"Could you repeat that?" I asked Terumi, my tone low.

"You heard me, a Cauldron. I felt it's influence when we took Discord down."

"A Cauldron, the Thing that takes souls?" I sat up on my bed, and pinched the bridge of my nose in annoyance. "It's just one thing after another with this shit, isn't it?" I grumbled both to Terumi and to myself.

"The Seither we took from Discord was old, diluted from years of being away. I know that they're built under or near main cities. If we go back to the old Castle, if it there, I'll feel it."Terumi said, being serious for once.

I stood up, and made for the door. I stopped when I felt the familiar feeling of scales rubbing on my neck. I looked down, and noted that Ophis was looking at me with curious eyes. I chuckled lightly as I rubbed her head softly she leaned into my touch. I grabbed her softly and uncoiled her from my neck.

"Can you stay at Fluttershy's until I come get you? I have a bad feeling about today." I smiled as Ophis simply nodded and gave my cheek a little flick of her tongue before she slithered out the open window. I made my way downstairs and came across a note. It was from.. Well everyone. It read:

Dear Hazama,

You've been out cold for a few days now. Twilight says it was Magic Overload combined with a severe case of Magical Exhaustion. When she realized that both those conditions contradicted themselves, she had one of her 'breakdowns'. She is over at Rarity's currently being looked after by the Spike as well. When you wake up, try to inform Applejack, as she is currently your caretaker, along with Rainbow Dash. We are all worried, so please visit the Castle as soon as you wake up.

I put the note in my sleeve, and grinned as I wrote my own note on a separate sheet of parchment. In a flash I was out through the window and soaring into the sky. With a quick spin I sent an Ouroboros flying towards Sweet Apple Acres. However, I didn't zip along with it, instead I simply tugged it back to me, letting it sputter back into my sleeve like a measuring tape. On the door of Applejacks house lay my note to her, wedged into the wood.

I smirked as I simply jumped my way towards the old Castle, as it was the only thing that really stood out in Everfree, landing in the same clearing with a pond in it that I stumbled into my first time here. In fact, I can still see the clear as day imprint on that stupid tree..

Jesus, that fucking tree is old.

I let a small smile on my face as I looked around. I made my way to the town, or what was left of it. The town itself was almost gone, eroded away into time, hell, if you didn't know there was a town here you'd say they were just mossy rocks. Even the tree's had encroached on the Castle, as the tree line seemed to stop only a few hundred feet away, unlike the almost mile over a millennia ago. My smile cracked a bit, as my vision flashed back to how I was back in the day. I acted like a fool, thinking this was all just a big game, hell my plans revolved around making the ponies hate me enough to make me a Final Boss.. The fuck was wrong with me?

I walked up to the Castle, seeing visions of Celestia and me duking it out. I looked up and saw the same window I had jumped in and out of when I.. tried to rouse the Evil in Luna..

Welp, that killed whatever good mood I was in. My smile was now solely there because I don't think this body can frown. Or at least for long.

"Your being awfully quiet." I asked Terumi off handedly.

"Oh me? I'm just relishing in your self hatred right now, it's great!" Terumi laughed. I scoffed as I turned around. I was about to say something, but I was caught off guard by the feeling of hatred coming from around the corner. I casually looked around the corner, and immediately wiped my head back. I pinched the bridge of my nose as I groaned in agitation.

"Why are we here?" The voice of Ragna called from around the corner.

"I sensed Terumi's Seither, his power is unmask able. He's around her somewhere." The voice of Hakumen rumbled through his helmet.

I gently let myself inside the door behind me, letting it shut behind me as quietly as possible. Which was astoundingly quiet for a door over a thousand years old. Now, all I need to do is not let off any big bursts of Energy, and they should just go away. I turned around and faced the old throne room, I chuckled, as the room itself was almost exactly the same, if not absolutely covered in cobwebs. I made my way past the throne, even as a vision of me leaning into Luna's ear played before my eyes. I opened a door that lead down, the dark creeping in from lack of lighting.

"And me without a flashlight.." I grumbled silently, as I began my trudge into the basement levels. At the bottom, only a faint light emanated from the walls, as the emergency flames kicked on. Not bad, still having some juice left in them.

---Third Person---

Hazama looked around, careful not to breathe in the dust of the old, lichen covered pillars and ragged tapestries. In so many ways, life had been so easy to fall back into, even after his return. But here, in the Old Castle, it was so much harder to ignore the passage of time.

Taking another step into what had once been the great trophy hall, so many things, armors, pictures, gems and their stands had been left to rot, their preservation spells uncharged. Sure, he’d seen much of the trove back in Canterlot, it was still a hard pill to swallow seeing his old home in shamb-

A glint, a crack of sunlight streaming in all the way down in the lower levels, probably a good sign the foundations weren’t in any better shape either, Hazama moved towards a forgotten row of black granite block stands. He didn’t recall ever having seen, won, or heard of receiving an orb of hoof size golden sand, and especially not one that held enough magic in itself to remain sparklingly clean or still float atop its stand after centuries of neglect.

Stretching out his hand, slowly, he could feel the way the air changed around the small thing. Taking a step back, he wished in vain that any of the ancient crystal lighting was still usable so he could have a look better than what a sliver of sunlight could give, but a timberwolf branch, fallen from its rusted iron wall mount by the nearest wall, would have to do. Pointing a finger at the top, a lance of green energy seared the ancient rags steeped in Timberwolf sap, setting them ablaze ... and continued into the sphere, which began to violently writhe, shushing against itself, revealing not a single golden mass, but a multitude of grain sized ... grains that settled just as quickly as they began from the small bit of magic.

"That was fun." He thought to his headmates wearing his perpetual grin, before closing his eyes, "You got anything on this little trinket Nightmare?"

"Not in the slightest, it must be something from our Banishment. Nightmare replied curtly.

Unwatched, the sphere began to expand, thinning up into a flat disc, whose center was then swallowed by a darkness that convulsed within before stretching out into the air and tipping the top of the ring back. From the corner of his eye, his attention now back on the unsettling artifact, Hazama almost thought he saw the shadows at the edges of the torchlight stir like branches caught on a breeze as the sound of rain filled the dry, dusty air. And then, the ring shrank. Returning to a palm sized sphere of golden sand once again.

A flick of the wrist, and the sickly green light of Hazama’s Ouroboros flashed across the darkness, catching the drifting orb as it began to fall off of its stand, zipping it into to Hazama’s outstretched hand. Looking suddenly up, he winced as Terumi scraped at the inside of his skull, salivating at the sudden influx of negative energy that filled the room only for him to grumble at it's just as sudden passing.

The silence continued, whatever Terumi had sensed, or thought he’d sensed, certainly wasn’t here now. The room was simply too dusty to conceal anyone’s movements without leaving a floating trail in their wake.

“Send me ba-”

Hazama jumped, who or whatever’s message lost as his Ouroboros spiraling out behind him, pulling him away to the corner of the room so he could keep a better eye on-

“Send.”

Hazama leapt, dropping the torch, his Ouroboros cinching at his waist to haul him up the corner column to the roof, green bolts of energy flaring in his hands and shooting like the scatter of a shotgun into the floor, adding a new pile of rubble to the castle’s vast collection. That same dry voice, again, and it had come directly from below his feet. It shouldn’t, couldn’t be possible. And neither should the flicker of torch light below him. His eyes widened as he realized what he just did.

"Damn, there goes keeping a low profile to the morons outside.." He thought to himself. His attention was drawn to the nearest pillar to him.

There, just a few feet from the base of the pillar, a black tentacle had sprout up from the ground, holding the torch aloft, the ruddy light reflecting darkly upon its shimmering, sand-like form. Then, from the seamless cracks between the stonework, sheets of the black sand wavered up, wrapping around the tentacle until it made the shape of a thin, nearly skeletal six-foot human, it's skullish face squinting frowning up to the shadows Hazama held himself to, uncaring of the torch it held so close to its face the flames were dancing into it.

“I’m not coming back up,” it said, though in not as dry a voice as he recalled, “Now send me back.”

“Hoh? What kind of ghoulish creature are you supposed to be?” Hazama chuckled. Pleased as he was that whatever this thing was finally in his sights, it was ... troubling that Terumi wasn’t saying anything more about that initial feeling of fear.

“My name is Wayde Molan,” it replied. “Now please, say the words contract complete so I can get back, and so You,” it’s frown deepening, “aren’t a kidnapper.”

“And why should I listen to a stranger’s rude demands?” Hazama bared a toothy grin, quirking an eyebrow. Nothing about the dull creature was giving off so much as a drop of malice or deadly intent.

“Because,” Wayde’s voice replied from beside Hazama’s ear, sending both of Hazama’s eyebrows skyward, “It’s the polite thing to do,” the clone of the sand golem finished, dusting away into the shadows as its mouth closed. Hazama hung upon the pillar for a few moments more before his snaking green Ouroboros disappeared, allowing him to drop to the floor, landing squarely on his feet. “You're no fun, you know that?” he replied, pulling at his jacket, seemingly unperturbed but for the dust. “So,” he sighed, gently rubbing the bridge of his nose, “What was it again” lightly tossing the gold, sandy orb up by his side as it slowly floated back down, “Contract completed, or something?”

The Wayde looked down to the orb, then back up to Hazama. “Ahem,” he frowned, nodding down to the orb, “Perhaps say contract complete directly into the orb?”

“Sure thing, pal,” Hazama said, tossing the orb higher into the air, catching it at the top of its flight in front of his mouth, and all but whispered, “Contract Complete.”

The seconds stretched onward, but still, nothing happened. His smile lessening a few degrees, Hazama brought the small orb beside his ear, giving it a shake. “Is it broken?”

The golem just stood there. In truth, it hadn’t moved all that much since it’d appeared, but now, Wayde looked positively statuesque.

Hazama opened his mouth, and that’s when Wayde struck.

Hazama side stepped Waydes left arm as it stretched out to bone-like thinness, grabbing for the ord.

“No,” Wayde growled, grasping at the orb in both hands. “Nooo!!” he said again, now wrapping his chest around the orb snuffing out its golden light.

Stepping to Hazama, Wayde ripped the orb out from his chest, bits of black sand falling to the floor. “This" he said in its low, cutting tone, thrusting out the orb, inches from Hazama’s face, “Should be eating away at my construct. What did you do to it?”

Hazama raised his hands in a defensively as he stepped back, his smile fading a few more degrees.”I have no idea. Honest,” he chuckled nervously.

“Fine,” the construct(?) said coldly, allowing the orb roll out of its palm. “The last person I met who had more than one center of fear was insane too. Just stay out of my way,” it turned, falling quickly to pieces, disappearing into the shadows.

“Wait, don't go outside!” Hazama nearly screamed, pitch rising.

An echoing sigh came from down the hall. “What?” Wayde asked flatly, his voice coming up from the floor beneath Hazama.

“Listen,” Hazama winced at the new shadow by his feet, “There’s some people out there that may, or may not want to kill me. Kill me, and the ponies around me might I add. I need you to not jump outside. One of them uses Light as a weapon, and the other uses his powers much like my own, mixed with his strength. They make a damn good team.”

“Look,” Wayde sighed, “light isn’t a problem fo- ... Was that last part about killing ponies?” his voice rose, as though he suspected he’d misheard. “They think I’m the real Hazama, and they’re from the real Blazblue Universe where he’s basically an unstoppable evil. They’ve even threatened a town and every pony in it if I didn't fight them!” Hazama nearly screamed.

“So there’s a couple of chuckle heads out there who threatened an innocent populace to fight you, and no one’s killed them yet?” Wayde asked.

Hazama could almost feel the tension in the air. “Listen, I can't just kill them. I’ve never taken a life. I save lives,” Hazama boasted, pointing a thumb to his chest.

“Whatever, so they’re too powerful for you,” Wayde replied hurriedly, his shadowed foot tapping soundlessly, “I’ll be sure to give The Elements of Harmony a call if I see them.”

“It’s not that I’m not strong enough,” Hazama said, smile stretching to show his canines, “I never said they managed to kill any ponies after all. I can fight the two, I’ve beaten the two, but they’re teamwork has been getting better,” his green aura flashing green with each emphasized word.

Then, all but the smile on his face going slack.

"The morons are here." Terumi casualy told Hazama through the mental link.

“Ah shit!” he straightened up, “They’re he-”

An avalanche of rubble rocketed through the air, stones from the ceiling and the levels above crashing down in its rumbling wake. Spitting out dust, Hazama waved out an arm to try and push back the dust browning the air as sunlight from the new cavernous opening.

Hard as it was to see, there was no mistaking the overly dramatic red and white auras that shone through it all, announcing the six and nearly seven foot behemoths, Ragna and Hakumen. Coughing again, the dust rising into Hazama’s nose, a line of red rose above Ragna, his nearly body-length sword’s edge gleaming silver with hunger, the air and dust parting suddenly with the swordsman’s rapid upswing, revealing Hazama to the distorted newcomers.

“God the hell dammit,” Wayde groaned, two thin, grey hands attached to black sleeves popping out from the shadow on the floor, grabbing at Hazama’s ankles as Ragna surged forward across the broken hall. Black sand bloomed from the floor, wrapping into a block around Hazama’s feet as more slithered up his spine and braced his neck. The sand, the instant Wayde released his grip on it, rocketed Hazama up into the blackness and the ceiling above, further into the castle, leaving Ragna to crash into the corner column, a rush of dust and cobwebs drenching into his hair for his trouble. But even that didn’t slow him down, leaping the thirty-foot distance to the ceiling after his green haired quarry, leaving the white warrior, still taking in his surroundings to the shadow, Wayde.

***The Broken Courtyard***

The unobstructed sun kissed at Hazama’s face, the sand falling away from him as he skidded to a halt moments before he would have been skimming across the slimy algae growing in the long broken fountain. Brushing off the bits of sand he was sure only a proper dry cleaning would remove from his suit, eyes scanning the weeds that choked away what few stones still remained of the courtyard as he gazed skyward. It was roughly mid-day now, if not on the half.

“Terumi!” Ragna’s shouted, flames bursting around him as he barreled through the rotted vines covering a balcony above Hazama, his sword ready to cleave a final smile on Hazama’s face.

Hazama turned on his heel, an Ouroboros springing from his hand, coiling around his fist, as he jabbed at Ragna’s blade. An eruption of green and red Seither sparked as the dark mist of seither bulged between the two weapons played for dominance. Not that it mattered.

Hazama sighed, sweeping his left, steel-toed boot into Ragna’s shin, sending him sliding into the chest high wall that crumbled under the red man’s weight.

“I’ve told you, I’m not Terumi!,” Hazama seethed, sunlight sliding down the s-shaped blade along one of the many the Balisong Butterfly Knives he kept in his jacket while his Ouroboros continued unwinding from his other hand.

“Yeah, like I’d believe that!” Ragna scoffed, charging again. Swiping in an arc towards Hazama’s shoulder, the wind whistled along the fabled Blood-Scythe's wide cheek, but Hazama skillfully dodged under the swing and slashed at Ragna’s stomach, taking full advantage of the lack of recovery time the large sword gave even a wielder of Ragna’s strength. Then, a duck, as Ragna used his free hand to palm the flat back of his blade for a speedy downward strike.

Hazama jumped fully back, putting distance between them.

Ragna smirked, twisting the handle of his sword. A hiss, and the handle extended nearly four feet, as the blade clicked into a ninety-degree angle, a true scythe, and one whose seithered edge was once more dripping with Hazama’s blood, even as Ragna lifted it for a true attack.

“Gah! I forgot you could do that,” Hazama grumbled. “However,” a green energy wave exploding from his body, smashing into Ragna’s face and sending him careening through stone still meant to withstand an army, back into the castle, “You,” he smirked, “Seem to forget that you can’t beat me alone.”

***Forgotten Trophy Hall***

Hakumen stood, knees bent, ready to move in any direction at the slightest notice. Ragna, in all of his cocksuredness hadn’t seemed to notice the Hazama had flown out of the hall, feet held together and back held straight as a sword. Those were not the fluid movements of the green-haired demon who snaked across the field of battle on his Ouroboros. Eyes narrowed from beneath his white, wedge-shaped helm, but he edged into the room regardless.

A sound like a snapping twig broke the silence in the clouded shadows, and then, a body. Had the air been not literally choked with dust it would have been invisible, but it parted in a humanesque shape, stepping soundlessly towards him, turning darker with each step. It walked without any form of martial style, leaving itself completely open to attack, but even so, Hakumen held out his sword, ready to lunge, at the creature who, halting in its tracks just three yards away, now appeared in the shape of a thin, well-built man made entirely of black sand, though the long jacket he wore could be hiding any number of nasty surprises.

“State your business, ghoul,” Hakumen commanded.

“Can you hear me?” the thin sand man asked dryly, standing nearly as tall as Hakumen himself.

“Yes,” Hakumen replied tersely, gripping on his nodachi’s hilt hard enough to make it creak, “now state your business.”

“I wanted to ask both you and the red one, but,” he replied, thumbing back towards where Hazama had made his hasty retreat, “is it true that you threatened a whole town of ponies in order to fight that guy with the green hair?”

“Of course,” Hakumen stated plainly.

“Hmm,” the sandman nodded, “so you think killing a whole town of brothers, sisters, parents, and friends is an acceptable way to behave when trying to hunt down a single mental patient?”

“Of course it is,” Hakumen replied unshaken, raising his sword in a two-handed grip above his head. These sorts of conversations never ended well. “That he lives gives threat to all life on this world.”

“Oh?” the sandman questioned, crossing his hands behind its back, “and what evidence do you have to back such a claim?”

“His actions on my own world, he must atone for them,” Hakumen replied, mentally chastising himself for their over simplicity, but he hadn’t expected something like the ... man in front of him to say something so ... reasonable.

“Look, if what you say is true then I’ll kill him myself, but,” he sighed, “I’ve been burned by single witness testimonies before. You’ll need stronger evidence than that I’m afraid.”

Hakumen took a half step forward, lowering his sword to his waist, but still at the ready. “That man, on multiple occasions, nearly caused my entire world to be destroyed but for the help of Ragna, the one wearing red. Hazama cannot be trusted.” Could this be a new ally? If the three of them focused their efforts, could they end the demon before he could cause any significant damage?

The sandman remained unmoving for a time, then, without lifting a single foot, turned around. “It’s a start,” he said, gliding forward as his legs displaced around the fallen chunks of rubble in the direction of Ragna and Hazama.

Hakumen followed behind the strange man of sand, who, despite having no sensible seither about him, still made towards the castle entrance, where Ragna’s energy signature continued to burn. Then, just before they exited to the lawn, Ragna met them halfway, smashing through the stone wall beside them, green energy wisping at the edges of his expanded aura.

“Come now Ragna, you know you can’t beat me alone.” Hazama taunted through the hole, through, even from a distance, Hakumen could see the tears in Hazama’s precious suit, evidence of how well the demon spawn was actually fairing, despite his grinning bravado. Not that it mattered. Hazama always smiled. In fact, Hakumen would be surprised if the snake managed another facial expression.

Ragna, landing unceremoniously on his rear, pushed over the of the body sized piece of stone covering him, patting away the dust in his hair as he moved to Hakumen and the strange looking sand man beside him, but he didn’t question it, he’d seen enough in his time to just let it slide. Still, it might have been time to try and form some kind of strate-

“That’s enough,” Wayde’s sand creature frowned, gliding slowly towards Hazama out of the castle. “I don’t want to care about this world, but if innocent lives are in danger then I’m going to act.”

Hazama looked to the sandman, cocking his head to the side as Ragna and Hakumen stepped out of the shadows and into the courtyard. “You’re siding with those two?” Hazama chuckled, hand pressed into his side to slow the bleeding. “I don’t think anything will ever go my way,” he sighed, pressing the back of his free hand to his forehead in a dramatic fashion, the palm flashing green as a boa constrictor sized Ouroboros slithered into the air above him, grabbing the tail end. “But if that’s how you wanna play, then fine,” his chuckle louder, “I’ll take all three of you on,” his green aura flexing into a growing spiral around him.

Ragna stepped forward, hefting his sword onto his shoulder with an easy huff, flanking the sandman. “As long as we keep at him, we can keep him from transforming, okay?” he rumbled. “Blood Kain!” he shouted, a flaming red aura, nearly half the size of Hazama’s, blooming around him.

Hakumen grunted his ready, white embers flowing off behind him like rocket exhaust, gusting the smaller, pebbled sized debris in his wide wake. Holding his sword at waist height, he widening his stance. “Let us end this creature’s suffering.”

The sand man looked quickly to the both of them, a look of disgust curling at his upper lip. “No you idiots,” he sneered, “We’re going to set him on trial,” he pointed to Hazama, but he was already moving his arm in kind, whipping his Ouroboros forward, spiraling out like a ribbon, obscuring him from view as it tightened and burst through in a flurry of green shredded flame. His fists, covered in a blinding light, slammed into the ground, missing Hakumen and Ragna by a hair’s breadth as they leapt back from the obvious attack that shattered the man of sand, only for the ground to erupt in a pillar of green fire twenty feet wide where they stood as Hazama struck the earth, the glow leaving his fists.

Hazama raised a hand to shade his eyes, tracking their shrinking forms as they flew into the sky and past the seared, wild clouds above.

Wild clouds blowing north on an untamed cross wind.

Ponyville was north.

“Shit.”

Wrapping his hands in green light, a tangle of Ouroboros snakes extended rapidly, sinking their fangs into stone, dirt, and trees, tearing a few of the lighter ones asunder, cursing his luck as he rushed to the, now, possibly endangered city. After all, Ragna and Hakumen could get caught in an updraft that doubled them back to the for-

“You’re no match for the two of us Terumi,” Hakumen’s steely voice echoed through the vacant roads, the sounds of hastily slamming doors punctuating the new silence sweeping through the town, “We will not allow you to endanger another world.”

Thoughts of the wreckage these two left in Canterlot played in the back of Hazama’s mind, literally, thanks to Terumi, as he cleared Sugarcube Corner’s roof, skidding to a halt at the sight of Hakumen, poised in his classic and time tested samurai stance beside Ragna in his own custom stance honed from innumerable scrapes and battles, both still steaming from their sudden flight, caked in the dirt of their shallow impact crater, and both looking none too pleased about any of it.

Ragna blazed towards Hazama, fire burning in his wake, as Hakumen rushed for Hazama’s side. Reaching Hazama first, Hakumen lunged with his spear-long sword, only for Hazama Ouroboros wrapped palm to halt the attack, but doubled over as Ragna’s flaming punch connected with his gut.

Flying back, trying to both catch his breath and twist away from the neighboring buildings, Hakumen cut Hazama’s planning short, already behind him, slashing deeply into Hazama’s shoulder and kicking back in Ragna’s direction.

Too low.

It kept him close enough to the ground to get his footing again, but Ragna and Hakumen would give him no quarter. Coming at him from both sides, Hazama did his best to weave through the attacks, whipping aside some strikes with his Ouroboros chains, and leaning towards the lesser of two hits when he couldn’t dodge them both, tearing his clothes and weighting them with his blood.

The buildings and ponies were just too close for him to really let loose.

In a desperate attempt to get just a moment of breathing room, Hazama lashed out with a glowing kick to Hakumen’s chest, who gouged twin tracks into the ground as he flew back nearly ten feet. At the same time, Hazama also send a wild punch for Ragna’s head, but the seasoned brawler easily caught the sloppy move, twisting Hazama’s wrist for good measure as he leeched the punch’s momentum, pulling Hazama’s arm with him as he circled around, locking Hazama’s arms behind his back, firmly within Ragna’s grip.

“Let go!” Hazama struggled, trails of green energy burning in his eyes.

“As if,” Ragna growled, cruelly cinching Hazama’s arms. “Now!”

A beam of white light slammed into Hazama’s chest, pressing him into Ragna and bending his arms further.

“You will not get another warning shot Terumi.” Hakumen seethed, white light wrapping around his blade as he stepped into striking distance. “Do,” he raised his sword, “You,” the light burned brighter still, the seither running along its edge condensing to levels Hazama hadn’t even known were possible, “Yield?”

Hazama’s eyes widened. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Only the bad guys were supposed to lose like this.

“HAZAMA!” called a familiar, Royal Canterlot Voice, as the sound of hooves sounded behind the trio. Rounding the corner came Luna, Celestia, Pinkie, and the rest of the Elements of Harmony, grinding to a halt as they took in the scene, but it was Princess Luna who reacted first, her head held high, gaze drawn upon the two humans who held her dearest captive. “Hazama,” Luna asked, enunciating her words with care, “What happened?”

Hazama winced, trying to blink away the blood and sweat weighing his hair into his eyes, and, with a cough, opening his mouth, he was immediately silenced by the softball-sized shadow sphere that dropped onto his head, scattering like sand. Eyes rolling into his head, he fell limp, bending unnaturally forward, his arms still behind him.

Darkness pooled beside Ragna and Hakumen’s feet before surging sickeningly upward into an abnormally thin, transparent grey human wearing a long black coat down to his black boots. “I thought I told you worthless organics,” it huffed in a desiccated voice, slowly turning opaque, “that there would be a trial.”

“A trial?!” Ragana sputtered, dropping his charge, “Are you insane? This creature is-”

“A Trial? No,” Hazama’s voice called out, having managed to get on the roof of Sugarcube Corner, and now wearing a billowous yellow hoodie, his fedora replaced with his unkempt, spiky green hair, “There’s gonna be an execution!” Hands held to his sides, green light flared. It’s once smooth flow now held an erratic, almost digital, angle as they writhed like Ragna’s flames. “Although,” he bared his teeth in a feral grin, “I should probably say how grateful I am for you KO’ing that goody two-shoes before I pull your spleen out through your throat, huh friend?” he bowed in laughter to Wayde.

Luna gasped, bringing a hoof to her mouth, nearly tripping back into The Elements. And then, like lightning, her horror changed to rage, a gaze that had seen mountains crumble at her might zeroed on the newest human in her kingdom. “You! What have you done?!” Luna screeched at Wayde, wings flaring, magic crackling out of her horn.

Celestia, stepping imperiously forward, nudged her sister as she too extended her wings, and nodded once Luna peeled her eyes enough to see her sister from the corner of her eye. There was work to do.

“Oh HO,” Terumi whooped, leaping aside as the rulers of the day and night flew towards him, “Nightmare’s been itching to go another round with you Lulu.”

***With the Elements***

Glaring at the three humans who had given her princess so much grief, Twilight growled, stepping closer to them, her friends flanking her. “Take so much as step,” Twilight said, the white light of magic beginning to pool into her eyes, “and we use the Elements on you.”

Her fellow Elements gave similar affirmatives, with a particularly unhappy Pinkie Pie going so far as to put on a cooking pot, covering her eyes, as she pulled out her party cannon from behind her tail.

Ragna clenched his sword tighter, but a thin grey hand fell onto his shoulder. “No, this is good,” Wayde said, looking first from Ragna and then to Hakumen, “The Elements will help us.”

Neither were happy, but, despite themselves, they lowered their weapons slowly, listening to the grey man’s words.

***Back with the Princesses***

An evil cackle echoed from on high, the Princesses having chased Terumi into the clouds above, lined up for the rainstorm planned for tomorrow. Beams of shining gold and the deepest blue danced with the shots of green pelting the sky, busting the helpless clouds.

“You’re making this too eeeeassyyyy,” Terumi taunted, launching away smoothly as another of Celestia’s bolts vaporized another cloud, only to careen against a half-seared cloud blasted by Luna, and ricocheting back to Celestia. Wrapping an arm around startled alicorn’s neck, he grasped at her horn with his free hand, green light flittering about his knuckles. “Now what’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?” Terumi smirked, only to get cold-cocked by Celestia’s right wings as she flapped the muscle-bound limb in close and lose his grip.

Falling, Luna having blasted away the last of the herded clouds he might have used, Terumi flung out an arm, an Ouroborus chain clinking down and latching to the nearest chimney. Giving it a yank, he used the momentum to slingshot straight for Luna, who shot off a series of beams that were easily deflected by Terumi’s flaming chains, leaving him too distracted in his merriment to notice the scorching pink beam from Celestia that nailed him, slamming him back into the center of town.

“Why are you out, Terumi?” Luna asked, descending back onto the packed dirt road, a growing ball of cyan buzzing at the tip of her horn.

“Beats me,” Terumi chuckled, giving an exaggerated shrug as Celestia descended beside her sister, “You should probably ask that little shadow over there,” he thumbed theatrically over to Wayde, retracting the chains from that hand, “Got that lonely sap to clock out so I can finally give this place the TLC,” smiling sweetly, “It deserves.”

Luna nodded, the now watermelon sized ball of magic bursting with all the flash and bang of a firework. It was then that Celestia teleported behind Terumi, horn flashing ablaze, but Terumi was already beside Princess Luna, right on the spot Celestia had been standing.

“Good try!” he waved hello to Celestia, five Ouroboros chains wiggling up from them in a sickly parody of the appendage it was attached to, “But I’m not falling for any of your stupid-” he paused, looking down to see his feet held firmly in place by glowing white chains. Another flash, and the rune circle revealed itself beneath him, glowing white, and growing in intensity. “How the fUU-” Terumi began, his scream cut off, overtaken as the whining pillar of light towered into the heavens.

Celestia trotted over to her sister and extended a wing joint that was met with her sister’s. It was all the celebration they would allow themselves. Terumi was now captured, but there was still the other three humans to deal with.

“How did you know?” Terumi cut in, his now mirthless voice halting the princesses as in the middle of their turn. Looking over, he was now forced into a kneeling position, his arms cinched behind him, the mystic chains covering his body. “How did you know that I would go to your spot?”

Celestia looked back down, as did Luna. The runework was firmly in place. He wasn’t going anywhere.

High-winging again, pointedly ignoring Terumi’s delving question, Celestia turned to her prized student. “Twilight, bring-” She stopped, turning quickly back around as dark, violet light seeped out from Terumi’s skin, turning into a sickly mist that poured into the commanding shape of an alicorn.

“Ah, it feels good to be back outside.” A mare's voice ghosted out of the condensing mist, shaking out a midnight mane twinkling with starlight and exploding novas. Fully realized, Nightmare Moon stood proudly, her lack of regalia or body armor doing nothing to hinder her vicious beauty as she began to circle Terumi. “Dearest,” she cooed into his ear, slowly licking her lips,“You’re supposed to wait for me,” pausing to look with disdain upon the celestial diarchs and their lackeys, “To chain you up.”

“Quit joking around,” Terumi hissed back, straining at his bonds. “The rune Celestia used is sapping my strength and magic.”[/color

“I know,” Nightmare said dismissively, flicking his nose with her tail, “I planned to use that same rune many a time during my reign on some of the more sun-loving traitors, but even if I could take more than three steps away from you, or have the magic pool we share,” she flicked his nose again, “Stop being drained, one of the benefits of this particular rune is that, unless you’re the pony who cast it, it takes an awfully,” she hummed, nibbling on his earlobe, “Long time to take care of. Something our current company isn’t liable to give us.”

“So you’re useless.” Terumi huffed, shaking his head away from the tease.

“Said the man in chains,”Nightmare replied from beneath a lidded gaze, dipping her horn to just below Terumi’s left eye. “So give them what they want.”

“Ain’t no way I’m giving up this free ride!” He growled, staring death at Nightmare, green light flickering upon his knuckles before they were swallowed by another outgrowth of chains that circled them.

Nightmare’s eyes turned to slits, and, flashing her fanged canines, sh-

“She smells an awful lot like a tantabus,” Wayde spoke suddenly, drawing everyone’s attention. “I don’t suppose you’d mind if I had a bite?” he asked, looking towards Princess Luna.

Nightmare gave a mock gasp, bending a wing to cover her mouth. “Oh my,” she huffed, “I’m just not that sort of filly.”

“Hey! Only I can -” Terumi began, before a ring of wicked, handle-less blades of black sand sprung up around his neck, silencing him.

“Don’t. You. Dare.” Princess Luna drew up, her mane darkening as lightning began to strike within it.

“Perhaps,” the shadow creature replied, snapping his fingers as he walked past the towering bodies of Ragna and Hakumen, the ring of blade sanding away, “But if people are in harm’s way, I will do my best to fix it. But,” his stomach grumbled, “If you don’t mind,” he nodded questioningly towards Nightmare Moon.

As Luna stared at the thin, grey man, the small ‘eep’ from Nightmare Moon as she misted back into Terumi did not go unnoticed by the princess of the night. Did he truly mean to devour Nightmare?

“I’d rather die than let you have Nightmare.” Terumi said, his smile replaced with a flat, unamused line.

“Ah yes, the trial,” Wayde said, turning fully to Princess Luna and Celestia. “These two,” he waved a hand back towards Hakumen and Ragan, “are convinced that that little boy ov-”

“I’m sure as hell taller than you are, tiny!” Terumi laughed, smiling once more.

“Over there, is a threat to the planet. So, I’d prefer to get this settled quickly so I can get back to my research,” Wayde finished, biting back any other comment he was about to make, much to Terumi’s chuckling enjoyment.

“Threat?” Luna blinked, stepping towards Wayde, “The only threat he’s ever been is when ‘he’,” She pointed a hoof to Terumi, “takes over Hazama, which, might I add, has only happened twice before now. In fact, the two behind you have cause more destruction in one day than Hazama has in the centuries he’s has been in Equestria!” She all but shouted, her wings flaring again.

“Fine,” Wayde snapped back, rising above Luna on a pillar of sand to look down upon her, “just blast the lot of us with The Elements so I can do something, useful.”

Luna smirked, nodding to the girls who then looked to Celestia, who gave a small shrug but nodded anyway. They were a problem worthy of bringing out The Elements, and she for one wasn’t going to question the luck.

Lining up in front of the princesses, the gems in their necklaces began to glow, strobing out into a light show of their cutie marks, and, as they began to rise, the magic brought Twilight’s Element into the circuit. As they began to glow, Wayde dropped down from its elevated sand pillar, sweeping up the sand before it could disappear, flicking it out into two separate lengths that stretched back to Ragna and Hakumen, beckoning to them. When they remained where they stood, Wayde rolled his eyes, and, with a quick snap of its fingers, the black sand caught Ragna by the ear, pulling him forward as the other, after bouncing off of his helmet, wiggled in under a small hole and did the same to Hakumen, dragging them like petulant children towards Terumi. And then, the charge complete, The Elements of Harmony unleashed their power, rainbow light cascading over all. But, as the wave of magic dissipated, everypony noticed a distinct lack of change. Namely how Terumi was still there, yellow cloak and all.

“Huh … That’s fucked up.” Terumi grumbled, his eye twitching in time with his hands, and grumbling in earnest as he looked upon both Ragna and Hakumen, also unchanged.

“Useless,” Wayde sneered quietly, glaring at his still grey hands before shoving them into his jacket pockets as he stalked off further into town. “There,” tossing a sand hand out behind him, “The Elements have spoken. I’m out of here.”

“Hey shadow dick!” Terumi called out, “The screaming inside was amusing at first, but now it’s just annoying. Wake Hazama the fuck up.”

“He’s having a nightmare,” Wayde shouted back, neither slowing his pace or turning his head, “He’ll wake up soon enough.”

In a flash of white, Celestia stood in front of Wayde, a serene smile shining under a now slightly less than meticulously maintained mane, as she lifted up the small grey troublemaker in a translucent, amber shield bubble. Trotting back, with him in tow, she said, “Be dear and help us out. Then, as you said, we can put this whole mess behind us.”

“I know that this is gonna sound stupid coming from me,” Terumi said as Celestia stepped beside her sister, her silent passenger in tow, “But can I get free for a second? I’ve got this annoying itch that I’ve just gotta scratch.” Luna looked to her sister, and, after a few silent seconds, they nodded in time, Celestia lighting her horn with a pleasant mint green glow, a single line of the rune tilting ever so slightly to the side, allowing Terumi just enough mobility to freely move his arms, twist to the side, and pop the bubble of magic Nightmare Moon had managed to hold away upon her brief appearance, blasting the unsuspecting Ragna and Hakumen back over the wretched Everfree in a wave of flaming green energy, and maybe even farther if the twinkle they made in the sky was anything to judge by. “Aah,” he sighed, “much better,” grin renewed. “Thanks.”

Celestia looked like she almost wanted to say something, but whether she should have seen that coming or not, the fact of the matter was that those particular humans were abnormally hardy, and that small glimmer of magic wasn’t going to amount to anything worse than a few grass and sap stains … probably. So, keeping a silent smile that helped to pacify a certain purple unicorn who was one of the few ponies Equestria who understood the kinds of magic that was being bandied around today, floated the hovering ball gently near Terumi, as Luna and the girls circled around.

“Now,” Celestia nodded slightly, the sounds of doors and shutters clicking quietly open around them, “if you would be so kind as to tell us a little bit about who you are, and just exactly what your intentions are for our Kingdom, I’m sure we can come to a peaceful solution.”

Waiting first to see if any of the ponies or Terumi would interject, Wayde, standing tall as his diminished frame would allow, said, “My name, as I have told your,” he looked over to Terumi, frowning, “compatriot, is Wayde Molan, and, since he did not immediately send me back to the last Equestria I’ve been cursed to, I’ve officially been kidnapped into this one. Worse, he managed to break the golden sand that acts as the doorway between them.

“As for the attack, the initial explosion at the Castle of the Two Sisters was committed by … Ragna, I believe is his name, and the one in white armor. In fact, I went out of my way to remove Mr. Terumi from the initial damage as my first priority was to ascertain which of them posed a threat, as both claimed the other was some sort of genocidal monster. And, after further questioning the one in white, concluded the only way I would be able to handle things as bloodlessly as possible was to get the accused parties to court to settle things out so I could get on with my research.”

Celestia sighed, as she looked from the Wayde and then to Terumi, now fiddling with a ball of golden sand he’d let slide out of his sleeve. “Well, first things first.” She walked over to Terumi, and popped him on the head with a hoof. “That,” she said, shaking her hoof at him, “Is for summoning him here and not letting him go home!”

Terumi rubbed his head, sure that a horseshoe shaped bruise would be aching under his hair by tomorrow morning. “Hey,” he glared back, “It’s not my fault that idiot Hazama flushed the sand-ball with magic the same time I was … releasing some of my excess. If anything, it’s his fault! So quit hitting me oorrrrr-” he blanked, eyes rolling up into his head as he went limp.

A thin, glowing sheen of green, starting from his eyes, washed over as Hazama, wiping away his cloak, replacing it with his black, tailored suit, his hair once more subdued under his fedora. But the peace shattered as Hazama came to, breathing aloud as though he’d just sprinted across three marathons, struggling against the chains that bound him, and always looking over his shoulder, trying to run.

At once, Pinkie Pie and Princess Luna were at his side, embracing him. His breathing, while still haggard, began to slow, his pinprick eyes rounding out as he sniffled, burying his head into Luna’s mane. Only then did Celestia release the rune, allowing Hazama’s arms to spring up, pulling the two mares closer to him, the golden ball of sand he’d clutched so tightly rolling away, picked up in Celestia’s magic, who, floating it over for closer inspection, breathed an audible sigh of relief as she looked over to Hazama.

“Well then,” Celestia nodded professionally, “at least he’s back now, and as for you,” she tucked the sand away, looking back towards Wayde, “I’ll need to refresh myself on his notes, but this feels remarkably similar to something Starswirl once worked on. But, just so we’re clear,” her horn sparkled with an amber glow that vanished in time with the orb holding Wayde, who dropped six inches to the ground. “The man sitting in Luna’s wings is not ‘Terumi. His name is Hazama, and he is another soul entirely. Terumi is a soul that was tied to the hat that brought them both here. It is also what helps keeps Terumi in check. And, in an act of undeserved kindness, sealed Nightmare Moon within himself before she could harm my sister, or our little ponies. So,” she paused, bringing a hoof to her chest, remaining steady, “he now has to deal with housing two spirits in addition to his own within his body, and each would like nothing better than to become the dominant force.

“I apologize for anything untoward you may have experience because of this,” Celestia finished, bowing her head.

“And hey, I’m sorry too,” Hazama muffled out, pawing down Pinkie’s impressive mane away from his mouth, but otherwise unable to move away from her embrace. “I’m still trying to get used to this myself, but I could still have been better. Mind if I try this again?” flashing Wayde a tired smile.

Wayde looked down at the green haired ‘human’ smashed between a fussing Pinkamena and Luna, an eyebrow quirking as the turned to face Hazama. The seconds ticked by as Wayde stood silently, everypony waiting for his response.

“No,” he said curtly, turning abruptly on his heel to face Princess Celestia “Thank you,” he nodded, sinking into shadow, “but I have some research to get back to. And, unless you get the token working again, please do not bother me. I’ll be at the library.”

Aww,” Pinkie moaned, tearing herself away from Hazama, hopping over to Wayde, already sunken to full shadow, and sliding away, “but if you leave, how am I supposed to throw you a Welcome to Ponyville Party?” her voice dipping, everyone had to like parties right? “A study party?” One of the first humans Hazama could buddy with, and he was slipping away. “A tea party?”

Slowing down, Wayde brought himself to a halt, a long stream of wind hissing out his nostrils. And then, he rose back up, his back to the lot of them. “If you must,” he sighed quietly, fists at his sides, “I’ll keep to Canterlot Library.”

“EEEEEEE,” Pinkie squealed, wheeling off for the needed supplies, even as Wayde sank back into the ground, shadowing straight for Canterlot.

In the relative calm that followed, the citizens of Ponyville finally risking to peek heads and hooves out of their houses, everypony trying to come to terms with whether or not this all qualified as a win and how long it was going to take before these crisis-a-week things would disappear and things could go back to normal, when a sparkling, violet light pinged over Twilight’s head.

“Wait,” she called out, teleporting farther away with each word.

“What.”

*flash*

“Kind”

*flash*

“Of”

*flash*

“Research?”

*** Canterlot Library ***

Slamming open the archive door, echoes booming through the pools of evening light and the quiet air, Hazama froze mid-step, a chill racing up his spine, as his eyes were pulled towards the front desk where an elderly, yellow earth pony, utterly nondescript but for his lack of a mane, was giving him a look that promised certain death should he disturb the peace again. A silent nod was all he could manage under the withering gaze, frozen until the stallion ran a hoof over his own nose and returned to his book.

Moving quickly and quietly on, thankfully without Terumi taking the opportunity to mock him for his “cowardice”, for once, he moved down the seemingly endless rows of towering shelves, heels clicking softly upon the grey marble floor until he found the Party Nook, just where the invitation had specified. Really it was a reading area in the middle of some of the shelving, but, thanks to Pinkie’s ingenuity, two of the four gaps had been completely blocked off with a wall of purple and silvery-grey streamers.

The party was long finished, if the exhausted forms of Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy snuggling into each other on the pile of seating pillows by the low reading table was any indication, and a sugar coma at that if the unfinished plates of marshmallow chocolate cookies and cooled mugs of coco around them were anything to go by. He hadn’t expected to find Rainbow here, and Applejack had her chores to do in the morning. As for Twilight, she’d managed to seclude herself in a literal fort of books, though, as much of a zeal for studying as she had, even she had managed to knock herself out. Pinkie did have a knack for party games. It was all so peaceful.

And then there was Wayde.

Wayde sat alone, cross-legged on the floor, leaning against one of the book cases with streamers attached to it’s end. Still, progress, or it might have been, were it not of the webbing of black sand sphering out like a twisted boil with enough room for him to comfortably stand, were it not filled with books clutched in the legs of sickly, bulbous sand-spiders hanging from “webbing” as thick around as Hazama’s forearm. But at least he was a healthier thickness now, also a plus.

“HEY,” Hazama flinched, the eyes of the stallion flashing in his mind. Adjusting his volume, he continued, “How’s it going?” trying to find an angle here he could read the title of the book Wayde was reading, “Find anything?”

“Keep it down, they’re sleeping,” Wayde replied, eyes still glued to his current book, as a spider leg flipped the page, “And no, nothing. Just stories about little foals going on adventures or being genuinely smart enough to outwit truly clever villains who only ever have powers that are innately theirs. No mentions of magical trinkets or items of any kind that can help me, just allusions to The Elements, or just straight up weaker versions of them. Hell, I can’t even find the legend of The Mare in The Moon.”

“Who on the moon?” Hazama chuckled, raising an eyebrow.

Wayde frowned, the spider snapping the book shut with a loud pop, retracting up and then into the webbing. “When Luna turned into Nightmare Moon and Celestia used The Elements of Harmony to banish her sister to the moon for 1000 years.”

“Uh huh huh, Luna never got sent to the moon,” Hazama grinned, raising an eyebrow.

Wayde’s webbing trembled as he glared at Hazama before he deflated with a sigh, palming his head in his hand. “I just got mad that I landed in a world where someone’s sister didn’t get cruelly ripped away from her,” he grumbled.

“Well, heh,” Hazama edged closer, “Back when I crash landed into Equestria, this” he said, pulling out the simple, brown sheaved book from under his armpit, “Was one of the books I used to help me figure out this place.” Handing it closer, some of the webbing parted, allowing Hazama to put his arm fully into Wayde’s cocoon. “It’s about Tartarus. All kinds of nasty things down there, even a few cursed relics too. But I think you’ll want to look at page 83. Check it out.”

A spider unfused from the webbing, lowering down on a thick strand, and gently lifted the ancient book into his hands as Hazama quickly retracted his hand, wiping off the few grains that stuck to his knuckle on his pant leg. Slowly peeling the brittle pages, number 83 revealed a diagram of a simple cage. Two squared slabs of metal with vertical bars ringing the edges, the heading at the top proclaiming it as ‘Standard Cell, Jackal Model’. Reading the description, however, told of the small chest made at the center of the roof, a chest that held trinkets of binding. And, referencing a footnote that brought him to the last third of the book, found out every last trinket used in such cells was spelt out, and, in fact, was what consisted of the last third of the book.

“Ooo,” Wayde gasped quietly, standing up to grab the book himself despite the way it made Hazama grin all the wider, “But,” he continued flatly, looking up from the page, “A living death trapped in a small cage in the pits of Tartarus for the rest of my life isn’t what I had in mind.”

“Heh, dude,” Hazama shook his head, “Tartarus was designed to house every last big bad on the planet forever. There’s plenty of room down there, which means,” he paused, but Wayde just stared blankly, unamused. “It means,” he sighed, “That there are empty cells down there full of suppression and protection charms with nothing to do. Any one of those charms could be the one, fear suppression, darkness suppression, dream suppression. The jackals literally thought of everything.”

“The who?” Wayde asked.

“Basic equivalent to the ancient Egyptians here. But you can let Twilight give you a one of her lectures later. Let’s go.” Hazama whisper-yelled.

Wayde sand shrank away into shadow, popping up beside the lump of Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie.

“Dude,” Hazama whispered out, his lips set in a hard, flat line as Wayde leaned down to nudge them, “You want to bring ponies into their own version of hell?”

“Oh. Yes,” Wayde said, his shoulders falling, “good point. They’ve done so much already.”

“Ah don’t worry,” Hazama grinned, walking backwards towards the exit, “You’ve still got me, and I’m sure we can handle anything that gets in our way. Nothing’s gonna happen anyway.”

***Tartarus**

Not one hundred feet into what had been a non-descript cave mouth, and before them stood the mighty Cerberus. A giant of a midnight-black dog, each of his three heads growling at the two living creatures who stood at his gate.

“Heh heh, good boy,” Hazama chuckled nervously.

“Hmph,” Wayde sniffed, shrinking into shadow and sliding back away to the entrance to disappear into one of the many convenient pools of shadow cast by the last few wisps of the setting sun and then stepping out from the shadows behind the gatekeeper.

“Aw come on man,” Hazama called out, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end now that each of the dog’s heads had only one thing to focus on, “Don’t leave me here with the overgrown mutt!”

At the word mutt, the proud canine’s low growl leaped into a snarl, eyes twice as big around as the human’s head straining open, gleaming red as he leaned closer.

Taking a step back, Hazama’s sudden action only increased the dog’s ire, making matters all the worse as Hazama drew gleaming, verdant energy into his fists, the sudden light flinching the dog back, but sending the left and right heads to foam at the mouth.

“Hey, either you let me by, or I make ya!” Hazama yelled, flexing his power up around his arms.

“Oh for Christ,” Wayde sighed from down the tunnel, sliding out of the wall and turning back, announcing his presence with deliberately loud footfalls. Flicking out his left hand, a stairway of his black sand built up beneath him, as he stepped towards the right head of Cerberus, straining back around to nip at the oncoming shadow man. Then, just as the light in the dog’s eyes began to wisp at the edges of his eyes, Wayde raised his right hand, a massive sand proxy the size of the dog’s head, and swung it through the air, the proxy following suit, slapping the dog’s head, sending it to bonk into the other two.

“No. Bad dog” Wayde scolded in a low tone, shadows pulling onto his skin.

Cerberus gave a pitched whine, suddenly lowering his heads.

“Sit,” Wayde commanded, and was immediately obeyed.

The stairs folded up into a single platform beneath his feet, lowering him down to Hazama, to whom he gave a single look, and said, “let’s go.”

Rounding the first bend, Hazama took the lead once more, having had access to maps that weren’t for public consumption in Canterlot, and burst out laughing. Gripping at his sides, he leaned against the smooth tunnel wall to keep from falling. “Holy shit man,” he choked out, starry eyed, “How did you do that?”

“I didn’t,” Wayde frowned, shoving his hands into his coat pockets, keeping his gaze to the tunnel ahead. “Animals just aren’t stupid enough to pretend they aren’t afraid.”

“The fuck do you mean by that,” Hazama cocked an eyebrow, still holding back laughter, “I am not afraid of you, and He” he thumbed back, “guards Hell for Christ’s sake!”

“Humans are more complex than animals,” Wayde shrugged, glancing briefly at Hazama, eyes downcast.

“Whatever, be as mysterious as you want,” Hazama chuckled, pulling out the scrap of paper he’d written the directions on, “Nut you’re not the only one with a fucked-up body.”

Wayde remained silent, but couldn’t repress the urge to turn his head just the slightest bit towards Hazama.

Folding back up the paper, Hazama pointed to the tunnel mouth second from the middle from the similarly shaped ones beside it, walking on. “Yeah, long story short, thanks to how I got here and the magic around here, I need positive emotional energy to keep myself healthy while Terumi needs negative ones regardless of who’s at the wheel. And, if we don't have an equal amount our … apartment, disappears.”

Exiting the tunnel, a wide, dome-like cavern opened up around them, the ensconced crystals glowing yellow between a set of double iron-doors that ringed the whole cavern. The only difference between the lot of them was a single palm-sized symbol stamped into the metal bars draped in front of them. Stopping halfway down the right side of the cavern, Hazama brought up his paper, doing a double take as he matched his crude circle with the plain, perfect circle on the bar. Nodding, he folded the paper back up and, with a flash of green, a flaming snake whipped up out of his hand, wrapping around the iron bar and lifting it smoothly up to lean on the side of the wall, disappearing as he stepped forward, heaving the massive doors open himself.

Taking the lead, Wayde stepped in first, the room’s crystal torches blinking on to reveal a room as big as the one they’d just left, which, given doors outside had only had a few feet of rock between each one, meant the smooth dome of rock should have had some bits of metal reflecting around its edges rather than just the giant cage in the center of the room. It was just like the diagram from the book, two metal squares, iron bars ringing the edges … and no door.

Hazama, unperturbed, leapt up into the empty cage, the metal floor being a good four feet thick, and stepping through the pillar-like bars wide enough for five of him to walk through. “Jeez,” his voice echoed through the room, “do you see the size of this thing? Whatever ends up being put in here will have to be huge!”

“Yeah,” Wayde muttered, a disc of sand springing out from under his feet and raising him up to the roof where, at its center, stood a seamlessly welded square, metal box, five by five feet, and made of the same dark iron as the cell. Moving to open the box, expecting a hinge, Wayde surged upward, sending the surprisingly light lid to clatter noisily upon the roof, much to Wayde’s flinching displeasure. But, when nothing else happened, Wayde reached into the chest, and pulled out a polished bronze medallion attached to what he wanted to call a thin, leather loop, but, knowing Equestria, it was probably some sort of treated, reedy vine.

A flash of Ouroboros green reflected dimly below the lip of the roof, as Hazama flipped himself up, a hand at the top of his hat to keep it steady as he landed beside Wayde. “Bronze huh,” he said, leaning forward, snatching away the ancient metal. “Wonder if this one’s for fire protection,” he mused, flipping the pendant over his knuckles, “or petrification?” Flipping it into his palm he sent a spark of magic through it, hoping for some kind of sign or rune to flicker on. But, when nothing happened, he assumed he simply needed something a little less refined, and pumped in a little more power. With a yelp, he dropped the disk as it took on a bright red, and then orange glow, burning away whatever it was that made the loop. Then, with a whining keen of static, the light vanished, leaving the disk a dull, burnt charcoal-grey.

“Heh, whoops,” Hazama breathed out, flickers of purple light blinking along the bottom of the cave walls, yards away, the beginning of tremors thrumming through the roof.

"Something's wrong, terribly wrong.." Terumi's voice was shaking.. Like he was scared.

"You okay bud?"He asked Terumi, Only to be confused by the simultanious yells.

"RUN!"

“Move,” Wayde gasped, leaping at Hazama, his sand blasting them harshly from the iron top of the cage, which in a disturbing sensation of sound being eaten away, a blink of violet light scorched through the top of the cage in a cylinder no larger than a soup can, that blinked off as a swirl of gas shifting with all the colors of a night sky filled the dying embers of novas pulsing like veins across it’s surface.

Up it continued to gas, twisting and turning in on itself, until a sphere the size of a combine was floating just a few feet above the roof of the cage, soundlessly. And then, it opened. The whole thing was a massive eyelid, and beneath was the violet glow from before, lancing into the cave wall in a continuous, unblinking beam that slowly began to unspool the rock like a string of cotton, sucking up into the middle of the beam and up into the eye where it vanished.

Brushing off the sand sticking still falling out of his sleeve, Hazama gaze a low whistle, the eye now 160 degrees from facing the two of them on the floor.

“You idiot,” Wayde whispered in a growl, sand flickering up and out of his midnight black hair, “you said it was empty.” Looking away briefly, the monster’s gaze was still moving at its lackadaisical pace.

“Keep your shirt on,” Hazama raised his hands up defensively, taking a step away from the growing cloud looming above Wayde, an aura of green energy blooming around him, “This thing looks like it could be trouble,” bending his legs, “let’s end this quick!” and leapt, landing on the rim of the cage. Pooling his aura into his right leg, he lashed out with a kick, sending a bright crescent blade of green slicing through the air. The leg-long blade whistled through the air, moving straight for the back of the monster’s eye, and sailed right through it, exploding harmlessly into the cavern’s roof with what debris that fell over the beam’s gaze spooling away into the thing’s eye. “Well shit,” he turned to Wayde, chest deflating. “You got any ideas?”

Wayde frowned, cupping his hands below his lips and blew into them, his hands pressing outward until a softball sized sphere was held between them. Knocking back his left hand, he threw the orb, but, as with Hazama, his attack went sailing through the creature, the orb shattering like glass on the far end of the cavern, briefly turning the creature’s gaze back to the new sound before continuing to circle towards the sounds of breathing.

“No,” Wayde whispered.

Hazama jumped back down next to Wayde, sand scraping along his legs and arms. “I take it back, this thing is going to be a real pain in the ass,” Hazama relented, keeping in step with Wayde as they kept pace with the back of the slow creature, “Got any last-ditch attacks you were saving?”

“Just my sand,” he said in a curt voice, sand still twisting along his limbs, flinching as the creature finally completed its first circle, making a hole in its roof that clanged noisily down, sending the talismans to clink and clank upon the second floor. “So now what? We each take turns circling around for the rest of eternity?”

“No,” Hazama belted out, opening his mouth for more, but fell silent. “Hey,” he said, pointing to the edge of the cage, the bars beginning to clang down, sending the thing’s gaze to stutter-stop at the new sets of noise, “You see those? He’s passed like five of the ones that’ve rolled to the edge,” whipping out an Ouroboros snake that nabbed one of the talismans that should have unspooled under the creature’s gaze. If anything, it looked every more clean, Hazama’s oily fingers smudging the metal’s perfect finish before he let it dangle on its ancient string. “If we can just a few mo-”

But Wayde was already gone, zipping soundlessly along the floor as a shadow and popping back up by the fallen chest, quickly looping up the necklaces up his arm with his free hand.

Hazama, catching on quickly, flamed up an Ouroboros whip in both hands, snapping them noisily into the air, overtaking the soft clinks of Wayde’s work, as he continued to circle around the cage.

Everything was going according to what little of a plan they had cobbled together, when Wayde froze, his hand flashing to a pale caucasian, his hair turning a dark brown, and collapsed on his side, air catching in his throat as the talismans sounded noisily upon one another.

The monster turned. Its gaze eating away at the fallen roof, trailing after the new sound, and now, faster.

Hazama, breaking stride, nearly tripping over his own feet at the damned luck of it all, threw his Ouroboros out, latching up onto the roof, zipping towards his fallen companion and scooping him up into his arm, the other already latch onto the empty edge of the platform, but not before the eye’s newly found speed brought its gaze to rip away his sleeve, sapping him of his energy instantly, but not before both he and Wayde were already sliding along the edge of the roof and falling over the edge in an undignified heap. Hissing, a thin patch of fresh, nerve-frazzled skin now screaming at the touch of air, “Really?” Hazama grimaced at the puss rising from his skin and down to Wayde, untangling himself, “Had to find the,” he gasped “One talisman to fuck us over right now?”

“No,” Wayde groaned, “not,” he gulped, hands curling into weak fists, “not one you moron. A combination, I just,” his body going slack, “I can feel it.”

The monster continued to track them, returning back to its regular speed, for now.

"Holy shit, I can only feel the pain in my arm, I cant move the thing.." Hazama thought as he looked up at the floating montrosity.

"Congrats, your stupidity has cost us our fucking arm!" Terumi yelled back, anger only subdued by the shaking pain.

Hazama took a shuddering breath, his hands shaking, “We,” he looked up to the landing just a few feet above him. “We need to get the rest.” he said, trying to stand up, leaning against the iron wall for support, but fell on his rear anyway. “Jesus,” he hissed, clutching his arm, “It took all of my magic.”

Wayde sighed, breathing deeper as he slowly brought his free hand up, scraping off the necklaces tangled along his arm.

Instantly Wayde’s skin was grey once more, his hair midnight black, and his eyes gleaming like twin eclipses of the sun. Fading down into shadow, a burst of black sand spread out along the floor from his chest, coating the floor around them with a thin patina of sand that trailed up onto the fallen roof. With a snap, a thin tentacle rose up from the ground, looping around a single necklace each, careful to only touch the loop before sliding towards the hidden form of Wayde beside Hazama, rounding away from the still coming gaze of the cosmic eye and bringing the shell of sand along the floor with them.

The sand folded up into the shape of Wayde standing, it’s arms held out, aiming the lengthening muzzle of a harpoon as each tentacle attached itself and its load to the long projectile. Then just as the violet light of the eye’s gaze was but a few yards away, the construct pulled the trigger, send the talismans up with the momentum of the sand harpoon that vanished as it touched the light, the momentum keeping the small disks on target as they disappeared into the light.

The beam stopped and flickered, and then, the creature simply ceased to be.

Breathing heavily through his nose, Wayde resurfaced by Hazama, still laying on the ground.

“Hooo,” Hazama sighed, “For a second there, I thought it was going to expl-”

Where the creature had been not moments before, a small sphere of bright pink light, no longer that an inch across, flashed for an instant before a boom like thunder roared, shaking the caves foundation, as a wave of hot pink expanded in an instant, flinging them along with the rush of energy.

And then, it was gone.

Blinking, waving his hands in front of his eyes, Wadye winced, his ears ringing, as the rough texture of mountain grass rubbed against the back of his palm. Screwing a finger into his ear, he breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the quiet, racking cough of Hazama as he pushed himself up to his elbows from off his back. The glare of pink was also fading, and saw they were now back outside, laying in front of the entrance to Tartarus. It was actually kind of funny though, the pink still burning in his eye made Cerberus look like some terrible accident in the wash all sprawled out on the grass, his tongues sticking out … beside Hazama.

“Uggh,” Hazama groaned, smacking his ears, his suit pocked with smoking holes “It’s official. Today sucks. No if, ands, or” Hazama paused, sitting slowly up, taking note of the three massive dog heads capable of biting him in half without effort just three feet away from him.

Cerberus, eyes uncrossing, gave a sneeze before his eyebrows came crashing down, the deep and violent growl echoing through his throats coming to an abrupt end as three green socks fell across his noses. Eyes going wide, his heads began bumping into one another as they took in the sight. Hoof socks of every color and make were everywhere, fluttering down upon the breeze, and most of them piled at the mouth of the cave. Hazama forgotten, the heads swung around wildly, each straining to go their own ways, but, after a few false starts, they managed to speed off in concert, romping back to the cave and diving into the miniature mountain of chew-toys.

“Heh,” Hazama smirked, still laying on his back, “So there really is something to all those tales about losing your socks in the wash. Ha, I bet it’s all left socks or some shit too!” he laughed, still cradling his arm over his stomach.

Wayde only groaned, flicking out a hand as a bit of nightmare sand from his sleeve, making a cane, yanking off a black a white striped sock from his head, and began to limp away.

“Um, hey bud?” Hazama called out, coughing away a bit of dirt as he craned his neck, “I can’t walk right now, let alone use my powers. A little help?”

Wayde sighed, but snapped his fingers anyway. Black sand pushed up from beneath Hazama shadow, expanding out into a disc as big around as Hazama was tall, as it floated him to Wayde who continued to walk away from the cave mouth, his limp already lessening as he made for the pines.

“Hey,” Hazama started, looking down his naval to Wayde’s back, his smile beginning to falter, “I just want to say, I’m sorry.”

Wayde grunted, but otherwise said nothing, keeping his pace, now angled for what looked like a convenient path.

Hazama sighed, letting his head fall back onto the disk, a darker part of himself relishing when the skin on his arm would scab over enough for him to pick at it as Wayde continued their slow return to civilization.

“Hey, I know this was supposed to just be an in and out thing, but,” Hazama began, his mirthful energy beginning to kick back into his voice, “maybe we can just make those protection charms. I know it’ll take much longer than just swiping some that are already made bu-”

“Good,” Wayde stated flatly, manacles of sand suddenly locking around Hazama’s wrists and ankles as the disk rose sharply into the air and zipped off towards Canterlot above the treetops, leaving Wayde to walk the slower path.

***Canterlot Castle***

Hazama dropped from the disk onto the grass of the royal garden, landing shakily on his feet. His energy recovered slightly, he was able to keep his balance.

"Ok, now I just need to-"

"Eeep!" A squeak came from his right. He turned to look and saw a mortified looking Pinkie, who looked marginally paler.

Right, his arm.

He cradled his arm a bit, as he looked at Pinkie with the best smile he could put on.

"It's not as bad as you think, it's all on the outside." He re-assured Pinkie the best he could.

"Bullshit!" Terumi growled from inside his head.

"Not now Terumi!" He almost yelled.

Pinkie walked over and gingerly poked at the red skin. When Hazama didn't make a sound of pain, she sighed a bit in relief. She gently reached into her hair and pulled out a bottle of water.

"Can we do this in the Library? I need to sit down.." Hazama grumbled. With a nod, they made their way to the Libary. As soon as he sat down, Pinkie started her treatment. She dowsed his arm with water, and washed it off gently. She then proceeded to start wrapping it. Hazama glanced around, and placed his hand on the ground. With a grunt of effort, his Ouroboros slid out his remaining sleeve and slithered to the ground. It made it's way to the bookshelves, and began gathering books.

He sighed, as he felt his power ever so slightly start to trickle back into his being. His attention was grabbed by a gasp. He looked over Pinkie and saw Luna. She had wide eyes and an even wider mouth, until she snapped it shut and her eyes hardened to a glare.

"Where did you go?" She asked quietly. Her eyes betraying the worry in her heart. With a heavy sigh, Hazama relented.

"We had a lead on what he wanted to find, and went to get it. It just happened to be in Tartarus.." He muttered the last bit.

Pinkie dropped her roll of bandages as she gasped. Quickly fetching the bandages, she continued her work.

"But Hazie, Tartarus is a place for realy big and bad monsters!" Pinkie said, while sliding a glass of water to Hazama.

"Indeed, the monsters are quite.. something. I assume you learned your lesson then?" Lunas tone was short.

"Yeah." Hazama grumbled, his Ouroboros coming back and dropping a stack of books on the table. "Don't bite off more than I can chew. I'm not immortal." He muttered, as he began reading. Luna left the room with a huff, slamming the door shut behind her.

***Thirty Minutes Later***

Hazama closed the third tome on Jackal protection charms, pushing it away with the others, his stomach in knots. If he weren’t so exhausted he’d heave.

“You shouldn’t be pushing yourself Hazie!” Pinkie bit her lip, pushing another glass of water to Hazama before she finished cinching the bandage around his arm closed.

“How is this fair?” he slumped into the cushioned study’s chair. “All I want to do is help, but someone’s always there, screwing me over before I even know it.” Dim lines of magic fizzled angrily off his skin, which, in his magically exhausted state, would have sent Celestia and Luna into a fit, but all Pinkie could do was hug him gently around his bandaged chest and try to keep him from burning himself out for good.

The clop of metal covered hooves sounded from the hallway as the sparkle of Luna’s blue magic turned the knob. “The guards are currently escorting Wayde into the castle,” she stated, her anger at Hazama’s reckless actions only kept in check by how worried she still was. It really was a miracle that he still had a spirit, let alone a physical arm.

Looking up, away into the hall, she said, “My deepest apologies that you were dragged into this Mr. Molan,” nodding to him as she allowed him into the room, his cane now gone, adding, “And my condolences to you should you ever allow him into such danger again.”

“Oh come on girls, there’s enough of me to go around,” Hazama chuckled weakly, noting the trickle of sand coming out of Wayde’s fists. “I don’t suppose you remember any healing spell now do you Luna?” he asked.

“No,” Luna said, walking around the large desk that commanded most of the small room, “I still can’t quite remember anything that I’d help you with at the moment. It’s been so long since anypony’s been in combat. You understand, right darling,” nuzzling into his neck despite her displeasure, refiling his mug of coffee while levitating over a spare mug from the center of the table for herself.

Wayde stood there silently as Luna and Pinkie continued to quietly fuss over Hazama for a few moments more before he said, “I’m feeling tired. So, if you’ll get on to why the guards demanded I see you, I’d appreciate it.”

Hazama’s eye’s fell. “Would you two please leave us?” He asked quietly. The two mares looked to one another, relenting, though not without Pinkie pointing a hoof to her eyes and then back to her patient as the two mares exited the room. When the door clicked shut he said, “I’ve done some research,” nodding down to the tomes, “And I wanted to give you some good news, but,” his eyes fell again, “Well, for protection from fear talisman, I’d have to murder someone and use their soul to fuel the fires as we cast the silver disk.”

“And I said it was a combination of them,” Wayde said impassively, “so you can quit your whining and-”

“For a talisman that would protect you from shadows, I’d, or at least the forger would have to rape a virgin child before working at the forge. And it doesn’t get any better from there. Each protection charm requires some form of torture or what would now be rightfully considered a crime in order to create. Yeah,” Hazama sighed, “Turns out when you have have a culture built upon slavery, the ruling class ends up not caring a whole lot about its citizens except for parts, literally. I,” he paused turning green as some of the more sexually explicit ceremonies burbled back into mind, “I can’t help you this way … but I won’t stop trying to help,” he added hastily. “Even if it kills me, I’ll make sure I do something right.”

The silence mounted as Hazama looked back up to Wayde, who just stood there, face set in an unreadable, emotionless mask. Then, just as his head began to fall back into his chest Wayde said, “Don’t sell yourself short.” Looking back up, Wayde continued, “I appreciate your … help, but you’d be bettered served by focusing on is how to get those other two souls out of your body. Pinkamena and the princesses are pretty scared that they’ll lose you to them. Now,” he said, taking a breath, “Will that be all?”

“Yeah,” Hazama nodded, “And yeah, I know they’re worried.”

Wayde turned around, giving a small nod back, and opened the door, nearly stepping into Princess Luna.

“Oh, you’re done. Good!” she smiled, “Celestia believes she’s managed to fix your golden ball.”

“Oh?” Wayde said tiredly.

“Heh, told you my world’s Celestia’s a big magic buff. Probably hasn’t even slept since we gave her the token,” Hazama beamed, his face falling suddenly as the realization hit him. “Oh God, she probably hasn’t slept since she got your token,” he said, rising slowly to his feet. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner,” he pointed an accusing finger to Luna as he limped for the door.

“Do not get me started,” Luna warned, moving closer for Hazama to lean on her once he was out the door as Wayde followed silently behind.

Crossing a number of halls, Luna brought them to a small wooden door emblazoned with Celestia’s cutie mark, and, pushing it open with her magic, revealed a wide, open room covered with thick, wooden tables covered with books and piece of metal, while those along the walls held a number of strangely colored and shaped glassware, to say nothing of their shifting, and not always liquid, contents. And at the center of it all, beside three corkboards all lined in a row, with a number of tacked pieces of colored strings running between them was a sleeping Princess Celestia, her mane a mess and bags under her eyes dark enough to be mistaken for mascara.

“Ha, told ya she wouldn’t sleep,” Hazama smirked to Wayde, “Well, not until now at any rate. Hey, think you could help her into bed?” he asked looking down to Luna, kissing her cheek. She nodded, her cheeks darkening, before lighting her horn and vanishing with her sister.

Hazama, stepping over to the corkboard, picked up the golden orb from the table beside it, “Here you go,” he smiled, tossing it to Wayde, who ducked into shadow as the slow-moving orb floated lazily to where he’d been standing.

Circling behind Hazama and popping up behind him, he lashed out a line of nightmare sand from his palm at the golden sand that broke apart instantly, the orb still moving in its original flight path. “I distinctly remember telling you something about how dangerous this thing can be to me,” Wayde said, sighing, “but, I suppose that means it’s working, so if you’d be so kind?”

Hazama looked from Wayde to the ball of sand now resting on the ground. “Oh, right.” he muttered softly. Limping over to pick it up with his un-bandaged hand he said, “Heh, you know, I’m starting to think I might never do anything right again,” He said, stooping back up. “Welp,” he sighed, “let’s get this started. I, uh-”

“Say contract complete,” Wayde frowned, then added, “and just make sure you remember to learn from your mistakes.”

“Don’t gotta be an ass about it,” he chuckled, a smile teasing at his lips.

“And you don’t have to be a mewling weeaboo,” Wayde sniffed, smirking.

Hazama gave a low whistle, both of his eyes cracking open. “Two whole days to get a fucking smile out of you. I’ll take it,” he chuckled again. Eying down the ball of sand, tilting his head to the side in a sudden thought he added, “Hey, how do I make one of these things anyway?”

“Even if I did know, I wouldn’t help you make any more of those,” Wayde said pointedly, his grin melting away.

“No, I meant a token period,” he replied flatly, rolling his eyes. “You know, if I could do it myself. What, do I have to split off a piece of my soul?”

"That could work, but it would need some Power, you know, that thing we don't have alot of right now?" Terumi mocked his thoughts.

"You know, I bet I have the Energy.."Hazama's thoughts were rambling to himself.

"You're not listening to me are you?"Terumi grumbled.

“Jesus man,” Wayde flinched. “But,” he cleared his throat, “You’re be better off without one. The multiverse isn’t a particularly friendly place, and more importantly, time flows between them are entirely unpredictable. A single day in another universe could equate to a second, day, year, a century, or even more here.”

Hazama nodded, his eyes going from left to right as he muttered soundlessly to himself before placing the orb onto the nearest table and snapped his fingers. A bright green glow burst from his hand nearly the size of his own head, and, when it died down, a palm-sized grey disk with an outgrowth of emerald in the shape of an Ouroboros serpent head fell into his hand. He stumbled back into the table, the color in his green hair whiting out as some of its color drained away, sweat suddenly bursting from his brow. “That” he wheezed, trying to catch his breath, “Hurt more than I thought.” He paused, putting the thing onto his lap, leaning an elbow onto the edge of the table to hold his spinning head.

“What did -?” Wayde asked, stepping back.

“Uh, I split my soul a bit and made this handy little paper weight, duh,” he scoffed, holding up the disk, the emerald eyes still glowing gently. “Hurt a,” he gasped, wincing, “Hurt a bit more than I gave it credit for though.”

Wayde’s hands fell limply to his side as he slowly slid a little closer to the door. “What in God’s name have you done?” he gasped quietly, the shadows in the room pulling up along the walls towards him.

“You know, you’re acting pretty funny for a guy who could kick my ass,” he shrugged weakly, “Just sayin’.”

“Did you really just cleave away at your soul?!?” Wayde nearly squeaked, the shadows along the walls spiking higher.

Hazama eyebrows went skyward, both of his eyes cracking open again, this had to be a record. “Well, yeah. I’m used to feeling souls in my body, so it wasn’t too hard to seclude a bit of my own. I do that pretty much every day anyway. I don’t need a bigger piece and have to make another one,” he looked down, the gleam in the emerald eyes already dimming, “Do I?”

“You,” he said, the shadows beginning to fall back, “You thought that was how you make a token. Oh God, no, I meant that ... Oh God,” he palmed his head. “Did,” sputtered, the shadows falling back to normal, “Does it even work?”

Hazama stood up slowly, finding enough strength to not fall back immediately. “I,” he paused, gazing down at his new creation, “thhhhhink so. It feels like it's waiting for me to do something, but … I don’t know what.”

Wayde sighed, shivering. “Say your name, and what you desire from your travels,” he said flatly, his hands falling limply to his sides.

Hazama looked at Wayde in confusion. “That’s it? Oh, well, okay then.” He looked to his creation, chewing on his lower lip, then raising it up in front of his mouth said:

My name’s Hazama: The Trickster!

To all those who need help, give me a call. I’ll always give it my all.

Also, if you wanna just have fun time, don’t hesitate to drag me over.

Hazama watched as his creation glowed when a sudden jolt jerked it out of his hands and hovered in the air, beginning to shake until a number of after images hung in the air for a moment before disappearing, and then, so did the small disk. A moment later Wayde took another step back, a copy of Hazama’s token falling down just above from where Wayde’s head had been a moment ago.

“I know I haven’t exactly been the best of friends,” Hazama nodded to the fallen disk, “But you almost like the emo-big brother I never had. Take it, and please, use it to ask for my help if you need it.”

Wayde hesitated, planted firmly in place, but, after a few more quiet seconds, a wisp of his sand puffed out of his sleeve, scooped up the token, and deposited it swiftly in an inner jacket pocket. Looking up, sand was slowly steam out of his hair, but he calmly said, “Send me back.”

Hazama smirked, Wayde really needed to lighten up soon or he was going to hurt himself. “It really was nice meeting you Wayde,” he said, scooping up the orb in front of his mouth, then said, “Contract Complete. As the ball of sand gently floated up from his hand, thinning out into a disk as wide around as he was tall, Hazama added “Take care of yourself,” raising a thumbs-up as the golden circle dove at Wayde, swallowing him, and then dropping softly to the floor, a small glowing orb once more.

---First Person---

I looked at the small ball of sand as I picked it up.

"Son of a bitch didn't even say bye.." A smirk apeared on my face as I flicked the ball of sand into my sleeve.

"So how goes-" Luna's voice came from the door, even though she stopped short. "W-what happened to your hair?" She asked in a small voice.

Oh? My hair changed?

I looked into a nearby window and noted the light green, almost white of my hair contrasted with what I was used to greatly.

Must have been the soul split.. I hope it comes back, that forest green hair was one of the things I really liked..

"Oh, I um.. Needed to-" I paused to collect my thoughts. I sighed, as I braced myself for what could come next.

"I split my soul a bit so I could keep in touch with Wayde, and it caused the change you see."

I was prepared for a hit, a smack, even a blast of magic.

I wasn't prepared for the flying tackle that took both me and Luna to the ground. I looked up and Luna was glaring at me with as much hate as she could.

Well, as much hate you can muster with tears running down your face..

Reaching up with my working arm, I wiped away some of her tears, as she leaned into my touch. Luna leaned in and nuzzled my cheek as she cried.

"You can die you know. If you die, I don't know what I would do." She seemed to pause, to think about her words. "I love you, and I want to be with you for as long as you live." She lifted her head up, and stared at me with those deep Sapphire eyes. "Please don't go back to Tartarus, or do anything that life threatning again?" Her voice was soft, almost a whisper.

I simply leaned up and kissed her, her lips were trembling from her crying, but she still kissed back.

"I promise." I said back just as softly. She leaned in to nuzzle my neck, as I stroked her mane lovingly. "Go to bed, I'll be there in a minute, okay?"

She simply nodded, and dissapeared in a puff of blue magic. I flopped my arm back to the ground, and stared at the ceiling.

I stood up and walked over to only desk in the room, and placed my limp arm on the table. In a flash of movement, I reached into my pocket and pulled out one of my Ballisong Knives. Flipping it open, I stabbed my palm.

Nothing.

I was expecting a burning pain, but I felt nothing. No pinching, not burning, simply nothing. Like my arm wasn't there. Hell, the thing wasn't even bleeding!

I sighed, as I made for the door.

I had way to much on my mind.

Physicaly placing my now paralyzed arm deep into my pocket like it usually is, I went into the hallway.

"I told you! You cost us an arm!" Terumi's voice cut through my head like a knife.

"Not now Terumi.. I'm so done with today.." I grumbled.

Making my way towards Luna's room, I simply scoffed at myself.

What would happen tommorow?

Author's Note

Alright! My first Crossover!

Thanks to RealityDowngrade

And his Story A Four Letter Word

He's a funny guy and a great Writer.

Let me know how you guys liked it! And if you do, leave a like on his story as well!