Sunset woke the next morning with the rising of the sun. ‘I wish I were back home with you,’ she mused silently, thinking of her princess and friends. She turned to silently watch Aiko, still sleeping peacefully.
She smiled. “I will get you back safely,” she quietly promised her friend.
She rose, checking her saddle bags. She then went to perform her morning ablutions and returned as Aiko woke. “So, ready for the last day of your first life?” Quipped Sunset.
Aiko just grimaced. “You have a very weird sense of humor,” she grunted as she rose from her bed. “And yes, as ready as I’ll ever be.”
She retreated to the bathroom for her turn to clean up. Sunset finished backing her belongings, as well as several outfits for her friend and some of her personal effects.
Aiko returned to her room as Sunset was finishing up. “Is there anything personal you want to take with you?” She asked. “Any keepsake or cherished mementos?”
Aiko pulled a journal from the bottom drawer of her dresser. “Just this,” she commented, passing the journal to Sunset. “It’s my diary. Might be nice to remind me of the life I had.” Sunset took it and added it to her saddle bags.
Dressed once again as Aiko’s servant, Sunset and her friend joined her parents and uncle for breakfast. It was a somber affair, which Aiko tried to liven up by smiling and assuring her parents she was happy to have had a chance to see them again and ask them not to be sad for her. Her uncle and father smiled for her, thanking her for her courage, but her mother broke into tears and had to flee the table in sadness. They all looked after her as she fled the room in sorrow.
“I’m so sorry mom!” Aiko called out after her.
“You did nothing wrong!” Insisted her father. “There is nothing for you to be sorry for. I am sorry for this horrible situation that has done this to you!” He got up and wrapped her in a hug. “You deserve so much better than this. You are so much better than this.” He held her tightly, tears glistening in his eyes.
Her uncle rose and joined them in the hug. “Your father is right. You are truly blameless here. Those that have done this to you are the ones who should pay. And I promise you the Yak-uza clan will regret the day they took you captive.”
They sat back down as Aiko begged their leave to prepare for her death. She retired to the family dojo to meditate and pray to her ancestors to prepare a place for her. Begging their indulgence, Sunset requested permission to pack some food and supplies for her return journey back to Equestria, which she planned on starting immediately following Aiko’s funeral rites. Her father and uncle begged her to stay, but she insisted they needed time to mourn as a family and she needed to return to her duties.
Reluctantly they agreed, so Sunset left and gathered what they would need for their return journey.
When she was finished, she joined her friend in the family dojo. Sitting quietly beside her, Sunset joined her in quiet meditation.
The morning passed, turning to evening as the two sat in silence. As the time approached for her ritual, Sunset turned to Aiko. “You know what’s going to happen. Promise me this time you won’t freak out. I’ll be with you, but no sky show this time, okay?”
Aiko nodded silently. Sunset smiled. “We’ll make a Battle Mage of you yet,” she grinned. Aiko just glared at her. Sunset got up and gave her a hug. “Let’s go say goodbye to everyone, and get this ritual started.”
Aiko rose, and together they left to find her family. They found them in the study waiting for them. Sunset opened the door for her friend, then closed it behind her, staying in the hall to allow them some privacy for their goodbyes.
Eventually the door opened, and Aiko led everyone out to the courtyard where the ceremony was to occur. A pyre was prepared just behind the mat she was to use, with her two swords, one long and one short, were placed on the mat along with a clean cloth and a vase of water. Dressed in her finest robe, Aiko knelt before the swords, her head bowed. Her family, including her uncle, sat across the courtyard, witnesses to her final act of honor. Sunset hugged her family, then, as her kaishakunin, took the long sword in her hooves and moved off to stand just behind her.
Bowing to the ground, Aiko called out to her ancestors, begging them to receive her as she made reparation for the shame that had been thrust upon her. She cried out to them to honor her, and punish those who had dared to dishonor her family through her. Her mother wept bitterly but quietly at her words, though her father and uncle remained stoic.
She then sat up, taking the short sword and pouring the water over it. She opened her robe, leaving her abdomen bare. Wrapping the short blade midway with the cloth, she grasped the blade and plunged it into her abdomen, dragging it across then up in the proscribed lethal cut. She gasped in pain, about to cry out as Sunset swung the long blade down from behind her, severing her head with a single blow. Her body fell forward from the blow’s momentum as her head rolled to a stop midway towards her family.
Placing the long blade down on the mat, Sunset removed the short blade from her friend’s body, placing it next to the long blade. She then laid out a silk sheet, decorated with Kitsune fighting in most honorable battle. She laid her friend out on the sheet, then retrieved her severed head, placing it back atop her body. Wrapping her carefully in the sheet, Sunset placed her atop the pyre. Taking the burning brand from its holder, she lit the pyre. Black smoke curled up from the funeral pyre as her friend’s remains were consumed by the flames licking skyward. As the flames danced, Sunset removed her friend’s journal from her saddlebag and gently tossed it into the flames, bowing as it burned to ash while she honored her friend’s final wishes. She did the same with the favorite outfits Aiko had chosen, placing them also on the fire to be burned.
Sunset sat silently, joining her family as they watched the flames consume the body of their fallen daughter. When the flames had died down, Sunset glowed in a teal light, and a flash of lightning burst from her into the remains left on the pyre, completely combusting them and leaving nothing but a large pile of white ash.
Sunset then turned to the two swords, still stained with her friend’s blood. She washed them with the remaining water, then wiped them with the rag, which she threw towards the pyre. It burst into flames as it hit the pyre, leaving only ash as well. Sunset sheathed the swords, placing them under her saddle bags.
Turning to Aiko’s family, she bowed. “I am sorry for your loss. Aiko was a dear friend. She will be missed. Farewell.”
With a flash of teal and a pop. She disappeared from their sight.
Sunset appeared over a cloud bank, her friend wrapped in a teal glow next to her as they dropped gently into the cloud beneath them. Together they peered over the edge, looking down at Aiko’s family as they looked around, surprised by Sunset’s sudden departure. As they both expected, no one was looking up to the drifting clouds for them. As they watched, her father and uncle helped her still crying mother up and into the house, leaving the ashes and pyre to blow into the surrounding fields on the gentle prevailing winds. Those same winds blew them slowly away from her home, heading north and west towards the northern coast of her island country.
Sunset looked over to her friend. “How are you feeling?” She asked quietly.
“Sad,” replied Aiko. “I knew it would come to that. But it still hurts.”
“I’m sorry,” responded Sunset. “I wanted so much for you to be wrong. After everything you’ve endured I really hoped you would get a happy ending. Not this.”
“I am happy,” answered Aiko. “I got to see my family again. I got to say goodbye. And I got to save my family's honor.”
Sunset hugged her friend. “Yes, you did. And now you live again. Welcome to your second life.”
“All we have to do is live long enough to get back to Equestria,” smiled Aiko. “And I’m sure you have a plan for that.”
“Sure do,” agreed Sunset. “First priority is getting you out and safe. So, we drift to the coast, then find a ship to get you out of the country and back to Equestria.”
They settled back into the cloud, watching as beneath them the ground drifted slowly by. Sunset brought out some nuts and dried fruit she had packed for their journey. Aiko scooped out a paw full of the nuts, tossing them into her muzzle. One bounced off her nose and fell through the cloud below them. “Oops,” she said.
“Dork,” laughed Sunset.
Below them, a Yak was cultivating rice, hock deep in muddy water. Something smacked into his head then bounced off, plopping into the water at his feet. Looking up, he saw nothing around him, only a cloud passing overhead. Scratching his head, he shrugged and returned to his work.
They slept briefly as they headed for the coast, Sunset occasionally recharging the cloud walking spell to keep them from plunging, like the nut earlier, through the cloud and into the landscape below. As night grew closer, they again shared a meal from Sunset’s saddlebags, this time with nothing dropped. They prepared for the night, then snuggled up together and drifted off to sleep.
Sunset woke several hours later, updated the spell again, then settled back to sleep. She woke throughout the night, keeping the necessary spell active as they continued their journey in their sleep, drifting closer to the coast with each passing hour.
Sunset woke with the rising sun, renewing the spell then preparing for the day ahead. Aiko woke and prepared as well. They breakfasted on dried fish and fruit, washed down with water from the skins. They could see the coast coming up, just beyond the rolling hills they were over. A village sat beyond them, fishing boats lined up along the beach.
“We should probably drop into the hills then enter the village from there,” commented Sunset, looking over the edge of the cloud.
“Drop?” Asked Aiko with concern.
“Not literally. But yes, down into the hills before the village,” clarified Sunset.
“Okay, when?” Agreed Aiko.
Sunset looked over the clouds edge. A teal glow flashed from her hooves as she and Aiko both disappeared with a pop.
And reappeared in a bowl of the rolling hills below. “Now,” snarked Sunset. “Come on,” Sunset got up and trotted up over the hill. “The village is this way.” Aiko just glared, then loped after her.
Aiko led them into the village, Sunset following after her as her servant. Seeing no central square or vendors, Aiko approached one of the fishermen mending his nets. “Excuse me,” ventured Aiko, “is there somewhere I can charter a boat for a voyage?” She asked.
The fisherman laughed. “Sorry vixen, you’re a few thousand stadia off for that. Charter a boat for an evening? We can do that. Charter a boat for further than that? Yeah, not happening.”
“Is there somewhere nearby that I could charter a berth for a voyage?” Aiko asked.
“You’re on the wrong side of the island for that,” the fisherman teased. “Need to go back east to Yokeo or Yokeohama if you want to voyage anywhere. Anywhere else, it’s just fishing and site-seeing.”
Aiko bowed in thanks, resuming her trek into the village.
“Seriously?” grumbled Sunset as they moved off. “Nowhere on the west coast has a real port?”
“Apparently?” noted Aiko. “Not that I ever tried for one, growing up near Yokeo all my life.”
Sunset rolled her eyes. “Okay, well, that was a waste of a day and change. So now we get to travel back to Yokeohama I guess if we want to get out of here.” Sunset thought for a moment. “I can work with that though. I wanted to head back to tie up a few loose ends. I just wanted to get you to safety before I did.”
“Wait, what?” Aiko spun to look at her. “You weren’t coming with me?”
“I was going to join you later. After I cleaned up some of the messes we left behind,” Sunset replied.
“And what messes are those?” Aiko asked.
“The Beast. And the Yak-uza. I’m not leaving them like they are. I need to make sure the Beast will never hurt anyone again, especially not my leash sisters. And, the Yak-uza are beasts. The rape factories are getting shut down permanently. And I have an appointment with the top management. Time for some of them to get their permanent walking papers,” replied Sunset, resuming her walk into the village. Aiko followed.
“Are you sure you’re a pony?” snarked Aiko. “You have to be the most violent pony I have ever met.”
“Nah, only when I need to be,” grinned Sunset.
They found a noodle stall in the village, and took their breakfast there, loading up on fish, vegetables, tea and noodles. They asked the vendor if there were anyone traveling towards the east coast, and she referred them to a group of traveling merchants who had come to town.
Aiko and Sunset made their way to the merchants. Aiko struck up a conversation with one of them. “Excuse me, but my servant and I were looking to journey to Yokeohama. Is it possible you are heading that way, and if so, may we accompany you?”
“We don’t generally travel with others, but if the price were right, it could be arranged,” agreed the merchant.
‘“I will offer the services of my servant as protection. She is trained as a samurai, and is very proficient,” offered Aiko.
The fox looked at Sunset in disbelief. “How could that be? She’s just a pony. And I can see she has her horn ringed. Just how useful is a small pony in a fight?”
Sunset bowed to the merchant. “That is a mistake many have made in confronting me, and I have used it to my advantage. I am skilled in many arts, and am a capable warrior.”
The fox looked a bit doubtful, but sighed. “Okay,” he agreed. “Not like you have much competition in these parts. No one here is signing up to be a mercenary. Welcome to our caravan. In return for defending us against any attacks and attempted robberies on our way back to Yokeo, you may travel with us. You can sleep in our tents and share our food, but you must contribute to the food as every other merchant does. We will be leaving at sunrise tomorrow. It should be obvious, but we will be making our journey with the intent to stop in as many towns and villages as we can reasonably accommodate, as trade is why we are traveling. Do you agree with this?”
Aiko bowed. “We do. I am Aiko, and my servant is Sunset. You will not be disappointed, we will assure you of safe travels. Thank you!”
“Thank you, Aiko. See you both tomorrow morning then,” replied the merchant, returning to his wares.
“Well that went well,” commented Sunset after they had moved off, heading towards the lone inn in the village.
“Well enough,” agreed Aiko. “You didn’t steal from him, did you? That would be a horrible way to start off our relationship with our new partners.”
“Heck no! I don’t steal,” answered Sunset. “At least, not from my employers. Yeah, that would be beyond awkward.”
They entered the inn, and secured a room for the night. They then returned to the small market, looking for supplies for their journey.
They came to the stall of the merchant that had hired them. While Sunset haggled with one of his associates over some lengths of rope and travel sacks for their supplies, Aiko chatted with the merchant. “So, any requests for the type of food we provide for the trip? You mentioned we would have to chip in, so we were wondering if you had any requests or suggestions?”
“Fresh fruit and vegetables if you can get them. We will obviously have lots of fish,” he grinned. “But we always seem to run short of fresh food. Meat is usually easy enough to get, but fruit and vegetables are harder to come by. And not that it keeps well, but fruit juice is a treat everyone enjoys,” he answered. “But truthfully, anything you bring we will eat. Amazing how much less picky everyone is when there isn’t much to pick at.” He grinned.
‘Fruit and vegetables. Okay, we’ll make that our priority. Thanks!” Aiko said. Sunset had settled on a price with the associate, and was putting all the purchased rope and bags into one of the travel bags then settled it on her back balanced between the saddle bags.
Together they roamed through the market, picking through the offerings, looking for more items that might be useful for their journey. As the morning wore on, they purchased some grilled fish and peppers for lunch, then sat in the square eating as they watched the village around them.
“I saw some wild grapes not too far off as we were approaching the shore,” commented Sunset as they finished their lunch. “I bet we could gather a bag or so of them to supplement our food supply.”
“The merchant did mention they would appreciate fruits and vegetables. Let’s check it out,” agreed Aiko. Finished, they dropped off their purchases at their room, then left with a few bags to gather grapes.
It was a short trot to the wilds Sunset had spotted, and there were plenty of wild grapes still present, though clearly others had been through also gathering the fruit.
“I bet the village uses this to supplement their diets. We should be considerate of that and not clean them out. Let’s just take half a bag, and look around for other food too,” commented Aiko. Sunset agreed, so they filled up half of one of the travel bags, then scouted further into the woods looking for nuts, berries, and other foods.
They found several varieties of edible fungus and mushrooms, so they gathered those and packed them away. There were also a few varieties of tree nuts and berries, so they were able to fill another bag and a half with those. Sunset found a few edible roots that also went into the bags. By the time the sun was setting, they had roughly three full bags of nuts, grapes, berries, roots and mushrooms and other fungi to bring for the trip. They headed back to the village.
“I have an idea for the fruit juice. I think I can enchant one of the skins to hold more, and keep it fresh with a preservation spell. If it works, we can fill it in the morning and bring that as well,” Sunset suggested.
They ate fish porridge with tea for dinner at the inn, then retired to their room. Sunset dug out one of the new skins, and laid the enchantments on it, her hooves glowing as her magic worked. Satisfied with the result, she laid the skin on top of the pile to pack for tomorrow. They performed their ablutions, bathed, and snuggled up in bed, falling to sleep quickly. Sunset was grateful for the chance to sleep through the entire night, not having to wake every few hours to check anything or update spells. Sleeping in a cloud was nice, but sleeping all night trumped it.
The next morning, they woke, did their ablutions and cleaned up, then packed. Sunset looped both the enchanted and normal skins over her neck, placed the packed travel bag on her back, and followed her mistress downstairs to the tavern where they had tea and breakfast, then settled their bill.
Heading out for the market, they found the juice merchant, where they purchased 20 skins worth of juice, the first going into the unenchanted skin, with the remaining going into the enchanted skin to his amazement.
Prepared, they traversed the market to join the merchant and his associates who were packing and preparing to leave.
“Ah, you made it. And you’re packed and ready to go. Excellent,” he observed as he loaded up a cart.
“I can pull that for you,” offered Sunset, heading to the head of the cart. She slipped her bag into the back with the merchant's wares, then slipped into the harness, tightening it down for her smaller frame.
“Are you sure?” the merchant asked. “I have a lot of merchandise, and it’s a fairly heavy load. And won’t that slow you down if we are attacked?”
“No, I got this. I can handle a lot more than you think,” answered Sunset. “And, I can slip out of a harness pretty quick if things start to go sideways. Trust me, lots of practice there. You’d be amazed at the troubles we’ve seen.”
Aiko nodded. The merchant relented. “Okay. But if you need a break, just let me know.”
Sunset nodded. They finished loading up the cart, then the merchant led the small caravan out of the village and onto the road heading southeast through the woods.
As they traveled, introductions were made. The merchant, Akira, was traveling with three associates, two vixens, Akiko and Akemi, and a tod, Daichi, his younger siblings. They traveled across the land trading and plying their wares while their parents stayed home running the family business, a store on the outskirts of Yokeo. It was difficult to make much of a profit with the graft required to stay in business, especially with the protection payout they had to provide the Yak-uza as they were operating in their area.
Sunset scowled. “We can help you with that,” she growled. “I’ll bring it up with their management when I see them next time.”
“You know the Yak-uza Overlord?” asked the merchant in shock.
“He used to be a client of mine,” replied Sunset. “Yeah, and he still owes me. I’ll bring it up with him.”
The Kitsune all moved back a bit from her. Aiko just rolled her eyes and shook her head. “It’s true,” she replied. “But don’t let her scare you. My Sunset is one of the nicest mare’s you’ll ever meet. Just, don’t tick her off.” She laughed.
“What?” laughed Sunset. “I am nice. Just ask me!
“Also, as we are traveling together, I’ll let you in on our sign,” Sunset continued. Aiko looked over in confusion.
“Okay, I’ll let you all in on the sign, sorry Aiko. When I sense danger, and I can’t just say it, I will talk about the cicadas. And if I think we are about to be attacked, I will wonder if it is their season. Also, if I try to guess what year the season is, I am telling you how many attackers I expect. That way we don’t get caught unaware, and don’t give away our advantage that we know the attack is coming,” finished Sunset. Aiko and the merchants nodded.
They continued on, eating smoked fish with rice balls for lunch as they marched. Eventually evening fell, and the merchant suggested they stop for the night and set up camp. Sunset pulled the cart off the trail a ways, then they pulled out the tent and supplies needed for the night. Sunset shared with them the fruit juice from the unenchanted skin as they worked.
When they finished, they set up a fire, which Sunset ignited with a flash of lightning. Aiko shared some of their roots and nuts as they roasted salted fish over the open fire.
After their dinner was complete, Sunset drew a large runic circle around the camp and cart, then activated it with a glowing spell from her hooves. She settled into the tent in the corner with Aiko by the front near the flap, so she would be able to quickly exit if something triggered her wards. Snuggling together, they fell asleep.
The next morning they rose with the sun. Sunset deactivated her runes, then wandered off into the woods to perform her ablutions. Aiko joined her, then together they washed up as much as they could in a nearby stream before returning to camp. They offered some of their wild grapes and nuts for breakfast, with more of the fruit juice, which was happily accepted.
Brushing away the last of the runic circle, Sunset slipped again into the harness and pulled the cart back to the path, where they resumed their journey to the next village.
By midday they arrived at the village, where the merchant and his associates quickly set up a booth and began plying their wares. Aiko and Sunset wandered the market, looking through the stalls for useful wares. Finding little of interest, they bought a lunch to share of grilled fish and vegetables with sticky rice washed down with spiced tea.
They enjoyed the lunch, so they decided to purchase four more and brought them back to the merchant and his family. They were grateful for the consideration, and enjoyed the lunches. Aiko and Sunset remained for the rest of the afternoon, helping out around the booth and trying to be useful, which mostly meant staying out of the way when potential customers came by.
Evening came, and the market closed. They helped break the stall down and pack everything back into the cart, then pulled it to the edge of town where they set up their camp. They set up the tent, ate a light dinner of fruit and dried fish, then performed their ablutions in the woods nearby, cleaning up and preparing for the evening. Over a small fire they prepared tea to enjoy before retiring for the evening. After the tea, Sunset surrounded the camp once again with a protective runic circle before retiring for the night.
The night passed without incident, and the morning came. They struck camp, eating a quick breakfast of berries and juice then a quick visit to the forest for the needful. Sunset struck the runes and scattered the cold ashes of their campfire, then harnessed herself to the wagon to begin their day’s journey.
They left the village and traveled through the surrounding woods, following the trail to the next town. While they were traversing the deeper woods, Sunset felt others tracking them on a few occasions. But they always veered off, never confronting them.
This was due to the size of the group, and was part of the reason she offered to pull the cart. A Kitsune pulling the cart would be discounted as a threat. As a pony, she was discounted completely anyway, because who had anything to fear from a clearly ringed unicorn mare? But with five adult Kitsune, one clearly a three tail, and all unfettered, ready to fight, they would measure their odds and decide this party was not worth attending.
Of course, that was the theory. Eventually you meet up with those either more determined, more powerful, or just plain too stupid, then all the tactics and intimidation just don’t work. Despite that, Sunset felt they were ready. She knew they had reserves that didn’t show.
Late in the afternoon, Sunset again sensed others tracking them. These were clearly better hunters. She could feel them coming just into and out of her perception as she scried the surrounding forest. They knew they might be sensed, and were doing their best to stay far enough away to avoid being scented. Clearly these hunters knew their craft.
Sunset stumbled, then stopped, pulling her hoof up and looking at it.
“Sorry, got something in my hoof, just a second,” she called out, looking her frog over. She brushed her hoof off on her foreleg, and set it back down, rubbing it back and forth for a bit.
While she did that, her hooves glowed slightly teal, as she forced her senses out, covering a wider area. There! She had them. Nine Kitsune, one heavy with magic. They were moving up around them, almost completely surrounding them. They stopped once they had surrounded them, then slowly moved in.
“Okay, sorry about that. All good now! Hey, do you hear the cicadas?” asked Sunset, resuming pulling the cart down the path.
“Don’t we always?” laughed the Merchant, looking back to her. She nodded.
“Yeah, I guess so,” Sunset smiled. She looked around. “They really are everywhere, aren’t they.”
“This time of year, yes. I wonder, is this the seventeenth year? Maybe?” replied the merchant. As they were chatting, the others paired off ahead of them a bit, two abreast, chatting together.
“I don’t know, maybe?” answered Sunset. “The ninth year, I think?” The merchant nodded.
“I can’t tell. Not like I pay that much attention anyway,” he grinned.
There was a ripping sound, then pain exploded in Sunset’s flank. She dropped like a rock, her magic gone, and her consciousness fading fast as well, her vision clouding out. She pushed back in her mind, forcing herself to stay awake, and looked down at her flank. She could hear shouting and fighting around her as she stared down at her bleeding flank to see an arrow embedded there, glowing pale green as teal streamed from her down into the wound towards the tip.
“Bacca! That can’t be good!” she swore to herself, and with what strength she had left, she bent back and put her teeth around the shaft, wrenching the arrow from her bleeding flank.
“Ahhhh!” she screamed out in pain as it ripped out, then in a teal flash she disappeared.
Sunset looked down from the trees above the fight. The five Kitsune in their party were holding their own against their attackers, but two of them were loading up two large bags with goods from the cart, including Aiko and Sunset’s stash of food for the trip. When they had taken everything they could carry, they loped off into the forest.
Seeing them leave, and realizing the five kitsune they were fighting were more than capable of defending themselves, the other seven took off into the forest as well, leaving the party to themselves.
The merchant ran back to the cart, and rummaged through what remained to see what had been taken. “Damn it!” he swore. “They found the hiding place I kept our coin in. It’s gone!”
Sunset popped back down behind him, blood still seeping from her flank. “I guess that means I need to go after them. What in the Tartarus was that thing that hit me? It sucked my magic right out of me! I almost blacked completely out from the shock,” she said, looking around for where she had dropped the arrow.
“Is this it?” asked one of the vixens, holding it up. “It kind of tingles.”
“That’s it,” said Sunset, coming over to look at it. “I can feel the drain even from here. What the heck is that? I’ve never seen anything like it.” She tried to take it in her magic, but it just sucked it all into the arrowhead. “That’s really odd.” She reached out with a forehoof and took it in her frog. “Wow, I can feel it sucking at me even through the wood staff. Yeah, this thing would kill a pony quickly.”
“I saw you almost black out, then you just reached back and ripped out of your backside,” noted Aiko.
“I had to get it out quick, or I would have been completely helpless,” Sunset admitted. “Like I said, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“So, are you going to get rid of it?” asked Aiko.
“Not until I understand it. I need to find some kind of defense against it, clearly. If common bandits are using this, Mages like me are screwed. I can’t ignore that,” answered Sunset. She placed the arrow carefully along the side of the cart. “Okay, Sorry I was so useless back there. I got taken by surprise.”
“No, you were clearly not useless. Thank you for the warning. If you had not let us know they were coming, we would have been completely defenseless. And knowing their numbers made us more effective, knowing how to fight them,” responded the merchant.
“Not sure how I am going to do this. I can’t do my usual storm in and kick flank when all any of them have to do is notch one of those and take a shot, knowing it will go right through any shield I cast then hit me then suck me dry. Not sure I can take two of these in a day,” Sunset shuddered.
Aiko smiled. “But you have a plan, right? Just like always?”
Sunset smiled. “I have a plan.”
Sunset sent the others onward, promising to catch up with them when she was done. Aiko wanted to go with her, but Sunset pointed out that stealth was the only thing that would work at this point, and given how proficient the foxes had proven earlier, it was probably going to take all of her fieldcraft to track and close on them without being detected. She was not sure Aiko could match that with her office experience. Aiko regretfully agreed, but found some consolation in tending to Sunset’s wound before she left.
“I am so going to enjoy teaching that vixen fieldcraft. She really has the heart for the hunt,” thought Sunset to herself as she silently galloped after the bandits, following the trail they had left through the underbrush.
About a half hour later, she sensed the pack up ahead. They had stopped, and were congregating together. She slowed, went invisible, and swept around to approach from the other side. She silently moved up, and peered out from the brush. They were in a small clearing in the middle of the forest surrounding a small campfire. They were dumping the bags of stolen merchandise out and examining their haul.
Two of the foxes were laughing at the bag of food they had stolen from her, throwing grapes at each other as they ate. ”Wish I had poisoned the food,” thought Sunset sourly.
She watched as they feasted on her food, placing the mushrooms on sticks and roasting them over the fire while they plowed through the rest of the fruit and nuts. Eventually the mushrooms were toasted to perfection, and they ate them as well.
Sunset relocated into the higher branches of one of the trees surrounding the clearing, dropping her invisibility spell and letting the natural camouflage work for her. She settled down to wait until the misfits below her fell asleep.
She found herself surprised at how much energy idiots with full stomachs had and how long they could carry on. Though to be honest, she noted for all their antics, they did not break fieldcraft. There were no shouts, howls, or any other behavior that could be heard through the forest and give their location away. They ran, wrestled, talked, laughed, but nothing that carried much past the clearing they were in. Watching them, she realized this group had martial training.
“Ronin,” she thought to herself. During their conversation at dinner, Aiko’s uncle had mentioned that Ronin had become an issue recently. The Emperor had issued an edict forbidding Samurai to take a new master after losing theirs. As a result, many had taken to crime in order to survive. This group clearly seemed to be in that category.
The setting sun bathed the forest in a golden hue. Sunset enjoyed the beautiful reminder of her mentor, and sisters, smiling to herself as she watched the foxes below enjoy their success. Eventually they settled down around the fire, sharing stories and tales with each other as they relaxed for the night. A while after the moon had risen, they laid down around the fire while one of their number moved out from the fire’s light and into the forest around them. Sunset saw him in the dim light hunched down just inside the surrounding forest, silently moving around the perimeter of the clearing. Clearly he was the first watch.
Sunset waited until he passed beneath her, dropping down behind him silently. She placed a hoof on him, dropping him instantly. She placed him up against the tree where branches and vines quickly grew up around him completely binding him to the tree. He slumbered peacefully through it, dreaming he was still circling the camp, watching his companions sleep peacefully while nothing of any note happened.
Sunset quickly moved into the camp, touching each of the foxes in turn, deepening their slumbers. Vines and brambles quickly grew up around them, wrapping them tightly as they slept. Seeing them secured, Sunset quickly returned everything back into the two bags the bandits had dumped them from, then realized there was no way she was going to be able to haul both bags back with her while running silently through the forest.
Scowling, she looked up to the moon, and noticed a cloud drifting through the night sky. Fortune was smiling on her tonight, she thought, seeing it drift in the direction she had come from. Thinking quickly, she reached out and touched both bags, then disappeared with a pop.
She dropped into the cloud with both bags, settling into the cloudbank. The merchandise was secure, so she looked down over the edge of the cloud down at the clearing below.
“起きろ！(Okiro! Wake up!)” she heard from the edge of the clearing. Immediately the foxes bound in the clearing began to rouse, thrashing in their bonds. There were several glints from them in the moonlight, then they were free, katanas at their sides. The fox she had left in the forest joined them, his katana also drawn. Together they joined in the clearing, looked up at the moon, and howled. They then loped off in the direction she had left the merchants.
“Crab nuggets! That’s not good!” Sunset swore softly as they entered the forest.
Sunset teleported back down into the clearing, racing off after them, reaching out with her senses to feel for the hunting pack. They were moving quickly ahead of her, clearly familiar with the woods and headed directly, she was sure, for Aiko and the merchants, no doubt intending to finish what they had started and recoup what they had woken to find missing. Even galloping after them at full speed she was not certain she would be able to catch them before they caught up with her party. She needed to get their attention on her, but without being caught in the process. She teleported once again into the sky above, scouting the path before the moving pack in the moonlight as she fell. She spotted a clearing they would pass through, and teleported into a tree ringing it.
As they burst into the clearing, she fired off two lightning bolts, dropping the two lead foxes. The rest scattered immediately into the woods. Sunset teleported away quickly as two arrows ripped through the branches she had just left.
From her view several stadia above the clearing, Sunset saw them circling towards the tree she had been in. As she fell, she fired off two more bolts of lightning at two of the foxes she had clear shots at through the brush, dropping them both. There was more yelling, then she saw the glint of more arrows flying up towards her. She teleported again before they reached her.
She was invisible, in the clearing from before. Knowing she had to move quickly, as invisible was not unscentable, she reached out through the earth and identified the remaining five still moving around the clearing looking for her.
“彼女のにおいがする! (Kanojo no nioi ga suru! I smell her!)” shouted one of the foxes, bounding into the clearing. She disappeared with a pop.
From a tree near the clearing, a bolt of lightning lanced out, dropping the fox. A companion leapt into the clearing, his bow at the ready, and fired off an arrow at the point the lightning had come from just as a pop was heard behind him. A bolt of lighting fried into him, dropping him as well. Arrows lanced through the clearing as another pop was heard.
Back in the trees, Sunset listened for any sound of her quarry. Hearing nothing, she turned invisible again, and silently dropped down to the ground under the tree. She reached out again, feeling for the remaining foxes.
They were being more cautious. Spread out, they were circling around, moving more slowly. One was nearly upon her, so she turned to face him as he approached. As he cleared the brush, she launched a bolt of lightning into him, dropping him. She felt the others rushing to the sound, and teleported back up into the tree as they approached. An arrow lanced through the space she had just left.
She could see the two remaining foxes looking out from the brush at where she had been, then looking around and up to try to find her. They were still facing towards the clearing. She teleported again.
Still invisible, she popped in behind them. Just as they were wheeling around to face her, she fired off two consecutive bolts of lightning at them. The first dropped the fox completely, but the second just singed the last fox and he rolled out of the way and bolted back into the forest. Sunset teleported back up into the trees as another arrow flew through the space she had just left.
Sniffing, she realized she could smell the singed fur and flesh of the second fox she had grazed. She listened carefully, thinking perhaps in his injured state, he might stumble or make some misstep. Only the sounds of the woods returned to her. Of her fox, there was not a sign.
She teleported back down to the forest floor, further out from the small clearing and still invisible. Reaching out through the earth, she felt her prey moving slowly away from her current location. Realizing she was downwind of the fox she quickly headed for him. Seeing him through the forest brush in the moonlight, she teleported directly behind him.
As she popped in behind him, he wheeled, arrow notched and ready to fire.
He was too late. Sunset reached out and touched him with her hoof. He dropped to the forest floor.
Dropping her invisibility, Sunset held his head in her forehooves, diving into his dreams.
She saw nine friends, Samurai of a local Daimyo. They were laughing and teasing each other, returning from a successful assignment. As they approached the home of their master, they heard weeping and wailing.
They rushed from the road and into the residence, to find the staff weeping piteously. “What happened?” one of the foxes asked.
“They have taken the master away, and disbanded the han! We were told to leave, we can no longer work or stay here. All the samurai have been dismissed. All are now ronin!” cried the servants.
The friends looked at each other, crestfallen. Together, they left the residence, traveling listlessly down the road away from the han.
She saw scene after scene where the former samurai had tried to find honest labor, only to be turned away, victims of the new law that forbade dismissed samurai from taking other jobs.
Heartbroken, but unwilling to kill themselves and leave their companions, they turned to banditry, stealing what they needed from merchants who traveled through their forest. The did not stoop so low as some they had seen, killing for sport, raping and selling vixens into slavery, or needlessly damaging or hurting others. They took what they needed, and left those they robbed to flee with what they still had.
The exception to this were those who fought back. Those, they fought honorably, and often lethally.
Then there was this night. They had targeted the pony with arrows they had brought, tipped with a rock that sucked all magic. They had stolen the rock from a griffin merchant a year before, and kept it for a time like this, when they had to face off against a creature of powerful magic. They did not know for certain the pony had deep magic, but could clearly see she was a unicorn and pulling a wagon. That either meant she was cunning, and knew keeping the Kitsune free to deal with the fighting would intimidate many. And that she was confident in her ability to free herself and still be of use in the battle. Or, she was magically inert, and worthless in the fight. As they didn’t know, they assumed the former, and took her out preemptively.
But even taking out the mare first, the group they attacked faced them bravely and honorably, fighting with surprising skill and tenacity for a group clearly not used to fighting. They were happy to leave them alive with what they did not take, and headed back to their camp to celebrate their spoils.
They did not, however, expect to see the unicorn mare again. That she had survived the attack surprised them. And to see her magic intact, then be taken out by her one by one? They fought bravely, but each one fell, joining their ancestors.
And now there was one. Injured, he tried to finish what they had started, to meet the mare in honorable combat. But he was done too, and would soon meet his ancestors as well.
Sunset appeared before him in his dream.
“Honorable Samurai,” she called out to him, bowing. “There is no dishonor in you. You have fought bravely and nobly, and are a truly worthy foe. I greet you here as one Samurai to another, honored to have fought you in battle.”
“Who are you?” he asked.
“I am Sunset Shimmer, Samurai of the Equestrian Princess, sent here on a mission. That I had to slay you and your band has saddened me, as has your plight. It was wrong of the emperor to place such an edict on you, forbidding you to find noble employment with another master. Your attempts anyway, despite that foul edict, are a credit to your nobility. And your treatment of those you faced in your difficulties was noble as well. You and your friends are a credit to your house, and your ancestors. Join them in peace, my friend,” she answered, smiling.
She reached out to him, touching his forehead with her hoof. He slowly faded from the dream.
Sunset was again before the injured and unconscious fox, her hoof still on his head. In a flash, he turned to white ash beneath her hoof, drifting away in the wind.
Moving back through her travels, she found the bodies of the other eight, releasing them to the forest winds as well. She also gathered up all the anti-magically tipped arrows she could find, burying them in the forest, marked, she hoped, in a way only she would be able to find again. When she was done, she tracked down the cloud with their missing merchandise and teleported up to it, riding the winds towards Aiko and the merchants. Several hours later, she saw her friend below her, so she teleported down behind her.
“Did you miss me?” she asked, teasing.
Aiko jumped up, wheeling about in mid air. “What!” She saw Sunset, and ran over scooping her into her paws. “Where were you?” she cried.
With her free hoof, she pointed up. Looking up, Aiko saw two bags falling towards them out of the sky. “Bacca, bacca, bacca!” she cried out, dropping Sunset and running around to wake up the others. “Look out! Our stuff is about to crash on our heads!”
The other rolled to their feet and looked into the sky as the bags hurtled towards them. “Sunset, help!” called out Aiko.
Sunset laughed, and with a teal glow, the bags slowed, then slowly finished their journey, landing gently in the wagon with the rest of their merchandise.
Aiko punched her on the flank. “Dork! Why’d you scare us like that?” she asked.
“Because you’re too much fun to tease,” grinned Sunset, sticking out her tongue.
Aiko rolled her eyes. “So where are the bandits?” she asked. Sunset looked sad.
“I had to send them to their ancestors,” she answered.
“What? No plant restraints? No Bandits sign?” asked Aiko.
“Not this time. I tried, but they were Ronin. They cast off my mind magic and sliced through my restraints. Then they started after you. I couldn’t let them take you. They fought bravely and honorably, but they fell. Every last one of them. They are with their ancestors now,” Sunset answered sadly.
Aiko pulled her into a hug, which Sunset gratefully accepted. The merchants gave them their moment. Together, they settled back down around the fire, Sunset snuggled up tightly to her friend, and they fell asleep.