//------------------------------// // Ch.6: A Sparring Session // Story: Possibilities: Angels of Equestria // by Apollo and Artemis //------------------------------// Leo could barely hold his laughter as the room was filled with silence and shocked stares. Luna had an apologetic smile on her face as the ponies stared for a full minute. Celestia was the first to break the silence. "Luna?..... How?" Was her simple and amazed question. Her eyes were wide and Luna stared into them with her own eyes of regret. "I'm sorry, sis.... But as I said, I couldn't remember, so I couldn't tell you." She said, but Celestia still had questions. "But how do you forget nearly a thousand years of memories!?" She said, unintentionally raising her voice. The ponies backed down a bit, but Luna was unfazed. Leo stepped in at this moment. "Princess, I believe I can answer this." He said, catching her attention and the rest of the ponies' as well. "You see, there is a rumor that whenever and Angel of Death dies, he or she is sent back to their original worlds without their memories of being an angel." He said and they gave confused stares. He sighed as he spoke again. "Alright, to make it simpler, I'll tell you a story. Most of the angels think that the rumor started back when an angel, who we will call Jeff, died on a mission. Now, Jeff wasn't one of the strongest angels, and neither was he the smartest. So, naturally, he got himself killed." He said and the ponies held a solemn silence in honor of the idiotic angel. "Now, the rumor started when his commander, who we will call Jack, was on a mission to eradicate a couple of demons who were causing trouble on Heranite IV, Jeff's homeworld. Now, when he killed the demons, he swore he could see Jeff just standing in the middle of the crowd. Of course, he was curious and he took a look. He was right. It really was Jeff. And that's how the rumor started." He said. Twilight was the first to totally understand. "Wait.... So, Princess Luna died?" Twilight said in disbelief. Luna gave an embarrassed nod. She opened her mouth to speak, but Leo covered it with his hoof. "Hey, can I tell this story? Please?" He said, giving her the puppy eyes. Luna never understood it, but he always managed to pull it off, despite being as ferocious as an Ursa Major on steroids. She sighed. "......Proceed...." She said and Leo grinned. He faced the ponies and prepared the story. "Alright! Here's how it went..." He began. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Luna was not having a good day. Earlier in the morning, her dorm mates decided to take a picture of her sleeping and post it all over the division. The picture was rather embarrassing, since she was drooling and half of her body was on the floor. And later, the commanders were challenging her and telling her that she couldn't even beat a Ravager-class demon. And a little bit after that, Leo amazed everyone with a Black Swarm, a level seven Dark spell. This was the highest recorded spell any angel was able to pull off without the aid of an Amp Suit. She was jealous, she had to admit, but she was thinking this about a friend! She couldn't think like that! But, the thought still echoed inside her, begging her to surpass all those around her. As some of the newer recruits barely managed to clear morning exercises, she breezed right through them. She cleared the flight exercises with ease. She smashed right through each enemy simulation. She put her sparring partner's face in the ground in no less than four seconds. She obliterated the test building with a single Dark Flare, a level four Dark spell. She was doing all of this with a determined scowl on her face. She'd show them. She'd show them all! But during her quest to prove her subordinates wrong about her, she unknowingly used up too much magic. She came up to her instructor, General Nar'Vessur, and readied her blade, which was a dark blue claymore gifted to her by Leo. "Good morning, Commander." He began, his voice deep and clear. Vessur was a strange man. He was from a species known as the Karvinons. They were a saurian race that had large mouths that had several appendages with spikes on them. Those spikes aided them in eating. They also had retractable spikes in their arms. These spikes produced a poison that acted as a sedative, paralyzing the prey so they could eat it later. They were known for their military outlook on life. Each son had to serve in the military for at least 10 years, beginning at the age of 20. "Skip the pleasantries. Let's just do this." Luna said through gritted teeth. Vessur found this strange. Luna usually had a cheerful smile on her face before they trained. But today, she had a scowl. "Child, is something bothering you?" The old man asked. Luna continued holding the rather unwelcome scowl on her face. "It's none of your business, Vessur! Just fight me!" She growled as she rose her blade and dashed forward. Vessur simply blocked the oncoming attack with his own blade: a standard issue Holy Cleaver. "Luna," He began, using her name. "I can sense something is wrong. Please, tell me." He said, but Luna didn't listen. "Shut up! Just fight!" she roared as she brought the blade down again, only for Vessur to have his blade get caught under it."Very well." He said as he quickly lifted the blade with all his strength and swung it as it was freed. Luna grunted as she blocked the powerful strike. "But I want to have a wager." He said as he blocked another strike. Luna stayed silent and he took that as a sign to continue. "If I win this match, you will tell me what has been bothering you. If you win, I will drop the topic. Does that sound fair?" He asked and Luna simply nodded. Vessur needed no words. He simply acted. He carried his blade on his shoulder and dashed towards Luna with blinding speed. Luna managed to raise her blade in defense before her wings got clipped by Vessur's signature combo. But the block barely held. She got pushed back a couple of meters and she regained her orientation. She brought her blade up and initiated a flurry of stabs aimed at her instructor. He dodged each one with a mere movement of his head. A few moments of this and he brought his arm up. He swatted the blade away as it passed by him and kicked Luna in the chest. Now usually, a kick wouldn't hurt like you got hit by a car, but Vessur seemed as though he really wanted to win. Luna was thrown back several meters and she eventually stabilized herself by stabbing her blade into the ground, slowing her flight. She cringed slightly when she stopped completely; it was a warning that she was using more magic than she had at the moment and she knew it. Angered by today's events, her low amount of magic and the kick, Luna grit her teeth and her eye twitched. She summoned a second blade in her let hoof in a flash of dark blue flames and charged. She swung both blades in an X formation, Vessur simply blocking the assault. She followed up with a spinning strike with both blades, knocking Vessur back. She quickly threw the recently summoned blade at Vessur. A confused expression flashed on his face for a second, but he realized what she was doing. A chain appeared and connected the flying blade and Luna's own blade. She swung the chained weapon as it got charged by darkness into Vessur. Knowing full well that he couldn't block an attack like that, he jumped backwards, avoiding the attack. Luna summoned more blades and threw them at Vessur, who dodged the blades. He stopped dodging and looked around him. The blades were in a circle around him. His reptilian eyes widened as Luna charged the blades by slamming her hooves into the ground. He quickly summoned a barrier to protect him from the oncoming attack. She let out a cry of rage as the black lightning that emanated from the swords struck the shield. She poured more power into the attack, but still that shield held. A moment later, the shield began to break. Luna smiled in satisfaction as she saw the shield dissipate and the lightning strike its target. As the lightning stopped, she looked to see her victory. But she saw the opposite. Vessur had sprouted veined wings and energy blades on his arms. She took this as a sign to step up her game. A dark blue rune appeared under her and she underwent a transformation as well. Her fur turned black and her wings grew larger. Her mane and tail turned into dark blue flames. Her pupils turned into slits as she charged once more. She attacked her mentor with a blade of darkness that seemed to come out of nowhere. He parried the blow with one of his energy blades. He followed up with a swipe of his blade, which caught Luna by the tip of her horn. Her horn emit a burst of energy in response to the attack, knocking Vessur back. She used this moment to ready her next attack. She spread her wings and charged at Vessur, her horn forming a spear of energy. Vessur grinned, which was a strange grin, considering the structure of his mouth. He waited for the right moment to unleash his attack. Closer.... Closer.... Closer... ....And hit. She got within striking distance and Vessur swung his hand downward, trapping Luna in a rune that restricted all movement. Luna was stunned. She gave a shocked stare, to which Vessur replied with two actions. First: He shed his wings and dismissed his energy blades. Second: He delivered a powerful palm strike to Luna's chest, breaking the seal, breaking her out of her transformation and sending her flying. She crashed into one of the walls of the training grounds and broke right through it, taking some debris with her on her descent. She crashed into the ground and she was silent. Not because she was dead, but because the day was not going too well and she had yet again failed to defeat her master. Tears leaked from her eyes as she let out a few sniffling noises, wetting the ground with her tears. She slowly and painfully rose to her hooves, but she held her head down. She didn't want anyone to see her right now. But, as if the universe felt like messing with her a bit more, Leo came by to check on the loud crash. "Luna? What happened? Are you okay?" Leo asked as he rushed over to his friend. She didn't bother looking up. She couldn't bear to look into Leo's concerned eyes. She gathered all the magic at her disposal (Which wasn't very much) and prepared a teleportation spell to take her back to her room. "Luna!" Leo shouted just before Luna disappeared. She looked up for a moment and both of their eyes met for a fraction of a second, but Leo could still make out her expression. She was in a lot of pain, physically and emotionally. Her tears slid down her face, dropping into the sandy ground beneath her. Her face was covered in dirt from her landing. Leo held his concerned look and spread his wings as he took off to Vessur to clear things up. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leo had just finished the first part of the story and he let the ponies catch their breath. Twilight and Celestia were the first to react. They gave each other concerned glances and Celestia spoke up. "Luna.... I had no idea..." She said, her voice sounding sorrowful. Luna however, was a bit less sorrowful, but more ashamed. "N-No. It's fine..." She said as she continued to hold her head down low. Twilight spoke next. "Still, Princess. That really happened?" She said, still in disbelief. Luna gave a quick nod and Twilight understood. Pinkie was in tears now. She leaped from her sitting position and grabbed Luna with her bear hug of a grip. "Your Highness, I had no idea you went through all that!" She said as she somehow managed to lift Luna with her bear hug. Luna gasped and wheezed as Pinkie let go of her, giving her an apologetic smile when she noticed that she was in pain. Leo gave a chuckle as Luna rose to her hooves. He stood on his hind legs and straightened his body. "Commander! Permission to continue!" He shouted as he saluted a former Company Commander of Angel of Death 2nd Division "Black Wings". Luna groaned in annoyance as she waved her hoof dismissively, signaling the stallion to continue. Leo did as he was told. "Sir, yes sir!" He said with a childish grin on his face, earning him another groan from the Princess of the Night. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Vessur! What the hell happened!?" Leo roared as he came up to the old man, who was sitting on the ground in a cross-legged position with his back turned to him. "Leonhardt.... I did not mean to hurt Luna. She must have been weak from the day's events." Vessur said without turning. Leo paused and thought about this. "Wait, what? Today's events?" He asked and Vessur nodded. "Yes. That is what I think. The reason I was fighting so hard is that I wanted to help her resolve her issues." Vessur said, turning to face Leo. Leo thought for a moment and spoke up again. "What happened today? What made her so angry that she would fight so hard?" He asked and Vessur replied with a shake of his head. "That is exactly what I was trying to find out. She seemed so angry. As if the very fires of Hell burned inside her." He described and Leo crossed his arms. He swore that he would do all in his power to prevent anyone from suffering any more than he did unless they deserved it. "Vessur, where do you think Luna went?" He asked and Vessur shrugged. "I am sorry, Leonhardt. I do not know. Although, she might have gone to her room. You could go check there." He said. "Thanks, Vessur." He said just before spreading his wings and taking off. He flapped his wings for a few seconds and he dashed for Luna's room. He soared through the skies of Caelestis, the city he and Luna were stationed in, and thought to himself. "Luna... Wait for me. I'm coming to help you." He thought as he spotted Luna's window among the others in the tower that she stayed in. He perched himself on the windowsill and knocked on the glass. No answer. He opened the window, letting in the still, early evening air. He looked around the room and found it to be very messy. The covers on her bed were on the floor and there were several empty vials on the floor. He picked one up and sniffed it to find out what used to be inside. "Magic boosters..." He said as he noticed a small note on Luna's bed. "To Leo..." He read as he opened the letter. "Leo, I know that you will come looking for me. I want to be alone right now. I'm going out to prove myself to everyone. I'm going to kill an Overlord-class demon. Don't follow me. This is a personal thing. Luna." He dictated as he pocketed the note. He already knew where Luna would go. He leaped out the window and flew towards the only place you could get cleared to leave the city: Caelestis Angelic Host Branch. He ground his feet into the ground as he landed at the steps of the Host Branch. He quickly climbed them and he reached the door. He was met with an angel who was apparently given guard duty. "A-Azrael, sir! What brings you out here?" The angel asked. Leo, during his extremely short two years of service, managed to earn the title Azrael, the Harbinger of Death. He was then recorded as the youngest angel to ever earn the title of Azrael, being only 21. All the Azraels in the past were at least a few thousand years old. "I need to speak to Ezekiel." He said and he was ushered inside the building. Inside was a center of activity, even at night. Angels flew in and out of ports, going to and from missions. At the center of the room, Ezekiel sat in a booth, waving his hands over multiple holographic screens, approving and denying requests with speed and grace. "Zeke." Leo said as he approached the man. Ezekiel was a very reclusive person, even for a Custodian. He almost always sat in the center of this very room, controlling the flow of missions and requests. He spared a glance away from the holographic monitors with his deep crimson eyes that held a certain viciousness in them. "Leon. What is it you require?" The man asked with a voice that could spell death if it said the right words as he returned his gaze to the monitors. Leo was quick to answer. "Zeke, have you seen Luna?" He said as Ezekiel pulled up her file and mission log. "Hmm.....Company Commander Luna of the Angels of Death 2nd Division. Yes. I believe she accepted a mission to kill an Overlord-class demon." He said as he dismissed the file and continued with his work. Leo slammed his palms into the booth to get his attention. "Where did she go?" He said and Ezekiel narrowed his eyes. "You did not have to hit my pod. She went to the Dredger Graveyard." He said as he turned to face Leo, but he was already gone. He scoffed. "He's lucky he's my friend. Otherwise..." He said as he chuckled to himself about how many ways he could kill him. Leo took a running start from the stairs and leaped into the air while spreading his wings. He flew towards the site of Luna's mission and he was reminded of why it was called Dredger Graveyard. It was a place where all the scrap of the Angels ended up and it was also home to Dredgers, a race of gigantic insects with bioluminescent skin. They seemed to be a cross between a centipede and a praying mantis. Leo flew over the massive junkyard and he found what he was looking for, but soon he felt as though he just swallowed a lead weight and it sank down into his stomach. Luna jumped backwards as the Overlord swung its blade down on her, but she failed to notice the fist that sent her flying into one of the scrap piles. Luna tried to stand, but her body screamed at her to stop and get some rest. She gritted her teeth as she forced herself onto her hooves. She would not give up now. Not when she could finally prove herself to everyone. She opened her eyes, but all she could see was red. She wiped the substance away from her eyes and stared at it. It was blood. Her blood. She ground her teeth in anger. She only had enough magic for one spell that could kill this enemy before she was completely drained of magic. She closed her eyes as her horn took on a black glow and she breathed deeply. She spread her wings as black clouds swarmed around her. Lightning shot from the clouds and into her wings, turning them into wings of pure darkness. The lightning then struck her horn, morphing it into a dark blade that was 5 meters in length. She narrowed her eyes as she spoke. "If I'm going down... I'm taking you down with me!" She roared as she charged at the Overlord, whose eyes were wide with fear. She tilted her head upwards, raising the blade. She yelled in anger and frustration, venting out all her emotions as she brought the blade down. Time seemed to be at a standstill as Luna thought about her life as an angel. She knew that this attack would drain her of all her magic and kill her without an Amp Module, but she did it anyway. This was commonly known as "Acceleration" amongst the angels. This comes from the fact that when an angel is completely drained of magic, their age begins to catch up to them at an extremely accelerated rate. In other words, they age themselves to death. Luna chuckled in her mind. She could remember giving a few lectures on this very topic. She then thought about all the friends she had made. Leo... The headstrong, but reliable Nephilim. Irune... The understanding Angel-Human hybrid. Hikari... The Angel who is a natural born leader. Anzu... The romantic Angel. Axel... The silent listener kind of Demon. Ledah... The quiet and bookish Nephilim. Serene... The hyperactive Demon-Human hybrid. Ruira... The kind and quiet Nephilim. Max... The competitive and boastful Angel. She would never see them again... She would never be able to share any laughs with them... She would never be able to fight by their side... She would never be able to confess her feelings... She thought all of this as the blade sliced through the Overlord's shoulder. The blade sliced into the Overlord's chest, but it malfunctioned. Luna was almost completely out of magic. She had one last bid to kill the Overlord. She detonated the blade. "Luna, NO!!!" Leo screamed as Luna's blade exploded, killing the Overlord and driving Luna to her knees. He rushed over to her, hoping that she wasn't completely drained. Hoping that there was still time to save her. "Luna, what in God's name were you thinking!?" Leo said as he checked on Luna's magic reserves. Completely dry. Not a single drop of magic left in her. "I just... Wanted to prove.... Myself..." She said as she lay on her side, Acceleration already beginning to take effect. "Haven't I already talked to you about this? All that matters is your own opinion! No one else's!" He said as he placed both hands on Luna's side. "Come on. Don't die on me!" He said as he pumped some of his magic into Luna, hoping that he would be able to save her. But this proved to be false hope when nothing happened and Luna spoke. "Leo... Once an angel is completely drained of magic..... They begin to age themselves to death... You can't stop it. You know that..." She said as she laid her hoof on Leo's hands, signaling him to stop. Leo looked at her sharply, noticing the stars in her mane were beginning to disappear one by one. "Shut it! Not one more word from you!" He shouted as Luna's fur began to turn gray. He continued pumping magic into her, but knowing deep down that she was not going to make it. Luna mustered up all her strength and sat up, surprising Leo. "Leo.... I.....I-" She began, but her time was already up. Her body disintegrated right before Leo's eyes. He could only stare in silence. He ran his hand through the ashes at his feet as tears leaked from his eyes, mixing into it. He sifted through the ashes and pulled out Luna's necklace and uniform. He stood without a word and flew off. He needed to be alone right now... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "So... Does that answer all your questions?" Leo asked the ponies, who simply gave weak nods with their jaws hanging loose. Celestia was the first to speak up. "Luna... I had no idea..." She said, still trying to wrap her head around the idea that her sister had died and come back to life. "It's alright, sis. No one did. Even I had no idea..." She said and the room fell into silence. After a few moments of awkward silence, Leo broke it. "So, Luna. I imagine that you're a bit rusty?" He said and Luna put a hoof to her chest in shock. "Me? Rusty? How dare you say such a thing!" She said with a predatory grin. Leo grinned the same grin. "I dunno... You've been out of it for quite some time now and what's this? You seem to have gained some weight!" Leo taunted and Luna growled. "Oh, IT. IS. ON." She growled as they touched foreheads, glaring into each other's eyes. Before they could tear each other's head off, Celestia pushed them apart. "I know you two have a score to settle, but could you please take it outside? And also, don't hurt each other too bad." She said with a sigh. She only let Luna go out to fight because she knew that Leo broke the Golden Rule: Never insult a mare's weight. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leo and Luna stood at opposite ends of the courtyard, staring each other down, waiting for the other to make a move. After a few moments of staring, they charged. They clashed blades, a shower of sparks appearing before their eyes. Leo felt something was off, so he voiced his opinion. "Luna? That hit was rather weak. Are you sure you're not even the slightest bit heavier?" He said and Luna followed up with a powerful strike that knocked Leo back. "Okay, you're not out of touch after all these years." He said with a grin. Luna returned it. "Damn right, I'm not!" She said as she performed an overhead slash, which Leo parried. He unleashed a flurry of blows, but Luna parried each of them, sparks flying away from the two. They were both grinning as their blades connected each time. They were beginning to lose themselves in the heat of battle, so they failed to notice the squad guards who were watching. "Damn. I had no idea the Princess was so bad-flank!" One of the guards said as Luna began her assault on Leo, who simply defended. He spun around, using his blade to lift him into the air, where he brought his blade down with enough force to shatter the rock at Luna's hooves. "Yeah, but that Leo guy is pretty good too." Another said as the aforementioned stallion locked blades with Luna again. "Come on, Luna. You can do better than this! You're the Commander of the 201st! People looked up to you! Even though some of them had to look down to look at you!" Leo taunted and Luna frowned. The guards all gave 'ooohhs' to signal Leo's victory in the taunting depatment. But unfortunately, that department wasn't in play at the moment. "Now that's just plain offensive..." She said as she parried a horizontal strike. "Sorry 'bout that. I'm too used to toying with my enemies." He said as he performed an overhead slash that seemed to connect. The blade kept going until Luna was cleaved in two. Leo was horrified. Did he just kill his friend? But his worries were washed away when both halves came back as two Lunas. "That's some pretty good Dark Magic." He said as both Lunas drew their blades. The squad all cheered, awaiting the next move. "We try." They said in unison as they charged at Leo. Leo quickly parried the blow of the one who went behind him. He kicked the other one away and launched the one behind him into the air. He grabbed the airborne clone and threw it into the other, merging them back together. This didn't stop her, though. Leo moved for a horizontal slash, but Luna anticipated this. She conjured a hammer of darkness and swung it into the blade, knocking it out of his hooves and into the nearest window. Celestia walked through the corridors of the castle, her mind still trying to piece together all the events of the day. Luna had been recruited as an Angel of Death at least a hundred years after her sealing on the moon. She died and she forgot all about her existence as an angel and she returned to the moon, where she became Nightmare Moon. She came back and later, Leo came along. He gave her a necklace that caused her to remember everything. And now, they were having a sparring session in the courtyard. She came up to the windows overlooking the courtyard and paled as she saw a blade flying towards her. She barely had any time to react. She ducked down to avoid getting her face impaled by a 1.5 meter long sword. Leo jumped up to the destroyed window and saw Celestia on the ground. "Sorry!" He said as he retrieved his blade and jumped back into the fight. They both silently agreed to step up their game. They both moved at inhuman speeds as their blades met again in another shower of sparks. They disappeared and they reappeared again, ten meters away from their original spot. With every clash, they would increase their speed, soon becoming nearly invisible to the naked eye. They did it again. And again. And again. Their lightning-fast movements chipped the stone underneath them as they moved and every time they clashed, a crater was formed. The guards were watching in awe and the captain was the first to speak. "Shit just got real." He said as he lit a cigar and chewed on it. The others all nodded in agreement. The two angels' speed soon died down and they both settled down a couple of yards away from each other. They were both panting heavily, small cuts visible on their coats. "So...." Leo began as he rose to his hind legs. Luna did the same. "How about we decide this with one blow? No magic, no techniques. Just one hit." He said and Luna nodded. They readied their blades and the squad was on the edge of their seats. "Who do you think is gonna win?" One said. "I think the Princess is gonna win." One said and the rest gave their opinions, which were varied. Some agreed while others thought Leo would win. This little dispute would be settled in the next second. The two combatants charged, blades both primed to stab at the other combatant. Time slowed as they reached the peak of their attacks; both blades ground at each other at the edge. They both managed to move their heads out of the way so that only their cheeks got scraped by the blades. The blades kept going until they hit the tips of their wings, removing a few feathers. They both stopped their blades from going any further and they stared at each other, having a silent conversation. To summarize their conversation, they both smiled, which meant this: Luna: That was a good match! Leo: Yep. You're definitely not rusty. They both began to snicker, catching the squad off guard. The snickering soon built up into full laughter as they collapsed in a heap, laughing at seemingly nothing. "Uh, what are they doing? Who won?" The rookie on the squad said, which was replied by a quick slap on the head by the captain. "Isn't it obvious? It's a draw!" He said as he chewed on the cigar a bit more. This caught the attention of the two former squadmates, who both looked at the squad. "Hm? When did you guys get here?" Luna asked and the captain answered. "We were here the whole time, ma'am." He said. "And you didn't say anything?" She asked and she was given an answer. "No, ma'am." He said and Luna shrugged as she turned to Leo. "Well, now that I remember everything, how are the others?" She asked Leo. "Who, the team? Oh, they're fine. I mean, after the Fall of Haven, Irune needed to heal her wings but other than that, they're fine." He said and Luna became concerned for her friend. "What? Irune was injured? What happened?" She asked, her voice tinged with concern. "The damn Seraph broke them when he went rogue." He said with a growl as Luna's ears perked up. "The Seraph? How? He was such a nice guy!" She said in utter disbelief. Leo couldn't blame her. She had good reason. The Seraph put up a good charade. "No, he wasn't. That bastard imprisoned and tortured me when he figured that I would be a threat to his 'master plan'." Leo said, mocking the Seraph with every word. "What kind of master plan is this?" She asked. "Dunno. I never really cared either. Seeing as he's dead now." He said with a shrug. Luna simply moved on to the next topic. "So, where are the others now?" She asked. "Oh, they're all on my home planet, Serrane. I guess they're working right now." He said and Luna nodded, but she was a bit suspicious. "Wait, the guys are working?" She said in disbelief. She thought that they wouldn't bother with working, since she thought they wanted to stay angels. Before Leo could answer, a small figure jumped up from the edge of the courtyard and landed behind Leo. It had very familiar clothes and a black visor to cover its face. Its clothes were a cream colored vest with sleeves that hung down to the ankles of its forelegs. Its neck was covered by a tattered black scarf. It wore denim shorts with a hole to allow the tail through. On many parts of its body were blades, belts and pouches, including a long blade slung across its back and a silver handgun in a holster on its right hip. The back half of the visor folded backwards, revealing a long, blonde mane. The front half of the visor split down the middle and folded to the sides of the head, revealing the filly's emerald green eyes. This confirmed Leo's suspicions. "Yep. That's Runa." He thought as Runa took hold of him and pointed him towards the edge she jumped from. "Leo! Cover me!" She whispered. "What? What did you do this time?" He asked with an annoyed tone. He had to deal with this situation a lot back home. Runa gave a guilty smile before explaining her situation. "I may or may not have stolen a crown and a necklace from the museum..." She said as she removed her scarf, revealing said crown and necklace. The crown looked like it could have belonged to Celestia and the necklace looked like it came from the Dark Realm. Leo groaned. "Ugh... How many times have I told you to stop stealing?" He said and Luna joined the conversation. "Um, Leo? Who is this?" She asked and Runa answered for her friend and caretaker. "I don't think we've met. I'm Runa! Master Thief and Queen of Blades! Or Dagger Princess. Whichever one you prefer." She said as the doors to the courtyard were beaten down by at least thirty Royal Guards. "Stop there, criminal scum! You've committed crimes against Celestia and her ponies! What say you in your defense?" One of the unicorn guards said as he brandished a blade that he held in his magic grasp. Runa could only respond with two words and a scowl as she hid her face by closing the visor. "Aw crap."