Heralds May Die

by Misty Shadow

Rating: mature
Tags: Dark, Tragedy, Sad
Length: 10981

"So I must send my dearest friends to danger and to die..."

A demonic force threatens Equestria. As an army of three hundred demons arise, Princess Celestia is left with no choice but to send her beloved soldiers to danger and to die. But the story goes much deeper than just that, as Celestia's three highest-ranked soldiers gradually discover the deep roots of Celestia and Luna's greatest tragedy…

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2016-08-19 10:15:56 UTC

Tragedy

Episode 1: Tragedy

Celestia always cries. On the inside when she sends them to war, and on the outside as well when she learns of their deaths.

Her subjects don't know this. Some have faith this is the truth, but many others only doubt that an immortal goddess would ever care to know the pain of her mortal subordinates. In turn, they care not to know the pain of their immortal regent. Princess Celestia knows this, and is saddened. Princess Luna knows this as well, but neither she or Celestia judge these doubters, for their skepticism is neutral by itself, and their callousness is an unfortunate consequence from being brought up without love. Hate and jealousy inspired by doubt, Celestia and Luna know from firsthand experience that these things are not just poison to the souls of the mortal, but also to the souls of the immortal. The tale of Nightmare Moon serves as testimony to this…

However, now begins a tale of far greater tragedy...a story of a war between ponies and devils that supposedly claimed the lives of only a few ponies and was won by a team of great heroes in the end. The edited version makes for a comforting bedtime story for all the young children, but for all the grown-ups who actually lived the story, it makes for an endless nightmare...

It all started one night in Canterlot, in the house of the family of a royal guard, his wife, and daughter…

The family was asleep. Princess Luna, who was keeping watch of their dreams, was happy to see the dreams of the daughter, Valentine, a pink-maned foal with purple and white hair. She saw that in her dreams, she was drawing a picture of her with her mom and dad and showing it to her parents, who loved it and put it on the fridge. The wife, Jill, a burgundy-maned mare with cobalt blue hair was having a dream of a similar nature that pleased Luna. In it, she was having a picnic with her husband and daughter, smiling and nuzzling her husband as they both watched their daughter go out to play in the fields. Luna chuckled affectionately.

"I love how even I, an immortal goddess, can find these simple things that bind mortal ponies together fascinating…" she thought with a smile on her face.

But Luna's smile quickly faded when she entered the dream of the husband, Vincent…

It began as the same dream she would see every night. Vincent would just be standing watch inside the throne room of Celestia's palace with a look of apathy on his face. The sun outside would grow lower and lower until finally, it would be time for Luna to raise the moon. Every time up until now, the dream would immediately cut to black right after the sun had finished going down and the time for Vincent's shift to end had come. But this time, after the sun had gone down all the way, the dream kept going. Vincent left the throne room, his look of apathy becoming a look of anger and hatred. Luna became very worried when she saw a demonic figure materialize by Vincent's side and begin whispering to him…

"So you've finally had enough, I can see. Once I have your soul, you'll finally be free of the chains that make you a prisoner to false love…"

Luna gulped, her fear growing greater as she saw the demon and Vincent both vanish before her eyes.

"He left his own dream…" she thought worriedly as she looked around at the still intact world of the dream. "But the dream is still going. That can only mean…"

That's right, Luna. This is your dream now.

Luna gasped upon hearing those words whispered in her mind.

"That voice…" Luna said. "No...this can't be!"

Luna desperately tried to escape the dreamscape by creating a portal with her magic and jumping through it, but to no avail. She only came out of another portal that appeared in the dreamscape.

"NO!" Luna cried as she then tried using her magic to forcefully end the dream, but that failed as well. She was trapped, and she knew why…

"ANSWER ME HIGHER GODS," shouted Luna as she lifted her head up, "WHY ARE YOU SO CRUEL THAT YOU ROB EVEN OTHER GODS OF A CHANCE TO PROTECT THEIR OWN?!"

Oh Luna...you know this to be a rhetorical question. The greater gods above me know not cruelty or clemency in affairs such as this. Lives that must be taken in order for their plans to succeed are just that. And though we shall not force our beliefs upon you, we must ask you not to do so either. Just as we allow you and your sister to stunt the growth of the land you rule by coddling your subjects, we only ask for you to allow us to make the sacrifices necessary for all in both your land and the world beyond to live in peace.

"GUH!" Luna exclaimed through tears, stamping her hooves on the floor. She was crying now…

"I never wanted it to be this way...how much must we endure?"

I'll take that as you humbly acquiescing to your fate. Now then, the few minutes we've been here in the dreamscape have been equivalent to quite a few hours in the real world. The night is over now. You may go end this dream now by doing in this dream what you methodically do in real life, aside from monitoring dreams, obviously. Just know that you won't wake up right away, heh heh.

Knowing what she meant, Luna turned to look outside one of the windows in the palace halls and saw the moon hanging in the night sky. If the one speaking to her was telling the truth, it would mean the time had come for her to lower the moon and provide room for her sister to raise the sun. With this in mind, Luna was better able to fight the painful tears in her eyes.

"The good regent knows…" Luna told herself in her mind. "Duty comes before all else...my sorrow is secondary...please fallen ones, know I mean no insult…"

Casting her magic, Luna caused the moon to descend. As the dream began to melt away into darkness, Luna heard the voice of the one who had spoken to her in the dream one final time…

Good work on fulfilling both of your other duties. Managing the night and abetting Death…

Luna growled in extreme anger.

"FUCK YOU!" she shouted in response to the taunt as she woke up in bed late that morning. It was 11:00 AM, five hours after the sun had come up.

"Um…" a royal guard, a pegasus with a coat of white fur, who stood beside her bed went. "Is everything alright, Your Highness?"

Luna then turned to face the guard, looking furious. She would've been embarrassed had she not been so overwhelmed with anger.

"No…" she replied to his question. "An innocent family has been destroyed...and I could do NOTHING!"

The guard was taken aback.

"You...you already know about Vincent?" he asked.

Luna was also surprised.

"You...know as well?" she asked.

"As does Princess Celestia, who has already been told." the guard replied. "Not wishing to disturb your slumber, we laid in wait for your awakening before relaying the tragic news to you..."

"Taking advantage of their politeness…" Luna thought in frustration.

"Simply asking, Your Majesty, how did you know?" the guard asked.

"I knew what had happened because of…"

Luna hesitated to finish her answer. She remembered that she and Celestia had agreed to not talk to their subjects about the greater gods if avoidable, as to not involve them in their personal troubles.

"...a dream I had that was like a vision of the future. It felt very real, like I was actually there, thus my outburst. I am sorry. The dream only gave me a glimpse of what would happen though, so please, if it's not too hard on you, could you tell me the details of what transpired with Vincent and his family?"

The guard then took off his helmet, revealing he had dark blue hair with white streaks, and bowed his head in respect as tears came out of his eyes.

"To the great dismay of all of us…" he began, his body shaking from the sadness he fought to bear. "The bodies of his wife and child were found early this morning...dead...in their own home...Vincent murdered them…"

Despite all the mental preparation Luna had given herself, the blow to her heart was heavy. She donned a look of utter disbelief as if she had never experienced a tragedy such as this before.

"How do you know it was Vincent?" Luna asked solemnly, knowing full well the answer would be the coffin's final nail. There was no running from the truth…

"Because outside the house…" the guard continued. "...the guards who went to investigate...found Vincent there waiting for them. They reported that he told them...that he was the one who did it. He even detailed exactly how he killed them. First, he woke up his wife. He lied to her that he was sorry he hadn't been spending as much time with her and their daughter, then pretended that he was in the mood for making love to her. He waited until she got into a romantic pose…before brandishing his sword before her...and beheading her…"

Luna began to hyperventilate.

"Go on…" she said, her intense rage building.

"He then went downstairs, his wife's severed head in hoof, to wake up his daughter. As she awoke, he dangled his wife's head right in front of her face...wanting it to be the first thing she would see when she opened her eyes. He laughed as he heard her shriek as loud as her lungs would allow before slitting her throat…"

Luna clenched her front hooves, now shaking with anger.

"How did the investigators react to all this?" she asked.

"They were absolutely terrified...and furious. They bellowed, "You are not Vincent! You are a terrible demon! For murdering his loved ones and traumatizing their spirits beyond repair using his body, forever desecrating his name...we will ensure you will not go unpunished in the least!", to which he replied, "I'd only hope. Since I'm in a good mood right now, I'll let you two live in exchange for delivering Celestia and Luna a message. Tell them that this is only Act I of the play. Now that the antagonist has been introduced, the fun may begin. Using the body of this feeble small-time subordinate of theirs, I'm going to lead an army of demons against this pitiful land. Let them know that many shall be slaughtered in the name of Numdust, the true lord of the dead! Ha ha ha ha ha!" and following that, he disappeared without a trace."

"The true lord of the dead…" Luna pondered in her mind, remembering the jeer she received about "abetting Death". "No...DAMN IT! They are still not satisfied...absolutely heartless..."

"Is that all the investigators told you?" she asked. "You omitted nothing, correct?"

"One part of that recap did feel off…" Luna thought.

"Yes…" the guard replied. "Forgive me lord, though I know we have much to prepare for, I want to talk some more…is that alright with you?"

"Of course." Luna responded, empathizing with the despondent guard. "I did not intend for this conversation to end simply because duty had called. You are not a mere courier to me...you are a friend who has come to me with a troubled spirit, and I wish to help ease the burden on your heart…"

It was then that the guard shed tears...of joy. He held out his forelegs and Luna held out hers as he came close to her and she embraced him.

"You have no reason to care about me…" he told her. "Any guard could have told you this and it would have made no difference. You have no reason to even know my name…"

"Do not speak to me this way…" Luna replied. "I do not see you as this world does in its cruelty. Please, tell me your name…"

"Ricard." the guard answered.

"Ricard…" Luna said, being reminded of something. "Hold on, I've seen you before. You're not one of my men or...her's, but my sister's. You're with the Jaeger Raid, the highest-ranked squad in Canterlot before the Nightbringers. How is it that you come to me acting so humble?"

"Because…" Ricard replied. "I'm not proud of myself. I foolishly thought that being a Jaeger would make me feel more important, help me realize a greater sense of purpose, but all it's done is lead me to realize that I'm just a herald who's taken more lives than most others."

"No, that's not true…" Luna told him, consoling him as she hugged him tighter. "My sister made you a Jaeger because she saw something in you...she sees something in every herald, even the lowest ranked of her royal guards…"

"I'd love to believe that…" Ricard responded sadly. "But no matter how I look at it, status means nothing at the grave. No one cares whether you're a noble or a peasant once you're gone, they say, but it goes even deeper. Unless you're declared a hero, no one cares who you were on the inside once you've died in battle. Memory of any and all good you've done vanishes without a trace. You're just a number and, hopefully, a name. At both the memorial service and in the records, all that matters is the casualty count…"

Luna hugged Ricard even tighter.

"You are not the first soldier who's come to me telling me something such as this…" Luna said, teary-eyed. "And yet I still cry every time. Please forgive me for some of the sadness I feel right now being selfish."

"Selfish?" Ricard asked, confused. "How so?"

"Some of this sadness comes from the guilt I feel…" Luna explained. "...remembering how narcissistic I used to be. Only thinking about how I was being overshadowed by my sister while our men were out there bleeding and dying while being seen as objects. But I also weep for you and every one of our men who has been brainwashed by this disgusting poison they've been force-fed. Please know these tears are for us both..."

Ricard's tears ceased. Something began to dawn on him he once thought impossible...

"You care…" he said. "It's not true what they say...you actually care about us…"

It was then that Ricard smiled and said…

"Thank you. You don't even know how happy it makes me knowing that I have a bond with the ones I fight for. I'll talk to you soon after I join Princess Celestia and my fellow Jaegers for our strategy meeting. Farewell..."

Luna smiled back at Ricard as he put his helmet back on and left her room, but it wasn't long after he left that she laid back down in her bed, nervous.

"Calm down…" she thought. "I did the right thing in telling him the truth. If this leads the gods to take him sooner, then that is their action alone. To live being caught in the lie of inward shame is worse than death anyways…"

Luna continued to muse…

"Strategy meeting…" she said in her mind. "He mentioned an army of demons...and if they're already preparing to go to battle, it's clearly not a bluff. How is this all happening so quickly? Did the gods have this whole thing planned out ahead of time?"

Of course. Numdust has been building his devil army for quite some time. And it's with our help that you never even noticed…

"What?!" Luna asked, shocked.

Did you really think Vincent was the first pony to offer Numdust his soul? Remember that you can only see other ponies' dreams Luna, not their hearts. Dreams don't always have to be reflections of the heart. And even at that, innocent, happy dreams are incredibly easy for us gods to doctor.

"You faked their dreams?!" Luna shouted angrily. "How long have you been doing this?! How many souls have you ruined?!"

Only for a month. We must say, it wasn't difficult for us to find 300 ponies who were bored with their everyday lives and had grown tired of waiting for a god to make things better for them, to the point where even a devil was good enough for them…

"Three hundred ponies?!" an outraged Luna cried. "You may as well have destroyed three hundred thousand ponies!"

Oh, give me a break. Even you and your sister would sacrifice three hundred ponies to save three hundred thousand. And regarding the war that's about to go down, I'm sure you'll be quite pleased to hear that the casualty count is planned to be very low, despite Numdust's boasts.

"When will you learn that it's not the numbers that matter?!" Luna screamed. "It's the way you treat our subjects like tools to be thrown away that is outright DESPICABLE!"

Like we've already alluded to, it's not about being cruel or kind. But if we have to be either cruel or kind, or heaven forbid both, as part of our duty, we will be.

"What is the purpose of this war anyways?" Luna asked. "Why does this all need to happen?"

To foster hope for this generation that has long been deprived of it. This war will give birth to new heroes, essential role models for the youths of today. This is what I've been told.

Upon being told this, Luna actually began growing calmer.

I know what you're sensing...and you're right. Ricard is one of the new heroes, along with the rest of the Jaeger Raid squad.

"...Even if you are telling me the full truth, this in no way changes my stance." Luna said firmly. "I will make sure that every soul you have hurt will be given comfort, starting with Vincent's family…"

Good luck with that. Until next time…

After saying that, the god who was speaking to Luna left her mind. Such was the way that gods of a higher level would communicate with lesser gods, through telepathy.

"At least now I have more reason to believe that Ricard will be safe." Luna told herself in her mind as she got out of bed. "But that does not mean I can rest easy. Even before the war begins, I must provide aid to the spirits of the broken…"

It was then that Luna departed her bedroom, setting course for Vincent's house. As she left, the god who had spoken to her earlier began talking in their own mind…

Good work, Luna. We knew Act 1 was well suited for your character in this story about Celestia and her heralds. Now the focus may shift…

Inside Celestia's throne room, there stood the remaining members of the Jaeger squad, Gordon, the lieutenant, and Leo, the captain. Gordon was a unicorn who had blonde hair, Leo was an earth pony who had orange hair, and both had white coats just like Ricard. Leo also wore a necklace that had a ring adorned with the gray emblem of a lion attached to the string. Princess Celestia, sitting on her throne, was waiting for Ricard along with the other Jaegers. The god smiled as they saw Ricard ready to enter the throne room.

It's a good thing only I know what will make this meeting unique…

Ricard pushed open the doors to the throne room to meet his ruler and comrades...

Dark Warriors

Ricard entered the throne room.

“Greetings, Your Majesty.” he said with a smile on his face as he bowed to her.

Princess Celestia, however, did not return the smile. Even before Ricard had come in, she had worn a blank expression on her face.

“...It’s good to see you, Ricard.” Celestia said as a small tear came out of her left eye. She quickly wiped it with her hair, which was covering the left side of her face.

Looking at his companions wearing equally blank facial expressions, Ricard quickly remembered the tragedy that had transpired and stopped smiling out of respect.

“S-sorry…” he apologized. “I was only happy because your fair and compassionate sister consoled me.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” Celestia told him. “I’m certain the victims we’re all weeping for would want us to be merry. It’s not just what you’re thinking right now...as darkness approaches, we can only hope for all of us to see each other again alive and well…”

Ricard gulped as he also remembered that he and his comrades were soon to go to battle...he tried to remain confident as he walked over to Gordon and Leo and stood by them.

“Now that we are all gathered here,” began Celestia, “it is time to discuss the plan…”

Celestia then glanced over to the shadows of her three soldiers…

“You can come out now, Nightbringers…” she said.

With that, a trio of untraditionally dressed soldiers jumped out of the shadows of the Jaeger Raid guards. One was a female unicorn who had a black coat of fur and blonde hair, another was a male earth pony who had a blue coat of fur and white hair, and the final soldier, a male pegasus, had a red coat of fur and white hair. Each of them also wore a cape that matched their fur color, and each cape had an insignia on it. The blonde haired one’s cape had a symbol of a puddle of blood on it, the blue coated one’s cape had a symbol of a katana and a white stroke above it to represent a slash, and the red coated one’s cape had a symbol of an ember of fire giving a dark glow.

Despite their flashy outfits, they moved like ninjas as well as they hid like them in the shadows, doing rolling jumps up to the ceiling and landing on all fours in V formation, with the guard who had a red coat of fur taking the lead in front and his comrades standing behind.

“You called?” the leading guard said in a tone of jest.

“Yes,” replied Celestia, “please stand by the Jaeger Raid and listen as I disclose our plans for battle-”

“Princess, princess…” the leading guard said smugly as he raised his front hooves as a gesture of his nonchalant attitude. “It seems you’ve not caught on yet that we’re not into this formality crap…”

Leo put his right hoof on his face as Celestia gave the leading guard a bemused look.

“I asked you nicely, Dante…” Celestia told him. “Is asking to be shown respect in my throne room too much to request?”

“Always with the respect card…” Dante replied. “We don’t do this out of disrespect for you. We do this out of respect for the one who raised us to keep things simple and sweet for everyone, Akame…”

Celestia shuddered, just hearing her name spoken by him. She felt her heart sink as she knew debate would only lead to her getting a speech she would dread.

“Moving onto our plan-” Celestia said before being interrupted.

“We already know the situation.” Dante intervened. “Akame told us everything. So to explain it in the simplest terms possible, there’s an army of three hundred demons headed our way and it’s the job of the Nightbringers to wipe them all out! We’ll lead the attack while the Jaeger Raid acts as our support! Is that right?”

Celestia shot them a cold stare before replying with…

“No. I would have thought Akame to have the courtesy to disclose all of the information her soldiers need to know to them.”

“What?” Dante replied in confusion.

“The battle strategy Akame devised and disclosed to me is quite different than how you perceived things would go down…” Celestia explained. “The Jaeger Raid and an army of 200 men shall lead the attack on an army of demons who are waiting for us at a field near a fortress due north of here. The Nightbringers, also abetted by an army of 200 men of Akame’s, shall act as their support, establishing a magical barrier around both our army and the enemy army so that the enemy may not escape. It is purposeful that we will approach them with an army that has a disadvantage in numbers, giving them a false sense of confidence before the Nightbringers appear with their army and put up their barrier. They’ll feel trapped and soon realize that the only way out is to face judgment…”

Celestia then shut her eyes and gulped, turning her head away.

“Keep calm…” she thought. “It’s the demons we’re punishing, not the ponies they were…”

“After the Jaegers and the rest of our army have…” Celestia gulped again, fighting back the urge to cry. “...killed them all, they will move towards the fortress, where the castellan, the commander of the demon army resides. Defeat him, and the land shall be safe once more…”

“Woah…” Gordon and Dante went in awe.

“Your Majesty,” said Gordon in a tone of fascination, “that plan is magnificent.”

“Your Majesty…” Dante said in a tone of feigned fascination. “...that plan sucks. You expect us to believe Akame came up with this? Is this your unusual idea of a joke?”

Celestia and the Jaeger Raid glared at Dante angrily.

“I can get over that we’re getting put to the kids’ table despite being the squad most suited for taking on an army of demons,” said a frustrated Dante, “but I can’t get over that you’re doing it at what could be the cost of many lives! Do you really hate us that much?!”

“Not to mention,” chimed in the Nightbringer with the black coat, “disregarding us and the Jaeger Raid, that’s an army of four hundred men total. That’s going to cost you a pretty penny.”

“There is no reason you should be doing what you’re doing,” intervened the Nightbringer with the blue coat, “when you have three highly trained, devil-slaying warriors of the darkness who can wipe out a demon army of three hundred effortlessly.”

The angry looks Celestia and the Jaegers gave the Nightbringers...actually got less angry.

“Your Majesty,” said Leo, turning to Celestia, “though it pains me to say it, they bring up good points. Mind their attitude, they have good intentions in what they say.”

“The Nightbringers’ claims do hold some water,” said Ricard, “as they are renowned for killing large packs of demons in the past.”

“I don’t know about wiping out an army of three hundred…” Gordon chimed in skeptically. “But still, I understand why they feel they are the most pragmatic choice for the squad that will lead the attack.”

Celestia took a deep breath.

“Similarly,” she began, “I understand why all of you feel the way you do...but this battle strategy was not devised based on feelings, not based on what Akame and I feel is the best plan, but what we know is the best plan. What mortals feel is foolishness today, they could very well realize to be prudence tomorrow.”

Celestia then looked at Dante.

“Dante,” she said to him, “Leo is right about you and your comrades’ intentions being valiant, but you have to understand that the purpose of this seemingly unorthodox strategy is not to do something as heinous as throw the lives of my men away just to spite you. Rather, it is to save the lives of as many of my men as possible. Believe whatever you will, I don’t care that you are servants of Akame. I love all of you equally…”

A memory flashed through Dante’s head of Akame sitting by a TV and showing him, Trish, Vergil, and a group of young ponies a video of an agreement she had made with Celestia. Having paused it, she told them…

“I gave her permission to see you whenever she wanted…”

The memory ended there as Dante said in his mind…

“Love...bullshit.”

Dante was then silent for some time before crossing his forelegs, closing his eyes, and going…

“Hmph. Fine. Just please tell us what exactly we have to do and we’ll get it done.”

Celestia then went over the specific details with them over where they would have to go and where their men would be positioned. Before long, it was time for the two squads to head to battle. A chariot arrived for each squad to fly them to the battlefield. The Jaegers’ chariot was flown by the traditional team of royal guards while the Nightbringers’ chariot was flown by a team of royal guards that resembled the ones that piloted Luna’s chariot in Luna Eclipsed. As each chariot made its way to the battlefield, both the Jaegers and the Nightbringers talked amongst themselves.

The conservation between the Jaegers went as such…

“I feel so embarrassed…” Gordon said. “I’m with the second-highest ranking squad in Canterlot now and I still get butterflies in my stomach every time I ride this chariot that takes us to battle…”

“Are you sure you don’t just have motion sickness?” Leo remarked, partly joking, partly being serious.

“It’s not ever physically that I feel at disease…” Gordon assured. “It’s mentally. I’m one of those types that just can’t stop thinking, you know. My mind is always harassed with thoughts I’d rather just not think…”

“Are you afraid of death?” Leo asked, having sensed what was bothering him.

“Um...not so much death…” Gordon replied nervously. “But what comes after death…do you think there’s anything after death?”

It was then that the usually quiet and reticent Ricard became unnerved. He typically hated this kind of conservation because most of the time he heard it, he found himself disagreeing with the philosophy of the ponies talking about it entirely, either because he thought it sullenly cynical and shallow, laughably naive and undisciplined, or both. He clutched his forelegs and turned his head away, dreading what he would have to hear. Leo noticed, and empathizing, decided to give Gordon the most inoffensive response he could think of…

“Obviously, no one, including me, knows for sure…” he began. “...but it matters not. Whether it’s eternal bliss, eternal torture, conscious nothingness, unconscious nothingness, or even reincarnation, I personally don’t care. It’s all in the future, and life isn’t about worrying about the future. It’s about living in the moment.”

“...” Ricard went, finding this to be far more bearable than he expected.

“...I see what you mean…” an agreeing, yet hesitant Gordon replied. “But what should I believe in while living in the moment?”

“I hate going with the cliche of “You have to figure that out for yourself.”,” continued Leo, “so I’ll try to say it like this, “Believe what you feel is right.”. Live your life by what you believe is the right way to live. If the Reaper doesn’t agree and he takes you to hell for it, fuck him. He’s an idiot.”

“...!” Ricard went, surprised that Leo was talking about this in a manner completely different than what he had expected. He was now looking over at him in astonishment.

“You…” a speechless Gordon said. “You’d face eternal torture for what you believe?”

“I’d face anything for what I believe.” Leo assured. “If I let the grave scare me away from living my life doing what’s right, then I’m a coward. And even if I’m totally wrong, whose fault is that? Mine, or those chucklefuck gods who didn’t give me proof of shit even after I cried my eyes out for it?”

Gordon paused as memories of darker times came flooding back to him...sitting in his room as he overheard his parents fighting and sometimes saying they wished they had never had him...often, he would pray when this would happen, and never, would he get an answer…

“You’re right…” he said with a dark frown. “They should be the ones to blame…for mocking our faith...”

“Exactly…” Leo replied. “And even if my prayers were answered in my time of need, what would it have changed?”

“...?” Ricard went, remembering the experience he had with Princess Luna. “No, don’t tell me…”

“They clearly didn’t care to do anything, so what useful thing would they have said?” Leo continued. ““Life sucks kid, deal with it. You just gotta believe?” What a waste.”

“Leo…” Ricard intervened, feeling inclined to say something. “I think gods who actually care about us do exist.”

“Let me guess…” Leo replied, turning to Ricard. “You’ve had a more pleasurable experience. Tell me about it, I’d like to know.”

“I...talked to Princess Luna about what I was going through this morning after I found out about what happened with Vincent, and…” Ricard explained. “...she said some things that genuinely helped me feel better. I feel that she really cares about me...and all of us.”

“Wow,” said an impressed Gordon, “I never thought Luna had an affectionate side to her. I always thought Princess Celestia more the kind to do something like that. Glad I can respect her more now.”

Leo, however, was not enthralled upon hearing this in the slightest. He began thinking to himself…

“Oh boy…how do I break it to them without totally crushing their hearts?”

“...It’s good that she showed concern for you when you needed emotional support…” Leo began after thinking through carefully how to say what he wanted to say. “...but don’t forget the positions both of you are in. She’s a princess, and you’re a high-ranking herald fighting for her sister and the land they rule. Just asking for your opinion, do you think she would have done the same for any of the other guards?”

Despite Leo’s attempt at being diplomatic about it, Ricard’s heart immediately sank as he not only saw what Leo really thought, he began to have doubts about what Luna really thought back when she had comforted him…

“Y-yes…” Ricard assured, in spite of his confidence waning.

“Why?” Leo asked.

“Because…” Ricard replied, beginning to feel embarrassed, knowing the kind of pony he was talking to…

“...the way she reacted to everything I told her felt real…” he eventually continued, knowing he had to say something. “...she did something I thought no regent would ever do…”

“I can’t imagine most regents doing something like that either,” replied Leo, “but only a sociopath or a psychopath, I can imagine seeing someone who fights especially hard to keep their people safe not worth their time comforting when they need help. How guilty do you think she would have felt if you went out to battle and got killed just because you were depressed and couldn’t focus? That doesn’t mean she’s a saint, it just means she’s not a total cunt.”

Gordon and Ricard both knelt their heads, both of them silent and feeling very conflicted.

“I guess he feels that way about Celestia too…” Gordon thought. “Man, what does it take to be a saint?”

“Even if she is who I thought she was…” Ricard thought. “I was too presumptuous, too hasty in my desperation to have something optimistic to believe in...I guess today just wasn’t my day for my faith to be sight after all…”

“It’s never pretty to watch…” Leo thought as it pained him to see his comrades upset. “But though the truth hurts, it sets you free…”

Very true, Leo, very true. Too bad you’re not the judge of what the “truth” is. All you’ve done is set up countermeasures for what you think are our traps, failing to realize that you’re in a trap right now...

Meanwhile, on the Nightbringers’ chariot…

Dante, Trish, and Vergil were sitting on their seats musing over their discussion with Princess Celestia sullenly. Dante was particularly unhappy.

“Gosh, I can’t stand this!” he exclaimed. “This just feels so wrong!”

“Yes, it sucks Dante, we know as well as you do.” Trish said.

“It’s the world though, unfortunately.” Vergil followed up. “Unfair as this is, we’ve overcome worse.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know all that!” Dante exclaimed. “The problem is that it’s not good enough for me! I know I’m going to get over it eventually, but how does that help me get over it now?!”

“Why are you choosing now to get mad about this?” Trish asked.

“Yeah, if you accepted the situation back then, why are you having trouble accepting it now?” Vergil asked.

“Because back then, I had to watch what I said with Princess Celestia around!” Dante explained.

“...” Trish and Vergil were both silent.

“Hey, I’m a lot more diplomatic than you think!” Dante proclaimed as he held up his clenched front hooves. “Trust me, I don’t say half the crazy shit that runs through my mind, much less do! If the devil in me had his way, I would’ve wrapped my hands around that cunt’s neck, bitten through her cheek, licked the blood on the inside of it, then smeared it in her eyes so that she would cry tears getting mixed with the blood that I would drink-”

“You’ve made your point.” Trish intervened.

“You lost your cool again.” Vergil told him.

Dante immediately became silent, putting his front hooves down and kneeling his head in shame-filled self-reflection.

“What’s the point?” he asked himself in thought. “I trained myself to suppress my demonic urges around other ponies...for what? Just to be able to function in society, and...that’s it? How can I be satisfied with just that? I want more...I want to be honest in how I act. I don’t just want to pretend this crap doesn’t bother me, I want it to genuinely not bother me.”

He then slumped back in his seat, feeling defeated.

“It’s hopeless…” he thought further. “My dumbass mind is too complacent. Just shove everything down when you’re obligated to and find false comfort in your uncleansed soul…”

“...Why can’t I be shown a better way to live than this?”

Dante then growled as he was reminded of Princess Celestia again.

“Akame may have her issues…” he said in his mind. “But at least she showed us how to live in darkness and survive all the pain and strife. You, however, gave us nothing while we were in hell. You showed us no light at the end of the tunnel, neglected your most important responsibility…”

“...How can anyone believe you really care?”

Meanwhile, back at Canterlot Castle...

Princess Luna had returned from Vincent’s house and was now in the halls, strolling to the royal dining room. She was doing so with a smile on her face, being in brighter spirits now.

“I love having a reason to be happy now…” she thought to herself. “Because if I’m happy, they’re happy too. I’m going to give them a picnic like no other...”

Luna then entered the dining room, where a feast had been laid out for her, her sister, and a group of nobles on an elegantly decorated table. Without a second thought, Luna pulled up a chair adorned with a moon emblem at the top that sat at the head of the table, right next to a chair decorated with a sun emblem at the top. She sat down in it, slid it back towards the table, and unceremoniously, began devouring the food that had been put in front of her.

“Oh heavens yes!” she exclaimed, getting crumbs of bread all over the tablecloth. “The rolls taste like the food of the angels! And the roast pork is divine! Truly, this is the joy of being a god, experiencing pleasure shared with your mortal servants!”

The nobles sitting at the table with Luna were all puzzled.

“But none of us have even touched our food yet…” one of them thought.

“I hope the incident with Vincent didn’t disturb her to the the point of madness…” another one thought.

One noble, upon looking at all the others remaining silent as Luna continued eating, thought…

“I guess I have to be the one to say something…”

“Excuse me, Your Highness.” the noble said as he turned to Luna, who stopped eating to look at him.

“Yes?” Luna responded, looking around the table and wondering why none of the nobles were feasting.

“We only ask if plans for this luncheon have further changed.” the noble said. “Earlier, your gracious sister announced that she would unfortunately not be taking part in this afternoon’s feast due to her troubled feelings about the war happening today. In a situation such as this, the duty for praying for the safety of our troops would be passed onto you.”

Luna swallowed the food that remained in her mouth in shock as she turned to the chair next to her and could not believe that it was only now that she noticed Celestia wasn’t there. Feeling guilty about her neglect for both her and the troops, she bowed her head and said…

“I’m sorry...can you please tell me where my sister is? For now, this lunch is postponed.”

Luna was then told that Celestia had retired to her bedroom, and so, she made her way there.

“Sister?” Luna asked upon softly opening the door to Celestia’s bedroom. “Is everything alright?”

Celestia was lying in bed with a morbid look on her face. Looking at Luna, who walked over to her, she replied…

“No. Akame spoke to me in my mind again.”

“Shit.” a disgruntled Luna cursed. “What did that bitch say? Unless you do not wish to talk about it, which I shall understand.”

“It...wasn’t what she said that is troubling me deeply at the moment…” Celestia said in a crestfallen tone of voice. “It’s what I’ve done...Akame only reminded me of it…”

“What would that be?” Luna asked.

“I’ve sent two of my men to die…” Celestia said.

“My dear sister, we’ve discussed this in the past.” Luna said. “Those men would not want for you to feel guilty for-”

“...and two hundred of my men to kill three hundred of my beloved subjects…” Celestia abruptly continued.

Luna slowly started to realize what she meant as she remembered what Akame had told her.

“Sister...” Luna said, downtrodden as she lowered her head. “You have my sympathies. But we both know that there is no way to restore a pony who has given their soul over to a devil back to normal. After that, they only serve to kill as pawns of the devil. At that point, though unbearably sad to say, death is better…”

“From what we know sister,” replied Celestia, “that is the truth. But only from what we know. My experience with Akame has made me more cautious than ever. Akame tried to “ease my fears” by telling me that only two of my men would die in this war and that Vincent still counts as one of my men. Now, knowing Akame, why do you think she would say that?”

It soon dawned on Luna what Celestia meant. Luna got a look of shock on her face...that to Celestia’s shock, turned into a smile.

“He might be saved!” Luna suddenly exclaimed with joy before she covered her mouth.

Celestia gave Luna a perplexed look.

“We’re sorry,” apologized Luna, “we’re not happy that two men are going to die, rest their souls. We’re just...really happy to know that...there might be hope for him. They still love him…”

Celestia understood now, realizing what her sister had done.

“Oh, my sister…” Celestia said warmly. “So compassionate and kind...please return and eat with the nobles...I’ll even join you if you wish…”

“I would want nothing more…” Luna replied as she and her sister began to trot over to the dining room. Before leaving the room though, Celestia paused to look out her bedroom window.

“My men…” she said in her mind. “I shall pray for all of you...and ensure that the ones who fall this day will have their peace…”

Once Celestia and Luna had left the room, however, Akame appeared in the bedroom, taking on the form of a gray alicorn with long black hair and a cutie mark of a shadow pony with green eyes bowing down to a devil. She walked over to the window Celestia had looked out of and laughed.

“So she caught on to what I was up to…” she said sinisterly. “But it matters not. Nothing can prepare her for the outcome of this war...ah ha ha ha ha!”

Dying Through Hell

The chariots that had carried the Jaegers and the Nightbringers finally came to the ground and stopped. The Jaegers’ chariot came to stop at a deserted plain while the Nightbringers’ chariot came to stop near a cliff that was a fair distance away from where the Jaegers were. As the Jaegers got out of their chariot, they took a look around.

“I guess that must be their army’s hiding spot…” Gordon said, examining the cliff in the south near where the Nightbringers’ chariot had docked, and seeing that it cast a large shadow for Akame’s men to hide in.

“I hope it’s cozy for them.” Leo remarked.

“It’s actually kind of sad…” Ricard said, empathizing. “They must have been really excited to fight head on in a battle like this. To have their hopes betrayed after their leader got them up like that, they must be feeling crushed right now.”

“Their mistake was having too much trust,” said Leo in a deadpan tone of voice, “especially in a lowly creature as detestable as Akame. I don’t fully trust Celestia, I can’t say for certain that she’s “good” when I don’t even know her personally, but at least I know she stands for something good. I can follow a goddess like that…”

“Satisfied with following a goddess he doesn’t even fully trust…” Ricard thought. “...so long as they stand for something good. To me, it sounds dumb, but the way he sees it, he probably thinks it’s a display of unwavering devotion to good. But I’m not that selfless. I want to feel like I have a relationship with Celestia...and more than ever, I want to feel like I have a relationship with Luna now…”

It was then that Gordon noticed the army of two hundred men he and the other Jaegers were meant to lead approaching them and turned to face them. Stopping, the herald in front of the army who was commandeering the troops stepped forward, took off his helmet and said…

“We await your command, Jaeger Raid.”

Gordon then looked over to his two teammates, who were still looking in the opposite direction, amidst in thought.

“Hey,” he said, “something tells me that he’s not just referring to me.”

“...”

“...”

Leo and Ricard were both still silent for a short period of time before turning around to face their army.

“Thank you for your patience.” Ricard told them, trying to be polite.

“Let us lead the way to victory.” Leo said.

Soon, the Jaeger Raid was leading the army in a march to the battlefield, not knowing that behind them, Akame was watching…

Still an alicorn, she appeared on the plain, having used a teleportation spell. Staring at the soldiers sinisterly before glaring at the cliff where the Nightbringers were by, she chuckled to herself.

“Finally,” she said to herself, “I’m going to directly put the wheels in motion…”

She then flew to the top of the cliff using her pegasus wings and looked down at her servants, who were just about to set off towards the battlefield to cast the barrier spell. Trish, the one who would cast it, could see that Dante was still upset.

“Depending on the circumstances,” said Trish to Dante, attempting to make him feel better, “they may very well need our help in combat.”

“It’s not just that…” Dante replied. “I don’t want to see any innocent ponies get killed…”

“Nopony necessarily has to die,” chimed in Vergil, “if enough men are simply wounded, we’ll be called in to aid them in battle.”

“But still, that doesn’t change the fact that our comrades are going to get hurt just because we have to follow these fucking stupid orders…” Dante responded, still distraught. “If they don’t want to only send us in to fight these demons, fine. But why can’t we at least just all work together from the get-go and fight them all together? It just makes no sense how we have to watch things go to shit before we can do anything to help.”

“Ha ha ha…” Akame laughed from above. “Just be grateful you’ve been given the opportunity to help after things have gone to shit...it’s a luxury that most can only lie to themselves about having…”

“Akame!” the Nightbringers exclaimed upon noticing her after hearing her. Akame then flew down below and landed in front of them.

“I know you won’t say it to my face, Dante,” said Akame to Dante, “but you blame me as well for this “stupid” plan, just as you blame me as well for the torture you and your friends were put through at Hell’s Orphanage.”

“...” Dante, Trish, and Vergil were all silent as they gave Akame glares of bemusement.

“Don’t get me wrong though,” continued Akame, “I’m glad that you are not blind to the fact that both Celestia and I are evil, even if you believe that Celestia is the greater of two evils for doing nothing to save you from eternal darkness…”

“Look Akame,” said Dante, “we don’t really care about how you perceive our beliefs. What we do care about is why you’re here.”

“I’m just here to inform you with a very significant update I’ve made to my plan…” Akame replied. “I’m going to be the one to lead the backup army instead of you three.”

“What?!” the Nightbringers exclaimed.

“You heard me right,” said Akame, “I’m also going to be the one to cast the barrier spell. While the battle unfolds, I want you three to sit on top of that cliff and watch three hundred demons get massacred effortlessly by Celestia’s army. There will be no casualties, or even any injured on our side from the battle, rest assured.”

“Of course…” Dante thought. “She knew how much we hated simply the idea of having to just watch all this without being able to do anything and now she’s going out of her way to make it reality...but as long as no one gets hurt, we can’t really complain since it’s only our suffering.”

“However,” continued Akame, “don’t start thinking that I’m just doing this to torment you. I didn’t have you three brought out here for nothing. In fact, I have a very important job for you all.”

Akame then did a magic spell as her horn emitted a dark glow. Behind her, she summoned 199 shadow pony soldiers out of a large pool of darkness that formed on the ground. She also summoned a soldier at her side in the same manner, only this soldier, to the Nightbringers’ surprise, was one of Princess Celestia’s heralds, bearing the signature yellow armor of one and a white coat of fur…

“?!” Vergil went, being especially surprised as he felt something off about the soldier’s aura.

“Why is one of Princess Celestia’s royal guards with you?” Trish asked.

“Hey, he’s not chopped liver,” joked Akame, “ask him yourself…”

As Akame raised a hoof in the herald’s direction, the herald heard an order spoken by her in his mind…

Respond to them appropriately when asked questions. Don’t let them catch on before he awakens…

“Okay,” said Trish as she turned to the herald, “why are you with Akame?”

“Akame has given the fair Princess Celestia’s royal army an arsenal of weapons imbued with holy magic,” explained the royal guard, “potentially making them more powerful against a legion of devils than Akame’s soldiers that are not within the elite ranks. Thus, I was asked to join you in your mission, where we will defeat a great demon looking to show up in this region. A demon so powerful, not even you three would be able to defeat him by yourselves in a fight. Darkness alone shall not be enough to fell him, you must also have the power of light on your side.”

“Power of light?” Vergil thought. “But that soldier is like us...only his feels even darker…”

“Oh…” Dante went as a blank expression he had worn began turning into a smile. “Oh...I get it now. You didn’t screw us over, there was just a change of plans.”

“You know I’ve never left you three just hanging in the wind.” Akame replied, smiling as well. “Trust me, once everything is over, you’ll be hailed as the greatest heroes of Equestria. Makes for a much better title than “Celestia’s #1 squad”, right? We all know who really gets the credit for that…”

“Yeah!” a now happy Trish exclaimed as she grabbed the foreleg of the herald of Celestia’s. “Come on, whatever your name is!”

The herald paused for a while before answering…

“...Mr. Tong.”

“...” Vergil glared at the herald suspiciously as Trish started to drag him over to the cliff. Akame chuckled.

“I’ll save you three the trouble.” she said as she cast a teleportation spell that sent them on top of the cliff. “See you around.”

Akame then went over to her shadow soldiers.

“Conceal yourselves for the time being, men.” she ordered them. “When the slaughter’s begun, then you may come out and watch your friends be baptized…”

As Akame’s soldiers obeyed and hid in the pool of darkness that disappeared behind them, Akame then teleported herself to where the Jaegers and their men were, at an outlook where they could see the enemy below. Three hundred devils dressed in armor and armed with spears in hand. Completely stationary, they just stood in place with menacing looks on their faces, waiting to kill the enemy they knew would strike. Leo scowled, then looked back at his soldiers…

“Listen well, men.” he told them. “We can not allow ourselves to lose our lives to foes this vile. For the sake of Equestria, we will defeat them and return to our loved ones alive!”

The soldiers began to cheer and raise their swords in the air. After they stopped cheering however, they were greeted by the sound of Akame clapping behind them.

“That was an excellent speech, Leo.” Akame complimented him. “Short, sweet, and to the point. They say that to be a commanding officer, you must possess two qualities as a speaker. Those qualities are being able to tell things like they are...and being able to say things you don’t believe in as if you do believe in them…”

The Jaegers and their army turned to face Akame, looking confused.

“Who are you?” Leo asked.

“Ha ha, I’m sorry.” Akame apologized. “I forgot we haven’t met face to face before. I am Akame. They call me one of Equestria’s “greater gods”.”

With that, the looks on the army’s faces became unnerved.

“So you’re the one the Nightbringers are always talking about…” Leo said with a scowl of suspicion on his face. “What brings you here?”

“I just came to tell you what I told the Nightbringers.” Akame replied. “I’m the one leading the backup army now and I’m going to cast the barrier spell. I had to send the Nightbringers on an important mission.”

“What do those three see in this Jezebel?” Leo thought, frustrated. “She probably is as bad as Celestia says she is. I’d best not make any sarcastic remarks. I don’t want to be on her bad side...”

“I understand.” Leo said in a neutral tone.

“And I see all too well…” Akame replied.

“Huh?” Leo went, confused.

“I’ve planned this whole thing out, Leo…” Akame told him as her horn lit up, a shadowy aura surrounding it. “You may hate me now…”

Leo froze as an image of him on his bedroom floor holding a knife to his chest flashed through his head, followed by the image of a green-haired mare with red fur staring down at a newborn filly with a gleaming white coat and mane and a newborn colt with a glowing dark coat and mane, both sleeping in a crib.

“But just wait until after this…” Akame said, glaring at him with an evil smirk on her face.

The soldiers gulped and shuddered. They sensed a greater evil in her than from the demons. Eventually, Leo overcame the stun Akame had put him into and regained his confidence along with his serious look.

“Even if it’s not just an illusion, a ploy to scare me…” he told himself in his mind. “...if it happens, it happens. I must be prepared to accept any fate, no matter how cruel.”

Leo then held up the necklace he wore to his face.

“I just hope that if that were to happen, she would find another who would make her happy…” Leo thought, trying not to cry.

“Sir…” a soldier standing close to Leo said.

“I know, we’ve waited long enough.” Leo responded as he unsheathed a sword at his side, and held it up in the air, where a bright light began to emanate from it. All the soldiers behind Leo proceeded to do the same, following the captain’s example.

“CHARGE!” Leo shouted as he and his army rushed down from the outlook and towards the army of the devils.

“There’s my cue.” Akame said as she saw both armies on the same ground. With a spell that she cast, dark energy rose from the ground and engulfed the area where the armies were like a dome. From the outlook to the fortress, the entire region was shrouded by a barrier of shadow that only those brought up in darkness could see through…

Meanwhile…

Dante, Trish, and Vergil were standing on the cliff, awaiting the arrival of the fearsome devil that they had been promised would appear. A good amount of time had gone by now, and yet, there wasn’t a single sign in the area of a demon’s approach.

“I hope she didn’t lie to us again…” Trish said, growing skeptical.

“As much as that wouldn’t surprise me,” responded Dante, holding a hoof to his chin, “my gut tells me that’s not the case here. Akame has a history of deception, but flat-out lying isn’t her style. She finds it boring, preferring to toy with others by telling them things that are technically true, but mislead them into having misconceptions about the truth. It’s tricky to explain in words, but easy to understand once you’ve experienced it in action…”

“I even have my doubts that what she said about us fighting three hundred demons was a complete lie…” he then thought.

Vergil was skeptical as well, but his thoughts of doubt were focused in a different area. He couldn’t take his attention off of the herald Akame had join them, noticing his unusual behavior of standing at the central edge of the cliff and staring at the barrier Akame had cast.

“Pardon me, but what do you find interesting about that barrier?” Vergil asked the herald.

The herald, as usual, hesitated for a bit before responding…

“The battle. I can see that the battle is going very well. The Jaegers and their army haven’t lost a single man yet.”

“Hmm?” Vergil said curiously as he focused his eyes on the barrier and could soon see through it. He saw that the herald was telling the truth, the Jaeger Raid and the soldiers they were leading were winning by a landslide. As the demon soldiers would swoop into to attack, they would be countered by the soldiers of Celestia firing holy beams from their swords at their heads and chests, piercing their hearts and brains and killing them. Normally, one blow to even a vital area of a demon’s body wouldn’t kill them, but the magic of light not only gave the Jaegers and their men an offensive advantage, it bolstered their defenses as well. Whenever a devil would get close to a soldier they had targeted, the light emanating from that soldier’s sword would sting their eyes and skin and stun them, leaving them vulnerable to a fatal strike.

“Akame was telling the truth…” Vergil said as Dante and Trish noticed him and the royal guard staring out at the barrier. They came over to have a look for themselves and were quite pleased with what they witnessed.

“Alright!” Trish exclaimed eagerly. “Those fuckers are getting their asses kicked and fed to them!”

“This is incredible!” Dante yelled happily. “I can’t believe those demons are such wimps! They’re sending them on the highway back to hell!”

“I want to share their enthusiasm…” Vergil thought. “But something just feels wrong…”

It was then that Vergil could hear a faint sound...a faint sound of someone crying…

“*sniff* *sob* Why… *sniff* *sob* I am just as guilty as they are…”

Upon hearing those words, Vergil had figured out who this herald was and what Akame was up to. It was true that there was a devil they had to fight, and he was right there in front of them…

“Ha ha ha...and so, it comes to an end.”

Those words were referring to the battle between Celestia’s army and the demons concluding. Unsurprisingly, the Jaeger Raid and their soldiers were the victors. And just like Akame had promised, they had not only emerged victorious, but also completely unscathed.

“HAIL THE GODS!” Leo cried as he held his sword up to the sky.

“HAIL THE GODS!” the soldiers repeated as they held up their swords too.

Still watching, Trish and Dante cheered.

“Yes!” Trish yelled. “They did it! They completely murdered them!”

“And no one got hurt either!” Dante exclaimed, relieved to see that everybody was okay. “I underestimated those Jaeger dudes, they’re beyond awesome! I’m totally pumped now to decimate that demon dickwad!”

After Dante said that, the herald got an unsightly sneer on his face.

“It’s time…” a dark force inside of him said.

“No…” the herald replied. “Just kill me. I am a murderer, I deserve to be dead…”

“You fool.” the dark force mocked him. “You are dead. You are an eternal slave to Death, doomed to eternal life in Death…”

A now aghast Vergil, having heard everything, drew his katana and slashed the herald’s back legs. His katana sent out a shockwave that sent the herald flying off the cliff, causing the helm he had worn to fall off, revealing he had a black mane. Noticing this, Trish and Dante were shocked and rushed over to where the herald had been.

“Holy shit!” Dante yelled as he ran and jumped off the cliff, spreading his wings to fly and catch the falling herald.

Trish tried to help by casting a levitation spell on the guard to stop his descent, but Vergil called out…

“STOP! BOTH OF YOU! HE’S NOT AN ORDINARY HERALD! A TERRIBLE DEMON IS IN HIM!”

“Huh?” Trish and Dante both went as the herald soon proved Vergil’s words true. Drawing a sword imbued with holy magic, he, in spite of a shaking feeling in his right foreleg, slashed at Dante’s throat. Being in a state of shock, Dante dodged a bit too late and got a cut across his throat. Soon, the herald hit the ground, but to his surprise, he suffered no injury.

“What? How…?” he asked himself in his mind.

“HEY!” one of the Nightbringers from above shouted.

The herald was further astonished when he looked up to see that the one shouting was Dante, still alive even after his throat had been slit and was oozing black blood.

“What the hell was that for?!” Dante cried indignantly, still flying in the air. “I was just trying to help you!”

The guard’s still shaking right foreleg then directed his blade at Dante’s forehead and fired a holy ray from it. Even as the energy beam pierced a vital spot, Dante did not die like the demons had.

“Comrade or not,” said a pissed off Dante as he put up his dukes, “keep this up, and I’ll beat some sense into you!”

“This can’t be real…” the guard thought. “This would mean…”

Fighting the dark force inside of him, the cause of the shaking in his right foreleg, the herald then turned the sword toward his chest and fired a holy beam from it at his heart, shocking the Nightbringers. Black blood spilled forth from a gaping hole in the herald’s chest, but like Dante, he survived what should have been a fatal wound.

“I can’t die…” the horrified herald said. “NO! WHY?!”

“The poor soul…” Vergil said, sympathizing. “He’s been forced to bear the same cross as us…”

“How could Akame do this to a soldier who doesn’t belong to her?” Trish said sadly, feeling sorry for the guard too.

“Who...who are you guys?” the herald asked the Nightbringers. “What do you mean by the same cross?”

Dante, also feeling terrible for the herald, answered his question, knowing he would have to tell him the painful truth…

“Being made a soldier of the night, your mortal body is gone, replaced with an immortal one made of eternal darkness. Killed by hell, you now live hell…forever...”

The herald began to cry as he felt his heart sink.

“Now do you understand?” the dark force inside him said. “You can not escape me because you are me…”

It was then that the herald stopped fighting the dark force, allowing it to envelope his heart. And so, he fused with the force and transformed into a great devil, a being who was both a demon and a pony. Together, he and the dark force were called…

...Vincent.