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……

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!