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.

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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.