• Published 15th May 2013
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Anima Mea Tenebre - Nixus



Darkness exists within every soul, no matter how pure and innocent. Yet the true question remains: How far can one be pushed before they succumb to the evil in their hearts?

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Pureblood

Gravity released its hold on Twilight as she lifted off the ground when the wall next to her exploded inwards. The trip through the air itself was cut short as she crashed against a bookshelf and tumbled to the ground. A shrill squawk resounded in the room as a blackish blob filled the corner of Twilight's dazed view. She rose from the ground, attempting to back away, but her weakened legs would not move no matter how hard she tried.

Even as her vision was clouded by stars, she could make out the sounds of heavy panting and grunting as the thing that destroyed her wall came close. She felt something connect to her head and the blow hit hard enough that her legs buckled. It threw a second punch at her, but she managed to dodge the second blow and heard the sound of the wood floor where she had been splinter and crack. She winced as pieces of the wooden floor were launched at her, some of the tiny and sharp splinters embedding themselves in her legs and haunch. She hissed in pain, but remained standing as she kept her focus.

Not taking the time to let whatever was attacking her get a second chance, Twilight readied herself. A bright beam of purple energy shot out from her horn and hit the centre of the thing in front of her, dazing it. Her clearing vision allowed her to see it hold a taloned hand to where her beam had landed. Undaunted, she kept up the pressure, launching beam after beam into what she assumed was its chest. The monster was obviously caught by surprise and had not expected her to fight back, given how her barrage had thrown it backwards. In the short time that her offensive had granted her, she managed to get a view of the thing.

The monster in her home was large, too large to be anything natural. Its appearance was odd, and more than frightening to her. Heavily muscled arms with taloned claws and scrawny bird like legs, all covered in leathery brown skin, lashed out on both sides of the monsters as it struggled to move its massive bulk. She yelped in fright as a sudden gout of flame burst from its mouth. It then caught one side of the library and used its strength to pull itself up off of its back. Twilight gaped as the beady white eyes in the vulture like head glared at her. The monster gave another deep cry as it lifted its arm to crush her.

Twilight dodged the gorilla like arm as it destroyed the large table in the centre of the room. She backed away, jumping as it used both arms to sweep the wreckage away to get to her. She launched another flurry of short purple beams at the monster's face in hopes that it might be distracted enough for her to escape. The monster blocked her attack, raising an arm to cover its eyes and beak while beginning to charge at her. Its spindly legs scrabbled at the floor before it employed its front arms to help push itself forward. Twilight barely had enough time to jump out of the way as the momentum propelled the massive monster through the wall and out onto the street. It continued to rush forward until it crashed into the burning building across from the library, caving in the wall and bringing the entire building down on it.

Twilight took no time in trying to escape the area. In her mind, there wasn't any way that thing would have survived a two-story house falling on it. Yet the possibility that it might have, beyond all odds, lived, pushed her to leave even faster. She needed answers as to what exactly was going on.

She scanned the area and saw that it was deserted. There were a few fresh dark red stains on the ground, smeared by whatever monster had dragged its victim away. Seeing those made her entire body feel sick, and she barely suppressed the urge to gag as she turned away. Faintly, she could hear the panicked shouts and calls over the roar of the flames and her own nausea. It wasn't a great sign as the nature of the voices meant there might be danger, but while there was a risk, the noises meant that there were others still in the town. If she could get to them, there was the chance that she could organise some sort of group to halt the fire’s progress or search for others while they awaited, outside intervention.

She barely made it two steps before she was nearly crushed by a large slab of building and heard the monster's roar once again. Wheeling around, she saw it clear the rubble as it glared at her with hatred in its eyes. It reared on its legs, gnashing its fang lined beak and pounding on its chest menacingly. It swept the boulder-sized pieces of rubble around it towards Twilight as it tried to crush her. As they soared through the air and ricocheted off the ground, Twilight summoned a barrier to protect herself from the hailstorm of building. Stone, wood, and glass all smashed and broke against her defensive spell, none making so much as a dent.

A sudden and great weight upon the barrier threatened to disrupt the spell entirely. Twilight looked up and saw her opponent smash its hands into her barrier for a second time. The force was enough to rattle the barrier and Twilight had to brace herself as the aftershock rang in the base of her horn and in her brain. The feeling of it causing her to stagger and the barrier to barrier to loosen slightly. It was not much, but the lapse in consistency of her barrier was something even the monster was able to take advantage of.

Seeing that it had an opportunity, it kept up its assault, pounding on the barrier with both fists. Straining under the weight, Twilight broke out into a sweat as a small, noticeable chip in her barrier had appeared. She was nearing her limit and if she didn't get any help, she wouldn't be able to defend herself. The chip grew into a crack with another hammering blow, stretching to be just longer than the length of her foreleg. Time slowed as the adrenaline coursed through her veins, letting her watch as the crack multiplied into smaller breaks, forming a dangerous spider web.

The next blow broke the barrier completely. Shards of magic burst out in a dazzling light, scattering over the ground like glass before disappearing into nothing. Twilight recoiled from the shock, falling to her knees and panting as the strain of holding the barrier started to take hold. She had never used it in a combat situation before and now had an even greater respect for her brother’s work on the day of his wedding. She had no idea just how strenuous maintaining a combat barrier really was. Now, when it was finally too late, did she realise that perhaps she should have devoted a little more time to self-defence spells.

She shuddered as she tried to stand. Her legs felt like jelly and resisted every attempt to move as the monster siezed her. She wheezed as it gripped her tightly. Lifting her up, she came face to face with it as it opened its beak to expose the rows of razor like fangs in its maw. A putrid smell of decay wafted out and Twilight could see bits and pieces of meat and bone stuck in its teeth; some bones too small to be fully-grown and some pieces of flesh that were fresher than the rest. She tried to use her magic to hit the beast as it brought her closer to its mouth, but the strain proved too much and her magic fizzled out.

Her spirits fell as she realised that her end was upon her. It was like one of those fantasy books her brother had read when they were younger. The heroes in those were more likely to be eaten by dragons or meet their end at the hands of some trick than to rescue the damsel in distress. Now she was the hero and she was going to be eaten by a monstrous creature rather than a dragon. She only hoped her friends had made it out and that the end would be quick and painless. Then she closed her eyes and heard the jaws snap shut.

A moment passed and Twilight felt nothing except a wetness on her fur. The monsters grip on her slackened for a moment and she felt gravity take her as she wriggled out of its hand. With her weakened legs, she landed on the ground and fell to her side, letting out an audible 'oof’. Looking up, she saw the monster still looming over her, staring at her with its beady eyes, yet there was something off. The powerful muscles were slack and its beady eyes had glazed over. It gave a low groan of pain with its bloody beak and teetered back and forth unsteadily. Twilight managed to roll slightly as it fell forward and exposed who had snuffed out its life.

There, standing on its back, was Coppa with his axe buried in its spine. He grinned at her as he hopped down and helped her up. "Glad to see sleeping beauty is up and moving," he said, giving her a quick inspection. "May have been a little bit of a rude awakening, but at least you're up. How're you feeling?"

“I’m ok, just really exhausted,” she replied, panting as she attempted to stand up. “What’s going on? How long was I unconscious?” She looked down at the two lumps on Coppa’s chest before looking back at him. “What happened to you?”

“You’ve been out for two days, Ponyville has been under attack for roughly half an hour, and we’re evacuating the town as we speak. I came back to get you because we weren’t sure when, or even if you were going to wake up,” he explained, jumping onto the monster’s back and tugged at the weapon. It remained firm, embedded all the way to the head of the ax. A few more tugs with both hands brought the bloody blade out, spraying him slightly with blackish red gore. He wiped his face off with the back of his hand and shouldered his weapon. “Oh, and thanks to Discord, I’ve been a chick for those past two days as well. So everything is peachy right now."

Twilight nodded and allowed Coppa to help her to her hooves. When she had a firm footing, she took a tentative step forward and eventually was able to walk at a decent pace. Confident that she could keep up, she nodded to Coppa and the two of them took off down the street.

"So what happened before Ponyville was attacked?" Twilight asked as she kept close to Coppa. Despite the rush of adrenaline and appearing calm and collected, Twilight was terrified. Nearly being eaten was something that was going to haunt her for a long time.

"Dante went to investigate what put you under. He entered the forest yesterday night with this crazy notion that the piece of statue had caused it. Haven't seen him since he left, but I wish we had him here," he said hesitantly. She could see it in him too. He was as nervous as she was, perhaps even more. His eyes would flick back and forth, scanning not only the path in front of him, but the skyline and the rooftops as well. "By the way, your mom went with him. Nice lady, definitely like you."

"My mother's here?!" Twilight practically shouted as she skidded to a halt. At the same time, a shadow passed overhead and Twilight looked up as a furred monkey like creature with a pig nose and leathery bat wings shot towards them from the sky. "Coppa, look out!" she yelled as she dove to the ground. He didn't follow her example though and stood there.

Twilight was ready to shout again as the creature was nearly on them, but Coppa was surprisingly quick. He turned his torso slightly, and planted his feet firmly as he swung his axe. The creature, seeing the Dwarf's movements, attempted to stop, but fell prey to its own momentum and gravity. The axe followed the motion of Coppa's arm and passed through the air in a deadly arc. Flesh and muscle parted and the loud snap of bone filled the air as the axe cleaved the thing in half. Blood sprayed out in bursts from the two halves as they fell to the ground, coating the walls of a nearby house in large blasts of black.

Coppa pumped his fist in the air and wiped his nose with a thumb as he laughed. "He isn’t going to be up anytime soon!”

Twilight stood back, slightly disturbed by Coppa's glee after having killed a living creature. She then chided herself, realizing her pacifist attitude was preventing her from seeing the bigger picture. These monsters had attacked Ponyville; they had killed innocent ponies. They had spilled blood, and had Coppa not done anything about it, she would have been part of the body count. She was filled with disgust at the notion, but it was better that these things did die than for them to harm anypony else.

"What are these things?" she asked as she stepped around the carcass. Coppa prodded it with his foot before turning it over. Its vacant gaze and frozen snarl made it intimidating, even in death, but that was rendered moot as Coppa kicked it into a nearby fire.

"Looks like your typical demon. This one was most likely an imp," he said with a sigh while watching the corpse burn and smoke. "Nasty buggers. I don't know much other than what our textbooks say." The imp's legs followed its torso into the fire, filling the sky with the stench of burnt meat. "They're born from a soul corrupted by dark emotions. This one here was small, not powerful or old, but still dangerous. Over time, and if they get real lucky, they'll find someone stupid or insane enough to serve and feed off their emotions. Eventually, they'll just take the poor idiot's soul and grow bigger and stronger, like the thing that tried to make a snack outta you."

"What are they doing here then?"

Coppa shrugged. "Hell if I know. I don't exactly stop to ask what they want before I chop 'em in half. You can try asking them, but you won't be getting anything useful out of them."

"Where are the others then?" she asked as a hissing sound like a leaky balloon came from the carcass. “Please tell me you at least have a plan!”

“Not really…” Coppa admitted. Twilight stared at him incredulously while he rubbed the back of his head and grinned sheepishly. “Dante’s always been the one with the plan. I’ve just been running on what Moe can come up with right now.”

“And what is that?”

“We’ve been trying to keep the way safe for all the others, so we’ve been distracting anything that isn’t a pony and drawing them to us. So far it’s been working out ok. All of the town got pretty organised quickly and they’ve been evacuating out to either AJ’s farm or the everfree. These demons and monsters seem pretty focused on the town and they’ve been ignoring anything on the outskirts. As long as we keep them occupied, Moe thinks that we can get everyone out safely,” he explained as he peered around the corner of one house. He remained there, peeking out and shooting back in for a few moments whenever something moved or made noise. Eventually, he signalled that the way was clear and they kept running. “But we’ve still got a few problems. Sam is still in the hospital, and Moe and I still need to get a few more ponies out of town. We’re stretching our limits without Dante here and we aren’t going to be able to hold out much longer. Not to mention you really need to tell AJ and them to back off and get out of town.”

“Wait, the others are still here?” Twilight asked, kicking up dirt and stones as she skidded to a halt. "Why haven't they left yet? Don't they know how dangerous it is right now?"

"You think we didn't mention that fact?” Coppa spat at her. “Your friends said that they weren’t going to leave while you were still here. We had Spike send a letter to Celestia before we made him go to Sweet Apple Acres, but it’s going to take them time to get here. Fluttershy ran into the hospital to get Sam, but the others are with Moe. If we don’t get back to them, then I can’t say how long Moe can defend them while trying to distract these things.”

“Then we need to get going!” Twilight said as she redoubled her pace and passed Coppa. The Dwarf nodded and immediately took on after her.

*****

Moe rolled to his feet, nocking an arrow, raising his bow, and firing it in one fluid motion. The projectile found its mark in the chest of a spider like creature which stumbled before falling flat in its face, never to rise again. No time to celebrate, he readied another arrow just as another demon with pincers for hands jumped down on him from the roof. It snapped its crab like claws at him, trying to cut him in half. He dodged the first strike and as he attempted to ready himself for the monster to follow up, the thing spat a giant glob of green goo from its tentacled mouth that encased his foot. It solidified, cementing his foot in place as the creature smacked the bow out of his hand.

Instincts kicking in, he grabbed for the knife at his belt and tore it from its sheath. He thrust it at the demon, hoping to get the blade between the chinks in its reddish exoskeleton. The blade hit the armour, but bounced off the chitin, leaving only a small scratch. He winced as his arm vibrated from the impact. The demon snarled at him, a fin extending on the top of its head, and smashed the blade out if his hand, breaking it into small shards.

Recoiling from the blow and with his foot stuck, Moe fell into the ground with the demon looming over him. It grasped him around his waist with its pincer and slowly began to crush his midsection. Moe gasped in pain as his ribs strained beneath the force of the pincer and he struggled wildly to escape. Howling laughter rang in his ears as a group of imps perched on the rooftops on the other side of the hospitals front. They jeered and shouted in their foul language and Moe felt something fracture as the pincer squeezed harder. Tears stung his eyes as his struggling began to weaken, much to the monsters satisfaction. It loosened its hold on him for a slight second, preparing to deliver the final blow, and--

A rainbow streak slammed into it, sending it careening off him and into a nearby cart. Moe quickly gasped for breath and reached for his bow. Grasping it, he managed to get to his knees and draw a pair of arrows. He drew the bowstring and quickly aimed at the wreckage of the cart. He watched as the crab demon rose from the broken wood, then let go of the string as it screamed at him.

That scream ended as the two arrows buried themselves in its eye sockets, piercing the brain. It sank to its knees with a gurgle and Moe listened as the imps exuded their disappointment in full force. He kept a ready hand on his bow in case one of them had the thought to try anything, but he turned slightly to the approaching ponies and the cyan pegasus that had landed.

"Thanks for the help," he said with a wheeze. His ribs felt like they were on fire and he wondered just how long he could keep things up. "Did you find anyone else?"

Rainbow Dash shook her head. "We got 'em all with the last flyby. There are more of these things coming though. He saw them moving in from the other side of town. They won't hit Sweet Apple Acres, but they'll be here real soon." She looked around while Rarity and the other girls hung back. "Where's Coppa and why aren't these things coming after us? They're just sitting there and it's kind of creepy."

Moe looked up to see the same imps that had spectated his last kill still perched on the roofs like crows. More had joined the ranks, simply sitting there, leering and watching the group like hawks. They made no movements, only observing those below them. Moe made a move to get up and investigate it, but stopped and clutched his side as pain shot through him.

"Darling, are you alright?" Rarity asked as she bounded to him. The girls followed her example, with Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie standing guard. Rarity and Fluttershy fretted over his wounds, trying to keep him still while freeing his foot and thinking of what to do. Rarity even went so far as to nuzzle and physically support him while she offered some reassurance. "You mustn't push yourself too hard. We need to leave and get you help. You've done more than enough now."

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash added with enthusiasm. "Let us handle these guys! We're gonna show them what happens when you mess with a Pony’s home! I'll fly circles around these guys!"

"Ah couldn't agree more, sugarcube," Applejack said with a stomp of her hoof. "This is our town. We've got a duty to deal with them varmints." Applejack turned her head to Moe and smiled at him. "No offense either, Moe. You ain't exactly in fightin' shape anymore."

"This isn't some brawl, girls," he snapped at her before the effort and pain made him think twice about raising his voice. "These things will try to kill you if you fight them. Unless you plan to actually get your hooves bloody and smash their skulls in, I have to hold this place. I can manage till Coppa gets back with Twilight."

"You won't have too," Coppa stated as Moe saw his friend and Twilight run to where they were. Moe let out a sigh of relief as Coppa stopped in front of him. Twilight was likewise occupied as her friends took turns hugging her and keeping watch. "God, Moe, I leave you alone for a bit and you end up looking like hammered shit. Can't you ever handle yourself?"

"You sure took your time," Moe shot back. "You missed the fun though. I got about fifteen of these things after you left. The only reason I stopped is because I need to conserve my arrows."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," he replied before looking back at Twilight. "I got sleeping beauty like you asked. Had to help Twilight get rid of a nasty guest though."

"I'm sure it wasn't anything you couldn't handle." Moe gestured for Fluttershy who wasted no time in coming to his side. "Fluttershy, can you go get Sam? We're leaving this place before any more of those things show up. We won’t move from here while you’re in there, but you need to act quickly. Hopefully Dante is on his way too."

"Ok, I’ll go find him," she said with a nod of agreement. She took off, hurrying into the hospital without a second thought. Moe got to his feet with the help of Coppa and drew an arrow from his quiver. He scanned the rooftops once more, checking for the imps again.

"What are they doing?" he whispered to Coppa as they took defensive postures. Twilight and her friends formed up behind the two, arranging themselves in a semicircle so they could watch every angle. The air staled and Moe resisted the urge to gag as the smoke from the burning buildings built up in the windless night and threatened to choke him. "Why are they just waiting there?"

Coppa shrugged, his axe glinting as he adjusted his grip. "Who knows? There's no sign of anybody controlling them and there are too many for even a strong summoner. But this is getting really weird. These things don't strike me as the planning types, or even being slightly smart." His eyes narrowed as a few of the imps parted and flapped to new perches and vantage points. "It's almost as if they're waiting for someone to give them the order."

"The dog is still as observant as ever," a feminine voice mocked. Twilight and her friends watched as both Moe and Coppa went rigid.While they couldn’t understand whatever it was the voice had said, those two did. Coppa's ears splayed back and he growled audibly. His entire coat looked on edge and he looked ready to burst as his pupils shrank and his gaze hardened. They had never seen him like this and it was surprising, but what caught their attention was Moe.

He had fallen down into his knees and was looking at the ground in disbelief. His skin had turned extremely pale and he was quivering while sweating bullets. His hands clutched his head and he shook it violently. He whispered to himself, saying a whole manner of incomprehensible things which none of them could make out. This seemed only to aggravate Coppa, who yelled in frustration.

"Where are you, you bitch!" He cursed as he smashed his axe into the ground. "Come out so I can pay you back in full for what you did. I swear to god, if I get my hands on you, Mileena, then the last thing you'll ever see is my axe going for your neck!"

"As much as I love the sentiment, Coppa, you idiots always forget one thing.” A bright light appeared behind Coppa, and down from it dropped a tall, confident looking woman in scaled. She possessed blue hair, golden slitted eyes and a pair of miniature draconic wings. Before he could react, she grabbed his arm and drove her elbow into his back. "If you say you're going to kill someone, don't spout nonsense and let your guard down. Just kill them outright."

Coppa gasped in pain and dropped to the ground as if every muscle in his body had given out. The strange woman he had called Mileena brushed a lock of her midnight blue hair behind her ear before she turned to Moe. Twilight and her friends stood still as statues, shocked at the sudden collapse of the two. An elated grin formed on her face and the wings on both her back and her head flitted slightly. "Oh there you are, still as handsome as I remembered," she said contently.

"Nonononononono," Moe babbled incoherently as he backed away, tears of fear rolling down his face. "I don't want to go back to that! I don't want this! Someone get her away!"

"You have no idea how long I have been searching for you," she said as she approached him. "They drove us apart and I had thought I lost you forever. Now we've been reunited like two lost lovers, to be together from now until death." She grabbed him by the shirt and hoisted him up so that her face was level with his. Moe's struggling weakened as he stared into Mileena's golden eyes, only a whimpering coming from his throat.

"Oh, how I've missed you, my little pet," she said before she locked her lips with his. Moe's eyes widened and there was a telltale gasp in something close to the effect of surprise and realization that came from Rarity.

The noise caught Mileena's attention and she looked over to the ponies. Rarity had broken away from the group and was marching towards the two of them, her face a mask of determination. She stopped just in front of Mileena, who still held the shaking elf in her arms, and cleared her throat. "Ma'am, may I ask if your name really is Mileena?"

The draconic woman looked at the pony with confusion before turning to Moe. "What is she saying? I know you can understand these things. Tell me what she said."

"She wants to know your name..." Moe replied with little enthusiasm. He turned to Rarity and shook his head. "Rarity, please... Just run..."

A hard shot to the stomach from Mileena winded Moe and caused Rarity to cringe. Mileena scowled at him disapprovingly and looked back toward Rarity. A small smile then played in her lips, curving them slightly. "Yes, I am Mileena, and he is my property. Now please leave us alone, there is a lot of catching up I have to do with my pet."

Rarity shook her head slightly and ignited her magic. A teal glow surrounded Mileena's ears and Rarity coughed into her hoof politely. "Can you understand me now, Mileena? I do hope this translation spell I use on foreign customers works on you," she asked before the satisfaction of Mileena's surprised face could set in. "Good, it seems you can. My name is Rarity, and yes, I know who you are and of your relationship to Moe. However, I have been tasked to look after the poor dear and in the short time we have known each other, I have come to care for him greatly." She tossed her mane slightly and rather haughtily before continuing on. "As such, he has divulged a great amount of detail concerning your relationship with him. I know about you, I know about the scar you gave him, and I can see how truly terrified he his. With such facts known, I cannot, as a lady of principle and his host, allow you to take him again."

Mileena snorted before she narrowed her eyes. "You can try to stop me, pony, but fancy words aren't going to keep me from reclaiming what’s mine!”

"Well that is disappointing then. How about I put it plain and simple." Rarity cleared her throat before her horn glowed and a teal aura surrounded Mileena. "Back off bitch, he's mine!" Rarity said as she ripped Mileena away from Moe and tossed her away like a rag doll. Mileena tumbled through the air and crashed into the second story of a nearby home. She fell to her hands and feet, but rose to her full height, unfazed by Rarity's magical sucker punch. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words never came out as a pony sized concrete block surrounded in Rarity's magic, smashed into her, and sent her through both sides of the house, leaving only a giant hole.

"Well, that was rather fulfilling," Rarity said nonchalantly as she blew her breath upwards to dispel the smoke rising from her horn. She dusted Moe off and gently enveloped him in her magic as he hyperventilated. "It's alright darling, she's gone for now. I've dealt with her and you are safe."

"You think you can take him away from me!" Mileena roared as she burst out of the house, sword and shield in hand. Her eyes were ablaze with fury and they could all see flames flicker from between her pointed teeth. "I don't care what Dagon wants anymore. Shishiro, kill the Felpier while I destroy these things. Nothing is to be left standing, do you understand!" She looked back to Rarity. "I’m going to smash you to pieces!"

*****

Fluttershy panted as she flew up the steps to the second floor of the hospital’s east wing, her wings flapping vigorously before she landed in the main hallway. She gulped audibly as she looked down the hallway as the lights flickered on and off, starving for electricity and alternating between illuminating the hallway and casting it into darkness. She gave a frightened whine, every fibre of her mind telling her to just turn back and avoid the scary looking hallway. A part of her told her to stay though, to push past her fear and to continue on. She was not going to leave her friend in the hospital while those strange creatures were out there. Swallowing her fear, she forced herself onwards, intent on finding Sam.

Her heart hammered as she quickly navigated the hallway, stepping around the bits of broken glass and abandoned equipment. The rooms were all empty as the staff of the hospital had prepared and moved all of them and the equipment needed for their care while they all stayed at Sweet Apple Acres. Sam was the only one they were forced to leave behind, unconscious after they had prepared him for one last treatment to his ribs and spine. According to the doctors, he was due to wake up soon. She only hoped that she could reach him in time so he wouldn’t be too confused by the situation.

A loud crash came from down the hallway, surprising Fluttershy, causing her to yelp and hide behind a large piece of equipment. She looked over it to see a young man with brown hair searching through the rooms. He was dressed in a dark black cloak that covered his body, but didn't obscure the two glinting blades in his gloved hands. She held a hoof to her mouth and did her best to try and stifle her whimper of fright as the person stopped in front of Sam's room and smiled.

"I've finally found you," she heard him say as she followed him and hid just outside the door. When she looked in after he had entered, she caught him standing over the bed, staring at Sam. The lump under the blankets was proof enough that he was still asleep. He had tucked his head and the rest of his body underneath the blankets so that there was nothing but an outline. This seemed to please the stranger, as he then sheathed one of his blades. "You sleep well for a murderer..." he whispered as he took his other sword and held it over Sam's form.

"Sleep forever, and may you burn in hell!" he added before plunging the blade into the bed. The steel parted the thin blankets and the hospital mattress, going all the way through to the floor. Feathers flew as he pulled the sword out and plunged it back in, savagely stabbing the bed. When he finally stopped, his eyes widened at the sight before him. Fluttershy, who had wanted to but was unable to scream, noticed it as well.

There was not an ounce of blood on the bed. Not a single speck.

It was quite literally impossible for Fluttershy to understand. There should have been blood, a lot of it, if Sam had been stabbed with the blade. She had seen—not that she really wanted to — him bleed before, both when he was in the hospital, and when he was cut or hurt in any way. If he wasn't bleeding then that meant—

"Where are you?" the young man shouted as he ripped the sheet off the bed, exposing a pile of destroyed pillows. "Come out and face me, coward! Fight me like a real warrior!"

"I find your words ironic, considering you were intent on killing your foe while you assumed he slept. Then again, an irrational mind is prone to making mistakes and irrational decisions." Sam's voice echoed throughout the room, masking his location. "I was able to hear your steps as you stormed through the building. Either you are overconfident in your poorly developed skills, or you are both reckless and an idiot."

"We'll see if you're saying that when my blades are in your guts," he snarled back, drawing his other sword. "I thought those of the ruling clan were supposed to fight honourably? Aren't you bringing shame to your name if you don't face me?"

Fluttershy heard a hiss of annoyance come from the corner of the room. She looked over to see Sam standing still, his body obscured in the darkness. "Trying to bait me with my own honour is pointless, and if we are talking about honour, you are the greater offender. Attempting to murder your opponent while they slept. Demanding they fight you while unarmed. Insulting them to incite anger so that they might make a rash decision. Not only are you without a shred of honour or dignity, I refuse to believe you are anything more than a child living a deluded fantasy."

The retort only incited the stranger’s fury and he flipped the bed in anger. “A deluded fantasy? No, I remember it well, a dark night in a poor town whose name nobody remembers. A father and his two young sons, immigrants in a new land who wished to change their lives.” His head lowered and Fluttershy could see hot and angry tears forming in his eyes. “The change they wanted was crushed when the prodigal son destroyed it. I was left for dead when that prodigy cut me down alongside my family, killing my father and crippling my brother without as much as a shred of emotion on his face. Tell me, do you remember that as well? Do you remember my face? Do you remember the name Shishiro?”

The tension in the room was broken as a glass fell and shattered on the floor. Fluttershy stood frozen in the doorway and tried to slink back into the hallway, but bumped into more equipment. Sam’s eyes widened and he jumped in front of her. Despite not having a weapon, Fluttershy saw frost forming on his hand.

“Sam, don’t…” she whispered quietly, tugging on his pant leg. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”

“Fluttershy, I need you to run. He’s dangerous and I won’t be able to protect you without a weapon.”

“But—”

“Go. Now.” he said before he activated his slash run. His body rushed forward, taking Shishiro by surprise and bowling him forward and crashing them into the wall. Both of Shishiro’s swords clattered to the ground as Sam brought him down. He delivered a straight punch to his face before Shishiro threw him off. Sam grabbed the shorter of the two swords and rolled to his feet. A sharp ring of steel hitting steel rang out as the two locked swords.

“And who is that?” Shirshiro sneered, breathing hard enough to fog the blade of his sword. “Don’t tell me you have some kind of connection to that creature. Does she know about you too? Does she know that she associates with a bloodthirsty murderer?”

“Leave her out of this, she is not a part of our fight,” Sam snapped back, ears flat and tail bristling. The two of them broke away from each other and Sam slashed at Shishiro. Their blades sparked as they connected and grinded before the two pulled them away. “This fight is our own. If you so much as touch her, I will make you suffer for it.”

“Actually, the opposite applies here. She is as much a part of this now as you or I. If she is with you, then I plan on reaping that weakness,” he replied, grinning savagely at Fluttershy. “I’ll rip her away from you just as you did to my family. I will make sure you know that everything I do is because of what you have done.”

Sam only roared out in anger and locked blades with Shirshiro again. He hesitated slightly and felt Shirshiro push back with greater force. He gritted his teeth and, sparing a glance at Fluttershy before planting his feet and pushing forward, forced Shishiro back. He let out another grunt and both moved forward toward the large pane glass window of the room. With a great crash, they broke through the glass of the second story and Sam felt gravity take him.

Fluttershy watched as both hit the ground and cried out as she saw Sam land on a sword awkwardly, causing it to bite into his forearm and stay. Blood poured out over the blade, leaking out onto the ground as he yelled out in pain. She saw Shishiro get up and grab his own blade, intent on finishing off Sam. Her instincts kicking in she took off, heading straight for him. She leveled her front hooves and felt a shock as they smashed into his side. Shishiro’s body gave way to the force and he was thrown back away from Sam.

“Don’t move,” she commanded as she took a spot next to Sam. She let him pull the blade out of his arm, not paying any mind to it as she went to work. She tore away a strip of cloth from the hospital clothes he was wearing and began to tie it around his wound. The blue of the cloth quickly turned red before it did its job in stopping the bleeding and covering the wound.

When she looked up, she saw that Coppa and Moe were in no better shape than Sam and that her friends were facing off against a blue haired girl with a dragon's wings and tail. She was fighting against Rarity and Twilight who were stalling her by shooting bolts of magic and flinging pieces of stone at her. The others were harassing the monsters perched on the roofs; Pinkie pie even managing to catch one with a confetti and pie shot from her party cannon.

“I’ll destroy you all!” she heard Mileena yell as Shishiro moved beside her. Both glared at the group andmthe demons on the roofs began to take flight. They hovered over them with hands encased in magical fire. "I want them dead. Spare the elf, kill the rest."

"Stand down, Mileena. They are not yours to command," a powerful voice boomed. Every head turned to see a new figure cloaked in black walk down the street. On either side of him was a muscled pair of bipedal winged demons armed with cruel looking blades and larger than even the monster that attacked Twilight. He drew his hood back to reveal purple hair that reached his shoulders and framed a youthful face. "Their loyalty is to me, and for the next few moments I will need them alive."

"It looks like we know who's still in charge now," Coppa said, standing on shaky legs. "Looks like they replaced the old Dagon guy we fought before."

"Oh no, I am very much still in charge," Dagon said. "As for my appearance, the gift your friend has hidden away saw to that." He scanned the ponies and the three students, frowning. "Where is Dante? He still has something which I need."

Twilight stepped forward. "He isn't here."

Dagon sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Well that is a disappointment. I was hoping that he would be here. It would have been exceptionally easier to get what I needed." He gestured to the imps and to his pair of allies. "Do what Mileena says: kill the creatures, spare the elf and give the head of the Felpier to Shishiro."

"Well this is going to suck hard. Sorry about your future plans Moe," Coppa said as he grabbed his axe. Before he could react, his body began to glow. When that glow faded, he looked around confused, feeling his chest before his eyes brightened and he stuffed his hand down his pants. He began laughing and retracted his hand. "Ok, it's gonna suck a little less now for me. At least I have my personal stuff back."

Mileena chuckled while everyone around Coppa just shook their heads. "An idiot even in the face of death. I will enjoy this."

The demons all took flight and filled the air with screeching before they descended. The group readied themselves, preparing for their final stand. The three students were prepared for this, but their concern was for the ponies behind them. Each of them only wished that they could have said a few last words to the ones they had stayed with.

Multiple streaks of lightning shot out amongst the ranks of imps and demons. Electricity danced between their bodies, stiffening limbs and frying brains. Each shouted before they exploded, popping like balloons. Limbs and flesh rained down on the surprised onlookers and Twilight spotted a pair of ponies entering the courtyard.

"Mom! Dante!" she yelled as she hugged her mother, receiving a hug in return She then did the same with Dante only for him to brush it off. While it was a sweet gesture and he appreciated it, Dante only stared at Dagon with anger. He stepped forward, horns crackling with energy.

"Tonight's just been full of dramatic entrances hasn't it?" Coppa joked as he smirked. "Way to make an entrance though Dante! Best one yet!"

"Glad to see you, Dante," Dagon greeted, turning to him. He smirked as he looked over Dante's pony form. "Attempting to blend in with the natives?"

"Don't even start, Dagon," Dante demanded. "Why are you here and why have you done this?"

"Well firstly, I came to thank you for your gift." He unbuttoned his shirt to expose his chest. A black mark like that of a spider web had discoloured the pale skin of the right side of his chest. Dante grimaced and placed a hoof to his own chest. He had largely pushed the memory of his own black mark to the back of his mind. He hadn't been able to discern what it was, but it hadn't affected him in any way, so he had decided to focus on what was more important. Now he understood and it appeared Dagon knew as well. "Secondly, I came to take the rest of what you won't accept."

"You have no idea what you are dealing with. You couldn't control it if you tried."

"On the contrary," Dagon said mockingly. Black tendrils appeared around him, sprouting from his back and shoulders. Dante stared, wide-eyed at the sight in front of him. "I am in complete control."

This mortal has talent… the haunting voice said in the back of Dante’s mind. Interesting...

"How... How are you doing this?" Dante demanded, ignoring the voice. “Why is it obeying you?

"Because I embrace it. I am one with the darkness, Dante. Something which you have failed to become."

A tendril snapped out, cracking like a whip. Velvet pulled Twilight down, ducking beneath it by a hair's breadth. It struck Dante who was too shocked to move, opening a gash on his cheek. Dante recoiled and jumped back, horns wreathed in a fire spell that launched towards Dagon. The flames burnt hot, but the tendrils formed a wall between their wielder and the spell. Dagon chuckled at the attempt until he saw the blood from Dante's wound leak onto the ground.

"I don't believe it," he said as everyone looked at the droplets of black. A few murmurs came from both sides and Twilight gulped as she saw Dante's eyes darken momentarily. Dagon, however, bore an excited face. "One with the blood of the first generations, and in a body so young! It is almost inconceivable; they were supposed to have died out a millenia ago. Yet it makes so much sense." He stroked one of the tendrils with a gauntleted hand while watching Dante. "You never took this power or committed yourself to a contract for it. It has always been there; mixed in your blood from the start."

“What are you talking about?” Dante spat, wiping his cheek with his hoof. He took a step forward, but his breathing suddenly became erratic and everyone watched as a glow surrounded his body. His forelegs slowly morphed into hands as his body became human again. When the glow faded away, Dante stood as his normal Diablon self again.

"You have the legacy of our ancestors running through your veins, child. You embody that which was thought to be a myth and you have the power to show for it hiding within you.” Dagon explained with malevolent enthusiasm. You are unlike any other of our kind, embodying the origins of our race and the height of our power. You are not merely a Diablon, Dante.”

“Then what am I?”

Dagon smirked and pointed at the black spatters on the ground. His tendrils shot out and wrapped themselves around Dante's arms and legs before pulling him to Dagon.

“You are pureblooded."

Author's Note:

DUN DUN DUN!!!