The Crystal Empire is having a moderately quiet day compared to the regular chaos the rest of Equestria seems to be going through in the uprising of Heilung's activities. However, two hooded ponies walking casually towards the castle had plans to change all of that. The left pony can be identified as Shimmer, while the right pony is of a smaller build in comparison. Her hood is down showing she has a pink coat and a deep pink mane and tail with sky blue eyes. The mare chuckles sinisterly to herself which draws the attention of her comrade.

"Pinkie Pie... After Manehattan, I'm sure Chrysalis would want us to lay a little bit low. Is this necessary?" Shimmer asks as they approach the Crystal Empire castle.

The mare looks up from her kitchen knife sharply to glare at Shimmer while pointing said knife in his direction.

"I told you not to use that name anymore, it's Pinkamena only now. To answer your question... Yes." Pinkamena states with a cold air to her voice.

"I understand what you must be going through, but there needs to be a purpose to our actions." Shimmer states sighing deeply.

"You truly don't understand, you have no reason to. There is a purpose here... A bloody one." Pinkamena states idly cutting her left hand.

"If I am to go along with this madness... Can you at least tell me about your plan?" Shimmer states as they near the outskirts of the castle area.

"Was I suppose to have one..? I guess if I must... You stay down there in the area underneath, while I go up and redecorate a little. Think you can hold any reinforcements off for that long?" Pinkamena asks, glancing up at Shimmer.

The stallion in question deploys a mask in the shape of a leopard while removing his cloak to throw over his shoulder as he stretches.

"If that is what you wish... I will do what I can but make no promises." Shimmer states as he readies his fingerless black gloves.

As they near the underneath of the castle, the guards begin to react by approaching them. Several guards fortify the three stairways leading up into the castle with extra security as even more soldiers are brought down to detain the supposed threat.

"Looks like they finally noticed us... Shall I start us off?" Pinkamena looks at Shimmer expectantly.

Shimmer nods, causing Pinkamena's smile to widen as she flips her knife backwards and suddenly speeds towards the closest guard. With precision, she slices straight through his juggler. The resulting spray begins to decorate the floor and her face before he falls down onto his front. The nearby guards decide to charge at her while the soldiers stay back to provide fire support. Sliding past their bullets with ease, Pinkamena manoeuvres herself so she can cut the back of the second guard's legs. Upon kneeling on the floor the mare shoves her knife into the back of his head while flipping up his spear to impale a third guard through his left eye socket. Pushing the impaled guard to the side, Pinkamena kicks up his fallen spear before using it to cut her hand so she can attach a blood thread to the handle of her knife. Once done she uses all her force to throw the spear at one of the distant soldiers pinning him through the chest against the wall. Utilising the thread she yanks her knife free of the dead guards head so she can cut down a fourth charging guard with ruthless ease, making more blood coat her face as her smile only grows.

"Are you keeping up?" Pinkamena licks her knife before glancing backwards in Shimmer's direction.

Behind her, Shimmer is being charged by four soldiers with Crystal Empire issued sabres. Shimmer grabs the first sabre before smashing his forehead into the soldier's, denting his helmet. Letting go of the sabre, Shimmer turns around to slam his fist into the chest of the second soldier, forcing him to roll backwards across the floor. The third and fourth soldier charge together but are stopped when Shimmer smashes their heads against each other to put them on the floor.

"You focus on your own slaughter, Pinkamena. You won't have to concern yourself with me." Shimmer states, kicking a fifth soldier into a nearby wall which cracks it.

Shrugging, Pinkamena turns around to narrowly dodge an officer's sabre which slides past her head. Ducking down she plunges her knife up into the right side of the attacking stallion's chest, piercing his heart before twisting her blade sharply. Pushing the corpse of her latest victim to the floor, Pinkamena uses the thread to retrieve her knife making it snake around her. Several more soldiers spill from the three stairways leading up into the castle to surround Pinkamena, making her smile and hold her arms out either side of her body.

"You're going to need bigger guns." Pinkamena chuckles lowly.

Aiming their guns the soldiers fired several rounds at Pinkamena. When the bullets are mere inches away from her body the mare in question vibrates very briefly before her entire form morphs into pure blood. The bullets travel through her to hit the opposite soldier who fired them. Smiling wide, Pinkamena throws her knife with precision towards a soldier in front of her. Suddenly focusing her eyes, she travels along her blood thread with blinding speed to slam her hands into the chests of the two soldiers either side of the soldier with her knife in his throat. Lifting herself up to place her feet on the middle soldier, she uses him like a push board allowing her to launch herself into the air taking her hands out of the neighbouring guards. Using her momentum, she follows the move with a cartwheel while also calling back her knife. Motioning her wrist to the side, the knife manages to do a blinding fast run around the entire encircling company to slit all their throats as they fired at Pinkamena. The resulting bullet fire shredded the mares clothes while also managing to hit various soldiers behind the first line. The soldiers stay standing for several seconds as their blood sprays all over the floor painting it and Pinkamena red. The mare in question holds her head up and takes a deep breath to inhale the sincere scent of death she is responsible for.

Shimmer walks over to Pinkamena dragging two guards with him before snapping their necks and dropping them down.

"There should be enough of a gap for you to go upstairs now. That's an interesting ability you have developed by the way." Shimmer comments before cracking his knuckles.

"I quite like it myself, I'll see you when I'm done then." Pinkamena states before briefly vibrating again to morph back into her normal state.

Watching the bloodied pink mare walk away from him, slashing down any odd soldier who still feels like charging her, Shimmer sighs deeply before moving to secure the base of the castle.

Erlöser groans as he slowly wakes up to find himself on the cold stone floor of the room him and Scorpia were sparring in. Looking around, he can't seem to find the stallion in question before sitting up and rubbing the back of his head.

Scorpia walks back into the room from a hallway to Erlöser's left. "Finally conscious?"

"Yeah, no thanks to you..." Erlöser grumbles as he gets up.

Scorpia shrugs before replying. "You wanted to train. I have a few thousand years on you. Get stronger or continue to sleep. Anyway... did you know Sinclair is our uncle?"

"Only because they sent you that far back... Did I hit you too hard?" Erlöser states giving Scorpia a weird look.

"Asks the one who just got off of the floor." Scorpia replies.

"Psh, Details. Seriously though, how did you even come to that conclusion? Do we even know who else is our uncle?" Erlöser frowns as he crosses his arms.

Scorpia motions to the dragon mural as he replies. "It isn't the only one. One of Sinclair in the room down the hall. As for others, I haven't remembered... If the memory is even there."

"How do you even know that it's Sinclair?" Erlöser asks, unfolding his arms.

"Dragon surrounded by tentacle-like strands... Sound familiar?" Scorpia asks, raising an eyebrow.

"That could be anypony..." Erlöser states in weak defence.

"Okay... ignoring what he just did to us, have you seen or heard of any other Kansen to use anything similar?" Scorpia asks.

"Not that I know of, no... Seriously? He's our uncle?" Erlöser asks, having to lean on a pillar for support.

"Unless the mural in a room connected to a room with a mural of us isn't related to us, yeah." Scorpia states. "I don't like him..."

"Why don't you like him? Oh... Okay, I can kinda see why you'd dislike him." Erlöser states, making a pained expression.

"The worst part... I made some extremely good friends." Scorpia states, leaning against a nearby wall.

"How is that a bad thing?" Eröser asks, looking confused.

"For starters, we don't age. Death after death after death after death that I had to just live through without any way to stop any of it." Scorpia states, hitting the wall upon each 'death'. "And finally, I watched it perish. Completely and very suddenly. She didn't exactly die, but she was left a husk. Basically a living corpse." Scorpia replies.

"I feel somewhat sorry for that wall right now... Who is 'she' anyway?" Erlöser asks, taking a few steps away from his pillar.

"The last of the bloodline... or, at least, I thought she was. Found out fairly recently that it split at one point and it's not completely gone." Scorpia sighs.

"Umm okay... To think, I've only been living as an orphan since you were sent away, you've had it much worse." Eröser states, looking at the dragon mural.

Scorpia shakes his head. "You don't know the half of it... well, you might have some idea, if your time on the ground says anything."

"I'm not saying you didn't have it hard, but when all this actually started getting all Kansen and shit... I was prepared to let this burly ass Kansen paint the alleyway a new shade of red before Rainbow stepped in. My point is, I was at my limit and willing to just die, I didn't even care anymore." Erlöser states getting agitated.

"In this one never-ending lifetime I have seen so much strife. Caused it myself. Hurt those close to me. Seen so much war. Despite everything I've seen, never once did I think to end it or to even let somepony else do the job for me. You lived for a little over a decade in an orphanage and were ready to die? You're pathetic." Scorpia states, punching and cracking the wall.

"You don't know shit, you weren't there. I was alone, no mother, no father, not even friends to speak of. I had no pony who was willing to do anything for me! While yes, I have no idea how you lived in that other world, for some reason I can imagine you maybe had support. Even if just a little. I. Had. Nothing!" Erlöser states with more agitation and exaggerated hand gestures.

Scorpia taps his head as he replies, "You seem to be forgetting that I was there."

"You... Part of you was dormant then, how would you know all I went through? Even if you did, you should know I'm not as strong as you..." Erlöser kicks a random stone into the wall.

"No, no you clearly aren't." Scorpia replies, pulling the stone out of the wall and chucking it at Erlöser's head.

Erlöser slides slightly to the side to avoid the stone. "Then what is the point of us being here still?"

Scorpia picks up another stone and uses it to open a wound on his hand. He then soaks the stone in his blood, crystallises it, and chucks it at Erlöser while replying, "To convert the Blood Dragon of Bitching back into the Blood Dragon of Redemption."

In frustration, Erlöser spin kicks the stone back into the wall deeper than before.

"What even is the fucking point?" Erlöser asks, using a nearby flint to cut his own hand and forms a blood spear to throw at Scorpia with some force.

Scorpia pulls the rock back out and uses it to deflect the spear, before raising the rock up. "This is the point. You kicked it away. It may just be a rock, but it's covered in my Crystallised blood. Just a couple days ago, this likely would have left a hole in your gut. You are faster, more precise, and physically stronger."

"Yet, I'm still weak enough to be put on my ass by you." Erlöser states, forming some blood into a perfect sphere before hardening it and spinning around to throw it at Scorpia with force.

Scorpia throws the crystallised stone at the sphere, making it rip through the small sphere before continuing onwards to Erlöser, who barely dodges it.

"Son of a bitch! Stop with the fucking pebble!" Erlöser states before forming his draconic longsword to attack Scorpia.

"Well, I mean, it's behind you now. Also... You realise you just called Luna that, correct?" Scorpia replies, forming his scythe.

"I wasn't sure if you considered Luna our... your mother yet." Erlöser replies, slashing at Scorpia downwards diagonally from the right.

"Believe me, I'm extremely conflicted on the matter." Scorpia replies, dodging to get a slight cut on his right arm.

"I'm just happy to know I have parents, let alone that one is alive... You can't really deny your birth." Erlöser grunts before turning to slash horizontally from the left at Scorpia.

Scorpia jumps back to get a small cut on his stomach. "When I've both raised her and apparently been raised by her, I think I have some leeway." Scorpia replies with a pained grunt.

"You more than I." Erlöser comments lunging forwards.

Scorpia moves to his left a bit and flips the scythe to barely deflect the sword, leaving a small gash in his side. Erlöser skips forwards after the deflect to attempt another lunge only this time with more force towards Scorpia's chest.

"Are you slower or is it just me." Erlöser states mid-lunge.

Scorpia manipulates his blood from his stomach wound to cover his chest and crystallises it for a shield. Erlöser takes several steps backwards after his sword is deflected off Scorpia's crystallised chest shield. Scorpia jumps back to kick off the wall, charging at Erlöser and readying his scythe to strike. In response, Erlöser goes for a lunging stab towards Scorpia's mid-torso region. Scorpia, as he nears Erlöser, goes to swing before looking at him. For the slightest second Erlöser appears as a changeling with piercing blue eyes in the middle of a field causing Scorpia to falter and get pierced by the blade, driving it completely through his torso and knocking Erlöser down. Erlöser de-morphs his blade before using the blood to keep Scorpia's wound sealed. Staring down at the sight before him a mixture of unknown emotions are currently racing through his mind, unsure exactly what to do.

"Y-you need a hospital! This is not happening again!" Erlöser panics as he looks around frantically.

Picking up Scorpia, Erlöser runs down one of the hallways in search for a way out of the castle basement.

As Erlöser runs, Scorpia weakly speaks, "Back to the carving..."

"Which one? You said you found another." Erlöser argues, running back to the main room.

"Us... quickly..." Scorpia states.

Erlöser takes them over to the dragon carving of the two blood dragons. Scorpia raises his sliced hand and rubs it lightly on the carving, causing a small blood streak before dropping his arm and passing out. The carving itself suddenly indents from the wall and splits apart revealing a hidden path.

"Sneaky bastards... You better not fucking die on me again." Erlöser starts running down the revealed path.

Pinkamena slowly walks through the castle hallway dragging her hand across the wall, smearing blood as she goes. Two soldiers charge Pinkamena, only to have her slide past in between them, slashing her knife wildly. The two soldiers in question suddenly spray blood from several choice slash wounds before collapsing. Yawning, she uses her knife to stab a guard in the heart, pinning him up against the wall before twisting it to finish him swiftly. After dropping him, Pinkamena continues to redecorate the castle in many shades of red.

"You'd think I would have encountered the royal guards by now... Quite disappointed by the common grunt." Pinkamena stretches a little before smiling at the sight before her.

Two ponies stand in front of her dressed in full dull silver suits of armour with royal guard longswords. Preparing themselves they nod to each other before charging the pink mare in question.

"On our honour as royal guards, thou shalt not pass!" The right royal guard states with zeal.

Pinkamena continues to smile as she engages the pair, dodging and deflecting both of their swords using just her knife. They continue to press the mare, causing her to step back forcefully as frustration began to set in. Pinkamena jumps over the pair and just narrowly leans harshly backwards to avoid a joint slice like a pair of scissors. Pushing one of the royal guards against the wall, he manages to stab Pinkamena through the stomach as his partner goes for her heart from behind. The mare smiles as she morphs into her blood form making him slide right through her into his partner's chest instead. Not wasting an opportunity, Pinkamena pushes the royal guard behind her into the other's blade through her stomach using her tendril knife. Chuckling she smiles and sighs while looking into the guard's eyes.

"Not bad for the royal guard, truly a cut above the average grunt. However, you still lose~" Pinkamena slips out from between them playfully before turning back and looking at her clothes.

Rolling her eyes at how shredded they are she continues onward up the hallway as the two royal guards fall and slide down into their respective places. More victims of her rampage. Eventually, Pinkamena finds herself in a slightly wider hallway which leads to the throne room. In front of the doors, she can see six royal guards in silver armour. The two at the back have silver kite shields and protect the door, while the four in front of them carrying longswords, a spear, two sets of daggers and a greatsword. Holding out her arms, Pinkamena slowly walks towards them with a wide grin.

"Is this it? Is this pathetic collection of mismatched weapon wielding tin cans the best the Crystal Empire Royal Guard can do?!" Pinkamena shouts in frustration.

"Do not be so quick to judge, Pinkamena Diane Pie." An authoritative male voice can be heard behind her making Pinkamena scoff and grit her teeth as she glances towards the back of the room.

Standing only a few inches away from the mare is another eleven royal guards all carrying an assortment of weapons much like their squad of comrades in front of the throne room door. At the front of the group stands a proud soldier wearing bold purple armour with gold trim that bears a star on a shield upon its chest plate. In his right hand is a knight shield in the same colours as his armour while on the opposite hip sits a gold-hilted longsword in its sheath.

"The Crystal Empire Royal Guard is personally hand picked by Prince Shining Armour, living and dying to protect both the kingdom and those who live within its borders." A royal guard holding a longsword states, proudly.

"Twenty-two, including his majesty, makes up the finest collection of dedicated soldiers you will ever find anywhere in Equestria." The second longword soldier continues.

"If you wish to breach those doors Miss Pie, you shall do so over our cold lifeless corpses and not a single second sooner! I will defend my family and our home to my last dying breath!" Shining Armour states as he draws his longsword.

The legion of royal guards beside him prepare themselves as well and await the mares next move. Pinkamena begins to chuckle before outright laughing in hysterics as she sighs deeply and wipes her amused tears.

"As you wish..." Pinkamena states, before opening her shredded jacket to pull out a second kitchen knife which she flips backwards in her right hand, holding her left normally.

Pinkamena back flips up to avoid a spear-wielding royal guard before dropping just in time to dodge another using a steel greatsword. Wearing a wide smile, Pinkamena flips her knives up into the air before using a royal guard to cut her hands with their longsword. Manipulating her blood, she grabs the knives using blood tendrils like earlier in her assault. Spinning around to avoid the royal guard's sword again, she pierces her first knife into the slot of their helmet, following up with a slice across their neck to spill a large quantity of blood onto the floor. Pulling the knife out of the royal guard's face she jumps out of the way to avoid a downward slash from the greatsword royal guard who slams it into the ground. Waiting behind the mare is a female royal guard holding two engraved daggers which she uses to engage the mare in close quarters combat. A third royal guard ruses in using a short sword to flank Pinkamena, but she blocks the daggers while sliding down to avoid an eager slash from the short sword. The bloodthirsty mare smiles before snaking her free knife up behind the royal guard to stab it straight through the back of his neck. Spinning his body around and into the dagger royal guard, Pinkamena is able to use their own short sword to plunge up into the mare's stomach before twisting the blade sharply and pushing them both away.

"5-0 if we count the two in the hallway from before~" Pinkamena sings excitedly as the other royal guards show frustration towards her.

Two thin female and male royal guards charge the mare, clenching their fists tightly before forming duel Kansen arm blades that appear sharper and more advanced than standard ones seen previously.

"Kansen? How very interesting~" Pinkamena grins as she stretches.

The two clash and the bloody mare manages to gladly keep up with the twin assault as she dodges, deflects and blocks countless slashes. Moving up behind her she glanced back to catch sight of a large royal guard winding up for a heavy sideswipe with a big looking hammer. Sliding down into an insanely flexible splits manoeuvre, the hammer is swung only to violently smash into and crush the two Kansen duel blade wielders as they are flung across the room.

"7-0, you don't seem to be able to play this game too well." Pinkamena giggles before sliding up to stand properly and jumps backwards as the royal guards regroup.

"While I do not know what madness drove you to attack the Crystal Empire, I can promise it will not go unpunished. Even should we fall today, you will face your justice somewhere at the hands of one far more capable than us!" Shining Armour states before he and the remaining royal guard charge Pinkamina.

The mare smiles as she prepares herself for a very fun time.

Author's Note

Well, this took a while I hope to get more updates out soon but make no promises as I know how my schedule can be. See you next time.