> Beyond My Grave: Nightlight
>  by AnnEldest
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Start Of A CATastrophe
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The cold dead air swept across the night sky. The sound of dead silence was all that was present. The pitch clouds hung low that night. The desert night swept cold and desolation across the sky.

The green glaring eyes stared out into the desolate night. Black slits squeezed tightly together, focusing intensely. Gray and blue fur blew in the wind followed by a dark cape.

The cat cleared his throat.

The sand crunched under his paws. He walked solemnly and calmly down the path. Old wooden buildings paved the path on both sides in front of him. His breath was steady and followed the beat of his heart. His steps were steady and seemed to have a purpose. His glare was calm yet somehow threatening. The wind was distant as it blew past his face.

He saw a paw print in the sand. It appeared to interest him as he glared at it as if to study it. He stopped and bent his head over. He let air pass his nose as it carried all of its secrets with him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The area around him began to move backward. The wind reversed as the cracks on the old wooden walls became younger. The moon returned from the previous night and the sun from the previous day. Creatures of all kinds walked in reverse down the path. The image went until a creature on four legs covered by a cloak appeared.

The image froze and focused on the creature. Her yellow eyes flared like lightning. Black slits cracked a glare that shot through everything in front of them.

It was a cat and it was what he was looking for. The image continued as if in the present time. The cat walked forward and went up to a stand was a lizard creature was selling food. The cat purchased something from the lizard that didn't appear to be food. The image intensified on the item that was wrapped in a dark cloth. The cloaked cat took the item and ran off in the distance. The image disappeared as the moon returned to its original place.

The cat opened his eyes and took a deep breath. He turned to see the same stand; It was closed up and everything was put away now. He turned to look over his shoulder. He opened his mouth and took a breath of air. He let out a long hard sigh as his eyes focused.

"I assume we're here for the same thing." A dark low vibrant voice emerged.

The cat turned to the source of the voice. His eyes were met by a bright blue glare. The eyes searched the area around him. The blue glare seemed to lock on him, not even disappearing for blinks.

"In the neighborhood?" asked the cat. His voice soft, hiding all emotion. “You're a bad boy, aren’t you, chasing after things like that? I thought you left that life behind.”

The blue-eyed creature chuckled at the remark. "What can I say, old habits die hard. What about you? You're more of a dick than ever. I guess it's what they say though, “you are what you eat."

The creature walked towards the cat. Its bones cracked as it walked. It bent its spine as spikes punctuated its skin. Its black skin camouflage with the night sky. Its black antlers and blue eyes were the only distinguishing features. The green eyes of the capped cat could see through the veil of darkness. The darkness was as revealing as the light.

Its wings spread out almost to each end of the road.

"Sorry buddy, but like I said old habits die hard even for a pussy."

The black creature ran towards the cat as its body lit up. Blue light came pouring out of its body. The light manifested as sharp thick crystals. The cat leaped into the air, avoiding certain death.

The cat ran across the side of the buildings making his way towards the black creature. The creature sent another wave of shards at the cat. The cat leaped to the other side of the road onto the other buildings. The sharps missed the cat devastating the buildings it hit. The creature went back and forwards trying to kill the furry felon. Wood flew everywhere as the distance between the two dissipated.

The cat lunged forward and clawed the dark creature, sending it through a wall. The cat's claws were glowing gold as the blood from the creature sizzled off of his claws. The creature roared and jumped forward. It had a large crystal in its hands. It swung at the cat trying to crush him.

The cat casually dodged the attack and scratched the creature across the face. Before it could recover, he clawed it several times in the body before landing a kick. The creature flew back once more and slammed into a pillar. The creature stood up and looked down at its body. Blood oozed from its burning wounds. It looked back up at the cat who stood there with a smirk.

"We both know what it is. It's the sword, it's his sword. That bitch can't hide it from us forever. We will find her before you and we will get it. That's a promise, bud."

The cat only stood there; looking down at the bleeding creature. The creature backed up and turned into a screen of smoke. The cloud of smoke dissipated leaving a desolate night once more.

The cat threw aside his cape to reveal a golden sword on his back. He looked down at the sand were a paw print was. He looked at it and saw a trail of them. He casually started to follow it as if nothing had happened. The veil of dead silence capped over the night.

"Shira!"

Yellow eyes sprung open. Shaira sat up only to whack her head against a wooden beam. She rubbed her head to numb the pain. She popped her head out and searched for her surroundings. She was on a wooden beam close to the ceiling. She looked around before she rubbed her eyes. She jumped down from the ceiling, landing perfectly on her feet. She walked over to a hole in the wall and took out a long item wrapped in cloth. She sighed as she leaned her head against it.

The air was cool and crisp. The sun was barely over the horizon. The wind blew bits of sand across the desert land. She had to get moving before the sun's rays scorched the day away. She grabbed the clothed item and scrapped it on her back. She then covered it with a large cloak that she wore.

She walked out onto the village seemingly unnoticed by anyone. The streets were filled by a variety of creatures; most of who were thugs or crooks. She knew none of them, they were simply either liabilities or distractions.

She walked to the market part of town. The road was lined with creatures trying to sell pretty much anything one could think of. She was casually approached with many offers; she declined all of them. She was only interested in getting what she needed to survive. She purchased food and many bottles of water. She was preparing for something bad.

She walked away from the markets as she gathered everything she needed. She returned to the wooden building where she slept. She opened a little cubby and pulled out a large bag.

She unzipped the bag to reveal a bunch of books and bottles. She pulled out two books and put the rest of them back. She put the bag back in the cubby and ran out the door. It was dangerous for her to stay in the same place for too long. Certain creatures could find her if she did. She had to keep moving if she wished to stay alive, but more importantly, she needed to get the item to the one she was looking for.





Discord woke up from the sound of thunder. He looked around as he slowly gained full consciousness. He was laying on a couch, a familiar couch. The walls seemed familiar to him too. He put his head down and rubbed his eyes it was just then that he remembered, he was at Fluttershy's house. Big Mac was snoring on the floor next to the couch. Discord couldn't remember quite how they got there. He turned over like a bottle and a large number of crumbs fell off of him. The couch was full of crumbs and stained. The walls were the same way and there were tables knocked over. The place was a serious mess and he had a clear idea of who had done it.

He looked out the window to see that it was downright pouring. A bright slash of light came threw the window, followed by the crash of thunder.

Discord jumped back as the whole house shook. He was quite shocked to see quite violent weather in ponyville. The weather typically was calm and peaceful with the occasional rain.

Admittedly, the pegasus did have to do some storms every once in a great while. It had seemed like that night was one of the great while.

He sat up and rubbed his head. He wasn't ready to get up and neither was his body. He stretched and leaned back as he stood up. With a quick snap of his fingers, he was back home. He pulled out a large map out of thin air.

The map had Big Mac's head on it that showed that he was Fluttershy’s cottage. He looked around the map in search of a little dragon. Spike too was at Fluttershy’s; according to his map. He had no idea how any of them got there or why they seemed to have crashed her place. He looked around the map and saw that Fluttershy was at Twilight's castle.

It was just then that their guy's night popped into his mind. He and the guys were having guys night the day before. He couldn't seem to remember half of the night, however. It all seemed to go blank. It kind of made him worried. Perhaps they did something they weren't supposed to and it had its fair share of consequences. He was looking forward to getting some answers.

He snapped his fingers and he was back at the cottage. Big Mac was still snoring but he did stop and turn for a second. Discord could imagine that Twilight and Fluttershy probably had a few words to tell him and his friends. It wasn't that he knew that he did anything wrong, it was more of a hunch.

Spike was asleep on the floor half hanging off the bed. Discord thought about waking him up but he stopped himself. Instead, he snapped his fingers and made a marker appear. He used his magic to draw all over the little dragon’s victim's face.

Discord laughed to himself as he thought about what Spike's reaction was going to be like. He stepped back to admire his artistic work. He was truly proud of it. As he stared at Spikes vandalized face, he started to remember something else. The real reason he had woken up wasn't the thunder, it was his dream.

He remembered that he was having a strange dream. It wasn't scary or really concerning to him, but it was an odd dream. He remembered a cat that he had never seen before. There was a weird black creature and even Spike and his old friend from nonEquestria, Trench. It was far from the worst dream he ever had but there was just something about it he couldn't quite grasp. After a while of thinking about it, he decided to just let go of it. He didn't feel like making it a big deal and the memory of the dream quickly started to fade from his memory.

After all, it was just simply a dream.
> Another Day, Another Pawness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Spike come on, it's time to get up."

Spike moaned and turned over falling off the bed. He grunted as he pulled the blanket over him. Discord was hovering over him trying to wake him.

"Come on Spiky, what are we doing at Fluttershy's cottage. Spike wake up!" Discord shook Spike lifting him off the ground a bit. 

"Leave me alone," Spike grunted.

"What happened last night?" 

Spike turned over onto his stomach."We had guys night remember?"

"Ya I remember that, but what happened after that."

"I don't know Discord I guess we all went home right? That's what you do right?"

Discord realized that the little dragon seemed to be as lost as he was. It was clear that Spike wasn't aware of the situation.

"Well if we went home, then why were you laying half off of Fluttershy's bed?"

"I don't know, cause I went home I guess." Spike laid there still oblivious to the point Discord was trying to make. Then after his brain had fully processed the information Spike's eyes popped wide open."Wait what? I'm on Fluttershy's bed?"

Spike looked around to see that he was laying on the floor next to his friend's bed. He turned his body to sit up and leaned against the wall. He rubbed his eyes and looked up at Discord.

"What ti…" a crash of thunder interrupted him. He sprung up from the wall and looked out the window. "Dang looks like Rainbow Dash really brew up a storm this time. Must be that time again." Spike looked over to Discord who was now crossed armed tapping his foot. "What?"

"I'm still waiting for an explanation. I can't seem to recall anything last night."

Spike walked and sat down on the bed." Ya me neither. I remember starting guys night with Ogars and Ogliarets and that's about it. It's all blank after that."

Discord continued to fly around the room as he tried to put the pieces together. He pulled out a photo album made out of balloons and paper that had pictures of the memories of the night before. 

"I have no idea how I slept so long with this storm going on. Usually Twilight has to prepare for these since I never can sleep through them."

"Ya, well looks like the heavy sleeping is a result of last night. Besides, you seemed to still be pretty jumpy when I woke you up."

Spike chuckled a little."That's just because I was having a wacky dream and I could hear the thunder and your voice, so it was all so weird."

"That's what woke me up too."

"The thunder?"

"No. I was having a weird dream too I guess."

Spike stretched as he got off the bed. "Was it one of your important dreams?"

Discord laughed at spikes remark. Surely he wasn't getting into another ghostly issue already. "No, it was just really random. It was about a cat."





The sun was high in the sky as it scorched the crisp cool night air away. The creatures below stayed under roofs or umbrellas to shade themselves. Wagons were pulled by merchants looking to get an easy buck. Stands and signs lined the streets. A mouse couldn't have walked alone without someone trying to sell it something. 

Shira walked along trying her best to avoid all attention. The large diversity of creatures made it so that she didn't stand out from the crowd. She hid her face with extra caution. The hood over her kept the item concealed from any wandering eyes. 

She walked with her head down; she didn't look up to see where she was going. Her ears twitched as they look in every sound trying to be her eyes. She picked up on every sound and conversation that was happening. None of the sounds around her brought any panic; even the sounds of creatures fighting did not affect her. 

She looked out into the long desolate desert. The ocean of sand and heat went far beyond the horizon. She sighed as she realized that her trip was about to get ruff. She swallowed before she began to walk off into the desert. She had to keep pushing forward no matter how hard it was. 

"Shut your mouth," whispered the large gray cat. "These things hunt by sound. We don't want to take them head-on; it's best to let them sleep."

The cat marched forward with several cats following him. They all had shiny silver armor; The tint of the darkness was the only thing that concealed them. They walked differently and strategically had not made a sound. The sound of water droplets and steady breath fill the atmosphere.

Their eyes could expertly pierce the veil of Darkness allowing them to see their enemy. Little capsules made of Flesh hung from the ceiling with blood dripping from them. They silently crept past them as not to disturb them.

They carried small metal weapons. The weapons are far more advanced than any known by most creatures. They shot small pieces of metal that could Pierce even the strongest of enemies. The only flaw was the limited amounts of ammunition they could carry.

Their armor was loaded with clips from head to toe. Their weapons had little lasers that told them where they were aiming. They aimed away from the capsules and forwards the ground. Once in a while, one of them would aim forwards with a scrap or bang. They made no sound and used hand signals to communicate with one another. 

They came to a large door made completely out of metal. The door had little lights on it that shined red. Two of the cats walked forward a lead against the door. They held their breath as not make a sound. They listened carefully for any sounds that weren't naturally supposed to be there. They both could hear the sound of wheezing. Something that had a tough breath was by the door.

They looked back at the team and nodded their heads. The team walked forward and one of them slowly opened the door. The room was mostly dark; only illuminated by pulsing lights. The lights belonged to creatures that were curled up into a ball. Their skin was transparent making them nearly invisible to the naked eye. The cats focused on their dim glowing hearts that revealed their location.

One of the cats walked forward; trailing deeper into the room. He surveyed their surroundings keeping track of every creature he could see. He turned back towards the group and held up his arm. He moved it in special rhythms that any normal creature would have found nonsensical. The other cats nodded in understanding and continued to silently march forward. 





"What the heck happened last night?" The little dragon asked." I can't remember a thing."

Discord rubbed his head as he tried to soothe the approaching headache. "It was guy's night remember? Big Mac decided to get a little wild with a few drinks."

Spike froze as the memories started the flow back to him. He did remember the start of guys night and he did remember Big Mac getting them a few "light drinks." Discord took a few sips of a drink but at like baby levels. Not enough alcohol isn't gonna make you go crazy. At least Discord thought that. 

They all knew that they probably had a great time last night; a time that they could not remember. Of course, it couldn't have come from the light alcohol drinks they started with. They would have had to drink something far stronger. 

"You see I might have added something a bit more strength to it," Discord chuckled.

"You what!"

Discord had just spoken prematurely. He didn't fully remember what he did until he said it. He wanted then to let loose and have an actual guys night for once. After all, they have been through together, he heavily justified it. 

"I just wanted us to have a good time alright. It's been a while since we just relaxed, you know." Discord looked over at the angry little dragon. "Look I didn't know it was going to be this bad okay. I'm sorry alright."





The ocean of Darkness was only pierced By the Light sounds of droplets hitting the ground. The squad moved in unison perfectly silent. They had finally made it past all whores of sleeping demons but the mission was far from complete.

Now they were in the large far more open room but still just as dark. A lingering odor made breathing near impossible for the cats. One of them brought out a map. He studied it doing his best to recall everything he could. He then looked around seeing whether the place was on the map and how things corresponding. He looked back down at the map to a large circle area this was their destination. But they were far off from where they needed to be and they how long travel so they continued quietly.

As they open another door, two of the creatures stood standing silently in the dark. Their breath was hard and long and could be heard by all of them. Its shoulders violently moved up and down as its lungs kept up with stress. The creatures did not stand like them. They walked on 4 legs sometimes but mostly these creatures stood only on two and sometimes 6. Their limbs varied from only one to as much as 10. Their figures were slammed and bony with not much detail on the outer skin.

The two that stood in their path and now fighting the soldiers at least not on their own. One of the cats could easily take out one of them on their own and even more. However, the creatures had strength in large numbers that far exceeded the squads. If one of the creatures or to wake up then it risks alerting the rest of them. While the cats had a good chance of winning all-out bloodbath they prefer to keep it safe and tight only using violence as a last resort. This would be a time for violence.

The tall gray cat moved up closer to the creature he looked around to see how many were there but it seemed to only go to. Being that close to the creature is started to twitch as his footsteps became almost loud enough for it to hear. He stopped and turned to the squad signaling for one of them to follow him.

One of the cats who had a special pink tint to their room walked up beside him slowly. The cat was a bit smaller than the rest of them at least on four legs. She wasn't as large as the rest of the cats but for this particular mission that was a good thing. Cuz like footsteps made no sound in the Darkness and the creature never even knew she was there.

She slowly walked away up towards the second one until she was nearly face-to-face was it. Its eyes were closed but she could still see them through with transparent eyelids. To turn back to the large gray cat who gave her a slow nod. He lifted three fingers and slowly drop them down when none of his fingers remained he pulled out his sword from his back and the pink cats followed his actions. With a Swift Silent strike, both cats swung down hard straight on the head of the creatures. They dropped instantly letting out a small instant shriek. The sound of their bodies hitting the ground was the only sound that echoed.

The gray cat looked around to see if their presence had been known. Silence was his only response. Both cats nodded at each other acknowledging their success. The cats took note for the rest of the squad and they continued into the darkness ready to place the demons of the night.
> A Pawfect Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Endless hours of darkness had finally ended and was finally met by light. The squad walked into the light for the first time in what felt like forever. Their armor was stained with black blood and guts.  

The gray cat looked at a panel on his wrist. The panel showed the layout of an underground facility. He swiped past it and checked it off. He looked at all the other things that were checked out. There were dozens of places on the map that was glowing and hadn't been crossed off. He sighed as he closed the panel. He looked out into the distant sun. They had a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it. 

They hauled their luggage miles across the open desert. The scorching sun seemed to not affect the animals. They pushed on through the tortuous paths. Of course, there were some things far more horrific than the weather. 

The pink armored cat dragged on, staring at the sand. They had a long way to their destination and there wasn't much to occupy the time. She followed the streaks in the sand. Her gaze was interrupted by a strange mark in the sand. She looked up at it as she froze in her tracks. The mark was a footprint stained by black dust. She walked up to it and ran you paw across it. She then realized that they were all in danger.

Another cat with a purple-tinted armor noticed she was staring at something. He walked over to her and looked at whatever had her attention. As soon as he saw the black stain he too froze. It was sizzling ever so slightly in the sunlight. The sand began to move around the two cats. It began to sink in and the two cats knew what was happening. Something was coming to the surface





Shira had journeyed through the torturous desert. Her throat grasped for every drop of saliva it could. Her breath was hard, raspy, and dry. Every drop of moisture had withered away. She tried to keep track of how long she was walking for, but her efforts went to waste. She had no idea what time had passed and she didn't even know what time of the day it was. 

The sand had soaked into her fur making it feel like sandpaper. Every inch of your skin itched and burned. Her breaths were long and steady; each scorched like dragons breath. She looked up at the merciless sun that hung directly above her. The day was still young and the sun's ruin wouldn't end any time soon. 

She looked out into the distance to see a glorious sight. The desert was an ocean of tan sand that bleached even the skies, so to see any other color was the sight of paradise. The stain of green in the distance was the greatest gift he could've received. 

She sprinted towards the Celestial terrain. She has never run so fast in her life. Her paws were met by the soft feeling of green grass. She gasped a little at the magnificent sight of vegetation. Plants needed one thing that she urged for above all, water. The sweet sound of gushing water renewed her strength. She ran over to the river and dived right into it. Water dripped from her fur as she gulped down as much water as she could.

She sat soaked on the warm grass. She pulled out a map that showed a large desert on it. A recognizable windmill marked the middle of it. She searched around it until she came across a large land with a peculiar name. In big bold letters, it read "Equestria". She was in the land of Equestria.

She sighed at the thought of being in a land full of nothing but ponies. Friendship and Magic was their go-to model While hers was more shoot-first-ask-questions-later. At last, the choice was not hers, he had to find him, And Equestria was the place he was at. She ventured on Ready to face the foreign land.






Small pieces of metal flew across the desert. Black creatures came out from underneath the sand screeching on the way out. Their skin sizzled as the sun bombarded them with rays. The squad was held up behind large pillars and rocks. Their weapons were hot as they shot one after another. 

The gray cat unloaded every piece of metal his gun could shoot. His gun clicked as it ran out of ammo. He took the clip out and quickly threw it aside. He took one out of his belt and it took the old one's place. He aimed at the group of monsters that charged at them. 

The monsters laid dead on the ground. Their blood sizzled away with the sun. The squad checked each corpse to make sure they were all dead. The gray cat walked up to one of them and turned it over. Its black rotting teeth hung out of its mouth.

It truly was a vile beast. It took quite a bit to put them down but they had trained to the point that they could easily take one on. Their true power lived in the sheer number of them. They were pack hunters and never strayed too far from their groups. Where there was one you would always find more. Their claws were long and they had a large spike that came out of the knuckles. The cat's armor could off most of their attacks but repeated blows from them would cause the armor to break.

They had taken out dozens of them back in the facility, but to see them willing go out into broad daylight was unusual. The sunlight didn't kill them but it hurt them. The darkness was their domain and they stuck to it. While they could survive the light, it severely weakened their armor. In the dark, only armor-piercing weapons could effectively take them down.

The gray cat opened his panel and looked up at the sun. Daylight wouldn't last forever and that meant their job would be of much greater difficulty. He motioned to them to continue. He walked towards his destination and the other instinctively followed.





Shira had never met a pony before. She had heard of them but never really thought what it would be like to meet one. She had heard that they were simpler creatures that didn't fight much. They were a weaker species that preferred kindness and generosity. Of course, she so heard that they were obsessively friendly. "Friendship was magic" that was the model for a pony. 

She now walked among them as one of them. The air was much cleaner in Equestria and the atmosphere was definitely "friendlier" than the last land. Things in the desert were harsh and it was every creature for themselves. In Equestria everyone was friendly and ponies greeted each other. 

Shira tried her best to keep her distance. She kept away from the cities as she knew she would stick out from the crowd. I'm the desert carrying a weapon was normal, but in Equestria, it would have terrified anyone who saw it. 

She still carried the item, the very thing she had gone there for. A single item that had put her on someone's hit list. So many creatures now wanted her dead, and she could do nothing but run.

She walked along keeping to the forest and herself. She looked at her wrist and pulled out a panel. It lit up and it popped up a picture of another cat with a name next to it. She needed to find it before someone or something else found her. The sun was dropping down past the horizon and the moon would soon take its place. The dark was a terrible time to travel and she was far more vulnerable. She needed to find a place to settle down and rest. 

Her legs ached and she was hungry. She was far too week to hunt and even if she wasn't she still couldn't. In Equestria hunting down other creatures was mostly unheard, of as far as she knew. 

She wandered around in the woods until she was for sure she didn't leave behind a trail. She found a large tree and climbed up it. The trees in Equestria were far larger than the ones she was used to. Her home wasn't in the desert but her home still didn't have many large trees.

The forests I'm Equestria were large and full of life. Their trees were thick and strong. They stood like large mountains that wouldn't bow to no one. Even the grass seemed more alive and swayed peacefully with the wind instead of against it.

She took out a large rope and tied it around her clock and the item she carried. She threw the rope over a large branch and let her stuff hang. She laid down and let all the tension ooze from her body. It kind of hurt and her joints eased but the pain was soothing. Her spin decompressed and her arms and legs cracked. She stretched them out and her joints cracked even more. It was far louder than she had expected. She giggled a little as it brought back certain memories. She did miss home, but she had no choice. She had to find the cat that the item belonged to. Only he could help them end the ruin of darkness.





Green eyes once again pierced the darkened sky as blue and gray fur blew in the air. The clocked cat stood staring at the approaching moon.  He loved the night, the silent darkness. Hunting was clocked and covered by the ruin of the moon. His job was made easy by the ocean of darkness. 

He walked through the tortuous desert trying his best to follow the trail. He was caught in a sand storm which made tracking incredibly difficult. He didn't stop though, he pushed on through the deadly storm. He ran as fast as he could as if the storm did not affect him. His fearless eyes lit a clear path in front of him. He couldn't see, but the image in his head guided him through the night.

He wanted to stop just for a little break but he knew he couldn't for the enemy not take a break. He had to carry on through the harshest of conditions; he could not stop no matter what was thrown his way. 

He had looked at a map just before his journey looked him out into the bear desert. He knew where he was heading. It was a distant land that he had only heard stories of. He had never seen it with his own eyes but he knew cats who had. They spoke of ponies and how friendly they were. A place where everyone was treated with kindness and creatures got along. It was also spoken of the great magic that laid there. The magic that oozed from ponies and even the plants themselves. Their magic and power lived in the unity of them as a species. 

A land of great magic and kind creatures in the known land of Equestria.
> One Claw-ver Cat
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shira woke in the morning in a stable. She breathed heavily as she tried to get her bearings. She looked around to see the beautiful nature scene that surrounded her. The trees provided a comfortable resting place for her. She smiled at the glorious sight laid before her. She had never heard such lovely songs from the birds, nor had she ever woke to such a peaceful breeze. The sun rose softly into the sky as the moon vanished. The morning horizon was truly a gift to witness. 

She reached over and untied the rope that was holding up her stuff. She jumped down from the tree and looked around to see if she caused any kind of disturbance. The ground was still with only the sound of insects and birds chirping. 

She had heard stories of the land of Equestria. It was said that it was a place full of mysterious wonders and powers. It was a rather peaceful place where predators were rarely known. Most of the animals lived in a peaceful balance. Magic flew through nature in a unique balance that bonded all living things. It was a place of mere myths.

Back home everything was dead; it was cold and desolate. The desert ocean laid waste to everything that didn't hide from it. To live was to be a predator, and to survive was to make everything else your prey. To see and to hear such a different world was unsettling to her.

She didn't know where she was, and she had no layout of the land. All she knew was that she had to find one creature in particular. She knew others would soon catch up to him if she didn't find him first. 

She was in a large city that was heavily populated. Tall buildings lined the sky and towered over the small creatures below. She had never felt so little in her life. She was but a mere speck of dust compared the large metal "trees" and hovered over her head. She smiled a bit at the glorious city; the largest city she had ever seen.

Many stores lined the street and everyone one of them was filled to the roof with shoppers. A sign hanging off one of the stores read "best buys in all of Canterlot". She concluded that the sign must have been referring to the city. She was in Canterlot; the center of Equestria.

She walked along the street trying to figure out where she should start to look. She didn't know much about the creature she was trying to find. She only knew that he was somewhere in Equestria, but she realized that it was a much bigger place than she had anticipated. She needed some kind of database or locating device if she was going to have any kind of luck locating him. A guide seemed like a likely choice, however, it would be hard for her to ask anyone without knowing who she could trust.

She continued to think of a way as she walked down the street. The sweet smell of delicious food filled her nose. She froze in her tracks as she admired the divine aroma. Her stomach rumbled as it clawed for food. It had been several days since she had eaten anything. She had barely kept herself hydrated throughout her journey. It took a bit of will power but she managed to walk forward away from the smell of food. 

She ended up finding herself at a ginormous library. She wasn't there to read, study or find out any info from a book or pony. No, she was there simply because it was a rather quiet place where she could try something. If she couldn't just walk all over Equestria and look for him then she was going to have to find an alternative. Magic had always come in handy for solving problems that seemed unsolvable. Of course to find him she would need something that was a part of him. Luckily she too had just the thing.

She pulled the item off of her back and onto the table. She looked around to make sure nopony was paying much attention to her. She seemed to draw no attention to herself and thus she continued. She put her hand on the wrapped item and took a deep breath.









Equestria was a land that brought curiosity to many outsiders. It was far more peaceful and put together than the surrounding lands. Besides, a few hot spots there wasn't much predator VS prey going on. Even the weather was controlled by the Pegasus. It was certainly a change of scenery for the clocked cat. His blue and gray fur blew steadily in the Equestrian wind. It didn't fight against it like he was used to. Instead, it flew calmly, in unison with it. 

He walked aroused soothing grass, which beat the scorching sand any day, yet he made no changes in his approach. He didn't stop to admire the scenery, and he didn't seem to care much about the nature around him. His hours were few, and soon the enemy would find the cat he was looking for. He needed to find her before the enemy did. 

He looked up at a tree and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath through his nose. Everything froze in time and started to move in reverse. The sun moved in reverse till the moon once again dominated the sky. He looked up and saw his target. She climbed the tree and tied her stuff to a branch next to her. Then she laid down. Time speed forward as the sun retook its rightful place. She took her stuff and jumped down from the tree. She then proceeded to walk off into the distance.

He followed her a bit until he came upon a large city. He looked down at his wrist. A panel rested on it and it powered up on command. A map appeared with a name in large letters, Canterlot. He was at the heart of Equestria. Time returned to the present and he took another deep breath. He continued his pursuit; he was a cat on a mission and no one would stop him.




Shira opened her eyes and realized she was still at the library. She looked down at the item and recalled what she had just seen. It was hard to sort through with all the noises and bright lights. Where he was it was one hell of a party going on. She didn't quite catch any name of the city or him, but she was fairly certain she could find a match.

She opened a book and looked through a list of city names in Equestria. She came across Canterlot, the heart of Equestria, but it seemed more of a Regal place with preppy ponies. Then she came across the Crystal Empire; it seemed far too north and way too small to be the right location. She continued to look around in search of a perfect match. 

After she checked for a few more cities and towns she finally came across something that caught her eye. It was large and it wasn't a preppy place. It certainly was a huge party place and it seemed to have a matching description, " A Place Where the Party NEVER ENDS". She knew without a doubt that she had finally located the city where he was at. She then came across one thought. He was supposed to be a strong-hearted witty creature. He was unmatched in his bravery and courage. So with all of the awesome abilities and courageous outlook, what great things could he be doing in such a place.








The Equestrian breath blew swiftly across the land. The Celestial sun rose calmly to take its throne in the sky. The moon retreated to its slumber; waiting for it's time to come again. 

The breath blew across trying to take dominance over the land, however, it was not to be, the loud sound of hooves and chatter planted the ground. The large city was anything but calm. The streets were packed with ponies pulling wagons and many rushing to their destination. Advertisements roared high above the crowd; making sure nopony could miss them. The city was a huge party in itself. The city of Las Pegasus was certainly a sight to see. 

The Blue Diamond Cocino was the shining star of the city. As a new addition to the ever-growing festival, it certainly was the place to be. Anyone who was anyone went to the Blue Diamond Cocino. The ceiling stretched so high that ponies claimed that the famous Rainbow Dash could perform her legendary sonic rainboom without disturbing anyone below. The rides stretched from one end of the building to the other. The water slides were some of the largest in all of Equestria.

Among all of the glory, there was a large area dedicated to slot machines and gambling. Yes, the place where ponies went to get rich and love, and where pony's wallets went to die. Very few creatures were skilled enough to make an actual living through gambling, of course, there's always the minority.

His hands moved fast and swift; every motion and movement had a secret intention behind them. His glaring green eyes were soft yet sharp; they revealed nothing about him. He wore a nice black cloak matched with a black hat. His brownish-orange fur sat calmly against his body. The tense situation seemed to not have any impact on the player. 

Across the table sat an earth pony with a black mane and gray coat. He wore pitch-black shades, a matching suit, and a matching crew behind him. The pony sat with a hand of cards and a huge pile of money in front of him. A small stream of sweat silently ran down his face. No one else seemed to notice except for the ponies opponent. The green-eyed player across from him sat with an equally large amount of money. It was an all or nothing situation. The tension brought a humongous spectating crowd to incircle the two.

The player yawned and stretched a bit. He casually put his feet on the table and leaned back; he was comfortable. He looked down at his cards and then right back into the pony's eyes. The pony didn't get it. The situation was incredibly dire and deserved stress, but the player didn't seem to even notice the money at stake. Either the player was incredibly stupid, or he wasn't stressed because he knew he already won. The pony feared this above all, of course, it could have been just a bluff. Perhaps the cool-guy act was just to cover for a terrible hand. The pony smiled a bit as he started to convince himself of this conclusion.

The player saw the doubt in his eyes and responded accordingly. He took his feet off of the table and pushed forward the rest of his money pile.

"I'm all in," said the player causally. His timid soft voice seemed to rattle in the pony's head a bit.

The sweat that ran down the pony's face became more apparent. The lifeless eyes of the player seemed to drill into the pony's soul. He couldn't read the player and it killed him. He ground his teeth wondering if he should risk so much.  Their gazes were locked in a ferocious war. Of course, the pony's walls were made of strong durable titanium, however, the player's walls had reached a new level of pure vibranium. At last, the walls of titanium came tumbling down.

"Damn you, I fold," the words of the pony flushed through the crowd.

The crowd went wild and raised in a mountain of cheers. The player stood up and walked over to the pony.

"Damn it, you must have had an ace on you," said the pony.

"Eh, you win some and you lose some. Good game though," replied the player.

"Well, I see that you have quite the talent, sir."

The player turned to see a rather dashing mare standing and admiring him. She had a long light blue mane with a white coat. She wore a black dress with a matching scarf. Her bright blue eyes showed her interest in him.

"You sir, are quite the charmer."

"Well Capper's the name, and charming IS my game."
> A New Fur-end
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Laughter filled the air; silence was not known to the land. The sun was setting on an ever-growing festival.  The little cat was far out of her element and the overwhelming enthusiasm was more than she could take. She felt like a more ant crawling along huge mountains. Los Pegasus was the place for all party ponies; it was a shining light that attracted so many bugs to it. 

Shira walked along the luminescent street as she admired all of the glamorous decorations and decor. Restaurants and stores lined every corner of the city. Large amusement parks encased the city making it all more breathtaking. Even the sky lit up far more than any other city in the land of Equestria.

She walked along until she came to a cross-section. The street had a sign with a pony walking with a big red x a crossed it. She understood its message and patiently waited. Many ponies rode up and down the road in quick selection. Everyone was in a great hurry to get to their destination, yet none were more concerned than Shira. She needed to reach her destination; it was imperative that she did. 

She looked down at the ground and closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. She stood there still for a few moments. She tuned out all the chaotic noise that was meaningless to her objective. As the red x disappeared for the pony of the sign Shira opened her eyes. She instinctively began to walk forward. She looked up to a large sign in the sky, “Blue Diamond Cocino”. She chuckled a little; it was bound to be an exciting experience for her. The small vision she had at the cross-section had shown her target at a building related to a diamond somehow. She really wasn’t expecting a casino of all places, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.

She traveled a short distance before she saw the large Beacon in the distance. It was a large tall blue light that came from a large building with a huge diamond atop of it. She smiled as she knew it was the right place. She took in all of its glorious aurae. The travel was lengthy and slower than she would have liked. The sun had fully receded from the sky and the moon took its daily dominion over the land. 

The blackened sky was chased away from all the lights that engulfed it. The Blue Diamond casino was truly glorious. Shira stood in front of the humongous entrance that a full-size dragon could fit through. She gasped insight of all its awe. She walked through the entrance and was hit with a wave of “the true party life”.

An ocean of roars and screams flooded over her nearly knocking her over. She pushed forward towards the main hall. The ceiling was grand and lined with gold and gems. It stretched almost beyond sight. She looked in all directions only to find an endless ocean of golden slot Machines, water slides and huge 100-foot rides, and huge screens that stood in large posts. 

She had heard of such technology that allowed colored images to be displayed digitally on different surfaces. It had started as simple projectors that had advanced to large boxes and then to thin screens that had clear realistic pictures. She was in awe at the alien technologies.

It was at that point when she realized that she had hit a roadblock. The building was far too large for her to simply search for her target, but she really hadn’t gotten a specific exact location on him. All she knew was that he was somewhere lost in the ocean she was in. She took a deep breath as she tried to think of her next move. 

It was then that she remembered that the item she had carried all that way had one little trick to it. It would glow if it was in the presence of its true owner. She took the cloaked item off of her back and held it out in front of her. She then started walking slowly trying to see if she could get a ping on his location. Eventually, after quite some time she froze in her tracks as the item shot a glare of light for a split second. She continued down the path that eventually led her to the gambling section. 

It was the place where ponies went to get rich and live, and where ponies wallets went to die. She walked along the slot machines observing all the gamblers on their crusades to fortune. She saw many ponies that had spent far more than they should have and some that were downright broke. There were a few creatures that had luck on their sides. A griffin stood with hundreds of bits next to them as the machine continued to pour more out. As she walked by the griffin she pocketed a hand full of bits as she figured she might need them. 

She passed a table where a large group of various creatures huddled around. As she passed it the item she held let out a bright silent gold flash. She froze and backed up as she realized she had hit the jackpot. She walked up to the crowd and started to squeeze her way through it. When she had reached the center she saw what all the fuss was about. A group of two ponies, one griffin, a dragon, and a cat were locked in a battle to the death of their life savings. The pile of rewards was breathtaking all in itself. It was almost large enough to cover the view of the gamblers.

Shira was sucked into the intensity of the situation and for a moment she had forgotten her motives. She stood and waited for the outcome of their game. She looked around at all of the contenders. The two ponies looked like they had a good head on their shoulders, but it was clear that they weren’t good enough to win that particular battle. The griffin was tapping his leg ever so slightly which meant he was probably betting on luck. It was the last two that caught her eye. The dragon was calm and collected with not a hint of worry. The cat was relaxed and still. Its green eyes moved quickly across the table and Shira could tell that there was a secret intention behind every gaze. 

He quickly gazed in her direction as she shifted her eyes away. She looked back to see that his gaze had moved on. He seemed to be too focused on the game to worry about anything else. She watched him closely as he looked down at his hand of cards. He looked up at the dragon and back at his hand. The dragon had lots of jewelry on and had a lot of friends behind him. He was clearly the king of the table.

Shira watched as the two ponies folded as the dragon rose the bet even higher. The griffin started a steady sweat and the cat just pushed more money into the pile. She saw the dragon smile as he rose the bet even further beyond. The griffin instantly folded at that event. The cat simply obliged to the dragon's demands. 

It was then that Shira understood the crowd's interest. It was the king of the table being taken on by a kid who seemed to stand a decent chance; The titan vs the player. The titan simply pushed more money into the pile. It was half of his huge pile on the line. He squinted at the player as he awaited his response. The player's dead emotionless eyes showed nothing. He looked at the pile of money and then back at his hand. His eyes strained at his cards for a few drawn-out moments. Suddenly as if someone had flipped a switch the player changed.

His eyes lighted up and showed a slight hint of fear. It wasn’t much but they were no longer dead. He clenched his hand slightly and took a small deep breath. The titan smiled at his response; he knew he had finally got the upper hand. The player swallowed as he pushed half of his pile to the middle. The titan went wide-eyed. Certainly, the player wasn’t stupid enough to play on a doubting hand. The titan froze for a moment as he looked back down at his hand.

He looked back at the player who stared Him down. The titan started to doubt his hand and even considered folding. However, the titan wasn’t going to back down quite yet. The pushed the rest of his money to the center 

“I’m all in”, said the dragon.

The player sat staring at the huge reward. He smiled as the tension firm his body seemed to be stripped away. His eyes went dead again and he even chuckled a little. He looked back at the titan and then put his cards down on the table.

“I fold”.

The cat's words sent a shockwave through the crowd. Shira went wide-eyed as she couldn’t comprehend what had happened. The dragon smiled at his success and pulled the pile towards himself. The crowd went wild and everyone began to cheer.

The cat walked up to the dragon. “Damn it, you must have had an Ace.”

“Eh doesn’t worry about it kid you played well,” said the dragon. “Had me on the ropes there for a bit. Not bad, kid.”

The two shook hands and departed. Shira chuckled at the outcome of the event. Something about it didn’t seem right to her. It seemed as if someone’s plan had played out perfectly during the game, it wasn’t the dragon's plan that played out.

The gold flash of the item broke Shira out of her thoughts. She tooled down at the wrapped item and then looked up. The cat had passed her delicately just as it had illuminated. She gasped as she turned into his direction. The item lit up once more and only got brighter as she walked forwards. 

It can’t be, she thought to herself. The cat that owned the item was supposed to be a witty warrior and before her, she saw a gambler who had lost. Of course, she still wasn’t convinced that what unfolded before her was quite what it seemed. 

She started to follow him as she put the item back on her back. She wanted to approach him delicately and without alarm. To her luck, he walked up to the bare counter and sat down to settle. He pulled out a couple of bits and bought a couple of drinks. She watched with curious eyes as he walked over to a large table. The dragon from the gambler battle sat with a large group of friends. She couldn’t hear what was being said but she could see as the cat sat next to the dragon and placed the drink in front of him. The dragon seemed to accept his gift and welcomed the cat to his gathering.

Shira got the idea that there was certainly more to the cat than meets the eye. She really had to question what his game was. He lost to the dragon and lost a huge load of money, so why would the cat be playing buddy with him. She watched for a while until the cat got up and walked away from the table with a few farewells. She quickly followed him and this time she caught up with him.

“Excuse me, sir,” she said as she tapped his shoulder. “Can I have a word with you?”

“Oh, why of course miss. What could I do for a rather dashing felon such as yourself.” He graced her paw and kissed it with elegance.

He certainly knew manners and how to make a first impression. “What is your name, sire?”

“The name is Dapperpaws, Capper Dapperpaws”.
> Friends Fur-ever
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey give me two of your finest glasses of wine,” Capper said as he handed the Bartender a hand of extra bits. “ make it special will you.”

The two cats sat at the bar. Shira had barely asked his name before he had offered to buy her a drink. She had only drank alcohol a couple of times in the past; only on rare special occasions. She wasn’t much for drinking, but she felt obligated to accept his generosity. 

“You don’t mind wine do you Umm….?” Capper paused as he waited for her response.

“Shira, and no I don’t mind.”

Capper took notice of her soft elegant voice. Her eyes were quite piercing and enchanting. He took a glance at the cloak and item of her back. He saw how dirty her fur was and the sand that was embedded in it. He quickly got the idea that she was either poor or had traveled through some harsh conditions.

“You’re not from around here are you?”

“You got me there. It’s a bit of a little hike to my house.”

“More of the countryside?”

Shira nodded her head in response.

“Well, what brings you to the big city?”

Shira paused for a second as she thought of her answer. She needed to tell him the truth of why she was there and why she had traveled so far to find him, but she knew it would have to come in time. If she just blurted it out then he would just think she’s crazy. 

“I wanted a new experience; I like to see a different world for a change.”

“Ahh I see, adventurous are we?” Capper said as he graved the two glasses of wine from the bartender. It was then that Capper started to draw his attention to the wrapped up item she carried. “What’s that?” He said as he took a small drink.

Shira took her glass and drank in unison with him. “It’s a gift for someone very important to me. I’ve carried it a great distance to give it to them.”

“Well, aren’t they very lucky to have you.”

“No,” Shira quickly caught on to what he was insinuating. “It’s for a family friend.”

“Ahh yes of course,” he said with a chuckle.

Shira then realized what he just did. He didn’t want to just ask her if that “someone” was her lover or not, so he got her to tell him. She smiled as she realized that she was playing his little game of “guess who”.

“I saw you at the table. You were watching our little match to the death.”

“Yes, I watched the match that you lost, mister”.

Capper held his glass before taking a drink. “Indeed I did.”

Shira squinted at his response. He seemed to calm for someone who had lost so much. “So why’d you do it?”

“Excuse me?” Capper said, putting down his glass.

“I saw a cat who didn’t lose on accident, it was intentional. So I just want to know what game you were playing.”

Capper sat back as he felt kinda exposed. His cards were always close to him, not allowing anyone to see them. Then here came this cat who seemed to know what his hand-tooled like. She had a good head on her shoulders as well.

“Well you see you win some and you lose some; it’s just the name of the game. Not every game is for the money.”

“True, but every game is for the gain. You always want to gain something. So, tell me capper, what did you gain from that game.

Capper took a long drink before putting it down. “Respect.” He held you his empty glass for the bartender to see. “Respect from the king himself.”

Shira was taken back at his answer. “Wait what? How is buying the dragon a drink and losing to him a way to gain his respect?”

She had watched him. Capper was surprised that she took note of him buying the dragon a drink. “Well, you see I lost to him, which means he’s still at the top. He’s still the “king of the table.”

“Ya and, so what. Didn’t you just prove to him that you’re a loser who isn’t worth his time.”

“What no of course not.” Capper seemed almost offended at the conclusion. “What he saw was a lower rookie who gambled and held a pretty good bluff. I impressed him if you will.”

“Wouldn’t you rather have won the money?”

“Well sure that would’ve been sweet, but then I would’ve been the center of the whole casino.” Capper took another drink. “See the point is you look down at the ones below you, but when one of them raises and challenges you but doesn’t quite beat you, you start to build a sense of respect for their skills.”

“That’s an interesting way of looking at that.”

“Well you hate the ones above you, you look down at the ones below you, but you relate to the ones on your level. It’s the name of the game.”

“How could you possibly predict that outcome?”

“That’s why it’s called gambling my darling.”

“So it’s about being good without being noticed.”

“Exactly. Kind of like you. You’re good, but you do a good job of not being noticed.”

Shira chuckled at the remark. “You have no idea Mr. Dapperpaws.”

Capper finished his second drink and stood up.” We should go.”

“Go where?” Shira asked as she finished her first drink.

“Anywhere, let's go have some fun. You said you were adventurous right?”

“You said I was?”

“And I heard no ejections.”

Capper held out his hand. She took it and got up from the chair. She still was trying to think of a way to deal with the real issue at paw. She needed to give him the item and tell him the truth of why she had traveled, but how could she just go right out and tell him.

“Actually could you lead me to a restroom? That wine seemed to have passed right through me.”

“Oh, of course, it’s just right down there,” Capper said as he pointed to a sign that said restroom. 

Shira signed as she couldn’t help but feel lost in such a large place. “Could you wait right here for me?”

“Why of course Miss…?”

“Moonshine.”

“Moonshine?” Capper asked, quite amused.

“Yes, Shira moonshine.”

“Well then, I’ll be awaiting your return Miss Moonshine.” 

Shira walked off as Capper sat down at one of the tables. She walked staring at the ground as she thought hard to herself. She was wasting a lot of time making small talk. At that point, she was just stalling for time until she could come up with a way to tell him the truth. She looked up to see the restroom sign right above her. 

"Excuse me, Miss."

Shira turned to see a black unicorn with a black man. He wore a black suit and had unnatural dark eyes. He had a great big smile on his face as he held out his hoof. She looked at him awkwardly as she didn't recognize him.

"Umm hi, I'm sorry do I know you?"

"I hope not." The pony said as he laughed. "I'm going to have to ask you to come with me."

"Excuse me?"

The walked closer to her as his smile grew larger. "I said I'm going to have to ask you to come with me."

Shira backed up a bit. She looked at the pony's uncanny smile. "Look I'm sorry but I don't even know you, and I need to get back to my boyfriend. He's been waiting for me for a while and he's going to start getting mad if I'm not back soon." 

She had to think fast; the situation felt wrong somehow. She had the worst feeling about the pony and she couldn't figure out why. She decided to skip the bathroom break and just head back to Capper. She started to walk back before he put his hoof on her shoulder. 

"I think you should come with me, now." 

Shira froze as she felt a knife pressing against her back. The pony went right up against her and leaned close to her ear. 

"Let's not do this in public. Let's take this somewhere private shall we?"

The pony grabbed her by the item on her back and started pulling her.

"Let go of me," Shira said as she knocked his hoove away.

"Shhh, we wouldn't want things to get messy in here now would we?" Shira continued to struggle as he slowly pulled her away.

"Babe is there a problem here?" 

Shira and the pony looked up to see Capper standing with his arms crossed. His green eyes showed anger and aggression. Shira looked at him and then back at the pony. She caught on to Capper's game.

"No baby, this Stallion was just offering me a drink."

Capper walked closer to them and stared the pony down. "You hitting on my girl asshole?"

The pony stared into Capper's eyes looking for any deception. Once he saw no hesitation in the cat's aggression he noticed the attention their little issue was causing. The pony wasn't looking for a blood bath.

"No, of course not; I was just messing around. I'm sorry for the trouble." With that, the pony quickly hid the knife and let Shira go. 

Capper grabbed Shira's paw and walked away with her. He put his arm around her waist and leaned in close to her.

"Thank you for that," Shira said as she clenched his paw.

"No problem, I'm sorry about that."

"It's fine."

"We should get a drink; I'm buying."

Shira glanced back to see the pony was trailing far behind them. "Yes, I think that's for the best."

They went to the bar counter and sat down. Capper ordered two more drinks and sat them down In front of him. He turned the glass until the light allowed him to see behind him. He could see the pony slowly walking up behind them. He turned over to Shira and grabbed her paw. 

“This way my darling,” Capper said as he went straight into a crowd.

“Where are we going?”

Capper looked at Shira and then up over the crowd. “To find reinforcement. There is power in numbers.” 

Capper led them to a table where the large dragon, that Capper had lost to, sat at. Capper went up next to him and showed the urgency in his eyes.

“Hey kid, back so soon are we?”

“He’s an Eager one boss,” one of the crew dragons said. “He loves the thrill of the game.”

“I’m here on Unofficial business.” Capper looked back to see the pony lost in the crowd. The pony hadn’t seen them yet. “We seem to have a certain fan of ours, and he’s not far behind.”

“Walk towards the asshole, slowly,” the dragon said as he saw who Capper was looking at. “I’ll take care of the rest.”

Capper took Shira’s paw and walked past the crowd. The pony Immediately saw them and went on their trail. The pony sped up until he was right behind them. He pulled out his knife and put it to his side. As he approached Capper and Shira, he drew it closer to his chest. 

“Hey, jackass,” said the dark intimidating voice of the dragon. “Do we have a problem here?”

The pony looked beside him to see several other dragons. Capper noticed as the pony took an extra-long glance at the dragon's claws.

“Umm no, there’s no problem here. I was simply mistaken. I thought he was a different cat.”

“Well lucky for you pale, the cat you’re looking for isn’t in this casino. I suggest you leave to go fine then, and don’t come back looking for them either.” 

“Yes, I can see that it’s for the best.” With that, the pony walked away and vanished into the crowd.

“Thank Tank, I owe you one,” Capper said as he signed in relief.

“Don’t worry about it kid. I’ll watch your back for assholes like that. We’ll keep an eye out for that prick.” Tank turned to Capper and gave him a pat on the back. “Now go on and have fun with your girl.”

“Thank you so much, Capper, that was incredible of you,” Shira said as she sat down at the bar.

“Don’t mention it, it’s all in good spirit. What I’m curious about is what did he want with you?”

“I don’t, I’ve never seen him before.” Shira took a drink as she signed to herself. She was running out of time to tell him the truth. “Capper we should go and do something else.”

Capper sat his drink down and chuckled. “Ya, like what?”

“I don’t know, but something fun and maybe adventurous.”

“Adventurous hmm?”

“Ya.”

Capper got up from his chair and sat a couple of bits down for a tip. “Well I’m all for getting out of here and doing something, but what exactly do you have in mind?”

Shira laughed as her mind almost drifted to an interesting place. She honestly didn’t care what they did; as long as they were away from the Dreaded creature and she could tell him the truth about himself, and the item she carried.
> A Claw-ful Turn Of Events
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The cat shielded his eyes from the bright lights. He walked casually through the large tightly packed crowds. He made his way to a large very luminescent building with a large blue diamond at the top. He took no attention to any of the decor, nor did the loud thunder of shouts from the people seemed to even bother him. He drew no attention as he silently slipped passed pony after pony. 

He stopped as he looked down at the panel on his wrist. A large warning sign appeared on his panel. He immediately started to look around; he kept serious spatial awareness. He took a quick glance at every living thing in his vicinity. One of them was in the casino, and things would get pretty ugly very quickly if he didn't find it.

He ran out of the casino and around the block. The enemy could look like anything, so he couldn't trust anyone of the creatures in the building. He jumped up to a roof of a neighboring building, and then up on the side of the casino. He made his way up to the top and onto the roof.  He held his paw out and extended his claws. With one quick swipe, he made a small circle in the roof and swiftly slipped into it. 

The ceiling perhaps held up to its legacy. He sat calmly high above the world. Even if some creature was to look up, the ceiling was blurry to the naked eye that was sitting on the ground. 

He scanned through the crowds of ponies and other creatures in search of his enemy. He kept his eye out for anything that looked off. He was running out of time. If his enemy was there then it meant that his target was too. The cat he had followed for hundreds of miles was finally within his grasp. 

He continued to survey the crowds until he came across an intriguing sight. He saw two cats have an interesting confrontation with a black pony. The pony seemed to antagonize the two cats and caused them to walk away. The interesting part was the knife that the pony was poorly hiding, and the cloak item that one of the cats carried. The conflict continued as the two cats tried to get away from the pony. The pony approached the two cats until a group of dragons interfered and helped them out.

The cat was particularly interested in the black pony over the two cats; something about it wasn't right. He continued to watch the pony as it walked to the entrance of the casino the cat crawled back outside and to the entrance to find the pony. He watched as the pony went around to a dark alley next to the casino. The pony froze for a moment before it began to change. Its skin began to peel away as the black liquid began to pour out of it.

"Alright miss, let's get out of here. Sorry, your time here was ruined." Capper put down his empty glass and stood up.

Shira stood up and quickly looked around. She knew that the creature that threatened her was definitely no pony. She had traveled a long distance in an unbelievably short amount of time. She knew that they had to get out of the casino before it came back. She swiftly took the item and slid it under the table. She needed to take precautions.

"Where are we heading Mr. Dapperpaws?"

"Eh, let's just see where the night takes us." Capper left a tip and they began to walk towards the entrance. "I feel like we should go somewhere where I can properly treat you."

Shira smiled as Capper leaned over and held his hand out. "Alright Capper, lead the way." She took his hand and they were about to head out. 

All of a sudden the alarm in the casino went off. Red flashing lights flooded the building and the wave of panic was next. Creatures started screaming and running towards the entrance. Capper immediately grabbed Shira's hand and pulled her towards the door. He pushed through the river of people rushing against him. 

Capper approached the door just as he felt Shira's hand get ripped away from him. He tried to push back to reach her, but the panicking river was relentless. He forced his way through the opposing crowd. 

"Shira!" He called out. "Shira!" He could smell the terrible stench of smoke. "Shira! Where are you?"

He fought his way till he was clear of the nightmare. He was in the gambling area of the casino, only it was hard to tell with all the smoke. He used his jacket to cover his face. 

"Let go of me!"

Capper looked up at the familiar voice. In the distance, he could see a blurry image of Shira being dragged away by someone. He took a glass off of a nearby table and ran after her. 

He took no time to think of any plan. He rushed up to Shira's attacker and swiftly through the glass at the back of their head. The creature stopped and touched the back of its head. It turned around and growled. 

Capper was starstruck at the creature before him. He had never seen anything more terrifying. Black liquid oozed from its skin that looked like it was rotting off its bones. The creature had pure black eyes and long wet black hair. It stood on two legs with huge claws and matching arms. 

Capper started to back up as he realized that he was way out of his league. The creature turned around and picked up a table. It launched it at Capper as if it had no weight. Capper slid to the ground and avoided the table as it crashed through a wall. He stared at the smashed wall as he grasped the severity of the situation. 

He stood up and started to cough violently as the smoke started to build up. He saw the creature as it lifted Shira in the air and pinned her against the wall by her neck. 

"Alright you bitch," the creature growled. "Where the hell is it?"

Shira gasped for air in vain as the creature choked the life out of her. Capper ran up to it with a chair and broke it on its back. The creature growled as it slowly turned around. It quickly grabbed Capper by the neck and held him up to its face. The creature roared in his face as it squeezed him with all its strength.

Capper gasped for air as the life was being choked out of him, literally. Capper held onto the creature's arm as he unintentionally clawed the creature. Its arm began to sizzle as its flesh deteriorated. The creature screeched as it threw Capper across the room. 

The creature turned back to Shira as she clung for life. Before the creature could act anymore, its arm was swiftly cut off. The creature walked back slowly as it tried to grasp what had happened. 

"Hello darkness my old friend, I've come to talk with you again."

Everyone turned to see who had spoken. The creature growled as it came face to face with a tall standing blue and gray cat. The cat wore a large cloak that covered much of its body. The cat raised its paw and clawed the creature, sending it through a wall.

The cloaked cat walked up to Shira. She was coughing and gasping for air on the ground. Her eyes were bloodshot and a lot of her fur was missing around her neck. She looked up at the cloaked cat as he looked down at her.

"Well missy, you are one hell of a runner." The clocked cat bent down and helped Shira up. He tilted her head over and checked her neck. He pressed on it slightly to see her pain reaction. "You'll live if you get out of here before the smoke kills you that is."

Shira struggled to stay on her feet; she leaned over a table. "Who the hell are you?" Shira gasped.

"I'm the cat that traveled a long way to save your ass. "The cloaked cat looked to see that Shira didn't have the item. "Where is it?"

Shira looked over at the spot under the counter. She saw that Capper was laying on the ground next to the spot. She looked back up at the cat. "You can't take it; it doesn't belong to you."

"Listen you bitch," the cat hissed. "We don't have the time for this, and you've already caused enough trouble as it is."

The cat was blasted back several feet. Shira screamed as she ducked under the table. Capper jumped up as he saw the creature charge through the wall. Its face was burning and its skin was peeling off. The creature roared as its body lit up; black flames encircled its body.  The creature ran forward, turning everything in its path into ash. 

The cloaked cat stood up and removed its cloak to reveal golden armor. The armor sent out a blinding glare. The cat put his hand out as a bright light began to gather. The ground began to shake as the cat charged up a large amount of blinding light. 

As the creature approached, the cat unleashed the massive light. The creature was sent flying and smashed through the floor. Black liquid covered the floor and began to burn through everything it touched.

Shira ran over to Capper. She looked at his head to see that he was bleeding. She ran over to the bar counter and took out the item from underneath it. She slid it to Capper and started to unwrap it.

"You have to take this, now!" Shira yelled as she looked over at the golden armored cat.

"Wait, what!? Why? What is that?” He pointed at the item. “And what the hell is that?!" Capper pointed at the black creature as it crawled through the floor. "Who are you really Shira, and what the hell is going on here?"

Shira sighed as she realized that nothing had worked out as she wanted it to. "I'm sorry, I really didn't want to lay all of this on you like this. I was hoping I could tell you the truth without putting so much on you." 

The wrapped item was revealed to be a stone cracked sword. It looked incredibly old and worn. It began to glow as Shira moved it closer to Capper. 

"It belongs to you, and only you should wield it." Shira stood up and backed away from it.

Capper sat starstruck at the whole situation. His mind was racing to find an answer to all of his questions. He still couldn't grasp what was unfolding before him. His thoughts were interrupted as the creature crashed through the floor.

Most of its skin was gone and it seemed that the creature was all but spend. Still, it pursued to kill its opponent. It once again changed at the cat and lunged with its 6-inch claws out. The cat reached for something that was resting on its back. As the creature was inches from the cat, the cat swung in one clean motion. 

Shira and Capper stood in utter shock as they saw the creature incinerate before their eyes. The cat stood with a large golden sword in his paw. The black blood on the blade sizzled away, leaving only a blinding glare. 

The cat turned to Shira and Capper and smiled. "Alright you two, no more games. Either you hand over the sword or you're next.

Capper backed up to the counter and looked at Shira. Shira kicked the sword over to Capper and stepped back. She looked at Capper and then down at the stone sword.

"Don't look at me. Only you have the power to stand up to him."

Capper tried to speak but only could mouth out "What?!" in a whisper. 

He stared at the stone sword as it glowed. The golden cat proceeded to walk towards him. Capper swallowed hard as he realized he was going to have to fight a very strong, much more handsome and obviously rich cat with a pathetic stone sword. He was going to die.

“Oh Capper boy. What did you get yourself into?”
> A New Paw-sibility
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Capper watched as a golden flash rushed past his face. The light of a thousand suns pierced through everything in its path. The golden cat skirted to a halt as he dug his claws into the ground. 

Capper shifted his foot ever so slightly and moved some rubble in the process. He looked down to see the pebbles crumbling away from his hands. A second ago he was holding an old cracked stone sword, but now before his eyes was a large white and gold sword. 

Its double blades cut through every piece of dust that dared to fly too close to it. The light that illuminated from the hilt seemed to chase away even the light from the surrounding fire. Even the smoke dared not to enter the domain of the sword. It was the most beautiful item that Capper had ever seen; it was probably worth more than everything in the casino combined. 

The cat's eyes locked onto Capper as the sword's light continued to grow. He knew the truth at that moment. The cat before him was truly the wielder of the sword. He stood up and put his sword to rest on his back. He shot a glare into Capper's eyes. The cat's stance lightened as he eased his body. The truth was always odd and often unexpected.

Capper on the other knew nothing; he hardly could remember what had happened. He remembers the cat running at him and drawing his sword. Then he remembered reaching out for the stone sword and, in panic, he used it in a sad attempt to block the cat's strike. After that, the picture of his memory went blurry. He was standing there with the golden sword and the golden cat was flung back. After that, he could hear Shira calling his name as everything went black.

Capper screamed as he woke from his slumber. He sat up quickly only to hit a wooden beam along the way. He groaned as he curled up and rubbed his head to ease the pain. 

He looked around to get a grasp on where he was. The room was dark, but he could still make out some notable features with the little bit of sunlight that forced its way in. The ceiling was old and crumbling with water dripping from it. The floor was old and creaked every time he shifted in the bed. The door was rotting and hung on only one of its hinges. 

He sat up slowly to avoid repeating his earlier mistake. He got up out of the bed and stood up. He then noticed that he wasn't wearing any cloth. This perhaps was his biggest worry. The jacket he was wearing had cost him a fortune, and it was a large sign of his status. 

He walked towards the door and opened it slowly. The outside was calm and peaceful. The sun was bright as it ruined over the beautiful afternoon. The birds were chirping and the breath flew in harmony with the grass. 

Capper walked out to see Shira with a bow. She was wearing a breastplate that was similar to the other cat's armor. The bow was sky blue and when she pulled the string back it emitted a blue aura around it. She swiftly drew an arrow from a pack that rested on her back. She rested the arrow calmly against the bowstring and proceeded to aim. Capper looked ahead to see what her target was and far off into the distance, almost unseeable, rested a small circular target.

Shira, in one smooth transition, pulled the string back and let the arrow fly. The distance must have been nearly 100 feet, yet the arrow found its exact mark. Capper dropped his jaw; perhaps he didn't know who Shira was. 

"I see I'm not the only one who was hiding a few tricks."

Shira turned around to see Capper approaching. "Oh, you're finally awake."

"Ya? How long was I out."

"I don't know," Shira sighed. "Like a day I guess."

"A day?" Capper gasped. He stopped in front of her and looked out towards the target. "What the hell happened."

"I think it was because you never used the word before," Shira said as she took out another arrow. "Pretty sure it was just…."

"Not that," Capper interrupted. "I meant what the hell happened back there. As in what was that thing, and who was that cat, and most of all who are you?" Capper crossed his arms. "I feel like we should reintroduce ourselves, don't you?"

Shira looked at him and then back at her target. Without saying a word to him she repeated her previous act. The arrow flew and once again it perfectly hit its target.

"I see you are incredible with a bow, Capper said in annoyance. "Anything else I should know?"

"Ya I'm pretty good with a bow," Shira said as she drew another arrow. "But that's because I have to be."

Capper could see that she was going to take a different approach than he wanted, so he decided to humor her.

"Why?"

"Because of that thing you saw the other night." Shira let the arrow find its mark.

"And what in Equestria was that thing?" 

Shira bent down on her knees as the wind picked up. "Well, we've been trying to figure that out actually." She pulled the string back and adjusted her aim. "They've just recently appeared, kind of out of nowhere."

"We?" Capper asked as he crouched down with her.

"Ya us, the Guardians." Shira let the arrow find its mark through the harsh wind.

"The Guardians?"

"We're an elite group of highly skilled worries that have fought off demonic forces and evil creatures for centuries."

Capper stood straight up as he watched her shoot another arrow. "Umm, come again."

Shira chuckled at his expression. "Like I said I didn't want to just lay this down one you like this. I was hoping I could ease you into it."

"Well… it's just… I don't…"

"Relax Capper," Shira said as she put her bow down. "I get you really can't fully grasp what happened back there, but I assure you that I can do my best to explain."

"It's just I...umm…demons?" Capper started to pace and rub his head.

"Yes, you see Capper the world you live in is kept from an awful world that is hidden in plain sight. Creatures like me have kept spirits and ghosts from invading your world." Shira pulled out a bag that was hanging from her waist. "We don't worry about the good ones, we only fight the bad ones."

Shira through the dust onto the ground and stepped back. The dust cloud formed a circular rift right in front of them. The sounds of uncanny echoes and whispers poured from the portal.

"Go on Capper you'll find some of the answers you seek." Shira sat down on the grass and began to clean herself.

Capper stood staring at the portal. He didn't know what to think. He had seen magic and magical creatures before, but ghosts and demons were just bedtime stories he feared as a kitten. Of course, the creature that had tried to kill him was certainly worth taking notice. He hesitated to walk forward as he didn't know what would happen. He hardly knew Shira and he knew less about what she wanted from him

"Curiosity killed the cat" is what many creatures say as a warning not to do stupid things. Capper was not one of those creatures; he walked forward and reluctantly walked into the rift.




Capper was bent over gasping for air. He puked and coughed as his mind tried to grasp onto reality. He could hardly make out what he saw in the rift. Its True name was the Nether. The Nether was a world behind the one he lived in every day. The lost spirits that roamed and drifted through his world, were all unseen by most creatures.

The truth was still unsettling, yet the fact that spirits had been drifting through his world all that time was somehow even more unsettling. Many of the poor souls cried out in pain and anger. He saw how some of them even rained their anger on the living. Spirits had killed in the past and the present was no exception. 

Capper stood up as he splashed water in his face. Shira handed him a rag for him to dry off with. He slowly drew the rag from his face as his mind continued to race onward. The questions in his head had been replaced by confusion and near disbelief. Of course, he didn't think it was all a joke or a cruel prank, clearly what happened at the casino was all too real. The dry blood on his head was all too real. 

"So that's it then?" Capper said as he dropped the rag on the ground. "All of this is...re…real?"

"Afraid so pal," Shira said as she put her paw on his shoulder. 

"All this time…how…co...could no one has known about the...th...them?" Capper tried to stop shaking.

"Well, it's kind of our job to stop your world from knowing. I mean we care more about protecting it, but not knowing is kind of a good side effect."

"So wh...why m...me? Why the...e he…hell…are you...show...ing...me...the...this?" 

"Cause I need you, Capper, we need you."

"Wh...why?" He asked as he almost slipped onto the floor.

"Capper the sword you wielded back at the casino was that of a guardian's. Only a guardian can wield such a weapon."

Capper took a large gulp of water before he stared back at Shira. "You're s...say...saying...that I'm a guar...guardian."


"Well to put it out there bluntly, yes." Shira leaned up against the door.

"No, no no no no," Capper said as he slowly shook his head. He kept whispering "no" to himself. "That can't be true."

"Why not?" Shira asked as she crossed her arms.

"It ju...just can't be."

"Why n...?"

"Because of my past!" Capper threw up as he yelled. He rinsed his mouth and spit into the sink. "It's what I am, who I am, the things I have done. It just can't be true, ok. I don't even believe in any of this crap."

"Capper it doesn't matter what you believe, because they believe in you."

"Who, the "guardians"?"

"No, those things that you saw in the casino. They only live to kill, and there's nothing more they want to kill but guardians."

Capper stood there and slowly shook his head. The whole idea of what he was, was simply too absurd to be true. Shira had no idea of the past. To Capper, that past was proof of what he was, and it wasn't a guardian.

"Look, Capper, it doesn't matter about what you were or who you were. It doesn't matter about what I did in the past or what you did in the past. You've seen the truth with your own eyes and whether you accept that truth or not is irrelevant. The fact remains that a lot of creatures want that sword, and only you should have the right to wield it." Shira put her paws on Capper's shoulders. "If you choose not to expect it, they will still pursue you. They will hunt you down and kill you."

Capper looked up at Shira. "Who?"

"The thing at the casino. There will be many more of his kind after you, and pretty much everyone and anything else you care about."

"But why, what did I do?" Capper finally got himself to stop shaking.

"Because whether you like it or not, whether destiny planned it out or not, you might just be the only thing standing between those creatures and the rest of the living world.
> A New Paw-ers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Capper?" The little purple dragon asked.

"Ya you know, the cat that helped save Equestria against the Storm King. He also helped Luna once too."

Spike took a bite of his alligator sandwich. "Oh ya, I remember him. He was the one who tried to sell us to that mole-rat dude."

 Discord laughed at the thought. "Ya, Fluttershy told me about that. He sounds like a really fun cat."

"Well I can proudly say that he has effectively changed his ways," Spike boasted.

"Yup," Big Mac agreed as he too bit into his alligator sandwich.

Discord could not let go of the delicious taste of the food he had gotten in the town far away from Equestria. He had taken a long trip to see their old friend, Trench, in order to get some of his divine food.

"Anyways," Discord said as he swallowed. "I had a dream about him. It was really weird."

Spike and Big Mac looked at each other and then back at Discord. For Discord to say that something was weird was definitely concerning.

"Weird how?" Spike asked.

"I don't know, I guess it just felt weird."

Spike took another bite of his food as he went deep in thought. Discord hadn't had any suspicious dreams since the Cadence incident. The nightmare situation was still pretty fresh in his mind. The thought of Discord being connected once again to another supernatural event wasn't too thrilling to Spike. 

"Ya so about that," Spike said as he looked over at Big Mac." Big Mac and I were talking about your "weird dreams", and we decided that we are going to take action against them."

"Wait what?" Discord's concerned voice made Spike chuckle. "What do you mean by "take action against"?" 

"Well we really haven't explored or explained anything that has been happening to you."

Discord sighed as he caught onto where the conversation was heading. "Spike my chaotic dreams are weird and probably demand therapy, but do they really demand any further attention? Can't we just chop them up to bad nightmares or something."

"Seriously?" Big Mac scolded.

"Ya seriously Discord? You're going to just turn away from something that is obviously important?"

Discord rolled his eyes and took another bite. "Alright I get it, it's definitely related to the crap we've dealt with. Still, do you really want to dig back into it?"

"No, of course I'm not lining up for a supernatural Hell hole. I'm just looking for simple answers about your…."abilities"." 

"More like a curse," Discord mocked.

"Regardless, don't you want answers?"

Discord wiped his mouth and ate his napkin. He put his head down and crossed his arms. The thought of his past dreams was haunting to him. Each time he dreamt about the events they were dealing with, he felt trapped and beyond helpless. He was forced to relive horrible moments of the spirit's past.

"Spike, of course I'm curious why this is happening to me, and why now. Of course I wanna know why I can do that dream stuff and not even do any of my other God chaos stuff. Of course I would like some answers, but you don't know how it feels to be trapped with one of those things."

Spike chuckled as he remembered his experience with Discord. "I mean I was too trapped-”

"Not by yourself," Discord cut in as he took a drink. "I was with you and trust me when you're all alone it's way less fun."

Spike nodded in agreement. "Listen Discord we can't really just throw this topic under the rug and forget about it. I feel like it's best to face it head on."

"And why is that solution?"

"Because otherwise we're going to have to face it once you get stuck in another supernatural dream thing. I was guessing that you would prefer to face it on your own terms." Spike watched as Discord froze in thought. "Do you concur Dizzy?"

Discord ate his cup and used the liquid drink to wipe his mouth. He sighed in defeat as he surrendered to the idea that most likely he would be forced to face it in one way or another. It was true that he would like to face it on his own terms on his turf.

Never in his whole existence did Discord ever thought he would be looking in a library for a book. There he was snapping his fingers to find a book in Spike's library. Discord was quite impressed by Spike's collection of scary superstitious books. 

"Ya ever since we came face to face with an actual ghost I've decided to get….educated on the matter."

Discord looked and skimmed through each book one by one. The covers read numerous names that were quite concerning. "Life after death", "Darkness Rises", "The Demons within", "When the Dead Walks" where some of the titles Discord skimmed through. The covers were mostly plain and looked old and torn. 

"Where did you get all of these?" Discord asked.

"I've been looking around for them," Spike chuckled. "And Shredder gave me a bunch."

"Dang Spike," Big Mac said as he held up a book made of skin and bones.

"Hey that's actually the book I was looking for." Spike grabbed the book from Big Mac.

"Spike?" Discord asked with concerning eyes. "Is that book made out of animal skin and bones?"

"Ya but it's really old and I doubt it's made from anything we've ever heard of"

"Shedder?" Big Mac implied.

"Yup."

Spike opened the book and started flipping through the pages. The pages were thick and too were made of skin with a bone frame. Spike skimmed through each page with impressive speed. He froze on a page that had a picture of a creature sleeping with a dream cloud above their head. The dream cloud had an eye in it with entities flying around it.

Spike began reading the book as he walked out to his bed. "Ok this looks like a solid method."

Discord hovered over Spike and started to read the page. "Well that looks like fun.” A picture of a large metal door filled the page.

"It says that for all those who seek the answers of the dead, they need to find the Keeper's Doorwatch."

"What's that exactly?" Big Mac asked.

"It's the place of the Mooti Mootu. Also known as the dream witch," Spike chuckled nervously. 

Discord was laying on the ground with candles surrounding him. Spike and Big Mac sat in front of him with blue paint. Spike read through the book and drew a mark on the floor.

"Alright Dizzy this time I'm not just going to throw you into a dream. I'm going to hopefully help us find out why you're having these dreams."

Discord nodded slowly. "How exactly are you planning on doing this?" 

"By throwing you back into another dream."

"Yup," Big Mac agreed.

"Yup, that's just what I expected," Discord sighed.

"Ok," Spike said as he put a pendulum in front of Discord. "I want you to focus on this and nothing else. While you're doing this I want you to repeat something for me."

Discord gulped as he read the words out loud. "I seek the one who bleeds the red, take me to the place of dread."

Discord sat up and looked around. He saw Spike and Big Mac staring at him with blank faces. He was about to say something before a weird sensation overcame his body. He stood up and slowly turned around. He stepped back as he saw his unconscious body laying on the ground.

Discord walked up to his body and touched it. His body didn't move but a strange wave echoed outward. The sound of the wall vibrating willed his head. It was certainly different than any of his previous dreams. 

He did his routine check and walked over to the window. Ponyville looked mostly the same except the ponies were misty and walked slowly. Their forms shifted in weird ways. He turned to see that Spike and Big Mac were misty as well.

Something rushed past the doorway with blinding speed. Discord stood and stared as he debated if he should investigate. He clenched his fist as he sighed. He ran to the door and peeked into the hallway. He saw the figure slowly walking around the corner. Discord looked back at his body before he ventured out.




The hallway walls were strange. It shifted in and out of existence. Every footstep he took had an uncanny echo to it. Reality lost all its meaning in the place he was at. 

A fog settled over the path and made it harder to see. Discord carried on through the mist with hesitation. The path eventually led to an old steel door that was old and rusty.

Discord took no time to examine it. He simply opened the door and took appreciation for its loud creak. Discord remembered that while he read the book Spike had he recalled something about a door he must pass through to get the answers he was searching for. 

The room was dark with only rays of moonlight being the guide. Discord could see skulls hanging from the ceiling and animal parts nailed to the walls. He could feel the presence of someone else in the room. He turned to the dark corner of the room. No light dared to approach it. 

Discord could hear the cracking of bones as the figure moved. It stretched out its hand which was boney and covered in body cloth. It had three long distinctive fingers. Besides the long dripping hair and round head, most of its presents were hidden by the darkness.

"What are you?" Discord asked.

"What are you?" The voice echoed back. The voice was dark and raspy. It seemed to choke on its words.

"What is this place?" Discord asked as he took a step forward. 

"If chaos was death then death would be the world." 

"What?" Discord swallowed as he took another step forward. "Where am I?"

The figure turned its head as its bones cracked. "We are the unheard, and you are in the place where the sound of silence echoes. The world between the world."

Riddles were never his strong suit but he dared not to repeat the question. "Why am I here?"

"You are the few you can enter without knowing death."

"How?" Discord whispered.

"Dream walkers are not welcomed by many here, but they wield great power in this place."

Discord froze as he searched through his thoughts. He recalled what had been said so far, but he realized he still really didn't have answers. "What is a dream walker?"

"What are you?"

"Dream walker?" Discord answered slowly.

"Why have you come here, Dream Walker?"

"I'm here for answers. I don't know why I have these dreams or why I can see the things I do."

"Oh, you lost soul. You see the dead, the lost, for them." The figure pointed towards Discord.

Discord turned around to see a random spotlight. Under the spotlight stood Silver Blitz. She was crying and screaming for help.

"Silver Blitz!" Discord screamed as he ran towards her. The light turned off and Discord ran into the wall.

"You came to help them. To feel their pain, and make it your own."

"What do you mean? What is all this?" Discord screamed as he felt a sharp pain in his spine. He fell to the floor as blood dripped from the ceiling. He looked over to the figure as it stood up. It dragged long tentacles behind it and stood on two legs. Its hair dripped of blood and its body was literally rotting skin and bones. Discord couldn't move as it approached him.








Shira had explained everything to him, yet somehow he still had so many questions. The Guardians had been an ancient species that had protected the living world for eons. The swords that they carried were ancient relics that were forged by holy light. The swords were only meant to be wielded by a true Guardian.

Shira spoke of Capper's father. “He was a Guardian, and the sword had belonged to him. Since he was dead, the sword had no master and remained dormant.”

"A dormant sword is a very dangerous state," said the golden armored cat from the casino. The cat threw the stone sword on the table in front of Capper. "In this state, its raw power can be used by any creature who knows how to."

Capper looked back down at the stone sword. "What makes it so dangerous?"

Shira sat down next to Capper. "When he said any creature could use its power, he meant any creature. Our enemies could potentially use its raw potential for anything they desire." 

"I'm sorry," Capper said as he looked up from the table. "But I never quite got his name."

"It's Arch."

"Well then, Arch, if you can't leave it in its current state then why don't you take it." Capper shifted in his chair.

Arch slid the sword closer to Capper. "Because the sword is sworn to only your bloodline. It was your father's sword, and it will only be yours."

"You knew my father?" Capper whispered almost to himself.

"Knew him?" Arch chucked. 

"He was my brother." 
> The Tail Cat-tinues
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Capper was speechless as he came face to face with his uncle. He had never met any of his family and he lost the dream of ever meeting them years ago. To see someone of his own blood was beyond shocking. He didn't know whether to be happy or not. Arch stared at Capper. Capper stared back completely speechless. 

"You're…my," Capper stuttered. "Unc-le?"

Arch chuckled at the feline's reaction. "Yes, I suppose being your father's brother would make me your uncle."

"Mother?" Capper whispered. 

"Yup, I knew your mother as well."

"Capper are you ok?" Shira asked as she put her paw on his shoulder. 

"Ok? I don't know my own parent's names. I don't even know what they look like."

"Like your mother actually," Arch said.

"What?"

"You look like your mother, Crystal." Arch pulled out a folded piece of paper from the belt around his armor. "Though you have your father's eyes."

Arch unfolded the paper and set it on the table. Capper took the paper to see that it was a photo. The photo showed Arch standing with a crowd of 7 other armored cats. 

Arch leaned over the table and pointed to the cat on the far left of the photo. "That is Atreus, your father."

"Atreus," Capper repeated in a whisper. He stared at the strong-looking warrior in disbelief that it was his father. "What's my mother's name, Crystal?"

"Yes."

"Do you have a picture of her?"

"No," Arch sighed.

"What happened to them?" Capper asked the million-dollar question.

Arch sat down as he groaned. "They're dead. They died a long time ago."

Shira looked at Capper as she saw water starting to build in them. She saw his throat tense up as it held the water back.

Capper nodded his head and rolled his eyes. "Ya? What happened to them?"

Arch cleared his throat and drew his sword. "They were murdered."





"Do not lose your way, dream walker." The boney creature leaned over Discord and held his head down with its claws. "If you truly wish to save her then you must not stray from the path. They will claw at you from the nightmares and try to pull you away from the living. Do not let them. They are dead while you are in between." 

"How?" Discord grunted. "My powers are useless against them. What do I do?"

"The Lord of Chaos you are no longer, for they fear no such thing. Soul Dreamer, you will become, for it is what they will come to fear."

Discord screamed as he sat up. Spike and Big Mac jumped back. Discord played down and rubbed his eyes and groaned. He somehow felt more tired after he slept than before. 

"What in Equestria was that?" Discord panted.

"Well, the book says that the Mooti Mootu could give you the answers we seek." Spike skimmed through the page as if to confirm his statement. "Ya, so what did she tell you."

Discord thought back to his encounter with the dream witch. "Well, she said I was in the world between the world. The place where the sound of silence echoes."

"The Nether," Big Mac corrected.

"What?"

"The book says it's called the Nether," Spike answered.

"The Nether?" 

"Ya, it says: "The Nether is a place believed by many to be a world behind the living world. It is a place where spirits wander. Many spirits that aren't at rest can be found stuck in this place." Spike skimmed through it some more as he skipped the non-important parts."It was believed at first that the Nether and the dream realm were one in the same, but it seems that they don't have as much correlation as originally thought. Instead, it seems that creatures simply travel through the Nether in order to get the dream realm. There have been reports of creatures getting a glimpse and peeks into the Nether when they traveled through it." Spike looked up from the book and smiled at Discord 

"Alright, sure demon realm, cool. So what exactly was the creature thing I saw?"

"The Mooti Mootu, also known as the dream witch, is the gatekeeper of the Nether. She stands in the doorway between the Nether and the living realm. Many have called upon her for knowledge and even for making some deals.

Discord looked down at the ground in thought.  "She called me a dream Walker and even a soul Dreamer. Does that have any meaning to you?"
 
Spike looked back at the book and continued reading. "Soul Dreamers, aka the Dream Walkers, are a minority of creatures that have the special ability to willingly travel to the Nether and do as they please. I stead of getting stuck in the Nether they can manipulate it in their favor. Their normal abilities have no meaning in the Nether but they do possess new and unique qualities and powers. These creatures at higher levels could even summon and command entities such as wraith, withers, skull crawlers, and even reapers.

Discord looked up at Spike in confusion. "I have no idea what those are."

"Let's just say they are really bad things," Big Mac implied.

"Anyways it says some of these abilities can even be used in the waking world." Spike set the book aside as he decided that he had read enough information for them to digest. 

"Ok ok ok so to recap all of that  I'm a Soul Dreamer. This means I can travel to this world of the dead while I sleep and freely control and interact with dead creatures. But my normal powers won't work while I'm sleeping. Correct?"

"Ya, pretty much," Spike said with a nod.

"But what?" Discord said as he began to pace. "Wh-why and how?"

Spike glanced back at the book. "I don't know. The book really doesn't say how you become a Soul Dreamer or how someone is born one."

"Oh ok, I see. That's the explanation then, I'm just a normal non-normal creature that can dream of the dead." Discord took a sarcastic bow. 

"Discord, it does make sense," Big Mac protested.

"How does any of this make any bit of sense?" 

"Well it does explain your dreams and the things you can do, right?

"Sure," Discord said as he shrugged his shoulders and sat on the ground.

Spike walked over to Discord and sat beside him. "Look Discord, I'm having my own troubles processing all of this. I really don't know what to make of all…."

"Silver Blitz," Discord whispered.

"What?" Asked Big Mac.

"I saw Silver Blitz."







"I don't get it. Why won't he tell me what happened to them?" Capper ranted on.

"He did. He said someone killed them."

Shira and Capper were walking through the dense forest as the sunlight started to dissipate. The darkness that followed meant that the creatures they saw before could Pursuit them. Arch left in a hurry and told them to take the sword and leave for the city. Capper carried the unnaturally heavy stone. They needed to keep moving and get somewhere where they could hide better. 

"Well if he knows who did it and why then why wouldn't he tell me?"

Shira pushed through the thick trees. "He never said he knew who did it or…"

"Then why was he so quick to leave?" Capper struggled to keep up as branches flew in his face.

"I don't know. He was pretty worried about the keshas catching on."

"Keshas?"

Shira turned to meet Capper's eyes. "Ya the black demons that nearly killed you at the Casino. Keep up, dude."

Capper rolled his eyes. "I don't know I just don't get it."

"Get what?"

"Well first, how do you even know him?"

"I don't really "know him, know him". He's one of the royal guards."

"Well, he wasn't too happy to see you back in the casino. So what was that about."

Shira sighed as she stopped. "Look there's a lot you don't understand and I really don't have the time to tell you." Shira walked closer to Capper and looked around. "All I need you to know right now is that Arch is our unofficial protector, but he is not your friend. Stay clear of him as best you can and stay close to me. I don't care what he says. In the end just please listen to me and me alone."

"Why only you?" Capper asked as he crossed his arms.

"Look I've been through a hell of a lot to get that sword to you, so please do me the simple favor and just trust me."

Shira quietly and quickly continued. Capper stood for a second as he analyzed his situation. He could clearly see that his situation was far more complicated than it seemed. He didn't know who to trust, but it seemed that Shira was generally trying to warn him about something.
Arch didn't seem bad; he did save both of them in the fire. Capper couldn't just help be suspicious about him.

"Where are we anyway?" Capper asked as he pushed through the final trees.

"A little place called Canterlot." 

Capper looked up at the mountain range of buildings. "Why are we going to the center of Equestria?"

"Why not?" Shira mocked. 

"Can't the shapeshift into pretty much anything. Large crowds don't seem like the best idea does it?"

"Maybe," Shira shrugged. "But we don't know how many will show up and in public, they're not going to want to go all out. Besides, a large city means lots of places to hide."

Capper nodded his head in agreement. "I guess you have a good point."






"So if I'm reading this right I can send you into the Nether and I should be able to "rope" you back if things take a bad turn." Spike stood at the table with the book open up.

Discard sat in front of the table with Big Mac. "And you're sure I'll get to her?"

"I can't guarantee," Spike admitted. "I'm pretty sure most of that is going to depend on you and your abilities."

"So this depends on Discord?" Big Mac asked. "Well, we're screwed."

"Come on guys I can totally…." Discord froze in his thoughts. "Who am I kidding, I have no idea how to do this."

"Ya I know, but I feel like we can shoot you in the general direction you need to go in." Spike skimmed through the page. "Ya, I think that's pretty much it then."

"Alright sounds solid," Big Mac assured.

"So what do we need then?" Discord asked.

Spike turned the page which revealed a series of patterns and algorithms. The paragraphs were extremely lengthy and far more than Discord's tolerance could handle. Discord noticed the depiction of a bony creature covered in cloth. It had tentacles coming out of its back and long length hair. Discord swelled at the thought of what it looked like in real life.

"So apparently we need unicorn hair," Spike read.

"Done," said Big Mac.

"A lot of unicorn hair."

"How much is a lot?" Asked Discord.

"About 20 pounds of it."

Discord's jaw literally dropped to the floor. "That's a lot of freaking hair."

"Ya and the worse part is that it must be naturally grown," Spike chuckled.

"So?"

"We can't use any magic to get it or make any using magic," Big Mac groaned.

"How in Celestia's name are we going to accomplish that!?" Discord shouted. "20 pounds of pony hair."

Spike went to the door and opened it. He disappeared into the hallway and reappeared with hair clippers. "Well you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself." 

"Spike, you want to go around Ponyville and literally ask ponies if we can shave their heads?" Discord crossed his arms.

"Well, anything sounds stupid when you say it like that Discord."

"Then what's your plan?"

"We're going to go around all of Equestria and shave ponies heads without them knowing." Spike crossed his arms and smiled with pride.
> A Hair-ific Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We are in so much trouble," Big Mac protested.

"Only if we get caught," Discord corrected.

"Remember Big Mac, you haven't committed any crimes until you get caught." The Little Dragon's wisdom-filled the room. 

The moon hung low in the sky as the clouds blanketed over the coal chilled land. Big Mac and Discord both carried large bags on their backs, while the little dragon carried a small box. The mist of darkness covered them like a veil. Like three robbers in the night they crept unnoticed. 

They snuck through Spike's window to make sure no pony saw their location. Big Mac struggled to get through the small window and required some assistance.

"Suck it in Mac," Spike said as he struggled with Discord.

"Quiet it down will you," Discord whispered out of breath. 

Big Mac took a deep breath in as Discord and Spike yanked him into the room. Spike screamed as Big Mac's behind went straight on his face. 

"Spike!" Discord whispered in panic.

Discord grabbed Big Mac and rolled him off of the little dragon. Spike gasped for air as he reemerged.

"I'm alive, I'm alive," Spike gasped. "No offense Big Mac but you are heavy."

"I get a good workout out every day."

Spike sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Well, I suppose I found only one downfall to that."

"Ok, you're alive, good." Discord said as he put his bag on the table. "Now get off the floor and help me with this."

"Excuse me," Spike said as he stood up and wiped himself down. "I just almost became a ghost there, so give me a second."

Discord rolled his eyes as he grabbed Big Mac's bag off the ground and put it on the table. "Alright good, you unfortunately survived. Now, will you please help me with this."

Spike and Big Mac grabbed one of the bags and dumped it on the table. After Discord emptied his bag the table was a collective scene of numerous colors. The rainbow display on the table would have been very concerning to anypony.

"That's a lot of hair," Big Mac said in awe.

"Ya, if Twilight saw this she would be very concerned," Spike said as he scratched his head.

"If Fluttershy was to walk in on me right now, I don't think I could tell her what I was doing. She would ask me what I was doing and I would tell her that I was looking for ghosts." Discord froze as he played the scenario in his head. "And she would still have so many questions."

"Well just be glad that we haven't had to explore that avenue yet," Spike reassured. 

Spike opened his book and flipped to the marked page. "Alright, it seems that after you get all the hair you have to…" Spike froze.

"What?" Big Mac asked in concern.

"Well, first we have to arrange them by colors, then we have to cut each individual hair to a certain length, and finally we have to craft them into certain shapes."

"Are you serious?!" Big Mac and Discord said in unison. 








"Dang it, this isn't good." Shira looked around the corner as she held Capper to the wall. "We got one at 4 o'clock."

"At what," Capper asked.

"That direction," Shira said as she pointed. 

Capper looked around the corner as he saw who she was pointing at. A normal looking unicorn with brown hair, a white coat, and a black suit and tie walked casually in the crowd. 

"How can you tell he's bad?" Capper asked.

"I just can, alright," Shira quickly informed. "Now we need to keep moving, and quickly."

Shira walked into a crowd of ponies. Capper followed on four legs to help conceal himself. They casually swapped past pony after pony trying not to cause any alarm. Shira kept looking over her shoulder keeping track of the white pony. As Capper started to get lost in the crowd and falling behind Shira grabbed him by the arm and started to pull him along. 

Capper still found it quite odd about Arch's behavior. He had been very quick to leave them after their discussion about Capper's parents. And now they're being pursued by what possibly could have been another one of the creatures they had previously encountered at the casino.

"Wait, I have a question," Capper asked. Shira glanced back at him in acknowledgment. "Why are you running from this thing? I mean back at the casino it seems like your friend could easily take one of these creatures out."

Shira continued to pull him along and stopped as they approached a cross-section. "Arch is a very skilled warrior but not even he could take on very many of them at the same time." Shira looked up at the light as the street flooded with carts. "Besides the one you saw was a pathetic wimpy one compared to some of the bigger and more experienced ones."

The light turned green and before the cartoon of the street could even stop Shaira quickly pulled Capper across the road. She looked at both directions before deciding to go left. Capper looking behind could not see the pony following them. Perhaps Shira had another method of sensing the creature's presence.

They continued their way down the street until they came in front of a large shopping mall. Shira had no hesitation; she pulled Capper along and into the building. The mall was large with high ceilings and kind of resembled that of the casino. 

"Is he still behind us?" Shira asked.

Capper began to turn around before he stopped. He instead looked at a window in front of him. The reflective surface revealed that the same pony he had seen earlier was walking past the entrance door. Capper swallowed hard and quickly turned back to Shira.

"Ya, he's right behind us," Capper reluctantly informed.

Shira casually continued forward. They took a quick turn into one of the many clothing stores. Capper walked up to her as she pretended to admire a hat. She picked it up and tried it on.

"Where is he?" Shira asked as she tried another hat on. 

Capper used the same reflection trick with a mirror inside the store. "He's in the center of the alley looking for us."

Shira groaned as she looked around. She quickly searched all the possibilities of getting out of the situation. If she saw, them she could attack them sneakily without anybody seeing him and if they went somewhere private then he could kill them with blunt force without worrying about witnesses.

"Hey," Capper said as he picked up a hat. He put on a scarf and wrapped it around his neck and much of his face. "Maybe we can just walk right past him."

"Well, that is an idea now isn't it," Shira chuckled.

The brown-haired pony stood in the middle of the aisle looking in every direction. He searched the face of each individual while still keeping a steady pace forward. As he walked forward two individuals casually walked past him. One of them put their arm around the other and laughed at something they the other had said. The brown-haired pony nearly glanced at them and glanced back to search for his targets.

"We're in the clear," Capper whispered almost amused.

Capper had a big brown hat followed by a black and brown scarf that covered most of his face. A light brown coat covered most of his body. Shira had a bandana tied around her head and a leather jacket. They purposely walked on four legs as they were walking up four before. Their disguises were quick and subtle but just enough to make it past the brown-haired pony.

They continued to walk and turn to the entrance of the mall. Capper turned and looked once again to the reflection of one of the store windows. From there he could see the brown pony continuing his search. Too bad it would be in vain.

Once outside Shria took off the clothes and continued on two legs Capper did the same. 

"That wasn't so bad," Capper boasted.

"Ya well, were not in the clear yet."





Minutes went by and eventually turned into hours that went by feeling more like years. Every piece of hair had to be accounted for and had to be arranged perfectly. Discord had never seen so much hair in his entire life and he hated it more than anything.

Big Mac grounding fronted in frustration as he counted thousands and thousands of pieces of hair. Spike would scream in anger every time he would sneeze or moved too quickly. The wind taking away hours of progress as the hair flew all over the room. When the book said that that colors had to be very precise to each other they had no idea how picky it would be.

Their first attempt at doing the spell ended horribly. Flames went everywhere and the three were sent flying across the room. They had tried to rush the process and in return, they failed so this time they knew they were going to have to do it right. Amethyst pink blue green peridot blood wine red turquoise lime green dark blue baby blue gray white black yellow-orange sunset orange-red these were the many colors they had sort. The only good thing was that Discord had memorized many colors and discovered many new shades he never even considered existed.

The hours of excruciating pain went by as The Three Amigos forwarded the thousands of strands of hair.

"Alright there," Discord gasped. "We're finally done sorting it by color." Discords magic could not touch the hair as the spell would not be complete if he did. "How are you guys doing?"

Spike played down another bowl completely made of pony hair and carefully arranged by color. " well we have 36 done so for about a third of the way there."

"No no noooooo," Big Mac cried.

Discord dragged his feet over to them and plopped down next to them. " I guess I'll help," He cried.

Spike and Discord did most of the weaving as they were the only ones with fingers. Big Mac carefully handed them the hair sorted by colors. Each colored hair had to be touching a specific color when weaved into the basket. This meant a Big Mac had to be very precise on the order he gave them the hair. Moving hair with assholes was far more difficult than he could have ever imagined but luckily after about ten thousand pieces, he had created an efficient system of transporting the hair.

Discord has never created anything in his life that wasn't done with the snap of his fingers. Weaving a basket strand by strand was the most horrifying experience he had ever had. He would have taken prison of a million years in solitude stoned and then having to weave a basket strand by strand.

At last after what felt like an eternity, and what was a cycle of the Sun and Moon, the boys had finally completed their mission. Every last strand of hair was used up. They had to sweep the entire room nearly a hundred times and clean off every corner of the walls to make sure that every hair was used. And finally, each basket was made properly color by color.

Spike put down his magnifying glass and the basket he was examining. "Oh, my stars!" The dragon praised. "We did it. The last basket is good." Spike jumped up. "WE DID IT, WE'RE DONE, AFTER YEARS WE'RE FINALLY DONE!" 

The trio jump for joy laughing and crying at the same time. After a short celebration, the three collapsed on the ground and started crying together. They have fought through the war together with the most excruciating painful war of their life and they had all survived it because of each other. The enemy has powerful weapons and strong Magic but the Three Amigos prevailed with each other. At last, they would have scars and wounds that would never heal from their treacherous battles.

"Now we can finally do the stupid spell," Spike said as he wiped his face of Tears.

"Hold on first I have to go save myself," Discord said as he stood up. "because I am done with looking at hair ever again."
> An Un-fur-tunate Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The horizon gave way to the warm coming sun. The moon retreated from its place in the sky and into its slumbers. As the light rush passed the land of Equestria it came across and into a particular room. Most creature's rooms at that time would be filled with toys or books with a bed with a pony waking up to meet the day. This particular room however had nothing but the hair, hair, and more hair.

A giant shaver appeared and ate up all of the hair on the draconequus and the earth pony beside him. Discord stretched and yawned as a day's worth of hard work was finally over. 

"Well now isn't that a million times better?" Discord snapped his fingers and covered the shaved hair with a bowl. He took a deep breath and blew pink candy on the bowl. The candy melted the bowl and the floor under it. "Now it's all taken care of."

"Nope," the hairless Big Mac said.

"Discord," Spike gasped in annoyance. "Quit fooling around."

"Oh come on, we've been at this forever-ever now. I'm not missing an opportunity to finally just let loose. I already feel myself becoming less chaotic because of all this ghost business." Discord fainted as a couch appeared for him to fall on. 

Spike rolled his eyes as he continued. He opened the book and quietly began reading it to himself. They had spent so much time and effort on getting a spell perfect and now it was the time that they finally put into action.





"This is bad," Caper whispered.

"Ya no shit, tell me something I don't know."

The to Cat's phone themselves in a 2 front war. On one side was the Brown-haired pony instill pursuit of them. On the other side with 2 other ponies who Shira had identified as the creatures. They continued forward in fixed succession trying desperately to get away. Shira paused as the two ponies in front of them blocked their path. Capper turned around to see the situation of their other path only to see the brown-haired Pony only a couple of feet behind them.

Shira looked around for any escape routes. Capper quickly grabbed Shira and pulled her into the street. Many carriages stopped abruptly as ponies yelled in anger. The group of ponies followed in Pursuit / stop by the cluster carriages in their way. The two cats continue down the Street in erratic movements.

"Where the heck are we going?" Capper asked.

"Honestly I have no idea." Shira looked back as she turned around the corner. "I'm kind of just going along with it."

"Well, we can't just keep running around like this like we're headless chickens." Capper looked around at the stores around them. " we got to have some kind of plan to make it through this."

"Well right now the plan is to simply not die," Shira smirked at him as she walked away.

"Oh boy, how original." 

Shira froze as her attention was brought to something in front of them. "Shit," she whispered. 

Capper looked ahead to see a large muscular earth pony with a black mane and a white coat walked towards them. "Oh shit." 

"What do we do?" Capper asked as he went back to back with Shira.

"We run!" 

Shira threw a small metal ball on the ground. The three ponies all stared blankly at the metal sphere before taking off in a dead Sprint. Shira without hesitation grab Capper and ran. The metal sphere went out in combustion that cracked the ground beneath. A blinding flash flooded the buildings around it. Ponies screamed in Terror as they all ran away from the unknown disturbance. Some have even gotten thrown back from the explosion.

"What the hell was that?!" Capper shouted above the crowd.

"A little party crasher," Shira chuckled. "I keep it for emergencies."

The two ran off into the panicked crowd of the three ponies followed them. The muscular black hair Pony eventually caught up to capper and grabbed him by the neck. He screamed as the ponies hooves turned into black sharp talons. Shaira came running and lunge forward with all 10 claws out. The creatures screeched as her claws dug into his face and one that even caught his eye.

A flash began to deteriorate as a black hide began to emerge. Capper gasp for air as he stood up still in shock. His vision was blurry and he almost stumbled as he struggled to find a balance. Shira continued to run without much concern and Capper took off after her, still dizzy.

He could feel blood staining his fur with three large stretches present. The brown-haired Pony theme from the side and tackle Shira to the ground. Capper looked around to see if any Pony had noticed but most were too much in a panic to pay attention. The bomb Shira had set off had caused some of the nearby building's signs to collapse and shook the ground. 

The pony's Hooves turn to a black bony hand as he choked the life on the black cat. Shira dug her claws into the creature's arms and tried clawing his face. The creature picked her up in frustration and slammed her against the ground. Capper bent over and jumped on the creature's back, not quite sure what to do. He punched the creature in the back of the head several times has he wrapped his arm around its neck. The creature reach back and tried to grab him. Capper duct as he avoided the large claws.

The cat's physical paralysis was no match for the Beast and his punches did not affect. He retracted his claws and drove it into the side of the creature's neck. Its neck began to sizzle as he could hear its flesh burn off.

The creature stumbled a little bit and once again try to grab the cat to no avail. Capper took his claws out and dug him in again. He did it over and over because the creature finally let go of his friend and stood up straight. The creatures continue to struggle to try to get the feline off his back.

Capper was ripped off the creatures back By white muscular Pony. The Pony dragged the cat and threw him down a dark alley. The white pony then retracted its black sharp talons from its hooves. Its jaw grew and became misshapen as overgrown teeth came out of them.

Capper up and ran down the alley. She could hear the pony and laugh followed by a loud gust of wind. The pony landed right in front of the cat and grabbed him by the head. He lifted the cat off the ground before dropping the cat onto his butt. Capper looked at the item that had fallen between his legs, it was the pony's hand. The pony froze and stared at the severed limb before it looked up in awe.

"I'm sorry mam is this guy bothering you?"

Capper smiled as his hero stood above him. Arch did a quick backflip and kicked the pony on the top of his head. The other creature entered the alley with bleeding and beaten Shira in his claws. Arch turned and threw a glowing knife that met its target. The creature fell back and went on its knees. The knife had lodged into its eye socket. 

Shira crawled away as the creature struggled to its feet. Arch the helped Capper to his feet and turned him to the alley entrance. 

"I'm getting the heck out of Dodge, I suggest you do the same Kid," Arch said as he jumped up to a roof and disappeared. 

Capper turned and lifted Shira off the ground. "Come on, let's get the hell out of here."

They rejoined the crowd of ponies and mixed them into them undisturbed. No one had seemed to notice what had happened to them as they were too scared of the explosion.

"Sweet Celestia," A yellow hair pony said as he walked up to the cats. "Do you need help, sir? Are you two alright?"

Capper walked past the pony not even making eye contact. "Now we're fine, but thanks for the offer." 

"I can walk," Shira groaned as she rolled off of his arms. 

She landed on her knees as she coughed up a little blood. Capper could see that the back of her head was bleeding violently and she stumbled around as she stood up.

"I'm starting to see stars," Shira said. "That's probably a good sign."

"You're bleeding pretty bad. We sho…" 

"I'm fine, I'll live." Shira continued to limp forward as she stumbled from side to side.

Capper did not argue as he realized it would be no use. He walked forward and slowly blended into the crowd. He looked over his shoulder to see no signs of either of the creatures. It seemed for the moment they had escaped death.





After such a long time with sorting and weaving the trio of hair sorters, we're almost done with their mission. The little dragon had everything set up as Discord sat surrounded by the bowls of hair. Big Mac stood there as a bystander only to watch.

Each bowl had to be filled with a specific ingredient. Anywhere from pepper and salt to Mystical ingredients only found in the Everfree forest. Discord waited patiently for his instructions. By that time he had become very used to the routine of going into a dream. Usually, dreams were calm and simple or complex and scary. He was a combination of both. They were far more lifelike and were always scary. He never really got a break from them but instead of resenting it, he had started to just brace for instead.

He laid down his back and mentally prepared himself. The little Dragon Force echoed through the room but not inside his head. Spike's voice seemed to be muffled to him as all he could think about was his dreams, all of them.

Spike Lit all the Bowls on fire as Big Mac arranged them in a pattern around Discord. They were a trio of Madness, supernatural madness. Discord did the daily routine and close his eyes and took a deep breath. He wasn't just ready to dream or face two fears and horrors, he was ready to find Silver Blitz.

Discord stood up as the atmosphere around him became thick and heavily covered in fog. He could hear screaming and crying far off into the distance. This was the Nether, a truly forgotten place. He stood up and looked around the room to see Spike and Big Mac staring at his lifeless body. With one deep breath, he set out into the fast world of the unknown.

When he opened the door, that in the waking world would have led into the hallway, he was in a forest with old Splintered trees that hung down over the path. The sun shined bright over the trees but cannot penetrate the thick splintered Bark. This left the path of dark mystery. 

He slowly crept his way into the darkness as the trees swayed in the Wind. Their old wood cracked and creaked as they swayed back and forth. He could hear shouting and screaming and even heard someone cry out for help. It was nothing new for him, it was a feeling he knew all too well, so he continued walking. He sighed to himself as he realizes how accustomed he had become to it.

When he came across a door sitting blankly in the middle of space, he knew he had reached his destination. He stood up straight and puffed his chest out. He took a deep breath in and let it all out. He then marched forward and put his hand on the handle. With one quick turn, he opened the door and walked through it without even looking at what was beyond it.
> The Path Fur-ward
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Discord had been given very specific instructions on where to go. The dream which had mentioned something about a path that he was not to stray from. The book read of a path called the path of the Damned that many creatures have followed in the past for answers. He was to follow it until he had found what he was searching for. The major problem that stood before him was that if he was to stray off from the path he could never find his way back.

Discord looked to the side of him to see the black myth that flushed through the woods. The ocean of desolation was what the books had called it. It truly was a terrific place where none had ever returned from. Instead, she could hear the cries of those who had come before him. His danger lied in their freedom as the only way that one could escape from such a place was to have someone take their place. The Damned Souls reach out for him and we'll try to find freedom so he had to be careful to not let his soul be lost to the darkness.

He walked forward as he tried not to look into the void. He was a filly walking over a broken and rotted Bridge too scared to look down to the depths below him. He kept whispering to himself trying to keep his mind in focus and on the path. He replayed o&o over and over in his mind trying to distract himself. Replaying scenes and events that he had played with his friends managed to calm him for a bit and overshadow the screams echoed through the woods.

He has no idea what he was looking for. The path seemed to Go On Without End Far Beyond the Horizon. The book mentions The Travelers did not record what they saw on their Journey so none of them knew what to look for exactly. All the book mentioned is that once he had what he was looking for he would know it. He walked with faith blindly an unknown Trail but he did it because he wanted to help his friend. A lost soul was innocent and undeserving of her punishment. She was only a kid, a child Lost. But most importantly she was his friend and he was not going to leave a friend behind.

"Hey you," A strange voice called out. "Are you lost?"

Discord stopped his tracks to see the search for the source of The Voice. He looked around but cannot see any soul in sight.

"Over here," The voice called out.

Discord turned to see a small black figure laying on the road. The figure was a hairy ball curled up. When it uncurled itself it looked to be a black Fox with white glowing eyes. Discord stepped back and put his hands out in front of him.

"Take it, easy man, I'm not going to hurt you." Its voice was surprisingly normal and almost seemed caring. "If the rest got you though, then you're kind of a goner dude."

Discord stood and looked at the ground. He turned to look at the void and then back at the black fox. He debated if he should even consider talking to it. On one hand, there was the very likely chance that it was a demonic spirit trying to trick him, but on the other hand, it could have been just an innocent bystander.

Discord took a deep breath. "And Who might you be?" 

"No one important, just someone trying to give you a heads up." The fox stood up and scratched its neck. "You really shouldn't go down this path. It comes with the high chance that something might try to drag you into the pitch."

Discord looked into the dark void as he heard screaming. He sighed as he was reminded about the inescapable death that tied in front of him. "Ya trust me, I'm well aware of the risk." 

"Dream walker?" The Fox inquired with a smirk. 

"Soul Dreamer, but ya."

The Fox nodded as it turned to look down the path. "I don't know pal, you really shouldn't just walk down there all by yourself."

Discord walked past the Fox before stopping only after a few feet. He turned around to meet the Foxe's eyes. "Well then what would you suggest. It's not like I have many options when I have only one path, and besides, I don't even know you."

The Fox nodded as it yawned and stretched."True true, you aren't wrong." The Fox shook his head and stood up straight on four legs. "Look dude I'm just trying to help. I know you can't see it but there are many other paths to take that would be far less risky."

Discord took out to the endless that split through the void. "You are also not wrong, I don't see them."

"Hey look I'm not forcing you to do anything so if you wanna go down there it's your choice." The Fox stood up and began to walk towards Discord. "You see, beyond the pitch," The Fox said as he pointed to the black void. "There lies many unseeable paths. Many, like myself, have learned how to navigate these paths to get you to where you wanna go."

"Oh really," Discord said sarcastically. "So to avoid the bad creatures of the void I must go into the void. Now, why didn't I think about that." Discord crossed his arms and had a big smirk on his face. 

The Fox laughed at the remark. "Well, you got me there. Even I admit how ludicrous that sounds." The Fox walked to the edge where the tree line was. "You see, the creatures can see the light of the path and what's on it, like a beckon. Now if you go into the void itself and use it as cover, then You have a pretty good chance of staying off their radar."

Discord stared off into the distance. He groaned as he rubbed his eyes. "Look, how do I even know…"

"Well now, I guess you don't." The Fox walked back to the center of the path. "As I said, I'm not gonna go try and tell you how to live your life. I was just trying to give you some advice to live."

The Fox began to walk away before Discord ran up to it. "Wait! Can you at least show me the paths you where talking about."

The Fox chuckled at the inquiry. It walked over to the tree line and put its black misty paw out. Its paw manifested a black rock which he dropped. The rock fell straight down and disappeared. The Fox then walked over the spot it had pointed to earlier. The actions were mirrored, however that time the rock seemed to hit a surface and stayed on the ground level.

Discord watched in amazement as there seemed to be no path, road, or any kind of surface for the rock to sit on. 

"You see dude, there are safe ways through here." The Fox stepped foot on the invisible path. "I see them and you don't. Does that mean I'm wrong here?"

Discord looked out to the open bright and peaceful look path. Then he looked out to the invisible pitch-black path. The sighed as he knew whatever future events unfolded from that point on, would be his fault.

Discord followed the Fox onto the invisible path and into the pitching void. The Fox kept looking back making sure Discord wasn't far behind. The two made their Journey till the light of the path was no more.

"Where exactly are we going?" Discord asked.

The Fox turned and glanced at him. "Well, where were you heading?"

Discord swallowed hard as he thought about what the answer was. "I'm trying to find a friend."

The Fox let out a long whistle as it shook its head. "Well, I feel bad for your friend, being in a place like this."

"Ya, well anyway you know how I can find them?" 

"Ah, I see. You planned to find the path of "knowledge," The Fox laughed.

Discord rolled his eyes. "Ya, I guess."

"Well to find your friend we're gonna had to dig deep into the place of the lost souls.

Discord stopped and swelled hard. "Wait, the what?"

"You'll see," The fox chuckled.





Shira pushed back the curtain and stared out into the night sky. She looked around to see the busy street with lights and ponies. The two cats were inside a small hotel room made for 1. It wasn't much but it was a place for them to hide for now.

She closed the curtain and walked back to the bed. Capper was in the bathroom tending to his wombs. He was standing in front of the mirror with a wet rag cleaning the cuts he had. The bathroom sink was full of blood and the floor was stained. Several bloody rags were all over the floor. Shira sat down on the bed and rubbed her head. She still felt light-headed from the fight earlier. Her head was wrapped along with her chest and arms.

Capper walked out of the bathroom and leaned up against the wall. "Hey, can you help me out here. I'm pretty sure my arm is dislocated." 

Shira nodded as she staggered to her feet. She walked over to him and put both of her paws on his arm. "Just relax your arm, ok."

"Ya, I got it." 

Shira stood and braced herself. "I'm gonna count to three alright." Capper nodded in return. "Ok, 1….2…."

"Ahhhhh, Son of a bitch!" Capper leaned his head against the wall as the pressure rushed out of his arm. "What the hell happened to three?"

Shira chuckled as she sat back down on the bed. "You're not supposed to tense up when you do it, so I had to do it when you didn't expect it."

Capper groaned as he nearly fell to the floor. The pain was mostly gone and the rest was slowly following. His scratches were what mostly hurt as they burned. He looked down at his body to see that the black scares were starting to go away. Shira touched the back of her head to see that it was still bleeding a little.

Capper walked over to the bed and sat down at the bottom of it. "So when's our little friend…"

Capper was interrupted when he got an answer to his question. Arch opened the door and slammed it shut. The golden armor cat was covered in black blood and guts. The black covered cat walked past Shira and Capper without saying a word. He took off his armor and set it on the floor. He walked to the bathroom and turn on the faucet. Black blood began to strip all over the floor and fill up the sink. 

"What the hell happened to you?" Shira asked.

"I made some new friends, let's just say that." Arch walked out of the bathroom and plopped down on the bed. " we can't stay here for long they're going to catch up with us sooner or later." 

"Well just hold your horses there for a second." Shira hissed. "I'm not going anywhere or doing anything before I get a shower. Make that a long bubble bath."

Arch rolled his eyes and laid down on the bed. "Whatever."

Shira limped to the bathroom and turned on the faucet after plugging the drain. She walked back over to the door and slammed it shut locking it behind her. Capper sighed as he laid back down next to Arch.

"Can I take one after her?" Capper asked.

Arch laughed as he groaned. " yeah, cuz I'm taking one too."
> The Hiss-tory
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Silver Blitz hmm?" The Fox asked.

"Ya she's my friend," Discord responded.

The Fox looked over the edge into the abyss. "And you're sure she isn't lost to the pitch void?"

Discord shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know much of anything to be honest." 

"Well, that's okay most who come here don't."

They continued down the dark invisible path sending further and further into the darkness. Eventually, they came to a large platform. The two walked out into the middle of the platform where the fox curled and sat down. Discord walked up behind it and sat down next to it.

"What is this?" Discord asked.

"This is where you'll find where your friend."








The sound of the water hitting the drain became rhythmic and soothing to the cat's ears. The water was soon fired with black oozing blood that nearly clogged the drain. The cat ran his paws through his fur and let all of the black stains pour out from it. He stared down at the river of black. 

Capper turned at the sound of the bathroom door. Arch walked out completely naked. Capper was taken back as he had never seen the cat without his armor. His fur had patterns of blue and gray wave-like stripes. Many patches of missing fur revealed many scares. The cat was marked by the past.

Capper looked up from Arch's body. " so what's the plan now, "General"?"  

"Well step one is pretty simple, don't die."

"How original," Capper said, rolling his eyes.

"Step two is what I've been working on." Arch walked over and pulled out a thin black square. The square had a screen on it that lit up. "We need to get you and the sword back in one piece."

Capper blinked as he pondered on Arch's words. "Back where?"

"Home, our home."

"Where is your home?" Capper asked as he stood up.

Arch tapped on the tablet a few times before he turned it around. The screen showed a picture of barren wasteland. No trees or life were anywhere to be found in the photo. 

"That's your home?" Capper chuckled as he moved closer to the tablet. "No offense, but that place looks pretty horrible. I've lived in nicer places when I was living on the streets."

Shira stood up and walked over to grab the tablet. "It may not look like much, but it's still the only place we can go that we'll be safe at." 

Capper took a deep breath. Information went in and B.S slowly came out. He grunted as he cleared his throat. 

"Ok listen, here's my issue with this. I've been pretty cooperative with this run of the mill cowboy action movie shit, but I'm not going to travel with you to some foreign desert unless you explain to me what all of this is about." The room went silent as Capper switched from Shira and Arch's glare. 

"The fallen," Arch began. "Are ancient entities that used to roam the lands feeding off of everything and anything that lived. They would drown entire civilizations in blood, overnight. For generations, they did this until a specific creature was born. This warrior could roam the living realm while still being half in their realm. Most importantly he could hurt them with his light. He used his light to make an army that fought against the fallen until they pushed them back into their home, The Nether." Arch pulled up a picture of an army of various cats fighting armies of the creatures. 

"Once defeated the armies took an oath to protect the living realm from other invaders of the Nether. We became the Guardians." Arch pulled out his sword and laid it on the bed. 

"Our weapons conceal our light and help us kill these beasts, for they have returned to try and reclaim their feeding grounds."

"Wh.. well...umm." Capper was speechless. "How do I fit in with any of this?"

"You're a Guardian Capper," Shira said. "Just as your father was."

"Ya, I got the message about that one. But like why, why do I have to be involved or even care. It sounds like you're talking about an all-out war with some demon thingy." Capper started to pace. "Listen, surely you realize that I'm way out of my depth on this one. I mean if there are so many Guardians then why would you want me?"

Arch walked over and sat Capler down. "Listen bud, these things are heartless killing machines. They will slaughter everything in their path if we don't stop them."

"What are they exactly?" Capper asked as he stared into Arch's eyes.

"Shader, the demon of the underworld," Arch pulled up a picture of a bull-like creature that held a lantern and was surrounded by black fog. "once made an army that would plunge the world into darkness. This army was eventually defeated and left to rot." Arch brought up another picture of the Fallen destroying a village and countless creatures being eaten. "Well, they would go on to rise once more against the living realm and try to take over it, only to be stopped by the guardians."

"So how could I possibly help? I mean did you go through all of this trouble just to recruit one more soldier?" Capper took out his stone sword wrapped in cloth.

"No of course not. I came here because that sword is important and because it's important, it makes you very important."

"Important how?"

"Your father," Shira answered.

"What?" Capper asked, looking over to her.

"My brother was the keeper of a very important chest that held many secrets of the guardians. This chest was never to be opened until these creatures showed up." Arch pulled up a picture of a golden chest that had a carving of a lion on it and many other markings. "This chest holds the secrets of the Fallen, however, it can only be opened by his sword." 

Capper pulled back the cloth and touched the stone sword. "So this is the key to that chest?" Arch shook his head. Capper put the rest together himself. The sword needed to be "active" to unlock the chest. "What exactly do what that's in this thing." Capper looked down at the picture of the chest. 

"Well, these creatures weren't supposed to be able to return from their banishment. The fact that they have returned could mean that something horrible is in the making. The chest holds the answer to those questions"

The conversation was cut short, as they had to keep moving. Arch gave them 4 minutes to get ready and leave the room. Arch stayed behind as Shira and Capper ventured out. Capper, while he had been given answers, still had so many questions.






Discord's chest was pounding as his heart tried to rip through his chest. The Fox was on about the path being the safest way through but what he didn't tell him was that he was still going to have to encounter the Demons of the night. After he made his way through the pitch void Discord and the fox had come across an open field of dead trees and black geysers. The Fox told him that he would have to cross it and thought they would encounter many enemies.

Discord was now running for his life as a large six-legged creature was literally on his trail. The fox was a little bit in front of Discord as he led the way through the minefield. They would hear the creature howling behind them as it rushed past the geysers. The fox stopped as it came to a split in the road. 

"We go left," The Fox yelled as it continued to run. 

The fox told Discord that all they had to do was make it to the door at the end. Once they did that then they would have to survive certain death. The path tapered off in many directions but Discord kept his eyes on the fox. He still didn't know 100% if he could trust him but in the moment he had no other choice but to follow him. If he followed the fox then the demon behind them would surely catch up and if he did follow the fox it could have still been a trick. Either way, he was going to die so he took the option that had at least a glimpse of hope in it.

The fox ran until it came to a cliff. Discord stopped and looked over the edge only to see large platforms floating in the distance. At the bottom laid large red glowing spikes that shot lightning out of them. The platforms seem to have various biomes ranging from forest to deserts to mountain tops. On a normal occasion, it would have been a glorious sight but the stench of death and the sky of blood made the situation dire.

"Duck!" The Fox yelled.

Discord threw himself to the ground and covered his head. The Fox shot out a black mist from his paw. The six-legged creature turned the corner only to be met with the black mist. The creature was sent back several feet before the mist exploded in its face. 

"Come on now," the fox said as it went over the edge.

Discord crawled to the edge to see the Fox climbing down the cliff. " I'm dead I'm dead I am so dead. I never thought that this is how I would die."

Discord went over the edge and started climbing down. His arms began to shake as they struggled to hold up his weight. In the living realm, he was a  chaos God but they're in the realm of the Dead it was nothing more but a lost soul. The Fox eased its way down with little effort but Discord was a much different story.

"Hey mate, you got a shadow," the Fox yelled as he pointed up.

Discord looked up to see the six-legged creature crawling down after him followed by more. 

"Dead dead dead dead died died died." Discord closed his eyes before making the conscious decision to let go. "Deeeeeaaaaaadddd." His voice echoed as he fell. The ground met him followed by the pain of his organs crashing against each other. 

"Damn mate, hell of a play." The Fox picked Discord up and stood him up straight. "Now let's get moving." 

The two continued to run not even looking back at the demons that trailed behind them. In the distance, Discord could see the Golden Light in front of them. The black door made from bones from the ones before could be seen in the distance. Discord laughed out loud and threw his fists in the air. The fox chuckled at his excitement.

They made it to the door without a moment to spare. The creatures were inches from them as Discord slammed the door behind him. Both of them leaned up against the door and breathed heavily. 

"Hell ya, my mate, that's what I'm talking about." The Fox got up and shook itself. "Now then let's get a move on shall we."

"Hold on," Discord said as he fell back on the ground. "Give me a moment to stand."

The Fox shook its head as he sat down next to Discord. "Well, you basically did it you know."

"What?" Discord looked up at the Fox. They were in a small red plane room with two doors opposite each other.

"You see that?" The Fox pointed to the door in front of them. "That's where you need to go to find your friend."

"Really?" Discord jumped up.

"Ya, it's pretty much it."

Discord walked forward as he staggered around. "What's in there?"

"I don't know," The fox said as he walked up next to Discord. "I've never been there. I just wait out here for the travelers until they come back. This is as far as I go."

Discord walked forward and put his claw on the doorknob. "You sure I'll find her?"

The Fox nodded. "You'll find everything you've come all this way for."
> The Fur-ghtening Path Ahead
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The two grown ponies open the door to let a large blue pony through. The father had a brown coat with an orange mane and his wife was yellow with green hair. They greeted the blue pony and offered her a drink. She respectfully declined and quickly sat down with them. Their letter seemed urgent and rather concerning so the blue pony wanted to waste no time.

"It happened a few nights ago," said the tall orange stallion.

"We were horrified. She just wouldn't stop screaming," The yellow pony whimpered. "She just kept screaming that it was going to kill her and she kept pointing at her window."

"I of course went right over to the window to see if there was anything," the orange pony shifted in his seat. " I saw…" he swallowed hard as his eyes trailed off in thought. "A large black figure running off into the trees. I didn't know what to make of it, or honestly what to do for that matter. I just picked up my daughter, grabbed my wife, and ran out of the house."

"Now, you said that this isn't the first time she has seen this thing?" The dark blue pony asked.

"It happened a couple of times but we thought it was just a simple nightmare or something… normal." The yellow pony fought back the tears that exposed her fear. " I don't know what the hell it was, but I know it was real." 

"Why did you choose to come to me with this before anyone else?" The blue pony asked as she leaned forward.

"Well she's been having these, dreams lately," the orange pony stated. "And we know you're the one who deals with that kind of thing."

"What kinda dreams?"

"About the thing, she keeps seeing," the mother answered.

Light hoofstep could be heard as a filly trotted shyly into the room. The little filly looked up at the princess. Pink-haired white coat and beautiful bright blue eyes, her beauty was only matched by the lunar princess's. The filly shifted in her seat and swallowed hard. She looked up at her parents and then down at the floor as tears enveloped her eyes.

"Hello there sweetie, what's your name?" The blue pony sat down at a little purple table next to the little filly.

"Go on sweetie you can tell her, it's all right," The father reassured.

"It's Barry Blast."

She smiled. "Nice to meet you Barry Blast my name is Luna."

"I know..." her voice was timid. "That's a cool name, though," Barry Blast giggled.

"I know right. Thanks," Luna chuckled. "Can you please tell me what's been going on with you Barry?"

Barry Blast crossed her legs and looked straight down. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Sweetie you have to tell the princess. She's here to help you." He stepped forward and put his hoof on Barry Blast. 

"Why don't you want to talk about it, Barry?" Luna got silence as a response. "Are you scared something bad is going to happen if you do?"

Barry nodded her head slowly as she continued to stare at the ground. "Please don't make me."

"Not even about the dreams?" Luna asked only to get a nod in response.

"Sweetheart you…" Luna put her hoof up, interrupting the stallion.

"It's alright, I'm not going to make you tell us." Luna leaned down to see Barry's face. "Can you at least tell me why you can't speak about what you saw?"

Barry looked up at Luna and started to cry. "He said if I told my parents… they would die." Barry began to sob as her father grabbed her and hugged her. "He said he wants my family dead, that all families are going to die."

"Please you have to help us, I don't know what to do or what's wrong with her." Her mother cried.

"There's nothing wrong with her," Luna corrected. "She's just scared."

"Well what are we supposed to do, can you help us or not?" She cried.

"I can try," Luna gulped. "But it means I need to see the thing that keeps going to her at night."





The orange cat sat in the damp breezed grass. The air chilled and calm, flourish through the crisp morning air. He breathed steadily in rhythm to the beat of the wind. Pages of his book swayed as the grass danced to the melody of nature. The wind whistled in harmony as it flushed through the autumn leaves. 

The pages of his book spoke of the legend of the guardians. Mystical creatures that carried a deep and honing light. They could use this phone light to diminish any shadow or to kill any living creature before them. But they were peaceful creatures, gentle giants of the wind. It was said that when they sparred with each other they would not disturb you in a single leaf.

Capper took a deep breath in and opened his eyes. His stone sword laid in the grass before him. It's lightless aura sat still and dead in the atmosphere. It was his father's sword, his father's legacy, and his father's key. To hone its light he knew he would have to truly understand the weight of wielding the sword. 

In one slick clean motion, he picked up the sword then pointed it at the horizon. The clash of purple and orange-yellow lights refracted off for the tip of the blade. The sword began to turn the light downward and reflected it off the crisp grass. The stone began to crack and it revealed the golden shimmer beneath its hide.

Capper swung the sword in the opposite direction and broke away the stone shell. Golden light rushed into the atmosphere then clashed with the sunrise. The light hovering above the trees and penetrated the ground. It truly was a work of art; a work of beauty. 

Capper laughed as he stared at the jewel in his hand. It was his and his alone and that meant he said to do whatever his heart desired. He swung around and admired the perfectly balanced hilt. A sword was only as good as its ability to be used. It was beautiful but he wanted to know if it was deadly.

The cat ran over to one of the trees and held the sword up to the bark. He pressed the tip of the blade into the tree as it effortlessly cut through its center. He nearly fell forward as the blade went all the way through and emerged on the other side. He pulled it back to see the slit of sizzling light that was left behind. He laughed again as he realized the power he had before him. 

With one clean motion, the tree was cut in half and fell to the floor in submission. Capper held the blade that had not bent nor faltered in any way. He walked forward to the next tree and repeated his actions. The chain of events repeated as the tree slammed hard against the forest floor. The joyful kitten jumped up and down as he cut his way through the forest. Trees after trees took pleasure in breaking his toys.

He walked back and kneel with the sword in front of him. All the power he had at his paws. He looked back at the trail destruction that he had left; it only brought amusement to the hungry kitten. He looked down at his claws and noticed their gold tint. He looked back at the blade and lifted his claws up. He ran his claws down the side of the sword and sparks flew in all directions. The crackling sound of two powers colliding with each other echoed through the trees. A child will always play with its toys.

"Are you sure he's not going to hurt himself?" Shira asked. 

"He'll be fine," Arch assured. "He's a guardian; he cannot conceal his powers. Embracing them is all he can do now and frankly, it's going to be very useful."

"Well, he's not going to be useful because he's going to rip his freaking head off."

Arch laughed as he walked up the window. "Well, he's not going to make it back without getting into a fight so if he's not ready he's still gonna get his head cut off soooo…." A pony opened the window and asked them what they would like to order. "We're not always going to be there to protect him so we gotta teach him how to protect himself. What do you want by the way?"

Shira crossed her arms. "I don't care, just order something."

"You're stressing way too much over this, you know that?" 

"Right, cause he's such a master at his weapon," Shira chuckled.

Arch rolled his eyes at Shira. "Come on I'm sure he's doing fine." 

Capper yelled as he was flown several feet and landed hard on the ground. He groaned as he pushed himself up to his feet. He look at the tilted sword that was stuck into the ground. He walked over and drew the sword from the ground. Let's try this again,he thought to himself. 

He climbed the tree till he was about 20 feet up off the ground. He looked down as he creeped his way out onto the branch. He held up his sword and turned it upside down so that it was pointing towards his target. Third time's the charm, he thought. He took a deep breath and screamed as he leaped off the branch. He met the ground quickly at an abrupt stop. The sword penetrated the dirt as a large wave cracked the ground. The branches of the trees were sent flying off into the sky. The trees closest to him were stripped of many of their leaves as the wind was disturbed by a sonic boom. 

Capper tried to hold onto the sword but was sent flying. He skidded across the ground but managed to keep to his feet. His sword remained in the ground.

He laughed as he walked back to his relic and drew it from the ground once again. He held the sword up and twisted it letting the light bounce and shimmer off of it. He felt as if he had all the power in the world at his paws. The area around him was decimated as the ground was cracked and the trees were stripped. 

He sat down and admired the golden light. He still couldn't believe that this was his reality; that he was truly something more in the world. Of course, all of this power only meant that a great responsibility would fall upon him. He also started to think. With all his power, what power did his enemies have? 





Barry Blast's parents kissed her goodnight and turned off the lights. They walked out of her room and told her that they loved her. The stallion slowly shut her door as he promised that nothing would happen to her. They walked down the hallway and into their bedrooms where they sat on their bed. They had been instructed to leave things alone as the princess of the night worked. They were only to intervene if needed. 

Luna flew down and landed softly on the roof. She looked up at the crescent moon that shined above. She laid down on the roof as she waited for the creature. It was more intense than most of the other times she helped ponies with their dreams. It seemed more real and far more threatening than usual. In the back of her mind, she had the simple thought that perhaps her situation was more than unnatural. A creature seen in the night but also seen in the filly's dreams. It threatened the filly and seemed to be pure evil. Most creatures had a purpose, a motive for being corrupted. Their presence was natural and recognizable, but this creature set off vibes that were far more disturbing. It seemed to be made of pure hate and violence. Her fear wasn't that it was unnatural but rather if it was supernatural.
> A Fur-gotten Experience
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The night horizon settled over the land of Equestria. The blanket of the night putting many hearts at ease. A time to rest as the moonshine bright above. The great rock rained over the sky and gave way for many to dream.

Branches cracked beneath the feet of a large creature. It moved along on 8 limbs that cautiously moved along the forest floor. Its back arched and bony with spikes lining its spine. Its head was round with a dog-like muzzle that split into 4. The cherry on top was it's three long heavy tails that dragged behind it.

Its nostrils puffs of smoke came in and out. The claws on his feet and made a slight black mist. It followed ascent, one that sent chills down its spine. It was hungry and it was following the smell of dessert.

The creature walked till it came to an opening. It looked down to see a toy sitting in the dark. A box items sat next to the abandoned object and gave off a blinking light. The creature bent down and sniff the item. It wasn't living but it appeared to have energy running through it. It had a black screen and various buttons lining it.

The creature looked up at the building in front of it. It took a deep breath and smelled a familiar enchanting aroma. It was the scent of his prey; one that knew it was going to die. The creature liked going after more intelligent creatures that were capable of feeling complex emotions. After he had stalked them and even revealed himself to them numerous times, they would get a certain message sent to them. This came with one emotion above all, and it meant that it was going to be a delicious meal.

Meanwhile, Luna sat on the roof of the little child's house. She had sat in silence for many hours, something she was quite used to. She had decided that before she went into the filly's dreams she would stake out the Nether realm through her psychic abilities.

She stood up and yawned. Her job had recently been increasingly hard. Thousands of ponies would have nightmares every night. The times would shift from high times too low times. She had found herself in an extremely high time. Nevertheless the less she was still determined to help the family.

She stretched out and began to trot forward. The sun was going to take its place in the sky in only an hour or two, so she ready to call it a night. Just as she got ready to fly down, the echo of a snapping twig flushed through the trees. She did a 360 turn to see though when violently shaking the trees. The howling of a wolf what's next to echo and the wind seem to respond by intensifying.

Gee thanks nature you just had to make it like a horror movie for me didn't you, Luna thought.

She took a few steps forward before she froze in her tracks. She caught a glimpse of a moving figure coming from the tree line. She quickly focused eye she witnessed a blob make its way through the backyard. It stopped once but only to examine something that caught its attention.

The entity made its way to Barry Blast's window. Luna leaned over the edge he saw the creature that's true form. She was quite shocked at his physique. It was far bigger than her and resembled no other living creature she had ever seen before.

The creature swiftly opened and went through the window. It was quite alarming as Luna recalled locking the window per Barry's request. Luna quickly rushed to follow the creature. She peered through the window to find the creature standing over the little pony. The creature opened its fully open this now has an ocean of black oozing teeth force their way out.

A few drops of its saliva landed on the Little Ponies face causing her to wake up. Barry screamed with an ear-piercing shriek has the creature went to grab her. Luna leaped through the window and shot a blue laser of magic at the creature.

The black entity went flying and crashed against the wall. One of its limbs cracked through the wall. Luna could hear the screaming of Berry's parents coming from the other room. The creature dislodged its leg through the hole and Luna could see the fight and parents.

Luna used her magic to pull Barry to her. She rushed past the creature as it stumbled to its feet and into the other room. Barry's parents stood there screaming as Luna ran up to them and handed them their daughter.

"Take her and get out of the house, now!" Luna demanded.

Without hesitation, they followed instructions. The front door was kicked open by the stallion as he rushed his family safety. Luna turned to confront her attacker.

The creature lunged at the princess with its claws. Luna used the strength of her wings to push herself back barely avoiding the creature. It's claws sunk deep into the floor. Another being slap the creature in the face causing it to take a few steps backward.

It roared at the princess; black mush protruded from its mouth. The creature used its arm to block another incoming attack. It slid back across the floor has its claws dug and cracked the wood beneath it. The creature began to walked forward as the bean seems less effective.

The creature staggered towards there until it was near inches. Luna gave up on her attack and jumped back. The creature growled as it stalked forwards.

The princess steadily walked backward not willing to give in. The creature drew back its arm has its muscles begin to twitch violently. It began to glow as a crackling sound shot out. Its fingertips began to gather a black mist that formed together in a ball. Luna's horn began to illuminate has she to build up strength. The ground began to shake on pieces of the wall begin to fall off.

Luna froze in awe as she witnessed the world crumble before her. The energy that the creature was building was astonishing. Her legs twitch as her mind told her to run, but before she could the creatures swing its arm forward. Luna screamed and instinctively put a shield around her.

Seconds went by has the echo of a distant screech filled the air. Luna looked up to see the creature frozen in place. Almost in unison the two look towards the source of the sound. The creature turned back to meet Luna's gaze. A puff of smoke shouted out of its nostrils as it dropped its arm. The energy disappeared as the creatures burrowed into the ground.

Luna jumped down the hole and gave chase. She could hear the sounds of the creature burrowing deep into the ground. The hole is big enough so that she could even fly through it. But the creature proved to be faster as Luna eventually lost sight of it. Moonlight shined from the end of the tunnel and came to a clearing. Luna stared out into the dark forest. She looked around to see no trace of the creature; not even footsteps were left behind.

The air went silent as the breeze felt dead and cold. Luna stood as her legs shake, ready to give out at any moment. She slowly crept over to the hole and peered down it. She fell back on the ground as she started to paint. It hadn't been too long since she had witnessed a horrifying monstrosity, but while it wasn't unheard of experience for her, it was a forgotten one.





"So, what did you see?" The little dragon asked.

"It was just a void filled with flashes and voices and honestly a bunch of nonsense." Discord looked down at his paw as he for once in his life despised a chaotic moment.

"So what did you find out exactly?" Spike asked.

"I honestly don't have a clue I asked a fox what any of it meant and he didn't seem to know either."

"So what did he say!?" Spike said as he raised his voice.

"He said that I had the information I needed I just had to find out how to sort it." Discord rubbed his eyes and leaned back against the wall.

"Wait what?" Spike complained.

"I don't know," Discord said shaking his head.

"Discord, please don't tell me we did all of this for nothing."

"Well no, we did it for something. I'm just not quite sure what it is "

Spike started pacing the floor as he nodded his head and grunted to himself. Big Mac walked over to Discord and sat down next to him.

"You think he's alright?" Discord asked.

"Nope," Big Max reassured.

"Okay okay, not all is lost," the little dragon said as he sat down in front of his friends. "If all we need to do is "translate" information or whatever then maybe we should try to go to the right creature."

"Which is who?"






"Dream Walker," spoke the Mooti Mootu. "Back so soon."

Discord walked up to the bloody creature and came face to face with it. "I did as you told."

"And?" It said as it poured some liquid into a jar.

"And I didn't get any answers, just more confusion."

The Mooti mootu stood up and walked over to a ledge on the wall. It pulled off a dead cat and brought it over to another table. "Ah, you've been given an answer you do not yet understand. This has been foreseen by many."

"What do I do?" Discord. Asked as he followed its movements.

"If you, yourself, cannot process the information, then you must find someone who can for you." The creature opened the cat's mouth and ripped off its tongue.

"Who do I need to fine?"

"Well," the Mooti mootu said with a twitch. "I, myself, could easily process such information."

"But?" Discord speculated.

"But what?"

"There's always a price."

The Mooti mootu looked up and showed its orange and yellow eyes. "And what of last time? You paid me no currency."

"Oh but I did," Discord chuckled. "I know myself what power living creatures possess, especially ponies. The ritual to even get here demanded a lot of pony hair; that was no coincidence."

The Mooti mootu chuckled in response. "You are a very perceptive dream walker. Indeed I do use all that living matter for my use."

"So what is the price then?" Discord said more demanding.

The Mooti mootu walked over to the draconequus and smiled. "What do you have that I could want?"

"Well, what do you even want?"

"A hunter."

"Umm, what?" Discord said as he took a step backward.

"If you're truly serious about answers, then I need a hunter."

"For what?"

"A new specimen has arisen in Equestria and I have yet to find someone baby enough who venture out and speak one for me." The Mooti mootu walked over to one of the hanging body parts and grabbed it. It showed it to be a black claw that gave out a black mist. "If you could be a darling and fetch me the rest of it I will answer any question you have for me."

"What in the stars even is it?" Discord asked as he examined the 8-inch claw.

Discord woke up to greet his two friends blankly staring over his body. He groaned does he sat up straight and rubbed his eyes.

"So, what happened?" Spike eagerly asked.

"Well, as per usual there's good news and bad news.

"Oh brother," Big Mac groaned.

"Let's hear it," Spike hissed.

"It will tell me the answers and everything else I need to know but, it comes at a price."

"Ya?" Spike nobbed.

"We got to find a rare species and contain one."Discord smiled as he watched the two exchange glances.

"What exactly does it want us to get?" Spike asked.

"I don't know all it said is that they were a falling species."
> A Claw-some Task
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Nope!" Big Mac yelled. 

"What in Celestia's name is that thing?" 

Discord turned the picture around as he examined it a little closer. "Ya, it's the stuff of Nightmares isn't it?" 

Spike had only one phrase to work off of, "a fallen species". This was the one and only thing the Mooti Mootu had told Discord about the bounty it wanted. Spike had searched and searched through book after book and even had to take a trip to Shredder as a third party. At last, he had found his mark, and they were called The Fallen. 

"The Fallen Where an ancient  species that was believed to be wiped out by the guardians many eons ago." Spike read aloud from the book as the other two sat and listened. " They were bred by the king of darkness himself and used to bring destruction and carnage onto the world." 

"Bred by the king of darkness," Discord gulped. "That sounds pleasant."

"Nope," Big Mac gulped.

" So this is the incredibly valuable species that it wants, hmm?" Spike said as he skimmed through the page.

"Great," Discord chucked. "And here I thought that maybe it was just going to be a supernatural bunny or something." 

"Nope," Big Mac said. "The opposite actually."

"So what do you think?" The little dragon asked.

"I think, we're all gonna get ourselves killed." Discord insured. 

"Yup."

Spike sighed as he looked back down at the book. "Well, then that leaves two obvious remarks. This seems to be our only option here."

Discord laughed at the reality of the matter. "So we're going to die and we have no other option for answers. Oh yes, very obvious remarks." 






"Our weapons are one with us. It obeys our commands and in return, we replenish it with our strength."

Arch's words echoed in the young guardian's mind. Arch had told Capper that before he could learn the ways of the guardians, he would have to learn how to wield his weapon of light. 

Capper stood in the dead silence of the forest floor. The light breeze broke the veil just in time for Capper to make a move. He walked forward and leaned backward. With one clean motion, he threw his sword far above the treeline. Once the sword was out of view he reached out his paw. He waited as his mind concerned hard on the need for his weapon.

Earlier that day he had lost the sword in an explosion. He searched, but to no avail. Finally, after giving up and wishing he had it back, the sword flew out of nowhere and returned nicely to his paw.

The actions were repeated and the sword flew back on command. The cat was knocked back a bit as he wasn't ready for the sheer force of the sword. He laughed in awe as he held the divine weapon in his paws. He threw the sword again but  Immediately called it back. The sword froze in midair for a second and then flew back to obey the command. 

Capper chucked as a large grin came over his face. He threw the sword and caught it as it quickly returned. Without any pause, he threw it again. The sword flew back and forwards in only split seconds. Capper laughed as he witnessed the weirdest game of ping pong ever. 

After many moments and even more tosses, the cat pulled back his arm and threw the sword as hard as he could. The sword missed its intended path of travel and instead flew straight at the ground. The Cat was literally swept off his feet as the ground in front of him exploded. 

All he could hear was the high pitch Humm of his ears trying to recover. He opened his eyes only to see spots of bright various colors. He went to his knees and breathed steadily. He felt the blood rush to his head as  Nausea crept to his stomach. Whether it was the fact that he was working his body out in a way he never had before or the fact that he had hit its head several times, he struggled to hold back from vomiting.

His legs caught himself as he staggered to his feet. He looked up to see that his sword was MIA. He bent over and put his laws on his knees. He groaned as he slowly reached out his paw. A few moments passed until the sword flew in on command. Capper was quite literally taken back by it. He laid on the forest floor as his weapon rested peacefully beside him. 

He grabbed the weapon and held it up to his face. Nothing else he had ever owned had ever brought him so much pride. He thought back to his first encounter with one of the Fallen. He was completely helpless against the mighty creature. He wondered if things would have been different with his shiny new toy at his side. Perhaps he could have been the one to show off. The cat chucked at the idea of actually showing off the "great and powerful" Trixie, oops I meant Arch (a little narrator error there). 







Magic, it was the greatest ally for many creatures. Discord's magic in particular was something special. He could use it in pretty much any way he wanted to. Of course, by that time he was feeling pretty useless with his magic. Magic didn't work with the dead, so he was no different than any other pony. 

The stated that the Fallen could be hurt by regular magic, but could only be killed by a guardian or a source of great light. However, most spells that didn't  Involve strength or raw power, was petty much useless towards them.

This meant that why you could blast them, there wasn't anything else you could do to them. Most spells didn't even work around them, such as Teleportation or transmutation. Discord couldn't just open portals or anything around them, but he sure as hell could blast them. 

Discord didn't see what was even the point since he really couldn't just shoot layers out of his ass. Sire, he could do some powerful stuff, but nothing with just raw laser power. Spike on the other hoofs could use his fire to potentially hurt one of them. Big Mac had decided to go brute strength and use a large log.

With little preparation, they had collectively decided to use a very large apple shipping crate as a cage for their hunt. The book told stories of how strong and powerful the creatures were, buuuuttttt, Spike had  Chose to skim right past the important information. 

With all their equipment in hand, they set out to find their prey. The book made it very clear that the creatures loved to go out at night. Big Mac brought flashlights as they weren't for sure if any magical light source would work around the creatures.

"So where are we going to even find this thing," Discord asked.

Spike held the lantern above his head as he buried his face into his book. "Well, it says that if there is any known to be in the area then the best way to track it is to have it come to you."

"How the hell do we do that?" Discord scoffed.

"Well, usually they're attracted to creatures that are Experiencing tremendous fear or anxiety. That also includes creatures that have been experiencing these things for long periods of time." Spike continued to scan through the pages as he tried to prep himself the best he could.

"Are there any warnings or anything similar that it says?"

Spike looked back and forwards through the page. "No, not really. It just goes on about their history, but doesn't seem to be anything useful to us at the moment."

"Well, I guess that's good."







"Hold on, wait just one second." Capper stood as the face of utter shock swept across him. "You want me to take on one of those things?"

Arch leaned over the young guardian and laughed. "Listen I was much younger than you when I had to take on much larger opponents."

"Ya but you had actual training, by other guardians," Capper scoffed. 

"Listen, you'll be fine."

"Fine! The last time I encountered one of those things it beat the shit out of me." 

Shira stepped in. "It won't be like the ones you've seen before. We'll find you a really weak one that you can practice on."

"And by weak, you mean like mouse weak, right?"

"Listen we don't have much of a choice," Arch groaned. "If you're not ready to face one, at least a weak one, on your own then you're going to die before we make our trip."

"OK, then why don't you like, train me or at least spar with me? Why go straight to the arena and fight the big boss."

"Because it'll make you stronger," Shira smiled. "And because we don't have the time to properly prepare you for this."

"Really?" Capper groaned.

"Afraid so kid," Arch chucked as he patted Capper on the back.

"Well, if this is our only method of doing this crap, then at least tell me that the creature is smaller than me and can't smash through walls and stuff."

Arch laughed at the idea of one-off the fallen being so weak. "Ahhhhh, good one kid."





The night sky settled over the land. The light of the Moon dwindled above as the thick trees blocked most of it. The three friends sat down in a small clearing. The book had said that they liked closed areas such as forests or jungles; they liked to hide their presence.

The Mooti Mootu had told Discord that the creatures were in Equestria and if it was true then the book stated that they wouldn't have much trouble finding it. A simple recipe could easily mimic the  Infamous scent they loved so much, and their "genius" planning could take care of the rest. 

"Hey so one thing that's bugging me is why in Equestria would one of these things be in, Equestria" Spike sat as he poured liquids into a small pot.

"I honestly don't know," Discord responded. "Honesty, it has me on edge too. These things seem to be demanding on steroids, so what could they be doing here?"

Spike looked up from his book. "Ya, an army made from the "King of Darkness". Sounds like some rated R movie crop that twilight would never let me watch." Spike looked up at the dimmed moon. "We should tell the others when we get done here."

"Why didn't you tell them earlier?" Discord asked as he played with his magic.

"Well, I would prefer to do it when I don't have to try to explain to Twilight what I have been up to. I don't know how she would take any of it."

Discord shrugged as he continued his horseplay. "Do you think it's anything we would want to tell Luna about?"

Spike looked up from the pot as he stopped mixing. "I don't know to be honest. I would hate to have to drag her back into this stuff. Especially since she had to deal with Cadence not too long ago."

"True," Discord agreed.

"However, this could be something really bad  Lurking right under our noses without us even knowing."

"Are you sure we shouldn't tell her now?" Big Mac asked. 

"Na," Discord protested. "Let's have a look at this thing ourselves and make a decision after that."

"Why?" Slike asked.

"Because we don't always have to resort to her for supernatural help. We gotta sometimes deal with this ourselves."

"Dang," Spike sighed.

"What?" Big Mac asked.

"I don't know if it's super cool or super sad that this might just be our new hobby next to O&O."

"Well actually I would say that it is indeed supernatural," Discord laughed
> A Paws-some Set Of Events
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Capper stood high on top of a tree as he prepared himself. He took deep breaths in and out as his mind raced with ideas. The very creature that he had feared only cays before, he was now expected to kill it with ease. 

"Remember," Arch said as he looked over Capper's shoulder. "Stay of your feet and don't let it get out of your sight. These creatures love to hide in the darkness, so make sure to keep it in front of you." 

"What if another one shows up?" Capper asked. 

"Then you'll have to fight it."

Capper turned quietly to meet Arch's gaze. "How the hell am I suppose to fight two of them at the same time?"

Arch put his paw on Capper's shoulder. "You have the blood of a guardian running through your veins. You must use that strength, and always use your light to protect yourself."

Capper looked back down at his sword. "But I…" He looked back only to see that he was alone. "Damn it, I'm so gonna die."

"How many are in the area?" Shira asked.

Arch laid down on the branch so he could over watch the Young Apprentice. "We had eyes on at least 12 in Equestria. I've killed all but 3." 

"Do you know their whereabouts?" 

Arch yawned as he stretched out over the branch. "No, but these aren't shy creatures. It doesn't take much to get their attention."







"So light hurts it?" Discord asked as he loaded things into Big Mac’s bag.

"It says a strong light can cause harm to them." Spike walked with his face buried in his book. "It doesn't say that you can kill it, but I'm assuming it can."

"Strong light?" Big Mac asked.

"Sun, fire, etcetera?" Discord listed.

"Basically!" Spike proudly said as he shut the book.

"Hmm," Discord hummed as he  Stroked his beard. "And then I wonder."

The three walked through the village and into the thick forest. The night settled above them as a creepy  ambiance followed. They were heading towards the unknown. They came to a clearing in the forest where they settled down. Spike laid out his equipment as he skimmed through his book. 

"Alright," Discord said as he clapped his hands together. "Who's ready to do some terrifying bullshit." 

Spike through the ingredients together and open the container. The three ran off to take their positions. Big Mac went behind a large tree where he strapped two large iron horse shoes. Discord teleported onto the top of another tree. The little Dragon ducked under a nearby rock and covered himself with leaves. 

They sat and waited for their prey to arrive. Discord sat and pondered on an interesting idea. It felt odd to him that for once he was in a situation where he wasn't being hunted by a demon from another  dimension; he was the one that was hunting. 

Spike brought out a pair of binoculars. New technology made the spectacles able to see in the dark. This made them perfect for a stake out. Big Mac sat counting the leaves as he waited. Nearly an hour went by before any movement took place. Discord looked down to see spike waving from his position. Big Mac peeked out from his tree to see what had happened. 

"Sorry," Spike loudly whispered. "I got scared by a spider."

Discord groaned as he really wanted something to happen. Boredom was racing to kill all of them, and it seemed that it was going to succeed.






Capper froze in his tracks as he heard a twig snap. As a cat he had pretty good eyesight, but the atmosphere seemed to possess an uncanny darkness. He could feel the dark presence of another being. He had only practiced for a few hours as an official guardian apprentice, but ever since he had possession of the sword he had seemed to have gotten an extra sense. One that he could not turn off.

His ears  perked up as he heard a low growl in the distance. He continued to slow creep forward until he came upon a pungent odor. In the distance he could hear a crunching sound followed by tearing. He sighed as he reluctantly persisted forward. He came to a slight break in the trees only to see the source of the smell. 

He saw a large dark figure standing over the body of another animal. He could make out the animal to be a goat, but he still couldn't make out many features of the dark figure. The main feature he saw was its four front limbs and its two back limbs.

He gulped as he took in a deep breath. He closed his eyes and steadied his heart rate. When he opened his eyes he could see that the dark figure had stopped eating. Instead it was looking right at him. Its mellow yellow eyes shimmered in the moon light. The creature turned to face him as it started to growl.

Its mouth revealed an ocean of blades, and its overgrown claws dug deep into the ground. Capper gasped again as he reached to grab his sword. With one motion he released his blade from its scabbard. He flipped the blade in his hand as the creature before him snarled. 

Without warning the creature lunged forward with all of its claws out. Capper moved to the side as he swung at the massive beast. He could feel the blade make contact as the creature crashed against the ground. He panted as he stood with his sword out towards the approaching monster. 

The creature's face sizzled as it stalked the young guardian. The creature jumped forward and  Swiped at the cat. It hit the golden sword to the side before swiping again, landing a hit across the cat's chest. Capper cried out as he fell to the ground. A pulsing burning sensation enveloped his body. 

The creature ran forward and jumped at him. Capper swiftly rolled to the side, barely avoiding certain death. He quickly turned and stabbed the creature in the side of the body. The creature jumped back as it let out an ear piercing screech. Capper got back up on his feet and held his sword out. The two opponents circled each other, ready the face off. 





Big Mac froze as he heard twigs snapping. He laid down as he heard the sound of leaves crunching approaching him. He looked up at Discord's post but couldn't see anything. He dared not make a sound or even move a muscle. His eyes went wide open as he witnessed a large black figure walk past him. The figure walked on two front limbs and two back. It had large spikes lining its spine along with four on its head. Big Mac felt himself shank at the painful idea that he had to try and capture the demon that laid before him. 

Spike peeked around his rock just in time to see a six legged shadow walk towards him. He leaned back up against the rock and started to breath heavily; it was slightly bigger than the book had made it out to be. 

Discord watched in terror as the large creature walked towards their bait. He started to second guess how well their plan was going to work. Spike didn't mention to him exactly how big their target was. His hopes only lied in how well light truly hurt the creature.

The monster walked up to the plate of mixed ingredients. It sniffed the plate before it put its claw on it. The plate instantly broke and the liquid poured out. The creature proceeded to lick the liquid off the ground. It was interrupted by a little dragon that ran out in front of it.

"Hello there," The little dragon called out.

The creature roared as it ran after its near meal. Just as it approached the little purple target, the dragon let out a stream of green fire. The creature staggered in shock as it stepped backwards. It shook its head as the flames dissipated. The little dragon chuckled as it shot out another stream. That time the flames completely missed the creature and hit the ground instead.

Instantly the ground lit up with green flames. The creature jumped back as the bright flames enveloped it. Discord took a deep breath as he snapped his fingers. Nothing appeared to happen. Without taking time to ponder on it he snapped again. That time a large flame appeared above the creature and coated the monster in fire. Discord sighed as he realized that his power was weakened. He couldn't do what he truly desired. 

With limited options Discord decided to be grateful for his ability to at least use some level of magic. He snapped his fingers and five smaller dragons appeared. It was less than he was hoping for, but beggars couldn't be choosers. 

The army of dragons all threw their flames on the beast and caused it to back up. Spike joined in the dragon flame thrower. The creature blocked its face and attempted to run the opposite direction. It was met by two very large, very powerful, iron hooves. The force was enough to send the creature skidding several feet across the ground.

The creature let out a loud screech. All of them had to cover their ears as the sound rippled through the air. The sound flushed through the forest. Big Mac managed to run up to the creature and delivered another bone shattering kick. 







Capper jumped out from behind the tree and lodged his blade into the creature's back. The creature roared as it rolled onto its back. Capper was sent crashing against the ground. The creature shot out two large spikes. One of them missed as the other one lodged into his shoulder. Capper pulled the shard out surprised that it didn't hurt very bad. The spike appeared to only have left a flesh womb.

The creature ran forwards before a loud cry rushed past it. The creature turned and looked in the distance. The screech continued as the trees shook. The creature looked back at Capper and snarled before running off towards the cry.

Capper got up as his breath sped up. All he could hear was the pounding of his heart ringing in his ears. He groaned as he picked up his sword and ran after the monster.





Discord was proud to see that their plan was actually working. Every time the creature would grab one of the dragons and rip it apart, Discord would just snap another one into existence to lay waste to the beast. Big mac brought out a large crate that he used back at his farm. It was surprisingly big enough to fit the monster in. 

Discord laughed as the creature continued to screech and roar in frustration. Though he did notice that the fire didn't appear to actually hurt the creature all too much. It seemed to only annoy it. 

Spike gathered his stuff as he watched the battle from a distance. He had given all he had and was well out of breath. He collapsed onto the ground as he groaned. He rolled over as he hurt loud crashing in the distance. He looked up to see the trees moving violently followed by a distant roar. 

"Discord!" Spike yelled. 

Discord turned around just in time to see another one of the monsters lunging at him. He had no time to move and was hurled to the ground. The creature clawed him several times in the face and tried to bite him. Discord managed to scramble away from it as he tried to crawl away.

Discord's dragons disappeared, leaving the other best fire free. Big Mac ran up and kicked Discord's attacker in the face. The creature slammed to the ground and backed off. Big Mac was tackled to the ground as the other creature pounced on him. 

Discord snapped his fingers and made another dragon blow fire, trying to help Big Mac escape. Discord was clawed in the back by the other creature. The creature opened its jaws to bite him but was stopped as Spike jumped onto its back. His little flames on the back of its head was only an annoyance to the best. It grabbed the little dragon and slammed him to the ground. It raised its claws as it was ready to make the kill, but it was stopped as a screaming cat jumped onto its back and drove a shiny golden blade into the back of its neck.
> A Cat Fight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The beast fell to the ground. It let out its last breath as its face sank into the ground. Capper stood up as all eyes were on him. The golden sword stained the ground as all of the creature's skin that touched it burned away. Capper grabbed the weapon and drew it from the beast. He held it out towards the other monster as it stood in front of him. Discord, spike, and Big Mac stood in awe and utter shock. Spike's daw hung as he stared at a golden idol.

The creature roared as it charged forward. Capper jumped off of the dead body and rolled on the ground. The creature lunged forward and caught the cat's arm with its claws. Capper crashed against the ground as his sword went flying. The creature turned towards the cat as it once again charged forward.

The monster was met by a steady stream of flames to its face. The creature backed up as the bright light of the fire enveloped it. Discord joined in by summoning another army of dragons. The creature turned to escape only to be met once more by Big Mac's Iron hooves.

Capper quickly got up and ran over to his weapon. He picked it up and ran over to the chaotic mess of flames. He stopped as he saw the ground all around the creature lit up in flames. He turned to Discord as he watched him conjure up dragons out of thin air.

The creature smashed the ground in frustration and lunged at Discord. Discord couldn't react quickly enough and went tumbling to the ground. Big Mac landed another blow on the creature before it clawed him across the face.

Capper ran up to the creature and stabbed it in one of its many limbs. The creature Turned around and hissed as it clawed the cat across the chest. The creature then turned And jumped that discord. He had barely just missed as This court has rolled out of its way.

Capper Got back up once again and grabbed his sword. He got right back into the fight and managed to strike a blow to the monster's neck. It thrashed around and sent Big Mac and Discord flying in the air. Capper had barely dodged its huge claws. He continued to roll and crawl away from its powerful blows. Flames coated the ground around them making it hard for him to escape.

One roll got him underneath the huge beast. He took the opportunity to stab his sword right through the bottom of the creature's neck. He was lifted and slammed back on the ground. The sword stuck unto the beast and burned away at its insides. He pulled the blade out of the creature and landed on the ground. The creature staggered to the ground as black blood oozed from its wombs.

Capper laid on the ground as his heartbeat echoed in his ears. He felt the warmth of his blood bubbling up through his cuts. He rolled over and pushed himself off of the ground. He looked up to see the creature desperately trying to do the same. He groaned as he reached over to grab his weapon. His feet felt heavy beneath him as he limped to his prey.

He stopped once he was in front of his prey. The creature growled as it took a swipe at him. The cat backed up to dodge its desperation. He lifted his sword, as he had done so many times before, and brought it straight down. He continued to press into its neck until he physically couldn't anymore. With one final breath, he let go of the sword and fell to the ground.

Discord groaned as Spike shook him. "Discord, get up."

Discord rolled over and stared up at the sky. "Am I dead," He whispered.

"Nope, " Big Mac assured.

"But the fallen thing is," Spike cheered.

"Wait what," Discord said as he bounced to his feet. "Did...we do… how in Equestria…?"

"Actually," spike said as he nudged Discord. "He was the one who did it." Spike pointed to the orange cat that laid consciousness next to the deadfall.

"Who in Equestria is that?" Discord asked.

"Almost dead," Big Mac answered.





Twilight walked down the large crystal hallway as her mind raced. She frantically whispered to herself as sweet rushed down her face. Her hair was a mess and her coat was stained black by dirt. She walked past Spike's room and stopped in front of his door. She sighed as she leaned her head against it. She took deep breaths as she tried not to break down.

A sudden loud crash came from inside the room followed by a loud deep scream. Twilight backed up from the door and froze for a second. She then used her magic to quickly open the door. She was taken back to see Spike, laid out across his bed in a "module's" pose. She was met by a full teeth smile and wide eyes.

"Heeeeeeyyyyyyyyy, Twilight," Spike chuckled.

"Spike?!" Twilight screamed. She ran forward and tackled Spike with a hug. "Where in Celestia's name have you been? I've been trying to send you letters and asking ponies around if they have seen you. I went to Celestia to see if she knew anything or if she could find out where you were. Then the attack happened in Ponyville and I got even more worried and…."

"Wait what?" Spike interrupted. "Hold on, slow down Twilight."

"No you slow down," Twilight yelled. "Where have you been, what happened to you?"

"What? Nothing."

"Then why have you been ignoring and hiding from me?"

"I wasn't ignoring you," Spike protested as he backed up on his bed.

Twilight moved closer to him. "Then what were you doing?"

"Nothing, just hanging out with Discord and Big Mac." Spike moved back again as he started to sweat.

"Then why did you ignore me and Celestia's letters?" Twilight moved over to him.

"I wasn't, I was just ummmmmm….ummmm…doing some Dimension stuff and seeing other dimension things with Discord, so maybe that's why I didn't get them." Spike chuckled as he leaned back into the wall.

"Dimensional things?" Twilight said as she pressed closer to him. "You hung out with Discord for days doing Dimensional things and not telling or talking to anyone else?"

"Ummmmm, yes." Spike grind as he met Twilight face to face.

"Hmmm," Twilight growled.

"Wait before you bite my head, can I at least know why you're so painstakingly mad at me?"

"Spike," Twilight gasped as she backed up. "I'm not mad, I was just worried sick about you."

"Why?"

Twilight was taken back as she froze and stared at him. "Did you not hear about what happened?"

Spike trailed off into his thoughts. His eyes outlined the room as his mind searched for any results. "Ummm, I'm going to go out on a limb and say no."

"There was a terrible animal attack two nights ago. Many ponies were injured, and a few even…."

Spike looked up at Twilight as she dropped her head and stared at the ground. "Ya." She whispered.

"Wait, an animal attack?" Spike asked as he jumped off of his bed.

"Ya, and we have no idea what it was." Twilight sat down as she sighed. "I got word that a farmer caught something in his son's bedroom. It was standing over his son and trying to eat him." Twilight cleared her throat as she slowly closed her eyes. "The whole thing made a ruckus and a bunch of ponies went after the thing. The whole thing went wrong when the thing started to attack them." Twilight opened her eyes and stared at the ground. "Rainbow Dash was the first to arrive, and she stupidly went head first at it."

"Wait sshe's not…"

"No She's fine," Twilight assured the little Dragon. "She's just pretty banged up. Anyways the thing went right into the village, and many more got hurt by it." Twilight swallowed hard as a tear flowed down her cheek. "No one knew where you were, so I was worried that…the thing….had…" She choked on her own words as her eyes became red with tears.

Spike sighed as he looked at the floor. "I'm really sorry Twilight." He looked up at her as he walked over and hugged her. "I had no idea about any of that. I didn't mean to make you so worried."

Twilight used her hooves to wipe her eyes and she cleared her throat. "No, I'm just glad you're ok." She wrapped her hooves around and squeezed the little Dragon.

The two separated and Twilight took a few deep breaths. "I actually have to meet with Princess Celestia in a few hours. We're all going to meet about whatever that thing was."

"You didn't need me, did you?" Spike asked.

Twilight shook her head. "No, just the six of us really. You didn't see anything so there isn't much you could tell us."

"Ya, of course," Spike nervously chuckled.

"Please be here when I get back, you're not off the hook, ok?"

"Ya, no problem," Spike said as he grinned.

Twilight walked out of the door and slowly closed the door as she smiled at him. Spike waved to her and grinned as she disappeared. He waited a bit before he took a deep sigh.

"Alright, it's all clear," Spike sighed.

Discord jumped out of a very inconspicuous dresser that Discord had conquered up. Big Mac fell out and landed on the ground followed by the orange cat.

"Oh thank Celestia!" Discord gasped. "I couldn't move without breaking a bone."

"Nope," Big Mac groaned as he stretched out.

Discord took the lower half of his body and twisted it till his back cracked. "Awe that's much better." He then turned and sat next to Spike. "I have no idea how that worked. I mean the wardrobe stands out like a literal elephant in the room."

"Well, she was focused on other things," Spike said as he looked down at the floor.

"Like what?" Discord asked as he stretched out his severed leg

"You seriously didn't hear her?" Spike asked as he looked up at Discord.

"Well excuse me, my head was being crushed by someone's foot." Discord looked down at Big Mac as the stallion stood up.

"Yup," Big Mac said in annoyance.

"Wel…."

Spike froze as the orange cat groaned. The three turned to see Capper sit up and rub his head. The cat's head was covered in a bandage along with one of his legs and his chest. The cat looked around and froze his gaze on the trio.

"Ummm," Capper shuddered. "Who are you, and where the hell am I?" Capper stood up.

The three looked at each other before Spike stepped forward. "I'm Spike, former friend of Princess Twilight Sparkle." Spike walked up to Capper and held out his claw.

"Pleasure to meet you, Spike," Capper said as he slowly shook his claw.

"We've actually met before," Spike said with a smile. "Back at Klugetown."

Capper looked confused for a moment As his mind raced through his memories. "Wait, were you the one who accompanied those six ponies against the Storm King?"

"Ya," Spike proudly claimed. "You used me as a flamethrower, remember?"

"Ah, yes I do remember now." Capper looked up at the other two.

Discord snapped his fingers and was dressed up in a black tuxedo, top hat, and a matching cane. "Charmed to meet you, good sir." Discord took a bow. "I am Sir Discord, Lord of Chaos and Master of disharmony."

"Wow," Capper chuckled. "That's quite a title."

"Indeed".

Spike pointed to Big Mac. "And that's Big Mac, he doesn't talk a whole lot."

"Nope".

"Well then," Capper said as he clapped his paws together. "Now that we got introductions out of the way, does someone want to tell me where I am and what happened?"
> Cat-panions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We kind of thought you were dead," Discord blurted out the words that filled the room.

"Umm, what?" What asked as he took a step back.

"Well you took a pretty good beating from that thing last night, and you were bleeding pretty bad." Spike stepped forward and touched one on the bandages around Capper's chest.

Capper looked down and saw the bandages around his body. He then looked up to see that the stallion and Discord had matching bandages.  "Wait, I killed that thing last night." He looked down at the ground as if the message was only to himself.

"Well, actually you killed both of them," Spike corrected.

"That's, actually true," Capper chuckled. "How in the world did I kill not one but two of the fallen?" 

"Oh, so you are fully aware of what those demons were?" Discord interjected.

Capper looked up at Discord and smiled. "Yes, and they're not demons, they're far worse."

"Worse?" Big Mac yelped.

Capper stared at the stallion for a second as he was taken back by his deep strong vocals. "Ya, they're pretty much the army of ultimate evil."

"Well then they're not a very strong army," Spike laughed. "I mean you killed two of them last night. And on top of that, we were beating the thing up with just fire." Spike puffed out his chest in pride. 

Capper laughed as he patted the little dragon on the head. "And that's pretty impressive in itself, but the ones last night were nothing compared to the strong ones."

"Strong, ones?" Spike asked as his chest flattened.

"Ya trust me, they get so much worse." Capper looked around the room and then back at the group. "By the way, do you know where my thingy is?" Capper reached for his back and pretended to draw his sword.

"The super cool golden sword that you used to kill the demons from another dimension?" Spike asked wide-eyed on the cat.

"Umm, ya."

"Well, we couldn't actually bring it." Discord announced.

"Ya, it would burn us every time we tried touching it," Spike added.

"Ah, I see," Capper said as he nodded. "Don't worry about it, you did enough." Capper held out his hand and closed his eyes. He took deep breaths and he felt the presence of the other half of him. Once he felt it, it started to rapidly move towards him. The sword flew through the wall and into his hand. "Ah, there you are."

Spike's and Big Mac's jaw dropped. "That is so awesome." The little dragon nearly fell on his knees. He watched as Capper held the golden idol in his paws. "What have you been up to since we fought the Storm King?"

Capper laughed at the praise. "A hell of a lot more than I could have ever imagined." 

"How did you just do that?" Spike asked.

"It's kind of part of me, so when it's separated from me I can call it back."

"That is both cool and useful," Discord agreed.

"But like how?" Spike demanded to know. "What are you, what did you get into since the last time we've seen you?"

Capper thought about the question hard. He didn't want to tell them his whole life (couple day) story, and he didn't want to tell them every detail about what a guardian was. 

"Well, to answer in order, I'm a Guardian."

"Of what?" Spike asked.

"Well of everything," Capper answered. "The Guardians have been around for thousands of years and have protected the world from all sorts of threats."

"So how did you become one?" The little dragon asked.

"I didn't "become one" I was born one. I really didn't have any idea until like a few days ago."

"Wait, you were a super cool golden warrior, and you have no idea?" Discord asked.

"Ya, pretty much." Capper chuckled.

"So how'd you find out then?" Spike asked.

"Well, I found out a few days ago because of the fallen." Capper cleared his throat as he fiddled with his sword. "One of them went after me and I was saved by over guardians. They kind of let me in on the bed secret about what I was."

"Dang," Spike said as he nodded. "And how'd you take it."

Capper laughed at the question. "I don't know, I'm kind of still taking it in. It's really a lot to think about. 

Capper then froze his laugh as he just remembered his other cat companions. "Oh, shoot." 

"What?" Discord asked.

Capper looked at the floor for a second and then back at the trio. "Did you happen to see two other cats last night?" 

"Nope," Big Mac Answered for the whole group.

"Why?" Spike asked.

"I was with two other cats last night. They were supposed to watch over me and make sure I didn't, well die."

"Well we didn't see any other cat but you," Discord insisted. "And no one came afterward to check up on you, so I assume they really have confidence in your ability to kill those things."

"Ya," Spike said. "How many of those things have you slaughter anyways?"

"Two, actually." Capper chuckled. "Those were the only ones I have ever fought without my comrades."

"Dang!" The whole trio said in unison.

"Well you were awesome last night," Spike said as he jumped. "We might have been screwed if you didn't come along."

"Now now," Discord objected. "We were doing just fine without this kind of fellow. 

"Come one Discord," Spike said. "You saw how strong that thing was. We were basically hitting it with candlesticks."

"Because fire won't kill them," capper held his sword out. "If you're not using something like this, then you're pretty much just going to piss them off."

"Well the Mootu Mooti didn't really present proper information," Discord protested. 

"The what?" Capper asked.

"Well," spike began. "To make a long story short, it's this spiritual creature that wandering beings go in search of the deepest and darkest of all questions. It wanted one of these fallen creatures, so we went on a little hunt last night." 

Capper cleared his throat. "Well that's a little bit more than I asked for, but sounds cool I gu…" capper stopped as he squinted his eyes. "Wait why the hell would it want one of the fallen, and why the hell would you go and try to hunt one of them?"

Spike looked back at Discord and Big Mac as they only shrugged at him. "To be honest, we didn't know what we were going up against."

"Well trust me," Capper insisted. "These aren't the creatures you hunt. These are the things you run away from."

"Ya, we got that," Discord said. 

"Anyways," Capper said as he strapped his sword to his back. "I have to go and find out what happened to my friends. Thank you all for your help."

"Wait, you're going to go out on your own?" Spike asked.

"Well, I kind of have to find them. They're the ones helping everyone out on this mess."

"What mess?" Discord asked.

"The Fallen," Capper answered. "They have returned, and if we don't stop them then it's going to mean the end for everything and anything that lives."

"What the what?" Discord blurted out. "What the heck is going on out there?"

"Well, the Fallen have been rampaging the lands and consuming everything they can. They just recently made their way to Equestria and they've already started their feast."

"Oh no," Spike whispered. 

"What?" Discord asked.

"Twilight, when she came in here, was telling me about a strange animal attack that happened 2 days ago. She said that the thing killed several ponies and even took Rainbow Dash out. Ponyville was devastated."

"WAS FLUTTERSHY HURT!?" Discord screamed as he got in Spike's face. 

"Ahhhhh," Spike yelled as he fell to the floor. "Yes yes yes, she's fine!"

"OK good, that's all I needed to know. "Discord laid back in the air and continued to doddle. 

"Anyways," Spike grunted as he got up. "It had to be one of the fallen."

"I don't doubt it," Capper assured. "They're relentless in their pursuit, and they give no mercy to any life form." 

"Well, what do we do?" Spike asked.

"Well there's not much you can do," Capper informed. "That's why I must find my friends. They're the only ones who know how to stop the fallen."

"But shouldn't we at least tell the princesses?" Spike asked.

"I guess you could if you want," Capper said. "It would be a good idea to  evacuate some parts of Equestria worst comes to shove."

"Ah yes," Discord protested. "Because Celestia is just going to straight-up believe us that a bunch of demons is invading Equestria and eating everyone."

"Why wouldn't she?" Capper asked.

"Well," Spike chuckled. "No one believes in the supernatural ghost spirits thing. It's really split group on the matter."

"Well, I'll be the first to tell you that they are very real."

"We know that," Discord said. "But not many would just straight up believe us without pro...."

"Wait," Spike interrupted. "We do have proof. We have a dead fallen."

"Actually you don't," Capper objected.

"Why not," Spike asked."

"Because their body turns to ash if they happen to die. Not much left over for proof, unfortunately." 

"Awe," Spike groaned. "Wellllll, we still have you," Spike said as he jumped.

"Yup," Big Mac agreed.

"Listen, Spike," Capper chuckled. "I would be happy to help, but only after I find my friends. I kind of have a target on my back and traveling is the last thing I can do right now."

"So you can't help us out then?" Spike groaned.

"Sorry little Dragon, but I doubt I would even make the journey alive at this point." 

"Dang it," Spike said as he stomped his foot. "Well, any ideas?"

The group sat in silence as Capper sat down. They all went into thought as they tried to find a solution to their problem.

"Well I gotta head out," Capper informed.

"Wait," Discord interjected. "I seem to have a solution to our problem."

"Really," Spike asked.

"OK so hear me out," Discord brought up and map with 2D images of all of them. "I can, by some miracle, use limited magic around those things. Capler wants to find his friends because he'll die if he doesn't, and we have to inform the highest chain of command about our issues. Sooooo this is what we do. I take Capper and help him find his Cat-panions and Spike and Big Mac head to Celestia and inform her that the apocalypse is upon us."

"Wait what kind of magic do you have?" Capper asked. 

"Pretty much anything you want," Discord said in pride.

"And yet you bandaged me up instead of like healing me."

"Discord rolled his eyes at the remark. "Like I said, limited. Anyways, what do you think?" 

"Well, how is that going to help us? Celestia still ain't going to be on board with us." Spike crossed his arms as he waited for a response.

"I don't know," Discord admitted. "I have to help him, so you're going to have to come up with something. Besides, it'll be more believable if I'm not with you; Celestia will be more willing to accept it without me."

"And what if she doesn't?" Spike asked.

"I don't know," Discord groaned. "At that point, you're going to have come up with something. Use your imagination, I don't know."

Spike groaned at the position he had gotten. "Fine, I'll see what me and Big Mac can do. So is everyone else on board with this them?" Spike looked around at the group to see Big Mac and Capper nodding in agreement. "That's actually not a bad idea then I guess."

"Yup."

"I mean sounds pretty solid to me," Capper agreed. 

"Well then," Discord said as he put his fingers together. "What are we waiting for?"
> A Change In Cat-titude
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ahhhhh!" The little dragon screamed. Spike ran out of the road as a carriage raced passed him.

"Get out of the way, runt!" Yelled the stallion that pulled the carriage.

Spike tripped as he threw himself onto the sidewalk. "What in Equestria just happened!?" Spike yelled as he sat up. He looked around to see crowds of ponies casually strolling by. "Big Mac?"

"Ahhhhh!" The deep scream of the stallion came flying at the young dragon.

"Woa!" Spike rolled out of the kill zone just in time for Big Mac to crash down hard on the cement. Spike stood up before he wiped himself down. "Discord," he growled. "Nice of you to put us right in the middle of a Canterlot busy street!"

"Yup," Big Mac groaned as he rolled to his side.

Spike looked up to see the large castle of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. "Well, I guess we're here at least." Spike put his claws on his back and pressed hard until the loud sound of his spine cracking rushed out. "Ahhhhh," he groaned. "Let's just go warn everyone that inescapable death is upon us."

Their journey primarily consisted of Big Mac picking Spike off the ground. The little dragon tried desperately to hold on for dear life, but the ride was too bumpy and sporadic. Big Mac rushed up the stairway of the large castle as Spike held tightly to his main.

Once Big Mac had crashed through the doors, Spike jumped down for the stallion and ran over to a guard that stood in awe. The guard jumped back as Spike started waving in his face.

"We need to see Princess Celestia immediately!"

The guard stared for a second as Big rushed up behind Spike. "Umm, the princess is currently in a very important meeting right now. You'll have to wait…"

"Listen," Spike interrupted. "There isn't any time for that. I need to see her immediately!"

The guard stared as Big Mac rushed over and joined the begging section. "Listen I really ca…" The guard paused as he tilted his head. He squinted his eyes and narrowed his gaze to the little dragon. "Wait a minute, you're Spike the brave and glorious!" The guard jumped on his hind legs and flailed them around. "You're the dragon who saved countless ponies and helped save Equestria several times!"

Spike stepped back wide-eyed as his limbs went limp. He shook his head and groaned loudly. "Hey, listen!" He demanded as he grabbed the guard and settled him down. "What's your name?"

The guard swallowed hard. "Oh...I'm Moonlight Rider." He let his hooves drop down and let his excitement drain from his face. His cheeks went blood red as his eyes went open.

"Well Moonlight, I need your help."

"Yup."

Moonlight looked up at the Big Mac and then back down at Spike. He cleared his throat as mote blood rushed to his cheeks. "You….need….my help." He whispered the statement almost to himself.

"Yup," Big Mac interjected.

Spike grabbed the pony by the cheeks and brought the pony down to his level. "We're fighting bad guys here, trying to save Equestria, again, and trying not to die. I can see that you're very excited about all of this, but could you find the strength to help out your pals here?" Spike ended his speech with a big grin.

"Pals?"

"Yup."

"Yaaaa, I can help out my pals."

Spike smiled as he let go of the pony. "Thank you so much."





"Where are we?" Capper stepped over a large dead tree that stretched over the forest floor. He looked around at the creepy ambiance. Not only were the trees old, creaked loudly in the wind, and uncomfortably whistle the wind, but the floor was stained with shadows and the echoing sound of monsters sent shivers down his spine.

"It's the Everfree Forest," Discord answered as he stared at his fingers. "I wanted to be closer to our location last night, but it appears this is our limit." He turned around and smiled at the confused cat.

"This is where we were last night?" The cat's pitch went high as he turned to survey the forest. "No way," he protested. "This forest is a way for nightmare-inducing."

Discord chuckled at the newbie. "Well my furry companion," He said as he rolled his hand and bent down to the cat's level. "You'll learn that demons and ghosts pretty much outshine any horrible monstrosity that this pitiful forest has to offer."

"I'll have to take your word for it…" Capper froze as he squinted his eyes. "What did you say your name was again?"

Discord snapped his fingers and a full set of silver and gold knight armor wrapped around him. He lifted a large silver blade into the air as doves and flames shot out in every direction. "Why, it is the infamous Sir Discord the Gallant."

Capper stepped back and nodded his head. "Well, you surely present yourself as so."

"Well, what is yours?" Discord asked as he retracted his blade.

Capper chuckled as he shook his head. He looked up at Discord's display before he laughed out loud. With a deep sigh, he bent over and reached for his back. He grabbed his sword and drew it from its scabbard. "I am Sir Capper Dapperpaws, the goldenrod of the wind." His claim was backed up with numerous swings that concluded with him scratching his sword in a luminescent, and spark drove display. He withdrew his claws only to slam them down on the golden blade; unleashing a powerful shock wave.

Discord clapped in awe as he laughed along with the cat. "You have quite the charm, my friend."

"Well that's my game," he proudly owned up to as he put his sword back. Capper chuckled as he stood up straight. He shook his paws and rubbed the end of them. His claws sizzled as he retracted them. "Say, you're the Lord of Chaos aren't you?"

Discord took a bow. "Guilty as charged."

"I've actually heard stories about you, good and bad."

"Really?" Discord said with amusement. "Well, I'm humbled at the fact that ponies tell tales about me." Discord turned as he began to walk forward. "While we're on the subject, I have heard about you as well."

"Oh, you have?"

Discord turned and nodded his head. "Ya, with the whole Storm King incident. You helped save Equestria."

Capper chuckled at the thought as he smiled at the ground. "Ya, that was pretty cool actually."

"Cool?" Discord chuckled.

"Well I mean, we ended up beating him and helping a lot out." Capper smiled as he recalled all the memories. "And I used your dragon friend as a flamethrower."

"Ah yes, spike told me all about it." Discord rolled his eyes. "He wouldn't stop bragging about it."

"Well he was excited," Capper laughed.

"Big deal," Discord yawned. "You had one dragon flamethrower and last night I had three." Discord stuck his tongue out.

"Yes yes, you have quite the abilities, sir."

Discord looked back and gave a smile. "By the way what's your deal?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm guessing you got into this demon stuff quite recently. You seem strong, yet naive."

Capper nodded his head in agreement. "I mean you're not wrong. This is like my third day on the job."

"What job is that exactly?" Discord turned around and floated on his back.

"Well it's a long story but I'm something called a guardian and my job is to...well guard."

"Guard what?," Discord asked.

"I guess kind of everything."

Discord continued to roll around in the air. "Defender of the innocent I see. How'd you get wrapped up in that?"

Capper brought out his sword and held it out. "This gorgeous little beauty was my father's. It's now the only way to stop those things from devouring everything that lives."

"Those monsters from last night?"

"The Fallen."

"Discord laughed. "We were the only ones fallen last night, especially you, my friend."

"Hey! I saved you didn't I?"

"Yes yes, you did indeed….help us out." Discord flew around the cat and landed on his sword as a smaller version of himself. "Say, I remember Spike saying something about you being an orphan."

Capper spun around as he tried to find the source of the little voice. "Well, I wasn't fully aware that he knew that."

"He knows a lot of things." Tiny Discord walked up to Capper's shoulder. "But you said that this was your father's sword?"

"Ya, as I said, it's a long story."





"What do you think you two are doing?" The angry lunar Princess stood before two cowering creatures.

Luna had pulled the two frantic creatures aside out into one of the large castle gardens. She ordered that all guards leave them so that they could speak in peace.

"We were trying to warn her about…."

"You were spitting in her face while you went on about an army of demons and monsters eating everyone…"

"Listen Luna!" Spike yelled. "We have a huge problem with our hooves and we need Celestia's help."

"Celestia…. doesn't even believe in any of this." Luna got up in the little dragon's face. "You were wasting your breath trying to tell her."

"She was listening to us," Spike objected shaking sightly.

"She looked at you like you were a weirdo. I don't blame her since you were dancing around her throwing your arms everywhere."

"You really have a problem with us telling her, don't you?" Spike backed up as he gazed fixed itself on Luna's furry.

"Do you want her to lock you away for being a complete lunatic?"

"I thought you hated that word?"

"Yes, and it's downright degrading to be constantly called it." Luna's stance changed as she breathed hard. She took a deep breath so she wouldn't start freaking out.

"Look I'm really sorry for offending you…"

"You didn't offend me," Luna growled. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Hurt!?" Spike gasped as he backed up.

"Not what meant!" Luna growled as she shook her head. There was no way for her to make the little dragon understand. "Just… what was so important that you needed to freak her out with your nonsense?"

"Umm, what?" Spike stepped back. "Okay, I don't know what's your problem is Luna, but we've had a terrible last couple days and the last thing we need right now is for you to get up in our faces and treat us like crap."

"Nope!" Big Mac growled as he stomped his hooves.

Luna stepped back as the two stared at her with raging gazes. "Ya well, my last couple days haven't been good either, so."

"No offense Luna, but I would rather take your days over ours."

"Yup."

"Oh really," Luna scoffed. "Did you battle a giant ferocious monster?"

Spike and Big Mac looked right at each other. "Yup!" They said in unison.

Luna stared at them for a moment. "What the heck have you two been doing?"

Spike held out his claws and counted them down. "Fighting horrible monstrosities, trying not to die, and trying to save Equestria, again."

"Wait what? What in the world have you guys gotten yourself into?"

"Ya, we're really in over our heads with this. That's why we needed to warn Celestia."

"About what exactly?"

The situation was started to dawn on her. This sounded like it was going to be much bigger than she first thought.

Spike crossed his arms and lifted his head to the side. "Oh, now you want to listen to us."

"Ahhh, come one just tell me," Luna groaned.

Spike rolled his eyes as he uncrowded his arms. "Do you remember that cat that helped Twilight save Equestria against the Storm King?"

"Not really, n…" she froze as her eyes trailed off. "Capper?"

It had been some time since she saw him. It all started when Princess Luna got her powers stolen by Eris, Discord's cousin from another dimension. Without her powers, she enlists the help of Capper, Tempest Shadow, Trixie, and Stygian to infiltrates Eris’ palace and casino. They all promised to never speak of that event to anyone. She didn't know what Capper been doing much these days. In fact, she hadn't thought much of him since she last saw him. 

"So you do know him?"

"Ya, we've met." Her mind thinking back to it.

"Well, we met up with him again when he saved us from this big black demon thing." Spike's little arms helped paint out his images. "Turns out that he's a super cool demon slayer now, and he warned us about an army of demons that are coming to kill everything and anything."

Luna shook her head as her eyes went wide. "Umm, could you run that by me again?"

Big Mac stepped forward in front of Spike. "We're all gonna die."
> Hiss-teria
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Shhhh!"

Discord froze in his tracks as Capper's whisper echoed into silence. Discord popped his head up as he tried to pinpoint any other source of the sound. Seconds went by and the only sound came from birds chirping in the distance. 

"What?" Discord whispered back. Capper didn't answer as he stood and stared at the top of the tree line. "What!?" His whisper nearly reached a full scream.

"Shhhh," The cat raised his paw as he frantically scanned the entire forest. 

Discord turned to search for any signs of life, but he only saw creepy trees and falling leaves. "Wh…," he stopped as the sound of branches snapping echoed next to him. Discord turned and froze his gaze at the source of the sound.

The two froze and exchanged glances for a few moments. The sound drew closer as it became slower. They started to slowly back as Capper put his paw on his sword. He stepped forward as he drew his golden weapon. Discord stepped forward ready to face the horrors together.

"Wait," Capper whispered. "Oh thank the stars," He sighed.





"And we really need to help him out or else of Equestria is going to become a seven-course meal." The little dragon took a deep breath as he became dizzy.

"Umm," Luna shook her head as the information crammed into her brain. Her head pulsed as it desperately tried to process the words that had been thrown at her. She stared at the ground as her eyes shifted in a scattered motion.

"So now can we tell Celestia?" Spike leaned over and snapped his fingers in the princess’s face. "Umm… hello?"

Luna's head snapped back as her eyes fixed on the little dragon. "What? No, we can't tell my sister anything." 

"Wait what?" Spike gasped as he leaned back. "Why not?"

"Why do you think?" Luna groaned. Spike gave a blank stare back. "I already told you; she will think you're totally insane. She's not going to believe a word we tell her."

Spike sighed as he rolled his eyes. "Luna, I get Celestia might not be into the whole supernatural thing, but you really think she's going to completely disregard what we tell her?"

"Yes," Luna hissed.

"Look, we're not telling her that we saw some shadow in the middle of the night or anything. We're literally telling her that everyone is going to die."

"And?" Luna groaned.

"And…. she knows we wouldn't lie about something like that, so she'll believe us." 

Luna groaned as she rolled her eyes. "You don't get it spike, she despises the idea of any of this." 

"Lu…"

"No," She snapped. "We're not telling her."

Spike groaned as he scrapped his head with his claws. "Ahhhhhh, what are we supposed to do then?"

Luna stood up as she cleared her throat. "We'll just have to deal with it ourselves."

"Hahahahah," Spike bent over as he held his stomach. "Luna, have you heard anything I told you? There's an army of untold numbers of demons that threaten to wipe out everything."

"Ya, I heard you," she snapped.

"Well, then you should know that we can't deal with this… like at all." Spike crossed his arms as he stared the princess off.

"We've dealt with terrifying monsters before," Luna laughed. 

Laughter filled the garden as spike and Big Mac broke down. Spike stood up straight as he took a deep breath. "Listen listen, we spend the night torching one of these things alive while we beat it. The thing shrugged it off like it was nothing more than bug bites."

"You fought one of these things?" Luna's eyes went wide open as she leaned back. 

"Yup," Big Mac answered. 

"Well, more like survived it." Spike chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. "Ya we really couldn't do anything to it and it almost ripped us to shreds."

"So how in Equestria did you kill the th...?"

"We didn't," Spike quickly interjected. "Capper saved us with his awesome golden sword." 

"Yup."

"Right...you said he was a guardian or whatever right?"

"Yup," the two said in unison. 

Luna nodded as she once again stared at the floor. "Alright," she said as she smiled. "If capper knows how to stop any of this from happening, then all we have to do is go to capper and help him do whatever it is he needs." 

"Luna," Spike said firmly. "They are big black monsters that can't be killed without a guardian."

"Ya but…" Luna paused as she once more stared at the floor. "Wait, you said a big black monster?"

"Ummm, ya," Spike nodded.

Luna stared up into the sky as she gasped. "I saw one of those things."

"You did!?" Big Mac and Spike both jumped up.

"Ya, I protected a family from one." Luna sat down as she raced to recall her memories. "It was huge, way bigger than me, and it gave out this strange feeling that I've never felt before."

"Wait, you actually fought it?" Spike's eyes shot wide open as he imagined the situation in his mind.

"Yes, but admittedly I was at the creature's mercy." Luna's eyes streamed off into thought as the stained image was dug up in her mind. "The energy it gathered was unlike anything else I've ever felt before."

"Yup," Big Mac agreed.

"Ya, they really are something else completely." Slike sighed as he thought about the fact that they would have to face them. "The Storm King and Terrek together couldn't compare to what these things feel like."

"But you said Capper can kill them right?”

Spike looked up at her and sighed. "Yup, that's what I said.”

"So there's nothing to worry about then. We just have to go to Capper and he'll settle this for us." Luna smiled as she got up and walked past Spike.

"Luna," Spike called out. "It's not that simple."

"Hmm?"

"Yes he can kill them," Slike sighed. "But they're extremely strong, even for…"

"Well then, sounds like we'll be fine!" Luna jumped up and continued to walk forward.

Spike stood with a blank face as he tried to make sense of what had happened. "Ummmm," Spike mumbled as he looked up at Big Mac. Big Mac just shrugged as he started to follow the princess. "Luna," Spike wined. "Can you at least tell me why you're being so difficult about this?"

Luna stopped as she dropped her head. She sighed as she groaned. "Can you tell me why you don't think I can handle this?"

"Luna, that's not what's this about," Spike groaned.

"Well then, what's the issue?" Luna asked.

Spike squeezed his head as he growled. "Have you heard a single word I've said?"

"Yes, you said that Capper knows a bunch of Demon killing guardians that can help us with our solution." Luna gave a big smile that she knew irritated the little dragon.

"Nope," Big Mac growled.

"Ok, oK, ok, let's compromise then. Since we're clearly not going to agree on this." Spike took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. "Ok, how about we do it your way and deal with it without Celestia's help." He nearly choked on his words. "And when that inevitably goes south we'll inform Celestia and save whoever we can." Spike held his hand out as he waited for a response. Luna stared as she contemplated the proposal. "Welllllll?"

Luna squinted hard before she signed. "Fine, you have a deal. We won't have to however because I'll deal with this myself."

"I really wish I could believe you, Luna." Spike walked up to Luna and held out his claw. Luna held out his hoof and they exchanged a shake of agreement. 







"How in the hell, did you kill two Fallens?!" Arch kneeled down as he met Capper face to face.

Capper backed up as he started to laugh. "I honestly have no idea." Capper turned and looked at Discord as he floated in the air. "To be honest he had a large part in that." 

Arch looked up at Discord and smiled. "Really? Him?" 

"Yes me," Discord scoffed. "And my name is…."

"Discord, Lord of Chaos." Arch walked forward and crouched.

"So you've heard of me?" Discord rolled over and stood up.

"Ya, I know all about what you've done." Arch laughed as he started to carve something into the dirt. He used his claw to draw a six-pointed star. He looked up at Discord and smiled. 

"Yaaaa," Discord sighed. 

"Her name is Twilight, Twilight Sparkle isn't it?" Arch pointed to the star he carved.

Discord nodded as he gave a little chuckle. "You really have heard of me."

"Your stories have spread far and wide." Arch stood up and wiped his claws off. "Regardless, I can see how you would be of some use."

"Some," Discord laughed. "I was scorching that thing so that he could kill those things." Arched looked at Capper with a raised eyebrow.

"Ya, it's true." Capper rolled his eyes as he looked up to the proud Chaos lord. "He and his friends saved me."

"No, you saved them," Shira laughed.

"What?!" Discord jumped. "We were beating and burning the thing."

"Ya, and how'd that work out for you?" Shira walked up to Discord and smiled in his face.

"Hmm," Discord rolled his eyes as he whistled. "Ya, not the best." Discord said.

"That's because you can't just kill them." Arch grabbed his sword and pulled it out. "Only a power source of light can kill them."

"Well, we thought that fire counted since it's definitely light."

"Ya, you're going to need a lot more than that my Friend," Shira laughed. Otherwise, you're just going to piss them off."

"Ya, we got that," Discord sighed.

"Ok so next question," Capper interrupted as he clapped his paws. "Where the hell were you two?"

"We got attacked, "Arch answered as he put his sword away. "We underestimated how many were in Equestria."

"We had several of them attacking and feeding on a small village." Shira sighed as she looked at blood-stained claws. "Many were injured but no one was killed."

"Wait, what village?" Discord jumped up as he stepped forward. 

"I don't know," Arch answered. "I think one of the ponies there said it was called Ponyvillie."





"Where did you say they were?" Luna asked. 

Spike walked across the field of dead leaves. "I assumed they were going back to where we killed the creature, and this is the woods."

"Ya but like where exactly?" 

"I really don't know," Spike groaned. 

"Stop winning," Luna hissed.

"I'm not," Spike whined. "But we've been walking around here forever and we haven't found them."

"Well, who's fault is that?" Luna groaned.

"Hey, I'm not the one so eager to find them." Spike started to kick a rock forward out of sheer boredom.

"Well, we need them to save Equestria, don't we? Isn't that what you wanted.

"Nope," Big Mac answered.

"Ya, I wanted to tell Celestia, remember?"

Luna ignored his remark as she continued to walk through the woods. Their search had taken them many hours as they first had to travel back to ponyville. Luna had to ignore a report about an animal attack that took place. No pony was killed so she turned a blind eye to it in order to find Discord and Capper. 

"Hey!" Luna called out. "Is this what we're looking for?"

"Yup," Big Mac called out.

"Well, they're not here," Luna groaned.

"Well, this is where they were going to search for Capper's friends, soo…."

"Well that was a few hours ago," Luna pointed out. "Where would they have gone if they found his friends?"

Spike looked at the ground as his mind trailed off. "The castle," he whispered.

Meanwhile, Capper sat on the bed as he played with his sword, swinging it back and forth. Discord floated around the ceiling as he went over his and Fluttershy's tea plans.

"Are you sure they're coming? "Shira asked as she threw a ball against the wall. 

Discord smiled as he saw Spike fly through the window. "Ya, I’m pretty sure.
> A Paw-sitive Journey
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Princess Luna!?” Discord jumped up and slammed his head against the ceiling. 

“Princess?” Arch repeated.

“Yes, Princess of the Night.” Discord rubbed his head as he landed on the floor. “What in Equestria are you doing here?”

Luna tripped over the window sill and landed hard on the ground. “Oww,” she groaned. 

“Shhhh, quiet,” Spike growled. “I don’t want Twilight to hear us.”

“Wait why? You’re not doing anything wrong, so who cares?" Luna rubbed her head as she sat up.

“Ya, but I really don’t want to try and explain to her why you and a bunch of cats are hanging out in my room.”

“Spike,” Luna laughed. “I think that’s about the least of your worries at the moment.”

“I know,” Spike sighed. “It’s just easier not to have to deal with it right now.”

Luna nodded her head while she stood up. “Well I guess that’s your choice, but does that mean we all crawled through the window?”

“Umm, ya I.” Spike laughed as he rubbed his head. “As I said, it’s just way easier to totally just avoid it.”    

“Hmm,” Luna moaned. Luna looked around to see the three cats staring at her. “Who are they exactly?”

“Well isn’t it the princess of my favorite time of day….Hello, Starry Night Terror.”

Luna looked up to see the orange cat leaning against the doorway. “Hello, Ally Cat,” Luna chuckled followed by a large smile. Those were the names they used when entering the Eris’s casino in order to not be noticed or caught by her. 

“How are things going in the land of horrors?”

“Well, the thing is, I’ve been exposed to a whole another world that happens to be far more horrifying.”

“HA, I couldn’t agree more,” Capper laughed.

“Ya, I really miss it to be honest.”

“Ya, this really does take the cake on things we’ve dealt with before.” Capper walked forward and gave the princess a small hug. “So, to continue Discord’s question, what are you doing here?”

“I thought it was quite obvious,” Luna chuckled. “I am here to, you know, help.”  Luna stood in silence as the guardians exchanged glances. “Spike and Big Mac came to get me.”

“Oh...I see,” Capper whispered. 

“What?” Luna sighed. 

“Oh, nothing, I just thought they were going to warn Celestia.”

“We were,” Spike hissed. “But someone insisted we wait till she had a chance to prove that she could help.

“Well, what about the evacuation?”

“Didn’t happen,” Big Mac groaned.

Capper stood with wide eyes. “So what did you do then?

Spike took a deep breath as he looked over at luna. “We recruited someone else to help us out.” Capper looked up at Luna as she gave him a big smile back. “So ya.”

“I...see,” Capper whispered. “Well, then I guess we’re not warning the public about any of this.”

“We will,” Luna corrected. “I’m just going to help you deal with this whole thing before it comes to that.”

“Wellllll,” Arch laughed. “I suppose that’s your choice, and you are a ruler so….”

“Thank you,” Luna grinned. “But umm, who are you exactly?”

“Names Arch, nice to meet you, Princess Luna.” Arch bent down and gave a respectful bow. “I am humbled by your presence. 

“I’m flattered,” Luna smirked. “How may I be of service to you Arch?”

Arch laughed a little at the question. “To be honest Princess, there’s not a whole lot you can do.”

Luna’s smile dropped as she stepped forward. “Excuse me.”

“If you’ve dealt with one of these things, then you would know that none of your magic or abilities will be much of a help.”

 “Wait, I have many usef….”

“Your magic won’t work against these things,” Arch blurted out. 

Luna paused for a second before she stepped forward again. “Listen, Arch, I have had my fair share of demonic encounters and I am aware of the magic crouch that they come with.”

“Well, then you should know that there isn’t much that can be done against these things.”

“Yes, she is very aware of that,” Spike interjected. “She actually survived an encounter with one.”

“OH! Really?” Arch laughed.

“Well, I actually fought it but yes.”

Arch shook his head in approval. “I still don’t think you can….Provide much of a service. You’ll best help out by preparing your people for the worst.”

“See I told y…” 

“Listen, Arch, I can’t just go out and make an announcement that there are demons getting ready to overthrow Equestria.”

“First off,” Arch chuckled. “They’re not demons, they’re far worse. Second, why couldn’t you? You’re one of the rulers over everyone.”

“Ya, sure, but most ponies don’t believe in any of this, supernatural stuff. My sister, who is supreme, doesn’t even believe in it.”

Arch groaned as he rolled his eyes. “Then just tell them that there are monsters of something, I don’t know. Just figure something out.”

“She did,” Spike sighed.

“Indeed I did.”

“Well please do convey.” Arch rolled his wrist as he gave a little bow.

“I’ve decided, on an executive rule,  that I would seek your help on helping Equestria through this dire situation.” Luna gave a large smile followed by a small laugh.

Arch nodded his head as looked over at Shira. She only threw a shrug back at him. “Well, I can’t promise you much to be honest. A lot of our progress actually depends on this one.” Arch grabbed Capper and rubbed his head. “If we can get him back to  our land alive, then we might just be able to stop these things before too many of them get out.”

"The key word in that is 'alive'." Discord then chuckled. "Oh man...we're screwed." 

“So, he’s like the chosen one you something,” Luna asked.

“Well, it’s actually more about my father more than anything.” Capper pulled away from Arch and rubbed his head. “Well him and his sword.” Capper drew the sword from the scabbard and held it out for the lunar princess to see. 

“Damn!” Luna’s jaw dropped at the sight of the golden jewel. “That was your father’s?

“Yup,” Capper chuckled with pride. “It’s technically mine now.”

“Not going to lie, that’s severely awesome.”

“Right!?” Capper laughed. He put the sword back as he gave Luna a large smirk. “It’s a long story; I’ll have to tell you about it some other time.” 

“Sooooo,” Arch interjected. “Now that we got all of that out of the way, we really need to be going. When the sun goes down, the Fallen are far more aggressive.”

“Wait, go where?” Luna asked.

Capper started to laugh at the question. “Somewhere far far away from here.”

The group set out on their journey. With Luna’s help, they were able to get a fine piece of equipment. Instead of a large bulky carriage that was pulled by another pony, they got a large bulky wagon that ran on a metal engine. It was a new technology that came along with digital cameras and Televisions. It was a much faster way of travel that was far more efficient than any pony. Luna was shocked to hear that their journey would take them far away from Equestria. 

The group decided to tag along as they wanted to finish the journey. With the threat of inescapable death looming over their heads, Spike and Big Mac were very reluctant to comply at first. Discord helped convince them to see the situation through. 

“So how long is this going to take?” Luna sat in the front seat at the controls.

“At this pace,” Arch sighed. “A day or two.”

“Ahhhh,” Spike groaned. “So what do we do until we get there?”

Arch laughed as he laid down on one of the seats. “I’m going to do something I haven’t done in about a week. SLEEP!” 

“I’m right there with you,” Shira agreed as she laid down. 





Endless hours of Darkness had finally ended and was finally met by light. The squad walked into the light for the first time in what felt like forever. Their armor was stained with black blood and guts.  

The gray cat looked at a panel on his wrist. The panel showed the layout of an underground facility. He swiped past it and checked it off. He looked at all the other things that were checked out. There were dozens of places on the map that was glowing and hadn't been crossed off. He sighed as he closed the panel. He looked out into the distant sun. They had a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it. 

They hauled their luggage miles across the open desert. The scorching sun seemed to have no effect on the animals. They pushed on through the tortuous paths. Of course, there were some things far more horrific than the weather. 

The pink armored cat dragged on, staring at the sand. They had a long way to their destination and there wasn't much to occupy the time. She followed the streaks in the sand. Her gaze was interrupted by a strange mark in the sand. She looked up at it as she froze in her tracks. The mark was a footprint stained by black dust. She walked up to it and ran you paw across it. She then realized that they were all in danger.

Another cat with a purple-tinted armor noticed she was staring at something. He walked over to her and looked at whatever had her attention. As soon as he saw the black stain he too froze. It was sizzling ever so slightly in the sunlight. The sand began to move around the two cats. It began to sink in and the two cats knew what was happening. Something was coming to the surface
 Endless hours of Darkness had finally ended and was finally met by light. The squad walked into the light for the first time in what felt like forever. Their armor was stained with black blood and guts.  

The gray cat looked at a panel on his wrist. The panel showed the layout of an underground facility. He swiped past it and checked it off. He looked at all the other things that were checked out. There were dozens of places on the map that was glowing and hadn't been crossed off. He sighed as he closed the panel. He looked out into the distant sun. They had a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it. 

They hauled their luggage miles across the open desert. The scorching sun seemed to have no effect on the animals. They pushed on through the tortuous paths. Of course, there were some things far more horrific than the weather. 

The pink armored cat dragged on, staring at the sand. They had a long way to their destination and there wasn't much to occupy the time. She followed the streaks in the sand. Her gaze was interrupted by a strange mark in the sand. She looked up at it as she froze in her tracks. The mark was a footprint stained by black dust. She walked up to it and ran her paw across it. 

She then realized that they were all in danger.
> A Purrty Starry Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The moon hung low over the land. The reflected sunlight watched over all who slept, as they drifted off in their dreams. The cool desert air swept across the dunes as sand was flourished into the air. Luna watched as the cloudless night settled over her. The ocean of stars covered her like a blanket.

“You really know how to drive this thing pretty well.” Capper’s calm and standing voice broke the princess of her trance.

“Ya, I’ve had a lot of practice driving them.” 

“Well it beats walking threw the dessert any day.” Capper leaned over the seat and stared out to the dark and chilled sandy dunes. “I’ve done plenty of that in my time.” Luna chuckled in response. “How are you holding up anyway?” Capper’s calming yet stern voice took command as he hovered over the Lunar princess.   

“I’m fine, why?”

Capper walked up the passenger seat and sat beside her. “I just know that all of this was thrown at you so suddenly.”

“Trust me, I’ve actually gotten used to it.” Luna looked back to see that they were the only ones awake. Big Mac’s deep rumble of a snore shook the entire wagon. “I’ve seen the worst of this crap.”

“Ya, so I’ve heard. Spike told me about some of the messed up stuff you’ve been through.” 

“Ya? What did he tell you?”

“Eh, just something about helping Princess Cadence from a pissed off mother spirit and helped stop the ghost of a murderer.” Capper gave a smile as he waited for her response.

“Yup, that sounds about right,” Luna said as she nodded with approval. “How are you doing with all of this?”

“Are you kidding me?” Capper puffed out his chest as he made a pose with his hips. “You do know I was there ‘Ally cat’, who helped save Equestria.”

“Oh, I had no idea. Please tell me more about your greatness.”

“I just solo saved the entire land by bravely facing the epic forces of darkness. One cat, against the army of evil…”

“And a lovely, quite awesome, Starry Night Terror had nothing to do with it?”

Capper dropped his pose as he stretched out. “Wellll, she may have had some involvement, but clearly Ally Cat carried the team.” 

“You’re soooo full of it,” Luna laughed.

“What do you mean?” Capper chuckled. “I was pretty much carrying the entire team. I feel like taking all the credit is me being pretty modest.” 

“Shut up.” Luna lightly punched the cat in the arm. “You’re such an ass.” The two exchanged laughs as Capper returned to punch.

“No, but this really is something different.” Capper’s grin dropped as the daunting thought started to crept back into his mind. “We are really in over our heads with this one.”

“Well, that’s exactly what I thought last time too; we managed to pull that one-off.”

Capper leaned over his seat and grabbed his scabbard from the back seat. He carefully drew the sword and sat back down. “Ya, but this, these things, seem so much worse than Eris. They kill without mercy and hesitation.”

“You don’t think Eris wouldn’t have?” Luna asked as she stared at the golden sword.

Capper focused on his reflection as the moonlight refracted off of its sharp golden light. “I honestly don’t know, but I know she wouldn’t like this. She had a conscious, and a person to help her. These things just don’t care. Adults, children to babies; they’ll kill anything.” 

Luna stared back at the sand in front of her. She sighed as her mind called back to her encounter with the Fallen at Barry Blast’s house. The very presence of the creature nearly sent her mind into shock. Her mind trembled at the feeling of the energy it gathered. The power was dark, cold, and felt like an abyss of empty tyranny. She really didn’t fight the thing, she was just lucky to have survived it. 

Maybe I should have warned Celestia. 

“What are they?” Luna looked over to Capper as he continued to stare at the sword. “Arch was pretty quick to correct me when I called them demons.”

“They’re an ancient army that was built to conquer the living realm.” Capper looked up from his sword. “They were made by Shader, the king of pain and misery.” Capper looked to Luna as her eyes went wide open. “They feed on everything and anything, and obviously they can’t be killed in…traditional ways.”

Luna looked back at the road as her mind race. Shader!? Her mind pondered on it.

“This sword is the only way to unlock the secrets we need to seal them up again.”

“Again?”

“Ya.”

“Well, how’d they get out in the first place?”

Capper paused for a moment as he realized that he didn’t have the answer to the question. “I honestly don’t know.”

“What, your friend didn’t happen to tell you?”

“No, he didn’t.”

“Well ain’t that a shame,” Luna scoffed.

“He’s not my friend by the way,” Capper corrected.

Luna turned to meet Capper’s sharp gaze. “That’s a bit harsh don’t you think?  

“What no?“ Capper purred. “He’s my uncle.”

Luna froze in place as her mind processed what she had just heard. She locked gazes with Capper’s smiling gaze. She looked for any signs of hesitation or motives to lie, but his smile stayed firm. “Are you serious?”

“Yup.”

Luna broke her gaze away from his as she started to laugh once more. “Wow, that’s quite the development.” Luna started slowly shaking her head. “Dang, having a hard time wrapping my head around that one.”

“Ya tell me about it. How do you think I feel?”

“But...like, how?”

Capper flipped his sword around as he thought about the question himself. “Once again, I really don’t know.”

“But he like knew your parents and stuff?” Luna nearly jumped in her seat.

“Well I mean it was his brother so..”

“And...what did he say about him?”

Capper took a second to think about the question. “Not a whole lot really, just that he was killed along with my mother.”

“Oh, so they are really gone.” Luna sighed.

“Ya.” Capper’s eyes fell to the sword.

“How?”

“I don’t know,” Capper hissed. “All he said was that someone killed them.”

“Wait, what?” Luna gasped.

“Ya.”

“By who?”

“I also don’t know the answer to that question,” Capper hissed.

“Then what do you know?” Luna sarcastically scoffed. 

“Not much to be honest,” Capped chuckled. 

Luna paused for a moment as she thought about all the questions that were laid before her. She then thought about how many questions the orphan must have had. “You sure you’re up for this?”

“Are you?” the cat shot back.

“Ha, you kidding me? Anything is better than telling my sister about any of this.”

Capper looked up at the princess and raised an eyebrow. “I don’t get it, why are you so against telling your own sister about any of this?” Luna only shook her head in response. “But like, this is a pretty serious situation you know that. You might have to tell her in order to sa…”

“I know that,” Luna groaned. “Look, it’s not that easy.” Luna sighed as she leaned her head against her hoof.

“You really don’t think she’ll believe you?”

“I don’t know,” Luna sighed. “She’ll probably think I’m crazy.”

“What makes you say that?” The silence was his only response. The cat watched with curious eyes as the princess’s eyes trailed off into thought. She was thinking of the answer, but she wasn’t going to reveal it. “Wait, what did you tell her?”

“What do you mean?” She asked as she glanced over to him.

“Well, you’re going to be gone for a while without any contact or any way to help out with your duties. So what did you tell Celestia you were doing?”

Luna sat up straight as she realized a strong fact. “Actually, I really didn’t tell her anything.”

“For real?”

“Ya, I kind of just left, and last she knew I was checking out a series of monster attacks happening at night.” Luna rubbed the back of the head as she realized her conclusion. “She’s probably going to be pretty mad when I get back”

Capper nodded in agreement. “Well, I guess it best not telling her, right?” Capper looked over at the princess with a devious smirk.

“Hey, I haven’t told my sister a lot of things,” the princess snapped. “She isn’t my parent you know?”

“Wait, what else haven’t you told her?” Capper leaned forward in interest.

“Well for one: she has no idea that I’m a psychic….” Luna stopped as she realized that she hadn’t told the cat either.

“You’re a psychic!?” Capper nearly yelled.

“Oh ya, forgot I didn’t mention that.” Luna slapped her forehead in regret. “I’m sorry, I don’t like to tell anyone.”

“What? No, you’re fine,” Capper assured. “I mean I’m a guardian so it’s all good here.” Capper put his sword back as he pondered on the thought of a psychic, “Why don’t you like telling anyone about that? I mean that’s pretty cool if you ask me.”

Luna shrugged. “I don’t know; I just prefer to keep it to myself.”

“I understand,” Capper chuckled.

Luna shot the cat a quick glance in surprise. “Ohhh…”

“What? It’s cool, I get it.” Capper stretched out as he turned around to put the sword back on the seat behind him. “It’s not like I’m going around telling everyone that I’m a guardian.”

“Ya but yours is actually cool,” Luna interjected. 

“Oh really, this is about coolness?” Capper smiled as he held back a small laugh.

“Well guardians are protectors, they’re, you know, ‘cool’.”

“Ah yes, and being a badass psychic isn’t at all cool.” Capper leaned towards Luna with a large smirk on his face. 

“You’re right, it isn’t.”

“Shut up, it is,” Capper said as he gave the princess a light shove.

“You shut up, no it isn’t,” she protested as she returned the shove. 

“You can see the dead and can manipulate them, how is that not cool?”

“More like crazy if you ask me.”

Capper stood up as he yawned. “Whatever, their still pretty cool if you ask me.” 

Luna just laughed as she watched the cat walk to the back seat. “A guardian is still cooler.”

“Perhaps,” the cat agreed. “But doesn’t mean that a psychic isn’t cool either.” Capper laid down on the seat and curled up into a ball. “You should stop for the night.”

“I’m always up through the night.” Luna pointed up to the moon. “Princess of the night?”

“Ya ya, I get it, but you should still try to rest a little. We’ve got a long way to go and you’ll be needing the rest.”

Luna sighed as she rolled her eyes. She turned back to see her moon gracefully skimming the horizon. She gently stopped the wagon and turned the engine off. She leaned back in her seat and stared up at the stars. Her mind started to search through the conversation she had with the cat. She thought it was interesting how they both had questions they didn’t particularly have answers to. 

She thought about her abilities. For most of her life, it was a curse, something that made her a freak. She was different from others around her, and everyone made it seem like a bad thing. She had never really seen her powers as ‘cool’ or amazing in any way. Sure she was aware that she could help ponies with them and she did help Cadence, but it was never anything she could show off or brag about. Capper seemed to wear his gift as a badge and the princess wondered what it would feel like to do the same. Perhaps for one night, she could pretend that she was a cool pony with a cool power that no one else had. She could show it off to Equestria and everyone would be jealous and wish they had her powers. She started to close her eyes with a smile on her face. The intoxicating thought flooded her mind. Her eyes dozed off with one remaining thought: 

She really was a badass psychic.
> A Meow-ntain of Fun
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun peeked its way over the horizon as dawn cracked the sky. The heat rushed to fill the cold void of sand and dust, as the wind picked up to carry the heat across the dunes. The sand gathered in clumps and spiraled upward with the current.

“Did you sleep at all?” discord asked as he popped his head into the font.

“Ya, for like an hour or two.” Luna yawned as her dreary eyes shot focus to the sand-wind in front of her. The line of sight was compromised as the sand made a sharp veil. The wagon had windows, and this was fortunate for the princess. “Seems like you all had a great slumber.”

Discord stretched out as he let out a loud yawn. “I really needed that nap. I haven’t had a break in days now.”

“I know the feeling,” Luna moaned.

Where are we at anyways?” Discord asked as he put his face against the window. The veil of sand made it nearly impossible to see anything in their path. 

“I honestly have no idea,” Luna admitted.

“What?” Discord jumped. “You got us lost!?”

“No, she did exactly what I told her to do.” Arch walked up to the front and stared out the window. “We’re actually right on our path, and we’re making better time than I thought.”

“But I can’t even see anything.” Discord snapped his fingers and made an umbrella appear. He stuck his head outside as the umbrella failed to do its job. He looked around with binoculars but to no avail. “How in Equestria do you know we’re on track?” Discord popped his head back into the wagon as he brought a rain of sand with him. 

“Come on!” Luna jumped as sand flew everywhere.

“Because bud,” Arch said as gave Discord a pat on the back. “I see with more than just my eyes.” Discord raised a brow as Arch gave him a wink. 

“Where are we going exactly?” Luna asked.

“To our homeland. It’s a barren land that’s mostly deprived of any life.” Arch continued to stare out of the window. The sand raced across the land and still impaled their visibility. “We still have a bit of way to go before we get there.”

“Seriously,” Discord groaned.

“Yes,’ Arch nodded. “So you should get comfortable. It’ll be a while.”

The group continued on their journey for many more hours. The desert gave no mercy as the sand continued to rain down on them. Luna drove as straight as she could but she really was driving blind due to the sand. Arch continued to insist that they were going in the right direction. Shira agreed that he knew what he was talking about and tried her best to comfort everyone who wasn’t happy to be driving blindly through a sand storm.








Small pieces of metal flew across the desert in waves. Black creatures came out from underneath the sand screeching on the way out. Their skin sizzled as the sun bombarded them with rays. The squad was held up behind large pillars and rocks. Their weapons were hot as they shot one after another. 

The gray cat unloaded every piece of metal his gun could shoot. His gun clicked as it ran out of ammo. He took the clip out and quickly threw it aside. He took one out of his belt and it took the old one's place. He aimed at the group of monsters that charged at them. 

The monsters laid dead on the ground. Their blood sizzled away with the sun. The squad checked each individual corpse to make sure they were all dead. The gray cat walked up to one of them and turned it over. Its black rotting teeth hung out of its mouth.

It truly was a vile beast. It took quite a bit to put them down but they had trained to the point that they could easily take one on. Their true power lived in the sheer number of them. They were pack hunters and never strayed too far from their groups. Where there was one you would always find more. Their claws were long and they had a large spike that came out of the knuckles. The cat's armor could off most of their attacks but repeated blows from them would cause the armor to break.

They had taken out dozens of them back in the facility, but to see them willing go out into broad daylight was definitely unusual. The sunlight didn't kill them but it definitely hurt them. The darkness was their domain and they stuck to it. While they could survive the light, it severely weakened their armor. In the dark, only armor-piercing weapons could effectively take them down.

The gray cat opened his panel and looked up at the sun. Daylight wouldn't last forever and that meant their job would be of much greater difficulty. He motioned to them to continue on. He walked towards his destination and the other instinctively followed.

“How much longer must we wait?” A blue armored cat walked up to the gray cat. 

“Arch was sent to retrieve it,” the grey cat responded.

“That was several days ago. He hasn’t responded since he left.”

The grey cat looked down at the panel on his wrist and began to fiddle with it. “He’s one of the best guardians among us, but the land he went to was quite far. Not to mention he had several fallen trailing behind him.” The gray cat closed his panel and began to walk. “We must give him the time he needs.”

“You really have faith in him.” The blue cat to the clip out of his metal weapon and snapped it back into its holder. 

“I do.”The grey cat sighed. “Without that sword, the Fallen will rise again.”
 




“This is my home,” Arch proclaimed as the sand finally cleared. “Isn’t it a beauty?” He let out a little sarcastic laugh.

“I’ve seen outhouses with better luxury than this.” Spike stared out into the desolate desert. The land was cracked and dried by the scolding sun 

“Spike, don’t be rude,” Capper hissed. 

“Sorry.”

“No, don’t be,” Arch assured. “Our land has been run by generations of war.”

“With who,” Luna asked.

“Where do we start?” Shira chuckled. “The guardians have fought many foes over many lifetimes.”

The land could be described as a still dark drown desert. The cold ominous wind swept across the land and blew dead life across the ground. The sun was hidden behind a thick veil of smoke that layered the atmosphere. 

“Honestly I thought it would more of a paradise than this.” Spike used his claws to try and clear up the dust on the window.

“Well, the thing is, this isn’t a paradise, it’s war.” Arch opened the door and jumped out onto the cold dead sand. “Come on now, we don’t have time to lose.

Shira jumped out after him as the rest slowly followed. Discord preferred to float as the sand was ruff and stuck to their fur. Luna tried to fly but was stopped by the sand that rushed to stab her eyes. Instead, she used her wind as a shield. Spike used Big Mac’s large size in order to fight mother nature’s wrath. Shira and Arch seemed not to be bothered by the harsh conditions. They didn’t even cover their eyes and simply walked through the running stream of tinny needles. Capper used his infamous red coat as a shield.

They made their way through the storm as Arch led them. Their journey found them at a small metal shack that had no windows. Arch walked up to the door and put his paw on it. The rest watched as a golden light emerged from his paw. The light was stained to the wallas it enveloped it. The wall slowly slid to the side as the light dissipated from it. Arch turned to the group and signaled then to follow. 

The shake was full of old rusted metal parts. Many wooden shelves stood rotting away with the sand. The little light from the outside revealed old rusted armor that layered the floor. Arch used his paw to illuminate the room. 

“What is all this stuff,” Discord asked as he picked up a rusted helmet. 

“There’s a few relics here and there, but mostly junk.” Arch kneeled down at a table and took something off of it. “Ah, there you are.”

“What is it?” Luna asked.

“It’s a key for where we must go next.” Arch froze as he looked up at the ceiling.

“And wh…”

“Shhhh,” Arch hissed as he raised one claw. He stood in place as his eyes continued to track something on the ceiling.

Luna stepped forward and tried to speak. She was immediately cut off by a loud thud that crashed on the room. Luna jumped as she couched down. “What was that?” She whispered. Arch only continued to stand and listen as his paw slowly reached for is back.

The rest of the group copied Luna’s stance and Spike even laid down on the ground. The roof shook as the sound of heavy footsteps slowly past from one end to the other. Dust fell from the ceiling as the shelves shook from side to side. 

“Arch?” Capper whispered.

Arch pulled his sword out as he lifted his paw. “RUN!”





"Shut your mouth," whispered the large gray cat. "These things hunt by sound. We don't want to take them head-on; it's best to let them sleep."

The cat marched forward with several cats following him. They all had shiny silver armor; The tint of the darkness was the only thing that concealed them. They walked differently and strategically had not made a sound. The sound of water droplets and steady breath fill the atmosphere.

Their eyes could expertly pierce the veil of Darkness allowing them to see their enemy. Little capsules made of Flesh hung from the ceiling with blood dripping from them. They silently crept past them as not to disturb them.

They carried small metal weapons. The weapons are far more advanced than any known by most creatures. They shot small pieces of metal that could Pierce even the strongest of enemies. The only flaw was the limited amounts of ammunition they could carry.

Their armor was loaded with clips from head to toe. Their weapons had little lasers that told them where they were aiming. They aimed away from the capsules and forwards the ground. They made no sound and used hand signals to communicate with one another. 

They came to a large door made completely out of metal. The door had little lights on it that shined red. Two of the cats walked forward a lead against the door. They held their breath so as not to make a sound. They listened carefully for any sounds that weren't naturally supposed to be there. They both could hear the sound of wheezing. Something that had a tough breath was by the door.

They looked back at the team and nodded their heads. The team walked forward and one of them slowly opened the door. The room was mostly dark; only illuminated by pulsing lights. The lights belonged to creatures that were curled up into a ball. Their skin was transparent making them nearly invisible to the naked eye. The cats focused on their dim glowing hearts that revealed their location.

One of the cats walked forward; trailing deeper into the room. He surveyed their surroundings keeping track of every creature he could see. He turned back towards the group and held up his arm. He moved it in special rhythms that any normal creature would have found nonsensical. The other cats nodded in understanding and continued to silently march forward. The large gray cat brought out a small golden blade. He shuffled his way up to one of the dormant creatures and stood beside it. 

He raised the knife, ready to strike.
> Not Kitt-ing Around
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ocean of Darkness was only pierced By the Light sounds of droplets hitting the ground. The squad moved in unison perfectly silent. They had finally made it past all whores of sleeping demons but the mission was far from complete.

Now they were in the large far more open room but still just as dark. A lingering odor made breathing near impossible for the cats. One of them brought out a map. He studied it doing his best to recall everything he could. He then looked around seeing whether the place was on the map and how things corresponded. He looked back down at the map to a large circular area that was their destination. But they were far off from where they needed to be and they knew how long to travel so they continued quietly.

As they opened another door, two of the creatures stood silently in the dark. Their breath was hard and long and could be heard by all of them. Its shoulders violently moved up and down as its lungs kept up with stress. The creatures did not stand like them. They walked on 4 legs sometimes but mostly these creatures stood only on two and sometimes 6. Their limbs varied from only one to as much as 10. Their figures were slammed and bony with not much detail on the outer skin.

The two that stood in their path and now fighting the soldiers at least not on their own. One of the cats could easily take out one of them on their own and even more. However, the creatures had strength in large numbers that far exceeded the squads. If one of the creatures or to wake up then it risks alerting the rest of them. While the cats had a good chance of winning an all-out bloodbath they prefer to keep it safe and tight only using violence as a last resort. This would be a time for violence.

The tall gray cat moved up closer to the creature he looked around to see how many were there but it seemed to only go to. Being that close to the creature it started to twitch as his footsteps became almost loud enough for it to hear. He stopped and turned to the squad signaling for one of them to follow him.

One of the cats who had a special pink tint to their armor walked up beside him slowly. The cat was a bit smaller than the rest of them, at least on four legs. She wasn't as large as the rest of the cats but for this particular mission that was a good thing. Cuz like footsteps made no sound in the Darkness and the creature never even knew she was there.

She slowly walked away up towards the second one until she was nearly face-to-face with it. Its eyes were closed but she could still see them through with transparent eyelids. To turn back to the large gray cat who gave her a slow nod. He lifted three fingers and slowly dropped them down when none of his fingers remained. He pulled out his sword from his back and the pink cats followed his actions. With a Swift Silent strike, both cats swung down hard straight on the head of the creatures. They dropped instantly letting out a small instant shriek. The sound of their bodies hitting the ground was the only sound that echoed.

The gray cat looked around to see if their presence had been known. The silence was his only response. Both cats nodded at each other acknowledging their success. The cats took note of the rest of the squad and they continued into the darkness ready to face the demons of the night. They would have to by Arch as much time as they could. 

Luna screamed as she ran across the desert floor. The cold dead sand flew everywhere as the giant black creature trailed behind the Lunar princess. Luna shot a beam at the creature only for it to doge it. The lunar princess’s hooves couldn’t outpace the 9-foot monster that raced after her. The creature lunged at the pony and caught her hind leg. The pony tripped and rolled down a small hill. 

The creature ran forward with its claws ready to kill. Luna screamed as she saw the large creature approach her. Out of nowhere, a large stream of flames scorched the beast. The creature stumbled backward as the intense light scorched it. Luna turned to see Discord with a small army of dragons. 

“Luna! Run!” Discord screamed.

Luna got up and ran towards him without looking back; Discord quickly followed. The dragons were quickly taken down and ripped apart. The creature roared out as it gave chase to Luna and Discord. 

“You can use your magic with them?” Luna yelled.

“No…Kinda...Not really.” Discord’s words were slurred and mostly nonsensical as he gasped for air. “I can do some things but most of my abilities don’t work around them!”

“Can you teleport!?” Luna yelled out.

“Kinda…”

"Why are you so useless!"

"That really hurts Luna!"

Arch jumped onto the side of the shack as he avoided one of the creature’s large claws. He backflipped onto the roof and landed hard on his hind legs. The creature followed in pursuit as it leaped after him. Arch ducked to avoid the creature’s claws and slid across the roof. He turned to do a 360 spin followed by a kick. His leg connected with the creature’s face and sent it flying off of the roof. Two more of the creatures jumped onto the roof, ready the strike. 

Luna and Discord continued to back up as the creature broke its way through the wall of fire. Luna desperately tried using any of her abilities. She couldn’t use magic for anything more than shooting a beam and simple teleportation. Her strength wasn’t enough to put the creature down or good. Discord could only summon certain animals to help stall the beast. The fire pushed the monster back for a moment, but the two were quickly running out of time.

“Discord!” Luna yelled. “Do you have anything else you can?”

“To be honest, I’m doing everything I can. 

The creature continued to push through the fire until it was only a few feet from them. They both screamed as it lunged at them for the kill. They were shocked when the creature dropped to the ground. They both looked up in awe at the tall gray armored cat. He slowly walked up to the duo of scared children. He held a large metal weapon that he used to kill the creature from afar. 

“May I be of some service to you two?” 





“What the hell is that?” Capper’s young and eager voice illuminated the room. 

The group now stood inside the small shack with a group of armored cats. 

“It’s called a blazer,” answered the gray cat. As you can see, it’s very useful against the fallen. 

“I wish we had weapons like that,” Discord whined. 

 “I bet you do,” Arch chucked. “But it’s the weapon of the guardians.”

“Ya Ya I get it,” Discord groaned.

“Well, Arch,” the gray cat said as he walked up to Arch. “It took you long enough to bet back.”

“Ya, it took a little longer than I thought.”

“Did you run into much trouble?” The gray cat took his clip out of his weapon and replaced it with another one.

“Several of the fallen caught up with me. They were very eager to kill this one.” Arch patted Capper on the back.

“Is this Capper?” Asked the gray cat. 

“Yes, it is, the one and only.”

The gray cat walked up to Capper and smiled. “So this is the desolate one?”

“Capper Dapperpaws,” Arched said as he nodded.

“And this is Princess Luna of Equestria.” Arch pointed forward Luna who puffed out her chest in pride. 

“Princess,” the gray cat said as he bowed. “It’s an honor to meet you.”  

“The pleasure is mine,” Luna said as he chuckled.

“Why have you come out all this way?”

“That’s a great question,” Spike groaned.

“Well, I’m here to help my people, and stopping these things will prevent the death of the land I call my home.”

The gray cat paused as he looked over to Arch who only gave him a shrug in return. “Well, I suppose it’s a noble cause. However, there isn’t much you can do princess.”

“Well, what a surprise,” Spike chuckled.

“Well surely there’s some way I can help,” Luna smiled.

The gray cat laughed as he walked over to Capper. He put his paws on Capper’s shoulders as he looked over to Luna. “Everything that happens now depends on this one.”

“Really,” Discord laughed.” How is this one going to stop an entire army of these demons?” 


“They’re not demons,” the gray cat corrected. “And he’s not going to take them on. All he needs to do is use this sword of his and unlock one little chest.”

“Umm….come again.” Luna gasped.

“The Fallen were locked away long ago behind a gate. The gate is the only thing that keeps them from devouring the living world. That gate has been broken and now they’re spilling into our world.” The gray cat pulled Capper’s sword out and held the stone sword out. “There’s a chest that was hidden away and locked. This chest holds the secrets of the Fallen and the answers of how to close it. This sword is the only way to open that chest.”

Arch stepped forward and drew his sword. “Each weapon has an owner, and they only work with their guardian. Only Capper can open the chest." 

 “So all of this really is dependent on Capper,” Discord stated.

“Yup.”

“Well, we’re screwed.”
> A Fur-ific Storm Ahead
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The icy grey sky restlessly grumbled. The thick blacked clouds were dragged down by the heavy rain which was held in its delicate frame. The clouds which struggled to withstand the burden of the weight which the rain held, soon gave in. The rain poured down over the desert with a roar. The sound of emptiness was disrupted by the loud gregarious boom of thunder.
 
“It’s kinda weird to see such a storm in the deserts,” Spike said as he stared out the wind.

“We’ve been having them quite often recently,” the grey cat answered. “No coincidence, I assume.”

“You think it has something to do with the Fallen?” Luna asked. 

“I do.”

“By the way, what’s your name? I didn’t catch it before.”

The gray cat chuckled. “I guess I never said that before. My name is Stellar.” 

“So what? You’re part of the Guardians too?” Big Mac asked.

“Yes, of course.” 

“I know this may come out sounding naive but like why are you involved with this kind of stuff? What do you Guardians have to do with the supernatural?”

“You see, just as your young Alicorn Princess and her friends do, we protect people as well. Just from a different kind of threat. They protect Equestria from threats of the living. Us Guardians protect them from the dead and creatures that were never alive, to begin with. When creatures manage to escape from the Nethers, we are there to stop them and put them back before causing any harm.”

“So are you like immortals, alive or what?” Luna spoke this time. 

“It’s not that simple,” he said. “What makes us special isn’t that we are living beings that are very powerful. It’s also not that we are not alive.” 

“Then what is it?” 

“It’s that we're kinda both. It’s hard to explain but it’s that we are in both, your world and theirs.” 

They all looked at him, confused. He laughed.

“They always give the same look every time,” Shira laughed. Arch only smirked.  

“I told you it's hard to explain. But think of it like this wherein two places at the same time. We're not just walking in this world but we're also in the other.”

“So you can see them and they can see you?” Luna tried clarifying.

He nodded. “If we choose to, yes.” 

“So you're like psychics then?”

He scoffed a little. “Not exactly. Psychics can’t go into the Nethers on their own as we can.”

“But you can still see them like psychics,” she pointed out.

“True but unlike them when we are seeing them we’re in the Nethers. You can just see us while we're in there just as they can see us while we're here. Understand?” His voice was much sterner and slightly annoyed. It was clear that this was not the first time they were misunderstood like this.

“Yeah, understand.” Luna didn’t understand why he was getting mad. 

“Good.” 

“Why do you seem annoyed at that?” Luna snapped.

“I don’t think he meant it like that,” Spike jumped in.

“I think he did. What do you have against them?” She raised her voice a little at him making it clear to him that this was personal. 
 
“We have nothing against them. We just don't necessarily agree with their practices is all. What we do is to protect people. Living or dead, we do it to help. We don't expect to get anything out of it. But for them, it's all a game. They publicize it and use it for fame. They failed to show people what this is really about. They don't show them the real threats out there. They only show people what they want to hear. they hide the truth from them. And half of the time they don't actually go out and stop these threats. They leave it to us to fix the problems.” 
  
Luna felt a burn in the back of her throat. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She didn't want to believe it.

“I’m guessing you’re not a fan of Shredder than?” Discord asked. 

“Nope.” Big Mac answered for Stellar who nodded his head.

“They're not all like that,” Luna defended.  

“Yeah well enough of them are.”

“Well, they're not afraid to tell people who they are. They take whatever is thrown at them. Some may think you’re cowards for hiding behind them,” she growled at him. 

He was about to snap back before Capper butted in. “You have to excuse the princess here. She takes this stuff very personally.”

“I can see that but why?” 

“What do you think?” Capper asked back. “What other reason could she have?”

 The realization then followed the Guardians there as their eyes soon widened. Shira leaned over to Arch and whispered something to him to which he shook his head. Stellar looked at Luna in disbelief.

“You're a psychic?” 

“Like I said, not all of my kind do this to gain something.” She then turned to Arch and Shira. “I’m a lot more useful than you think.” And she left it at that.  

“Let’s just get that chest thing or whatever it is,” Capper suggested.  

“Yeah, we got a ride so it shouldn’t take too long,” Discord added. 

They all then got into the wagon and made their way for the chest. 

“Hey,” Discord whispered to Luna. “Don’t worry about what he said. It’ll be okay. “ 

Luna said nothing. She tried staying away from everyone. She was not in the mood to speak. Discord took this as a hint to not mess with her and just let her calm herself down. Everyone stayed quiet for the rest of the way there. 

Even when night fell, the rain continued to pour. However, it was much calmer and light compared to what it was in the day. It set a somewhat peaceful mood in the atmosphere. Luna didn't mind the rain when it was like this. She used to fly a lot in the rain. Despite her usually getting soaking wet, it was calming to her. Just to hear how it fell onto the ground. 

She knew she shouldn’t have taken it to heart but she couldn’t help but be angry. It was hard enough for her to accept this but knowing even the ones on her side had a problem against her, it just made it worse. 

She kept looking up as it continued to rain. Her ears perked up when she heard someone walking next to her. Stellar sat down next to her and watched the rain with her. 

“You like being alone?” He simply asked. 

“Sometimes. It helps me think.” Luna knew she always had a problem of being always from everyone.

“Well, what are you thinking about now?” 

“Just some personal things.” She didn’t want to go into details. 

“Like what?” He pushed on. 

“Look, forgive me if this sounds harsh but I would rather not tell my life story to a stranger.”  
  
He smirked as he kept staring up at the cloudy night sky. “My Apologies. You seemed tense and I thought that I could help you.”

She shook her head. “I'm afraid there is no way anyone could help me with this.” He knew what she meant.

“You might be surprised. I guarantee you that none of us asked for this. If it was up to us none of us would be in this mess. We do this because we know we have to because if we don't no one else would. But that doesn't mean that we wanted this for ourselves,”  He spoke with a gentle and calm demeanor.  It wasn't the first time she was told this. However, it didn't make her feel like they could understand.

"I know where you're going with this. There's just so much more that no one knows about. There's so much more to the story than I’m not willing to share with anyone.”

“How bad was it for you?” 

“R-really bad. More than what I can express in words. It almost killed me.” Her voice cracked a little as she tried not to cry. “I was forced to face a lot of this alone.”

“Is that why you're here?” She lifted her head a little in confusion. “So you won't have to be alone?

“That's part of it. I'm also trying not to run away from this. I can't hide. Not anymore,” she explained. 

“So what do you plan on doing with your gift?”

Luna flinched at that. “I wouldn’t go that far to say it's a gift. I'm trying to accept what I am and try to use my powers the best way I can. I don't know how I'm going to do that yet but I guess that's why I'm here. To figure that out.” 

“I still think your decision is unwise but I can respect it. I see what you're trying to do. My only hope is that you can accomplish it and still be alive to learn something from it,” he joked.

She laughed as her mind went back to the countless times that she and her friends nearly died from this life. “They haven't killed us yet so I have more hope than I probably should.” 

“There’s one thing we can agree on at least.” 

“I’ll take it,” she laughed. “At this point, my only real threat is my sister.” 

“About that, does she know about any of this?” 

“You mean does she know I'm psychic? And in that regard no she doesn't.” 

“I don't get it. Why are you afraid that you feel like but you must hide this part of yourself from the world?” He asked her. 

“It's the world that made me feel like I had to. There are the ones who shamed me for being like this.” Her voice sounded slightly sharper this time she spoke.

“They didn't accept you?” He asked. 

“I I wouldn't say that since they didn't know. I didn't know at the time. It's more that they chose to hide from it and not try to understand nor see what this really was. My power I mean.”

“I don't understand how you do it. How do you go out to save all these people and not be afraid of what you're facing or what they could do if they knew what you were?” 

“Who said that we weren't afraid, Princess Luna? It's not about being afraid. It's about being able to do it even when you are afraid,”  He explained himself to her.

“Then tell me. How can I do it without letting fear stop me?” Her voice sounded pleading as if she was begging for an answer.

“The first thing you have to do is stop being afraid of yourself. Then stop being afraid of what has been done to you. No matter how bad it was.” 

 She covered her face with both hooves. “It's so hard to do that though. They did so so much to me.”

“Who’s they?” He leaned closer to her and whispered. 

She hesitated to respond. These were things that she had troubles even talking to Discord about. “To be honest, I don't know what I saw. Sometimes I thought there were monsters other times I thought they were spirits and now I wonder if they were just demons.”

“What did they look like?”

“Most of them look like you and me. Alive and normal.” She thought about Silver Blitz and her father. “That's how it started out. I would see and speak to random ponies I saw and everypony else around me said that I was speaking to nothing.”  

Stellar stayed quiet and was very patient as he listened to Luna spoke. He knew now that she was more comfortable with speaking to him. Just as he planned.

“I used to see my father a lot after he died. I would speak to him and I didn't know if it was actually him. Sometimes I would yell at him and tell him to leave me alone and other times I would hug him and cry and beg him to help me then ask him why he wasn’t with us anymore. The doctors said that it was just a coping mechanism that I was using to grieve.” Her eyes started to water as she held back tears. She took a deep breath before continuing.

“It started out normal. I could look away and pretend they weren't there and convince everyone that I was always fine. But then it got worse. They got more aggressive with me. They wouldn't leave me alone. Then there was one particular spirit that started harassing me every night; give me the same nightmares and attack me. But just like everything else, my sister and our mentor couldn't see it. They couldn't see what I saw so they didn’t believe me.”

Stellar noticed Luna’s hooves shaking as she twitched a little. Her breath was shaky and she was breathing more heavily now. it was like she forgot who she was talking to as she was staring out into the empty land. Her eyes filled with fear.

“I found out later that he was a murderer that I met once when he was alive. He was getting power from some demon to harass me. They knew that I had no one to go to so they could do anything they wanted to me. He stopped tormenting me after a while. I don’t know why he stopped. I didn’t see him for a very long time but then he came back. My friends helped me stop him but the damage was already done.”

“What do you mean?” 

“Well, my sister along with everyone else thought I was crazy. They forced me to see a therapist and take medication and try to get me to admit that I wasn't seeing things that were real. I knew with every ounce of my body that this wasn't in my head. My sister and I would get into fights all the time. I….” She closed her eyes as she thought of something to herself,  debating if she should say what she wanted to say next. “I thought about doing some fucked up shit, thinking it would stop it. Nothing worked so I ended up convincing myself otherwise just so everyone else would stop saying I was crazy.”

She looked over to him with a cold stare this time. “That is why I’m afraid,” she spat. 

He said nothing to her. His only response was just crossing his arms and continuing to look out to the desert. The rain has stopped at this point so only silence could be heard.

“Well?” She snapped. “Aren’t you going to say anything?” 

“There's nothing I can say,” He bluntly stated. “I get it. What you went through was awful. And what made it worse is that you were betrayed by those who said that would help you. I understand that it hurts. I understand why you want to be here and I understand why you don't want to tell them who you really are. I see that you’re different.”

“So what do I do?” She asked. 

“I think you being here is one thing you can do. It definitely shows that you are not afraid or at least not letting it stop you. It's a good start.” He gave a light-hearted smile. 

“I know I let a lot on you but thanks for listening. I guess it did help a little,” she admitted.

“No problem.”

“I hope you understand more about us or at least me.”

“A little," he confessed. "Though, I just have something I need to ask. That demon you mentioned. The one that helped that murderous spirit. Do you happen to know who it was?” 

 Luna laughed mockingly as she scoffed. “More than I would like. Shader is his name.” 

“Shader?” 

“Why? You know him?” Luna asked. 

“More than I would like,” he joked. “I must say I'm surprised though. He doesn't usually mess with the living unless they're very important to him.”

“Well, I must have been.” She started to remember some of the things he told her back when she and Discord were trapped in Barry Tart’s house. 

Stellar saw this. “What is it?”

“Actually, he told me that there was so much more I didn't understand. That there was something bigger going on and I didn't know. He said that he needed my powers to get free.”

“Free from what?” He asked carefully.

“I don’t know,” she shrugged. 

“You had dreams about him?”

“I know one distinctive dream I had of him but it really wasn't that big of a deal. I mean for a while I had some weird dreams where I heard 2 voices fighting over me, telling me to follow them and said that my time was coming or that I needed to wake up but I never understood what they meant.”

Stellar leaned in closer to her and looked up and down at her body as if he was examining her for something. She shifted a little to the side as she was getting uncomfortable by this. He then leaned back but still kept staring at her weirdly.

“Princess Luna, did Shadder say anything else to you that stood out?” 

She thought to herself for a moment when something came to mind. “He called me his Angel Of Darkness.” 




Their journey continued as they made their way deeper into the guardian’s land. Spike still took great notice of how destroyed the land was. For a place of divine creatures and protectors, their home was one only of the womb of war. After another great length of riding in the car, they finally reach their destination. A large mountain with two large statues of armored felons beside a large archway. 

Stellar told Luna to stop before entering the temple. He stepped out of the cart and slowly walked up to the Arch. He turned back to the car and cupped his paws around his mouth. “Only Capper and Discord!” He yelled out. 

“What did he say?” Discord asked as he turned to Arch.

“He only wants you two,” Arch replied as he pointed to the Discord and the cat next to him.

“Why only us?” Capper asked.

“Well I guess we’ll, you will find out.” 

The two made their way out of the cart and followed Steller into the temple. Inside laid a display of large statues of icons and divine creatures. Capper and Discord stood in awe of the grander design of the palace. Stellar led the two to a small room that was lit up but a single flame. A large bowl in the center of the room that was illuminated with a bright purple flame was their only source of light. 

Stellar looked down at the bowl and then back at Capper. “Well, this is it,” He whispered. “All of the secrets of the Fallen are said to reside here.”

Discord leaned over and stared into the bowl. He saw that among the flames there was a large golden chest. “That’s it?”

“Yup,” Stellar smiled. “We’ve been trying to get to it for weeks now, but we found out pretty quickly that it wasn’t going to be possible without him.”

“What do I have to do?” Capper asked

“The flames won’t extinguish for anything that’s not wielding that sword.” Stellar stepped back as he pointed to the chest. “The fate of pretty much everything could quite possibly depend on opening that chest.”

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Discord asked. “Let's open it already!?”

Capper stepped forward and drew his sword from his back. He looked up at Stellar before he reached out towards the flame. “Well here goes nothing.”








“What happened!?” Luna yelled out into the heavy rain. 

Discord came running out as he sheltered from the bombardment of water. “There seems to be a complication.”

“With what,” Luna asked as she moved under Discord’s umbrella.

“He tried to open the chest but apparently he can’t.”

“Umm, what,” Luna gasped. 

“Ya, I really don’t know what happened, and honestly neither does Stellar.” Discord looked back to the temple and sighed. “There was this purple fire that prevented anyone from touching the chest and Capper was supposed to be able to extinguish it, but he instead burnt his entire arm.”

“Oh, shit,” Luna gasped. “Is he alright?”

“Ya, he’s fine. Stellar stayed back with him while I came out.”

Luna sighed as she leaned back against the cart. He took a deep breath as she stared at the ground. “So what are we going to do then?” She asked as she looked up at him.

“Well, I actually have an idea about that.” Discord ran past Luna and into the cart; she was quick to pursue him.

“Wait, Discord what are we going to do?”

Discord went to the back where everyone was either laying on the ground or asleep on one of the seats. Spike sat up as he yawned. “Spike?” 

“Heeyyyy,” Spike yawned. “Did you open the chest thingy or whatever?”

“Ya about that,” Discord chucked.

“What?’ Spike asked as he rubbed his eyes.

“Do you still have that ritual we did a few days ago?”

“Ritual?” Spike whispered as he leaned back in his seat. “Oh ya, I still have the stuff we used.”

“Good cause that took way too much time and painstaking effort.” Big Mac said as he sat up.

“Well, I need it, like right now.”

Spike blinked a couple of times before he looked up at the draconequus. “Why?”

Discord smiled at the question. “Let’s just say we’re going to need two things: one of the Fallen and the Mooti Mootu.”
> Cat Chase
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike moved with quick precise movements; everything he did had a purpose behind it. He worked vigorously while the group stood and watched his every move. The guardians watch with curious eyes as Discord as Big Mac recalled painful memories. 

“What is he doing?” Arch asked.

“Apparently this little dragon knows the ritual to meet with the infamous Mooti Mootu.” Stellar crouched as he stared at the symbols that the dragon was drawing on the floor. “He seems to know what he’s doing.”

“How would he get such knowledge?” Shira asked as she picked up a paper. It was one that Spike had brought with him and it spoke all about the Dream Witch.

“He got it from a friend of ours,” Luna informed the cats. “One who had helped us out in the past.”

“Some friend,” Stellar chuckled. “This information isn’t easy to come by and is super valuable to most.” He stood up and turned to meet Luna’s gaze. “What friend of yours is he.”

“Shredder, he-,” Luna responded. 

Stellar interrupted, “And how did you come by such an ally?”

Luna paused for a moment as she thought about how to go about an answer. She tilted her head slightly as she glanced at the cat. “We went to him for help and he took particular interest in Spike.” Luna sat down as she didn’t take her eyes off of Spike’s actions.

Stellar turned and continued to examine the dragon’s display of skill. “Well, he certainly seems to be advancing in this area. I’m curious to know what exactly Shredder saw in him.”

“Ya, me too,” Luna whispered. 

Spike stood up and stretched his arms and legs before cracking his back. “Alright,” he yawned. “We’re all set.”

“Oh brother,” Discord moaned. “Then here we go again.”

” You’ll be needing this.” Arched stepped forward and dragged a heavy bag behind him. “Everything the witch could want.”

“Good,” Discord scoffed. “Then let’s just get it done and over with.” The ritual was quick and easy; no complications came as a result and surprisingly everything seemed to go smoothly.  

“What now?” Arched asked.
 
“We wait,” Luna responded.

“You’re pretty used to this aren’t you?” 

“Yup.”






“The sight was familiar as Discord opened the same door, and even though he had only open that red door only once, he felt like it was all too connected to him now. He had opened so many doors like it, and so he would only continue to open more. 

“Dream Walker?”A soft growl whispered. “Have you come back for more answers about your friend?”

“No,” Discord chuckled. “I’ve come about this.” Discord threw the large sack in front of the Mooti Mootu who looked quite shocked at the resolve.

"The Fallen," It whispered. It's long dripping hair swayed as it moved forward. It opened the bag and stared at the jewel inside. "What intent do you have?"

"My friends need help." Discord stepped forward and dropped a picture of the chest onto the bag. "Care to help us out?"

The creature picked up the picture and then looked up at Discord. "What knowledge do you seek?"





“Do you think he made it?” Shira asked.

“I killed it only a few hours ago,” Arch replied. “I don’t think it would have faded just yet.”

Spike sat with an open book; he skimmed through the pages as he sat in front of Discord’s lifeless body. “He’ll be fine; he’s dealt with worse.”

“I seriously doubt that,” Stellar insisted. “The Fallen aren’t what you think they are.”

“As true as that is,” Spike chuckled. “He’s been through a dream with a serial killer and a demonic bull.”

“Wait what?!” Stellar gasped as he quickly met Spike’s proud smirk. 

“Yup,” Big Mac laughed as he too had a proud smirk on his face.

“You say a demonic bull?”

“Yup,” Big Mac reassured.

“Discord said it had a chain, a huge trident thingy, and….” Spike paused as he stared at the sky. His eyes trailed through his memory as he tried to remember the last signature item that Discord had mentioned. 

Stellar stepped forward as he awaited Spike’s reply. “And?” 

“Oh,” Spike jumped. “A lantern, a lantern,'' he said “illuminated darkness”. 

“Stellar’s eyes went open as he turned around. He leaned his head against the wall as he closed his eyes.

“What?” Spike asked as he watched the cat’s reaction.

The cat quickly turned and snapped his claws together. “What was the killer’s name? The one you spoke of.”

“Berry Tarts,” Spike said slowly.

“That’s…”

Discord quickly jumped up as he screamed. The group all jumped back as Discord jumped up and slammed against the ceiling. “Ouch,” he groaned as he rubbed his head. 

“Wow that was fast,” Spike gasped.

“Ya well, she got right to the point,” Discord groaned.

“What spoked you?” Luna asked as she sat down next to him.

Discord looked down at the ground as he recalled the last moments before he woke up. “She showed me them.”

“Who?” Luna asked

“Who else?”. Arched scoffed. “Did she show you their cage.?”

Discord turned as he sighed. “Yup,” he nodded. “And we are so screwed if we don’t get this chest open like yesterday.”

“Well, it depends,” Stellar said as he kneeled down to the draconequus. “Did you find out what we’re missing?”

“The flame was made by the literal suffering of others,” Discord informed the group.

“Yes I am aware,” Stellar said. “They were our ancestors who created it.”

“Well, your ancestors really wanted to protect this chest.” Discord Stood up as he stretched his whole body. “They made sure that the only thing that can extinguish the flame is something of equal suffrage.”

Stellar looked at arch who only shrugged back at him. “So what exactly do we need?”

“Just something that was made through pain and misery.”

“Well, where the hell are we going to get that?” Sellar groaned.

“Discord began to laugh as he walked over the spike. “Do you still have it?” 

Spike froze for a second as a look of confusion stained his face. After a few moments, the dragon’s eyes went wide. “Oh, you mean this.” Spike ran over to a bag that was stashed in the very back. He pulled out a small blue marble and threw it to Discord.

“What is it?” Arched asked as he stepped towards Discord.

“Ya, what is that?” Luna repeated. 

“Let’s just say it’s something of equal value,” Discord chuckled. He turned around with a huge tired smile on his face. Luna’s eyes went wide as she gasped. The cats all stepped forward in amazement as the presence of power and suffering filled the room.

Capper stood up and walked up to the display that everyone seemed to be mesmerized by. “Oh,” he said with curiosity. “It’s a golden bird?”

“Nope,” Big Mac said as he shook his head. “It’s a golden Phoenix.”

“Why did you bring that?” Luna whispered. She stood and watched as Discord carried back to the temple with Stellar and Capper behind him. 

“Discord told me to carry it with me just in case we needed it.” 

“Spike, why would you think you would even need, that thing?”

Spike chuckled as he thought about the answer to the question. “Well it wasn’t for the fallen, it was because of Silver Blitz; we were looking for her just before we got into all of this and Discord wanted to make sure we had it.”

“How’d you carry it without anyone knowing. I mean that thing attacks spirits like a flame to mouths.”

“Spike looked up at Luna as he laughed. “Stellar’s right, Shredder really is a good ally.”

“Apparently so…”

Discord walked up to the flame and watched it with intent. The blades of the flame stained the blood of those who made it. Only those who know true suffering could even approach the flame, or so the Mooti Mootu foretold. DIscord looked back at the other two in the room; there was a reason Stellar only took Capper and him. Perhaps it was that they knew the pain that was required. Of course, Luna too knew pain, the same that he had come to know, and Stellar knew nothing of his encounters with the dead. So perhaps it was of a different matter that he didn’t yet know. 

DIscord turned back to the flame and stepped forward. He held out the phoenix and slowly approached the purple flame. The fire swayed violently as the gold aura of the dead approached it. As soon as the phoenix touch the fire it dissipated without a trace of its existence. Discord jumped back as he pulled the phoenix back. He leaned forward and looked into the bowl. There in the middle sat a large golden chest.

“I think it worked,” Discord said as he turned to the two cats. 

Capper walked up to the draconequus and stood next to him. “What now?” Capper asked his gaze locked onto the golden shimmer.

“Try using your sword now.”

Ached gulped as he drew his blade from his back. “Well here goes nothing.”

“You’ll get used to it,” Discord chuckled.

“Ya, I know,” Capper smirked. “I just never imagined that I would ever have to.”

“I’m right there with you brother.”

Capper yelled as he quickly reached for the chest and took it out of its coffin. He fell back as the weight of the golden jewel tossed him to the ground. Discord helped pull the box off of the cat and pushed it aside.

“You alright?”

“Ya,” the cat groaned. “It’s much heavier than I thought.”

“Or you’re just weaker than you thought,” Discord teased. 

“You really want me to test that theory out?”

“Hell no,” Discord laughed as he reached out his arm.

“Good…. Me neither.” Capper grabbed Discord’s arm and stood up. The tow turned at stared at the chest. 

“Well,” Stellar said as he leaned against the wall. “Open it.”

“Capper?” Discord stepped back and gestured to the chest.

The cat walked forward and without hesitation, he opened the chest. A bright light shot out of the open box and cause the cat the jump back. The light disappeared as quickly as it appeared, leaving only a few items inside. Capper leaned into the chest and pulled out a scroll, a book, an orb, and a golden cylinder. 

“What is all this stuff?” Capper asked as he looked over the Stellar. 

Stellar walked forward as he grabbed the book from Capper and opened it. “It’s everything we need.”

“It’s a shinny book!” Spike yelled. 

“Ew, don’t do that,” Discord cringed. “It reminds me of Twilight.”

“So,” Luna said as she met Discord in the archway. “Did you open the chest?”

“Yes, we did.” Discord proudly admitted.

“And?” Luna eagerly continued.

Stellar pushed past Discord and walked towards the cart. “We must head out immediately.”

“Why?”

“Because,” Discord sighed. “We know what we have to do, but the Fallen now know that we know.”

“Wait what,” Luna gasped. “How?”

“I’ll explain on the way.”

“Wait where are we going?” Asked the princess.

“To the gate, the one that locks their home from ours.”

“You’re going to close it?”

“Nope,” Capper said as he jumped over Luna. “ I am,” He said as he bowed. 

“And I most likely won’t survive."
> Fur-midable Things
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun did not shine on that day, instead, the rain poured violently as the clouds rolled overhead The wind rushed across the land as it took the sand with it. A thick cloak of brittle needles swept across the sky like waves in the ocean. The water built up and flew in the systems along the ground.

The wheels of the cart splashed violently against the puddles of rain. Luna wiped the window as the water built a blanket over it. Spike held on with his life as he tossed about. The guardians sat as Shira held up a picture of a door. It wasn't like any other door they had seen before. It was a black crack in space with an eye in the middle of it.

"It's a womb in the sky made by the bringer of darkness." Shira held the picture up for everyone to see. “It bridges the living realm with that of the Fallen’s.”   

Spike stood up and leaned in to get a better look. “Where is the fallen’s realm exactly?”

“It’s a special prison,” Arch replied. “Our ancestors made it specifically for the Fallen many years ago.” 

“I don’t get it,” Luna blurted. “If the guardians defeated the Fallen and locked them away, then how are they free now?”

Arch took a breath and attempted to reply before Stellar cut him off. “That is precisely the question we’re in search for.” Arch looked up at stellar before The grey cat shot his gaze down. “Perhaps after we’ve fixed this mess we’ll go out and find that answer.”

“Ah yes, of course,” Arch chuckled as he smirked.

“Ok fine whatever,” Luna groaned. “Then what is it that we have to do?”

Capper drew his sword and held it out in front of his face. “We have to close the womb.”

“How?” Luna asked.

Shira brought out the golden scroll and unraveled it. “Usually we would have to do a whole ritual that would seal it, but since we have this, we just need to get this to the gate and we can close it.”

“Great!” Luna shouted. “So it’ll just take a few minutes and we can be back in Equestria before you know it.” Luna’s big smile lit up the cart.

“You mean before Celestia knows it,” Spike grumbled to himself.

“With all due respect princess, you can’t be that naive.” Shira laughed.

“Actually she can be,” Spike chuckled.

Luna pushed the little dragon off of his seat and growled. “What, what else do you have to do?”

“It’s not the amount we have to do, it’s the fact that the one thing we have to do is going to be a pain in the ass.” Shira brought up the picture of the gate. She then pushed a button on her arm that made the picture zoom out. Luna could then see that the gate was surrounded by dozens of black creatures. “The gate will be heavily protected. We’re going to have to fight our way through them.”

“Sounds like it will be super easy, barely an inconvenience.” Luna chuckled as she lightly hit Shira’s shoulder.

“Wow,” Stellar sighed. “You haven’t listened to a single word of what I said about these things.”

“What do you mean,” Luna scoffed. “You kill these things don’t you?”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t kill us.” Stellar looked over at Capper. “He fought a really week right?”

“Yes,” Luna said as she rolled her eyes.

“Two weak ones actually,” Capper added.

“Ya cool, but don’t you think that where there are fragile ones there would be powerful ones?” 

“Sure,” Luna droned one. “But like, you’re really strong too aren’t you?”

Stellar shook his head. “Forget it.” 

The group continued on their journey through the treacherous desert storm. The ride was mostly silent as everyone inside only mentally preparing themselves for the monsters that awaited them. Their journey brought them to a small stream that steadily flowed agonist the harsh elements. Spike leaned out of the side window as he admired the blue clear crystal water.

“How is there a clear flowing steam here!?” Spike called out.

“It’s the Stream of Starlights,” Shira replied. “It hones the light of the stary night and carries it off.”

“Where does it go?”Luna asked as she looked out the window.

“To our home,” Stellar replied. The grey cat stood up and walked to the front of the car. “It’s quite a sight is it not?”

Luna turned to see what the cat was referencing. Her eyes went wide open as a rush of golden light flushed through the car. The group all jumped up as the blinding light enveloped them. Spike nearly lost his grip and fell out the window. 

“What is that!?” Capper gasped.

“That is our home,” Shira chuckled.

The blinding light revealed a land of luxury. It came in the form of bright green grass with bright blue streams flowing through it. One lonely mountain stood over watching a large city of waterfalls and bright gold structures. Large golden fountains lined the side of the mountain as the beautiful water flowed through and over them.

“This is your home?!” Luna chocked. 

“Well you didn’t think we lived in the cold harsh dessert did you?” Stellar laughed as he jumped out the car window and onto the soft grass. 

“What’s the matter princess, do you not live in a gorgeous place?” Shira asked.

“Well…” Luna’s eyes trailed off as she stood in awe at the palace before her. “Not like this, no.”

“well, that’s ashamed,” Shira chuckled. 

Spike laughed as ran across the blue stream that shimmered in the sunlight. Big Mac and Capper admired the scenery silently as they followed the guardians. Luna slowly stepped out of the car and walked up to Discord who stood frozen in place.

“What’s up?” Luna asked as she nudged the draconequus.

“Do you feel that power?” Discord whispered.

Luna looked around and noticed the glow of the grass. “I certainly see it, ya, but I don’t feel anything.” She watched as a bird rushed past her face and flew into a tall tree. “What do you feel?”

Discord lifted his hand and put his fingers together. He slowly snapped as a bright white flash exploded from his hand. “I feel powerful.”

Stellar didn’t lead them to the city. Instead, he led them to a small house that was built into a tree that grew from the side of the mountain. The door was but a thin curtain of leaves that led into a cozy room with a nice fireplace in it. The shelves were lined with various books with carved statues that were pleasing to the eye. 

“Is this your house?” Capper asked as he walked up to the nice hand-carved fireplace.

“Sort of,” Stellar chuckled. “We use it as….storage.”

“For what?” Luna asked.

Stellar looked over at Arch and gave him a little smirk. Arch returned the smirk as a cue and walked over to the wall. He turned to the group before pulling a small lever. The fireplace began to shake as it started to slide to the side. Behind the gorgeous fireplace laid a glamorous display of weaponry. The golden arsenal of weapons sent an ocean of light through the room. 

“That’s awesome!” Capper gasped in awe at the sight.

“You were right about one thing princess,” Stellar said as he pulled one of the guns out. “We are really strong as well.”


Night fell over the land as the golden shimmer turned into a bright blue glow. The group huddled up inside the small house. Stellar laid out a map of the large network of caves that led to the gate.

“The gate is at the end of the caves deep within the mountain.” Sellar started to cross certain paths and entrances on the map. Most of these paths have either collapsed or were no longer there.” He circled a couple of the middle paths that led straight to the gate. “These are the few that are still intact and usable.”

“So it’s just a straight shot there?” Capper asked.

“Well, the Fallen will definitely be there.”

“But you can fight them off right?” Luna interjected.

“We have a decent chance,” Arch replied. There are a few however that will give us some serious trouble.”

“So what’s the plan then?” the little dragon asked.

“It’s quite simple actually,” Arch chuckled. “We will draw the Fallen out while Capper takes an alternative route to the gate and shuts it using the scroll.”

“Wait what, that’s it?” Capper stuttered. “What if I run into one of those things.”

“Then you either kill it or die.”

Capper froze for a moment as he stared down at the map. “Makes sense.”

Stellar geared up with every weapon he could carry. Capper was excited to see the rest of the guardian squad when they showed up. Their armor was all golden but a few of them had different colors to them. Shira attempted to take a weapon but was stopped by Stellar who refused to let her have one.

“Hey,” Capper whispered to Shira from the corner. “Come over here.”

“What?” She asked as she leaned against the wall next to him.
  
“It just dawned on me but back at the casino Arch was really pissed at you.” Capper stared at Shira expecting a response that didn’t come. She stood and stared back at him with a blank face.

“What about it?”

“Well it’s just, he said you had caused problems and stuff.” Capper looked over to see if anyone was listening to their conversation. “What happened, and why did you have my father’s sword and not them?”

Shira turned and mimicked Capper’s intent. “Let’s not talk about that right now.” The cat quickly turned and walked back to the group leaving one confused and concerned orange cat.

“What is it?” Spike asked as he crept around the corner.

“I don’t know yet,” Capper whispered back. “I’ll let you know when I find out.”

Later that night

Luna starred out the window and into the starry night; her breath was steady as she stared at the moon. All she could think about was how angry her sister must have been. Luna had disappeared out of nowhere, abandoned her duties, and worst of all she did during a time when multiple attacks had happened in Equestria. Celestia must have been furious with the lunar princess. Luna took a deep breath as her head hung low. 

“What’s on your mind?” The soft gentle voice filled the room. Capper’s inviting eyes showed compassion and understanding. He walked up next to Luna and shared her gaze on the night sky. Luna’s silence didn’t seem to disturb the cat. Instead, he just stared up at the moon as the wind rushed past his face and through his fur. He took a deep breath of the cool crisp air and closed his eyes as he let the breath go. “Still worried about your sister?” He didn’t open his eyes, he just kept his head toward the sky.

“How’d you just come up with that?” Luna’s voice spoke defeat as if she was breaking from something. Capper chuckled in response as he slowly opened his eyes. He found it interesting as she didn’t try to deny it.

“Well, it’s not super obvious or anything but I can read others pretty good to a point,”

“Did Spike vent to you about it?” Luna scoffed as she looked back up at the moon.

“No,” Capper said as he smiled. “I just looked up.”

“Up?” Luna turned her gaze to the cat who wasn’t breaking his attention to the sky.

“Ya, look up.”

Luna turned and looked up; the night sky was bright with the stars and the moon that lead in their beauty. “What am I supposed to look at, the moon?”

“That’s a fair question,” Capper whispered. “A lot is going on isn’t there?” Luna just stared at the moon in silence. “What does the moon remind you of?”

Luna opened her mouth to give an answer but only silence came out. Instead, she just stayed locked onto the large bright rock in the sky. She wasn’t quite sure what it reminded her of. Perhaps she was thinking about its beauty, or she was jealous of its strong composure in contrast to hers. Celestia was another name that came to her mind when she stared at it. Her body tensed up whenever she said the name in her head. She could feel her heart stagger for a moment as her blood rushed just a little bit fast inside her. Her breath quickened and fell out of rhythm as she tried desperately to sway away from the thoughts. So many thoughts and feels that came from one rock, but what was she supposed to remember whenever she looked at it.

“Luna?” Capper looked over at the princess who seemed startled by the break-in silence.

“I don’t know,” Luna sighed. “Is it supposed to remind me of something?”

“No, well maybe, I don’t know. That’s for you to decide.” Capper brought out his sword and set it down in front of the window sill. “You move it don’t you, every night?”

“I’m supposed to,” Luna sighed.

“Right, you haven’t done it for a few days now have you?” 

Luna nodded as she slowly dropped her gaze to meet the cat’s bright green eyes. “My sister must be so angry with me right now.”

“That’s it,” Capper laughed.

“What?” Luna leaned back as the cat continued to lightly laugh. “Is that really funny to you?” Luna scoffed.

“Y-yes it is,” Capper said as his laughter turned to a strong grin. “The moon is your identity, your pride, and joy, yet you’re here thinking about your sister when you look at it.” Angry flushed over the princess's face as she stood up. Capper turned to meet her rage but only grinned and looked back up at the moon. Luna turned and started to walk towards the door. “I wasn’t being mean.”

“Really, cause that was pretty rude,” Luna growled as she continued to walk.

“Ya, perhaps it was, but it wasn’t mean.”

“Whatever,” Luna scoffed.

“I’m sorry I just don’t get it,” Capper proclaimed. “I want to, but you’re not giving me a lot to work with.”

Luna stopped in the doorway and looked back to Capper as he continued to stare up. “Well you said you could read me, so I’m sure you could figure it out.”

“Luna,” Capper called out. “I can sit here and stare at the moon all night long. I would learn a lot about it including how it interacts with others around it, and how it makes people feel, but I won’t figure out what it wants or why it feels the way it does. It’s a rock in the sky, and like all rocks, it won’t tell me how it feels and why.”

“Really,” Luna groaned. “You’re going to use that as an analogy?”

“Well it’s a perfect one, is it not?”

“Why? Cause I’m hard headed and all that?” Luna said as she rolled her eyes.

“I mean yes, but more than that.” Capper looked back at the princess. “Why your sister?”

“Why do you care?” Luna shot back.

“Because there are things here that also remind me of bad things.” Capper turned and grabbed his sword. He slowly drew it from the scabbard and laid it before him. “I just didn’t think there would be someone else here who could understand that.” 

Luna’s stance dropped as she remembered that the sword was Capper’s father’s. He didn’t know what happened to him or his mother, but he did know that they were dead. It was something she could relate to as she too had deceased parents.  However, she knew that he wasn’t trying to relate to that, but rather he was talking about how the sword was his moon. 

“My sister…” Luna looked down at the ground as she sighed. “Is a different story, a complicated one.” Luna looked up at Capper. “I don’t think anyone understands that. I mean Spike is obviously angry with me, but he doesn’t understand anything.”

“Ok, but why is that all you’re focused on?” Capper stood up and took a step towards her.

“It’s not, it’s just…”

“Luna,” Capper cut her off. “I think we can all see that you’re not really here to stop the Fallen; you’re here to prevent your sister from finding out about any of this. That’s why Spike is so mad at you. Not because he doesn’t understand.”

Luna froze for a second as she stared at Capper. Her face revealed discussion and confusion in an aggressive combination. “How dare you,” Luna whispered. “You’re saying I don’t care about my people or the one’s the Fallen kill?”

“What?” Capper said as he leaned back in confusion. “That’s not at all…”

“No, stop,” Luna spat. “Screw you, Capper, you clearly don’t understand at all. Thinking I don’t give a damn about anything that’s going on.”

“I’m not saying that.” Capper’s voice turned to confusion and annoyance making his voice stronger and darker. “You’re taking this all wrong.”

“No, what’s wrong is you trying to pry into my business.” Luna turned and started to walk towards the door. “I can’t believe that's the one thing you’re taking from all of this.”

“I was just trying to understand,” Capper said as he raised his voice. Luna jumped a little as Capper caught up with her. “I’m sorry I wasn’t trying to suggest anything about your character or anything like that.”

“Then what were you trying to do?”

“I don’t know, I guess I was trying to help.”

Luna stopped as she turned to face the cat. “Well just me, I’m fine and there is nothing left to be said.” Luna turned and continued to walk.

“Fine!” Capper called out. “Then we won’t talk.” Luna turned around and met his gaze again. “Actions speak louder than words.”

Luna stood underneath a large stone archway. She touched the crumbling stone with her hoof and admired the old carvings on it. “What is this place?” 

Capper walked past the archway and into the broken structure. The moonlight shined through the roofless top and the breath effortlessly flew through the building. “Arch showed me this place earlier. He said it once was were younger guardians came to train, but now it’s just another relic.”

“Well it’s beautiful I’ll give you that,” Luna said as she followed the cat. “But why are we here?”

“Because,” Capper chuckled. “We gotta train.”

“For what?” Luna chuckled.

“Oh I don’t know, maybe for all of the Fallen we’re going to have to fight tomorrow.”

“Aren’t the guardians going to fight them?”

Capper walked to the middle of the open room and ran his paw against the smooth cracked floor. “Ya well, we’re going to have to be prepared to fight just in case things go south.”

“Really?” Luna groaned.

“Come on,” Capper sighed. “You said you didn’t want to talk, so this is the alternative?”

Luna rolled her eyes as she shook her head. “Why do you care so much Capper, honestly?”

“To be honest princess,” Capper said as he started to walk back towards the back wall. “You have no reason to be here, and I don’t understand any of it. Why the Fallen have come, why I have my father’s sword, why I’m a guardian, why any of this is happening, or anything. I’m really just as lost and out of place as you are, and I just want to understand something. I know you, and I do care.” Capper drew his sword and held it up to his face. “I’ve had friends help me before, and I wanna help you. If I can’t understand through your words, then maybe I can through your actions.”







“Spike,” Luna called out. 

The little dragon looked up from his book as the Lunar princess sat down next to him. “What?” Spike said as he looked back down at his book.

Luna took a deep breath before she put her hoof on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

Spike looked up at Luna with wide eyes. Perhaps it was the fact that the two words together never really came from Luna’s mouth. She was a stubborn pony that refused to admit defeat, so to hear the words flow from her mouth was about as unlikely as Discord giving up his chaos.

“For what?” Spike asked as he put his book down.

Luna took another deep breath before she continued. “I know you’ve been mad at me ever since we left Equestria.”

“What divine entity finally told you that?” Spike scoffed as he rolled his eyes.

“No, I’ve seen it. I just was too focused on other things.”

“Let me guess, you’re going to say it’s the Fallen.” Spike opened his book and continued to read.

“Actually, no,” Luna sighed. “It’s been, Celestia.”

Spike’s head popped up in utter shock at the truth. He knew the truth but he never expected Luna of all creatures to admit it. “we...I k... that’s  rig..” His words staggered and fell apart as he tried to muster up one sentence.

“But you already knew that didn’t you?” Luna smiled as she chuckled at his reaction.

“Ya, I did know that, but like, why are you telling me sorry?” 

Luna sighed as she looked up at the night sky. “Because I am.”

“Ok,” Spike said slowly. “But like why, why now?”

Luna looked down at the ground as she started to laugh. “Let’s just say reality came up and slapped me in the face.”

“What do you mean, did something happen?”

Luna continued to stare at the ground as she continued to laugh. It was a bit of a story to tell the little dragon, but it was one that she kind of wanted to keep to herself. It was certainly an adventure to behold and she didn’t even know how to start to comprehend what had conspired. Instead, she tried to recap on everything that had happened that night; it all happened because Capper wanted her to show since she couldn’t tell.





“Capper!” The princess called out. She was alone in the room where the cat had been in only moments before. She walked over to the spot at the wall where he was before he disappeared. She looked for any signs of where he could have gone, but the only thing she found was something that horrified her. 

In the rubble laid a picture of a familiar pony, Barry Tarts. Luna used her magic to pick the picture up and head it closer to her face. She flipped it around to see that the back was covered in blood. Luna gasped as she quickly let the picture drop to the floor. She backed up from the photo as blood began to ooze across the floor.

“Luna.” Luna gasped as a voice called out to her. “Luna,” the voice called out again. The voice wasn’t particularly unsettling as it sounded normal and calm. It was the fact that it came from the horrifying photo. The photo flipped over and revealed Barry Tarts staring right at her. 

“It’s rude to ignore someone.” The picture came to life as blood oozed from Barry’s eyes and mouth. Luna stepped back as her gaze stayed locked on the picture. “Did you think you got rid of me?” Barry taunted as he laughed. “I’m just getting started!” His voice turned to a low deep growl.

Luna turned and sprinted towards the entrance. She looked back to see that the blood continued to spread across the floor. She didn’t stop at the entrance; she ran till she was fully clear of the building. However, her actions were useless as she came to discover. When she reached where the outside world has been she was met only with a bright light. Luna shielded her eyes from its intensity but continued forward. She passed past a doorway and into a familiar room. The walls were made of beautiful crystal and glimmered in the morning sunlight. Luna froze as she realized it was Flurry Hearts room.

The princess turned to quickly leave the room only to realize that the doorway was gone. Luna put her hooves against the wall and began to pound on it. She was shaking when a laugh came from inside the room. Its devious tone sent a shiver up her spine and caused her body to lock up. She turned around to see Barry Tarts sitting in a chair holding Flurry Heart. He rocked back and forwards with her as she giggled and smiled at him.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” Barry whispered. 
Luna only stayed stuck to the wall as her mind failed to react in any way.

 “I’ve killed dozens of beautiful babies just like her in my time.” Barry looked up at the horrified princess. He smiled as he held Flurry Heart up in the air. “You know the funny part?” 

Luna gave no response as he continued to play with the young alicorn. “The guards that found the first few children could have stopped me, but they chose not to say a word of what they saw. They saw things that others wouldn’t have believed, and so they kept what they saw a secret, and I was free to continue my work.” Barry hugged the little alicorn and held her forward towards Luna. “What did you see Luna, and what didn’t you tell?” 

Flurry Heart began to gag and choke for air. Barry wrapped his hooves around the young pony’s neck and squeezed as hard as he could. Luna gasped as she could hear Flurry Heart’s bones crack and snap. Her face turned dark purple as her eyes turned blood red. She flailed her hooves as she tried to get away, but to no avail. “So precious are they not?” Barry threw the pony aside and stood up. His bones cracked as his eyes turned black. Luna backed up and realized that there was all of a sudden a door behind her. Without questioning where it led, she ran through it. 

She ran through a long dark hallway towards another bright light. Once she reached the light she saw Celestia sitting on a chair in front of a stone fireplace.

“Celestia!?” Luna cried out.

“Luna?” Celestia gasped as she turned around to meet Luna’s frightened eyes. “What’s wrong?”

Luna ran up to her sister and turned around to the dark hallway. “It’s Flurry, she… she…” Luna’s words staggered and fell before they could form anything.

“What? What’s wrong with Flurry Heart?” Celestia sat up and put her hooves on Luna’s shoulders.

“She…” Luna spoke the words, but nothing could be heard. Luna froze as Celestia gave no response. She spoke the words again, but once again no sound came from her mouth.

“Sister,” Celestia pleaded. “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.” Luna tried and tried again to scream a single word, but nothing came out. “Luna!” Celestia begged. “Please I’m just trying to help.” Luna’s silence only continued as she started to cry and scream. “Sister please don’t do this to me again,” Celestia said as she stepped back from Luna.

Luna froze as she saw that Barry started to walk from the other room and down the dark hallway. Luna screamed as she tried to warn her sister; her silence was all that emerged. She tried pointing with her hoof, but she wasn’t able to lift it. In fact, none of her hooves would move no matter how much she tried.

“Forget it, Luna,” Celestia sighed. “You don’t have to tell me, you can just go.” Celestia sat back down in her chair as she stared at the ground. Luna continued to try and warn her sister, but nothing but silence got through. 

Barry slowly walked into the room and up to Celestia who remained unaware of his presents. Luna screamed on and on as tears fell to the floor. Barry smiled at Luna before he raised his black hoof over Celestia.

“What’s that?” Barry taunted. “I can’t hear you.” He watched as the princess collapsed to the floor. “I’m trying to understand Luna, but I can’t if you won’t tell me.” Luna looked up at the pony just as spike emerged from the end of his black hooves. “Oh well, I won’t force you to tell me.” 

Celestia screamed as he drove the black spike into the back of her neck. Luna screamed as loud as she could, and that time the sound came out. The full force of the room shook the room as Celestia fell to the floor. Luna got up and walked forward. She screamed as she shot a beam of magic at Barry. He was sent across the room and slammed hard against the wall. Luna ran up the Celestia and picked her up. 

“Celly!” Luna cried as she held her sister’s limp body in her hooves.

“Really?” Barry laughed as he rolled over on his back. “Now you’re going to cry to her?”

“Shut up!” Luna screamed as her voice broke. “I’ll kill you, you piece of shit!” Luna jumped up and ran over to Barry.

“Oh baby,” He laughed. “I am never more alive, than when I’m dead.”

“Go to hell!”  Luna screamed as she shot another beam at him. His body disappeared into black smoke that vanished.

Luna breathed heavily as she stood over the shadow of the killer. She turned around with her head down only to be met with the sight of her sister standing. “Celly?” Luna gasped. Celestia stood as her body twitched. The black hole in her neck slowly disappeared as Celestia twitched more violently. “Celly?” Luna cried. 

Celestia turned around and smiled at the lunar princess. Luna backed up as she saw the red glistering eyes stare back at her. Celestia tilted her head as she started to laugh. “Oh, Luna,” She taunted. Celestia’s hair caught in a great blaze of flames. Her pupils became thin and snake-like as her teeth became fangs. “What was it that you were trying to tell me?” Celestia gave a devious grin as her fangs penetrated through her mouth. 

“Come on, let’s talk now.”






Capper ran for his life as he held his bleeding side. He turned to see a large skinless black cat chasing him. It was several feet taller than him and had much larger fangs and claws. Capper looked down at his sword that laid at rest in its scabbard. He put his paw on the handle and pulled out just enough for him to see a bit of the blade. He stared into its reflective surface. It was when he got a glance at the cat in the reflection that he quickly shut the blade back into the scabbard and put it back on his back. 

He eventually made it to a dark stone cave that seemed to have no end. He looked back to see that he had outrun the beast; he could only hear its roars. He ran down the hallway without looking back. He looked down to see that there were mysterious holes in the floor with beams of light coming from them. He stopped and looked through one of them. He gasped at the sight that he saw. “Luna.”


Luna ran through the halls of the palace that she called her home, but now they were ignited as flames ate at all of their memories.  Luna screamed as a stream of flames flew past her face. She looked up to see her sister flying over her head. Like the great serpents of the north, she breathed fire from her mouth and at the Lunar princess. Luna continued to run until she made it to another door. Without hesitation, she ran through it and landed hard against the ground. 

“Luna!” Cried a familiar voice.

Luna looked up to see a stallion standing over her. It was a unicorn with a golden mane, and white coat, and a flaming crescent moon cutie mark. 

“Dad?” Luna whispered. The stallion smiled at her and picked her off of the ground. Luna stared at him as she breathed heavily. She jumped as the sound of fire approached the door. Luna screamed as she turned and shut the door just in time as a few flames went past the door and burnt her arm. “What are you doing here?” Luna cried as she struggled to hold the heating door.

“I came to see you,” the stallion sighed. 

“You’re going to die if you stay here,” Luna grunted as she pushed hard against the door.

“Lulu, you know I died a long time ago.” The stallion smiled as he saw the shock in Luna’s eyes.”

“No!” Luna shouted. “You’re here,” She cried.

“Lulu, this isn’t real, or at least it’s something weird.”

“What?” Luna said with her breaking voice.

“You were with the cat in the training room or whatever, remember?”  The stallion smiled as he walked up to the door and put his hoof on it. Suddenly the door became cold and stopped shaking. He looked down at the confused princess who slid to the ground.

Luna shook as her mind raced to remember what had happened. Capper and she had a fight and then he led her to the room he said was for training guardians. She looked up as she remembered that Capper went to the wall and then somehow vanished, and that’s when everything else happened. 

“What did he do to me?” Luna whispered.

“I don’t know,” the stallion sighed. He looked down as Luna screamed at her burning arm. He sat down next to her and put his hoof on her head. 

Luna started to cry as the images of Flurry and her sister raced through her head. “Why would he do this to me?” Luna cried.

“I don’t know Lulu,” the stallion sighed. “I think he thought it would help.”

“Help!” Luna cried out as she held her singed arm. “He’s trying to kill me.” Luna cried as she leaned and fell over into the stallion’s lap. 

He smiled as he rubbed her head. “No Lulu, he cares about you.”

“He doesn’t care about me,” Luna cried. “No one cares about me.” Luna started to sob as the stallion hugged her.

“You don’t believe that,” the stallion whispered. “You have a lot of friends and family that care about you, you just have to stop pushing them away.”

“I h-have -t-t-to,” Luna sobbed. “They’ll think I’m crazy.”

“Maybe, but you can’t keep all of this locked up forever.” The stallion chuckled and looked up at the ceiling. “Trust me when I say there are always consequences to keeping these kinds of things quiet.”

“What happened last time.” Luna scoffed as she looked up at him.

“Doesn’t matter,” He smiled. “It’s all about what happens this time.” The stallion set Luna aside and stood up.

“What are you doing?” Luna said as she sat up and whipped her face.

“I have to go,” he sighed. “But you’ll be fine, you’re strong.”

“Please don’t go,” She cried. “I don’t want to die.”

“Then move.”

“What?”

“You need to move,” The stallion said as he looked up at the door.

Luna looked up at the door as it started to turn red hot and melt. She jumped out of the way just before the door burst into flames and flew across the room. Luna caught as ash and rubble covered her. She looked up to see the bright flame of Celestia.

“There you are,” Celestia smiled. 

“Celly please,” Luna pleaded.

“Celly is gone,” Celestia laughed. “I broke the day, and now I’ll break the night.” Luna just laid on the floor as an ocean of flames built up around Celestia. “If only you had told me the truth. If only you didn’t push me away and didn’t think about yourself.” Luna watched in defeat as a stream of flames hurled towards her.

“Luna!” Capper landed in front of her and drew his sword. The flames were stopped by his light and bounced away from the blade. “Luna get up!” the cat shouted. Luna just sat up and looked up at the cat with rage burning in her eyes. “Capper sighed as he looked at her and then back at the fire horse. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. I honestly don’t know what the hell happened to be honest.”

“Just go,” Luna whispered as her head dropped. “This is what you wanted, so just let it happen.”

“Luna…” Capper was cut off as he got blasted back by the fire.

“You heard the pony,” The fire horse laughed. “She’s sad, and the fire will take away her pain.” The pony laughed as she shot a beam of fire at the defeated Lunar princess.

“No!” Capper jumped in the way and with one arm he held back the fire with his blade. His other arm hung by his side with burnt flesh. “This isn’t what I wanted Luna, I just wanted to help.” Capper pushed against the fire but was slowly failing.

“And this is what you wanted,” Luna sighed as she sat up. “Just let her do it, it’s my fault she’s like that to me.”

“I won’t Luna,” Capper grunted. “Help me,” he growled.

“Help you?” Luna chuckled. “You did this,” She growled. “This is what you wanted!” Her voice went above even the flames.

“No, it’s not!” Capper shouted.

“Then what did you want!” Luna stood up.

“I...I look at this blade and what I see in it horrifies me.” Capper stared into the blade as it clashed with the fire. “It brings up everything I’ve tried to run away from. So now it’s hard to draw without knowing about him….” Capper froze and got pushed back by the fire. “I just didn’t want the moon or yourself for that matter to become that reminder of whatever it is you’re trying to run from.”

Luna stood as she watched the cat continue to struggle with the fire. She heard his screaming as his other arm started to fry. His fur was blown off of his arm and his skin started to rot away, but he still didn’t stop fighting. 

“Do you actually care?” Luna whispered.

Capper shouted as he pushed back against the fire. He growled as he started to push the flames back. With every step forward more of him got burnt, but his path forward was inevitable. His steps led him closer to the fire pony until they were face to face. 

“Yes, I do!” With one shout he swung the blade and a bright golden light filled the room and collapsed the roof.


“Luna!” Capper jumped up. 

He looked around to see that he was laying on the cool floor of the roofless building. He looked up to see the familiar night sky and the moon that had put the events into motion. He sighed in relief as he let his body drop. He looked at his arms to see that there were no signs of the fire he had fought. He took a deep breath before he jumped to his feet.

 “Luna,” he called out. He heard her groans as she stood up and staggered around. He sighed again as he laughed. He walked up to the princess and sat down next to where she had fallen. He looked at Luna as she rubbed her head. She made eye contact with him and an angry flush over her face.

“I just want to say…” Capper gulped and took another deep breath. “If you hate me I don’t blame you because I hate me too.”
> Radi-Claw
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The wind seemed to freeze along with the cat’s expression. Capper stood frozen in place with his mouth half-opened. His eyes were locked in a battle of disbelief and disharmony. “What did you say?”  

“I said I’m sorry.” Luna sat at the edge of a cliff that overlooked the guardian’s palace. She took long deep breaths as she stared down. Her eyes were fixed on little lanterns that flew low to the ground.

“You’re sorry?” Capper said slowly as he sat down next to her.

 Luna nodded her head and slowly turned to face the cat. “I really don’t belong here. I’m just…” Luna sighed and looked up at the bright night sky.

 “Luna,” Capper said as he gave a little chuckle. “You have a pretty good reason to be pissed at me. I really messed up with the whole nightmare thing “

 “I know Capper, that’s why I blasted you.” Luna looked at Capper’s arm which was slightly burnt from the lunar princess’ magic. “I’m not saying sorry for that. I’m sorry for everything else.”

 Capper chuckled as he rubbed his arm. “What did you see anyway?”

 Luna looked up and sighed. “At first, I thought it was just horror, a nightmare, but now I get it. I saw what I needed to.” Luna turned back to gaze at the large and bright moon. “Thank you.” 

Capper watched as the Lunar princess flew off into the night. He smiled as he knew where she was going.



 

“That sounds horrible!” The little dragon shouted.

 “Yeah, it was. The room... it makes you see things and Capper knew.” Luna laughed. “You should have seen his face when I blasted him.”

 Spike put aside his book as he joined in with the laughter. “So, you’re all good then?”

 Luna squinted as she tilted her head. “Eh, I’m still trying to figure something out.”

 “Well, let me know when you figure out.”

“Spike,” Luna sighed. “I know you’re mad at me, you have been for quite a while now.”

 Spike cleared his throat as he looked back at his book. “I’m not mad because you won’t say anything to me, I was mad because you pushed everything else away and just worried about yourself, like always.”

 “Always?” Luna whispered.

 “Yeah, you never stop and think about what we go through,” Spike whispered back.

 “We?”

 “Yes Luna, we.” Spike stood up as he dropped his book. “I mean Discord has been through so much, and he hasn’t put it off on anyone. He’s right here trying to help once again.”

Luna froze as the reality hit her. Discord had been through much more than she had bothered to think about. He had been torn apart by demons, and ghosts, and more horrifying monstrosities. He had seen things that had scared him and would follow him forever. 

“I’m sorry,” She whispered. 

“I mean I went into one of his dreams and that was all I ever want to be in,” Spike continued his rant without acknowledgment. “I wish you would see what really is at stake here. We’re going to die, and …”

 “Spike,” Luna shouted. Spike jumped back as he froze in place. “I’m really sorry, but I get it now. I’m sorry it took so long, but I hear you.”

“Do you?” Spike groaned.

 “Yes, I do. I’m repeating the same mistake I’ve been through time and time again. I’m also pushing you away, and we’ve clearly seen that we can’t take on any of this by ourselves.”

 Spike walked over and sat in front of Luna. “Isn’t that the truth? We really got to stick together with these things, especially since it’s obvious we’re not going to stop this anytime soon.”

 Luna chuckled at the thought of being full-time ghost hunters. “Yeah, and we will, I promise.”

 Luna and Spike rejoined the group who were still busy preparing for their hyped battle. Capper awaited them with a big smile as he knew what had conspired. With that, the group set out on their final journey. The plan was simple, and that’s precisely why Capper felt uneasy about it. He had learned from experience that things were never simple and usually didn’t work out how he wanted it to. Surely this would be another one of those situations. 

Arch and Stellar started messing with the weapons they pulled out. Shira went over to Arch with cross arms.

"Give me a gun," she ordered.  

"You know I can't do that," Arch replied sternly. 

"Why not? You know I can fight and we are going to need all the help we can get," she snapped. Arch didn't say anything. She signed. 

"You know why. He shouldn't have come here, to begin with..."

"What do you mean?" Capper jumped in.

Shira groaned. "You wanted to know why he was mad at me..."

"The sword was supposed to be given to another guardian," Arch admitted. Capper's eyes widened. 

"What?"

"We didn't want to risk you having it. Your father had the ability to see into the future and the other guardians didn't like this power. They didn't want you to get the same power," he explained.

"And giving me the sword will higher the chances," Capper finished. 

"Yes. I had nothing against you having it. I was just aware of the problems it would cause," Arch said. 

Shira glazed at Capper's sword. "Look, I'm sorry." Her voice was calm and more serious. "Just know everything I did was to help. Now all I'm asking for is for you to trust me." 

Arched refused to make any eye contact with her and thought to himself. His better judgment was talking him not to but she was right. This was going to a big fight and failure wasn't an option. Despite how things were done, they did it for the same reason. They were on the same side.

He finally pulled out a small glowing golden pistol and handed it to her. "Don't make me regret this."

"When have I ever?" she asked with a sarcastic smile.

"I mean it."    

Stellar rolled his eyes and turned to the others. "You're going to want one of these." He then faced Capper. "Capper, come with me."

"Why?"

"You'll see." He grabbed Capper's paw and took him to the other room. 

Discord was the first to glance over at all of the weapons they brought out. "We don't really have guns in Equestria." He paused and reached over for something that did catch his eye. "However, I am pretty good with a bow and arrow." 

"You? Really?" Luna asked doubtfully. 

"Level 30 archer in Ogres & Oubliettes," Discord stated proudly as he placed the arrow on the bow. 

"Your experience is from a role-playing game?" Luna had to stop herself from laughing. 

"That's 36 hours of campaigning there. Also, it was the real-life edition," Discord added. Spike pulled out a random apple and threw it high in the air. Discord quickly aimed up at it and released the arrow. They all watched as the arrow hit the apple and fall to the ground. Discord gave Luna a smug smile. 

"Okay, you got me. That was impressive," Luna admitted. 

"That was what I thought." 

"Let's hope it's enough," Arch said. 

Spike walked up to the helmets and touched its slick slender surface; its various spikes and thorns that line its top. A see-through cover that would shield his eye. He started down next to the matching set of armor. A thick metal chest plate followed by a metal spike ball.  

“What is this for?" Spike lifted the ball spike of the armor.

“It goes on your tail, bud,” Arch said. 

“Wait?! The tail is going to be my main weapon?!” 

He laughed. “No.” He pointed to the wall. “That is.”

Spike stood mesmerized by the shimmering aura that was the glorious blade that seemed to have a faint glow of gold. The blade and the handle were connected by an eye that stood dauntless in the dark atmosphere. Spike looked around before grabbing a sword. 

"You know how to use that?" Luna asked.

Spike shrugged and chuckled. "Course I do...kinda...I hope."

Shira leaned over to Big Mac and whisper: "He's dead."

"Eyup."

"I am going to stick to using my magic," Luna said to Arch. 

"They're quite resistant to magic, princess." He pulled out a sword. "Take it. Just in case." To his surprise, Luna actually took the sword from him and nodded. 

"Very well then." 

"Now what about me?" Big Mac spoke up. 

Shira and Arch stared at each other than at Big Mac. Arch went back to the fireplace where all the weapons were and pulled out a small box. He then returned to the group and went by Big Mac. He opened the box and showed him what was inside. It was a small gold bracelet with a green amulet in the middle of it. He took it out and put it on Big Mac's right hoof. The bracelet immediately started lighting up. 

"These were used by the young Guardians when they first start training on how to use their weapons. It was made by the powers of Guardians so it shall work wear magic will not. All you have to do is pick a weapon and it will move with you. Just think about what you want it to do and it will do it," Arch explained.  

Big Mac then noticed that a giant ax was lighting up with the same color as the amulet. He slowly trotted up to it and carefully examined it. He took a deep breath and try concentrating. It slowly began to lift off the ground. His eyes widened at the sight, realizing that he was doing this. 

The other watched amazed. He slowly lifted higher off the ground till it was slightly above his head. Then the ax swung left and right. His smile grew bigger at this. The others shook their heads and giggled at his excitement. He began swinging the ax faster with each second; left and right, left and right. He kept going faster and faster. However, he soon lost his grip as the ax flew at lightning speed away from him. Shira quickly jumped out of the way only missing it by an inch. The ax hit the window behind her instead and breaking the glass on impact. 

There was a small awkward moment of silence as they all look at Big Mac with concern.

"Ummm sorry."

"Want to try not to kill me?!" Shira yelled at him. 

"Yeah, leave that to The Fallen," Capper joke causing Shira to look angrily at him. 

"I will help you control that," Arch said carefully. Big Mac only blushed and covered his face with a hoof. 

Then as if on cue Stellar came out with Capper following him from behind in his Armor. 

Capper was wearing a tall and strong golden armor. The armor was a crest in the gold lining and looked like shining metal made of diamonds. It had golden wings attached to the back of the shoulder blades. The wings were made of pure light that looked like double-edged blades. It came with a golden belt made of gold leather. The helmet encased the chin and head leaving the ears and face untouched. The legs had simple plating that looked softer and actually kinda comfortable.

They were all in awe at the sight. Capper truly looked like a guardian. 

"C-capper, you look amazing," Luna said. 

"Why thank you, princess." Capper did a pose and admire himself. 

"Wow, you look like a God," Discord shouted. "I'm almost jealous." 

"Eyup."

"It was your father," Shira spoke as she walked around him, glazing at the armor. 

Capper glanced at his armor covered arms. "I still can't believe this. It seems unreal."

"It always does," Arch said. 

"Right," Stellar started to say. "Now we have that out of the way, we leave within the hour."

Capper looked up at the sky and pulled out his sword. Everything that he been through led up to this very moment. He didn't want to believe that this was what he was. Just not too long ago he was a con-artist that was fighting against the world. But now he was here fighting for it. He wondered what his father would think. What he would say about his son following in his footsteps? This was the life his father lived and it was time for Capper to take his place. 

"Okay, let's do this."
> The Furnale
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stellar went over the plan with the rest of the guardians in which a few objected to the idea. 

 “Ya, why would you want to send me to do it?” Capper asked.

“It’s because they wouldn’t be able to sense your weakened power. You’ll be able to slip by unnoticed.” 

“Ok ya, but like what do I do when I get to the gate?”

“You just have to open this and read it out loud,” Shira said as she handed him the scroll.

“I don’t even know how to read this,” Capper scoffed.

“Don’t worry,” Arch said as he patted the orange cat on the back. “I’ll teach you.”

“Hey!” The group all turned to see Spike marveling at the front window. “I think we’re here.” 

 The cart halted to a stop in front of a large mountain. Various carvings and large golden statues. It was actually quite a beautiful sight to behold under normal circumstances. However, the atmosphere was stained with the looming send of fear and dismay. A foul stench of rotting flesh and angered spirits laid waste to the lovely mountain.

 “This is it,” Shira whispered. “The gate is straight down that path.”

 Capper looked out the window and down the cave. He could only see bright lights and more beautiful décor. “It’s nicer than I thought.”

 “It was built by guardians,” Arch boasted. “Of course, it’s nice.”

 Arch walked over to Capper and put his paws on his shoulders. “Are you ready for this?”

 “No,” Capper gulped. “But there’s no going back now."

"Go now," Arch ordered before looking at Spike. "You dragon, go with him."

They both nodded and ran off.

"Good luck," Luna called to them. 

Arch stepped carefully down the bright path. His breath was steady, and his feet were light. He glanced behind him to see the other slowly following behind. He looked above him where he knew Capper and Spike were. It was decided that the two were the best for flanking the enemy. Capper was weak and Spike was small, they were a great team.

Arch waved his hand as the sound of a rock hitting the ground could be heard in the distance. The rest of the guardians froze and raised their weapons. They were shocked when a slow clap slowly approached them. Suddenly a large four-legged black creature walked around a hidden corner in front of the group. Arch gasped as he remembered the creature from when he had first started his journey.

“Arch,” The creature called out. “Surprise to see you here. Could I help you with anything?”

“Yeah,” Arch called back. “We’re looking for a special gate. If you could point us in the right direction, we’ll be on our way.”

The creature chuckled at the remark and lowered huge claws that hid between his fingers. “The only gate you need to worry about is the one that leads you to Hell!” The creature shot out a wave of black shards that tore through the walls. 

Arch jumped over the wall and Stellar mirrored his actions.

“We’ve prepared a part for you, Arch. You should be grateful.”

"I'll be grateful when you're dead," Arch shouted as he aimed and shot at the creature. 

Shira and Stellar joined in as the three of them continued to shoot. The creature laughed as the bullets simply bounced off his skins, taking no damage at all. 

"You are going to need to do better than that. I was hoping for a challenge," It mocked them.

Luna teleported from behind and shot a blast at it. The creature cried out as it hit him causing him to fall to the ground. Luna flew up in the air and charged at it at full speed, ready to give it a stab with the sword. However, just as she swung the sword, something launched and impacted her side, crashing both of them on the ground. 

Luna stood and saw what struck her. It was the same entity that she first encounter back at Barry Blast's house. 

"You got to be kidding!" She cried as it roared at her. It took a moment to shake its head and regain its senses. It then looked out in the distance and ran off. 

"It's going after Capper and Spike!" Shira cried.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Luna said as she flew off after it. 

The black creature shot a smoky black orb at Luna but Arch was able to jump up and block it with his shield. The smoke orb slowly harden and turned into a crystal as it hit the shield. "Not so fast. You get to deal with us." 

The creature smirked. "So be it." The creature shouted in a foreign language. The words it spoke drew out other Fallen that crashed through the floor. 

Shira looked over at Discord. "Go with Luna. She'll need backup." 

"Got it!" Discord said and he ran where Luna flew off to.

Big Mac, Shira, Stellar and Arch formed a circle, standing back to back with each other. 

"Stay close!" Stellar ordered. "You two get the smaller ones. Arch and I will deal with the big one." 

One of the Fallen launched at Big Mac, claws sticking out. Big Mac lifted his ax up and swung it upright, hitting it on the bottom jaw and face. The force caused the creature to be flung several feet back. Before it could stand back up though, Big Mac threw the ax at it. The ax then spun right into its head. It fell limp to the ground, dead with a pool of black blood surrounding its head. 

Shira stepped back in shock. "Not bad."

"Thanks."

Another one of the Fallen shot a beam at Shira and Big Mac but Shira was able to block it will her shield, knocking her back a few steps. It jumped on top of Shira as she used the shield to prevent it from biting her. She struggled as it clawed at her roughly. Big Mac lifted his ax from where it had landed and brought it to him. He then struck the Fallen at its side and knocked it off of Shira. Shira quickly stood up and hit its head with the shield before pulling out the pistol and shooting it in the head.

Stellar and Arch then braced themselves and started shooting the main black creature again. It shot out more of the smoky black orb at them. Stellar moved to the side to avoid it while Arch used his shield again. 

Stellar dropped his gun and pulled out his sword. The sword then lit up as Stellar got ready to fire. The Black creature smirked and fired as well. The blast met midair and exploded violently close to the creature, causing it to cover its face. Arched then jumped up and land down to punched it, throwing it at the ground. 

Arch went to punch it again when the creature grabbed his wrist. He lifted Arch up and then slammed him hard on the ground. Arch's helmet fell off on impact. He groaned but was able to quickly use his shield to block the oncoming punch. 

Stellar jumped above them both and shot a beam at the creature's head forcing it to stop its attack on Arch and shield itself.  Arch took this opportunity to grabbed his gun and shoot at its face. There was a loud roar as it stepped back away from them. 

Arch and Stellar charged towards the Black creature together with Stellar's sword and Arch's Shield's glowing but the creature blew both of them away with a big blast before they could react. Arch, no longer wearing his helmet, fell to the ground and cried out in pain as the crystal pierced at his face. Stellar got up and threw his sword at it. The creature easily dodged it by back away. Stellar got his gun and started shooting at it. 

The creature kept walking up to Stellar as he fired away. As it drew closer to him, Stellar started backing up. He tried reloading his gun, however, wasn't able to do fast enough and the creature swung at his side, slaming him to the wall of the cavern. Stellar fell limp. It grabbed him by his neck and slammed Stellar to the ground over and over again until Stellar made no movement. It then threw Stellar right next to the daze Arch. 

It looked over and watched as Big Mac and Shira killed off the last of the smaller Fallen. They both gasped in horror at the sight of the guardians. 

"Arch!" Shira cried out. 

The Black Creature laughed. "You all have potential. I'll give you that. But sadly, it isn't enough to stop me." 

Shira breathed heavily as anger build up in her. "Won't stop us from trying."

"Eyup!" Big Mac agreed. 

They got their weapons ready and charged. The creature laughed again and charged back at them. 

Luna shot a blast of her magic at the Entity which back away from it then shooting a blast of its own at her. Luna made a shield to block it. They were in a small cave within the mountain. 

"I will make you pay for every nightmare you put Barry Blast through!" she shouted. The Entity only roared in response. 

Discord aimed and shot an arrow at the Entity's side. It growled and saw Discord standing in the distance. It started making its way to him when Luna stabbed it on its back. It cried out loudly in pain. 

Luna kept the sword in and held a tight grip. It shook itself around, trying to get Luna off of its backs. Luna screamed as she tried everything she could to not let go and pushed the sword even deeper into the Entity. Discord got another arrow and shot it at its belly. It roared and desperately tried to get Luna away. It put its claws behind its head and tried grabbing Luna. Luna moved around to make sure it couldn't grab her. 

Unfortunately, the Entity got ahold of Luna's mane and threw her off of it and right into the ground. Luna screamed as she put a hoof on her head. It lifted Luna up and lit up its claw. Discord shot the arrow at its claws causing the creature to let Luna go and backed away from her. Luna landed on the ground and groaned. 

She put a hoof on her bad wing. She knew she was pushing it more than she should. The doctor told her to be careful when she started flying again. She thought she would be able to fight with it but it appeared that it was now catching up to her.  She didn't know if she could even get up without it hurting.   

Discord ran in front of Luna and shot at the creature back. 

"You okay?" Discord asked.

"I'll live. I hope."

"How can we stop this thing?! It just won't die!" Discord freaked out.

Luna slowly stood herself up and watched Discord shoot another arrow at it. "I'm thinking." 

"I'm running low on arrows!" Discord panicked. 

"I'm thinking!" Luna shouted. 

The Entity shot a blast of crystal at them. Discord grabbed Luna from behind and dragged them both to the ground to dodge it. The blast hit the side of the cave. The ground shook a little and Vvbrated from underneath them. Pebbles and huge chucks of rocks fell from the ceiling. Luna formed a bubble shield around them. The Entity growl and tried not to hit by the rocks. Discord and Luna saw this and stared at each other. 

"You thinking what I'm thing?" Discord smirked. 

"Cover me." The bubble disappeared and Luna started running towards it. Her side hurt a lot at this point but she pushed herself and lit up her horn. 

The Entity got ready to shoot at Luna when an arrow struck its claw again. Luna fired another blast at it and send it flying further into the cave. It quickly got up, its eyes glowing bright red now. Luna stood in front of it with a smirk. It swung its claw at her. Luna's horn lit up and she teleported away. It frantically looked around the cave for her. It felt another sharp pain on its arm. It looked down and saw another arrow. 

It stared up and saw Discord already aiming at it. It roared and ran really fast at Discord. He made no attempt to run away or shoot any more arrows at it. He just stood still. It ran up to him and swung at him. However, when its claw made contact with Discord, its claw went right through him. It kept clawing at him but Discord stood unharmed. 

"What's wrong? You seem to be confused about something,"  Discord teased. "Fun fact about us Soul Dreamers: with enough power, we can choose who can see us." 

Its ear perked up to the sound of a whistle. It turned around and saw a smiling Luna standing in the distance with a sleeping Discord behind her. 

"Talk about being double-crossed." Discord made a blue orb and pointed it up in the air. "Now Luna!" 

Luna shot one big final blast up at the ceiling and Discord shot his orb. It only could widen its eyes as the entire cave started to rumble and shake. Big chunks of rock sorry falling down from the ceiling, hitting the creature and knocking it to the ground as a slowly got buried in the rubble. Luna formed another bubble around them until the dust cleared off. 

Discord's eyes opened and he stood up. They stayed quiet and stared at the piled of rocks that now buried the Entity. They both took a breath of relief when there were no signs of it getting up. It was out cold.  

"At least that can buy us some time," Luna panted.

"Hopefully, enough." Discord got his bow and the remaining arrows. Luna dropped the shield down. "Okay, let's join Capper and Spike."

"Shouldn't we go help the others?" Luna suggested.  

"They'll be fine. They got all the backup they need." 

"Okay then. Let's go," Luna agreed. 

The two then ran off to help Capper and Spike. They could only pray that Capper had already sealed the gate.

Capper crawled through a tight space with Spike behind them. The two jumped at the sound of shooting and loud explosions. Capper looked back at Spike and gave him a small nod. Spike nodded back and the two continued on their path. Eventually, they made it to an opening with many bright lanterns flying through the air.

“Is this it?” Spike asked.

“No,” Capper whispered back. “That’s it.” Capper pointed ahead towards a weird distortion in space. The crack in space glowed and shot sparks out in all directions. “Do you have the scroll?”

“Yup,” Spike said as he pulled it out. The two ran towards the gate only to be stopped by a familiar sight.

“Hello there.” The creature stepped from around the corner and greeted to two with a smile. Luna and Discord ran in and gasped at the sight.

Arch was flung to the ground as two Fallen jumped on him. Stellar grabbed one of the Fallen and pulled it off one of his soldiers. Arch pulled out his sword and began to slash at the Fallen’s face. The creature roared as it jumped back. Arch stood up and threw the sword straight into its head.

The squad stood with their weapons shined bright. The Fallen staggered and were pushed back by the sheer wave of projectiles. Alas, the Fallen shot back with black shards and large pillars. The squad separated as they avoided certain death.

“We can’t give up!” Stellar shouted. “Not until the kid can make it.”

Big Mac ran up to Arch and kicked the Fallen that was dragging him across the floor. Two of the Fallen jumped on Big Mac from behind and they pinned him and Arch to the ground. Shira tried shooting them but got shot by the crystal orb and fell to the ground. Another one of the Fallen put a claw to her neck letting her know not to move. 

Luna tried to help Shira by blasting the thing in the face with powerful beams of hatred. The Black Creature noticed this and shot a blast at her. Luna cried as she flew and slammed against a pillar. 

“I expected more from a guardian,” The creature said as it picked Capper off of the ground. “You really are the newbie, aren’t you?” Capper began to chock as the Fallen tightened its grip.

"Capper no!" Luna yelled. She got ready to fired but got clawed in the side by one of the Fallen. She could only cry as she too got pinned down. 

Spike jumped on top of the Fallen and drenched its neck in the fire. The Fallen let go of Capper and stumbled back. The creature grabbed Spike and threw him across the room. Spike hit the wall hard and caused it to crack.

Capper pulled out his sword. He knew he was going to have to fight. 

"Let me finish this one," The Black creature told the other Fallen with a smirk. "I will enjoy watching the light fade from his eyes."

Capper fired a big blast from his sword, blasting it several meters away. It got up effortlessly and returned a blast at Capper. Capper barely jumped out of the way. It grabbed Capper's arm and threw up in the air. Capper only screamed. It then jumped higher just above him and punched Capper into the ground, it creaking underneath him.  

It then shot its crystal blast at him causing Capper to scream louder. 

Luna cried as she couldn't do anything to help him. The others shared similar looks as they knew Capper was no match for the Fallen. He wasn't strong nor experience enough to fight him.

Shira glanced over to Arch. She could only imagine what was going through his mind. He already lost so much family and it was possible to lose the last one he had.

"Arch, I'm sorry. If we-"

"It's okay," he cut her off. "You were only trying to help."

The creature backed away, allowing Capper to weakly stand up. His legs trembled as he fought to keep standing. He threw his sword at the Fallen who casually dodged it. The Fallen then went up to the cat and grabbed him by the neck.

“You are weak and pathetic." It punched Capper in the stomach. "No family, friends...all alone with no one." It punched him in the face. "Ironic how you will die the same way as your parents. Except knowing the things you have done, could they ever be proud of their little baby boy? You're not a guardian. You're barely a person. Just disgrace of everything that your father fought for."

Capper only screamed and grunted with each impact as his armor broke off. But he couldn't tell what was hurting him more. The punches or the words.

"You're the type who wants to be special or who thinks they are. Hoping that something will come out of the misery of your upbringing but that's not how it works, boy. That's not how your story will end. Sometimes a creature simply just dies as nothing. And you will die alone and as nothing. You will fade into a long-forgotten memory." 

Capper coughed out blood. "Maybe." It hurt to speak. "But I-I take...pride going down f-fighting." 

It smirked at him. "Typical." It brought its claws out. 

"No!" Luna cried out as she tried to break from the grip holding her down.

"Before you die, I must know. What made you think that you can get past me?”

“Because,” Capper said as he gasped for air. “I never show all of my cards.” 

The Fallen froze with a puzzled expression before it was doused in fire and light. It dropped Capper and cried out in pain. Discord emerged and brought more fire with him and shot it all at the creature.  

"I think you need this." Discord threw Capper his sword.

"Thanks, Dizzy."

Capper stared down at the creature. "It's strange. There are so many emotions going on in my head. I'm overwhelmed, scared but angry. I am pretty good at keeping my emotions under control. I wonder if that's the guardian part of me. But I wonder what happens when you take every little thing, every thought, and every person that has hurt you and betrayed you and let it all out.” Capper's sword starting glowing brighter and brighter as he spoke. 

The creature tried shooting a blast at Capper who easily dodged it by blocking it with his sword.

"What would happen if you allowed yourself to no longer care and let out everything the world made you hold in?  I lost my parents, I was homeless for most of my life and I was betrayed by those who swore they cared about me. I have been beaten and tortured by this cruel world when all I asked for was just normal life and be loved. I have 20 years of pain and misery that I've just bottled up my entire life. I wonder what that looks like.” His expression darkened as his voice sounded dark and cruel. The sword was doing more than just glowing. It started burning and catching fire. His whole body along with the sword and everything around them started to turn white. 

Every creature was forced to cover their eyes. Then Capper screamed as the big wave of energy released from the sword and spread everywhere around them. A lot of the Fallen shouted as the light burn away their skins until they were nothing but ashes. Some let go of their captive and tried running away.    

After a few seconds, the light began to dim and slowly faded away. When sight returned, Luna saw that many of the Fallens were no longer there. Either ashes or maybe had gotten away. The one who still stood was the main Black Creature who now laid on the ground. 

No one dared to say anything to what they had just witnessed. It was not just unexpected but unbelievable that someone like Capper could do this. Luna only knew him for a short time but even she knew he wasn't one to get angry or to yell easily. There seem to be more going on with the cat's mind. 

Capper ran past Discord, who looked at Capper speechlessly, and the Fallen. He grabbed the scrolled and limped up to the gate. Before he reached it he saw one Fallen sitting next to the portal. It looked calm and almost at peace. Capper slowly walked up to it only to realize that it wasn’t attacking him

“Go ahead,” The creature next to the gate whispered. Capper didn’t respond but he did stop in his tracks. “If you’re going to close the gate then you better hurry.” Capper watched as the creature stared off in the distance with no care of the fight taking place. “It won’t matter, you won’t stop us no matter what you do."

"Only one way to find out." 

The sword and the scroll both lit up and there was a bright light as Capper sealed up the gate for good. 






“You have our gratitude,” Stellar announced. Spike, Luna, Capper, Big Mac, and Discord all stood in front of the squad of guardians. “You fought bravely."

"Awww it was nothing," Spike boosted. "It's just what we do."

"Eyup...but hopefully not any time soon," Big Mac chuckled guiltily. 

"Yeah, agree," Spike nodded.

"We are glad we could help," Luna said with pride.

"And not die in the process of it," Discord added.  

"What now?" Spike asked. 

"We will clean up the mess and make sure all of The Fallen have been killed," Shira answered. "I think it's time that you all go and take a well-deserved break." 

"No kidding," Discord laughed. 

Capper looked confused at them all. "I still don't know what I did in there."

Stellar put an arm around him. "In the heat of the moment, We do things that we aren't sure we should be proud of. We don't know if it's good or bad. Whatever it was, and gave us victory today but I advise you to not overthink it."

Capper kicked a piece of rock on the ground and nodded.

Shira went next to Big Mac and gave him a light pat on the shoulder. "Not bad fighting there." 

"Same for you." He began to take off the bracelet. Shira put her paw on his hoof which stopped him. 

"No, keep it. I have a feeling you will need it," she smiled at him.

"Wait does the mean I can keep the armor?" Spike jumped in hopefully. 

Stellar rolled his eyes. "Sure why not? I guess call a thank you gift for all your help."

"I'm just glad I will be able to inform Barry's parents that everything will be fine for them now," Luna said brightly. 

They all then started to pack up and get ready to leave.

"Hey, kid!” Arch called out. 

“What is it?”

“I just wanted to say that you did good back there.” Arch smiled as he saw the sword on Capper’s back. “The sword suits you; your father would have loved to see it on you.”

Capper gave a weak grin as he imagined the dream outcome. “What actually happened to him?”

“I already told you,” Arch sighed.

“You said they were murdered but you never told me everything, like who did it.”

Arch stared for a few moments before he turned around. “This really isn’t the time for that or the place.” Arch glanced back to meet the cat’s eyes one last time. “And trust me when I say this isn’t the place.” Arch walked off and disappeared around the corner.

Capper stood quietly and took a deep breath.

Luna trotted up to him. "You okay?"

"For now at least." Capper stared at his sword. 

"So you preferred Eris?" Luna joked. 

Capper shrugged. "Maybe..."

"You know when I first saw you at the Friendship Festival, you were the last person I ever thought I would actually meet," Luna admitted. 

"Me and you both," Capper agreed. 

"I wish we could have met on better circumstances, though," Luna said. 

Capper shook his head a little. "I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other more often."

"I'm hoping it's not just when the world needs saving," Luna groaned. 

Capper looked at where Arch left before looking back at Luna. There were so many things he wanted, no, he needed to know. "I'll be around so don't worry."  

"Well, you know where to find me if you ever need anything." she started heading back to the group.

"Luna," Capper called out from behind. "Don't be ashamed of what you are. What you are doesn't make who you are." 

Luna froze for a moment. She looked back at him and simply nodded her head before continuing. She trotted up to the group and Discord smiled at her as he put an arm around her. 

"So what's next, Lulu?"

"Now it's time for me to face my sister?" Luna groaned causing Spike and Big Mac to laugh.

"So glad I'm not you," Spike said. 

"But don't you have to explain this to Twilight? She most likely noticed you being gone by now," Discord pointed out to Spike. Spike stayed quiet as he realized his mistake. His eyes then widened and he put both claws to his face. 

"Oh No! I'm so dead!" 

"Eyup!"
> A Furry Ending
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two Days laters

Discord and I roamed the night streets of Canterlot. I was personally trying to find a way to delay going back to the castle. If things weren’t already bad enough with Celestia, I know I just made it a million times worse. I didn’t even try to defend myself. I just stood there as she yelled at me. I had no good reason for my actions. I wanted to tell her but I couldn’t. 

It was hard keeping quiet but it was better this way. For now at least. “Ready to deal with your sister?” Discord joked.

“No…” I sighed. “But I know that I must.”

“Good luck.”

“Thanks. I mean for everything. I know I don't show it but I am grateful for all that you've done for me the last few months. I know that I have troubles with letting people in and pushing them away I have no idea where I would be had you not came and helped me. You have been through so much and I never took the time to think about it unless it affected me. I was being selfish and I'm sorry. You truly are the best friend anypony can have.” I went up to him and gave him a small hug before pulling away. 

Discord only stared at the ground. There was guilt in his eyes “Yeah well don’t thank me too much.” 

I laughed. “It’s okay to be a softy sometimes, Dizzy.” I started making my way to the castle. It was going to be a very rough morning when Celestia got up.
 
“Luna.” I stopped and stared back at Discord. “I need to tell you something. Now I didn’t say anything before because first I needed to think about it before telling you then everything with Cadance happened and you said it could wait.”

“I recalled that,” I remembered. 

“But it’s time you know the truth…” 
  
I stared blankly at him. I wasn't for sure what's he was referring to. But by the change of his demeanor, it seemed that he had something he was holding onto it for a while now. I trotted close to him. “What?”

“You know when Shredder sends me into your nightmares when my evil clone took you?”

I scoffed. “How can I forget?”

“Well, Shredder was testing me.”

I tilted my head, confused. “Testing you for what?”

“To see who I would save,” he answered. 

“What? I don’t understand.”

“It wasn’t a coincidence that you and I ending up at the cemetery that night,” Discord said with a sigh. “You see, there is this bond that we always had. It never makes sense but somehow we always just worked. There's always a connection between us ever since you were sent to help me with my nightmares. And when all of this started, I just felt like I needed to protect you at all costs. But it wasn't like it was something I had to do as a friend but I needed to do it as a desire. It was the same thing I had with Silver Blitz.  but in the end of the day, I just saved you. I didn't want to choose…” He put his head down. He was trying not to cry. I grabbed his paw and he looked up at me. 

“I never blamed you for that, Discord. And you shouldn’t either. You did the absolute best that you could. More than anyone could have done,” I tried comforting him.

“I think is that it was always going to be you. Shredder knew or at least he was trying to prove that. It's not a coincidence that when your power started so did mine.” 

I thought about it for a moment. “I never realized that.”

“The test was to see how far I would go to save you and I did. Apparently, there's a deeper connection between Soul Dreamers and Psychics.  There are similarities in which we both can see these things. The difference is my lies in my sleep when I physically go there and yours is when you're awake. I can’t see them from out here nor can I do anything to stop them. You can. But when I’m sleeping and go to their world, I can see them and interact with them but you can't go to them in your sleep,” Discord kept explaining. 

“So what does this have to do with us?”

“When you saw the spirit that attacked Cadance, I dreamt about it. We already were connected before we knew it. Soul Dreamers are meant to protect the Psychic. They're like a little guardian or bodyguard to help them in this world.”

 I nodded my head slowly as I was processing everything. “So what you're saying is that you are meant to protect me while I help the living and the dead here in this realm?” 

“Yes and the test was to see if I meant to protect you,” Discord finished.

I put a hoof on my head as it all came together. “It does explain a lot. But why wait to tell me this?”

“There’s more...The thing is that a psychic can go on without a Soul Dreamer but a Soul Dreamer needs a psychic to protect. If they don't their powers get weaken and if it does-”

“Then you lose all connection to the Nethers. Which means you can't help me anymore or will be too weak to,” I finished for him. I almost sounded excited to hear this. Knowing everything he went through, he deserves to be free from this. It shocked me that he kept going on with it when he knew there was a way he could get away. “But you could get away and not have to deal with any of it anymore. You would be free from this life.” 

“But not you…” He quietly said. 

My eyes widened at the realization he was right. There was nothing that could be done for me. I was stuck with this. It all makes sense now. If he left, I would be alone to face it and no one could help me. I felt bad. it was like he was forced to keep going on because of me. I couldn't do that to him. Not again.

“Discord, I know you feel like you have to help me but you don't. You've done so much already. I understand if you're tired and you want to call it quits. I won't fault you for any of it.”  I felt a lump in my throat. It hurt me to say it. I liked that I had Discord to help me when I needed it. But I didn't want to force him either. 

Discord looked at me confused then started laughing. “You kidding me, Luna? My life has become far more interesting and exciting since it all started. Yeah, it's definitely not what I had in mind but I don't regret it. There's a whole world that needs help and seems that we're the only ones who can. It's kind of exciting when you think of it.” 

“It’s also life-threatening,” I reminded him. 

“True but I think we have gone down too far to back away.”

“Discord-”

“Luna, it’s going to be okay,” he assured me. “I want to help you and I want to see where this goes. I have a feeling that our story is only going to get bigger and I wish to not stop it all because I'm afraid. Besides, there are some things me and you can do with our new abilities. Soul Dreamers and Psychics have a few tricks that they can do with each other.” He leaned in closer to me. “If you are willing to let me in.”

I didn't know how to respond or react to any of it. I wanted to yell but cry at the same time.  I didn't want to force people to help me but I do not want to face this alone. And I was so happy that there was someone who is willing to be there for me.  now maybe it was my turn to return the favor and help others. 

“Okay,” I simply said. 

Discord was shocked but none the less smiled as he hugged me this time. 

“Just don’t leave me,” I begged.

He pulled away and smiled brightly at me. “Never.”

“Good.”

“You’ll be okay now?” 

For the first time in a while, I smiled with a confident answer. “Yeah, I think so.”   

“Good,” he said. “So what will you do now?”

I glanced over to the castle. Morning would be coming in a few short hours. “I’m going to ask Shredder to help me with my powers.”

He looked confused at me. “I thought he did.”

“He taught me how to control me seeing them but there is so much more I can do,” I said as my hoof lit a blue orb, only lasting for a few seconds. 

He nodded as he looked down at his paw. “So this is it then? We are really going to do this?”

“I thought we said this back at the Crystal Empire,” I pointed out. 

Discord nodded. “Yes, we brought the idea up but we didn’t fully agree to it.”

I looked up at the moon and chuckled. “Well, are we now?”

Discord laughed. “We really are just filled with surprises, Lulu.” 

“What can I say?” I laughed with him. “You changed me, Dizzy.”

“No, Lulu.” He put his paw on my cheek. “You changed me. You showed me that is it okay to care and to fight for the ones you care about.”

I never thought of it like that before. I always thought about all he has done for me, thinking I didn’t do much for him in return. But it felt nice to know that I helped him, even if it was just a little. It seemed that we helped each other in more ways than we thought. 

I chuckled in defeat. “You sure about this?”

“I have always been sure. So what do you say?” He reached his paw out to me. “Panthers?” 

I stared cautiously at his paw. It was more than just a simple handshake. It was a contract for a whole new life. Once I agreed, there would be no turning back, no thoughts or doubts. It was a commitment and one we both would have to stick to. Even if it wasn't by choice. I thought about everything that I've been through from the start. It was so much but yet it changed me for the better. It was made me into somepony stronger. 

Yeah, it was causing corrals in my life but I also was helping others and there are so many more ponies and creatures out there like us that would need help. And just like I was as a child, they wouldn't have helped unless someone stepped in. It was time not to be afraid and to accept it. I knew I had thought about this before when Discord first brought the idea up but I wasn't sure if I was ready to make that jump. However, I knew now. I grabbed his paw and with determination, shook on it. 

“Panthers.”

The End
> The Final Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

From the Nethers, Shader stood on a mountain and watched Luna and her friends gather their things to return to Equestria. The gate was sealed, Capper had gotten ahold of his father's sword and Fallen had failed. Nothing was going right and they were running out of time. 

Eris flew to his side and sat next to him. A scepter was with her. She knew she didn't have to say anymore to him. His options were very limited now.

"Alright, I admit defeat. Go and do as you please but no harm is to come to Luna." 

Eris laughed darkly. "I wouldn't dream of it." 

She flew off happy that she could now start working on her plan. The Fallen were defeated so:

"I'll get it done myself."  



To be continued...