Chapter 29

“Can’t you do something about this?!” Doo yelled while hiding under me.

“Can’t…fucking…hold it!” I grit my teeth as hard as I tried holding up the ceiling with Concrete.

Then suddenly the ground began to shake as we heard a scream. Without warning something burst through the wall.

“Eeeeee! Get them off, get them off!!” Orion screeched.

The crash Orion did managed to break whatever mechanism that made the ceiling go downwards. The impact was also so intense that it made me and Doo stumble back as dust kicked up everywhere in the room.

“Orion?!” I coughed, waving my hand in the air. “That you?!”

Before he said anything Orion ran through the other wall screaming like a damn banshee.

“I can feel their legs on me!!” Orion shrieked louder.

“Orion!” I yelled and me and Doo ran after him. “Fucking stop! You’re busting up everything!”

We watched as Orion busted through one more wall and led to a new hallway. When the dust settled Orion was panting and covered in green stains and some bug parts.

“I hate bugs,” Orion grumbled.

I marched up to Orion and smacked the back of his head as hard as I could.

“The fuck is wrong with you?! You trying to bring the whole goddamn temple down on us?!” I snapped.

“Next time we’ll make you face your phobia!” Orion shot back standing at full height. “Didn’t help that the lever you made me try to grab wasn’t actually in there either!”

“How the hell was I supposed to know?! This whole place is a fucking clusterfuck of fuckery!” I yelled back.

Orion shook off the dust and bug guts off his body before calming down. “Well, I don’t think it matters now, since we managed to find our way into the next passage.”

I looked around and noticed that we were standing in front of another large door. This one had carvings that looked like different kinds of animals.

“What do you suppose is in there?” I wondered.

“Only one way to find out,” Doo said. “Orion, if you would? And try not to smash it this time.”

Orion blushed but stepped up to the door and began to push it open, making the large doors creek open. The inside was a lot more intricate-looking than the other rooms. There were large columns that had different animal carvings in each corner. Sitting in the center of the room were four huge stone blocks, each one looked like the head of an animal of some kind.

“Incredible,” Doo said in awe. “The ancient tribes must’ve carved these pillars to honor the predators of the jungle.”

Orion looked around and shook his head. “Since when does a turtle count as a predator of the jungle?” Orion asked as he pointed to a large carving of a turtle.

“It’s a reptile?” I guessed with a shrug.

We all took a look around the room and tried to make heads or tails of everything. “Hey look here.” Orion called out pointing to a cylinder under the turtle carving. “This is the word for West.” The word he was talking about was just a symbol that looked almost Chinese.

“How do you know that?” I wondered

“Because that’s what it says here. See this symbol?” Orion tapped the symbol, but when he did the cylinder turned and a new symbol took its place. “Whoa, now that’s the symbol for North.”

“That’s trippy,” I said.

“I don’t believe I’ve ever seen symbols like these,” Doo sighed. “I was too focused on learning about their history and artifacts.”

“Guess we’ll leave this one to you, dude,” I said.

“Hmm.” Orion glanced around the room and took into account the different carvings. Then he turned his attention to the center of the room. “Hey guys check it out.”

Orion was pointing to a pedestal with four gem stones on it. There were holes where the gemstones would go, and they were each lined up with the different carvings.

“That looks complex,” I said.

“Does it work as some kind of opening mechanism?” Doo wondered.

“If it does it all ties together with these.” Orion pointed to the stone carvings before moving to the pedestal. “Hmm a red, blue, white and black gem.” He glanced back at the carvings. “A tiger, dragon, bird and turtle…could it be?”

“Could be what?” I asked.

“The four guardians of Neighpan?” Doo spoke up.

“You know about them too?” Orion asked with a smile on his face, still leaving me in the dark.

“They are four mythological creatures appearing among the Neighpan constellations, and viewed as the guardians of the four cardinal directions. These four creatures are also referred to by a variety of other names, including Four Guardians, Four Gods, and Four Auspicious Beasts,” Doo explained. “The people of Neighpan worship them as their deities.”

“Their names are Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise.” Orion then looked at everything in the room and snapped his fingers. “That’s it, that’s the puzzle.”

“Someone please fill me in…” I groaned.

“The gem stones represent the colors of the figures, and the symbols with the directions on them are what part direction each one guards. We just need to put them all in the proper order,” Orion explained.

“And how do you suppose we do that?” I asked.

“It’s simple.” Onion pointed to the dragon carving. “Go over there and turn the cylinder until I say stop.”

Not sure what I should do otherwise, I walked to the dragon carving and began to turn the cylinder.

“Stop,” Orion called out, and I did so. “That’s the symbol for East, which is where the dragon governs.”

“And the tortoise faces north?” Doo said.

“That’s right.” Orion nodded before going to the last two and turning the cylinders himself. “The tiger faces west, and the bird faces south.” The moment Orion finished turning the cylinder we heard a loud thunk. “That’s the first lock down, and now all that’s left is the gemstones.”

I followed his directions and took each of the gemstones. I walked around the room and carefully placed each one in their respective slots and took a step back. There was another loud thunk, followed by another, and the main door on the center all slowly began to open.

“Look at you, Mr. Smarty Pants,” I smirked, elbowing Orion playfully.

“Oh come on, it’s nothing. I just learned the legend while I was traveling, is all.” Orion said shyly.

“No, I agree,” Doo said, walking up to Orion with her hands behind her back. “Your knowledge is second to none, Orion, you’ve truly impressed me.”

I couldn’t help smirking as I watched his cheeks flush and scratch the back of his head. “I-I mean you’re not bad yourself, Doo, beauty, brains and strength, you’re the full package.”

Doo’s cheeks now turned a shade of pink.

“You think Doo’s a beauty, bro?” I teased.

“W-What I-I!” Orion started to stutter as his face burned hot. “L-Let’s just move on, before I say something else.”

I laughed a little as we walked through the door and Doo was twirling her hair with a smile. As we walked along the corridor, something felt off this time compared to the rest of the place. The temperature seemed colder and I got this uneasy feeling in my gut.

“Is it me, or did the atmosphere just change dramatically,” I said.

“Hmm it does feel colder in here. And the air is fresher compared to the rest of the temple. Maybe there’s an opening here?” Orion glanced around the room and quickly pointed to a hole in the ceiling. “Look.”

The room we had just stepped into was massive. It was arguably the size of a baseball stadium, and there was a single hole in the ceiling where the light shined in. In the center of the room was a small pedestal with something sitting on top. It looked like some kind of shiny rock thing that glimmered in the light. As soon as I took a step forward, something within me pulsated throughout my body. I tensed up and I found myself staring at the rock on the pedestal.

“What the…?” I mumbled.

“Something wrong, Ax?” Orion asked while he and Doo looked around the room.

“That…thing on the pedestal,” I said, slowly pointed at it.

Orion looked at the rock and seemed curious. “What? You mean the rock there?”

“I…feel something-” I said.

HHISSSSSSSSSS…

“Look out!!” Suddenly, me and Doo were tackled by Orion and sent flying back.

Doo and I hit the ground after being tackled. When we regained our senses, we both gasped at what was towering over us. A huge snake monster that was several meters tall loomed over us with huge razor sharp fangs. A purple ooze dripped from its fangs, fizzled when it hit the ground.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!” I said, grabbing my Amp and charging up.

“My guess, this has to be the guardian of the Temple of the Vanishing Serpent.” Orion added as he helped Doo to her feet. “If AJ was here, she’d would say that is one pug ugly armadilla.”

“HHHHHIIIIIIISSSSSSSSS!!” The serpent hissed loudly at us.

“Oh, you wanna go, you fugly worm?!” I yelled and charged my electricity more. “Then let’s fucking go!”

“How are you doing that?!” Doo said.

“Yeah, my friend, isn’t like your normal person.” I heard Orion joke, before seeing him lift up a massive rock, and tossing it at the snake’s body.

The rock smashed square in the Snake’s head, which only made it angrier.

“Well, that only pissed it off!” I said and was about to sprint right at the serpent. “I’ll take it from here!”

“Hold up.” I felt the back of my collar being grabbed, making me gag as I nearly choked myself. “How about you let me handle this guy?”

“Did you forget who’s the super powered Conduit?” I asked rhetorically.

“You may have super powers, but I’ve been holding back myself.” Orion smiled before looking at the massive snake creature. “Besides, this creature must have been here for well over hundreds of years, do you know what that means?”

“It’s extremely hungry and you look like a nice snack?” I asked.

“No. It means that its meat has been properly aged and could be tender.” I saw a look on Orion’s face that I’ve never once seen. Drool dripped from his mouth and he looked like he was a starving man eyeing an all you can eat buffet. “This guy is the one to be the snack.”

“WHAT?!” Both me and Doo yelped.

“Orion, you’ve officially lost it!” I barked. “First you wanna fight it, now you wanna eat it?!”

“You can’t possibly be serious?!” Doo said.

I was about to smack some sense into him, when I felt another wave of chills run down my spine. There was this ominous and almost terrifying aura coming off Orion that was telling me to stand back. Orion looked back at us with a look that could kill.

“Do you got a problem with that?” Orion asked in a low tone.

“Uh…no?” I said, taking a step back.

“SSCREEEEEEEE!!” The serpent screeched again and came in for another charge.

Orion turned and quickly picked up another rock with one hand. With a flick of his arm he sent the rock flying and stabbed the monster serpent in one of its eyes.

The serpent screeched in pain and tried slashing at us with its claws. I quickly switched to Video and summoned my wings before grabbing Doo and pulling her out of the way.

“You better know what you’re fucking getting yourself into, Orion! I don’t wanna have to tell AJ how you bit it!” I called out.

Orion just waved his hand dismissively before jumping straight at the snake. I watched in shock as he reeled his arm back and swung it on the side of the snake’s jaw, making the beast knock over and slam into one of the walls.

Another loud screech came from the serpent as it pulled itself out from the wall. It seethed at Orion and sounded like it was hocking up something before spitting its venom. Guessing the attack was coming, Orion had jumped behind a large rock, and while it did block the venmo, it also began to melt away some of the rock.

“Shit…that was close,” I said.

“Aren’t you going to help him?” Doo asked.

“I would, but he insisted on it,” I said as the serpent readied its claws in the air. “And my gut’s telling me it’d be best not to interfere.”

As the snake launched his claws hand at Orion, he didn’t dodge but instead planted his feet into the ground. The arm struck him, but he grabbed onto it and was pushed along the ground. I watched as it dragged his body along the floor, before he grabbed one of the fingers and twisted it hard enough that a loud crack echoed inside the room.

“Holy shit!” I yelled. “How the fuck is he doing that?!”

“You’ve never seen him do this?” Doo asked.

“Well, I knew he was strong, but I didn’t know he was capable of this,” I said in awe.

The serpent roared in pain loosening its grip on Orion, enough that he could slip out and run along its arm.

“Let’s try this out.” Once he was close enough he jumped to the front of the snake’s face.

“Three Fold! Ren Kugi Panchi!”

Orion slammed his fist into the snake’s forehead and I watched as its head slammed into the wall three times as three loud booms went off.

The multi-impact punch once again sent the serpent flying into the wall. Now I could tell the serpent was beyond pissed off as venom oozed like a faucet out of its mouth. Like a rabid animal, the serpent thrashed its body everywhere as it came charging at full speed towards Orion.

Orion didn’t move, instead he raised his hands out before slowly bringing them together, his palms touching. “I give my humble thanks for the vast bounty this world provides.”

The aura around Orion became much more intense, and for a sliver of a second it looked like a red demon loomed over him.

Suddenly, I heard the clanking of metal as he scraped his hands together. “Now, let’s eat.”

When the snake’s jaw came within a few inches of Orion’s body, he calmly side stepped before stabbing one hand into the side of the snake’s head.

“FORK!!”

The snake wailed in pain as his hand pierced its head, before Orion raised his other arm up high, closing his fingers together and bringing it down.

“KNIFE!!”

In one single swipe, Orion decapitated the snake’s head ending its screams of agony.

I was at a loss for words. How the hell could I even fathom what I had just witnessed? This guy, a seemingly harmless, yet strong as hell, guy just butchered a giant snake monster. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen or would see. Orion stood among the serpent’s corpse and clapped his hands together.

“Thank you for this meal.” Orion bowed his head, before turning to me and Doo with a goofy smile. “Who’s hungry?”

Doo and I were still at a loss for words. We slowly walked over to Orion as he examined the corpse and occasionally wiped his mouth of drool.

“Jeezus, dude, that was fucking epic as hell,” I said, still catching my breath.

“Ah, well, it wasn’t all that,” Orion chuckled as he kicked the head far away. “But hey, would you mind if I ate some of the meat right now? I’d be disrespectful if I didn’t try and eat what I killed.”

“Uh…yeah go for it,” I said. “Is that even edible?”

“I’m pretty sure it is, and even if it tastes horrible, I must eat some of the meat. I kill what I intend to eat. And I only eat what I kill. This is the law my people once followed.” There was a look of sorrow on Orion’s face. “Before it was considered taboo.”

Doo walked up to Orion and looked at him straight in his eyes.

“How did you do that?” She then proceeded to pat Orion’s body all over. “Do you have some kind of physical enhancement potion? Or maybe someone cast a spell on you?”

Orion said nothing at first, but instead he moved to a pile of rocks and pulled out two that were flat and high enough for us to sit on. “Take a seat, this will be a bit of a story.”

Doo and I sat down. He then sliced off a big slab of meat and carried it in the middle. He looked at me as if expecting me to do something, and I just rolled my eyes and snapped my fingers to light a flame in the middle.

“Thanks.” He smiled as he stabbed the meat onto a stick and placed it near the fire. “To pony-humans here, eating meat isn’t a sin, nor is it frowned upon.” His smile slowly disappeared. “But in my village, which is secluded from the world, it is forbidden.”

“Forbidden?” Doo said.

He nodded as he turned the meat. “Long ago there was a mighty warrior named Acacia the Glutton.. He had a love for eating as well as fighting.”

Orion turned his gaze upwards deep in thought. “They say he made a deal with a demon to give his clan a powerful ability. By devouring the flesh of a beast you’ve slain, you shall inherit their strength along with your own.”

“Woah…that’s kinda cool,” I said.

“You would think, but you are wrong,” Orion said coldly. “At first, he hunted down strong beasts to consume so he may inherit their strength, power which he used to fend off invaders.”

Orion then stared into the fire. “But making a deal with a demon comes with a price. With every beast Acacia ate, the more he grew more powerful, but he began to crave power. When no beast or warrior could satisfy his hunger, he turned to the only ones who could.” The wood in the fire cracked and snapped. “His own family.”

“Jeezus,” I said as I scratched the back of my head.

“So what happened?” Doo asked.

“Those who had inherited the same ability fought him, hoping to put him down, as he tried to fill a belly that could never be full.” Orion turned the meat one last time, the skin cooked on one. “It took nearly the whole clan to finally slay the once noble warrior. And it was decided that in order to prevent anyone else from becoming power hungry like him, we were to never consume the flesh of a beast again.”

“Then…why’re you eating this snake thing?” I asked. “Wouldn’t you be in the same boat?”

“Well, yes, I would be. As for the reason I’m eating meat, it’s also a part of the curse. We often craved meat and were often tempted to consume it. Of course we found a meat free substitute to eat that helped with our cravings.” Orion moved the meat away from the fire and let it cool. “But you see, one day while I was foraging with my family, there were two massive boars who had attacked us, and we hadn't any weapons to use. We ran away from it hoping to escape, but then suddenly the earth began to shake, and rocks from the mountains began to slide down.”

“Earthquake?” I guessed.

Orion nodded. “I was buried under some of the rocks that fell down the mountain, while my family was stuck under a boulder. One of the boars had managed to dodge the falling rocks and was about to kill them.”

Orion was clenching his hands as he seemed agitated. “There was nothing I could do but watch. At least, that is, when I saw that the body of the second boar was right next to me and already dead. I knew of the legend and that if I ate some of its meat I could save them. But I would also mean being banished.”

“Oh, Orion…” Doo said with a frown, and I also knew what happened next.

“I ate as much meat as I could, and felt the power surging in me. I broke out of the rocks and attacked the boar.” He sighed and some tears leaked from his eyes. “After I killed the last boar and brought my family home, the elders told me I was to leave and never return. I was given supplies and sent off on my way.”

“So that’s why,” I said. “You’re not naturally strong, you’re strong because of this curse thing.”

He nodded and whipped his tears away. “I decided rather than sulk and let myself wallow in sadness, I’d explore the world, learning all that I could and eating new things.”

His smile slowly returned. “Along the way, I learned many languages, and tried different kinds of food, making friends along the way. Until eventually my travels brought me to a little town.”

“Why didn’t you tell me, man?” I said, sounding sympathetic. “It’s not like I’d turn you away. I mean, sure, it’s still a little freaky after seeing you mop the floor with this serpent monster, but you’re still you. More so, you’re still my friend.”

“I’m not sure. Maybe because I didn’t want to really think about it. Or that I wanted to start fresh.” Orion pulled three plates out from his back and cut the slab of meat into three steaks. “Do you guys want to try it with me?”

Doo and I looked at each other and felt less disturbed about eating the serpent’s meat.

“Sure man, thanks,” I said as we both took a plate.

“Thank you, and thank you for sharing your story with us,” doo said.

Orion nodded and then held up the steak he cut for himself. And I won't lie, now looking at it in the light it actually looked good. “Just get a load of that marbling.” Orion tilted his head back and opened his mouth.

Like a snake himself he was able to fit the whole thing into his mouth and began chewing. He chewed for a few seconds before swallowing, and then became still.

“That’s…one way to eat,” I said and picked up my piece with both hands and held it like a burger.

I hesitated for a moment but took a bite anyway. Doo followed suit and took a small bite. We all froze altogether once we took that bite. We said nothing as we let the flavor of the meat fill our mouths.

“Oh my…” Doo said.

“This is…this is…!” I said.

“DELICIOUS!” All three of us yelled together.

“The meat is juicy and tender, with every bite glorious meat juice floods your mouth!” Orion shouted with vigor and joy.

“Damn! This trounces any steak I’ve had before!” I said as I took another big bite.

“I’ve never had anything so savory!” Doo said as she gobbled hers down.

Suddenly Orion jumped to his feet and took a few steps away from the fire hugging his body. It looked like he was in pain.

“Dude, you good? You get a stomach ache?” I asked out of concern.

Then I watched as his body began to pulse and grow a few inches. His muscles bulged and grew, arms and legs became more toned.

“Aaahh yeah, that's what I’m talking about!” Orion cheered.

“Woah! That’s nuts!” I said. “How’d you do that?”

“Oh…wow…” Doo mumbled, blushing like a fool.

Orion clothes ripped in certain areas as he grew and took a moment to adjust to his new body. “I guess the snake was stronger than I thought. This is part of the curse I mentioned.”

“Sheesh, I wonder what AJ will think when she sees you like this?” I said, with a playful smirk.

He blushed and didn’t say anything as he grabbed a small box from his pack. “Well, we certainly don’t want to leave all this meat behind. Good thing Twilight gave me this bad boy.”

“What’s that thing do?” I asked after taking another bite.

“It’s a storage box. See Twilight wanted to help Applejack and Big Mac, by making it easier to store and transport large amounts of apples.” He pushed a button on the box and tossed it. Soon a large gate opened and Orion began to start pushing in the snake’s body inside. “Problem is, it’s only a prototype and can only keep the food inside fresh for about 3 to 5 days. Afterwards it will start to age and eventually spoil.”

“Now where the hell was something like that back home?” I asked as Orion shoved the last of the snake’s body in the portal.

“It looks quite handy,” Doo said. “If I had one, I’d be able to store different artifacts.”

“Well, as I said, this is a prototype, so maybe when we can get this thing working properly, we might be able to mass produce them,” Orion smiled as he pushed the button on the portal and the box compressed and closed.

“I guess now all that’s left is what we came here for,” I said, looking back at the rock on the pedestal. Once again, my body tensed up again. “…there’s no way.”

“You tensed up earlier, something wrong?” Orion asked as he and Doo walked up to me.

I tuned out what Orion said and automatically walked towards the pedestal. The tense feeling inside me grew more intense the closer I walked towards it.

“Axel?” Doo called out as she and Orion followed me.

“Welp despite times!” I heard Orion shout, before suddenly feeling intense pain in my crotch as Orion kicked me between the legs.

“YEOWCH!” I yelled and fell to my knees. “WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!”

“Well, you weren’t responding, and you looked like you were possessed.” Orion shrugged. “I thought you were under some spell from the treasure.”

“It’s…because…of fucking…that!” I grit my teeth, pointing at the rock.

“The artifact?” Doo said.

“So you were being mind controlled?” Orion asked as he helped me onto my feet, and I still held onto my crotch.

“No! There’s just…something about it,” I said, and we stood around the rock. The tense feeling was now more intense than ever. “I…I’ve felt this feeling before.”

“Well, I don’t feel anything.” Orion added as he carefully picked up the rock and examined it. “Is this really a treasure?”

“Lemme see that,” I said and Orion handed it to me.

“Be careful, that’s thousands of years old,” Doo said.

I examined the rock and the tense feeling was still there. I couldn’t wrap my head around why this rock made me feel this way. This feeling in my chest, I know I felt it somewhere before. The more I examined it, the more I felt the impulse to give it just a little bit of a jolt. I then ever so slightly shocked the rock with a bit of electricity. Suddenly, the rock flashed brightly, causing us to wince from the light.

“What the?! Where did that light come from?!” Doo said.

“Are you alright?!” Orion grabbed me by the shoulders and looked me over frantically. “Did that thing do something to you?!”

“No. Fucking. Way.” Was all I said with my eyes glued to the rock.

“If you don’t start talking, I’m gonna kick you in the balls again man,” Orion said as he reeled his back leg.

“Doo, I gotta be real with you,” I said. “I gotta smash this thing.”

“What?! Absolutely not!” Doo said, trying to take it from me. “After all we’ve been through?! And you just wanna smash it?!”

“Listen! Both of you! I don’t think this is the treasure!” I said, making them pause.

Orion seemed to be the first to understand and moved a hand to keep Doo away. “Let’s listen to him, I think he’s right and we have enough evidence to see that.”

“Think about it,” I said. “We just ran into a monster supposedly guarding the treasure, which for some reason was just standing in the middle of this room. I mean, what kind of ancient tribe does that with their most sacred artifact? This thing is just bait, and that snake was just here to kill anyone dumb enough to try and take it. Meanwhile, the real treasure is still undiscovered.”

“Actually that’s not even bait.” Orion stepped in and pointed to the hole in the ceiling. “That hole wasn’t built in, it looked like something smashed through.”

Orion then moved his finger in a straight line to the pedestal where the object was found. “Axel is right, that this isn’t the treasure. Besides, there is nothing snake-like about this thing. This is called the Temple of the Vanishing Snake after all.”

“Then what the heck is that?” Doo asked. “And why would the ancient tribe go through all this trouble to hide the real treasure?”

“That answer can only be given by Axel.” Orion looked at me and gestured for me to continue.

I nodded and looked down at the rock in my hand. If this thing was what I thought it was, there’s no telling the possibilities that would come with it. I raised the rock up in the air and smashed it on the pedestal. As I had thought, there was a large crack in it. I raised it up and smashed it on the pedestal again, and again, and again until the shell broke into pieces. Orion and Doo watched in awe as the pieces crumbled away and revealed a glowing jagged stone. It pulsated with power as I held it in my hand.

“As I thought…” I said in disbelief. “It’s a mother fucking Blast Core!”

“A what?” Orion asked curiously as he looked at the shards.

“A Blast Core!” I said. “It’s the main power source a Conduit needs in order to gain more power!” I said. “I’ve only found one of these things back when I fought Eris.”

“Does that mean you’re stronger now?” Orion asked as he picked up one of the now dull shards.

“I can absorb it, yeah,” I nodded, but then hesitated again. “Wait, shit, I almost forgot about Moon.”

“Remember, this isn't the real treasure.” Orion calmed me down by patting my shoulder, before looking around. “If this was the room where the guardian was in, then there should be a door that leads to the real treasure.”

“But this still doesn’t make any sense,” I said, still gazing at the Blast Core in my hand. “This is the second Blast Core in this world I’ve found, and it pretty much should be impossible for something like this to be here.” I looked at Doo. “Where did you say that ancient tribe found this?”

“Well, according to their ancient scripts, it’s said to have fallen from the stars. So…I guess it was some kind of meteorite?” Doo guessed. “They’re known as the Pieces of Star.”

“Hold up, pieces? Plural?” I said, starting to sound anxious. “You’re saying there’s more of these things?!”

“I think you guys are still not paying any attention,” Orion said, sounding annoyed. “This isn’t the treasure that the ancient tribe was talking about.”

He pointed back to the ceiling hole. “That thing came here not too long ago, and isn’t meant to be here. No, the real treasure is here.”

Orion walked to a massive boulder and with one swift swipe of his leg, kicked it out of the way revealing two stone doors with snakes on them.

“Woah…” I said as I stuffed the Blast Core in my pack. “Great find, dude.”

“What do you suppose is back there?” Doo asked.

“Maybe another snake monster?” I guessed.

“Only one way to find out.” Orion moved to push hard against the stone door, causing dust and dirt to fall from the wall.

With a good strong push Orion was able to fully open the door to reveal a massive room with a giant snake statue in the center of the room. We walked towards the statue and it was a king cobra. It was coiled around itself as it stared at us with a glare.

“That’s ominous,” I said.

We noticed there were other items in the room such as scrolls, jars, and old-looking boxes in the corner. Curiously, I went over to one of the boxes and opened one. To my surprise, the box was filled with gold coins and gemstones.

“Oh, hell yeah! Jackpot, baby!” I grinned.

“Hmmm.” As me and Doo were loading up our pockets, Orion moved to examine the statue. “Guys, did you find anything snake related?”

“Not necessarily,” Doo said, reading one of the scrolls. “Fascinating. These are the old chieftain’s personal logs!”

“Then those aren’t the real treasures either.” I turned to see Orion running his hands along the snake statue. He moved his head to look in the mouth and pulled it out. “Now, what could this be for?”

I saw Orion grab one of the fangs and pull on it, which was followed by the sound of stone scraping. “Hey guys come check this out!” He called out to us.

“Dude!” I said after stuffing more gold coins in my pack. “Don’t you remember the last time we pulled the lever?”

He didn’t respond, instead he moved his hand to the snake’s eye, and was trying to pull something out.

“This could be the very treasure that we need,” he said. He gave a few more hard tugs before finally pulling something out, before suddenly disappearing!

“Orion?!” We both yelped and looked around frantically.

“What what? Why are you two screaming?” We heard Orion’s voice.

We both flinched and kept looking around.

“Uh…Orion?” I called out.

“Yes?” We heard his voice again. “Seriously, what’s up with you two? You’re acting like I’m not standing in front of you.”

“You’re invisible!” Doo blurted out.

“We can’t see you at all, man!” I added.

“Huh, really? But can you feel me?” Suddenly without warning I felt a stinging slap to my face and shouted in pain. “Yep, you can feel me.”

“Asshole!” I snapped.

“Orion, please…” Doo sighed.

“Okay okay, hang on let me try something.” There was a brief silence before suddenly Orion reappeared. “Well, that worked.”

“How’d you do that?” I asked. “Is this another cool trick you can do thanks to your curse?”

“Nope, I think that would be because of this thing.” Orion held out his hand to reveal a stone octagonal with a green snake etched into it.

Doo and I looked at the strange stone.

“Creepy little thing,” I said.

“Oh my stars! I get it!” Doo suddenly yelled. “That’s why this place is called The Temple of the Vanishing Snake! It’s because of that talisman! And look at this!” Doo pulled out one of the ancient scrolls. “The old chieftain wrote that he used to go by a nickname among the tribes. And guess what it was?”

“The Vanishing Snake?” I guessed.

“Correct! This temple was named after the old chieftain!” Doo said.

Orion examined the little talisman which was around the size of a golf ball, before looking at Doo. “Didn’t the legend say something about multiple stars?”

“Think these talisman things are the stars?” I guessed.

“It’s quite possible,” Doo nodded. “I read there’s at least twelve of them in total.”

“That’s a lot,” I commented. “But what about this Blast Core? How did it get here?”

“You mentioned once before these were items from the game your character was based on.” Orion added. “Maybe when you came into this world, they did too?”

“But how would-” I stopped mid sentence when a realization hit me. “…the Merchant.”

“Well, whether that is true or not, we’ll never really know. But what we do know is that there are eleven more of these.” Orion flipped the talisman like a coin before catching it. “Speaking of which, this little guy might actually be the key to getting Moon back.”

“How do you figure?” Doo wondered.

“Let’s face it, even if we do give the gold saying it’s the treasure, there’s no guarantee Caballeron won’t try and pull a fast one on us.” Orion smirked as he clenched the talisman and disappeared again. “But if I’m invisible, I can get the drop on him.”

“I got something to add to that,” I said, holding up the Blast Core. “We can use this as a decoy.” Me saying that made Orion reappear and look at me warily.

“Why not use the actual gold? We don’t want to piss him off before I can actually do something.” Orion added.

“I think that might work,” Doo said. “True, gold and precious jewels might work any other day with Caballeron, but he’s after something specific from the temple. He knows about the Pieces of Star, but he doesn’t seem like he knows what they look like.”

Orion sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “Fine by me. When we get to him, we will make up some story that I died, that way he won't be suspicious of my absence.”

“I also got the perfect signal,” I said with a smirk. “Just be ready for a major light show, got it?”

“Alright, just remember we still need the other key to unlock the collar.” Orion smiled as we all made our way out of the temple.

As we made for the exit, I looked down at the Blast Core in my hand. So many questions addled my mind about its origin, but all possible explanations led back to the Merchant.

“Just how did he do it?” I mumbled. “And…are there more out there?”

A Long Trek Later

We had finally managed to make it back to Somnambula and were headed towards the lower district to rendezvous with Caballeron. Before we set foot back in town, we stopped to go over the plan.

“Everyone set?” I said.

“Yep.” Whispered Orion, already invisible.

“Are you sure about this, Doo?” I asked after binding her hands with Smoke behind her back.

“Trust me, it’ll be more convincing if you go to him with me as a prisoner. You’ll get in his good side way easier,” Doo said.

“And here I thought you were just being kinky.” Orion joked, even in a serious situation.

Doo blushed heavily and looked away. I remembered where Orion’s voice came from and swatted his invisible head with my hand.

“Ouch, hey don’t get mad at me. Besides now when you and Moon are back together, you can do the same with her, I’m sure she’ll be into it.” He teased again and I tried to swat him harder but he must have already left to get into position.

“Ass…” I said and grabbed Doo’s arm. “Alright, let’s go.”

We both walked through the bad side of town. I tried to make myself look like I had lost my best friend, so I narrowed my brows and grit my teeth. Doo noticed my expression, but played it off as like I was in mourning. I caught sight of Caballeron’s goons standing over by a bar. He saw us and his eyebrows raised when he saw Doo.

“The Tartarus is this?” The goon said. “You caught Doo?”

“She tried to take what I found,” I snarled. “Take me to your boss. Now.”

“Look kid, I don’t-” the thug said, but I cut him off when I let sparks fly off my shoulders.

“I’m not in the fucking mood, jackass,” I hissed.

The thug gulped and nodded as he waved his hand to follow him. I walked behind him and he didn’t bother looking back at me or Doo. The thug led us to a more secluded part of town where there was barely anyone around. We arrived at another run-down bar where the smug bastard was having a drink when we walked inside. Sitting across from him at the table was Moon, still tied up and gagged. When she saw me, there was a glint of joy in her eyes as she tried to say something but couldn’t due to the tape over her mouth.

“Ah! Mr. Rickert,” Caballeron said to me and then noticed Doo. “And Daring Doo? How unexpected.”

“You owe me more than Moon’s freedom, fuckface,” I sneered.

“Oh? And why is that?” Caballeron scoffed.

“You failed to mention that temple was a mother fucking death trap!” I shouted. “I had to watch my best friend get torn apart by those fucking traps!”

Moon gasped at my statement as tears welled up in her eyes. Meanwhile, the fucker just stared at me and glanced around.

“Hmm…it would seem I underestimated the precariousness of the temple,” Caballeron said. “My condolences.”

I felt a tap on my shoulder which told me that Orion was inside the bar with me, and I could hear his footsteps faintly.

“Did you get the treasure?” Caballeron asked bluntly.

“You monster…” Doo said. “You don’t even care! Do you only care about yourself?!”

“I care about results, Ms. Doo,” Caballeron said dismissively. “Now, unless you want your little lady here to meet a similar fate as your late friend, show me what you found.”

It took every once in a while to not jump at this prick and skewer him alive. I just clenched my teeth and pulled out the Blast Core from my pack. The sight of the Blast Core made Caballeron and his goons stare at it in awe of its glow. Caballeron even rose from his seat and approached me.

“Magnificent!” Caballeron gasped. “I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“Hey, prick!” I said, bringing him out of his stupor. “The other piece of the key! Now!”

Caballeron’s men were about to try and jump me for the Blast Core but Caballeron held his hand up.

“I’m a man of my word, Mr. Rickert,” Caballeron said as he pulled out the other half of the key from his jacket. He flicked it to me and I caught it in my hand. “Now, the treasure.” I stared at Caballeron and then started to laugh a little. “And what’s so funny?”

“What’s funny? What’s funny is that you’re dumber than I gave you credit for,” I said. “And now you’re gonna see just how badly you fucked up for messing with my woman.”

I heard Moon gasp and suddenly disappeared, meaning Orion had managed to grab her. I felt the key in my hand get taken and heard the door open and close. Moon was now safe and Orion was no doubt undoing the collar.

I released Doo and held onto the Blast Core with both hands.

“What are you all doing?!” Caballeron shouted. “Kill him!”

“HOLD ONTO YOUR ASSES!” I yelled and poured my power into the Blast Core.

Similar to what happened last time, the Blast Core reacted to my power and I began floating a little above the ground while blinding lights shined everywhere. Large lighting bolts sparked in frenzy, then thick smoke trails and flame cinders whipped around, then bright fluorescent neon lights lit up, then large chunks of concrete stone circled around me as smaller shards enveloped my arms and hands, and then waves of digital energy swirled around my body. Finishing up my display, my digital wings appeared on my back and glowed brighter than usual.

“HHHHEEEEEEELLLLLLL YYYYYYYEEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!” I screamed.

Then Orion came crashing through one of the walls, some of Caballeron’s goons knocked out as he dragged them inside. “Did I miss the butt whooping yet?”

I dropped to the floor and exhaled deeply. The Blast Core in my hands dimmed until its glow snuffed out and crumbled into small pieces of rubble.

“What…what have you done?!” Caballeron demanded. “What the fuck was that?! What are you?!”

I grinned and stood up straight. Power coursed through me as I stared at Caballeron with a heated fury of wanting to beat the crap out of him.

“You fucked up, big time,” I said with a grin.

Caballeron growled at me and pulled something else out of his pocket. It looked like some kind of handheld radio as he held it up to his mouth.

“I’ll give 100 Gs to whoever can bring me his head!” Caballeron said.

“Looks like they’re playing our song." Orion cracked his knuckles as he charged in, and knocked over a group of goons like a set of bowling pins.

Suddenly, the windows crashed and six individuals jumped in. They were each armed with various bladed weapons and held them against us.

“Let’s see how you handle members of the Black Blade assassin guild!” Caballeron boasted.

“Never a dull moment, huh?” I said before unraveling my chain and pulling out my Amp. I summoned two digital swords and stood back to back with Orion. “Ready to dance, bro?”

“Oh yeah, I’ve been waiting for this!” I watched as Orion started to take three of the new fighters with his bare hands, deflecting their blades before they could cut him.

The other three fighters came at me and I jumped out of the way from their swipes. I was so much more focused than before and I could deflect their attacks with precise timing.

Orion wasn’t having any trouble with these so-called elite assassins, as he weaved around each of their attacks. “Man, these guys really put the ass in assassins, huh bro?”

“Totally,” I said and jumped up to knee one in the face. I used the momentum of my jump to slash the other’s arm, making his drop his weapon. The other one tried to throw multiple throwing knives at me but I slashed them away with my swords.

“I sure hope Cabadick got a discount when he hired them.” Orion spin kicked one assassin out of the building while catching the blade of the other with his hands, and quickly snapping it. Orion ducked the third one’s dagger when he tried stabbing Orion’s eye before he headbutted the assassin right in the nose.

“Me too, so are you gonna bring back a gift for AJ?” I asked as I leaned back to dodge an attack and deflected another stab from my opponents. I stomped on one of their feet hard and boddycheked him like a hockey player.

“Yeah, actually, now that you mentioned it.” Orion threw his fist back punching one of Caballeron’s goons that tried to sneak up on him. “I saw this really cool jewelry shop the first day here. Maybe I’ll buy her something pretty.”

“A ring, perhaps?” I teased and headbutted one of the assassins and slashed a goon across his chest, but not enough to kill him.

“I’ll buy her one, when you decide to finally buy a condom for Moon.” Orion shot back as he picked up the last assassin and began to spin him around in the air like a top while standing over the other two with his foot pressing down on them.

I rolled my eyes and slashed my swords at the same time at the assassins. They tried to block with their blades but were pushed back against the wall. Seizing the opportunity while they were dazed, and swung my sword again to the side and launched multiple smaller swords at them. The swords embedded themselves in the wall and pinned them there, forcing them to stay in place.

“Not gonna lie, I’m a little disappointed,” I sighed as I deactivated Video. “Was hoping to bust out some new powered up moves thanks to that Blast Core.”

“Well what did you expect from the discount assassins?” Orion asked as he chucked the last assassin out the window, before walking over to grab a fleeing Caballeron by the shirt collar. “Now quit messing around, we got to deal with this guy.”

Before Orion could react, I pushed Caballeron away from Orion and slammed him into the wall while grabbing onto his neck. I started choking him as a rush of anger and hate surged through me. This fucker dared to make Moon cry and scare her, and he had the balls to think he was gonna get off scot free.

“I should crush your fucking throat in…!” I snarled.

“Do that and I’ll deliver a full power kick to your balls.” Orion said, cutting me off as he delivered a string chop to my head.

“Shut up!” I said, ignoring the pain in my head. “This motherfucker made Moon scared! He dangled her right in front of me like she was a cheap doll! He didn’t give a shit what happened to us in that temple! He’s nothing but a scumbag who takes and takes without any regard who he hurts along the way!”

“Gak! S-Spare me!” Caballeron begged as he gasped for air.

“And by murdering him, I would have to end up putting you to a stop. Did you forget that even though I’m your friend, I still won’t let you do anything your alter ego would do?” I felt Orion’s hand on my shoulder and turned to see a calm look on his face. “You are better than that, and shouldn’t risk your freedom for him. Think about Moon.”

“He TOOK her from me when I searched for her!” I yelled in his face.

“And now she’s back, safe and unharmed. Now ask yourself this.” Orion never raised his voice to match mine. “Are you gonna push Moon away so that something like this can happen again?”

I stared at Orion as he stared back. I knew he was right, and I also knew this guy would just keep stealing and causing more harm if I let him walk.

…

I grit my teeth as hard as I could before throwing Caballeron to the side and onto the floor. He gasped for air and looked up at me as I glared daggers at him.

“Fuck off, while I’m still allowing it,” I growled.

Caballeron nodded and scampered off with his tail between his legs.

“I’m proud of you bro.” I felt his hand rubbing my back as he led me outside. “I know that had to be hard for you, but you did it right.”

I said nothing as we made our way out of the bar. The spare goons who were waiting outside had long since bailed and Moon was hiding behind a flipped over table. When she peered out from behind and saw us, she quickly stood up to walk over to meet us halfway.

“Oh thank the stars! I was so worried that things got too out of hand!” Moon said as I dropped my Amp and chain. “I’m glad to see you both safe. But why would you risk so-oof!”

I interrupted her by wrapping my arms around her and held her close. The scent of her hair soothed me as I felt her arms slowly wrap around me as well.

“I’m…I’m sorry…” I said with a guilty tone. “I’m so sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?” Moon asked. “I’m the one who ran away.”

“They drove you away,” I said. “But I wasn’t there to stand up for you.”

“Why do you need to stand up for me?” Moon asked. “I’m nothing but a burden…”

“No you’re not!” I snapped, grabbing her shoulders and looking her in the eye. “You’re the most kind, caring, and selfless woman I know! You’re not what they say you are! It’s on them for not letting go of the past!”

Moon’s eyes welled up with tears. “You…you don’t know what I’ve done. The atrocities I committed while I was in the darkness.”

“That was then!” I said, still gripping her shoulders. “Who and what you are now is what matters. What you choose to do and say now especially matters. If you want to show them you’re not who and what you were, then just acknowledge it and move on. It shows them that you’re not letting your past define you.” I glanced at Orion. “I’m right, right?”

Orion nodded as he walked next to us. “We shouldn’t allow our past to weigh us down, rather we should learn from it so that we never repeat the same mistakes again. Live in the now and back then.” Orion smiled before clearing his throat. “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.” As he turned I felt him give my butt a gentle kick that pushed us together, causing me and Moon to kiss.

We were both surprised when we kissed but Moon leaned in and wrapped her arms around my neck. I held her waist and returned the favor before we separated.

“I’m gonna kick his ass later,” I said, making her giggle.

“Shut up and kiss me like you mean it, you silly stubborn man,” Moon said and I obliged her request.

I kissed her again as fireworks erupted in my heart. I was finally with the woman I loved and my feelings for her actually felt genuine this time. When we separated, I leaned my forehead against hers as we gazed into each other’s eyes.

“I love you, Moon,” I said softly. “Don’t ever forget that.”

“And I love you too, Axel,” Moon said with a teary smile. “I won’t forget for as long as I live.”

We stayed together for a few moments before separating, and preparing to go home. When I turned I saw Orion standing next to Darning.

“So um, what will you do now, Ms. Doo?” He asked Doo curiously.

“Hmm, well I suppose I should be taking that artifact now,” Doo said, looking at Orion.

“Actually, why don’t you let Orion hold onto it?” I suggested.

“Excuse me?” Doo said.

“If I may.” Orion piped up. “I’m certain that it would be safer in our hands. As you’ve seen, it’d be a challenge for anyone to steal this from us.” Orion said, holding the talisman. “And you know there are eleven more out there.” I saw a noticeable blush on his cheeks as he asked his next question. “Perhaps you’ll consider coming back to Ponyville to do some research with me…I mean us. Yeah, us.” He became flustered, making me snort a little.

Doo also blushed and glanced away.

“I’m…flattered with the offer, truly I am,” Doo said. “But I must continue my journey on my own. If what those hieroglyphics said was true, and there’s a bunch more of these talismans out there, then I need to track them down as soon as possible.” Doo then surprised all of us by standing on her tiptoes and pecking Orion on the cheek as her blush deepened. “But, if we were to cross paths again, I’d love to compare notes.”

The blush on Orion’s cheeks glowed so bright, he’d give Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer a run for his money. “I’d like that. I hope that if you ever need help you’ll look us up.” He smiled.

“Count on it,” Doo said and looked at me. “Thank you for helping me, both of you. I’ll still consider this expedition a success in my book.”

“Glad to hear it, Doo,” I said, when a thought occurred to me. “Hey Doo, Orion, can I ask you both for a favor?”

“What is it?” Doo asked.

“And why do you need both of us to help exactly?” Orion asked, just as curious.

“I’m not sure if you’ll find anything, but I’d like you both to look into finding Blast Cores for me,” I said.

“The glowing rock we found?” Doo asked and I nodded. “How do you know there would be more out there?”

“Call it a hunch,” I said, dodging the question. “Let’s just say they’re as important as the talismans.”

“Hmm, well, I highly doubt we’ll find them in any legends or stories from the past.” Orion quickly added. “The Blast Cores seemed to have shown up only because of you. The best we can do is keep an ear out if someone sees anything similar to what we found already.”

“Whatever helps,” I said. I can’t let them fall into the wrong hands. These people have no idea what they’re capable of. I thought.

“It appears it’s time for me to head off,” Doo said as she took a step back. “You two make sure you get home safe, okay?”

“Good luck out there, Doo,” I said to the adventurer.

Doo waved at us and winked at Orion before running off. I glanced at Orion and noticed he had a love struck expression all over his face.

“Something fancy your eye, Orion?” Moon teased.

“I think he’s got a little crush on our new adventurer friend,” I added.

“Bite me.” Orion turned away with a blush and grabbed his pack. “Now then, let’s hurry and head home, I’m sure everyone is waiting for us.”

“Is there another tavern we can stop by for a moment?” Moon asked as she looked down at her hands. “I think I touched something grimy on that table I hid behind. I’d like to wash my hands.”

I was gonna suggest pulling out a bottle of water from the pack, when suddenly Orion pulled out a literal kitchen sink out from his pack. “Oh, you can wash your hands with this.”

Moon and I stared at Orion like he was a nut job.

“Dude…a fuckn’ sink?” I deadpanned. “You literally packed a freaking sink in that thing?!”

“It’s…bizarre how you’ve managed to fit something like that in there,” Moon said.

“Bizarre is an understatement, sweetie,” I said to Moon.

“What?” Orion shrugged. “Big Mac said I should be prepared for any kind of situation.”

“You took that too literally, man,” I said.

“Is it even operable?” Moon wondered.

“Don’t encourage him!” I said.

“Don’t be hating just because I came more prepared than you.” Orion teased as he pulled out a towel for Moon to use.

“Um…thank you, Orion,” Moon said and one of the handles, and water actually poured out of the faucet.

“Orion, you’re a weird one, you know that?” I sighed.

“Hey, you want weird? Try spending the day with Pinkie, you ain’t seen nothing yet.” Orion laughed and we started to head home after Moon had finished washing her hands.

“Touché…” I said with a laugh.

Two Weeks Later

Our return home was a pleasant one as we greatly anticipated our arrival. Moon and I were on better terms than before and I felt like I understood Orion a bit more after learning about his history. The welcome back party Pinkie threw for us was as fun and enjoyable as she could’ve possibly made it. I was admittedly still a bit hesitant coming back with Moon but Orion assured me that it was best to just bite the bullet and face the assholes who drove her away. To my own surprise, tons of people from the party expressed their sincere apologies to Moon for treating her so horribly. Guess Orion’s words struck them all deeper than I thought.

Nowadays, the people of Ponyville no longer looked at Moon with a sideways glance. Instead, whenever she was out and about in town, they greeted her with a friendly smile. What’s even more amazing is that Celestia and Luna came to visit Ponyville and offer their own apology for misjudging Moon. They said they would no longer be cautious of her, and even offered to spend time with her some days.

One day, while Orion, Moon, and I were chilling at the library, Twilight came bursting in, holding a book in her hand.

“Axel! Orion! Why didn’t you tell me?!” Twilight yelped.

“Tell you what, Twilight?” Orion asked as we both looked at each other, confused.

Twilight held up a book in front of us and the cover had Daring Doo, me, and Orion on the cover.

“That you met A. K. Yearling, and she put you two in her new book?!” Twilight said.

“Woah, woah, woah, what’s this?” I said, taking the book. “And who’s A. K. Yearling? We only met Doo.”

Twilight’s jaw went slack. “Daring Doo is real?!”

It took me, Moon, and Orion a moment to connect the dots and we all glanced at each other knowingly.

“Best keep it on the down low, all things considered,” I whispered to Orion.

“Yeah alright, just let me handle this.” Orion whispered back before looking at the ever eager Twilight. “Um, you see, we bumped into her while rescuing Moon. She didn’t tell us her name, only that she was out doing research for her new book.”

“What kind of research puts you two in her book and on the cover?!” Twilight demanded.

“Um, well you see, she kind of shadowed us when we met the fiend who had captured Moon.” Neither I nor Moon and Orion told the others about who we met as Doo had asked us to keep it a secret. “It’s possible our adventure gave her the idea for this book.”

Twilight stared at Orion and glanced at us.

“It’s true,” I said, playing along. “Was kind of a drag since we constantly had to keep an eye on her.”

“But Ms. Yearling was a delight, nonetheless,” Moon said.

“So, what did she say about us in your book Twilight?” Orion asked, hoping to change the subject.

“Well…” Twilight said and twirled her hair with her finger. “She wrote you were very brave and strong when you fought that snake monster.”

“I can vouch for that,” I said, raising my hand. “Orion was a boss and made that thing his bitch.”

“Aww, come on it was nothing.” Orion was blushing hard and looked away. “Still, it was nice of her to say that about me.”

“But…there’s one thing that seems a bit promiscuous,” Twilight said with a blush. “She wrote she wanted Orion to commit a very wild sexual fantasy of him pinning Daring Doo down against the stone floor while she submits to him.”

At this, Moon and I burst out laughing as hard as we could and I fell out of the chair. Moon was holding her stomach while I was kicking my legs in the air.

“WHAT!?” Orion snatched the book as he flipped through the pages, speed reading the pages which I presume to be the sex scene. His cheeks burned red and steam was coming from his eyes, before he slowly fainted and fell to the ground.

“Hahahahahahahahahaha! I can’t breathe! Help! Hahahahahahaha! That’s so fucking funny!” I laughed so hard.

“Oh my word! Hehehehehehehehe!” Moon laughed as well.

All the while Orion was on the ground, his face redder than an apple. “This can’t get any more embarrassing.”

Just then, Applejack popped in holding up a copy of the book.

“Hey Orion, Apple Bloom showed me this today. Guess your wild side is showing off in more ways than one, huh?” Applejack said with a taunting tone.

“PPPFFFFTTT-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” I wheezed with laughter.

Orion cupped his hands over his face and groaned. “These women are gonna be the death of me!”

Elsewhere

Caballeron and his injured goons sulked as they hesitantly approached a very large, fancy-looking, three story mansion. The foreboding atmosphere made the con artist gulp and wipe his brow of sweat. Several guards stood at attention as they eyed Caballeron with disgust. When they reached the front gate, Caballeron cleared his throat at one of the guards.

“I…I’m here to see the Mistress,” Caballeron said nervously.

The guard merely scoffed and rolled his eyes before waving his hand. The front gate slowly opened and Caballeron’s group walked in. The guard suddenly grabbed Caballeron, making him flinch.

“She already knows, con man,” the guard warned before letting go.

That piece of information made Caballeron sweat even more as he continued on. His trek through the mansion made him and his crew quite unnerved, due to not only the multitude of guards standing in the hallways but also how small they felt in this building. Everything that caught Caballeron’s eye just screamed rich and powerful from the interior of the walls, to even the velvety carpet they walked along. Caballeron eventually made it to a set of pristine-looking double doors where two very intimidating-looking men stood at attention. They both had a set of large curved horns and nose rings hanging from their nostrils. One of the men snorted at Caballeron before he opened the door for them. Caballeron held his hand up for his goons to stay outside while he entered alone. The room he entered was filled with boxes and displays of jewels and priceless artwork. On the far side of the room was a large wooden desk that looked like it was crafted by master wood carvers. Sitting on the other side was a red chair that had its back facing Caballeron. Sitting in it was a woman who held a martini glass in her hand, each finger had a golden or platinum ring with a gemstone on each one.

“M-Mistress,” Caballeron said with a stutter. “I-I hope you are well, yes? You stunning as unusual.”

“You failed, didn’t you?” The woman’s low, yet shrill voice sent unpleasant chills down Caballeron’s spine. “I suppose your skills you boasted about were all talk after all.”

“Mistress, I beg of you, I would’ve gotten the treasure! I swear!” Caballeron begged. He then saw the woman behind the chair take a sip of her drink before she raised her other hand as if preparing to snap her fingers. “It was that brat, Axel Rickert’s fault! He destroyed it!”

The woman paused from snapping her fingers. “Axel…Rickert? The boy from the paper?”

“Y-Yes?” Caballeron answered.

“What was he doing there?” The woman wondered.

“We…we ran into Nightmare Moon, of all people, in Somnambula,” Caballeron explained. “We thought we could use her as leverage, so we managed to capture her. So when Rickert showed up, I forced him to go into the temple to retrieve the treasure. But once he managed to come back with it, something strange happened.”

“Get to the point, peasant,” the woman demanded.

“He…he absorbed it!” Caballeron said. “There’s just no other way to explain the phenomenon I witnessed, but he absorbed the Star! He has some strange magic unlike any one could imagine!”

There was a silence in the room that made Caballeron so anxious that he felt like he was going to pass out. The woman seemed to be deep in thought until she turned her chair just ever so slightly to glance at the shivering man.

“Interesting,” was all she said. “Strange magic, absorbing the Star. This sounds similar to what was read to me in the paper during the Spirit of Chaos incident.” Another long pause of silence filled the room before she turned her chair back around to face away from Caballeron. “Can you find more of these Stars?”

“I-I’m not sure I…” Caballeron said, before she readied her other hand to snap her fingers again. “Yes! Yes I can!”

“Good.” Was all the woman said. “When you find one, bring it to me. You have three months.”

Caballeron could only nod frantically before he scurried out of the room. Meanwhile the woman took another sip of her drink.

“Axel Rickert…” She said in a somewhat irked tone. “How dare a peasant like you keep what is rightfully mine from me?”

Author's Note

Together again, and new enemy makes her mysterious yet ominous appearance.

Side Note:
I’m finally done with classes! Now I can finally focus on my stories! Thanks for waiting!

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…