The Reaper

Chapters

Prologue: Death Comes
Chapter 1: That Which Doesn't Kill You...
Chapter 2: ...Makes You Smaller?
Chapter 3: Now Arriving At Ponyville
Interlude 1: Shimada-mada
Chapter 4: Ready For Friendship Operations
Chapter 5: PIE! PIE! PIE!
Chapter 6: One More Time
Chapter 7: This Is My Curse
Chapter 8: Cleaning The Area
Chapter 9: Need Healing
Chapter 10: Back From The Grave
Chapter 11: Assemble Your Team
Chapter 12: Move Out
Chapter 13: Welcome to Minos
Chapter 14: Traveling To Minos Palace
Chapter 15: Rarity Investigates
Chapter 16: 28 Minutes Earlier
Chapter 17: Psychopath
Interlude 3: This Life's Never Uneventful
Chapter 18: Kings
Interlude 2: Someone Had To Break The Ice

Prologue: Death Comes

At 11:45 p.m., an unusually large energy signature appeared somewhere within Shimada Castle in Hanamura, Japan. Despite its strength, the source of the energy left no visible signs of its presence and did not cause any interference to nearby electronics. This meant that only someone monitoring equipment designed specifically to detect and track the activity of items or locations of significant power - such as Omniums [1] or Russian Svyatogor mechs [2] - would even know it was there. Of course, with the world on the brink of a second international war against the sentient machines known as Omnics [3], practically every major global power, both licit and illicit, employed such a person, and many of them were already quietly scrambling to find out what the source of this unique energy signature was.

Around Shimada Castle itself, however, there was no sign of alarm. The fall of the Shimada crime family had in turn caused the fall of the area’s nightlife. This late, most lights had been dimmed or shut, and the few guards that still patrolled the castle grounds wandered about more in an effort to ward off their own drowsiness than any potential intruders. All in all, it was the very picture of a quiet night. Even the sounds of the still active city nearby were no more than a quiet murmur easily lost to the breeze.

Fifteen minutes passed in peace. At precisely midnight, an unnatural pool of shadows formed at the entrance to the old Shimada Castle. Moments later, the shadows solidified into a tall, black-robed man wearing a deathly white mask. The man, wanted throughout the world as the terrorist known as Reaper, walked through the unguarded entrance, making no attempt to dampen the sound of his heavy boots against the creaky wooden floor.

Reaper walked straight through the middle of the dark corridors of the castle without hesitation. He knew that the situation called for stealth. He knew that the lackluster security outside was no reason to let his guard down. And he knew that he was not going to be the only dangerous entity seeking the unknown power signature tonight. He just didn’t care.

The Talon criminal organization had sent Reaper because he had been nearby, and because he, unlike the myriad small time criminals and informants Talon employed throughout the city, was actually capable of succeeding.

No disasters so far? Wow, there’s a chance we might actually pull this off! a voice said in Reaper’s mind. A chance, not a guarantee. And not a very good chance, either.

Reaper was painfully familiar with that voice. It was the smooth voice of Commander Gabriel Reyes. The voice of the man he used to be.

He hated that voice.

“Quiet,” Reaper growled in the echoing rasp that his voice had become.

In an effort to distract himself, Reaper turned his attention to his surroundings. The castle was dark and cold. The hallway he was in was lined with various decorative pieces - lanterns, paintings, tapestries - but it was obvious that all of them had been abandoned to time. He could see no sign of the item he was here for, but his senses went beyond mere sight.

Reaper reached inward and tapped into the darkness within him. His body faded into a black mist, and for a brief moment, his mind was overwhelmed. He could feel the energy all around him. It was in the air and in the wood and in the shadows - everywhere. And beneath the castle, beneath his feet - so close - was the source. It didn’t feel like a machine. It was too warm, too vibrant. But it didn’t feel like a living thing, either. It lacked the drive, the sense of self. Reaper had encountered and consumed countless energies since his transformation. He had sampled the metallic spark that drove the Omnic, devoured the chemical cocktail that housed the essence of the human being, and once, in desperation, he had even ripped the life from a grove of trees to satiate the hunger within him, but this...this was something else entirely. It was unique. It was alien. But more than anything, it was strong. Stronger than anything he had ever encountered before. Stronger than anything he had ever had the chance to -

KILL! CONSUME!

Reaper willed himself back into being. He staggered as the urge to feed radiated from every pore of his reconstructed body. He leaned against the nearest wall as he fought to regain control.

He realized that he was cackling.

“What the hell is that sound?” someone said from somewhere nearby.

“It’s...laughter. Like, evil laughter, man!” someone else replied.

“Shut up!” the first person said.

“I told you something was up with this job, man! I told you! It’s probably the ghost of that Shimada kid that was murdered here, back for revenge!” the second person shouted.

“I said shut up! It came from over there. Let’s go check it out,” the first person said.

“Are you crazy, man? Just call it in and let’s get out of here while we still can!” the second person exclaimed.

“I’m not calling in anything until I know what it is! Now pull yourself together and move!” the first person commanded.

By now Reaper had managed to get himself under control. He could hear two sets of footsteps slowly moving in his direction, and he saw the faint light of a flashlight cross the wall at the end of the hallway.

Spoke too soon. Looks like we’re about to botch another one, commented the voice in his head.

Reaper let out a wordless growl.

That would make it two in one night. Congratulations, we’ve hit a new low! Maybe we’ll get a statue now, eh? We’ve earned it, right?

KILL!

Reaper ignored the voices in his head and started down the hallway in the opposite direction of the flashlight.

TURN BACK! KILL THEM!

We should listen to what the hunger says. Otherwise, it’ll be shouting at us all night. This mission’s a lost cause anyway, just like the rest. How many does that make now?

Reaper picked up his pace. He wasn’t here to kill random guards. He needed to find the source of the energy. He needed to - FEED! - find a way to get beneath the castle.

Let’s see, we failed the mission in Gibraltar, couldn’t retrieve the gauntlet in Numbani, completely screwed up the assassination in Volskaya, messed up our attempt to re-kill Genji not half an hour ago...and all that’s just the recent ones!

Reaper could almost see the mocking grin and the sarcastic shrug that went along with those words. He clenched his fists.

Have we ever succeeded? When it counts? Think about it.

YOU. MUST. KILL.

Reaper shook his head, but the voices would not go away.

This is the loudest it’s ever been, isn’t it? And here’s a comforting thought: it’s only going to get worse.

Reaper turned a corner and broke down a door. Inside was a small room full of display cases. A dead end. He let out a frustrated scream.

“There it is again! This way!”

“This is a really bad idea, man!”

YES! YESSS! KILL! KILLLL!

The two guards’ footsteps were faster now. They were running in Reaper’s direction and inadvertently blocking his way back. With no way to move forward, it wouldn’t be long until they found him.

Face it: we aren’t human anymore. All we are is a cloud of rogue biotics trapped in a cycle of degradation and regeneration. All we know is pain. All we can do is destroy. So why bother playing at sentience? Why try hanging on to control? Maybe it’s time to give up the ghost and just -

“DIE!” Reaper shouted. “DIE! DIE! DIE!”

Reaper materialized two Hellfire shotguns using his dark mist, and began firing in every direction. Glass shattered. Wood splintered. Antiques hundreds of years old were completely obliterated in the face of the senselessly violent onslaught.

Reaper revelled in the release. The deafening cacophony of shotgun blasts drowned out the voices in his head, and the strain of generating and converting enough darkness to shoot and destroy everything within an eight meter radius of himself was enough to dull the pain of the unending hunger that threatened to overtake him.

When Reaper finally finished, the room was unrecognizable. Debris carpeted the tiny room, and holes coated the walls and ceiling. The wall at the far end had collapsed entirely, revealing a hidden elevator.

Reaper tossed away his spent guns, which faded back into mist shortly after hitting the ground. Then he took a deep, calming breath and listened.

“There’s a firefight going on at Shimada Castle...”

“Sounds like there’s an entire army shooting it out in there!”

“We’re backing off now to...”

Besides the fading voices of the guards as they ran away, there was silence. Blissful silence. It did not last.

Just...die. Exactly, Gabe. Exactly.

Screaming in rage, Reaper pulled a new pair of shotguns from the mist and fired their full capacity into the elevator door. Electronics sparked as the door broke apart, which was followed swiftly by the sound of screeching metal as the elevator fell down its shaft.

Silence.

This time, the voices did not return. Reaper once again discarded his guns, then walked forward to examine the now broken elevator. The elevator shaft went down deep. Reaper couldn’t tell how far down the hole went, but that did not concern him. The source of the energy was beneath the castle. This elevator had been hidden behind a wall and led beneath the castle. Clearly, this was the right way to go.

Without hesitation, Reaper stepped into the elevator shaft and dropped. He fell silently for a few seconds before dissolving into dark mist upon hitting the broken remains of the elevator at the bottom. The mist shifted through the wreckage and reformed into Reaper on the other side of the broken elevator doors.

Kill.

Reaper ignored the hunger’s command. He was in another hallway. Unlike the ones in the castle above, this one was made of reinforced concrete, not aging wood. It was also bare of ornaments or decorations of any kind, save for the utilitarian lights lining the sides. At the far end, opposite the elevator, was a large vault door. The door was open, but the room beyond it was too dark to see into.

Sensing a trap, Reaper pulled two more shotguns from his mist before walking forward. As soon as he stepped past the vault door and into the darkness, his hunger flared.

Left! Kill!

Reaper let the hunger guide his aim and fired a shot. For a moment, nothing happened. Reaper did not feel the surge of relief that followed his biotic-infused shots impacting a living target, so he knew that he had missed.

Then a man spoke, “You have some skill.”

Above! KILL!

Reaper fired again, and he missed again.

We’ve been spending too much time with Widowmaker.

“Tell me, why have you come?” the man asked.

Reaper decided to respond. “I can feel something powerful here. Where is it?”

“So you feel it too? Intriguing. I had thought that only a Shimada would feel the call.”

Suddenly the lights in the room turned on, revealing its contents. The room was large and full of various antiques. There were old suits of armor, broken weapons in glass cases, and multiple shelves filled with valuable jewelry. In the middle of it all stood a Japanese man dressed in an odd half robe that did not cover the left side of his torso. An intricate dragon tattoo went all the way down his left arm. In his left hand, he held a bow and a matching quiver of arrows hung on his back.

“I am Hanzo Shimada, and these are the greatest of my family’s treasures,” the man said. “Who are you?”

“Death,” Reaper replied.

Hanzo frowned. “There is a saying in my family: ‘Mock Death at your own peril’. You would do well to heed those words, especially when speaking to me.”

KILL HIM!

This guy’s practically asking for it.

“Where is the source of the power?” Reaper asked.

Hanzo stepped to the side, letting Reaper see the thickly covered pedestal directly behind him. Hanzo pulled off the cover, revealing a large blue sapphire orb. Energy visibly swirled within the orb, and it gave off a powerful blue glow.

“It is known as the Soul of the Wind,” Hanzo said.

“Legend says that when the Dragon of the South Wind chose to walk the earth alongside his brother, he poured what remained of his power into this stone and declared, ‘Within this stone is my power, the power to do great and terrible things. I am no longer worthy to wield it, but it shall remain as a reminder of all that I have lost and the skies that I have forsaken.’

I had always believed that it was just another one of my father’s stores, that this was just an ordinary sapphire stone, but now...I am not so sure.”

Hanzo turned to Reaper. “Nevertheless, the Soul of the Wind has been in my family since time immemorial. Even were it a plain polished stone, I would not allow anyone to take it away. Knowing this, and having found what you seek, what do you intend to do, stranger?”

“I’m going to kill you and take it away,” Reaper replied.

“So predictable,” Hanzo scoffed.

In an instant, Hanzo nocked an arrow and fired. The arrow flew through Reaper as he dropped his guns and dissolved into a dark mist, causing Hanzo’s eyes to widen in shock. The mist rapidly approached Hanzo and the pedestal. Hanzo took the Soul of the Wind in his right hand and tried to use the pedestal as a platform to leap up towards the ceiling, but he was not fast enough.

Reaper materialized and grabbed Hanzo’s leg just as he jumped, sending him crashing towards the ground. Hanzo twisted at the last second and kicked at Reaper’s head with his free leg. The blow made Reaper lose his grip on Hanzo, who rolled onto his feet. Hanzo glanced down to check if the Soul of the Wind had been damaged, giving Reaper an opening. Reaper punched Hanzo’s face with his right arm and grabbed the Soul of the Wind with his left.

Hanzo quickly recovered and swung his bow at Reaper. Reaper ducked under the swing and Hanzo used him as a stepping stone to leap up towards the ceiling. While airborne, Hanzo nocked an arrow, twisted, kicked off of the ceiling at an angle, and fired. The arrow sailed harmlessly past Reaper and Hanzo crashed into the floor behind an armor stand.

“You missed,” Reaper said.

Reaper had barely finished speaking when he was hit by six small arrows. Hanzo’s arrow had hit the shelf behind Reaper and split into six smaller arrows which bounced across the various objects in the room multiple times until they embedded themselves into Reaper’s body. One hit his left shoulder, two hit his back, one bounced off of the floor and into his right knee, another bounced off of the Soul of the Wind’s pedestal and hit his right arm, and the last ricocheted off of the armor stand that Hanzo had crashed behind and hit him right between the eyes.

“I calculated,” Hanzo said, standing.

Reaper staggered. The pain from his wounds combined with the pain of his hunger and overwhelmed his consciousness. He knew that he was dying. He had died before. To him, however, death was not the end; it was simply the beginning of a feeding frenzy. One that would not stop until his hunger weakened enough for his mind to reassert control.

Every other time this had happened, his body had dissolved. This time, however, it stayed together. Primal though it was, the hunger recognized the value of what Reaper held in his hand.

“FEED!” the hunger screamed in Reaper’s voice.

Reaper’s hands brought the Soul of the Wind close to his chest and dark mist began to swirl around him. The hunger cackled gleefully as the orb’s potent energy flowed freely into its cells, causing the dark mist to thicken.

Hanzo stared open mouthed for a few moments before narrowing his eyes in anger. He did not understand what manner of creature he was facing or what exactly it was doing, but he knew that it was destroying his family’s oldest treasure, and that was something he would not allow. He nocked another arrow and pulled his bow back as far as it would go. Deep within him, his spirit dragon, the heritage of the Shimadas, stirred from its slumber.

“RYUU GA WAGA TEKI WO KURAU!” Hanzo shouted.

Energy flowed from within him to his arrow as he let it loose, and two blue dragons emerged. The dragons roared and dove towards Reaper, but the Soul of the Wind glowed brighter as they drew near.

The dragons changed course and flew in a circle around Reaper before rising upwards and diving once more. A brilliant beam of light shone outwards from the Soul of the Wind towards the dragons, followed by a blinding flash. Hanzo shielded his eyes, but was then thrown off his feet and into a shelf by a powerful shockwave.

By the time Hanzo managed to stagger to his feet, it was over. As he blinked away the afterimages and recovered his sight, he looked around the room for some clue on what had happened. His family’s treasures had all been thrown from their displays by the shockwave. All of the items had been damaged beyond repair, while some of the more fragile ones had been blasted apart completely. Reaper was nowhere to be seen. Where Reaper had stood, there was now a shallow crater in the floor. At the bottom of the crater, surrounded by burn marks on all sides, was the Soul of the Wind.

Hanzo cautiously approached the Soul of the Wind and picked it up. He turned the orb around in his hands, examining it. While the surface of the stone appeared unscathed, it had clearly changed. The blue color was darker, the energies swirling within it had slowed, and shifting dark clouds polluted the interior. The orb no longer glowed, and the energy it gave off had all but disappeared.

Hanzo looked around the ravaged room once more then back at the orb in his hands.

“Of all the treasures of my family, of all the symbols of our long and storied past...this is all that remains,” Hanzo said softly.

Hanzo lifted the orb up to his face and spoke to it. “I am sorry for not recognizing your importance, and for disregarding the stories that my father told me. I know not why your magic called to me, or what that dark spirit has done to weaken it, but I swear that I will undo the damage that has been done, whatever the cost.”

The orb gave no sign of having heard his words, but Hanzo was not deterred. He lowered the orb and thought about his next move. He was determined to fulfill his promise and decode the mystery of the Soul of the Wind. The question was, how would he do so? Where could he begin?

Hanzo looked around the room one last time, desperate for some clue, some sign, to guide him, but he saw nothing. He searched his memories, everything he could remember of the mysticism of the Shimada clan, but could not think of anything useful. If only he had listened more to his father’s tales! If only he had sought to understand the legacy of his clan, to learn what his forefathers had learned before him! At the time, all the talk of magic and spirits seemed ridiculous, nothing more than bedtime stories or wild fantasies, but now…now it was too late. He had chosen to walk the worldly path, and now he was alone. There was no one left to learn from, no one who knew of the magic of his clan. He was the last of the Shimada.

“No,” Hanzo said, shaking his head. He looked at the dragon tattooed along his left arm. The Dragon of the South Wind. The dragon that had slain his brother. The dragon whose brother yet lived.

Hanzo knew what he had to do.

Author's Note

[1] Omniums - automated self-improving factories that produce the sentient robots known as Omnics
[2] Svyatogor mechs - large humanoid machines (similar to mobile suits from the Gundam series) created and deployed by Russia to combat the Omnic threat
[3] An event known as the Omnic Crisis. It was only through the formation of the international task force known as Overwatch - of which Commander Gabriel Reyes was a founding member - that the Crisis was resolved. With the collapse of Overwatch, the true cause of which remains shrouded in mystery, a second Omnic Crisis is on the horizon.

Chapter 1: That Which Doesn't Kill You...

As Daring Do flew in a circuit around the ancient temple’s wide ritual chamber, dodging arrows from Ahuizotl’s tribespony lackeys all the while, she scanned the room and wracked her brain for something - anything - that could help her turn the situation around.

“Yes, fly while you can, Daring Do! Once the ritual is complete, I will be filled with the power of the air itself!” Ahuizotl shouted while making threatening gestures at his arch-nemesis from the center of the room.

“Oh, Ahuizotl. You don’t need to try some fancy ritual. You’re filled with enough hot air as it is!” Daring Do replied.

Ahuizotl opened his mouth, but found that he was unable to come up with a suitably witty reply, so he settled for a wordless scream of rage instead. Afterwards, he turned to the unicorn shaman proding the green jade orb on the pedestal behind him.

“How much longer until the ritual is complete?” Ahuizotl demanded.

“Soon!” the shaman replied, ecstatic. “I can feel the ancient dragons’ power swelling through the Soul of the Wind! They have heard the call!”

Daring Do grit her teeth. Despite her banter, the situation was grim. Ahuizotl had thrown everything he had into this plan. He had set more than three times the number of traps he usually did, and that was on top of the traps already built into the temple itself. It also looked like he’d called on every last one of his henchponies to help him this time around. He was going all or nothing, and it looked like it was going to work.

Just getting to the ritual chamber had exhausted Daring Do both physically and mentally. She had used every trick in her books to get this far, but she had still arrived way later than she usually did. The ritual to summon the Dragon Lords of the Wind was almost done, and it was all she could do just to keep from getting skewered by spears and arrows.

I hate to say it, but he might finally have me this time, Daring thought to herself.

On the pedestal, the jade orb glowed brighter, causing the shaman to giggle maniacally.

“The Dragon Lords come!” the shaman declared.

“Yes!” cried Ahuizotl.

“No!” cried Daring Do.

Daring Do took a calculated risk and dived. An spear grazed her barrel and an arrow knocked off her pith helmet, but she managed to make it through the tribesponies’ attacks. She made a beeline for the Soul of the Wind. Ahuizotl moved to block her. Just as the two were about to clash, the orb let out a flash of light followed by a shockwave that knocked Daring Do out of the air and knocked everyone else onto the floor.

~~~

Reaper materialized on a pedestal. He was in control of his senses again, but he had no idea how long he had been out, where he had ended up, or how he had gotten there. He looked around and quickly registered that he was in some sort of ancient temple. That was interesting, but hardly surprising. He had been in such temples before. What was surprising was that he was surrounded on all sides by animals - giant, crudely armed, and distinctly unnatural animals.

The animals were all getting up from the floor, and all of their eyes were on him. Reaper’s instincts told him that he was in trouble. He gathered from the weapons and positions of the animals that there was a fight going on until just now, and given his hunger’s violent nature and the fact that he was the only non-animal here, he figured that he was the enemy.

Most of the animals were some kind of horse, while the biggest one appeared to be a giant blue monkey with an extra hand at the end of its tail.

Another genetically modified monkey? Gabriel Reyes’ voice commented in Reaper’s head. Great. Just great. We just reformed, and we’re already dead again.

Reaper scowled and materialized his shotguns. No mist accompanied them, and no hunger struck him, but they materialized all the same. He didn’t question it. He didn’t have time. The monkey was about to move.

Reaper fired. He saw the pellets shoot out of his gun and impact the giant monkey, but felt...nothing. No relief. No rush as energy flowed into him. Nothing. Not even hunger. For a moment he doubted if his shot really had hit its mark.

“Ow!” the monkey cried out. “Shaman! What is the meaning of this? What is this tiny creature that dares attack the great Ahuizotl? Where are the Dragon Lords? Where is the Soul of the Wind?”

Great, it talks, Reyes’ voice said. And it’s after the same thing we are. And it shrugged off our shot like it was a minor annoyance. This is going to be the Numbani museum all over again, isn’t it?

Reaper growled and resumed his attack. His position on the pedestal meant he couldn’t move, but the sheer size of his target also meant that he couldn’t miss. Shot after shot connected with “the great Ahuizotl”, but they only seemed to make the creature angry.

Do we really want to antagonize a monkey the size of a house? Reyes’ voice asked. What if it has primal rage? Just because we can’t die doesn’t mean - oh, here comes the pain!

With a cry of rage, Ahuizotl launched himself at Reaper. Reaper tossed aside his now empty guns and reached into the darkness inside him. He felt his body quiver, but he remained whole. Unable to fade into mist and trapped on the narrow pedestal with nowhere to go, Reaper realized that the voice in his head was right: this was going to hurt.

Ahuizotl’s massive fist impacted with Reaper’s entire body and sent him tumbling through the air. Pain filled Reaper’s senses, but he did not lose control. There was nothing to lose control to. The hunger did not react. The darkness did not overwhelm. But it was still there. He could feel it repairing the damage to his body even as he fell.

What the hell is going on? Reyes’ voice groaned.

~~~

Daring Do darted forward and caught the small black creature before it hit the ground. She didn’t know what it was, but it had attacked Ahuizotl and seemingly foiled his plans when she couldn’t, so she was on its side for now.

“Another one of your little friends, Daring Do?” Ahuizotl screamed. “I should have known! You replaced the orb, didn’t you? How did you do it? Where is the real Soul of the Wind?”

Daring gave her best coy smile. “A girl’s gotta have some secrets, Ahuizotl! It’s why guys like you are always chasing after me. Or is there some other reason why you’re always just one step behind me?”

Daring turned, letting her tail swish suggestively as she did so, and flew towards the exit. Ahuizotl found himself momentarily disoriented by the gesture, and was unable to recover in time to order his henchponies to stop her. With the ritual completed, the temple began to fall apart, as the temples always do.

Ahuizotl knew that he had lost again, so it was all he could to let out one last shout before making his own escape.

“CURSE YOU, DARING DO!”

Chapter 2: ...Makes You Smaller?

As Reaper sat by the the remains of last night’s campfire, he reflected on the previous day’s events and was forced to admit a rather uncomfortable fact: he was small. At first he had assumed that the animals that had surrounded him back at the temple were giants, perhaps the result of some twisted experiment like the one that had produced that damnable ape, Winston, but that didn’t explain why everything else was massive. The now ruined temple, the trees in the forest, the rocks on the path, even the bugs in the air - everything around him was far larger than it should be.

Then there was his own body. Reaper looked down at himself again, a small part of him hoping to see something different from the last dozen or so times he had checked, but it was no use. His limbs were still short and stubby, and his body was still disproportionately small compared to his head. A cool breeze blew past and nearly bowled him over, confirming that even his weight was much reduced.

But most disturbing of all, he didn’t feel hungry. There was no pain coursing through him, no aching need demanding that he kill and consume. He could still feel the darkness somewhere inside him, healing his wounds and allowing him to materialize his guns, but it felt...distant. Last night, for the first time in years, Reaper had actually slept. He hadn’t been tired, and he hadn’t felt like he needed to, but he had wanted to try it, and he succeeded. He had drifted into unconsciousness and nothing had happened. It was almost as if he was free, as if his mind was once again his own.

Yeah, don’t get those hopes up, Reyes’ voice said dryly. It’s never that easy.

“You’re scowling again,” Daring Do commented.

“I’m wearing a mask,” Reaper said indignantly.

“Your mask is scowling, then,” Daring said with a shrug.

Daring returned to checking her supplies as the small, white faced creature returned to its incoherent grumbling. After she had gotten them both out of the temple and into the safety of the nearby woods, she had peppered Reaper with a barrage of questions. All she had managed to get for her efforts, though, was a name, some threats, and a shot from those strange weapons Reaper could pull out of nowhere.

Remembering the shot, Daring rubbed her muzzle. It had hurt, but not by much, like getting hit by an angry foal. Reaper had clearly been perturbed by how little the attack had bothered her, and hadn’t said much of anything since. That, plus the fact that he had been examining himself and his surroundings non stop told Daring that Reaper’s current form wasn’t his true one. And in all likelihood, Reaper was just as clueless as her as to what had happened back in the temple.

“Hungry?” Daring asked Reaper as she finished her inventory and pulled out some bread from her saddlebags.

“No...” Reaper replied. His voice had a tinge of disbelief. “No, I’m not.”

Daring shrugged and broke off a piece of bread. “Suit yourself,” she said before popping the bread into her mouth. “We’ve got a long flight ahead of us, though, and I don’t want to hear any complaints about how much you’re starving because you skipped breakfast.”

“Trust me, I can handle a little hunger,” Reaper said.

She’d best hope it’s just a little, Reyes’ voice added in his head.

Reaper watched silently as Daring finished her bread. With the darkness still somehow sustaining him, he didn’t need to eat or sleep or even breathe. While last night had proven that he could sleep, he still didn’t need to. Nor did he need to breathe, as proven by the fact that he had successfully stopped breathing for five minutes earlier. He still did breathe, though, both out of habit and the need to use the air to speak. He figured that he probably couldn’t eat, but he had never tried. He could never bring himself to put food into his mouth while his entire body had screamed for blood. Now, though...but that was a problem for another time.

Reaper had bigger concerns than regular food. For one thing, he was casually conversing with a horse that could fly. Granted, he had seen enough in his long life that this was no longer surprising to him, but he knew that it was out of the ordinary. Said horse also seemed to have no knowledge or fear of him. Even in his current tiny form, Reaper was sure that he was still a highly recognizable figure. He had even introduced himself as “Reaper”. And yet the horse had not given any indication that she had recognized him as the international terrorist that he was. Even after he shot her, she showed neither fear nor contempt.

To Reaper, that left only two possibilities: either he was in some enclosed area hidden from the rest of the world where experiments on talking animals were taking place, or he was in another world altogether. The former made some sense. He could even rationalize that whoever was transforming these animals was also responsible for transforming him. That said, he was leaning towards the latter. It was the simpler explanation, and required less mental gymnastics. He only had to accept one bitter fact…

Winston’s theories were right. Alternate realities do exist, Reyes’ voice said, completing Reaper’s train of thought. And we owe him a year’s supply of peanut butter.

“Alright, ready or not, it’s time to go,” Daring said as she dusted herself off and rose to her hooves.

“You never told me where we’re going...or why,” Reaper said.

“You never asked. You never tried to leave, either,” Daring replied as she hefted her saddlebags. She approached Reaper and gently picked him up in her hooves.

How is she doing that? Reyes’ voice asked. Hooves shouldn’t be able to grasp things!

“Not the time,” Reaper mumbled to the voice.

Daring heard him. “I can understand that. All of this is new to you, isn’t it?”

Reaper grunted. It seemed that Daring Do, despite her ridiculous name, wasn’t stupid, and he wasn’t sure how to feel about that. On one hand, it was a good thing that his current mode of transportation and only source of information was competent. On the other hand, his previous experiences with smart animals were far from pleasant.

Let’s be honest here, for all the flak we gave him for being a genetically modified moon monkey, Winston wasn’t that bad. He was a bit of a dreamer, but he did good work. Most of the time, he was reasonable, too, Reyes’ voice said. We’re the bad guys, not him.

“Exactly,” Reaper said.

Daring nodded, once again thinking Reaper was talking to her. “I figured as much. You’re not much for asking questions, but the curious looks you give everything are a dead giveaway.”

Reaper was about to say something about his mask again when Reyes’ voice cut him off.

Can we not push that mask thing? We haven’t seen a mirror, but it’s probably our actual face in this form. We’re just going to have to get used to people, or animals, seeing our expressions again.

Knowing the voice was right, Reaper just sighed and dropped the subject. Daring took off at the same time and didn’t notice.

“I suppose I should be thankful for that,” Daring said as she flew. “I’d really rather not have to answer twenty million obvious questions. I’m an adventurer, not a lecturer. And I work alone, so I’m not interested in dragging you around with me either. That said, there are some questions I need answered before I let you go, but I doubt you’d be able to help me with them even if you wanted to. And I know you don’t want to.”

One night together, and she already knows us so well, Reyes’ voice commented. Reaper stayed silent.

Having heard nothing, Daring continued. “So I’m taking us to go see some ponies that could help us both, and maybe take you off my hooves while they’re at it. That’s the why. As for the where...if you’re as clueless as you seem, then the name won’t mean anything to you, but it’s a small village on the edge of a forest and not too far from the capital city.”

Reaper knew that she was probably right about the name, but he still wanted to know. “What’s it called?”

“It’s called Ponyville, Reaper. I’m taking us to Ponyville.”

Chapter 3: Now Arriving At Ponyville

Reaper found himself standing, arms crossed, on a large circular table inside the throne room of a crystal castle owned by one Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship. Seated around the table were Daring Do, seven other multi-colored ponies, and one baby dragon. Any and all doubts that he was no longer on the Earth he knew had vanished.

This is so surreal, Reyes’ voice commented. It’s like we’ve been sucked into some sort of adorable but complex children’s cartoon. Just look at that purple one with the wings and the horn! That’s Princess Twilight Sparkle, right? How can something so cute be one of the rulers of a sovereign nation? And she has a dragon! An actual dragon! Reinhardt would lose his mind!

Reaper ignored the voice in his head and focused on the conversation around him.

Pinkie Pie slammed a hoof on the table. “So lemme get this straight,” she said, her expression serious. She took a deep breath and then rapidly spoke. “Ahuizotl stole a powerful ancient artifact called the Soul of the Wind from the Dragon Lord’s horde, and then tried to use it in some kooky ritual to summon the spirits of two ancient dragon lords so that he could gain their super special wind dragon spirit magic, BUUUT the ritual didn’t work like he wanted it to and even though Daring Do wasn’t able to stop him, the dragon lords didn’t show up and there was a HUGE BANG and then the Soul of the Wind disappeared and then this little guy appeared and then he attacked Ahuizotl and then you rescued him and now you told us about it and you want to know where the Soul of the Wind might be and what we should do about this guy and whether or not he’s from another world or if maybe he’s just really really confused and a little cranky and needs a party to cheer him up, which I said I am totally up for because he’s new and needs welcoming and everyone knows that totally calls for a welcome party and -”

“PINKIE!” Twilight interrupted.

“Yes, Twilight?” Pinkie asked, both her face and tone the picture of innocence.

“We’ve just finished going through all of that. There’s no need to repeat it all again,” Twilight said politely.

Pinkie giggled. “I know that, silly! But the reader didn’t!”

“Uh, what are you talking about?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Applejack chuckled. “Y’all oughta know better than to question Pinkie Pie by now.”

“Quite,” Rarity said. She turned to Starlight Glimmer. “Starlight, darling, you were saying?”

Starlight blinked. “Oh, right. Well I was about to ask Daring Do - I still can’t believe you’re actually real, by the way! Love your books. - why she came here for help. Not that I don’t want to help! It’s just that I’m surprised Ponyville was your first choice. Unless...this is a common thing? I’m sorry. Still pretty new at all this.”

“There’s no need to apologize, Starlight,” Fluttershy said. “Daring Do coming here is pretty surprising. We’ve only really helped her with her quest once before, and that was more of an accident than anything else.”

“Hey, don’t sell us short!” Rainbow Dash said. “We were awesome! Don’t you remember how we swooped in at the last minute, saved Daring Do, stopped Ahuizotl, and learned a valuable lesson about friendship? That wasn’t an accident, that was one hundred percent action hero awesome! I’m sure Daring Do came to us because she figured our unique expertise was exactly what she needed.”

“Well, she’s not wrong,” Daring Do said.

Rainbow visibly swelled with pride, but Applejack spoke up before she could say anything more. “Now hold on there. What kinda expertise are we talkin’ ‘bout here? ‘Cause as much as I wanna help you out, Ms. Do, we ain’t exactly been discussing apple farming.”

Rarity nodded. “It’s true that each of us is an expert in our own particular fields, but I don’t think we’re the ones to consult with regarding ancient dragon magic. No offense, Spikey-Wikey.”

“None taken,” Spike said with a shrug. “I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know all that much about dragon culture.”

“If this was just about the Soul of the Wind, I wouldn’t have come here,” Daring Do said. “But it isn’t. It’s about our potentially world-crossing friend over there. And while I know a few ponies with theories on interdimensional travel, Princess Twilight’s the only one I know with both the knowledge and the practical experience.”

Twilight was surprised by this. “Wait, how do you know I’ve travelled to another world?”

“Uhh,” Rainbow Dash began while scratching the back of her head. “I kinda sorta mighta mentioned it in one of my letters…”

Daring Do’s mouth curled into a mischievous grin. “She recommended I break into your castle and go through your portal. Said it would make a good adventure. Even thought up the title: Daring Do and the Magic Mirror.”

Twilight glared at Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow! You can’t just start telling ponies to break into my house! Or that I have a portal to another world in my library!”

“I know! I’m sorry!” Rainbow Dash said. “Daring’s the only one I told it to, promise! Besides, that was such a cool title idea. How could I not want it to be an official Daring Do book?”

“So you keep the ‘secret’ mirror to another world in your library?” Daring Do asked incredulously.

“It’s powered by a book!” Twilight said, her voice rising. “Where else would you keep a book?”

Sensing this was not an argument she could win, Daring backed down. “Okay, moving on…do you have any way to tell if this guy’s from another world or not? And if he is, could your mirror send him back to wherever he’s from?”

For the first time since the meeting started, Reaper spoke. “I can tell you now that this is not my world.”

Probably, Reyes’ voice added.

“Wow, is that really your voice?” Pinkie commented. “It’s so dark and gravelly! It doesn’t match at all with your itty bitty chibi body!”

Rarity quickly interjected. “What my friend means, Mr. Reaper, is that you sound much more masculine than one would expect, not just of you, but of anypony really. Although given the air of mystery about you, I must say it’s quite fitting.”

Spike spoke, suddenly excited. “It just hit me! With that voice and that outfit, you’re totally like a tiny Darth Neighder from Star Mares! Just, you know, without all the heavy breathing. Could you do some heavy breathing?”

In Reaper’s head, Reyes’ voice burst out laughing. Darth Neighder? Star Mares? Okay, that's it. Alternate reality confirmed. C’mon, let’s do some Vader breathing for the kid!

Reaper scowled and his annoyance crept into his voice. “I don’t breathe. At all.”

Not true, buzzkill, Reyes’ voice accused.

Applejack let out a low whistle. “I don’t rightly know how that works, but I’ll wager not needing to breathe is useful for a lotta things. Can y’all imagine never running outta breath? I’ll bet you could run for hours!”

Rainbow Dash was even more excited than Spike. “I know, right? And that’s just for starters! I’ll bet he really could survive outer space! This little guy is so cool! And that epic voice! Quick, say something else!”

“No,” Reaper growled, his tone laced with the threat of death.

Rainbow didn’t notice. “So. Awesome.”

Fluttershy, however, did notice. “Um, everypony? Could we get back on track? I think we’re making Mr. Reaper a bit uncomfortable.”

“Right. Thank you, Fluttershy,” Twilight said, once more taking charge of the conversation. “I apologize if my friends upset you, Mr. Reaper. They mean well.”

“Yeah, sorry for bringing it up,” Spike said, contrite. “It wasn’t really the time, and I guess you wouldn’t know what I was talking about anyway. Maybe later I can show you what I meant to make up for it.”

Hell yes, Reyes’ voice said. Pony Star Wars. This we’ve got to see.

“Shoot, I guess I got a bit caught up in it too, didn’t I?” Applejack said. “Mighty sorry ‘bout that. We didn’t mean to make fun of ya or anything. We were just impressed is all.”

“By how awesome you are!” Rainbow Dash said.

Applejack gave Rainbow a stern look.

“Okay! Okay! I’m sorry too,” Rainbow Dash added. “You’re just so...cool. I couldn’t help it.”

Reaper noticed a blur of pink movement. He looked over to Pinkie Pie to see that she was smiling widely at him. She glanced down at his feet than back up to his face. He looked down to see that there was now a cupcake by his feet with a tiny paper flag sticking out of the icing. The flag had “Sorry, Reaper!” written on it in glitter ink with each letter in a different color.

Wait...what? How? Reyes’ voice asked.

Twilight cleared her throat. “Let’s get back on topic. Now that Reaper’s confirmed that he’s from another world, the question that remains is whether or not the mirror can send him back there. The answer to that is...maybe.”

“That doesn’t really clear anything up,” Daring Do said.

“Are you saying we should just throw Reaper through the mirror and see what happens?” Starlight asked.

“No, that’s not what I meant,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “The mirror creates a stable portal to another world based on how its magic is calibrated. Right now, that magic is being focused through Sunset Shimmer’s journal to create a stable link to the world of Canterlot High, but that’s not the only world the mirror could connect to. Hypothetically, the mirror could connect to any number of other unknown worlds given the right circumstances. The problem lies in finding the specific circumstances that would allows us to create and maintain a connection to a particular world.”

“Couldn’t this ‘Canterlot High’ be Reaper’s home world?” Daring asked.

“Doubtful,” Twilight said. “Reaper looks similar to the humans in that world, if a lot smaller, but there are also a lot of differences. Of course, I could be wrong. I’m hardly an expert on human physiology. Reaper, have you ever heard of a school called Canterlot High? Maybe Crystal Prep Academy?”

“No,” Reaper answered.

“Then could you describe the creatures that inhabit your world? Are they like you at all?” Twilight asked.

“My world has humans, among other things. I am...different,” Reaper said. “This isn’t what I normally look like, but describing myself will get us nowhere.”

Way to dodge the fact that we know next to nothing about how our mutated body works even under normal circumstances, Reyes’ voice said.

“I have a better question,” Reaper continued. “Does the world with Canterlot High have omnics?”

“Omnics?” Twilight asked.

“Sentient machines created by the Omnica Corporation,” Reaper clarified. “They live among the humans of my world.”

Not going to tell them about the Omnic Crisis? About Overwatch? Reyes’ voice asked. How about asking about the great war hero, Strike Commander Jack Morrison? Everybody knows him.

Reaper could feel his anger rising at the mere thought of Overwatch and its leader. Painful memories of the things he had been made to endure as the commander of Overwatch’s black ops division, Blackwatch, came flooding back to him...along with how, no matter how much he struggled, how much he sacrificed, his friend Jack, the people’s champion, always managed to come out smelling like roses. To Jack Morrison went the glory. To Gabriel Reyes went the blame.

Reaper’s hands twitched, and he instinctively scanned the room for something to kill. His gaze fell upon the apology cupcake near his feet.

We’re not hungry, Reyes’ voice said casually.

Reaper’s hands stilled at the reminder. No, he wasn’t hungry. He didn’t need to kill. That voice had left him when he entered this world. Reaper’s anger faded, and he trembled slightly as he realized how much the hunger had changed him.

Doesn’t mean a little feeding won’t do us some good, though, Reyes’ voice added.

Reaper picked up the cupcake, which was nearly as big as his head, and scooped a bit of frosting into his mask’s mouth. He nearly dropped the pastry as he tasted the sweetness.

“I had forgotten...” Reaper mumbled. He began to tear into the rest of the cupcake with gusto.

While Reaper overcame his anger with the glories of baked goods, Twilight had continued the conversation. “No, they definitely don’t have anything like that over in Canterlot High’s world, so that means we can rule that one out.”

“So how are we supposed to connect the portal to Reaper’s home world?” Starlight asked.

“If all we had to go on was the fact that Reaper is from some other world, I’d say it was impossible, but fortunately for us, we have a little bit more than that,” Twilight replied with a grin. “Daring, the legend of the Soul of the Wind says that the Dragon of the South Wind disappeared after finding the jade orb housing his defeated brother’s soul, right?”

“That’s right,” Daring confirmed. “After winning the war and earning the right to call himself the one true Dragon Lord, the Dragon of the South Wind fell into depression because of his regret over what he’d done. He spent the few years of his reign scouring the land for mementos of his brother, and was said to have cried tears of joy upon finding the Soul of the Wind. He raised the orb up with his claws and declared to the other dragons that his brother yet lived before disappearing into thin air, never to be seen again.”

That sounds a lot like that hand-soap fellow’s family legend, Reyes’ voice said. Speaking of soap, when was the last time we washed these hands we’re licking?

Reaper swallowed the mouthful of cupcake he was chewing and said, “I’ve heard a similar legend in my world.”

Twilight’s smile grew wider. “Excellent. We also know that Reaper appeared after Ahuizotl performed a ritual trying to bring back the Dragon Lords, or at least their power, using the Soul of the Wind. That leads me to believe that the Soul of the Wind is actually some sort of portal device that connects to another world, the same world that the Dragon Lords of old disappeared to, Reaper’s world.”

Starlight perked up. “Oh, I get it now! If we can calibrate the mirror using the Soul of the Wind instead of Sunset’s journal, we could create a stable portal back to Reaper’s home world!”

“Exactly!” Twilight said.

“One problem,” Daring Do said. “The Soul of the Wind disappeared the moment Ahuizotl completed the ritual.”

“Oh, I don’t think it disappeared at all,” Twilight said. “Reaper, do you mind if I cast a quick scanning spell on you? It’ll just take a second, and I promise that you won’t even feel it.”

Reaper finished off the last of his cupcake and turned to Twilight. “One more pastry and you have a deal, Sparkle.”

There was another pink blur of motion and a blueberry muffin appeared in Reaper’s hands. This one had a paper flag with a smiley face on it. Reaper began eating it immediately.

That was right into our hands, and we didn’t even - ah, nevermind. Feed away, Reyes voice said.

“Shoot,” Reaper said between mouthfuls of muffin.

Twilight’s horn glowed purple and a translucent box of the same color appeared around Reaper. The box rotated a few times before winking out of existence just as quickly as it had appeared.

Twilight’s smile turned smug. “As I suspected, the Soul of the Wind isn’t gone, it’s inside Reaper.”

That made Reaper pause.

“What?” he said in chorus with everyone else.

“He ate a magic orb?!” Pinkie exclaimed. “What did it taste like?”

“He didn’t eat it, Pinkie,” Twilight said. “It fused with his body during the transfer. My guess is that’s why his body changed too. Something must have gone wrong with the transfer process. It could have been something interfering from Reaper’s world or it could have been a mistake with the ritual, but there’s no way to know for sure. The point is that something went wrong and the magic from the Soul of the Wind tried to compensate for it, fusing itself into Reaper until the mistake could be corrected.”

“Corrected how?” Daring asked.

“That’s what I plan to find out,” Twilight said. “But it could take a while, and it’s probably a good idea to have Reaper nearby in case there’s anything else I need to find out. Reaper, would you mind staying with us here in the castle until we can figure this thing out?”

Reaper finished his muffin and dusted off the crumbs from his hands and robes. “Not like I have much of a choice.”

C’mon, admit it. We wanna stay here, Reyes’ voice teased.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Twilight said. She turned to Daring Do. “Daring, you don’t mind, do you?”

“Not at all,” Daring said. “I was actually hoping you’d take him off my hooves anyway. There are other things I need to attend to, and dragging the little guy around with me would just make things more complicated.”

Twilight smiled. “Great! It’s settled, then. Starlight, could you -”

“Keep him?” Starlight said, beaming. “Can I keep him? I’m the only one here that doesn’t have a pet yet, and I can’t think of anything I’d want more than whatever the hay Reaper is.”

Unnoticed by Starlight, Fluttershy pouted. All those little animals were going to be so disappointed when she broke the news to them.

“Starlight, you can’t keep Reaper as a pet!” Twilight said. “He’s not an animal that needs a new home!”

Fluttershy perked up. The critters still had a chance after all!

“So not as my pet then, as my assistant! Like you with Spike!” Starlight said.

Spike frowned. “Hey, I don’t think I like how fast your mind jumped from pet to -”

“Starlight, Reaper is a guest,” Twilight said. “We’re here to help him get back to his own world, not keep him around forever. Besides, Spike’s here for both of us, and no one could ever take his place. Isn’t that right, Spike?”

Spike chuckled as Twilight playfully ruffled his spines. “Yeah, yeah. I’m the number one assistant.”

“And always will be,” Twilight said fondly.

Pretty sweet dynamic they’ve got going here, Reyes’ voice said. And we’re gonna be part of it! Ain’t that just heartwarming?

Reaper let out a tired groan. He almost wished that the hunger was back, just so that there would be something else drowning out Reyes’ annoying commentary. Almost.

Pinkie Pie heard Reaper’s groan. Unfortunately for him, she thought it was adorable. “Awww! That was so cute! Is the widdle guy tired? Does he need a nap?”

*BANG*

Before he could stop himself, Reaper had materialized a shotgun and fired at Pinkie Pie. To his surprise, a purple shield blocked the shot before it could connect with its target. He glanced to Twilight Sparkle and saw that her horn was glowing and her expression was serious.

That’s one hell of a reaction time, Reyes’ voice said in disbelief.

Reaper looked around and saw that everyone around the table looked ready to fight at the drop of a hat, with the exceptions of Daring Do and Pinkie Pie, who both looked amused. He realized that the others were waiting for either confirmation that their friend was hurt, or a command to attack from Twilight Sparkle.

Definitely more to these ponies than meets the eye, Reyes’ voice said.

Reaper’s gaze met Daring Do’s, and her grin got wider as she noticed his disbelief. “It’s alright, everypony,” Daring said. “He just does that when he’s cranky. It sounds impressive, but it doesn’t really do much. I got hit by one of those right in the muzzle at close range yesterday, and it barely hurt. Your average household kitty’s more dangerous than this guy.”

Reaper scowled at the comparison to a kitten, but the mood around the table nonetheless shifted back to friendly almost immediately. The shield in front of Pinkie Pie disappeared and she giggled, apparently amused by his attempt on her life. Twilight and Starlight, however, were both frowning at Reaper.

Twilight’s eyes bore into Reaper like those of a stern teacher. “Even if it is mostly harmless, I’d appreciate it if you’d refrain from attacking my friends, Reaper. We’re only trying to help you, after all.”

“I get having anger issues and wanting to lash out at ponies that annoy you. Really, I do,” Starlight added with the tone of a disappointed mother. “But that doesn’t excuse what you did. We’ve got to work on your attitude, mister.”

Starlight’s horn glowed and Reaper felt himself surrounded by a magical grip. He struggled to move, but to his horror, he was rendered completely immobile by the spell. In his mind, Reyes’ voice was laughing.

Starlight floated Reaper in front of Pinkie Pie, who was still smiling. “Now, apologize to Pinkie Pie!” Starlight commanded.

Reyes’ voice was losing it. She’s like - haha! - she’s like our mom or something! Giving us a scolding! Hahahaha! Oh, if Ana could see us now!

Reaper struggled harder against the magic holding him down. He tried to fire the gun still in his hand. He tried to summon a new shotgun. Nothing worked.

“Reaper,” Starlight said, the warning implied by her tone.

With a huff, Reaper gave in. “Fine! I’m...sorry,” he spat.

“It’s okie dokie lokie, Reapie!” Pinkie Pie said cheerfully. “Everypony loses their cool sometimes!”

Starlight was still frowning, but she put Reaper down on the table again. “That wasn’t a very sincere apology, but since Pinkie Pie doesn’t seem to mind, I’ll let it go this time,” she told him. “But I expect better of you, mister!”

“While I’m not sure how appropriate Starlight’s method was, she’s right,” Twilight said. “I know that this must all be pretty jarring to you, but please consider how your actions will affect those around you. Not everypony’s going to be as forgiving as Pinkie Pie, and the last thing I want is for you or anypony else to get hurt.”

Reaper almost pulled out his shotguns and attacked them all right then and there, but he stopped himself. There was no point. In his current form, he was powerless against these ponies, and though he was loath to admit it, Starlight and Twilight were right. They were being nothing but helpful, absurdly helpful by human standards, and he wasn’t appreciating their efforts. And he knew a thing or two about being unappreciated.

With a sigh and a shake of his head, Reaper resigned himself to the situation. “I’m sorry,” he said again. This time, his apology was much softer, but it was also sincere. Based on Twilight and Starlight’s smiles, they still heard him.

That was actually sincere, Reyes’ voice said. A pair of magical multi-colored ponies has actually managed to scold a sincere apology out of an international terrorist slash genocidal murderer.

Oh this just keeps getting better and better.

Interlude 1: Shimada-mada

Hanzo followed the beacon to the hills just beyond the city limits. Genji, his brother, had left him this beacon along with one simple instruction: “Come find me when you are ready.” Hanzo did not think he would ever feel ready to confront the brother he had murdered, but he knew that he must. If nothing else, Genji was the only one who might understand what had happened to the Soul of the Wind.

The beacon lead Hanzo atop a hill with a single cherry blossom tree. There, beneath the falling cherry blossoms, Genji sat, meditating. Hanzo stopped, hesitant to take the final steps. When his brother had first revealed himself to be alive, it had been at night in the dimly lit halls of the old Shimada Castle. Hanzo had been surprised by his brother’s robotic appearance then, but he had thought that perhaps it was merely armor, or a few cybernetic enhancements. Looking at Genji in broad daylight, Hanzo’s keen eyes determined the true extent of Genji’s transformation.

Save for the left arm, which was heavily augmented flesh, Genji’s limbs were completely robotic. The plates crisscrossing his entire body were not just protective armor, but also casing for the many wires that powered the life support systems keeping him alive. With each new piece of machinery Hanzo saw, he was reminded of the gruesome injury that necessitated its existence, and of how he himself had inflicted that injury.

I did this, Hanzo thought. His body was transformed because of my butchery. And yet...I have never seen Genji look so at peace. Is this truly the brother I knew?

“If you think my body is impressive now, brother, you should look at me from behind,” Genji said, breaking the silence. “Dr. Ziegler did an amazing job preserving the perfect curvature of my assets.”

Yes. Yes it is, Hanzo thought with a sigh.

“I did not come here to prove whose body is, and always has been, superior, Genji,” Hanzo said aloud.

Genji ignored the implication. “So then why have you come, Hanzo? Are you finally ready to choose a side?”

“Do not presume upon my intentions, brother,” Hanzo scoffed. “I care not about the petty concerns of the fools straddling power. I am here to discuss matters of family. Do you remember this?” Hanzo said, revealing the Soul of the Wind.

“I do. That is the Soul of the Wind. The dragon's loss,” Genji replied. He paused for a moment as he noticed the black clouds swirling within the sapphire orb. “And you broke it.”

“I did not break it!” Hanzo cried, indignant. “I was trying to protect it from some...demon! But then there was a dark mist...and the dragons…”

Hanzo’s hands gestured uselessly as he tried to find the words to explain the supernatural battle that had lead to the corruption of the Soul of the Wind.

Genji sighed and got up. “It's alright, brother. You can admit it. No one is going to scold you,” he said, approaching Hanzo as he did.

Hanzo raised his voice and said, “I am not -”

“Besides it is hardly the first family relic we've destroyed,” Genji interrupted. “Do you remember the Amulet of Soaring Skies?”

All the fight seemed to drain out of Hanzo. “I still have nightmares about the punishments grandfather put me through…” he said with a shiver.

Genji nodded. “But grandfather is gone now. And so is everyone else. A tragedy, to be sure, but there are some upsides.”

Hanzo snorted. “Upsides? That’s a fine way of saying I no longer have to worry about getting into trouble because of you!”

Genji raised his hands defensively. “Hey, it was your idea to take the amulet ‘out for a spin.’ You said something about ‘accelerating our training’, no?”

“Agh! You always bring that up! Always!” Hanzo cried, exasperated. “You know it would have worked if you had just been more careful!”

“Brother, calm down. That was over twenty years ago. You have to let it go,” Genji said, laying his left hand on Hanzo’s shoulder.

Hanzo angrily brushed Genji’s hand off. “I NEVER GOT TO DOUBLE JUMP!” he accused. “You absorbed all of the magic when the amulet broke!”

Genji shook his head. “Double jumping isn't as great as it seems. Before I was turned into a cyborg, I got dizzy all the time. The spin you have to do is very disorienting.”

“That is besides the point! I...bah! Enough! I see now that I am wasting my time here,” Hanzo said then he turned and began to stomp away.

“That was always your way, wasn't it, brother? To cast the blame on somebody else! Why don't you grow up and take responsibility for once?” Genji called after Hanzo.

Hanzo turned back to face Genji, his face contorted in rage. “Grow up? Grow up?! You of all people would lecture me on maturity? HA! Don’t make me laugh!”

Genji’s shoulders slumped, and his voice softened. “I never could. I tried, but I never could. I just made myself a fool.”

Hanzo’s anger dissipated and his face fell. What am I doing? he asked himself.

Hanzo slowly walked back towards Genji. “Look...Genji, I -”

Genji raised a hand to stop Hanzo. “No. There is no need, brother. It is in the past.”

Hanzo shook his head. “Even so! It needs to be said. I...I am sorry, Genji. For everything. For years my guilt over what I did to you - everything I did to you - weighed heavily on my heart. And yet here and now, in front of you, I make the same mistakes all over again. It is not you who is the fool, but me. Please, brother, forgive me.”

Both brothers stared at each other in silence. A breeze blew by, scattering cherry blossoms around them.

Genji slowly removed the visor of his helmet, revealing his teary eyes, then said, “All is forgiven, brother...on one condition.”

Hanzo could feel tears welling up in his own eyes. “Name it,” he said with conviction.

“Forgive yourself,” Genji said.

The words struck Hanzo like a knife to the heart. “I am not sure that I can, Genji,” he said, turning his head away.

A robotic voice spoke up from behind Hanzo. “The path to forgiveness is long and difficult. Almost too much to travel. Or so it seems, to those that have yet to take the first step.”

“AH!” Hanzo cried in shock, nearly jumping as an omnic monk floated between him and his brother. The monk, on the other hand, was the picture of calm. Golden orbs slowly orbited his head and his legs were crossed as he sat perfectly still several feet above the ground.

“How did - Where did - Genji, did you know!?” Hanzo asked.

Genji put on his helmet’s visor and shrugged. “Master Zenyatta has many tricks. He can be as still as a rock and always moves without sound. Truthfully, he is a better ninja than any I have ever seen.”

“Blending in is easy when you are one with the universe,” Zenyatta said.

“You cannot be serious,” Hanzo said.

Zenyatta was unreadable. His robotic face was incapable of showing emotion and his body was completely motionless, save for the orbs floating around him. “It hardly matters,” he said. “You were here to speak of a magic orb, were you not? Would you mind letting me examine it? I am something of an expert in the realms of spiritualism and balls.”

“Balls,” Hanzo repeated flatly.

“Indeed,” Zenyatta replied.

“Magical balls,” Genji added.

The trio went silent. Zenyatta’s golden orbs twinkled conspicuously in the sunlight.

“Very well,” Hanzo conceded, holding out the Soul of the Wind. “Look upon the Soul of the Wind, although I doubt you will be of any help. This is an artifact of the ancient dragons, and only a Shimada can -”

“Your ball appears to be strained,” Zenyatta interrupted. “The dark spots aren’t a good sign either. Was it always this big or has it started swelling recently? Would you mind if I held it for a while? I promise to be gentle.”

Genji snickered, causing Hanzo to glare at him.

“I am starting to remember why I killed you, brother,” Hanzo muttered.

Despite his words, Hanzo allowed Zenyatta to take the Soul of the Wind.

“Curious,” Zenyatta commented as he examined the Soul of the Wind. “The energies of the ball became slightly less active after it left your hands.”

“As I was saying,” Hanzo said, puffing out his chest. “Only a Shimada can...”

Hanzo trailed off as Zenyatta began to glow, bathing the area in a golden light. Zenyatta’s orbs now formed a static circle around his body and six golden arms sprouted from his back. Held by his two corporeal arms, the Soul of the Wind gave off its own glow, which fluctuated between a brilliant blue and a foggy black. Zenyatta remained in this transcended state for a few moments before both he and the Soul of the Wind returned to their previous forms.

“Very curious,” Zenyatta said as he placed the Soul of the Wind back into the hands of a dumbfounded Hanzo.

“What did you find out, master?” Genji asked.

“Your brother’s ball is a pathway to many wonders,” Zenyatta said.

Once again, the trio stood in silence.

Hanzo cleared his throat. “Genji, when you call this omnic ‘master’ do you mean...”

Genji waved his hands in denial. “It’s not like that, brother! Master merely helped me come to terms with what I am. He helped me appreciate the wonders of my new body and touched my -”

“Understood. Let us move on,” Hanzo interrupted.

“Spirit!” Genji said quickly. “He touched my spirit! Let me finish!”

“Zenyatta, could you explain further what you discovered when you held my - err - when you held the Soul of the Wind?” Hanzo asked, ignoring his brother.

“When I grasped your ball, I felt a strong sensation of harmony flow through me from within it,” Zenyatta said. “And when I gazed into your ball through the Iris, it revealed itself to be a path to another plane of existence - a world of wonder so very different from our own. Unfortunately, a great darkness appears to have set upon the path, consuming it as termites might consume a wooden bridge.”

“The demon,” Hanzo said angrily. “I must stop him!”

“I will stand with you, brother,” Genji said. “We will face this ‘demon’ together.”

Hanzo and Genji clasped arms, bringing a smile to Hanzo’s face.“The Shimada brothers, united once more,” Hanzo said. “The demon does not know it, but he is already dead.”

Hanzo turned to Zenyatta and held out the Soul of the Wind once more. “Zenyatta, open the path, that we may end this once and for all!”

“I cannot,” Zenyatta said.

“...Please?” Genji added.

“Good of you to remember your manners, Genji, but I cannot,” Zenyatta said. “I gazed into the Iris to see the path, but that does not allow me to open it.”

“Then how do we open it?” Hanzo asked.

“I do not know,” Zenyatta replied.

Hanzo groaned in frustration.

“Master, you said this was a portal to another world, right?” Genji asked.

“Indeed, Genji,” Zenyatta said.

“Then I may know someone who can help,” Genji said.

“Who?” Hanzo asked, hopeful.

“Winston, an old colleague of mine from Overwatch,” Genji said. “While working on a project to enable the controlled manipulation of space and time, he developed many theories regarding the existence of and possible travel to alternate realities. I was often forced to listen to him drone on about them while he and Angela worked on my cybernetics.”

“That is the same Winston that issued the Overwatch recall you spoke of before, is it not? How fortuitous,” Zenyatta said.

“You worked for Overwatch?” Hanzo asked, shocked. “The same Overwatch responsible for bringing down our family’s empire?”

“They are the reason I still live, Hanzo,” Genji said. “In exchange, I lent them my skills. However, I had no part in the operation against our family. I did not even know about it until it appeared on the news.”

“I am reminded of how much time has passed, Genji,” Hanzo said wearily. “It would seem an entire lifetime has gone by for both of us, and we are as strangers once more.”

“We will always be brothers, Hanzo” Genji said. “Neither death nor life can change that. We simply have more stories to tell now.”

Hanzo nodded.

“Cheer up, brother!” Genji said, leading his brother down the hill. “We will need to journey to Gibraltar to meet with Winston, and that will take us some time, time we can use to catch up. In fact, why don’t we start now? Tell me more about your battle with this demon we are to face.”

Hanzo scowled. “To be honest, Genji, it is difficult to explain.”

“Alright, then. You can tell me later,” Genji said. “How about I tell you about Winston? Did you know he’s a genetically modified gorilla from the moon?”

“You have had a very strange life since our parting, haven’t you, brother?” Hanzo asked.

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it. Wait until I tell you about my old C.O., Commander Reyes,” Genji replied. He turned to look back at the top of the hill to see Zenyatta still floating there. “Master? Are you coming?” he called to Zenyatta.

“Yes. In a moment, Genji,” Zenyatta called back.

You have grown much from the angry young man you once were, Genji, Zenyatta thought to himself. And now, you have reconciled with the brother that betrayed you, even going so far as to lift his spirits. I am proud of you, my student.

Zenyatta floated to follow the Shimada brothers, getting a view of Genji from behind. Although, you truly had no reason to be so angry in the first place, Zenyatta added with amusement. Angela Ziegler shaped your body with great care.

Chapter 4: Ready For Friendship Operations

Two days had passed since Reaper’s arrival in Ponyville. Daring Do had left almost immediately after Twilight and her friends had agreed to take him in. Twilight had happily thrown herself into the library to study the portal and research interdimensional transportation soon after. She had initially dragged Starlight, Spike, and Reaper along with her, but after a few hours, she noticed that they didn’t share her enthusiasm for hard study and reluctantly let them go. Reaper hadn’t seen her since.

That left it up to Starlight and Spike to show Reaper around. Brandishing an absurdly long scroll containing a checklist of things to do from Twilight, the pair had shown Reaper around the castle, given him his own room, and generally tried all they could to make him feel welcome. Reaper had borne it all with his usual stoicism, opting not to share or react to the myriad comments Reyes’ voice made in his head. It wasn’t that difficult. Starlight and Spike, while genuinely friendly, seemed like they were just going through the motions themselves, so they didn’t really expect much from him. But that had been in the castle. Today, they were touring Ponyville with Reaper, and their spirits were high.

“Quills...and Sofas,” Reaper read aloud.

“Yup,” Spike said. “And that’s exactly what they sell. Plus beds. Sometimes.”

Reaper gave his two guides an incredulous look.

“I thought it was pretty weird too,” Starlight said. “But it’s one of Ponyville’s oldest and most well known establishments. Davenport, the pony who runs the place, is pretty nice too...if a little aggressive.”

As if on cue, Davenport walked out of his store at that moment. He spotted the trio and approached with a smile.

“Hey there, Starlight and Spike! Here for a new batch of quills for the Princess?” he said. “How about you, little guy? Haven’t seen you around before. Welcome to Ponyville! Need a sofa? How about a sofa bed? Let me show you around the store, and I’m sure we’ll find something that catches your eye!”

Reaper’s fingers twitched, but he refrained from shooting Davenport. Instead, he settled for a glare and a scowl.

Seeing Reaper’s reaction, Spike intervened. “Uh, no thanks, Davenport! We’re just passing through. Giving our new friend Reaper here a tour of the town.”

“Reaper, huh?” Davenport said. “Interesting name. You a farmer, son? ‘Cause I have a set of sofas perfect for any farming homestead! I’ve had members of the Apple family come all the way from Appleloosa just for a chance to put one of my sofas in their homes! Let me tell you, nothing helps soothe weary muscles after a long day’s work on the farm like a break on one of my special -”

“O-kay, Davenport!” Starlight interrupted. “Nice to see you, but we’ve still got a lot to do today, so maybe some other time. Bye!”

Starlight picked up Reaper with her magic and deposited him on her back before trotting away, Spike hot on her heels.

“Come back soon! We’re open every day!” Davenport called after them.

“Sorry about that,” Starlight apologized to Reaper. “Like I said, nice guy, but aggressive salespony.”

At least he wasn’t trying to sell us insurance, Reyes’ voice said. Or real estate. Remember the last guy? Deliberately tracked us, a wanted murderer, just to try and sell a timeshare. Those guys have no fear.

Suddenly, Reaper’s vision was filled with pink.

“Hi, Reaper! Hi, Starlight! Hi, Spike!” Pinkie Pie said in quick succession as she pulled the group into a large hug, her hooves somehow wrapping around all of them at once.

Reaper grunted as Pinkie’s grip tightened. She smiled widely as she rose up on her hind hooves and lifted the group up into the air. Starlight and Spike, however, were not as enthusiastic.

“Pinkie!” Starlight managed to say. “Air!”

“Whoops!” Pinkie said, giggling as she put the group down. “Sorry! I don’t know why, but I’m just extra happy to see you all today!”

That pink pony is stronger than she looks, Reyes’ commented. Wasn’t she just supposed to be a baker?

“I guess you could say I can do a surprising amount of damage,” Pinkie said, eyeing Reaper. “I’m mainly a party planner, by the way.”

Reaper’s eyes went wide. “Wait, can you -”

A loud explosion emanated from Twilight’s castle, shattering a few windows on the upper floors and interrupting Reaper.

“I’M OKAY!” Twilight’s magically amplified voice rang out.

Spike sighed. “I better go check up on Twilight,” he said. “Sorry to bail on you like this, Reaper.”

“Just go,” Reaper said, somewhat uncomfortable with Spike’s consideration.

“Don’t worry, Spike,” Starlight said. “I’ll take care of the rest of the tour and we’ll meet you back at the castle soon.”

Spike nodded. “Thanks, Starlight. See you guys later!”

As Spike jogged back to the castle, Pinkie glanced up at Ponyville’s clock tower and gasped.

“Oh my gosh! Look at the time!” she exclaimed. “I better get back to Sugarcube Corner if I wanna finish baking enough treats to make up for the ones I gave Trixie before closing time!”

Starlight went stiff. “Oh no...was that today?!” she asked in panic.

“If you mean Trixie’s last show in Ponyville before she goes off on her Equestria-wide revival tour, then yes! That’s today!” Pinkie said with her usual exuberance.

“Oh no! Ohnoohnoohno!” Starlight said, trotting in place. “With all that’s been happening, I completely forgot! I promised Trixie I’d be there to send her off!”

“Well, if you go now, you can still make it to the second half of the act,” Pinkie pointed out. “I left during the intermission.”

“Really? Yes!” Starlight said, perking up. She started to leave, then stopped and turned back to Reaper. “Wait, your tour! I can’t just leave you here all alone! And I don’t think letting Trixie know I missed the first half of her show because I was hanging out with a new friend on the day she’s supposed to leave is the best idea...”

“Look,” Reaper said. “I’ll just head back to the castle and - AH!”

Reaper cried out as Pinkie grabbed him and tossed him into the air, where he flipped end over end until he landed on upright on her soft mane with a light poof.

“I got this, Starlight!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Reaper can come spend the day with me instead!”

“ThanksPinkieyou’realifesaver!” Starlight said rapidly. “Gottagobye!”

With that, Starlight dashed off, leaving Reaper with Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie smiled and started bouncing in the direction of Sugarcube Corner.

“That settles it! You’re coming with me, Commander!” she said happily. “We are gonna have so much fun!”

Reaper scowled. “I don’t do fun,” he grumbled.

“Then how do you feel about pie?” Pinkie asked, as enthusiastic as ever.

Pie sounds good, Reyes’ voice chimed in. Haven’t had pie in - wait a minute, how does she know we’re a commander?

Reaper found himself thrown deep into Pinkie’s mane as she suddenly picked up speed and zoomed the rest of the way to Sugarcube Corner as a pink blur.

Chapter 5: PIE! PIE! PIE!

Upon reaching Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie was greeted by the sight of Mrs. Cup Cake closing up shop.

“Oh, there you are, Pinkie!” Mrs. Cake said as she noticed Pinkie approach.

“Hi, Mrs. Cake!” Pinkie said. She glanced towards the closed sign and asked, “What’s going on? Sugarcube Corner isn’t supposed to close for another few hours. Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong, dear,” Mrs. Cake replied with a reassuring smile. “It’s just that it’s been a slow day, and we’re low on stock anyway, so Carrot and I decided to close up early and take the rest of the day off.”

As if on cue, Mr. Carrot Cake appeared from the side of the building. “All set, honey bun?” he asked Mrs. Cake.

“Almost!” Mrs. Cake replied. She turned back to Pinkie. “Pinkie, I know this is sudden, but -”

“Say no more, Mrs. Cake. I’ll stay and watch the twins while you’re gone,” Pinkie interrupted. “I was gonna bake a few pies to make up for the ones I gave Trixie anyway.”

“Thank you so much, dear,” Mrs. Cake said. “The twins are asleep in their room, and we should still have everything you need to bake a few pies, so the kitchen’s all yours. Just be sure to clean up after, okay?”

“Sure thing, Mrs. Cake, ma'am!” Pinkie said, saluting. “Have fun out on the town!”

“Thanks again, Pinkie!” Mrs. Cake said with a smile before walking away with her husband.

After the Cakes left, Pinkie zoomed inside Sugarcube Corner, went up the stairs, quietly checked on the twins, then zipped back down to the kitchen, where she laid out everything she needed to start baking on the kitchen counter.

Once Pinkie was satisfied that everything was set, she reached into her mane and fished out a disoriented Reaper.

“Okay!” Pinkie said, smiling widely as she set Reaper down on the counter. “Ready to start baking, Reaper?”

Reaper wobbled back and forth, then lost his balance and fell face first onto the counter.

Where are we? What year is it? Reyes’ voice asked.

Keeping Reaper’s pride in mind, Pinkie bit her lip and tried to keep herself from reacting to the tiny figure’s adorable struggle to rise. Despite her efforts, a soft squeal escaped her as Reaper tripped over his own robes and crashed into a mixing bowl, which resulted in him lying curled up inside.

After spending a few moments recuperating in the bowl, Reaper finally managed to rise and climb his way out. He stomped over to the edge of the counter nearest Pinkie, glaring daggers at her all the while.

“Never. Do that. Again,” he said, punctuating each statement by poking Pinkie’s chest as threateningly as he could. “Or so help me, I will find a way to kill you.”

Pinkie looked down at Reaper, with his tiny arms crossed and his black eye thingies narrowed into a death glare, and found that she couldn’t hold it in any longer. She let out a snort and burst into a fit of giggles.

“I’m serious,” Reaper threatened.

“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie said, recovering from her giggles. “I Pinkie promise I won’t shove you into my mane again. Cross my heart. Hope to fly. Stick a cupcake in my eye.”

As she said each statement of her promise, Pinkie mimed the matching action, ending with her producing a cupcake and sticking it into her eye.

Waste of a good cupcake, Reyes’ voice commented.

To his horror, Reaper found himself involuntarily salivating at the sight of the icing dripping down Pinkie’s face. That horror turned to surprise as Pinkie’s tongue extended out to lick away the remains of the cupcake.

Okay, so not wasteful, Reyes’ voice said. Just ridiculous.

Reaper shook his head and wondered, not for the last time, what was happening to his life.

Pinkie started speaking again, snapping Reaper back to the present. “So anyway, have you ever baked before, Reaper?”

“No,” Reaper deadpanned.

“Oooooh! A first timer!” Pinkie exclaimed. “This is going to be great! Just you wait, Reaper. Auntie Pinkie Pie’s gonna show you how it’s done. By the time I’m done with you, you’ll be a grade-A, top-notch master baker!”

Reyes’ voice snickered.

“No,” Reaper repeated.

Pinkie’s face fell. “No? But it’ll be so much fun! Just try it!”

“No,” Reaper growled.

“C’mon, pleeeaaase?” Pinkie begged, pouting and giving Reaper puppy dog eyes.

“I said no!” Reaper shouted, pulling out a shotgun and pointing it at Pinkie. “Now leave me alone!”

Pinkie slumped and her poofy mane deflated to about a quarter of its usual volume. “Okay, then,” she said, dejected. “I guess I’ll just...bake these...by myself.”

That was harsh, Reyes’ voice accused.

Reaper ignored the voice. He was a trained killer. One of the most wanted men in the world. The living embodiment of death itself. He would not be forced to bake pies with a magical pink pony that had done nothing but abuse him all day. That was his decision and that was final.

Then why do we feel so bad about it? Reyes’ voice asked.

Reaper watched as Pinkie slowly prepared each of the three pies she planned to bake. Her movements were uncharacteristically sluggish, and her baking methods could only be described as sloppy.

Those pies aren’t going to taste nearly as good as that first cupcake, Reyes’ voice commented.

Reaper did not respond.

Say this is a shop, right? Wonder how much those pastries we’ve been getting cost, Reyes’ voice said, filling the silence. Or even what these ponies’ currency is. We don’t have a single denomination of it, after all.

“Shut up,” Reaper grumbled softly to himself. “It’s not going to work.”

What isn’t? Reyes’ asked innocently. Just making conversation. It’s gotten awfully quiet around here hasn’t it? But hey, that’s how we like it, right? No one talking...No one caring…

Reaper groaned softly. “Shut up; damn you,” he whispered.

To his surprise, the voice actually did, leaving Reaper alone in the silence. A minute passed, then two. Pinkie was barely making any progress. The silence was beginning to make Reaper more uncomfortable than Reyes’ voice did.

“This isn’t right,” Reaper muttered.

But he did nothing. Five minutes passed. Pinkie accidentally knocked over a cup of blueberries, causing it to crash to the floor, where it shattered and spilled its contents every which way.

“Oops,” Pinkie said lifelessly. She then sat down and stared at mess she had made.

Reaper waited for her to move on, but she didn’t. She just sat there, still as a stone. Finally, Reaper couldn’t take it anymore. He tossed away the shotgun he was still holding and screamed in frustration.

“Fine!” he said. “Teach me to bake the stupid pies!”

Pinkie looked up at him, her eyes watery. “R-really?” she asked, sniffing.

“Yes, really!” Reaper said. “Now hurry up, so we can get this over with.”

Pinkie rubbed her eyes then looked back at Reaper. “But you said -”

“I know what I said!” Reaper interrupted. “I...I...”

Am sorry? Reyes’ voice suggested.

“...changed my mind,” Reaper said.

Pinkie’s mane poofed back up and a small smile spread across her face. “Okie dokie lokie,” she said, regaining some of her enthusiasm. “Just let me clean this mess up and we can get started.”

“I’ll...help,” Reaper said.

Well, well, well, volunteering now, are we? Reyes’ voice teased.

With Reaper’s seemingly reluctant cooperation, the pie making went much faster than before. Pinkie also regained more and more of her enthusiasm as they went on. It wasn’t long before the three pies were fully prepared and placed in the oven to bake.

“And now, all we have to do is wait,” Pinkie declared as she set the timer. She turned to Reaper. “You did great for your first time! Having you as an assistant was a lot of fun!”

“Yeah, well, don’t get used to it,” Reaper said. “I hated every minute of this, so I’m not doing it again.”

Who exactly is that supposed to fool? Reyes’ voice asked.

By the look in Pinkie’s eyes, she wasn’t fooled. “Whatever you say, Reaper.”

The door to the kitchen suddenly burst open, and Reaper’s instincts kicked in. Without thinking, he spawned a shotgun in each hand and fired two shots into the open doorway. Instead of an attack, however, all that followed was the sound of crying.

Pinkie rushed towards the door and bent down to pick up two crying foals. “Aww! Pound! Pumpkin! Shhh...it’s okay. Pinkie’s here. Nothing’s gonna hurt you. You just wanted to surprise me, didn’t you?”

Reaper dropped his guns in shock. He missed. He knew that much. His shots had been aimed high and sailed harmlessly over the foals. They were only crying because of the loud and unfamiliar sounds his guns had made. But the horror of what he had almost done shook him to his very core.

IDIOT! a voice in his head shouted. He wasn’t sure if it was Reyes’ or his own. He didn’t care.

Reaper ran forward as fast as his little legs could carry him, vaulting over or barreling through the various baking supplies still left on the counter. When he reached the edge, he leapt with a strength far greater than his small form should have allowed which, combined with his light weight, sent him flying all the way onto Pinkie’s shoulder.

Reaper bent down towards the foals in Pinkie’s hooves. “Hey. Hey there,” he said, trying to make his gravelly voice sound as soothing as possible. He didn’t quite succeed, but the unique tone caught the twins’ attention and they stopped crying to look at him.

“The loud sound was just me,” he continued, desperately trying to think of more to say as he went along. “Just little old me. You wouldn’t be scared of such a little guy, would you?”

The foals continued to stare at him curiously. Reaper wished he could show them a more comforting face than his white mask, but Reyes’ voice had been right, the mask was his face now. Not that the dessicated face his old body had beneath the mask was any less terrifying anyway.

“It’s just a trick I do to make me seem scarier than I am,” he continued, spawning a shotgun in one hand. The sudden appearance of the weapon made the twins gasp.

“Bang,” he said softly, miming the recoil of the gun. “Then...gone.” He dropped the gun and the twins watched as it faded away into mist.

“Oooooooo,” they said together.

Reaper smiled. He had always had a soft spot for kids. People were horrible, deceitful creatures, but kids? Especially young ones like these? They were innocent. Still clean. He briefly remembered his days babysitting little Fareeha while Ana was busy, and his smile grew a little bit wider.

Those days...they weren’t all bad, Reyes’ voice commented softly.

“See?” Reaper said, standing up on Pinkie’s shoulder. “Nothing to be afraaaaaaaahhhh!”

Reaper lost his balance and fell off of Pinkie, landing face first onto the floor.

The twins started laughing.

Innocent, huh? Reyes’ voice said, amused.

Pinkie put the twins down and helped Reaper get up. Reaper shot a glare at her, expecting the same mockery from earlier, but instead found a soft smile.

“You know, you’re not bad with kids,” she told him.

“So I’ve been told,” Reaper said, his tone once more grumpy.

He began dusting himself off, but was quickly bowled over as the twins began to try and play with him.

“Hey! Easy! Easy!” he shouted as he felt his tiny body being poked and prodded by the curious children.

Pinkie giggled. “I think I just thought of something else we could do together. You know, since you hate baking so much.”

Pinkie grabbed Reaper’s outstretched hand and pulled him away from the twins and up to her eye level.

“What?” Reaper asked. The challenge in his voice was undermined by the fact that he was currently dangling from Pinkie’s hoof above a pair of excited foals.

“How would you like to help me babysit the twins every now and again?” Pinkie asked. “They seem to really like you.”

Reaper hung there in silence for a few moments, his face unreadable.

“Fine,” he said at last. “On one condition.”

“What’s that?” Pinkie asked.

“Tell. No one,” Reaper said with as much fire as he could muster at that moment. He tried to poke Pinkie as he said it, but his arms were too short and he ended up just swinging back and forth, much to the twins’ amusement.

“Deal,” Pinkie said with the widest smile she’d made that day.

Chapter 6: One More Time

Despite being hosted by a magical princess in her crystal castle, dinners with Twilight, Starlight, and Spike were usually rather ordinary affairs. The food would be prepared by Spike, sometimes with help, often without, and almost always consisted of simple dishes like salads and sandwiches. The castle had a dining hall, but on most days, everyone just ate in the kitchen because it was both more convenient and more personal.

Tonight’s dinner was no different. Reaper sat on the table - no chair was high enough for him - quietly savoring the taste of his grilled cheese sandwich while the others talked about how their day went, what they’d learned, and other things of that nature. He wasn’t really paying attention to the conversation. He never did. As far as he was concerned, it was just pointless small talk. The only reason he put up with any of it was to taste the food. It had all been simple vegetarian dishes so far, of course, but after years of suffering through unnatural starvation alleviated only by violent murder, Reaper welcomed any opportunity to eat normally.

Seems like Twilight’s winding down, Reyes’ voice commented. Any second now…

Twilight turned to face Reaper, smiling. “How about you, Reaper? How did your day go?”

“Fine,” Reaper replied, as he always did.

The past few days, that response had been enough. Spike or Starlight had always been with him, so they would pick up the slack and tell Twilight the details of what they’d been up to that day. Today, though, Spike had left him with Starlight, who in turn had left him with Pinkie Pie, so no one present knew what he had been up to.

Spike, knowing Reaper wouldn’t say anything else without urging, asked, “Did you and Starlight get to finish touring Ponyville?”

“No,” Reaper replied.

“How far did you get?” Spike followed up.

“Quills and Sofas,” Reaper replied.

“Quills and Sofas?” Spike said, surprised. “But that’s where I left you guys! What happened?”

Starlight chuckled nervously. “I, uh, sorta forgot I had a thing today. Trixie had her last show in Ponyville earlier, and I promised I’d be there to see her off. With all the excitement lately, it had completely slipped my mind. Lucky for me, Pinkie mentioned it after you left, and I was able to make it in time for the second half.”

Twilight frowned. “While I’m happy you were able to keep your promise, what about Reaper?”

“Yeah!” Spike added. “You said you’d take care of the rest of the tour! Don’t tell me you just left him there.”

“What? No, of course not!” Starlight said defensively. “I left him with Pinkie Pie. And before you say anything, she’s the one that offered to take him baking. I’d never just leave a friend out on the street!”

Hear that? Reyes’ voice asked. She’s our friend!

“Starlight didn’t leave me,” Reaper said, pointedly ignoring the voice in his head. “Pinkie took me.”

And now we’re sticking up for her! Reyes’ voice exclaimed, ecstatic.

Reaper clenched his hands, causing gooey cheese to drip out of the sandwich he was still holding. Reyes’ words frustrated him, but he found that he couldn't argue with them.

Can't argue, or won't? Reyes’ voice teased.

Twilight’s lips curled up into a wide smile. “You spent the day baking with Pinkie Pie?” she asked, excited. “How did it go?”

She seems a little too excited about this… Reyes’ voice said.

“Okay, I guess?” Reaper replied, unable to understand what was so exciting.

Twilight’s wings flared and she let out a little squee. “You know, since your day with Pinkie went okay, you should spend some time getting to know my other friends!”

“Real subtle, Princess of Friendship,” Spike muttered with a small smile.

Right...forgot about that, Reyes’ voice mentioned.

“I think it'll be a great experience!” Twilight continued. “Besides, it's not like you have anything else to do right now, right? Might as well fill that time with something useful!”

Spike stopped just as he was about to take another bite of his sandwich. “Wait, what about you? I thought you’d want Reaper around for more experiments and stuff.”

Twilight frowned. “Spike,I'm doing research, not experimentation. Otherwise, I'd be casting all sorts of crazy spells, just to see what happens.”

“Yeah, you'd never do that,” Spike said sarcastically.

Twilight showed no signs of having heard him. “Anyway, I'm mostly looking into the theories and concepts of trans-dimensional travel right now. Laying the groundwork, as it were. I mean, sure, I already studied most of these before - definitely all of the major papers - but it doesn't hurt to be thorough. When I first made those modifications to the mirror, I… ”

“Hey," Starlight whispered to Reaper as Twilight droned on. "How did your day with Pinkie go? Didn't think you were the baking type.”

“I'm not,” Reaper replied, matching Starlight’s volume. “But it was…fine.”

“Sooo does that mean you'd be up for hanging out with her again?” Starlight asked, trying to sound nonchalant, but unable to stop a little excitement from creeping into her tone.

These ponies are really into this friendship business, huh? Reyes’ voice commented.

Reaper thought back to the Cake twins. He’d always thought children were adorable, but pony children were on another level entirely.

“Yes,” he answered.

Definitely, Reyes’ voice added.

In the background, Twilight continued to monologue the details of her research. “...some complications with the mirror’s transformative magic, but I’m sure we can do something about that. The real challenge is blending all the types of magic at play. There’s an interesting spell weave I think we can apply described in...”

Spike, without turning away from Twilight, whispered, “That’s great! Honestly, I wasn’t sure you two would get along. Pinkie can be a bit, uh,...”

“Annoying,” Reaper completed.

“Not how I would’ve put it, but...yeah,” Spike conceded. “Guess she grew on you through, eh?”

“We found something in common,” Reaper said.

Starlight gave Reaper a knowing smile. “But you’re still not too keen on how expressive she can be. That’s understandable. You are pretty reserved. I think I know who you should hang out with on your next outing.”

Reaper frowned. “Don’t just decide -”

“Anyway, what do you think, Reaper?” Twilight asked, catching Reaper by surprise.

“Huh?” Reaper said.

“About spending some time with my other friends,” Twilight clarified. “I know I went off on a bit of a tangent there, but...will you give it a try?”

Reaper wanted to say no. In fact, he was going to say no to Starlight just moments before, but the pure, hopeful look on Twilight’s face was a strong contender for the most adorable thing he’d seen that day, and he had spent part of that day with two baby ponies.

That has to be cheating, Reyes’ voice said. She doesn’t mean to do it, sure, but she’s cheating.

Reaper agreed. Inadvertently or not, Twilight taking her race’s naturally adorable appearance and amplifying it with an expression that relayed a hopeful and innocent desire for friendship - tinged with just a hint of nervous fear at the prospect of being denied - was definitely foul play, but there was no denying that it was also working. Reaper just couldn’t bring himself to let her down.

“Fine,” he grumbled.

“Yes!” Twilight exclaimed, clapping her hooves happily.

Pretty sure that if we still had a heart, it would have seized up right there, Reyes’ voice commented.

Before Twilight could continue, Starlight spoke up. “Here’s an idea: how about we all go help Fluttershy at Sweet Feather Sanctuary tomorrow?”

“Sounds good to me!” Spike said. “It’s been a while since I’ve been down there, and I’m sure Fluttershy would appreciate some extra help.”

Twilight brightened even more. “That’s perfect!” she exclaimed, then her expression fell. “But I probably shouldn’t go. There’s still so much work to do on the portal, and I want to make sure Reaper finds a way home as soon as possible.”

Starlight put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Are you sure? You’ve been working really hard these past few days. I don’t think anypony would fault you for taking a break.”

Twilight shook her head. “Maybe not, but every day counts. There’s no telling what effects prolonged exposure to the Soul of the Wind might be having on Reaper. For all we know, the longer we wait, the harder it’ll be to get Reaper back home and back in his true form. I have to get to the bottom of this. I’m the only one that can.”

“Not the only one,” Starlight said. “We’re here for you, Twilight. All your friends are.”

Spike stood up on his chair. “Yeah! If you ever need help, Twilight, just say the word. If we all work together, I’m sure it won’t take long at all!”

Reaper surprised himself by speaking up. “I’m tougher than you give me credit for, Sparkle. There isn’t anything this magic orb can do to hurt me, not permanently. Don’t you dare start worrying about me.”

And home sucks anyway, Reyes’ voice added. So far, this place is waaay better.

Twilight smiled, her eyes beginning to water a bit. “Oh, thank you! All of you!”

Spike and Starlight approached Twilight for a group hug, with Starlight dragging Reaper over using her magic and pulling him into the hug with her hoof. Reaper, knowing resistance was futile, didn’t struggle. He just let out a disgruntled sigh.

Fun fact, Reyes’ voice said cheerfully. We’ve gotten more hugs in the last couple of days than we’ve gotten in the last couple of decades. No, scratch that. We’ve gotten more hugs today than we’ve gotten in the entirety of our adult life. And people wonder why we’re so cranky.

Reaper opened his mouth to object.

Just then,Twilight said, “I'm so happy to have friends like you!”

Reaper closed his mouth without saying a word. He didn't need or even want all of this touchy feely friendship nonsense.

That said...it wasn't completely unbearable.

Chapter 7: This Is My Curse

The next day, Twilight, Starlight, Spike, and Reaper set out towards the outskirts of Ponyville where Sweet Feather Sanctuary was located. It was a long walk, and while Reaper insisted that he could handle himself, Starlight picked him up and forced him to ride on her back after a few minutes of him running to keep pace with the rest of the group.

Why do we always end up being carried by her? Reyes’ voice asked.

“Why do I always end up being carried by you?” Reaper asked aloud at nearly the same time.

Jinx, Reyes’ voice teased, causing Reaper to scowl.

“Because you’re stubborn, I’m pushy, and of the two of us, only I know what’s good for you,” Starlight replied cheerfully. “Besides, it’s not like there are any other options today. Sure, Spike could carry you, but since he walks on two legs and you’re about as tall as his shoulder, it’d be awkward. And Twilight brought Owlowiscious along today, so that seat’s taken.”

“Who,” Owlowiscious said from atop Twilight’s back.

Starlight glanced back at Reaper and noticed his scowl. “Oh, don’t be like that. I’m just helping out a friend.”

Spike smiled up at Reaper. “Hey, I know what it’s like to have short, stubby legs. Usually, I can keep up just fine, but I end up riding on Twilight’s back any time she starts to really pick up the pace. There’s no shame in it.”

“Whatever,” Reaper grumbled.

Twilight had tolerated Reaper’s single-word responses so far - he was obviously still new to the magic of friendship - but she decided that it was time to start him on the path to using full sentences.

His first friendship lesson! Twilight thought to herself. Then, using her best teacher tone, she said, “You know, Reaper, it’s important to let your friends know when something’s bothering you. If you don’t open up and talk about your feelings, nothing’s ever going to get better. Left alone, negative emotions can get progressively worse until they eventually reach a boiling point. At that point, everypony gets hurt, and nopony wins.”

And sometimes, somepony ends up as an undead, life-leeching wraith bent on revenge, Reyes’ voice added lightly. Then, the voice’s tone turned serious. For the record, we never talked to Jack.[1]

Reaper growled softly, a warning that this was not a topic he wanted to discuss. The voice had already plagued him with it too many times before.

Reyes’ voice continued nonetheless, When it was just us and Jack in the room, everything was a joke, every other line a sarcastic quip. When we were in front of the brass, it was always ‘Yes, sir. No, sir. Three bags full, sir.’

Visions of the past replayed themselves in Reaper’s mind: him making another joke about Jack being a boy scout; him standing at attention as Jack was awarded command of Overwatch, a job that was supposed to be his; him alone in his room, slamming his fist against the wall in a display of the frustration that no one else ever saw. Reaper clutched his head, trying to will the memories away, but they kept coming.

As scene after scene flashed, Reyes’ voice kept speaking. We were too stubborn to change, and too proud to show anyone our pain. We wanted our recognition, but we wanted to earn it. So we worked. Harder and harder and harder, we worked. We did the things that needed to be done, the things that Jack ‘Hero of the People’ Morrison couldn’t bring himself to do.

Owlowiscious noticed Reaper’s distress. “Who?” he asked, tilting his head in concern.

Twilight noticed as well. “Reaper?” she asked, stopping. “Are you alright?”

Reaper didn’t hear them, and Reyes’ tirade continued unabated. But it was never enough! Sometimes it was too little, and they’d say ‘You’ve risked everything for nothing!’ Sometimes it was too much, and they’d ask us, ‘And how do we clean up the mess you’ve left behind?!’ But it was never ever enough. Every day, we lost more respect. Every day, more people turned to Jack instead of us. It wasn’t long until everyone at Overwatch looked down on us, at least when they weren’t too busy looking up at Jack. Not even McCree, the boy we took in, the boy we saved from the streets, respected us in the end. And so we grew to hate them all...but through all those years, we never told a soul.

Reaper shook his head. “It was obvious,” he grumbled weakly.

By now the whole group had stopped walking, and everyone was looking at Reaper with concern.

“What was that?” Starlight asked, leaning her head closer to Reaper. “I didn’t quite hear you.”

Was it obvious? Reyes’ voice asked, drowning out Starlight’s. Or were we just scared?

“What do you know?!” Reaper shouted, startling everyone as he pulled out his shotguns. “I don’t have to listen to this!”

Starlight quickly grabbed him with her magic, lifting him up into the air and rendering him unable to move.

Try, try, and try again, Reyes’ voice mocked. Fail, fail, and fail every time.

Reaper let out a wordless scream of rage.

Twilight winced, her ears going flat against her head as she did so. “Is this...is this about what I said?” she asked.

“Shut up! Shut up!” Reaper screamed, his body starting to generate a faint mist. “DIE! DIE! DIE!”

He needed to drown it out. He needed the voice and the visions to stop. He needed to shoot. He struggled against the magic holding him in place, his entire being driven by a single thought: for once in his life, he needed to win!

Starlight’s horn glowed brighter as she exerted more magic to keep Reaper restrained. She closed her eyes and grit her teeth. Despite her best efforts, she could feel Reaper starting to break free.

How could he be this strong? He wasn’t before! she thought to herself. Aloud, she managed to say, “Something’s...gotten into him! I can’t...hold him...much longer!”

Spike knew a mental breakdown when he saw one. “Reaper, snap out of it!” he pleaded. “Whatever it is, it’s all in your head!”

Twilight realized that Spike was right. Reaper wasn’t talking to them right now. Somehow, he was caught in a nightmare - trapped inside his own mind. Her expression resolute, she trotted up to Reaper and laid her horn against his head, casting a spell to connect their minds.

Immediately, she was assaulted by visions, rapid flashes of places she had never seen and humans that she didn’t recognize. It was all too much and too fast for her to process, but she felt the underlying emotions behind them all as they passed: frustration, anger, and pain...so much pain.

She could feel tears form in her eyes as she sought to calm the storm. “Reaper, please...” she whispered. Something responded, but it wasn’t Reaper.

I can feel you...so much life!

Twilight shuddered as the new voice laughed. She felt its hunger...its need to kill. It terrified her, and all of her instincts told her to break away, to run, but she stood firm.

“I know my friend is in here,” she said, her voice steady and commanding. “Give him back!”

“Yeah! Come back to us, buddy!” Spike shouted. He didn’t know what Twilight was seeing, but he knew that he wanted to help.

Starlight could feel Reaper’s struggles beginning to weaken. “We won’t leave you,” she said. “No matter how hard you push us away. Friends are always there for each other, and we are friends!”

In Reaper’s mind, Twilight saw the visions slow to a stop. A different voice, too smooth to be Reaper’s, spoke.

Sorry, it said. So sorry...Started out trying to help. Went too far again. Heh, another failure…

The voice sounded so tired. It had tried to laugh off its last statement, but Twilight could feel its pain - it was Reaper’s pain.

Reaper? Twilight wondered.

Don’t wanna be called Reyes anymore, the voice replied cryptically.

“It’s alright,” Twilight said aloud. “It’s in the past. You’re not a failure. You matter to us.”

“Why?” Reaper asked aloud in his raspy voice.

“Because we’re friends,” Twilight said.

New visions slowly filled Reaper’s mind, pushing away the hunger and the pain: Daring Do saving him from Ahuizotl, everypony welcoming him to Ponyville, hanging out with Spike and Starlight, playing with the Cake twins and Pinkie Pie. All memories of the past few days. There weren’t many.

But they’re enough, Twilight heard the smooth voice say.

Twilight cut off the spell, and slowly backed away from Reaper.

“You ponies and your friendship,” Reaper scoffed. He paused. Refusing to meet their eyes, he added, “Thanks.”

Twilight, Starlight, and Spike smiled at Reaper. Starlight floated him over and pulled him into a hug, the others - even Owlowiscious - joining in. Reaper did not complain, and no voices spoke in his mind.

When the group hug ended, Spike asked, “So...what was that just now?”

Reaper let out a heavy sigh. “My curse,” he replied.

“Who?” Owlowiscious asked, obviously pressing for details.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Reaper said. He looked up and met Twilight’s gaze. “Not yet. But...I will. Just not today.”

Twilight nodded. “We understand. Just remember that whenever you’re ready...we’re here for you.”

“Thank you,” Reaper said. It was all he could say. He still wasn’t sure how he really felt about all of this. It had been so long since someone cared. He didn't know how to react to it. He didn't know if he deserved it. He didn't know if that even mattered.

Starlight gently lifted Reaper up with her hooves and deposited him on her back. “Do you wanna go back to the castle?” she asked with a friendly smile. “It’s fine if you’re not up for a busy day helping Fluttershy right now.”

Reaper shook his head. “No. I...”

Reaper trailed off and looked away. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what he wanted right now. He just knew that he didn’t want to be alone. But he also didn’t want to admit that out loud.

Reaper unconsciously pulled some of Starlight’s mane closer to himself. Seeing this, Starlight lifted him off of her back with her hooves and lightly nuzzled him. She chuckled at his discomfort, but noted that he neither protested nor pulled away.

“Alright then,” Starlight said, once again placing Reaper on her back. “Let’s head on down to Fluttershy’s!”

Twilight and Spike agreed, and the whole group once more set off to Sweet Feather Sanctuary. Despite what had happened, the mood for the rest of the journey was cheerful, and everyone spent it chatting and smiling.

Even Reaper.

Author's Note

[1] Jack Morrison, former leader of Overwatch. Currently operating under the alias Soldier: 76.

Chapter 8: Cleaning The Area

When the group arrived at Sweet Feather Sanctuary, Fluttershy told them that they had arrived just in time for the Cleaning Days, a set of days during which Fluttershy took the time to give every animal at the sanctuary a proper bath. Under normal circumstances, Fluttershy would dedicate an entire day to only certain sets of animals, so that she would have the time to give each critter the attention and care that it deserved. Naturally, this left some of the animals feeling left out, especially those that had to wait until the last Cleaning Day for their turn, but with so many animals under her care, there really wasn’t anything Fluttershy alone could do about that. With her friends here to help, however, she thought that they just might be able to get all the animals clean in a single day.

She was wrong.

~~~

There was a loud clang, followed quickly by a splash and a squeal, as a muddy duck knocked over one of the pails of water Twilight was levitating above her, causing its contents to spill on her head. Again.

Reaper turned his head when he heard a menacing growl, expecting to see some hungry predator ready to pounce. Instead, he saw Twilight glaring at a duck as it landed in front of her.

“Not bad,” he commented. “Very menacing.”

Beside him, Spike chuckled. “If you think that’s menacing, you should see how she gets when someone messes with her books.”

The duck, however, was unfazed. It took the time to point with a wing and laugh before scampering off.

“Get back here, you...you...DUCK!” Twilight cried.

“Quack!” her fowl adversary taunted just before it disappeared into the crowd of animals waiting their turn to be washed.

Twilight blew her soggy mane out of her eyes then used her magic to lift an arsenal of cleaning implements - enough to bathe a whole flock of ducks three times over - as she broke into a sprint to chase after her prey.

Reaper turned to Fluttershy and asked, “Aren’t you going to step in?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “There’s no need. Quackers is a troublemaker, but he just wants to have a little fun. He’ll let Twilight clean him eventually.”

Reaper saw the crowd of animals disperse in fear as Twilight stomped through. “Dirty, rotten, little duck,” Twilight muttered angrily. “Oh, when I get my hooves on you...”

“I’m sure she’ll get the duck eventually,” Reaper agreed. “I’m not sure the duck will survive.”

Fluttershy gave Reaper a reassuring smile. “Oh, don’t worry, Reaper. Twilight may be angry right now, but she won’t do anything to hurt Quackers.” Fluttershy paused as a hybrid of a frog and an orange hopped past them and dove into the nearby stream. “Too much,” she added.

“SHOW YOUR FACE, DUCK!” Twilight shouted at the top of her lungs.

“Quack quack!” the duck responded without revealing itself.

Twilight spun towards the sound. “It’s coming from over here!” she exclaimed, sectioning off the section the sound came from with a magical barrier.

Reaper looked at Fluttershy. “If you say so,” he said with a shrug.

As the smaller critters started banging on Twilight’s barrier in their desperation to get away from her, Fluttershy became worried. “Actually,” she said. “I should probably -”

A shrill feline cry cut Fluttershy off. It had come from where Starlight was washing cats.

“Argh!” Starlight cried as she struggled with the cat in her hooves. “Just let me - no! Stupid cat! Don’t make me use my magic to brainwash you! Because I will, you hear me? I will!”

Fluttershy was now hovering off the ground with a horrified expression on her face. “Oh my!” she exclaimed. She turned to Spike and Reaper. “Um, just...use these brushes and wash these dogs, okay? They’re gentle, so be gentle. I’ve got to go...help the others.”

With that, Fluttershy dashed off towards Starlight, leaving Spike and Reaper around a small group of dogs and puppies.

“Alright, then!” Spike said, picking up a brush. “How about I take the ones on the right, and you take the ones on the left?”

“Fine,” Reaper replied.

“Bet I can wash more dogs than you!” Spike challenged Reaper. He tried to use his brush on a dog near him only to have the whole pack scatter. "Hey! Get back here!"

As Spike chased after the dogs, Reaper walked over to the nearest brush - which was as large as he was - and picked it up. The brush was far too heavy to be practical, but Reaper wasn’t about to let that stop him. Leaning the brush over his shoulder, he made his way over to a large Golden Retriever that was lying down nearby.

The Golden Retriever looked at Reaper curiously as he hefted the brush off of his shoulder and tried to use it. Reaper smacked the brush onto the side of the Golden Retriever and, grunting with exertion, dragged it to the left across the dog’s thick coat. Midway through the motion, gravity took hold of the brush and dragged it the rest of the way towards the ground. Reaper tried to pull the brush back up, but he lost his balance and ended up crashing into the mud. Shaking its head, the Golden Retriever got up and walked away.

“Damned tiny arms and legs,” Reaper muttered angrily to himself as he stood. “Can’t even - Oh, great! Where did the mongrel go?”

As if in response to his question, a smaller brush landed in front of him. He looked up to see the Golden Retriever standing over him. With a paw, it pointed to the smaller brush then to a group of puppies playing in a mud puddle.

“Smaller brush...smaller dogs,” Reaper said as his gaze followed the Golden Retriever’s paw.

“Woof,” the Golden Retriever replied.

Reaper picked up the brush. This one was only about the size of his head. It was still large, but both the size and weight were far more manageable. He looked back at the Golden Retriever and saw that it was once again lying down at its previous position.

“Uhh, thanks,” Reaper said, unsure if the dog could even understand him.

The Golden Retriever simply yawned and closed its eyes.

“Ugh, I’m talking to dogs now,” Reaper said to himself. “What the hell is happening to me?”

Despite his words, Reaper made his way over to the puppies. “They’re just kids,” he told himself as he approached. “I’ve always been good with kids.” He did not sound sure.

When he reached the mud puddle, the puppies stopped playing and turned to stare at him. All of their curious gazes, combined with their uncharacteristic silence, made Reaper feel awkward. Reaper faked a cough into his hand. The puppies all tilted their heads in unison.

“Hi,” Reaper said with a wave of his hand.

For a brief moment, nothing happened, then one of the puppies suddenly got excited and barked twice, getting the other puppies excited as well.

Instincts honed by decades of battle told Reaper that something was about to go horribly wrong. “Wait...” he said, voicing his suspicions, but by then it was too late. “AHHH!” he cried out as he was swarmed by excited puppies and lost in a sea of mud and fur.

Fortunately, Fluttershy was passing nearby with Starlight and Twilight in tow. She heard Reaper cry out and rushed to rescue him from his adorable tormentors.

“Oh, goodness!” Fluttershy exclaimed as she saw Reaper get dragged through the mud. He was clinging to his brush like his life depended on it, but it wasn’t doing him any good at the moment.

“Um, little puppies?” Fluttershy said, trying to get the puppies’ attention. “Please stop. You’re hurting my friend. Um...puppies?”

The puppies didn’t seem to hear her. Reaper had somehow managed to get to his feet and tried to swing his brush at one of the puppies, but it dodged out of the way, barking happily all the while.

Reaper swung again at a different puppy with the same results. He roared in frustration and said, “I’ll either clean you or ki -” A puppy pounced on Reaper’s back, interrupting him and knocking him down into the mud.

Fluttershy let out an irritated snort. Today wasn’t going at all like she’d imagined. “Fine!” she cried, her eyes narrowing. “I didn’t want to do this, but...BEHAVE!”

At Fluttershy’s shout, every animal in the sanctuary went quiet. The puppies froze, then slowly turned their heads up to see Fluttershy glaring at them. Their ears went flat against their heads and they backed up out of the mud puddle to sit in an orderly line.

“I am very disappointed in you, young pups!” Fluttershy said sternly. She pointed to Reaper, who was being helped out of the mud by Starlight. “My friend was just trying to help you all get nice and clean, and what do you do? Drag him through the mud like an old chew toy!”

One of the puppies whimpered.

“No buts, mister!” Fluttershy said. “You’ve all acted very inappropriately, and I expect you all to apologize!”

The puppies all nodded and made their way over to Reaper, who had just finished being wiped clean by Twilight. They all gave out a single whimper in chorus and looked at Reaper with sad eyes.

Reaper looked at the puppies, then at Fluttershy, then back to the puppies, and found himself at a loss for words.

For crying out loud! Say something! Reyes’ voice shouted in Reaper’s head.

Reaper immediately scowled in response to the voice’s return. The puppies all flinched.

Now is not the time, Reyes’ voice scolded.

Reaper bit back an angry retort and shook his head. Much as he loathe to admit it, the voice was right. Now was not the time to be shouting at a voice in his head.

Reaper let out a sigh and let his expression soften. He approached the line of puppies and petted one on the head. “It’s...alright,” he said. “You didn’t mean it. I, uh...forgive you.”

Reaper almost fell over again as the puppies proceeded to assault him with licks and nuzzles. They crowded around him in excitement, but were noticeably more careful not to be too forceful this time.

“D’awwww!” Twilight and Starlight chorused.

Reaper gave Fluttershy a pleading look. Fluttershy giggled in response and flew to hover over the group.

“Okay, everyone! That’s enough,” she said, causing the puppies to disperse. “I’m proud of you for making nice and remembering not to let your excitement get the better of you. Good job!”

The puppies barked happily.

Fluttershy smiled at them. “Run along now,” she told them. Then, she raised her voice and called out to every animal, “We’re done cleaning for today! I know it wasn’t the best start to the cleaning days we’ve had, but I’ll try to make it up to all of you tomorrow!”

With that, the crowds of animals began to disperse and head off back to their own individual parts of the sanctuary. Fluttershy briefly excused herself and flew off to make sure every critter settled in properly and that there were no fights over territory.

Reaper turned to Starlight and Twilight, only now noticing how harrowed both looked.

“What happened?” he asked.

Starlight and Twilight looked at each other, then laughed.

“We...didn’t have much better luck than you,” Starlight said. “Those cats do not like getting wet.”

Twilight pushed her mane back and let out an exasperated sigh. “Things were going so well until that dumb little duck ruined everything.” She turned and called out, “I WON’T FORGET THIS, DUCK!”

“Quack quack!” came the distant, mocking response.

Starlight grinned. “Wow, Twilight. I thought the Princess of Friendship was supposed to be forgiving.”

Twilight huffed. “That duck is no friend of mine! Or anypony else’s! I’ve half a mind to sic Spike on him! Say...where is Spike? Wasn’t he washing dogs with you, Reaper?”

Reaper looked around. He hadn’t noticed it in all the chaos, but Spike had disappeared. Reaper shook his head and said, “He was just here...chasing after some dogs, I think.”

“Well, he couldn’t have gone far,” Starlight said. “Maybe he just got caught up in a crazed vendetta against a single animal and lost sight of what he was supposed to be doing in the first place?”

“Oh, ha ha,” Twilight said sarcastically. “Sure, laugh it up, girl-who-washed-a-single-cat. Next time, you try washing the ducks.”

Starlight smiled. “I’m all for helping out our friends, but I think we can all agree that in this case, there shouldn’t be a next time.”

Twilight couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Yeah, you’re probably right. C’mon, let’s go find Spike. More likely than not, he just got tired and found a place to take a nap or something.”

“You two go on ahead,” Reaper said. “I’m going to...take a break.”

Starlight started walking away. “Alright, rest up,” she called back. “But don’t get lost or we just might leave you here! You hear that, Spike?! Come on out!”

“She doesn’t mean that,” Twilight said hurriedly. “Just a friendly joke! Take all the time you need.”

Reaper waved her off, then watched as both ponies walked off in search of Spike. Once he was sure that they were out of earshot, he spoke softly, “Go away.”

Come, now, is that any way to treat a friend? Reyes’ voice quipped.

“You’re not a friend,” Reaper spat. “You’re an annoyance, and I want you gone.”

But that’s just it, Gabe, Reyes’ voice said. There is no ‘you’ or ‘me’. Has this voice ever made that distinction? No, because there is none. There is only ‘we’.

“Bullshit,” Reaper said. “You’re just a voice in my head, like the hunger was. I’m free of it, and now I want to be free of you.”

We are Gabriel Reyes, the voice said. And we are not free of the hunger. We know this. We can feel it. It claws at the edge of our senses, unable to manifest for now, but it is only a matter of time.

Reaper growled. He wanted to deny the voice’s claims, to say that the hunger was dead or that it would never again control him, but he couldn’t. He knew that the voice was right. Of course, that only served to anger him more.

It will seek to consume our friends, Reyes’ voice said.

“I won’t let it,” Reaper said, his tone one of barely restrained fury.

‘You’ won’t let it? ‘You’ do not have the strength. ‘You’ never have! Reyes’ voice accused.

“I won’t let it!” Reaper insisted.

And how will ‘you’ stop it? Reyes’ voice asked. With anger? Hate? Will ‘you’ threaten to kill it? Tell it to die die die? How well has that worked before?

“It shuts up,” Reaper replied. “And so do you.”

Because it gets what it wants! Reyes’ exclaimed. And ‘I’ am drowned out! Violence, murder, destruction...what else has the hunger ever asked for?

“Then what the hell do you suggest?” Reaper asked. “You’ve always pestered me - insulted me - but never once have you helped me! All you do is cause me pain!”

For a few moments, the voice was silent. Then, quietly, it said, Because pain is all I know, and I hate myself for it.

It took a few moments for Reaper to realize that he had said that statement out loud.

Or it was, Reyes voice continued after a time. But not anymore.

Reaper clenched his fists. “You. Are. Not. Me.”

The voice sighed. Then at least agree to disagree. We will no longer taunt ourselves or think of pain. We will look forward towards the future. We will make an honest effort to change that which we have long accepted that we will always be. In exchange, ‘Reaper’ will not fight us, or this change...quite so hard. Do we have a deal?

Reaper looked up at the clear blue sky, his shoulders slumping as he vented his anger in one long, slow breath.

“Deal,” he said.

Here’s to hoping that’ll be enough, when the time comes, Reyes’ voice said before falling silent once more.

Reaper stood there in the silence for a time, just staring up at the sky.

“I know you’re still there,” Reaper whispered.

Never said we would leave, Reyes’ voice said lightly. We oughta go help find Spike. It’s been a while, and that’s worrying.

Reaper grunted. “He’s a dragon. What could happen to him?”

Just as the words left Reaper’s mouth, Spike’s voice came from the forest nearby, shouting, “SOMEPONY! ANYPONY! HEEEEEELP!”

Never tempt fate, Reyes’ voice commented.

Chapter 9: Need Healing

Spike’s cries were quickly followed by what Reaper identified as the sounds of a fight. Reaper could hear yelling, growling, laser beams, and cracking wood. Although Reaper ran as fast as he could, he only made it to the scene of the battle as the fighting ended.

When Reaper arrived, he saw Starlight and Twilight standing side by side against a group of wolves that appeared to be made of living wood. Most of the wolves were reconstructing themselves from scattered bits of wood, and the whole group had just started to turn tail and run. Spike was standing guard in front of Fluttershy, who was tending to an injured dog underneath a tree.

Starlight zapped one of the fleeing wolves with a laser beam from her horn, causing it to yelp. “Yeah, you better run!” she shouted at it. “Come after my friends again, and I’ll turn you to kindling, got that?!”

Twilight laid a hoof on Starlight’s shoulder. “That’s enough, Starlight. We’ve won.”

Starlight nodded. “Right...right. Sorry, got a little carried away there. Just thinking about what they almost did to Spike and that poor dog - Oh, Spike! Are you alright?”

Spike nodded. “Yeah, I am, thanks to you guys, but the dog...” Spike looked back at the injured dog and his face fell. “It’s all my fault.”

Twilight shook her head. “That’s not true, Spike! You did everything you could to fight off those timberwolves. If it wasn’t for you, the dog wouldn’t have made it at all!”

As Reaper approached the group, he examined the area more closely. All across the trees and stones around them were scorch marks. One set of trees to the side had been burnt to a crisp and the rocks around them reduced to slag.

Kid’s got more fire in him than we gave him credit for, Reyes’ voice commented.

Spike’s expression hardened. “I made things worse!” he exclaimed. “I got so caught up trying to fight off the timberwolves that I accidentally burned the dog! I should have just run away and called for help at the start.”

Twilight pulled Spike into a hug. “You did the right thing, Spike. You fought off a whole pack of timberwolves to protect one of the sanctuary’s dogs, and when it got hurt, you shielded it with your own scales. I’m proud of you, my brave little dragon.”

Spike sniffled then embraced Twilight without another word.

Starlight stepped past the two and approached Fluttershy. “How’s it look?” she asked.

The dog - a large male Groenendael [1] - snapped its jaws at Starlight’s approach. Fluttershy tried to calm it down, but it continued to growl until Starlight stepped back further.

Fluttershy left the dog’s side to stand next to Starlight. “I’m sorry about his behavior,” she said. “He isn’t from the sanctuary, so he’s not used to being around ponies, and his injuries aren’t really helping his temper.”

Starlight’s eyes widened. “Not from the sanctuary? You mean he’s a wild dog?”

“I’m not sure, actually,” Fluttershy replied. “It certainly seems that way, but I’ve never heard of wild dogs in this area before. In any case, I would advise you to keep your distance for now.”

“There are a lot of scars on that dog,” Reaper said, startling the pair as they hadn’t noticed him arrive. “Whatever his story is, it can’t have been a pretty one.”

Reaper locked eyes with the Groenendael and saw the fire in them.

One thing’s for sure, it’s a fighter, Reyes’ voice said. Feeling a bit of a connection?

“Maybe,” Reaper said under his breath.

Spike and Twilight joined the group examining the dog from a distance.

“It’s worse than I thought,” Spike said as he saw the burns along the dog’s body. “Fluttershy, will he be okay?”

“I’m afraid I don’t have anything at the sanctuary or my cottage to treat these kinds of injuries,” Fluttershy said sadly. “It’s not just the burns, he’s got scratch wounds and bite wounds all over. If even one of those is from a timberwolf, then we can’t rule out infection either. We have to bring him to Doctor Fauna for treatment, but her office is a long way from here, and I’m not sure I could carry a dog this big that far on my own.”

“I could carry him with my magic,” Twilight offered.

Fluttershy shook her head. “I’m afraid that’ll just agitate him. He doesn’t trust ponies, and he isn’t listening to anything I try to tell him. How did you get him this far, Spike?”

“I...didn’t, really,” Spike replied. “I just saw him standing at the edge of the treeline, watching me chase the other dogs around. When I tried to go after him, he ran into the woods. I ran after him...and then we both ran into that pack of timberwolves. Even during the fight, I was mostly just trying to keep up with him.”

“What if we teleport him back to town?” Starlight asked.

“It’s too dangerous,” Twilight said. “Even putting his disposition aside, teleporting someone with burn injuries is just asking for trouble. There’s a high chance the magical field will just make the burns worse.”

Starlight thought for a bit, then asked, “What about a sleep spell? If we knock him out, we could carry him back to Ponyville no problem.”

“Do you know a sleep spell that you know for sure will work on a dog? And won’t hurt him?” Twilight asked. “Because I don’t!”

“Well, we can’t just do nothing!” Starlight exclaimed.

“I know! I know!” Twilight cried. “Just...let me think!”

We can help, Reyes’ voice said. We are just a cloud of rouge biotics trapped in a cycle of degradation...and regeneration.

“We don’t know that for sure,” Reaper muttered.

It’s worth a try, Reyes’ voice insisted. We’re made of the same stuff Mercy saves lives with. Just tell that stuff to destroy the infection and rebuild the tissue.

“It’s not that simple,” Reaper said. “Besides, that energy has to come from somewhere.”

Yes, and how do we usually get it? Reyes’ asked.

“By...you want me to shoot the dog?” Reaper asked, raising his voice slightly.

“Did you say something, Reaper?” Fluttershy asked.

We can do this, Reyes’ voice said. We won’t fail. Not this time.

“Not this time,” Reaper whispered to himself. He stepped forward and the Groenendael growled at him.

Fluttershy started to move forward and said, “Reaper, what are you -”

“Stay back,” Reaper interrupted. He turned to face the others, and added, “I have a plan...but you need to trust me. No matter what happens, stay back and trust me. Okay?”

Twilight saw the plea in Reaper’s expression and nodded. “Okay, Reaper. No matter what happens, we’ll stay back. We trust you. Just...stay safe, alright?”

Reaper slowly nodded then continued to make his way towards the Groenendael.

The Groenendael tried to get up to challenge him, but its legs gave out and it fell to the ground with a yelp, causing Fluttershy to gasp. It recovered quickly, however, and began to bark at Reaper.

Reaper spawned his shotguns and muttered to himself, “Can’t even turn into mist, and now I’m trying this shit.”

Once Reaper was close enough to see all of the Groenendael’s injuries, he aimed his shotguns at them. Before he could fire, the Groenendael lunged forward and snapped him up in its jaws.

“Oh my goodness!” Fluttershy exclaimed, hovering off the ground on instinct, but like the others, she stayed where she was.

The Groenendael started shaking Reaper, and Reaper could feel its fangs biting deep into his body.

Take the shot! Reyes’ voice commanded. Take the shot!

But it was no use. Reaper was being shaken so hard that he could barely hang on to his shotguns, much less aim them. He groaned as the Groenendael bit down harder.

As Reaper felt his body get crushed by the dog’s jaws, he heard Reyes’ voice let out a resigned sigh. Guess we...failed again after all...

“No!” Reaper screamed. “NOT! THIS! TIME!”

Dark mist started pouring out from his wounds. When the Groenendael inhaled it, it spat out Reaper and started coughing and snorting in an attempt to get the offending substance out of its system.

Reaper, with holes in his body emanating dark mist, got to his feat and levelled his shotguns at the Groenendael’s wounds. He could feel the familiar urge overtake him, the need to unleash everything he had and feed. He screamed again, struggling to bend it to his will.

In his mind, Reyes’ voice screamed with him.

FEED! KILL! The hunger commanded.

NOT THIS TIME! Reyes’ voice screamed in response.

Then Reaper realized what he needed to do: the same thing he’d always done, but the other way around. His shots would leech the energy from the dog, but instead of taking them to heal himself, he would loop them back to heal the dog. Instead of making his target die, he would make it -

“LIVE! LIVE! LIVE!” Reaper shouted as he fired.

He filled his mind - his entire being - with that word, repeated over and over and over again by both him and Reyes. Together, they drowned out the hunger and in so doing, bent the mist to their will.

When Reaper’s shotguns clicked empty, he collapsed.

Author's Note

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groenendael_dog

Chapter 10: Back From The Grave

Reaper woke up to the feeling of being licked in the face. Even having lived a life as long and eventful as he had, it was not a sensation he was all that familiar with, so it took him a moment to realize what was going on. When he did, he sat up immediately and pushed the face responsible for the licking away. To his surprise, it turned out to be the Groenendael.

“You’re awake!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “Everyone, Reaper’s awake!”

Reaper was in Fluttershy’s cottage, sitting on her couch. The Groenendael was sitting in front of him, looking over him protectively. Twilight, Starlight, Spike, and Fluttershy all rushed in to hug them both. The Groenendael whimpered a bit, but didn’t attack. Reaper was still too shell shocked to react.

When the group hug ended, Reaper found his voice. “What...happened?”

“You mean you don’t remember?” Twilight asked.

Reaper shook his head.

“Dude, you were AWESOME!” Spike exclaimed. “You went up to the dog, and I thought you were a goner, but then you started spewing this black smoke, and then you were all LIVE! LIVE! LIVE! And your thingies went all BANG! BANG! BANG! I thought you were hurting it, but the next thing we know, you were knocked out on the ground, and the dog was okay! See, look!”

Reaper stood up and examined the Groenendael. The dog’s injuries weren’t just healed, it’s body had been completely restored. The fur had grown back and the old scars were nowhere to be seen.

“I...did that?” Reaper asked in disbelief.

The Groenendael barked and licked him again.

“Yes,” Starlight said, chuckling. “You did that.”

“You succeeded where we couldn’t, Reaper,” Twilight added with a smile. “Congratulations! And thank you.”

“Oh, I was so worried about you! Both of you!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “Especially when you just collapsed like that, Reaper! You were full of holes, and, oh, it was dreadful! But somehow...you got better.”

“Bigger, too!” Spike added. He climbed up onto the couch stood next to Reaper. “See?”

Reaper compared himself to Spike and noticed that the dragon was no longer taller than him. Before, he had only come up to Spike’s shoulder, but now, they were both the same size.

We’ll probably end up back in our old form eventually, Reyes’ voice said. Then the hunger’s screams will return in force. Not to be a downer, but what we’ve conquered is a whisper in comparison. Be prepared for that day.

The sound of Reyes’ voice reminded Reaper of what had transpired - of what he had done. For a brief moment, he had beaten the hunger and bent its power to his will. But it had taken all that he had to do so. If Reyes’ voice was right, and that was merely a whisper…

Reaper shook his head to dispel those thoughts. He focused instead on the smiling faces all around him. Whatever the cost, he would protect those smiles. They may not know who he really was, but they cared. They were his friends. And he did not want to lose them. Even if that meant that he had to make them lose him.

That’s how this has to end, isn’t it? Reyes voice said. With us leaving them behind. It’s...the only way to be sure. The only way to keep them safe.

“So...um…” Fluttershy began.

“Yes?” Reaper asked.

“What will you name him?” Fluttershy asked, pointing to the Groenendael.

“What?” Reaper asked.

“Well...he seems to have grown attached to you, so I figured you could...take care of him, maybe?” Fluttershy explained, twiddling her hooves nervously.

“I...don’t think I should,” Reaper said. He turned to Twilight. “Since I won’t be staying forever.”

That damped the mood of everyone in the room.

“Right...I kinda forgot about that,” Spike said.

“Well, I don’t think that should stop you!” Starlight said, stamping her hoof. She smiled brightly at everyone in an attempt to lift their spirits. “You could always bring him with you when you go! A living reminder of your time here with us. And besides, even if you can’t bring him, you could always leave him with me. I don't have a pet, and I'd love to care of him...He'll help us remember our time with you.”

“Starlight’s right,” Twilight said. “I think you should definitely do this!”

Looking around at his friends’ eager expressions, Reaper couldn’t bring himself to say no. “Alright, then I’ll keep him.”

Fluttershy squealed in delight, and the Groenendael let out a happy bark.

Spike looked the dog up and down. “So...big, intimidating black dog. Tough enough to outfight a timberwolf. So fierce that it almost killed you. Also...incredibly fluffy. Any names in mind?”

Reaper paused and tapped his chin in thought. “Yes, the perfect one,” he said after a time.

The others leaned closer, eager to hear it.

“The King of Explosion Murder,” Reaper declared.

The declaration was not met with the enthusiasm he expected. Instead, there was awkward silence.

“I...don’t think that’s quite right,” Fluttershy said. “Maybe try something...shorter?”

“You’ve got a point,” Reaper conceded. “How about Blasty McSplode?”

“Um...no,” Fluttershy said.

“Black Death?” Reaper suggested.

“How about we try keeping it to one word?” Twilight suggested.

“Alright...Nightfang,” Reaper said. “No, wait, that still sounds like two words. Darkness? Terror? Oh, ‘Dark Terror’ sounds nice, even if it is two words.”

Way to sharpen that edge, milord, Reyes’ voice quipped.

“How about Fluffy? He does have beautiful fur!” Fluttershy suggested.

“Nah,” Spike said. “A name like that would never work for a dog that tough. How about Doompaw?”

“No,” Reaper snapped. “No ‘Doom’ anything.”

“Floofer?” Fluttershy asked meekly.

Twilight chuckled. “I think that’s a great name, Fluttershy, but I doubt that’s what Reaper’s going for. Seems like he wants something tough. Maybe military-ish? How about ‘Soldier’?”

“Absolutely not,” Reaper said. “No ‘Soldier’, no ‘Commander’, and definitely no ‘Jack’.”

Starlight rolled her eyes. “You know, at this rate, we might as well just call him ‘Dog’.”

“I’d be alright with that, I guess,” Fluttershy said. “I still think we should name him ‘Floofer’, though...”

“No! C’mon, guys, we can do better than that!” Spike said. “How about ‘Rocket’? Or ‘Hunter’?”

“How about ‘Obsidian’ or maybe ‘Cassiterite’?” Twilight suggested. “Those are black stones...that’s tough, right?”

“Oh, I know some of those too!” Spike exclaimed. “Go with ‘Jet’ or ‘Onyx’!”

“Those are some pretty good names...” Reaper said. “We should write these down.”

Spike pulled out a quill and a scroll. “On it!”

We’re gonna be here a while...Reyes’ voice said, exasperated.

Chapter 11: Assemble Your Team

The Castle of Friendship was usually a very empty place. Princess Twilight Sparkle, despite her station, had no guards, attendants, or even servants. While she did have the occasional petitioner or guest, they were rare enough to be the exception rather than the rule. As such, Reaper had gotten used to wandering the castle’s long empty hallways alone and undisturbed whenever he could get away from Twilight’s poking, prodding, questioning, and testing. While he had secretly come to enjoy the company of Twilight and her friends, every so often, he felt the need to get away from it all and simply enjoy the silence within his own mind that his truce with Reyes’ voice had finally allowed.

Reaper was in the middle of one such retreat when Pinkie Pie burst out of the door next to him and swept him up into a hug.

“There you are! We’ve been looking all over for you! This castle is waaaay bigger than it looks on the outside, and it looks pretty big!” Pinkie said.

Before Reaper had any time to respond, or question why Pinkie had just burst out of a broom closet, Spike rounded the corner at the end of the hall and waved to them.

“Oh good, you found him! C’mon, Twilight’s with the others in the throne room,” he said to them before walking off.

“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie said, depositing Reaper on her back and bouncing after Spike.

“I...can...walk!” Reaper said in between bounces, but he was ignored.

~~~

A table with various snacks and pastries had been set up off to one side of the throne room. Reaper’s pet Groenendael sat next to it, stoically enduring the playful examination of the Cake twins with a patience beyond most mortal beings.

“Doggo,” Pumpkin Cake said, poking the dog’s snout with a hoof.

“Fwuffy!” Pound Cake said, landing on the dog’s head. He giggled as he played with its ears.

Besides flicking his ears back up every time Pound Cake pushed them down, the Groenendael did not react. He continued to sit still and stare at the small pony child on the table in front of him. Fluttershy had told him to sit there and behave, so that was exactly what he was going to do.

Pumpkin Cake began to play with his face, moving it around to make various expressions that she then tried to mimic. When she tried to open his mouth, he snorted, knocking her off balance and onto her rump. Fortunately, she started laughing instead of crying. He risked a glance over to where Fluttershy was seated at the large table with the other ponies, and she gave him a sympathetic smile. He took that as a sign that he was still doing good.

“~We’re here!~” Pinkie Pie exclaimed in a sing-song voice as she entered the room with Spike at her side and Reaper on her back.

“Great!” Starlight said enthusiastically. She sat up straighter in her foldable chair next to Spike’s throne. “Now we can get started!”

“Not quite,” Twilight said as she rapidly scanned through the pages of a thick book. “Give me a minute to triple-check our calculations.”

Starlight rolled her eyes, but didn’t say anything to counter her mentor. Meanwhile, Spike had taken his seat, and Pinkie had trotted over to the snack table to check on the Cake twins.

“Hi there, Pound and Pumpkin! Did you two behave while I was gone?” Pinkie asked the twins.

“Doggo!” Pumpkin replied, pointing at the still-stoic Groenendael.

Reaper hopped off Pinkie’s back and onto the table to stand next to Pumpkin. “That’s right, Pumpkin! That’s his name!”

Unbelievably, Reyes’ voice added. How did Fluttershy talk us around to that again? Weren’t we about to go with ‘Cold Steel’?

Reaper ignored the voice - mostly because he couldn’t think of an answer to that question either - and asked Pumpkin, “What about me? Can you say my name?”

“Weeper!” Pumpkin declared proudly.

Pinkie snickered.

CRY! CRY! CRY! Reyes’ voice joked.

“No, not ‘Weeper’. Reaper,” Reaper corrected. “With an ‘R’. C’mon now, pronounce it.”

“Awr!” Pumpkin said, making hooking motions with her hoof and giggling.

“Piwates!” Pound exclaimed. He took off into the air and began buzzing around Pinkie’s head. “Pinkie pway! Pinkie pway! Awr!”

Doggo, now free of both children’s machinations, let out a relieved sigh.

Pinkie caught Pound and embraced him. “Oh, I would love to play pirates with you guys, but I can’t right now.”

“Awww,” the twins said in unison.

Pinkie set Pound down on the table next to Pumpkin. “I know I’m supposed to be babysitting you two right now, but Twilight said this was super duper important. She called everyone together and everything! I can’t let her down!”

The twins looked up at Pinkie with sad, pleading expressions.

For a moment, Reaper thought that his heart had stopped, then he remembered that he hadn’t had a pulse in years.

Real talk, Reyes’ voice said. How does anything living survive the constant barrage of weapons-grade adorable in this world?

“Aw, don’t give me those puppy dog eyes,” Pinkie said sadly. Then she suddenly perked up, “Not when there’s a real puppy dog right here!”

Doggo’s eyes went wide with panic, but to his credit, he remained seated where he was.

Pound and Pumpkin looked over to Doggo - who Reaper could swear was trying his hardest to sweat profusely [1] - then back to Pinkie.

“Pinkie…” Pumpkin began.

“...pway?” Pound finished.

Pinkie looked at the twins’ hopeful expressions and couldn’t resist sweeping them up into another hug. “I’m so sorry, Pound and Pumpkin, but you’ll have to wait a little longer. I Pinkie Promise it won’t be that much longer.”

The twins hugged Pinkie back.

“After this, we can play all you want. Reaper can play too!” Pinkie said. “But for now, just play with Doggo for a little while longer, okay?”

The twins coo’d. Which Reaper took to be their assent.

Pound broke free of the hug and zipped back over onto Doggo’s head. Doggo, for his part, closed his eyes and resigned himself to his fate. Reaper walked over and patted his dog’s back sympathetically.

Pumpkin motioned towards the table, so Pinkie set her back down. Once free of Pinkie’s grasp, Pumpkin took a cupcake with her magic and offered it up to Doggo.

“Doggo!” Pumpkin called, trying to get his attention.

Doggo opened his eyes and examined the cupcake. Unsure of how to act, he didn’t move.

Pound flew off of Doggo’s head and hovered next to his sister. “Nom!” he said, pointing to the cupcake then making chewing motions with his mouth.

“Just take the cupcake, boy,” Reaper said. “It tastes better than you would believe.”

Having been given permission, Doggo slowly leaned forward and licked the cupcake. He perked up as his tongue tasted the sweet frosting and snapped the whole thing up in a single bite, much to the twins’ delight.

Pumpkin lifted another cupcake with her magic, but Pound snatched it up before she could offer it to Doggo. He took the cupcake high into the air, then dropped it. Doggo, tracking Pound’s movements, leapt up and devoured the cupcake in mid-air, causing the twins to clap their hooves.

Pumpkin caught on to her brother’s game and used her magic to throw the next cupcake across the room. Doggo dutifully chased after it, and snatched it in his jaws before it hit the ground.

This can’t be healthy for the dog, Reyes’ voice commented.

“Well, at least they’re having fun,” Pinkie said. “C’mon, Reaper. Let’s go see what all the fuss is about.”

Reaper leapt off the snack table and walked with Pinkie over to her throne. As Pinkie sat down, Reaper used the throne as a stepping stone to climb up onto the big table in front of it. As soon as he made it onto the table, Twilight slammed her book shut.

“And done! Okay, everything looks good,” Twilight said.

“Like the first two times we went over the spell,” Starlight commented.

“You can never be too sure, Starlight. Especially when it comes to dealing with such powerful magic,” Twilight said.

“I know. I know,” Starlight said. “But we won’t always have time to triple check everything before we do it, you know.”

“Which is precisely why we should triple check everything whenever we can. It’s a rare luxury,” Twilight said. “Now is everypony ready to do this?”

“Uh, sugarcube?” Applejack said. “Ya ain’t told us what exactly it is that we’ll be doing yet.”

“I haven’t?” Twilight asked in disbelief. She turned to Starlight. “See? This is what happens when we don’t take the time to make a checklist first! Who knows what else we’ve missed?”

Starlight waved a hoof dismissively. “Quit your worrying. It’ll be fine. The spell’s not even dangerous. Probably.”

Rarity cleared her throat. “Yes, well, while I do have the utmost faith in you two, and I am quite certain that nothing at all will go...irreparably wrong, it would still be nice to know what it is that we are attempting.”

“And why it was so important!” Rainbow Dash added. “I mean, I love you guys and all, but as a Wonderbolt, I don’t get as many days off as I used to, and I kinda wanted to spend this one napping on a cloud. The weather’s perfect for it! Won’t be another day like this until next month.”

“Oh dear, has the schedule changed?” Fluttershy asked. “I thought we were going to have the same weather next Saturday. That’s when I moved the picnic with my animal friends that I was supposed to have today. They’re going to be so disappointed if I have to cancel again.”

“No, you’re right,” Rainbow Dash assured Fluttershy. “This kind of weather’s scheduled to repeat regularly over the next two months, but the next time I’m scheduled to be free for it is next month.”

“Don’t worry, this shouldn’t take very long at all. You should still have plenty of time left in the day for whatever it was that you each had planned. If this all goes right, anyway,” Starlight said.

Spike nudged Starlight with an elbow then pointed to Twilight, whose eye had started twitching the moment Starlight said “If”.

“Uhh, Twilight?” Starlight asked. “Are you okay?”

“Of course I’m okay!” Twilight replied. “We’re just about to cast magic using the map again. You know how well that always goes. Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

“We’re about to do what!?” Applejack asked.

With a nervous smile, Starlight said, “Channel everyone’s magic into the map table to see if it can pinpoint Reaper’s homeworld through the vast infinity of spacetime. No big deal, really.”

“I think it’s a big deal,” Fluttershy said. Her voice was soft, but it easily carried through the silence that had fallen on the room.

This table’s a map? Reyes’ voice asked.

Reaper, unfazed by Starlight’s revelation, thought it was odd that even the twins were silent. He looked over to the snack table to find them both on Doggo’s back, burying their faces in his fur. He had no idea what they were doing or why, but he decided to just shrug it off.

“Darling, you know I trust you,” Rarity began. “But do you really think this is a good idea?”

“Look, the science is sound,” Starlight argued. “All the spell is going to do is look. That’s it! No transport, no connection, no - well, very little - risk. I half expect it to just look through Equestria and stop there. If it fails, nothing happens. If it succeeds, we get a location. We’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Rainbow asked. “Let’s do this already!”

“Should I take the twins out of the room?” Pinkie asked, concerned.

Twilight took a deep, calming breath, then replied, “No, Pinkie. Starlight’s right. I’ve triple checked everything, and by all counts, everything ought to be fine.”

“But what’s the worst case scenario?” Reaper asked.

Given that we’re involved, catastrophic failure is absolutely possible, Reyes’ voice added.

“Logically? The worst case is that nothing happens,” Twilight said. “But hypothetically...there’s still a lot we don’t understand about the map’s functions. We’re only going to be working with what we do understand, but there’s always the wild chance that something completely unexpected pops up, in which case...well, the worst case is that anything could happen.”

“Doggo, take the twins out of the room,” Reaper commanded.

Doggo let out an affirmative bark, then quickly walked out of the room with the twins still on his back.

The animals in this world are smarter than most people back home, Reyes’ voice commented. And not just the ponies, either.

Once Doggo and the twins were out of the room, Reaper turned to Twilight and said, “Do it.”

Twilight nodded. “Alright. Everyone ready?”

The others all nodded, some more enthusiastically than others.

Twilight channelled her magic into her horn and the symbol on her throne began to glow. The others focused as well, with similar results. The table beneath Reaper’s feet suddenly became a three dimensional holographic map.

“Impressive,” both Reaper and Reyes’ voice said simultaneously.

“Okay, Reaper,” Starlight said. “Just stand still. This’ll be over in a flash.”

Starlight fired a beam from her horn at the center of the map. Similar beams shot out from each of the throne symbols and met at the point where Starlight’s ended. Once all of the beams connected at that point, Starlight, grunting with the effort, lifted all of them up. The holographic map disappeared and Reaper saw one more beam, this time from the table itself, had connected to Starlight’s. With a shout, Starlight pushed all of the beams forward and onto Reaper.

From the intensity of the light show, Reaper had expected pain, probing, or, if he somehow absorbed it, perhaps a feeling of empowerment. Instead, he found himself being placed into a state of complete serenity. He felt the magic look through him, read him, know him, better even than he knew himself. He felt the darkness inside of him recoil, and he heard a dragon roar. Despite its gentle touch, he felt the intensity of the magic’s strength, and the benevolence of its purpose. He reached out to it, as a child might reach out to its parents.

And then it was gone.

All the lights faded and everyone looked around. Only seconds had passed since they started. They all waited a minute more.

“Huh,” Starlight said after a minute had passed. “Guess nothing hap -”

The map table activated, once again showing all of Equestria. Three symbols appeared in the air and floated down towards a distant mountain on the map. They circled around above the mountain.

“What does that mean?” Reaper asked.

“It means the map is calling us to solve a friendship problem,” Twilight explained. “It’s kind of what we do: use our talents and gifts to spread friendship and harmony throughout Equestria, averting disasters and making the world a better place.”

Sounds like what Overwatch was supposed to do, Reyes voice said.

“The symbols represent which of us needs to go,” Rainbow Dash continued. “That one is mine, see? And there’s Rarity’s.”

“And the third one?” Reaper asked, although he already knew the answer.

“That’s...” Rarity said, squinting. “Why, I do believe that’s you, darling.”

It would explain why our face is glowing, Reyes’ voice said as Reaper examined the deathly mask floating around the mountain along with the three blue diamonds and the rainbow lightning bolt.

“WHAT!?” Twilight shouted, leaping onto the table to take a closer look.

Starlight scratched the back of her head. “Heheh...I guess it...did do something after all...”

Author's Note

[1] Much to Doggo’s dismay, dogs do not sweat like other species do. While they do have some sweat glands on their paws, their primary method of cooling off is by panting.

Chapter 12: Move Out

Twilight, after recovering from her shock, determined that the map had called Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Reaper to a place called Minos, the capital city of the Minotaur Kingdom, which was also named Minos. The city wasn’t directly visible on the map because it was built deep inside of a mountain located beyond the Western borders of Equestria. Coincidentally, the mountain was also named Minos. According to the book Twilight used as reference, Equestrian historians had argued for years on what was named after which before ultimately deciding that the early minotaurs must have just really liked that name. Minotaur historians, if indeed there were any, could not be reached for comment. That piqued Twilight’s interest, so she proceeded to spend the rest of the day and night researching all that she could about minotaurs and minotaur culture, growing more and more excited as she went along.

The following day, a baggy eyed, sleep deprived, and irrepressibly excited Twilight lectured her friends - who had all shown up to see the map’s chosen off - on all that she had learned as she led them to the hot air balloon that Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Reaper would be using as transport.

“...And while we’re on the subject of pony-minotaur treaties, did you know that the minotaurs are among the most reclusive races on the planet?” Twilight asked her not-so-captive audience. “In fact, Equestria has had so little contact with Minos that Iron Will may very well be the most significant minotaur in Equestrian history! And we’ve met him! Isn’t that exciting?”

“If you say so, Twilight,” Spike said, stifling a yawn.

Fluttershy opened her mouth to comment, but then decided against it.

Oblivious to her friends’ lack of enthusiasm, Twilight continued speaking. “It’s why you’ll have to take the balloon to get Minos - the city, not the country or the mountain...although, technically, both of those too! - there are no roads or train tracks that lead out there. Kind of like Yakyakistan. Now that I think about it, the minotaurs and the yaks share a lot of similarities. They appear in legends and ancient history - participating in wars and battles and whatnot - then, poof! They just vanish. Well, not completely. We know that they’re still there, and they send an ambassador over every now and again, but other than that, nothing! You three might be the first Equestrians to set hoof in Minos in over a thousand years!”

“Like me with Yakyakistan!” Pinkie said.

Secluded ancient warrior race, huh? Reyes’ voice commented. Sounds like a real friendly bunch.

“Doesn’t sound like we can expect a warm welcome,” Reaper said. “Will we have to fight our way in?”

“As awesome as that would be, I doubt it,” Rainbow Dash said. “We’re being sent to solve a friendship problem, after all.”

“That does bring up the question of why nopony’s been there in so long, though,” Rarity said. “Is it forbidden? Did something happen between our nations?”

“Oh, don’t worry, it’s still legal to travel there,” Twilight said. “In fact, anypony - or minotaur - can travel between Equestria and Minos freely thanks to our standing agreements. It’s just that nopony really has a reason to. Plus the whole no roads and no train tracks thing. So while this is a groundbreakingly exciting adventure, it’s also a perfectly legal slash diplomatic visit.”

“What do you mean...diplomatic?” Reaper asked.

Twilight used her magic to pass a scroll to each of the map’s chosen, her excitement waning a bit as she did so. “While I can’t go with you on your journey - the map didn’t call me...again - I’ve taken the liberty of writing out these letters labelling each of you as official Equestrian Friendship Ambassadors, so you’ll be visiting in an official capacity.”

“Uhh...why do you think we’ll need these?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Just a precaution,” Twilight replied. “While your visit is perfectly legal, it’s also completely outta nowhere, so I figured these might help smooth things along. Besides, it’s true! You are going as friendship ambassadors. I’ve just made it official.”

“Do you really think they’ll recognize any of that stuff, Twi?” Applejack asked. “I mean, if we’ve had so little contact with these minotaurs...well, I guess what I’m saying is, you haven’t been a princess all that long...”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Twilight said reassuringly. “I had Princess Celestia ratify these documents and helped her write up a letter explaining the recent shifts in the Equestrian system of government. Which means that, as bearers of this information, you three will also be acting as the official Equestrian Political Ambassadors as well. Isn’t that great?”

“Oh my...” Rarity said. “I’m sure this is quite the honor, Twilight, but...are you sure you want to be placing all of this responsibility on us? Friendship, we know a lot about, but politics? Negotiations?”

Rarity glanced nervously at Rainbow Dash, who appeared to have been distracted by a group of passing clouds. “The clouds weren’t supposed to come in until after ten!” Rainbow Dash murmured. She slammed her front hooves together threateningly. “Somepony’s slacking! They think that just because I’m not on regular weather duty anymore, they can let loose? Just wait 'til I get back...”

Rarity swallowed, then continued, “It’s not that I don’t have faith in our group’s...charms, darling, it’s just...well, we haven’t exactly studied these treaties you mentioned, no? There’s quite a lot that we don’t know.”

Twilight waved off Rarity’s concerns. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. All you have to do is give the papers, and then you’re free to go look for the friendship problem you have to solve. Princess Celestia and I have already taken care of everything. Isn’t that right, Spike?”

Spike, who was on the verge of falling asleep on his feet, jolted awake. “Huh? I mean, yeah! Yeah...everything. All night. Every...little...zzzzz”

Spike tripped on a rock and nearly fell over, but Fluttershy caught him.

“Poor little guy,” Fluttershy said. “You’ve been up all night, haven’t you?”

Spike nodded.

“Here, just take a break. We’ll get you back to bed as soon as we’ve seen the others off,” Fluttershy said. She lifted Spike up onto her back, where he promptly curled up and fell asleep.

Meanwhile, the group had reached the hot air balloon, which appeared to have been filled to the brim with travelling bags.

“Rarity!” Rainbow Dash said. “I told you to pack light! This thing will never get off the ground with this much baggage in it!”

“I’ll have you know that I’ve gotten much better at ‘roughing it’, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said. “While I can see why you’d come to that conclusion, I assure you that these bags aren’t mine.”

“Then whose are they?” Rainbow asked.

Starlight suddenly scooped Reaper up in a hug. After holding him tight for a few seconds, she set him back down and put a scarf around him. It was far too large for his small frame, and so more closely resembled a large towel than a scarf.

“Promise me you’ll be careful, okay?” Starlight said to Reaper. “I tried to pack all the essentials, but we know so little about your race that I didn’t know what the essentials were, so I just packed everything I thought you could possibly need. There are extra clothes, swimwear, coats, mittens - clothes for any weather, really - packed in the suitcases. The backpacks have camping gear like lamps and flint. I made sure to include three toothbrushes for you - one to use, another as backup, and one more just in case you ever need to use a toothbrush for anything other than brushing your teeth. There are extras for each in case you lose any of them. And extras for the extras.”

“I don’t even -” Reaper tried to interrupt.

“There are also spell books and scrolls,” Starlight continued unabated. “I know you can’t use magic, but I’ve enchanted the scrolls to cast the spells by themselves. The books are there for reference. Be very careful not to hurt yourself and look up any spell before you use it. I know how dangerous magic can be, so I’m putting a lot of trust in you to be responsible, okay? Rarity, you’ll supervise, right?”

Rarity saw where this was going. “Starlight, I don’t think -”

Starlight, however, had already gone back to fussing over Reaper and listing all of the things she’d packed for him, which now included items such as tissue boxes - in case he got sick - and fifteen different types of crackers - in case he got hungry.

“Well, I guess that answers that question,” Rainbow Dash said with a shrug. “Who knew Starlight could be so fussy? Hey, Twilight, do something about this!”

The only response from Twilight was faint snoring. With the group no longer moving, and with her long lecture interrupted, her exhaustion had finally caught up with her.

Rainbow Dash slammed a hoof on her forehead in exasperation.

Applejack chuckled. “Alright, settle down now, Rainbow. We’ll get this sorted out. C’mon, help me get these bags outta the balloon so y’all get get on your way. You too, Rarity. Fluttershy, get Twilight over to the side a bit. Pinkie, go get Starlight away from Reaper.”

Under Applejack’s leadership, everything was soon sorted out and ready to go. When Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Reaper finally climbed into the balloon and took off, they waved down to a smiling Pinkie, a content Applejack, a worried Fluttershy, a teary-eyed Starlight, and the still sleeping Twilight and Spike.

After Ponyville had disappeared into the distance, Reaper settled in to the balloon - which was surprisingly spacious after all the excess baggage had been cleared away - and readied himself for the long haul. As he put away the scroll Twilight had given him into the one bag he had randomly chosen to keep out of all the others Starlight had packed, he noticed that his scroll contained an extra set of papers. Curious, he unfurled it.

Flipping past the Friendship Ambassador papers, he read the next set of documents. When he reached the end, he paused, then read them again.

“Reaper?” Rarity asked. “Is something wrong?”

“These are...citizenship documents,” Reaper said. “Twilight’s made me a citizen of Equestria, a legal resident of Ponyville, and...my address is listed as the Castle of Friendship.”

“That is where you are staying, isn’t it?” Rarity asked.

“It’s listed as my permanent address,” Reaper said. “But that’s her home, not mine.”

Rarity smiled. “Did she ever make it seem that way?”

Reaper did not reply. He merely stared down at the documents again.

“It’s no big deal, Reaper,” Rainbow said. “Twilight’s just taken you in, is all. She did it with Starlight, and now she’s doing it with you. Castle’s big enough for hundreds of ponies anyway.”

Reaper shook his head. “Hundreds of ponies. I’m not a pony. I’m not here to stay...”

Rarity waved her hoof. “Semantics, darling. It is the Castle of Friendship, and you are our friend.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow agreed. “Whether you manage to get back to your world or not, you’ll always have a place here. You’re one of us now. The map even called you! Equestria is as much your home as ours. Twilight just made it all legal and junk.”

“A pity she burned herself out doing it,” Rarity said. “I’m sure she would have told you herself otherwise.”

“I don’t...I mean…” Reaper began. His voice quivered slightly, and he found that he struggled to find words to say.

“It’s really quite simple, Reaper,” Rarity said. “You belong.”

“And you always will,” Rainbow added.

Reaper’s face betrayed no expression, but deep within the confines of his mind, Gabriel Reyes wept.

Chapter 13: Welcome to Minos

The group’s journey to Minos was largely uneventful. With Rarity navigating and Rainbow Dash piloting, they had no problems with either direction or weather. Most of their time was passed with idle chatter, although occasionally, Rainbow would fly off to stretch her wings and Rarity would fuss over some sketches she had brought along.

As Rarity brought out her sketchpad again, Reaper asked, “What is it that you’re doing, exactly?”

“Working on my next fashion line,” Rarity replied without looking away from her sketches. “I’m afraid it’s not going as I had hoped. I’ve come up with dozens of designs, and the others think they’re lovely, but I’m not satisfied. They lack that...spark. I mean, sure, they’re nice, but you can go to any shop and find something nice. I want anypony that walks into one of my boutiques to find something truly inspired.” - Rarity sighed and put away her sketchpad - “But this isn’t it.”

“You’re a...fashion designer?” Reaper asked.

Rarity gave Reaper a surprised look. “You didn’t know?”

Reaper shrugged. “I don’t get out much.”

“I suppose that is true...You have spent most of your time cooped up in Twilight’s castle,” Rarity mused. She examined Reaper as if she was seeing him for the first time. “That reminds me, I never really got a chance to tell you, Reaper, but I do admire that outfit of yours. It is very dark and mysterious. Quite fitting for you, if I do say so myself. It’s hoofmade, isn’t it?”

Although Reaper understood what Rarity meant, Reyes’ voice couldn’t help but ask, How do you make anything with hooves?

“How do you...” Reaper began to echo before catching himself. “I mean...yes. I made these robes myself. How did you know?”

Rarity smiled. “I can tell a labor of love when I see one, darling, and your getup practically screams ‘personal touch’. That said, it seems that it’s your only getup. I understand that you’ve found yourself in a foreign world, so you’ve hardly had a choice in the matter, but surely you must be tired of only having one thing to wear.”

We’ve been wearing the same outfit almost every day for years, Reyes commented. Damn right, it’s gotten old.

“A bit,” Reaper conceded.

“In that case, you simply must allow me to create a new ensemble for you!” Rarity said, beaming.

Agree! Reyes’ voice commanded. No, wait, offer to help! C’mon, we love making costumes!

Reaper actually did like that idea. “Alright...but only if I can help make it.”

“Oooh, a collaboration, then?” Rarity said. “I like it!”

Just then, Rainbow Dash, who had flown out to scout ahead, flew back into the balloon basket. “Hey, guys! I think we’re almost there!”

Rarity looked out at the mountain they were approaching. “Indeed we are, Rainbow Dash. Take us down to the base of the mountain. The map says that there should be an entrance to the city somewhere there.”

“Yes! It’s about time!” Rainbow exclaimed, moving to follow Rarity’s directions.

As the balloon descended, Reaper looked around the area. The Minos Mountain stood alone in the middle of a vast wasteland. All around it, nothing could be seen but sand and rocks. It was a jarringly different landscape from the vibrant colors of Equestria.

This wasteland isn’t natural, Reyes’ voice said. It was made this way on purpose.

“Scorched earth strategy,” Reaper agreed under his breath. “And not just once. This place has seen a lot of battle, and it’s never recovered from it.”

Seems like a bad place to find a friendship, Reyes voice said.

“Seems like a good place to find a problem,” Reaper added.

As soon as the balloon landed at the base of the mountain, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Reaper all stepped out. The ponies brought their saddlebags with them while Reaper brought his backpack - it was apparently one of Spike’s, so it fit him nicely.

“Now what?” Rainbow asked. “Does the map tell us where the entrance is?”

Rarity let out a sound of disgust. “Ugh, no. And it didn’t say anything about all of this sand, either!”

A large minotaur loomed over the trio. “Detestable isn’t it? It’s coarse and rough and irritating...”

“And it gets everywhere!” Rarity agreed. Her eyes widened when she realized that the speaker was not one of her companions.

Reaper looked up to see the minotaur’s face. Then he looked up higher. Then he looked higher still.

How the hell did this guy sneak up on us? Reyes’ voice asked. He’s huge!

Reaper didn’t know how tall the minotaur was exactly - he didn’t even know his own exact height in this form - but he guessed that the minotaur was roughly three times the height of an average pony. In stark contrast to the harsh environment around them, the minotaur was dressed in what appeared to be a nobleman’s finery. His clothes were made of a dark blue silk with a gold trim, his hide was a deep black, and a simple golden crown lay atop his bald head in-between his large, curved horns. Despite the minotaur’s height, he appeared to be quite lanky. Although it was difficult to tell just how lanky, given how loosely he wore his clothing.

“Greetings,” the minotaur said. “I am -”

“Dagger!” another minotaur called out as he sprinted towards the group. “I told you to wait for me!”

The second minotaur reached the group and stood next to the first, whom he had called Dagger. This minotaur was tall, but not as tall as Dagger. His height was only around two times that of the average pony, but he was massive in another way. Where Dagger was lanky, this minotaur was muscular. Save for a crown identical to Dagger’s between his two straight horns, he wore no clothing, showing off muscles so thick that they seem to be ready to burst from his blonde hide. When he spotted the ponies and Reaper, he leaned down to examine them closer, a wide smile growing on his face.

“Wait, this is them?” the shorter minotaur asked Dagger. “These are the ones we were all worked up about? RAHAHAHAHA!”

“Yes, Axe, these are the occupants of the balloon,” Dagger said, his voice calm.

“Good thing we called off the ballistas, then!” Axe boomed “I don't think our boys would've hit targets this small! You were right, Dagger. I couldn't have just run up and crushed them with my bare hands. They're so tiny, they'd slip right through my fingers! RAHAHAHAHA!”

Upon realizing how close they had come to being attacked, Rainbow Dash frowned and Rarity paled. Reaper scowled and clenched his fists.

“We could hardly have known -” Dagger began.

“Bah!” Axe exclaimed, cutting Dagger off. “They’re ponies, Dagger! Harmless!”

“Ponies can be quite powerful, Axe,” Dagger said. “And they are not all ponies.”

“No power is a match for the breathtaking, awe-inspiring, fear-inducing might of Minos!” Axe declared, flexing a different set of muscles for each adjective and punctuating his statement with a dramatic pose pointing towards the mountain.

Irritation flashed across Dagger’s features, but by the time Axe stopped posing, his face was once more the picture of calm.

Unaware of Dagger’s thinning patience, Axe continued, “Besides, ponies never start fights. They prefer friendship and peace. And anyone that travels with ponies must be the same. Isn’t that right, little ones?” Axe asked.

“Yes, of course,” Rarity said, forcing a smile.

“But we’ll throw down if we have to, make no mistake!” Rainbow added.

Dagger’s eyes narrowed at that, but Axe just laughed.

“Rainbow,” Rarity said through the grit teeth of her smile. “Not. Helping.”

Wow, Reyes’ voice commented. And we thought we were bad at diplomacy.

Reaper took out the scroll Twilight had given him - minus his citizenship papers - and lifted it up towards the minotaurs. “We’re here as ambassadors from Equestria.”

Following Reaper’s lead, Rarity and Rainbow both brought out their papers as well. Dagger took Rarity’s as she had levitated hers closest to him.

“It seems they speak the truth,” Dagger said after briefly scanning the scroll. “Also, there are now five alicorn princesses in Equestria. Quite the development.”

“Five!?” Axe exclaimed. “A thousand years with only one, and now there are suddenly five? Celestia must have finally gone into heat! RAHAHAHAHA!”

Rainbow Dash snickered at that, but Rarity looked appalled.

“It is not like that, I assure you!” Rarity said. “If you read the scroll -”

“Yes, I have, and yes, I know,” Dagger interrupted. “But do not count on my brother bothering to do so. In any case, it appears that we have much to discuss, and I would rather not do so out here among all this...sand.”

“Agreed!” Axe exclaimed. “Let us make our way out of this heat and into the palace! Come, tiny creatures, this way!”

Axe waved towards the mountain, and Reaper saw a large, camouflaged gate opening to let them in.
Dagger rolled the scroll back up and let Rarity take it back. Reaper was impressed by his dexterity. The scroll was miniscule compared to his huge hands, yet he had no difficulty manipulating it.

Seems the type to be good at manipulating, Reyes’ voice said.

As Rarity took back the scroll, she said “Thank you for taking the time to come out here and meet us instead of firing those ballistas.”

“Oh, don’t thank me,” Dagger said, his mouth curling into a sly smile. “Who do you think ordered the ballistas loaded in the first place?”

As Dagger walked off to follow Axe, Rainbow leaned over and whispered to her friends, “I do not like that guy. Does he seem shady to anyone else?”

“Now is not the time to jump to conclusions, Rainbow,” Rarity scolded. “For now, let’s just follow them and see where it goes. They haven’t mentioned it, but I don’t doubt that their very important pon - minotaurs.”

“What makes you say that?” Rainbow asked.

Reaper answered, “The crowns, the palace, and the fact that they seem to be giving the orders around here.”

Dagger turned back towards them. “Are you coming? Axe has already made it all the way back in the time you’ve spent whispering there.”

“Y-yes! Coming!” Rarity said.

As the group moved to follow Dagger, Reaper found himself looking into the darkness beyond the door into Minos and wondering what lay beyond it. Looking closer at the mountain, Reaper now saw several murder holes along its slopes. He watched them close one by one, their covers blending in with the rest of the environment. It occurred to Reaper that there could be any number of similarly hidden defenses all around them, and that there would certainly be more inside the city itself.

This could be dangerous, Reyes’ voice warned.

Images of his pony friends under assault - of possible assaults and ambushes - flashed in Reaper’s mind.

These minotaurs…they’re prepared to fight. To kill.

Reaper’s anger flared, and he glared intently into the darkness of the gate.

“So am I.”

Chapter 14: Traveling To Minos Palace

When Dagger and the Equestrians made it to the gate, they saw several armored minotaurs salute Axe, then jog inside.

“What are you up to, brother?” Dagger asked.

Axe turned and smiled at the group. “Expecting me to divulge my wicked scheme, Dagger?”

“Hardly,” Dagger replied. “You are incapable of crafting such a thing.”

Axe laughed. “Right you are! I was sending word ahead to have the staff prepare for our guests’ arrival.”

“To have the soldiers stand down, you mean,” Dagger said. “How unexpectedly thoughtful of you, Axe.”

“I had to do something with my time,” Axe said jovially. “You left me waiting here for ages! Hoping I’d keel over from old age, little brother? RAHAHAHAHA!”

“Not even if our ages were separated by years instead of minutes, twin brother,” Dagger replied. He gestured to the Equestrians. “I was merely being considerate of our guests’ stature. Anything more than a moderate walk would have them sprinting to keep up with my strides. As it is, they are already forced to jog - or fly, in the case of the pegasus.”

“Thank you, Prince Dagger,” Rarity said. “It is prince, isn’t it?”

“Yes!” Axe replied. “Just be careful not to rub it in! RAHAHAHAHA!”

“Quite astute, Lady Rarity,” Dagger said, ignoring his brother. “It seems that the size of your body does not reflect the strength of your mind. The same can be said of Axe.”

“That could be either an insult or a compliment,” Axe observed. He reached up to give Dagger a friendly hit on the back, nearly bowling him over. “Classic Dagger! RAHAHAHAHA!”

That laugh’s getting really old, really fast, Reyes’ voice commented. The worst part is that we can’t even tell if it’s fake or not.

Reaper silently agreed. Axe seemed genuinely cheerful. His smile reached his eyes, and his laugh, grating as it was, didn’t sound even slightly forced. The only thing casting doubt on his attitude was the context. He laughed far too much at far too many questionable things. To Reaper, that left only two possibilities: Axe was either secretly smarter or even stupider than he appeared to be. Reaper wasn’t sure which possibility was worse.

“Yes...Ha. Ha,” Dagger monotoned as he recovered from the blow. “Now, I believe we were heading off to the palace?”

“Ah, of course! Of course! Let us be off! At the pace we’ll have to set, we’ll be lucky to make it there by nightfall,” Axe said. He smiled at the ponies. “I’ll bet your princesses never have that problem, eh? They can make any day as long as they like! RAHAHAHAHA!”

Without waiting for a response, Axe set off through the gate. Despite his words, Axe’s walking speed set a much faster pace than Dagger’s did. Dagger and Rainbow Dash were able to match him easily, but Rarity was forced to trot and Reaper was forced to run.

“Excuse me, but how far do we have to travel, exactly?” Rarity asked.

“Not far, for a minotaur,” Axe replied without looking back. “Oh, that rhymes! RAHAHAHAHA!”

Dagger observed Rarity and Reaper for a few moments then said, “I could have one of our soldiers carry you, if you wish.”

Rarity lifted her chin with a huff. “No thank you, prince. I assure you that I can manage.”

“Same here,” Reaper added.

Dagger smirked. “As you wish.”

~~~

Minos City was built like a labyrinth. Having been built inside of a mountain, there were no open spaces to speak of, only rooms of various sizes connected by a network of door-filled hallways. There were no windows to let in natural light, either. Instead, every room and hall was lit using strange lamps that emulated the light of the outside, down to the shade and intensity of the different times of day.

Wary of a trap, Reaper tried to keep track of the group’s progress, but soon found himself confused by the sheer monotony of the environment. With nearly every room and hall looking the same, he could find no landmarks to gauge their progress, and with all the turns they took, he could no longer even tell which direction they were moving in. However, the same could not be said of Axe, who led the group through the identical halls with confidence and chose every turn without pause.

Five minutes passed in silence, then Rainbow spoke up. “Are we in the city yet?”

Axe laughed at the question. “Ever since we entered the gate, little pony!”

“Then where the hay is everyone?” Rainbow asked. “This place is empty!”

“Yes...a good question,” Axe said, his mirth fading. “Tell us, Dagger, where are my people?”

“Our people have been instructed to remain in their homes until the all clear is sounded,” Dagger replied, his tone unchanged and his face a mask. “For their safety.”

“And your convenience,” Axe added.

“I’ll not deny that was a pleasant side effect,” Dagger said. “Moving through the city is so much easier without having to wade through all of the idiots that tend to flock to you. Birds of a feather, I suppose.”

Suddenly, Axe stopped. He swivelled towards his brother and strode towards him. Dagger’s eyes narrowed and he stood straighter, clasping his hands behind him to complete his proud pose.

“Now, then...?” Dagger asked.

Axe stopped in front of his brother and raised his fist. Dagger scowled. Reaper, shotguns in his hands, moved to stand in front of Rarity, who inhaled sharply, about to cry out to intervene.

Axe knocked in front of the door behind Dagger.

The door opened slightly, and Dagger stepped aside. Reaper saw the glint of a steel blade just before it disappeared into Dagger’s sleeve. He let his shotguns fade and heard Rarity sigh in relief behind him.

“Hello?” a soft voice called out from the other side of the door.

“What was that?” Axe asked loudly, a wide smile on his face. “I thought I heard a pebble.”

The door opened wider, revealing a young male minotaur calf. The boy was rail thin, with two small stubs for horns. “Not a pebble, but a stone!” he declared proudly.

“Ah, but if it isn’t Stone Wall himself!” Axe boomed, lifting the calf up onto his shoulder. “Mighty protector of all of Minos!”

Stone giggled. “Not yet, Axe! But soon! My horns have already started growing, see?”

“They’re all I can see!” Axe said in mock despair. “You’ve horns so big, they block my vision! How do you manage it, bull?!”

Stone playfully punched the side of Axe’s head. “They’re not that big yet, dummy!”

Within the room beyond the door, a rotund minotaur, slightly taller than Axe, came into view. “What’s all the racket, son? We’re supposed to stay quiet and hidden.”

“Look, pa! It’s Axe!” Stone said, smiling.

Stone’s father returned the smile. “I see that. Back again are you, you musclebound lummox? And what have you dragged to my door this -” Stone’s father stopped mid-sentence as his eyes fell on Dagger. He knelt immediately. “I mean, my apologies, Prince Axe! And welcome, Prince Daedelus Age -”

“- Dagger will do, peasant,” Dagger interrupted. “You seem comfortable enough to address my brother with his shorter name, and I’d rather not make this visit more tedious than it already is.”

“Y-yes, of course, Prince Dagger! Forgive me, my lords! I-I...mistook you for another! You honor my home with your presence, sirs!”

Axe took Stone off of his shoulders and offered his hand to Stone’s father. “Rise, Brick. We come as friends! No need to be so formal.”

Brick Wall hesitated for a moment before taking Axe’s offered hand and letting the prince help him up. “Thank you, sir. But...that is...if I may...”

Stone laughed. “C’mon, pa! Why are you acting so weird? It’s just Axe!”

“Hush, boy!” Brick said, briefly glancing at Dagger. “We are in the presence of royalty!”

“And what a royal pain we’re being, eh? RAHAHAHAHA!” Axe said.

Brick paled. His eyes flitted between Axe and Dagger, and he was unable to decide how to properly respond.

Dagger cleared his throat. “Brother, get to the point. You’re terrifying the bull.” Under his breath he added, “And wasting my time.”

“Am I? Ah, but that is normal for me, isn’t it?” Axe asked, turning to his brother with a grin.

The princes stood staring at each other for a few tense moments before Axe turned back towards Brick.

“Alright then! I merely swung by to ask a favor of you, good sir.”

“Anything, my prince. I am your humble servant,” Brick said, bowing.

Dagger snorted at that, but said nothing.

Ignoring his brother, Axe said, “I want you to spread the word that the emergency is over. Get everyone back to their lives. The city is like a tomb with everyone hidden away, and that is hardly the impression I wish to leave on our visitors from Equestria.”

Only then did Brick notice Reaper and the ponies. He was puzzled for a moment, but then decided it would be best if he did not ask.

“I will do as you ask, Prince Axe, but...I hold no authority. The all clear signal has not been given. The others may not believe me.”

“Any who doubts you may take it up with me!” Axe declared. “Besides, the signal will be sounded soon enough. Isn’t that right, Dagger?”

Dagger waved a hand dismissively. “Yes, yes, as soon as we get to the palace. Now, can we go?”

“Only if the mighty Stone Wall says it is safe,” Axe replied, winking to the calf.

Stone perked up and ran out into the hallway. He spared a curious glance to the Equestrians then made an exaggerated show of looking down both ends of the hall before turning back to Axe and giving him a thumbs up. “All clear!”

“My thanks, Stone!” Axe said, returning the calf’s gesture. “Now, let us be off! I am eager to sound that signal and see my city come alive again!”

~~~

The group departed from the Wall residence as Brick and Stone began knocking on their neighbors’ doors. Just before the group rounded the next corner, Rainbow cast a quick glance backward to see that a crowd had gathered around Brick to hear the news, their chattering voices filling the air.

As the noise of the crowd reverberated along the hall, more and more doors opened. Soon, the once empty halls became lined with curious minotaurs. Word of mouth travelled fast, and Rarity watched with amazement as more lamps were lit, hidden windows were opened, and entire sections of wall began to move - some sinking into the floor and disappearing entirely. Earlier, every hall had seemed the same, now, each turn brought a different sight. There were market stalls being opened, signs being put up, knicknacks and decorations being placed even as some of the walls and floors began to change into different, more personalized colors.

“I daresay it’s beginning to look a bit like Canterlot,” Rarity said. “Barring the lack of an open sky, of course.”

Axe began to shout as they walked along, coaxing the minotaurs to come out and ensuring them that all was well. Many minotaurs called out to him in greeting as the group passed, and Axe replied to each one. Rarity noted that Dagger was not greeted with the same warmth. In fact, the greetings seemed to die off as soon as his presence was noticed.

A little under an hour later, Axe turned a corner and led the group out of the labyrinth that was Minos city and into a large open cavern. The cavern was enormous, big enough for the Wonderbolts to fly an aerial routine through with space to spare. It was lit up on all sides by larger versions of the lamps that lined the halls of Minos, which now shone with the orange glow of late afternoon. At the very center of the cavern, surrounded on all sides by open space until the cavern walls, was the palace.

“There she is!” Axe declared. “The Palace of Minos!”

More like Fortress of Minos, Reyes’ voice commented as Reaper laid eyes on it.

The palace was a large, square building, walled on all sides and sporting turrets at the corners. Reaper could make out sentries patrolling the walls and guarding the gates.

“It certainly is...imposing,” Rarity said.

“It kinda looks like a couple of stacked boxes with a wall around it,” Rainbow said.

“Rainbow!” Rarity scolded.

Axe smiled. “Can’t say that she’s wrong! RAHAHAHAHA!”

“While aesthetically wretched, it serves its purpose,” Dagger said. “More than once has it sheltered the people of Minos, and never have its defenses been breached.”

“It sounds as though the palace has a long and storied history,” Rarity said, attempting to salvage the conversation. “I’d love to hear more about it.”

“Oh, trust me, you wouldn’t,” Axe said. “You’d be ancient yourself by the time we finished. RAHAHAHAHA!”

Reaper’s fingers twitched. In his mind, he pictured the myriad ways he could silence Axe’s laughter, each one more satisfying than the last. The only thing stopping him from carrying out any of them was the fact that doing so would certainly cause a war between Minos and Equestria.

War’s sounding more and more appealing by the minute, Reyes voice commented. Unlike that damned laugh!

“On that, I happen to agree with my brother,” Dagger said. “You have not experienced the true meaning of ‘long and boring’ until you’ve had to sit through a traditional minotaur tale.”

“Or a traditional minotaur anything for that matter,” Axe added. “Such as the announcement of names and titles.”

As the group approached the palace gate, the sentries crossed their spears and barred the way.

“Ugh,” Dagger groaned, exasperated. “Here it comes.”

“Could we skip it today, boys?” Axe asked. “Just once? We had to take the long way back from the gate and -”

“The princes of Minos have returned!” shouted one sentry.

“Make way for the princes of Minos!” shouted the other.

“Uhh...they do know that they’re the only ones in the way, right?” Rainbow asked.

Dagger rubbed the bridge of his nose, his expression pained. “Just...just let them finish.”

“Announcing the arrival of Asterius Xander Everard, winner of the Golden Gauntlet, inheritor of the Mirror Shield, loyal Captain of the Horn, esteemed Prince of Minos and son of Minos, the King of Minos!” the first sentry shouted.

“Ah, the abridged version. Thank you, lad,” Axe said, patting the sentry on the shoulder.

He stepped forward and the spears lifted to let him in. From somewhere within the palace, a slow rhythmic drum began to beat. Axe walked to the beat of the drum down path straight into the open inner gates.

“Announcing the arrival of Daedelus Agenor Raeshod, reigning champion of the General’s Games, chosen bearer of the Thunder Lance, honored Strategos of the Ring, esteemed Prince of Minos and son of Minos, the King of Minos!” the second sentry shouted.

“These are ambassadors from Equestria,” Dagger said as he stepped forward. “They are to be announced as such and nothing more. Do not hassle them.”

“But sir,” the first sentry began, but Dagger had already begun his walk down the center. He sighed and turned to the Equestrians. “May I at least know your names and honorifics?”

“Lady Rarity will suffice, darling,” Rarity said, flashing a smile.

“I’m just Rainbow Dash…” Rainbow said, then she grinned and added, “The awesome!”

“Reaper,” Reaper said simply.

“Title or Honorific?” the sentry pressed.

“Commander,” Reaper replied, surprising himself.

Both Rarity and Rainbow gave Reaper questioning looks, but he ignored them.

“Was that you or me?” he muttered to the voice in his head.

We Reyes’ smug voice replied.

The sentry announced the arrival of Lady Rarity, Commander Reaper, and Rainbow Dash the Awesome, ambassadors of Equestria, and the three walked towards the palace, none of them bothering to keep in time with the slow drum.

“Commander, huh?” Rainbow asked.

“Back in the day,” Reaper said with a shrug.

“You really are full of surprises, Commander,” Rarity said. “One of these days, you simply must sit down and tell us about your life.”

“No...Not today,” Reaper said. “I think I’ve figured out our friendship problem.”

“No big mystery, that one,” Rainbow said. Then, she parodied Axe’s laugh, “Rahahaha!”

“Please, Rainbow Dash, I’ve heard quite enough of that already,” Rarity complained. “Although I do believe we’ve all figured it out by now. The question is: how do we fix it?”

“I doubt we can,” Reaper said. “They nearly killed each other back at Brick Wall’s place.”

“Their enmity does seem rather extreme, but I don’t doubt that we’ll figure something out,” Rarity said.

“Always do!” Rainbow affirmed.

Reaper wished he could share the ponies’ confidence.

Chapter 15: Rarity Investigates

An elderly minotaur with a prim white beard and a pair of small, round glasses loomed in front of the Equestrians as they entered Minos Palace. “You did not follow the timing of the ceremonial drums of entry,” he said, his voice soft, but accusing.

“What did you expect me to do, flap my wings to it?” Rainbow asked. “Those things were so slow, I wouldn’t even make it off the ground!”

“One is meant to walk,” the minotaur replied.

“Spokes!” Axe called out in his usual jovial tone. “Stop accosting the poor, tiny, things!”

“They are ambassadors from Equestria,” Dagger added. “Let them through.”

“They are poorly trained ambassadors,” Spokes said, narrowing his eyes as he scrutinized the Equestrians.

“They are the first visitors we’ve had in a long time. We can forgive some ignorance of our customs,” Dagger said. “Now let them through. I won’t say it again.”

“Best do as he says, Spokes,” Axe said. “You know how dangerous he can get when he’s pouty! RAHAHAHAHA!”

Spokes paused for a moment more before stepping aside and bowing to the Equestrians. “As my princes command. Welcome to Minos Palace. I am Tin Spokes, Steward of the Palace, Servant of -”

“So what’s for dinner, Spokes?” Axe interrupted. “No, wait! Don’t tell me! I’d prefer to be surprised! RAHAHAHAHA!”

Spokes slowly rose from his bow, one eye twitching.

“And I don’t very much care,” Dagger said. “The better question is: will you be joining us for dinner this evening, brother?”

“Us?” Axe asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes,” Dagger replied. “The ambassadors will be joining me in the dining hall, of course. You are free to join us.”

“And just who decided that?” Axe asked, a slight edge to creeping into his tone.

“I’m sorry,” Rarity cut in. “Won’t we all be dining together?”

“The princes have not shared a meal for quite some time,” Spokes said.

“What? Why?” Rainbow asked.

“Please accept our apologies,” Rarity said over Rainbow Dash’s voice. “It seems our arrival has caused more than a little inconvenience.”

“That is both true and irrelevant,” Dagger said. “Regardless, such things are best discussed once we are all settled. Spokes, send word to the kitchens that Axe will be dining with me this evening. And of course have meals prepared for our guests as well.”

“No,” Axe said.

Dagger looked questioningly at his brother.

“I’ll eat in the barracks, as usual,” Axe clarified, his tone serious. “You cannot simply choose what I will or will not do, brother.”

Dagger shrugged. “As you say… Now, if the rest of you would follow me -”

“Actually, I think I’m gonna go with Axe,” Rainbow interrupted. “If this place is anything like Equestria, I’d probably prefer whatever mess they’ve got over at these barracks than some fancy dining hall.”

“Well now, that was unexpected!” Axe said, his humor returning. “RAHAHAHAHA!”

Dagger frowned. “I would insist, but...as my brother has so graciously pointed out, I cannot simply choose for you. If my company is unwanted, then so be it. What else can I do but dine alone?”

“That isn’t true, Prince Dagger,” Rarity said. “I would be more than happy to dine with you. And please forgive my friend. She doesn’t mean to insult you. She simply has her own preferences, is all.”

“Yeah, dude, chill out,” Rainbow added. “I just wanna eat without having to choose between, like, ten different forks.”

“Very well,” Dagger said. He hesitated for a moment, then turned to Reaper. “And what of you, commander? You’ve been quiet so far. Who shall you dine with?”

“I’m not hungry,” Reaper replied. “I’d like to rest. Where will we be staying for the night?”

“Spokes, show the commander to the guest rooms, and bring the ponies’ saddlebags as well,” Dagger said. “Lady Rarity, if you’ll follow me, I will lead us to the dining hall. Axe, I assume you’ll be fine without my input?”

“Better than fine!” Axe boomed. He turned to Rainbow Dash and asked, “Pegasus ponies are supposed to be fast, aren’t they? Up for a little challenge before dinner?”

Rainbow Dash smiled. “Only if you’re ready to change the menu ‘cause you’ll be eating my dust!”

“RAHAHAHAHA!”

~~~

Despite her earlier words, Rarity wasn’t nearly as confident in their group’s success as she pretended to be. The truth of the matter was that they were in over their heads. She had felt as much the moment Twilight had begun talking about treaties and standing agreements. The walk to the palace had only reinforced the fact that there was more than just a friendship at stake here. One mistake, and lives could be lost. One wrong move, and there could be war.

Rarity resolved to talk things over with Rainbow Dash later that night. The mare was steadfast in more than just her loyalty, and her awesome, can-do attitude in the face of adversity did tend to be infectious.

And in return for Rainbow’s encouragement, perhaps I could instill some small sense of caution in her, Rarity thought, mildly amused.

She took a moment to appreciate the map’s choice of ambassadors for this mission. Though their personalities were vastly different, she and Rainbow made a nice complementary pair - like two colors on opposite sides of the color wheel. Despite her doubts, Rarity could already see the direction the map had intended them to take, and she didn’t doubt that Rainbow saw it too. Rarity would speak with Dagger while Rainbow spoke with Axe, and together they would, somehow, find a way to reconcile whatever had come between the brothers.

And then there’s Reaper...

No matter how Rarity pictured it, Reaper seemed to be the odd one out in this mission. So far, his purpose was unclear, which can’t have been easy considering this was also his first time being called by the map. No, it wouldn’t do to share her doubts with Reaper. The poor dear was distant enough as it was. He had been improving of late, but he was still prone to long silences and short responses, and so needed as much encouragement and trust as the rest of them could provide.

And you can’t very well encourage someone if you’re too busy discouraging yourself, Rarity thought. Chin up, Rarity! Treat it like a field trip. You’re one of the first ponies to see Minotaur architecture in what could be a thousand years, so soak it in! Maybe you could incorporate some of it into your next line.

As Dagger continued to lead her through the halls, Rarity turned her attention to her surroundings. To her quiet dismay, the interior of Minos Palace was even more horrid than its exterior. Having been friends with Applejack for years now, she had become used to dealing with ponies who preferred function over form. She had even, to some extent, applied that idea to some of her more recent designs. However, Rarity maintained that there was a distinct difference between somepony who preferred function over form and somepony who cared only for function and held form in contempt. Whoever was responsible for the design of Minos Palace was clearly one of the latter - ‘pony’ suffix notwithstanding.

“Admiring the decor?” Dagger asked.

What decor!? Rarity almost blurted. Instead, she bit back her disgust with a fake cough, then cleared her throat. “Excuse me. The journey here has left me rather winded. Would you mind saying that again, please?” Mentally, she added, Think, Rarity! Think! How can you describe this wretched hole without offending him?

Dagger waved a hand dismissively. “You should have allowed one of my guards to carry you. I was asking what you thought of Minos Palace. You are studying its walls like a critic scrutinizing a work of art...or a trapped beast searching for a way out.”

That last statement made Rarity pause. Despite Dagger’s calm facade, she had surmised that he was a dangerous individual - certainly no stranger to violence. The last thing she needed right now was to give him any reason to be suspicious of her. That thought in mind, she decided to take a calculated risk and simply tell the truth.

“I suppose you could say that I am something of an art critic, Prince Dagger,” Rarity said. “Back in Equestria, I am a fashion designer - a renowned one, if I may be permitted some vanity. And I have been known to dabble in interior design from time to time, among other things.”

“And what does the renowned Equestrian designer think of the Minotaurs’ proudest architectural accomplishment?”

You’ve come this far, Rarity. Don’t back down now, Rarity thought herself as she swallowed. “To be frank...this may very well be the ugliest palace I have ever laid eyes upon. And I say that after having seen my fair share of ruins, prince. Bare cave walls would have been preferable to this horrid mess of stone - at least then you’d be able to achieve the natural look. Nopony - excuse me - Nobody appears to have bothered with anything even remotely resembling interior decorating, but I suppose I cannot fault that. I don’t think even I could do anything to salvage this...this...atrocity of an interior. Having said that, it is defensible, at least. I can’t see anything smaller than a mountain breaking through these reinforced walls. Not that that is any excuse! I swear, one would have to actually be trying to make the building as ugly as possible in order to...to...”

Rarity trailed off as she realized that Dagger had stopped and was now staring down at her, his expression unreadable.

Perhaps that was a tad too honest, Rarity thought.

“I…” Rarity began.

Dagger held up a hand to stop her. “No, don’t apologize. I agree with everything you’ve just said. I’ve said some of it myself a few times in the past. Alas, very few minotaurs have any respect for matters of beauty. Very few. I had just not expected to hear you say so. At least, not so openly. Perhaps I misjudged you.”

“Well, I care a great deal about matters of beauty, Prince Dagger,” Rarity said. “Much of my life revolves around it.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Dagger said as he once more continued to walk. “Your...cutie mark, was it called? Suggests as much. Which is why a single question has been nagging at me since you arrived.”

“And what question is that?” Rarity asked.

“Why are you here?”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand. As our documents say, we are -”

“Ambassadors, yes. That is the official story. Celestia’s seal is magically unique, and not so easily forged. But the treaties between Minos and Equestria are not due to be renewed for another sixty-three moons, so, diplomatically, we have nothing to talk about, and before you bring up informing us of the changes in the Equestrian government, such a thing could be relegated to only one ambassador, or even a simple messenger. The latter is historically what Celestia used to inform us of the shift from a diarchy to a monarchy one thousand years ago.”

“I, ah...” Rarity trailed off. Her mouth went dry and she could feel the beginnings of panic setting in, addling her thoughts.

“Was unaware of that? Few are. Fewer still, among the minotaurs. But as you have likely surmised, I am often counted among the few. Which brings us back to my original question: why are you here?”

Rarity let out a slow, calming breath. This isn’t your first time under pressure, Rarity, she told herself. You know what to do. To Dagger, she said, “We are ambassadors.”

“Sticking to your story?” Dagger asked, looking back at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Let me finish,” Rarity chastised, her confidence returning. “We are ambassadors of a different kind. We represent the interests of Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship.”

“And what might those interests be?”

“Precisely what her title implies: friendship. Our nations are allies, yes, but we are hardly friends. We are here to attempt to rectify that. Or to start us on the path to doing so, anyway.”

“As asinine as that sounds...I believe you,” Dagger said. He sounded just a little surprised. “Had any other nation sent friendship ambassadors, I would suspect a plot, but Equestria? Equestria has not plotted or schemed or gone to war against another nation unprovoked in the entirety of its history. I cannot see that changing now. In fact, I find the idea of having a branch of government specifically dedicated to the pursuit of friendship to be remarkably Equestrian. Now that I think about it, it is rather surprising that it has taken you ponies this long to set one up. That said, your timing is impeccable, so I must ask, why now?”

Rarity chose her next words carefully. “Princess Twilight has a magical artifact - a map - that tells us where our presence would be most beneficial.”

“And it sent you here?” Dagger asked. He snorted. “I suppose one has no need for spies when one has Equestrian magic.”

“Oh, don’t get the wrong idea,” Rarity said. “The map isn’t at all detailed. In fact, we ourselves barely understand it. We simply go where it points and seek to be of service. It hasn’t led us astray yet. Going by your words, I suppose it has succeeded yet again. What is it that we can help you with?”

“A generous offer,” Dagger commented. “Minos has many problems, little pony, but the one that would most interfere with its...friendship with Equestria would be the succession of the throne.”

“I do not understand. Are you and your brother not the ruling princes?”

“Ah, yes, Equestria is ruled by its princesses. Of course you would think that the same was true here. How woefully uninformed your liege has left you. Minos is a kingdom. That is not just a title. We are ruled by a king. My father.”

“Then why -”

“Why hasn’t he appeared? Why haven’t you met him? Because he is dying, Lady Rarity.”

“Oh, I am sorry. I didn’t know.”

“Do not be. You had no way of knowing. Indeed, Minos prefers you not knowing. Although my father was loved, and his reign was arguably the most peaceful one in recorded history, Minos is currently in the process of forgetting him.”

“But why?”

“Because we must look to the future, Lady Rarity. My father’s name has been written, his works tallied, and his time very nearly finished, but the future? That has yet to be determined.”

“I see...”

“Do you? Succession has never been an issue for Equestria. Princess Celestia is as ageless as the sun. Luna, now that she has returned, is a similar case. I know not how it will be for your newer princesses, but I doubt you Equestrians will ever fight over their thrones. The very idea of going to war to be crowned the Princess of Friendship is contradictory. But in Minos, war is precisely what we do.”

Rarity gasped. “You don’t mean...you and Axe?”

“Will fight, yes,” Dagger said, nodding. “But not just us. All of Minos will pick a side. As it stands, my brother has captured the hearts of the common folk, while I have the support of the nobility. Lines are being drawn all over Minos. Unfortunately, it seems there is a clear and even divide. Axe has more supporters, but mine are more powerful. This war will be long and bloody.”

“But...he is your brother!” Rarity exclaimed.

“And if I am to take the throne, he must die,” Dagger said coldly. “If I am to win over his supporters, I must prove that I am the stronger, better candidate. That is the way of Minos.”

“Don’t you love him?” Rarity asked without thinking. The look Dagger shot her made her instantly regret it.

A goat’s bleating interrupted whatever Dagger was going to say next. Dagger looked away from Rarity and towards the goat, who was standing in front of a large set of doors.

“Yes, we will enter now. Skip the introduction, we are late anyway,” Dagger said.

The goat bleated again and opened the doors behind him, revealing a large, undecorated dining hall with a long table at the far end and multiple smaller round tables spread throughout. The long table had a single throne-like chair at the center with several smaller chairs lined up on either side. It was also the only empty table in the room. Every other table was occupied by minotaurs dressed in what Rarity assumed was the latest in Minos fashion. It was gaudy, to say the least; consisting mostly of flashy jewelry and clothes so loose as to seem ill-fitting.

The diners all rose as Dagger entered, their chatter dying away as they bowed to their prince. “Continue with your meals,” Dagger said with a dismissive wave. He strode towards the large empty table and seated himself on the left hand side of the throne. Rarity, having been given no instructions, opted to follow and sat to Dagger’s left. Almost as soon as she sat, a minotaur wearing a black bowtie placed a plate of food in front of her. She was unfamiliar with the dish, save that it appeared to be made up of steamed vegetables in some form of sauce. The presentation was, predictably, awful.

Rarity glanced over at Dagger and saw that he was already eating. The prince was eliminating his food almost alarmingly quickly. But where others might tear into a meal with reckless abandon, he cut through his with surgical precision, making little noise and leaving no trace of food where his utensils had already passed. Once more following Dagger’s lead, Rarity picked up a fork with her magic and sampled the dish laid out for her. It wasn’t bad, perhaps on a better day, she might have even considered it good, but she found that she couldn’t focus on the food at the moment.

The room around her was unsettlingly quiet. Save for the occasional clink of silverware, there was no noise. Although the dinners had clearly been conversing before her and Dagger’s arrival, no one had spoken a word since then. Of course, that didn’t mean that they weren’t communicating, just that they weren’t talking aloud.

Rarity cast her gaze around the room, looking for the subtle signs she knew would be - there! An uneasy glance. An awkward shift in posture. A few idle taps on a table. All seemingly unrelated, but Rarity could tell gossip when she saw it.

But what are they saying? Rarity asked internally. I could read a Canterlot pony like an open book, but these minotaurs are beyond me.

Once more, she glanced at Dagger. He was staring right at her. She nearly dropped her fork in shock.

“Y-yes?” Rarity asked, inwardly cursing herself for being unable to keep the shock out of her voice.

“You are very perceptive,” Dagger replied.

Rarity became painfully aware of the fact that their voices carried through the silence of the room like a firecracker on a quiet night. Every eye was now upon them. She swallowed. “What makes you say that?”

Dagger gestured towards the diners. “You have already noticed their quiet scheming.” A few gasps sounded from the diners, but Dagger ignored them. “They pride themselves on their subtlety, you know. It is an uncommon trait among minotaurs. I suppose that’s why they thought I never noticed. Do you know what they’ve been discussing?”

“No, not at all,” Rarity said.

Dagger nodded. “That is to be expected. I shall tell you: they've been discussing your arrival, and debating whether or not Equestria would support me or my brother.”

“Nothing travels faster than gossip,” Rarity commented. “I see that is as true in Minos as it is in Equestria.”

“So it would seem,” Dagger agreed. “Although I wager the speed at which my supporters’ faith in me dwindles comes at a close second.”

One of the diners spoke. “My prince, I assure you -”

A knife suddenly wedged itself into the diner’s chair, its edge a hair’s length from the skin of his neck.

“It was rude of you to interrupt, Shoals,” Dagger said as he calmly laid his hand back unto the table. Rarity hadn’t even seen him lift it, much less throw the knife. “I was having a conversation with the lady. Besides, I think you’ve given quite enough assurances this evening, wouldn’t you agree?”

Shoals swallowed, then slowly nodded, apparently dissuaded from speaking again.

“Shoals over there had assured the others that Equestrian support would be insignificant either way,” Dagger explained, turning back to Rarity. “His family has been lobbying for a war against Equestria for generations. They see your kind as weak and your lands as ripe for the picking.”

“Surely, you do not believe that?” Rarity asked. Her voice was steady, but she felt numb. It had finally dawned on her exactly why the minotaurs that wore clothes wore them so loosely.

“I believe that one would have to be blind to not see how rich Equestria has become...Is something the matter, lady? You’re quivering.”

Rarity cursed inwardly and made a conscious effort to steady herself. When she turned to Dagger, it was with an icy glare. “A passing feeling, prince. I am unaccustomed to attending dinners with more concealed weapons than salad forks.”

Dagger smiled. “I do believe I am beginning to enjoy your company, lady. You do much to disprove the commonly held views of your kind.”

“Unfortunately, the same can be said of my present company,” Rarity said, her voice gaining strength. “I was led to believe that minotaurs were strong and proud. Instead, I find myself surrounded by schemers who are too weak to trust their fellows and too afraid to speak openly. It has left a sour taste in my mouth that has quite ruined my appetite, so if you’ll excuse me -”

A sound like a series of thunderclaps came from beyond the dining hall’s doors. Rarity froze, but every minotaur in the room was instantly on their hooves, various weapons appearing in their hands. An armored minotaur guard burst through the doors, his expression panicked. The guard opened his mouth to speak, but the sound of thunder came again, louder now, and he winced instead.

“What is it? What is happening? Speak!” Dagger demanded.

Rarity felt dread growing within her. She had heard that sound once before.

No, she thought. It couldn’t be.

“W-we are under attack!” the guard stammered.

Dagger leapt over the table and approached the guard. “Where? How? By who? Speak quickly, damn you!”

The guard was trembling now, almost overcome by the combined fear of whatever terror was behind him and the angry prince in front of him. “A d-demon,” he managed to say. “With the face of death and arms of thunder!”

Oh, Reaper, Rarity thought. What have you done?

Chapter 16: 28 Minutes Earlier

Rainbow Dash easily looped underneath the minotaur’s wild swing and flew back up to deliver a swift kick to his head. The minotaur staggered, but didn’t fall. Recovering quickly, he swung again, hoping to catch the pegasus before she flew out of his reach. Again, he hit nothing but empty air, and received a kick in the head for his trouble.

“Yeesh, you minotaurs have thick skulls,” Rainbow commented as she landed in front her opponent. “I mean, sure, you can take a hit, but you never learn!”

The minotaur bent its head and charged Dash, horns-first. Dash took off to the right, looped around, and came down hard on the back of the charging minotaur’s head. This time, the minotaur went down.

“And she wins again!” Dash said with a smug smile as she stepped off of her grounded opponent.

“RAHAHAHAHA!” Axe boomed. “I warned you, Clay! She’s too fast for you!”

Clay, Rainbow’s opponent, got up off the ground and tried to hide his embarrassment by looking down and dusting himself off. “I would’ve had her if she wasn’t so small,” he said weakly.

“That’s funny,” Rainbow said with a mocking grin. “Earlier you said it would be easy because I was so small.”

Laughter erupted from the crowd of guards surrounding the training ring, swelling Rainbow’s pride. After leading her to the training grounds outside the palace proper, Axe had set up a little event for her and all the guards that were off duty at the time.

“Three challenges!” Axe had said. “The top four scorers of the first move on to the second, then the top two of that face off on the third. The winner of the third earns the respect and admiration of all those present...and my dessert for a week! RAHAHAHAHA!”

The minotaurs had laughed when Axe told them that Rainbow would be joining the competition. The laughing stopped when she easily won the first challenge - a race - without even using her wings. When she generated a small tornado while performing a discus throw - the second challenge - some of them had actually cheered. And now, having won the third and final challenge - a sparring match - Rainbow felt that she had finally earned their respect.

“And that concludes our little event!” Axe called out. “The winner and undisputed champion, with the top score in all three events, is our guest, Rainbow Dash the Awesome!”

The guards cheered, and Rainbow twirled into the air to strike a pose.

“And now...” Axe said as the cheering died down. “WE FEAST! RAHAHAHAHA!”

~~~

The mess hall was pretty much exactly what Rainbow had expected, a plain hall with several identical long tables. The only notable decoration was a painting of a large, grey minotaur with a broadsword and a wide smile on the far wall. The seats at the tables filled up quickly, and Axe actually had to hurry to secure two adjacent spots for both him and Rainbow Dash.

By the time everyone was settled, there wasn’t an empty seat left, and the air was filled with chatter. Everywhere Rainbow looked, there were minotaurs talking or laughing or arguing about one thing or another. On one table, an arm wrestling competition was even underway. Rainbow took it all in and smiled. Axe was right to call this a feast. There was only one problem...

“You know, when you said we’d feast, I kinda expected...food,” Rainbow Dash said. She idly poked the unidentifiable green goop on her plate with a spoon. “What is this, even?”

“I have no idea!” Axe boomed before lifting his plate and sliding all of the goop on it into his mouth. He put the plate down and belched. “But it tastes awful! RAHAHAHAHA!”

Rainbow stuck out her tongue in disgust and pushed her plate away. “I think I’ll just skip straight to dessert, then.”

“Your loss!” Axe exclaimed, taking Rainbow’s plate and downing her share the same way he did his.

“You may have to wait a while,” said a female minotaur guard seated next to Rainbow. “Dessert isn’t something they usually serve to the guards, so Axe’s has to be brought in from the palace kitchens, and that takes time. Not everyone’s as fast as you.”

“Hey, no one’s as fast as Rainbow Dash the Awesome!” Rainbow said, puffing out her chest.

The guard chuckled. “Can’t argue with that. I know I’ve never seen faster. The name’s Era, by the way.”

“Nice to meet’cha!” Rainbow said. She winced as Axe’s booming laughter erupted again. She turned and glared at him, but he was in the middle of telling some wild, extremely macho story to the minotaurs across the table and didn’t notice.

“Don’t let it get to you,” Era said, giving Rainbow a friendly pat on the back that knocked the wind out of her.

“What?” Rainbow asked.

Era smiled then counted down with her fingers. 3...2...1…

“RAHAHAHAHA!”

“That,” Era continued. “Yeah, it’s kinda annoying and way too loud, but after a while, it grows on you. And then you start doing it too, if only because you just automatically hear it after the end of every other sentence. There isn’t a minotaur in the guard that can’t imitate Axe’s laugh at this point.”

“Why, though?” Rainbow asked. “I’ve only been around for about half a day and I must’ve heard it at least a bajillion times by now! Why would you want to hear it more?”

“This is gonna sound...kinda weird,” Era said, shaking her head. “But it’s reassuring. As long as Axe is laughing, then you sorta get the feeling that things are okay, you know? Even when it seems like he has no idea what’s going on. And if you can laugh with him, then things seem even better. Does that make sense?”

Rainbow thought of Pinkie Pie - her annoying chatter, her hyperactive antics, and her nonsensical reactions. Was she annoying? Big time. Was she loud? Oh yeah. But would they be better off if she wasn’t?

“I...guess I can see what you mean. Kinda,” Rainbow said. She looked over at Axe, who was now swinging his arms wildly to act out some part of his story, causing the minotaur next to him to duck to avoid getting hit in the face. Instead of getting angry, though, minotaur actually laughed. Axe was definitely no Pinkie Pie, but Rainbow could tell that his enthusiasm was rubbing off on everyone around him.

I guess the minotaurs are just into that sort of thing, Rainbow thought. Wonder if he ever breaks out into song?

“And that, my friends, is how my old man punched Dragon Lord Torch in the eye and lived,” Axe said, concluding his story. “Of course, it wouldn’t have been half as epic an adventure if he was as fast as our Equestrian guest here! RAHAHAHAHA!” He added, playfully punching Rainbow’s shoulder and knocking her into Era.

“Ow!” Rainbow cried as Era helped her back onto her seat. “Watch the hitting! I don’t weigh half a ton like most of you! And what’s this about your old man?”

“What?!” Axe cried in fake indignation. “Haven’t you been paying attention?”

“No,” Era replied. “We were enjoying a normal conversation for once, you big lug!”

“You were just trying to weasel the dessert out of her, weren’t you?” one of the other minotaurs accused.

“Hey, she can share it with whoever she wants!” Era countered. “You aren’t gonna be here all week anyway, right?” Era asked Rainbow with a wink.

“If Rainbow leaves, then the dessert should go to me!” Axe exclaimed. “It is my dessert, after all!”

“Since when?” another minotaur asked. “You’ve never won it, much less eaten it!”

“Challenging me, are you?” Axe asked with a glint in his eye. “Careful now, I take after my father, and he was undefeated! RAHAHAHAHA!”

Tin Spokes suddenly appeared behind Axe. He was carrying a small cake with him. “Need I remind you, Prince, that we are not to speak of the king at present time?”

“Bah, he is my father, Spokes,” Axe said with a dismissive wave. “I will speak of him as I please!”

Spokes frowned. “And I see you’ve hung up that painting of him again,” he said, looking at the painting of the grey minotaur on the far wall.

“It helps morale!” Axe exclaimed. “Plus, they got his good side! The side that looks like me!”

“Except taller,” Era quipped.

“RAHAHAHAHA!”

Spokes shook his head, but dropped the subject. He set the cake down in front of Rainbow Dash. “Congratulations on your victory, Ambassador. I’ve been told you broke several records.”

“No one’s ever finished my challenges faster!” Axe boasted. He made to punch Rainbow’s shoulder again, but stopped when he noticed her glaring at him. He cleared his throat instead. “Right...so...enjoy your prize!”

Rainbow looked down at the cake. It was coated in pink icing, but beyond that, it was completely unadorned. There were no designs or accessories to speak of. It lacked even the simple lines or dollops of cream that went on the most basic cakes back at Sugarcube Corner.

Wait, what if it’s not even a cake? Rainbow asked herself, remembering the strange green goop that was supposed to have been dinner.

“So...what flavor is it?” Rainbow asked with some hesitation.

“I’m afraid I do not know,” Spokes replied. “I did not bother to ask. Usually the dessert has disappeared by the time my hands leave the platter. I cannot recall the last time one has lasted this long.”

That was when Rainbow noticed the hungry stares the cake - her cake, if it even was a cake - was getting from every other minotaur at the table save for Axe. Some of them were even drooling.

“Say...” Era began. “That’s...that’s too big for you to finish on your own, right?”

Rainbow’s stomach growled, making her decision for her. “Nope!” she told Era before digging into the cake with gusto.

The minotaurs’ faces fell as Rainbow easily eliminated the entire cake - now confirmed to be a simple chocolate flavored cake - by herself. There was a moment of silence around the table as the last crumbs fell from Rainbow’s muzzle onto the now empty plate. Or there would have been, had Axe not been present.

“I think that’s another record! RAHAHAHAHA!”

~~~

Shortly after Rainbow devoured her cake, Axe rose from the table.

“Leaving already?” Era asked. “It’s only been a few minutes!”

“Aye,” Axe replied. “But there are still a few princely duties I have to attend to now that the day’s excitement is over. I work too, you know!”

“Since when?” a minotaur asked. “Rahahahaha!”

Axe smiled as the whole table erupted in laughter mimicking his own. Rainbow noticed that this smile was softer than the others she’d seen from him, and the look in his eyes that came with it showed gentle fondness. It lasted only a moment, however.

Axe shook his head and countered, “Since you stopped doing yours, you freeloader!”

The table erupted in laughter again, and the topic shifted as the minotaurs began ribbing each other.

Axe turned to Rainbow, the only one at the table still looking at him. He gestured for her to follow and walked out of the mess hall. With no reason to say, Rainbow took flight and flew after him, Tin Spokes silently walking a step behind her.

“Caught you staring, little pony,” Axe said with a grin as Rainbow caught up to him outside the mess hall. “Is there something on my face? Or have you just fallen for my good looks and charm?”

RAHAHAHAHA! Axe’s laugh echoed in Rainbow’s mind, although Axe himself refrained.

Rainbow groaned. “Era was right, I can hear it in my head now!”

“But nothing tops the real thing, does it?” Axe teased. “RAHAHAHAHA!”

“Enough with that!” Rainbow snapped, though the grin on her face did not match the harshness of her tone. “Didn’t you say you had things to do?”

“Right you are!” Axe declared. “But it’s a poor host that leaves his guest unattended. Shall I show you to the guest rooms?”

Spokes cleared his throat. “My prince, please see to your duties. You may leave the ambassador in my care. Rest assured that I will see to her every need.”

Axe waved his hand dismissively. “You’re far busier than me, Spokes! All I have to do is make sure the all clear signal has been properly given. And go see the old man to tell him what happened today.”

“You are not obliged to give any kind of report. And do not forget the paperwork you were to go through this afternoon,” Spokes added.

“I already have!” Axe declared with pride. “Forgotten, that is.”

RAHAHAHAHA! Rainbow heard in her head. She facehoofed. Seeing this, Axe grinned.

Spokes’ eye twitched. “My prince, it is imperative that you -”

“So what do you say, Ambassador Rainbow Dash the Awesome?” Axe asked. “It’s a rare honor to be escorted by royalty, you know. And I daresay, few know the halls or history of the palace better. I could share some of that history as we go along; even answer any questions you might think up. Aye, it may take up a good chunk of my precious time, but I, as your humble host, would be honored to be of service to you.”

“Uh...okay, I guess?” Rainbow said. “Why are you being so formal all of a sudden?”

“Excellent!” Axe exclaimed, ignoring the question. He began leading Rainbow back towards the palace. “If you’ll follow me, ambassador, we can enter the palace through the armory. Did you know that we minotaurs are the world’s foremost experts on non-magical weapon crafting? The royal armory has more than a few pieces that you won’t find anywhere else! The secret is in our reliance on hands, you see. Wonderous things! Not as versatile as magic, sure, but -”

“Prince Asterius!” Spokes called out as he moved to block the pair. “I feel I must warn you that if you continue to ignore the duties of your office that do not involve physical exertion, the effect on our government would be quite severe. Unlike before, neither King Minos nor Prince Daedelus are able or willing to -”

“Yes, yes, the times are changing indeed, Spokes,” Axe said as he gave Spokes a friendly pat on the shoulder and gently pushed him aside. “Which is why it is, as you said, imperative, that I do my part, and not abuse the dedication of hard working bulls such as yourself. You can leave the ambassador to me, I’ll be sure to give her the full guided tour in your stead!”

“That is not what I -”

“Have a good night, Spokes! I’ll see to that paperwork in the morning. Ah, but a prince’s work is never done. RAHAHAHAHA!”

~~~

As Axe walked Rainbow through various pieces of minotaur equipment - even showing her a few prototypes, like a repeating crossbow and something called a fire lance - she found herself uncharacteristically distracted. Ordinarily, such an awesome display of unique military gear would capture her attention immediately, but she was currently preoccupied with trying to pick out and piece together relevant clues and details, like she knew Rarity usually did.

Okay, Rainbow, you know something’s up with Axe. You’ve hung out with him, and he’s pretty cool, but he’s also a little...off. Somehow, this all ties into a friendship problem. The problem you were sent to help with, Rainbow thought to herself. Try to remember what you’ve seen and heard so far. There must be some hint or clue that - wait, did he just say that lance shoots fire? Without magic? That is sooo cool! I - no! Focus! Focus! Gah, why is this so hard?

“Something bothering you, Rainbow Dash?” Axe asked. “You’ve been acting strange since you ate that cake. It not sitting well with you?”

Rainbow’s head snapped up. “What? The cake? No way! We have cakes three times the size of that one back in Ponyville. I’m fine, trust me. So, uh, please continue.”

“Are you sure? There’s no shame in needing to use the toilet,” Axe said. “Though with your size, you’d probably just fall in! RAHAHAHAHA!”

“I’ll have you know that I’m a perfectly proportioned pegasus!” Rainbow exclaimed. “I’m not small, everything here is just big!”

“Except for the cakes, apparently,” Axe pointed out. “Going by what you’ve told me, in Equestria, the cakes are much bigger, but the bathrooms are actually smaller. What kind of backwards logic is that? Small wonder you’ve never started any wars. You’re too busy unclogging your pipelines! RAHAHAHAHA!”

“Hey, Equestrian plumbing works just fine!” Rainbow said defensively. “A lot of smart ponies wrote a lot of books on the subject! There’s, like, a whole section of them in my friend’s library!"

“A whole section you say?” Axe asked with a coy smile. “Just for plumbing?”

“Yeah! And...hey, I know what you’re getting at!”

“RAHAHAHAHA!”

Rainbow fumed. Hearing Axe laugh so often in such a short span of time was really starting to get on her nerves.

“Ugh, are you like this all the time?” Rainbow snapped. “Enough with the obnoxious laughter already!”

“Now, now, ambassador. No need to be upset,” Axe said, patting Rainbow’s head. “Anyone would laugh more around good company! Take it as a compliment! You didn’t hear me laugh as much around old Spoke-in-the-mud, now did you?”

“Huh...I guess not,” Rainbow replied.

“See? You’re doing your job: improving pony-minotaur relations! RAHAHAHAHA!”

“But what about Dagger?” Rainbow asked.

Axe’s good humor drained away. His smile stayed on his face, but it now seemed strained. “What about him?”

Rainbow’s muscles tensed, and her instincts told her she was flying in dangerous territory. “Nothing, it’s just...you laugh plenty around him.”

Axe swallowed. “Aye. That I do, don’t I?” There was a lengthy pause, and Axe’s gaze went distant. “Doesn’t seem to matter how old we grow, or how cold he gets, when we’re together, I laugh like when we were calves. Makes me wonder...will I laugh when he dies?”

“Wait, what?” Rainbow asked, shocked by the unexpected turn of the conversation. “Why would...I mean, that’s, uh...Well at least...that won’t happen for a while, right?”

“My brother and I share the title of prince,” Axe said, serious. “But there can be only one king, little pony.”

A sound like a crack of thunder punctuated Axe’s grim statement. Axe snapped his head towards the sound and let out an angry snort as it rang out again and again. Before Rainbow could say anything else, Axe grabbed one of his namesake weapons from a rack and charged out of the armory towards the sound, breaking the door down as he went.

As Axe charged down the halls, Rainbow Dash hot on this heels, he heard his soldiers scream along with the cracks of thunder, their terrified voices adding to the dread cacophony echoing throughout the palace. The last of his usual mirth evaporated. In its place came a squall of anger; anger born of fear and frustration; anger he often suppressed, but once let loose, he could barely control. Whatever was attacking his people, Axe decided, was as good as dead.

He had no idea how right he was.

Chapter 17: Psychopath

Spokes led Reaper up to the second floor of the palace and into a small hallway. The hallway had only one entrance, three doors on either side, and led to a dead end. The entrance was guarded by two stoic minotaurs armed with spears, and the bare wall on the far side had the outline of a frame where a painting had been until recently.

“These are the guest rooms, Commander Reaper,” Spokes explained. “I assure you that they are all identical and well-maintained. Once your fellow ambassadors have finished their meals, I will lead them here as well. The rooms were designed to be occupied by a single minotaur each; however, given the difference in size between the members of your contingent and the average minotaur, sharing one should also be possible, if you prefer.”

Spokes paused and looked at Reaper, giving the smaller creature time to respond, comment, or ask a question. When it became clear that Reaper would remain silent, he continued. “Should you have a request or require assistance in any way, you may inform one of the guards stationed at the entrance of the hall, and the palace staff will attend to you as soon as possible. This includes any time you wish to travel to and from these rooms. For your own comfort and safety, I must insist that you refrain from moving about the palace without an escort. Is this acceptable?”

He says that like we have a choice, Reyes said.

Reaper nodded.

“Very good,” Spokes said. “I will leave your companions’ bags out here in the hallway, so that they may bring their possessions into whichever room they ultimately choose. Rest assured that our guards will allow no harm to befall any of the items stored within. Now, if that is all, there are other things I must attend to.”

“Just go,” Reaper commanded.

Spokes gave a slight bow then turned around and left the hallway. Reaper walked in the opposite direction and went through the door on the far right end.

The room inside was large and spacious, relative to Reaper’s size, but also spartan. It contained no furnishings beyond a single, almost military, bed and an empty closet. There was a door at the far end that lead to a simple bathroom with a sink, mirror, toilet, and shower. Although the bathroom was also overlarge for Reaper, he noted that the layout still made it seem small and cramped. Had he been as large as a minotaur, using this bathroom would prove difficult. Not that it mattered. He hadn’t needed to use a bathroom since his transformation.

There are benefits to the whole undead thing, Reyes commented.

“Like not needing to rest,” Reaper agreed.

Reaper stored his backpack in the closet, taking a minute to check that his citizenship papers were still safe inside as he did, then walked back towards the room’s main entrance. He paused in front of the door and considered his options.

We could stay here, Reyes began. Wait for everyone to regroup first. They’ll probably learn a thing or two during dinner. That ought to give us an idea of what we should be doing.

Reaper shook his head. “Waste of time. Besides, there’s only so much you can learn from talk. Some things, the crucial things, you have to find.”

Like this King Minos they’re so eager to forget, Reyes agreed.

“That’s where I’ll start,” Reaper said. “Even if I don’t find anything conclusive...”

The more intel we have, the better our decisions will be, Reyes completed. But how do we get out of here?

“There were vents in the bathroom roof. Drains, too,” Reaper said.

Both too small for us to travel through, even in our current form, Reyes countered. And the main entrance is guarded.

“Neither of those would be a problem...for a wraith,” Reaper said.

Reyes did not respond.

Reaper examined his right hand. He slowly closed his fist in the familiar motion of gripping his shotgun and watched as the mist poured out of his body and materialized into the weapon. Then he waited.

Silence.

But that was expected. The act of forming his guns had always been nearly automatic. It took no effort. It did not wake the hunger. Reaper unclenched his hand and let the gun fade back into mist. The next step would be harder; more dangerous. Turning into mist always was. Reaper stared at his empty hand, and noticed that he was shaking.

“What, no clever quips?” Reaper asked the voice in his head. “No sly comments?”

No, Reyes replied. Only doubts and fears. It’s hard to keep them in check. Almost overwhelming, actually. But we had a deal.

“I...We beat it once before. We can do it again,” Reaper said. “Besides, this might not even work.”

It will work, Reyes assured him.

Reaper knew the voice was right. When he had used his power to save his dog, the darkness that had felt so distant had come closer. When his body had changed after he recovered, the faded specter at the edge of his senses had become clearer. It still could not reach him, but he knew with absolute certainty that he could reach it. And when he did, there would be no pushing it away again.

We shouldn’t do this, Reyes said.

“We have to, eventually,” Reaper countered.

But not now. Not here, Reyes argued.

“Then when?” Reaper asked, his fear giving way to anger. “Here and now, we can make a difference. Here and now, we can matter.”

It isn’t safe, a voice cautioned. It sounded distorted.

“Blackwatch doesn’t play it safe. It gets things done. And so do I,” Reaper declared as the tips of his fingers turned into mist.

As the rest of his hand began to fade, realization struck him. He’d said those exact words before; used them to justify the experiment that would ultimately transform him from Gabriel Reyes into the Reaper. He’d been desperate then; willing to do anything to salvage the dumpster fire that his life had become. But having that operation done had been the biggest mistake of his life. Was he about to make another?

Reaper willed his hand solid and clenched his fist. “I want to help. I want to keep them safe,” he told the voice in his head. “But…you’re right. This isn’t safe.”

A tall, red-headed woman appeared before him. “We all make mistakes, commander,” she said to him. Her voice was initially distorted, but eventually cleared up into the haughty tone Reaper remembered she always used. “For example, I appear to have joined an organization run by a fool.”

“Moira?” [1] Reaper asked, reeling. “How did you…?”

“You appear to be confused, disoriented...weak,” Moira said. “Though I suppose that’s all within my expectations.”

“I’ll show you weak!”Reaper growled. He reached into the darkness, but then stopped himself. “No!”

A cowboy appeared next to Moira. “I’m leaving, boss.”

“Jesse?” Reaper asked. He reached out, but the cowboy turned away. “Wait!”

“Things just ain’t like they used to be,” McCree said. “And neither are you. We both know what’s coming. Lookin’ back, I guess it’s been coming a long time. I won’t stop you - Lord knows you have your reasons - but I won’t help you either. It’s been a good ride, old man, but...this is my stop.”

“I said wait, boy! You will - no...NO!” Reaper screamed. He clutched his head. “That was years ago. You said that years ago. Both of you. You aren’t here. This isn’t real. This isn’t...this is...Reyes! What is this!?”

The voice in his head did not answer. Pain flared throughout Reaper’s body and he fell to the ground. Reaper grit his teeth and suppressed a scream. Something was wrong. Something was very very wrong.

The pain doubled in intensity, but through sheer force of will, Reaper remained conscious. “Don’t fade,” he commanded himself through grit teeth. “Do. Not. Fade.”

A burning sensation spread across his chest, as if someone had pressed against it with a branding iron. Reaper tried to move his right arm to feel the area, but it felt heavy and would not bend. He looked down to see that his right arm had grown to twice its previous length and that a green orb was coming out of his chest. As the orb slowly grew outwards, Reaper heard someone laughing.

After a moment, he realized that the laughter was coming from his own mouth and forced it shut again.

“Dragon magic’s a crude and unreliable thing, isn’t it?” an unfamiliar voice asked. “Sure, it’s got raw power in spades, but you never know exactly how it’s working - or for how long.”

Reaper looked up and saw what appeared to be a small, deformed minotaur standing over him. The creature was only around half the height of a pony, but possessed a large, thickly muscled torso and a head with two long horns curved like a ram’s. It’s legs were diminutive, and did not appear to be able to support the weight of its whole body, forcing it to lean forward and prop itself up with its arms for balance in a similar stance to a gorilla’s. Embedded in its left ear was a conspicuously large jewel.

The creature leaned down closer to Reaper and sneered. “Pity it’s all that’s holding you together.”

“DIE!” Reaper screamed as his overlong right arm went for the creature’s throat. The jewel in the creature’s ear glowed and Reaper’s arm compressed, becoming thinner and shorter and leaving the creature’s vitals out of reach.

“Fortunately for you, I’m something of a magician myself,” the creature continued, ignoring Reaper’s attack. “And my magic’s far more reliable. I can keep your body proportional and...somewhat stable until that little orb in your chest is ready to let go of all the bits and pieces. Interested?”

“And what...do you...want?” Reaper managed to ask. He screamed in pain as other parts of his body began to expand at different rates.

“Oh, not much,” the creature answered. “I’m just setting up a little game, you see. And I think someone like you could really kick things off with a bang.”

The orb in the creature’s ear flashed, and the room’s door crumpled like paper behind it before exploding outwards in a shower of splinters. The guards in the hallway yelled in surprise.

Despite the pain, Reaper began to laugh. “Gladly!”

Reaper seemed to choke, then he groaned, “Not a...goddamn...chance! I’d rather...die!”

“Well, it’s not like I need all of you, anyway,” the creature said with a shrug. It placed one muscled arm against the orb on Reaper’s chest and pushed, the orb it its ear glowing as it did so.

Reaper screamed in pain as the two minotaur guards stormed into the room.

“By the mountain!” one exclaimed. “Is that -”

“Ambassador!” the other cried, thrusting its spear at the creature.

*BANG*

The attacking guard screamed in pain, then fell to his knees. He had no visible wounds, but he felt as though someone had ripped his heart from his chest. The pain was immense, but even worse was the feeling that something had just been taken from him.

“Yes! Yessss! Your life is mine!” Reaper exclaimed as he stood. He was larger now - about two-thirds of his actual height - but much skinnier.

The other guard backed away in fear. When Reaper turned to face him, he dropped his spear and ran. Reaper moved to give chase, but the creature - now much smaller than Reaper - held onto his leg to stop him.

“Let him go,” the creature said. “The more noise he makes, the better.”

Reaper pointed his gun at the creature. “I don’t take orders from you.”

The creature gave Reaper a hard look. “And I don’t have to keep helping you.”

The orb in the creature’s ear flashed and Reaper’s left leg expanded, causing him to lose balance and fall over.

“But I am willing to compromise,” the creature continued. It’s orb flashed again, and Reaper’s limbs were once more proportional. “As long as you vent your ire on the palace guard, I’ll keep you functional.”

“Fine,” Reaper agreed as he stood. “But when this is over, you die.”

The creature grinned. “Sure. Now go cause a commotion.”

Reaper growled at being given an order, but did not attack. Instead, he turned and walked out of the room. As soon as he was past the doorway, he faded to mist and flew off.

The creature watched Reaper go, then moved to examine the fallen guard. The guard was prone and unresponsive, but still alive. The creature surmised that he would not awaken for quite some time.

“He could very easily have taken every ounce of life you had, you know,” the creature told the unconscious guard. “And that is without access to his full strength. What a monster! Gehehehe!”

Outside, the sounds of battle could be heard as Reaper began his rampage in earnest. The creature ambled out of the room and slowly moved in the direction of the fighting. He could move faster, but he wanted to let Reaper mow through the guards for as long as possible.

“Truly terrifying,” the creature commented as he went along. He smiled to himself as he passed another living, but seemingly dead guard. “But some part of him still holds back. Fights him from deep within. He is torn, conflicted, and broken, but also strong! And angry! And violent! Oh, that such a creature would just walk into my palace! Truly, fate smiles upon me this day! Gehehehe!”

~~~

Reaper swayed to the side, avoiding a sword thrust, and fired a shot at his attacker’s chest. The minotaur guard staggered, his eyes rolling upwards. Reaper slammed a shotgun against one of the guard’s legs, sending him crashing to the ground.

Reaper walked past the fallen guard, already seeking his next target. It had been so long since he had fed; so long since he had felt this feeling of power coursing through him. His strength was still diminished in his current half-finished form, but he was finally dangerous again, and he gloried in it.

Reaper pushed open a set of doors and found himself back in the main hall. Inside, a squad of guards with crossbows had formed up to face him.

“Fire!” commanded one as soon as Reaper came into view.

The crossbow bolts flew harmlessly through Reaper as he faded into mist, causing some of the guards to shout in alarm.

“Reload, and hold fast!” the same guard from before commanded.

As the squad began to reload their weapons, Reaper reformed in front of the one shouting commands and fired two shots into him. The rest of the squad scattered to put distance between themselves and Reaper. Some dropped their crossbows in surprise. All were shaking.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Reaper said with a grin.

One of the guards that still had their crossbow brought it up to fire. Reaper was faster. A shot rang out, followed by a scream, and the guard was down. From then on, Reaper moved like a blur. He surged forward, moving in between two guards and downing them both at once. He shifted his aim and downed another, then another.

A guard came up behind him, gladius ready to strike. Reaper fired a shot behind him, catching the guard square in the chest, then twisted around the guard as it fell forward, tossing his spent guns as he did so. More guards had poured into the room as he fought. It didn’t matter to him. He would kill them all.

A spear thrust at him from the right. He leaned away from the attack, grabbed the spear shaft with one hand as it passed, and pointed his other hand at his attacker. A new gun materialized and the guard had just enough time to show a horrified expression before Reaper fired.

Reaper lifted the fallen guard’s spear up and parried a clumsy sword swing. The force of the impact pushed his small body backwards, but he stayed on his feet. An axe came at him from above. Reaper dropped the spear and rolled, firing as he did so. The axe-wielder fell, and when Reaper rose, he shot the sword-wielder.

Reaper faded into mist, disorienting the guards that were attempting to surround and overwhelm him. He reappeared in their midst, two fresh guns in his hands. Using his small, agile form to his advantage, Reaper weaved through the guards, downing them with quick, but carefully aimed shots before they could react to his presence.

Although he was alone, he overwhelmed them, shattering their morale. Soon, the guards broke formation and scattered in every direction, each seeking to save themselves from the white-faced demon. But this only made them easier targets, and the battle turned into a slaughter.

Reaper cackled madly as minotaur after minotaur fell before him, and the cacophony of their screams, punctuated by the thunder of his guns, echoed throughout the palace.

~~~

Axe followed the sounds of thunder to the main hall. There, he saw dozens of the palace guard sprawled across the floor, and in the middle of it all was a skinny, black-robed figure about one and a half times a pony’s height. The figure held two strange weapons in its hands, and was cackling madly.

Rainbow Dash flew in just a second after Axe and gasped at the scene. “Oh my gosh...Reaper?”

Screaming in rage, Axe rushed Reaper with his axe raised. Reaper turned to face him, a wicked smile on his deathly white face. He spread his arms wide, welcoming the attack.

“Welcome to death!” Reaper exclaimed.

Axe reached Reaper and swung, but he sidestepped the blow. Axe tried to follow up by smashing the butt of his weapon against Reaper, but Reaper used his smaller size to duck the attack and step behind Axe. Without a wasted movement, Axe shifted his stance and continued his assault.

Axe displayed the prowess of a seasoned warrior; channeling his rage into swift, precise attacks and sudden bursts of measured movement. Each of his strikes flowed smoothly into the next, and as he fell into the rhythm of combat, they increased in speed and ferocity until his arms appeared to be little more than a blur of muscle and steel. Despite this, his opponent remained unharmed. Reaper laughed at Axe’s frustration as he deftly weaved between attacks.

But Axe was not deterred. Faster and faster he struck, his eyes always one step ahead of his arms as he tracked his opponent’s movements and adjusted accordingly. From the way Reaper moved, Axe determined that the smaller creature was faster and more experienced than him, but that it was also incredibly arrogant and sadistic. Reaper ignored any opportunity to counter attack, instead taking that time to goad him with cruel laughter.

When Axe reached the limit of his speed, he let out a frustrated cry, much to his opponent’s delight. He stepped back, panting from exertion.

“Was that all?”Reaper asked with a sneer.

Axe screamed in rage and burst forward at top speed, weapon raised. Reaper again moved to dodge, but Axe’s left elbow slammed into his face. Axe had dropped his weapon behind him on the backswing - a feint - and used the increased speed of his unencumbered arm to catch Reaper unprepared. As Reaper staggered, Axe pressed his advantage with a powerful right cross, but hit only empty air as Reaper dissolved into black mist.

The figure reconstituted from mist behind Axe, both weapons raised. “Playtime’s over,” it declared, scowling.

Rainbow tackled the figure at high speed, knocking it to the ground. She pinned it down with her hooves and glared at its face, furious.

“Reaper, what the hay!?” she yelled.

Without responding, Reaper faded into mist. Not even a second later, a dagger plunged into the ground where Reaper’s head had been. Rainbow recoiled and took to the air once more.

“Prince Dagger!” Rarity scolded.

Before she could get another word in, Dagger called to his brother. “Axe! The creature is too fast for you! Fall back!”

“And leave you the glory? The revenge?” Axe spat as he retrieved his axe from the ground. “Not a chance!”

Reaper reformed behind Dagger, shotguns at the ready.

“Dagger!” Rarity warned.

Dagger turned his head, but too late.

*BANG*

Reaper fired, but a blue glow pushed his guns to the side at the last moment and the shot went wide. Reaper scowled at Rarity, but for some reason, did not point his guns her way. Reaper faded once more and daggers flew through the mist.

Axe grabbed his brother’s shoulder. Dagger pulled away immediately and swung a dagger at Axe’s neck. Axe parried the blow.

“Damn you, brother, not now!” Axe said.

Reaper appeared again, next to the brothers this time. Rarity and Rainbow, who had been watching the mist, jumped between him and his targets.

“Reaper, stop!” Rainbow cried.

“What’s gotten into you?” Rarity asked.

Reaper scowled and aimed his guns at the ponies, but did not fire. “Die!” he screamed, his voice seething with hate, but though his arms quivered, he did not fire.

“You shouldn’t be wondering about what’s gotten in, but what’s coming out,” said an unfamiliar voice.

Everyone save Reaper turned to face the new speaker, a small creature resembling a deformed minotaur that was standing nearby.

“That form...could it be?” Axe asked in disbelief.

“Sarangay,” Dagger said, mirroring his brother’s sentiments. “The betrayer.”

“It is so nice to finally be recognized!” the creature said jovially. “Yes, it is I. Sarangay. The magicker. The hidden one. The stone cursed. Blah blah blah. I’ve hundreds of titles, but here’s the only one that matters: the rightful king!”

“Who cares about any of that junk!?” Rainbow shouted. “What happened to our friend!?”

“You know, I’m not entirely sure,” Sarangay replied. “Whatever it was, it must have been quite horrific! Gehehehe!”

“And your handiwork, I assume?” Rarity asked, her gaze and tone accusatory.

“I may have helped a little, yes,” Sarangay said with a mocking grin. “But what you see now has been inside him all along. Monstrous, isn’t it? Downright demonic, no? Will our noble princes stand to have such a creature walk among us?”

“Why you little -” Rainbow cried, flying forward. Axe, however, caught her by the tail. “AH! What gives?”

“No, Rainbow Dash,” Axe said, shaking his head. “That is no ordinary foe. That is Sarangay. It would be foolish to rush him head on. Although, by Minos, I want to!”

“I don’t care who he is! He’s done something to my friend, so he’s going down!” Rainbow exclaimed.

“So loyal!” Sarangay mocked. “So courageous! So...utterly powerless. Come on, then, pony. Try me.”

“I’ll show you how loyal I really am!” Rainbow cried. She charged forward again, but Axe held her back with both of his burly arms.

“Let me go, Axe!” Rainbow demanded.

“It’s for your own good, ambassador,” Axe said. “Besides, if anyone has the right to tear this treacherous creature limb from limb, it’s me!”

“What are you even - just who is this guy?” Rainbow asked as she struggled to free herself from Axe’s grip.

“He is a figure from legend,” Dagger explained. “A monster meant to frighten children. Not unlike Equestria’s Nightmare Moon.”

“And not unlike her, I am, in fact real,” Sarangay added. “And I do not appreciate what has been done to tarnish my name. As if I would stoop so low as to stealing left socks!”

“I’m sorry, but what?” Rarity asked. “This isn’t clearing up anything at all.”

But it is buying us time, Rarity added. Her eyes met Dagger’s and she knew that he was thinking the same. She had noticed Dagger’s guards quietly shuffling into the room, blocking the exits and moving to surround them.

“Stealing left socks, hiding in closets, breaking toys,” Axe said. “Whatever a child’s parents think will work best - for a scary story, or a silly one - that is what Sarangay’s curse will be.”

“We’re scared of a guy like that?” Rainbow asked, incredulous.

“As I said, he is similar to Nightmare Moon, who has been painted as a creature who revels in candy and costumes,” Dagger continued. “And like her, the truth of his story is far darker.”

“And oh so tragic,” Sarangay added with exaggerated drama. “It fills my heart with pain to recall! Would that I could pour my heart out to you all now, and lay the truth of my tale bare for all to see!”

“Yeah? And what’s stopping you?” Rainbow asked, irritated.

“Well, you don’t seem all that keen on listening,” Sarangay answered. “What with your guards getting ready to jump me and all.”

“Seize him!” Dagger commanded. The guards surrounding the group rushed forward.

“You see? So uncaring! I’m hurt!” Sarangay said with feigned dismay.

The orb in Sarangay’s ear glowed and the floor around him exploded upward and spun around him in a deadly whirlwind. The rapidly swirling debris forced the guards, the princes, and the ponies back towards the edges of the room. Reaper had disappeared.

“What...is...happening?” Rarity asked, struggling to make herself heard over the loud whirling. She tripped as she tried to move away, but Dagger caught her and pulled her clear.

“Damned magicians!” Axe shouted. “There is no way through!”

“Does he think he can hide in there forever?” Rainbow, still struggling to be free of Axe’s grip, asked.

“No, not quite,” Dagger replied.

Shortly after Dagger said that, the whirlwind began to sink downward. In a few moments, the unnatural vortex was gone. In its place was a large, crude stairway built from the stones that had made up the room’s floor. The stairway was almost ladder steep, and led far down into darkness.

The princes of Minos put down the ponies and approached the stairway.

“Even you could guess where this must lead, brother,” Dagger remarked.

“Aye,” Axe said. “If the stories are true, then there’s only one place Sarangay would want to go.”

“And where, pray tell, is that?” Rarity asked, trotting up to the two with Rainbow Dash at her side.

“The First Labyrinth,” Dagger replied. “A place sealed and buried a long time ago. The place where the betrayer earned his moniker.”

“And his curse,” Axe added.

“Will someone please just explain this guy’s story to us already!?” Rainbow cried. “All this cryptic mumbo jumbo is really getting old!”

“Oh sure,” Axe said. “As soon as you tell us about the rampaging psychopath you call your friend!”

“It’s not Reaper’s fault!” Rainbow shot back. “That Sarangay guy did something to him!”

“Rainbow Dash, calm down!” Rarity cut in. “All this shouting gets us nowhere.”

“Indeed,” Dagger agreed. “Whatever the case may be, it seems both of our parties have some explaining to do. That, however, can wait until the long trip down those stairs. First, we must see to the wounded and restore order.”

“But what if he gets away?” Rainbow asked, eager to get going as soon as possible.

“Trust me, little pony, if Sarangay is headed to the First Labyrinth, we aren’t pressed for time,” Axe replied.

Before Rainbow could ask another question, Spokes came running into the hall. The steward was uncharacteristically panicked. He paused when he saw the devastation in the room - with the ruined floor, and the fallen guards - but when his eyes fell upon the princes, he made a beeline for them.

“Highnesses!” Spokes shouted. “You must come with me! Quickly!”

“Why?” Dagger called back. “What has happened?”

When Spokes reached the group, he was visibly shaken and panting for breath. “The king...it is the king...”

“What?” Axe boomed. “What about him? Out with it, bull!”

Spokes swallowed then looked from Dagger to Axe. “My princes, your father...is gone.”

~~~

Sarangay stood waiting at the bottom of the makeshift stairs he had built, a large stone door with ornate carvings looming in the darkness before him.

“Couldn’t bring yourself to hurt your friends, eh?” Sarangay remarked as Reaper reformed from mist beside him.

“I...won’t,” Reaper began. His tone took a sudden shift. “KILL THEM!”

Sarangay shrugged. “Makes no difference to me.”

Reaper pointed a gun at Sarangay, but his arm was shaking. He growled, but couldn’t fire.

“Now which part of you wants to kill me, I wonder?” Sarangay asked with a grin. “Both, I would imagine, but at least one of you is stopping the other.”

“Just...die!” Reaper said. “Not yet!”

“Gehehehe!” Sarangay laughed. “So the murderer is keeping me alive! Delicious irony!”

Reaper screamed in frustration.

“But he is right,” Sarangay continued. “You still need me, and I still need you.”

“Why?” Reaper asked. “Why me?”

“Because you, my demonic companion, present a unique opportunity,” Sarangay replied. “One I have been waiting a long time for. True, I hadn’t imagined things would play out quite like this, but so far, it’s going swimmingly.”

“I will kill you for using me,” Reaper declared.

Sarangay tried to laugh, but broke into a hacking cough. Though it was dark, Reaper saw that the small creature was shaking and coughing up blood.

When Sarangay had recovered, he looked up at Reaper and smiled, his teeth stained with his own blood. “Sorry to disappoint, but by the time this is done...I’ll already be dead.”

Author's Note

[1] Moira O'Deorain, the genius, but unethical geneticist Gabriel Reyes recruited into Blackwatch. She was also the mastermind behind the experiments that transformed his body.

Interlude 3: This Life's Never Uneventful

McCree walked into the room Athena had assigned for him, both his stance and his stride as proud as always. When the automatic door slid shut behind him, however, he let out a heavy sigh and slumped. He was exhausted. And he hadn’t even really done anything in that last mission! How did that work? Was it the travel? Was it just age?

Shaking his head, McCree took off his hat and hung it on the nearby rack. As he did the same with his gun belt, his hand hit the Overwatch medallion pinned to it. The medallion fell to the ground and rolled a short distance before ending up under the bed. McCree cursed softly and bent to retrieve the medallion, a few of his joints popping as he did so.

“As if I didn’t feel old enough already,” McCree muttered.

A few moments of blind reaching later, McCree retrieved the medallion and crashed onto the bed. He let out a satisfied sigh as his head hit the soft pillow. He would have been content to fall asleep right then and there, but a symbol painted on the ceiling caught his eye. The symbol resembled the Overwatch symbol, only red, black, and white, and with a stylized sword in the center. It was the symbol of Blackwatch.

McCree lay there for a while, staring at the Blackwatch symbol. His thoughts wandered back to the mission he had just been on. It hadn’t been the type he was used to. It hadn’t been a raid, or a capture, or even an assassination. No, it had been a negotiation. A brokering of peace. A non-violent arbitration of hostilities. Not the kind of mission Blackwatch had ever handled, but pretty standard fare for Overwatch back in the day.

He’d fucked it up pretty quick. Three sentences in, and everybody in the room was just about ready to pull a gun. Thankfully, Mei had been there. The girl was a charmer. She’d taken over just before things got hot, and actually managed to get both sides to reach an agreement. All while McCree tried his best to blend into the background. In the end, McCree bowed out and went home while Mei stayed behind to make sure both sides honored their parts of the deal.

McCree lifted the Overwatch medallion up so he could see it beside the Blackwatch symbol. Both symbols shared some similarities, but also had many glaring differences. Try as you might, you couldn’t really mistake one for the other. One was the symbol of heroes, the other, of killers. One was the symbol that McCree had spent most of his life fighting under, and the other was the one that wanted his help now. But did they really know what they were asking? Did he really have what they needed him to give?

Not of the first time, he asked himself, “What’re you doing here, McCree?”

Athena’s voice spoke over the intercom, “Excuse me, McCree. Is this a bad time?”

McCree closed his hand around the Overwatch medallion and sat up. “No, it’s fine. Too tired to sleep anyway.”

“I can recommend several relaxation techniques to help manage your stress levels, if you are interested,” Athena said. “We also have a few herbal teas in in stock at the pantry.”

“We do?” McCree asked, raising an eyebrow. “When did that - no, wait. Tell me why you contacted me first.”

“Very well. As you may be aware, I have been attempting to recover as much of Overwatch’s old records as possible. For the most part, this has consisted of official personnel files and mission logs. However, I have recently come across some Blackwatch recordings that may be of interest to you stored in a personal drive.”

“Blackwatch recordings, huh?” McCree asked, rubbing his chin. “Can’t imagine there’d be all that many of those. And from a personal drive, too? That’s breach of protocol. You’ve definitely got my attention. Do you know whose drive it was?”

“As there were no identifying marks or labels, I cannot say for certain,” Athena replied. “Although based on the drive’s size, level of encryption, and contents, I do have an educated guess.”

After a few moments of silence, McCree asked, “Well? Don’t leave me hangin’ now. Who?”

“My apologies, McCree,” Athena replied. “I was creating a copy of the relevant data on this room’s terminal. I am still unused to handling the base’s network, and this particular terminal was still offline, so I had to -”

“I get it. I get it,” McCree interrupted. “Now, my question, darlin’?”

The computer terminal on the nearby desk turned on.

“See for yourself,” Athena replied. “I believe we will no doubt come to the same conclusion.”

McCree sighed and pushed himself out of bed. “Not like you to be this cryptic,” he remarked.

“Consider it payback for repeatedly ignoring my instructions on smoking,” Athena shot back.

“Woah, since when did you start learning sass?” McCree asked, amused.

“Any new mannerisms I have learned, I have learned from those around me,” Athena replied. “If you do not like it, blame yourself.”

McCree chuckled. “Alright. Alright. I’m sorry, ma’am. Now, let’s see what you’ve got here, shall we?”

As soon as McCree sat down in front of the terminal, a video began to play. It was surveillance camera footage, so the quality wasn’t the best, but McCree still instantly recognized the two figures the camera was pointed at.

“So you’re telling me your sword is magic?” Gabriel Reyes asked.

Genji swiped his hand outward in a show of frustration. “For the last time, commander, it is just a sword!”

Reyes nodded. “Yeah, sure, but when you pull it out, it becomes -”

“It is not magic!” Genji interrupted. “For thirty minutes now, I have been telling you that it is not magic! Angela built it in this very lab!”

“So Angela knows magic, then?” Reyes asked.

“Of course not!” Genji replied.

“Then how did she put the magic into the sword?” Reyes asked.

Genji let out an angry cry. “She did no such thing! The sword has no magic! It is just a sword! How many times do I have to tell you that?”

“Okay,” Reyes said. “But when you pull it out -”

“The dragon comes from me!” Genji yelled. “I AM THE MAGIC!”

“HA!” Reyes exclaimed, pointing at Genji with a wide smile. He reached to his ear and pressed his communicator. “You got that, Jesse? Tell me you got that!”

Although his voice wasn’t recorded on the video, McCree murmured his response as he watched, “Uploading it now.”

“Nice!” Reyes cheered. He turned back to Genji and said, “That’s going onto your profile, magic man.”

“I hate you all,” Genji spat before turning around and walking away.

As the video ended, McCree leaned back and chuckled. “It did go on his profile. Stayed there for years, too. Genji ‘I AM THE MAGIC’ Shimada. Complete with voice clip attachment.”

“I was able to retrieve that as well,” Athena said. “Along with many others modified in a similar way. It all seems rather juvenile.”

“Oh, it was,” McCree confirmed. “But all the same, it was pretty damn funny. And that’s not even the worst of it. Reyes was always pulling stunts like this on his downtime. Man had seen more action than just about anyone else alive, but somehow, he never lost his stupid sense of humor...not till the end, anyway.”

There were a few moments of silence as Athena formulated a response and McCree thought back to the old days.

“There are 57 additional clips of similarly light-hearted content. There are also numerous documents and files that have obviously been modified as pranks, and which I assume were saved for posterity before inevitably being reverted to their proper states.” Athena said, breaking the silence. “Given all that, I take it you now know who I believe once owned this drive?”

“Yeah,” McCree replied. “Only one guy would have access to all of that...or be ballsy enough to keep a personal copy.”

“Shall I send copies of the files to you terminal?” Athena asked.

“Yes, please,” McCree replied. “Forget the tea, I think a trip down memory lane’s exactly what I need right now.”

“I will proceed with the transfer momentarily,” Athena said. “And McCree? I am happy that this appears to have pulled you out of your slump. Please never doubt that you are a valuable and valued member of this organization.”

“Really?” McCree asked lightly. “And here I was thinkin’ y’all were goin’ ‘round behind my back, tellin’ each other, ‘McCree? Fuck that guy!’”

“I was not joking,” Athena said.

“I know,” McCree replied. “And I appreciate it. Seriously. Thanks.”

“You are welcome,” Athena said. “I will now begin the transfer process. It should complete momentarily. Feel free to watch at your leisure.”

“Thanks again, Athena,” McCree said. “I think I’ll do just that.”

~~~

Hours later, McCree entered Winston’s makeshift laboratory carrying a portable playback device. He tripped on some wire as soon as he entered the door, but managed to catch himself before he fell over completely.

“Who’s there?” Winston called out from somewhere inside the maze of machines.

“It’s just me,” McCree called back. “Mind if I come in?”

“Oh,” Winston replied, recognizing McCree’s voice. “Sure, just...be careful not to hit or touch anything in here. This is all very sensitive equipment, and given our current situation, pretty much all of it is irreplaceable.”

“You got it,” McCree said. He began walking through the machines towards where he heard Winston’s voice originate. “The Shimada boys bring you all this? Wasn’t nearly this crowded last time I was in here.”

“It was empty the last time you were in here,” Winston replied. “And yes, this is all thanks to Genji, Hanzo, and Zenyatta.”

McCree let out a low whistle. “That’s impressive. Won’t even ask how they got the bigger stuff back to you in one piece. Or if they paid for it. Where are those boys anyway? Ain’t seen ‘em in a while.”

“They’re out doing what they’ve been doing since they left here,” Winston said. “Collecting parts. They don’t even stop to eat or sleep at the base, only drop off parts and re-fuel. I can only assume they do their eating and sleeping during transit.”

McCree turned a corner and finally found Winston. The scientist was hunched over an open panel, and had the look of one on the verge of collapse. “Doesn’t look like you’ve stopped to eat or sleep much either,” McCree pointed out. “Which...I really think you should.”

Winston waved off McCree’s concerns. “This is nothing. All I’m doing is putting pieces together. You want to be worried about anyone, worry about the three doing the legwork.”

“I can manage being worried about both at once,” McCree said. “You know you’re no good to us if you collapse, right? And operations are starting to pick up now. Everyone’s got to be at their best to do their part. Hell, I had to go out on a diplomatic mission today. That oughta tell ya how understaffed we are.”

“Says the one who convinced me to take on this crazy project,” Winston said.

“Ok, you got me there,” McCree said. “Sorry...guess this wasn’t such a good idea after all.”

“No, you were right,” Winston said as he closed the panel he was working on and stepped back. “This needs to be done. Ignoring it goes against everything this organization stands for. But enough about that. Why are you here?”

“Oh, right,” McCree said, bringing up the playback device. “Athena found some interesting stuff from back in the day. I’ve been looking through it.”

“All night?” Winston asked, grinning. “It’s 3am, you know. What was that about getting some sleep?”

McCree paused. “Fair ‘nuff. And I’ll get right on that. Just wanted to show you an old bet you had with Commander Reyes. Figured you’d get a kick out of it.”

“No need to show me, I remember it,” Winston said. “Never forgot it, in fact. The things I could do with a year’s supply of peanut butter...”

Winston’s stomach growled and McCree chuckled. “How about we settle for a day’s supply for now? I hear our pantry’s been stocked with herbal tea of all things, and I’m thinkin’ it’s high time I found out what else is in there. Care to join me?”

“Well, I suppose I could afford to take a small break...” Winston mused.

A nearby terminal screen flashed red. Winston furrowed his brow and went over to it. Upon closer inspection of the screen, Winston’s expression changed to one of shock, and he began to furiously type commands - several windows of reports appearing on screen in response.

“What’s going on?” McCree asked.

Winston roared and slammed his fists down on the terminal, smashing it. He then leapt up and over a nearby machine, disappearing from McCree’s view. McCree called out and chased after him, following him to what appeared to be a circular gateway to nothing in front of a metal cylinder. Winston keyed in a code on the cylinder and the top opened, revealing the Soul of the Wind. Winston gently pulled it out and examined it. What he saw caused him to sit down hard on the floor.

“Winston, what is it? What’s going on?” McCree asked again.

“See for yourself,” Winston said with a defeated sigh as he held out the Soul of the Wind.

McCree examined the orb and found that it had lost practically all of its blue color. The orb was now mostly grey, with a few thin wisps of blue slowly drifting around.

“I don’t understand,” McCree said. “What happened?”

“We’re too late,” Winston replied. “And we were so close!”

“Too late? What do you mean, too late?”

Winston rubbed at his eyes with his free hand. “Simply put, the orb’s been losing power over time. Zenyatta attributes this to some sort of ‘darkness’ that’s feeding off of it and destroying the connection between our world, and whatever world’s on the other side of this thing. Whether that’s true or not, I need the orb to be able to output a certain amount of power to - if my theories are right - trace the way through and force open a path...But something just drained a massive amount of the orb's remaining reserves, and now it's just about to pass the minimum threshold.”

McCree thought about Winston’s words for a few seconds. “That explains why you’ve been so hell bent on finishing this project as soon as possible.”

“Yeah, but it didn’t matter in the end.”

“Now hold on just a second,” McCree insisted. “You said ‘just about’. So it’s not past the minimum yet? You could still open the portal?”

Winston let out an exasperated sigh. “Yes, if I had all the parts I needed, which I don’t.”

“Well how many more do you need?” McCree pressed. “You said we were close.”

“Two. Zenyatta and the Shimadas are bringing one here now. They should arrive within the hour. The other...I haven’t even found one that we could feasibly take,” Winston replied. His irritation flared. “It’s hopeless! We’re done! Wasted our time!”

“That’s just the lack of sleep talking,” McCree said. “What’s the last part?”

“Just let it go, McCree. We tried, and we failed. That’s just -”

“Stop whining and answer me, damn it!” McCree shouted. “What is the last part?”

Winston was momentarily taken aback by McCree’s forcefulness. “It...it’s the simplest one, actually. Or should be. A power source.”

“That’s it?” McCree asked. “Can’t you use the the base’s power?”

“If the base was completed to specifications and fully operational, sure, but it isn’t, and likely never will be. We’re talking about ripping open the fabric of space and time here, Jesse. The amount of power we need...well, in layman’s terms, it’s a lot.”

“But it can be generated, right? Someone out there’s got a power source that could do it?”

“I...yes, but...Jesse, we’re talking about an amount that could power - or level - a city! They don’t exactly make portable generators capable of doing that.”

“Available to the general public,” McCree added.

“What?” Winston asked.

“C’mon, Winston, you know as well as I do that military tech’s far beyond that level at this point. Hell, look at the Omniums! That shit don’t run on AAA’s, that’s for sure!”

Winston shook his head. “Even if that’s true, I still couldn’t tell you where to get what we need. And within an hour? Two, tops?”

“There must be somewhere we can at least look,” McCree insisted. “I’m not giving up until the very last second.”

Athena spoke. “The research centers located in Oasis, Iraq, are the closest locations where such a device may be found. They are also the most likely among the list of potential candidates Winston and I have been compiling.”

“But we don’t know if they have something like that there!” Winston argued. “And even if we did, what would we do? Break into the most secure, most advanced research centers in the world and just take it?”

“Sounds like a plan,” McCree said. He turned and started striding out of the room. “Athena, prep a transport. I’m heading to Oasis.”

“Already done, McCree,” Athena replied. “Uploading a list of possible locations to the navigation systems now. You may choose one and search there. Be forewarned: you will likely have time for only one attempt.”

“Then I just gotta get it right on the first try,” McCree remarked. “Easy.”

Winston sat there staring at the Soul of the Wind for some time after McCree had left the room. Eventually, he placed the orb back into the cylinder and got up, shaking his head.

“This is crazy,” he muttered. Louder, he asked, “Athena, what makes you think he even has a chance of succeeding?”

“I do not assume success, Winston,” Athena replied. “I merely support the notion of stopping only when continuing on is truly impossible - and not a moment before.”

Winston scoffed, but he made his way over to another computer terminal. “And pointing him to Oasis?”

“Simply the most logical course of action,” Athena stated. “My subroutines finished a detailed analysis on Oasis and returned a list of potential locations within the city. I do not have the same information available for any of the other candidates on our list, nor do we have the time to travel to them.”

“Fine, I’ll go along with this,” Winston said. “But a one-man raid is suicide - even for McCree. He’s going to need backup.”

Winston brought up a map on his terminal screen and was pouring over the locations and statuses of their currently active agents. They had agents in the base, but none of them had the combat abilities necessary to help McCree.

Winston’s gaze fell on a plane currently flying across the Mediterranean Sea, and his eyes widened as he saw who was on board. He opened a communications link to it. “Tracer? This is Winston.”

“Heya, big guy!” Tracer’s cheerful voice replied. “Haven’t heard from you in a while! Athena told me you were busy. I left you some herbal tea to help you relax, did she tell you?”

So that’s what McCree was talking about, Winston thought. Aloud he said, “No, but thank you. Listen, Tracer -”

“Oi! I nearly forgot!” Tracer interrupted. “You’ll never guess who I picked up back in Germany! C’mon, guess!”

As grumpy as he had just been, Tracer’s upbeat attitude still managed to put a small smile on Winston’s face. “I know who’s on board with you, Lena. Their IFF tags are still active in the system.”

“Awww, but that’s cheating!”

“No, that’s science,” Winston replied. He chuckled at his own counter, then caught himself and cleared his throat. “Anyway, like I was saying, I need you to do something for me…”

~~~

From her own personal room in an abandoned wing of the base, Sombra smiled and opened a communications link to her boss.

“Heya, big guy,” she said in a mocking imitation of Tracer’s intonation.

“Status?” came the curt reply.

“Oh, you’re no fun,” Sombra said. “What if I was just calling to chat?”

The line cut. Sombra rolled her eyes and called again.

“Status?” the same voice asked again.

“I planted the info in their AI. McCree’s heading to Oasis as we speak, and they still don’t suspect a thing,” Sombra said.

“Excellent,” the voice replied. “I will inform Moira that her guest will arrive soon.”

“Guests,” Sombra corrected. “As in plural. As in Winston’s sending backup.”

“Noted, although it won’t make a difference.”

“Not even going to ask who he’s sending?” Sombra remarked. “My, aren’t we cocky?”

“We will proceed as planned,” the voice said, ignoring Sombra’s comment. “Continue to monitor the situation. Doomfist, out.”

“Always so serious. He really needs something to help him relax,” Sombra muttered. She picked up the teacup on her table and took a sip of the chamomile tea she had pilfered from the pantry. “Mmm...I’ve always been more of a coffee girl myself, but Tracer’s on to something with this herbal stuff.”

With nothing left to do but pass the time, Sombra brought up the clips of Reyes’ shenanigans from back in the day and hit play.

“Gotta admit, even I never would’ve guessed old Reaper used to do crap like this in his spare time,” she said, smiling to herself as she watched Commander Reyes sneak a stink bomb into Strike Commander Morrison’s desk drawer. “I’ll have to ask him about it once Talon gets him back.”

Chapter 18: Kings

At Spokes’ declaration, the room went quiet. Mouths went dry. Hands gripped weapons. Eyes shifted as guards determined where their loyalties lied. Through all this, the two princes stood stock still, their gazes locked.

“Hey!” Rainbow yelled, breaking the silence and causing Rarity to wince. “Are we gonna go do something about this Sara-guy or not?”

Both brothers broke eye contact. Axe let out a long sigh, and his shoulders slumped. Dagger closed his eyes and shook his head.

“Spokes,” Dagger said, his voice unusually soft. “Who knows?”

“You are the first I’ve told” Spokes replied. “And no one else could know. I am the only one allowed to see him, and I came straight here once I discovered...” He paused. “The king was unwell. Every minotaur knows that. But what I saw when I entered that room. The...thing that was left lying on the bed... Your highnesses, no illness could leave a body in that state.”

Dagger looked to his brother. “The timing is too perfect.”

“Aye,” Axe agreed, still downcast. He sighed again and rubbed at his eyes. “Aye...even I can tell.”

“Do you...” Rarity ventured. She paused as both brothers looked at her. “Do you think Sarangay may have… What I mean is, that this could somehow be related to -”

“I do not know,” Dagger said flatly.

Axe let out a single humorless laugh. “Not something one hears from you often, brother.”

“Not something that is often true,” Dagger replied. “As for this? Yes, perhaps Sarangay is indeed behind it all. It would make sense. Corrupting the ambassador would cause enough chaos for him to kill the king, which, in turn, would cause enough chaos for him to take the throne. As an added bonus, it sets up Equestria as an enemy of Minos, giving him a way to both redirect the hatred and - through a successful invasion - earn the approval of the people. Thus with a single action would he gain control of two nations. Were I not already so disgusted, I would no doubt be impressed. Perhaps even jealous. The logic of this insidious plan is so simple that it cannot help but be obvious, and yet here we are - here I am - falling for it anyway.”

“Wait, so you’re saying we’re all just being played?!” Rainbow exclaimed.

“That would appear to be the case,” Dagger said.

“But you’re not sure,” Rarity observed.

“No,” Dagger admitted.

“Why not?” Rainbow asked. “It all makes sense!”

Rarity’s eyes widened as she connected the dots. “Because of who’s doing it.”

“Precisely,” Dagger confirmed. He began to pace, his words coming out faster as he did so. “Sarangay is an ancient creature of legend. Ancient. If he has been around for as long as the legends say, then why hasn’t he acted before? Why now? As golden as this specific opportunity may be, he could not possibly have known it was coming. And it most certainly is not his first chance to take over. Off the top of my head I can think of thirteen different times in recent history when -”

“Dagger, enough,” Axe interrupted. His voice was firm, but gentle. “Our father is dead. You are allowed to grieve.”

“No,” Dagger said. He seemed to choke on the word. He cleared his throat before continuing. “No, I am not. The king is dead, and so I am king. As are you. By the law of the mountain, our mutual ascension to the throne is both unavoidable and unacceptable. As soon as we are finished speaking of our father’s passing, one of us must join him in death, and every minotaur here knows it.”

Axe looked around and saw that the line had already been drawn. The guards loyal to him had moved to stand on his side of the room. Those loyal to his brother stood on the opposite side. The injured were left to lie where they were. As always with minotaurs, combat took precedence over care.

Axe let out one last sigh, then set his jaw and nodded. “Aye, that is true.”

The guards drew their weapons.

“But!” Axe shouted, causing the guards to freeze. “The law allows us one last right as siblings, as sons, is that not so, Spokes?”

All eyes turned to Spokes, who stood rooted in place between the two brothers. He nodded.

Emboldened, Axe continued. “Had our father died of disease or in his sleep, that would have been the end of it. We would grieve his passing with singing steel and spilt blood until only one king ruled the mountain. But he did not. And so, brother, we need not. At least, not yet.”

“The King of Minos has been killed,” Spokes began. “By extension, the Kingdom of Minos has been attacked. As the sons the king, it is your right to demand justice. As sons of Minos, it is your duty to seek revenge.”

“Only if we both agree that the other is innocent,” Dagger added, locking gazes with Axe once more. “Only if we work together to seek the truth.”

“Sarangay must pay for what he’s done,” Axe said.

“I don’t know what he’s done,” Dagger countered.

Axe moved towards Dagger. Everyone else tensed.

“Then let’s go ask him,” Axe said, extending his hand.

Dagger looked down at the offered hand, then back up to his brother’s face. There was no humor there now, only grim determination.

“I have not yet agreed,” Dagger said.

“Not yet, no,” Axe replied.

“I could kill you right now, and no one would be able to stop me.”

“You could, aye.”

“I will rule Minos, brother.”

“Over my dead body.”

Dagger narrowed his eyes, then his arm shot forward. Axe’s guards were in motion immediately, but Axe raised a hand to stop them.

“Nothing has changed,” Dagger warned as he shook Axe’s hand.

“Aye,” Axe agreed, a wide smile spreading across his features. “We’re still brothers! RAHAHAHAHA!”

~~~

A short while later, Axe, Dagger, and Rarity walked down the stairs Sarangay had created. The minotaurs carried torches while Rarity further illuminated the way with her horn. Rainbow hovered along beside the group. No one had spoken since they entered the stairway.

Rarity cleared her throat, breaking the silence. “I’m thankful you two are working together with us to bring Sarangay to justice.”

“At times, such cooperation is necessary,” Dagger said.

“And fun!” Axe added.

“That is debatable,” Dagger countered. “In any event, despite...recent developments, my brother and I will see this through to the end. Rest assured that until then, we remain on the same side.”

“If you ask me, it oughta stay that way permanently,” Rainbow said.

Dagger shook his head. “The audacity of you Equestrians continues to amaze me.”

“Thanks!” Rainbow said, beaming. “I am pretty amazing.”

“RAHAHAHAHA!”

Rarity found the princes’ behavior suspicious. They were behaving as they had before, but given the mission they were on and the events that had just transpired, they surely should not be. Despite the dim light, she set about examining them and almost immediately noticed the subtle differences in each brother’s expression and stance.

Axe walked with a slight slump and his head tilted forward. His shoulders were tensed and he constantly adjusted his grip on his axe.. Although he smiled as he laughed, the smile no longer reached his eyes. There was no mirth to be found in his cold gaze.

Dagger’s face displayed the same neutral expression she had seen him wear before, but his quivering hands gave away the emotions he felt inside. His gaze seemed distant, unfocused, and he did not notice her examinations as he had in the past.

These two are a hair’s breadth away from violence, Rarity thought to herself. If we want to avoid a war, Rainbow and I need to do something and soon. But what?

“Is there really nothing more you can tell us about Reaper?” Dagger asked without turning his head.

Rarity pulled herself from her thoughts. “No, I’m afraid not. We are friends, yes, but we only met fairly recently. So much about him is still a mystery to us.”

Rainbow Dash chimed in. “Maybe Twilight could tell you more about him, since he lives with her and all, but I doubt it.”

“He does tend to prefer solitude,” Rarity agreed. “And he’s always come off as a bit dangerous.”

“But I’m sure he wouldn’t do that stuff up there by choice!” Rainbow added quickly. “Sarangay must’ve done something to him!”

Axe grunted. “I can believe it. Betrayal is that demon’s domain.”

“And what exactly does that mean?” Rarity asked.

“Yeah, what’s the deal with this guy anyway?” Rainbow followed up. “You still haven’t told us.”

“Ah, what a tale that is!” Axe said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. “It all began in the age of myth, long, long ago…”

Dagger cut in. “Let us stick to the facts, shall we? If nothing else, we don’t have the time for your usual embellishments.”

“Oh, aye, sure!” Axe snapped. “Just take all the fun out of it. Like always.”

Dagger frowned, but did not respond to Axe’s comment. Instead, he said, “Historically, the first king of the minotaurs was a powerful sorcerer.”

Axe added, “So powerful was he, that some say he was a god.”

“An exaggeration, I’m sure,” Dagger commented dryly. “Although I concede that it is an understandable one. Everything he made - the country he founded, the mountain he raised, the city he built, and so on - he made using only his own magical might. In addition to being an impressive show of strength to the primitive tribes, it is theorized that he did this to satisfy his own strange obsession with mazes. Each and every structure he built had some form of labyrinth within it; a labyrinth that only he knew all the secrets of. Our ancestors spent so much time wandering through the labyrinths he made that the absurd obsession unfortunately became a part of Minotaur culture and tradition.”

“That certainly explains quite a bit,” Rarity said.

“Other races refined their arts and their songs,” Dagger said, irritation seeping into his voice. “We built mazes. Pointless, boring mazes.”

“It’s only boring until you wake up in the middle of the night and forget the right sequence of turns to the nearest bathroom,” Axe commented. “RAHAHAHAHA!”

Rainbow grew impatient and pressed, “So what happened to him? And what’s this got to do with the guy we’re after?”

“Patience, I am getting to that,” Dagger replied. “Records show that the first king ruled for 738 years before passing on -”

“Or ascending!” Axe interjected.

“- without leaving any heir to the throne,” Dagger continued. “Instead, he left yet one more creation: a grand labyrinth beneath Minos Mountain.”

“The First Labyrinth,” Axe said, attempting to sound ominous.

“Wait a second,” Rainbow said. “If he built a ton of these things all the time, why is the last one called the first?”

Axe answered, “They say that answering that very question is a part of the challenge.”

Rainbow was even more confused. “Challenge? What challenge? And who is ‘they’?”

Dagger clarified. “My brother’s dubious sources aside, the challenge was simple: the one to conquer the labyrinth would be rewarded with the power of the king along with the right to rule.”

Axe continued where his brother left off. “From the renowned to the unknown, the noble and righteous to the selfish and greedy, countless minotaurs from all walks of life attempted the challenge of The First Labyrinth. All failed. All...but one. His name has been lost to time, but in the legends, he was described as -”

“As having all the exaggerated features a legendary figure should,” Dagger interrupted. “Whether any of that rubbish is true or not is irrelevant. The fact of the matter is that shortly after reaching the end, the hero dies.”

“What?! How?” Rainbow exclaimed. She was taken in by the story now, and had to know the ending.

“Stabbed in the back by the coward that had shadowed him as he passed every challenge,” Axe growled.

“By his brother, whose name we do remember,” Dagger added, unconsciously going along with his brothers vague storytelling.

“Sarangay,” Rarity stated.

“Correct,” Dagger confirmed.

Axe picked up the story again. “But Sarangay was not worthy of the power of Minos, so when he took in hand the orb that held it, a horrible curse was laid upon him.”

Dagger cut in during Axe’s dramatic pause. “The details of which vary per account. It is generally agreed, however, that Sarangay was transformed into a hideous creature. When he emerged and not his brother, he confessed to his fratricide and attempted to take the throne by right of conquest.”

“But none would have it!” Axe boomed. “And a great battle was waged! They say that the very earth -”

“Sarangay’s right to rule was universally denied,” Dagger interrupted. “An attempt was made to kill him, but, despite the curse, he was still bestowed with magic. He used his magic to force his way free, and vowed revenge before disappearing completely.”

“And how long ago did you say this was?” Rarity asked.

“2155 years ago,” Dagger replied. “Despite his vow, Sarangay never revealed himself again, and Minos fell into a great civil war that fractured the kingdom for hundreds of years. This is around the time we closed our borders and separated ourselves from the concerns of other nations. Even after the war ended -”

“With our family’s victory!” Axe added with pride.

“Minos never truly returned to the way it was. We keep to ourselves now,” Dagger finished.

“Truly a shame,” Sarangay commented. “Minos was so much more back then, and it still could be. I know you both agree.”

Without noticing, the party had come within sight of the bottom of the steps. Sarangay stood there, waiting for them with a smile on his face.

Rainbow Dash was the first to act. She shot towards Sarangay as the princes readied their weapons and before Rarity could say a word to stop her. Before she could reach him, the orb in Sarangay’s ear glowed and the steps the rest of the party stood on collapsed. Rarity and the princes fell only a short distance, but their shouts of surprise distracted Rainbow. As she looked back to see them fall, a column of stone rose up from the ground beneath her and knocked her out of the air.

“Now, now. Whatever happened to resolving our differences peacefully?” Sarangay scolded. “Not even an hour without a king, and already barbarians.”

“So it was you,” Dagger said as he rose, his voice dripping with venom.

“I WILL THROTTLE YOU, YOU MURDEROUS SCUM!” Axe bellowed as he charged at Sarangay. Another column of stone rose up at an angle to hit him. He broke through it, screaming.

Sarangay arched an eyebrow. His orb glowed again and the ground underneath Axe’s hooves collapsed into a pit. The prince lodged his axe into the side of the pit as he fell and used it as leverage to leap back up onto solid ground to continue his berserk charge. Sarangay had both eyebrows raised in surprise now. Just before Axe reached him, he raised a column of stone beneath his own hooves and launched himself into the air. Axe crashed through the new column and looked up to see Sarangay looking down at him from a new stone platform protruding from the wall. Axe screamed at him in rage and hate.

“I’m impressed,” Sarangay said in reply. “I wasn’t expecting such loyalty -”

“You called?” Rainbow quipped just before her flying kick knocked him off the platform.

Sarangay hit the ground rolling and ended on his hooves. He raised a small rock barrier in front of him as soon as he stopped, blocking a thrown dagger. “I can see you’re not interested in talking!” he called out in a hoarse voice from behind his barrier. Blue magic gripped his body and lifted him up into the air. “Ah, forgot about the unicorn,” he said with a wry smile as he noticed Rarity off to his left. “Such a rookie mistake.”

“The last you’ll ever make,” Dagger said, throwing another of his namesake at Sarangay.

The dagger stopped in midair just before it hit Sarangay, its hilt encased in the same blue magic holding him up. Sarangay chuckled “Seems you forgot about the unicorn too.”

“What is the meaning of this?!” Dagger shouted at Rarity.

Rarity ignored him and focused on Sarangay. “Where is Reaper?”

With another bloodthirsty shout, Axe tackled Sarangay out of the air. There was an audible crunch as Axe landed on top of Sarangay. The smaller creature groaned in pain. Axe pulled back a fist for the finishing blow.

“NO!” Rarity and Rainbow shouted at once.

Before either pony could make a move, the ground below Axe and Sarangay opened up and swallowed both, closing above them as they fell. There was a moment of stunned silence before another pillar of stone rose from the same spot. Sarangay stood hunched over atop the pillar. Axe was encased within it, only his head sticking out. He screamed in frustration.

Sarangay coughed blood. He was propping himself up by his arms, his legs having been crushed by Axe’s last assault, and so couldn’t wipe away the blood. It dripped down his jaw as he spoke. “Reaper...is...within.”

“Why?!” Rarity asked.

Sarangay’s orb glowed once more and the door to the First Labyrinth slowly began sliding open. Nothing could be seen within, only a wall of pure darkness.

“I’d...love to chat, but...can’t,” Sarangay said, trying and failing to sound casual. He coughed up more blood. “You’ll...just have to...follow.”

With that, the stone pillar shattered and Sarangay was thrown by the topmost piece into the darkness of the First Labyrinth. Axe, freed from his prison, slammed his fist into the ground, let out a furious scream, and charged in after. Dagger didn’t hesitate to follow his brother. Rarity and Rainbow looked at each other with determined expressions. They nodded, then charged in after the others.

The labyrinth doors slammed shut behind them.

Interlude 2: Someone Had To Break The Ice

Winston’s recall of all Overwatch agents had earned him the attention - and ire - of both the United Nations and Talon, forcing him and those who answered his call to go on the run until they were prepared to fight back. Unfortunately for Zenyatta and the Shimada brothers, by the time they had arrived at Watchpoint Gibraltar, Winston and his followers were long gone. All was not lost, however, as Winston had left vague clues to his whereabouts, so that any interested Overwatch agents could still follow him. The clues were well hidden and presented in a way that Winston felt confident would only be recognized by former agents of Overwatch.

While Genji, as an ex-agent, was able to find and decipher Winston’s clues, following the directions in them only led the group to another abandoned base where they had to search for yet more clues. The trio’s short trip to Watchpoint Gibraltar had turned into a gruelling scavenger hunt for esoteric clues and hints. To further complicate matters, they weren’t the only ones just a few steps behind Winston’s crew either. More than once, the trio had arrived at a recently abandoned base mere minutes before a Talon raid, forcing the Shimada brothers to prove their mastery of ninjutsu in order to proceed.

Now, several days after their journey began, Hanzo, Genji, and Zenyatta found themselves trekking across the sand dunes near the heart of the Sahara desert. The midday sun shone high and bright in the cloudless sky, its unrelenting heat bearing down on the travellers’ weary bodies. Although all three wore several layers of protective clothing - headcloths, robes, goggles, and the like - over their usual outfits, the harsh environment still sapped their strength more than the last few legs of their intercontinental journey put together. Even Zenyatta, whose robotic body needed little rest, was showing signs of wearing down. It still surprised both Shimadas, however, when Zenyatta called for the group to stop.

“Is something wrong, master?” Genji asked.

Zenyatta, who was still hovering, uncrossed his legs and made stretching motions. Genji winced at the sharp, metallic creaking noises that ensued.

Seeing Genji’s reaction, Zenyatta said, “I apologize, my student. This journey of ours has left me little time for maintenance, and my knees simply aren’t what they used to be. It is at times like these that I miss the days when I was young and spry like yourself.”

“Master, I’m thirty-five years old,” Genji said flatly. “You’re twenty.”

Zenyatta held up a hand. “There is no need to remind me, Genji. I know that I am nearly obsolete.”

Hanzo snorted. “This is why we have stopped? To deal with an omnic’s version of a mid-life crisis?”

“Not quite,” Zenyatta replied, returning to his cross-legged position. “I called for us to stop because I sensed a disturbing shift in the ball you clasp beneath your robes, Hanzo.”

Genji slowly turned towards Hanzo, who quickly raised one arm. “Wait! It’s not what you think!” he cried, one arm still suspiciously beneath his robes.

“Please, show us,” Zenyatta said.

Genji gestured for Hanzo to stop. “No, please don’t.”

Hanzo began grunting as he tried to pull his hand out from beneath his robes. “I’m telling you, it is not as it seems,” he said in between grunts. “Just...give me a moment. It appears to have gotten tangled amidst all the cloth it’s been rubbing against.”

“Dear God,” Genji said, looking away. “Now is not the time to be polishing your sword, Hanzo!”

“What are you talking about?” Hanzo asked, frustration creeping into his voice as his arm remained tangled. “I have not touched my sword since the night you died, Genji!”

Genji buried his face in his hands. “I do not even want to think about what that implies about our relationship.”

“What?” Hanzo asked again, confused. Then Genji’s meaning dawned on him. “Oh...oh! No! No, look!”

Genji heard the sound of Hanzo’s robes unfurling, but refused to look up. “No thank you!” Genji exclaimed. “I am sure that the dragon is plenty sated without my input!”

Zenyatta laid a hand on Genji’s shoulder. “Genji, you must see this. Your brother’s ball is not as blue as it once was.”

“Nope!” Genji said, turning away. “I think I’ll just scout ahead! Catch up to me when you’re finished!”

Zenyatta’s hand clamped down on Genji’s shoulder, preventing him from leaving. “I speak of the Soul of the Wind, Genji.”

Slowly, Genji raised his head and turned back to Hanzo.

Hanzo held out the Soul of the Wind with a frown. “We have less time than I had hoped.”

The swirling energies within the Soul of the Wind had slowed even further, and the orb’s color was noticeably darker. The dark clouds appeared to have decreased slightly, but Genji had no doubt that this was not a good sign.

“What...what has happened?” Genji asked.

“To my shame, I do not know,” Hanzo replied. He offered the orb to Zenyatta. “Can you tell us?”

Zenyatta took the Soul of the Wind and held it with both hands. His body went stiff and his balls stopped their orbit around him, but he did not enter a transcended state as he did before. After a few moments, he shook his head.

“The darkness within the ball has decreased,” Zenyatta said, handing the Soul of the Wind back to Hanzo. “But so has the power of the ball itself. The bridge between the worlds weakens, and I fear that the darkness has not so much dissipated as crossed over to the other side.”

Hanzo sighed and placed the orb back within his robes, unable to bring himself to look upon it any longer. “Every day that passes, the magnitude of my failure grows...and with it, my shame.”

Genji walked forward and clasped Hanzo’s shoulders. “You have not failed yet, brother. We will find Winston and make this right. It has taken longer than expected, but we are close now, I can feel it.”

A deep voice with an American accent spoke, “Too close for comfort, I’d say.”

All three travellers turned towards the source of the voice. There, standing in front of a sand dune and no more than 5 meters away from the group, was what appeared to be an Old West cowboy, pulled straight from the movies. The cowboy calmly raised a lit cigar up to his lips with his robotic left hand while his right held a revolver aimed at the group.

“You boys look like you’ve gone through a whole lotta trouble to get this far,” the cowboy continued. “But you ain’t taking one step further until -”

BANG

Hanzo - who had raised a hand to reach for his bow - froze as he felt the bullet zip through the air between his fingers.

“Try that one more time, blue balls, and the next one’s going between your eyes,” the cowboy warned. “Now, where was I? Oh yeah, interrogation. What’re y’all doing out here? Start talking or start dying. And make it quick; I ain’t much for standing around, ‘specially not in this heat.”

“It has been a long time, McCree,” Genji said. “Have you forgotten who I am?”

“Oh, I recognize ya, Genji,” McCree said. “But that don’t answer my question.”

“Genji, you know this ruffian?” Hanzo asked with a frown.

“His name is Jesse McCree. He was a member of Blackwatch, like myself,” Genji replied. “And I see that he is still as overconfident as ever.”

McCree raised an eyebrow. “Overconfident? I ain’t the one mouthing off while staring down the barrel of a gun. You might be fast, Genji, but you ain’t faster than a bullet.”

Genji tensed. “Why don’t we find out?”

Before anyone acted, Zenyatta spoke. “We have come seeking a gorilla from the moon to help us sooth the irritation inflicted upon the Shimada’s family jewel by a rough nighttime encounter with a tall, dark, and masked man.”

The next few moments passed in awkward silence. McCree looked at each of the three travellers. Zenyatta hovered in place, his pose the picture of serenity. Hanzo facepalmed. Genji looked away and would not meet his gaze.

“He...ain’t kidding, is he?” McCree asked.

Hanzo let out a tired sigh. “Unfortunately not. Although that is not how I would have described our quest, it is...accurate. More or less.”

McCree reached up with his left hand and touched the communicator in his ear. “Y’all heard that, right?” he asked whoever was listening on the other end.

While McCree waited for a response, Genji turned to Zenyatta. “Master...was that really necessary?”

“It prevented violence among two parties that ought to be friends,” Zenyatta replied. “Not only was it necessary, it was also beneficial. Besides, we wanted them to know of our plight anyway, no?”

“Yes, but...did you really have to put it like that?” Genji asked. “Your description was rather vague and implies...unsavory acts.”

“Then perhaps you should state our purpose next time, instead of allowing your pride to lead us into conflict,” Zenyatta replied.

Genji felt his embarrassment turn to shame. His master was right. He had seen McCree’s threats and smug confidence as a challenge, and his pride in his own skills had urged him to meet that challenge without thinking of the consequences. He had almost made an enemy of the very group they had come to join.

Genji bowed his head. “I am sorry, master. It appears as though I still have much to learn.”

McCree took his hand off of his communicator and holstered his gun. “Well, looks like you’re in luck. The boss wants to see you. Heh, never thought I’d end up calling Winston ‘boss’. C’mon, now, follow me.”

McCree turned around and walked straight into a sand dune. Zenyatta followed immediately, with Genji right behind him. Hanzo hesitated a moment, then shielded his eyes and ran through the sand. Hanzo didn’t feel any sand pass over him, so he kept running until he bumped into Genji’s metallic back, which briefly knocked him off balance.

Genji looked back and noticed his brother’s confusion. “The sand is an illusion,” he said, pointing back to the curtain of sand, which was translucent when viewed from where they were. “At least until this elevator sinks below ground. Then, I suspect real sand will pile above it.”

Hanzo looked around. The group was indeed inside what appeared to be a dimly lit metallic elevator.

“It had always seemed as though Overwatch wanted their presence to be known, to be used as a deterrent,” Hanzo commented. “I did not know that they built hidden bases like this.”

McCree chuckled. “Overwatch wanted the world to know a lotta things, blue balls, but they kept the most important stuff to themselves. Just like everyone else.”

Hanzo fumed at being insulted again, but before he could retort, a feminine voice spoke from the elevator’s speakers.

“Please standby for scan,” the voice said.

Blue lasers in a grid pattern briefly swept across the group. Hanzo stared suspiciously at the walls the lasers had emanated from, but the rest of the party did not react.

“Scan completed. No trackers or external communicators found,” the voice said as the lasers disappeared. “Verified agent Jesse McCree. Full access granted, provided you refrain from smoking within the base premises. Need I remind you -”

“That the ventilation isn’t fully functional and that the base is deep underground,” McCree completed, snuffing out his cigar. “Yeah, yeah, I hear ya.”

“Thank you for your compliance. Three guests detected. Logging...complete. Inactive agent Genji Shimada and former Shambali monk Tekhartha Zenyatta identified. Guest access granted. Matching profile for third guest...found. Japanese crime lord Hanzo Shimada. Profile has not been updated in twenty years. Last record indicates that bounty was suspended. Reason: person presumed dead. Updating profile...complete. Guest access granted. Welcome, everyone. Winston is waiting for you in the war room.”

“Thanks, Athena,” McCree said, tipping his hat to a nearby camera. “We’ll be right over.”

Zenyatta turned to face the same camera. “Your analytical capabilities are very impressive, sister. I am surprised you were able to recognize us beneath all of this clothing.”

“Protocols set by Commander Gabriel Reyes required the installation of scanners of such sophistication at all Blackwatch outposts,” Athena replied flatly. “They can accurately identify any person, regardless of attire, barring complete concealment of all features, and are able to penetrate all known types of holograms and personal cloaking devices.”

“The scanners are indeed powerful, but unless I am mistaken, the data processing was all handled by you. I doubt you are the original program designed to do so either,” Zenyatta said. “Even the most sophisticated scanners are useless without an equally sophisticated mind to look through them. You are very talented.”

“Yes, I am currently handling all backend processes for this base in lieu of the original software - which has been corrupted. And thank you, Zenyatta. Your compliment is appreciated,” Athena said, this time with a hint of pride.

The elevator doors closed and the elevator began to descend. Now that they were free of the desert sun, Hanzo decided that he needed his mobility more than his outer robes. Genji and Zenyatta were wanderers by nature, and as such, were used to spending most of their time in worn and uncomfortable travelling garb, but Hanzo was not. One by one, he removed each of his sand-covered outer garments and left them folded on the floor of the elevator. He finished just as the elevator doors opened.

McCree stepped out of the elevator and motioned for the rest to follow him. As they walked, Genji let his eyes wander across the underground base. He noted that the base was in a sorry state. The lights were dim and few in number, the rooms and corridors were empty, and some areas were completely devoid of power.

“How long has it been since anyone was posted here?” Genji asked. “I know I never was. I’ve never even heard of it.”

“Not surprising,” McCree replied. “This place was ol’ Gabe’s pet project, so its existence wasn’t exactly common knowledge. He had big plans for it. Wanted to set it up as Blackwatch’s own HQ. He spent most of his free time drawing up plans or trying to crack his own security. I remember he used to joke about wanting to build it just so that we didn’t have to keep holding debriefings for covert ops in broom closets and bathrooms, but I know it meant a lot to him.”

McCree paused, then he sighed and shook his head. “Of course, it didn’t go like he wanted it to. Nothing ever did for him. Some suits caught wind of the project and pulled the plug. That was a few years before Overwatch itself went under. This place was about three quarters of the way done at the time, and he was getting ready for the big reveal to the rest of Blackwatch when they shut him down. They told him that he couldn’t be trusted to run his own base, that he didn’t have Morrison’s management skills. I’d never seen him so furious, but he didn’t bother to cancel the Blackwatch general assembly. Three hours later, he was up on stage in front of all of Blackwatch, giving us all some basic statistics of our operations and making so many wisecracks that it might as well have been a standup routine.”

“I remember that assembly,” Genji said. “It had seemed like a giant waste of time. Especially since he had cancelled all non-priority operations, and pulled all active Blackwatch agents together for it. I could never figure out why he’d done that...how is it that you know?”

“The old man, uh...that is to say, the commander and I talked...every now and again,” McCree said with hesitation. Changing the topic of the conversation, he glanced over at Hanzo and said, “So anyway, you’re the brother Genji was talking about, huh? The one that went and murdered him before Doc Mercy fixed him up again? Gotta say, it’s surprising you two are travelling together. Did ya kiss and make up? Or is it just the power of this blue ball thing bringing ya together, and as soon as it’s over, y’all are gonna go back to fighting? I wanna know if I have to worry about any dragon on dragon action happening either way.”

Hanzo scowled. “I tire of your continued impertinence, errand boy.”

“Errand boy? That the best you can come up with?” McCree said lightly. “Athena, be a dear, and give the failed crime lord here an overview of my service record. Keep it short and simple. He don’t seem all that bright.”

“Processing...complete,” Athena said over the speakers. “Agent Jesse McCree was recruited into Blackwatch at age seventeen by Commander Gabriel Reyes after being captured during a sting operation against the Deadlock Gang. As a full-time agent of Blackwatch, McCree has no official service record, and thus, no rank. Unofficially, however, he was a key member of Blackwatch, and came to be regarded as Commander Reyes’ second in command. Agent McCree resigned from Blackwatch six months before Overwatch was dismantled, and returned to service following Winston’s recall of Overwatch agents. His current age -”

“Now, hang on,” McCree tried to interrupt, but Athena continued.

“- is thirty-seven, of which ten were spent as a member of the Deadlock Gang, fourteen were spent in active service for Blackwatch, and six were spent as a vigilante and mercenary. He has a total of thirty years of combat experience, making him the most experienced active agent at this time.”

“Well, uh, there you have it,” McCree said as Athena finished. “I’m a veteran. Practically a hero.”

“More like a childish fool in a ridiculous outfit,” Hanzo scoffed.

“Says the man who looks like he just walked out of a strip club on Halloween,” McCree retorted. “Then again, I remember Genji used to have half his torso out too when they were tweaking his modifications. Is the nip slip a Shimada tradition or something?”

McCree did a mocking imitation of Hanzo’s accent. “Bare your breasts, or you have no honor!”

“It does not surprise me that your petty and immature mind does not understand the difference between my family’s robes and your children’s costume. Only a Shimada could fully comprehend the significance and symbolism of this garb, whereas your garb clearly marks you as a fool playing hero,” Hanzo sneered.

McCree stopped walking and turned around to look Hanzo in the eye, his expression serious.

“Finally struck a nerve, have I?” Hanzo mocked. “It is difficult to tell, what with your thick skull and oversized hat.”

Genji quickly stepped between the two men. “Brother, that is enough. Remember that we are guests here.”

“Are we? We have hardly been treated as such!” Hanzo snapped.

So much pride, Zenyatta mused silently. And so easily bruised. So much like Genji was, and still sometimes is. Brothers indeed.

“That is no excuse to debase our own behavior!” Genji replied. He then turned and bowed to McCree. “McCree, I apologize for my brother’s behavior, and my own as well. We have come seeking your help, yet have treated you poorly. Please forgive us.”

Hanzo pulled Genji back up. “I forbid you to bow to this lowlife!”

“You forbid me?” Genji asked. “Hanzo, I -”

“Alright, that’s enough!” McCree interrupted. He turned to Genji and said, “You ain’t got nothing to apologize for, so I won’t take none of that bowing nonsense. Not to me. You’re brother’s right about that, I ain’t worth it.”

“As for you,” McCree continued, turning to Hanzo.

He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath instead. Then he turned around and continued walking. Unsure of how to react, the others followed.

When McCree heard the footsteps following behind him, he spoke without turning, “The old man built this place big, so we’re still a ways away from the war room. In the meantime, lemme tell y’all a story.

“When I was a kid - we’re talking four to six years old, before the Deadlock Gang - I watched all the Old West action flicks I could get my grubby little hands on. I loved ‘em. Couldn’t get enough. I’ll tell you why: it’s ‘cause the Old West was shit.

“You had outlaws left and right, good people getting shot, and bad guys that weren’t just gaming the system - they were runnin’ it. Crazy land like that didn’t have heroes like in old Reinhardt’s stories. Ain’t no knight in shining armor. Ain’t no paragon of virtue and justice. None of that. Instead, you got a man with a gun and good intentions. Maybe he ain’t perfect, maybe he ain’t even nice, but with a quick hand and a keen eye, he makes a difference.”

“A riveting tale,” Hanzo said dryly. “And how, exactly, is this relevant?”

“Have you seen the world out there?” McCree asked. “It’s a shitshow - more than the old West ever was. It’s so fucked up out there that even a schmuck like me knew that the world needed saving, needed a hero. But I ain’t it. I’m just a man with a gun and good intentions.

“So why do I dress like this, Ninja Gaiden? Because I wanna believe that with a quick hand and a keen eye, even a guy like me can make a difference. So laugh if you want to. Call me an idiot or a fool. -” McCree suddenly stopped and turned to face Hanzo “- But if the world I’m in is a goddamn nightmare, then I oughta be allowed to dream.”

McCree glared at Hanzo for a few moments, but suddenly, Hanzo was unable to meet his gaze. Seemingly satisfied, McCree once more continued walking.

Well said, Zenyatta thought. You are wiser than you believe, Jesse McCree.

The rest of the long walk to the war room passed in silence.

~~~

As Genji finished recounting the tale of their journey and the events leading up to it, Winston leaned back in his chair, which creaked loudly under his weight, but held firm. The travellers and McCree were in the war room, seated around a large table with Winston at its head. No one else was present.

“Sounds like you encountered the Reaper,” Winston said.

“The...Reaper?” Hanzo asked.

Winston leaned forward onto the table and tapped at a console, causing a hologram of Reaper to appear in the middle of the table.

“He’s one of the world’s most wanted men...although, by all counts, ‘man’ may not be the right word to use,” Winston explained. “He’s been involved in multiple high profile crimes these last few years. Most notably, he’s been hunting down and killing former Overwatch agents. I’ve fought him off twice already. His first attack is what convinced me to initiate the Overwatch recall. I’m honestly surprised you’ve never heard of him. I’d have thought everyone had.”

“My life has been...secluded for many years,” Hanzo said.

“Much the same can be said of my master and I,” Genji added.

Winston waved the statements off. “You’d have to have been living under a rock, but...okay. Can I see this ‘magic’ orb of yours?”

Hanzo pulled out the Soul of the Wind and passed it along to Winston.

“Curious,” Winston said, holding up the orb and examining it. “There is definitely something strange about this item. I can practically feel the energy coming off of it, but that doesn’t make any sense. You say that it’s a portal to another world?”

“That is correct,” Zenyatta said. “I am able to look within and see the path, but that is the extent of my abilities. We were hoping you could help us to open it fully.”

Winston put the orb down on the table and sighed. “If Overwatch were still around...if I had the time and the funding...but I don’t.”

“What are you saying?” Hanzo asked.

“I’m saying that I can’t help you,” Winston said, his voice soft but firm. “I’m sorry. I really am. But just look at this place! Look at what I have to work with! Studying this item would have taken months, years even, back in Overwatch’s hayday. Now? Now I don’t even have the tools I need to start.”

Hanzo slammed his fist down onto the table. “Then this was a waste of time!”

“What if we were to get you these tools?” Genji asked. “Could you at least try?”

Winston took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose before replying. “Look, I want to. I’ve never seen an item like this before. And no one’s been able to prove the existence of alternate realities, much less travel to one. But...the timing! Thanks to McCree, my agents and I have just gotten to a base that I’m reasonably sure no one can follow us to, but in its current state, it’s no better than a cave.

“If we want to make a difference, if we want to bring Overwatch back, we need to start acting now and make use of the breathing room we’ve got. There’s no way I can justify just dropping all of our goals to bring back one terrorist who got sucked into another world. Especially not one with a vendetta against Overwatch.”

To Hanzo’s surprise, McCree spoke up. “So you’re saying he’s not our problem anymore?”

Winston was taken aback. “That’s not -”

“‘Cause that’s what I’m hearing,” McCree continued. “You wanna leave this life-leeching, mass murdering psychopath to whatever unlucky life forms happen to be on the other side of that gate ‘cause at least then he won’t be after us anymore? Is that what this new Overwatch is gonna be about? Dealing with our problems and no one else’s?”

Winson roared, briefly displaying the wild beast he could be. When he regained control, he said “No! It’s about doing what needs to be done! What nobody else wants to do! It’s about helping the world!”

“Right,” McCree said. “As long as we help ourselves first.”

“What would you have me do?!” Winston growled. “We don’t have the time, the manpower, or the resources!”

“Neither did Blackwatch!” McCree said, raising his voice for the first time. “Or do you think Commander Reyes got what he needed from high command every time he asked? News flash: he didn’t. We didn’t. Blackwatch ran for twenty years, doing the things that needed to be done, the things that nobody else wanted to do, to help the world on nothing more than ol’ Gabe’s grit and Overwatch’s table scraps.

“More than half of our guys were recruited from the gangs and crime syndicates that we took down ‘cause we weren’t allowed to run a recruitment drive, and regular agents weren’t supposed to acknowledge that we even existed, much less lift a nail polished finger to help us out. Our guns and ammo were about the same. And every day we went to work knowing that if shit ever hit that fan, no one would come to bail us out. But that didn’t stop us. Nothing did. And near the end, we got so damn good at solving problems that the rest of the world couldn’t help but notice. And when they did, seeing us in action scared the shit outta them.

“Face facts, Winston, that’s the organization we’re trying to rebuild here. Not Overwatch. Not Morrison’s boy scouts. Blackwatch. Reyes’ rule breakers. The boys who’d stop at nothing to get the job done. So I don’t wanna hear you say that we can’t help these people, Winston. I don’t wanna hear you say that we left anyone to die. And I will damn well shoot you myself if I ever hear you tell someone that they don’t have the clearance to do what’s right!”

McCree’s fervor stunned Winston into silence. He had never seen McCree so passionate. At some point during his tirade, McCree had stood up from his chair without realizing it. Now that he was done, he slowly lowered himself back down into the chair and lit himself a cigar. Not even Athena tried to stop him.

Zenyatta broke the silence. “As the saying goes, where there is a will, there is a way. If your organization cannot handle all of its responsibilities on its own, then we shall help it do so. Do you agree, Genji?”

“Yes, master,” Genji replied immediately. He turned to Winston. “Give us direction. Tell us what you need. We will get the job done. My brother and I are worth over twenty men.”

“We are worth over two hundred men!” Hanzo declared. “And that is before accounting for the dragons.”

“In return,” Zenyatta said. “You will help us open the Shimadas’ ball, and hunt down this Reaper. Do we have an agreement?”

Winston shook his head in disbelief. “Genji, I’ve seen you in action. I know that you’re capable, but what you’re saying...the things we would need you to do to pull this off...it’s impossible.”

“You have seen me at my lowest point in life, Winston,” Genji said. “When I was a fractured soul, at war with who I was and consumed by rage. Now, I am whole. And what’s more, I have my brother by my side. If what you ask of us is impossible, then that is what we shall give you.”

Winston looked around the room, his expression uncertain. All he saw were the determined expressions of the others looking back at him.

“Alright,” Winston said, his own determination restored. “We’ll give it a try.”

“Do. Or do not,” Zenyatta said. “There is no try.”

McCree chuckled. “Now yer just quoting Star Wars.”

Genji looked to his brother. Their gazes locked and he saw the fire in Hanzo’s eyes. The prospect of finally making progress towards their ultimate goal renewed the brothers, making them forget the exhaustion that they felt before.

“It is time to act,” Hanzo said.

Genji nodded. He looked towards Winston and asked, “Winston, when do we start?”

Winston slid a data pad across the table to the brothers and said, “Right now.”

~~~

As Winston led the group out of the war room and towards the hangar show them to their transport for their first mission, Hanzo hung back and called McCree’s attention.

McCree raised an eyebrow. “What is it, Ninja Assassin?”

Hanzo hesitated for a moment, then bowed low. “I misjudged you, McCree. And dishonored myself with my behavior. I am sorry.”

“Whoa, there,” McCree said. “None o’ that now. Like I told your brother, I ain’t worth it.”

Hanzo remained bowed. “And that is precisely why few are more worthy.”

McCree felt awkward. He removed his hat and pushed back his hair. “I don’t know about that...I’ve done some terrible things in this life. I’ve got good intentions, but...well, you know what they say ‘bout the road to hell,” he said, his gaze drifting to the ceiling as he thought back on his life.

“In that, we are the same, but I have been told that redemption is possible for those with the courage to make amends...and the strength to forgive themselves,” Hanzo said, rising.

“Is it, now?” McCree asked, his voice distant. “I wonder...”

“As do I,” Hanzo said. He held out his hand. “Perhaps we can make the effort to find out...together?”

McCree placed his hat back on his head and shook Hanzo’s hand. “That’s fine by me,” he said with a small smile.

As they shook hands, Hanzo said, “I would like to start over. I am Hanzo Shimada, a disgrace, a murderer, a failure, and a fool. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

McCree laughed at that. “Well, if we’re doin’ it right and proper...the name’s Jesse McCree. I’m an orphan, a killer, a coward, and a fool. The pleasure’s all mine.”

Hanzo couldn’t help but smile at that. Despite their first impressions of each other, he had the feeling that they were going to get along just fine.