Chapter I: Mother's Task

(May 11, 1873. Ponyville, Equestria)

Princess Twilight Sparkle smiled brightly as she looked around the finished room, having completed her near-weekly process of reshelving and reorganizing the books in the large library.

"Spike, could you do me a favor and get me a cup of coffee?" she requested.

Her helpful assistant, whom she loved like a brother, nodded and went off to the kitchen. She sat down at the table to relax for the first time in about two days, fifteen hours, and thirty-seven minutes.

But that relaxation and silence was shattered by the sound of the large doors to the library opening, revealing a certain farmer, who appeared frantic.

"Twilight! I need your help!" Applejack cried.

"What's wrong, Applejack?" the bookworm asked.

"It's my farm! Someone's been stealing our apples!"

"Okay. Just calm down. I'll come with you and see if I can find out who or what has been stealing your produce," Twilight said.

As the two walked down the path, Applejack looked all around, trying to spot someone.

"Have you seen who or what has been doing this?" Twilight asked.

"I've seen him around town a few times, but I mainly see him in the orchards. As far as I've been able to tell, he wears a cloak and a mask."

The sound of excited chatter reached their ears, prompting them to look in the direction of it. Applejack’s little sister, Apple Bloom, was sitting with her two best friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, on the balcony of their tree-mounted clubhouse.

Having a thought, Twilight went up to them.

“Good morning, girls,” she greeted.

“Good morning, Twilight!” the three chirped.

“Have you seen anyone around the orchards that doesn’t belong here?” she asked. They shook their heads.

“Where’d you get those bits from?” Applejack asked, looking at what Bree was holding.

“A person we met on the road leading to the Everfree Forest gave them to us after we helped him repair his horse's saddlebags,” Apple Bloom said.

“What did he look like?”

“We don’t know. We couldn’t see his face. He was wearing this big black cloak with a hood, and a mask on his face,” Sweetie Belle replied.

"He wore armor too!" Apple Bloom added. "It looked like a combination of Equestrian, Gryphonian, and Dragovanese armor and clothing!"

“Did he seem familiar at all? Did he seem like he was from here? Did he speak Equestrian?”

“No to the first, yes to the other two,” Scootaloo said.

Applejack and Twilight exchanged nervous glances. A stranger who apparently came out of the forest, just happened to come across the three girls, and just handed them some bits? That didn’t sound good.

People went about their business in the market, whether it was buying or selling goods, talking with friends and/or family, or just walking around. One young woman in particular was currently trying to purchase various greens and items she needed in order to make a special treat for her pet rabbit.

Unfortunately, she wasn't much of a social person.

"Um… excuse me…" she whispered timidly to a person who had just cut in front of her.

No response came, but when the person left, as she went up to make her purchase, she looked and saw the brand new price on the stand's cherries.

"T-T-Ten bits? But I don't have that much…" Fluttershy stuttered.

The merchant looked at her with a seemingly neutral expression. "Eh, sorry kid. Business is business. Gotta raise prices at times, ya know?" he said.

His eyes looked her up and down before a lewd smile appeared on his face. "But… I might be willing to just give you some cherries if you… pay me in a different way."

The sound of steady hoofbeats was the only thing that could be heard in the dead silence that had just appeared, followed by the clanking of metal, and a heavy thud as feet hit the dirt.

"Excuse me, sir, but did I hear you correctly when you blatantly refused a customer a purchase after deliberately raising the price?" a calm, faint voice asked.

The merchant looked behind Fluttershy.

"Yeah. So what?" he retorted.

"Not only that, but you attempt to extort an innocent woman to have intercourse with you—in public, might I add—to pay for something?" the voice continued.

"Hey, buddy, why don't you just mind your own damn business—"

The merchant was cut off by a chain wrapping around his throat and jerking him forwards. A black steel-covered hand grabbed his shirt.

"Listen to me, and listen closely," the voice said smoothly. "I do not take kindly to people like you treating others like they are just sacks of income lining up to fill your greedy pockets."

Fluttershy turned her eyes towards the source of the voice, having looked away for fear of violence.

The stranger wore a completely black outfit as dark as the shadows themselves. Armored Dragovanese leather boots that almost went up to his knees. Armored Equestrian trousers held up by a matching belt with a black steel buckle in the shape of the moon. Black steel gauntlets covered his hands. They were clearly of Gryphonian make, judging from the razor sharp talons at the end of each finger, and the spiked plates lining the gauntlets like lizard spines.

A cloak that seemed to radiate darkness itself was draped over his shoulder and down his back, the hood pulled up to hide his face beneath its shadows.

The merchant nodded frantically. "A-Alright, pal. I won't do it again. Just please don't hurt me!" he cried fearfully.

The stranger nodded in what was most likely satisfaction. "I thank you for your cooperation."

He removed his hand from the merchant's shirt, the chain unwrapping itself from his neck. Fluttershy nervously took the cherries she needed.

She turned towards the stranger to thank him, only to see him walking away, a black horse following closely behind him. She hurried towards him, nearly tripping over herself in her rush.

She managed to catch up with him when he stopped at the stand run by the Apple family, which sold apples and apple products. The stand was currently being run by the eldest of the three Apple siblings, Big Macintosh, who looked at the stranger with curiosity.

"What can I do for you?" Big Mac asked.

"Hello, sir. I came into town looking for supplies and food," the stranger requested, "and was wondering if I might purchase some of your products. My friend here"—He gestured to the horse—"quite enjoys apples."

"Alright. What do you want?"

"I would like a sack of apples and two bottles of non-alcoholic cider, if you would be so kind."

Mack nodded and filled a sack with apples, which he handed to the stranger alongside two bottles. The stranger, in return, placed a small bag of gold coins on the stand.

"Thank you. Have a nice day," he said.

"You as well."

Once the stranger was away from the stand, Fluttershy tried to get his attention.
"Um… Excuse me…" she said timidly.

The stranger turned around to face her. "Can I help you, young lady?" he said.

"Um… I just wanted to thank you for helping me. You really didn't have to do that," she said.

"Ah, but that is where you are wrong," he replied. "I did have to help you. Not only is it because of how I was raised and my duty as a soldier, but I have a strong moral dislike for people that prey on those they see as weak."

"Well, um, my name's Fluttershy," she said.

"I know. My dear parents have told me of you. It is a pleasure to meet a woman such as yourself," the stranger said.

"Fluttershy! There you are!"

Fluttershy turned to the source of the voice to see Applejack and Veron coming towards her.

"Hello, girls. How are you?" she greeted.

"We're fine. Twilight and I are looking for someone. Apple Bloom and her friends got some maps from a stranger they met on the road to the Everfree Forest. We need to find him. We're also looking for whoever's been stealing apples from my farm," Applejack informed.

"So that redheaded girl was your sister, Miss Farfield? I am afraid I was not aware," the stranger said.

The two girls turned to look at him. "Who are you?" Twilight asked.

"I am known by many names and titles," the stranger answered. "'Bringer of Misfortune'. 'Conqueror of the Horde'. 'The Midnight Assassin'. 'The Silent Wanderer'. 'Spawn of the Sacred Mother'. 'Dragon-friend'. 'Child of the Nightmare'. 'Wielder of the Five Nightmares'."

"But you may know me as 'Prince Skipting Lunam'."

"You're a Prince? Where are you from?"

"I was born in Equestria," he replied.

"Who are your parents?"

"My parents are Princess Nightmare Moon, Diarch of the Night, and Queen Chrysalis, Sacred Mother of the Changeling Swarm."

The girls' faces grew pale at the mention of not only the Princess of the Night, but also the changeling who had tried to take over Equestria.

"I understand that you and your friends have had… unfortunate encounters with Mother Chrysalis, but I assure you she is a much better person now. I was born years before the Lunar Rule, during the Rule of the Royal Sisters," Prince Skipting said.

"Did you help overthrow her?" Applejack asked.

"No. I had no part in the overthrow of my aunt. I was in Gryphonia on diplomatic business with the king at the time."
He turned around and began to walk away, leading his horse along through the marketplace.

Prince Skipting thought about the three girls he had encountered. Former Element Bearers. He was a bit surprised that he didn't encounter the former Element of Laughter, Pinkamena Diane Pie.

That merchant, though… Skipting thought for a moment that were he not so refined, calm, and of strong mind, he might have slain the man where he stood. But perhaps he should have. Odin knows his parents had no tolerance, nor love, for those who preyed on the weak. Perhaps he could come back at a later time and take the man to his parents for punishment.

He soon arrived at the gates of Canterlot Castle. A Lunar Guard had already taken Vereor to the royal stables.

Two Lunar Guards readied their weapons at his approach.

"Halt! What business do you have here, citizen? If it is not of importance, you should leave and not bother the Princess!" the first guard barked.

Skipting chuckled a little at the guard's demand. These two were clearly new to the Guard, and as such, did not know what he looked like or who he was. They only knew his name, not his appearance. The Prince knew the guards were looking at his weapons.

They were either brave for ordering their Prince around…

… or stupid for ordering their Prince around…

… or perhaps both.

Instead of responding, his left hand went to his hip, where his old sword was strapped. Unlocking the blade from its sheath with his thumb, he continued to stare the guard down. It was an old habit he had picked up during his time in the war, and he still continued to do it as the Midnight Assassin. It was quite a fun and effective little tactic, really.

That single action was enough to unnerve the foolish man, whose grip on his spear wavered.

"What's going on here?!"

Both guards turned around at the commanding voice. Standing before them was none other than Knight Rainbow Dash herself, the commanding officer of Princess Nightmare Moon’s personal guard, and one of the fastest and deadliest soldiers of the Guard, only outmatched by the Prince.

"This civilian has come to the Royal Castle, perhaps to seek audience with or to kill the Princess, and possibly the Prince. He was about to draw his weapon before you showed up," the guard said.

"You seem to be as foolish as you are supposedly 'brave', soldier. Do you not see the sword he wears?" Knight Dash snapped.

"Yes, Knight Dash. I do see the sword he is wearing. But I do not see how it is of any—"

"That sword is the very blade that was wielded by the Prince in the Dragovanese War of Independence," she said. "It is the Dragovanese-made blade, the Kingusureiyā, forged by Emperor Sakura himself as a gift to the Prince, to aid him in his efforts to bring down the Mongols." Her stern glare intensified. "That 'civilian' that just 'threatened you' is Prince Skipting Lunam, Child of the Nightmare himself."

The soldier escorted the young Prince into the castle and towards the Princess’ bedchambers. As they came to a darker hallway, Knight Dash grabbed the man and pinned him against a wall.

"It's good to see you again, Your Highness," she purred.

"It is good to see you as well, Knight Dash," Skipting said.

"How was your visit to Dragovan?"
"It was enjoyable."

"Maybe when you're done talking with the Princess, we could go to my chambers and have a little fun?" she said.

"Perhaps."

Knight Dash stepped back and went to resume her duties, leaving the young Prince alone.

"She really likes you, Your Highness. I can tell that the two of you have something special," a guard whispered from his position next to the chamber doors.

"I know she does. And while I have feelings for her as well, we must keep our relationship professional in the presence of others," the Prince said. "It would be unwise for people to know that the Lunar Guard's most elite soldier and the Princess’ son are in such a relationship."

He pushed open the chamber doors and entered, quickly spotting his mother out on the balcony, looking over the city of Canterlot.

"'Tis a beautiful sight, is it not?" the Princess said as he came up next to her.

"Indeed it is, Mother," Skipting agreed, removing his hood.

"How was your visit to Dragovan, dear?" she asked.

"It was enjoyable," he answered.

"And how is Emperor Sakura?"

"He is well. He invited me to Masako’s wedding, where she married Princess Kassandra of Gryphonia. She was an admirable woman. Their fathers spoke with me, as they were eager to speak with the legendary Midnight Assassin."

"Oh?" Princess Nightmare Moon tilted her head curiously. "And what did they speak with you about?"

"Various things. They mostly inquired about my weapons and allies. King Wind Claw was rather curious about my relationship with the daughter of Chancellor Strahlender Schild."

"Do you mean that excitable young officer, Explosive Joy?"

"Yes."

A knock on the chamber doors drew their attention.

"Enter," Princess Nightmare Moon said.
A young guard entered, his head covered by the standard helmet of the Lunar Guard. Skipting recognized him as Striker Spear.

"Your Highness, your presence is requested in the dungeons. One of the prisoners attempted to assault Lady Belle," Striker reported.

The guards in the chamber were soon graced with the appearance of their ruler, who radiated anger.

"Bring forth the prisoner," she commanded.
Two guards dragged a man in chains before her. The prisoner wore the same ragged clothing worn by all other prisoners. His thin, wiry blonde hair draped all over his head.

The Princess glared at the man. "Why did you attempt to assault one of my personal maids?" she demanded.

The man coughed before replying in a rough and scratchy voice. "Because she was a pretty little thing. Didn't put up too much of a fight," he said.

A low growl echoed through the dungeons.
"How dare you insult one of the most respected women in the city."

Some of the guards began to tremble slightly as booted footsteps edged closer to reveal Prince Skipting, his black armor and tattered cloak giving him the appearance of a living shadow, his eyes burning with a fierce wrath. The Dark Prince drew a weapon that frightened even the bravest of warriors. The legendary sword that had felled countless warriors, lords, invaders, enemies, and royals alike.

The Twilight Blade.

Forged from the stars themselves under a moonlit night a thousand years ago, the Twilight Blade had been forged by the Nightmare herself, made in preparation for the battle against King Sombra so long ago. It was said the blade absorbed the souls of its victims to strengthen itself and its wielder. Princess Nightmare Moon had passed it down to her son when he came of age, and the sword had been used with legendary skill by the young warrior.
The prisoner now found himself with that very blade against his throat, forcing him to stare into the dark abyss that was the Prince's hate-filled eyes.

Without a word, the Prince drove the blade through the man's chest, severing his spine and piercing his lungs, then pulled it free and cleaved him in two. Blood, viscera, and organs spilled out onto the stone floor of the dungeons, causing a few of the guards to lose their lunch.

The Prince now found himself lying down in his chambers, his armor and outfit on an armor stand across the room from the bed. He had donned a casual outfit consisting of a simple white button-up shirt and brown trousers with leather boots.

He was pulled from his mind by a knock on his door.

"Enter."

Knight Dash entered the room, a serious expression on her face.

"Princess Nightmare Moon requests your presence in her chambers. It's urgent," she said.

Skipting entered his mother's chambers, the sole occupant sitting at her desk and looking at a journal. He had changed into his normal outfit and armor before coming.

"You requested my presence, Mother?" he said as he closed the door.

"Yes."

He sat down in a chair next to her.

"Isn't this the journal that Aunt Celestia used to communicate with her former student, Sunset Shimmer?" he asked.

His mother nodded. "Yes. But this is merely a copy of it. Princess Twilight has had the journal for the past eight years. I have been using this to let myself know how Sunset is doing. While I only met her briefly, I care deeply for her," she informed.

"Unfortunately, it appears that Miss Shimmer is in trouble. In the world she is in, where mankind has advanced far more than we have, an online account known as 'Anon-A-Miss' has been sharing the secrets of her fellow students at her school, all while making it look as though she is behind it. Twilight is worried about her, but Sunset has told her not to come through the portal. I, however, am not bound by such an order."

"What is it that you wish to do, Mother?"

"I want you to go through the portal and protect Sunset Shimmer. I have a feeling that there are people at her school that wish to do her harm. While you are there, prevent others from harming her—kill them, if you must. And find the ones responsible for this mess. Once your task is finished, you may return."

Skipting nodded. "I understand. I shall do whatever it takes to ensure Miss Shimmer's safety. I shall not fail."

Chapter II: Anon-A-Miss

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Prince Skipting quickly regained his balance as he came out the other side of the portal.

He was quite surprised when he saw that the portal on this side was in the form of a statue, and that the portal was in front of what must have been Canterlot High School.

Entering the portal had been laughingly simple. With his skills, he had flawlessly avoided Princess Twilight and the other three former Element Bearers. Now all he needed to do was find Sunset Shimmer.

He soon found an alley and ducked into it, finding a lone man smoking. He appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties.

"Excuse me, sir. Do you by any chance know of a girl known as 'Sunset Shimmer'?" he asked aloud.

The man jumped in surprise and turned to face the speaker. "Yeah, I know her," he said with a nod. "She's a good friend of mine. Works for me part time at my bar as a waitress. Shame what happened to her, though. Almost every student at her school turned against her."

"Do you know where I can find her?"
"She used to hang out at Sugarcube Corner with her ex-friends. Occasionally hangs out there nowadays with her new friends. She's probably there right now. If you'd like, I can take you there."

"Thank you, sir. I would greatly appreciate the help. I am new to this place. My mother, who is a well-respected woman where I come from, asked me to aid Miss Shimmer."

The man smiled. "It's a relief to see a good soul willing to help Sunset. Poor girl doesn't have many friends since Anon-A-Miss started tearing the school apart."

Skipting thanked the man, whose name he learned was Martini Shake, and got out of the vehicle. He stood for a few moments in front of Sugarcube Corner, until he finally went in.

He was quick to scan the entirety of the small shop, memorizing the locations of each and every person inside, especially a group of five girls who were obviously the Gaian counterparts of the former Element Bearers. Sunset’s former friends.

He spotted his quarry sitting at a table near the back, a hood hiding her features. But thanks to his aura-reading abilities, he identified her correctly.

He went over to the table, his footsteps causing the girl to look up at him.

"Miss Shimmer?" he said softly.

"What do you want?" she croaked, her voice hoarse. She had clearly been crying recently.

"You have no need to fear me. I am here to help you. My mother sent me," he assured, sitting down.

"Who are you?" Sunset asked.

“I am Prince Skipting Lunam, son of Princess Nightmare Moon, Diarch of the Night, and Queen Chrysalis, Sacred Mother of the Changeling Swarm," he answered.

"I am here to protect you. I am to prevent any harm befalling you, and to stop those who wish to harm you."

The fire-haired girl laughed weakly.

“Well, it's a bit too late for that. I've already gotten the crap kicked out of me by a bunch of people. Rainbow Dash wants me gone, either out of the school or hospitalized."

Without waiting for her to continue, Skipting stood up and walked over to the five girls, who he had been told were known as the "Rainbooms".

All five of them looked at him.

"Can we help—" Rarity Belle said.

Skipting violently drove a throwing knife into the table, right between Applejack’s fingers, pinning her hand to the wood by the sleeve of her coat. The farmer looked up at him, eyes wide in horror. He had been informed by Mother Nightmare that the girl's friends mainly called her "AJ" for short, which he found interesting.

"What the hell, man?!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

"You may think that you can get away with abandoning an innocent girl, leaving her to be beaten, and even threatening to harm her, but you are dangerously wrong," he said calmly.

"What do you know about us abandoning anyone?! We've never even seen you before!" the athlete barked.

"My mother, the ruler of the country Sunset and I hail from, informed me of your misdeeds. And Miss Shimmer informed me of your plans," he said.

Rainbow began to stand up, but was forced back into her seat by the shadows themselves.

"If any of you attempt to lay a hand on Miss Shimmer, you will regret it," Skipting warned.

He calmly walked back to Sunset, who was staring at him with a curious and surprised expression.

"Come. I suggest we leave this place before someone decides to do something rash. Do you have an idea of where we may be able to go?" he said.

Sunset nodded. "Yeah. I live with my adopted mom and aunt."

"Good. I shall escort you there. Do you have some form of transportation?"

"My bike's at home. I've been using the city bus system to get around town. The next bus arrives at 7:00, in five minutes."

She stood up and went to pay for her drink, throwing her trash away in the process, and walked out into the cold winter night with her new companion.

As they walked to the bus stop, Sunset decided to ask something that was on her mind.
"How are you not freezing? That outfit and armor doesn't look very warm."

"It is enchanted so that it will suit the environment I am in. If I am in the cold, my armor, cloak, clothing, and mask will change temperature to keep me warm. If I am in the heat, it will cool down to keep me from overheating. It is very versatile, as an assassin must be," he explained.

The bus came just as they reached the stop. Sunset and Skipting got on, the fire-haired girl paying for the both of them, and went towards the back. Several people looked at Sunset, some with hatred and disgust, but one small look from the assassin across the aisle from her would make them turn away and cease their glaring.

Soon, the bus stopped in Sunset's neighborhood. Once she got off with her companion, she made sure to wait until the bus was completely out of sight before going to her home, so that no one on the bus would see where she lived.

She led Skipting to her house and entered, the young Prince closing the door behind them.

"Mom, I'm home!" she called.

"Coming!" a female voice called from somewhere in the house.

A woman came into view from one of the rooms. As Skipting observed her, he noticed that the woman appeared to be at least in her early forties. Her stunning light grayish violet eyes were filled with warmth, her glorious hair reminding him of the Northern Lights. This was clearly Aunt Celestia’s counterpart.

"Was today any better, dear?" she asked with concern.

"Not really. But apparently, Princess Celestia’s sister owns a copy of Twilight's journal and used it to gain information on what's been going on," Sunset replied.

She looked at Skipting, now having finally noticed him.

"And who might you be, young man?" she asked.

"I am Prince Skipting Lunam, son of Princess Nightmare Moon, Diarch of the Night, and Queen Chrysalis, Sacred Mother of the Changeling Swarm," he introduced.

"My name is Celestia Soliel. I'm Sunset's adoptive mother. It's a pleasure to meet someone of your standing."

"Why are you here, if I may ask?" Celestia said.

"As Sarah said earlier, my mother has the copy of Princess Twilight Sparkle’s journal, which she has been using to keep track of Sunset and learn of what is going on in her life. When Mother Nightmare became worried that people may try to harm her, she sent me to this world to protect and help her."

Skipting looked at Sunset, who was sitting on the couch.

"I must be going. I shall find somewhere to stay, and from there I shall conduct my operations. I bid you goodnight, Miss Soliel," he said.

“Well, if you'd like, you're welcome to stay with us. We have the room, and we have more than enough food. And I would personally feel better knowing that the man protecting my daughter is close by and within reach at a moment's notice," Celestia offered.

"I thank you for your offer, Miss Soliel. I would be honored to stay with you in your home."

As the three ate dinner, Celestia decided to break the silence.

"So, Skipting. You said that you are a Prince. What do you do in terms of responsibilities?" she asked.

Skipting looked up from his plate, his cold eyes looking at her.

"I do not have many royal responsibilities. My mother runs the country while I occasionally visit other countries to meet with their leaders, or I help entertain visiting representatives, dignitaries, and leaders, which is something I quite enjoy. Many enjoy hearing my tales of adventure."

"What else do you do?"

"Although I am a Prince, I chose to enlist in the Lunar Army. I am the top soldier in the Army, and the first in command of the Night Guard and my mother's personal guard. Other than that, I am an assassin known by many names."

"Oh?" Celestia cocked her head slightly, her eyes widening a little in interest. "And what are some of these names you're known by?" she asked.

"I am known as 'Child of the Nightmare'. 'Dragon-Friend'. 'Spawn of the Sacred Mother'. 'Conqueror of the Horde'. 'The Midnight Assassin'. 'The Silent Wanderer'. 'Bringer of Misfortune'. 'Slayer of Tyrants'. 'Killer of Killers'. 'The Incarnation of Fear Itself'. 'The Black Arrow'. 'Wielder of the Five Nightmares'," he listed.

"My, it sounds like you have quite the reputation back home," Celestia said.

"Indeed," Skipting said with a nod. "It has gained me a reputation throughout Equestria and other countries. But it has led me to a very lonely life. My only true friends are the second-in-command of the Lunar Guard and Lunar Army, my parents, a few royals from other countries, and various members of the Guard and Army. Many nobles in Equestria attempt to befriend me, but it is only to get closer to the Princess, due to my relation to her. Meanwhile, other nobles, and many commoners, are too afraid of me to even attempt to approach me."

"That sounds almost exactly like what I went through when I was Princess Celestia's student, especially so with being her daughter," Sunset said.

A small, almost invisible smile crept its way onto the young Prince's face.

"Well, it is interesting to see that I have something in common with the girl I am to protect, albeit it is something not very happy."

When they were all finished eating, Celestia suggested to Sunset that she take their guest to her room to get to know each other, something that Sunset was somewhat eager to do.

They now sat on her bed, the fire-haired girl waiting patiently for Skipting to say something.

"What is it you wish to know about me?" he asked finally.

“Well…" Sunset rubbed the back of her head nervously. "It's… kind of a weird question. It, uh… involves your parents."

"How were two women able to bear a child?"

She nodded slowly.

The Prince leaned back slightly. "Well, as I told you, my second mother is Queen Chrysalis. As a changeling, she is able to shape-shift, allowing her to alter her body in whatever way she wishes, and take whatever form she likes, including imitating other people." He paused for a moment as he rolled his shoulders, giving off a small pop. "When Mother Nightmare told Mother Chrysalis that she wished to have a child, Chrysalis altered her body to have the right…" He paused again, most likely searching for the right word. "... equipment for the task."

"You said earlier that you're also known as the 'Wielder of the Five Nightmares'. What are those?"

"The Five Nightmares are the weapons forged by Mother Nightmare herself, save for the Fifth. They are the Twilight Blade, the sword used in the fight against King Sombra. The Shadow Spear, the spear used to fight off the invading forces of Zebarica a thousand three-hundred years ago, before their leader formed a peace treaty and alliance with Equestria. The Night's Embrace, the dagger used to kill Talion, the tyrant king of Gryphonia. The Terror Praetor, the shield used to defend against Discord, the God of Chaos, before she and Celestia turned him to stone. And the Moonlight Claymore, the blade used in the fight to stop a horde of illegal slave traders and mercenaries from invading Mother Chrysalis’ kingdom," he explained.

As he named each weapon, he removed it from its respective sheath and held it for Sunset to see.

"What are you going to do in regards to protecting me while I'm at school?" she asked with concern and slight fear.

"I spoke with your mother and aunt before dinner, and she said that she will hopefully be able to get me enrolled at Canterlot High School by Sunday. I am listed as your cousin in the paperwork I brought with me," he answered.

Chapter III: The Mall

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Sarah was nervous at first when her mother suggested that she and Skipting go to the mall to hang out—and possibly get Skipting some "normal" clothes, an offer he accepted with slight hesitation—but now that they were actually in the mall, her nerves began to fade away.

The young Prince now wore a black hooded leather duster coat, a black pair of jeans with a belt that bore a silver buckle in the shape of a raven, his Dragovanese leather boots, and a black t-shirt. He still wore his special cloak over his coat, the enchanted item having changed shape so that it reached down to his lower thigh, rather than to his ankles. The cloak was draped over his left shoulder, leaving the right side of the cloak hanging.

Before they left, Celestia had requested that Skipting leave his weapons at the house. As an assassin—and a stubborn one, at that—Skipting had insisted he at least bring three of the Five Nightmares and the Kingusureiyā, along with his firearms.

The Night's Embrace was strapped to his right thigh, while the Twilight Blade and the Kingusureiyā had been turned into their hidden forms. The Twilight Blade had taken the form of a silver plate on his right shoulder, so that when it was transformed back to its weapon form, the hilt would be facing upwards for Skipting to unsheathe it. The Kingusureiyā had taken the form of a silver pocket watch on his left hip, so that upon being transformed back into its weapon form, the blade and sheath would be positioned in an Iaido sage to. His silver mask was hanging from a small loop inside of the coat he wore, and his hood was pulled down to reveal his face.

The two were walking towards the food court when Sarah heard a familiar voice.

"What do you think you're doing here, Anon-A-Miss?" the raspy voice of Rainbow Dash said.

Sarah turned around to face her former friends.

"I'm just here with my cousin to get him some new clothes and to hang out with him," she responded.

Rainbow scoffed. "Who would want to be friends with you?"

The comment stung for Sarah, but she couldn't let her weakness show.

Skipting also turned to face the girls, his expression stone and unmoving. Rainbow noticed his staring.

"What are you looking at? You got a problem with us?!" she snapped.

In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance between himself and the five girls, startling them. His right hand clamped down onto the athlete's wrist, preventing her from striking him.

"Why, yes, I do have a problem with you five. You abandoned your friend on the smallest shred of so-called 'evidence' just because you blinded yourselves with delusions that she had gone back to her old ways."

Pinkie Pie, the girl with the vibrant pink poofy hair and hyper personality, shook a little bit in different areas of her body. Her friends noticed this and became concerned.

"Girls, I think we should leave them alone right now. I've got a bad feeling about this…" she said, fear evident in her voice.

They all looked back at Skipting, who was still gripping Rainbow’s wrist. His expression was still dead calm. His eyes seemed to glow with some sort of mystic energy. Then they realized that they were glowing.

"That's Equestrian magic! How can someone else have Equestrian magic?!" Applejack gasped.

"Because, Miss Apple, I, like Sarah, am from Equestria. I am the son of Princess Nightmare Moon, goddess and Diarch of the Night—sister of Princess Celestia Anor, Sunset’s mother—and Queen Chrysalis, Sacred Mother of the Changeling Swarm. Both of my parents are extremely powerful and talented mages, Mother Nightmare especially, being a goddess. As such, my mage abilities are extremely powerful."

He released Rainbow's wrist, the girl almost collapsing to the floor. When she looked at her wrist, she saw that a mark had been burned into her skin. It was of a raven hovering over a lightning bolt.

"The mark on your wrist is the Curse of the Harrowed. It will remind you of your betrayal of Sunset Shimmer," he said.

He turned away from the Rainbooms and walked away with Sunset.

The pair soon found themselves being approached by a group of girls. Skipting stood in front of Sunset protectively, his right hand ready to draw his dagger, but his charge gently gripped his wrist and moved it away.

"It's alright, Skipting. I know these girls. They're friends of mine. Actual friends, not fake ones like the Rainbooms," she assured.

He stepped aside to allow the five girls to embrace Sunset.

"How are you, dear?" the first girl, who had charcoal hair and magenta eyes, greeted warmly.

"I'm definitely better than I was yesterday," Sunset replied.

"Who is your companion?" the girl asked.

"Girls, this is my cousin, Prince Skipting Lunam of Equestria. He was sent here by his mother, Princess Nightmare Moon, to protect me and uncover the identity of Anon-A-Miss," she introduced.

The girls each introduced themselves. The charcoal-haired girl was British cellist Octavia Melody, the daughter of renowned classical musicians Connor and Arianna Melody.

The girl with wild neon blue hair was Vincenza “Vinyl” Scratch, Octavia's girlfriend, and part-time DJ.

The third girl, who had dark blue hair, was Sweetie Drops, also known as “Bon Bon.” She owned a candy shop with her mother.

The girl next to her, who had yellow eyes and dyed mint green hair, was her girlfriend Lyra Heartstrings, a skilled player of the lyre, and avid fan of fantasy games, such as Dungeons & Dragons.

The final girl, who had blonde hair and yellow eyes, was named Ditzy Doo, although some people called her "Derpy" due to her glass eye, which was something that seriously irritated her.

Skipting shook each girl's hand, placing a soft kiss upon their hands.

"It is a pleasure to meet such good friends of Miss Shimmer," he said.

"The pleasure is all ours, Your Highness," Octavia said.

He smiled. "Please, call me, 'Skipting'. I would prefer that the close friends of my charge feel comfortable around me. I wish for us all to see each other as equals, none of us more important than the others," he requested.

"Okay… Skipting," the British cellist agreed.

The seven sat down at a nearby table. Skipting adjusted his wrist-mounted contraptions, each bearing an eight-inch retractable blade, a small folding crossbow that could fire various types of small bolts, a rope launcher, and a retractable chain blade. He also made sure to adjust his holsters that were attached to his belt, making sure they were hidden by his coat.

"So, Skipting, what do you do as a Royal?" Octavia asked.

"As the son of the ruler of Equestria
and the Sacred Mother of the Changeling Swarm, it is my duty to meet with foreign leaders in their respective countries, meet with visiting representatives and leaders, and serve the Crown. I am the Lunar Army's most skilled soldier. I also work as an assassin for both the Crown and, occasionally, for foreign leaders. My skills as an assassin are of legendary proportions. The very mention of any of my titles strikes fear into the hearts of my prey and enemies, and commonly leads to the target or enemy surrendering," he explained. "But most of the time," he added. "It causes the enemy or target to attack me out of fear."

Out of habit, he drew the Night's Embrace, the silver blade gleaming in the light, and began to twirl it in his hand with incredible speed. The girls at the table looked on with interest and amazement.

After about thirty seconds, Skipting stopped his hand's movement, the Night's Embrace catching in his hand in an icepick grip, before he flipped and tossed the dagger into the air. It spun three times in its rise and fall as the young Prince caught it by the blade. He then proceeded to repeatedly and quickly toss, flip, and catch it with astounding speed and precision, his hand catching the weapon without hesitation or pause.

After he had tossed and caught the Night's Embrace more times than the girls could keep track of—seventy-three times exactly, was his calculation—he sheathed the dagger and rested his hands on the table.

"Wow," Octavia finally said. "Just by witnessing the speed and precision with which you twirled. tossed and caught your dagger, I already have at least some idea of your clearly incredible skill. Vinyl does that with her knife occasionally, as does Gilda."

"Thank you, Octavia. It brings me pleasure to know that someone is appreciative of my skill outside of my work as an assassin. Many do not truly appreciate my skills merely as a person, only appreciating my skills in terms of being an assassin," Skipting said with a small smile.

"I noticed you also have a set of revolvers alongside your wrist-mounted blades and crossbows. Why is that?" Lyra asked.

"Well, Lyra, although our homeland is still in the era of the Medieval Age, our people have advanced to the point of being at pace with your Industrial Revolution, in terms of technology. We have primarily technologically advanced in regards to tools of warfare and combat, having made firearms as modern as the beginning of your 20th Century. In terms of firearms, we have flintlock weapons such as muskets, pistols, and blunderbusses, as well as more advanced weapons such as single-action revolvers—both cap-and-ball and cartridge—breech-loading pistols, rifles, and shotguns, lever-action rifles and shotguns, and even a few semi-automatic handguns," he explained.

"While many of my fellow guards and soldiers have been equipped with and trained to use firearms such as flintlock rifles and pistols and lever-action and breech-loading rifles, I myself use firearms, but I prefer to use revolvers, specifically single-action cartridge-fed models, as well as a custom lever-action rifle and shotgun," he added.

"How many revolvers do you carry on your person?" Ditzy asked.

"Six. One on each hip in a cavalry draw position, one on each hip in a quick draw position, and two on the back of my belt with the grips facing opposite of each other. The quick draw position allows me to draw and fire one of my revolvers, or draw, fire, and fan the hammer before switching to the other. The cavalry draw allows me to comfortably wear the two while on horseback, and the ones on the back of my belt allow me to hide them underneath my cloak—or coat, in my case as of right now—which in turn allows me to surprise my enemies by drawing two extra revolvers when I have already fired four, the act surprising them because many of my enemies who I have used my revolvers against aren't used to dealing with people who carry more than two pistols or firearms," he listed, lifting his coat away from his body to allow the girls to see his firearms.

He then showed them his lever-action rifle and shotgun, which were fed like many other lever-action rifle and shotgun models and modern shotguns. The rifle had a longer cartridge tube for more ammunition and a custom mechanism for increased firing rate, as well as a custom stock for managing recoil while firing from the shoulder. The shotgun had its stock removed for one-handed use, a custom firing mechanism and longer cartridge tube like its counterpart, and a modified lever loop for one-handed reloading and cocking.

"So you can flip-cock your shotgun like Arnold Schwarzenegger does in Terminator 2: Judgement Day?" Bon Bon asked.

When Skipting said that he had no idea what she was talking about, she showed him a clip from the famous film of Arnold Schwarzenneger, the former bodybuilder who played the titular Terminator, reloading a Winchester Model 1887 lever-action shotgun by flip-cocking it while riding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

"The prop shotgun used in the film had to be heavily modified with an artificially lengthened lever loop in order for flip-cocking to be possible and safe," she explained.

"The sheer amount of force necessary to pull it off is enough to literally break bones, as the human body simply can't handle the strain. In the director's commentary for Terminator 2, it was mentioned that Arnold Schwarzenegger once accidentally picked up the wrong shotgun on set and tried to twirl it around like he'd done hundreds of times before. Schwarzenegger, who stood at six-foot-two, and weighed more than a small car in his prime, nearly broke every bone in his hand attempting it. In fact, part of the reason that scene I showed you was included in the film in the first place was to show that the Terminator is far stronger than an average man.

Skipting's eyes widened as she spoke.

"That's incredible. Countless people back home have foolishly attempted to flip-cock a lever-action rifle or shotgun, which almost always led to a visit to the hospital. To learn that someone else had the idea of modifying the lever loop to allow flip-cocking is astounding. Back home, I am one of the few people who own a lever-action rifle and/or shotgun with such a modification," he said.

The small group talked with each other for a while, minutes seeming to pass in mere moments as Skipting regaled his newfound friends with tales of his adventures and stories of his life, while they in turn told him about their world and informed him further of the situation at their school.

Finally, the girls all decided as one to have the young Prince hang out with them so that they could further get to know each other. Skipting accepted their request.

When Ditzy awkwardly asked him about his parentage, he briefly explained how his mothers had birthed him. Needless to say, the girls were quite flustered upon hearing it. When asked if he had pictures of his parents, Skipting nodded and pulled out his golden locket.

On the left side of the locket's interior was a picture of a woman with a slightly dark complexion. Her brilliant phthalo blue and grayish persian blue hair was long and wavy, cascading down her shoulders like a beautiful silk-like river. Her moderate cyan eyes had slitted, cat-like pupils, and shone with wisdom, authority, and warmth. She wore a beautiful midnight blue dress with a star pattern dress that hugged her goddess-like frame, emphasizing her curves and toned muscles, and contrasting nicely with her black skin.

The right side, meanwhile, held a picture of a woman with skin as black as the darkness, requiring her to be in front of a light grey background so that her ebony complexion would not hide her. Her dark cerulean hair cascaded down her shoulders as well, although it also draped in front of her shoulders and face. Her moderate harlequin eyes had dark grayish opal pupils that were slitted like a cat's as well. They shone with authority and wisdom, and carried a sense of lust in them that was matched by their caring and warm expression. She also wore a dress that hugged her figure, the garment being dark arctic blue and moderate green.

And with both women was who could only be Skipting himself. In both pictures, he wore his signature cloak and armor, his hood down to show his face.

The girls were quite fascinated by the Prince’s interesting skin tone, the left half of his body being a pale tan, while the right half was ebony. Even more interesting was that the right half of his body was actually covered in a hard carapace like an insect, as were all changelings, yet it went smoothly with the Equestrian side of his body.

The Twilight Blade hung from his back. His eyes bore a calm, calculating expression that was accompanied by a feeling of warmth and caring like his parents.

"The woman in the left picture is my mother, Princess Nightmare Moon. And the woman in the right picture is my other mother, Queen Chrysalis," he said, pointing to each picture.

"What is your heritage?" Octavia asked.
“Mother Nightmare is of Equestrian lineage, while Mother Chrysalis is of Norse lineage. As such, when I was born, my parents decided to name me in their natives tongues, with the translations of both parts of my name having relation to both of them. My first name, Skipting, is Icelandic for 'Shifting'. This is because Changelings have the power to change form, allowing them to disguise themself for various reasons, change their shape and form for entertainment, roleplay, or for fun, or to change various parts of their body, such as what I explained to you earlier regarding the circumstances of my conceivement. My last name, Lunam, is Latin for 'Moon', as Mother Nightmare is the goddess of the night and moon, and as such, she has the power to enter people's dreams and protect them from nightmares.

"Due to my heritage, you may be able to tell that I have a bit of an accent. Thanks to my skills in multilingualism, I am capable of both suppressing my own accent when I choose to or if I deem it necessary, and perfectly replicating and using other accents with ease, again when I choose to or if I deem it necessary," he continued.

As Skipting spoke, the girls all nodded.

"Yes." Octavia nodded. "I was wondering what accent you have."

"Hey, Shimmer. The fuck do you think you're doing hanging out with those girls? You trying to get shit from them to post?" a rough voice said.

Skipting looked to the source of the voice, and saw a man who appeared to be in his late teens, with dyed white hair in a military buzz cut. He was well built, with a powerful athletic frame. He was accompanied by three other males. Two of them were built like the one who had spoken, but the other was far larger than all three of them.

The fourth of the small group was tall, approximately five-foot-ten, towering over his companions and the seated girls. His muscles were large, reminding Skipting of the Minotaurs in Gryphonia. His blonde hair was also in a military buzz cut.

"We were just talking with Sunset and her cousin. I do not know why you four and others choose to delude yourselves with these false truths of Sunset being Anon-A-Miss, but we do not appreciate it," Octavia said sternly, acting serious and authoritative while still remaining polite and professional.

"They ain't lies, Melody. Sunset Shimmer is behind Anon-A-Miss. It's obvious!" the first male said.

"Just leave us and Sunset alone, Thunderlane. Don't you jerks have something better to do, like going to the gym, or something?" Lyra said.

"We have something to do, and that involves making Anon-A-Miss stop posting," Thunderlane growled.

His hand moved to his pocket and pulled out a small knife, which he opened and pointed threateningly at Sunset.
"I'd recommend you girls get lost. This could get messy," he warned, looking at the girls

He looked over at Skipting, who had been sitting silently the whole time, and wasn't even looking at them. "And your little friend there, too," he added.

The girls all stood up and backed away, while Sunset stepped towards the four males. Her expression was empty.

"These girls have nothing to do with this. You don't need to threaten them. They know not to try anything," she said, looking straight at Thunderlane.

He grinned.

"Looks like you just made my job a whole lot easier," he said.

He began to thrust the knife forwards. Sunset winced and braced herself for the strike, knowing that resisting and trying to run would only make things worse.

The sharp clash and scraping of metal against metal caused her to open her eyes.

Skipting stood between the two, his body in a fighting stance. The Night's Embrace was gripped tightly in his right hand, its slightly curved blade raised in the air in a defensive position.

Thunderlane looked bewilderingly between where Skipting had been sitting and where he was now. By looking between the two positions and doing some quick mental calculations that he often did for sports to figure out strategies, he realized that there was a good seven feet of distance between Skipting and the table.

"H-How?! How did you get from there to here?!" he exclaimed.

He was shocked. Not even the best athletes he knew, including himself, couldn't possibly travel seven feet in the blink of an eye like Skipting had just seemed to do. Not even Rainbow Dash, the fastest person he knew, couldn't pull off something like that!

Skipting just stared down at Thunderlane, his seven-foot-one body looming over the five-foot-seven athlete. His cold, calculating eyes stared into Thunderlane's.

"Sunset Shimmer has already gone through more than enough torment and suffering. She does not need people like you threatening to harm her," he said.

Thunderlane backed up and moved to strike, but his knife was knocked out of his hands with an interception from the Night's Embrace. He went to pick it up, but was knocked away with a swift kick.

His three companions snapped out of their shock and went to draw their own weapons. All three were stopped in their tracks when they fell to the floor unconscious, small darts sticking out of their necks. Skipting moved towards the final aggressor, who looked at him with fear in his eyes.

Thunderlane couldn't believe what he had just seen. This stranger had not only performed an impossible movement to intercept his attempt to attack Sunset, but he had also disarmed him with ease, and had knocked all three of his friends out at once without even looking at them to aim!

Clearly, this strange man was highly skilled. He was probably some sort of martial artist or soldier, or maybe even a mercenary!

Skipting picked him up by the collar of his shirt, lifting him to eye level.

"W-What… What the hell are you?! You some kind of mercenary or martial artist or some shit?!" Thunderlane exclaimed fearfully.

"You are wrong, my athletic fellow. I am no mercenary. I am an assassin. Where I come from, the mere mention of my name or any of my titles strikes fear into the hearts of my enemies. That, and even my mere presence, is more than enough to make many of my enemies surrender," Skipting said.

"Please! Just let me go! I'll leave Sunset alone, I swear! I won't try to hurt her again!" he pleaded.

The assassin chuckled darkly. "You are only saying these things to spare your own life and those of your friends. I can tell when I am being lied to, and when someone is saying something to get what they want or to get out of something. I will have you know that I despise such cowardice," he said.

He threw Thunderlane away, continuing to stare him down.
"You will leave this place with your friends. You will obey whatever orders I give you, no matter what they are. And you will leave Sunset Shimmer and her friends and family alone. You will remember these words, and you will abide by them. If you disobey my orders, go against what I have said for you to do, resist me, or betray me in any form, I will kill you without remorse nor hesitation. Do you understand?" he instructed.

Thunderlane nodded frantically.

With a nod from the young Prince, he got to his feet and went over to his unconscious friends, who were beginning to stir. Once they were fully awake, he briefly explained to them that they needed to leave the area and leave Sunset and her friends alone, including the threat that they would be killed if they didn't listen.

As they walked away, he turned back to Skipting and gave a nod of understanding, which Skipting returned.

"What just happened?" Ditzy said, confused.

"Thunderlane and I came to an understanding and agreement. From now on, he and his friends will work for me. They will leave Sunset and you girls alone, and will follow my orders, in exchange for their lives," he answered. He turned to the rest of the girls. "Those four are just the start of what I have planned."

Chapter IV: Gilda King

View Online

In an effort to shake off the nerves and fear Sunset was experiencing from the attempted attack earlier, her friends suggested they all go to a bar, specifically the one they referred to as the best bar in town. Skipting agreed to accompany them, as he felt he could use a drink as well.

The Drunken Sailor, named as such by its owner, Martin Ivan “Martini Shake” Shakesworth, was a quaint little joint in the west end of town. People came to the bar for various reasons, whether it was to drown their sorrows and troubles in a bottle or so of alcohol, meet with friends and colleagues, celebrate special occasions like birthdays or celebrations of life for lost friends and loved ones, or just to sit down at the bar and talk with one of the staff, including Martin.

Whatever their reason, The Drunken Sailor was a safe haven for people from all walks of life, where they could have a drink or chat and have a good time.

Skipting had not been to many bars, preferring to train, talk with his parents, or fulfill contracts, but he had been to a fair few, mainly sticking to the bar in the southern end of Canterlot, where he found a great deal of amusement from its patrons, and often got into fights, most of which he won.

Even almost half a century after it happened, Hvíslandi, up until his untimely death, still made sure to occasionally bring up his fight with—and subsequent loss to—High Lord Súilleabhán.

How in Akh’Kael’s name did I honestly believe I could win in a fight against the Dark Eye? The man’s undead, for Sanarath’s sake! Not to mention the fact that he’s the Abyss-damned son of Dorchadas!

To enter a bar such as the one he found himself in now was a welcome experience. He could already tell just from the atmosphere and the friendly appearances and behavior of the patrons that he was going to like coming here.

At some point, he would have to make sure to take his parents or lovers to the Drunken Sailor back home for a drink. He had friends and associates who were familiar with the layouts of their hometowns, and could thus help him find the establishment, although he figured either Lieutenant Razor Quills or Sheivkael would be the best people to ask.

"Well, if it isn't Sunset Shimmer!"

Skipting looked at the girls and saw that Martin was greeting them with great joy.

"How are you, Sunset? Have things been going any better for you?" Martin asked.

Sunset smiled and nodded, proceeding to inform him of what had occurred earlier.

"I see. Well, it's good to hear that you're safe and doing alright," he said.

He turned to Skipting, a wide smile forming on his lips.

"And as for you, Your Highness, for protecting my favorite employee and her friends, that desires a special reward."

He turned to face the other patrons in the bar.

"Can I have everyone's attention, please?!" he said loudly.

The patrons looked at him.

"As you all know, I take pride in making sure that every single one of my employees and patrons are safe! And Miss Sunset Shimmer, who has worked well and hard to help all of us for the past three years, is one of my favorite and most respected employees!" he began.

He stepped aside and gestured for Skipting to step forward. He obliged, and all eyes fell on him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my greatest pleasure to present to you Prince Skipting Lunam of the Kingdom of Equestria! This man was asked by his mother, the ruler of his country, to come to our little town to protect Sunset and help uncover the identity of Anon-A-Miss, who you all know is the online account responsible for many students at Canterlot High School to become hostile towards her! And for that, I would like to announce that tonight and all week, all drinks are on the house!"

Everyone applauded and cheered, and as Skipting and his newfound friends went to find a table, several patrons came up to him to thank him for his service to Sunset. He modestly accepted the displays of gratitude, responding with kindness and humble formality.

He went to sit on one of the stools at the bar, where three other patrons sat, two men and a woman. He ordered a glass of Scotch whiskey, draining the glass in seconds before having more glasses.

He was on his sixth bottle when he felt movement to his left.

"Well hey there," a sultry female voice greeted.

He looked to his left, and saw a woman who appeared to be in her late twenties sitting on the stool next to him. She had short navy blue hair with gold streaks. Her gold and blue eyes held a sense of lust within them, combined with authority, intelligence, and warmth. They reminded him of Mother Chrysalis’ eyes.

"Good evening," he said, taking another shot.

The woman's eyes glanced at the empty bottles. They widened considerably when she saw that he was already three quarters of the way through his sixth.

"How are you not stone-cold drunk or unconscious, or at least so drunk you can't see or walk straight?"

He merely downed another shot, grabbed the bottle, looked at her, and downed the last quarter of the whiskey, before setting it down with the other bottles and wiping his mouth with a hand.

"Because, Miss,” he said, “in part due to my parentage and bloodline, I have managed to strengthen my system to the point where normal alcohol essentially has no effect on me.”

"What is your name?" he asked.

"How about you tell me yours first as a formality, then I'll tell you mine? I'd prefer to be introduced to the man who is protecting Sunset formally, rather than just referring to you by name before we've even properly met," she said.

He chuckled a little.

"A woman with formality like my own. Very well then. I am Prince Skipting Lunam," he said.

"Golden Striker. Commander in Canterlot’s S.W.A.T unit. Former Marine, and former Captain of the Solar Royal Guard," she introduced, shaking his hand.

Skipting’s eyes narrowed a little, then widened.

“Captain Golden Striker?” he said. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, when your mother overthrew Celestia, I decided to come to this world and start a new life. Couldn't let go of my military background, so I joined the Marines, until I was honorably discharged after I was badly injured. I joined the S.W.A.T team a little while after.“

She leaned back in her chair.

“What about you?” she asked. “What’s the son of Princess Nightmare Moon doing leading the Lunar Army and her personal guard?”

The assassin gave her a curious, surprised look.

“How do you know about that?”

The former Captain smirked and nodded her head towards him.

“Your armor,” she responded. “Its design is a weird combination of the armor given only to the most elite Lunar soldiers and highest-ranking generals, and the armor worn by Nightmare Moon’s elite personal guard.”

When Skipting’s look of surprise continued, her smirk seemed to intensify a little.

“My wife was one of your mom’s elite personal guard, and her sister was a high-ranking general in the Lunar Army,” she said.

Finally, Skipting snapped out of his odd daze.

“Well, Captain Striker, I wanted to fight to protect our country and our people.”

“Really now? That’s nice of you. You ever see combat while in the army?”

"I was the leader of the Lunar Army's deadliest group of soldiers, which became legendary after the Dragovanese War of Independence. We were known as the 'Twenty-Seven Fears.’”

The Prince downed yet another shot from his seventh bottle.

"I am afraid I must go. I merely wished to have a few drinks before going to sit with my friends. I bid you farewell. I hope that we shall one day cross paths again," he said, standing up and finishing the bottle.

He sat down at the rather spacious table with the girls, who all looked at him with interest.

"I see you've met Commander Golden Striker," Sunset said.

He nodded.

"Yes. She is quite an interesting character.”

He looked at Bon Bon, who was currently struggling to open a bottle of cider. With a sharp flick of his wrist followed by a flick of his fingers, his chain blade extended, shooting out towards the girl. The others' eyes widened at the sight of the weapon being released, and they widened further when the blade struck the bottle's cap at just the right angle and with enough force to take it off with a satisfying pop, before the blade retracted.

"What kind of weapon is that? We noticed that you have hidden blades and wrist-mounted crossbows, but when we saw that thing, we just thought it was an extra blade or something," Lyra asked, astounded.

"It is a weapon we call a 'chain blade.’ It functions like my normal hidden blades, but they also have a special feature. This feature allows the blade to extend further than its normal blade form. The extended form gives the weapon a reach of more than twenty feet. This is accomplished by the use of lightweight, magically enhanced wires within the blade.

"The blade itself is actually a series of many separate segments, which connect to each other through small special teeth and matching slots on either side of the blade segments,” he explained. “The two wires within the blade run through the segments via small holes in each of them. The weapon's special function is controlled by a mechanism that tightens the wires and connects the blades, or loosens them to form a bladed whip.”

He rotated his left wrist to show the mounted blades. The blade mechanisms themselves were on another mechanism that would rotate the blades to allow for use of either, with the blade in use pointing outwards, and the blade not in use pointing towards the elbow.

He flicked his wrist to extend the chain blade, the weapon's blade form coming out of its sheath to extend about eight inches past where his hand and wrist met. Then he flicked his fingers to turn the blade into its whip form, leaving the weapon hanging freely from its contraption.

"The movement of flicking my wrist extends the blade itself, while flicking my fingers transforms it into its whip form. This is done through small straps attached to the locking mechanism being strapped along my hand, the straps fitting over my fingers like a glove or brass knuckles.

“The ends of the straps that go over my knuckles have small wires running along my fingers, secured with rings that have small loops for the wires. Tension is created in the wires when I have my hand in a normal or relaxed position, or when I clench my hand into a fist. The tension is released when I flick my fingers, which moves the wires and straps.

“Upon being loosened, the straps shift just enough for the small pressure plate they hold down to decompress, causing the blade wires to be loosened and the weapon to turn into its whip form. It is a simple matter of creating tension to create pressure to lock the blade, then releasing tension to unlock the whip.”

To demonstrate, he flicked his fingers again, causing the whip to be locked back into its blade form, then flicked his wrist to retract the blade back into its sheath.

"Well, if it isn't the Lucky Six," a slightly low, raspy female voice said with a sense of mock surprise.

Skipting turned around to face the speaker.

Standing before him was an African American woman who looked to be in her late teens or early twenties. She had short snow white hair with long bangs colored purple at the tips, and hawklike golden eyes. There was a long vertical scar over her right eye, giving her a menacing appearance combined with her six-foot-five frame, powerful athletic build, and the cold, cynical, calculating look in her eyes.

Looking her over, he immediately noticed the large Bowie knife on her leg, the semi-automatic handgun in a holster on her right hip, and a gauntlet-like set of sharp talons hanging from her belt, much like his Gryphonian gauntlets.

The girl looked at Sunset.

"How are you, Sunshine? Anyone I need to beat some sense into for you?" she asked.

"I've been better than I was last week. And no, you don't need to beat anyone up," Sunset replied.

She went around and sat down at the table, sitting next to Sunset. She wrapped an arm around the fire-haired girl's shoulders and pulled her in close, ruffling her hair a bit with a hand.

"That's good to hear, Sunny," she said.

She looked across the table at Skipting.

"I'm guessing you're her cousin she told me about?" she said.

He nodded.

"I am Prince Skipting Lunam, son of Princess Nightmare Moon, Diarch of the Night, and Queen Chrysalis, Sacred Mother of the Changeling Swarm," he introduced, shaking her extended hand.

"Name’s Gilda King," she introduced.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss King. I take it Sunset has told you of her otherworldly origins?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Yep. I know all about Equestria, including the overthrow of Princess Celestia five years ago, and your status as the child of a goddess and a changeling queen," she replied.

Gilda tilted Sunset's head to look up at her, then leaned in and planted a soft kiss on her lips. When she looked back at Skipting, she had a smirk on her face.

"Sunny and I have been together for about three years now," she said.

He reached into his coat and pulled out his revolvers, which he habitually inspected, unloaded, cleaned, and reloaded, then did the same for his rifle and shotgun. Once his firearms were cleaned, he pulled his mask out.

His mask, which he always wore while he was on missions and carrying out contracts, was made of a mixture of silver, titanium and steel for durability and style. It had gold lining along the jaw and eye areas.

It had been specially crafted by Silver Wind, the finest and most skilled blacksmith in Equestria, and was designed to look like a human skull, so as to strike fear into the hearts of those who laid eyes upon it.

It had a special magnification lens in the right eye for zooming in on distant things, a filtration system for protection against toxic or dangerous gases and smoke, a magnifying crosshair lens in the left eye for enhanced accuracy with his ranged weapons at various distances, and a special chemical/magic combination system that allowed him to breathe fire like a dragon.

The mask was enchanted with several spells, including one that made it impossible for the mask to be removed from his face unless he himself or someone he trusted removed the mask, an enchantment that gave it near-indestructible properties, and a spell that created a magic barrier around him that prevented enemies from using harmful magic against him, any harmful spells simply being interrupted upon coming into contact with the barrier.

He cleaned his mask of any dirt and filth, then put it back inside his coat.

"Are you going to come to CHS, Skipting?" Lyra asked.

He nodded.

"Indeed. Miss Soleil officially enrolled me a few days ago. I will be able to begin my first day on Monday. That gives me two days to begin forming a plan," he said.

Chapter V: Beginning of A New Web

View Online

Sunset was extremely nervous, more so than when she had gone to the mall with Skipting. To her, going to the mall was one thing.

But bringing the son of a goddess and a shapeshifter, who was also a trained and ruthless assassin, into a place filled with people who strongly hated her? She was certain that at least one person would end up injured, traumatized or dead by the day's end.

The first thing they had to do was introduce Skipting to Principal Calm Judgement, the third principal and secondary disciplinary. It was a necessity she was not looking forward to, since the man also believed that she was behind Anon-A-Miss.

Celestia placed a gentle hand on her adopted daughter's shoulder and gave her a comforting smile. "Don't worry, Sunset. Everything will be fine," she assured.

Skipting wore the same coat and outfit he had acquired at the mall on Friday. The difference was that his cloak was at its full length and draped over both of his shoulders, he wore his Gryphonian clawed gauntlets, and the Terror Praetor was on his right wrist in the form of a watch. He still had the Twilight Blade and the Kingusureiyā in their hidden forms, with the Night's Embrace strapped to his right thigh as usual.

As the three walked down the halls, students glared at Sunset as they passed. She did her best to ignore them, putting her earbuds in and playing some music on her phone. Skipting stood protectively next to her, studying everyone they passed and immediately memorizing their positions relative to them as a precaution.

They entered the office, and after a few minutes of waiting, they walked into the principal's office. Principal Judgement greeted Celestia warmly, but she looked at Sunset with a subtle, cold stare.

"Good morning to you as well, Principal Judgement. I am here to introduce you to your newest student. I came in last week to give you his paperwork," Celestia said, sitting down.

Principal Judgement looked over at Skipting, immediately feeling a sense of dread wash over him as he looked into the assassin’s calculating eyes, which stared at him with a cold expression, seeming to study him.

The Prince finally stepped forwards and removed his hood. "Principal Calm Judgement, I am Prince Skipting Lunam, son of Princess Nightmare Moon, Diarch of the Night, and Queen Chrysalis, Sacred Mother of the Changeling Swarm. I have been sent here by Mother Suaviter to protect Miss Sunset Shimmer, and to discover the identity of and bring down Anon-A-Miss,” he introduced.

"Miss Shimmer has already informed me of your misguided belief that she is Anon-A-Miss. As such, I would advise you to not put forth your blind accusations in my presence," he said.

He pulled his hood back up and went back to standing near the door, and watched as Celestia and the man spoke, while Sunset sat in a chair next to him, listening to her music. When he looked down at her, he noticed faint tears streaming down her face as she silently cried.

He bent down and embraced the fiery-haired girl in a soft hug, softly whispering words of comfort in her ear. Skipting was already disgusted by this place. This was what Canterlot High School was like? A place full of people who would turn on an innocent girl based solely on the weakest of so-called "evidence" and her past actions? A principal who believed the lies, rather than working to prove the poor girl's innocence? It filled him with anger.

To his relief, Sunset had calmed down by the time they were finished with their business with Principal Judgement. He looked over his schedule with his charge, who was glad to see that they had all seven classes with each other, thanks to Celestia’s request to have the pair together for Sunset's protection.

The school's guidance counselor, a woman by the name of Joyous Pride, was thrilled to see Skipting again. The young Prince was also pleased to see the former Royal Guard again. Although he didn't show it, he was at least slightly flustered by the woman's cheerful attitude towards him, the woman having been one of his caretakers when he was a child.

The pair now found themselves in the commons area, where countless students sat, stood, and walked around, many of them conversing with one another.

Sunset shook in fear, but she was soothed by Skipting when he placed a gauntlet-covered hand on her shoulder. She noticed her friends—Octavia and the girls—coming towards them, and quickly began to calm down as they got closer.

"Good morning, Sunset? How are you, dear?" Octavia greeted warmly with a smile.

"I'm okay, Octavia," Sunset said.

"And how are you, Skipting?" she asked, turning to the Prince.

"I am well, Octavia," he said.

The group went and sat down at an empty table, the girls forming a protective circle around Sunset as they walked, and Skipting scanning the area to watch for any threats.

"I'm guessing you met Principal Judgement?" Lyra asked.

Skipting nodded.

"I must be honest, it was quite a surprise to learn that the counterpart of my dear godfather and trainer is a mere high school principal. However, despite his similarity to my godfather in terms of basic appearance and voice, I noted two key differences between them," he said.

He held up one finger.

"Principal Judgement clearly lacks the wisdom and the calm and understanding personality of my dear godfather. Instead, he chooses to believe the lies that say Sunset is Anon-A-Miss, and he was quick to change his demeanor from warm and friendly to cold and foolish," he listed.

He held up a second finger. "Principal Judgement is quite lacking in terms of subtlety. As I spoke with him, and later as Celestia spoke with him regarding my enrollment here, he frequently gave Sunset cold glares that practically screamed his desire to bring forth his poisoned words. And while I am able to easily read the expressions and body language of others, it is in part due to my work as an assassin, making it almost impossible for others to evade my notice. As such, I cannot say for myself that he lacks subtlety, since it is so easy for me to read him. Sunset and Celestia, however, easily noticed Principal Judgement’s glaring, and as such, I can say that he lacks subtlety, given that they do not have the extensive training I have."

He pulled his attention away from the girls to look over at the Rainbooms, who were glaring at Sunset. To his interest and slight confusion, he saw that two of them, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, weren't glaring, but instead looking at Sunset with sadness. Perhaps they were too afraid to speak up if they believed Sunset’s innocence. It made sense, given the former’s personality, but it made no sense given Pinkie’s personality.

He stood up from the table, but his hand was grabbed by Sunset, who looked up at him with pleading eyes, begging him to stay.

He obliged and sat back down, idly clicking the clawed fingers of his Gryphonian gauntlets against the hard wooden surface of the table, the clicks repeating in a steady rhythm. His fingers danced with a majestic grace, tapping and moving alongside and over and around each other as he tapped the soothing melody.

After almost a minute of this, Ditzy spoke up.

"What's that rhythm you're tapping, Skipting?" she asked.
"It is a ballad that is sung by many back home. It is commonly sung by travellers or storytellers," he replied. "It tells the tale of Skuggastál, the original Midnight Assassin, and my grandfather. It explains his origins, his life, his beginnings and life as the Midnight Assassin, his romance with my grandmother and his raising of Mother Chrysalis and her sisters, and his death. Mother Chrysalis frequently sang it to me as a lullaby when I was young, as a way to help me remember my dear grandfather, who passed away just last year."

"What are you going to do about… them?" Bon Bon asked, nodding her head towards the Rainbooms after a few moments.

"I shall learn whatever I can about them in whatever way I am able to. I shall accomplish this with the use of my skills in stealth, my ability to communicate with animals, and my skills in espionage and observation," he said.

The Language Arts teacher, Miss Carrie Harshwhinny, was a rather stern woman with a professional attitude and zero-tolerance for troublemakers and slackers. Skipting was somewhat impressed with the woman upon meeting her, and the woman herself was seemingly impressed by his manners and polite, formal attitude and manner of speech.

"I must say, it is a pleasure to meet a student who acts the age of a man more than twice his age. What is your name?" she asked.

"I am Prince Skipting Lunam, madam. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Skipting said with a small bow.

Miss Harshwhinny went to stand at the front of the classroom as the bell for the 1st Period rang.

"Good morning, students. We have a new student joining us today, and he is just in time for today’s assignment," she announced, her tone and voice authoritative and stern.

Skipting stepped up to the front of the room and gave a very brief introduction of himself, explaining his heritage, where he came from, and brief details about his life. After his introduction, he sat down in a seat between Sunset and a girl whose name he learned was Trixie Lulamoon. Trixie informed him that she was "The Great and Powerful Trixie", the greatest magician in Canterlot High School, a claim that greatly amused him. The girl was good friends with Sunset, so he knew that he and Trixie could get along quite well, especially given that he had a great friendship with the magician’s Equestrian counterpart. Perhaps he could ask the girl to demonstrate some of her skill to him. He was an avid fan of Miss Lulamoon’s magic shows, as was dear Gwenivere.

Miss Harshwhinny cleared her throat and began to speak again.

"For today's task, you are to write a poem that means something to you, whether it has symbolic, sentimental, personal, or other meaning. Your task begins now."

The students got to work, pulling out blank sheets of paper and pencils, then starting to think. Skipting pulled a small leather-bound notebook out of his satchel, as well as a quill and an inkwell.

The inkwell was made of silver, gold, brass, and iron, with elegant designs along its body in the forms of shadows and trails of wind and leaves. The feathered quill was a feather from his pet raven, Maria.

His quill, after dipping in the ink once the well’s cap was removed, traced along the empty page, writing down a poem he had written years ago as a memoir of his last battle in the Dragovanese War of Independence. As he wrote, painful memories that he had tried his best to suppress began to resurface, and flashes of his time in the war appeared in his mind.

By the time he had finished writing, he was on the verge of tears, the memories too terrible for him to handle. He quickly wiped his face with a few fingers to wipe away any tears.

"Time is up," Miss Harshwhinny said.

The students all sighed in relief, having finished their poems.

The teacher began to pick out students to present their poems to the class, each presenting one-by-one. Soon, everyone but Skipting had gone, and the students all looked at him.

He went to stand at the front of the room again, and, taking a deep breath, began to recite.

What is combat but the final dance?
The world around you ceases to be

This duel has become a game of chance

Neither soldier may back down nor flee

For doing so shall leave the coward in disgrace

Blades clash, blood is spilled, and gunshots ring

One man seeks vengeance, the king seeks to end this race

Flesh is torn, cuts form, and metal sings

Hear the screams of the dying, and the laughter of the lost

Nightmare's Child stabs his blade into the emperor's chest

He falls to his knees, remembering those who'd paid the cost

When the Sun rises, the false ruler slain, the dead may rest

May the people for eternity remember

The Twenty-seven who were lost to the embers

Everyone applauded Skipting for his poem, to which he responded with a deep bow. Now that he had finished reciting his poem, it was time for questions.

Lyra was the first to raise her hand.

"What does that poem mean to you?" she asked.

"That was a poem I wrote as a memoir of my final battle with Batuhan, the Mongol leader who had taken control of Dragovan, during the Dragovanese War of Independence. I wrote it two months after my return home," Skipting said.

"I'm guessing the Dragovanese War of Independence was fought because the people of Dragovan were trying to free their home from the Mongols?" Bon Bon asked.

He nodded. "That is correct. The Mongols had invaded and enslaved the island of Tsushima, Dragovan in the year 1274 C.R. Dragovan was allied with Aequalitatem, my country, and when they decided they had had enough of the Mongols, they began to rebel," he informed.

"Because we were allied with them, we decided to aid them in their war, supplying them with soldiers, supplies, and weapons. The war officially began on June 3, 1863 L.R, and ended three years later on August 15, 1866 L.R. When the war was over, the Mongols' rule had finally ended, and the Emperor took his place back as ruler."

Once all questions were asked, some of which he refused to answer due to personal reasons, Skipting sat back down in his seat. Upon sitting down, he saw that there was a note on his desk. Picking it up, he unfolded it and read it.

Meet me in my office after class. I will have a student bring you to my office.

The note intrigued him. It was clearly from a staff member, but it did not make sense. If a staff member wished to see him in their office, why would they tell him in the form of a note? Why not just make an announcement over the P.A. system?

Class ended, and Skipting found himself standing alone in the hallway, waiting for whoever this person was sending to collect him.

He did not have to wait long, as a girl approached him.

She had elegantly curled grayish mulberry hair with pale, light grayish rose streaks, and pale, light grayish harlequin eyes. Her skin was pale, the color of snow. She was rather short, standing at about five-foot-four, leading the young Prince to assume she was what students called a "freshman", or perhaps a grade or two below, as the school taught grades sixth through twelfth. She looked to be about fourteen.

"Are you Skipting Lunam?" she asked, her voice high-pitched.

"Indeed I am. And you are?" he said.

"Sweetie Belle. Rarity is my older sister," she said.

She beckoned him to follow, and he obliged. They soon came to a door with windows on either side. There was a plaque next to the door.

Luna Mond

Vice Principal and Disciplinary

Sweetie Belle knocked on the door and entered upon receiving permission to enter.

"Thank you for bringing him, Miss Belle. Now would you kindly run along to your next class? I have already informed your teacher of your reason for being tardy."

The voice brought Skipting's attention to the desk at the back of the room. The room itself was rather dark, as the lights were off, so he couldn't make out the woman's appearance. But he could make out her shape in the darkness.

The door opened, then closed, signaling Sweetie Belle’s departure.

"Have a seat."

Skipting walked towards the desk and sat down. The woman stood up and went to the door, where she pulled the blinds down to prevent people outside from looking in. She came back to the desk and sat down in her seat, then turned on a ceiling light via a small switch on her desk.

The light was dim, giving barely enough light to see properly, but giving just enough for the young Prince to effectively see the woman before him.

Her moderate sapphire blue and pale, light grayish persian blue hair reminded him of Mother Nightmare, her star-patterned, ethereal hair so soothing to him. Her moderate opal eyes were calm and calculating, with a stern expression. They looked at him as though studying him. Her face bore a stern, calm expression.

“It’s good to see you again, Skipting. My sister informed me of your first meeting with Principal Judgement, and how you were rather cold towards him," Luna said.

"I will admit, I was cold towards him, but only because he was being rude to Sunset. He frequently glared at Miss Shimmer, and I am sure he would have expressed his misguided beliefs had I not interrupted him," he replied.

"He also informed me that you mentioned that your mother sent you here to protect Sunset, and to discover the identity of and bring down Anon-A-Miss," she added.

"That is correct, although you already know this."

A small smile appeared on her lips.

"Why is it that you sent me a note requesting an audience with me, rather than simply announcing it?" he asked.

"I would like this conversation to be kept as discreet as possible. Many students do not like visiting or speaking with me, and many dislike spending detention in my office with me. If students learned that the new student had to speak with me on his first day, I believe it would lead many to believe that you are a troublemaker, or someone to be spiteful towards. Besides that, I merely wished to speak with you without disrupting your class," Luna responded.

He nodded.

“I see. What else did you wish to speak with me about?"

"There are a few students in this school who I believe will be willing to help you. A few of them are friends with the Rainbooms, and some of them have various connections and access to various resources. I also have a few friends who I will ask to help you in whatever way they can, or with whatever you may need or want."

She pulled out her wallet and removed a selection of cards, which she slid across the desk to him. They were small plastic cards, the size of those odd cards he had seen Sunset using during their trip to the mall, which she said were called "credit and debit cards".

He picked one of them up.

Discord Kaos
Old Container Port in South Canterlot (Secondary Residence)
1321 Chaos Boulevard (Primary Residence)

He looked at Luna.

"This man has a residence located at an abandoned container port?" he said quizzically.

The woman nodded.

"It's impossible to find his place if you don't already know where it is, or if you don't have any clues as to its location. No one goes there because of the protection around it. There are nonlethal turrets, barbed wire, electric fences, electronically-controlled gates, security cameras, and other forms of traps and security measures all over the area. It's practically impossible to even get inside the area if you don't know how, or if you aren't one of Discord's friends."

"This man sounds like the very paranoid type," he mused.

She chuckled.

"Not exactly. While Discord may be wary of others, he's rather fond of creating chaos and mischief. I'll make sure to let him know you're helping us if you decide to stop by the port, so you don't get shot, electrocuted, or have some other painful thing happen to you when you get there. I'll also make sure to let you know when he's at home and when he's at the port, but he'll most likely be at the latter."

He picked up the second card.

Chrysalis Dumont
The Dancing Star (Workplace)
East 2nd Street, across from Blossom Spa
(Ask for Ravenous Desire)
2219 Hive Road (Residence)

"Judging from the alternate name listed on this card, I assume this woman is some sort of dancer?" Skipting asked.

Luna nodded.

"Chrysalis is one of my best and oldest friends, as well as my wife. Her career as a pole dancer fits her personality, and her seductive appearance and attitude very well. If you choose to visit her while she's at work, just ask for her by her stage name. And do be careful while you're there. The employees there don't take kindly to strangers."

"What do you mean?"

"A lot of people go to the Dancing Star for alcohol and to watch the dancers there. The manager is at least somewhat respectful, but he has little sense of dignity or decency. He and the employees know every single person that comes to the club. They only allow normal patrons, and close friends and family of the employees to enter. So the employees there, and most likely some of the patrons, will be rather rude to you, and some may even try to start fights," she informed.

"I am perfectly capable of handling myself in a fight. I am quite used to getting involved in bar fights, as I often went to bars in Southern Canterlot back in Equestria," he said.

"Very well then. If you do not have any further questions, I believe we are finished here. You may proceed to your next class. I have already informed your teacher of your reason for being tardy, just as I did with Miss Belle."

Chapter VI: Chrysalis Dumont

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Skipting wandered the streets of Canterlot, the winter wind swirling around him, but not penetrating his clothes and armor.

When school had ended and he had gone home with Sunset, he had taken a shower before changing back into his normal clothes, the ones he'd been wearing when he came to this world. His cloak was at its full length, billowing behind him in the wind.

Since he was going to have to walk through rather shady and dangerous parts of town, he had decided to leave his weapons in their true forms, so as to dissuade any potential threats from attempting to confront or attack him.

The Twilight Blade was strapped to his back as usual, tilted to face towards the right side. The Kingusureiyā was also at its usual place at his hip, in an Iaido sage to. The Night's Embrace was strapped to the outside of his right thigh. The only weapon that wasn't in its natural form was the Terror Praetor, which was in its watch form, due to the fact that its natural form's size and shape would hinder his movement being on his arm.

The young Prince had also decided to bring one of his larger and more powerful weapons.

The Formless Sword, the Fifth Nightmare, was given to Mother Nightmare as a gift from Mother Chrysalis, in honor of their union in companionship and love.

The large blade was of Nordic make, as Mother Chrysalis was of Nordic lineage, and was forged by the Queen herself. It was called the “Formless Blade” because it had the power to change form to suit the wielder’s desire, just like a Changeling. Its blade could become a dagger, a long sword, a rapier, or even a flexible metal whip, or whatever type of blade it’s wielder wished. However, Skipting normally kept it in its standard greatsword form out of personal preference, although he did like to occasionally transform the blade into that of a rapier.

It was engraved with numerous runes of power, some granting the weapon eternal fortitude so it would never dull nor rust, never losing its deadly capabilities. Others granted the blade mystical powers, including the power to reappear in its sheath whenever it was taken or dropped and could not be located, so it could never be stolen nor lost. All of the Five Nightmares had these enchantments placed upon them, the reappearing enchantments being bound to the wielder.

When Prince Skipting came of age, his parents modified the enchantments to bind the weapons to him. They still bore a bond with their original wielder, so that Mother Nightmare could acquire and use them if necessary, such as the seemingly impossible chance of her beloved son being kidnapped, unable to escape or fight back, or being in need of aid.

Skipting removed himself from his thoughts as he came to stand before a building. He looked for one of the odd blue signs that were at the corners of every street and intersection, to see what street he was on. He hummed in satisfaction when he saw that he was on East 2nd Street.

Looking at the building in front of him, he took in its features. It was a somewhat large building from where he stood, and was painted with shades of pink and blue, reminding him heavily of the spa back in Canterlot in Equestria, as well as the one in Ponyville.

He had only gone to the Canterlot Spa once, and he had learned that it was run by twins, who he discovered were actually quadruplets, as their other two quadruplet sisters, Aloe and Lotus, ran the Blossom Relaxation Spa in Ponyville.

He looked at the sign above the double doors.

"'Blossom Spa.’ It appears that I am close to my destination," he said aloud to himself.

Turning around to face the area behind him, he looked across the street to see what was most definitely the Dancing Star club.

The building across the street had a sign that bore words and a shape in a bright pink that glowed, the color and technology being what Sunset had told him was called "neon.” The words spelled out the club's name in cursive, and the shape in neon made the form of a woman spinning around a pole with a star flying from her outstretched hand.

Skipting crossed the street—after making sure it was clear, of course—and went to stand close to the club. Observing the people outside in front of the building, he counted twenty-nine people standing in a line, kept in single file by small, waist-high brass poles that held velvet ropes. There was a man at the door, who was talking to the people in line as they came to stand in front of him, and checking a list before either letting someone in or making them leave.

He went to stand near the line, hiding around the corner so as to stay out of sight. A bit of waiting resulted in the line being completely empty. The man at the door, who he assumed was a bodyguard to keep people standing in line in check, was the only person outside, still standing at the door.

He was a rather large man, with a muscular build that reminded him of that one Minotaur he’d had the displeasure of meeting two days after his return from the war. Iron Will was his name, if he recalled correctly. A rather boastful and arrogant creature. He was quite surprised when the Minotaur had informed him of the time Fluttershy attended one of his “seminars,” and became a “much more confident and assertive version of herself.”

Of course, the comment did not sit well with the young Prince, even more so because he was drunk, which led him to backhand the Minotaur in the face, leading to a rather nasty fight. His parents were outraged by the Minotaur’s actions.

Skipting chuckled slightly when he remembered how Mother Nightmare wanted to put him in the dungeons and force him to live his worst nightmares, while Mother Chrysalis wanted to eat him. Needless to say, Skipting agreed with the former, especially since the Minotaur’s nightmares of angry customers wanting refunds and coming after him with torches and pitchforks was amusing. It still made him smile thinking about it.

The bouncer was bald, with black facial hair in a goatee. He wore sunglasses over his eyes. He wore jeans with dirty hiking boots, and a tight dark gray t-shirt that showed off his muscular torso.

Skipting came out from around the corner and walked up to the bodyguard.

"Excuse me, sir. I was wondering if you would grant me entrance into this establishment. There is a woman who works here, and I wish to meet and speak with her," he said.

The bodyguard looked at him.

"Name?" he asked gruffly.

"I am Prince Skipting Lunam."

The man looked at the list he held for a moment, then back at him. "You're not on the list. Not on the list means no entrance," he said.

"I will have you know, good sir, that the matter I wish to discuss with a woman who works here is of utmost importance. I come here seeking her assistance in helping a young girl named Sunset Shimmer, who has been the target of heavy bullying and serious violence due to an online account," Skipting said.

He looked sternly at the man.

"This situation carries a risk of extreme injury or even death for Miss Shimmer. My mother sent me to this city to protect her, and I will not allow anyone to keep me from carrying out my mission," he said darkly.

As he spoke, his hand went to the Kingusureiyā, unlocking the weapon with a small push of his thumb.

The man's eyes widened slightly, and a small smile appeared on his face. "You're friends with Sunset Shimmer?" he said.

It sounded to Skipting like more of a statement of slight disbelief and surprise, rather than a question.

He nodded.

"More accurately, I am her cousin, as well as her protector," he said.

The man grinned.

"Well why didn't you say so in the first place?! Sunset’s a real good friend of mine!" he exclaimed cheerfully.

He shook his head a little.

“Oh, sorry. Forgot to introduce myself. Iron Will’s the name, and keeping rascals out is my game!”

Skipting relocked the Kingusureiyā and shook the man's hand.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Will," he said.

Iron Will nodded in agreement, stepping aside and unhooking one end of the velvet rope he stood near. He gestured for Skipting to pass, which he did.

As he walked through the dark hall to the main area, he could hear the loud music playing from the area. He recognized it as what Vinyl had said was called, "dubstep,” of which she was a professional artist. The girl had mentioned that she made her own music, and was also a DJ, which she said stood for "Disc Jockey.”

He finally came to the main area, and was taken back by it.

There were numerous tables all over the room, some with metal poles in the center that reached the ceiling. There were flashing lights around the stage, which had a runway like one might see at a fashion show, with a large circular section at the front. A bar was located at the back of the room, where a few patrons were sitting on stools and being served drinks by the bartender.

The flashing lights took a few moments of getting used to, but Skipting was able to quickly adapt, since he occasionally dealt with flashing lights on some missions.

He began to walk into the large room, and as he walked towards an empty table that was away from the stage, in the shadows, he felt the staring eyes of the patrons as he passed them. He still felt some stares even after he sat down.

He looked at the stage, which now had a woman standing on it, walking along the runway. She appeared to be in her early twenties, with messy blue and red hair tied into a ponytail that reached about halfway down the length of her upper arm.

She wore almost nothing, her modesty covered only by a set of unusually thin undergarments, if just barely. He found it rather odd that a woman would dress like this in a public establishment, but then again, some of the bars he’d been to had dancers and entertainment like this, although he never really paid it any mind.

He looked away from the stage, deciding to simply sit and wait for the woman he was supposed to meet to appear. holding the golden pocket watch hanging from his hip, he saw that it was 5:21.

He was woken up from his rest when he felt the vibrations of nearby footsteps. He looked up to see a woman in her early twenties standing next to the table he sat at.

She had long curly brown hair, and hazel eyes that held curiosity. She wore a magenta short skirt, black thigh-high fishnet stockings, and black high heels on her lower body. However, to Skipting's annoyance, her upper body was completely bare, save for the elbow-length fingerless fishnet gloves on her arms. Her chest was exposed to the cool air of the club.

Even though I come from a culture that practically lives off sex and accepts public nudity and sex, I believe I will never understand the appeal of working at an establishment such as this, especially while half naked, he thought to himself.

Although, perhaps it would be best not to attempt to understand. To do so would be like attempting to make Discord or Koz make sense, or trying to cease making love to my mothers, or trying to get either of them to start fornicating less than the rate at which Skipt um Sverm breed. Sanarath’s leg hairs, they are like rabbits.

"Oh, did I wake you? I'm so sorry, sir," she apologized.

"It is quite alright, Miss. I meant to rest for only ten minutes, but according to my watch, I have been asleep for almost half an hour," Skipting assured, quickly regaining his composure.

The woman smiled.

"Well, can I get you anything?" she asked.

"No, thank you," he replied.

"Okay. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"I believe there is one thing you can do for me. I am looking for a woman who works here. She goes by the name, 'Ravenous Desire.’ Do you know where I can find her?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Yep. She's actually about to come on stage right now. If you want, I can let her know you're looking for her when she's done dancing," she offered.

"I appreciate the offer. But I am certain that she will spot me during her dance, and will come to me afterwards," he declined.

The young woman walked off, leaving him alone.

The crowd applauded as the dancer Ravenous Love finished her dance and walked to the back of the stage, where she disappeared around the sides to go backstage.

Skipting did not have to wait long for her, as he soon found her standing in front of him.

She was the exact mirror image of her shape-changing mother in appearance, and he could already tell that she was just like his mother in personality, what with the way she was looking down at him. There was a mischievous glint in her moderate harlequin eyes, as well as a lustful, hungry look in them. She was smiling, too, and the young Prince could see that her teeth were extremely sharp, just like Mother Chrysalis’.

"I'm guessing you're the one Lulu told me about? The 'dashing young Prince who has come to Sunset Shimmer’s aid'?" she asked, her tone and voice sultry and seductive.

He nodded.

"Prince Lunam Skipting of Equestria, Child of the Nightmare and Spawn of the Sacred Mother, at your service," he introduced.

"Chrysalis Dumont."

She sat down across from him.

"Miss Mond told me you would be able to help me. What did she mean by that? How will you help me in my mission to protect Sunset and bring down Anon-A-Miss?" he asked.

Chrysalis smiled.

"As the leader of the Black Hive, I have eyes and ears everywhere. My children can blend in with any crowd, and infiltrate any area. They're excellent trackers and spies," she said.

"I feel as though you have something else to add. Is it something that will not please me?" he asked.

She laughed.

"God, no! It's just that if I'm going to be working with you and allowing you to use my resources and my children, I want you to meet my children! But one of them will most definitely be very… interesting for you to meet, to say the least," she replied.

"Again, I feel as though you have another thing to add."

She chuckled.

"You're pretty damn observant, kid. How old are you, anyways?" she said.

"I am one hundred twenty-seven," he replied bluntly.

"Damn. If I wasn't already married to Luna, I'd probably offer you a date with me. I'm forty-nine, myself," she said with a Cheshire grin as she leaned back. "I guess there really is an age gap between this world and yours."

"What do you mean?"

"My kid's twenty-six. Thanks to some recent advances in science and all that, hermaphrodites like myself are able to have kids both ways, whether it’s on the female side of it or the male side. Of course, I don't usually have kids in the 'normal way.’ No, sir. I'm the one doing the impregnating. I got Lulu pregnant with our kids, and we've been happy ever since," she informed.

"I see," Skipting said. "And what is this child's name?"

"Shifting Moon. That's the English translation of your name, isn't it? We named the kid in English at Luna’s suggestion," she replied. “Though, he normally goes by ‘Soren Mond.’”

"My children are damn good at what they do, but they're rookies in comparison to Moony. The kid actually picked up a career as a mercenary a few years back. And I gotta say, he's got the whole damn city terrified. People call him 'Nightmare's Hitman.’”

"You said you want me to meet your 'children' and your son. Is there a specific time you wish to do this?"

"Not really. I could arrange for us to meet you someplace, but it depends on your schedule, my schedule, and Moony's schedule."

Skipting nodded.

"Very well."

He stood up.

"I shall see you another time. I look forward to meeting your children and your son."

With that, he left the club, but not before confronting a man at the bar who was clearly harassing several of the female employees and dancers with highly graphic and sexual remarks.

Then throwing said man at the bar, breaking numerous bottles and shelves. Anyone who attempted to advance on him, he simply pushed away with a wave of his hand, sending out a wave of force to knock them back.

Chapter VII: Discord Kaos

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After leaving the club, Skipting started walking South. He had texted Vice Principal Mond, using the phone Marion had bought him two days after he started living with them, on his way out. The Vice Principal responded a minute later and told him that Daniel was at the container port.

And now, he found himself in the back of a taxi that had offered him a ride. The driver, a girl by the name of Watermelody Valeno, was rather kind. She was conversational and polite.

"So what do you need to go to the old container port for, if you don't mind me asking?" she asked.

"I am meeting someone there who may be able to help me," Skipting said.

"Do you mind telling me what you need help with? I might be able to help."

"My cousin is in danger. An online account known as 'Anon-A-Miss' has been posting the secrets of students at her school, while making it appear as though she is behind it. The man I am meeting at the container port may be able to help me find Anon-A-Miss," he answered.

Watermelody looked back at him through the rearview mirror with wide eyes. "Sunset Shimmer is your cousin?" she said, her tone carrying surprise.

He nodded.

"She is the daughter of my mother's older sister. My mother asked me to come here to help her."

"How is she?" she asked. “I’ve been meaning to talk to her, but unfortunately, I just haven’t really had much time on my hands outside of school and work.”

"I see. I appreciate your concern for Sarah, Miss Valeno."

The taxi stopped in front of the gravel path leading to the gate of the container port. After paying Watermelody the amount he owed, he got out, and the girl drove off.

So now he stood in front of the large gate. He could tell that it had recently been used from the tire tracks leading into the area. But the gate itself was chained shut.

Looking around, he quickly discovered an area on the outside of the port fence that could be used for entrance with the right skills. There were several large metal storage crates lined up and stacked on top of each other. While an average person would simply see this is normal, as there were similar crates all over the place, Skipting was far from normal, and he knew there was something different about these specific crates.

The crates on the opposite side of the fence in front of him were stacked on top of each other high enough to surpass the height of the fence. There was also a handle that had clearly been welded onto the edge of the top crate. He recognized it as an anchor for grappling hooks. The barbed wire lining the top of the fence would deter people from attempting to climb the fence to the top crate, especially if they failed to notice or recognize the anchor point.

Deciding not to risk injuring himself, and not to risk using a grappling hook to climb up, as there was a high chance that the barbed wire could end up cutting through and severing the rope, and causing him to fall, he began to concentrate. He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing, hoping his idea would work.

He began to picture the anchor point, imagining himself grabbing onto it and climbing up onto the crate. He could already feel the familiar energy, swirling around him like a blizzard and concentrating underneath his feet.

He heard the sound of rushing wind and felt the wind push against him. A feeling of very faint dizziness washed over him, but he was able to quickly clear his head and regain his balance. When he opened his eyes, he found that he was standing on top of the crate.

"It seems I still retain my more advanced powers on this side of the portal," he muttered with a small smile.

He walked to the other end of the crate and jumped down to the ground below, the light snow crunching beneath his feet as he landed.

Taking a quick look around, he spotted some of the security measures Vice Principal Mond had warned him about. He had seen Sunset playing what she called "video games" numerous times, and a few of them had mechanical devices that acted like living firearms, able to detect movement and identify enemies and intruders, then open fire on them with a barrage of bullets.

The creator of these turrets, however, was clearly far more intelligent than the ones he had seen in some of Sarah's video games. Several of them seemed to be looking directly at him, all of them at different positions and angles, as if to make sure that at least one turret would be able to hit a target, and to make sure that they would all track the same target or several targets. They were also in spots that would be difficult to reach even without the risk of being shot.

He made sure to keep an eye on them. They rotated to look at him as he moved, wandering about as he searched.

He froze when he heard a very faint click from underneath his foot. Looking down and brushing the snow away with his other foot, he saw that he had stepped on what he recognized as a land mine.

"Explosives," he muttered.

The fact that the explosive device had not gone off as soon as he stepped on it gave him an idea.

A “Hollywood land mine,” as Sunset calls them, he thought. Judging from the lack of objects in reach, it seems as though Mr. Kaos planted these land mines with the specific purpose of keeping an intruder in place until he went to help them.

Moving slowly and carefully, he turned around until he spotted a large rock about five feet away. Concentrating, he raised his right hand and reached towards the rock. The rock was enveloped in a black, indigo, and harlequin magical aura, and began to vibrate, before being gently lifted off the ground by an invisible force. Skipting willed the rock to come towards him, and it obeyed.

Once he had the rock in his hand, which he correctly guessed was of somewhat equal weight to his foot, he began to slowly ease his foot towards him to reveal the pressure plate.

He slowed his breathing to help with his hand's shaking. Skipting bent down and, being extremely careful and precise, gently placed the rock on the pressure plate as his foot finally slid off of the final few centimeters of the plate.

He sighed in relief and walked forwards, picking up another rock that he passed. Judging from the size of the trap and its construction, he assumed that its blast radius would be approximately five feet. Once he made sure that he was a safe distance away from the trap so that the explosion wouldn't harm him and the shockwave would not knock him down, he threw the rock.

A loud, deafening boom and electrical crackle erupted as the rock impacted the other rock, triggering the trap. Skipting looked away to avoid being blinded by the bright flash of the explosion, bending his knees to get into a crouching position. From his past experiences and his expertise with explosives, he knew that the construction of this trap was designed to rip its case apart and send the remains flying outwards in a hail of razor sharp shrapnel. He willed his watch to transform, and it did so, changing shape and expanding as the watch was replaced by the Terror Praetor, the circular silver shield strapped to his arm glinting in the light of the explosion.

A few moments passed, and he stood up. A quick and thorough inspection of the Terror Praetor showed that it had no signs of damage.

However, upon closer inspection, the shrapnel was revealed to be, to the Prince’s utter confusion, made of rubber and styrofoam. A look at the spot the trap used to be revealed a large net that had been raised from beneath the snow, and large amounts of whipped cream.

What sorcery is this?!, the Prince cried in his mind. The parlor tricks of a common jester?!

"Well, I'll be damned!"

Skipting looked all around him, trying to find the source of the voice.

"Up here, my good fellow!" the voice called.

He looked up at the giant stack of crates, and spotted a man sitting on one of the top crates, holding something in his hands.

The man waved to him.

"Are you going to come up here, or are you going to just stand there staring at me?! I don't have all day, you know! I have chaos that needs creating!"

Skipting sighed and shifted up to the top, this time maintaining his balance. He looked at the man sitting down.

He had short black and gray hair that was neatly trimmed, as well as a soul patch on his chin. His eyes were red with yellowish scleras, but they were rather odd. His left eye was normal, but his right eye was a bit larger, and his right eye socket was larger than the eye it held, giving the man a rather chaotic face.

He wore a pink tweed jacket with green polka dots, the left sleeve being shorter than the right, striped slacks with a yellow left leg and a red right leg, a green rubber glove on his right hand, a brown leather glove on his left. His tannish yellow tennis shoe kicked lazily on his left foot, while his red hiking boot simply hung from his right foot.

All in all, the strange man had a very mismatched and chaotic look that made the young Prince want to pitch him from the container to the ground below. The man’s ghastly outfit was already giving him a headache. But he knew this was this world's counterpart of Caeleste's Kaos, the literal God of Chaos. Even if he didn't know who this man was at all, he would still be able to figure out who he was from his appearance alone.

"Luna told me you would be coming. I'm somewhat surprised that you were able to get in here. I have several entrances to this place that only Luna, Chrysalis, Celestia, a few others, and myself know about. I'm also surprised that you were able to trick one of my traps," the man said, taking a drink from his Diet Coke.

He looked at Skipting.

"But then again, I'm also not surprised. You're the Equestrian counterpart of Lulu and Chrissy's son, Shifting Moon. So I know that you have similar, if not identical or even downright superior, skills to him. The way you used your wits to trick that mine was astounding."

The man grinned widely.

"Using a rock to take the place of your foot, and pulling it off just like Indiana Jones?! Fantastic! Then calculating the blast radius and figuring out where you would need to stand in order to be safe, throwing another rock to trigger the mine, and using your shield to protect yourself from the shrapnel?! Absolutely brilliant!”

Skipting looked at him with a calm expression.

"I was merely using the skills I have acquired throughout my life to get myself out of harm's way. There is nothing 'fantastic' about it," he said.

The man just chuckled.

"Oh, my apologies for not introducing myself. I'm Discord Kaos, one of Luna's best friends," he introduced.

"I am Prince Skipting Lunam of Equestria, Child of the Nightmare and Spawn of the Sacred Mother. But I trust you already know this," Skipting said.

Discord chuckled again.

"Yes. Luna told me who you are, as well as what you look like. When she said you would be coming, she said you would more likely than not be armed."

He looked at him with a mad grin.

"But she didn't say you'd be showing up armed to the teeth," he said with a small cackle, gesturing to the young Prince's many weapons.

The younger man hummed in amusement.

"The reason I am carrying seventeen weapons is because it adds to my already fearsome appearance, causing many who cross paths with or see me to decide not to attempt to attack me. That, and an assassin must always be prepared. I also work best when I carry many weapons, as it allows me to use diversity in combat and switch to a different weapon if one weapon isn't working as effectively as I need it to, or if I merely wish to switch weapons,” he informed.

The older man nodded.

"Ah. I see what you mean. If you only have a few weapons—like a sword or two, a dagger, and your revolvers, for example—then it lessens your options, forcing you to stick to one weapon or another, thus forcing you to stick to a specific combat style. But by having more than a few weapons—by which, I mean all of the ones you have on your person right now—it gives you mores options, allows you to switch to different weapons as you please, thus allowing you to fluidly switch between multiple combat styles, such as heavy and powerful combat, ranged combat, and quick and light combat."

"That is correct, Mr. Kaos."

Skipting sat down with the man, who pulled a bottle out of the bag that lay next to him.

"Soda?" he offered.

The young Prince looked at the bottle, realizing it was a bottle of Coca-Cola. It was in an old glass bottle with a metal bottle cap, much like the bottles of alcohol he'd drank from at the Drunken Sailor.

"How did you know Coca-Cola is my favorite soda?" he asked, looking the man in the eyes.

"Sunset told me. She said she introduced you to a lot of things during your first week of living with her and Celestia, including soda. She mentioned that she had you try several different kinds of soda, and you told her that Coca-Cola was your favorite of the ones you tried," Discord replied.

Skipting accepted the bottle and removed the cap with a satisfying pop, then took a drink from it, sighing in satisfaction.

"Thank you, Discord," he said.

"Anytime, new friend."

The two sat on the crate for a while, simply drinking from their respective bottles and getting to know each other. When they had finished their drinks, Discord threw his bottle, which fell to the ground below and shattered.

He looked at the young Prince.

"Try throwing your bottle," he suggested.

Skipting shook his head.

"I shall not litter. It is wrong," he said.

Discord laughed. "Oh, please! I litter here all the time out here with my glass bottles! It doesn't matter anyways, since Luna and the others know to come in through the entrances that will take them directly to my bunker, and to use the 'paths' outside that will keep them safe from any risks of stepping on broken glass," he pointed out.

"Even then," he added. "I always make sure to pick up after myself when I'm done. I've got a bunch of machines and stuff to help with that."

The younger man sighed.

"I have thrown many things throughout my life and career, but I have never thrown a bottle before. Is there a certain way to do it?" he asked.

The older man laughed.

"Not at all! Personally, I like to try and throw my bottles so they'll smash against a crate or some other object. Maybe you could try that?"

Skipting stood up, gripping the bottle in his hand. He pulled his arm back and began to search for something to throw the bottle at.

He heard his companion stand up and get behind him.

"Try throwing it at that wall of crates across from us," he instructed softly, pointing over the young Prince's shoulder to the crates in front of them.

Skipting took a breath and flung his arm forwards. When his arm was completely straight, he released his grip on the bottle, allowing it to fly. It sailed away from him, spinning vertically. It quickly reached the peak of its ascent, then began to descend at a slight angle towards the crate. The sound of breaking glass reached his ears as the bottle collided with the wall of crates, smashing against the third crate up in the wall.

Discord jumped in the air and cheered loudly. "That was fantastic, my boy!" he exclaimed.

"Thank you," Skipting said.

With that bit of fun over, Discord agreed to take his new friend to his bunker. When Skipting asked him how he was going to get down to the ground, and how he had even gotten up there in the first place, the mismatched man just cackled and opened what was revealed to be a hatch in a section of the crate's roof, which he climbed into. Skipting looked down into the hatch, and was surprised to see the man had somehow disappeared.

He concentrated and shifted to the ground with a rush of wind.

Looking around to try and locate Discord, he unfortunately had no luck in doing so. But he was surprised when the man in question suddenly popped out of another hatch, this one being in the side of a crate.

Discord grinned madly at him.

"Well? What are you waiting for?! Come on!" he said.

The young Prince sighed and followed the man around the port. After walking around for a while, he was about to ask his guide what they were doing when Discord pulled a remote out of his back pocket. He pressed a button on it, and odd sounds began to resonate.

He recognized them as being the sounds of moving machinery.

One of the crates had opened, the wall facing them having opened like a hatch or car trunk, hinges on the top of its wall lifting it to reveal the interior. The interior itself appeared to be some sort of small bedroom, with a bed in the upper right corner, a wardrobe in the upper left corner, and a desk with a laptop next to the wardrobe.

Discord gestured for him to follow, which he did, walking into the odd bedroom alongside him. The man clicked a button on the remote again, and the wall closed.

He looked at his companion.

"You may want to brace yourself a little. The elevator takes some getting used to, and it can be quite startling when it begins moving," he suggested.

Skipting nodded and steadied himself. With another nod to let his companion know he was ready, Discord pressed yet another button on the remote, or perhaps the same button.

The young Prince was, as Discord had said he might be, startled when he felt the bedroom begin to move. He quickly steadied himself again, looking at the older man, who was chuckling a bit while staring at him with a heavily amused expression.

Eventually, the room stopped moving. A button press later, and the wall in front of them slid open to the right like a sliding glass door, revealing a dark room.

"Where are we?" Skipting asked.

"Welcome to my bunker, Your Highness," Discord said with a dramatic flair and bow as he stepped into the room.

Skipting stepped forwards to join him, finding himself on a landing with metal railing, and a staircase leading down. Looking towards where the staircase lead, he saw a large, spacious room with a large desk in the center, which was covered with several monitors and laptops, countless cords, and numerous small and large metal boxes, the latter being what the young Prince assumed were what Sunset had told him were called "Wi-fi routers", or something like that.

He walked down the stairs behind Discord, who went to sit on the rolling chair at the desk.

"Vice Principal Mond told me you would be able to assist me. What will you do?" he asked.

Discord turned around in the chair and looked up at him, a serious expression on his face. The look actually unnerved the young Prince a little, seeing such a comical and chaotic man bear such a serious and dark expression. Even though he had only met the man not even an hour ago, he still knew that this was the Gaian counterpart of the God of Chaos.

The God of Chaos was just as comical, chaotic, relaxed, mischievous, and odd as this counterpart, if not more so. He had only met the being a few times, the first when he was young, the second after Discord's reformation by Fluttershy, the former Host of Kindness, and the third and final time just before he went to fight in the Dragovanese War of Independence, when the immortal Creator of Chaos bestowed upon him great and mystical powers, and strengthened the powers he already possessed from his mothers.

"I'm going to help you find Anon-A-Miss. She needs to be brought down. And anyone involved needs to pay," he said seriously.

"How will you help me do that?" the young Prince asked.

"I can't hack into the Anon-A-Miss account or MyStable, but I can keep a close eye on the account's followers, to see if they might be potential threats. As a professional psychologist, I excel in analyzing people. My skill set will allow me to analyze the damned account’s followers’ probability of violence, helping me piece together how they might act,” he informed.

“Not only that," he continued, “but as a part-time janitor at CHS, I can effectively go anywhere in the school, and I have access to the security cameras, so I can also monitor potential location Anon-A-Miss might use.”

He sighed.

"I know it may not be what you were hoping for, but that's the best I can do."

"That is quite alright, Discord," Skipting assured. "That is just what I need. Even if you cannot do much more than that, I will gladly accept whatever help I can get from friends and allies."

He laid a clawed, gloved hand on the man's shoulder.

"If you find any potential threats, contact me, and I shall do what I can to keep them from harming Sunset."

The older man sighed again, but looked at his new friend with hopeful, yet sad, eyes.

"Thank you for the reassurance, Skipting."

"You are welcome, my friend."

Chapter VIII: The First Form of Chaos

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Sunset awoke to the smell of food being cooked. She quickly woke herself up, then took a shower, washed up, got dressed, and headed downstairs.

I wonder what Mom's cooking, she thought to herself. It doesn't smell like anything she's cooked before. Maybe it's something new?

But when she entered the kitchen, she was met with a surprise.

Instead of her mother cooking at the stove or waiting for the oven, Prince Skipting Lunam stood in the kitchen. But the kitchen didn't look anything like their kitchen. It looked like something you might find in a fantasy creation, a Medieval or Norse kitchen.

The young Prince stood next to a large fireplace. He waited for a few moments, then used a wooden plate on a stick to lift a medium ceramic plate. On the plate were several lumps of what was probably dough. Once the plate was on a stone counter, the Prince finally looked at Sunset, then smiled.

"Ah, good morning, Sunset. Did you sleep well?" he greeted warmly.

She nodded.

"I did. What about you?"

"I slept well, thank you for asking."

She looked at the dough, then at her guest.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Well, since you and your mother have so graciously allowed me to live with you in your home, and you have been doing kind things for me, I thought I would return the favor," he replied. "That is why I am making breakfast for you."

With a kind request from the young Prince, Sunset went back upstairs to wake her mother and aunt up, then came back downstairs to sit down at the dining table. A few minutes later, Skipting came out with plates, which he set down in front of the three women.

"I have made a meal consisting of small cereal cookies made of barley flour, milk and salt, apple porridge, and elderberry soup with apples, all traditional Norse dishes from my homeland," he said, before sitting down himself.

Celestia, Luna, and Sunset picked up their utensils and tasted each item. Their eyes widened, and they both let out soft moans of delight.

"This is delicious, Skipting," Celestia said. "How did you make all of this?"

"I used some of my chaos magic to temporarily change your kitchen into one from my world and culture, so I could make the dishes in the way my people do," Skipting replied. "The spell does not interfere with the design or structure of your home, or anything else. It essentially acts as a sort of interactive illusion, if you will, allowing me to use the conjured kitchen as though it were actually real."

"Well, thank you for this meal, Skipting," Luna said.

"You are very much welcome."

Skipting Lunam's mind was currently wandering, mainly focusing on Anon-A-Miss, as he walked down the streets of Canterlot. Sunset had decided to stay home and invite her friends over to hang out, while the young Prince had decided to take a walk.

There has to be something I can use to help me find out who it is, he thought to himself. Perhaps making connections with Equestria will give me something to work with. Think. There are many similarities between this word and Equestria. Everyone has a counterpart. Some people lead similar lives as their counterparts. But there are also differences. Some people who are alive in this world may be deceased in Equestria, and vice versa.

Wait…

… Wasn't there some sort of incident similar to Anon-A-Miss that happened back home?

The thought surprised him. Yes, something similar had happened back home, several years ago.

Ponyville, August 21, 1864. The town's local newspaper, The Foal Free Press, puts out a gossip column created by three young members of the newspaper, under the name, "Gabby Gums." Gabby Gums is eventually revealed to be Apple Bloom Farfield, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, the younger sisters and honorary younger sister of Jacqueline Applejack Farfield, Rarity Vanessa Belle-Lunam, and Rainbow Miriam Dash.

"Sanarath’s leg hairs," Skipting murmured quietly. "I can't believe I didn't make the connection until now. The answer was so obvious, yet I was so blind."

His train of thought was broken by the sound of his cell phone ringing. He grabbed it out of his pocket and looked at the caller ID. It was Celestia.

"Hello?" he said after answering the call and putting the device to his ear.

"Skipting, you need to get back here. It's an emergency!" Celestia's voice said with great worry.

"What is it? What happened?" he asked.

"It's Sunset. The Diamond Dogs broke into the house and kidnapped her, right in front of the girls. The girls tried to help her, but the thugs just beat them and knocked them out, then left."

Skipting was at the house in minutes, practically smashing through the door in his rush. Vinyl, Octavia, Ditzy, Bon Bon, and Lyra all sat on the couch in the living room, all of them clearly shaken. Gilda was also in the living room, sitting on another couch with her head in her hands.

Luna and Celestia quickly noticed the Prince, gesturing for him to come close. He did so, coming to stand before the girls and the two older women.

"What happened?" he asked.

Lyra lifted her head to look at him, tears in her eyes. Her right eye already had a bruise on it.

"They came rushing into the room, just bursting through the door. They all went for Sunset and quickly knocked her out and tied her up," she explained fearfully.

"We tried to fight them off," Vinyl continued. "We tried throwing heavy things at them, using objects as weapons, and even tried rushing them at once. But they just… grabbed us and threatened to hurt or even kill us if we kept trying to interfere."

"Lyra spat in one of their faces, so the thug she spat on started beating her," Bon Bon added.

Skipting looked at Gilda, who appeared to be crying. He approached her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"We will get Sunset back, I promise you," he said softly.

"I'll kill them," Gilda snarled.

She lifted her head to look him in the eyes, a great and terrible rage burning in her eyes.

"I'll kill every last one of the fuckers responsible! They took my Sunshine away, and now all of them are going to suffer for it!"

"Do you have any idea where they might have taken her?"

She nodded.

"Yeah. Their hideout is in the South side of town, in the old Southern Views apartment complex," she responded.

Skipting walked upstairs to his room, opening the door, then closing it behind him. He changed out of his coat and modern clothing, and donned his normal clothes and his armor, putting his cloak on next. Then, he went over to his bed, opening the top drawer of the bedside nightstand, and grabbed his jewelry and belongings out of it.

Skipting relaxed his mind and steeled his nerves as he inspected each item. The silver ring with a ruby turned into the Shadow Spear, which he placed in its sheath on his back, the spear's pointed blade pointing towards the ceiling. The silver plate on his right shoulder transformed back into the Twilight Blade, the hilt facing upwards. He kept the Terror Praetor in its watch form, while his golden ring turned into the Formless Blade.

He placed each of his firearms in their respective holsters, then slung his two bows over his back alongside a quiver full of arrows.

Finally, he turned his second pocket watch back into the Kingusureiyā. He held the weapon in both hands, resting on his palms. His left hand clasped around the saya, and his right hand gripped the weapon's hilt, pulling it out completely. He moved the sword so that the blade was pointing towards the ceiling, the back edge facing him. He turned it to see his reflection in the gleaming metal for a few moments, then sheathed it and set it on an open space on the floor.

Skipting pulled out a black wooden box with silver hinges and a silver lock, setting it down on the bed. Pulling a key out of one of his pouches, he unlocked the box and opened it, revealing a tantō knife. He picked it up and unsheathed it, looking at his reflection in the gleaming steel and silver blade.

For a few moments, he could see twenty-five faces smiling at him as they appeared. Twenty-five faces, but of them, one stuck out.

Tanned, shining skin. Beautiful long brown hair. Two gleaming, perfect, lake-like golden eyes that shone with warmth and kindness, and love. He would never, could never, forget that face.

"I'm sorry, to all of you," he said quietly. "Lydia, it has been almost nine years since you died, since I made my promise to you. But Odysseus refuses to listen. I have been unable to speak with him ever since he swore he would kill me for what I did to you. But I can faintly feel his presence. Tonight, I will finally tell him everything. Tonight, one of us shall die."

He looked at the full body mirror. A humanoid being appeared in it. A Drákarem, or “Dragon Child.”

His body was covered in the tough scales and hide of the Drákarum, his coloring combination of black and stone gray. A long tail, lined with small arrow-like spines, and ending with a broad spearhead tip, occasionally swayed side to side.

A long, slightly curved sheath, covered in the same scales and hide as his body, was attached to his arm just above his wrist by a sort of wall of bone, flesh, and scale just below the forward-facing end of it. Two long, bony, finger-like claws jutted out of the sheath just above the small slit in it.

But that was not what made the Prince’s breath catch in his throat.

Held within the sheath, and further locked in place by the two finger-like claws bent down on either side of the hilt, the bony appendages pressed against its tsuba, was a masterfully-crafted katana. Never would he forget that blade, the carnage it created. Carnage only outmatched by the last two years of the war. The nearly two years known as “The Wrath of the King Slayer.”

Two sets of leathery dragon wings sprouted from his back, folded down to form a sort of scaly leather coat. He wore no armor, for he did not need it, as his hide and scales were more than enough to protect him from all but the best weapons. Despite his natural, near impenetrable armor, he bore countless scars all over his body, albeit all but two of them were from a time before he received the old Storm King’s blessing.

His draconic head was protected by a combination of tough scales, bone, and hide. His razor-sharp teeth, capable of crushing precious gemstones and pulverizing stone with ease, and perfect for chomping through bones and skulls, were displayed openly in a playful grin.

His eyes, a beautiful silver, turned blood crimson for a moment, before reverting to their original colors.

"Hvíslandi… I'm sorry… If only you were still alive."

Skipting chuckled bitterly.

"You barely even got to know your daughters," he murmured.

His grip tightened on the tantō as tears began to fall from his eyes. He slammed his other hand into the wall.

"Why, Hvíslandi?! Why did you have to insist on fighting in that godforsaken war?! Why did you have to insist on leaving your family behind?!"

He steadied his breathing, trying to quell his anger. Once he had calmed himself down, he sheathed the tantō and set it on the floor next to the Kingusureiyā.

He got down into a kneeling position, folding his legs underneath his thighs, his buttocks resting on his heels, and his hands folded neatly in his lap, in a traditional seiza position. Both the tantō and the Kingusureiyā had small black gems running along their hilts. Skipting looked at the weapons and their gems for a few moments, a solemn expression in his eyes and face.

"I swear upon my honor as an Abysswalker of the Legion of the Holy Moon, I shall rescue Sunset Shimmer, and kill all who oppose me," he swore softly.

He stood up and picked up the two weapons, putting the Kingusureiyā in its place on his left hip in an Iaido sage to, with the tantō positioned just below it. With his armor donned and weapons ready, he grabbed his mask out of the middle drawer of his nightstand, then went downstairs.

"I am ready to leave," he announced.

Celestia nodded.

"Okay. I'll drive you there," she said.

She turned to Gilda.

"Gilda, I would appreciate it if you would give us directions."

They arrived at their destination at nightfall, the moon covered by clouds, shrouding the streets in darkness. Celestia had stopped the van just down the road from the Diamond Dogs' hideout.

Skipting stepped out of the vehicle, turning to Gilda, who got out as well and came to stand next to him.

"Gilda, I request that you do not accompany me inside. I will handle them myself," he said.

"No fucking way, man," she growled. "I'm coming in there with you. I want those assholes to pay. I want to deal with them myself."

He sighed.

"I… I do not wish for you to see the side of me that will be unleashed upon these criminals. What will eliminate them will not be the same man you see before you."

"Skipting, I know your counterpart," she retorted. "You two are similar and identical in so many ways. I've seen your counterpart in action, so what you're capable of couldn't be any worse than what he does."

The Prince's gaze hardened, his slitted eyes staring into Gilda's hawk-like golden eyes. The girl stepped back a bit, unnerved by the assassin's sudden harsh look. She was actually afraid of him right now, especially because of his eyes. His eyes weren't their normal colors. Instead, the irises were a terrifying, fiery orange-ish red and blood crimson. To her surprise, his teeth were bared as well, the majority of them pointed and razor sharp. A set of large, deadly fangs jutted from his upper jaw like a snake.

Skipting's mouth was open, allowing Gilda to see the inside of it. Some sort of small tube coming from the back of his throat was slightly raised and pointing outwards, dripping with an unknown green substance that hissed faintly as the drops landed on his tongue.

"We are nothing alike, Miss King," the Prince said coldly. "He has not seen the things I've seen, heard the things I've heard… done the things I've done.”

His hands clenched into fists, shaking.

"The things I've done, the path of destruction and carnage I wrought during that godforsaken war, they are regarded as one of the darkest times in Equestrian and Mongolian history. My actions have been burned into the very culture and lore of the Mongols. I have become a legend, a myth, in their land. They tell stories about me, and tell stories to their children, so Mongolia will never forget the Wrath of the King Slayer, the legend of the blade I used to slaughter their armies, and butcher their leaders."

He turned away from Gilda and began walking towards the building. He briefly glanced behind him to see Gilda climbing back into Celestia’s van.

When Skipting was about twenty feet away from the perimeter of the hideout, he used his shifting power to get up to the roof of the building.

Before exiting the vehicle, he had used his shadow magic to summon Skaði from the Abyss. The Kovoznian raven, a gift from High Lord Shadowthorne, was thrilled to see her master again, and gladly followed his instructions to fly around and perform reconnaissance on the building.

The building was in a straight "U" shape, with a large rectangular area between the West and East sections of the complex. Seven guards patrolled the outside, two of them armed with fully-automatic rifles, one armed with a baseball bat with nails on it, a fourth armed with a pump-action shotgun, and a fifth armed with a semi-automatic rifle. The other two guards were positioned on third-floor balconies on either side of the entrance, both armed with sniper rifles.

Skipting quickly and quietly ran to where the snipers were. Once he had positioned himself in a way that allowed him to see both snipers, he pulled out one of his bows. He looked at the weapon with a solemn expression. The legendary longbow of his late grandfather and mentor, Skuggastál. The Sannur Fjandleitandi Einhuga, the "True Foe-Seeker of the One-Eyed.”

He pulled two arrows from the quiver on his back, nocking them on the bowstring. Relaxing his mind, he brought the Sannur Fjandleitandi Einhuga up and aimed at the snipers, drawing the bowstring back to the side of his face, holding the bow at an angle so the arrows were pointed at his targets.

He took a slow breath, and began to recite the poem he had created in honor of his beloved grandfather and mentor, which he had recited to the elderly man on his deathbed, as a final promise.

Odin, Allfather, guide my arrow with your far-reaching sight

Grandfather, I will make you proud, to my last breath shall I fight

When comes the day I fall valiantly in the fray,

Or peacefully surrounded by family and friends,

Valhalla calls me to your side, where we shall fight and feast each day,

Be it by steel or by arrow, my many foes shall meet their ends

Skipting took another slow, deep breath, and released the bowstring, sending the arrows flying forwards. They soared through the air like majestic birds swooping down to bring death upon their prey, until they struck their targets, the Dragon Steel arrowheads piercing the snipers' skulls, killing them instantly.

He slung the Sannur Fjandleitandi Einhuga on his back and launched two tendrils of shadows from his hands to retrieve his arrows.

I’ll always be with you, Skip. If you ever need my help with anything, don’t be afraid to call on me.

Skipting shook his head to clear his mind of the memory. There was no time to dwell on the past.

His eyes turned crimson, before he readied his wrist-mounted crossbows, loading them with Dragon Steel bolts. He aimed at the two guards armed with fully-automatic rifles and fired.

The bolts hit the guards' necks, causing them to silently collapse to the ground, shaking violently as blood poured from their mouths, eyes, noses, and ears like water from a fountain, sickly greenish-black foam coming out of their mouths as though they had a foreign, extreme, and rather horrifying form of rabies. Then, their flesh began to melt, exposing their bones as they silently screamed.

After about thirty seconds, only their skeletons were left, laying in pools of blood and what used to be flesh, muscle, and organs. A personal favorite of his, the deadly venom of the Bráðnandi Maður snake of the Crimson River was effective as always.

The guard armed with a shotgun and the one with a semi-automatic rifle were quickly taken down when they came up to each other and started talking, allowing Skipting, his cyan and harlequin eyes calm and cold, to shift to a nearby lamp post and jump down on them, stabbing them in their necks with his hidden blades.

With one guard left, the assassin simply walked towards his prey, who was standing in front of the entrance. He quickly noticed the intruder.

"Hey, you! What are you doing here?" the Diamond Dog shouted. "You don't belong here! Leave now!"

Skipting ignored him, instead continuing to advance. When he was within seven feet of the Diamond Dog, he unlocked the Kingusureiyā with his thumb.

"Get the fuck out of here! Leave, or we‘ll make you!"

The Prince chuckled lightly.

"'We?'" he said. "There is no 'we.' There's only you. Your friends out here are all dead."

The criminal didn't have time to say or do anything, as Skipting gripped the Kingusureiyā's hilt and drew the weapon, slashing upwards and diagonally from the Diamond Dog's right hip to his left shoulder.

The man's body split apart, the upper half with his right arm and head sliding off of the rest of his body, both halves falling to the ground with a thud and a soft splat, blood quickly pooling and internal organs falling out.

The assassin continued to calmly and steadily walk towards the entrance even as he drew his weapon and cut the criminal in two, flicking the Kingusureiyā to remove the blood, then sheathing it, all in a fluid, practiced motion.

A black and purple energy flowed from the corpse, and connected to the sword's hilt, where it was sucked into one of the gems on it.

Sunset was confused and terrified. She didn't exactly know why the Diamond Dogs had kidnapped her, but she had a feeling it had to do with Anon-A-Miss. She didn't know where they had taken her, either. She wondered what they planned to do to her. Were they going to kill her? Keep her as some sort of sex slave? Torture her?

I really hope Skipting will be able to find me, she thought.

The door to the room she was in opened, and three members of the Diamond Dogs entered the room, closing the door behind them. Two of the gang members went to stand on either side of the doorway, while the third approached her.

This man was certainly different from the rest of the gang. For one thing, he didn't smell horrible like the others. Another thing was his outfit and appearance. The Diamond Dogs chose to wear jeans or sweatpants with sneakers or boots, various t-shirts or long-sleeved shirts, and denim vests. Some of them also wore various jackets, like hoodies, windbreakers, and denim or leather jackets. Pretty much all of them had filthy hair and gross appearances, with yellowed teeth and cracked lips, and filthy nails and hands.

But this man was the complete opposite. Instead of dirty clothing and a vest or jacket, he wore a gray three-piece suit with a white button shirt, neat dress shoes, and a red tie. Instead of dirty and shaggy hair, this man's hair was clean and neatly combed and brushed, slicked back. His face was clean and surprisingly handsome, and his fingernails were clean and short. When he exhaled through his mouth, Sunset could briefly see his perfect white teeth.

The man looked at her with soft green eyes. He stood before her, looking down at her. Sunset tried to back away, but her back was against the wall.

"Please, don't be afraid," the man said gently, his voice surprisingly smooth and soft. "I mean no harm."

Sunset looked at him with an expression of disbelief.

"Bullshit," she said. "Your thugs broke into my house and kidnapped me. When I woke up, they even said they roughed my friends up a bit, and your gang is well known for being extremely violent."

The man nodded.

"Yes, I am well aware of that," he said.

"You see, I never wanted my little organization, our family, to be like this. We were originally a kindhearted group of misfits who would gladly help out people in need. We would even organize little charity events and help with community events. Many people even called us 'Fortunate Angels,'" he informed, "because to those we helped, we were apparently like angels. We gently denied their claims of us being such things."

We were naught but loyal followers of Christ who followed His teachings, helping those in need, and treating all who came to us like neighbors, but more importantly, like family. But we were forced to be this way by a powerful crime family. We were forced to work for them, to be enforcers and hired thugs. If we didn't, or we tried to go back to our old ways, we would be killed, as we would be liabilities."

He cut Sunset's bindings and freed her from the chain restraining her, put his knife away, and helped her to her feet. Stepping back a bit, he extended a hand.

"My name is Nolan Winters," he introduced. "As you know by now, I'm the leader of the Diamond Dogs. It is a pleasure to meet you, although I wish we could have met under better circumstances."

He gestured to the two gang members standing at either side of the door. Surprisingly, these two were also the complete opposite of every other Diamond Dog. Instead, they looked and dressed like Nolan.

The one on the left had short blond hair and hazel eyes, and wore a black three-piece suit with a red tie, while the one on the right had brown hair and blue eyes, and also wore a black suit and red tie. Both of them also wore black leather gloves. The two looked identical, both to each other and Nolan, in every way but the hair and eyes.

"These are my twin brothers, Ryan and Alan," Nolan said. "Like me, they long for the Diamond Dogs to be able to return to what they were before we were forced to work for the crime family that turned our group into what it is today."

The door opened again, and a Diamond Dog entered the room, a tray in his hands. He passed Nolan and placed the tray down on a table.

"Why did you free her, Nolan?" the Diamond Dog asked in a gravelly, high pitched voice. "You know she's a she-demon."

"She isn't a threat, Rolph," Nolan answered. "I want her to have the freedom to attack me if she desires, even if she thinks she may be punished for doing so. I also want to have a civil conversation with her, rather than have her bound and helpless, feeling small and weak."

Rolph snorted.

"You're as dumb as Glen," he said. "Don't you remember what happened to him when he freed a prisoner?"

"Yes, Rolph, I remember—"

"The bitch tackled him, took his knife, and stabbed the shit out of him."

“I know, Rolph. But Miss Dusk was afraid for her life.”

Rolph slammed a hand on the table.

“Twenty-eight stab wounds!” he yelled. “That bitch was a fucking psychopath!”

“She is not a psychopath, Rolph. She merely had a rather intense and violent reaction to the drugs Glen dosed her with,” Nolan responded. “And he was lucky Miss Blaze or Miss Dazzle were not present during the incident, or else they might have beaten Glen bloody, and perhaps torture him a bit, before likely taking him to see either Misters Melody and Thorne, or Violenza.”

The thug pulled out a knife, pointing it at Sunset.

"I'm not going to let something like that happen again."

Rolph lunged at her, but she managed to roll out of the way. Ryan and Alan were on him in an instant, suppressed handguns pressed against his head.

Nolan sighed.

"I knew you would try something like this eventually," he said solemnly. "I'm afraid you'll have to be punished… severely. I want this family to go back to what it used to be. We're already kept from that by them. People like you aren't making our efforts any better."

Rolph’s eyes went wide as he gawked at the man.

"C-Come on, Nolan! We can talk about this!" he exclaimed nervously. "You're not really going to tell these two to shoot me, are you?!"

Nolan shook his head.

“No. But I’m afraid she will want to handle this,” he answered.

He reached into the right pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a small wood and crystal object in the shape of a skull. The object had a horizontal slit on the back of the skull.

Rolph’s eyes immediately began to look like they were about to pop out of his head, and an intense expression of unimaginable fear appeared on his face as he looked at the item.

“You can’t do this!” he cried. “No! God! No God, please no! No! No! Noooo!”

He tried to move away from Ryan and Alan, but the twins simply pressed their guns harder into his temples, making him cry out.

"I'm sorry, Rolph. I didn't want it to come to this. But you know how she feels about the current state of our family. You know how hard she's been trying to help us return to our old lives. You know what she prefers to do to those of us who are blindly and foolishly loyal to the Avellinos. And unfortunately, I can't say anything to her to convince her not to use such horrid methods of punishment."

He put the item to his lips and blew into the slit. A loud, piercing shriek came from it.

A few moments later, heavy footsteps approached the other side of the door, which opened, and someone came through.

Sunset’s eyes widened, and her jaw dropped.

The figure coming into the room had to bend down significantly to even fit through the doorway. Once they were inside, they straightened their posture.

They were tall, impossibly tall. Sunset actually had to crane her neck in order to see their head. She herself was about five-foot-seven, but she looked like a small toddler in comparison to this giant, who stood at about nine-foot-eight, even taller than Skipting Lunam, and he was the tallest person she knew, save for Princess Celestia and Viin’Garal. Their height and appearance could only mean that they were from Equestria.

The newcomer was powerfully built—"Amazonian" was a word that came to mind, but even that failed to come close to describing them—with colossal, rippling muscles that bulged and stretched the clothing they wore, reminding her heavily of the Incredible Hulk.

The only features that gave away the person's gender were the large, heavy breasts that heaved with every breath, looking like prize-winning watermelons strapped to her chest, and her round, toned rear end.

Those two features also helped Sunset figure out her race. A large chest and rear like this woman’s were two of the defining and most well known physical traits of a good number of female Changelings, with quite a few well-endowed Changelings using their attributes to seduce potential prey, mates, or simple casual flings, so they could feed off their partner’s love and lust.

They were also known for their insanely high sex drives, although the Queen completely dwarfed even the most sexually ravenous Changeling.

This woman wore armor that Sunset recognized as lamellar, the sewn iron plate armor worn by Norse warriors of this world's history and the Nordic and Changeling warriors of Equestria. But the lamellar this woman wore had the masterfully-crafted designs of the renowned blacksmiths of Askja Snjó Mountain. Leather armor covered her legs, and leather bracers covered her forearms, steel covering the tops of the bracers, lining the back of her forearms, while black fur lined the backs of the bracers.

Dark brown leather boots were on her legs, black fur lining the mouths. A black bear skin and fur cloak was draped over her shoulders, the paws of the once living beast hanging from the front of her shoulders like a dog with its paws over a fence, while the head of the dead animal rested atop the woman's head as a hood.

But probably the most interesting part of her outfit was her mask.

It was a silver mask in the shape of a human skull, carefully and masterfully crafted with astonishing yet disturbing detail to the point where one might think the mask was indeed an actual human skull.

Just like her cousin’s.

The woman lifted a large, powerful hand to her face, and removed the mask, lowering it and hanging it from a small hook on her belt. Two crimson slitted eyes stared down at her with a curious expression. Her skin was, to Sunset's shock, the same as Skipting's, the pale tan of an Equestrian on the left side, and the ebony skin and hard carapace of a Changeling on the right.

Her nose twitched suddenly, and she began sniffing the air, before she bent down and brought her face close to Sunset's. The massive woman continued sniffing, possibly trying to find the source of whatever scent she had picked up. Apparently, to the young girl’s dismay, she seemed to be the source of the scent, as the woman moved her head about, investigating her.

After a few more moments, she stopped and moved her head to look Sunset in the eye, a predatory expression on her face.

"Where is he?" she hissed in a low, sultry voice.

"W-What?" Sunset said, starting to shake.

"Where. Is. He?" she repeated, baring her teeth to reveal a set of massive razor sharp fangs.

"I… I don't know who you're talking about."

"I can smell him on you. You've been around him. You know where he is—or at least, where he might be."

"Blóðþrá, please stop interrogating the poor girl. She's terrified," Nolan requested.

Blóðþrá turned to face Nolan, a scowl on her face.

"She knows where he is," she growled. "He's here, in the city."

"I know you want to find him, but you don't have to scare Sunset out of her mind."

The door burst open and a boy of about seventeen, with fair skin and clean brown hair in a crew cut, wearing a simple white t-shirt, a gray pair of jeans, and black sneakers, ran in, a look of fear on his face.

"Dad! We've got a situation out here!" he yelled.

"What kind of situation, Dylan?" Nolan asked.

"There's some guy in weird clothes and armor and armed with a shitload of weapons demanding that we release Sunset Shimmer!" the boy cried.

Nolan's eyes briefly widened, before he fished a phone out of his pocket. After a few moments, the TV in the room came to life, and showed camera displays of the lobby, where the man Dylan had described was standing before the front doors.

"Skipting…" Sunset murmured.

"Who?" the well-dressed man asked, turning to her.

"He's my cousin, from the same world she's from," she answered, pointing to Blóðþrá. "He's here to rescue me. Although, now I don't think I'll actually need rescuing, given that you didn't want this in the first place."

"While I am perfectly willing to accept this man's demands, I am curious. What will happen if the more violent and remorseless members stand in his way—not that I would encourage that, of course. I believe in peaceful negotiations."

"Skipting Lunam is a soldier in the Lunar Army, as well as the captain of the Lunar Royal Guard, and his mother's personal guard. He is also the infamous Midnight Assassin, the title having been passed down to him from his grandfather, and the Hero of Dragovan, having fought in the Dragovanese War of Independence ten years ago to free Dragovan from the Mongols."

She shuddered.

"If anyone stands in his way, then may God have mercy on their souls."

"There is no mortal, living or dead, who could stop an Abysswalker like Skipting," Blóðþrá said. "No matter how powerful they are, whether they're mortal or demigod. Not even a god could stop him, he's that damn determined and stubborn. People back home call him 'God Killer' for a reason. All who know his legend and his name fear him. He is what monsters fear. He is what monsters and demons check for under their beds and in their closets at night."

"So he's like the boogeyman?" Dylan asked.

She grinned.

"No…" she answered. "He's the man you send to kill the fucking boogeyman."

Skipting calmly opened the front door and walked inside, entering a large open area that was most likely the lobby. A quick scan of the room and its occupants showed that forty-four Diamond Dogs were scattered around the lobby, and all of them stopped what they were doing and looked at him.

"How'd you get in here?!" a Diamond Dog demanded.

"I simply dispatched the guards posted outside and walked in here," the assassin replied.

"What do you want, freak?"

"I demand that you release Sunset Shimmer and bring her to me," he said.

Several thugs laughed.

"Why the hell would we do that?" the thug said. "It sounds like you're trying to make a deal, so what do we get in exchange if we give you the bitch?"

A group of Diamond Dogs looked at the thug.

"Come on, man," one of them said. "Let's just do what he asks. We didn't even want her to get kidnapped and brought here in the first place. Nolan didn’t even want it done."

"Yeah," a second said. "We just want to go back to helping people. Ya know, what we used to do."

“So what say we do what this guy asks, and maybe he can help us, just like that really big lady has these past few years,” a third added.

The Prince looked at the group.

"I appreciate your kindness," he said. "Go. Leave this room. I shall allow the fifteen of you to live so you may one day return to the lives you so desire."

They nodded and thanked him, leaving the lobby and going into a different area.

"Give me no trouble, return Sunset to me safe and sound, allow us to leave safely, and never bother us again, and perhaps I may spare your pathetic lives," he offered, looking at the twenty-nine remaining gang members.

A group of thugs stood up from where they were sitting and approached the Prince, stopping within six feet of him. They all drew weapons, knives, brass knuckles, handguns and such.

"Very well…" Skipting said, placing his hand on the top of the Kingusureiyā's sheath.

He unlocked the blade with a push of his thumb, positioning his other hand over the weapon's hilt. He pressed his gauntlet-covered, clawed fingers together, then spread them apart so it looked like he was holding a ball in his claws. His fingers then touched the Kingusureiyā's habaki, before spreading out once more.

The assassin moved his arm to wave it horizontally, the tips of his claws pointing at each of the Diamond Dogs standing before him, while also rotating his wrist, hand, and fingers in smooth motions, until his arm was pointing directly to his right. He moved his arm again, touching the Kingusureiyā's habaki with his claws a second time, after which he moved his hand to grasp the hilt.

He moved his left foot behind him, and his right foot in front of him, slightly bent. His torso was turned to the left, hunched over slightly.

In seconds, the temperature seemed to drop to freezing, to the point where both Skipting and the Diamond Dogs' breaths formed visible clouds. His cloak began to billow in a nonexistent wind, but the nonexistent wind quickly became real, a strong breeze flowing throughout the room, making the thugs' clothes ruffle and shake, and causing papers, trash, and other small things to fly around. The lights began to flicker rapidly.

"What's happening?!" one Diamond Dog cried.

A shadowy black, purple, and dark blue mist began to emanate from Skipting, covering the floor in a thick, dark fog that quickly rose up to knee height for the Diamond Dogs.

"Art of Chaos Form One," Skipting whispered in a voice like Death Himself, "Ethereal Cords of Fate, Wrath of a Thousand Fallen Blades."

His grip tightened on the Kingusureiyā, and he drew the blade and slashed.

The Diamond Dogs were terrified and confused. The moment the intruder drew his blade, time seemed to slow down significantly. They could see the man darting between them, slashing at them with his sword. Their fellow gang members actually moved in slow motion, while he moved and attacked at a slightly higher than normal speed.

None of them could tell how much time was passing, as even their watches seemed to have slowed down significantly, making them useless. Seconds felt like minutes, hours, even.

Finally, time went back to normal. To the thugs' shock, the stranger was still in the exact same position he had been in when he drew his blade.

Skipting twirled the Kingusureiyā around in his hand, bringing it to its saya, and dragging the back of the blade along the top, until the blade's point entered it. The rest of the blade followed, until only the habaki was exposed. He put his left thumb against the tsuba, keeping it from going any further, removed his right hand from the hilt, and snapped his fingers.

This action caused the air around the Diamond Dogs to shimmer, revealing countless wires going all over the place, connecting to the ceiling and floor, and even the furniture. The wires all wrapped tightly around every single one of the criminals, leaving them unable to move. Already the wires were beginning to dig into their skin, cutting into them slightly. Many of them were kept suspended in the positions they'd been in when Skipting drew his blade, leaving their arms in the air, and even locking their fingers in place, some having their fingers and arms bent back the wrong way by the wires.

Skipting removed the Kingusureiyā and its saya from his hip, drawing the weapon again, another old habit from the war. This revealed that all of the wires were connected to its habaki, starting and ending at it. He moved the weapon around a little, tugging on the wires and causing his enemies more pain.

He smiled slightly behind his mask as he walked into the middle of the little gathering of thugs.

"What is this?! Who the hell are you?! What the hell are you?!" one of the gang members cried.

The assassin turned to the one who had spoken, his fiery blood crimson eyes locking on to his prey.

"This is one of my little tricks. These wires are all connected to the habaki of my weapon," he responded. "When I move it around"—He moved the Kingusureiyā around a little to demonstrate, making everyone cry out in agony—"it pulls on the wires."

He chuckled darkly.

"As for what I am… Well… I… am a Nightmare."

"You're a fucking monster!" another thug yelled.

The assassin actually laughed, a cold, hollow, sadistic laugh that chilled them to their very souls.

"That is where you are wrong," he said. "I am not a monster. I am what monsters fear. I am what monsters tell their children stories about during the day, when they believe they are safe from me, the blade in the night. I am the living nightmare incarnate of an entire nation. A nation nearly left completely defenseless without an army for almost five months by my wrath, forced to suffer for the pain they caused me."

He turned away from the criminal and moved the Kingusureiyā to its saya, slowly sliding it in. The Diamond Dogs, noticing this and figuring out what would happen once the blade was fully sheathed, started yelling, screaming, and crying.

"Please!"

"Don't do it!"

"We have families, people who would miss us!"

"Don't you have a heart?!"

"You are all scum. Your only desire is to prey on the weak, the helpless, and the innocent. You are cruel and without mercy. You only work for your own personal gain. You care not for the pain you cause others, nor the pain you cause your loved ones."

He slid the blade the rest of the way in, finally locking it into place with the habaki.

Instantly, the wires snapped, causing the ends to dart around, like a rubber band pulled taught and released on one end. Their razor sharp properties decimated the Diamond Dogs, making them scream in absolute agony. Their screams only lasted a few moments before the wires fully retracted to the Kingusureiyā and disappeared.
The thugs all fell apart into pieces with massive sprays of crimson blood like what one would see in old samurai movies, particularly Akira Kurosawa films, which Sunset, Luna, and Celestia had all shown him.

But Skipting, as much as he admired those films, felt that they were nothing compared to the actual experience, as every great strike Takashi made with his katana during the war had had the same effects.

The same black and purple energy that had come from the last guard's corpse emanated from the twenty-nine decimated bodies around him, all being drawn into the gems on the Kingusureiyā's hilt.

Their internal organs, many in pieces, spilled everywhere, fragments of bone littering the area. Much of the blood sprayed onto the young Prince, coating him with a fine layer of the crimson liquid. He briefly relished in the feeling of being covered nearly head to toe with the blood of his foes, before walking towards the door at the back of the lobby, his blood and hellfire eyes reverting to their normal colors.

Chapter IX: Death of a Prince

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The door opened, and three men and a teenage boy stepped out, accompanied by Sunset. To Skipting's surprise, she didn't have any restraints at all, her limbs completely free, and her mouth not gagged, allowing her to speak.

As soon as the girl’s eyes fell on him, she immediately rushed towards him, practically tackling him in a tight hug, not even caring that her clothes, skin, and hair became stained with blood.

“Skipting! You came!" she cried.

He looked down at her.

"Of course I came, Sunset," he said. "I would have walked through Tartarus itself to save you."

"Excuse me," one of the men said. "Are you Prince Skipting Lunam?"

Skipting released himself from the embrace and gently moved his dear cousin aside, drawing the Twilight Blade and pointing it at the man.

"Indeed I am. Why do you ask?"

"Miss Shimmer was telling us a bit about you. She knew you would come to her rescue," the man answered. "My name is Nolan Winters. I'm the head of the Diamond Dogs."

He gestured to the two men with him, who looked identical, both to each other and to him, save for the hair and eyes, then to the teenage boy.

"These are my twin brothers, Ryan and Alan, and my son Dylan."

The man paused.

"Also, we have someone who has been looking for you since she sensed your presence in this world."

A massive woman stepped through the door, looking at the Prince. She slowly approached him until she was four feet away, and pushed the Twilight Blade aside with a hand.

"Skipting Lunam…" she said softly. "... I've missed you so much…"

He looked up into the woman's face, his expression quickly softening. He lifted a hand and removed his mask, hanging it on its little hook.

"... Blóðþrá…" he murmured.

Blóðþrá took the Twilight Blade from the Prince's hand, sliding it into its sheath on his back, and wrapped her massive arms around him tightly.

"My sweet, precious baby brother… It's been so long…"

"You have been here all this time?" Skipting said.

She nodded, releasing him from her embrace and stepping back a few feet, before adjusting her cloak.

"I came here after helping a large pack of Diamond Dogs free themselves from the control of a criminal organization known as the Dark Hand," she explained. "Mother Nightmare had told me about the alternate world, and how some people's counterparts in either world led similar or identical lives. So I decided to come here to see if the Diamond Dogs of this world were in any sort of similar situation to the pack I'd helped out.

"I was saddened to discover that my concerns were correct, as this group has been forced into its current way of life by a powerful crime family. I've been doing what I can to help them out for the past three years, dispatching any members of the Diamond Dogs who directly threaten the others’ chances of turning their ‘family’ back into what it used to be."

"I am very proud of you, Blóðþrá," Skipting said warmly with a smile.

Sunset’s eyes widened.

“Skipting! Behind you!” she yelled.

The young Prince moved to turn around, but he was too late, as a pained gasp escaped his lips. Sunset and Blóðþrá looked at his stomach to see, to their horror, a blade pierced through it.

Behind him stood a man in his early thirties. He was clearly Gryphonian, judging from his short, curly brown hair and chiseled, stony face, and of course, the ornate bronze and leather armor he wore, and the bronze sword through the Prince’s torso.

He had a long scar running from the right side of his forehead, through his eye, down to the bottom of his jaw, the eye socket completely empty. His remaining left sea green eye was filled with hatred, and his mouth was twisted into a hateful sneer.

"This is for Lydia," the man said coldly.

He pulled the sword out and allowed the Prince to collapse to the floor.

"You bastard!" Blóðþrá snarled, baring her fangs. "You'll pay!"

She moved to lunge at him, but a strong blast of magic stopped her, pushing her back a little. She looked down at her brother, immediately realizing he was the source.

"Blóðþrá, leave him be," Skipting said. "This is between me and him. Odysseus is justified."

"How can stabbing you through the back be justified?!" she shouted.

"I have been waiting for this to happen for years."

The giant woman's rage-filled expression turned into one of confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Being found and wounded by Odysseus as an act of vengeance is the one thing I have longed for, so I may have the opportunity to at least attempt to atone for the pain I caused him, and to attempt to fulfill a love's dying wish."

He turned his attention to Odysseus, who stood above him with his sword ready.

"Odysseus, how did you find me?" he asked.

"Father and I were visiting Equestria to discuss a few threats in Eaglestone,” the man explained. “Father said he wanted you to eliminate them, but Princess Nightmare Moon said you had gone to the alternate world on a mission from her, and that she did not know when you would be back.”

"The next day, I snuck into the castle and managed to get past the guards, then entered the portal and came into this world, where I knew your parents wouldn't be around to stop me. I've spent these last three days searching for you. I went all over the city, until I finally came across this apartment complex just a few minutes ago. I noticed the state of the guards' bodies, and immediately recognized your work."

"Tell them why you have done this."

Odysseus looked at Blóðþrá and Sunset.

"Skipting fought in the Dragovanese War of Independence almost a decade ago. He was the leader of the legendary band of soldiers known as the ‘Twenty-Seven Fears.’ My sister, Lydia, was one of them.

"He and the Twenty-Seven Fears set up camp along the banks of the Shiine River on the afternoon of June 19, 1864. Two nights later, they were ambushed by a large force of Mongols. They tried to fight them off, but they were overwhelmed, all of them mortally wounded. Skipting had gone to a nearby Mongol fortress to steal documents, so he was not present at the ambush. By the time he returned to camp, he discovered the aftermath of the ambush, their camp burned and destroyed.

"Unable to save his comrades and friends, Skipting claimed the souls of twenty-five of the twenty-six dying soldiers, which he placed within the gems on his tantō and the Kingusureiyā.

"Because of him, my sister was needlessly killed by the Mongols in an ambush, mortally wounded with a poison used specifically by the Mongols. If he hadn't made the decision to set up camp where they did, if he hadn't run off to the Mongol fortress, my sister would still be alive."

"Odysseus, allow me to explain," Skipting said. “You do not know the full truth.”

"Why should I listen to you?!" the Gryphonian shouted. "Why should I let you attempt to defend yourself with lies?!"

"Because I want you to at least understand what happened, and why I took their lives. I want you to understand why I was forced to leave my son without a mother."

Odysseus looked at him with a shocked expression.

"Your son? What are you talking about?! You never said anything to me about you having children!"

"But that is where you are wrong. Thirteen years before the war started, soon after Lydia was assigned to be my personal bodyguard, we fell for each other, and eventually, she told me that she had long desired to have a child. Nine months later, our son, Talion, was born.

"But when the war started, and we had to leave our homes, we had to make sure that our precious son would be well taken care of. My other wife, Ayano Ryōshi, promised to care for Talion."

"Why have I never known that my sister had a child until now?" Odysseus demanded.

"Lydia wanted Talion to have as normal and happy a childhood as he could. She didn't didn't want him to have the childhood she had. She didn't want her son to grow up in Gryphonia, as she feared he would have been forced to spend his youth training to become a soldier if he were to be taken and raised by other members of his mother's family, namely you, your brothers, and your uncles."

"I would never do that to Lydia!" Odysseus cried. "I would never dream of taking away her child and turning him into a soldier! I never even wanted Lydia to join the army in the first place!"

Skipting coughed and gave a small smile.

"You were scared of losing your sister, as a brother should be,” he said. “But she wanted to be more than a woman forced to live by your family's expectations of her. She wanted to be able to protect her country and those she loved.”

"But you made me lose her! You ended her life and trapped her soul!"

"I did everything I could to save her and the others. I tried healing magic, herbal remedies, even dark magic. But nothing worked. Whatever poisons and wicked practices the Mongol soldiers used, it could not be cured or healed."

The Dark Prince choked a bit, but forced himself to continue.

"They all knew nothing could be done. They accepted that, and they accepted that they were going to die. However, they were unwilling to die and let their souls go to paradise while I continued to hate myself for failing to get to them in time. So they asked me, begged me, to end their suffering and claim their souls, to keep them within the gems on my weapon.

"All of them made me promise that I would only release their souls and allow them to go to paradise once I fully came to terms with what happened, once I accepted what I had done, once I was at peace with myself. I have struggled to fulfill my promise for almost nine years."

He looked Odysseus in the eyes with great sorrow and pain.

"Lydia also made me promise her that no matter what, I would not allow you to be consumed by your anger and desire for revenge. She told me that only once I fulfilled my promise to her and the others, and only when you and I finally confronted each other and I told you everything, only if you forgave me, I could release her soul. Only upon fulfilling both of my promises would she allow me to set her free."

Odysseus looked at the Prince, then at the stab wound in his chest, then back at him.

"Lydia essentially made you promise to help me come to terms with and accept her death alongside you, and to make sure I didn't fall to my anger and desire for vengeance?" he asked, his voice hoarse and filled with great sadness.

Skipting nodded.

"Those documents I stole were orders, directly from Batuhan himself. Through his spies and informants, he knew where we were camped," the Prince informed. "The orders were that a group of soldiers would go to our camp at night while I was at the fortress, and kill my brethren. Batuhan knew I was responsible for the theft of numerous documents and letters containing information meant for himself or his armies, so he used that knowledge to his advantage.

"I later learned that a Mongol general the Twenty-Seven Fears and I had captured and interrogated the week before had been given information by the Khan. The general had been ordered to tell us the location of a set of important documents. It was a setup. The Khan had used my knack for stealing important things against me, knowing that I wouldn't be at camp to help the Fears, as I would be busy stealing the documents containing those accursed orders. They knew of my strength and power, and they didn't want me getting in their way. Upon making this discovery, I rode as fast as I could back to camp, but I was too late.”

He choked more, tears flowing from his eyes.

"The combination of the revelation of what those plans were, and my mercy killing of my closest friends and my wife… It broke me,” he continued, his voice shaking now. “Before that happened, I was fighting the war to free Dragovan.”

His gaze hardened briefly as his eyes flashed crimson.

“But after, it became much more personal. I was filled with anger and hatred, and I wanted to see the Mongols suffer. I wanted to kill all of them.

"As everyone knows, by the time the war was over, the Mongol armies were almost completely destroyed, and that I had killed hundreds of thousands, including Batuhan himself. But what none but my close family knew was that I did so in my hatred, my thirst for blood, and my desire for revenge. My anger had consumed me, turning me into something… inhuman. The daemon helped me, guided me, during the Wrath of the King Slayer. It had turned me into a monster. I was horrified by what I had done, and I still am to this day."

Odysseus' eyes widened at the mention of the daemon.

"So the legends are true..." he murmured. "... the Butchers of Maedwen became one in body, mind, and soul.”

Skipting’s eyes turned red, and he let out a hiss as the Gryphonian suddenly felt his throat being constricted by a tendril of some sort of black shadowy smoke. Odysseus felt what was likely more of the smoke grab his head and knees, before it forced him to his knees, where he was forced to look into his old friend’s eyes.

“Never utter that accursed name in my presence,” the assassin snarled, baring his fangs. “You know damn well how much I despise it.”

The Prince’s eyes returned to their original colors, and the strange shadows disappeared, allowing Odysseus to regain his breath.

“I… I’m sorry, Skipting,” Odysseus said quietly.

“Hvíslandi was a hero, Odysseus. He was one of your closest friends alongside myself,” the Prince replied solemnly. “Do not disrespect him in such a way. Yes, he was proud of that title because of the way we earned it, and so was I. But Celestia has villainized him in the pages of our history.”

Skipting carefully, slowly sat up, wincing in pain as he moved.

"Let me help you up," the Gryphonian said.

He extended a hand to the Dark Prince, who took it, and pulled him to his feet.

Then, to Sunset's shock, the Gryphonian wrapped his arms around Skipting in a tight embrace, tears falling down his face.

"I'm sorry, old friend," he whispered. "I didn't realize you were suffering so much. I didn't know you had gone through so much pain."

He stepped back, resting his hands on the Prince's shoulders.

"You did what you had to do, and you did what Lydia and the others told you to do. I see now that I was blind. You had no choice. Now that I finally see the truth, and know that the incident was the result of a setup orchestrated by that bastard Batuhan, I will say… I would have done the same in your place."

A small smile graced his lips.

"Prince Skipting Lunam, I forgive you. It is in Equestrian nature to forgive others, and it is in Gryphonian nature to allow others to explain themselves, yet I was blinded by rage. I only hope that you will one day find it in your heart to forgive me."

Skipting smiled as well.

"I already have, Odysseus. Lydia would be proud of you. I know for a fact you will make a great king one day. She would agree."

"I do not wish to be king of Gryphonia, Skipting," Odysseus said. "I wish only for one thing: to die, so I may see Lydia again, so we may one day be released, and together, we may find paradise in the Fields of Elysium."

A few moments of silence passed. Finally, the Dark Prince nodded solemnly, and both men got down on their knees, the Gryphonian setting his sword on the floor.

Skipting drew his tantō, placing his left hand on Odysseus' shoulder.

"Prince Odysseus of Eaglestone, son of King Wind Claw, son of King Bronze Hand," he said. "I, Prince Skipting Lunam of Equestria, son of Queen Chrysalis, daughter of Skuggastál, grant you freedom from the mortal world, and claim your soul. May you one day find paradise."

He plunged the blade into the Gryphonian's chest. Odysseus gasped, coughing and choking a bit as he looked into Skipting's eyes.

"Thank you, my friend, my brother," he whispered, a happy, peaceful smile on his face.

"You are welcome… brother," Skipting responded quietly. "Your nephew shall know of your glory, of your life. Your legacy shall forever live on in the hearts, minds, and souls of all who know you."

Soon, Odysseus' breathing stopped, and he became still. A black, gold, and purple energy began to emanate from his body. It was pulled out and drawn towards the Dark Prince's tantō, connecting to it and entering one of the black gems on its hilt.

Skipting pulled the tantō out and released his grip on Odysseus' shoulder, allowing the man's lifeless body to fall to the ground with a soft thud. He looked at the body.

Sunset looked at Skipting with concern. There was slight movement from him. It was barely noticeable, but he was… shaking?

Then, to her shock, her cousin let out a loud, heartbreaking, pain- and sorrow-filled scream, sobbing loudly and shaking violently.

Blóðþrá slowly walked up behind her brother, gently putting a large hand on his shoulder.

"It will be okay, Skipting," she said softly. "Odysseus is at peace now. He and Lydia are together again."

"But my son is without his mother, and he never had the chance to meet his uncle," he said. "His mother is dead, and his father is a monster."

"You're not a monster, brother. You saved not one, but two countries from a monstrous tyrant! Because of you, Mongolia is free, and the lives of its people are better than they have been in the past six hundred years. More importantly, you finally gave Odysseus closure, you told him what happened. And you gave him a chance to see his sister again."

Sunset came to his side, kneeling down beside him and hugging him.

"It's going to be alright," she soothed.

The Prince shakily wiped the blood off his tantō and sheathed it, looking once more at the body of his fallen friend.

"I shall take his body with me. I will return him to Equestria, and take him to Eaglestone, where I shall give him a proper funeral," he said. "Before the war, he often told me that when he died, he wanted me to put his body on a funeral pyre, and burn it to ash using the Dragon Fire power taught to me by Sannleikurinn Friður Von, then scatter his ashes in the cave where we killed our first chimera together. I shall grant his wish, as a final promise to an old friend."

With that, he slowly stood up, scooping Odysseus' still warm body in his arms in a bridal carry, while Blóðþrá picked up the Gryphonian's forgotten sword.

"Before you go," Nolan called, "my brothers and I want you to know who gave the order to kidnap Miss Shimmer."

The three turned around.

"Who was it?" Skipting asked with a snarl, his eyes turning crimson.

"Miss Shimmer was well-acquainted with her. She is a somewhat influential member of the Avellino family, known as 'The Swan.'

“But you know her as 'Rarity Belle.'"

Chapter X: An Eye for An Eye

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"Rarity is an Avellino?" Sunset gasped.

Nolan nodded.

"Not only is she an Avellino, she’s the niece of Franklin Avellino, the head of the family and it’s crime syndicate.

You see, she made a very critical mistake about two years ago. She was responsible for the deaths of two very, very important people."

"What happened?" she asked.

"The two people were Esmeralda and Javier García Montoya-Sombra."

"You mean to tell me that Rarity caused the deaths of Ricardo García Montoya-Sombra’s sister and son?! What the fuck was she thinking?!" she yelled. "Everyone in Canterlot knows who Ricardo Sombra is! What the hell happened?!"

"Their deaths were a complete accident. They were being robbed by a group of street thugs. Miss Belle happened upon them, as she was on her way to the Sweet Shoppe," he explained. "She drew her handgun, a 9mm Beretta given to her as a birthday present from Franklin, from her purse. She called out to the thugs to get their attention, and warned that she would shoot them if they didn't stop."

"What happened next?"

"The thugs grabbed Esmeralda and Javier, put their guns to their heads. Vanessa was conflicted. She was alone, and there were two thugs. If she pulled the trigger, Esmeralda and Javier would die, as would she.

“But then, a miracle happened. A flower pot fell from a third-story windowsill and hit one of the thugs in the head, knocking him out. The other thug was startled, and moved a bit, giving Rarity a small window to act.

"As soon as she had the thug in her sights, she shot him in the head. But you know how that ends up sometimes. The criminal ended up pulling the trigger, and shot Esmeralda. Javier rushed to his mother's body, crying. Rarity went to comfort him, but when Javier pushed her away, she accidentally shot him, as she foolishly still had her finger on the trigger."

“You’d think that scumbag would have taught his niece proper gun safety,” Ryan commented.

"Now, she's got Ricardo's daughter and second son after her and her family,” Nolan continued. “Julio and Sunrise García Montoya-Sombra, although Julio goes by 'Violenza' now, and both of them mainly use the last name ‘Ligero.’"

Sunset’s eyes widened at the mention of the second name.

"They're after her and her family? As in, currently? Like, both of them are hunting the family down?" she asked nervously.

"Yes. Unfortunately, Sunrise was unable to help Violenza for a while, since she was brutally attacked, nearly killed," he answered. "But thankfully, she soon recovered, and she's been helping her little brother since.

"Anyways, it means Rarity and the entire Avellino family are—pardon my French—absolutely, positively, undeniably fucked. Violenza has already killed Rarity's uncle Marco, the younger brother of Franklin, as well as three of Marco's five sons, eight of her cousins, and one of Franklin's three sons. He has also killed seventeen of Franklin's capos, two hundred nine of the family's 'soldiers,' and twenty associates.

"Meanwhile, Sunrise has killed five of the family's capos, a hundred seventeen of their soldiers, and nine associates. Combined, the Ligero siblings have killed a total of three hundred ninety people in the Avellino crime syndicate."

"However, there are a few people who Violenza and Sunrise have decided to spare. Among them are Marco's fourth son, Nico, Franklin’s two eldest sons, and several close friends of theirs who are trying to find a way out of the family."

"Wait a minute," Sunset said. "So you're saying that Violenza and Sunrise are pretty much waging a two-person war against the largest and most powerful crime syndicate in the city, all because of an accident?! And not only that, but even though they're hunting down and killing everyone involved, they for some reason decided not to kill a few people involved?! That makes no sense!"

Nolan laughed.

"Oh, Sunset!" he exclaimed. "Do you really believe that two people could track down as many members of the Avellino crime syndicate as they have, much less manage to get to and kill them?"

He shook his head.

"Violenza and Sunrise are very intelligent people, capable of doing all sorts of things no ordinary person could do. I know that if the two were here, they would find that joke extremely amusing. They may be capable of extraordinary things, and they may be well trained, highly skilled, extremely efficient trackers and killers, but even they would admit that they aren't capable of doing as much as they have on their own!"

"So who's helping them?" she asked.

"They've had help from their respective clans in the society they're a part of, and the help of their entire society. Now I know you have no idea what I'm talking about, nor exactly how many people that might entail, but I will say that their society is made up of hundreds of thousands of people, all willing and able to help the Ligero siblings kill Franklin Avellino."

Before Sunset could say anything more, Blóðþrá grabbed her and hoisted her over her shoulder, eliciting a shriek from the fire-haired girl.

"Thank you for the information, Nolan," the giantess said. "I hope Violet and Sunny will be able to kill Franklin and free your family one day."

"As do I, Blóðþrá. As do I," Nolan said with a slow nod. "Now go, dear. Don't let me keep you here. It is our greatest hope that the Lord will forgive us for our sins, so we may shed these shackles and become the Fortunate Angels once again."

The giant woman snorted a little and smiled.

"No matter how often I hear you talk about your God, I always find it both odd and amusing," she said.

She turned around to follow Skipting, carrying Sunset like a barrel or a bundle of wood while ignoring her cousin's protests.

The trio left the building and walked to Celestia’s van. She and Gilda were elated to see Sunset again, and were glad that she was safe. As expected, the two were enraged when Skipting told them what Nolan had said.

But to Sunset's surprise and confusion, and Skipting's interest and slight amusement, Celestia went completely silent upon the Prince's mention of Violenza and Sunrise Ligero, her expression a mix of emotions. Horror when Skipting mentioned the siblings' massive body count, and there was also understanding and anger. Yet there was also… pride?

"That fucking bitch!" Gilda snarled.

She huffed and stepped out of the vehicle, slamming the door. Pulling out her phone, she soon put it to her ear.

"So… Skipting…" Celestia began awkwardly.

"Yes, Celestia?" Skipting said.

"Who is this woman you brought with you?"

"This is my beloved older sister, Blóðþrá Lunam. She has been here for the past three years, trying to help the Diamond Dogs—no, the Fortunate Angels—return to what they once were."

She nodded.

"I remember those days," she said fondly. "Nolan and his brothers are such good people. It’s a shame they’ve been forced into their current situation."

The sliding van door opened again, and Gilda climbed back in.

"We're going to Rarity's house and confronting her," she said. "Soren's going to meet us there, along with a few friends."

The drive was mostly silent, the quiet only disturbed by Gilda's soft whispers to Sunset, the large girl making sure her girlfriend was alright, and Skipting's habitual extensions and retractions of his hidden blades, and inspections, loadings, reloadings, re-reloadings, and re-re-reloadings of his firearms and wrist-mounted crossbows.

They eventually came to the house Rarity lived in with her sister.

"Hold on," Gilda ordered.

Celestia turned the engine off, and the occupants looked at the white-haired girl.

"There are a few guys posted outside. Avellino mobsters. That can only mean Rarity's expecting us, so someone either tipped her or her asshole of an uncle off."

Without a word, Skipting got out of the van and started walking towards the house, ignoring the others' protests against doing so. He stopped nine feet away from the men outside the front door.

"Da fuck use want, two-face?" one of the men said with a thick New York accent—a classic so-called "mobster accent," as Sunset sometimes called it while referring to old crime films.

"I am here to see Rarity Avellino-Belle," the Prince responded.

"Not jus anyone can jus come and talk ta da boss' niece," the other snapped.

"I am Prince Skipting Lunam, son of Princess Nightmare Moon, Diarch of the Night, and Queen Chrysalis, Sacred Mother of the Changeling Swarm," he introduced. "I wish to discuss a decision made by your employer."

"Use gotta 'ave da boss' say-so. And da boss doesn't give 'is say-so ta anyone 'e doesn't know."

"You will let me see Miss Avellino-Belle," the Prince said sternly. "She made a very poor decision, one that could have cost my cousin her life."

"Who da fuck do use tink use awe, two-face?"

"I will ask one more time."

The assassin's voice was filled with venom now, as he glared death into the mens' eyes. His hands clenched into fists, the metal of his gauntlets audibly shifting and clicking.

"Let me see Miss Avellino-Belle, or I will have to resort to forcing my way past you."

The mobsters laughed.

"Jerry, use 'eawing dis freak?" the one on the left exclaimed. "'e thinks 'e can scawe us into letting 'em see da boss' niece!"

"Dis mothafucka’s definitely awff 'is rocker, if use ask me!" the other agreed.

Skipting briefly turned his head to look back at the others in the van. His stern expression, and his eyes turning crimson, made Celestia, who had gotten out, nervously climb back in. Blóðþrá, meanwhile, simply grinned excitedly, her attention glued to him and the two criminals.

The Dark Prince said nothing, only drawing his shotgun and rapidly advancing. The moment he was within arm's reach of them, he pulled the trigger, sending out a hail of buckshot into the right mobster's face. The specially-designed ammunition completely obliterated the man's head in a burst of gore.

He quickly holstered his shotgun and punched the other man in the throat, the cold metal sections on the fingers of his gauntlet cutting into the skin. The man coughed and gagged, nearly falling to his knees as his hands went to his throat. He gasped for air. He would have cried out in fear, but was unable to, when a pair of hands covered in cold metal grabbed both sides of his head.

The mobster was forced to look into the assassin's cold, merciless eyes as he shook in fear, those hellish crimson orbs gazing into his very soul. A wicked, sadistic cross between a smirk and a snarl was on the predator’s lips, exposing some of his sharp teeth.

Without a sound, the Prince extended his hidden blades, the sharp blades piercing straight into his prey's eyes, making him try to scream. But only a hoarse gurgle came out.

Retracting the blades, he released the man and stepped back, before ripping out his throat with his clawed gauntlets.

He looked back at the van and gestured for the others to follow him. Blóðþrá stayed in the van—she had set up a small hidden camera on her younger brother so she could watch the confrontation, as she had decided to let Skipting and Gilda handle the situation—while the others climbed out, horrified looks on Celestia and Sunset's faces.

Surprisingly, Gilda had a straight face, but he could see the malice and hatred in her eyes. She didn't appear to be disturbed by the Prince's brutality. Was she somehow used to such violence? When the three reached the porch, Gilda glared at the two corpses and spat on them.

Deciding not to dwell on the matter any longer, he opened the front door.

Gilda immediately charged past him, drawing her handgun and firing at the seven armed men inside, managing to hit all of them right between the eyes, or in the sides or back of the head, an astounding feat of accuracy and speed the Prince had only seen in his family and the Twenty-Seven Fears. Her handgun's slide locked back, and she quickly reloaded, then holstered the weapon.

An eighth mobster came out of the bathroom. After looking around at the corpses, he ran at Gilda with a knife.

It was a very odd sight. The man was almost waddling, not moving very fast due to his shorter legs. It didn't help that his pants were still around his ankles.

Skipting was about to act, but his cousin's obviously very protective girlfriend drew her Bowie knife and charged. The combination of her size, strength, and sudden high acceleration allowed her to overpower the man, and slam him into the ground. The angry white-haired girl then proceeded to stab him repeatedly, all the while swearing and yelling almost incoherently.

Well, that answers my question as to whether she is used to terrible violence like I displayed, he thought.

The group walked upstairs and down the small hallway, where they came to a closed door at the end. Gilda pushed past Skipting again and violently kicked the door open.

Rarity sat on her bed, looking through a photo album in her lap.

"I assume you've come to deliver your brutish brand of vigilante justice, Gilda?" she said calmly. "Or you've come to sentence me to death, Your Highness? If so, I’m afraid you have the wrong person."

"She is correct."

The group all turned around towards the voice.

Before them stood a man in his late teens, with shoulder-length jet black hair.

Two eyes, one moderate cyan, the other moderate harlequin with a grayish opal pupil, stared at them with a curious expression. His entirely black outfit consisted of a suit with a matching tie, a pair of leather boots, leather gloves, and a leather long coat, topped off with an old-fashioned fedora with a rose attached to it.

A black Phantom of the Opera-style half mask covered the left side of his upper face, although it began to make sense why he wore it when Skipting noticed the massive scars trailing down the visible portions of his face.

But the strangest thing about this man was that he was slouched slightly, and leaning on a cane. The cane had a black shaft, and a gold and silver grip and bottom. The grip was in the shape of a raven's head, with two sparkling rubies forming the eyes. A small vertical slit about six inches long sat at the bottom of the shaft.

"Death wouldn’t be right for her," the stranger said in a slightly gravelly voice with a German accent. "You would be punishing a victim, not a culprit."

He smiled.

"My apologies. I forgot to introduce myself. How rude of me."

The man gave a deep bow, tipping his hat to them.

"My name is Soren Mond."

"I am Prince Skipting Lunam, son of Princess Nightmare Moon, Diarch of the Night, and Queen Chrysalis, Sacred Mother of the Changeling Swarm," Skipting said.

He extended a hand, which the man shook.

"Yes, my parents told me about you, and that you are my Equestrian counterpart. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Soren turned his attention to Rarity.

"Now, Fräulein Belle, it appears you and I have some business to discuss," he said.

He slowly walked up to her, using his cane for support.

"What on Earth made Franklin think ordering the Diamond Boys to kidnap my cousin was a good idea?" he wondered aloud, before looking at Rarity again. "Frankly, mein Fräulein, that was one of the worst decisions your foolish uncle could have ever made."

"I don’t know what he was thinking, Herr Mond," she responded.

He straightened his posture and reached into his coat.

She flinched, closing her eyes.

But instead of pulling out some sort of deadly tool or weapon, he pulled out a wire hanger. He bent the hanger into shape and put it on a small hook on the wall that Sunset remembered used to hang a picture, removing his coat and hanging it. He chuckled a little at her reaction. A small smile formed on Sunset's lips as she recognized the subtle reference the man just made.

The girl opened her eyes and looked at Soren.

"I do not take kindly to people hurting my family," he said smoothly. "When you see Herr Avellino, tell him the Black Hive says ‘Go to hell,’ and Nightmare’s Hitman says—pardon my French—‘Fuck you.’"

He clicked a button at the top of his cane and pulled on the grip, revealing that the grip was actually the hilt of a small sword.

“Do you remember this?”

“Yes,” Rarity said. “Vito gave it to you as a ‘Thank you’ for saving his dog.”

"I didn't want to risk him pulling a John Wick," he joked.

Soren smiled, sheathed the sword, and stepped back.

"Would you mind telling them what the idiot in charge of the family did?"

"It was his fault," she murmured, looking at Sunset. "I never wanted to hurt you. He kept pressing me, trying to convince me. I couldn't handle the pressure he put me under. He wanted me to go along with his plan just so he could get back at your mother and aunt for making his life harder."

“That’s not a fucking surprise,” Gilda spat. “Fucker always was the type to push people till they break, then play puppet master.”

Sunset listened to her former friend. As she did, she could sense the sincerity in her words. She might not be Applejack, but she could tell Rarity was telling the truth.

The purple-haired girl raised her head to meet Soren's gaze, her expression dead serious, her eyes calm and stern.

"Just kill me. I don't care. I deserve worse than death for letting my uncle manipulate me like he did."

Soren laughed as he put his trench coat back on and folded the wire hanger, putting it back in the coat.

"You really need to listen better, mein Fräulein. I won't kill you. I would never dream of it, because I have the greatest respect for you. You made a mistake. You were in a bad place, and your foolish uncle decided to use it to his advantage, rather than actually try and help you get better."

The sound of a gun cocking broke the silence.

"But unfortunately, he would love to. And I’m afraid I cannot interfere with his business."

A figure emerged from the shadows, which shocked Sunset and Celestia, as the stranger hadn't been in the room earlier. But upon seeing their outfit, it made more sense as to how they'd managed to hide.

Black jeans, worn from years of use, littered with patches and stained with grime and blood—some of which was fresh—covered their legs, combat boots on their feet. They wore a simple black t-shirt, and fingerless gloves. Their hooded leather jacket had gold and crimson stitching on the shoulders and around the hood.

A simple mask made of a black strip of cloth wrapped around their face hid their identity. Two eyes, the right one blue, the left a beautiful violet, stared out from beneath the hood.

The stranger was holding a massive, black, heavily customized handgun with a twelve-inch barrel. It was more of a hand cannon than a handgun, really.

Said handcannon was currently aimed directly at Rarity’s head as they slowly approached.

"Who are you?" Rarity asked.

"Yo soy Dolor. Yo soy Renacimiento. Yo soy Ira," the stranger said in a gravelly male voice with a thick Spanish accent. "Yo soy el Odio. Estoy Muerto. Yo soy la Venganza. Yo soy el Oscurecido."

Sunset’s eyes widened slightly.

She had heard that voice around the house a few times, talking to her mother and aunt, but she had never seen who they had been talking to. Even when she’d heard it coming from somewhere like the kitchen or garage, the source of the voice was always gone by the time she walked into the area. Who was this stranger?

"What?"

"I am Pain. I am Rebirth. I am Wrath. I am Hatred. I am Death. I am Vengeance. I am the Darkened."

The man now stood in front of her.

"Do you remember me, Rarity?"

"I don't even know who you are."

Her words made that claim, but her face said otherwise. She knew exactly who he was.

"But you do know a few members of my family. You personally killed one of them, after all."

"Esmeralda and Javier García Montoya-Sombra," she murmured. "You're Ricardo's son, and Javier's brother. Julio García Montoya-Sombra."

He nodded.

"That's right. But I'm not Julio anymore. I am Violenza Venganza García Montoya-Sombra Ligero el Oscurecido."

"Javier and Esmeralda's deaths were accidents,” the fashion-obsessed teenager stated calmly. “I was trying to help them. I would never physically harm someone."

He pressed his gun to Rarity’s forehead, gently squeezing the trigger. She closed her eyes, taking a breath, as she waited for the end to come.

"I don't care," he hissed.

Skipting was on him in an instant, grabbing the man's wrist and forcing the gun away from Rarity.

Violenza reflexively pulled the trigger, blowing a vase on the bedside nightstand into pieces. He ripped himself free from the Prince's grasp, rolling out of the way. The assassin whirled around, drawing the Night's Embrace.

Violenza’s left hand went into his jacket and pulled out a knife with a curved handle and a large serrated blade. The knife blade was pointing up towards his shoulder in its sheath, perfectly hidden by the jacket.

As soon as he pulled the knife down out of its sheath, he slashed upwards from his left hip to his right shoulder, then down from his left shoulder to his right hip, followed by a horizontal slash from right to left side at stomach level, and finally, a fourth slash from left to right at throat level.

Gilda immediately recognized the slashing pattern, combat style, and stance Violenza was using. It was a form known only to her, her brothers, and a few others. After all, it was her and her brothers who taught Violenza their signature form.

The two men danced about the room, trading slashes, stabs, and kicks, both combatants either dodging, blocking, or deflecting every strike.

Skipting was actually, genuinely surprised by the man's skill and agility.

This man is actually managing to keep up with me, he thought. But how? The only people who could even come close to matching my skill, or could actually match my skill, were the Twenty-Seven Fears, my parents and siblings, Knight Rainbow Dash, and—

His eyes widened as the realization dawned on him.

Of course… This boy is El Oscurecido. The Darkened One.

The Prince quickly sheathed the Night's Embrace, pulling out the Twilight Blade. He held the sword in both hands, and brought it down upon the young man’s head…

… and hit nothing but empty air.

Where Violenza had been just moments ago, there was a mass of writhing shadows. The shadowy mass moved away from him and formed the shape of Violenza six feet away, where it solidified and turned into the young man.

The Spaniard laughed as he sheathed his knife.

"Your skills are impressive, asesino," he said. "What’s your name?"

Skipting sheathed the Twilight Blade and informed him of his name and parentage.

"It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Your Highness. I am glad to find another who can match my skill. I am Violenza Venganza García Montoya-Sombra Ligero el Oscurecido," Violenza introduced with a deep bow. “Or in English, ‘Violenza Vengeance García Montoya-Shadow Light the Darkened One.’”

He glanced at Rarity, then looked back at the assassin.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a monster to deal with. Don’t attempt to interfere. This is between me and her."

But as the Spaniard turned around to face Rarity, an audible pop and crack resounded through the room. He yelled in rage and pain as he collapsed to the ground, clutching his knee.

"¡Maldito infierno!" he snarled.

All of a sudden, two black shapes appeared next to Violenza and transformed into people wearing the exact same outfit as him.

"Grand Dark Master el Oscurecido!" one of them cried in a soft feminine voice. "Are you okay?!"

"My fucking knee just popped right where I got shot last week! So no I am not fucking okay!" he responded sarcastically.

"We need to get you back to Blackhaven so Zacharius can administer some pain medication!" the other said, their voice also soft and feminine, but slightly rough as well.

"No. We're not leaving," he said.

"Yes, Grand Dark Master."

The Spaniard slowly got to his feet, and he and his companions walked up to Rarity, with him limping slightly.

Skipting was definitely intrigued by Violenza and these new people, and even more so by how they seemed to greatly respect him, and the fact that they referred to him as "Grand Dark Master el Oscurecido." Of course, it was no surprise that one of the greatest of Akh’Kael’s children and his counterpart led the same lives, with a few differences, at least. But it still intrigued him.

Although, he found the Equestrian version a bit more interesting. A child of Akh’Kael, yet he led a life away from the Sanctuary of the Father. Londo had a field day with him. Princess Twilight Sparkle certainly would, too, if she were to ever learn of the truth surrounding the town she called home.

He simply watched with interest as the three approached Rarity, wondering what they were going to do to her.

"What exactly do you want?" the girl asked.

One of Violenza's companions raised her hand and slapped Rarity in the face.

"Don't talk to Grand Dark Master el Oscurecido in that way!" she growled.

"Take it easy, Sangre Nocturna," Violenza said.

"Yes, Grand Dark Master."

He looked at his other companion, then at Rarity, then back at his companion, and flicked his hand in the girl's direction, gesturing to her right hand. She grabbed Rarity’s arm and forced her to stand up.

"What are you going to do?" the purple-haired teenager asked.

"You know the old saying, 'An eye for an eye?'" he asked.

She nodded.

He drew his knife again, showing off the large serrated blade.

"You see this knife?"

She nodded again.

"This little beauty is one of my babies. Custom-made, with a curved hilt, gold engravings on the hilt, a small hole on the back of the pommel for my little keychain”—He gestures to the small key ring holding a few bone fragments and skeletal fingers—“and a seven-and-a-half-inch serrated blade, first forged with Damascus steel, then forged again and strengthened with mythril and Abyssite graciously supplied by the High Lords themselves from their very own treasuries," he informed.

"I call her 'Dolores,' after my ex. Not as a negative thing, mind you. Dolores was like family to me. Shame what happened to her, no?"

He brought the knife to Rarity’s wrist, and without warning, raised the weapon and brought it down fast and hard. The girl stifled her screams as the serrated blade quickly and cleanly cut through flesh, muscle, and bone.

The girl who had struck Rarity, Sangre Nocturna, put her hands up next to the bleeding stump. Bright flames formed in her hands, which she used to cauterize the wound, before bandaging it.

The Spaniard looked at Rarity with a cold, sadistic expression.

"You took my hand last year, so I've taken yours. An eye for an eye, a hand for a hand," he said.

He stepped away, wiping the blood off his knife.

"Just kill me. Like I said to Soren, I deserve worse than death for allowing my uncle to manipulate me like he did," she said, locking eyes with Violenza. "After all, you and Sunrise have already taken down almost all of his syndicate, and killed nearly everyone involved. Killing me would draw him out and allow you to finish what you two started."

She took a deep breath.

"Most importantly, killing him would finally free the Fortunate Angels, and let them return to their old ways. I don't want this to go on any longer. So just kill me, draw him out, kill him, and put an end to this."

“Interesting. So you’re offering to let me kill you in order to piss off Frankie-boy enough to draw his ass out into the open? A tempting offer, one I think I’ll take you up on.”

Sunset couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't stand to see her former friend continue to be tormented by this sadist any longer. It was bad enough that she had already been tormented, but watching her actively tell—no, order—him to kill her was too much.

And for what? So this monster could settle an old score that had already led to the slaughter of hundreds of people?

No, she couldn't let this continue.

She rushed forwards to stand between Rarity and Violenza. She looked the young man in the eyes with a pleading expression.

"Please, no more," she begged. "I know Rarity has wronged you, and she's wronged me, but I can't let you continue to torture her. I can't let you kill her."

Violenza looked at her with a curious, amused expression in his eyes, tilting his head slightly.

"She tried to have you killed, and yet you're defending her?" he mused.

He laughed.

“Chacal, mi amor, tenías razón,” he muttered quietly. “Supongo que te debo veinte dólares.”

“Ustedes las ecuestres realmente son extrañas," he said, looking at the girl currently staring him down.

He sheathed his knife.

"Very well. I'll let her live. Cutting off her hand is enough punishment, I suppose. It'll at least hinder, if not completely prevent, her ability to work with clothes and fabrics for a little while.”

He looked at his companions and shrugged.

“But at the same time, it's a damn shame. Many of our people are quite fond of her work."

"Thank you," Sunset said.

He bent down and picked up Rarity’s severed hand, putting it in his jacket, then turned around and walked to the door, giving a small nod to Celestia and Gilda. He came to stand in front of Skipting.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. Perhaps we shall meet again some day."

He turned to Soren.

"Take care of yourself, primo, and come visit us at Blackhaven. Her Imperial Majesty would love to see you again."

Soren nodded.

"I shall visit as soon as I can, mein Freund. I too would love to see Her Imperial Majesty again," he said, tipping his hat. "Oh, and if you hear from or see Herr Rorke at all, do give him my regards."

As Violenza’s companions walked past Sunset, Sangre Nocturna met her gaze, stopping in place. Sunset immediately felt a sense of dread as she stared into the masked girl's slitted crimson eyes. She tilted her head slightly to the right, almost like a dog. The movement caused a lock of hair to fall into view from beneath the hood, reaching all the way down to her chest.

Sunset froze.

The lock of hair was a bright, vibrant pink. Its neat and well-maintained style… It was so familiar. She only knew one person with hair like that.

Then, for a brief moment, brief enough that she could have easily missed it had she not redirected her focus to the girl's eyes, those haunting red eyes flickered, turning a beautiful, soft, familiar shade of blue. The cold, hateful expression in them turned into one of kindness and warmth. But the kindness and warmth, and the beautiful blue color, immediately returned to their previous appearances.

"Fluttershy?" Sunset murmured.

The girl didn't acknowledge her.

"Sangre Nocturna," Violenza said. "Vamos."

Sangre Nocturna tore her attention away from Sunset and hurried to follow the Spaniard out of the bedroom.

The group waited with Rarity while the ambulance and police came, with Celestia and Sunset promising her that they wouldn't turn her in or take any action against her, as they knew she wasn’t responsible for what happened. Her uncle was.

Gilda was conflicted.

She knew Vi was going to harm Rarity, there was no question about it. But… it still bothered her, watching him act like that. It was one thing to watch him use heavy brutality while fighting in the Midnight Arena.

Hell, she had watched him brutalize Charlemagne last year, and didn’t even bat an eye.

But watching him torture someone she now knew was innocent, yet another victim of the same man her friend was obsessively hunting down… was… horrifying.

When the authorities and paramedics arrived, Skipting used his talents as a storyteller to spin a tale.

His story of the event explained that a group of armed criminals had invaded Rarity’s house and taken her hostage. He and his companions, having learned of her situation through an unknown source, raced to the house, where he and Gilda took out the criminals and rescued her.

Rarity, going along with the tale, informed the police that the criminals had tortured her and cut off her right hand, which had already been disposed of.

With the help of a little chaos magic and his charisma—adding in his talents in deception and persuasion as an assassin, and his natural abilities as a Changeling, just as a precaution—Skipting managed to successfully get the police to believe their story. The paramedics swiftly loaded Rarity into the ambulance and took her to the hospital.

Once they were finished, Skipting persuaded the police to allow them to leave, and the group climbed into Celestia’s van and drove to her home.

Chapter XI: Not So “Anon-A-Miss” Anymore

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The first thing Celestia asked Skipting when they got back in the van was why he had put a dead body in the back. She felt weird asking such a question, especially at the moment, since she hadn't said anything when the Prince had put the body in the back of her van.

She was saddened to learn of the relationship between Skipting and the dead man. It shook her, listening to his story and hearing him break down. Witnessing such a composed and seemingly unshakeable man being reduced to a shaking, crying, broken mess was unnerving for her.
It made her realize that under that hard, calm exterior and personality, was a man who had been exposed to horrors that no person should have to go through. Blóðþrá even held her brother in her arms, comforting him in their native tongue.

Octavia and the others were elated when Sunset walked through the front door without a scratch on her. That elation quickly died when Vinyl saw that Skipting was bleeding. The girls quickly grabbed the Prince and made him take off his armor and clothes, remove his weapons from his person, and lay down on the couch.

The assassin made no arguments, as he was used to Ayano or one of his mothers fussing over any injuries he received during assignments.

He was even more used to the deadliest of his lovers, who his siblings teasingly called his “Fair Lady,” scolding him for being so careless, particularly when he came back from a hunt wounded and covered in much of his own blood.

She would be even more peeved upon learning that he didn’t drink any Jubelnbräu to help heal his newest wound.

But Skipting did not want the wound Odysseus had given him to heal quickly with the use of the drink. He wanted it to heal naturally. He wanted it to become yet another scar on his damaged body, as a reminder of his old friend.

So he obeyed the girls’ orders and did as he was asked quietly, hissing a bit in pain as the materials of his armor, clothes, and equipment brushed against the wound in his stomach. Once it was all off, leaving him in his undergarments, everyone, save for Blóðþrá, cried out upon seeing the countless scars covering his body.

They had figured Skipting would have quite a bit of scars, considering his occupation, and his time as a soldier in the war he occasionally briefly mentioned, but refused to give further details of.

But nothing like this.

Three massive, jagged scars traced from his left shoulder to the bottom right of his pectoral. They looked to have been somewhat deep, and judging from the numerous wounds Sunset had seen back before she left Equestria, they were possibly caused by either a sword specifically made for causing horrifying injuries, a whip made for the same purpose, or perhaps both.

There were large bite marks on his right shoulder, the left side of his neck and abdomen, his right upper arm, and his left thigh. All of them appeared to have been fairly deep, more so than the healed slash wounds. The Prince had clearly been violently attacked by some large wild animal some time ago.

Countless scars from slashes, stabs, and gunshots littered his body, with some even being dangerously close to vital areas.

As Sunset looked over her cousin’s horrifically scarred form, she noticed something rather odd. There were clean scars on his right arm just below the elbow, and his left leg above the knee. They were clean cuts, almost surgically precise, and went all the way through the limbs.

Amputation marks.

Skipting had apparently had his lower left leg and right arm amputated at some point, and yet, he still had them. Sunset didn’t know much about Changeling biology, so she wasn’t sure whether or not they could regrow limbs.

Her connection to her magic was rather weak in this world, but she could still detect Equestrian magic. Her cousin radiated a massive amount of it. However, a rather large amount of magic was focused on his own body.

For whatever reason, Skipting constantly had an illusion spell cast upon himself.

She knew that maintaining an illusion as strong as the one the Prince was using would require a constant flow of magic and energy, far more than most mages were capable of. So it was quite likely that he was using some sort of enchanted item that would keep up his illusion.

Celestia quickly got to work, taking out disinfectant, rubbing alcohol, cotton pads, gauze, and bandages. The girls had to hold Skipting down as the woman cleaned up the wound on his stomach, but even all six of them working together wasn't enough to effectively keep him still.

So Gilda stepped in and used her greater strength, which surprisingly worked, since the Prince was almost a full foot taller than her, and had what could only be described as near god-like strength.

Eventually, Blóðþrá decided to lend a hand, gently pushing Gilda out of the way—although by "gently" it was actually more like "pushing Gilda aside with enough force to knock her down on her rear"—and adding her own profound strength, which proved to be more than enough to restrain her little brother.

Celestia soon asked Skipting to turn over so she could work on his back. He did so, with the colossal woman in the room replacing her hold on him.

Thankfully, it was all finished after a little while—albeit later than Skipting would have liked—and the assassin put his clothes and armor back on, putting his weapons back where they belonged. Once Blóðþrá had started holding Skipting down, she had told the girls to go sit down on the other couch, asking Sunset to tell them what happened. Needless to say, they were all furious, but relieved that the situation was taken care of.

"I have figured out the identity of Anon-A-Miss," Skipting said, drawing everyone's attention to him.

"Really?! Who is it?!" Vinyl exclaimed.

"Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo."

Three young girls sat at a table in the school library, looking at the computer screen in front of them.

"We actually did it," Apple Bloom said. "I'm honestly surprised it even worked, given the account's wallpaper and colors. But… now that we've succeeded, I just feel… empty. We’ve done more harm than good. This wasn't worth it."

"I don't want to do this anymore, girls," Sweetie Belle said. "I don't like what it's done to the school. I mean, we've ruined countless relationships and reputations."

"I agree," Scootaloo said. "But what if someone else decides to continue it? Do what we've been doing?"

“‘Kill one tyrant, and another one will soon take his place, unless you make an example of him,'" Sweetie Belle quoted, remembering a saying she had heard the new student use.

Apple Bloom turned back to the computer, pausing for a few moments to look at the student sitting a few tables away.

The farmgirl shuddered a little, before her eyes widened as the student pulled out his phone and started typing something, most likely a message to his friends, his eyes having watched the three girls the whole time.

A small ding made her jump a little in her seat. There was a new message. But it wasn't sent privately to the Anon-A-Miss account like others did when sending them stuff to post. No, it was public, so everyone in school could see it.

The message was from an account the girls had never seen before, under the username "DarkPrince1844."

The new student immediately came to mind. Skipting Lunam, he had said his name was. A prince from Equestria. The message was, in accordance with the Prince’s status as royalty, and formal manner of speech and demeanor, in a letter format, addressed specifically to Anon-A-Miss.

Dear Anon-A-Miss,

If you are reading this—and I know you are—then you must realize your time is running out. I know who you are, where you are, and where you live. You shall pay for what has been done to Sunset Shimmer, and for the chaos you have created.

You see, you are up against forces your minds cannot fully comprehend. Thirty-eight people have already died at my hands.

Are you familiar with the group known as the “Fortunate Angels,” or as they are known these days, the “Diamond Dogs?” From what I have been told, everyone in Canterlot knows about them. They used to be a kind hearted, charitable organization that would help people in need, organize fundraisers, and provide food for the homeless and the less fortunate. But they were forced to become what they are today by a rather infamous crime family.

The Diamond Dogs were ordered to break into Sunset Shimmer's home and kidnap her. It happened just yesterday. The one who gave the order clearly wanted to have Sunset killed.

So last night, I went to their hideout, killed the seven gang members posted outside the entrance, and confronted the ruffians. I demanded that they return Sunset to me unharmed, let us leave, and never bother us again, in exchange for their lives.

Fifteen of the forty-four members of the Diamond Dogs I confronted wanted desperately to meet my demands, having not wanted the kidnapping to happen in the first place. These fifteen, along with the gang's leader and his brothers, wanted to go back to what they used to be, before they were forcefully turned into monsters. I allowed these eighteen to live, so they could return to what they once were.

Another six members also wanted the same as those eighteen. These six were not at the hideout during my confrontation, as they were spending time with their families.

The other twenty-nine, however, liked their current lives. So I drew my blade and slaughtered them. What is the saying your people use? "Pics or it didn't happen?" Well, I have pictures of the aftermath. I even have a copy of the security footage that captured the event, given to me by the head of the Fortunate Angels.

That should tell you who and what you are dealing with.

I am a soldier. An assassin. A hunter. And you, Anon-A-Miss, as well as all involved, are my prey.

I will have you know that I have a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you.

I have a simple offer: Surrender immediately, come to me, confess your sins, repent, and delete the account, and I shall be merciful. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. Refuse, continue to post, or try to hide, and I will look for you, I will find you, and you will be punished.

Sincerely,

Prince Skipting Frodo Lafrenière-Ryōshi-Lunam of Equestria, son of Princess Nightmare Moon, Diarch of the Night, Ruler of Equestria, and Queen Chrysalis, Sacred Mother of the Changeling Swarm

The girls' eyes widened as they read the letter. They started shaking slightly. The sound of a chair being dragged across the carpet made them look to the source. The student who had been watching them was standing up. His eyes locked onto the three girls as he began to walk towards them.

They looked up at him once he was standing in front of them, his hazel eyes staring at them from beneath his hood.

He was an unusual student, always hiding his face beneath a hood and a cloth mask. He spoke with a formal tone, and never raised his voice, even in situations where even the calmest person, like Miss Zecora Younger or Bon Bon, or the friendliest person, like Miss Cheerilee Connely or Ditzy Doo, could become a whirlwind of noise and anger.

He always wore his signature hooded black leather jacket. It had a rather interesting design on the back, consisting of a human body hung upside down from a tree by its ankles, the head pierced through the left eye by an arrow, with two people in cloaks and forest camouflage armed with bows perched amidst the branches of the tree, looking down at a group of people.

No one knew what the design was supposed to mean—if it meant anything—nor did anyone have any idea whether it was some sort of reference to something.

Quite a few people were confused as to why the staff allowed him to wear a jacket with such a disturbing design. But when students asked Principal Soleil and Vice Principal Mond about it, they said it was a very important part of his culture and personality, a culture they themselves had great respect for and close connections to.

However, the most interesting—and confusing—thing about him was that no one actually knew his real name. He never told it to anyone.

The staff clearly knew it, but instead, they referred to him by another name. The group of students who were close friends of his from their hometown always used this name. Even his own siblings and cousins called him by the other name.

On the occasions he removed his jacket—which were extremely rare—one could see the strange tattoos and markings that covered his arms. The most notable of his markings were the strange, black, tendril-like lines that covered almost the entirety of his left arm and hand.

On the occasions he did lower his hood, one could see his reddish-brown shoulder-length hair, with a wide black streak down the center that went from the tips of his bangs to the back end of his hair.

That, combined with the occasionally mischievous glint in his eyes, and his signature predatory grin that could be seen even under his mask, had led many to refer to him by the name the staff and his close friends used.

"H-Hey, Jackal," Apple Bloom greeted nervously.

"Good morning, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo. How are you today?" Jackal greeted formally.

"Um, we're fine," they replied.

"Splendid."

“What about you? How are you?” Sweetie Belle said.

“I am well. Dear Violenza and I had a wonderful time last night.”

"Did you want something?" Scootaloo asked.

"Yes, in fact," he said. "I apologize for my eavesdropping, but I couldn't help but listen to your conversation."

He grabbed one of the chairs and sat down, clasping his hands together.

"Are any of you aware that Rarity was attacked last night?" he asked.

Only Sweetie Belle nodded, sadness on her face.

"What do you mean, 'attacked?'" Apple Bloom asked.

"A group of armed men was in Rarity’s home. They were apparently there to watch her,” he explained. “The new student, Prince Skipting Lunam, Sunset Shimmer, Gilda King, and Principal Celestia Soleil entered the house after His Highness killed the two men out in front. Upon entering the house, Gilda killed all of the men inside, before they all went upstairs to Rarity’s room, where they confronted her.

"However, another person showed up, a young man who has a very personal vendetta against Rarity. He cut off her right hand."

Jackal stood up and looked at the computer screen.

"But that doesn't really matter to you. It doesn't really matter too much to the situation the three of you have put yourselves in."

The girls froze, realizing they hadn't logged out of the account or closed the website. They could see movement under his cloth mask. He was grinning that signature predatory grin of his, his eyes flashing with a mischievous glint.

"They're in here, Your Highness!" he called.

The doors to the library opened, and six people walked in. Prince Skipting Lunam, Sunset Shimmer, Gilda King, Principal Soleil, Vice Principal Mond, and an absolutely colossal woman in ancient clothing and armor. The two principals had furious expressions on their faces, while Gilda looked ready to kill someone.

The group quickly came to stand in front of the three girls.

Principal Soleil looked at Jackal, her expression turning into a kind, warm look.

"Thank you for your help, Jackal," she said.

"Any time, Miss Soleil," the boy replied with a deep bow. "Dear Violenza will be pleased to hear that Anon-A-Miss has been caught, as will Cayde, Ulfric, and Sully."

The principal turned her attention to Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, her face still kind, but laced with anger.

"We've finally caught you," she said. "What I want to know is why you three decided to do what you did."

Apple Bloom immediately broke down, tears already streaming down her face.

"Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were jealous that their sisters were spending more time with Sunset than them," she confessed.

"They talked to me about it. I told them they should just tell their sisters how they felt. I understood why Applejack was spending more time with Sunset than me. I was glad that my big sister was helping a friend. Sunset had worked hard on our farm for about a week trying to redeem herself and earn Applejack’s trust. I had a pretty good relationship with her. She helped me with homework and some chores, helped around the farm, even helped Granny Smith in the kitchen. Eventually, she became part of the family."

She sniffled a bit, wiping her eyes with a hand.

"I didn't want to take part in the first place. But Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are my best friends, and we do everything together. I just wish we stopped it sooner, but people kept sending us stuff, and we panicked."

"We just wanted our sisters back," Sweetie Belle said.

"Well now you've gone and fucked that up," Gilda growled. "You harmed your sisters."

She grimaced.

"Plus, your idiocy resulted in Rarity being tormented and handicapped. She got her right hand cut off as an act of revenge. Honestly, I don't really give much of a fuck about Marshmallow, since she abandoned my Sunshine, but I still like her. It was disturbing to watch her be tormented, and even more horrifying to watch her tell her tormentor to kill her. The fact that your stupidity led to the decision that resulted in her torment in the first place makes me sick."

Sunset stepped forwards and stood in front of the girls. She looked at them with a kind expression.

"We're sorry," they said.

"You were like family to me," Apple Bloom said. "You were family, and I treated you like dirt. You were like another big sister to me, and I went and took part in a plan to tear apart everything you had worked so hard for."

The fire-haired girl bent down and hugged the trio.

"I forgive you," she said. "You didn't mean for it to go this far, and you wanted to stop it before it got out of control. I'm proud of you for that."

She looked at Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.

"And while I am upset that you two did this out of jealousy, I do understand your situation. I know what it feels like to have negative emotions cloud your mind and judgement, to have them influence you to make bad decisions."

"As do I," Prince Skipting Lunam said. "Although I do not mean to sound egotistical or insincere… I believe I know better than anyone here the terrible things, the horrors, that can come from letting negative emotions control you."

He stepped past the principals, crouching down so he was eye level with the girls.

"I must admit, I am ashamed I failed to draw the connections between this incident and a similar one back home, until it was almost too late," he said solemnly. "Your actions nearly cost Sunset her life, and most likely would have cost Rarity hers as well, had Sunset not defended her."

"I'm sorry," Apple Bloom said tearfully.

"I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry…"

"We didn't want any of this to happen…"

He gently and briefly placed a clawed finger beneath each girl’s chin, making them look at him.

"It's alright," he soothed softly. "What matters is that you repent, and that none of you never wanted to take part in this in the first place. You could not have known what would happen."

He stood up and gently ran a hand through the girl's hair, then turned to the principals.

"Punish them how you see fit, but do not expel them. It isn't completely their fault. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle’s minds were clouded by jealousy, hindering their ability to think rationally and clearly. The hypocrites who dared to send them secrets are to blame as well, as they evidently pressured these girls into continuing to post."

The Rainbooms were shocked by what had just recently occurred at the hospital. The doctors and nurses refused to give them the full details, but when they visited Rarity in her room, she broke down and told them everything.

But mostly, she had repeatedly damned her uncle for manipulating her, saying that he was going to die soon, that he deserved it.

Her words shook the girls.

Rarity was a classy, refined lady with unmatched elegance and grace. She was always generous and kind, wishing the best for others. She almost never spoke ill of others, except for those who really got on her nerves.

To hear her actively, repeatedly damn someone—her uncle, no less—was already heavily unnerving.

But to hear her say that her uncle was going to die—and not even implying that he might die, but saying with absolute confidence that he was going to die, without a doubt—was absolutely terrifying.

When they tried asking her who her uncle was, she didn't respond, only muttering the same thing: "Violenza's coming for you. El Oscurecido's coming for you."

Asking who these "Violenza" and "El Oscurecido" people were didn't get any answers, either. She had said Violenza was El Oscurecido, but that only further confused the girls.

"He wanted revenge," she had murmured. "He and his family were harmed greatly by mine. So he and his sister personally tracked down and killed members of my family and everyone working for them. Three hundred ninety-two pezzi di merda who deserved death, all mercilessly and brutally butchered by a vengeful Spaniard who dwells in the shadows, and a fiery Dragoness with a temper like Hellfire, many of their bodies put on display, sometimes in ironic ways, as a warning to my uncle that the darkness is closing in."

She had eventually asked them to leave, so she could think to herself.

Now, they simply sat in silence around a table at the Sweet Shoppe, thinking about everything that had occurred in the past eight days.

"Girls, we've really fucked up," Rainbow Dash said.

"You got that right, Rainbow," Applejack agreed.

A few minutes of silence passed before Pinkie Pie spoke up.

"Hey, is it just me, or is it getting hot in here?" she said.

"Yeah, it is," Rainbow said. "That's really weird. It feels like someone's messing with the thermostat."

Suddenly, a bright flash of brilliant golden light came out of nowhere, blinding the girls and making them shield their eyes.

"The heck is going on?!" the athlete exclaimed.

The light began to fade, and the girls rubbed their eyes, then opened them. Their jaws dropped and their eyes widened.

Standing in front of them were the spitting images of Principal Soleil and Vice Principal Mond.

Well, almost.

For one thing, the women before them were far taller than the principals, the one who looked like Principal Soleil standing at about nine-foot-seven, and the one who looked like Vice Principal Mond was about nine-foot-two. Both were slender and feminine, but powerful muscles rippled beneath their skin.

The Principal Soleil look-alike had beautiful multi-colored hair like the sky and the Northern Lights, while the Vice Principal's "clone" had brilliant phthalo blue and grayish persian blue hair that was long and wavy, cascading down her shoulders like a beautiful silk-like river. The latter's hair also contained countless little white dots, making it look like the night sky.

Both women wore amazing dresses made of silk that hugged their bodies perfectly, emphasizing and showing off their curves and muscles. The taller woman's dress was pure white and decorated with gold, orange, and yellow sun-like patterns, complimenting her snow-white complexion, and the other's was pure black and decorated with star patterns and constellations, complimenting her darker skin.

The most unnerving thing about the two women standing in front of them were their eyes.

The Vice Principal doppelgänger had moderate cyan eyes with slitted, cat-like pupils, which shone brightly, but held a great and terrible fury.

But the one who looked like Principal Soleil was far more terrifying.

Her eyes were impossibly bright—glowing, even—but were not like normal human eyes, nor were they slitted like the woman next to her. No, the scleras were pure black, as black as the darkest, deepest abyss, and the pupils and irises were pure fire, orange and red and gold, like miniature suns.

They burned with an intense, impossible hatred, unmatched by any being living or dead, in this world or any other. Not even the most rage-filled demon, the most hateful warrior, nor any gods of war, like the Greek Ares—not even Satan himself, nor any incarnation or other version—could come close to even attempting to match the pure, untamed, unimaginable rage contained within those hellish orbs.

"Who… Who are you?" Applejack asked nervously.

The woman glared at her with her burning eyes, her lips pulling back into an animalistic snarl, teeth bared.

She opened her mouth, and the entire building shook as a single word escaped her lips.

"Death."

Chapter XII: A Chat with a Madman

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Skipting, Sunset, and the others were all gathered in Principal Soleil's office, with the three young girls sitting across from the woman, looking down at their laps.

They had already been given their punishment, with guidance from the Prince.

It was decided that they would be banned from using the school computers unless supervised by an adult, Sunset or one of her friends, or one of a certain group of people Principal Soleil and Vice Principal Mond trusted with the task.

They would also be banned from all extracurricular activities, but would still be allowed to attend events like dances and games. The girls would be taken out of all of their classes and put in Miss Zecora Younger's Study Skills Intervention class, where they would be given schoolwork. They would also have to go to Vice Principal Mond's office three times a week.

"Announce an assembly in the gym and have these three confess. Identify everyone who physically tormented Sunset or used violence, and send them to the lobby, where I will confront them,” Skipting instructed. “Inform the students in the gym of their foolishness, tell them that many of them are also responsible for Anon-A-Miss. After the assembly, send the students who sent in secrets to Vice Principal Mond's office."

A small smile appeared on his face.

"I believe it is finally time to put the alliances I have formed to use. Contact Chrysalis, and tell her to gather her children and bring them here. They will supervise the assembly. I would like Soren to help me with confronting the worst offenders in whatever way he can or wants."

Vice Principal Mond nodded and left the office.

"Meanwhile, I want Discord to—"

"Did somebody say my name?"

Everyone in the room except Skipting and Blóðþrá jumped, before turning towards the source of the voice.

On the flatscreen TV mounted on the left wall of the office, smiling at them with a gleeful expression and looking rather pleased with himself, was the image of Discord Kaos.

"I had a feeling someone was talking about me, so I connected to your TV to talk to you," he said.

"For all of our sakes, please don't ever do that again, Discord," Celestia said, steadying her breathing.

The man just laughed.

"But what would be the fun in that, Tia?”

“Have you done what you said you would, Discord?” Skipting asked, his tone unamused and serious as he looked at the man.

Discord looked at the Prince with a shocked expression.

“Of course I did! I’m a man of my word! Why, I’m offended that you would ever think I would go back on it!”

He chuckled a little.

“Anyhoo, I did a little digging, and I was able to identify everyone who sent secrets to Anon-A-Miss. Thirty-five, exactly. I also reviewed footage on the security cameras around the school. Only seventeen students actually physically tormented or assaulted Sunset, and eight of them are among the thirty-five who sent secrets to Anon-A-Miss.

"Honestly, I thought there would be a bit more. No offense, Sunset."

"None taken," Sunset said.

"Well, since you're here, I would like to make a request of you," Skipting said.

"And what would that be, Your Highness?" Discord asked.

"I will soon confront the seventeen who harmed Sunset, and I would like you to broadcast my confrontation to the gym. I would also like you to block signals to prevent the students from attempting to get any kind of help from any sort of… unsavory characters."

Discord laughed.

"Sorry, old chap! I'm afraid I can't do that—blocking signals to prevent communication, I mean. For one thing, people need to be able to communicate in case of an emergency. For another, blocking signals to prevent that is a federal offense."

"Very well. Then perhaps we could simply temporarily confiscate students' phones?"

"We can do that," Celestia said, looking up from her computer. "Discord just sent me the names of the students who sent in secrets, and the ones who have been physically bullying Sunset. So we can confiscate the phones of those students for a little bit."

"That's definitely a good idea," Gilda said. "I know some of the dorks here have ties to the Avellinos, and a few pretty shitty gangs. If they're able to make calls, then they could contact one of the big shitheads running their operations, or some of the gangs, and ask them to come to the school."

"Even if that were to happen, Gilda, we would be fine," Celestia assured. "They know better than to try and cause trouble on school grounds. If they do try to cause trouble here, then they'll have several other local gangs and a few particular groups of people to deal with, not to mention a few certain individuals."

"Why would people working for the Avellino family and some of the gangs have to deal with other local gangs and stuff if they try to cause trouble here?" Sunset asked.

"Quite a lot of gang members have children attending school here. They want to make sure their children are safe at school. And the Avellino family and the criminal gangs do their best not to get on the bad sides of any of the other gangs, because the other gangs have very well known reputations around town. Especially the Howlers and Solana."

"That sounds like a solid plan," Discord said. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Skipting turned to his cousin and politely asked her to step out of the room for a few minutes, as well as the Crusaders. They obliged and left, as did Gilda.

"Before the man known as Violenza left Rarity’s house, he spoke to my counterpart, Soren Mond," Skipting began. "He asked him to visit a place called 'Blackhaven,' and mentioned 'Her Imperial Majesty.' Soren said he would visit, and asked Violenza to 'give Mr. Rorke his regards, should he see or hear from him.'"

"Your point?"

"I know who Violenza is, I know what Blackhaven is, and I know who 'Her Imperial Majesty' is—at least in Caeleste. But I am curious as to who exactly Soren was referring to. Do you have any idea who this 'Mr. Rorke' is? A specific person. From the way Soren spoke when he mentioned the man, he sounds important."

Discord nodded, taking a drink from his soda.

"I know exactly who Mr. Rorke is. He's an associate of the Black Hive and myself, and a close friend of Soren. He and his allies are also associates of La Sociedad Oscura. I assume you are familiar with it?"

Skipting nodded.

"Yes. Very familiar. In fact, a cousin of mine is the current ruler of La Sociedad Oscura in Equestria," he responded.

"Now, as much as I would love to tell you who Mr. Rorke is, I'm afraid I can't. I'm under strict orders to keep quiet about his and his allies' identities. However, I'm sure I'll be able to convince Mr. Rorke to meet with you. I've been keeping him informed of the situation, and he and his allies have been closely monitoring you ever since you came to this world."

"So they are aware of what happened to the Diamond Dogs?" the Prince asked.

The man laughed.

"'Aware?' Oh, you're very wrong, Your Highness. They aren't just 'aware' of what you did. They're like the city watchdogs, you could say. Most people are too afraid to draw their attention. And you'd have to be out of your mind to do that."

"When will you contact him?"

"I sent him a message just a few moments ago. He agreed to meet you."

"When does he want to meet?"

"He and his allies are heading out as we speak. I assure you he'll be very helpful in keeping the students in line. His methods are…"

He paused and idly stroked his beard.

"... unique."

With that, the video cut out, and the screen went black. The door opened, and Vice Principal Mond entered.

"Chrysalis and the others are on their way," she said.

"Thank you, Luna," Skipting said. "Now would you kindly tell Sunset and Gilda they can come back in, then take the Crusaders to your office?"

She nodded and left again, after which Sunset and Gilda came back in.

"Skipting," Gilda said.

"Yes?"

"Just so you know, I called a couple buddies of mine while you and Discord were chatting. They'll be here sometime soon."

"Do these friends of yours know about what's going on?" he asked.

"Yeah. Several of their really close friends go here, one of them has a kid who goes here, and one's sister goes here too."

The Rainbooms were shaking now, unable to look away from the massive women before them. They radiated pure power, and their auras could practically be tasted in the air. These two were no mere mortals, nor demigods. They were literal goddesses.

"Where is Sunset Shimmer?" the one who looked like Vice Principal Mond demanded.

"Canterlot—" Applejack answered fearfully.

"Hold the fuck on, AJ!" Rainbow Dash hissed, cutting the farmgirl off and glaring at her. "Why are you telling them where Sunset is?! They'll probably have to go through all the students who had a hand in hurting her! These two might even kill them!"

The Principal Soleil doppelgänger raised a hand, which became enveloped in a golden aura. Rainbow Dash yelped as she found herself lifted into the air and pulled towards the woman. She was forced to stare, close up, into the miniature suns. The goddess raised her other hand, and brought it to the athlete's face.

A loud smack seemed to almost echo through the building, and the girl was sent flying through the air, crashing into a table. When she slowly and shakily stood up, rubbing her face, the other girls saw, to their horror, an imprint of a hand on her cheek, the skin slightly burned, and strands of her hair were singed.

She didn't look any worse for wear, which was surprising, since she had just been sent flying into a table. But Rainbow was a fairly durable young woman with a long record of both injuring herself and somehow coming out of various situations practically unscathed.

"My only desire at the moment is to find my daughter, to know that she is safe and sound, to see her again," the goddess said coldly. "If you refuse to tell me where she is…"

Her hands became enveloped in a golden aura again.

"... I have other ways of making you talk."

"She's at Canterlot High School! It's right in front of the portal statue!" Applejack cried.

"Sister, please, calm down," the Vice Principal's counterpart said. "Sunset is with Skipting. She is more than safe with him. Leave these girls be. They shall get their comeuppance later."

Her sister growled, glaring at the girls, but nodded.

"Very well. I assume Sunset will want to talk to them later," she said. "She cannot do that if they are dead."

She looked back at Rainbow Dash. The goddess could feel an aura of darkness surrounding the girl, an aura she was quite familiar with. She raised her hand once more, and the rainbow-haired athlete was again surrounded with a golden glow.

She used her magic to keep the girl still, then removed her jacket. Rainbow Dash struggled to move or escape, her eyes widening in fear as she looked at her right arm as her jacket was forcefully pulled off of her.

Then the girls gasped upon seeing the state of their friend's arm.

Rainbow Dash’s veins had turned pitch black, looking like tendrils of shadows crawling along her arm. The area around the raven and lightning bolt mark was as black as her veins, and the untouched skin appeared extremely pale.

"Skipting Lunam has branded her with the Curse of the Harrowed," she said, her voice venomous as she said the Dark Prince's name. "A fitting punishment for a monster such as him to bestow upon another. She should be grateful that it has not progressed any further than it already has."

The Vice Principal's counterpart glared at her. Her face was a stone mask, but the Rainbooms could feel her anger.

"Do not speak about my child like that," she snarled.

"He has essentially doomed that girl to a slow and agonizing death, then to a fate worse than death!" the elder one retorted. "He doomed many with that foul curse before my imprisonment. I can only guess how many more he has damned."

She looked back at Rainbow Dash.

"Killing her would be a mercy for her. A quick death before the curse can fully take hold would be far better than letting her suffer like she is."

"She will be fine, sister," Vice Principal Mond's doppelgänger assured. "Skipting did not use the true power of the Curse. The Curse has only spread because that is what it was created to do. He has no intention of killing any of these girls. The specific way in which he branded her with the Curse will not kill her, nor will it harm her in any way. It is simply an intimidation tactic, and a way to encourage those he brands to right their wrongs.

"But let us cease to focus on this at the moment. We have a more important matter to take care of."

"Very well.”

Another flash of golden light emanated from the goddesses, and when it faded, they were gone.

Chapter XIII: We Look After Our Own

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The Rainbooms were shaken by their encounter with the two goddesses. They could only imagine what might happen to any of their peers at school if those two found out about what they had done, and found them.

But Rainbow Dash in particular was shaken, not only by what had just occurred, but by the curse slowly blackening her arm. Though it looked like the curse had only blackened her skin and veins, she could feel that something was very, very wrong with her arm.

What was it they called it, again? “The Curse of the Harrowed?” I think I’ve heard that somewhere. Maybe Zoe, Senan, or Djarin might know something about it?

She was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of the little bell at the front of the shop ringing as the doors were opened. A group of seven people entered.

Four of them—a young man with orange hair and soft green eyes, a girl with two-tone dark gray hair and fierce lake green eyes, a man who looked eerily similar to Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, and a young man with long dark brown hair and piercing eyes, the right a beautiful silver and the left a pale faded blue, almost like the eye of a blind man—wore the same outfit, consisting of an ankle-length dark grayish-black leather duster coat with a shoulder cape over a simple white or dark gray dress shirt, old-fashioned trousers. knee-high leather boots, and black leather gloves. The man with blue and crimson eyes, however, also wore an old fashioned leather tricorn cap in the same style as the ones worn by the British Redcoats during the colonial era, as well as a simple black cloth mask pulled up to the bridge of his nose.

The fifth, an elderly man using a beautiful ornate black cane with a silver grip in the shape of a cat’s head, wore a floppy brown wide-brimmed hat atop his head, a gift from his beloved grandniece.

The sixth, who looked like he might be as old as Granny Smith, wore a dark grayish-black long coat over a white dress shirt, and matching leather boots and trousers, with a white silk scarf wrapped around his neck—a gift from his late niece—and a dark grayish-black wide-brimmed hat.

Unlike the others, the seventh wore a simple red blouse and a black skirt, with deep red stockings and black high heels. Her raven black, white-streaked hair was braided and draped over her right shoulder.

The group looked around the shop for a few seconds, before spotting the girls.

The instant Applejack noticed the elderly man with the scarf, she got up from her seat and bolted to him, wrapping her arms around him tightly, startling the man a little.

“Jacqueline, what’s gotten into you, my little darling?” he asked gently, running a hand through the girl’s hair as she softly cried.

Applejack didn’t reply, instead continuing to cry.

The group sat down in front of the girls.

“Now tell me, Jacqueline,” the man said. “What’s the problem?”

The farm girl took a few deep breaths, placing her beloved hat on the table as she sat back down next to her friends.

“We… We messed up, Senan,” Applejack responded. “We messed up big time.”

“How so?”

“Remember how I told you about Anon-A-Miss?” she asked.

“Aye. You said you were sure your friend Miss Shimmer was behind it.”

“Well, that’s the thing. She ain’t. She was innocent this whole time. And we… And we just… turned our backs on her. And after we called her family. What kind of person turns their back on family without listening to them?”

“You were fooled just like everyone else,” Senan said. “You’re young and hardheaded, like I was when I was your age. Or like Sheivrhan, Murdon, and Clementine right now.”

The three people in question briefly stared at him with looks in their eyes that said, “Excuse me?”, before they looked at each other for a few moments, then shrugged as though they had apparently come to some sort of agreement with what the elderly man had said.

“Rarity’s uncle even ordered the Diamond Dogs to kidnap her. He was probably gonna have her killed,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Franklin always was an idiot,” the raven- and white-haired woman muttered with a scowl. “I still can’t imagine what in Sanarath’s name I saw in him. But at least one good thing came from our relationship.”

“But that’s only the start. Some guy came to Rarity’s house and cut her hand off for some sort of ‘punishment,’” the athlete added.

“So El Oscurecido finally came a-knocking,” the orange-haired man, Clementine, said.

“She mentioned something about an ‘El Oscurecido’ during her rambling. You know him?”

“Well, o’course we know him,” Senan said. “Everyone in the village knows him. Hard not to, anyways, what with him being the lover of little Zoe here’s son.”

“Violenza is a wonderful boy, Senan,” Zoe said. “Saevakh’Kael made a wonderful decision, starting a relationship with him.”

“Wait, so you’re saying that that psycho is dating your son?!” Rainbow exclaimed.

The woman’s expression immediately turned dark and cold as she fixed the athlete with a harsh stare that could pulverize stone.

“I would watch your tongue when speaking about my son’s lover, little one,” she said coldly, staring her dead in the eye. “Violenza may be… cruel and a bit violent at times, but you would understand, if you knew what he went through. He has a great heart, and he takes protecting his family and friends very seriously.”

“Anyways,” Djarin, the man with the cane, said, clearly trying to change the subject and get rid of the sudden tension. “We brought a little something with us. We were coming here to see you girls, then we’re going to the hospital to visit Rarity and present her with our little gift.”

He looked at the man who could probably pass for Gaston’s twin brother.

“Korzkael, if you would.”

Korzkael nodded and heaved a briefcase onto the table’s surface, unlocked it, then turned it around and pushed it towards the girls. Applejack gingerly unlatched the case, then, with great anticipation in her face, lifted open the lid.

The girls all gasped as they took in the sight before their eyes.

There, lying in the briefcase, was a prosthetic arm, designed to look exactly like a normal arm, and covered with a special magic synthetic skin created to perfectly imitate real skin. But it wasn’t modeled after just any arm. No, it was made to perfectly match the exact body shape and skin color of a certain fashion-obsessed teenager.

“Korzrhan sends her regards,” Djarin said with a smile.

“This is…” Pinkie Pie murmured.

“... Absolutely perfect,” Fluttershy said.

The girls all pried their eyes away from the arm and looked at the people sitting across from them.

“Y’all didn’t have to do this much,” Applejack said. “Really, you didn’t.”

“We’re Hunters, Jacqueline,” Sheivrhan, the man with the blue and crimson eyes, said, playfully ruffling her hair. “We look after our own.”

“Of course we did, Jacqueline,” Zoe said with a smile. “We would not be living by our faith in Sanarath if we did not help our loved ones.”

“The arm also has a built-in gun, retractable blade, flamethrower, grappling hook and zipline launcher, lockpick, screwdriver, nail file, pepper spray, taser, GPS, and a ‘Fuck You, Isaac Newton and Every Law of Physics’ detector,” Korzkael listed proudly.

“What does the ‘Fuck You, Isaac Newton and Every Law of Physics’ detector do?” Rainbow asked.

“It detects when either Pinkie Pie or Koz do that weird thing they do where they just pop out of Abyss-damned nowhere, or when either of them do any of that other weird shit that makes ol’ Ace of Spades look like a common stage magician,” the two-tone gray-haired woman, Murdon, replied.

“Who in tarnation is the ‘Ace of Spades?’” Applejack asked.

Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Clementine, Korzkael, and Murdon’s jaws dropped as they stared wide-eyed at her.

“You’re kidding me, right?” Rainbow said. “You don’t know who Ace of Spades is?”

The farm girl shook her head, prompting the two of her friends and the three Hunters to facepalm.

“Akh’kael’s fangs,” Murdon muttered.

“I’ve heard you talk about him alot. But I didn’t really pay much attention. All I know about him is that he’s some sort of trickster, vigilante, whatchamacallit.”

“The Ace of Spades is probably the best damn trickster this city’s ever seen!” Korzkael exclaimed.

Zoe scoffed and leaned back in her seat.

“I really don’t understand why you are so obsessed with him,” she said. “He’s just a simple prankster who does a bit of vigilante work.”

Clementine glared at her.

“Well, milady,” he said dramatically, “that ‘simple prankster’ is a goddamn legend! I mean, he’s one of Caroline’s kids! You know, Korzrhan’s sister?! The best Abyss-damned gunsmith this city has ever had?!”

“Why did you make an arm, though?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Rarity only lost her hand. And why give it to her right now? It takes a while after amputation for everything to heal well enough for prosthetic fitting, and the incident happened just last night.”

Senan laughed, took a quick drink from a flask, then adjusted his position in his seat.

“Yes, it does take some time before an amputation wound has healed properly enough for a prosthetic to be fitted,” he said. “And while it did happen last night, we can treat and heal a severed limb in as little as mere seconds. But treating a severed limb in seconds is mostly reserved for dire situations, such as if you are in the middle of a fight.”

“Since Saevokael and Saevonaol are our most accomplished healers, they went to the hospital to personally treat Rarity,” Sheivrhan continued. “And given their renown across Canterlot as expert healers, as well as their close connection to Rarity and some help from a few friends, they were able to visit and treat her without issue. They were able to treat and completely heal her wound in less than half an hour, only taking as much time as they did because they wanted to heal her as soon as possible, but they also made sure to take their time so they could do so as best they could.”

Senan took another drink from his flask, only for a short series of loud, somewhat violent coughs to erupt from him, drawing the attention of Mrs. Cake, who rushed over to the group.

“Are you alright, sir?” she asked concernedly.

The old man raised a hand to stop her, waiting for a few moments until his coughing ceased.

“I’m quite alright, thank you,” he assured. “I think my drink just went down the wrong pipe.”

“Are you sure?”

“He’ll be just fine,” Korzkael said. “No need to worry.”

Mrs. Cake stood silent for a few moments, seemingly hesitant to leave. Zoe raised a hand, looking the woman directly in the eye.

“Our friend here is perfectly fine, ma’am,” she said.

As she spoke, she waved her hand slowly. Mrs. Cake’s eyes became somewhat cloudy and confused.

“There is no need to worry.”

“No need to worry,” Mrs. Cake repeated drowsily.

“You should get back to work now,” Zoe said.

“I should get back to work now.”

The shop owner turned around and returned to her position at the service counter.

The girls stared at Zoe in awe.

“Did you just Jedi mind trick her or something?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

“You could call it that,” she said. “I am sure Saevakh’Kael and Violenza would call it that as well.”

She shook her head.

“But that does not matter right now. As Senan was about to say, there are a few reasons we had Korzrhan make an arm rather than a hand.

“The first is that making an arm allows us to implement many more useful tools into the limb than making a hand would allow. Having the ability to install several tools for self defense, for instance, would allow Rarity to be able to instantly defend herself should the need arise, rather than having to reach into her bag or one of her pockets to retrieve something she can use, which would leave her vulnerable for as long as it takes her to retrieve a means of self defense. Even as little as a few seconds of vulnerability could quite possibly lead to tragedy.

“The second directly relates to the first. Saevakh’Kael specifically requested that we give Rarity the means to instantly defend herself, not just from random strangers who might try and rob her, or even people she knows.

“But his primary reason for his request…”

Zoe’s expression hardened, a look of pure rage and bloodthirst burning in her eyes.

“... was so that what happened with Judas will never happen again.”

The girls briefly shared a concerned look, their faces momentarily warped with fear and anger as they remembered what Zoe was referring to.

She took a few breaths, closing her eyes briefly as she calmed herself down.

“The third reason we made an arm instead of a hand is that something was on Violenza’s blade. It spread up her arm over night, essentially killing her arm. She was fortunate enough that Saevokael and Saevonaol managed to detect it in time. They had to amputate her arm above the elbow, then burn the amputated limb.”

“Do you have any idea what it was that got in her arm?” Fluttershy asked.

“One of Violenza’s personal favorite methods of torture and execution: the blood of High Lord Súilleabhán himself.”

The girls gasped.

“What?!” they yelled.

“You’re telling us that that psycho uses the blood of the most powerful undead in history?!” Rainbow exclaimed angrily. “Doesn’t he know what Gravewalker blood does to people, much less the undead High Lord’s blood?!”

“Yes, he is very, very well aware of the dangers of Gravewalker blood. He has the wounds to prove it,” Sheivrhan responded. “He has been experimenting with it for the past few years. The High Lord allows him to use his blood for both his mad crusade, and his executions of Oscurian traitors and criminals, but his reasons for allowing Violenza to do so is a mystery to us.”

“But why the fuck was it on his knife when he cut Rarity’s hand off?!”

“Saevakh’Kael talked to Violenza about that just this morning. Violenza had completely forgotten to clean High Lord Súilleabhán’s blood off of his blade after he executed a traitor just an hour before he severed Rarity’s hand. He greatly regretted his carelessness. He only meant to sever her hand as punishment for taking off his hand last year, not to poison her and sentence her to a horrifying and painful death. He is a wonderful young man, and contrary to his actions last night, he does care deeply for Rarity. She’s like another sister to him.

“His hatred towards her uncle, and the guilt he feels for failing to protect his aunt and brother, caused him to lash out at her. Even his severing of her hand was a result of him lashing out. His hatred briefly warped the memory of the day she took his hand. Just like her incident with Javier and Esmeralda, her taking of his hand was a complete accident.”

“What happened, then?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“I would tell you to ask Rarity herself about it, but she is quite embarrassed by it.”

A few minutes later, Rainbow Dash perked her head up.

“By the way, do you guys know anything about the ‘Curse of the Harrowed?’” she asked.

“Why?” Senan said, his eyes narrowing.

The prism-haired girl brought her arm into their line of sight. The old man’s hand shot forwards and grabbed it with surprising speed for a man his age.

“Who did this to you?” he growled.

“Sanarath’s abdomen hairs,” Djarin muttered. “Who in their right mind would curse you like that?”

“Prince Skipting Lunam,” she answered nervously. “I-Is it bad?”

Senan sighed and released her arm, sitting back down. He looked at Sheivrhan.

“Sheivrhan, show them,” he requested.

Sheivrhan nodded and removed his glove and coat.

The girls screamed.

Covering the entirety of the man’s left arm was a thick layer of coarse, matted, deep bluish-gray fur. The skin had darkened and turned a deep grayish-black, and had countless scars and wounds littering its surface, including several bite marks. His fingers had lengthened somewhat, and instead of nails, his fingers were tipped with long razor-sharp claws.

The man raised a hand to remove his mask, only for Applejack to stop him.

“Now hold on just a minute, Sheivrhan,” she said. “Why in tarnation are you taking your mask off?”

“Because I have granted you three my blessing to see my face,” he replied. “As close family, Rainbow has seen it plenty of times before, but she has not seen my true face. And given the circumstances, I believe you should all know what Rainbow could go through should she have received—or should she ever in the future receive—the full extent of what Prince Skipting Lunam placed upon her.”

With that, he pulled down his mask, revealing his face to Rainbow’s friends for the first time in their lives.

Then his face shimmered briefly, and the girls screamed again as the illusion hiding his face fell.

His left cheek looked to have been torn open and the flesh had been ripped away, exposing his teeth, many of which had sharpened and lengthened like a wolf’s. A good deal of the lower left area of his face had been stripped of all flesh, and the jagged edges of the apparent wound were seemingly rotted black, with black tendrils spreading across that side of his face. His left eye had turned a milky white, with no visible pupil or iris, just solid white, with black tendrils spreading from the socket. The veins in his face had also turned a sickly black.

“This,” Shievrhan said, gesturing to his face and arm, “is the Curse of the Harrowed. It consumes the bearer over time, slowly transforming them into a Konarlozarem ni Agmorvij. A Blessed Wolven Child of the Almighty Father.”

“So that’s… that’s what’s going to happen to me?” Rainbow said, her voice shaky and uneven.

“I can already tell that you have not been branded with the full power of the curse,” he assured. “You will be fine.”

“But what about you?!” she cried. “You’re going to turn into one of those things!”

Sheivrhan chuckled.

“I assure you, becoming a Konarlozarem is not as terrible as some might make it out to be. It is actually quite freeing, really. It allows us to transcend beyond these mortal bodies and become closer to the Almighty Father. My parents both transcended, as have many Hunters, and so have many of the Legion and Her Majesty’s knights. And, once we finally die, our spirits ascend to join our loved ones in paradise.”

He looked down at his arm with a small smile.

“The Curse of the Harrowed, despite its name, isn’t a curse at all. It is a blessing, simply referred to as ‘The Blessing of the Father,’ he explained. “It was called ‘The Curse of the Harrowed’ by outsiders who did not understand it, and thus feared it.

“However, it can be considered a curse, at least by those the blessing is forced upon as punishment for their crimes. It is by far one of, if not the most, horrific punishments our people have used. It forcefully transforms the accursed into a wild Konarlozarem, which means that once the transformation in complete, it becomes permanent, and the transformed is essentially trapped within their own body, a passenger in their own mind, able to do nothing but watch through their body’s eyes as their body acts of its own accord. It is a fate worse than death, and the only way a transformed person can find release is in death.

“However, they cannot die of common causes. They cannot die of illness, nor of old age, of falling from great heights, of being impaled by something in their surroundings, nor of being torn apart by wild animals or other Konarlozarum.”

“But if they can’t die from natural causes or being killed by other creatures, then how are they supposed to die?” Rainbow asked, horrified.

“You should know the answer to that, little one. After all, it is a core part of our people’s culture.”

The pride flag-haired girl looked down solemnly. Sheivrhan was right. She knew the answer. But she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

“They can only find release in death at the hands of a Hunter,” Sheivrhan said.

He went around the table to stand at Rainbow’s side.

“We have been observing this Prince Skipting Lunam for a few days now. He is a member of the Legion in his world. And he is quite similar to Knight Yhauzakh and Sheivloq the Enlightened. He has their compassion, and their desire to protect others.

“But most importantly, he has their willingness to forgive.”

He bent down so they were eye-level.

“He will remove the blessing, Miriam,” he said, putting a hand to her cheek. “I promise you, on my father’s grave, you will be alright.”

“But how will I be okay when I turned my back on a friend—on family?” she asked.

“You will find your answer in time, little one. You made a mistake. You were blinded by the past. While you did hurt your friend, I am certain she will be able to find it in her heart to forgive you. Sunset Shimmer is an astounding young woman. If she can find it within herself to protect Rarity from a man such as Violenza, even after Rarity had broken her heart, I am positive she can find it within herself to forgive the four of you.”

He looked at all four of the girls, the illusion reappearing as he pulled his mask back up and put his glove and coat back on.

“The four of you are far stronger than you know. Even if she does not forgive you right away, know that you realized your mistake, and pray that you may one day regain her trust.”

He stood up and rejoined the others.

“But for now, focus on fixing your mistake. Talk to her. Apologize to her. And do whatever you can to make it up to her, whatever it takes.”

With that, the group stood up and left the shop, leaving the girls to ponder the Accursed’s words.

The Phoenix and the Dark Prince

by The Shadow of Light

Chapter I: Mother's Task

Chapter II: Anon-A-Miss

Chapter III: The Mall

Chapter IV: Gilda King

Chapter V: Beginning of A New Web

Chapter VI: Chrysalis Dumont

Chapter VII: Discord Kaos

Chapter VIII: The First Form of Chaos

Chapter IX: Death of a Prince

Chapter X: An Eye for An Eye

Chapter XI: Not So “Anon-A-Miss” Anymore

Chapter XII: A Chat with a Madman

Chapter XIII: We Look After Our Own