Scootaloo's Guardian

by Dirty Bit

Chapter 29

Chapter 29

A Change in Perspective

Rainbow Dash's lip quivered as she stared at the hole in her wing made by an angry Raphael. She could not believe that the very pride of her pegasus self had been defiled greatly, with pain to go with it "My wing! It's-...It's ruined!" The cyan pegasus said before she grunted in pain.

Pinkie was instantly saddened at the sight "Don't worry, Dashie! We'll do whatever we can to help you! I'm sure Twilight knows a spell for something like this!!"

Twilight stepped in "I can stop the bleeding, but it might be a while with a wound this size! You'll have to bear with me on this, Rainbow Dash!" She said as her horn began to glow. Rainbow Dash's wound slowly patched up while Twilight focused.

Rainbow Dash, while trying to bear her pain, smiled at Twilight "Thanks, Twilight. I should've been more careful in that fight..."

Zasalamel stood with a frown "I could say the same for Twilight herself..." Twilight stopped when finished and looked up at Zasalamel "Your expertise in the arcane arts, along with you being Celestia's personal student, has put you in high regard to your skill, and yet you hesitated against that azure mare...Why?"

Rarity chimed in "He's right! To be truthful, you're one of the most powerful unicorns in all of Equestria, and yet you let Trixie beat you!"

Pinkie frowned "Actually, that was kind of my fault when Dashie ran into me..."

Rainbow Dash scoffed "It wasn't you at all, Pinkie! It was that stupid girl's fault for tossing me into you like that!"

Zasalamel grunted "Distraction aside, you were holding back throughout your fight. I want to know your exact reason for doing so, Twilight Sparkle...Why did you not fight to your full extent against your opponent?"

Twilight noticed all of the stares she was receiving and cringed with a stressed look on her face "I-...I-I just never thought I would have to fight Trixie like this, especially with how she was acting."

Rainbow Dash was dumbfounded at the response "Are you kidding me, Twilight!? She was the biggest pain when she came to Ponyville and now she's in cahoots with those sword-wielding human jerks! That's plenty enough reason to put her in her place!!"

Zasalamel interrupted "They're not humans...Not any more..."

Applejack looked up at Zasalamel "What are they then? They look jus' like ya, only with different skin an' clothin'! Aren't they human as well?"

The cloaked man replied "I'm no longer human, and as I've said earlier, they were formerly human themselves...Back then, they were malfested into monsters that were placed in most human folklore...They are vampires..." Everypony, save for Quick Work, were shocked at this fact.

Rarity shivered before she spoke in an anxious tone "Y-You mean to tell me that Trixie's companions are...are some of the vicious bloodsuckers of legend!?"

Zasalamel nodded "It would seem their stories stretched into Equestria's history...A surprise to my knowledge, but I digress..." He looked back at Twilight "Twilight Sparkle, your performance in combat is inexcusable. A rule of thumb in battle is to never hold back against your opponent, even if it means fatally wounding them."

Twilight Sparkle looked saddened "But I can't just do that to her! She's a pony just like us! And that one over there nearly killed her!!" She said as she pointed to Quick Work as he stood silently.

Rarity looked away with a wince "While Trixie was in the wrong at the time, I couldn't wish that kind of fate on her myself..." She spoke sympathetically.

Zasalamel narrowed his eyes "Not everypony is as virtuous or morally intact like you or your friends...The one called Quick Work is a firm example of this fact. He was born to kill, and he saved your life as per his bidder's request...This one lives his life as a paid mercenary, and is devoid of the peaceful life that most of you favor. He knows when to raise arms and defend himself when his own life is on the line, and that was your own situation back there..." He pointed at Twilight with his free hand "Your own life was on the line as you faced Trixie. You may not have seen it in her eyes, but she wanted nothing more than to see you suffer before she issues the final blow. Even you should know that your own life matters when you are caught in a conflict, especially since you bear so many ties with others..."

Twilight glared at Zasalamel "Then what about Trixie!? She might have had ties of her own before we met!!" She kept her glare, but she faltered inwardly when she thought over Zasalamel's lecture.

Zasalamel glared back "You would defend your own enemy? Shameful..." He directed his gaze to the other ponies "We're going now...Pick yourselves up and let us depart from here..." The cloaked man turned and walked away without another word, and the others followed after Pinkie helped Rainbow Dash up.

Rarity went to leave before noticed Twilight remain motionless from where she stood. She trotted over and gave her friend a brief nuzzle and a reassuring smile "Please don't be sad about what Zasalamel thinks, Twilight. If it makes you feel any better, I share the same notion of your opinion, even if Trixie is the worst unicorn we've met...We'll just have to carry on and hope for the best..." She then caught up with the group on the way out.

Twilight was the last one remaining before she thought to herself with her head hung down 'Was I really wrong in defending Trixie? I couldn't just bring myself to harm her, let alone kill her...Yet Zasalamel wants me to do just that...' She sighed before she finally joined the others in leaving the storage bay.
_____

Outside, Hidden Truth stood with his group along with Braeburn, Little Strongheart, and Fluttershy. The brown unicorn smiled at the others "Can you believe it? Not only do we have our shard, but now we have more subjects to look into! This is simply magnificent!!"

Fluttershy was confused "Subjects? A-Are you talking about Zasalamel?"

Hidden Truth smiled "Who else? Just think: They may not see it now, but now everypony in Equestria can be fully aware of the existence of these bipedal creatures we've discovered recently!"

Braeburn was just as confused "Beggin' yer pardon, Truth, but doncha think that maybe them fellers an' that shard o' yers have some sorta connection? That blonde one seemed t' really want it fer himself!"

Hidden Truth looked at his shard and hummed "Now that you mention it, they do seem drawn to this particular item...And you said that the cloaked figure has one of his own?"

Fluttershy nodded "He has two, actually...He found one of them in the Everfree Forest. He didn't want us to touch them..."

Little Strongheart frowned "What kind of evil are these shards filled with!? They would infect anypony's mind at the touch!"

"One of the reasons why I collect them..."

The group turned to see Zasalamel, the element bearers, and Quick Work arrive. Braeburn noticed Applejack and galloped over to her with a hug "Cuz! Y'all 're alright!!"

Applejack sighed "Th' battle was tougher than ya think, Braeburn. Ah'm lucky t' be still standin'..." She looked away despondently 'Twilight as well...'

Quick Work stopped at Hidden Truth's side while Zasalamel continued "You would only place yourself in danger by harboring that shard for your own personal gain. I want you to relinquish it unto me to avoid any more incidents..."

Hidden Truth frowned "But this is one of the most rarest discoveries I made in my time of studying Equestria's secrets! I cannot just give it to you!"

Rainbow Dash glared "Just do what he says! That thing's trouble!!" She grunted when she felt pain in her wings "I thought Twilight stopped the bleeding!"

Twilight approached Rainbow Dash with a frown "I said I could only stop the bleeding, not the pain. I don't know any advanced medical magic to regenerate your muscle structure!"

Hidden Truth looked over and smiled "Excuse me, ladies! I happen to have a medic in my research team! Do you require assistance?"

Twilight smiled "Thank you very much, mister..."

Hidden Truth chuckled "Oh right! We haven't properly introduced! My name is Hidden Truth, and let me tell you that I'm well aware of you girls as the Elements of Harmony, namely yourself, Twilight Sparkle! Does Rainbow Dash need medical attention?"

Rainbow Dash smiled "You can repair my wing!? Oh, thank Celestia! I was beginning to think I couldn't fly any more..."

Hidden Truth nodded before he called to his group "Grand Cross? Present yourself, please!" Out of the group of unicorns, an herbal green unicorn stallion with a medium cut pink mane and a stoic expression on his face appeared. His eyes were blue, and his cutie mark was a red cross similar to Nurse Redheart's. Hidden Truth smiled "Please tend to the Element of Loyalty over there! She is in dire need of assistance!"

Grand Cross nodded before he trotted over and examined Rainbow Dash's penetrated wing with his calculating. After a moment of pause, he took a step back and planted all four of his legs into a firm position as he pointed his horn "Hold still, please. This is going to pinch." His horn glowed a light blue as he focused on the cyan pegasus.

Rainbow Dash did as she was told, and then she quickly bit back a yelp when she felt pain course through her wound. The pain was then suddenly stopped as Grand Cross cancelled his spell, causing Rainbow Dash to blink "That was it?"

Grand Cross nodded "The treatment is done. It may not look it, but I've casted a spell where new regenerative cells were embedded in the muscle tissue around your wounds to guarantee a steady recovery. However, it shall take a week's time before it can mend completely." He noted in a leveled tone, as if he were an instructor lecturing his students.

Rainbow Dash snapped in outrage "A whole week!? This is the best you can do for me!?"

Grand Cross' face betrayed no nonsense as he quirked in eyebrow in an annoyed fashion "Should I throw in a lollipop?" He quipped sarcastically before he fell back with his group, leaving behind a grumbling Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy smiled "Well...at least we know you'll be fine, Rainbow Dash. All we can do is wait for your wing to recover and we can go back to finding the other shards."

Zasalamel narrowed his eyes at Hidden Truth "We have yet to claim this one as well. You are unaware of the catastrophic power that shard alone possesses...Give it to me so that we may leave here."

Hidden Truth sighed "It does mean that much to you, doesn't it? Well, as I've said before, I cannot simply give up an amazing find in my research...However..."

Twilight perked up "However?"

Hidden Truth smiled "I think we can work something out! If you all are willing to cooperate, that is..."

Applejack trotted up "If it means gettin' that there shard outta th' wrong hooves, we'll even dance in th' middle o' this city!"

Pinkie hopped up and smiled "Really? Oh, I better go get my castanets out of my luggage!"

Rarity raised an eyebrow "Why would you bring castanets on a treacherous journey, Pinkie?"

Pinkie smirked mischievously at Rarity "The same reason you bring makeup and several dresses yourself..."

Rarity glared at Pinkie before she turned away bitterly "Touche, Pinkie Pie..."

Hidden Truth chuckled "Oh no, there's no dancing involved! This is more of a rare trade of sorts. I can give you the shard if you bring something of the same value to me!"

Braeburn perked up "So it's a trade, then?" He looked over at Little Strongheart "I can see if me or Li'l Strongheart's got somethin' in our packages!"

Hidden Truth shook his head "I doubt that any of you would carry along what I desire from you at this moment unless you actually prove daring..."

Little Strongheart frowned "What do you mean? What is it that you seek, Hidden Truth?"

Hidden Truth looked down before he smiled up at the curious group "Are any of you aware of..." He grinned "The story of Smooze?"

Twilight gasped "You mean the evil ooze from ancient times? I'm familiar with it, and Cherilee happened to perform a lecture of it in her classroom to her students as a test to see if they could pay attention."

Rainbow Dash craned her head at Hidden Truth "What the hay would you want with some gross ooze?"

Hidden Truth paced back and forth as he explained himself "I've read several stories about how our ancestors have confronted and dealt with the smooze themselves. Barring my newly acquired shard, Smooze was one of my more long-term goals in studying!" He stopped and faced the group with a smile "If I could somehow obtain a sample of my own, I shall gladly hoof over my shard to you all!"

Rarity grimaced "So we have to collect a sample of revolting sludge!? This isn't what I signed up for when I wanted to travel Equestria for some shards!"

Applejack snorted "Not even that, we don't even know th' first place t' look! This'll be like findin' a needle in a haystack!!"

"I know of a place..."

All eyes stopped on Zasalamel as he frowned "I know of a place, but it is a day's travel from this city..."

Twilight trotted up next to Zasalamel "Where? Where do we have to go in order to find Smooze?"

Zasalamel replied "A familiar location shall serve as a checkpoint to the actual location..." He looked down at Twilight as his yellow eye glowed "We have to travel back to Ponyville...From there, I can pinpoint where we should go next..."

Fluttershy was confused "Back to Ponyville? But what place near Ponyville has the smooze?"

Hidden Truth stepped in "We can talk about that later. Since the storage bay is now vacant once again, we can gather our energy before we can work out a proper strategy tomorrow! Does that sound well with you all?"

Zasalamel nodded "Very well. Then a deal is struck..." He held out his hand to Hidden Truth, who did not hesitate to shake it wholeheartedly with a smile on his face.
_____

Raphael dashed along the docklines until he reached a grassland outside of Fillydelphia. Amy caught up to him after she gathered her energy while keeping Trixie in tow with a piece of Amy's cloak wrapped around her neck while she hacked and coughed horribly. The female vampire was lucky, but at the same time saddened to keep Trixie alive for so long with her acquired medical knowledge through her time spent with her father.

The trio stopped near a brush of trees, and Amy cradled Trixie carefully in her grasp. Raphael stood and looked upon the pair before he gave a deep sigh "Amy...Do you know why I saved that pony of yours?"

Amy nodded as she sniffled "Because you want me to be happy?"

Raphael smiled "More than anything...But I must admit to you that I will not like what I have to do next..."

Amy looked up at Raphael with tears lightly streaming down her eyes as she smiled "I don't see why you do. I already see her as a family member. Please, Daddy..."

Raphael sighed "If it means advancing our goals with you in good spirits, I have no other alternative..." He sneered down at Trixie 'That vile braggart should be grateful Amy adores her so...' "Consider yourself lucky, Trixie...You've been granted an exemplary honor that only I can convey to those worthy of my time..."

Trixie weakly shifted her eyes to Raphael while clinging to her own fading life. Raphael placed his hands on her shoulders and bared his fangs at her before digging them deeply into her neck.

End of Chapter 29

Comments

[bloodwolf432]

Wanting Smooze? Trading one evil for another, but the question being which is more evil? The sword that steals souls or the liquid that corrupts absolutely?

[frapers]

hu kind of expected him to kill hidden truth on the spot and take the shard for himself

[Dirty Bit]

1179802 Zasalamel has standards. I mean, he let Ivy live after they engaged in combat according to her storyboard on her chatacter profile. Now if Ivy were in the story, she would've done that to Hidden Truth

[Poise]

1180930

Are these the only people we can expect to see?

By the way, when does this story take place? It's such a typical event in the Soul Series its difficult for me to tell...

I want to see Algol.

[Dirty Bit]

1182105 I'm not gonna keep answering questions that involve spoilers in the comments. All I can tell you is wait and see.

And (Perhaps maybe) you will love what you see!

[DavidPony]

FUCK YES VAMPIRE TRIXIE!

[Dirty Bit]

1451319 Essentially, but this is me sticking with his alternate costume in SC3. I liked it the most

[An Untalented Writer]

Never thought I'd see another Soul Calibur crossover here. Keep up the excellent work.

Also, here's a seal of approval.
seasweetie.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/546seal-of-approval.jpg

[Dirty Bit]

1573551 Thank you

EDIT: I forgot you were the author of 'An Equestrian Nightmare'. Keep up the good work on that as well

[tntgod123]

i really like this fic and i hope you dont stop righting it plz.... i know that it's not that populare put i really like it! but if you whant to cancel it i cant stop you..
but maybe in the futrue you can come back to it an revize it? well best of luck to ya dirty..

[FuntimeBrony]

i love it

[Chuck Baleigh]

So I came across this fic on a whim.
Sir, were you under the influence of any stimulants or depressants as you wrote this?
Astaroth. You could choose any Soulcalibur character to put into Equestria, and it's Astaroth.
This is insane.
Unheard of.
But most importantly, genius.
I expect good things from this.

[Dirty Bit]

1934473 Thank you for your comment, kind sir!

[Icarus Crimsonhoof]

1988451 I believe it was andrew ryan that said that man was a miserable pile of secrets. If i'm wrong please inform me when you know.

[Dirty Bit]

1988483 I was more towards Castlevania rather than Bioshock

[Icarus Crimsonhoof]

1988489 Oohhhhh. okay.

[Dirty Bit]

1991280 Meh, I don't mind it at all. I'm glad you enjoy this fic, though.

[Cirrus_Brony]

MOAR! Finally a Soul Caliber fic! Anyway this is fantastic, and I hope it gets updated soon.

[Lordsprinkles]

this story is underrated. sure it's a tiny bit sloppy in places but nobody is perfect. to be honest this is a very good story and I simply need
i2.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/000/574/moar-cat.jpg