Monsters in Canterlot

Monsters in Canterlot

It was beautiful outside today. The sun was shining, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, the birds were chirping, and there was a gentle spring breeze swimming through the air. Twilight hated it. Terribly fatigued, the girl couldn’t tell if she was trying to stay awake or fall asleep anymore. No matter what the case, though, she found everything around her to be a nuisance. Rays of blinding sun stung her eyes, and the wind was pushing her hair in her face. The horrid screeching of the birds were assaulting her eardrums to the point of frustration, and Twilight’s mood could be described by one word: miserable. Being harassed by a child in the town square wasn’t helping her at the moment, either.

"I'm telling you, Twi, I really saw them!" A young, green haired boy insisted to his companion across the small table.

"I'm sure you did, Spike," responded the clearly tired girl, annoyed by the boy's overactive imagination. Her dark, bloodshot eyes were weighed down with dark bags, contrasting her usually light peach skin. Not that anyone around would have noticed, with her entire head cradled in her arms, slumped on the table. "And do you know what I just saw? A coffee shop just across the street. Would you be a dear and go buy me a cup? Just black is fine. I've been up all night researching the new records they sent me of Starswirl. I could use something strong right about now."

The boy leaned in closer and whispered in Twilight's ear, "Twilight, listen to me! I'm not joking here! I've seen them. Actual. Vampires. With fangs!"

"Or it was just a kid with sharper than average canines. Have we forgotten about the 'leprechaun' incident already?" Twilight retorted.

"Hey, that was one time. I was a kid back then!" Spike emphasized.

"Spike, that was last week," replied Twilight.

"A week's plenty of time to grow up!" Spike sighed. "Come on Twi, hear me out, aren't we friends? Friendship is magic, remember?" countered the frustrated Spike.

Twilight's response was a flat tone of annoyance. "The only magic I need right now is caffeine, Spike."

"Wait, what are we even in Canterlot for?" Spike asked.

"Well, I'm supposed to be meeting with the royal guard to help deal with a recent crime spree in half an hour, and you're supposed to be getting me my coffee." Twilight raised her right forearm, twisting her wrist in a full rotation with her forehead still flat on the wooden table. Still not looking, she pointed a glowing finger in Spike's direction, at which he was enveloped in a larger version of the purple aura.

Spike lifted up about a foot in the air, and was slowly pushed backwards towards the coffee shop, flailing in protest. "Hey, not cool Twilight, let me down!"

Drowsiness had been creeping into her tone for ages, and it finally decided to take over. "Actually, let's make that two cups! I'm pretty… tired…" Twilight yawned and flopped her arm back on her head, dropping Spike on his rear end and beginning to snore loudly.

Spike picked himself off the ground and dusted himself off. He was standing underneath a green sheet of roofing, propped up by two wooden poles coming from a street stand. The fresh smell of roast coffee drifted through the air. "Geez, that Twilight, how's she even going to be able to drink the coffee if she's asleep?" Grumbling, Spike made his way to the counter. "Hi, can I get two large black coffees?" he asked the tall girl at the counter.

"Coming right up, kid," replied a young, laid back female voice. Throwing back her short, reddish brown locks, she poured the steaming brew into two ceramic cups. She handed them over the counter to Spike. "Here ya go."

"Thanks, how much will that be?" Spike asked, rummaging through the pockets of his green cargo shorts. "Oh man, I left my wallet back at the hotel room, Twilight's gonna kill me without her coffee," he said, continuing to pat his clothes in vain desperation.

"Hey, don't worry about it, it's on the house," the girl told him with a toothy grin. "The name's Scarlet."

Spike looked up, beaming. "Wow, really? Thanks! Is there anything I can do to pay you back?"

Scarlet turned around and started to wipe the cups with a washcloth. "Nah, It's all good."

"Come on, there must be something I can do for you. You don't get to see people as nice as you in the oh so snobbish Canterlot too often." Spike insisted.

Scarlet stopped wiping the cup, pausing to think. She glanced over her shoulder with a smile. "Well, there is one thing."

"Ask away," Spike replied.

The girl put the cup and cloth back down, looking around suspiciously for any possible eavesdroppers. The smile vanished, and she leaned in close to Spike's face. With a suddenly serious expression, she stared at Spike with her pitch black eyes. "Tell me about the vampire."

"Wait, were you spying on us or something?" Startled, Spike asked cautiously, unsure what to make of the situation until he got a reply.

"No, I was standing here all along. I just happen to have really good hearing." Scarlet answered, tapping her ear with a skinny finger. "You can relate too, can't you? You have enhanced physical features as well, embrey boy. I could sense your natural magic from a mile away. Now, you said you saw a vampire. Are you sure it wasn't a misunderstanding, like your friend said?"

Spike scowled in frustration. "I know what I saw, and I saw fangs. Not sharp teeth, not a cheap plastic toy, but real, proper fangs."

Scarlet placed a gentle hand on Spike's clenched fist. "Don't worry, I believe you. Now, tell me. Who was this vampire? What did they look like?"

Relaxing the grip in his hands, Spike's expression softened as he spoke. "It was a small boy, maybe around my own age. Ten? Maybe twelve. He was wearing a brown hood. I bumped into him in an alleyway, and he hissed at me. I could see those sharp, pointy fangs of his before he left," Spike shuddered. "Gives me the creeps."

"Which alley? Where did he go?" Scarlet asked.

Spike pointed a finger to the side. "That one over there. I think he went further in. I saw him take a left and go into a small house."

"Thanks, I think I know which one. Maybe I'll just pay him a visit later tonight." Scarlet said, stepping out from behind the counter. Throwing her work apron behind her, she grabbed a large red cloak to the side.

"What, are you insane? Didn't you hear me, he's a vampire!" Spike exclaimed.

"Oh, I believe you," reassured Scarlet.

"He could be dangerous. Do you know this guy?" asked Spike.

Scarlet threw the cloak around her, throwing a crimson hood over her head. "Can't say that I do, but he's someone I've been searching for."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Spike questioned.

"It was nice talking to you. See you later, kid!" Scarlet said, walking away from Spike.

Caught between a torrent of confusion, Spike replied with the only thing he could put into a coherent phrase. "My name is Spike!" he called out. The mysterious Scarlet waved back at him without looking, and disappeared into the crowd, blending into the scurrying masses.

Spike returned to the coffee shop near the end of the evening. His visit with Twilight to the Canterlot guard had proved to be fruitless; even the most powerful arcanist in all of Equestria was just as stumped as the guards when it came to a group of missing persons that vanished without a trace. No witnesses, no signs of struggle, no spell residue, nothing. Whoever was taking these people knew what they were doing. With all of these mysterious disappearances in the past month in Canterlot, Spike couldn’t help but be worried for Scarlet. She had said that she believed his story, so why was she going to go look for it? Was she simply curious? Spike sure hoped not. Twilight had once told him that ‘curiosity killed the cat’, and Spike was determined to not lose Scarlet the same way he had lost Mr. Whiskers.

He blinked slowly, letting his pupils dilate to two green slits. The world turned a shade brighter, letting the boy see through the absence of light. He didn’t have the best night vision around compared to other embrey, but it would do in the faint glare of clouded moonlight. The town was asleep. The streets were empty, the shops abandoned. Spike walked around to the street stand, which still held onto the lingering scent of coffee from earlier on in the day. Spike ran a hand along the counter, pulling up a palm full of dust. He clapped his hands together with a small frown, shaking it off. Nobody had been here since the last time he spoke with Scarlet, and that had been just before noon. Maybe she’d been joking about looking for the vampire, Spike hoped.

Spike's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of light footsteps on the cold stone road. Panicking, Spike ducked underneath the wooden boards. He didn’t want to be seen here. Spike was pretty sure he was trespassing illegally, and he really didn’t want to explain to Twilight why he was brought to the hotel by a guard for breaking and entering a coffee stand. The footsteps were getting closer. The resounding thuds of boots against stone mirrored the sound of Spike’s heartbeat, both growing larger and larger as the owner of the footsteps approached the stand. Just as Spike was about to make a break for it, hoping that his short, childlike legs would let him outrun a fully trained member of the royal guard, the footsteps started to dim. Their unknown owner, wandering the streets, passed by without a second thought, leaving a relieved and emotionally exhausted Spike.

Still uncertain after he could barely hear the person walking, Spike cautiously poked his eyes over the top of the counter. He was just in time to witness a crimson cloak flutter in the moonlight as the figure turned and vanished into a small street. Scarlet. Spike carefully tiptoed out from his hiding place, shutting the doors behind him with a silent click. He decided to follow after her. If she really was going to look for the vampire, then things could get dangerous. If something went wrong, his dragon fire would be able to buy the two of them enough time to run away.

Twisting around the corner, Spike caught sight of Scarlet’s red cloak once more. The mysterious girl moved swiftly through Canterlot’s evening streets, softening her steps in the process. She came to a stop in front of an old, run down house, creaking open the door and stepping in. After waiting a few breathless seconds, Spike glanced around and followed her example.

Inside, the building was surprisingly spacious, if not a little worn in. The old but sturdy brick masonry lined the house with reassurance, stained and rotting tapestries hanging from their walls. Blocking out all of the windows but one facing the moon, the cloths were disfigured beyond the point of recognition. An unfamiliar, putrid stench covered the room. It was darker than before, and not even Spike’s dragon eyes allowed him to see the full room clearly. Scarlet stood in the light spilling through the glass, head held high.

“Isn’t this a little bit unorthodox?” She called out, her clear voice bouncing off the walls and back at her outstretched arms. “You lot usually live somewhere up with the nobles, manipulating them and pulling strings so you can live out the dream life without being discovered. What happened to that pride of yours, vampire? Why stay in a dump like this?”

A small, skinny boy stepped out from underneath the shadows. He looked like he was going to faint any second; his scrawny limbs held almost no flesh at all. “You shouldn’t have come here,” he managed to say in a weak voice.

"So there you are," said Scarlet, walking up and crouching in front of the child. She craned her neck left and right, inspecting the boy in front of her. "You’re just a child. And you don't look so healthy either, by the looks of it. What are you doing in a place like this, and what were you thinking, showing your fangs to some kid in the streets? Someone's bound to notice when you pull something like that. You're just lucky it was me who found you."

"Oh, I'd say that luck had nothing to do with it," Came a deep, masculine voice from behind the child. Scarlet and Spike snapped their eyes to the source of the sound, with the child remaining still. The man was wearing a tattered gray suit and a smug, madman's grin. His short silver hair was polluted with patches of brown gunk and grime. He held a crazy glint in his eyes, as though something were off about him. Worse than that, however, was the rows of jagged teeth that he was showing.

Scarlet stood back up, pushing the child behind her. "Who are you?" she asked, betraying no emotion in her voice.
"I believe this will answer your question," said the man. With that, he gave an unearthly howl. His body began to undergo a horrendous transformation. His back arched violently and his skin sprouted matted fur. There was a painful cracking noise as his bones elongated, making the man double in size and popping out as claws in his fingertips. His breath grew ragged, and his eyes gleamed golden. Standing where a man was only seconds ago, was a dark beast and a puddle of drool.

Scarlet bit her lip. "Werewolves. I thought something was up the moment I came to town," she said. "You're behind the recent disappearances too, aren't you? This place stinks of death… Yeah, this makes much more sense. An old, run down ruin like this really suits a mutt like you a whole lot better."

The monster made a deep gurgling noise, separated by sharp grunts. Spike shuddered when he realized it was laughing. "The child was bait. We took him from the streets, and used him to lure you in here. And now, you will die."

Scarlet cocked a brow. "We? I only see one of you here. Two, if you count the child, but he's horribly malnourished and I doubt he'd be snapping at my throat even if he wasn't. So that begs the question, where are the rest of you?"

The wolf gave a series of short, sharp barks. At the signal, four more lycans stepped into the room, varying slightly in both size and colour. All of them, however, had one thing in common. They held the same look in their glazed golden eyes - pure, unrefined, unshackled, bloodlust.

Spike was drenched in a puddle of his own sweat. Scarlet and that child were about to get mauled to death, before his very eyes. He had to help. "Hang on, Scarlet, I'll save you!" Rushing forwards with adrenaline boosting his muscles, the young embrey spewed a green blaze from his mouth. Scorching the ground in front of him, the sparks sent the werewolves reeling back a couple of steps, snarling at him. "Back! Back, you monsters!" With each word he shouted, he spat another fireball, horribly unaware that he had overlooked one crucial detail in the room.

Without warning, a bulky hand hoisted Spike into the air by the back of his collar. The other hand was clenched into a fist, which punched him squarely in the chest and knocked all the wind out of him. "What should we do with him, boss?" the sixth wolf asked, looking to the first as Spike sputtered for air.

"Throw him in with the others. We'll let them die together." The alpha male sneered, his lackeys mocking Spike along with him. The wolf holding Spike chucked him forwards, where he tumbled on the floor before splaying out next to the child, still struggling to catch his breath.

Scarlet rolled her eyes. "My hero."

Great. Not only was Spike about to be brutally murdered by werewolves, but yet another person had joined the Spike's an idiot club.

The six lycans formed a ring around the trio, surrounding and closing in on them. "A cranky Twilight, vampires in Canterlot, and now this… And I can't call for Twilight, she won't even wake up! Ugh, it's really not my day today," said Spike.

Scarlet, who had been hiding her face all this time, pulled down her hood to reveal an amused expression. "Really? Because it's been going just fine for me."

Spike and the child were trembling on the floor, frightened half to death by the growls of the creatures who were about to finish the job. "No offense, Scarlet, but I hardly think it's the time for cracking jokes," he commented.

Scarlet whipped her hair out of her eyes, giving a toothy smirk. "What makes you think I'm joking?" she replied confidently.

"Uh, Scarlet?" Spike called out. What in the world was that girl doing? She was walking towards the wolves. "Scarlet!"

"Oh, shut up for a bit, kid. Just watch and learn. The party's only just begun." Scarlet twisted her right wrist, and a silver circle of runes appeared on the floor surrounding Spike and the child. "Try to stay inside the circle, unless you're interested in losing an arm or a leg." The wolves behind Scarlet tried to claw at the two scrawny children, but howled in pain as they were shocked by the circle's magic. They pulled their paws back, crackling with white electric feedback. Angry, they decided to abandoned the small prey and turned their attention to the girl who had cast the spell.

Scarlet faced the alpha male. Eyes held shut, she violently shot them open, her now dilated pupils ringed with bright silver. She opened her mouth in a snarl, hissing sharply through pointed fangs. She regained her near innocent smile, save for the fact that she was running a pointed tongue over her new gleaming fangs. "Now then, where were we?"

Spike didn't understand what was going on for three long seconds. "Scarlet’s a vampire too?!"

Those Silver Eyes

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Those Silver Eyes

The wolves didn't even flinch at Scarlet's transformation. "Fear us, little girl. We have killed over a dozen of your kind in Canterlot alone," snarled the alpha. At the sound his roar, all the other wolves all pounced, clawing and snapping at the single target. Spike cringed in fear. He couldn't bear to watch.

When Spike dared open his eyes again, it was because of the silence. There were no more snarls, barks, or cries coming from the wolves. In fact, the room was completely silent save for the panting as the wolves were all looking around frantically, confused at their vanishing target. "Up here!" A snide shout made everyone in the room throw their gaze upwards. At the highest point of the building, they saw a Scarlet wearing her signature smirk, hanging to the building's roof with one arm. "You should see the looks on your faces right now."

"Get her!" the alpha bellowed, and the wolves started climbing up the walls and pillars, their claws digging into the wood columns between the bricks.

"Oh, you don't really want to do that, do you?" Scarlet let go of the ceiling, her cape flapping behind her as she plummeted downwards. A nearby wolf pounced after her. No matter how agile she was, she wouldn't be able to move in midair.

"Scarlet, watch out!" cried Spike. He could only watch in horrified awe as the scene before him played out.

From the side of her belt, Scarlet whipped out a flat red box. With blinding speed, she snapped it to her side. Meanwhile, the box was working magic of it's own, gears turning and parts shifting with a satisfying crunch. Right before the lycan could get her, Scarlet held the back of the handle in one hand and squeezed her finger. And in that one moment, in that fraction of a second where everything looked like it was all over, one thing happened.

All hell broke loose.

With a flash of silver and a sharp boom, Scarlet was thrown to a wooden beam on the side, holding onto it with one hand and both feet. The wolf that had lunged at her fell to the floor with a sickening thud, fresh blood pooling from the hole in its skull.

"What the hell was that?" one wolf shouted.

"She's got a weapon! Be careful, she's a tricky one," replied another.

"Oh, but it's not just a weapon," Scarlet commented, clicking a button on the side of the metal gun. With gears whirring and clicking, the bottom half grew a long black pole as the top half unfolded outwards into three parts, the sharpened blade of a scythe clicking out on one side of the pole and two hooked needles protruded on the other. "It's a damn sexy weapon."

She spun the scythe-gun around, letting go of the support bar to grab the pole with both hands. She pointed the bottom end at another wolf on the ground, and pulled the trigger once more. The bullet shot out from the top of the scythe, punching a hole through the ceiling. The massive recoil shot her downwards through the air, as she kicked off the beam for extra speed and power. The massive lycan was knocked back from the impact, his backside kicking up dust as it skid across the floor.

Scarlet took a step forward, twirling her scythe continuously as the wolf tried to get up. His efforts earned him multiple slash wounds. Her attack chain was effective but predictable. Sensing an opening, the wolf raised his left arm and caught the blade by letting it dig into him, tensing the muscles in his forearm to lock up the weapon. Blood trickled down his arm, but it was a small price to pay to devour the girl who had killed his fellow lycan.

When he roared, cracking open his jaws to bite Scarlet's head off, he failed to notice her still calm composure. What he did notice, however, was the jerk of her arms as she pulled the trigger, freeing herself from the wolf's grasp. The lycan's left forearm fell to the floor, spewing blood. The resulting force of the gunshot had torn straight through; there was no way his bones or muscles could stand up to a force so powerful. Howling in agony, it crumpled on its knees and lay still.

Scarlet grabbed it by the scruff of its neck, pulling in her fist to her face. She looked straight into its eyes, and spoke to it with cold eyes. "You've killed a dozen Canterlot vampires? So what? Fear me, lycans. Because I've killed the rest." Putting the edge of the scythe beneath its neck, the wolf's head was sent flying with the sound of gunshot. Scarlet turned to face the remaining opponents.

She stabbed her scythe blade into the wooden floorboards, and pulled a pump on the side. The remaining half of the used bullet shell popped out, rolling on the floor. Scarlet stood with a devilish expression against the beasts before her. "So, who's next?"

The beasts had taken vampires down together on previous occasions, but they obviously hadn't read the what-to-do-when-encountered-with-a-little-girl-who-wields-a-scythe-gun chapter in vampire hunting class. Clearly, they didn't remember the one word in the rather short section, dismissing it without a thought: Run.

The remaining four circled the little girl, with only slight hesitation as they moved in on the kill. With two more sharp retorts fired towards the heavens, the alpha and a nearby wolf were crushed under a slab of fallen wood and shingles from the rooftop. The others maneuvered their way around the rubble, only to be taken out themselves. Scarlet swung the scythe behind the first and fired another shot, hitting the second wolf in the torso. The recoil caused the blade to cut through the first wolf's body in half, as she shot another bullet to the ground. Twisting, she spun in the air, landing with the pikes of her weapon boring into the side of the staggering wolf's head. The thud against the ground signaled its death. The pack was no more. In its stead, all that remained was a litter of corpses.

However, it wasn't over quite yet. The rubble behind her shifted as there was the sound of a howl. Recovered and furious, the alpha wolf pushed the boards off him and his dead comrade. With speed that made the other lycans seem sluggish in comparison and power that dwarfed his predecessors, the final beast dashed to Scarlet. He would never die to this brat the same way the others did. He was the alpha of the pack for a reason.

Lunging at his target with jaws spread open, he landed on top of pole, stretched out by Scarlet to defend herself. "Oh, you're better than the others were," Scarlet said to him, as the wolf pushed himself against her defences with his claws and fangs. Blocking the blows and slashed made at her vitals with the scythe, Scarlet was pushed back a couple of steps from the relentless assault.

"Sadly, that's not good enough," Scarlet whispered into his ear with a devilish grin. With two more swings of her weapon and two more gunshots, she pivoted back from the wolf, holding its dismembered arm and leg. Before it even had the chance to fall, the marksman dug her scythe into the floor, pumped the reload again, and cut off its remaining leg with three clean shots.

The dead bodies and pieces of five werewolves were strewn across the room, the place stained with blood. The sole remaining lycan made a last ditch effort to escape, pathetically dragging its injured body across the floor with one arm. Scarlet jumped up high in a backwards double somersault and landed with both feet ahead of the lycan, scythe readied behind her back. She took long, slow strides towards it while chanting a rhyme in a chillingly threatening voice.

"On one starry night, there erupted a fight,

'tween the wolf pack of six, and one girl in the mix.

The first made a jump, but fell on his rump.

The girl stayed alive, and then there were five.

The walls were stained red, but the girl never bled.

With a lycan's last roar, there remained only four.

In the beasts' eyes, was a spark of surprise.

For the wolf pack could see, that now they were three.

The wolves lost their vigor; the girl pulled the trigger.

The night air now knew that the wolves numbered two.

The scythe's blade stayed chilled, as wolf's blood was spilled.

The girl had her fun, left with just one."

"Who- Who are you?" the former alpha wolf panted, critically injured and half conscious.

The girl reached the beast, stopping her steps just a hair's breadth away. "I'm your executioner. But you can call me Scarlet." She slowly raised her arm, pointing the scythe between the alpha's eyes. "The last tried to run." They were the last words the wolf would hear, delivered by cold and expressionless silver eyes. One last boom echoed throughout the room as a small wisp of smoke spilled from the tip of Scarlet's weapon.

"And then there were none."

"Haha, Another huge success!" gloated Scarlet. It was so strange to see her acting like this, a normal, cheery girl, after what he had just witnessed her do. Spike walked alone with the psychopath killer/happy-go-lucky girl beside him, for the other vampire child had run off in the middle of Scarlet's fight. "Don't worry about him," Scarlet had said, "he was just scared. Wouldn't hurt a fly."

Spike finally mustered enough courage to speak what was on his mind. "Y- You're a- a vampire," he sputtered.

Scarlet pulled him in with one arm and rubbed his head with the other. "Oh, don't be scared, kid. It's still just me," she beamed.

"Don't be scared. Don't be scared? You just killed like, half a dozen werewolves in one go," replied Spike, a look of sheer disbelief plastered onto his little face.

"Aww, thanks! But really, it was no big deal," Scarlet blushed.

"I'm not trying to compliment you! Well, ok, that was pretty awesome, but that's not the point here! You're a vampire! A real, blood sucking, shapeshifting, garlic hating vampire!"

Scarlet shrugged. "Well, you had it right up to 'real'. Half points for trying, though."

Spike raised an eyebrow. "Wait, so you're telling me that you don't do any of the other stuff?"

"Pretty much," said Scarlet, growing her fangs out and licking them again. "See, vampires eat meat opposed to mainland Equestrians, but that goes without saying for avians, or even cave dwellers, in some cases. I dropped the blood sucking act ages ago. Well, from sentient creatures, anyways. I rarely eat animal blood these days, too."

"Then what do you eat?" Spike asked, curious.

Scarlet leaned down close and whispered into his ear, "Embrey blood."

"Eep!" yelled Spike, quickly dashing behind a flimsy flagpole. Scarlet started to laugh.

"A lot of good that flagpole will do ya. Besides, I was joking, relax!" She reached into her cloak, and took out what resembled a juice pack. She poked the straw in, and slurped up a red liquid inside of it. "Blood substitute," she said, waving it at the dragon. "It's amazing what medical science can do these days."

Convinced, Spike took his place by Scarlet's side once more. "Then what about the other stuff? Turning into bats, hating garlic, not being able to touch sunlight, no reflection, stuff like that?"

Scarlet sighed. "Ugh, honestly. You guys are so outdated on your vampire info."

"Well, it's not like we've had a real one to study from," Spike replied.

"The transforming is usually a trait that the original vampire had. It grew weaker as the disease was passed on through the generations, and it was eventually a lost art, long before my time." Scarlet pulled up a pair of sunglasses as the horizon tinged red, signaling the end of the long night and the start of a new day. "The reason we don't like to be in the sunlight is because we have very sensitive eyes, even when we don't activate our vampire powers. And as for the reflections and shadows, that's because we can control them at will and make them do our bidding, like familiars for witches." Her shadow did a little jig on the castle wall that the two of them were standing by, before going back to mimicking Scarlet.

Spike scratched his head. "Okay, so most of the stuff we know is wrong. Then, what about the stuff we got right?" he asked.

Scarlet seemed to be deep in thought for a moment. "Hmm, I guess some parts of the portrayals are correct. For instance, we have fangs, heightened athletic abilities, and vampirism magic, something no other arcanists can use, and earthbound and airborne vampires can use it as well."

"That reminds me," said Spike, a little more timid than usual. "I know it's a bit personal, but what race were you before this? You don’t have to answer if you don't want to."

"Nah, it's fine," she replied. "I was born an arcanist, so I've always been able to do some basic magic. It wasn't after all the vampire stuff that I was able to do so many cool tricks, like the one way barrier circle you saw me use before."

"Really? My friend, Twilight is an arcanist, too! I bet you two would get along great!" Spike suggested, eager to get Scarlet to meet his other friends.

"All right, sounds good. What do ya say, shall we go over and meet her now?" Scarlet asked.

"Sure! I'm sure you girls are gonna be the best of friends after this," the boy beamed. "Just wait 'till Twi hears that you saved me from a pack of ravenous werewolves!"

"Oh please, it was nothing. It wasn't even a full moon. Stupid move on their part, but it made things a whole lot easier," Scarlet replied. "Besides, it's my job, anyways."

"Your job? What, coffee shop attendee? Vampire? Wolf killer?" Spike asked, confused.

Scarlet giggled. "No, silly. The last one was a little close, though. I'm a demon slayer. Equestria's very first," she boasted, putting her fingers to her puffed out chest and striking a pose.

From the other side of the town square, there came a sharp metallic sound, like a sword being drawn. When Spike and Scarlet looked over that way, they were faced with an armored knight, hefting a great big broadsword in front of him. "Vile witch, I've found you at last!" he bellowed, with fury seeping through his visor.

"Tch," Scarlet scowled, clenching her teeth in anger. Spike was worried. Scarlet had never showed anger, not even when fighting the werewolves.

"Prepare yourself!" the man roared, clutching his sword to the side. His feet were a blur as he charged towards the two of them, tip aimed at Scarlet's throat.

"Sorry, Spike, but it looks like our house call's going to have to wait." Whipping out her weapon next to her, Scarlet's red box elongated to its full size.

"Who's that?" asked a panicking Spike, pointing at the berserker before them.

Scarlet's scowl only deepened as she marched towards the knight. "Equestria's very second."

Dreams of Dread

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Dreams of Dread

Scarlet took to the skies, kicking up dust as she flew towards the knight. The clash of metal overtook the silent morning as Scarlet and the knight butted heads. Scarlet's scythe and the knight's sword were pressed against each other, each aimed at the other wielder's head.

Scarlet grit her teeth. "I'm getting real tired of this. What is this, the third time already? I wish you'd stop chasing after me. You're not even a proper demon slayer, are you? You just look for me day and night, going after any demon who happens to look like me. What the hell do you have against me, anyways?"

"The dead don't need to know," The knight retorted, pushing away from the girl with a swing of his sword.

"Well, then, I think I'll just put an end to this nuisance here and now." Scarlet cranked a gear on the side of the scythe, and a cartridge attached to its center fell into her hand. Placing it inside one of her belt's pockets, she took out a similar, but smaller box and fitted it on the weapon. "Smaller, copper bullets instead of my usual enchanted silver lined lead," she grinned. "It'll pack a whole lot less of a punch, but at least it won't kill you as easily."

"And why would you do something like that?" The knight questioned, his tone growing impatient. "You refuse to take my life again. Don't try to mock me, demon, like you did the last time we fought. Stop going easy on me. This will end with one of us dying, and it sure as hell isn't going to be me. Do not pity me, and fight."

"Be careful what you wish for," she muttered, as she took a shot to propel herself forwards. The recoil wasn't as heavy as before, but it was certainly enough to help propel her forwards at breakneck speeds. She used the extra momentum and power to speed through the knight's defenses, getting in one clean, strong cut.

The knight was confused. He had seen the motion of the scythe, and heard the whistle it made as it sliced through the wind, but he felt no pain. Well, whether the girl had missed her swing, or whether the shock of the blow hadn't registered to his nerves yet, he had some time left to make his move.

He swung his sword with all his might- realizing something was wrong mid-swing. As the weapon was brought in full swing in front of him, he could now see why the weapon now felt so awkward in his hands: The knight hadn't been Scarlet's target.

Instead, it had been the sword in front of him that was cut in half she was aiming for.

The useless piece of broken metal mocked him before his eyes, its reduced reach not enough to reach his sworn enemy.

Scarlet delivered a powerful kick to the knight's torso through gritted teeth, sending him staggering backwards. Not letting him react and get back up on his feet, she loosed a round of bullets into both his arms, spurts of red sprouting from the new holes in the armor. The knight dropped his sword with a clatter and hung his arms limp beside him.

Jumping behind her target, Scarlet sliced her scythe low to the ground. It made a sharp cut through the metal of the boots covering the knight's ankles, earning a scream of pain from the agonized victim. The soft steel hadn't stood a chance against the magically enhanced weaponry. Before the man could even fall, however, Scarlet continued her relentless assault. She grabbed the man by the wrist and flipped the knight over her head, slamming him down on the ground. His armor dented against the pavement, sending cracks rippling through the ground as the impact had its effect. She kicked the broken sword away and locked her forearm under the man's neck, cutting off his air supply.

Scarlet's eyes burned as she kept the man locked in submission. "Let's get one thing straight here, pal. I don't pity you in the slightest, believe me. If I wanted to, I could take you on bare handed. But no. I want to see you suffer. I don't like you. In fact, I hate you. I don't know why, but I despise you with a passion. There's something about you, see? Every time I come across you it somehow makes my blood boil. Even right now, I just wanna take you and tear you limb from limb. Trust me, I only took these bullets out to see you squirm."

"Then just do it!" the knight yelled hoarsely. He was running out of air. "You've got me beaten, why not just end my miserable existence now?" He spat out a glob of blood to the side. "So long as it ends the pain and darkness of life, I welcome death with open arms. The only reason I have not snuffed out my breath with my own hands was to find and destroy you. If I cannot do even that, then at least let me die knowing my blood stains your hands."

"Sorry, but I can't do that. I make it a point to not kill humans," replied Scarlet, waiting for the knight to fall unconscious.

"Lies…" the knight wheezed, starting to fall short of breath. "Liz …"

The name struck a nerve, as Scarlet responded violently. She pressed her arm further against the man's windpipe, eyes turning silver and teeth turning to fangs. Locking onto her target, Scarlet's gaze turned to ice. "What did you just say?"

A weak response came through the holes in the visor. "You killed… Lizbeth…"

Scarlet took her arm off the man's neck and pulled him up by his breastplate, a mad fire in her eyes. "What do you know about that? Tell me, how do you know about Liz?!" There was no response. The prolonged withdrawal of oxygen had left the knight unconscious. She tried to shake him awake, but it wasn't working. Stomping on his hands in frustration didn't help either, as not even the sickening crunch from his bones caused enough shock to wake him.

"Scarlet, stop!" Spike yelled. He'd seen her fight before, but this was no fight. This was torture. The knight was clearly out of his league, and Scarlet was being brutal. "You've done enough!"

Scarlet dropped the knight's armor to the ground with a clank, and lifted her scythe with trembling hands. "WHO ARE YOU?!" she screamed, squeezing the trigger with a sharp cough from the muzzle of the weapon. The bullet shattered at the very tip of the helmet, sending a jagged crack running down its face and back. The two sides of the broken helm fell apart, sending a small trickle of blood running down the knight's revealed visage.

Scarlet froze in place. Her vampire eyes and fangs shrank back to normal, and the girl just stood there, breathless. The sight of her stalker's face had turned her to stone, unable to move, unable to think.

Spike watched from the sidelines, getting startled by her strange behavior. "Scarlet, are you alright?" he called to her in a shaky voice.

Scarlet broke out of her daze. Spinning around and retracting the scythe, she threw the cloak over her head. "We're leaving," she stated flatly.

Spike scurried after her; she had already begun to walk away from the scene. A few faces had already poked out of the windows nearby, curious to see what had disturbed their sleep. "Scarlet, hold on! We can't just leave him here like that!"

Scarlet whipped her head around to Spike, her silver glare piercing through the veil of shadows. She spoke again icily, making clear that things were not up for debate. "We're leaving."

In the winding roads of Canterlot, Spike tried his hardest to keep up with the girl stomping ahead of him. "Scarlet, what's gotten into you? What happened back there?" Spike asked. Scarlet wasn't herself when she fought the knight. Even though it could have hardly counted as a fight, he had never seen the girl act like that before. Hatred burning in her eyes, anger seething through her cloak… There was no trace of the cheerful, bright Scarlet that Spike had met the day before. She couldn't have been herself back then. She just couldn't. Because the only alternative would be that it really was her true self, and that Spike never knew Scarlet at all.

"I'm fine," Scarlet growled back, her face still hidden by her hood.

"I, I overheard some of the things you were talking about. I didn't hear much, but… Scarlet, who is Liz?

Scarlet glared daggers at him. If looks could kill, Spike would have died five times over on the spot. "Drop it," she growled.

"I'm just worried about you, Scarlet. You're not acting like yourself," Spike replied, genuine concern written across his expression.

"And how would you know that?" Scarlet lashed out, Stopping mid-stride. "You've been with me for one day, how could you possibly know the kind of person I am?"

Spike was at a loss for words. "I'm just trying to help, Scarlet, I…"

The red cloak crumpled as Scarlet fell to her knees, cradling her head in her hands. Tears were falling to the ground as she broke down. "Every time I try to remember, it's so painful… That night. The girl, looking at me like she didn't know what was going on. The boy, calling for his sister… Calling for Liz. That was him back there, that boy, all grown up. He came after me, to find me and to kill me. But why? What did I ever do? I can't remember anything else… Aah!" Scarlet shrieked one last time, before her eyes fluttered and she fell over to the side.

"Scarlet!" Spike cried, catching the limp girl in his arms. "Oh no, she's fainted. What am I going to do?"

Then, a voice called out to him from the other end of the road. "Spike? Spike, is that you?"

Spike turned around to see a familiar face. "…Twilight?"

The summer's night breeze was warm, but Scarlet was shivering. She was wrapped in red blankets, trembling for an unknown reason. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see another child through the sheen of the window on the wall. Her black locks fell around her still body, dull eyes void of the spark of life. Scarlet wanted to reach out to her, to embrace her in a hug of reassurance, but she knew the child was dead. Even still, the eerie body petrified her in a fear like she had never felt before.

The door creaked open, and Scarlet turned her head. In the halls of the house, a young boy stood, looking at her. Terrified. No, not just that. There was more in his expression. Shock, sadness, hate. Everything that could break the poor boy's spirit and throw it into the darkness. But the strongest of them all was fear.

Why? Why did he look so afraid? What was there to be afraid of? Scarlet looked around. There was nothing else in the room, save her, the bed, and the window. Maybe that was it. Maybe the girl in the window frightened the child as much as it had to her. Scarlet reached forth a hand to comfort him, which the boy cringed back from.

Tears welled up in the boy's eyes. "Liz…" he whispered, fleeing the scene before Scarlet could see his tears falling. His footsteps were that of a desperate animal, instinctively running on nothing but primal fear. Liz? What did that mean? It was a name. Whose? Not her own, certainly. The girl in the window? But why would he-

Scarlet stopped cold, catching another detail through the dark. It must have been a mistake. No, it had to have been a mistake. Slowly, she turned her palms to the chilled glare of moonlight, letting the revealing rays shine over her hands. They were red. No. That was impossible, why were they red? They shouldn't have been red. Hands were not red. Why were her hands red?

Scarlet clutched her face in her hands, trying to cover her eyes to not see the red staining her hands. She was about to cry. Somehow, the red made her sad. It sent a pang of guilt through her heart, and drops of liquid fell from her face.

Except, they weren't tears. And they didn't come from her eyes. Scarlet looked closely at the marking on the sheets, trying to distinguish the liquid. It didn't leave much of a stain. Either the drop was clear, or… Scarlet patted gently down along her face until she reached her open mouth. Her fangs. Dripping in… red. Blood. Liz.

Realization dawned on Scarlet as she remembered the horrible truth. The unforgivable past. And the worst part was, she had forgotten. She always forgot. And then, she always remembered. Every time she fell asleep. Every time she woke up. Scarlet started to cry. When she woke up, she would forget once more. Scarlet sobbed through the night. She didn't want the dream to end. She didn't want to go. She couldn't forget again...

When Scarlet came to, she was lying in an extravagantly lush bed, the glare of the afternoon sun seeping into the room through the tinted glass wall. "Ugh…" she groaned. Sitting up too fast had given her another headache. "Where am I?"

A friendly, calm voice spoke back to her, entering the room from the door. “You’re in my hotel room. I found you collapsed over Spike in the streets this morning, and I took you two back here to rest. I’m Twilight Sparkle by the way, I came to town with Spike to take care of some things.”

Scarlet fluttered her eyes and stretched her arms high up, still half asleep. “And Spike? What happened to the kid?” she yawned.

“Spike’s still sleeping,” Twilight answered. “Apparently, he didn’t sleep all night.”

“So, what kind of business were you here for?” Scarlet asked. “It must have been pretty important, if you’re all the way in Canterlot in a suite like this,” she noted.

Twilight blushed. “Yeah, I told them just a plain room was fine, but they put me in here, instead. I was actually here to help the guards investigate a string of disappearances in the area. Sadly, I haven’t been able to find anything,” she sighed. “No magic residue, no prolonged struggle, no blood. I was their last hope for tracking down the culprits, but I let everyone down...”

Scarlet thought for a moment, before taking a bunch of pictures out of her bag, held together with a small paper clip. She threw it to Twilight. “Were these the people that disappeared, by any chance?” she asked.
Twilight gasped, incredulous shock in her voice. “Yes, they are... but how did you know about them, and why do you have their pictures?”

Scarlet smiled back brightly. “Didn’t I tell ya? I’m a sort of investigator, too. It’s what I was doing last night. Tracking and hunting down the ones responsible for this. You don’t have to worry about this anymore. It’s not official that they’ve been dealt with yet, but the disappearances should stop now.”

“You found the missing people?” Twilight asked.

“They were all dead by the time I got there. Sorry, but there was nothing I could do,” Scarlet responded sullenly.

“I’m... sorry to hear that,” Twilight responded. She decided not to press further on the matter. “What are you doing now?” she asked, as Scarlet was out of bed, hunched over something on the nightstand next to it.

"Just sending a letter to a friend," Scarlet threw back casually, scribbling a few words onto a piece of paper. She set the letter ablaze with a magical crimson flame, wisps of smoke flying out the window.

"Hey, was that transportation magic?" Twilight noticed. "It looked a lot like Spike's dragon flames. It sends letters to our friends, too."

Scarlet looked indifferent. "Really? You'll have to show me sometime."

"Sure. By the way, who was that letter for?" Twilight asked.

Scarlet's eyes were distant, void of emotion. "An old friend of mine that lives nearby. I asked her to come over to take care of things."

"What do you mean?"

There was a knock at the door. Scarlet walked up to it and said to Twilight with a melancholy stare, "It's only been a short while, but I've enjoyed meeting you, Twilight. Thanks for taking care of me back there. I won't forget you." She opened the door, letting the visitor in. "All right, do your thing."

A youthful but mature woman stepped into the room, adorned with a white robe and a gentle gaze. "I'm sorry, but you hold information that is dangerous to Equestrian society. For the sake of the country, I will have to erase from your memory the events of the previous- Twilight?" the woman cut herself off, taking a closer look at the girl in front of her.

Twilight did a double take. "Princess Celestia?"

Twilight and scarlet exchanged confused looks with Princess Celestia, then with each other, before looking back at the princess. Each of the three addressed the other two at the same time, with the same edge of cluelessness in all of their voices. "Do you two know each other?"

Surprise Visit

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Surprise Visit

Celestia was the first one to break the awkward silence. "Well, it seems that we've run into… complications, Scarlet. Hello, Twilight. What a… pleasant surprise," she said with a soft smile.

"I can't say that I'd planned to see you like this, either, princess," Twilight replied. "The whole thing's just a little sudden."

Scarlet made her way into the conversation with a clap. "Um, this is nice and all, greetings and stuff, but Celly, can you just erase her memory already?"

"I'm afraid I can't do that this time, Scarlet," the princess answered.

Twilight raised her eyebrow at Scarlet. "Celly? Just how well do you know each other?"

She just sighed at Celestia, ignoring Twilight. "C'mon, this is no time to be stubborn. I have my schedule to keep, and you have yours. In case you forgot, Canterlot's not the only town occupied at the moment."

"Sorry, but Twilight's a very powerful arcanist. Even if I did erase her memory with a spell, she would notice something was wrong and undo the enchantment," Celestia explained to Scarlet.

Scarlet threw her hands up. "Well, great. We've got a witness. And I just did, like, a whole goodbye speech for nothing!"

Celestia responded with a condescending gaze. "Maybe you should have been more careful. I've never been seen since this whole thing began. You on the other hand, have been caught off guard four times already."

"Yeah, well maybe if I hadn't been busy doing all the work, I wouldn't have been caught so often!" Scarlet snapped back.

"Excuse me? I have a country to run. And besides, I've been doing my fair share of the job," Celestia objected.

"This night's raid was in Canterlot. Your own city. They've been here for more than a week!" Scarlet countered

Twilight had been witnessing the volley go on for as long as she could, her eyeballs switching back and forth as if she was watching a match of tennis. Finally, she put her foot down. "Enough!" The loud yell got Scarlet and Celestia's attention. Twilight faced the stranger and her mentor. "Does anyone want to explain to me, exactly, what is going on?"

Celestia struggled to find the right words. "Scarlet and I have an… arrangement."

Scarlet cut in. "I work directly for her, as Equestria's private demon slayer."

Twilight spoke with confusion. "Demon slayer? But those don't even exist in Equestria. For that matter, they don't exist anywhere within the Harmonia continent. They're sealed up in Tartarus. In fact, I've never even seen a demon before in my life. Exotic creatures, sure, but demons?"

Scarlet gave her usual smug grin. "Well, I'm just that good."

Princess Celestia started to explain. "You're right, Twilight. The demons and creatures of the underworld are supposed to be locked up in Tartarus, and they have been, for thousands of years. But with Discord's rampage a few years back, the gate has weakened, and now they get out every once in awhile."

"And I send them back," Scarlet ended off. "The hard way."

"Scarlet showed up around then, with no memory of her past. The Gate must have tampered with her mind somehow," the princess told her. "I found her when I went to investigate the scene; she was single handedly fighting an entire horde of shadow baels with that weapon of hers. What's more impressive, she was actually winning."

Twilight shuddered at the thought of the black, red-eyed giant spiders she had read about in Monsters in Mythology Volume II. It was still hard to believe that they existed inside the borders of Equestria. Scarlet continued from there. "She and I subdued the outbreak together, and after getting to know each other over a cup of tea, we got to the conclusion that I had no memories, money, or a place to stay, she offered work for me as a travelling hunter."

"So is that where you and Princess Luna were at the time of Discord's outbreak?" Twilight asked.

"Yes," Princess Celestia answered. "Although Discord was a formidable opponent, he was simply playing around with a little chaos. Our main priorities went towards the vile beasts who wanted to hurt and kill the citizens."

"Well, this certainly would explain a lot of things, like why Princess Luna was absent at the time of the changeling invasion, or why neither of you wanted to deal with King Sombra at the time." Twilight pondered.

Scowling, the princess recalled certain unwanted memories. "While that may have been true for Sombra, the rumors are correct in saying that my sister slept through the changeling invasion."

"What? But that's impossible, Princess Luna would never abandon Equestria like-" She was cut off by Celestia's raised hand.

"Trust me, Twilight. Luna has the best intentions, but she sleeps like a rock, that one. I doubt an explosion next to her could wake her up when she's sound asleep." Celestia sighed. "The demons were supposed to be one of Equestria's best kept secrets, but things have been getting out of hand. We've even tried reforming Discord to help subdue the breach in the gate, but even he can only do so much against an entire world. Lately, there have been a drastic increase of invaders, for some unknown cause."

"And on top of all that, now we have two witnesses to worry about," Scarlet finished off.

Twilight raised her right hand to her heart, giving a concerned look. "I had no idea… phew, but don't worry. Princess Celestia, Scarlet, your secret is safe with me," Twilight said confidently.

"You're still probably going to have to sign some sort of royal secrecy document that says you and your entire group of friends and family will be beheaded without trial if you ever spill the beans," Scarlet offered, earning a skeptical look from Twilight and Princess Celestia. "What, things don't work like that around here? Heh… sorry. Still haven't gotten used to politics and laws around here." Scarlet blushed, smiling meekly.

The princess turned to Twilight, looking at her encouragingly. "There will be no need for such drastic measures, Scarlet. I trust Twilight more than almost anyone." She smiled coyly. "In fact, I have a much better plan in mind."

Scarlet backed off, shaking her head and putting her palms in front of her. "O-ho-ho no you don't. I really don't like when you get that look in your eyes. Twilight, have you ever seen Celly get that look in her eyes? Horrible things happen when she smiles like that."

Right as the frantic girl was about to make a break for the door, Celestia caught her with her magic and dragged her in front of her, locking her own gaze with Scarlet's. She was really enjoying herself now. "How right you are, my dear Scarlet. But 'horrible' is such a negative term. Hmm, I prefer 'ingenious' instead."

Scarlet started to flail her arms and legs, shouting wildly. "Twilight, run! You can still make it! I'll keep her busy! Get out!"

Twilight paid her no heed, stepping up to the princess with curious poise. "What kind of 'ingenious' idea?"

Celestia faced her with a bright, cheery smile. "My faithful student, congratulations! You're getting a promotion! You and Spike will be working with Scarlet now, as apprentice demon slayers."

Twilight's tone was one of disbelief, while Scarlet deadpanned the same word simultaneously. "What?"

"Oh, it's simple, really. Twilight's a very powerful unicorn, and we have a growing problem on our hands. We could use all the help we could get, really.

Scarlet sputtered for words, with a sullen and annoying realization that everything Celestia had said hit the nail on the head. "I, I… You…"

Celestia gave one last devious smile, waving her hand back at Scarlet. "Ruling a country for over a thousand years teaches a girl to argue pretty well. Good luck with your new task, Twilight. Ta-ta!" Opening the door with her hands, a burst of magic sparked from her back, sprouting a pair of feathered white wings. Flapping them, she soared back to the heights of Canterlot castle, with the smug expression of victory painted on her face through the entire trip.

"You can't just say all that and leave, like- Arrgh!" Scarlet stomped. "I can't believe she did it again! I'm going to get that woman back if it's the last thing I do. Oh, you just wait and see, Celly. I'll come up with something."

Twilight looked at Scarlet, still confused from the sudden rush of events. "Uh… okay, what now?" she asked.

Scarlet sighed, looking to Twilight. "Pack your bags. You and dragon boy start training in two days."

On the eighth floor of the Canterlot hospital, the staff were panicking, running all over the place. A bearded man paced into the halls of the east wing, donning a pair of black rimmed spectacles and a medical white coat. "What in the name of Starswirl's beard is going on here?" he yelled angrily, drawing the attention of a few nearby nurses.

One of them came up to him with a frantic expression, huffing as she tried to get the right words out in the middle of all the commotion. "Doctor Bradley, it's the patient, in room 812, he's escaped."

"Explain yourself, woman. What do you mean, escaped?" the doctor asked, confused.

"He, he jumped out of the window, sir," stammered the nurse.

Doctor Bradley frowned at the nurse. "Nurse Rosemary, do you think this is funny?"

"Sir, I'm being perfectly serious here!" she replied. "I'm not lying. Over ten people saw it happen. After we injected the general anesthetic and began treatment, the patient woke up, grabbed his suit of armor on the floor, punched a hole in the window and just jumped out."

The doctor sighed, covering his face with his left palm. "Well, that's just fantastic, isn't it? Call the janitors and have them clean up the mess outside."

He turned around to leave, but nurse Rosemary stopped him, grabbing the side of his coat. She looked terrified. "No, sir. You don't understand. When I say escaped, I mean he escaped. After he hit the ground, he got back up and walked away like nothing was wrong."

Doctor Bradley frowned once more, taking off his glasses and placing them into his breast pocket. "That's impossible. I've inspected the patient myself. He's an earthbound. Even if he had been wearing that suit of armor along with three dozen protection spells on him, the impact would've killed him instantly. What's more, the man was carried in here with both Achilles tendons severed, five dislocated joints, broken bones scattered across his body, and eight holes in both his arms, not to mention all the blood loss. No magic can heal those kinds of injuries in anything less than three months. How would someone in that condition even manage to get up off a bed, much less do all the things he did?"

"That's exactly it, sir. We don't get it, either. When we were about to begin treatment, the nurses and doctors in the room noticed something was off. The injuries were confirmed seconds ago by medical professionals. The blood was still fresh. But underneath that blood, there was nothing."

"What do you mean, nothing?" the doctor asked, demanding answers.

Nurse Rosemary's eyes shrank as she recalled what had happened. "The injuries, sir. They've vanished into thin air. The man didn't have a single scratch on him."

Little Girls and Troubled Students

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Little Girls and Troubled Students

The small, wooden cottage in the middle of the mountainside was lacking in grandeur but not in spirit. Its three, cheery inhabitants lived together in simple but happy lives, joyously expecting the arrival of a fourth member.

"Mom, dad, can I see her, can I see her?" the excited little boy chirped, and his parents smiled back down at him.

"Slow down there, kiddo. Here's your new little sister, born just this morning." The father's gentle gaze fell on a bundle of cloth that the mother held in her loving arms, which sifted ever so slightly to reveal the face of a newborn baby girl.

"Aww, she's so cute!" The boy said, fawning over his recently discovered sibling. "What's her name?" he asked.

The mother spoke to the boy, showing affection to both her children but never taking her eyes off her baby. "Lizbeth, our little baby girl."

The princess of the sun opened her eyes in cold sweat. Her head spun from sitting up too quickly, but that dream was quite peculiar. The name 'Lizbeth' both warmed her heart and sent a chill down her spine at the same time, as if there were sinister secrets hidden behind the face of that innocent child. "What was that all about…" she mumbled, before falling back into slumber on soft, linen sheets.

Celestia had just finished raising the sun, and headed off to her kitchen to brew up a cup of coffee. Last night's strange events had left her a little perturbed. Upon seeing that a blue haired woman had beaten her to the caffeine, she decided to tell her about it. "Luna?" she called out. "There's something I want to ask you." She told her sister about the strange dream.

"Lizbeth? Hmm, I cannot say that the name sounds familiar to me, sister," said Luna, after giving it a brief thought. "Why, was she important?"

Celestia hesitated. "…No, it was just a silly dream, that's all."

"What kind of… hah, silly dream?" a voice called out from the doorway. The feytian sisters turned to face a man in elegant yet tattered garments, and mismatched shoes, horns and wings. He was using the frame of the door to prop himself up, panting heavily.

"Discord!" Celestia exclaimed, as she helped him set down on a chair. "You don't look so good, are you okay?"

"Just… hah, a little… tired, that's all," replied Discord. "Keeping a constant stream of magic flowing to hold together a dimensional rift tends to take its toll on you, immortal or not."

"Hmph. It was thine own fault that the gate has a tear in it in the first place. And should you not tuck in your animal parts? I am quite afraid that you are going to knock something over," Luna chided. Discord responded by flicking his tail towards her hands, snatching the mug of steaming dark liquid she was holding. "How dare thee!" Luna shouted, as Discord took the cup into his own hands.

"Oh, lighten up, wittle Woona, it's so much more comfortable just letting them hang loose," Discord chuckled, tossing the contents of the cup to the back of his throat and taking a gulp. "Ahh, that's much better. Coffee, what a wonderful thing people have invented within the past thousand years. The solution and the cause of so many of life's little dilemmas. Now, what was this about a dream?"

"Right," said Celestia, caught off guard. "Last night, I dreamt of a family and a little girl who I'd never seen before in my life. Someone called Lizbeth. Do you know what's going on?" she asked.

"Indeed I do," yawned Discord. "In fact, I've had the same dream a couple of times in the past, too."

"Really?" Celestia's ears perked up. "What does that mean?"

Discord grinned. "Oh, my sweet little Celestia. Haven't you learned by now? Some things don't mean anything. They just happen. Little coincidences, that's all."

"But both my sister and thou have shared the same dream, and thou hast seen it multiple times. Surely that can't be coincidence," Luna objected.

With a sigh, Discord stretched his limbs as they made several cracking noises. "It can be, and it is," he replied. "The gate to Tartarus brought demons and monsters into Equestria, but that's not all it brought. There was also a slight residue of energy, with enough of my chaos still in it to reach anywhere in the world. That energy wave was dispersed across the land, and the more powerful, magical beings caught wind of it in the form of a dream. It's just an old memory, from who knows where. It may not even be from Equestria, for all we know. But nonetheless, it's just a coincidence. Nothing more, nothing less. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll get back to my chambers and rest up."

"Here, let me help you," offered Celestia, putting Discord's fatigued arm around her shoulders and aiding his steps.

"Oh, get thyselves a room," teased Luna as she sipped her brew, much to the now glaring solar princess' dismay.

"Hmm? What makes you think we haven't done so already?" Discord threw back, causing Luna to spit out a good amount of coffee and have a violent coughing fit afterwards, with the silent Celestia blushing profusely besides him as she hurried to leave the room without a word.

Some days were just perfect, Spike thought. On those special, once in a while, little gifts of life, everything would just fall right into place. The sun would shine brightly without a cloud in the sky. Twilight would be studying or be out on a trip by herself, and Spike would have the whole day to himself, lazing around on the bed until noon and eating an entire tub of ice cream. Yes, indeed, some days were just absolutely gorgeous.

Today was not one of those days.

Ever since the young embrey woke up to hear the news of their upcoming training, Spike knew that the start of their training would not be a favourable day. After travelling back to Ponyville with Twilight and Scarlet, he'd spent the entire night and the past four hours in Twilight's library, listening to Scarlet lecture him and Twilight (Mostly him, because Twilight had read books on a lot of the stuff.) about the flora and fauna of Tartarus, and all the monsters known to Equestria. She then spent another two hours demonstrating the appropriate countermeasures and battle tactics against the more commonly seen creatures, and most of it flew past Spike's head.

To be honest, the session wasn't boring. Not at all. New creatures and fascinating beasts? That sort of stuff sounded exactly like Spike's kind of thing. However, what had made the day particularly miserable was Scarlet's harsh reprimands to the incorrect answers to her questions from Spike, whose young mind could only learn so fast. Today, Spike learned, whether they were made of metal or soft, non-lethal rubber, bullets fired out of a scythe-gun still hurt like hell. Within the short span of less than a day, Spike's body was riddled with small, blue bruises from head to toe. Projectile training, Scarlet called it. Hah, a likely story, thought Spike, a memory of her mischievous chuckles as she watched Spike squirm. She was one sadistic witch, through and through.

Twilight, on the other hand, was doing exceptionally well. Even faced with a topic that she wasn't very familiar with, she caught on quickly and learned heaps of information, from the colours of different hellhounds down to the musculoskeletal structures of baels and goblins. On the rare occasion that Scarlet's bullets flew from a slip of tongue, she would quickly teleport herself away from the pellets.

"And when you are encountered with a group of gargoyles, what is the first thing you should do?" Scarlet asked, catching Spike off guard from his daydreaming.

"Uh… go for the head?" Spike guessed, holding his arms in front of him to block the incoming bullet.

Instead, Scarlet calmly responded, "Huh, full frontal assault. Nice style, plenty of bravery."

"Phew," Spike sighed in relief, lowering his relaxed arms.

In the blink of an eye, Scarlet whipped her weapon out, grinning. "But that's not a fighting strategy for someone as tiny as you, squirt. The correct answer is, clip one of their wings. They're much less agile on the ground, and with one wing disabled, they'll spiral out of control the moment they take off." She pulled the trigger three times in rapid succession, sending painful rubber projectiles towards the young embrey.

"Ahh!" Spike yelled, reacting in the only way he could think of within the fraction of a second. He spewed a green stream of flame, which swallowed up the bullets. "Hah! I did it! No more bruises for me today," he gloated.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure," replied Scarlet, stepping to the side. "Was that normal, heated fire, or your transport flames to Celestia?"

The question took a moment to click in Spike's mind. "Uh oh." Those were the last two words he said before he belched out a letter and a blur of three small anomalies, which ricocheted on the wall where Scarlet had stepped away from, hitting Spike's noggin three times. "Ow…" he said, rubbing his head. Three rubber bullets fell to the floor beside him.

"What does the letter say?" asked Twilight.

Spike unfurled the small piece of parchment in front of him. "It says, 'Ow'. -From the desk of Princess Celestia-."

The next morning, Twilight and Spike found themselves marching into the depths of the Everfree. "So, why are we here again?" Spike asked. The three of them had been journeying inwards of the forest at least a good half hour. "It's starting to get creepy in here."

"Hold on, we're almost there," Scarlet grunted, leading the group. She was twirling her scythe to clear some of the more stubborn branches and vines. "Voila, we're here!" she gestured grandly as she broke through the thicket, arriving at a large field clearing in the forest.

"You still haven't told us why we're here," Twilight noted. "What exactly are we going to do today?" she asked.

"Well, Twilight, I'm glad you asked that," Scarlet responded. "You remember the last thing I said before we left Canterlot?"

"If I recall correctly, you said that Spike and I would begin training in two days." Twilight said. "Aaaand then you started as soon as we got back, and proceeded to shoot us with rubber bullets while teaching us about monsters until now.

Scarlet grinned. "Actually, Twilight, that was just a crash course on Tartarus, and also a little test for me to see where your skill levels were at. Prerequisites, if you will. If you've noticed, it's been two days since our departure from Canterlot. And here we are, folks, in the middle of nowhere, but still pretty close to the gate of Tartarus. Today, you guys are gonna be hunting monsters in the vicinity of this clearing. Training has officially begun."

Spike looked around nervously. "Um, shouldn't we start with some smaller, weaker things to fight first? Not, you know, go somewhere further away from the gates?"

Scarlet sighed. "Kid, we came here because we needed to start small. See, the rift in Tartarus and Equestria's shared gate doesn't work like a normal doorway. It's not really supposed to be open or used as a passageway, so things are a little different," she said. "Weren't you paying attention yesterday?"

"Uhh… wanna run that by me one more time?" Spike smiled meekly.

Scarlet looked to Twilight. "Do you remember what I told you guys, Twi?"

Twilight furrowed her brow, trying to remember Scarlet's words the previous day. "Trying to enter through that crack in the universe is like hurling yourself against a locked door with all your might," she began, and Scarlet nodded in approval. "You'll make it to the other side if you manage to break down the door through force, but you end up exceeding the door frame depending on how much extra power you put into it. If you're strong enough to barely knock down the wooden boards, you'll make it to the other side, on the other side of the door. But, if you have a considerable amount of strength, you'll rip through the door like it was made of paper. The excess momentum will carry you past the doorway, and end up maybe a few meters ahead."

"So basically, the stronger they are, the farther they land from this gate when they break through," Scarlet summarized. "We're going to start off with something small today. I've gotten sightings of gargoyles around this forest. They're fast, but small, pretty much harmless little things, so it's good practice."

Scarlet fired a loud shot into the sky, and there was rustling sound in the forest. "All right, now that I've given our location to the locals, you'll have your first lesson today: Gargoyles. Weak and annoying little things, but they can hunt in groups, so be careful."

As she finished her sentence, a number of fast, gray blurs came darting out of the woods. Scarlet's arms stole forwards rapidly in a fluid motion, and she now held a small, winged, stony gargoyle clawing at the air. "The little things are fast, and only about half my height, but you should be able to catch them. I'll make sure they don't get away if you lose one of them." She tossed it back into the sky, keeping an eye on Twilight and the other on Spike.

A trio of gargoyles zipped around Spike furiously, leaving small scratch marks where they swiped their claws. "Ouch! Hey, that hurt!" Spike shouted as he tried to defend himself for a good minute.

He looked over to Twilight and Scarlet. Scarlet was just calmly circling the two of them, casually batting the annoying little creatures with the back of her scythe to himself and Twilight as some of them tried to escape. Twilight had been slightly awkward in fighting the monsters at the beginning, but she'd quickly caught on. She had already taken two of them out with a few pinpoint shots from her magically summoned bow and arrows, and was on her third and fourth monsters.

Meanwhile, Spike hadn't even caught one gargoyle, and was practically being toyed with at this point. It had been a tiring few days, and he certainly wasn't about to let the girls think that he was useless. The gargoyles were fast, zipping about in blurs of gray, but they weren't as fast as rubber bullets.

Spike took a swipe to one of the little creatures, aiming his extended claws towards where the thing's trajectory was headed. With a metallic scratch and a thud of the now one-winged stone demon falling to the ground. Spike cracked a smile as he dealt the finishing blow to its head. "Projectile training. And here I thought it was just Scarlet playing around."

He took another lunge at the second gargoyle, missing the wings but striking the neck instead. To his surprise, the gargyole shattered into pieces from the impact with a squeaky yelp. For creatures made of stone, gargoyles were surprisingly fragile.

Seeing his comrades fall, the last gargoyle harassing Spike made one last ditch effort. He circled upwards, and dived straight down with claws pointed to the unsuspecting target, who caught the speeding demon out of the corner of his eye at the last second.

Time slowed down. There was the strangest feeling of déjà vu, like Spike had gone through the exact same scenario a dozen times before. Him standing defenceless, a painful, high-speed object shot towards him… It was just like Scarlet's little study sessions, except this could end with more than just a bruise. Scarlet and Twilight wouldn't let that happen, would they? But… they were preoccupied at the moment. Even if they had noticed the situation the embrey was in, they wouldn't be able to react fast enough to save him. He couldn't count on them this time.

In that moment, Spike did the only thing he could, out of fear, out of instinct and out of frustration from being bruised so many times. He reached down into his throat, letting the hottest fire he could muster up spew from his mouth. The red ball of flame struck the gargoyle diving towards him, creating a loud explosion in the air. The gargoyle didn't even have time to scream, as he blew up into a thousand flaming pieces.

"Nice shot!" Scarlet called out.

Spike felt exhilarated. That was the strongest fire he'd ever managed to make. This feeling of adrenaline pumping through his veins was new to him. New, and awesome.

"Good work, recruits. For a coupla newbies, you didn't do half bad," Scarlet complimented as both Twilight and Spike took down their last gargoyle, with an arrow to the head and a swipe to the torso.

As they were getting ready to head back, one last gargoyle reared its ugly head from a cluster of trees behind them, soaring towards the group with blinding speed. "Mine!" Spike called out, eager for the elation of combat.

Scarlet noticed something about this gargoyle that neither Twilight or Spike had. Something was wrong. While the others were tiny, gray creatures, this one came up to at least her neck, and was a dark purple in colour instead of gray. "Spike, step back!" she cried. "You don't know what you're dealing with!"

Spike ignored her warning, his mind clouded by the heat and passion of battle. "Don't worry, I got this! Just watch me!" His teeth started to glow, as the flames were building up in his throat. With a flick of the head, he spat a huge fireball at the purple gargoyle, dead on. "Hah!" He gloated. It felt good to do that.

But as he turned his back to strike a pose of bravado, he failed to notice that he hadn't finished off the beast. Far from it. The gargoyle roared as it neared the ball of flames, and sliced it in half with a furious swipe of its talons. The fireball faded into the air, and the monster was unscathed.

Scarlet and Twilight ran forward, but it was too late. The monster grabbed hold of Spike's shoulders with its feet, and lifted off into the air. "AAhh!" Spike yelled out, as he was carried off further into the forest.

Scarlet aimed her scythe at the beast, but Twilight intervened. "No! You'll hurt Spike!"

She was right. Even if she managed to not hit the boy with her bullets, the fall from those heights could permanently cripple him, if not more. "Tch," Scarlet scowled.

Twilight was frantic, not knowing what to do. She turned to Scarlet, looking for answers. "What now?" she cried out.

Scarlet put a hand on her shoulder with a determined expression. "We're going after them," she said flatly, pointing in the direction where the gargoyle and Spike had disappeared to.. "I'm not going to have one of my students drop out on their first day of training."

Dragon Retrieval 101 (I)

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Embrey Retrieval 101

Scarlet and Twilight were standing in the middle of a cluster of trees. While they had tried to chase Spike's kidnapper on foot, they'd quickly lost sight of the monster where their field of vision was covered by the thickening forest.

"We should really call Princess Celestia for help," Twilight urged. "Spike's been taken away, and we don't know where to." Twilight was panicking, completely lost in the situation.

"You may be right. I don't want to have to go up against something like that by the two ourselves either - huh?" Scarlet ducked just in time to dodge a rock that was hurled at her from nearby. It landed on the ground in front of her with a soft paff against the grass.

"What could this be?" Scarlet murmured, picking up the peculiar beige rock. Upon closer inspection, it wasn't the rock that held the pale, light colour. Instead, a sheet of parchment paper had been wrapped around the rock, which Scarlet carefully unwrapped. The paper opened up to reveal a crude drawing of Celestia's sun emblem, with a large x drawn over it. A small boy in a purple hoodie and a knife to his neck was drawn next to it. The drawing may have left something to be desired, but the message was clear: If you value the boy's life, do not call Celestia.

"What do we do now?" Twilight cried upon seeing the picture. "We can't even call the princess to help us!"

"Well, one thing's for certain," said Scarlet, scowling. "This means that Spike is still alive. And if that thing, or whoever was with it, bothered to send this our way… Twilight, is there any place in that direction that stands out from the rest of the forest?" Scarlet asked.

Twilight seemed to think briefly before giving an answer. "Umm… Oh wait, yes, there is! That direction leads to the abandoned castle where we fought off Nightmare Moon!"

"Nightmare Moon? Who's that?" Scarlet asked, perplexed.

"It happened before you came here, so you wouldn't remember. I'll tell you about it next time. But for now, there are more pressing matters to take care of," Twilight responded curtly.

Scarlet gave the girl a firm nod. "Right. We need to get the kid back. If this was a message for us, and if there's an abandoned castle a little ways off where this thing's hiding, then there's only one explanation."

"Which is?"

"It's telling us to go there. Alone. In other words, a trap." Twilight gulped. "But, we're going anyways. Scarlet's overconfident words were not accompanied by her usual smirk this time. Things were personal this time, and the demon slayer's determined eyes showed no signs of playing around.

"Okay then, first thing's first. What was that thing?" Twilight pressed, demanding answers. "All of the other gargoyles were so small, and gray, and… annoying! But this one was larger, and had a different colour to it. It was also able to carry Spike without any effort when it flew away. Taking into account the area of its wingspan and Spike's current weight, it shouldn't be possible without magic… but I never sensed any magic coming from any of the ones before. Scarlet, something was definitely wrong. That was no ordinary gargoyle we were up against, was it?"

"…No." Scarlet's tone turned grim.

"Then, what was it?" Twilight asked, urgency in her tone.

Scarlet sighed. "What we witnessed back there is known as a deathgoyle. They're like gargoyles, but much more powerful. They're harder, better, faster, stronger than their counterparts. They have thickened skin compared to the others, and their entire body is imbued with a coating of demonic magic, which is why it looks that shade of tainted dark purple. How one managed to end up here is anybody's guess. It would've taken it weeks, maybe even months for it to get from where it started to here… why go through all that trouble? Something's not right here…" she muttered.

Scarlet shook her head, dismissing the thought. "…Anyways, we should get to this castle as soon as we can."

"Wait, we should really plan ahead before blindly rushing into things like this," Twilight insisted.

"I've got a plan already," said Scarlet, back with her usual smirk. "Get in there, kill the deathgoyle, get Spike, and get out. Simple."

Twilight couldn't believe her ears. "Are you joking around at a time like this? I can't believe you! In case you hadn't noticed, Spike's life is hanging on the line here. I don't know how you used to do things until now, but I'm not letting any of my friends get hurt!" she huffed.

Scarlet's smirk turned into a scowl, and her eyes flashed an angry silver. She thrust her hand right next to Twilight's face, slamming her palm into the tree behind her. Her back pressed to the tree, Twilight still refused to back down to the annoyed vampiress.

"That's right," Scarlet growled. "You don't know how I used to do things until now. If you did, you'd actually stop and think for a moment, and realize that every moment we sit around making a plan, that's another toss of the coin on whether the deathgoyle kills the kid. You seemed like a smart girl at first glance, Sparkle. I didn't know you were so intent on gambling with your friends' lives."

Whipping around to toss her hood back up, Scarlet walked away from Twilight, who was at a loss for words. Twilight wanted to run after her and turn her back around, to say to her face that she was wrong. Yet, she found herself shying away to follow the girl at a distance. In her mind, she knew what Scarlet had said was right.

The walk to the castle in the Everfree continued in crestfallen silence, the gap between Scarlet and Twilight showing itself both in distance and in mind. "…I'm sorry. That was uncalled for," Scarlet said out of the blue, more frustrated with herself than with anything else.

"What are you talking about? You had every right to be angry. I should have known better…" Twilight replied meekly.

Scarlet sighed. "Even so, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. It's just been so long since I did this kind of thing."

Twilight raised a curious brow. "Rescue missions?"

"…Friends."

"…Oh." Once again, Twilight was left speechless. Footsteps only intensified the silence before Twilight spoke again. "So it's just been a girl and her scythe against the world? This whole time?"

"I guess so. For as long as I can remember. Even beyond all that, I've never felt that warm feeling you guys seem to always give out. Acceptance, kindness, friendship. It doesn't feel the same as something I've lost. More like something… something I've never had to begin with."

"Doesn't it get… lonely?" Twilight asked, concerned. Nobody should have to live a life of solitude like that. Everyone deserved a friend. A shoulder to lean on, a pal to hang out with. Even when Twilight had secluded herself in Canterlot with her books, she still had her inner circle of friends, composed of Shining Armor and Moondancer.

Scarlet turned her head to give Twilight a small but genuine smile. "Tell ya what, we can all pity my past together, after we've saved Spike."

Twilight responded with a wide smile of her own and nodded firmly. Scarlet motioned for Twilight to get a move on, and she ran forward to Scarlet's side. The reconciled girls continued the rest of their way towards the castle, together.

The castle was creepier than Twilight had remembered it to be. The last time she was there, she hadn't had the time to scour the entire area. Now, with no clue where Spike or the monster could be hidden, the ambiance of the stone walls and windows suddenly took a cold, eerie dive.

Neither Twilight nor Scarlet could see any signs of movement, or anything out of the ordinary in the eastern towers. Twilight sighed. Although it was foolish to think that she would find Spike in parts of the castle towers that she had been to before, that small spark of hope was snuffed out as she turned to the entrance of the dark basement dungeons, the only place where they hadn't yet looked.

The girls' descent was dark, not only in lighting, but in heart. They were walking straight into a trap, towards a monster that could potentially introduce them to grim and untimely demises, all to save a friend who may not have even been alive. The spiraling staircase took the two of them to a pair of rusted iron doors, one of them fallen on its back due to neglect and abandonment. They entered through the doorway to find themselves in a narrow corridor. It seemed to open up into a large dome shaped area. Prison cells lined the sides of the passage, half of the bars missing and cell doors fallen off their rusted hinges.

Suddenly, a high-pitched cackle rang throughout the castle. "Kekekekeke… I was expecting to see you here, Scarlet, but who are your new friends? I'm afraid that they won't be able to save you, though, no matter how many you bring."

Scarlet and Twilight froze in place. The voice was bouncing off the walls, and the echoes made it impossible to distinguish the original speaker's location.

"Do you know what lies beyond in your search for your companion?" the voice carried on in its twisted sing-song tones. "EeeHeehee, you do, don't you? It's none other than a deathgoyle! That's right, a true beast of Tartarus, unable to speak, unable to think, unable to do anything but fight, kill, and be killed. That's what I love about them, see? They're such beautiful things. They're predictable, but controllable. Evil, but instinctively so. Its only true purpose in life is to bring forth death and destruction. And how they excel at it so!"

Closing her eyes, Twilight gathered her focus and pointed her hands towards the inner rooms. From deeper into the castle walls, a glowing, purple eye appeared and opened. It was a sight spell, that the magician was trying to use to scout out the area. However, she could see even less through it than with her regular eyesight.

Twilight broke the spell and opened her eyes. "It's no use," she whispered to her accomplice. "Something's blocking my magic here. I should be able to cast other spells with a little less power than usual, but I can't use vision, detection or teleportation spells at all. It must be from enchantments made way back when, during when the dungeons were still in use, and anti-magic cuffs hadn't been developed yet. This is a more primitive, bulky prototype, I'd guess."

The anomaly's voice took no notice of Twilight's whispers to Scarlet. Either it hadn't noticed, or it didn't care. "Master's truly a genius when it comes to choosing his task force. That includes me, of course. Even so, he seems to hold a little girl like you in high regards, Scarlet." The voice hissed her name covetously, seemingly irked by his master's opinion of the tiny vampiress. His words fell to a low, coy growl. "So, I've provided... an extra challenge for you and your friends. Ehehehe, I wish you the best of luck, girl… You'll need it."

The voice ceased speaking completely, and Scarlet moved on. She and Twilight both knew that it was a trap, and there was no other option except to keep pushing forward. As the two of them entered the huge dome, the only light provided was from the numerous torches lining the walls. As far as Twilight could tell, they'd been very recently lit. While the sconces and brackets wore rust and cobwebs like medals on weary veterans, the torches themselves had been newly placed, with the rags tied tight to the tips of the splints giving off no signs of age, and the fresh trace of a flammable sulfur and lime mix still lingering in the air.

The dome's walls held a numerous collection of cells themselves. The torches served to illuminate the main center circle area of the chamber, but fell short of the darkness of the prison cells. From the furthermost cell from the corridor the girls had entered through, came a series of deep, booming thumps.

"What was that?" Twilight said, squinting her eyes to try and see what was approaching from the shadows.

There was no conceivable way that the girls could have predicted what stepped out of the dark. They'd come expecting a deathgoyle, and maybe even reinforcements, but this was just plain ridiculous. What stood before them loomed over both Scarlet and Twilight at nearly three times their height, and was one hell of a lot more intimidating than the gargoyles they'd fought before.

There was only one thing that could be said in such a moment, and the words of wisdom came out of none other than Scarlet, who stood wide-eyed at the monster that had entered the arena.

"Oh sssshhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-"

It's a Trap! (II)

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It's A Trap!

"-iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttt."

Scarlet finally finished hissing in frustration, leaving Twilight equally as stunned. As disapproving as she was at her companion's profane vocabulary, Twilight couldn't help but agree with her in such a situation. The monster didn’t look like it had noticed them yet, but it didn't make it any less huge or frightening.

The deathgoyle had undergone a massive transformation. Since their last encounter with it, the monster had over tripled in size. The tainted shade of purple that covered it was much darker than before, and its blood red eyes glowed fiercely under two curved horns facing forwards. Rancid drool ran from its snarled fangs, and its body was rippling with pounds upon pounds of newly received muscle. Sporting a long, pointed tail and leathery wings, the deathgoyle now resembled a demonic body builder out of hell.

"We're going to have to be more careful with this one. Twilight, can you back me up?" Scarlet asked, clutching her scythe with both hands.

"I can pick it off from a distance with my arrows," Twilight responded, drawing her bow and aiming a charged magic arrowhead between the creature's eyes to get the feel of the distance.

"No!" Scarlet half shouted suddenly, intending on stopping Twilight from firing. However, the statement had the opposite effect, as Twilight jolted in surprise, releasing the arrow. The bolt of magenta flew true to its mark and shattered as it hit the deathgoyle's head without effect, its magic being completely nullified. The monster turned its focus onto the one who had fired, and made a lunge to thin out the opposition's numbers.

Lunging forwards with a gargantuan roar, the deathgoyle thrust its fists towards Twilight. Scarlet reacted just in time to slash her scythe across the rubble on the floor, hoist Twilight up by slinging her over her shoulders, and dashing into the shadows of a nearby cell. The dust cloud that her scythe had kicked up momentarily blinded the deathgoyle, disorienting it as it searched for its prey that had vanished. By the time it flapped its wings to clear the cloud, Twilight and Scarlet were safe in another hidey-hole.

"What were you thinking?" Scarlet hissed as loud as she dared to. "Direct magic's not going to work on it!"

"You could have told me that beforehand!" Twilight hissed back, sitting tightly packed next to Scarlet in the cold jail cell.

"I did," Scarlet responded in an exasperated voice, an incredulous look on her face. "Its body is coated with demonic magic. That nullifies next to all normal magic! Honestly, what do they teach you in magic kindergarten these days?" she said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, then, what am I supposed to do against that thing? This place is making it ridiculously difficult for me to cast any complex spells, and I'm no good at the whole hand to hand fighting thing, in case you hadn't noticed," Twilight flustered.

"C'mon, you're a smart girl. I'm sure you can figure it out." With that, Scarlet left an utterly helpless Twilight Sparkle behind and dashed back out from behind her target, hacking away at the deathgoyle with her scythe.

The deathgoyle was deceivingly nimble and quick for its massive size. Keeping up with Scarlet's slashes with ease, it even managed to throw a couple blows back at its attacker in the midst of the onslaught. The dungeons were filled with the clashes of metal against demon claw, the sparks formed lighting up the air that the torches failed to illuminate.

"Scarlet, get out of the way!" Twilight's voice rang out through the room, as Scarlet was still in a heated skirmish with the monster. Scarlet turned her head to see Twilight with a ball of magic in front of her, erratic purple sparks dancing around inside of it. With some hesitation, Scarlet dashed to the side, hoping that Twilight knew what she was doing.

As Twilight pushed both hands forward, the magic bolt shot forwards. Paying no heed to the desperate attempt to injure its magic-proof body, the deathgoyle let the missile slip past it and charged straight towards the two girls. However, this was exactly what Twilight had anticipated.

As the small, fist-sized ball reached the side of the deathgoyle's face, it looked to both the deathgoyle and Scarlet as if Twilight had missed completely. Twilight, on the other hand, knew her spells quite well. As the missile skimmed past the head, it expanded to ten times its size almost instantaneously.

The deathgoyle's head was knocked to the side like a ball that had been hit by a racquet, and its right eye was engulfed in the explosion. When the blinding light from Twilight's miniature magic bomb had ended, there was a trail of dark, red blood trailing down from the now empty socket of the monster. No matter how immune to magic this thing's skin was, it wouldn't help it if Twilight struck somewhere other than the skin.

"Nice shot!" Scarlet called out, as the deathgoyle roared in pain. Twilight took advantage of its momentary confusion and pain to find another hiding place nearby, before the deathgoyle ran rampant in her old cell and tore the walls to shreds. She would lay low for a little while again as she prepared more projectiles.

The deathgoyle gave in to rage, letting loose another fearsome roar from deep inside its throat. It grabbed a chunk of bricks off of the walls, and threw them at Scarlet. It continued this process, hurling rock after rock at the agile little target.

As Scarlet dashed towards it, she appeared almost like an acrobat, weaving and flipping her way through the falling debris and projectiles. The quick jumps provided by her weapon's recoil while running gave Scarlet the illusion of walking on air, using streams of wind and pouches of nothing as platforms to leap and dash from.

Reaching the back of the deathgoyle's head, Scarlet fired a series of five quick shots in succession. Although the bullets hit their mark dead on, the head, chest, and not even wing areas of the deathgoyle seemed to be damaged. The monster recoiled only as a sign of shock and felt a slight sting, but nothing of such small caliber could pierce its magically enhanced armored skin.

Scarlet aimed the scythe away from the deathgoyle, cracking out one loud shot to propel herself right towards its face. Right before she landed, she rolled the length of the pole across her chest in one fluid motion, the muzzle now pointed itself towards the middle of the monster's large forehead. Firing one more shot, she flew into the air once more. Repeating the rapid manipulation motion of her scythe for the last time, Scarlet had zigzagged to the ground with a successful feint.

"Now!" Scarlet shouted to her partner, who had been hiding patiently in the shadows for another chance to strike. As Twilight's face and a swirling orb of magic poked themselves out of a jail cell, Scarlet acted in perfect coordination. As the monster opened its mouth to bite down, Scarlet crouched down, back faced towards the deathgoyle and scythe tucked between her elbow. She had the pole tilted so the muzzle pointed at its head, perfectly aligned with the gaping jaws.

As Twilight shot her second bolt from behind the deathgoyle, Scarlet braced herself, pumped the weapon, and pulled the trigger. The combination of the destructive arcane explosive in the monster's remaining eye and the heavy lead bullets flying into the back of its throat would have taken down almost anything - if it had been caught off guard.

The deathgoyle showed no signs of hesitation. It clamped its jaws shut at the last second, and spun around to swat the glowing ball out of the air. The lead shells of Scarlet's bullets crumpled themselves against the surface of the deathgoyle's reinforced teeth, and Twilight's explosive was deflected dozens of meters off course, crashing and detonating harmlessly on the wall far away.

Without stopping, the deathgoyle reached out for Scarlet with a bulky hand. Even though her reaction time and agility allowed her to jump in time, the giant fist still clenched onto Scarlet's left ankle. Using its body as a fulcrum, the deathgoyle picked Scarlet up and swung her around effortlessly. Mimicking a hammer throw, he spun once fully before hurling the girl's body at Twilight, the other intended target. Missing the young girl by a hair's breadth, Scarlet's body sailed through the air and hit a wall, crumpling on the ground like a ragdoll.

The deathgoyle flapped its wings to move in for the kill. However, when it got to the cell, it was surprised to discover it empty - or seemingly empty. Twilight and Scarlet lay still on the floor, Scarlet holding her right arm up to maintain a magical shroud of invisibility over them. The deathgoyle slumped away, scanning any areas its prey may have escaped to.

"Illusion magic is my specialty. I can at least pull off something like this," panted Scarlet, trying not to show how injured she was from the impact. "Hah, you weren't kidding when you said this field made magic tough! I don't even want to know what it was like preparing those two explosives of yours."

"It was a little easier for me," Twilight admitted, not boasting but simply stating a fact. "I'm more comfortable dealing with raw magic. By the way, do you think you could do this to find Spike and get out?" she asked.

"I'm afraid… not," Scarlet huffed. Her breaths were running short. "I don't think I can hold this much longer, and even if I could, I wouldn't be able to keep it up while moving. Not in this place. For now, let's just take a little break and reevaluate our situation."

As the dust finally had time to settle down, the scene became more clear. The skirmish between the girls and the monster had left the condition of the building all but destroyed. Parts of the ceiling had crumbled down, allowing a few more precious rays of sun to sneak their way to brighten the rooms. Out of the corner of her eye, past the deathgoyle, Twilight caught a glimpse of a green-haired boy wearing a purple hoodie. "That's Spike…" she whispered longingly. "He's…"

Scarlet looked to where Twilight was staring at, and understood her tone of voice. The young boy was shackled by his arms and legs to the corners of a wall, suspended immobile. His emerald locks covered his eyes, and he didn't show signs of movement.

"It's all right, Twilight. He's just unconscious. I can still hear shallow breathing," she reassured the girl on the brink of tears. Immediately, Twilight seemed to calm down quite a bit.

"What do we do, fight the monster, or try and save Spike?" asked Twilight. As much as she wanted to blindly dash forward and free her friend, the deathgoyle was not one to be ignored. So farm it had turned out to be quite a formidable foe that, If either of them lost focus for even the smallest moment, would cut them down on the spot.

"We have to go help him," Scarlet urged. "We may not get another chance. I'm getting real tired, and I don't think this thing's going to be here tomorrow."

"But how are we going to do that?" Twilight asked. The deathgoyle stood in a menacing pose, scanning the area for the two intruders. He was positioned directly between the two of them and the unconscious embrey. The two girls were slowly getting worn down, and their foe didn't even look like it was about to go down anytime soon.

Scarlet clenched her fists on the pole of her weapon. "I'll distract it. Get him out while I keep it busy," she panted.

"You can't do that!" Twilight objected. "The two of us together can barely stand up against that thing. How are you going to take it on by yourself?"

"That's why we need the kid," Scarlet replied, dead serious. "With the three of us, we just might be able to pierce its thick skin. It's our only shot."

"Twilight slumped down into a somber mood. "You might not make it," she said sullenly, voice trembling.

Scarlet smiled gently and gave the purple haired girl a hug, closing her eyes. "Then you'd better hurry up, okay?"

Twilight reluctantly squeezed back. Scarlet's silver eyes opened once more, and she pushed against Twilight to get up, breaking the embrace. She let the empty clip of bullets fall from her scythe, catching it in her hand. She put it in a pouch to her waist, and pulled out a replacement magazine, clicking it into her weapon. "Scarlet, wait-"

"Eat this, you overgrown lawn gnome!" Scarlet suddenly dashed out from behind the pile of rubble where they were hiding, firing round after round of bullets from her scythe. As the stone skinned monster raised its arms to deflect the series of projectiles aimed at its remaining eye, it failed to notice the few shots that weren't aimed directly at it.

The cones of lead hit several points on the wall in a specific pattern, weakening the structural stability of the building by taking out the support brickwork and cement. One last bullet punched through the bottom of the last pillar, sending massive chunks of the walls and ceiling down upon the deathgoyle.

It remained unfazed, however, as it turned around, and slashed against the falling stone in a flurry of swings. The rubble was reduced to even smaller pieces, as the bricks were swatted effortlessly to the side. The deathgoyle thrust upwards one last time with tremendous strength, and the largest fragment of the wall shattered midair, the monster's right claw destroying it completely from where it pierced the former wall.

Meanwhile, Twilight had sneaked over to Spike's hidden cell using other cells and large chunks of debris to hide herself from the deathgoyle's sights along the way. She shot four small magic bolts to shatter the cuffs on Spike's arms and legs, binding him to the wall. The unconscious boy dropped off the wall and into Twilight arms, as he stirred awake.

"Ugh… Twi?" Spike's eyes fluttered open. "What… what happened?"

"I'll explain later, Spike. But right now, could you help me enchant this with your embrey fire?" Twilight asked, holding out her ball of condensed magic in her hands.

Spike sobered up, shaking his head and his drowsiness off. "All right," he replied, taking the sphere into his hands. As he blew tongues of fire over it, Twilight was in deep focus. Taking the magical properties of embrey flame, she wove the strands together with her own magic missile. When she was done, she had an apple-sized orb, shining brightly of green and purple.

"Thanks, Spike. Now, we need to use this on the deathgoyle, somehow. It would be much more effective if we can get past its null-magic hide," Twilight mused.

"Hold on," said Spike, who was finally aware of his surroundings. He peered off behind Twilight's back, towards a familiar girl and monster duo. "Is that… Scarlet?!"

Scarlet was doing her best at holding the creature off, but it was clear that she was pushing her limits. With each swipe of the deathgoyle's claws clashing against her scythe, her breaths were heavier, her arms grew weaker, and her movements turned sluggish.

Scarlet stood on guard, but was disoriented from the previous flurry of blows. Not stopping its rampage, the monster kept at swiping at her body, its claws met each time with the blade or pole of her weapon. As she prepared for the next blow, the deathgoyle made a faint, causing Scarlet to flinch. Using the opposite arm, it thrust from underneath the weapon and clawed up, taking the scythe along with it.

Scarlet had been officially disarmed. Losing her grip on the pole of her weapon, she could do nothing but stare as it flew into the air and landed next to Twilight and Spike with a clatter against the stone floor. The deathgoyle took the opportunity of stunning its opponent to make a lunge for the legs, catching Scarlet off guard once more.

Scarlet managed to jump up to evade the strike at the last moment, but she couldn't dodge what came next. The deathgoyle thrust its other hand forwards, grabbing hold of Scarlet's torso in midair. She tried to resist by flailing and wriggling to free herself, but there was no escaping the firm grip of the giant's hand. The deathgoyle chuckled gruesomely as it marveled at its struggling prize. No other prey had given it such trouble as this girl and the other. It would enjoy taking their lives, as painfully as possible.

Twilight knew that this was her opportunity to fire the magic nuke, but she hesitated as to whether or not she should launch it now. She was too far away for it to be a surprise attack. Chances were, the deathgoyle would see it coming a mile away and simply dodge it or bat it away, like he'd done with the previous missile. She wouldn't have time to prepare another one before Scarlet was met with her untimely demise. Suddenly, her eyes drifted towards Scarlet's fallen weapon, its blade gleaming ever so slightly in the torchlight as it lay on the ground so innocently.

Her brain running at maximum capacity, Twilight quickly dashed over to the weapon. Pulling back a pump attached to a compartment on the pole, a gray bullet popped out. Taking her orb of embrey fire and raw magic, she unraveled it quickly, feeding the spiraling string of arcane into the lead casing. When she was done, the bullet shone blinding light, leaking wisps of green and purple haze into the air. She jammed it back into the compartment, pulled back the cover, and passed it to Spike.

"I can't use any more magic under this suppression field. Get this to Scarlet!" she huffed. Extracting and manipulating that much power under these circumstances had taken its toll on her through fatigue.

Spike nodded and took the weapon. "Scarlet, catch!" he yelled out, tossing the scythe towards her. The weapon's muzzle glowed a mix of green and purple, wisps of fire and magic trailing out of the tip as it sailed through the air.

Not letting Scarlet get the upper hand, the deathgoyle squeezed her body even tighter. "Aaaahhh!" she screamed, almost falling unconscious from the excruciating pain. It felt as though her organs were about to pop out of her body, as her body was about to resemble what happens when someone uncaps a full tube of toothpaste and squeezes it with their fist. The monster swung its body to the side, taking Scarlet away from the scythe.

Scarlet slammed her fists against the gargantuan beast, but it was no use. The deathgoyle's skin was too thick to even register the feeble blows of a dying girl. She stretched her arms out to the weapon hurtling through the air, but it was no use. The only way she could get a hold of her scythe was through magic. Her telekinesis wasn't strong enough to grab onto it, but…

Scarlet surged magic into the air in front of the scythe's trajectory, popping up an angled barrier in front of it. The blade of the scythe skimmed the surface of the magic barrier, deflecting off to the side and towards Scarlet. The deathgoyle's turned position had left the back of its head to where Scarlet had directed her magic, so it didn't have any time to react when the weapon came flying to Scarlet and she caught it with an outstretched arm.

"Let's see how you can handle this," Scarlet spat out through gritted teeth. Her lower ribcage had shattered to a great extent. This would likely be her last move. Without giving the monster time to discern what had just happened, she grabbed a hold of her weapon with two firm hands and shoved the back end of the blade into the deathgoyle's face, pointing the tip of the gun part's muzzle directly at its remaining eye.

"Here we go! Haaaaah!" Scarlet shouted, gradually forming a crescendo as she now bellowed at the top of her lungs. Her left arm pumped the charge, and her right hand jerked on the trigger. The bullet shot forwards and into the creature's eye socket, a brilliant blinding light burning from inside the beast. The sheer force of the shot knocked the deathgoyle staggering back, releasing its grip on Scarlet and falling on its back. Both the deathgoyle and Scarlet crumpled on the ground as they fell, neither of them moving.

The body of the deathgoyle shook violently, as the light dimmed down gradually. It's finally over, thought Twilight. Now we can go back with Spike and Scarlet and -

The deathgoyle exploded.

The spectacle would have been beautiful if it hadn't been so destructive. Even so, there was a rush of awe that was inspired by the maelstrom of radiant purple and blazing green. The deathgoyle's massive, limp corpse was engulfed in the luminous vortex of magic and embrey flames. A sphere of energy expanded outward with surges of wind, as the ground billowed dust and smoke composed of disintegrating stone and rust. The primitive, incomplete anti-magic field was no match for the raw arcane power that had been brought into the room.

Twilight and Spike grabbed hold of nearby prison cell bars, in fear of being pushed away by the shockwave. Scarlet's body turned into a ragdoll, tumbling sideways and rolling towards Twilight and Spike from the force of the explosion. Spike caught her in his hands, letting go of the cell bars.

Twilight did the same, and cast a shielding spell to protect the group as they rushed back to the corridor they came from. From what she'd read about in her arcane studies, there was only one explanation for why the ball of light and magic hadn't died out yet, but was instead looking like it was fluctuating between sizes. The magic was about to go critical, and create a second explosion that would be even greater than the one before. The three of them needed to get out of there, but she couldn't teleport the them out, nor did they have enough time to climb all the way up the spiral staircase once more.

Her brain running at a thousand miles per hour, Twilight grabbed Spike's shoulder forcefully, half dragging him and Scarlet into one of the cells next to them.

"Woah!" Shouted Spike over the sound of the air currents generated by the ball of critical magic. "Careful there! She's badly injured!" he said, gesturing at Scarlet's unconscious figure.

"It's about to blow; Duck!" Twilight screamed, unable to spare time to do any further explaining. She pulled Spike and Scarlet in a crude huddle. Thrusting her hands upwards, Twilight cast the strongest barrier she could muster up, with her mana supplies almost depleted and fighting against the centuries-old magic canceller field.

The ball of light stopped sending out ripples of wind. Collapsing into itself, it grew smaller in size until it was the size of an apple, then a grape, and finally, a grain of sand. When it looked like it couldn't possibly get any smaller, it simply winked out of existence, as if it was never there.

Spike opened his eyes that had been clenched shut, thinking that the worst was over, but Twilight knew better. She tensed her muscles and put all her mental efforts into maintaining the dome of magic around them, bracing for the final impact that she knew was coming.

Fulfilling her expectations, a second explosion tore through the air from where the first had vanished. The stone walls and ceiling were torn down in the roars of the wind and fire; only some of the hardest gems in nature would have been able to withstand this kind of power. Twilight clenched her teeth, her mind at its limits as the torrent of fire washed over her pathetic little shield. She felt as though there were a massive weight crushing her, as she found it harder and harder to keep her trembling arms raised. Despite all this, she pushed onwards through sheer will. She held the lives of two innocent people in her hands, and she would not be held accountable for letting them slip out of her grasp.

Twilight must have blacked out for a moment, because, the next thing she saw was Spike throwing boulders out of the doorway, which were blocking their way to the staircase. Scarlet lay at her side, almost tranquil in her slumbering bliss. The explosion had taken out most of the dungeon's walls and ceiling that had connected it to the upper levels. Although all the candles had been blown out by the shockwave, the gaping hole in the top of the dome served as an entrance for sunlight to flood through.

Twilight and Spike scanned what remained of Scarlet. Upon the closer inspection, Twilight noticed just how severely wounded the girl was. Bruises covered her slender arms and legs without end, and blood was starting to pool under her clothes. Half of the red on Scarlet's cloak was now a shade darker, moist to the touch, and smelled strongly of iron. Twilight's eyes drifted over to Scarlet's right hand, which had refused to release the weapon even unconscious and under the force of the explosion. The clenched fist relaxed slightly when Twilight placed a gentle hand on it.

Flexing her fingers, Twilight let a small stream of mana flow through them. The magic suppression field must have been destroyed along with the walls, because she found the small task exceedingly more simple than the last time she tried to cast a spell in the dungeon. Twilight closed her eyes, concentrating on drawing more power to cast her spells. When she opened them again, they were glowing bright white. Mana coursed through her entire body, giving her skin an almost unnoticeable purple sheen. Her long locks of hair reached an almost ethereal state like Princess Celestia and Luna's, as they swayed sideways in midair, defying gravity.

Twilight wasn't a professional, but she had enough medicinal knowledge and practice on smaller scrapes to register a couple of basic first aid spells to Scarlet's wounds. A warm glow washed over Scarlet's body as Twilight worked her magic. Extending her fingers to the general direction of Scarlet's wounds, she let her magic flow through out of her fingers.

The magic manifested itself in a visible, purple fluid-like state, sparkling as it formed wriggling tentacles extending from her fingertips. The extensions made their way to the gashes on Scarlet's body, slowly moving down their lengths as the magic sealed up the wounds. Twilight sat still in concentration, feeding more magic into the healing spell. Soon, Scarlet looked as good as new, save for the large and numerous blood stains she sported on her clothes.

"Woah, did you just heal her, just like that?" Spike asked, shocked at what he'd witnessed after coming back from clearing the rubble. "You should be a doctor or something!"

"Heh. Thanks, Spike, but it's not that simple," Twilight replied with a small smile. "Injuries held together by magic are extremely fragile. While she may look fine on the surface, all I did was stop the bleeding. She'll still need to go through extensive treatment when we get back."

"Oh…" Spike was crestfallen. "She was hurt so badly because of me…"

"Don't say that, Spike. Besides, it's her duty to do this kind of thing, anyways… Even if you weren't taken hostage, we would've come here eventually, anyways," Twilight reassured half-heartedly. "…Do you think she's gone through something like this… before?" she posed after a brief silence.

Before Spike had a chance to think about the question, an unexpected, shrill laugh tore through the air. "Eeyahahahaha!" The same voice that Twilight and Scarlet heard coming into the dungeons shrieked hysteric, hyena-like laughter through the air once more. "That was wonderful! Splendid! Molto bene! I daresay, I couldn't have done better myself. Oh, who am I kidding, of course I could have! But nonetheless, what you pulled off there was quite a sight to behold. What beautiful serendipity! I hadn't expected this outcome at all!"

With half the ceiling and most of the walls blown to dust by the explosion, the echoing dynamics and harmonics were broken. Without strategically placed stone bricks for the sound to bounce off of, Twilight could easily distinguish the source of the madman's laughter.

There was a small object on the other side of the room, transmitting the sound through the dungeon area, which Twilight opted to retrieve with a levitation spell. Stretching her arm towards the source with her palms up, Twilight could feel her magic glow envelop a smooth, circular object. She curled her arm in and slowly closed her fist, and the object lifted up into the air, sailing towards Twilight.

The object was a magic crystal of some sort, made of enchanted glass. Simple to produce in theory, but the enchanters would have to have been extremely skilled to get one that could channel and operate magic under even a primitive magic suppression field. Still, it would be easier than maintaining a direct spell, which also left the possibility of being traced back through a mix of magic detection and scrying spells.

A dark red mist swirled inside the orb, jerking more violently as the voice spoke. "I see now why master was so interested in this scrawny little girl. Eeeheeheeheehee! The way she took down one of the beasts of tartarus! Her agility, grace, speed and technique make her quite a fighter, no? I knew it. Master's eyes are never wrong. Soon, she'll help us in-"

A sharp cough signaled the end of the orb's rant, as it shattered into a thousand pieces. The red mist escaped through the cracks and dissipated into the air with one last shrill giggle. Twilight and Spike turned their attention to Scarlet, who was still lying on the floor, her scythe arm pointed towards where the orb had just been.

"Aw, shut up," she muttered, before dropping her weapon and falling back unconscious.

Secrets

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Secrets

The bright sun shone down upon a lone cabin in the woods, golden beams of light spilling through the glass paned windows. A woman was inside, cooking breakfast for a young adolescent girl, presumably her daughter. The father of the household stood on the other side of the wooden walls,, hauling buckets of water from a nearby stream. The son was also working manual labour, chopping bundles of firewood with an axe.

"Mom, what's for dinner today?" the girl asked.

"I was thinking some potato salad would be nice," the mother replied with a warm smile. Looking through the kitchen shelves, however, she found something was amiss among the ingredients. "Oh, dear, how silly of me. We have the potatoes ready, but we're missing some of the seasoning. Lizbeth, could you be a dear and run down to the town to pick up some spices? I have to stay here and prepare the rest of the meal."

"Okay, mom!" the daughter beamed, dashing excitedly for the front door.

The mother called out after her. "Lizbeth, remember to hurry back without staying in town for too long. You don't want to be caught alone in the woods after dark. It's dangerous, especially for a girl like you." Finishing her last warnings, she was about to go back. However, her daughter was behaving peculiarly, perfectly frozen in place with the door swung wide open. "What's the matter, dear?"

"I… thought I saw something move in the trees," Lizbeth replied, as the leaves in all the trees nearby rustled once more.

"It's just the wind, sweetie. Now, run along, and fetch me a bag of spices," the mother reassured.

"… All right, mom."

As Lizbeth walked down the path to town, the greenery almost managed to soothe her inexplicable nervousness. It eventually succeeded in taking her mind off her worries, the friendly forest creatures putting her thoughts at rest. The day's weather had been perfect. Sunny skies, not a cloud in the sky. The air was not too warm, and not too cold. There was a serene, peaceful aura surrounding the forest's tall trees and friendly animals. Only one more thing could make this day more amazing than it was.

If only there was a light spring breeze to wash over the forest, then things would have been just perfect.

I know that girl. I've seen her before… But where?

Sadly, Twilight would never finish her train of thought as consciousness drifted back to her. "Uuuggghhh, my everything hurts…" was Twilight's initial reaction as she woke up in her bed. Her next, as she scrunched up her face in discontent, was, "What's that awful wailing noise?"

Walking out of her room, the volume of the screaming got even louder, and Twilight could make out the words behind the screaming.

"MMMMYYYYYYYYY BBBBBBAAAAAAAABBBBBBBYYYYYY!!!" Scarlet's voice shattered voice decibel world records from within the bathroom walls.

"Scarlet? Shouldn't you be in the hospital?!" Twilight cried out to the girl yelling in her bathroom. With all the damage to her the young demon slayer had sustained the previous day, it should have been physically impossible for her to speak in more than a whisper, much less display this exuberant showcase of her vocal skills.

Suddenly, the door whipped inwards with a slam, and Scarlet poked her head out the bathroom. "Forget me, look what happened to my poor baby!" She held out her scythe, which bore a noticeable crack along the side of its blade. Other than her depression, however, Scarlet was remarkably, without injury.

"Wha- I- How are you fine? I saw you get thrashed around, clawed, and practically impaled by that monster! This is impossible, your injuries could never have healed that fast!" Twilight flustered.

"My baby…" Scarlet wailed once more, ignoring all of Twilight's frustrations as she wept for her broken blade.

There was a knock at the front door. "I'll get it," Twilight said, running down the stairs to open the door. "I'm glad Scarlet's all right, but I do wish she'd quiet down... Oh, Princess Celestia! Um… hi! What brings you here today?" she asked, opening the door to her mentor and two other people beside her. "Spike!" Twilight cried. "And… who's this?"

The princess motioned to Spike and her mystery guest to enter the library. The man had a fairly tall build, short black hair, and displayed a set of muscles that were fairly well toned, but not overly buff. "Steel Smith here is a former soldier. He now works as a blacksmith for the militia," Celestia offered. "I also took Spike to fill in Luna, Discord and myself about your recent encounter with the deathgoyle while you and Scarlet were out of commission. I considered bringing Scarlet to a hospital, but I'm sure you've already noticed…"

With that, a desperate but unscratched Scarlet dashed down the staircase at breakneck speeds, grabbing hold of Celestia by the shoulders. "Celestia, fantastic! You have to help me, my baby's hurt!"

"I didn't know you had a baby, Scarlet," Spike scratched his head, turning to Twilight. "Say, where do babies come from, anyways?"

"Uhh, Say, Spike, you must be tired after spending all night talking with the princesses and Discord! Why don't you go upstairs and take a nice, long nap?" Twilight flustered.

"Actually, I only had to talk to them for about an hour or so. I slept pretty early last nigh, and- Whoa!" Spike was wrapped in Twilight's magic bubble, which lifted him up in the air, up the stairs, and threw him into his room before the door was slammed shut with another burst of magic from Twilight's hands.

"Nice save," Celestia chuckled. "What was it you wanted to talk to me about, Scarlet?"

"When I woke up this morning, I was about to clean my weapon as usual, but then I found a crack on it!" She relayed the devastating news to Celestia, thrusting the scythe into the princess' arms.

Surprisingly enough, the princess didn't bat an eye in mourning for Scarlet's dilemma. "Well, this works out perfectly. Scarlet, meet Steel Smith. I'd originally brought him along to analyze your… unique scythe's technology, but I'm sure he can repair it for you, if need be."

The black-haired man went over to the scythe, running a slender finger along the edge of the crack. "Is this…? It is! How in hell's bells did you manage to crack a blade made out of Stygian iron?!" Smith asked, although it was more a screech than a question.

"Can you fix it?" Scarlet asked, not caring for the blacksmith's utter shock and disbelief.

"Yes, but it'll take a few days. Stygian iron is difficult to work with, to say the least. I'll need at least three days to repair the damages to it."

"Oh, thank you!" Scarlet shouted, pulling in Steel Smith in for a bone-shatteringly tight hug. "Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!"

"You're… errghh… welcome…" Smith managed to squeeze the few words out of his lungs as Scarlet squeezed out the oxygen from them. When she dropped him back down, be coughed a few times, taking in deep breaths, before dusting himself off and straightening out his clothes.

"Quite a pair of arms you've got there, little miss," Smith remarked, rubbing his sore back whilst glancing at Scarlet's deceptively slender limbs. "How heavy is stygian iron, anyways?"

"You're about to find out," Scarlet replied, folding up her weapon into its compact box form. Taking hold of it with two hands, she extended her arms to Steel Smith until he warily took hold of it.

"Huh, surprisingly light," Smith commented, bewildered by the weight of the box. "Not at all what I was expecting. Usually, a metal this sturdy and ageless nears the weight of lead. Nothing's really what it seems with you, is it, miss Scarlet?" The blacksmith chuckled to himself for a moment, before something else dawned on him.

"Hold on." He grabbed a hold of Scarlet's forearm, squeezing his hand slightly. Instead of getting a soft, flabby reaction like one would expect, Smith found his hand greeted by layers of developed muscle, something that was practically invisible through sight alone. "If your weapon is so light, then how are your arms so strong? You can't have built up those kinds of muscles from waving around a couple of pounds. Where do you get all that strength? Magic, perhaps?"

Scarlet took a look at her arms, examining her own appendages as if they were alien to her. "You know, I've never really thought about it. Must be because I'm a vampire."

"Wait, what?" Twilight blurted out. Smith also raised his brows in shock, while Celestia only perked her ears slightly.

Scarlet looked right at Twilight, confused. "Wait… you mean I didn't tell you? How about you, Celestia?"

The princess cracked a small smile. "I'd had my… suspicions, but I hadn't been certain until this moment."

Slapping a hand to her forehead, Scarlet let out a loud sigh. "I knew I was forgetting something…"

"Don't worry about it. Everyone lets… some things slip by their mind from time to time," Twilight consoled. "And on that note, could we… could you… perhaps show us what you look like as a vampire?" The girl's eyes were shining with anticipation, which mirrored itself in her wide, plastered grin.

"Well, sure, why not?" she replied, unable to say no to the eager bookworm.

Scarlet took a step back, and her features started to distort. Teeth sharpened into fangs, nails formed claws, and her ears grew pointed. However, the most striking changes were to Scarlet's brown eyes, now a piercing silver ring around dilated pupils. She ran a forked tongue over her new teeth, showing off their gleam in the lighting with a coy smile. "So, what do you think?"

"Amazing!" Twilight remarked, as she teleported right next to Scarlet, startling her. The blacksmith and the princess seemed impressed as well, although neither of them as much as the studious little girl who was poking around at Scarlet's changed features. "Vampires usually live hidden, so this is the first time I've actually seen one! I haven't even read much about them before, except for archaic myths and fables that were probably made up by frightened villagers. The bone structure of these fangs and claws are the same kind as various different animals, all bundled up in one! And your eyes…"

"Yes, your eyes…" Suddenly, Steel Smith joined the discussion. "Quite a striking shade of silver. Not unheard of, but extremely uncommon… "

"Really?" Twilight asked. "Why's that?"

"Well, I'd always thought that the silver-eyed witches of the vampire race were extinct."

"How-"

Celestia cut in, an almost unnoticeable hint of authority beneath her friendly tone. "Twilight, why don't you take Scarlet out and show her around town? I'm sure your friends are eager to see you again after your visit to Canterlot, and you should introduce Scarlet to them. She's been all alone since I found her, and it would put my heart at ease to know that she has others than us that accept her."

Twilight didn't notice the near forceful voice her mentor used, but agreed anyways. "Of, of course!" she clapped her hands together, and grabbed a hold of Scarlet's arm. "Come on, I have so many people I want to introduce you to!"

"Whoa!" Scarlet cried, barely managing to shrink away her vampire fangs, claws, and pupils before Twilight pulled her out the door.

When he was sure that the girls were clear from the building, Steel Smith turned his eyes to Princess Celestia with a steeled gaze. "So, Princess Celestia, would you mind telling me who she is?" he asked flatly.

"Oh, have I really not told you? It must have slipped my mind. That was Twilight Sparkle, my protégé. I'm sorry, I'd assumed you'd have already known about her," Celestia replied innocently.

"I am well aware of who Twilight Sparkle is, ma'am. I meant the other girl. The one in the red hood." Celestia raised a wary brow, while Steel Smith's expression remained as pressing as ever.

Smith and Celestia locked gazes, neither refusing to back down from the seemingly harmless question. It could have been seconds. It could have been hours. Finally, Celestia averted her eyes, losing the staring contest of intimidation and willpower.

"Her identity is … unknown. I discovered her near the forests about a year back, as a lost little amnesiac lamb. I determined her to be an ally of Equestria, and she has served me since," said Celestia. She chose her words slowly and carefully, not to carelessly throw words around. If one didn't know better, one would believe that the monarch of Equestria was… worried about a simple conversation with her blacksmith.

"Then how do you explain this?" Smith asked, taking out the box of red metal from his backpack.

"What of it?" Celestia asked impatiently.

Smith pointed to the black blade of the weapon. "This is made of stygian iron. Not an imitation, I can assure you. I've seen all the fakes people have made over the years, and none of the metals were like this scythe's blade. It's stronger than almost any other metal or stone in Harmonia, and it doesn't have a speck of rust on it, even after continuous use. It's priceless. Stygian iron isn't just rare, princess, as I'm sure you know. It can only be found in the banks of the River Styx, inside the gates of Tartarus. Also, its design is one that I've never seen before, in any of the militia or the blacksmithing records of the entire continent. Yet, here we have an adolescent girl, waving it around like no big deal. How did she come upon such a weapon?"

Princess Celestia's voice remained steady. "She had it on her when I discovered her. She came from the gates of Tartarus herself, when the magic of the gate mixed with Discord's chaos and pulled her into Equestria. I imagine she was formerly inside Tartarus, where she obtained her unique weapon."

"Yes, but how would anyone survive a journey inside Tartarus? It's filled with lethal creatures, out for blood at every waking hour, and then some," Smith objected.

To this, the princess only gave a knowing smile. "Trust me. If anyone could do it, it's that girl."

"Which brings us back to where we began. Who is that girl?" Smith asked once more.

"I've told you, Mister Smith. We don't know. She was sucked to Equestria via an accidental mix between magic and chaos. She could be from somewhere outside all of Harmonia, for all we know," Celestia denied again.

Steel Smith was losing his patience. "Princess Celestia, you're the ruler of the whole of Equestria. You have millennia of accumulated knowledge, wisdom, and experience in matters such as these. With all due respect, ma'am, it doesn't suit you to play the role of the fool."

He'd struck a nerve with that sentence. "You speak out of line, Smith. I suggest you stop babbling and drop the issue." The princess' lips were pursed in a thin line of annoyance.

Smith threw caution to the wind, deciding to press this issue as far as he possibly could to get some answers. "I believe you do know who she is. A silver eyed vampire, wielding an unorthodox scythe as her weapon. When was the last time we had a silver eyed witch among our ranks?"

Celestia's eyes narrowed, and she glared daggers at Smith. Yet, he pretended not to notice, refusing to stop his full-on rant.

"I've seen the records, Princess Celestia. Although you deny it, the Equestrian militia sure seem to have kept some interesting looking reports about such a woman. She was quite famous, after all. So, if my theory is correct, then Scarlet is indeed, from our world. However, she's from a different-"

"Enough." The one word slice through the air like a knife. Princess Celestia unfurled her wings, and rose to her full height. Her body growing taller than even that of Smith's, the blacksmith found himself being looked down upon by his intimidating ruler. While the rest of her facial features retained the impenetrable poker face Celestia was known for, her eyes were overflowing with hostility and threat.

"That is information restricted to myself only. I have dealt with erasing memories in the past, Smith, and I am fully prepared to do it again, if it is for the sake of protecting Equestria. I suggest you choose your next words carefully."

Taking the princess' advice to heart, Steel Smith took a gulp and spoke once more. "Princess, although I may be retired, I remain a soldier at heart. I aim to serve you and your sister, Princess Luna. But before all that, I aim to serve and protect the citizens of Equestria. So please, before I go mad from all this mystery, tell me. Am I correct in assuming that this 'Scarlet' is actually-"

"Would you be satisfied if I told you, 'yes'?" Celestia cut him off, not wanting to hear the final words of hidden truth.

Steel Smith had a moment of hesitation before he spoke again. "… So it's true. It's her."

"Mister Smith, I believe it would be in Equestria's best intentions to have your memory erased from-"

"-But if it really is her, then perhaps you are the one treading on thin ice, princess. You know what she's done." Even in the face of an angry princess who threatened to erase his memories, Smith pushed onwards.

Celestia considered his proposal, and dropped her act of intimidation. She shrank back down to a normal person's height, and her white wings disappeared with a shimmer of magic light. Turning away, she gave a soft sigh.

"Scarlet's identity is of no concern to you at the moment, Mister Smith." She gave a light, joyless laugh. "Who's treading thin ice? Mister Smith, you're asking the wrong questions."

"Then what should I be asking?" Smith asked.

"…Who isn't?"

This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

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This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

Within the newly raised walls of the Apple family's barn, three young children crawled on a wooden high beam. Two pairs of girls' eyes eagerly darted around, while the third kept a wary gaze on the somewhat flimsy piece of lumber they were perched on.

"Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, remind me why we're up here, again?" Sweetie belle asked impatiently, blowing a curl of light pink heir out of her eyes.

"We're here to investigate the barn!" an excited Scootaloo yelled passionately.

"Aaand we're investigating the barn because…?" Sweetie Belle pressed, still not convinced she wasn't wasting her time.

Apple Bloom sighed. "Ah told ya, it's because this barn just ain't natural! It always comes down, no matter how mah family rebuilds fixes and tweaks all the little details on it! First we had to ask Rainbow Dash to take it down because it didn't meet regulations or whatnot, and then there was the time when Pinkie Pie… did something, and we even had it destroyed during our family reunion! We always get it to be perfectly sturdy, but then every third Tuesday of the month, something weird happens and it gets knocked down, and then we have to raise it all up all over again!" the little girl huffed, annoyed by just recalling the events.

"And who knows? We could get our cutie marks in this, too. Cutie Mark Crusaders barn inspectors!" Scootaloo said resolutely.

"I dunno, it still sounds kind of boring." Sweetie belle droned. "I just wish we were doing something more fun."

"What are you talking about? All kinds of wacky things happen when the barn comes down. Fruit bats, Pinkie clones, sonic rainbooms? It'll be tons of fun!" Scootaloo assured, with Apple Bloom nodding beside her.

Sweetie belle considered this for a moment, when another thought came to mind. "Waaaait…" she interrupted, raising a quizzical eyebrow. "If the barn comes down every third Tuesday of the month…"

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo nodded. "Mmmhmm."

"Aaaand if today is the third Tuesday of May…"

"Mmmhmm?"

"Well, then, isn't it, kind of, um, a bad idea for us to be here today?" Sweetie Belle asked, still unsure of the seemingly obvious answer.

"Mmmhmm!" Scootaloo and Apple Bloom nodded, with big smiles on their faces. Then, as what they'd just said finally began to connect with their brains, the smiles drooped fast. "Oh."

At that moment, the barn started to creak, as a wooden beam fell with a resounding thud. All three crusaders looked at each other, and said the two words that were on their minds. "Uh-oh."

"…And there's the Sofas and Quills shop! Now, take it from me, you do not want to listen to anything that storeowner tells you. The first time I tried to restock up on my quills, after I just got to Ponyville, he ended up selling me two sofas that I didn't even need! Now I know not to make that mistake again, but that doesn't change the fact that my basement is already crowded with useless, overly glorified, puffy chairs! Ooh, and there's the town's water reserve! Did I ever tell you about the time where I…"

Twilight's words faded to a muffle in Scarlet's mind, as she begrudgingly trudged along with the overly cheerful girl. She'd been showing Scarlet around town for a good hour at least, but it had felt like days. The only thing keeping her there was the fact that Scarlet wanted to get to know the place where a deathgoyle had decided to nest right next to a bit better. The town seemed decent enough, but the way that Twilight described it like a tour guide made it seem so boring. No offense to her, but Scarlet was more of the hands-on type.

"Careful there!" Scarlet was broken out of her daze, as she was magically pulled back by the scruff of her neck. "That's Sweet Apple Acres' barn, and it somehow manages to break apart and fall down every third Tuesday of the month, for some inexplicable reason. I don't think you want to go in there today."

"…But there are people inside already," Scarlet replied skeptically. "What about them?"

"Wait, what?" Twilight swerved her head towards the barn. Inside, she could make out the faces of a pair of children on the upper beams of the infrastructure. "Oh no."

A small, white termite poked its head out of one of the barn's walls. A section of wood fell away beneath it, revealing many more inside the structure. As the little tree eaters continued their work, a support beam to the left side of the barn broke off and landed with a thud.

"Uh-oh," the children's voices faintly rang outside the barn.

Twilight's hand flashed purple, and the girls were immediately teleported next to her. "Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, what were you thinking! You know that the barn's structurally unstable, no matter what we try to do to fix it! It's on a fault line or something, I swear!" she scolded.

The two girls paid her no heed as they scampered around, looking desperately for something. Or, someone. "Where's Scootaloo?" Apple Bloom asked frantically.

"Scootaloo? I didn't see her in- Arghh!" Twilight slapped a palm to her head. "She must have been blocked from my field of vision! We have to help her! Scarlet, can you-"

However, Scarlet was already gone. She was gone from the moment she noticed Twilight had saved two kids, when she had distinctly heard the voices of three inside of the barn. Dashing inside the large red entrance, Scarlet cast her gaze upwards. Amidst the barn that was falling apart, she spotted a small, tanned girl crouching on a beam high above.

"Scootaloo, I presume," she muttered to herself, as she hopped onto the closest support beam she could reach.

Kicking off the pillar, she latched herself onto the wall and grabbed the high beam that Scootaloo was on with her hands. Swinging across the pole as if it were a set of monkey bars, Scarlet made her way to below where the child was. She swung herself on top of the beam, landing with her feet as she grabbed Scootaloo by the waist.

"Whoa!" Scootaloo cried out, as Scarlet journeyed down in a similar method to how she'd gotten up. She cushioned several small falls by jumping diagonally between the pillar and wall she was closest to, splintering them with a crunch several times in the process.

Scarlet dashed for the doors. However, as she was about to escape the building through the entrance, a pile of broken wood fell in front of her, blocking the entrance almost completely. Looking up, Scarlet could see that the entire east wall was about to fall on them. She didn't have much time.

Scarlet grabbed a thick, broken piece of lumber, hurling it at the window of the slanted wall that continued its descent. It smashed through the fragile glass with a satisfying crash, and Scarlet dashed back to where she'd been a few moments before.

Pumping her legs, she crouched as low as she could, tossing Scootaloo on her back. Scootaloo hung on for dear life, choking Scarlet's neck with a death grip and cutting off her air supply. Scarlet's face turned a shade redder as she waited for the moment to strike, ignoring her imminent suffocation. When the wall was almost completely down, she sprung upwards, jumping perfectly through the hole in the window she'd created. The two of them tumbled a couple of times on the ground before Scarlet stood up, tore Scootaloo from her back and neck, and placed her on the ground.

Scootaloo stood up and shook herself from the dust on the ground, and ran up to Scarlet. "Can we do that again?" she asked eagerly, looking up at the older girl with sparkling eyes.

"How *cough* about, *cough* let's… not do that again?" Scarlet ruffled Scootaloo's short, purple hair with one hand, massaging her neck where the little girl had almost choked her to death with the other.

"Scootaloo!" two voices cried out, as Apple Bloom and Sweetie belle near tackled their friend in a hug. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, she saved me! And it was totally awesome!" Scootaloo replied with a wide smile, pointing at Scarlet.

"Well, now that we've established that you three are all alive and safe, I think you should all take the rest of the day off, somewhere where you won't end up putting yourselves in mortal danger." Twilight advised, arriving just after the children.

"Yeah!" Scootaloo agreed. "We could go skydiving!" Sort of.

"Or catching monsters in the Everfree Forest!" Sweetie Belle added.

"Ooh, I know! We'll go treasure hunting in the Diamond Dogs Mountains! They always know where to find jewels!" Apple Bloom pointed out.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders treasure hunters!" the three of them shouted in unison.

Twilight slapped a hand to her forehead. "I'm going to take these three to their families to make sure they don't get hurt. Do you want to come, Scarlet?" she asked, turning to her companion.

"Uh… kids aren't really my thing. I'd rather get a closer look at the town, maybe visit that sofas and quills place." Scarlet took a worrisome step back from the beaming children of calamity.

"All right, if you get bored, just meet me at the library," Twilight sighed. She then turned around, picking up the Cutie Mark Crusaders with a magical glow and walking off, despite their protests.

"Dodged a bullet there," Scarlet mused, as Twilight and the kids disappeared from view.

"Bravo, bravo!" an unfamiliar voice called out from nearby. "Quite an excellent display of speed, agility, dexterity, and efficiency you've just demonstrated."

The voice belonged to a tall, lanky man in a dark cloak. His long locks of pitch black hair spilled over his clothes, as a humorless smile could be seen on his narrow face.

Scarlet whipped around at the sound of the voice. The man hadn't been there a moment ago, she was sure of it. Yet still, now he was standing in the middle of the town square, with a suspicious smile plastered onto his eerie visage. How could she not have noticed him approaching? There was no signs of teleportation's magical residue, either. Who exactly was this man?

“...Can I help you?” Scarlet asked cautiously, eying the mystery man's frame. His skinny body pressed snugly against the rather tight-fitting clothes. It would be difficult to hide any weapons in there. Difficult, but not impossible, Scarlet thought, remaining on alert.

The man raised his brows in surprise. “Excuse me? Oh, don’t tell me you've forgotten about little old me! Scarlet, don’t you recognize me?”

“Sorry, I don’t believe I do,” she replied icily. The man seemed friendly for now, but she wouldn't ever let her guard down in front of him again. The last time she did, he…

Wait… last time?

"Oh? But I know you, Scarlet," the man replied with a devilish grin. "In fact, I know all there is to know about you. From the moment of your birth, to the moment of your death and rebirth, to where you stand today. I'm quite shocked that you've forgotten my face, even after all this time."

This guy was giving off a seriously bad vibe, and Scarlet decided that it would be in her best interests to stay away from him. "Sorry to hurt your feelings there, but I don't exactly remember much past a few years back. Little bit of an amnesia incident. Forgot everything before then. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to meet with a friend of mine." Scarlet turned around to leave.

"Forgot, or refuse to remember?" the man simply asked, and Scarlet stopped dead in her tracks.

Scarlet's brows furrowed into a deep scowl, as she swerved back, walking up to the man and grabbing him by the collar. "Listen here. I don't know what your deal is, here. I don't know if you're telling the truth about knowing who I used to be, and quite frankly, I don't care. But whatever the case, right here, right now, I'm Scarlet. Nothing more, nothing less. Whoever you want me to be, I'm not her."

The man didn't even flinch at Scarlet's threatening actions. Looking straight into her face with a sinister grin, he spoke without hesitation. "Did I strike a nerve there? You've worn a mask for so long, that you've forgotten who you really are underneath. But I can see past your little disguise, Scarlet. I can see your eyes, the only parts of your precious little façade that can't be covered up with a mask. Your eyes are still as they were in the past. Consumed by hatred, filled with a bitterness towards the world. Trust is alien to your cold, silver eyes… we're so much alike in that aspect, Scarlet," he sneered, hissing her name in a way which would have sent shivers down almost anyone’s spine.

Scarlet, however, was not impressed. "You’re really starting to piss me off, you know. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't beat the living daylights out of you right now, and have you sent off to be locked up in a mental institution."

Even with his collar in the girl’s tight grip, the man managed to keep an unwavering, unnerving smile. "Ah, Scarlet. So strong willed, so talented, and so mature. And yet, it seems you need some further lessons in both patience…"

Out of nowhere, the man swung his fist with incredible speed. Connecting with Scarlet's stomach before she had time to react, the young demon slayer released her grip and was left pathetically gasping for air as she crumpled down, winded from all the air in her lungs.

"…and humility." The man straightened his collar.

“You... *cough* bastard...” Scarlet sputtered.

Her assailant crouched down on his knees to Scarlet’s level, pushing up her chin with slender, pale digits. “What happened to all that spunk you just had, hmm? Hold your head up high, girl.” Scarlet glared daggers at him in defiance, but the man wasn't affected in the slightest. Instead, he looked into Scarlet’s furious stare with an almost bored expression.

"My name is Phantom, by the way, since you've so conveniently forgotten," Phantom hissed into Scarlet's ear. "And I'll make sure that you remember me, in due time."

"Go… to hell!" Catching her breath, Scarlet launched her counterattack against the madman. Maintaining a low centre of gravity, she swooped her leg in a wide arc across the ground, aimed at her target with considerable force.

As the foot reached the end of its course, however, Scarlet never felt the connecting impact. Looking up, she saw the man had silently sidestepped back, just beyond her reach, all while still crouching down. He slowly unfolded, rising to a stand casually.

"Have you ever fought, Scarlet, not for the sake of survival, not for the sake of protecting others, not even for the sake of fighting itself, but for revenge? Have you ever given in to the unbridled hatred, the deep loathing for those who've ridiculed and wronged you?" Phantom asked with a chillingly calm voice.

Scarlet swung her fist at his chest, but Phantom dodged the blow as if it were the simplest thing in the world. Not even breaking a sweat, he continued speaking in his eerie tone. "Anger can make you irrational. Mindless, like a beast. It can make you lose control. But, if controlled and channeled properly, it can give you strength. Power beyond anything you could ever imagine. I taught you that before, Scarlet."

"So what?" Scarlet shot back. "I seem to have forgotten, no? I guess that makes you a lousy teacher!" Sprouting her fangs and changing her eyes, Scarlet used her strength to deliver the fastest flurry of blows that she could. Her arms and legs were a blur as she jumped all around Phantom, sending fist after fist towards her target.

Yet still, she never felt the satisfaction of fist colliding with flesh. With only the slightest of movements, Phantom had avoided every single punch within a hair's breadth. Before she could react, his arm stole forward like a snake, and clutched an iron grip on Scarlet's wrist. He held her up in the air, her entire body dangling from where Phantom held her.

As Scarlet struggled to free herself, Phantom slapped a hand over her mouth. As she looked into his stare, she could see the burning rage that flowed through his eyes. "True, it was foolish of me to let you escape. But you are even more foolish. Not only did you reject my teachings, you've forgotten the one thing that matters in your life. You belong with me… No, you belong to me, Scarlet."

As Scarlet was about to send a flying kick to the back of his skull, Phantom pulled her arm taut. Scarlet jolted and froze for less than a split second, but that was all the time that Phantom needed. His remaining hand tensed in a flat, open position. Moving at inhuman speeds, he struck Scarlet's arms and legs, landing a series of jabs all over them. When he was finished, Phantom tossed Scarlet back, and her body slid across the ground.

"Hah, was that all? I hardly felt a thing!" Scarlet jeered, lying on the ground. And it was true. Phantom's hits hadn't hurt at all,

Phantom also seemed aware of this, but he responded with a wicked sneer. "…But that's the point."

Scarlet narrowed her eyes, standing up. "And just what do you mean by- whoa!" Suddenly, her knees buckled underneath her. Scarlet fell to her knees, and her face hit the ground shortly thereafter. "What… the hell… did you do to me?"

Phantom walked up to Scarlet's still body, grabbing her and pulling her up by her hair. Scarlet winced in pain as the pain shot through her scalp. "Oh, don't you worry your pretty little head over such trivialities," Phantom hissed. "It's only temporary. After all, you're so very precious to me, Scarlet. And we're so alike." His eyes shot open wide, pupils now ringed with silver. Scarlet's eyes widened as well, in surprise.

However, what caused her shock wasn't Phantom's silver eyes. In fact, it had nothing to do with the creepy assailant at all. Scarlet's gaze pointed at a purple haired girl in the distance, approaching closer to the two of them with every step.

Phantom caught sight of Scarlet's reaction, and he followed her eyes to find Twilight Sparkle. She hadn't noticed anything unusual yet, as Phantom's body blocked most of Scarlet from her vision, and as she was still too far to see anything with normal sight. Phantom tossed Scarlet back down, her chin bruising as it hit the stone underneath.

"Is that your new friend, Celestia's protégé? Her name was Twilight Sparkle, if I recall correctly. Hmm, I suppose I could just kill her now, but I wouldn't want Celestia to be able to track me… not yet, at least. It seems that it's time for me to get going," Phantom said, turning around. "We'll be in touch."

Phantom's words didn't register to Scarlet. There was only one thing going through her mind. The opponent's back is turned. His guard is down. Kill him. Drawing up what remaining scraps of strength she had left, Scarlet gnarled her fangs. Her right hand sprouted lethal claws once more, and her eyes burned with rage. She had been humiliated. Defeated. Worse than that, she had been toyed with. Nobody toyed with her. Ever.

Her blood started racing. Her heart started pounding. Sharp claws slowly extended from the tips of her fingers. She hadn't felt like this in forever, filled with passionate desire to fight. To hate. To kill. Scarlet tensed, rejecting the paralysis in her legs through sheer force and anger. Scarlet bore her fangs, and focused her eyes on the back of Phantom's head. Her legs and feet rippled, their muscles growing taut with pressure.

Scarlet sprang forward. In a flash, she was at Phantom's neck, paying no regard to the numbness in her limbs. Instead, she pivoted her entire torso in a swerve of force, tensing the muscles in her arm as much as she could. Her clawed hand spearheaded the blow, piercing clean through Phantom's head and out the other end.

Scarlet's arm was drenched in blood. Phantom lay still, silent. It was over. He was dead. Who was this guy, anyways? Scarlet thought, relaxing. Whatever. It's not like it matters anymo-

"Very good, Scarlet." Phantom's voice spoke from the punctured head. "You've always had the hatred deep inside you, and now you've finally used it to fuel your strength. We're so much alike in that aspect, me and you."

"How are you still speaking?! I killed you!" Scarlet shouted in desperation. The rush she'd felt before had disappeared, and now she'd lost the element of surprise as well. What little advantage she'd held was gone. If Phantom decided to attack again, she would be left completely at his mercy.

"Do you really think that you killed me with that? Look again," Phantom taunted, still with Scarlet's arm punctured through his head.

Scarlet's eyes drifted to where she'd pierced Phantom's skull. Her arm was still drenched in blood, but there were other things littering her forelimb. Small, shattered, sparkling bits of… glass? Scarlet winced in pain, as the truth finally registered through her anesthetized nerves. The blood was her own. The hundreds of pieces of glass shrapnel had cut open wounds all over her arm, and made blood run down its length.

If the blood was her own, however, then what had happened to Phantom? Scarlet took a closer inspection at the man's head. Her arm seemed to have gone right through it, but there was no signs of a wound, not even the slightest tear where her hand pierced the scalp. Scarlet waved her remaining hand through the back of Phantom's head, where the illusion finally flickered, fuzzed, and died out.

As the magic dissipated, Phantom's cloak and clothes fell down lifelessly in a crumpled heap on the ground. What was left of him was nothing more than a broken crystal ball wrapped around Scarlet's upper arm, with a red mist swirling out of it. It was just like the one they'd seen and destroyed in the castle ruins where they'd fought the deathgoyle.

The red mist finished spilling out into the air and fading, but not before it delivered one final message. "Patience, Scarlet. Patience," it whispered, the sound of the voice fading away like a ghost.

Twilight finally arrived to the scene, noticing all too late what state Scarlet was in. "Oh my gosh, Scarlet, what happened to you? Why is your arm so…!" Not finishing the sentence, Twilight rushed up to her friend.

Scarlet slid the remaining pieces of the glass orb from her arm, picking out the larger pieces of shrapnel with her claws. Twilight's magic helped with the rest. Growing dizzy from the blood loss, she muttered, "That son of a bitch…" before falling unconscious in Twilight's arms for the second time in two days.

"…Do you want to talk about it?" Celestia asked.

"I said, no!" Scarlet shouted angrily, waving a hand wrapped in bandages at the princess. She stormed off to a corner and crouched down; A permanent, dark scowl was etched onto her features.

Celestia looked inquisitively at Twilight, hoping for some answers.

Twilight gave a clueless shrug. "I have no clue, princess. I just found her like this two days ago, with glass embedded all over her arm, and then she collapsed on me. I… think she may also be in a bad mood." She could have sworn that the corner Scarlet slumped in just turned a shade darker than the rest of the room.

"Well, nonetheless, that doesn't change the fact that I have a new mission for the two of you. Scarlet will heal up quickly enough." Celestia dismissed the previous topic, addressing Scarlet and Twilight together. "I've made arrangements for the two of you to travel to your next destination, and I've prepared a few gifts, as well."

"Wait, the two of us? What about Spike?" Twilight asked.

"Spike will be helping me and the guard back in Canterlot," Celestia answered. "While you and he share an education about the creatures of Tartarus from Scarlet, he's been proven to be more… vulnerable in the field, as previous events have shown. I do not think it would be wise for Spike to continue accompanying you and Scarlet on these missions to hunt dangerous creatures."

Twilight looked around worriedly. "Um, about that, Princess Celestia, I… don't know if I can go through with this. At the beginning, it sounded simple in the beginning, but actually experiencing it, seeing my friends get hurt… well, it's all just too overwhelming." She looked despondently at her feet. "I'm sorry, princess. But it's just too difficult."

Celestia showed no signs of anger, but instead spoke with a gentle tone. "Twilight, nothing in the world is ever easy. Nothing that truly matters, at least. I know what I'm asking you to do is difficult, and I know that it's dangerous. That's why I'm entrusting you to Scarlet, who can make sure that you do not come to harm. She's someone who's gone through her fair share of struggles, even at a young age… believe me, I know. She can handle herself. And she can protect you and your friends as well, but only if you give her that chance. Equestria needs you now, Twilight. I need you. So please, won't you reconsider?"

Twilight looked up hesitantly, being met with Celestia's warm, motherly smile. Her insecurities seemed to vanish. How could she have been so selfish? If she didn't help Scarlet do this, then there would be serious repercussions. She was one of the most talented magic user of her age, save for the princesses themselves. Princess Celestia would be hard pressed to find someone else suitable enough for the job.

"All right, if you really think I can do it… then, I, I won't let you down, princess!" Twilight hastily resolved.

"Thank you for changing your mind, Twilight. You have no idea how much it means to me. And since you've decided to go, here," Celestia said, handing Twilight a small, purple pendant on a silver chain and an ornate, wooden bow. "Do you know what they are?"

Twilight traced the items with thoughtful fingers and eyes. "They feel like… magic amplifiers? Oh, the bow strengthens my arrows, while the pendant fine tunes my magic in general!" she exclaimed with glee. "These must have cost a fortune! Are you sure you want me to have them?"

"Take them with you, Twilight. They will keep you safe throughout your travels," Celestia said lovingly, as Twilight brandished her new bow and pendant.

"Wow, you mean it?" Twilight asked in bewilderment. "Thank you so much! I'll be sure to make you proud," she said confidently, giving a salute and walking out the doors with a smile.

Scarlet waited until Twilight was out of earshot. "Well, if that wasn't a complete load of crap, then I don't know what is," she said with a sneer. "A magic amplifier and a bow will keep her safe? Hah! I hope you didn't mean that. There's no safety to be found in a weapon. A weapon doesn't bring forth life, it spreads death. It saves nothing without slaying others. What's your game here, Celly?"

Celestia turned around, facing Scarlet with tired eyes. "There's certainly no fooling you, is there?" She asked, sighing softly. "You're right. Those were not gifts. They were responsibilities, burdens too heavy for me or you to carry by ourselves. And I can only hope that one day, Twilight will be able to forgive me."

"Burdens too heavy for us to carry alone, huh?" Scarlet muttered to herself.

"You may pretend to think otherwise now, but deep inside, you know it to be true." Celestia's tone grew concerned. "But do not think in any way that this means I want to put two people whom I consider dear to me in harm's way. I am simply left with no other choice. I don't want to do this, to entrust you with her, to entrust the both of you with the safety of Equestrian citizens, or to put anyone else other than myself in danger, but sacrifices must be made. Equestria's forces haven't witnessed action in decades. Any troops I send would not be combat ready, and I would be sending soldiers to their deaths. As for myself, Luna, and Discord, the monsters know and hide from us. This is my final option. Scarlet, I need you to do this. Equestria needs you to do this. Are you still willing to work for me?"

Scarlet shot a signature smirk at the princess, flipping her brown locks to the side. "Save the speech, Celestia. You're not winning me over with that silver tongue of yours. But… I guess I've got nothing better to do, so you have yourself a mercenary."

Celestia gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I may not know much about you, but I can see that you consider Twilight a friend, and that you wouldn't want to see her get hurt, either. You've put my mind somewhat at ease, Scarlet."

"Wait. What exactly more do you need from me, other than what I've already been doing?" Scarlet asked, standing up and walking to Celestia.

"I need you to keep Twilight safe, no matter the cost. She is the one person that I cannot afford to lose. Find the creatures from Tartarus. Throw yourself into every mysterious cavern, every magical ruin, every abandoned warehouse where rumours circulate. And when the time comes, I need you to be prepared to fight. Be prepared to kill. Be prepared to run. And above all else, be prepared to throw your life away at a moment's notice should the need arise."

Scarlet paused to take in Celestia's words before calmly replying with a question of her own. "So, then. Business as usual?" she asked, holding out her palm towards the princess.

Princess Celestia smiled softly, handing Scarlet her weapon. "Business as usual."

The Island of Mists (I)

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The Island of Mists (I)

The rumors about the island were true. Well, most of them, at least. The whole place has changed completely within a few, short years. So much so that I can't even recognize it anymore. It used to be a wildlife preserve, but ever since the whole Discord fiasco, the whole place has warped into a twisted ghost town. The water's become murky, the plants have thrived into a tangled jungle, and the eerie mist surrounding this place has gotten so thick that I can barely see five steps in front of me. It's made traversing the mountainside a hell of a lot more difficult than it needed to be. Even more strange, however, is the fact that throughout the entirety of my stay, I've yet to see a single animal here. It's all just flora here, no fauna at all to balance it out.

What's more, there is treasure on this island. I can confirm it. I've seen it with my own eyes, sparkling gems and gold doubloons spilling over each other in a shimmering mountain of wealth. It's all there, deep inside the caverns that burrow into the mountain, piled up for the world to see. But that's all useless to me now. Because… because the sailors were right.

I'm not alone on this island. There's something else here.

I don't know what they are. I don't know what they look like. All I know is that they're there, and they're out for blood. My blood. It was a mistake for me to not trust what they said about this place when I first heard of it. It almost makes me laugh, how stupid it all sounded back then. Yet here I am, paying penance for my sins in this form of cruel retribution. Stranded on a deserted island, being hunted savagely for my life on a daily basis.

I don't even know why I'm writing this down right now. Rather than a warning to future souls who venture into this place, this notebook is more of a satisfying way of distracting myself, and reminding myself that this is all real. After all, nobody who's set foot on this place has ever returned alive. That's the way it's been for the past few years, and I suppose that's the way it's going to stay. Heh, not such a promising sign for me, I guess. The locals can't do anything about it. Nobody can. The moment they set sail into the thick fog surrounding this place, no magic signals can get through. And once you're in the mist, you're gone forever... I can see why.

I came to this place two and a half weeks ago, on a zoology expedition with my colleagues, professor Rosewood and her assistant, Green April, to see how much the island had changed. About a few hours into the trip, we had our first encounter with them. After some time of coming across literally zero animals, or even insects on our expedition, we heard a faint hissing noise coming from deeper into the mountain. Naturally, the three of us got curious, and went on to investigate, eager to see where all the living creatures had disappeared off to.

That was our second big mistake. The first was ever setting foot on this blasted island at all. When we got closer to the hissing noise, the mist had still stubbornly refused to let up, and we still couldn't make out the direct source of the sound. When we got to where we thought it had come from, we couldn't find anything there. The hissing stopped abruptly, and it was replaced by a blood curdling screech that sent chills and shivers down my back.

Now, there were no dangerous creatures listed on the preserve's records, and some harmless animals tended to screech loudly to intimidate and scare off predators, so we decided to search for the source of the screeching.

That was our biggest, stupidest decision yet, and it would cost us professor Rosewood's life.

Since we couldn't see very far ahead of our own feet, we were travelling in a tightly packed group, linked with ropes tied around our waists. We were lined up in a row, with professor Rosewood leading, me in the middle, and Green April behind us. As the screeching grew louder, our steps grew more wary. However, without warning, the hissing fell completely silent. I felt a sudden, harsh tug on the professor's side of the rope. She screamed out in fear and in shock, and I felt the rope in front of me break loose. The other end of it tore with a resounding snap and fell on my leg limply, its tip coated red with moisture.

It all happened too fast for us to react. One moment, we were perfectly fine, and the next, all that was left of professor Rosewood was a piece of torn rope, a muddy black boot, and a few drops of blood on the ground. I wish I could say that we went back to try and rescue the professor, but I'm no hero. I knew that whatever that thing was, it had taken the professor down in a matter of seconds, and we would be no match for it. Even if we were, there was no guarantee that she was still alive. She'd fell silent, presumably from falling unconscious or from death.

At this point, I decided to leg it as fast as I could. Where? I didn't know, and I didn't care. I didn't have time to think where I was going. Anywhere but where that thing was. April was frozen in terror, but she managed to break free and feel the adrenaline rush through her legs when I tugged her along with my end of the rope. Together, we ran as fast as we could, through the ominous mist and entangled plant life that cultivated the mountainside. The marshes squelched wetness through our boots and socks, and the branches left sharp, red scratches all over our faces, but we didn't care. We just ran, and ran, and ran until the adrenaline wore off and we couldn't move our legs any longer.

How had they found us? The mist was too thick for anything to see through. These things were obviously relying on a different sense like sound or scent to track us, or their magic allowed their vision to pierce through this thick veil of fog. Unlikely but possible; there were still many undiscovered aspects of magic that no arcanist had ever found.

The two of us sat down on a nearby rock, regained our wits, and started thinking rationally for once. We needed to escape the island, we needed to do it as fast as we could, and we needed to do it without getting caught. I took out a small knife and some rope, and after some crude camouflage with the tree branches and leaves nearby, we made our way to the shore and silently sneaked our way around to where our boat had been.

But by the time we got there, it was already too late. The boat had been destroyed, and it hadn't been an accident or a coincidence. Fresh, sharp teeth marks lined pieces of the splintered wood, and all the supplies and equipment we'd left back there had been either broken into tiny pieces, or damaged beyond repair. Whatever these things were, they were intelligent and knew how to keep us helpless. We had no vision, no food, professor Rosewood was taken from us, and now we lost both our remaining equipment and our way back home. The nearest harbor was only a few hours away by boat, but we might as well have been stranded weeks away from civilization.

April and I retreated back into the woods, where we planned out our next course of action. Laying down our remaining tools in front of us, we managed to salvage my knife, an axe, some more rope, this notebook, an empty water bottle and a pack of iodine tablets, and a basic first aid kit from our pockets and backpacks. First order of business, disinfect the wounds we accumulated from our hysterical little jog through the forest. Then, we filled the canteen with water from a nearby river, and dropped in a few iodine tablets to purify it.

After taking care of physiological needs, we decided that the only way we were going to escape was by boat. Chances of someone else coming to rescue us was slim. We weren't very close with any of the locals, and the sailors were all too afraid of this place to come help a bunch of strangers. Back then, I scoffed at them for fearing a harmless little wildlife preserve. Turns out that I was the real idiot, huh?

Circling around the island, we scoured and plotted out a map of the island's features and locations. We still dared not return to the place where we'd lost the professor, and there were still many blank gaps missing from our findings, but we did manage to find the treasure trove, as well as a group of trees close to the shore that could serve as raft material. Over the course of a week and a half, we chopped down the trees, tied them together, and tried formed a crude raft out of the wooden pieces. I took my knife to carve out an oar for steering, since we didn't have any sails, or even any wind in the area, for that matter.

Of course, we had to do it in absolute secrecy to keep hidden from the hunters that stalked the forest. The raft and pieces were covered up by a blanket of leaves, and we worked as silently as we could. At night, we took turns sleeping, while the other kept guard for any danger. That would prove fruitless, however, as many of the nights, the constant hissing and screeching of creatures patrolling the island would keep us up throughout the night. By the end of the first three days, our eyes were bloodshot and bagged with heavy, darkened skin. We were dozing off in the middle of work, and often, one of us would have to nudge the other awake.

Two nights ago, however, they almost found us. The screeching and hissing was louder than ever, and we knew that the patrol of hunters had inevitably reached our part of the island. I didn't know what to do. I guess I didn't even have a backup plan, relying on nothing but unfounded hope that we'd be able to finish in time before they found us. We had no time to move the raft, and even though we could escape, they would most likely find and destroy what we'd made so far. I started to panic. That was the last of the wood in this area, and if we made another raft further into the island, we wouldn't be able to get it into the ocean. Frantically pacing around, I wracked my brain but came up empty as the creatures drew closer and closer.

It was then that Green April pulled off something completely insane, something I would never have allowed her to do if I'd gotten the chance to stop her. She turned her head to me, and told me that she'd draw them away as a decoy to prevent the raft from being discovered. Before I could do anything, the girl broke off into a full sprint with a determined, desperate look in her eyes, dashing off into the caverns. The creatures drew dangerously close as they followed her into the depths of the mountain, and I couldn't do anything but hide and sit helpless as the hissing passed by right beside me.

During the two days that I finished up the final touches and bindings to the raft, I waited for April. I waited and I waited, refusing to sleep at all for the past forty eight hours in case she came back to me during the night… But I haven't heard from her since. They're about to patrol this area again tonight, and I'll have no choice to leave without her. I've tied the raft down by the shore, and I'm ready to leave any time.

…Still no sign of April. The sun's set, and I can hear them hissing and screeching again. They've come for me. It's time to leave.

That's it from me. I'm leaving this notebook behind for now. I can only afford to take what I need, if I want to make the last stretch to my raft and row my way out of the mist. If anyone finds this, who knows how long from now, don't bother looking for me. I'm not here anymore. I feel weak in my knees, I haven't slept in days, and I haven't eaten or drank anything but water for two weeks. My breaths are ragged, my body is feverish, and I'm more scared than anything I've felt in my life. The raft is flimsy, the rope's weak and ready to snap without a moment's notice. I may have even waited too long for April. They're so close now, I'll likely be exposed to them the moment I get on the water. There's a slim chance that this'll work, and more than a thousand ways it could go wrong. But I swear to god, I'm going to get off this god forsaken island — or I'm going to die trying.

Equestrian Shores(II)

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Equestrian Shores

Melenken Coast was a town on the outskirts of Equestria's West shores. Built almost dangerously close to the roaring waves of the sea, it could be said that the town was closer to the foreign countries across the oceans than to the mainland itself. Serving as the country's unofficial main trade center, the crude but sturdy pillars in the town's countless buildings helped to support not only their walls and ceiling, but created foundations for Equestria's economy as well. Lights in both inn and hotel lobbies all around the place burned late into the night, as haggling negotiations between merchants constantly took place over a well brewed mug of ale and the drunken guffaws of the hearty sailors a few tables over.

The bustling streets were filled with merchants both young and veteran, placing, taking, and confirming orders of goods and supplies to travel to distant lands beyond. The impressive ships of the sailors set anchor in the nearby harbors, their folded sails and masts towering over even the four and five story buildings that the rustic town had managed to build with great effort. The whole town was so different from both the calm and serene fields of nature and surrounding towns, and the slightly more refined, organized towns where people were accustomed to dealing with high society and metropolitan corporations. While the rest of Equestria had changed over time, Melenken Coast's international affairs had let it branch off into a completely new culture, coarse and unrefined but rewarding and hardworking at the same time.

Naturally, this appealed to a lot of people not originally from the mainland. Those not of arcanist, airborne, or earthbound descent may have appreciated the overly friendly atmosphere of Equestria, but felt more at home in a place like Melenken Coast. Among the crowds of Equestrians, one could make out a large portion of avian, cave dweller, and even the occasional zeban civilians. The coast was one of a kind; there was nowhere like it anywhere in Equestria, and quite possibly, the world.

To reduce crowding the place and help with the detached, independent atmosphere, most Equestrians were not allowed access to its waters and attractions. Almost all of the people here were either foreigners, merchants, or sailors. Those who wished to visit or live there needed an interview with the mayor just to get in, unless there was a special appeal from Canterlot's royal court. At the moment, Twilight had just that on a slip of paper in her hands. She still couldn't believe it. Melenken Coast was a place that Twilight would never have thought of visiting before. Well, maybe not never, but at least not for a very long time. Yet now, here she was, in this wonderful place where everything was so different and new. She felt so privileged just being able to set foot in the place.

"Ugh… Hurry up, Twilight! The sooner we finish up and get out of this place, the better," Scarlet grunted, a few paces ahead of her companion.

Well, I guess the view's not for everyone, Twilight thought. "I'm just taking a look around, Scarlet. Sheesh," she said, dashing up to her annoyed partner. "And why don't you try to take this one slow? We hardly even know what we're supposed to be looking for. Besides, what's so bad about this place, anyways?"

"…I have my reasons," Scarlet concluded, shooting a few dirty looks to the people around. They didn't seem to notice much, but that didn't stop her from pulling an extremely strained expression for the time being. "Whatever, let's just get going," said Scarlet, throwing up her hood, and Twilight decided not to press any further on the issue.

Striding through town, the two girls eventually made their way inside The Trident, a bar in the middle of the city. Even midday, it was filled with customers, both sailors and merchants alike as they shared business, laughs, and drinks between old and new friends. To the side, a band of several different members, instruments and species were playing a lively, cheerful tune. Twilight and Scarlet stepped in through the front doors, and walked between several tables to reach the counter.

"What can I get you, miss?" the barkeep asked. He was a lean, tall, middle-aged man with his hair waxed to the side. He stood out like a sore thumb for some reason, as if he didn't seem to fit in with the atmosphere of the aspiring businessmen and loud drunkards around the place.

"Give us two shots of whiskey," replied Scarlet, grinning as she slammed a handful of bits on the counter.

Twilight gave her a condescending look. "Scarlet…"

"What? We're in a bar! You got a problem with having a drink or two? We're both old enough." Scarlet said casually, as she took hold of a small glass that the barkeeper set down in front of her.

"We're here on business!" Twilight growled, getting embarrassed at her partner's unprofessional demeanor. She certainly seemed comfortable now.

Scarlet raised the glass in her hand, downing it in one big gulp. She set it back on the counter, letting out a sigh of pleasure. "Ahh… Doesn't mean we can't enjoy a bit of liquor every now and then," she replied, sliding the second cup over to Twilight.

However, the dutiful arcanist pushed it back to her, sighing. "All right, but none for me. The less alcohol I have in my system, the better it is for my brain. And to be honest, I've never quite enjoyed the taste of it, anyways."

"Your loss," Scarlet shrugged, taking the second glass and gulping it down as fast as the first. "Say, why don't we split up for now, and ask around about things that may help our little investigation?" she asked.

"That's… actually not such a bad idea," Twilight posed. "We'll be able to cover more ground with two search parties, and I doubt anything big is going to happen today. I'll head into town and talk to some of the merchants and shipping companies."

"Meanwhile, I'll stay here, asking around the rest of the people. You can learn a lot about the town from its local bar residents," Scarlet grinned, not-so-sneakily eyeing the bottles on the wall behind the counter.

So that's her real objective… Twilight thought, mentally rolling her eyes. "All right… but make sure you don't go drinking too much, okay?" Twilight raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Relax," Scarlet smiled back, waving the empty little whiskey glass at her. "I can take at least five more of these things and another bottle of rum before I get drunk."

"Well… if you say so, I guess it's all right," Twilight smiled sheepishly. "Then, I'll meet you back here in two hours."

"Sounds good to me," Scarlet agreed, and Twilight walked out of the bar to begin.

After approximately two hours of walking around town, knocking on doors, asking questions, and taking notes and pictures, Twilight had a decently thick pile of documents in her portfolio. The fundamental structure of the whole investigation was just like a research report, to which Twilight was no stranger. Gather information, compile, compare notes and filter out unimportant data, and finally be left with a hypothesis of the end result. With all the information that she'd gathered, Twilight already had a general idea of where to take things from here. She couldn't wait to see what Scarlet had come up with during the time they were separated. Twilight cut across the streets at a brisk pace back to The Trident, where she'd promised to meet with Scarlet in three minutes. However, as she turned the corner, she stepped out to face the building lit up like a light bulb, and a heavy clamor of music and cheering coming from inside its walls.

With what she saw in front of her, and with the fact that scarlet had been in that place for two hours, Twilight reached a clear conclusion. "…That can't be good."

The volume grew drastically when Twilight opened the door. Stepping in, her eardrums were assaulted with the cacophony of sounds, especially the sounds of sailors and merchants cheering over the song that the band was playing. They had switched the song and the mood, kicking it up a notch from when Twilight has previously visited the place. The fiddler's bow moved elegantly yet furiously, playing faster than what Twilight thought was humanly possible. The saxophone accompaniment refused to be beat, however, as the player's fingers were literally a blur on the brass piped instrument. Along with a guitar and an accordion by their sides, the tune took on a fantastically fast paced, lively, foreign gypsy-themed jig.

When Twilight managed to get past the first wall of people and tables blocking her way, she saw a familiar figure in the middle of the room, dancing rigorously. Twilight muttered beneath her breath as she moved in to get a closer look. "Please don't be Scarlet, please don't be Scarlet, please don't be—"

It was definitely Scarlet, and she was in full throttle. Earnestly keeping beat to the furious rhythm of the gypsy fiddle, the enthusiastic girl's movements were as quick and agile in dance as they were in combat. Dominating the stage with what looked like a mix of fast paced ballet, a variety of folk dances, and freestyle, Scarlet drew on applause from the audience as they clapped along to the beat, eyes fixed on the upbeat dancer.

Seeing Twilight from across the room, Scarlet twirled her way over to her friend. The people that were only watching had already begun to dance with one another, following the mood set by Scarlet.

"Twilight!" Scarlet shouted over the music and noise. Her face was beet red, and her breath reeked of alcohol. "Welcome back! Did ya find anything useful?"

"Are you drunk? You said that you'd be able to hold your liquor!" Twilight shouted back.

Scarlet wrapped an arm around Twilight. "Yeah, I did, up to like, eight more bottles!" she yelled enthusiastically.

"Eight more— Just how much did you drink?" Twilight asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"I don't know, I lost count after ten!" Scarlet hollered back, face still red from the alcohol.

"Ten? Ten of what?!"

"Ten of everything!" Scarlet slurred giddily, flailing a pointed hand to the side with an intoxicated chuckle.

Twilight looked to the side where Scarlet's hand pointed towards, to where their table was. On it, a lone wallet lay buried underneath a mountain of glass bottles. Twilight didn't even need to ask to know that both the wallet and the bottles were all empty.

"Why did the Princess stick me with you…?" Twilight sighed, slapping a hand to her face.

Scarlet slumped down onto Twilight. "I'm sure… she has… her reasons…" she replied drowsily, and them promptly fell asleep.

"Woah!" Twilight reacted, as Scarlet collapsed on her. Trying to support her weight with what force her thin arms held, she decided it would be a better way to carry her with magic, after all. Twilight's hands glowed, and Scarlet rose a few feet in the air. The tired arcanist huffed, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes. She had just spent the past few hours trying as hard as she could to get a lead on what they were supposed to fix, and in the meanwhile, Scarlet had drunk enough alcohol to kill five grown men. It was going to be a long night.

The creature lay hidden, crouched behind the thick branches of the springtime forest. It had been doing so for a good part of the whole day, avoiding the light that stung its eyes so much. Normally, that wouldn't have been a problem, but these were not normal circumstances. The creature was heavily injured. Its limbs fell limp at its sides, and its fetid breaths that huffed out in short clumps reeked of illness. It needed food. More specifically, it needed blood. Blood would be the magical solution to all its problems. After its thirst for the succulent life essence had been quenched, it would be whole again. Its wounds would be healed. Its fatigue would vanish, replaced by overwhelming strength.

The vampire had stumbled across the small house half dead, about to pass out if it strained itself any further. It decided to take a rest in the shade of the tree branches and leaves, which were cool, refreshing, and free from both sunlight and predators that could easily finish off the creature in its weakened state. It had inspected the wooden lodge and its surroundings, finding a grown man, woman, and an adolescent boy. Normally, the creature would never drink human blood. It would make do with the lives of birds and beasts, and the occasional snack of fish. But beggars couldn't be choosers. It needed blood, and the beasts in the surrounding area were either too quick or too strong for it to prey on in its situation. The creature thought out its options. If it had come across the family a day or two ago, then it would have had no problems slaughtering the lot of them, and feasting on their remains. But as things were now, any one of them could easily overpower it and kill it, before it had the chance to taste even a drop of crimson. As the creature grit its teeth in contemplation, its eyes spotted its prey.

It was a godsend. A young, tasty looking child, skipping along the road to town. The one called Lizbeth. The succulent morsel of flesh was tiny and weak. The little girl wouldn't be able to counterattack the creature if it decided to feast on her. She was but a mere child, and could easily be picked off on her own. The creature crawled through the branches, leaves rustling slightly in its wake. The girl was close. Directly below it. Cracking a wide sneer of victory, it slowly reached out through the branches and—

—Shot back into the leaves and branches in pain. As it had moved to stalk the girl, the creature had unknowingly entered a patch of light that had found its way to the branch that it was sitting on. Its eyes stung like nothing it had ever experienced before. The creature grit its teeth, rubbing its poor, burning eyes. When it was able to open them again, the girl had disappeared from its sight. Letting out a deep sigh, the creature curled up in the branches once more. A slight setback, but it would be able to feast when the girl returned with the shroud of night.

And return she did, even if she took an insufferably long time to do so. Merrily making her way back home with a bag of spices by her side, the girl had entered through her doors as the accursed rays of the sun finally began to dim. As soon as the night fell and the thin crescent of moonshine rose into the sky, the creature's eyes glinted a sharp silver that mirrored the stars above. As soon as it was certain that the sun was gone for the night, it descended from the treetops, making its move.

Silently creeping around the little house, the creature made its way around to the windows of the rooms. Peering into the glass panes it passed by, it caught glimpses of the parents sleeping in one room, and the boy sleeping in another. Even dormant, there was no way of knowing for certain that the older, stronger inhabitants would remain defenseless as it sank its fangs into their necks. The creature decided against attacking them for now, and kept walking around to the girl's room.

Turning to the last of the house's walls, what the creature had been searching for was finally before him. Through the thin sheet of glass, the girl lay peacefully tucked in her bed, the faint rises and falls of her chest barely visible under moonlit sky.

It would take some work to remain silent, but the creature managed to persevere. It extended its claws to a lethal point, but they would not be used for maiming and killing tonight. Instead, it started to scratch away at the wooden wall around the window, tearing off tiny bits and pieces in an attempt to break in. After what seemed like an eternity, its efforts paid off, as the wooden framework now bore a hole large enough for the vampire to squeeze through.

After all the waiting, after all the excruciating endurance of its wounds, the creature's prize finally lay there, before its feet. Peacefully dormant, blissfully ignorant about what was about to happen to her. The creature ran its tongue over its lips, and spread apart its set of fanged teeth. Its mouth began to water as it thought about what was about to happen.

A single drop of saliva fell to the sheets below, leaving a small, dark stain where it landed. The vampire descended on its prey, clasping a clawed hand over the little girl's mouth to prevent any screaming if she awoke. It didn't want its precious meal time to be disturbed, after all. With its other hand, the creature pushed back the girl's dark locks, brushing them aside to reveal the smooth skin underneath. It curled its lips back, descending on the girl's exposed neck and sinking its fangs in..

The taste was everything the creature had imagined, and more. The moist, crimson liquid spilled into its mouth, bursts of flavour splashing onto its tongue. It could feel its strength being replenished, as a red aura coated the creature's entire body with magic. The wounds on the vampire's body began to heal rapidly. Cuts and lacerations closed up seamlessly, and bruises faded away to nothing.

The girl gave almost no resistance at all. As the vampire continued to quench its thirst, the sleeping Lizbeth shuddered slightly before settling back down, unable to break free from both the monster's cold hands or the embrace of her dreams. Lacking the strength to defy her assailant, she could do nothing but stay motionless as the creature drank its fill.

As the vampire drained more and more of the girl's blood, it felt an uncontrollable drowsiness take over. Even with the healing properties that the meal granted, it could by no means use it to outrun the fatigue that it had suffered through over the past few days. Within moments, the creature rolled over to the side, pulling its fangs out of the girl's neck. She lay limply unconscious, quite possibly dead. Her body was that of a ragdoll as the vampire pushed her to the side, taking her place in the bed. It knew that it was a mistake to be doing this, to be lying down in vulnerability in the scene of the crime. However, it could do nothing to stop the near drugged state of sleepiness consume its entire mind. Before the vampire knew it, its eyes were already closed shut, its unholy silver pupils hidden by the sheet of thin skin.

The vampire woke to the irritating rays of dawn, glaring brightly onto its face from the hole in the wall next to it. Quietly, it exited the house through the small opening, and walked through the field of grass to behind a thicket of trees nearby before any of the other members of the house awoke. It made its way through the forest with slow, lethargic strides that drew the attention of the wary animals nearby. The vampire paid no heed to them, however, as it was drawn to the sound of flowing water.

The creature came across a small stream, which it then followed to a larger lake. It crouched down and peered into the surface of the still water, reflecting its own visage back with the sunlight. Its face was matted with dark patches of dried blood, some parts more fresh than others. As it leaned in to wash the grime off, the rich aroma of the fluid filled its senses. The crimson washed away into the lake, clumps of red falling off in chunks and sinking to the bottom of the water. The vampire was transfixed by it, the dissolving liquid calling out to it.

From behind the vampire, a man approached wearing hiking clothes and a backpack filled with equipment. Seeing the creature hunched over the river, he took a few steps towards it. "Oi, you over there, you okay?" he called out in a gruff, yet gentle voice.

The vampire barely heard the man's words through the mesmerized state for the blood before her. Her face and neck were now washed completely clean, and the chunks of blood had either dissolved into the water or sunk to the bottom of the lake, but it still couldn't forget the sweet scent of the crimson liquid.

Slowly and cautiously, the man reached an arm out to grab the vampire's shoulder, and turn it to face him. The vampire looked into the man's eyes, which were full of concern. "It's dangerous around the woods this time of year, what with the timberwolves and predators and whatnot. What's a girl like you doing all the way out in the middle of nowhere?"

The vampire must have seemed like an ordinary human to the man, as she hadn't exposed her silver-ringed eyes or her sharp claws and fangs yet. "You got a name?" the man asked.

Did it have a name? Of course it had a name. It was…

It was… what was it again? The vampire couldn't remember. The creature's brain registered the question this time, but was still preoccupied with what it had seen before. The hypnotizing, red blood. But the word 'red' didn't do the colour justice. 'Red' seemed too plain, too boring. The colour of blood was rich. It was deep, it was seductive. It was all that it had ever desired. No, more than that, it was desire itself. It wasn't just red, it was—

"…Scarlet," the girl muttered.

"What was that?"

"Scarlet. My name is Scarlet."

"Ugh… what happened?" Scarlet asked, head throbbing and vision foggy. Sitting up, even slowly, made the pain even worse. Taking a look around, she seemed to be in an inn with Twilight, a simple two-bed room that they'd rented out for the night.

"Well, you got drunk off an amount of liquor that would be enough to knock out an elephant, partied and danced for two hours at The Trident, passed out when I came to get you, and now I assume you're having a massive hangover, for starters," Twilight replied.

"Huh… Um, okay?" Scarlet replied. Twilight couldn't tell if she was in a state of mind to understand what had been said to her, or if she was just replying for the sake of replying.

"Whoa, what happened to you?" Scarlet asked, a curious expression on her face. Her own eyes were bloodshot from the hangover, but Twilight, who hadn't drunk at all last night, had eyes even more red than hers. She looked absolutely exhausted.

"Please promise me you won't do something like that again. The amount of liquor you drank could, no, should have killed you! I stayed up all night casting monitoring spells to check your vital signs. You had me worried sick!" Twilight scolded.

"Aww, so you do care!" Great. Seemed like she was back to normal.

Twilight sighed. "Well, now that you're back to normal… or as close to 'normal' as you're ever going to get, I'm going to go to bed…" her voice trailed off, and Twilight slumped forward on the bed next to Scarlet, falling asleep almost instantly.

Scarlet smiled, and snuggled into her own sheets. Turning the other way, the two arcanists fell asleep, backs facing each other. Work could take a little break, for at least as long as they slept.

However, while Scarlet slumbered with a smile on her face, Twilight's own expression was a plastered look of concern. She hadn't told Scarlet this, but some of the spells that she performed to ensure her health were to monitor her mental health and consciousness, as well as her subconscious. With the help of the powerful magic, Twilight had seen what lay inside her dreams.

Deep in the dead of night, hands aglow and mana spurring, the secrets of Scarlet were revealed for her to see. But this was no ordinary dream. Twilight recognized the realness of it, the detail, the logic, the complexity of it all. This was no dream. It was a memory, that played over and over again inside Scarlet's dreams. She'd seen it all. The cabin, the family, the victim, and the monster. She could do nothing but watch, and take in what was happening before her eyes, and what had happened so long ago.

As the rays of sun rose high into the sky, and Twilight and Scarlet both remained asleep, a short, unfinished letter lay folded and tucked away in Twilight's bag:

Dear Princess Celestia:

Who is Scarlet?

A Young Lady's Guide to the Demon Slaying Arts

by Protocol

Index

Monsters in Canterlot

Those Silver Eyes

Dreams of Dread

Surprise Visit

Little Girls and Troubled Students

Dragon Retrieval 101 (I)

It's a Trap! (II)

Secrets

This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

The Island of Mists (I)

Equestrian Shores(II)