Skull, The Cursebringer

by Timeless Lord Slayer

Chapters

2 - Enter The Cursebringer: The Ponies Bold (Edited...Again)
3 - Enter The Cursebringer: A Chill Takes Hold (Edited...Again)
4 - Enter The Cursebringer: Response (Edited...Again)
5 - Intermission: A Change In The Winds (EDIT...Again.)
6 - Redemption: The Search for Truth (Edited...Once Again)
7 - Redemption: The Trial (Edit)
8 - Redemption: Redemption (Edit)
9 - Intermission: A Dance for Two (Edited...Once Again)
??? - Dear Hunter: Blood or Water?
1 - Enter The Cursebringer: Into The Cold (Edited)

2 - Enter The Cursebringer: The Ponies Bold (Edited...Again)

Monsters ravage Equus.

Beasts among Beasts destroy cities.

Purest of Monsters destroy, pillage, deceive, and kill by the score.

And Misunderstood flood the outer wilds, trying to survive.

A Cursebringer, marked by a pure white Skull, stands strong in the white.

Curses are brought to all.

The Pillars had been traveling in the cold snow for hours. Their hoof prints lay behind them, a testament to how far they'd come, but they were quickly being covered once more by the falling flakes of snow. The snow was coming down harder. Visibility was getting worse. Mistmane and Starswirl had been forced to light their horns just to see a bit more in the cold.

"Any sign of the creature yet?!" came the call of Rockhoof from behind them, yelling over the din of the howling wind. He had taken up their rear in case of being flanked.

"No! Nothing!" Mistmane called back. Star Swirl's eyes narrowed as they pushed on. He had taken point.

'We must continue. The fate of Equestria hangs in the balance. That fiend is hiding out here, somewhere, plotting, and I will not rest until he is dealt with,' he thought, his aged cyan eyes scanning the snowy tundra for any signs or traces of the elusive 'Skull'.

Unbeknownst to them, the silver-furred wolf was watching from atop a snowy hill, golden eyes aglow with curiosity. Still, the ponies trudged through the snow, oblivious.

The snowfall was growing even more harsh, the cold, piercing winds biting at their fur and making them all shiver. Snow was starting to build on their backs and heads.

"Star Swirl! We must find shelter!" Flash told the mage. Star Swirl grit his teeth, but nodded.

"Very well! Mistmane, can you-?!" the mage's voice was cut off by the sound of multiple beastly howls. "Was that... Apes?" he wondered aloud, looking around. The other Pillars did much the same, looking about for the source. And then, multiple spears of ice erupted around them, nearly impaling them had they had not moved out of the way.

Those with weapons drew them, while the others simply got into battle stances. "Now we're talkin'! I've been needin' a good fight!" Rockhoof cried with a grin.

Out of the snow came three ape-like creatures with bright red faces, and on the back of one of them was a strange, bipedal creature with deep blue skin, light blue claws on it's hands, a dark blue helmet with fin-like protrusions, white hair, and boots and a... kilt? It had a massive grin splitting its face, and it pointed to the ponies, and let out a battle cry.

The ponies tensed as the two extra apes charged them. One went for Star Swirl, but he defended himself with a quick magical shield.

Rockhoof was fighting off the other one, trying to keep it from wrenching his prized shovel away. He slammed his head into it's face, but to his surprise, it didn't even flinch, instead tossing him up into the air with a snarl. He flailed as he began to fall, but Flash Magnus caught him and quickly put him back down safely.

"Thank you, Flash," the massive Earth Pony said gratefully, before readying his shovel once more. Somnambula pawed the ground, then charged the beast, but it simply flicked her in the face with it's tail, sending her careening into Meadowbrook.

Meanwhile, Starswirl was struggling against the other beast, the thing pounding on his shield without mercy, creating crack after crack. Mistmane came forth, adding her power to his, strengthening their bulwark, but the beast was undeterred. It continued to bash the shield, creating cracks just as easily despite the added magic.

The being on the other creature chuckled darkly, before raising his hand, frost starting to form in his palm. And then, in a blur of silver, the creature's hand was missing, and he looked in shock to see a Silver Wolf with his hand, claw and all, in it's maw. He roared in pain and anger, clutching his arm, before letting loose another battle cry. His steed slammed it's fist down in challenge, then charged forth, aiming to pummel the wolf.

Only for the wolf to drop the hand, and launch itself at it's neck, biting viciously. It roared in pain, trying to knock the wolf off of it's treasured windpipe, smashing it's snout as hard as it could, struggling to pry it off, but the wolf's maw stayed firmly latched on. The ape thrashed about wildly, and the rider tried and failed to help it's steed, clawing as best it could at the wolf's hide, but it could not pierce it.

The wolf growled around the throat in it's maw, then, in a herculean feat of strength, flicked it's neck and tossed the ape into the air with it's master, simultaneously tearing out it's throat. The ape fell to the ground in a heap, whimpering in pain and reaching for it's master who had landed not far away, but it soon fell still in the cold. The wolf turned to the other apes, and howled.

The apes stopped what they were doing, looked to the wolf, and charged it with howls of their own. Their master stood himself up and made to launch an attack on the wolf himself, only to find a shovel at his throat. He growled as he looked into the steel-blue eyes of Rockhoof, and was about to summon more frost to his other hand, only for the other Pillars to surround him, glaring harshly.

"Stand down, creature," Star Swirl commanded. He only snarled louder, before lunging. Rockhoof caved his head in before he could reach Star Swirl, the Pillars staring down at it's bleeding form in morbid acceptance, before looking to the wolf to find it standing triumphantly over the two other apes, now dead.

It slammed a paw down on one's chest, then let out a piercing howl of victory. The Pillars watched with tense stares and narrowed eyes, ready for it to lunge and end them too, only for it to stare right back.

After a short few minutes of staring, it snorted, lowered it's maw to an ape, and starting to drag it by the neck with it's maw to what was likely it's den. The Pillars watched it go for a while, before letting out collective sighs of relief.

"Well, thank Faust that's over..." Meadowbrook said, hoof over her heart.

"Those beasts... They were unlike any we've encountered before," Star Swirl noted, looking to the body of an ape.

"Aye, tough ones too. Nothin' we did fazed 'em," Rockhoof agreed, nodding, placing his shovel back on his back.

"And this thing," Flash kicked the bipedal creature. "Pretty sure it casted magic. Without a horn."

Mistmane walked towards it, looking it over. "But... How?" she wondered.

"We might find answers if we follow that wolf," Somnambula suggested, gesturing to where the wolf had gone. The wind nearly bowled them over as she said that, the freezing cold starting to sink into them. They all shivered.

"We can't, not in this storm," Star Swirl replied. "We need to find shelter! Quick!"

The others looked to where the wolf had gone, then Star Swirl, before nodding. Thus, they began to trek in a different direction, searching for shelter, any shelter, that could shield them from the gnawing chill.

Star Swirl spared a glance back, and his brows furrowed, swearing he saw a glint in the snow. After searching for a moment, he found nothing. With a sigh, he turned back and continued on his way.

In the distance, on a hill, a lone man watched from afar, seeing the ponies walking away. His pale, three-horned skull was all that could be seen before he turned around and marched off into the snow, ape in his grasp.

Author's Note

EDIT: Opening theme is here!

Welp, here's chapter two.

3 - Enter The Cursebringer: A Chill Takes Hold (Edited...Again)

Monsters ravage Equus.

Beasts among Beasts destroy cities.

Purest of Monsters destroy, pillage, deceive, and kill by the score.

And Misunderstood flood the outer wilds, trying to survive.

A Cursebringer, marked by a pure white Skull, stands strong in the white.

Curses are brought to all.

The Pillars had managed to make it to an abandoned farmstead, finding refuge from the cold in the thankfully mostly intact barn. The other buildings were in pour repair, eaten away by time and the unrelenting cold of the Frozen North. The barn was the only building that still had sound roofing and walls, and thus they had made it their destination. Quickly scrambling inside and closing the barn doors, the ponies fanned out. They covered the entries and exits, watching for any sign of more monsters. When the coast was shown to be clear, they relaxed.

"I'll see if I can get a fire going," Meadowbrook announced, going to look for some kindling. The others nodded.

"I'll see if I can set up some left over hay for beds," Flash Magnus said, flying off and grabbing some haystacks.

"I'll help," Rockhoof offered, walking over.

"I will go keep a lookout," Somnambula stated, flying up to the hayloft.

"I'll do the same," Mistmane said, walking over to one of the barn doors and sitting by it, keeping an ear out.

This left Star Swirl to his thoughts. 'Those strange beasts... They must be the ones Skull summoned with that curse. I thought that they would be easy to dispatch, but to see them so easily overpower us...' He frowned deeply, looking down at the frozen ground in thought. 'This is not what I expected at all. That Skull creature... If the monsters it summoned are this powerful, just how powerful is Skull itself?' His frown deepened. He suddenly became aware of the crackling of fire, and looked up from the cold earth to see the others, save Somnambula and Mistmane, sitting by a makeshift flame of small logs. Haystacks were situated around it, far enough that the fire wouldn't burn them, but close enough the heat could just about reach them.

Star Swirl trotted over, sitting down on a spare haystack. They all stared at the flames, deep in thought. Finally, Flash Magnus spoke up.

"Should we tell Celestia and Luna what happened?" he asked. Their brows furrowed.

"I don't really like the idea of proving their fears right..." Meadowbrook muttered, still staring at the flames, a frown forming on her muzzle. Silence.

"..." Star Swirl sighed. "Well, if we don't tell them, they won't have any information to arm themselves with." The others looked to him a moment, before nodding their assent after a few moments more of relative quiet.

"...What we faced out there... Knowing that so many ponies are being killed by them every day... It's easy to see why now," Rockhoof said with a low grunt. Star Swirl nodded, but fire was still in his eyes.

"All the more reason to stop this at the source," he said resolutely. He pulled a scroll from his cloak, summoned an ink and quill, and began to write. He noted every detail he could and double checked it all before pulling a flask of dragon fire out and popping the cork, releasing it's contents onto the scroll. The scroll burnt up in the green and purple flames, then it's ashes floated away, outside one of the hayloft's windows. Star Swirl looked to his companions. "We'll win this, my friends, trust me." They all managed smiles.

Meanwhile, out in the storm...

An armored man with a skull for a face stood upon a hill, and watched as a swirling cloud of glittering smoke floated out of the barn below him. He tensed. He knew what that was. It was the pony's way of alerting their superiors. He had seen it many times during his days in the North. It would not end well for him if the pony's superiors decided to send an army. A patrol or scouting group he could ignore and circumvent, but he had seen the signs. The ponies were getting desperate. And desperate beings always took desperate measures.

Knowing this, he knew he'd have to take action.

"I guess I'll have to send a message..." he muttered to himself.

The Pillars were talking over their plans for tomorrow, only for a loud bang to be heard in the distance. They looked around in confusion, until the hayloft by Somnambula exploded in a shower of wood and splinters and fire. Smaller explosions rang out afterward, and as the Pillars recovered from the ringing in their ears, they finally heard the shrill screaming of Somnambula. Meadowbrook was first to take action, galloping toward where she heard the scream and almost vomiting at the sight she was witness to.

There, screaming her head off and clutching her now bleeding stump of a wing, was Somnambula, tears flowing from her eyes. Splinters had torn into her flesh, and the mangled bits of her feathers and remaining bones from her wing were scattered around the entire barn like trash in a young colt's room. The Pillars looked on in shock and fear.

Meadowbrook brought them out of their shock. "Somepony get over here and help me hold her down! I need to bandage her wing and get these splinters out!" She had her hooves on Somnambula, who only screamed louder as her friend tried to keep her still.

Mistmane was the first to gallop over and help, trying to hold back her bile at the grisly scene. The others frantically searched for the attacker. They didn't need to, however, as the attacker walked in from the door Mistmane left. Their eyes widened in shock and horror.

There, with a skull in plain sight and bearing the most wicked armor they'd seen, was none other than the fiend they were searching for.

"Skull," Star Swirl growled, horn glowing brightly. The creature looked to him, then Somnambula. It's vacant eye sockets lingered on her for a moment, before turning back to the others, who were preparing to charge.

"She brought it on herself. As have all of you," came the surprising, baritone response from Skull. They all blinked a few times, before their scowls returned.

"What the buck did we do to you?! What could we possibly have done to deserve-!" Flash Magnus began, before Skull interrupted him.

"Your kind chased me out when I had done nothing. Don't go all high-and-mighty on me and tell me your kind didn't do shit. I just reacted in self-defense," Skull replied harshly, tone cold as the grave. They all went silent, before Star Swirl's anger reached a boiling point.

"Self-defense? Self-defense?!" Star Swirl roared. "You, who brought beasts to our lands, you, who haunted our kind for years and schemed in the name of your master, have the gall to call this atrocity self-defense?!?" Star Swirl charged up his magic, and launched the spell towards the creature. To his and the other's horror, it didn't even scratch Skull's pulsing, purple veined chestplate. Skull let out a sigh and shook his head.

"Ponies," he said with utter disdain. Rockhoof was done, and charged Skull, swinging his shovel straight into his gut, aiming to knock the wind out of him. The sound of metal shattering and seeing his prized shovel break before his very eyes made his eyes bulge out in shock.

"Wha-?!" he tried to say, only for Skull to slam both fists onto his cranium sledgehammer style, knocking the once mighty stallion out cold and leaving a sizable gash on his head.

Flash, enraged, charged full tilt towards Skull, shield raised in front of him as he sped forward at his top speed. He suddenly found his windpipe being constricted roughly. He choked for air and struggled to free himself from the iron hold, but what he heard and saw next broke him. Skull grabbed his shield, Netitus, gifted to him by his old officer, and crushed it against his own skull like it was a simple tin can. Flash's eyes were open wide, vacant now as he stared at his crumpled shield. Skull tossed the pegasus like a rag doll into Rockhoof. He turned to face Starswirl and the others.

"This is my warning to you ponies. Leave. Me. Alone," Skull said, tone promising pain if his demand was not met. Skull kicked the two ponies to them. "Go. Get out of here, and don't let me see your sorry faces again."

Star Swirl was beyond shocked. Beyond angry. He made to shoot another bolt of magic, but Meadowbrook stopped him.

"Star Swirl! We need to get out here! If we stay here then Somnambula will die of blood loss or shock!" she cried.

Star Swirl growled, looking to Skull, who had his arms crossed and was tapping his foot, then looked to his companions. Broken, battered... He ground his teeth together.

"Fine! Gather around me!" he ordered. Mistmane grabbed the other two, whilst Meadowbrook carried Somnambula on her back, and they all huddled close to Star Swirl. Star Swirl shot a final look to Skull, glaring with hatred into the eye sockets. "We will destroy you one day, fiend." He promised, before they disappeared in a flash of white light.

Author's Note

EDIT: Opening theme is here!

4 - Enter The Cursebringer: Response (Edited...Again)

Monsters ravage Equus.

Beasts among Beasts destroy cities.

Purest of Monsters destroy, pillage, deceive, and kill by the score.

And Misunderstood flood the outer wilds, trying to survive.

A Cursebringer, marked by a pure white Skull, stands strong in the white.

Curses are brought to all.

One Week Later...

The towns and cities across the Empire and Equestria were all filled with frightful mutterings, whispers of a beast so dark and powerful that it brought the beasts to their lands. They had seen some of their greatest protectors brought low. The shock and horror was prevalent, and word reached every pony soon enough. The Princesses had heard first, and later told the grisly news to The Elements. Disbelief was evident in their eyes when they heard.

Thus, they had all traveled to the Crystal Empire's Royal Hospital to see for themselves. They rushed through the streets once there, the Diarchs lagging behind, guilty looks upon their muzzles. Quickly stepping through the sliding doors, Rainbow was the first to shoot to the nurse behind the counter.

"Where are the Pillars?! Where's Flash?!" she demanded. The nurse blinked a few times, before gaining a sad frown.

"I'll... lead you to their rooms." She trotted out from behind the counter, and gestured for them to follow. Twilight walked up next to the nurse.

"...How bad is it...?" she asked quietly. The nurse said nothing for a moment.

"...I'll be honest, Your Highness... It's not good," the nurse replied with a deepened frown. Twilight's head fell. Pinkie's mane was flat, mirroring the mood of everypony around.

They arrived at a door labeled '3-G', and the nurse slowly opened it for them. They stepped inside, fearful of what they might see.

They all gasped in abject horror, tears forming in their eyes. They rushed to the sides of their friends and idols, seeing them all unconscious, save for one pegasus stallion. Rainbow zoomed to his side, tears in her rose-colored eyes.

"Flash! Babe, what the buck did that thing do to you?!" she screeched. Flash said nothing, bearing a thousand yard stare. "Flash? Come on babe, talk to me!"

Princess Luna stepped up behind her. "Leave him be, Rainbow. He has been through much."

"Buck that! I'm not leaving my coltfriend here to waste away!" Rainbow retorted angrily, glaring at the Lunar Princess through her tears. Luna just stared back, sadness abound in those orbs of cyan. Rainbow couldn't hold it anymore. She cried into her coltfriend's chest.

With Rockhoof, Applejack was trying to not shed tears at the prone, unconscious form of her idol. Pinkie was crying into Fluttershy's chest by the bedridden Somnambula, wing now but a bandaged stump, along with the rest of her body.

Twilight stood by Princess Celestia with Rarity, the Solar Diarch watching on with a face that looked beyond tired. Beyond sad. Twilight and Rarity looked to the older mare.

"Princess... Where are Mistmane, Meadowbrook, and Star Swirl?" Twilight asked softly, fearing the answer.

"Star Swirl closed himself off in the Crystal Archives. He hasn't come out for three days," Celestia replied with a just as soft tone. The hope in Twilight's eyes faded.

"...And the others...?" Rarity continued.

"Mistmane has been in the Gardens, and Meadowbrook is with the doctor," the Diarch answered. They all lowered their heads, and an uncomfortable silence ensued.

Rainbow's angry, breaking voice broke the relative silence. "I'll make him pay..." she growled out, trying to stifle her sniffles and sobs. She took Flash's hoof in her own, her eyes hardening. "I'll make that bucker pay, I swear babe..."

The others in the room looked to her, and their own eyes hardened. Twilight's voice went dark as her hair covered her face. "Yeah Rainbow... We will."

Author's Note

EDIT: Opening theme is here!

I know it's really short. Trust me, I do. But, I felt having a short one would make up for any future long ones. That, and this is just how this chapter turned out. Sorry if I dashed your guys' expectations. :twilightsheepish:

Anyway, thanks for reading.

-Timeless Celestial

5 - Intermission: A Change In The Winds (EDIT...Again.)

Author's Note

EDIT: Changed a little detail that could have created a lot of questions if it wasn't changed. It might be added onto further later.

SPOILERS FOR UNDYING ANGEL ABOUND

This is a crossover with Show Stopper's story, The Undying Angel. I know it's a bit long, so, sorry for that. I'm also sorry because there are a few parts of it that may seem a little typical of Displaced stories, but me and Stopper did our best to lessen them as much as we could. It was a bit hard, considering Skull's situation and personality, especially.

Also, don't worry too much about this crossover affecting the story too much. Honestly, I was planning on a quick transition for the more serious things to really start chugging along, and this crossover fit the bill nicely. Much as that may sound like an 'inexperienced Displaced author', it's not my intent, and I honestly feel it's more of me being a bit of an opportunist who also wanted to use this crossover to practice with romance themes more.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it. Leave a comment below if you so feel like it, I do so enjoy reading them.

Thanks for reading.

-Timeless Celestial

5 - Intermission: A Change In The Winds (EDIT...Again.)

Monsters ravage Equus.

Beasts among Beasts destroy cities.

Purest of Monsters destroy, pillage, deceive, and kill by the score.

And Misunderstood flood the outer wilds, trying to survive.

A Cursebringer, marked by a pure white Skull, stands strong in the white.

Curses are brought to all.

Skull sighed deeply as he trudged up to his cabin on the peak of Mount Everhoof. He walked towards the front door, opening it with a creak of wood, greeted by the sight of his happy little home.

On one side of the cabin were his weapons. A Heavy Bowgun that looked like a literal cannon, a Greatsword with flesh wrapped around small barbs and steel-like, reflective scales that made up the large, hefty blade, and the fan-favorite, a Switch Axe of bone and what looked like rotted flesh wrapped around parts of it’s length.

All of them were folded and hanging neatly from the wall, and he approached said wall, walking over the rug made of a skinned Blangonga. He pulled the other Heavy Bowgun from his back, the long, spiked and bone-laden sniper rifle being placed securely in its place on the wall.

He looked to his hearth, walked over, and grabbed a log of firewood from the pile next to it, tossing it into the flames to keep it going. He looked at the flames for a time, then grabbed another log for good measure and tossed it in as well.

He then turned to the small workshop which was right under his weapon rack, and opened the chest next to the workshop table, pulling his bag from his hip and dumping a load of monster materials and ores into the large red chest. He did the same with the eight other bags, pouches, and satchels he had on his belt. That done, he stretched, popping his bones, and walked out the side door of the cabin to the carving spit he made for carving monsters. The Blango was already near it, and he sat down on his folding chair, grabbing his carving knives from their sheaths and starting to get ready to gut the beast.

Only for a tear in reality to appear, and a young woman to tumble out, rolling into a crouch. She looked about twenty years old, well-built and beautiful. Her metallic white hair was cut short in a boyish style, her gold eyes sharp as they surveyed the small roofed area just off the cabin. She was dressed in some sort of military garb, brown slacks and shirt stained with dirt and blood and decorated with several stripes and stars across the shoulders. She glanced up at Skull, her eyes narrowing. “Well,” she said, her voice as sharp as her eyes, “that was interesting. Usually I get a chance to refuse if I’m summoned.”

Skull just stared for a moment, pausing just as he was about to slit the Blango’s gut. And then, an annoyingly familiar voice called from the portal. One he despised.

“Oh, that’d be because of the trade, dearie,” came the female voice, and out came a very well dressed woman with a typical Noble’s mask found at royal balls, a rich, red Victorian tailcoat, straight black hair, and a cane along with fair skin. “You gave me that cookie, and I gave you a free ride to my favorite little boy!”

Skull growled. “Trader. I. Am. 34. And please, leave before I carve you up like the monsters you gave this world.”

Trader giggled. “Oh, always so feisty and spirited!” She waltzed over and patted his skull. “That’s why you’re my favorite little boy.”

A series of metallic notes sounded, heralding a blade that pressed against Trader’s throat. “I think it’s time you left,” the white-haired girl said, standing calmly as she kept her blade to the Void Dweller’s neck. Skull was surprised to see that the blade flowed naturally from her arm. “Unless you and your kind have more misery to inflict.” The Trader giggled, grabbing the girl’s blade and gently pulling it away.

“Fine, fine, I’m not my Father anyway. I just make trades, he just makes…” she shuddered. “...sales.” She shook her head. “Anyway, have fun you two, and try to not fall over each other later~.” Trader then disappeared by falling through a portal, which closed quickly, along with the other.

Skull seemed to glare at where Trader had been, though it was hard, since he didn’t seem to have any actual eyes. Before long, he just grunted and went back to trying to carve the Blango. He tossed the girl a carving knife.

“If you’re gonna be here, unwilling or not, then you’re gonna help me fix dinner for us,” he said simply, slitting open the Blangos gut.

The girl shrugged, her blade turning into a butcher’s knife. “Might as well. I could port home if I wanted, but they should be able to handle that nest without me.” She sighed as she pulled up a chair, sitting down to help with the carving. “Freaking stubborn dragons. I’m Angel, by the way. The Undying Angel, if you want to get formal.”

Skull grunted. “First, you don’t know Trader. She likely blocked you off from that ability, or just put a barrier up. She’s a bitch like that.” He pulled some entrails out, tossing them into a gorey basket. “Also, just call me Skull. I’ve gotten used to it, and I lost the right to my old name four years ago.”

Angel scoffed, hacking off a leg and beginning to skin it. “Lost the right? Please. Whatever you did, it wasn’t your choice. And however bad it was, I’ve done worse.” She grinned up at him. “Ever nuked a Centaur from the inside?”

He shook his head. “No. I’ve nuked at least five hundred monsters with my Switch Axe, though. Either with Lightning or Dragon. Different element from everything else, by the way, Dragon. Not fire, not lightning, not ice, water, or even magic.”

Angel let out a low whistle. “Five hundred, huh? Respectable.” She paused for a moment, looking up into the distance. “I wonder who my five hundredth was…” She shrugged and went back to carving. “At least your little beasties weren’t sapient. I’ve lost track of how many families have vowed to tear out my entrails for killing their fathers, sons, et cetera.” She snorted. “Not that that would do much to me.”

Skull chuckled darkly, pulling a heart out and placing it on a wooden tray by his chair. “Girl, have you seen what I fight? Every day I go out to secure my home, I run into a monster that can, with just a few swipes, disembowel me. Or, well, they used to, before I reinforced this armor.” He patted the strange plate armor he wore. It looked less like plate armor and more like molded metal, but the outlines of the abs were glowing purple, and there were spines spreading out from his shoulders. Furthermore, the more she looked, the more she noted the armor looked… somehow like hide.

“Okay,” she muttered, putting her slab of meat down. “This I’ve got to check out.” She held out her arm, a familiar metallic chiming sounding as her blade morphed into a hand. She reached out in front of her, two fingers extended, and drew a line through the air. A hole in reality opened up, revealing a small, stone cubby where a laptop sat. “Subspace pocket,” Angel explained, slipping the laptop out and opening it up. “You have no idea how happy I was to figure out the code for that.” She winced as she started typing, looking up at Skull’s armor occasionally. “Or how many times I died trying to get it right. Aha!” She grinned up at him. “Monster Hunter, right? Man, it’s been ages since I even thought about that game. A friend of mine used to go on about it all the time.”

Skull grunted. “Been living it for 4 years. But I don’t just have elements from that game either. Rune Factory and Dragon Quest, too. And Dragon Quest monsters, despite being very comical looking, hit. Fucking. Hard.” Skull grunted again, pulling a third slab of meat out. After searching around for a bit, he removed his hand from the beast’s innards. “Alright, I’m gonna take this meat and get it ready for supper. Mind cutting off it’s tail, fangs, and fur for me? Just put them in the chest over there.” He pointed to a blue chest, then walked over to the meat, picked it all up, and carried it inside the cabin without another word.

Angel watched him go, sighing to herself. She put away her laptop, the portal closing and vanishing as if it had never existed. She shifted both of her hands into blades and got to work on the rest of the carcass. “I don’t know whether it’s nice or sad to see another Displaced managing to live through Hell,” she muttered.

She noted it took her a bit longer to cut off it’s fur, and resolved to ask him why that was later. She’d never had so much trouble cutting unscaled flesh. When she was done and had placed the materials in the chest, she walked into the cabin and smelt fresh, cooking meat, stew, sausages, and even fish. “Ooooooh yeeeeeeah,” she moaned, licking her lips. “Now that’s a good smell. Sweet Celestia, even the gryphons don’t cook this good. Almost smells like home.”

Skull chuckled, and she turned to see him cooking more meat for himself, while a plate was already on a dinner table in the middle of the cabin, waiting for her. He nodded to it with his head. “Go ahead. I’ve got Monster Brand Beer coming up too back in the brewery. Or tea if you like.”

Angel grimaced, sitting down to her plate. “Ugh, water’s fine. I can’t stand tea, and I refuse to allow myself to get drunk. A drunk soldier kills his comrades; a drunk general kills thousands.” Skull shrugged.

“Alright then. In that case, does mineral water sound good? I got a lot of it from the lakes nearby today,” he offered, flipping some strange kind of fish she’d never seen before over.

Angel nodded, picking up her meat with her bare hands. “That’ll be fine. Thanks.” She tore into the meat, leaning back and moaning as she chewed. “Oh mighty Luna, that’s good. Real meat. Not fish. Not hayburgers. MEAT!” She swallowed her mouthful and quickly took another bite.

He chuckled again, and walked over with his own plate, placing some mineral water down next to her plate. He gestured to her stew. “Try it. Broth of it is made from diluted Tigrex blood, as well as royal honey and curry sauce.”

Angel set her meat down, grabbing the bowl and taking a long drink. She hummed in pleasure, setting the empty bowl on the table. “Wow. Mind if I set up a teleport beacon here? I’d love to stop by every once in a while to get a REAL meal. Rations just don’t compare.” Skull nodded.

“Sure, go ahead,” he replied, sitting down with his plate.

Skull then, to Angel’s surprise, pulled the skull that was his namesake off, thus revealing it was a mask. But underneath was a very handsome man, with a five o'clock shadow, long, scraggly black hair, and golden eyes. On his forehead was a strange, almost metallic looking tattoo. He had tan, sun-kissed skin that seemed quite unusual for someone living this far north. “Damn,” Angel muttered, staring unashamedly at him. “First human I see in a couple years and this is what I get? Must be doin’ something right.” Skull looked at her for a moment, before groaning.

“Greeat. Was hoping Trader had lied to me back then, since ponies weren’t affected, but nope, she kicked me in the head like a dumb puppy and made me attractive to humans and not ponies…” he grumbled to himself. He dug into his food much like she had, though he drank the beer like a champ without even a single clue of being tipsy.

“Heh, well, I ain’t complaining.” Angel went back to her meal. “I mean, ponies are cute and all, and minotaurs are buffer than any guy I’ve ever met,” her eyes darted back up to Skull, “present company possibly excluded, but dating a cow or a horse would just be weird.” Her expression morphed into a scowl. “Not that I would have had time for it anyway.” He spared a glance to her after wiping his lips of beer.

“Really? Girl like you, not even bothering to make time?” He shrugged. “Well, loss for any guys then.” He quickly finished his meal, then stood up and went to what she assumed was his bedroom. He, much to her interest, started to shed his armor. It was only part way through, and after he’d pulled off his chestplate, revealing a back more toned than any minotaur she’d seen, that he realised a woman was present. “Uhhh… Shit, not used to being in company anymore. Uh, mind just looking away or something?” He had quickly pulled his shirt back on after saying that.

A shirt hit him in the back of the head, followed by a pair of pants. “Eh, I gave up the nudity taboo years ago.” Skull turned in shock, his face going red as he saw Angel dressed only in a set of simple underwear, running her fingers through the air again. She pulled a sleeping bag and pillow out of the portal that formed and lay them down on the ground. “Kind of inevitable when you’re surrounded by naked ponies and, especially, minotaurs who’ve never heard of modesty.” She crawled into her sleeping bag, propping herself up on her pillow and grinning at him. “Well? You aren’t going to sleep half-dressed, are you?”

He stared for a long moment, then groaned and continued to undress. He had a pair of plain plaid boxers on, framing a toned rear and legs thick enough to be ancient oak trunks. Guessing by that, she assumed he ran. A lot. He grunted and climbed into his fur bed, hiding his red blush by turning away from her.

Angel giggled as she lay back, placing her hands behind her head as she relaxed. Now, let’s see just how cut off I am. “Calling Spot,” she muttered. A faint static filled her ears, causing her to frown. “Spot?” she whispered. “Spot, can you hear me?”

“crtz Very faintly, General,” a voice replied in her ear. “Looks like wherever you are, it’s causing interference. What happened?”

Angel sighed. “Took a cookie from a nice-looking zebra filly. Next thing I know, someone called ‘Trader’ is throwing me through a portal to another Displaced’s world. Thankfully, he’s hospitable, but I’m not sure how long I’m going to be stuck here. I’ll try to port back tomorrow, but it might be a while before Trader lets me go.”

“ctzsh Thought it might be something like that. Good thing we took out Firestorm last week. We’ll stick to small fry until our fearless leader can return.”

“Don’t give me too long,” Angel muttered. “If I’m not back in two weeks, get moving on Diamondscale. She’s been roosting and hunting a little too close to the Equestrian border for my tastes. She needs a reminder of why I left in the first place.”

“Roger, Mrs. Immortal. ctshz Spot out.” The line went silent and Angel sighed, rolling onto her side and resting an arm under her pillow.

They’ll be fine, she thought, relaxing once again as sleep began to take her. Besides, I could use a vacation.

The next morning, Angel grumbled and looked to where Skull’s bed was to find he was missing. Yet his armor, weapons, and everything else in the cabin was right where it had been left.

“Well that’s either ominous or impressive,” Angel muttered. She shrugged and climbed out of her sleeping bag, stretching her back as she stood. “I’ll go with impressive. I’d rather drop the paranoia while I can.” She walked over to her uniform and balled it up, opening another rift and tossing it in. She then pulled a white t-shirt and a pair of cargo-shorts from the rift before closing it up. She quickly pulled them on and made her way out of the cabin.

“Alright,” she said, standing in the snow and breathing in deep. “First things first. Enviro-shell.” A yellow glow surrounded her briefly before fading away, Angel sighing in relief as it did. “Hypothermia. Don’t want to cross that one off the list just yet. Now.” Twin chimes sounded in the mountain wind, Angel’s arms morphing into a pair of giant axes. “Let’s see if snow is as difficult as sand.”

Angel danced across the snow, her blades swinging from form to form, stance to stance. She sliced the air before her apart, blocking imaginary foes and decapitating others. At one point, she switched one of the axes for a long-handled warhammer, her forms shifting to accommodate the new style. Ten minutes into her exercise, a pair of wings sprouted form her back. “Let’s see what mountain wind can do!” she shouted, switching her weapons for a pair of swords and leaping skyward.

If she’d been graceful on the ground, she was liquid in the air. The raging winds tried in vain to smash her against a cliffside or plunge her down the mountain, but Angel rode the gales from gust to gust, spinning and twirling and all the while continuing her dance of death. With a final twirl, she rocketed herself down towards the cabin, flipping end over end until she came to a kneeling stop right before the door, her blades flung out to either side, her wings straight up.

And then she heard a wolf’s howl. A big wolf. She turned just in time to see the most beautiful and huge wolf she’d seen, with fur looking almost like icicles. It padded up to her, stopped, and dropped an item she noticed had been on Skull’s right arm. It was some kind of crossbow-like device, but made to wrap onto the wrist, and, she noted, the arms of it were made of horns. She looked up to the wolf to find familiar, golden eyes staring back at her.

“Huh, a shapeshifter.” She shrugged and picked up the crossbow, examining its every detail. “If you were hoping I’d be impressed, then I’m sorry to disappoint; my best friend is a changeling.”

The wolf shrugged, evidently not caring. It then spat out a number of what seemed to be ammo for the wrist-bound crossbow. All of them were little pods filled with glowing yellow insects. It nudged them toward her.

“Hm.” Angel shifted her right arm back to normal and snapped the crossbow onto her wrist. She scooped up the pods, pocketing them. She then held up her other arm as it morphed into another crossbow, this one designed of silver metal and fitted with a long scope. “Let’s see how it compares,” she said, grinning at Skull the wolf.

The wolf-formed Skull watched as she launched the first pod, and she was blinded by it’s effects as it exploded into a burst of light. The wolf seemed to chuckle somehow at her as she rubbed her eyes. “Oh sure,” she muttered, “yuck it up.” She walked to the edge of a cliff and aimed her own crossbow at a distant mountain peak. “But let’s see how it stacks up. Ammo shift: balefire.” The arms began glowing green as she gazed down the scope. “You’ll want to cover your eyes.” Something shifted in her arm, the crossbow firing a single green bolt at the mountain. Angel turned around and closed her eyes. “Three. Two. One.”

A flash brighter than the sun. A distant roar of thunder. A noxious green mushroom cloud rose slowly above the distant peak, a powerful blast of air forcing Angel to take a knee a moment later. She stood up from the shockwave and turned to survey her work. “Huh, what do you know? It worked.”

And suddenly she was slapped upside the head by a now snarling wolf. Who, in a flash of light, returned to his human form. “You idiot! You gave my fucking position away to the goddamn ponies!”

Angel raised an eyebrow. “First, ow. Second, all I gave them was an exploding mountain. If they can both get close enough to investigate it without the radiation killing them AND trace the colossal explosion back to this precise location, they probably have the skills and magic to find you anyway. Third, what the heck is wrong with ponies? Finally,” she winced, rubbing the back of her head, “not sarcastically, ow! Think you could shift back to human BEFORE you slap me? Giant wolves hit hard.”

Skull just glared at her. She stared back. He eventually sighed and looked to the destroyed mountain. “...I don’t know what your ponies back home were like. But here? Here, I’m like a demon to them. They think I brought the monsters, because they think I’m a spawn of Sombra.” He sighed and gained a tired look. “Just get back inside.” He walked to the door, holding it open for her.

Angel glanced from Skull to the smoking mountain before sighing as well. “We’re going to have to do something about that,” she said, walking up to him. “Living at odds with Equestria is about as unpleasant a life as you can get. The only way I manage it is by having friends.” She looked him in the eye as she reached him. “Something you seem to be severely lacking in.” She passed him and made her way inside.

He just grunted, walking inside and walking over to a red chest by a workshop table, which Angel noted had a strange, silver and gold pot with white, metal wings. He opened the chest and began looking through it.

“So what happened between you and Equestria, anyway?” Angel asked, pulling off her workout clothes and opening another pocket dimension. She tossed the clothes in and took out a towel which she used to begin wiping the sweat from her body. “‘Cause let me tell you, it takes A LOT to piss off these ponies enough to make you have to live in exile. I had to actively work at it. Hired a lawyer and everything.”

Skull growled as he continued searching. “I literally walked into their Empire, and they attacked me. I’m lucky their weapons can’t even scratch my armor, that’s all.”

Angel chuckled, pulling out a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt before closing the portal. “No offence dude, but have you looked in a mirror lately? Even without your helmet, you look like you could slaughter a city on a slow day. You can’t really blame them for overreacting. Did you try just, you know, talking to them while their slings and arrows of outrageous do-nothing bounced off of you?”

Skull grabbed a set of fur clothes. She noted it was the same fur as that monster they’d carved. “Yes. Multiple times. All they did was call me a monster, or Sombra Spawn. They didn’t believe anything I ever said, and only ever gave me less than five minutes to do so. Next thing I know,” he pulled the fur shirt over himself. “I’m Skull, the Cursebringer, and…” He frowned, then shook his head. “No. Second title doesn’t matter now.”

“Hm.” Angel contemplated that for a moment. “You ever try a smaller village? You know, somewhere that wasn’t a major capital city? Not much a small town could do to you, and they’d get the hint after about an hour of you just standing there and calmly talking that you weren’t there to hurt them. Heck, the way I got my introductory ice broken was by summoning a friend who grabbed RD by the tail and threatened her with no cider if she didn’t stop misbehaving. Heh, don’t think any of them could see him as much of a threat after that line.”

Skull shook his head. “Every village knows about me now. Been 4 years. The fear, hate, and prejudice is too deeply rooted. Especially after my first kill of a sentient being, accident or no.” He pulled the pants on.

Angel stiffened instantly. “Who was it?”

“...” Skull looked away in shame, not talking.

“Let me rephrase, then.” Angel grabbed Skull’s shoulder and spun him around. Her eyes were sharp enough to cut diamond, and Skull felt like they were cutting right to his soul. “Tell me who you killed.”

She saw nothing but shame and guilt in his eyes as he lowered his head and said in a soft, shaking voice, “...The husband of an Element Bearer. Discord.”

Angel hissed through clenched teeth, turning and beginning to pace the room. “Not good. Definitely not good. Discord’s too big a piece to work around, even without complicating it with a relationship with one of the Mane 6. If this is four years after Sombrero…” Angel winced. “Dang it, that’s beyond what I know from the show. Nothing there’s going to help. Another nation, maybe? It’d have to be done quietly at first, and there’s no guarantee…” She stopped and turned back to Skull. “What other nations exist outside of Equestria? What do they think of you?”

“There’s the Yaks, I guess. I’ve been there a few times, traded furs with them and stuff. There was Griffons, too, but the ones I’ve met have all wanted to kill me for sport. Only remaining ones are Windigoes,” Skull answered, sighing as he looked to the wall.

“Crud.” Angel resumed pacing. “Gryphons are a no-go for sure, and Windigos won’t win you any points in the eyes of Equestria. The yaks… no. No, their culture is too violent. If they saw them taking you in in friendship, that would just cause tension.” She sighed and rested her head in one hand. “So, befriending another nation as a sign of genuine goodness is out too. You happen to know of any impending disasters? Something from season eight or nine or something?”

Skull shook his head. “Only disaster is the other nations being threatened by the monsters. And with the two hard hitting groups of Monster Hunter and Dragon Quest monsters, they have their work cut out for them.” He sighed, sitting in a chair by the workshop table. “Dragon Quest monsters are similar to Monster Hunter monsters in that a lot of them are just...there. But there’s also loads more that come about from sentient or sapient beings. Demons, beasts, humanoids, the whole nine yards. And all of them have crazy magic, most of it unique. Hell, there’s literally a spell in Dragon Quest that can kill. No ifs, ands or buts. They cast it, and you die without any fanfare. Then there’s the upgraded forms of it that kill entire parties.”

“...damn,” Angel muttered. “And here I thought a civil war was tough.” She sighed and shook her head. “Dang it, I’m trying to figure something out to help you, but I can’t think of anything that you could use to prove yourself to them. Unless you let me go down there and represent you…”

“...Well, there is one other option,” Skull said. “But it could just as easily reinforce their claim that I’m an undead.” He raised a finger. “I have a spell, called Zing. It fully resurrects a single target, but it can fail. It costs a lot of MP, too.”

Angel pondered that for a moment. “That… could work. I imagine they’d still distrust you, but at least it would be restitution. They might even give you a chance to explain yourself.” Angel glared at the ground. “But something tells me there’s a catch, or you would have tried it already.”

Skull nodded. “It doesn’t seem to work on those who want to stay dead. The only time I couldn’t figure it out beyond that was with Discord. It was like his soul just…didn’t exist anymore. Not that it didn’t want to come back, but it was just…gone.”

Angel began pacing again, muttering to herself under her breath. Skull caught the words “fan theories” and “chaotic biology” a couple of times. Angel stopped, sighing as she massaged the bridge of her nose. “Nothing for it, I’m going to have to figure out exactly what this world’s Discord was if we’re going to figure out why his soul couldn’t return.” She looked up at Skull. “Which way to the Crystal Empire?”

Skull shook his head. “You can’t. Not as they are now. They’ll just call you my spawn, or Sombra’s Spawn, and continue to disbelieve you, or shoot you or kill you on sight. Especially after what I did last night before you arrived.” He sighed, crossing his arms. “I’m just hoping they’ve learned to not look for me anymore.”

“Kill me on sight, huh?” Angel grimaced, placing her fist under her chin. “Well, I’d have preferred to keep growing, but I guess I was bound to get swallowed by a dragon eventually.”

“What are you-” Skull was interrupted as a metallic chime sounded, a blade erupting from Angel’s arm and piercing her skull. She stood there for a moment, a grimace on her face as blood slowly seeped out of the top and bottom of her head.

And then she fell face-first to the floor, dead as a doornail. Skull’s eyes widened, and he shot over to her. “No! No no no no no! Goddammit! Why?!” His hand glowed a golden green, and he swung it upwards. Nothing. He tried again. Nothing. Again and again he tried, and nothing worked, and he ran out of MP, panting. “No…” He gently cradled her to his chest, a tear running down his cheek. “You stupid girl…”

“I resemble that remark.” Skull gasped and stared down in shock. A younger looking Angel sat in his arms, sixteen and long-haired. Her clothes had been replaced by a tan schoolgirl uniform, and her face bore a smirk where a mess of blood had once been. “Thanks for those cure attempts, though. Looks like they made me reset faster.” He crushed her with a hug.

“Don’t you fucking do that again! I swear I’ll stop feeding you if you do!” he cried. “I thought… I thought I had lost the one friend I had…”

“You’ve - urgh! - obviously never seen Angel Beats,” Angel wheezed out. “Now, you mind letting me go before I die of crushed lungs? Pinkie’s already done that one, and I don’t get points for crossing it off the list twice.”

He loosened his grip, but didn’t let go. Steel was in his eyes. “Why did you kill yourself?”

Angel rolled hers in response. “To show you why me going down there might work. They can kill me over and over until they’re blue in the face, and all I’ll do is get bored. Eventually, they won’t have much of a choice but to listen to me.” Skull stared at her for a long moment, then got up, still cradling her in his arms as he walked to the red chest again. He put her down next to it.

“I’ll let you go there on one condition. We get you some better gear. And don’t worry, it won’t be nearly as scary as mine,” he told her. He gestured to the chest. “First step to doing that is getting you a weapon. Pick from that chest.”

Angel rolled her eyes but complied with his request. She opened the chest and looked inside, rummaging around for a bit. “Club. Ax. Club. Greatsword. You know I can summon weapons with a thought, right? I don’t need… Hello. What’s this?” She lifted two blades from the chest, each a crystal blue and looking like they’d been carved from the heart of a glacier. “Me likey.”

Skull grinned. “Good choice. High-end weapon right there.” He walked over to his pile of armor, starting to put it on. “Now, the reason why you need those, is because Monsters in Monster Hunter, as shown by the armor made from them, have very, very tough bodies. Your weapons? Trust me, they wouldn’t scratch them. The Blangos maybe, but a Blangonga? Not a chance in hell, much less likely you’ll hit it easily.” He pulled on his greaves. “I saw how you were struggling with cutting the Blango yesterday from the window. The reason it was so hard is that, no matter how you slice it, Monster Hunter materials are just so damn much better and stronger than other materials either you or me have ever seen. And I’ve only got the materials from those that come from the cold or ores. Imagine what the really strong monsters, like Elder Dragons, are like.” He pulled on his coil, then his chestplate. “You meet one, you’d be dying every time you tried.” He pulled his mask on, then turned to her. “Unless you have a Monster Hunter weapon.”

“Intriguing,” Angel muttered. She pulled another weapon from the chest at random and set it on the floor. She opened a pocket dimension and pulled her laptop back out. After opening it up and clicking a few times, she set it down and ejected the CD reader, placing the weapon, an ax of some sort, partially on top of it. “And scan,” she said, giving a final click and standing up. “Let’s see just what these guys are made of.” She picked up her new swords and hoisted them over her shoulders, stumbling a bit before she regained her balance. “Damn it, going to have to get used to this tiny body again. Now then, which way to the ponies?”

Skull shook his head. “Oh, we’re not done getting gear for you yet.” He walked over to her, patting her head. “You’ll get better trust from them if you don’t die and come back. That’ll just give that idea of you being a zombie and spawn of me more reinforcement.” He shook his head. “No, what we’re doing is getting you armor. Though the one set I have in mind is more like…” He shook his head. “Well, nevermind. It’s still heavy duty shit they won’t be able to pierce.”

Angel narrowed her eyes. “Let me guess. Female armor in Monster Hunter operates under the Valkyrie Law of Inverse Armor Protection.” Skull chuckled.

“Only with a few sets. No worries though, this set is actually very conservative. Has to be, since it’s in the cold and cold monsters are all that’s available to us right now,” He answered.

Angel nodded. “Good to know. Also…” She grabbed his wrist, turning and throwing him over her shoulder. He slammed into the floor, the edge of Angel’s foot lodging itself up against his neck. “Don’t pat me on the head. I’m still the damn High General of Zebrica and Champion of the Minotaurs, even in this schoolgirl body.”

He simply laughed, unaffected. “Noted. Now, mind getting off me? That tickles.” Angel rolled her eyes, removing her foot and letting go of his wrist. He stood up, then walked over to his weapon rack. He hummed, then grabbed the Greatsword. “Can’t very well leave you out of the fun too long, eh, Fury?” He chuckled, running a hand down it’s serrated edge.

Angel rolled her eyes. “And you wonder why they think you’re a threat to them? Do any of your weapons look normal? What’s wrong with a simple, undecorated blade?”

Skull chuckled. “Angel, every weapon in Monster Hunter is decorated to this degree. No getting around it. Plus-” he pointed to the small pot with wings on the workshop table. “-that forces me to use the standard shapes and designs of everything I make. I literally can’t get around it. Ain’t that right, Krak Pot?”

To Angel’s surprise, the pot talked back. “Quite so, sir!” it answered in a British, Cockney voice.

Angel sighed, shaking her head. “So glad I can program my own abilities. Anyway, you say you’ve got armor for me?”

Skull shook his head, turning back to her after placing the Greatsword on his back. She swore there was a cheeky grin under that first set of teeth that was the mask. “Nope, not yet. That’s why we’re gonna kill a Gammoth for it.”

“A what?”

“Think woolie mammoth, but with boney plates on the head, legs, and trunk, and able to create ice armor and blow snow out of said trunk. Oh, and it’s also two times the size of one,” Skull replied, and she could imagine his grin growing.

Angel raised an eyebrow before sitting in front of her laptop again. She entered a few keystrokes before her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “...oh.” A grin split her face. “Oh this is going to be good.”

“Yup. Now come on,” he motioned her over as he walked to the front door. “We got a mammoth to hunt.”

“It’s a good thing you have that ability,” Skull comments over the howling blizzard as the duo trudge through heavy snow. “Otherwise you’d have died of frost by now. It’s also a good thing the armor you’ll get will help immensely with that.”

“Well it’s not luck, I’ll tell you that,” Angel replied, trudging along beside him. “My trainer, Spot, made me program ‘environmental adaptation abilities’ for every climate, including underwater.” She cast a glare southward. “That one was particularly useful when a minotaur assassin tried to drown me in my bed.”

“Has he now?” Skull asked, intrigued as he scanned about while they marched through the heavy snow.

“Hmm,” Angel hummed in reply. “Those and about two dozen other contingency abilities I’ve never had to use. Though his idea for ‘Nonverbal Command’ has been pretty useful. Hard to counter the sword in your gut exploding when you don’t know that it’s coming.”

“That does sound handy,” Skull agreed with a nod. Relative silence reigned as they continued, having made it away from the mountain an hour ago.

“It’s strange,” Angel muttered.

Skull quirked a brow under his mask, turning to look at her. “How so?”

Angel jumped a bit, not having realized she’d spoken aloud. “Just, all of this,” she replied, gesturing around. “I’m not used to exploring other worlds’ wildernesses like this. I know the lands south and south-east of my Equestria well enough, but I’ve only ever really been called to other worlds to fight or talk. Seeing somewhere totally new like this… I’m just kind of surprised at how normal another world can be.”

Skull continued to look at her.

“And the fact that it’s a tundra is even weirder,” Angel continued. “I’ve never seen this much snow in one place before, being from Texas and all. The few times it has snowed any significant amount, I had to bundle myself up until I looked like an eskimo. And now I’m out here in a skirt?” She sighed and shook her head. “And then there’s the thirty-something-year-old with magic charisma powers checking out sixteen-year-old me.” She smirked up at him. “Got a thing for schoolgirls or something?”

He just continued to stare as they walked. He then started to laugh. Loudly.

Angel’s eyes narrowed and she gave him a playful glare. “Oy! I’m serious!” She struck a pose. “This is the epitome of schoolgirl moe right here. What, do I need some glasses or pigtails to complete the image or something?”

He laughed harder, but soon calmed down. “Ah… God, I needed that.” He shook his head. “You may be pretty, but if anything, you’re just mostly cute. Even when you looked older.”

“Oh please.” Angel rolled her eyes. “Sure, maybe when I was throwing my clothes at you, but when I first rolled out? Admit it; I looked badass as all get-out.”

Skull paused in his walking to make a thinking pose. He made a good show of it, too. After a short while, he shook his head. “Nope. Just cute.” He then continued walking.

Angel huffed, stomping after him and grumbling under her breath. “Wait ‘till you see how ‘cute’ I look covered in blood and entrails.”

Again, he heard her. “Meh. If you were covered in that stuff, it’d just bring out those pretty gold eyes.” He continued walking.

Angel came to an abrupt halt, her face filled with shock. She quickly darted forward again, keeping behind him to hide the reddening of her cheeks. Pretty?

Sadly, he looked back at her at her lack of a response. “Something wrong?”

Angel waved him off. “J-Just my heating ability going a bit too far. I have to turn it down a little.” A blatant lie, as the ability was designed to regulate the temperature around her perfectly, but Angel happily deactivated it for a couple of seconds to help her face cool down. “See?” she said, smiling and striding forward confidently. “Completely fine.” He continued looking at her for a time, before shrugging and continuing on.

“Well, good to hear,” he replied.

They walked in silence for a time, Angel quickly becoming bored of the snowy landscape. “So, where are all of the monsters?” she asked. “Something that big shouldn’t be too hard to find.”

“Well-,” he began, before an ear splitting roar shook the earth and made their ears ring. They then heard and felt very heavy footfalls from the northwest direction. “-that’d be her!”

Angel grinned, summoning a pair of steel wings and crouching low. “Finally!” She launched herself skyward, leveling with the clouds before she looked down. A giant mammoth, far larger than any elephant she’d ever imagined, was plowing through the snow in Skull’s direction. It’s face was covered in a plate of bone, it’s tusks more akin to small trees than the smooth ivory she was used to. “Oh yeah,” Angel muttered, licking her lips as she dove, taking her blades from off her back. “This is going to be fun.”

She quickly reached the ground and hovered by Skull’s side. “So, what’s the plan?” she asked. “Tactics? Weak points? Vulnerabilities? Blind spots? Give me everything.”

“Break off its tusks and it won’t be able to skewer us, cut or damage its trunk,” he drew his Greatsword, “and it can’t make ice armor for itself or blow snow. Break the plates on its legs and the ice won’t form right on them. The fins are just breakable for fun, but we do need the pieces.” He flourished his blade. “Other than that, it’s weak to fire and lightning. Now…” He suddenly leapt at the beast, launching himself forward in a corkscrew, right in front of its trunk. He then stabbed his greatsword into said trunk, making it cry out in pain as it flailed the limb, trying to get him off. “TIME FOR A RODEO!”

“OY!” Angel shouted, leaping back into the air and diving for the creature. “FIRST BLOOD DOESN’T COUNT IF IT’S A SURPRISE ATTACK!” She dove beneath the Gammoth, swinging her blades on either side and smiling as she heard the roar of pain and felt four sprays of blood soak her. She flew out the other side and angled immediately into the sky, looking back to see how much damage she’d done.

To her dismay, it had done less than she thought, and the Gammoth quickly managed to fling Skull off it’s trunk, who landed gracefully on his feet. And, she noted that while her blades had done some damage, when she looked to it’s trunk, she found that it had a large, open wound weeping blood from Skull’s Greatsword. He hefted said weapon over his shoulder.

“Seems you ain’t used to the weapons still, much less them to you,” he noted, and she could hear the grin as he slowly walked towards the Gammoth, who pawed the ground.

“Maybe not,” Angel called back, gripping both swords in one hand as she shifted her other into her own blade. “But you’ve given me a perfect target for the weapon I am familiar with.” She dove for the Gammoth, landing on its trunk and plunging her blade deep into the wound. She held on tight as the Gammoth started thrashing around, a savage grin on her face. “Don’t need to slice,” she grunted, “when brute force will do the trick. Version Four!”

The metallic chime was lost amidst the agonized roar and the sound of flesh shredding itself apart. The end of the trunk dropped to the frozen earth, a pool of blood quickly spreading as the Gammoth reared back. Angel leapt away, her right hand now ending in a massive monstrosity of steel, the overlapping plates shaped vaguely like a rose, and colored like one with the Gammoth’s blood.

“Well, seems I underestimated you, Angel,” Skull noted, patting her shoulder. “But we aren’t done yet. This is only the beginning.” This was made evident when the Gammoth roared again, and charged them both with amazing speed. Skull raised his Greatsword up flat in front of him as he stepped in front of Angel, and to her shock, he stopped the Gammoth’s charge. “Heh, see?” And then the Gammoth punted him up into the air with the remains of it’s trunk.

Angel sighed, leaping after him and grabbing his arm as she rose. “You know,” she said, coming to a hover high above the Gammoth, “if you’re trying to impress me, you might not want to start by being tossed like a rag-doll. Now, get your sword ready.”

“Better idea,” he said, pointing to a grouping of snow clouds quickly approaching them. “Drop me there. It looks like you’ll have to deal with ol’ Woolie here. I have some other prey now.”

Angel glared off at the approaching clouds before shrugging. “Have it your way, then. Hope you don’t take falling damage.” She flipped through the air a couple of times before releasing Skull and sending him flying. She then turned back to the Gammoth, narrowing her eyes as she shifted her bladed arm back to normal and redistributed her blades. “Now, let’s see just how hardy you are.”

Skull landed right on the back of a strange Centaur, only the upper half was a tiger-human mix, and it had wings and a trident of gold. It reared back, trying to throw him off, but he simply stopped that by stabbing his Greatsword straight through it, ending its life in one stroke. He jumped off, taking his Greatsword with him, and glanced at the seven other monsters around him. “Trigertaurs and Brrearthenwarriors…” he sighed. “Great.” He readied his Greatsword as they all surrounded him.

Angel meanwhile had continued with guerrilla tactics, diving in for a few quick blows before swooping back into the air again. Every pass delt another wound or two, but Angel was annoyed to see that the bleeding trunk was still doing more harm than her clumsy attacks. “Gah, this is frustrating!” Angel huffed, studying the creature below her. “These swords are barely scratching it, and something tells me my own blades wouldn’t do much better.” She sighed, massaging her forehead. “I really don’t like cheating like this, but he did say that it’s weak against fire and lightning. Guess I’ve got no choice. Angel Horn.” She pulled her hand away as a white, spiral horn grew out of her forehead. It slowly began to glow with a red aura as Angel angled her head downward. “Let’s see if I can get at one of its cuts.”

She dove, her horn pointed straight at a shallow cut on the Gammoth’s shoulder. She quickly closed the distance to it. 500 feet away. 400 feet. 300.

At 200 feet, Angel let loose a cry. “Elemental Strike: Category Fire: Type 3.5!” A literal spear of flame shot from her horn, embedding itself in the Gammoth’s shoulder wound. Angel ignored the beast’s cry, flipping in midair and aiming her foot down at the base of the rod. Her impact shoved the spear deeper, causing the Gammoth to produce its loudest shriek yet. Angel leapt away, rolling across the snow. She came to a stop and looked up, a single word on her lips.

“Detonate.”

Skull looked back at the sound of a roaring detonation to see the Gammoth fall over on it’s side, and start flailing, trying to get back up but in too much pain at the moment to do so. It made loud whimpers each time it tried to move, but it was stubborn. Skull grinned before turning his attention back to the other monsters, blocking and deflecting a thrust from a Trigertaur and then punching it in the leg with the flat of his blade, making it crumple. He then swiftly cut it’s head off, and turned to the other opponents.

Angel meanwhile was panting for breath. “Damn,” she whispered, the aura around her horn barely flickering. “Need to practice more.” The aura slowly returned to full strength and Angel rose to her feet and approached the severely wounded Gammoth. She examined the creature’s underbelly closely before pointing with her horn again. “Elemental Strike: Category Electricity: Type 6.8.9.” A small but brilliant bolt shot from Angel’s horn, piercing the Gammoth straight to the heart. The bolt discharged, sending lightning coursing through the beast’s systems. It twitched once. Twice. Then it lay still.

Angel sighed, flapping a couple of times and alighting on the monster’s side. She turned her gaze to the clouds on the horizon, sitting down as she awaited Skull’s return.

Skull was currently finishing up with the last Trigertaur, who whistled at him, and he twitched, but otherwise the action had no affect, and he rushed it, dragging his Greatsword across the snow as he did, before cutting the entire thing in half. It’s two pieces fell to the snow with a soft splat of organs and blood, and he turned to the final two enemies, Brrearthenwarriors.

They charged him, surrounding him as their horses breathed icy mist on him, but he simply spun around with his sword, cutting the horses legs off and leaving the riders on their rears. They quickly got up, and one used a magic fueled slash of pure ice, managing to leave a trail of ice on his armor as he sidestepped and grabbed the blade, using the momentum behind it’s swing to thrust the Brrearthenwarrior’s blade into it’s comaptriot’s gut. The other one fell and crumbled into icy stone, and Skull finished the last one with a punch to the head that obliterated the icy stone that made up it’s face. And then it fell over, dead.

He panted lightly, then looked about himself. And, to his surprise, he found near the halves of the other Trigertaur a seed he recognized, his eyes widening at the sight. He quickly picked it up and rushed over to Angel.

“Hey! Got a gift for ya!” he called as he reached her sitting on the Gammoth’s body.

“Is it food?” Angel asked, jumping off and landing lightly in the snow. “Because blowing this thing to bits with magic really worked up an appetite.”

“No, better- Wait, when in the hell did you get a horn?” he queried, stopping in front of her.

“Well,” Angel said, lighting the horn and levitating the seed out of Skull’s hands, “when a mommy programmer and a daddy computer love each other very much…” She trailed off, studying the seed as it levitated before her. “So, what is this thing?”

He rolled his eyes at her explanation, before placing his Greatsword on his back. “Seed of Deftness. Rare item from Dragon Quest. Eat it, and you’ll have increased… Well, deftness. Permanently.”

“You don’t say?” Angel shrugged, pocketing the seed. “I’ll have to scan it later, see if its effects will stick when I reset. Now,” she turned and glared at the Gammoth corpse, “how the heck are we supposed to move this thing? I’m starting to wish I’d set up a Teleport Beacon back at your place.”

“We don’t. Gammoths typically weigh over four hundred tons, so, we have to carve the pieces here, and bring it all back,” Skull explained, tossing her a carving knife while he took out his own.

“And hope that no other monsters are attracted by the smell of fresh meat, right?” Angel asked. She sighed and began with the grizzly work.

“Pretty much. Especially a Tigrex. Those things are the natural predator of Gammoths,” Skull replied. He pointed to where it’s trunk had fallen. “That’s the reason we gotta be careful carrying it around, makes us a target.”

“Is that so?” Angel put down her knife and walked over to the trunk, examining it from every angle. Eventually she nodded. “Pocket Dimension: Dimension Create: Version 3 point…” She considered for a moment. “5: Opening Direction, Up.” A black, circular void opened up, swallowing the trunk and the snow that lay around it. Angel nodded. “Pocket Dimension: Dimension Close.” The void vanished and Angel walked back to her carving blade. “Sorry about the mouthful,” she said, beginning to work again. “I have to speak it aloud every time I create a new one, and I haven’t had a reason to create a sterilized dimension that big yet.”

“Ah. Well, in that case…” He pointed to the two large tusks. “Mind cutting those off and putting ‘em in the same place? I’ll grab the other parts.”

Angel nodded, walking over and starting on her work. “So how long *grunt* does this usually take you *grunt* by yourself?”

“Me? Eh, I just drag the pieces home one by one. Though that depends on if I need the part or not. Normally I don’t, since I have this armor,” He pulled out a, to her surprise, bone-like coating that layered it’s skin below the fur, and while it was certainly a lot thinner than the bony plates on its face, she doubted it was much less effective at taking damage. After that, he continued to skin and place as much of it’s fur in his pouches as he could.

Angel hummed, turning and focusing back on her task. An hour of carving later found the tusks removed and the rest of the body stripped of everything Skull deemed necessary. Once that was done, he pulled out a small wing with gold lining the edges and a crystal at the base.

“What’s that?” Angel asked. “Some sort of item?” Skull nodded.

“Yup. Chimaera Wing from Dragon Quest. Flinging it up brings you to a place you’ve already been before at the cost of its existence,” he explained.

“Huh. Useful.”

He nodded again. “Yup. Now, you’ll need to hold onto me, and hold on tight. The ride isn’t fun for first timers.”

Angel smirked as she grabbed his arm, batting her eyes at him. “You know, if you wanted to hold me tight, you didn’t have to make up an excuse.” He stiffened at that, before responding.

“J-Just shut it,” he said, before flinging the wing up, and in a flurry of blue light, the two were flung up into the sky at high speeds beyond the clouds, and then slammed back down, right in front of Skull’s cabin door. “Well, we’re here-”

“CLIFF!” Angel shouted, rushing for the nearby precipice. She fell to her knees and started heaving, her vomit freezing on the way down and shattering on the rocks below. Angel coughed a few times, holding her hand to her head. “Ugh, you weren’t kidding about it not being fun. I haven’t been that sick since the first time I blew up a minotaur.”

Skull chuckled. “Consider that payback for the teasing, then,” he said, before opening the door for her. He motioned to it. “Pretty ladies first.”

Angel turned and glared at him before sighing and standing up. “Fine, fine. I guess I had that coming.” She stopped just as she was about to pass him. “Although…” A snowball suddenly impacted his face, a couple of Angel’s fingers forcing some snow through the eyeholes. “...not quite that much.” She smirked as she passed him and made herself comfortable inside.

He grunted as he took off his mask and wiped the snow from his eyes and the inside of it, before walking in as well. “Mulier damn…” he cursed under his breath as he walked in.

“Hey, you deserved it,” Angel said, leaning back in a chair. She lifted a finger and pointed above his head. “Also this.”

A fleshy trunk and two giant tusks dropped onto Skull’s head. They bounced off of his armor, but still managed to knock him to the ground from the sheer weight and force. He looked up just in time to see the black portal close. Angel giggled. “I think that levels the playing field.” He glared at her.

“...You’re lucky that your giggle is so cute, otherwise I’d punish you,” he said as he got up with a grunt.

“Then I shall capitalize on my adorableness!” Angel cried, waving her fist in the air. “Like Dinky Doo of the Winningverse, I shall rule over all who behold me with my giggles of hypnotic dooooom!!!” She cackled evilly, the laugh turning joyous as her chair fell backwards and she rolled around on the floor. “Oh-oh man! I haven’t been able to laugh like this in ages!”

Skull just shook his head with a small smile as he picked up the two tusks with one arm, then the trunk with the other, dragging the trunk behind him. He brought them over to Krak Pot. “Alright Krak Pot, time for some fun.”

“Righto, sir!” Krak Pot said, as Skull lowered the massive tusks to him, and somehow, Krak Pot just… absorbed them. He did the same with the trunk, as well as the furs and other materials that Skull poured in after. “Righto, here we go!” Krak Pot cried as he twirled and bounced on the table, numerous, cartoonish sounds emanating from him, and soon after he spat out a set of robes, boots, gloves, and a hat. Skull grinned as he picked them up and placed them on the table in front of Angel.

Angel examined the armor for a moment before gazing up at Skull, her face deadpan. “It’s a dress.” Skull’s grin just grew.

“Just put it on. Trust me, it’s heavy duty shit. Test it with your Hand Sonic or whatever if you want,” he replied.

Angel sighed, shaking her head. “I’ll take your word for it.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When they opened again, they were the sharp eyes of a soldier. She quickly and efficiently stripped down to her underwear and stepped back from the table, turning around. “This armor is unfamiliar to me,” she said. “I would appreciate it if you would accomplish me.”

Skull blushed. “What?! We’ve only known each other a day!”

Angel glared over her shoulder. “Mind out of the trenches, soldier! I mean for you to armor me.”

Skull visibly relaxed. “Oh. Right,” he said, though he still blushed a bit as he approached her with the armor. He took the dress in his hands. “Um… Raise your hands up, please.” Angel raised her arms without hesitation. He slowly pulled the dress down over her. He gained a bit more confidence. “Put your arms through the sleeves.” She complied. He eventually pulled the dress down to cover her, trying to not look up at her rear as he kneeled to pull it all the way down. Then, he shook himself as he stood up, and handed her the gauntlets. “These, the boots, and the cap are all pretty easy to put on. Can you do them yourself?”

Angel raised an eyebrow, looking down and examining the armor. She took a couple of steps back and to the side before settling down into a combat position. “You’re joking.” She stood straight, glaring down at the armor. “You must be joking.” She stepped forward and took the gauntlets, examining them alongside the boots and cap. “This… is the simplest armor I’ve ever seen. The leather barding my zebras started with wasn’t this basic!” She sighed, and shook her head before pulling on the gauntlets. “Not that I disbelieve you about its effectiveness,” she said, kneeling down and hiking up her skirt to begin working on the boots, “but it baffles me that armor this durable is so easily donned. The Equestrian Guard would do practically anything to learn how to accomplish this, and I know several minotaurs who would gladly slaughter entire villages for even a hint.” Her eyes narrowed as she stood and donned the cap. “Then again, those brutes would be happy to slaughter a village for any reason.”

Skull looked her over for a moment once she had finished. “Wow. You… You actually look… Well, beautiful, in that.” He blurted out. He then blushed as he realized what he said.

The smallest of smirks crept onto Angel’s face. “You’re lucky I’m not your CO, or you’d be doing pushups for weeks.” She turned around and began examining her new armor more closely, the better to hide her massive blush that was overtaking her face as the General faded from her mind. Beautiful?! What the hell?! He can’t really mean that!

“Aww, such a cute couple, y’ two are!” said Krak Pot from the table.

“WH-WHAT?!?!” Skull yelled, flushing a deeper shade of cherry red.

A metallic chime heralded the presence of a giant mallet hovering over Krak Pot from the end of Angel’s arm, her eyes blazing and her red face thankfully still hidden from Skull. “Care to repeat that you overgrown Hopping Pot? Because I’d love a new soup bowl.”

“Wh-Whoa now, I didn’t mean a single thing by it! Honest!” Krak Pot replied, flapping his metallic wings frantically. “In fact, uh, um… Ah! Yes, you two actually look awful together! That’s it! Awful!”

Angel’s head tilted down, her face concealed in the shadow of her hat. “Awful, you say?” she whispered. Her head suddenly jerked up, an angelic smile gracing her features. “Well, why didn’t you say so the first time?” She rose the mallet higher, smiling sweetly as she giggled. “Say hello to Grogar for me when you get to Tartarus.” Krak Pot let out a hiss of steam in panic, jumping off the table and running for the door.

“Aw,” Angel cooed, still bearing the face of innocence. “He thinks he can get away. How cute.” The mallet morphed into a trident which she used to scoop up the pot from the inside, dangling it before Skull. “I believe this is your chamberpot, good sir.” Skull immediately picked him up, glaring at him.

“N-Now, you wouldn’t destroy you’re only way of crafting, now w-would you, sir?” Krak Pot said, his eyes somehow pleading. Skull glared at him more intensely, the blush still present on his face. “S-Sir?”

“...I’m going to put you in the attic for this,” he said, walking towards a ladder at the far end of the cabin.

“No! No! No! You can’t! It’s filthy up there!” Krak Pot pleaded, and Skull just tossed the pot through the hole leading to the attic, hearing a satisfying thunk and an “Ow!” as the living pot collided with something inside the attic. Skull then looked to Angel, blushed again, and looked away. Angel’s blush returned as well and she turned away and walked over to her laptop.

“S-So, um…” He blushed more. “I’m uh… Getting the feeling you don’t have a boyfriend. Uh… Do you?” Skull was internally screaming at himself as to why he just asked that question.

“N-No,” Angel replied, sitting down and pretending to read over the scan information. “Not really interested in non-humans, and the only humans I’ve seen since arriving in Equestria are other Displaced. We, um, never interacted enough for any sort of romance.”

“Oh, uh… Cool,” Skull said, glancing around, trying to find something else to talk about.

“Yeah,” Angel replied. “I mean, no! I mean, um, I haven’t really had time for… What about you?! Have you, um, ‘gone native?’ Or um, met any other Displaced girls you’ve, um, liked?”

“Huh?! Uh, um, n-no, you’re uh… you’re actually the first Displaced I’ve met…” He blushed more. “I uh… Don’t even have a token. Trader told me about Displaced, though.”

“Oh!” Angel shouted, jumping up and grinning, trying to fight down the blush. “I know how to handle- I mean, I can help you with that!”

“Really? Um, okay then, what do I do first?” he asked.

“Just pick an item,” Angel replied. “It can be anything, really. Put some of your power into it, and say whatever you want others to hear when they pick it up. Then give it to me, and I’ll send it out into the multiverse. Like this.” She summoned her wings, reaching back and wincing as she pulled out a feather. She cleared her throat and said, “Token Create.” The feather began to glow softly. “Token Message. This is the Undying Angel, Champion of Minos, High General of the United Zebrica, and friend of Equestria. If you ever require aid, hold this feather and call upon my name and I shall come on wings of glory, my sword yours to command. Message End.” She held the feather out to Skull. “You probably won’t have to be all formal with the commands, but that’s basically how it works.”

“Um, okay. But… Is that uh… really your message?” he asked, giving her a look.

“Of-Of course!” Angel slapped a plastic grin onto her face. “A-After all, it’s the first impression other Displaced are going to have of you! Might as well make it nice and dramatic, r-right?”

“I guess,” Skull said with a slow shrug, before looking for something to use for a Token. He walked over to the red chest, rummaging through it. “Hmmm… No, not that. Not that either…” He pulled out a shield of petrified bone. “Ah, this will work.” He placed it on the table next to him, then grabbed a glowing, diamond-shaped, dull blue crystal. He took his carving knife and started to carve a shape into the shield.

Then, once finished, he placed the crystal inside the newly made hole, and then grabbed a slimedrop of what seemed to be liquid metal, dropped it on the crystal, and secured it in place. Finally, he took a sticker from the chest, and slapped it on just below the crystal. He then turned to face Angel, and she saw that the sticker was of a goofy little blue slime.

“There. How’s that?” he queried.

Angel giggled. “I think the slime will give people pause, but a lot of Displaced will be happy for a shield that sturdy. Now just pour some of your magic into it and give it a message.”

Skull nodded. “Alright, I can do that.” He furrowed his brow as he stared intently at the shield, a light blue glow overtaking his hands and channeling into the shield. Afterwards, he hummed in thought, trying to think of a message. Finally, he had an idea.

“I am Skull, Hunter of Monsters, Ranger, and Halfbreed. If you need arms and armor, a good fight, or just some company and real meat, then just smack this shield once to come here, and twice for me to come to you,” he finished, before turning to Angel. “How’s that?”

Angel nodded, taking the shield from him. “Sounds good to me. Token Distribute.” The shield vanished. “And there it goes,” Angel said. “Off into the multiverse. I’ll probably have one waiting for me when I get back.”

“Huh. Cool,” he looked around, then back to her. He clenched and unclenched his hands. “So… Guess you’re leaving for the Empire now?”

Angel nodded, her eyes hardening. “I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to do,” she muttered. “Killing Discord post-reformation… that’s not going to be easy to come back from.” She took a deep breath before shooting Skull a confident grin. “But at the very least, I’m sure I can get you off the ‘Equestria’s Most Wanted’ list.”

He nodded slowly, giving her a small smile. “I hope so.” Silence reigned for a moment, him still clenching and unclenching his hands as he looked around the cabin, then back to her.

“Guess I’d better be off,” Angel said, sighing as she walked towards the door. “Never thought I’d meet a Celestia less happy to see me than my own, but hey, first time for everything, right? Ja ne.” She opened the door and stepped outside into the harsh northern wind.

Skull stared after her as the door closed. After a short while, he sighed deeply and sat down at a chair. “...Heavenly Father… Let her come back safe… Please.”

Angel touched down in the snow as soon as the Crystal Empire came in sight. She sighed as she started walking, thinking about how she wanted to do this.

“I could go in as a warrior,” she muttered to herself. “Bust down the doors, take everyone down without killing them, and demand to speak with Cadence.” She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, no. These ain’t minotaurs, Angel. They’re terrified ponies. I could go for shock and awe, but I don’t really have anything impressive that wouldn’t seem like an attack.” She shrugged as the walls of the Empire came within shouting distance. “Eh, guess I’m going for the Discord tactic: confuse and baffle the serious right out of them.”

She noticed the guards turn to face her and watched as they got ready to sound an alarm. “Sonorus,” she said, and took a deep breath. Just as one of the guards was about to sound his horn…

“HELLOOOOOOOOOOOO, CRYSTAL EMPIRE!!!” Angel smirked as she saw the guard drop his horn in shock. “THIS IS YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD ANGEL WISHING YOU A GOOD AFTERNOON! IT’S SUNNY OUT RIGHT NOW, THE TEMPERATURE AT A BEAUTIFUL NEGATIVE TWENTY DEGREES. BETTER STAY INSIDE THAT SHIELD WHERE IT’S NICE AND TOASTY!

“IN OTHER NEWS,” she continued, rolling her eyes as the guards only now began to react again, “I’M HERE ON BUSINESS. IT WOULD SEEM THAT MY CLIENT, ONE ‘MISTER THE CURSEBRINGER,’ FIRST NAME ‘SKULL,’ HAS BEEN MISREPRESENTED TO YOUR NATION. I AM HERE TO CORRECT THE RECORD AND YOUR ARROWS REALLY AREN’T GOING TO DO ANYTHING TO ME.” Angel brought up her blades, easily deflecting the barrage of arrows that was descending on her as she continued strolling forward. “SERIOUSLY GUYS, YOU’RE JUST WASTING AMMO HERE. ALL I WANT IS TO TALK WITH PRINCESS HEART FLANKS. IS SHE IN? I’D SETTLE FOR HER HUSBAND MR. APTLY NAMED.”

The arrows continued to pour down, causing Angel to sigh in annoyance. “RIGHT. THIS ISN’T WORKING. TELEPORT: SHORT RANGE: 300 METERS FORWARD.” She vanished in a flash of light, reappearing on the other side of the wall. She blinked a few times before shrugging and muttering, “QUIETUS.” She cleared her throat, no longer using the Royal Caps Lock. “Huh. Not often I judge distances that perfectly.”

“It’s a magic user!” cried one of the guards.

“Stay calm, men! We have it outnumbered, just surround it!” a gruff voice called, and immediately, a number of the guards rushed towards her, quickly surrounding her with spears and crossbows pointed at her.

Angel rolled her eyes. “Oh please. One, I’m not an ‘it;’ I’m a ‘her.’ Two, if I wanted to, I could Sonic Rotation all your flanks into next week. At once. Luckily for y’all, I’m here on a mission of diplomacy. Look!” She summoned her wings, spreading them wide. “Got a couple of white flags and everything.”

They all glanced at each other in confusion, then returned to glaring at her. “And why should we trust you when you’re working for The Cursebringer?” came the suspicious voice of an elderly mare, who marched up to Angel, the guards making a path for her as her crystal barding clinked and clanked with her movements.

“Well for one thing, I just met the guy,” Angel replied. “Saying that I work for him is a little much. The whole ‘client’ bit was just to get y’all confused enough for me to get a word in edgewise.” She pulled an arrow that had gotten past her guard out of where it had tangled in her hair, giving the guards an unamused frown. “Not that it worked for more than a few seconds.

“For another,” the arrow embedded itself in the street between the elderly mare’s hooves faster than she could blink. Angel gave her a cocky grin. “You don’t have much of a choice. If I wanted to, I could level this entire city in under an hour.” She shrugged and relaxed, resting her arms behind her head. “But I reeeeeally would rather just talk. Are Shiny Hiney and Princess Pink available or not?”

The mare glared at Angel, then grunted. “Much as I’d like to see you in chains for disrespecting the Guard and for collaborating with the Cursebringer, I’m obligated to at least give you a fair trial first.” She turned her head to the countless Guards. “Stand down, men. I’ll bring her in to the Royals.”

“But General Armstrong-!” a Guard began, only for her to glare harshly at him, and he gulped.

“Was that a glimmer of insubordination, soldier?” she growled coldly. The soldier saluted.

“N-No ma’am!” he replied quickly. General Armstrong nodded.

“Good. But just in case, go see Colonel Sole for a checkup,” she ordered. The soldier gulped again, and nodded.

“Y-Y-Yes ma’am!” he replied, before galloping off. Armstrong turned back to Angel as the other Guards stood down.

“Follow me,” she said, before marching down the street.

Angel let out a low whistle before shifting one arm into a whip and cracking above her head. “Dang, girl,” she said, dismissing her weapon and walking up beside her. “Did those stallions come pre-whipped, or did you have to kill an Ursa with your bare hooves in front of them first?”

Armstrong let out a low chuckle. “Try a family of Great Gruffons and Brrearthenwarriors. Though it was closer to a company of them instead.”

“I’ll pretend to know how impressive that is,” Angel answered. “Took blowing up a few minotaurs with my blade before the Kingdom of Minos learned that I wasn’t to be messed with. Then I went to Zebrica and had to start all over again.” She sighed and crossed her arms. “Not to mention that most of my kind that I meet don’t take me seriously because of my apparent age. I envy you having everyone around you already know just how bad-A you are.”

“Can’t say I’ve heard of you, but neither can I say I can relate,” Armstrong replied, before her look hardened again. “Regardless, enough of this chatter. We’re almost there, and I’m a professional. I can't let myself be seen getting chummy with you. It’s a weakness I won’t allow.” She thus quickened her pace.

Angel took a deep breath, and General Angel let it out. “Understood.”

They eventually made it to the castle, all in silence as the ponies around the city watched on with wary looks. In time, they reached the doors, and the two Guards stationed there opened them, and they walked inside.

Soon after they were walking through the halls and corridors, up stairs and all around the castle, until they reached the doors to the throne room. Armstrong stopped in front of them, turning to Angel. “Wait here, I need to let the Royals know so they can get the others.” With that, she walked inside, the massive doors closing behind her with a resounding clamor of stone on crystal.

Angel raised an eyebrow. “The others? Must be the Princesses and the Bearers.” She sighed, opening a pocket dimension and pulling out a military uniform. “Well, best to make a proper first impression.” Ignoring the guards on either side of the door, Angel doffed her armor and placed it into the void, closing it up. She quickly donned her uniform, straightening it out before standing at attention. She waited.

The door opened after a few more quiet minutes of the Guards trying to remain stone-faced after Angel basically doing a strip show in front of them. Armstrong peeked her head out of the door.

“You can come in now,” she said.

Angel nodded and strode forward, pushing the door more fully open. She marched straight ahead, stopping a stone’s throw from the large group of ponies gathered in the throne room. All four Princesses were in attendance, Cadence accompanied by her husband and Twilight by her fellow bearers, along with Starlight Glimmer and Spike. Angel was surprised to see that the girls bore the Elements of Harmony, but was even more surprised to see three figures she’d only seen illustrated in books of legend: Mage Meadowbrook, Mistmane, and Starswirl the Bearded. She snapped off a salute. “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza of the Crystal Empire.” She lowered her salute and nodded in respect to the rest of the group. “And accompanying Royals and Heroes of Equestria. I am Angel the Undying, Champion of Minos, High General of the United Zebrica, and Ally of Equestria. I come before you to plead the case of Skull, known to you as ‘the Cursebringer.’ I ask that you hear my words.”

“I do not recall anyone bearing your name or titles before, yet you have said them quite bluntly,” Celestia began. She narrowed her eyes. “Just what, may I ask, are you trying to pull?”

“The case of the Cursebringer is not one to be taken lightly, either,” Luna continued.

Angel nodded. “Indeed not. I have been made aware of his most heinous crime against Equestria.” Her eyes softened as they turned to Fluttershy. “And against you personally. My condolences.” Her eyes sharpened again as they turned back to the sister Princesses. “But I seek no deception here. My name is not had in these lands for one simple reason: I am not of this world.”

Their eyes widened, before Starswirl spoke up. “You mean to tell us that you’re a resident of a different world? Yet one similar to ours?” He looked Angel up and down, then scoffed. “Hrmph, yet you’ve sided with our enemy. A pity.”

“Teacher, please, let us talk,” Celestia cut off. Starswirl grunted, but conceded. Celestia turned back to Angel. “So, you say you come from another world? And judging from your titles, one similar to ours?” Celestia leaned back in the throne. “Quite a claim to make, I must say.”

“But not exactly impossible, Princess,” Twilight spoke up.

“True, young Sparkle,” Luna concurred.

“Then the question is, why would you side with a Spawn of Sombra?” Shining Armor asked. Cadence remained quiet, but she seemed to be scrutinizing Angel.

“Your question cannot be answered,” Angel replied, “for it is rooted in fallacy. Skull is not of Sombra, but of a world far removed from this or any Equestria. As am I. Whatever he has done since his arrival, he is in no way tied to the fallen Tyrant of Shadows.”

“Then how do you explain his mangling of poor animals?! Or cutting my Dissy’s head clean off?!” Fluttershy roared, flying over to Angel’s face in mere nanoseconds, tears in her eyes.

“Fluttershy!” Applejack cried, rushing over and grabbing the mare.

“I don’t care what you say! I’ll never forgive that… That…monster!” Fluttershy said, though she didn’t struggle when Applejack pulled her back.

"Your bucking right! That plothole hurt my coltfriend!" Rainbow roared.

“Maybe we should get ya somewhere quiet, Flutters,” Applejack suggested. Fluttershy continued to cry, but also continued to glare at Angel.

“No, she’s right.” The ponies stared in shock at Angel. “She has every right to despise Skull for his actions. She has suffered a great deal, and no words from me could ever hope to appease her.” Angel turned her attention back to Fluttershy. “You say that you will never forgive him? I do not blame you. But I do take issue with you labeling him a monster. I have every confidence that, should you hear my explanation out, you will revise your opinion of him, even if forgiveness remains beyond your ability to give.” She paused for a moment. “However, I will also understand if you would find such things difficult to hear from me. If you would rather hear it from your friends later, I will not think less of you.” Her face softened, her eyes gazing through Fluttershy and seeing legions of zebras and minotaurs. “I have seen too many family members wrought with grief to label such fragility a weakness.”

Fluttershy just continued to glare, though it softened slightly as she thought. Rainbow had been glaring the whole time. Celestia watched her with a frown, then turned back to Angel.

“So, you have proof of his innocence, I assume?” she asked.

“And proof that he didn’t curse us with all these dreadful beasts?” Rarity added.

“What I have,” Angel replied, her face a steel mask once again, “is a personal account of how I arrived in my own Equestria. I can present evidence to support my claims. From there, I have a chain of logic that places Skull in a similar position to myself, thus starting his time in Equestria as a blank slate, completely innocent. I further have conjecture as to what transpired to lead to where things stand today, though that may require some information from all of you.” She turned to the side, running her fingers through the air and opening a black void. “That may seem flimsy now,” she said, “but I believe the evidence I present will prove the veracity of my origins sufficiently.” She pulled out her laptop and opened it, entering a few quick keystrokes. “From there, I would ask you to trust that I mean no deception.” She looked up at Cadence. “Would that be acceptable?”

They all looked at each other, then to Applejack. Applejack nodded. “She ain’t lied yet.”

They all turned to Angel again. “Very well. Show us, then.” Cadence urged.

Angel nodded and approached them, turning her laptop around and queuing up the first episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

“It’s called a ‘television program,’” Angel explained as the episode finished. “Simply put, it is a means of telling stories. Before I arrived in my Equestria, that’s all I believed this world to be: a story.” She sighed as she turned the laptop back around, stepping back as she began typing again. “I sometimes wish I had remained in ignorance.”

“Fascinating… How does that work, exactly? I’ve never heard of a television program,” Star Swirl queried.

“It probably uses the same kind of idea that arcades use for their machines,” Twilight explained. Everyone but Star Swirl, Meadowbrook, and Mistmane nodded in understanding.

“You mean those noisy contraptions that gave me a headache the first time you tried to show me the leaps we’ve made in technology?” Star Swirl asked. Twilight giggled nervously, rubbing the back of her head.

“Yeah… Sorry about that,” she said sheepishly, rubbing her arm.

“Well, I still don’t see how this proves anything,” Rainbow butted in.

“It is the beginning of my proof about myself,” Angel explained. She turned the computer around again, showing a depiction of a familiar sixteen-year-old, accompanied by a number of other humans standing beneath a red title. “And this is the next part. This program is called ‘Angel Beats,’ and during a summer back in my world, I attended a fan convention dressed as one of the main characters, Kanade Tachibana, aka. Angel.”

“I see…” Luna mused, hoof on her chin. “So, if I’m understanding this correctly, you’re basically saying he was in a similar situation? And that he did not come to this world of a dark birth, but of a happenstance he was not a willing subject of?”

Angel nodded. “Exactly.” She took back the laptop and began typing again. “While at the convention, I purchased this laptop from a being known to people in my situation as ‘The Merchant.’ He has taken many humans from various versions of Earth - my home planet - and placed them in various Equestrias for unknown reasons, granting them the skills and abilities of whomever they were costumed as. Skull is the victim of a different being known as ‘Trader.’ We who have been taken from our worlds and thrust into another are known as ‘the Displaced.’” She sighed, looking up from her laptop. “And unfortunately for you, we weren’t the only ones affected when these beings decided to toss us around.”

“The Monsters! Of course!” Twilight cried, clapping her hooves together.

“So, you say that our world has been infected as a result of… what? His presence? Or just some sick game by these beings?” Celestia queried.

“Seems a bit far-fetched to me,” Shining said with a scoff.

“And if it is true, it doesn’t excuse what he did to my close friends,” Star Swirl continued. He shot a glare to Angel. “He attacked us. Without reason, and with great brutality. Rockhoof is concussed, Flash Magnus is now taking mental help, and Somnambula…” He grit his teeth. “...She will never fly again. And she’ll likely be weakened for years to come.”

Angel hummed to herself, looking off into the distance. “He failed to mention that.” She turned her attention back to Starswirl. “I have a guess as to his reasons, but I would rather confer with him before voicing them. Regardless, I can confirm that Trader is the one truly responsible for bringing the monsters here.”

She turned to Twilight. “You mentioned arcade games earlier. The character that he dressed as is from a similar type of game, one titled ‘Monster Hunter.’ I assume you can figure out what the object of the game was.” She addressed the ponies as a whole. “Human history and society is a good deal more violent and restless than that of ponies. Games such as the one he is from are not uncommon. Upon his arrival, I can only assume that he began hunting these monsters as a means of survival.” She nodded to Fluttershy. “Thus an answer to your accusation of slaughter. Survival doesn’t allow for niceties.”

“Ah find that a bit hard to believe,” Applejack spoke up. “Ah’ve seen my fair share of Griffons, ‘specially recently. Never seen any take a monster’s horns, or fangs, or even it’s tail or wing, even fer sport.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Exactly! Why would he need those? What kind of pony would just take off entire limbs from a poor animal after it’s dead?”

“Again, survival,” Angel replied. “In Monster Hunter, you stripped the Monsters you killed of parts and used them to craft weapons, armor, items, et cetera. The armor I entered the city wearing was crafted from the hide, tusks, and trunk of a monster we slew this morning. A Gammoth.”

Their eyes widened, and they all backed away from her in disgust. “You wore that into the city? And you’re saying he… He uses their pieces like that?!” Fluttershy cried, muzzle scrunching up. “That’s… That’s just terrible!”

“I agree! Why in the world would he need to do that?” Twilight queried.

“Because no other weapon is effective against them,” Angel answered. “I can summon blades whose quality equals that of steel. They wouldn’t be able to so much as scratch some of the stronger Monsters. And their attacks could easily shatter my armor of similar make. The only way to fight the Monsters is to use weapons and armor crafted from them.” She hesitated before adding, “Magic also seems to work to a degree, but I’m not sure that he can use any without the aid of said weapons.”

“I see… That would certainly align with our reports on these monsters…” Luna noted.

“It would also explain why my magic did nothing to them, and how a direct headbutt from Rockhoof didn’t even make a small one flinch…” Star Swirl mused, stroking his beard. Fluttershy’s gaze slowly softened, but it was obviously still angry and full of hurt.

“Still… The fact remains that he has committed crimes, and they cannot be ignored,” Shining put in.

“That is true, Shining Armor,” Celestia concurred, hoof on her chin as she hummed in thought, closing her eyes. Before Angel could retort, however, she spoke again. “However, it does appear that we have been wrong as well, at least to a degree.” She opened her eyes and looked to Angel. “Would you mind giving us some time to think this over? We should be done by the morning.”

Angel nodded. “Of course, Princess Celestia.” She hesitated, her eyes darting to Fluttershy and back. “However, I do have one question before I depart.”

“Oh?” Celestia said, quirking a brow.

Angel took a deep breath, steeling herself. “What were the exact circumstances behind Discord’s encounter with Skull?” Immediately, the faces of the ponies turned dark, either lowering their heads or gaining a steely determination.

“...We sent him to find out more about Skull, and if necessary, eliminate him,” Celestia answered after a few long seconds of silence.

“I see.” Angel was silent for a moment before she turned away. “Think on what I’ve told you,” she said. “Consider all of it. Bear in mind that Skull had no knowledge of this world before his arrival. Consider Discord’s appearance and demeanor. Picture a young man, far from home, confused, and constantly afraid for his life, being suddenly confronted by a being as chaotic and powerful as Discord. And then ask yourselves… were his actions those of a heartless murderer, or a cornered animal?” She walked out the doors, closing them behind her.

She immediately collapsed back against them, gasping for breath. She eyed the guard to her right. “Four alicorns, the Elements of Harmony, and Starswirl the freaking Bearded. I’m surprised I held out this long.” She chuckled to herself before pushing off of the door and standing straight. “Tell General Armstrong that I have an appointment with the Royals tomorrow morning. Until then,” she looked outward, focusing on a sense in the back of her mind. “Teleport: Long Range: Beacon: Designation - Skull’s Cabin.” In a flash of light, she was gone.

When she arrived, she stumbled a bit, then noticed a peculiar sound. It sounded like an acoustic guitar, but the song was... ominous. Sad.

She walked up to the cabin, kicking the snow from her boots and stepping inside. She saw that Skull wasn’t anywhere on the bottom floor. His armor was on a stand near his bed, and she noted the sound of the song was coming from above her.

Angel closed her eyes, listening to the tune and allowing it to fill her. She slowly began to sway to the music. She took a step. Another. The tempo picked up and she started to dance. She spun and stepped around the room, letting the unfamiliar music carry her.

It sounded like the sad tale of a man facing off alone against some ungodly horde, but with a hint of pride in the mix. When it ended, she heard some mutterings from above, and… sniffling? Angel crept up the ladder, finding Skull sitting in the attic, his back to her, but she could see an acoustic guitar in his hands, decorated with a Christian Cross, and at the far end of the attic room, a small picture with a single candle alight below it.

Skull was in the fur clothes she’d seen him wear before, instead of his armor. “I remember, Grandpa… ‘The world is against me. It wouldn’t be fair otherwise.’ I won’t forget, I promise…” he muttered with shaky breath. Krak Pot was on the floor next to Angel’s foot.

“Lad’s in a tight moment right now, miss. Could use some comfort,” he whispered to her.

Angel nodded, stepping forward. “It isn’t easy, is it?” Skull jumped and spun around, but Angel’s eyes were locked on something only she could see. “Being the sole voice of sanity shouting into the hurricane. The would-be saint, stained crimson with the blood of so many. Torn from peace, and thrust into Hell.” She turned her head down, her eyes meeting his. “It’s amazing any of us are still sane. It’s amazing any of us still care.”

He wiped an errant tear from his eye, then turned back to the picture. “...Yeah. It is,” he answered slowly.

Angel walked over and knelt on the floor beside him. “Who is it?”

“...” he was silent, but eventually gained a small, sad smile. “...My grandfather.”

“I see.” Angel sat in silence for a moment. “I envy you. I have nothing to remember my family by. Well,” she shrugged, “a saved copy of the internet, but Facebook pics and shared memes don’t really hold any weight.”

“...He used to say I was the spitting image of my dad,” Skull began. “That I was carrying on the family’s name.” He let a tear fall down his cheek. “...Then…” He shook his head, wiping his tears and standing up, walking towards the candle and snuffing it’s flame out. “...Forget it. Let’s get some food.”

Angel watched him climb down the ladder. She stood and turned back to the picture. She bowed low, holding it for a minute. “I promise,” she whispered, standing again. “On my name, the only part of me that is still my own, I will not leave him stranded. He shall have friends. Support. Strength. He will not bear this weight alone.” She turned and walked towards the ladder.

“For now, he has an Angel to watch over him.”

Skull was currently sitting by the hearth of his home, in a fur-covered wooden chair, almost tribal in style. He was nursing a wooden mug of beer, his plate of food practically untouched on the nightstand next to him. Angel’s food was on the table, still steaming.

Angel sat at the table and began eating. “They need the rest of the day to think about what I told them,” she said between bites. “But they do seem to be receptive to what I said. I’m going back tomorrow morning.”

“...Noted,” Skull said, before taking a sip of his beer.

Angel nodded as she continued. “But they also said something that concerns me. They claim that you attacked a few of them without provocation, placing one into a coma, mentally scarring another, and grounding a third. A pegasus.” She took another bite, letting her words sink in as she chewed. “I’m going to have to know your side of the story before I return.”

Silence for a few moments. Then, he sighed, placing his mug down next to his plate of untouched food and leaning back in his chair.

“...I didn’t want to do it,” he began slowly. “But after all the times I’d been tailed, after all the racism and discrimination and threats of death…” He shook his head, glancing back at her. His golden eyes shone with guilt and shame, before he looked back to the flames roaring in the hearth. “...I got desperate, and decided to send them a message.” He said nothing more as he stared into the flames.

Angel sighed, picking up a giant drumstick and tilting her chair back onto its hind legs, propping her feet up on the table. “Yeah, okay. I’ll probably be able to spin that.” She tore off a strip of meat, chewing thoughtfully and swallowing before she continued. “Although, they do seem to be associates of Starswirl the freaking Bearded, so probably ancient heroes of great renown or something. It’ll be hard to appease Equestria as a whole after that. I don’t suppose you have any healing magic in your arsenal that could help?”

He slowly nodded. “Healing magic, healing potions… Haven’t tried any of them on someone missing a wing, though. Or any limb, for that matter.”

“Let’s test it, then!” Angel put her feet down, letting the chair fall forward again. She summoned her blade and laid her other arm across the table. “If it doesn’t work, I can always just kill myself.” She shuddered. “Don’t tell Spot I said that; he spent the better part of three months beating that mentality out of me.”

“...” Skull didn’t move for a time. Then, he sighed and got up, walking over to his red storage chest and pulling out a dull orange flask with a cork in it. He walked over to her and placed it down next to her plate on the table. “Try this. It’s one of the best in the game, because it heals all your health instead of some. Just be warned that it tastes like dust and chalk, only liquid.”

Angel chuckled, raising her blade high above her head. “Can’t be worse than any of the zebra concoctions I’ve tried.” She placed the drumstick in her mouth and bit down hard as she brought the blade swinging down. The meat muffled her scream as her arm was slashed clean off, blood immediately spurting all over the table. She spat out the meat, turning her blade arm back to normal and grabbing the flask. She bit the cork and yanked her neck back, popping it out. She spat it out to the side and tipped her head back, chugging the potion like her life depended on it. She slammed the empty bottle down on the table, shivering as it flooded her system. “Damn!” she rasped. “You weren’t kidding about the taste. That waaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!”

Angel grabbed her stump, crying out in agony. Fire shot through her arm, a thousand blades slicing away at the bloody stump at the end. Slowly, agonizingly, the flesh of her arm began to creep downward, forming new bone and sinew as it went.

“GAH!” Angel shouted, falling out of her chair and curling up on the ground. “AAAAGH!!! DAMN IT DAMN IT DAMN IT DAMN IT!!! GAH! CAN’T EVEN KILL MYSELF!” The flesh sped up, forming her wrist and hand in half the time it had taken for the bottom half of her lower arm. Angel shuddered a few more times before wiping away her tears and glaring up at Skull. “With how sensitive wings are, I really, really don’t envy this Somnambula mare.”

“I can’t say I can relate, but, at least it worked,” Skull replied. He offered her a hand up. “Still, you okay?” There was genuine concern in his tone. Angel noted it seemed a bit more than normal.

“Fine,” she replied, taking his hand and pulling herself up. She blinked in surprise at the lack of pain in her newly regrown arm. She flexed and rotated it, surprised at how normally it functioned. There wasn’t even a scar. “Huh. Useful stuff, that. I’ll have to see if I can get a scan of it.” She glanced at the table and winced at the image of her severed arm, still bleeding on the table. “That’s… really creepy. My body parts usually vanish when I revive. Seeing my arm like that… yeah. That’s weird.”

“Well, I’m just glad it worked. I don’t feel comfortable seeing a friend die, even if you can come back,” Skull responded. He looked to her arm. “...As a side note, maybe we should burn that. Or do something to get rid of it, at least.”

“Are you kidding?!” Angel swiped the arm from the table, grinning as she opened a portal and tossed it in. “Do you have ANY idea the pranks I could pull with that? Stick it in my sleeve, go up to shake a minotaur’s hand, and suddenly, AGH! NO! MY ARM! AAAAAAH!!!” Angel giggled, closing up the portal. “Oh, if I ever get back to Equestria, RD’s going to get a kick out of that one.” Angel’s face suddenly fell. “That is, if she forgives me for…” Silence overtook her as she stared into the distance.

Skull frowned at this. “Hey, you okay?” He asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She shrugged him off. “Fine, fine. Just… I left a lot of ponies angry when last I was there. They didn’t understand… they couldn’t understand…” She sighed. “I did what I had to do, and the explanation of why would have shattered their worldview. I… wanted them to keep ahold of their innocence for as long as possible.” Her frown morphed into a scowl. “Something that the dragons are making extremely difficult.”

Skull sighed, then pulled her into a hug out of nowhere. Angel stiffened. “...I’m… Not the best at conversation anymore, or social interaction, but…” He sighed once more. “...I’m here if you need someone to talk to or shoot the breeze with, okay?”

Angel relaxed into the hug. “That’s… Thanks. I… I’ll probably take you up on that. Spot isn’t really the type to offer emotional support.” She chuckled. “Ironic. Also,” she stepped back out of the hug and smirked up at him, raising an eyebrow, “a little warning next time would be a good idea. I’m not used to anyone grabbing me like that unless they’re trying to crush my ribcage. You almost got a sword to the gut.”

Skull chuckled, blushing a bit and scratching his cheek. “W-Well, I’ll keep that in mind,” His eyes then widened. “Oh! I nearly forgot something, hang on.” He walked over to the red storage chest, rummaging through it for a bit. He pulled out three items, one a necklace with fangs and a light, bluish-gray crystal, one a simple paper charm like from Japan, and one a golden medal in the shape of a shield. “Here, these are some items I’ve gotten from walking around and hunting. They should help in a pinch.”

Angel took the items, looking them over. “Huh. Not really my style to accessorize, but I’m guessing these are no regular items.” She slipped the necklace around her neck and pinned the medal to her shirt. She held the charm in one hand, turning it over a couple of times before looking back up at Skull. “Okay, what the heck am I supposed to do with this one?”

“Tie it to a sash, or a belt, or just keep it in your pocket. Either way, try not to lose it. It helps keep, for lack of a better word, ‘critical attacks’ from hitting you,” Skull explained. He pointed to the necklace. “That will give you the ability to block normally unavoidable attacks, and also increase your invulnerability when dodging.” He pointed to the medal. “And that will up your agility a bunch.”

“Really?” Angel smiled, tucking the charm into her pocket. “I’ll have to test those out against Spot, see if he can still out-maneuver me.” She winced. “Probably not, but it’ll be worth a shot.” She smiled up at Skull. “Thanks. These should be really useful against the dragons.”

Skull smiled back. “Anything for a friend.” He looked out the window. “Woah, it’s that time of year again, huh?” He smiled wider and started to walk towards the door. “Follow me, we’re in for a special treat tonight.” Angel raised an eyebrow before following him out. Once outside, he ushered her towards the other side of the cabin which faced the cliff, where a wooden bench sat. He sat down on it, patting the spot next to him. “Come on, sit down, it’s about to start.”

Angel sat beside him, staring out at the landscape before her. “Okay, I’ll bite. What’s about to start?”

Skull’s smile just grew. “The Dance of Ice,” he said, before pointing to the distant tundra below them.

It started with chimes, reminiscent of xylophones, but more mystical. It was slow, but it built up. She heard howls, not unlike wolves, but also similar to sirens. They grew in number, until they all did one thing she didn’t expect; they began to harmonize, like some spiritual chant.

Then, the clouds below glimmered with blue light, the forms of ethereal, blue horses diving in and out of the clouds in some strange dance. They darted to and fro, back and forth, and the glimmer of blue grew more bright. All the while the howls continued in the background.

The Wendigoe twirled around each other, countless pairs, likely couples or mates, prancing around each other in the clouds, creating waves of snow and frost from each hoofstep. The howls grew in volume as they all flipped over and flourished. The howls grew louder.

It was like the singing of northern men and women, like an ancient hymn, and drums and flutes joined in, along with many other instruments, the magic of the world helping to add to the music as the Wendigoes danced like the enchanting spirits they were.

They began dancing with more fervor, shapes forming from each flourish, from each stamp of a hoof. The shapes cascaded around them, from snowflakes to ice sculptures of countless races that moved with the Wendigoes and danced with the same fervor and enchantment that they did.

Angel stared slack-jawed at the display, her eyes dancing in delight. “It’s… it’s beautiful,” she whispered, shivering against the otherworldly nature of the display. “And ominous all at once.” She leaned over, resting her head on his shoulder as she watched. “I wonder if we have something like this back home?” Skull blushed at the contact, but didn’t move.

“W-Well, maybe you should go to the Frozen North and find out. The Wendigoes can be reasoned with, if you’re careful, after all. They’re just like any regular spirit, really,” Skull explained. He hesitantly reached an arm up to wrap around her, but stopped short.

Angel sighed, her smile slipping a little. “I wish I could,” she muttered, “but I can’t leave the front for that long. Heck, spending these days here is stretching it. Not that it isn’t worth it, though.” She tilted her head up, giving Skull a sly look. “Though it would be even more worth it if you would stop being a coward and move that arm the rest of the way.”

Skull flushed a deeper shade of red, looking away as he slowly did as told, wrapping his powerful arm around her. “There, h-happy?”

Angel giggled and turned her attention back to the display below, the better to hide her own blush. They watched the Wendigoes dance into the night side by side, and while the spirits and winds of cold were all around them, they felt warmth in their hearts.

Angel murmured to herself, rolling over and doing her best to stay asleep. I’m on vacation, she thought. I’m on vacation I’m on vacation I’m on vacation I’m on vacation I’m on vacation GAH! She sat up straight, glaring at nothing in particular. Stupid military habits! She sighed as she got up, grabbing her clothes from the previous day and pulling them on.

She quickly noticed the smell of, to her delight, cooking bacon, steak, and vegetable stew. She looked to the side of the cabin with the kitchen and saw Skull in his fur clothes, cooking breakfast.

“Now that’s a sight I could get used to,” Angel muttered. Seeing Skull perk up, she blushed and coughed. “Scent, I mean. A scent I could get used to. Heh heh.”

He quirked a brow at her, then shrugged. “Well, now that you have a beacon here, you can come over for a meal or just to talk whenever you need.” He began. He motioned with a spatula to the table. “Why don’t you sit down over there?”

Angel nodded, stretching her arms above her head as she walked over to the table. “Don’t mind if I do. Going to need a LOT of protein in my diet for the next few months anyway.” She glared as she sat down. “Building muscle mass back up is the most annoying part of dying.”

“So you’re saying that each time you die you lose muscle mass and return to being sixteen?” Skull queried, flipping some of the bacon over masterfully.

“I reset entirely,” Angel confirmed. “Right back to how I was when I first arrived. Heck, even my stomach contents get reset.” Skull opened his mouth. “Don’t ask me how I know that.” He promptly closed it. Angel sighed. “And let me tell you, that made things reeeeeally difficult with the minotaurs. I died during almost every fight early on, and with their entire culture centered on strength…” She shrugged. “Let’s just say it took a lot of skill to make up for being so scrawny.”

Skull hummed in thought. He flipped another strip of bacon and took a look at the steak in the oven. After a second of gazing at it, he nodded his head, then pulled it out. Soon after the stew was done, and he went about grabbing the necessary plates and bowls for them.

After he was done with that, he set a tray down for each of them, the food all set. He then placed a glass of mineral water down in front of her, then sat down in his chair and began to eat.

“Mmmmmmm.” A smile split Angel’s face as she dug into her meal, humming in contentment. “Yeah, it’s going to suck going back to the vegetarian life after this.” She washed down her food with a quick drink before sighing and looking up at Skull. “Hey, maybe you could visit my place next time. Bet you’d be great at tearing apart dragons.”

Skull rubbed his chin. “Hmm… Could be a good idea. Who knows, might split one in two with a single strike, since most of my weapons deal Dragon damage.” He shrugged and took a bite of his steak after cutting it up.

“Probably,” Angel admitted. “They really aren’t that hard to kill, compared to the monsters that you fight.” She sighed and looked down at her stew, stirring it slowly with her spoon. “It’s collateral you have to worry about. They aren’t exactly keen on fighting the strongest warrior in the group. Most of them are content to just torch a village, grab a few shinies, and run.” Her melancholy stare shifted into a hateful grimace. “No matter how many people they kill on the way.” Skull frowned, reaching over and putting his hand on hers.

“Well, I’m always here if you need me,” he reminded her. He gained a joking grin. “Not like I have much to do around here, after all.”

“Hm, that may change, though.” She smiled up at him. “After all, I got the ponies to listen to me last night. The Princesses seem to believe me, and having AJ there to confirm that I was telling the truth certainly helped.” She sighed, her smile slipping a bit. “Fluttershy… still probably won’t forgive you unless you somehow figure out what’s keeping Discord from coming back, but at least she doesn’t want you dead anymore.” Her eyes narrowed. “I think.” She shook her head and returned to her meal. “Anyway, as long as nothing horrible happens today, everything should-”

Angel sat up ramrod straight, clasping a hand over her mouth and staring outward in horror. Skull gave her a concerned look. “What? What's wrong?”

“I said that out loud,” Angel whispered. She grit her teeth and slammed both fists down on the table, glaring at it like she wanted it to burst into flame. “I FREAKING SAID IT OUT LOUD!!! Gah, I’m an idiot!”

“Woah, woah, hold on!” He cried, waving his hands in a semi-placating motion. “What’s so bad about saying it out loud?”

“What’s so bad? WHAT’S SO BAD?!” Angel stood suddenly, her chair slamming backwards and falling to the floor. “What’s so bad is that you and I are the playthings of FREAKING VOID DWELLERS!!! You think I can tempt fate like that and they WON’T act on it?!”

“Well, it’s not like they listen to everything we say all the time, right?” Skull began.

“Incorrect, my good man,” came the familiar tones of Trader. Skull jumped out of his seat, and Trader just giggled daintily as he turned to face the woman. “Oh come now, you should know we Void Dweller’s tend to hear a lot more than you mortals ever do. Part and parcel for the gig.”

Angel snarled, glaring at the being. “So what’s it gonna be?” she asked through clenched teeth. “You lot never do things directly, so what is it? Sending a swarm of monsters to the Empire? Bringing in an evil Displaced so he can muck everything up even worse? What?!”

Trader giggled again, only louder. “Heh, heh hehe! Oh, oh you crack me up, you really do!” She slowly calmed down, shaking her head. “No, I’m not like the others. I tend to take more direct actions than my kin. So!” Trader stamped her cane on the ground, and a portal opened behind Angel. “What I’m doing is simple. I’m taking you back home, but with a final, tiny little gift.” Trader pulled a familiar shield out of her coat, the same one Skull had made for his token. “Here’s my offer. You either take this and...” she then pulled a contract out of her coat, holding it up in some unseen force of energy. “...sign this little beauty, or you never go back home.” Trader continued to smile at her, like she’d done nothing wrong.

Meanwhile, Skull seemed too shocked for words. Angel noted a glint of something in his eyes, of what she couldn’t tell. She was too focused on Trader. Her hands clenched into fists, her arms trembling. She glared at the Void Dweller, her teeth bared in a snarl, her eyes flashing red. Her breathing grew heavier and heavier until…

She calmed. Her face relaxed into a stoic mask, her eyes fading back to gold and her posture straightening into a professional stance. “I see,” she replied. “And what exactly does this contract entail? I make it a point not to take deals that I don’t fully understand the ramifications of.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “The Merchant taught me that much, at least.” Trader gained a mildly disgusted look.

“Ugh, please, I’m nothing like my father,” she shook her head. “Anyways, I’d rather we not discuss the contract whilst in company like this, so, mind walking with me outside?”

Angel gave a curt nod, before turning to face Skull, her expression softening. “I’ll be fine,” she promised. Assuming her mask again, she turned and walked out into the cold. Trader smiled and followed. Once outside, she snapped her fingers, a barrier surrounding the house. She turned to Angel.

“Now, the contents of the contract are rather simple,” she handed it to Angel, along with a pen. “I want you to come visit my favorite little boy whenever you can.” Trader’s expression never wavered from that same smile she always wore.

“Interesting,” Angel replied. “Because from the sound of it, you’re sending me away right now.” Her eyes narrowed. “There’s more to it than that.”

Trader chuckled. “Well, good to see my father picked a smart one.” She shook her head. “Regardless, you’re right. You see, Skull, as he no doubt told you, has been alone for four whole years. Not to mention the many years he spent alone back on Earth.” Trader twirled her cane absentmindedly, seeming more focused on it than Angel. “As such, he’s not very good at social interaction. He needs time to process things.” Trader shot a smirk at her. “Like the beginnings of affection.”

Angel raised an eyebrow, the only sign of emotion she allowed herself to show. “And my departure couldn’t wait until after I spoke on his behalf this morning because…”

Trader stopped twirling her cane for a moment. “Simple. Your troops need you right now.”

“I see.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “And the fact that time between worlds is malleable and you could easily have mine stand still for a few days is somehow, inexplicably and inconveniently, not a factor right now. Of course.” She sighed and signed the contract, taking the token and slinging it across her back. “Give me another minute with him; I’ll port back after that.”

Trader nodded, and Angel swore she saw her wink at her. “Just don’t take too long with him, kay~?”

Angel walked past the Void Dweller, not sparing her so much as a second glance. She entered the cabin again, her mask instantly breaking as she sighed sadly. She avoided Skull’s gaze, going over to her sleeping bag and beginning to roll it up. “I have to go. They need me back at the front.”

Skull was silent for a time. He stretched a hand out to her, but stopped short. His gaze lowered to the floor, and slowly, his hand with it.

“...Right,” he said slowly. He looked to the kitchen. “...” He sighed deeply, his face holding a frown. “...You want some food for the road?”

“...that’d be nice.” Angel finished rolling up her bag. She opened a pocket dimension and shoved it in before standing. “Not sure what the situation will be like once I get there. Better make it something light.”

“Right,” Skull said, walking over to an old ice box near the kitchen. He opened it up, then pulled out a package of what she instantly recognized as jerky, as well as some bacon. He walked over and handed them to her. “Here. It’s some jerky I made last week. The bacon is from a Mosswine.” He told her.

Angel nodded, taking them in her left hand. “Thank you.” She held her right out to him, finally looking up to meet his gaze. “Well, it was wonderful to meet you. I’ll be back as soon as I can spare time away from the front.” He stared at her hand a second or two, then clasped his own around it firmly.

“Same here,” he replied. He seemed more stiff in his movements and behavior, Angel noted. He let go of her hand. “Well, I won’t keep you. Go help your men.”

Angel nodded, stepping back and closing her eyes. She let out a melancholy sigh. “Teleport: Long Range: Beacon: Designation - Mount Sheer-Flame.” And in a flash of light, she was gone.

6 - Redemption: The Search for Truth (Edited...Once Again)

Monsters ravage Equus.

Beasts among Beasts destroy cities.

Purest of Monsters destroy, pillage, deceive, and kill by the score.

And Misunderstood flood the outer wilds, trying to survive.

A Cursebringer, marked by a pure white Skull, stands strong in the white.

Curses are brought to all.

It was afternoon in the Crystal Empire, and a certain group of ponies were not entirely happy about it.

"Where on Equus is she?!" Shining Armor roared, pacing around the throne room of the palace. "It's been hours and hours since morning, and she's not here like she said she would be!"

"Shiny, deep breaths, okay?" his wife said, placing a hoof on his withers. He grit his teeth, but eventually did so, taking deep breaths in and out.

"It is quite odd, I must agree," Luna mused, sipping some coffee as she sat on a cushion. "She seemed to have not been lying, if what Applejack told us is true, and she made several good points that we looked into earlier to find them quite true as well."

"And considering how she so quickly left the Empire's walls, it would not be out of the realm of possibility for her to have been able to make it here on time," Celestia agreed, nodding her head as she sat across from her sister.

"Then where the buck is she?!" Shining shouted.

"Shiny, please," Cadance pleaded, giving her husband a look. He grit his teeth, but eventually sighed.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"Well, maybe she had to go back to her world," Applejack proposed, sitting at a table with her friends and playing a board game.

"Hmmm... She did mention being from another Equus..." Star Swirl noted, stroking his beard as he sat with his old students.

"Then what do we do now?" Pinkie asked, looking up from the board game. "I was planning on throwing her a party!"

"Maybe we should go find Skull and confirm things for ourselves?" Twilight suggested.

"That is certainly an option," Rarity said, primping her mane.

"Except we don't know exactly where he is or where he lives, and he's pretty hard to find," Cadance pointed out, sitting on her throne with her husband.

"True..." Luna concurred, nodding her head as she set her mug down next to her.

"Wait, what if we tracked his magical signature?" Twilight proposed.

"We've tried that before, but we never got any traces of him," Shining replied, waving a hoof airily.

"What if we tracked his Void signature?" Cadance offered.

"Of course!" Star Swirl cried, stomping a hoof. "That's it! We've been looking at this all wrong!"

"Oh my gosh you're right!" Twilight said, eyes widening and a grin growing on her face. "We've been trying to find him using the same means we do with someone of our world, but he's not from our world!"

"Well, it seems we've got our solution, then," Celestia stated, taking a final sip of her tea before setting it down. "Now, it's time to plan out our approach..."

An hour later, Star Swirl and the five royals, consisting of the Sisters, Twilight, and Cadance and Shining Armor, were on a carriage, flying through the air towards a distant mountain in the Yaket Range. The tallest mountain in the world, Mount Everhoof. Star Swirl and the others had pinpointed Skull's Void signature to the very peak of the mountain, and had thus been forced to bring some winter clothing with them, lest they freeze to death from the cold of the high altitude.

The others had wanted to come along on the trip, but Celestia had persuaded them to stay. She did not want to start a fight with Skull if she could help it, and bringing the others, and more specifically, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, would have led to that in one way or another.

So it was that the group of six flew through the sky, straight towards the mountain, in the hopes of finding Skull. It was a quiet ride for a long time, all of them bearing masks of steel and determination. Finally, one of them broke the silence.

"So... This is it, huh?" said Shining Armor, gaze locked, oddly, not ahead, but on the floor of the carriage. "We're finally going to confront this guy?"

"Yeah..." Twilight agreed with a nod. "I'm honestly getting chills from the idea."

"Are you sure that isn't just the cold?" Cadance joked, trying to bring some light into the subject. They all let out short chuckles or giggles, but recovered just as quick, their moods once more dampening as thoughts swam unbidden through their minds.

"Still," Luna began, "She has a point. For all we know, he may just attack us on sight," she pointed out.

"If what Miss Angel said was any indication, it wouldn't be surprising. Especially after all we've done to him," Celestia agreed, nodding her head.

"We'll just have to hope she managed to talk some sense into him, then, I suppose," Star Swirl mused, stroking his beard. There was yet more silence as they flew through the cold skies of the Empire. The weight of what they were about to do was hitting them, and they'd no idea how to continue the conversation.

"...Honestly though, this just feels so... Surreal, trying to apologize to someone we've considered an enemy for so long," Shining Armor admitted, ending the silence. He turned to his sister. "How do you even deal with this stuff so often?"

Twilight giggled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof. "I uh... Kinda just follow my gut, truth be told..."

Shining sighed with a soft smile, shaking his head. "Well, let's just hope things go well." He turned his attention to the massive mountain in the distance which was steadily getting closer.

"Truthfully, I can't say I'm all that ready to forgive him," Star Swirl said. The faces of the others changed to frowns and furrowed brows.

"Yeah... I can understand that," Twilight agreed.

"Same here," Shining concurred.

"Well, tis not like he will not go on trial," Luna pointed out.

"Indeed. Assault is a serious crime, after all," Celestia said, nodding.

"That's a bit more relieving to know, I guess," Cadance admitted.

More silence followed as they drew closer to the mountain. It's staggering peak loomed above them, above the clouds that rained cold snow upon the tundra below. They would be making landfall soon, for the mountain was just a scarce few thousand yards away.

But their tense ride was interrupted. A giant monster that could only be described as a flying, scaly lamprey without eyes was sat on a ledge lower on the mountain, and it let out an ear piercing, shriek of a howl, forcing the ponies to cover their ears from it's sheer volume, before, to their shock, it shot a ball of electricity from it's mouth at them, which impacted the flyers and electrocuted them on the spot. The ponies in the carriage cried out in alarm and dismay as they began to plummet towards the mountain, the monster making to dive towards them and likely snatch them up.

Another loud sound pierced the air, however, followed by a massive explosion, and the ponies saw the monster flail, its wing now sporting a hole as it tumbled through the air and fell into the white.

Meanwhile, they were plummeting to their own demise. In short order they crashed into the mountainside, wood and the like splintering and in some cases piercing the pony's soft flesh, while the others were just very painfully hit with the effects of whiplash. They all cried in pain at this, but had little time to react as the mountain rumbled low, like thunder. The thunder grew louder, and when they all managed to look up, they saw naught but a wave of white rolling towards them, fast.

They tried to react, to move or do something, but they were in too much pain, and the snow overtook them, burying them in seconds under several feet of snow. Tense minutes passed, and the mountain soon regained it's imposing silence as the ponies were knocked unconscious and left under the heavy blanket of white.

All the ponies thought as they fell into the black of unconsciousness was just what happened to them.

Luna woke up with a start, sitting upright in... A sleeping bag? She looked around, finding a large log cabin around her. There was a large rug made of, to her disgust, an animal's hide, white in coloration, but to her interest there was a large rack on the far left wall, weapons the likes of which she had not ever seen before in all her years. A workbench covered in tools of all sorts lay below the racks of weapons, a singular, strange looking slow cooker on the top shelf of the workbench, bearing small, white, metallic and hollow wings.

To the right of the workbench was a large, blocky red chest, and to the far right of that was a door leading outside, with a kitchen to the right of the door, and a dining room table behind her.

She looked to her right to find a hearth with a prominent, large, saber-tooth tiger-like skull mounted above it, though there were some key differences. But what drew her attention the most was the large, bipedal figure sitting in a fur-covered wooden chair, seemingly tribal in design. It was unlike any creature she'd seen, with tan, sun-kissed skin - a strange thing for a creature living in the far north to bear - and long, scraggly black hair along with a five o'clock shadow and a black, shiny tattoo on his forehead. This was all complimented by golden eyes that stared straight at the flames of the hearth. It wore white fur clothing that, while not exactly lavish, still looked like it would be a hit with any nobles in the Crystal Empire.

She knew immediately who this creature was. Skull. She looked around herself to find the others around her in similar sleeping bags, and looking like they had been healed completely.

"Awake already?" came the deep voice of Skull. Luna's eyes widened momentarily, looking to him to find that he had not even given her the same courtesy.

"How-" she began, but he cut her off.

"I was hunting that Khezu that attacked your carriage. After it knocked you guys down and caused an avalanche, I pulled you all out of the snow and brought you here," he explained. He grabbed a wooden mug from a table on the side of the chair, and drank deeply of it. He let out a breath as he finished his gulp of the beverage. "You should all just be happy I even decided to bring you here. On normal circumstances, I'd have left you all to die in the cold." He sighed, sinking a little more into the chair. "...Guess I have Angel to thank for my change of heart."

"You...saved us?" she said slowly, evidently surprised.

"I did, but only because Angel would have my head if I hadn't," Skull said tersely. Luna was silent for a spell as she took this information in. She had originally thought that when they met he would react with outright hostility, but he hadn't. He had actually gone so far as to bring them into his own home and heal them.

"Well... I thank you for your kindness, nonetheless," she answered, giving him a small smile. He just grunted, shifting in his chair. A short quiet followed, filled only with the crackling of the fire and Luna looking around. Soon, she broke it, looking at him. "How long have we been here, might I ask?"

"Asleep, you mean?" he queried. She nodded. "About five hours."

Luna hummed in thought, only for the others to begin to stir around her.

"Ugh... What happened...?" groaned Shining Armor.

"All I remember is crashing into the mountain..." Twilight voiced, slowly sitting up and blearily opening her eyes.

"It would seem that we were found by the one we were looking for," Luna explained, and the eyes of the others widened and shot open, taking in their surroundings and finally, the man by the fire. Star Swirl's eyes narrowed at him, but he didn't speak.

"So, you are Skull, then?" Celestia asked slowly.

"I am," Skull responded, still not looking at her or the others, gaze fixed on the fire.

"I see... So that namesake of yours was not your true face?" Celestia ventured. He shook his head. "Yet you are content with the name we gave you?" Skull frowned deeply at this.

"No. Not in the slightest. But, I lost the right to my old name a while ago, so I've kept the one you guys gave me," he explained. He took a sip from his mug, still having not faced them. "I'm guessing you were all trying to find me since Angel didn't show up, right?"

"Correct. We wanted answers, and finding you was the only way to get them," Luna affirmed.

"...How'd you find me?" Skull asked after a short pause.

"Oh! We tracked your Void signature!" Twilight told him, grinning proudly. He turned to her, and she wilted a little under his gaze, realizing excitement was apparently not welcome in this environment, but he soon returned it to the fire, allowing her to relax.

"It was only a matter of time, I guess," he said with a long sigh. He didn't speak for a few minutes, and the ponies watched him just as silently as he watched the flames of his hearth dance. "...What do you want to know?" He finally asked.

"I would like to know why you attacked me and my companions," Star Swirl began, shooting the man a glare. If Skull was affected by it, he didn't make it known.

"I did it to warn you guys to back off. Simple as that," he replied simply.

"But why? You could've done anything else!" Twilight pointed out, frowning at him. Skull shot her a glare, and she wilted once more.

"I tried to. Multiple times. But after being chased out of towns or hunted for four years, I figured the only way to get it through to you guys was to meet hostility with hostility," Skull said matter-of-factly.

"So you didn't actually want to resort to it?" Cadance asked. Skull paused at this.

"...No, I didn't. I'm a man of God, and I didn't want to hurt anyone," he replied after a bit. The ponies looked at each other, seeming to have a silent conversation as Skull just stared into the flames, as if searching for something among them.

Finally, they turned back to him. "It seems we owe you an apology, Mr. Skull," Celestia began.

"We were too hasty, and labeled you a monster without even trying to understand you," Luna continued.

"For that, we are sorry," Celestia finished. Skull remained silent.

"Can you forgive us?" Cadance asked, a plea in her eyes. Skull was still silent. Finally, he sighed, turning his head to face them.

"...I can't forgive you guys, no," he began, and their hearts sunk, but he continued, "Just like you guys likely can't forgive me for hurting your friends so badly. But..." He stood up to his full height, towering over Celestia by a full foot. Furthermore, they could easily tell he was very muscular, and very well toned. "...As a man of God, I'll give you all one final chance."

The ponies sighed in relief. Celestia stepped up. "That's great to hear. But..."

"...You have still committed crimes, and must be punished appropriately," Luna finished. Skull's face formed a deeper frown, staring them all down with a hard gaze. But, slowly, it softened, or rather, weakened, and he sighed.

"Fair enough. I can agree to that, as long as the judgement is fair and unbiased," he said eventually. His glare returned, though it seemed more to dare them than anything. "I imagine I can be assured of that much?"

They all frowned as well, Star Swirl and Shining seemingly wanting to retort, but they were held back by the others.

"We will endeavor to keep it as such, yes. We won't be so callous again, I assure you," Luna promised. Skull nodded.

"Good. Now... How are you all feeling? Any aches or pains?" he asked. They all blinked, then looked to each other.

"Um, no, not really," Cadance replied. He nodded.

"Good, that means the potions did their job," He said. He walked across the room to the chest, opening it. "Can you all wait outside? I need to get changed if I'm going to be put on trial." He didn't sound happy about the prospect, but at the same time he didn't seem angry about it either. The others looked to each other once more, then slowly walked to the door.

"Right, um... We'll be waiting, I guess," Twilight said, before they all walked outside.

Skull pulled a heavier fur coat out of the chest, looking it over, though his eyes were cloudy with other thoughts. He sighed. "Lord... Why can't this be easier?"

Author's Note

EDIT: Opening theme is here!

Well, here's the continuation of the last chapter. I think it does a good job of introducing the results of its predecessor, but hey, that's just me.

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this one. Thanks for reading.

-Timeless Celestial

7 - Redemption: The Trial (Edit)

Monsters ravage Equus.

Beasts among Beasts destroy cities.

Purest of Monsters destroy, pillage, deceive, and kill by the score.

And Misunderstood flood the outer wilds, trying to survive.

A Cursebringer, marked by a pure white Skull, stands strong in the white.

Curses are brought to all.

A number of hours had passed since Skull had agreed to the pony's terms, and in that time, the royals and Star Swirl continued to shoot looks back at Skull as they traversed the streets of the Empire's capital. He was wearing heavier fur clothes than the ones he wore back in his cabin, and his gaze was locked to the crystal cobbled ground, his mouth set in a permanent frown.

The populace was in much a similar state as the group leading him. Many a murmur or glare was sent his way, and a few times children even tossed rocks at him, but he did not react in any way save a slight wince as the rocks impacted him. Twilight frowned as she watched this, turning back to her brother as they walked and whispering to him.

"Hey..." She began. Shining's ear flicked towards her. "...Doesn't this seem a bit... Off, to you?"

Shining turned his head to her. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"It's just..." she spared a glance back to Skull. "He's not reacting like I thought he would."

"Yeah... I mean, he did say he'd give us a chance, but it's still uncanny how... Well, calm he is," Cadance chimed in. Shining frowned, turning his attention back to the road.

"...I guess I can see what you two mean," he shot a look to the man trailing behind them as well. "After chasing him and seeing all the stuff he's done these four years... It's almost uncomfortable how fast things have changed."

"What do you think Miss Angel said to him to make him like this?" Twilight asked. Cadance shook her head.

"I think the better question is what she meant to him for him to turn a leaf so quick," the Princess of Love pointed out. The three of them frowned at this, and Star Swirl joined in.

"I can't say that it's not strange," he began slowly. "But at the same time, it's still very hard to forgive him." Twilight looked back to Skull again.

"Yeah... With everything that happened with Discord... I won't lie, I'm still angry. Hay, everypony is I bet," she said. Her view went to the ground beneath her hooves. "But... Miss Angel made a good point, too. Skull was probably really scared at the time."

The others went silent at this, all the while the two sister's faces hardened. A storm was brewing in each of their heads as well. After all, they'd never had a foe so seemingly foul as him, but after everything that had happened the past few days... Well, to put it simply, while they had agreed they were wrong, it was still a fact they were coming to terms with.

And they're surprise grew when Skull spoke up. "Hey, can I ask where your three friends are?" They all stopped at this, turning to face him. Star Swirl narrowed his eyes at him.

"Why do you want to know?" he asked, tone dangerous.

"I have more healing potions with me. I can patch them up," he said simply. Their eyes widened at this.

"You... You would heal them?" Star Swirl asked, shocked. Skull nodded.

"Yeah. I want to make up for my mistake as much as I can," he replied.

"Then...You've forgiven us?" Luna ventured. Skull scoffed.

"No. Not a chance in hell," they all flinched at the venom in his tone, but it dampened. "I'm just fixing my mistakes. Don't go getting big heads and thinking that this is an act of forgiveness. I'm doing this for my mental well-being, not yours." They all frowned, looking to each other. Slowly, they turned back to face him.

"...Very well. We'll take a detour to the Royal Hospital, but be warned, try anything and you will be sorry," Celestia conceded. Skull glared at her.

"I don't go back on my word," he rumbled.

"I'll hold you to that," she said simply as they continued on their way. Skull growled a bit, but slowly calmed as they walked. In a short time, they made it to the gates of the castle, and walked in after the guards opened the doors. They walked a long while, until they came to a set of doors with a large red cross sign above it. They walked inside, and down the halls. Ponies of all sorts bowed to the royals as they passed by, but even more gasped at the sight of Skull. He paid them no mind as they reached the room with the injured Pillars. A Doctor was just walking out of the room when they arrived.

"Oh! Princesses, and Mister Star Swirl, here to-," he stopped as he saw Skull towering above him, and gaped. Shining quickly stepped in before the stallion could overreact.

"Don't worry, we've got him under control," Shining promised. Skull rolled his eyes at this, but Shining continued. "We brought him here so he could fulfill part of his, uh...deal, with us."

The doctor looked to his leader, then Skull, gulped, and slowly nodded. "I-If you say so. Just call me if you need me," he said, before scampering off. Skull grunted and pushed past the ponies and into the room.

"Hey!" Shining cried.

"Save it," he retorted, before looking to the three ponies on the beds. He looked them over for a moment as the others walked in, before walking over to the one-winged mare covered in bandages. He looked the stump of her wing over and winced. "This... This is gonna be loud, and very painful for her."

"What do you mean?" Cadance asked him as the group walked over. Skull said nothing as he pulled out an orange flask with strange liquid in it.

"Just... Hold her down. This won't be easy for her, but it'll heal her," he said, before gently removing the bandages around the mare's mouth, and pouring the liquid down her throat. She coughed a few times, but he made sure she swallowed it. Not long after, she began to scream bloody murder as she thrashed about, the stump of her bandaged wing stretching slowly. "Hold her down!" Skull ordered. The others quickly did so.

"What the buck did you do-?!" Star Swirl began, but Skull shut him up.

"Shut up and hold her down! This'll only take a second!" he cried, holding her down as well. She screamed her head off as her flesh, bone, feathers and all started to peek out of the bandages. This went on for a solid ten seconds, which seemed like an eternity to Somnambula, but soon, the effects of the potion sped up drastically, and in no time at all her lost wing was fully regrown. Sadly the pain had proven too much, and she had gone unconscious. The ponies present stared at the regrown wing in shock.

"What... What was in that potion?!" Twilight cried.

"I've never heard of a potion able to regrow limbs, much less so quickly..." Star Swirl muttered in awe.

"I would have to agree, this is most...surprising," Luna concurred.

"That's putting it mildly," Cadance added.

"I'll say," Shining agreed.

"It's called an Ancient Potion. It restores all health, from wounds small and insignificant to...well, this level," Skull explained, shrugging.

"That's...extraordinary," Star Swirl breathed. Skull shrugged again.

"It's a common thing for me, really, especially with my line of work," Skull said nonchalantly.

"If this is common for you, I shudder to think of what you've been facing all this time," Luna said, shivering.

"No different than what you made me face," Skull shot back coldly and simply. The ponies frowned at this. He placed two green flasks down on a nightstand by Somnambula. "Have the doctors give these to the other two. Should help with any wounds they have."

"One is likely all that we'll need, since Flash Magnus' illness is more of the...mental, type," Celestia informed. Skull frowned, then sighed.

"I'll make it up to him later, then. Let's just get on with this," he said, seeming tired now. The ponies slowly nodded, and after telling the doctor what happened and allowing him to check on Somnambula, they left. They walked down a long set of stairs, and into what Skull immediately recognized as a dungeon. He sighed, knowing why he was here.

"You'll be staying in here until we get everything ready. It'll likely take a few days," Celestia explained, though it was more like she was stating a fact. Skull stared at her for a moment, then sighed.

"Fair enough, I guess," he said, stepping into one of the cells as Shining Armor opened it for him. The stallion quickly locked it after Skull stepped in.

"The guards will be informed of things, but again, it will take a few days, so get comfy," Shining stated. Skull shot him a look, then sighed once more.

"Fine. Whatever," he replied.

"Right, well, goodbye," Shining said in farewell, turning around.

With that, they left, leaving Skull alone with his thoughts. He sighed, sitting down on his cot and looking at his feet. "..." He looked to the ceiling, falling back in his cot. "Welcome to the Empire, I guess..."

The days for Skull came and went slowly. The guards that had been stationed around him were silent, but he knew what they were thinking. It was plainly clear with their thinly veiled glares. Still, their silence only served to help him reflect on things.

He was mostly thinking of his time with Angel, alternating between frowns and smiles as he did. He did enjoy his time with Angel, quite a lot, in fact, as she was the only human he'd seen in years, and the only friend he'd had in years. But on the other hand, there was something else about her, something that just... Drew him, to her. He didn't fully understand it, but he got a warmth in his chest whenever he saw her. She was easy to talk to, as well, but...

"...Can I really expect it to last?" he wondered aloud as he laid back on his cot, staring at the ceiling. "Grandpa always said the world was against me, and I never questioned it before. Not until now...." He sighed, closing his eyes. "...What do I do?" He asked himself quietly.

Suddenly, the cell door opened, one of the guards interrupting his thoughts. "On your feet. It's time." He said. Skull looked to him, then sighed deeply and got off his cot, walking towards the guard stallion. "Follow me, and don't try anything." Skull just grunted at this, but did as told nonetheless as they walked up the stairs and towards the room where Skull's trial would take place.

It didn't rake long for them to reach the doors of the room, and two guards opened them to reveal a room with ponies of all kinds sitting in boxes above him, and in the front of him were the Elements, the few Pillars who weren't injured, and the Royals, all sitting in a VIP box. The guard brought him to a desk, and instructed him to sit down. He did so, and the guard bowed to those in the VIP box and then went to the side of the room, taking up a post. The ponies were muttering and whispering to each other as they looked at Skull.

A gavel sounded out, silencing them. Celestia spoke up. "We are gathered here today to judge the one who has haunted our lands for four long years, and committed many atrocious crimes. We are here to put Skull on trial." More murmurs rang out, but they were silenced by another slamming of the gavel. "First, let us begin with the list of crimes he has committed. Silent Shade, if you would." The guard who had escorted him here, now known as Silent Shade, nodded, producing a scroll with a poof of magic.

"Numerous counts of animal cruelty, one count of murder, unlawful use of dark magic, and multiple accounts of assault," the stallion rattled off. Angry mutterings and hushed whispers resounded throughout the chamber, growing louder into murmurs and more, before the gavel sounded out again.

"Order," Celestia demanded. The crowd quickly calmed down. "Thank you. Now," she looked to Skull. "Recent evidence has been brought to us on these crimes, and most of them can be explained." Celestia nodded to Twilight, who stepped up and nervously cleared her throat.

"First, the unlawful use of dark magic. From what we have gathered from just being around him, he does not radiate an aura of hate or show any of the common signs or influences of dark magic," Twilight stated. Angry ponies cried out at this.

"Then where'd those monsters come from, huh?!" cried a Crystal Pony mare.

"Yeah!" a stallion agreed.

The gavel once more rang throughout the room. "Order!" Celestia cried. The ponies quieted once more. "Continue, Princess Twilight." Twilight nodded, and turned back to those assembled.

"Second, the charges of assault. Based on the reports we gathered over the years of guards encountering Skull, he only ever attacked when he was attacked first, and only ever attacked to incapacitate," Twilight began, before looking down to Skull. "The only account of him doing otherwise was a few days ago with the Pillars of Equestria."

"And what about the other charges? What about how he killed Discord?!" demanded a pegasus.

"Or the animal cruelty?!" another pony added.

Luna raised a hoof to silence them. They slowly went quiet once more. "While there is little concrete evidence to excuse him from these crimes, I believe his words might enlighten us all as to his reasons, at the very least." She looked down at Skull. "If you would."

Skull took a deep breath, before sighing and speaking. "First, I didn't murder Discord. I killed him in self-defense. I was..." He didn't get to finish as a pony tossed a pencil at him.

"Liar! Murderer!" she roared. Celestia slammed the gavel down harshly when others joined the complaints.

"SILENCE!" she yelled. The ponies went quiet. "Let him speak his piece before you jump to conclusions. This is a court room, not a house of blame." She said, scanning the crowd before looking back to Skull.

"...As I was saying, I was..." he paused, not sure how to say it, before sighing and slumping a bit. "...I was scared, and reacted badly."

"Badly? BADLY?!" Fluttershy began, stomping up to the edge of the VIP box. "You cut my Dissy's head off! You call that reacting badly?!"

"Flutters, calm down!" Applejack said, pulling Fluttershy's tail to bring her back. Fluttershy growled.

"I don't care what you say, I won't forgive you!" she roared, eyes brimming with tears. Skull said nothing, only returning her angry look with a sad one. Celestia cleared her throat and pounded the gavel once more as ponies were getting riled up again.

"Applejack, please take Fluttershy out for a moment to calm her down," she instructed. Applejack nodded and did just that, Fluttershy shooting a glare back at Skull as she left with her friend. Celestia turned back to Skull again.

"Continue, please," she instructed. He slowly nodded.

"As for the animal cruelty..." He sighed. "It's... Well, it's for survival. If I don't kill them, they'll get too close to my home and wreck it without a thought. And carving them and taking their parts is what keeps me alive, both because I need to eat meat to survive, and because without their materials, I wouldn't be able to use them to make what I need to live or even just make it out of a fight with one of them." The ponies seemed to be a bit averse to this.

"How the buck is using their materials gonna help you stay alive?!" a stallion from the juror stands called. Others voiced similar retorts. Shining Armor took the gavel this time, pounding it a number of times in quick succession, making everypony quiet down.

"We have confirmed many times that the monsters we've faced have hides and pieces that are just too strong for any regular weapon to pierce, and the monsters themselves are strong enough to crush any armor we make like tin cans," Shining Armor began. The assembled ponies in the stands were shocked at this. "Judging by this, it makes sense that using their materials is the only real way to make things that will stop them."

"Exactly. Monster materials are of such a higher quality than what you all use that it's just amazing you've survived this long at all," Skull added.

"He's right. These monsters aren't like the ones we know. They're terrifyingly strong," Cadance concurred. The ponies in the stands began to talk amongst themselves, obviously shaken by this news.

"Which brings us back to the sentence," Star Swirl continued. "We will certainly be giving Skull a sentence of some sort, but we must remember, he is the only one with knowledge of the beasts that plague our world."

The murmurs grew louder at this. Celestia spoke up once more. "Now, with that said, we will be giving the jury an hour's time to come up with a sentence for Skull. Everypony will leave for recess and reconvene once time is up. That is all. Dismissed."

The ponies quickly dispersed from the room, and Skull was taken back to his cell.

An hour later, they were all back in the courtroom, and everyone sat down. Celestia banged the gavel once to get the attention of all present. "Court is now back in session." She turned to the jury. "Has the jury reached a verdict?"

A stallion stood up, holding a piece of paper in his magic. "Yes, Your Highness. The jury has found Skull..." there was a pause as he seemed to formulate his words. "...Guilty of assault. He will be sentenced to a week of incarceration, and then serve as an authority on all things monster related, directly under the crown, for a total of a year. Any knowledge or coin he makes shall go straight to the Royal coffers." There was silence for a time as this news sunk in, and eventually the ponies turned to their leaders.

"So be it," Celestia said, pounding the gavel. "Court is now adjourned."

Shining spoke up. "Guards, bring him to his cell to serve his sentence." The guards in the room nodded and saluted, then did as told, leading Skull out of the room.

Skull was silent for a long time that night, staring up at the moon from his window in his cell. He stared at it for what seemed an hour or more, his eyes full of sad curiosity.

Alas, the moon held no answers for him.

Author's Note

EDIT: Opening theme is here!

Well, not too sure about this one, but I'll post it anyway. If any of it seems illogical to you guys, please point it out so I can amend the mistakes.

8 - Redemption: Redemption (Edit)

Monsters ravage Equus.

Beasts among Beasts destroy cities.

Purest of Monsters destroy, pillage, deceive, and kill by the score.

And Misunderstood flood the outer wilds, trying to survive.

A Cursebringer, marked by a pure white Skull, stands strong in the white.

Curses are brought to all.

The first few days of Skull's incarceration were slow and mind-numbing. Normally he would just sit on his cot and think, or sleep, but a few times he would play tic-tac-toe with himself using some chalk the guards graciously yet begrudgingly gave him. When he thought, however, he thought of what he would do once he got out. That, or his new friend.

Currently, it was his sixth day in prison, and he had gone beyond the point of boredom-induced mania the previous day. Now, he was just sitting in his cot, staring at the crystal ceiling with a faraway look on his face and contemplation in his eyes. This was not uncommon for him, but the subject of his thoughts was.

'Angel... Can I really trust her? Grandpa always told me to trust only family and myself, and she's neither of those. But...' He frowned, turning onto his side, facing the wall. 'She hasn't stabbed me in the back yet or anything like all the others. Hell, she's been nice to me. And she's just so...' He sighed, sitting up and crossing his arms. 'Ugh... I don't know what to do.'

Then, a memory shot through his mind.

"Son, if you're gonna listen to me, then you better listen now," said an old, grizzled man with tanned skin and graying hair coupled with a light goatee and mustache. He took a long swig of alcohol from a hip flask, then continued afterwards with, "I know I've always said to only trust yourself and your family, but I neglected to mention a part to that."

"What was that, Grandfather?" asked a slightly younger Skull, likely in his early twenties. His grandfather smiled at him, the same cocky, proud smile he always wore.

"You ever find a woman that just draws you in, then don't be afraid to give her a shot too," he said sagely, winking at him. "You're old enough now to understand why." He raised his flask, his golden eyes gleaming in the dim light of the room. "Now, enough of this mushy talk, let's drink!"

Skull sat in his cot for a straight five minutes as he came to that realization. But... All that training, all that time spent telling me to never trust anyone but myself... He sighed, rolling over in his cot. Silence reigned for what felt like hours, before eventually he sat up in his cot, sweeping his legs over the side of it. He looked to the barred window and the sky outside it.

"...Can I really trust her?" He asked himself in a soft, uncertain voice. He sighed, gaze dropping to the dull crystal floor below him. "...All the other girls I dated dumped me pretty quickly, and I gave up a while ago, but..." Thoughts ran through his head as fast as a whirling tornado through a countryside. He scratched his head furiously. "Uuugh...!" A guard banged on the cell door with his spear.

"Keep it down!" he yelled. Skull glared after the stallion, who went back to patrolling the dungeon, then returned his gaze to the floor. He sighed deeply once more. "...I guess I'll give her a chance." He looked back to the window. "Not like there's anyone else I can trust in this world anyways, right? Might as well trust someone I know somewhat well," He reasoned.

Eventually, he laid back down on his cot and tried to let sleep take him. It didn't come easy, but it still came, and he was grateful for it. His dreams came easier than the sleep itself did, and the dreams were filled with uncertain situations. Slowly, however, they shifted to happier dreams, with a certain silver-haired school girl in them.

Meanwhile, a particular blue alicorn smiled while her horn glowed in the dim light of her room.

Shortly after Skull's last day in incarceration, he went to the Princesses to ask if he could build an organization made specifically for fighting the rising Monster threats. They allowed it, and after multiple late nights of doing paperwork and sleeping in a city filled with a race he held no love for, he had gotten everything he needed to create his very own Hunter's Guild.

Today, he was heading to the base of Mt. Canter to oversee the construction of the main Guild Hall and HQ for the Hunter's Guild. This would not be the last of them to be built, however. Many more were to be built in other areas, to build a network that would help with the large amount of cases of Monsters flowing in each day. More might be built beyond Equestria, but Skull was told by the Princesses that that was something they would work on later.

Currently, Skull had made it to the build site, having arrived per his usual way; via Chimera Wing. He was dressed in his usual armor, as he wanted to show he still held authority, as well to intimidate some of the ponies for fun. Skull walked over to the general contractor, who was looking at the blueprints by a table, rubbing her chin with a hoof.

"How goes it, Trowel?" he asked from behind her. She grunted and looked up at him, her hard hat covering and holding most of her orange mane.

"Well, if you're askin' 'bout how much longer it'll take, which I know y' are, we've got at least another couple o' weeks ahead o' us before we finish, maybe a little more," she answered gruffly. Skull crossed his arms and looked to the building, or rather the frame of it.

He grunted. "What's the status on the bar and front desk, then?" Trowel rolled her eyes, but pointed to the singular desk on the floor of the frame, just behind the steps leading up to it. Skull grinned under his mask. "Good." He turned to leave. "Well, you keep up the good work. I got another Monster to wrangle and capture for the eggheads to study." Trowel simply grunted again and returned to her work. Skull spared a glance at the building one last time. "...Well, at least I'll have help soon."

I was wrong. So wrong. I'm gonna be stuck with doing jobs and hunts alone forever! Skull bemoaned in his head. Currently, he was standing on a platform as he watched a good number of ponies, from stallions to mares, sparring with each other. They were...less than subpar. Skull sighed as he watched another duo of stallions simply slapping each other with their hooves. Skull's palm met his face quickly at the sight. "For the Lord's sake..." He groaned. "...fucking prissy noble brats..." He removed his hand from his face, then glared at the two stallions, raising his voice. "You two! Stop slapping each other like fucking pansies and throw some damn punches!"

The stallions turned to face Skull, the other ponies stopping their 'fights' to watch the exchange. "B-But it might hurt him!" one argued.

Skull growled. "Do you want me to come over there and show you something that might hurt him?" The stallions paled.

"N-N-No sir!" they cried in unison.

"Then fight like ya fucking mean it!" Skull ordered. The two nodded rapidly. Skull noticed the others that were just standing and watching. "What are you all looking at? You better get your sorry asses back to fighting, or I'll revoke your breaks, revoke your rights to the drinks in the tavern, and make you all run twenty laps around the fucking mountain!"

The ponies swiftly obeyed and went back to 'sparring.' Skull sighed deeply, palm meeting his face for a second time. "I'm getting too old for this bullshit..."

Author's Note

EDIT: Opening is here!

Welp, here's the long awaited and final chapter to the Redemption Arc. Next up is the Intermission, and beyond that, the Red Hunt Arc!

Thanks for reading!

-Timeless Celestial

9 - Intermission: A Dance for Two (Edited...Once Again)

Monsters ravage Equus.

Beasts among Beasts destroy cities.

Purest of Monsters destroy, pillage, deceive, and kill by the score.

And Misunderstood flood the outer wilds, trying to survive.

A Cursebringer, marked by a pure white Skull, stands strong in the white.

Curses are brought to all.

Skull grunted as he opened his eyes, the sight of his ceiling greeting him in the dim light of the candle he had left at his bedside table. He slowly sat up, removing his covers before climbing out of his bed. He walked over to his hearth and set about relighting it with a flint and steel.

After opening the damper, placing a few new logs inside and lighting the fire, he stood up and walked over to his kitchen to make himself some breakfast. Roughly thirty minutes later he was sitting in his chair by the hearth, eating a hearty meal of Wyvern Thigh and a mug of Goldenfish Brew on a table next to him.

He finished his meal in little time, and sunk a bit into his chair as he stared at the flames of his hearth. He continued to stare, the light of longing in his golden eyes. He glanced to the clock on his wall and sighed.

“I have only thirty minutes to get ready and get to the Hall…” He muttered to himself. He sunk more into his chair. “...I need a break…” He groaned. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a familiar feather. He clutched it in his hand. “...If only you were here right now…”

A flash of light blinded him for a moment before fading to reveal a familiar silver-haired schoolgirl, accompanied by two confused looking unicorns. “Ask,” Angel smiled at the dumbfounded Skull, “and you shall receive.”

Skull stared at her for a long moment in shock, before smiling widely and standing up. “It’s really you, huh?” He walked over and wrapped her in a tight hug. “I missed you.”

Angel returned the embrace, sighing happily. “Oh yeah,” she muttered. “This is a good start to my vacation.” She stepped back, looking Skull up and down. “How’ve you been, big guy? Been almost half a decade since I last saw you.”

Skull blinked a few times. “Half a decade?” He slowly made an ‘o’ with his mouth in realization. “Oh, right, different worlds, different flows of time.” He smiled. “Well, it’s been about a month for me.” He walked over to the kitchen, setting about making some food. “Want some food? I got a bit left over, and a bit of time before I have to head to the Hall.”

Angel shrugged, sitting down at the table. “Sure, why not? Been a while since I had any good meat, and my opportunities are sure to be scarce in the near future.”

“Tell me about it.” One of the unicorns, a yellow-coated mare with a two-tone red and yellow mane and tail, sat down next to Angel. “I mean, I get the Equestrian taboo, but I’ve really missed the taste of steak since I returned.” She nodded towards Skull. “Nice to meet you, by the way. I’m Sunset Shimmer. Angel’s told me a lot about you.”

Skull turned his head to her. “A pony friend, huh?” He smiled, though Angel could tell it was forced. “Good to meet you. Go ahead and sit down, I’ll get you another plate.”

The other, purple-coated unicorn trotted nervously up to the table. Her purple and teal mane bounced around as she threw nervous glances between Angel, Sunset, and Skull. “Wait, you eat meat, Sunset?!”

Sunset folded her hooves and scowled at the table. “Not since I returned to Equestria,” she muttered. “If there’s two things I miss about Canterlot High, it’s thumbs, and meat.” She shook her head and gave the other unicorn a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Starlight; I’m sure that he doesn’t eat anything that used to be able to talk.”

“She’s right, I don’t. Humans don’t typically like to eat things that talk. Only exception is cannibals,” Skull informed, flipping some bacon over on a skillet.

“I’m surprised you’re so concerned about this,” Angel mused. “You know that gryphons and diamond dogs eat meat, right?”

“Well, yes,” Starlight said. “And I have no problem with you or… Skull doing it either. It’s just, well,” she faced Sunset again, “are ponies even able to eat meat?”

Sunset closed her eyes and breathed deeply, enjoying the scent of the bacon. “By Celestia, I hope so.”

“So what’ve you been up to?” Angel asked, staring nostalgically around the cabin. “Have things changed between you and Equestria in the last month?”

Skull paused in his cooking for a moment, before continuing, placing some seasoning on a juicy looking thigh of sorts. “...Well, I’m essentially doing slave work, so there’s that.”

“Explain.” Sunset and Starlight flinched, leaning nervously away from Angel. Her eyes had hardened and she sat upright in her seat, staring intently at Skull. Skull sighed as he walked over to her with a plate of bacon and the seasoned thigh of an animal she’d not seen before.

“The big hats came to the cabin a month ago, just a bit after you left. I agreed to be put on trial, and the jury’s verdict was for me to serve as an,” he placed her plate down in front of her, then made air quotes with his fingers. “‘Authority’ on all things monster related. I don’t get paid, and I don’t get credit. All of the money I would make goes to the crown, along with the credit and knowledge.”

“I see.” Angel was silent for a moment as she contemplated this information. Starlight opened her mouth to speak, but a nervous warning glance from Sunset inspired her to remain silent. “I will be speaking with them about that,” Angel eventually said.

Skull sighed as he went back over to the kitchen counter and grabbed a plate of diced meat with what looked like a bit of sage sprinkled on it, and a barbecued rib on the side. He walked towards Sunset and placed it down in front of her.

“You’re welcome to try,” he said simply. He looked to the clock and sighed again. “I gotta go in a bit.” He looked to them. “You guys wanna come see the Hall with me?”

Sunset tilted her head curiously. “The Hall? What’s that?”

Starlight glared at her. “How come you get to speak?”

“Because I’m your senpai, that’s why.”

“My what?”

Angel cleared her throat, relaxing once again. “So, the Hall?”

“Oh, right, you don’t know,” Skull walked over to his nightstand and opened the drawer, pulling out a small metal medallion with a strange symbol on it. “I’m now the head of my own Guild, made to harmonize with Monster Hunter monsters, kill Dragon Quest monsters, and save Rune Factory monsters.” He tossed her the medallion. “Essentially, I kill all monsters unless I don’t have to.”

“Huh.” Angel examined the medallion for a moment before placing it on the table. “Sounds cool. What’re you heading there for? Some sort of strategy meeting? Difficult monster you’re dealing with?”

Skull shook his head. “More like training new Hunters. Only ones ready to hunt right now are me, myself, and I. I can’t do anything until I get the recruits in shape.” He sighed a bit. “Would honestly be easier if Krak Pot could make more than just armor and weapons for bipeds.” He then seemed to gain an idea. “Oh, hey, wait a minute, you scanned one of my weapons, right?”

Angel grinned and nodded. “That’s right. I’ve got to tell you, it took me three years to fully understand what I was looking at, and another year to adapt it for myself. But once that was done?” Angel chuckled darkly, her grin turning savage. “Did you know that no-one in my Equestria had ever decapitated a dragon before? My new blades slice through scales, hide, and bone like they’re made of tissue paper.”

Skull gained his own grin. “Great! Maybe I can take you to the Guild Smithy then, have you tell her what you know of the weapons and their composition and stuff. It’d help a lot.”

“Gladly. In the meantime,” Angel’s grin shifted over to Sunset. “You mentioned that your recruits still need training? Toughening up?”

If Angel’s grin was savage, Sunset’s was positively feral. Starlight squeaked and shrank down in her seat as Sunset turned her gaze to Skull. “Oh yes,” she purred. “Please, by all means, let me at those soft, green recruits. I’ll have them fighting ogres and dragons with their bare hooves in a month. Half a month if they’re quick healers.”

Skull chuckled darkly. “I look forward to seeing those stuck up noble’s kids be pushed to the limit,” he said, before gesturing to their untouched plates of food. “Anyway, go ahead and eat. I need to go out back to the brewery and check on it for a bit.” With that, Skull walked out of the cabin.

Angel and Sunset nodded, digging into their food as Skull left. Starlight stared nervously between them. “I, um, I think it might have been better if I’d stayed back in Ponyville.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Star,” Angel said between mouthfuls. “There’s no telling how much time will pass back in our Equestria before we return.” She swallowed her most recent bite and gave Starlight a stern glare. “I’m not risking you getting behind in your studies.”

Starlight sighed, rolling her eyes. “I still think you and Sunset are being paranoid. I mean, sure the spells you’re teaching me are technically dark magic, but they aren’t that dangerous.”

“You’re right,” Sunset said, reluctantly coming up for air. “They aren’t. But the stuff we’ll be teaching you later on is. I’m not risking you learning magic that dark and powerful until I’m sure you’ve mastered discipline.” That said, she dove back into her food, moaning in pleasure as she dug into her meat.

“Sunny’s right,” Angel said. “From what I hear, most warlocks went bad because the stuff they were getting into was just too much too quickly. Pacing yourself will allow you to become as proficient in all magic as Starswirl or Luna. Rush it, and Sunset and I will be forced to kill you.”

Starlight sighed, resting her head on the table as Angel and Sunset continued eating. “I don’t know what’s worse,” she muttered, “the matter of fact way you just said that, or that I’ve heard it enough to not even bat an eye.”

Skull came back in soon after, carrying a bottle of goldish-red liquid. “Well, looks like I might finally get some income this month,” he said quietly to himself, before placing it in his icebox. He looked to the others. “You all about done?”

Angel and Sunset let out simultaneous belches, shaking some dust from the rafters.

“That’s a ‘yes,’” Starlight said, rolling her eyes. “So, how far is this Hall?”

“Too far to walk or fly, considering where we are right now,” Skull replied, walking towards the door. “So, we’re going the way I always go. The magical way.”

“Oh. Got it.” Sunset and Starlight both lit their horns, the former asking, “So, what are the coordinates? Distance and direction would work too.”

Skull laughed. “Not what I meant, girls.” He pulled a familiar, gilded wing out of his satchel.

“Ugh.” Angel shuddered, massaging her stomach. “You sure that’s a good idea, considering how much we just ate? I don’t think it’ll taste as good coming back up.”

Skull shrugged. “It’s either that, or you ride on my back while I’m in wolf form for about five days.”

“Not that riding him isn’t an appealing prospect,” Angel whispered aside, causing the mares to giggle. “Sunset? Starlight? Hold onto your stomachs. This is going to be a bumpy ride.”

Skull tilted his head at the mares giggling, before shrugging. “Well, come on then.” He said, opening the front door, letting a cold, icy wind blow through the cabin.

Angel shivered. “I’d forgotten just how cold it is here.” A brief orange glow surrounded her and she sighed contentedly. “Okay, that’s better. Going to need to adjust the auto-apply function a bit to make it work more quickly.”

“G-g-g-good f-f-for y-y-you.” Starlight’s teeth chattered. “N-n-n-now w-w-would y-y-ou m-mind sh-sh-sharing the h-h-heat?”

Sunset rolled her eyes, her horn already glowing. Her teal aura covered herself and Starlight, bringing the purple mare’s chattering teeth to a stop. “Seriously? Your village was on the northern end of Equestria, right? How did you survive the winters if you hate cold this much?”

“By staying inside like a sane pony.”

“...the sane cult lea-”

“I KNOW WHAT I SAID!!!”

Skull chuckled. “Well, come on ladies. The Guild Hall awaits.”

In a blur of blue light, Skull, Angel, and Sunset and Starlight slammed down in front of a massive building at the base of Mt. Canter, the city of Canterlot just above the building.

“Ugh,” Sunset muttered, clutching her stomach as she let her warming spell fade. “Thanks for the warning, Angel.”

Angel shuddered. “No problem. Feels a little better than last time at least.”

“Pft, what are you girls complaining about?” Starlight asked. “That wasn’t so bad.”

Sunset glared at her. “Remind me how you learned to teleport?”

“Trial and error. Why?”

“Ugh.”

Skull chuckled again, then gestured to the building that lay before them. “Well ladies, welcome to the Hunter’s Guild HQ.” He said.

The building itself was similar in design to the town hall of Ponyville, only with a touch of Norse architectural design, complete with runes carved into the red, wooden support beams. White stucco stretched between the beams, and small, stained glass windows were spread sparsely throughout the three story building. The roof was made of pale red clay tile, adding a touch of Spanish to the overall look. A sign hung above the front doors, with the same symbol as the medallion Skull had showed Angel on it.

“What do you girls think?” Skull asked.

Angel let out a low whistle. “Fancy schmancy. I mean, it’s not as imposing as the Quarters of Hercules in Minos or as opulent as the Imperial Palace of the Gryphon Empire or as striking as the Castle of Friendship, but it beats the Tartarus out of anything I stayed in in Zebrica, so you know. One for four ain’t bad.”

“What about the intricate Changeling Hive and the majestic Canterlot Castle?” Sunset asked.

“...One for six.”

Skull shrugged. “I’ll take what I can get. Honestly, it’s just good to hear something good about it. Most nobles find it… Well, in their words, an eyesore.” Skull started to walk up the steps to the doors. “Come on, follow me.”

“Don’t feel bad,” Sunset remarked as they followed him. “The nobles find everything insulting to their sensibilities.” She smirked. “Makes it easy to mess with them.”

“True, and I do love messing with them,” Skull agreed as he opened the massive wooden doors with ease. “I have to be real discreet about it though. Already got fifty complaints from multiple houses about abusing their sons or daughters. Baseless claims of course.”

Angel and Sunset exchanged conniving glances. “Even more so once I’m through with them,” Sunset said. “Whatever routine you’re putting them through, those prissy noble's will see it as a meditation retreat by the time I’m done with them.”

Skull chuckled. “Sounds good to me,” he said as he lead them to a desk with a pegasus mare at it, wearing a uniform of sorts that Angel recognized as that of some kind of clerk in a hotel. All around the desk were tables, like a restaurant, or a bar, and a few ponies in basic golden armor were in some of the seats, drinking cider and chatting loudly and laughing raucously. “Maribelle, can you tell the recruits to wait for me at the Yard? I’m going to show some friends around.”

The mare blinked as she looked up to him, then nervously smiled and nodded. “Y-Yes sir, right away,” she said, before getting out of her own seat behind the desk and doing as told. Skull then walked towards a hallway and motioned for the others to follow him.

“This way,” he called over the din of the ponies talking.

“She seemed a little nervous,” Starlight mentioned as they followed him.

“That’s a pretty good summary of a lot of the ponies who work for me here,” Skull began as he kept walking, passing many stained glass windows depicting various creatures none of them had seen before. “Which would be because of my reputation.”

“Makes sense,” Angel said, shrugging and glancing down at Starlight. “You should see how the minotaurs look at me when I walk down the streets in Minos.” She hesitated. “And the Gryphons in the Empire. And the Ponies…”

Skull frowned, slowing down to walk beside her and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “Well, I’d never treat you like a freak.”

“Yeah, being the only human isn’t easy. Though, it might be the violent massacres of armies, rather than the human thing.” She nevertheless leaned into his side as they walked.

“Well, not like I don’t know the feeling either way,” He said, squeezing her shoulder affectionately. “And either way, I’m here for you if you need it.”

“Aaaaaw.”

Angel stiffened, her eyes darting to the side where Sunset and Starlight were staring at her and Skull, smiling genuinely. “Sorry, sorry,” Starlight said, waving away at Angel. “We’ll be quiet.”

“Just forget we’re even here,” added Sunset, her horn glowing and periodically pulsing with the familiar strobe of a photography spell.

Skull blushed as he realised what situation he’d put them both in, and almost removed his arm. Then, a strange fire burned in his eyes briefly, and he instead pulled Angel a little tighter to himself.

Angel blushed, but she didn’t pull away. “If you show those to my troops,” she muttered out the side of her mouth, “I will make sure they never find your body.”

Sunset allowed herself a small smirk. “Including or excluding other CO’s?”

Angel sighed.

Skull spoke up, that fire still in his eyes. “Well, I wouldn’t mind a copy. Angel does have a certain beauty to her when she blushes.”

*SHING*

Skull’s eyes drifted down to the blade pressed against his chest. “You want pics? You risk your own neck. Sunny’s earned the right to risk my ire.”

Skull blinked a few times, then slowly retracted his arm. “Right. Sorry,” he said, then sped up his pace, walking past her. He was quiet after that as he led them through the halls.

Angel smirked, retracting her blade. Her eyes went back to the mares, and she was surprised to find them giving her dirty looks. “What?”

Sunset just groaned and rolled her eyes while Starlight deadpanned. “Really? You had to ruin that moment?”

Angel sniffed and looked away, the better to hide her blush. “W-well, sorry to ruin your entertainment.”

Skull cleared his throat as he stopped at a set of doors. “We’re here.” He said, gesturing to the doors. “Angel, why don’t you head in and talk to the smithy? I need to go get the recruits ready.” With that, he walked past them all without another word.

Angel watched him until he turned a corner. She smiled lightly and turned to the doors, grabbing the handles and throwing them open.

Hot air blew past the group, for inside the room was a large forge, filled with ponies of all shapes and sizes working bellows. They were also shaping and hammering weapons and armor, and right in the middle of them all was a very large mare with an eyepatch and silver fur, along with a crew cut black mane and short cut tail of the same color. Her Cutie Mark was that of a flaming hammer meeting an anvil. She turned her one good, red eye to the group and grunted, pushing her way past the other smiths and stomping towards the girls.

“What are you all doing in here?” she noticed Angel. “You a member of that- I mean, the boss’s family or something?” she asked, voice deep and holding a heavy German accent.

“No,” Angel said, donning the mask of the General, Sunset straightening to attention beside her. “I am of his kind, though not of his blood. I am the Undying Angel, High General of the Grand Alliance of Sapience. I have been brought here by Skull to advise you on the workings of monstrous materials.”

The mare quirked a brow. “And how you plan on doing that? We haven’t killed any monsters yet, and the stuff the boss has stumps us enough anyways without materials from other monsters getting in the mix.”

Angel raised her hand, her first two fingers extended. “With this.” She drew her fingers through the air, opening up a portal. She reached in and pulled out her laptop. “In here,” she said, closing the portal, “is a detailed analysis of the exact composition of some of the monstrous materials. I have been able to adapt that information to my systems, and can teach you how to use it as well.”

The mare’s eye widened at this, but quickly settled back into it's original position. “Well, show me what you got, then. I’m willing to listen to anypony at this point.”

Angel nodded, opening her laptop and quickly navigating to the relevant information. “Working with this material is difficult without tools made from similar materials, but there are certain specific magical signatures that can manipulate whatever raw materials you have into the tools you will need.” She turned the laptop around to reveal a complex magical formula. “Now, who do you know that can cast something like this?

Skull soon came back to the smithy to find the head smith talking amicably with Angel, which made him quite surprised.

“You sure you don’t want a drink? They got some bucking good ale here, I’ll tell ya-” the silvery mare began, before noticing Skull. “Oh! Hey boss, you gotta hear this!”

Skull walked towards her, then stopped near the group and crossed his arms. “I’m listening.”

“Alright, so you know how you’ve been trying for weeks to get us to make armor and weapons out of those Monster materials?” she began.

“Yes. I’m assuming Angel here managed to help you out?” he surmised, still not moving from his spot. The mare nodded with a large grin.

“Damn straight! With this info, we should be able to make a ton of stuff in just a few days!” she said jovially. Skull simply nodded.

“Good work then, Silver Anvil,” he looked to Angel and nodded to her. “And thanks to you, Angel.” He stepped to the side, motioning with an arm to the doors. “Now, let’s get to training the recruits, yes?”

Angel nodded, standing up and smiling at Silver. “I’ve very much enjoyed our conversation. I’ll be sure to send you copies of everything I have.” She reached out her hand. “It was nice to meet you.”

Silver kept her grin as she shook Angel’s hand firmly. “Same here, girl! Come by anytime! Especially if it’s for a drink!”

Angel sighed and allowed herself a smile. “I…suppose I could afford to let my hair down a bit, now that I’m not on the front lines.” She turned and nodded to Skull. “Lead on.”

Skull nodded again, and they all made their way out of the forge and through the halls. Things were silent as they walked, Angel noted. Skull didn’t seem as talkative as he had before. “Something wrong?” she asked.

Skull stopped at that, as if he hadn’t expected her to ask. “Huh?” He looked to her. “Oh, uh… No, it’s nothing, don’t worry about it Angel.” He resumed walking, doing so a bit more stiffly now.

Angel arched an eyebrow. “Nope.” She sped up, stepping in front of him and turning to face him. “See, that’s not going to work. Tell me what’s up.”

“...” Skull stopped and stared at her for a second or two, then looked away from her. “...Angel, am I…” He paused, unsure how to continue. He sighed, then turned his head back to face her. “What am I to you? How do you see me?”

Angel hesitated, glancing aside at Sunset and Starlight. She cleared her throat. The mares rolled their eyes and turned around. Angel cleared her throat again and turned back to Skull. “You want to know what I think of you?” she asked. He nodded, eyes gleaming with hope. “Well, you’re strong, resilient, have a good moral core, and…” She stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek, dropping back quickly and clearing her throat once more, a light blush coloring her cheeks as she looked away. “I… I suppose I’ve become a little…infatuated.”

Skull blushed himself, staring down at her in shock. “You… You have?” He blinked a few times, seeming somewhat shocked. “So…You’re not angry at me for earlier, then?”

Angel blinked, turning back to face him. “Angry? For what?”

“Ya know, for pushing my boundaries, asking for a photo and all that,” he explained, rolling his hand around. “You said I hadn’t earned the right to risk your ire, so I figured you just… Ya know, saw me as an acquaintance still.”

Angel was silent for a moment, staring up at Skull with a blank expression. “...I’ve spent far too much time around military types, haven’t I?”

Sunset snorted, her back still turned. “You think?”

“YOU LET TWO AND A HALF YEARS WITH HUMANS CHANGE YOU! YOU DON’T GET TO TALK!!!” Angel cleared her throat and looked Skull in the eye. “Quick question, have you ever been to New York? Maine? Anywhere in New England, really?”

Skull shook his head slowly. “Only Sweden to visit my cousins and Uncle,” he answered. “I lived in Texas with my Grandfather most of my life.”

Angel’s jaw dropped. “Texas? No freaking way! I was born and raised in Plano! Er-” She shook her head. “We’ll get to that later. Point is, up in New England, at least in the big cities, people curse and swear and threaten bloody murder on an hourly basis. It’s just how they say hello. The military, or at least the armies I’ve been a part of, are just like that. Our humor is…”

“Violent?” Sunset offered.

“Sadistic?” Starlight added.

“Let’s go with ‘harsh,’” Angel said. “Point is, I didn’t mean anything by the sword thing. I honestly half expected you to just laugh it off. As for earning the right to risk my ire,” she rolled her eyes, “Sunset and I have been fighting side by side for almost seven years. She’s got enough social dirt on me to get away with embarrassing me a little without fear of retribution. Not to downplay, you know,” her blush returned a little as her eyes shifted slightly off from his, “whatever’s between us,” her eyes returned to his, “but you just don’t have that much time under your belt. Besides,” a soft smile lit her face, “something tells me you wouldn’t fight dirty like Sunny would.”

“Just means he’s soft,” Sunset called over her shoulder.

“Or that he’s a decent person who wouldn’t want to embarrass me over something so petty as ruining a small bit of fun.”

“Like I said, soft.”

Skull frowned a bit. “Well, first, I doubt any of you have been eaten by a giant lamprey with wings and had to smell the inside,” he began, before turning his eyes to Angel’s and giving his own, warm smile. “Second…” He walked up and hugged her tightly. “Thanks, Angel.”

Angel smiled, returning the embrace. “No problem. Just…take my abrasiveness with a grain of salt.” She giggled. “Or a mountain of it. A decade of fighting tends to ruin one's sense of humor a little.”

Skull chuckled. “Will do, and honestly…” He gave her a kiss on her cheek as well. “Now that I know, I can’t say I’d have it any other way.”

“Aaaaaaw.” Angel rolled her eyes but otherwise ignored the mares, choosing instead to remain in the moment for a little longer. He eventually let go of her and smiled.

“Well, we should get back to the recruits-” he started, before a grey pegasus mare with crossed eyes flew in and bumped into him. He blinked, looking down at the mare. “Uh, can I help you, Ditzy?”

She jumped, before shooting to her hooves and pulling a letter out of her saddlebags and lifting it to him with a wing. “I have a letter here for you, Mister Skull!” she chirped. Skull smiled, taking it from her.

“Thanks, Ditzy,” he said warmly. She nodded and grinned.

“Anytime, Mister Skull!” She then flew out of the hall and left. Skull proceeded to open the letter, and pulled out two golden tickets. Skull’s eyes widened at this.

“Holy shit…” he breathed.

“Ugh!” Sunset groaned. “Please tell me those aren’t tickets to the GGG.”

Angel winced, hissing between her teeth. “Hope your Gala’s are better than my world’s, or you’re in for a long, boring night ahead of you.” Skull blushed as he read the letter, then quickly stashed it in his pocket and turned to Angel.

“Umm… Well…” he scratched his cheek. “I was uh… Hoping you’d join me. That’s why there’s two tickets…”

Angel blinked, staring from Skull to the pocket he’d stuffed the letter into. A grin began to slowly split her face. “A GGG where I have no prior reputation and the personal consequences are minimal if I piss some whining noble off?” She turned to Sunset and Starlight. “Ladies, put on your makeup. We’ve got a party to liven up!”

Skull smiled nervously. “So… That’s a yes?” he asked.

Angel chuckled, stepping back a bit. “Two words,” she said. “Suit Armor.” A familiar metallic chime sounded, and Angel’s clothes started to shift. It started at her feet, her shoes breaking into tiny squares and flipping around before forming back together, forming a cascade of motion up Angel’s legs, torso, head, and down her arms. When the effect passed, Angel was left standing in a sharp three-piece suit, a blood red tie splitting the black dress-shirt. In fact, everything else about the outfit was black, from the shoes, to the slacks, to the jacket, to the top hat that sat at a slight angle atop her head. Angel spun in a circle, her hair shimmering as it fanned out behind her. “Well?” she asked, grinning up at Skull. “What do you think?”

He blushed as he unashamedly looked over her form. “...Absolutely beautiful…” he breathed without thinking.

Angel smirked over at Starlight and Sunset. “And Twilight and Rarity say that girls belong in dresses.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well, not everything about that mare can be perfect.” She raised an eyebrow at Starlight. “Guess we’d better find some outfits for ourselves.”

“Are you sure?” Starlight asked nervously. “I mean, won’t that make things weird between you and Twilight?”

“It’ll be fine,” Sunset said, waving her off. “She’ll understand that it’s just a friend thing.” She looked Starlight up and down. “Although, I wouldn’t be entirely opposed to making this couple into a her-”

“So!” Starlight interrupted, grinning widely at Skull, her eye twitching. “Dresses?”

Skull blinked a few times, then shook his head rapidly. “Oh, uh, well, the Gala’s actually about a week away, so clothes aren’t an issue yet.”

“A week?” Angel cocked her head to the side, considering that for a moment. “Yeah, I guess that could work. I don’t have anything pressing back in my Equestria. I’ll let Spot know so he can get word to Twilight that I’ll be out for a while.”

Skull grinned. “Great to hear!” He seemed to realize something, then. “Oh, right, the recruits!” He started to walk at a brisk pace down the hallway. “Come on, we gotta hurry!”

Angel looked down at her suit and shrugged, rushing after him with Starlight and Sunset on her heels. “Lead the way!”

One week later…

Skull groaned as he slowly woke up and made to move, only to find himself restricted. He blinked and looked down at himself and blushed heavily. Angel was in his bed, her arms wrapped around him tightly. “A-A-Angel…?” he asked softly, surprised and greatly embarrassed.

“Mph, five more minutes,” she muttered. Her eyes shot open and she bolted upright. “WHAT THE HELL?!”

“D-Don’t ask me! I just woke up myself!” he said, sitting up himself.

“No, not that,” Angel said, glaring at nothing as she climbed out of the bed, dressed only in a set of modest underwear. “I climbed in because I was cold. I mean that I haven’t resisted waking in years! I trained myself for WEEKS to be up and aware as soon I woke up. Ugh, this time off is killing my routines.”

“Wait, you mean you climbed in of your own volition?!” he cried, blushing brighter. “I don’t even-! why would you-! What?!”

Angel blinked at him a couple of times before rolling her eyes and opening a couple of portals. “Right, human. I keep forgetting our taboos. Most folk back in my Equestria don’t give a second thought to cuddling.” She turned her back to him and stripped out of her underwear, tossing it into one of the portals and pulling out a new set from the other. “Back home, ‘sleeping together’ is just that.” She slipped into her underwear and pulled out a fresh uniform. “Sleeping in the same bed as someone else for companionship and/or warmth and/or comfort.” She finished dressing and turned back around, smirking at Skull’s awkwardness. “So sorry for the show.”

Skull’s face was bright, cherry red, having seen her in the nude. “I-I-I-I-I-!” he stuttered.

Angel chuckled and strutted out of the room. “Close that mouth,” she called back. “You’ll catch flies.”

Skull promptly did as ordered, and as she walked away, she faintly heard him mutter, “
Padre, he visto el cielo…”

“I’ll assume that was a compliment,” she called back. She walked around a bundle of blankets, kicking it lightly. “Sunny. Star. Up and at ‘em.”

The lump groaned before the blankets flew off in a blast of teal magic. “Up, Starlight,” Sunset muttered, using her magic to brush out her mane and coat. “We’ve got a full day ahead of us.”

Skull soon came nearby, dressed only in his boxers and a black T-shirt, and opened the red chest by them, blushing heavily as he knew they saw him, and he had no way of hiding. After all, he had no walls inside the house to separate things.

“Can’t we just kill the sun?” Starlight muttered, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she sat up. “I’m sure Princess Celestia can figure out something else to do with her time.”

“As fun as that might be to do,” Angel said, pulling a comb out of her pocket and running it through her hair, “we do have to remember that Skull still has to deal with the consequences of what we do here.”

“Not that that’s going to stop us from having fun at the Gala,” Sunset said. “I plan to set fire to at least ten egos. Nothing better than watching…” She tilted her head to the side, gazing curiously at Skull. “What’s wrong with him?”

Angel glanced over and rolled her eyes. “Just a silly taboo that humans have about nudity and sleeping together. I outgrew it years ago.”

“I also happen to be a proud believer of God, so there’s that,” Skull added, pulling out a new set of clothes they’d not seen before. To their surprise, it looked like the armor one would see on a member of the Three Musketeers, only black, and a bit flashier. It screamed classy and romantic.

Sunset let out a low whistle. “Very nice,” she said. “Why that puts even your best armor to shame, Angel.” After a moment of silence, she turned to look at the girl in question. “You hear that, An- Angel. What’s wrong?”

Angel stood deathly still, staring out at nothing, her muscles tense. Her eyes were dead, empty, her arms trembling slightly.

Skull stopped as well, putting his armor to the side and walking up to her. “Angel? You okay?” He asked, concerned.

“...God?” she asked. He blinked a few times.

“Um… Yeah? What about Him?” he asked.

Angel was silent for a full minute. Eventually, she shook her head. “Nothing,” she said. She took a deep breath and turned to face them, a mostly convincing grin pasted to her face. “Now, let’s get ready to go. That Gala’s not going to liven itself up, and we’re going to spend the whole day getting ready to have the night of our lives.”

Skull frowned, but slowly nodded. “Okay…” he said, before turning back to the chest and starting to put on his armor. “You girls go get dressed in the brewery. I’d uh… Well, it’s just weird for me otherwise. Sorry.”

Sunset and Starlight exchanged glances before nodding. “Sure thing,” Sunset said, nodding her head towards the door. “Come on, girls.”

Angel nodded and followed them into the brewery. As soon as the door was closed behind them, Sunset turned her full attention to Angel. “Okay, who is this ‘God’ and why did Skull mentioning him shake you up so much?”

Angel sighed, sitting on the floor and staring off into the distance once again. “He’s… no-one important. Not since I arrived in Equestria, anyway. Just a bit of Earth mythology.”

“Mythology you believe in?” Starlight asked.

Angel hesitated. “I did,” she said. “Still might, I don’t know. He’s not really relevant anymore, since I’ve been yanked from His universe and dumped into Equis.”

“Skull still seems to think he is,” Starlight said. “...is that a problem?”

Angel shook her head. “Hard to reconcile belief in a loving Father who preaches peace with the self-initiated slaughter of entire armies.”

Silence reigned in the room, even as the girls began preparing for that night. All the while, Angel never lost her thousand-mile stare, her mind going back to simpler, happier times.

A few hours later, after a carriage had come to pick them all up, Skull and the group arrived at the Gala. Banners and streamers of varying colors were all over the place, along with seemingly strategically placed busts and vases filled with exotic flowers. Nobles were on the scene, lined up at the entrance to the main floor and all over the floor itself, talking and chatting amicably. Skull and Angel stood out like sore thumbs, and many a noble had already made “quiet” comments about them and their attire.

“We seem to be making quite an impression,” Angel said, smiling pleasantly around with a glint of mischief in her eyes.

“Considering everyone is silently calling us monsters in suits, I’d agree,” Skull concurred, a thin smile on his face as they waited in line.

Angel chuckled. “Well, we’ll see just how ‘monstrous’ they find me after tonight. Especially once I make my introduction.”

Skull chuckled as well. “Well, try not to scare too many of them off. I have my own plans for tonight, and I want there to be an audience.”

“Should be easy enough.” Angel glanced over her shoulder and winced. “Not so sure it’ll be so easy for her.”

Sunset and Starlight stood behind them, drawing almost as much attention as her and Skull. Starlight was dressed in a dark purple dress spangled with silver stars and was looking around in confusion at the looks they were receiving. Sunset, on the other hand, was standing proud and confident, looking around at the surrounding nobles. Her dress was an elaborate golden number with intricate flame designs. As her eyes passed from face to face, she gave either a cocky grin or a slight sneer, reveling in their confusion. The nobles didn’t seem much of anything besides confused or slightly shocked.

Skull looked to Angel, quirking a brow at her under his hat. “You were saying?”

“I’m saying that she might scare them off before we get to have our fun,” Angel said. “Whatever the Sunset of this Equestria is like, it looks like she’s a lot tamer than mine. These poor saps won’t know what hit them; I almost feel sorry for them.”

“I don’t really know anything about this world’s Sunset, but based on what we’re seeing, you’re right,” he said, grinning widely. “This is really gonna be a fun night.”

They soon reached the guard in charge of admittance, and Skull gave him their tickets. The guard looked them over, looked at the group, frowned, grunted, then stepped aside.

“Alright, get in then,” he said tersely. Skull shot him a light glare, then gained a smile as he offered his arm to Angel.

“Shall we, my lady?” he asked, smiling sweetly at her.

Angel returned the smile, taking his arm. “Indeed we shall, my good sir.” They stepped inside, Starlight following them while Sunset paused, grinning at the guard.

“How unprofessional,” she said. “Don’t you know that Tia’s pet statues aren’t supposed to show emotion?” She smirked and pranced past him, smacking his face with her tail as she did so. He seemed shocked at this, even insulted. But he grit his teeth and took it in stride, bowing his head as she walked away.

“Apologies, Lady Shimmer,” he said through clenched teeth.

Sunset shivered as she caught up with Starlight. “‘Lady Shimmer,’ he said,” she cooed. “Oh, I’m going to have so much fun tonight.” Starlight sighed and shook her head as they continued further into the castle.

Eventually they reached the floor, where nobles were talking amongst each other, though many of them stopped to stare at the arrivals and whisper to each other.

“Is that Lady Shimmer?”

“Why is she with a beast like the Cursebringer?”

"And who’s that wench next to him? A bride?”

“As if that monster could find one who loved him.”

“Still… Why is she here, with her arm entwined with his?”

Skull growled at them all, flashing the still very visible sword in it’s sheath at his hip. The nobles quickly turned away at that.

“Ignore them,” Angel said. “Tonight should teach them just how amazing and cultured ‘monsters’ like us can be.” She looked up at him, her eyes hardening into a glare. “And if you try to do something stupid like ‘defend my honor’ or some crap, I’ll beat you within an inch of your life. Got it?”

Skull grunted, removing his hand from the hilt of his weapon. “Fine, fine, whatever you say,” he conceded, before gaining a smirk. “Though you do look like a pretty gorgeous military officer.” He teased.

“Well it’s a good thing I am a gorgeous military officer, then,” she said, tossing her hair. “Otherwise I’d be giving them the wrong impression.”

Skull chuckled. “Right, well, you want a drink? I bet the Princesses are using some of the brand I’ve been selling to them this past week. It’s good stuff, too.”

Angel sighed, rolling her eyes. “Sure, why not? Might as well start this night out right.” Skull grinned, walking over to the table after releasing her arm. He soon came back with two glasses of, not red, but blue, liquid. He offered one to her. “My lady.” He said, grinning at her.

Angel took the drink, nodding to him before taking a sip. She noted the drink had a special sort of zing to it, like honey, but spiced, like black licorice, and also a bit of an apple juice taste to it. “So, where are the princesses? I was hoping to start out my introduction with them.”

“Should I know?” he asked her, tilting his head. “I mean, I’ve only ever been to parties with my family and one wedding, never actually did this kind of thing much, much less been to this specific party.”

“Hm.” Angel shrugged, taking another sip. “Well, let me know if you see them. There isn’t much for me to do here until they’ve arrived.” Skull nodded before blushing a bit, but he looked away to hide it. Angel thought she caught him making a quick gesture of his hand to a familiar prancing pink pony, but she wasn’t sure why.

Angel shrugged and made her way over to her. “Pinkie Pie,” she called as she approached.

“Huh? Oh, sorry, I gotta gonowbyebye!” she said nervously, before zipping off in a cloud of dust shaped like herself.

Angel sighed, rolling her eyes and looking around. “Where there’s one,” she muttered, “the other five can’t be far behind.” She found a number of nobles, but no sign of the other members of the Mane Six. She even spotted her Sunset conversing with a pair of ponies whose faces were growing more flushed and angry by the minute while Starlight shook her head, her face hidden in her hoof. “Or not.”

And then, she heard Skull speak up. “Hey, uh, Angel?” he began.

“Hm?” She looked back at him. “What is it?”

He seemed nervous, and was blushing. He briefly looked to a stage, where Angel saw the Mane Six, which was strange, as she had not seen them there before. They all nodded to him, and he took a deep breath as entrancing, fast paced and upbeat music began to play. Drums, flutes, and tambourines were in the mix, all the Mane Six playing them. Skull took another breath, then reached a hand to Angel.

“...Can I have this dance?” he asked, blushing a fair cherry red.

Angel looked up, tapping her foot to the fast paced music. She smiled and looked back down at him, taking a step and launching herself into a spin, colliding with him and pulling him into the dance. She smirked at him, immediately taking the lead. “Take it from me, if you can.” He blushed, but steeled himself and grabbed her waist, using the leverage to spin her, then stepping back and starting to dance.

It seemed practiced, but only after a more careful glance. He snapped his fingers in tune to the beat, his arms up around him, but not raised in the air, more like they were just at the ready. He spun around, kicking one leg up slightly at the end, and continued that movement for a time. It was quite similar to a Romani dance.

Angel, unfamiliar with this dance, moved with her own style. Pulling from combat forms, her dance was as powerful as it was fluid. She moved across the dance floor like a force of nature, all eyes drawn to her as she leapt and spun.

The crowd was, understandably, enraptured with the two strong, powerful dancers. Skull danced fluidly, with great emotion and feeling and passion, and he continued to dance around Angel, swooping in close at times and then retreating, like a cautious wolf and it’s dangerous prey.

Angel noticed this pattern and smirked, deciding to turn the tables. Her dance became more aggressive, pushing Skull to retreat more and more until their roles seemed reversed. She was now the roaring lion, stalking and battering at the gazelle as it nimbly leapt out of her reach time and again.

Only for him to grow incredibly aggressive, at times launching himself to her with a flourishing spin and grabbing her by the waist, forcing her to dance to his tune for a bit, before retreating, and then finally, he cemented it, grabbing her firmly by the waist and twirling her.

Starlight and Sunset watched from the sidelines, the former mesmerized while the latter studied the flow of the “battle.” “He’s good,” she muttered, watching as Skull once again took control. “I’ve never seen anyone move around Angel with such confidence.”

“What do you mean?” Starlight asked. “Aren’t they just dancing?”

Sunset shook her head, her eyes never leaving the couple as they separated again, circling each other like the rival predators they were. “You think this is rehearsed?” Sunset asked. “Or that Angel would ever allow anyone who hadn’t proven themselves to take the lead? This dance floor is a battlefield like any other, with their reputations on the line.” Her brow furrowed. “Although, Angel could be pressing a lot harder than she is…”

Angel, meanwhile, was having the time of her life. Never before had she met someone who could keep up with her on the dance floor, much less match her step for step. A massive grin had formed on her face at the first shift in power and had failed to move as the dance wore on. She sensed the end of the song coming and spun closer to Skull. Well, big boy? Let’s see how you handle the finale.

Her surprise and joy were immense when he calmly maneuvered himself and moved her arms and legs to match his flow with his own arms, wrapping his arms around her fully and then dipping her, smiling down at her with warmth and also confidence. Angel smiled back, breathing heavily as the final note was struck. “Well played,” she whispered.

He grinned at this. “Not over yet,” he said.

“What do you-” she started, only for him to suddenly lock lips with her, passion fueling his movement as he cradled her head with one hand and kissed her deeply. Her eyes widened in shock before slowly fluttering closed. She reached up and pulled herself against him, humming happily into the kiss. They finally broke apart with a gasp a moment later, Angel grinning up at him. “Cheater.”

“Only for the best girl I know,” he responded.

A loud roar of approval coupled with the stomping of hooves greeted them after this masterful performance. Angel allowed Skull to lift her to her feet before she turned and bowed theatrically to the crowd.

Skull did much the same, and when they stood upright again, they saw not just the Mane Six stomping their hooves, but also the two Princesses and Starlight and Sunset. Skull turned to Angel for a moment.

“So… Was that uh… Good?” he asked, suddenly nervous.

Angel rolled her eyes before slugging him lightly in the shoulder. “Well, you just made us an official couple at the most prestigious event of the year, so yeah, I’d say that was pretty good.”

“And the kiss?” he asked next.

Angel smirked. “Who knows?” She stepped away from him, her face steeling as she approached the sister princesses and the Mane Six. She saluted the former. “Princess Celestia. Princess Luna. It is good to see you again.”

“Indeed, and you as well,” Luna said with a smile and a nod.

“I see you and Skull have really gotten close,” Celestia said with a knowing smirk.

“That was…*sniff* Beautiful!” cried Rarity, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.

“And so romantic!” Twilight agreed.

“I thought it was cool at least,” Rainbow said with a shrug.

Angel lowered her arm and relaxed, nodding to the Mane Six. “Thank you. I’ve not had much of a chance to dance lately, nor the inclination.” She allowed herself a small smirk. “Few can keep up with me enough to make it worth my time.”

“I can vouch for that.” The group looked over to see Sunset and Starlight approaching, the former giving Angel an appraising look. “She usually dominates the floor entirely. Not even minotaurs will challenge her anymore.”

“Can’t say I blame them,” Starlight muttered. “If she’d come literally waltzing into my old village with half that level of power, I’d have surrendered on the spot.” Her eyes fell on Twilight and the others and she froze. “Oh. Wow. This is… weird.”

“Starlight? I thought you said you didn’t want to come… Did you change your mind?” Twilight asked, confused. She noticed Sunset. “And Sunset? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? Or your parents?”

Sunset stared at Twilight for a moment. “My mind is buzzing with so many possibilities right now,” she muttered. “Most of which would earn me a week on the couch if I told Twi.” She cleared her throat. “Sorry, but we aren’t the ponies you know.” She pointed at Angel. “We’re here with her.”

Angel nodded. “It’s true. These are the Starlight Glimmer and Sunset Shimmer from my world, the former being my and Sunset’s student in combat magic, and the latter being my Twilight Sparkle’s lover.”

“So many ideas,” Sunset muttered.

“W-Wait what?! You mean me, and her and-!” Twilight started, looking back and forth rapidly between Sunset and Angel, a massive blush on her face, before steam poured out of her ears and she collapsed. Celestia giggled daintily behind a hoof.

“Seems my old student has been overwhelmed,” she said, smiling down at Sunset. “As for your ‘ideas’, I would advise not following them. A certain Flash Sentry would be very upset otherwise.”

Sunset shrugged. “Who says we wouldn’t invite him?”

“Okay, that’s enough, Sunset,” Starlight said, grabbing the yellow unicorn in her magic and carrying her off. “Don’t you still have some nobles to terrorize and demoralize? I think I saw Blueblood over by the punch a minute ago.”

Angel winced. “Ouch. I’m not a fan of my Blueblood, but ouch. I’m not sure whether I should warn him or just watch.”

“Oh? So she is going to humiliate him?” Luna queried, before gaining a grin and looking to her sister. “Shall we go see, sister?”

Celestia sighed. “Much as I love my nephew and agree he is a pain sometimes, I’d rather not be seen giggling like a filly at his plights. It’s unbefitting of a ruler and an aunt.” She smirked. “Though you are more than welcome to see for yourself, dear sister.”

Luna’s grin nearly split her face. “Oh, I believe I shall enjoy this.” She then quietly made her way towards where Sunset and Starlight had gone. Celestia turned back to Angel.

“So, how has Skull been doing, might I ask?” she questioned.

“Honestly? I’m not entirely sure,” Angel admitted. “Time flows differently between our worlds when I’m not here, and while it’s only been a few months for you, it has been more than four years for me. I only know what he’s told me since I arrived last week.” She arched an eyebrow. “So really, I should be asking you that question.”

“Well, I’ve only been able to contact him via mail, and he’s always been…” Celestia paused, trying to think of a term. “...Short, with his responses. I’d hoped you’d know how he was doing, at least recently.” She shot a look to where Skull was awkwardly standing among a crowd of noble mares, all seemingly fawning over him. “Though right now, it seems he might need some help from his special somepony.” Celestia said with a knowing smile as she looked back to Angel.

Angel looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. “Great. I have to play the jealous girlfriend to bail him out.” She sighed and turned to walk towards him, but paused. “...I suppose you could say that he’s been feeling bitter about his situation,” she said. “He feels that he is doing a large amount of good work while receiving neither recognition nor compensation. I may not know the details of your arrangements with him, but it hardly seems an ideal strategy to keep the one man who can best help you against Equestria’s newest threats in isolation and depression.” With that, she walked forward, sparing Celestia not another glance.

Skull was obviously having a hard time with the noble mares, meanwhile, all of them clamoring for him to join them on a walk or, for the more adventurous, a herd. “I-I’m not sure I’m comfortable with forming a herd…” He said to one mare.

“Oh but you look so ravishing!” said another.

“And those moves of yours were just so dashing and poetic!” said yet another. More of them continued to pitch in, and Skull was feeling very overwhelmed.

“I rather think that that’s more than just his decision,” Angel said, coming up behind the mares. They started and turned to find her staring down at them, her expresion placid but her eyes burning red. “Unless of course you were planning to do something to him behind my back?”

“Oh, um, n-no, not at all,” said one mare nervously.

“We were just leaving, in fact!” said another.

“You mean you were,” said one very wealthy looking mare. Gold and silver seemed to be woven into her dress, and the twin platinum clasps on her ears gleamed in the dim light. She sniffed disdainfully. “I, on the other hand, am not afraid of this brute of a mare, and honestly, I don’t see why we can’t share,” she turned hungry eyes to Skull, “this lovely hunk of a stallion, between ourselves.” Skull looked nervously between her and Angel.

“A brute you say?” The other two mares shivered and darted off at Angel’s tone as she stepped directly between the remaining mare and Skull. “Well listen up, you sniveling sycophant,” she said, her voice a patient glacier and her eyes a pair of blazing infernos. “This ‘brute’ is the Undying Angel. High General of the Grand Alliance of Sapience. Champion of Minos. High General of the United Nation of Zebrica. Savior of the Gryphon Empire. This ‘brute’ wields the might of three great nations with naught but her commands and the fear that she has placed in them. This ‘brute’ has faced champions, armies, and dragons single-handedly and lived to tell the tale. This ‘brute’ is powerful enough that the very Sun and Moon hesitate to directly oppose her.” She leaned down, placing her face a mere inch away from the mare’s. “And this ‘brute,’ like the man standing behind her, is monogamous. So,” her eyes narrowed, “are we going to have a problem?”

The mare’s pupils shrunk a bit and her ears folded back at Angel’s tone and claims. “U-Uhm… No…” she squeaked.

“No, WHAT?!”

“N-No ma’am! Nothing wrong at all! I’ll take my leave now!” the mare said, before galloping off hurriedly.

Skull sighed in relief as the mare left. “Thanks… I’m, well, not used to so much attention, especially from women.”

Angel scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Don’t think of them as women,” she said. “Think of them as pathetic leeches hungry for even the smallest bite of power or prestige. Makes them far easier to deal with.” Her eyes roamed the room until they fell upon a refreshment table and lit up. “Oh! Chocolate cake!” She hummed merrily to herself as she skipped towards the table, drawing no small number of baffled stares from the ponies who had just witnessed her verbal beatdown.

Skull blinked a few times, then chuckled and walked over to her. “You know, you’re really cute when you do that.” He said as he stood behind her. He then pulled something from his pouch, wrapped in tin foil. “Hence why I made this for you last night after you fell asleep.” He rubbed the back of his head. “Kinda why I was so surprised you jumped in bed with me, since I worked late into the night to make it. Had to be like three hours of time left in the night when I went to bed.” He shrugged. “Anyway, here you go.” He handed it to her.

Angel smiled and took the package from him. “That’s so sweet,” she said, before lowering her voice. “And the cute bit there was intentional. Got to do something to offset the hardass General Angel, or it’ll scare off everyone I meet.” She unwrapped the foil, her jaw dropping as she saw - and smelled - what was inside.

Inside was a full bowl of curry, filled with the scent of a spice she’d not smelled before, but it was strong and hearty. Furthermore, the broth was a light golden color, dirtied with a bit of brown around chunks of meat of golden brown, deep-fried beef. There was a bit of rice in there too, though it had some brownish-reddish sauce she’d also not seen before on it.

“Well, you still do it unintentionally sometimes, I know that much from spending a week with you, and that’s why I made this,” he gestured to the wooden bowl. “I call it, ‘Golden Sunrise.’”

Angel hesitantly lifted a spoonful to her mouth, taking a bite and humming in pleasure at the taste. “Oh sweet Celestia,” she muttered, her face practically glowing with both pleasure and heat. “This is the second best curry I’ve ever tasted!”

Skull grinned widely. “Good to hear!” he said. “I had to go out and get a lot of exotic ingredients from around Canterlot, lots of hidden caves and the like. I’m just glad I had time to make it afterwards, as well as that you enjoy it.”

“And enjoy it I do.” Angel took another bite, humming and shivering. “Oh yeah, I’m going to be enjoying this for a while.” She drew her fingers through the air, casually opening a hole in reality and ignoring the various cries of shock from around her. She snuck one last bite of curry before placing it in one of several cubbies on the other side of the portal, closing it up a moment later. “I’ll be saving that one for a rainy day. Thank goodness I figured out that temporal difference bit in the code.”

Skull smiled, before looking around. “So, uh… What do we do now?”

Angel shrugged, grabbing a glass of wine and turning her back to the table, hopping up to sit and taking a sip. “Honestly, I’m kind of surprised that Sunny hasn’t caused a riot or set someone on fire yet.” She turned an eager grin on Skull. “Do you think anyone here will challenge her to a duel if she insults them enough?”

“Dunno, but-,” Skull began, before a small flash of light burst into light near Sunset, and a noble charged at her, a strange rapier in his magical grasp.

“You wench! I’ll end you here and now!” he roared. Skull’s eyes widened.

“Shit… That’s one of our weapons,” he noted. “Didn’t think Silver had given them out to nobles just yet…”

“Wench?” Sunset asked, staring at the noble boredly as she retreated, easily dodging his thrusts. “That’s the best you’ve got? I just insulted your entire family line on an individual level and exposed you for cheating on your wife in front of her and all of your friends, and the worst you can throw at me is ‘wench?’ I’d hoped the nobles in this world were more creative with their insults.” She casually sidestepped, smirking slightly as the noble’s blade sunk into a marble pillar. “And better at swordplay. Clearly, I was mistaken on both fronts.”

The noble growled as he wrenched his blade out of the pillar. “I am the head of the Great House of Telrund! I will not be insulted without severe consequence!” He roared as he charged at her, but to the surprise of all present, a seemingly demonic glow covered his form and weapon, red in coloration and flame-like in form, and he sped toward Sunset with greater speed, managing to slice her cheek.

Sunset leapt back, a look of interest on her face. She brought a hoof to her cheek and pulled it away, her yellow coat now smeared with red. She blinked. “Huh.” Her horn lit, and a small burst of flame covered her cheek, fading to reveal that the injury had vanished. “Right on.” She looked back at the noble, her horn glowing again and shaping her magic into twin short-swords. “That little trick just made you worth my time.” She smirked. “You should feel both honored and very, very scared.”

Angel sighed, downing the rest of her wine in a single gulp. “Well, she’s serious. Show’s over. It was good while it lasted, though.”

Skull nodded. “It is.” He started to walk towards the two, only to pause as Angel placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Let her finish this,” she said. “Trust me. She gets really cranky when someone interrupts her fight.”

Skull frowned. “That weapon came from one of my people. And if you hadn’t noticed…” He gestured to how the noble, while being cut up a number of times, was quickly learning her patterns and adapting, and each time he adapted, he would counter with a burst of demonic aura, and give her a deep cut. “...It’s waking up in response to his emotions.”

Angel hummed thoughtfully, looking between the noble and Sunset before sighing. “Yeah, I guess you’ve got a point.” She pitched her voice louder. “Oy! Sunny-Bum! Stop playing with the poor sap with the magic sword and finish this already!”

“Pah!” Sunset retorted, receiving another gash on her right foreleg and healing it with a quick burst of fire. “You’re no fun!” Her horn suddenly blazed and she vanished, appearing above the noble’s back. “Just when it was getting good,” she muttered, thrusting one blade into his spine and the other into his head.

“SUNSET!”

“Relax!” Sunset called, landing on her hooves and dissipating her blades as the unicorn fell behind her. “I set them to stun. The worst he’ll have is a nasty headache when he wakes up.”

A number of guards surrounded Sunset after regaining their composure, and a good few more surrounded the noble, checking his wounds. Celestia and Luna approached. Luna turned to one of the guards caring for the noble.

“Are her words true?” she asked. The guard turned to her and slowly nodded.

“Yes, Your Majesty. He has minimal cuts, but they all seem to be superficial,” he answered. Celestia hummed as she turned a cold gaze to Sunset.

“Miss Shimmer, I’d like it if you refrain from hurting my guests from here on out,” she intoned. “Do so again and I will be forced to kick you out.”

Sunset scoffed, rolling her eyes as she checked herself over for any wounds she might have missed. “Oh sure. He attacks first, he goes through a power boost, he’s the one who launches killing blows, and I’m the one at fault. If it weren’t for that aura thing, I wouldn’t have even touched him. Knowing his type, he would have tired out after five minutes of failing to land a blow on me.”

Celestia sighed, placing a hoof to her forehead. “Miss Shimmer, do not suggest I am without reason. I did not say he wouldn’t be punished, I am only letting you know to not perpetuate the attacks.” She lifted her hoof from her face, fixing Sunset with a firm glare. “I am not blind. I saw how you incited him, and I know you know he would have resorted to such base reactions.”

“Well, yeah,” Sunset said, shrugging. “That’s why I did it.”

“Indeed. We are only asking that you do not attack anyone again, no matter how much they try to kill you. Leave their punishment to us,” Luna added in.

Sunset turned her gaze to Luna, staring her down for a moment before sighing. “Fair enough. I apologize, Your Highn-” She paused, remembering how the guard had addressed her. “Your Majesty. Sorry, different world, different forms of address.” Her eyes moved to Celestia, and a small smirk appeared as she whispered to Luna, “Though Sun-Butt is still Sun-Butt in any universe.”

Luna barely managed to cover up a snort at the nickname, but quickly regained her composure. “Yes, well, if that is all… Guards, please take Lord Telrund to the dungeons. I’d like to question him later about that aura.” They all saluted and marched off, the noble in tow. Celestia noted the many stares in their direction.

“Please, my little ponies, be at ease. There is no trouble here. Go back to your merrymaking,” she said with a benevolent smile. They all slowly did so.

“Aw, but you interrupted my merrymaking.” A purple hoof slapped Sunset upside the head, the yellow unicorn barely flinching. “Okay, I deserved that.”

“You deserved that big time,” Starlight deadpanned. “And Rarity’s going to freak out when she sees what you let happen to your dress. Is this what war does? Turns ponies into psychopathic battle addicts?”

Angel hummed in contemplation as she walked over. “Haven’t noticed that pattern amongst zebras, gryphons, or minotaurs. Must be a human thing.” Skull frowned, walking over as well.

“I’m not sure I should be glad that I’m only in a technical war or not,” he said in reply. “I mean, with Dragon Quest monsters in the mix, that’s pretty much the only reason it could be considered one, since a lot of them are intelligent.”

Sunset waved him off. “Oh don’t worry, she’s kidding.” A beat. “Men are far more emotionally stable. It’s totally a woman thing.” She raised a hoof which Angel bumped with her fist while Starlight facehoofed.

“...Well, at least that means I still have a strong, beautiful woman on my side,” he smiled and wrapped an arm around Angel’s waist. “Besides, I kinda like her crazy side.”

“Careful there,” Angel said, staving off her blush with bravado. “You haven’t seen me at my craziest.” Skull just grinned, kissing her cheek.

“Well, I certainly hope to,” he replied cheekily.

“Really?” Sunset asked, raising an incredulous eyebrow. “You want to see her dive down a dragon’s throat while blasting ‘Better Get Ready to Die’ from organic speakers mounted on her shoulders? Because that’s the craziest I’ve seen from her, and Tempest swears that she’s seen worse.”

“...” Skull slowly looked to Angel, an unreadable look in his eyes. Then his grin grew, and his grip on her waist tightened. “That... Sounds hot.”

Angel shrugged. “Meh, not really. The speakers blew out my eardrums in the first few seconds, and it took three resets for me to carve my way out of its stomach.” She winced. “Not fun for either of us.” She shrugged, slipping out of his hold and sauntering back to the wine table. “Still, not as crazy as that time I tricked a gryphon into swallowing his mother whole. Granted, she was only three inches tall at the time.”

Skull hummed in thought. “Well,” he followed after her, grabbing another glass of wine for the both of them. “Still sounds hot to me, long as you forget the parts where you died. You have no idea how few girls would go out with me after finding out about my bloodlust.” He took a sip of his drink after handing her her own.

“Oh?” she asked, watching as Starlight and Sunset split up to mingle some more. “And what about before you were displaced? Any ex’s I should be jealous of?”

An imperceptible pause before Skull shook his head. “Nah, not really. No actual ex’s, but there was one who asked me out but broke it off because she didn’t like my bloodlust, and because she didn’t like how one of my cousins kept trying to get in her pants every time she came over.” Skull sipped more of his drink. “Nadia does that to people.”

“Sounds… interesting.” Angel shrugged before taking another sip. “But that’s family I guess. Gotta love ‘em, even if they drive you crazy.” She sighed, staring out across the room at nothing. “What I wouldn’t give to see them again.” Skull frowned, walking a bit closer and placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Sorry for bringing the topic up,” he motioned with his drink to the gardens outside the dance floor. “Come on, let’s go over there for a bit.”

Angel shrugged, swirling her wine a bit as she followed his lead. “Don’t apologize,” she muttered. “I’m the one who brought up Earth.” She scoffed and shook her head as they stepped outside. “Eleven years, and you think I’d have gotten over it.”

Skull shrugged as they sat on a stone bench overlooking the entirety of the gardens. A number of flowers were blooming, from roses to daffodils to hyacinths and more, along with hedges and trees and statues that dotted the area. The moon Luna held dominion over was high in the sky, shining benevolent light upon the world below. There were even fireflies flitting to and fro. “If there’s one thing I know, it’s that very few people get over losing their home.” He looked to his half-empty glass. “...Or their family, one after the other.” He sighed deeply, before gaining a smile. “But hey, we’ve got each other, that’s all we really need, right?” He turned his smile to her, the sight warming her heart a bit.

“This is… nice,” Angel admitted. She sighed again, her brief smile falling from her face as she stared across the gardens. “And once upon a time, I guess it would have been all I needed. But now?” She frowned, her grip tightening on her glass. “...I’ve done too much to deserve a nice, clean, happy ending. Or any ending for that matter. Besides, Equestria needs a protector, whether they know it, want it, or not, and I’m not sure they’ll ever be ready for me to stop defending them from the background.” Skull placed his drink to the side and whirled her around to face him.

“Angel,” he began slowly. “You may have killed more intelligent life than me, you may have seen more than me, and you may have changed because of that, but you are still you, you are still human, deep down.” He closed in, his forehead touching hers as he stared into her eyes with his own golden ones. “You’re the girl I fell in love with. And I wouldn’t have unless I knew you were a good person.” He squeezed her shoulders affectionately. “The fact you’ve done most of it to protect, even if some of it wasn’t, shows you deserve a happy ending.” He smiled, and kissed her. When he pulled back, one of his hands went to her head and stroked her hair lovingly. “And I want to be the one to give you that happy ending.”

Angel was silent for a moment, staring back at Skull, her face unreadable. “You know, there’s an interesting saying that ponies have. A twist on a classic Earth one.” She reached up and gently pulled his hand from her head. “The portal to Tartarus is opened with the incantation of good intentions.” She stood up and took a couple of steps away, facing away from him as she stared up at the clear night sky. “Much more poetic than our version, but the meaning rings true. I’ve done a lot to protect Equestria. Slaughtered minotaurs in their arenas for their entertainment. Instigated and spearheaded a tribal war that consumed a nation for more than three years. Forced social revolution almost at swordpoint. Killed a centaur when I knew there were other ways to take him down. Ensured the eventual extinction of my best friend’s species. And now it seems that I’ll be a major catalyst in three or four nations xenociding another.” She looked over her shoulder at Skull, her face blank. “And when it all ends, even in the best case scenario where the dragons back off and Equestria never has to have its innocence ruined, I still won’t have my rest.” Her eyes turned back to the stars. “The Undying Angel, the Undying Demon of Equestria, will never be able to stop looking for threats. The Storm King came out of nowhere. Everything turning out all right with Starlight was pure luck. I won’t ever be able to let my guard down. Ever.” Her eyes turned back to Skull, the slightest hint of moisture collecting there before she blinked it away. “How can I have a happy ending, when ‘The End’ never comes? And when the voices of the dead will continue to cry out from the dust for eternity?”

Skull went deathly silent as he looked to her, his own face unreadable. Slowly, he pulled the brim of his hat down and stood up, walking over to her. He wrapped her in the tightest hug he could without hurting her, and stared down at her with his intense golden eyes. “Because. You regret your actions.” He paused for a moment, seeing her features change a bit at that. “I love you, Angel. Nothing will change that, and nothing will change how much I want to give you the happiest ending I can.”

Angel was silent for a moment before she replied. “You’re wrong.” She looked up at him, a fire burning beneath a furrowed brow. “I don’t regret it. Any of it. If I had the option, I’d do it all again. The only difference is that I’d do it more efficiently.” She sighed, relaxing a bit and resting her head on his chest, allowing her guard to lower. “The world’s a messed up place, Skull. Mine is, at least. And you’ve got to be just as messed up in order to thrive in it. Things were different back on Earth. I had parents. Friends. Go-” She stiffened again. “...guidance.” She relaxed. “But here? Just a changeling who fled from his hive and whatever strength I can fashion for myself. I can’t afford regret, not when it won’t do anything for me.”

Skull’s frown deepened. “Angel…” he said softly. “You can’t forget that there are more people out there who will look out for you no matter what.” He tightened his hold on her. “...Don’t forget me. Don’t forget what I’m here for.”

Angel chuckled, finally returning the embrace. “Fat chance of that,” she muttered. “You’re just about the only person other than Spot who is like that to me.” She hesitated. “Maybe Sora. He seemed like a pretty decent guy.” Skull sighed in relief a bit.

“...It’s a start, I guess,” he said, before rubbing her back a bit. “...Well, you spilled your beans. So I’ll spill one of mine.” He took a deep breath, then pulled away from her slowly, and started to undo the top part of his formal armor.

Angel chuckled and rolled her eyes. “Dude, I know you’re ripped. That’s hardly spilling any beans.” Her face grew a touch more somber. “And after everything I just dropped on you, I doubt you can say anything that’ll really rock me.” He grunted.

“Well, for one, you never saw my front, so…” His upper armor fell away, and he tossed it to the side to reveal a, while very toned chest rippling with muscle, he also revealed a scar that made Angel nearly gag, but not from the sight. From the smell. His entire left pectoral and underarm was pale and sickly, a stark contrast to his dark skin. Furthermore, the veins were visible, even see through, allowing Angel to see the blood flowing through them a bit. But the smell was what did it. It was like rotting flesh, but also feces and vomit and sulfur, all mixed into one. She could also see his heart, beating below a bundle of veins, though it was fairly large. “...This is, well…” He sighed. “Fuck, I’m not sure what to call it besides punishment.”

“Freaking… UGH!” Angel swallowed down a mouthful of bile. “I could handle the sight, but that smells worse than the dragon’s stomach! What the hell sort of punishment is that?!”

Skull sighed, slumping a bit. “...Effluvium taint. Remember Discord?”

Angel nodded. “Yeah. You killed him when he came after you.”

Skull winced, but nodded. “Yeah. But he got more than one good hit in.” He gestured to the pale area. “This is one of them. He hit me with enough Effluvium to kill me, but miraculously, it didn’t. The Effluvium symbiotes bonded with me instead. Sadly, I have to feed them. Every day.” His vision lowered to the ground. “...It’s why I always got up so early in the morning, before anyone else. To turn into my wolf form and eat something for the Effluvium to digest and turn into… Well, hormones. That’s the smell that’s hitting you right now.”

Angel plugged her nose and leaned in close, examining the afflicted area. “Yeesh, that’s some nasty effect right there. Bet that’d make intimacy rather difficult.” She leaned back, tapping her chin even as she kept her nose covered. “Is there any sort of cure?” Skull went to grab his shirt again, picking it up.

“Don’t know. The game where Effluvium was introduced never even said that Effluvium was a swarm of symbiotes instead of gas, much less said that anyone had bonded with the little things besides an Elder Dragon that simply isn’t around here. Not that I’ve seen, anyway,” he started to pull the shirt on, the smell thankfully being blocked out by it. “And Elder Dragon physiology in the games could never be fully understood. They even state it in game. For one, shock traps and even pitfall traps don’t work on them. Hell, the blood of Elder Dragons is still a mystery, but people still used it to make armor and weapons somehow.”

“Well that’s annoying,” Angel muttered, lowering her hand from her face. “I wonder if my Discord could fix that?”

Skull shrugged. “For all I know, if someone tries to remove them or kill them, they could kill me outright. Just force my body to decompose and rot in a blink of an eye.” He frowned, gaining a thought. “...That, or they’d lash out and try to do similar to the offender.”

Angel shrugged. “Well, it was worth a shot. Kind of surprised I didn’t notice when I crawled in bed with you, though.”

“Well, after the ponies visited, and we had the deal, I grabbed a lot of scented candles. I imagine you probably smelled those instead of the hormones,” Skull pointed out, rubbing the back of his head. “I uh… Wasn’t ready to show you or let you find out about this back then, and I knew you’d come back at some point, so I took precautions.”

Angel tilted her head to the side, giving Skull an inquisitive stare. “You weren’t ready? What do you mean? I mean, it’s gross, yeah, but it’s hardly on scale with the orchestrated slaughter of thousands.” Skull looked away, a distance in his eyes.

“...I didn’t tell you what I have to eat and how much yet,” he pointed out. He sighed deeply, then turned to face her again. “The Wendigoes and Yaks have more titles for me. For the Wendigoes, it’s ‘Wolfen Brother God’. They bring me sacrifices of their females every day. The Yaks… They do the same, only every year. They call me ‘The Hungering Wolf of Ice.’”

“...their females?” Angel’s expression was unreadable. “You… have to devour living creatures?” Skull slowly nodded. Angel’s face turned sympathetic. “That… that must be horrible for you.”

“...It is. Or, would be, if my wolf mind didn’t make me enjoy it like it’s a damn orgasm,” he sighed, slowly letting himself fall to the grass and staring up at the stars. “...It’s only after I turn back that I feel the guilt and revulsion.”

“Revulsion I get,” Angel said, sitting beside him. “But you have no reason to feel guilty. Unlike me, you were given no choice in the matter.” Skull spat to the side.

“Wasn’t I? I could have found a person dying from sickness, instead of taking fucking virgin sacrifices like a heathen god,” he scowled up at the moon, as if blaming it for his problems. “But no, I took the easy way out, and now I’m stuck with it.”

Angel shrugged. “A life is a life. Would you really feel more repulsed devouring the infirm than the healthy? Besides, if you did that, the sick would never have a chance to get better. Oh! Timmy has a cough? Better send him to the wolf!” Angel chuckled, shaking her head. “That situation’s messed up no matter which way you slice it, so there’s no point in beating yourself up over it.”

Skull was silent for a bit at that. “...” He sighed again. “...I’ll take your word for it, I guess.” He sat up, and looked to her for a moment, before pulling her close to him and kissing her. She hummed, leaning into the kiss as she leaned into his chest. She pulled away after a moment, her eyes twinkling with mirth.

“And what was that one for?” she purred. He chuckled a little.

“Just a thank you for listening to me and, well, not running away screaming or trying to kill me for being a cannibal,” he said with a smile.

Angel sat up, her face going deadpan. “What part of ‘orchestrated a war and slaughtered thousands’ didn’t get through your thick skull, Skull?” She sighed and leaned back against him. “Trust me, there’s nothing you can do or could have done that would rattle me at this point.”

Skull hummed. “Weird. Makes me think you almost want me to try and rattle you with something.”

“Don’t get cocky, kid,” Angel muttered. “This is technically our first date, and it takes a lot more than cheesy lines like that to get into my pants.”

Skull blushed immensely. “W-What?! That’s not what I-! I didn’t mean-!”

Angel snickered, tilting her head up to smirk at Skull. “And that’s why I know that nothing you say can rattle me.” She got up, stretching out her back. “If you can’t handle a little dirty talk, then you haven’t grown up enough to phase me.” She sauntered her way back towards the castle, making sure to put some extra sway in her hips. Skull watched her go with a dumbfounded look on his handsome face, and he blushed more when she looked back from the doorway and caught him staring.

“Wow,” she said, smirking. “You really like sixteen-year-olds, huh?” She threw her head back and laughed as his face turned completely red before she stepped inside.

Skull grumbled to himself as he pulled himself up and followed after her.

Once the night was through, the four of them were back at Skull’s cabin, though Starlight and Sunset were asleep, and Skull was out back with a guitar, playing a wistful tune. The sound carried through the nightly winds, the twang of the guitar echoing throughout the mountaintop.

“That’s from Anohana, isn’t it?” Skull looked over his shoulder to see Angel standing behind him, dressed only in the underwear she slept in and bearing a curious look on her face. “Never saw the anime, but there’s this guy I used to follow on YouTube who did piano covers. That was one of my favorites.”

Skull smiled, nodding. “Yeah. My cousin Mera loved that show to death,” he replied. He looked to the scene of ice and blizzards below the edge, but kept his smile, sad though it seemed.

Angel walked over and sat in the snow beside him, staring off into the wind and snow. “I bet you miss ‘em too, huh?”

He nodded. “Yeah… They were a weird bunch, but I loved ‘em all the same.” He spared a glance at her, a blush dusting his cheeks. “Ya know, I don’t think that’s exactly proper dress for this environment.”

Angel rolled her eyes. “Environmental Adaptation Abilities, remember? I could be butt naked out here and I wouldn’t feel the chill. Though I gotta say,” she looked down at the snow she was sitting in, “this feels really freaking weird. Feels like snow, crunches like snow, but doesn’t freeze my butt off like snow.” She shrugged and looked back out at the storm. “And besides, even without that, your luminescent blush gives off enough heat to rival a campfire.”

Skull grunted, looking away quickly. “Well, it’s not like you aren’t easy on the eyes… It’s just, well, new, to me to have a girl who just doesn’t care about nudity.” He sighed, shaking his head. “Makes me wonder if you’re gonna get me into the swing of that.”

Angel shrugged. “Probably not. Haven’t seen any other Displaced displaying a flagrant disregard for human modesty. Guess it’s just what the minotaurs and the living conditions on the Zebrican warfront have done to me.”

Skull gained a grin, looking towards her with a twinkle in his golden eyes. “What, so you aren’t going to try and see what I look like in the buff? After all those off-hand comments?”

Angel turned to face him with a deadpan glare. “When I arrived in my Equestria, I was a sixteen year old girl with a laptop, no parental supervision, no other humans around, and hours of free time. You really think you have anything I can’t put together in my head?”

Skull blinked a few times. “...Well, that attempt to tease failed horribly,” he managed a chuckle. “Long years of being isolated really has ruined my social skills.” He looked to her. “I guess you have a point though. But hey, at least you got references and stuff to go off of with your laptop. I had nothing.”

“Got more than that.” Angel turned back to the blizzard, a fond smile on her face. “I had a friend to share it with. Spot figured out my password on day one, and he spends more time watching shows and movies than I did back on Earth. Heck, he’s pulled out a few references that stumped me. Makes it fun when others have no idea what we’re talking about, though.”

Skull smiled as well. “Friends are a precious commodity.” His smile went back to one full of sadness. “I think both of us know that better than most.”

Angel nodded. “Yeah, my exile would have been a lot harder without him around.” She perked up and turned to smile up at Skull. “By the way, I don’t think I’ve told you yet. My exile’s over. I am officially allowed back in Equestria. Living with Sparkle-butt and everything.”

“That’s good to hear. How has it been there?” he asked genially.

“Pretty good,” Angel replied. “Sunny and I are teaching Starlight combat magic for when I inevitably get called back to fight some dragon coven or another, but Equestria proper is as peaceful as it gets.” She sighed and glared back out at the howling blizzard. “Now if only Sun-butt would stop giving me the death-glare every time she sees me.”

“Can’t say I don’t get the feeling. All the ponies who were present at my trial did about the same thing,” Skull began. He frowned. “...Two of the Elements in particular.” He sighed. “Likely lovers of two of the people I hurt back then.” He lowered his gaze to the snow beneath him. “...I guess it’s just a good thing that some of the regular visitors to the Hall are nice. Like Ditzy, or Fancy Pants.”

Angel chuckled. “Yeah, I don’t think those two have it in them to be mean in any universe. But now you’ve got me curious. I know Fluttershy still probably hasn’t forgiven you, but who’s the other one?”

Skull grunted. “Some bitch named Rainbow Dash. Keeps trying to spy on me when I’m training recruits at the hall.”

Angel winced. “Yeesh. Yeah, her anger burns long and hot. Mine still hasn’t fully forgiven me for killing Tirek, even after I told her how many ponies he’d slaughtered. And AJ,” she chuckled, “well, I guess we’re good now. But man, her punishment for keeping Equestria in the dark for so long was something fierce. A full whalloping, and I wasn’t allowed to kill myself for a month.” She shook her head. “Anyway, give RD time. If you show your loyalty to Equestria, to anything really, she’ll at least respect you.” She sighed, frowning. “Fluttershy, though, that’ll be tough. Have you had any luck with bringing Discord back? Or any idea why your spell doesn’t work on him?”

Skull shook his head. “Not a clue, and I’m not sure I should try again until the ponies hear about it. Otherwise they’d label me a necromancer before Discord could even get back up.” He looked to the starry sky above them. “That’s the other problem with the spell. It only restores a quarter of your health after resurrection.”

“So he’d come back emaciated and weak,” Angel said, nodding. “Yeah, that could be a problem. Were you at least able to get Somnambula back in the air? What about Flash and Rockhoof?”

“Yeah, Somnambula is okay now, and Rockhoof is up and about. Flash…” Skull paused for a moment. “...He didn’t have any physical wounds, only mental trauma. Apparently the shield I broke was really special to him, or something. I don’t know.”

“Oof,” Angel said, wincing. “Yeah, that was a pretty freaking important artifact.” She thought for a moment before hesitantly saying, “I might be able to fix it, or recreate it if it’s too shattered. I’m sure my Flash wouldn’t mind letting me scan his, and Twi should be able to enchant a new one with whatever spells it has.” She grinned over at Skull. “Heck, that’d probably earn you some major brownie points with RD, too.”

Skull said nothing for a moment. “...It’s not exactly with the ponies anymore. The Pillars, or whatever they’re called, left pretty soon after I disabled their best fighters. His shield is probably still in that old barn, unless a monster picked it up already.”

Angel shrugged. “New shield it is. I’d usually be wary of asking somepony modern to enchant with ancient, outdated spells, but Twi will probably love it. I can already hear her squealing about ‘historical accuracy’ or some crap. I’ll send it over once we’ve got it forged and enchanted.”

Skull chuckled. “I appreciate the help, Angel.” He said with a smile. “As thanks, how about I teach you how to play?” He offered, gesturing to his guitar.

Angel hesitated for a moment. I could just program the ability in like I did with the piano, but… “Sure,” she said, smiling up at him. “Why not?” Skull gained a giant grin.

“Sweet!” He pulled the guitar off of himself, then handed it to her.

Angel set the guitar in her lap, grabbing the neck with one hand and placing the other against the strings the way she’d seen countless times on her laptop. She looked at her fingers and smirked. “Working hands,” she muttered, chuckling a bit. “From what I’ve heard, having calluses already there is going to help a lot.” She looked up at Skull. “So, what now?”

“Well,” He got up and sat behind her, grabbing her hands gently. “Let’s start with how to strum the strings, first.” He carefully grabbed one of her hands and had her clasp her index and thumb together, then ran them down the strings. “Just use the nail of your index finger to strum the strings, and move your wrist first, then your arm.”

Angel nodded, giving it a few strums. “Okay. Seems pretty simple.” She smirked over her shoulder at him. “Oh, I see what this really is. You just want to have a cute teen in her underwear sitting on your lap, don’t you?” She winked. “You could have just asked.”

Skull blushed, before gaining a playful growl and moving his strong hands to her hips and pulling her towards him. “Well, I’m fine with it if you are. Who wouldn’t want a radiantly pretty angel like you in their lap?”

Angel stiffened, her head whipping forward again to hide her luminescent blush. Don’t crack. Don’t crack. Don’t crack. “W-well,” she said, her voice cracking. DAMN IT! “Good. Good to know.” She cleared her throat and focused on her hands. “Now, where were we?”

Skull leaned down so his head was resting on her shoulder, but he kept his hands on her hips. Even squeezed them a bit. “Well, now we start to learn the names of the strings.” He began. “For starters, lift your hands to the top string. That’s the E string.” He smirked at her. “I like to give each string a name to memorize them. So, for E, why not have it stand for, ‘Everything I need?’”

Angel did as he instructed, facing determinedly forward and refusing to show any reaction. I’m going to get you for this, she fumed silently. I know exactly what you’re doing. There will come a day of reckoning, and I will ensure that it comes before the entire Canterlot elite! She glared out into the snow, a determined smirk creeping onto her face. But for now…

“I don’t know,” Angel said, trying to sound disinterested. “Doesn’t really stick in my mind.” She hummed to herself, pretending to consider the matter. “How about, ‘E’ for ‘Erotica?’ That should be nice and sticky. I mean,” she held back a snicker, “that should stick pretty well.”

Skull, to her surprise, didn’t really seem to react, only hum in thought and lower his hands a bit on her hips. “Well, whatever works for my perfect angel.”

“Good.” Angel scowled. Oh, your face is as red as it’s ever been, I just know it! “What’s next?”

“Well, next string is A. It’s just below E. I’d recommend the word ‘Angel’, for it,” He smirked and kissed her cheek. “It’s the word I’ve been using since we hooked up.”

WHY IS HE SO GOOD AT THIS?! “Anal it is,” Angel replied, plucking the string and trying to ignore the increased heat in one particular cheek. “Next?” Skull’s smirk grew at this.

“Well, since you seem to like Anal so much, for this next one, which is ‘D’, why not…” He huskily whispered in her ear. “...Dangerous beauty?”

“I’ll rip off your gonads and shove them down your throat!”

Skull blinked a few times, pulling back a bit. “...Was that just another example of your soldier humor, or are you actually uncomfortable right now?” He asked, a bit of nervousness in his tone.

“What are you talking about?” Angel giggled cutely as she turned her head, her eyes closed and a sweet, innocent smile on her face. “I just said that that was a wonderful choice, but we can probably just stick with the first word.” She giggled again and turned back around. “And the last two?”

“Uh, three actually,” Skull continued, staring down at her with mild confusion written over his face. “G, B, and E again. All in descending order.”

“I see,” Angel said, her tone still sweet. “Gigantic, Beastly, and Enormous. You know, for your… muscles. Hee hee.” Skull gave her a look.

“...Yeah, nice try, Angel, but that won’t work this time,” he replied. He pulled her a bit tighter to himself. “Now, what are you really trying to say?”

“What do you mean?” Angel asked, her tone slowly growing mischievous. “I meant exactly what I said. After all,” she turned back to him, her smirk back in full force, “with how tight you’re holding me in your lap, I can feel your... “ she ground her hips a bit, “muscles quite easily.” Skull’s face flushed a deep crimson at her movements, and Angel felt something grow beneath her. She could practically feel the heat of his body go up a notch or two, before Skull immediately scrambled to move out from under her, stammering apologies the whole time. Angel just burst out laughing, standing up and tossing the guitar back to him.

“Well, that was certainly a fun time,” she said, sauntering back to the hut. “But I’d better turn in. Nighty night.” Skull was thus left to his own devices in the cold, still bearing a red face.

The next morning Skull once more found himself being held like a muscled teddy bear by Angel. And, after what happened the previous night, he wasn’t certain what to do besides stay there until she woke up. He sighed as he looked around, but gained a massive blush as he noted she was snuggling him in her undies again, and they were facing each other, allowing him to feel her soft spots. Skull simply tried to remain still and calm his fastly beating heart, though it was hard with how much she was squishing against him.

Don’t look down, don’t look down, don’t look down-! He looked down and promptly lost it, face a beaming, bright cherry red.

The universe being as cruel as it was, that was the exact moment that Angel’s eyes snapped open. She blinked, looking between Skull’s burning face and her own scantily clad body. She rolled her eyes, climbing out of bed as she let out a massive yawn and walked out to the main room. “Ugh, men. OY! SUNNY! STAR! UP AND AT ‘EM!”

Skull slowly followed, still wearing his blush as he tried to look anywhere but at Angel. From the main area of the cabin he heard the sounds of three females beginning to awaken.

“Come on, Starlight. If you don’t get up now, she’ll force you up.”

“Mph,” Starlight grunted, unintelligibly.

“You really wouldn’t. She’s been known to traumatize zebras into permanent insomnia with her waking tactics before. Now get up.”

“Mph.”

“Yeah, and she’s made other dictators wet the ground where they stood. You really think you can handle her?”

“Mph.”

“What does your father have to do with this?”

“Mph mrphl mph.”

“...Yeesh. No wonder you’ve never introduced him to us.”

“UP, GLIMMER!”

“Am I interrupting something?” Skull asked as he walked over after getting out of his bed, curiosity written on his face.

Angel sighed, massaging the bridge of her nose. “Not really. Just not used to dealing with civilians.” She reached down and ripped Starlight’s blankets off, causing the mare in question to curl up even tighter. “Come on, Glim Glam. Celestia ain’t holdin’ the sun back for nopony.”

“Maybe I should try to do it for her,” Starlight grumbled, finally cracking her eyes open. “Just what sort of otherworldly hour do you call this?”

Angel raised an eyebrow. “Morning.”

“Blech. Mornings are evil.”

“Eh,” Skull said dismissively. “I can’t say I know the feeling. Never had trouble with mornings.” He walked over to the kitchen, grabbing some food from the icebox near it.

“Yeah, I haven’t had a problem in years,” Angel agreed. “Then again, a military schedule will do that to you. So, what’s for-” She stopped, her face growing serious as she held a hand up to her ear. “Go.”

Starlight’s ears perked up immediately. “Spot? I didn’t know he could make contact even way out here.”

Angel spared Starlight a brief nod before she went back to listening. Her face soon relaxed again, and eventually a smile split her face. “That’s great! Who?” A moment passed in silence before she groaned and rolled her eyes. “Ugh. Of course it would be him. Should have guessed. Alright, I’ll come and get him. Out.” She lowered her hand and turned to Skull. “I have to go for just a minute. I’ll be right back.”

Skull blinked a few times. “Oh, uh, okay. Take your time. I’ll be making breakfast in the meanwhile.” He said, setting about doing just that.

Angel nodded and cleared her throat. “Teleport: Long Range: Beacon: Designation - Castle of Friendship.” She vanished in a flash of light, and Starlight turned to Sunset, eyebrow raised.

“Any idea what that’s about?” she asked.

“Could be several things,” Sunset replied, shrugging, “but most of them would have had her scowling or putting on her kill-grin. I’m honestly not sure what she’s out for.” She turned her attention to Skull, a lewd grin creeping onto her face. “So, did you treat our precious Angel well last night?”

Skull blushed a deep crimson, but tried to focus on his task. “I-I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he replied, not looking their way.

“Oh come now,” Starlight said, her expression shifting to match Sunset’s. “I’ve heard from Angel what ‘sleeping together’ means for you humans, and Sunny here has first-hoof experience. Besides, she seemed rather happy with you at the Gala.”

“Indeed,” Sunset said, nodding solemnly, an act that contrasted sharply with her grin. “I was half expecting Princess Heart-Flanks to ‘port right in there and marry you two on the spot. Are you really telling me that after all that dancing, all that drinking, and aaaaaaaaaall that snuggling and snogging, nothing came of it last night?”

“By which we mean,” Starlight giggled, “nothing came last night?”

Skull blushed more. “Wh-What? No, nothing happened at all!” He tried to focus on cooking some eggs, though it was hard as he thought of everything he and Angel had done recently. “I mean, yeah, she’s… Well, she’s got a heavenly beauty to her, but I’m not going to just rush into things when we only cemented the relationship last night.”

“Hm, that’s a shame.” Skull heard the familiar sound of a laptop’s keys being pressed. “Because damn, that’s a cute body.”

“Oh,” Starlight’s voice sounded. “So that’s what she looks like underneath. But why does she have pictures of herself like this on here?”

“Oh, these aren’t actually her,” Sunset replied. “Remember that she looks like this girl from the TV show. These are just what other humans drew based off of that character.”

“I see,” Starlight said. “That’s kind of… oh wow. I think even she would blush if she saw this.”

“Pretty sure she isn’t quite that flexible,” Sunset agreed.

“Wh-What on Earth are you two-” Skull began, before turning and catching a glimpse of the pictures on the laptop. He froze, face flushing a rose red that went up to his ears.

Starlight giggled at his reaction. “Oh my gosh, she’s right! It is so much cuter when humans blush.”

A flash of light cut off further conversation as Angel appeared back in the room, a black figure at her side. “Here we are,” she said. “This is Skull’s... “ She trailed off, staring between Skull’s red face and her laptop. She arched an eyebrow, her own cheeks coloring slightly. “Um, guys? Why are you looking at Angel Beats porn?” Her head tilted sideways as she stared at the screen. “And… why am I paired with Goku?”

Skull spun around immediately, burying himself in making food while the mares started laughing. “Don’t know! Too busy cooking! So much cooking here! Nothing else!”

“Wow,” said a voice by Angel’s side, deep and cynical with a slight reverberation. “I don’t even have to taste your emotions to tell how bad you’ve got it for her.”

“Can it, Thorax,” Angel grunted before clearing her throat. “Skull, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.” She gestured down at the black-chittined equine standing next to her. “This is Thorax of the Badlands Changeling Hive. Thorax, Skull.”

Skull turned to the Changeling with a seemingly unhealthy grin. “Great! Want some meat? Here!” He shoved a plate into the Changeling’s hooves. He then turned to Angel. “Sausages for my lady!” He pushed another plate into Angel’s hands, then swiftly moved back to the kitchen. “Starlight, Sunset, got any preferences?”

Thorax sniffed the air before answering for them. “Sunny’s good for whatever, and the other one wants anything that isn’t what you’ve served so far.” He sniffed the air again and smirked at Angel. “And I’m pretty sure the Boss here want’s a different kind of sausage from you.”

Angel facepalmed. “Damn it, Thorax. Can you go without for a minute? Ever?”

Thorax chuckled, taking his plate over to Sunset and giving it to her. “All part of my charm, Boss. And don’t bother fixing me anything else, lover-boy!” he called to Skull as he headed for the door. “I got plenty of food the second I entered. Mmm, spicy, spicy lust.” With one final cackle, he flung the door open and stepped out into the snow.

Angel sighed, walking over to her laptop and closing it. “Sorry about him, Skull,” she said. “He isn’t usually that bad, but I caught him in a mood. Apparently, another changeling challenged him for the hive just yesterday, and the resulting duel was… very one-sided. He’s been riding that high ever since.”

Skull simply nodded. “It’s uh… It’s fine, I don’t mind,” he said. Meanwhile, his head still swam with what Thorax had said. Lust? For me? She wouldn’t actually have any for me, right? We’ve only been officially together a day!

Skull immersed himself in his task, flipping some pancakes expertly with a frying pan while he pondered on things. Angel watched him for a moment before sighing. “You’re letting what he said get to you, aren’t you?” she asked. Skull blinked, pausing in his work.

“Huh?” he began. “Oh, no, not really. Just… Thinking about how to go about training the recruits later.”

“U-huh,” Angel replied, unconvinced. She rolled her eyes and glared over at Starlight and Sunset. “And just why were you looking at porn of my character again?”

“To be fair,” Sunset replied, “all I typed was ‘angel beats naked.’ I didn’t expect to see anyone else involved.”

“Besides,” Starlight said, waving her off, “it was just a bit of teasing. You’ve done just as bad to him.”

Angel and Sunset shared a look before resolving to leave that lecture for a later date. “Still,” Sunset said, “I guess we did go a little overboard.” She shivered and glared out the door where Thorax had gone. “I mean, if the four of us together was enough to fill him completely…”

“Uhhh…what? Four?” Skull turned to them, placing more plates down in front of Sunset and Starlight. He seemed to have recovered thanks to the new growing confusion of Sunset’s statement. “Why would there be four? Wouldn’t it just be… Ya know, me and Angel?” He blushed a bit again at those words, but quickly shook it off.

Sunset smirked and raised an eyebrow. “Come on, Skull. Starlight may not be into humans like the three of us are, but do you seriously think the four of us could watch two minotaurs going at it without feeling something? Sex is sex, and sex is hot.”

“I get that much, but who is the lust directed at? I mean, is it just you guys seeing those pics making you… Ya know, that way, or is it something else?” He asked, walking back over to the kitchen to make his meal.

Angel chuckled, shaking her head. “I’ve learned a lot of things about emotions from Spot, Skull. One thing I learned is that emotion, especially something as simple and base as lust, isn’t always directed at any particular thing. Just ask any animal in heat who or what they’re lusting after.” She turned her attention back to Sunset. “Though I’m sure that one of us was thinking of a certain purple alicorn.”

Sunset hummed to herself, a far-away look in her eyes. “Oh yeah. Especially since you and her are the same kind of cute. I’d love to see Twi-Twi in a sailor suit or a maid outfit.”

“AND we’re officially beyond what I’m comfortable with!” Starlight said, her cheeks turning pink. “Sunny, please remember that I also have to live with her.”

“Yeeah, I’m just uh… going to finish cooking here, and then head out. I’d rather not be involved in this talk anymore,” Skull said as he seasoned some of the scrambled eggs and then went about cooking a meaty thigh.

“Agreed,” Angel said, laying down on the floor and staring up at the ceiling. “By the way, how do you feel about having a roommate?” Skull blinked a few times.

“Roommate?” He echoed. “Where did that come from?”

“I was thinking about it when the girls and I first got here,” Angel explained. “Thing’s’ll get annoying if I keep skipping years while you get months. But while I’m here, Spot and I are able to maintain real-time communication, which means our two worlds’ flows of time must line up. I figured if I left someone from my world here, especially someone I could communicate with, then our worlds would stay in sync.”

Skull hummed in thought as he finished cooking his meal, blowing on the steaming hot food before taking a bite and swallowing. “Well, it does sound like a good idea. Who are you suggesting? That Thorax guy?”

“That’s right.” Everyone looked over as Thorax walked back inside, kicking the door shut behind him. He shivered a bit, dumping a bit of snow from his back. “Man, that cold is killer.”

“But based on what Angel said, don’t you have a Hive to run?” Skull queried.

Thorax raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. So?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to be there in person to run it?” Skull continued.

Thorax rolled his eyes. “Why would being there or not make a difference? It’s not like-” He cut himself off, his eyes glazing over a bit. He held still for a moment, muttering under his breath a few times. After a couple more minutes, he nodded and his eyes refocused. “Sorry. Signs of an Ursa in the area. What were we talking about?”

“Ummm… How it’d be better if you were present to rule your nation, or Hive or whatever?” Skull said, arching a brow in slight confusion.

“Right, that.” Thorax rolled his eyes. “It’s not like one changeling makes that much of a difference in a fight, and I can get someone else to speak and hear for me if someone outside the hive needs me for something. Honestly, I’m happy to get away from sitting on my butt all day.”

“Huh,” Skull stared at Thorax for a bit, before grunting and shrugging. “Well, alright then. But if you’re staying here, you’ll be pulling your own weight, got it?”

Thorax scoffed, grabbing Angel’s plate from the table. “What do you take me for, a slouch? Before Chrysalis fell, I was one of the best guards in the hive. You going to eat these?” Angel shook her head and Thorax tossed them into his mouth, swallowing them whole. “Hm, pretty good. Needs a little more fear and a little less wrath, but good.” He let out a loud belch and tossed the plate back onto the table. “So, what kind of weight are we talking? Patroles? Espionage? Training? Foalnapping?”

Skull blinked a few times. “Man, you weren’t kidding, Angel. Your world is screwed,” He shook his head. “Anyway, no. You’d be managing the brewery and keeping the monsters around the mountain away.”

Thorax considered that for a moment. “Huh. Monsters I can handle. But what’s a…” He trailed off again and nodded after a minute. “Oh. Got it. Yeah, I’ve got a couple of guys who used to do that sort of thing. Sounds easy.”

“You’ll do fine,” Angel replied before turning to Skull. “And for the record, that list of skills is pretty universal for changelings throughout the multiverse. Comes with the territory for shape-shifting emotivores.”

Skull hummed, taking another bite of his food before swallowing and replying. “Well, alright then. But Thorax, I have a question for you before I allow this.”

“Shoot.”

“Can you reliably cut or smash something harder than diamond and tougher than titanium, coupled with insane speed and power, like being able to control the weather?” Skull pressed, eyes narrowing as he placed his plate down. “What would you do if you saw a monster that melted other beings onto itself simply to shore up it’s defense?”

Thorax shrugged. “I’d find out what eats it, and turn into that.” Skull grunted.

“Yeah, good luck with that. There is no predator above that one,” Skull muttered. He shook his head. “Well, at least you have resolve. That’ll have to do. Still, I’m going to have to test you, so at some point I’m taking you to the Arena.”

Thorax shrugged again. “Whatever you say, Dude-Boss. Though if worst comes to worst, I could always just turn into you.”

Skull grunted, facepalming. “Yup. Shoulda figured that.” He sighed. “I can tell I’m going to have to train you as well. Not as much as my recruits, but still.” He gestured to Angel. “She’s the only one I honestly believe could beat a regular monster. But we haven’t gotten to the biggest bads yet. The Dragon Quest variants.”

“I wouldn’t write Thorax off that easily,” Angel said. “His specialty is large and dangerous creatures. He’s even taken down a few dragons single-hoofedly by turning into…” She frowned and turned to him. “What did you call that thing again?”

“Tatzelwurm,” Thorax replied, grinning. “And those dragons tasted delicious.” He turned his grin to Skull. “Makes me wish I was better at partial transformations; good food tastes even better when you’re tasting it with three tongues.”

“Mm. Well, since you seem so sure of yourself, I’ll allow this. Just one final rule,” Skull’s face shifted into one of stern stone, his eyes blazing with intense golden light. “If you see a giant, green T-Rex with rippling muscles and a huge underbite covered in teeth. Don’t. Fucking. Attack. And never turn into it.”

Thorax raised an eyebrow and turned to Angel. “Giant bi-pedal lizard with a huge head and small arms. It’s full name translates to ‘King Tyrant,’ I think.”

“Got it,” Thorax replied, nodding. “So if I see it, go snow.” He shrugged, turning his attention back to Skull. “Sounds simple enough. When do I start?”

“Well, that depends on a few things,” Skull began, looking to the clock briefly. “Today is supposed to be when we bring the recruits to the Arena, so it would also be a good idea to have you join them.” He looked to Angel. “However, I don’t know how much longer you ladies can stay away from home.”

Angel sighed. “Not a lot longer, I’m afraid. Sunset and I at least have to be back today, and Twi probably wouldn’t be too happy with me leaving Starlight here.” She smiled at him. “But hey, with Thorax here, at least we don’t have to worry about years passing for one while days pass for another.”

Skull smiled as well. “Yeah, that’s true,” He said, before he gained an idea. “Oh, that reminds me…” He looked to the others around him. “Uh, do you guys mind going to the brewery for a sec? I need to talk to Angel.”

Sunset and Starlight nodded and made their way to the side room. Thorax rolled his eyes but eventually followed them as well. Once the door was closed, Angel turned to Skull. “So, what’s up?”

Skull blushed a bit, rubbing the back of his head nervously. “Weell…” He walked over to the red chest, and then told her, “Close your eyes, please.”

Angel did so, letting a small smile onto her face. Jeeze, presents already?

After getting what he needed from the chest, he walked up behind her, and then she felt him wrap something warm and fuzzy around her, then grab something on the ends of the covering and snap something in place around her chest. He then pulled away.

“Alright, open your eyes,” he told her. She did so and looked down, finding two clasps made of dark red metal holding a cloak of deep purple fur around her body. It had a firm, almost burlap-like inner lining, and it gave her a feeling of pleasant warmth throughout her body. “What do you think?” He asked her.

Angel smiled up at him, leaning forward and giving him a quick kiss. “It’s wonderful.”

He gained an almost goofy grin. “Heh, I try,” He said, before adding, “It also functions as a new Token, one just for you. You can talk to me anytime with it on, and vice versa.”

“Beautiful and functional?” Angel asked, fluttering her eyelashes at him as she stepped back. “You sure know how to shop for a girl.” She did a quick spin, letting the edges of the cloak fly up a bit. “So? How do I look?”

Skull’s grin grew. “Like an Angel straight from Heaven,” he said, walking over to her and locking lips with her in a deep, passionate kiss.

“Aaaaaaaw.”

“Ugh. You two are horrible at stealth.”

Angel and Skull pulled away from each other to find three equines watching them, two of them enraptured by the moment and the other licking his lips. Skull frowned a bit.

“You three really can’t help yourselves, can you?” he deadpanned.

“Hey!” Thorax pointed his hoof accusingly at him. “If you’re serving snacks in here, I’m not going to just sit on my flanks in the next room. Besides,” he nodded his head at Starlight and Sunset, “you wouldn’t have even known I was here if it weren’t for these two.”

“I can’t help it!” Starlight squealed, completely unashamed. “The two of you are just so cute together!”

“Besides,” Sunset added, her horn flashing periodically, “with all the grief and teasing Angel gives me and Twi-Twi, I figure I need to work double-time while I’m here to gather material to get her back with.”

“You know, there’s a few words we humans have for things like this,” Skull began, eyes narrowing. “They would be, ‘respect for privacy.’”

“Forget it, Skull,” Angel said, rolling her eyes. “Privacy is a foreign concept for ponies, especially mares.”

Skull sighed seeming to mull things over for a bit. Just when someone was about to ask what was going through his head, he grunted and spoke, “Well, in that case, screw it. If you guys want a show, you’ll get a show.” He then turned his head back to Angel locked lips with her more fiercely than before, like a hungry predator. Angel’s eyes went wide for a moment before she relaxed, wrapping her arms around him and moaning into the kiss. Sunset and Starlight giggled while Thorax hurriedly wiped away a bit of drool.

Angel pulled away after almost a full minute, breathing heavily and blushing just as much. “W-wow. What’s gotten into you?”

Skull chuckled, leaning forward and resting his forehead against hers. “I had some spiritual guidance from an old relative, is all. You guys staying over for a week helped me get over some of my old misgivings about how I show my affection.” He chuckled again. “Still getting used to waking up with you half-naked, though.”

Angel shrugged. “Well, hopefully you’ll be able to…” She trailed off, her face going blank. “An… old relative?”

Skull pulled back a bit, nodding slowly. “Yeah, my grandfather. I guess he was just trying to tell me to suck it up and go through with my ideas.” He smiled. “I’m glad it worked out, because if it hadn’t, we wouldn’t be together.”

Angel was silent for a moment. She turned slightly, staring off into space. “...your grandfather? The one whose picture you have up in the attic? The one who’s dead?”

Skull nodded again. “Yeah, I thought it was crazy too,” he said. He frowned, noticing her look. “Are you okay? You look… Well, like you’ve seen a ghost yourself.”

“...” Angel turned her back to Skull. “...I wish.” She took a deep breath, though Skull could hear the tremble in it. “Sunset. Starlight. Why don’t you two head back first? You both know how to latch onto my beacons, right?”

Sunset slowly nodded. “Um, yeah. Sure thing, Angel.” She nudged Starlight gently. “Let’s go.”

“Wait, what?” Starlight looked from Angel to Sunset and back. “What’s going on? Why-”

“I’ll explain later,” Sunset said, casting a worried look Angel’s direction. “Let’s go. Now.”

After one last confused glance, Starlight nodded. Her and Sunset’s horns lit up and they vanished in a bright flash.

“Thorax,” Angel said.

“Already gone,” Thorax replied, walking back into the brewery. “Can’t stand the taste of rage.”

Skull turned to Angel, more than a little worry tinging his voice. “Angel? What’s wrong? Did I say something to upset you?”

Angel shook her head, walking towards the door. “It’s not you,” she muttered. “It’s… let me get this out first. I don’t think I can talk reasonably about this until I do.” She opened the door and stepped out into the cold, closing it behind her. Skull was left standing alone, confused about what she meant.

And then he heard the scream.

Pure agony and rage rent the air outside, shaking the walls of the cabin. A loud gust hitting one side and a dwindling in the scream’s volume told Skull that Angel had launched herself skyward. Skull ran outside, bursting through the door in time to see Angel, high in the air, shift her legs into what looked like a pair of rockets. The twin engines lit up and Angel hurled herself through the sky. She was soon nothing but a distant flame, hurtling towards a nearby mountain peek. Skull thought he heard something being shouted before Angel, and the top of the mountain, were consumed in a massive conflagration. It wasn’t quite to scale with Angel’s display from when she’d first arrived, but it was close.

“Angel…” Skull breathed, watching with rapt attention and worry.

Angel trudged up the mountainside about an hour later, her head bowed low. If she noticed Skull waiting for her, she didn’t show it. She walked past him into the cabin and sat down at the table, staring at its surface. Skull shot her a worried look, before walking in as well and over to the icebox after closing the front door. He shot a look to her, then returned his gaze to the icebox, rummaging around.

“You want some cider? I managed to snag a few over the month that we were apart,” he asked. Angel said nothing. He grabbed two bottles and brought them over, placing one in front of Angel as he took a seat across from her.

“...I believe in God.” Skull blinked a few times at her words.

“...Is that it? Because I kinda doubt you’d go on a rampage of sorts just because of that,” he said, quirking a brow.

“I always did,” Angel continued, ignoring him and still staring at the table. “Raised into it, you know? My mom was a women’s leader in hers, but my dad hopped from church to church, taking whatever he thought was right. I kind of followed after him, but Mom still taught me a lot. We had a lot of discussions about all of it.” She was silent for almost a minute. “And then I met the Merchant.”

Skull frowned, but let her continue.

“There’s something that people call a ‘conscience.’ Something that tells you right from wrong. Philosophers and theologians have argued for millenia about whether it’s something innate or something divine. My mom believed the latter; my dad, the former. After winding up in Equestria… I can confirm that it’s a little of both. Tell me, Skull,” she looked up, her eyes dead and weary, “when you pray, is there anyone listening on the other end? Do you feel the presence of some kind, wise power lending His ear?”

Skull paused for a moment, mulling it over. He looked to his clasped hands that rested on the table for an even longer moment. “...Much as it was hard to believe and keep faith over the four years I’ve been here, yes.” Skull leaned back a bit in his own chair, looking to the ceiling. “My dad had always tried to instill the words of God into me, and my grandfather even more so.” Skull sighed, still looking at the ceiling. “...They were strict, but not as much as others. Either way, it was hard growing up with such an air of tension around, and with my grandfather becoming my guardian at the age of six…” Skull frowned. “Yeah, let’s just say it was hard the first few years.” He gained a sad smile. “He’d always say ‘Stop playing with that! Sword’s aren’t toys!’ or ‘Don’t abuse the bible dammit!’” Skull chuckled. “In the end, he became the best friend I’ve had, weird as it sounds. After he died… Well, I questioned things. But God helped me through it all. He showed me the light that I needed to get through the day.”

Angel watched Skull as he spoke, her expression never changing. Her eyes eventually wandered over to a wall, staring out at nothing. “I’ve known for a while that not all of the Displaced come from the same Earth, but you just confirmed it. You say you’ve felt a presence over these last four years?” Her eyes met Skull’s again, twin graves beneath the rain. “It’s been almost twelve years since I felt anything like that.” Her eyes went back to the wall. “Not that I haven’t tried. When I realized I felt different, that I didn’t feel so bad when I finally got a solid hit in on Spot, that all I could do when the Mane Six wrecked their first GGG was laugh, when I realized I could kill without hating myself for it…” She sighed, shaking her head. “Well, I realized a long time ago that the God I knew wasn’t the god of Equestria. When the Merchant ripped me from Earth, from that universe, he ripped me away from Him, too. So to hear you say that you still have that connection, that bond…” Angel trailed off, her words run out.

“...So you’re jealous, then,” Skull surmised, frown deepening.

Angel chuckled, the first sign of emotion since she’d returned. “Heh, what was your first clue? The scream, or the new crater?” Her small smile faded. “I guess I am. Not that I resent you. I’d never wish for you to lose that connection. I’d never wish that on anyone. But… you remember what I said at the Gala? About happy endings?”

Skull nodded. “Yeah. You said you didn’t deserve one.”

Angel nodded. “Which makes it rather fitting that I won’t get one. Even if I ever did die, and stayed dead, what would happen to me? Heaven doesn't exist in my Equestria. Hell doesn’t exist. Purgatory doesn’t exist. Even Tartarus isn’t actually an afterlife, despite what some of the fan-fics say. And each race has its own beliefs regarding the afterlife, each one apparently bound for a different place. So where would a human go? The Eternal Fields? Avalon? The Hall of Ancestors? The Highest of Heights? Even the dragons claim to know of an eternal reward. But me?” Her eyes met Skull’s, a small, broken smile on her face. “Is it just oblivion, Skull? Is it just nothingness waiting for me? Even if I don’t ever really die, Equis will die eventually. The world will be gone when the sun explodes, and I’ll be left in the dark void of space. What then? Do I wander through the eternal cold, dying and dying and dying again until I crash-land on a planet that can sustain life? Do I watch civilization rise and fall on another world until it dies as well?” Angel looked down at the table, her shoulders shaking, her fists clenched. “The Void Dwellers robbed us all of our lives, but they robbed me of my Eternity, too.”

Skull stared at Angel for the longest time, an unknown light in his eyes. He made to open his mouth, several times in fact, before eventually he finally spoke. “...Well, you wouldn’t be alone in that, at least.” When she looked up to him, she saw him giving her a sad smile, his eyes, the gold tinted windows to his soul, told of how broken he was as well. “Remember the Effluvium? They eat decomposed matter, but we have a symbiotic relationship, so what do you think they do when I can’t feed them fresh meat?”

Angel shrugged. “I guess it would start to consume you?” she ventured.

Skull sighed. “Sort of. What they do is eat the dying and aging cells in my body. Basically, they keep me from aging at all, turning the decomposed cells into new cells as replacements.” Skull glanced to his hearth and the flames within. “...And with my status as a Half Monster, there’s no telling how long I would have lived anyhow without the Effluvium. Especially since Silver Wolves, the monster I can turn into, are said to be immortal…”

“At least you’ve got an out.” Angel took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her eyes. “They may call it ‘the coward’s way,’ but I don’t think that sentiment applies to immortals.”

Skull sighed. “My point is, it’s likely I’ll be around as long as you, so in short, you won’t be alone. Not if I can help it.”

Angel sat in silence, staring at the table and tracing patterns in the grain. “...why would you offer that to me?” she whispered. “All things considered, we barely know each other. One day a few years ago, and a week now. So why… why would you pledge eternity?”

Skull smiled sadly and gently placed a hand on Angel’s roving one. “Because I have no one else I trust, and because I like you. A lot.” His smile grew. “‘Sides, even if we weren’t a thing now, you’d still be my friend, and I’d still pledge eternity. I don’t leave friends in the dust.”

Angel chuckled, looking up at him. Her eyes had regained some of their light. “Kind of wish Rainbow had been here to see this. You would have won her over just now for sure.”

Skull smiled. “I care more about winning you over.” He winked at her.

Angel giggled, pulling her hand away from his. “You don’t have to try hard to do that.” She sighed, gazing off into the distance. “Guess it’s about time for me to head back. Sunny will be getting worried, and I’ll need Twi to get a start on that shield.”

Skull nodded, standing up from the chair. He slowly walked over to her and gently turned her face to meet his, then gave her a final, deep, parting kiss, which she tenderly returned. She eventually pulled away, standing up and backing away from him, smiling sadly.

“I guess I’ll see you soon,” she said.

He nodded. “Yeah. Stay safe, Angel. I’ll be waiting ‘till our next meeting.”

Angel nodded and closed her eyes. “Teleport: Long Range: Beacon: Designation - Castle of Friendship.” And in a flash, she was gone.

Author's Note

EDIT: Opening theme is here!

Well, this is where Skull and Angel's relationship is finally cemented, so I hope it was good for you all. I certainly enjoyed the hell out of writing it! Also, sorry for how long it took to write this and the previous chapter, I spent a long time going over most of the more obvious mistakes in this chapter, so, yeah, time consuming stuff. Couple that with my job and frequently bad timed family matters, and you get a long wait for updates.

Anyways, thank you all so much for reading. I honestly didn't think this story would be that good, but it seems to be doing well enough.

Have a good one, my lovelies!

-Timeless Celestial

??? - Dear Hunter: Blood or Water?

Author's Note

WARNING! It's best to read this in Dark mode!

Is it back? Well no duh! Admittedly it will still be a while until the next arc is finally fucking out, but hey, major plot points had to be tweaked, ya know? Thankfully not redone, though. That woulda been a fucking nightmare.

Regardless, hope you all enjoy this little teaser!

-Timeless

??? - Dear Hunter: Blood or Water?

You have mistaken

The stars reflected in the pond at night

For the sky.

You have mistaken

Blood

For water.

I don't know where I was. I remembered falling asleep while staring up at the moonlit sky, and then...here. An endless expanse of extremely shallow water.

Above me was the same sky, still, but the moon was gone, and chimes, harps, and eerie droning filled it's airs, a solitary star of blue outshining all others. Below me was fire, screams, and blood. And within both were two heartbeats, so loud yet so calm that I knew they weren't mine. For a moment I thought this had something to do with my faith, with Heaven and Hell, God and the Devil.

But when that incandescent blue star somehow gained a feral, growling, fanged maw, and I looked down to see the flames gain an abhorrent eye-mouth that licked itself... I knew it wasn't God or the Devil.

But what it was I didn't know.

I tried to run, but while I didn't fall through the water, I didn't go anywhere either. I needed to find somewhere to hunker down, to form a plan, but there was nothing here. Only fear, water, flames, and the eeriness of the sky above. I soon realized something else.

I couldn't hear my own heart.

The two mouths spoke as I doubled my speed.

"You seek..." The Stars began, echoing with voices more numerous than any stars in any sky.

"You hunt..." The Flames accompanied, sounding as if it came from beneath the earth.

"But you neither find..."

"Nor catch..."

My blood turned to ice at their next, combined words.

"That which you could never obtain."

Gritting my teeth and shaking myself back into composure, I stopped running, trying to look for something, anything I could use to help me in this situation.

"You have mistaken," The Flames continued, seeming to chortle, the action causing the water to heat up.

"The stars reflected in the pond at night," The Stars added, taking on a chiding, almost castrating tone, causing the air around me to chill.

"For the sky." The Flames licked their eyelid/lips audibly.

"You have mistaken," The Stars started to growl, eliciting a wind like that of a blizzard, forcing me to hug myself for the warmth that was being stolen.

"Blood," The Flames barked, as if amused, causing the water to ripple, boil, and hiss with heat, forcing me to hop from toe to toe for the calm that was taken.

"For Water." The Stars snapped, and suddenly, my mind felt like it was pierced with an icy-hot spear, and blackness took me.

I woke up sweating in the snow, gasping for breath as I shot up from the ground, holding my pounding heart. I looked around hastily, trying to stay alert, to see if anything had somehow managed to make it up the mountain and reach into my head.

Nothing.

Shooting to my feet, I shifted my shape, and searched the perimeter of my house thoroughly. No new scents. No new tracks. Only the smells that had been left after Angel departed, and while I was in the house last.

I shifted back, my heart stilling it's rapid thumping and my mind calming as I took a breath. "Just a dream..." I said with relief as I walked back into my home. "Next time I'll make sure to sleep inside..." I vowed as I closed my door behind me.

I didn't notice the far eastern mountain range briefly gleam red. I didn't notice a single, saphire star twinkle just a bit more brightly.

And I could never shake the fear that dream gave me after that night. The fear of being Hunted again.

1 - Enter The Cursebringer: Into The Cold (Edited)

Monsters ravage Equus.

Beasts among Beasts destroy cities.

Purest of Monsters destroy, pillage, deceive, and kill by the score.

And Misunderstood flood the outer wilds, trying to survive.

A Cursebringer, marked by a pure white Skull, stands strong in the white.

Curses are brought to all.

Princess Celestia and Luna looked out upon the land that they had come to rule, although Celestia was more focused on the north. During the years following the Crystal Empire's return, Cadance and Shining Armor had told them of a creature that their subjects called, 'Skull, The Cursebringer'. It had plagued their lands ever since the Old King was destroyed, leaving the bodies of wild animals behind. All of those animals were either missing horns, hides, or, even more repulsing, bones and organs. Yet, the Diarchs, despite being troubled with the prospect, at the time, were not able to act. During the years proceeding the Empire's return, they had to deal with many old threats. Tirek, Starlight Glimmer, Queen Chrysalis and her revenge, The Pony of Shadows, all of them diverting their attention away from what was likely a threat just as great as they.

Especially since they now had proof that the creature had enacted a curse. A curse, of monsters. Monsters none had ever seen before, who easily tore through any defense or force they put up. It was clear to them what they had to do. They needed to stop the curse at it's source. Thus it was that Celestia summoned the Pillars. Sadly, Twilight and her friends had their hooves full with another task she had set for them, that of keeping the populace calm, and thus she had to bring the Pillars away from their travels and homes. It was not something she wanted to do, but times had forced her hoof.

"Sister, look at the bright side, at the very least the Pillars are more experienced with these kinds of threats. Surely our old teacher can break the curse with a simple spell," Luna assured her sister, looking worriedly upon the tall ivory mare, but bearing a smile nonetheless, even if it was forced.

"I know, Luna, but I worry still. Sombra was no regular pony, he was an Umbrum, naturally in tune with the dark arts, not to mention able to rival our master in magical might. I worry that this creature may just befuddle him, or have simply left to places beyond our reach so that it's work can continue," Celestia replied, staring out to the north with a deep frown on her muzzle. Luna placed a wing on her withers.

"Tia, while the creature has eluded many of the Crystal Guard, this is the Pillars. We both know they have seen more in their collective lifetimes than any of our guards, much less Shining Armor's. Have faith in them," she persuaded, shooting her sister a reassuring smile. Celestia sighed, lowering her head.

"I do. I just...worry," Celestia replied, before finally turning to her starry-maned sister. Luna's smile grew mischievous.

"Well, maybe some cake will help with that," she joked. Celestia's muzzle scrunched up as she gave her sister a disapproving look. "Oh come on, like cake hasn't helped take your mind off things before." Celestia grunted.

A knock on the study's doors brought their attention to the entrance of the room. They looked to each other, before stepping away from the balcony and into the room.

"Come in," Luna told those on the other side of the door. The doors open, and six familiar ponies walk in.

One is the mass of muscle, Rockhoof, his orange mane, beard, and tail accentuating his northern heritage. His famous shovel, his artifact, rests on his back.

One is the once beautiful Mistmane, now looking like a withered mare with a long, curved horn and flowing sea-green mane.

One is Flash Magnus, still bearing the armor of the Royal Pegasus Legion he left so long ago. His shield, Netitus, rests on his back.

Another is the Pegasus Somnambula, wearing a headdress reminiscent of Egyptian styled headdresses.

Yet another is the mare Mage Meadowbrook who bears her artifact, a healer's mask, flipped up and resting below her cherry-red mane.

And finally is the oh so legendary Star Swirl the Bearded, famous beard, cloak, and bell-topped wizard hat all just screaming his position as a master mage and spell caster. He strokes his beard as the guards close the doors.

"So, my old students, what's this about a new threat to the kingdom?" he asks.

Celestia manages a smile, and gestures to the cushions laid out on the floor around a large table. "Please, sit. This is a long tale, and it's better to share it with some tea." They all nod and sit down, though Rockhoof refrains from drinking or even touching his cup of tea.

"Tell us, what new evil do we face?" Somnambula asks, eyes inquisitive.

"Yes, well, I suppose we should start with it's creator, King Sombra..." Luna began.

"That is quite a story. I'm glad to hear the fiend is gone," Starswirl remarks, taking a sip of his tea.

"Yes, but the fact that he had enough power left before his end to summon a creature so mighty on it's own..." Mistmane began.

"...Is frightening beyond belief," Meadowbrook finishes for her. Celestia and Luna nod.

"We know very little about it as well. All we do know is that it bears armor the likes of which none have seen, and a skull without any skin or fur on it, much less organs at all. On top of that, it can cast curses and is cunning enough to evade detection," Celestia explains, looking into the murky liquid of her cup.

"And if the way you've said it leaves bodies of mangled animals in its wake, it likes to taunt, as well, unless it is using them for food. But I doubt anypony would go ripping off horns and fangs for food," Star Swirl mused, placing his teacup down to stroke his beard.

"What do you want us to do?" Rockhoof asks the Princesses, looking to them. The two diarchs share a look, before turning back to the assembled ponies.

"...We want you to find it, and end it and it's curse," Celestia told them firmly, face the sternest of stone. The Pillar's looks harden.

"..." they look at each other, seeming to have a silent conversation, before they all stand up and look to the Princesses.

"...We'll do it, if it means keeping our home safe," Mistmane states.

The Princesses let out a sigh of relief, before smiling.

"Thank you. We'll get a personal train ready to bring you to the Frozen North," Celestia tells them.

"...Train?" they all ask simultaneously, tilting their heads.

The Pillars step off the Princesses personal train, the Starlight Express, with a collective groan. Star Swirl cracks his back with a loud grunt. "Urgh, remind me to never ride one of those things again. Too much pain in my aging bones for it."

"I sympathize with you there, my friend," Mistmane says with a groan as she rubs her back. Flash Magnus chuckles as he steps off the train.

"Oh come on, that was fun!" he argues.

"I liked it," Meadowbrook agrees.

"I honestly prefer walking on my own hooves," Rockhoof commented, shooting the retreating train a small glare.

"You and me both, dear friend," Star Swirl agreed. Somnambula just giggled. Star Swirl looked about the train station, a little glad that nopony was around, since he did not fancy having a stampede of fans on him. "Right, well, according to Luna, the creature tends to stay near Mount Everhoof, so, let's head there first."

The others nodded, and they all stepped off the platform onto the cold, hard packed snow, and into the snowy plains, towards the tallest mountain in the world. They were unaware of a large, silver-furred wolf watching from atop a hill further away.

Author's Note

EDIT: Looking for a new song for the opening, since the last one is gone now, sadly. For now, the link will be removed.

EDIT: FINALLY found a good opening theme!

Well, I hope you all enjoyed this one, took all night to develop this, and most of this morning, hehe. (I got a bite too excited, now I can't sleep :twilightsheepish: ) I really enjoyed writing this, and I think I'll continue to, what with my plans for this story.

Here's to hoping you all stick around.

Thanks for reading.

-Timeless Celestial

EDIT: Is this better? If not, can somebody just tell me where I made errors? I can't improve without knowing what I did wrong, friends. I'm assuming it's mostly the beginning of the chapter, but I can't say I have a clue as to how to fix it in it's entirety besides making it more descriptive and less talky. Even then, it's hard to come up with the right words. I'm putting my neck out here, guys, help an aspiring writer out.