Equestrian Devil Hunterby Zeno The Black DragonChaptersDemon in Human ClothingMemories of Better DaysFateful EncountersThe Forest Unbound and FreeBlack SheepDemon in Human ClothingThe streets are cold in the dead of the night.....most of the time. Here in the big city of Manehattan, the streets are always busy. From the screams of an angry girl who got her heart broken to a taxi driver who got rear ended. The big city is full of loud and crazy things....But tonight things are gonna get a little louder. "You're such a tease baby." In a back alleyway in the darker part of town, a mistress of the night and her client was finishing a private meeting. "Sorry, but what you had was only for an hour. Maybe next time hon?" She teased with a sly smirk as she turned and walked away. Nights like these were perfect for a girl like her. Young men walking home drunk and miserable were the perfect targets. But then again women weren't hard to come by either. Especially in this city where broken dreams and high expectation run rampant. "Ugh, that cheap bastard. It's a wonder why I don't tear his balls off!" Unfortunately for her.....the night has a few plans for her. "So explain to me again what this thing is?" A man asked as he turned a corner. The man was young in his early twenties. He wore a stylish black and red coat that clung to his red zip-up hoodie/vest. Underneath he wore a pair of dark jeans with steel toed boots. His right arm had a cast covering it while he held a cellphone in his left. Currently, he was on the phone with his co-workers. "This one's a real gentleman. He only attacks young women, mostly virgins, but he's splurged a bit. Recently over thirteen cases of brutal slaughters have happened in this city." "And let me guess, there all women?" He asked with an annoyed sigh. "Don't be a smart-ass, Nero." The person on the other side said before getting cut off by screaming. "I'll call you back." Nero said before throwing his phone away and running towards the screams. After running a few blocks Nero felt something strange. He looked down an alleyway to his left and smelt something rotten. "Sulfur.....looks like my friend came out to play." Nero pulled out his trusty revolver, The Blue Rose. A custom Magnum revolver that fires two rounds that move at least 2000 Feet Per Second. This pistol has the power to puncture through solid steel in a single shot. As he went further into the darkness the sounds of bones crunching and the smell of blood were overwhelming. After turning a corner Nero found the source of the smell. A woman around the same age as himself was being torn apart. She was ripped open like a present with her insides painting the walls in a thick bloody mess. In the center of this carnage was a demon. Standing at seven foot with a ghoulish looking face with eerie yellow eyes and jagged sharp teeth covered in blood. "Sorry, did I interrupt your dinner?" Nero asked as he pointed his pistol at the monster. It stared at him for a moment before dropping a few lumps of meat it was chewing on. Now with a full view, Nero felt his blood begin to boil and his body get stiff. "Human filth! I smell my brothers on that filthy body of yours!" The demon screeched as Nero twirled his pistol in his hand. "Yeah well......There the one's who started it." He exclaimed in a cocky tone as the monster snarled. "FOOL! I am a ruler of darkness!! Human Filth such as you cannot slay those such as me!" The demon exclaimed as it scraped its claws against the walls. "That so? Well then let's see if this ugly piece of shit in front of me has more bite than his bark!" Nero shouted as the beast charged towards him. Nero jumped back to get some distance and took a few shots at the demon. It quickly leapt towards a wall where it used its claws to keep from falling. Before Nero could take another shot the demon leapt towards him and knocked him into a wall before landing in front of him. The demon growled as it slowly walked towards him with a menacing glare. Nero groaned and watched his opponent come closer to him. Suddenly the demon tried to slash Nero with one of its claws, however, before it could get close Nero reached over and threw a trash can at him. Then Nero lifted his gun and shot through the trash can and into the demon. The demon howled in pain as it clutched its bloody body. Nero put his pistol away before sprinting towards the beast before drop kicking it in the stomach with enough force to send it flying into a wall. "DAMN HUMAN FILTH!" The Demon shouted as it coughed up blood. "I think I'm gonna cry." Nero said mockingly as he cracked his neck. "I AM THE RULER OF DARKNESS! A BRINGER OF DEATH! I WILL NOT BE KILLED BY HUMAN FILTH!" The demon shouted as its body began to shift and change into something truly sinister. Nero frowned as he holstered his weapon and reached behind his back. However, before Nero could grab his weapon the beast vanished in the blink of an eye. Nero quickly scanned his surroundings but it was too late. The beast reappeared underneath Nero through shadow and bit into his right arm. "NOW PERISH HUMAN SCUM!" The demon shouted as it used it's full force to try and take Nero's arm off. Suddenly the demon realized that no matter how much he tried it couldn't tear Nero's arm off. Nero chuckled as he pulled a gigantic blade off his back. His sword, also known as the Red Queen, is another custom weapon that Nero built himself. The blade was massive almost about the same length as Nero himself. It was also was customized with a special motor system that makes it unusable to anyone other than Nero. Suddenly the sound of a motorcycle engine blared through the alleyway. This caused the demon to release Nero's arm and back away in fear Meanwhile Nero lifted his arm and saw that his cast had been destroyed. "W-What are you!? You aren't human!" Nero scoffed as he ripped off the remains of his cast. "Jeez, whats with all the name calling? First, it's scum, then it's trash, and now your saying I'm not even human. What the heck do you want from me? Well, I guess it doesn't matter because, in the end, I'm none of those things." The demon watched in horror as it saw Nero's demonic arm as it glowed an eerie blue light that filled the dark alleyway. "W-WAIT! I KNOW THAT STINK! THE STINK OF THE TRAITOR!" The demon exclaimed as Nero throttled his Red Queen. Suddenly the blade began to glow bright red as its temperature got hotter and hotter. Nero lifted his weapon off the ground as steam lifted off the blade. "Seriously enough with the insults! I'm gonna make things pretty clear right now! The name's Nero and I'm a demon hunter." Suddenly the beast charged towards Nero trying to take his head off. But before he could get the chance Nero swung his blade cleaving the demons body in half. There was blood splattered everywhere as the demons body squirmed on the ground. Nero tried to wipe some of the blood off but he knew that this wasn't gonna be easy to clean. "Demon.....Hunter...." Nero turned towards his opponent as it called out to him. "Y-You may have slane me.......But I will not be.....The last! Demons.....Will come for you! Your.......Your-" The demon tried to say only to be cut short when Nero shot him. "Yeah.....I don't give a damn." Suddenly Nero heard what sounded like a cell phone and looked around only to find his phone he threw away earlier. "Hello? Is this the Pizza guy?" "Glad to know your alright Nero! What the hell did you hang up for!" "Well, I found that friend you were talking about. Oh, and I handled him but not before he took one last person with him." Nero explained while looking at the remains of the girl. Judging by her clothes she was a hooker. She probably never even saw this coming then again no one ever does. Nero did feel sorry for her but in the end, we all gotta die eventually. "Great.....will try and clean up the mess." "Sure and....One more thing." Nero said as he began to walk out of the alleyway. "What?" "I'm going on vacation." Nero said plainly as he put the phone on top of a trash can. While he was walking away he could hear his friend shouting at him from over the phone. He chuckled a little as he walked down the street with a newspaper in his hands. "So the cry baby became a princess huh? Now this I gotta see." Nero said as he tossed the paper. On the front page was the picture of Equestria's newest Princess. Also known as the Princess of Friendship Twilight Sparkle. TO BE CONTINUED Memories of Better DaysCanterlot is known as the garden capital of Equestria. It has a lush history with plenty to see and do. One place that catches the eyes of all that get to see it is the Canterlot royal garden. Rich with green vegetation and wildlife many call it The Garden of Eden. However, on this day this garden had some new guests one being a crying girl. She looked like she was only six years old with dark indigo purple hair with pink highlights and was also wearing a magic kindergarten school uniform. She was sitting underneath a tree balling her eyes out. "Ugh!! Who is doing all that crying!" Twilight turned around to see a boy around the same age as her with white hair wearing a loose T-shirt and shorts. However, what caught her attention was the cast on his arm. She noticed his frown and tried to wipe her tears away. "I-I'm not crying! I'm just mad that's all!" She proclaimed with a sniffle. The boy looked at the tree and saw a weird looking doll hanging from a tree branch. "You crying over that thing?" He asked with a sigh as he walked over to the tree. "LIKE I SAID I AM NOT CRYING! Those bullies put Mr. Smarty Pants up in a tree, and I can't get him down!" She explained as the boy looked at the tree. "look If I get your toy will you stop with the waterworks? I'm trying to get some sleep." The girl nodded as the young man turned towards the tree. In one swift motion, he kicked the tree hard enough that the doll fell and landed right in the boy's hand. "Wow~! That was amazing!" She shouted with stars in her eyes. "Yeah well, I am pretty awesome." The boy said with a cocky smirk. The boy then threw her the doll and started to walk away only to stop when he noticed she was following him. "What do you want now? I already got your doll for you." She froze on the spot with a faint blush on her face and tried to come up with an excuse. The boy sighed and walked over to a bench and laid down for a nap. "S-So what's your name?" She asked while sitting down on the grass in front of him. ".......Nero." The boy said through closed eyes. "Nero huh? Nice to meet you I'm Twilight Sparkle." She explained with a bright smile. Nero instantly shot up with a shocked look on his face which startled her a little. "Sparkle!? Wait a second you're HIS sister!?" Nero asked in a panicked voice. "Yup, that's my little sister alright." A voice exclaimed from behind which caused Nero to freeze on the spot. Twilight looked up to see her older brother and current Knight in training, Shining Armor. He was currently around 16 years old making him one of the youngest soldiers to reach the level of a knight. "SHINY! What are you doing here!?" Twilight said with a bright smile. "Oh just picking up a slacker. Isn't that right N-E-R-O~?" Nero was currently frozen solid not daring to turn around to see the face of his tormentor. "Oh? You two know each other?" She asked as Shining Armor put his arm around Nero. "Yup, this little guy is my apprentice! I've been teaching him all kinds of neat stuff! Though I never thought he could try to pull the moves on my little sister!" He exclaimed with a barreling laugh as Nero shot up from the bench with a bright blush on his face. "IT WAS NOT LIKE THAT!" This only caused Shining Armor to laugh even louder as Nero tried to cover his face while Twilight looked at the two in confusion. These peaceful days were short in number but they would last a lifetime in the mind of Nero. After all, days like this were rare for the demon hunter seeing as his past prior was filled with bloodshed. Suddenly the gardens turned black as Nero was left all alone. In its place, a blue flame engulfed the area and a demon appeared. It was a dazzling blue color which Nero remembered all too well. "It's time to wake up boy......Your gonna miss your stop!" The demon shouted as it drew it's sword and swung it towards him. Nero Woke up to the sound of the train whistle blowing. A cold sweat raced across his body as he felt the sunshine on his face. "Sir? I need to see your ticket." Nero turned to see a soldier dressed in the usual white and gold plated armor. It was always strange how every soldier in the Equestrian military looked the same. Nero reached into his coat pocket and handed the man his ticket. After the soldier saw the ticket he handed it back, however, Nero wasn't exactly off the hook yet. "Sir do have a license to hold a firearm like that?" The soldier asked while pointing at Nero's revolver. "Ugh...Listen, buddy, I'm tired and I've been working really late recently. Could you just cut me some slack here?" Nero asked pleadingly while the guard looked at him with a blank expression. The guard cuffed Nero and sent another guard to retrieve his things. Nero felt his eyebrow twitch as he was carried away. The only thing that was on his mind was... "How does this always happen to me!!!" TO BE CONTINUED! Fateful EncountersToday had been pretty average for Twilight. She woke up a little sore from sleeping on her new wings. She worked with Spike to complete the royal checklist for the Sunset celebration. She had a few flying lessons and she hung out with her friends. And now she's being attacked by killer plant life.......So yeah a normal day in the life of Twilight Sparkle. "What in the wide world of Equestria is going on here!" Ponyville was a mess to put it lightly. The Everfree Forest was literally attacking the town like a plague. Thorn-covered vines wrapped around the buildings like snakes. While the clouds turned pitch black and spit lighting that scorched everything in sight. Twilight and her friends, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy raced through the streets trying to stop the invasion. Unfortunately, they weren't able to do much. "How many of these crazy vines are there!?" Rainbow Dash shouted as she kicked away a vine trying to wrap itself around her leg. "Don't matter! We just gotta keep 'em at bay! Applejack said as she swung a machete at a few of the vines. "Ugh! These horrid things are truly an eyesore!" Rarity said while using her magic to burn a few of the vines. "I don't about you girls but I'm having a blast!" Pinkie shouted as she pulled her party cannon out of nowhere and started firing off rounds. Meanwhile, the timid Fluttershy, AKA Miss Doormat, was currently trying her hardest not to stand in anyone's way. The more the girls fought back against the vines the more vines appeared. It was becoming really obvious that they were losing ground fast! Even the guards were having a hard time keeping the chaos from overtaking the town. Slowly they were starting to lose hope. Even Twilight was slowly losing the will to keep fighting. The news that the Princesses were missing was wearing on her nerves a little more than she would have thought. "Princess....Please....Help us!" Twilight whispered as she tried to catch her breath. However, before Twilight could finish catching her breath a group of vines started racing towards her. "TWILIGHT!" Everyone shouted as they tried to rescue her. Twilight turned around in just enough time to see the coming danger. She felt her body go cold as the thought of death raced through her mind like a bullet. All the memories of the past year came and went in a flash. I guess your life really does flash before your eyes when you're about to die. And just then a familiar face reappeared. A memory of the past......A friend she had forgotten about. She felt a sudden guilt wash over her as the memories of him played over and over again in her mind. "Nero.....I'm sorry." She whispered as she prepared for the worst. Earlier... "Come on don't you think this is a little much?" Nero said to the guard seated in front of him. "Listen, kid, if you would just tell us the truth! We can both get out of here and enjoy the celebration!" One of the guards shouted back with a less than amused expression. "For the last time, jackass! I can't tell you why I'm here!" Nero persisted much to his annoyance. Nero and the Ponyville guard have been doing this little interrogation since getting off the train. Pretty needless to say at this point Nero was getting more than a little fed up with the back and forth routine. However, before he got the chance to do anything drastic Nero felt something strange. His right arm began to burn slightly which meant that things were about to get complicated. "As much as I would love to sit here and argue with you all damn day! I believe somethings going on outside." Nero explained while the guard looked at him with the 'you can't be serious' face. "Kid if you think thats going to work on me your seriously mistaken!" Suddenly a giant black vine blew through the wall sending the guard flying out of the room. Nero looked at the vine and then at his new exit. Without a second thought, he broke the restraints that were tied to the table he was sitting at and started to walk away until he noticed the guard who's body pinned to the wall. "Ugh......You're lucky I'm such a nice guy." Nero kicked the vine breaking it in half and freeing the man. After that, he walked down the hallway to the evidence room and broke the door down. Nero smiled as he got to work putting together his Red Queen. After a few minutes, he finished his prep work and strapped his sword to his back and placed Blue Rose in its holster. "Welp, I guess it's time to get to work." Nero said as he walked out of the hole the plant made earlier. Taking a look around he saw the chaos covering the town. But Nero felt something strange.....Almost nostalgic about the situation. "Huh, I'm getting a serious case of deja-vu right now." Before Nero could ponder the situation any further a vine shot out of the ground towards his back. Nero suddenly grabbed Blue Rose and shot the vine in the blink of an eye. "Well, I can think about it later. For now, I should find out where these weeds are coming from." Nero said with a sigh. "TWILIGHT!" Nero turned towards the screaming while grabbing Red Queen and revved it at full throttle. "Sorry, but looks Like I'm coming through!" Nero shouted as he leapt towards the building to his left. Nero broke through the window and quickly ran towards the back door which he swiftly kicked in. On the other side, he saw a girl being attacked by a group fo the vines. "Nero.....I'm sorry." Nero smiled as he knew all too well who that voice belonged to. He used his full strength and bolted out the door like a bullet and appeared in front of her. "You're still a cry baby, aren't you bookworm?" Nero said with a grin as he revved the Red Queen to its max. Suddenly Nero swung his blade in a complete arc causing all the vines in the area to burst into flames. Nero placed his sword on his back and turned around to see a group of girls staring at him. "Yo Bookworm? Might wanna open your eyes now." Twilight slowly opened her eyes and nearly started crying from what she saw. "NERO!!" Suddenly Twilight tackled Nero to the ground giggling and crying like a little school girl. Meanwhile, her friends couldn't help but stare completely god-smacked by what they just saw. However, the only thing on Nero's mind was..... "Why does this stuff always happen to me?" TO BE CONTINUED The Forest Unbound and Free"NERO! YOU JERK!DUMMY!IDIOT!LOSER!BIGDUMBSTUPIDHEAD!!!" Twilight shouted in her crying fit. Meanwhile, Nero was trying his hardest to fight the blush on his face. It was no doubt that this was his young childhood friend Twilight Sparkle. He didn't know anybody else who could throw a tantrum, cry and insult you at the same time. However, her friends watched Twilight with shocked expressions. Never has their friend ever acted like this! I mean sure she could be crazy and a little goofy at times but this was.... "C-Cute...." Everyone said in unison as Twilight kept crying. Nero finally had enough of the crying now that his coat was getting wet. He lifted his left hand and chopped her on the head one good time. Twilight instantly grabbed her head and tried to ease the pain while Nero stood up and dusted himself off. "If this is how you treat your friends I'd hate to see your enemies." Nero said playfully as he reached his hand out to help her up. "Stupid Jerk..." Twilight whispered as she took his hand and picked herself up. They both stared at each other for a moment letting the gradual changes over the years sink in. Nero was a lot taller and athletic looking than when he was a kid and Twilight had......Filled out in a few places. "STOP STARING AT ME PERV!" Twilight shouted with a blush on her face. "Sorry, but seriously you've changed a lot from the last time I saw you! Seriously it's like I'm talking to a different person!" "Yeah well......You've changed a little too. But you're still late as usual!" Twilight said with a huff while Nero rolled his eyes. "Umm.....Not to interrupt this melodrama you two got going but we have other things to worry about right now!" Applejack said while pointing towards the forest. Both Nero and Twilight turned towards the forest to see something rising from the dense forest foliage. Nero felt his arm begin to burn and knew what was coming next. "Both of you get behind me." Slowly a group of wolfs began to emerge from the foliage, however, after a second glance, everyone noticed the rotten flesh and maggots crawling all over them. Twilight and the rest of the girls took a step back as the undead slowly stalked them. "I'd cover your nose. The smell these guys give off is enough to make you puke." Nero instructed as he pulled out Blue Rose. "There ghouls....Probably took some of the animal corpses as vessels. I'd get back Twilight! I can't protect you and fight these things at the same time." "Applejack lets go!" Twilight exclaimed as she grabbed her friend's hand and ran towards the others. Meanwhile, Nero stared down the undead horde with a scowl on his face. "You bastards ruined a reunion with an old friend of mine. I'll put you back in the dirt where you belong!" Suddenly three undead hounds ran ahead of the pack and circled Nero on all sides. Without warning one of the wolfs pounced aiming for his neck while another went for his leg. "Sorry old fella!" Nero shouted as a thunderous bang rang out through the town. The first wolf was blown to pieces from the shot while the second wolf tried to bite his leg. However, before it could reach its target Nero lifted his leg up only to send it crashing down onto the wolf's skull. Instantly the third wolf tried to take Nero out now that his back was turned. Nero didn't even turn to acknowledge the attack. Instead, he only pointed Blue rose at the beast as it leaped towards him and in one swift motion pulled the trigger. After that, all hell broke lose as the rest of the pack attacked. Nero grabbed Red Queen and then with one swing he cut half of the enemy to pieces. However, a chimera ghoul managed to slip through his defense. Nero quickly lifted his right arm to intercept the beast rotting jaws. "What's the matter kitty? Go on and have a good taste!" Nero shouted as he kicked the beast in the stomach with enough force to send it flying. The undead horde noticed their numbers beginning to dwindle and quickly retreated back into the forest. Nero couldn't help but be a little suspicious of the sudden retreat. "Why would they run? Ghouls shouldn't have the capacity for rational thought. Unless something or....Someone was giving them orders." While Nero was deep in thought Twilight and her friends were left awe-stricken. Nero had dealt with an entire pack of beasts like they were nothing! Suddenly Twilight noticed a platoon of guards moving towards them. "Princess Twilight! Are you and the Elements safe!?" "Yes, commander were fine but about the rest of the town?" Twilight asked with a worried expression. "We currently have all available forces working on keeping the invasion at bay. In contrast, we have lost over a quarter of the town to the Everfree but we have managed to keep the citizens safe in the town hall." Twilight took a deep breath as she tried to come up with some kind of strategy. However, before she could speak Nero suddenly walked past her and started giving orders to the guard. "I need all available guards to follow my exact instructions." Nero exclaimed as the entire platoon looked at him with annoyed expressions. "Sir we only take orders from the princess! And we don't take orders from civilians!" The commander shouted with a scowl. Nero sighed in frustration as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his identification. "T-THE ORDER OF THE SWORD!?" The commander shouted as he fumbled a little while trying to salute. The rest of the platoon slowly and questioningly followed their commander's example and saluted Nero. However, Twilight was left dazed by the sudden shift in the spotlight. "Psst! Twilight What's this order of the Sword?" Rainbow Dash asked with a raised brow. "I....Honestly, I don't know myself." "Alright, I need half of the guards to protect the town hall with a magic circle and don't forget to purify your weapons with holy water! That should keep them back for the time being. I also need the rest of the guard to focus their efforts on keeping the invasion out of the town square. Staying in a tight formation means we can help each other without breaking the line." "Yes, sir! You heard him, men! Head to town hall and purify the area!" "Um, sir? This seems kinda.....Weird? This isn't really the duty of royal guards. This sounds like something a priest or an exorcist would do?" One of the soldiers pointed out while the others nodded in agreement. "YOU DARE QUESTION YOUR SUPERIOR OFFICER YOU LITTLE-" The commander shouted before Nero stopped him. "I understand why most of you would be suspicious. But right now I don't have the luxury of an explanation. I'm gonna boil it down to its simplest form! This is war!" Nero explained in a stern tone that sent the guard on edge. "Whoever's doing this isn't a fool! They know that the military isn't prepared to fight this type of enemy." "SIR! Permission to speak SIR!?" Nero turned towards one of the younger soldiers. It was pretty easy to see that he was scared out of his mind right now. Nero only nodded his head in response which set the man at ease. "Why don't we evacuate the town? That way we don't have to worry about protecting the citizens and focus on the Everfree." The soldiers seemed to agree with his idea but Nero could only sigh. "Like I said the enemy isn't stupid. They want to keep us in town through any means necessary. So to put it simply the city is surrounded by ghouls. If we tried to leave......We would all be slaughtered like livestock." Nero's explanation seemed to make the holes in everyone's stomach grow even deeper. He made it pretty clear for everyone to understand. They were trapped in this town with no chance of escape. Now with a clear idea of what the situation was the rest of the guard got to work. "Commander this list here should tell you how to make the magic circle. I have a case with all the ingredients on this list back at the guard post. Blend them together then draw a circle around the area and after that, you should be safe until I handle the situation." "SIR!" After that the commander quickly got to work on the list Nero handed him. Nero, on the other hand, looked at the supplies he had currently. Twilight finally having enough of being ignored walked over and grabbed Nero by the ear. "OWOWOWOWOW!! TWILIGHT WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING!" Nero cried before Twilight let go of his ear. "Alright, mister you're gonna explain to me what in the world is going on here! AND DON'T YOU DARE JUST SAY IT'S NT IMPORTANT!" Twilight demanded as her friends once again were left speechless from the sudden change in their friends persona. "Twilight I don't have to the time to explain! If I were you I would focus on protecting the citizens." Nero said as he tried to walk past her. However, Twilight snapped her fingers causing a purple box to form around Nero. He suddenly remembered how skilled Twilight was with magic and realized that he wasn't gonna get out of this without some kind of excuse. "Why exactly are you so obsessed with knowing about this? Did something happen?" Twilight didn't say a word which was more than enough for Nero to understand the situation. He turned his head to look at her and say the determination in her eyes. "Alright...Alright! Let me out of this box and I'll explain the situation. However, you have to tell me what seems to be troubling you." Nero said as Twilight glared daggers at him. ".......Fine." Suddenly the box vanished and Nero turned towards Twilight and her friends with a serious expression on his face. Twilight kept a stern look as her friends tried to keep up with the sudden change in atmosphere. "I'm gonna make this short and sweet......Right now there's a chance that Ponyville will be destroyed." TO BE CONTINUED! Black Sheep"I'm sorry....WHAT!?" Rainbow Dash shouted as the girls were left speechless. "Like I said....There's a strong chance this town is going to be destroyed." Nero stated bluntly which didn't seem to change their minds. "But WHY!? We at least deserve an explanation! This is our home after all and we need to know what's going to happen to everyone!" Rainbow Dash shouted getting dangerously close to Nero. Twilight quickly tried to defuse the situation by separating her friends before a fight broke out. Nero looked conflicted for some reason but Twilight couldn't really figure out why. "I see that things have gotten a little out of hand here." Suddenly everyone turned around to see a group of 4 men walking towards them. After a brief moment, the girls instantly realized who they were. "Arent you guys from that church that opened up in town? What are you guys doing here it's dangerous!" Twilight said forcefully while the priest stopped dead in their tracks. "Umm we are very sorry princess but we do have business here." The middle-aged priest said with a nervous smile. Twilight puffed out her cheeks with an annoyed look on her face. Before she could give them all a firm tongue lashing Nero walked past her towards the priests. "My guess is that your exorcist from the order of the sword?" "Yes, sir! It's a pleasure to meet you!" One of the older men said as the rest of them showed Nero their respect. Once again Twilight was left stupefied at how the spotlight had been taken so easily. The rest of the girls were getting more and more aggravated by Nero's cocky behavior. "W-Wait!? These men are from that Order thing too?" Twilight asked frantically as the men turned to her. "Yup....Did Celestia actually explain what the Order of The Sword does?" Nero asked while Twilight felt her body jump. That was all the answer Nero needed and without a second thought, he turned to the men who awaited his orders. "Listen up the demon were facing here is powerful! Powerful enough to control the Everfree and a horde of ghouls without the need of emissary's." "Do you believe it could be an archfiend demon!?" The heavy set man of the group said in a frightened tone. "I don't know but we can't take chances. I need one of you to head to the town square and try to get in contract with one of the princesses! We might need their help with leading the guard!" Nero commanded which caused Twilight to finally speak up. "T-There might be a problem with that...." Now everyone's attention was focused on her. Twilight quickly regained her composure and looked sternly at everyone. "Both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have gone missing." She explained bluntly which caused everyone to rear back in shock. Nero felt a bead of sweat run down his cheek as the thought of the two most powerful deities on the planet has been captured. At this point, there was no doubt....this was one of the kings. "Change in plans...We need to rescue the princesses first!" Nero said with an eerie smile on his face. The four priest nodded in agreement and walked towards the forest while Nero turned to face the six girls in front of him. "I need all of you to get somewhere safe while we handle this." "WHAT!?" They all said in unison as Nero looked at them with a blank stare. "We can't stand back and do nothin! Were the Elements of Harmony for crying out loud!" Applejack protested as the others voiced their agreement. "We've faced demonic deities, evil overlords, and chaos gods! I think we can handle a few weeds and some road kill!" Rainbow Dash explained in her usual cocky tone. "Darling I know you want to play hero but we can help!" Rarity exclaimed with a twirl of her hair. Nero slowly looked towards Twilight and saw the same determination in her eyes. It was kind of refreshing to meet people like this as compared to the stuffy attitude of the Order......But this was a different situation. "Alright then let me ask you something.....Are you prepared to kill your enemy?" Nero asked coldly with a dark and foreboding glare. Instantly the girls stopped as the question fell on them like a weight. It left the girls absolutely speechless. In all the time they have been fighting evil never had the idea of murder ever come to them. "We're facing what we believe to be an Archfiend demon. One of the kings of the underworld! This is nothing like your fights with Discord or King Sombra! These demons are ruthless and the Elements would not be able to faze them in the slightest. Knowing this.....do you still wanna enter that forest? Cause after you enter that forest there is only two options......Kill or be Killed." Nero felt bad for having to drop a harsh reality on these girls but he didn't want them to get killed. Not only that but if the elements are defeated it would cause a huge issue in power control between the nations of Equis. But worst of all is that currently, Twilight was the only princess on duty! She would be a better help to the soldiers than on the front lines. The girls stayed silent for the longest time. The four priest watched with anticipation. Each of the girls waited for one of the others to speak up but all of them stayed quiet. For the first time, it seemed like Friendship wasn't going to fix the situation. A harsh reality seemed to set in as each of them realized the ugly truth.....This was a war. "I don't care." Suddenly the girls looked at Twilight as she wore a confident expression. "Princess Celestia has been taken.....I can't wait on the sidelines! I might be a princess but.....I WILL NOT BE A CAUSAL OBSERVER AS MY FRIENDS-! NO, MY PEOPLE ARE THREATENED!" Twilight demanded as a purple aura surrounded her body. The girls felt their spirits rise and each of them felt as if they could each speak up again. "Like it or not.....But we the Elements of Harmony! Are meant to protect! Will do what it takes!" Nero sighed as he walked past the girls and towards the Everfree, however, he stopped when Twilight said something that shocked him. "But I promise that we will find a better way, Nero!" Twilight demanded with conviction. Nero turned back to the girls. Now with a new fire in their eyes, all thanks to their friend they all were prepared for the worst. Nero realized how pointless it was to send them away. "She hasn't changed a bit from since we were kids..." Nero thought with a chuckle as he signaled them to follow. "Are you ready sir?" Nero nodded as he checked Blue rose and then his sword Red Queen. After that, he and his team of four exorcists and the Elements of Harmony set out into the forest. Deep inside the forest near the old castle of the twin sisters a soft voice could be heard. The voice belonged to a small child she seemed to be having a tea party with a few toy's and one dried out corpse. "It seems like they have finally decided to make their move." A man said as he sat on a fallen pillar. The girl just giggled to herself as she poured Mr. Skeleton a piping cup of tea. "Goody! I think we should let the new master of the forest deal with them! Then I'll go get big brother!" She exclaimed with a cheery smile. The man remained silent as the girl continued her tea party. A faint blue light shined around the room as the man stood up and prepared to leave. "I would not underestimate him, little sister. If you think a simple demon can kill him you are mistaken." The man explained as he snapped his fingers as a black void opened up in front of him. Once again the girl giggled as she finally stood up and looked towards the man. She was around 7 or 8 years of age. She was wearing a strange black cloak that covered all but her childlike features. She also had blond hair braided into two pigtails. "Don't worry! Daddy wants me to bring him back alive so I'll have to go a little easy on him!" She explained with a smile as the man walked through the black void. Now all alone she giggled to herself as she walked towards the door to the ruins. "Now the fun begins! Tehehe!" She giggled as a faint outline of a large beast loomed over her. TO BE CONTINUED!
Demon in Human ClothingThe streets are cold in the dead of the night.....most of the time. Here in the big city of Manehattan, the streets are always busy. From the screams of an angry girl who got her heart broken to a taxi driver who got rear ended. The big city is full of loud and crazy things....But tonight things are gonna get a little louder. "You're such a tease baby." In a back alleyway in the darker part of town, a mistress of the night and her client was finishing a private meeting. "Sorry, but what you had was only for an hour. Maybe next time hon?" She teased with a sly smirk as she turned and walked away. Nights like these were perfect for a girl like her. Young men walking home drunk and miserable were the perfect targets. But then again women weren't hard to come by either. Especially in this city where broken dreams and high expectation run rampant. "Ugh, that cheap bastard. It's a wonder why I don't tear his balls off!" Unfortunately for her.....the night has a few plans for her. "So explain to me again what this thing is?" A man asked as he turned a corner. The man was young in his early twenties. He wore a stylish black and red coat that clung to his red zip-up hoodie/vest. Underneath he wore a pair of dark jeans with steel toed boots. His right arm had a cast covering it while he held a cellphone in his left. Currently, he was on the phone with his co-workers. "This one's a real gentleman. He only attacks young women, mostly virgins, but he's splurged a bit. Recently over thirteen cases of brutal slaughters have happened in this city." "And let me guess, there all women?" He asked with an annoyed sigh. "Don't be a smart-ass, Nero." The person on the other side said before getting cut off by screaming. "I'll call you back." Nero said before throwing his phone away and running towards the screams. After running a few blocks Nero felt something strange. He looked down an alleyway to his left and smelt something rotten. "Sulfur.....looks like my friend came out to play." Nero pulled out his trusty revolver, The Blue Rose. A custom Magnum revolver that fires two rounds that move at least 2000 Feet Per Second. This pistol has the power to puncture through solid steel in a single shot. As he went further into the darkness the sounds of bones crunching and the smell of blood were overwhelming. After turning a corner Nero found the source of the smell. A woman around the same age as himself was being torn apart. She was ripped open like a present with her insides painting the walls in a thick bloody mess. In the center of this carnage was a demon. Standing at seven foot with a ghoulish looking face with eerie yellow eyes and jagged sharp teeth covered in blood. "Sorry, did I interrupt your dinner?" Nero asked as he pointed his pistol at the monster. It stared at him for a moment before dropping a few lumps of meat it was chewing on. Now with a full view, Nero felt his blood begin to boil and his body get stiff. "Human filth! I smell my brothers on that filthy body of yours!" The demon screeched as Nero twirled his pistol in his hand. "Yeah well......There the one's who started it." He exclaimed in a cocky tone as the monster snarled. "FOOL! I am a ruler of darkness!! Human Filth such as you cannot slay those such as me!" The demon exclaimed as it scraped its claws against the walls. "That so? Well then let's see if this ugly piece of shit in front of me has more bite than his bark!" Nero shouted as the beast charged towards him. Nero jumped back to get some distance and took a few shots at the demon. It quickly leapt towards a wall where it used its claws to keep from falling. Before Nero could take another shot the demon leapt towards him and knocked him into a wall before landing in front of him. The demon growled as it slowly walked towards him with a menacing glare. Nero groaned and watched his opponent come closer to him. Suddenly the demon tried to slash Nero with one of its claws, however, before it could get close Nero reached over and threw a trash can at him. Then Nero lifted his gun and shot through the trash can and into the demon. The demon howled in pain as it clutched its bloody body. Nero put his pistol away before sprinting towards the beast before drop kicking it in the stomach with enough force to send it flying into a wall. "DAMN HUMAN FILTH!" The Demon shouted as it coughed up blood. "I think I'm gonna cry." Nero said mockingly as he cracked his neck. "I AM THE RULER OF DARKNESS! A BRINGER OF DEATH! I WILL NOT BE KILLED BY HUMAN FILTH!" The demon shouted as its body began to shift and change into something truly sinister. Nero frowned as he holstered his weapon and reached behind his back. However, before Nero could grab his weapon the beast vanished in the blink of an eye. Nero quickly scanned his surroundings but it was too late. The beast reappeared underneath Nero through shadow and bit into his right arm. "NOW PERISH HUMAN SCUM!" The demon shouted as it used it's full force to try and take Nero's arm off. Suddenly the demon realized that no matter how much he tried it couldn't tear Nero's arm off. Nero chuckled as he pulled a gigantic blade off his back. His sword, also known as the Red Queen, is another custom weapon that Nero built himself. The blade was massive almost about the same length as Nero himself. It was also was customized with a special motor system that makes it unusable to anyone other than Nero. Suddenly the sound of a motorcycle engine blared through the alleyway. This caused the demon to release Nero's arm and back away in fear Meanwhile Nero lifted his arm and saw that his cast had been destroyed. "W-What are you!? You aren't human!" Nero scoffed as he ripped off the remains of his cast. "Jeez, whats with all the name calling? First, it's scum, then it's trash, and now your saying I'm not even human. What the heck do you want from me? Well, I guess it doesn't matter because, in the end, I'm none of those things." The demon watched in horror as it saw Nero's demonic arm as it glowed an eerie blue light that filled the dark alleyway. "W-WAIT! I KNOW THAT STINK! THE STINK OF THE TRAITOR!" The demon exclaimed as Nero throttled his Red Queen. Suddenly the blade began to glow bright red as its temperature got hotter and hotter. Nero lifted his weapon off the ground as steam lifted off the blade. "Seriously enough with the insults! I'm gonna make things pretty clear right now! The name's Nero and I'm a demon hunter." Suddenly the beast charged towards Nero trying to take his head off. But before he could get the chance Nero swung his blade cleaving the demons body in half. There was blood splattered everywhere as the demons body squirmed on the ground. Nero tried to wipe some of the blood off but he knew that this wasn't gonna be easy to clean. "Demon.....Hunter...." Nero turned towards his opponent as it called out to him. "Y-You may have slane me.......But I will not be.....The last! Demons.....Will come for you! Your.......Your-" The demon tried to say only to be cut short when Nero shot him. "Yeah.....I don't give a damn." Suddenly Nero heard what sounded like a cell phone and looked around only to find his phone he threw away earlier. "Hello? Is this the Pizza guy?" "Glad to know your alright Nero! What the hell did you hang up for!" "Well, I found that friend you were talking about. Oh, and I handled him but not before he took one last person with him." Nero explained while looking at the remains of the girl. Judging by her clothes she was a hooker. She probably never even saw this coming then again no one ever does. Nero did feel sorry for her but in the end, we all gotta die eventually. "Great.....will try and clean up the mess." "Sure and....One more thing." Nero said as he began to walk out of the alleyway. "What?" "I'm going on vacation." Nero said plainly as he put the phone on top of a trash can. While he was walking away he could hear his friend shouting at him from over the phone. He chuckled a little as he walked down the street with a newspaper in his hands. "So the cry baby became a princess huh? Now this I gotta see." Nero said as he tossed the paper. On the front page was the picture of Equestria's newest Princess. Also known as the Princess of Friendship Twilight Sparkle. TO BE CONTINUED
Memories of Better DaysCanterlot is known as the garden capital of Equestria. It has a lush history with plenty to see and do. One place that catches the eyes of all that get to see it is the Canterlot royal garden. Rich with green vegetation and wildlife many call it The Garden of Eden. However, on this day this garden had some new guests one being a crying girl. She looked like she was only six years old with dark indigo purple hair with pink highlights and was also wearing a magic kindergarten school uniform. She was sitting underneath a tree balling her eyes out. "Ugh!! Who is doing all that crying!" Twilight turned around to see a boy around the same age as her with white hair wearing a loose T-shirt and shorts. However, what caught her attention was the cast on his arm. She noticed his frown and tried to wipe her tears away. "I-I'm not crying! I'm just mad that's all!" She proclaimed with a sniffle. The boy looked at the tree and saw a weird looking doll hanging from a tree branch. "You crying over that thing?" He asked with a sigh as he walked over to the tree. "LIKE I SAID I AM NOT CRYING! Those bullies put Mr. Smarty Pants up in a tree, and I can't get him down!" She explained as the boy looked at the tree. "look If I get your toy will you stop with the waterworks? I'm trying to get some sleep." The girl nodded as the young man turned towards the tree. In one swift motion, he kicked the tree hard enough that the doll fell and landed right in the boy's hand. "Wow~! That was amazing!" She shouted with stars in her eyes. "Yeah well, I am pretty awesome." The boy said with a cocky smirk. The boy then threw her the doll and started to walk away only to stop when he noticed she was following him. "What do you want now? I already got your doll for you." She froze on the spot with a faint blush on her face and tried to come up with an excuse. The boy sighed and walked over to a bench and laid down for a nap. "S-So what's your name?" She asked while sitting down on the grass in front of him. ".......Nero." The boy said through closed eyes. "Nero huh? Nice to meet you I'm Twilight Sparkle." She explained with a bright smile. Nero instantly shot up with a shocked look on his face which startled her a little. "Sparkle!? Wait a second you're HIS sister!?" Nero asked in a panicked voice. "Yup, that's my little sister alright." A voice exclaimed from behind which caused Nero to freeze on the spot. Twilight looked up to see her older brother and current Knight in training, Shining Armor. He was currently around 16 years old making him one of the youngest soldiers to reach the level of a knight. "SHINY! What are you doing here!?" Twilight said with a bright smile. "Oh just picking up a slacker. Isn't that right N-E-R-O~?" Nero was currently frozen solid not daring to turn around to see the face of his tormentor. "Oh? You two know each other?" She asked as Shining Armor put his arm around Nero. "Yup, this little guy is my apprentice! I've been teaching him all kinds of neat stuff! Though I never thought he could try to pull the moves on my little sister!" He exclaimed with a barreling laugh as Nero shot up from the bench with a bright blush on his face. "IT WAS NOT LIKE THAT!" This only caused Shining Armor to laugh even louder as Nero tried to cover his face while Twilight looked at the two in confusion. These peaceful days were short in number but they would last a lifetime in the mind of Nero. After all, days like this were rare for the demon hunter seeing as his past prior was filled with bloodshed. Suddenly the gardens turned black as Nero was left all alone. In its place, a blue flame engulfed the area and a demon appeared. It was a dazzling blue color which Nero remembered all too well. "It's time to wake up boy......Your gonna miss your stop!" The demon shouted as it drew it's sword and swung it towards him. Nero Woke up to the sound of the train whistle blowing. A cold sweat raced across his body as he felt the sunshine on his face. "Sir? I need to see your ticket." Nero turned to see a soldier dressed in the usual white and gold plated armor. It was always strange how every soldier in the Equestrian military looked the same. Nero reached into his coat pocket and handed the man his ticket. After the soldier saw the ticket he handed it back, however, Nero wasn't exactly off the hook yet. "Sir do have a license to hold a firearm like that?" The soldier asked while pointing at Nero's revolver. "Ugh...Listen, buddy, I'm tired and I've been working really late recently. Could you just cut me some slack here?" Nero asked pleadingly while the guard looked at him with a blank expression. The guard cuffed Nero and sent another guard to retrieve his things. Nero felt his eyebrow twitch as he was carried away. The only thing that was on his mind was... "How does this always happen to me!!!" TO BE CONTINUED!
Fateful EncountersToday had been pretty average for Twilight. She woke up a little sore from sleeping on her new wings. She worked with Spike to complete the royal checklist for the Sunset celebration. She had a few flying lessons and she hung out with her friends. And now she's being attacked by killer plant life.......So yeah a normal day in the life of Twilight Sparkle. "What in the wide world of Equestria is going on here!" Ponyville was a mess to put it lightly. The Everfree Forest was literally attacking the town like a plague. Thorn-covered vines wrapped around the buildings like snakes. While the clouds turned pitch black and spit lighting that scorched everything in sight. Twilight and her friends, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy raced through the streets trying to stop the invasion. Unfortunately, they weren't able to do much. "How many of these crazy vines are there!?" Rainbow Dash shouted as she kicked away a vine trying to wrap itself around her leg. "Don't matter! We just gotta keep 'em at bay! Applejack said as she swung a machete at a few of the vines. "Ugh! These horrid things are truly an eyesore!" Rarity said while using her magic to burn a few of the vines. "I don't about you girls but I'm having a blast!" Pinkie shouted as she pulled her party cannon out of nowhere and started firing off rounds. Meanwhile, the timid Fluttershy, AKA Miss Doormat, was currently trying her hardest not to stand in anyone's way. The more the girls fought back against the vines the more vines appeared. It was becoming really obvious that they were losing ground fast! Even the guards were having a hard time keeping the chaos from overtaking the town. Slowly they were starting to lose hope. Even Twilight was slowly losing the will to keep fighting. The news that the Princesses were missing was wearing on her nerves a little more than she would have thought. "Princess....Please....Help us!" Twilight whispered as she tried to catch her breath. However, before Twilight could finish catching her breath a group of vines started racing towards her. "TWILIGHT!" Everyone shouted as they tried to rescue her. Twilight turned around in just enough time to see the coming danger. She felt her body go cold as the thought of death raced through her mind like a bullet. All the memories of the past year came and went in a flash. I guess your life really does flash before your eyes when you're about to die. And just then a familiar face reappeared. A memory of the past......A friend she had forgotten about. She felt a sudden guilt wash over her as the memories of him played over and over again in her mind. "Nero.....I'm sorry." She whispered as she prepared for the worst. Earlier... "Come on don't you think this is a little much?" Nero said to the guard seated in front of him. "Listen, kid, if you would just tell us the truth! We can both get out of here and enjoy the celebration!" One of the guards shouted back with a less than amused expression. "For the last time, jackass! I can't tell you why I'm here!" Nero persisted much to his annoyance. Nero and the Ponyville guard have been doing this little interrogation since getting off the train. Pretty needless to say at this point Nero was getting more than a little fed up with the back and forth routine. However, before he got the chance to do anything drastic Nero felt something strange. His right arm began to burn slightly which meant that things were about to get complicated. "As much as I would love to sit here and argue with you all damn day! I believe somethings going on outside." Nero explained while the guard looked at him with the 'you can't be serious' face. "Kid if you think thats going to work on me your seriously mistaken!" Suddenly a giant black vine blew through the wall sending the guard flying out of the room. Nero looked at the vine and then at his new exit. Without a second thought, he broke the restraints that were tied to the table he was sitting at and started to walk away until he noticed the guard who's body pinned to the wall. "Ugh......You're lucky I'm such a nice guy." Nero kicked the vine breaking it in half and freeing the man. After that, he walked down the hallway to the evidence room and broke the door down. Nero smiled as he got to work putting together his Red Queen. After a few minutes, he finished his prep work and strapped his sword to his back and placed Blue Rose in its holster. "Welp, I guess it's time to get to work." Nero said as he walked out of the hole the plant made earlier. Taking a look around he saw the chaos covering the town. But Nero felt something strange.....Almost nostalgic about the situation. "Huh, I'm getting a serious case of deja-vu right now." Before Nero could ponder the situation any further a vine shot out of the ground towards his back. Nero suddenly grabbed Blue Rose and shot the vine in the blink of an eye. "Well, I can think about it later. For now, I should find out where these weeds are coming from." Nero said with a sigh. "TWILIGHT!" Nero turned towards the screaming while grabbing Red Queen and revved it at full throttle. "Sorry, but looks Like I'm coming through!" Nero shouted as he leapt towards the building to his left. Nero broke through the window and quickly ran towards the back door which he swiftly kicked in. On the other side, he saw a girl being attacked by a group fo the vines. "Nero.....I'm sorry." Nero smiled as he knew all too well who that voice belonged to. He used his full strength and bolted out the door like a bullet and appeared in front of her. "You're still a cry baby, aren't you bookworm?" Nero said with a grin as he revved the Red Queen to its max. Suddenly Nero swung his blade in a complete arc causing all the vines in the area to burst into flames. Nero placed his sword on his back and turned around to see a group of girls staring at him. "Yo Bookworm? Might wanna open your eyes now." Twilight slowly opened her eyes and nearly started crying from what she saw. "NERO!!" Suddenly Twilight tackled Nero to the ground giggling and crying like a little school girl. Meanwhile, her friends couldn't help but stare completely god-smacked by what they just saw. However, the only thing on Nero's mind was..... "Why does this stuff always happen to me?" TO BE CONTINUED
The Forest Unbound and Free"NERO! YOU JERK!DUMMY!IDIOT!LOSER!BIGDUMBSTUPIDHEAD!!!" Twilight shouted in her crying fit. Meanwhile, Nero was trying his hardest to fight the blush on his face. It was no doubt that this was his young childhood friend Twilight Sparkle. He didn't know anybody else who could throw a tantrum, cry and insult you at the same time. However, her friends watched Twilight with shocked expressions. Never has their friend ever acted like this! I mean sure she could be crazy and a little goofy at times but this was.... "C-Cute...." Everyone said in unison as Twilight kept crying. Nero finally had enough of the crying now that his coat was getting wet. He lifted his left hand and chopped her on the head one good time. Twilight instantly grabbed her head and tried to ease the pain while Nero stood up and dusted himself off. "If this is how you treat your friends I'd hate to see your enemies." Nero said playfully as he reached his hand out to help her up. "Stupid Jerk..." Twilight whispered as she took his hand and picked herself up. They both stared at each other for a moment letting the gradual changes over the years sink in. Nero was a lot taller and athletic looking than when he was a kid and Twilight had......Filled out in a few places. "STOP STARING AT ME PERV!" Twilight shouted with a blush on her face. "Sorry, but seriously you've changed a lot from the last time I saw you! Seriously it's like I'm talking to a different person!" "Yeah well......You've changed a little too. But you're still late as usual!" Twilight said with a huff while Nero rolled his eyes. "Umm.....Not to interrupt this melodrama you two got going but we have other things to worry about right now!" Applejack said while pointing towards the forest. Both Nero and Twilight turned towards the forest to see something rising from the dense forest foliage. Nero felt his arm begin to burn and knew what was coming next. "Both of you get behind me." Slowly a group of wolfs began to emerge from the foliage, however, after a second glance, everyone noticed the rotten flesh and maggots crawling all over them. Twilight and the rest of the girls took a step back as the undead slowly stalked them. "I'd cover your nose. The smell these guys give off is enough to make you puke." Nero instructed as he pulled out Blue Rose. "There ghouls....Probably took some of the animal corpses as vessels. I'd get back Twilight! I can't protect you and fight these things at the same time." "Applejack lets go!" Twilight exclaimed as she grabbed her friend's hand and ran towards the others. Meanwhile, Nero stared down the undead horde with a scowl on his face. "You bastards ruined a reunion with an old friend of mine. I'll put you back in the dirt where you belong!" Suddenly three undead hounds ran ahead of the pack and circled Nero on all sides. Without warning one of the wolfs pounced aiming for his neck while another went for his leg. "Sorry old fella!" Nero shouted as a thunderous bang rang out through the town. The first wolf was blown to pieces from the shot while the second wolf tried to bite his leg. However, before it could reach its target Nero lifted his leg up only to send it crashing down onto the wolf's skull. Instantly the third wolf tried to take Nero out now that his back was turned. Nero didn't even turn to acknowledge the attack. Instead, he only pointed Blue rose at the beast as it leaped towards him and in one swift motion pulled the trigger. After that, all hell broke lose as the rest of the pack attacked. Nero grabbed Red Queen and then with one swing he cut half of the enemy to pieces. However, a chimera ghoul managed to slip through his defense. Nero quickly lifted his right arm to intercept the beast rotting jaws. "What's the matter kitty? Go on and have a good taste!" Nero shouted as he kicked the beast in the stomach with enough force to send it flying. The undead horde noticed their numbers beginning to dwindle and quickly retreated back into the forest. Nero couldn't help but be a little suspicious of the sudden retreat. "Why would they run? Ghouls shouldn't have the capacity for rational thought. Unless something or....Someone was giving them orders." While Nero was deep in thought Twilight and her friends were left awe-stricken. Nero had dealt with an entire pack of beasts like they were nothing! Suddenly Twilight noticed a platoon of guards moving towards them. "Princess Twilight! Are you and the Elements safe!?" "Yes, commander were fine but about the rest of the town?" Twilight asked with a worried expression. "We currently have all available forces working on keeping the invasion at bay. In contrast, we have lost over a quarter of the town to the Everfree but we have managed to keep the citizens safe in the town hall." Twilight took a deep breath as she tried to come up with some kind of strategy. However, before she could speak Nero suddenly walked past her and started giving orders to the guard. "I need all available guards to follow my exact instructions." Nero exclaimed as the entire platoon looked at him with annoyed expressions. "Sir we only take orders from the princess! And we don't take orders from civilians!" The commander shouted with a scowl. Nero sighed in frustration as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his identification. "T-THE ORDER OF THE SWORD!?" The commander shouted as he fumbled a little while trying to salute. The rest of the platoon slowly and questioningly followed their commander's example and saluted Nero. However, Twilight was left dazed by the sudden shift in the spotlight. "Psst! Twilight What's this order of the Sword?" Rainbow Dash asked with a raised brow. "I....Honestly, I don't know myself." "Alright, I need half of the guards to protect the town hall with a magic circle and don't forget to purify your weapons with holy water! That should keep them back for the time being. I also need the rest of the guard to focus their efforts on keeping the invasion out of the town square. Staying in a tight formation means we can help each other without breaking the line." "Yes, sir! You heard him, men! Head to town hall and purify the area!" "Um, sir? This seems kinda.....Weird? This isn't really the duty of royal guards. This sounds like something a priest or an exorcist would do?" One of the soldiers pointed out while the others nodded in agreement. "YOU DARE QUESTION YOUR SUPERIOR OFFICER YOU LITTLE-" The commander shouted before Nero stopped him. "I understand why most of you would be suspicious. But right now I don't have the luxury of an explanation. I'm gonna boil it down to its simplest form! This is war!" Nero explained in a stern tone that sent the guard on edge. "Whoever's doing this isn't a fool! They know that the military isn't prepared to fight this type of enemy." "SIR! Permission to speak SIR!?" Nero turned towards one of the younger soldiers. It was pretty easy to see that he was scared out of his mind right now. Nero only nodded his head in response which set the man at ease. "Why don't we evacuate the town? That way we don't have to worry about protecting the citizens and focus on the Everfree." The soldiers seemed to agree with his idea but Nero could only sigh. "Like I said the enemy isn't stupid. They want to keep us in town through any means necessary. So to put it simply the city is surrounded by ghouls. If we tried to leave......We would all be slaughtered like livestock." Nero's explanation seemed to make the holes in everyone's stomach grow even deeper. He made it pretty clear for everyone to understand. They were trapped in this town with no chance of escape. Now with a clear idea of what the situation was the rest of the guard got to work. "Commander this list here should tell you how to make the magic circle. I have a case with all the ingredients on this list back at the guard post. Blend them together then draw a circle around the area and after that, you should be safe until I handle the situation." "SIR!" After that the commander quickly got to work on the list Nero handed him. Nero, on the other hand, looked at the supplies he had currently. Twilight finally having enough of being ignored walked over and grabbed Nero by the ear. "OWOWOWOWOW!! TWILIGHT WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING!" Nero cried before Twilight let go of his ear. "Alright, mister you're gonna explain to me what in the world is going on here! AND DON'T YOU DARE JUST SAY IT'S NT IMPORTANT!" Twilight demanded as her friends once again were left speechless from the sudden change in their friends persona. "Twilight I don't have to the time to explain! If I were you I would focus on protecting the citizens." Nero said as he tried to walk past her. However, Twilight snapped her fingers causing a purple box to form around Nero. He suddenly remembered how skilled Twilight was with magic and realized that he wasn't gonna get out of this without some kind of excuse. "Why exactly are you so obsessed with knowing about this? Did something happen?" Twilight didn't say a word which was more than enough for Nero to understand the situation. He turned his head to look at her and say the determination in her eyes. "Alright...Alright! Let me out of this box and I'll explain the situation. However, you have to tell me what seems to be troubling you." Nero said as Twilight glared daggers at him. ".......Fine." Suddenly the box vanished and Nero turned towards Twilight and her friends with a serious expression on his face. Twilight kept a stern look as her friends tried to keep up with the sudden change in atmosphere. "I'm gonna make this short and sweet......Right now there's a chance that Ponyville will be destroyed." TO BE CONTINUED!
Black Sheep"I'm sorry....WHAT!?" Rainbow Dash shouted as the girls were left speechless. "Like I said....There's a strong chance this town is going to be destroyed." Nero stated bluntly which didn't seem to change their minds. "But WHY!? We at least deserve an explanation! This is our home after all and we need to know what's going to happen to everyone!" Rainbow Dash shouted getting dangerously close to Nero. Twilight quickly tried to defuse the situation by separating her friends before a fight broke out. Nero looked conflicted for some reason but Twilight couldn't really figure out why. "I see that things have gotten a little out of hand here." Suddenly everyone turned around to see a group of 4 men walking towards them. After a brief moment, the girls instantly realized who they were. "Arent you guys from that church that opened up in town? What are you guys doing here it's dangerous!" Twilight said forcefully while the priest stopped dead in their tracks. "Umm we are very sorry princess but we do have business here." The middle-aged priest said with a nervous smile. Twilight puffed out her cheeks with an annoyed look on her face. Before she could give them all a firm tongue lashing Nero walked past her towards the priests. "My guess is that your exorcist from the order of the sword?" "Yes, sir! It's a pleasure to meet you!" One of the older men said as the rest of them showed Nero their respect. Once again Twilight was left stupefied at how the spotlight had been taken so easily. The rest of the girls were getting more and more aggravated by Nero's cocky behavior. "W-Wait!? These men are from that Order thing too?" Twilight asked frantically as the men turned to her. "Yup....Did Celestia actually explain what the Order of The Sword does?" Nero asked while Twilight felt her body jump. That was all the answer Nero needed and without a second thought, he turned to the men who awaited his orders. "Listen up the demon were facing here is powerful! Powerful enough to control the Everfree and a horde of ghouls without the need of emissary's." "Do you believe it could be an archfiend demon!?" The heavy set man of the group said in a frightened tone. "I don't know but we can't take chances. I need one of you to head to the town square and try to get in contract with one of the princesses! We might need their help with leading the guard!" Nero commanded which caused Twilight to finally speak up. "T-There might be a problem with that...." Now everyone's attention was focused on her. Twilight quickly regained her composure and looked sternly at everyone. "Both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have gone missing." She explained bluntly which caused everyone to rear back in shock. Nero felt a bead of sweat run down his cheek as the thought of the two most powerful deities on the planet has been captured. At this point, there was no doubt....this was one of the kings. "Change in plans...We need to rescue the princesses first!" Nero said with an eerie smile on his face. The four priest nodded in agreement and walked towards the forest while Nero turned to face the six girls in front of him. "I need all of you to get somewhere safe while we handle this." "WHAT!?" They all said in unison as Nero looked at them with a blank stare. "We can't stand back and do nothin! Were the Elements of Harmony for crying out loud!" Applejack protested as the others voiced their agreement. "We've faced demonic deities, evil overlords, and chaos gods! I think we can handle a few weeds and some road kill!" Rainbow Dash explained in her usual cocky tone. "Darling I know you want to play hero but we can help!" Rarity exclaimed with a twirl of her hair. Nero slowly looked towards Twilight and saw the same determination in her eyes. It was kind of refreshing to meet people like this as compared to the stuffy attitude of the Order......But this was a different situation. "Alright then let me ask you something.....Are you prepared to kill your enemy?" Nero asked coldly with a dark and foreboding glare. Instantly the girls stopped as the question fell on them like a weight. It left the girls absolutely speechless. In all the time they have been fighting evil never had the idea of murder ever come to them. "We're facing what we believe to be an Archfiend demon. One of the kings of the underworld! This is nothing like your fights with Discord or King Sombra! These demons are ruthless and the Elements would not be able to faze them in the slightest. Knowing this.....do you still wanna enter that forest? Cause after you enter that forest there is only two options......Kill or be Killed." Nero felt bad for having to drop a harsh reality on these girls but he didn't want them to get killed. Not only that but if the elements are defeated it would cause a huge issue in power control between the nations of Equis. But worst of all is that currently, Twilight was the only princess on duty! She would be a better help to the soldiers than on the front lines. The girls stayed silent for the longest time. The four priest watched with anticipation. Each of the girls waited for one of the others to speak up but all of them stayed quiet. For the first time, it seemed like Friendship wasn't going to fix the situation. A harsh reality seemed to set in as each of them realized the ugly truth.....This was a war. "I don't care." Suddenly the girls looked at Twilight as she wore a confident expression. "Princess Celestia has been taken.....I can't wait on the sidelines! I might be a princess but.....I WILL NOT BE A CAUSAL OBSERVER AS MY FRIENDS-! NO, MY PEOPLE ARE THREATENED!" Twilight demanded as a purple aura surrounded her body. The girls felt their spirits rise and each of them felt as if they could each speak up again. "Like it or not.....But we the Elements of Harmony! Are meant to protect! Will do what it takes!" Nero sighed as he walked past the girls and towards the Everfree, however, he stopped when Twilight said something that shocked him. "But I promise that we will find a better way, Nero!" Twilight demanded with conviction. Nero turned back to the girls. Now with a new fire in their eyes, all thanks to their friend they all were prepared for the worst. Nero realized how pointless it was to send them away. "She hasn't changed a bit from since we were kids..." Nero thought with a chuckle as he signaled them to follow. "Are you ready sir?" Nero nodded as he checked Blue rose and then his sword Red Queen. After that, he and his team of four exorcists and the Elements of Harmony set out into the forest. Deep inside the forest near the old castle of the twin sisters a soft voice could be heard. The voice belonged to a small child she seemed to be having a tea party with a few toy's and one dried out corpse. "It seems like they have finally decided to make their move." A man said as he sat on a fallen pillar. The girl just giggled to herself as she poured Mr. Skeleton a piping cup of tea. "Goody! I think we should let the new master of the forest deal with them! Then I'll go get big brother!" She exclaimed with a cheery smile. The man remained silent as the girl continued her tea party. A faint blue light shined around the room as the man stood up and prepared to leave. "I would not underestimate him, little sister. If you think a simple demon can kill him you are mistaken." The man explained as he snapped his fingers as a black void opened up in front of him. Once again the girl giggled as she finally stood up and looked towards the man. She was around 7 or 8 years of age. She was wearing a strange black cloak that covered all but her childlike features. She also had blond hair braided into two pigtails. "Don't worry! Daddy wants me to bring him back alive so I'll have to go a little easy on him!" She explained with a smile as the man walked through the black void. Now all alone she giggled to herself as she walked towards the door to the ruins. "Now the fun begins! Tehehe!" She giggled as a faint outline of a large beast loomed over her. TO BE CONTINUED!
