I looked around the room, pride filling my chest as I looked over the ponies that stood before me. It had taken a long time and many mistakes but eventually Erica and I had taught a select group of ponies the way of the creed. Initially we didn’t want to give in to the methods and ideals instilled in the bodies we inherited but the world had shown us that it was necessary. The evils of corruption were strong in the population of Equestria. As much as Celestia and Luna would like to say that they ruled a peaceful country, we knew better. We had seen the violent nature hidden deep inside the bright exterior of the world.

It wasn’t until an incident a month after leaving the alicorn sisters behind that we saw just what the ponies of this supposedly friendly country were capable of. We had just made it to the slowly growing city of Manehatten.

“Wow, this city really has been around for a long time.” Erica said as she looked around at the small town we had walked into.

While looking around I noticed a few things. First of all there were far more earth ponies than any other of the tribes around and what other types of ponies were here weren’t getting the warmest welcome from the local population. I watched as a white coated unicorn walked past a small group of earth ponies and as they passed one of the earth ponies stuck out a leg to trip the unicorn who fell hard into the dirt. At this the group laughed and called out slurs. “Watch where you step stickhead, don’t want to mess up that coat.” With that said they turned and left, laughing uproariously.

I walked over to the downed unicorn mare and offered her a hand. The pony looked up at me, immediate reaction was fear when she looked at my scarred face. But then she noticed my smile and the hand offered and smiled. “T-Thank you.” The mare said quietly while grabbing my hand with her hoof (still have no idea how they do that) and lifting herself to herself to stand.

“Is being treated like that normal here?” I asked her.

“Yes.” She said while sighing. “This is an earth pony town so they treat everypony else poorly.”

Erica seeing the downcast look on the mare’s muzzle stepped forward and ran a hand through her two tone blue mane. “Why would they do that?” Erica asked the unicorn. “I thought this was a land of friendship and harmony.”

“That’s what the princess wants everypony to think.” The mare spat in sudden anger. “The truth is that after Discord’s reign many ponies have fallen back into the tribe mentality that nearly doomed us with the Wendigo’s. Sure we act like we are all friends when the princesses are around but the old hatreds still lurk under the surface until they are gone.”

“That is so terrible.” Erica said with a hand covering her mouth.

“Yeah, but it’s life. Not much I can do about it. Anyway, thank you for helping me up. I have to say I’ve never seen creatures like you before. What are you?”

“We’re humans, probably the only ones in Equestria. I’m Shaun and this is Erica.” I said while wrapping an arm around my friend's shoulders.

“Nice to meet you Shaun and Erica. My name is Keen Sight.” The mare said, returning our greeting. “I’m guessing you two don’t have anywhere to stay? The ponies here aren’t very welcoming to strangers and especially would be rude to you two, being a different species. Would you like to come back to my place?”

“Really? Thank you!” Erica said, bouncing forward and giving Keen Sight a hug.

The mare blushed before turning around and telling us to follow her. As we walked the quality of the houses became lower and we started to many more unicorns and pegasi. What was at first well crafted stone buildings slowly became wooden houses and then shack like buildings. After a while we turned down a small alley between two buildings and walked down the dirt path that separated them.

Only a few metres in a large earth pony came around the corner on the far end of the alley. It stood there unmoving as it looked at us. I turned, looking back from where we came and saw the other alley entrance blocked by a pair of ponies. The singular pony ahead of us took a step forward, causing our companion to whimper lightly.

“Well what do we have here colts?” The stallion asked the ponies behind us in a gravelly voice. “A stickhead and two ugly beasts. I bet those two will fetch a decent haul of bits from the boss.”

“What about the unicorn?” One of the ponies behind us asked.

“Don’t care, kill her, keep her. Nopony will miss a unicorn in our city.” He growled back.

Immediately the two ponies behind us galloped forward, closing the distance in moments. Before I had a chance to react a pair of hooves struck me in the chest, knocking me to the ground. Erica however was more prepared and drew her baton, flicking the telescoping metal tube out to full length and swinging the end into the face of the pony that had attacked her.

The stallion at the other end decided to join the fight and galloped towards Keen Sight, raising his hooves to strike her as she froze in terror. Without thinking I did all I could, reaching behind my back I slipped my pistol out of it’s holster and pointed the long silenced barrel towards the head of the attacking pony. With a small noise a bullet was blasted out of the pistol, streaking forward in its mission. With a cut off scream and thud the pony who was such a danger to my new friend fell to the ground, his head leaking a red liquid that pooled on the ground.

When I looked back over to Erica I saw her still caught in a battle with the two earth ponies, each tried to get the upper ground but she beat back their hooves with swings of her telescoped baton. But while the pair of ponies couldn’t get the upper hand on Erica, neither could she slip through their defences. With a quiet grunt I lifted myself to my feet and slid the pistol back into my belt holster. Moving as quietly as I could I walked up as close to the fight as I could and waited. The moment Erica blocked the swinging hoof of one of her opponents I struck, jumping onto the back of the earth pony mare and sliding my wrist blade into the back of her neck. My blade met resistance but I forced it through, I felt as it parted the vertebra in the back of my targets neck. Immediately the pony fell, my blade having severed its spinal cord and windpipe.

The other pony faltered when it saw me deal with its partner with little effort and that was all Erica needed. She stepped forward and jabbed as hard as she could with her baton into the ponies throat. The earth pony fell, unable to breath and Erica turned back to me.

“We-We had to do it didn’t we Shaun?” She asked me with tears coming to her eyes.

“Yes Erica, we couldn’t let them hurt other ponies. It was the right thing.” I answered while drawing her into a tight hug. Her tears fell from her eyes and into my clothes but that was okay. She needed to cry and I would be here for her.

Keen Sight walked up beside us, shock and fear on her face. “H-How did you do that? You killed them like it was nothing.” She asked us.

I answered almost without thinking. “These bodies are built to kill. It is what we do, we protect the innocent and we kill the guilty. Laa shay’a waqi’un moutlaq bale kouloun moumkine.”

“Sorry what was that?” Keen asked.

“Yeah Shaun, what did you say? It sounds familiar.” Erica added.

I stood there in shock at the words that had come out of my mouth. I knew what they were and where I knew them from. But why I had said them was completely unknown, it was like I was compelled to say them to the mare.

“Laa shay’a waqi’un moutlaq bale kouloun moumkine. It means ‘We work in the dark, to serve the light. We are Assassins.’”

“Okay… Keen Sight, do you think we could go to your place now?” Erica asked her.

“Y-Yeah, but shouldn’t we report what happened to the guards?” She asked us.

“If we do that they will probably arrest us, even if it was self defence, just because we aren’t earth ponies. If the city is as bigoted and corrupt as it looks I wouldn’t expect anything else.” I explained to the still frightened mare.

We all started walking back through the alley, taking care to step around the stallion with a large pool of blood surrounding his head. We turned to the right at the end and continued down a new street, only a few minutes later we stopped in front of a small house that looked more like a large shack than anything suitable for living in.

“Well this is my place. Hey umm could I ask you something?” The mare turned and looked to me.

“What is it?”

“Do you think you could teach me how to fight?” She asked, hiding behind her multihued electric blue mane. “I was so scared before but you two just took those ponies down in no time. Li-Living here is scary, I don’t want to be afraid anymore.”

Should I? This place is corrupt enough without adding more assassins into it. I looked at Erica who was no longer smiling. She nodded solemnly. Yeah. I think this world does need it. Celestia and Luna don’t even know how dark their world is and nopony is trying to fix it. We will train her, we will teach her the creed and we will help create a world of peace with the blade of a knife.

I looked back at Keen Sight who was looked between Erica and I anxiously, her eyes flickering between us and ears twitching.

“Do you understand what you are asking Keen Sight? If we train you then we will be training you to become a weapon. One that will become a silent blade in the darkness, striking and killing without ever being seen. You will become a harbinger of death, you will live in the dark so that others can live in the light. Do you understand?”

The mare looked terrified at my words, as I had hoped. But then she steeled herself, a hard glint entering her eyes as she looked back at me. “Yes. Please train me, I will become your blade.”

“Then bow and repeat after me” She kneeled down on her forehooves and lowered her neck to the floor. “Nothing is true, everything is permitted.”

“Nothing is true, everything is permitted.” She intoned immediately.

“Then rise Novice and welcome to the Assassin Brotherhood.” Erica continued in turn.

“Thank you for this chance.” She said to us with a smile.

“Do not thank us yet Novice. Let’s go inside, we have much to discuss.” I said.

Keen Sight opened her door and we went inside. I sighed, not able to shake the feeling that this was going to be a bad idea.

I shuffled my hooves as I watched the Master Assassins that stood before us upon the wrought iron podium inlaid with the golden symbol of our order. The room we stood in was cold, the small lanterns that lined the dark stone walls of the chamber did nothing to stave off the chill. Even our robes did little to warm our bodies as we stood at attention.

Looking over the small group that stood beside me I smiled, equal amounts of all the pony races stood side by side. Earth ponies, unicorns, pegasi and even batponies filled the small chamber, all clad in the same white robes.

Suddenly the air shifted and our masters stepped forward.

“Welcome my friends.” Shaun started. “I am glad to see that you have all succeeded with your missions and returned to us. You have each journeyed into the black hearts of this country and rooted out the ones who would lead with corruption and evil.”

“Novices, please take a step forward.” Erica said and a group of three ponies stepped forward. The pegasus and two earth ponies knelt as she stepped in front of them. “You have done your jobs well and have earned your promotions by acting with honour and following the creed. Rise Initiates and continue to honour us all with your actions.”

Erica stepped back and the newly promoted assassins exited the chamber.

15 members of the order were promoted to new ranks and left the chamber, probably to celebrate in a nearby bar. Until finally my name was called.

“Warrior Keen Sight, please approach.” Shaun ordered.

I stepped forward between the remaining ponies in the room. The moment I stood before the podium I bowed and waited.

“Rise Warrior, you were the first of us. You need not bow my friend.” Erica said to me. I looked up and smiled at the kind eyes of my friends, the first I made in many years.

“Warrior Keen Sight, you were tasked with crossing off the leader of a Manehatten crime syndicate that was buying and selling ponies in a Equestria-wide slavery ring. But you went above and beyond your mission and in doing so stopped a group that was primed to murder the princesses of our great nation. Is this correct?” Shaun asked with a big smile on his face.

“I merely did my part Master.” I answered.

“And you show humility in your accomplishments as always.” Erica commented, smiling at me also.

“Yes. As the first in the Equestrian Assassin Brotherhood you have grown powerful. When you joined you were untrained, fearful and unable to protect yourself. Now you are a blade amongst blades, a precise weapon in the darkness and a staunch protector of the innocent.”

“We believe that you should be given a rank befitting your skills, one that comes with a great responsibility but we believe you can handle it.”

Shaun took a deep breath before talking again. “We promote you to the rank of Master Assassin and with that we ask you, not order, to go to any major city and take three assassins of your choosing. There you will clear the city of any and all corruption, find recruits and begin your own brotherhood of assassins. Do you accept your new position and responsibility?”

I froze, probably for the first time in a year. The breath caught in my lungs before I remembered to clear them and breathe normally again. I looked up at my mentors, my masters, my friends and saw nothing but smiles. The same encouragement I had been getting nearly every day these past two years. Remembering all those times I knew I only had one possible answer. “Yes. I will answer the call, find a new home and new recruits. I will make you proud.”

They both continued to look down to me from the podium with smiles on their faces and answered as one. “We know you will our friend.” Looking up they surveyed the remaining crowd. “You are all dismissed, we will call for you if we require your aid.”

I watched as one by one everypony filtered out of the room until it was only Shaun, Erica and I. I looked up at my friends who were still looking at me with smiles on their faces. But I could see something behind them, something nopony else would have noticed unless they had spent as much time with the two as I have. There smile seemed somewhat forced and their eyes spoke of trouble.

“What’s wrong? I haven’t seen these shadows in your faces since we discovered the mayor of Manehatten was trying to hire our assassins.” I asked my friends.

“Keen Sight, we have heard word that the Equestrian princesses have discovered the brotherhood.” Shaun began, fiddling with his wrist blades in a familiar nervous tic. “It will only be a matter of time before they make a move and we don’t know what that will be. That is the biggest reason we need you to found your own brotherhood. We need to know that in the worst of circumstances there will still be ponies fighting for the soul of Equestria.”

“I understand, we must protect the nation. Especially from itself.”

“Exactly.” Erica answered. “You know our ways Keen, there is nopony else who could lead our ponies if we were to be lost. We rest our hopes on you and those you deem worthy to represent our order.”

“Thank you my friends, I will do you proud.” I said before turning to the exit. Making my way through the twisted corridors of the brotherhood sanctum I ruminated on the events of the last hour.

I really hope I can live up to your standard, my friends.

“Are you really sure about this Shaun?” Erica asked me.

“I have to be Erica, we don’t know what the princesses will do. They will always put their ponies first, even if they are blind to the darkness they hold in their hearts. All we can do is prepare for the future and hope that we can do some good for this world. And if the princess decides that she must remove us from the equation then we are leaving behind our creed to give the ponies something to strive for.”

“You’re right as always. I can’t believe you became so wise, it wasn’t so long ago that you were a nerdy loser with more games than friends.” She said while punching my arm.

“You weren’t any better Erica. Who was the one practically drooling over her Luna plushies when they came in the mail?” I countered her.

“Hey! Those were unique hand stitched plushies. And it was a long time ago.”

“It was 3 days before we came here. Not that long.” I said while poking my tongue out at her.

“Whatever.” She said, turning down the hall.

I’m glad I trained a few ponies how to make these. I thought while looking at my wrist blade, the new extendable hook shining next to the original blade. It wouldn’t have been easy to invent them from scratch.

“We will need to send a weaponsmith with Keen, they need to be able to make their own blades.” I said to Erica.

“I’ll get that done in the morning. Get some rest Shaun, I feel like we are going to need it.”

“Goodnight Erica.” I said while heading off to my personal chamber.

What did you mean by that?

The sounds of screaming woke me from my sleep. Looking groggily at the magical clock the artisans had built for me I could see it was only 4am. Another scream pierced the veil that sleep had left on my mind and I rushed to my feet, pulling on my jeans and hoodie before attaching my wrist blades.

I ran out of my personal chambers with my pistol drawn to hear the sounds of battle. The clang of metal on metal and the battle cries of warriors echoed throughout the underground chambers of the brotherhood’s sanctum. I watched as an apprentice fought off three enemies, killing two before succumbing to the spears of his royal guard opponents.

Immediately I fired a round into the head of the surviving guard before running down the adjacent hall, looking for more allies. Everywhere I look I could see the bodies of royal guards and assassins, some of whom I had trained with my own hands. I choked back a tear until I heard Erica’s battle cry. I practically flew down another hallway in the direction of the voice. Coming out of another long winding hallway I saw Erica fighting off five of Luna’s night guard, the batponies holding tight together and forcing Erica back towards the stone wall behind her. In a moment I dropped one of them with a well placed shot from my pistol before driving my wrist blade through the head of another. With their ranks broken by my sudden assault we dealt with with the rest before they could comprehend fighting on two fronts.

“Erica, how did they find us?” I yelled.

“I don’t know! They just appeared and started attacking.” She screamed back over the sounds of battle that echoed all around us.

“Have you seen Keen?” I asked, while deflecting the spear of another guard that had entered the room.

Erica used that moment to send her shock blade through the body of the guard before answering. “Yeah. I sent her and as many assassins as I could find out through the back exit, they should be out by now.”

“Then I guess we can start taking this seriously.” I said while checking how many rounds I have left in my pistol. Three bullets and 2 more magazines.

I am so glad this brain knew how to make gunpowder.

Erica looked at me grimly before we ran out into the next hallway. Finding ourselves at the entrance we ambushed two guards that were standing by the stairs. As we climbed our way out into the very early morning darkness we saw the one responsible for the attack. Princesses Celestia was standing there with a group of guards standing by her side and when she saw us her jaw dropped before she regained her stoic expression.

“I see that the reports were correct. You were responsible for this group of murders Desmond and Lucy, or should I call you Master Assassin’s Shaun and Erica?” She asked before continuing. “This saddens me greatly to go to such great lengths, but you cannot be allowed to disrupt the Order of my country.”

The Mistress of the Sun rose up to her full height and lit her horn, a vortex of power swirling around it. Before Erica or I could say anything she kept speaking. “I was not powerful enough to do this to Discord without the assistance of my sister and the Elements of Harmony. But you I should have enough. I, Princess Celestia, Mistress of the Sun and diarch of Equestria hereby banish the assassins Shaun and Erica to being stoned for all eternity.”

With those words the vortex of power around her horn imploded before become a beam that struck Erica and I. Slowly our flesh turned to stone but not before I could make one final act. In return for her betrayal I drew my pistol, sighted it and let out the final rounds in the magazine. One struck a guard through the eye, another missed and the other punctured Celestia’s leg, bringing her to the ground. I smiled as the stone rose up through my body, knowing that she would remember and fear our assassins for all of time.

And then the world went black.

As I flew back to the castle with a wing of guards around me and my foreleg wrapped up next to my body I couldn’t help but think of those last few moments. The look of betrayal on their faces was etched forever into my memory, even more so than what came next.

I betrayed them. I knew that I had to do this, but I wasn’t ready. I didn’t want to do this but I had to do the best for my ponies. My country needs Order and they were chaos, I couldn’t let chaos roam free again. I sighed heavily. Luna is going to hate this.

I landed heavily, forgetting that I had one less limb to make the landing. Next I dismissed the guards and made my way back inside the castle, searching out the throne room so I had somewhere to think. But when I stepped inside my thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.

“So I take it Order prevailed?” The voice said, stepping out of the light showing his tall bipedal frame, draped in thick brown clothing.

Author's Notes:

Well there we go. Part 2 of the prologue and now we can get started with the actual story.

Sorry for all the time jumps in these chapters but I would rather not use 20000 words just for a prologue and I'll probably come back to this time period in flashbacks.

I hope you are enjoying this and if you aren't then please let me know why. Every comment/like helps.