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Description
Swift Wing cautiously trotted through the halls. She had stopped using her eagle vision by now, as it was starting to give her a headache. Nonetheless, she was pretty sure that she knew where she was going. She constantly checked for guards, ducking behind a corner or plant whenever one walked by. Suddenly, she froze as she heard a loud noise from another room. It sounded like a series of explosions. She looked around and saw a vent that led into the room. She used her hidden blade to loosen the screws, pulled off the cover, and crawled in.

Soon, she found another cover. She looked out to see that the room was enormous. She was above a balcony that overlooked the space. Swift looked closer at the area. A series of targets were arranged on a wall, and on another balcony, a few guards were operating some completed swivel guns. "Fire!" shouted a trainer. One by one, the guards turned the cranks and the small cannons fired. The guns bucked and roared as the cannon balls shot out and smacked into the targets.

Swift knew she couldn't let those guns become fully useable. They had to be destroyed. She looked down at the balcony beneath her. To her left, she saw Spitfire. She was talking with one of her associates. "I want guards posted at every storage room," she said. "We cannot allow the Assassin to destroy the rest of our guns. Do I make myself clear?" The other pony nodded and saluted. "Yes ma'am!" he said. And then, he left Spitfire to observe the trainees.

Swift quickly followed through the vent. As she watched the different guards get assigned to their posts, she began to wonder how she would be able to quickly dispose of all of the guns. There were too many rooms to destroy them individually. She would have to find a way to destroy them all at once. She placed a hoof on her chin as she pondered.

Suddenly, a thought came to her. If she could set off a large enough explosion in one room, the flames could carry on to the next, and the next, causing a destructive chain reaction. All she needed to do was find some explosives. Easy enough, she figured. She was in a military base after all. It was risky, but she didn't have many options. She nodded, and stared out of another vent cover. The guard she had been following was alone now. Swift smiled at her opportunity.

She kicked through the vent cover and lunged on top of the guard, who squirmed to try and get her off. Swift managed to pin him down, however. She flicked out her hidden blade and held it to the guard's neck. "Where are the explosives stored?" Swift demanded to know.

"I'll... I'll never tell!" stuttered the guard. Swift began to push her blade into his skin. A little bead of blood appeared. "Okay! Okay!" cried the guard. "Go down this hall and take two lefts. There's a set of double doors. The explosives are in there."

"Thank you." Swift pushed her blade all the way through the guard's neck. She didn't want to kill him, but she couldn't risk him running back to Spitfire. Swift ran off in the direction that the guard told her to go. After taking out the two guards posted at the doors, she entered the room beyond. She found a few bombs and studied them. She smiled. "Perfect," she said to herself. She stuffed four bombs in her saddlebags, and set off.

She reached the nearest storage room and took out its guards. She took out her bombs. She lit the fuse of one of them, and then tossed all four inside. Then, she ran as fast as her legs could carry her in the opposite direction. Before long, she heard the deafening bang from behind her. She kept running as she heard the rooms exploding one by one. She looked behind her to see that the flames were already catching up with her. Now Swift used her wings to bolt faster. The whole place was soon bathed in an orange hue.

Swift busted through a set of double doors. The ponies in the room beyond were scattering and screaming. Swift realized that she was in the testing room. She stopped for a moment as she saw Spitfire on one of the balconies above. She was shouting orders at the scrambling guards. She stopped yelling once she locked eyes with Swift. "You!" she shouted. She turned to some guards who were more focused amongst the flames. "Kill her! Kill the Assassin!" The guards nodded and stepped up to their guns. They put their hooves on the cranks.

"Oh no," Swift mumbled. Suddenly, the guns fired. Swift ran about, dodging flames and cannon balls. Each gun took a while to reload, but they made up for that in numbers. Swift kept dashing through the destruction. Suddenly, to Swift's luck, the vents above the shooters' balcony erupted in flame. The guards dropped to the ground, some injured. Swift used this chance to fly towards Spitfire, who had turned and began to run.

The two dashed out of the room, and the chase continued through the burning halls. The structure of the building was beginning to collapse. They rounded a corner, fast as lightning. Spitfire came to a stop as she realized she had reached a dead end with a window. She turned to face Swift. "Surrender," demanded Swift.

"Never," Spitfire spat back. Swift charged at the Templar, but before she could reach her target, another explosion sent the two through the window. The two fell uncontrollably until they hit a balcony a counter stories down. Both of them were bruised, but Swift was able to recover faster. She painfully trotted over to Spitfire, and rammed her hidden blade into her back before the Templar could get back up.

Time froze as the white void overtook Swift's reality. She looked down at Spitfire, who frowned back. "Looks like your schemes are finished," said Swift.

"At what cost?" croaked Spitfire. "Look at the destruction you've caused. The chaos. This is what happens when you Assassins get your way."

"Don't act like your way is perfect. I'm sure you have far more blood on your hooves than mine. And I'm sure a good percentage of it is innocent blood."

"Our way may be bloodier, but at least it brings order to the world."

"And that 'order' of yours would be forced and miserable. Freedom is messy and it takes time, but the peace that eventually results is true."

"But it takes far, far too long..." Spitfire was finally dead. Swift closed the Templar's eyes. "Patience is one of the many keys to peace," she said. "Rest in peace." Reality returned and Swift looked back at the building. The flames were still a ways away, but they were spreading fast. Swift quickly searched Spitfire's jacket, and soon found the mysterious paper that Fleetfoot had given her. She raised an eyebrow at the blueprint drawn on it. It looked like a long, cylindrical object with multiple gears and mechanisms attached. Swift couldn't make out what it was. She stuffed it in her saddlebag. She decided she would show it to the Assassins later.

She noticed something else in the dead body's jacket pocket. Swift pulled it out. It was a letter, and unlike the encrypted writing on the blueprint, she was able to read this one.

Dear Spitfire,

During our search for artifacts in the Crystal Empire, we believe we have finally located the Staff. After reporting to the Grand Master, she gave the order to have it immediately prepared to be sent to Canterlot. We still need to remove the artifact from its temple, and prepare it for travel. It will be a long process and we request that you send a few of your guards to aid us during this time. Your help is much appreciated. May the Father of Understanding guide us.

Cadance

Swift wanted to ponder further, but her train of thought was cut off by the sound of an explosion from above. She stuffed the letter in her saddlebag, ran to the edge of the balcony, and jumped. She flew as fast as she could to get away from the building. Eventually, she reached a safe distance. She sat on a rooftop and glanced back at the building, which was crumbling down. Swift sighed as she turned to leave.

------------

As Swift trotted through a park, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy came rushing up to her. "Oh my goodness! Are you okay?" said Fluttershy, her voice still at a whisper. "We heard about the explosions at the training building," said Rainbow. "We wanted to know if you made it out." Swift nodded. "Don't worry, I'm okay," she said. "I'm just a bit shaken up." Her friends looked at her bruises. "Oh my. You're hurt!" said Fluttershy.

Swift looked at her hoof and shook her head. "Oh, it's nothing. I'll be fine in a few days."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I appreciate the concern, but really I'm fine."

"Good to hear," said Rainbow. "Do you know what happened?" Swift shook her head. "No," she lied. "I just finished doing my job when the whole place lit up. I think one of the explosives went off by accident and caused a chain reaction."

"Did everypony else get out okay?" asked Fluttershy. Swift shook her head. "I don't know. Everything happened too fast. I didn't get the chance to check." Her friends nodded and the three sat in a sad silence. "So what're you gonna do now?" asked Rainbow. Swift thought about it for a second. "Well, since I've finished my work here, I think it would be best if I went back to Canterlot."

"Are you sure?" asked Fluttershy. "It would probably be better to rest for a while." Swift shook her head. "No. I have something urgent that I need to talk about with my friends in Canterlot. I'm still in good enough shape to travel. I'll be fine." Her friends seemed hesitant, but eventually they nodded. "Just promise to take care, okay?" asked Rainbow. Swift nodded. "Okay," she said.

"Would you be able to do something for me?" asked Swift. Her friends nodded. "Would you be able to write to a friend of mine in Ponyville and tell him that I'm heading to Canterlot. His name is Pen Quill. Just send it to Twilight. She'll get it to him." Rainbow and Fluttershy nodded. "Don't worry," said Rainbow. "We'll let him know."

"Thank you both so much," said Swift. "I'd better get going now." The three said their goodbyes and pretty soon, Swift set off to return to the Assassins in Canterlot.

------------

"There's the mare of the hour!" said Sea Foam as Swift entered the Canterlot hideout. "Riding not one, but two cities of four master Templars! I'm impressed, Swift!" Swift trotted up to her, and smiled. She looked at Cannon Fire and Feather Duster, who were standing next to Sea Foam. "Congratulations!" said Cannon Fire. "Well done," said Feather.

"Thanks so much, guys," said Swift. "But I don't think this job is quite done yet."

"When isn't it?" said Feather with a chuckle. Swift pulled out the mysterious blueprint and passed it to Sea Foam. "I took this off of Spitfire's body. I have no idea what it is. I was hoping one of you guys would know."

Sea Foam placed the paper on a desk, and studied it closely. After a moment she raised an eyebrow and lifted her head. "Well?" asked Cannon Fire.

"Based on what I can read, this is a design for a weapon of sorts," said Sea Foam. "It looks like a design for a firearm, like the cannons on my ship, but there's something really bizarre about it."

"What do you mean?" asked Swift.

"Well," continued Sea Foam. "According to these writings, it's the size of a hummingbird!" The others were silent.

"That... doesn't sound possible," said Swift.

"According to this, it's completely possible," said Sea Foam. "And that's not all. It's designed to attach to your bracer, just like our hidden blades."

"A hidden gun?"

"Exactly."

"Would we be able to craft it?" asked Feather Duster. "A device like that would be a priceless tool to have." Sea Foam shook her head. "Nopony in Canterlot would be able to make something this complex. But I do know a few blacksmiths in the Crystal Empire that should be able to." Swift's face lit up. "That's perfect!" she said. "That's where I plan to go next!"

"Oh?" said Feather Duster. Swift pulled out the Templar letter and passed it to the mentor. Feather read through it and passed it to Sea Foam and Cannon Fire when she finished. "I see," she said. "Well, Swift, I see no reason not to send you. I assign you to travel to the Crystal Empire and eliminate the Templar threat on behalf of the Assassins." Swift nodded.

"I'm going too," said Sea Foam, who trotted to Swift's side. "She'll need some help finding her way around. Plus, I really want to see this 'hidden gun' in action." Feather seemed to consider for a moment, then she nodded. "Very well," she said. "I assign you to travel there with her." Sea Foam smiled. "Thank you, mentor," she said. Feather nodded.

Sea Foam turned to Swift. "Come on," she said. "Let's get prepared to leave." Swift nodded. The four said their goodbyes, and then Swift and Sea Foam went to get supplies in another room. As they walked through the hideout, Swift noticed that some of the Assassins were looking at her differently. They almost had a look of admiration. Swift dismissed it for now, though, and she entered the supply room with Sea Foam.

Swift took off the simple outfit that Rarity tailored for her, and put on her original robes. The Crystal Empire was a very flashy place, and that would allow them to be flashy. Sea Foam tossed a short sword to Swift. She sheathed it in her belt and Sea Foam did the same with her own sword. "The guards have much better weapons and skills than the ones here in Canterlot," she said. "Hidden blades won't always be the best choice of weapon."

Swift nodded. Once the two were satisfied, they headed out. They left the Assassin hideout and set out for the Crystal Empire.

Description
Swift Wing cautiously trotted through the halls. She had stopped using her eagle vision by now, as it was starting to give her a headache. Nonetheless, she was pretty sure that she knew where she was going. She constantly checked for guards, ducking behind a corner or plant whenever one walked by. Suddenly, she froze as she heard a loud noise from another room. It sounded like a series of explosions. She looked around and saw a vent that led into the room. She used her hidden blade to loosen the screws, pulled off the cover, and crawled in.

Soon, she found another cover. She looked out to see that the room was enormous. She was above a balcony that overlooked the space. Swift looked closer at the area. A series of targets were arranged on a wall, and on another balcony, a few guards were operating some completed swivel guns. "Fire!" shouted a trainer. One by one, the guards turned the cranks and the small cannons fired. The guns bucked and roared as the cannon balls shot out and smacked into the targets.

Swift knew she couldn't let those guns become fully useable. They had to be destroyed. She looked down at the balcony beneath her. To her left, she saw Spitfire. She was talking with one of her associates. "I want guards posted at every storage room," she said. "We cannot allow the Assassin to destroy the rest of our guns. Do I make myself clear?" The other pony nodded and saluted. "Yes ma'am!" he said. And then, he left Spitfire to observe the trainees.

Swift quickly followed through the vent. As she watched the different guards get assigned to their posts, she began to wonder how she would be able to quickly dispose of all of the guns. There were too many rooms to destroy them individually. She would have to find a way to destroy them all at once. She placed a hoof on her chin as she pondered.

Suddenly, a thought came to her. If she could set off a large enough explosion in one room, the flames could carry on to the next, and the next, causing a destructive chain reaction. All she needed to do was find some explosives. Easy enough, she figured. She was in a military base after all. It was risky, but she didn't have many options. She nodded, and stared out of another vent cover. The guard she had been following was alone now. Swift smiled at her opportunity.

She kicked through the vent cover and lunged on top of the guard, who squirmed to try and get her off. Swift managed to pin him down, however. She flicked out her hidden blade and held it to the guard's neck. "Where are the explosives stored?" Swift demanded to know.

"I'll... I'll never tell!" stuttered the guard. Swift began to push her blade into his skin. A little bead of blood appeared. "Okay! Okay!" cried the guard. "Go down this hall and take two lefts. There's a set of double doors. The explosives are in there."

"Thank you." Swift pushed her blade all the way through the guard's neck. She didn't want to kill him, but she couldn't risk him running back to Spitfire. Swift ran off in the direction that the guard told her to go. After taking out the two guards posted at the doors, she entered the room beyond. She found a few bombs and studied them. She smiled. "Perfect," she said to herself. She stuffed four bombs in her saddlebags, and set off.

She reached the nearest storage room and took out its guards. She took out her bombs. She lit the fuse of one of them, and then tossed all four inside. Then, she ran as fast as her legs could carry her in the opposite direction. Before long, she heard the deafening bang from behind her. She kept running as she heard the rooms exploding one by one. She looked behind her to see that the flames were already catching up with her. Now Swift used her wings to bolt faster. The whole place was soon bathed in an orange hue.

Swift busted through a set of double doors. The ponies in the room beyond were scattering and screaming. Swift realized that she was in the testing room. She stopped for a moment as she saw Spitfire on one of the balconies above. She was shouting orders at the scrambling guards. She stopped yelling once she locked eyes with Swift. "You!" she shouted. She turned to some guards who were more focused amongst the flames. "Kill her! Kill the Assassin!" The guards nodded and stepped up to their guns. They put their hooves on the cranks.

"Oh no," Swift mumbled. Suddenly, the guns fired. Swift ran about, dodging flames and cannon balls. Each gun took a while to reload, but they made up for that in numbers. Swift kept dashing through the destruction. Suddenly, to Swift's luck, the vents above the shooters' balcony erupted in flame. The guards dropped to the ground, some injured. Swift used this chance to fly towards Spitfire, who had turned and began to run.

The two dashed out of the room, and the chase continued through the burning halls. The structure of the building was beginning to collapse. They rounded a corner, fast as lightning. Spitfire came to a stop as she realized she had reached a dead end with a window. She turned to face Swift. "Surrender," demanded Swift.

"Never," Spitfire spat back. Swift charged at the Templar, but before she could reach her target, another explosion sent the two through the window. The two fell uncontrollably until they hit a balcony a counter stories down. Both of them were bruised, but Swift was able to recover faster. She painfully trotted over to Spitfire, and rammed her hidden blade into her back before the Templar could get back up.

Time froze as the white void overtook Swift's reality. She looked down at Spitfire, who frowned back. "Looks like your schemes are finished," said Swift.

"At what cost?" croaked Spitfire. "Look at the destruction you've caused. The chaos. This is what happens when you Assassins get your way."

"Don't act like your way is perfect. I'm sure you have far more blood on your hooves than mine. And I'm sure a good percentage of it is innocent blood."

"Our way may be bloodier, but at least it brings order to the world."

"And that 'order' of yours would be forced and miserable. Freedom is messy and it takes time, but the peace that eventually results is true."

"But it takes far, far too long..." Spitfire was finally dead. Swift closed the Templar's eyes. "Patience is one of the many keys to peace," she said. "Rest in peace." Reality returned and Swift looked back at the building. The flames were still a ways away, but they were spreading fast. Swift quickly searched Spitfire's jacket, and soon found the mysterious paper that Fleetfoot had given her. She raised an eyebrow at the blueprint drawn on it. It looked like a long, cylindrical object with multiple gears and mechanisms attached. Swift couldn't make out what it was. She stuffed it in her saddlebag. She decided she would show it to the Assassins later.

She noticed something else in the dead body's jacket pocket. Swift pulled it out. It was a letter, and unlike the encrypted writing on the blueprint, she was able to read this one.

Dear Spitfire,

During our search for artifacts in the Crystal Empire, we believe we have finally located the Staff. After reporting to the Grand Master, she gave the order to have it immediately prepared to be sent to Canterlot. We still need to remove the artifact from its temple, and prepare it for travel. It will be a long process and we request that you send a few of your guards to aid us during this time. Your help is much appreciated. May the Father of Understanding guide us.

Cadance

Swift wanted to ponder further, but her train of thought was cut off by the sound of an explosion from above. She stuffed the letter in her saddlebag, ran to the edge of the balcony, and jumped. She flew as fast as she could to get away from the building. Eventually, she reached a safe distance. She sat on a rooftop and glanced back at the building, which was crumbling down. Swift sighed as she turned to leave.

------------

As Swift trotted through a park, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy came rushing up to her. "Oh my goodness! Are you okay?" said Fluttershy, her voice still at a whisper. "We heard about the explosions at the training building," said Rainbow. "We wanted to know if you made it out." Swift nodded. "Don't worry, I'm okay," she said. "I'm just a bit shaken up." Her friends looked at her bruises. "Oh my. You're hurt!" said Fluttershy.

Swift looked at her hoof and shook her head. "Oh, it's nothing. I'll be fine in a few days."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I appreciate the concern, but really I'm fine."

"Good to hear," said Rainbow. "Do you know what happened?" Swift shook her head. "No," she lied. "I just finished doing my job when the whole place lit up. I think one of the explosives went off by accident and caused a chain reaction."

"Did everypony else get out okay?" asked Fluttershy. Swift shook her head. "I don't know. Everything happened too fast. I didn't get the chance to check." Her friends nodded and the three sat in a sad silence. "So what're you gonna do now?" asked Rainbow. Swift thought about it for a second. "Well, since I've finished my work here, I think it would be best if I went back to Canterlot."

"Are you sure?" asked Fluttershy. "It would probably be better to rest for a while." Swift shook her head. "No. I have something urgent that I need to talk about with my friends in Canterlot. I'm still in good enough shape to travel. I'll be fine." Her friends seemed hesitant, but eventually they nodded. "Just promise to take care, okay?" asked Rainbow. Swift nodded. "Okay," she said.

"Would you be able to do something for me?" asked Swift. Her friends nodded. "Would you be able to write to a friend of mine in Ponyville and tell him that I'm heading to Canterlot. His name is Pen Quill. Just send it to Twilight. She'll get it to him." Rainbow and Fluttershy nodded. "Don't worry," said Rainbow. "We'll let him know."

"Thank you both so much," said Swift. "I'd better get going now." The three said their goodbyes and pretty soon, Swift set off to return to the Assassins in Canterlot.

------------

"There's the mare of the hour!" said Sea Foam as Swift entered the Canterlot hideout. "Riding not one, but two cities of four master Templars! I'm impressed, Swift!" Swift trotted up to her, and smiled. She looked at Cannon Fire and Feather Duster, who were standing next to Sea Foam. "Congratulations!" said Cannon Fire. "Well done," said Feather.

"Thanks so much, guys," said Swift. "But I don't think this job is quite done yet."

"When isn't it?" said Feather with a chuckle. Swift pulled out the mysterious blueprint and passed it to Sea Foam. "I took this off of Spitfire's body. I have no idea what it is. I was hoping one of you guys would know."

Sea Foam placed the paper on a desk, and studied it closely. After a moment she raised an eyebrow and lifted her head. "Well?" asked Cannon Fire.

"Based on what I can read, this is a design for a weapon of sorts," said Sea Foam. "It looks like a design for a firearm, like the cannons on my ship, but there's something really bizarre about it."

"What do you mean?" asked Swift.

"Well," continued Sea Foam. "According to these writings, it's the size of a hummingbird!" The others were silent.

"That... doesn't sound possible," said Swift.

"According to this, it's completely possible," said Sea Foam. "And that's not all. It's designed to attach to your bracer, just like our hidden blades."

"A hidden gun?"

"Exactly."

"Would we be able to craft it?" asked Feather Duster. "A device like that would be a priceless tool to have." Sea Foam shook her head. "Nopony in Canterlot would be able to make something this complex. But I do know a few blacksmiths in the Crystal Empire that should be able to." Swift's face lit up. "That's perfect!" she said. "That's where I plan to go next!"

"Oh?" said Feather Duster. Swift pulled out the Templar letter and passed it to the mentor. Feather read through it and passed it to Sea Foam and Cannon Fire when she finished. "I see," she said. "Well, Swift, I see no reason not to send you. I assign you to travel to the Crystal Empire and eliminate the Templar threat on behalf of the Assassins." Swift nodded.

"I'm going too," said Sea Foam, who trotted to Swift's side. "She'll need some help finding her way around. Plus, I really want to see this 'hidden gun' in action." Feather seemed to consider for a moment, then she nodded. "Very well," she said. "I assign you to travel there with her." Sea Foam smiled. "Thank you, mentor," she said. Feather nodded.

Sea Foam turned to Swift. "Come on," she said. "Let's get prepared to leave." Swift nodded. The four said their goodbyes, and then Swift and Sea Foam went to get supplies in another room. As they walked through the hideout, Swift noticed that some of the Assassins were looking at her differently. They almost had a look of admiration. Swift dismissed it for now, though, and she entered the supply room with Sea Foam.

Swift took off the simple outfit that Rarity tailored for her, and put on her original robes. The Crystal Empire was a very flashy place, and that would allow them to be flashy. Sea Foam tossed a short sword to Swift. She sheathed it in her belt and Sea Foam did the same with her own sword. "The guards have much better weapons and skills than the ones here in Canterlot," she said. "Hidden blades won't always be the best choice of weapon."

Swift nodded. Once the two were satisfied, they headed out. They left the Assassin hideout and set out for the Crystal Empire.