私の小さな子馬：魔物の千年紀戦
My Little Pony: The Millennium Battle of the Demons
Chapter One: Hitan
Daiisshou: Hitan
だいいっしょう：ヒタン
第一章：ヒタン

Preread by reflective vagrant, who deserves a digital high-five for his hard work!

As Baou finally reached the bottom of the shaft, his headache quelled, leaving him with only the feeling of his head pulsing slightly. The huge, purple caverns of crystal gleamed when he lit his horn, reflecting the swirling combination of the yellow of sparking electricity, green of the grass blown by solemn winds, white of a flurry of snowflakes pummeling the earth, and the cerulean of the raging sea. The colors dissipated all into a single, pale-white as he continued to walk into the cavern.

He had traveled these massive caverns often in search of Hitan. Hitan was the type that couldn’t just stay in one place. Lots of things had happened to this large grotto since the wedding of Shining Armor and Cadence. Instead of being normal, like a labyrinth with jagged rocks adorning its surfaces, they were now uniform hallways, with incredibly smooth, rounded walls and floors.

“Hitan? Where are you?” he called out, his voice carrying far across the cave. He received no answer, and after a minute, he began searching the halls.

After looking around for ten minutes and not finding Hitan, he decided that he would just use the Answer-Speaker again. He knew that he’d be cursing himself five minutes after using it, but the building craving to know why he kept having these continuous visions was like heroin—he just couldn’t stop it.

For some reason that baffled him, Baou couldn’t use the Answer-Speaker to learn why this creature that appeared in his visions actually appeared.

“Where is Hitan at this current moment?” he asked out, his eyes once again glowing.

“Hitan is located 5.634 furlongs to the north-northwest of my location.”

‘Very well,’ he thought, knowing that he traveled in the wrong direction. Baou turned around and quickly cantered off towards Hitan’s location.

After about a minute and a half, he finally came across a part of the cave that was more natural than the rest. It was more closed-off than the rest of the cave, with just a small space for him to squeeze through guiding the way.

He came across the young human, who had large, transparent spheres coming out of each hand. Hitan moved swiftly throughout the area, letting his energy spheres annihilate the walls they touched, leaving even, rounded edges in their place. The matter that his mana enveloped was completely destroyed from existence.

“Hitan?” Baou asked, startling Hitan and making him jump. The spheres disappeared from his hands as he turned around.

“Oh, P-Prince Baou, I-I didn’t hear you c-coming,” he said, looking over in Baou’s general direction. He wouldn’t look at Baou—he was as nervous as a lone rat in a fierce, tiger-filled jungle.

A constant stream of tears streamed from his reddened eyes, unstopping as they rolled off of his chin, dripping down onto his raggedy overalls. He seemed to have an indiscernible, underlying sadness, perhaps grief, beneath his lean face. His spiky, white hair shot out in every direction out of his head.

“How are you today, little buddy?” the prince asked softly, walking slowly up to Hitan and sitting down next to him. He rubbed Hitan down his back, smiling down at the young boy. He spread his wing over him.

“I-I’m alright, s-sir. I was j-just continuing my l-labor,” Hitan answered, looking down to the ground. The greatest look of guilt was on his face, unable to change. He looked like he wanted just to break down and sob, but he knew that he shouldn’t have looked weak before his master.

“It’s okay to cry, Hitan. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with displaying what you’re really feeling to me,” he tenderly said, picking Hitan up and giving him a great hug. Hitan pressed his head into Baou’s large, puffy chest as hard as possible, letting out a loud cry.

“I’m so sorry,” he gasped, wrapping his arms around his prince. His tears were now a torrent, a tidal wave relentlessly crashing into Baou’s breast.

“Everything will be all right, young one, I promise,” he said, lifting Hitan so that he was at face level with himself. He pledged as he forced Hitan to look into his eyes, “You no longer have anything that you need to be sorry for. You are doing as much as you can to, uh… reparate the bad things you have done, and for that, you’re in the clear.”

“Y-You tell me that everyday, b-but it doesn’t ever make me feel better! How am I supposed to feel good after everything that I’ve done? I’m nothing but pure evil!”

“No, you’re not!” Baou cried, patting Hitan on the back. He looked down at the ground in dismay of Hitan’s sadness. “Yes, it’s true that you’ve done some bad things and made some terrible mistakes, but… but…” Baou stammered, unable conceal in his emotions. He felt such sorrow for the set of circumstances this child had endured in his life, and his tears began to flow out. “…But you’re doing so well now to make up for it, and I can't stand to see you like this anymore! I don’t ever want to hear those words coming out of your mouth again!”

Hitan broke away from Baou’s grip, backing away as if threatened.

With a look of utter despair on his face—a deep, rooted pain in his eyes, heavy breathing and a grief-stricken frown—Hitan yelled,“Well, how am I supposed to not be ‘like this?’ How!?” He pointed to the deluge coming out of his eyes, which leaked over his chin and onto the floor, creating a small puddle.

“I-I… I…” Baou trailed, not knowing where to go with this. “I don’t know, but I do know that I’ll be here for you every step of the way to help, Hitan. I just… I just want you to be happy, and yes, that will be a long process,” he began, walking back over to Hitan, “but I know that together, we can get you to the happiness that you deserve! Do you believe me, my friend?”

“I… I don’t know what to believe, but… I have faith in you, Prince Baou,” Hitan said in earnest, jumping up and hugging Baou once again. Baou smiled, and as he was about to bring up what he wanted to talk about with Hitan, his stomach grumbled, begging for his eleven o'clock meal.

“Thank you, Hitan. Now, how about we get something to eat?” Baou suggested, giving a wink and chuckle to the child. Hitan couldn’t help but smile at Baou, his tears returning to their normal, small stream.

“U-Un.”

With that, the two exited through the small entrance leading to the cave, going back up to the castle above. Before long, though, Baou’s crippling headache came back, forcing him to the ground, grunting loudly.

“P-Prince Baou! Are you okay?” Hitan cried out, dropping down. In an instant, he could tell that it was a withdrawal from the Answer-Speaker—a clear, massive headache, alongside the stretched look that Baou’s eyes had from being so widely opened, made it immediately clear.

At that moment, the child activated his own Answer-Speaker—with blackened pupils that sucked all the light from around them, darkening the area.

“How do I quell the symptoms from the Answer-Speaker that Prince Baou is suffering from?” he asked hastily.

“I must press down on these spots on his interscutularis and cleidocephalicus simultaneously,” he received, certain spots on the top and back of the alicorn’s head lighting up as blue dots in his vision. He did exactly as he was told, pressing as hard as he could.

Baou screamed, a blistering pain shooting throughout his entire body. He clenched his teeth and eyes. In an instant, the pain disappeared, and a sigh of relief escaped his lips.

“Oh, dear the gods, that hurt so good. Thank you very much, Hitan,” Baou appreciated, standing back up. He stumbled on his hooves for a moment, but regained his composure quickly.

“It was n-nothing, Prince Baou.” Hitan waved it off without a second thought.

“Yes, it was, child.” He returned to his hooves. “This is exactly what I’ve been talking about. You just did something that greatly helped me, and I believe that you should take it upon yourself to find pride in some of the things that you do.” He walked circularly around Hitan, shaking his head slightly. He rubbed Hitan’s shoulders as a boxing coach would. “Put very bluntly, you must grow a spine. That is a good start to finding happiness. Just be careful not to get overzealous with pride,” Baou tipped, giving a smile to Hitan, who just stared blankly into the caves. “Anyways, shall we continue on?”

“O-Okay.”

The two made their way up into the main chambers of the castle, back where Luna and Celestia were. He tipped them off, but they couldn’t help but turn their heads away from Hitan. The sight of him was still completely ghastly to them—the wounds still hadn’t fully healed. Hitan couldn’t help but throw a distant, sour glare in their direction, as well.

Frowning, Baou ushered Hitan out through the doors, afraid that he would see the utter disgust on their faces caused by his presence. As they reached the front doors of the castle, Baou spoke up.

“Hitan?”

“Un?”

“There are a few things that I wanted to talk with you about once we get to lunch regarding some visions I’ve been having for the last couple of months. Is that okay with you?” he asked, opening the front doors and exiting.

“Of course it is, my prince.”

“Excellent! Where shall we go for lunch?” Baou mumbled, putting a hoof up to his chin. “Do you have any ideas, Hitan?”

“Unu… How about Fine Diner’s shop? They usually have something good to eat,” Hitan suggested, looking out over the city, of which had some giant, barren pits within—more damage from the battle.

“Sure, Fine Diner’s it is!”

On the way to Fine Diner’s, Baou received many bows, nods and smiles from the ponies of Canterlot, which he found unnecessary, but they were still welcomed. Hitan, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. Much like with the princesses, looks of utmost disgust were thrown his way, making him feel weak and powerless once again. He hid behind his massive shield that was Baou, begging him to protect them from their glares.

“They’re staring at me, Prince…” he whispered, holding onto Baou’s front leg.

“I know, Hitan. The most we can do right now is to just ignore all of the ones who dislike you-“

“Hey, Baou!” an energetic, light pitched voice called out. A black, insectoid, slender form approached him, a clear bounce in her step.

“Oh, hello, Chrysalis! How are you today?” he asked out, elated to see his friend. She came right up to him, jumping up to her hind hooves and hugging him, giggling like a schoolfilly.

“I’m really good today! How about you?” she returned, dropping back to the ground.

“I’m also doing well.”

“What are you up to?”

“Well, Hitan and me are going to get some food over at Fine Diner’s shop and discuss some things.”

Hitan peeked out from behind him. “Hey, Chryssy…”

“Oh, hi, Hitan!” she responded, smiling when she saw him. She went around Baou and gave him a hug also. The young queen nuzzled him, licking his face vigorously and flirtatiously..

“Ha ha, that tickles! Chrysalis, stop!” he cried out, falling to his backside. He smiled as she pressed her face against his.

“Okay, Hitan. I’ll stop,” she relented, stepping off of him. She offered her hoof to him, and giving grace, he grabbed it and lifted himself up, both of them blushing a bit. “So, you two are headed off to get some eats? Can I join?”

“Well, we plan on having a conversation that only us need to have, so unfortunately, I don’t think that would work this time. Sorry,” he explained with a small, bittersweet smile, causing Chrysalis to frown.

“Oh. Well, that’s okay. I have some things to do, so I’ll just get started on those. I’ll see you later!” she yelled, flying off towards the castle. They both waved her good-bye before continuing off to Fine Diner’s.

Canterlot was bustling with activity, with ponies all over doing repairs to property, and gryphons flying and changelings buzzing all over the place, carrying giant bags of dirt to fill the giant holes in the city. Baou smiled as he saw the works of his subjects and allies.

The two eventually arrived at Fine Diner’s Mom and Pop Pizza Shop, where the most gourmet pizzas, calzones and strombolis in all of Equestria were held.

They entered the door of the establishment, and the aromas of all types of fresh pizzas filled their nostrils. The rustic, plaid interior, filled with warm fireplaces, made it feel like an old, yet cozy log cabin, being served only the finest of foods after a long day’s work.

The host immediately noticed them and perked up from a couple of notes he was taking. “Why, hello, Prince Baou and Hitan!” he greeted with a friendly smile. “Table for two?”

Baou nodded. “Yes, that would be nice.”

“Right this way, sires.”

The host brought the two to a booth in the back of house—the one of the only open spots for a patron at this time of day. The two sat down, and the host gave them both a menu. “May I start you off with drinks today?”

“Yes, that would be nice. I would like a blue margarita to start off. Hitan, what would you like?”

“Unu… I think that I want a… cherry cola.” He looked distantly out the window.

“Very well. Your waiter will return with your drinks as soon as possible.”

“Thank you.”

Hitan listened to the host’s hooves clicking against the floor as he walked away, and he couldn’t help but sense the feeling that he didn’t belong. He rested his chin on one of his hands. He didn’t see anypony staring directly at him, as the other customers were busy with their own conversations, but he noticed their uneasy shifting. All in all, he felt that he didn’t deserve to be there with such sophisticated ponies. He was wearing damn overalls—practically rags!

The stream of tears under his eyes intensified once again; he didn’t seem to realize this.

“Is something bothering you, Hitan?” Baou asked, noticing that Hitan had spaced out. “Hitan?” He tapped his hoof on the table, catching the boy’s attention.

“Wha-?” he asked, looking back over to Baou.

“Are you okay?”

“Un, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? You look unsettled.” Baou put a hoof on Hitan’s shoulder in worry. He could tell that something was wrong.

“No, it’s nothing,” he declined, waving his hand. He hid it as best he could, not wanting to disturb his prince with such petty issues. “I promise.”

“…Very well,” Baou responded, pulling his hoof back hesitantly. “Just know that you can talk to me about anything, at any time.” Hitan nodded.

“Un. I know.”

“Good. So, I did want to talk to you about these visions I’ve been having.”

“Un? What about them?”

“’What about them?’ Am I supposed to be getting these visions?”

“Un. It’s a normal part of using the Answer-Speaker. Part of the… setbacks? Is that the right word? Anyway, anything that you’re experiencing is pretty normal for how long you’ve had the ability. Don’t worry.” Hitan offered a small smile of assurance.

“Whew! That makes me feel better about it, for sure. That leads me to another question, though: Why aren’t you suffering from these side effects?” Baou asked, curiosity looming in his eyes.

“It’s time. I’ve had the ability for longer and used it many more times than you, so the symptoms are more of a tolerance for me. You can’t skip past them, unfortunately. You can do things to lessen them, but they’ll still end up happening no matter what.”

“Is that so?”

“Un. There’s no-“

Before Hitan could finish, their waitress came with their drinks. She gave them their respective beverages, taking a straw and putting it in Hitan’s drink.

“Thank you, miss,” Baou said.

“You’re very welcome, Prince.” There was a twinge of disrespect towards him, but he didn’t care. Baou figured that if any of his citizens had any major complaints, they would leave them on his door. “Have you decided on what you would like?”

“I would like a slice of everything and a slice of plain cheese, extra parmesan on both of those.”

“…Very well,” she said, finishing writing down his order. “And you?” A great deal of apprehension and anger lined her voice, scaring Hitan and making to flinch greatly.

“U-Unu… I-I-I’d l-like th-the meat lover’s c-calzone.” The mare didn’t respond to him, but just gave him a scowl, which just said, “You are terrible.” It made him feel so horrible that he wanted to crawl into a corner and die.

“Your meals will be here presently.” She walked away.

‘Wow, she was bitchy.’ Baou thought. He looked back to Hitan, who was now about to sob again. Baou’s eyes widened as he put his hoof on Hitan’s head.

“Hitan, is everything all right?” He started to rub Hitan on the top of his head.

“I’m j-just int-timidat-ted. She had such soulless eyes, like I was staring into Tartarus itself,” he whispered, looking down at his lap. “She hates me…”

“I’ll go and address her-“ Baou started, beginning to get up.

“N-No, P-Prince Baou," Hitan pleaded, grasping at Baou's foreleg. D-Don’t cause a s-scene—it’s not worth it. P-Please…”

“But, Hitan, she looked down at you, as if you’re some peasant! I can’t let that go!”

“Baou, stop. Sit down.” Hitan’s voice suddenly lost all tone. There were no accents or emotions. It was empty of everything that gave ponies’ words meaning and expression. He displayed no emotions on his face.

It scared Baou, making him shake where he stood. He felt the air around him thicken. It became hard to breath. A horrified stare lay in his gray eyes. He did as he was told with no objections.

For almost a minute, the two just sat there in utter silence. Baou had never heard Hitan speak with such… terrifying apathy before. He couldn’t help but feel like a familiar, deathly breeze had blown over them.

“…So, Hitan, what were you saying?” he asked again.

“Huh?” Hitan snapped out of his daze.

“…I don’t even remember what we were talking about at this point,” Baou admitted, a chuckle arising from his belly, trying to make the situation less tense. It seemed to work, as the gravity around them seemed to lessen; Baou could once again breathe well.

“Something about the Answer-Speaker… I don’t—now I remember! There’s nothing you can really do to stop the symptoms. You just need to let them pass.” Baou lifted a hoof to interject, but Hitan got to it first. “The reason that I could get rid of the pain is because I massaged the pain receptors in your brain, causing them to stop.” He gave a smile.

“Sounds simple enough, I guess.”

“I used the Answer-Speaker myself to figure out how to do it.”

“And you aren’t feeling any of the withdrawals because you’re used to them?”

“Exactly! Now you’re getting it.” Both of them let out small snorts of laughter. “I could probably induce a vision by pressing similar places on your brain, as well.”

“That’s interesting. You’ll have to show me later.”

‘Man, Twilight Sparkle would have a field day with everything that this kid knows.’ Baou smirked at Hitan as he thought this, and received a smile in return.

“Sure. Is there anything else that you wanted to know?”

“Yes, actually. How does one get this ability? Like, obtain it?” For some reason, Baou couldn’t receive answers to questions revolving around the Answer-Speaker. It was a strange little quirk, but he figured that Hitan would understand why.

Baou suddenly realized how tense he still was, how tight his back was as he felt a strain in his side. He let himself hunch slightly and relax, and the pain went away.

“Well… I guess that it comes after a heavily traumatic experience of some sort. I was betrayed by the friends that I loved and cared for the most, and I got it after that. A popular saying in old religious texts is that ‘if one dies and comes back to life, they are granted a miraculous power.’ Maybe that’s referring to the Answer-Speaker?”

“Perhaps. There’s a lot more to this ability than I know, isn’t there?”

“I could give you an eight-hour lecture on it and you still wouldn’t know a thousandth of what really happens behind this ability.”

“Well, when you put it like that, it makes me even more curious. I-” He noticed a tired look on Hitan’s face, more tired than he normally looked. “Are you okay? I don’t want to force the information out of you. I can stop, if you want that.”

“I’m just really tired. I haven’t slept in days, and I’m running low on energy.”

His eyes narrowed at this. ‘He hasn’t slept in days? That’s a conversation I’m going to have to have with Celestia and Luna.’ Baou was getting sick of this near-constant mistreatment of Hitan at this point.

“…Well, it’s a good thing that you’re getting something filling to eat now, isn’t it?”

“Un.”

“Anyways, I’ll stop asking you questions now. Thanks for telling me everything that you’ve told me today. I really appreciate it.” Baou smiled again, reassuring Hitan’s fragile emotional state into one of temporary happiness.

“No proble-“ he started, but changed his mind on what to say. “Don’t worry about it.”

For about ten more minutes, the two just sat there in silence, taking in the view outside the window. One could see for miles, miles and miles out, all the way to Appleloosa.

Eventually, the time came for their food to arrive, and once again, the waitress gave a nasty look to Hitan. Baou saw this, and he was about to give this mare a verbal bitch slap, but realized that he needed to retain his composure, and didn’t say anything.

Baou put his hooves together and bowed his head down to the food, giving his grace to the gods and goddesses. “Itadakimasu.”

The two ate their delicious food in silence, with a few “mmm’s” and “so good’s” on the way, sipping their drinks periodically. Baou felt slightly buzzed by the liquor, as he got four extra margaritas. They found themselves finishing pretty quickly. The waitress came soon after with the check, and for the third time, she shot that look at Hitan.

That was too much for Baou—he wouldn’t let this abuse of Hitan go on any longer.

“Excuse me?” he asked, holding in his contempt.

“Yes, sir?”

“I’m not sure whether you’ve had a bad day or not, nor do I care. Can you please drop the attitude, though?”

“Attitude? I’m not sure what it is you are referencing.” Baou saw right through this lie.

“You think that I didn’t notice the little glares that you’ve been giving my little buddy here?” He narrowed his eyes, feeling insulted.

“I don’t-“

“Stop insulting my intelligence. It’s rather annoying.”

“…I-I apologize,” She set the check down, feeling ashamed of herself. Baou opened the check, looking at his total: Sixty-seven bits.

“It’s okay, this time. If it happens again, though, I may not be as nice.” He put his signature on the check and handed it back.

“Well, uh… thank you very much. Have a nice day.” A hint of awkwardness lined her voice as she took the bill back, beginning to walk away.

“Wait,” he requested.

“Y-Yes?”

“What’s your name?”

“It’s Silver Rose, Prince Baou.” That name sounded familiar, but he couldn’t place where he’d heard it before.

“Hmm… okay. Well, Hitan, let’s get going.”

“The two got out of their seats and headed for the front door. The host gave a smile to them, asking, “How were your meals today, sires?”

“They were good, Bell Hopper. Just like always.” Baou offered a smile, looking down at Hitan, who gave a nod. “We can always depend on you for good food.”

“I’m glad that you had a pleasurable experience today. Have a good day!”

“Same as you, my friend.”

The two walked out of the restaurant, feeling full and a bit sleepy. Baou remembered how Hitan mentioned that he could induce a vision, so he briefly brought it up. “Hitan?” He stopped walking.

“Unu?” Hitan muttered, stopping in front of Baou and looking back at him.

“You mentioned that you could make a vision happen?”

“What about it?”

“Is there anything particularly dangerous about it?” Baou asked, a glint of curiosity in his eyes.

“No, not really.” He shook his head. “It’s just a very temporary change in the state of your mind, of which makes memories more vivid. That’s it. If I can question you, why do you ask?”

“Well, I’m a bit interested, you know, to see what it’s like?”

“Do you want me to do it to you?”

“Is that possible?” A smidgen of hope lined his voice.

“Un. Sure.”

Baou lowered himself to the ground, saying, “Let’s do it, then.” Once Hitan had climbed onto Baou’s back and was firmly seated, he stood back up.

“I guess that I should say that, even though the amount of time that passes in a vision may seem like weeks, or even months, it actually only lasts a small fraction of a second, so you don’t need to worry about being unconscious for a long time.” Baou turned his head around to look at Hitan. He gave a smile that told Hitan, “I trust you.”

“How can I induce a vision in Baou?” he asked out, his Answer-Speaker turning on. No word-answer came, but instead, a few places once again glowed on Baou’s head. Hitan thrust his fingers into the spots, making Baou’s eyeballs nearly pop out of his head. His eyes immediately flashed, and another vision ensued.

Author's Note

I have included Japanese in the heading of this chapter because I wanted to pay homage to the story of Konjiki no Gash Bell (Zatch Bell!), the story that influenced this one.

私の小さな子馬：魔物の千年紀戦: Literally "My Little Pony: The Demon's Millennium Battle
"Hitan" is just Hitan's name in this case. Fun fact: The word "hitan" means "grief" or "sorrow" in Japanese.

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