When Ghouls Cross Over

Chapter 14: The Princess Has Spoken

“Do not disappoint me Kaneki, or it will be your end.”

It’s strange isn’t it? How based off the time, setting, current circumstances, place, region, area, and the way light hits a certain spot can change the scenery before someone in a matter of seconds.

It’s strange isn’t it?

How the moon shined on this alicorn who represented the night. A princess nonetheless. Her mane, gently waving in the air sparkling ever so at just the right moments as light hit her figure and that figure casted a shadow that while appeared at a normal size as Kaneki, Pinkie’s and Hachikawa’s there was something regal about it. Mysterious even.

And yet, standing before ghoul and investigator. Party planner and friend. Was Princess Luna. Part of the diarchy that ruled Equestria, and the one who was now staring at Hachikawa with a calm smile on her lips.

“Now what is the problem, Pinkie, care to explain?” Luna asked.

Pinkie Pie still frankly confused about all this snapped out of her confusion and looked up at . “Huh?” she said now fully paying attention.

Luna gestured at the human who was now staring darkly at Kaneki, and in a matter of seconds the mare was able to recall why they had been running in the first place. Though despite her Pinkie Sense going haywire, she still didn’t get why Kaneki ran from a fellow investigator.

Or rather, she didn’t want to understand the real reason Kaneki had ran.

“You’re that scary investigator that Mrs.Cake told me about coming over to the bakery with Dinky!” Pinkie gasped quite dramatically, frankly surprising Kaneki, and even the angered investigator who had been glaring at the two the entirety of the time. “What have you done to Dinky and Derpy?!” she asked, her eyes narrowing and her expression mixing with concern and suspicion.

Hachikawa, unsure of what just happened stared at Pinkie for a good few seconds, looked at Kaneki with a great look of confusion completely forgetting his anger, the boy only offering a shrug in response, before he looked at Luna who was rubbing a temple and shaking her head.

“Pinkie” Luna said gently prying the mare away from the confused investigator. “I asked you what’s happening, not how you met this man. Why was he chasing you?”

At that exact moment the angered glare the pink mare had been giving suddenly changed into one of thought. “Oh yeah, he said something about Kaneki I couldn’t hear, while we were making our way back to Sugarcube Corner. Then all of a sudden he began running towards us. I thought he was just coming to tell us something but before I could even get a word out Kaneki started defending me and then well...” Pinkie looked at the taller, coated man before her. “He just attacked us.”

“I see” Luna said, looking at the human from the corner of her eye. But if Hachikawa gave a crap, he surely didn’t show it with his returning angry expression.

“But” she added , “I don’t think he was after me.” Pinkie paused and looked at Kaneki who had remained silent the entire time, before continuing. “I think he was after Kaneki.”

Silence filled the street after Pinkie had said that. And not a second later did wind flow by making this silence feel even more dramatic.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Pinkie’s nose was beginning to get all tingly again. And that tingly-feel was a strong reminder and referent to Kaneki’s secret.

A secret that no one on this entire planet save for her friends and the rest of her alien species knew about.

Maybe it was time I asked, Pinkie reasoned as Luna remained silent looking between the two aliens before her, obviously pondering things over. There is a strong difference between keeping a secret to protect others, and keeping a secret because you are scared of what the outcome will be. Avoiding the truth because the outcome may not be what you want it to be, because you’re scared of getting hurt or being alone. It’s understandable, it’s common to want to avoid it.

Pinkie knew that feeling well. She had not forgotten how badly she felt when she thought her friends were avoiding her because they never liked a single one of her parties, and were throwing their own without her because they were fed up and tired of her exuberant personality.

It had hurt like several knives to the back and then some. She was mad, angry, despondent, hurt, conflicted, and most of all...scared.

“Kaneki” Luna’s voice said drawing Pinkie slowly from her thoughts.

But then again, when Pinkie had confessed her doubts when her friends went to get her, she discovered the truth and all her doubts were put to rest. Maybe I could do the same for him, like what they did for me she thought with a warm smile.

“I’m going to need you to head back home Pinkie Pie. I must talk with these two alone” Luna’s voice cut in.

Pinkie snapped out of her ruminant state and stared at Princess Luna with a great look of surprise. She then glanced to her right where Hachikawa was, the human had both arms crossed, his eyes hard to see because of the glare coming from the moon on his glasses but from the curves on his face. Pinkie didn’t need to see the look in his eyes to get that he was angry.

He always seems to be angry, she noted as she turned to look at Kaneki. The white haired boy was now avoiding Pinkie’s gaze. Well...okay not avoiding, he was looking down the street a vacant look on his face as he was off in his own world, with his own thoughts.

Pinkie wanted to say something, but Luna’s voice cut in once again. “Pinkie Pie.”

Pinkie looked up at her other friend. The alicorn was staring at her with a serious expression. “Did you hear what I said earlier?” Princess Luna asked.

Pinkie merely shook her head. She was up in her own thoughts. Princess Luna sighed, tiredly, shaking her head for a second before looking at the party planner with a small smile. “Always so caring aren’t you?” the princess said in rhetorical fashion.

Pinkie Pie managed a small smile in return to this, but Princess Luna’s soon vanished. “I appreciate your concern. But I am here on official business Pinkie. I need you to go back home and be careful on your way. I must talk to these two alone.”

Pinkie stared at Luna, feigning ignorance, hoping she wasn’t saying what she think she was saying.

“I need you to go home Pinkie.” Princess Luna reiterated. But to her slight annoyance and inconvenience, Pinkie Pie did not move a muscle.

“Now.” She said firmly.

Flinching, Pinkie sighed, and tossed a glance at Kaneki hoping he’d back her up. But not to her surprise, she saw him staring at her with that same casual expression. “I think the Princess is right” Kaneki said. “You should leave.”

Perhaps Kaneki didn’t put as much emphasis in the words as Pinkie had heard, but regardless it sure felt that way.

“Oh...” she said morosely, her ears, tail, and mane all drooping. “I see.” Pinkie looked up at Luna- sorry Princess Luna, and frowned at her. But no matter how much it may have hurt the princess of the night to toss her friend aside, one of the few that had helped release her from her prison to give her this second chance, it was necessary. Just as the Element Bearers of Harmony had their duty to uphold, like the princess’s when Equestria was in danger in the past.

Luna also had her duty to uphold in this nationwide spreading epidemic. So she did what she had to do just like her sister had done many times over in the past while she had been trapped in the heavens. And just like she had done many times before when they first took over as the rulers of Equestria when they were young; she steeled her resolve, and watched Pinkie leave.

Hachikawa offered a sardonic snicker aloud as he watched Pinkie leave with a despondent look on her face. “Friends huh?” he said in Kaneki’s direction.

Princess Luna merely gave the investigator a glance, then looked at Kaneki with a raised brow.

While it may have seemed to others that Kaneki didn’t care, through that dull and expressionless look on his face, Luna could see his true feelings for what they really were.

Kaneki felt bad, telling Pinkie to leave like that. But he had no other choice. Because if he was right about what they were going to talk about, then it was for the best his energetic friend leave.

And never, ever hear the words that would be discussed this night. Or everything Kaneki had worked for these past two weeks, would be gone.

Princess Luna now stood in front of her two victims.

Both of whom did not look at all pleased for being in their current situation. But in all honesty Princess Luna had to say, she didn’t care.

And why would she? For the past two weeks, since these ghouls had emerged in Equestria, and their appearance had been made public, there had been nothing but panic, concern, and a great feeling of disturbance throughout the streets of various cities.

Fear was common. It’s a part of life, Luna knew that better than anyone. Fearing something and not knowing what it was is one thing. Not knowing when it could attack, do harm, or take away everything you care about are all one thing entirely. Knowing what you're afraid of however, and knowing that it could and can attack you at any given moment, at any given time of day. Could not only ruin you but change you if you let it consume you...that was something entirely different.

And if the princess of the night was being honest, she didn’t like how these creatures had not only appeared on their planet causing all this stress, but were now attacking her subjects.

As Princess Luna stood observing both of these ‘investigators’ as they called themselves, she couldn’t help but notice the look Hachikawa kept shooting Kaneki a dark look. Minutes passed as the silence between the three grew, till finally Luna allowed her curiosity to speak its mind.

“Why do you continue to shoot him such a look-...kind, sir?” the princess asked.

Hachikawa lifted his head up, and looked at the princess of the night, his anger returning as he recalled how her presence had stopped him from delivering just punishment.

A few seconds of silence passed as Princess Luna and Hachikawa stared at each other, Kaneki not saying a word as he watched this little bout in his own silence, while going through his own thoughts.

Finally, Hachikawa did something; he snickered.

“Do you know why I’m so angry?” he asked.

Princess Luna cocked her brow with a look that said “really?” Nonetheless she decided to play along. Shaking her head she said “No. No I do not.”

“It’s simple really.” Hachikawa said, uncrossing his arms.

“Is it now?” Luna asked with a bored expression.

Hachikawa said nothing. At least not for a good few seconds. “Tell me Princess, since Ghouls have appeared, have your kind been able to do any damage to them with your current equipment?”

Princess Luna’s expression shifted from boredom to sternness. “No” was her answer.

To that Hachikawa merely nodded. “I’m not surprised.”

Though the comment was offensive, Luna did not make the mistake of showing how it had irked her, instead she directed the subject elsewhere. “From what I’ve been able to gather in various cities across not just Equestria, but the Griffon Kingdom, Shetlands, and other various countries and nations there are not just ghouls popping up and making their appearances, but members of your faction as well. I believe you called them CCG. Correct?” Luna asked glancing between Kaneki and Hachikawa.

Both nodded, but when Kaneki did he took note of how the investigator scowled at him.

“Mr..?”

“Hachikawa” the investigator responded.

“Mr. Hachikawa, your kind and these creatures you’ve brought with you are not just disturbing countries, families, and homes. But are tearing apart the systems my sister has worked for the past millennium to create, while I was...away.” Luna’s eyes narrowed as she took a step towards the trenched man. “I would appreciate it greatly if you could tell me, how you got here. Or even better, help us with your knowledge on these ghouls so that we may be able to contain, and maintain them. At least so that-” Luna stopped.

Through her peripheral vision she had caught a brief look on Kaneki’s face while she had been speaking to Hachikawa. It was a look of rage, but at the same time it was not.

Kaneki could understand it. Hating the ghouls he meant. Back when he was human, he felt the same, just like anyone else he was terrified of them. But that changed when he became one of them.

With the help of his friends back home. Kaneki learnt that ghouls, weren’t just monsters that masqueraded as humans. But also had human emotions. They had families; Hiname and Touka, they had loved ones and could learn to care, Nishiki, Yoshimura, Enji, Tsukiyama and the others. They, at least the ones he had had the great pleasure of meeting. The ones that had risked their own lives to save him from the Aogiri Tree were not monsters. They were his friends, his family, and the only ones that had risked their very lives to get him back.

There was no way he’d allow anyone. Be it anthro equine, investigator, princess or another human to ever speak in such an ill manner about ghouls that were changing their ways. The two he had escorted after the fight with Streamlight were proof of some trying to change if anything at all.

So in a manner, Kaneki had every right to be angry, he was just doing his best to keep it low-key. But regardless as such Luna could tell just as well that he was displeased. And she wasn’t the only one.

Hachikawa caught on to the silence and followed Princess Luna’s gaze. It was then he saw Kaneki’s cold stare.

Wasting no time Hachikawa approached the boy, backing away from the princess and proceeded to grab him by the collar. Kaneki made no effort to stop him.

“What are you doing?!” Princess Luna asked in surprise and shock. But the man obviously wasn’t listening.

Firmly gripping Kaneki by the collar, Hachikawa lifted him up slightly and uttered a growl that clearly wasn’t human. “I told you before didn’t I? The problem hasn’t been solved.”

A light glow surrounded both Kaneki and the investigator and ripped the two apart. Slowly both Kaneki and the investigator floated towards Luna who looked at them with annoyance in her eyes.

“Put me down!” Hachikawa snarled. Kaneki as usual said nothing, but merely kept an eye out on Hachikawa in case he tried anything.

“I asked you a question Mr. Hachikawa. Why did you attack the boy?” Luna’s voice rose into the night echoing down the entirety of the street and well across Ponyville as a whole. But despite the anger in the mare’s voice and the fact that Hachikawa was currently being suspended in the air, he would not reply. Seconds of constant struggling and flailing went by till finally, the magical field that surrounded him exploded and Hachikawa was dropped to the ground.

A second later Kaneki landed on the ground as well, but made sure to distance himself greatly between the two.

Once Hachikawa was back on his feet, he glared at Luna with such a force that she was very sure that the man was going to attack. But to her utter amazement. Despite this very same man being in quite a few young foals nightmares, he didn’t. He merely got up dusted himself off and shot a look at her that was using every foul language that Equines could utter for a curse. And maybe even a bit more considering he wasn’t even from their world.

Finally after a full minute of silence Hachikawa sighed from behind his coat, turned his back to both Kaneki and the princess and looked at the sky. The starry night sky.

“Princess...you have a duty to protect these equines right? Both you and your sister care about them right?” he asked, his voice bereft of anger just straightforward questioning.

Princess Luna mildly surprised by this question, answered after a moment’s hesitation. “Of course we do.”

Hachikawa remained silent for another minute, before speaking again. “What information have you been able to gather about the ghouls?”

Luna cocked a brow at the question and looked at Kaneki, Pinkie’s friend. He merely shrugged, not wanting to speak she made a note to address him later. “I don’t see why I should inform you of the information my sister and I have been able to gather. Especially since-”

“Your Highness”, the investigator said with great distaste. “I am trying to help you. Now answer my question. What do you have on the ghouls so far?”

Luna paused. Never before had she been spoken to in such a manner. Not when she had returned after the Nightmare Moon incident. Not once had she even been spoken to with such fury. If anything she had to admit, she didn’t like it, but she was impressed nonetheless.

“I..." a sigh escaped her. "The MDA has fabricated from the device used to kill the first ghoul, that only a certain type of weapon can kill these ghouls. Officers that have faced ghouls before were severely injured or nearly killed, their weapons, magic, and devices proving useless to do any damage to a ghoul. That is until Streamlight came along.”

Kaneki involuntarily flinched at the name, and Luna took note of that. “You know him?” the princess asked, looking in his direction.

Kaneki didn’t respond. At least not quickly. “We...have met at Pinkie’s.”

Hachikawa’s head turned in their direction, but he didn’t fully turn around to face them.

“I see...” Luna said keeping her eyes on the boy for a second or two before turning towards Hachikawa. “Why did you want to know that?”

“Because I need to know what you have before I can help kill all those vile disgusting vermin that are now infesting your homeworld” Hachikawa said with a hint of hostility.

Luna paused for the second time that night. Since the reports and attacks she had had to go into various dreams and quell many who had, had the unfortunate task of meeting said “vermin”, and if she were speaking the truth. She could understand why her and her sister’s subjects were scared.

These ghouls were strong. Incredibly fast as well. Not only that but were intelligent. When word first got out, she had assumed they were nothing but mindless beasts looking for food. But when she entered the dreams of some of the officers who had faced off with them and lived...it was quite clear that they were indeed sentient beings.

“How do you kill them-” she stopped mid-sentence. Trying to find the right words to say this without appearing heartless was crucial.

“How do you kill the ones that truly wish to do harm?” Luna asked. “If they are all hungry then how do we pick which ones to kill, if they are only trying to feed their own? How do we-”

“WE KILL THEM ALL!!” Hachikawa shouted. “Every last one dies! Starting with him!” he said pointing at Kaneki.

Kaneki froze and stared, shoving all fears away in an instant. But Luna wasn’t about to be convinced so easily.

“Why should I kill him? He does not appear to be like these “vermin” you speak so illy of. Besides, isn’t he one of your own?” Luna asked with narrowed eyes.

“One of my-!! What!!?!” Hachikawa said in an angered yell. “H-How dare you! He is not one of my own! He is not a investigator! EVERYTHING, everything he’s said to the residents of this town.”

“Don’t say it” Kaneki said mentally.

“Is!”

“Don’t do it or I will kill you where you stand” Kaneki warned though not verbally, his hands began to clench into a tight fist.

“A LIE!” Hachikawa snarled glaring at him through his spectacles.

In that moment Kaneki was ready to slaughter the investigator where he stood. But something else told him to stop. Whether it was his conscience, if he still had one, or his own better judgement. He didn’t act. He just waited, and looked towards Luna who now stared at the investigator with a curious yet obviously disappointed look in her eyes.

Silence took over and not a word was said save for Hachikawa’s heavy breathing. Finally when words were spoke. It was from Luna’s mouth that they came.

“Why do you hate ghouls so much? I can understand your anger. They eat your own kind for survival, and some do it with great joy” she said without even a quiver or a shake. “But your vendetta. Your cause, it’s more personal isn’t it? Tell me Hachikawa what happened to you?”

Hachikawa’s anger quelled in a second and in a flash he was looking at Luna like she had slapped him.

But Princess Luna’s gaze did not falter. “Tell me Hachikawa, what did they do to you?”

Hachikawa said nothing. He merely continued to stare at this princess through the safety of his trench coat. Princess Luna however did not need to wait long, though.

“You know the one thing I don’t understand about you equines, is that you’re all so open and trustworthy” Hachikawa said shaking his head. “It irritates and annoys me how honest you are” he stated with sincerity as he lifted a hand up towards the collar of his coat.

“And sometimes it just pisses me off how your kind approaches these things so casually.”

One tug, one pull. That was all it took to show her and Kaneki the thing he hid every day of his life. The thing he would have to live with for the rest of his life. The thing that reminded him every time he woke up in the morning to the time he went to bed that very night.

His scar. A scar he had received when fighting a very strong ghoul, that not only changed his life, but took everything away from him.

“Oh my...” Luna said in complete bafflement. She had seen the wounds officers had received in various cities...but none had been so everlasting as the one she currently saw. It physically and emotionally killed Luna to see this. It was like a reminder of herself, when she was Nightmare Moon and did awful things that she’d never be able to forget, or ever forgive herself for doing.

“This is why I hate ghouls. They took my face from me. They took my family from me. They took-- take everything you care for if you hunt them. So it’s better to kill them all.” Hachikawa stated, with an icy edge to his voice that made the air temperature practically drop. “I have several scars on my body from fighting ghouls. Several of my comrades have died fighting ghouls as well. Thousands more in other countries that face their own ghouls as well. My own comrades died even protecting civilians in the process, only for those same civilians to either die during the fight in protecting them or later be killed off by some other ghouls. When you make this your livelihood, for years. Watching people die. Getting hurt. Watching those you care for die, then watching even more people die. Feeling like you weren’t able to do anything because you had to make a sacrifice or lose it all, you eventually end up stop caring about the costs or consequences of your actions and ultimately end up doing whatever it takes to end this madness.

“So Princess...Kaneki” Hachikawa said looking to both alicorn and boy from the corner of his eye. “Are you really going to stand there and ask me why I have such a grudge against ghouls?” his eyes narrowed slightly at the statement. Daring them to answer, because if these two were as smart as he knew they were. Then they’d know that this was NOT a question, but a challenge.

A challenge that was not accepted.

Both Princess Luna and Kaneki stared quietly, Kaneki staring at the investigator with a slight look of surprise, and an even greater feeling of perturbation.

Silently Hachikawa readjusted the collar of his coat and turned around in Derpy’s direction. “I’m done here. If you want to kill the ghouls you’ll need to get a quinque. I’ll leave you ‘Investigator’ Kaneki, to figure out and explain that to her.” With that said, Hachikawa made his way back towards Derpy’s place for a well earned rest.

But before he was completely gone, the investigator stopped and gave Kaneki one last glance, huffed aggressively, then made his way back towards his hostess home.

He wouldn’t be killing any ghouls tonight. He’d lost interest completely, and right now all he wanted to do. Was get some rest.

Kaneki and Princess Luna stood side by side watching Hachikawa’s figure fade away into a dot as he headed back home. The words the investigator had said, really did affect Kaneki more than he had thought.

He knew what it was like to lose something. He’d lost part of his humanity. Then again there were many times where he even considered himself no longer human.

Hachikawa was right. There were ghouls out there who’d take and take and take. Not caring at all for what they did. Rize was one, she’d taken a bite out of him, taken his life, then taken his humanity.

But in the end he’d won the battle and conquered her...but at what cost? He was different now. Different from before, and there was not a doubt in Kaneki’s mind that he’d ever be able to go back to being what he once was.

Not that he wanted to anyway. He wanted to be strong, he just wished it hadn’t been like this.

“Kaneki” Luna said.

The white haired boy looked up at her, and she down at him.

“I have been doing a lot of dreamwalking in the past week. And though it was tough, I was finally able to enter your dreams two nights ago. And what I saw....I...I apologize.”

Kaneki’s blood went cold. She knows?

As if reading his mind Luna nodded. “I do know. But do not worry. I will not tell anypony. It will be a secret between you and I.”

Hearing this, Kaneki felt...better in a form. But that did nothing to curb his doubts and suspicions. “I don’t believe you.”

Princess Luna gave him a look, but after a second that look softened into a kind yet sad smile. “I...I can relate. Though our transformations were different, I understand what you went through. I spent a thousand years up there” Luna said pointing a thumb in the moon’s direction. “As a punishment for my actions and everything I’d done. It was thought of as a way to free me, but it turned into a punishment worse than death.”

Kaneki’s expression was still one of doubt. And though he had heard all of this before. There was no way he would be willing to let something like this go without a more concrete security that this would remain a secret between them and them alone.

“You don’t trust me do you?” Luna asked after a few seconds of careful observation. Kaneki’s silence only confirmed this, making Luna sigh.

“I understand...though I spent a thousand years going through mine and only came back angrier at my sister than ever before I was able to receive some form of salvation. You however...had to save yourself in those few hours... I apologize once-”

“I don’t need an apology” Kaneki said gently but strictly. “I need your word.”

Luna nodded slowly taking his statement in then said, “I need yours as well.”

The slight raise of Kaneki’s brow didn’t go lost on the princess. “I need you to assure me that you will never harm the ponies of this town or anywhere else given your skills and strength, you could easily decimate this entire town and all that occupy it. I need your word that you will not harm a single soul if you find yourself in a situation where you are unable to gain sustenance, or undergo certain circumstances” Luna said sternly, but cautiously.

Kaneki took in her words, before he spoke again. “I...can try. No...I can assure you I will not hurt Pinkie or the others.”

“All of them Kaneki Ken” Luna instructed.

“I can assure you I will not hurt Pinkie or the others” Kaneki repeated his earlier statement. “The rest of the town I can do my best, but I guarantee you that there are no promises if other ghouls emerge.”

Princess Luna stood there for a few seconds saying nothing. Finally she sighed. “Agreed. I also promise-”

“Pinkie Promise” Kaneki corrected.

Luna paused and stared at the boy with a slightly befuddled expression. Kaneki made no motion to correct what he had just said.

Bemusement crossed Luna’s muzzle a second later. “I Pinkie promise, that your secret will be safe with me.”

“And I with you.” Kaneki replied.

Luna nodded, and spread her wings. Stretching them before floating into the air a bit. “I should hope so Kaneki. Do not disappoint me, I’d hate to have to kill one of my friends.” With that said Luna rose into the sky her eyes never leaving Kaneki once as he watched her ascend towards the moon.

Then in a flash of brilliant light, she was gone.

Kaneki was left to watch the starry night sky shine down on him, before he turned and began making his way towards Sugarcube Corner. “I hope so also. Because if they ever found out. I’d just have to disappear.”