Scootaloo's Guardian

Chapters

Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
To my readers...
Chapter 1
Chapter 9

Chapter 2

Stupid Dogs

Scootaloo's dream was as bleary as her day, imagining herself in a barren desert full of grey sand with the sky around her pitch black. She was trudging through the sand with all of the strength she could muster, and the orange filly was lucky to make it far.

She was losing strength as she began calling out into the haunting atmosphere "Heeeeeeelp!!" All she got was an echo and the sand blowing in the wind "Somepony!" She called again, looking around "Anypony..." This time, her echo was faint. The orange filly looked down and sniffled, slumping into the sand "Help..." She feebly spoke, closing her eyes as hopelessness began sinking into her being.

Suddenly, a bright light flashed in front of her, catching her attention as she looked up in surprise. The light was blinding, but she was able to make out a shape standing in the light. It was the shadow of a familiar bipedal figure with its hands on its hips in a superhero pose in front of Scootaloo. The orange filly looked up and slowly found her strength returning as she began trotting up to it slowly. When she reached the figure, she brought up a hoof, and everything went white the moment her hoof made contact with the figure's leg.

Scootaloo gasped when she woke herself up and looked around to remember she was in her old abandoned home. Her heart sank a little, but she couldn't help to think about her dream she had. Getting up to look outside her window, she noticed that the moon was still high in the sky, signalling that it was still in the middle of the night. The dream she had woke her up and gave her energy despite having to exhaust most of it digging up a hole yesterday, and this spooked even her.

She wanted to go back to bed and forget all that happened, but her mind was focused on her dream. The orange filly wondered if she should go check on her discovery to see if there was some kind of meaning in finding it, seeing as how the same exact shape was connected to her dream. Her mind made up, she trotted out of the doorless entrance to her home and quietly loomed around Ponyville while its residents were asleep.

The orange filly counted herself lucky that she was light on her feet when she moved her way around town. Those times stalking Rainbow Dash in the shadows really paid off for her. When she reached the town exit, she noticed her large hole in the distance, and began to make a gallop towards it with not a moment to lose.

When she reached her mark, she peaked inside from the holes edge and gasped when she noticed that the same body she dug up was gone. She slid down and tried to make sure she wasn't seeing things considering it was dark outside, and upon further inspection, the body was nowhere to be found. The orange filly cursed herself loudly and stomped in fury at what has happened now, but stopped when she caught wind of a trail leading from where the body once laid rising up from outside the hole.

Scootaloo climbs out of the hole, gripping the edge and peaking out of it when she noticed a set of tracks with some dragged lines emerging from the ground. She brought her head down to sniff at the tracks instinctively, and instantly craned her head back with an expression of utter disgust on her face. There's only one known species that could smell so bad, and this burned up the orange filly to know they were the ones responsible for stealing her treasure. She wouldn't let this one slide so easily. They took what was her's, and Scootaloo was more than determined to get it back, even if it meant having to come up against a pack of Diamond Dogs.

She trotted over to Diamond Dog territory and noticed many holes in the dirty terrain ahead of her. Feeling lucky, she chose the one in front of her and slid down the entry into the caves. It was fun while it lasted, but the orange filly landed sorely on her haunches as her little ride came to a stop, finding herself in a widened hallway in the caves. Scootaloo went to begin her search until she heard footsteps, and quickly hid behind a rock as two armored Diamond Dogs walked along the hall on patrol duty. This was going to be harder than she thought, trying to get what was hers back from these dogs.

With all of her possible efforts of subterfuge, she took every opportunity of sneaking further into the caves in search of the strange body. Those times stalking Rainbow Dash in the shadows REALLY have paid off with how easily she slipped past each patrolling pair. It had taken a good amount of sneaking to move deeper and deeper until she noticed three dogs in vests and collars surrounding the strange body in a room.

Scootaloo leaned her head closer and narrowed her eyes to get a better look at what was going on. She spied on the dogs observign the body, moving its large arms and poking at the nails sticking out of its body, the small one drawing back and sucking his paw after poking too hard. The larger dog kept knocking on the large hammer-like head, thinking there were some gems inside of it.

The medium-sized dog, known as Rover, growled in frustration with what he and his friends acquired and lashed out "Gah! This thing has no gems! No gems! Why we have to go so far as to dragging here!?" The smaller dog, Spot, fidgeted his paws as he peered at the muscular tone of the body "Maybe its hiding gems inside? We find gems inside rocks! Body is like rock! So we find gems in body!" Rover slapped the smaller Diamond Dog "Don't be stupid! Body is not dragon! Also, it looks ugly! UGLY!" All three of the dogs grimaced and groaned in disgust at the same time, then went back to staring at it. The larger dog, Fido, finally spoke up "What we do with it? Maybe dunk it in scary purple river deep in cave?" Rover poked a claw at his chin "We don't have much choice. This thing garbage not worth our time. Let's dunk it in river!"

The dogs cheered and went to go pick up the large body and perform their duty, causing Scootaloo to be frightened at the thought of losing her prized discovery. She hopped forward and yelled "NO!" out of childish instinct, and clasped her hooves together upon realizing the mistake of revealing herself. The dogs perked their ears up and turned to the source of the sudden noise, narrowing their eyes and growling at the intruder. Scootaloo foled her ears back and began trotting backwards away from their advance "Uh oh..." She was then picked up from behind by an armored dog, and was futilely struggling in his grip.

Rover walked up and gave a malicious grin at the struggling filly "Well well well...We have another pony! We were always looking for more slaves to work in mines! You may be better than worthless pile over there!" He pointed to the large body, and Scootaloo saw her chance to convince the dogs to let her out with the body "Uh, yeah, about that...That body belongs to me, and I would REALLY appreciate it if I got it back..." Rover rubbed his chin "Hm...Lemme think..." He continued for a few seconds, then blurted in Scootaloo face "NO!" The three dogs in front of her laughed defiantly, slightly annoying the orange filly, and finally stopped as Rover spoke more "Why should we give body to you, especially when you now belong to us!?"

Fido walked up next to the medium-sized leader and inspected the orange filly, humming in question "Pony is too small...Might not work well in mines if not that big..." Rover slapped his larger counterpart "Pony is pony, and that's good enough! She'll work starting now!"

Scootaloo tried again "Wait! I'm really not fit to work down here! I mean, it's so dark and scary, and dirty and stinky, and-" She kept coming up with more excuses, hoping they would free her, but as she talked herself further she didn't notice the dogs, even the one holding her, plugging their ears at her jabbering and clenching their teeth in irritation.

Spot finally interrupted Scootaloo's complaining and blurted out "Shut up! SHUT UP! You're just like her! Like her, I tell you!" Scootaloo stopped and raised an eyebrow "Who are you talking about?" the small Diamond Dog answered absentmindedly "Miss Rarity! She is very whiny and annoying! Worst thing to happen to our lives in caves!" Fido cringed at the memory of capturing the fashion unicorn "She would not stop talking! She drove entire pack bonkers! Don't tell us you're like her!"

Scootaloo didn't expect this from a group of menacing dogs, fearing a simple pony, but she smiled mischievously as she decided to take advantage of this situation and quickly put on a face of childish displeasure "Then WHY are you keeping me here~!? Uhh, it's so horrible~!! I hate it here! I wanna go hoooome~! I'm hungry, and tired! And that body over there belongs to me~!!"

Her plan was working, and the Diamond Dogs were pulling their ears at the sound of Scootaloo's whining. Even the dog holding her dropped her and tried covering his ears as well. She continued her childish antics, and Rover had enough as he ran up and covered her mouth "Stop stop stop STOP! No more! We don't want to repeat same mistake! You can go! Just PLEASE stop whining!"

Scootaloo gave a smug smile and raised an eyebrow "And the body~?" Rover nodded "Yes yes, the body! We'll give it to you!" The orange filly pouted, knowing she wouldn't be able to move a body that large, and went to whine more. The Diamond Dog saw this and held out his paws in a halting motion "We'll carry body! Just don't whine~!!" Fido and Spot cringed at the sight of the orange terror in frotn of them, Spot speaking up "She's as scary as purple river!" Scootaloo turned her head to Spot "What's this about a purple river? Can I see it?"

Fido perked up and looked down at the filly "You want to see purple river? It look kind of strange. It all glowy and bubbly, and moves left and right, and it gets rid of whatever get thrown inside it." Spot chimed in "It really wierd stuff! Wierder than body! We keep it in some jars so we have something to light caves if we run out of torches!"

Scootaloo poked a hoof to her chin in intrigue upon what they said. Maybe she could use the purple water they speak of and take it to Show and Tell day on Monday. While she had the large body a distance from her, she could have two things to show when the time comes. She grins "What say you throw a jar of that purple stuff my way along with the body, and I promise I won't whine when I'm around you! Sound like a fair deal?"

The Diamond Dogs smiled and nodded frantically at the offer, voicing their agreements cheerfully as Rover whistled and summoned for three armored Diamond Dogs to pick up the large body and begin carrying it out of the caves. Rover then smacked Spot as a way of telling him to fetch a jar of the purple water, the small dog scampered into an entrance to the deeper part of the caves. It was a few minutes, but then he returned with a small jar of the purple water, presenting it to the filly as she peered at its contents. It was moving on its own even as it was held still by Spot, and as mentioned before, it was giving off a slightly tantalizing glow. Scootaloo grinned at it, happy she duped the dogs into doing her bidding by acting like the child she was.

The orange filly then made her leave with the armored dogs as they lead her out of the caves with her souvenirs. The three remaining dogs wiped their foreheads in unison and gave smug smiles, Rover speaking up "We really smart for making that pony leave! We Diamond Dogs have no room for whiners!" Fido and Spot nodded in unison, but then looked uneasy as Fido spoke up "But was it good idea to give little pony scary purple water? What if she comes back?" Rover smacked his large friend "She won't come back! We make sure of it! Let's get back to work already!"

Later, after a large amount of walking, Scootaloo led the group of Diamond Dogs sent off by the three leaders quietly through Ponyville after leaving the caves. Three of the dogs were carrying the body while one of them carried the water jar in its claws. The orange filly continued leading them carefully through town as she noticed the moon was beginning to give away, signalling it was close to dawn in a couple of hours.

When they reached the abandoned house that Scootaloo resides in, The Diamong Dogs dropped the large body in the orange filly's room, and set the jar of purple water next to the body as it laid on the floor. Scootaloo looked at her reclaimed discovery and newly reclaimed prize with a dignified smile as the dogs bowed and took their leave.

The orange filly poked at the jar for a minute as the contents inside continued to move inside of it like a living organism "Why does this stuff look familiar?" She wanted to think further, but she turned back to the large body she reacquired and trotted over to its side.

Looking at its arms, it seemed way stronger than the Diamond Dogs that carried it, and she couldn't take her eyes off how its face looked, all gruff and frowning as it laid there "I dunno how you survived in the ground big guy, but boy am I glad you saved me and my friends the trouble of pulling you out! I can't wait to tell Applebloom and Sweetie Belle about this!" She gushed at the thought, but after looking at the body once more, she began to have second thoughts as she examined it head to toe, and remembered back to her dream.

She remembered that the body she dug up was the same body she saw in her dreams, standing authoritatively in front of her like it was her guardian. She felt like she should try something to see if it were still alive or not, but thought it was stupid knowing the body has been underground for probably over a century. The orange filly was astonished that a body like this could be found underneath Equestria for so long. While her excitement could grow, she gave off a large yawn as her energy began to diminish, her eyes becoming heavy. Trotting over to her worn blanket, she took one last look at what she had gained and tucked herself in, finding herself sleeping better than last time.

End of Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Waking the Demon

Celestia's sun shined brightly in the sky as it was past noon. Everypony was either busy with their work or enjoying time to themselves on the weekend. At Sweet Apple Acres, Applebloom was helping out her older siblings in harvesting some apples before enjoying a good lunch. The yellow filly bucked her hardest and only succeeded in bringing down one apple, but was happy to know she was getting stronger each day. Soon she would help her older sister buck more apples and keep the family tradition moving.

After she and her older siblings took care of most of the trees, they gathered inside to give themselves some lunch courtesy of Apple Family matron Granny Smith. Almost every dish they had was apple-themed to their liking: Apple pies, apple strudels, apple salad, and even apple sandwiches. It wasn't a problem to them, knowing it was good that they had a piece of their well-harvested livestock to themselves.

Applebloom dug into some of her lunch, and then began thinking about what she and her friends had dug up yesterday. She grinned at the thought and was even happier that she hadn't told her family yet. With what she had found, she wanted it to be a surprise to them and her other friends. The yellow filly quickly finished her meal and gave off a small, but loud burp as she turned to her grandmother with a smile "Granny Smith! Is it okay if Ah wanna go out and play with mah friends today? We're gonna be goin' crusadin' and there's somethin' awesome we wanna show later!"

The decrepid green mare smiled back at her grandchild and patted her head "Aw, of course ya can, young'un! Ya only live once after all, an' Ah don' wancha wastin' yer childhood 'round here too much! Go have fun with yer friends!" Applebloom smiled and hopped from her seat, galloping cheerfully into town in search of her friends.

Meanwhile, at Carousel Boutique, Sweetie Belle was pushed out of the front door by her older sister Rarity, who had a look of irritation on her face. The unicorn filly turned to her sister, looking sad "I said I was sorry, Rarity! I just wanted to try and help you with your dresses for today! Maybe I could try and help you on the dress you'll make for me on Monday!"

Rarity sighed "I told you, Sweetie Belle, I can take care of it just fine! It was a good thing I had stopped you before things got out of hoof. You almost harmed poor Opal!" A low and angry meow could be heard inside as Rarity peered behind her with a wince. Trying not to think of her cat, she looked down at her little sister "The bottom line is, I am going to be very busy today, and it would help me if you took this time to play with your friends! Can you do that for me, please?"

Sweetie Belle pouted a little, but then remembered what she and her friends had done yesterday and broke into a massive grin "Okay! See ya later, sis!" She galloped into town, giggling cheerfully. Rarity, confused at the sudden change of attitude, shook her head at her sister and trotted back into her home, shutting the door.

Applebloom was breezing through town on her hooves, looking around for her friends. She skidded to a halt when Sweetie Belle came into view, and the unicorn filly stopped herself in her tracks as well. The two gave a good hoof bump as they greeted themselves "Hey, Sweetie Belle! How's it goin' with yer sister? Did ya help with her dresses at all?"

Sweetie Belle smiled awkwardly "Well, I TRIED to help, if that's what you're saying. Things really didn't work out so well..." she looked down, but then looked back up with a grin "But, hey! Remember that large thing we dug up outside of Ponyville? We should find Scootaloo and go get it!"

The yellow filly nodded with a grin of her own "Ah know! Ah can't wait t' show it to everypony in town! But we should probably keep it a secret first..." She lowered her voice a little, then a new voice was heard "Like, keep what a secret?" The two fillies turned to where the new voice came from and noticed two other fillies that they did not want to see today.

Staring at them with wicked smiles on their faces were Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, two students that constantly pick on Applebloom and her friends in school. It burned her on how they usually get away with it in class, but it did not matter now as the snide pink filly trotted up and repeated herself "Well? Keep what a secret? Is it something involving you blank-flanks causing more damage to town?" she spoke in a antagonizing tone as her grey counterpart giggled at the insulting question.

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle glared at Tiara, not wanting to deal with another session of insults from her and her friends and the yellow filly took a step forward, replying to her question "It doesn't involve ya at all, Diamond Tiara. Th' better question is, why do y'all even care since all ya ever do is make fun o' us every day?"

Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes with a sigh as she peered back to the two crusaders with another wicked smile "We're not really making fun of you, you know. Think of it as a reminder of where you are in life, and how hard it is for you to achieve your little goals! Now, why don't you be good little fillies and tell us your little secret?"

Sweetie Belle let off a sigh, not wanting to deal with her and her friends' day of fun being robbed by their little enemies, and trotted over to Applebloom's side "C'mon, Applebloom, forget these girls. They're not worth our time and we got things to do. Let's just go find Scootaloo and we'll take care of stuff from there."

Diamond Tiara scoffed "Like, it's not that hard! I'll bet it has something to do with Show and Tell day on Monday! You don't have anything big planned, do you?" She raised an eyebrow, to which Applebloom looked away with a smile that betrayed innocence "Maybe...maybe not. We'd love t' tell ya, but this is a secretive issue that is for crusaders only. Y'all shouldn't concern yerself with what we have in mind. It'll probably bore ya t' death!"

Silver Spoon tilted her head, and then poked her pink friend "Maybe they're right, Tiara. I mean, don't we have better stuff to do today? We got to get our stuff ready for Monday anyways. I'm sure we'll blow the students away with what we have in store for them!" She smiles, to which her superior returns in kind as she turns to the crusaders "You're right, maybe your little secret won't bother us any. Just TRY not to start a fire near town square. Can you do that for us?" She gave a wicked giggle as she and her friend depart from their sight.

Applebloom growls as they left "That there filly is really startin' t' get on mah nerves! It's a good thing mah brother taught us how t' be th' bigger pony in a situation." She turns to her unicorn friend "Well, now that that's over, let's go find Scootaloo an' go pull out our li'l surprise!"

Sweetie Belle smiled, but then frowned at the thought "But wait...do we even know where Scootaloo lives? I mean, we've been friends for a while, but she hasn't really told us much about her life. She didn't even offer for us to visit her place!"

The yellow filly looked down and thought about this "Hey, yeah...There's a thought to be a ponderin'. Why hasn't she told us much about her life OR let us go to her place? Maybe if we find her, we'll get our answers. C'mon, Sweetie Belle!" The two crusaders galloped in pursuit of their friend.

Meanwhile, at the abandoned household, Scootaloo was still asleep through the day because her little episode with the Diamond Dogs tired her out completely. She stirred, and woke from her slumber as she gave a yawn and stretched each of her legs, then looked up at the body laying next to her like a horizontally-placed statue. The orange filly got up on her legs and trotted over to the body, hopped onto its neck and made her way towards its face, smiling at it as she poked its nose. The face looked gruff and slightly threatening, but she found good company in it nonetheless "Morning, sleepyhead~!" She said cheerfully, happy with what she reclaimed the other night. She then took its mouth and flapped its lips up and down as she tried sounding low and masculine "Good morning!" She left the mouth open as she giggled. Though the body was practically lifeless at the moment, Scootaloo couldn't help but feel fond of having someone around her in the broken home she resides in.

She hopped down from the large body and looked down as she then began to think about her home. The orange filly never really shared her personal life with how long she has met her friends, let aloen everypony in Ponyville, and she wonders if it could possibly backfire on her in the near future. While she wanted to think about it more, she focused her attention to the jar of purple water and trotted over to it. The ominous water continued moving around inside of the glass by itself, as if it were constantly being shaken by somepony.

Scootaloo poked at it and watched the water inside move faster with each touch, then picked it up as she trotted over to the large body. Hopping on its chest, she sat down on her haunches and peering into the jar's content once more "This stuff's so wierd...I wonder why it glows so much. Maybe it's full of mushroom spores or something. Does Zecora know about it perhaps?" She continued talking to herself, not even regarding the body she sat on. When she looked deeper, she stared at the water's tantalizing glow and wondered if there was a sort of magic involved in it, then turned over to the body's face "Hey...I wonder if you're somehow connected to this! Maybe if I feed some of this to you, you could possibly come to life!" The orange filly's thought sounded crazy even to her, but what did she have to lose other than her little discovery?

Scootaloo picked up the jar and went to trot over to the body's face so she could pour some of the strange water in its mouth, but then she tripped over the stub of one of the nails inside of his chest, stumbling on her hooves with the jar in her forelegs "Wh-Whoooaaaa!" She fell forward as the jar was lifted into the air, and Scootaloo looked up as it landed on the hammer-like steel on the body's head. The strong metal cracked the jar as the purple water seeped out of it and got all over the body's face and the floor, making the orange filly gasp and panic "Oh no! Nononono!!"

She picked herself up and tried to go gather the water, hoping that there could at lease be a small bit left to take to school. She went for the first puddle and, to her surprise, it started to move on its own and streamed itself inside of the body's open maw, along with every other scattered puddle out of the jar. Every. Last. Drop.

This was wierd, and she wondered if her theory proved true as she hopped onto the body once again and trotted up to its face. She leaned her head more towards its shut eyes, watching in anticipation to see what happens. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of the strange body waking up and scaring her out of her wits, but she would welcome it with open hooves if she were right. After more minutes of waiting, she got bored and looked angry, coming to the conclusion that her theory was an abject failure.

Hopping off of the body, Scootaloo trotted away as she kicked a small pebble that came into view and watched it roll further into the house, sighing at its departure. She leans on the doorframe to her room and pouts "I can't believe I actually thought that the purple stuff could bring that thing back to life! Stupid, Scootaloo! Stupid!" She gently jabbed at her forehead with a hoof, beating herself up over coming up with the crazy thought.

While the orange filly was pouting, there was a faint groan that was heard inside the house, prompting her to look around for a moment. She sighed "Must've been my imagination...There's nothing here but that body over there..." Scootaloo looked at it, then went back to looking down at the floor, inwardly cursing herself as she brooded.

The body laid there, and a few seconds after Scootaloo went back to brooding, its fingers began twitching, along with its arms. It wasn't long until its feet shook and the rest of the body stopped shaking as its eyes shot open and revealed white, pupiless eyes. It gave off another groan as it slowly began to rise, starting with its arms.

Scootaloo continued pouting, unaware of the sounds as she repeated herself "Yep, that's just it...Nothing here but the-" She turned her head towards the body, and her apathetic expression turned into one of shock and awe "...body?" she squeaked her last word as she watched the large body rise and give off a low groan, stretching its arms and giving its neck a few cracks left and right. The orange filly couldn't believe her eyes as she gazed upon the sight in front of her "Oh...Sweet...Celestia..." She quickly galloped over after the body stopped stretching.

The large being gave off a satisfied sigh after gaining its leggings, then looked around at its surroundings. It gave off a low grunt and sneered at the sight, not comprehending the situation in front of him, nor liking it one bit. Before it could check out the window, the being heard a small voice at its feet "Hey! Hey! Down here!" It sounded like a invigorated child, and it caught the being's attention to hear someone's voice after waking up from what seemed to be a long nap.

It looked down to see a small orange pony with wings sporting a wide grin. This made the being wonder why she was so happy. She then began to speak with a tone of joy in her voice "Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh, it WORKED! I don't believe it! You're actually alive, and I brought you to life! Oh, this is so awesome!" The pony was annoying the being as she spoke, and beared its teeth as it began to glare its soulless eyes down at the pony and growl menacingly.

Scootaloo was lost in her words, and stopped when she heard growling "Huh?" She looked back up at the large being in front of her and noticed he looked like a provoked manticore. The sight made her ears droop a little "Uh...What's wrong?" The being growled, then brought up a foot over the orange filly and roared as he brought it down fast. Scootaloo yelled in fright as she quickly scurried away, the foot making contact with the floor and making a hole in it. She noticed the being's might, and looked back up at it as it turned to the frightened filly and uttered its first words ever since it woke.

"I'll strangle the life out of you!!!"

The being sounded masculine alright, but he didn't sound friendly as he brought his foot out of the hole he made and ran towards Scootaloo with vengeance in his eyes. Scootaloo yelped again and quickly galloped away from the being, avoiding him throwing a massive arm at the doorframe and causing more damage to the old home. While she ran towards the entrance, the murderous being gave chase and leaped over her, landing in front of the entrance with a loud thud and causing poor Scootaloo to skid to a halt and stare up at her attacker with eyes wide as dinner plates "W-W-Wait!!"

He drew another fist and brought it down fast, yet was unsuccessful in smiting the orange filly as she turned around and made her way back further inside the house. He growled in fury and chased down Scootaloo "Stop moving around! It's irritating!!" The large being yelled as he pursued her.

Scootaloo just didn't know what went wrong, and she was more scared than confused while she was running for her life from what she thought was an amazing discovery. Making her way to the kitchen, she looked around at its bleary and torn features and hyperventilated as she searched for a place to hide 'C'mon! C'mon! There HAS to be some place I can avoid that thing! Why is he attacking me? Is he some kind of monster?'

Before she could think of a place to hide, the large monster roared behind her as he ran through the doorframe, his large and muscular build destroying some of the walls around it. Scootaloo saw this and screamed as she began to dodge a series of punches and kicks that the monster was giving without hesitation. She was lucky to be a pegasus with how she could dodge some of the more harsher blows by flapping her wings fast enough, but they began to get tired as she ran away from another punch. Looking back at her attacker, she didn't notice that she bumped into a wall. The orange filly gasped as she realized she was cornered, the large monster growling as it slowly advanced towards her while cracking its knuckles.

The monster picked up the poor filly by her neck and slammed her into a wall, holding her there despite her body being tucked into it and leered his soulless eyes at her "Where am I!?" He commanded in a tone that confirmed that he had a history of taking lives.

Scootaloo coughed a little while she was stuck inside the wall and the monster's grip. This monster was way stronger than the Diamond Dogs with how he held her. Finding her voice in the pain and fear she was facing, she spoke in a feeble and scratchy tone "Y-You're in Equestria! Me and my friends found you underground! I brought you back here and woke you up from your sleep!"

The monster narrowed his eyes to slits upon hearing this "You!? And I suppose you think I should owe you my life for restoring it!? Bah! I don't have time for worms like you! Hell awaits, peon!!" He drew up a fist towards the cowering filly as she cringed, but stopped when he looked down. Scootaloo wonder why exactly he would hesitate from a killing blow, but then knew more pain as she was slammed into the wall once again in his grip "Where is it!?"

The orange filly was teary-eyed with how the monster was handling her "What?" He repeated himself in a low and dangerous tone "Where...is it...?" Scootaloo was confused as she sniffled "Wh-What are you talking about??" He spat out his reply furiously "Kulutues!! My ax! Where is it!?" The monstrous being was losing his patience with each word.

Scootaloo couldn't dry her tears, but at least she could answer her question "We didn't find an ax! We just found you! Wh-Who are you, by the way-" She then choked as the monster tightened his grip and slowly drew his fist to take care of business. The orange filly shut her eyes, thinking that this was the end, until a faint voice passed her's and the monster's ears. "Didya hear that, Sweetie Belle??" The two turned their heads towards the entrance as they heard another sound "Yeah, I think it came from over there..."

End of Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Enter Astaroth

Scootaloo could have sworn she heard the sound of her two friends Applebloom and Sweetie Belle while being held in the wall by the large monster. She counted herself lucky the monster didn't cause any major damage to her, but the orange filly was aching from both times he was slammed by her. She perked her ears as she tried to listen carefully while under the grip of the murderous being, who was also focused on the approaching sound.

The voices spoke again "It sounded pretty loud...an' Ah thought Ah heard it come from over that there house! Do ya think Scoots is in there?" Scootaloo gasped and widened her eyes, scared that not only would her friends discover that the body was now alive, but could also destroy them without hesitation. The second voice replied to the first one "In THAT place? That doesn't seem like a place Scootaloo would be in. Besides, she knows we have to go grab that large body we found in the hole outside of Ponyville!" The monster gave a quiet growl, finding the distant voices annoying as the first voice spoke again "Well, we'll never know if we don' check, right? Let's go an' check it out!" The voices ceased and were now replaced with hoofsteps raising in volume, signalling someone is about to enter the house.

Scootaloo was in a panic despite her pain, and she turned to the monster and desperately whispered "Quick! You have to hide! They can't see you yet!" She hoped the mosnter would comply, but only succeeded in grabbing his attention and making him glare daggers "I don't take orders from you, runt!"

The orange filly struggled a little under his strong grip and tried urging again with pleading eyes "Please! You have to listen to me, I don't want them to see you yet! You have to trust me on this!" She let out a gag as she was choked more by the large monster "You!? Why should I trust a worthless piece of poultry like you!?"

What was it with everypony in Ponyville calling Scootaloo a chicken? Dismissing the thought, she stated her reason when she found her voice "Because I brought you here and woke you up! You don't even know this place like I do! Now please listen to me!" The monster wanted to hit her again, but gave a quiet hum at the filly's reason.

It was some kind of miracle, but the large monster plucked Scootaloo out of the wall and dropped her on the floor as he looked down on her with his threatening eyes "Where do I hide?" his voice was softer, but still reeked of the same malice as always. Scootaloo never thought she would get through to the large being in front of her, but then began looking around frantically and looked at the pile of rubble to the right of the wall. She galloped over and turned to the monster "Over here! And quick!"

The monster grunted and walked over to the designated spot, his feet giving loud thumps with each step. He then pushed Scootaloo out of the way, making her fly into a doorless cabinet, and began kicking away some of the rubble and took cover behind it, kneeling with the eyes of a predator. Scootaloo peered her head out of the cabinet and saw the monster doing what he was told. She mouthed a 'thank you' to him, then hopped out of the cupboard and galloped towards the house entrance.

At the entrance, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle stepped through the doorway and looked around, grimacing at the house's condition. Sweetie Belle turned to the yellow filly and spoke "Once again, in THIS place? It's all old and beaten...I'm surprised Mayor Mare didn't take down this place yet. Also, I'm not hearing those loud banging noises again."

Applebloom looks around "While Ah agree with ya on the house, Sweetie Belle, Ah'm sure those loud noises came from here! Maybe they jus' stopped th' moment we came in. Do ya think somepony's waitin' fer us?" the unicorn filly began to shiver at the thought "I-If that's the case, we shouldn't even be here! We should be out in town looking for-" a cheery tone interruped Sweetie Belle "Hey, girls!"

The two crusaders look ahead and noticed Scootaloo galloping towards them. She stopped in front of the two with a small grin and spoke again "Nice to see you two! What're you doing here?"

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle looked at each other in confusion and the yellow filly raised an eyebrow "We could ask ya th' same thing, Scoots! Why are ya trottin' around this beat-up place when we got a body to grab?" She then took notice of the small injuries on her body and looked shocked "More importantly, where th' hay did ya get them scars? Were ya doin' somethin' in here?" Sweetie Belle chimed in "Yeah, we were looking for you around town! We never really thought to check this place, on account of it being a dump..."

That hurt Scootaloo with the way Sweetie Belle spoke of her only home, but she had herself to blame on not telling them where she lived. She brought back her grin and replied "Uhh, I was just...I..." the fillies blinked with confused eyes at their pegasus friend, and she began looking around "I..." She continued until she noticed her scooter helmet and smiled as she dashed over and picked it up "I-I lost my helmet! Yeah, that's it! Can't leave home without it, right?" the orange filly gave an awkward chuckle and a wide grin.

Applebloom tilted her head and looked more confused for a moment, but then smiled "Well, it's good t' know ya found your helmet, but we better get goin'! Maybe we can get yer scooter and see if it could be enough help pullin' out that big body. While th' other choice is way easier, Ah really don' want mah brother to pull it out. It's gonna be a surprise to mah family an' th' rest o' Ponyville!"

Scootaloo nodded "Gotcha! But I really gotta do something first! Just wait here, I'll be right back!" She went into the demolished kitchen as quick as a flash, puzzling her fellow crusaders.

When she made it into the kitchen, Scootaloo looked over to the pile of rubble and the monster hiding behind it and galloped over to his side, whispering "Okay, I really am grateful that you chose to listen to me on this, but now I just want you to stay here while I go with my friends! I'll come back later and I can tell you more about this place so you can get a better feel of where you live now!"

The monster growled and spoke loudly while hiding "Live here!? I refuse to waste my days in this place, even if it does make for a good slaughterhouse!" Scootaloo perked her ears and panicked at how loud he sounded. To make things worse, his voice reached the ears of Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, prompting them to wonder what was going on.

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle gave a simultaneous "Huh?" and looked at each other after hearing the new voice, then trotted over towards the kitchen. Applebloom looked up at the ruined doorframe, how large chunks of the upper reaches were torn away with the cracks still fresh, then trotted passed it with her unicorn friend, who began to feel uneasy. The two found Scootaloo looking around with her back turned, and then facing them when she heard the two approach. She gave another awkward chuckle and grin "Just making sure I haven't lost anything else!"

Sweetie Belle trotted up "But what could you lose inside of a kitchen? It was only just your helmet, right? You didn't lose your shovel in here, did you?" She raised her eyebrow at the orange filly, who was shifting ehr eyes left and right, not sure on what to say next.

While she was in a predicament, the monster behind the pile of rubble lost its patience as he took sight of the new faces in the kitchen. It was too much to stay in one spot, and he felt like destroying something as he leaped out of his hiding place and startled the fillies.

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle looked up at the monster with their jaws nearly hitting the ground, awestruck at how it was moving, but was unaware of the vengeance in his eyes. He picked up Sweetie Belle by the head and brought her to his eye level, growling at her and striking fear into the poor filly. She began to scream and flail, and Applebloom looked shocked at what was happening.

The monster went to go strike Sweetie Belle, but Scootaloo tugged at the worn pants he was wearing, being careful not touching the spikes, and caught his attention "NO!! Don't hurt her! She's my friend!" The monster looked down at Scootaloo and narrowed his eyes "You're pushing your luck, runt! Stay out of this! It's been a while since I felt blood between my fingers..."

Scootaloo grimaced at his words, drooping her ears in the process, but her friend was being held by a monster, and she wanted to follow Rainbow Dash's example and be loyal to her friends no matter what. She looked down, and her determination began to grow as she looked back up at the monster with a commanding glare "No! I won't let you harm her! She didn't even do anything to you! Put her down NOW!" She never faltered her gaze, and felt triumphant to know the monster halted his advance on her unicorn friend.

The monster looked down and growled at Scootaloo, causing her to inwardly cower at his anger, but then was surprised to see him drop Sweetie Belle, who quickly scurried behind Applebloom and began to cry. He kneeled down and looked Scootaloo right in the eye, narrowing his own as his glare hardened. The orange filly continued glaring back, then wavered a little at how terrifying the monster was to her, only to remember her dear friends were about to be harmed and continued her glare.

They stared for a moment, Applebloom watching with fear as she comforted Sweetie Belle, and then the monster began to chuckle. Scootaloo's determined gaze faltered completely after hearing him chuckle, then cringed as he stood up and bellowed into loud laughter. He looked back down at the orange filly and gave a malicious grin "You have guts, runt...I should see if your mouth matches your strength!"

Scootaloo was scared for a moment, but quickly brought back her resolve as she looked up "I don't have to! Me and my friends brought you into this world, and you don't know anything about it! You NEED us!"

The monster growled, but slowly began to comply. Normally, he would wander the world and kill whatever stood in his way, but if what the filly said was true, he could blindly end up back into the ground. He hated the pony in front of him, but secretly admired her audacity in staring death in the face. The monster crossed his arms and looked down at the filly "So, you say this isn't the same world I was born into, hm? Why don't you enlighten me before you convince me to tear you all apart?"

Sweetie Belle, finally able to stop crying, sniffled as she hid behind Applebloom "H-How did he come back to life? Why is he acting like this? Scootaloo, what's going on??"

Scootaloo turned to the unicorn filly, and her resolve diminished in front of her friends as she felt it was time to confess what happened in terms of the monster's revival "You remember when we found this guy and went back home for the night so we could find him today? Well, I woke up in the middle of the night so I could get a look at him, but he was taken by the Diamond Dogs outside of Ponyville." This elicited a gasp from the two fillies as she then continued "So I went out after them, and found out they were about to dump him in a purple river because he had no gems!" The monster looked down at the orange filly and narrowed his eyes "I convinced them to give me the body AND a jar of the purple water so I could take it to Show and Tell day Monday, but then I accidentally spilled it..."

Applebloom was perplexed about the purple river and wanted to know more about it, but Scootaloo wrapped up her story "The water was everywhere, but then it all moved on its own and went inside this guy's mouth, and he woke up!" She finished as she looked up at the monster with a grin on her face.

Sweetie Belle was now scared "The water moved on its own and brought THAT back to life? What kind of water was that!?" Scootaloo shrugged "I dunno..." she then looked up at the monster "The better question is, what should we call you??"

The monster grunted in question as Applebloom looked up at him, her tension fading as she noticed he wasn't going to attack "Hm, maybe we should give 'im a name?" She stared at his hammer-like helmet and smiled "How about Hammerhead? Sounds fittin', what with th' hammer on yer head and th' nails on yer body!" The monster glared down and growled "I will be called no such thing!" Sweetie Belle looked up at the monster, yet was tense as she was near "Why not?" He pointed a large finger at the unicorn filly and spoke in a low and dangerous tone "I will bury you alive..." She squeaked and quickly hid back behind Applebloom, who was also cowering and shaking.

Scootaloo trotted in front of her friends, becoming more courageous around the monster as she spoke "So what do we call you, hm? Unless you like the name 'Giant Monster Psycho', we're gonna need a name from you!" Her two friends were surprised with how the orange filly was able to stand her ground around the body, but then focused their attention to the monster, who stared back and uttered his name.

"Astaroth..."

The fillies were confused, and Applebloom spoke up "Asta-what?" He repeated himself, but with more anger "Astaroth! My name, you fool!" the fillies cringed at the outburst.

Scootaloo tilted her head "Astaroth, huh?" she then smiled "Okay, it's something! You're opening up to us, and that's good!" The orange filly brought a hoof to her chest and introduced herself "My name's Scootaloo!" she points to her friends "That's Applebloom, and the one behind her is Sweetie Belle! And together, we're the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" She brought up a hoof with pride as she declared her team name.

Astaroth gave an evil smirk "Crusaders, huh? You're nothing but a bunch of maggots to me..."

Applebloom heard the insult and glared "Hey! Why're ya such a big jerk t' us? Ah mean, we brought ya here!" She paused, then turned to her pegasus friend "Well...Scootaloo brought ya here...and she brought ya back t' life! Aren't ya grateful that she got ya back on yer feet!?"

The dark golem scoffed and struck his chest with a clenched fist "I do as I please! I shouldn't even take orders from the likes of you!! Get out of my way, or I'll crush you under the heel of my boot like the insects you are!"

Scootaloo groaned and yelled "Cut it out! I already told you, you need us! We're not really giving you orders! We just want you to cooperate with us, since you kinda owe us for bringing you back to life! All that we ask is that you just consider us your friends while you stay here! What do you have left to lose?"

Astaroth stared down at the orange filly in front of him and looked at her stare, noticing determination with a slight hint of sadness. Why was the pony sad? He then noticed the other fillies trot up to her side and stare up at him with frightened, but curious eyes. He wanted to beat them senseless, but he realized that the little pony had a point. Other than the power coursing through his veins and his now-lost ax known as Kulutues, what did he have to lose?

The crusaders were confused and wondered why the golem was hesitating, but then he growled in defeat "Fine...Count yourself lucky I won't destroy you...yet..." Sweetie Belle squeaked at the last word she heard, but Scootaloo sighed in relief and smiled up at Astaroth "Good, then you'll have to stay here with me and-"

Applebloom turned to the orange filly "Wait, stay here? With you? What're you talkin' about, Scoots? Why doncha take him back to yer house?" Sweetie Belle, while afraid of Astaroth, perked up at the earlier thought of Scootaloo and her personal life "Hey, yeah. What about your house and your family? You really haven't told us much about what you do when you're not hanging out with us, Scootaloo...Why?"

Scootaloo never anticipated this after stating her idea to Astaroth, and now she has to pay the price for letting her personal life slip. This was all too much for her to handle with how her friends were quickly catching onto her plight of being an orphan, and tears began to well up in her eyes as she began to sob. It looks like it was time for her closest friends to know the horrible truth behind Scootaloo's loneliness.

End of Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Sorting things out

Applebloom was more than confused to notice Scootaloo starting to cry after her small slew of questions she and Sweetie Belle asked her, and it only raised another "Scoots? Why are ya cryin'? Was it somethin' Ah said?" Her and Sweetie Belle looked upon the orange filly in confusion as she began to calm down.

Scootaloo never thougth she would see the day where she would have to come clean about her loneliness in front of her friends, but she was prepared for it as she spoke up, sniffling "I-It's nothing like that, but I can't keep it a secret to you two now. But before I tell you, I want you girls to Pinkie Promise that nopony should know about this! Nopony!"

The two fillies looked at Scootaloo in confusion, but could tell she was serious by her teary gaze and performed a Pinkie Pie Swear for her sake, gestures and all "Cross my heart and hope to fly! Stick a cupcake in my eye!" After their motions, they stood and stared at Scootaloo with expectant eyes on what she would say.

Astaroth had a mind to leave while they weren't looking, but he wondered if there could be some useful history behind the orange filly's story. He stood and listened as he crossed his arms and looked down at Scootaloo, who began her story with a deep breath "You know how you have your families and houses?" The two fillies nodded at this "Well...I..." She shuddered and clenched her teeth, then blurted out the truth "I have none of that! Nothing!! All those times I was hanging out with you guys every day, I've been all alone!"

Sweetie Belle and Applebloom gasped at this, and the unicorn filly spoke up "Is that why you were skipped on Family Appreciation Day? But you said that your mom was sick! Scootaloo, why didn't you tell us about this!? We're your friends!"

Scootaloo looked away "I know, I know...I never really knew my mom. It was hard living without one, and finding a place to live was even harder! I only kept my life a secret from you guys and everypony else because all I'll get from it is pity! You don't know how hard it is to be alone, with no one to look after or care for you at all." She began tearing up again "A-And now you know where I live, too..."

Applebloom looks around the damaged abode and turns back to her sad friend "Ya mean t' tell me this is where you live?? Scoots, I..." She felt betrayed that Scootaloo would keep a secret this big from her, but it was outweighed by how heartbroken she felt about her situation. The yellow filly could never be more right about Scootaloo getting pitied for her life, but she had a promise to keep.

Sweetie Belle felt worse after hearing this when she remembered insulting her home. She trotted up to the orange filly and nuzzled her with a sad expression on her face "I-I'm sorry about this, Scootaloo. But what'll you do now if this keeps up? Sure, we Pinkie Promised, but we don't want you living this! Anypony shouldn't be this way!"

Scootaloo wiped her tears as more formed in her eyes "I told you, I-I can stay with Astaroth!" She sniffled "H-He doesn't know anything about this place, he needs us, and he'll keep me company! It sucks sleeping by yourself, and it just...it just..." She begins to cry again, making her friends feel worse about her situation. They couldn't think of anything to say to cheer up her friend right now after hearing her sad story.

Astaroth was silent the whole time, and couldn't take his eyes off of Scootaloo as he unfolded his arms. He knelt down slowly and gently picked her up, making her face him as she continued crying. When he stood up with Scootaloo in her arms, he stared at her with his pupilless eyes, and then yelled at her with an angry expression "STOP CRYING, RUNT!" He certainly wasn't trying to comfort the orange filly, but he succeeded in stopping her crying. The crusaders stared at Astaroth with widened eyes at his gesture, and then he dropped Scootaloo again as he glared down at the filly "What the hell is so sad about being alone!? You're nothing but a hopeless wimp if this really bothers you! Show some backbone like you have earlier!!"

Applebloom was dumbfounded at how the dark golem acted, and glared up at him "Ah can't believe y'all could say such a thing! Being alone is horrible, and Scoots here is only a filly! Why doncha act more nice around th' pony that brought ya back, huh!? She needs somepony to be around!"

Sweetie Belle looked up at Astaroth and spoke as well "Were you alone in your life, Astaroth?? What was your life like before we met you??" While she did fear Astaroth, she was more than curious about his life before his ressurection.

Astaroth only turned to the unicorn filly, ignoring Applebloom's words, and growled "None of your business..." Sweetie Belle cringed at this. He turned back to Scootaloo "And you! You shouldn't even be sobbing about this matter! Get up and tell me about this world!" Scootaloo was staggering to get up since the drop added more pain to her small injuries. This angered the dark golem "Get up or I'll punt you through a wall..." he growled.

The orange filly grunted and struggled as she finally got her legs, then looked up at Astaroth with a tear-stained glare "You're such a jerk, you know that?" She wiped her tears "I mean, it's nice to know you stopped me from crying, but why do you have to be this way? Were you really alone in your life with no one to love you?"

The dark golem scoffed "I already told you, my life is none of your business! Now get to explaining! My patience is wearing thin..."

Scootaloo sighed, and did what she was told as her friends trotted to her side and comforted her "You're in Ponyville, in the world of Equestria. Princess Celestia rules this place, and she's a really nice pony, too! Right now you're standing in my house, which you kinda tore up, by the way..." She turned to the doorless entrance "It'll be hard, but we can try to help you while you're here..." She turned back to Astaroth, and widened her eyes at what she saw.

Astaroth had his hands on his hips while he was glaring down at Scootaloo with hate, and the orange filly remembered back to her dream in the dark desert. He had the same exact shape as the benevolent being she witnessed in her depressed stupor. Was Astaroth really the one she was searching for to rid her of loneliness? Surprisingly, her mood brightened when she got a good look at him and spoke in a better tone "Yeah! We can help you! And maybe all of Ponyville will like you, too!"

Sweetie Belle looked at Scootaloo as if she were insane, and tried to state her opinion on the matter "Scoots, while it's nice to know you'll help Astaroth, he'll stick out like a sore thumb once he steps through that door and walks into town! He needs to be cared for by us personally before he can interact with them! Not to mention, he's scary..." She shook at the sight of the dark golem looking down at the crusaders.

Applebloom continued glaring at him "That an' a big jerk! But Ah guess it doesn't really matter t' him...We just need t' teach him some manners if he's gonna be livin' here. That can't be too hard, right?"

Scootaloo rubbed her chin at the thought, and wondered if it were possible to make Astaroth a better person. If he really was the one for Scootaloo's troubles, she would oblige the thought no problem. It would be very hard, considering his first impression and all of the scars it left (Literally...). She looked up at Astaroth and smiled "I'm okay with it, since he's living with me and all."

Astaroth glared down at Scootaloo "You pretentious worm! What part of 'I refuse to live here' don't you understand!? Out of my way, I'm leaving this place!" He walks forward and shoves Scootaloo out of the way.

Scootaloo looked frightened as she galloped forward and tugged on his pants with her teeth, feebly pulling him back and being dragged by his strength "Wrrr! Ooo crr't gu oot rrr!! [Wait! You can't go out there!] She persisted even if his clothes were dirty at the touch of her mouth.

The dark golem stopped and noticed her latched onto his legs and swung it back, launching her away from him and making her tumble and bump into her friends like bowling pins. They were all dazed while Scootaloo was laying under her friends in a pile, and Scootaloo shook it off and noticed Astaroth reaching the entrance "Astaroth, no!!"

Astaroth placed one of his large hands on the doorway and took his first step out of the ruined house and noticed the change of atmosphere in the short distance. The sun got in his eyes as he covered his helmeted forehead with his other hand, and then observed the scenery in front of him. Everything was colorful and vibrant and there were more ponies in his sights. Each one was a different color, and some had wings while others had horns like the fillies he met earlier. They were busy either working or playing with smiles on their faces. Everypony was happy, able, and alive.

He hated this place already.

Remembering Scootaloo's words, he reluctantly crawled back inside of his new home while growling in disgust at the sight of the world he now resides in. If he had Kulutues or Soul Edge, he would gladly go outside and begin a killing spree, but for now he felt naked and lacked the proper knowledge of Equestria. Astaroth turned and walked back to the crusaders, who were busy recovering from the collision caused by him and narrowed his eyes down at them "I'm staying here..." His words were calm, yet still contained anger and hate.

The crusaders had their jaws dropped at his response, not expecting him to comply so easily. They began to smile at each other while thinking they were reaching out to him and then broke out in to a brief cheer.

Scootaloo trotted up to Astaroth with a grin "I'm so glad you're choosing to listen to us for a change! You won't regret this, Astaroth! Maybe if we teach you enough about friendship, everypony will adore you!"

Astaroth picked up Scootaloo with a firm grip and clenched his free hand into a fist "What would I want with friends!? I never agreed considering you miserable maggots as allies, let alone equals! This place is just alien to me and-"

The orange filly had a smug expression on her face "And you need us to know it better! While you can be all big, scary, and strong, you can't really do much around here if you don't have any guidance! Face it, Astaroth...you won't get far without our help, and that's what we're gonna do! You just got here, after all!" With all the time they spent, however short it was, Scootaloo was able to approach Astaroth better without much fear. She does know to keep her distance if he gets worse, but she hopes that she could possibly consider him to be the closest thing to family she has.

The dark golem was baffled at Scootaloo's gall, how she was able to be brave around his presence. It was as if the little pony had some kind of death wish. He wanted to strangle the life out of her, as he stated when he first woke up, and the look on her face was driving him closer to doing so. Giving a firm growl he dropped Scootaloo once more, this time on top of Sweetie Belle and looked down at the three "Quite a nerve on you...If I weren't so blind of this world, I'd gladly kill you...slowly..." This time, he grinned a little as he noticed a hint of fear on Scootaloo's face.

Applebloom stepped up "So since y'all are stuck here a,' stuff...What're ya gonna do exactly?" She looks around "There ain't much t' do but hide n' seek! An' we got crusadin' t' do!"

Sweetie Belle turned to her friends "Wait, girls! What about Astaroth? We can't just leave him here! We promised that we would tell him more about Equestria, and somepony like him shouldn't be left in one place unsupervised!"

The yellow filly turned to the dark golem and gave a grimace, both at his attitude and all of the possibly horrid scenarios that could occur if he were alone. She sighs and looks at her friends "Guess yer right, Sweetie Belle. But what should we do now, since th' big lug wants t' learn?"

Scootaloo was thinking, and then grinned when she turns to Applebloom "Applebloom, I want you to go to the library and grab some books on Equestrian history! That should help Astaroth figure out how the world works!" She then turns to Sweetie Belle "Sweetie Belle, I want you to head to Sugarcube corner and grab him some food! He's probably hungry ever since he woke up!"

Sweetie Belle tilted her head "But what about you? You're not actually gonna stay here with him, are you? You're all beat up!"

Upon inspection of Scootaloo's being, her friend was right on her condition. The wounds weren't going to heal themselves, and she was going to be stuck with Astaroth and keeping an eye on him. She nods to this and turns to Sweetie Belle with a sheepish grin "Yeah, so food AND a first aid kit..." she chuckles awkwardly. The orange filly noticed the worry on Sweetie Belle's face, and set her at ease with a look of determination "Don't worry about me, okay? I've had worse, and somepony's gotta keep an eye on him! Besides, I brought him to life, so he's my responsibility in a way!"

Scootaloo was lucky that she or her friends didn't notice the threatening gaze on Astaroth's face after what he had heard. He could only be patient for so long, but they did promise him knowledge to work with if he were to roam the world on his own. He kept his cool, knowing that killing the children would be too easy and it wouldn't benefit him on his quest for knowledge. They were going to personally deliver it to him, after all.

Applebloom trotted up to Scootaloo and gave her a pat on the shoulder with a smile "Ya really are a brave filly fer doin' this, Scoots..." She went to leave, but then gave Astaroth a stern look "Be nice t' her, ya hear?"

Astaroth pointed to the door "Begone! I don't take orders from you! I want my knowledge, and you're the one tasked for this!"

The yellow filly shook her head and groaned as she trotted out. She was beginning to loathe Astaroth more than Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Sweetie Belle gave Scootaloo one last look of worry before following after Applebloom out the door.

That left the orange filly and the dark golem alone once more. There was nothing but silence between the two of them, and Astaroth turned and walked away from Scootaloo and sat down in the ruined living room with his legs folded. He folded his arms as he slowly shut his eyes, wanting to rest.

He didn't anticipate that Scootaloo was standing on his lap, looking at him with a tilted head and a confused expression "Are you meditating?" The dark golem opened his eyes, then narrowed them when he noticed Scootaloo. He grabbed her by the head and chucked her away lightly as he closed his eyes again, the orange filly bouncing on the floor on her haunches when she landed. She looked back and glared as she trotted back to him "You could've just asked me to leave, you know!"

Astaroth opened his eyes again and glared at the orange filly "I'm resting...Go away..." He spat with malice.

Scootaloo should be happy he wasn't causing any trouble, but she didn't want to be ignored while she was tasked with keeping an eye on him. She wanted to know more about Astaroth and see if it were possible to make him more friendly around her and the other crusaders. She trotted closer "I just wanna talk to you for a minute, since it's just us here. Plus, you don't even seem tired...just cranky. Maybe you could use some company while you're asleep?"

Astaroth's glare never wavered as he repeated himself with a raised tone "Outta my sight, runt! I've no patience for you right now!"

The orange filly glared "I have a name you know! It's Scootaloo! Why can't you just call me and my friends by our names for once? Would it kill you to try and have a better attitude around us while you're here?" She was plucked from the ground by her head as Astaroth brought her to his face.

His glare was the same as he beared his teeth in anger "Get..." He readied his arm, and then tossed poor Scootaloo in another room "...LOST!" The orange filly bounced, and then rolled into a wall, causing small cracks as she laid upside down.

She was getting used to being smacked around, and she gave a saddened sigh at her predicament 'This guy's worse than Gilda...Hopefully some food might cheer him up...'

End of Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Looming Figures

At Ponyville Library, Twilight had just finished reading the ominous book she collected yesterday for the second time. She was practically gushing at all of the lost information it had to offer, a majority of it being historical features unbeknownst to most of ponykind. The one of the only things that bothered her about the book was the main topic about the blade known as 'Soul Edge'. What bothered her even more was that the very author of the book was anonymous.

She was thinking about reading it once more, until she noticed the front door opened to reveal Applebloom trotting inside with some saddlebags "Howdy there, Twilight! Can ya give me some books on Equestrian history, please? Ah kinda need 'em right now."

Twilight smiled at the yellow filly "Of course, Applebloom!" She turned to one of her bookcases and activated her horn, levitating three books from the cases with her magic. The books hovered and gathered into Applebloom's saddlebags, and Twilight was then curious "Why do you need these books exactly? Are you studying history at school right now? I never really considered you or your friends to be the learning type. No offense..."

Applebloom waved a hoof "None taken, Twi! We're actually helpin' each other out with some problems involvin' knowin' th' lay o' th' land. These books'll really get us goin'! We're jus' tryin' t' enjoy our weekend together like always, but with less crusadin'!" She turned to leave "Well, Ah best be goin' now! Later!"

Twilight tilted her head as the yellow filly left "That's strange. Normally crusading is in the little fillies' blood...I wonder what led them to read..." She rubbed her chin with a hoof, but then smiled "Oh well, at least it's good to know that they want to enrich their minds with knowledge!"

Spike walked in while eating an amethyst in his claws, swallowing his latest bite "I beg to differ, Twilight. Those girls always have some kind of crazy plan going, even if it involves a book or two. They're probably up to something! Remember that whole fiasco with Big Macintosh and Cherilee?" He raised an eyebrow, hoping that Twilight would know.

The lavender bookworm sighed at the memory "Don't remind me...At that moment, I figured that they would actually take the time to read like Rainbow Dash! Never thought they actually wanted to make a love poison for those two..." She shook her head from the thought and then levitated the ominous book to her face and opened the cover, smiling.

Spike groaned at this "Again, Twilight? Why don't you put that book down already? You've already read that thing twice now!" He noticed the book's cover and jumped a little, pointing at the book "Dude, that's creepy..." He never really wanted to read the book to begin with, and the cover added to his displeasure. Spike thought the book was a horror novel at first, until Twilight mentioned the lost history inside of it.

Twilight flipped the page "While you're right about how it looks, Spike, I can't help but enjoy most of this book's information! Did you know that, even longer before the birth of Equestria and Celestia herself, there existed a race known as humans?" She looked at a page displaying an illustration of what appeared to be a bipedal figure with armor and a large blue sword "I never imagined that a race like them existed before we have! It's simply fascinating!"

The little dragon rolled his eyes at this and took another bite of his amethyst. Unless the words 'Rarity needs you!' or 'Look at all these gems!' were to come out of Twilight's mouth, Spike doesn't really listen to his older sister. Sure, he'll cook and clean if needed, but he was never really engrossed in literature like Twilight was.

While the two were minding their own business, the front door opened again, only this time to reveal somepony different. It wasn't even a pony at all. It was a brown donkey who seemed old for his age, wearing a large blonde toupee.

Cranky Doodle Donkey, Ponyville's newest resident, was wanting to stop by Ponyville to find some books that he and Matilda could enjoy together at his house. Twilight took noticed after hearing the door open and smiled at the donkey "Hello, Doodle! Need any books today?"

Doodle gave a small smile back "Yes, please. Do you have any tasteful romance novels? Matilda and I want to read something nice today. Hopefully you won't disappoint, since I hear from Pinkie that you're supposed to be a smart mare."

Twilight nods and looks around "Sure! Let me see if I can find something for you." She searches her many bookcases for something suitable for Doodle's needs while levitating the open book next to her "So, how are you enjoying Ponyville so far? Is it to your liking at all?"

The old donkey gave a hum and a nod "It could never be more peaceful. With Matilda around, I can enjoy the rest of my days well. Thank you for asking..." He was staring at her searching, then noticed the illustration on the page of Twilight's book, gasping at the sight "Hey! I saw something like that before!"

Spike finishes his amethyst and raises an eyebrow towards Doodle "Something like what? Did Twilight pick a book you've already read?"

Twilight turned around "I didn't, did I? Maybe I should check further down on the right..." She was still levitating the book

Doodle shook his head and pointed a hoof at the illustrated page "The picture! I've seen something like that thing on the picture while I was traveling Equestria!"

This caught Twilight's attention as she gasped with widened eyes. She galloped over and stopped in front of Doodle with the open book at her side "You mean to tell me you actually seen a human before? Did it look like this?" She pointed her hoof on the picture.

The old donkey looked down "No, not really...It's been so long, but I remember seein' something like that while traveling the world in search of Matilda. While I was in Trottingham, I saw this cloaked figure hidden in a forest...It was dark, but I noticed it holding some kind of large scythe. I was under the impression it was a farmer."

Twilight leaned in closer to Doodle with expectant eyes "Is the farmer still around Trottingham!?" If it were true, she wanted to go out and search for the last surviving human and study him or her. Her joy was shot as the donkey shook his head.

Doodle looked at the lavender bookworm "No one knows...The farmer's probably gone by now, or could be somewhere else. But I'm surprised to see something connected to what I've seen in my day. Now, about my book?"

Twilight perked up "Oh, right! I'm on it!" She went back to searching, and secretly wondered if the mysterious farmer was still around. Perhaps she could go out with her friends and search later.

Meanwhile, at Sugarcube Corner, Sweetie Belle was busy collecting some cupcakes and cookies to feed Astaroth. She also was carrying a first aid kit like Scootaloo wanted. The unicorn filly was looking up at local party pony Pinkie Pie while she was adding up the total price of the food.

Pinkie rang up the price and grinned "That'll be 25 bits for the snacks, Sweetie Belle! I hope you enjoy those cupcakes~!" She was in her usual bubbly mood while monitoring the shop.

Sweetie Belle gave Pinkie her money and smiled "Thanks, Pinkie! But these aren't really for me, but I'm sure he'll love them!" She had high hopes about feeding Astaroth Pinkie's snacks. The party pony made the best baked goods, winning the hearts of many who come to her shop.

Pinkie smiled "Who's gonna be eating my stuff, huh? Is it a certain somepony I should know about??" She leaned on her counter, wanting to hear a reply from Sweetie Belle.

The unicorn filly was backing away sheepishly, cursing herself for almost revealing her friends' secret "Uhhh, I can't really tell! It's a surprise! Bye, Pinkie!" She quickly galloped out of the store, leaving Pinkie to narrow her eyes in suspicion.

"Can't tell if surprise...Or hidden plotline..."

Sweetie Belle was trotting around town, sighing in relief that she didn't let the secret about Astaroth slip entirely. Ponyville was just not ready for Astaroth in his current condition, and the poor filly shuddered at the thought of him meeting somepony and wanting to destroy them. Hopefully, the sweets she bought could be enough to change his attitude.

Applebloom was trotting at her own pace, carrying the three books on Equestrian history in her bags. When she saw Sweetie Belle come into view, she galloped over to her "Heya, Sweetie Belle! Ah see ya got th' food! Ya didn't say anythin' t' Pinkie did ya?"

Sweetie Belle grinned awkwardly "Nope! Not a thing!" She couldn't let her friend know that she almost talked about Astaroth. The unicorn filly noticed the books in Applebloom's saddlebags "Hey, you have the books! Looks like we're set!"

The yellow filly nods "Yeah! Maybe some food an' knowledge oughta cool th' big guy down! Let's go!" The two made for Scootaloo's house secretly, making sure nopony was watching.

Back at the abandoned house, Scootaloo was pacing left and right while looking down as she was lost in thought 'Okay...Maybe I gotta try a different approach to see if he'll open up to me...' She thought to herself as she stopped pacing and took a look at Astaroth in the other room, sitting down in his resting position. She then went back to pacing and thinking 'Should I try and act more brave and strong around him? He seemed to like that...but I don't wanna antagonize him. That guy's huge!' This was becoming hard for the poor filly as her left hind leg twitching in pain, but then she heard footsteps as her friends approached her home.

Applebloom came in and noticed Scootaloo, smiling "Heya, Scoots! We're back! How're things on yer end?" Sweetie Belle followed after, setting the bag of goodies on the floor and trotting over to Scootaloo with the first aid kit.

She took the case and opened it, unraveling the medical tape with her mouth. Sweetie Belle wanted to help Scootaloo with her cuts while she was talking as she got started. Scootaloo looked over towards the other room "Well, Astaroth's not doing anything big. All he's doing is resting while we were waiting for you guys." She glared "The worst part is, he's still a jerk no matter how nice I am to him! I'm trying to come up with a better tacti-Ow! Easy, Sweetie Belle!"

The unicorn filly patched up one of the bigger cuts from her slamming into the wall, and gave an apologetic grin "Sorry, Scootaloo..." She went back to patching the orange filly's wounds.

Applebloom tilted her head "Still? Sheesh! Ah guess we came here at th' right time! Lemme get that big oaf his books!" She trotted over towards Astaroth, who acknowledged her presence by turning his head to face and glare at her.

The dark golem growled "What do you want, maggot?" Even when he was about to be given what he wanted, Astaroth was not happy to see Applebloom. He was already fed up with Scootaloo's presence alone, even if she did seem more courageous than the other fillies.

The yellow filly glared back at Astaroth "Th' name's Applebloom, ya big jerk! Ah came back cuz' I got th' book y'all wanted!" She pulls each one out and placed them in front of his eyes "Here! Take yer pick, Astaroth!" The gark golem looked down at the books and picked them all up and scanned each cover.

There were three books, and each were more unique than the last one. The first one was a large blue book called 'Equestrian History for the Estute'. This one seemed to hold the most information he would desire. The next book was just as big, but was red and held the title 'Encyclopedia Equestria: Vol. 1' Perhaps he should force the fillies into finding the remaining volumes. The last one was short, and was covered in yellow and black. There was a wall-eyed Pegasus on the cover, and the title was called 'Equestrian History for Dummies'. Applebloom took notice to the last one and figured Twilight would set her up with such a book, but also giggled as it was presented to Astaroth.

Astaroth set the other two books down and was about to begin reading until Sweetie Belle trotted over to him "Wait, Astaroth!" he glared and looked over at the unicorn filly "What?" he replied in his loud and gruff tone.

Sweetie Belle, after finishing patching up Scootaloo's wounds, balanced one of the cupcakes she bought at Sugarcube corner on her muzzle and she carefully trotted over to Astaroth's side and set it on his lap "I got you some food! I know you'll love it!" She grinned, still hoping that something so tasty would be enough to coerce the dark golem.

He took the cupcake in one of his large hands and inspected it up close, sniffing it a little. After staring at it, he took a large bite and chewed slowly. Scootaloo trotted in after he took the cupcake and gathered with her friends as he watched him eat it. They were smiling, expecting him to be jolly after tasting something so heavenly.

They were wrong.

Astaroth's eyes widened, and then he turned to his left side and spat out the bite in his mouth, tossing the cupcake away. He then faced Sweetie Belle and grabbed her by the head, eliciting a scared shriek, and glared at her with his murderous eyes "What is this drek!?" Clearly, he did not enjoy the cupcake as the crusaders intended.

Sweetie Belle resembled a frightened and abused puppy as she hung in Astaroth's grip "I-I-I figured you'd like it! It was a cupcake from Sugarcube Corner! Everypony loves them! Please don't hurt me!" She was shivering in fear.

Scootaloo saw this and glared "Calm down, Astaroth! She didn't know! Besides, it's just a cupcake. It's not like it'll kill you or something..." She paused, then looked up curiously "Would it?"

Astaroth turned to the orange filly while holding Sweetie Belle and glared "I expected better from your pathetic cohorts, runt! The books better not be as bad as what I just tasted!!"

Applebloom pointed a hoof "They ain't! Those books are th' best in Ponyville AND they'll cover all the history ya want! Now can ya put Sweetie Belle down, please? Yer scarin' her!"

The dark golem turned to Sweetie Belle, and then grunted as he tossed her at Applebloom. The two barreled backward as he picked up his book and began to read. He was determined to collect his knowledge so he would roam the world free of his burden.

Scootaloo galloped to her friends and helped them up, and Applebloom looked angry "Scoots, Ah'm sorry, but Ah can't stand bein' around that guy! He's jus' so plum difficult!! How yer able to put up with him by yerself is beyond me!"

Sweetie Belle looked over at Astaroth while he was engrossed in his literature "I can't believe he doesn't like Pinkie's cupcake...It's like he's pure evil!" She heard Astaroth chuckle while she spoke.

Scootaloo sighed as she looked at her patched wounds from her first encounter with Astaroth, but then turned to her friends "Girls, you should probably go..."

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle turned to Scootaloo with incredulous expressions on their faces "But what about you!? Ah know he's stayin' here an' all, but what if he decides t' target ya when he gets mad? That guy's built like mah brother!"

The orange filly smiled "I already told you, I had worse. And I also brought him back to life, so he's my responsibility. Besides, with what I've been through with him, I'm sure to get to him somehow! You girls just go have fun with other ponies while I keep an eye on the big lug!"

Sweetie Belle trotted up and donned the same look of worry when she first left to get food "Are you sure about this, Scootaloo? It's still daytime! What'll you even do here?"

Scootaloo waved a hoof "I'll think of something." She turned and looked at Astaroth reading his book, flipping a page as she repeated herself in a softer tone "I'll think of something..."

Applebloom looked sad, not liking the fact that she'll leave her friend once again with a murderous monster, but she could tell that it's what she wanted. She nodded "Okay...We'll come back later then, Scoots. See ya later." the yellow filly reluctantly trotted out of Scootaloo's home.

Sweetie Belle gave Scootaloo a hug, and then followed after Applebloom as the two left the orange filly's home. Scootaloo gave a sigh, and then turned to Astaroth and trotted over to him. She smiled at him looking so interested in his book, and she rubbed her chin with a hoof as she wondered if she should read as well. Rainbow Dash liked reading, and perhaps she could bond well with Astaroth if she reads with him.

She went to go grab one of the two remaining books, but then a large hand slammed onto the top of them, making her jump back. Scootaloo turned to see Astaroth bearing his teeth and glaring daggers at her "Get your own..." he spoke in a dangerous tone as he went back to reading.

The orange filly could only pout at her predicament. She'll get bored so fast and then she'll have no choice but to become an equine football if she dared to touch one of the books in Astaroth's possession. But as she said before, she'll think of something.

Meanwhile, out in a desert outside of Appleloosa, the wind was whistling while the sun was burning in the sky. In the distance, a cloaked bipedal figure, holding a large scythe was traversing through the sand in search of something. Under its hood, a glow could be seen from one of its eyes.

End of Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Priorities

The sun burned over the small desert town of Appleloosa, with the ponyfolk around town tending to their duties with brightened and invigorated moods. The town seemed to be in good spirits with what the day had to offer, and one of its citizens showed more than anypony like always. His name was Braeburn.

Braeburn Apple, Applejack's cousin, was volunteering to pull a carriage with a group of larger stallions for some passengers looking for a quick trip to their destinations. While he seemed smaller and out of his element when it came to pulling something, his spirit gave him the strength needed to keep up with the rest of the group. It was no surprise to them with how Braeburn works around town without much of a problem in his head. Many think that he could be the perfect stallion for a mare, and it was shocking to realize he was still single.

When they reached their destination, the salt tavern known as 'The Salt Block', the passengers hopped off and thanked the stallions for the ride. The larger stallions all turned to Braeburn with smiles on their faces "Thanks fer pitchin' in when we needed an extra set o' hoofs, Braeburn." one of them said with a gruff, but grateful tone.

Braeburn waved a hoof with a warm smile "Aw, t'aint nothin', guys! I'm happy t' help anypony in this place if the situation calls for it! What say we round up some more passangers 'round town, huh? Let's get to it!" He spoke in his signature cheery tone. It was as if he was a male Pinkie Pie, minus the craziness. Earning a nod from each of his friends, they galloped along Appleloosa and searched for more ponies looking for a ride.

After a few trips here and there, Braeburn decided to look for more work after his friends convinced him that they could handle the rest of their shift. He trotted along town, passing by many folks and giving a warm 'Howdy' or 'How's it goin'?'. The cowpony continued on with a smile, until one of his ears twitched to hear rapid hoofbeats growing in volume.

He stopped and saw a distant figure galloping towards him at a fast pace. As it grew, it was not even a pony, but a young female buffalo. She wore a band with two feathers on her head, and her face was one of extreme distress. Braeburn noticed that it was his friend Little Strongheart of the buffalo tribe outside of town. He wanted to greet her with a smile until he noticed the expression on her face, knowing something was wrong when she came to a stop.

The buffalo calf caught her breath and blurted out "Braeburn! I require you and some of the other strong ponies in town to help me!! It's very urgent!"

Braeburn craned his neck at the outburst, but was understanding of his friend's tone of voice "What's goin' down? Are some o' yer friends havin' some sort o' dispute between one another??" If what he thought was true, he wouldn't mind going over and talking with them to sort out their troubles.

Little Strongheart's expression worsened "That's just it! One of the buffalos in my father's tribe has went crazy! Many of the others tried to stop him, but they all have failed and suffered harsh injury! Please, you must hurry and rally whomever you can!"

She was on the verge of tears as Braeburn looked at her, and that was more than enough for him to oblige "You got it, Li'l Strongheart! C'mon, we'll round ourselves up a team together!" They galloped in search of capable ponies to aid them with the problem Little Strongheart was facing.

Outside of the town, near a tribal settlement in the desert, many large buffalo were laying on the ground in pain, moaning coarsely with the blows they had suffered. Another one was tossed onto the sandy ground with a black eye, adding to the collection of injured buffalo. The only one left standing was the proud and noble leader of the buffalo tribe, Chief Thunderhooves. He carried a good amount of injuries himself, but he grunted and snorted steam from his nostrils as he held strong and readied himself for another round against the perpetrator.

The attacker responsible was a buffalo, but this one was different. His coat, instead of tan or brown, was a piercing grey, and his eyes were red with fury. Something was sticking out of his right side, but it was too deep in his coat to be seen. He was hyperventilating in an angry and hungry fashion, and for some odd reason, his body usually crackles with purple static. The strange buffalo snorted steam from his own nostrils as he began pawing at the ground.

Chief Thunderhooves did not waver as he called out "Enough of this! You have gone too far! Look at what you have accomplished!" He waved a hoof towards the injured tribe behind the two of them "Our brothers and sisters of the tribe have all faced incredible pain by your hooves! Do you not realize how ill-minded your actions have become!?" He thought he had reached his fellow buffalo, but the strange buffalo's body crackled with even more purple static after his words. It was clear that Chief Thunderhooves had to use what was left of his strength to try and restrain him as he himself pawed at the ground

The strange buffalo let out a fierce bellow as he began his charge with unbridled fury, with Chief Thunderhooves following suit. The two butted heads as they were locked in combat, pushing their heads against each other and trying to match their opponent's strength. While Chief Thunderhooves could hold out for so long, the strange buffalo began to gain the higher ground as he pushed his head further. It was as if he was running on a good supply of power with how he was able to outmatch the tribe leader, let alone the rest of the tribe.

Chief Thunderhooves gave a pained grunt as his injuries began to catch up with him due to pushing himself in battle, and then found himself flung back towards the rest of the tribe, falling on his sides as he growled. He staggered as he got back up, catching his breath as his larger injuries began to leak blood. Each drop hit the ground as he stared down at the attacker with a hardened gaze, and the attacker readied himself for another charge.

He thought it was the end, but then a new voice was added "Father!" The two buffalo turned to see Little Strongheart galloping towards the battlefield with Braeburn and a group of stallions behind him. They stopped with widened eyes at the scene before them, not anticipating something of this magnitude to even happen.

Braeburn looked around with a dropped jaw "Land Sakes!! One buffalo did all o' THIS!? T'aint right at all!!" The stallions behind Braeburn began having second thoughts about helping Little Strongheart after witnessing such a violent atmosphere like this.

Little Strongheart noticed Chief Thunderhooves' condition and galloped over to her father's side. The tribe leader noticed his attacker and quickly turned to his daughter as she drew closer "No! Little Strongheart, stay back! This one is too dangerous!! Get yourself to safety while you still can!"

His daughter did not listen as she drew closer "No! I cannot leave you again! not like this!" She was too blinded by worry and sadness with how her own father laid in pain. The strange buffalo noticed the young calf gallop towards his opponent, and decided to go for her instead. Giving off another fierce bellow, he went off into a mad charge.

Braeburn saw this with shock in his eyes and called out to Little Strongheart "Li'l Strongheart!! Look out!" The young calf had almost reached her father, but was then knocked away hard by the strange buffalo, shrieking in pain as she flew. She skidded across the sand back near Braeburn, who was now as worried as his friend.

Everypony present, while afraid of the attacker, could not let such an inexcusable act like harming a lady go unpunished. The cowpony turned to the strange buffalo with a glare "Alright! I figured we coulda talked this whole thing out, but it looks like yer far from words!" He turned to his group "C'mon, y'all!! Let's give this one a good buckin', Appleloosa style!!" His group yelled in agreement and vigor as they prepared themselves for battle. Little Strongheart picked herself as she recovered from the blow and stood with her friends at the ready.

They all charged in their own stampede towards the strange buffalo with fire in their eyes, but their own eyes could not meet the same amount of fury of their opponent's. While they had him outnumbered, they were clearly outmatched as the buffalo made another charge, and bowled right past the group as if they were a poorly-crafted fence. They all were tossed into the air with the strange buffalo's strength, and they all fell down into the sand as he turned around and went for another charge.

Braeburn staggered to get up, and could not be more baffled with this problem "This just ain't right! How could a buffalo have so much strength like that!? More importantly, why is it even actin' like this all o' the sudden!?" He noticed his opponent charging at him and quickly leaped out of the way to avoid another blow "I gotta kick it up a notch!! I ain't goin' down that easily!" The cowpony pawed at the ground and stared down the buffalo as he turned for another charge. He then leapt and charged himself after giving a good "YEEHAW!"

The strange buffalo was surging with power as he charged at Braeburn, who tried to meet his speed and strength as they drew near each other. Little Strongheart got up and noticed the scene and gasped "Braeburn! NO!" It was too late. He was blown back as if faced with an explosion, and his hat came off in the air. Braeburn then hit the ground as a wound opened around his chest and blood started to leak out.

Little Strongheart galloped over to his side and had a tear in her eye "Please! Don't go down like this! We need you! I need you!" She thought he was gone forever, but then was relieved when she heard a pained groan escape her friend's lips. He was in serious pain, but at least he wasn't dead.

Braeburn gave a cough "That buffalo's dynamite...What do we do now?? We just can't wait fer a miracle t' happen!" He grunted and held his chest after his last sentence.

The young calf laid a hoof on the cowpony's head "Don't strain yourself! You're in serious pain right now!" She turned to see the strange buffalo easily plowing through the other stallions trying their luck, only to be tossed aside like littered paper. This seemed to be a futile struggle as Little Strongheart watch "Oh, what do we do?? I can't do this alone!"

The strange buffalo went to charge, but then stopped with a grunt as he turned and looked behind him. This threw the others in confusion to see such a violent buffalo hesitate like this. However, with what he was doing, this caught the other ponies' attention as they turned to see what their attacker was looking at.

In the distance, Little Strongheart and Braeburn thought they were seeing things when they witnessed a bipedal figure traveling along the sands at a casual pace towards the group. The figure was seen with a large scythe in its right hand, and its face hidden in its hood. When it had reached the group it used its left hand to unravel the hood of its cloak and reveal its face.

He was masculine, and dark-skinned in color. His face was full of enough experience to last a good few lifetimes of battle and wits, and his left part of his face was surrounded in black markings around the eyelid, with his left eye glowing yellow. He gave a stoic stare towards the scene in front of him, not paying any mind to the shocked and confused glances being given by the other ponies, then focused his attention towards the strange buffalo, giving a knowing hum.

The strange buffalo turned his body towards the newcomer and gave a fierce bellow as he went for a charge, his body surging with more static. Little Strongheart saw this with worry and turned to the mysterious figure "Quickly! Whoever you are, you must turn away from this one! He won't hesitate in trying to kill you!!" Noticing how the newcomer was not moving, she felt her warning fell on deaf ears.

The buffalo neared towards the figure, unaware that he began to take a defensive stance as he gripped his large scythe with both hands and gave a small glare at his opponent.

"Very well...This should be interesting."

Little Strongheart and Braeburn thought that he was going to perish as they turned away and shut their eyes, but something different happened as the mysterious figure matched the force of the strange buffalo with relative ease, holding out his scythe and blocking the buffalo's horns with the scythe's pole.

They were at a stalemate for a few seconds until the buffalo pushed the figure back. While he thought the figure would fall in pain, he simply jumped back as if avoiding another charge. He stared at the buffalo with the same small glare "I shall show you just how different we are..." The figure held up his scythe again, goading the buffalo into another bellow and charge. They went at another clash, only the buffalo went with a series of strong headbutts at a good pace while the figure blocked each blow.

The ponies and buffalo that remained conscious witnessed the small fight in surprise and wonder, not anticipating such a foreign creature to be found in the desert and stand up to their problem like this. Braeburn, while laying in pain, was the most shocked at this happening "I dunno who that guy is, but he does pack a serious wallop! He's not even battin' an eye with this one!"

Little Strongheart observed this as well, but was more confused than surprised "I...I don't get it...How is he standing up to the buffalo in front of him?? What is he??" She could not look away from the strange spectacle in front of her.

Braeburn responded "Like I said, I dunno..." He coughed "But we should have faith in 'im iffin' he's gonna fight like this." The cowpony held his chest, and reminded his friend that she needed to tend to his injuries as well as the other bystanders. Little Strongheart bolted for her tribe's settlement to grab some medical supplies and help the fallen on the battlefield.

Meanwhile, the buffalo was getting frustrated with how each of his blows were not connecting and gave another bellow in anger. He charged once more, but this time, the figure was ready for him. With scythe in hand, he swung it professionally and slashed at the buffalo's chest, eliciting a pained shout from his opponent. The buffalo flew back and landed on his hooves as a trail of blood was made from the small distance covered and growled with hate as the wound hung out, and slowly grew in length.

The mysterious figure saw this and scoffed "So...you're finally giving out...I'd expect no less from just a shard being exposed to someone like you..." He stared intently at the faint object sticking out of the buffalo's side, but then focused on his battle as the buffalo gave one more charge. He did not have time for a futile struggle as he jumped up and jammed the pointed end of his scythe onto the buffalo's back the moment he was just above him. The buffalo then gave another pained shout and stopped in his tracks as the figure pulled out his scythe and jumped onto the ground, pushing the buffalo on his unscathed side and making him fall.

Everypony present witnessed the next move with fear in their eyes as the figure placed a foot on the buffalo's head and carefully slung the curved blade of his scythe along his neck "May you sleep..." He then swung his scythe and lifted the strange buffalo into the air in its hold "...for eternity!!" He slammed the buffalo's face and body into the ground with amazing force, pacifying the mad buffalo as he laid motionless. Drawing the scythe away from his opponent, the figure then walked up to the buffalo's right side and dug a hand into his large fur.

After feeling what he had been looking for, he yanked out what appeared to be an ominous metal shard, slightly glowing with power. Once the buffalo was relieved of it, his fur began to change from piercing grey back to regular brown, and his eyes were relieved of their fury, but were now devoid of life altogether. The figure had killed the buffalo as he laid in a pool of his blood.

When Little Strongheart returned, she gasped when she noticed the battle had ended. On one hoof, she was happy that another possible crisis had been averted, but she could not help but feel profound sadness over the loss of one of her kind. While she did not approve of the figure's methods, she was at least grateful that he had put a stop to what could have been a slaughter of her tribe.

She trotted over to the mysterious man's side as he stuffed the glowing shard in his white cloak "Excuse me..."She caught his attention while speaking in a slightly neutral tone, not sure on what to make of the one in front of her "My name is Little Strongheart. I do not approve of what you have done, but...I thank you for coming to our aid. Could you perhaps help me in tending to the ponies and buffalo and their injuries?"

The man was silent as he stared at Little Strongheart, the desert winds blowing. He then simply walked past her, speaking in his calm and deep tone "I'm sorry, but your matters do not concern me in the slightest...I have my own priorities to attend to. In the meantime, I would like it if you were more careful next time in situations like this...Goodbye..." He walked away at the same casual pace he entered in, leaving the group of injured ponies and buffalo behind. Little Strongheart could not believe that her savior had given her and her friends the cold shoulder, and could only glare at him leaving.

Braeburn watched him leave and called out "H-Hey! Where are y'all goin'!? Town's that wa-" He grunted and held his chest. The young buffalo calf remembered her problem and quickly galloped to Braeburn's side and began tending to his wounds. With how many have fallen in battle, this would take a while.

The man continued walking, and noticed a small desert town up ahead, but no resonance similar to the shard he collected. When he took notice of the railroads paved along the distant sands, he felt it was best to try and grab a ride for his next destination, wherever it would take him.

"At least there is some meaning to my endless life..."

End of Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Trading Stories

Scootaloo could not believe herself when she told her friends to leave after waiting so long with her so-called guardian. It had been so boring without them, and she could not even hope to touch one of the history books without getting threatened by Astaroth. All she could do was think of many possible methods for getting the dark golem to open up and accept her company, as well as get him better acquainted with the rest of Ponyville without any dire situations involving his anger.

The orange filly was able to cope with herself in terms of food thanks to the confectionaries Sweetie Belle purchased from Sugarcube Corner, and she savored each one properly. How Astaroth could not even come to like cupcakes and cookies, she'll never know, but now all she can do was stare at the dark golem as he still read his first book 'Wow...for a guy his size and mind, I'm surprised he has the patience to read...' She was impressed with his patience and how he was so tame as he was lost in the history book.

Astaroth already finished the page involving the founding of Equestria, and he could not have been so irritated on how it was all played out. There was only minor conflict, a magical disturbance from ethereal creatures known as 'Windigoes', and they all made up in the end. Not a single note of bloodshed or agonies of any kind, save for the small insults and the freezing. He was beginning to think that this world could be more than vulnerable for any attack given, and he felt compelled to just stroll out of his new 'home' and destroy the first thing he saw, be it an object or another pony. Present matters aside, he could not help but remember his current position as to being monitored by a little orange pegasus and feel enraged due to his lack of wisdom. First order of business when he had enough knowledge at his own disposal was to make Scootaloo suffer for her arrogance.

Scootaloo continued staring at Astaroth as he finished another page, and then sighed after facing so much boredom. She trotted to her room for a quick moment to look out at her cracked window to look at the sun setting in the sky. The orange filly never expected such time to fly with how much boredom she had to face, and it felt like the day would last forever. Then she turned her head back to see Astaroth in the living room, coming to a decision on how to make him open up.

Her ears perked up as she had eyes of bright realization, and Scootaloo jumped while raising a foreleg in the air "That's it!" She said to herself as an idea sprung into her head. If she was going to make him open up, it would start with stories of their respective pasts so they could compare and comprehend each other's experiences. The only drawback was that Scootaloo did not know how old Astaroth was.

She trotted back into the living room and stood beside Astaroth, her eyes looking up at his grim and occupied face. The dark golem turns another page while the orange filly took her time documenting his movement and kept silent for a few minutes until she finally broke the silence "Hey, Astaroth? Can I ask you a question??"

Astaroth turned to Scootaloo with the same malice-tinted glare and a very disapproving scowl "What is it, runt?" He growled. He did not have time to be hindered by this one when he was busy reading. The dark golem already missed his ax, wanting to kill rather than read.

Working around Astaroth's hateful tone, Scootaloo looked down as she kicked the floor with a hoof "You know, I'm aware you're trying to learn Equestria's history and all, but this thing's been bugging me. You're something that's never been seen in Equestria! I mean, you're not a pony, a zebra, a gryphon, or a diamond dog." She looked up at the dark golem "You're not even a dragon or a minotaur! What are you exactly??"

Astaroth could only narrow his eyes "Your worst nightmare if you don't get out of my sight! Beat it, unless you want me to stray from this book and practice my strength on you!"

Scootaloo gave a glare after another one of his hateful remarks, not wanting to give up "I don't even know why you're acting like that! Are you sure you're not a gryphon at all? Cuz' you remind me of this one that visited Ponyville. She was a friend of Rainbow Da-" She was cut off with a hand covering her muzzle, looking at the dark golem's glare.

Astaroth beared his teeth at the orange filly and growled in a low and dangerous tone "Get away from me..." he gave Scootaloo a push that sent her to a wall, then went back to his book.

Scootaloo was on the wall as some of it cracked with her impact "Ouch..." She hissed in pain, and looked at her patched wounds and muttered to herself "Sweetie Belle just did these some time ago, too..." After plopping herself from the wall, she tried to shake the pain as she trotted back over to the dark golem with another glare 'If getting that big lug to open up to me means taking a beating, then it looks like I'm gonna need medical attention after this...'

The orange filly reached Astaroth's side once again and then summoned the courage to try and match his tone "What the hay is wrong with you right now!? Ever since you woke up, you've done nothing but act like a complete jerk! You hurt me, you hurt my friends, and you even hate them after all the trouble they went for you!! What kind of monster does that to anypony without hesitation!?"

Astaroth directed his attention to Scootaloo and gave a malicious grin "You'd be surprised, runt...Count yourself lucky I didn't kill you yet..." His grin was replaced with a scowl "Now get lost! Or else you'll know how much of a monster I can be!"

The orange filly stood her ground "Not until you tell me about yourself!! Where in Equestria did you learn to act this way!? What are you!?" There was no way was she going to let something big and scary get the best of her like this, but she began having second thoughts when Astaroth set his book down and rose to his feet. She drooped her ears as he kept a predatious gaze on Scootaloo, growling like a provoked manticore.

Scootaloo took a step back as she went to run, but then the dark golem grabbed Scootaloo by the neck and lifted her up to his face "You really do have a wide maw for someone so small and pathetic, maggot...It's as if you actually want me to send you to your grave. Do you really have nothing left to lose?" His words dripped venom as he watched the little filly choke and writhe in his grip.

When he wanted to further her suffering, something inside the dark golem's chest churned and then gave a stabbing pain, causing him to grunt and drop Scootaloo. He dropped to one knee and held his chest with his right hand as he growled in pain, clenching his teeth 'What the hell!? What is this!?'

Scootaloo coughed and gasped for air as she rubbed her neck and wondered if there were any marks from Astaroth's monstrous grip. She wanted to yell at him again, but then she noticed his current position and felt worried "Astaroth? Are you okay?? What's happening??" She galloped over to his side and placed a hoof on his shin, looking up at him with building anxiety.

Astaroth growled more as the pain coursed in his chest, and then he took deep breaths as it passed. Whatever happened to him just now could have been an old wound of sorts, but it felt different...as if something was building up inside of him. After he regained his composure, he noticed Scootaloo looking up at him with a worried expression and grunted in disdain "Why are you still here?"

The orange filly noted his abhorrent behavior, and while she felt compelled to lash out herself, she sighed in relief knowing that Astaroth was okay. Scootaloo replied to him "Do I have to repeat myself? You need me! You need me AND my friends, and we're gonna do whatever it takes to help you!" She looks down and remembers how Applebloom and Sweetie Belle felt around him and mutter "Well...I'll do whatever it takes..." She looks back up with renewed vigor "And if we're gonna be stuck together for the moment, the least you could do is acknowledge the fact that I'm here for you AND tell me about yourself! It's what friends do, ya know?"

Astaroth stared for a moment, slightly befuddled at what he had just heard, but then glared as he picked up Scootaloo "Listen up, runt...And you listen well...We AREN'T friends...We never were friends. If it weren't for the fact that I'm blind to this new world I now reside in, I would've crushed you and those other pathetic maggots and be on my way." He drops the orange filly on the floor and continues glaring down at her.

Scootaloo simply got back up and countered with a glare with her own "Why do you seriously act like this!? Were you born this way or something!?" She could not believe that Astaroth could not take the time to accept Scootaloo's worry or friendship.

Astaroth was silent for a moment, and then he spoke "Yes...I was..." He growled "And I am not too fond of the family that gave birth to me..." The dark golem then looked up as he began having pesky memories of his old cult and its leader '...I wonder if that old bastard is still alive...If so, killing him would make for good sport...'

The orange filly felt sympathy, jealousy, and shock all at once from this revelation "Why would you hate your family?? Were they mean to you or something?? Did your dad give you problems all the time??"

When he heard Scootaloo's voice, Astaroth looked back down at her with the same glare "None of your business! And why should it matter to you anyways?"

Scootaloo stared up at Astaroth after his question, and then looked down with a sullen expression "Because I want to know how it feels...I've never really known my mom OR my dad. Everypony I know has a family to call their own, but I don't have one myself. I've never even had any brothers or sisters..." She looks away and thinks back to before she even met her friends.

[Ponyville Orphanage - 3 years ago]

Scootaloo was playing with the other orphans, galloping and giggling as they had their fun with a game of tag. The old headmistress watched this from her porch with a smile on her face, taking in the warmth of the joy each young colt and filly displayed.

The group ran from Scootaloo since she was it, and the orange filly tripped and fell as she ran. She then got up with a giggle as she chased her friends with a determined smile.
______________

Many orphans were getting adopted by adult ponies, and they could not be more overjoyed with their new families. Scootaloo was crestfallen that some of her old friends left, but she felt happy for them since they were now being cared for. Soon she'll be cared for as well.
______________

Two months have passed since Scootaloo's friends left, and she, along with the few remaining orphans were slightly depressed about not being adopted yet. The headmistress consoled each little filly and colt and lifted their spirits with her words, giving them hope for the future.

With each passing day, however, there were not many adults or couples that came to the orphanage.
______________

Another month passed. The headmistress was worried and sad at who was at the door. There was Mayor Mare, who looked as sad as the headmistress, along with a brown business pony with a slicked black mane, a business tie, and a cutie mark with three sets of moneybags. Beside him was a little pink filly who sported a smug smile.

Scootaloo, along with some of the other orphans were peeking from another room. The orange filly couldn't make out who was at the door, but she noticed the tears on her headmistress' eyes. When the visitors left, the headmistress shut the door and trotted towards the orphans with a hung head, leaving a trail of tears.

When she told them the news, some of the children began to cry while Scootaloo and some others were confused. It was not long until the headmistress joined the crying children.
_____________

Scootaloo, the headmistress, and the orphans witnessed their old home being torn down by some construction workers, and their hearts sank as each wall was wrecked. The children cried over the loss of their home, and Scootaloo tried to fight back the tears and remain strong.

The headmistress placed a hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder and uttered her words to the filly "We're without a home now, Scootaloo...It's up to us to stay strong and try to make a life in this world...I'm sorry that I cannot do anything else for you or the children..."

Scootaloo sniffled while trying to look tough, but some tears escaped her eyes as she stared at what was left of the orphanage.
____________
[1 year later]

Scootaloo was sneaking near a market stand that was selling assorted flowers. When she got close, she quickly snatched two and scurried away with her life.

The orange filly enjoyed her meal while hiding between two buildings, but then looked down as she sat on her haunches. When she heard hoofsteps, she quickly got up into a defensive position and noticed who came over.

It was a white unicorn filly, who tilted her head in curiousity "What's wrong? Why are you doing that??"

Scootaloo replied by looking away "I thought you were somepony else..." She wanted to remain distant "Why are you here anyway?"

The unicorn filly was taken aback at how harsh Scootaloo sounded, but answered anyway "I was just walking with my family to the cafe for some lunch. But then I noticed you were here, so I came to see you."

Scootaloo scoffed, not facing the filly "Whatever..." She paused, and then spoke again "What's your name?"

The filly smiled and introduced herself with a proper bow "My name's Sweetie Belle! What's yours?"

She was silent, but then the orange filly turned to face Sweetie Belle "...Scootaloo."
___________

Scootaloo sniffled and had a tear run down her eye after the memory, but then wiped it away as she turned to face Astaroth "But yeah, you already know I don't have a family. But you haven't told me about yours. Why do you hate your family?

Astaroth did not want to answer her question, but her words provoked more memories of his life. He definitely was not fond of his old 'family', and he remembered that along with his adventures as he growled and looked up, letting his memories sink in.

[Grand Shrine of Palgaea]

Astaroth laid on the table in a large temple as members of the Heretical Order of Fygul Cestemus were constructing his appearance. The leader of the cult, Grand Priest Kunpaetku, was supervising his creation with an evil smile on his face. After many hours have passed, they called upon Ares to bring him to life.

"Your job is to find Soul Edge and bring it to me...Go now, Astaroth..." He pointed out the door, and Astaroth bowed to his creator and walked off, leaving the grand priest to laugh to himself at his devious plan.
___________

Astaroth was busy fighting three people at once in a castle. One was a lady with a sword, another was a man with a stick, and the last one was a man with a set of nunchucks "Don't give this monster an inch! We can't let him get that sword!!" The one with the stick called out as they continued their battle.
___________

The one with nunchucks performed a victory pose "Night night, Don't let the bed bugs bite..." He smiled as the dark golem closed his eyes.

....Rise Astaroth...You have a task to perform...
___________

The temple was in ruins, many bodies laid dead on the rubble, and the grand priest glared in disproval "You ungrateful beast!"

Astaroth gave chase to his creator along the ruins, and was about to kill him until the priest escaped at the last minute and spoke as he left "You are nothing more than a failed doll! To think we could have modeled you after the White Giant himself!"
___________

Astaroth had nearly killed the 'White Giant' in triumph, but then realized his servitude and lashed out in anger, destroying the landscape around him.
___________

The man with the nunchucks made another victory pose as he faded out of Astaroth's view, the dark golem falling into a pit after facing many injuries "Hehe...just like old times..."
___________

Astaroth gritted his teeth at the one who killed him twice and clenched his fists 'If HE'S still alive, I won't hesitate in destroying him as well...'

Scootaloo tilted her head at how the dark golem was getting angry while being lost in thought. Maybe he has been faced with horrible memories that could prove far worse than her own. She looked up at Astaroth with a sad smile "Hey, Astaroth?"

The dark golem looked down and glared after he was snapped out of his unwanted nostalgia "What is it, runt?"

Scootaloo smiled "If you went through a lot of trouble in your life, I'm sorry if I brought it up. It's just that...It was hard for me to live alone. That's why, since you're here and all, maybe you could help me out. We could stick together!"

Astaroth looked down at the orange filly with silence, and then scoffed "You need me not to live with you, but to kill you if the moment sees fit." He sat back down and went back to reading his history book "If you're so set on wanting to assist me, you could possibly piss me off to the point where you could make excellent practice for my strength." He said with a dark chuckle as he flipped a page.

Scootaloo drooped her ears and sighed at this 'Well, it's a start...I just gotta try harder tomorrow...' She trotted over to her bedroom window and noticed that nightfall was beginning to set in. Boy, how time flies in Equestria.

With a yawn, she trotted to her blanket to get ready for bed, and then called out to her house guest "Good night, Astaroth..."

The dark golem only replied with a grunt as he flipped another page of his history book. He had a long way to go if he wanted to make it in Equestria.

End of Chapter 8

Chapter 10

Friendship with Astaroth

At Scootaloo's home, the Cutie Mark Crusaders banded together and readied themselves for the hardest task ever presented to them: Making Astaroth one of the most friendliest monsters Equestria has ever seen. Scootaloo was more than confident in getting the dark golem to be likeable with the time she had spent with him, even if it has been only a day.

Applebloom gave a nod and focused her attention on her fellow crusaders with a determind glance "Alright, crusaders! Let's all agree on our first idea on how t' make Astaroth a better friend! Since food's outta th' question, Ah vote we should play a game he likes! Well, if he even DOES like games...What say th' the rest o' ya?"

Scootaloo gave a quick glance to Astaroth reading his book, then turned back to her friends "It's not a bad idea when you look at it. The big guy does seem like the athletic type with those muscles of his! But, I don't even know if kickball's a good idea...I'll bet he could launch the first ball he touches into outer space if he wanted to!" She put a hoof on her chin and thought of other games the dark golem would enjoy.

Sweetie Belle was almost stumped until she gasped in joy "I know! What if we made him laugh??" This caught her friends' attention as she continued "Think about it! Sometimes even the most meanest monsters need a little laughter to better themselves! If we could just find some way to put a smile on Astaroth's face, we'll be sure to get on his good side!" She looked down "But what should we do..." Pinkie Pie came to mind, until Sweetie Belle remembered the promise she made to Scootaloo about revealing her home.

Applebloom tilted her head at this, but then gave the unicorn filly's idea some thought "Hey, yeah...Maybe yer ont' somethin', Sweetie Belle. But what do we have that could make 'im laugh? Cuz' lemme tell y'all somethin': Ah DON'T wanna tickle somepony like him, especially with all them nails stickin' outta his body! Should we tell 'im some jokes?"

Scootaloo turned to Astaroth "I don't really know what he finds funny, but it's a long shot if we could get on his good side! We'll go with this idea first and fall back to other suggestions if it doesn't work out. And hey! If we're lucky, we could possibly get a cutie mark from this! Are we all in??"

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle shared determined smiles and nods as they raised their hooves in the air and proclaimed in unison:

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER COMEDIANS! YAY!"

This sudden outburst snapped Astaroth out of his reading as he turned to see the three fillies smiling innocently at him. He sneered and gave a growl as he went back to reading 'Those maggots better keep their distance if they know what's good for them...' Sadly, his thoughts were not confirmed as they advanced towards the dark golem with their same smiles. Scootaloo cleared her throat as she got Astaroth's attention again, and the crusaders got ready for their quickly-planned comedy routine.

Scootaloo, upon gaining the dark golem's attention, was the first to speak as the other crusaders stood behind "Hey, Astaroth! With how cranky you are ever since we first met you, it hit me! You just need to get your funny bone working after all those years you've spent sleeping underground! So with me are Applebloom and Sweetie Belle to help you find your sense of humor!" She grinned as the dark golem scowled at her without saying a word 'I hope this works!' The orange filly trotted over to her friends and prepared her first joke "Okay! What do ad posters and pegasi have in common??" She was met with Astaroth glaring at her for a few seconds, until she delivered the punchline "They're both fliers!" Scootaloo heard giggling, but it came from Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. The two fillies obviously thought the joke was funny to their tastes, but Astaroth only grumbled and narrowed his eyes.

Noticing Scootaloo's position after her fit of laughter, Applebloom stepped forward and turned to her friend "Not bad fer a first try, Scoots! Lemme take a whack at it!" She then focused on Astaroth, who was both unamused and annoyed "Okay, big guy! Ah hope you're ready fer this next joke, cuz it's sure t' have ya rollin' on th' floor laughin' like a hyena!" She took a deep breath and smiled "Why do cows use cowbells?" Astaroth glares at Applebloom in silence, whereas the yellow filly smiled widely "Cuz' they can't use their horns!" Her friends were found giggling at her joke, but the dark golem gave a growl, showing that Applebloom's attempt at comedy went up in smoke as well.

Sweetie Belle was worried that her idea of making Astaroth laugh, or at least smile, was not even close to working, and even more worried that it was her turn at doing so. She wasn't really the best when it came to making jokes, but upon remembering her determination of getting a possible comedy cutie mark, she trotted forward and passed Applebloom as she stepped back dejectedly. When she was close to Astaroth, the unicorn filly began to tremble at his sight 'Okay, Sweetie Belle, you can do this...Just try and make Astaroth laugh...It's that easy...' She cleared her throat and took a deep breath as she tried out her joke "S-So, a baby seal walks into a club..." she stopped herself and tried to remember how the rest went "Umm...uhhh..." Applebloom and Scootaloo feared for the worst and expected what would happen next, only to find Astaroth hesitating for a moment, and then giving a soft chuckle at her words.

Scootaloo was stupified to think that she and her friends would be successful in actually getting what seemed like a genuine laugh out of the dark golem. She turned to Sweetie Belle and hissed "Your joke is working, Sweetie Belle! Keep going!"

The unicorn filly never thought she would get this far, and she only stammered nervously as she spoke to her friends "But, I don't remember how the rest of the joke went! All I remember is the part with the baby seal walking into a club!" Astaroth was found laughing a little louder than before, gaining the crusaders' attention. The three beamed at their success and took the time to look at their flanks, only to find that there was no cutie mark to be found.

Another failed attempt at gaining a cutie mark was slightly depressing, but the three fillies were overjoyed to find Astaroth showing small signs of laughter. Perhaps there was hope in making the dark golem more likeable around others before actually showing him to Ponyville. Scootaloo trotted up to Astaroth with a grin on her face "I knew there was some good inside of you, Astaroth! Wanna hear another joke??" After finishing his laughter, he gave Scootaloo his signature glare, causing the orange filly's brightened mood to waver "...I guess that's a no..."

Scootaloo trotted back to her friends and gave a sigh "Okay, we got him to laugh at least...What's next?? Should we give singing a try??"

Applebloom rubbed her chin "Well, if we can get 'im t' laugh, we can surely get 'im t' sing with us! We jus' gotta find out what his favorite song is!" She looks over at Astaroth sitting down.

Sweetie Belle cringed as she looked at the dark golem with Applebloom "I don't think he's much of the singing type, girls...I mean, sure we got him to laugh, but can somepon-er, someone like Astaroth enjoy singing??" She stood up and looked back at her friends "Maybe we should try something else...how about we teach him some manners??"

Astaroth caught wind of the last set of words and rose up from his sitting position, leering at the three fillies "Did one of you worms issue a challenge??" The crusaders flinched and frantically shook their heads, making the dark golem slowly go back to sitting down and glare at the crusaders with both caution and hate. He picked up his book and went back to reading, but now has a second objective of keeping an eye on the fillies and what they are planning.

Scootaloo scratched the back of her head and turned to her friends "Yeah, we gotta choose our words more carefully around him. He tends to get pretty angry if you say the wrong thing..." She smiles sheepishly at them.

Applebloom points a hoof at the orange filly "But ya usually do that t' him no problem, Scoots! Is he really that used t' ya or somethin'?"

Scootaloo only looked away towards Astaroth, who kept a weary eye on her and her friends, and then heard Sweetie Belle speak "Maybe he is used to Scootaloo's company since he hasn't done TOO much to her, right?" Scootaloo turned to her unicorn friend as she continues "Why don't you talk with him while we figure something out on our own?? We could come up with an idea to make him better while you try and make him open up?"

Applebloom then chimed in "If th' big guy gets defensive, we'll be there fer ya! Jus' try not t' get on his bad side, okay, Scoots? We jus' got lucky with makin' 'im laugh!" She gave a smile that showed worry and confidence towards her orange friend.

Scootaloo returned Applebloom's smile with one of her own and nodded "Okay...Thanks for the vote of confidence, you two! I'll see what I can do to!"

With that, Scootaloo made her way towards the dark golem's side while Applebloom and Sweetie Belle widen their distance from the two and come up with more ideas. Astaroth watched the filly come closer and glared "What is it now?? Are you and your pathetic friends wishing to get rid of me with an unimpressive strategy??"

The orange filly was shocked to think he would say that, despite Applebloom's and Sweetie Belle's opinion of him, but she only shook her head "No way, dude! Sure, what you did to me and my friends yesterday was almost unforgiveable, but that doesn't mean we can't give you a second chance! We barely know much about you, you barely know much about Equestria, and we're here for you!" It sounded crazy coming from Scootaloo, but she meant every word of it on her part. She could only hope that her best friends could think the same way.

Astaroth raised an eyebrow at Scootaloo's words in slight confusion, only to quickly go back to his defensive glare "Since when do you even go so far as to help me, knowing that I'll possbly end you, runt? Are you touched in the head? Do you expect a favor out of this?" The dark golem had a history of being used as a slave by three different people, one out of choice for personal gain, and he wasn't ready to go back to that.

Scootaloo recoiled upon hearing Astaroth, and took his words into consideration. While she was happy to bring him back to life, she was welcomed with the dark golem wanting to kill her, and with how he was acting, it was as if her attempts at making friends with him were futile to begin with. It was logical to cast him away or be rid of him forever, but the orange filly did not want to give up her chance of growing up alone, even if Astaroth's behavior is beyond unacceptable to others. The orange filly wanted to do whatever she can to make Astaroth more friendly around her and her friends, and she'll make the effort if it was the last thing she does. She looks up at the dark golem with a determined glare and smiled "No. I don't expect any favors from you other than accepting my friendship! You're big, scary, and mean, but that's not gonna stop me from reaching you! I don't care if you'll act this way until one of us goes away, but I want to make us the best of friends!"

Astaroth stared at the orange filly, and then it turned into a glare shortly after. The two locked eyes in a small staring contest for a minute, only to have the dark golem begin to chuckle again. This broke Scootaloo's concentration to think he would laugh like this out of nowhere when there was no joke being told at the moment. The dark golem then spoke "You really are touched in the head...But like I said the other day, you have guts...Maybe I've much to learn from you yet from waking up to this world, runt."

The orange filly never thought she would get this much praise from Astaroth, and took the moment to quickly steel herself and stand proud with her chest puffed out "Maybe you do..." She spoke in an arrogant tone, though her inner feeling betrayed no joy of her accomplishment. It was as if she alone were meant to make Astaroth open up and be a better friend. She then looked up at him and smiled "So...now that we've established that little detail, how far are you on that book, Astaroth?"

The dark golem only scoffed and went back to reading "Don't push your luck! Get outta my sight, we're done here..." Scootaloo only looked up at Astaroth and sighed.

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were by the house's entrance as they were brainstorming ideas. They were unaware of Scootaloo's small breakthrough as they were lost in thought. As Sweetie Belle went to go suggest another idea, she noticed a pony outside in town galloping around frantically and stopping for other ponies. The unicorn filly got a good look as she squinted her eyes "Hey...is that Twilight out there??"

Applebloom snapped out of her thinking as she looked with her friend. The yellow filly watched Twilight converse with a colt "Is it really? Why's she runnin' 'round all frantic like? Is she lookin' fer somethin'?" She turned to Sweetie Belle with a questioning glance.

Sweetie Belle watched as Twilight tossed her head up and groaned, though she couldn't hear it from far away, then gallop towards another part of town "Maybe somepony forgot to return a book?? Or is she trying to look for another friendship problem?? We all know Twilight usually gets like this when something big happens in her eyes..."

The yellow filly cringed at the memory of Twilight making a friendship problem to solve for herself "Why th' hay does that pony have t' be so touchy with all th' little things? She's smarter than mah sister fer Pete's sake! Ah wonder if we should go out an' stop 'er before things get outta hoof..."

Sweetie Belle shook her head "No way! I don't wanna get involved with whatever Twilight's dealing with right now! What if it really DOES involve finding a friendship problem??"

Applebloom shivered "Good point...Let's jus' get back t' thinkin' o' somethin'..." She then noticed Scootaloo trotting back to her friends with a triumphant smile "Howdy, Scoots! Any luck with Astaroth??"

Scootaloo nodded with a smile "Not a whole lot, but it's something! Something's good, right?? But we gotta think of another good idea for him!" She then heard her stomach growl, and then grinned sheepishly "Right after some lunch..."

Applebloom went to speak until hers and Sweetie Belle's stomachs followed suit in growling, eliciting laughter from all three of the crusaders. The yellow filly spoke "Well, me an' Sweetie Belle can go get some food an' come back here with some fer you! We'll hafta stay clear o' Twilight, but we can manage jus' fine! Y'all jus' wait right here an' keep th' big lug entertained and we'll be right back!" She turned to Sweetie Belle who nodded with a smile and followed the yellow filly out the door.

Scootaloo waved to her friends as they went to grab food, and then rubbed her chin as she thought about why Twilight was acting the way she was 'I REALLY hope it isn't a friendship letter...Can't believe she made me fall in love with that crappy doll...' She trotted back towards the living room and sat at a spot a small distance away from Astaroth as she waited patiently for her meal.

Meanwhile, Astaroth was reading his history book until he noticed what seemed to be a topic of utmost importance.

'The Elements of Harmony? Hmm...'

End of Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Setting Out

Back at Appleloosa, Braeburn was laying in his bedroom with his injury from yesterday. It was good to know it was healing nicely, but it still hurt to move and eat whatever food that was presented to him. He gave a sigh and looked out at the window, where his fellow townsfolk were busy with their jobs. The cowpony smiled to know they were at least getting on with their lives and not mourning for his little scar, especially Little Strongheart, who still seemed miffed after their meeting with Zasalamel 'I wonder where that guy came from exactly...Surely not anythin' commonly seen 'round these parts, let alone all o' Equestria! Whoever he was, he sure was strong an' brave enough takin' on that buffalo! I wonder if I should go out o' town, look fer 'im, an' see if I can't find any connections about that little shard he found inside o' that buffalo...' It did sound crazy, but he couldn't ignore something this big even if it happened a day ago.

As he laid in his bed, his sister Apple Bumpkin came in with a tray containing a bowl of tomato broth, a side of crackers, and a tall glass of apple juice "Lunch time, Braeburn! Sit up an' enjoy yer sister's cookin'!" The cowpony did as he was told, but moved slowly to spare himself extra pain. He took notice of the tray and its contents in front of him and gave a deep whiff at the broth, followed by a content sigh "Definitely smells nice, sis! Thanks for takin' th' time t' care for me like this. I'm mighty sorry that y'all had t' cancel some o' your work days, though..."

He hung his head down a little in shame, and felt a forceful bump on his head as he looked up to see his sister giving him a stern look "Now don't ya get all mopey with me, Braeburn! Yer my brother! Of course I'll take th' time t' care fer ya! Besides, business is doin' fine even without mah help, an' y'all went outta yer way t' help Little Strongheart with her problem! Ah'm sure they wouldn't want ya actin' all sad like this!" She then gave a warm smile "So do me a favor an' lighten up. Yer sure t' recover sometime later thanks to yer friend's medical skills an' my TLC! I'll be downstairs iffin' ya need me, so gimme a holler, okay?" She made her way out of Braeburn's room, leaving the cowpony with his meal.

Braeburn turned to his bowl of broth and took the spoon next to it with a hoof, scooping up a spoonful of the broth and carefully blowing on the steaming liquid. He sips it and gave a smile with how it coursed down his body. There was a slight pinch in his chest with how warm the broth was, but it was nothing. Then came the crackers with the broth and how they helped to sate his appetite, followed by a cooling sensation of washing it all down with his glass of apple juice. It was indeed another good meal prepared by his sister to help him back on his feet. While he ate, there was a faint sound of knocking downstairs.

When Braeburn finished his lunch, he went to go call his sister, only to have her come up with a smile "Hey, brother. Ya got a visitor!" The cowpony was curious about this, only to have a familiar buffalo calf trot inside with a smile, to which Braeburn returned upon seeing her face. Apple Bumpkin made her way to the bed "I'll jus' take this an' give y'all some time alone." She takes the tray containing the empty broth bowl and juice glass and then trots out of Braeburn's room, closing the door in the process.

Braeburn and Little Strongheart were now alone in the room as the buffalo calf trotted over and inspected his wound "It's healing well, I see..." She looked up and showed an expression of relief "I was worried that what had happened yesterday may have caused you so much harm. I'm glad that you're okay, Braeburn..."

The cowpony gave a warm smile "Well I gotta hoof it to yer medical skills! That an' my sister keepin' me company. That girl really cares about me healin' in this household, even if I'm not in that much pain." He gave a chuckle, and was content to know that his friend had felt better about his little statement. He decided to converse, knowing there wasn't much else to do in his condition "So, is th' rest o' th' tribe okay? I'd be mighty sad to know they've suffered a good deal o' pain..."

Little Strongheart gave a sigh and looked down "My fellow buffalo won't be stampeding for a while with their injuries, especially my father..." She looked up with a smile "But it's good to know that they're recovering. We buffalo are strong in both body and spirit!" She proudly declared, though she was still saddened at their pain.

Braeburn gave another chuckle "That explains how y'all were able t' take a hit from that rogue buffalo! I never thought he'd best us all...Not even that, th' families of th' stallions I rounded up are a bit peeved at me fer what I put 'em through..." He sighed and frowned a little, and Little Strongheart placed a reassuring hoof on the cowpony's back as she gained his attention.

The buffalo calf gave a sad smile "It is my fault for putting your townsfolk in danger...but I'm thankful that you and your friends came in my time of need. Please do not be sad, Braeburn..."

Braeburn noted the expression on her face and gave Little Strongheart a hug, surprising her a little "Aw, shucks, Li'l Strongheart. I won't be sad if ya won't yerself! T'ain't no one's fault that all o' this happened." She was reluctant to return the hug with the cowpony's injury, but she welcomed the embrace nonetheless with a better expression.

After breaking the embrace, The cowpony turned to Little Strongheart "Actually, now that I think about it...What're yer thoughts on that strange fella with th' scythe yesterday?? Ya think there might be somethin' deep about 'im pullin' out whatever was inside o' th' buffalo?"

Little Strongheart remembered her little audience with Zasalamel and was still a little miffed with how he shown disregard towards her tribe's condition after the battle. She huffed and showed a soft glare "While he himself is considered to be the real hero of that day, I'd figure he would at least show more compassion and assist me. It was hard to care for my entire family alone!"

Braeburn smiled at his friend "Well, y'all showed real fire with yer treatment towards th' tribe when they needed ya most. Kinda like my sister, even though I can tell she's not too happy with my company like this..."

He heard her yell downstairs "I heard that!" the two shared a chuckle at her response.

The cowpony continued "But anyways, th' reason why I wanted t' talk about this was cuz' I was mighty curious about his shady background. Lemme tell ya, I ain't NEVER seen anythin' like him roam around Equestria in all my days! That's why I figured, since the town don't need me at th' moment...I'd go out on a journey an' see if I can find that fella and learn more about 'im!" Little Strongheart gasped at this with a shocked expression "Yeah, yeah, I know. It sounds 'bout as crazy as snow in th' summer, but it's really been buggin' me, an' he's connected with what has happened to yer tribe!"

Little Strongheart was now worried "But your wound! A-And what if he attacks you!? Braeburn, you musn't do this!" She already witnessed her friend suffering from a mortal wound, and she couldn't risk losing her to something so mysterious.

Braeburn nodded to the buffalo calf's concern "I wouldn't worry too much, Li'l Strongheart. Like I said, yer medical skills and my sis' TLC're bringin' me back on my feet real quick like! I'll be up an' at 'em later today. Heck! Maybe I can walk fine after that little meal!" He threw the covers from himself and gently hopped down from bed. He grunted a little after feeling a small twinge in his scar, but was happy to know he was able to walk again. He trotted around his room a little and chuckled "Well, would ya look at that! Guess I'm gettin' better by th' minute!"

The buffalo calf, while happy to see Braeburn walk again, was still aware of his injury and felt it best to interject "Braeburn, you shouldn't be walking like this while your scar is still healing! What if it were to bust open right now?? I cannot fathom what would happen if your sister were to catch wind about this!" The door bursted opened to reveal Apple Bumpkin glaring at her brother, startling Little Strongheart "Oh dear..."

Apple Bumpkin trotted over to Braeburn and got in his face "What in tarnation do ya think yer yappin' about, ya big lummox!? Are ya tryin' t' get me angry or somethin'!?" Little Strongheart could feel just how angry Braeburn's sister was without her sentence as she watched the siblings talk.

Braeburn recoiled a little at his sister's remark, but came back up "Now, don't y'all make a fuss about me, Apple Bumpkin! I don't mean t' make ya angry or nothin', I jus' wanna-"

He was interrupted as she spat another outburst "Then' why th' hay do ya wanna go so far as t' openin' yer wound an' makin' more jus' t' leave town in search o' whatever it is y'all are talkin' about!? Are ya that dense with what goes on in that head o' yers, Braeburn!? huh!?" She was hyperventilating as she glared at Braeburn. It seemed to be raw anger, but the cowpony knew that his little sister was worried about him as much as Little Strongheart.

Little Strongheart was crestfallen when she caught wind of Apple Bumpkin's hidden worry, and then trotted over to her side "Umm...Apple Bumpkin? If I may speak to you, please?"

Apple Bumpkin turned to the buffalo calf and tried to settle down a little "Yes, what is it?"

The buffalo calf looked down and kicked at the floor a little, and then looked up "I just want to say that I feel the same amount of worry for Braeburn's life as you do. And that I wish to help see to it that his recovery shall be properly met..."

Apple Bumpkin nodded with a knowing smile and turned back to her brother and glare "There, ya see? Now doncha think it's time t' use yer brain fer once? Jus' climb on back int' bed and let yer injury heal!"

Braeburn loved his sister and would do anything for her, but he just could not let the issue involving Zasalamel's passing die. He wondered if there was something big going on with what he had gained from his battle, and it felt stupid of him to ignore it and lay in bed. Frowning with a calm expression, the cowpony shook his head towards his sister "Sorry, sis...My mind's made up. I jus' can't let this whole thing go! I dunno who that fella is, but he's involved with my friend's tribe, and could possibly know somethin' really important that could put th' rest o' Equestria at stake!"

Apple Bumpkin couldn't believe her ears "Oh, so that's it, huh!? Yer jus' gonna waltz on out int' th' sun, find this shady creature that saved you AND yer friends, an' act like some kind o' hero!? Do ya not even care about yerself anymore!?" She was hyperventilating again, but this time, Braeburn heard some faint shuddering.

The cowpony kept a calm and firm expression as he trotted forward and wrapped his neck around his sister in a hug "Guess not...But I know that y'all care 'bout me too much t' let me go. Apple Bumpkin, ya gotta respect my choice in th' matter...I jus' wanna know what's goin' on in th' world so I know that nopony else would suffer what we did yesterday." He broke the embrace and looked his sister in the eye with a serious face "An' if I don't...Who will?"

Little Strongheart watched the two stare at each other, and couldn't help but feel touched at Braeburn's valor 'Braeburn...I...' Perhaps it was time for her to come to a decision as well.

Apple Bumpkin stared, and then rapidly shook her head as she went back to a glare "The Princesses can handle it! I don't want ya t' go out in the world and end up gettin' hurt or killed!"

Braeburn went to go speak, but was then interrupted by Little Strongheart "I don't want to see you get hurt either, Braeburn..." He turned to his friend, along with his sister as she looked at him with sad eyes "I couldn't bear to lose a friend as he travels by himself on a journey, especially when he still has to recover...That's why..." She looked down and paused, and then looked back up with a determined glance "That's why I'm coming with you! I won't let you undertake this task alone, even if you want to! Somepony, or somebuffalo needs to look after you while your wound heals, after all..."

Both ponies never expected to hear this from the heir of the Buffalo tribe herself, especially since her kind are still in recovery, but then Braeburn gave a smile and a chuckle "Well I'll be...I guess maybe I do need an extra set o' hooves to handle this situation. I'd be happy t' have ya tag along iffin' y'all can handle it, Li'l Strongheart!" Little Strongheart looked at her friend with a smile of her own upon hearing his words.

Apple Bumpkin turned to his brother "I can't believe yer own friend is backin' ya up on somethin' so stupid like this..." The two stared at the mare with sad frowns from what she had said, but then she sighed "...But I guess it can't be helped with how plum stubborn y'all can be..." Braeburn and Little Strongheart smiled, but then the cowpony recoiled as her sister glared and blurted out "But don't go an' do anythin' reckless, ya hear!? I ain't never gonna forgive you if ya even so much as kick th' bucket without me knowin'!!" She then gave another sigh as she trotted out of the room and spoke in a softer tone "May as well get packed fer this heroic journey o' yers..."

Braeburn saw her sister leave, and felt a bit torn at her expression, but was happy to know she was willing to respect his decision. He turned to Little Strongheart and the two shared a smile as they prepared for their adventure. There was no time to waste if they were going to do this together.

The buffalo calf galloped back to her tribe settlement to gather equipment of her own, namely medical equipment to help with Braeburn's scar. The cowpony simply packed his belongings as well as some food, courtesy of Apple Bumpkin, in his saddlebags. When he was ready, he reached the door with his sister standing by it looking at him. The two shared a glance, and then hugged as Apple Bumpkin shut her eyes and spoke in a whisper "Be careful out there, ya big oaf..."

Braeburn smiled and nodded as they hugged "I will, sis'...Doncha go cryin' fer me now..."

Apple Bumpkin broke the embrace and glared at Braeburn "Who's cryin!? Jus' don't do anythin' stupid, okay!?" She kept her glare as the cowpony only showed his dumb smile, and then trotted out of his home. When he saw Little Strongheart waiting for him in the distance, he galloped over to her side and nodded. The two then trotting off towards the train station, about to leave behind Appleloosa.

It was a good thing that Braeburn had not taken noticed of Apple Bumpkin shedding her first tear as she watched her brother leave and begin something big that could put his own life on the line...

End of Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Getting down to business

In Ponyville, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were stealthfully trotting along the streets to keep out of Twilight's radar. They plan to head over to Sweet Apple Acres, where they could grab some lunch and bring it back to Scootaloo's house since they did not have enough money to get food at Sugarcube Corner. Darting their heads left and right as they hide along building walls, they continued towards the trail leading to the farm.

Sweetie Belle was behind Applebloom as they carefully made their way across town. Her ears perked up and she whispered to the yellow filly "Applebloom, I just thought of something! What'll we say to Applejack if she wants to know about Scootaloo's house??" She and Applebloom shared worried glances as they came to a quick stop.

Applebloom rubbed her chin and thought about this "That's gonna be mighty tough, what with mah sis bein' th' Element o' Honesty an' all...Maybe we can jus' eat there an' save some leftovers fer Scoots once we leave. That don't seem too bad of a plan, right?" She turned to the unicorn filly, who only responded with a shrug as they continued trotting.

Sweetie Belle hummed a little and looked down "I'm worried about Scootaloo...What if she doesn't get Astaroth to cooperate whe-"

Applebloom quickly shoved a hoof in Sweetie Belle's mouth and shushed her with a soft glare "We're not s'posed t' tell everypony, remember??" A new voice was then heard "Tell everypony what?"

The two fillies flinched, then turned their heads to see two unicorn colts who looked rather different from each other. There was Snips, the small and portly one, and Snails, his taller friend who always seems more dense. They eyed Applebloom and Sweetie Belle curiously as Snips spoke up again "Tell everypony what? Is it something we should know about??"

Sweetie Belle looked around and saw no sign of Twilight, then turned back to the two colts "No, it's nothing, you guys. What are you even doing here anyway??"

Snips smiled "We were on our way over to Pip's place so we could hang out! We were gonna talk about what we were gonna bring to Show and Tell day tomorrow!" Snails smiled and nodded after his smaller friend spoke.

Applebloom gasped and looked down "Oh shoot, that's right! School's tomorro'! We better hurry things along so we can discuss stuff with Scoots..." She said to herself, only to remember she was standing in front of Snips and Snails "I-I mean, ya don't say~! Well, don't let us stop y'all wantin' t' talk with Pipsqueak about what yer gonna bring tomorro'!" She gave a wide and unconvincing grin.

Snails then replied "Well yeah, we were gonna do that, but then we saw you sneaking around like robbers and talking about something we wanted to know! So can you tell us??"

Snips chimed in with a smile "Yeah! Is it something for Show and Tell day? Or is it something involving another crusade? C'mon, won't you tell us?"

Applebloom looked at the two colts "Sorry, fellas, but it doesn't really concern y'all. This is somethin' between us crusaders! We're kinda in a hurry, so would ya mind movin' outta th' way?" The yellow filly then took the time to look around carefully.

Snails spoke up "Awwww, but we wanna know! We're never in on secrets, and nopony usually tells us anything! Except for when Diamond Tiara makes fun of us...but that's different! Would you pretty please tell us??"

Sweetie Belle groaned and glared at the two colts "We already told you no! Can you go now, please? We're trying to keep away from-"

"Girls!"

The two fillies froze in place with widened eyes and turned to see Twilight approach them with her mane frazzled up and a smile on her face. It was almost as if their theory on Twilight wanting to solve a friendship problem were true. The lavender bookworm stopped in front of the young ponies and smiled "Thank Celestia I found you! I really need you for a second!"

Twilight's presence alone was enough to scare the children as Snips and Snails turned to each other and yell in unison "Bail!" and quickly zip past the others and gallop away.

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle wanted to join them until Twilight got in their way "Wait one moment! This is very important, and I want your cooperation! Can you help me out please?"

The two fillies shivered and looked at each other, then Applebloom blurted out "Nope! Sorry, Twi! No friendship problems here! None whatsoever!" She quickly scrunched her muzzle and darted her eyes left and right.

Sweetie Belle then joined in with an awkward smile "Y-Yeah! In fact, we're surely the best of friends and nopony will say otherwise!" The two fillies then quickly hugged each other while flashing wide grins to Twilight, hoping it would coerce her to leave them alone.

Twilight simply craned her head back "Wha-Friendship problem? No girls, this isn't about friendship at all! This is something both very different and VERY important! I want you two to answer for me the best way you can!"

This came as a surprise to the two as they traded confused glances and turned back to the lavender bookworm as Sweetie Belle spoke up "Okay, I guess. What's happening right now, Twilight?"

Happy to know that they would listen, Twilight came out with her question "Thank you for bearing with me, girls. Now tell me...have you seen a human pass by in Ponyville at all??"

Applebloom tilted her head in curiousity "A whatnow? What're you gettin' at, Twilight? What exactly is a...hue-min?"

Twilight sighed, knowing that nopony in town knew about the existence of humans and decided to go into detail "Okay, you know how you have ponies?" The fillies nodded in response "Well, humans are different, very different! They're tall, walk on two hooves, and have claws just like Spike! I seen one visit my library just recently!"

The two fillies widened their eyes at this, knowing that Twilight basically ruled out the details involving Astaroth's figure. Applebloom looked down and rubbed her chin with a hoof 'There's no way Astaroth went outta Scootaloo's house and wandered 'round Ponyville...did he?' She snapped out of her thought as Twilight continued "He was also carrying a large scythe and wearing a white cloak! Have you seen him at all??" That description alone was enough to justify that Astaroth hadn't indeed wandered away from home out of free will, though now she was curious if the two were linked together "No, Ah really haven't, Twi. Ah'm sorry, but Ah don't know what yer talkin' about. But we'll be sure t' keep an eye out fer anythin' suspicious!"

Twilight gave a defeated sigh "Darn it! I can't believe this is happening and nopony isn't even doing something about it! I'll have to go back and round up the girls...If it's what it takes, I'll have to find Zasalamel with their help!"

Sweetie Belle tilted her head this time "Zasalamel? Who's that?" She hoped to get an answer, but only saw Twilight turn and gallop back to her library. The unicorn filly then turned to Applebloom as they both shared a confused glance.

Applebloom shook her head "Ah dunno what exactly's goin' on, but at least we know what Astaroth is! But now we hafta worry 'bout this Zasama-whatever guy, too! Ah sure hope he's more friendly than that big grump..."

The unicorn filly then spoke up "We can worry about that later! We already have enough on our plate as it is!" The two fillies then heard their stomach grumbling as they remembered their objective "Speaking of plates..."

Applebloom nodded with a smile "Right, food. Let's get movin', Sweetie Belle!" The two galloped off, knowing that they don't have much to worry about.

Meanwhile, back at Scootaloo's home, Astaroth was busy with his book as he looked up a topic of interest: The Elements of Harmony. He read about them from when Celestia used them to banish Nightmare Moon, but not he was onto the part where they were rediscovered by six ponies who used them to get rid of her completely. This intrigued him with how powerful they seemed to be when used properly, and he flipped through a page to reveal a picture of the six ponies involved 'Hmmm...I wonder if their power rivals that of Soul Edge...' He wanted to know more, but then he turned to Scootaloo, who was kicking a pebble in the distance. Truth be told, while the dark golem was ambitious about his quest for knowledge, he was beginning to lose interest in reading up history even though he wasn't finished with his first book. With that, he did something he never thought he would ever do in his life.

Ask for help

He hated Scootaloo, and wanted nothing more than to destroy her when the moment saw fit, but he remembered how smug she was about her importance. It was time he put that importance of hers to use as he called her over "Hey! Runt!" Scootaloo turned to Astaroth as he stared at her with a neutral glare "Come over here...You're needed..."

Scootaloo blinked at this, not anticipating his action as she trotted over to his side "Yeah? What's up, Astaroth? Having trouble hitting the books? Trust me, I can relate to that..." She chuckled a little, but noticed he wasn't even laughing.

Astaroth kept his gaze on the orange filly as he replied "I want to know more about these...Elements of Harmony. You claim to know more about this world, so I demand you tell me! If I really need you, then you'll do well to give me what I want!" He pointed to the picture of the Element Bearers blasting Nightmare Moon with her power "Now start telling me about them. What is their significance to this world?"

Scootaloo turned to his book and then smiled "Oh, you're stuck on this part? That's easy! The Elements of Harmony were used to fight against Nightmare Mo-"

Astaroth interrupted with a yell, making the filly cringe "I know about that already! Tell me something else about them! Something interesting..." He was losing his patience more and more. It was not healthy for the dark golem to be cooped up in a single location for a day with nothing to do.

After his words, Scootaloo nodded and spoke "Well, I don't know where exactly the elements came from, but I do know they're really powerful. They're used to establish proper order to Equestria when things got hairy! There's the Element of Generosity, which is Sweetie Belle's older sister Rarity. Then there's Honesty, which is Applebloom's older sister Applejack. Pinkie Pie's is Laughter while Fluttershy's is Kindness. There's Twilight, who has the Element of Magic, and finally, Rainbow Dash! She has the Element of Loyalty! Together, they're an unstoppable force to be reckoned with, especially with the Magic of Friendship!"

Astaroth was intrigued, up until friendship was mentioned. He only scoffed at this "You mean to tell me that a few forged bonds are an unstoppable force? Don't make me laugh! But as for these elements...They're actually ponies?" This was confusing to consider living ponies a powerful source, especially when he could toss around the crusaders with relative ease.

Scootaloo looked up at the dark golem "You'd be surprised at how strong the Magic of Friendship can be! As for the elements, well...yes and no. You see, the Elements are not so much the ponies, but what they represent with whatever element they have! They're actually just some flashy jewelry flowing with magic, but they're still pretty powerful!" she smiled at Astaroth as he rubbed his chin "Do you wanna know more about them, Astaroth?"

The dark golem hummed in thought, and then turned to Scootaloo "Tell me more about these ponies and I promise I won't hurt you...badly..."

With what he had said, the orange filly grinned at how calm he is becoming "Okay! But I wanna start with the best pony around other than Princess Celestia!" She points to the picture of Rainbow Dash "Rainbow Dash! She's the fastest flier in all of Equestria, and she performed the Sonic Rainboom TWICE! She's really super awesome and cool! When I grow up, I wanna be just like her!"

Astaroth sneered at how Scootaloo was gushing about her idol, but he was curious with how high she was talking about her "Is she as strong as she is fast? Can she put up a fight?"

Scootaloo wanted to say 'Where have you been!?', but remembered that the dark golem was ancient in a way, though he hasn't explained his history yet. She then answered his questions with a beam "Heck yeah! Her wings are strong, and pegasi are known for their upper body strength while using their wings!" She turned to her wingspan and gave it a few rapid flutters, then pouted "Wish that would apply to me..." She then turned back to Astaroth "But anyway, yeah! She can definitely put up a fight! I heard she kicked a dragon square in the face! Oh! And I think I heard something about her fighting a giant robot, but I think that's some kind of rumor. I don't even know what a robot is..."

The dark golem was silent, and then gave a malicious grin 'Looks like this place isn't so vulnerable after all...' He wondered if Rainbow Dash's soul would be good enough for him, especially since she's one of the Element bearers "Tell me more about the rest..."

Scootaloo nodded "Okay, I'll talk about Pinkie Pie next. She's all about parties, and she is so hyper sometimes, but she stays true to her element! Pinkie loves to make friends with everypony, and makes them smile, too! But if you asked me, sometimes I think she can be a bit crazy..."

Astaroth raised an eyebrow "How crazy? Does she hold the most power over all of the elements?"

The orange filly shook her head "No, not really...that would be Twilight. She's a super egghead, but she's very powerful when it comes to magic! That, and she's Princess Celestia's personal student! Twilight usually writes friendship letters to her almost every week, but ever since..." Scootaloo shudders "THAT day...her friends write friendship letters as well! Applebloom and Sweetie Belle have done their's, but I'll be sure to do my own soon. But then again, what's too learn when you have such good friends?" She looks up at Astaroth with a smile.

She wished he would understand, but the dark golem only glared "You're stalling, runt...I want to know about the elements, not their hobbies!"

Scootaloo's ears drooped at his words, but then she perked up "Well, we can wait till Applebloom and Sweetie Belle come back so they can talk about their sisters!" This made the dark golem narrow his eyes "But I can talk to you about Fluttershy until they come back! They know about Rarity and Applejack more than I do! Sound fair?"

Astaroth was silent, then scoffed at the orange filly "Fine...but they better not keep me waiting. Start talking, runt...I want to know more about this...'Fluttershy' you speak of..." The name alone sounded annoying to him next to Pinkie Pie. It sounded so close to butterfly, and he remembered all the ones he crushed as he roamed the earth in search of souls.

Scootaloo nods with a smile "Okay! Well, Fluttershy is obviously the kindest pony in Equestria, hence her element..." She continued her explanation, secretly hoping her friends would return soon with food.

Back at Sweet Apple Acres, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were enjoying their meals before they could go back to Scootaloo's house. Applebloom wiped her mouth as she gave a small belch "Well, that did th' trick! An' there's enough food left fer Scoots!" She held a saddlebag containing food, mostly apples, then turned to her older sister "Thanks fer lettin' us eat here, sis!"

Applejack nodded with a smile "No problem, Applebloom. Jus' tell Scoots I said hi! I better get back to buckin' them apples 'fore I sell 'em in town..." She trotted off to the fields where she would continue her work.

Sweetie Belle sighed in relief "It's a good thing your sister didn't ask about her! C'mon, we better head back and quickly!" She hopped off of her seat and began to gallop back to Scootaloo's house.

The yellow filly hopped off and placed the saddlebag on her back "Hey, wait up!" Applebloom chased after Sweetie Belle, wanting to return to her friend as much as the unicorn filly.
______________

Inside the Everfree forest, there was a trail of blood and corpses of Manticores and Timberwolves as Zasalamel made his way through a path that he himself carved. He was slightly dirty as he walked along after such a long, yet easy fight "To think that humans would die out only to make way for these equines...My only joy to this matter is that they don't know about the swords yet, save for Celestia's protege..." He then looked up to see the trees block out the sunlight "It would do me no justice to be caught by the princesses when I have a job to do..." As he continued his pace, he saw a small flicker of light ahead of him "It's time I get down to business..." he quickened his pace as the light grew brighter to reveal a way out of the forest.

He now found himself in Froggy Bottom Bog, where many of said amphibians were found hopping and croaking along the many large puddles of muck. Treading along and avoiding the puddles, he noticed the frogs beginning to hop away faster as one of the larger puddles began to bubble profusely. He stood unphased at what sprouted afterwards as four large heads leered down at the cloaked man and roared all at once (though one of them hesitated before roaring).

Zasalamel drew his scythe with both hands as he narrowed his eyes in a glare "This world houses as much danger as it has in days of old..." He gripped the scythe's pole and got into his fighting stance "Let's finish this quickly!" With what Equestria had to offer in terms of danger, Zasalamel is going to be occupied in his task of recovering the shards of Soul Edge.

End of Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Feeling Lucky

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were galloping for Scootaloo's home without a moment to lose. The yellow filly managed to keep up with Sweetie Belle after she decided to dash into town first, knowing that she was the one carrying the food. When they were side-by-side, they went to converse with each other until they noticed an obstacle in their path, causing them to screech to a halt. They looked up and saw a face of pain and worry on the face of a certain magenta pony "Ms. Cherilee!" They said in unison.

The two never imagined her own teacher to look this way on such a peaceful day "Girls, can I ask you something, please? You would be doing me a favor..." The two fillies hesitated for a moment, but upon noticing Cherilee's expression they nodded at their teacher's request as she sighed "Thank you...It's about Scootaloo. Ever since Friday, I couldn't help but feel something wasn't exactly right with how she was acting. And if that's not enough, I don't even know where she lives! I figured, since you three are such good friends, could you perhaps point me to where Scootaloo might be??"

Uh oh. To help their teacher was one thing, but to ruin a friend's trust was something else. The two fillies promised-no, PINKIE promised Scootaloo that they would not speak of her home or her personal life to anypony, friend or not. And as many rules of life in Equestria are followed, one must never break a Pinkie Promise. This was going to be hard to lie to Cherilee, who had taught Applebloom and Sweetie Belle so much in school (Even if they had slept through some parts), and they were too flustered to come up with a lie. Applebloom scratched her head "Ummm, well Ms. Cherilee...While we would be glad t' tell ya..." She looked down as she strained the words out of her mouth "We were kinda actually on our way someplace else...liiike..." She looked around, and then turned to see Carousel Boutique in the distance, giving a hopeful smile "Carousel Boutique!"

This caused Sweetie Belle to turn to Applebloom with an incredulous look on her face "Huh?" The yellow filly ignored this and continued "We were jus' on our way t' th' boutique so we could hang out there and do some crusadin'!"

Sweetie Belle was about to interject, until she noticed her friend flash a wide grin that feigned innocence and whispered 'Play along'. She hesitated until she got the full message and chimed in after Applebloom's words "Yeeeeah! My sister really does enjoy our company after all! We were simply gonna go play some more!" She felt bad for lying to Cherilee, and even worse about how exactly the filly's older sister felt about the crusaders prancing about around the boutique.

Cherilee smiled, thinking she got something out of them "Well, that's good. If it's not too much trouble, may I join you at the boutique? I really wish to talk to her about whatever is bothering her...I just hate seeing the poor filly so down." Her ears drooped at her failure of trying to cheer up Scootaloo.

The two fillies looked at each other with anxiety and guilt. They figured the lie would work, but now they'll have Cherilee following her around until she finds Scootaloo. Applebloom then remembered Scootaloo needed food, and then quickly brainstormed an idea "Say! Ah'll join y'all later! I jus' remembered somethin' Ah have t' take care of!" She quickly galloped away from Sweetie Belle and Cherilee as she smiled to herself "See ya soon!!"

Sweetie Belle felt betrayed that Applebloom would ditch her like this, and she went to call for her until Cherilee stepped in "Well, since Applebloom won't be around, would you guide me to your home, Sweetie Belle?" She looked down at the filly with a smile.

The unicorn filly was nervous, but knew she now has to take one for the team "Yeah, okay. Let's head to my house then." The two then began trotting over to Carousel Boutique. She felt more and more guilty, knowing that two grown mares were about to be disappointed. While they trotted, they heard a faint but deep noise and then noticed a flock of birds frantically flapping their wings as they flew away from the Everfree Forest. Some of the town's citizens, along with Sweetie Belle, stared at this with confusion 'What's going on in there???'

Applebloom was galloping like crazy as she made her way across town to reach Scootaloo's shambled home. She was lucky to see that some folks were too busy to notice her breeze by. When she touched base at the entrance, she caught her breath as she trudged through the doorway with her saddlebags "Hello?? Anypony in here? It's Applebloom!" She managed to speak while walking. She didn't get a response, thinking they were either sleeping or hiding, until the yellow filly heard Scootaloo talking. Perking her ears up, Applebloom trotted further into the home and turned a corner to see Astaroth with Scootaloo on his lap, not even hurting her yet. This made her eyes widen in surprise as she carefully trotted further.

Scootaloo was wrapping up Fluttershy's description to Astaroth as she made herself comfortable on the dark golem's lap "-and what makes her seem NOT so shy was how she was able to stare down a cockatrice! By herself! Those things are so deadly, you know??" She grinned at the memory of how victorious the timid mare was in saving her, her friends, and Twilight from certain death.

Astaroth only hummed at this, taking in his knowledge being spoon-fed to him by the orange filly. He was wrong about this world. This one could be more important to him than he thought as he spoke up "So this Fluttershy isn't so fearful as you claim?? Do you wish to throw me off track, runt?? What are you hiding from me?" He spoke in his signature malice-tinted voice.

The orange filly rolled her eyes "I'm not throwing you off, Astaroth! I'm just telling you what I know like you wanted to! Besides, we still have to wait for Applebloom and Sweetie Belle to come back!" She turned her head to see the forementioned yellow filly trotting up with her same surprised stare upon seeing the pair "Talk about timing! It's good to see you finally, Applebloom! Where were you??" She looked behind her and raised an eyebrow "Wait, where's Sweetie Belle?"

Applebloom looked away, embarrased at what she had to tell Scootaloo "W-Well...We were on our way back t' yer place...But then we sorta ran int' Ms. Cherilee..." The yellow filly had her friend's full attention as her eyes widened "D-Don't worry, Scoots! Ah didn't say a thing about ya livin' here! Honest!" Scootaloo then sighed in relief as Applebloom continued "Ah had t' stall 'er an' make 'er think y'all were at Carousel Boutique! Sweetie Belle's on 'er own right now with Ms. Cherilee an-"

A deep sound of a clearing throat was heard as the two fillies turned their attention to an irritated Astaroth crossing his arms "I was promised knowledge on the Elements of Generosity and Honesty!" He turned his glare to Scootaloo "You aren't pulling a fast one, are you?" he spoke in a low and dangerous tone. He was patient up until she stopped talking about the elements.

Scootaloo drooped her ears and smiled sheepishly as she stared up at the dark golem "Oh yeah. I forgot..." She then hopped off of Astaroth's lap and trotted to Applebloom "Listen, Applebloom. I promised Astaroth that you and Sweetie Belle would talk about your sisters and their elements to help him understand. And since Sweetie Belle's not here-Hey!" She noticed a faint appearance of an apple in Applebloom's saddlebag "You brought food? Great! I'm starving!" She dug a hoof into the bag without hesitation and yanked out an apple, giving it a few good chomps "Oh, that was good..." She then remembered she was talking as she blushed in embarrasment "A-Anyways...Since Sweetie Belle's not here, you're gonna have to keep the big guy entertained!"

Applebloom looked at her friend "But what about you, Scoots? What're ya gonna do while Ah'm busy with Astaroth??"

Scootaloo gave her apple another good chomp and gulped down the bite, leaving nothing but the core "I'm going out and saving her, of course!" She tossed the apple core behind her, accidentally hitting the dark golem in the face and making him growl "Hehehe...sorry..."

The yellow filly was worried "Are ya serious about this?? This is kinda heavy knowin' yer gonna be out in th' open leavin' me here with him! Ah don't think Ah can handle th' big guy like you can!"

Scootaloo trotted to her friend and nodded with a confident glance "You'll be fine! Just tell him what he wants to know about your sister and don't leave anything out! It's not like he might meet her once he's ready to come out into Ponyville!" She trots over and grabs her scooter helmet and smiles "Besides...It's Cherilee that wants me, and she IS expecting me at the Boutique, right?? I think it's time I give them what they want before it's too late!" She trots to her bedroom, where she keeps her scooter in a corner next to her broken window, plopping it up and grabbing the handlebars with her hooves.

Fluttering her winges at a rapid speed, she began to motor herself out of her room as she rode on her scooter. She stops near Applebloom and smiles "Remember! Tell him what he wants and don't leave anything out! I'll come back with Sweetie Belle soon enough!" She then sped out of the house, leaving Applebloom and the dark golem by themselves.

Astaroth glared down at the yellow filly once the two were all alone "Well?? I'm waiting, maggot! Tell me about your sister! The sooner I know all about the elements, the better!"

Applebloom looked up at the dark golem and smiled a little "Okay, so y'all wanna know about Applejack so badly, huh? Well fer starters, she's really strong, but not as strong as my big brother, Big Macintosh! She an Ah live down by Sweet Apple Acres, where she bucks apple fer a livin'! It's real-"

The dark golem yelled "I want to know about her element! Her Element of Honesty! Talk about that instead!"

Applebloom glared a little "My name's Applebloom, ya dummy! An' as fer my sister's element, there ain't much t' tell about it! She's all about th' truth, the whole truth, an' nothin' but th' truth, so help her Celestia!" She flashed a smile of pride for her sister "She can even tell when somepony's lyin', so Ah wouldn't be fibbin' 'round 'er if Ah was you!"

Astaroth scoffed "So she can see through others...can she fight as well??"

The yellow filly glared "If yer gettin' any ideas on hurtin' Applejack, y'all can jus' forget it! I'm tellin' ya about 'er like ya wanted! There ain't no need t' go around breakin' anythin' that moves!"

The dark golem sneered at this "I've been cooped in this ridiculous abode for only a day, and I already miss doing just that!! You're trying my patience with your foolishness, you arrogant worm! Now keep talking!"

While she could keep up her glare, Applebloom was feeling scared on the inside to the point of visibly shaking 'How can Scoots put up with this monster an' NOT be scared!?'

Meanwhile, at Carousel Boutique, Rarity was busy glaring at her little sister "Sweetie Belle, just what is the meaning of Cherilee being at our doorstep!? Did you and your friends get in trouble??"

Sweetie Belle shook her head "Nonono! It's not that at all! It's jus-"

Cherilee stepped in "Allow me to explain, Rarity. I was told by your sister that Scootaloo was around here, and I only wished to find her. Do you know where she is??"

Rarity raised an eyebrow "What??" She was about to speak until her little sister spoke up while flashing a wide grin at her teacher "That's because she's hiding around out of Rarity's sight! She was practicing watching Rainbow Dash like always!"

Cherilee was exasperated "Again?? Oh, that filly and her antics. She shouldn't even be spying on other ponies like this...This one time I caught her disguised as-"

Rarity then interrupted "But I wasn't aware of her presence to begin with! I was never even informed of their arrival! Unless..." She leered over to Sweetie Belle "What are you planning, Sweetie Belle??" She growled as she kept her gaze locked on the poor filly.

Cherilee then joined in "Sweetie Belle, is there something you're not telling us?" Her gaze a calm, but firm, making the unicorn filly sweat.

Sweetie Belle thought all hope was lost, until she heard the sound of wheels approaching. She turned to see Scootaloo speeding towards her location on her scooter in confusion, with Rarity and Cherilee following suit.

The orange filly skidded to a halt as she hopped off of her scooter "Hey, everypony! What's up?"

Sweetie Belle saw this and quickly perked up "Scootaloo! There you are~!" She spoke in a tone that feigned innocence as she trotted to her friend "You really know how to stay out of sight sometimes!" She then whispered in Scootaloo's ear "I'm glad you're here! Cherilee's been looking for you!"

Scootaloo smiled and nodded to her friend as she played along "Well, you know me! Hide and seek's my number one game to play sometimes!"

Rarity was about to talk to the two fillies, until Cherilee trotted over "Oh, there you are, Scootaloo! I was wondering where you were, considering you and your friends are rather inseparable." She looked down with an expression of light sadness "Scootaloo, I felt like we haven't talked well back at school Friday. Not to sound like an overbearing parent, but how you've acted then has been bugging me, and I wish to sort things out with you. Is it okay if we could talk?"

Scootaloo tilted her head, confused at what her teacher was talking about, but then perked up when she remembered. Back then, she would still feel sad about it, but now she was happy to know that she has someone to be with, even if he can get out of line at times. She smiled up at Cherilee "Oh, nothing's bothering me at the moment, Ms. Cherilee! I feel great, actually!"

It was now Cherilee's turn to be confused as she looked down at Scootaloo "A-Are you sure? You seemed so distant a couple of days ago. Is it really not much of a problem now?"

The orange filly shook her head "Nope! My friends helped me out a couple of days ago! I have them to thank!" She turned to Sweetie Belle "Right, Sweetie Belle?"

Sweetie Belle stared blankly at her pegasus friend "Uuuuh..." She looked at the two grown mares and then smiled "Yeah! It was just something involving Show and Tell day tomorrow!"

Cherilee caught herself and chuckled "Oh, is that all??" She turned to the orange filly "Well, don't be shy about what you bring, Scootaloo, so long as everypony in class can learn from it! I look forward to what you have to show me tomorrow at school!" She began trotting off "I wonder where Applebloom is...I'll bet she's busy with what she has forgotten..."

Sweetie Belle gave a sigh in relief and wiped a hoof across her forehead to get rid of her sweat. She then looked up at Rarity, who leered down at her sister, demandign an explanation. The filly could only respond "Just some stuff between us crusaders! Gotta go!" She quickly galloped off, Scootaloo quickly hopping back on her scooter and riding off.

Rarity called out to her sister as she and Scootaloo ran off, causing her to huff "Those fillies can be so mischievous at times, it's sickening..." She was about to go inside, until a prismatic blur breezed by and landed in front of her home to reveal Rainbow Dash standing "Huh? Rainbow Dash? This is certainly a surprise! What brings you to my home?"

Rainbow Dash smiled "Hey, Rarity! Actually, I'm here to tell you that Twilight needs us and the girls at the library! She says it's urgent!"

Rarity blinked at this "Is that so? Well, in that case, what are we doing here? Let's go grab the others and spare Twilight the trouble of looking for them!"

The cyan pegasus took flight "One step ahead of you! I'll handle Applejack and Fluttershy while you get Pinkie! See ya then!" She then dashed off, leaving a prismatic trail behind. Rarity galloped off to Sugarcube Corner in search of Pinkie Pie.

Back at Scootaloo's home, Applebloom wrapped up her words on her older sister "-an' that's pretty much it! Ah hope ya listened well, Astaroth, cuz' that's all I can tell ya about Applejack!" She sighed, content in knowing the dark golem hasn't gone berserk yet.

Astaroth nodded "That leaves the Element of Generosity..." There was silence for a few seconds between the two as they stared. Then the dark golem quickly rose to his feet and punched a hole through a wall "WHERE IS SHE!?" Applebloom yelped and jumped at the sudden action and outburst.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle finally made it back to the ruined home without anypony looking and they trotted inside to see Astaroth setting his sights on Applebloom and clenching a fist as the yellow filly began backing away. Scootaloo quickly galloped in front of her and glared "STOP!"

Astaroth quickly halted himself as he grunted "You again...Where's the other one? The more spineless one of you three??" He then looked over and noticed Sweetie Belle catching her breath. He narrowed his eyes and walked over as he picked up Sweetie Belle by her head, making her scream "Shut up and talk..."

Scootaloo turned to the dark golem "Astaroth, give her a break! She ran all the way here! Give her some air!!"

Astaroth gave the orange filly his attention as he glared "I've already given her time and she has wasted plenty of it!! I want my knowledge and I want it NOW!"

The orange filly scoffed at this "Alright already! Sheesh, you're such a big baby sometimes..." She trotted over and looked up at Sweetie Belle, who was shaking in Astaroth's grip "Sweetie Belle, I know I haven't told you this yet, but I want you to tell Astaroth about Rarity and her element."

This made Sweetie Belle stop shaking "What? Why does he wanna know about my sister?" She turned to face Astaroth "Do you have a crush on her??"

Astaroth glared at the unicorn filly "I'll crush YOU if you don't start talking!"

Applebloom finally summoned the courage to yell at Astaroth "Would ya jus' calm down fer one measly second!? We had t' go through so much trouble t' get here! The least you could do is give 'er some space!"

The dark golem scoffed at the yellow filly and turned to Scootaloo "I'm impressed, runt...You've managed to give one of your pathetic cohorts the same amount of courage you possess..."

Scootaloo sighs "Just sit down and let Sweetie Belle catch her breath. She won't talk well in this condition, you know!"

Astaroth growled a little, but he complied as he walked back to his usual spot and sat down, setting Sweetie Belle down for the first time. The unicorn filly was then regaining her composure as she sighed "Okay. I'll start talking about Rarity now..." She then sat down as she looked up at Astaroth "You see, my sister's a real fashi-" she felt a nudge as Scootaloo hissed "About her element! He'll get angry if you talk about anything else!"

Sweetie Belle nodded at this "Right. Anyways, my sister's the Element of Generosity, meaning she can help anypony she wants to out of the goodness of her heart and ask for nothing in return! It's one of the things I like most about her!" She continued talking about Rarity as the dark golem listened intently.

Scootaloo sighed, content that her current problems involving food and other complications were solved. But now she has to deal with a new problem that rose to her mind after her little reverie with Cherilee and Rarity:

What was she going to bring to Show and Tell day?

End of Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Hope for the Best

Scootaloo widened her eyes at this thought. Ever since yesterday, she lost the sole item that she was going to present to her class on Show and Tell day, which now resides inside Astaroth's stomach. What befuddled her is how he hasn't passed it on yet with the time they had spent together. She wanted to voice her stress to her friends, but noticed that Sweetie Belle was busy with the dark golem.

Sweetie Belle was talking to Astaroth about her sister "Well, Rarity is a very fashionable mare. She makes the best clothes for anypony that comes into her store! Someti-"

The unicorn filly was interrupted by an impatient Astaroth "Do I have to run this by you as well, you pathetic worm!? Tell me about her element, not her hobbies!" His outburst made Sweetie Belle cringe.

Applebloom tilted her head at the dark golem "There ain't nothin' wrong 'bout sayin' what anypony likes t' do now an' then. Why're ya so interested in the elements so much, Astaroth? Didn't y'all wanna learn more 'bout Equestria's history?"

Astaroth glared at the yellow filly "None of your business! I'm only gathering knowledge that I can put to good use later! The runt over here told me all I need to know about this 'Rainbow Dash'...I wonder if your world is no different to the one I'm familiar with..."

Applebloom chuckled at this "That's Scootaloo fer ya! Always talkin' 'bout Rainbow Dash, that filly! She even has her own fan club, if she hasn't told y'all yet!"

Scootaloo snapped out of her inner stress and shot a look at the yellow filly "You sound like it wasn't a good idea! The Rainbow Dash fan club was one of my best solo ideas yet! It hasn't been as lively as it used to, but it's still good!"

Astaroth growled "Enough of your jabbering!" He turns to glare down at Sweetie Belle "You! Get back to talking before I start crushing!" The unicorn filly squeaked at his words

Scootaloo sighed at this "Honestly, Astaroth...Even if you're serious, these threats of yours are getting old! Would you just calm down for a moment? You really need something to do in your life..."

Applebloom could not fathom where her pegasus friend gathers her courage to stand up to something so monstrous, knowing he could possibly kill the fillies whenever he wanted to. Her eyes widened when she noticed Astaroth walk over to Scootaloo and punt her into a wall "Sakes alive! Scoots!" She and Sweetie Belle galloped over to her friend as she plopped herself from the now-cracked wall, coughing in pain. The yellow filly turned and glared at Astaroth "Ya big bully! Ah oughta jus' try an' smack ya up good fer hurtin' Scootaloo!" She was really getting sick of the dark golem pushing Scootaloo around while she wanted to help him. She got into a defensive position.

Astaroth saw this and gave a malicious grin "You're welcome to try, worm...It's your funeral!" He cracked his knuckles. He may not have his ax, but that didn't mean he could do major damage without it.

Sweetie Belle saw this and was horrified at the sight as they stared each other down, but then flinched when she heard Scootaloo "Calm down, Applebloom..."

Applebloom and Astaroth turned to the orange filly, Applebloom blurting out incredulously "Scoots, ya can't be serious! This big grump jus' kicked ya int' a wall an' yer jus' gonna ignore that!?"

Scootaloo gave another pained cough as she rubbed her back "Yeah, I might feel this one along with the others...But don't worry about it. Astaroth's just acting like a baby is all."

Astaroth growled at this "You're asking for it, runt! Stay out of this! Your miserable friend brought this upon herself! Respect her decision!"

The orange filly began to chuckle at this "You like to destroy things left and right, and you're talking about respect? Sheesh, next thing I know, you're going to actually going to call me by my name! Just leave Applebloom alone and listen to Sweetie Belle! You want to know about the elements, don't you??"

The dark golem gritted his teeth and wanted to go over and kick her again, but he could only stare into her eyes and notice a certain warmth. Was she actually this tolerant of him? Was she insane? Aside from her impressive courage when they trade words, it was as if she considered him something close. No, that can't be it. Astaroth had no need for companionship, and he certainly did not need to deal with a lowly horse wanting to make him her friend. He grunted and turned to Sweetie Belle "What are you waiting for!?"

Sweetie Belle flinched, but then trotted up and continued to talk "R-Right...My sister's element is generosity, meaning she can give things to anypony or do things for them out of the goodness of her heart. She's really well-liked for it, especially if she makes a free set of clothes!"

Astaroth paused for a moment. He had all he needed on the elements in terms of who they were and what they represented. What bothered him was that they are all aspects that were meaningless to him. How could a few simple emotions resemble something powerful enough to fend off a god? This was complicating indeed. The dark golem looked down at Sweetie Belle, who was thinking on what else to say and then held a hand up "Enough. I have all I need for now..."

Sweetie Belle looked up at Astaroth "Really?? Well, thanks for listening, I guess...Well, now that you know about the elements, what are you going to do now, Astaroth? You still need to know more about Equestria's history!"

Applebloom sighed "That's right. He's still not ready t' go out like this..." She then perked up "Aw, shoot! We have school tomorrow! What'll we do about Astaroth while we're gone!?"

Scootaloo then remembered her predicament. Not only was she without something to bring to school, but now she has to worry about leaving Astaroth unattended...

...Or did she?

The orange filly thought it over, and then a smile began to play on her lips "I have an idea..." Applebloom and Sweetie Belle turned to Scootaloo as she trotted up to Astaroth with a smile "Astaroth...You're going to be my thing to bring for Show and tell day!!"

Her fellow crusaders dropped their jaws at this. In their eyes, they feel Scootaloo has officially lost it. Astaroth only showed an expression that mixed bemusement with anger "Just what are you getting at?? Is this some kind of trick??"

Scootaloo shook her head "Nope! You're gonna come with me tomorrow and we're gonna get you acquainted with Ponyville a little early! Yeah, maybe this IS a bad idea, but I just can't leave you here alone. You're my responsibility!" She turns to her friends, their expressions unchanged, then back to Astaroth "Sorry, OUR responsibility! Besides, I can tell that you're already sick of reading those books! Nopony other than Twilight has a passion for them, you know??"

Astaroth crosses his arms as he leers down at Scootaloo "So you plan to give me a tour then?? But what is this business about me being your responsibility?? I don't exactly remember being your slave, runt!"

Scootaloo glared up at the dark golem "You're not our slave, Astaroth! You're our friend! Plus, I really can't leave you here even IF you can look after yourself, and you're already bored with this place. So what do you say?"

The dark golem stared at Scootaloo, then rubbed his chin in thought. So far, the orange filly has proved her worth in spirit, and has even given him proper leggings in a world considered completely alien to him. She has deemed herself a worthy tool in his case. With that, he gave a nod "Very well...I'll follow you tomorrow...But know that I'm not doing this for your case!"

Scootaloo grinned at this "Good, then it's settled! You're coming with me to school tomorrow!"

Sweetie Belle turned to the orange filly "But Scootaloo, he's huge! Do you really think he'll fit in there??"

The orange filly heard this and looked back up at Astaroth, who was towering over her and her friends effortlessly and winced "Good point...Maybe it's possible for me to show him to the class outside if Ms. Cherilee lets me!" She then smiled as she thought of something "I wonder what would happen if he met Diamond Tiara..." She chuckled to herself.

Applebloom stared at Scootaloo "Um, Scoots? Ah hate Diamond Tiara as much as th' next filly, but don't ya think havin' Astaroth 'round her could be a tad bit overkill??"

Scootaloo noticed the cruel humor of her thought and drooped her ears "S-Sorry...I'm sure Astaroth can keep himself contained with how long he's been hanging out with us!"

Astaroth grumbled "You better not disappoint me, runt...I want to be out of here now! I wish to-" He felt it again as he grunted and held his chest. The fillies saw this and instantly galloped to Astaroth's side as he took a knee 'Again!? What is this!?' He shut his eyes as the pain intensified. What was going on inside of him?

Scootaloo hopped onto Astaroth's knee, giving a grunt in pain with her past injuries and looked up at the dark golem in worry "Astaroth! Are you alright??"

Sweetie Belle was confused "What's happening to him, Scootaloo? Is he hurt? Or is he sick at all?"

Applebloom added to her unicorn friend's opinion "Ah'm willin' t' agree with Sweetie Belle on this one. He has been spendin' so much time underground! Ain't healthy for nopony but them Diamond Dogs!"

Scootaloo growled "Oh, I'll get those stupid dogs if they got him sick!" She looked back to Astaroth "C'mon, big guy...Stay with me!"

The dark golem's pain stopped as he took some deep breaths. He then looked to see the crusaders surrounding him, and growled as he swiped his free arm and shooed them away from his space "What do you think you're doing!?"

Applebloom glared "We were jus' tryin' t' see what's wrong, ya big dummy! Did ya never have anypony help ya before??"

This was rich. Astaroth was created by demented cultists who thought they could rule the world, only to be controlled by a god of war. He was pleased with becoming aware of himself and doing what he himself wanted. No one in their lives wanted to help the dark golem either because he was a large abomination or they would already be dead if he approached them, and now these children wonder if he actually had assistance before he met them. Astaroth grunted "I don't need your help..."

Scootaloo facehooved "You can be such a pain sometimes, and I already felt enough of it from you...Lemme just eat some more food and we'll think on how to pass the time!" She trotted over to the saddlebags Applebloom left on the ground and took another apple. She then turned to the yellow filly with a smile "Thanks for getting the food, Applebloom!"

Applebloom smiled back "Ain't no problem at all, Scoots!"

Astaroth, with nothing to say at the moment, went back to sitting down and biding his time for his first steps into town for tomorrow. He turned to see Sweetie Belle looking at him in both curiousity and slight worry, and quickly looking away once the two met each other's gaze. He scoffed and crossed his arms as he sat down 'Blasted Elements...Are they actually that powerful??'

Meanwhile, at the library, the very Element bearers gathered in the main room with Twilight at the head "Girls, I'm glad you're all here! This is a serious issue I need to discuss with you all!"

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes "You already said that to me, Twilight! Just get to the point so we know what exactly we're dealing with!"

Twilight shot a look at the cyan pegasus, but nodded as she began her explanation "Okay everypony...this is going to sound shocking and unbelievable, but I saw a human come into my library!"

The other mares tilted her head at this, save for Pinkie, who was smiling at this "Oh! Was he nice and smart? I'll bet he was since he came to visit you and stuff! Does Lyra know about this yet? She keeps obsessing over humans for so long! Twilight, why didn't you tell us sooner!? I would've thrown him a party and invited everypony!"

Applejack simply shoved a hoof in Pinkie's mouth to shut her up, despite her still talking with her muzzle covered. She sighed as the party pony continued with her muffled jabbering.

Rarity turned to the lavender bookworm and spoke "Twilight, while you were right about this whole thing sounding shocking and unbelievable, are you sure this is something we should worry about??"

Spike came in and vouched for his older sister "It's true! He was THIS big, too!" He raised his claws as high as he could to point out his emphasis "And he was all dark and carried this huge scythe around!"

Rainbow Dash blinked at this "Is he some kind of farmer or something??"

Applejack then came in "Doesn't matter iffin' he is or not. Twilight's tellin' th' truth." She turned to Twilight "Have ya sent a letter to th' princess yet??"

Twilight looked down and sighed "No...And that's where my explanation gets more shocking! You see, I was reading this book about two swords: One is called Soul Edge and the other is Soul Calibur, though the book focuses more about the former. As I read it, it spoke of a small portion of history involving the humans and who exactly were involved with the swords! A couple of hours ago, the very human I was talking about visited my library and took that book, burning it in his grasp!"

The others gasped at this, and Fluttershy spoke up "Why would he do such a thing?? Doesn't he know it's wrong to destroy library property??"

Twilight shook her head "While I agree, Fluttershy, he actually had a reason to...He said it was a 'mistake from his past' and that nopony was to know about it...Not even the princesses! He even warned me not to send a letter to them or else I might put all of Equestria in jeopardy! He then took off and barely anypony noticed! It was like he vanished the moment he left..."

Rainbow Dash spoke up "So let me get this straight...A 'human' waltzed into your library, burnt a book about swords, and just left without anypony knowing?? I won't doubt AJ, but this all sounds kinda crazy. What is a human, anyway??"

Pinkie popped Applejack's hoof out of her mouth and spoke "A miserable pile of secrets!!" She earned the attention of everypony and Spike, and shrugged "...What? I was just answering!"

Fluttershy shook a little "You're not actually thinking about going after him, are you?? You can't do this alone, Twilight!"

Twilight nodded to the timid mare "Exactly! And that's why I want you all to accompany me in finding Zasalamel and finding out what he's hiding from us! I want to know as much as I can about what we and the rest of Equestria are dealing with!"

Applejack tipped her hat and smiled "Y'all know what my decision is! Yer story pretty much checks out, Twi. So when do we get goin'??"

The rest of Twilight's friends did not hesitate to agree. The lavender bookworm smiled at their commitment to helping out a friend in need "Just head back to your respective homes and be sure to pack what you need. We'll meet at the outskirts of Ponyville in two hours! It's best that we travel light so we won't have to deal with issues involving luggage."

Fluttershy cringed at the thought of how severe this situation can be. She was then met with Pinkie Pie's normal bubbly behavior "Don't worry about a thing, Fluttershy! This'll be just like the time we fought against Nightmare Moon and Discord! I'm sure this Zasalamel guy's not all bad!"

Rainbow Dash joined her timid friend's side "Yeah! And if he IS bad, he's looking at a serious case of hooves to the face!" She flashed Fluttershy a condifent smile, to which the timid mare returned.

Rarity sighed "Well, looks like I may as well make plans with Mom and Dad to watch Sweetie Belle while I'm gone...This could be the biggest problem we have yet to face!"

Spike quickly went to Rarity's side and puffed out his chest "I'll be there to protect you, milady! There's no way he's gonna lay a paw on you!" He was more than determine to protect his most precious treasure next to Twilight. A chirp was heard, and Spike turned to see his newest pet phoenix Peewee looking sad in his nest.

The purple dragon waddled over to him and gave him a nuzzle, and was then met with Twilight next to her with a sad expression of her own "I'm sorry, Spike, but you'll have to stay here while we're gone. You have to look after Peewee! He's only a baby, after all."

Spike looked at his newest pet and took his older sister's words into consideration, nodding with a smile "Okay, Twilight! You're right about Peewee, too. Who else is gonna teach him how to be a pony other than Owlowiscious?" The whole group shared a laugh after hearing the joke.

Twilight turned to her friends "Okay, then it's settled! You're free to go home and start if you want to. Don't be late, either! We need to catch up to him no matter what!"

Everypony and dragon in the room shared a nod as Twilight's friends took their leave to prepare for another journey around Equestria. The lavender bookworm looked down 'I hope he hasn't travelled too far...'
_______

The hydra laid in a large puddle caked in dried blood and scars, disemboweled with each head's jaw hanging wide open. It was a long and hard battle for Zasalamel as he trudged further into the forest, his outfit more dirty than before.

After another good mile of walking, Zasalamel was lucky to find a waterfall nearby and decided to take temporary refuge. Taking his free hand, he scooped up the pristine waters and sipped at it to regain his energy. It was best to drink the water before bathing in it, given his small injuries and how dirty his outfit was.

When he drank for the third time, he felt a small wave as he pulled out and looked at the shard he acquired yesterday. It was glowing with more power than it had before, making the cloaked man narrow his eyes "...Another one is close...I'll have to get all the rest I need before I can continue." He carefully placed his shard inside of his clothes, taking them off and beginning to set foot inside of the waterfall to wash himself.

As the water poured over his person, he looked up at the sun passing by. Soon, the day will near its end and he will have to fight whatever lurks in the forest at night.
_______

On the Friendship Express, Braeburn and Little Strongheart were sitting in their room as the locomotive made its way along the tracks. They were silent most of the way, with both having their respective thoughts on how they would come to approach Zasalamel.

Braeburn laid in his bed and then grunted as his wound leaked new blood. Little Strongheart gasped and quickly reached for her equipment to staunch the bleeding. The cowpony then gave a chuckle "Well, shoot. This thing's takin' it's sweet time t' heal! I wonder when this thing'll get patched up for good!"

Little Strongheart sighed "How can you be so calm about this?? You're about to deal with more than just this cut once we run into trouble..." She was as worried about Braeburn as Apple Bumpkin. The cowpony was practically the best friend she had ever met, even if they had started out in conflict.

Braeburn kept his smile "I'll be ready fer it, Li'l Strongheart. Anythin' t' set things straight with how your tribe was met with all this hooey! I'll bet that guy's not so bad once we get t' know 'im!" He rubbed his chin in thought "I wonder what his name is..."

Little Strongheart shook her head and smiled at her cowpony friend. It was as if she could actually trust Braeburn into handling a grave situation without feeling so reluctant about it. She just hopes that this journey that the two have agreed to set out on won't be so harsh for them...

End of Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Another Journey

Scootaloo enjoyed the food that Applebloom had brought, and could not be more satisfied with the amount that had been stocked. The Apple Family really knows how to fill up somepony with their portions. However, she and the group do not know what else to do at the moment.

The crusaders were merely talking about future crusades and how to handle tomorrow in terms of keeping Astaroth from getting angry, while the dark golem bided his time and thought to himself. He still found it inconceivable to consider mere feelings to be possibly as strong, if not stronger than Soul Edge. He wanted power in the form of energy that he could manifest in himself and use it to destroy anything and everything. But another matter to deal with was what is lingering about inside of Astaroth that gave him a good shot of pain today and yesterday.

As the crusaders kept talking, their ears perked up as they heard voices outside of Scootaloo's.

"Applebloom!!"

The yellow filly turned to the entrance upon hearing the familiar sound of Applejack calling her name. She quickly galloped to the entrance and poked her head along the doorway to see Applejack looking around at a good distance away from her, and then calling her name again. While waiting for a response, Rarity was found walking beside Applejack and called out as well.

"Sweetie Belle!!"

The unicorn filly heard her name called by her older sister, and she and Applebloom traded slightly worried glances.

The two turn to Scootaloo as Applebloom spoke first "Sorry, Scoots. Our sisters need us fer some reason. We gotta get goin' or else our hides 're gonna get tanned!"

Sweetie Belle gave a smile "Don't worry, though! We'll be there for you tomorrow when school starts! See you later!"

The two waited for their sisters to trot away out of sight, and then quickly darted out of the ruined home so they would not see where they had come from, leaving only Scootaloo and Astaroth alone once more. The orange filly turned to her large 'friend' and smiled "Well, it's not like we won't see them tomorrow! So, what do you want to do now?"

Astaroth glared at Scootaloo "What could I possibly do with you that could be productive for me, runt?"

Scootaloo trotted over to the dark golem "Well, we could talk more about Equestria's history to get you started, but that's too boring..." She then smiled "How about a game??"

The dark golem raised an eyebrow at this "A game? Do you seriously think I'm in the mood??"

Scootaloo waved a hoof "It's your call, big guy! We gotta kill time somehow! If you got a better idea that DOESN'T involve inflicting pain, let's hear it!" Astaroth got up and glared down at Scootaloo as her ears drooped 'Me and my big mouth...'
______

Applejack and Rarity were trotting around in town in search of their younger siblings, calling their names and everything only to have no response. Rarity scoffed "This is just like those fillies! Always moving around town willy nilly!"

The orange farmpony chuckled "Y'all almost sound like Zecora, Rarity! But I agree with ya. We gotta find 'em before we head outta town!"

As they trotted, they were met with their names being called from behind. They both turn to see Applebloom and Sweetie Belle galloping towards them with a smile "Here Ah am, sis! We were jus' playin' around is all!" Applebloom said with a smile.

Applejack looked down at her little sister "Applebloom, it's good that Ah found ya. Ya gotta come home with me so Ah can explain stuff with ya!"

Rarity nodded towards her own sister "You, too, Sweetie Belle! I have to inform Mom and Dad that I'll be gone for a while!"

Sweetie Belle frowned "Gone? Going where? Is it something involving the Princess??"

The fashionista looked away awkwardly, not wanting to give her sister full explanation about her leaving "Well...Yes and no, really. Now come along! We have to move so I can make my arrangements! The sooner, the better!" She began to scoot Sweetie Belle away and make her trot as they both made for the Boutique while Applejack and Applebloom went back to their farm.

On the way back, Applebloom wanted to know exactly what was going on with how serious her sister had sounded earlier. Turning to Applejack, she spoke up once Sweet Apple Acres was in their sights "Applejack, what's goin' on? Are ya leavin' somewhere again with Rarity??"

Applejack nodded "Not jus' Rarity, but my other friends as well. We're goin' out on a quest t' find somethin' Twilight calls a human! She hasn't really sent a letter t' th' princess yet, but she's tellin' me that it's mighty important that we find this Zasalamel feller an' get some information outta him."

Applebloom widened her eyes "Ah heard Twilight come t' me an' Sweetie Belle talkin' about that earlier! How long 're ya gonna be gone??"

The orange farmpony sighed as she looked down "Ah dunno, Applebloom...But that's why Ah gotta get home, let Granny Smith and Big Mac know Ah'm leavin', an' start packin' fer my trip! An' while Ah'm gone, ya gotta promise me that y'all will stay outta trouble!"

The yellow filly looked up at her sister and nodded "Okay, sis! Ah promise t' be careful while yer gone!" She gave a smile, but was showing slight worry 'Hope Ah can say th' same fer Scoots...'

Applejack smiled back at Applebloom, and the two made good time as they went inside their house and took care of business.

Two hours later, the element bearers were trotting towards the exit leading into the Everfree Forest as the sun began to set. When they all met, Twilight took a deep breath and turned to her friends "Girls, I just want to say thank you for joining me on this quest. This is no doubt going to be a perilous journey with what hazards await us in the path ahead, but if we stick together, I know we'll be able to see this through! Now let's go look for Zasalamel and see what he's hiding from us!" She turned around and took her first hoofstep out of town with the rest of the element bearers following.

When they were inside the forest, they stayed close together and carefully looked around at their surroundings. Rainbow Dash was hovering over the group with a nostalgic smile on her face "Man, this definitely brings back memories! Remember how we were on our way to Nightmare Moon's castle and what we had to face on the way??"

Rarity gave a wistful sigh as she looked around "Yes, those were indeed the times...I even remember the time I gave that sea serpent part of my tail for his moustache! I wonder if we'll possibly run into hi-" She gritted her teeth and covered ears as a scream came in.

Everypony else covered their ears as well, except for Fluttershy, who was the one screaming at the sight ahead of her.

Twilight turned to Fluttershy as she stopped screaming "Fluttershy, what's wrong?? Why are you-" She gasped with a shocked expression as she noticed as well.

Her traumatized eyes were flooding with tears as she saw multiple corpses in the path made up of manticores and timberwolves. Fluttershy quickly galloped behind her friends and curled up, weeping at what she cannot unsee.

Applejack was freaked out as she looked ahead "Land Sakes...Ya don't think that Zasalamel feller did all this, did he?"

Rainbow Dash wasn't traumatized, but she was freaked out all the more with what she beheld "You think so?? Is this guy really THAT tough!?" Though she denies it, she began to feel nervous encountering Zasalamel if they ever run into one another.

Rarity saw the outdated carnage and felt like fainting, but she felt like kicking herself for not bringing along her fainting chair. While the creatures in the forest were indeed dangerous, she wasn't happy with seeing many of them lying dead in front of her. Her lips trembled at the sight.

Pinkie saw this and drooped her ears with a sad frown. Even she remained silent at something so morbid.

Twilight couldn't believe her eyes at this, but she didn't want to be phased like this when she had a journey to go on. She rapidly shook her head and took some deep breaths "Okay, everypony, I'll admit that this is...disturbing...but we really have to move on. We can't let something like this hinder us!"

Applejack pushed back her fear and stepped forward, nodding to the others "Twi's right, y'all! We jus' gotta ignore all o' these corpses an' get movin'! We're burnin' daylight by standin' here!"

While Rainbow Dash was still a little freaked, she remembered her element and gave a determined glance to her friends "Yeah! Like Twilight said, we'll see this through so long as we stick together!"

Rarity then pointed towards a weeping mare "But what about Fluttershy? This surely affects her the most with how those creatures are technically animals that have been slaughtered!"

Fluttershy had her face buried in her hooves as she wept for the loss of the many creatures. Even if they were rather mean, they didn't exactly deserve this cruel fate. She already felt like going back home and forgetting about this whole thing, until she felt Applejack rest a hoof on her shoulder.

Applejack looked down at the sad mare with a soft expression "C'mon now, sugarcube. Ah don't like this as much as you do, but we gotta see past this! We gotta overcome whatever's in our way while we're travellin' an' hope fer th' best! Can ya please do it fer us??"

She was still weeping, but Fluttershy managed to show her face and wipe some tears from her eyes. The timid mare wasn't ready to look ahead, but she locked eyes with Applejack, who gave her a reassuring smile. Sniffling a little, she nodded as she picked herself up from the ground "I-I don't want to look at this..."

Applejack nodded and kept her hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder "Then y'all can close yer eyes while Ah guide ya. How's that sound??"

Fluttershy gave a small smile and nodded to her friend. She wiped what was left of her tears and closed her eyes, trying to imagine things that can make her happy as they progress deeper into the forest.

Pinkie managed to smile as well as she hopped next to Twilight "Okie Dokie Loki! Let's keep going! All we have to do is not look at these dead bodies!"

Rainbow Dash gave Pinkie a deadpan stare "How you manage to see through this easier than the rest of us, Pinkie, I'll never know..."

Twilight sighed "Regardless, she's right! Let's keep going and pay absolutely NO attention to what we just witnessed! Just keep walking..." Taking point once more, she and her friends continued through the forest and walked around each corpse in their way.

Applejack was doing her part and carefully guiding Fluttershy as she kept her eyes closed, steeling herself for what else might come her way. To think she would witness a slaughter of several beasts was something she wasn't ready for.

As they progressed further, they noticed a flicker of light as Twilight turned to her friends "Look alive, everypony! We're entering Froggy Bottom Bog!" When they managed to reach their location, their jaws dropped as they witnessed another morbid sight.

Fluttershy moved her head around while her eyes were shut "What's wrong?? Why are we stopping again??"

Applejack could only stare at the large corpse of a hydra along with her friends before finally speaking "Fluttershy...Ya don't wanna know..."
_____

At the boutique, Sweetie Belle was eating dinner with her parents as they engaged in conversation. She was looking down at her food, looking slightly sullen as her food had barely been touched. It consisted of a double daisy burger with hay fries, courtesy of her father's cooking, with a glass of grape juice on the side.

Magnum took another bite of his double daisy burger, and then turned to Sweetie Belle after swallowing it "So, Sweetie Belle, how's school? I heard you were getting good grades in most of your classes!"

The unicorn filly looked up and answered her father's question "Oh! It's good! Real good actually! I've been doing well with my friends."

Sweetie Belle's mother, Pearl, chimed in with an ecstatic tone "Oh, that is just swell! It's good to know that your friends are the reason for your success!"

And that was just what Sweetie Belle was worried about. She couldn't help but feel worried about Scootaloo being all alone with a monster like Astaroth. She could only hope that nothing bad was happening to her.

Magnum then spoke "Hey! I also heard that your sister made you a nice gem-covered dress for school tomorrow! I can't wait to see you with it on before you go in the morning! You'll probably look more precious than you already are!"

Pearl squealed with joy "I imagine you with it on already! You're sure to give Rarity a good name wearing your dress and showing it to your classmates! I wonder if we should convince your sister to make you more clothes!"

Sweetie Belle held up her hooves with a sheepish grin "Umm, it's okay, Mom and Dad, I'll just stick with the gem dress for tomorrow...I hope my friends would like it as well..."

Magnum gave a hearty chuckle "I'm sure they will, Sweetie Belle! In fact, I only wonder what they'll bring to school! I'll bet they have something interesting or exciting or both!"
_____

Scootaloo already ran around her home for the fifth time while avoiding Astaroth's wrath that she herself had incurred. There were more holes than before with what she had dodged, and she only caught her breath and counted herself lucky that the dark golem felt another shot of pain spread in his chest before he got even more violent.

Right now, the two were both worn out; Scootaloo from running and Astaroth from chasing her around and wanting to mutilate her. The orange filly was glad that he was able to calm down as night began to pour in. She picked herself up and trotted to her room "C'mon, Astaroth...I wanna make sure you're with me when we get up tomorrow..."

Astaroth grunted and mustered his energy to follow Scootaloo in her more-than-ruined room. She was able to find a good spot and tuck herself in with her aged blanket and smiled a little at the thought of tomorrow. Sadly, however, she could barely sleep.

She turned to see Astaroth sitting down and making himself comfortable nearby, though he was a good distance away from Scootaloo. She tapped her chin and wondered if she would be lucky enough to convince Astaroth to do something that could help her sleep. She then turned to the dark golem "Hey...Astaroth??"

Astaroth gave Scootaloo a weak glare "What is it now, runt? I'm trying to rest..."

Scootaloo gave a smile with how he sounded "Well, so am I...Is it okay if you help me?"

The dark golem scoffed "I could've helped you sooner, but you kept running..." It only took a while for the orange filly to get the punchline of that cruel joke.

Scootaloo sighed "Could you do something to help me sleep? Like a story perhaps?"

Astaroth looked at Scootaloo again with a raised eyebrow, parroting her words "A story?" He then rubbed his chin, and then slowly gave a malicious grin as he thought one up "Okay...I have a story for you that is guaranteed to grant you a good sleep..."

Scootaloo gave a smile "Okay, cool! Let's hear it!"

The dark golem cleared his throat and then his grin returned as he began "Once upon a time...there was a war. There were many soldiers on both sides craving blood and glory for themselves! When their wills met, sparks flew, and bodies piled up by the hundreds!" He was enjoying his crafted story when he noticed the horrified expression on Scootaloo's face "And what makes it better is that snot-nosed children like you were caught in the bloodshed! They even had their heads skewered on pikes for all to see before the soldiers themselves succumbed to death's unavoidable grasp!" This was more than enough to make up for when the orange filly avoided his attempts at hurting her earlier as he wrapped it up "In the end...there were no survivors, and the stench of blood filled the air...and then someone came..."

Scootaloo looked at Astaroth with hope flickering in her eyes.

Astaroth smirked "That someone...was me..." he grinned "I only had to go back and collect their souls after I invited myself in the slaughter..." He now saw Scootaloo staring at the ceiling with widened eyes, gripping her blanket with her forelegs as she shivered and chuckled at the sight "Rest well, runt..." He spoke his usual tone as he hung his head and went to rest.

Scootaloo continued staring up at the ceiling and holding her blanket, and her shocked expression held a small glare 'That's fine...Not that I don't need sleep or anything...Jerk...'

End of Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Stare into the Night

As Luna's moon pooled over the Everfree Forest, the mane six were still ever vigilant on finding Zasalamel and steering clear of any carnage that he may or may not have caused. The trails the group have taken have become more gnarled and difficult to cross over, but they were the only safe routes other than the ones leading into the darker parts where more creatures could be alive and waiting.

After walking further along, the group began to get tired with how far they have progressed. It was a good thing they spotted a clearing up ahead in the distance to rest in before they continue tomorrow. With what they have brought on their trip, they decided to set up camp and enjoy a small meal while getting warm around a small campfire. As they ate, Twilight felt it was best to discuss current plans "Okay, girls. We're no doubt so far into the forest that we're sure to run into Zasalamel soon enough!"

Rarity was scoffing at how dirty her hooves were and turned to Twilight "Honestly, I don't know why in Equestria somepony like the one you've mentioned would even set hoof in this dreadful place, Twilight! What could his reason for coming here possibly be?"

Rainbow Dash nodded "Hey, yeah! I mean, we already know that he burnt one of your newest books, but why would he wanna come here afterwards??"

Twilight shot her two friends a look "First off, he's not a pony, he's a human! Secondly, that's exactly what we're trying to find out! Maybe he could be trying to find the Moon Palace and search for something important!"

Applejack turned to Twilight "What's t' find at that place? It's nothin' but ruins and there ain't much important stuff there! Ya thinkin' he might be involved with how Luna became Nightmare Moon?"

Twilight shook her head "No, Applejack. But if anything it bothers me to realize he's the only human left." She looks down "The humans were a race that have long since past, and yet here he stands in Equestria to this day...and as far as I've read in many books, he wasn't even recorded in history, save for when Doodle told me about his existence! It was as if he spent his years in hiding...but what is he hiding?"

Applejack raised an eyebrow "Th' better question is how is he even alive? Y'all said humans were extinct, right? What if that Zasalamel feller ain't even human? What if he's some kinda monster in disguise??" The farmpony then heard a squeak as she turned to see Fluttershy curl up into a ball and shiver after hearing Applejack speak. Applejack then gave an embarrased smile "Heh...Sorry, Fluttershy..."

Pinkie wolfed down what was left of her food "Well whoever he is, I just hope he's friendly! Maybe he might be willing to help us if we ask nice enough!"

Twilight shook her head "We'll have to continue our search tomorrow...Until then we'll have to get some rest."

Rarity then cleared her throat "Um, Twilight...Not to be a bother or anything, but...do you perhaps forget that we're in the middle of a dangerous forest teeming with all sorts of creatures?? We were lucky not to be met with any trouble, but that doesn't mean we won't see any more soon!"

Twilight nodded "An excellent point, Rarity!" She then levitated a scroll and quill out of her bag with her magic "Which is why I've decided to schedule times to where each of us will be taking shifts to stay up and be on the look out for anything lurking around that could spot us!"

Rainbow Dash groaned "So I won't be able to get as much sleep? Great, just great! Way to think this over, Twilight!" She crossed her forelegs and pouted at the thought of not being able to get a good night's sleep despite being in the Everfree Forest.

Applejack shot a look to Rainbow Dash "Aw, come off it, Rainbow! We're in this together! S'not like anypony else won't get much sleep neither!"

Pinkie hopped up on her legs "Yeah, and besides, this'll be our first all-nighter out in the woods! It'll be fun!"

Rainbow Dash turned to the party pony "EVERYTHING'S fun to you, Pinkie! This isn't much of a surprise..."

Twilight looked at the cyan pegasus "Regardless of Pinkie's shenanigans, we have to stay vigilant even at night! We could be lucky to find him around here sooner!"

Fluttershy looked around the campsight as her friends continued talking so she would know that it was safe before she could even go to sleep. She didn't like the dark, even if she had slept in it most of her life, and the forest only made it worse for her knowing there were creatures lurking about. While she was looking, she looked over to see a waterfall a short distance away with a small silhouette resting under a tree nearby "Umm...girls??" She spoke at a barely audible tone.

Pinkie hopped up "Can I stay up first? I wanna see how far I can go before I actually pass out! I may not have been ready while I was guarding my cake that one time on the Friendship Express, but I'm definitely bringing my A-game today!"

"G-Girls??"

Twilight nodded "Okay then, Pinkie gets first shift!" She documents it on her scroll "Who's next?"

Applejack smiles "Shoot, I'll do it! Ah need t' be ready for anythin' while were here after all."

"Girls, please, I-"

Twilight documented her notes further "Okay, so it's Pinkie then Applejack! Rainbow, would you wanna go next?"

Rainbow Dash sighed and shrugged "Fine. It's not like we're dealing with something small here if it means having to take turns looking around. I'll do it!"

Rarity raised her hoof "Twilight, is it okay if I could somehow go last? Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind doing this for us all, but I really need my beauty sleep! a small amount of hours before waking up and falling asleep again just won't do!"

The lavender bookworm chuckled "Alright, Rarity. You'll go last. Which only leaves me and-"

"GIRLS!"

The others turned to Fluttershy, who then pointed a shaking hoof over to what she saw "Look over there. I see something under a tree. I hope it isn't a monster..."

Rainbow then hopped up "I'll go check it out, everypony! Don't go anywhere!" She glided over into the deeper brush and got a better look at the silhouette. It was dark, but she noticed there was a long stick with a large curve going down from the top of it 'What kind of monster is that? I never seen anything like that in the Everfree Forest before...' her curiousity piqued, she slowly hovered closer towards the shape, only to hear the sound of light breathing. Was it asleep perhaps? She carefully drew closer and caught the full appearance with widened eyes. Keeping silent, she then flew back to her friends with her expression unchanged.

"Twilight, I think I found who you're looking for..."
_____

On the Friendship Express, Braeburn and Little Strongheart were sleeping in their room as the train rolled on. Sadly, Braeburn couldn't actually sleep with what was on his mind. The cowpony sighed and looked up as he thought of his sister 'Poor Apple Bumpkin's probably fillin' buckets o' tears while I'm gone...I hope she ain't too sad 'bout me leavin'...'

"Braeburn..."

As his name was called, he instantly snapped up and looked around. He thought he heard his sister for one moment, but then noticed that his buffalo friend was awake as well. Upon seeing this, he smiled "Oh, howdy Li'l Strongheart...can't sleep either, huh? What's on yer mind??"

Little Strongheart looked down "My tribe...I hope that they are boding well without my presence..." She looked back at the cowpony "And yourself??"

Braeburn scratched the back of his head as he looked away "I guess I can't shake th' fact that my sister's feelin' pretty bad about me leavin'...Frankly, I don't really blame 'er. She's th' only real family I've got left other than my cousins in Ponyville! Sure, she's rough 'round th' edges, but deep down inside Apple Bumpkin's th' best sister I can ask for."

Little Strongheart smiled at Braeburn's depiction of his sister, touched at how they both felt about each other. She was happy that her father gave her permission to join Braeburn knowing that she was of age. The buffalo calf could only hope that her family can do well without her for the time being, especially with what they had just experienced. A thought appeared in her head as she looked at her cowpony friend "Braeburn, this probably isn't a good time to ask, but...Where do you propose we should go in search of that...thing we've met outside my tribe's settlement??"

Braeburn paused for a moment, and then scratched his head "Huh...Guess I didn't think that one through, did I?? Well, th' train's due fer Ponyville, an' I'm sure he could be there now. But there's a possibility he coulda left fer anywhere else from there. Ponyville has plenty o' trails leadin' t' different places!" He then perked up at a thought "Say! Maybe I can get my cousin Applejack t' help us out! I'm sure as cider she'll believe me when I tell 'er about what happened yesterday!"

Little Strongheart beamed "Yes! A wonderful idea! We may need her and her friends for this task! The Elements of Harmony may be our only chance in finding out the significance of that cloaked figure's passing..."

Braeburn nodded "Alrighty then! We'll find th' element bearers and then maybe our journey can really begin!" The cowpony wanted to go back to sleep, but now he was bustling with energy at his excitement "Hehehe, well so much fer that." He hopped off of his bed and picked up his hat with his mouth, tossing it onto his head "Say, Li'l Strongheart! Wanna join me fer a small walk?? Ain't much else t' do right now!"

Little Strongheart looked at the cowpony, and then smiled "Sure. I'll gladly join you, Braeburn." She picked herself up and trotted to Braeburn's side as the two shared a warm smile and opened their cabin door and made their way into the hall. With that, they began their little stroll to wear themselves out before returning for a good night's sleep.

As they strolled by, a door was left open as the passenger inside was sleeping. There was a fedora on the nightstand as the zebracorn that was tucked in bed turned and mumbled in his sleep "Errr...First Immortality...then the bitches..."
_____

In the streets of Manehattan, the night life was good around most areas, but there were few residents that took the time to trot to their respective homes after having enough fun. But while many had their homes, one particular unicorn mare was found trotting on the sidewalk with her head hung down, her eyes buried under her large magician's hat.

There wasn't much left to turn to when your only home had been smashed to bits a while back, and there could only be a time where the Great and Powerful Trixie would find a proper meal after breaking her back performing shows to passerbyers in the city and earning some bits. She growled as she cursed the one responsible for her current predicament "That Twilight Sparkle...the nerve of that one having to put Trixie in this tragic situation!" She would gladly curse another certain pony, but the one called Gabby Gums had unknowingly vanished after revealing her secret 'Oh, if that Gabby Gums were to be found here in Manehattan...SHE is the reason Trixie can barely get anypony to watch her shows and offer payment!' She passed an alley as she growled under her breath.

A good distance away from Trixie, there were two shadows that were found lurking in an alley.

The azure unicorn continued to rant to herself "This is beyond unacceptable! The Great and Powerful Trixie should not choose to suffer like this because somepony decided to challenge her magical abilities! She should not even be performing such meager shows hustling her next meal!" She rose on her hind legs and struck a hoof to the sky as she yelled "There shall be Tartarus to pay once Trixie has you in her hooves, Twilight Sparkle!" After finishing her rant, she noticed that she wasn't alone as a stallion in front of Trixie was staring at her as if she grew a second head. She then regained her composure and glared at the stallion "And just what are YOU looking at, commoner??"

The stallion raised an eyebrow "Talking to yourself's bad for ya, lady...Especially in third person! It gets kinda annoying." It would seem he had listened to her vent for a short amount of time.

Trixie scoffed and leered at him "Do you not know who I am!? I am she who's magic is unrivaled by ANY unicorn in Equestria! I am the one who has performed feats that nopony else had dared to perform! I am the-"

She was then interrupted "The Great and Powerful Trixie~!" He replied in a sarcastic tone as he waved his forelegs in the air in mock awe. Trixie was then met with a deadpan stare "I heard you talking before, and I'm sure as Luna that everypony else has heard you as well...Sorry, but I haven't exactly heard of you. Now if you'll excuse me, I better be getting home now." He trotted past her nonchalantly, avoiding the piercing glare that was being given "See ya!"

Trixie continued glaring, then simply turned her head away in a huff with her snout in the air. She then resumed her trotting as she and the nonbeliever made their distance.

While the stallion was walking, he heard an alluring and melodic voice echoing from the alley, turning to it "Huh??" The crescendo in the feminine tone of voice was tantalizing, beckoning for him to venture into the alley and find the source. After a few more seconds of waiting, he himself trotting forward with an tranced smile on his face. When he went further inside, he noticed two shadows coming into view and wondered why he only heard one singing voice.

The voice grew louder and more vivid as he neared the two shadows, but then widened his eyes when one of the shadows lunged forward and ensnared the stallion, causing him to yelp. Writhing in his grasp, he noticed that the voice had ceased once he was captured, and could only stare at his captor as the figure responsible was hidden under a large cloak shrouding its appearance while the other was the same, only smaller. When he caught sight of what appeared to be its mouth, he noticed it give a wicked grin and showing it had sharp canine teeth, making him sweat beads and whimper.

Outside the alley, Trixie was only trotting until she heard a loud and familiar yell, making her turn around "What in Equestria??" She muttered to herself as the shout was abruptly ceased. She was certain she had seen the particular stallion who had doubted her fame across Equestria trot behind her a moment after mocking her abilities. She suspiciously trotted back towards the alley as she peaked towards the edge to see what was going on.

The stallion Trixie spoke to earlier looked pale as the bite mark on his neck leaked what blood he had left. The larger shadow rubbed its mouth with an arm and gave a satisfied sigh "Your singing was amazing as always, my dear...Well done." The voice was masculine, sounding regal and charismatic.

The smaller shadow hung its head down as a feminine voice was heard "...I wanted him to live..." Her tone was almost monotonous and hollow "...He was cute like the others..."

The larger shadow turned to the smaller and spoke "Now you know we don't have much to work with like we have in the past! And what could we possibly do with these disgusting ponies as minions? I'm sorry, but we must feed in order to survive...I promise that maybe we'll find you a pony of choice once we've achieved our goals, okay??"

The smaller shadow was silent, but then it gave a nod "Okay...Thank you, daddy..."

Trixie noticed the corpse on the ground and felt sick to her stomach at the sight of him. What were monsters other than gangsters doing in Manehattan? Before she could sneak away, the larger shadow turned to the alley's entrace "I hear something..."

Her heart skipped a beat as she wanted to gallop away. But then it hit her: What if she were to expose these monsters and vanquish them? She would no doubt be rewarded with fame and money. She smiled at the very thought and turned to the alley with a look of determination, galloping a few feet into the alley and planting her hooves on the pavement in a defensive fashion as her cape fluttered in the night's wind "Tis I, foul beast of the night! You are in the presence of your demise and shall know what pain is before I send you back to the depths from whence you came!"

The larger shadow advanced forward with a chuckle "Oh? And what is the name of my demise, if you don't mind me asking?" It spoke in a condescending tone, almost similar to Trixie's time in Ponyville.

Trixie only grinned "Very well, demon! It is only best that you know who you're dealing with before you perish, after all!" She rose onto her hind legs "It is I! The Great and Powerful Trixie!!" A small amount of fireworks managed to pop behind her for her dramatic pose.

The larger shadow only paused, and then began chuckling before it turned into a loud and callous laughter. This caused Trixie to raise an eyebrow towards the shadow as it stepped forward again "How foolish of you...to anger me..." It moved its arm and gripped a fold of its cloak before ripping it off and tossing it aside, revealing its true form to Trixie as she stood stunned at the demon's appearance.

It was another bipedal figure, only it was donning a green royal outfit complete with armor on its upper torso and an amazing cape fluttering in the wind. His blonde hair was a sight to behold, but his eyes were much more than that. They were a soulless red, leering down at the showmare as he gave a condescending smirk at her stunned expression. He then pulled out a blade out of a scabbard resting at his waist and pointed his thin blade after spinning it elegantly.

"Welcome...Let us celebrate your demise..."

End of Chapter 16

Chapter 17

A Graceful Duel

The Element bearers surrounded the sleeping figure that Twilight had confirmed to be Zasalamel with how she spotted the large scythe resting in his crossed arms. They made themselves sure to be quiet when approaching him as everypony gazed upon them with different expressions of their own.

Applejack raised an eyebrow "That's him?? He almost seems like a monkey with how he looks an' all..." She whispered as she continued staring.

Rarity winced in disgust "And just look at what he's wearing! You can see the stains haven't been properly washed at all! It's as if this human has no sense of fashion whatsoever!" She whispered loudly.

Rainbow Dash tilted her head "Up close, he kinda reminds me of a Diamond Dog, only he doesn't smell bad. That large scythe of his is totally cool!" she whispered with a smile.

Fluttershy, while afraid of the large scythe in his arms, looked at Zasalamel in intrigue "Do you think we should wake him up like this? He seems rather tired..."

Twilight had a look of determination on her face "This is exactly what we all came here for. Let's get him to answer our questions!" She went to approach Zasalamel closer, but Pinkie got in the way as she trotted onto Zasalamel's lap and stare at his sleeping face with a smile.

Zasalamel murmured in his sleep after feeling something on top of his legs. Slowly opening his eyes, he was met with two large eyes and a smile surrounded by pink "Hi!" He grunted in surprise and quickly pushed the party mare off of him, rose up to his feet, and got into a defensive position with his scythe in his hands. He glanced around to see there were six mares, along with a familiar purple one looking up at him with startled eyes.

Pinkie rose up herself after being pushed off and beamed up at the cloaked man "Hi there, Zassy! I'm Pinkie Pie! Y'see, we were wandering around this forest because Twilight over here wanted to find you! And the trip was SO long and we were getting SO tired, but we managed to catch you sleeping nearby when we set up camp! How funny is THAT!? Oh, and Dashie loves your scythe, by the way! An-"

Twilight turned to the party mare and shouted "Pinkie!" This silenced her jabbering as she sighed and turned back to Zasalamel "Anyways, Pinkie is right! We've come here to find you so our questions involving Soul Edge and Soul Calibur could be answered! Are they around in Equestria??"

Zasalamel then got out of his defensive stance. He kept his hardened gaze on Twilight, and it became a small glare, though a good amount of anger could be felt from it "I told you, Twilight Sparkle, not to affiliate yourself or your friends in this affair. This doesn't concern you at all! Turn back now and leave..." He spoke in a firm tone.

Rainbow Dash glared and flew up to Zasalamel's face "And what makes you think we're just gonna turn around and head home because you said so? We want answers, tough guy!" She thought she was intimidating him, but it felt like Zasalamel gave off a vibe similar to Celestia with how he was unphased by her glare.

Zasalamel gave a light scoff and scooted the cyan pegasus away "I'd expect no less of a tone from the Element of Loyalty herself...But as I've said before, you and the others shouldn't even concern yourselves with this matter. Leave at once!"

Rarity glared "How rude! And on who's authority do you have the right to talk that way to us?? We have come a long way in this place and had to deal with that atrocious scene you've caused earlier today just so we could find you!"

Twilight stepped forward with a pleading glance "Please, Zasalamel! Understand that I only wish to know you and your connection with the two swords! You would be helping me out if you would just tell me what we're dealing with!"

Zasalamel was silent, and then gave a small gasp as he felt the same wave from earlier. Knowing what he had to do, he began to look around after ignoring the element bearers. He stepped away and walked towards a tree, leaving the others confused as Twilight spoke up "What are you doing?? Won't you tell us??"

He had no time to deal with trivia as he drew closer to the tree he had his sights on. Feeling the coarse bark around the midsection, he began to circle around the tree only to find another glowing shard similar to the one found in Appleloosa sticking out of the tree on the other side. Zasalamel then gripped the sharp piece of metal and with a small amount of force, yanked it out of the tree and stared at it.

The others, namely Twilight, observed what was going on and the lavender bookworm couldn't be more curious than she possibly has. She trotted over to him after he stashed away the shard inside of his cloak "What was that? Is it a part of Soul Edge??"

Zasalamel turned to Twilight with his unchanged expression "I shouldn't have to repeat myself, Twilight...I've made my point abundantly clear that no one is to know about what you've just experienced in terms of that book...What I've acquired could cause major damage if it falls into the wrong hands. Take my warning to heart and go back to your village!" He went to leave, only to be stopped by Applejack, who looked up at him and tried to match his gaze.

The farmpony spoke "Listen here, partner...Ah know y'all 're tellin' th' truth, 'specially with that little shard o' yers, but ya can't jus' leave us in the dark like this! Twilight only wants t' know about yer history an' what exactly is the big deal with what yer hidin' from us! Ah don't wanna badger ya, but trust me, she can be persistent when it comes t' learnin'..."

Pinkie hops up towards his side "Yeah! She's such a super-duper smarty pants! And besides, we haven't properly introduced ourselves yet! I dunno if I already told you this, but I'm Pi-"

Zasalamel looked down at Pinkie "I already know who you are..." He turns his gaze to the rest "As well as the rest of you...but you don't know how much trouble you'll cause by dabbling into something you shouldn't."

Fluttershy looked up at the cloaked man "But we can't really ignore this now...If anything, we're already involved with this as much as you are. We only want Equestria to be safe, after all...Could you please tell us what you're hiding??" She cringed a little "That is...if you don't mind us asking..."

The cloaked man looked down at the timid mare, making her cringe more and look away "This has gone on long enough. If too many of your kind know about the existence of the two swords, my past would only repeat itself! I do not want to tell you, nor do I need to! Heed my warning and turn back!"

Rainbow Dash, while slightly nervous at Zasalamel's appearance, was fuming at how harsh he sounded towards her friend Fluttershy. She then zipped in front of him "Nopony talks to my friends that way! Tell us already or I'll beat you to a pulp!" She held her forelegs in a boxing position as she hovered in front of the cloaked man.

Zasalamel was annoyed at Rainbow Dash's brash behavior "I do not have time for a battle, even if you're so willing to know about the two swords..."

Twilight turned to Rainbow Dash in worry "Rainbow, don't do this! I understand you're frustrated, and so am I! But we shouldn't resort to violence!"

Rainbow looked back at the lavender bookworm "No can do, Twilight! We both know that we can't just walk away from something that involves the fate of Equestria! Plus, with the way he's acting, he's totally hiding something from us! This guy could be an agent of Discord for all we know!!"

Pinkie rubbed her chin "Ya know...Dashie's got a point...I mean look at his face!" She pointed towards his glowing eye, and Zasalamel stared back with his hardened gaze. The others watched and wondered what their friend was getting at "He's all brown! Clearly he spent so much time under chocolate rain that he's DEFINITELY with Discord!"

Everypony gave a big facehoof and an annoyed groan at what she had said, while Fluttershy looked down and sighed in exasperation. Zasalamel did not do a thing as he simply turned away and went to continue his journey after being woken up. These ponies already convinced him that he shouldn't be resting so long when there is work to be done.

Rainbow Dash saw Zasalamel leave and stopped him once again "Hold it! You're not leaving until you tell us what we want!!" She held out her hooves, ready for a fight.

Zasalamel gave a glare "I already told you I'm in no mood for battle...You play an important role in this world and you're only acting foolish to challenge me."

Rainbow felt like she was being mocked as she got in the cloaked man's face "Oh, am I!? What say you put your money where your mouth is, punk!? If you win, we'll leave you alone! But if I win, you're gonna tell us EVERYTHING you know!"

Rarity widened her eyes "Surely you can't be serious, Rainbow! You musn't act so rashly like this!

Twilight was now more than worried "Rainbow Dash, no! Don't fight him! Think about what he did back at Froggy Bottom Bog! Nopony other than the princesses or a dragon could best a hydra!! Don't do this!!"

Rainbow Dash squinted his eyes "I know full well what he did, and I'll admit that I'm a bit nervous...But there's no way I'm letting this guy leave without telling us what he knows! I'm doing this for you AND Equestria!" She pounded her forehooves together and got into a fighting stance as she hovered in the air "Well?? What're you waiting for!? C'mon and put 'em up!"

Zasalamel stared back as he looked into Rainbow Dash's eyes. She was more than serious about this fight despite knowing his own strength. The cyan pegasus proved to be persistent and annoying with her behavior, and he was surprised that her friends are not holding her back "You're willing to go so far as to fighting me for the answers you so desperately seek?" He gripped his scythe with both hands and got into a stance as his yellow eye gave a glint "...So be it..."

The two met each other's gazes and began their clash as everypony else watched in fear.
_____

Trixie was busy dodging every blow that was directed towards her with how the demon was executing his movements with incredible speed and finesse. Her heart skipped a beat every time each evasion was too much of a close call, and she could never find a proper time to focus her magic on her opponent.

She quickly careened past him and galloped further into the alley, hoping to give herself an advantage. It wouldn't do her much justice to be caught by night patrols and be lumped with two strange and dangerous monsters. As she galloped, she noticed the demon run along the wall as if it were a minor feat. Trixie's eyes widened when he jumped down and stopped her in her tracks, moving to strike at her once more as he gave an exquisite fencing lunge.

The azure unicorn jumped back and tried to keep her head while the battle was on. It should not be much of a problem for her as she glared with determination. The Great and Powerful Trixie should not have to falter against a simple monster when her magic was practically better (to her standards...) than Twilight Sparkle's. She tried to make her horn glow as her opponent sped forward with another lunge, and barely dodged to the right, only to be met with a small cut on her right cheek. She yelped as she brought a hoof to her cheek and then glared "You've tarnished Trixie's beautiful visage!! How dare you!?" the showmare gave another yelp and moved away from another strike.

Cackling like a crazed maniac, the demon continued his swings and watched as Trixie was squirming away from each blow. It was enjoyable for him to watch his opponent struggle, even if they lacked discipline in a fight. He couldn't remember the last time he had enjoyed a proper fight in his time, even if he had spent a vast majority of his life away from the rest of the world. He was thoroughly impressed with how the pony was holding up right now, dodging most of his blows and managing enough energy to continue.

Trixie continued dodging and jumped away once more as she looked for something to distract the demon to gain the upper hoof. She then turned her attention to the smaller cloaked figure, who had its face draped away to hide the expression on its face. Trixie couldn't help but feel as if the figure were staring at her in a sense of warmth. What could the other one want when it was another monster? Trixie was then met with another slash to her right cheek as she yelped and jumped back once more.

The demon spun his blade and held it in a professional fashion "Where are you looking? I'm over here!" He spun it again as he prepared for another lunge. When he executed it, he hit something...but it wasn't Trixie...

Trixie had quickly ducked away from the latest blow, showing her reflexes as always, but then she noticed that her magician's hat was not on her head. It was hanging on the demon's blade, skewered like a marshmallow on a stick. Her jaw dropped as she noticed this, and her left eye began to twitch.

Shrugging this distraction, the demon merely swung his blade away, flinging the hat off of its blade as it landed in front of the smaller cloaked figure. He then turned to face Trixie "Now, where were we...hm??" The demon began to notice Trixie looking as if she were to spontaniously explode out of random circumstance.

The showmare gritted her teeth as she glared up at the demon "That...was Trixie's..." Her horn glowed "...favorite..." The demon then found himself enveloped in a magical aura as he examined himself in surprise "HAT!!!" Without warning, he was lifted up and quickly slammed into the wall on his right, and then his left, all in a repetitive cycle as he succumbed to Trixie's newfound ire. He grunted in pain with each consecutive slam.

A resident in one of the buildings, a green coated mare, had earplugs on as she enjoyed her sleep, oblivious to the mild shakes being caused in her home.

After a good amount of pain was inflicted, Trixie flung the arrogant demon into a pile of garbage deeper into the alley. She caught her breath as she stared at the pile of garbage, thinking that she took care of the job just fine. When she turned to her left, she flinched to see the smaller cloaked figure with Trixie's hat in its arms. It presented the skewered hat to the showmare, as if it were an innocent child offering a present. Why was this one so hesitant to attack her while the other did not pass up an opportunity to strike??

Trixie raised an eyebrow at the cloaked figure before levitating the hat out of the figure's arms and placing it back on her head where it belonged "Trixie does not know of your reasons for doing this, but you realize that you're about to be subjugated along with that other impudent monster! Do not think that we have become friends!" The smaller cloaked figure slowly hung its head down, as if it were sad. Trixie only gave it a glare "Hmph...sulking, are you? You'll get no sympathy from Trixie..." Her ears perked up as she heard rustling in the pile of garbage. The pair turned to see what was happening.

As the rustling grew more, something shot out of the pile and flew upwards at an amazing speed. Trixie and the figure look up to see the demon fly up as if it grew wings and descend towards the pair as he landed and brushed off what filth was on his being. He then leered at Trixie with his soulless eyes "You're quite the rude one..." Before she had time to act, the demon quickly sped over and casted a series of jabs with his blade, touching each part of her chest with the amazing speed and finesse demonstrated at the start of their fight. After that, he lunged his blade accurately under one of Trixie's forelegs, and raising her into a pained stance "Die!" He then pulled his blade away and swept it under Trixie's hindlegs, only to raise his free arm and fling her before she connected with the ground.

The smaller cloaked figure gave a barely audible gasp at the sight, seeing Trixie sprawled on the ground moaning in pain. The demon looked down at Trixie as she laid "That look suits you...Stay down there." He brushed his outfit off, wiping away what filth managed to stay on him after his first cleaning.

In her pained state, Trixie looked up at the demon "H-How did you manage to...to recover from that??" Nopony would have survived an onslaught like she had performed, nor recover so well in the process. She had to admit, even his recoveries are graceful...

The demon only scoffed and took some steps back before swinging his blade in a victory pose "Grace is of utmost importance during duels..."

End of Chapter 17

Chapter 18

A Change of Pace

The demon looked down at Trixie, who was lucky to be alive after that vicious retaliation brought upon her without hesitation. He looked away from her and ran a finger along one of his blade's edges as he gazed upon it with a smug expression "To think that one such as yourself could even try besting me in a challenge...and with a simple act of telekinesis. Admirable, but foolish." He then looked back as he pointed the blade towards the helpless mare's eyes "But I musn't stall for time, your's or mine." He then drew it back as he held the face of a killer "Now...watch closely as I turn the Great and Powerful Trixie into a pile of Great and Powerful ribbons!!" He quickly brought his blade towards the showmare as she clenched her eyes shut.

At the time he claimed his creative killing motion, the smaller cloaked figure darted towards the two, the cloak flying off with how fast it went. The demon then noticed the obstacle in his path and stopped the blade before it could pierce the showmare. He gave a slightly annoyed look as he sighed at what had stopped him.

It was yet another bidepal figure, though it was female and appeared to be young. She wore a purple gothic dress, had a blade of her own at her waist, and her red hair glistened in the moonlight as she stared up at the demon with sad and pleading eyes while spreading her arms out in front of him. The demon saw this and grunted "Your cloak! You were supposed to keep them safe!" He looked over to see the smaller cloak on the ground with some lumps inside of it. Growling in annoyance, he turned back to the young lady "Move out of the way, Amy. I'm disposing of this one..."

The one called Amy did not move or change her expression as she stood firm in front of Trixie in her protective stance. She continued to stare up at the annoyed demon with her saddened eyes, while the showmare opened her eyes and noticed the reason for the demon's hesitation 'Wha...Is this one protecting Trixie?? What is the meaning of this??' She was getting lightheaded with her many wounds and began to pass out.

Amy saw this and her heart sank at the sight of Trixie on the ground all battered from her fight. She quickly ran to her cloak and picked it up after pulling out what was inside of it: A set of four shards glowing with power. After retrieving her cloak, she ran over and covered Trixie in it, despite her having one of her own. While he utterly detested his opponent, he wasn't one to see Amy so sad like this "What are you doing? She does not matter to us now! We musn't-"

"Hey. Did you hear that??"

Amy and the demon darted their heads towards the outside of the alley and spotted a light growing in brightness "It's probably more of those gangsters and their juvenile actions! Let's move in and bust them!" an authoritive voice was heard.

The demon cursed under his breath as he sheathed his blade, swept up the four shards along with his cloak, and took Amy's arm with his free hand "Come, Amy! We have to go now!" He turned to run, but he was jerked back with Amy as she resisted him. Looking back, she stared with the same sad expression while she held Trixie in her other arm, groaning at the sight "Amy..." He looked up at the outside of the alley to hear hoofsteps growing in volume.

Two of the night patrols, one unicorn and one earth pony, galloped into the alley and flashed their flashlights around the area "Where are they!?" The unicorn asked as he levitated his flashlight to find nothing but a exploded mess of garbage and a corpse nearby a small puddle of blood. He growled in frustration "Horseapples! They probably knew we were coming, and they already took somepony down!" He looked ahead with a leer along with his partner "I think they went further down inside! Let's go!" The two cops galloped around the garbage and went further inside to investigate.

On top of one of the buildings over the alley, Amy and the demon were looking down at the distant cops running off. The young lady held a bundled Trixie as she looked down, then turned to the showmare with eyes of worry.

The demon turned to Amy "I can't believe you would want to take her with us! She'll only slow us down!"

Amy only streaked her fingers along Trixie's unscathed cheek with a warm smile while she was unconscious. While she had spent her time feeding on other ponies, she wanted to keep one for herself. They brought to her a certain joy she had not found in ages.

The demon saw how happy she had looked and paused for a moment. He really did enjoy seeing Amy like this, but he was appalled at the thought of bringing along unwanted company. He sighed in defeat and placed a hand on his forehead "Very well...Since you're so eager to have her, she shall join us...but I'm not going to invite her to our 'family' just yet."

Amy turned to the demon with the same smile "...Thank you, daddy..." She looked back at Trixie to see her wounds and remembered her condition. The young lady then began to frown "...She needs help..."

The demon noticed Amy's sudden mood shift, and while he despised Trixie, he could not let her be sad. He laid a hand on the young lady's shoulder "Then we shall give it to her. I shall see to it that you are happy, or my name isn't Raphael Sorel..." He smiled at his daughter as she returned one of their own. The two began to run along and leap across buildings as they held their own luggage in their arms.
______

Zasalamel and Rainbow Dash continuously clashed with one another, matching their wills with all their might. The cloaked man had to give Rainbow Dash credit for her incredible speed and how well she was holding up in battle. He was lucky to fend her off as she zipped at him from all angles without hesitation. Having enough of her petty onslaught, he embraced himself for the cyan pegasus' next charge, quickly parried her blow and knocked her off-course.

After she slammed into a tree, she pulls herself out and shakes off the pain and glared back at Zasalamel "You're pretty good! But you're stupid to think you could get a lucky shot like that again!" She went to zip at him again as the cloaked man prepared for another strike.

Twilight and the others saw the battle take place, and the lavender bookworm couldn't take much more of this. Planting her hooves in a firm stance, she made her horn glow as she stopped both Rainbow Dash and Zasalamel in their tracks with her magic "No more! I should've stepped in before you two even thought about fighting each other!" She looked up at the two "We shouldn't even be acting this way when there's so much to talk about!"

Rainbow Dash struggled and glared at Twilight "Why'd you stop us, Twilight? This guy's not gonna tell us a thing if we aren't gonna beat it out of him! You know that!"

Zasalamel grunted "You are as persistent as you are magical...What will it take to make you focus your mind on something other than my business?" At his words, a howl was heard as everypony and Zasalamel began to look around.

Pinkie giggled "I love these moments so much! Right next to 'How can this possibly get any worse?'! That's so hilarious!"

Applejack perked her ears up as she heard another distant howl "...Oh boy...Y'all did well t' stop th' fight, Twi. We got bigger stuff t' worry 'bout now!" Everypony present looked around to see glowing eyes popping out of the brushes surrounding their current area. Snarls were heard as more pairs of eyes gathered from out of the shadows.

Rarity and Fluttershy huddled together as they looked around horrifed and spoke in unison "Timberwolves..."

Rainbow Dash noticed this as well and grunted "Great, just great! Way to go, Zasalalame-o! Now we're surrounded!"

Zasalamel sneered at the cyan pegasus' dimwitted remark and readied his scythe for another battle "We're in the Everfree Forest on a night of a full moon...It's common knowledge to realize that we were never safe to begin with..."

The cyan pegasus turned to the cloaked man "Just what do you even know? Or are you just gonna keep hiding stuff from us?" One of the timberwolves pounced out of the bushes and towards Rainbow Dash, making her yelp in surprise as she shut her eyes and braced herself. A slash was heard, and she opened her eyes to see that her attacker's head was sliced clean off, making her yelp again.

Zasalamel spun his scythe after slaying the wolf and turned towards the rest of the pack advancing the group in a circle "Looks like your witty remarks will have to wait, Element of Loyalty..." While the odds did not phase him, the cloaked man hadn't collected enough rest after his many past encounters while inside the forest. He felt that this battle might drain him completely...Unless...His glowing eye gave a glint as he had an idea. He turned to Twilight and barked out "Twilight Sparkle! Do you and Rarity know any advanced illumination spells?"

Twilight flinched at the cloaked man's sudden outburst, but nodded in reply "Yes, I know some illumination spells!" She turned to Rarity "I don't know much about Rarity, though."

Rarity looked back with a look of hurt "H-Hey! Just because I don't study magic as much as you do doesn't mean that I'm completely uneducated!"

Zasalamel caught their attention as he spoke again "Enough! I want you to both to charge for a light spell that could blind every living creature in this area!"

Twilight blinked at this "As good as that sounds, what about y-"

The cloaked man interrupted as he pointed at himself "Me and the others shall buy you some time! Until then, you must channel all of the potential magic energy that you can muster! Can you do that?"

Both unicorns looked at Zasalamel with worry and then turned to Applejack and Rainbow Dash and noticed them give the pair a reassuring smile. The farmpony spoke up "Don't get all worked up, you two! We can handle it! Jus' get t' chargin'!"

Rainbow Dash gave a short glance to Zasalamel before she turned back to her friends "Yeah! Leave it to us while we kick some timberwolf flank, okay?" She turned to the others "C'mon Pinkie! Fluttershy!"

Pinkie smiled "Okie Dokie Loki!" She then hopped in and gave a dog-like growl as she shot the wolves an intimidating look. It was time to fight for her friends once again, even if it's a pack of fierce timberwolves.

Fluttershy was reluctant to fight, not exactly sure if she would handle harming the creatures of the forest. She looked around at the advancing pack and whimpered "I-I can't! I don't want to hurt them!"

Rainbow Dash shot her fellow pegasus an incredulous look "Fluttershy-" She then felt a hand on her shoulder as she turned to Zasalamel, who gave her a serious glance "We'll manage on our own! She can keep the unicorns safe as we fight!"

The cyan pegasus hovered and stared at the cloaked man for a moment and nodded "Alright! Let's go tear'em a new one!" She flashed a confident grin, to where Zasalamel only nodded, and the two along with Applejack and Pinkie began their fight.

Zasalamel fended off two of the timberwolves, slashing at them and causing them major injuries. Another went to pounce at him from behind, but he reacted quick enough and turned to slice the timberwolf in half before it's fangs reached his neck. He looked around, and he noticed that the rest of the team was holding up well on their own, save for Fluttershy. The timid mare was only watching the battle in fear as she stood by Twilight and Rarity while they were channeling their energy. The two unicorns had their eyes closed in complete focus as their horns began to glow more brighter with each passing minute.

Rainbow Dash was simply hovering over the timberwolves at a large height and laughed at their futile attempts to reach her before she performed a nose dive and slammed into one of them, causing it to slam into another one with how much force she was using. The cyan pegasus then bounded back into the air and waited for the next moment to strike 'I forgot just how tough these things are...' She thought as she rubbed her head from how hard she rammed into the two wolves.

Applejack simply held her own and waited for one of the wolves circling her to jump into her space. When it happened at the right moment, she spun around and reared her backlegs with a smirk "Mr. Timberwolf! Meet Bucky McGillycuddy and Kicks Mcgee!!" She then bucked her victim right in the face and sent the wolf flying back. Another then pounced at her from the side, throwing her off of her stance.

Rainbow Dash saw this and quickly swooped down to her aid, knocking the wolf that pinned Applejack away from her "You okay, Applejack?" She then saw a wolf and flew up over it, dodging its gaping maw as it snapped its jaws down.

The farmpony recovered and bucked the wolf away and looked up at Rainbow Dash "I'll be fine, sugarcube! Jus' slipped up is all!" The two then went back to fighting.

Pinkie simply hopped away from a wolf that chased her as it ran after her in a predatious pace, snarling in annoyance to her matching its speed with relative ease. The party pony then jumped over Zasalamel "All yours, Zassy!"

The cloaked man grunted in question until he noticed the wolf bounding over towards him and slashed it along its chest, sending it back towards the rest of the pack. He scowled to see that there were more approaching 'They're growing in numbers...You must hurry, Twilight...' Now wasn't the time to talk as he went back to fighting.

Fluttershy couldn't take any more of this, and yelped when she noticed a small slew of wolves advance towards her, Twilight and Rarity. She dropped to the ground and covered her eyes, whimpering as she awaited for the worst to happen.

At the moment the wolves got close, Twilight and Rarity gritted their teeth as their magic reached its peak "Everypony cover their eyes!!" Twilight yelled to the rest of the group.

Zasalamel threw a timberwolf away and turned towards the others "Do as she says!" He then shielded his eyes with an arm, while everypony else shut their eyes tight. Twilight and Rarity strained themselves, but managed to conjure a large orb of light that could serve as a convenient signal flare with how bright it shined. The timberwolves yelped as the light gave severe pain to their eyes and began to retreat. The ones involved in the fight were exhausted, catching their breath as they watched their enemies retreat.

Rarity was catching her breath and then moaned after she examined herself "Oh, this is just dreadful! Look at me! It was nice to know we'll live to see another day, but now I'm all sweaty!!"

Applejack glared at the fashionista "At least y'all weren't busy dealin' with th' wolves, sugarcube..." She could never understand how Rarity chose to complain even during the most harsh situations.

Fluttershy looked up and noticed the battle had ended "I-It's over?? Oh, thank goodness..." She sighed in relief "I never thought we would make it..."

Twilight wiped a hoof across her forehead as she smiled "Well, all in all, the plan worked out just fine! Good thinking, Zasalamel!" She paused when she heard no response. She looked to see him leaving in a small limp "Zasalamel??"

Zasalamel gave strained breaths as he trudged away from the element bearers. It was good to know they could work together, but he felt he wasted too much time and energy around them. He wanted to carry on without them bothering him.

Or so he thought.

He caught the sight of Pinkie Pie trotting backwards right in front of Zasalamel, matching her pace with his as she stared up with sad eyes "Where are you going? You can't possibly leave now!"

The cloaked man gave a grunt as he continued "I told you...and your friends...to turn back..." He was running out of energy with each breath. At that moment, he found himself enveloped in a magical aura and being pulled back over towards the rest of the group. He was then turned around to face each of their eyes looking concerned.

Twilight stepped up "Zasalamel, you can't continue like this. You could drop at almost any second with how much effort you've given in battle!" She then gave a comforting smile "That's why I'm offering you to stay with us so that we can learn more about what you're keeping from us!"

Applejack chimed in "Ah agree! Ya can't jus' expect us t' turn back now without solving whatever problem yer dealin' with! We wanna help out! Can ya find it in yer heart to have us tag along? This concerns us all if it involves the fate o' Equestria!"

Rarity nodded "And we definitely need to get our rest if we're going to continue this little adventure of ours tomorrow! You simply MUST stay with us!"

Rainbow Dash gave a smile "Yeah, and besides, you owe us an explanation with why you're here and all! Shouldn't you be dead?"

Before he could enlighten the cyan pegasus, Pinkie Pie hopped up on his back and caused a pained grunt from Zasalamel "Silly! He can't be dead! Look at him, all alive! Oh! That reminds me of this song that's called 'Alive'! It's so catchy and-hey, what's that??" She noticed the two glowing shards on the ground at Zasalamel's feet. They must have fallen out after Pinkie hopped onto him.

Rarity and Twilight stepped forward with eyes of intrigue, the fashionista smiling at their tantalizing glow "I must say, you do know where to look, Zasalamel! What are these exactly?" She went to go pick it up with a hoof.

Zasalamel saw this with widened eyes "Don't touch them!" he blurted out. If they got their hooves on those shards...

Both unicorns flinched at his outburst as he knelt down, gathered the shards, and stashed them in his cloak "This is one of the reasons why I specifically told you NOT to get involved..."

Twilight was determined this time with how serious the cloaked man had sounded "Then why don't you follow us back to our campsite and fill us in on the details? We can't exactly walk in on this whole thing blind, you know!"

Zasalamel looked up at the lavender bookworm and the two stared. With how persistent the element bearers were towards him and how tired he was from so much battle, he knew that the odds weren't in his favor.

Later, they were back at the campsite the group made in the clearing, and the element bearers offered Zasalamel some of their food to keep him satisfied. He sighed in content and laid back, wanting to shut his eyes. Twilight and Rainbow saw this and quickly went to his side "Wait a minute, you said you would tell us about this!" Twilight spoke.

The cloaked man waved a hand "The only thing I can tell you now before tomorrow is to NOT touch the shards...They are to stay with me at all times...I shall give you the rest of the details in the morning..." He then took a deep breath as he shut his eyes and went to rest.

Rainbow glared at the sleeping human with how he chose not to speak "Pssh! Pinkie was right...You ARE a miserable pile of secrets..."

End of Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Astaroth goes to School

The next morning in Ponyville, Scootaloo stirred from what amount of sleep she managed to get after hearing Astaroth's tale of carnage. She rubbed her eyes and gave a yawn as she pushed her blanket away and stood up. After she finished stretching herself, she looked over to see the dark golem still sitting down in his resting position. The orange filly grinned at how gentle he looked while he was asleep, and trotted over and hopped onto his lap as she beamed up at him "Good morning, Astaroth!"

Astaroth mumbled a little in his sleep, and he opened his eyes to see Scootaloo grinning at him. He forgot how annoying she was to his eyes as he glared "What is it, runt??" he muttered in an angry, yet tired tone.

Scootaloo only patted at the dark golem's chest with a smile "C'mon, Astaroth! We're gonna go to school today! Remember??" She hopped off and trotted towards the doorway, excited to start the day "Shake a leg! I don't wanna be late with my friends!"

The dark golem groaned in irritation as he slowly rose to his feet and cracked his neck to receive a few satisfying cracks. He then rolled his arms as he walked towards the entrance himself. Today, he'll get a full tour on Ponyville and get himself 'acquainted' with the rest of the town. He often wondered why he hasn't reclaimed his lost ax and raised hell when he had the chance. At least the orange filly had given him enough info to help him figure out where to start in terms of obtaining power.

When the two reached the doorway, Scootaloo looked up at Astaroth "Okay! This is gonna be a whole new thing for you, and everypony out there's obviously gonna stare. Don't let it bother you, okay? I just want you to stay at my side and keep your addiction of giving pain under control! That's all I want you to do."

Astaroth glared down at Scootaloo "You're sounding very commanding today. I don't think you understand who you're talking to, runt..." He was already getting fed up with Scootaloo's mouth. The dark golem only wanted the orange filly alive because she wanted her to guide him towards the nearest source of power.

Scootaloo glared back "This isn't a command, Astaroth! I'm begging you to keep yourself under control while we're out there! It won't help anypony if you ever decide to lose your temper at a random moment!"

The dark golem grunted and clenched his fists "No promises...Now lead the way before I punt you out there myself!"

The orange filly sighed and rolled her eyes as the two began to make their way out. While walking, Scootaloo couldn't help but tremble in excitement with how she's not walking to school alone for the first time.

As they made their way across town, everypony within Scootaloo and Astaroth's radius stopped what they were doing and gawked at the sight of the dark golem. He looked around to see their many expressions of fear and chuckled to himself, wondering what would happen if he went anywhere near them. Scootaloo was kind of uncomfortable to see the folks around her instantly grow afraid of Astaroth, even if he is a giant monster.

Further ahead, the couple Lyra and Bon Bon sat on a bench as the day went by. When they heard footsteps, they turned their attention to see Scootaloo and Astaroth approach. Bon Bon held the same reaction as everypony else, whereas Lyra was the exact opposite. Her eyes glistened with joy and her mouth hung open in a smile at the sight of Astaroth. Scootaloo simply waved to the couple "Good morning, Lyra! Good morning, Bon Bon!" When they left, Bon Bon merely stammered while Lyra kept her ecstatic expression and hopped from the bench to go follow them.

Snips, Snails, and Pipsqueak were found talking before heading to school. The stout unicorn levitated a large pair of bronze scissors and smiled with pride as his friends awed at them "These are my dad's special scissors! He let me borrow them to take to Show and Tell day! Pretty cool, huh??"

Pipsqueak held a case in his saddlebag "Very! But check this out, you guys!" He then fished out his case and opened it, revealing a set of teeth "This is my dad's collection of shark teeth he kept during his time at sea!" He pointed at one of them "This is a tiger shark's teeth! Isn't that great?"

Snips and Snails were indeed impressed as they awed as well. It was now Snails' turn to talk "Those are real good,but you haven't seen NOTHING yet! I'm bringing my uhhhh..." He looked up with widened eyes "Myyyyuuuuuhh...uuuhhhh"

Both Snips and Pip raised an eyebrow as the stout unicorn spoke "Snails? Snails, what's up?? Did your brain stop working again??" Snails only pointed a shaky hoof up behind Snips and Pip as they turned around. They then shared the same expression as the long-necked unicorn as they stared up.

Scootaloo passed by with a smile "Hey, boys! See ya at school!" Astaroth followed after her without saying a word. It was better for him to take in all of the fear everypony was showing him, save for the green unicorn following him. He was getting annoyed with how she just stared at him with those eyes.

The three young colts only stared at the small group going away with their jaws hung open. Pipsqueak managed to find his voice after they were out of sight "...Blimey..." Snails then spoke up "What he said..."

Applebloom walked with Winona as they reached school grounds, and noticed Sweetie Belle coming into view with her dress adorned with shimmering sapphires. The two crusaders galloped to each other and shared a hug before talking "Howdy, Sweetie Belle! Ah'm really likin' th' dress! Yer sister really knows how t' make clothes look nice!" Winona stood with the yellow filly as she panted and wagged her tail.

Sweetie Belle smiled "Thanks! I'm looking forward to showing everypony at school!" She turns her attention and pets Applebloom's dog on the head "Hi, Winona!" The unicorn filly giggled as the dog licked her cheek "It'll be good to see her doing tricks today! I'm sure the other students will love her!"

Applebloom chuckled "So am Ah! Makes me wonder what everypony else'll bri-" Her eyes widened as she remembered "Oh, horseapples! We forgot about Scoots!"

Sweetie Belle shared her friend's reaction "Oh no! I hope she's okay..." The poor filly feared for Scootaloo's condition with how Astaroth can lash out at her for saying the wrong thing. Her fearful thoughts have vanished when they noticed the orange filly coming into view with Astaroth following behind her. The two crusaders then made their way towards the orange filly and stopped in front of her.

Applebloom spoke "Scoots, yer okay! Thank Celestia-" She looked behind Astaroth to see Lyra standing and looking up with her unchanged expression of joy "Uhhh...What's Lyra doin' with Astaroth?? An' why is she so happy??"

Sweetie Belle scratched her head "Maybe he saved her??"

Astaroth grunted and looked down at the unicorn filly "The peon followed me and the runt...She's starting to piss me off!"

Scootaloo looked back and smiled awkwardly at Lyra "Hey, Lyra! It's good to see that you're happy and all, but...do you think you could maybe give Astaroth some space, please? He's getting a bit creeped out..." She ignored the glare he received from the dark golem as she spoke for him.

Lyra snapped out of her gaze and turned to the filly "Oh! I-I'm sorry, girls! It's just...I've never thought that they would actually exist!" She beamed at the dark golem.

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow "Who's they? Do you know Astaroth or something??"

The mint-colored unicorn shook her head "Not exactly, but this is the first time I've ever seen a human! I heard another passed by the other day but nopony bothered to tell me until later on! That made me so sad!" She looked down.

The crusaders gathered as Applebloom spoke up "Wait a minute! Ya know what humans are, Lyra??"

Astaroth turned to face Lyra and gritted his teeth "I'm not a worthless, feeble-minded human!!" He made the group of ponies cringed at his volume. The dark golem turned to face Scootaloo "What are you waiting for, runt? Tell her to leave so we can continue!"

Scootaloo looked up and nodded "Oh yeah! School! Right!" She turned to the mint-colored unicorn with a sad smile "Sorry, Lyra! We'll have to continue this some other time! We're gonna be late for school!"

Lyra sighed "I understand..." She then looked up at Astaroth with a grin "But I insist that you stop by at my door sometime! I would just LOVE to hear your stories!!"

Scootaloo shot the unicorn a deadpan stare "Trust me, lady...You don't wanna hear HIS stories..." She then gave a polite smile "See ya later!" The group, now numbering five, went towards the school as they and Lyra went their separate ways.

When they approached the school's entrance, they noticed Astaroth was indeed too big for the entrance. Scootaloo gave an awkward chuckle "I guess Sweetie Belle was right about this one..." She looks up at the dark golem "Sorry, Astaroth! You'll have to hang out here for the moment until everypony can see you!"

The dark golem was infuriated with this until he turned to see the many looks of fear that were directed towards him. He might not be able to destroy anything right now, but he was content with knowing that they know better than to approach him without a death wish. He gave a malicious grin at the folks in range, and some of them winced.

Applebloom looked up at Astaroth and raised an eyebrow "Ah think that's his way of sayin' he's okay with it..." She turned to the orange filly "C'mon! Let's head inside!" The crusaders and Winona made their way inside the schoolhouse to begin their day.

As the day passed by, the classmates were busy showing what they have brought to school. Peppermint Twist was next as she brought a statue of Cherilee made entirely of candy canes on a wagon "Thith ith a little project that I worked on over the weekend to bring today! I made it myself~!" She flashed her favorite teacher a grin. The filly was always happy to have a teacher like Cherilee around Ponyville.

Cherilee was impressed with the statue, though a little troubled on the inside "That is very nice, Twist! How long did this take you, if you don't mind me asking?"

Twist looked up at the magenta pony "Two days counting when I left Friday! Then I spent the retht of the weekend making thure it wath intact! I have loth of free time!" She gave an adorable squeak as she grinned.

Cherilee gave an awkward smile "That's, err...good, I guess. Your project is wonderful, Twist! It's great to see that you kept it in 'mint' condition!" She gave a hearty chuckle at her joke, to which Twist joined in as well. The rest of the class just gave their own reactions of disappointment towards the gesture. Twist then rolled her statue to her seat as Cherilee cleared her throat "Now...next up is Diamond Tiara!"

The pink filly hopped from her seat with a smug smile and trotted up to the front of the class and struck a pose as if she were waiting for a photo shoot. The rest of the class, save for Silver Spoon, didn't exactly know why. Cherilee then asked "Diamond Tiara...What do you have to show today??"

Diamond Tiara then spoke "Oh, right. I haven't really told anypony yet!" She then adjusts her tiara with a hoof as it gave a shine. It was different to what she usually wore "My daddy bought me a new tiara made of platinum imported from Neighpon! Isn't it like, just amazing?" Some of the students looked at the tiara in wonder.

Scootaloo rolled her eyes at this 'Amazingly stupid...' She looked over at the window to see Astaroth sitting down and minding his own business. Thank Celestia he wasn't about to go on a rampage. Her ears perked up as she heard Diamond Tiara speak more "I know you're speechless at this, and so was I when it was presented to me! So dazzling...It costed a fortune just to get the details right!"

Cherilee smiled "That is very nice of Mr. Rich to do this for you, Diamond Tiara. It looks ravishing on you!"

Diamond Tiara gave another smile "Thank you, Ms. Cherilee!" She then trotted back to her seat with the same smug smile, much to the crusaders' displeasure.

The magenta pony then spoke up "Scootaloo, I believe it's your turn!" The orange filly perked up and grinned, while her friends shared worried glances. Some of the students looked uneasy, while others were confused at her sudden burst of happiness. Cherilee raised an eyebrow "Umm...What do you have to show for us, Scootaloo?"

Scootaloo only hopped up "Oh, he's outside! I can't wait to show you all!" This caused the entire classroom to look uneasy, including Applebloom and Sweetie Belle.

Cherilee had an expression of worry when she spoke "Scootaloo...Your item for Show and Tell day wouldn't be..." She pointed a hoof out the window "...that one out there, would it?" The classroom looked out and seen Astaroth examine the swingset's bars.

Scootaloo nodded "Yup! C'mon, I'll show him to you!" She happily galloped outside as the rest of the class reluctantly followed.

Outside, Astaroth hummed as he looked 'I wonder if they'll suffice as material for when I want to make a new weapon??' He then heard an approaching set of hoofsteps as he turned to see Cherilee and the class trot towards him. He glared at them all and scowled 'Great...More runts...'.

Scootaloo trotted up as she stood at Astaroth's side, raising a hoof to him "Everypony! I would like you to meet Astaroth! As you can already tell, he's big and definitely strong! He can even stay up all night if he wants without any sleep, too! Also, he's a bit of a grump, but he can be okay if you stay on his good side!"

Applebloom stood and looked at her pegasus friend in worry 'That filly's askin' fer trouble! Ah sure hope th' big guy doesn't go off his rocker...'. She and Sweetie Belle only prayed that nothing would go wrong.

Cherilee winced at the glare she was receiving, but thought it was best to be polite as she trotted up with an awkward smile "Umm...Hello, Mr. Astaroth! I've never actually seen you around here..." She then frowned "...or anypony else for that matter..." The magenta pony turned to Scootaloo with a look of confusion "Scootaloo, where exactly did Astaroth come from??"

Scootaloo smiled "Oh, that's the best part! Me and my friends found him underground!!" The entire class gasped as she continued "And I-..." She wondered if it wasn't a good idea to explain the means of Astaroth's revivification and simply stretched the truth "He...woke up!" She flashed an awkward grin.

Cherilee looked up "Is this true, Mr. Astaroth??" She got her answer in the form of the dark golem crossing his arms and grunting in response. Cherilee then smiled "Well this is certainly...strange. But I have another question." She looks down at Scootaloo again "What exactly is Astaroth, Scootaloo?"

Scootaloo looked up at the dark golem as he returned her gaze. She then looked down and rubbed her chin in thought "Hmmm...He's....Well, he's..umm...." She couldn't say human, since he already said it earlier today, and she wasn't sure what else to call him. But then her ears perked up as she remembered something and held a slowly growing smile "He's my guardian!"

Cherilee and Astaroth widened their eyes at the orange filly and spoke in unison "What!?"

Scootaloo nodded "Yup! Astaroth here's my guardian! He always keeps me safe and happy no matter what! I'm glad to have somepony like him around!" She looked up at the dark golem with a warm smile. While he was big, mean, and monstrous, the orange filly meant every word. All she needed was time to set Astaroth in the right place when it comes to how he acts.

Astaroth twitched an eye at this 'What is this runt's game!? I am NO guardian whatsoever! Oh, when I get my hands on her...'

Cherilee looked at Astaroth, and then at the orange filly "Well, this is a rather amazing thing, Scootaloo! And you say your friends helped? As in-"

Scootaloo nodded "Yeah, my fellow crusaders Applebloom and Sweetie Belle! C'mon up, girls!" She waved for them to come near them. The two fillies shrunk their heads in embarrasment as they trotted up next to Scootaloo and Astaroth. The rest of the class stared incredulously at the three fillies and the dark golem.

Pipsqueak then spoke up "Erm, I have a question! Why does Astaroth look like that?? He looks like he's ready for Nightmare Night!"

Scootaloo replied "I...don't exactly know..." She looked up at the dark golem to see him glaring down with gritted teeth. She drooped her ears and gave an awkward chuckle "But let's not hurt his feelings, alright? I'm sure it's not worth talking about~..."

Silver Spoon raised an eyebrow "Why is he so angry all the time? Did you and your friends prank him or something??"

Scootaloo then waved a hoof "Oh no, he just woke up wrong is all!" Applebloom and Sweetie Belle facehoofed at this. The orange filly then looked away, worried 'I dunno how to exactly picture him in a good mood, though...'

Cherilee looked up at Astaroth and gave a warm smile "Well, excusing how we acted earlier, it's nice to have you here in Ponyville, Astaroth! I hope that you continue to keep Scootaloo out of harm's way!"

Astaroth only narrowed his eyes at the magenta pony and kept silent 'No Promises...'

End of Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Letting Off Steam

Astaroth couldn't bear the anger contained in himself for much longer with how things are going for him. He woke up in a world inhabited by brightly-colored ponies, without his weapon, and is being guided by a child with promises of power. But what also bothered him was the random shots of pain he received the past two days and the fact that the same child guiding him considered the dark golem her guardian. He grew more angry as he grabbed and hoisted up Scootaloo forcefully and glared "You promised me a tour of this place, runt...Unless you want me to shatter some skulls, you'd best stick to your promise!"

Cherilee, along with the rest of the class were pale with what they have heard, and Scootaloo looked back and quickly lied with a chuckle "He's joking! Obviously he's a bit worked up from having to wake up early, and he wants to see the rest of Ponyville!" She chuckled again and cleared her throat as she tried to sound sincere "Ms. Cherilee, is it okay if me and Astaroth leave school early? He's a bit antsy about wanting to meet everypony else!" She gave another awkward grin 'Or wanting to beat them all to a pulp...'

The magenta pony craned her head back at this and looked up at the dark golem. With how he held Scootaloo in his grasp with those eyes made her worry about the orange filly's safety, even though she claims him to be her guardian. Looking back at Scootaloo, she gave a sigh "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt. He is new around Ponyville and it's only best that you show him around."

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle did not want their friend to handle Astaroth alone and quickly stepped in for her "Can we go with them, Ms. Cherilee? Scoots is gonna need all th' help she can get! We all agreed on' helpin' Astaroth with th' sights!"

Sweetie Belle chimed in "Yeah, we're in this together! Scootaloo can't really do this alone!" She and Applebloom looked up at the orange filly with concerned smiles. Even they could notice that Astaroth was ready to smack a filly.

Cherilee looked up at Astaroth again to see him glaring back at her. Why was he so angry? Perhaps maybe he was getting impatient with wanting to see the rest of town. She then looked at the crusaders with a smile "Okay then, girls. You're all dismissed! I'm sure Mr. Astaroth just can't wait to see what Ponyville as to offer!"

Scootaloo gave a relieved grin "Great!" The dark golem then released his grip from the orange filly as she dropped to the ground "Oof!" After she picked herself up, she and the rest of the crusaders waved off their classmates and trotted into town. Astaroth followed after them and glared at Scootaloo the whole time they were walking. Other ponies were starting to get used to the dark golem's appearance since he hasn't done anything hostile yet, but they feared him regardless. How could they get used to something big and bad roaming the streets of Ponyville?

Applebloom sighed and turned to Scootaloo "Scoots, have ya lost yer mind!? What th' hay made you want t' consider Astaroth yer guardian?" The yellow filly could not believe what she had heard earlier. To think that one such as Astaroth would even be considered a guardian was insane upon itself. She had to give her credit for how he had grown accustomed to how Scootaloo had acted.

Astaroth leered down at the orange filly "I want to know as well, runt! And why haven't you shown me the elements yet!?"

Scootaloo looked up at the dark golem "Look, maybe what I've said back there was a little uncalled for, but I had to get us out of there somehow! You almost blew your cover with how you threatened me!" She gave him a small glare.

The dark golem scoffed "What cover!? I'm to the point where I just might lash out on the nearest pony and make sure they scream!" The ponies in his radius began to walk faster away from him while he was venting.

Sweetie Belle saw this and turned to Scootaloo "We have to calm him down! What should we do?"

Scootaloo looked down in thought, oblivious to the tension building around her. It wouldn't help to send the dark golem to the spa despite him being both angry and dirty. And with how he was acting, it seemed that letting it blow out was the best option. Where could she take Astaroth so he could show the full extent of his strength without any consequences towards Ponyville's residents? What dangerous spot could fuel the dark golem's desire for wanting to destroy something? When she realized the answer, she facehoofed 'Why the hay didn't I think this sooner?' The orange filly looked up at Astaroth with a confident smirk "Hey, Astaroth! You wanna cause some damage, right?"

Astaroth glared down "More than you know, runt...Are you and your pathetic cohorts willing to contribute to my needs?"

Applebloom glared back at the dark golem "We're not cohorts, ya id-" Her muzzle was covered by an orange hoof.

Scootaloo only continued while keeping Applebloom's mouth shut. She wanted this idea of hers to flow well without any hiccups "Not us, actually! I can take you to a place where you can cause all the destruction you want!"

The dark golem scoffed "And I should trust you this time!? Where could I possibly get my fill of battle in a place like this??" He had every right to doubt Scootaloo with how peaceful Ponyville seems.

Scootaloo released her hoof from Applebloom's mouth and waved her other one "Follow me, big guy! I know just the place!" She trotted away with a determined smile, and Astaroth followed her as he cracked his knuckles.

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle traded glances and quickly trotted after them. Before they could continue, the yellow filly remembered something important as she turned to her dog "Ponyfeathers! Ah gotta go take Winona home 'fore I can actually catch up with 'em!"

Sweetie Belle then looked down at her dress "I guess I better get rid of this, too if Scootaloo is going where I think she is..." She looked ahead and called out to her friend "Scootaloo, we'll be right with you! We gotta take care of our things first!"

Scootaloo called back with a smile "Okay! Don't take too long if you wanna see a good show!" She continued her path without any trouble at all. The orange filly knew that her friends would eventually return to her, and with Astaroth by her side she couldn't be more okay with their absence. She heard her friends gallop away towards their respective homes while she trotted onward.

Astaroth glared down at the orange filly with rising impatience "Where are we going, runt? Is this a trick? If so, I'd hate to be you right now..."

Scootaloo gave a smug smile to the dark golem "Have I ever steered you wrong? Just follow my lead, big guy! You'll have a ball where I'm taking you!" The two continued their pace as the Everfree Forest came into view.
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At the Ponyville Train Station, the Friendship Express came to a stop after a long trip. Braeburn and Little Strongheart departed from their cart with their traveling gear and looked ahead at the town. The cowpony gave a bright smile "Well, here we are! Ponyville at last! Now all we gotta do is find my cousin an' we'll be right as rain!" He turned to his buffalo friend "C'mon, Li'l Strongheart! Let's head on over t' Sweet Apple Acres while th' sun's up so we can get crackin'!"

Little Strongheart nodded "We must hurry if we're to find that mysterious figure soon! Lead the way, Braeburn!" The two then galloped into town without a moment to lose.

The two did not stop their fast pace as they made their way towards Sweet Apple Acres, and accidentally bumped into different ponies along the way. Braeburn was polite enough to excuse himself and Little Strongheart for every pony they ran into, but he had to make haste if he wanted to see Applejack.

As their destination came into view, they noticed a filly and her dog up ahead running towards the same path they were going. Braeburn finally recognized the pony and galloped right next to her, tipping his hat towards his cousin with a smile "Howdy there, Applebloom! Long time no see!"

Applebloom saw the cowpony and was taken by surprise as she stumbled in her tracks for a moment "Cousin Braeburn? An' Li'l Strongheart? What're y'all doin' in Ponyville?"

Little Strongheart spoke up "We wish to seek your older sister, along with the rest of the element bearers! We need their help! Is your sister at home, by any chance??"

Applebloom shook her head "Sorry, but my sis an' 'er friends are gone! They're on some sorta adventure findin' this Zasala-...Zasa-..." She groaned at how she failed to pronounce the name "They're lookin' for this feller with a cloak an' scythe or somethin'! Ah don't know all th' details!"

Braeburn smiled "Ya don't say! That's why we're here, too! Y'see, we sorta ran int' him a couple o' days ago! He saved Li'l Strongheart an' I from-" He looked ahead and noticed that they were already at Sweet Apple Acres. The cowpony, along with the other runners skidded to a halt when they reached the front yard "Hehe, well at least we're here...I guess it wouldn't hurt t' say hi to th' family 'fore me an' Li'l Strongheart set out!"

Applebloom trotted towards her cousin while Winona simply walked into the Apple Family house "Wait a minute, Braeburn! Ya said ya met this guy, too? Who is he??"

The cowpony shook his head "No clue. That's why we're gonna find 'im an' ask a few things! He saved Li'l Strongheart's tribe from some real trouble back then! There was somethin' fishy goin' on with one o' th' buffalo that caused 'im t' go all crazy!" He grunted a little as he held his chest, causing Little Strongheart to gasp "S-Sorry...s'probably from all that runnin'. I'll be fine!" He gave a reassuring smile.

Applebloom noticed the cowpony's patched wound and almost shared Little Strongheart's worry "Ya got involved with all th' trouble, too? Ya sure y'all can go far with that scar on yer chest??"

Braeburn gave a chuckle "I'd gladly settle down fer a bit, but we really gotta get goin'! We need figure out where t' start lookin' iffin' we're gonna find 'im! Shame that Applejack's not home, though..." He then turned to Applebloom with a smile "Do ya perhaps know where she went? Y'all would be doin' me a favor pointin' me out t' where she an' her friends went!"

Applebloom pointed over towards the distant forest "Ah think she went towards-" She stopped herself and thought about Braeburn running into Astaroth. The yellow filly couldn't risk losing her dear cousin to the dark golem and quickly pointed to a different direction "Fillydelphia! Yeah, Ah think that's where she an' th' others went!!"

Little Strongheart turned to Braeburn with determination "Then that is where we shall start, yes? We should hurry if we're to catch up with them!"

Braeburn nodded to his friend "You got it! But I gotta say hi to th' rest o' my family first!" He turned and tipped his hat to Applebloom "Sorry I can't stick around, cuz! But it's mighty nice seein' ya again after so long!" He turned to Strongheart with a smile "C'mon, Li'l Strongheart, let's go see my family 'fore we go!" The two made their way into the Apple family house, leaving Applebloom all alone in the front yard.

The yellow filly felt guilty for lying to her cousin, but she sighed in relief knowing that they will at least stay out of Astaroth's way. She decided to go towards the Everfree forest since she escorted Winona home.
_____

Scootaloo and Astaroth found themselves inside Everfree Forest and walked further along a trail. When they went far enough inside, Scootaloo decided to stand around "Okay, now all we gotta do is wait! I hope you're ready, Astaroth!"

Astaroth scoffed and stood as well "Always ready, runt..." He looked around "What am I waiting for here?? Am I expecting something to come for me?" The dark golem looked around, and quickly grew impatient as he bared his teeth and growled. He then looked up and yelled "COME OUT!" The orange filly cringed at his volume, but then perked up her ears. On cue, a cacophony of snarls could be heard from inside the forest.

Scootaloo lost most of her vigor when she heard them and trotted to Astaroth's side "Yeah, you got your wish, big guy! Now you can cause all the pain you want!" Her tone was slightly anxious when she saw a pack of timberwolves come into view. She winced as she noticed that this particular pack did not seem in their best shape. Most of them had wounds all over their bodies, and their eyes seemed a little scathed.

Astaroth saw them and was impressed with their appearance. They looked both ferocious and strong enough to give him a decent challenge as he gave a malicious grin "Finally, something worth my time...You actually did something good for once, runt..." He ignored the smile he earned from the orange filly and clenched his fists "Time to reap some souls..." With anger mixed with eagerness, he sprinted towards the pack of timberwolves and leaped for the leader "Gorah!!!" The alpha wolf was lifted up and slammed to the ground by Astaroth with a sickening crack as it gave a pained yelp. He then tossed the wolf into a tree while the rest of the pack charged at the dark golem at once.

Scootaloo was worried about the odds when the pack charged at her 'guardian', but her worry vanished when she noticed Astaroth enjoying every moment of the fight that was brought to him. One by one, he took each wolf and either slammed, tossed, or broke parts of their body with his bare hands while shouting battlecries. This one was definitely as strong as he looked, and the orange filly was entranced, though a little traumatized, with the scene unfolding.

The sounds of bones cracking and his opponents' screaming in agony was music to Astaroth's ears, and the timberwolves proved to be worth his effort with how they keep coming back. When one of them chose to leap at his chest, he embraced the futile attempt and gripped his attacker into a bear hug, crushing the wolf's midsection as he split in two.

Scootaloo drooped her ears with widened eyes 'Note to self: Don't give him a hug next time...'

Astaroth held one of the timberwolves by the neck and went to land a heavy fist into its snout as he gave a dark chuckle. But before he could, he felt a familiar shot of pain course through his chest as he grunted, fell on one knee and released the wolf from his grip. When the opportunity presented itself, the freed wolf leaped and gnashed its gnarled jaws into his left arm while another approached Astaroth from behind and bit onto his right shoulder, eliciting a growl in pain from the dark golem.

Scootaloo gasped at the sight and shouted "Astaroth!!" She did not want to lose her large friend to a pack of timberwolves like this. Summoning mroe of her courage, she took a pebble and threw it at one of the wolves attacking Astaroth and earned its attention after it bounced off of its head. It leered at the orange filly with its glowing eyes and began to slowly advance on her with dripping fangs.

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were galloping into the Everfree Forest and heard the sounds of slamming. When they looked ahead, they saw Astaroth being bombarded by timberwolves and Scootaloo backing away from one. The two galloped towards their fellow crusader and stopped at their side. Applebloom glared up at the timberwolf advancing and stood her ground "Leave 'er alone, ya jerk!" She then gave the wolf a buck to the snout, but only succeeded in angering it. Th wolf snarled while the fillies backed away before being cornered into a tree, and began to scream as the wolf drew closer.

Astaroth was almost covered in timberwolves biting at his body, but when the pain in his chest passed, his eyes flashed open and he gave a loud roar as he forced the pack off of him. He managed to send most of them flying as they hit their own trees or portion of the ground. For the ones that stayed, he tore off the one that latched onto his left arm and broke its neck while tossing the one latched onto his shoulder onto the pile of battered wolves. Astaroth growled in disgust to think that a pack of wild animals managed to try and subdue him while he was down, but when he heard the sound of children screaming, he turned to see that he missed one.

The crusaders shut their eyes the moment the wolf opened its gnarled maw, and before it could snap at one of them, the wolf yelped as it was gripped by the neck. Scootaloo opened her eyes and awed at the sight of Astaroth actually saving her and her friends from certain death. The dark golem held the wolf in the air and glared at it "Stay down..." He lifted it higher and then brought the sorry wolf to the ground with amazing force. There was a small rumble on the ground from the impact that he sent, and it phased the crusaders as well.

When the battle was over, Scootaloo and her friends looked around to see what Astaroth managed to accomplish with only his hands and the orange filly managed to utter a weak "Wow..." She looked up at the dark golem catching his breath and noticed that he was scathed on most of his upper body "Astaroth, that was AMAZING! Nopony would ever hope to fight against a pack of timberwolves and win! I'm so glad you're on our side!!" She beamed up at him, but then looked at his left arm "Your arm's looking bad...We should get you to the hospital!"

Astaroth glared at Scootaloo "I'm fine! I don't need your pity! A small matter like this is only a scratch to me!" He managed to pull out the large splinters lodged into his arm and grunted in pain for each one yanked out. This made the crusaders wince at his attempts of self recovery, but they were worried about his health all the more. What struck them as confused was that they did not find a trace of blood leaking out of any wounds he received from his fight.

Scootaloo trotted up and looked at the dark golem as he caught the last of his breath "So, Astaroth...do you think you had your fill for the time being??" She tilted her head and waited for an answer.

The dark golem nodded "For now...consider yourself lucky I'm satisfied, runt..." He looked back at the broken body parts of most of the wolves and paused. He thought about their durability and rubbed his chin at the possibilities of their parts being put to use. He gave a smirk "Looks like I'll be busy for the time being..." The crusaders behind them shared confused glances at Astaroth's random sentence.

End of Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Acceptance

Braeburn and Little Strongheart, after saying both hello and goodbye to the Apple Family, set out on their journey to Fillydelphia. They trotted down one of the town's exits and admired the scenery around their route. The two did not have enough money for another ride, nor did the train have the time to take them directly to Fillydelphia. It was actually better for them this way, since they enjoyed a nice walk leading them to their next destination.

The cowpony inhaled deeply, and exhaled with a content sigh "I tell ya, Li'l Strongheart! This ain't much like home, but it's real nice anyways! It's good t' get some exercise while we're on our way!"

Little Strongheart nodded with a small smile, but looked grave and determined "I hope that we reach that strange creature soon...I want to know what has affected my tribe and how dangerous it can be towards others. It would not be good if anypony met the same fate as my family..."

Braeburn looked over at his friend and scooted towards her side as they shared the given path. He did not enjoy it when family or friends of his felt down in the dumps. It disheartened him to know that she had to witness something so grim and mysterious, but at least she had the strength to carry on. She wouldn't be called Little Strongheart if she didn't. He gave the buffalo calf a smile "I'm sure we'll run int' him soon enough! An' if we do, there could be a chance he might be more friendly than last time! All we gotta do is keep movin' forward like always!" If there is anything the cowpony enjoyed, it was cheering anypony up and making sure they stay that way.

He was happy to have succeeded when he spotted a smile on Little Strongheart's lips. The two looked on as they paved their way on the road ahead. It was going to be a long trip before they finally reach their destination.
_____

Darkness...there was nothing but darkness all around Trixie. What did this mean? Was she dead? Was she lost? If anything, she is all alone. Or at least that what she thought when she heard hoofsteps come into her ears. She looked around "Hello??" The hoofsteps only grew louder as she darted her head "Who's there!? Show yourself!" After a moment of waiting, she saw a familiar shade of purple with an evil smirk on her face. What appeared to be her old rival trotted forward and stopped in front of Trixie as she kept her expression. The showmare glared with a scowl "You again! What are you doing here, you insolent foal!? How dare you choose to approach me like this!?"

Twilight Sparkle scoffed "You wanted me to show myself, didn't you? Miss 'Great and Powerful Trixie'?" She added her last sentence in a mocking tone "Sometimes, I wonder if you've even found your way after the time you chose to come into the wrong neighborhood...Tell me, how are you holding up? I'll bet you're doing juuust fine~..." She gave an evil chuckle.

This angered Trixie as she bared her teeth "Silence, you cur! Trixie will not have any of your senseless dribble while she is trapped here! Go back to the depths from whence you came and leave Trixie at once!"

Twilight poked her chin with a hoof as she feigned curiousity "Funny...wasn't that the same thing you said to that demon BEFORE he bucked you sideways? You seem to be out of character to be repeating the same line to somepony else, especially me...Nopony likes a one-trick pony, Trixie." She smirked.

Trixie's anger deepened with her rival's words "You will leave Trixie, or she will punish you with swift and powerful judgement!" Her words dripped venom as she glared daggers at Twilight.

The lavender pony rolled her eyes "Please! You couldn't even best an Ursa Minor let alone a demon! What makes you think you'll do good against me, hm? Give me one good reason and MAYBE I'll leave..." She had a smug expression on her face after her last sentence.

Trixie was silent, but she didn't want this mare to win. She already upstaged her once, and she wasn't going to do it again. Her horn glowed as she focused her magic "Nopony defies the Great and Powerful Trixie and gets away with it! Prepare yourself, Twilight Sparkle, for this is the day that you shall know the pain and suffering you put me through!"

Twilight gave a mock cringe as her face showed false regret "Oh, now I feel real bad~..." She lightly slapped herself across the face with a hoof "Bad Twilight~!" She smirked evilly at Trixie.

The showmare had enough. She channeled her magic and focused it into a beam, where she blasted her rival into oblivion. When the dust settled, there was nothing left of the smart-mouthed unicorn. Trixie smiled to herself, pleased to know that her eyesore of a bookworm was gone, until she heard her voice in the air "Wow~! You really showed me, Trixie! Too bad I'm not even gone yet!" Trixie looked up with an incredulous expression as the voice continued "But hey, you get an E for effort! Hopefully it stays that way...would hate to see you sink any lower than you already are..." The voice gave a cackle, which sounded like nails on a chalkboard to Trixie as she hung her head down and plugged her ears with her forelegs to tune out the absurd laughing.

The laughing slowly ceased as a cooling sensation was felt in Trixie's atmosphere. It relaxed her senses as she gave a satisfied sigh. But then she gasped when she noticed herself being engulfed in the darkness.

Trixie gave a moan while she opened her eyes. Her sight was blurry, and she felt the same cold sensation from her dream being moved across her left cheek. When the bad contrast in her sight lifted, she noticed a familiar figure smiling down at the showmare as she gently streaked Trixie's unscathed cheek.

Amy was happy to know that her new friend had woken up, and she only continued to pet Trixie's cheek while she was laying in a shoddy bed. The two were inside of a worn room. The rays of light shined through the dirty window as they touched the bed's covers and felt warm to the touch. This change of scenery was unsettling, and Trixie already felt uneasy while she was around the young lady in front of her.

The showmare instinctively swatted away Amy's hand and instantly raised herself up to a sitting position on her bed. She ignored the covers on her body as they flew down to reveal her many wounds patched with medical tape. Trixie gave a pained grunt and held herself with her forelegs. When she remembered her situation, she turned and glared up at Amy, who had a sad frown on her face "You! Trixie demands to know where she is at once! What have you done with her!?" She took the time to inspect herself before she continued "And where are her clothes!? Answer me, demon!"

Amy was silent for a moment, and then she held her arms out as she gently took Trixie in her arms and placed her back into a resting position on the bed "You're hurt..." She managed to say her first words to Trixie in her hollow tone as she stared at the showmare in concern "We are in a shack a few miles outside of the city we were once in..."

Trixie squirmed her way out of Amy's grip and went back into her sitting position "Release Trixie, you fiend! She does not know your intentions for holding her captive, but she'll find a way to make sure you receive proper comeuppance! You and your partner shall rue the day you've decided to challenge the Great and Powerful Trixi-" She grunted again as pain shot through her body.

Amy gently rubbed Trixie's stomach, her palm covering most of the patched wounds on her body. Her face was tinted with a mixture of sadness and concern while the showmare clenched her eyes and moaned in pain. When Trixie opened them, she paused for a moment when she stared at Amy's sad expression. Why did she care for her? Her stare turned into a glare "So where is your impudent partner, hm? Did he leave you here to guard Trixie?"

The young lady did not change her face, but she answered the showmare with the same tone as before "Daddy is outside..." She turned to the closed door with a blank stare "He should be back soon..." Her voice was so soft. Amy was not the most talkative type.

So she had to deal with a demon and his daughter holding her captive. This was beneath her standards, even if she did lose her last fight. Trixie scoffed "In that case, Trixie shall be on her way!" She scooted herself out of bed, but then twitched in pain once her body made contact with the wooden floor. She went to leave until she was stopped by Amy standing in front of her. The showmare was irritated "Move out of Trixie's way, creature! She has places to be!"

Amy paused, and then she spoke "But I don't want you to leave...I wanted you to live..." She knelt down in front of Trixie and gave a small smile "I like you..."

Trixie craned her head back when Amy drew close and gave her a hug. This one was definitely the opposite of what she had faced last night. She never thought a strange creature would care so much for her well-being despite the two being complete strangers to one another. She had to know more about this "Trixie is well aware of that with how you've been feeling her recently. But why exactly do you wish to hold Trixie here against her will?"

"Because you are her pet now..."

The two turned to the door to see Raphael standing at the open doorway in his regal armor. He walked over to them and shot a look of disdain upon the showmare "You will show her your gratitude for saving your life by accepting her feelings and reciprocating your own!"

Trixie's jaw was agape as her face held an incredulous expression, but it quickly changed into a piercing glare "The Great and Powerful Trixie is NOT some meager pet! Release her at once or else she shall-" Her eyes went wide when she noticed a blade quickly entered into her sight. The tip of it gave a glint as it hovered closely in front of her eyes.

Raphael held his blade and kept his look of displeasure as he spoke in a commanding tone "Silence, you insufferable quadraped! If it were my decision, I would have killed you where you stood without hesitation! Amy chose to intervene because she cared for your miserable life, and I was willing to oblige for her happiness! SHE is the reason you're alive! SHE is the reason you are here, and SHE is now your owner until she says otherwise!"

Though the blade was pointed at her face, Trixie glared back at Raphael as if his blade were not in front of her "Trixie fails to see the terms of being considered a lowly pet to a couple of malformed demons! The only good thing about this is that your daughter is giving Trixie the proper respect and care that she deserves! She shall not be subjected to your whims, even if her life depended on it!"

Raphael sneered at Trixie's deluded behavior as he drew his blade back "In THAT case!" He went to strike, until Amy held Trixie tightly and buried her face along the side of the showmare's head. Raphael saw this and gave an annoyed sigh at her actions. It would seem he is at an impasse with how Amy feels about Trixie's company, much to his own chagrin. He sheathed his blade and turned to Amy as he spoke in a tone alien to his anger "Get her clothes and be ready, Amy. We are leaving soon..." He turned and walked out the door without another word.

Trixie noticed the sudden shift in Raphael's actions and then turned to Amy "So this one really cares about you very much? You're the reason Trixie is alive?"

Amy brought her face out and nodded to the showmare with a smile "I'm glad to have someone like him watching over me..." She looked down with a frown "Even if our time has been both long and arduous...Many folks in our time could not accept who me and Daddy are, and wanted us both dead. He wanted to make the world a better place for him and myself..." She looked up at Trixie with another smile "My daddy would do anything for me, and I'm thankful for the time we have spent together. I am also thankful that he let you live..." She looked away "You and the other ponies I've seen are so cute..."

Trixie was confused "Other ponies? You mean Trixie wasn't the first one to be held by you and your father?? Explain to her."

Amy looked back to Trixie with a blank stare "Actually...you are the first..." She paused to let her take this in "We've fed on the others we have come across for the longest time..." With that sentence, the showmare went pale as her eyes widened "We feast upon the blood of the living in order to survive...but over the many years that have passed, there were no humans left to feed on. That was why we chose to hide in the shadows and captured ponies as sustenance. We could not feast on other animals alone, even the more dangerous ones..."

Trixie took a step back "Sick...And you wanted Trixie to live so she can be your pet!?" Amy only shook her head, and this made the showmare lower her guard in confusion.

Amy looked sad "I love my dad, I really do..." She then looked down "But it gets very lonely in a world that doesn't accept you for who you are...Especially if they are or are not familiar with you." She looked back up with a hopeful smile "So that's why I wanted you to join us, not as a pet...but as a family member..."

Trixie winced at the words. Family? Why would she want to be around others who aren't ponies, let alone creatures that weren't accepted by them? But then again, she had nowhere else to go unless she wanted to perform a show for another small meal, and Amy really did seem to care about her. She couldn't stand Raphael one bit despite him being her father, however, and she would sooner die than bend to his will. Regardless, the showmare held a small feeling of gratitude towards Amy for letting her live as she gave the young lady a small smile. She had very much left to do in her life.

The two shared a moment, until the sound of a stomach growling broke the silence. Trixie looked down and sighed "It appears Trixie would require sustenance of her own..."

Amy giggled as rose and she went to a corner and grabbed Trixie's hat and cloak along with her own with the shards stashed inside of it. She returned to Trixie and carefully dressed her with a smile "Then we shall find some for you while we're on our journey..."

Trixie raised an eyebrow "A journey, you say? Just where are you two going?" She followed Amy outside as the two joined with Raphael, who waited patiently, though his expression said otherwise. Trixie shot a glare at him for a moment before turning back to Amy "Well? What is the purpose of your journey?"

Amy smiled down at Trixie "My father plans to make a perfect world for us...We're only gathering the tools needed for it." She pulled out one of the glowing shards to show Trixie, who stared at it almost hypnotically "We are looking for more of these...and our next destination is not too far from here."

Trixie never thought she would be accepted by a couple of creatures who desired for a better world for themselves. In a sense it sounded insane, but at the same time she couldn't help but daydream at the possibilities of her pleasure with how she is included into the goal. She looked up and nodded at Amy with a smile "Trixie is grateful for your benevolence...Amy, was it? She will gladly join you on your quest for a better world! Trixie is open to new experiences, especially if they work out in her favor!"

Amy showed a small grin, trembling with joy with how Trixie was acting towards her, and quickly knelt down and hugged Trixie tightly.

Trixie flinched at Amy's gesture, but reluctantly returned the embrace to make sure the young lady was happy. 'If their goal is to make a better world, then Trixie shall be a part of it! And it shall be better for herself!' She gave an evil grin as she thought about a certain unicorn suffering under her power.

The two broke the embrace once Raphael spoke "We've wasted enough time standing around! Come now, the both of you!" Amy and Trixie followed Raphael as the three made their way towards their own destination.

End of Chapter 21

Chapter 22

A Firm Explanation

In the Everfree Forest, the element bearers, now accompanied by Zasalamel, treaded through a path they themselves carved in hopes of quelling the issue regarding the shards collected by the cloaked man. After they continued their journey from their campsite ever since this morning, Zasalamel explained the occurence of both the shards he collects and the very means of his existence.

Twilight was beyond interested in all of this information, more about Zasalamel himself despite the utter significance of the items he holds "So, you mean to tell me that you're an immortal? This is all so new to me! So the humans HAVE studied magic in the past back then after all! I've never thought I would be able to acquire such knowledge like this pertaining to history lost in time!"

Rarity walked alongside Zasalamel with curious eyes "Aside from yourself, you mean to tell us that the very luminous shards you're holding in your cloak happened to be a part of the sword known as Soul Edge? Why would you bother to collect them knowing they're tainted with an evil power?"

Zasalamel kept his hardened gaze forward as he explained himself while walking "You've answered your own question...even if they're separated from the sword itself, the shards of Soul Edge manifest copious amounts of power. If someone, or in your case somepony, stumbles upon one of them on random chance and comes into contact with it, the shard will react and infect the host and slowly sap away at their very essence in exchange for power. In other words, your very life would be forfeit if you've held onto it for so long..."

This made the element bearers fall ill when he mentioned the last sentence. Fluttershy, who trotted at the back of the group, stood completely still with widened eyes. She almost fell over in a stiffened position if not for Applejack trotting over and standing her up with comforting hooves "But..." They all paid rapt attention to the cloaked man when he wasn't finished "One who knows the full capabilities of Soul Edge also knows that the sword collects the souls of those it slays, restoring power to the host. There was tale of an azure knight who once wielded the dreaded blade and laid waste to each of his enemies, but he was then quelled by the only blade that could rival, if not topple Soul Edge's power..."

Twilight interrupted with a awed whisper "Soul Calibur..." Everypony and Zasalamel stopped in their tracks and focused their attention to the lavender bookworm when she uttered her words.

The cloaked man gave a curt nod to Twilight's answer "You've indeed read the book I've disposed of the other day..."

Twilight chuckled and blushed with a small grin "Well, I've read it about two times straight. It was a very interesting book to have stumbled upon my library like this! To think it would house so much impressive facts on what occured before Equestria, I was happy to have come across it!"

Zasalamel quietly groaned at this and continued his pace. While she commended his race on their acheivements, she was only half-right about how impressive the human race itself was in a whole with what they have accomplished. He remembered those days with a heavy heart, though he managed the strength to see it through as simpler times to the common being thanks to the countless years he spent wandering the earth "Regardless, it was a mistake that needed to be corrected...I should count myself lucky that none of your village's citizens decided to look into it."

Twilight replied sheepishly "To be truthful, one of our residents actually noticed you a few years back while searching for his loved one and derived it from the book." Her expression was then curious "Why did you choose to hide in secrecy wherever you roamed about? I haven't seen a noted record of your appearance aside from what the book had to offer in detail."

Rainbow chimed in "Yeah. We already know that you're immortal and stuff, but why were you in hiding this whole time? Wouldn't it have been better for you to just adapt to our culture?"

Zasalamel turned to Rainbow Dash "I want you to take the time and listen to yourself talk..." The cyan pegasus shot a quizzical look at his words "How can one such as myself simply adapt to your culture, let alone blend in easily?" He looked ahead as he continued "I am what remains of a race that destroyed itself, and that which you ponies have adapted from in terms of social life and technological advances...But aside from that, if somepony catches wind of my eternal life, they'll consider me a deity of sorts. Not to mention, your ruler, your Princess Celestia, can easily view me as a threat..."

Twilight was perplexed upon Zasalamel bringing up the princess in a negative fashion "What makes you say that? Are you powerful? Or were you responsible for something big in the past?"

Zasalamel shook his head "Not responsible, but I've witnessed many a feat that could easily fill that of your library alone..." He looked up as he walked "The humans you look so highly of cannot be considered a race to learn from entirely. As I mentioned before, they have destroyed themselves in the past with what they have acquired in terms of knowledge and scarcity. In my time, before our race flourished, there were massive wars with hopes of conquest at the cost of the many lives caught in the line of fire. Some fought for peace, others for personal gain. A certain few merely enjoyed the carnage as if it were a sort of game..."

Pinkie shook her head with a sad frown "Some men just wanna watch the world burn..."

Zasalamel nodded "And some almost managed to get their wish when Soul Edge was well-known to the world. But while it was popular to the masses, so was Soul Calibur as well...I was one of many who were given the duty to guard it."

Twilight wished she could keep track of all that Zasalamel had said in her notebook, but she was lost in what he shared with her and her friends "Have you used Soul Calibur before? To counter Soul Edge?"

Zasalamel shook his head and kept silent. She shouldn't know about his life, but only what he had witnessed "That was for other experienced warriors to handle. I've wandered about in my time cursing the eternal life that was given to me, only to realize the possibility of observing how my race would prosper in the later years. In time, the two swords had vanished in the depths of time, and with their passings I figured that the human race would better themselves with their advances..." His expression darkened with a disapproved frown "...But I was wrong...even as they have advanced, the humans soon caught wind of the swords' existences and sought them with every resource they found both useful and disposable for their cause. They were driven by greed and pride to get what they wanted, and it wasn't long until they've fallen back on old traditions and broke into another slew of wars."

Fluttershy teared up from hearing about the human nature "Th-That's awful! Why would they do such horrible things for the sake of weaponry?"

Applejack had her jaw dropped from Zasalamel's explanation "Land sakes...an' t' think our history on how Equestria was made seemed jus' as bad!"

Rarity grimaced at the image of what had transpired in the past "Barbarians! And YOU'RE one of them!?"

Zasalamel was unphased at the element bearer's reactions, in fact he anticipated it. Their expressions were nothing new to those that held morals to high regard despite knowing how harsh the world itself can be. But then he grunted upon Rarity's remark "You would label me as those that wish unending despair? Perhaps my explanation on the human race as a whole was not fully detailed, but there are those that wished otherwise of what occured back then...But their pleas fell on deaf ears, and they themselves were lost in the heat of battle."

Rainbow Dash hovered next to Zasalamel "But there had to have been like some kind of warriors that would fight for what was right! Right?"

Zasalamel closed his eyes for a brief moment "Yes...but their resolve was no match for the greed of a worldwide populace..." He opened his eyes "And with how the chaos had escalated, it wasn't long until they've brought a cataclysm to this world, rendering it almost uninhabitable with those lucky enough to survive the massive bloodshed..."

Twilight was devastated with the dark story, but then she wondered "What happened from there? What became of those that survived?"

The cloaked man noticed a flicker of light while the group progressed and spoke "That can wait. We're nearing one of the forest's exits."

Twilight pouted when she realized that Zasalamel wanted to hold off on his information, but then noticed their distance from the exit and smiled "Well, at least we won't deal with the forest's wild monsters from here..."

Rarity gave a sigh of relief "Finally! It's not right for anypony to linger about here for so long! Though, I must say I've never thought we would venture THIS far into the Everfree Forest to spot another possible exit! We must be getting better at exploration by the passing days!"

Applejack chuckled "Ah agree with ya there. This is pretty new with how far we've gotten! Anypony here wonder where it might lead to?"

Fluttershy looked around "Hopefully we'll be near a town...I wouldn't want our trip to be too dangerous."

Pinkie nodded "Yeah! And besides, that's how most RPGs work! First a really hard dungeon, and then a safe, cozy town afterwards!" Everypony stopped and looked at the party pony, and she only grinned obliviously at them all.

Twilight looked at Zasalamel "But what should we do about you, Zasalamel? Nopony other than those in Ponyville know about you. Do you think it would be safe to wander into the next town out in the open?"

Zasalamel nodded to Twilight "I can work my way around it. I've learned many skills in my time, including the arts of stealth and espionage...It's all a matter of finding the next shard and hoping it doesn't get into the wrong hands..."

Rainbow Dash waved a hoof in his face while she hovered "Yeah, the term you're looking for is hooves, buddy! And I wouldn't worry about walking around in the open for a worthy cause! So what if a few ponies stare at you? Big whoop! You're gonna be saving their flanks and they'll know who to thank once all this stuff with Soul Edge blows over! Besides, how badly would anypony else react to seeing a new face like yours?
_____

Many ponies in Ponyville whimpered and shuddered at the sight of Astaroth walking with the CMC while carrying a huge haul of body parts form what he had acquired from the timberwolves, skulls included, and quickly shied away from him if they got too close. The dark golem grinned to himself not only for their fear, but for what he has obtained from the forest. He knew exactly what to do with them once he reaches Scootaloo's home.

Sweetie Belle turned to Scootaloo with worry "Scootaloo, everypony's staring. What do we do?"

Scootaloo looked around and figured it was best to steel herself and make sure nopony was staring "Alright, everypony! Nothing to see here! Astaroth's just had a rough day is all!" Her words went unheard as the residents in range continued to stare fearfully at Astaroth. The orange filly's bravado gradually fell 'Horseapples! I can't let them stare at us while we're heading home! Unless...' She looked up at Astaroth "Hey, Astaroth! Why don't we head on over to the park so you can do whatever it is you're wanting to do there? It'll save you the trouble of walking too far with all that stuff in your arms!"

Astaroth glared down at Scootaloo with a raised eyebrow, but considered her idea when he began to feel fatigue in his body from exerting so much energy on the timberwolves. It was as if his strength had atropied during his time being buried underground despite his immense figure. He grunted "Lead the way and make it quick..."

Scootaloo nodded with a smile and the group trip to the park. Applebloom looked around and noticed that the folks around them went back to their daily routine, yet were apprehensive of Astaroth despite the widening distance. It would take them a while to get used to the dark golem's destructive personality. The yellow filly gave a sigh 'This is probably gonna be hard for everypony t' accept Astaroth bein' here, an' Ah don't blame 'em...' She turned to see Scootaloo looking happy, and somehow managed a small smile 'But at least Scoots is happy...that counts fer somethin', right?' She thought to herself as she walked with the group. It was indeed going to be hard for her and everypony else to cope with what has now befallen onto their humble town.

Applebloom could only hope for the best...

End of Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Falling into Place

The CMC made it to the park with Astaroth following behind with his body parts. When they reached it, the many ponies old and young took notice of the dark golem and screamed before they made themselves scarce from the park.

Applebloom groaned "This is jus' so plum stupid! Everypony's afraid o' Astaroth no matter what we say!"

Astaroth scoffed "It's better that way. At least now they know I'm not one to be trifled with!" He found a wide area of grass and dropped his luggage. The dark golem stretched his arms before he decied to kneel down and sort through each part he collected in the Everfree Forest.

Sweetie Belle tilted her head "Um, Astaroth? What exactly are you going to do with all of those..." She shuddered and winced at the sight "...body parts?"

Astaroth casted a glare on Sweetie Belle "None of your business...Now let me work!" He went back to sorting his findings and stopped with a hum in thought 'Rope would be useless for this kind of material...' He then took one of the timberwolves' heads and one of their arms and began smashing them together. The fillies flinched at his sudden action, but were impressed to see that the head's maw was able to hold the arm. Astaroth grinned to himself and went to do the same with the other parts.

Scootaloo watched with curious eyes "Well, it's good to know you're occupied for the time being..." She looked around to see many passing ponies stare at Astaroth and sighed "This is becoming a bother with how they just can't take their eyes off of him!"

Applebloom pointed a hoof at Scootaloo "There! Ya see? We gotta do somethin' 'bout this, Scoots!"

Scootaloo shot back in frustration "Well how can I direct everypony's attention away from a giant monster, huh!? You got any ideas?" She narrowed her eyes at Applebloom.

The yellow filly was taken aback by Scootaloo's sudden frustration and stood tall "Look, Ah know y'all want Astaroth t' be yer guardian, but there ain't nothin' 'round here t' make 'im look good!"

Scootaloo looked at the dark golem working and muttered "Maybe if he didn't bring back the timberwolves, we could've told everypony he was making sure they didn't reach Ponyville..."

Sweetie Belle turned to Scootaloo "You know that timberwolves barely leave the forest at all, right? That wouldn't make any sense!"

Scootaloo facehoofed with a scowl "Well I don't have much to work with at the moment!" She paused in her position before she perked up "Unless..." The orange filly turned to the library "That book I found!!"

Applebloom raised her eyebrow "What book, Scoots?"

Scootaloo turned to Applebloom with a smile "The one book I found a couple days ago! Before we first dug up Astaroth!!" Astaroth ceased his work when he heard Scootaloo "I think I remember leaving it on the counter before left, though. Can't believe I didn't pick it up!" She looked at Applebloom and Sweetie Belle "Can you girls watch Astaroth for me while I go and get it?"

Applebloom nodded "Sure thing, Scoots! Maybe that book has somethin' helpful fer us!"

Sweetie gave Astaroth an unsure glance "Kind of ironic to think he's your guardian while we're watching him."

Astaroth growled and stopped his work as he glared at the three fillies "I am not the runt's guardian! I never agreed to such a thing!!"

Sweetie Belle and Applebloom were apprehensive, but Scootaloo waved a hoof "Yeah, yeah, you're big and scary! We get that!" She smiled at the dark golem "I'll be right back, Astaroth! I think I have something you might like!" Astaroth growled as he went back to work while Scootaloo made a gallop for Ponyville library.
_____

At the library, Spike was reading a book called 'How to woo a mare in 10 steps' while his pet phoenix Peewee snuggled up next to him. There was not much to clean or keep track of since ponies barely visit the library now and then. Spike gave a sigh while his pet looked up at him with a quizzical glance "I wonder if Twilight and the others found that Zasalamel guy yet! Maybe they got lucky in their search." He turned to his pet "What do you think, Peewee?" His only response was a happy chirp from the little phoenix. Spike then patted his head "I'll take that as a yes from you!"

The purple dragon jumped when the door to the library flew open to reveal Scootaloo looking around "It's gotta be around here somewhere..." She made for the bookcases and tried to scan the title on the book's spines "C'mon, where is it?" She muttered to herself.

Spike shot a confused glance at the orange filly and closed his book as he hopped from his chair and approached Scootaloo "Hang on, Scootaloo! What's the rush?"

Scootaloo turned to see Spike and grinned sheepishly "Oh, hey, Spike! Is Twilight around? I'm kinda looking for a book!"

Spike looked away "Actually, she's not around. She and her friends are off to find this guy called Zasalamel..."

Scootaloo tilted her head "Zasalamel? Sounds like a villain from the Daring Do novels! Who is he?" She smiled

Spike shifted his eyes before he leaned in "He's this thing called a human! He came by here just yesterday and burned a book!"

Scootaloo gasped "You're kidding!" The orange filly began to wonder if Astaroth somehow knew Zasalamel before they dug him up, hoping they were friends at some point. But it was dismissed when she remembered Astaroth's appetite for destruction that she was lucky to satisfy. She shook her head "While that's cool and all, do you have the book I'm looking for? I think it's called..." She pondered before she smiled "Yeah! It was 'The Legend of Soul Edge'! Do you have it?"

Spike paused before he gave a sheepish grin of his own as he scratched the back of his head "Funny you should ask that, Scootaloo. You see..." He looked away with a wince "That was the one he burned..."

Scootaloo widened her eyes "WHAT!? Why would he burn that book!? I need it!!"

Spike raised an eyebrow "Need it for what? I don't really strike you as the reading type, Scootaloo..." He then looked serious "Besides, he burned it because he said it was something bad from his past! Zasalamel said that anypony, not even the princesses, were to know about it!"

Scootaloo gave a quizzical glance "Is it some kind of forbidden spellbook? Why would they have it around here if it's THAT bad?"

Spike crossed his arms and looked down in thought "Well, from what I gathered from Twilight, it was a book about two swords called Soul Edge and Soul Calibur. There was some notes about humans around the time they were made! Even I never thought it could be so important. But once again, why do you need it?" He looked back at Scootaloo with an inquisitive stare.

Scootaloo huffed "I made a friend the other day, and I think that book could be good for him!" She looked away with a pout "Doesn't matter since that dumb Zasalamel burned it up..." She muttered bitterly.

Spike held out a claw "With how serious he was about it, I'd say it's for the best! But that doesn't matter now. Sorry about this, Scoots."

Scootaloo shook her head "It's not your fault!" She smiled at him "Thanks for giving me the 411 about this happening, though! Now I have something else to talk about!" She then galloped out the door "See ya later, Spike!"

Spike watched Scootaloo leave in confusion "I wonder if Scoots' new friend is an avid reader of books like Twilight is..." He then shrugged as he shut the door and went back to his own book.
_____

When Scootaloo made it back to the park, she looked to see her friends did not move from their spot. Astaroth faced away from all three fillies as he fiddled with his collected body parts more. However, what he was making could not be seen by the ponies. Looking around, Scootaloo was happy to see everypony around them willing to ignore the group while they were in the park.

Applebloom saw Scootaloo reach them and tilted her head in confusion "Scoots? Where was the book y'all was talkin' about?"

Scootaloo sighed in defeat "It's gone...All thanks to that human named Zasalamel!"

Sweetie Belle perked up and turned to Scootaloo "You know about Zasalamel, too?"

Scootaloo shook her head "Not entirely! Spike just filled me in on the details. He's the one that burned the book I was looking for!" She then perked up "Wait a minute! How do you girls know as well?" The orange filly asked with an incredulous expression.

Applebloom replied "While we were out t' get food th' other day, Twilight came an' stopped us t' ask questions about that Zasalamel guy! Then our sisters joined her t' go find 'im!"

Scootaloo looked up in the sky "Wow...I wonder where they are right now..."
_____

"Fillydelphia!?"

The element bearers and Zasalamel stood on a hill to see another bustling city in the distance. Rainbow Dash couldn't believe her eyes "So after about a day of wandering in the Everfree Forest, we somehow end up near Fillydelphia of all places!? Talk about weird!"

Twilight turned to Rainbow Dash "Well, we don't have a good sense of direction while we wandered about in the forest, Rainbow Dash. And if anything, it's great to know we're near another city! Maybe we could find another one of Soul Edge's shards in there!" She beamed at the possibility.

Zasalamel shifted his stoic gaze to Twilight "Do not think this is a mere scavenger hunt, Twilight Sparkle. We're dealing with a force that could cause destruction to your world and everything in it."

Twilight drooped her ears and looked away in embarrassment "Right, sorry..."

Pinkie hopped next to the cloaked man "Awwww, but where's the fun without a little scavenger hunt?" She smiled up at him "You should really smile more, Zassy! And maybe have some fun while you're at it! It's not right for nopony to have a frown for so long!"

Zasalamel scoffed "When you've lived to see what I have, there isn't much to smile about..."

Pinkie hopped onto Zasalamel's back "But there's plenty to smile about! Like the sky, the flowers on the ground, having friends at your side, all that!" She kept her smile, but it left to see Zasalamel's expression unchanged "How do you function?" Pinkie asked in disbelief.

Zasalamel gently set Pinkie down "Enough games. We have to go..." He turned to the distant city of Fillydelphia and squinted his eyes "Who knows what could happen if we're to actually find a shard there..."

Twilight nodded "Zasalamel's right, everypony! We better get moving if we're gonna save Equestria!" The group then began to trot towards Fillydelphia without a moment to lose.

Rarity smiled "I'm glad we're able to go near a city after traversing through that dreadful forest! Which reminds me..." She turned to Zasalamel with a small glare "Was it necessary to kill all of those beasts back there for us to see?"

Zasalamel did not look at Rarity while the group was walking "Answer me this, Element of Generosity...Would you rather live or die?"

Rarity huffed "Why, you've just answered your own question, darling! But what is that supposed to-"

Zasalamel interrupted "I'll ask again...Would you rather live...or die?" His tone sounded more grave and serious.

Rarity detected his tone and she softened her expression as she thought over the situation of life and death between a dangerous creature "W-Well, when you put it like that..." She winced at the thought of the term 'kill or be killed'.

Rainbow Dash turned to the cloaked man while she hovered "Why would you even ask her that question when you did the damage? And besides, aren't you immortal? As in 'cannot die at all'?"

Zasalamel narrowed his eyes "Be that as it may, I do not desire to be mortally wounded by a bloodthirsty beast. I do not need to be chastised for my actions when they are deemed necessary..."

Fluttershy looked a little miffed "Even if they were mean and scary, you didn't have to-...have to-..." She looked away in fright as she gulped "...kill them..." She whispered reluctantly.

Zasalamel looked at Fluttershy "As expected from the Element of Kindess herself...But as I've said before, it was necessary to defend myself. I am not well-versed in dealing with animals like yourself, especially when they have full intentions on ending your own life. Do you see where I stand now?"

Fluttershy averted her eyes from Zasalamel, but she muttered "I-I suppose so..." She looked down in sadness and defeat. The timid mare still mourned the loss for the monsters of the forest, even if Zasalamel was in the right.

Twilight looked at the group "We can't even be talking about this when there are shards to be found! It already happened and there isn't much else we can do about it! Let's just move forward so we can find the next shards!"

Zasalamel nodded "A good head on your shoulders, Twilight Sparkle...At least you know to focus on the matter at hand..." Rainbow Dash shot a look as he sighed in exasperation "Hoof..." Zasalamel noticed the cyan pegasus give a satisfied smile.

Applejack looked ahead at the city coming into view "How can we even be sure that there might be one o' them shards in Fillydelphia?"

Zasalamel felt a wave of energy and he dug into his cloak as he pulled out one of the shards as it began to glow "Does this answer your question..."
_____

Raphael held the shard in his hand as he smirked "We're getting closer by the minute..." He tucked it away in his armor as he turned back to Amy and Trixie "Pick up the pace, you two. We're almost here..."

Trixie noticed the city in the distance and scoffed "Fillydelphia!? Trixie was just there last week performing some of her shows!! Why are we going back there?" She asked in an annoyed tone.

It was only outmatched by Raphael's irritation towards the showmare as he shot her a look "One of the shards is there. We're going back to claim it whether you like it or not!"

Trixie huffed and glared back at Raphael "And Trixie is supposed to trust your intuition on finding these shards? Just what is their purpose for our goal of creating a new world?"

Raphael turned his head away and walked "I don't have to tell you anything, you mewling wretch..." He spoke in a tone of pure disdain towards Trixie.

Trixie's glare intensified "How DARE you!?" Her horn glowed "Trixie thinks that she should-" A soft touch on her shoulder ceased her advance and she turned to see Amy shake her head while looking concerned. Clearly, she cared more about the showmare than Raphael, given his utter loathing towards Trixie. Amy and Trixie then followed Raphael as they neared towards Fillydelphia to find the next shard.

End of Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Timber

Scootaloo and her friends discussed what the element bearers could be up to with each whimsical and hypothetical situation possible. When they ran out of ideas, they all turned to see Astaroth still faced away from the three fillies and engrossed in his own secretive work. When her curiousity reached its peak, Scootaloo trotted up to Astaroth with a quizzical glance "Hey, Astaroth? What are you doing over the-"

Without warning, Astaroth gave a roar and quickly stood on his legs, turning around to swing a new object at Scootaloo. The orange filly yelped and dodged the attack by the skin of her teeth as it crushed its way into the ground. When she got a better look, she gasped to see that Astaroth had made himself a giant makeshift ax from the timberwolf body parts he collected. The pole was jagged as it made up of the arms and legs of the wooden animals, and the skull of the alpha male rested as the helm of the ax as its opened mouth held the blunt blade. Astaroth sneered when he noticed Scootaloo in one piece "Damn...I missed..." He muttered to himself.

Scootaloo ignored the new weapon forged by the dark golem and glared up at him "What is wrong with you!? You could've killed me!!" She snapped up at Astaroth with slight fear in her voice.

Astaroth grunted "I only wished to beat you within an inch of your life, runt. You should count yourself lucky you made yourself useful in the past, otherwise I'd aim for such a thing!"

Applebloom glared "Doncha have anythin' better t' do than play destroyer all th' time, Astaroth? Ah mean, like a hobby or somethin'? This is startin' t' get mighty old here!" She stood her ground despite hearing Astaroth growl at her.

Sweetie Belle was frightened for a moment until she noticed Astaroth's new ax "So that's what you've been working on this whole time?" She eyed it with curiousity "Who knew you were so creative!"

Scootaloo recollected herself and eyed the ax as well "So you miss your ax that much, huh? Well, at least it'll be enough for you for the time being! Maybe you can slay a manticore with it!" She grinned as she imagined the thought.

Astaroth looked around "I wanna try it on one of these little maggots..." He flashed a dark grin as he noticed they didn't pay attention to him. The dark golem always loved a surprise kill, even in the remains of his home.

Scootaloo glared "No, Astaroth! You can get your fill of killing in the Everfree Forest! At least there, they can give you a challenge!"

Astaroth glared back at Scootaloo "Bah! Those mongrels aren't worth the effort! And besides, none of them screamed when I drove my fist through their skulls!"

Scootaloo sighed "Timberwolves don't scream. They whimper. Simple as that..." She gave Astaroth a deadpan stare "You really SHOULD get a hobby or something."

Astaroth growled as he raised his ax and caused the three fillies to cower and back away "I already found one..." He uttered darkly as he went to strike. But before he could, the familiar shot of pain emerged in his chest and brought him down on one knee once more "Agh!! Damnit!!" He shouted as he clutched his chest with his free hand.

Scootaloo gasped "It's happening again!" She then galloped to the dark golem's side.

Applebloom watched in disbelief "Scoots, he was about t' hurt us!! We shouldn't help 'im like this!" She followed after the orange filly.

Sweetie Belle did the same, but casted a thoughtful glance "Do you think he has diabetes? I've read about it once. It's not a good disease to have..." She gasped "Oh no! I might've made it bad when I gave him a cupcake that one day!" She looked frightened as she muttered 'Oh no' repeatedly to herself.

The three fillies surrounded Astaroth as he caught his breath, and Scootaloo stood on his knee "Get it together, Astaroth! Come on!" She looked up with a hopeful glance. There was a pause from the dark golem, but then he began to cough as he covered his mouth with his free hand. The coughing grew worse in a small moment of seconds. Scootaloo looked scared as she turned to Applebloom and Sweetie Belle "Girls, he's sick! We gotta get him over to Ponyville Clinic pronto!!"

Applebloom pushed her head on one of Astaroth's legs as she moved forward and grunted in strain "Maybe if he'd move his big legs, we'd be there in two shakes of a lamb's tail!"

When Astaroth's coughing fit ceased, he caught his breath before he hacked up a substance onto his hand. The three fillies noticed and quickly drew themselves back as they watched in disgust and gave an 'Eeeeeewww~' in unison. Scootaloo kept her disgust, but it left when she noticed a familiar purple substance on Astaroth's knuckles "Hey, wait a minute!" She trotted up and looked closer "That's the stuff I got from the Diamond Dogs that brought Astaroth back to life!"

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were now curious "Really?" Applebloom trotted next to Scootaloo and looked up "What do ya suppose it is?" She squinted her eyes at it.

Sweetie Belle got a look herself and widened her eyes "Girls..." She grabbed the attention of her fellow crusaders "Purple icky slime...and it somehow brought Astaroth back to life as a killer! You don't think it's..." She leaned in towards Applebloom and Scootaloo and held a look of utter fright as she whispered "Smooze?"

The two fillies blinked at this question and looked back up at Astaroth. Before they could get a better look, Astaroth grunted as he swung his arm and flung the slime away on a nearby tree "Whatever it is, if it actually brought me to life, then perhaps I should get more!'

Scootaloo looked concerned "But what if it's the same thing that's been causing you pain the past few days?" Unbeknownst to the group, the droplets of the purple slime slithered inside the roots of the tree.

Astaroth leered down at Scootaloo "If that's the case, then I should beat you senseless for doing this to me!!" The tree near the group began to shake while they were talking and slowly escalated in speed and intensity.

Applebloom snapped at Astaroth "Ah'd say it's karma fer th' way y'all 've been actin' 'round us!! Ya should start actin' nicer towards everypony ya meet, Astaroth!" The tree began to grow and sprout more branches, most of them appearing vine-like in form.

Scootaloo glared at Astaroth "It wasn't even my fault, you know! And you should even be grateful you're alive, because I'm beginning to like you better as a sleeping body than a big, ugly, giant..." When they heard a screeching roar, the group turned to the source, and Scootaloo drooped her ears with widened eyes "...monster?" She spoke in a scared and confused tone.

They beheld what appeared to be a large monster in place of the harmless tree that once stood in its spot. On the treetop, a large eye opened and looked down at the group, and it gave another roar as it attracted the attention of other ponies, scaring them in the process. They quickly retreated towards safer areas to keep their distance from the newly-emerged monster.

The fillies backed away up behind Astaroth and Applebloom looked up in fright "Astaroth, ya love t' kill things, right? Could ya please kill that there monster 'fore it gobbles us up!?"

Astaroth grunted as he readied his wooden ax "Finally! Something with a spine worth cracking!! I'm gonna enjoy this..." He then rushed into battle and braced himself for the several vines coming his way.

Scootaloo looked frightened "Astaroth, look out!!" She, along with her friends, quickly shut their eyes and looked away when they heard crunching sounds, but when they heard a pained roar, they looked to see Astaroth striking at the monster's center after he crippled some of its vines. Scootaloo beamed "He's doing it!! Astaroth's got this!"

While his hits were successful, Astaroth felt that not enough damage was done to the beast. Remembering his helmet, he drew his head back and gave the monster's center a mighty headbutt and elicited both a sickening crack and another paiend roar.

Applebloom beamed at the critical hit and raised a hoof "Yeah! That's usin' yer noggin, Astaroth!! Keep it up!" She gave a cheer as she rooted for the dark golem. Sweetie Belle did the same with hope in her eyes.

"Sweetie Belle!!"

When she heard her name being called, the unicorn filly looked behind the battle to see her parents in the crowd of bystanders with looks of utter shock in their eyes "Mom! Dad!"

Magnum broke into a gallop towards Sweetie Belle "Hang on, Sweetie Belle! Daddy's coming!!" He looked ahead with determination in his eyes.

The monster roared while it tussled with Astaroth, and it noticed Magnum nearing the fillies as it raised a working vine and smacked him out of its range towards the crowd.

Sweetie Belle watched in fright "Daddy, no!!" She galloped over towards him, but got caught by the same vine that smacked Magnum. The unicorn filly screamed while she was being held captive.

Pearl gasped as she placed her hooves on her cheeks with a face of sheer horror "My baby!!"

Applebloom looked up in fright and turned to Scootaloo "We gotta help her!"

Scootaloo looked down and gritted her teeth in frustration "But what can we do against a monster that size!? We need a plan!"

Applebloom looked around "Oh, if only there was a chainsaw 'round here!" She then gasped as she noticed the remains of the timberwolves "Scoots!! Gather some of those sticks! It's time we fight fire with fire!!"

Scootaloo wondered what the yellow filly meant until the thought came to her and caused her to smile "Good thinking, Applebloom! Let's hurry!!" The fillies rushed to rub the sticks together fervently as they began to heat up "C'mon..." When they finally caught fire, she grinned "Yes! Let's go get that beast!!" The two fillies grabbed their own torches and rushed towards the tree monster with blind ambition.

When they rushed past Astaroth, they steered clear of his visible bloodlust, but did not manage to reach the center when two tentacles flew in front of them and snatched them from the ground, causing them to drop their torches in shock. The two fillies then joined Sweetie Belle in screaming while they were hoisted into the air while in the monster's grasp. Scootaloo looked down pleadingly "Astaroth! Save us!!"

Astaroth held his own, and grew annoyed at the sound of the fillies screaming. He looked up in surprise to see them constricted by moving vines and he gritted his teeth "You ignorant little-..." He growled as he gave his ax a mighty horizontal swing and struck the monster's left side. The monster roared in pain, but the dark golem didn't stop there. He kept striking the same exact spot without pause until a cracked gap began to open up.

Soon enough, the monster screeched while it began to topple and fall down on its left side. When it collided with the ground with a loud thud, its eye rolled up to the back of its head as it shut away. The fillies that were once captive dropped to the ground when the vines loosened their hold on them. The droplets of purple slime emerged from where Astaroth cut the monster and withered into a pruned black matter before dissolving into dust and blowing away in the wind.

Astaroth growled "Damn...I forgot to take its soul..." He then looked down to see three little fillies grin up at him with joy and glared "What are you looking at?"

The crusaders galloped to Astaroth's legs and hugged them without hesitation "You saved us, Astaroth! You saved our lives!!" Scootaloo said with barely contained glee.

Astaroth was not too thrilled with those words and went to shake him off until he noticed the crowd of ponies trot out of their hiding places and slowly advance towards Astaroth, murmuring in confusion and curiousity. When Magnum helped up by Pearl, he looked to see Sweetie Belle happily hug Astaroth and looked up at the dark golem with a smile "He saved her...He saved our daughter! That big guy's a hero!!" At that, the crowd of ponies resounded a cheer as they stomped in applause.

Astaroth looked around and glared at the cheering crowd, and it intensified when he noticed they did not let up 'Bad enough the runt thinks I'm her guardian...but now they think I'm some kind of bleeding heart!? Time to change things...' He went to raise his ax and begin the slaughter, but stopped when he noticed Scootaloo climb on his back "Get off of me! They're asking for it!!"

Scootaloo smiled at Astaroth "Don't you see, Astaroth? They like you now! Now they won't be afraid of you after all!!" She turned to the crowd and waved towards the dark golem with a hoof "Take a good look, everypony! This is Astaroth! He's my guardian!!" The cheering grew in volume when Scootaloo made her proclamation.

In the crowd, Cherilee looked to see the crusaders with Astaroth. While she was happy that he saved the fillies' lives, she couldn't help but see that the dark golem didn't mean for such a thing, let alone get praised for it 'Oh, Scootaloo...' She gave the orange filly a worried glance, but it slowly left when she noticed how happy Scootaloo looked on his back while Astaroth tried shaking her off. Cherilee gave a sigh and softly cheered with the rest of the crowd while she kept a careful eye on Scootaloo.

When they stopped cheering, Mayor Mare emerged from the crowd and made her way towards Astaroth. She was one of the only ponies that haven't seen him yet, and she was instantly shocked by his appearance "Oh my!" She looked up at Astaroth shyly "Erm....E-Excuse me, sir...Were you the one that saved these children form the danger I heard about?"

Astaroth growled and barked down at Mayor Mare "What if I am!?" She, along with the rest of the crowd drew themselves back after he snapped at the mayor of Ponyville.

Mayor Mare regained her composure and straightened her glasses "W-Well, if you are..." She grinned as she held out a hoof to Astaroth "Thank you for protecting these fillies as well as the rest of Ponyville from danger! We're happy to have you here, and we hope you enjoy your stay!"

Astaroth twitched an eye and went to strike Mayor Mare with his ax. Scootaloo saw this with widened eyes and quickly zipped down from the dark golem's back and stopped in front of the mayor "He's a bit shy and beat at the moment! I think we should give him some air!!"

Mayor Mare grinned down at Scootaloo "But we should throw him a celebration for his noble deed!" She was unaware that Astaroth grew more livid when she mentioned the word 'noble'.

Scootaloo twitched an ear and quickly replied "He likes to keep to himself most of the time, I think we should respect his wish of being left alone for now!! I mean, we don't want things getting out hoof by making him feel uncomfortable, right!?" She flashed a wide and nervous grin.

Mayor Mare looked up at Astaroth and obliviously passed off his visible ire as an expression of shyness "Hm...Well, if it's what he wants, I suppose..." She smiled "But know that you'll always be remembered as a hero for saving these children's lives!"

Astaroth twitched an eye and stuttered in outrage while he began to shake horribly. He then let out a loud yell that cuased everypony around him to cover their ears.
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The element bearers and Zasalamel continued their pace and stopped when they heard a strange yell. The cloaked man only looked up while everypony else looked around in confusion.

Fluttershy stood beside Applejack and shivered while she looked around "Wh-Wh-Wh-What was that!?"

Applejack tried to track down the source of the sound herself "Don't sound too pleasant, Ah know that much!"

Rarity winced "Sounds like somepony stepped on either a tack or something gross..." She shuddered at the second thought, knowing she would do the same.

Rainbow Dash elevated into the sky and kept her eyes peeled "You think it came from Everfree Forest? Maybe like an Ursa Minor?"

Twilight looked around "I doubt an Ursa Minor would make that sound since we saw one up close, Rainbow Dash."

Pinkie only giggled and said nothing.

Zasalamel looked back and spoke "Enough dawdling...We have to keep going." The element bearers agreed and followed the cloaked man as he took point.
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Raphael, Amy, and Trixie kept walking on their trail until they heard a distant yell. The vampire stopped and turned back with an annoyed sneer "What the devil is that noise?" He asked in irritation.

Trixie held up an ear with a raised eyebrow "It sounds like somepony is angry...Perhaps we should ignore it and move on."

Raphael scoffed as he resumed walking "At least you're able to produce coherent thought..." He ignored the hateful glare that was sent by Trixie.
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Braeburn and Little Strongheart beamed when they saw the distant city of Fillydelphia in their sights "Alright! Iffin' we pick up the pace, we'll be there by sundown! Hopefully the city folk won't mind us passin' by while we look fer that cloaked figure!"

Little Strongheart nodded "I'm sure they will understand!" Her ears perked up, and soon the pair of travelers looked back when they heard a loud yell "What was that!?" Little Strongheart asked in surprise and bemusement.

Braeburn winced "Don't sound too pleasant, I know that much!" He then looked back at the distant city "But we shouldn't let that stop us now! We gotta get movin' for that feller does so himself! C'mon, Li'l Strongheart, let's shake a leg!" He said as he trotted forward. The buffalo calf followed shortly behind while she casted a nervous glance behind her.
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Astaroth finished his yelling and he breathed deeply with ire while he looked around. His anger softened when he noticed everypony around him stared with widened eyes and drooped ears. Magnum and Pearl were equally frightened, but the purple mare slowly shifted towards Sweetie Belle and waved her over "C'mon, Sweetie Belle...Time to go home and leave Mr. Astaroth alone for now..." The unicorn filly agreed and the family went back to Carousel Boutique.

Applebloom and Scootaloo stared up at Astaroth, and the yellow filly turned to Scootaloo apologetically "Ah better move my flank back home, too, Scoots. Ah'll see ya later, maybe?" She then trotted away back to her home.

Soon enough, the entire crowd silently moved away from the dark golem and tried to mind their own business while fighting off the intense shock that was weighed upon them with Astaroth's massive yell, leaving only Scootaloo, an angry Astaroth, and surprisinly, a concerned Cherilee.

Cherilee slowly and cautiously inched towards Scootaloo while Astaroth looked ready to kill "Scootaloo...Is Astaroth always like this?" She whispered in concern.

Scootaloo gave a sheepish chuckle "He is VERY shy...and angry...But he's getting better! Promise!" She grinned.

Cherilee looked up and instantly winced when she laid eyes on Astaroth as he hyperventilated "But are you sure you're safe arou-"

"She's fine..." Were the only words that came out of Astaroth's mouth slowly and malevolently as he took more deep breaths.

Cherilee blinked before she flashed an awkward grin "A-Alright then...Since you're Scootaloo's guardian and all, I suppose you're doing your part in keeping her safe..." She looked at Scootaloo with worry 'I hope...'

Scootaloo nodded "He is! He just needs some..." She looked up and flinched at how he looked "...time...maybe lots more..." The orange filly gave a hopeful smile while she looked up at him.

Cherilee frowned at Scootaloo's words and wanted to say something about it. But she didn't want to further antagonize Astaroth and decided to trot back to her home after she gave Scootaloo one last concerned gaze.

When she was gone, Scootaloo gave a relieved sigh, but felt very frightened when Astaroth slowly leered down at her. The orange filly paused before she grinned awkwardly with a chuckle "Everfree?" She asked.

Astaroth kept his glare on Scootaloo "...Everfree..." He uttered in anger.

End of Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Bringing the Noise

Scootaloo galloped as fast as her little legs could take her while avoiding the vengeful wrath of her so-called guardian as they ran into the Everfree Forest. She counted herself lucky there were several trees to swerve around, but it was unsettling to forget that Astaroth was strong enough to ram through each one with his momentum as if he were some kind of juggernaut.

When they found themselves in a clearing, Scootaloo turned around to see Astaroth clear through a patch of trees with a swing of his ax and walked up to the orange filly as he leered at her with his pupilless eyes "Are you ready to suffer, runt!?"

Scootaloo tried to speak while she caught her breath "Asta...roth...You realize we're...in a dangerous forest...right?"

Astaroth stepped further "I'm the only danger you'll worry about for that disgraceful situation you put me through earlier!! Time to punish you dearly!!" He raised his ax and brought it down to Scootaloo, but he growled when she mustered enough energy to dodge again "Hold still, you worm!!" He swung again and was met with another dodge "This will only make it worse for you!!" Scootaloo backed away from another swing and jumped into a large patch of bushes out of Astaroth's sight, making the dark golem roar in anger.

While she hid, Scootaloo took the time to reflect on what has happened in the past three days with how she had to put up with Astaroth for the sake of wanting somepony to look after her. She sighed when she felt it was nearly impossible to coax him into acting better, even though there were times he did such a thing. Scootaloo peaked out of her hiding place to see Astaroth stand and leer at the patch of bushes 'He must be waiting for me to make a move...Heh, and here I thought he was impatient...' She couldn't help but manage a smile at this. Maybe she and her friends could help him after all. While she hid, she heard a low roar behind her, and Scootaloo turned to see a chicken head with red eyes glare at her intensely. The orange filly reflexively jumped out of the bushes with a scream.

Astaroth perked up and readied his ax "That's more like it! Now come here so I can-"

Scootaloo galloped and yelled "Cockatrice!!" Right after she distanced herself from the bushes, the aforementioned beast jumped out as well to reveal its dragon-like body. While its head was not threatening, the cockatrice's eyes were more than enough to spread fear into anypony's heart. While she was being chased, the cockatrice lashed out its tail at the orange filly's hindlegs, causing her to trip. From there, it wrapped its tail around her body and drew her face to look into its eyes. Scootaloo looked back in fear as she already began to feel her legs turn to stone. Tears streamed down her eyes while she was forced to stare back at the beast 'No...Astaroth, please save me!! Please!!' She figured that the dark golem would only watch in satisfaction.

Until it happened.

The cockatrice's body was slammed and held to the ground by a large foot, and before it could distinguish the perpetrator, an object collided between its neck and severed its head. Blood spewed from its neck, and the body flailed before it shut down completely and the tail loosened its grip on Scootaloo. The orange filly quickly regained her footing and crawled away from the dismembered body with traumatized eyes. She was too scared to realized that some of the cockatrice's blood rested on her coat. Her fear softened when she looked up at her savior glaring down at her as he held his ax "Y-You saved me again...I could've died..."

Astaroth grunted "It was nothing more than a lesser beast! There's no way I'd give it the satisfaction of killing you so easily!!" That position, to the dark golem, was his to keep when the moment saw fit. He glared at the body and inspected the remains. Aside from the timberwolves he fought before, this seemed to be a more intriguing monster. His thoughts were interrupted by a constricted feeling on his leg, and he looked down to see Scootaloo hug the dark golem's leg while lightly sobbing.

Scootaloo looked up after she wiped the tears from her eyes "I-I know you don't want me to cry, Astaroth, but I'm seriously glad you saved my life! You've done it twice in one day!"

Astaroth squinted his eyes down at Scootaloo "Don't remind me..." He muttered bitterly.

Scootaloo huffed and broke the embrace on Astaroth's leg as she looked up at him "Are you sure you don't want to talk about whatever's causing you to act like this all the time?"

Astaroth growled "Why would I want to talk with you?"

Scootaloo smiled "Because I'm important and you've done so ever since I brought you into this world!" She looked at herself and some of her truama came back "I can't believe I'm covered in blood..." She whimpered.

Astaroth chuckled "I don't know why you'd be against it, runt! I sure as hell enjoy this feeling myself and yet you choose to stick with me!!"

Scootaloo glared up at Astaroth "Well I can't just let you cause destruction all the time! And besides..." She smiled again "...You still have a lot to learn about Equestria and stuff, and I'm the only pony who can do it without you having to threaten them so badly!"

Astaroth went to raise his ax until he realized that the orange filly was right. Nopony else but her was willing to even grant him the knowledge he desired so willingly. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth before he grunted "I underestimate both your courage and your sanity, runt..." While he glared, he found himself in another coughing fit.

Scootaloo widened her eyes "Hey! Are you alright?"

Astaroth was lucky to stifle this coughing fit and not hack up anything purple before he caught his breath and growled "I don't need your concern!" He then heard a growl behind Scootaloo and noticed a large silhouette looming in the shadows. The dark golem readied his ax and got in a stance as he awaited whatever was about to strike.

Scootaloo tilted her head and looked behind her after she heard the growl and quickly hid behind Astaroth "That sounds like a manticore..."

Astaroth grinned "Whatever it is, it chose the right time to come here since there's no sport in torturing or killing you!"

Scootaloo winced up at Astaroth, but smiled to know he wouldn't go out of his way and harm her if something bigger showed up. The orange filly was correct in her guess when a large manticore hopped into the clearing with an angry face and roared.

The manticore was very displeased with how it lost so many of its kind the other day and wondered if Astaroth was the one who caused it all. With another roar, the large beast leaped at him with its claws and wings stretched out.

Astaroth countered with a block and he was pushed back a few inches from the manticore's strength. He grinned while he matched the beast's force with his own "I like your eyes...They're full of hatred!" Astaroth then roared as he pushed the manticore away and readied his ax for a good swing. The blade connected with the monster's chest and elicited a pained whine.

Scootaloo winced at the ensuing carnage and chose to watch the battle from a safe distance next to a tree. She took the time to look around to make sure that no other creatures were nearby before she went back to seeing Astaroth's progress with the manticore. It was overwhelming to have experienced so much battle from the dark golem, but at the same time it was exciting. Almost like watching Rainbow Dash perform new tricks successfully.

Astaroth dodged a swipe from the manticore's large paw before he countered with a swing at its muzzle. The beast drew back with a pained roar before it glared intensely at its prey and attacked again with another swipe. Astaroth blocked and parried the next move before it knocked the manticore's paw away with his ax and landed a quick headbutt to its skull "C'mon!! At least put up a fight!" The dark golem taunted as he went to attack.

The manticore was infuriated with being shown up, and it slowly readied its scorpion tail unbeknownst to Astaroth. Scootaloo looked on the battle and her eyes landed on the manticore's tail as she gasped and called out "Astaroth!! Look out!!"

Astaroth ignored Scootaloo and made a rush towards the manticore "Gorah!!!" When he got close, the manticore grinned and launched its tail at Astaroth as the sharp end of it dug into the dark golem's chest.

Scootaloo was frightened and worried by this, until she noticed Astaroth growl and grip the tail with his free hand, then slice it off with his ax. The manticore roared in pain and drew itself back as the poison leaked from the gaping wound caused by the attack. Scootaloo could only watch in awe 'This guy's super strong!! Nopony could ever take the sting of a manticore's tail and live long enough!!'

Astaroth stumbled back a little, but he yanked the part of the tail that impaled his chest and flung it aside with the beheaded cockatrice "Grr...What a joke!" Both him and the manticore prepared for another clash, but while Astaroth stood at the ready, his vision blurred for a moment and he was left open for his opponent.

The manticore smiled to see its poison sink into its victim and did not hesitate to pounce on Astaroth and swipe at him furiously. Astaroth grunted in pain as he was pinned and beaten down by the manticore.

Scootaloo gasped in horror "Astaroth!!" She was lucky her shout was not heard by the manticore as it unleashed its pent up rage and aggresion on the dark golem, but she needed to save him before he get badly injured. She looked around and felt helpless to see him lose in another battle, but then turned to the dead cockatrice. While it was still a fearful image to behold, the orange filly had a crazy idea that she could only hope would work in her favor. She snuck towards the severed cockatrice's head and lifted it up with her forehooves, being careful not to stare into its eyes 'Time to see if that one story I had to read in class was true!' Scootaloo galloped at a treacherous distance near the two fighters, and she clenched her eyes shut and held up the head as she called to the manticore "Hey, ugly! Look at this!"

This time, the manticore's attention was grabbed by Scootaloo, and it gazed not on her, but the head that she held in her hooves. Its eyes widened when he seen the eyes of the cockatrice stare back, and its body began turning into stone.

Astaroth recovered when the manticore ceased its offensive rushed and looked to see the beast turned into a statue. Seeing his chance, he recovered onto his feet and readied his ax as he brought it down fiercely on the newly-formed statue, reducing it to a pile of scattered rubble.

When Scootaloo opened her eyes, she looked around and gasped before she beamed with joy "It worked! I can't believe it worked!!"

Astaroth turned to Scootaloo "What are you talking about? Did you plan for that monster to attack?"

Scootaloo lowered the head so that Astaroth did not look at it before she shook her own "No way! I used the head of the cockatrice you killed to help you take down that manticore when it got the drop on you!" She looked at the back of the head "They can obviously turn any pony or animal into stone just by looking into their eyes! I can't believe it still works without the body!" Realizing that she still held the dismembered head, she dropped it and winced in disgust and regret.

Astaroth grunted "So you're saying you actually helped me fight that beast? Don't make me laugh!!"

Scootaloo glared up at Astaroth "If it weren't for me, you'd be that manticore's dinner right now! That thing already gave you its poison!"

Astaroth paused "Poison?" He stared into the stab wound in his chest and looked to see a green substance slowly drip from it. The dark golem growled in irritation before he stumbled again and tried to regain his balance "Damnit..."

Scootaloo gasped "Oh no! I think the poison's already sinking in by now! We gotta get you to Zecora's place!!"

Astaroth growled "I said I don't need your concern, runt! I've had worse than this meager poison run through my body! Just take me home so I can rest!"

Scootaloo glared "Are you stupid or something!? If you don't get treated for too long, you're gonna end up dead in the water!!" She gasped and realized that she would indeed lose Astaroth if he went out for so long. A part of her chose to cry about this knowing she would lose a friend, despite his abhorrant behavior.

Astaroth leered at the orange filly "Do you mock my strength!? This is nothing compared to what I give to any unfortunate soul that dares to cross my path!!"

Scootaloo restored her glare as she shot back "I'm not mocking your strength, you idiot! You're bound to black out at any time with that stuff inside you!!"

Astaroth growled "You really are mocking me, aren't you!? I can handle this easily, and you're only working my nerve with your jabbering!" He raised his ax, but he slowly began to feel heavy when it was over his head. Astaroth slung its pole along his shoulders as he gave a groan "What is-...?" He took deep breaths while he stood.

Scootaloo scoffed "There, you see!? Now the poison's getting worse! Let's just get you to Zecora's so we can get that poison sucked out of you before it's too late!!"

Astaroth casted a softer version of his glare on Scootaloo "My answer is still no, runt...Just take me to your decrepid home so I can sleep it off..."

Scootaloo groaned in irritation "You'll be going back to sleep forever if you even do that!!" She glared up at Astaroth with a mix of anger and sadness.

Astaroth walked up and he lifted Scootaloo with his free hand "Just do it! I'll be back on my feet, and if you really are correct about this poison, I'll get myself treated!!" He dropped the orange filly "Now move along. I've had enough for today..." The dark golem seemed more calm due to the manticore's poison taking effect.

Scootaloo recovered and glared up at Astaroth before she sighed in defeat. At least he was willing to listen to her if she happened to be right, but hopefully he would still be around to do so. She trotted "Alright, fine! Let's go home already! You'd probably tick off Zecora with your attitude anyways..." She muttered the last sentence as she tried to remain strong. The orange filly felt comforted to hear Astaroth follow behind her without a word.

Luckily, the two were able to distinguish the path of trees that Astaroth knocked down to the forest's entrance, and they looked up to see the sun close to setting completely. Scootaloo winced in surprise "Geez, is it late..." She inspected herself and she turned to Astaroth "Can I please take a bath before we get back? I wanna get this blood off of me!"

She expected more lashing from him, but Astaroth was surprised when he responded in a neutral tone "Fine, but hurry it up...I'm getting tired of this..."

Scootaloo resisted both the urge to drop her jaw at this or question why he would do this. Maybe it was the poison talking? Either way, the orange filly led Astaroth to a nearby pond she was familiar with so she could clean herself off in ample time. She scrubbed herself while Astaroth sat idly by with ax in hand. When she got a good look at him while she bathed, Scootaloo couldn't help but smile at his current expression. It was almost rid of his malice and hatred. Almost. She enjoyed how gentle and tired he looked and how he was willing to comply with her to a simple request.

Maybe if she were lucky tomorrow after school, she could get Astaroth treated and he could act a little better around her and the others. But she shouldn't hold her breath knowing Astaroth's true intentions...All she could do is hope for a miracle that she could shape the dark golem into the guardian she made him out to be for both her and the rest of Ponyville.

End of Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Fateful Gathering

After finishing her bath, Scootaloo was lucky enough to direct Astaroth back to her home without nopony seeing them with how late it was getting. The orange filly thought it would be best to let Astaroth do as he wanted with his problem and sleep it off, hoping he would hold out until tomorrow morning.
_____

Braeburn and Little Strongheart finally found themselves in front of one of Equestria's biggest cities. The cowpony whinnied with joy "Yeehaw! We made it! Let's get to it, Li'l Strongheart! We gotta see if anypony saw the one we're lookin' fer pass by here!"

Little Strongheart nodded "Lead the way, Braeburn! We must hurry if he's still around here!" The two Appleloosan travelers entered into the bustling city while the sun was almost nearing itself out of sight over the horizon.

They trotted along one of the many sidewalks and saw many pedestrians, businessponies, and other visitors touring the city. What was bad about this was that none of them ever found the time to acknowledge Braeburn talking to anypony he saw fit, especially when he was being polite. The cowpony stopped a businesspony with a dull face "Pardon me, sir! Can I ask ya a questi-" His spirits wavered when the pony trotted away and ignored Braeburn completely. He turned and spotted a mare wearing high-class attire passing him and tried to speak again " 'Scuse me, miss! Can ya spare a minute? We're lookin' fer-" He frowned when the mare huffed and held her nose in the air as she trotted away from him and Little Strongheart.

Little Strongheart was slightly frustrated and downtrodden with their results of asking for help "This is getting us nowhere. Nopony would even consider answering us! What should we do about this now, Braeburn?" She looked at the cowpony with a sad frown.

Braeburn shook off his own mild frustration and put a smile on his face "Maybe we ain't lookin' hard enough fer answers! We're jus' askin' busy folk on th' city streets! Maybe we should go and find ourselves at one o' them fancy establishments an' th' like! I'm sure they wouldn't mind troublin' us with some answers there!!" He looked around with squinted eyes "But where do we start..." Braeburn rubbed his chin before his stomach growled. He looked down and he laughed "Well, maybe we should find ourselves a place t' eat first!"

Little Strongheart looked worried "But have we packed enough bits for our trip? We've eaten most of our packaged food, and I cannot be certain on how much they would charge for a meal here..."

Braeburn kept his smile despite the truth that flowed from Little Strongheart's lips "We jus' gotta avoid all o' th' fancy-schmancy places that come int' view! My cousin Applejack usually warned me 'bout-" He stopped himself before he snapped "Cousin Applejack! I fergot about her all this time!" He beamed at Little Strongheart "She's probably here with 'er friends, possibly dining at one o' these restaurants! All we gotta do is find one and hope fer th' best!"

Little Strongheart smiled at Braeburn "It is good to know you are willing to see through tougher odds like this, Braeburn. Where should we go first?"

Braeburn, now full of pep with thoughts of his cousin Applejack, scoured around the nearest restaurants quickly before he pointed at one two blocks down the street further into the city "How 'bout that one over there?" He leaned his head forward to distinguish the sign above the entrance "Lay...Beck...Fin? Sounds like a mighty fine place t' eat!" He smiled "Let's mosey on over there an' see if we'll find Applejack an' them!" The two Appleloosan travelers then trotted over eagerly.

When they reached the restaurant's entrance, they never expected to run into a griffon bouncer wearing a fine red tuxedo while looking down at Braeburn and Little Strongheart with condescending green eyes "And how may I help you two?" He raised an eyebrow as he spoke in a calm, yet contemptuous tone.

Braeburn tipped his hat with a chipper smile "Howdy, pardner! Jus' droppin' on in fer some good eatin'!" He went to trot past the griffon bouncer "Excuse us, please!"

A claw halted his advance as the griffon narrowed his eyes "I'm afraid I cannot let you into this restaurant, sir. You or your little buffalo friend over there..."

Braeburn tilted his head "Well why not? Is th' place filled t' th' brim?" He peered inside to see several vacant tables "Looks pretty roomy t' me!"

The griffon bouncer gave a light sneer "Your attire does not meet the standards of this establishment. I'm afraid you will have to leave this place in an orderly fashion."

Little Strongheart looked confused "Attire? What is wrong with the clothing presented onto ourselves?"

The griffon turned to Braeburn "Well, for starters, this one looks like he's fit to ride in another rodeo with the dirtied hooves to match..." He then turned to Little Strongheart "And you look like you hail from some kind of native tribe..."

Little Strongheart looked offended "But I am from a native tribe! I am part of a buffalo tribe near Appleloosa."

Braeburn stared at his hooves for a moment before he smiled up at the griffon again "Iffin' a wash is all I need t' get in there, I can do that first 'fore I eat! Nothin' to it, an' I'm one fer respectin' public property an' such!"

The griffon bouncer sighed "If you've heard me correctly, it is your appearance altogether that is denying you entry into this restaurant! This is one of the fanciest restaurants in Fillydelphia!"

Braeburn poked his chin with a hoof "Is it now? That explains th' diversity!" He smiled at how the griffons got along well with the ponies in this restaurant despite being oblivious to the griffon's harsh words.

Little Strongheart glared "This is discrimination! We only wish to nourish ourselves in this restaurant and you deny us passage due to appearance?"

The griffon brushed off the buffalo calf's lashing and pointed away with an annoyed expression "I think you'll have a better meal from the oat dog cart down the road..." He spoke in an icy tone.

Braeburn looked slightly hurt "If y'all won't let us inside, could ya at least tell us if my cousin's in there or not? Maybe ya know 'er? Applejack from Ponyville?"

The griffon rolled his eyes "Never heard of her." He leered down at the two Appleloosan travelers "This is the last time I'll ask nicely. Please leave this establishment or else I'll have you both arrested for loitering!"

Braeburn acknowledged the griffon's tried patience and tipped his hat apologetically "Alright, sir. Sorry t' bother ya on such short notice..." He turned to Little Strongheart "C'mon, Li'l Strongheart. We shouldn't bug this here griffon no more..." He trotted away as he looked down with a sad frown.

Little Strongheart casted a spiteful glare at the griffon bouncer before she followed after Braeburn and tried to comfort him "It isn't your fault at all, Braeburn! That griffon was only being less than tolerant of our appearance and very unwelcoming with his words! Perhaps Applejack and her friends did not come there with how he acted..."

Braeburn sighed "T'aint fair! I even had enough money t' pay fer a meal fer both me an' you!" He looked at Little Strongheart with a small smile "But thanks fer stayin' by my side th' whole time! Yer a good friend, Li'l Strongheart!"

Little Strongheart smiled with a light blush at Braeburn's words, and she gasped when she looked ahead "Braeburn, watch-"

It was too late before the cowpony bumped into another one and caused the two to fly back onto their haunches. Braeburn shook his daze and scrambled to his feet as he went and helped up the pony he bumped into "I'm mighty sorry fer what I did, stranger! I wasn't lookin' where I was goin'! Can y'all forgive me?"

The pony Braeburn bumped into was a fudge brown unicorn with a white bowlcut mane, a black bow tie, and black rimmed studying glasses wearing a satchel on his side. His tail was both slick and slim, and his cutie mark was an open tome with a magnifying glass over it, an eye adorning the lense. He brushed himself off and surprisingly turned to Braeburn and Little Strongheart with a sincere smile as his purple eyes twinkled "No trouble at all, good sir! Most ponies' minds tend to wander out on the open streets now and then, even my own!" He took a short moment to glance upon the two and tilted his head "Say, by the looks of you both, you don't seem to be anypony seen around here in Fillydelphia. What are your names?" He blinked in curiousity.

Braeburn grinned "Now that's what I call friendly company!" He held out a hoof "Howdy there, pardner! Th' name's Braeburn! Braeburn Apple!" The cowpony directed his gaze to his friend "And that buffalo calf over there is my friend Little Strongheart! We're on a little quest o' sorts that may or may not involve all o' Equestria! Ya know where I can find a mare named Applejack?"

The unicorn raised an eyebrow "Applejack? As in the Element of Honesty? What could you possibly want with her?" He asked with genuine curiousity.

Braeburn smiled "Why, she's my cousin, o' course! We sorta need 'er for this thing, though!"

The unicorn gasped and smiled as he took Braeburn's hoof and shook it without hesitation "Familial relatives with the element bearers in person! How marvelous! It is indeed exciting to meet you up close, sir!" He beamed at the cowpony as he shook his hoof.

Little Strongheart gave an embarrassed smile "Um, I'm not exactly related to Applejack, if that is what you're implying..."

The unicorn shook his head "Oh no no no, not at all, ma'am! You're a buffalo, not a pony!" He then donned an inquisitive gaze "But what exactly are you questing for, if you don't mind me asking. Whatever it is, it sounds very important..."

Braeburn smiled "Could ya maybe tell us yer name first? Y'all 're th' most friendliest pony we've met in this place so far!"

The unicorn flinched and cursed under his breath "Where are my manners..." He cleared his throat and gave a polite smile "A pleasure to meet you two! My name is Hidden Truth! As my name implies, I am devoted to my life's talent of uncovering every missing link and shrouded detail that was blurred throughout Equestrian history, present included!"

Braeburn perked up and grinned "Then maybe y'all can help us out then? We're kind o' in a pinch with our quest!" His stomach growled again and he flashed an embarrassed grin "...mighty pinch, iffin' ya please..." He chuckled.

Hidden Truth wasted no time in joining the small fit of laughter "Despite this brief meeting, you two seem to be the most interesting visitors I've come across during my time here! Since you seem hungry, perhaps a fitting meal is in order, hm? My treat!" He smiled at the two travelers.

Little Strongheart was surprised "You would do that for us? But we've only met you and-"

Hidden Truth waved a hoof with a smile "Nonsense, my dear! I insist! You both must be absolutely starving after a long trip to come here. And besides, with your little quest that you've mentioned, you've already piqued both my interest and curiousity. I would like to see what exactly involves Equestria in a whole for you both to arrive..." His smile was genuine, but there was more behind it.

Braeburn smiled at Hidden Truth "Well, it'd be mighty rude t' turn down an' offer from ya, and we're gonna need all th' help we can get!" He nodded to the strange unicorn "Thank ya kindly fer doin' this little deed, Hidden Truth! Where are we gonna go?"

Hidden Truth chuckled as he passed by Braeburn and Little Strongheart "Only one of the fanciest restaurants in the city! Follow me, please!" In a short amount of time, they found themselves near at a familiar landmark "Here we are, friends! Le Bec-Fin!" His Prench pronunciation of the restaurant was almost alien to the two Appleloosan travelers.

Braeburn gave a knowing nod "Ooooh, so that's how it sounds like..."

Little Strongheart looked miffed "Here? But we were unable to go in before! The griffon at the door was absolutely rude to us!"

Hidden Truth smirked at Little Strongheart "Leave that to me, ma'am. Allow me to give you the access you've been denied!" He trotted up to the griffon bouncer and gave a curt bow followed by a polite smile "Good evening, Gerald!"

Gerald returned the bow and smile "Coming to eat here again, Hidden Truth? How goes your little research venture?"

Hidden Truth sighed and rolled his eyes "It could be better, let me tell you..." He noticed Gerald shift his gaze and glare at Braeburn and Little Strongheart and stepped in "Steady, Gerald! These two are dining with me tonight.

Gerald stared at Hidden Truth wide-eyed "Are you kidding? You realize that they can't even come in, right!?"

Hidden Truth deadpanned "On account of their clothing, right? A good majority of ponies, high class or not, barely wear any clothes on their person if you haven't noticed, good sir. And besides..." He pulled out a bag of bits from his satchel with his magic as he smirked "Money talks..." The unicorn said in a smug tone.

Gerald stared at the bag of bits before he begrudingly took them and groaned in defeat as he waved them inside "Enjoy your time here..." He muttered.

Hidden Truth giggled and he signaled Braeburn and Little Strongheart to follow him inside. A waiter was stationed to guide the trio to a table as they tracked behind him. The interior of the restaurant was painted in the finest alabaster and decorated with glistening chandeliers and exotic rugs. Hidden Truth smiled "Like what you see here? They even have an amazing basement bar where you can enjoy their cuisine at the fraction of the cost!"

Braeburn gave a low whistle as he looked around with impressed eyes "Land o' Goshen...I dunno what Applejack doesn't like 'bout places like these, but boy, do they know how t' decorate!" In a short amount of time, the trio were directed to a vacant table and were presented with three menus as the waiter trotted away. Braeburn looked through his menu with a quizzical glance "Errr, Truth? I can't make heads or tails with what they serve 'round here other than salads an' desserts!"

Hidden Truth chuckled "It is merely Prench cuisine, Braeburn. If you're looking for guidance, I would recommend their spiced quiche! It is a most exquisite dish here!"

Little Strongheart was just as confused as Braeburn as she went through her menu "Perhaps I should order the quiche as well. I cannot decide on what else to have other than a good pie." She smiled at how good an apple pie sounded.

Soon after, their orders were taken, and Braeburn and Little Strongheart enjoyed their quiche while Hidden Truth had himself a plate of Ratatouille nicoise. They dug into their own dishes, and needless to say, they enjoyed it thoroughly. Little Strongheart made sure to enact proper table manners while she ate her meal. When they were almost finished, Hidden Truth broke the ice "So tell me, Braeburn. This quest of yours...What does it involve?"

Braeburn stopped eating and gulped down his latest bite before he looked around to see if anypony was listening in on their conversation. His eyes rested on Little Strongheart looking sullen with the subject about to be brought up, and he took a deep breath before he told his story "It was a nice day at my hometown o' Appleloosa, doin' some voluntary work left an' right, but then Little Strongheart came t' me in a panic!"

Little Strongheart continued in a morose tone "One of my tribe was eerily infected by some kind of dark spirit and ravaged upon my fellow tribe members...including my father..." She shed a tear and tried to swallow her sadness knowing Chief Thunderhooves was doing alright "It didn't make any sense, either! He was sleeping one moment, and he woke up looking and acting like a monster!"

Braeburn came in with the story's continuation "Me an' some o' th' town's strongest stallions tried takin' him on, but he brought us down without even tryin'! Then all o' th' sudden, this cloaked figure showed up walkin' on two hooves instead o' four. They didn't really look like hooves, neither!"

Hidden Truth listened intently as he pulled out a notebook and quill and fervently scribbled down the notes on the story "What did it look like? Or was it completely cloaked?"

Braeburn shook his head "He wasn't completely covered, and he carried a very large scythe and easily handled th' rabid buffalo! After he took 'im down, he dug inside o' his body and pulled out some kind o' glowin' stone...Was mighty sharp, that stone..." He looked down and tried to gather his memory while he was wounded. Out of nowhere, his wound gave him pain and he grunted as he held his chest, startling both Hidden Truth and Little Strongheart as he chuckled "I-I'm sorry, y'all...This was kinda th' price I had t' pay fer fightin' th' buffalo..."

Little Strongheart gave Braeburn a worried glance "We must change your bandages later."

Hidden Truth was concerned, but his mind wandered back to the mention of the stone "A glowing stone...Was it shard-like in appearance?"

Braeburn nodded "Eeyup! It was pretty sharp! Then he jus' stashed it away an' took off without helpin' us out further! We're tryin' t' find him as well as my cousin Applejack so we know what we're dealin' with!"

Hidden Truth was silent, and he quickly fished out a good number of bits the moment a waiter arrived and went to ask if they were enjoying their food "Keep the change." He said in a serious tone as he rose from his chair "I need you two to follow me and quickly. I think our findings may be intertwined somehow..."

Braeburn widened his eyes "Really? So y'all know where we can find that cloaked feller?"

Hidden Truth shook his head "No...But I do know of the very stone you speak of. Come with me now. We'll need to investigate this matter further!" He trotted out of the restaurant at a fast pace with a calculating look in his eyes. Braeburn and Little Strongheart followed in confusion to Hidden Truth's sudden shift of behavior and eagerness for what he has discovered.
_____

Pinkie hopped up and down "Woohoo! We're here! We're here! We're finally here!!"

Applejack grabbed Pinkie and kept her still with an irritated expression "Simmer down, sugarcube! We know as well..." She looked up and sighed "Can't believe it's so late int' th' evenin', neither!"

Rainbow Dash looked around "Yeah! How are we supposed to find the next shard without appearing as cat burglars in the middle of the night?"

Twilight looked ahead "Relax, Rainbow Dash. We can't pinpoint the exact location of the shard, but that doesn't mean we'll have a plan for retrieving it, right, Zasalamel?" She turned to face the cloaked man with a smile, only to realize he wasn't there. She darted her head around "Wait, where did he go!?"

Everypony looked around except for Pinkie, who pointed a hoof up to a tall building to see Zasalamel stand at the edge while holding up a shard to his face. Eventually, he was met with Rainbow Dash zipping up next to him with a glare "Are you trying to ditch us or something? How did you even get this high, anyway?"

Zasalamel shot an annoyed stare at Rainbow Dash "I have my ways..." He went back to looking at the shard in his hand, and then he pointed his scythe to a distant storage bay by the water "Over there...That's the location we seek."

Rainbow Dash looked and smiled in satisfaction "Alright! Now things get easy for once! We'll just go in, snatch the shard, and jump on our of there just like that!"

Zasalamel shifted his eyes at Rainbow Dash "You only know simplicity, Element of Loyalty...There are times where you must think before you act..."

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes at Zasalamel "But it's a waste of time! We gotta move now!" She was startled when she noticed an annoyed Twilight appear behind her, whereas Zasalamel only turned around.

Twilight huffed "You can't just leave us like that! Unless you were trying to gain higher ground in searching while hiding from the public, that wasn't a good way to avoid us, Zasalamel!"

Rainbow Dash smiled "Take it easy, egghead! Zasalamel already pointed out to the next shard!"

Twilight gasped "Really? Where at? Is it close by?"

Rainbow Dash pointed over to the distant storage bay "It's all the way over there! I can easily just zoom right over there and just take it without any problems!"

Zasalamel scoffed "Your plan is severely flawed, Rainbow Dash..." The cyan pegasus narrowed her eyes as he continued "What you are planning to take can corrupt your mind and body the moment you come into contact with it...Moreso, knowing it's value, the storage bay it is held in could be heavily guarded by trained ponies. While speed is of the essence, a plan is needed...Which is why we shall move together and sneak inside."

Pinkie was found next to the trio "Like a ninja?" Twilight and Rainbow jumped and yelped at Pinkie's sudden appearance. Zasalamel was only lightly phased by the party pony's strange ways "So, are we gonna put on some awesome ninja gear and stuff? Oh! What if we go metal gear instead!? I can get us some neat boxes, too! But we'll have to find a bigger one for Zassy, since he's bigger than all of u-" Her speech was muffled by Zasalamel's hand.

The cloaked man leered at Pinkie while his expression appeared stoic "We'll sneak with no unneeded display..."

Pinkie pouted "Phooey! You're starting to become a wet blanket, Zassy! Once this is all over, I'm throwing you a mean party and make sure you smile about it!"

Twilight sighed "Let's just meet down with the others so we can explain the plan to them. We'll need to act fast if somepony else actually has their own hooves on a shard! Who knows what will happen!" The group then descended from the tall building in their own ways.
_____

Trixie groaned as she trotted with Raphael and Amy "To think Trixie has to set foot in here again...Her crowd the past week were semi-conscious in a whole to ignore most of Trixie's amazing magic!"

Amy looked down with a smile "Could you perhaps show me one of your magic shows sometime? I would love to see it for myself..."

Trixie gave a friendly scoff as she smiled smugly "Perhaps once we've achieved this extreme goal to shape the world to our liking. It is good to know that Trixie has many fans, pony or not!"

Raphael sneered ahead while he and the others kept a safe distance from being seen by anypony nearby. When he got a glance of the sky getting darker, he chuckled "Perfect..." He turned his head to Amy "Amy, grab the pony and let us move into the shadows!" Raphael said as he dashed into the nearest alley with deft movement. Amy picked up an unprepared Trixie and did the same as she caught up to her father.

The two vampires moved swiftly and silently through each dark crevice they could spot while trying to locate the next shard. They stopped for a moment as Raphael pulled out and inspected a shard "Come now...Show me your location, you little gem..." He muttered to himself.

Trixie wriggled herself out of Amy's grip as she glared at Raphael "You COULD have given Trixie a warning beforehoof, vampire! And what are we doing in a dank area such as this!?" She snapped in complaint and mild anger.

Raphael glared at Trixie "Silence!" He hissed vehemently "We need to be discrete about this finding and your intolerable volume would only sully up our search!" He went back to inspecting his shard as he grunted "We'll need to move further..." Raphael nodded to Amy and he went back to dashing through the dark alleys. Amy picked up Trixie, who was unprepared the second time, and followed after Raphael effortlessly.

In a small amount of time, the shard in Raphael's hand glowed brighter than usual as he grinned "We're close!" He whispered as he skidded to a halt and peered along the corner of the building he stood behind. Amy and Trixie followed suit, though the showmare was angry with Raphael for causing her to be carried horribly a second time. They all noticed they were near the docks, but all of their eyes rested on the storage bay up ahead. Raphael grinned with anticipation and slowly growing bloodlust as his red eyes glowed in the night "This will be most enjoyable...especially if there are more ponies inside..." He chuckled to himself as he licked his sharp fangs.

End of Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Over the Edge

Hidden Truth led Braeburn and Little Strongheart through the busy streets with the same cold and calculating stare on his face. The two Appleloosan travelers were still wrapped in confusion over his sudden mood shift, and Braeburn could not help but question why "Say, Hidden Truth? What's gotten ya all worked up? Is our quest that serious?"

Hidden Truth lightly shushed the cowpony as he made his way across "We cannot talk now. Not like this." He looked up at the sky to see the moon slowly rising "It's getting late. We'll need to pick up the pace. Come, Braeburn and Little Strongheart! My base of operations is up ahead! We can talk there where nopony can hear us!" He said as the trio moved faster.

After a moment of travel, they found themselves at a nearby dockyard, where a row of large storage bays stood. Hidden Truth stopped and slowly moved an outstretched hoof to distinguish which one to go to until it stopped on the third one. He smiled and signaled his new friends to follow him. When they reached the door, Hidden Truth knocked on it three times and stood forward patiently. In a small moment, the door opened to reveal a young green, blonde-maned unicorn mare with pink eyes as she held a suspicious glance. It changed to one of joy and relief when she got a good look at Hidden Truth "Professor! You're back!"

Braeburn and Little Strongheart stood in surprise to the remark "Professor?" They parroted in unison.

The mare looked back and glared at the two newcomers "Who are they? They're not part of the research te-"

Hidden Truth interjected with a serious tone "Not now, Open Mind! These two travelers are important links to our research! Let us inside so we can get back to work!"

Open Mind flinched before she backed away to let the trio inside "Y-Yes, Professor!" She regarded Hidden Truth with a stare of slight fearfulness while he, Braeburn, and Little Strongheart made their way inside.

The storage bay was indeed vast and a good amount of it was vacant. The group trotted in further to see a small group of unicorns working restlessly as they studied their own papers. There was a shadow looming in one of the distant corners of the area that caught the eye of Little Strongheart.

While they were trotting in, a pink unicorn mare with a long straight black mane, brown calculating eyes, and a cutie mark of a ebony whip stopped them in their tracks as she regarded Hidden Truth with an expression that betrayed emotion "It is good to see you again, Professor..." She spoke in a leveled tone.

Hidden Truth nodded with a smile "Likewise, Sharp Wit. Any breakthroughs during my absence?"

Sharp Wit shook her head "I'm afraid not. Nothing new on our latest find, nor any leads or points of interest to our benefit. But what of you?"

Hidden Truth's smile widened "We may have a possible lead with who I've met out in the streets of Fillydelphia!" He turned and waved to his new friends "I would like for you to meet Braeburn, cousin of the Element of Honesty, and his friend Little Strongheart of the Appleloosan Buffalo Tribe!"

Braeburn nodded with a smile "Howdy, ma'am!"

Little Strongheart gave a curt bow "Pleased to meet your acquaintance!"

Sharp Wit squinted her eyes at the Appleloosan travelers before she turned to Hidden Truth "Pardon my doubts, Professor, but are you sure these two are what we have left in our latest subject?"

Hidden Truth nodded again "Most definitely! They have come in contact with what we possess and more! I've yet to completely extract the information and add it to our own!"

Sharp Wit gave a light scoff "Well, you do come through in the end...I suppose I shouldn't doubt your judgement. I shall get back to my task at hoof while you handle your own." She then trotted past the group without another word.

Little Strongheart watched her go back to work before she turned to Braeburn "She does not seem as friendly as the griffon from the restaurant..."

Braeburn smiled at his friend "Probably cuz' she's too caught up in her work! Wouldn't wanna disturb her!"

Open Mind looked away "Sharp Wit's one of the best members we have on the Professor's research team! She usually comes across breakthroughs before the rest of us!" Her muzzle contorted into a scowl "That show-off..." She muttered in displeasure.

Braeburn went to comfort Open Mind until he noticed her flank. Unlike the other unicorns seen in the storage bay, she lacked a cutie mark of her own. The mare noticed and she quickly got in Braeburn's face with a glare "And just what are you looking at!?"

The cowpony backed up as he stared awkwardly at Open Mind "I'm mighty sorry, Open Mind! Was jus' curious about ya not havin' a cutie mark is all!"

Open Mind steamed from her nostrils "So what if I am a blank flank? Got a problem!?"

Hidden Truth casted a stern look on the young mare "Open Mind, be nice! Braeburn did not know any better!" He snapped authoritively.

Open Mind cringed slightly until she looked away in a pout "I'm sorry..." She said as she then donned a face of curiousity "So you said you've come across something similar to our research?"

Braeburn smiled at Open Mind "Sure did!" He looked down at his wound "Wasn't all that much fun, though..." He added in a slightly regretful tone.

Hidden Truth pulled out his scribbled notes with his magic and levitated them to Open Mind "Here, Open Mind. This contains their findings prior to before we first met. Study these notes and compare them to our current data, please." He asked in a kind tone.

Open Mind nodded and grabbed the notes with her magic "Yes, Professor!" She then trotted in a quick pace, leaving the trio to themselves.

Hidden Truth turned to the two travelers "So tell me, you two. When exactly did your event occur?"

Braeburn spoke up "About two days ago. We jus' set out th' day after that cloaked feller left Appleloosa!"

Hidden Truth looked down in thought "This isn't good. But the strange creature you speak of isn't the sole reason of me bringing you here." He then turned and began trotting away "Follow me. I have something to show you two..." The two complied without hesitation.
_____

Raphael leaped from roof to roof along the many storage bays with the shard in his hand until it finally glowed brightly. He grinned darkly as he stood over the current building "Yes...It's here!" The vampire whispered triumphantly. He turned to see Amy catch up with Trixie in her arms, the lady making sure to hold Trixie carefully "Ready yourselves at once. We're to storm in and take no prisoners..." He turned to Trixie with a sneer "One's plenty..." He uttered in disdain.

Trixie snorted "You do not scare Trixie with your barbaric formalities, vampire! And how can you be so sure that what we seek is under our feet?" She narrowed her eyes at Raphael.

Raphael stashed away the shard in his armor as he looked down "That is not your concern. What matters now is to do exactly as I command. Now let us hurry and find an opening into this wretched establishment! We're wasting time just standing here!"
_____

Zasalamel and the element bearers snuck across the alleys leading to the docks, much to Rarity's displeasure, and they managed to reach their destination in a matter of minutes. The cloaked man squinted his eyes up ahead "Stay close, all of you...This will be most formidable for you."

Rainbow Dash scoffed "We had worse than this, you know! This whole 'Sneaking inside' gig is nothing!"

Zasalamel advanced forward "I'd hold you to your words, Element of Loyalty..." He said as he looked up. His eyes widened when he noticed three silhouettes on the desired destination and he quickly darted his head to the group "Hurry! We may not the only ones looking for the shards!" He said as he moved forward in a sprint.

Twilight perked up "We aren't!? Zasalamel, wait up!" Twilight and the others quickly followed after the cloaked man.
_____

Braeburn and Little Strongheart gasped at the sight in front of them. Sitting inside of a small cylindrical glass jar was a familiar shard that glowed with power. The cowpony could not believe his eyes "That's th' same shard we saw way back when! Where'd ya find it!?"

Hidden Truth examined it as he straightened his glasses "We found this particular item in a forestated area just outside of Baltimare as of two months ago. Sadly, when one of my late colleagues came into contact with it, he went wild, and nearly erased my entire team in the past had we not acted sooner...We've been studying it meticulously ever since.

Little Strongheart looked saddened "That sounds awful. Our sincerest apologies for your loss..."

Hidden Truth gave a forlorn sigh as he forced a smile "There's no point in dwelling in the past, even if my research is mostly based on most of Equestria's history. Sadly, most of my discoveries are seen as conspiracies to other ponies." He sifted through papers and images on the desk that sat with the jar "I've had several findings in my time with other ponies before my current research team. From hidden facts of the creation of Equestria to the story of Slendermane, I've kept every record at my side throughout my years of study. I was lucky to graduate from the Canterlot School for Gifted Ponies without almost being considered a lunatic in the eyes of the public..."

Braeburn frowned "I'm mighty sorry t' hear that, Truth."

Hidden Truth shook his head with a smile "It was only in the past, friend. Nothing short of what needs to be looked into right now..." He sifted through his papers until he fished out a particular image with his magic. It contained a shadowed bipedal silhouette hiding behind a patch of woods "If my findings on your explanation are correct, you said you've personally come across a creature of bipedal structure, right? And it took the shard with it?"

Little Strongheart nodded "Yes! The creature happened to be male according to appearance. However, he seemed rude at the time. He completely disregarded our condition when the battle had ended!"

Hidden Truth rubbed his chin as he looked at the picture "This may prove to be the most fruitful discovery of my years of study..." He looked to see Open Mind approach with her notes "Ah, Open Mind. Finished comparing already?"

Open Mind smiled as she presented her data "Yes. They're no doubt similar to most of our own findings!" She then frowned "But the question remains as to where to find said bipedal figures if we wish to push this subject further..."

On cue, the windows on the upper right reaches of the storage bay inwardly shattered as three figures flew through and landed in the middle of the room, startling the small group of unicorns and halting their work. Amy landed on her feet with Trixie in her arms and gently set her down afterwards, then observed her surroundings with quiet curiousity. Raphael landed on one knee and recovered as he looked around with a sneer "Ugh...Detestable filth as far as the eye can see..."

Hidden Truth gave a low gasp "Remarkable...Our prayers have been answered in ample time!" He beamed at the sight of the intruders.

Braeburn was dumbstruck as well "But we ain't seen these two before!" He then noticed Trixie after rubbing his eyes "They even got a unicorn of their own!"

Trixie stood proud when she was addressed "Not just any unicorn! You have been given the honor of witnessing the breathtaking appearance of the Great and Powerful Trixie!!"

Raphael turned to glare at Trixie "Bite your tongue, you insolent pest!! And as for the rest of you..." He continued looking around as he spoke "Who is in charge of this place?" He called out in a commanding tone.

Hidden Truth trotted forward and voiced his answer without fear "That would be me. Can I help you all?" He smiled up to Raphael as if he wasn't a monster.

Raphael leered down at Hidden Truth with a dark smirk "How polite. You could start by handing over your shard!"

Hidden Truth's smile left at the request "My shard? Why would I do that?"

Raphael's eyes narrowed "Because it would save me the trouble of making a mess..." He uttered as he went to draw his blade.

Little Strongheart saw this and went to charge, but she then noticed that the shadow she saw the moment she arrived had instantly vanished. There was a small gust of wind, and Raphael perked up as he quickly dodged to his right as a breeze flew past him. A visible cut showed up on his cheek afterwards.

Hidden Truth smiled when he felt a presence at his side and turned to face it. It was a pony that was not a unicorn, but its features were all hidden in a foreign garb of jet black while covered in a shrouding cloak of the same color. Most of its eyes were covered, but they appeared pupilless and slightly glowing "Ah, excellent work in fending off our enemy!"

Little Strongheart turned to the strange pony with widened eyes "Who is that!?"

Hidden Truth turned to the Appleloosan travelers "Ah, yes. I haven't formally introduced you to everypony here. This is my...associate, Quick Work. He is responsible for our defensive needs."

Braeburn looked at Raphael's group "Ya think he's willin' t' scrap with these folks? Iffin' they're like the one me an' Li'l Strongheart met, they could be tougher than nails!!"

Hidden Truth looked at his associate "He can resolve certain issues if push comes to shove. Quick Work can be most reliable in situations like these."

Raphael growled "Such callous behavior...Perhaps I should teach you some manners before I-"

Suddenly, the front door to the storage bay flew open as seven more visitors stormed in with vigor. Zasalamel stopped when he noticed Raphael and Amy in sight and narrowed his eyes "I was correct...We're not the only ones looking for the shards..."

End of Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Bitter Reunions

The three groups stared down each other until Braeburn broke the ice with a smile "Applejack!"

Applejack noticed Braeburn and raised an eyebrow "Braeburn?"

Little Strongheart noticed as well with a smile "Applejack?"

Rainbow Dash caught a glimpse of the buffalo calf with an incredulous expression "Little Strongheart?"

Little Strongheart was surprised upon seeing the cyan pegasus "Rainbow Dash!"

Twilight looked over and was surprised to see a certain azure unicorn "Trixie?"

Trixie noticed Twilight and hate instantly filled her eyes "Twilight Sparkle..." She growled through her teeth.

Rarity craned her head back with a look of shock and disgust "Trixie!?"

Pinkie hopped up with a smile "Pinkie!!"

Raphael, who grew more than annoyed with the name-calling lashed out "Enough!!" He pulled out his blade and pointed it at Zasalamel "Just what do you think you're doing, you little gutter snipe? Stay out of this!"

Hidden Truth was breathless at the sight of two humans in front of him "How magnificent..." He stole a glance at the shadowed picture he fished out of his papers "The bipedal creature from the photo..."

Braeburn looked over at Zasalamel and widened his eyes "Hey! Yer th' feller that saved us two days ago!! We've been lookin' all over fer ya!"

Twilight perked up and turned to Zasalamel "You saved them?? Why didn't you-"

Zasalamel narrowed his eyes at Raphael "Not now..." He readied his scythe "We have problems, Twilight Sparkle..."

Rarity looked over and examined the attire of Raphael and Amy and was captivated by their appearance "Such...Such grandeur on their clothing!! It's as if they were born into royalty!!"

Raphael grunted "I refuse to have my advance halted by this rabble!" He turned to Amy "Amy! Subjugate the shard and let us be off!!"

Rainbow Dash perked up "Shard?" She looked around until her eyes rested on the jar containing a shard "Hey! Zasalamel was right all along!" She then noticed Amy go for it and instantly zipped in front of her with a glare "Not so fast!! You're not getting THIS one!!"

Amy frowned "Please move. Daddy wants the shard..." She then pulled out her own blade "I don't want to hurt you...You're pretty..."

Rainbow Dash steamed from her nostrils "You're gonna have to keep up with me if that's gonna happen!!"

Zasalamel was ready to strike "Element bearers, do not let this group obtain the shard! Prepare for battle!"

Applejack stood her ground "So we're gonna be scrappin' again, huh? Well, let's get to it, y'all!!"

Raphael growled "Of all the times to be caught in a fight..." He looked down at Trixie "Don't you dare get in my way!"

Trixie leered back "The feeling is mutual, vampire!" She then turned to glare at Twilight "The purple unicorn is mine..." She hissed as her horn glowed.

Twilight looked hurt at Trixie's visible hatred and went to ask before a hoof prodded at her shoulder. She looked to Applejack, who looked back with resolve "Don't get all fussed up, Twi! Iffin' this is what Zasalamel wants, we can't back down now!!"

Twilight sighed "I know, but..." She looked back at Trixie with sadness and confusion 'Why did it have to be Trixie of all ponies? I don't want to hurt her...'

Braeburn stood on the sidelines with anxiety on his face "Now hang on, y'all! Can't we sort this out like civilized ponies?"

Fluttershy rose up a hoof while looking frightened "I agree..."

Zasalamel grunted "Those who do not wish to be harmed must vacate this area at once! The rest of you, get ready for another fight!"

Braeburn went to voice out in opposition, until he was lightyl escorted out by Little Strongheart with concern in her eyes "Come, Braeburn. We musn't stant in their way. This is their battle..." She continued until she noticed Fluttershy at her side.

The timid mare cringed slightly "Um...Can I come with you? I don't want to fight..." Fluttershy then joined the Appleloosan travelers out the door.

Hidden Truth nodded and turned to his group "We must do as he says, everypony! Pick up your things and let's relocate!" He then turned to Quick Work, who stood dutifully at his side "I want you to aid the element bearers in this fight, Quick Work! Let them see their victory through!" Quick Work nodded and sprinted to the group's side as they stood ready. Hidden Truth then levitated the jar containing the shard and galloped outside with the group.

Amy went to stop them, but was then knocked back by a prismatic blur as Rainbow Dash stared her down while hovering aggressively in the air. Amy sighed as she readied herself in her fencer's stance. She now as to fight and kill another pretty pony.

Rarity and Applejack looked at Quick Work with their own respective expressions. Applejack's was one of confusion as to what kind of pony hid beneath the cloak, while Rarity's was one showing as much enthusiasm to Quick Work's garb as much as Raphael's clothing. But they both shook it off, knowing they had to raise their arms for another fight as they glared at the small group in front of them.

When only the fighters were present, Pinkie only smiled and randomly blurted out "Round 1! FIGHT!!!" With that, the respective groups rushed in and fought it out.

Raphael and Zasalamel were the first two to fight as they continuously clashed their weapons and parried their opponent's many strikes. Zasalamel fought with hardened effort while Raphael demonstrated grace and finesse in his old family's style. Neither warrior wavered in their attacks, showing their ancient traits of battle without pause "To think we would match wills over the shards of Soul Edge! Why couldn't you just die already!?"

Zasalamel did not let up in his offensive "You obviously have forgotten our previous encounters, haven't you?" He replied flatly in his deep tone as he continued fighting off Raphael.

Twilight would attack as per Zasalamel's request, but she hesitated out of conflict, and was only limited to dodging every magical beam launched at her by an agitated Trixie "Trixie, stop! We shouldn't even be fighting like this!"

Trixie's horn flared with magic as she launched another beam with hate-filled fervor "That is what you think, Twilight Sparkle!! Trixie has every reason to turn you into dust!!" She continued blasting at her, but was then knocked aside by a powerful shot.

The showmare tumbled along her side, and when she recovered, she noticed it was Applejack who delivered the blow with a look of anger on her face "Don't ya be attackin' my friend fer no reason, varmint!"

Trixie scoffed as she recovered "Stay out this, you country bumpkin! This is between me and Twilight Sparkle!!" Her horn glowed as she lifted Applejack with her magic and tossed her into Twilight. While the two were knocked down, Applejack was lifted again and launched into a wall, where she laid in a daze. Trixie then focused her glare on Twilight "Now...Where were we?" She uttered darkly as she slowly approached Twilight with her horn glowing. Before she could even act, however, she was met with a magical beam at her side.

She was knocked down for a moment, but then she noticed an angry Rarity with a glowing horn of her own "It is very uncouth of you to attack my friends for reasons unknown!!"

Trixie grunted "If you must know, Trixie most definitely has her own reasons for taking down your precious friend. Moreso, nothing is more uncouth than a pitiful distraction for my rage!!" She said as she lifted Rarity with her magic and slammed her into the wall next to Applejack.

Twilight recovered and noticed her friends injured with a gasp "Applejack! Rarity!!" She called out in shock before she turned to Trixie "How could you..." Her eyes narrowed "What could you have against me to hurt my friends!?"

Trixie huffed "Clearly they never got the message that I want to have at you personally! Now rise, Twilight Sparkle! I want to prove to you that I'm the better unicorn through battle!!" She stood her ground as her horn glowed.

Twilight did the same as she stared down her opponent 'Trixie...I don't know what's gotten into you ever since you left Ponyville, but if it means having to fight you, I'll do what I can to set you straight!!' She fired a beam at Trixie, to which the showmare fired one of her own. The two were then caught in a blast fight.

Amy was busy fending off Rainbow Dash and Quick Work at the same time, holding her own decently although overwhelmed by their remarkable speed. The shaded pony attacked with swift strikes from a weapon that was well-hidden under his cloak. Pinkie watched on the sidelines as she fidgeted her hooves "Oh! Oh! Okay, fake out! Now block, then parry!! Now taunt! C'mon, do a taunt! Fine, no taunt! But get her in a grab move! Or maybe get a good kick in!"

Rainbow Dash grew annoyed at Pinkie's rambling while she was busy fighting and snapped at her "Pinkie Pie! Come over here and help us out! We gotta take this girl down!!"

Pinkie tilted her head "But you and Quicky got her on the ropes! I don't wanna get in your way!" She frowned before she slowly snuck out a large and familiar item from behind "Ooooor do I~?" The party pony said mischievously as she readied her party cannon and aimed at Amy.

Amy was fighting, and she perked up when she noticed Pinkie about to shoot at her. It wouldn't be right to be open while holding her own against two fast ponies, so she thought quickly and timed Rainbow Dash and Quick Work's movements. When the shaded pony came first, she quickly parried his strike and pushed him back a good distance and awaited Rainbow Dash's approach. From there, she redirected Rainbow Dash's speed rush and flung her in Pinkie's direction with a look of shock on her face.

Pinkie ceased her aiming and watched with a frown "Uh oh!" She barely dodged Rainbow Dash, but her cannon was unknowingly aimed at Twilight. Pinkie staggered in her movement, and she accidentally pressed the button that activated her party cannon. A stream of powerful confetti bursted out with a party blower noise as it headed straight for Twilight in tenacious velocity. Pinkie took notice and called out to the lavender bookworm "Twilight!! Look out!!"

While Twilight was focused on the stalemate battle with Trixie, she failed to hear Pinkie's warning or anticipate the confetti stream that threw her off and allowed Trixie the upper hoof. The showmare sensed Twilight's weakness and did not hesitate to strengthen her beam and send her back rolling on the ground. Trixie grinned triumphantly "Yes! Victory! Now that Trixie has you exactly where she wants you, she can put you in your place..." She said as she trotted over to the sprawled unicorn, savoring the image of her in pain.

Applejack and Rarity noticed Twilight on the ground and hopped off of the wall to help her out, but both ponies did not expect to be lifted and slammed back into their earlier position by Trixie "Trixie made it abundantly clear that this was between her and Twilight Sparkle!!" She said as she approached Twilight "As for you, my little failure...How does it feel to be weakened at your knees? To be outshined by a REAL unicorn? Does it hurt? Does it!?" She asked as her horn glowed.

Twilight's horn was singed, and she weakly looked up at Trixie, who leered down at her with an evil grin "Trixie...why?" She uttered in pain.

Trixie cackled "Why, you ask, Twilight Sparkle? Because this was exactly the moment Trixie was anticipating ever since you humiliated her in Ponyville! Now she can have sweet revenge when you're going to be wiped out of the picture!! There is no point in keeping you around since all you will do is annoy Trixie!!" Her horn glew brighter as she prepared for the final blow.

Twilight watched in horror at what was about to happen to her 'Trixie...No...Don't do this!!' She couldn't find the right words to apologize to Trixie for making her act this way. All she could focus on was what could be her imminent demise.

Quick Work was fighting Amy with a recovered Rainbow Dash, and when he was knocked back again, his eyes trailed off to Trixie as she was about to get rid of Twilight.

"I want you to aid the element bearers in this fight, Quick Work! Let them see their victory through!"

He could not go back on his orders. Quick Work ignored his battle with Amy and quickly moved through the battlefield towards his next target. Rainbow Dash saw this in confusion "Hey! Where are you going!?" She then noticed Twilight and went to save her, only to narrowly avoid a strike launched by Amy and went back to fight her instead.

Trixie's horn reached its peak in power as she leered down at Twilight "Once this is out of the way, nopony would ever dare challenge the Great and Powerful Trixie! Goodbye, Twilight Spark-" Trixie stood still and her eyes widened when she felt something breeze along her neck.

Twilight was equally confused why she halted her strike, but her eyes widened when she noticed blood spill from Trixie's neck. The one responsible had finally unveiled a small and sharp blade strapped beneath his cloak as it looked away from the carnage he had caused. Trixie fell to her knees as she feebly sealed her wound with her forehooves and hacked helplessly.

Applejack and Rarity recovered again, but were instantly shocked when they took in the sight of Trixie bleeding for themselves. They forgotten that the showmare was an enemy and quickly ran over to her side.

Amy fought Rainbow Dash, and she looked behind to see Trixie struggle with her own life "No..." She uttered as she stared in sadness.

Rainbow Dash noted an opening and grinned "Gotcha!!" She then unloaded with a volley of jabs, followed by a high-speed tackle that knocked her onto the ground. From there, she landed hard on Amy's chest while she laid back in pain "Yeah! How do you like that!?"

Raphael was fending off Zasalamel and grew agitated with how he chose to stand in his way of obtaining more of the shards. They circled about while they skirmished, and he noticed Amy at Rainbow Dash's mercy. He could not contain his worry for Amy's sake, nor his building rage. Raphael growled and mustered enough Zasalamel to knock him down and roared out a battlecry as he made for Rainbow Dash, his former traits of his graceful demeanor vanished.

Rainbow Dash noted that Amy was stunned long enough for her to save Twilight from Trixie, but she only turned to see an angry Raphael as he quickly approached her and stabbed her in her left wing, causing her to shout in pain. But he did not stop there, he silenced her cries by firmly choking her neck with his right hand, forcing her to the ground on her back as he slowly twisted his blade into her left wing with ire in his eyes "You...You winged filth!! You incorrigible wretch!!" He spat venomously as he tightened his grip on the choking pegasus. Raphael would not let anything come between him and Amy, especially if they cause her harm.

Pinkie gasped in horror "Dashie!!!" She quickly galloped over and went to stop Raphael, only to be kicked away in the stomach by him.

The vampire hissed vehemently with Rainbow Dash in his grasp "You stay out of this!!" He went back to making the cyan pegasus suffer before finally killing her. However, he did not expect to be gripped and tossed away by the blade of a scythe.

Zasalamel grunted and slammed his scythe onto the floor with Raphael in tow, the vampire feeling the full extent of the blow. While he was knocked down, two shards flew out of his armor and bounced along the floor. The cloaked man noticed and flung Raphael away to gather them for himself.

Raphael went to pick himself up, but he was then piled on by a comically angered Pinkie as she stood on his back "Take that, you big meanie pants!!" She was then lifted, and saw that as a signal to hop away and avoid any attack the vampire had in store.

Strangely, the only thing he had done was catch his breath and quickly run towards Amy. He checked to see if Rainbow Dash had caused any severe damage to her, but was happy to see that she was recovering again. Amy smiled up at her father before she turned to Trixie "Trixie..."

Raphael looked over as well and growled before he held Amy tight and booked it over as he unsheathed his blade and coaxed Applejack and Rarity into backing away "Don't come any closer! Any of you!!" He sheathed his blade and carefully picked up the unicorn he despised before he hopped up to a nearby window on the upper reaches with incredible strength. Raphael shot a glare down at the group "This isn't over!! You shall rue this day, you bothersome insects!" He yelled as he broke through the window and jumped out with both Amy and Trixie in his arms.

Zasalamel looked up at the broken window before he sighed to himself "We're victorious...for now..." He looked over at Quick Work and gave a curt nod to his services, to which the shaded pony returned.

Applejack and Rarity helped Twilight up, and then heard Pinkie call out to them "Everypony!! Dashie's in trouble!!" At that, they rushed over to her side.

Rarity gasped when she gathered with the others "Oh my goodness!! Rainbow Dash, your wing!!"

Rainbow Dash coughed as she caught her breath, and then she grunted in pain as she looked over to her left wing. The sight of the gaping hole in one of her wings was enough to set her off into a yell "NOOOOOOOO!!!"

End of Chapter 28

Chapter 29

A Change in Perspective

Rainbow Dash's lip quivered as she stared at the hole in her wing made by an angry Raphael. She could not believe that the very pride of her pegasus self had been defiled greatly, with pain to go with it "My wing! It's-...It's ruined!" The cyan pegasus said before she grunted in pain.

Pinkie was instantly saddened at the sight "Don't worry, Dashie! We'll do whatever we can to help you! I'm sure Twilight knows a spell for something like this!!"

Twilight stepped in "I can stop the bleeding, but it might be a while with a wound this size! You'll have to bear with me on this, Rainbow Dash!" She said as her horn began to glow. Rainbow Dash's wound slowly patched up while Twilight focused.

Rainbow Dash, while trying to bear her pain, smiled at Twilight "Thanks, Twilight. I should've been more careful in that fight..."

Zasalamel stood with a frown "I could say the same for Twilight herself..." Twilight stopped when finished and looked up at Zasalamel "Your expertise in the arcane arts, along with you being Celestia's personal student, has put you in high regard to your skill, and yet you hesitated against that azure mare...Why?"

Rarity chimed in "He's right! To be truthful, you're one of the most powerful unicorns in all of Equestria, and yet you let Trixie beat you!"

Pinkie frowned "Actually, that was kind of my fault when Dashie ran into me..."

Rainbow Dash scoffed "It wasn't you at all, Pinkie! It was that stupid girl's fault for tossing me into you like that!"

Zasalamel grunted "Distraction aside, you were holding back throughout your fight. I want to know your exact reason for doing so, Twilight Sparkle...Why did you not fight to your full extent against your opponent?"

Twilight noticed all of the stares she was receiving and cringed with a stressed look on her face "I-...I-I just never thought I would have to fight Trixie like this, especially with how she was acting."

Rainbow Dash was dumbfounded at the response "Are you kidding me, Twilight!? She was the biggest pain when she came to Ponyville and now she's in cahoots with those sword-wielding human jerks! That's plenty enough reason to put her in her place!!"

Zasalamel interrupted "They're not humans...Not any more..."

Applejack looked up at Zasalamel "What are they then? They look jus' like ya, only with different skin an' clothin'! Aren't they human as well?"

The cloaked man replied "I'm no longer human, and as I've said earlier, they were formerly human themselves...Back then, they were malfested into monsters that were placed in most human folklore...They are vampires..." Everypony, save for Quick Work, were shocked at this fact.

Rarity shivered before she spoke in an anxious tone "Y-You mean to tell me that Trixie's companions are...are some of the vicious bloodsuckers of legend!?"

Zasalamel nodded "It would seem their stories stretched into Equestria's history...A surprise to my knowledge, but I digress..." He looked back at Twilight "Twilight Sparkle, your performance in combat is inexcusable. A rule of thumb in battle is to never hold back against your opponent, even if it means fatally wounding them."

Twilight Sparkle looked saddened "But I can't just do that to her! She's a pony just like us! And that one over there nearly killed her!!" She said as she pointed to Quick Work as he stood silently.

Rarity looked away with a wince "While Trixie was in the wrong at the time, I couldn't wish that kind of fate on her myself..." She spoke sympathetically.

Zasalamel narrowed his eyes "Not everypony is as virtuous or morally intact like you or your friends...The one called Quick Work is a firm example of this fact. He was born to kill, and he saved your life as per his bidder's request...This one lives his life as a paid mercenary, and is devoid of the peaceful life that most of you favor. He knows when to raise arms and defend himself when his own life is on the line, and that was your own situation back there..." He pointed at Twilight with his free hand "Your own life was on the line as you faced Trixie. You may not have seen it in her eyes, but she wanted nothing more than to see you suffer before she issues the final blow. Even you should know that your own life matters when you are caught in a conflict, especially since you bear so many ties with others..."

Twilight glared at Zasalamel "Then what about Trixie!? She might have had ties of her own before we met!!" She kept her glare, but she faltered inwardly when she thought over Zasalamel's lecture.

Zasalamel glared back "You would defend your own enemy? Shameful..." He directed his gaze to the other ponies "We're going now...Pick yourselves up and let us depart from here..." The cloaked man turned and walked away without another word, and the others followed after Pinkie helped Rainbow Dash up.

Rarity went to leave before noticed Twilight remain motionless from where she stood. She trotted over and gave her friend a brief nuzzle and a reassuring smile "Please don't be sad about what Zasalamel thinks, Twilight. If it makes you feel any better, I share the same notion of your opinion, even if Trixie is the worst unicorn we've met...We'll just have to carry on and hope for the best..." She then caught up with the group on the way out.

Twilight was the last one remaining before she thought to herself with her head hung down 'Was I really wrong in defending Trixie? I couldn't just bring myself to harm her, let alone kill her...Yet Zasalamel wants me to do just that...' She sighed before she finally joined the others in leaving the storage bay.
_____

Outside, Hidden Truth stood with his group along with Braeburn, Little Strongheart, and Fluttershy. The brown unicorn smiled at the others "Can you believe it? Not only do we have our shard, but now we have more subjects to look into! This is simply magnificent!!"

Fluttershy was confused "Subjects? A-Are you talking about Zasalamel?"

Hidden Truth smiled "Who else? Just think: They may not see it now, but now everypony in Equestria can be fully aware of the existence of these bipedal creatures we've discovered recently!"

Braeburn was just as confused "Beggin' yer pardon, Truth, but doncha think that maybe them fellers an' that shard o' yers have some sorta connection? That blonde one seemed t' really want it fer himself!"

Hidden Truth looked at his shard and hummed "Now that you mention it, they do seem drawn to this particular item...And you said that the cloaked figure has one of his own?"

Fluttershy nodded "He has two, actually...He found one of them in the Everfree Forest. He didn't want us to touch them..."

Little Strongheart frowned "What kind of evil are these shards filled with!? They would infect anypony's mind at the touch!"

"One of the reasons why I collect them..."

The group turned to see Zasalamel, the element bearers, and Quick Work arrive. Braeburn noticed Applejack and galloped over to her with a hug "Cuz! Y'all 're alright!!"

Applejack sighed "Th' battle was tougher than ya think, Braeburn. Ah'm lucky t' be still standin'..." She looked away despondently 'Twilight as well...'

Quick Work stopped at Hidden Truth's side while Zasalamel continued "You would only place yourself in danger by harboring that shard for your own personal gain. I want you to relinquish it unto me to avoid any more incidents..."

Hidden Truth frowned "But this is one of the most rarest discoveries I made in my time of studying Equestria's secrets! I cannot just give it to you!"

Rainbow Dash glared "Just do what he says! That thing's trouble!!" She grunted when she felt pain in her wings "I thought Twilight stopped the bleeding!"

Twilight approached Rainbow Dash with a frown "I said I could only stop the bleeding, not the pain. I don't know any advanced medical magic to regenerate your muscle structure!"

Hidden Truth looked over and smiled "Excuse me, ladies! I happen to have a medic in my research team! Do you require assistance?"

Twilight smiled "Thank you very much, mister..."

Hidden Truth chuckled "Oh right! We haven't properly introduced! My name is Hidden Truth, and let me tell you that I'm well aware of you girls as the Elements of Harmony, namely yourself, Twilight Sparkle! Does Rainbow Dash need medical attention?"

Rainbow Dash smiled "You can repair my wing!? Oh, thank Celestia! I was beginning to think I couldn't fly any more..."

Hidden Truth nodded before he called to his group "Grand Cross? Present yourself, please!" Out of the group of unicorns, an herbal green unicorn stallion with a medium cut pink mane and a stoic expression on his face appeared. His eyes were blue, and his cutie mark was a red cross similar to Nurse Redheart's. Hidden Truth smiled "Please tend to the Element of Loyalty over there! She is in dire need of assistance!"

Grand Cross nodded before he trotted over and examined Rainbow Dash's penetrated wing with his calculating. After a moment of pause, he took a step back and planted all four of his legs into a firm position as he pointed his horn "Hold still, please. This is going to pinch." His horn glowed a light blue as he focused on the cyan pegasus.

Rainbow Dash did as she was told, and then she quickly bit back a yelp when she felt pain course through her wound. The pain was then suddenly stopped as Grand Cross cancelled his spell, causing Rainbow Dash to blink "That was it?"

Grand Cross nodded "The treatment is done. It may not look it, but I've casted a spell where new regenerative cells were embedded in the muscle tissue around your wounds to guarantee a steady recovery. However, it shall take a week's time before it can mend completely." He noted in a leveled tone, as if he were an instructor lecturing his students.

Rainbow Dash snapped in outrage "A whole week!? This is the best you can do for me!?"

Grand Cross' face betrayed no nonsense as he quirked in eyebrow in an annoyed fashion "Should I throw in a lollipop?" He quipped sarcastically before he fell back with his group, leaving behind a grumbling Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy smiled "Well...at least we know you'll be fine, Rainbow Dash. All we can do is wait for your wing to recover and we can go back to finding the other shards."

Zasalamel narrowed his eyes at Hidden Truth "We have yet to claim this one as well. You are unaware of the catastrophic power that shard alone possesses...Give it to me so that we may leave here."

Hidden Truth sighed "It does mean that much to you, doesn't it? Well, as I've said before, I cannot simply give up an amazing find in my research...However..."

Twilight perked up "However?"

Hidden Truth smiled "I think we can work something out! If you all are willing to cooperate, that is..."

Applejack trotted up "If it means gettin' that there shard outta th' wrong hooves, we'll even dance in th' middle o' this city!"

Pinkie hopped up and smiled "Really? Oh, I better go get my castanets out of my luggage!"

Rarity raised an eyebrow "Why would you bring castanets on a treacherous journey, Pinkie?"

Pinkie smirked mischievously at Rarity "The same reason you bring makeup and several dresses yourself..."

Rarity glared at Pinkie before she turned away bitterly "Touche, Pinkie Pie..."

Hidden Truth chuckled "Oh no, there's no dancing involved! This is more of a rare trade of sorts. I can give you the shard if you bring something of the same value to me!"

Braeburn perked up "So it's a trade, then?" He looked over at Little Strongheart "I can see if me or Li'l Strongheart's got somethin' in our packages!"

Hidden Truth shook his head "I doubt that any of you would carry along what I desire from you at this moment unless you actually prove daring..."

Little Strongheart frowned "What do you mean? What is it that you seek, Hidden Truth?"

Hidden Truth looked down before he smiled up at the curious group "Are any of you aware of..." He grinned "The story of Smooze?"

Twilight gasped "You mean the evil ooze from ancient times? I'm familiar with it, and Cherilee happened to perform a lecture of it in her classroom to her students as a test to see if they could pay attention."

Rainbow Dash craned her head at Hidden Truth "What the hay would you want with some gross ooze?"

Hidden Truth paced back and forth as he explained himself "I've read several stories about how our ancestors have confronted and dealt with the smooze themselves. Barring my newly acquired shard, Smooze was one of my more long-term goals in studying!" He stopped and faced the group with a smile "If I could somehow obtain a sample of my own, I shall gladly hoof over my shard to you all!"

Rarity grimaced "So we have to collect a sample of revolting sludge!? This isn't what I signed up for when I wanted to travel Equestria for some shards!"

Applejack snorted "Not even that, we don't even know th' first place t' look! This'll be like findin' a needle in a haystack!!"

"I know of a place..."

All eyes stopped on Zasalamel as he frowned "I know of a place, but it is a day's travel from this city..."

Twilight trotted up next to Zasalamel "Where? Where do we have to go in order to find Smooze?"

Zasalamel replied "A familiar location shall serve as a checkpoint to the actual location..." He looked down at Twilight as his yellow eye glowed "We have to travel back to Ponyville...From there, I can pinpoint where we should go next..."

Fluttershy was confused "Back to Ponyville? But what place near Ponyville has the smooze?"

Hidden Truth stepped in "We can talk about that later. Since the storage bay is now vacant once again, we can gather our energy before we can work out a proper strategy tomorrow! Does that sound well with you all?"

Zasalamel nodded "Very well. Then a deal is struck..." He held out his hand to Hidden Truth, who did not hesitate to shake it wholeheartedly with a smile on his face.
_____

Raphael dashed along the docklines until he reached a grassland outside of Fillydelphia. Amy caught up to him after she gathered her energy while keeping Trixie in tow with a piece of Amy's cloak wrapped around her neck while she hacked and coughed horribly. The female vampire was lucky, but at the same time saddened to keep Trixie alive for so long with her acquired medical knowledge through her time spent with her father.

The trio stopped near a brush of trees, and Amy cradled Trixie carefully in her grasp. Raphael stood and looked upon the pair before he gave a deep sigh "Amy...Do you know why I saved that pony of yours?"

Amy nodded as she sniffled "Because you want me to be happy?"

Raphael smiled "More than anything...But I must admit to you that I will not like what I have to do next..."

Amy looked up at Raphael with tears lightly streaming down her eyes as she smiled "I don't see why you do. I already see her as a family member. Please, Daddy..."

Raphael sighed "If it means advancing our goals with you in good spirits, I have no other alternative..." He sneered down at Trixie 'That vile braggart should be grateful Amy adores her so...' "Consider yourself lucky, Trixie...You've been granted an exemplary honor that only I can convey to those worthy of my time..."

Trixie weakly shifted her eyes to Raphael while clinging to her own fading life. Raphael placed his hands on her shoulders and bared his fangs at her before digging them deeply into her neck.

End of Chapter 29

To my readers...

To the many readers (Or lack thereof..) of this story, it is my sincerest apology to announce that this piece of fiction is now canceled after its one-year hiatus.

I've probably dashed some of your hopes for updating this story, but over the time that I've started this hiatus while working on other stories, I've tried thinking over the next chapter while simultaneously reflecting upon the plot revolving around the story itself; all I can say is that it was a bit cathartic in hindsight; I've realized that I've not only casted Astaroth OOC in each chapter, but I've entirely derailed upon the fanon concept of Scootaloo being an orphan while turning it into a story focusing on the Mane Six traveling Equestria in search of Soul Edge.

In closing, it is with great remorse that I bring down the curtain on this little tale and move on with the rest of my stories...To be a fair sport, I'll leave this fic up for those that wish to read this story despite its cancellation until I see fit to actually take it off my repertoire for good. Hopefully you'll understand my position, and hopefully you can forgive me for my actions.

Good night, folks.

Author's Note

Thank you for your support over the years. :pinkiehappy: :ajsleepy: :moustache:

Chapter 1

Poor Scootaloo

The sun shined over Ponyville Elementary school, showing that it was in the afternoon. Inside of it, the students were sitting through another sleep-inducing lecture, courtesy of Cherilee, Ponyville's esteemed school teacher. Today, she was covering the story of the old and dangerous substance that once existed in the world of Equestria known as 'Smooze'.

She pointed to the picture of a purple blot with a horrid face on the canvas, wrapping up her lecture "Some say that smooze still exists here today. Which is why you should be careful on where exactly you wish to roam. You might never know where the Smooze could appear!" She turned to her students with a cheery smile "Any questions on the matter?"

When she directed her attention to the children, her cheery demeanor faded when she noticed everypony present was either daydreaming, or snoring 'Oh, why me? I'd figure this would at least catch the children's attention...'. The only child paying close attention to Cherilee's lecture was none other than Peppermint Twist, one of Cherilee's best students. She smiled as she raised a hoof, and the magenta teacher gave a small smile, knowing that at least her lecture did not fall on deaf ears "Yes, Twist. You have the floor!"

The small, red-maned filly perked up and readied herself "Mth Cherilee, do you know of any thertain plathes where th' sthmooze could be found? I heard that there aren't many other locathions left! It would be nithe to have a heath's up on which plathes can be avoided!"

It was nice to hear her lisp tinted with curiousity, and Cherilee enlightened her while the rest of the class stirred and woke "Well, Twist, it's good to know that you're being cautious about this! Usually, the smooze could be found in deek and dank places, like caves, or certain parts of the Everfree Forest. There's a theory that smooze was responisble for how the wild animals lurking inside behaved that way!" While she continued shedding light on the matter, a certain orange filly was staring off at the window, giving a forlorn sigh.

Scootaloo wasn't one for paying attention in class like Twist, and she was busy letting her mind drift about personal matters while looking out at Celestia's sun. She closed her eyes, until Cherilee caught Scootaloo "Scootaloo! Are you not paying attention to this class?" The orange filly perked up and turned to her teacher "U-U-Uh, yes, Ms. Cherilee! I heard every word!" Cherilee stared with a deadpan look in her eyes "Then would you be so kind as to recite what I had just explained earlier to Twist?"

The orange filly began to sweat, gulping visibly as she looked around at every set of expectant eyes on her. It wasn't fair! They didn't pay as much attention as she did as Cherilee spoke, yet she was the one being called up and forced to tell everypony else what was said ealier. Scootaloo stalled for more seconds, and the school bell miraculously rang, signalling the end of school and the weekend. The children cheered as they rushed out of the doors, passing their teacher as she called out "Remember, class! Monday is Show and Tell day! I hope you each bring something interesting for everypony to learn from!" With the children leaving, it was only Scootaloo and Cherilee left in the classroom.

Cherilee looked down and noticed Scootaloo looking away, a sad expression on her face "Scootaloo, is something wrong?" Scootaloo shook her head "No, it's nothing, Ms. Cherilee. I'm just gonna go and enjoy the weekend with my friends..." She trotted off as she hung her head down, her expression unconvincing in every detail. Her teacher trotted to her side "Please, Scootaloo, let me help you as a teacher. Just tell me what's on your mind."

The orange filly beared her teeth and shook away her teacher's smothering "I said it's nothing! I just wanna go back ho-" She paused, catching herself, but took a deep breath as she finished her sentence "Home..." She trotted away, leaving Cherilee to watching the poor filly leave with an expression of pity on her face "Scootaloo..."

When she reached the school doors, Scootaloo ran into her friends Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. Together, these three fillies were the Cutie Mark Crusaders, an ambitious group of ponies on a quest of discovering their true talents. The two fillies approached Scootaloo, Applebloom chiming to her orange friend "There ya are, Scoots! Why were ya stayin' in the school like that? Did Cherilee chew yer ear off about not payin' attention in class?"

Sweetie Belle spoke as well, slightly worried "You didn't get detention again, did you? I mean, we haven't listened much to her lesson either, and it wouldn't be fair if you got in trouble! What happened in there?"

Scootaloo shook her head, giving a small smile to know that her friends were there for her "No, it's fine, girls. I didn't get in trouble at all." The two fillies in front of her sighed in relief, Sweetie Belle wiping a hoof across her forehead despite her not sweating. Applebloom then grinned "Hey, at least it's th' weekend! What say we have some fun an' stuff? Ah bet we'll be able to find our talents before Show an' Tell day! Speakin' of...What're y'all gonna show on Monday?"

Sweetie Belle smiled "I plan on asking Rarity to making a gem-covered dress so I can show the other ponies her expertise! My sis can be so creative when it comes to making clothes!" The white unicorn filly did love her sister, even if they share arguments now and then. She felt it would be best to get a dress made so it would help her convince other fillies and foals to buy her clothes.

Applebloom smiled "That's mighty nice, Sweetie Belle! Ah don' know if I should maybe take Winona with me an' show th' class some o' her new tricks me an' Applejack taught 'er!" She smiled "Hey, maybe y'all can visit me on th' farm! Ah can show ya what Winona can do before anypony else does!"

Scootaloo was momentarily drawn away from her hidden depression, curious to what Winona now knows, smiling about the thought "That sounds good. I don't have any plans right now. Let's get going!" The crusaders gave a three-way high hoof in agreement to the idea and began racing each other to Sweet Apple Acres.

When they finally reached Sweet Apple Acres, they noticed Big Macintosh carrying three buckets chalk full of shiny and delicious apples to the barn. Applebloom waved a hoof and smiled to her big brother while passing him with her friends "Hiya, Big Mac!" The large drafter pony nodded to the greeting with a warm smile "Eeyup...".

The crusaders wandered along the fields in search of the Apple Family pet, not finding a single sign of her. Sweetie Belle turned to Applebloom "Applebloom, can't you just call Winona to you? I mean, she IS your pet."

The yellow filly giggled in embarrassment upon remembering the simple option "Hehe, musta slipped mah mind." She cleared her throat, and then tucked her lips and gave a powerful whistle. The other fillies cringed at the volume, but were happy to notice it worked. They noticed a little brown and white dog barking happily as it dashed from out of a barn and near the crusaders. The dog pounces on Applebloom and licks her while she giggles "Okay, Winona! Down, girl!" She lightly pushed off the affectionate dog and pet her ears as she panted and wagged her tail.

Applebloom readied herself as she turned to her friends "Alright, y'all! Prepare t' be amazed! Mah dog's gonna perform tricks that'll impress even Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo was now more than curious "This I gotta see!" The yellow filly held out a commanding hoof while Winona sat and panted happily "Okay, Winona! Do a flip!" Winona got on all fours, perparing herself to jump. When she leaped into the air, she quickly arced herself into a backflip, and landing back on her legs with relative ease.

Sweetie Belle gasped in awe "That was cool! let's see another trick!" Scootaloo, however, was unamused. She seen many flips, and was not to impressed with a dog doing it.

Applebloom nodded "Alright, Winona! Say momma!" Winona barked once, but then the yellow filly repeated herself "Momma! Say momma!" Winona barked twice, making her repeat once more "Momma!" The dog then uttered a pair of wierd barks that sounded similar to incoherent speech "Yeah, that's it! One more time, girl!" This time, it sounded as if Winona actually said 'Momma', making the two fillies gasped together. Now Scootaloo was impressed, not expecting a dog to speak Equestrian, but when Applebloom continued having her repeat the word 'Momma', it began striking some chords in her heart.

Beginning to get inwardly frustrated on the issue, she spoke up and interrupted the dog's speaking talents "Hey, Applebloom! Does she know any other tricks?" Applebloom smiles "Well o' course she does! Okay, Winona, show mah friends how well ya dance!" Before the dog could stand on its hind legs, another whistle was heard, causing Winona's ears to perk up and follow the trail "Hey! Y'all were supposed t' dance, Winona! Get back here!" She gave chase to her pet, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle following suit.

After traversing over a hill, they notice Winona stopping at the feet of Applebloom's older sister, Applejack. She smiled down at her companion, then noticed the crusaders stopping behind her, her little sister looking a little miffed "Applejack, Ah was showin' mah friends Winona's new tricks! Why'd ya call 'er?"

The orange cowpony chuckled a little "Sorry 'bout that, sugarcube. I need t' borrow Winona t' help me with roundin' up the sheep. They seem t' be complainin' again about askin' an' whatnot! Maybe y'all can go someplace else and hang out or somethin'." She turns to her pet "C'mon, girl! Them sheep ain't gonna herd themselves!" Winona barked eagerly and followed Applejack on a trail, the two running fast.

Applebloom pouted at their departure "Horseapples! An' Ah was wantin' Winona t' dance, too..." Sweetie Belle trotted to her friend's side and smiled "It's not so bad, Applebloom. We got to see some pretty nifty tricks from your dog. Plus, don't we have some crusading to do?" Applebloom perked up at the idea "Oh yeah! What's th' fun in this day without a little crusadin'? C'mon, y'all! Let's put our heads together and come up with a plan!"

Scootaloo tried her hoof at coming up with a plan, but she was aware that most of them involved extreme stunts followed by a harsh moment with being covered in tree sap. While they tried thinking, Applebloom brought up a question "Wait a minute, that reminds me!" She turned to the orange filly "What're ya gonna do for Show an' Tell day, Scoots? Y'all got anythin' cool t' show us?" The orange filly was startled at the question, and began feeling down. Other than her prized scooter, she really doesn't have much to show. Everypony in Ponyville was aware of her special tricks, and it wouldn't be wise to perform the same thing twice.

Scootaloo looked away from her friends and rubbed the back of her head awkwadly "Uhh...Not really, no..." She looked down, feeling defeated while her friends looked concerned. Applebloom spoke up "Anythin' ya wanna talk about, Scoots? Maybe we can help ya out with it." The yellow filly sounded exactly like Cherilee, causing Scootaloo to shake her head "No, no it's fine! I can think of something tomorrow!"

Sweetie Belle looked worried "You don't sound so happy, Scootaloo. Why won't you tell us what's wrong?" This earned the unicorn filly a glare from her friend "Because there isn't anything wrong! That's what I've been telling you guys!"

The two fillies took a step back as Scootaloo lashed out for a short while, Applebloom looking threatened "Easy, Scoots! Was just a question is all..." Scootaloo sighed and looked down "Sorry, I'm just not feeling my best today. But I'll definitely come up with something soon! Just you wait and see!" She said with a reinvigorated smile. This set her friends at ease as they smiled at her confidence. Drawing up blanks on what they should crusade next, they decided to walk around in Ponyville and find some ideas from the scenery.

The crusaders trotted along the busy square, still undecided on what they should be doing, until Sweetie Belle came up with an idea "Why don't we go to the library? I'll bet we could find some interesting stuff in a book!" The other two fillies raised their eyebrows at this.

Applebloom replied to the unicorn's question "Doncha think we'll be wastin' time with readin' books, Sweetie Belle? We won't find much other than spells and some old records on borin' stuff! What could we possibly come up with from that?"

Sweetie Belle looked abashed that her idea was easily frowned upon, but backed up her case "Well, we never really tried digging up for stuff! Maybe we could try our hoofs at archaeology! We could possibly find some old bones and be famous for it!"

Scootaloo perked up once more "I'm liking this idea! But are we really gonna go to the library for this sorta thing? Why don't we just grab some shovels, find a spot, and start digging?"

The unicorn filly looked annoyed "We need to read up on some good digging spots if we're gonna be good archaeologists! Besides, we could find some interesting stuff with what Twilight has in her stock! Let's go, everypony!"

Sweetie Belle then led her friends to Ponyville Library, going inside and looking around. Applebloom trotted up with determination "Okay, girls! Spread an' search for anythin' you can find! Let's move!" The crusaders sped away from each other like bullets and began their quest for knowledge.

Sweetie Belle was pushing through old geography books to get a good head start, covering all the old monuments and ruins close to Ponyville. Applebloom was looking up some old relics and artifacts stated in encyclopedias and published by authors covering history. Scootaloo was more focused on looking up old legends and pony folklore so she could find something at least interesting to dig up.

As she sifted through each book in a clumsy fashion, tossing each unimportant book over her shoulder as they landed on the floor. She then caught sight of a large book looking like a mixture of black and blood red, piquing her interest as she pulled it out and looked upon the cover.

The cover showed a picture of what looked like an oversized knife with an orange eye located on the blade. Scootaloo was jittering with excitement upon looking at it. She looked over at the books title, reading in slightly bolded lettering 'The Legend of Soul Edge' "I better save this one! It looks so awesome...I'll bet Rainbow Dash reads this along with the Daring Do series!" She said to herself as she placed the ominous book on the checkout desk and went back to looking.

The crusaders were unaware that Ponyville librarian Twilight Sparkle trotted in from the kitchen with her assistant Spike, then gasped at the mess of books on the floor as the fillies progressed their search. She caught their attention by calling out to them "GIRLS!" The three fillies halted their search and noticed Twilight Sparkle looking slightly annoyed, then looked down at all the books they had thrown "Oops..." They said in unison.

After a half hour of helping Spike pick up all the books they had tossed and organizing them properly, the CMC trotted up to Twilight and hung their heads in apology "We're sorry, Twilight! We were jus' tryin' to prepare ourselves for a little diggin' venture!" Applebloom confessed, and Sweetie Belle added to it with a smile "Yeah! We're planning on getting our cutie marks in archaeology! We're gonna dig for some old stuff, and maybe some treasure!"

Twilight tilted her head at their ambition, but smiled at their yearning for knowledge "Well, it's good to know you three are trying your hoof at something safe and educational. While your display of research was a bit messy, I'm proud of you for pursuing knowledge before going out and trying something! You remind me of me when I was your age...My mom was so proud of me when I was digging through each book to get my required information!"

There it was again. Upon hearing that word, something dark in Scootaloo stirred, causing her mood to slowly waver. But before it could take hold, Applebloom replied to Twilight "Well, thanks fer yer vote o' confidence in us, Twi! Ah can't wait t' get started!" She turns to her friends "C'mon, y'all! Let's get started on our journey!" Scootaloo felt better, and the three smiled at one another and began to yell in unison.
"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER ARCHAEOLOGISTS! YAY!"

They zipped out of the library to get their gear ready. Twilight sighed at their display of reckless emotions "Sometimes I wonder about the safety of those fillies..." Spike was picking one of his scaly ears with a claw "Tell me about it..." They went back to their duties in tending to the library. Twilight went to her desk and took notice of the ominous book Scootaloo had left earlier, levitating it to her eyes 'Hm...I haven't read this book yet...' She took it up to her room where she began to read it.

Later, at the outskirts of Ponyville, the CMC prepared themselves for their digging venture as they made check of their gear. They packed shovels, rope, brushes, and canteens full of juice to keep them hydrated. Each filly wore smiles of determination, waitng to find something big as they got started, trotting out farther into the dirtier reaches of the plains.

They knew to steer clear of the Diamond Dogs, avoiding their territory as they sought a good spot for digging. Sweetie Belle looked around to see if there was any hint of history around the dirt, but sighed as she spotted nothing. Applebloom was equally disappointed with not finding anything historical to let them know they could find anything phenomonal in the ground, but she wanted to start digging while she still had the vigor inside of her "Alright, Crusaders! Let's get to it!" She took her shovel in her teeth, along with her friends, and they all picked their own holes to get started on.

Each fillly dug far enough into the ground for their age, and Applebloom was first to come out with what looked like a popsicle stick "Ah, ponyfeathers! Ah gotta dig deeper!" She cursed at her find, and went back to digging. Sweetie Belle was digging, and emerged from her hole with a small collection of rocks, equally cursing herself "I'm no better at finding wonderful things in the ground like my sister..." She went back to digging.

Scootaloo was putting her back into shoveling a deep hole, and took a small break after her effort, not finding a thing 'C'mon, Scootaloo! This is for a digging cutie mark! You gotta see it through like your other times!' She thought to herself as she continued digging. After a small period of time from her continuation, she pierced her shovel in the dirt, only to hear a loud CLANK sound. She stopped, tilting her head in confusion as she struck at the ground again, getting the same sound as before. Taking a brush she began brushing aside all the dirt and coming across some kind of old hunk of steel. She had to let her friends know about this.

She emerged from her hole and called to her friends "Hey, you guys! I found something! I need your help!!" Applebloom and Sweetie Belle crawled from their holes and looked over at their orange friend "What didya find, Scoots? Is it treasure?" Sweetie Belle added to the curiousity "Is it an old relic of sorts!?" Scootaloo shook her head " I don't know, but I really need your help in digging this out!" Applebloom and Sweetie Belle looked at each other and nodded with determination as they hopped out of their holes and galloped to their friend's aid.

They began digging along Scootaloo's hole and making it bigger, exhausting themselves in the process, and when they reached the level on where Scootaloo found the object, they looked at the hunk of metal sticking out.

Sweetie Belle wiped the sweat from her forehead as she gasped for air "Is it...Is it just another rock?" Applebloom was equally exhausted as she drunk from her canteen "Ah think we may've went overboard on this, girls..." Scootaloo, while tired, was not ready to quit this time. The metal looked completely unequine to her, and she wanted to know what was down there "I'm not giving up! Let's do it!" She began digging around the hunk of metal, and it began to grow larger in size. With what adrenaline Scootaloo had left, she made an effort to dig further around it and began finding more stuff attached to it. This encouraged her friends to join her and helped her dig.

When they were finished, they drank what was left of their canteen and looked at what was in front of them. It was a dirty pile that had a shape similar to a Diamond Dog with the piece of slightly rusted metal sticking out on the top. Scootaloo wanted to know what she uncovered "What are we waiting for? Let's brush the hay out of it!" They took their brushed and cleaned out the shapen pile of dirt, and gasped in awe in what they gazed upon.

They discovered some kind of wierd body, still similar to a Diamond Dog, only bigger and much more different. This body was bluish green, and had giant nails all over its upper body. It had no muzzle, and wore a mask that looked like a hammer on its head. Its legs were as huge as its body, being covered in worn rags and spiked shoes on its feet. This was enough for the crusaders to squeal in delight on their discovery and congratulate each other. They didn't care if they had no cutie mark from this, they were happy to have uncovered something so bizarre that could possibly lead them to fame. But one question remained for all of them: How were they going to get it out?

This left Scootaloo to sigh and sit on her haunches as she tried to think. She and her friends had burned a considerable amount of daylight when digging up a body, and they had to go home as Sweetie Belle climbed out of the hole "Sorry, girls. I better get going. Rarity will kill me if I stay too long, and I'm all dirty from digging! I'll meet up with you two tomorrow to come pick it up!" She galloped off back into Ponyville.

Applebloom turned to Scootaloo "She's right, we'd best be gettin' home an' make sure our families don' worry about us...Besides, this thing ain't goin' anywhere and it looks super cool! Ah'll see ya later, Scoots!" She turned and crawled out of the hole, leaving Scootaloo to sit down and stare at her find.

Scootaloo was silent, and then her lips quivered as she began to sniffle. A tear escaped her eyes as she hung her head down and crawled out of her hole dejectedly, but not before looking back at the strange body. When she came out of her hole, the sun was ready to set completely as the orange filly trotted back into town.

She looked around to see fillies and foals go back to their families: Mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters. Each sight was heartwarming to most, seeing the families group together for a hug, but poor Scootaloo was all alone. The worst part was that she never really told her friends or teacher, knowing she would get pity from it.

After a long amount of traveling, she finally came across an abandoned house that looked like it was condemned. She pushed the door open, only to have it fall the moment her hoof made contact with it, making her sigh. The orange filly looked around and seen how chaotic her little abode had looked and trotted further inside of it.

The walls were dirty and cracked, the ceiling had some support beams sticking out of it, and the wooden floors were creaky and looked ready to give out.

A group of mice scurried past Scootaloo as she made her way into her room. There was nothing but grey and torn walls and the same shoddy floor, but the ceiling was just fine. In the center of the room laid a worn blanket she used to sleep with, and she trotted over it to look out at the cracked window on the wall.

Nightfall was about to set in and everypony retired into their own homes, finding comfort in their company. Scootaloo gave off one more sad sigh as she trotted back to her blanket and tucked herself in, resting her head on the uncomfortable wooden floor.

'Mom...'

End of Chapter 1

Chapter 9

Step by Step

Scootaloo woke up from her slumber as daybreak rolled in. Giving a large yawn, she got up and stretched her limbs and tiredly trotted into the living room to check on Astaroth.

She figured he would rest himself, but to the orange filly's surprise, she found Astaroth in the same position as last night when he was reading the first Equestrian history book given to him 'Okay, that's just wierd...Since when does a guy like him NOT sleep at night? Maybe he's some kind of night-loving monster...' Scootaloo trotted over to Astaroth's side as he flipped another page so she could speak with him again. When she noticed the amount of pages being held in his left hand, it seemed he was done with over half the book ever since yesterday.

Astaroth was now on the part involving Princess Celestia having to banish Nightmare Moon into the very moon she had raised all her life, and for 1000 years to boot. This intrigued the dark golem, to think that somepony in this world held that kind of power. He only imagined what he could do with such power coursing through his veins. In fact, he began to daydream...

( Look after the 0:54 mark )

Scootaloo noticed the dark golem smiling to himself, and felt the need to snap him out of his daydream "Good morning, Astaroth!" He turned and saw Scootaloo with a friendly smile "Didn't expect somepony like you to just stay up all night. Do you like reading that much or something??"

Astaroth scowled and glared at the orange filly "No...I don't...Leave me alone, runt! I don't have time for you!" He goes back to reading his book. It was as if he wasn't going to be a better friend to the orange filly any time soon.

Scootaloo frowned at this and trotted closer to him "You know, I wasn't kidding when I said we're going to be stuck together for the time being. The least you could do is talk to me! Or maybe we could play a game to pass the time. I mean, it's nice to know I have somepony to be around other than my friends, but it's so BORING!"

The dark golem gritted his teeth and twitched an eye with how annoying Scootaloo sounded to him. He clenched a fist as he went to go shut the orange filly up, but then a new voice entered the room "Scoots! Are ya in here?? It's me an' Sweetie Belle again!" No doubt it was her fellow crusaders visiting again.

Scootaloo heard the voices and smiled a bit "Well, at least it's not all boring..." She noticed Applebloom and Sweetie Belle trot inside of the ruined house over to her and Astaroth and she approached them with glee "Hey, girls! What's up?? Anything new going on today??"

Applebloom scratched the back of her head with a hoof "Well, not really, no...It's jus' not th' same when we're hangin' out in town without ya, Scoots. How's it goin' with you an' Mr. Grumpy over there??" She gave Astaroth a slight glare, not too happy with his presence.

The orange filly looked back at the dark golem and gave a sheepish grin "Well...we're getting along fine! Just fine! Right, Astaroth??" She felt guilty lying to her friends like this, but she did not want them to risk their lives to try and make things better. Scootaloo was only acknowledged by the dark golem with a scoff as he flipped another page.

Applebloom shot Scootaloo a deadpan look, knowing that she couldn't possibly do well with Astaroth, especially with how he acted towards all three of the crusaders. Sweetie Belle tilted her head in confusion "You mean to tell us that you're actually doing well with him? Is he getting better at all??" She gave a hopeful smile and waited for an answer.

Scootaloo gave her friends another sheepish grin as she replied to the unicorn filly "He hasn't caused me serious pain...That's something good...right??" She gave an awkward chuckle, while she noticed how Applebloom wasn't convinced at all "Really, he hasn't! The only thing I dealt with while watching him was being flung to a wall and almost being choked to death! If anything, that's something, right??"

The yellow filly gave a sigh with how persistent her fellow crusader was being in terms of speaking good about Astaroth. What could Scootaloo possibly see in the dark golem that makes her want the two to be friends? She trotted over to Scootaloo's side and placed a hoof on her shoulder "Y'all are about as hard-headed as Rainbow Dash, an' that's sayin' something, Scoots. But if yer dead set on wantin' Astaroth to be a better...whatever-he-is...then it's only best that me an' Sweetie Belle should help ya! Us crusaders gotta stick together after all!"

Sweetie Belle looked at Astaroth and shook at his sight, remembering both times she was hoisted up by her head with the dark golem's remarkable strength 'Why does he have to be so mean?? And why can't I be that strong when I'm with my friends??' As much as she wanted to think about this, Sweetie Belle heard Applebloom's words and was compelled to agree with her on the matter with a determined nod. She couldn't bear to have Scootaloo handle Astaroth all on her own, and it was her job as a cutie mark crusader to be with her friends to the end.

Scootaloo looked down and sighed in defeat, but then looked up with a smile "Thanks, girls...It really means a lot to know you have my back. Maybe we can do a better job this time!" The crusaders jumped up and gave a three-way high hoof, and then huddled as they began to formulate ideas to better approach Astaroth in secrecy.

Meanwhile, at Ponyville Train Station, some ponies were waiting for the train to board so they could either welcome visitors and tourist or catch the train for business purposes. They were satisfied to see the train come into view and reach the station as it came to a halt. The doors on the passenger carts opened, and some of the ponies on the station floor took a few steps back to give the departing passengers some travel space. What they didn't expect was one of the folks that came out of the cart.

While some of the passengers trotted out of their carts, they looked back with discomfort and slight fear as the cloaked man stepped out after them. They quickly scramble to the side as he casually walked past the other ponies with scythe in hand, taking in his surroundings with a hardened and stoic expression on his face.

'Trying to find the shards in secrecy has grown to be a real bother knowing that they can be found in certain crowds...' The man thought to himself as he made his way into town. Everypony around him stopped what they were doing as they gawked at his sight, and some began to whisper behind his back. As he strode town square, he stopped and remembered something of utmost importance as he looked around 'Where is it...' He carefully scanned each building in his sight, and then noticed a large tree in the distance 'There...' The cloaked man made his trek towards his next destination.

At Ponyville library, Twilight was enjoying lunch with Spike while reading a book as they took a small break from their duties. It pained the lavender bookworm knowing that anypony even felt like visiting the library nowadays, but at least it gave her some time to relax (Although most of the thanks goes to Spike for coaxing her into actually relaxing...). As they enjoyed their meal, Twilight felt it was best to start a conversation "Say, Spike...What are your thoughts on vampires??"

This caught the purple dragon's attention while he was enjoying a fine piece of turquoise "Huh? Wait, you mean those blood sucking ponies of legend? But I thought they don't exist. What's gotten you hooked on them, Twi?"

Twilight flipped a page "Well, with what that book on Soul Edge had to offer, it made me wonder if humans ever had myths similar to our own. Vampires intrigued me the most with how they were presented in folklore, and I only wonder if they existed during their times. I mean, this is a race that we barely have no knowledge about! I should probably grab the girls or anypony interested in learning about this book!" She beamed at the thought of uncovering lost mysteries and using them to better Equestria in its likeness.

Spike raised an eyebrow "While the book's good and all, Twilight, don't you think you're thinking about this 'human' stuff too much? I doubt learning about their culture would actually benefit Equestria, especially since it's doing well enough as it is. Also, why mix them in with vampires? Would we want to imagine something that hasn't been seen by ponykind as something scary? I don't think that's a good idea..."

The lavender bookworm sighed "You're probably right. Besides, knowing how busy everypony is now and then, I guess they wouldn't take the time to actually look at human history." She then moaned like an unhappy child "But why couldn't that book provide me with more on their history?? All it gave me were some certain details about them and the swords known as Soul Edge and Soul Calibur!"

Spike chuckled at this "Sheesh, you're really obsessed with them aren't you? There's no point in fussing about them, Twilight. I mean, knowing that they actually were around BEFORE Equestria, then shouldn't they have died out along with their history??"

Twilight looked down and considered this thought. She was surprised that Spike actually listened to what she had to say about how old humans were, but her assistant proved a good point in knowing that their race was beyond extinct. She then turned back to Spike "I guess you're right. Also, getting back to the topic on vampires, I suppose that they probably never had those in their time..." The two perked up when they heard the front door open and shut, and Twilight turned to her assistant "Spike, could you go see who's at the door, please??"

The purple dragon gave a thumbs up "I'm on it." He hopped up and began walking to the door, and began thinking to himself 'I can't believe how Twilight is with what she talks about. Vampires is one thing, but humans? PSSH! Gimme a break...' He reached the entrance while looking away 'Not to rag on her or anything, but how could their be such a thing...as...hu...mans...' As he looked to see who was at the door, his eyes grew wide as dinner plates when he noticed the visitor.

He beheld the sight of the cloaked man in awed silence, while he looked down at Spike with his own silence. The purple dragon's jaw dropped and he stammered quietly as he continued staring at him. After a minute of babble, the cloaked man broke the ice "This is Ponyville Library, correct?" he spoke in a calm and deep tone as Spike stopped stammering and slowly nodded "I'm looking for a certain book...Where is the librarian??"

Twilight did not recognize the voice of who was at the door, but when she heard her presence was needed, she closed her book and hopped off of her chair "Be there in a second!" She trotted over towards the entrance "Welcome to Ponyville library, how may I hel-" She stopped and gasped like Pinkie Pie meeting a new pony as she spotted the cloaked man and his scythe.

He noticed the lavender bookworm and gave a light scoff as he spoke "It's good to know you are here...I require your assista-" he was interrupted as Twilight instantly zipped over to him and examined him from different angles at a breakneck pace.

The lavender bookworm couldn't hold her excitement as she examined him "Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! A human! An actual human! And the same one Doodle talked to me about! This is simply amazing!! Oh, I cannot believe this!!" She stopped in front of the man's feet and looks up at him "Who are you? And can you please tell me about human history? Oh, what are they like? Are they compatible in culture to ponies? Do they study magic as well?"

She continued bombarding the man with questions until he finally raised his free hand and signalled her to stop. He took a few steps past Twilight and Spike and then turned around to face them "While your questions are fit to be answered in detail, I'm in a bit of a hurry..." he spoke in a more serious tone "I want a book...A book on a sword known as Soul Edge...Do you have it??"

Twilight stopped for a moment and then smiled ear to ear "Of course! Wait right here!" She quickly galloped to the bookcase where she reshelved the ominous book and quickly yanked it out with her magic. She figured maybe the man could be connected with the book in a deeper level than when she had read it. The lavender bookworm then trotted over and levitated the book to the man with a grin "Here you go! I know this is probably asking too much, but could you maybe stay for a while so I can interview you on your life? I really want to know more about humans and you're just the right one for me!" She then stopped herself and cursed her leniency of manners "Oh, I'm sorry! I haven't really introduced myself! My name is-"

She was interrupted by the cloaked man, who had the book open in his free hand "Twilight Sparkle...Element of Magic...Owner of this very library..." He spoke in a monotonous tone as he flipped through a page. This left Twilight baffled upon his knowledge. Was this one familiar with how she had saved Equestria twice from certain doom? She had many questions, but she snapped out of it so she could move on with proper formality "And you are??"

The man sighed, figuring that he would at least send her off with a name in order to keep her occupied while he carries out his task "Zasalamel..." He flips through another page and paused, then spoke again "Does anyone else know about this book??" He asked in the same serious tone.

Twilight looked up at Zasalamel, then turned to see Spike, who was staring at the his scythe with awe. She then turned back to him and shook her head "No. Why do you ask? Is the book that important??"

Zasalamel only slammed the book shut with his free hand and then held it out in a dropping motion "...Yes..."

In that moment after he spoke, Twilight and Spike screamed when they noticed the book that she had given Zasalamel had spontaneously combusted, being engulfed in crimson flames. As he held the flaming book, he dropped it on the floor as every page burned to a crisp along with the cover.

Spike quickly sprang into action and went to the kitchen to get a bucket of water. Once he came back, he poured every drop of water onto the burning book. The flames then died out as the book laid in a small ruined heap, and Twilight couldn't help but look up at Zasalamel with a bewildered expression "What have you done!?"

The cloaked man clenched his free hand after the book had burned away "A favor..." he turned to take his leave as he pressed the front door with his hand "That book you had just read was a mistake from my past. No one alive is to know about its existence...Not your friends, your fellow element bearers, and especially not your ruler...unless you actually want more unnecessary casualities..." He opened the door and gave his last words "Heed my words, Twilight Sparkle...do not let your princess catch wind of this, or you shall doom your whole world..." he then went out and shut the door.

Twilight then quickly opened the door with her magic and hopped outside, darting her head left and right to find Zasalamel. To her surprise, he was nowhere to be found after he had closed the door. She noticed some of the ponies walking outside looked slightly unnerved and then turned to Spike "Spike, I need you to check on the library while I go around and ask some questions!"

Spike then scratched his head "But shouldn't we let Princess Celestia know about this? I mean, that was an actual human that just came into the library and burned an important book!"

Twilight looked down, wanting to do something about this as well, but remembered how serious Zasalamel sounded with his warning. She sighed in defeat and looked at Spike "Sorry, Spike...but this is gonna be the first time we don't send a letter to Celestia...If what he was saying is true, we have to stay on the safe side! Now can I trust you to keep the library in check?"

The purple dragon was astonished to realize Twilight would decide on such a thing. It was out of character to have her not send something to Celestia, even if it wasn't a letter on what she had learned about friendship. Knowing how the situation was becoming, he then nodded with a mock salute "You got it, Twi!"

Twilight nodded back with a satisfied smile as she galloped into town and began her search for answers.

While the lavender bookworm, along with the rest of Ponyville, were occupied with their tasks, Zasalamel was skillful enough to stealthfully drift through town from roof to roof with experience from certain assassin tactics and finally reach the outskirts of Ponyville, setting his sights for the Everfree Forest. He narrowed his eyes at the sight 'My search continues...' The cloaked man gripped the scythe in his hands and dashed into the forest entrance, embracing the dangers he was about to face.

End of Chapter 9