//------------------------------//
// CH. 4: Reconnaissance 
// Story: Ryujin 
// by bestponydash 
//------------------------------//

          Around the time of Zecora's funeral in Ponyville, Shinigami was awakening from his deep slumber. He opened his eyes and looked around the cave he had taken refuge in. He stretched out his arms and yawned ever so casually. He stood up and looked at the damp bedrock and various stalactites and stalagmites of different shapes, sizes, and smells. He walked slowly to the cave entrance and gazed out to the forest; the golden rays of sunlight peeking through the thick line of trees that stretch far above. 

Shinigami slowly looked around and sighed, not sure what to do next; he couldn't just attack the town because he would lose again. He also had no idea what was in this forest, or if he would be spotted by some random pony from town. Shinigami turned and looked back inside the cave; he noticed a large flat stone surrounded by various smaller ones. He picked up the larger one and a reasonably shaped small one, then dragged the two stones against one another and followed the strong line of chalk that resulted. 

He smiled, "This could work."

Then he drew a small circle to indicate his cave, and decided that if he was going to stay here he would need to become familiar with his surroundings, and started mapping out the forest on his stone. He drew the town's location as well as the area that used to be occupied by Zecora. When this was done he traveled outside the cave and walked onward into the Ever-free forest; he would soon know this place better than the tip of his tail and he would be ready if his brother came wandering in. 

Shinigami traveled through tree line after tree line, fending off and destroying countless timber wolves, mythological beasts, and other deadly creatures. Finally he broke through the trees and out into an open piece of land. In the center was a large castle that seemed to of been abandoned long ago. Shinigami smiled and slowly made his way closer to it. As he approached this castle, the sky darkened, the trees waved in an unforgettable gust of wind, and the screeching howl of a wolf echoed in the distance. 

He walked along the cobblestone road until he reached the front doorway. He examined the giant doors and lifted his hand to give them a slight push. The doors swung open imminently with a loud Creek and slammed against the walls inside. Dust and dirt flew out of the dark hallway; Shinigami put his arm up to block his eyes. When the dust cleared, Shinigami lowered his arm and gazed into the advanced darkness before him. He stepped inside and looked around; his dragon eyes allowing him to see almost perfectly. Suddenly the doors behind him started to Creek once again and slammed shut with an ominous crash. 

Shinigami glanced back, "Well alright then."

He then walked onward, exploring the castle's many rooms both in plain sight and hidden. 

It was at this time that Ryujin had gathered up Dash and Discord back in Ponyville. Every-pony wished the group good luck as they departed into the forest. The three had mixed feelings about this mission, and all of them were a bit frightened about what could happen. They walked into the forest without saying a word to one another. They slowly walked along the main trail deeper and deeper into the darkness. In the distance were the howls of timber wolves and the roars of various mythical creatures. Soon enough, Ponyville was no longer in sight and the group started to become uneasy.

"You know, I've never been truly fond of this place," Discord said, masking his fear with jokes. 

"Well we better get this over with," said Ryujin. 

Dash turned to the two of them, "What are we doing again?"

"We need to find Shinigami."

"Right, but then what? It took every-pony to beat him before."

"We're just gonna find out where he's hiding and what he's up to. Then we can go back to town and I can think of what to do next." 

Dash flew next to Ryujin, "That's it? You're just gonna let him go?"

"Well it's not like we could just run up to him and hope for the best, we would be dead before we knew what hit us."

Dash landed. Ryujin looked down at Dash's face and saw her deep dissatisfaction with his answer. He stopped walking, as did the others, and knelt down next to Dash. 

"Look...I'm sorry about your friend. I know what your feeling right now." 

Dash looked at him, "Do you? I just had to bury my friend."

"I know, and I also know there's nothing I can say to just make you forget that. I just-"

"Just nothing!" Dash snapped.

Ryujin's mind escaped him in that moment; once again the painful memory of his parents flashed before his eyes. Seeing them on the ground, ripped apart. His blinding pain made him angry.

Ryujin slowly stood up, "You think you're the only one to see loved ones die. You think I don't know what it's like to bury someone. At least your friend got a funeral; I had to bury my parents in the back yard and clean up their blood with an old rag!"

Ryujin stopped and starred into Dash's face. She had her ears lowered; her mouth was open and she slowly took a few steps back. Ryujin snapped out of his trance and realized he was frightening the pony. He backed up a few feet and rested on a tree. He looked up at Dash and Discord, who were staring back at him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that....I-"

Suddenly there was a low growl in a nearby bush. The group quickly turned and faced this bush just in time to see a large timber wolf jump out. It lunged itself towards Ryujin and grabbed hold of his face, trying to pry loose the scales protecting his flesh. Ryujin was pushed onto his back with a groan and struggled free from the wolf's grip. He grabbed the wolf by its sides and threw it back against a tree. With a loud crash, the creature broke into dozens of pieces that flew everywhere before falling to the ground. Ryujin looked up to see the other members of his party fending off their share of the beasts. More and more wolves poured from the blackness of the forest. The three of them kicked and punched until they could do so no more. Finally it seemed as though they had won when there was nothing but a big pile of wood on the ground in front of them. 

Dash pointed to the pile, "Quickly, burn it!"

Ryujin looked at her confused, "What are you talking about? We killed them." 

"No. You can't-" 

Dash was interrupted by the pile of wood on the ground suddenly coming to life again. An emerald-colored magic surrounded the wood and soon shaped the pieces to form a giant wolf that towered over them; It roared and spit foul breath. It raised a claw and swung at Ryujin; he jumped over the massive wooden paw and rolled underneath the beast. The wolf staggered, trying to strike the dragon; suddenly Dash flew up and kicked the monster in the face. The beast swung his claws and roared at Dash. She dodged, ducked, and hit the wolf repeatedly until finally the creature screamed in pain. Dash smiled as she thought it was her efforts that caused the beast to make such a horrible noise, but then she looked down and saw a glowing light coming from under the beast's stomach.  The wolf screeched in pain as huge flames soon covered it from head to toe.

Dash flew back to avoid the heat and landed near Discord. Ryujin walked calmly out of the inferno, and jumped up high above the burning structure. He flapped his wing vigorously to put out the flames before they burned the whole forest down. The fire slowly died down and Ryujin landed; the burnt remains of the timber wolf lay there smoking. He let out a calm breath and stood up. As he was walking back to the others, Ryujin was surprised by yet another timber wolf. It jumped from a quiet bush behind him, nearing his back. but just before it reached him Dash flew in and bucked its side, sending the last of the creatures back into the trees. 

Ryujin looked as the wolf flew passed him and disappeared from sight. He lowered his guard and relaxed, feeling as though all the danger was behind him.  He then turned to Dash who was hovering next to him.

"Uh...thanks."

"Don't mention it. And....sorry for before. You were right...I'm not the only one who lost some-pony because of this guy." 

Ryujin saw Dash's lowered ears and distant gaze. He realized that he may have single handedly made her feel even worse than she already did.

Ryujin sighed, "No, I shouldn't of gotten angry. I just meant that-" 

Dash smiled, "I know....thanks."

The two of them starred at one another for a moment in silence, until they were interrupted by Discord.

"Not to be a third wheel, but don't you two think we should get back to the task at hand?" 

Ryujin and Dash shook their heads and snapped out of their sympathetic spell. The two of them turned and walked over to Discord. Dash lead the way; Ryujin starred as she passed him. He was trying his best to cheer the pony up but he feared he was failing.

Dash scornfully flew up to Discord, "You know, it would of been nice if you helped us out with the big one."

"What? And mess up your concentration; oh good heavens no. Besides, you two did just fine." 

Dash gave Discord another glare before continuing on the trail with Ryujin. The three of them walked along the path until they found the clearing that held Zecora's house (or what was left of it). They slowly approached the smoldering ruin and ruble with open-mouth gazes; the air was still thick with the bitter smell of charred flesh. Slowly the group approached, covering their noses, and entered the area that used to serve as Zecora's kitchen. They searched for any sign that might lead to Shinigami; a footprint, a trail of broken branches among the bushes outside, anything. Ryujin was examining some dried blood stain on the floor while Dash walked over to a familiar corner within the house. She stopped in front of a misshapen burn mark on the ground.

She starred with glossy eyes, "This is where we found her." 

Ryujin turned and looked as Dash lowered her head and starred intensely at the stain; her eyes were watery as she relived the moment over and over again in her head. Dash's ears were lowered and she appeared to be holding her wings close to her sides as if they were her friends trying to comfort her. Ryujin had seen that look before, he had made that look before. That was the look he made whenever he visited his parents' graves. Dash is feeling what he had felt so many times before; and now, more than ever, he felt as though he could relate to this pony, this friend. He had to do something before she became any more depressed than she already was. He looked around until he spotted a random dirt path; he walked over to it ever so nonchalantly and gazed down it for a few seconds before speaking.

"Hey, maybe he went this way."

Upon hearing Ryujin's voice, Dash blinked her eyes and shook her head in an attempt to end her compromising emotions. She and Discord turned and joined Ryujin near the start of the trail; the two of them looked down the path questionably.

Dash stood next to him, "What makes you say that?"

"I don't know, just a hunch." 

"Well that's comforting," Discord whispered under his breath.

Ryujin started to walk forward and the others followed, still unsure of this particular route. Ryujin knew this random path was a shot in the dark, but he didn't care. He had successfully distracted his new friend from her pain, at least for the time being. The three of them continued to blindly walk onward. 

Back at the princesses' old castle, Shinigami was still wandering through the labyrinth of rooms; the entire castle seemed to be covered in cobwebs and reeked of mold. He eventually found himself entering a long dark hallway with many rooms attached. He traveled down this hallway, quickly glancing in each room, until he spotted what appeared to be an old library. He turned and slowly entered the room only to gasp at the sheer scale of it. He turned his head and could see nothing but shelf after shelf featuring books of all shapes, sizes, conditions, and topics. Shinigami entered the room and started scanning the nearest of the shelves for anything that might be of use. 

Eventually his interests were peeked when his eyes came across a certain series named, "The History of Equestria." Perhaps he was just curious or perhaps he was looking for something particular, but he liberated the first volume of the series and began to read. He skipped through the book until he spotted a chapter that seemed like it would be the most interesting: "Military records." His eyes dashed over entries titled, "Queen Chrysalis," "King Sombra," and "Discord." As he read, Shinigami became more and more interested; he even began to lose himself in the accounts of Equestria's attackers.

Off within the Ever-free forest, Ryujin, Dash, and Discord continued to aimlessly walk on. Unlike Ryujin, Dash had been in this forest many times and would like to think she knew the place rather well. She looked around at the leaf-stripped trees and jungle-like vines and raised an eyebrow questionably.

"You know, I really don't think he went this way."

Ryujin and Discord stopped walking and turned to face Dash. In his mind Ryujin thanked some-pony for finally saying something. 

"Oh well excuse us. I was unaware that you were an expert in tracking down a dragon," Discord said in a friendly sarcastic tone.

"That's not I meant," Dash said, bickering with Discord, "I just meant that I've been in this part of the forest before and there's nothing here."

Ryujin spoke up, "Well where do you think we should look?"

"We could check the cave with the tree of harmony in it, or Princess Celestia and Luna's old castle. And there's-"

Ryujin interrupted, "Old castle?...Yeah that sounds like somewhere he'd be. Where is it?" 

"Uh, it's awhile from here."

Ryujin looked up at the sky; they had been searching into the afternoon. 

"We can't afford to waste that much daylight. Discord, you know where this place is right?"

"Unfortunately."

"Good, I need you to teleport us there."

Discord sighed, "I suppose you'll want me to fetch you a cup of tea as well." 

"Stop complaining and just do it!" Dash snapped.

Discord watched as Dash's face became wrinkled and stern; perhaps, he thought, this was not the right time for jokes. He nodded and took hold of Dash and Ryujin; then a strange aura began to rise from Discord's hands. This light soon traveled unto Dash and Ryujin, surrounding their entire bodies. In another second there was a bright flash of light and a "poof." When the smoke cleared, they looked around and found themselves in the middle of the castle's courtyard. The air was bitter, the trees were stifling, and there was a giant ruin of a castle towering high above them. Once the last of the magic light had receded back into Discord's hands, the group took a step forward.

"Geez," uttered Ryujin. 

They continued to walk forward on the cobblestone road. As they get closer to the front doors, the forest seemed to get darker as if the sun was slowly dying down like an old candle. An ominous glow covered the entire area and sent fear into the group. 

"You think he's in there?" Dash asked, nerves rising in her throat.

"Only one way to find out," Ryujin responded.

The trees swayed and sung a horrifying song against the wind as they arrived at the castle's entrance. Ryujin gave the door a push and with an unsettling creek, they opened. As they had done before, the doors slammed into the walls of the castle interior. The group looked at one another then turned their attention back to the blinding darkness that filled the castle's halls. Ryujin took a deep breath then stepped inside, half expecting his brother to just jump out and end it right then and there. But when he took another step inside, then another step, he realized the only thing that was waiting for him was the wind and darkness. After he entered the building, the others soon followed. 

In the castle library, Shinigami was finishing a section of Queen Chrysalis's chapter when his ear twitched. He quickly turned to the entrance of the room and dropped the book. He flew high into the air and hid behind some pillars; waiting for the intruders to show themselves. Ryujin and the rest of the group slowly separated and covered every inch of the castle. A few minutes past and none of them had found anything.

"Honestly, it shouldn't be this hard to find a big silver reptile that wants to kill everything," Discord said to himself. 

Dash searched the tower Twilight used to study from time to time; it was filled with spider webs, dust, and many books scavenged from the library. Unfortunately there was no sign of Shinigami anywhere; she gave an angry sigh and descended back down the steps to join the others in defeat.

"Well I can't find him."

Ryujin kept glancing around, "Let's keep looking, this place is bound to have a lot of hiding places."

The three of them continued to search the halls; eventually Dash came across a very long hallway with many rooms attached to it. Like Shinigami, she started walking until she reached the immense library. She stopped in front of the room and pictured her and her friends running around the room, terrified. Then she remembered Twilight, coming in and finding them all. She reassured them and they all laughed about it.  Dash couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the memory.

"You see anything?" Ryujin bellowed from afar. 

Dash once again shook her head, ending her daydream. She turned and saw Ryujin standing at the hall's beginning.

"It's the library, come help me look."

Ryujin agreed and gestured Discord forth; the two of them transcended down the hallway until they met Dash at the library's entrance. The three of them looked inside at the incalculable scale of the place. 

"Well, well, well," Discord said, "it's a good thing we're not looking for a specific book." 

They entered the room, the ceiling towering over them; columns and shelves cover the walls. They stepped further and further into the room, checking every corner and crevice. High above them, Shinigami was intensely watching their every move. They began to spread out, and covered every part of the room, Shinigami continued to observe. He began to move in closer until suddenly, Dash flew up with great speed; just barely missing him. Shinigami recognized this pony to be the same one from town; the one who liked to kick. For a quick moment, Shinigami raised his hand to slice Dash's neck and be done with her, but he knew he would be spotted by his brother. He lowered his hand, luckily it seemed as though Dash had not yet seen him. Shinigami quickly dropped down and glided into a corner on the far wall. Dash looked around, flying from pillar to pillar and finding nothing. 

"See anything?" Ryujin asked from below.

Shinigami's attention shifted from Dash when he heard his brother's voice. He turned his head and saw Ryujin standing only the length of the room away. 

"No, nothing."

Anger and hate filled every ounce of Shinigami's being. He growled in a low voice as he watched Dash fly down and speak to his brother. Hundreds of plans flew through is head: if he attacked now Ryujin would see him; if he sneaked around he could take Ryujin out but the others would notice and have time to get away. Shinigami knew he was faster than them, but he couldn't risk it. His only chance was to take each one of them out secretly, leaving his brother for last. After that he would have no one standing between him and the town. 

"I can't see any sign of him," Dash said.

"How about you Discord?" Ryujin asked, bellowing towards the chaotic creature on the other side of the room.

"Nope nothing."

Ryujin walked forward, rubbing the back of his neck. Behind the pillar in the back of the room, Shinigami glanced over to Discord. 

"I'll have to start with him," he whispered to himself.

Ryujin walked on to meet Discord in the middle of the room when he suddenly tripped over a book. Shinigami was about to get the angle on Discord when he noticed his brother stumble. Ryujin looked down to see an open book; this should not have surprised him, but he turned his head at this one. Shinigami watched as Ryujin picked up the book that he was previously reading; he began to sweat nervously. Ryujin looked at the book in his hands, it read, "With her many changeling minions, Queen Chrysalis ravaged Canterlot..." 

"This just happens to be opened to a page like this?" Ryujin whispered. 

Ryujin kept his head low, but his eyes were scanning the room intensely.

"What's that? Did you find something?" asked Discord. 

Ryujin looked up, "No....just another book."

Shinigami heard his brother say this and let out a sigh of relief, satisfied that he was telling the truth. With that he started to move around the group; once in a good point, he tried to find ways to draw Discord alone and kill him. Discord walked over to Ryujin who had dropped the book. Ryujin looked at Discord when he suddenly saw a shadow fly behind the pillars on the far end of the room; Ryujin's eyes widened.

In the deep forests Ryujin stood alone, cautiously looking around and listening for the slightest peep. 

"This time," he said to himself, "This time I'll win."

He walked on ever so slowly, checking behind every bush. So many times before had his brother bested him, but no more. He slipped through the shadows ever so quietly. Suddenly he gazed out into the far tree line; he saw a thin dark disfigured creature pass through the trees. At first he thought it was Shinigami; he stood there frozen in his tracks, but after a few minutes, there was nothing.

"Must of been a bird or something," he told himself. 

He continued to scan the forest, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find his brother. Suddenly Ryujin heard a loud noise come from the brush behind him; before he could act, Shinigami was already upon him. Ryujin quickly found that his arms and wings had been pinned behind his back and Shinigami was a top of him.

"You're dead, I win again," Shinigami said triumphantly.

Shinigami stood up and allowed Ryujin to get to his feet.

"Don't make me laugh, I let you win," Ryujin explained.

"You're such a liar." 

"Am not."

"Yes you are."

"Am not."

Suddenly this memory begins to fade away; Ryujin rejoins the present situation. He begins to sweat nervously,but keeps a straight face as Discord looks at him.  

"Any sign of him?" Ryujin asked Discord casually.

"No, now can we please leave. This place is not really my style; all gloomy and boring."

With that question, Ryujin raised his eye brows. He held back a smile.

He still kept a straight face, "I suppose so. You ready to go, dash?"

Dash looked at Ryujin; her eyes told him that she was about to protest leaving so soon. Ryujin quickly widened his eyes and gestured her forth as if there was something he needed to tell her. Dash was confused, but decided to obey and followed Ryujin and Discord as they headed for the library exit. Shinigami had gotten into position to take out Discord when the three began to walk away. He growled; this was his chance, and he wouldn't let his prey get away that easily. He suddenly looked around and found a large piece of discarded ruble on the ground next to him. Shinigami lifted the piece and, with a great heave, threw it against a nearby wall.

Ryujin, Dash, and Discord were about to reach the hallway when the three of them heard a CRACK at the other end of the room. They turned and saw nothing but an empty library. 

"What was that?" Dash asked. 

Ryujin stopped dead in his tracks and lowered his head. Dash began to walk over to where to noise came from; Ryujin became more uneasy with every step she took. 

Ryujin turned to her, "I'm sure it was nothing."

"I won't take long, I'm just gonna check it out."

"Damn," he whispered. 

Shinigami stood in the darkness as dash approached him, he would prefer to take out the one that could teleport first, but Dash was just as good a substitute. As she got closer and closer; Shinigami readied his claws and teeth. Dash walked on, looking around for the source of the strange sound. Ryujin was back with Discord, trying to find a way to stop her from getting herself killed. Finally he turns to Discord.

"Maybe we should help her look."

"Alright."

Discord lifted his hand and snapped his fingers casually. Across the room, Dash was slowly walking on when suddenly a giant magnifying glass appeared before her and she soon found herself wearing a brown cliche detective suite, compliments of Discord. As soon as she noticed, Dash looked to the others with a confused and annoyed face. When Ryujin saw this he turned and looked at Discord with an unamused expression.

"what? I helped her just like you said," said Discord innocently .

"Oh just come with me, and stop....Being you," 

Ryujin took hold of Discord and lead him along as he made his way over to Dash. Discord was confused, but it wasn't like he had much of a choice at this point, so he went along. When Shinigami saw his brother and Discord approaching, he became furious. He would not let this opportunity pass him by. Shinigami looked around once again and tried to come up with a plan. Suddenly he looked up and a strange idea popped into his head. Ryujin was about to reach Dash and persuade her to leave before anything happens when he heard a faint "whoosh" sound. Both Ryujin and Dash's ears fluttered. 

Both creatures looked at each other  in mutual understanding then they looked up. Behind one of the large columns, Shinigami floated, using up great amounts of strength to push the pillar over; it cracked under the pressure. When Ryujin saw this he became alarmed and readied him self to sprint to Dash as fast as he knew how. But just as he was about to take off, the large cracked pillar broke and hurtled towards the ground. Ryujin and Discord looked up just in time see the pillar come down on them. Dash quickly flew up to get over the pillar and save her friends when she was halted. Shinigami slowly lowered himself down in front of Dash.

"Well, well, well. It is about time I got one of you three alone, and this is much easier than trying to take you out silently."

"Yeah so ya got me alone, I can still fight," Dash said bravely.

Shinigami laughed, "Oh I have no doubt of that, but you see, it would be futile. You alone can't hurt me," 

He glanced over to the large pillar that had his brother and Discord pinned down, unconscious.

He sighed, "That is a pity; I expected more. oh well, I guess I'll only get to kill one of you."

Dash looked over to the pile of ruble that was crushing her friends; all that could be seen of them was Discord's arm sticking out.Then she turned back to her enemy.

Dash gulped, "Well here goes nothing."

Dash suddenly flew up at amazing speeds, she soared high above Shinigami. Then she turned and shot back down. But the dragon merely glanced as she approached him and jumped up to meet her at super sonic speeds. The two neared each other, both going as fast as they could. Meanwhile a strange light began to emerge from under the pillar ruble. Soon this light covered the ruble, growing more intense by the second. Shinigami and Dash came closer and closer to one another, but Shinigami's speed was far superior to Dash's. He got the edge and grabbed Dash just before the two of them collided. With both hands out Shinigami slams against Dash, the rough scales digging into her torso. As he grabbed her, Dash let out a huge groan and spat blood from her mouth. The two stopped in mid-air; Shinigami had the young Pegasus in his grasp.

"So are you gonna try that again?" he asked sarcastically.

Dash Couldn't speak, she just hung there struggling to get free. Suddenly the strange light from under the pillar became brighter and brighter. Shinigami raised his tail up to Dash's neck, the sharp spike at the tip was practically shaving her. Sweat and blood dripped from her body; her eyes were wide and her breathing was rapid and patchy. 

Shinigami laughed, "What's wrong? Aren't you gonna try more of those fancy kicks you like so much?"

The spiked tail glided to one side of Dash's neck, preparing to turn crimson with her blood when it was interrupted. The light that had surrounded the ruble on top of Ryujin and Discord had erupted with a loud Bang. Pieces of debris flew in every direction as the ruble burst in an explosion. Several pieces were launched at Shinigami, he quickly covered his face with his wing until the dust had settled. 

As he lowered his wing, he could see his brother standing beside him. He was about to act when Ryujin took the liberty of striking first. He delivered a devastating puch to Shinigami's jaw, forcing him to release Dash and fall backward. Dash fell to the ground in shock; if Ryujin had not come along when he did she would be.... Dash sat there on the ground; eyes wide, out of breath, and jaw dropped. She had been in life-and-death situations many times before, but this was the first time death had her by her neck (quite literally). Ryujin watched as his brother moaned, sat up, and wiped the blood from his chin.

Shinigami slowly stood up. The two stared at one another; it was like a quick draw match in an old western movie. Ryujin turned his head slightly to talk to dash; keeping one very observatory eye on his brother.

"Dash, go and get Discord from under that mess over there."

Dash was still in her trance of shock and hadn't realized what Ryujin said.

She starred blankly, "What?"

"Dash!" Ryujin screamed.

Dash slowly blinked and shook her head. She looked towards the pile of broken column that lay on top of Discord; quickly she stood up and flew over to it. She used her snout and wing power to lift most of the pieces covering Discord, despite some of the heaviest ones. When Discord was revealed, Dash saw a thick shield of ruby magic extending the length of his body. After a minute or so, this magic evaporated, leaving Discord virtually unharmed. Dash proceeded to shake Discord until he regained consciousness. 

Discord looked around and then at Dash, who was hovering over him. When Ryujin saw that the other members of his party were awake and ready for action, he turned back to face Shinigami. 

"You two need to get out of here," Ryujin said to his friends; his back facing them. 

Shinigami raised an eyebrow, "Oh look at you, so confident that you'll win."

Dash looked at him in protest; she couldn't just leave him here.

"What? No, I can't."

He turned to them, "No time to argue. Discord, take Dash and get back to town."

"But..." Discord said.

"Do it now!" 

Dash readied herself to fly in and fight along side our hero, but she was halted by Discord. As she was about to take off, Dash felt Discord firmly grab hold of her. Before she could speak, Dash saw Discord's chaotic magic cover her entire body. The next thing she heard was a quick "Poof," and she was back in Ponyville. The air was calm and the sun had reached its climax in the western part of the sky; several ponies had witnessed their sudden arrival. Dash looked around until her gaze reached Discord. 

She flew up to his face, "Why did you do that?!"

"Well what did you expect me to do?"

Dash got closer, "Help him! Take me back there now." 

"Are you mad?"

Dash calmed her voice, "He saved both of our lives. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"He said he didn't want our help. Why are you so sure he'll lose?"

Before Dash could answer, the rest of the main six came galloping to her side. 

Twilight stepped forward, "What happened?"

Dash landed, "We found him in the old castle. I was about to help fight when SOME-PONY teleported us back here."

Discord folded his arms and huffed.

Luna flew to the front, "Where's Ryujin?"

"He's still there, fighting. We need to go help."

Twilight looked around, "Alright, I'll teleport us there."

The ponies continued to prepare for the fight.

After Dash and Discord left the castle, the two brother starred each other down; Sweat dripped from both.

"I guess I'll just have to kill you before they come back."

Ryujin smirked,"I guess so. That is, if you can," he pointed, "You know, that's a pretty big scar; one might wounder if it might be a set back."

Shinigami glanced down at his chest and held his hand to the scar; he growled.

"You got lucky last time with that puny knife of yours!"

"it seems this puny knife served its purpose."

Shinigami smiled, "You know how this is going to end."

"Yes I do; with me standing over your corps."

"Ooooh. Well come on then, let's see it happen."

Ryujin growled and closed his fists tightly. Shinigami smiled and did the same. Simultaneously the brothers leapt toward one another until they were inches apart. They both screamed as they collided.