Chapters (Before you begin, please note that in this Humanised Equestria, the 'Ponies' Cutie Marks are on their arms, in the style of tattoos)
It was a peaceful night tonight. The air was calm, the sky was starry, and the town was quiet.
Regardless of their music tastes, the two were best friends.
This night was different, However, Pinkie was throwing a party for EVERYONE at Vinyl's house, and had sent out invites, even to Canterlot, where Octavia was staying, prior to getting the invitation.
Applejack supplied the food.
EVERYONE was at this party..Well, almost everyone, there's only a certain amount of people you can fit into one building.
"Hey, Scratch, thought you might need a drink." She shouted.
Octavia just stood there, for a few minutes, occasionally sipping her drink, and taking it all in.
"Scratch, Who's that hooded guy in the corner of the room? Hes just sat there, not doing anything."
"Apparently hes some new guy in town, he doesn't talk much"
"Huh.." Octavia wasn't usually too nosy in other peoples business, but she decided to ask anyway.
Vinyl looked puzzled
"Just curious" Octavia replied
"I didn't really get a good look at it, but from my angle it looked like a cloak."
"Wonder what his special talent is.."
"Probly sneaking or something,Tavi. Or, what's more likely, is that he wears hoods and cloaks so much, that its become his special talent."
"Hey, no need to go getting sarcastic, i'm just curious!"
"Sorry Tavi, its just that its really none of your business." Vinyl replied.
Octavia was about to get another drink when a BANG from behind stopped her in her tracks, she turned around, to see that the door had been kicked open, and that three royal guards had walked in.
By now Vinyl had got up from the DJ booth and ran over.
"WHAT?!" yelled one of the guards, who turned to look, and see who was talking.
The guards charged at the hooded man, and swung their own swords at him, which he easily dodged and parried.
"Nothing" Said the hooded man, easily parrying the attack, and knocking the guard back, giving him an opening.
"J..just stay away from me!" Cried the least drunk guard as he ran away.
The hooded man, splattered with blood, walked over to Vinyl and Octavia, who were shaking.
"Mordecai Ravenheart, at your service. I need you to come with me, you're not safe here."
"B..but we don't even k..know you!"
"Please..trust me..I'll explain everything once we get to a safe location."
"..I..Guess we could go with you.."
As they ran through the dark streets of Ponyville, Mordecai came to a halt, at a plain wooden door, and knocked six times, in a sort of beat.
"I'm Okami, Pleased to meet you both" He said smiling.
"I..Um..Pleased to meet you.." Octavia said nervously.
"If Captain Mordecai brought you here, he must've seen potential in you." Okami said, still smiling.
"Potential for WHAT? And WHERE is HERE? We were attacked by Royal Guards, who were going to rape us, and then this "Mordecai" fella comes and kills them! I want an explanation!" Scratch yelled
"He's not allowed to tell you that. Not yet anyway." Said an unfamiliar voice, from behind.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Mentor Blackthorn" said the newcomer
"There's something you need to be told, Girls." Mordecai said.
"And what would that be?" They both said at the same time.
"...This might be hard to take in. There is an ancient order of warriors. A secret brotherhood, who protects the innocents, from their nemesis, the Templars. We are that order, We are the Assassins Brotherhood."
Scratch gasped at this "What? I thought those tales of Assassins and Templars were just myths!"
"Oh a few of them were, We never laid siege to any castles, or razed entire cities. No, we work in the dark." replied Blackthorn
"And what's this so called "Potential" We have?" asked Octavia.
"Ah, sorry, i meant to get round to that. The way you both walked up to armed guards, and told them to leave, when you had no way of defending yourself striked me as a little bit brave. But then again, a little bit foolish. You see, we Assassins are fighting a losing war. there aren't enough of us. We need people that hold bravery in their hearts, and are willing to sacrifice themselves for the good of others, and i think that sums both of you up" said Mordecai.
"What? You want me to join an order of warriors, and get myself killed?" Octavia asked.
"No, we want you to train to be one of us." said the Mentor.
"What difference will training make?" asked Octavia.
"A trained Assassin can get out of almost any situation" Okami cut in.
"Indeed they can." Replied Mordecai.
"I'm in." said Vinyl suddenly.
"What? Just like that!?" Octavia asked, shocked.
"Tavi, those men tried to rape us. It'd at least help to be able to defend ourselves."
"I guess..."
"So are you in with me, or not, Tavi?" Vinyl asked impatiently.
"Fine.." Octavia replied.
"Excellent!" the Mentor said, beaming.
"When do we begin our training?" Vinyl asked.
"Tomorrow, under Captain Mordecai." Replied the Mentor.
It was early morning, and still dark, when Octavia and Vinyl were woken up.
Mordecai turned on a lamp, lighting the room up.
The two girls hadn't even bothered to take their clothes off last night, and just laid on top of the covers.
"You can have breakfast, and then its downstairs, to the basement."
"Alright then.." Octavia said.
The two girls got out of bed, and followed Mordecai to the mess hall. There they were served Porridge. Not much of a breakfast, but they took it.
Mordecai sat down with them, also with a bowl of porridge.
The Mess Hall was pretty loud, and Octavia was surprised people didn't hear the clinking of plates, scraping of cutlery and voices, from outside. So she asked how no one knew about the place.
"Well, you see. We guessed the mess hall would be loud, they usually are. So we asked the members if they were any good at DIY. A few of them were, so we got them to add sound proofing to the walls. Not a sound leaves the place unless the door is open.
"Ah, clever" Said Vinyl "I should do that to my house."
After their breakfast, the trio searched for Okami, who was found sending out contracts to Brotherhood field agents.
"Okami, i need you to help with the training."
And with that, they proceeded to the Basement.
"Here, you will go through your training. It will take months. And it is not easy. You will learn to be Stealthy. You will learn to be Agile. You will learn to be Speedy, and you will learn to be Efficient."
Mordecai walked over to a corner of the room, and grabbed four wooden swords, two of which he gave to the girls, one of which he kept for himself, and the last one he gave to Okami.
"Today, you will learn the very basics of combat. Parrying, and Attacking. And perhaps Dodging if you get the hang of parrying."
Octavia and Vinyl just stayed silent. Not sure what to do. Though this didn't matter, as Mordecai continued.
"Okami and myself will show you the basics. You cannot hold back. But try not to hurt eachother." he said, smiling.
Okami went into a defensive stance, and Mordecai lunged at him with the wooden sword.
Mordecai missed, as Okami had dodged out of the way just in time.
"And how do you expect us to do that?" Vinyl said.
Okami went into a defensive stance once again, But this time, Mordecai didn't lunge with the sword, he sprinted towards Okami, and attacked him with a flurry of blows, each one connecting the sword.
"Now..you try.."
The girls were by no means bad at this.
Vinyl went into a defensive stance, just like Okami had and Octavia charged her.
"Excellent! I can see you'll be a MASTER of deception, Octavia!" Mordecai said, smiling once again.
"She copied my Defensive stance EXACTLY.."
"Now you try defending, Octavia." Mordecai said.
So Octavia went into a defensive stance, and Vinyl charged her.
"And you Vinyl...I think you'll be a master of agility."
They eventually came to their final test.
"There are assassins, stationed around, Hiding. At the end of this room, is a chest, with two feathers in. Both of you must go across, Separately, and bring back one of the feathers, without being caught by the assassins. You shall go first, Octavia."
Now, Octavia looked around the room. There were some rocks. Which she walked over to. She picked one up, and kept it in her hand. She climbed a ladder, up to one of the makeshift huts, and creeped around as quietly as she could.
"You really do like to trick people, Don't you, Octavia?" Okami said.
Once she arrived back at Mordecai and the others mordecai spoke.
"That they are, Captain." Said a voice from behind.
"...But we have a problem" said the Mentor.
"The Templars intercepted a message to us from a field agent, they know where we are."
"WHAT?! We have to defend!"
"That was my first thought, Captain, but if they come, their numbers will be too much for us. Evacuation is the only option.
"We'll go get geared up. These two have earned their robes." Mordecai said.
So with that, they rushed to the armory. Once they arrived, Mordecai opened a wooden chest, and out of it he took two white and red robes.
"These, are the robes of the Assassin order. Wear them proudly."
Once they had got changed, he opened another box, and from it he took two swords, plain, but sharp, two daggers, and twenty throwing knives, which he split between Vinyl and Octavia.
They geared up, Swords and daggers in sheaths, knives on belts.
They ran back to the Mentor, through the maze of underground tunnels.
"I will lead the recruits and anyone else who comes with me out through a secret tunnel in the Basement, We've been planning for this day for years. A few of the other recruits demanded to stay here, and hold back the templars with you, so you'll have their aid." the Mentor said. "Whatever happens, get out if you can.
That was that. Okami, Vinyl, Octavia and Mordecai met up with the recruits that volunteered to stay behind, and they waited, Hiding in the shadows, and on the beams holding up the ceiling.BOOM the door flew open and Templars poured in.
"Dammit!" yelled Vinyl as she turned around.
Octavia Feinted an attack to the right, causing a templar to dodge the wrong way. She sliced the Templars hand off, and stabbed him in the stomach, coating her sword in his blood.
Okami, however, hadn't unsheathed his sword. Instead, he had thrown knives into the chests of three Templars, and unsheathed his dagger.
A Templar swung at Octavia who easily dodged out of the way, and stabbed them in the back.
"STOP THE ASSASSIN'S!" came a voice from outside
"We have to get out of here!" Vinyl yelled, kicking a Templar back.
"Just a little bit longer!" Mordecai shouted back.
"We cant hold out much longer!" Octavia said.
One of the Assassin Recruits had gone down. Stabbed in the chest.
"We need to get out of here, Mordecai!" yelled Octavia, as she decapitated one of the soldiers.
"...Everyone make for the basement!" Mordecai shouted over the clashing of swords.
Vinyl slashed a templar in the chest, and kicked him into his friends, knocking them over.
Okami turned around and threw the last of his knives into the chests of templars, and ran back off after his friends
The templars continued to chase them to the basement, where the assassins had barricaded the door after Okami got in.
BANG the door was rammed.
"Hurry up, Okami!"
BANG the door was rammed again.
"A few more bangs and this door isn't gonna hold!"
"I've found it!" Okami yelled at last.
BANG the door flew open, knocking Mordecai to the ground.
"Mordecai!" Vinyl yelled running to help him
Vinyl helped Mordecai to his feet.
"We have to go! Now!" She yelled.
As they ran for the trap door, a crossbow bolt flew through the door way, hitting Mordecai in the back.
"NO!"
A templar jumped down from the doorway, with a battleaxe, and once he landed, charged Mordecai, swinging his axe into Mordecai's neck, severing his head.
"NOO! GOD DAMMIT, NO!" Vinyl yelled.
As Mordecai's blood covered body fell to the ground, Vinyl took five of her throwing knives from her belt, and threw them at the templar.
"VINYL! We have to go! Now! We cant stay here! Leave him!" Octavia yelled to Vinyl.
