It was near sunset on Canterlot. But those who were kept in the lowest part of the dungeons never knew the time of day or night. As they had no windows to look out. Shatter Shield sat in his cell, stripped of his armor and anything else that wasn’t simple clothing. Two thestral guards knock on his cell and open it before chaining him up and escorting him to the interrogation room. They forcibly pushed him in the chair and walked out, And in came Zemrite and Divine Shield. They both stared at Shatter who had an expression of defiance upon his face. Once the door was closed and the thestrals left. Zemrite walked over to the table and places his hands on it as he leaned forward. The dim light only showing a portion of his face which made his eyes glow menacingly. Divine stayed closer to the light and crossed his arms as he watched carefully and quietly.

“So, I have you all to myself down here. The princesses will have no idea what’s going on. So that means I can get the information out of you how I damn well, please. And I will get what I need from you. One way or the other. That includes getting to your wife if I have to. And you know I will do it.”

“You leave her out of this you bastard…”

Zemrite smiles a wicked smile and chuckles.

“Or what? Are you going to kill me? Hm? Are you going to make me pay for my transgressions and my dark wicked ways? I am giving you a choice right now. Either tell me what I need to know, and you live a few years or so in prison and reunite with your wife afterward. Or you continue to resist and risk your physical and mental health for some secret order who sees you as an expendable soldier and can recruit another fool to take your place. So then. Who is your true leader? And where are the other bases of operations in Equestria?”

He leans in closer and continues to smile that dark smile. Talking to Shatter in a rather mocking tone.

“Come on, you can do it. You don’t want your princess to be upset with you or her subjects that tried to kill the one being she wishes to spend her life with hmmm? After all., she almost turned you into a stain on the throne room floor.”

“Shatter growls lowly in anger and spits at Zemrite again. This time, however, After he wipes it off, he then grabs hold of Shatter’s head from the top and squeezes firmly to hold him still. Those bladed claws rubbing together as he lifts his hand up to Shatter’s eyes and chuckled again.

“I told you…”

With one swift motion, Zemrite jams his middle and index claws into Shatter’s left eyes. Shatter lets out a scream of pain that nearly echoed through the whole entire dungeon. The chair bounced and clanked against the floor as Shatter thrashed about in pain and anguish as Zemrite dug his claws all around in his eye and socket, eventually severing the nerves and the eye itself from its socket and pulling it out before flinging it to the floor. Shatter’s breathing was quick and groan of pain was heard throughout the room as Zemrite walked along the cobblestone floor, the blood dripping from his claws and falling onto the ground was the only other source of sound that could be heard.

“So, would you like to spit on me again and lose your other eye? Or will you finally start talking?”

As Divine watched this happen before him, he didn’t say anything. This was all part of the plan that he had been told about before this even began. Though with what he was watching, he did turn away from the bloody display that had just unfolded before him.

“I-if I told you...they’d hunt me and my family down and kill us..even my children…”

“Aaah yes, little Sun Stride and Ever Dusk. Your wife told me about them. Such sweet little fillies. What would they do if they never got to see their loving, devoted father ever again? Or they did get to see him, but at his funeral..being buried in a casket...never to see them again all because he chose to side with a zealot order rather than the kingdom that he had sworn to protect and serve?”

All was silent for the moment until there was a knock at the room’s door. A pony in dark leather armor and a deep hood over her head came in and extended a leathery glove out to Zemrite which held two small glass tubes of a toxic green glowing and purple and black liquid. She places them in Zemrite’s hand before bowing slightly.

“As you requested, Mentor.”

Zemrite closes his hand around the small tubes and nods to the hood mare.

“Thank you, I shall give you the results of both of these whenever I see you tomorrow with y0our new orders.”

“Yes, Sir.” She said as she placed a fist over her heart and walked out. Zemrite then lifts his sleeve up and places the purple and black filled tube into the slot with a couple of clicks and fastens it tight. He then approached Shatter once more who looked up at him in absolute fear.

“Now then, we can end this now, and get your family the protection they need from your order. Or I can further destroy your mind, and get the info I need from you by force.”

Shatter looked down at the ground and then back up to Zemrite.then closed his eyes tightly.

“Do your worst...there is nothing you can do to me that won’t be any worse than they could do….”

Have it your way then…”

The sharp needle extends from its hidden compartment in Zemrite’s arm mechanism and with one quick motion, the liquid is injected to the stallion's neck. And within the first few moments, the stallion starts thrashing and screaming again. But this time, it wasn't in pain. It was in fear and anguish.

“No! No not my family! No, Leave them alone!”

The visions that now plagued the stallion’s mind were grotesque and gore filled. One of his family being literally torn apart by wild wolves, and the other being dismembered by shadowy tendrils, their limbs being pulled off their body with sickening pops and tears, the screams of pain and crying out to their beloved father and husband to save them, and suddenly having their words cut short by being decapitated and their heads rolling to the ground at his hooves. Another vision forming of his wife being raped and tortured by Zemrite who had a more monstrous figure than he does now, a sharp toothy grin and dark purple glowing eyes having his way with his wife. And the form that he was in? Huis garou form. The large beast tearing her body apart inside and out with that massive canine member ravaging her to the point of death, her eyes rolling back and her last breath escaping as Zemrite pumps her full with his seed, her stomach swelling up and body going limp as she falls to the ground... And a low, loud canine laugh escaping Zemrite’s muzzle echoed through his mind.

As Shatter continued to scream and shout as he thrashed in the chair. Zemrite motions Divine Shield over to him. He simply nods and pushes down on his shoulder and pins him to the chair. Zemrite places a hand upon Shatter’s head and being to search his mind with a crystal ball that he had taken from his satchel and squeezed it slightly. This showed the owner’s desire for what was in the mind of the one they needed to search, but only if the mind was weakened. After this was done and he found what he was looking for. He takes out the empty tube from the mechanism and places the green one in. This looked like a poison, but it was more of a sedative and ended the process of what the last liquid was doing.. He injects it into Shatter’s neck and watches him calm down and fall flat onto the table.

“Wow….and to think, you really actually didn’t take his eye out either. And yet he felt the pain and saw you do it….”

“Yeah, it was a little something I had slipped into his water earlier. But it was tasteless and didn’t possess much of an oder. A little bit of magic and alchemic know-how can do wonders for such things like these. I will have the thestrals take him back to his cell and report my finding to the princesses tomorrow.”

Divine looks between Zemrite and Shatter before asking nervously.

“A-and his family…?”

“We must get them the best protection we can offer them. Knowing the order, they will hunt them down and try to dispose of them as punishment, even though I had to force his mind to weaken. Can i entrust you with that, Divine?”

The large stallion lets out a big sigh of relief and offers an assuring smile.

“Of course! I will make sure things are well taken care of!”

Zemritepats his shoulder and nods.

“Good man.”

He said as he made his way out of the room and back up to ground level. By this time, it was nightfall and it was almost dinner time. He was able to keep his word to his future brides it seems. On his way out back to the castle however, he got looks of concern and confusion as the screams from below were heard from out there as well. But he got what he needed, that’s all that mattered.

--The Royal Dining Hall--

Zemrite makes his way into the hall and takes a seat along with Celestia and Luna who smiled warmly at him. They made to that the cooking staff prepared his favorite for him and swayed their tails happily.

“Did you get what you needed from Shatter Shield, Zemrite..?”

Luna asked as she and her sister awaited an answer. Zemrite closes his eyes and nods quietly before taking a bite of his food before speaking.

“I did. But I had to do it in a way that I hope you never ever see me do. Let’s just say...I had to weaken his mind for a short while before getting what I needed. I will share the information I acquired when we get together again tomorrow. And I have asked that Divine Shield acquires round the clock protection for his family. Though he did not divulge willingly, they know he has been captured, and will go after his wife and foals for good measure.”

“What...exactly did you do to him…?”

Asked Celestia with a rather concerned gaze towards her lover. Zemrite reached over to her and gently caressed her cheek and offered her a warm smile.

“As I said, leave that to those who are more qualified. But if it helps you feel better, he will be fine in a couple of days. He will just be suffering from a bit of mental trauma. But it’s nothing that isn’t easily recovered from. Just know I got what we needed.”

As they ate dinner and Celestia got ready to retire for the night. He spent a few hours with Luna, keeping ehr company and loving on her until she had to go and get her royal night duties done which involved Night Court and chasing off nightmares from the dreams of ponies. Once Zemrite was all alone, he made his way out into the Eastern Courtyard of the castle and into the small labyrinth. Once he made his way to a certain spot, he stopped in his tracks and didn’t even turn his head to see the approaching shadows that were creeping upon him. Several figures slowly rose up from inside them cloaked in black leather armor and hoods, their horns noticeably standing out from the holes at the top of their hoods. These were his shadow crawlers. Unlike his shadow runners who were earth ponies who were excellent at traversing building and other structures, these were simply information gatherers and spies. And he had taught these unicorns his own shadowmancing techniques.

“You have news to report?”

One of the hooded figures nodded and spoke in a rather alluring fem fatale voice.

“Yes, Mentor. We have already noticed unusual activity within the city with several new ponies that have never been seen in the town before asking about Shatter Shield and his family. Some are claiming to be relatives while others may be impersonating a doctor coming to see their private practiced patient.”

Zemrite nodded to the mare and another pony spoke, this time it was a deep but posh-accented voice from them

“And as for his family, it seems that they are being taken care of by the royal guard. But we have also dispatched a few of the runners and flyers to add more eyes. After all, the royal guard isn’t exactly...diligent in their duties when it comes to keeping their eyes out.”

Zemrite laughed a little at the pony’s retort against the royal guard. The only noise that could be heard other than that was the night wind that blew through their cloaks.

“Now now, be nice to them. They are at least good for being defense and offense for those of us that linger in the shadows. They function in the light while we function in the dark. It’s mutual respect. I am just surprised that the princesses..especially Celestia allowed me to throw our little subdivision together.”

“Yes, Mentor. If you ask me, something like thi is needed in every kingdom. And the things you have taught us all. This ‘shadowmancing’ magic and the martial arts that comes with the combat style you have demonstrated...it’s quite something.”

A smaller figure approaches Zemrite from his left. They were small and petite, perfect for their occupation. They look up at him with glowing blue eyes and a sharp toothy smile. What was off about their horn was that it was smooth and curved and obsidian black. She looks up at him with admiration.

“Mentor...I wanted you to know that I have also gone to the location that you had told me to scout out. It seems that that base is no longer occupied. It looked like they have used a form of explosives to demolish the entrance and have completely abandoned it. But I found this map that apparently shows every location they might have.”

The little form reaches out her clawed hands, her arm revealing holes within it. Zemrite smiles and reaches up to lightly pat her on the head, the figure letting out a small playful hiss mixed with a giggle.

“You have done well, Syllica. I am very, very proud of you. You certainly have made your abilities quite useful to us, and the whole division agrees with my assessments about you.”

“Well, you saved my life, Mentor. It would be rather rude of me if I didn’t pledge mine to yours.”

“How are you doing on love? Everything remaining stable?”

She gave a nod and a reassuring smile to him.

“Mhm! I will be sure to let you know when I need more.”

He nodded and ruffles her hood again before nodding to everyone there. He takes the map and slides it in his cloak and nods to them all.

“Very good, you are all dismissed. Keep up the good work and report back to me tomorrow night. May the shadows grant you peace.”

“Yes, Mentor!”

They all said in unison before disappearing back into shadow and vanishing. Zemrite then makes his way to the royal chambers where Celestia was slumbering. It was time he joined her for some personal one on one time with his sun princess.

Author's Note

Yeah, I got a lot more going on with Zemrite than both of the royal sister know... :p

May the darkness grant you peace.