> Sanguine Souls
>  by Guardian Jayhawk
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue, Soulless Reaper: The Hawk Among Us.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Oblivion is inescapable to those who do not hold the willpower of the gods



A faint, indescribable ruckus brushed past the perked ears of a peculiar striped pony as he turned his attention towards the sound. Within his place of origin, Tartarus, Soulless Reaper stood as still as an acute hare, waiting for another clue to fuel the attention he had given to the quieter sounds of an already loud area. To his surprise, Soul again heard the reoccurring noise of what now sounded like an actual physical dispute between several different beings. He turned towards the source to quickly find it was coming from the direction of the Banished Cells, where those banished to Tartarus are held for eternity unless they are set free by Hades himself.

The quick and sweeping thought of a riot within the cells both worried and excited Soul. Beings who are strong enough to break out are a force to be reckoned with, but Soul welcomed any scent of action within the Underworld whenever he could. With swift movements, Soul made his way towards and throughout the Banished Cells, his accelerated breathing being the only sound clashing against the clopping of his hooves and the slight clanking of the blades on his triple-pronged scythe. The Banished cells seemed like a maze to Soul as he hazardously navigated them, but before he felt truly lost, Soul's direction was quickly assured by a loud crash which sounded like a large piece of metal being thrown at some defenseless pottery. After a few hasty corner-turns, Soul found the commotion he sought.

The sight Soul was presented with widened his eyes and ruffled his feathers. One of the Oblivion guards of the prison lay motionless under a slew of shattered urns. It surprised Soul to see something he thought was quite tough helplessly strewn on the floor in an unconscious mess. (Cardio time! Chase music!)

'Is this the warden?....what happened here?' Just as he turned his attention toward the end of the hall, Soul's pondering was cut short as he barely caught eye of a being quickly turning the corner from which he had come. Haste overthrew Soul's confusion as he swiftly took tail of his lead and bent around the same corner, chasing closely after the supposed culprit.  Upon gaining sight of his target, Soul could faintly deduce the being as humanoid in shape.

'I never knew humans could be this fast. There's something different about this one' Soul thought over the sound of his own harsh heaving. After nearly a minute of chasing his anonymous target back through the cell halls, the figure finally reached the bridge that connected the Banished Cells to the mainland of the Underworld with Soul in hot pursuit. In the slightly more revealing light outside, Soul could confirm that he was in fact chasing a plain-looking human male. From what Soul's perspective showed, the man was shirtless with navy-blue jeans and black sneakers that held surprisingly well considering his speed. Jet-black hair flowed behind him like dark blades of grass swaying in the wind. However, Soul's mid-chase inspection was cut short as the man suddenly landed on his right  foot to sharply turn left down a nearby hallway. As he mimicked the escapee's direction, Soul looked up to notice that the man was headed in the direction of Hades' tower.

As he pondered the mysterious inmate's intentions, Souls spoke up out of impulse "I hope you're not headed for Hades himself! He really hates it when beings try to escape!". To his dismay, the man didn't seem phased by Soul's words, as he kept moving on the same route without so much as looking back. Soul decided to slow down to catch his breath as the two reached the dreaded tower, sure that the man would, at least, have trouble making it through the gate and guards behind it. 

Then, like a thrown brick slamming him in the face, the sound of boom followed by a large wooden crash hit Soul and shook him for a moment before he gave attention to the gate. One of the doors just in front of him lay flat against ground, and the regular human Soul had been chasing was on the other side, charging head-long against a crowd of guards who had been alerted to the man's entrance. Soul watched in disbelief as the clearly inhuman male tackled shoulder-first into the first guard, shoving him aside like a branch hanging on a tree. The three following him quickly met the same fate as they were tossed aside by the train of mere skin, meat and bone that opposed them.

"Dammit!" Soul shouted to himself as his mind came back to him "I don't know who this guy is, but I can't let him get to Hades!" With frustration now pushing him, Soul double-timed his speed into the spiral-staircase of the towering structure. Over his own, Soul could hear the pounding footsteps of the man above him on the stairway. As he tried to catch up, an idea presented itself to Soul; he gave his wings a sharp look before spreading them and leaping into the middle of the staircase. Within the somewhat confined hole in stairs that led to the top of the tower, Soul's wings had just enough space to allow him to increase his speed at climbing the tower, quickly passing the man with a swoop of turbulence. For nearly half a breath's moment, Soul caught the glance on the human who sped up the stairs of the tower. A feeling of unease struck Soul as the man's piercing, green-eyed gaze tore into his own with a look of determination and strife.

'This guy's got a nasty vibe. I have to stop him now!' Soul concluded to himself as he swooped up out of the staircase and landed in front of the door to Hades' throne room. The resounding clatter of hastened footsteps filled the air as the man continued to climb stair after stair, the sound growing ever louder and closer as he ascended. Within just a few moments, the man stepped off the last stair and, to Soul's surprise, stopped before the striped Underworld pony. From the front, Soul saw that the man looked somewhat young for his build and stature, and his face bore a scar that angled from the bridge of his nose down to his left cheek.

"Stop, prisoner!" Soul demanded, quick to speak against the human "You can't run amok like this! Return to your cell at once, and stay there until you are released!" In his haste, Soul hadn't noticed how alarmed he had become whilst shouting.

As Soul's words reached him, the stern expression on the man's face quickly faded, replaced by slight confusion. He scoffed lightly and looked behind him before tilting forward "You're kidding, right?" The man spoke in a low, young adult-like tone. Through his now clear appearance and voice, Soul guessed he was no older than his late twenties. "After beating up my warden, storming into Hades' tower, and charging through a crowd of guards, I honestly didn't think I'd be given the option to just quietly return to my cell like a good little boy"

"We're used to your kind of riotous type here" Soul retorted in a lower voice "As well, we can't torture the lives of the still-living. Your condemnation to rot in jail is punishment enough"

"That doesn't seem like a very effective punishment" The male quickly rebutted, motioning towards himself 

"If you'd like, the alternate punishment is death" Shot back Soul with a mocking tone

"That's the answer I was looking for!" Said the man as he swiftly slammed his right fist into the opposing palm. As quick as his words, The man dashed forward towards Soul, who matched the speed of his opponent in drawing his scythe to strike. Just as the three blades swept towards Soul's target, the man ducked down and slid on his knees against the smooth tiled floor, slipping under Soul's weapon and bouncing back to his feet on the opposite side of Soul. With his enemy off-balance, the man quickly took to the doors behind Soul, immediately bursting them open with a side kick that cracked the very handles it landed on. To Soul's dismay, Hades was there in the room, quietly sitting on a black and dark-blue regal chair behind a similarly-colored desk. He was focusing on something just as the doors to his chambers flew open, only catching his attention as he took off and placed down a pair of glasses that Soul had never seen him wear before.

After a silence of a few moments, Hades clasped his hands and re-adjusted his stare as he spoke "Can I help you?"

Before Soul could interject, the human spoke up in a demanding manner "Hades, I have been imprisoned here without accusation by underhanded works of magic. I demand repossession of my sword and exit of this place, or I'll do both those things myself!"

Without changing his somewhat pleased and light expression, Hades turned to look at Soul, who stood as still as stone just a few feet behind the human "Heya, Soul! You got any idea who this guy is?" Hades asked as he pointed a pale blue finger towards the human, who crossed his arms in response.

"...no idea, sir" Soul hesitantly admitted

"Well, he looks human. Are you human?" Hades quickly quizzed the man

"...sort of?" The man replied with a shrug

"Right! So, tell me, Soul..." Hades cut himself as he crawled along the floor as a tiny blue flame before reappearing before the doorway and speaking in a raising tone "...why....he escaped....FROM HIS CELL?!" The blue flames atop Hades' head burst into a furiously burning orange, painting his head a burning flushed red.

As embarrassment and fear overtook Soul's thoughts, his attempt to reply was stopped when the man spoke up "Hey listen, hothead, the pony had nothing to do with this-"

"I'M NOT TALKING...TO YOU!" Hades swiftly retorted with an incriminating point aimed at the man as he cut off his sentence. The flames on Hades' head burned bright for a few moments before they sizzled back down to his calmer blue state "Okay...fine, fine...it's cool. I'm fine" Following a couple deep breaths, Hades' continued towards the nameless man  "Listen, kid, not breakin' out is one of my rules, and ya can't go around breaking other people's stuff, ya know?"

"Yeah, I know" The man replied blankly.

Hades was silent for a couple seconds before he spoke up "...yeah...so then why'd you break out?" Hades asked in an annoyed tone

"Well...I didn't know that was a rule until now" Said the man, in the same blank tone.

"YOU...." Hades quickly shouted back, the flames on his head flashing orange and back to blue as he held back his anger "Soul, would you mind handling this? Kinda busy"

"Of course" Soul firmly replied, shooting a look towards the man "Let's go, prisoner. There's nowhere left for you to run"

The man's expression suddenly grew stern as he returned Soul's gaze "I'm not leaving this tower until I get what I came here for" He spoke in a harder tone. Soul could feel the tension between the two of them rising as the man made his statement. Sharpening his stare, Soul took a readied stance where he stood across the room.

Scarcely breaking the tension, Hades spoke up "Ah! Alright...how about...we make things a little interesting, huh?" He clasped his hands together as his eyes jumped from Soul to the man across from him "If you can beat little old Soulless Reaper here, I'll let you have your stuff back. Eh? Sound like a fair deal?"

As if he gleamed at the proposition of a fight, the man's expression lit up upon Hades' words. He darted his gaze back to Soul as he spoke "You've got yourself a deal, Fireman" The man said towards Hades whilst keeping his attention on Soul "I'd be lying if I said I didn't expect it to come to this". Just as he finished speaking, The human immediately took his own fighting stance, standing sideways and sliding his foot forward. His arms came up sideways to chest-height as he clenched his fists hard and tensed his muscles. From a glance Soul could tell he was a man who clearly revered battle, considering his quick agreement to a duel and his seeming contentedness to fight Soul despite the fact that he was unarmed. A faint sense of smugness flushed through Soul as he began guessing that the man wouldn't stand a chance against any form of skilled aggression. Pulling his triple-pronged scythe off his back, Soul stood on his hind legs in preparation of an impending need to swiftly move.

"...well, anytime you're ready, fellas" Hades blurted, breaking the small silence that had gathered over the last few moments. He sat at attention at his desk, awaiting the battle to begin. (And so it shall: Time to Rawk with the Hawk! Battle music!)

Just as Hades finished speaking, the man immediately stomped his foot down hard into the floor. Soul had barely turned his attention from Hades to his opponent in time to see the human dash off the spot he was standing on, causing the tile underneath his foot to shatter under his force. As the man's fist came crashing down upon him, Soul narrowly dodged by jumping back and keeping himself afloat on his wings, causing the man's powerful attack to crack the floor where it landed. Within the brief moment before Soul's counterattack, the man looked up to meet his gaze to show that his previously light-green irises had somehow become a flourishing red. With a quick swoop, Soul dashed down at the man as he crouched still on the ground, intent to take advantage of the opening. To his sudden dismay, however, Soul's downward slash was nimbly avoided by the man with a slight movement of his body as he leaned his chest away from the blades. The moment the man threw a fist toward his enemy's incoming body, Soul reacted by shifting his weight and spinning in mid-air, then swinging on his scythe to boot the man away with both his hind legs. Using the momentum of this counter, Soul then tore his weapon from the ground as he leaped through the air, slashing downward once again on the man just as he had recovered. 

Yet, like an arrow through the gut, a moment of shock hit Soul just as his attack connected. Everything seemed to move slowly as Soul watched the man duck forward at an incredible speed, coming close enough to Soul that the staff of his scythe was instead the part that landed roughly against the man's right shoulder. With naught more than a flinch, the man took the pain in-stride as he swiftly grasped his opposing hand to Soul's throat, using his other to toss the weapon away. With a tightening of the grip he had on his enemy's gullet, the man leaped through the air before spinning once and whipping Soul's entire being to the hard ground, shooting strikes of pain to his back and pulling the air from his lungs. On the momentum of his throw, the man half-spun once more before falling onto Soul's stomach with his elbow, producing the same amount of force and pain on the opposite side of his torso. As if punishing opponents was to his delight, the man continued his onslaught by quickly rolling backwards and lifting Soul off the ground with a hard swing kick to the head, before dashing forward at his raised form, slamming a shoulder into Soul's back hard enough to send him flying towards a bookshelf. Nerves throughout Soul's spine and shoulders protested violently against him, pulsing with torrents of pain and keeping the downed pony flat on his back beside the furniture he had just smashed into. Soul flinched hard as a single book tipped off it's edges and fell sideways onto his snout.

"Wahahahow, wow!...WOW! Now THAT was one heck of a show, I'll tell you. One HECK...of a show" Hades spoke up in an impressed manner, clapping his hands slowly "I don't think I've ever seen someone beat on ol' Reaper like that before, to tell ya the truth"

Soul, still grasping onto his consciousness, managed to open his eyes to assess Hades and the human. Upside-down in Soul's sight, the man lay one hand on his slightly-reddened shoulder, and was moving it about in a circle, as if exercising it's joint. He was looking down at Soul with a blank, yet stern, expression, and the light-green coloring had returned to his eyes. Hades walked in from the man's right side and patted him on the back before speaking "You fight pretty good, kid. What's your name?"

The man had turned his gaze from Hades to Soul before responding "Jayhawk. Call me Jayhawk". On his words, the man stopped his shoulder's motion and clenched his fist hard in front of him before throwing his arm down by his side.

"Well, 'Jayhawk', I suppose I owe ya your stuff back" Hades confessed, walking back over to his desk. He bent down and began writing something on a small piece of paper before speaking again in a lower tone "Goodness knows I'm not even sure if ya need it..."

"What about him?" Jayhawk asked, breaking Hades concentration to gain his attention. As Hades looked up, he saw Jayhawk pointing at a collapsed Soulless Reaper, who groaned lightly in response "I don't suppose you want to leave a beaten pony in your study?"

"Oh, yeah, right. I'll get someone up here to fix him up" Hades replied, holding up the piece of paper "Take this to the directory, and tell 'em you want your stuff back. They'll tell ya where to get it, and all that" 

As Hades walked over to Jayhawk and handed him the note, Soul's vision suddenly began to fade. Jayhawk looked down at him with the same blank expression before Soul's consciousness gave up entirely, leaving his mind to a black void.

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

A small chill was in the air as Soul stood still at the shore of the River Styx, idly watching it's unnatural flow. Sore bruisers and battered bones still hung heavy on his wings and back, constantly reminding him of his failure. His mood mopey and grim, Soul closed his eyes and hung his head down, shameful of what his overconfidence had brung him.

"Hey. Soulless Reaper, was it?" A familiar voice from behind Soul approached, startling him as he looked backwards. Soul turned to see the very human he had chased, fought, and lost to standing behind him. The man now wore a black shirt on his upper body which had it's sleeves rolled up to his elbows, with a belt and sling strapped over his right shoulder which housed a large, two-handed sword with a golden handle. The man's seemingly upbeat expression faltered as he noticed the few bandages on Soul's head and torso. He raised one of his hands, which both now bore a pair of fingerless gloves, up to the back of his head and scratched it sheepishly before speaking again "You feeling any better?"

Soul stayed silent, still somewhat bitter for his loss and embarrassment in front of Hades. Any cheeriness remaining in Jayhawk's face had now faded in-turn for regret. "Listen, I know I went about things a bit drastically, and I suppose I really should've held back a bit in that fight..." Jayhawk diverted his gaze, seemingly embarrassed to continue "Sorry for acting like a hard-ass. I was just trying to make sure I could get out of here, man"

As the sound of an apology, Soul's expression lightened up a bit. He looked down at the floor for a few moments before finally speaking "It's fine. I underestimated you, anyways. It was my fault I lost"

"Well, yeah, you lost..." Jayhawk piped up in a matter-of-fact tone "...but that doesn't mean I had to boot you into the air and tackle you into a bookshelf. Can you say 'overkill'?"

Jay's joking manner somewhat continued to lighten Soul's mood, causing him to smile a little as he replied "You were simply punishing an opening. It may have hurt, but at least it was cool. Even I can admit to that". Soul closed his eyes and chuckled lightly, causing Jay to chuckle with him.

"I guess we can at least agree on that! I do often go for the more finesse-type moves" Jay confessed in a spieling-manner, as if advertising his fighting style "In fact, I can think of a few times that trying something cool nearly got me killed! It's all about the glory, and never about the practicality". The two chuckled a bit more before Soul quickly came to the realization that he was enjoying the conversation with the man he had just battled against. The thought of how someone who was just his enemy now felt like a friend bewildered and surprised Soul.

'That was a huge tone shift...' Soul spoke in his mind '...I guess this guy isn't so nasty after all'

"Anyways..." Jayhawk spoke up, re-catching Soul's attention "I've got to head back to where I came from now. Quite a few people are probably waiting on me. You mind showing me where in this place I could do that?"

"Sure, just follow me" Soul said, accepting the request regardless of his sore bones "I'll take you to the World Portal. From there, you can choose where you want to go"

"Sounds good to me" Jayhawk responded, taking foot as Soul lead the way.

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

After a handful of minutes of walking, Soul and Jayhawk soon stood before the large, green World Portal. Soul raised his view to the top of the portal, toward the gargoyles who controlled it. "Alright, this is it. Just shout the name of the world you want to go to, and this portal will take you there"

"Uh, okay, if it's that simple..." Jayhawk shrugged before stepping forward and shouting his command "Chicago, Illinois, Earth!". Jay seemed somewhat surprised to see the gargoyles atop the portal move as they slammed their fists upon it's rim, causing the green visage of the portal to spin for a few moments before showing an image of a large city bordering a sea "Awesome! So, I just walk through?"

"Yes. It really is that simple" Soul stated, nodding in response

"Cool" Jay said, staring at the portal with his arms on his waist. He seemed to be thinking about something before he turned to Soul "Listen, if you ever need my help, don't be afraid to ask for it if you can. I am a Guardian, after all"

The word "Guardian" rang through Soul's mind as he thought long and hard about how Jayhawk could help, or why he would even offer. Then, an idea quickly hit Soul "Actually, there's another world I know of called 'Equestria'. It's inhabited by ponies like me"

As if he knew Soul's next words, Jayhawk extended a hand and interrupted "Say no more, Soul. I promise I'll lend my aid to Equestria if it should ever be needed"

"Thanks. I appreciate your offer" Soul admitted as he shined Jayhawk a smile, which was quickly returned.

"Hold me to it" Jay joked, pointing a finger towards Soul "See you later" Jayhawk waved as he began walking towards this destination.

"Bye, Jayhawk. Do come back if you ever have the time" Soul impulsively spoke, unsure whether he would sound imposing.

"I will if I can!" Jay replied as he stepped into the portal "Adios, Soul!" The last words Jay spoke seemed to echo past Soul as the man disappeared in the city's image, which was swiftly replaced by the World Portal's regular green swirl.

'"Guardian"...' Soul thought, the word still stuck to him like glue '"Guardian Jayhawk"...I suppose I'll remember the name'
> Chapter 1, Soulless Reaper: Unwelcome Guests
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Blood. A sin for a man to spill another's, and in desperation, a man may seek forgiveness for his sins. In pursuit for forgiveness, that man is often destined to atone by living through agony and letting time slip away. The sorrow in the furthest reaches of one's memory, and the sorrow just beyond one's memory...which is truly more heartbreaking?



~~~~~~~~~~

The River Styx flowed like a true river, denounced as such by the souls flooding it. Soulless Reaper stared with red eyes into the abyss of the lost essences of the dead as he passed through on Charon’s ferry. The dull shine of the river reflected Soul's black coat, dotted at certain points with white stripes and his white curled mane drooped halfway over hsi face. Soul's wings seemed to shiver a bit as he inspected the walls above the river. He did not enjoy these trips mostly because of Hades’s decorations. Hades hung skeletons of ponies, humans and other unknown creatures across the walls. Sure, it matched the setting, but it seemed to Soul that Hades found a sick pleasure in scaring or intimidating anyone that passed through. The journey seemed to become longer to Soul every time he rode, and his thoughts flowed like the river below him as the boat traveled along it. 


Hopefully, the mass of these souls have done good; Tartarus is crowded as it is. Perhaps I may be able to find home someplace else soon Soul revelled, enjoying the thought of being part of a civilization like the other ponies in Equestria. He had always liked hanging around them, despite their blatant opposition of his efforts. Although trouble had been showing up in the land more than occasionally, Celestia had always wished that Soul would take a non-lethal route to dealing with it.  What other route is there? He pondered.

Soul turned and looked at his three-pronged scythe that lay beside him on the ferry. The spectral light from the river shined off the triple blades, giving it an eerie, ghost-like glow.  The engravings along the bottom of the handle were lit up by the shine of the blades, revealing the dark magic that coursed through it. 

There really is no other route for me. This is what I was born for. Soul concluded, shrugging off any feelings of remorse. He was who he was. His origins, and even his cutie mark, said so. If I don’t stop those that threaten Equestria’s safety, nobody will.   

After a short while, Charon’s ferry arrived at the shore of Tartarus. From the dock, Soul could see the turret which Tisiphone stood with her whip, keeping a close eye on the prisoners and Hecatons that guarded them.

Every time Soul laid eyes on Tartarus after being in the mortal world, he felt privileged to have a good standing with Hades. Tartarus was the eternal prison for the damned, and Soul could wander about freely, leaving and returning whenever he needed to on the exception that he do Hades’ hunting for him. Albeit, traveling between the two worlds could be rather tedious. Hades had Soul running about like his attack dog.

At least I’m not the only attack dog here Soul joked to himself as he silently greeted Cerberus, the three-headed guard dog to the gates of Tartarus. Just past the gate lay the vast prison in which the evil and wicked were kept to suffer for eternity. It hovered above a large and black abyss where the Titans were imprisoned, suspended by the paths which led into the middle where Hades usually resided. 

Soul trekked on, paying little attention to the guards and prisoners scattered about the prison. Tartarus was a place of suffering, where the inmates were punished depending on what their crimes in life consisted of.  The greedy were given great riches just to have them stolen away, murderers were physically tortured constantly, and the lazy were forced to work every minute for eternity to no avail. It truly was a place of eternal suffering. It was also Soul’s home, and although some of his worst enemies were imprisoned there, he preferred to be there keeping an eye on them all. In a way, he was also one of the watchmen. 

As he was walking, Soul soon heard something approaching quickly from behind him. He turned to see Nuntius, one of the underworld’s goblin messengers approaching him. 

“Soul, I’ve got... a memo...for you,” Nuntius said through gasps of breath, “Another soul court you have to attend... on the double!”

Soul scowled. Of course, that mindless drone can’t think for himself, remembering the incident that incited the creation of the soul court.  Soul’s brother had fell into the river styx and became a deformed, mindless drone. He could no longer make decisions for the dead entering the underworld, so the soul court was created to do such tasks for him. It was because of this that Soul disliked attending the courts, and being notified so late didn’t help the matter. 

“Thanks, Nuntius. I’ll be on my way immediately” Soul replied, slinging his scythe onto his back and taking off on his wings as fast as he could in the direction of the court. 

It wasn’t long before Soul was standing before the portal that lead into the courtroom. Upon stepping inside, Soul immediately noticed the dramatic change in temperature. The floor was made of a smoothed bedrock floating above an endless pit of fire. The courtroom was meant to look intimidating, but the heat was so unbearable in contrast to the cold of the Underworld that trying to cool down was all Soul could focus on. He was used to it by now, but entering the courtroom always took adjusting. Once he did so, Soul walked over to the jury’s bench and took his seat, waiting for the case to begin.

After a few minutes, a red-skinned, demonic man in a suit and glasses entered alongside a normal earth pony with a red coat and brown mane.  Upon looking closely, Soul could see that his coat was very pale and his eyes were slightly bloodshot with bags under them. His cutie mark appeared to be a hammer crossed with a wrench, indicating that he was some sort of repair or handy-work pony. They sat down at the defense table halfway across the courtroom.

I wonder what he’s in for. He looks so....regular. I doubt he’s here for anything hostileSoul pondered. His thought were broken as the sound of the judge’s mallet slammed down several times.

“This soul’s court will now come to session” spoke a high, rickety voice from a human skeleton dressed in long black silk robe and a judge’s wig. The judge was new every time. A few of them had Soul holding back laughter, while others downright disgusted him.  “Brawny Boulder, you have been convicted of several murders and the practice of vampirism. How do you plead?”

Vampirism? That’s not very common, especially not with ponies. Soul thought, dumbfounded that his suspicions of the pony were very wrong.  Perhaps this court will prove to be interesting for once.

“The client pleads guilty, your honor” spoke the red lawyer, in a rather proper tone.

“What?!” protested Brawler, planting his hooves on the table he sat at, “I said I’m not guilty! I didn’t-”

The judge slammed his mallet down “Quiet, or I’ll turn you into a suitcase!” he threatened, leaning forward and pointing the mallet at Brawler, who sat down quickly in response. “Now then, back to the matter at hand...”

Before the judge could continue, the fire below the courtroom quickly changed its burning orange color into a cool blue. A few seconds later the fire raged, and Hades himself suddenly appeared out from it with a poof, appearing onto the courtroom floor in a small cloud of smoke. 

“Heya, everybody!” Hades exclaimed across the courtroom “Now, you all know I hate to interrupt these, but I just need to borrow Soulless Reaper for a teensy little bit” Soul blinked in confusion as he stared at Hades, who sheepishly waved back and beckoned him to follow.

I just finished hunting for him, what does he want from me now?  Soul thought as he begrudgingly got up and followed Hades out of the courtroom. 

As soon as they were outside the courtroom, Hades spun on his heels to face Soul, an odd smile across his face. “So, Soul, how was the last catch?” he said, eager to hear the details.

“The target came without resistance. He will be punished for...whatever he was guilty for, I guess” Soul replied, hoping Hades would get to his point quickly. He wanted to know more about the soul court case at hand.

“Oh good...good. I can always count on you to take care of a dire situation ” Hades said, patting Soul on the head “That's exactly why I pulled you from that BORING soul courtroom. I need you to take care of something very urgent...very quickly”

As long as it’s not another hunt, I'll be happy to oblige...  Soul thought, slightly doubting the urgency of the task. Hades always made things sound worse, or better, than they usually were.

“Anything, Lord Hades” Soul replied. “What would you have me do?”

“I need you to go...find something OR perhaps someone for me. Easy stuff.” Hades advertised, sounding as sincere as he could. He knew Soul would be annoyed to be hunting again so soon. “It’s in Manehattan, in the little pony world. A few ponies have gone ‘off the radar’, all at this same exact place”

Off the radar? Doesn't that mean... Soul trailed his thoughts into his words “Shouldn’t they appear in the Underworld soon then?” Soul asked, sure that the dead souls would immediately transport to the Underworld for judgement.

“Yes...well, that’s the problem!” Hades exclaimed, sounding almost worried. ’None of them have been showing up here, and you know how I hate when invited guests don’t show up. I’d love if you could just try to find who has their souls, y'know, if anybody has 'em.  Sound good?”

“I’ll do it.” Soul accepted, still annoyed that he would miss the only interesting soul court in months. “Where in Manehattan should I go?”

“Oh, lemme help you with that” Hades said, putting his hand on Soul’s back. Suddenly they both erupted in Hades' blue flames, and within seconds were standing by the Underworld portal. The tall, purple oval was adorned with two watchful gargoyles that sat at the top.
“Hey boys!” Hades yelled at the gargoyles “Soul is headed to Manehattan, Equestria. Boulder’s Repair and Retails! Make it happen!”

At Hades’ request, the gargoyles pounded their fists against the top of the portal, revealing a wavy picture of Manehattan at a bird’s eye view. Soul walked towards the portal without hesitating, eager to get his task done quickly.

“Good Luck!” Hades said just before Soul entered the portal.

A white light blinded Soul upon entering the portal, causing him to shut his eyes. Suddenly the ground felt as if it disappeared and reappeared again under him. When Soul opened his eyes, he was standing in large, dark room littered by tables, workbenches, tools, and what seemed to be pieces of rails to hold a carriage in place.

“Boulder’s Repair and Retail”? This place seems to have been abandoned for a while Soul thought, upon inspecting the shop. What am I to do in here?

Soul was caught off guard as he heard the faint sound of a large metal door opening and closing in what seemed to be the back of the shop. Following the noise, Soul entered the metal door he had heard being used. 

Soul now stood in a small room with a few chairs and tables, seemingly what used to be a lunchroom for employees. Beside the door he entered was another door, this one with a gated window at the top. Looking through the window, Soul could make out three tall figures standing in front of a large windowed wall that lead to what seemed like a black room

Suddenly, Soul heard footsteps behind him. Before he could react, Soul’s head was slammed in between the door and a blunt object. As his vision faded, he barely saw a very tall being dressed in some sort of hooded crimson garb. 

Then everything was black.

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

Soul’s head throbbed as he awoke in a dark room. His vision was blurred and wavered, and threatened to fade again at any moment. He groaned as he tried to stand to no avail, noticing that his scythe was also gone. He could just barely see a couple of other ponies standing in front of him.

“Hey, he’s awake.” said a voice from beside Soul, causing the ponies in front of him to turn.

“Do you think he’s okay?” said a female voice.

“Come on kid. Here, lemme help you” said a voice as somepony beside Soul helped him up. Now standing, Soul managed to make out the two ponies that stood in front of him, then looked to see the pony beside him who helped him stand.

“Where...?” Soul stopped himself as he saw the source of light in the room. A large, rectangular window across the room lead to a dimly lit room that barely illuminated the room he stood in.  In the room the window lead to, Soul could see three tall figures.

Suddenly, a realization hit him. Just before being knocked out, Soul had seen the room with the same windowed wall where the same three tall figures stood. He was standing in the room beyond the window wall, and they were watching him.

“What’s going on here?!” Soul asked, a sudden urgency growing in his voice.

“Ease up kid. We are just as worried as you are. We think those things in that window kidnapped us all and locked us in this room. We don’t know what they want...” explained the pony beside him.

Just then, one of the figures moved and a clicking sound could be heard throughout the room. From seemingly nowhere, a voice spoke.

“Welcome. Do not be afraid. We have no hostile intentions” spoke the voice, which was oddly deep and distorted, seemingly to mask the speaker. ‘We intend to grace all of you with something very special. When it is done, we will return your freedom to you. Please be patient.”

At that moment, one of the figures disappeared from view. When it reappeared, Souls hooves suddenly felt wet. Some sort of liquid was being leaked into the room. Soul recognized the scent immediately.

“W-what is this? Some sort of liquid?” exclaimed the male pony that stood in front of him, raising and lowering his hooves.

“It’s blood” Soul remarked firmly. “They’re leaking blood into this room”

‘Blood?” replied the male pony, a hint of worry in his voice. ‘Why blood? What are those things planning?!”. He looked up at the window at the three figures, who now seemed to be huddled together. A faint mumbling could be heard from the window. “What the.....do you hear that?”

The other ponies nodded, still looking up at the window. Suddenly, the blood beneath their hooves began to ripple. It glowed a bright red and started moving about as if something was shaking the room. The other ponies seemed worried. Soul stood still, looking at the blood, trying to decipher what kind of ritual was being performed.

The blood stopped moving, still glowing a bright red, as the voices behind the window became louder. Suddenly, the figures shouted, throwing what looked like their arms up towards the ceiling. At that very same moment, the male pony was hit with what seemed to be a red bolt of lightning from the top of the room, causing him to topple over in the blood pool. The other ponies’ gasps were cut short as they, first the female pony, then the one beside Soul were struck as well.

Soul braced himself, concentrating all his will defensively against what was to inevitably target him next. Sure enough, a streak of red lightning struck Soul directly on top of his head. As Soul resisted the shock, images of strange beings and ponies alike flashed before his eyes. Everything he saw incorporated blood somehow, whether it be something bleeding or somepony covered in blood. The last image was the pale and errie face of a human with crimson-red eyes looking directly into Soul’s. At that moment, a sharp pain struck throughout Soul’s body, causing him to scream in agony against the assault. His body felt numb and heavy, and he could clearly hear the sound of his own heartbeat within his chest. The veins along his body pulsed a bright red like the blood on the ground had.

What...what has...happened to me...? was Soul’s last thought as his body hit the ground, splashing into the blood under him.


Then, everything was black...

> Chapter 2, Jayhawk: Loose Ends
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Strife of a man once vengeful. Delusions of a being once human.



The moon shined brightly, revealing a gruesome scene. 

Small puddles of blood were scattered along the ground. Bodies of fallen thugs lay strewn across a dimly lit street in Osaka, Japan upon which a tortured man stood, clutching his head in pain and pulling at his semi-long, jet black hair. He knew himself only as "Jayhawk", and his now dispersing thoughts struggled to cling together.

I can’t breathe, my hands are burning, my vision is red...this is happening way too often Jayhawk thought as he began taking a new form. He knew well what was changing his body, but was helpless to stop the transformation. Chains shot out of the ground, latched onto his wrists, and instantly lit him ablaze. Crimson, metallic skin slowly spread across his body under the flames, deforming it with spikes at the joints of his arms and cracks along his chest. The few men still alive stood still as they watched in disbelief, making fearful remarks on his new form.

“W-what the hell is happening to him?!” one man cried.

“That ain’t natural! He’s...some sort of monster!” yelled another.

'Some sort of monster'...that's harshly accurate.

Jay’s thoughts dissipated as his morphing body riveted with strikes of pain. His skin burned, his muscles extruded violently, and his corrupted mind coveted one goal:

Blood. Blood must be spilled!

The men around him were taken aback by the deafening demonic roar let out upon the completion of Jay’s transformation; the chains holding him back snapping off easily from the force of energy that exploded out of him.

The demon that now stood before the helpless and unaware victims was known as Ira, the Demon of Yin.

“...W-what are you dumbasses sitting there for?! Shoot that thing!” one man yelled, firing his gun at Ira hopelessly. The bullets came to no avail, springing off Ira’s armor-like skin and falling to the ground. He turned to face his attacker, red eyes locked on his target as he bared his now sharpened teeth. The growl he let out upon locking eyes with the man was unlike any normal beast.

“Kichiro, I think you pissed it off!” yelled a man off to the side 

Within one swift movement, Ira unsheathed a previously normal claymore off of his back and lunged forward, thrusting his now darkened and flaming-red weapon straight through the man’s chest. The strike pushed him back with enough force to pin him against the brick wall behind him. Gasps and reactions from the other men could barely be heard over the sound of Ira immediately tearing his sword from the flesh of his victim. The pull ripped the blade out of the wall, and a scratch of cement and sparks lit the ground as the tip of his heavy sword scraped along it with uncanny ease.

“Who’s next...? YOU?!”  spoke a harsh voice as Ira pointed his sanguine-soaked blade at the face of another man, who petrified in fear.

“...I don’t hear any objections!” yelled Ira as he javelin-tossed his sword into the next terrified human who stood before him, hitting him square in the forehead and instantly taking the life from his body. He slowly fell to his knees as blood caked his now lifeless body.

With his momentum built, Ira moved to quickly retrieve his sword from it's previous victim and swing it in a braod swathe beside his last target, beheading the man standing nearby. Without hesitation, he then leapt towards the only man attempting to flee in a single bound and cleaved him in half with a single downward strike, a resounding crash of metal and concrete signaling the following silence.

Upon the grotesque murder of his last foe, Ira’s body throbbed. His enemies lay lifeless on the ground, and his time was up. He dropped his sword and collapsed to his hands and knees as the darkened form slowly faded away from his body, returning control back to Jayhawk.

The feeling of his own natural body relieved Jay as he re-adjusted to using his own legs, his own arms and his own mind. He was but merely a spectator when Ira took control.

“Well....that was tediously harsh” Jay said to himself as he observed the mess he had made. “I can’t believe I let those punks catch me off guard. They didn't deserve this”. Jay stepped carefully around the gore of his victims and began walking forward, eager to put the slaughter behind him. He sheathed his sword and placed his hands in his pockets as he walked, unable to avoid pondering the situation.

That's gotta be the quickest turn I've had in months... Jay thought as he aimlessly marched. He was worried. Ira had been on edge lately, triggering easier than normal and acting much more vicious upon transformation. Ira didn’t act out of whack unless he sensed equally demonic beings nearby, and although his recent outbreaks had been in different places, Ira was always perked at the sense of fiends looming someplace else. Like a dog that sensed a ghostly presence.

That gives me an idea. I should return to my post Jay concluded, trying to follow the train of his thoughts.

Spreading his arms out, Jay channeled a dormant, light-aligned power until white wings sprouted out to nearly double the length of his arms. Adjusting his newfound appendages, Jay leaped high into the air and took flight from the momentum, flying towards his usual watch spot on the top of mount Fuji. Jay eventually gathered enough speed to nosedive from high above the clouds, speeding towards the ground until he was at sound speed and swooping back up into the sky. It would be a long flight without urgency, and Jay needed to return to his post as soon as possible.

After nearly 3 hours, Jay could finally see the mountain top where his watchtower stood.  It was a small shanty with two rooms and a ladder leading up to a bedroom with a long balcony. Landing softly on the balcony, Jay rested his sword on the wall inside and opened his closet to exchange his bloodied clothes for regular pair of jeans and a red, sleeved shirt which he carelessly tossed upon his bed. His wings poofed out of existence in a small cloud of spectral feathers as he begun to strip out of his previous outfit.

Maybe what Ira senses is something stalking me, or watching me in some manner. Or perhaps this world is finally coming to its end. Who knows... Jay thought aimlessly as he headed out onto his balcony, grabbing a thick, black leather jacket on the way. It was the first time in a while that Jay had felt truly lost to the answer. I’ll have to do some investigating and watch the happenings in this world very closely. Something's up 

Upon taking position on his post at the top of the tower, Jay began his watch. He closed his eyes as his mind expanded outward from the mountaintop, covering the eastern hemisphere.  Every life form, plant animal and man alike; Jay could see them all through his mind's eye. What they were doing, their health and condition, everything. He watched the eastern landscape closely and precisely, not unlike a hawk, searching for anything that stood out or something that could clue towards what troubled him. 

To Jay’s dismay, he found nothing. No man, animal or even plant was out of the ordinary. Ira’s power inside Jay was the only dark essence for thousands of miles, and it would take quite some travel time to check the western region.

“Looking for something?” said a voice from behind Jay. He quickly turned to see a longtime ally of his; a short and sprightly young man whom he knew as DJ, standing in the door to the balcony. The wind blew his white hair into his face, which he occasionally flicked back with a quick movement of his head. His grey unzipped hoodie blew with the wind, revealing a blue shirt under it. He stood there with his hands casually placed in his black jean pockets.

“I could feel you expand. That isn't always safe, y’know....” DJ warned.

“How did you find me?” Jay asked half-heartedly, knowing DJ always followed him somehow.

“How I didn’t know for so many hours is the real question. After all, you were flying pretty fast and using a lot of power.” DJ explained, leaning against the door frame. Jay had seldom been annoyed that DJ could track him so easily, unless he gloated about it.

“Well, at least you’re the only one who can track me. What do you want?”  Jay asked, returning his gaze out on the balcony.

“Company.” DJ said. He yawned. “I’m bored” 

“Well I’m busy.” Jay remarked, hoping to shove DJ off before he proposed anything.

“I can help!” DJ piped up

“No, you actually can’t” rebutted Jay

“Help you find that bugging dark essence? Yes, I can” Dj said confidently.

Jay froze, nearly sure he had heard wrong. To his knowledge, there was no way DJ could sense that like he did. Though DJ had the same innate ability to track essences and power source, but had never shown ability to sense alignments within them, such as Pure or Evil. The idea that his friend could tell the moral difference between beings was a foreign concept to Jayhawk.

Jay turned to face him slowly, confused and bewildered “....how did you know that? You can’t sense alignments, can you?” Jay asked, knowing that DJ would practically read his mind anyways.

Dj chuckled “Lucky guess?”

‘You know I don’t believe in luck.” Jay remarked, walking closer to DJ "What's the secret?"

“Well, I could tell something was bugging you, I just assumed it was something you couldn’t find when I felt you expand your mind.”  Dj said half smiling, throwing his arms out in expression, expecting Jay to buy his story

“Spit it out, DJ. You know something I don’t and you came here to confront me about it” Jay pressed, sure as he was of the situation.

“Always perceptive, Jay. You know me too well.” Dj said, smiling widely, nudging a fist into Jayhawk's chest. It bugged Jay that DJ was so pipe around him, like he was always trying to imply something with his words that Jay could never pick up. “Worry not, I’ll explain it all”

Jay walked inside and took a seat on a small chair in a corner across the room from DJ “Enlighten me, then. What’s this all about?”

“Remember the Rakukan Teki incident?” DJ asked, bringing up one of their most recent co-operative hunt against a cult that worshiped blood and vampirism, all in praise of a so called 'demon king of blood'.

“All too well. They back again? I know most of their inner circle members got away..” Jay admitted, recalling the incident in which they had managed to outsmart him by having him chase after decoys while they escaped.

“Not exactly. They’d vowed to 'spill blood upon innocent soil’. Both of us know this world has none of the sort” DJ explained., closing the balcony door behind him. Jay grunted in agreement. all too sure their world was too old and too populated to be innocent soil.

“Well I know that bugged you, because it bugged me as well. So I decided to do some digging and investigations of their whereabouts" DJ  described, his face more serious now "As of now, I know where they are headed, and what they plan to do.”

Jay stood in urgency, a new drive pulling him. ‘Damn, good work! If they're trying something new, we don’t have much time. What’s their plan?”

Dj hesitated. “Well......there’s one slight problem that may or may not affect you.” 

“And that would be?” Jay asked. He knew DJ wasn’t sure of everything, but this seemed to be deeper than that.

Dj sighed ‘Ponies”

“...pardon me?”

“Ponies, Jayhawk. Friendly, happy go-lucky ponies. Wonderfully jolly, multi-coloured equines”

“Ponies?”

“Yes sir. Pegasi and unicorns too!”

Jay shook his head in confusion “So, ponies, pegasi and unicorns?”

“That would be correct”

“...what about them?”

“Well...do you have a....problem with any of them? Maybe any relations or acquaintances of sorts?”

Jay scratched his chin, pondering. He remembered a pact he had made with a peculiar pony while stuck in Tartarus a few months back. He wondered if it would finally come into effect. The details still remained hazy in his memory. “I’d say I’m probably on okay terms”

“Good. You’ll be visiting them soon.” DJ said, clapping his hands together.

Jay stopped, locking his wide eyes with DJ’s. Dj simply returned a sheepish smile back at him.

Jay slapped his hand into his face “You have GOT, to be fucking, kidd-”

“Not kidding, Jay.” Dj cut in. “That’s where the Rakukan Teki are headed, according to evidence”

“But-...what evidence?!” Jay exclaimed in per-emptive frustration.

“These babies.” DJ said, pointing at his own eyes. “I managed to track down what I guessed was a backup hideout of theirs in southern Africa. When I got there, all I found was the remnants of what seemed to be a small portal and some scattered notes about, well, small portal usage. Beginner stuff, not much unlike we’ve done.” DJ stated, referring to their constant use of large scale portals to other worlds “When I managed to re-activate it, the portal lead to a beautiful landscape dotted with houses and what looked like a small town” 

Jay stared at him with a concerned look as he continued “Upon using the 'hawkeye' ability you taught me, I noticed ponies, some with wings and some with horns on their heads, walking around as if they were sentient. Talking, bartering, running small shops. I even saw a pink pony bouncing around the place like it was on drugs” DJ chuckled, remembering the sight he himself barely believed.

Jay rubbed his eyes as he let out an exasperated sigh “So you’re saying I gotta make friends with some colorful ponies?” Jay said, hoping his guess would be shot down.

“Oh, no. You could barge in the place fucking up everybody’s shit like it’s 1939!” Dj exclaimed in reference. “ I didn’t see any sort of guards or policing going on. The whole place looked so 'Goody-two shoes'. Which is why I’m so sure about this. What I saw through that portal was, without a doubt, innocent soil”

Jay frowned, regretting his hesitation in the destruction of the clan. Had he attacked them head on with DJ’s help instead of trying to find out more about the clan's intentions, they probably could have ended it before their leaders got away.

Of course. The only ones who manage to get away decide to cause more problems. Just my luck Jay thought, his frustration growing.

DJ seemed to notice, as he added in “Hey, look on the bright side: at least no one will try to get in your way. Just find the circle members and wipe them out. Cakewalk!” Dj advertised, trying to lighten Jay’s mood.

Jay clenched his fists, suddenly more angry that they had ever escaped him. “You’re right. Simple mortals. Cakewalk.” He rushed over to his sword and sheathed it, slinging the scabbard onto his back. “David, take me to that portal. I am going to end this.” 

> Chapter 3, Jayhawk: Into The Wild Blue Yonder
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Revenge will never die so long as the embers of hate that feed it still burn



"You cannot stop me this time. You haven't any more chances. When the skies are burning red with my vengeance, you will know what happens to those who push my limits!" Jayhawk yelled into the empty air, pounding his hand against the driving wheel in which he controlled. 

“That’s it, that’s the one!” DJ exclaimed, pointing at Jay excitedly while crouched in the seat next to him. “That has to be your phrase for this hunt. It is quite badass, if I do say so myself.”

“Yeah, I think it suits the situation well. Bloody cultsits” Jay admitted as he focused on the path ahead. Through some peculiar connections, him and DJ had traveled to southern Africa to return to the hideout DJ had spoke of, and were now sitting in a tan safari jeep that tumbled along on a path leading through a small jungle. The fingerless gloves he wore helped him grip the wheel of the vehicle as he drove through the rough terrain. He had also quickly put on a belt before leaving that was fitted with a few pouches and holsters carrying important items such as a few flashbangs and antidote capsules. The holsters carried a canteen of holy water and a Colt M1878 double-action long-barreled revolver with a pouch of 18 silver coated .38 caliber bullets beside it.

“OH! Turn here, quickly!” DJ yelled, pointing to where the path took a sharp right, in which Jay complied by drifting the jeep to the right. The harsh turn caused them both to shift in their seats

“Jeez, I wish you’d tell me sooner when I need to turn” Jay remarked, adjusting the wheel. “You sure you still remember where to go?”

“Mostly. It’s kinda coming back to me as we go.” DJ said as he looked for a map in the glove department in front of him. “Just be ready to take more random turns, or possible detours.”

Noticing his partner's position, Jay quickly pushed on the brakes, causing DJ to slam his face into the glove department in which he was scavenging, to which he replied with a yelp of pain “Ow! What the hell?!” 

Jay laughed out loud and spoke “You’d better be ready for any random stops like that to happen at any time!”

“Giant prick” DJ quickly remarked.

“Lil’ bitch” Jay rebutted at the same speed.

They looked at each other, and sudden smiles quickly turned to loud laughs and losses of breath. Jay’s eyes teared up as he tried to continue to drive through the tedious jungle trail. DJ was gasping for air as he shouted “Turn! Turn right again!”

Jay took the jeep around a large mountain beside the turning path and stopped the jeep so he and DJ could recuperate from their laughing fits.

DJ exhaled “Oh man. We haven’t laughed like that in a while, Jay”

“Yeah. Good change of pace” Jay said as he sat back in his seat. After their few seconds of heavy breathing passed, Jay continued driving the jeep forward on the trail. “Alright so, how much farther do you think we have to go?”

DJ looked at the surrounding area as they moved “Stop the jeep. I recognize this place” DJ said, holding his hand out to signal.

The jeep came to a slow halt on the trail at a small, slightly concave spot in the mountain that the path was beside. To their left the forestry had dissipated and revealed a steep hill about ten feet from the path leading down into more trees. DJ immediately got out of the jeep, followed closely by Jay, and inspected the peculiar inward bend of rock.

“I can tell why you remembered this spot. This doesn't seem very natural” Jay relayed, overlooking the area as he stood behind DJ. Jay had noticed that the rock DJ inspected was very rugged and had certain spots where the stone cracked. It looked as if the concave spot had a place where somebody dug through the rock.

“Gotcha!” DJ exclaimed, causing Jay to turn his attention to him and watch as DJ pulled a certain vine hanging over the concave rock. The action had made a small clicking sound, and after a few seconds DJ tapped the ground of the spot to reveal a manhole leading down into a dark tunnel.”Ta-dah, Technology!”

“Wow. Clever.” Jay remarked as he watched DJ climb down the ladder leading into the tunnel. “You’d think they would want to lock it somehow”

“Who needs a lock when the intruders can’t even find the door?” DJ asked sarcastically from inside the tunnel. He beckoned towards the ladder “Don’t be shy, it ain’t rusty or anything”

Jay quickly grabbed his semi-long red jacket from the jeep and slung it over his shoulder as he climbed down the short ladder, attempting to close the manhole behind him. Once it was shut, the tunnel became pitch black as Jay dropped off the ladder

“...can’t see” Dj complained

“I’m on it” Jay replied 

Jay stuck out his hand and began channeling a small concentration of light. After a few seconds, a small white orb appeared in it and lit the short tunnel. The tunnel was a mere foot above Jay’s head, and extended a few feet forward until it plummeted down. The was another ladder extending down into yet another tunnel of darkness

“Neat. Let’s go.” DJ said, beckoning Jay to follow as he started down the second ladder

“Wait.” Jay said, halting DJ's urgency. “I have an idea.”

Jay walked towards the ladder and began channeling once more, creating another shining white orb. He then held it out and dropped it down into the darkness. The orb fell for about 3 seconds, lighting the tunnel as it went, and made a loud tap as it hit the cement ground below.

"Nice idea. No need to use this then” DJ said, dropping off the ladder and landing heavily on the ground in a crouching position beside the orb.  He stood, dusted himself off and said “Floor is solid and we’re alone. Come on down!”

Jay shrugged and followed, hopping off the edge and landing easily beside the orb. He picked it up and gave it to DJ, who then held it up as he walked forward to light up what was beyond them.

“Well, not much space to work in” Jay remarked at the room in front of him.

The white orbs of light revealed a small room about  15 feet long and 10 feet wide, with tables against the left wall. Against the back wall was an oval statue with square points all around the inside. The tables were covered with different scattered notes, most of which regarded the portal and others that were encrypted.

“Tell me about it. I had to actually work to reactivate this thing” DJ replied, looking around for something “Here it is, the key” DJ said, holding up a small rectangle

“The key?” Jay asked, eyeing the small piece of stone “ I’m guessing you made that thing for the portal? ”

“Yessir!” Dj piped, walking over to the portal. “You didn’t seriously think I would want to do this twice, did you? Just getting the materials was tedious enough”

At that moment DJ knelt down and jammed the rectangle stone into a slot at the base of the portal. The portal began to hum and soon the the square points around the inside extended a green, liquid form of energy that concentrated itself into a swirl in the middle. Soon, the portal energy fixed itself to reveal the scene DJ had described back at Jay’s lookout.

Among very green grassy plains was a town of what Jay guessed could be a few hundred inhabitants. The town sprouted out to different places such as an orchard with yards of trees, a path leading to a cottage in front of a forest, and what seemed to be a train station.

“Nice looking place, isn’t it?” DJ remarked, looking over the scene as Jay did. “Go ahead, inspect it. Use ‘the Hawkeye’” DJ said, raising his hands up to exaggerate the abilities’ affects

Jay did as recommended, and placed two fingers on both his temples. His vision became enhanced, blinding his eyes and allowing his mind to extend forward and see for him. This allowed him to zoom his vision to extensive lengths, and upon doing so, Jay saw what he could barely believe. DJ had described the place accurately

Jay could see dozens of ponies, pegasi and unicorns wandering about the town. He could see them talking to each other, sitting at tables and park benches, shopping with saddles. What confused him most was when he zoomed back out and noticed a cyan blur pushing clouds around the sky.

Upon releasing Hawkeye, Jay stepped back dumbfounded. His wide eyes blinked twice as if he believed he was dreaming, but the situation before him was very real.

“What...the fuck.” Jay remarked, still staring at the portal as he raised a hand to point at it “You didn’t sugarcoat anything. That is the exact scene you told me at my watchtower.”

“Yup. You going in or what?” DJ asked, beckoning to the portal “You’ve got about 10 minutes to decide”

Jay took a deep breath and closed his eyes. In and out. Find and take out the clan leaders and leave...cakewalk He thought, as he opened his eyes again.

“You watch over things here.” Jay said, pointing to DJ confidently  “I’m going in”

“Alright , Jay” DJ acknowledged, his arms out in question “If revenge really means that much to you, jump on in”

“It does.” Jay replied, poking DJ in the chest. “Some prissy little ponies won’t stop me from taking these guys down. Wish me luck!” 

“Luck!” DJ yelled as Jay leaped forward into the portal. For a moment, all Jay could see was a swirl of the scene in portal before it reorganized in front of him, and began moving up.

“Oh man, I knew that portal was BULL SHIIIIIIIT!” Jay yelled out as he realized he was plummeting towards the outskirts of the town. 

Get it together, Jayhawk! You’ll survive this fall...hopefully... Jay thought seconds before adjusting his orientation, crashing into the ground feet first.

“AGH! Dammit!” Jay exclaimed as the pain from the fall shot through his legs, slamming his fist into the small indent his landing made on the ground. After recuperating from the fall, Jay stepped out of the crater. He looked forward to see that he was only about a five minutes worth of a walk from the town. Jay looked behind him to see that the path lead up to a large, steep mountain

Really? That damn portal couldn’t teleport me there instead?! Jay thought, still feeling slightly sore in his feet.

Reluctantly, Jay began to walk when he heard a voice from the sky“Whoa! A.... a human?!” exclaimed an unseen female voice.

Before Jay could look around for the source of the voice, a light blue pegasus with a rainbow design in her mane swooped down and floated in front of him, wide eyed and curious. Jay stared back at the pony, a stern look of annoyance slowly appearing on his face. The pegasus merely reacted by narrowing her eyes and leaning her head forward , giving Jay a suspicious look.

Minutes of the stare down passed before the pegasus spoke up “Are you the thing that fell from the sky just now?” She slowly said in a questioning tone.

“Yes, I am.” Jay replied, keeping the same look on his face “I was teleported here, by an obviously shoddy portal...” 

The pony exchanged her suspicious face for her previous confused one “A portal? You were...’teleported’ here?” she asked, almost smiling.

“...that’s correct. I’m actually a superhuman from a world completely different from this one, and I’m only here to track down some other humans” Jay relayed, knowing that the flying pony would laugh off his short story.

Against Jay’s expectations, the pony floated in front of him, with the same confused face. She scratched her coloured mane as she spoke “so..wait...you’re like...a bounty hunter or something?” she asked, noticing the golden-trimmed sword sheathed on Jay's back and various pouches and items strapped to his waist.

“Nope. I’m just here to tie up some loose ends” Jay remarked, annoyed at the pony’s cheap label of his appearance ”Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be heading to town” he said, walking past the floating pony.

“Wait” she exclaimed, blocking his path again “My friend Twilight could help you find your friends. She’s really close with Princess Celestia”

Princess. That’s the kind of word I was hoping to hear. Royalty could help me track down the clan leaders...and they may even hang them for me Jay thought as he scratched his chin while looking at the ground.

“That would be very useful, actually” Jay said, nodding his head in agreement “My name is Jayhawk. Please, take me to see her, miss...?”

‘Dash. Rainbow Dash” replied the flying pony, her tone suddenly piping up “Fastest flyer in all of Equestria!”

Rainbow then followed her statement by sweeping up into the air and performing several backflips before flying back down to Jay. Intrigued, Jay suddenly formed an idea that made him smile unconsciously.

“I can take you to see her” Dash said, floating in a laid back pose “She lives in the library on the other side of town”

“Well, that’s perfect” Jay said, clapping his hands together “How about a quick race then, miss ‘Dash’?”

Dash was thrown out of her nonchalant pose as she stared at Jay, dumbfounded. After a few seconds she burst out laughing, falling to the ground and kicking her legs about. Jay stood before her, still smiling at the unaware pony’s mocking of his idea.

“You’re kidding, right?” Dash spoke through gaps of laughter “There’s now way a human could be as fast as a pony, especially a pegasus! You don’t even have wings!”

“Well, I’d beg to differ on that fact” Jay said confidently. With enough alignment energy already channeled, he threw out his arms wide, causing his spectral wings to sprout outward from his shoulders to about double his arm's length. Rainbow Dash had halted her laughter, marveling the colossal white wings that Jay had suddenly acquired in a burst of light and feathers.

“Wha-...you...they’re...huge” Dash stuttered, now embarrassed at her own wing size compared to her body.

“So, what do you say?” Jay propositioned, moving his wings to adjust and fold them to his back “You’re not...afraid to fly me because of my wing size, are you?” he remarked, locking his gaze at Rainbow, who now lay on the ground wide eyed and blushing a vibrant pink.

Dash caught hold of herself and zoomed back up to flying at Jay’s eye level “No way! I’ll fly anypony, any day. I ain’t afraid of you!” she said, feigning courageousness in an attempt to keep her cool persona alive. “‘ll still take you on, Jay ‘hawk’. Follow me!”

Dash quickly ascended to the clouds as Jay followed her up into the sky. She stopped at what seemed like nearly 130 feet above the ground. 

“See that tiny building right there?” said Dash while pointing towards a large tree shaped into a house with a few windows and a telescope atop it. The structure seemed to be about half a mile away from their spot..“That’s the library where Twilight is. First one to the door wins!”

“Sounds a bit too easy” Jay replied “You sure about this, lil’ pony?”

“One hundred percent!” Dash exclaimed back at Jay, as she readied herself to start the race. “I’m not about to let some flying human beat me in a race!”

“Who said I would give you a choice?” Jay joked, also readying himself to fly.

“Alright, on your mark, get set...GO!” Dash yelled as both she and Jay took off towards the Library, racing at the same speed. Jay continued to gain speed from moving in small “U” shaped movements in the sky as Dash swooped up to gain more air. She then looped back down towards the ground in an attempt to perform her signature move.

“Check it out! I call this one the ‘Sonic Rainboom!’” Dash exclaimed to Jay, feeling the speed of her aerodynamics pushing her.

“Why’s that?!” Jay yelled in reply “Something to do with breaking the sound barrier?!” 

Suddenly, Dash looked below her to notice Jay heading straight for her from behind at a rising speed. “BAH!” Dash yelped as he soared past her, bursting through the sound barrier in a flash of white light as he passed. The display had left Dash’s jaw without its hinges as she sat floating in the sky, watching Jay take the race with ease with eyes wide as they had been before the race.

As Jayhawk sped towards the library, he took a sharp nosedive and retracted his wings, flipping to hit the ground running through the rest of the street that lay between him and the building and skidding to a stop by the library door. He then walked a few steps and put one finger on the door, looking back to the dumbfounded pegasus in the sky with the same confident smile he had before.

It was nearly a minute before Dash had caught herself and managed to fly over to the library door, where Jay was waiting for her, spinning his engraved revolver on his fingers to pass the time.

“Oh, you out of your trance?” Jay joked at Dash, holstering his revolver. “I thought I’d left you without your brain on that one”

Dash stuttered as she spoke “You...that...that was...” 

“Amazing? Crazy? Impossible?” Jay suggested

“...SO AWESOME!” Dash finished, her expression now beaming “How did you do that so easily?!”

“Break the sound barrier? Well, practice makes perfect” Jay replied, remembering that he could barely take off with his wings the first time he used them.

“You must practice like, everyday! You’re even better than the wonderbotls! You-” Dash was cut off by Jay raising his hand, signaling her to stop.

“I believe we came to the library for a reason?” Jay said, tilting his head towards the door.

“...oh, right” Dash chuckled “Twilight should be here” Dash said while knocking on the door. The knock was soon answered by a small purple dragon with green spines running down its body. The dragon mustered a “Oh, hello Rainb-” before his gaze hit Jay,  causing his eyes to become wide to an extent that he looked almost terrified.

Jay scoffed “Seriously, people in my world wouldn’t react like this if they saw pegasi or dragons appear outta nowhere. Feels kinda unfair” he said towards Rainbow, almost disregarding the dragon’s urgent call for Twilight to come to the door. Dash simply shrugged back at him i nresponse.

Jay looked back at the door to notice a purple unicorn with a well kept mane that had a pink streak through it. The unicorn’s expression was the same as the dragon’s previous reaction

“I’m guessing this is your friend ‘Twilight’?” Jay said, staring back at the surprised purple pony. “she seems kinda...out of it”

“A human...wow.” Twilight must have realized something, as she began looking around cautiously “Omigosh! What if somepony else sees you? What if...Lyra sees you?! Quickly, you have to get inside, now!” Twilight urged, teleporting behind Jay and attempting to shove him inside the library. Jay complied, and ducked his head slightly under the short door to the building. Dash quickly followed as the small dragon shut the door behind them.

From the door, Jay could see a circular area covered in bookshelves, as well as a small staircase that lead up to what he guessed was the pony’s bedroom. There was a door at the back that he assumed was a basement of some sort. Twilight sat down behind Jay, who still marveled at the mass of books.“Spike, lock the door” she said quickly. The small dragon stood up as tall as he could and reached to push a lock into the door, at the sound of a small click. The purple pony let out a relieved sigh and stood back up. 

Jay had begun inspecting the library’s array of knowledge seemingly without care for consent “Quite the archive you’ve got here” he said, looking over the many sorted, unfamiliar books “I don’t seem to recognize anything, though. You some sort of researcher?”

Jay reached for a book titled “Dangers of Dark Magics”, but before he could open it, it disappeared in a flash of purple light. He looked over to Twilight, who now had the book hovering over her with some sort of magic. Her horn shared the same aura the book had as it floated by her head.

“Listen, I don’t know who you are, but we need to talk before you start rummaging through my books” she demanded, a stern look on her face. Jay could tell she wasn’t as lenient as the multi colored pony that stood beside her.

At that moment, Rainbow spoke up “Twilight, this is Jayhawk. He’s a human from another world and he’s come to Equestria to find some other human friends of his” Dash relayed.

“Well, I wouldn’t call them my friends, but that is accurate” Jay remarked, as he returned to overlooking the many rows of books, searching for something else that might peak his interest. ‘Rainbow Dash says you may be able to help me”

Twilight’s expression became concerned, but still confused. “Well...I guess I could contact Princess Celestia about it.” Twilight said, pondering possible outcomes of introducing a human to the princess “She may be able to help you track down whoever it is you’re looking for”

“That would be delightful.” Jay replied, walking back towards the ponies “Now then, may I read the book?” Jay said, beckoning the floating book beside Twilight

Twilight inspected the book “‘Dangers of Dark Magic’?” she asked, a slight tone of concern in her voice. Suddenly Twilight remembered something she had read about mythological creatures , and that humans practiced many things that Equestria denounced as immoral. 

She eyed Jay suspiciously, to which he replied “You might call me an exorcist of sorts. I like to know everything I can about my enemy”

“Enemy?” Twilight asked, still suspicious “So who you’re tracking must have something to do with dark magic”

“Perceptive. I like that in a female, it gives great personality” Jay said, in an attempt to demeanor the purple pony like he did to Rainbow.

Twilight seemed unphased “So then, what is the sword for?” Twilight asked, eying the long blade sheathed on Jay’s back.

“Just in case” Jay quickly replied.

She seems to be a lot more held together than “gay pride” over there. Jay thought, nearly laughing to himself

“In case of what? You don’t plan to hurt anypony, do you?” Twilight remarked, noting also his various pouches

“No, I plan on hurting those I’m tracking if they become hostile” Jay shot back

“Ha!” Dash cut in, zooming in between the two. “You ARE a bounty hunter! We know a pony who does the same thing you do”

“Oh...really?” Jay questioned, now intrigued to hear what the pegasus had to say “Indulge me”

“Yeah. His name is Soulless Reaper. He’s always running around the place, hunting down some crazy weirdos or whooping some monster’s’ butt” Dash explained, acting out a round of fisticuff fighting “He also carries around this big pole with three blades on it. He calls it a ‘scythe’”

“Interesting” Jay remarked, imagining the somehow familiar description “So you ponies have what you would maybe call...a guardian?”

“Pretty much.” Dash piped up “He’s a really cool dude too”

“Perhaps I’ll have the chance to meet him.” Jay said, hoping such a scene would come true. Any help was better than no help “But for now, I’d like it if you could contact that princess of yours. I’m a bit anxious to find these others humans as fast as possible”

“Right.” Twilight acknowledged, heading over to a table with various parchments and an inked feather. “I’ll get on that right now”

The same purple aura floated about the feather as the pony focused on writing the letter Jay requested. She sat in front of the table for a few minutes as Jay stood near Rainbow by the door, reading the book about “Dangers of Dark Magic”. After a few more minutes had passed Jay was nearly at his edge, holding in his insurmountable laughter as hard as he could at the book’s misleading facts and huge lack of knowledge of dark arts.

Rainbow noticed, as she inquired “Hey Jay, what’s so funny about that book?” she questioned, concerned that he was laughing at the ‘dangers of dark magics’

“Oh...nothing, Rainbow Dash” Jay said, calming himself to avoid bursting “Nothing at all...”

“Done.” Twilight piped up, dropping the feather back into the ink pot “This letter will notify Princess Celestia of your arrival and what you’re here for”

“Alright. Thank you for taking the time.” Jay said, holding out his hand towards Twilight “I’ll take it to her myself immediately, If you’ll point me in the right direction”

“Oh, that won’t be necessary” Twilight replied, floating the letter over to the small dragon “Spike. Send the letter please”

“Gotcha, Twi” piped the green dragon. as he cleared his throat.

“What is he-” Jay was cut off by the display of magic Spike performed as he breathed a green fiery essence at the letter, causing the letter to disappear in a small poof.

“What...” Was all Jay could muster before taking in the scene and making an assumption “Oh, I see. After taking the time to write that, you just burn it? Real funny, ha ha”

Twilight simply giggled at Jay’s accusation “I didn’t burn it. Spike’s fire is magic” She said, pointing towards Spike who stood high with pride “His fire sends my letters directly to Princess Celestia instantly”

Jay stopped, and sat down on the floor, wide eyed. Of all the things he’d seen fire do, not to mention all the pain it caused him, acting as a magical courier was never something he would have ever expected fire magic to perform

Where the hell am I... Jay thought as he let out an exasperated sigh, hanging his arms on his knees.

“So, now what?” Jay asked, tossing his hands up in question “we just...wait?”

“Yes. Celestia will certainly respond” Twilight replied cheerfully

“And for how long will we have to wait?” Jay asked, slightly annoyed

“However long it takes Princess Celestia to reply. This is an unusual matter, anyways” Twilight said, wondering herself how the princess will reply.

Jay hung his head in depression This is going to be the longest hunt of my life... he thought.

"Well, it's getting dark anyways" Jay concluded, noticing the setting sun through a small window "Wake me up when you get her response"

Jayhawk found himself more tired from the events that had already taken place so far then he'd let on. With the opportunity to do so, Jay laid back against the side of the nearest bookcase and closed his eyes, hoping to drift off into sleep. Soon he was greeted with an unconscious body and a free mind, taking the rest he deserved.
> Chapter 4, Souless Reaper: Rotten Apples
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



The end will only come when you may truly accept it as it may



'I will bring death to those who oppose Equestria. I am not justice; I am vengeance, and I am punishment. ' The thoughts echoed throughout the black abyss in which Soul lay floating. His unconsciousness left him stuck in his own mind, nothing but his thoughts and memories to keep him company.

Suddenly something struck Soul, and he opened his eyes to a familiar scene, yet at a different perspective. Soul could see himself and his own triple bladed scythe lying on the ground beside him. He recalled what was happening. Him and Sentinel recently had a heated argument by the River Styx. The argument had gotten out of hand and sparked what was seemingly an inevitable duel between the two brothers. Soul was seeing it through the eyes of his brother, Soulless Sentinel, wielding his signature fan blade scythe. 

“That isn’t all you have, is it?” spoke Soul’s brother, slowly approaching him. (Brothers Duke it Out! Battle Music!)

In retaliation, Soul quickly returned to his feet in a spinning motion, grabbing his scythe on the way and slashing its three blades towards his opponent. Sentinel quickly stopped all three blades with the handle of his scythe, barely flinching at the force Soul had put behind it. 

Soul pushed his scythe harder against his brother’s in an attempt to break his sturdy guard. When it came to no avail, Soul spun in the opposite direction and swiped at Sentinel from his left, only to be stopped in the same manner by Sentinel’s blade. 

Soul took this opportunity to attack again, scraping off his blade against his brother’s and bringing his scythe down onto Sentinel’s head. Sentinel had just barely stopped the three pronged blades from hitting his skull with the staff of his scythe. It was in this position that Soul finally had the advantage. He pushed against his brother’s guard, feigning an attempt to pass through it. When Sentinel tried to push Soul away from him, Soul quickly broke off and swiped at Sentinel’s feet with the staff end of his scythe, tripping him onto his side and causing him to drop his weapon a few feet beside him.

As Sentinel fell, Soul spun around, re-adjusting his standing and pointing the end of his scythe at his brother’s face. Soul was breathing a little heavier by the end of the entanglement.

“That isn’t all you have, is it?” Soul mocked, holding the scythe’s three blades just above Sentinel’s head “Not very good defense for a ‘Sentinel’, brother”

Soul slowly lifted his scythe away from his brother’s face “I guess we know who won this one” he said, beginning his walk away. 

“Not so fast! We're not done yet!” Sentinel yelled, getting up with his scythe and slashing towards Soul. Soul quickly turned to deflect the attack with his own scythe, meeting Sentinel’s gut with his hoof and pushing him back with the blow. Sentinel shook the attack off quickly, charging again at Soul, and slashing horizontally at him. Soul quickly dashed backwards, dodging the attack and dashing forward to retaliate against the attack. 

Sentinel quickly pulled his scythe to meet Soul’s, resulting in another match of their weapons. This time, Sentinel decided to pull a fast one on Soul. He pushed as close as he could to Soul, then quickly spun around him when Soul returned the push, knocking him in the back with the staff end of his scythe and following up the attack by swinging the fan blade of his scythe towards Soul.

Soul had just barely rolled out of the way from the swing, now at Sentinel’s left side. Behind Soul was the River Styx, and suddenly an idea hit him. As Sentinel moved into attack again, Soul intentionally matched weapons with him once more.

“Enough” Soul said, pushing harder against Sentinel’s guard “Sorry brother, but I’m going to end this!”

At that moment, Soul shifted his blades up, allowing the match of weapons to be higher. When Sentinel kept his guard against Soul’s weapon, Soul lifted his blades off of his brother, tossing his weapon aside and slipping under Sentinel’s hind hooves from the staff of his brother’s weapon, placing Sentinel on the edge of the river.

“See ya, Sentinel!” Soul mocked, bucking his brother in the back hard enough for him to lose his ground, and slip down into the River Styx. Sentinel’s cries were barely heard as the souls in the river pulled him under the surface of the river. This time, however, Soul could see what happened to his brother in detail. The pain the river caused him, the souls tearing at his body and mind. Soul could see it all happening before his brother’s perception, which he now shared.

The last sight Soul saw through Sentinel’s eyes was his hoof reaching out towards Soul himself, who was standing at the edge of the river, watching his brother suffer. He seemed pleased with himself.

'No! That...that wasn't what happened!...' Rung a sharp worry through Soul's mind

Suddenly Soul’s vision cut to black, and a sore pain plagued his entire body. He could feel the cold of pavement under his left side, and opened his eyes to see a brick wall. When he managed to stand up, Soul could see that he was sitting in some sort of T-shaped back alley. It was only as his soreness struck again did he then remember what had transpired when he was last conscious. 

The tall figures, the blood and chants, the unbearable strikes of pain he had fought against. The other ponies that had gone through the same thing he did, albeit with much less resistance.

I’ve never had a memory of that fight like that. What did they do to me? Soul questioned himself, staring at one of his hooves. The usual dark aura he could form was now a dark crimson.

Soul then inspected himself to notice that none of the blood he had fell in was on him, and that his weapon was still with him. Whatever the tall figures had done to Soul and the others, they apparently tried to make sure it seemed like nothing had happened at all by cleaning him and dumping him somewhere random in the city.

Suddenly, Soul heard his heart throb, and his vision flashed red for a second. The strike had almost made Sou lose balance on his hooves, making him weak and leaving him with a drowsy feeling.

Soul took a second to collect what was happening. The tall figures had used some sort of ritual that knocked him unconscious, and he now felt weak and drowsy.

'Zecora' Soul thought to himself, sure the tribal zebra would know, and could help with, what was wrong with him 'This is her area of expertise, no doubt.'

To his dismay, however, Soul exited the alleyway to notice that he was still deep in Manehattan. A trip from Manehattan to the Everfree forest wasn’t the kind of trip he was hoping to make in his current condition. Regretfully, Soul realized that he was in no shape to be traveling by himself along the land. He would have to take a train ride to Ponyville in hopes of getting to the Everfree anytime soon. 

Soul didn’t exactly enjoy train rides, but he could at least have privacy while riding the train. He would have to visit somepony to ask a favor, though. After all, Soul didn’t have any money for the train ticket. He walked towards a bell tower, hoping he would remember the route to the house of a friend.

Most ponies eyed Soul curiously as he walked. A good portion of Equestria knew of or had heard of Soulless Reaper, but his appearance and triple bladed scythe didn’t exactly help him blend in. It at least kept ponies from bothering him as he traveled.

Soon Soul passed by a bakery that jogged his memory, and turned to Wing Glade Avenue, stopping at house number 96. Soul took a deep breath and knocked on the door. After a few seconds, the door was answered by a tan colored pegasus with a grey mane that shaded to black at the edges.

“Hi Daring” Soul quickly managed before the pegasus could even realize who was at the door “I need a favor...” 

“Oh! Hey, Soul! It's been a while” Daring answered, half confused “What is it?” 

“Something's come up, and...” Soul replied, hesitant to tell Daring the full story. He didn’t want to worry her. “In short, I need to take a train to Ponyville”

“To Ponyville?” Daring asked, tilting her head “You’re headed to see Zecora, right?”

“Yeah” Soul said, a tint of confusion now in his own voice “How did you guess?”

“She’s the only one near Ponyville you know, isn’t she?” Daring remarked “I figured you’re going to see her in the Everfree, which is near Ponyville”

Soul stayed silent, embarrassed that Daring knew he was withholding information. She seemed to notice as she continued “How about I walk you to the station? I’ll have to pay anyways” she proposed. Soul could tell she wanted to know the full story.

“That’s fine, I suppose” Soul said nervously. Daring had really backed him into a corner.

Soon after she receded inside, Daring came back out with a small saddlebag. She looked the door behind her and turned to face Soul

“Alright, let’s go” She said happily “The station’s this way”

Soul followed reluctantly, guessing that Daring would inevitably ask about the situation. Not only did he not want to worry her, but he figured she might not even believe him.

'Here it comes...' Soul thought, expecting Daring to ask.

As if on cue, Daring opened the conversation “So...” she asked in a plodding tone “What are you going to see Zecora for, anyways?” 

Soul took a second to answer “I’m just paying her a friendly visit. I haven’t seen her in a long time” Soul lied hopefully “Isn’t that what friends usually do?”

“Yeah” Daring said, sounding unimpressed “But why would you be in Manehattan if you wanted to visit Zecora? Can’t you just teleport right to the Everfree Forest from where you come from?”

“Well, yeah, but...” Soul replied, searching for an excuse.

‘But what?” Daring quickly added before Soul could think something up.

In embarrassment, Soul silently concluded to his defeat. Daring caught him in his deceit and was now practically forcing him to relay the real story to her. He took a deep breath as they walked.

“Alright, fine’ Soul divulged in a slightly annoyed tone “I’ll tell you what’s really happening, but you can’t laugh”

“I promise I won’t” Daring declared “Unless it’s meant to be a joke”

“Well, this is no joke” Soul uttered seriously “I think something weird has happened to me”

“Weirder than usual?” Daring joked

“Definitely.” Soul stated, trying to remember what happened as best as he could “There were other ponies involved too”

Daring listened with concern as Soul continued “Hades gave me an apparently urgent task to find out what had happened to a couple ponies that were killed. I was transported to an abandoned carriage repair shop, and when I explored the back, something or someone had caught me off guard and knocked me unconscious. From what I could tell, it didn’t look like a pony”

“Really? What do you think it was?” Daring asked. The sincerity in her concern relieved Soul to know she believed him.

“I’m not sure. I saw them slightly better when I woke up in a room with 3 other ponies. They were very tall, garbed in what looked like some sort of robes, and they were watching us from a big window in their room” Soul explained “They said that they were going to grace us with something special. I don’t think it was very ‘special’ at all”

“What happened? Did they cast something on you, or poison you?” Daring inquired worryingly.

“I don’t know. That’s what I’m going to see Zecora about” Soul relayed, ending his story.

“Wow. That definitely is weirder than usual. Tall figures in robes..." Daring pondered as if she had heard the description before “Do you think they were humans?”

Daring’s theory hit Soul like a rock. He had never considered the possibility, but upon thinking it over, it seemed like the most obvious explanation. He wondered how it had slipped by him so easily, and how Daring had guessed it so quickly.

“Now that I think of it, yes, that's very likely” Soul admitted “Hades probably had the same theory. That must have been why it was so urgent...”

“We should get you to Zecora, and fast. Who knows what they did to you and those other ponies...” Daring said, disclosing her concern “Here, the station is just around this corner”

As they rounded the corner, Daring reached inside her saddle bag for what looked like a brown pouch. As they reached the station, Daring dropped the pouch on the ticket desk.

“Two tickets for Ponyville please” Daring requested to the ticket master.

Two tickets? Now look what I’ve done...Soul thought, cursing his weakness of confession. What he was dealing with could be dangerous, and the last thing he wanted was for Daring to get wrapped up in it.

The ticket master dropped the train tickets through the receiving hole “Your room is number 11. The train to Ponyville should be here in the next few minutes. Enjoy your ride!” he expressed as Daring thanked him and took the tickets, placing them in her bag.

It took Soul about a minute of silence to think of how to talk Daring out of it without showing his sudden concern “Daring, I don’t think you should be following me on this one” Soul admitted, only realizing how convoluted he sounded after he spoke. 

“What do you mean? I already bought the tickets” Daring remarked

“I know, but this could be much more than we think. I wouldn’t want to trouble you” Soul replied, now thinking his words up on the spot. 

Daring eyed him curiously before she spoke “But, you know I’ve been  in danger before. What’s the difference now?” she challenged.

“I’d just like to work alone on this, if you don’t mind” Soul said half heartedly, expecting Daring to shoot him down.

Sure enough, Daring replied “Well, we’re going on the same train anyways. I’d like to see Zecora as well.” she concluded with a victorious smile ‘Come on, the train is here”

Soul accepted her victory, falling silent as the train arrived at the station.  Daring flashed the train employees both her and Soul’s tickets as they allowed them entry.There was an odd smell as Soul and Daring entered the train. 

“Wow, it smells nice in here!’ Daring exclaimed, her nose in the air ‘They must have just cleaned the train”

“I’ll be in the room” Soul said, turning to walk towards the apartment cars as the train began to leave the station.

“Alright. I’ll be in buffet cars if you need me. I’m hungry” Daring stated, knowing that Soul prefered his privacy on train rides and trotting off in the opposite direction.

After passing the first few cars, Soul came to room 11 and entered. He rested his scythe against the wall near the door and sat down on his bed, looking out the window aimlessly. Suddenly he felt a nagging feeling, as if he was meant to be doing something. Soul shrugged it off as he layed down on the bed, hoping to rest.

Eventually the feeling become stronger, causing Soul to become restless. He tossed and turned for comfort to no avail, and eventually sat upright.

What is wrong with me? Soul thought, trying to determine the source of the feeling Maybe I’m just bothered by what’s happened...

With that thought, Soul soon began pondering the events so far. What  exactly had those figures done to him and the other ponies? If it was a gift, why not tell them what it was? If Hades had actually known or expected there to be humans, why did he not tell Soul? Soon Soul gave in to his inability to answer his own questions and dissipated the thoughts, hoping he would find out more upon visiting Zecora.

By this time, the feeling had gotten to Soul, and the restlessness had replaced itself with a stronger feeling of weakness. At this point, Soul barely wanted to move, but still couldn’t find rest on his bed. He figured that his body would eventually give in once he felt settled enough. All he wanted to do now was sleep this train ride off.

Suddenly the door opened to Daring snacking on a small steamed bun as she entered. She was definitely more content on the train than Soul was.

“Hey Soul. You look kinda tired” Daring said through her food. She swallowed down the rest of her snack as she continued, inspecting Soul closely “You should probably sleep most of this ride off. That reminds me, I wonder how long this train ride will take. I’ve never rode to Ponyville before...” she backed up a few steps and sat down on the opposing bed.

The thought of how long the train would take to get to Ponyville hit Soul like a brick. Manehattan and Ponyville were almost on opposite sides of Equestria, and just train rides from Canterlot to Ponyville could take almost half a day. Soul was in for about a day or so of sitting on the train. 

Soul sighed in exhaustion. He couldn’t be sure if he even had another day or two. Sure, he was going to visit Zecora to find out what was wrong with him, but what if whatever it was got to him first? What if it actually was a poison of some sort? Or a curse? The way he currently felt didn’t help his worry. 

Daring must have noticed Soul’s discontent, as she spoke up “Don’t worry, it won’t be that long” she affirmed, trying to raise Soul’s spirits “I’m sure the time will fly by if you just get some rest” 

She’s right. This train ride would slip by easily IF I could rest... Soul thought, annoyed even more now by his inability to rest. At this point, he was sure it wasn’t because he was troubled. Soul had dealt with much more worse situations and still kept his cool. Surely whatever had transpired at that abandoned facility had governed the negative effects Soul was now experiencing.

By now, Daring had grown worried for Soul’s health as well. He usually didn’t act so detached, and Daring was sure he would’ve been asleep by now if he intended to rest. She got up and walked over to him.

“Hey Soul, is something wrong?” She asked, the concern in her voice easily noticeable “You seem a bit troubled”. When Soul didn't answer, she pressed for a response “Come on Soul ,talk to me. I know you’re not sleeping”

“I’m just a bit restless” Soul replied, lacking the will for conversation. He just wanted the world around him to seep away so he could be alone. He felt as if every pony on this train were listening to him, as if every being within 100 miles could hear him. It was then that Soul noticed something very unusual. It wasn’t everyone else who could sense Soul, it was Soul who could sense everyone else.

Soul got up in a huff, surprising Daring with his sudden movements. As he stared at her, he had to rub his eyes before believed the sight before him.

Daring was shining a bright crimson, a small light in her chest the source of the brilliant spectacle. As he looked away, towards the other ends of the train, he could see similar lights moving about. Thin, red silhouettes of other ponies dotted the opposite ends of the train. Soul guessed he could sense about 5 cars past his own.

Daring had seem concerned, but before she asked, Soul’s gaze returned to her. Suddenly, his eye color changed as he blinked, and his eyes had begun to shine a brilliant shade of dark green. Something about them made her unable to look away. The trance had caused her to lose track of her thoughts, mentally drowning in his emerald irises. 

Daring felt as if she could stare into Soul’s new set of eyes for days on end. She barely noticed her slow, but steady advance. Daring had been drawing herself closer to Soul inch by inch.

“Daring, why are you looking at me like that?” Soul asked, a hint of concern in his voice. He rubbed and blinked his eyes as the light in her chest grew close enough to bother him. Suddenly, Daring’s eyes widened and she snapped out of her trance, blinking several times before she realized how close she was to Soul. When she met eyes with him again, she noticed his eyes had returned to their original shade of red.

Daring quickly backed before she spoke “Soul, your eyes just then...” she said as she rubbed the back of her head with her hoof in confusion.

“I know” Soul replied “I could...sense you. I could sense everypony...”

The word Soul spoke caught Daring off guard as she asked “Sense? What do you mean ‘Sense’?”

“I’m...not sure. Everypony within a few cars from us had some sort of red light outlining them, through the walls. Including yourself” Soul explained as best as he could, still unsure how it had happened in the first place.

‘Interesting” Daring remarked, pondering the description “You could see them moving and all?”

“Yes” Soul replied, hoping Daring could find a possible explanation.

Daring tapped her chin a few times with her hoof, looking aimlessly into the air “It seems you’ve got some sort of life sensing power..” Daring concluded, pointing at Soul’s eyes “Also, your eyes had turned a bright emerald green just then, and they put me in some sort of trance. Perhaps these new perks are what those humans meant by ‘gifts’?”

‘Maybe” Soul said, assuming Daring’s conclusion was most logical “That does seem most likely, but it apparently comes with a price”

“A price?” Daring replied curiously “What do you mean?”

“I can’t seem to find comfort” Soul said, trying to think of a way to explain the way his body felt “I’m restless, yet I feel weak” 

‘I see...” Daring said as she continued pondering “I guess seeing Zecora may be the only way we can find out the details”

Daring’s words made Soul feel uneasy. He trusted Zecora’s expertise, but he couldn’t help feeling bothered that she was the only real hope he had to find out what was wrong with him. The thought that bugged him most was that from now, until the time he gets to Ponyville, anything could happen. Considering how things were going in Equestria, Soul didn’t exactly shrug off the idea of danger striking at a very inopportune time.

I just hope I can peacefully get there Soul thought, dreading any sort of action in his current state If Zecora can help me regain my strength, I’ll  be happy to take on any possible dangers



~~~~~~~~~~

The train ride to Ponyville had, as Daring predicted, been much shorter than it seemed. Soul’s restless feeling had eventually faded, and he slept for what felt like centuries. He had only realized how much sleep he had lost over the past few days after he finally caught up with it.

Soul sat on his bed, anticipating that the conductor’s announcement of the train nearing Ponyville was sure to come any minute now. After all ,it was something he had been waiting for the entire ride. 

As Soul expected, the train conductor began to speak over his intercom “Attention passengers, we will soon arrive at Ponyville. Those who will be leaving here should prepare for departure now. Our estimated time of arrival is 5 minutes” 

Almost on cue with the conductor’s announcement, Daring entered the room “Well, that’s our signal” she said while still standing in the doorway “You ready to finally get off this train?”

“Never been more so” Soul stated, grateful that the ride was almost over.  He picked up his scythe and left the room, following Daring to the nearest exit door. They stood and waited for the train to stop at the station.

Soon the train came to a complete stop and its doors swung open. Soul and Daring quickly stepped off the train and headed into town. Soul took a moment to remember the path, and soon began moving south the through the town. Daring promptly followed Soul as they passed the outskirts, towards the Everfree Forest. 

They kept along a small path that lead through a good amount of the forest. Eventually, a small hut with various decorations could be seen from afaf. “That’s Zecora’s house’ Soul affirmed, slightly picking up his pace. Walking for so long had drawn out most of his stamina, and he hoped to find ailment at Zecora’s.

Before they reached the hut, the door opened and a Zebra with hoop earrings exited the hut to see who it was visiting her.

“Ah, Soulless Reaper visits me!” she exclaimed, walking to meet him halfway “and has a brought a friend, I see!”

“Hello, Zecora. It’s been a while” Soul said while shaking hooves with her “This is my friend, Daring Do”

Zecora shook hooves with Daring as she spoke “It is indeed a pleasure to  finally meet you” she said “As I have heard the many adventures of the famous Daring Do” 

Zecora turned to Soul as she continued “To what pleasure do I owe your presence here?” She rhymed happily “For your place of home is not very near”

“It’s a long story” Soul stated “But I need your help. I think I may have contracted something very unusual. I wanted to know if you could help me with it.”

“Ah, if it is medicinal help you need” Zecora piped up, turning to motion towards her hut “Then I would be happy to help indeed!”

At the request, Soul and Daring followed Zecora into her hut. The inside was adorned in many places with different tribal masks and tikis of sorts. She had already been boiling water when they got inside. Daring and Soul took seats near the door on a small bench. 

“So what is it that ails you my friend?” Zecora asked as she stood behind her cauldron “There are not many sicknesses I cannot mend”

“That’s my problem” Soul replied, unsure how to word his current state “I don’t know what's wrong with me. Let me explain”

Soul proceeded to explain, in detail, the events that had happened so far, including the possible humans and the incident on the train. When he finished, Zecora pondered his descriptions for a minute, and seemed almost worried when she came to a possible conclusion. She trotted between various shelves and cupboards, searching for something.

Zecora kept searching as she spoke “I think I know what disease you may be conflicted with” she said as she pulled a dark blue flower from one of her cupboards “But I had believed such a disease to be a myth!” 

From what seemed to be her last cupboard, Zecora grabbed two pieces of red grass and six cloves of what Soul could tell was garlic. She then threw all the ingredients into the pot and began to mix them slowly. 

Zecora beckoned Soul to come closer to the pot, and pointed at his weapon “It may be uncanny to ask you to bleed” she said in a more serious tone “But a few droplets of your blood is the last ingredient this pot needs”

Soul barely noticed Daring staring at him cautiously, wondering how he would react.

Soul took no hesitation as he handled his weapon carefully. He slit his hoof a bit and hovered it above the cauldron. After 3 drops had made it in, Zecora motioned for him to stop, staring at the boiling ingredients for a few seconds before returning her attention to Soul. 

“I believed it to be just a fable of the media” Zecora spoke softly, sounding concerned “But the disease you contracted is called ‘Porphyric Hemophilia’”

“Wow” Daring piped up, trotting over to the cauldron “You are very good at rhyming your sentences!”

“Thank you” Zecora replied with a smile

“So, what does this disease do?” Daring asked before Soul could “I assume it has something to do with Soul’s blood?”

“Yes it does, very much so” Zecora replied “As of now, Soul’s blood does not properly flow”

Zecora’s claim surprised the two, causing them to look at each other quickly before returning their gaze to Zecora. Daring was the first to speak again “So, there’s something wrong with the way Soul’s blood is flowing?”

“Indeed, his energy would slowly drain” she said, stern look on her face “if somepony else’s blood he does not gain”

Soul froze. Everything that had transpired suddenly came together under Zecora’s sentence. The blood related ritual, the feeling of weakness and restlessness, even the soul court of the pony who had been accused of vampirism. It all made sense. The humans had infected Soul and various other ponies with a plague of vampirism. 

 I’m...some sort of vampire, and so was that pony in the soul court. I’m lucky I got here before I cracked, and fed on somepony. Soul thought.

Daring began to speak as she was interrupted by an immensely loud roar. The beastly roar had caught the three of them off guard. 

Daring’s words suddenly changed topic “What was that?” she asked, concerned ‘It sounded like it came from the town!”

At Daring’s words Soul quickly grabbed his weapon and exited the hut. He turned back to Zecora and Daring “I’m going to check it out” Soul said, taking initiative as fast as he could “Daring, stay here with Zecora. This could be dangerous”

Daring eyed Soul curiously before nodding in agreement “Just make sure you don’t forget about me here” she joked.

Before he took off, Zecora quickly galloped out of the hut, a small vial of red liquid hanging from a string in her teeth. She passed it to Soul and spoke “Quickly drink this potion to feel at ease. It will help your body, but will only delay the disease ” 

Soul complied with her request and drank the concoction. To his surprise, it had no taste to it and felt even thinner than water. However, it had definitely worked it’s magic, Soul could almost feel the stamina and energy returning to his weakened body. 

His strength relieved, Soul quickly thanked Zecora, and galloped off at a high speed towards the town.





> Chapter 5, Duo: Untamed Power.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Anger gives motivation without purpose; one that only crushes everything in it's sporadic path.



Everything felt surreal, like a dream. But everything felt tangible, like a reality

The sun shined brightly in Jay’s eyes as he awoke. The situation he awoke from, however, was unfamiliar. Jay had remembered falling asleep against a bookshelf in Twilight’s library, but now he was lying on his back, in what felt like a field. When he managed to sit upright, he saw a large mountain in the distance just past the field that he was apparently lying in.

Wait a second.....what happens when you sleep somewhere and wake up somewhere else?... he thought, his worry quickly growing. With that thought, Jay stood up and swiftly checked himself to notice that he wore only his apparel, and that all of his equipment, including the Guardian sword, was gone.

Son of a bitch, are you kidding me!? They stole all my goddamned gear! Jay thought, clenching his gloved fists hard. Jay’s thoughts of anger and rage suddenly dissipated, however, when he looked to his left to see the horrific scene that had engulfed the pony residence.

The town was almost completely destroyed, with most of its buildings still in a fiery blaze. The library Jay remembered entering looked as if a giant, rugged axe had cleaved it in half diagonally. The remnants of the other half lay on the ground beside it, on top of several other buildings near it. The train at the station had apparently tore through several homes and crashed into the town square. It hadn't derailed, however. It looked as if something threw the train directly at the town.

Suddenly, a thought he had hoped wasn’t true hit Jay as he looked down at his own hands. His gloves were gone, and blood stained his palms and fingers.

“No....No! There's no way!!” Jay shouted, shutting his eyes at the sight. He knew of a form of himself that reveled in the destruction and death that was the town. “No!...I didn’t do this! I COULDN’T have done this!”

‘Ah, you’re right Jay...” spoke a cold, yet familiar voice behind Jay. “You didn’t do anything...'cept let off some steam, maybe. No harm done, yeah?”. The voice let out a mocking laugh at Jay’s back.

His anger quickly returned, Jayhawk spun around to face a darkened, shadow of himself staring at him, his eyes replaced with black voids. His clothes were torn and his hair hung down as if it had been drenched. As much as he hated to see Ira face to face, it relieved him to know that this was nothing but a taunting dream conjured by his own inner demons. He loosened his body, crossing his arms and glaring at his demonic mirror.

“Rise and shine, hero” Ira spoke, shining smile that bore his jagged teeth ‘Did you sleep well?”

“Ah, cut the crap. You don’t haunt me unless you want something” Jay said, eager to find the meaning of his nightmare

Ira returned a shrill, small giggle that caused Jay to cringe a little at the sound “You’re always such a forward man! Nobody stands in your way. Nobody at all!”

“I asked you a question” Jay remarked.

“And that I shall answer indeed” Ira replied in a mockingly proper tone 

Suddenly Ira disappeared in a small puff of black smoke, and reappeared beside Jay, hanging his left arm on Jay’s shoulder. Jay shifted his head as far away from Ira as he could, as the mixed smell of decaying corpses and blood that emanated from the shadow tugged hard at his sense.

“Up there, see it? You can’t miss it” Ira chuckled, pointing towards the sun The two of them stared at the giant star, it’s brightness somehow not affecting Jay’s eyes. ”So vibrant...and pretty! It’s beautiful, huh?”

“That’s what you want?... The sun?” Jay mocked, shrugging Ira off of his shoulder “Since when does a shadow have a solar fetish?” 

“Oh, but the sun is beautiful here, Jay!” Ira swooned, interlocking his hands and pretending to be a giddy little girl “She really is a sight for sore eyes, and she's super nice and caring. You'd love her!” Ira laughed deviously as he sat down cross legged in the grass.

Jayhawk sighed, both in confusion and annoyance. Ira’s true form had to be one of the most creepy, yet irritant demons Jay had ever met, and he was stuck in his head for good. 'It's dreams like these that make me regret ever taking up the Guardian's sword in the first place.'

“Listen, unless you want me to somehow rocket into space, we’re not getting anywhere near that thing” Jay said, scratching his head. Ira had seldom demanded odd things in Jay’s subconscious before, but this was on the top of the list. 

“Oh...but you can easily get the sun for us!” Ira piped up, pushing off the dead grass to stand. “She’s coming here soon. All you gotta do is TAKE HER!”

Before Jay could respond, Ira's form dissipated into a thick cloud of black smoke that swiftly engulfed Jay. He held his arms in front of his eyes as the smoke slowly suffocated his view. Then, with a sharp breath, Jay awoke in shock where he originally dozed off. He quickly inspected himself to see that nothing on him had been touched. A voice beside him interrupted his moment of relief, causing him to turn his head toward it.

“Quickly, get up! She’s almost here!” yelled the purple unicorn that stood before him. Jay took several seconds before he could remember her name.

“Eh...Twilight, right? What is it?” Jayhawk questioned hazily, standing up slowly “Who’s almost here?”

“Princess Celestia! She replied to my letter saying that she would be visiting Ponyville to see you in person as soon as possible!” Twilight looked completely distraught, yet very tidy and proper, as if she was late for her own wedding “She’s almost here, you have to hurry outside!” she said, stomping her hoof on the ground.

“Wow, uh...”Jay replied, dumbfounded by the situation “I’m...I guess I’m honored?”

‘You should be! Now, get outside, quickly!” urged the purple unicorn, nodding her head towards the door.

‘Yeah yeah, I got it...I’m going” Jay said, lazily waving an arm at Twilight’s rants. “Shoulda woke me up sooner”

Jay ducked his head under the small pony door as he exited the library, noticing that Rainbow Dash and Spike were already outside. The two turned to face him as they heard the door close behind Twilight. 

‘Hey Spike, look” Dash said to Spike, a smile spreading across her face ‘He’s actually awake! I thought that chat was gonna last forever!”

Spike laughed at was apparently an inside joke between him and the pony ‘I bet Twilight cut it short.” He turned to look at Jay as he continued ‘You were mumbling stuff as you slept. It was weird’ He stated, snickering a little.

‘Yeah, humans do that.” Jay remarked, hoping he wouldn’t have to explain his dream “Especially when their dream feels like it’s real”

“So, what were you dreaming abo-” Dash was cut off by Twilight waving her hoof towards the pegasus.

“Enough chit chat! She’s already arrived!” Twilight ordered, beckoning towards a tall, white pony flying slowly in the short distance, heading towards the library. The pony seemed to also have a long horn on her head, and was accompanied by a few other pegasi. Jay could see their armor gleaming in the sunlight.

Guards. I guess she’s the cautious type Jay thought. He noticed that a small crowd of other town ponies had gathered after noticing their princess flying in. The ponies respectively left a large lane in the middle of their crowd that Jay assumed the princess was now heading towards. 'Right, royalty. Never considered about how formal this meeting will probably be. I hope she doesn’t expect me to bow for her, or something'

Jay’s thoughts became nearly a reality as he watched the ponies around him, including Spike, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight react accordingly as the princess landed at the front of the lane. He crossed his arms, almost sneering as he observed the ponies bow down before the royalty that walked towards Jay. By the time she stopped walking, Jay was the only being other than the guards standing before her majesty.

Jay expected the worst as he crossed his gaze from the crowd to hers. Albeit her flowing, colored mane covered one of her eyes, Jay was surprised as his eyes met hers. He suddenly felt an unnatural feeling of warmth drift through his body like a soft wind, letting his arms slowly drop back down to his sides. It was only when she flashed him a small smile that he realized he had been staring at her. He quickly averted his vision and attempted to break the silence.

“...hey” Jay managed, raising his hand to wave and quickly dropping it again. 

“Hello” she responded, in a soothing tone that nearly revamped the prior feeling. ‘I am Princess Celestia. I assume you’re the one Twilight referred to as ‘Jayhawk’?”

“Uh, yeah, that’s me. The one and only.” Jay replied, putting his hands in his pockets. He was trying his best to face her without meeting her gaze again.

Before another word was spoken, Jay was suddenly deaf to everything but a ringing in his ears. A small pain appeared in the right side of his head, causing him to flinch and grab at it. Then a voice whispered in his ear; one familiarly cold voice.

“That’s her, Jay. The sun!” Ira spoke, a hint of excitement in his voice “Go on, don’t be shy. Those guards won’t be able to stop you, and you know it!”

As Jay stood still, attempting to shrug off the pain, Ira’s voice suddenly became enraged. More deeper, darker voices backing his own as he spoke “I demand it! Obey! Give in to the darkness or you will regret it!” The pain in the side of Jay’s head spread across entire skull, pulsing like the beat of his own heart.

Jay could tell Celestia and the ponies that stood beside him were worried watching him dropped to his knees and clutching his in pain head with both hands. Eventually the pain got to him, causing him to let out a loud agonizing scream out towards the dirt. Limply, he fell down to a hunched over position on his knees, squirming and tossing about as the pain tortured him.

“NO! Dammit, leave me be!” He yelled to himself as he pounded the floor, one hand still clutching his head. “I won't let you sway my actions!...”

“That is not your choice to make!” responded Ira as another sharp pain struck his mind, leaving another crack in Jay’s sanity.

“Jayhawk, is...something wrong?” Celestia asked in a concerning tone, walking closer to him.

“AH, NO! Get the hell AWAY FROM ME!” he screamed back at the white alicorn, sticking out his hand towards her defensively. Upon another strike of pain, Jay managed to staggeringly stand and run forward, bee-lining past Celestia and her guards. The ponies watched as he sprinted away from his demon’s intended target. He couldn’t let Ira escape again so soon, at such a place. He couldn’t let Ira win. 

“Resistance is just a waste of time. I will have her! You will make SURE OF IT!” Ira yelled into Jay’s ears, striking one last stab of pain at his mind, causing Jay to let out a helpless yelp and fall to the ground not far from the edge of the pony crowd. His body writhed in pain as he continued to clutch at his head violently. After a few seconds on the ground, the pain slowly subsided, leaving nothing but the soreness from the violent panic attack on Jay’s mind.

Jayhawk's arms fell limply to the ground as he lay still on his side, relieved that he could prevent the disaster. He could barely hear the sound of hooves on the ground approaching him slowly over the haze in his mind and the sound of his own heavy breathing. 

I did not come here expecting this to happen... Jay thought, placing his hands on the ground in an attempt to stand. His strength failed, causing his face to hit the dirt once more. He coughed several times before spitting up unnaturally dark blood.

Slowly, Jayhawk managed to turn over to see that Celestia had approached him, followed by Twilight, Spike, Rainbow Dash and 4 other ponies unknown to him. Celestia leaned her head down towards Jay, a small light shining at the end of her horn. Jay’s eyes lit up in fear as he attempted to move away. Touching the target was the last thing he wanted. He had just barely fought Ira back.

‘No...don’t...” Jay stuttered, trying to warn Celestia what would happen if he made contact with his target. ‘He’ll...he’ll return. Stay...stay back!”

“It’s alright” Celestia replied, apparently not listening to Jay’s mad ramblings “Please, let me help you.”

Jay closed his eyes tightly, awaiting the inevitable as Celestia’s horn grew closer to his forehead. Upon touching Jay’s head, the white light on Celestia’s horn cut out immediately, and a small circle of dark red flesh covered the spot where it made contact.

Jay’s eyes were still closed as he spoke unwillingly “Heheh...what a delightful bliss of innocence...” he chuckled coldly.

“What?...” Celestia answered, a rush of concern in her voice.

Suddenly Jay’s eyelids shot open, his iris' unnaturally red. The evil smile he shined at Celestia showed jagged and pointy teeth.

Celestia backed away quickly as the dark red flesh on Jay’s head began to spread across his entire head and body, covering him in crimson, metallic skin as he got up to a crouch. 

Faintly, he began chuckling to the ground, his hands gripping at the soil beneath him. After falling silent for a few seconds, he threw his head back as his into a shrill, maniacal laugh ('Bit like this) 

At the sound of his insane demonic laughter, the ponies in the crowd began to slowly disperse in fear of what may happen next. Twilight, Spike, and 5 other ponies stood behind Celestia, concerned with what was happening to the human.

Celestia herself barely believed what she was seeing. The human that stood before her just minutes ago, the human she was rather eager to meet, slowly converted into a horrible crimson-colored demonic form of himself, laughing madly at her attempt to mend his sanity. The dark aura that surrounded him danced like a flame around his body, growing stronger every second. As his crazed laughter died, the aura burst outwards from him, letting a sound akin to an unnaturally loud roar of a beast. Siwftly, he shot his gaze directly at Celestia, locking his red eyes with hers.  At this point, Celestia’s guard took the initiative to stand in front of her in defense.

“Ah....the sun. Such beauty, such...grace” Ira spoke in his otherworldly voice. He swiftly slammed his left claw into the ground, gripping the dirt firmly “Makes me sick!” he yelled, launching himself forward at Celestia. He tackled through a few of her guards, quickly knocking most of them out of them way and advancing towards his target.

“Stand down, beast!” yelled one of the guards, jabbing his spear into the side of Ira’s neck. Seemingly unphased by such efforts, Ira stopped and slowly averted his gaze towards the guard, who now bore a look of severe regret in his eyes. 

In what seemed like a second, Ira picked up the pony and riveted a claw through his stomach. As he dropped the body, Ira streaked the blood on his claw across his face, reveling in the death of his first victim.

“Percival, no!” yelled another one of the guards “Take that thing down, now!” he commanded, causing the rest of the guards to charge Ira directly. Ira turned delightfully as they quickly approached him, a taste for blood now part of his devilish desire. He took two steps backwards, and disappeared in a small plume of black smoke just as the guards reached him. Within a moment, he then reappeared above their confused commander, landing heavily on his back with one foot, and crushing the spine in his neck with the other.

“Like a twig! How fragile!” Ira laughed, picking up the limp corpse and tossing it aside. Ira pointed one claw towards the rest of the guards as he spoke “Eenie, meenie, miney, you”. In the blink of an eye, Ira had jumped forward towards the unlucky pony who his claw landed on, grabbing him by the head and kneeing him on the stomach, before swiftly crushing his skull in his grasp. Before they could react, Ira tossed the body towards the rest of the guards, disorienting them as he unsheathed the wicked sword on his back and began his violent assault. Celestia slowly backed away as she watched in horror. Ira slashed and skewed the guards in a matter of seconds, the blood from the massacre staining the ground and his equally crimson body. 

“Feeble little mules... Ira spat at the dead bodies littered around him “Wouldn’t you think so, Sun Goddess?” he said, turning to face Celestia as he latched his sword back into it's unnatural sling.

“No, I would not” Celestia remarked as she quickly gathered herself and stood resolute, expectant to have no choice but battle the demon “They are my people. I refuse to see them as less than me”

Ira’s responding laugh sent a heavy chill through Celestia’s spine, embracing her in a cold, harsh feeling. He sheathed his darkened sword, walking slowly towards Celestia as he cracked various knuckles in his claws. A devious smirk spread across his face.

“Not very ‘royale’ I see” Ira stated, slowly making his advance “ I suppose I’ll enjoy fighting you, if you even plan to try” He lightly punched his palm a few times, the last one creating a small match of embers.

At this point, Twilight had lost her cool. Her gut overpowered her mind as she rushed towards Celestia, her friends attempting to halt her as she galloped. She stopped in front of Celestia, her horn glowing radiantly.

“I won’t let you hurt Princess Celestia!” Twilight yelled towards the advancing monstrosity "You’ll have to go through me first!” Twilight began charging her magic, and shot several small bolts at Ira, who simply swatted them away like flying insects. One bolt made it through his lazy defense, hitting him square in the forehead and causing him to flinch back. Ira stopped in his tracks, and stared curiously at the purple unicorn. 

No...can he sense her power?.. Celestia thought, realizing why Ira had stopped to inspect Twilight This could be bad. I have to get her to safety immediately

Ira began chuckling as he looked at the dust he wiped off his brow. He quickly crushed it in his fist, a burst of flame appearing around his clenched claw. With chilling speed, he averted his red gaze directly at Twilight, cutting her sudden rush of adrenaline with a stab of fear.

“You!...you look...interesting” Ira remarked, hanging his tongue through his jagged teeth and out of his mouth ‘Perhaps you may even worth more!...”


~~~~~~~~~~


Soul had just exited the Everfree Forest when he could faintly hear the sound of metal clashing. In an urge to protect the citizens, Soul had began to increase his pace to a fast gallop, hoping every second that he wasn’t too late.

When he arrived in town, he could see only a small amount of ponies still escaping in different directions. Soul could faintly hear what sounded like something unnatural laughing on the other side of town, and headed towards the source of the sound. Eventually he could barely see the scene unfolding by the library. Princess Celestia was there for some reason unknown to Soul, with Twilight standing in between her and a sight he could barely believe.

Soul’s expression tensed as he realized what the source of the turmoil was. A blood-soaked demonic humanoid stood over the litter of corpses that was Celestia's guardsmen, laughing lightly and steeling his gaze on Twilight. He could hear what sounded like the demon’s voice saying “You look interesting”

Upon the words, Soul stood still no longer, and charged into the fray. Suddenly, the demon averted his gaze towards the advancing pony, followed by Celestia and other remaining ponies in the area.

Soul could barely hear the few cheers from Twilight’s friends as he jumped at the demon and attempted to attack with his scythe, only to be dodged and caught by the neck.

Ira looked confused, and a bit annoyed “Who the hell is this?... Looks edgier than me!” he asked, looking towards Celestia. (This battle music is wild, and untamed!)

Soul took advantage of the situation and delivered a swift hind hoof to the demon’s gut, causing him to flinch and allowing Soul to slip out of his grasp and slice his scythe downward across the demon’s body. His momentum built, Soul unleashed a flurrying combo of proceeding slashes at the demon, just barely rending his metallic skin with small slashes and cuts. Soul proceeded to end his deadly combo by slashing upward which, to his surprise, the demon managed to dodge with a few quick back tumbles. He landed heavily on the ground, a short distance from Soul, who stood in a readied stance with his weapon.

“So...” Ira said ruggedly, obviously annoyed at the attack he was just caught in “It seems you have somebody actually worth fighting!”

Soul stood still, waiting for the demon’s next move. He was sure an attack like that would make him aggressive. He was planning out the entire fight as the demon eyed him with blood-red irises.

“But, if it was an execution you wanted...” Ira said while unsheathing his sword “...all you really had to do was ASK!” He rocketed towards Soul, the tip of his black blade pointing forward. Soul dodged the attack as Ira reached him, spinning around him quickly and catching his back with all three blades on his scythe.

Before Soul could follow up, Ira grabbed the three blades and pulled them out of his back, quickly taking Soul with the scythe as he slammed it into the ground and tossed it aside. Soul hit the brick wall of a house as hard as his scythe did. A sharp pain struck through Soul’s back as he stood back up, only to find that the demon had begun charging him. His sword scraped and sparked along the ground as he ran at Soul.

To Soul’s surprise, the demon jumped high in the air, landing still far away from Soul. He brought his sword slamming to the ground as he landed, and a large, crescented-shaped blast of fire emitted out from the blade towards Soul. Regretful that the house would be damaged, Soul quickly jumped out the way to avoid the attack as it slammed straight into the  wall, a fiery explosion engulfing the bricks and wood beneath.

As Soul looked back to see if anypony had been injured, he was quickly struck by a surprise gut punch from Ira. Ira kept Soul on his fist as he raised it up and brought it back down behind him, slamming Soul to the ground a short distance from him. Soul bounced slightly upon impact, allowing Ira to deliver a swift side kick that sent Soul rocketing towards the pony spectators, who were knocked back as he crashed hard into them. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had quickly flew out of the way, and helped their friends back up. Ira slowly advanced towards them, assuming the battle was nearly over. 

“Ugh...come on Soul” Rainbow Dash urged, helping Soul up from the mess “You’re not gonna let him throw you around like a dummy, are you?”

“I’m trying not to...” Soul answered as he got back on his hooves. His eyes widened as he saw Fluttershy standing a few feet in front of the group, between Ira and Soul “No, Fluttershy...don’t!”

Fluttershy swallowed hard, preparing herself to confront the demon “Now stop right there, you big meanie!” she lightly yelled at Ira, who stopped in his tracks, a strong look of confusion and disbelief on his face “Soul is my friend, and I don’t like it when people hurt my friends!”

Ira kept his expression for a few moments as the small, yellow pony stared back at him. Suddenly, a feeling began tugging at his body, like something was trying to hold him in place. He couldn’t look away from the pony’s eyes as the feeling became stronger. His muscles constricted and his legs rooted to the ground.

“What....what have you done?!” Ira shouted, his rage building like a storm. He suddenly realized what the pony was doing “Oh, give me a break!! You think you can hold ME back?! Ab-so-lutely....PITIFUL!”. His words echoed as he broke free of the invisible constraints. In the matter of a second, he leaped towards the yellow pony and slammed her away with the back of his fist. 
He then unsheathed and stabbed his sword into the ground, causing a creeping black streak of energy to follow her to the wall she had collided into.

“Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash yelled, taking off towards her, and swooping to grab her out of the way before she was hit. The dark streak of energy hit the wall with a black explosion that made a sound similar to people screaming in pain.

I don’t know what this thing is, but I’ve already had enough of him! Soul yelled to himself in his head, picking up his scythe and charging the demon again. Ira had just barely turned in time to stop the three blades with his hand, a crimson liquid oozing out of where the blades met his claws. That must be his blood. Good to know

After a few seconds, Ira pushed off Soul’s scythe, jumping a long distance back. Soul could see him baring his teeth in rage. He then clenched his and held up his right claw “I'll burn you to CINDERS!” he yelled, deeper, more hateful voices now backing his own.

After the threat, he pounded the ground with his claw. Soul suddenly felt his hooves burning, looking down to the ground beneath him to see it turning a bright orange. He just barely managed to jump away as a giant pillar of fire erupted out from his spot.

“Burn, BURN!” Ira shouted in anger, slamming his fist several times into the ground again, followed by several more pillars of fire that Soul continued to dodge. When he stopped hitting the ground, Soul jumped towards Ira, dodging another pillar and matching blades with him. Sparks jumped about and the sound of steel grating against steel could be heard as the two slashed multiple times, matching their weapons against each other's blades viciously. They stopped on one slash, chancing their blades together.

“You will regret opposing me, little ponyboy!” Ira threatened, pushing harder against Soul’s guard.

“It will be YOU who will regret hurting my people, demon!” Soul replied, returning the push against Ira’s blade. 

After a few seconds of pushing against each other, Soul could see a white light from the corner of his eye. When he turned to see it, he caught a short glimpse of Celestia’s horn glowing a bright white before Ira took the chance and pushed off Soul’s guard, swiftly kneeing him in the gut and bringing his sword down upon Soul.

Before Ira could finish his strike, however, a brilliant white beam pounded against his side, paralyzing him in pain and causing him to drop his weapon as he writhed in agony. The beam persisted long enough for Soul to stand with his weapon, and perform an emergency spell he rarely used. 

Soul quickly spun his scythe twice in his hooves and pounded the the staff end into the ground. The runes on his staff lit up in a cyan light, reflecting onto the ground near it. Upon the end of Celestia’s attack, a rumble could be felt. Ira had fell to his knees against the pain of the light beam, only to notice that a portal had suddenly opened under him. His eyes widened as he looked at Soul

“Have fun in hell!” Soul replied to his look, the lights on his scythe lighting up even brighter on cue.

Ira backed away from the portal as a giant skeletal hand emerged from it, reaching for him and catching him by the legs. Ira’s claws scraped along the dirt as the hand dragged him down.

“NO! I refuse!” Ira shouted, stabbing his right claw into the ground and hanging onto it, stopping the hand from pulling him down fully. The bodies of the formerly dead guard ponies were swept into the abyss of the portal as Ira gripped onto the soil with his only free arm.

Soul walked over to the dirt that the demon hung onto. “That is not your choice to make” he said, raising his scythe up into the air and slashing down on Ira’s claw, causing him to lose grip on the ground and shout out in terror as the hand pulled him the rest of the way down into the portal.

Soul, pleased with his victory, slowly walked back to the ponies, intent on seeing if everyone was okay and to thank Celestia for her help. Before he made it back to them fully, however, the ground began to rumble like it had before.

To Soul’s great dismay, he could see the spot on the ground at which the demonic sword had been laying was now falling apart. The earth cracked and shattered under a sudden force, followed by a huge fiery eruption. In the middle shot out the demon he was sure he had just sent to the underworld, now nearly twice his original body’s build. His form was lit completely ablaze; his eyes replaced with red ovals.

He landed with a resounding boom on the ground, cracking the ground beneath his feet. Suddenly, he reared back, and let out an ear shattering, demonic roar into the sky. The earth cracked and exploded at his rage, seeming as if it would fall apart as his command. He pointed his jagged, demonic blade at Soul

“YOU! Eijin de cai soui” Ira yelled, his voice now distorted demonically, devoid of any it’s previous normality. Soul felt a small, nagging feeling of nerve in his gut as he realized the meaning behind the under-worldly language that the demon had shouted at him

The incantation meant “your soul is mine”.
> Chapter 6, Duo: Getting Aquainted
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Sacrificing humanity is akin to the sea losing it's fish



The situation at hand was a heated one, indeed

In an unbelievable feat, Ira’s new form had acted as a sort of savior for him, easily allowing him to escape Soul’s attempt of sending him to the Underworld. Now the demon was bigger, stronger, and his rage burned like the fires that engulfed his entire body.

Ira’s sudden flames, however, had given Rainbow Dash an idea. She let out a small laugh as she quickly flew off into the sky, unnoticed by the demon, who was now intent on nothing other than destroying Soulless Reaper.

His red gaze locked on his target, Ira began slowly advancing forward. He walked as if sure nothing would dare stand in his way. His steps thumped on the ground, leaving small craters in his following path that burned a dull orange. Ira was now a walking flame. Getting near him could be catastrophic to Soul’s health, and being vampiric meant Soul could burn more easily. 

Hopefully he’ll be content using his sword. That will keep him at some distance Soul hoped, eying the burning monstrosity approaching him. He readied himself to block any incoming attacks from the demon, and quickly turned towards Celestia as he spoke “Celestia, I need you to try that light attack again” he requested “Use it as soon as I get an opening ready on him, okay?”. Celestia nodded at his plan, returning her attention to Ira as they waited.

Ira seemed much angrier than before, but he patiently walked towards Soul. It wasn’t until he was merely ten steps from Soul and the other ponies that he finally struck, thrusting his sword towards Soul. Soul quickly caught the sword between his scythe's blades. He soon regretted the move, however, as Ira took full advantage of the weapon being wrapped around his edge. He tossed Soul’s weapon aside and slammed his blade down, causing Soul to jump towards his scythe to dodge. 

Soul quickly realized the error of his sudden movement as he looked back. Ira’s blade had just barely missed the six ponies behind him, who jumped back in fear. To Soul’s relief, Ira lifted his sword up and quickly began advancing to him again. Ira no longer had any intentions of hurting Celestia in place of his intention to kill Soul.

Soul got to his hooves, ready for yet another attack. He waited in place as the demon ran forward, the stomps he made causing tremors in the earth. A few feet from him, Ira hopped off one foot and slammed down against Soul’s guard. Soul quickly reacted as Ira pulled back his sword, landing another blow against the staff of Soul’s scythe. He continued to repeat his action several times, slamming his sword on Soul’s adapting guard over and over again. Soul had been amazed at his own ability to block the flurry of slashes Ira attempted to land on him.

As the clash of weapons went on, Soul could barely see Rainbow Dash flying about above him. At his lack of attention, Soul had just barely stopped on overhead attack from Ira. The blow pounded against his guard harder than any others. Ira had seemed content with his blow’s impact, lifting his sword and returning the same amount of force multiple times against Soul until he had forced him to the ground. Soul was now sandwiched between the dirt and the match of weapons that was keeping Ira’s blade at bay.

When the situation seemed to be leaning in the wrong direction, Soul suddenly felt a drop of water on his forehead, He looked up to see  Rainbow Dash peeking out from a cloud. She smiled as she slipped back out of sight, bouncing on the cloud harder, which was now raining more droplets of water. As it poured down, Ira began flinching as if he was being struck by arrows. From his position, Soul could see his expression wavering into weakness. He took the advantage and slipped out of the match, now standing a short distance from the weakening demon.

Soon, the flames around Ira body completely extinguished as Rainbow Dash stomped the cloud she was atop, causing more and more rain to pour out from under it. The loss of fire had apparently crippled Ira severely; he crouched at his spot, breathing heavily and pounding his head.

Self righteous fools! You’ve let him get the advantage! Ira spoke through his heaves, grabbing at his head.

The realization hit Soul quickly. Now’s my chance! I can end this! was the thought that rang through his head. He charged forward with his scythe, landing a heavy blow that caused Ira to reel back in pain. Soul then copied his example on Ira’s previous form, following into a flurry of slashes that ended with a heavy upward slash. 

“Now, Celestia! Do it now!” Soul yelled towards the princess, who had begun her attack in anticipation. The brilliant beam from her horn struck Ira in the back, to which he reacted as he had before, this time lifting the demon off the ground in a brilliant display of light.

Before he could retry his spell, however, something caught Soul’s eye. The crimson armor had begun to fade away from the demon. His black pits suddenly opened to reveal regular eyes, colored a light shade of green. The sword he dropped had reverted to a long golden-hilt sword. By the end of Celestia’s attack, the demon had receded into what seemed to be a normal human being. A familiar looking one that twisted Soul's memory's about in confusion. 

The human landed heavily on the ground, crouching and breathing heavily like the demon had before him. Suddenly he spoke between his gasps of breath “You guys...have no idea...how impressed I am...” 

He looked up to Soul, his face sweating and his expression weak but happy. “You...you’re some kinda super pony, y’know...good work!” He said ecstatically before struggling and finally standing back on his feet. He picked up the golden sword and placed it in the sheath on his back.

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash swooped in beside the human “Well, it was a little rain that put Mr. fireball out!” She spieled, revelling at her own handiwork. 

“Yes” Celestia spoke as she and the other ponies approached “It was thanks to Rainbow Dash’s intuitive thinking that saved Soul in the nick of time”

“Yeah, thanks Dash” Soul added.

“Hey, no problem” Dash replied, practically soaking up the attention as the various other ponies complimented her action.

Jay simply stared at Dash in disbelief, scratching  the back of his head. Finally, he spoke “Dash...of all the many beings that form has encountered, you’re the first one to think of putting out his fire” 

“Well, it was just common sense, y’know” Dash chuckled

“That’s my point” Jayhawk remarked, almost in a joking tone “I’m glad you managed to act on it. As for the rest for you...” Jay stopped when he noticed Fluttershy meekly stand up, a small bit of blood dotted on her nose . He continued, a feeling of regret in his voice “I...I just...apologize for any damage done, is all. I, er....wasn't myself” 

Jay approached the yellow pony slowly and crouched down in front of her “You okay, little one? You got hit pretty hard” Jay spoke softly, in attempt to sound comforting.

The pony turned her head away without replying.  She avoided meeting his gaze, and her long pink hair covered her face almost entirely. He could tell she was either still afraid of him, or just really shy. Her expression of sudden embarrassment was unseen to Jay as he pet her head lightly before standing back up. Rainbow Dash let a small snicker upon noticing Fluttershy’s pink cheeks. 

Jay spun around to face the other ponies around him and clapped his hands together “So, who wants to hear the explanation behind what just happened?” Jay said with a small smile, fanning his view across the ponies. To his relief, most of them looked intrigued. 

“I would love to know” Twilight added, approaching the door of her library “Come inside, everypony. Jay can explain himself to us all”. Jay barely noticed the glare Twilight had given him.

'Yeah, keep staring. You’ll soon find out I had nothing to do with this' Jay thought, intent on relieving his possible blame. He wanted to make it clear that him and Ira were two very different things.

The rest of the ponies, and Spike, followed Jay and Twilight inside the library. Jay took initiative as he grabbed the nearest chair beside a desk and swung it in his hand to the middle of the room. He plopped down on it sideways as to avoid his sword getting caught on the back,and slouched forward, his elbows balanced on his knees.

“Gather ‘round, gather ‘round” Jay spieled, beckoning to the group of ponies with both hands “It’s story time, little ones”

The group amassed in front of Jay, most ponies content with seating themselves on the floor. After they all seemed settled, Jay stopped and pondered how he would manage to abbreviate such a tale. 

Eventually he took a deep breath, and spoke “In my world...on Earth...fate may guide a man to meet one specific person or find one specific thing, even if such guidance eventually leads him to darkness. A man simply cannot forsake his own chosen path. What you saw...what you experienced just then....that was part of my chosen path” 

Jay looked down at the floor, still piecing together his sentences as he went on “Often there is a time that one is forever unable to retrieve. In pursuit for forgiveness one is destined to atone by living through agony and letting time slip away. I refused to do just that by taking up the Guardian sword" Jay tugged on the handle of his blade in a motioning manner before continuing "When its powers were bestowed upon me, my personality was copied into to two other beings: a demon, and an angel. They are both inside my head, per se, and getting rid of either would forfeit my powers back to the sword. Just then, the demon had managed to take control”

“I see” Celestia suddenly added, gazing idly at nothing as she thought. She returned her attention to Jay “So your powers have quite a payment”

“I wouldn’t really call it a payment” Jay remarked, looking up to meet her gaze “I’m the Guardian of Harmony. I harbor both powers of light and darkness. Practice what you preach, right?” Jay shrugged, half-heartedly joking off his internal struggle.

Soul had intentionally kept quiet. At this point, he preferred to take an incognito approach and listened whilst others talked. He eyed the human who sat before them carefully.

Something about him rings too many bells. Who is he? Soul pondered, still keeping his eyes on the familiar man seated in front of the group. He needed a name.

Before Soul was going to ask, Twilight had entered the conversation just as Celestia finished. She seemed less stern than she was before, and frequently barraged the man with questions and inquiries. Soul could see the annoyance growing on the man’s face as he reluctantly answered. 

“No, it’s not like that” Jay said, scratching the back of his head “The demon has a mind of it’s own. He just sounds like me, and resembles me slightly. We’re two different guys, in a sense”

“But, doesn’t that just make him your alter ego?” Twilight pressed “He is part of you, after all, right?”

As their quarry went on, Soul felt like something was missing. As if there was something else he was meant to be doing. He wondered if he was about to experience the same effects he had on the train ride. 

A sudden thought hit Soul as he remembered that Zecora gave him a potion to sustain his disease’s symptoms Daring! She’s still waiting at Zecora’s. I wonder how long it’s been since I left her there... Soul thought, admitting he nearly forgot about her entirely due to the fight.

“Excuse me, everyone” Soul said, raising his voice over Twilight and the human’s quarry “As much as I’d like to stay, I’ve got something I need to attend to. If you don't mind, I'll be taking my leave now” Soul turned and headed for the door, intent on wasting no more time to return.

“Wait” the human replied, causing Soul to turn to him “You...there’s something I wanted to ask you” The human stood up and walked towards Soul, eyeing him and his weapon curiously.

“What is it?” Soul inquired, hoping he could answer quickly

“I...well, I’m impressed as I said before. You’re one of the only beings that has ever stood up to Ira, next to a few different super humans...” Stated the man, talking as if he barely knew what to say “I just need to know...who, or what...are you? You’re no normal pony, at least not normal for this world. Also, you..seem familiar”

“You’re right, I’m not normal” Soul replied, almost dwelling on his abnormality “I’m from the underworld. I don’t have a name. I’m called ‘Soulless Reaper, and I work under Hades as a hunter”

The human’s eyes widened upon hearing Soul’s name. He scratched his head and closed his eyes. as if trying to remember something, and then let his hands fall down limply.

“Soulless Reaper, huh?” He said, a small smirk on his face “You’re one of the reasons I was okay about traveling to the world. It’s me, Jayhawk. Cell block 6C, prisoner 7025. We fought in Hades' tower. Nice to know our pact will come into some effect”

It was now Soul who returned the same shocked expression upon hearing the human’s information “Jayhawk...now I remember! The Guardian of Harmony. I should’ve known” Soul remarked, recalling the events that occurred roughly a year ago. The memories were still fresh in Soul’s mind.

Jay had been a prisoner that miraculously escaped his from his cell in Tartarus by means Soul never found out, and fought for his freedom in an agreement. Hades was displeased with Jay’s ability to break free, and in Jay's attempt to fight his way towards Hades to retrieve his sword, he dueled Soul. When Jay achieved a surprisingly quick victory, Hades decided to let him free. Soul and Jayhawk had made a small pact upon Jay’s leave of the underworld, in which he promised to help protect Equestria should he ever find himself there. It was simply perfect convenience that he was there now, while trouble was afoot.

“So...you’ve decided to visit here for once?” Soul joked, noting Jay’s total absence even in Equestria’s few troubled times.

“Yeah, for once” Jay laughed “Which is what I was going to explain next, before I was interrupted...” He glared back at Twilight, who simply rolled her eyes in response.

“Anyways, I should go into detail as to why I’m here” Jay said, returning his gaze to face most of the group “After all, I did come here on my own will, through a portal...of sorts” 

“Hey, didn’t you say you were looking for people?” Dash chimed in, remembering Jay’s words from before.

“Yes, exactly” Jay replied, glad that Dash recalled his intentions “Some...fugitives have apparently tried to escape to this land. I intend on catching them before they cause any more trouble”

“What kind of trouble?” Twilight quickly asked, a small sound of worry in her voice “And just who are these ‘fugitives’ anyways?”

“I don’t know what kind of trouble. That’s why I need to find them quickly” Jayhawk remarked “They were quite the troublesome bunch in my world, and I don’t expect they’ve changed much”

Causing “trouble”? Maybe... Soul was hoping his suspicions were correct as he spoke his thoughts “Jay, would these ‘fugitives’ have anything to do with blood? Or perhaps it’s color?”

Jay suddenly shot Soul an expression that seemed as if he would smack Soul any second. Jay then turned his body to face Soul, bending over slightly to inspect him carefully. “Soul, how did you manage to be so spot on with just a guess?” Jay asked, hopeful that Soul had a lead on his objective.

“Not a guess, actually” Soul admitted “I may have run into who you are looking for...” 

Soul quickly summed up his encounter with the tall figures inside the abandoned repair shop. Soul intentionally left out that he had apparently contracted vampirism from the event, unsure if it would be proper to say so out loud. Jay simply stared at Soul blankly, as if he had heard the entire story before. When Soul finished, Jay placed his hand on his chin and closed his eyes as if he was trying to remember something. Upon opening his eyes several moments later, Jay looked as if he was bothered by something.

“Soul...have you been feeling weak, or restless lately? Or perhaps a feeling like everyone around you is...watching you?” Jay asked, dropping his eyes down to meet Soul’s.

Soul was taken aback by Jay’s question. Those are the exact symptoms I had before. He could blow my cover right now... Soul thought, his nervousness slowly rising.

“No, not recently. Why do you ask?” Soul replied, hopeful he could admit to Jay alone later. He would understand for sure.

“Hmm...I guess you are pretty tough” Jay murmured in conclusion, dropping his subject “Well, that’s a suspicion that I’m glad was wrong. So, what should we do now?”

“Ohh! Ohh!” Rainbow Dash piped up, swooping out in front of Jay “You guys should totally come see the Wonderbolts’ tour show in Ponyville! It’s gonna be awesome, and...” Dash suddenly calmed herself upon noticing Jay’s annoyed reaction “...maybe we could ask them to help us track down who you’re looking for!”

“Alright, Dashie, that heavily depends on two things...” Jay replied, seemingly annoyed

“And those would be?” Dash inquired.

“One: who these ‘Wonderbolts’ are, and two: how they could possibly help me” Jay stated, pointing out his fingers to motion one and two.

“Oh, y’all shouldn’t have asked that...” Said an accented voice from behind Jay. He could already guess which of the unnamed ponies was talking.

“Who are the Wonderbolts?!” Dash shouted “You’d definitely have to be from another world to not know the Wonderbolts! They're a team of the most awesomest, coolest and-”

“Alright, alright...” Jay quickly cut in “I get it. They’re famous, right?”

“Yes. Quite famous indeed” Celestia added in “I have been left impressed by every air show they perform. They really are professionals”

Air show? They must be some sort of fancy flying pegasus troupe. That gives me an idea... Jay thought, not noticing the smirk on his face.

Don’t say yes, Jay... Soul pleaded to himself, hopeful that Jay would be more inclined to focus on serious matters. Soul needed to get back to Zecora’s anyways.

“Well, we have been in a rather tiring situation so far” Jay answered after a few seconds “I guess it couldn’t hurt to get a little...locally acquainted”

Soul’s discontent caught the better of him as he spoke “As tempting as that sounds Jay, I can’t really be bothered”

“Hey, it's just a little air show” Jay affirmed, apparently trying to sell Soul into the idea “Come on Soul. Get at least a little friendly”

“Sorry Jay, but we have more pressing matters at the moment” Soul replied, growing more annoyed “I’d suggest working towards them immediately”

Jay looked back at the group of ponies waiting for Jay and Soul’s final decision. Jay looked away, as if he was thinking, and turned to Soul. He leaned closer and turned Soul’s head to face opposite of the group “Listen, I have a plan to forward our own progress and I can almost guarantee it to work. Go do whatever it is you need to do, and meet me at the show, okay?” Jay whispered to Soul.

A plan...well, at least he’s letting me go back to Zecora’s. I hope I can trust you, Jay  Soul thought, before nodding in agreement.

“So, whaddya say?” Rainbow Dash asked in a hopeful tone “You guys wanna come with us?”

Soul was the first to answer “Yes, but I have a...friend waiting for me somewhere, and I need to return to them as quickly as possible” He admitted, turning towards the door “I’ll meet you all there soon”. Soul quickly left the library, closing the door behind him.

“Alrighty!” the pink puffy haired pony from the group shouted at Jay “This will be a great way for me to introduce you to everypony in Ponyville and, OH! Maybe I can give out invitations for a party! I always throw a party when I meet somepony new, even if they aren’t a po-” the pony suddenly cut herself off, gasping loudly “I almost forgot! Wait right here!” She said towards Jay, taking off out the door.

“...well, I am thoroughly confused. Something about parties?” Jay said after eyeing the door for several seconds.

“That there is...er was, Pinkie Pie” answered an orange, blonde haired pony. Jay had guessed who had the accent correctly “She’s a real random one, and she loves throwin’ parties fer everypony”

“I see. So I should expect some sort of surprise soon?” Jay asked, a bit hopeful that he wouldn’t have to attend any parties at all.

“Yup. She probably went t’ go git her “Welcome Wagon”” the pony chuckled, obviously at some sort of inside joke

“...’Welcome Wagon’?” Jay inquired worryingly.

The pony chuckled once more at the words“Y’all may wanna step outside fer this one” She said, tilting her head towards the door.

“Applejack’s right” Twilight chimed in, walking to the door and opening it “I don’t want Pinkie making a mess of the library”

“Yes, indeed” added in a white pony with a rather nicely curled purple mane “There is more space for us outside anyways. I wouldn’t want to be in the line of fire...”

“Line of...fire?” Jay questioned worryingly again.

“You’ll see” Rainbow Dash smiled jokingly at Jay as she slowly floated past him. Jay hesitated before following her and the group outside.

It was a mere few seconds that the group was outside before Pinkie Pie returned with an equally pink wagon with a small button on the side.

“Check it out!” Pinkie exclaimed, gesturing towards the wagon” This is my Welcome Wagon! I use it to welcome everypony to Ponyville and I almost forgot to welcome you!”

No sooner than her words left her mouth did Pinkie press the small button, causing the wagon to split open and reveal several tubes and flags on the top, and what looked like a microwave in the middle. Various instrumental devices and flags moved about as they played a peculiar tune.

Jay’s confused expression intensified as Pinkie burst out into a musical number as she sang and danced about to the music and played a few different instruments herself. (I’m too lazy to write the lyrics) Near the end of the song, she leaped up into the air, landed on her knees, and slid towards Jay with her arms spread out in a showy fashion.

“...Wait, here it comes!” She said excitedly. Her words were followed by the very end of the song, and a burst of confetti from the microwave.  As Jay opened his eyes from the barrage, he noticed the wagon rumble a bit. Suddenly, the machine blasted out what looked like a big slab of pale yellow goo out of the tubes on top. Jay had just barely enough time to dash quickly out of the way of the impending mess, which slopped heavily on the floor in a gooey mess.

“Oh, silly me! I always mess up the cake and the confetti!” A dough Pinkie exclaimed through light laughter

“I-I..wha-...” Jay said, stuttering in his shock” What in the hell...is that stuff?”

The pink pony chuckled as she somehow slipped right out of the goo, leaving a silhouette of herself in it. She gobbled down the statue in one bite, and made a delighted reaction “Hehe, it’s just cake dough. I mixed up the confetti and cake, again!” she happily admitted, acting as if it happened on a regular basis.

Jay moved his mouth to say something, but stopped and sighed heavily, hanging his head a bit and rubbing his forehead in grief “I’m never going to get used to this one, am I?” Jay asked at the group of ponies a few feet out of dodge from the landing point of the dough.

“Oh, it takes quite some time” Applejack chuckled “Pinkie eventually becomes everypony’s friend”

“That’s right!” Pinkie chimed in “I’m bestest friends with all the ponies in Ponyville! Even the ones who just pass by!” Jay eventually tuned out as the pink pony gabbed on and on about welcoming different newcomers and travelers to the town with the very same welcome wagon.

“Alright, alright, that’s...really nice and all...” Jay quickly replied as he stuck out his hand to notion Pinkie to halt her words “But, aren’t we on a schedule? When is that show starting, exactly?” he asked, looking back specifically at Rainbow Dash

Rainbow responded to Jay’s words as she swept up into the air and searched around. Soon her eyes stopped in what seemed like northeast of their position “I can see where the shows being held, there’s some bleachers out in a field! It looks like the show will be starting soon!” She yelled from up in the sky

“Perfect” Jay remarked, walking towards where Rainbow’s eyes lead “We should have just enough time to get there.”

“Well, have fun at the show everypony. I’ll be heading back now” Celestia said, turning towards a mountain in which what seemed like a castle was perched upon. She spread her wings elegantly in preparation for her takeoff.

“Wait, Princess Celestia, don’t you want to come watch the show?’ Twilight asked in a hopeful tone

“I’m afraid I’ve recently become very busy” Celestia replied as she turned her gaze towards Jay “I need to contact quite a few families about their losses” She concluded in what sounded like a slightly insulting tone.

Jay, stopped in his tracks silently, slightly turning his head so that he could just barely meet Celestia’s eyes “Oh, of course. It’s my fault you lost a few guards?” He spoke in a condescending tone “Please, tell me more about how I seem to control a separate demonic form of myself who uses panic attacks and migraines to weaken my sanity”

“I said nothing of the sort, but losing faithful subjects is not something that happens often..." Celestia shot back, obviously not afraid to spark an argument by the tone of her voice.

Jay suddenly turned and stomped towards Celestia. He stopped so that his face was just inches from hers “Listen, you royale bitch. I had almost stopped him from taking me over! It was your fault he got loose! ” Jay spoke harshly through his teeth, which he bared in anger “If you had left me alone and let me deal with my own problems, you wouldn’t have to be breaking the bad news to anybody!” He pulled back, looking at the ground as if he hadn’t even realized what he just said. Celestia waited patiently for what she expected was an apology.

As expected, Jay sighed lightly and left his gaze on the floor as he spoke “Look...I-I’m sorry, I just...I’m a bit sensitive on the subject” Jay admitted, the sound of regret in his voice “Any contact with the demon’s intended target makes me unable to stop him...It happens much too often these days”

“It’s okay” Celestia replied in a softer tone “I forgive you. I realize that it was not your fault”

“Yeah...forgiveness...” Jay spoke with a dull and lifeless sound to his words “What I wouldn’t give for it” He mumbled lightly to himself, still staring blankly at the dirt. Eventually he recuperated from his sudden depression and turned back in the direction of his destination.

“Let’s go. I wouldn’t like to be late” Jay said as walked forward, his back side still facing the ponies.

Before Twilight could follow, Applejack stopped her and looked towards Jay as she leaned closer “Listen, Twilight...ah think there’s somethin’ troublin’ him. Try an’ keep an eye on him, kay?”

“No doubt there’s something troubling him. Something dangerous” Twilight replied, eyeing Jay as well “We just need to hope it doesn't trouble us again...”

> Chapter 7, Duo: Show off
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Turmoil is an animal, following those who feed it the most



'Something isn't right here' was Soul's first thought.

The Everfree forest seemed to look more gloomy than when Soul and Daring had passed through to Zecora’s. For some nagging reason, Soul  couldn’t help but feel that it was connected to the appearance of Jay’s demon. It was as if the forest had reacted in some way to the dark presence he had given off.

Soon, the look of Soul’s surroundings told him he was close to his destination. He held his scythe as he flew over a batch of poison joke flowers, careful not to touch any. Upon landing on the other side, Soul could see Zecora’s hut just a little bit farther down a path. When he got closer, however, he spotted a rather impatient-looking Daring sitting outside the hut, apparently waiting for Soul to return.

'It looks as if I’ve got some explaining to do. I wonder if they’ll even believe me.' Soul thought, now cautiously approaching the hut. He never found it easy to talk to Daring when she was annoyed or angry. Trying to tell her about humans and demons certainly wouldn’t help.

Daring soon noticed Soul as he came close to the hut, and walked forward to meet him. Soul braced himself for the worst, but was surprised that Daring didn’t seem angry.

“Soul! I’m glad you’re okay” Daring exclaimed as she approached him “You certainly took your time with whatever that was, huh?”

“I’ll explain everything, but it’s better if I tell it to both of you” Soul quickly said as he walked past Daring and entered the hut. Zecora was seated on a small stool and sipping a steamy tea when she noticed Soul walk in, followed by Daring.

“Ah, Soul, my good gothic friend” Zecora piped up, putting the tea down beside her and walking towards Soul “I assume that problem has met its end?”

“More or less” Soul replied, walking past her so that she and daring were behind him. He turned to face both of them “I may have a bigger chance at catching those humans than I thought”

“Really?” Daring asked, suddenly more concerned “What makes you think that?

Soul took a deep breath and began telling the events that transpired in the last hour or so, starting with the scene he arrived at in Ponyville all the way to Jay’s explanation of his powers and presence in Equestria. When he was finished, Soul gave Daring and Zecora a moment to take in what he had said before he continued “I think whoever it is that did this to me may very well be the people Jayhawk is after”

Zecora closed her eyes as if pondering something before speaking “It seems this situation is dire indeed” She said, opening her eyes to face Soul “The help of this human may be just what we need”

“So, where is he?” Daring confusingly inquired “Wouldn’t it have been smarter to bring him here with you?”

“Well…yes, it would have” Soul admitted “But he’s off to watch the Wonderbolts’ show with Rainbow Dash and the others. He told me that he has ‘a plan’ to help our progression. I think you should come with me, Daring”

“That depends on what this guy’s plan is” Daring remarked “Did he tell you anything more than that?”

“No, but I trust him enough to make the right decisions” Soul replied “He can be very clever. I 'm certain that what he is planning will aid us, somehow”

Daring lowered her head and stared at the ground, seemingly unsure. She scuffed her hooves on the ground a bit as she pondered her decision. As he watched her, Soul formed an idea out remembering one of Jay’s aspects.

“He has really big wings” Soul blurted, quickly grabbing Daring’s attention as her wide eyed gaze shot up to meet his.

Daring’s eyes slowly narrowed as she took a few steps closer to Soul “…How big?” she quietly asked, half glancing back at Zecora.

“Just one wing is longer than my entire body” Soul relayed, sure he would grab Daring’s interest “They’re pretty nicely layered, too”

Daring took a step back from Soul, staring blankly into the distance. Soul guessed she had begun imagining as he noticed a bit of blush form on her cheeks.

Daring quickly regained her composure before speaking “Well...I guess this plan could work, whatever it is” She said “Plus, I haven’t seen the Wonderbolts fly in a long time anyways”

“Alright then” Soul replied. He turned to Zecora as he continued “We’ll be heading off now. Thanks a lot for the help, Zecora”

“The medicine I gave you will wear off with time” Zecora said, turning towards five vials of the same potion for Soul’s disease on a tray. She lifted the tray and dropped the bottles into Daring’s bag “Take a dosage every a days to feel sublime”

“Again, thanks” Soul said as he turned towards the door “Expect me to come back, however”

“Indeed, I anticipate you will return” Zecora happily replied “A permanent cure is what I intend to learn”

“That would be great!” Soul quickly exclaimed through the door “I’ll let you know if I find anything!”

Soul shut the hut door behind him and began walking towards Ponyville, followed closely by Daring. When they were nearly out of the forest, Daring decided to spark a conversation.

“So, do you think this guy will ever snap again?” Daring asked “Sounded like it was a pretty close call”

Soul took several seconds before replying “If he does, I really hope it’s not against us” Soul admitted “I just barely got out of that fight with my life, and only because Celestia and Rainbow Dash helped me”

Daring frowned at Soul’s reply as she returned her gaze forward. Soul could tell she was worried. He really was the only one who stood any chance against Jay’s demon, and even he wasn’t enough. If and when Ira showed again, Soul was unsure what he would do. 

I can’t stop him. No matter what he does, I won’t be able to stop him alone The thought pounded against Soul’s mind like a bouncing ball. He soon found himself frowning with his own worry Just who am I dealing with here? Is he really my ally? He was willing to kill me for his freedom in Tartarus...

Before Soul realized, him and Daring were walking into the outskirts of Ponyville. He quickly looked around for where the show he was headed for might be, scanning the town from his distance. Soon, Soul spotted a field in which a stadium and a total of eight bleachers were placed alongside an oval running track, where ponies could watch the Wonderbolts from the ground. A slim box-shaped tower stood beside the bleachers on the left side. Soul guessed it was the tower in which the announcers would be sitting.

“Over there” Soul relayed, pointing a hoof towards the half stadium “That must be where the show is being held” 

The two made their way through town towards the field, where other ponies were gathering for the show as well. Soul scanned across the various crowds for Jay’s familiar shape and height. After a few checks, Soul spotted Jayhawk at the ticket booth and 6 familiar ponies behind him.

Upon approaching, Soul could hear the apparent quarrel between Jay and the ticketmaster. To his surprise, Jay sounded rather upset about the situation.

“You’re kidding me!” Jay exclaimed. He turned towards the group “Am I being punk'd? This is just a big joke, isn’t it?”

“...I’m sorry sir, but this is a pony-exclusive show” Replied the Ticketmaster in a slight monotone “I’m not allowed to sell you a ticket”

“Well, I didn’t know you ponies were racist!” Jay yelled, returning his attention to the vendor “What makes me any less privileged than the ponies around me? I'm with these mares, anyways!”  Jay motioned his hands to the 6 ponies standing behind him.

“It’s been requested by the Wonderbolts themselves that only ponies be allowed to attend” The ticketmaster confidently relayed

“Oh, really?” Jay said, shifting his sheath on his back Well ,the ‘Wonderbolts’ are going to have to deal with it” Jay pounded the booth’s table with his hand, causing two rather bulky stallions to approach the ticket booth. Soul guessed they were the security.

“Is there a problem over here?” One of them asked as they walked towards Jayhawk

“Ugh...I don’t time have to for this bullcrap” Jay said, attempting to walk past the guards” Let me pass”

“No ticket, no entry, pal” The opposite guard stated firmly, standing mere inches from Jayhawk

“You two realize I’m getting in there anyways, right?” Jay said quizzingly “I’d suggest you try to avoid any injuries, and just step aside” 

Jayhawk placed his hands on both of the ponies and attempted to push them aside, in which one of them reacted by shoving his hoof into Jay’s face. Jay stood still before slowly placing his hands on his hips and meeting the surprised guard’s gaze.

“Thamnu sir, mar I haff another?” Jay muffled through the hoof on his face.

Suddenly, the other guard moved forward and threw a hoof towards Jay’s stomach. In reaction, Jay spun around the incoming attack and swiftly landed a powerful elbow into the side of the guard’s head that downed him instantly. He then flicked a left side kick towards the other guard before meeting his surprised expression with a speeding roundhouse kick from his opposing leg. After downing both the guards, Jay stood in a readied stance above them both, expecting them to react.

“Wow...” Jay said while slowly letting down his guard, a tone of surprise in his voice “You’d think they would get security that would be able to take more than one hit” 

"Jayhawk! What have you done!” Twilight exclaimed worryingly as she glanced at both of the guards, who held their heads in pain on the ground.

“Uhm...beat up a couple security guards?” Jay asked, confused. The tone of his voice made it sound like it was a regular thing for him.

“Couldn’t you have taken a less barbaric approach?!” Twilight angrily yelled, stomping up to Jay “This is only going to cause more trouble!”

“Not if these ponies are smart enough” Jay confidently remarked “I doubt any more security guards want to get their asses firmly kicked”

As if on cue, three more security guards rushed out of the doors leading to the stadium, covering the entrance. Jay sighed lightly as they took positions to stop Jay from entering.

“Well, I guess you guys are dumber than you look” Jay spoke under his breath, cracking a few of his knuckles and he walked forward “Outta the way, please. I don’t want to hurt any more innocent ponies”

Jay advanced slowly as he waited for one of the guards to stop him. Suddenly, one of the guards quickly jabbed a hoof into Jay’s chest, which he quickly caught in his left hand without paying attention. An growing expression of pain covered the guards face as Jay clutched his hoof.

“I...said...PLEASE!” Jay yelled before he slammed the back of his other fist into the pony’s face, sending him flying into a wall beside the doors. After the display, Jay held out both his arms in an embrace-like style “Any'pony' else wanna go?”

Another one of the guard replied to Jay’s taunt as he jumped forward and tackled Jay. The pony pushed Jay nearly a foot back before Jay stopped him completely and countered the tackle by jabbing his knee into the pony’s stomach several times. Jay then picked the pony up off the ground and spun him in a few circles before tossing him toward the other downed pony.

“But, I guess a little quarrel every now and then does make life a bit more interesting” Jay said towards the last standing pony, dusting off both his hands “Don’tcha think so?”

“Now Jay, that’s quite enough” Applejack spoke up, expecting that no other ponies would do so “Y’all don’t gotta go hurtin’ those fellas just cause ya can’t be bothered t’ solve a problem peacefully”

As Jay turned his attention towards Applejack, the last security guard took the advantage and bucked Jay in the stomach with his hind legs. The pony then followed the attack by trying to land another buck into Jay’s face. Yet, to the pony’s surprise, Jay bent his body back and just barely dodged the hit, then pulled backwards from the dodge and landed his foot in the pony’s stomach as he back flipped into the air. The force of the kick pulled the pony skyward, slamming his head on the ground behind Jay as he landed the flip with the same foot still on the guard’s stomach.

Jay took one last glance at the pony under his foot before looking towards Applejack “You were saying something, AJ?” He asked casually.

“Ah was sayin’ it’s better to try an' solve a problem without violence...” Applejack repeated with a tone of annoyance

Jay blankly stared at Applejack before looking back at the guards he had just beaten up “Well, I guess it’s a bit late for that?” Jay joked as he stepped off the pony on the floor and continued forward “I said I didn’t want to hurt them, and they didn’t comply" 

Applejack was about to rebut when Jay stuck out a hand towards her “They attacked first, I was simply defending myself. You can’t say that makes me the bad guy” Jay stated confidently. Applejack looked as if she would say something, but remained silent. Jay smiled quickly before turning around.

Upon adjusting his direction towards the ticket booth, Jay noticed Soul and Daring standing off to the side as he passed “There you are, Soul! I’m glad you could make it” Jay said as he approached Soul ‘Who’s this?”  He asked, beckoning towards Daring

“This is my friend, Da-” Soul was cut off as Dash swooped in closer

“Daring Do!” Dash exclaimed excitedly “You’re supposed to be Daring Do, aren’t you?!”

“Uhm...yeah?” Daring replied worryingly

“Wow! That’s gotta be the best cosplay I’ve ever seen!” Dash said, flying around and inspecting Daring “You look exactly like her!”

Daring stared at Rainbow Dash with a confused look for a few moments before letting out a small laugh “I AM Daring Do. Those books are based on true stories, you know. It says so in the beginning of every one”

“Oh, well...I knew that” Dash quickly stammered “I just...didn’t know that it was really you, that’s all”

“Okay then” Daring chuckled “Whatever you say”

“Hold up, I’m confused” Jay cut in, one hand on his chin “Books...and stories?”

“Daring is an explorer, and somepony she knows writes stories based on her expeditions” Soul explained “She’s the friend I was talking about”

“I see. Interesting” Jay said, looking down at his shoes “I wish people wrote books about me...” He mumbled quietly before raising his head back up “So, we all headed in to watch this show or what?”

“Why not? You just a couple beat up guards” Dash remarked with an obvious tone of sarcasm “I’m sure we’re good to go”

“If anyone else has any more problems, they can deal with me” Jay said, pointing his thumb towards his chest “Otherwise, I think we’ll be allowed to buy tickets now”

“So, you beat down the guards, but you’re still willing to buy a ticket?” Dash inquired ““Aren’t these the guys who are supposed to check our tickets anyways?”

“Hey, I may be an asshole, but I’m not a crook” Jay quickly stated, as if expecting Dash’s question “We’re going to pay like nice people if nobody stops us. I didn’t want to fight them anyways”

Jay walked back to the ticket booth and leaned one elbow on the table, staring at the Ticketmaster. The clerk simply stared back with a pressured expression. After several moments Jay spoke “So, about them tickets. I’ll take 9, one for me, 6 for the group, and 2 for the couple there” The mention of the word “couple” caused Daring and Soul to exchange embarrassed expressions as they inched apart slowly.

“U-uhm, yes...one adult tickets costs ten bits, so that will come to...ninety bits” The clerk replied nervously.

Jay was reaching into his wallet when he froze and stared back at the clerk “..bits? Ninety...’Bits’?”

“Jay...” Soul butted in as he approached “I don’t think our currency is the same. Equestria’s money system consists of gold coins known as ‘Bits’”

“Although it was quite kind that you were willing to pay for us all” Rarity added in “I don’t suppose you have any bits on you?”

Erm...” Jay quickly searched his wallet, reaching in different spaces “Considering I’m from a different dimension...I assume I currently have zero...’bits’” Jay concluded, closing and putting his wallet away.

“It’s fine, Jay” Twilight assured, seemingly cooled off from before “We can all pay for ourselves”

“Yeah, but-” Jay was cut off by Daring as she walked forward

“I’ll pay for your ticket, Jay” Daring quickly stated, dumping thirty bits onto the small booth table “I assume I’ll also be paying for Soul anyways”

“Thanks, Daring” Soul said, reminded that he didn’t have any money “I kind of...forgot”

“Yeah, thanks. I appreciate it” Jay added in.

After paying their way in, the group quickly found seats near the left side of the middle portion of the stadium. The show started a few minutes after they all took their seats. Jay shifted uncomfortably in his spot several times.

“Jeez, they didn’t even build this place for anything but ponies” Jay remarked, shuffling to a stop as he looked at Soul beside him “I feel offended. I really do”

Soul chuckled a bit before laughing “This town IS called “Ponyville”. They had every right to assume only ponies would attend”

“That’s beside the point, I...” Jay suddenly trailed off as his gaze shifted towards the sky to see a group of blue suited pegasi swoop past the half-stadium, leaving a trail of black clouds that pulsed with electricity “Wow...neat”

“Mares and gentlecolts!” Boomed one of the announcer’s voices over the intercom “Please give a warm welcome to...The Wonderbolts!”

The announcer's voice was immediately followed by the crowd cheering in joy for the display above them. Pegasi on clouds in the sky could also be heard, often rooting for their favorite Wonderbolt. The ponies in the stands stomped their hooves in applause for the flying troupe as they performed loops, corkscrews and various other minor tricks before collaborating into one display where they all grouped together while flying and zoomed outwards. The turmoil of their trails caused a large black cloud to form and poof out into a burst of lightning that lit up the sky.

'Well..looks like these pegasi know quite a few tricks. Seems like they have a teamwork dependency. I’ll have to take them one at a time...' Jay thought as he over-viewed a situation in his mind. After they performed a few more cloud-based tricks, Jay stood up and headed for the announcer’s tower.

Soul was about to inquire as Jay passed when Daring beat him to it “Where are you headed off to, Jay?” She asked as he passed her to the stairs of the bleachers

“Ah, nothing, really. Just going to challenge the Wonderbolts” Jay spoke so quickly that Soul nearly missed what he said.

Daring had almost mirrored Soul’s reaction as she inquired “What?! You know who those pegasi are, right?” She exclaimed in a surprised tone.

“Not exactly. Which is why I’m hoping they won’t disappoint me!” Jay concluded before stepping down the bleachers and making his way to the tower.

Soul found himself practically holding his breath as he watched Jay approach the tower, speak with a stallion standing by the door, and walk inside. He had never actually seen Jay fly, and Soul knew he didn’t know the Wonderbolts' real capabilities.

He’s serious about this! I wonder if this is part of his plan? Maybe he plans to lose...or maybe he actually thinks he can win?” Soul’s mind riveted with possible outcomes. Soul was beginning to wish more and more that Jay had told him what his plan was instead of leaving him to watch. As expected, the announcer came on and began to spiel Jay’s request as soon as the show had seemed to take a standstill.

“Mares and gentlecolts, it seems that the Wonderbolts have a challenger! He is none other than a rare human, named ‘Jayhawk’!” The announcer’s mention of Jay’s race and name brought mostly confusion to the crowd “Let’s head out to the field now to see what the Wonderbolts have to say!” 

As the announcer finished his spiel, the Wonderbolts slowly came to a halt on the field. Jay, and a unicorn levitating a microphone, exited the tower and walked towards the troupe on the field. All along the seats, the spectators watched in quiet anticipation.

“I can’t believe he’s actually doing this!” Soul heard Dash exclaim from a few seats beside him “There’s no way he took what I said seriously!...”

“Rainbow Dash, what are you talking about?” Twilight, who was sitting next to her, inquired to the context of Dash's words.

“Jay has these huge magical wings that he showed me when he arrived in Ponyville” Dash explained “And when we raced to the library, he actually beat me with his own sonic boom!...And, I might have accidentally blurted out that I thought he was better than the Wonderbolts...” Dash chuckled sheepishly.

“Well, I guess we’ll have to find out what happens by watching” Twilight concluded as she returned her attention to the field “I’ll be pretty impressed if he actually beats the Wonderbolts at their own game”

Soul returned his gaze to the field to see Jay and the announcer meet the Wonderbolts, who stood in a group a few feet from Jay. The unicorn levitated the microphone so that him, Jay, and a surprisingly attractive mare could all speak into it. The announcer started first.

“So, miss Spitfire, what do you have to say to this one of a kind challenger?” The announcer spoke in the most cliche voice he could

“Well, we don’t usually get challengers, but...” Spitfire stopped and looked Jay over “..you looking for a ground race or something? You obviously can’t fly against any of us”

Jay leaned toward the mic to speak “Actually, ‘miss Spitfire’, I’d beg to differ that fact” He said in a confident tone. Soul couldn't see, but he guessed Jay was smirking slyly like usual.

As if in reply to the confusion of his opponents, Jay slowly un-equipped his sword's sling and belt, dropping them on the ground beside him. Then, in a few sudden swift movements, he threw off his jacket and red shirt to expose his bare, and surprisingly well toned, chest. Once his clothing hit the ground, Jay crossed his arms for several moments, and threw them out wide. His motion was followed by a poof of light and feathers and white angelic wings that spread out to nearly double the lengths of his arms. A good portion of the crowd marveled at the sight before them.

“Wow...you weren’t kidding” Daring said to Soul, still looking down at Jay “They’re huge...”

“I told you so” Soul replied, finding amusement in Daring’s reaction.

Jay’s wings folded on his back as he leaned towards the microphone once more “These will allow me to race any of you in the sky”  Jay stated, carefully eying all the members of the troupe “So, who’s going to be my opponent?”

Suddenly, a sky blue pegasus with a much darker blue mane pushed past a stunned Spitfire to the microphone “I, Soarin, will race you! Let’s see what you got, man!” Exclaimed the stallion, who flapped his wings several times in preparation.

“It looks like we have our match!” The announcer said excitedly “Soarin will race against the winged human, Jayhawk! Jayhawk, since you are the challenger, you may pick the course in which you and Soarin will race”

“Alright, then...” Jay said while inspecting the area around the half-stadium “How about one lap around that mountain top and back, starting at the track?” He decided, pointing towards a slightly distant mountain on the outskirts of town.

“Deal” Soarin said as he shook hand to hoof with Jay before they both headed towards the beginning of the track and faced the mountain in readied stances. At this point ,the crowd was cheering and applauding for Soarin. Jay seemed to be bent down and gripping on the soil firmly, and Soul could now see the smirk on his face. (Battle Music?...Race Music!)

“Racers! Are you ready?!” The announcer inquired loudly, to which both Soarin and Jay nodded “Okay! Take off in three...two...one...GO!” 

Soarin quickly took off in a running start, taking early flight at the turn in the track. It took Soul and, most of the crowd, a few moments to realize that Jay had not yet moved, but was crouched at the start and holding onto tightly the ground while running on the spot. The kicking of his legs soon caused a small plume of sand to form behind him, and upon noticing it, Jay let go of the ground.

Soul, Daring, the mane six, and most of the crowd all shared the same expression at what transpired. Jay had taken off in the blink of an eye, zooming across the dirt on the track in nearly a second and taking off in his speed. He passed by Soarin in mere seconds and flew through the sky at an incredible pace, performing constant, quick dives to gain more speed. Just as he passed, Soarin quickly took the initiative to catch up to Jay’s sudden jump in the race

Eventually, the race became heated as Soarin managed to match Jay, and the two flyers began constantly flying ahead of each other in respective order. Neither seemed to be winning the race as they grew closer and closer to the mountain top. 

'This one’s pretty fast. He can match me in speed, but I wonder if he can match me in acceleration!' Jay’s thoughts sounded through his mind as he flew across the landscape. Soon, he and Soarin were at the mountain, turning around it’s peak and heading back towards the stadium. 'I guess I’m about to find out. Hope you’re ready for this one, Soarin'

Jay quickly dived straight down, flying close to the mountain and swerving to match it’s rugged shape as he let gravity increase his speed. Just before he hit the ground, Jay swooped directly up, breaking through a white burst of light and reaching a speed faster than sound itself. He regained a bit of his altitude and ripped through the air towards the finish line, passing a surprised Soarin in just a few paltry moments. Jay flipped forward and lined his feet to hit the ground, sliding through the dirt past the finish line to slow himself down and eventually coming to a complete stop several feet farther. The crowd was oddly silent.

Jay slowly stood back up, carefully dusted off any visible dirt on his body and raised one fist into the air, to which the crowd responded with roaring cheers and applause as Soarin slowly flapped towards the track. After a few seconds, Jay leaped up high and kept himself afloat in the air as he raised both arms victoriously.

'Alright, now just cheer for a bit longer...' Jay thought as he quickly pressed his temples and examined the crowd closely using his "Hawk Eye" ability. He could see dozens, maybe hundreds of ponies cheering in their seats. All but one, which Jay quickly spotted and focused on. He quickly matched eyes with a dark grey pony that had a crimson red mane, and his piercing emerald green eyes stared back at Jay from the distance.

'There you are' Spoke a triumphant inner voice

> Chapter 8, Duo: Ascension
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



History is defined only by the victor. Justice is defined only by the mind



Can’t run from me now... Jay unconsciously spoke towards his target.

Using a specialized power he dubbed “Silhouette”, Jay marked the peculiar grey pony with a shining outline. The white line illuminated the pony’s body among all the others around him. He was easily visible to Jay from any distance.

Jay had nearly forgot he won the race as he heard the announcer’s voice boom out from the various speakers near the stadium.

“A sonic boom! Unbelievable! The challenger Jayhawk wins!” He exclaimed excitedly, practically jumping with joy. The cheering continued as the Wonderbolts and ecstatic announcer walked over to the flyers. Soarin still seemed rather shocked.

“Mister Jayhawk, that was amazing! Who could’ve known a flying human had such a trick up his sleeve?” The announcer practically lunged from Jay to Spitfire as he spoke “Spitfire, what do you have to say about this man’s sudden rush to the finish line?”

“I gotta say, that was pretty impressive” Spitfire admitted, a slight raise in her tone “Soarin is one of our fastest flyers. You sure have proved yourself to us”

“Yeah, that’s cool and all...” Jay said half heartedly, still eyeing his marked pony, who was now exiting the stadium “But, I got more pressing matters to attend to. See ya”

With his words, Jay picked up his his stuff laying on the grass and re-equipped it as he left the field, acting if nothing had happened. Soul was still staring at Spitfire, wondering what she was thinking.

That’s it?! All he wanted to do was beat the Wonderbolts? I swear, if he lied to me... Soul suddenly found himself heating up from his anger. Not only had Jay done nothing to forward their progress like he had promised, but he blew off a chance to personally meet and even join the Wonderbolts. Soul got up in a huff and quickly made his way down the bleachers to the exit Jay had taken. Daring quickly following him without question, motioning for the other 6 to do so as well. She and the others noticed Soul’s anger as he trekked in pursuit of Jay.

Soon ,the group made it outside the stadium, where Soul spotted Jay re-equipping himself rather quickly. Soul stomped over to him so Jay could hear his approach.

“Jayhawk!....what the hell was that about?!” Soul opened, catching Jay’s attention “Was that all you wanted to do? Just prove your better than the Wonderbolts?!” Soul had nearly mentioned that Jay had apparently had a plan.

“No time to explain now. Follow me” Jay quickly replied, beckoning to the ponies as he walked “I promise I WILL explain everything...later”

Before Soul could even consider, he heard a familiar voice behind him call out to Jay. His attitude suddenly lightened as he turned to notice that the Wonderbolts, and Spitfire, were approaching.

“Hey, wait up, Jayhawk” Spitfire called before catching up to Jay “We’d like to offer something to you”

“I’m sorry, but I haven’t any time for talking” Jay replied in a hasty tone, halfway turned in the opposite direction “I have something I gotta catch, and I don’t have much time...”

“Please, wait” Spitfire quickly spoke “We want you to join us, The Wonderbolts. We could really use another skilled flyer, and a flying human would surely attract a lot of attention”

Soul expected Rainbow Dash was sharing his expression of shock at Spitfire’s offer. It wasn’t very often that the Wonderbolts outright asked someone to join them, and Jay seemed to be almost ignoring it.

Jay, now turned fully to face the two groups, noticed Dash and Soul’s reactions. The view formed an expression of slight worry on his face as he began to talk “Listen, I’m sure that's considered an honor, but I really can’t be bothered to do so right now. Maybe later” Jay quickly spoke as he headed back in his desired direction. Before leaving, he turned his head towards the group of ponies behind Soul “You guys better stay here instead. I’ll be back soon”

Suddenly, Jay took off running towards the town, simply jumping over any small buildings in his way. He seemed to be in a legitimate rush for something, which dulled Soul’s anger as he considered it.

He’d better return. He still hasn’t answered any of my questions... Soul’s thoughts quickly dissipated as he noticed Spitfire standing beside, looking in the direction Jay had took off in. He felt a sudden nervous feeling growing slowly inside him as the moments stretched on.

“Um...please excuse my friend...” Soul hastily remarked. He spoke upon pure impulse as Spitfire met his gaze “H-he’s...kinda different than most, as you can tell. He hasn’t been in Equestria for very long”

“You know him?...” Spitfire asked “Where is he from, anyways?”

“He’s from a human world, actually” Soul replied “I, uh...met him a little while before he came here. He just appeared...outta nowhere, kinda” Soul stuttered as he tried to avoid mention of his affiliation with the Underworld. 

“I guess that kinda figures” Spitfire said, looking forward before returning her eyes back to Soul “So, you think he’s coming back here?”

“Um..I-I dunno, actually” Soul stammeringly replied “He didn’t really....tell me anything...” 

“Pretty mysterious guy” Spitfire stated “He, like, a mercenary or something” Got quite a lot of stuff on him...”

“Uh, sorta.” Soul responded, unsure how to explain Jay’s profession “He said he was here looking for other rogue humans”

“Really? That’s interesting” Spitfire spoke in a raised tone “Maybe they’ll start showing up a lot more”

Soul quickly began thinking of ways to keep the conversation going as he heard the sound of wood crashing down somewhere. The noise had apparently attracted the attention of Spitfire as well.

“What was that?” Spitfire asked, looking the area over

“It sounded like something breaking” Soul replied, scouting around as well.

It was a few moments before another sound was heard much closer. The ponies looked to their diagonal right to see a grey pony with a crimson mane running throughout town, followed closely by Jay, who seemed to be catching up regardless of the obstacles the pony threw in his way.

“You’re not getting away from me this time!” Jay yelled towards the pony. Suddenly, he made a short hop, followed quickly by a large leap that left a crater at his jumping point. He landed just inches away from the pony, quickly grabbing the pony's short tail and pulling it backwards. Upon the opening he made, Jay followed with an elbow into the pony’s back, sending him the ground instantly.

“What’s going on? What is Jay doing to that pony?” Twilight asked worryingly “I hope he’s not trying to cause anymore trouble”

“You’re right, he is weird” Spitfire added in, still staring at Jay “I wonder what that pony did...”

“It must be some sort of thief” Soul still guessed as he spoke “Jay has a tendency to prefer solving things with violence”

To the group’s surprise, Jay began dragging the pony with him as he approached. Before he reached them, however, the pony quickly bucked one hoof into Jay’s leg, causing him to drop his tail. Instead of running like expected, the pony simply stood a short distance from Jay, who quickly recuperated and turned to face him. The group only watched in confusion.

“It seems you think that only violence will resolve this” The pony said in a rather dark voice “How typical”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking. You sure as hell can’t outrun me”” Jay said, slowly drawing his golden sword “Now, show me your true form. I’ve had enough of beating ponies today”

“Very well” The pony said, seemingly concentrating on something “If you’d like to meet your maker so soon, I suppose I can oblige!”

Upon his words, the pony closed his eyes and began to glow an eerie red color.  The aura suddenly intensified as he became a black silhouette, slowly forming into the same shape as Jay. As he completed his transmutation, the blackness and aura dissipated, revealing his true body. 

The human stood nearly 7 feet tall, his body very slender, yet toned and muscled. In terms of shape, the second human seemed much more stronger than Jay. His short crimson hair dropped a bit over his forehead, and he wore a black shirt with matching pairs of pants and boots. A dark red scarf dangled down his chest as he stood up.

“So you are Jayhawk, the Guardian of Harmony that I’ve heard so much about?” The human stated, running a hand through his crimson hair and inspecting his own body

“Yeah, and you’re the real leader of the Rankukan Teki, aren’t you? Haimon, is it?” Jay asked confidently

“I guess we know quite a bit about each other” The human remarked. Suddenly, he noticed Soul, and fixed his gaze upon him “Ah. You must be the Soulless Reaper. I’ve heard of you ,too”

Soul didn’t reply. He knew this second human was trouble, and obviously one of the people Jay was hunting down. Most of the situation continued to gradually make more sense to Soul as it unfolded before him.

“We’ve been watching you, ‘Reaper’. You have our special...gift” Haimon smirked as he continued “And we’ll be taking nice care of your little zebra friend so she doesn’t...postpone it any longer”

It was at this point that Soul had incentive to speak “What?! What have you done with Zecora?!” 

Jay spoke up as well “You freaks better not be hurting any of his friends. I swore to protect them, and I’ll not tolerate you bastards messing with my duties anymore!”

“Oh, you don’t need to worry. Personally, I don't really want anything to do her...” Haimon idly inspected his left hand before returning his gaze to Jay.

“...wow, that was pretty easy” Jay sarcastically remarked “I guess you'll be giving her back then, huh?”

“Unfortunately, she’s someplace else right now” The human replied “Perhaps I'll tell you where she is...if you actually beat me”

"Alright, fine" Jay agreed, motioning his hands to his chest "But if I'm defeated, what happens then?"

"Oh, well, I'll let her go, safe and sound to your friends" Haimon responded, a growing smirk on his face.

“You gotta be kidding. You expect me to believe some cheap, underhanded cultist?” Jay replied insultingly.

“You have no choice” Haimon relayed, his tone becoming slightly more aggressive “I know why you’re here. We all do. If you expect to try kill me, you had better rethink it. This world isn't under your jurisdiction after all, and you have no idea the power we possess”

“Yeah yeah, ‘We’ this and ‘We’ that” Jay remarked in an uninterested tone “There’s soon going to be one less person in that word when your cult friends use it. If you were planning something at that stadium, you probably should have brought your buddies along”

“I don’t need any help with this” Haimon coldly stated “ I won’t fight you, Guardian. I’ll kill you!”

At that moment, Haimon held his hand out beside him for several moments. Suddenly, a small rumbling could be felt in the ground. After a few more seconds, something burst through the ground beside Haimon and stopped in his hand. As he gripped it, the item could be clearly seen as a large, double sided crimson war-axe. The design of the weapon gave it an eerily devilish look, and the two blades of the axe were curved up into a pointed tip. The blade's edges were rugged with teeth and shaped like two humans in pain.

“I think you may have that backwards” Jay replied in a readied stance “Even if you DO beat me, it won’t be without the fight of your life”

“You’re wrong” Haimon said as he pointed the tip of his axe towards the spectating group of ponies behind Jay “It seems I have a bit of insurance on hand” A troublesome looking smile formed on Haimon’s face as he looked over the ponies. To most of their surprise, Jay dashed in front of the group, blocking Haimon’s view of them.

“You go through me before you even touch any of them. I won't let you hurt any innocent beings, not while I draw breath!” Jay confidently stated in a more defensive stance. Soul could hear a few ponies behind him inaudibly whispering about Jay’s actions.

“Again, you’re wrong, Guardian” Haimon continued as he walked slowly forward “I don’t need to go through you at all”

With his statement, Haimon suddenly turned his axe upside down, the pointed tips facing the ground. He then dropped the axe into the soil, and followed by slamming in farther down with his palm. Upon sticking into the dirt, the axe emanated a black aura, and various engravings on it were lit up in a red light. After a few moments, black, rugged tendrils shot out of the ground around the group, knocking Jay forward and imprisoning them in a cage. Soul quickly attempted to cut his way out, but came to no avail as his scythe bounced hopelessly off the tendrils.

“There. Now we can fight fairly” Haimon triumphantly remarked, the smile returning to his face “They won’t interfere, and I can crush them all at any point if I like”. Haimon’s statement brought a wave of worry over the group, causing most to grow fearful. Soul glanced at Jay, who was still crouched down, staring at his sword.

Looks like it’s up to you now, Jay. I hope you're as strong as you say you are... Soul thought, in a bit of worry himself. He felt more annoyed that he would be forced to watch instead of being able to do something. (Now, two souls are fiercely entangled! Battle Music!)

“Fight fairly?” Jay questioned, still looking at the pommel of his sword as he stood up “I think you’d need more ‘insurance’ for that to be true...” 

“And that would mean?” Haimon inquired back at Jay

“You’ll see” Jay stated, returning his gaze to Haimon “I hope they got a good looney bin in hell for you!”

At nearly the speed of his words, Jay leaped towards Haimon and slashed at his defense as he passed. Quickly adapting to his movement, Jay landed only a foot behind Haimon and attempted to land another slash on his back. Haimon turned halfway and barely caught Jay’s blade in the curve of his axe. He then spun to face Jay and held his axe higher in the match of weapons the two formed.

“Try again, Hawk” Haimon mocked as he pushed against Jay’s guard.

Jay merely responded by quickly pulling out of the match by jumping back a short distance and dashing towards Haimon, the tip of his sword pointed forward. Sparks flew throughout the air in the moment Jay’s blade hit the flat defense of Haimon’s axe as the two bounced their weapons off each others’, only to follow with another attack that left them in yet another match. More sparks jumped about as their blades gritted together. Neither of them seemed to have an advantage, but Haimon joked at Jay whenever he had the chance. 

“I thought the mighty Guardian was a near unbeatable swordsman?” Haimon remarked. The two moved back and slashed at each other, matching weapons again “But it seems even I am your equal in battle!”

Although Haimon insulted and mocked him, Jay seemed to ignore his words. It was clear that Haimon was taunting Jay to try and throw him off with anger so he could get an advantage. Soul could tell it wasn’t working, but Haimon showed no signs of letting up. 

“How pitiful. Can’t you do any better than that?” Haimon taunted as the two backed off from each other “I’m barely on full guard. It’s as if you’re flailing your sword at me, hoping I’ll actually get hit” Haimon pointed his axe’s tip at Jay as he continued “You’ll need to hurt me if you wish to kill me, mister Hawk”

Jay stood still and resolute, eying Haimon blankly. His expression showed nothing more than his intent to kill Haimon. It wasn’t recognizable as anger, but merely concentration. Haimon, however, seemed to be getting more and more displeased with Jay’s unnerving stature. 

“Hey! What are you staring at?!” Haimon yelled to Jay “Didn’t you want to fight me?!”

Upon Haimon’s question, Jay simply took his normal readied stance, the same expression unchanged on his face. He stood on slightly bent knees and held his sword at a small angle beside him, the blade about level with his chest. His left hand hovered in front of him as if expecting an attack. The stance showed that he was taking a defensive state.

“Fine then!” Haimon yelled in a more frustrated tone “I’ll be the less cowardly one, and bring the fight to you!” 

At the sound of his own battle cry, Haimon charged directly at Jay. He leaped forward off his left foot just a few feet from Jay, and brung his axe crashing down upon him. The expected sound of clashing metal was not heard, however, as Jay quickly dodged the attack with a slight movement of his body. As Haimon realized his attack missed, he gripped the handle of his axe harder and swung again, only to have Jay lean back and avoid the attack. With the sound of wind breaking and his annoyed grunts, Haimon continued to swing his axe in a combo of constant attacks, whilst Jay merely ducked and weaved almost effortlessly out of the way of the weapon.

"You little monkey! Stay still!" Haimon shouted angrily as he swung his axe two-handed down upon Jay's head. No sound was made as Haimon stopped his attack, although Jay had not dodged out of the way as he had been before. He had instead caught Haimon’s axe by the handle with his left hand in the middle of the attack, and kept him at bay even as Haimon pushed against his guard with both hands on his axe. Jay wasn’t showing any signs of weakening either, and he began to push Haimon back until he finally twisted and threw his axe away to the side. The axe made a soft thump as it’s blade struck into the dirt. Jay stood in his place and beckoned to Haimon’s weapon with a tilt of his head and a motion of his hand.

He stopped that attack with just one hand...I guess Jay is stronger than him Soul concluded, a bit of his worry wearing off But he could have ended the fight there. What is Jay postponing for? Perhaps he wants to avoid Haimon using us to his advantage... Soul’s thoughts made him even angrier that he was trapped. It seemed the only surefire thing stopping Jay from winning the fight was everypony in the cage.

Once he retrieved his weapon, Haimon stood as still in place as Jay. The two kept their positions as they stared each other down, both waiting to see who would attack first. A couple of silent minutes passed before Haimon’s patience began to grow thin again, and he spoke once more.

“You keep staring at me like that...”Haimon stated in a slightly mocking tone “I can’t possibly be so good looking!”

“Ugh...look, the only reason I bring myself to stare at you is because you’re my opponent” Jay quickly replied, cutting Haimon’s laughter “And even then I think about reconsidering...”

Soul could hear a few of the ponies behind him snickering at Jay’s rebuttal. Haimon must have too, as his expression quickly switched back to anger.

“Alright, funny man” Haimon remarked, raising up his axe to attack “Laugh at THIS!”

Suddenly, Haimon slammed his axe into the ground. A rumbling in the ground was soon followed by crimson tendrils bursting out of the soil after Jay. In response, Jay held his sword out in front of him. He quickly turned the sword’s flat end to face forward and began spinning the hilt at an increasing speed. The tendrils quickly dissipated upon contact with Jay’s pinwheeling blade.

“Alright. My turn” Jay said, pointing his sword’s tip towards the sky. After a few seconds, the point of the sword began to shine brightly.

“Ah ah ah, not so fast!” Haimon warned, holding his hand up. As he clenched his fist slowly, the tendrils that formed the cage around the ponies began to slowly constrict in synch with his hand “Fire, and I’ll crush them all!”

“Oh, I’m not firing anything” Jay said, a sudden smile spreading across his face “I’m just preparing to....serve justice”

At that moment Jay’s blade shined even brighter, and began turning a pristine white. As soon as the entire sword was devoid of it's color, a brilliant pillar of light from the sky shot down and engulfed Jay. The beam lifted him off the ground and slowly colored his apparel and hair white like it had done to his sword. His usual wings snapped out behind him, much bigger and brighter than before. Once he had fully converted, Jay slowly descended to the ground and landed softly. He opened his eyes and revealed them to be a shining sky blue.

That must be the angel form. Jay explained that to be his trump card...I wonder if he’s right Soul thought to himself upon observing Jay’s display. He knew the form standing before everyone now to be Jay’s enlightened form, Iustit, the Angel of Yang

Haimon’s confused expression suddenly changed to laughter “You're kidding with me! That is your light form?” Haimon’s mocking banter grew as he joked on “Where’s the heavenly music? The choir? The little fairies with lyres?”

Haimon kept laughing harder and harder as he joked to himself. He dropped his axe on the ground as he stopped to try and catch his breath. Iustit stood as still as Jay had before, staring at Haimon as if he couldn’t understand why he was laughing. He looked down at the ground for a moment, then up to the sky as he raised up his free hand.. Out of nowhere, it felt as if the heat of the sun had become stronger and it’s brightness intensified. Suddenly, a thin ray of light shot down from the sun and onto Haimon’s axe, slowly raising it into the sky.

“Uhn, hey!” Haimon complained, quickly recuperating from his laughing fit. He began to raise his left hand up again “Drop the axe, angel boy!”

As soon as Haimon’s hand was up and slowly clenching, Iustit’s gaze shot towards it. He narrowed his eyes and pointed the tip of his sword out behind him. In a quick succession of a second, Iustit dropped the axe, dashed forward, and sliced at Haimon’s hand. A streak of blood hit the dirt, along with Haimon’s index and middle finger. His responding scream in pain was coated with both agony and anger as he turned to face Iustit, who stood behind him, still in the stance he was in before he moved.\

“You bastard! You think you’re gonna get away with this?!” Haimon yelled at Iustit’s back “I’m taking a whole hand in payment for those fingers!”

Haimon quickly retrieved his axe and charged towards his enemy. Iustit regained his posture and slowly turned towards Haimon. As Haimon’s axe came down, Iustit simply batted it's sweet spot with the back of his hand and sent the axe spinning through the air several feet to the side. Haimon froze in his tracks as his axe hit the ground, staring at Iustit confusingly. After a few moments he began slowly shifting his eyes towards his axe, which lay on the grass several feet from him.

Iustit broke the silence in a language Soul couldn’t understand ”Dō as ta? Ya temi serro” He said, his voice softer and slightly higher than usual. Haimon stood still, his confused expression returning.

“The angel speaks Japanese?” Soul heard Daring question behind him “That’s kind of neat, actually”

“You know that language?” Soul asked as he turned his attention to Daring.

“Yeah, some ponies far east speak it. It’s a really intricate language” Daring spieled in an interested tone “Jay just asked ‘what’s wrong’, and said for him to ‘go ahead’. I wonder if the other guy understands him...”

Daring’s guess was answered as Haimon stood still, scratching the back of his head “Huh?” He asked in a confused tone “What the hell are you saying?”

As if in response, Iustit shifted his head sideways, slightly pointing to Haimon’s axe as Jay had before. Haimon quickly took the hint and slowly backed away from Iustit to his weapon to retrieve it. Iustit turned and took a few steps away before facing Haimon again and resuming his stance. After Haimon seemed ready as well, Iustit smiled slightly, and beckoned to him with one hand.

In response, Haimon began gritting his teeth “What? You think you’re better than me?!” He yelled out, his rage growing “You may have caught me off guard with your little display, but I’m not holding back on you anymore!”

As per usual, Haimon once again charged Iustit head on and slammed against this guard. Iustit held fast and defended against any attacks Haimon attempted to land, blocking or parrying the flurry of slashes that Haimon threw at him. Haimon’s offensive persisted for a little longer than a minute before Iustit parried another of his attacks and quickly landed a reverse side-kick to Haimon’s face. The counter sent Haimon rocketing backwards nearly 20 feet before he hit the ground and tumbled another couple feet through the dirt. Iustit hopped from side to side a bit on his feet as he landed before slowly returning to his original stance.

“Son of a...” Haimon coughed as he stood up and dusted dirt off his shoulders “Lucky hit. I’d like to see you try that again!” Haimon took a defensive stance, his anger obvious on his face.

In response, Iustit stopped for a moment and removed his sword's sling from his back and placed it on the ground along with his weapon. He then quickly met Haimon’s gaze and immediately dashed forward at an incredible speed. Haimon barely noticed his advance, and raised his axe to counter Iustit’s supposed attack. To his surprise, Iustit’s form flickered and disappeared a foot or so before reaching Haimon. As he looked about for his opponent, Iustit suddenly re-appeared behind Haimon. He crossed his arms as if he was annoyed and stood still for several moments as Haimon scanned the area in front of him, not noticing Iustit was behind him. Soul, and most of the group, began snickering and giggling as they had before.

Haimon quickly caught wind of the giggle fest as he turned diagonally towards them “Hey, what’s so funny?!” He yelled in question.

“Dude, you may want to look behind you...” Dash managed through her giggles.

With Rainbow Dash’s words, Haimon realized his error and quickly turned around, to which Iustit responded by immediately back-fisting him square in the nose. The speed of the hit made it barely even visible, and Haimon merely leaned backwards in pain before falling down hard onto the ground, dropping his axe a few feet to his right. He moved his hand away from his face and looked at it, revealing that his nose was bleeding severely.

“Pretentious little bug...” Haimon remarked angrily as he began to rise “Hah!” He yelled as he swiped his foot at Iustit’s legs, which Iustit simply hopped over like he had saw it coming. 

Haimon quickly followed the swipe by jumping up to his feet with an uppercut aimed at Iustit, who again dodged the attack as if he expected Haimon’s every move. Haimon then began throwing constant fists at Iustit, left hook after right hook. Iustit kept dodging the punches by leaning backwards, the onslaught of attacks causing him to keep in reverse as Haimon followed fist after fist. 

Eventually, Haimon attempted to end his flurry with a much bigger hit on Iustit, which he avoided by quickly dashing around to behind him. As Haimon turned to face his target, Iustit suddenly began glowing. A thin white aura formed around his body, he clenched his fists at his sides and raised his voice slowly as if he were charging something. The aura soon began to shine brightly, and arced about like electricity around Iustit’s body. Haimon stood still in fear of what Iustit was preparing for.

I think this is about to get ugly... Soul thought as he watched Iustit channel his electric-like power Has he finally decided to end the fight?

Soul’s question was answered by the event that followed. Iustit stopped charging, the electric aura intense around his form.  With a small huff he took a fighting stance and suddenly began tapping Haimon with his two front fingers at a blinding speed, yelling out each time he hit. He struck Hamon’s body constantly with both hands, the speed of the hits making it seem almost like Iustit had multiple arms. The continuity of Iustit’s blur of attacks kept Haimon hovering on the spot just a few inches off the ground.

After several seconds of Iustit’s onslaught persisting, he yelled out once more as he slammed his palm into Haimon’s face. The force of the blow sent Haimon a short distance back, and caused him to land in a sitting position on the ground. Iustit moved out of the attack slowly and stretched his left hand forward in a stance, signaling the finish of his technique before he regained his composure.

“W-wha...” Haimon stuttered as he looked at his hands and inspected his body “...t-that’s it? That’s all you have?!”  He quickly stood up as if not phased by Iustit’s offensive “Did you plan to hurt me at all, cupid?!”

Iustit dismissed Haimon’s taunt as if he hadn’t heard it, turning around and walking to pick up his sword and sheath. He dusted them both off and casually re-equipped it to his back.

“Fine! I guess it’s my turn!” Haimon yelled as he ran back at Iustit, picking up his dropped axe on the way  “This time I’ll cut you dow-!” As he reached him, Haimon was cut off by Iustit holding his hand up, signaling him to stop.

“Omae wa mou...shindeiru” Iustit coldly stated as he began walking towards the tendril cage the group of ponies was still trapped in.

“What?...” Haimon asked, a small sense of worry in his voice “Dammit, what the hell are you sa-” again Haimon's was cut off, but this time by himself.

Suddenly, Haimon froze stone cold in his place. He dropped his axe and began clutching his stomach as he fell to his knees. He coughed violently, spitting up more and more blood each consecutive time. He soon began grabbing at his head the same way, yelling in pain constantly. His eyes rolled back as his arms fell limply to his sides, and he fell face first into the ground. A small pool of blood drained out of his open mouth, and his hands twitched lightly.

Sweet Celestia...That attack must’ve have damaged his body internally Soul thought, still staring at Haimon’s lifeless body I guess he really did decide to end it... 

“Daring, what did he say before...?” Soul asked, trailing off in a bit of worry.

“He...he said, ’you are already dead’...” Daring still looked forward, staring at Haimon as if she had seen a ghost.

Everypony watched Iustit as he approached the cage of tendrils. He looked them over several times, circling around the box as he inspected it closely. Suddenly he walked back over to where Soul was and drew his sword.

“Oriru” Iustit stated, reeling back his sword to the left to strike.

“Everypony, get down” Daring quickly translated, to which the group responded by ducking down a foot or so. Iustit slashed at the tendrils powerfully and quickly, separating them all from interlocking. They fell into dust as they hit the ground, finally freeing the group of ponies.

“Thank goodness we’re finally out of that wretched cage” Rarity remarked first, dusting herself off and patting her mane as she looked it over.

“I admit, it was getting kinda cramped in there” Dash concluded, stretching her limbs as she floated in the air. She flapped over to Haimon on the ground and looked him over “...that looked pretty brutal. What did you do to him?” Dash turned to face iustit, as did many of the other ponies.

Iustit was dusting off his blade as he noticed all the faces on him, awaiting his response. He looked at Daring, who nodded back, and quickly spoke “Hyakuretsu Ken” Iustit sheathed his sword as he continued “Kore wa...insaida oauto kara korosu”

Everypony looked to Daring as she took a second to translate “He said...it’s called the ‘hundred cracked fists’...and that ‘it kills from inside out’...wow...” Daring looked at the ground blankly as she analyzed Iustit’s words.

“So, he’s...dead?” Twilight asked, eying Haimon’s body worryingly. (I would say otherwise! Battle music!)

Iustit nodded slowly in response and began walking over to Haimon. As he bent down to close Haimon’s eyes, however, the pool of blood suddenly started spreading. Iustit stood up and backed away as the blood pooled around Haimon’s entire body and began raising up. Haimon was completely engulfed in his own thickened blood in a matter of seconds, and the crimson blob that replaced him suddenly began growing out of control. It sized up to three times Haimon's normal height, and large bat-like wings shot out of it’s back. Although human in origin, the new form was hunched over and gave off a dragon-esc shape. It’s head grew two large spiked horns, and it soon sprouted a tail and various claws on it’s hands and feet. When the monster had fully transformed, the blood slipped down it’s equally sanguine body and it gave off a loud beastly roar into the sky before speaking in a booming, demonic voice "Wretched Guardian! You would not listen, and now, you have met your end!"

“Sweet Celestia, what is that thing?!” Twilight yelled out of fear.

Soul quickly looked to Iustit, who was holding his sword sideways in the sky, one hand on the blade. In response to his action, a small ray of light surrounded him and enlightened his body. Golden and white armor soon formed around his arms, torso, legs, the bottom half of his face, and on the hinges of his wings. His newly donned suit of armor glistened in the setting sun.

“Alright, let’s do this” Soul confidently said, holding out his scythe in a readied stance. As Soul looked to Iustit, however, he shook his head in disagreement. He pointed to Soul, then to the group, and finally towards the town. Soul quickly figured out what Iustit motioned for “No, I was forced to sit back before, and I won’t sit this fight out!” He remarked, hoping he could help in the battle for once.

“...No” Iustit replied slowly as if it took effort to talk “Go. Now” He raised up his sword in his stance and sprinted towards the monstrosity. Soul looked back to the terrified group of ponies. Daring was looking back at him.

Soul quickly looked back to Iustit to see him battling the demon, slashing at his legs and dodging his attacks constantly. He turned towards the group “Come on, everypony! We have to get out of here!” He yelled over the worry and distraught of the group “It’s too dangerous for us to stay!”

“But what ‘bout Jay?” Applejack asked, eyeing the fight behind them “He can’t go doin’ this by himself!”

“He’ll be fine. Jay can handle this alone” Soul assured, hoping that was the reason Iustit told him to go “Our safety is more important to him. Let’s go!” 

Upon Soul’s command, the group of ponies quickly followed towards the town, a few looking back at the fight. Soul looked back once as well.

Come back in one piece, Jay. We need you...Soul hoped as he ran. He watched until the scene was out of eyesight.
> Chapter 9, Soulless Reaper: Concpiracy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Believe what you may, but may you only believe what you prove



A storm...is it a sign?

Soul’s thoughts worried him as he felt droplets over his body. The Wonderbolts had already left, and the rest of the ponies now headed to Twilight’s library for shelter to hopefully await Jay’s return. 

After a few minutes of the other ponies quietly conversing while walking, Daring broke the silence between her and Soul “Do you think he’s okay?” She asked, averting her gaze from the ground to him.

Soul simply shrugged in response. He didn’t know whether Jay could prevail, nor what to say about it. That was what troubled him most. 

Daring sighed and paused for a minute or so before continuing “He did seem to handle himself well, but...” Daring trailed off as she returned her eyes to the ground. 

Soul would have tried to assure Daring that Jay would be fine if he was not at a loss of words himself. Neither of them could be absolutely sure he would return, and Soul could tell it probably bugged Daring as much as it bugged him.

“Oh, did it have to rain?” Rarity complained “And so hard too! My mane is a mess!”

“It wasn’t scheduled to rain today...” Rainbow Dash added, looking around in the sky “I just cleared the skies, like, a day ago too” Upon Rainbow stating her claims, the group fell quiet. Daring seemed to be sharing Soul’s feeling of unease as he turned his attention towards her. She looked cautiously around the town as they walked in silence.

It is quite dark out...Soul thought, looking around and back to the ponies behind him several times Something definitely feels kind of...off He trekked forward, still looking about the town.

As if in response to his suspicions, Soul just barely heard the sounds of someone running to his left over the downpour of rain. He stopped and turned his attention towards the sound, causing the group behind to stop as well. He held out his hoof to signal them to wait.

Again Soul heard the same sound on his right, a bit closer than before. He quickly drew his scythe and stood in a defensive stance. Someone or something was stalking them. The group huddled closer as they noticed the sounds themselves.

“Uhm, did anypony else hear that?” Pinkie asked in a slightly worried tone “Or is it just me?”

“I heard it too, sugarcube” Applejack assured “Somethin’s creepin’ ‘bout out there...”

“Hey! Who’s out there?!” Rainbow yelled out into the distance “Show yourself! This isn’t funny!”

Rainbow’s shouts were met with a blank silence. Nothing could be heard but the sound of the rain falling. Soul stood resolute, sure that whatever was out there was still watching. He could feel the eyes on him.

“Maybe it was just some other ponies running for shelter in this terrible storm” Rarity claimed “I myself certainly don't enjoy being out here, I-”

“No. Something is still out there” Soul cut in, still scanning the area “I can feel it watching us. Everypony stay close and watch the shadows” Soul could tell his orders washed another wave of unease over the group.

It was several moments before the sounds of rushed footsteps could be heard again. As Soul tried to locate the sound, Rarity gasped loudly “Where’s Fluttershy?!” Rarity asked worryingly “She was just here behind me not a minute ago!”

“Soul...” Daring trailed off, looking towards Soul as he met her gaze. Soul nodded, sheathed his scythe, and took off in the direction he thought the footsteps were coming from. Soul increased his speed upon spotting a shady form slip in between two buildings in front of him.

Soul nearly slipped on the muddy ground as he rounded the corner of the building, only to find that an alleyway split into two small dead ends behind the two buildings. He quickly spun around expecting a trap, but all he could hear and see was the pour of the rain from the skies. Suddenly, Soul heard voices back where he had left the group.

“Fluttershy, are you alright darling?” Rarity exclaimed. Although she was loudest of the group’s concern, Soul could still barely make out her words “What happened? Did somepony else do this to you?” (They come for blood! Battle Music!)

Soul tensed up as he then heard yelps and screams quickly muffled from the various ponies. He immediately took off as soon as he heard the following sounds of various blades being unsheathed. As he grew closer, Soul noticed the group struggling with five unicorns using their magic to wield jagged daggers. Soul could already see the familiar crimson color on the robes they wore.

Cultists?! Those humans already have ponies working for them?! Soul yelled inside his head. His urgency caused him to think hastily, and he drew his scythe to bring it’s edges through the first cultists’ head just before he caught Daring with his weapon. The attack had apparently caught the attention of the three other ponies as their comrade fell to the floor in a growing pool of blood. Daring quickly grabbed his weapon with her teeth to defend herself. 

“That one” One of the cultists said quietly, nodding his head towards Soul. Suddenly, the four remaining cult ponies charged Soul, the daggers floating above their heads.

As soon as the cultist spoke, Soul was ready for their attack. He quickly took out the first one by spinning around him and catching him in the back of the head with all three blades of his scythe. He tumbled and rolled on the ground from the inertia, and Soul resumed his defensive stance. As two others ran at him, Soul spun his scythe sideways on an angle towards the attackers and stopped them dead in their tracks, with the attack he landed on them both quickly followed by a stream of blood shooting out into the air.

The last cultists noticeably grimaced, and stuck his dagger into the ground. Within a few seconds the same entangling crimson roots that Haimon had used shot out of the ground below Soul, who just barely managed to jump away from their grasp. He continued to jump and dodge about as the abnormal roots followed his every move through the dirt, constantly attempting to grab his hooves.

After a few seconds Soul caught good footing on the ground, and quickly sliced away the roots pursuing him with 3 spinning sweeps from his scythe blades. The small pieces fell apart past Soul and disintegrated before touching the dirt. Taking his timely advantage, Soul dashed forward on his wings toward the last cultist and caught his neck with the staff part of his scythe, pinning him to the ground as he landed.

“Alright, answer time: who are you and what do you want my life for?” Soul demanded as he held the pony against the ground.

The pony grunted and struggled to get free to no avail before speaking “I’ll tell you nothing you need not know” He coldly replied.

“Then you’ll go straight to the underworld!” Soul threatened, pushed harder against the pony’s neck “I’ll give you one more chance: who sent you to kill me and why!? Was it Haimon!?”

The pony softly laughed at Soul’s demand before replying “All I will tell...is that The Hawk is not to be so closely trusted” He stated, the smirk persisting on his face.

“The...Hawk?” Soul asked worryingly “You mean...Jayhawk? What does he-”

Before he could press for more, Daring spoke up suddenly “Soul, the dagger, watch out!” She yelled to him, pointing towards the floating dagger behind Soul. Soul quickly spun around the dagger as he flew toward him, causing it to plunge into the cultists’ stomach rather than Soul.

“Answer me!” Soul hastily demanded as he shook the pony, hoping to press an answer out him “What do you mean, “The Hawk” ?!”

Soul waited for a reply as the life quickly slipped out of the pony, but got no response. He slammed his hoof in the dirt aimlessly in anger and picked up his scythe, shaking the blood of it before standing it up straight. After a few seconds the markings along the staff lit up and a large, swirling green and black portal opened up under the staff. The current of the portal pulled the deceased bodies of the cultists in, and closed just after taking the last one.

“‘The Hawk’...” Twilight stated in a curious tone “I doubt he was talking about anyone else. He said we shouldn’t trust Jay so much...”

“I guess the only way we’re getting answers to that is if Jay makes it back” Daring added “We should get to the Library”

“You’re right, I need to contact Princess Celestia about what’s happened” Twilight piped up in a worried tone “And Spike will no doubt be worried about us”

“Then let’s go” Soul concluded, slung his scythe onto his back and taking the lead towards the Library “Hopefully we’ll find out more soon...”

It was refreshing to Soul, and probably everypony else, to lift the feeling of rain off his body upon entering the safety of the library. The warmth and shelter was comforting, but the reason why they were there deterred it. Soul couldn’t ignore his worry of Jay failing, and the monstrosity he was facing rampaging through the town. He found himself wishing more and more that he had denied Iustit’s command, and stayed to fight. At least if he fought with him and failed, he could know what happened firsthand.

After several minutes of silence, Soul heard Twilight ordering spike to take a letter. He decided to hear out what is was she was sending, and to whom.

“Dear Princess Celestia” Twilight started. Soul wasn’t surprised. “We’ve run into quite a predicament and I’m requesting the use of our Elements of Harmony. Me and my friends were just attacked by ponies from some sort of cult, and another human has appeared with undoubted malicious intent. Soul saved us from the attackers and Jayhawk has taken it upon himself to protect us from the other human, as he somehow turned into a monster upon being defeated a first time. We need to have a way of aiding Jay to make sure he doesn’t fail, and a backup plan in case he does. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle”

Upon jotting down her words, Spike immediately rolled up the letter and expelled his green fire to send it off. The paper quickly disappeared in a small puff of smoke, and everypony waited for the inevitable response. 

It was only a little longer than a few minutes before another letter suddenly appeared within Spike's fire in a magic poof. He caught the paper as it landed and unrolled it to read.

“Dear Twilight. I’m afraid I cannot comply with your request at the moment. I have a problem here in Canterlot as well that I fear may be connected to this whole endeavor” Spike reacted with worry in the same as everypony else as he read on “It is currently not safe for me or Luna to leave the castle, as we’ve recently found out that we are being stalked by an unknown threat that has already taken the lives of various guards. The guards are standing on point around the castle and have sealed off all entrances. I cannot help you, no matter how much I want to. Please stay safe,  I will contact you as soon as things clear up. Yours, Princess Celestia...”

The room was silent as some ponies exchanged worried looks.  Soul’s feelings of worry soon grew.  He knew the timing of these events couldn’t have been coincidental.

There has got to be more than one human in on this. They must’ve planned to attack Ponyville and assassinate the Princess at the same time. This isn’t good, Jay can’t be everywhere at once, I have to... Soul stopped his thought trail as he recalled the cultists’ words ”The Hawk” is not to be trusted....dammit, that cultist was right! It’s too inconvenient that Jay is suddenly preoccupied! He’s got to be in on this whole plan! He isn’t fighting that thing, he just needed an excuse to not save the princess!

Soul gritted his teeth in anger as all the events so far came together. Jay had made everything seem pretty convincing, right down to his fight with Haimon. Soul’s rage clouded his judgement of the situation. All he wanted to do now was find Jay, and the answers he wanted. He quickly stood up and headed for the door in a rush.

“Whoa, wait Soul!” Daring shouted. She quickly flew towards the door and landed in front of him “Soul, I know you want to help the Princess, but-”

“I don’t care about the Princess, she’s fine!” Soul snapped loudly “It’s Jay! He’s working with the other humans! Him and Haimon’s fake fight lead us to believe they were enemies, so we would trust Jay when he told us to leave!”

Daring stopped and stared at the floor as she pondered Soul’s accusations. Everything sounded pretty convincing, considering how they didn’t know if Jay would return or not.

“So, you’re saying he’s going to think that we think he lost, and let that monster rampage through town?” Daring asked worryingly.

“Exactly. They planned to attack Ponyville and assassinate Princess Celestia at the same time” Soul calmed down a bit as he confidently spoke “We’re supposed to think he died fighting Haimon, and was therefore unable to return and try to save the Princess. It all fits together, and I won’t let him get away with it!”

“But Soul, attempts on Princess Celestia have happened before” Twilight added “Even if Jay is in co-hoots with the other humans, they won’t get to the princess so easily. I know she’ll be safe”

“Then that means Jay will probably be off to the castle soon to do it himself” Rarity quickly rebutted, taking Soul’s side “You saw what he did to those poor guards. I don’t think they’ll be able to hold off that brute. We must get to Canterlot to lend a hand!”

“Gotta hand it to ya Rarity, ya bring up a good point” Applejack added in, walking up to Soul “If we all don’ get t’ Canterlot soon as we can, Jay might cause a bit o’ trouble, if he is in fact goin’ there”

Soul looked back at Twilight, whose expression seemed to slightly change from confidence to worry. She looked around nervously, then focused on a certain book on a shelf and levitated it open in front of her. She flipped through the pages for a few seconds before stopping at the end and searching the books nearby.

“Whatcha looking for, Twilight?” Pinkie asked, bouncing over to her and idly looking at the books as she did. 

“I’m looking for my long distance travel spell” Twilight answered, still searching through various books “It will take some effort, but I may be able to quickly tele-port us to Canterlot. We don’t have time to take the train there”

“You can tele-port all of us to Canterlot?” Daring asked in a curious tone “That sounds like quite a feat”

“It is. I can only do it every so often, and now is definitely a time to use it” Twilight quickly replied as she scoured her bookshelves “Here it is!” she exclaimed, stopping in a certain book’s page and laying it down on her desk.

“But...you can’t just blink us there, can you?” Daring inquired “There’s gotta be a catch, or something”

“Nope. It just takes some time to prepare, and I can only use it once a day” Twilight confidently relayed, still inspecting the book “Although, it also says we need to be outside, and...the skies need to be clear...”

“Well, that’s great”  Rainbow added in sarcastically “So we gotta wait until this weird storm lets up?”

“I guess so” Twilight affirmed as she turned her attention out the window. The rain still poured down hard and an onyx blanket covered the skies completely “And who knows when that's going to happen...”

“Then that means I’m going out to search for Jay” Soul concluded, heading back towards the door “If the storm clears up before I find him, I’ll come back. Deal?”

“Fine. Just be careful” Daring replied “And make sure to bring him back with you if you find him”

“I’ll try” Soul said before shoving the door open and returning the cold feeling of the stormy air. While under the door’s shelter, he turned to shut the door when he noticed Daring’s sudden expression. She looked past Soul as if there was a ghost standing behind him “What is it?” He asked, in which Daring replied by simply pointing a hoof behind him.

“There...” Daring managed “Is that?...”

Soul turned back around as most of the other ponies gathered by the door. They all shared the same expression as Daring as they caught eye of what was before them. Soul was even a bit shocked himself.

Out in the rain, about 30 feet from the Library, stood a ragged human form dragging a two-handed sword. The scent of blood was already in the air, and the human’s clothes were apparently torn apart in some places. Even in the rain, Soul could see blood dripping from various wounds, and upon him growing closer, Soul recognized the human to indeed be Jayhawk.

“Jay?” Soul still asked over the rain “Jayhawk, is that you?”

Jay didn’t respond, and continued to walk forward. At this point, Jay was almost a mere 10 feet from the Library and could be seen clearly. His shirt and jeans were both torn on the right side, and several streams of blood ran down his head and along his right arm. His black hair drooped down over his most of face and he walked slowly forward as if he were a zombie, leaving a trail of blood dripping from his right leg as he advanced.

Upon Jay making it to the Library, the ponies silently parted as he trekked almost lifelessly forward. The only part of his body that wasn’t nearly caked in blood was his face, which held a dull and weak expression. As he entered the building, he dropped his sword by the door and took a few steps forward before stopping and looking down at the floor.

“My goodness...” Twilight managed in the silence “Jay? Are you alright?”

Jay was silent for about a minute for he finally spoke, giving Twilight a small, half-eyed smile as he did “Perfectly fine, sunshine” He said in a weak, yet amused tone. As soon as he finished his words, Jay’s body fell limply forward and hit the ground with a hard thump.

“ I guess he won that 'fake fight', huh, Soul?” Daring said, eyeing Soul in a way that embarrassed him.

I guess he did... Soul thought, as he stood and watched the other ponies gather around Jay.

> Chapter 10, Duo: Maturity Not Included
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Insanity only comes to those who let go of their care and worry



If someone is strong enough to knock you down, show them you're strong enough to get back up

Words rang through Iustit’s mind as he lay on the ground, his sword in the dirt beside him. The crimson stains on his armor matched the ones on his blade. A thumping on the ground could be heard as an angered demon approached him, the sound mirroring Iustit’s own heartbeat.

Prove who’s stronger, Iustit. Get back up! Jay shouted through his subconscious

In the rush of the moment, Iustit’s eye shot open. A sudden anger filled them as he gripped his weapon and bent backwards to hop to his feet by pushing off the ground. A responding strike of pain riveted through his ribs as he stood in his stance, causing him to waver a bit.

“It’s hopeless!” The demon yelled in a hellish voice as he advanced towards Iustit “You can’t stop me now; I am invincible! You will be crushed by the wrath of Cruenta, demon king of blood!

He’s bluffing! He may be tough, but you’re better than him Jay affirmed inside Iustit’s head, attempting to raise his spirits You can do this! We don’t need Ira’s help. ” (Angel vs Demon! Battle music!)

Iustit’s determination faltered a bit. Jay could be right, but he could also be wrong. Iustit believed that, no matter how strong he was, there was always a chance of something or someone being stronger than him. He had experienced it before. Iustit gripped his sword tightly as the monstrosity approached, still hopeful that was not the case. Iustit stayed defensive as Cruenta slashed and pounded at him, leaping over fist and claw alike as he pondered his situation's solution.

Just think: something turned Haimon into this guy, so something can change him back Jay plotted, grabbing Iustit’s attention quickly As a matter of fact, I think a certain beam may be enough to reverse the transformation. Cruenta is a demon, after all. It should work wonders against him

Iustit quickly realized the plan Jay had hinted him. Jay suggested the use of Iustit’s ultimate ability known as the “Light Mass Beam”. The attack consisted of powered megawatt-class chemical oxygen iodine laser fired at the tip of Iustit’s sword that would burn through almost anything in it’s path. After an initial charging of the ability, Iustit would be able to fire it and keep the aim of the beam aligned with the hilt of his sword. The use of the ability would, however, convert him back into Jay's form due to the toll of energy it would take on him. 

Find the opening, Iustit. Hit this guy with everything you got. You may not be the only one with something up his sleeve Jay assured, urging Iustit to already channel for his attack. He grabbed the hilt of his sword with both hands and held it firmly in front of him. Within a few seconds, a growing white aura began to illuminate him.

Cruenta stopped and chuckled a bit before speaking “How amusing...” He said, a growing smirk on his face “You stand so resolute in the face of your own demise!” 

Upon his words, Cruenta swept the ground with his claw, missing Iustit by mere inches as he barely dodged away. Cruenta then followed with the same attack, sweeping his claws across the ground and causing Iustit to constantly dodge away. After swiping several times, Cruenta attempted to land one final attack, spinning around and swinging with his axe-tipped tail as well. Iustit had just landed from his dodge and barely managed to stop the tail with his blade.

Iustit, now! This is an opportunity! Charge the attack while you hold him off, then break away and fire! Jay ordered, causing Iustit’s aura to return as he followed Jay’s words. 

Iustit managed to hold Cruenta’s tail off for almost half a minute for before the aura around him pulsed, signifying that his attack was ready. He quickly broke the match, dodging under Cruenta’s tail as it completed it’s swing and jumping back several feet. Iustit pointed his blade directly at Cruenta, holding the hilt firmly with his right hand as a small glittering light formed at the tip of his blade.

Cruenta seemed to notice as he turned to look at Iustit curiously. Suddenly, he stopped and threw his arms out wide “Ha, go ahead, hit me. Try your very best!” He taunted, standing still as Iustit aimed his shot.

That cocky bastard is gonna be sorry! FIRE! Jay urged, in which Iustit responded by letting his energy pulse through the blade and out towards it’s edge. The light quickly bursts outward, doubling the sword's width and immediately piercing Cruenta’s chest with a white laser-like beam of pure light. The attack shot out Cruenta’s backside and out towards the sky, seemingly endless in it’s length. After a few short seconds of the beam burning through Cruenta’s torso, the light dissipated and cut the beam off instantly. From the use of energy for his attack, Iustit fell limply to one knee, shining a bright white light around him before returning Jay’s form back to normal.

“Y’know, being so sure of yourself isn’t usually a good-” Jay cut himself off as he gazed at the target of Iustit’s strongest attack. A gaping hole almost a foot wide persisted in his chest and he stood the same way he had before being hit. “Ah...son of a bitch...” Jay muttered under his breath.

“Well? Was that all?” Cruenta mocked as he breathed heavily, trying to repress the pain of the attack “You lost your precious angel form for that?” 

“Pretty much, yeah” Jay replied, as casually as he could “You’d think a laser beam would be something you’d want to use more than once...”

“A pity, almost. Even your stronger form was not enough” Cruenta said as he lowered his arms and began stepping forward “Now...it’s my turn”

“Oh, bring it fatcakes” Jay taunted, bouncing around on his feet “Thou shalt feel the mighty and terrible wrath of the hawk!” He back flipped and landed on one leg, mocking the famous crane stance.

Cruenta quickly hopped forward, grabbing at Jay with both claws. Jay jumped off his foot and landed on top of Cruenta’s arm as he missed, and ran up it to meet his face. Once he was at the shoulder of the beast, Jay lunged forward with a loud karate yell following a swift jumping kick. Upon contact, Jay’s foot lodged into Cruentas face, who seemed to have barely noticed the attack.

“Oh, my...” Jay said in a curious tone as he assessed the situation “Okay, maybe I’ll just...” Jay’s words trailed off as he quickly drew his sword and sliced at Cruenta’s cranium, only for it to have the same effect as it did on his kick “Ah...I’m pretty fucked right now, aren’t I?”

“Very much so” Cruenta replied as he quickly lifted up his fist and smashed Jay head first. The force of the hit easily dislodged both Jay’s leg and sword, and threw him to the ground hard.

“GAHH, dammit! Ohh....that’s probably a few, of couple...the broken ribs...” Jay said to himself as shots of pain stabbed at his upper torso “Not to...no doubt, mention some head trauma. No doubtfulness there, no siree...” Jay forced himself to his feet as he tried to shake off the pain. His vision was blurred and dizziness quickly set in “Hey...got any, some...maybe,  headache pill-no...no, uh, any morphine?”

Cruenta simply laughed at Jay’s half delirious tone of voice “I’ve got a way to cure any ailment...” Cruenta spieled, lifting up one fist above Jay “Instant DEATH!” Cruenta immediately followed his words by slamming his fist down, only for it to be barely stopped by Jay. To the demon’s surprise, Jay seemed to hold out against Cruenta’s attack even as he pushed harder in an attempt to crush him.

Jay gritted his teeth as he spoke “The point of medicine...is staying ALIVE!” Jay shouted out as he pushed will full force and shoved off Curenta’s hand “And gaint demon hands definitely end lives! Usually...”

“You will know firsthand soon enough if you persist” Cruenta threatened as he drew closer once more “Face it, Jayhawk; you’re too weak against me, and you know it” Cruenta paused and looked up into the black sky towards a large Castellan city on a mountain before continuing “I do not have much time to waste fighting you, so I will strike you a deal instead. If you surrender now, I will send you back to your world safely and forget that this ever happened”

“Just like that?...” Jay inquired, holding out his arms in question “I surrender and you return me to Earth? Yeah right...why do you think I came here in the first place?!” Jay spat on the ground and drew his sword before speaking again “If you want me gone you’ll have to destroy every fiber of my being, and package me to hell yourself! Express shipping!”

Cruenta growled in anger before replying “Very well then! I’ll crush you into nothing, like the bug that you are! Just know that I gave you the chance to leave!”

“Listen, you can wax on wax off all you want...” Jay stated, assuming his regular stance “But I’m still gonna kick your ass!”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Maybe “kicking his ass” was a bit of an overstatement... Jay thought as he lay nearly motionless on the ground from the battle. He had been winning for the first half of the fight, until Cruenta had caught him in the leg with his tail and crippled his ability to dodge. Now blood streamed down his right shin and forearm to the ground from deep lacerations, and his clothes were torn by several other cuts along his body. Every breath was painful, and the prickle of the hard rain felt heavier than ever before. Why do I always let my pride do this to me? God...damn...

“You lay in your own blood, Guardian. Pitiful” Cruenta stated, seemingly recovered from the fight “To think I even gave you a chance to turn your back and-”

“Hey, blood clot” Jay cut in, coughing up blood before he continued “I’m still alive. We’re not done yet...” Jay continued to cough as he attempted to bring his body to balance on his feet. He barely held onto his sword as he raised himself up slowly, still leaning on it a bit as he stood “You should finish the fight, if you’re so much better than me”

Cruenta seemed as if he would reply, but stayed silent. He inspected Jay closely, and noticed the amount of blood seeping out of his wounds “Actually, I believe it is time for me to go” Cruenta stated, spreading his large wings and taking off a few feet into the sky. He looked back down at Jay and spoke “The blood you lose will be your death. I need not ensure it anyways. May fate take you slowly, Guardian” 

With his words, Cruenta took off into the stormy sky, away from the town. Jay could barely hear the flap of his wings through his delusions. Weak, dizzy, and on a slight limp, Jay turned towards the town and began his march to a destination that he knew would be his only hope.

Legs, don’t fail me now Jay hoped as he limped forward, heaving in painful breaths as he walked I’ve just...gotta make it there

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Do you think he’s...” Rainbow Dash trailed off her words as she returned her gaze to the collapsed human on the floor.

“He’s still breathing, but...” Fluttershy looked around Jay’s torn body closely as she spoke in worry “I don’t know how much time he has left. These wounds are very bad...”

“We need to get the paramedics here, quickly” Twilight urged, looking around the room “He made the walk from that field, surely he’ll last long enough for us to get him some help”

“I’ll go” Rainbow volunteered, to which most of the group quickly agreed.

As Rainbow prepared to exit the library, something caught her and most of the group’s eye. Jay’s wounds had stopped bleeding entirely, and the skin around them was a dark crimson. Soon, the skin started spreading, and to the group’s dismay, began transforming Jay’s body. Soul slowly drew his scythe in anticipation.

A few moments passed as the group stayed silent, watching the crimson body lay motionless on the floor. Suddenly, Jay’s head shot up to meet Fluttershy’s gaze with red eyes. Fluttershy screamed and jumped back at the motion, to which the body reacted by jumping up and screaming an even louder, girlier scream. As he backed up, the demon-esc body bumped into a bookshelf, knocking a book off it that landed in his lap. The book was titled “Warding off demons and other evils”, and upon noticing it, the demon screamed in his girly tone once more and slapped the book away as if it were a spider.

“Why would you keep a book like that?!” The demon yelled in a worried tone towards Twilight, who had no words in response. The demon slowly got up and dusted himself off as he spoke “Wards don’t work well anyways. You wanna keep demons away? Listen to Justin Bieber at really high volumes and tell the neighbors to go fuck themselves when they complain, which they DEFINITELY will!” The demon pointed at Twilight to emphasize his point “Nobody but teenage girls like that shitty shit. It’s shit, I tells ya”

“...Justin who?” Pinkie inquired, trading her shocked expression for a confused one.

“Wait...WAIT!” The demon stuck out his arms in caution “NONE of you know Justin bieber?!” Most of the group shook their heads in response “...that’s good. VERY...very good. He’s terrible, worse than scratching a chalkboard, which I LOVE doing but never get the chance, cause I-”

“Enough!” Soul cut the demon off in an annoyed tone “Who the hell are you?!”

“OH MY!” The demon gasped, speaking in a ladylike mocking tone “I simply cannot believe I forgot to introduce myself! I am the demonic personification of Jayhawk. You may call me Ira!” The demon raised up his left claw and brought it down in a graceful bow.

“Ira?...so you’re Jay’s demon?” Soul inquired, his tone almost showing off his anger “The one who I fought? The one who killed several guards and attempted to kill Princess Celestia?!”

“That would be me!” Ira replied in a chipper tone “I was pretty good back there, huh? I do take great pride in my work”

Soul was ready to leap forward and attack when Ira held out a hand in front of him, and placed his other on his ear “Hold on, Jay is trying to talk to me” Several moments passed as Ira responded to himself as if he were listening to someone talk on a phone ”OH, I see...OOOH, okay, yeah yeah. I get it. You suck, by the way. I coulda wiped the fracking floor with that fatty. Alright...alright I'll see ya soon. Mkay, love ya BYE!” Ira lowered his hand and stared back at the group of confused ponies “...the fuck y’all lookin at?”

“Were you..talking to yourself? Or, like...” Soul tried to ask through his confusion

“Technically. See, when Jay goes and kicks the bucket of metaphoricalness, I get control for a while until his body is alive again. So, Jay’s pretty much dead for now” Ira motioned his hands about as he spoke “Cause he’s dumb. Cause he didn’t let me try in his fight. Cause he didn’t think I’d be useful. ANYWAYS, I’m here to stay for now, so y’all bitches gon’ have to DEAL with it!” Ira crossed his arms in a gangsta mocking pose upon his words.

“Ah really don’t like this fella” Applejack muttered under her breath to Pinkie Pie beside her

“Oh, well I do!” Pinkie replied in a piped up tune “He seems like fun!” She bounced forward a few times until she was close enough to address Ira “Hi! My name’s Pinkie Pie, and that there is Soulless Reaper, and Applejack, and Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, and Rarity, and she’s Twilight Sparkle! Oh, and THAT is the famous ‘Daring Do’!”

Ira stared at the pink pony blankly for a few seconds before speaking “...you smell an awful lot like cotton candy, young one” Ira now spoke in an old wise man mocking tone. He put one claw behind his back and caressed a long, imaginary beard “One would be inclined to believe such a pink pony would be simply made of cotton candy with such an aroma...” Pinkie giggled at Ira’s impression and began to speak when Rainbow Dash cut in.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your ‘interesting’ conversation guys, but we still have problems at hoof!” Rainbow urged in an annoyed tone “Remember? The Princess?”

“Well, excuuuse me, ‘Gay Pride’!” Ira responded, raising his claws up to eye level in mock caution “I don’t see how you expected me to know that!”

“What did you call me?!” Dash snapped back, flying up to Ira.

“What? ‘Gay Pride’ suits you!” Ira remarked, pointing to Rainbow Dash’s mane “Their flag is friggin’ imprinted on your head, dumbo! Or would you just prefer “faggot”? How about “lesbo’?”

Dash growled in frustration before yelling back at Ira “I’m NOT gay! This is my real mane color!” Dash pointed at Ira as she continued “I don’t think you have the right to make fun of others, nutcase!”

Ira paused for a second before responding “...the fuck did you just call me?” He replied in a quiet and tense tone, his demonic voice slowly growing.

“You heard me!” Dash shouted back “A total wacko like you shouldn’t be calling others names when he’s the one who’s outta his mind!”

In less than a second, Ira had a claw wrapped firmly around Dash’s neck and he held her nearly point blank as he spoke in a vicious tone “I think YOU should be the one watching that snarky fucking mouth of yours!” Ira opened Dash’s mouth and placed one claw on her tongue before continuing “Cause if you use that tongue...to mouth off to me ONE more time...I’m going to keep it. Got that?” 

Suddenly, Ira noticed movement in his peripherals and turned his gaze to meet the point of Soul’s scythe blades nearly an inch from his eye “Put her down, now” Soul demanded in a cold tone “I won’t hesitate for a second”

Ira eyed Soul as he released Rainbow Dash’s neck and let her drop to the floor. She coughed a few times before catching her breath.

“Whatever. I wouldn’t want her tongue anyways” Ira admitted, turning around and taking a few steps as he spoke “It’s probably frolicked with things even a nutcase like me wouldn’t want to do with!” Ira followed his words with loud, mocking laughter. Dash growled in frustration again, but before she could retaliate, Soul stuck a hoof out in front of her and shook his head.

“It’s not worth it” Soul whispered to Dash, his eyes still on Ira “Just turn the other cheek”

Ira spun on his heels to face the group as Rainbow stomped away in anger “SO...I’m hungry!” Ira exclaimed, clapping his claws together “Who wants to find and murder some baaaaddies?” The  group was silent in response as Ira inspected them all in glee “Oh come on! Sinners screaming in terror! It’ll be FUN! I’ll even let you guys find them for me!”

“Actually, we were just trying to do that...technically” Soul replied in a blank tone “We need to get to the castle in Canterlot as soon as possible”

“The castle! The castle...” Ira looked aimlessly into the air as he imagined what a pony castle would look like “Sounds neat! Is it a big castle? Oh, it better have a hedge maze! I LOVE hedge mazes! Just toss a few fuckers in there and hunt them down like it’s Friday the 13th...it’s a blast, really”

“Well ,we won’t be getting to the castle anytime soon with this weather...” Soul stated, looking out the window at the black clouds in the sky “The teleportation spell Twilight is trying to use requires clear skies”

“You mean those measly little bastards? Them shits are crappy as hell!” Ira inquired, suddenly standing beside Soul and looking up at the sky as well “But anywhosways, those were because of the big demon dudermans. They’ll go away soon” Ira concluded his last sentence in a mock british accent, his hands on his hips in disappointment "Those are PATHETIC! Mine kick ass compared to those! What a bloody TOSSER! LITERALLY!”

Ira stood in place, still looking at the sky. Within a few minutes, the clouds began quickly dispersing. The moon shone brightly in the clear night sky among various stars and constellations. Ira looked back at Twilight group with a confident sneer.

“I guess I can try the spell now...” Twilight admitted, levitating her spell book beside her as she trotted towards the door “Okay everypony ,lets head outside, and hope this spell works”

“Ahem!” Ira spoke in a mocking sophistication “I don’t believe I was addressed. You clearly said every “pony”!” Ira raised his nose into the air and mocked a snooty pose.

“Just go” Soul urged, shoving Ira with on hoof as he passed.

“Jeez. No respect for demons in this place...” Ira grumbled to himself. He eventually began walking after most of the group left the library.

It was humid and groggy outside, and the air hung heavy from the persistent rain that had finally stopped pouring. A few crickets could be heard, as well as the coos from a familiar owl atop the library. Twilight quickly gave her attention to her book, reading over the details and instructions of the spell.

“Is everypony ready?” Twilight asked towards most of the group, who all affirmed “Okay, I need some time to charge the spell. Everypony stand in close so we all get there together”

“...Twilight, wait” Soul quickly interrupted, holding his hoof out to motion a halt of Twilight’s spell “I know how much you and your friends care about the princess...but I want you to only send me and Jay. It could be-”

“Ahem!” Ira cut Soul off, teleporting to his side in a black poof “ Proper sentencing would be ‘Ira and I’. That is my name, after all”

“...anyways” Soul continued in an annoyed tone “Considering how Celestia described the danger, I think it would be best if you all stayed here. Me and...Ira, will ensure the princess’s safety. Also, I’m sure she’ll contact you when that happens”

“But, we...” Twilight trailed off as she realized Soul’s point. She began charging the spell when Daring cut in as well.

“Uhm, Soul? I think you forgot who's got your stuff” Daring stated, motioning to her saddle bag “Including the medicine”

“Medicine?” Ira inquired towards Soul “OH, does it taste like cherries or something sweet? Don’t tell me it’s that Buckley’s shit. That stuff is like swallowing acid mixed with venomous apple juice, and YES I know what that tastes like!” Ira was balancing on one foot, his body on a near ninety degree angle as his eyes met Soul’s.

“Uh...yeah. Daring should come with us too...” Soul awkwardly shifted his eye to and away from Ira, who still stood in his same odd pose

“Okay, if you say so” Twilight concluded, returning her focus to the spell. Within a few minutes of her horn glow intensifying, it finally lit up to a bright violet light “Alright, stay close together and be careful when you get there. Good luck!” The rest of the group bid farewell to Daring, Ira and Soul as they began to glow the same color as Twilight’s magic. They soon disappeared in a bright flash as Twilight’s magic sent them on their way.

“...and please come back safely” Twilight whispered to herself, looking up at Canterlot high on it’s mountain “You may be our only hope now”

> Chapter 11, Duo: Rescue Royale
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Bring about the apocalypse in your pursuit of justice, and you are no greater than the evil you fight



Moonlight was shining against the castle walls like a mirror to the sky.

“So do we want a clean kill, or do we wanna send a message to...whoever?” Ira asked, cracking the knuckles in his claws as he walked forward.

“One: we already know Haimon is the one behind all this” Soul replied, trying to ignore the odd cracks of Ira’s claws “And two: we want to keep the assassin alive so we can get some answers”

“Pbbft, ‘answers’...” Ira remarked, raspberrying with his dark tongue “I could easily track these sorry sons of bitches down. Hell, I can already see a dark presence now. Maybe if you were to actually cut the proverbial leash, I could-””

“That’s out of the question!” Soul quickly shot at Ira, cutting him off “We’re trying to prevent more deaths, and I heavily doubt your ability follow that rule”

Ira scoffed at Soul’s comeback, and turned his attention to the large castle town before him. He could see almost the entire city from the road they stood on, which was a long distance from the castle town entrance.The mountain served at the city’s perch, allowing the town to revolve around a rise that lead to the castle. From the distance, the castellan city looked almost like a labyrinth of marble and stone.

“I wonder if they’ll let us in. This doesn’t seem like a time that Canterlot castle would be open to the public”” Daring pondered, looking towards the castle “Now that i think of it, we should’ve had Twilight inform the princess about us...”

“We can at least try” Soul replied half heartedly “I’ll be damned if I have to sit back instead of helping again”

“Mmh, technically you ARE damned” Ira added in “I mean, you come from the underworld and all”

“I never told you I was from the underworld...” Soul responded in a suspicious tone “How did you know that?”

Ira chuckled before speaking “I just guessed from the smell of death on you”

“Smell?...” Soul inquired curiously, then shook his head and disregarded the statement “Whatever. We should get moving now.”

Upon Soul’s words, the three began walking along the road to the entrance. As they moved closer, Soul quickly noticed the guards disappearing into the towers that watched the gate. Daring seemed to also take notice as she spoke.

“I don’t think they like you, Ira” Daring said towards Ira, who merely looked back with a curious expression “Can we all agree that I’m most qualified to do the talking?”

“That would be best” Soul responded as he eyed the guards’ movements  carefully, watching for any hostile behaviour. Ira walked behind Soul and Daring like as if he had no clue what was happening. As Daring approached, one of the guards nearby the gate walked closer to meet her halfway.

“Hi! Uh, I know what you're thinking...” Daring yelled towards the guards watching the gate “These guys aren’t trouble. We were sent here by Twilight Sparkle to...deliver a message to the Princess”

“Sorry, but we’re under strict orders to keep any other humans from entering, and even so we still need to perform a weapon check” The guards firmly replied. He pointed to Soul as he continued “The black one’s weapon will have to stay with us, and the human isn’t allowed to enter right now”

“Hey, dumbass! I’m not human!” Ira complained from behind Daring “I dunno if you know, but normal humans aren’t likely to be red. Or spiky. Or-”

“You look human, and that’s all the clarification I need” The guard snapped back “There is a very pressing matter involving humans going on at the castle right now, and we can’t let you pass”

“Ok...could you let just me pass?” Daring offered, slightly to Sou land Ira’s noticeable dismay “I’ll talk to the princess and deliver the message, and maybe we can make an exception”

“I’ll have to consult my commander about it. Wait here” The guard turned around and entered the through the gate, only to return several minutes later. A white, armored stallion with a long blue mane was following, and began walking towards Daring when he noticed Soul behind her.

“Soulless Reaper? What are you doing here?” The stallion quickly approached as Soul met him beside daring “And...who is that?”

“It’s good to see you too, Shining” Soul sarcastically replied “Me, Daring and the red one were sent here by Twilight to help with the “problem” you’re having”

“Twilight sent you here to help? She must’ve contacted Princess Celestia...” Shining Armor quickly looked towards Ira, then back at Soul “Well, at any rate, I can get you and your friend through the gate, but the...human has to stay outside”

“That’s our problem, Shining” Soul responded in a hasty tone “The human is crucial to helping us, and...to be honest...we wouldn’t be alive if not for him”

Shining was quiet for a few moments as he pondered his decision, occasionally turning his attention at Ira. Finally he spoke in a hush “Fine, but if he causes any trouble, we won’t hesitate to take him down. ”

“Don’t worry. Neither will I” Soul replied coldly as he looked back at Ira “Thanks, Shining”

As Shining Armor led the trio past the gate and through the city, Ira had become unnerved. Soul took notice once he saw Ira darting his gaze about like a frightened rodent. He stayed as far away from any passing ponies as he could, although most of the ponies he passed did the same, and acted as if he disliked being noticed.

He must be getting more attention than he’s used to Soul guessed as he watched Ira attempt to cover his face from a gasping bystander He seems tense. I should keep a close eye on him

Within almost five minutes, the four were at the entrance to the castle. Shining quickly spoke with the guards at the front to let Ira and Soul pass by. As they neared the doors to the building, Ira suddenly shot his gaze to somewhere high on the castle. Against the sun,  Soul could make out an expression of urgency on his face.

“Celestia and Luna are in the throne room right now” Shining stated as they passed the hedge maze near the entrance “I can take you guys to them for now, but I'll have to return to my post afterwards”

“Throne room, huh? So that’s where the sun is...” Ira trailed off, his gaze still on the castle “Heh, thanks for the info, Shiny. I’d rather skip walking up this big thing. See you suckers on the flip side!”

With his words, Ira suddenly took off into a sprint towards the castle, and leaped up to a nearby window’s balcony. He quickly rubbed his claws together before propelling himself high up the wall and digging his claws into the concrete. He then began climbing up the stone, leaving several marks in it as he scaled the castle.

“I can tell he isn’t going to be very obedient” Daring remarked as she watched Ira climb the castle “We should get after him, Soul”

“Agreed” Soul replied as he and Daring spread their wings. With a small running start, they were off into the air towards the wall that Ira hung on. 

As he flew, Soul noticed guards scrambling about on the outer castle walls, and quickly guessed what they were doing. Within a few moments Soul saw various arrows fly towards Ira as he climbed. Most of the arrows hit Ira dead on, but didn’t phase him. He simply looked around as if he didn’t know what hit him. He quickly realized the situation as the second small wave of arrows pelted him and looked as if he would retaliate when he suddenly shot his gaze upwards again. He was still hanging on the wall for a few moments before he started climbing again at a much faster pace.

He obviously has a drive for something Soul thought, attempting to increase his speed as he raced towards Ira’s intended entry point. Upon getting closer, he realized that the room Ira was headed for was where Princess Celestia and Luna stood, their frontside blocked by guards. I knew he wasn’t going to give up on her so easily. I’ve got to beat him up there

After several intense moments, Ira had made it to one of the windows to the room. Keeping his climbing speed, Ira launched himself through the glass and towards Celestia. Everything seemed to slow down as Soul watched Ira leap forward, only to suddenly stop the blade of another human who appeared out of thin air. Soul had almost forgot he was flying before quickly adjusting himself to slow down just before the window, where Daring eventually joined him.

The room was silent at the scene. Ira stood in front of Celestia, holding back the thin blade of what seemed to be the very assassin after the princess. The bottom of the human’s face was masked and it wore a tight black outfit with a hooded cape, along with felt fingerless gloves and boots. What stood out most, however, was the human’s ginger coloured hair, which dropped down at the front and covered half of it’s face. The human seemed to be struggling against Ira's guard before noticing all the eyes on it. All the attention caused it to immediately back off and disappear from sight in a second.

“Wha-...a-are you?...” Celestia stuttered, her confused face focused on the demon in front of her “...you’re that same demon...Jayhawk's demon”

Celestia’s words caused Ira to turn his attention to her slightly as he kept facing forward “Yeah, I’m the same one, big whup” Ira remarked in a rushed tone. He quickly took a defensive stance as his sword formed in his hand “We can scrap 'bout it after I slaughter this little nuisance. Right now, you gotta work with me”

“He’s lying, sister!” Luna cut in, pointing a hoof towards Ira “He’s a humanoid demon. He must be working with the other one to try and trick us!”

Celestia seemingly agreed with Luna’s words as her expression grew slight anger “Everypony, please stand back!” Celestia yelled as she took an alerted stance. Her horn had begun to glow when Ira suddenly whipped around and grasped it, cutting off the flow of magic completely.

“Listen, princess ‘stick up her ass’, I’m after the assassin who is likely trying to kill both of you!” Ira affirmed in an agitated tone “So, are you gonna deny the savior in front of your eyes, or are you gonna trust me for a minute of your damned life?!”

Celestia’s shock slowly faded as Ira let go of her horn and turned back around. He began looking around the room in search for his target when Celestia spoke up “...alright, I’ll help you. But on one condition”

“I swear, you people and your fucking conditions...” Ira remarked in an annoyed tone, covering his face with his claw “What is it, what's the catch?”

“Under no circumstances will you hurt any more of my subjects” Celestia replied confidently “I will not stand to have my people killed by a demon”

“Oddly biased...” Ira quickly noted, suddenly smiling smugly back at her “That doesn’t include you...or her” Ira pointed towards Luna, who seemed taken aback by his comment

“It doesn’t have to” Soul cut in as he landed in the room “You won’t be trying to hurt either of them. I’ll make sure of that”

“Oh yeah, the big hero will protect the princesses” Ira mocked as he turned his attention towards the door of the room “I’m not the one trying to hurt them anyways. Cut off the door....assassin’s trying to escape”

“Guards, the door” Celestia ordered, which half of the guards nearby her followed without hesitation. As the ran towards the door, the pony leading the group tripped an unseen wire and was suddenly hit in the side of the head with a small knife. Ira laughed loudly as the pony fell forward from his momentum, and caused the other guards to stop.

“Oh, I can’t believe none of them saw that!” Ira yelled through his cackling laughter “My god... ah, the door, you dumb asses! I was serious!” 

Hesitantly, the rest of the ponies ran to the door and stood in front of it. A black blur suddenly moved by them, and another one of the guards fell to the floor with a slit throat. 

“And another one bites the stone! Don’t worry, I’ll just do everything!” Ira joked as he calmed his amusement. With a quick stepping movement, Ira dashed towards a pillar and slammed directly into it with his shoulder. The force of the hit lightly shook the entire room, and the human suddenly fell from in between the pillar and the wall after appearing out of thin air “See? Assassin” 

A few guards had begun an advance to the human when Soul stopped them “No, don’t leave her side!” Soul shouted as he took to the air with his scythe “I’ve got this!” He quickly flew towards the assassin with his weapon, but Ira grabbed his tail and stopped him in mid-air.

“No, bad pony! Baaad!” Ira said in a stern tone “This one is mine. You sit back and watch like a good little boy” Ira dropped Soul and turned towards the human, just to see that it was already gone once more “Oh, for fucks sake...” Ira suddenly turned towards another pillar as he spoke “You know you can’t hide you from me, right? Using that little cloak power lets me sniff you out easily!”

After a few silent moments, the human walked out from behind another pillar at the opposite end of the room. At a still and consistent view, it was clear that the human was a female. She was holding a bloodied Estoc firmly. Not much of her face could be seen, but it was obvious that she was annoyed with Ira.

“There you go. Playing hide and seek is dumb. Let’s play ‘Catch the ninja’ instead!” Ira exclaimed in a chipper tone “You can be the ninja, and I’ll be the demon guy with the big sword” Ira held up his sword and motioned to it with his other hand. The human merely responded by taking a proper stance with her blade in anticipation “Alright...GO!”

Ira suddenly lunged forward sword first in a thrusting attack, which the human merely dodged by a slight movement of her body. Before she could counter, Ira stopped his dash and swung his sword sideways towards the human. She quickly hopped up over his swing and landed on his blade as it stopped, following up the dodge by immediately piercing Ira’s forehead with her blade. Ira’s face was blank as his eyes widened into slight shock. He stood still for a few moments before lowering his sword, causing the human to land on the floor and pull her blade from Ira’s head. 

“That was...a mistake...” Ira spoke as if he was holding back an urge to explode “A big. God damn. MISTAKE!” Ira yelled his last word out into the air as a surge of red energy burst out from him, pushing back the human a few feet. His body became roughly metallic and toned itself to a stronger shape. Several spikes jolted out of his joints as a dark aura formed around him. The blood curdling roar following his transformation ensured that Ira was no longer the immature and insane demon of once before, but was now no different than a raging beast. 

“That could be problematic” Daring remarked in a worried tone “Soul...”

“I know, but don’t you remember what Jay said?” Soul quickly replied “If we let the demon kill it’s target, Jay will return to normal.”

“Soul, that is reasonable and all...” Daring responded in haste “...but I’d rather not let him off our only lead! We may not get another!”

Both Daring and Soul returned their attention to Ira as they heard a loud smash, to see that Ira had slammed his fist into the pillar to his left. As it came crashing down upon him, he quickly cracked it in half by raising up his opposite fist. He then grabbed the nearest cylindrical piece of stone and swung it towards the human, continuing the attack several times as she jumped away. After a few swings, he javelin-tossed it towards her and caught her with a dashing punch as she dodged. The pillar just barely missed the group of ponies and crashed through a nearby window. 

Soul could barely keep track of Ira’s movements as he unleashed a ruthless flurry of fists and kicks upon the small opening he had caught. He ended his combo with a quick knee, which sent the human crashing into the left side of the room. She hit the wall hard and slid down to the floor, seemingly unconscious. Ira looked content with his assault as he began walking forward, the sound of his steps on the floor the only sound throughout the dead silence. As the human tried to get back to her feet, Ira quickly leaped forward and grabbed her by the neck, holding her high in the air as if she weighed nothing

“That little poke hurt!” Ira spoke in an intimidating tone. He brung the human closer as he continued “Now I’m going to make you hurt! Eye for an eye, bitch!”

Ira followed his threat by dropping the human and quickly catching her stomach with his fist. On the momentum of the punch, Ira threw the human high into the air, then leaped off the nearby wall to her height and slammed her down the ground with both his fists. As the human soared towards the floor, Ira suddenly disappeared in a small plume of smoke and reappeared under her fast enough to stop the human’s fall with his flat hand. The human coughed out blood as she lay nearly motionless on Ira’s palm, and slowly slid off as he lowered it.

“Too easy....but, I’m not done with you yet” Ira affirmed as he picked the human up by her hood, dropping her on her feet so she would stand. Her hood fell down to reveal her short hair and a scar across the side on her neck. She was only visible for a few seconds before Ira’s next attack turned her into a black blur. The human flew directly through a nearby pillar, and slid across the room until she stopped a few feet from the guards at the door. Ira leaped across the room to the human,and shook the ground as he landed, then grabbed the human and stood her up once again “Pathetic! At least have the dignity to stand while I kill you!”

Ira raised up a claw in attack when Soul quickly spoke up “Stop! Ira, that’s enough” Soul said in a firm tone as he cautiously approached “We need her alive, and well enough for interrogation” 

Ira slowly turned his head enough to meet Soul’s eyes. His gaze was nearly crippling; Soul had never met Ira’s eyes in his current form before. The way Ira stared back at Soul was, at most, enough to make him uneasy. He looked as if he would retort against Soul’s command, but instead began walking away the human and tossed his claw into the air behind him to motion that the guards could apprehend the human. 

At least he listened... Soul thought, a feeling of relief flowing through him I’d rather not chance fighting him again

While Ira walked back to Soul and Daring, the guards near the door began to pick up the human and bring her to one of the dungeon cells. As soon as the human was near the door, however, she immediately broke free of their grasp and ran back to her target. A black blur was all that could be seen as the human dashed across the room, past Ira and directly towards the princesses. She seemingly faked her feign to try and catch Ira and the guards at an opportune time, but as she stopped in mid air for an attack on Celestia, her and everypony else quickly realized that her weapon was gone. She landed softly, looking around for the blade she had in her hand just a moment ago.

“Looking for something?” Ira spoke as he held up the human’s thin-bladed weapon by the tip, still walking towards the group “I don’’t miss anything. It’s useless to try and catch ‘The Guardian’ off guard” Ira quickly raised up the sword by it’s blade and crushed it in his fist. The human stared back at him blankly in shock, then started looking around nervously as she realized her situation. Ira flicked his wrist and threw the shattered weapon down before continuing “There’s no use in running now. I knew what you would plan before you even planned it, little girl”

The human seemed as if she would faint any minute. She shook slightly as Ira approached her, and fell to her knees as he stopped in front of her. Her head hung down for several moments.

“I’ve...n-never failed” the human whispered “Never so badly...not even close...” The human spoke in a tone that made it sound as if she would break down and cry any second.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash near the other end of the room. Everybody, including Ira and the assassin, looked over to see the source of the sound.  The doors were opened as far as they could go, and the guards near the door had been thrown back. A familiar shape stood in a small cloud of dust. Soul’s gut wrenched as the cloud dissipated to reveal that Haimon was standing in the doorway. 

“Is there some...trouble, Alphinx?” Haimon asked while he walked slowly past the knocked down guards. When the guards tried to stand, Haimon quickly cut them down with the edge of his axe without any signs of effort or attention “I was hoping you would be finished by now”

Alphinx simply stared back at Haimon as if he was Death himself. Ira had begun to chuckle a bit before breaking out into loud laughter. The sound of his crazed merriment filled the room. Soul considered covered his ears when Ira stopped suddenly and looked at Haimon, who stopped upon meeting his gaze.

“This is too good. I simply can’t believe my eyes! Ira mocked while walking forward “You?! You’re the guy who shut down Jay and his angel?! Bullshit!” Ira spat at the ground as he stopped about 15 feet from Haimon. "It's like the fuckin' circus is in town, or something! I feel like I'm being pranked!

“I see you are just as sure about yourself as he was...” Haimon responded, sheathing his axe and crossing his arms. He quickly looked at Soul before scratching his chin “However, I’m not here to waste time fighting. You, please kill the demon and the princesses for me” Haimon pointed towards Soul as he spoke.

“Sorry, but I’m on their side” Soul replied in a bitter tone “If you want something done, do it yourself. Your assassin is a good example of that”

“Oh, I’m not here for violence. I only wish to execute a plan of sorts” Haimon spoke as if he had been in the same situation this before. He held out his hand forward “Alphinx, shall we?”

On Haimon’s command, Alphinx quickly stood and ran towards him, only to be stopped by Ira’s claw in her face. Alphinx tried several times to push past or get around him, but to no avail.

“I don’ think so! Caught this 'ere bitch m'self! Ira yelled at Haimon in a mocking southern accent. He jabbed Alphinx in the stomach with a hard punch, and held her beside him by the neck as if she were a trophy “If y'all want her back so badly, then come and git her!”

“Please have her released for me, would you?” Haimon commanded once more towards Soul “I don’t have much time to spend here”

“Don’t command me, Haimon! I’m not your puppet!” Soul remarked in a more annoyed tone “Your virus isn’t strong enough to break me”

“Now, now, I would likely beg to differ that” Haimon spoke in a softer tone, as if he was trying to calm Soul down “I want to do this the easy way. Do as I say, or I will make you”

Soul stood still and silent. Haimon seemed displeased with Soul’s response, but kept his composure and clasped his hands to together. He smiled quickly before holding out a hand towards Soul.

“I would rather it be done plain and simple, but I did warn you!” Haimon exclaimed as if he were speaking to a child “You may feel a bit of pain, but only if you resist”

Suddenly, Haimon’s hand begun to glow a dull red. After several moments, the light pulsed, and a strike of pain hit Soul like a rock. His body froze up completely, and begun moving without his consent. He tried to keep his limbs in place as they hinged towards his weapon, gritting his teeth through the burn it caused his body. Something tried to control him, and his vision was slowly becoming darker. Celestia and Luna quickly looked at each other, then back at Soul. Alphinx quickly pushed away from Ira’s grasp as he turned his attention to Soul, and she quickly ran over to Haimon, nearly tripping on the way.

“Good, now we can leave” Haimon stated, turning around towards the door of the room “Have fun, my little pawn” 

> Chapter 12, Duo: Limit Break
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Push back against the dying of the light



Everything was quiet. A harsh quiet. The kind of quiet that screams in your ears.

The throbbing of Soul’s heartbeat was all he could hear. His vision pulsed red, and his body burned as if it was lit ablaze every time he tried to move. Ira began watching Soul’s movements closely, while still keeping an eye on Haimon and Alphinx. 

“Jeez, make up your damn mind! Vampirism or mind control?!” Ira shouted towards Haimon in an annoyed tone “I’m not allowed to take any more pony lives, so says ‘Sunny Sunshine’ over there, so it’d better be the former!”

Haimon chuckled a bit before responding “Both, in fact” He pointed towards Soul, who looked as if his body would collapse any minute “If he keeps resisting the control, he will resort to vampirism, which will become stronger and stronger every time. If I do not control him, a thirst for blood will instead”

The word ‘Vampirism” suddenly jogged Daring’s memory, and she quickly moved to pull a bottle of Zecora’s medicine for Soul from her saddlebag. Soul realized her plan as she hastily trotted over to him, and stayed as still as he could. Daring managed to slip the medicine through Soul’s lips after a few tries, and the world quickly returned to Soul. He shook his head a few times to recuperate from the episode.

“Ah, right. That medicine of yours. I almost forgot your friend had supplied you with that” Haimon remarked as if he was holding back laughter “Don’t worry, it will fail soon enough”

“I wouldn’t be so sure, Haimon” Soul replied as he took hold of his previously scattered mind “The feelings are gone, and my strength is returned. You’re going to need more than a petty virus to overthrow me”

“Hmm...we shall see...” Haimon spoke as he slowly caressed his chin in thought “I would think all I need is to do is lead the horse to the water!”

Haimon quickly raised his hand up, which began to glow a dull red once more. Instead of pulsing, however, the red aura suddenly shot towards Soul in a stream. The spell reached Soul within a second and spun around his head, then dissipated after passing through him. A moment passed before the very same symptoms hit Soul, along with a shrill white noise that filled his deaf ears. The shrieking sound disoriented Soul, and sent him into slight vertigo as his mind spun violently. He nearly lost his footing several times as he struggled to keep his body in his own control.

Can’t...give up...I’ve got to fight this! Soul’s only thought hopped and skipped along his mind I’m not...going to stand by and watch...ANYMORE!

Celestia and Luna were trading worried whispers when they ,and everypony else nearby, had quickly took attention to Soul. With seemingly his own force of will, Soul had begun pushing Haimon’s spell out of his body. The red energy swirled around Soul in a fiery aura as it intensified, increasing it’s speed gradually. Suddenly, it exploded outwards from Soul in a small crimson bubble, leaving a glowing red aura along his body. Soul stood resolute as if he had been previously unaffected, and his iris' shined a bright emerald green. The energy that pulsed through him formed a powerful gust around his body, which blew his mane and tail about violently. Ira reacted as most ponies had to him; his eye’s widened in shock and he stepped backwards from Soul a few times. 

“The power...his life sign, it just...” Ira stuttered as he quickly found his words “He was never giving off such power before!” Ira dashed his gaze from Soul to Haimon and back again several times before continuing with a devious smirk on his face ”How ironic! He’s taken the power directly out of that cheap little spell of yours! You just gave him the means to your own demise!"

Haimon grimaced at the scene, the shock on his face barely visible through his aggravation “I gave him nothing but a command!” Haimon snapped back towards Ira, a smile growing on his face “He may have just become more powerful to kill you, anyways. That is indeed what I ordered of him”

“The only one I intend to take down here is you, Haimon!” Soul shouted at an unnatural volume “I bring death to those who oppose Equestria. I am vengeance! I am punishment to the wicked!” Soul floated up into the air on his wings and equipped his scythe, then pointed it towards Haimon “And you will be punished for your crimes against this land!”

“Pretty cliche, but I’ll deal with it” Ira remarked, quickly taking a stance “Now that you’re not crippled like a vegetable, let’s finish this!” 

On his words Ira quickly rushed forward and leaped into the air, coming down of Haimon sword-first. Haimon reacted by merely holding his axe’s flat end towards Ira. As soon as Ira hit the axe, a red bubble of power threw him back with nearly enough to force to send him through a nearby window. 

“Ira, stop. I’ll handle this” Soul commanded, holding a hoof out towards Ira “It’s about time for Jay to return, anyways”

“Like hell it is!” Ira snapped back, quickly jumping to his feet “I came here for this guy’s death, and I’m not leaving until I have it!”

As Ira rushed forward once more, Haimon quickly slammed the ground with his axe, catching Ira’s sword and arm in his crimson roots when the tip of the blade was just inches from Haimon’s face. Haimon seemed unphased, and proceeded to spin around the roots and catch Ira in the side with his axe. The force of the attack dislodged Ira’s arm from the roots  and sent him flying through a pillar, slamming him hard against the wall behind it enough to leave cracks in the stone. In the plume of dust the pillar’s destruction had created, Ira slowly slid down the wall until his lower back naturally stopped him on the floor.

“I would agree with the pony on this one, Guardian. Fighting isn’t worth it” Haimon remarked, a smug grin growing on his face “And as much as I’d like to stay and do so, I’m afraid I must get going” Haimon tapped Alphinx on the shoulder before turning his back and walking away. Soul had nearly attempted to stop him when a piece of stone rubble bounced off Haimon’s back. 

Haimon turned to face Ira, who stood hunched on his feet as if he would fall any moment. A few small streams of black blood coursed down his left arm and dripped onto the floor. He was breathing heavier than normal; every heave he took filled with a low growl of anger that could be easily heard through the silence in the room.

“What’s wrong...huh? Leaving...so soon?” Ira spoke in pauses through his breathing. He held up his wounded arm and allowed his blood to fall onto itself until the dripping could be faintly heard “Yeah...is this what you want? Well...is it?! I don’t think so, you’re scared...aren’t you?!” Ira laughed to himself, then threw his arm back in anger, causing a streak of blood to hit the wall behind him ”Go ahead and run away! Flee from your battles like the coward you are!” 

Haimon’s expression of annoyance seemed to intensify as he spoke “Fine, I’ll make the exception. We’ll see who the coward is when I have you begging for your life” He threatened while pointing his axe at Ira.

On his words, Haimon held up his axe in preparation for an attack. Ira quickly averted his eyes to Soul and nodded his head towards Haimon as Soul caught his gaze. When Haimon moved in to attack, a sudden burst of lightning grazed his left shoulder, causing him to stop in his tracks as he flinched. Along with most of the room, Haimon turned to see Soul pointing his scythe at him. Electricity sparked and crackled along the steel of Soul’s blades before another bolt jumped at Haimon, who managed to dodge away from the attack within the second it was cast.

“Give him no regard. I’m your enemy” Soul said in a tone that sent chills down Daring’s spine “You can try to walk away, but I wouldn’t advise turning your back again”

Haimon quickly glanced at Alphinx, who returned a look that showed both annoyance and worry “I didn’t expect this to be so tedious” Haimon gripped the handle of his axe tightly with both hands as he continued “If I want something done, it seems I’ll have to do it myself”

As Soul raised his scythe in preparation, Haimon looked back at Alphinx, raised one hand, and made a few signs with his fingers before finally pointing towards Celestia. Alphinx slightly nodded before drawing her own weapon and locking her gaze on the princesses. Ira managed to catch himself and stand straight before taking off parallel to Alphinx as she ran towards Celestia. Just a few feet from the guards, Soul managed to fly in and tackle Alphinx down, in which Haimon followed by placing his axe’s flat end onto the ground. The motion caused a large red hand to emerge from the ground, and swipe towards the princess. Ira had just barely gotten in front of her in time to stop the grip of the infernal hand.

“Help would be capital right now, chap!” Ira yelled through his teeth towards Soul, who quickly responded by flying towards him and slashing through the crimson hand. Within seconds of the spell dissipating, Haimon retrieved his weapon and dashed forward, landing an unexpected shoulder bash on Soul’s side that threw him against the wall beside the windows. Haimon then followed up his assault on Soul by raising up his axe and bringing it down two-handed upon Celestia. Celestia ducked down as Ira took the initiative and jumped into the air, stopping the axe mid-attack by dashing against it’s hilt. He flew back over Haimon with the axe in tow, landing several feet behind him, and quickly realized the opening he gave Haimon. Ira attempted to stand up as Haimon formed a red ball into his hands and threw it at the princess, who managed to counter the spell by shielding herself in time.

“This is getting ridiculous!” Haimon shouted out as he leaped forward at Celestia, intent on using his fists to finish his work. His intentions were only met by Soulless Reaper flying in at the same moment and catching Haimon in the chest with a double-legged buck that sent him soaring towards Ira.

“Dibs on k.o!” Ira quickly snapped as he grabbed the flying haimon by the foot and pulled him towards his own attack. The fist that met Haimon smashed him into the ground just as Alphinx appeared in to stop Ira with a swift jumping kick. She was then pounded in the chest by Soul swooping in and tackling her away, then dropping her onto the ground as he gained altitude. Haimon quickly recovered from his blow and backwards tumbled from the ground to Alphinx's side where his axe lay. As Ira stood up to his feet, he took a similar positions opposite of them at Soul ‘s side.

Haimon’s expression seemed to grow in frustration as he scanned his gaze between Ira and Soul “It seems as if aimlessly fighting is all you fools know” Haimon spoke in a harsh tone through small heaves of air “Alphinx...” Haimon looked back at Alphinx, who noticed his attention and quickly reached into her back pocket. She then threw a small tablet at the ground, which clouded her and Haimon in smoke within a second.

“Ah, what a cheap trick!” Ira yelled as he took to running into the smoke “You’re not getting away that easily!” Ira took a few steps in the smoke before one of the opposing humans tripped him, causing Ira to stumble and slam his chin on the ground.

Soul quickly took to Ira’s intentions and flew into the smoke after the humans. He passed through only to find that they were already gone, and looked around hastily as the smoke cleared. Suddenly, he noticed the door at the end of the room close and soared towards it immediately, opening it with the end of his scythe so he could slip through. Ira managed to recover from his fall and sprint after Soul, simply crashing through the doors as Daring took to tailing the both of them.

“Sister, we must aid the justified ones” Luna spoke from behind Celestia as she walked up beside her “Perhaps we could send word to those guarding the castle of the enemies attempted escape?”

“Indeed, that would be best” Celestia agreed, her eyes still on the door of the room. She gave her attention to one of the winged guards as she continued “As Luna said, you must take this chance to inform your captain of the situation, and please hurry”

“Yes, princess!” The guards spoke up, and took flight outside the broken window towards the front gate. 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The surprisingly empty halls of the castle echoed with the sound of Ira’s footsteps as he scoured the building, checking every corner, nook, and cranny for the humans he hunted. His frustration grew larger as he continued to find every room, hallway, and closet empty, eventually causing him to be reckless in his search. He tore open stone doors and threw furniture aside in anger, growling in rage every time he found naught but air and furniture

“Fucking cowards! Both of you! I know you’re in here somewhere!” Ira’s furious shouts echoed throughout the dining room he stood in “Let’s see how well you run and hide when I have your legs!” Ira sprinted off towards the exit of the room as Daring appeared in the doorway.

“uh...have you found anything?” She hesitantly asked as Ira continued his stride towards the door “Soul flew off somewhere, and i-”

“I don’t have time to talk with you! Outta the way!” Ira cut Daring off as he pushed her aside and he ran forward down a hall, curving into the next room before the sounds of glass and wood breaking could be heard. Daring could faintly hear Ira’s frustrated grunts as the sounds of furniture destruction persisted.

"Jay, er...Ira, I don’t think they're hiding!” Daring yelled towards the room Ira was in “As a matter of fact, I think Soul was chasing them when I lost him!” The sudden and complete halt of any sounds upon Daring’s words sent a small stifle of fear through her. Suddenly, the ground in front of Daring erupted as Ira leaped out from it and landed inches from her.

“Where did he go!? Where are those bastards!?” Ira pressed, standing a few inches from Daring’s face “Answer me, dammit! I haven't got all day!”

Daring was withdrawn to nearly lying down against Ira’s stare as she realized her situation. A reinforcing thought crossed her mind as she attempted to regain her composure Just keep it cool, Daring. He’s not gonna hurt you if he needs your help. He’s at your beck and call if he really wants to find these people Daring slowly stood back up and faced Ira as best she could.

“Well...maybe if you calm down and give me some space, I’ll lead you there” Daring confidently replied, trying to keep a smug grin from forming on her face “After all, you’ll be stuck here searching aimlessly without my help” Daring stood resolute for a few seconds before yelping in fear as Ira picked her up and dangled her from the collar of her coat.

“You flying little rat! You think you can command me like that!?” Ira spoke harshly through his bared, jagged teeth “You may be the Underworlder's friend, but that doesn’t mean I won’t gut you like a fish with my own claws!” Ira dropped Daring on her rump as he crouched and slammed the ground beside her before continuing “Tell me where he went or I’ll show you what it feels like to be physically empty inside!”

Okay, maybe I was a bit off on an obedient response... Daring thought as she nearly shivered in fear. She slowly stood up and took to the air, motioning Ira to follow as she headed towards the hall which she last saw Soul I’ll really need to watch myself around this guy...

Within a minute or so, Daring and Ira stood in what seemed to be the main hall, which linked to several different smaller halls in the castle. A long, red rug at the front of the hall was disoriented and dotted with curled ends, reinforcing the thought that someone had ran across it in haste.

“I barely caught a glimpse of Soul turning in that door towards the foyer, but when I entered, the room was empty” Daring slowly flew across the hall as Ira walked behind her, inspecting every corner “I didn’t hear any sounds of movement either, and the front door was closed”

As if response to Daring’s words, a faint sound of a door closing could be heard within the foyer. Ira perked up from the closet he was checking and turned to face the door. Daring could see Ira dashing his gaze from the closet to the door, and suddenly noticed him grow a devious smile that planted a feeling of worry inside her.

“Hehehe, I'd bet that’s those cowards moving now! They must’ve given Reaper the slip...” Ira delved deeper into the closet before backing out and striking fear directly at Daring with the item he held. Ira was carrying a large, heavy-duty chainsaw that gleamed against the indoor lighting as he fondled it’s controls “Rather bad timing for them, I’d say! I’m going to really enjoy this!” Ira laughed maniacally as he yanked the chainsaw’s cord several times before it roared back in response and spouted out a small puff of smoke. He then sprinted past Daring to the foyer with the chainsaw high in the air and kicked down the door. Both Haimon and Alphinx were standing at the main entrance when they turned to see Ira at the left side doorway above split stairs. He quickly leaped over the railing and landed at the end of the steps, the chainsaw revving violently in his claws.

“Looks like you owe me. I told you he’d use the chainsaw, we should’ve stopped to destroy it” Alphinx said to Haimon in a smug tone, keeping her eyes on the slasher-esc demon that stood before them.

“...I’ll pay you when we get back...if we get back” Haimon responded, a slight tone of worry in his voice.
> Chapter 13, Duo: Red Shredders
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Your enemies will never fall if you cannot accept that you may do the same



The revving of a chainsaw broke the conflicting silence of the foyer.

“I’ve got a present for you two!” Ira yelled in a crazed tone, motioning the chainsaw towards Haimon and Alhpinx ”I felt you deserved some ‘special treatment’, so I picked up this little baby on the way. I hope you’re ready for some fun!” 

Ira laughed out as he dashed towards his targets, who quickly opened the door to outside and ran down the steps in front of the castle. A line of guards waited at the base, lead by Shining Armor himself.

“Halt! We’re taking you two into...” Shining’s words trailed off as he noticed the blood-crazed, chainsaw-wielding demon chasing down Haimon and Alphinx. A noticeable wave of fear washed over Shining and the row of guards that stood behind him “Oh man, I knew something like this would happen! Stop those two, and take down the red one!”

On Shining’s command, the guards charged magic with their horns for a second before unloading a slew of magical bolts towards the three. Haimon and Alphinx easily leaped over the guards as they tried to stop them, taking off towards the hedge maze that lie just past the stairs. Ira was still charging his way down the steps, unphased by the energized attacks upon him.

“You’d all best move! My friend is hungry! Ira warned, raising his chainsaw above him as he quickly approached the guards. When the stallions, as well as Shining Armor, held up spears pointed towards Ira, he responded in a harsher tone “Last warning! I’ll tear through you mortals, if that’s what you want!” The guards stopped Ira just a few steps from the bottom by jabbing several spears into his body, to which he reacted by lowering his chainsaw and scanning his gaze across the guards fearful expressions “...it makes me wonder sometimes why it’s the guards that are always so dumb...” Ira spoke in a casual tone, before suddenly revving his chainsaw towards the closest guard to him.

“Ira! One more step and it will be your last!” Soul yelled a he and Daring appeared at the top of the stairs “I promise I won’t hesitate to take you down!”

Ira stopped and turned to face Soul for a second before slowly turning to face all the guards “Fine. I don’t have time to waste anyhow. My real targets are currently escaping!” Ira piped up in a chilling chipper tone. He quickly brushed all the spears lodged in his body aside, and jumped from the bottom of the stairs halfway to the hedge maze.

“Ira, no! I meant put down the chainsaw!” Soul commanded out towards Ira, who was nearly at the entrance to the maze “Dammit! He just won’t listen!” Soul was about to take flight when Daring stopped him and shook her head.

“Just let him deal with this. They are the reason he’s here anyways” Daring noted, facing towards the hedge maze “If he stops them now, he can go back home and we can resolve all this in peace”

“She has a point, y’know” Shining added in, meeting Soul and Daring halfway up the stairs as they began trotting down “From what I saw the bigger one do, we won’t be able to handle the other two ourselves. Better to let humans fight humans”

“That makes sense, but I doubt he'll stop at them” Soul assumed  “We have to at least make sure we can contain him”

Shining sounded puzzled as he responded “uh, good point, but...what’s up with your voice, Soul?” Shining spoke in an unsure tone as he inspected Soul closely “ Your eyes are a different color, too, and something about you feels...odd”

“Let’s leave it at ‘an uprgade’ for now" Soul replied, trying to avoid explanation of his new form “It’s a bit of a long story, one that we haven’t time for” 

“Whatever you say. So, what do you think we should do about this?” Shining asked, quickly jogging Soul’s mind to conjure a plan.

“Well, there’s still a chance that Haimon and the other human will beat Ira, in which case they will become our problem” Soul plotted, pointing to the other end of the hedge maze “But, if Ira does actually succeed, I suppose I’ll just have to try and stop him. Do you think you could provide him with a distraction in that case, Shining? “

“I can try, just make sure you’re quick in stopping him. I don’t want to end up demon chow...” Shining replied in a worried tone.

“Don’t worry, I’ll save you should need be. He may be powerful, but he’s reckless beyond recovery” Soul assured, putting one hoof on Shining’s shoulder to comfort him “Besides, from what I’ve seen, he doesn’t seem too interested in eating ponies”

Suddenly, Daring noticed a vase fly out of the hedge maze and crash on the ground. The sound notified Soul and Shining as well, causing them both to turn their attention to the maze as more faint crashing noises could be heard.

“Soul, I think you should check up on them. Just to make sure things go as planned” Daring proposed.

“I guess so. Shining, gather your men and bring them to the other exit of the maze. Daring, go with them and wait for me there” Soul commanded, taking to the air as Daring did “I’ll chase the humans out the exit. Be prepared”

“Right. Good luck!” Shining said before galloping off towards the guards at the bottom of the steps. Daring quickly nodded in agreement and followed behind Shining

As Daring and Shining lead the guards, Soul quickly flew off towards the maze and began scanning along it. Within a minute or so, Soul managed to spot Ira lurking about in a stalker-like manner. He took turns sharply, expecting his targets around every corner. The motor of his chainsaw could be easily heard inside the maze, and Soul began searching near Ira’s location in an attempt to catch Haimon and Alphinx moving away.

Maybe they’ve already snuck out. I wouldn’t expect outsmarting Ira would be very hard due to that chainsaw Soul wondered, just before noticing movement parallel to Ira. He quickly assured it to be Haimon and Alphinx sneaking past Ira as he turned the wrong corner. They swiftly moved out of his sight as he spun around instinctively. At that point, Soul remembered something that Ira had said before. If he can sense their powers, why can’t he find them? Perhaps they’re hiding themselves somehow so he can’t track them?...Hmm....that would mean trying to fight would allow Ira to notice them... It took Soul only a few moments to put his thoughts to action. He dived down towards Haimon and Alphinx, his scythe held above him in preparation for attack.

“Watch it!” Haimon nearly yelled, pushing Alphinx to the ground as he ducked under Soul’s slash “I’m surprised I forgot about that one...”

“Now what? We can’t get out of here safely with that one tailing us” Alphinx asked, motioning towards Soul as he banked around for another pass.

“Quickly take the next left turn and unsuppress your powers. I think I've realized his plan, and how to counter it” Haimon ordered, pointing towards the next T-shaped fork in the maze “If the demon chases you, bring him to the exit. I’ll meet you there”

Alphinx nodded and ran forward, sprinting directly past Ira and taking the next turn as he tailed her, yelling inaudible threats and insults through the motor of the chainsaw. She managed to keep out of grasp as Haimon ran towards her along the maze, continuously dodging Soul’s attacks. Soul quickly realized Haimon’s intended path, however, and began cutting him off at turns that would lead him to Alphinx. Within a few minutes, Alphinx hit the exit of the maze and stopped dead in her tracks as she noticed the crowd of guards in front of her.

“Oh, how convenient!” Ira loudly exclaimed, noticing the guards’ formation to keep Alphinx inside the maze “I guess you’re all not so dumb. Now keep her there for just a few seconds longer; I'll be done in just a moment!”

“Dammit all.... Haimon!” Alphinx yelled out towards the maze, backing slowly away from Ira as he approached “Things have kind of gone south!”

Haimon stopped as he heard Alphinx’s shouts, quickly taking his axe in hand “I was hoping to stay unnoticed, but...” Haimon spoke to himself as he raised up his axe and slashed through the hedges in front of him, clearing a straightforward path towards the exit. Soul quickly tailed behind him, and barely managed to catch Haimon with an upward slash as he shoulder-bashed Ira into the crowd of guards behind Alphinx. Three small streams of blood soon dripped down from three parallel wounds halfway up Haimon’s back “Argh! Damn that pegasus!” He yelled as he hovered his hand over his wounds and stood beside Alphinx.

“I told you not to turn your back on me” Soul said as he banked back around to face Haimon “You shouldn’t have underestimated your enemies. It’s about to lead you to your demise”

Haimon gritted his teeth as he growled in anger “It is you wretches who are underestimating MY ability!” Haimon yelled back in an annoyed tone. He stuck out both his arms as he continued “Please, by all means, slash at me again. I will be glad to show you what you are dealing with”

Ira quickly knocked aside the guards around him and stood back up, retrieving the chainsaw as he got to his feet. He revved it once before stabbing his left claw into the back of the device. Suddenly, an orange gooey substance formed around the connection and hardened within a few seconds, effectively replacing Ira’s hand for the chainsaw. He then held out his right hand as his black sword appeared in it.

“If you really want it...” Ira shouted, diverting his gaze from his weaponized arm to Haimon “I’d be glad to oblige!” 

Soul raised his voice as Ira charged towards Haimon “ No, Ira, don’t! You’ll make him stronger! Soul warned, holding out a hoof helplessly as he watched Ira pounce at his target. 

Daring, Shining armor, and Soul simultaneously cringed as they witnessed Ira plunge both his sword and chainsaw through Haimon’s stomach, causing a near fountain of crimson to spill out his back. Haimon seemed shocked for a moment by pain before he suddenly grabbed Ira’s arm’s and pulled them closer, shoving the weapons farther through his body.

“You...should learn....to listen, to your allies” Haimon spoke in stutters as the chainsaw’s teeth chipped at his sinew “Spilling blood...is not always the solution!” 

Haimon gripped Ira’s arms tightly and pushed them away, causing Ira’s sword and saw to fall out slightly. Ira wore a shocked yet confused expression as retracted his weapons from Haimon’s gut, and watched as Haimon's face and arms fell down limply. Blood still poured out from the hole torn in his flesh. He stood eerily still and hunched over as if frozen in time.

“Is he?...” Shining Armor trailed off in a whisper, turning his attention to Daring before quickly returning it to Haimon “I don’t think a human can survive something so...brutal”

“Trust me, that is no regular human...” Daring instinctively replied at the same volume “We should stand back. This is about to get a lot more dangerous”

Shining Armor and Daring, as well as the small group of guards behind them, began stepping back slowly upon Daring’s words. When they stopped, they turned attention towards Haimon to notice his change taking place. His blood had pooled underneath him, and was glowing a bright red as it slowly swirled around his feet. A thin, dark red aura was growing around his statue body, and the faint sound of a heartbeat could be heard over the light breeze in the air. The aura pulsed a brighter red to it’s acute tempo. Slowly, Haimon’s head began to rise up, meeting Ira’s gaze with a demonic, red-eye stare that mirrored his own.

“Watching you has made me wonder... ” Haimon spoke in a cold, inhuman tone “Does a demon like yourself ever truly experience FEAR?!”” 

Haimon’s last word grew in volume until it matched that of a beastly roar, and the pool of blood around him began rising up until it covered his body in a crimson shell. After a few seconds, the oval of blood started expanding, growing to nearly triple its size until, suddenly, a crimson claw burst out from its left side. Another tore out the other side as a demonic growl could be heard within. The shell quickly dissipated as Cruenta broke out in a beast-like manner, roaring out to the quickly darkening skies. His attention soon lead to Ira, who stared back at him blankly.

“Futile pests! You will all suffer the wrath of Cruenta!” Cruenta shouted out, pointing towards Ira and the ponies “I, king of blood, and a true demon!” Cruenta ended his sentence with a loud roar, blowing a gust of wind past Ira that threw his hair back violently. Ira stood still and unphased as his hair dropped back down, seemingly clueless to the situation. Soul looked over at Ira before quickly readying himself, and noticed that his head was hanging down slightly.  His dead-straight black hair was covering his face in a ghastly manner.

“...Never will I be welcomed amongst the heartless monsters you surround yourself with. Those that are warped into a feeding frenzy at the smell of fresh blood. I am no swirling mess of hatred and envy. But you...” Ira spoke in a calm, yet cold tone. His crimson eyes were shining noticeably as he raised his head to face Cruenta “Do you sacrifice lives to the demon, so you can take that form? Are you essentially ‘borrowing’ Cruenta’s power? Is that what you believe?” Ira chuckled quietly to himself before continuing “Don’t be naive enough to think you’re unaffected. You are ‘borrowing’ nothing from him. The conversion has already begun...”

Ira’s words brought on a dead silence all around the garden, the only sounds coming from his still running chainsaw, and a faint thunderstorm above. The sky begun to gradually grow darker as everyone, pony and demon, stood still. Soul kept a close eye on Alphinx, who looked around nervously. Suddenly, she turned her attention backwards, causing Soul to look the same way and notice a gate that lead out of the garden. 

“Coward on the loose!” Ira yelled with his eyes still on Cruenta, blindly throwing his sword towards Alphinx as she ran to the opening. The sword narrowly missed her nape, jamming hard into the side of the gate as she passed through “Please attend to her. I want to fight this guy alone anyways”

Cruenta quickly bent down and blocked the gate as Soul, Daring, Shining Armor, and the pony guards moved to follow Alphinx “I don't think so! I’ll let none of you mortals leave here alive!” Cruenta growled, baring his teeth as the ponies stopped in their tracks.

“NOBODY ASKED YOU!” Ira suddenly snapped loudly, grabbing everyone’s attention as he leaped forward at Cruenta, dropping the chainsaw and latching onto his face “Now GET...the FUCK, outta the WAY!” Ira had begun landing punches as he spoke, increasing volume with every strike. After his words, Ira let go and landed one last heavy punch that sent Cruenta reeling backwards. Ira landed with a thump on the ground as the group of ponies quickly took advantage of the opening to chase after Alphinx. Ira caught Soul by a back hoof just before he left, pulling him in closer as he whispered “We don’t really need her. Should it be the only option....wipe her out”

Soul simply nodded in agreement before Ira let him fly away. A stomping could be heard behind Ira as Cruenta slowly advanced towards him. Ira slowly cracked the knuckles of the claw he grabbed Soul with before clenching it and turning towards Cruenta. The two demons stood a distance apart the garden for a few silent moments, their crimson eyes locked to each other.

“Alright, now it’s just you and me, so let’s strike a deal...” Ira stated, cracking his neck and stretching his arms. He pointed a claw at Cruenta as he finished preparing “A fight to form-breaking, not death. If I win, you tell me everything I want to know”

”Hmm....and what if I win?” Cruenta asked, clenching a fist towards Ira “What do you offer me for such an easy victory?”

“...then I’ll help you destroy this land, or whatever it is you wish to do, and we can settle things officially back on Earth” Ira answered bluntly, motioning towards the sky and landscape as he spoke “If you ARE good enough to beat me, you’d deserve it. It isn’t my duty to protect this place anyhow”

Cruenta stayed silent for a few minutes, a pondering expression on his face “ Very well. We have an accord” Cruenta finally agreed, crossing his bulked arms.

“Good...good...” Ira muttered, a smirk slowly growing on his face.

> Chapter 14, Soulless Reaper: A Flood of Rain
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Rage against the tides, but do not drown in your ambitions



The chilling bite of the wind and water against Soul’s coat did naught to cool his rage as his mind dashed about the situation, driving him ever forward in his pursuit of Alphinx.

‘If I lose her now, it would mean all this time and effort wasted. I can’t fail, and I can’t show any mercy! I’ve been just an assistant this entire time, as if my help was barely needed’ Soul’s desires mixed and corroded his thoughts, causing him to nearly lose himself ‘I’m done being seen as a sidekick. Like I’m some sort of backup, just watching and waiting until the hero needs me. This time, I’m going to be the one who finishes this!’

“Soul! Wait up!” Daring yelled at Soul’s trail as he continued to accelerate towards his target “You can’t chase her alone! Let us help!” Daring’s words fell on deaf ears as Soul raced onward, quickly outdoing Daring and Shining’s pace.

“Maybe he’s just determined to catch her” Shining suggested in a hopeful tone. As Daring seemed to shrug off his words, he continued “Trust me, Daring. Soul’s an intense guy; he never takes these things easily. He’ll chase that human to the ends of Equestria if he has to”

“That is what I’m worried about” Daring confessed, turning towards the direction in which Soul sped off “What if he’s headed straight into a trap? We can’t leave him to go after her alone like that!” Daring spun around to meet the sheepish gaze of Shining Armor and his troops.

“Don’t worry, Daring. Soul can take care of himself. I know he can!” Shining encouraged, intent on keeping Daring from chasing after her friend “After all, I don’t think that human would run away if she already had a plan”

“Hm....maybe you’re right” Daring admitted, softening her posture as she looked back in the empty direction of Soul’s chase ”That’s what I want to believe, at least. I just hope he comes back okay.”

Shining put a comforting hoof on daring’s shoulder as he nodded, looking also towards the streets of Canterlot “Lets head to Canterlot anyways” Shining finally said, after a few seconds “You men stay here and guard the castle in case she comes back, and send word if she does” The guards nodded in respect and quickly moved into a back entrance to the castle as Daring and Shining began trotting onward.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Ponies gasped and reeled back instinctively as Soul pursued the speeding assassin throughout the castle roads. Banking heavy turns, flying up over buildings, and through narrow alleyways, Soul flew after Alphinx as they both raced against the winds of the storm. As she turned another corner, Alphinx spun on one foot and kicked back a splash of water that Soul swiftly smacked aside with his scythe. The two were stuck at an impasse of acceleration inside Canterlot, Alphinx attempting to lose Soul and escape, and Soul keeping on the tail of her every move.

'I could tell she was fast, but watching her move like this is insane. I have to gain an advantage on her' Soul plotted as he flapped his wings as hard as they would bear 'If I could just catch her by surprise, I may get enough time to get ahead of her. But how?'

Soul quickly found his answer as he noticed an archway between two buildings a way’s away down the concrete trail he and Alphinx were following. A swift idea was granted to Soul as he and Alphinx quickly passed by a droppable gate. He stopped to blast the stone arc with a viscous bolt of lightning, causing the rubble of the archway to come crashing down in front of Alphinx. The crashing destruction caused her to stop immediately in her tracks and cover her eyes from the outward blast of rain. Soul quickly flew back and kicked the gate down behind him.

“It’s not so nice getting a bunch of water in your face, huh? Best you get a taste of your own medicine” Soul remarked at Alphinx as she turned her attention towards him. He pointed the blades of his scythe towards his intended enemy “Now there’s nowhere to run where I can’t catch you. Give it up! You’re through!”  (Rain falls! Battle Music starts!)

An easily noticeable annoyance furrowed on Alphinx’s brow as she slowly drew twin knives from behind her cloak. She took a solid stance as she bent her elbow down and pointed one of the blade’s tips towards Soul “So, you wanna fight? Fine. Let’s get this over with”. She yanked down the drenched mask that covered her face and glared deeply at Soul, who took his own readied stance on the ground. What few ponies stood nearby had already dispersed, and the only sound that could be heard was the rain hitting hard against the stoned pathway. 

As fast as the falling rain, Soul and Alphinx were fiercely entangled within a dance of water and blades. Their sparks showed for mere split seconds as they quickly doused in the storm, each attack resounding with a clash of metal against metal. For minutes, they darted about at blinding speeds. Soul quickly grew an idea as he shot lightning towards a puddle at Alphinx’s feet, only to have her dodge and attack upon his opening, pounding against his scythe when he retaliated in defense. Then, as Soul dashed back from an attack, he used his wings to blow a gust of wind and water towards Alphinx. When she dashed through it to counter, Soul swiftly spun and caught her in the side of the head with his staff, knocking her into a spin and barely missing her chin with his blade as she back tumbled away from the attack. For countless moments, the two stood at a distance, breathing heavily through the sounds of the storm.

“...who are you, really?” Soul managed to ask through his heaves “You’re not human....you’re too fast...to be human”. He balanced the edge of his staff against the ground and calmed his chest.

Alphinx stayed silent, and merely stared back at Soul as she steadied her own breathing. As soon as both of them were calmed, she slowly brought her knives back up into her original stance. Soul took his own stance, somewhat annoyed by Alphinx’s dismissal of his question.

Just as before, the two took off in a flash against each other’s weapons. It was only a few handfuls of seconds before they were separated again, however, and Soul took a defensive stance as Alphinx charged back at him. He quickly caught her blades as she zipped at him and stabbed with both towards his head, holding her at bay with the staff of his scythe.

“I don’t need to get any answers out of you, if you really want!” Soul shouted through bared teeth “I’m not holding back out of mercy!”

“You’re not holding back at all!” Alphinx shouted as she pushed harder against Soul’s staff “Now, die!”

Along her words, Alphinx nimbly vaulted upwards and kicked Soul in the chin, using her momentum to break away from his guard and attack again. To her dismay, she caught Soul's gaze mid-air; his green eyes glaring back as if the kick had never hit him. As Aplhinx descended seemingly in slow-motion, Soul quickly shifted his scythe sideways, catching the rouge in the left side of her ribs with all three blades. With the same speed of his counterattack, Soul whipped his scythe in an arc with one hoof, rocketing Alphinx off the tips of his weapon and against a nearby house. The edge of a windowsill caught her in the back, blowing the wind out of her as she fell limply onto her stomach, her knives crashing against the stone beside her. Spots of blood poured out from the three wounds on her torso as she clutched her wounded body, before feebly attempting to lift herself. Even through the falling rain, Soul could see she was shaking violently and barely managing the strength to move. It was for a few moments that he felt sorry for her. Amongst the likes of demons, super-humans and himself, Alphinx was likely the weakest link, and Soul knew the fact that she was female didn’t help her image. He hesitated to even move as he watched her struggle to regain ground.

Alphinx wheezed and coughed as she spoke, still fighting to keep her face off the concrete “..what...are you waiting for?...” She managed through her pains and tremors “just, finish it...I couldn’t keep up...”

With pity and remorse still hanging on him, Soul replied “I knew you couldn’t keep up. You were fast...but that was all. You’re not like the rest of us” Soul looked away towards Canterlot castle as he continued “Back in the throne room, I could tell what would happen to you when you lost to Ira. I'm sure Haimon only brought you here knowing that you were quick enough to keep dodging, but weak enough to be dispatched...”

“No...You’re wrong...you’re dead wrong” Alphinx quickly spoke, wincing slightly as she continued as steadily as she could “Haimon believed in me!...he knew...he knew I could get hurt...he promised he wouldn’t let that happen” She coughed up blood and stopped for a few moments before raising her violet eyes up to Soul’s “I only ran because I knew... I knew you, and the guardian...could use me as bait....to stop him”

Souls’ eyes widened as Alphinx managed to get up to one knee. Her words echoed inside his head as he easily realized who Alphinx was to Haimon. Are they really...so close? I can’t think of any other reason why she would follow him so loyally... His thoughts brought naught but more weight upon his pity for the woman he had just wounded. He knew he couldn’t leave her alone, but he hadn’t the gall to kill her now. Soul began wishing he had just struck her down while he had the chance to end things quickly.

“Listen, Alphinx...I didn’t want to have to kill you. We’re only fighting beca-” Soul was cut off as Alphinx suddenly spoke harshly at him.
“What?....You feel sorry for me?” Alphinx looked back up at him, and Soul couldn’t tell if it was tears or rain that stained her face “Don’t be...I knew what I was...getting into...” Still breathing in gasps, Alphinx held her side carefully while speaking  “I know what I am...to you. I lost. Just...finish what I started...”

“I’m not going to kill you” Soul said firmly.

“Then what? I’ll just...walk back to Haimon...and say ‘I lost, but the pony was nice enough to let me live’? Is..is that it?” Alphinx rebutted, motioning with her parody of an excuse to Haimon before clutching her wounds and hanging her head. 

“I don’t know what else to tell you...” Soul admitted, shrugging casually as if he wanted Alphinx to do as she said “You can’t run from me anymore, and I have no reason or right to decide whether you live or die”

The silence between the two of them persisted for a couple minutes as Soul waited for Alphinx’s next move. He kept thinking about how Ira had told him to kill her if he must, but he still couldn’t find the guts to do so. Conflicting decisions swirled about his thoughts, and he intended to let Alphinx decide her own fate. The rain continued to flood down heavily, and the moist feeling of water against his hide had become almost unnoticeable to Soul as he waited quietly.

“What about....him?...The guardian...” Alphinx finally spoke up, keeping her head faced towards the ground “Even if you..walk me back...even if I go back...what about the guardian?...I’m sure he would....not for a second, would he think I deserve mercy...” The word rung about Soul’s ears as he attempted to guess what Ira’s reaction would be to a wounded Alphinx.

I wonder that, too... Soul thought to himself, eager to reply Alphinx is one of his enemies, one of his targets. If he defeats Haimon, he’ll surely be after her next... Soul gritted his teeth and closed his eyes as he pondered an idea that had come to him, sure that it wouldn’t sit well with Ira or Jayhawk alike. Finally, he spoke up upon impulse.

“I’ll let you go back...and I promise to make sure that Ira doesn’t hurt you, but only as long as you leave Equestria” Soul said, looking down at Alphinx as she slowly raised her confused and pained gaze to his “I can handle him. I’m sure of it. You don’t deserve to be killed, not by me or him. Not if you promise to leave this land peacefully”

Alphinx averted her eyes as she lowered her head, clearly thinking about what Soul had propositioned to her. She blinked slowly as if she decided upon something before looking forward aimlessly “It...doesn’t matter. Not anymore. Whether me and Haimon die or not...they’ll still come...oh, god...” Alphinx spoke as if she had just realized something terrible. She shut her eyes tight and hung her head once again.

“Who? Who’s coming?” Soul asked hastily, noticing the worry in Alphinx’s tone.

“You...you were infected. You weren’t the first, and...you surely weren’t the last...” As she spoke, Alphinx managed to faintly point towards the entrance to Canterlot, causing Soul to look in that direction “Haimon...he knew you and Jayhawk would show...he commanded all of them to come...here. They’ll be after you...and him...and they won’t stop...not until both of you are dead”

Soul was shocked with fear as he realized of whom Alphinx spoke. Visions of the few other ponies who were with him when he was infected flashed before his eyes. Sweet Celestia...they infected others ponies to command them to kill us!?....Damn, he knew I would resist... A swirling mess of worry and distress formed inside Soul’s gut as he thought about innocent ponies blindly following Haimon’s command to kill him and Jayhawk...and how he would have to fight against his own kind just to stay alive. He was sickened to think of the ruthless slaughter Ira would surely entail if such a thing occurred.

“You...you can’t hope...to stop them now...” Alphinx continued as Soul shot his gaze back at her. She raised her headed to look up at him “If they don’t overwhelm you...you’ll be forced to kill them all...Haimon thought of everything. If you two died...then he could do as he pleased. But...if you two lived...it would spill enough blood to..make him stronger...” Alphinx slowly shook her head as she stared back at the floor “I get it now...he only wanted me...to attack the princesses...because he knew it would draw you here...”

A sudden thought hit Soul as he processed the elaborate explanation Alphinx gave him “Wait! When I was captured, I saw three human figures. If you and Haimon were two, then who is the third!?” Soul spoke with a worried haste, eager to uncover any more information.

“That’s...Venticulus. He's...Haimon's brother. He stayed at the shop...to make sure...nobody would stumble upon it...he was the one who caught you...snooping about” Alphinx chuckled and coughed lightly as she continued “Even he’s stronger than me...maybe Haimon did want me to be...just...cannon fodder...”

Soul stood upright and gathered his thoughts as best he could I need to tell Jay, but I can’t let Ira know. I don’t care if I have to beat the demon out of him and kill Haimon myself....I can’t fight those ponies alone, and I can't bear to have them all murdered!

“Hey...pony...” Alphinx spoke up, grabbing Soul’s attention as she attempted to stand “If...you really do want to...make sure I don’t die...would you mind...helping me back...?”

Soul stared blankly at Alphinx as her strength constantly failed her attempts to regain her posture “Sure. I’ll help you” He finally affirmed, making his way beside her and crouching down “Here, can you get on my back and hold onto my scythe?

Alphinx slowly did as Soul suggested, barely lifting herself up until she was lying down against Soul’s back, one hand on her wounds and another gripping the staff end of Soul’s scythe. He began carefully trotting back in the direction of Canterlot castle when she spoke up “You know...you’re a really good fighter...for a pony”

“Thanks. I get that a lot” Soul replied as he unfolded his wings, and positioned them to cover Alphinx from the rain as best as he could.

Then, from what he guessed was the courtyard, Soul saw a huge beam of fire, like a swirling tornado of embers, erupt up towards the dark clouds above and burn a hole in them that persisted until the clouds began slowly dispersing. He could feel Alphinx move to look towards the event, only to drop her head down against his back again and let out a small sigh.

“Looks like my demon beat up your demon” Soul remarked jokingly.

He could feel Alphinx let out a small giggle as she affirmed “It looks that way, Reaper...”

“Call me Soul. That’s what all my friends call me” Soul replied, half looking back at Alphinx as he trotted.

“Thank you...Soul” Alphinx softly spoke as she shifted slowly on his back, clearly content with her placement.


> Chapter 15, Jayhawk: Gentlemen's Bout
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Sow the seeds of strife. Grow trees that your enemies will fear



Earlier, amidst an empty garden

The heavy storm in the skies had intensified within the last few minutes, the sound easily overpowering any other ambiance. The clouds above roared with thunder, and occasionally lit up the skies with bolts of lightning. Waterfalls of rain slipped down Ira’s armor, and across his sword’s blade, as they did to Cruenta, who stood at the opposing side of the castle’s garden. The two stood still as darkened statues in the shadows of the storm; the only noticeable attributes upon both being their equally glowing red eyes.

"As tempting a battle as this is, I still believe you could benefit more from joining me" Cruenta admitted, breaking the deadly silence.

"I thought only the desperate made stupid offers!" Ira spat back, standing just as still as he had before.

Ira's remark seemingly left an imprint on Cruenta, as he regained his earlier silence. Under the sound of rain, the two demons stood eye-to-eye, solid in their own standings as the storm above them raged on. A gust blew Ira's hair over his right eye, then over his left as the fierce wind pushed about in random directions. Slowly, Ira began loosening the knuckles of his claws as Cruenta snorted lightly. (Mark this day! Battle music!)

"Now! DRAW!" Ira suddenly yelled, unsheathing his blade and sprinting towards Cruenta, who reacted with his own attack in the same moment. He swung his tail swiftly at Ira in a spin, to which Ira avoided by jumping high over it and counterattacking with an aerial assault. From his spin, Cruenta moved to swing a claw towards Ira in the air, causing him to relent from his attempted strike and dodge the demon's hand in mid-air by shifting his body and weight downwards. As Ira landed harshly on the ground, he rolled forward under a second claw from Cruenta and stabbed towards his ankle. The poke flinched the red muscled mass, and he quickly lifted his foot and stomped down on Ira. To Cruenta`s surprise, Ira held his sword flat in his hands and held the stomp at bay, pushing hard against Cruenta's force as he began lifting the foot higher.

Ira scoffed in his strain as he spoke "...that all you got?!" Ira shouted through his bared teeth as he strongly shoved against the bulking leg and caused Cruenta to lean back as he tried to regain his balance. Within the second Cruenta was open, Ira took to the moment and leaped upward with an uppercut slash, catching Cruenta in the chin and whipping the sword at Cruenta's reeling head. In the air, he reached towards his weapon and clutched hard, instantly blinking towards the handle and tearing forward through the demon's head with the force of his speed as he retrieved his sword. Cruenta placed a hand on his head in pain as Ira landed behind him.

"Annoying little..." Cruenta began as he turned to face Ira, only to be greeted by a spherical blast of flame that Ira had threw directly at his face with his free hand. Cruenta grunted in pain as the orb of fire exploded against him, and held up his claw to block another that Ira had chucked at him afterwards. "I hope you can cast anything better than those!" Cruenta taunted at Ira as he swiped at him with more claw attacks.

In reaction, Ira leaped to dodge the assault and clenched his fist as a residue of fire began to burn inside it. When he felt his spell charge to it's limit, Ira held his fist downward, allowing gravity to slam him into the ground and cause several pillars of fire to erupt under Cruenta. A few of the pillars stood to hit Cruenta in the chest and stomach. Two others hit his right arm, and the tallest one contacted his chin. Against the push of the ember columns, Cruenta stepped back, hung his head down, and crossed his arms in an X shape to attempt to ward off the flames. Just as the fires dissipated, Ira lunged up towards Cruenta's face and slashed down at his arms, catching his blade on both of the crossed wrists and using it to vault past them. Cruenta's eyes opened and widened as Ira landed on the bridge of his nose and connected a heavy punch right into his forehead. A resounding boom and a small shock wave followed Ira's heavy fist, sending his opponent leaning down towards the ground until he landed with crash against the dampened garden.

Ira quickly recovered from his initiation and landed a short distance from the fallen behemoth, his sword landing with a light thumb into the grass beside him. Cruenta slammed the ground with his fist as he bent up to stand again, cursing a statue-still Ira under his breath. As he waited, Ira slowly gripped the handle of his sword and yanked it out of the dirt. Just as fast as it had started, the demons' fight resumed as the now standing Cruenta stomped the ground, sending multiple crimson tendrils shooting out of the ground towards Ira. He stood just as still as the tendrils grasped around his limbs without a second's deterrence. Now in belief that he had an upper hand, Cruenta swiped his hand down towards Ira in an attempt to grab him. Within the instant his claw met Ira, however, the mini demon swiftly broke free of the tendrils as if their existence never phased him, quickly climbing up and off Cruenta's grasp and onto his arm with his free hand. As soon as his foot touched Cruenta's arm, Ira stomped down and shot forward to the demon's head. During his leap, Ira's sword suddenly lit up in flames that still burned and cindered as he riveted the tip of his blade straight in between his target's eyes. Making the sound of Cruenta's pain his cue as he hung from his sword's grip, Ira quickly shook his weight to tear his blade downwards through the rest of the giant's face, landing softly against the ground with his weapon backwards in-hand. He nearly laughed to himself as he watched Cruenta reel in pain from his attack. 

With a catch of his weapon right-side-up and a few backward steps, Ira spoke loudly over the storm "Are you ready to give up yet?!" Ira shot his arms out sideways in a taunting manner "I think we can both accept who the better of us is now!"

Cruenta yelled loudly in anger and pain as his face refused to regenerate the damage done "Never! This fight is far from over!" Cruenta held one claw on his face as he centered his sight on Ira "By the time I'm done with you, nothing will hold back your cries for mercy!"

"Big talk from a two-faced 'size-matters' demon" Ira spoke slightly quieter, scoffing at his own clever pun.

"Silence! You maggot!" Cruenta shouted in his rage-filled response, stomping down against the earth as he pounded down at Ira. With a long backwards leap, Ira avoided the hasty attack and landed a far distance from Cruenta across the garden "You have stepped past a line you will wish you never crossed!" 

Not a moment after Ira got his feet on the ground, Cruenta began charging towards him in pursuit. Ira clicked his tongue in annoyance as he swiftly arched up his blade in preparation for a counterattack. Time seemed to almost slow as Cruenta stepped closer and closer, and the preparing strength in Ira's attack grew stronger and stronger. As he landed a foot close enough, Cruenta clasped his fists together and hammered them down at Ira, and, in a huge display of strength and speed, Ira swung his mighty blade against him. The edge of his sword ripped and tore through the dirt with tremendous force as his full-circle slash flew up at Cruenta's fists. The sound of wind and flesh breaking could be heard as Ira's attack crashed directly through Cruenta's, easily disconnecting the fists from the rest of the demon. Cruenta fell almost limply in his shock as the pushing force of his now-broken attack sent him careening towards the ground in front of Ira. However, as fast as he had swung his weapon, Ira swiftly spun and round-housed Cruenta's falling face back into the air with enough force to push him in the opposite direction of his fall. The hulking red mass began to lose balance as his chin reeled up towards the clouds, and Ira took every opportune second to continue his assault. He leaped up to Cruenta's chin and jumped higher up off it as he began channeling for his next, and final, attack. Flames covered his blade and arm, and a red pulsing light formed around the dancing flames. Just as Cruenta crashed against the ground, Ira held his sword pointed downwards to the demon's chest in his quickening descent. With a heavy slam, Ira's blade jutted deep into Cruenta's chest, knocking the wind out of the big red beast with his landing.

"If you won't give up on your own..." As Ira spoke, a red omen pulsed in Cruenta's chest around the sword, brightening with Ira's pauses "Then...I'll MAKE you! I'll strip you of everything you've got!" With one final pulse, the omen shone a bright, flaming red and a short circle of fire began spinning around it.

"What...what have you done?!" Cruenta shouted out in what sounded like terror

"Now, turn to ashes! FIRESTORM!!!" Ira's yell resounded outward to the skies as a huge, spinning tower of flame burst up from Cruenta's chest, covering both of the demons in a twisting tornado of fire that stood as tall as the clouds. The only sound that could be heard over the whooshing and crackling of fire was Cruenta's anguish-filled screams as his body burned and disintegrated within the hateful inferno. The black storm clouds slowly dissipated against the sky-scraping swirls of Ira's strongest spell, signalling Cruenta's helpless loss against him as his body returned to Haimon's humanly shape. The crimson armor adorning Ira's body fell to pieces and disappeared as his equally red skin faded to reveal the human underneath.

After a few moments of both fighters returning to normal, the flames quickly dispersed into small sparks that fell as gently as pedals from the brightening sky. A surreal scene surrounded the garden as the sun began shining back down upon the land, lighting up the tiny orange specs that coated the area. 

Something truly serene and beautiful, to signify the end of something truly terrible and wicked spoke a familiarly human voice within Jayhawk's head It's good to be back. It always is...

Jay's self peace was interrupted as he heard shuffling and groans from the fallen Haimon who lay only a few feet from him. At a glance, Jay could tell Haimon had only the strength to breathe, and was struggling to even move. He stepped towards him and grappled his collar, pulling him closer against his painful grunts.

"...you lose!" Jayhawk spat, dropping Haimon hard onto the ground and grinning satisfyingly as he listened to Haimon's responding pain "He may be angrily sporadic and reckless, but at least Ira knows his fights well. You really should have given up!"

"Oh, save it, you punk..." Haimon managed as he lay still on the ground "How could I have ever known that such an insignificant little demon...could match the might of Cruenta?...Impossible..."

"Well, personally, I would've guessed it to be true somewhere between hay-maker that sent you on your ass, and the whole 'cutting your face in half' thing" Jayhawk noted, holding his elbow as he motioned with his other hand "He really kinda had that fight in the bag from the get-go. Was probably just waiting for the right moment to finish it once you were weak enough"

Haimon lightly sighed in annoyance at Jayhawk's remarks "You..."

"Never fought a demon better than Ira, y'know!" Jay interrupted, waving his finger through the air with his eyes closed as he spoke in a smug tone "You didn't even make it to second place on the list. That means you're actually worse than the Baneful Queen Mythra, and she was headless! Not worse than Covetous Borise, though, since he was so fat he couldn't even-"

"I said save it, you overconfident little twat!" Haimon shouted through his gritted teeth. He grunted lightly as his nerves disobeyed his anger, still yelling at a frozen Jayhawk "I lost on fluke, and nothing more! You were more accustomed to your demon's powers!"

Jayhawk still stared at Haimon with a curiously surprised face. He blinked twice before softening his expression and placing his hands on his hips "I told you so, he told you so....what more do you need? Hell, I told you back in that town that you wouldn't win in the end!" Jayhawk spoke in a stern and nagging way, as if to sound like he was parenting Haimon "If you didn't want to get hurt, then you shouldn't have acted like you were so high and mighty after one victory!" Jay closed his eyes and puffed out the rest of his air, hanging his head down and shaking it "Always so sour...I did warn you"

Haimon stayed silent in what seemed to be shame as Jay walked closer to him and crouched down "Alright, promise time. Tell me why you're here and what you planned to do. Tell me everything, Haimon" 

With another annoyed sigh, Haimon began to speak "As much as I despise you, I'm a man of my word..." Haimon took a deep breath before continuing "It's simple: Cruenta requires a sacrificing of blood. I needed plenty of bloodshed to use his body...and the virus supplied that very well"

"What about Alphinx, and the princesses? Why target them?" Jay asked, intent to find out such odd motives.

"Alphinx?...she was nothing more than a diversion..." Haimon chuckled lightly through a cough "One that I used to split up you and the pony so I could finish you alone. I admit, I never intended for her to be cannon fodder...but, I also never intended to lose control of the underworld pony...."

"So you came to mind control some ponies, have them shed some blood for you to please the demon, then use his powers to do what?" Jayhawk quickly asked, curious to find the resolution.

"To prey upon your foolishness..what else?" Haimon smirked as he spoke, as if he'd still had an upper hand "I knew you would follow us here. I would destroy you, then return to our world to do whatever I pleased" Haimons' smirk quickly dissipated as he talked on "I was supposed to win. Now it seems this was...all in vain"

"I see...you thought you'd just grease the gears with some innocent blood, so you could shed some more back home, huh?" Jayhawk stood slowly as he eyed Haimon "Well, it's not that easy with me around. I have a bit of a specialty shutting down the bat shit insane ones like you!" With a swift movement of his leg, Jay kicked Haimon across the face. The hit easily took consciousness away from Haimon, and left him laying limply on the grass. "....prick. Now, to find that little pony" Jay quietly remarked, turning his attention towards the town just as Soul entered the garden.

"Jayhawk! Over here!" Soul shouted across the garden at the gate, waving one of his hooves. Jayhawk jogged up to meet Soul as he trotted towards him "Glad to see you're back to normal. I've got some really urgent news that yo-"

"Well, I'm flattered that you like me better!" Jayhawk interrupted with a smile spreading across his face. He shouldered his sword as he quickly glanced at the defeated Alphinx laying on Soul's back "I'm personally glad to see that you took her alive...she is kinda cute, after all" Jayhawk began looking Alphinx over more just as his expression grew suddenly serious "Wait a sec, is she wounded?"

"Yes, but we're short on time! Just listen, there's-" Soul was cut off once again as Jay circled around him and took a knee to inspect Alphinx.

"Look's like she's got some bad lacerations. How much blood has she lost?" Jayhawk seemingly ignored waiting for an answer as he rolled Alphinx off of Soul's back and into his arms, resting her shoulders on his knee. He placed a hand on her forehead before speaking "She's got a bad fever. Must've been wounded during the storm. If only Ira could've stopped Haimon earlier..." Soul exhausted any attempts to gain Jay's attention as the concerned guardian inspected Alphinx further. She winced a bit as he placed his hand on her chest. showing that she was still conscious "Oh, sorry, does it hurt badly there?" 

Alphinx managed a nod as she smirked lightly "You're...not too bad looking...yourself...you know" She spoke quietly in gasps and kept her eyes closed. Jay didn't seem to notice the returned compliment as he tended to her further.

"Those ribs must be broken...and these lacerations are still bleeding a bit. Her lungs aren't moving much, and...her spine is fractured?!" Jayhawk spoke in a sudden expression of shock as he turned towards Soul "Jesus, Soul, couldn't you have gone a bit easier on her? You're practically untouched yourself!" 

"I...had to subdue her somehow..." Soul spoke quickly, his annoyance of being interrupted now clouded by his pity for Alphinx and surprise at how much Jay seemed to care about her. His thoughts touched his lips as he spoke again "I didn't really think you'd care so much..."

Jay looked blankly at the grass in front of him as he spoke "She might be considered my enemy, but she's in no state to be of any threat to me. Besides, she's clearly out of her league amongst us. I'd feel like a tyrant if I pushed her around and treated her like she was meaningless just because she's weaker than me..." Just as strongly as his words, Jay swiftly hovered a hand over Alphinx's cuts. His palm began to glow a dull white light as he looked at Alphinx "This might sting a little, okay?" In response, Alphinx weakly gripped Jayhawk's other arm, and squeezed it tightly as Jay began slowly mending her wound with an extraordinary magic. The cuts began reseeding as Alphinx's skin stretched over the three gashes. By the time Jay was done, the only proof of Alphinx's wound was her torn clothes. After a few moments, Jay repeated the process over her chest and back, and as soon as he was done, Alphinx suddenly took a deep breath as if she'd been holding it the entire time.

"Ah...thank you...thank you, Guardian" Alphinx spoke in a normal and relieved tone through he full gasps of fresh air "I've never felt my life slip so slowly away from me..."

"No problem. You're alright now, and that's all that matters. Just take some time to rest" Jay sounded somewhat winded from his efforts, but showed no signs of wavering as he stood and lifted Alphinx off the ground. He turned to Soul as he motioned his head towards Haimon "The big guy's out cold, but I got him to tell me his motives. Did you find out anything from this one?"

Soul suddenly remembered his urgency as his interest in Jay's sudden compassion faded "Yes! That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Soul pointed a hoof towards Canterlot and waved it about as he spoke hastily "All of the ponies infected by the virus have been ordered by Haimon to come here and kill us! Alphinx said that if we beat them, the bloodshed would allow Haimon to gain even more power!"

Jayhawk's expression jumped from curiosity to realization as his gaze shot from Soul to Haimon "That sly son of a...I didn't expect him to have an insurance plan!" Jay quickly looked to Soul as he continued "So you're saying we have to take out what could possibly be hundreds of ponies without killing any of them?"

Soul nodded in response, his expression softening a bit "That's why I'm glad you're you again. I was sure Ira would gladly rip through them without mercy..." Soul looked down as he avoided imagining the scene.

"Yeah, it's a good thing he used up his power to beat Cruenta. But that still leaves us with the problem of being non-lethal with all those ponies. They won't stop unless we cure or kill all of them, and I don't like the idea of snapping a legion's worth of pony necks"

Just as Soul was about respond, Alphinx spoke up "Hey, Guardian?..."

"Call me Jay" He quickly spoke back in a soft tone.

"Right...Jay..." Alphinx seemed to withdraw a bit in Jay's arms, holding her hands close to her face as she continued "Um...would you mind putting me down now? I think I'm okay..."

Jayhawk seemed to be blank for a few moments before realizing what Alphinx asked of him "Oh, right! Sorry" Jay moved his arm down to allow Alphinx to plant her feet off the ground, and moved his other arm away as she stood "You...recovered pretty fast"

Alphinx seemed to ignore Jay as she stared at the motionless Haimon "His motives...did he say anything about me?" Alphinx asked indirectly to Jay as she continued to look at Haimon. 

Jay's expression to seemed to be burdened by guilt as he placed a hand on Alphinx's shoulder "Well...did you ever get the feeling that you were kept around just because of your looks?" Alphinx slowly turned to Jay as he continued "Cause, in truth, you kinda were. He said you were a diversion so he could split me and Soul up, and 'finish' me off alone while I was without his help" Alphinx looked down at the ground blankly as Jay confessed Haimon's motives. He quickly spoke up again after a few moments in a lighter tone "If it makes you feel any better, he only made you a diversion because he couldn't control Soul, and if it was my choice, I would've never intended to kill you back in the throne room"

"I see....again, thank you, Jay. You're a lot nicer than I was lead to believe..." Jay smiled lightly and scratched the back of his head as Alphinx turned around to face Soul and held out her hand towards him "Soul, do you mind if I use your scythe for minute?"

Soul felt a nagging sensation of dread as he pondered Alphin'x request "Alphinx?...why do you want it?..."

Alphinx responded quickly "I'm not strong enough to carry the Guardian sword, and I've lost both of my weapons. I promise, I won't do anything drastic with it. I...just want to make sure I'm okay..."

After hesitating for a moment, Soul slowly gave his weapon over to Alphinx. As she held it, she looked over the runes in the staff and touched some of the blades. Then, within an instant, her gaze shot to Haimon and she dashed over to him, quickly swinging the scythe in an overhead motion at him. She yelled out in exertion as the middle blade caught Haimon under the chin. Without a second's hesitation, she pulled the scythe back and caused the tip of the blade to stick out of Haimon's mouth. Now fully awake and aware, Haimon's fearful and shocked expression met Alphinx's unwavering gaze just moments before she yanked the blade up, tearing through what sinew and bone got in the way. With the force of her pull, Alphinx spun and slashed at Haimon's neck, easily severing his head from his body in a spray of blood. Soul watched in horror and shock as Alphinx gored Haimon relentlessly, using the weapon he had just lent her. Jay watched as if he'd knew it would happen the second Alphinx asked for Soul's scythe. After she was done, Alphinx stood with the scythe dripping with blood arched over her head as she breathed heavily. She seemed as if she would swing again when Soul spoke up on impulse

"Alphinx! Stop!" Soul shouted. "Why-" He was cut off from continuing as Alphinx pointed the blood-coated scythe towards him

"If you could give me one good reason why he should have lived, then I will gladly give my own life in penance!" Alphinx shot back in a stern tone. Soul stayed silent, and Jay simply shrugged in agreement. Alphinx slowly lowered the scythe and whipped the blood off of the blades before walking back to Soul and handing him his weapon "Here. Thank you for letting me use it" Soul slowly took his scythe back as he watched Alphinx continue walking past him to Jay "From this moment on, I don't care about my former allies. I don't care about Haimon, or Cruenta, or whatever and whoever else I was involved with. Now...I'm on your side. I would rather be allied with people who actually care about my well being"

Jay's expression softened as he held his hand out towards Alphinx "Well, we do care. Even if you were trying to kill us earlier, heh" Jay chuckled as Alphinx smiled lightly and shook his hand "Treating people nicely almost always pays off! Plus, we could really use your help"

"Yes, we really could..." Soul was barely paying any attention to Alphinx and Jay as he stared in nerve towards the entrance to Canterlot "Jay...they're here!"

Jay quickly turned face where Soul was looking to see what looked like a lake of ponies rushing through Canterlot towards the garden they stood in. The ponies seemed to move as a swarm, as if they all shared a single mind that coveted the goal Haimon had given them.

"Eh, it's a swarm of tiny ponies who are as mindless as mindless can be. Even if I wanted to use my sword, I wouldn't need to!" Jay quickly took a readied fighting stance and began bouncing around on his feet in preparation "If these ponies want an ass kicking, then I'll be glad to hand 'em out. Free of charge!"

"He's right. We need to stop them, and the three of us can do it" Alphinx spoke up, taking her own unique stance beside Jayhawk

Soul steeled his eyes forward and readied himself as well, waiting for the imminent charge of what could be hundreds of his fellow ponies intent on taking his life. He gritted his teeth in thought of fighting them endlessly.

"Oh, and by the way, Soul..." Jay quickly added, waiting to grab Soul's attention

"Yeah?" Soul responded, shifting his eyes towards Jay while facing forward.

"When you're facing the worst of your turmoils, fear and doubt are still your greatest enemies. Remember that" Jay said sternly, holding up a fist and motioning it towards Soul

"I will. Thanks" Soul responded, hoping his resolution would not falter in the battle to come.
> Chapter 16, Duo: T.K.O!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Master yourself, and you shall master your enemy



"Alright...no weapons, I guess" Soul said, and with a bit of magic and a quick blink, Soul's scythe disappeared from sight to the Underworld. Along with his new-found strength, he was intent to summon it again when need be. As if taking note, Jayhawk firmly gripped the handle of his sword.

"Hey, guys...check this out" Jay said while diverting his eyes between Soul and Alphinx. When they gave him attention, he continued "Okay...no weapons, right? Well, I won't be needing THIS!" On his words, Jayhawk unholstered his blade and in one swift motion whipped the sword into the air. The wind ripped violently as Jayhawk's weapon flew spinning through the sky until it was completely out of sight. Jay smiled widely as he pleasingly watched the results of his mighty toss "Ah, that only gets more awesome every time"

Soul was somewhat shocked as he asked "Jay...how are you going to get that back? Isn't that sword important to you?"

In response, Jay waved his hand recklessly as he spoke "Nah, it's alright. Watch!" Suddenly, Jayhawk held his hand up into the air and clenched it into a fist. The second Jay's hand closed, a white shape of his sword appeared within his hands, and at the very same moment, his weapon returned to him immediately as if it had never been thrown "Without the sword, I'm just a really strong guy, so naturally I'd need an ability to get it back whenever I need it. My 'Sword Blink' spell fits that role perfectly" Then, without a moment's hesitation, Jay repeated the process of sending his sword off the mountain in which Canterlot lay atop.

With blank eyes and a half open mouth, Alphinx watched the weapon fly away until it was out of range, then she spoke "So..it's not only unbreakable and razor sharp, but it always comes back to you whenever you need it?" 

"Yep" Jay shortly replied, still looking in the direction his blade had taken off "Stellar quality steel, too. I got a blacksmith friend back home who polishes that thing to a mirror sheen"

"A personal blacksmith....Trest?" Alphinx asked

"You know his name?" Jay quizzed

"Who doesn't?" Alphinx joked

"Good point" Jay concluded

"I don't" Soul interrupted

"That's cause you're a pony" Jay shot back

"So?" Soul responded

"Different dimensions" stated Jay

"If he knows you, he could know Trest" Alphinx added

"I never spoke about him until now" Jay quickly replied 

"Is he a magical blackmsith?" Soul inquired 

"So you do know him?" Jay poked

"No, I just guessed.." Soul trailed off

"Even I knew he would be a magic smithy" Alphinx interjected 

"I don't get why you expect a pony to know anything about a human" Jay said in hopes of shooting down Alphinx's point

"Why can't I?" Soul annoyingly asked "Just because the only human I've ever met was 'the all mighty Guardian-"

"Jayhawk! Soul!" Daring shouted as she flew from the castle entrance and across the garden. She halted swiftly and landed in front of the trio, seemingly almost out of breath "Soul, there's something coming! Jay...I guess I'm glad you're back to normal..."

"Yeah, everybody is" Jayhawk confidently stated

Daring seemed unnerved when she saw Alphinx standing casually next to Jay "Uhm...is that?..."

"Jay saved her life. She's on our side now" Soul quickly cut in

"That makes things a lot less awkward..." Daring noted "So, why was she almost-"

"Anyway, what where you saying before, Daring?" Soul quickly said in an attempt to jump subjects "You were talking about that huge swarm of ponies headed this way, right?"

"Yes! You saw them too?" Daring asked in a worried tone "The guards tried stopping them but they wouldn't listen. It's as if they were mindless, or controlled by something. I thought maybe that guy.." Daring looked around as she spoke, but fell silent as she noticed Haimon's corpse "Oh...I suppose that conclusion is out of the question..."

"Actually, that's exactly the conclusion" Soul confirmed as he pointed to Alphinx "Alphinx told me that Haimon ordered all those ponies to march on Canterlot castle to kill us in case his plan failed"

"Wow..." Daring said slowly. She stared idly at the ground for a moment before looking back at Soul "So, that means...it's them or you?"

"Not necessarily" Jay spoke up, catching Daring's attention whilst he stared towards Canterlot "From what I know, the more blood we spill, the worse things get. We need to subdue them non-lethally, unless..." Jay slowly moved his gaze towards Alphinx, who gave him a quizzical expression in return "..the death of the host for the demon means the demon can't gain any more power via sacrifice...am I correct?"

Alphinx's expression withdrew as she spoke "You are...but, unfortunately, that's not the case" she paused, placing a hand on her arm nervously "If we kill them...Venticulus would be the one to take Haimon's place...it would be the same situation all over again, but against an even stronger Cruenta"

"Damn, I forgot there was a third one of you guys..." Jay said in a hopeless tone "Who is that 'Venticulus', anyways? Why isn't he here, helping his allies?"

"Veniculus is Haimon's brother. He's...kind of anti-social..." Alphinx spoke as if she was embarrassed to even be affiliated with him "That, and because he's also watching over the hideout. He's only really helping us because of Haimon"

"....Haimon isn't his real name, is it?" Jay asked sternly.

"Nope" Alphinx confirmed.

"Do you know his real name?" Jay pressed.

"....nope" Alphinx admitted.

"What about you...? What's your real name?"Jay inquired further.

"Uh, guys...?" Soul suddenly broke in with an unnerved tone "Maybe we should talk later, we have a situation at hand!"

Jay and Alphinx turned their attention to where Soul's gaze was to see the infamous army of ponies crowding through the front gate to the garden. The ponies' coats all lacked what was seemingly their original hue, and they all shared a similar expression of blank anger. They bore sharp fangs, and held appendages such as horns or wings at the ready. Slowly they approached the group.

"Right. Problem" Jay stated blandly, eventually turning his body to face them "Shall we turn it into a solution?"

"Daring...?" Soul spoke backwards to the Pegasus behind him

"I'll get Shining and the guards. They should be able to help, too" Daring responded

"Thanks. You read my mind" Soul confirmed as Daring flew off towards the castle

Soul took a readied stance, and glanced over to Jayhawk and Alphinx. Alphinx was ready as well, but Jay stood still as he had before. Before Soul could think of a reason why, Jay spun once and threw off his red jacket. He then swiftly lifted his knee, and slammed his foot down as he stepped into his own stance. With his jacket off, Soul could clearly see the tremors in Jay's body as he focused into what seemed to be an ascertained fighting style. He held his left hand out sideways in front of him, with his right hand clenched into a fist by the back side of his gut. His muscles tensed and he began breathing out through his mouth. Alphinx stared blankly at him as if someone had hypnotized her and forgot to snap her out of it. 

"...let's do this!" Jay shouted. He turned his hand around and beckoned towards the group of approaching enemies "Who wants a piece of the champ?!" 

"Maybe we should have a plan first, Jay?" Soul quickly asked "They do outnumber us, even with Shining's help coming"

"I do, in fact" Jay replied without moving his attention "You two are nimbler than me, so I'll play the role of Tank. Split off and deal with chunks of them at a time. I'll stand my ground here; just come back to me if you need any help" (Fighting a large group of enemies? There's a Battle Music for that!)

At Jay's words, Alphinx snapped out of her hypnosis and turned her attention back towards the impending battle "Understood" she said in a hastened tone.

Soul repeated Alphinx's words just as the group of blood-lusted ponies descended upon them. Some Pegasi lifted into the air to attack from above, and Soul swiftly took to the skies to counteract them. At the same moment, Alphinx zipped away from the center of the garden and began dashing in and out of the group, taking an enemy down with her every pass. Aside from Soul and Alphinx's tactics, however, the brunt of the swarm still seemed intent on charging full-throttle towards Jay, who stood still just moments before the ponies hit him. Then, with the sound of his own resounding battle shout, Jay struck the charge head on, landing blows with blinding speed on any ponies who came within range. Through the large gathering of enemies around him, Jay cleared a hole within the middle which he stood, unwaveringly fighting off ponies as the circle began slowly expanding. After several minutes of the trio fighting, Soul had managed to knock any of the flying Pegasi to the ground, and Alphinx had just finished off a small skirmish of her own. The two took their moment of reprise to look towards Jay to see he was still holding the group around him at bay. Any time an opponent neared him, Jay immediately struck it down. It was clear he was beading with sweat, but Jay was yet to be touched by any of the ponies. Soul quickly flew by Alphinx and tapped her on the shoulder, giving her a stern look as he flew towards Jay. She nodded quickly in response and leaped after him into the group, landing behind Jay and taking a stance with her back against his.

"We got a problem, Alphinx?" Jay huffed through his exertions, immediately palm-striking a pony who came near him. He quickly ducked as Alphinx rolled over his back and stomped the pony's snout into the ground.

"I thought you might actually want help" Alphinx admitted, swiftly following her words with a whip-kick to the chin of an approaching enemy.

"Actually, I got an idea. Give me your leg" Jay said, holding a hand backwards towards Alphinx. Without hesitation, Alphinx stretched her leg back so that Jay could grasp her calf "Good, now hold your arms up, and cover your head!"

Alphinx barely had enough time to do as Jay instructed as he firmly grabbed onto her leg, swinging her full length towards a chunk of the pony group and knocking them over. Jay quickly followed his swing by grabbing onto Alphinx's leg with his other hand and swinging her again in multiple circles, effectively becoming a human cyclone with his new-found weapon. Then, after spinning a few more times, Jay finally left go of Alphinx into the crowd. She quickly recovered by turning Jay's toss into her own flying kick, crashing through three more ponies before stopping on one enemy and back-flipping off it's snout. Just as she had regained balance, Jay leaped to her and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"One more time, backwards. Kick!" Jay said quickly, yanking on Alphinx's arms as he began twirling with her once again. As the two spun, Alphinx angled her kick towards the direction of the turn, and began cleaving through the ponies as Jay swung her around. Just as before, Jay let Alphinx go after a good amount of swings, sending her flying through another line of ponies until she busted past another and out of the crowd. Due to her constant spins, however, Alphinx only fell tumbling head-over-heels on the ground when she attempted to regain her footing. In quick notice of her fall, Jay swiftly and forcefully tackled through a clove of enemies and stood ground in front of Alphinx as the world came back to her.

"Uhgn...no more spins, please..." Alphinx mumbled as she dizzily stood back up.

Jayhawk chuckled lightly at Alphinx's state "Sorry. You're just a really fun weapon to use" Just as he finished speaking, Jay immediately moved to defend himself against an attacker, and counter-attacked strongly, sending the pony careening towards the group from whence it came. As Jay struck down another opponent, Soul came swooping in, grabbing a pony by the arms and spinning once before tossing hard towards the ground. When his victim refused to stand again, Soul let himself fall down so that he was standing with Jayhawk and Alphinx.

"Well....I feel kind of embarrassed" Jay admitted as Alphinx and Soul stepped closer into tight formation with him "I let you guys go off to deal with whoever you want, and you're both done before me"

"To be fair, you had the most enemies to deal with" Alphinx stated.

"And if you hadn't been taking care of them, we might not be doing so well" Soul added in.

"You kiddin' me?" Jay asked mockingly "This is sloppy by my standards! Just not very used to fighting horses, I suppose"

Before their conversation continued, Jay could hear the sound of multiple other ponies approaching in from the castle. He was instinctively defensive before he noticed that Shining Armor and a squad of unarmed guard ponies were closing in on them. Jay quickly nudged Soul on the shoulder before motioning with his head towards their incoming allies. Soul smiled triumphantly upon noticing what Jay had pointed him to "Now we're sure to finish this fight. Shining and his guards are some of the best trained fighters in Equestria"

Upon Soul's boast, Shining and his men stopped beside him "Soul, how's everything going? Daring told us what's going on, and we're here to help you fight. I brought some of my best men!"

"Glad you could come, Shining. We could use all the help we can get" Soul replied in a lighter tone.

"It's our duty to protect Canterlot, even if it's from other ponies. Now, let's get in there!" Shining shouted towards his men, who followed suit as the entire group, Soul, Alphinx, and Jay charged forward against the swarm of pony puppets. The erratic sounds of battle and fighters in struggles ensued over the passing minutes as the mind-controlled pony numbers began slowly dropping against the force of Jay, Soul, and their allies. Eventually, only one of the hundreds of ponies managed to stand.

"Ah, hold up, I got this one" Jay quickly informed to the group whilst holding a hand out towards them. Just as he began walking, the pony immediately charged Jay, to which he reacted by simply stopping his stride and holding his arms out in anticipation. After just a few gallops, the pony leaped straight into Jay's stomach. Upon impact, the assailant fell back flat on the ground with a thump as if he had ran head-first into a brick wall. Jay had barely been moved by the hit, and still stood in his same pose as if he hadn't noticed the pony collide with him. 

"Oops!" Jay shouted in a mockingly worried tone as he looked down at the collapsed equine. He placed his hands on his hips as he looked back towards Soul and the others  "Poor baby hurt his little head! Oh, no!" Soul could feel the ease in the air as some of the group giggled at Jay's joking victory.

"That's all of them, is it?" Alphinx asked idly as she surveyed the remnants of the brawl. What ponies weren't flat-out unconscious seemed as if they could barely move, and the garden had become increasingly quieter.

"Well, I wasn't keeping count or nothin', but I think pillow-head here was the probably the last fighter" Jay said confidently as he gave the downed pony one last look "Now, as I was asking before....". Alphinx stood still and silent as Jay trailed off and began motioning to her to answer. When he motioned once more only to get a careless look, he spoke again "It's clear the three of you have aliases; code names that you use for this kind of stuff. Like mine, as 'Jayhawk'. So, if 'Alphinx' is your code name, what's your real name?"

"...perhaps the gentleman would like to introduce himself first?" Alphinx returned after a short pause "I don't think anyone here knows you as anything but 'Jayhawk'"

"David" Jay firmly stated back "You're welcome. Not many people know it" (Not changing his name here on out)

"I'm Sarah" spoke the black-garbed, ginger-haired girl in a softer tone "As for 'Haimon' and 'Venticulus'...well, I suppose you'll have to ask Venticulus yourself" (Totally changing her name here on out)

"I plan to" Jayhawk replied in a lighter tone. He clasped his hand together before looking towards Soul, then back to Sarah as he continued "Which reminds me....you remember where he is, yeah?"

"Yeah, I think so" Sarah quickly confirmed

"Perfect" Jayhawk piped up as he walked closer to the group. When he stopped, Jay half-bowed toward Shining and his men "Shining Armor, I appreciate the co-operation and help. You have an excellent response time"

"No problem" Shining Armor humbly assured "We're glad to help. It's what we do"

"So, I guess we really did make some progress by coming here" Soul admitted in a seemingly happy tone "We saved the princesses, and gained a valuable ally"

"'Valuable'? Soul, I'm flattered" Sarah lightly joked at her own expense.

"Hey!" Jay quickly shouted, pointing an incriminating finger at Sarah "Nobody is devoid of value. Nobody on my team, at least"

"Well, then, I suppose I'm glad to be on your team" Sarah replied with a soft smile.

Jay simply responded by smiling widely and holding one thumb on his fist up towards Sarah. He gave the group a look-over before speaking "Well, everybody's present....shall we get going?"

"Yes, let's be off" Soul quickly agreed with a short nod "I want to finish this hunt once and for all"

"I agree" Daring piped up as she walked beside Soul "The sooner this is over, the sooner Soul can get back to doing nothing" Daring nudged Soul on the shoulder as she giggled at her own jest.

"We'll need to head to the city 'Manehattan'. From there, I can lead the way." Sarah added in. As she continued, Sarah began checking the pockets on her outfit "I think I still have some extra Polymorphing scrolls folded somewhere-"

"Yeah, I'm gonna have to stop you right there" Jay suddenly interrupted, holding his hand out towards Sarah "I value my humanity. There's not a single chance in Hell that you're going to Polymorph me into a pony"

"...Jay" Sarah replied in a lowered tone

"Not on your life" Jayhawk swiftly shot back 

"Jay" Soul intervened

"It's not happening" Jayhawk defended towards Soul

"The ponies in the city have never seen humans like you, Jay" Soul debated in a stern tone "If you just walk around normally, you'll cause a lot of unwanted commotion. We might even be found out before we get there!"

"If staying out of sight is my only option, then that's what I'll do" Jay confirmed, crossing his arms "I can be pretty stealthy"

Soul closed his eyes and sighed heavily at Jay's response. He kicked at the ground lightly for a few seconds before speaking "Fine. Don't let a single pony see you for more than a split second" Soul glanced over at Sarah before continuing "If you're willing to take a pony form to lead me to the hideout, then I suppose that is good enough"

"How will Jayhawk know where we are when we get to the hideout?" Sarah asked, looking over to Jay

Soul was about to speak when Jay cut in "Just call my name. I'll be there" Jay affirmed. In a split-second flash, Jay's spectral wings suddenly out-folded from his back. He leaped a short distance over the group and landed beside his jacket, dusting it off lightly as he picked it from the ground. His wings seemed unimpeded as he slipped the jacket back on "I'll meet the three of you in the big city. Don't get into trouble without me!" Before he got a response, Jay leaped through the air and took to the skies in blast of wind. Within seconds, Jay was zipping away from the mountain and leaving the group's eyesight.

"....he's going the wrong way" Daring spoke up after a long pause

"I trust he'll be back" Soul said, still keeping his eyes in the direction which Jay had taken off towards "Somehow, I know calling his name will work. Right now, we just need to worry about getting to Manehattan and finding that hideout. Sarah?" Soul diverted his gaze over to the girl as he spoke

"Right. Gimme just a second" Sarah quickly acknowledged as she pulled a small square of paper from one of her pockets. With her other hand, she pulled out a small pen and dug a circle in the grass around her. When she was done, she held the pen with her teeth as she unfolded the paper and began reading the incantation on it to herself. Then she grabbed the pen and, with a swift stab, stuck into the ground and held onto it until a small plume of smoke covered her entire body. When the smoke cleared, Sarah was a light grey mare with her same short ginger hair hanging by her right eye, and a matching tail that passed no longer than the middle of her hind legs. Her eyes still held the same violet color, and the scar on her neck still persisted into her changed form.

"Perfect!" Daring exclaimed "Now you'll fit in with any pony in Manehatan" As she examined Sarah's pony body, she quickly noticed the absence of a cutie mark on her flank "Well, um...except for being a blank flank, I guess"

"A what?...who?" Sarah asked inquiringly, attempting to see the spot to which daring had her attention

"Never mind. It's fine" Daring confirmed as she waved a hoof through the air "Let's get going. It won't take us long to get to Manehattan by train"

"Good idea" Soul nodded as he agreed "I could use the rest anyhow..." As he trailed off, the three ponies began heading towards the train station as Shining Armor and his men bid their own farewells. Soul found himself staring off into the sky where Jayhawk had disappeared as he walked with Daring and Sarah.

Mysterious...he was so dead-set on staying human. Where did he go?....and why? Soul pondered to himself as he moved. He suddenly found himself remembering the words of the cultist pony he had fought back in Ponyville "The Hawk is not to be so closely trusted"....was that pony telling the truth?...has Jay been telling the truth?... Unease began creeping it's way into Soul's mind as he delved deeper into his own machinations 

...and can I really trust him so much?