

Le Duck.

“Wow it’s been a while my little ponies!” he gave everyone a welcoming hug.

“Le Duck, Shadow said he sent a letter to you weeks ago yet you didn’t respond,” Applejack said.

“That was because I was in the Poniadric Sea trying to defuse a Templar nuclear bomb, it was pretty nasty. Almost all of my ponies didn’t make it,” he said with his head slightly bowed in remorse.

“Most of the strategic attacks were too involved and planned out. I believe it was Dave behind those attacks, they were definitely his style. That’s why after blowing that thing up and trying to swim back 20 miles using nothing but debris from our boats I needed to get here as fast as I could.”

“But I see Shadow isn’t here?”

Again everyone’s ears dropped except for Le Duck’s who had a look of confusion on his face.

“Hmmmm…. I would inquire more but the hour is late and I can see you all are upset. Let’s talk in the morning when you’re all feeling up to it.”

“No! We need to say it now, we need to-” Rainbow Dash began to argue against it but a slight pat on her shoulder by Applejack’s hoof made her stop.

“We should all get some sleep. We’ll be able to tell what happened better.”

Rainbow gave a sigh and nodded.

As everyone left (with Dr. Mareio going into his room, Ace being knocked out since that mushroom expired about 10 minutes ago and turned into a powerful sleep agent, and Le Duck resided inside a guest room) he placed a hoof on his chin and pondered the situation that would be later answered in the morning.

“What in Equestria could have happened….”

Everypony stood around Shadow’s desk, with Le Duck sitting on the chair hoofs crossed as Ace slept soundly on the edge.

“So now with everyone feeling emotionally better this morning, who can tell me the story of why my nephew isn’t here?”

“Well you see Le Duck….” Applejack started scrapping her hoof along the floor.

“Shadow is sort of...” Rainbow tried to continue.

“Sort of what?” Le Duck asked inquisitively.

“Shadow chased down and killed Captain Thunderhoof of the Royal guard for no reason then knocked out 5 of Princess Luna’s night guard before she used her magic to subdue Shadow where he was teleported into the Canterlot dungeons to be jailed FOREVER!” Fluttershy let out a continuous stream of words that fazed the rest of the ponies.

“FOREVER!” Pinkie added in for emphasis.

“Well that certainly must have been much for him to experience. I never knew the Captain was a Templar.”

“Maybe because he wasn’t?” Twilight implied.

“Something feels missing in this picture…. Tell me, did you noticed anything different about Shadow at all since you last seen him?” Le Duck said to them as he started to rummage through my desk.

“There was that time when Mareio here gave him a mushroom that made him all crazy-like, asides from that he was really riled up to find Dave, it must have been roughly two-thirds of everyday for weeks that he was trying to find something,” Applejack said as Le Duck pulled abnormally large piles of paperwork from my desk and placed onto the surface with a crashing force.

*THUMP*

Everypony had their mouths open and were stunned by how much work Shadow had done, even Le Duck was impressed. In fact, the force of the papers hitting the desk woke up Ace causing him to fall to the ground.

“We Assassins are known for doing paperwork…. I just didn’t expect Shadow to have done this much so soon.”

“EVEN I DON’T DO THAT MUCH WRITING! I NEED TO WRITE MORE!” Twilight said with astonishment before regaining her composure and blushing slightly at her outburst.

Ace quickly recovered himself and noticed that everyone was awake and began again to do what he did the night before: screech as loud as possible in everypony’s ear.

“ACE! CALM DOWN!” Le Duck’s voice echoed around the room making Ace actually go quiet for once.

“Tell me what the fuss is all about, slowly.”

Ace began to speak to Le Duck in his bird language at a slower pace with Le Duck nodding his head, “Alright. Uh huh. Oh! No kidding? That really was the case? My my my, by Celestia. What a predicament we have here.”

“Le Duck tell us what he’s saying, please!”

He stood up from the chair and cleared his throat, “Well first off, Ace says you’re all incompetent imbeciles with no culture of learning a language besides your own.” This made some ponies facehoof while others leered. “Asides from that it seems our avian friend here seen the whole thing that transpired.”

“Really? Why didn’t you a say something sooner?” Dr. Mareio said with annoyance, receiving even more facehoofs and a facewing from Ace himself in response.

“Well apparently Shadow WAS chasing after the Captain, but at that time he believed it to be Dave as he was wearing the same robes that Shadow was.”

“But that’s impossible, I only made one set in all of Equestria, there’s no way anyone other than Shadow could have been wearing it,” Rarity exclaimed.

“It seems Shadow thought this too, I wouldn’t have been surprised that Dave used his magic to make a mirror copy of the outfit you’ve designed Rarity.” This statement made her squint in pain. “Then after killing the captain and discovering his identity, Dave showed up himself to taunt Shadow before leaving when all of you and Princess Luna showed up.”

“Meaning we would believe that Shadow murdered the captain…. Even though he did but it was an accident right?” Fluttershy asked with a timid voice.

“It was. Shadow would have never killed an innocent, it is one of the main rules of our creed,” Le Duck said before stepping towards a window and looking outside to see the party decorations being packed away. “Was there a festival or something last night?”

“It was supposed to be the Lunar Festival, but it got cancelled because…” Rainbow started to say but stopped as they all remembered.

Le Duck’s face was first calm, but then changed to one of pure shock and terror, “Wait, did you say this was the Lunar Festival and that Shadow was sent to Canterlot?”

“Both yes. Why?” Applejack said.

“Oh no. This is worse than I’ve imagined. So much worse than we could have possibly thought. We’ve all fallen for that Accountant’s trap. Damn you Dave!” Le Duck said with rising anger though gritted teeth.

“What is it!? I hate all these questions when I’m not answering them myself!” Twilight vented.

“There’s a party… in 3 days including today. I’ve learned about it through the intel of my associates. It’s happening in Canterlot and it’s likely the reason Dave went through all of this just to get Shadow an express trip to there. Knowing Shadow he wouldn’t be able to refuse this…”

“STOP TALKING TO YOURSELF AND TELL US!” Everyone shouted.

“Balthazar.”

That name sent shivers down their spines.

“He’s hosting that party, a party that’s going to be filled with Templars from all around the world. Dave knows that Shadow could break out of jail, if he peronally made him get sent to Canterlot, he’s planned all of this beforehoof and now Shadow’s in even more danger than ever!”

“We need to stop him before he gets there!” Rainbow Dash ready to fly as fast as she can said getting everyone else pumped up.

“Agreed, there’s not much time left to waste, we must go now!”

“And then what happened?” I asked from my bed as they continued to recount the story.

“Well first Twilight needed to send a letter to Princess Celestia explaining all this and maybe get Luna to see reason. Though she left Spike specific instructions to send it on the morning of the third day because that’s when I think you would have decided to break out. Any other day you’d be running from the law and be caught again,” Le Duck described.

“You do know me as well as ever uncle. Most of it was by luck however so there’s no need to treat this as anything unique,” I said with a sour tone in my voice.

“Continuing on, we were going to take the train to Canterlot but apparently the track was out due to a ‘dragon’ that escaped from the same dungeons you were in. Instead we had to hike our way up to Canterlot therefore costing us a day and a half which was enough time to get the train tracks fixed by the way. After speaking with an…. associate in the city who knew where you were heading we quickly ran as fast as we could, luckily we were in time to get you out of there and back to Ponyville but not in time to prevent Dave from stabbing you and anything else that happpened. I noticed the burns Shadow. I’m sorry.”

The silence dragged on across the room; obviously they didn’t realize just how painful it was to be blasted with a Piece of Harmony for a second time. Balthazar is still alive and so is Dave, they have the Apple and once again I’ve failed. They might have their own perspective but I still have mine.

Doing something unexpected I pull myself out from my bed collapsing halfway before standing up on my hoofs once more gripping my bandaged chest.

“Shadow what are you doing!? You need to rest!” Applejack protested trying to pull me back to my bed with her hoof. I fling her hoof off me with a grunt as I weakly made my way towards the exit door.

Everyone gave their own protests and reasons but I’ve ignored them, Le Duck still had his head down in the same position with Ace on his shoulder, Dr. Mareio was also one that didn’t protest either.

I placed my gray hoof on the door only for Fluttershy to swoop in front of me to give me a stern look from her face, “Shadow, you need to rest. Your wounds aren’t healed. You get back right to bed right now or else they could become worse!”

“Stand down Fluttershy, I will not say it again,” I said firmly noticing that the other mares are closing in behind me attempting to talk me out of this.

“No. I will not,” she said assertively.

“Why are you being so darn stubborn and angry Shadow? We’ll get Dave next time, right now you need to rest,” Applejack tried to calm me down but no matter what nothing could have helped other than me getting away from here and on my own.

“DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND!?” I shouted behind myself, startling them with my outburst. Before turning my head back and giving a soft whisper.

“I failed."

“Balthazar is still alive…”

Rainbow was about to say something but I quickly cut her off, “And as long as he is, more innocent lives that don’t deserve to die, WILL!”

I open the door wide open as it wasn’t being barricaded by Fluttershy anymore and slammed it hard behind me leaving an echo in its wake, followed by silence.

“What has gotten into him!? I thought he would have been more thankful knowing we saved his life!” Rainbow Dash broke the silence unable to believe that I had just stomped out of here with a stab wound and an anger to match it.

“Argh…. Poor kid,” Le Duck said shaking his head back and forth. “There is a reason why he is so angry.” “Balthazar.”

“We know. He practically killed everypony that lived in Ponitaly, destroyed the assassins and those sorts of horrid monstrosities,” Rarity said making the expression on Le Duck’s face darken.

“Sadly it gets more personal than that,” Le Duck breathed a long sigh along with Dr. Mareio.
“It would be better for him to tell you his personal story but I’ll just give a brief summery. Not only was Balthazar responsible for the Siege of Ponitaly and the downfall of the assassins considering his forces actively hunted us down, he took away something from Shadow that would never be reclaimed.”

“His family, his life. Balthazar personally murdered all of them.”

“Oh dear Celestia,” Twilight gasped and put a hoof to her mouth in shock.

“There was also… somepony that was… ‘important’ to him, but I think it’s better for him to talk about Ponitaly with you all when he’s ready. Moving on to the Assassin Brotherhood, or Bortherhoof whatever you’d like to call it these days, was the first to get sieged. We put up a strong resistance but one of our own betrayed us and killed our leader, The Observer who held the Apple that actually Shadow himself found. Balthazar stole it and once he had his prize he ordered his elites to execute all of us.”

“Shadow and I fled inside the headquarters but that’s when Dave appeared with a squad of elites and stopped us, I had to stay behind to fight him and let Shadow get away in time. That’s how I got his blind eye,” he pointed to the large scratch over his left pale white eye.

“Obviously he thought I was dead too meaning Balthazar had technically taken everything that meant something in Shadow’s life and he had to endure that pain for many, many long years.”

“Somehow he managed to get aboard Balthazar’s flagship zeppelin to get back the Apple and probably kill him too. That’s when Balthazar took away another thing from him. His flight. I’m surprised he can even glide now to be truthful. Yet he would always find a way.... always.”

“Then he met all of you and he considers you all to be his family, the three of us Ponitalians along with Shadow and Mareio’s brother Ponigi are the remnants are what’s left of our past lives.”

“So when Shadow got stabbed by Dave-” Applejack began to say.

“As he said, he failed to kill Balthazar once again. No doubt this must be hurting him deep down in ways we cannot imagine.”

“We… we never knew,” Twilight stuttered, everypony had felt the mood just go completely downhill.

“I guess the only thing we can do is give Shadow time to think, at least now we all can understand a bit of what the poor lad is going through. Might be a good time later to send somepony to check up on him as he’s still recovering.”

“But for now… maybe do a bit of thinking for our own then make breakfast afterwards?”

Everyone began to reflect, they each pondered just how much Shadow Mark the Assassin has been through, what he has lost, and what he is trying to fight for. With one last sigh they got up and resumed their duties.

They may never understand this pain I endure, but they will know that it’s there and that it makes me stronger each time I remember.

Chapter 47: Has Everything Been for Nothing?

My mind was filled with emotions of wrath and remorse. I had to get outside, I didn't care that my wounds were still not healed. It has only been a night, my bandages felt continuingly soggy as I made my walk around Ponyville.
I wanted to think, think over what went wrong and what I could do to rectify it, but I can't.
All I'm seeing is rage, all I can see are the ponies I know I can't save, all I can think about are my failures. Each one had left somepony hurt, this time it was me.

Everything I've done since I got here.... since I fell from the sky...
I trained 6 ponies, all loyal to this cause... but my responsibility should they get harmed, they might have volunteered but if I wasn't here would they still? If I stayed in Canterlot for the rest of my days, would everything have been over?

I turned a corner and bowed my head down to conceal my face to a passing couple. They passed but I continued looking at the ground as my hooves trotted against the grass and began to relay the recent missions I’ve been on.

Je Suis... Purifier Industries has a new CEO now...
Minus a facility and their headquarters, they have enough money to rebuild. I don't know how, but there is obviously some way they have enough funds to make weapons and vehicles, those cost a fortune to engineer. Luckily most of Balthazar's army are low-tech just like the rest of any military.
Still, I knew taking him down wouldn't have done anything permanent. I just didn't realize how insignificant it was.

Suddenly I heard a gasp and snapped back to reality, I looked forward to see Ditzy the mailmare had recognized me. She hastily dropped newspaper she was carrying in her mouth and flew off in fear.

I go over to the paper and pick it up with one hoof and read the top story involving me and Captain Thunderhoof, only that the picture taken did not show me in full view, Luna's magic pretty much distorted any fabric designs on my robes, my hood covered my head and the only thing you could get out of it is that the clothes the killer wore were white.

Asides from that, Ponyville had experienced a high profile murder and that everypony's fearing for their own safety according to this.

Hm, news travels fast..

I guess only Ditzy would know it was me considering no pony else in Ponyville could.

But what was strange were the conversations I overheard from the ponies I past on my walk of shame. They were all.... normal... as if they've completely forgotten about the incident. The shock must've worn off, or maybe it's simply because they don't care.

Why should they? It's not like anypony cares about what we Assassins are fighting against the Templars for! None of them realize just how much is changing, why we fight and die, that they don't care either way!
Maybe this is how Balthazar got so much power to begin with...
Not even Celestia herself can intervene because of such a force and foothold in Equestria he gained, that's why she's more lenient with us and why our contracts are slightly more easier to handle. But then again, it’s that more difficult for us not to fail. And I did.

I tossed the paper and shoved past my way a group of ponies, my breathing has become rasped and I could feel the blood pumping through my chest. Each throb sent a pain through my body; I clutched my chest with one hoof and slowly trotted even further into town, ignoring the murmurs and whispers from the ponies I passed by.

Gerpony... at least we managed to stop Volcanous from wreaking havoc with his army. But what Le Duck and Dave had said... Balthazar sieged the city just like Ponitaly, the civilians might've escaped but he still won. He once again wiped a city off the map. If he did it once before it means he’s going to again.

My vision shook as my chest gripped with pain, I was forced to my knees yet my forehoofs broke my fall. I bit my lip as the rush of pain intensified making me groan and curse under my breath. My breaths were a whispering gasp as I felt the pain inside me ripping apart.

"DAMN IT!"

A few moments later and the pain subsided; carefully I lifted myself weakly to my original standing position and took a few minutes to catch my breath.
I look at my bandaged area and instantly my thoughts returned to the one who stabbed me.

Dave.
He… he was always there…
In Maris when Je Suis was escaping, in Gerpony when he was walking across the battlefield, in Manehatten when he snapped WingBlade’s neck.

He knows where we live, we faced him and we lost.
He tricked me once more… and once again my duty to rid Balthazar is postponed…

He knows.

But he doesn’t act.

Why?

My hoof made contact with a tree as my thoughts raced across my head.

WHY!? Why go through all of that just to stab me?
Did he know Le Duck would come? If he wanted to kill me, he could.
But he doesn’t.

He’s been leading me around in loops!
It was my second attempt to end Balthazar’s life, would the third one be any different!?

Damn it Dave! WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN PLANNING ALL THIS TIME!?

My teeth gritted with frustration and rage, despite the pain, I pushed through and made my walking stance more aggressive. I turned a corner and heard a cry for help. My instincts told me to run but I couldn’t in this state, as much as I wanted to.

Trying the best that I could, I arrive at where the noise originated. It was three young stallions harassing a light blue mare.

“No, stop! I don’t have any bits, all of them were used to pay for my mother’s medicine, please just leave me alone!” the light blue mare pleaded. This only made them laugh. The middle stallion, colored dark brown and having the feeling he was on a drug went over to her and shoved her to the ground.

“Listen lady, we know you’re lying and it doesn’t take an idiot to find out that we mean serious business. So give us the money and we’ll leave you alone. Simple as that,” he gave a sinister smile as he looked into her terrified eyes. She tried to get up only for another stallion to push her back down.

He knows she doesn’t have anything!

The stallion that talked to her in the beginning brought a hoof down on her face.

I couldn’t stand here any longer, my rage coming from these assaulters and my pervious one from my thinking mixed together and turned into a feeling that I haven’t felt in a long time. It was the same feeling I felt when I hunted those ponies down after Ponitaly was eradicated. The one I was planning to kill Balthazar and every Templar I could find with.

They heard my approaching footsteps and turned to see an angry grey pony covered in robes but visible bandages across the chest. “Hahaha! Get a load of this guy, wearing all those robes to look ‘scary’ but look at him! He’s hurt! Move along bandage boy, this bitch here doesn’t concern yo- *GACK*”
My hoof grabbed his neck startling everyone; before anyone had time to react I hoofed him across the face as I drop my hoof that was gripping him back down.

My hoof shoots back up with a hidden blade drawn giving him a non-lethal blow in the chest.

“HOLY SHIT DUDE YOU’RE BLEEDING!” one of the other stallions shout as the one I stabbed fell to the ground clutching his side as blood poured out. I mouthed the words ‘go’ to the mare as she silently got back up with a look of terror in her face as she galloped away.

It was a non-lethal stab… at least for the next ten minutes.

With my hoof still raised to my face I retracted my blade and placed my hoof back on the ground. I slowly walked past them, making them jump but then quickly return attention back to their friend as I left the scene.

I dipped my sleeve and blade into the town square fountain removing any traces of blood, Assassin robes were meant to be easily washable.

The rage from before had subsided and I began to feel the pains from my wounds once more but I continued to proceed onwards. This time to the café… I needed to see the two ponies I know have a connection line with Princess Celestia.

I don’t know if I’ll be coming out of this alive. But it’s better to get it out of the way when it's expected.

I arrive at the café and see the familiar faces of Commander Beard and Garrus. They were drinking coffee but immediately stopped when they saw me. Garrus put his cup down, “Well well well… if it isn’t Shadow Mark. I’m surprised you managed to be here, I guess you know what that means…”

Garrus pulled out his rifle and held it with a slant towards me, I readied my hidden blades.

“Come on Garrus, don’t you think the kid has been through enough?” Beard said through his coffee drink.

“Yeah you’re right, you should have seen your face Shadow,” Garrus gave a quiet chuckle before clearing his throat. “Thankfully we know what really happened and now Celestia does to. Maybe even Luna. Otherwise you would have been shot already when you hoofed that tree a little earlier,” Garrus said pointing to his scope visor on his eye. “Not only does this place have the best coffee but it’s open enough to provide as many viewpoints as we can see.”

“Well I’m glad that’s taken care off, now if you two would both excuse me. I have more better things to do than think about how my failure to kill Balthazar would cost the lives of thousands,” I said with a passive aggressive tone as I went past them, promptly flipping a table and breaking 5 chairs on my way through.

“What’s got into him?” Garrus whispered to Beard.

“I don’t know, what I do know is that everything in life is difficult…. Especially when trying to get a discount on this place.” Commander Beard raised his hoof, “WAITRESS! WOULD YOU PERHAPS CONSIDER-”

“NO!”

“Damn.”

My hoofs were still filled with rage, it didn’t help that Garrus did that sarcastic trick. AND THIS STAB WOUND JUST WON’T STOP HURTING! Obviously because it’s a stab wound, that’s what they do. You bleed profusely and then wake up in the morning feeling like crap.

Another throb and this time it hurt enough to make my arm numb for a few seconds.

Merda… why am I even doing this in the first place?
Oh that’s right, because I messed up and being the stubborn self I am, I needed to get out and think.

As much as I would like to be in my bed now, I need to breath this cold outside air.
The cold… it makes me think better.

I turned my head up because of how much colder it was now than when I left. Luckily it wasn’t my case of dying but rather it was the change of the sky. Pegasi from the weather team were putting up light grey clouds and blocking out most of Celestia’s sun. As a Pegasus I knew the mechanics of how to control temperature, what I lacked was my ability to get up there in the first place.

I sighed and looked down to see Ms. Cheerilee and a short purple dragon pulling a cart full of books as they chatted. The dragon, Spike noticed me and waved his arm.

“HELLO SHADOW!”

“HELLO!” Cheerilee waved a hoof too.

I was about to raise my voice and greet them back but my lungs compressed to fast and I fell down once more in a coughing fit. Both of them rushed towards me they’ve seen me fall shouting words of concern.

“It’s alright… *cough*… I can get up,” I said strongly but bodily weak as I placed myself back up as I’ve done numerous times today.

Note to self: next time when Fluttershy tells me to stay in the bed, stay in the bed.

“Ah Miss Cheerilee, Spike! It is so good to see both of you once more!”

“Are you sure?” Cheereliee asked noticing that I definitely did not look well.

“Ya Shadow! Just look at those bandages! How did you even escape from Can-” Before Spike could finish his sentence I put a hoof over his mouth and smiled to Cheerilee real quick.

“Sorry, I need to talk to Spike for a quick moment,” I gave her my smile yet she still looked unsure. I pulled Spike away from her and quickly whispered, “Spike, not now. If you want the full story speak to Twilight later.”

“Really? But you look like you got hurt.”

“Hush Spike! I’m not in the mood and I barely escaped with my life, so please talk to Twilight before Mareio needs a reason to give you another one of ‘those’ mushrooms,” my eyes glared and Spike started to sweat from the terrifying thought. He quickly nodded his head and we broke off rejoining Cheerilee.

“So Ms. Cheerilee, what are you and Spike doing for today?” I asked regarding the books Spike was trudging around in a cart, and currently hyperventilating from.

“Oh, those? They were a request order from Twilight, Spike here has been such a dear helping me move these,” she gave a soft pat on his head, giving him a brief sense of comfort…. Until he looked back at my cold eyes again and cringed.

“What about you Shadow? I haven’t heard or seen you ever since the first day of the Lunar Festival… oh the poor Captain. I know a friend who knew him quite well.”

“Yes, it is. A tragedy,” I said with true sincere.

This is when Cheerilee noticed the bandages around my chest and gasped, “Shadow! What happened to you!?”

“Oh… this was a… a foolish accident. From my trip I took a few days ago during the Festival. I had no choice in staying; I needed to go for a… meeting. This meeting from my trip was very important, but whenever it happens I just seem to go back where I started. Cheerilee, have you ever been… very dedicated in doing something but the moment you know you will succeed you instead fail?”

“I… I don’t know, maybe. Shadow how did you get hurt? We need to get you to a doctor!”

“Don’t be worried about me Madonna Cheerilee. Dr. Mareio said I could get some fresh air before heading back indoors. I’m sorry if I am being an enigma at the moment, but the pain in my chest is making me hard to breathe and think.” I coughed slightly before doing a slight bow.

“Sorry our conversation might have seemed a bit mixed, but one day I hope to tell you everything. It was nice meeting you once again, say hello to the students for me, I enjoy coming back to teach them about the world when I can,” I said with a smile as I turned around leaving Cheerilee and Spike but immediately stopped and turned my neck slightly back.

“Oh and how I got these bandages? An accountant’s hoof movement with a pen is faster than you think it is”

I walked some distance before looking around me and leaving an angry sigh and vomiting into a nearby bush.
My friendliness was only a façade of my usual nature. Inside I was brimming with frustration and rage.
My walk continued as I made it to my last stop, The Apple Family Orchard. My eyes scanned the area around me until I found a familiar hill and went there. On the top was still a slight mound of unsettled dirt.

This… this was where I first fell to Ponyville.

By Equestria, it feels like an age but it’s only been a few months.

A few months and Balthazar still isn’t dead.
Would it take me again, another set of months? A year? A decade?
Will he kill me by then? Would Dave finish me off? Now would be the perfect time in my opinion.

How long?

It took Balthazar only a short moment to destroy everything that meant something to me. Is that not what he is doing now? Could Dave have told him where we are by now? It would only be a matter of time if he did.

But I doubt it.
Still…

WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? With Dave around screwing up everything for us, I know we will never get to Balthazar.
He will continue to hurt us as if is was some sort of 'Game' to him.

DAMN YOU PEZZO DE MERDA, I WILL KILL YOU!

I slammed my hoof against a nearby tree causing apples to fall from the violent shake. My anger only intensified.

We are fighting over an ancient artifact called The Apple, as far as I can tell it can just shoot a lot of energy and corrupt those who over wield it’s power. But… is that it? Can it do more? It’s tied into Project Purify but I DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT IS!

We’re in the dark, there are barely any of us left and we’re losing this battle. All my targets as Dave said were MEANINGLESS.
The moment I tried to kill Balthazar AND AGAIN HE STILL LIVES BECAUSE I HAVE FAILED!

It’s my fault that he is, I should have been better and I should have been able to end his life.

But I didn’t! I was so close! Equestria would have been rid of this monster and the Templars would be in disarray enough for the Assassins to recover. Somehow I can tell even that idea wouldn’t work!

As long as Dave is alive he will continue to mess up our plans. Meaning Balthazar is virtually untouchable and MANY MORE INNOCIENT PONIES WILL DIE!

Because of me……..

I guarantee this, one of us will die. I will make sure it is him.

I breathed in as much as I could from the aching pains within my chest, holding the force of air inside. Starting with a small *RAAH* it escalated higher and higher as I released all my anger out in one long yell, I aimed my head upwards, piercing the heavens until the shouts and frustration dispersed leaving an empty void of silence.

Chapter 48: An Uncle's Tale

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This time I tried indenting to see how it turns out. Please tell me if you like this format or if i should still with the original. Nearly 50 chapters! I thank you all for reading, you are truely my inspiration and motivation to keep writing. Enjoy the chapter!

My hoof grasped the wooden doorframe as I pushed myself into the Assassin Hideout. The shuffling of materials, work, and talking ceased as I entered. The door slowly closed behind me with a scratchy creek, it echoed across the room in its chilling silence until the door was firmly closed.

I took a few steps forward and collapsed onto the carpet of the floor. No matter how soft that carpet was, I was in pain. My eyes closed during the fall and they reopen to see everypony’s worried expressions circling above me as I lay flat on the floor.

“I… I think I might need Fluttershy or Dr. Mareio to help me with this,” I said playfully with a smirk but my expression changed to one of discomfort and agony, as my chest wound throbbed in pain realeasing a groan from my mouth.

Fluttershy quickly inspected me and said, “I need to change the bandages and apply more medicine.” She then pointed a hoof to Mareio, “Shadow needs something to keep up his strength, but nothing that makes Shadow… uh…. well what usually happens, understand?” she said with assertiveness.

“OKIE DOKIE!” Mareio shouted with vigor as he pulled out a bright red mushroom from his sleeve and shoved it into my throat which got stuck considering how big it was.

“MAREIO!” Everyone shouted.

“What? It was a my lunch! Not every mushroom has to be a magical mushroom, this is a regular shroom!” Their faces felt relief but immediately they cringed as Mareio pushed the mushroom down my throat even more.

“I’MMA DOCTOR I KNOW WHAT I’M DOING!”

After that ordeal I felt the insides of my chest get slightly better considering there’s a half digested mushroom sitting in line with my wound. Fluttershy came back and removed the bandages to my chest. My grey fur was turned a dark crimson and my robes slightly were too. It looked bad but considering I got this yesterday it could have been worse.

Fluttershy took out a small bottle of green spray and looked anxiously at me, “Shadow before I put this on. You should know that this is going-”

“To sting like a stab wound being covered in acidic disinfectant?” I gave a sigh and closed my eyes, “Just do it, get it out of the way.”

Fluttershy nodded her head and aimed the bottle at my chest.

*Spray*

“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! HOLY CRAP! THAT REALLY HURTS!
NOT BENE, NOT BENE!”

I squirmed around as my body writhed in pain until the medicine did its work and the pain dulled leaving me at a loss of breath. “Fluttershy… *gasp* … next time…. let’s see… if Mareio has a magical mushroom that... doesn’t affect this…. otherwise just pour the whole bottle next time I get horribly stabbed by a deranged accountant. So we... may never use it again...”

Fluttershy looked horrified but left my side for a moment to prepare the new bandages that were to be placed but Applejack saw just how uncomfortable I looked, “Hey Rainbow, do you mind to help me move Shadow from the floor to the bed?”

“Sure, it looks like he’s hurt just lying there anyways.”

“Wait what are you two talking about?” I asked wearily as I couldn’t hear their conversation well due to this pain blocking most of my senses out.

They each grabbed a pair of my hoofs and lifted them up.

“ARGH! Stop, STOP! Put me down!” I shouted as the intense pain of being lifted was too much to bear and they quickly dropped me back to the carpet with a thud.

Ow…

“So we can’t move him?” Twilight asked while I recovered on the ground.

“It’s fine everypony. I’ll just sleep here,” I said to them with a light chuckle and gently put my head back on the floor.

I am so glad this carpet is incredibly soft. Every Assassin hideout should have one of these.

Party like it's $19.99 on well crafted flooring!

They gave me an ‘are you serious look?’ but I quietly ignored them as Fluttershy came to wrap the new bandages on.
A few more minutes of standing later and everyone was unsure of what to do next but Le Duck was the one to break the silence.

“Well…. shouldn’t we be out working on how to get some Templars?”

“We can’t Uncle. Not with Dave still out there. Until we deal with him I’m afraid we aren’t getting past anything getting accomplished, even Balthazar’s long overdue death.”

“I agree, but how are we going to catch him? He just seems to go wherever and whenever he chooses. He knows what we’re going to do even before we do it,” Twilight gave her analyzed view on the glum situation.

*Ahem*, Le Duck gave a small clearing of his throat to get our attention once more.
“I’ve dealt with Dave longer than all of you, he might say he’s unpredictable but he’s wrong. I just need some time to figure out a plan we could use against him.”

“A Counter-Plan for Dave? Uncle that’s genius!” I said with surprise.

This made everyone give their own cheers and Mareio a small laser lightshow with Pinkie.

Seriously. That’s what glowing shrooms are for. Mareio and Pinkie never seeks to amaze.

“Don’t celebrate just yet. I still need TIME. I doubt that Dave is just going to let us stay here peacefully without some kind of intervention from him. So everyone be on your guards.”

“Alright ponies! You heard my uncle, continue with your work and let’s make sure the Templars understand the true power of the Assassin Order!” I raised a hoof from my spot as they all raised theirs.

*HUZZAH*

“..... and then I just remembered that I can’t do anything like this for now. DOUBLE THE PAPERWORK FOR ME TOMORROW! Har har ha!”

“Oh wait darling, you never did tell us what happened in Canterlot,” Rarity said, immediately everyone but my uncle’s faces shoved closer to mine making me feel somewhat uncomfortable.

“Since I’m going to be lying down here all day I guess I have no choice…”

I told them how I was able to escape the cell using my faint-starvation plan along with a thief named Lucky Bit. He told me of a secret passage leading to a cave system underneath Canterlot, as I got through it I found the seal which I showed to them receiving surprise and a slight eye shift movement from Le Duck. I finished by how I got to the party of Templars Balthazar was hosting and the events that transpired there. Such as Dave stabbing me and how I was blasted with the Piece of Harmony.

“YOU GOT HIT BY THE APPLE!?” Pinkie said with shock to which I nodded. “Oh Shadow, why didn’t you tell us sooner? Are you alright; are you hurt, do you want me to make a get well cake?”

“Pinkie…. I have a stab wound in my chest and Mareio shoved a whole mushroom down my throat………………….. maybe later.” This brought a happy smile to her face as she skipped over to her workstation and pulled out some cake mix.

“Wow, no wonder you were off in such an angry mood when you left, sorry Shadow,” Applejack said with her eyes down but I quickly gave a small pitying laugh for myself.

“No, it’s not anypony’s fault. Rather it should be mine….. it always was after all…” I said sadly but quickly brought up the mood, “Anyways we all have some work to do so let’s get to it!”

After a couple of hours with the 6 mares saying their goodbyes I was still laying back-first on the carpet. My uncle trotted over next to my head and said with his caring voice, “So, how are you really feeling Shadow?”

“Le Duck. I failed. What else more is there to it than that?”

Le Duck sighed and rolled his eyes, “If you’re going to lie to me at least try to make it sound convincing. Shadow, listen. I know what you’re going through-”

“Oh really uncle? Do tell me how the second time in a row you failed to kill the Templar leader ending up to be dragged back home nearly dead with a stab wound. Did you ever get blasted by the Apple? Its power is strong, too strong. I could feel it going through and out me as if I was being struck by lightning, but worse… much worse.”

My eyes locked with his and his vision shifted to one of remorse. He went ahead and pulled up a chair as he positioned it next to me. He sat down and crossed his fore hoofs over one another as he hunched over.

“Shadow, do you happen to have that Seal you mentioned on you right now?” I was stunned by this but I quickly reached into my right-side pocket and pulled out the white crystalline seal I’ve gotten in Canterlot. He took it from me and examined it for a while before saying, “Believe me Shadow. I’ve done far worse than you have. Whatever happened, the mistakes you made are less in comparison to mine. Take the difference between what happened in Gerpony and my situation of what happened in the Pondiratic.”

“Gerpony was wiped out, just like Ponitaly-”

“True but not completely. The citizens lived, they can rebuild. Actually they are all living in a nice town that formed during when Gerpony was originally made. It’s called Germane from what I remember from my younger days,” this brought a smile to his face but it disappeared as quickly as it formed.

“As for what I told everyone about the Pondriatic… no pony from my team made it back. All the ponies and backup support from my ‘Red Fox’ legion either drowned or died pitifully. We didn’t even make it to the nuclear station in the middle of the ocean without losing a hoof-full of good ponies. I know for a fact, that Dave was the one that done it. Damn accountant.” he sighed and my uncle shifted to a more comfortable position and brought his voice down lower to almost a whisper.

“This attack was top-secret and the enemy were ready for us when we showed. Some of the backup crew were reported to be murdered in the backlines. Whether it was Dave or a group he sent to flank us, I don’t know. Without the backup our main forces were shredded to pieces. Somehow I managed to work my way through the guards to the missile silos and destroy it from there.”

“But Le Duck, how did you know it was Dave? I mean you could have had a spy in there the whole time,” I questioned him.

“Because I saw him. Right before the explosion…”

“EVERYPONY! BACK TO THE SHIPS! SHE’S GOING TO BLOW!” Le Duck shouted at his soldiers as he ran across a metal railing and tossed a nearby enemy guard overboard.

A dark green pony wearing a red bandana on his arm and carrying a war axe shouted back to the crew, “You heard what the Red Fox said! This nuke is going to blow!” He was about to fall back with the retreating rebels but an arrow wised in the air and struck him in his shoulder.

“Argh, come on Mercutio! We need to get out of here!” Le Duck shouted angrily as he hauled him up onto his back.

Le Duck was slower with the added weight but was gaining on in speed with the retreating party. He brought his hoof out and stabbed a nearby guard in the head with his hidden blade as he worked his way past a squadron of guards. His running speed increased as he bunted a spear laying on the platform with his hoof and pierced a guard’s chest straight through the center.

He could see it now, the stacks of ships that were brought to invade this place.

“MORTAR!”

“Oh cazzo!” Le Duck lunged backwards and covered him and Mercutio as a large bomb-like object shot down from the sky lighting everything a bright orange and directly hitting the ships stationed, blasting them to mere wooden splinters.

“Sir, leave me. You need to get out of here!” Mercutio said to Le Duck as he shoved him aside.

“Mercutio, I’m not leaving you!”

“Please Red Fox. I’m dead already, go, save as much as our ponies as you can. For one to die so that many shall live… that is our creed,” he said reciting the Assassin line, being a member of our creed.

As much as Le Duck hated it, he knew he couldn’t save him. He gave him a pat on the shoulder for his final goodbye and quickly ran back to the smoldering wreaks of the ships just as Mercutio lifted his axe and charged straight into a mass of guards with his war cry.

Le Duck scanned the burning fires and shattered pieces of wood across the water. “Come on… just need one boat…”
He found one, it was small and looked a bit dingy but he didn’t have any other choice.
Nine ponies he found were left he could save; he rushed them to the boat and immediately took off to the open water.
Despite his avid steering to dodge them from the falling mortars, one landed next to them and a pony ended up with a large wooden railing stuck through her throat.

“Man the ship,” Le Duck said as he went to inspect the mare. She gagged and then life fell away from her eyes.

“Requiestcat in Pace, bella donna,” he closed her eyes with his hoof.

Just then a pony came up to him, “Red Fox! I think we’re far enough from-”
He stopped midsentence with his eyes in shock as he fell to the ground.

A pen was wedged in his back.

Furious, Le Duck looked at the platform the fair distance away and could see an ice-white unicorn wearing accounting clothes waving at him. He stopped and looked at his watch, a smile so wide even Le Duck could see it. Immediately Dave snapped his hoof and disappeared into a portal of his.

“Oh no…” Le Duck suddenly whispered under his breath at the sudden realization of what was about to happen, “EVERYPONY GET DOWN!”

As soon as he said that a large series of explosions sounded from the nuclear platform followed by a mushroom cloud eruption of the nuke being detonated. The large white sphere expanded closer and closer to their ship before turning the world white.

“And you survived that!?” I exclaimed, I was so shocked from my uncle's story I somehow got myself up from my back before falling down once more in pain.

“I admit. That explosion was the easy part. As soon as I awoke, 4 more were gone from the blast. But I wasn’t. We were all holding onto parts of driftwood from our ship. I told the three remaining that we weren’t about to get saved anytime soon so we had to paddle. Psh… some celebration for taking down a Templar nuclear facility.” Le Duck placed his head in his hoofs and rubbed his face wearily before continuing.

“Sharks, Shadow. They are nasty predators of the unforgiving sea. I managed to stab a few with my blade but one pony wasn’t so fortunate when a massive creature of the deep grabbed him in its mighty jaws, he never stood a chance.”

“As for what happened with the other two, oh Celestia rest their souls….”

“We’ve been paddling for 3 days… I.. I need to take a break,” a light green mare with a long wet green mane said with exhaustion as she coughed out a gallon of seawater.

“Alright, Emerald. We’ll wade here for a bit, but we need to get to land as soon as we can,” Le Duck said resting a hoof onto his wooden plank next to a dark purple colt with blue and white stripes in his Mohawk styled mane.

“I can’t believe it. All of those ponies we went to battle with, GONE!” the Mohawk pony slapped a hoof in the water.

“I know, but we can’t waste energy, or else none of us are getting back alive from this infernal ocean.”

“Hey Emerald? How did you wind up in all of this?”

“I was a pony finishing up my university education, I was originally going to be a geologist… but then I discovered my mother was murdered having left a bloodstained note of her hoofwriting only to go on. Without thinking, I galloped as fast as I could to our house but the killers were still there. They... kidnapped me... and I awoke later in a dark place. For days I would try to figure out who they were, why they did this, why I was here. They treated me like dirt but kept me alive, apparently I was a ransom after overhearing their conversations through my prison wall. I thought after a week that no one would answer my plea and that I be killed because I was worthless. But then… the Red Fox himself showed up.”

“All I could hear from my locked room was somepony saying they brought the ransom. I heard hoofsteps coming towards the door until I heard screams and shouts short after, the clash of metal, smashing of furniture and struggle sounds. Everything went quiet after a few seconds. The door opened, I gasped once I saw this pony I never seen before in my life, covered in tattered orange robes and that red insignia on the bottom. He helped me out of my cell and I saw that he was the only one here to save me. On the ground lay four ponies, dead as if they weren’t even a challenge for him.”

Emerald adjusted herself on the board, “He told me who he was and asked if it would have been a pleasure for me to work for a larger cause. I said yes. I’ve been here ever since, at least… until now…”

“Hey don’t worry, we’ll get there Emerald. If I die along the way, feel free to use me as a life raft,” Le Duck joked before turning back to the direction they were heading in, a grim demenor of exhaustion left his lips “I guess we should continue…”

*** *** ***

A few hours in and Emerald was lagging behind Le Duck and the mohawk pony.

“I…. I… can’t go any further…” she said panting nearly going under the water but gripping onto the board as she sputtered a lungful of water.

“Emerald no! You need to keep paddling!” the Mohawk pony shouted behind him.

Emerald let out a long breath before quietly saying, “I’m sorry mother, I never became a geologist." Her hoof released the board and she sunk below the depths of the waves.

“EMERALD!” he shouted but a chestnut hoof stopped him from swimming out to save her.

“What are you doing!? We need to save her!”

“There’s nothing we can do for her… we would die if we tried.”

Le Duck forced himself from leaping straight into the ocean after her. He didn’t want another pony to die, especially one he really cared for, truth be told ever since that day rescuing her, he noticed just how beautiful she was He would have done anything to save her, go to Tartarus and back for her. But he couldn’t.

Le Duck squinted his eyes in frustration holding back a salty tear, he quietly said to the mohawk pony with determined grit, “We need to keep paddling, don’t let Emerald’s passion and drive be worth nothing.”

They left Emerald behind; Le Duck couldn’t shake the feeling of regret from himself. A day of paddling and the night storms took place. Waves crashed across another, lightning torched the sky, and rain pelted relentlessly on their backs.
The two were being mercilessly swept in the water, Le Duck’s head dropped in the murky deep to gasp for breath once he re-emerged. He couldn’t see the Mohawked pony anywhere. He waited minutes for what seemed like hours, nature was throwing everything at him.

“Damn it.”

There was no time to mourn the loss of the last pony to accompany him as a large wave overtook him and brought him deeper under the water.

………………….

*Cough*

Le Duck made it to solid ground, a beach. He crawled up as much as he could to escape the pounding waves from splashing him. He made it to a reasonable distance before flipping onto his back and nearly blacking out.

Strangely after all this chaos his mind was clear; Dave sabotaged their plan to take down the facility. The ponies that accompanied him died the ones that didn’t make it off the platform perished. The ones who didn’t make it on the escape died.

Le Duck noticed more slapping of water against the shoreline and glanced over to see what it was. The purple Mohawk pony washed up on the shore. Le Duck laid his head back down on the moist sand and soundlessly whispered to himself in quiet regret.

“I am the only one left.”

I was dumbfounded; I couldn’t believe all that happened to Le Duck, this was incredibly recent I can't believe after all that he still showed up here to help me. Who knows how many more hardships he had to endure from similar experiances. Some might have been worse, I shuddered at the thought.

Being an Assassin was never meant to be easy. I'm such a fool.

“Well enough about my story then, take heart the lessons I have learned. You should get some sleep Shadow, I will put this seal onto your table for you,” Le Duck said getting up from his chair.

“Uncle, wait… I never knew all that happened. Here I am complaining on my own failures," I pitifully said to myself in disgust.

“We all have our untold stories lad, someday I hope…. ah… nevermind. We have our own problems to deal with now, especially with all this nasty Accountant stuff we need to handle swiftly.”

“Dave..... do you really think he would attack that soon? He usually goes for a bit of mind tricking around our little group, the worst he's done was sending that Griefer after us but luckily for Ponyville it was in the Everfree."

“Well he knows I’m here, he perceives you as a threat if you didn’t already know from before. I’m particularly on the same skill level as him, without the magic obviously,” he said flapping his wings.

Mages. I never really liked them. Twilight and rarity are good to have around, but it’s the enemy unicorns and magic users that really grind my gears. Dave makes them want to grind every last piece of hate I have for him.

By Celestia that accountant needs to die.

“I also know more about him than any other pony, in fact he might have already figured out that I can form a plan against him. All I know is that we don’t have much time before this village gets… a 'message' from Dave.”

“Really, that soon?” I asked with surprise, but considering he can do what he wants when he wants it seems possible.

“Meh, I would give him about a day.”

Chapter 49: Templars as Usual

“Well that was quick.” I whispered quietly to Le Duck receiving a small smile in return as we stood in a crowd of anxious ponies. Their heads poked out trying to get a better view of the newcomers to this small village.

“I told you Dave works fast,” Le Duck whispered back with a grim look on his face. “I don’t know whether to be joyful or scared for predicting this. But still, it’s quite interesting don’t you think?”

It’s true.

No later than when I had fallen unconscious the night before and the sun rose to greet a new day, had brought forth more than just light to the quiet village.
Guards, all bearing the colour scheme of Balthazar’s army, and if you definitely wanted to let everypony know “Hey! I’m a Templar!” then giving them a blaring white Purifier Industries logo on their uniform sleeve was a dead giveaway.

In my head, I counted twenty guards plus their captain. He looked more refined and disciplined than the grunts as he sports a radiant crimson cape and metallic armor engraved with artistic art. Whether it was a symbol of a dragon, giant cat, or a pony riding a unicycle, I didn’t care.
The stab wound left in my chest from Dave still burned and I was forced by will to rest upon my uncle’s shoulder as we watched the captain of the guards trot forward from his subordinates on an elevated wooden stage overlooking the audience.

“Citizens of Ponyville-“

Wow, I hate this guy already.

“Do not fear our presence! We have been sent by her mighty majesty of Equestria to investigate this village for a convict that has recently escaped from the Canterlot dungeons.” A few murmurs came from the audience from the mention of the Princess. “Once we do find this pony we will be on our way, until then we will search every possible location within your village. Only once we find this cold criminal from the depths of Tartarus would you and your families be once again safe,” the captain ended his speech in an eloquent tone. His words were mixed in with lies and false promises and though some ponies nodded their heads to these, some looked unsure.

“Alright, any general questions from the audience before we begin the sear-” the captain began to speak but was quickly interrupted with a ‘Boo!’ from a certain cerulean Pegasus. He ignored it and beckoned a pony with a hoof raised.

“How will this affect our everyday lives? You aren’t part of some kind of secret conspiracy plot wanting to turn this town into your own base of operations with no rent, BECAUSE I WILL NOT GO BELOW MY AVERAGE RATES FOR MY HOTEL!”

The crowd was silent for a brief second before a small pain shot into my chest and I coughed lightly which prompted the captain to answer.

“We’ll you see, we aren’t going to occupy anypo-”

“BOO!” Rainbow Dash shouted through the crowd.

The captain’s eye twitched a bit, “Furthermore we-”

“BOO!!”

“-are going to- *BOO* try to get- *BOO* this- *BOO* thing- *BOO*…….”

“………. and-”

Rainbow let out the most audible and loudest distain for the speaker up on the stage from her mouth.

“OH THAT’S IT!” The captain seethed with rage and barred his teeth. His eyes went with pure intent to murder this rainbow-manned foe. He took a step forward upon the platform and gripped the handle for the sword attached securely on his left side. The crowd tensed for a moment but Rainbow didn’t budge, instead she did what I would expect her to do in the face of a dangerous semi-political speaker.

Stick her tongue out at the Templar and degrade him further.

The Templar took another step forward but then a strange smile crept against his face, sinisterly he took his hold off the sword and pointed a hoof at her.

“Guards! Arrest her.”

“What!?” Rainbow was in shock as well as the entire crowd, me and Le Duck included. A group of guards ran over to her place in the crowd and despite a short scuffle managed to restrain her. “You can’t do this!” she yelped at the captain who merely gave a dark laugh. Once Rainbow was completely clear from the crowd’s view his gaze returned to the crowd before him, a grin plastered on his muzzle.

“Any more questions?”

“Well that was quick,” Le Duck mocked me childishly and making me roll my eyes while facehoofing before we left the crowd and the vicinity of the captain. The guards disbanded soon after and are now combing the town for… well- me.

But seriously, he said all of that and not once did he mention who they’re looking for and what they look like. Are the Templars dumb these days or did Dave personally make sure the captain was an incompetent leader with no chance in a military system?

Either way, Rainbow is in trouble and we need to do something about all these Templars before they learn anything.

“I suggest Uncle, that we try to find the rest and group up,” I said with struggling breaths and taking a seat on a bench.

“Preferably here. Also by we I mean you,” my troll smile was the greatest in all the land in that split second. My body nearly passed out on the bench but my ears perked up when I heard my uncle was going to find them and that I’m a lazy sissy who can’t handle a stab wound.

“Bah, you can call me what you want but I know first and foremost that I’m the molto bene of Ass-”

I stopped, because I noticed that my uncle was no longer here and I was talking to empty space. My pain throbbed within me and I recoiled in anguish. I don’t want to panic or it would be much worse. My hoof made contact to my face waking me up from my half-conscious state and into better thinking.

The pain again, this time it was worse.
The only thing I could do was some breathing techniques until Le Duck came back with the others.

Alright Shadow, in and out. You can do this; you are not going to die on some bench.
At least on one that isn’t made of a better wood.

In.

Out.

The minutes dragged on, but it felt like hours. My lungs tugged but the constant breathing made them relax and loosen after the first minute. I clutched my chest and looked up towards the sky. At this angle my windpipe received more air and the intense pain dulled to a small lingering residence within my nerves.

My eyes catch a great bird circling far up in the clouds above me. My eyes dart down to ground level and I see my orange robed Uncle along with the other Assassins trotting up the lane.

Oh, thank Celestia. For a moment I thought I was going to die knowing that I still haven’t killed that cazzo of a Templar captain.

Or Balthazar….

Or Dave….

Or all those Templars at that party…..

I need a new list soon.

With everypony gathered around my bench area I began to relay what happened and what the plan was going to be.

“Well bad news, Dave sent a platoon of guards to take us down. Good news is that just like most guards, they are incredibly easy to be singled out and taken down quickly, without any suspicion. The bad news of that is there’s a Templar captain leading them who might actually know what he’s doing, but the good news is that Rainbow embarrassed him in public.”

“The worst news is that they’ve taken Rainbow and we need to somehow save her as well as Ponyville from the Templar threat. So… any suggestions?” I clapped my hooves in anticipation.

“Wait a moment! Rainbow Dash got taken by them!?” Rarity said with shock and my nod make her mouth hang even more lower.

“Well, what are we waitin for? Let’s first get her then figure out how we’re going to deal with these ponies,” Applejack with impatience. The group agreed and with some help from Twilight lifting me from the bench and Dr. Mareio giving me a strength shroom (seriously that was the second worst thing I tasted in my life and I will never mention what the first was), we set out to free Rainbow from her Templar captors.

“But how would we find her? They could have her anywhere within the town by now,” Fluttershy’s worried voice reminded us about this possible setback.

“Excuse me, but even though I have been here for only a short while I did manage to learn about some queues all of have,” Le Duck said with an embarrassed clearing of his throat. “Sorry, force of habit. But if Rainbow Dash is being held somewhere where she doesn’t want to be-”

“Then her rebellious outbursts would lead us to her! Le Duck that’s brilliant!” Twilight exclaimed.

“So if we all listen then we will know she is located over-”

In a flash Pinkie popped up in front of Le Duck and shouted with an uncontrollable urge to get her points across, “THERE! I FOUND HER! SHE’S BEHIND THAT ROW OF BUILDINGS WITH 6 GUARDS ALL COMPLAINING OF HOW LOUD SHE IS AND WHY THEY HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO BUT NOW THEY’RE WONDERING WHAT THIS NEW LOUDER VOICE IS COMING FROM BUT THEY DON’T REALLY CARE! WHY DO THEY NOT LIKE TO LISTEN TO ANYPONY!?”

Le Duck’s face was stricken with shock as well as everypony else, even Dr. Mareio dropped a mushroom he was eating from the volume of Pinkie’s voice.

Pinkie put her front hooves together and did a small giggle, “I uh- learned that from Princess Luna. Hehe….”

It was up to me to take leadership once again, “Argh, never mind. Enough wasting time, everypony move out!”

Instead of running straight over to Rainbow Dash’s holding cell, rescuing her and taking down the guards like a storm, we had to walk. My pains prevented me from going any faster than a meager limp to my trot. At least we had some time to discuss what we would do with the other Templar guards roaming around Ponyville.

“Well, we could always just go with the usual sneak and stab technique,” I said casually with my head turning back to the group.

“What!? Are you crazy Shadow? None of us have any weapons minus you and y’er Uncle. You nearly got imprisoned for life from ONE captain, and there’s more than twenty of these ponies, of course Ponyville’s gonna notice them! Do you want to wake up tomorrow knowing that you killed them and we’ll ALL end up somewhere worse than prison!?” Applejack spat with distaste of my plan. It was harsh to kill all of those ponies; some of them might only just be following orders and have no clue on what’s going on. "We're Assassin's Shadow... not cold-hearted murderers."
There was tension within the group now that Applejack said how many would have been killed.

Definitely within my life, my totals are much higher. I never realized it until now. A feeling fell into my stomach that wasn’t the same pain from my wound as before.

“Are there any alternatives?” Le Duck asked us.

The yellow Pegasus flew in front of us, “Um… if I may, excuse me..” Her mane shielded her eyes as her gaze went towards the ground. Her hoof made a few small circles within the dirt and Fluttershy then said with a stutter of nervousness, “We could um… not k-kill them?”

We thought for a moment from her idea and little by little my head turned into a nod.

“Yes…. Yes we can do that! We can still use our skills but instead they would be used for non-lethal knockouts. But what of the bodies?” I placed a hoof on my head to help concentrate, “How to hide how to hide….. No, a haystack wouldn’t work-”

“The Transportation System!” Mareio blurted out interrupting my trail of thought. Strange enough, there was sense to his idea.

“Okay, since you suggested it you can do it,” I said receiving a ‘yahoo!’ and a jump of delight from the doctor. My attention shifted back to the group and I pushed us on to move faster now that this plan was almost under wraps. Another question escaped my mouth, “If we took them stealthily how would Dr. Mareio know where to look for them?”

This time my question was answered by Twilight, “Oh! After we save Rainbow I can get Spike to use the telescope I have and work with Ace to locate them, Spike’s great with birds.”

-----At the Tree house----------

“Hey? Helloooooooo? Anypony?” Spike’s voice echoed through the lifeless library. “Strange, maybe there’s something interesting going on toda-”

A hoot was heard and this nearly made Spike jump, apparently he wasn’t the only one still at the library.

“Hey Owlwicious,” Spike turned his head to see the owl perched on top of a pedestal. “Do you know where Twilight’s gone?”

“Who?”

“Twilight you know, the purple unicorn that lives here and feeds you?”

“Who?”

“….. by Celestia there better be something better than this for me today.”

With our plan of the day ready I stopped short of a building and ushered the others to be quiet. I peeked around the corner and my sight takes in the layout of six guards keeping Rainbow inside a wooden-barred cage.

“Lemme out!”

“Oooh looks like we have a feisty one here huh?” mocked a guard as he gave a laugh and this made Rainbow’s face glow red with rage.

A guard whispered to another one, “Why can’t we just let her go? She’s more trouble than she’s worth.”

“Are you stupid? The captain would murder us on the spot or put you in the cage with her.”

The guard looked towards the rainbow-manned pony trying to rip apart the wooden holds and his face gave a small sheepish smile, “I certainly wouldn’t mind being in a cage with her, he he…”

I stopped looking and made a tally of us and them. We got seven ponies minus Dr. Mareio who doesn’t fight (at least from what I have seen so far) and Ace who would help more with coordination.

“I’ll be sticking this one out nipote. You’re skills as a group need to be honed without my assistance, but later I’ll take down a few. Can’t have all the fun now then,” Le Duck chuckled.

A simple nod came from my head and my attention shifted back to the five that would help me now, “Alright, so Twilight and Rarity can use their magic to long-range them. I’m assuming there’s a spell that can make a target unconscious?”

“Of course,” replied both Twilight and Rarity.

“Then that leaves Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy to come in for an aerial leap assault.”

“You… you mean from the air?” Fluttershy stuttered with fear.

“It’ll be alrighty Fluttershy!” Pinkie came in and gave a friendly hug to the timid Pegasus. “We will do it together!”

“Because we’re a team,” Applejack placed a hoof out and this made all of us join a hoof within that circle.

Fluttershy was still scared but gave a sigh as her hoof went in, “I just don’t know if I can do it.”

“It’s now or never. I will make the distraction and the first take down. Once I do I want all of you to act.” Their heads nodded in agreement as we all made our separate paths: the five took to the rooftops surrounding the guards, I went to the corner edge of a building and Le Duck and the rest relaxed on a park bench.

Mareio offered my uncle a mushroom which he took and took a bite from, “This is going to be good.”

My hood peaked through the corner yet none of the guards could see. They were too busy trying to contain the blue Pegasus they held captive who was giving unpleasant outbursts to them and their occupation. My gaze went to the rooftops and the shadows of my friends were visible.

Taking a breath to relax my nerves my hoofs stepped away from the building and I advanced towards Rainbow’s cage. She noticed me and her eyes grew wide with hope. A guard turned his neck back and noticed me, a lone figure clad in a hooded robe, walking slowly. He could tell I wasn’t in my best of shape.

“Excuse me sir, this area is off limits. I suggest you turn the way you came, or else things might get unple- more unpleasant,” the guard trotted over to me as his allies were also fixated on me, none of them noticed the ponies lying in wait above.

“The good news is… you get easier treatment today than you would normally from me! PRECISION!”

My hoof collided with his face as he went close enough. He fell to the side from my blow and I slammed his head into the dust-trodden dirt to knock him out before he could even stand. The guards were shocked but before they could take out their weapons and retaliate, two were hit by glowing electric sparks which fired them enough to send smoke through their uniforms. A pink and orange blur landed on two others while a yellow one gently floated down and landed on the guard’s back.

“Are you unconscious yet?” Fluttershy asked the guard underneath her hoofs.

“No.”

“Oh- I’m so sorry.”

Fluttershy got up from him and he quickly scrambled up to his hoofs. He pulled out flimsily his steel sword to slash her. Applejack ran fast enough and bucked him with her back-hooves, sending him flying for the wall on impact leaving a small imprint in the bricks and an unconscious guard. Fluttershy was petrified from nearly getting attacked and quietly wept on Applejack’s shoulder.
Twilight soon teleported with Rarity by her side to the ground level thus giving the chance for Rairty to head for Rainbow’s cage.

“Let me get this for you darling.”

“You guys are so… AWESOME!” Rainbow squeed as Rarity finished fumbling with the cage lock and released her.

“It was indeed,” we heard my uncle’s voice coming from behind us. “Even you Fluttershy, I know you were trying your best not to hurt him. But for the future at least make it a painless effective blow.” This gave a smile from Fluttershy as she wiped the tears away from her cerulean eyes.

“Great, now that the reunion’s done with we can split up and take down these Templars around town. Somepony fill Rainbow in with our plan, I don’t want any reports that we were seen murdering a Blathazar minion. We should be ghosts and make these ponies disappear seemingly without any trace.”

“Ooooh a ghost! Now I can go haunt them, sneak up behind them and… BOO!” Pinkie did a small imitation of what she was going to do and giggled after.

“We’re going after the rest of the guards right? I would love to leave that nasty captain with a few bruises, and maybe a broken hoof, and maybe throwing him off a cliff-”

“Rainbow!” Twilight exclaimed, resulting Rainbow to get a sheepish blush.

“Alright he won’t fall off a cliff……”

“Bene,” my gaze went to Mareio who was already busy moving a guard body into his mobile hiding spot, his mushroom cart stocked up with hay.

I guess hay never fails.

“If Dave wants to test us or whatever he’s doing, we will show him what it means to be true Assassins. Remember with finesse and no . Let’s get this done.”

I was the first to trot away; my hoof grasped my chest still in pain, as I realized this would have been harder on my part to do.

Slow and steady Shadow, you’ve got all day. These Templars aren't going anywhere.

To be honest, the thought that kept me moving was the inevitable end of the Templar captain. That smug bastard, only he would have any idea of what’s going on. Perhaps there was something that would connect and better yet lead to Dave’s involvement. But for now it’s time for a few non-lethal takedowns.

Ponyville and Ponitalian styles.

Chapter 50: When does an Assassin not Assassinate?

My booted hooves treaded lightly on the grass, a small sound of scraping escaped but asides from that I was silent and invisible. My body presses up against a wooden wall and it quivers with anticipation knowing that my first target was in sight. A simple guard from Balthazar’s army, one of the many that must be taken down for today. His outfit was the same as the other low-ranking guards: a blood-red cap that fit between his ears but stuck out forward to give that presence of authority, a uniform that matched the hat and had vertical lines of black colour which also extended down to his ragged cloth boots, and to complete the piece, the triangle shaped logo made of white trapezoids signified that the pony wearing this outfit was associated with Purifier Industries or better yet for the ponies who wouldn’t know, the Templars.

It has been a while since I did this, even though I was stabbed as early as two days ago, it honestly felt like weeks since I’ve done something productive. It’s strange isn’t it? But now back to the guard.

This guard did what most other meager guards would do, stand in front of a wall while harassing any civilians passing through and complain about how underpaid his job was but never realized that all his profits would go into alcoholic consumption, and would just up forgetting it until another 5 hours have passed.
The more you know!

Maybe when he wakes up covered in other unconscious guards in a random warehouse or forest, he would resign and look for something better.

I scanned the area back and forth, this path of Ponyville was used but it was not one of the main ones to have that much traffic. My scan completed, and there were no ponies except for him.

It was time to strike.

Like a shadow, my hoofsteps trotted past my position behind the house wall and slowly step by step made their way over to the guard, who was now whistling a tune and oblivious to what was going to happen. I was close to him, close enough I could smell the stench of alcohol commonly associated with underpaid grunts emanating from him.

In a flash my hoofs shoot out and grab his muzzle with a firm hold. The guard panics but can’t see whose trying to suffocate him. While he’s still struggling I step slightly with him back into an alley. My hoofs grasp his nose and mouth harder and eventually he passes out. I’m able to leave his body within the alley without the threat of anypony stumbling across an unconscious guard.

If one did, they wouldn’t care. It’s a guard! They get drunk all the time and pass out! It's a common wonder of the world!

I look up towards the sky and look up to see Ace gliding overhead in circles to signal Mareio where to pick up the guard.

“Well, that was easy….”

….WAIT A MOMENT! That took me roughly 20 seconds to do and I spent about ten minutes examining what a guard looks like and their personality traits! Urgh, I really need to get my internal timing schedule reshuffled.

It should be simple! You see a pony, you take him out, BAM! You’re done! Argh, Shadow how can you be so stupid?

I made my way out of the alley and proceeded to walk down the streets of Ponyville looking for more guards to take down. Now not only do I have a blazing fireball pain inside my chest but I’m now questioning my methods of effectively taking down a pony that was half-drunk and facing a wall.

“I wonder how the others are doing…..”

Fluttershy was determined to prove herself that she was in fact an Assassin. Still, it didn’t feel right for her to kill somepony, even if it was one that needed too. She couldn’t even figure out how she was going to make the guards get knocked out.

She didn’t want to hurt them and make them angry towards her.

If only there was some way she could just do it! Fluttershy only got guards using her arrows from a long distance; she would never have been able to have heard their cries of pain or wails as they fell to the ground dead. If she did, she may have reconsidered joining the Brotherhoof. Fluttershy and killing? How could anypony put those two ideas together? A monster that’s who. But Fluttershy made an oath and while she may not be a traditional assassin (it seems nopony is these days) deep down she knew that if she didn’t do something then the Templars would make living just horrible.

This thought always sent a shiver down her spine.

“Hey? Um… excuse me?”

A voice from behind her interrupted her conflicting internal struggle. Her head turned back and she had a red ting to her embarrassment.

“Oh I’m so sorry-”

Fluttershy stopped and looked closer at who was behind her. It was one of the guards from earlier today, the same type she was trying to ‘hunt down’ for now. He was impatiently waiting for her to move out of the way as he had a large cart of supplies and other assortments within.
He didn’t want to pull this cart but either it was this or getting flayed by the guard captain. He wiped a bead of sweat from his brow from his eyebrows after pulling the cart for so long, only to have been stopped by this yellow pink-haired road obstacle.

She wasn’t getting out of the way, instead she stared at him with a blank expression. He really wanted to go, this was getting awkward.

Before he could finish rolling his eyes and just shove the road hazard out of his way by two inches she speaks, “Um… those look very heavy.”

“Well they are. So please can you move out of the wa-”

“I think you’re going to lose something…” Fluttershy said, cringing her eyes as a metallic stepladder fell onto the head of the guard who gave a grunt of pain. “Oh let me get that for you. It’s the least I could do for being in the way.” Fluttershy picked up the step ladder and was able to fly with it back to the top of the cart pile.

“Thanks?” the guard said awkwardly.

“I think you’re wagon wheel might also be bro-”

The front wheel snapped in two from the weight of the objects and the whole pile landed upon the guard. He was completely covered in stuff and so he rubbed his head in pain from the collapse.

“Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! Don’t worry, we’ll put it all in a nice pile back into the cart and we will get your wheel fixed!” Fluttershy said with some worry as she began to fill the cart repeatedly with the objects that fell.

“Look, thanks kid but could you just beat it? I’m trying to get this stuff to the capta- YOWCH!” Fluttershy had stepped on his hoof sticking out from the debris. She was too preoccupied with having to put everything back the way it was to have even realized what she had done.

Each and every single time she went back and forth for an object, her hoof stepped twice right onto the guard’s. The pain was unbearable for him, he thought to himself, “Why did I have to put so much supplies into that cart? Why WHY!?”

The pain continued until at last, Fluttershy finished the pileup with the metallic stepladder.

“There all done.”

The guard got up wearily, he wasn’t able to stand on his front hoof from the amount of times Fluttershy had stepped over it, and it was glowing incredibly bright red. The guard was relieved that all his pained troubles were over, now he wanted to instill some hard-core angry underpaid guard vengeance upon this bright yellow fiend. The moment he was about to leap onto her the second front wheel of the cart broke and all the stuff that was piled on came crashing down onto him, again.

Fluttershy was horrified at what happened, obviously the guard must’ve been in pain from all of that, but then again, this is what she was meant to do right now. Honestly, it didn’t feel as bad as she thought. Non-lethal takedowns had given her the view that she really can be an Assassin and not have to live day and night knowing that she murdered somepony in cold blood.

Her smile quickly turned to one of surprise as a hoof came out from underneath the pile of stuff followed by the head of the guard. He raised one hoof and then another to try to crawl towards this enemy. His hoof almost made contact with Fluttershy’s but was stopped short when the metallic stepladder fell down onto his head. His tongue hung out and his movements stopped.

“Are you unconscious yet?” Fluttershy asked the guard while gently prodding his out-cold body and receiving no answer in return. Fluttershy had successfully contributed to the mission and had increased her knocked out body count from one to two! (The first one was when she commandeered that taxi from that pony one time when she was learning to be more assertive, he’s fine by the way.)

“Yay.”

Now Pinkie Pie wanted to be ‘creative’ during these sort of things. Ever since she came up with the idea of becoming like a ghost and wanting to scare all these guards, she really wanted to try something that would REALLY give a jump, to even the most mentally prepared guard. So what could she do? Well she could do anything she set her mind to, but why not make it party-like for the guards she’s about to surprise unexpectedly?

So that’s what she’s doing, lying in wait inside the cover of the rough yellowish hay leaves. Her eyes darted out from the haystack as she noticed a guard casually patrolling the area. Her mind began to work in ways not even she could comprehend. But how to get him over here? He wouldn’t be able to get his surprise if he didn’t know where to look for it.

“Owie!” Pinkie whispered quietly from the sudden pain coming from her backside, she reached around and pulled out a small grey stone. He thought for a moment, taking in the texture of this stone and after a few seconds a smile spread across her face.

“Perfect!”

She hurls the stone out in front of her hiding place and it lands in front of the guard. The guard recoiled from the sound and quickly turned to where the pony who thrown it might be.

“Who threw that? Show yourself!”

*achoo*

The sneeze came from the hay and rustled the top layers, the guard put on a sinister smile and confidently walked over to the haystack, whoever this was wasn’t going to get away from him.

Pinkie who was lying in wait, had giggled at the very thought of how surprised the guard would be when he finds her. A chuckle escaped from the guard above Pinkie as he placed both his hoofs onto the pile of hay.

“Come out, come out wherever you are….”

Pinkie Pie immediately shot out from the stack, carrying with her a simple cake. Before the guard could even get rid of the shock on his face, the cake was shoved into his face and his whole head was covered in icing and chocolate.

“SURPRISE!”

She immediately grabbed the guard and they both fell into the cover of the hay.

“Hey, what is this!? IS THIS CAKE!?”

“Yep but don’t worry this is not the end of the surprise!” Pinkie ecstatically said as she pulled out a small bright blue oval object and pulled the pin on it with a smile.

“IS THAT A GRENADE!”

“It sure is! I made it myself!”

What was a simple haystack in a desolate part of Ponyville became a spectacular lightshow of rainbow colours and flashing lights. Screams came from the confinements of the hay but soon died out minutes before the rays of light ended. Pinkie happily came out from the hay and hmm’d a tune to herself.

“Works every time!”

Her gaze then laid upon another guard who was also casually doing his patrols.

“Ooh a two for one special!” Pinkie exclaimed to herself. “HEY GUARD PONY! OVER HERE!” her loud shouting got the guard’s attention. “Do you want to see something cool in this haystack? There will be cake!”

“Hmmm…. enlighten me then,” the guard said as he made his way over to this overly eager pink earth pony. He thought to himself, “Who knows, perhaps somepony actually remembered my birthday today!”

Twilight didn’t just want to take down a guard. She wanted to see if she could take a whole bunch down effectively and as efficient as possible. That would get work done much faster and help move the plan along. She had an idea but in order for her to achieve it she needed a distraction, and not one of those ‘oh, how about a smoke bomb or something?’ this needed to be big, but big enough to not attract any attention. That is where Rainbow Dash comes in.

The two stood in the streets of Ponyville tailing a group of guards in formation, there was easily about half that of the guards that initially showed up. This was taking a long time and Rainbow was flapping her wings impatiently.

“When are we going to do this?”

Twilight raised a hoof, “Just be patient Rainbow, timing is crucial to getting this right.”

“But all you want me to do is distract them and lead them into a back alley or something where you can do that sleep spell you mentioned. It IS going to work right?” Rainbow asked with a questionable glare.

“Of course it will! I’ve been practicing it for some time and if I just expand my range it should get an entire group of ponies to fall asleep,” Twilight defended her role and skills.

“Fine… but when are we starting?”

“Now Rainbow Dash! Fly, FLY!” Twilight began to flail her hoofs out forcing Rainbow to shake her head in annoyance and make her fly towards the guards.

“HEY! You bullies!” Rainbow’s voice was overheard by the group who turned their necks back to see only a rainbow blur pass over their heads. Their neck angled back from the confusion and are shocked to see the blue Pegasus that was imprisoned early today was free.

“You’re all a bunch of mean smelly bullies who can’t get a date because of how much you smell like rancid turnips and cheap beer! BOO! You guys suck and you should feel bad about it!” After her rude remark she gave them all a wink and flew like a lightning bolt away from them.

“After her!”

The guards gave chase and Twilight was able to follow using her teleportation. Rainbow lead them to an alley where they were all boxed in perfectly. The guards were shocked yet again once a purple mist appeared in front of the cerulean vigilante and now had a purple unicorn beside her.
It didn’t take long for the guards to realize this was a trap, so from their straps they each pulled out a sword, ready to charge and cut down these ponies to size.

“I suggest you all take a nice long break from such a wonderful long day of work,” the purple unicorn said sarcastically said as her unicorn horn glowed a fierce purple. A large hemisphere of purple overlapped the guards caught within and a few bits of magic dust fell from the roof of the sphere making them all drowsy and quickly asleep.

Twilight was about to give a high-hoof to Rainbow but before they could they noticed that one figure still stood within the sleep sphere.

“I HAD INSOMNIA FOR 4 DAYS! I HAVE AN IMMUNITY TO UNICORN SLEEP MAGIC! I AM AWAKE AND POWERFUL!”

Rainbow flew up next to him and said with a smirk, “Then why not get some Pegasus sleep magic?” And then she bucked him right in the jaw and he was out cold.

Rainbow came towards Twilight and they each exchanged a welcoming high-hoof of accomplishment. Now all they had to wait for was for Mareio to collect these bodies. Twilight mentally recorded that his simple act of combing unicorn magic with Pegasus speed would truly lead to new developments of ideas all across Equestria. A smile came to her face when she knew what new letter she could send to the Princess later in the evening.

Rainbow mentally recorded the most important thing she learned from this teamwork experience with Twilight. Just like a rainbow, Rainbow Dash’s awesomeness can spread anywhere and everywhere, and it was awesome.

“I wonder how I can get this guard out of the streets…”, Rarity thought to herself as she observed the position of a guard. This guard, unlike the others, was actually trying to figure out what he had been assigned to do. Without any guidance from his commander on who was the target they were meant to be searching, he had to take initiative. That is why much to the dismay that Rarity was experiencing trying to figure out a solution to this problem, the guard was standing right in the middle of a busy intersection asking if anypony had seen anything suspicious recently.

Despite all the head shakes he received the guard was a stubborn stallion and he continued to stand there and question any who pass. Rarity slapped a hoof against her forehead and uttered an annoyed grunt. “I’ve had it! Waiting this long for him to do something else other than just stand there, urgh!” Rarity was really starting to get impatient, the moment she thinks she has a chance the guard turns his neck around and Rarity quickly ducks behind a newspaper from her hiding spot, a bench.

She figured if she was going to wait this long then she might as well enjoy what was written on this paper. She didn’t want to waste any more time but it was in her nature to act with swift beautiful precision on not just targets but on most aspects of her everyday life. Quality work shouldn’t be rushed.

Her hoofs flipped through the pages wondering what she could do. A distraction was what that guard needed and not just a regular distraction, but something that is guaranteed to work.

Rarity gasped and dropped the newspaper on the ground in a heartbeat; her eyes were wide with inspiration sparkling brightly from her irises.

“IDEA!”

She ran towards the guard. The paper was left lying open in the street on the section where the previous alabaster unicorn had stopped reading was entitled, “Actors”.

Rarity came in range to the guard and wrapped her hoofs around his leg. The guard was shocked and became more shocked to see that the unicorn holding him had the most saddest and grim pair of eyes he had ever seen. Before he could ask her to let go from wrinkling his uniform the unicorn burst into tears.

“Please! You need to help me! Please sir, she’s going to die! I didn’t mean to leave her but he was going to attack me too, help me please!” Rarity pleaded to the guard as she burrowed her face into his hoof and sobbed.

“What’s going on? What’s wrong?”

“It’s… it’s my sister! We split up when we were out for shopping and then- and then SHE WAS GONE!” Rarity sobbed even harder, the guard’s uniform sleeve was now soaked through in Rarity’s tears. “He… there was a pony. I never seen him before but… but he… he...”

“Wait a moment miss! Did you say you’ve never seen this pony before?” the guard asked with question, when Rarity nodded a smirk grew on his face. “Alright then, take me to where your sister was. I shouldn’t need to warn you that this pony is the one we are all searching for, but we will go save your sister and make him pay.”

“Oh thank you, THANK YOU! I’m sure such a big brave stallion of the guard will have no trouble rescuing my sister.”

“I do expect there will be some kind of… ‘reward’ later?” The guard said with a coy smirk.

“Eugh,” Rarity broke out of character for a second but quickly went back to being a mare in distress. “Sure, but we must hurry or else who know what has happened to my sister!” She grabbed the guard’s hoof and quickly led him deep into a dark alleyway.

“Alright, where is he?” the guard said with a heroic stance as he pulled out his sword, he had been waiting for this all day. Rarity was behind him and without any further time wasted she slapped her hoof hard against the back of the stallion’s head, and knocked him out.

Satisfied with her work she wiped a fake tear from her eye from her earlier play and with grace she stepped out from the alley and into the light of Celestia’s sun.

“Too easy, a little bit of feminine charm was all I needed.” Rarity looked down at the hoof she slapped the guard with and shuddered before bursting into quick anger, “DO THESE GUARDS EVEN WASH THEIR CLOTHES!?”

Rarity then proceeded to gallop as fast as she could to the nearest washroom, repeatedly saying ‘ew’ over and over in disgust.

Limping around the town wasn’t what I imagined having to do for most of the day. With my hood drawn up past my ears and mane I was invisible in the streets of Ponyville, except for my noticeable limp and the fact I was clutching my chest in pain for most of the time. Work was slow but I was determined to leave a dent as I noticed my new guard talking to the mayor.
The same pony that I might have a problem with for maintaining my identity a secret. But still, for old time’s sake I just had to do what I was thinking in my head and with a mischievous smirk I went slowly over to the two who were deep in conversation.

“- I don’t care who you are, you guards don’t look anything sent over from the Princesses. And even if you were I would still want you to finish this and leave, I don’t want to be rude but all of you are upsetting the townsfolk,” the light tan mayoral pony said to the guard who merely shook his head in response.

“As much as we like to leave from this dirt field you call a town, we can’t until we find who we’re looking for.”

“And who might that be?” The mayor said with a stern gaze. Sweat glazed down from the guard’s forehead as he tried to hide his embarrassment.

“I… uh…. I don’t know.”

“You… don’t… KNOW!?”

The guard tried to calm the mayor from her small fit of rage. “Look, all we know was that this pony is an escaped fugitive from Canterlot and we need him found NOW.”

“A fugitive from Canterlot?” The mayor placed a hoof on her jaw and began to think. A starling realization came to her weary eyes, “No I don’t…. No No… I don’t know anypony. No there’s no possible way.”

Before the guard could even give a reply my hoof reached out from behind him and I covered his face with a headlock. As they were talking none of them realized I had enough time to sneak up behind them. The mayor gasped but I turned to her attention and gave her a sly wink.

“Mi dispacie Mayor. The garbage will be dealed with shortly. Please, do enjoy your day.”

And without another moment I brought the guard, now unconscious, into an alleyway and left the mayor with an uneasy mix of confusion.

“No… no that wasn’t him that can’t have been him… Don’t worry he’s still in Canterlot! Everything’s fine, he wasn’t the fugitive. I… I need to lie down.” With now a green ting to her face the mayor nervously trotted slowly back to her office building and reassuring herself over and over that what she just seen didn’t happen and that Shadow Mark was definitely not back in town.

Back in the alleyway, I had dumped the body successfully and with a smile I admired my handiwork.

She wouldn’t even want to know how I escaped…. Perfect!

Suddenly a thought came to my head, if these guards were patrolling everywhere then there should at least be one on a rooftop somewhere. In an effort to find out I placed both of my hoofs up against a window frame of a building then lifted up one backhoof and then the other….. and then I fell from the pain in my chest.
I gripped my chest tightly and grunted in anger; it was the first time in a long time that I truly felt grounded.

I’m not going to let this stop me. In Assassin logic, there is always another way… ALWAYS!

I turned my head a short distance from where I tried to climb up and noticed that there was a perfectly elegant wooden ladder two hoofs away. I shrugged and then decided to grab hold of it and climb up, surprisingly the climb was stable and very quick as I made it to the roof of the building in seconds without any pain in my part.

Looking back at the ladder behind me I chuckled.

Never in all my life did I ever think I would have used one of these.

My ears perked up and immediately my body’s centre shifted down. It seemed to be my lucky day. First a ladder and now an easy to pick off roof guard. Without any hesitation I charged up behind him, he heard my footsteps against the roof tiling and turned to face the trespasser.

The moment he did I already leaped onto him and we were sent flying over the edge.

Now Applejack had the same problem Rarity did. Except in this case she’s been stalking this guard for a long time. The trouble was that he decided to have walked where the pony street traffic population is staggeringly high. With a small tip forward in her brown stetson hat every so often, she was able to be unrecognizable within the large crowds.

After some time of tailing from behind, the guard went to a bench for a break and sat down. This made Applejack quickly duck into an alleyway to formulate a plan to get him over here.
She threw a few rocks in his direction to try to coax him out silently but the guard was completely aloof and didn’t notice any of those sharp rocks slam near his skull.

“Darn it-"

Before Applejack could even finish her thought a loud wham echoed behind her, she spun around in a defensive stance to prepare her from the possibility that she’d fallen into a trap of some kind. She was more surprised to see Shadow Mark suddenly there in the alley with her lying on top of an unconscious guard.

“I still consider that an air assassination,” the grey robed Pegasus chuckled from under his breath as he rose his body from the guard’s.

Applejack was plentifully confused, “Uh…. Shadow? Where did…?” The stallion pointed his hoof upwards towards the rooftop. “Right.”

“Well Applejack, now with that awkward greeting gone do you care for any assistance?”

“No. I don’t need any help from nopony,” she stubbornly interjected, “I’ve got this guard wrapped around my hoof.”

“The same one over there who’s taking a nap?” Shadow pointed to the now asleep guard, his body was sprawled out halfway on the bench and the street.

Applejack slammed her hoof against her head, “I really don’t need this now.”

“It’s alright Applejack, we’ll get him together. Did you… throw things at him yet?”

“Rocks, tons and tons of rocks.”

Shadow put a hoof to his chin, “Hmm… did you try name-calling?”

“What!?” Applejack thought with confusion. “How does making childish names get him to come on over here?” she poked a hoof at Shadow’s chest, expecting an answer from him.

“Observe,” Shadow smiled to her, this always sent a rush of heat through to her cheeks and she didn’t know why. Something about his personality was just… interesting. His smile was reassuring somehow, even in the bleakest situations.

Shadow moved to the corner of the alley wall and took in a large breath to shout out his insults. But instead he fell into a coughing fit and clutched at his chest.

“Shadow!” Applejack ran over to him to try to help but he beckoned her away until his coughs stopped. “Are you alright?”

Shadow vomited on the ground and then wiped his mouth clean with his robe sleeve.

“Never better,” he lied.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “He’s always so brash. Got the willpower of Big Mac but he doesn’t look out for himself. He’s such a stubborn pony to deal with.”

First Shadow Mark did a few bird call whistles to wake up the guard from his slumber and then he went with his first insult.

“Your father was an ass!”

Applejack couldn’t believe that he was actually trying to get this guard over with name calling, she couldn’t believe what the guard had said in reply to it.

“That’s true, my mother married a donkey, a donkey’s an ass, so my father was an ass! Seems logical!” The guard said as he continued to sit on the bench not giving a damn.

“Wow, this guy wants to play hardball, alright then,” Shadow quickly said under his breath before going in for an even worse insult.

“YOU’RE THE WORST PESSO DI MERDA EVER!”

“I don’t know what that is… but thank you mysterious voice wherever you may be!”

Shadow facehoofed and grunted in annoyance. Applejack shoved him away from the alley entrance and looked directly into his eyes, “If you want something done then I just got to do it myself!” She stormed off leaving Shadow in bewilderment as he quietly watched her advance towards the guard.

“Aye, miss. How can Mr. Soldier Guard Rank 23rd help you toda-”

Applejack turned and bucked him in the face with enough force to shatter brick, needless to say he was knocked out and with a sigh of relief Applejack simply just hoisted his body onto her back and without a care trotted back to where Shadow was waiting.

“Impressive.”

“Now that is how stealth Applejack works, Shadow,” she beamed as she dropped the body into the alley. Applejack had to admit, she didn’t like it when Shadow had to steal, cheat, or lie for the guild but being an Assassin had its share of fun from time to time. He was a good pony in heart.

The both of them laughed and laughed at this while Shadow leaned on her for support as they both exited the alleyway.

“Thank you Applejack.”

“Y’er welcome!”

Being an Assassin also never left a boring day.

“Alright students!” Ms. Cheerilee said to her class as she stood at the front desk to get their attention. “So for today’s lesson we will learn about Quantum…. Mech…” Her eyes trailed off from the smiling students towards the window.

“Um Miss Cheerilee?” a student raised her hoof but received no answer.

Cheerilee just couldn’t look away from what was happening outside. Two guards were standing a few metres from the window when all of a sudden an orange robed/hooded pony showed up and started to beat the living daylights out of them.

He wrestled with the two as they both fought back from their attacker. He dodged a hoof swipe from one guard and kicked the other in the head. Just who was this pony? He looked similar somehow but she just couldn’t remember. Her eyes cringed when the orange robed pony extended his chestnut coloured hoof to a guard’s neck and threw him down on the ground. The other jumped up on his back to bring him down.

“Um… Miss Cheerilee? Is there something happening outsi-”

“NO THERE IS NOTHING HAPPENING OUTSIDE! NOW ALL OF YOU WRITE 3000 WORDS ON WHY YOU SHOULD BE WRITING 3000 WORDS DOWN!”

“Awww do we have to…”

“YES, NOW WRITE!” Cheerilee was completely flabbergasted, in all her life she had never seen this much brutality to ponies this close to her school before. She shuddered at what might happen if the fight was in her classroom and not outside. Right now all she could do was pretend nothing was wrong and keep the students calm.

Outside, Le Duck broke a guard’s leg with a hoof stomping flat on it then punched him repeatedly in the face. The other guard jumped once again onto his backside and he countered with a roll to get the guard off from his body. He slammed his hoof on the guard’s exposed underbelly causing a tear-jerking gasp to escape through the guard’s moans of pain before his eyes rolled back and he fell unconscious.
The guard that was still fighting had a fearful wobble in his hooves as Le Duck approached him with a sinister grin while rubbing his hoofs together.

Cheerilee had watched a show just now, the magenta colour in her face was pale and she had to sit in her chair trying not to pass out. The pony outside brought the two unconscious (and badly bruised) guards onto his back. Before he left however he approached the window to the classroom and gave a friendly wave before leaving.

Cheerilee’s eyes were bloodshot and she felt that she was either going to die right now or explode.

“Ms. Cheerilee! I am finished! You know how a picture is worth a thousand words? That’s why I drawn three!” The small colt ran up to her and showed her his paper with glee. The paper drawing were stick figures of the ponies fighting outside.

It seemed Cheerilee failed at her job to keep them distracted long enough and her head slammed down on the table, scaring half the students.

“Recess time….” she muttered under her breath. The children were excited and they stormed out the door in a blitz.

The teacher still held her head down and mentally impacted her mind to all the ‘what’ she was currently feeling right now.

“Shadow was right…. There really are dangerous ponies out there…” she said under her breath as her body relaxed and she gave a long-winded sigh.

“Those guards were trouble to begin with; at least everything is back to normal again.”

The Captain of the platoon that are searching this town top and bottom came out to a large water fountain. His gaze went back and forth, trying to find any guards from the unit he was commanding. None of them were there. Something was amiss, something sinister. The captain pulled out his sword in paranoia and shouted into the distance with anger.

“Where are all of you!? What happened to my soldiers!?”

The world circulated all around him, his gaze passed the same building the fourth time and everywhere he looked there was a void of life through the streets. He was really scared now, “How much time has it been?” He looked up to see Celestia’s sun resting and Luna’s just rising. “Too long, too long for a report to come in.”

The Assassin. It had to be him, there was nothing else the captain could think about that could have done all of this. Or maybe he was imagining that he was alone, perhaps there was a guard out there or maybe they all went back to the bar to settle down for a few drinks.
He stopped looking at the buildings and turned around; he hastened his body as fear petrified through his veins.

A grey robed pony wearing a hood appeared seemingly out of thin air behind him.

“You…. wh-where’s the rest of my platoon!?” the Captain feverishly pointed his steel sharp sword forward at the robed figure. His hoof shook with nervousness.

“They won’t save you,” my figure ominously said as I just stood there.

“You’ll pay for this!” the captain said as he bared his sword within an iron-hoofhold and charged towards the Assassin.

I angled my body to the side then raised a hoof. A short moment later a magical spark crackled across the sky and collided with the captain. He shouted out in pain as electricity coursed through his body.

Without a moment to spare I ran up to him as fast as I could. I grabbed his hoof in which held his sword and arched it around, with a push the sword pierced through his torso splattering crimson upon the ground. His body fell onto his back where I quickly unsheathe my hidden blade and stab him in the neck for the killing blow.

The feeling was almost surreal, time moved unhurriedly as I removed the steel blade from his wound.Twilight and the rest of my party showed up soon after he’s lying in the dirt, choking on his blood and from the lack of air as his life starts to ebb away in mere seconds.

“How did you know where I was?” I interrogated him.

“Orders were to lock down this village… trying to find… find an Assassin they said.” He coughed in pain. “We… we didn’t even have a name to go by… how were we supposed to do our job?”

“And who gave you those orders?” I asked with suspicion.

"Ponies from higher up. I couldn't reject those orders. I know how... secretive... we all were but without anything to go by... I thought it was a cruel joke-- that we were expendable. But in the end you found us instead, they were right. But... it was still... still cruel...”

His eyes gazed heavily into mine as he uttered one last regard, “Did the… the rest of my squad suffer… my same fate?” I shook my head and he smiled with a tearful sense of compassion in his eye. “Thank you… Assassin…”

“I am sorry for misjudging you in the beginning. You meant the best for your soldiers and were only following orders from leaders who don't care about anypony minus their own ambitions. I am sorry. Requiestcat in Pace.”

The last light of life left his eyes as his body went still. My hoof gently went over his eyelids and closed them before standing up to face my team. Taking a life was never easy, and it always felt I had a weight placed on me whenever I did. Fortunately, looking at these ponies lifted that weight and filled me with pride instead.

“We’re done. Good work everypony, you’ve all shown how capable you all are when presented an obstacle.” Their faces beamed and I couldn’t help but give a smile. “I’m proud of you all. Now- let’s get some sleep. We’ve all got a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

They cheered, yet I still had this lingering sensation at the back of my mind.

Gilt.

I assumed that captain to be the worst. Look who’s more arrogant and foolish now Shadow? You’ve done good things for ponies sure, but… was this my mindset all this time? I feel less of an assassin than I do a monster. Argh, get these thoughts out of your head Shadow, they’re poison to you! I really need some time to just sleep.

I looked towards the dead and bleeding body of the captain (‘trash’ now to the Templars) being lifted by Mareio into a cart. My thoughts turned to grim hatred.

Dave will pay. Along with Balthazar and the rest.

Chapter 1: Falling

Falling.

I’m a Pegasus that can’t fly, wonderful…

Well, Since I’ve got about a few thousand more feet of air left before I die on this moonlit night, I might as well tell you a bit about myself and the order I’m from.

You see… history is not as it appears to be, there are different forces at work behind the curtains, pulling strings in the background, altering Equestria's way of life without one ever knowing why.

Before I go any further, I’ll tell you about my appearance. I am a much lighter-grey stallion wearing darker grey hooded robes wrapped in brown leather with a black mane and grey highlights within my tail.
Also I’m not completely gray and dull, no way! I’m not that bland… my red eyes pierce through my hood and if you don't feel the least bit intimidated then congratulations, you'll get a swift kick in the knee if you stand in my way.

I have a mass addiction to explore cities at a fast pace without anyone seeing me, like a "Shadow". Probably the only other colt that shares my passion perhaps even more would have been my brother, Free-runner.

A tear shed my eye as I remembered him.

Anyways I’m sure a history-oriented person such as yourself would know all about Equestria. You’ve probably heard about the successful noble banking family in Ponitaly who saved lives from accounting stress and audits.

No?

Maybe you heard about how that family all died in a fire in their own house? Again no? OR have you heard about the son of that family who SURVIVED and saw what REALLY HAPPENED? That it was a conspiracy that ended without anypony knowing the truth of what happened? I doubt it, because you see my family was dead long before the fire.
They were murdered and I saw who did it.

I was that stallion. I witnessed the death of my family. I will be the one to avenge them.

What really happened was my entire family: father, mother, and my brother Free-runner were all dead with slash marks on their throats, my father was the only one that lived long enough for me to see one last time and who could have done this?

The Templars.

I always thought they were a myth just like everyone else, but now I saw that this secret organization is bent on ruling all ponykind and if we don’t submit to them, we die. Simple as that.

We however want to protect the freewill of all ponies who live in Equestria. Princess Celestia knows off our presence and understands the sacrifices for the greater good of not one but all ponies. We will stop tyranny and corruption, to bring freewill back to Equestria's ponies.

We are Assassins.

I am Shadow Mark. And I am an Assassin.

That would have sounded better if I wasn’t an inexperienced killer with about 6 minutes left of air-time and a Pegasus with a useless wing. (Not to mention this would be the only time I would speak like this, seriously who pretends to talk to an audience while they're helplessly falling through the sky? Guess I would *sigh*.)

I know what you are thinking. A Pegasus that can’t fly, what’s up with that?

Let me explain by going back a few years. You see, our order is gone. That’s right no Assassins no blades no mentor no headquarters, completely wiped from the history books. It was the Templars, but it got worse. We were betrayed and the badass head of the secret organization arrived, Balthazar. Everything was decimated, almost no one lived, I'm the only one that I know escaped. It might have just been the headquarters but what was worse was what happened after.

Ponitaly was sieged.

It was pure chaos, buildings fell and fires reigned as ponies died. Ponitaly was wiped off the map, with too many casualties to name.

I... I've lost someone, one that... *Sigh* .... I'm so sorry. It was my fault.
Everything that's happened, I blame myself. My body is burdened and my mind is in guilt, but it is also filled with vengance. For the one I truly blame for causing all of this, one that I would hunt to the ends of Equestria to stick a knife in him.

Balthazar.

Everything the Templars do is organized by this guy, real son of a bitch. He’s the high duke of Equestria with almost as much power and influence as Celestia herself, he is the leader of the most powerful secret organization in the world, as of now. But I didn’t care about that, the only thing that mattered to me was that he murdered my family. I would pledge my life to find him, and rid the world of this monster.

After the extermination of our order in Ponitaly, any assassin seen would be immediately put down, we were hunted down for we could only run, and I’m still running, for years now. To avenge my fallen brothers and our cause I flew to where Balthazar has always been, always observing Equestria from his lavish throne. I’m talking about his lead dirigible dubbed,

“The Extervenator”, a powerhouse of a zepplin and one that was incredibly well fortified.

Finding it was tricky as it was always moving thousands of feet in the air, so it was nearly impossible to track.
But not impossible for me, in an unlikely turn of events I had gotten the info on where he was, I didn't care about who gave it to me. I cared about ending this after so long without any form of justice.

The moment I stepped on the deck I was captured, I tried fighting but ended up getting slashed and impaled by a few arrows. I was brought before a bulking light-blue stallion with his dark-blood-brown coloured mane and a black star on his rump to symbolized corrupted power. Balthazar. “Hey Balthazar love what you’ve done with the place, though I haven't been in here before nice to see the Templars put their money into a furnace,” I joked. He only smiled sinisterly back to me as he took out a glowing yellow round object from his sleeve, I instantly knew I has screwed.

Balthazar slipped unproffessionally for one with such standing and dropped the orb. It bounced across wall to wall, it rolled across the floor with him chasing after it and shouting curses as he tried to use his unicorn magic to contain it until it stopped in a nearby corner.
Clumsy fool. I saw that both guards were dumbfounded and one even slapped his head.

I would have taken that moment to dispatch the 2 guards beside me, but had I known that my hidden blade needed repairs, it simply broke when I was first caught. It explains why I am severely wounded.

After 5 minutes of fumbling to pick up the ball Balthazar held it in his hand as it glowed even brighter, I knew it was powerful for I had originally found it.

A Piece of Harmony… The Apple.

Unleashing power from the apple Balthazar permanently broke my wing by sending the Apple's energy through my nerves crippling my flying ability and sending me over the edge of his dirigible into the darkness of the night sky. The last words I heard from him were, “Adios Compadre!” Balthazar can speak 13 languages fluently, when I read that in his bio even I was shocked.

And that’s where I am right now as I can see the clearing below me of … apple trees?

The Apple.

I realize now what was about to happen. “AHH CRAP! I’M GOING TO DIE!” as I shouted down. Just then I had a thought about my wing.

Wait, an idea! This might save me... or make me die more painfully. *GULP*

I pulled my broken wing out and just before my body would go “splat”, *PHOOMP* My wings spread open with more pain coming from my right as I slowly glided down until my hooves touched earth.

“I can’t fly but at least I can glide,” I chuckled weakly. Then searing pain overtook my body as I collapsed. I forgot about the G-forces and the fact I have Templar arrows in my body and a noticeable stab wound in my side. I was starting to lose blood.

Falling unconscious, I swear I heard a yell just now. As I start to close my eyes there is only one thing I can think about. The only thing stuck in my head for half of my life, the only thing that can bring me redemption.

REVENGE.

Author's Note: I highly recommend reading past the first chapter and onwards, to get more of a feel to the story as this served more as a prologue in sort to get you the reader, more acquainted with the background of Templars and Assassins in Equestria and Shadow's physical aspects and inner thought opinions.

Chapter 8: The Assassins Reborn

A nuke stretching from the floor of the room reaching almost to the top of the ceiling was standing vertically next to an overenthusiastic Pinkie.

“I got it off the INTERNET!” said Pinkie.

“You can get stuff like THAT off the internet!?” surprised Rainbow dash.

“Well… I got the casing. I had to get my OWN materials to put into the nuke!” answered Pinkie.

“WHAT!? IT’S ACTIVE!?” We all shouted.

“YUP! Here let me show you!” she said pushing a button on the side of the nuke.

“NOOOO!” We all shouted as we jumped on Pinkie, but it was too late.

The nuke has been activated.

Come on! THEY’RE NOT EVEN ASSASSINS YET! WE WERE ALL SUPPOSED TO DO THE LEAP OF FAITH!
Why did I make her the pyro!? Why… why… WHY!

We all huddled together, trying to seek comfort in these last few seconds of our life. While Pinkie was jumping around us in a circle.

“3…2….1!” counted Pinkie.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

We were all dead.

At least until-

“SURPRISE!” shouted Pinkie from the carnage.

“What? How are we still alive?” I asked amazed that we weren’t vaporized from existence.

Then I noticed the cupcakes and cake mix decorating the entire room. Everything was covered in batter: the walls, the books, and the carpet.

NO! THE CARPET!

As well as everyone’s workstation (including Pinkies), the giant glass window, and worst of all. My desk.

NO! MY BEAUTIFUL DESK! WHY!?

“I call it the, SUPER AWESOME CUPCAKE NUKE OF FUN!” said Pinkie cheerfully.

“……..”

“DAMN IT PINKIE!” I shouted.

Cupcakes… I should have known. Dear Celestia my back hurts from clearing up this mess. I’m glad we can finally put this mess behind us. Pinkie wouldn’t really bring a live nuke to our base.
HAHAhaha…ha….

Would she?

I looked around the room, which seemed to be back to the way it was before Pinkie’s “nuke” accident. Aside from the room smelling like a pastry factory I can finally be relieved that noticing worse can happen.

Yet...

A mob of 5 angry ponies were forming around Pinkie.

“Honestly Pinkie, what were you thinking!?” Applejack said to Pinkie.

“My mane could have been ruined!” shouted Rarity.

“That was so AWESOME!” said Rainbow Dash.

“You startled me…” said Fluttershy.

“Pinkie don’t you know how much cake you used? We can’t use Spike as a vacuum whenever you blow something up!” said Twilight.

“So…much…cake…*Burp*” said a plump Spike as he fell on his back and passed out.

“WHY PINKIE? WHY WHY WHY PINKIE PIE! BLA BLA BLA BLA BLA BLA BLA BLA BLA BLA BLA BLA BLA BLA Bla….”

Ok, this is getting out of hand. Again.

I pushed myself through the mob of anti-Pinkie ponies until I was in the middle of the mob with Pinkie.

“ENOUGH!” I shouted, startling the ponies as they all went quiet.

“Yes, I know that Pinkie pretended to blow up Ponyville with a nuclear device filled with cupcakes and baking materials. BUT! As assassins you all need to see this from different perspectives.”

“First, were we all surprised?” I asked the mob.

“Umm… sure, we were all surprised when Pinkie brought in that nuke.” Said Applejack.

“And therefore she completed her objective, just like an assassin would.” I said.

“What!? You can’t be serious!” said an annoyed Rainbow Dash.

“Which brings me to the next perspective; I assume no pony is physically hurt.”

The ponies looked at themselves checking for any signs of damage.

“Besides us covered in cake mix everyone is fine.” Answered Twilight.

“Which brings me to the last perspective I’ve chosen, we can use Pinkie’s errr… SACNOF (Super Awesome Cupcake Nuke Of Fun) as a weapon to distract the Templars in an upcoming contract I’m hoping to plan.”

“Assuming you can replace the cake mix with something a little more… hardening.” I turned to Pinkie.

“Wait a contract? That means-“started Applejack.

“Yes you’re all assassins now, basic specialist assassins but still assassins. We still need to do the ceremony. So everyone grab a robe and I’ll see you on the roof.” I said moving towards the roof exit.

The 6 ponies are all lined up wearing their white assassin robes looking towards me at what they will eventually have to do.

“I’ve gathered you all up here for the last test of an assassin, the test of faith.” I said to them.

“Now before I do that, I am bound to recite the 150 tenants of our creed so this is also a test of patience.”

“150!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

*Ahem*

“TENANT 150: PLACE GARBAGE….”

“And Finally TENANT 1: NOTHING IS TRUE, EVERYTHING IS PERMITTED.” I ended.

Most ponies were either nodding off from this exhausting day and speech or like Rainbow Dash taking a snooze. Twilight on the other hand was completely focused on every word I said as she took notes.

“Now EVERYONE! Let’s say the last tenant TOGETHER!” I shouted trying to revamp the ponies that were nearly asleep.

“Nothing is *yawn* true, but everything is… *snore*”

Wow, how pathetic was that? Then again I did make them chase me around town and stab stuff for 6 hours. I should cut them some slack.

“That was GREAT! Now we can do the leap of faith ceremony!” I said waking all the ponies.

“It’s easy, all you need to do is jump of this perch,” I said pointing to a small wooden perch we made during the renovations.

“And land in that hay pile below.” I pointed to the hay at the very bottom of the clock tower.

“Finally, now are there any questions before we proceed?” I finished.

“Uh… Shadow? I know we’d all love to jump of the highest point in Ponyville and land in a pile of hay, but why?” asked Twilight.

“Excellent question Twilight! This is to show that we can count on you to protect the brotherhood and to trust us to catch you and back you up.” I explained.

“Hey! We all trust each other, don’t you trust us?” butted in Rainbow Dash.

“Of course, but this is procedure and we must follow the initiation to the list. Right Twilight?” I said gesturing to her notebook.

“He’s right it’s in the rules.” Tiredly answered Twilight to Rainbow Dash.

“Oh well….. RACE YOU TO THE BOTTOM!” shouted Rainbow Dash as she jumped of the perch.

“Hey wait for me!” exciting jumped Pinkie.

“As a lady I do have my standards for… jumping of buildings, but for the guild I’ll do it.” Said Rarity as she pranced her way off the perch.

“Wait! Where do I put my books and notes!” confused Twilight.

“Here Twilight let me take them off your hooves.” I said feeling the weight of the books and stacks of paper she handed to me.

Oof, how can she carry these around!? Is the Princess trying to kill her?

After Twilight did her jump, all that was left was Applejack and Fluttershy.

“I can’t… I’m…. scared.” Nervously said Fluttershy as she looked over the edge.

“Listen darling, it’s only one itty bitty jump. You fell down from worse.” Applejack comforted Fluttershy.

Fluttershy didn’t budge. However a certain assassin eagle had just woken up and noticed Fluttershy before he did his night hunting.

*Scree* said Ace.

“Oh, hello Ace how are you this night?” Fluttershy said to Ace.

“*Scree* Scee* Sceee* *SWACK*” answered Ace as he slowly flew backwards towards the perch.

“Oh… wow… You hate documents that much? It must be dreadful having to fly to Celestia back and forth all the time.” Said Fluttershy as she began moving too.

When Ace had Fluttershy where he wanted, he simply let out, “*Swehehe*” and flew off.

“Look down?” Fluttershy said looking below her.

She was directly off the perch and floating mid-air.

“Uh Oh…. AAAAIIIIIEEEEEEEE!” she shouted as she fell from the air and landed squarely in the perch.

Ace you brilliant genius. What would the guild do without you?

Applejack just simply nodded and jumped off the tower. I deposited Twilight’s stuff next to Spike below deck. I went back to the roof and performed the final leap of faith for the day.

*LEAP OF FAITH*

Another perfect landing. I looked around and saw that the ponies looked more confident than before they jumped, including Fluttershy.

“Ok girls, you don’t need to wear the robes in Ponyville. You can wear them when we go to a different town or city or for ceremonial purposes. So for tomorrow take the day off to rest and enjoy the no-nonsense training I offered.” I said to them.

After getting Spike up from the top floor and rolling him down the stairs, Rainbow Dash and Applejack offered to help Twilight with her Spike vacuum and her books.

“Uhhhh… it still hurts…..” mumbled Spike as they all departed.

I retired to my bed and let the wave of tiredness lull me to sleep.

*CRASH*

Startled I woke up and silently crouched over to the noise, readying my hidden blade.

An intruder? Could it be a Templar? NO! Then it means I’ve failed in protecting this town. Just like how I failed to protect Ponitaly.

I inched over to Pinkie’s workstation and saw a blank outline shuffling through the cupboards.
I slipped on some cake I forget to clean up and landed with a thud on the floor.

The figure noticed me and walked towards my direction holding an object that looked like a cupcake.

The figure shouts, “HELLO! SHADOW! I’VE BEEN TRYING TO FIND YOU!”

“ARG! DAMN IT PINK-….. Dr. Mareio?”

“HO HO! YES IT IS ME! NUMBA 1 DOCTOR! YAHOO!” shouted Mareio.

I noticed the cupcake in his hand was actually a green mushroom.

“Um… Mareio what did you need from me?” I asked pulling myself up from the floor.

“Well, it is my job to stock the Assassins with high quality SHROOMS! Also do not forget I’ve been trying to find those ponies you seek.” He replied.

“YOU FOUND ONE!?” I shouted and he nodded. “YES!”

Finally, after so much time… I can complete the work I’ve failed to do before!

“YES! But… I still need to verify some things. Why don’t you go outside for a few hours and come back to me once I’m done sorting through these contracts.” He said patting me on the back and then pulling out about 50 sheets of paper from his back pocket.

“Ok then do your thing and I’ll see if I can help this town in some way.” I said leaving him to ponder the contracts.

I went to the roof and saw Ace talking with a red cardinal.

“Ooooh Ace made a whittle friend!” I said adorably.

*SCREE*

Ace drove his talons into the cardinal’s chest and ripped a hole out.

*SWACK* yelled the cardinal as it started to limp away.

Ace swoops down on top of the bird and finishes him off.

*SCRUNCK*

Oh my dear Celestia… THERE’S BLOOD EVERYWHERE!

Ace laughed, at least I thought he sounded like he did and presumed to feast on his trophy of the morning to stay full. At least until the afternoon…

I took a running leap off the tower and unfolded my wings as I glided down to Ponyville below me. I saw a metabolised Spike carrying a bunch of books from Twilight’s house as I headed towards him.

I feel a bit sore from yesterday; I can’t imagine how sore the others must be.

“Hey Spike need any help?” I asked as I landed next to him.

“Oh Shadow great timing! Twilight wants me to return these books from ponies all over Ponyville, but I think the cake last night didn’t sit too well inside me. Can you help return these books to the school and the train station?” asked Spike.

“Sure no problem Spike, it would be my pleasure.” I said taking 3 books from him and tucking them into my pockets.

I climbed and ran up Twilight’s tree until I reached the top.

Ok, I think that is the school house over there and the train station is on the other side. Piece of Harmony…

Oh crap. I forgot to tell them about the Pieces of Harmony.

Well, maybe before the 1st contract Dr. Mareio will give us.

From the tree I proportionally aimed myself towards the school house; until I was a little distance away then I would walk. I reached the door of the school and knocked.

A purplish cheery pony opened the door and said, “Yes can I help you, I’m trying to teach a class.” she pointed inside to the students who were wreaking havoc inside the classroom.

“I came to return these books, but I see that you have much bigger problems.” I said handing her 2 books.

“I know, but I don’t know why their acting like this today.” She said looking depressed and not cheerful anymore.

“Here let’s see if I can help.” I said as she let me inside.

“SILENZIO CHILDREN… silenzio.” I assertively stated.

The children quieted down as they heard my foreign language and interestingly looked at me with their big eyes.

“When I was your age, we always had a saying… Work hard and the rewards shall follow. Ignore the teacher and consequences can happen.” I calmly warned the children.

An orange filly with a purple mane with no cutie mark raised her hand. I motioned her to speak.

“Umm… who are you?” she asked.

“I am Shadow-mark da Ponitaly, but please call me Shadow.” I bowed.

“PONITALY! WOW!” said all the excited ponies.

I was bombarded with questions on who I was and how far Ponitaly is from Ponyville and why I speak slightly differently than the other ponies.

Until then I was saved by the teacher, “Students! Mr. Shadow, I’m sure he needs to head out to something important.”

“AWWWWWWWWWW!”

“Well I do have time for 1 more question.” I said pointing to a white filly, I recognized as Rarity’s sister.

“Thank you Shadow! How did you hurt your wing?” she said pointing to my slightly scared right wing.

“Ah…well… I was in a flying accident and I hurt my wing, maybe if I listened to my teacher then maybe I would be able to fly today.” I lied but not really lied.

“As I said before ignoring your teacher can bring consequences.” I said showing them my wing.

“I don’t think they’ll be a problem for a while.” I whispered to the teacher.

“Wow Shadow, thank you! But just who are you exactly?” she silently asked me.

“I’m a student as well as a teacher, Ms….?”

“Cheerlie! And do come back again soon Shadow, I’m sure these students can learn more about Ponitalian history.” She said to me as she ushered me towards the door.

“Well, Madonna Cheerlie. It would be my pleasure.” I said to her just before I left for the train station.

Quite an interesting teacher and those children were so cute. I can see why she’s so happy.

I approached the train station which was a small trot from the school. I went up to the forepony and handed him the book.

“Thank you kindly, sir!” he said.

I asked the forepony, “How far do the train tracks go?”

“They go pretty much ANYWHERE! From Canterlot to Manehatten you can reach any major destination.”

“Grazie.” I said to him before heading back to the hideout.

I saw Mareio looking at a map of Equestria with papers scattered everywhere on my desk.

“So Mareio did you find any-“

“GOOD NEWS! CELESTIA HAS APPROVED OUR CONTRACT! NOW WE CAN FINALLY DO WORK! Asides from my football, soccer, golf, go-kart, swimming, tennis, hockey, platforming, baseball and my mushroom cart and…”

“MAREIO! Who is the target what is the location?” I asked hoping to quiet him down.

“Well Shadow… you and the other assassins are going to…. MARIS!”

“French capital of the world?” I inquired.

Then it hit me. Maris…French…No it couldn’t be…

“YES! And your target is Je Suis!” excitingly said Mareio.

I thought we would go with someone easy, but then again no one is easy. But Je Suis? Without proper planning its suicide.

“Alright then, but get Ace and tell the other assassins to meet up here as soon as possible.” I told him.

“We’ll need all the help we can get.”

Chapter 10: Memories- Purple Mushroom

Sniper-shot was running towards the guild at an astonishing pace with me following closely behind.

I’m so glad I ran with Free-runner all those times before. Without him I would still be at the city gates. Or dead.

We approached the mountain outside Ponitaly and went straight to the secret passage that ran through the mountain to the Assassin’s headquarters. Just as before the path was long and when Sniper-shot got to the motion sensor trap, she desperately was looking for the secret panel that opens the door.

“Here I got this.” I said pushing the button that had the Assassin logo embedded in it.

She looked embarrassed as the hidden door flipped open. We reached the end of the second cave passage and stood at the great hall of the headquarters. Sniper-shot and I dashed towards the great doors leading into the Observer’s “lair”.

Inside the Observer was standing in front of his mahogany desk with a tremendous amount of impatience on his face, that I could feel it at the front of the door.
We went up the stairs nervously and awaited for the Observer to speak first.

“…well? Aren’t you going to say anything? I’ve been waiting here for I don’t know… 5 HOURS!” the Observer boomed.

“I was sure you could handle Fumbles with a little less… time, because IT’S FREAKING FUMBLES! EVEN HIS NAME SOUNDS LIKE HE WILL FALL OFF A CLIFF!” shouted the disappointed Observer.

“Wait, just a second Observer!” interrupted Sniper-shot.

“Very well…I’m listening.” Replied the Observer.

“We found Balthazar in the city!” she exclaimed.

“…So?” said the Observer.

“W-WHAT!?” shouted Sniper-shot.

“Please, not so loud I have a large headache from writing these documents for 5 hours straight.” He shut her up.

“Now the reason I don’t care about this is, one we kill him now and Equestria falls into WORLD WAR A-12… and two I already knew he was here in Ponitaly… EVERYONE DOES!” the Observer answered.

“What? How?” asked Sniper-shot.

The Observer handed her a pamphlet with the cover reading, “BALTHAZAR, DUKE OF EQUESTRIA VISITS PONITALY!”

Sniper-shot was shocked; she was so shocked that she tore up the pamphlet in a fit of anger.

“Tsk tsk Snipey. I really expected more from you, the time frame and even this…” he said pointing to the torn bits of the pamphlet.

“I understand Shadow as being the newest assassin in our guild… but you? Your one of our most experienced initiates, but if you can’t handle this…” the Observer started to shake his head.

“What a newbie…” he muttered.

In a fit of rage Sniper-shot stepped forward and blasted, “I’M NOT A NEWBIE!”
She charged towards the Observer.

Bad idea.

And just like that out the window and falling down an entire mountain into a hay bale at the bottom. The Observer clapped his hands clean and closed the window just before Ace flew in with a letter.

“Now Shadow… I trust you have more?” he smiled towards me.

“Well you see there were these other Templars…”

“DAVE WAS THERE!? AND MORE IMPORTANTLY YOU LET FUMBLES ESCAPE!?” surprised the Observer.

“But I couldn’t at the time, Sniper-shot…”

“NO EXCUSES!” he quieted me.

“FUMBLES SHOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED! NOW WE’RE SURE TO SUFFER!”

“EVEN MORESO!”

Ace now tired of holding the letter in his mouth flew to the Observer’s shoulder and buried his claws deep within his flesh.

“Oh… hey Ace when did you get here? What’s that you have here?” he said talking the letter from Ace.

“Fumbles… yadda yadda… fled… *mumble*…Poni town?” he read the letter to himself.

The Observer finishes the letter and places it on the table then turns to me and asks, “Would you like to correct your mistake? Of course you do…”

“Fumbles has fled to a small village on the outskirts of the outskirts of Ponitaly called Poni town. I’ll send you, Le Duck and….. DR. MAREIO! Yes he will do nicely and you will finally kill Fumbles.” He finished.

“YES SIR!” I saluted him.

Ace who looked a little queasy upchucked onto the Observer’s documents ruining all of the paperwork.

3…2…1

“ARG! YOU CRAZY FOWL! I SHOULD BANISH YOU TO THE PITS OF THE UNDERWORLD! MY ACCOUNTING NOW IS UNACCOUNTABLE! THIS SHALL BE YOUR LAST MISTAKE! FOREVER!” shouted the Observer in a demonic voice.

Oh crap! I don’t want to die!

I ran to the door as fast as I could ever run in my life, charged the door open and shut it behind me. I stepped back from the doorway and a moment later…

*KER-BOOM*

The doors were slightly bent from the explosion and smoke came from underneath the doorway. I was shocked, but some of the more experienced assassins shrugged it off and went back to their daily duties.

I’m so glad that wasn’t me just now. At least I can now find Le Duck and… Dr…. Mareio… oh this is going to be a long day.

I found Dr. Mareio selling some of his “produce” to the other assassins in the grand hall and Le Duck was outside in the training yard slicing a wooden target in half with his sword.
I briefed them both on the mission and just before we left…

“Did you guys hear the explosion from the guild?” I asked pointing behind me to the guild fort.

“Honestly Shadow, it happens so often that I don’t even notice anymore.” Said Le Duck.

“IT HAPPENS ONCE A WEEK!” cheerfully said Dr. Mareio.

“Did any of the Observer’s outbursts… kill anyone?” I nervously asked.

Le Duck deeply thought.

“Hmm… oh ya! There was that pony what was his name…. Main Pony! That’s it!” said Le Duck.

“What happened?” I asked not wanting to know.

“He originally broke the Observers mahogany table in half and replaced it with an oak. Some kind of Fool’s day prank or something.”

“BUT IT WASN’T ON FOOLS DAY! SO HE THREW THE UNICORN UP THE MOON! TO SEE WHERE MAIN PONY’S HORN WILL LAND!” shouted Mareio.

“And..?”

“He never came back down.” Smiled Mareio.

Some damn throwing arm that Observer has. I wonder if Main Pony is even alive.

“Enough grim talk for now, if we hurry we can reach Poni Town by night-fall.” Said Le Duck.

We began walking towards the direction on Poni Town.

----Many long hours of walking later--------------------------------------------------

“HOW MANY MUSHROOMS DO I HAVE? A RED ONE, A BLUE ONE, AND A GREEN!”

We were all tired and bored. Dr. Mareio was singing mushroom songs, while Le Duck read from the 2nd book of his Romantic series.

“I still don’t understand why you like those books?” I whispered to him.

“A YELLOW ONE…” sung Mareio.

“I think it is because I relate to this character a lot. He’s and Assassin, I’m an Assassin. He’s single, I’m single. He’s…”

“Ok Le Duck I get it, but most of the content is innuendo. I don’t get why you like that.”

“Innuendo? Really Shadow I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Here what about this line…” he said flipping to a random page.

“And Edzeo took a leap of faith upon Catherina and pulled open his parachute as they went sailing over the rising sun. The ocean spray of Edzeo's…”

“ENOUGH! I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!” I shouted at Le Duck.

Dr. Mareio looked hurt. “You don’t like my songs hmmm, then Doctor Mareio won’t help until you say sorry!”

“Uh… sorry Mareio, I meant that to Le Duck here, who can’t understand WHY THIS BOOK IS SO WRONG!”

“WELL YOU HAVE A DIRTY MIND! I DON’T SEE ANY PROBLEMS IN MY BOOK I…”

“Wait did you hear that?” whispered Le Duck who stood still listening to the wind.

I scanned the area, we were off the road and exposed on the hill surrounded by bushes.

*Rustle*

A bush moved and we all prepared our hidden blades and Dr. Mareio holding a mushroom.

A group of 4 ponies came out from the bushes smoking vegetables and wearing optical illusion shirts.

"DUDE! PEACE GUYS! Chillz..." said one of the ponies who smoked a cucumber.

“TEMPLARS! .... Right?” I asked.

“No, their hippies they...”

“DIE YOU HIPPIE ASSASSINS!” I said plunging my blade into the hippie in front of me in the chest.

I ran around stabbed the 2nd hippie in the neck, then turned to the 3rd and 4th hippies and grabbed their legs and snapped them.

“Dude…why?” they calmy said falling to the ground.

“NO! SHADOW!” shouted Le Duck.

But it was too late I crushed one hippie’s neck with my hoof and stabbed the last one in the back.
A pile of dead hippies lay around me and I was covered in blood.

“Shadow…. Those ponies… weren’t…. Templars.” Le Duck nervously said.

“WHAT! YOU SAID THEY WERE HIPPIES I THOUGHT THAT WAS A SPECIALIST TYPE OF TEMPLAR! I KILLED INNOCIENTS! NOOOO!” I shouted dismayed over what I’ve done.

“Well… they weren’t innocent exactly. They just like to smoke various vegetables and wear optical illusions. If they were in a city, they would have been a danger to themselves and to others depending on how high they were.” Le Duck explained.

“THIS NEVER HAPPENED!” said Dr. Mareio.

“Agreed.” I and Le Duck said.

We reached the village of Poni Town in the dead of night.

Finally now we can kill Fumbles (assuming he’s not dead already).

I looked at Le Duck and he nodded. He flew off towards the village rooftops while I was left behind with Dr. Mareio.

“Ok Dr. Mareio I need your… salespony intuition to distract the citizens and draw a crowd, hopefully this will lure Fumbles out of his hiding place and we can then strike.” I carefully said to him not wanting him to blow his top.

“OKEY-DOKIE! I SHALL DISTRACT EVERYONE AND MAKE TONS OF MONEY! AT THE SAME TIME! YAHOO!” shouted the overly excited doctor.

Ponies started to wake up from the commotion that Dr. Mareio made when he yelled.
He ran towards the town square and popped open his portable mushroom stock table and arranged his rainbow variety of mushrooms.

I saw Le Duck on a rooftop opposite of the town square. I took my position on a nearby bench so I would be in reach of the crowd without drawing attention to myself.

That would be Mareio’s job.

“HELLO EVERYPONY! IT’S A ME, DOCTOR MAREIO! HIGH-QUALITY SHROOMS!”

Ponies from around the small village went outside to see who was shouting at 2 o’clock in the morning. A small crowd had formed around Dr. Mareio and some ponies who were still droopy from the lack of sleep had bought his mushrooms.

“10…20…30! COME PONIES I HAVE A GREAT SELECTION!”

Ok… now if I can tune the sound out a bit like Le Duck showed me. I can maybe hear conversations, maybe even Fumbles himself…

I strained my hearing trying to focus on the mass of voices in front of me.

Focus……

ARHG……. THERE!

“Look what I got mom!”
“Don’t touch that!”
“Hey, I’ll trade my blue mushroom for your yellow one.”
“No way! I like yellow!”

“Hey? Who’s that yellow pony with the guards there?”

“Dunno.”

But I do… Fumbles and his entourage no less.

I focused my hearing on the general direction of the guards and Fumbles.

“Why did you wake me from my beauty sleep? A stallion must get his routine snooze.” Said Fumbles.

“Sorry… my senator. We heard shouting and numerous complaints of loud noises. All of them were from you.” Answered a guard pony.

“Well, we better teach this nuisance a lesson shouldn’t we?” Fumbles said sadistically cracking his hooves.

“HEY THERE PAL WOULD YOU LIKE TO BUY SOME SHROOMS?” shouted Mareio to Fumbles and his guards now in audiable range.

“BY ORDER OF THE SENATOR, WE SHALL BE CONFISCATING THESE GOODS!” shouted a guard pony in a commanding voice.

“WHAT!? Why would you do a thing like that? I’m a DOCTOR!” shouted Mareio in confusion.

“Because I can…” said Fumbles grabbing a crate of mushrooms from the table.

“This is MY MERCHANDISE!” shouted Dr. Mareio grabbing onto the crate and pulling it towards himself.

“I WANT IT!” shouted Fumbles pulling the crate towards himself.

“IT’S MINE!”

“NO! MINE!”

After many tugging and pulling later Fumbles tripped onto the table slamming head-first into Dr. Mareio who fell on his back and the glass security box containing the purple mushroom fell out from his coat.

Fumble’s guards helped him to his feet. He went over to Dr. Mareio and picked up the purple mushroom container.

“I’m taking this at least.” Said Fumbles leaving Mareio in the dust.

“NO! YOU FOOL! IF YOU RELEASE THAT MONSTROSITY THE WHOLE WORLD OF EQUESTRIA WILL BE ENGULFED IN AN AREA OF DARKNESS AND DECAY!” pleaded Dr. Mareio with tears in his eyes.

“Hmmm… darkness. Ya I like it! Guards kill this pony so I can get back to sleep today.” He said brushing off the container and staring into the mushroom.

Not on my watch.

I stood up from my bench spot and weaved through what was left of the crowd. Before the guard punched Mareio I was behind him.

*STAB*

The guard fell down in a bloody mess.

Panic arose around Poni Town including the second guard and Fumbles who had stopped petting the container. They ran towards a building.

“AHH! I DON’T WANT TO DIE YET!” shouted Fumbles as he ran for the door.

Le Duck jumped from the building and landed in front of the door blocking Fumble’s escape. Before Le Duck could have stabbed Fumbles he took a sharp right turn towards a hill with a tree.

“Quickly snap this box in half!” said Fumbles to his last guard.

“But we…”

“DO IT!”

The guard brought his sword down upon the glass container shattering it and sending the mushroom falling to the ground.

Dr. Mareio who just caught up with us shouted with agony, “NOOOOOOOOOO!”

The mushroom hit the ground.

………

………..nothing

Then Fumbles tripped, “Oops!” landing headfirst onto the mushroom.
He got up and the mushroom was imbedded in his skull.

“OW! That…hurt?....”

"..."

“ASSUMING CONTROL.” Boomed an ominous voice.

We were shaken back by what we just heard.
Fumble’s skin started to turn a ghostly purple colour and green spots formed around his body. His mane fell off and was replaced with purple mushrooms.
His eyes now blood red had taken the place of his white eyeballs and his eye colour shifted to a bright yellow with no pupil in sight.

He looked at us with a menacing power eradiating from him.

What….what is this thing?

“WE ARE LEGION. YOU CANNOT RESIST. YOU WILL JOIN US.” Boomed the ominous voice which was centred around Fumbles.

He reached towards the scared guard and touched him on his head. A purple mushroom grew out from the guard’s head as he cried out in agony. Like Fumbles he started to morph and turn purple.
After his transformation was complete the two purple mushroom ponies faced towards us and started walking.

They're decaying the ground they walk upon! Nothing will grow there anymore!
I need to stop them before they harm the villagers!

I started to run towards them with my hidden blade but Dr. Mareio grabbed me and held me back shaking his head.

“It’s too late… Equestria is doomed.” Sadly said the doctor.

“It’s never too late! If we can’t touch them then we can range ‘em!” said Le Duck taking a throwing knife and aiming at Fumbles.

“NO! THAT’S WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO DO!” shouted Dr. Mareio.

But it was too late, the knife plunged into the Mushroom Fumble’s left eye and he fell.
Only to get back up again leaving a pile of mushrooms on the ground.

“WHEN ONE FALLS A THOUSAND SHALL REPLACE IT.” Boomed Fumbles and the guard pony in unison.

The mushrooms left behind started to move strangely and morph into Fumbles shape. In only a matter of seconds an army of purple Fumbles and mushponies had formed.

“How many?” I asked Le Duck who was good at observing.

“One thousand… and two.” Nervously said Le Duck.

“EVERYBODY RUN!” we all shouted at once.

(The mushponies who acted like zombies didn’t run like 80’s zombies. No, they saw the new trend and chasing other ponies down is in style.)

We headed inwards to Poni Town and found the house that Fumbles tried to get in. We entered and quickly locked the door behind us.

“Whew… that should buy us some..” I began to say.

A purple hoof burst through the door paneling trying to grab at us.

“ARG!” shouted Docter Mareio shoving a red mushroom into the hole.

Why?

He noticed our confused expressions and calmly said, “Mushrooms decompose, so decomposing a mushroom would take a longer time to decompose, right?”

“Ok Dr. Mareio you know these things, how can we destroy them?”

“We…we can’t.” Mareio said with his head down.

“WHAT!? How can we save Poni Town then? Equestria?” I asked.

“We CAN’T! They’re indestructible and feed off life power on everything that lives!” clarified Mareio.

The door started to bend inwards as Mareio placed more shrooms in the holes, trying to buy us some time.

“THERE IS NO ESCAPE. YOU WILL SUBMIT.”

I went to the corner and went into fetal position as my mind shattered and my body turned into a helpless shell.

No… No… No. This can’t be happening… THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING! This is all a dream right? When I close my eyes… why am I still here?

Mareio is using mushrooms but he will soon run out and we will all turn into mushrooms. Hehehe...

Purple…Purple Mushrooms…Equestria is doomed.

I’m sorry father! Mother! FREE-RUNNER! Not even you can run from this menace. AND YOUR DEAD!

~~CRAP I’M GOING TO DIE EVERYONES GOING TO DIE IN PONI TOWN!~~

“SHADOW SNAP OUT OF IT!” Le Duck shook me trying to wake me from my traumatized state to no avail.

This is real. I’m going to die.

“SHADOW! We need to survive we need to save the citizens of Poni Town. WE ARE ASSASSINS!”

Assassins….... ASSASSINS! I AM SHADOW-MARK! WE CAN STILL FIGHT!

My mind snapped back together and I stood up from my spot.

“Your right mentor, I`ll scan the town on the roof and see if anypony is still alive.” I said heading to the roof.

I got outside and saw the carnage of the village. Houses were on fire, buildings were decayed and purple mushrooms sprouted up from everywhere.

Everywhere I looked I saw and heard the screams of ponies as they mushified into those purple monsters..

“DO NOT FEAR. THERE IS NO PAIN. ONLY SALVATION.” Boomed the purple mushroom voice.

I ran back downstairs and told Le Duck the situation.

“The village is nearly destroyed *sigh* let’s go Mareio we need to get out of here!”

We ran up back to the roof of the building which was now being swarmed by mushponies. We jumped off the roof hovering towards the ground carrying Mareio in our arms.

We ran to the spot where this mess had all happened, the hill with the tree which was now decayed and the ground devoid of life.

I looked back and saw a swarm of mushponies marching towards us.

“We’re trapped… at least the sun’s coming up.” Acknowledged Doctor Mareio.

The sun broke over the horizon.

*FLASH*

A blinding light appeared before us in the sky. I rubbed my eyes to get a closer look. I couldn't believe it.

The Observer… in the sky? ......he can fly? He’s an EARTH PONY!

And is that….... Princess Celestia?

WHAT THE ************ is going on!?

They landed in front of us and the Princess who spread her wings open said to the Observer, “Ok focus your magic like last time.”

MAGIC? HE’S NOT A UNICORN! AN EARTH PONY-- EARTH PONY!
AND LAST TIME? WHAT LAST TIME? THIS IS THE APOCALYPSE!

….I’m so confused.

The Princess and the Observer focused their magic within themselves and when they were completely full of power.

*BOOM*

A giant glass rectangle engulfed Poni Town with all the mushponies (no more citizens) and the buildings were trapped inside.

Great now we can have a museum or a zoo!

My museum idea ended as a dark portal appeared.

*CRACK* *WHOOSH*

Wait… everything is… gone.

The Princess and the Observer now drained of power turned to us.

“You must be the new apprentice my friend has told me all about, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you Shadow.” She said trying to not show the exhaustion in her voice.

“Umm…. Princess…. You…. You heard of me? I’m flattered.” I scampered.

“Yes Shadow, and I’m sorry you had to experience this ordeal.” She said bringing a glass container with a purple mushroom inside it.

What? Didn’t she get rid of all of them?

“Here Doctor Mareio… I trust you can keep this safe, maybe longer perhaps?” Celestia joked giving the container to Mareio.

“Um… pardon me Princess… but where did those mushponies go and why is “that” still here.” I said pointing to the container.

“You see Shadow, those “mushponies” can’t be destroyed so I sent them to a place in between time and space. This… *points to container*... is the connection which keeps the mushrooms trapped within the nexus between time and space.” She explained.

“Now I must be going, duty calls!” she said as she teleported herself back to Canterlot.

“AH! It’s so great to see the Princess again after sending so much… documents.” Began the Observer while disgusted by uttering the "D" word.

“And Shadow….. all of this is your fault.” Smiled the Observer.

“WHAT! ME!?” I said shocked.

“Oh Shadow my boy, if you’ve killed Fumbles back in Ponitaly… Then this mess would have never happened.” He shook his head in disappointment.

“ARE YOU SERIOUS!? THIS WAS YOUR FAULT! YOU SENT MAREIO YOU—“

“PETULANT CHILD! I SENT MAREIO TO ENFORCE TRADE IN THIS VILLAGE! AND THIS ISN’T HOW YOU RAGE…” he shouted gathering power for his next verbal assult.

The winds shook and the grass blew away from the Observer’s hooves as he was surrounded in a dark red aura outlining his body.

“THIS IS HOW YOU… RAAAAAAGGGGGGEEEE!!” he shouted with tremendous velocity and volume as dark clouds swirled around in a typhoon in the sky and a lightning bolt flashed against the sky.

*KER-SPLOSION*

The ground below the Observer exploded leaving a crater with the Observer standing at the centre and us being knocked back.

“Now then Shadow… I assume you’ve learned your lesson because your grounded.” Cheerfully said the Observer as he turned away from us.

“OBSERVER… AWAY!” he shouted jumping off from the ground.

He propelled himself into the air and flew across the morning sky.

FLEW across the sky. No wings or magic.

We were all shocked. First the purple mushrooms, then Celestia, now…. this.

I took a deep breath in and let my thoughts explode.

THE PURPLE MUSHROOMS WERE MY FAULT!?

PRINCESS CELESTIA KNOWS ME?

THE OBSERVER’S RAGE AND HE FLIES?

HE’S AN EARTH PONY IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE!

Chapter 26: Memories- A Shadow's Revenge

--------Two years after the Siege of Ponitaly----------

I sat on a barstool at an inn called, “The Sleeping Cerberus”. It was a rather nice wooden lodge with not too many customers showing up as it was on the far outskirts of Stallongrad, a major trading hub a while up north from the ruins of Ponitaly. My robes were slightly tattered from the years of use and hunting for those responsible for the fall of my once great city, Ponitaly.

Ponitaly… not a day has gone by since I left….
The screams, the fires… everything destroyed…
Everyone...

“So what’ll you have?” the innkeeper said to me interrupting my thoughts, he was a sandy coloured earth pony with a brown scruffy beard and a shaggy short brown mane.

“You know me Bill, stop joking around,” I laughed a bit despite how feeble I sounded.

“Aha, gotcha Shadow! Water it is!” Bill went over to the tap and poured the clear crystal water in one glass, went to the tap next to it and poured a dark orange coloured beverage for himself.

I never touch that stuff… it tastes absolutely foul.

Bill gets back to the bar stand and hoofs me the drink from across the stand, I tip my head to him in thanks and chugged the water down quenching my thirst.

Wow… who knew that a flavorless liquid would taste so good?

“Hey Shadow don’t drink all of it at once, wouldn’t want my regular to bust the urinal again!” Bill laughed as he joined me by chugging down his own drink.

“Hey Bill, that was one time!” I said holding up a hoof in protest.

“Well I still need to thank you for beating up those good for nothing bandits, even if it did cost me a toilet…”

“Please, it was no trouble at all. Let’s just call it even,” I said holding out a hoof towards Bill.

Bill grasped my hoof and shook, “Agreed."

After many minutes of friendly conversation about the weather Bill asked me while taking a sip of his drink, “So Shadow how was your trip to Hoofington a while back?”

“It was…. interesting…”

-------Hoofington------------

“PLEASE! STOP!”

I punched the battered and bleeding unicorn ambassador right across his face. I let go of him and he sulked to the floor coughing out a thick wad of crimson blood from his throat.

“I won’t stop till you tell me where he is…”

I kicked him in the stomach and the rest of his body fell to the ground.

“ARG! YOU SAVAGE!” the unicorn shouted out in pain as he clutched his side.

I picked him up by the throat of his neck and readied my hidden blade against his cheek there was a faint dark red glow emanating from my body but I didn't notice or care.

“I’m not going to ask again, TELL ME WHERE HE IS!” I shouted at him while aggressively poking my knife into his skin.

“WHO!?”

“Balthazar…” I replied coldly.

“I don’t know where he is! I’m just an ambassador!”

“Wrong answer…” I said plunging my blade into the diplomat.

“GAH!”

Politians and diplomats always say the wrong things at the wrong times; they’re always a threat to ponies. Even when they comply they will still corrupt the ponies of the cities that they serve, or rather... serve them.

It doesn't matter which position they fill or who they are, there is no safety once corruption takes hold...

-----Fillydelphia----------

I silently arrived at the Minister of Defence’s office which was located at the top section of a tower overlooking the city, my hoofs had slight rope burn from the cables I climbed earlier.

The elevator was busted but really who needs a working elevator?

Using the darkness of the night to my advantage I sneaked past the guards and took out the ones that I couldn’t get around. Finally I reached my objective, the Minister's workroom; I open the door and see the Minister, an earth pony wearing formal attire standing close to a large stain glassed window pondering.

With the Minister distracted by his thoughts, I walked up behind him making absolutely no sound on the wood floor. When I was directly behind him I quickly spun him around and grabbed his neck with my hoof. Before he could yell out for help I smashed his body through the window shattering it into tiny shards of glass.

The Minister was over the edge with only my hoof holding him up by the scruff of his neck as he dangled helplessly above the street below.

“WHO ARE YOU!? WHAT DO YOU WANT!?” the Minister shouted at me as he took a glance down below him.

“You know very well who I am, Templar.” I grinned.

“You’re an assassin!? Please! I’ve done nothing wrong, I’ll tell you anything you want to know, just please let me go!” he pleaded; I nodded my head to let him speak.

---5 minutes later-----

“I told you all I know, so please let me GO!”

“…….very well”

I let go of my hoof.

The Minister’s eyes widened as he fell to his death.

I began to walk away from the window and heard him screaming for help all the way down until a loud thump was heard.

His shouts ceased.

“You better be careful nowadays Shadow, I hear that many strange things are happening within the government. I know that the Princess would never commit to greed and corruption but I can’t say about the rest of those political boot-lickers. Especially the High Duke…”

“You mean Balthazar?” I asked not noticing myself clench my empty glass harder.

‘Ya that pony. I tell you Shadow, everyday gets stranger and stranger.” Bill said refilling his glass with water this time.

“Ponies are dying or disappearing or some other nonsense. Personally I think there’s a conspiracy going on, I don’t even think Stallongrad is safe anymore…”

How could I forget? It was the first place I went to right after the siege…

------Stallongrad---------

“BARRICADE THE DOOR! DON’T LET HIM IN!” a councillor shouted to his private guard as they barricaded the front door to his estate.

As the last piece of furniture piled on the barricade a furious knocking sound came from the other side of the door.

“LET ME IN! HE’S RIGHT BEHIND--- ACK!”

A few moments after the sream a blade plunged through the wooden door panel, a dark red rage filled eye peered into the building.

I was angry, confused and pissed off. I grunted and took my eye from the hole and looked around the estate for an alternate way in, I pointed my head up and saw the roof. Using my wings I quickly flew up to the estate's roof, there was a skylight leading directly to where the councillor and his guards were.

I smashed through the glass with my hoof and dived headfirst right onto a guard examining the door, the force crushing his spine. The guards were shocked but quickly recovered and pulled out their swords as the made a protective arc around the councillor.

“You are finished Assassin!” the councillor shouted from a safe spot behind his guards.

I stood up from the dead guard and popped open my hidden blade and took out a throwing knife from my satchel.

I advanced quickly to the guards in front of me, one slashed his sword but I ducked underneath and stabbed him with my blade in his lower abdomen. A second guard rushed to me with his sword held up high but didn’t get a chance to swing as I spun around slicing his neck with my throwing knife.

With two ponies dead I ran to a third guard and vaulted over him stabbing his back in the process, as soon as I got off him I tossed my knife right into the eye of a guard next to the councillor. He had a look of shock in his face and gestured his last remaining guard to deal with me.

The guard who looked like a new recruit dropped his sword in fear, “I surrender!”

I approached him and placed a hoof on his shoulder, he relaxed a bit until I plunged my blade deep into his gut, he had a look of surprise and slumped to the floor, dead.

I turned my attention to the councillor and menacingly made my way towards him with hate in my eyes.

“I WILL NOT DIE TODAY ASSASSIN!” he shouted as he turned around to flee.

Yanking the knife I thrown into the guards eye, I held it in my right hoof and gave chase to the councillor as he made his way around a corner and into a long narrow hallway.

Giving the knife all the strength I had, I whipped it through the air right into the councillor's left foreleg.

“AAAARRRHH! You’ll pay for….” he fell to the ground and quickly turned his head around as he saw me advance towards him.

“NO! No no no no no!” he started to shuffle backwards.

I slowly kept moving trying to strike as much fear into him as I myself had experienced, as I have endured.

I pull out my hidden blade.

“NO! STAY BACK!” he kept shuffling until he got to a wall, he was trapped.

Nowhere to run…

Without hesitation I quickly stab his other foreleg so he won’t be able to walk.
The councillor shouts out in pain and curses me, I don’t care about his insults all I cared about was the information leading to my target Balthazar.

“You will tell me where to find the High Duke,” I stepped on his front arm and it snapped. “Or else things will get worse from here….”

“YOU MONSTER! I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT BALTHAZAR!”

“That’s not what your friends told me… *SNAP* ….. councillor,” I crushed his broken arm once more with my hoof.

“ARG MY ARM! LOOK, I DON’T KNOW ANYTHING!”

“Then I guess you aren’t useful after all…” I said sinisterly and his skin turned pale.

I readied my blade as I pulled my arm back to deliver the final blow.

“Requiestcat in Pace, bastardo...”

“Shadow you should be careful when you’re out traveling, speaking of which what do you do exactly?” Bill said, breaking my thoughts.

“To be honest Bill…”

I can’t tell him I’m an assassin, not only would I be put in danger but he would also.
Just need to give him a vague answer with some truth...

“…I don’t know. Maybe I could start rebuilding my life somewhere peaceful when all this craziness ends.”

“Well I think that’s a good plan, at least you’re not as moody as the first time you walked into my inn.”

I might not appear as angry, but it's an illusion. The hate I have has grown immensely over the years..."

Bill raised his glass up high, “TO EQUESTRIA NOT GOING COMPLETELY INSANE! CHEERS!”

I raised my glass to his and replied, “Cheers.”

We then chugged our drinks realising that both our glasses were empty.

“Um, maybe I should refill these?” Bill stifled a laugh.

While Bill was busy refilling our drinks I looked around the inn room for the reason I came back here.

I got the intel from that ambassador in Hoofington despite the fact that he knew nothing about Balthazar, but at least he information on… her.

“So Shadow, what brings you to my inn again after all this time?” Bill asked still refilling our drinks.

“I guess you can say I’m waiting for somepony.”

“Oh ho! Shadow’s getting romantic, looks like you finally got a special somepony.” Bill laughed happily.

No, I couldn’t do that, I couldn’t do that to Flora.
All my happiness and love was taken from me the day she died.
How can I experience joy when my only love is gone… forever?

“Ah… no It’s strictly business,” I replied.

“Oh, I see. Well don’t give up hope I’m sure there’s somepony perfect for you out there.”

“I doubt it Bill, I’ve lost a lot and I feel I’m about to lose more…”

And right on cue a pink mare wearing official red Templar armor, a white hood and who carried a bow walked into the inn and sat at a round table.

I quickly whispered to Bill, “Sorry Bill but duty calls, hope to see you again soon.”

I stood up from my barstool and turned to the mare as I walked closer and closer to her until I was right at the other side of her table.

“Finally, I can’t say just how bad your service is around here,” she said looking through a menu. She took her eyes off it and looked up at me staring her down with my menacing hood as she couldn’t see my face.

“Sniper-shot….” I said casually in my Ponitalian accent.

“Wait! How would you know my….”

Realization hit her across her face as she noticed my tattered assassin robes and my hidden blade getting ready to strike.

“YOU!”

She flipped the table and I ducked around it as she headed outside the door. I gave chase until I saw her get onto a Templar carriage pulled by four ponies.

“GET GOING! HE CAN’T CATCH US!” Sniper-shot shouted at them which made them run.

A rope from behind the carriage to park it dangled down the road as they got further away.
I leaped for the rope and managed to get a hoofhold at the very end as the carriage started to drag me down the dirt path.

My hoofs gotten a good grip and I pulled myself closer to the carriage while still sliding on the ground. Sniper-shot looked back and saw that I was advancing towards her.

She turned to the stallions driving the carriage and shouted, “Knock him into the rocks!”

Instantly the carriage swerved to the left then the right bringing myself in a large arc off the path and into some shrubs.

Wait a second… my wings aren’t broken!

I opened my wings and my body glided upwards so that I was paragliding over Sniper’s carriage she saw this and responded by aiming arrows at me.

One wised past my head, wow that was close!

Ignoring her arrows I pulled myself closer down the rope line until I grabbed onto the carriage’s side, I pulled myself over the edge and stared straight into an arrow bolt aimed right between my eyes.

“You always were a newbie Shadow,” Sniper-shot retorted.

“And you always were too slow!” I sweeped my leg under her and she tripped while releasing the arrow into the skull of one of her drivers.

Oh crap…

The driver stopped moving and dragged the other drivers down under the carriage making it topple over and around crushing and killing the drivers. Once it stopped I pulled a dead body off me. My side was bleeding a bit from a wooden splinter but it wasn’t too serious so I looked around the wreak.

A few seconds later Sniper-shot came out coughing and bleeding from a pile of debris and tried to run off from her attacker.

*ARG!* she shouted as I stabbed her in the back before she could escape.

I spun her around and let her lie in my arms as a traditional assassin’s kill.

“WHY!? WHY DID YOU BETRAY US!? YOU WERE MY PARTNER, I TRUSTED YOU!”

Sniper-shot coughed and spat out a wad of blood onto the ground, “Why…. why Shadow? The Assassins were weak and fillyish especially the Observer. I once believed in the creed and the tenants until the day that YOU showed up. A pony with actual sense and who was the best damn partner I could ask for.”

“Don’t try to flatter me Sniper-shot,” I coldly said to her.

“At least with Balthazar and the Templars they know what they’re doing, they want peace as much as we did and the Assassins were too nervous too scared to do anything about it. That’s why they all died. I loved to see that place burn Shadow… I loved it when I finally killed that smug bastard of an Observer straight into his insane heart as he fell…”

I had enough of this and stabbed her in her chest once more, she groaned in pain but gave me a slight devious smile.

“Good luck… trying to catch… Balthazar……..... newbie”

She closed her eyes and with one last breath she departed from this world. I placed her back down on the ground and punched the ground next to her in my fit of rage.

Balthazar corrupted these ponies, my partner included. He’s the sole reason I’m what’s left of the Assassins. It was his mistake to let me live, it…

*CLAP*

I turned around and saw an icy white unicorn wearing business clothes and thick square glasses clapping mockingly to me.

“Oh the irony of it all Shadow, an assassin killing an assassin. That was certainly entertaining to watch,” the Templar Accountant said.

“Dave… what do you want? Come to finish the job Balthazar couldn’t do?”

“No no no Shadow, all I seek is Balance brought to Equestria, plus I’m too interested in you to kill you now,” Dave said with a smile.

“You see Shadow you possess a gift like no other pony I’ve seen in a very long time.”

A gift? That's just what the Observer said…

“But anyways I’m not here to play, let’s talk business. Can I make a proposition Shadow, one that benefits both of our goals?”

I crossed my hoofs, “I’m listening….”

“I’ll give you the location to the pony you’ve been hunting all these years for all your family and assassins he killed.”

“What!?” I couldn’t believe it.

“I will give you Balthazar’s current location right now, and you can do whatever you want with that information.”

“And what do you get in return?”

“If it all goes according to plan Equestria will be balanced and you’ll have your revenge.”

My revenge? After years of hunting I’ll be able to bring justice to Balthazar!
But Dave… isn’t he a Templar?
How do I know this isn’t a trap?

Dave held up a hoof with his accountant smile, “Deal?”

It is my only lead right now in years and I’m desperate.

I gave my thoughts a while to think until I reached a conclusion.

“Deal,” I blankly said not shaking his hoof.

Balthazar must die, at ANY cost.

Chapter 41: All According to Plan

“Hey! Watch it!” shouted a stallion as I shoved him aside along with 12 other ponies as I made my way lightning quick through a crowd.

I ignored their shouts of annoyance as I am focused more on my fleeting target.

The “Imposter” as I later figured out to be Dave jumped on a cart of boxes and used it to leap over a small group of ponies. I followed that path and made my jump ending with a small roll amung the scattered equines to maintain my momentum.

As much as I chased him this night, it seemed he would always maintain the same distance between us, no matter how sharp my turns are better than his he would make an attempt to gain as much distance ahead to make it harder for me to catch and finally kill him.

He turned a corner and immediately I did the same but saw as I made my way around that the bulk of the ponies that came for the festival arrived in the town square.

I quickly darted my eyes back and forth as I gently pushed some of the festival-goers aside looking for the same outfit I was wearing.

This crowd is too big, had it been the other way around I would be about half way through them by now.

I made my way towards the fountain at the centre thinking I can use it’s elevation to get me a better view in time before Dave escapes once more.

I cannot allow him to do so.

Sitting on the fountain itself was the bard who I smashed his lute onto his hoof (now in a brace), he noticed me and gave me an angry scowl.

“Oh, well look who it is! What? Did you come here to break my other hoof-,” he spat at me until I grabbed his bard uniform and gave him a death stare.

Quickly I said, “Did you see where I ran just now? Which way did I go?”

“Hang on, what do you mean? You’re right here!” he said with confusion.

“I don’t care. Did you or did you not see where the hell I went!?” I raised my voice to him while drawing my hidden blade to his face to get him to speak quicker.

Instead….

“HolycrapholycrapholycrapholycrapholycrapholycrapholycrapholyCRAP!!” the bard shouted at the sight of my weapon before fainting in my grip.

Merde, I knew that he wouldn’t be reliable.

I let go of his fainted body into the fountain’s water as I scaled my way up it. I peered my eyes before glancing at a slow white clothed body moving well through the crowd.

Got you.

“Are you sure he went this way? I can’t see anything through the amount of ponies going around here,” Rarity commented.

“Means it would be a good hiding place for him,” Fluttershy quietly said.

“SHADOW WE’RE LOOKING FOR YOU!” Pinkie shouted among the crowd receiving a few stares in return.

“Rainbow think you can fly up and see where he is?” Twilight asked her.

“No sweat!” she said before flying herself straight up above the crowds of ponies below.

She looked over the area before seeing something at the fountain in the centre.

She flew down back to her friends and said, “I saw something at the fountain in the center. Not sure what it is though.”

Everyone nods and they make their way towards the center.

As they made their way they can clearly hear the large amounts of conversation happening, though the most prominent one was a straight line of ponies complaining about somepony shoving into and past them.

They all gasped once they seen the bard, now soaking wet, who appeared to be knocked out in the fountain. Twilight quickly levitates him up and shakes him a bit with her magic to wake him up.

“Hey are you alright?” Applejack asked him.

“SAVAGES! ALL OF YOU ARE SAVAGES! HE SAID WHERE DID I GO BUT I DON’T KNOW WHERE HE WENT I SWEAR! THEN THE KNIFE! THE UNHOLY DEMON KNIFE! NOTHING MAKES SENSE! I’M GETTING OUT OF THIS CRAZY TOWN!” he started to shake in a fit of fear before running into the crowd and likely as far away from Ponyville as possible.

“Shadow?” Twilight asked the group.

“Shadow.”

After shoving and pushing a good number of ponies away through that mass, I caught back up to the imposter who looked over his shoulder and noticed me coming back for him before running into a full sprint.

I’ll end up doing this all night! My crossbolt isn’t in range and I need an edge that Dave doesn’t have. That leaves out my skills.

I let out a strong high-pitched whistle as we both ran into the market district.

I just hope he heard it and gets here soon.

He knocked down boxes and decorations in order to slow me down, but I easily vaulted over them. It was when the imposter ripped out a chunk of wood from a gift shop that I started to worry.

Giving a strong power slide on the ground with my boots and my head closer to the ground the gift shop fell just as I finished sliding right from under it. My hoof thrust itself towards the ground giving me the push to right myself back up again.

As we run through the market a familiar mushroom kart was parked next to the road with an all-too familiar doctor.

The Shadow imposter first passed him.

“Hi Shadow!” Dr. Mareio waved to him.

I passed with without giving a second glance.

“Hi again Shadow!” Dr. Mareio waved at me, completely oblivious to the fact there was two of me running around.

Come on buddy I need you!

No sooner then I whistled from before Ace flew in and flapped his wings next to me as I gave him the instruction.

“Ace I want you to follow that imposter. It’s Dave!”

He flew overhead of us and positioned his flight path overtop the imposter so now at least I will know where to find him should he elude my grasp.

Knowing Ace would track him to the ends of Equestria I climbed up a gift store (receiving a few complaints from the pony running it) and used it to jump to a rooftop ledge where I gripped the side and hauled myself up above Ponyville.

The imposter (Dave) looked behind him to see that I was gone. He stopped and turned his head to the rooftops behind and could see me trying to stalk him from the rooftops. I try an air assassination from my hiding place but I was too far from him and missed as he ran towards a merchant rope.

As I got to it he had already climbed it to the rooftops. I brought out my hidden blade and cut the rope as the momentum of the weight carried me much quicker to the roof than he did.

“Well that sure didn’t help; he could be anywhere right now!” Rainbow said with frustration.

“Oh hey! Look over there! On that roof!” Pinkie shouted as she pointed to a distant rooftop where a white robed pony was running along the edge then leaped to another roof.

“Come on! After him!” Applejack said as they all raced towards the hooded figure that they just saw, avoiding seeing another white-robed pony chase after the first one.

Come on Dave! When will you just quit!

We were running what felt like hours across the rooftops of Ponyville, I tried to get closer towards him but his speed and placements were just too well to compare to my chase methods.
I made a hoof signal in the air that Ace caught sight of and started to peck and claw his way onto Dave. He slapped Ace out of the way who regained his flight and flew back up to where he was following him before but as for the imposter that small distraction made him end up at a roof’s edge with nowhere left to run.

He turns around just as I tackle his body from the roof. We plunge to the ground as I bring out my hidden blade and stab it into his chest midflight.

We landed on the ground and my blade puncture through him even more, staining both our white robes with his blood.

Still kneeling overtop his body I look towards the sky to see Ace circling above us. I look back at the body and give a long and exhausted sigh from the day’s events.

Finally… it’s over….it’s all over…

I reach for his hood as I say my last words to the Templar Accountant masquerading as me and who has been giving me problems ever since Ponitlay so long ago.

“Requiestcat in pace, Da-.”

I stopped.

I slammed a hoof into the ground in anger as I gave a quiet whisper.

“No….”

“NO!”

I slammed my hoof back into the ground again making an imprint within the dirt and gravel.

The hood fell to the ground revealing the face of the imposter, the one who I believed was Dave.

It was the Royal Guard Captain..... Captain Thunderhoof………

I clutched the ground tightly with my hoof, completely surprised and how fooled I was into hunting down who I believed to be Dave, but instead it was the same pony I’ve told I would protect the innocent. He lies here dead, his blood fully soaked into my white robe staining that area permanently with the crimson blood. A pure white unicorn, wearing a one of a kind robe likely made by Dave.

How could I’ve been so blind…….

“Well tonight was certainly a most interesting day wouldn’t you agree Shadow?” Dave’s voice said to me as I see him appear over the body of the dead captain.

“…………how…… how Dave?” I said to him under my breath, as I turned my head slightly to face him but not look directly at him which I could tell bore a smug face.

“It was quite easy Shadow,” Dave snapped his hoof and the white robes clothed on the captain vanished instantly, only leaving him and a pool of blood that came from the stab wound.

“A simple trick that I’ve learned from a changeling…. right before I killed it,” he said with a grin.

I get up slowly and turn to him, my eyes dazed but behind them lurked rage.

Dave was about to smile until a slightly shocked look went on his face as he looked over a the the clock tower's time, “Sorry Shadow, but I need to go for now as this wouldn’t work if I stay here. Don't worry, it's all according to plan. See you in a little bit.”

I lunged for him with my blade drawn only for him to give a small chuckle as he instantly disappeared into a small dark vortex.

What did he mean by seeing me again, ARE WE NOT DONE THIS!?

Shortly after he left a guard patrol escorting Princess Luna arrived where I stood.

Luna gasps as she sees Captain Thunderhoof stabbed and dead with his blood obviously soaked into my robes.

“Why would thoust do this!? Guards! Seize the murderer!” she commanded with a raised hoof.

“Thunderhoof didn't mean to die! You don’t understand!” I protested but quickly went silent as my words were meaningless.

Five guards, two with spears, circled around me and trapped me in the centre as the spear holders pointed their weapons towards me.

I stand there motionless, still fazed on how wrong everything quickly came.

The guards see me raise my hoof towards my face and are momentarily surprised to see a blade shoot out from the vambrace I was wearing. I gaze upon it for a while, the blood of Captain Thunderhoof still bright red on it.

No….

I bring my hoof down and retract my blade.

No one else will die tonight.

I try to walk past the guards but one carrying a spear grips it firmly and shoves it in front of my face. I grabbed the spear with both of my hoofs catching the guard off-balance as I followed up around with a quick whack to the head with the other end before sweeping it under him making him fall to the ground and snapping the spear in half by smashing it against his torso. He was the first to fall unconscious.

The other four react quickly with anger in their eyes as one flies towards me which I quickly side stepped and countered with a kick making him slide against the ground. Two grab my arms trying to restrain me as the one with the spear starts to charge me shouting, “MURDERER!”

It was Dave! IT'S MY FAULT! I FELL FOR IT AND THUNDERHOOF DIED!

Rage building up inside me I let out a small shout and move my hoof together as the two guards holding me in place end up hitting each other in the head. They fall to the ground groaning in pain as I tilt my body and grab the spear the one charging me was carrying and used his speed to flip him vertically up and send him flying onto his back.

I slam the sharp end of the spear into the dirt and picked the guard rising on my left. Grabbing his shoulders with my hoofs I drive his head into the blunt end of the spear.

*AAARGHHH*

The guard recoiled in such immense pain that he continued shouting as he fell back to the ground clutching his head with a large red mark and not likely to get up anytime soon.

The one I didn’t target managed to get up and wrap his hoofs around me and give me a few punches. My elbow slams down against his abdomen to get him to loosen up his grip as I grab onto a hoof and flip him over me as he landed on his stomach.

I still clutch his hoof in my grasp and give a sharp twist in the other direction, receiving a shriek from the guard as his bone breaks.

My attention now rests on the last guard who was injured when I took his spear away from him, his teeth gritting against each other. Mine did the same.

After a day of all this crap I went through, Dave tricking me, Dave making me murder the Captain on accident, me having to fight Luna’s guards, and after I wouldn’t know what to expect. My rage is built up and I clench my hoofs in the ground in anger. A slight dark black-red aura overtakes my body, enough to emit the negative emotions of anger and frustration that I was feeling.
He guard gulped from my sight but still held his hoofs up, ready to take the blow should I attack.

I rush towards him as I give a loud roar and body check him with my side. His defense broke for the short time as he tried to counter but I quickly begin a barrage of hoof strikes against him.

I slam his chest.
Punch his head.
Kick his hind leg.
Knee him in the gut.

*KER-KICK*

I bucked him square in the jaw as his battered body fell to the ground and along with the rest fell unconscious.

I give a loud sigh and quickly go back to the dead body of Captain Thunderhoof. My grey hoof goes overtop his eyes as I bring them down closed.

“Requiestcat in pace, Captain Thunderhoof. I am sorry.”

Before I could even stand up and escape from this nightmare, a large dark-blue bubble enveloped me.

Through the film I saw that it was Princess Luna who constructed it but what I saw next to her shocked me. It was the rest of my friends, their faces were in shock, Commander Beard and Garrus had their guns drawn, Mareio dropped his mushroom, Applejack was shaking her head in bewilderment as something that she couldn’t believe.

“It was Dave! He set me up! He played all of us!” I shouted through the barrier.

…….Again
Dammit.

“I don’t know who thou is referring too, but YOU have the blood of the captain on your robes and blade, YOU have resisted to be arrested. Who do you think you are, killing Captain Thunderhoof in cold blood!? You will rot in the Canterlot dungeons, for eons to come! THAT I WILL ASSURE YOU,” Luna said slamming her hoof down and emitting her royal canterlot voice for all to hear.

I can’t believe it. She doesn’t know who I am, Celestia's sister of all ponies.!This just makes it more worse.
DAVE YOU BASTARD! ARGH! YOU FREAKING TEMPLAR!

“I’m sorry Princess, but as much as I would like to I need to hunt the bastardo that made me kill an innocent. And if none of you will believe me, then I WILL DO IT MYSELF!”

I shout and vent all my anger as I smash my hoofs against the barrier. Luna’s horn glowed and the barrier emitted dark-blue electrical shocks from within. I fell to my knees from the intensity of the pain.

A rising feeling of anger and frustration overcame through my body as I slowly fought back the waves of electricity and stepped inch by inch back to the barrier’s wall, willing myself against the intenstiy fo the pain surging through me.

“How is he doing this? He’s withstanding my magic!” Luna shocked in amazement and fear.

I bring my hidden blade out and with a long arc of a swing I bring it to the side of the wall making the shield dissipate around me with the electric sparks discharging into the ground.

Even though I'm gasping for breath I stamp my hoofs on the ground bringing both of my hidden blades out expecting that the Princess wouldn’t simply just let me go.

My assassin friends begin surrounding me, trying to protect Luna as Garrus and Beard aimed their sights down at me from next to her. I could see their pained expressions; tears were forming in their eyes as they came closer and closer. Not wanting to but ready to stop me should I attack.

Twilight, Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack…..

I… I…

I sheath my blades back into my slots.

“I can’t do this; I will not fight my friends."

"I give up.”

I bring my head slowly down, a tear makes its way visible past the dark shadow of my hood.

A second bubble encloses around me and a few seconds later a violent surge of energy went through my body and I collapsed.

Through my hazy vision I could still make out their faces. I could still feel the guilt inside me from that which made them suffer. I try to give a reassuring smile back to them, to let them know that things will be fine soon. Not one from an assassin acquaintance but one from a friend.

The pain grew even more intense before ending as the sparks aorund me vanished, my anger completely gone, now replaced with exhaustion and a still lingering hate for the one who caused this night.

My eyes close for a bit and I feel myself being teleported.

Far, far away from Ponyville.