Prologue
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The Mark of Duty

Prologue

I was one with the flow of battle. My chainsword let out a roar as I met the incubus in front of me. His blade snaked towards me and I swatted it aside with my gauntlet before my blade rushed into his midsection. I revved the sword, sending a spray of viscera and gore over my green armor. I pushed through, sending unspeakable gore in all directions as I separated the daemons torso from his legs. I let out a battle roar as the few foes before I stepped back. The war surrounding me was finally winding down, our victory assured. I stepped forward, my heavy armor causing tremors as I advanced. "BOW DAEMONS!! FOR I AM CRUCIUS MARX, CHAMPION OF THE TERRAN ELMS!!!" I pointed my bolt pistol in my off hand and blew the head off one of the rippers in front of me. "FLEE TO YOUR HOMES, AND TELL YOUR FAMILIES THAT THIS REALM IS UNDER MY EYES!!"

That broke them. They began tripping over themselves as they rushed through the open gates of Tartarus. The steel mouth of hell overflowing as demons rushed through, trampling one another to get through to the relative safety of Hell itself. I smiled under my helmet. "THAT'S RIGHT! FLEE, MY TREE DOES NOT BEND BEFORE YOUR PALTRY WIND!" I fired a salvo of shots into the retreating horde, making flowers of gore explode from the group. I watched as the horde began to disappear and raised my sword to point at the horde. I raised my opposite hand above my head and let out the only cry that could herald such a great victory.

"WWWWWWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYY!!!"

Before I relaxed my stance I saw nothing but the rainbow. I sighed as I felt myself freeze in place. At least I was in a kick-ass pose. The stone cracked into place around me, and the apologetic face of Celestia appeared in front of me. She raised a hoof to my beak. "Although we doubt it is worth much to thou. We are sorry." If I had the ability, I would have spit on her. Instead, I silently grumbled my fate. Damn betrayal cliches.

***

I sighed as the recording ended. Being trapped in stone sucked, but luckily my helmet somehow still worked in its granite prison. I checked on the outside world. The Canterlot gardens were, as always, beautiful. It was night time, the soft embers in the torches nearby alerting me to the hour being late enough for it to have looped around back to being early. I looked for any of the critters that seemed to nest near me. I carefully avoided looking up, since the damnable birds might decide to give me a very unpleasant shower. While the critters were absent, I wasn't alone. A small yellow unicorn was walking up, slowly moving between the hedges to reach my secluded little area of the gardens. Her hair looked like fire, and her eyes were downcast as she walked directly towards my plinth. She paused at my feet and looked me over. 'Take a picture kid, it'll last longer'

She took a deep breath and began speaking. "I know it's crazy to talk to some weird statue, but I need advice." I perked at this. Not many knew of 'Duty' locked away in the corner of the gardens. Even fewer would come for advice. 'Then speak child. Know that duty holds no judgment.' She looked up at me. "I'm stuck. Celestia showed me a mirror that she said could show the future, and I saw myself." She looked to her back. "With wings."

Ah, that would explain the issue. Ascending was rare, and I had only heard of two doing it with their sanity and lives intact. One does not explode twice without several issues. The unicorn looked up to me. "So now I'm stuck. Celestia put her hoof down on me researching ways to ascend. She even barred me from the Royal Archives to stop me. So I'm stuck... Do I have a duty to Celestia, or is it to me? What should I do when my dreams pull me from the fate I've known my whole life."

'Your duty is to what you say it is child.' She paused. I stared as she looked up to me with confusion in her eyes. I smiled wide. This was it, my chance at freedom. I began trying to move, feeling stone give way to my augmented muscles. 'You have a duty to yourself. To be the best you can be. With strength, you can protect others, attack those who mean you harm and stand against all who would strike at you.' The stone began crumbling as my grin turned predatory. 'and your duty never ends. Because... The stone fell away as I shifted into a normal standing position. I crossed my blade across my chest piece. "Only in death, does duty end."

The unicorn stared at me in fear as I looked her over. I was trying to see if I knew her. After a moment, I clapped my hands. "Ah, young Sunset Shimmer. Personal student of Princess Celestia, willful prodigy who would set fire to the world for that which she cares about." I crouched down as her fear multiplied by my knowledge of her. "One who gladly meddles in the unknown in order to gain knowledge and power. I believe you just freed me."

She stared at horror from the plinth to me as I patted her on the head. "For that, you have my thanks." I holstered my weapons and gave a respectful Roman salute across my chest. "I am Crucius Marx, champion of the Terran Elms. And for your service, I am in your debt. So sit, we shall debate the merits of your duties." I slowly took a knee, which was the closest I could get to sitting in full armor.

She planted her flank in the ground like a flag. "U-uh. I just wanted to know what to do since Celestia stopped me from my research."

I looked at her for a moment before reaching up to my head. With a hiss I removed my helmet, allowing my close-cropped blonde hair to breathe for the first time in millennia. I ran a gauntlet over my head. "Ah, the oldest question. Which duty is more important? Duty to self, or duty to the nation?" I paused. "I will admit that I have no love for Celestia, but the way I see it you may not have to split your duties as you have." She looked at me, and I saw the flames of curiosity spark behind her eyes. "If you find the path to ascension you will be strong enough to help Equestria. If you survive anyways." I rolled my hand as I continued. "But if you stay here you have maintained the status quo. And that is a double-edged sword. Never to advance or retreat. An endless stalemate of your inner ideals." I stroked my chin as I thought about this. "Though I may be biased, I believe you should approach this problem directly. Talk to Celestia about your doubts, and tell her you demand an actual reason. If she is so callous with your loyalty as to deny you, then she has no need of you."

Sunset flinched at that but nodded. "That sounds alright. If all else fails I was able to smuggle one book out of the archives." She pulled an old tome out of her bag and opened it up. I looked over it before scoffing. "Warpcraft, I have neither the skill or inclination to learn such arts." I looked back at her. "Explain if you would." I smiled. "With small words, please."

She nodded, but her ears perked at my mention of Warpcraft. "Basically the mirror is a portal. With the spell listed in this book, I could activate it." She paused. "But then it would be on forever, every thirty moons it would activate for three days, then repeat on that cycle until it either broke, or the connection was fully stabilized."

I nodded. "A gateway, I have heard of such things. In my experience, they are mostly safe methods of transport."

She paused. "Mostly?"

I grimaced. "The creatures that created the gateways were less than hospitable. They could flay the flesh from your bone with almost no effort." I absentmindedly rubbed a gouge on the side of my armor. "One resided in Tartarus, and if he is like the rest of his kind he still lives there."

Sunset nodded slowly. "Well, this one was made by a pony. It leads to a variant of our universe, but all the text from Starswirls trip there are lost."

I nodded. I was trying to remember the movie Equestria Girls but was drawing a blank. Damnit, I had only seen it once. Pirating it when it came out and deciding it was okay. Now that lack of knowledge might bite me right in my ceramite covered ass. But I knew one thing, it had humans. I would kill for that, so my only choice was clear. "Then I assume it safe. Celestia would have hidden it away if it was dangerous." I gestured her to leave. "Go and speak, and if you decide to venture into the portal come by here again. I will rest here until dawn. If the Omnissiah wills it, you shall not need me again." She nodded and ran off, while I slipped my helmet back on.

While she went to talk to the almighty Sunflank I had a few moments to ready myself for what might end up being a very long trip. I began cycling through menus my helmet provided, activating the locators on my weapons. They were scattered around the planet, with only one in the castle. I sighed and used the plinth to support my massive weight. "Of course she scattered all my gear, have to fill every cliche possible." I grumbled and closed my eyes. I couldn't afford to sleep here, but rest was needed. I shut myself down, tuning out most of my senses and allowing time to wash over me. A simple skill I learned back when I was normal but was still useful even now.

While I rested, I planned. If my weapons were in good enough shape to use, I could probably fix them. Apparently, part of whatever deal I had struck was getting some knowledge of Mechanicus secrets shoved in my head. Not that I was complaining. I sighed as I thought back to my now-distant past.

***

"Dude, are you really going as a freaking Lumberjack-themed Space Marine?"

I flexed the plastic armor that swallowed me. "The Terran Elms are a respected chapter focused on life and rebirth through trees. Any and all references to lumberjacking are completely irrelevant and intentional."

Sam laughed and swatted my shoulder, rubbing against the crest on my shoulder. A simple tree growing tall on a planet of spires and gold. "That is the most ridiculous thing ever. I love it."

I smiled behind my helmet and idly checked the beak. My love of the Corvus helms was strong, plus being a 'Beaky' as it were was awesome. "Well come on, I bet I can make bank charging a buck for a photo op."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Of course your thinking of turning a profit here. You're still a two-bit thief at heart aren't you?"

I rolled my shoulder, causing my pauldrons to shift awkwardly. "What do you expect? Just cause you straightened me out doesn't make me some silly paragon of morality."

She rolled her eyes and adjusted her shirt before moving on. "I'm going to the Sailor Moon panel, don't die or anything."

I waved as she left, smiling at her exit. Before descending to the merchant floor of the convention. I was aching for a profit. Granted, I would spend it as I got it, but that was half the fun. I moved through the floor with everyone giving me a wide berth. I had a handmade melt-gun hooked to my back, and a chainsword sheathed at my side. The photo ops were profitable, and I found myself with a nice collection of money to spend however I saw fit. I paused by a stand that seemed to have fallen by the wayside. It had a collection of various replica's that piqued my interest. I saw Majora's Mask, a pokeball, and a few other goodies that I would definitely want. But then I saw her.

A Stalker-Pattern Bolter. It seemed to be based on the more archaic designs, with gold embossing and a magazine well shaped like a human skull. There was so much want in my body I thought I would lose my cool. I thumbed through my collection of bills. Through a few harmless pay raises as the photo ops got more commonplace I had a couple hundred bucks. I nodded to myself, that thing was MINE. I looked around the stand for the owner.

I found him melding into the shadows of the back, turned away from me as he moved a small blade onto a peg. He looked familiar, and after a moment I got it. The merchant from Resident Evil. Creepy bugger. I waved at him. "Hail, I see a fine purchase for my reliquary!"

He turned to look at me before letting out the merchant's signature chuckle. He was scary good at it. "Well hello, there stranger. I take it you're wanting my little piece of the Imperium up there?" God, even the voice was spot on.

I nodded my beak up and down. "Indeed. What's your price?"

He chuckled again. Seriously, I got chills at it. This guy deserved an award. "For a loyal Astartes like yourself, call it one-fifty."

Honestly, that was less than I was expecting. I thought I would have to duck into my personal funds to get it. I counted out the ungodly amount of ones and fives I had and passed them towards him. "Call it sold then my good trader."

He nodded before unhooking the bolter from the wall and looking it over. "She's a fine piece of work young Astartes. Take care of her, you hear?"

I raised my fist to my chest. "On my honor." Granted I normally wasn't this boisterous, but when you have a role like Space Marine, who could resist?

He nodded. "Well then stanger, enjoy your purchase. As well as all it entails." His eyes squinted in a smile as I scooped up the bolter. I was so excited by my purchase that I didn't notice as the sounds of the con faded. When I looked up from my purchase I found myself surrounded by darkness. "What the fuck?" And those were my last words as the darkness consumed me, leading me to a new life.

Reclamation
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The Mark of Duty

Reclamation

Sunset returned shortly after my musings on the past, out of breath and frazzled. I nodded towards her. "So the prodigal one returns. What news do you bring young one? Have your doubts been sated?"

She looked on the verge of tears and hiccuped. It seems that whatever talk she shared with Celestia went poorly. I crouched low and scooped her up in a big armored hug. She sobbed a little. "M-M-Mo-" She cut herself off, taking a few sobbing breaths as I lightly patted her on the back. "Princess Celestia said I was being foalish. She said that if I kept trying to research it I'd get banished! What'd I do to make her so mad at me?!?"

I lightly tapped her on the back some more. "Peace young mare. Your spirit has taken a blow, but now is not the time for grief. Now you plan." I sat her down on the soft grass of the gardens. She looked up at me with tear-stains marring her fiery fur. I flicked the tears from her face with an armored finger. "Tears are only meant for when the trials have passed. We must work on what you will do. Do you wish to risk everything to follow a dream, or allow your dream to flee, and stay as you are now?"

She sniffled once and thought hard. And then I saw something familiar. It was in my eyes when I looked into a mirror after a good scheme or a vicious battle. I saw her eyes harden, and the fires of will behind them turn into a blazing inferno. "Buck the princess. I'm gonna go through that mirror, and ascend. Then, when I'm an alicorn I'll trot right through the front gates and show her what I can be." She stood tall, not even bothering to wipe the remaining tears from her coat. I smiled under my helmet.

"That is the only option I could respect. Your duty to your ideals is far greater than your duty to any other." I stood beside her. "Then you will need a guide. One to defend you as you charge into the breach." I rested a hand on my bolt-pistol. "I humbly offer you my hand, if you'll have it."

She looked to me, skeptical. "What it would it cost me?"

I removed my helmet. "Nothing at all young one. Just maybe an hour of time as I retrieve one of my items from the castle."

She looked me over. "Alright, I help you with that, and you'll go with me. Deal?" She stuck out a hoof.

I gladly shook it. "Deal." I activated the marker for my bolter and looked at the distance marking. "It is a few hundred meters to the north, and fifty meters down."

Sunset thought on that for a moment before she slammed her hoof. "It's in the Princess' lab. I know it's empty right now, and I'm allowed inside. Just a few simple spells to hide you and we should be in and out quick as a flash." I smiled down at her and ruffled her mane. I was happy when she didn't flinch away, her fear dissolving to be replaced by her newfound determination. That was respectable, despite any errors she was destined to make on her path.

I nodded and reattached my helmet. "Very well, do your witchery. We shall work quickly and leave as thieves in the night. Until you may return in glory." Her horn glowed in a soft light as I looked over the path. She said nothing as she began walking forward, and I followed. I nearly paused as my foot set down as silently as the movement of a shadow. I could feel Sunset's smirk as I moved to follow her. For a witch, she was certainly clever.

We made it through the castle with almost no fuss. The guards avoided Sunset, which meant I never did something stupid. Like, walk into them. Or smash them underfoot. Both of those options seemed unlikely to go well. I busied myself by looking at the architecture. It was by far some of the most beautiful I had seen. Gold melded into marble so finely you couldn't see the paths they used, with no welds on the metal. Truly masterful work the likes of which I had never seen. I really didn't care. Being stuck in stone for a few spare millennia makes you a bit less awe-struck by the beautiful architecture. Especially when you've had to stare at it for way too long.

Sunset held he head high as she trod through the castle grounds. I was happy looking over the guards that patrolled nearby. My armors upgraded sensors could detect some level of spellwork bound into the golden armor they wore, but I was never adept at decoding what the readings meant. After all, a witch was a witch, The only thing you needed to know was where they were, and what adjustments to make on your scope. I looked down at Sunset Shimmer, before changing my mind. You needed to know that for most witches. Pony heretics weren't all bad.

It wasn't long before we reached our first destination. My marker for the bolter was on the other side of perhaps the plainest door I had seen in this castle. The readings from my helmet suggested an absolute frak-load of spells woven into the wooden door. The only ornamentation that graced the aged entry was a small mark at the top in the shape of Celestia's cutie-mark. Sunset barely paused, moving through the door as if it was a passage into her own room. As soon as I entered the room I had several notifications pop up all over my HUD. So much warpcraft had been worked into this room that it seemed swarmed in various energies. As I glanced through them I took note of the room. It was large and sanitary, many tables and desks sitting clean and filled with scientific tools. I began dismissing the warpcraft notifications and paused towards the end of the list. There was one reading I recognized. One that I don't think I'd ever forgotten. I glanced at where the reading was coming from and found only an empty corner of the room. I kept my eyes on it for a moment longer before Sunset spoke up. "I have to grab a few things of my own from my corner of the lab." She paused a moment. "And leave a note. M- Princess Celestia deserves that much."

I nodded and slowly tore my gaze away from the corner, following my marker to tell me where my Stalker-pattern was. I found a small locker in the corner. No spells graced the metal box, and a simple pull revealed my bolter, sitting calmly in place. I stared in horror. She was dirty. No. She was filthy. The remnants of warpcraft stank in the air around her, with various marks and etches defiling her. I wrenched her free from the stand she was on and rapidly moved to a cleared off table. I put her down and spoke to Sunset. "Young one, I need oil and incense. Quickly."

She looked ready to argue until she saw me doing preparations for a cleanse and repair ritual at my table. Either my tone of voice or simple curiosity powered her towards my request. I began the first chant the litany of repair that I needed. "01001111 01101101 01101110 01101001 01110011 01110011 01101001 01100001 01101000 00101100 00100000 01100010 01101100 01100101 01110011 01110011 00100000 01110100 01101000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01110111 01100101 01100001 01110000 01101111 01101110 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01110111 01100001 01110010" By the time I was done Sunset had delivered the oil and incense from somewhere in the lab. I didn't acknowledge her as I lit the incense and began the ritual.

Rituals like the cleansing and repair one are not timely things. I worked at the table for almost an hour. Slow movements and lost prayers guiding my hands as I pulled apart the bolter, gently placing oil in key locations. I was having to consecrate it myself, which was less than ideal. However I finished, reassembling my bolter with a smile. When I finished I dug into one of the storage compartments of my armor and pulled out a magazine. Checking the rounds sitting in it I smiled and loaded it. Five rounds in my baby. I chuckled as I looked down the scope, making sure all the optics were functional. "And now Amberly is back up." I tapped her happily and nodded at Sunset. "Thank you Sunset, I needed to get that done as quickly as possible."

Sunset was staring at my bolter in awe. I forgot for a moment that she was still from a world that didn't have such complex machinery. Being honest I didn't know how it worked, just how to keep it working. I was still angry about that. I had rough analogs of a few weapons made here, my bolt-pistol and Godwyn-pattern bolter prime examples. But even those were unknown, needing the skills of griffons, ponies, and sea-ponies to create. If I hadn't been able to make my own private force in the past the designs never would have seen the light of day. I sighed at the memory as Sunset blabbered something about her note and moved quickly about the room. I let my mind wander until we began leaving the room. And as we moved through the halls I let the memories wash over me.

***

I smiled at my squad. Brothers and sister in battle as they argued. Silverwing was holding up a trigger assembly. "Look Flash. This is the only setup that can get the damn thing to fire. You need to find some way to make the feeding system work with it."

Flash Bangs rolled his eyes. "Yes I heard you, you excitable fur-bird. But my feeder needs another centimeter of metal at the lip. You can just weld that on, no issue. And I can't add anything to this or else the whole rune assembly will fail."

A small splash turned everyone's attention to the stream nearby, as a bright green seapony popped out of the water. "Honestly you two, this is the whole reason I'm here. Pass me the bits, and someone pull Jack out of the forge, I'll need the barrel for this."

Flash sighed and floated the feeder to the seapony, before shaking his head, making his bright white mane ruffle against his murky yellow fur. "Got it Tsunami, but be careful. Last time you tried to meld them all together you nearly blew up our camp."

Tsunami shrugged as Silverwing moved his trigger assembly in front of her. He laid down in front of her, his dark brown coloring and speckled body making him hard to see in the grass and dirt. I smiled and looked back down to my own project. My chainsword was filthy, and I had taken a rag to it in hopes of cleaning it. Unfortunately, whatever the red liquid daemons had for blood was amazingly difficult to clean off. I took a small portion of minor acid from my alchemy kit and dabbed it on the sword. I had started with polish, it hadn't worked. "Well," I said, beginning to scrub down my well-used tool. "If she does blow us up at least we'll have excellent seating."

Silverwing moved his head in the way that showed he was rolling his eyes. "Well, then I got the best seat." He paused. "Mostly 'cause I'd prefer just to die quickly if Tsu's theory on her magic only affecting non-living material is wrong ."

I rolled my own eyes at this as water sloshed from their area. I saw the bright flash of Tsunami's magic, and a loud cheer. I looked and saw the cause of their cheer. Though it had no barrel or grip, a bolter sat on the ground. I smiled wide, taking off my helmet. "Well, folks. Looks like we struck gold.

A Sunny Stand-off
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The Mark of Duty

A Sunny Stand-off

I was snapped out of my reclamation by Sunset opening a large door beside us. She walked in and paused inside the door, looking as casual as possible while allowing me to walk in after her. The familiar warp reading was still active on my HUD, letting me know my suspicions were correct. Inside the room was dark, and my vision went into a green-tinted view for the low-light mode. I scanned it quickly. The room was bear, with the exception of a mirror in the corner. I didn't care that it was covered in cloth, I knew exactly what it looked like. I had searched for it before I got involved with the war. A way to somewhere close to home. I stayed silent as Sunset calmly removed the curtain. I checked the warp reading again and tried to nonchalantly keep my bolter on it.

Sunset ran her hoof around the edge of the edge of the mirror, pulling off the cloth covering in a smooth motion. Her horn glowed in a soft amber light. She pulled out the book from her saddlebags. She began flipping through the giant tome with a look of concentration while muttering under her breath. I watched as she channeled the warp, forcing it to bend to her will and arc into the mirror. The light from her spells lighting the nearly empty room in a ghastly light. I remained still, watching as the reflective surface of the mirror slowly shifted to a rippling pool. I watched in awe as Sunset slowly ceased her spell. She let out a huff of air and a vicious grin adorned her face. She turned to me with self-assured confidence. "So? Ready to go?"

I shook my head. "Not yet, I require a short time alone." I glanced at the mirror again. "I am not quite mentally prepared to go through that portal yet."

Sunset faltered, looking at me with caution. "Really? Duty itself is putting off his job?"

I shook my head. "No." I stood up keeping my bolter on the warp reading. "I know what lays on the other side of that mirror, and it is something that will be... difficult for me." I stroked the grip of my bolter. "I need to meditate on that. I shall be through shortly."I tilted my head towards Sunset. "Besides, getting used to your form across the portal will be embarrassing. Go now and I shall follow once you have regained your bearings."

She nodded once and moved to the portal. She paused before walking through the portal, casting a lone eye on my direction. "Hey, big guy. I'll give you ten, or else I'll have to come to check on you."

I nodded at her, a smile under my helmet. "Do not worry, I shall only be a moment." Sunset nodded and floated a small note from her saddlebags and tossed it on the floor. I watched as she moved through the portal directly afterward. I watched for a moment before raising my bolter at the anomaly. "Drop the spell witch." The was a quiet gasp from the corner, and I fought to keep a smirk off my face. "That's right, I can remember your foul stench witch. Just know the only reason your still breathing is that I know you'll come right back."

The spell dissolved before my eyes, and in front of me stood Princess Celestia, The Ever-Burning Sun. I managed to hold off on squeezing the trigger. I stared at her, rage burning cold inside my heart. I took a step towards the mirror. "You know you cannot stop me. So stay there, and I'll leave without making you disappear until high noon tomorrow."

She appeared to think before opening her mouth. A refreshing change from how she was when we fought side by side. She slowly sat down. "I understand your anger, but please. Speak with me for a while."

My rage turned hot for a moment. How dare she! After trapping me in stone, she has the unmitigated gall to ask me to speak to her. I paused, forcing my anger back into a cold smolder. Something I could control. Her death right now would be little more than an annoyance for her and would hurt the general populace of Equestria. While I had a massive font of rage, I could hold it until a few suitable replacements were here. I stayed my hand. "Speak witch. I have little time and places to be."

She gave a slow nod, retaining her regal air. "Of course. I know you have no reason to listen-" I had to restrain my trigger finger again. "But I wish to mend fences."

I looked at her with an open mouth. Mending fences? How do you mend a fence after imprisoning an innocent man for three thousand years? I wanted to explode at her, but it wouldn't solve anything. Plus it might bring guards down. Hopefully, I could jump through the mirror without a guard compliment. That would make my inevitable escape easier. Celestia seemed to pick up on my anger despite the heavy-duty mask between us. "But you deserve to at least hear my reasoning."

I postured towards her, barely pulling myself back from blasting her head into a fine mist. I let my rage guide my words. "You Dare?!" I took a step towards her, barely keeping my finger from tightening around the ceramite that stood between the solar ruler and death. "I called you sister! I would have died beside you with no regrets!" I threw my free hand to the side. My gauntlet cutting through the air like a knife. "And when we had succeeded you turned on me like an angry grot! I was trapped in stone, knowing my family was dying from the ravages of time while I sat in silence!"

My rage was nearly unbridled as I pulled off my helmet and locked it onto my waist. "Look at me! I have faced hordes of Daemons for you! Stood beside you as the legions of Tartarus charged your home! And what did I get for my service?" I narrowed my eyes. "A knife in the back, one that did more than trap me in stone." I took a few steps towards the mirror. "So speak quickly traitor, before I decide to cause an administrative issue come the morning."

She paused, before sighing. "It was a deal." I paused, allowing her to speak. "Before you arrived to help us banish him, Trazyn spoke to me. In exchange for him promising to never attack again, we had to imprison you." I stared at her and felt my rage lessen by an inch. "I never agreed, but before the final battle Luna and I spoke. We decided it was better to secure the future of the kingdom, even at the cost of a friend."

My rage, honed and sharpened by centuries in stone shrank, and then flared up again. My bolter was raised to my shoulder before I managed to stop it, but I couldn't contain the snarl that erupted from my throat. "You should have told me! I would have given my life for that price. But instead, you smacked me with your little rainbow cannon, and never considered my thoughts on the matter." I bit down my rage and lowered my bolter. "I'm leaving, to Starswirls little prison. Don't bother following me."

"WAIT!" She extended a hoof, and her horn glowed in that golden light.

My body reacted on auto-pilot. I moved my hand to a pouch on my chest, pulling out a small cog icon. I raised it above my head and let my voice ring out with pure faith. "DENY THE WITCH!" The glow of her horn was swallowed by a brighter, and more pronounced golden glow, swallowing her spell with my faith. I stared at her with unrestrained anger. "If you wish to stay on Equess for the night, you will not do that again."

She swallowed once, before biting her lip. "I know I have no room to ask for favors from you." I scoffed. That was the truth. She seemed to flinch from that. "But I have a request." I glared at her but didn't leave. Despite my hatred of Celestia, I would allow her to finish before denying her request. "Sunset Shimmer is..." She looked around the room, as if unsure of what to say. I was getting a clear picture of Celestia's relationship with Sunset from her reluctance and Sunset's own slips.

Celestia composed herself. "She is a very special filly. I know you wish to refuse me, but please, protect her."

I stared at the damnable sun-whorse in front of me. Before spitting at her feet. "Fine." I lowered my bolter and hooked it to my back. I was about to turn away, before I paused, and held up a lone finger. "But remember this. I am doing it because she has helped me. From this moment on, you are dead to me. I shall listen to only two princesses from this day forth. And only them. If you ever ask anything of me again, no force from Terra to the Warp will stay my hand from your throat."

I turned to leave, and as I stepped through the portal I heard her final whispered word. "Two?" And with that I left, leaving Equess to its fate.

Moving In and Moving On
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The Mark of Duty

Moving In and Moving On

Traveling through the portal was a trip. Like an actual drug trip. My old life may have been literal millennia ago, but I could remember certain key things. Like the fact that I may have tampered with several illicit substances in my past. And this portal felt like I had dropped acid and then gone through the 'It's A Small World After All' ride. Complete with music. I feel like it accurately portrayed hell. The end of the portal approached like an old train tunnel, and I could hear wind passing my armor as I reached it. In a glorious, terrifying moment the tunnel collapsed, I found myself stumbling from a sudden loss of inertia as I landed on solid ground. I paused as I recovered and saw my past. In front of me sat a city. Though I was in the midst of it, I could still hardly believe it. Buildings. Real. Human. Buildings. Ones that stood tall in front of me. I stared in awe at such a familiar sight. One that had turned alien from time alone.

I allowed myself a moment to soak it in. I knew, on some subconscious level, that this wasn't home. There was no ratty apartment with a stupid cat waiting on me. No Sam crashing on my couch because she stole my internet for a late night cram session before finals. And no Parole officer coming to check on me. But, it was close. After drinking in the city for a moment reflex kicked in. I looked over my hand... and paused. It was my hand. The lack of an armored gauntlet threw me before I remembered a detail from the movie. The portal changed whoever walked through it. I guess an advanced armored warrior was okay in Equestria but was a no-go here. I looked over myself quickly. I was in what was once a standard outfit for me, with a few additions. I was in a tan collared shirt, with cargo pants and black combat boots. The addition was a tan plate-carrier, with my bolt pistol hooked to my chest. From the weight on my back, I had to assume my bolter had stayed in place, and my chainsword was routed through a belt holster. I also had on a backpack, which I assume held all my toys for my various pouches. I nodded at it and ran my hand through my hair. I paused at the feeling of cold steel in my forehead. I tapped it experimentally.

Yep. That was a service stud. I had honestly forgotten about it. A small part of my cosplay turned real. Like the rest of my life. I remembered another quirk of my life and looked down. It was hard to tell through the pants and combat boot, but I could tell something I wished wasn't true was back. My left foot was gone. No fancy augmetic to strengthen it, just a prosthetic that made me look silly. I shrugged it off, turning my attention to finding Sunset. It barely took a moment to find the lone girl, crawling on all fours like an idiot. I smiled. "Sunset, in case you hadn't noticed, we're bipedal."

She paused a moment, before looking at me with a glare. "Thanks, couldn't have warned me beforehand though?"

I nodded, before offering her a hand up. "No, I wasn't completely sure where this would lead after all."

She let me hoist her up, before holding onto my arm for another moment. She released me a moment later, walking on shaky legs to appreciate our surroundings. Skyscrapers were visible in the soft light of dawn as I watched the sunrise with Sunset beside me. I put a hand on your shoulder. "This is the start of a long road young one, are you sure you can handle it?"

She flicked her shoulder, knocking my hand off. She turned and leveled an even glare at me. "I know I can, and just cause I helped you doesn't mean I trust you." She looked me up and down again, pausing at the service stud in my head. "Mostly because after getting here I now have about a million questions. All of which you could have answered before we left."

I responded while looking around the area. "Yes and no. I had an idea of what would happen if you went through the portal, but the future is an uncertain thing. Any being that claims to know for sure what will happen is either lying or trying to sell you something." I focused on the high school in front of me. "But yes, I was fairly sure this portal would lead to a land close to my actual home." I could feel another question rise as I moved my gaze to the street, and rose a finger to stall it. "But I was unsure, in the ineffable ways of time, it could have led somewhere different."

I sighed once I was content that the coast was clear. "I have seen a thousand futures. In some, all that is good in Equestria dies, and the bastion of light that rises will be extinguished like a candle in a storm, and in others, heroes rise to fight a darkness that is blacker than the void itself." I saw a bench nearby and moved to it. "I do not know what future this world holds young one, only that it follows the same theme as all others."

Sunset looked at me with her flat glare, but I could see the slight burn of wonder in her eyes. I waved toward the sun. "If you look to the sun, you see light." I then moved my hand to the shadows surrounding us. "But no matter how fast light travels, the darkness will be there first, and almost always swallow it all... eventually." I sat on the bench and leaned forward, keeping my backpack comfortably off the back. "And so I do the only thing I can. I rage." I raised a hand to the sun and clenched my fist over it. "I rage. I rage against the dying light and rise to fight all the thrice-damned daemons and witches who wish to further it. Because I have seen what happens when people fall to the dark. They begin to count everything in numbers, uncaring of the people who die to keep their meager lives going for even a second longer." I shrugged, brushing off all the thoughts I shared. "Or I did. Now I wish to have a few calm years of retirement without having to charge into battle for folk who might betray me. And you need someone who knows about this world. A perfect trade of abilities."

Sunset looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Really, all that faux-poetic crap and you end it with a retirement talk? For a second there I thought you were some badflank warrior poet or something."

I smiled at her. "I was. If Celestia kept my old works you could probably read all sorts of short poems or songs about the great war, or the loss of family. And at one point, an excellent sonnet on a small food shack in the ruins of Hamshire."

She stared at me in confusion. "So what changed? Cause, meaning no offense, but you've taken the quiet approach to most things for our grand escape. Minus the breaking of a few random pieces of pottery. And the humming." Her voice turned to growl there, and I couldn't contain the quick flash of laughter from bubbling up my throat.

"Of course young one. I have always been a man of action. Even if I have no foes in front of me I find something to do. Being stuck in stone was perhaps the worst fate that could have ever happened to me." I moved my backpack to my lap and opened it. Indeed, Various tools and icons were scattered around my pack. I pulled out the Cog of the Omnissiah and a piece of string. Tying everything together I fashioned a crude necklace and pulled it over my head. "But we are getting distracted. We need to come up with a plan."

My blood froze as a familiar voice chimed up behind me. "Well stranger. Think I got something that might interest yah."

I rose like the lightning itself. My pistol in my hand and pointed at the voice before the noise of my rise even registered in my ears. There sat the bastard who stole me. The sick puppetmaster who took me away from my life. The merchant. I moved my finger to the trigger.

And then, a second voice stopped me. "Geez pops, you really ticked this one off, huh?"

I paused and saw a young woman behind him. She was wearing a slim cloak, which hid her identity as well as the merchant's coat. She moved her thin hand up to her chin in thought, looking me up and down. The dawn light seemed to shine of her dark skin, and I thought I saw a thin smile from the depths of her cloak. I looked at her. "Indeed he did. Stealing one from home is likely to spark one's ire."

There was a dark chuckle from the merchant, but the girl nodded. "Well, we both know your pea-shooter there won't hurt him, so go ahead and lower it. I strike much nicer deals than the old man, so at least hear me out."

I groaned but chose to abide. "You make a fair point madam." I struck my chest with a fist, giving a quick Roman salute. "Crucius Marx, at your service."

She looked me up and down again, before dropping her hand. "I'm the Trader. Goods and services exchanged for goods and services." She quirked a thumb towards the Merchant. "And unlike pops over here, I normally give folk the full story of the trade." She paused for a moment. "Unless it's for something important. Sometimes folks need a push to get the help they need." I kept my eyes on her as she made what I presumed was eye-contact. "But enough on that. Seeing what you have on you, I have an offer you might be interested in."

I looked to Sunset, who was staring at the three of us in confusion. I gestured for her to stand beside me. I expected her to hang back honestly. Most scholars do not enjoy being shoved to the front lines. To her credit, she moved up to me with only a moment's hesitation. I turned my sight back to the trader. "Well then, speak your mind Trader. I promise to at least give it thought."

She nodded. "That is all I can ask." Her cloak ruffled with movement ass she pulled out an iron lockbox and placed it on the bench between us. "In this box is all the paperwork you need to get set up. Enough money for both of you to live comfortably for six months, including buying essentials as you get set up, and a lead for a job for you." She paused, before moving again, bringing out a small tablet from underneath her cloak. After consulting it for a moment, and pointedly ignoring a glare from her 'father' she continued. "And since I know what I'm asking for, I'll throw in a sweetener. I know someone in a similar situation as you. What with the whole ripped from reality nonsense. I can get her here for six months as well. She'll be covered if you accept, so your money will last just as long."

I looked at her and sighed. "So with all these great things on the line, I assume you want something small. My first born perhaps? Or maybe my memories of home?"

Trader let out a more genuine laugh at that. moving a hand under her cloak to wipe her eyes. "No, nothing so cliche. I like to get objects with something unique. And while I could find a million toys to play with, you are in possession of something special." She pointed to my bolt-pistol. "That little terror is something that is rare even in my circles. A weapon based on an alien design. Created by all the species of Equestria in a concentrated effort for one creature." My eyes flipped between her and the pistol rapidly, and I bit back my instant refusal. She held up her hands. "I know it's sentimental for you, that's why I threw in a friend with the physical stuff. Besides, you've got one made by the same folk back home." She rubbed the back of her head like she was embarrassed. "I don't think I could get a trade off the ground if you didn't have what amounted to a second mythically rare item tucked in your metaphorical back pocket."

I looked at Sunset and raised an eyebrow. Even if we just met, one doesn't make what amounts to a business deal without consulting a partner. She looked back to me, before shaking her head back and forth. I assumed that was an 'I dunno' and was suddenly on my own. I pulled the bolt pistol out of its holster and looked at it. It didn't have all the pretty inlays and etchings of my regular bolter, but it was still special. A memento of a family long dead. But... but this was all I'd need to set-up a new life for me and a lost child. While I'm fairly sure Jack wouldn't care, the rest of my old crew would probably string me up by my toenails if I said no. I let out a low whistle. "Fine. You have a deal Trader."

She nodded as I passed the bolt-pistol to her and turned to the merchant. "Thanks for the lift pops."

He nodded and then nodded to me. I was surprised when he actually talked to me. "For what it's worth stranger, I tried to make sure you ended up in a place you'd enjoy. You aren't the only one who had their life changed from what the envisioned."

I was dumbstruck as they both walked off. And when I blinked, they were gone. There was a pause as I tried to process that before I mentally filed it into the same file as dealing with seaponies. It even has a special name. Weird mystic shit. This file is different from weird magic bullshit, as it is both strange, and doesn't touch the warp. As I said, weird. I shook it off and walked up to the box. Opening it up I found a manilla envelope. Popping it open was a large stack of bills. I nodded and placed it back in the box. There was a second envelope that was smaller, popping it open I found a glorious stack of papers. Immigration papers that claimed asylum. I smiled at my driver's license, which was happily M-class. I hadn't gotten to rip through streets faster than safety or common sense would allow in too long.

I turned to Sunset and pulled out a photo id. It stated she was sixteen, so happily I could probably begin teaching her to drive soon. Good to get her nice and independent. I looked her over while she stared at where the two strangers had disappeared to. "Well young one, it seems the wheels of fate have given us a boon." I pulled my backpack back up from it's fallen spot and looked at my Bolter. With some fine-tuning and a lot of cramming, I managed to fit the bolter into the backpack. Kinda. Well, the grip was sticking out, but that was fine. I shouldered the pack and resumed speaking. "So, I guess we should find a place to stay and I'll start my job hunt, huh?"

I heard Sunset clear her throat. "Yeah, uh. Sure, could I get an explanation on that though?"

I was about to answer when a soft thud came from behind me. I heard a soft voice from behind me speaking a phrase I felt a deep emotional bond with. "GODDAMNIT TRADER! I WAS TAKING A NAP!"

Author's Note

As far as I know Trader premiered here. https://www.fimfiction.net/story/403406/skull-the-cursebringer So give that a quick read if you're curious. It's better than my tripe.

Strangers and Memories
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The Mark of Duty

Strangers and Memories

I turned to the voice and was forced to pause. In front of me sat a thrice-damned amazon. She was tall enough to match my seven-foot body, with black hair cropped short in a pixie cut. Scars marred her face in a criss-cross that looked like she lost a fight to a Beyblade with razor blades taped to it. All this would be acceptable if it wasn't for the blue and white dress that clashed horribly with her whole warrior-goddess aesthetic. I raised an eyebrow as she stood up from her prone position and looked down. "Oh fuck you and your jokes you zebra looking asshole." She dusted it off and turned around, looking at me and Sunset with a raised eyebrow, before turning to me. "So, I take it your the charity case I'm supposed to help for the asshole who gave me some stuff?"

I nodded. "It would appear so."

Sunset was less calm. "Oh Buck no, I am noponies charity case. I'll let Duty do it since he owes me, but I'm considering us square after that stunt with the weird thing he passed to the mare in the cloak."

I shrugged. "No luck there young one. I promised you a guide, so until you decide to return to Equestria you're stuck with me. I am many things. Most of them are horrible, but a liar is not on that list."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine whatever, but I fail to see how we're her charity case."

The woman scoffed and shook her head. "You ain't my charity case Sunny. He is." She pointed to me. "He's apparently a case like mine, who don't know anything about his situation. So Trader grabbed me to teach him a few things." She grumbled and looked around. "Not that I had much choice." She sighed and cupped her head in her hands for a moment before sighing. "Either way, I'm being rude." She extended a hand. "Spartan - 1865, Alice. Reporting for duty."

I looked at her dress again and sniggered. "Shit, when I asked for backup didn't think they'd send a Spartan." I may not remember a ton about my past, but I played enough Halo to get some quotes stuck in my head. Probably incorrectly, but still.

She groaned as I shook her hand. "I've heard that a thousand times, which leads us into our first lesson." She broke the handshake and smiled. "How many folks do you think ended up displaced like us?"

I tilted my head at her. "Like us?"

She laughed. "Oh come on now, I can read you like a book. You were at a con right. Dressed to the nines as something or another and bought just the perfect thing from the Merchant, then suddenly. " She smacked her fist into her open palm. "Wham bam thank you, ma'am, you're in Equestria talking to pastel ponies."

I nodded slowly. "Yes, that covers the basic way I arrived. It's been a frak-fest ever since. Fighting daemons, making friends, and killing fools for ten years as I tried to find a way home. Until I couldn't."

Alice nodded and walked up, moving an arm around me. "Well, that's about everyone's story. Or at least a rough version. But there's a cubic butt-load of us, and we can visit." She moved her arm off me and began slapping her sides until she pulled a small object from a pocket. A dog tag. It had a blue holographic interface. She tossed it underhand, letting me catch it, and hear her voice as if she was whispering in my ear. "I am Alice, the Spartan of the Badlands. For those seeking solace from overwhelming odds, call on me. I shall give to the hopeless a final hope. And to aggressors a swift and brutal death."

I stared at it and looked to her. Before narrowing my eyes. "Explain your warpcraft. Quickly." I rested a hand on my blade and she raised her hands.

"Hey, cool it chief." She then paused before her eyes widened. "Oh shit, I know what you are now." I stared, tapping the grip of my chainsword with obvious impatience. She kept talking. "Your an honest to God Space Marine huh? Sweet, you could probably take me, I don't have all your not so fun upgrades. Anyways, I'll fill you in before you chop me up like a sushi dinner. That right there is a token. Any displaced can make them with a bit of effort. Once you throw one out other displaced get 'em, and you'll get theirs. A real nice trade in my mind."

I smiled wide, that was a hell of an early Christmas gift. "Well then, we should cover that as soon as we have a spare moment." I moved my hand from my chainsword to offer a handshake. "Crucius Marx, last champion of the Terran Elms." She took my hand and shook it before we broke apart.

Sunset spoke up at that. "As nice as all that is I have a question." I turned to her and she had her arms crossed, looking between us with a bit. Alice nodded to her and Sunset gave her a thankful nod. "You said he was a space marine. I may have read a few things about him in some..." She paused a moment, shuffling her feet. "less than appropriate books. I know he's from some bucked up place, but you two act like your from the same place. And this is where I'm having an issue." She pointed a finger at me and Alice interchangeably. "She said she's a Spartan, which is never mentioned in any of his stories." She paled a bit as she thought on it. "And there were a lot of things in his stories."

I sighed. "Well, I was hoping to keep this kinda under wraps, but I suppose I should come clean to the young one." I peeked at Alice, who was rather obviously concealing giggles. I flipped her off before continuing. "I guess you could say that I never told the full truth of my past." I took a deep breath. "I do not lie, I have said that before. But I am... protective of my past. The world Crucius Marx is from is not my own." Sunset stared at me as I began tapping my thigh with my index finger. "I just got his form. I fell into it once I started having to fight daemons, and the rest fell into place. Before all that though." I spread my arms wide. "I was from a place very similar to this, and because of that you have lucked out young one." I smiled at her. "Because I know how to get a good place to stay. So c'mon. We need to go house hunting."

Sunset growled a little at my non-answer, but seemed satisfied enough. Alice shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, since I'm stuck here for a while I'll help out." she looked me over. "Hey, you know the social ladder here?"

I shook my head as I stood up, working my hardest not to limp. "Not in the slightest. But I figure all else fails, I'm an immigrant. Any faux pas can be easily forgiven."

I hoisted my bag back to my shoulders and began walking off. Alice fell into step behind me while Sunset slowly walked beside me. "So what's the plan?" She looked to the tall buildings behind us as I made my way to the smaller buildings on the opposite side of the statue. Sunset looked between the two sides of the city. "Hey, shouldn't we head to the city?"

I shook my head. "No, that way will only have either expensive housing that we don't need or cheap housing that we don't want." I tilted my head towards the smaller buildings. "Meanwhile, the area with smaller buildings means it's city outskirts. There we can get more space, for cheaper prices. More bang for your buck as it were."

Alice giggled behind me. "I do really like things that go bang. So I'm all for that plan Marxie."

I stared at her as I began walking, and felt myself falling into the normal half limp I got used to when using a prosthetic. "Did you really just call me Marxie?"

She shrugged. "What? I like nicknames, and it's less annoying and silly than Duty."

Sunset scoffed. "Hey, not my fault that M-my mentor put that on his stupid plinth." I grimaced another m slip-up. I was starting to guess at the relationship between Celestia and Sunset. And it was one that I had desperately been hoping to avoid. I looked to the horizon and ignored it. It was like a battle, burn the bridge after you cross it, not before. Alice spoke up as we walked. "So you got the statue treatment huh?"

I nodded as I followed the path to a sidewalk, and began the walk away from Canterlot high. Alice followed behind me silently for a moment before airing her thoughts. "Were you awake for it?" I nodded again, and she gave a sharp intake of breath. "How long?"

I sighed as I watched a car roar past, and even Sunsets quick retreat behind me from it's roaring engine didn't make me smile. "Three-thousand years." Alice paused, and I felt Sunset freeze behind me. I shrugged. "It wasn't as bad as it could have been. Mentally Space Marines can kind of shut down. It's supposed to be used for healing, but it has been recorded as being used for suspended animation. I just made sure to set my internal alarm clock for every hundred years or so. Wanted to make sure I was awake around the time everything went to pot." I glanced to Sunset. "Honestly young one, you lucked out a bit. I had been awake for about a week when you trotted up. I was about to conk out for another six years or so."

I looked down the street and pointed towards a small police station down the street. "There, cops always know where to find a house."

We made our way down the street in silence for a moment before Sunset spoke up. "So... what were you petrified for?"

I sighed and felt my limp get a bit more pronounced for a moment. Just a nervous tick I had acquired when I first lost my foot. I had ditched it a little after I moved from Earth. I guess with the change in body and prosthetics I could ignore it. Now the feeling of absence was there. Like a ghost supporting me despite the impossibility of it. I ignored it and decided to answer. "For trusting someone I thought was family." She was silent at that and left me to my musings.

***

My blade sent a shower of sparks as it revved across the necrodermis rib of Trazyn, pushing him back a few inches as our melee continued. He raised a staff upwards, and I rolled to the left. I felt wind bite against my back as his staff narrowly missed me, and came to a stand a few feet away. I raised my pistol as he lowered his staff. I fired a shot as he gave a wide swing of his staff. His staff grazing my armor across my gut, and my shot cracking into his skull. The elongated skull jerked back, as the rest of his body followed. I charged forward, intent not to let him rise again. I hacked and slashed with my chainsword. Sparks and bones flew from his prone form until it began to fade in a ghastly green glow. I wanted him to be repairing for centuries, stuck in stasis until the freaking heat-death of the sun.

I was hunched over Trazyn's prone form as it faded into nothing, heaving breaths escaping as I tried to calm my frantically beating heart. I stood slowly, holstering my pistol. I winced and moved my gauntlet over to the area where his staff made contact. I looked at it, grimacing at the red liquid that slipped between my fingers. I flicked the blood off my gauntlet and tried to center myself fully. I winced as I straightened my back to stand tall, instead of bent in pain. I Ignored it as I looked behind me. The shield Luna and Celestia had erected around the area of my little duel held strong, though I could still see cracks and tears where the whirlwind of attacks I had traded etched their mark. The daemons outside the shield were frozen, staring at us in fear. Celestia and Luna had held Trazyn while I whittled down their ranks, and now I stood tall after defeating him. Three creatures who could stand against their king simply waiting, and standing tall.

I tapped the side of my head in a gesture to both young alicorns, trying to figure out if it was safe to speak. I heard Luna speak from behind me. "Thou can speak, knight of ours. Our shield hast hidden our voice well."

I nodded and flicked my chainsword, flecks of metal flying off it. "Then we need a plan." I turned to them and they both blanched when the saw me. I refused to ask why, if only to avoid going into shock. "First up I need a patch job on my armor." Another lance of pain jolted through my body, as my hand went to my gut again. "And maybe something to heal me."

The shield lost it's dark blue tint as Luna approached slowly. Her horn glowed brightly as she flashed me a cheeky grin. "Really, and thou hast always made certain your view on our so-called warpcraft." But the horn still sent a spear of energy that fed my HUD with a sudden stream of messages. I ignored them as the pain in my stomach faded, and the black carapace reported that my internal organs were now fully repaired.

I composed myself as Luna walked up and investigated chest piece. "Thou hast managed to protect thine runic arrays. The damage should repair itself shortly." She sent a few pulses of power into my armor, which lowered the red flashing chest piece in the corner of my sight to a small yellow glow.

I grabbed my pistol and calmly reloaded it. "Thank you, sister." I looked at Celestia, the strain of holding up the shield beginning to show through her mask. I spoke loudly, to make sure she could hear me. "And excellent work on the shield sister." I saw her flinch at that, but she was always awkward about my use of familial ties with those I trusted. I moved towards the daemons and smiled as the stepped back even through the shield. "But the time for shields has passed." I revved my blade, so sure of our inevitable victory. I pointed the blade towards the gates of Tartarus glowing with hellfire in the distance. The shield fell as I ran forward. "NOW LET YOUR BLADE DO THE WORK!"

Author's Note

I lost a finger. Last two chapter were written on hella painkillers. I am both proud and horrified at this fact.

Copping a Guide
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The Mark of Duty

Copping a Guide

I stepped into the police station with my thoughts still on the past. With the powers of hindsight, I could tell the deal was struck while they held the line against Trazyn, and their lack of wounds may have even been a result of the deal. Though Luna still had some mercy coming for her. She either was unsure of the deal or had said no with how she didn't flinch as I called her sister. For all of Luna's skill in deceit and subterfuge, she couldn't lie to friends. At least not without stuttering like a broken VHS. I was broken out of my reverie by a strangled squawk of surprise from behind the desk. I looked up and saw my first native human. He had skin of alabaster white and bright blue hair. I suppressed a groan. So close to home, and yet so far. But there was time enough to cope with that later. He took a few deep breaths as I walked up and gave him a friendly wave. "Hello, good officer. I had a few questions if you don't mind."

***

In retrospect that was perhaps the worst plan, I had ever concocted. I sat in an interrogation room. I had retained my weapons by stating very clearly there would be words if they tried it would prove less than useful. After a few attempted tazings, and liberal application of pepper spray I requested to be given an interrogation room with which to wait for them to figure things out. An exasperated Shining Armor had just walked me to a back room as Alice talked to some fatter, more important officer. So there I was, enjoying a chair that was too small for me to sit comfortably as I whistled a nameless melody. After a few minutes, the cop who first saw us walked in through the front door and let out a breath as he looked me over. "You know, when you have an agent with you it's smarter to let them lead with that."

I nodded, guessing Alice had some trick she was using. "Indeed, but I have been doing things on my own for far to long to let anyone take lead besides myself."

He looked me over before shrugging. "That's why the Goddess made women I think, but with your background, I can understand I guess." He pulled the chair across from me out and sat down. "I'm Sergeant Shining Armor, the stations closest thing to a specialist in new arrivals and immigration." I stared at him in disbelief as he sighed. "Okay, fine. This station is mostly dudes and they're terrified of the Goliath that walked into our station with a freaking sword on his hip with a barely concealed gun in his backpack."

I nodded. I didn't know why the fact they were guys was important to that, but it was a fair point. "To be fair, I have done much worse in my life than fight in a station of law. That is why I am here now, a way to seek penance."

He chuckled. "Yeah, that was what Ms. Alice said. She said you may have wanted to offer your services as an independent contractor for more sensitive issues." He then glanced at me with narrow eyes, and I saw the fires of love in them. The love of one's home that can burn down armies if stoked. I liked him. He spoke slowly. "Which is why the small amount of background we got on you is distressing. For example, it mentions that you were born and bred for war." I nodded as he looked me over. "But she was really cagey about the where and how. She said she could get us a file, but there would be more blacked out sentences than drinks in a bar. And I don't like someone who could be a violent psychopath living in my city."

I smiled at him, which caused him to flinch. Apparently, the sharper than average teeth were disconcerting. "Of course it would. But I believe my tales to gory for you." I looked his stance over. "You haven't spilled someone's blood with the cold and calculated slices of a surgeon. You haven't had to carry crying children out of towns coated in the blood of family and friends." I leveled my gaze at him. "You are too far from the Congo to see the Heart of Darkness, but I have lived and thrived amongst evil. A lone tree in the maelstrom." I sighed and forced myself to relax.

"I apologize for that," I spoke as I waved my hand. "I do not enjoy walking through the halls of memory." I leaned forward. "If you really wish to know my past, I'm afraid I must refuse you." He looked annoyed at me, but I was going to bait the hook. "But I can offer a deal, even if Alice will dislike it."

He raised an eyebrow at that. "And what deal is that?"

I smiled. "If you would be so kind as to help me find a place of residence for me and my sister, with a spare room for Alice to watch my 'adjustment period', then I will gladly regale you with purely fictional stories that have absolutely nothing to do with my past."

He smiled at me, which I returned with gusto. Shining Armor nodded at me. "I think that is a more than fair deal. I'd love to be able to tell my sister some new stories."

I shook my head. "Only if you modify them heavily. I would be loathe to share the details of my musings with Sunset, let alone some unknown little girl.

Shining Armor winced. "Are they really that bad?" I nodded as he physically flinched. "Geez, I thought she'd have seen some of it. Wasn't she from the same place?"

I nodded slowly. "Yes, but she led a more sheltered life than me. While I was a soldier against foes both big and small, she was raised as a scholar. Books and the ancient ways are what held her interest for her entire life."

Shining Armor nodded. "Yeah, I think my little sister is the same way. Okay, so I can swing me escorting you around town if we'll get some info from under the agency's nose. So give me five minutes and we'll walk out the front door. I know a good realtor in the neighborhood."

I waited in the interrogation room for a minute, twiddling my thumbs as a clock behind me ticked on and on. After a few minutes of annoying waiting, Shining Armor came back in with an annoyed Sunset and amused Alice. I stood up and ruffled Sunset's hair. "Well young one, did they treat you ok?"

She grumbled and replied in a sickly sweet tone. "Yes brother, I do so enjoy being sleep-deprived and asked questions from guards like I'm some ignorant little filly." I winced at that as she snorted at me and looked to Alice.

Alice was smiling, but hiding it behind a palm. "Well, I can't say I approve of your little deal, but it seems to have earned some trust from the local constabulary." She gestured to Shining Armor. "And you got us a tour guide, so that's a plus."

Shining rolled his eyes. "Woe is me, demoted from man of the law to simple tour guide." He held a serious expression for a second before rolling his eyes and laughing, prompting me and Alice to join in. He lightly punched my chest and paused at the heavy thunk as his fist his the thick armored plates inside the plate carrier. After a moment he came to terms with the fact I was fully armored and turned around. "Well come on, you can stow your gear in the trunk of the car."

I nodded as Alice giggled and shot her hand in the air. "SHOTGUN!"

Shining Armor snorted ahead of us. "Taking the comfy seat from your man, how unladylike." I paused for a second when he said that, before following. To the people watching I seemed to take both comments in stride, but inside I had just had a revelation. I was in a swapped version of Equestria. One where men were normally pretty little wallflowers. If my inner monologue could be heard, I'm sure several officers would have learned some new curse words.

Stories and Shopping
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The Mark of Duty

Stories and Shopping

I looked over the house I had just purchased. I'm not going to say I chose it purely because it came furnished, but I was definitely happy to get to sleep in something that would become my home over the next few years. Shining Armor looked it over as Alice quickly claimed the smallest of the three rooms and began the arduous task of taking a nap, with Sunset swiftly excusing herself for the same. So I looked over the living room of the house, embracing this as my current home. The living room was sealed, doors currently closing it off from the rest of the house. There was an entertainment center against the outside wall, with a couch and two chairs facing it. I would have to throw out the chairs ASAP, what with them being a shade of green normally reserved for the remnants of a babies vomit.

That's not to imply I was hesitant to do this, it was just different. No tents erected, no friends drinking water and talking around a fire. It was... empty. Far too empty compared to what I remembered. I sighed as I ran my hand over the couch in the center of the room, facing an empty entertainment center. Shining Armor had been watching quietly, probably deciding whether or not he should leave. But at that, he spoke up. "You sure your good man? No girls around here to stop some guy talk."

I shrugged. "Nothing you could help with." I paused, trying to think of what to do as Armor looked me over. I finally decided on something. I leaned back, resting an arm on the back of the couch. "Actually, would you like one of those stories now?" He nodded and moved over to one of the chairs near me.

"I can live with that, they told me getting your address was my only job for today since you walked in with freaking weaponry." He said this with a slightly strained smile, which I returned much more easily.

Once he was settled I waved my arm about lazily. "Long ago, there was a lost soldier. He had been raised to fight, changed at the most basic level to wage a war unending against all manner of creatures and people who wanted only to destroy his kingdom." I paused, looking at Shinings confused expression. "There had been many changes, fitting in spares of internal organs, strengthening skin and bone until a blade could barely cut him, stripping him of his humanity to make him something more."

I took a breath, looking at my gear heaped on an end table beside me. "They armed him with weapons that could slay anything they found, so that he may strike down all those that would hurt his people. But then he was taken, sent to a far-off realm by happenstance and a vile merchant. And in that realm, he found a new kingdom. They were weaker than him and relied upon things he thought vile and evil. But, with little other options, he lived alongside them for a time."

I moved the Bolter from it's resting spot and popped the magazine out, racking the slide to free the round resting in its chamber. "While it took him a year to finally accept them, he eventually made himself a quiet life, working a farm and going to a quiet home every night. At least, until the war came." I shuddered involuntarily at the memory that accompanied that particular thought. Either way, I bit it back down. "But that is simply the setting, today I shall tell you of how the war helped him, not how it began."

I moved the bolter to my lap and looked it over slowly, the delicate gold inlay depicting scenes of battle long in the past. The Imperial fists fighting xenos I had never heard of, and traitors I had never seen. "When the war began he instantly joined. Not very formally mind, just striking down those who harmed his adopted homeland. As time went on several joined him, and he found something he hadn't had in a long time. A family." I looked over the empty room and could see them all there as if they were listening too. "They fought and bled together. Never was their camp quiet, for some were always arguing, or practicing. He found the weak people to be good, standing against impossible odds for their friends and family."

I flipped the Bolter over, looking at the much rougher etching made by a combat knife. The jagged cuts made the word Amberly, showing the name I had given my favored tool. "But it was not to last. Though the war was won, a deal was struck that none of the others knew. The leaders of both sides had made a treaty, if the kingdom imprisoned the soldier until his death, there would be no more war. And so on the very night of their victory, when the enemy was still fleeing the field, they struck. Striking the soldier down, locking him away to never again see the light of day."

Shining Armor looked an odd mixture of outrage, disgust, and pity. "Stow the face officer, surely you know this has absolutely nothing at all to do with my past and is made up off the top of my head. It's not like if you accidentally touch my chest before you leave you'll feel a fused ribcage." He looked shocked at that, but I decided he might as well get the ending of my abridged story. "And so it continued, with the soldier locked away, but still able to see the world around him. He knew when his family died, and the news trickled in, bit by bit, of their inevitable fall." I paused, looking at the small vial tied to the rear sight aperture. A few feathers, two scales, and a small crystal. I began to slowly untie them. "And he thought he would be next until a young girl showed up." I looked at the door Sunset had walked through. It was cracked now, where it had been closed before, which made me smile. "She came to speak to something she thought an ideal and freed it by mistake. And so they planned an escape, making it to a far-off land, to escape the sins of others."

I smiled and looked at Shining Armor. "And there we go, happy endings are just the thing for sad stories, right?"

Shining Armor stared at me. "Uh, yeah... sure." He looked around a bit. "So, do you have a job lined up or something? Or is the agency covering you?"

I snapped my fingers. "Yes, I have job prospects. Give me a moment." I opened the metal case that sat at the coffee table in front of me, digging through it a moment before pulling out a small envelope labeled job. I opened it and read through it. It mentioned an open position as an 'entertainer' in their under the table operations. After reading through the perks which included medical care, and an in-house doctor, I figured out what the job was. A pit fighter. I grumbled. "Yes, just a job I don't think I'll enjoy." I made idle note of the code word to get access and folded the note up. "But that is a problem for later in the week, I first have a much more important question." Shining Armor raised an eyebrow as I leaned in. "Where can I buy a bike?"

***

I waved as Shining Armor left the house, smiling at the small notebook paper he had handed me. Directions to the nearest dealership that carried motorcycles written on it. It also had instructions to a grocery store and a furniture store. All a new homeowner would need. Especially since the way to the billing office was already given to me by Ms.Velvet. I cleared my throat. "Sunset, would you like to tag along as I get some shopping done?"

I smiled at the small meep the echoed from behind my couch. Sunsets face popped up behind the couch with an annoyed tilt to her lips. "How'd you know I was here?"

I gestured towards the door. "You forgot to close the door after you snuck in, I noticed after my story."

Sunset sighed. "Darn, thought I felt it shut behind me."

I shrugged. "Sneaking is an art most haven't mastered, do not fret over a minor misstep when you were welcome either way."

She paused. "Wait, you'd really let me sit in on your stories?"

I shrugged. "If I was your father I'd say absolutely not, my past is coated in blood and horror. But you are you're own woman, it is your choice if you want the scars." I stood up. "But if you wish to accompany me, we can get a few of the things you need for this world, and we'll be able to pick up some much-needed transport."

She nodded. "Fine, I'll put off sleep for a bit, this isn't the first all-nighter I've pulled."

I smiled. "Nor will it be the last I imagine." We walked together out the door, with me checking over the directions. The dealership was a simple bus ride away, with the nearest bus stop being a few blocks away. I began leading Sunset through the suburbs that were now our home.

We walked in silence for a moment before Sunset apparently worked up the guts to ask a question. "So, I've noticed you have a bit of a limp..."

Well, it's not really a question, but it'll do. "Yep, I'm down one foot. Back home I had a fancy augmetic. It could feel, and was tough enough to stand against blows that would break even mithril." I stomped my fake foot as I walked. "Here though, it's basically plastic and polymer in the general shape of a foot so I can balance and walk. Running is... possible, but not fun."

Sunset stared at me for a moment. "YOU lost a foot? Aren't you some sort of super soldier?"

I shrugged as we reached the bus stop. A glance at the schedule told me we had a few minutes to kill. "Even great combat prowess cannot save you from coincidence." I sighed. "I lost my foot in an accident before I was like this. In a vehicle like Officer Armor's patrol car. It collided with a tree, and the steel of the body cleanly severed my leg, forcing them to operate. They saved my life, but the foot couldn't be reattached." I watched as a bus with our station on the glowing placard made its slow crawl on the opposite side of the street. There was probably a turn around down the street.

Sunset looked at it and then back to me. "So, what should we be expecting then, I'm here to look for a way to ascend after all, and not even being a pony puts a hamper on that plan."

I looked down at Sunset. I noted her clothes for the first time. A T-shirt, her cutie mark proudly emblazoned on it, with a pair of jeans, and black combat boots. I looked to her eyes. There it was, that fire that I needed to see. The fire that let you follow someone from the bridges they burn. I couldn't deny that fire, it needed to be stoked. Even if I wasn't going to rage against the dying light anymore, I could keep the fire going in my own way. Even if it came at a high cost. But I couldn't let her fire be put out by circumstance. "Very well. In all the futures I've seen, I know of several that allow you to ascend." I thought through all the stories I'd read. Too many have bad ends for this poor girl. "However it will cost you. You will gain treasures worth more than all of Canterlot, and lose them." I paused, thinking of all the trials she faces. "Three times. But you will reach your goal. And to do that you must simply follow your goals, and I will tell you the one piece of information you need."

She looked at me in rapt attention. I couldn't resist giving her this. "The element of magic will be across the mirror in two and a half years." I paused, thinking through the show's rough timeline. "But more time will pass then that in Equestria, I think roughly ten or so years, but I am unsure."

Sunset raised a hand up to her mouth, deep in thought as the bus rolled up to the stop. A few spare one dollar bills I had been able to make change for from Mrs.Velvet and I was happily standing on the bus as Sunset sat behind me, looking at the bus with a bit more trepidation than before. Probably with the knowledge that it took my foot. I ruffled her hair the same way I used to do with Sam. "Do not worry little one. These vehicles are just as safe as carts and chariots. Safer actually. Just enjoy the ride as we move through town, once we get to the dealership we'll get something like my old pair of wheels, and I'm safest on a bike."

She didn't seem convinced but nodded as I turned to look over the bus. I could feel the cash just sitting in my pocket. I needed a wallet, just toting all my stuff in my pockets was begging for trouble. We were silent again, as Sunset planned and I looked for our stop.

The dealership was very well-placed. Literally across the street from the bus stop. Sunset was still lost in thought as I walked across the street keeping her close. The traffic was a fair bit more congested here. Though Sunset apparently was thinking deep enough to not notice. Or was actively ignoring it. Either way, I made my way into the dealership. It reminded me of a bike store in my old city. It had a few display bikes outside, but the dealership itself was a large sheet metal warehouse. I ignored the outer display and walked straight into the building. Inside was a bikers wet dream. It was obviously a refurbed warehouse, with ninety percent of the floor space taken up by motorcycles and ATV's. A few people were milling about, and I quickly went about my normal method of vehicle shopping. Staring at pricetags grumpily while looking for a bike that fit my massive size. Most of the little Asian looking models were much to small for my freakish height, but the cruisers fit me alright. Sunset was stuck looking at a small Harley, seeming to salivate. I Ruffled her hair. "Ah, does the little scholar have her first crush?"

She didn't even move my hand, just staring at the bike. "Yeah, she does." She moved the tag over. "Harneigh Davidson? Is that a good brand?"

I flinched at the pun. Omnissiah damn these heretics for that pun. "Should be, but you can't get a bike yet, you can't even drive it yet. We'll see about it once you get a drivers license." She grumbled as I walked up to a large bike. Looking it over I saw it was a touring bike. Made for long hauls with plenty of weight. Perfect for a space marine that weighed only slightly less than the bike itself. I sat on it, moving myself to center on it. It wasn't meant to lean over, which was different than what I was used to. But I could survive that if it meant feeling the wind wash over me like the good old days. I signaled over some official looking blue skinned man with a name tag. I was finally feeling like myself for the first time in ages.

A Quick Trip to the mall. And Blankets.
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The Mark of Duty

A Quick Trip to the mall. And Blankets.

I rode my new bike with a smile on my face. Sunset was clutching my back with the sort of frantic energy that could mean one of two things. Either pure joy and exhilaration or abject horror and fear. I frankly didn't care. Using my happily perfect memory I was able to retrace my path home, and from there to the nearest strip mall to get all important groceries. I probably couldn't haul much with the saddlebags on the bike. But having a bike at all was enough for me. I pulled it into an empty parking spot and looked to the Line of buildings. Barnyard Bargains strip mall. I smiled at the name. Ah, Ponyville alts. Always with familiar names. I tapped Sunset on her helmet, causing her to lift her visor to reveal the largest shit-eating grin that could have graced her feature. "I need one of these. It's like flying!"

I smiled as I took off my own helmet and placed it on the handlebars. Sunset matched my actions as I began the walk towards the mall. "I'll start teaching you how to ride later, then when you take the test we can look at you getting your own ride," I smirked. "After all, if the job is what I think I won't be able to drive you to school."

Looking at the stores I made a mental checklist of what we needed. It was mostly short. Internet at the house could be handled through a phone, so that first. Some sort of computer, after glancing at Sunset I decided on three. One in the living room for the house, one in my room, and one in hers. But that was low-priority. And finally food and dishes. I looked over the stores and bit back a groan. By the ads, I could tell one of the stores was a phone store. But it had a pun name. Gallop. I could only assume that meant Sprint. I nodded towards it. "There's our first stop, required tools for humanity await us."

Sunset looked at the store with excitement. "Really, new tools. What are they? Are they mana readers? Oh, or maybe focii for spell casting?"

I smirked. "Sadly humans don't have magic, at least not here." I waved a hand at the store. "But this store sells something similar to the journal you kept in your bags." Sunset paused and shot a glare at me, which I studiously ignored. "Instant communication, with a link to the sum of all human knowledge built in. Truly a wondrous tool that I will abuse for humor and joy."

Sunset froze, her glare turning into a thousand yard stare until she began sprinting towards the store. I began jogging after her to catch up. "Sunset! Hold up, I'm the one who knows how to actually find what we're looking for!" I laughed as she bolted through the door. If she kept this up, I wouldn't mind keeping her around.

***

The trip from the grocery store was productive. I had enough food to feed my heightened metabolism for a week, along with Sunset and possibly Alice. I wasn't sure if she had some sort of Super metabolism. Sunset had been glued to her new phone as soon as she had it hooked to the internet. A helpful poke towards Wikipedia and she was silent for the rest of our shopping trip, educating herself on humanity. For my part, I was using my own phone to get internet sent to our lovely little abode. But now we were at our final stop. A quick run to a nearby pawn store led us to the final portion of our trip. Sunset looked at me as I walked in, moving straight to the back, where a small selection of rifles and pistols lay on the walls. The old man behind the desk nodded at me. I nodded back without talking and looked over the selection. I didn't know much about actual firearms. Being a thief as I was I had avoided all things loud and dangerous. Running into the cops with stolen jewelry was one thing. With an illegally concealed gun made encounters much more prison-y. I did know calibers though, and I wanted big and slow. I paused at a large .45 tucked in the corner of a display. It was made of green metal, with a finger guard that looked like it might actually fit my monstrous digit. "Sir, can I see that one?"

I pointed towards the pistol and he nodded. "Of course." He pulled it out and passed it to me, allowing my given knowledge of technology to feed me info. It was in good shape, with the wear being minimal. I pulled back the slide and saw that the insides had the sheen of gentle use. Letting the slide snap forward I tested the trigger guard. My finger did fit in, maybe a bit more snug then I liked, but survivable. The man took the opportunity to fill me in on specifics. "She's a colt, old army model. I know she shoots fine, and .45 is a fairly cheap caliber."

I nodded and took a few stances with the pistol in my left hand. My right arm in the normal position that it rested in when I held my blade. It felt like a toy with how light it was, but for a normal human, it was still a deadly weapon. "So fragile..." I paused when I realized I said it out loud, but it appeared that only Sunset heard me. I nodded. "Yes. This will do. I also require a holster for it, and a few boxes of ammo.

The old man nodded, causing me to smile. My security blanket firmly in place I made the appropriate purchases and left. Sunset paused as we reached the bike. She looked at me. "That's a weapon." She pointed to my back, where my pistol now hung comfortably inside my waistband.

I nodded. "Yes, in the ancient wisdom of humanity. If one wishes for peace, they must prepare for war." I grabbed my helmet. "And I myself am a tool of war. Because of this, I am always prepared for war." Sunset didn't get on the bike as I straddled it, but after a moment I felt her weight settle behind me and lean in. Without another word, I kicked off, the soft purr of my engine heralding our exit.

Fall Formal
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The Mark of Duty

Fall Formal

Time passed quickly in the crude makeover of Earth I found myself on. I found work in the Shattered Shamrock. An Irish pub that had a fight club in the basement. I had been putting money aside for my next job since then. And Sunset and Alice stuck around. Well, Sunset did. Alice turned into a random houseguest. With her token in hand, I could call her whenever I wanted, but I refused to make one yet. I was waiting until after the first major event here. And with the approach of the Fall Formal, the time was nigh.

I woke up quickly, shifting in my bed. Looking outside I saw the sun high in the sky already, letting soft light filter in through the thin curtains put up for privacy's sake more than anything. I had taken some time off from the fighting ring, all in preparation for tonight. I rolled out of bed, grabbing my phone as I stood. A quick message from Sunset saying she had dinner plans tonight. Her way of saying not to wait up. As she delved deeper into her plans she got more distant. But she was family. A lost soul seeking solace beneath the great leaves of my tree. I put the phone down and began something that had been waiting far too long. Mission Prep.

I threw on my outfit from my first day, Armor and weapons included. I pulled Amberly from her resting place above my bed. I took her down for cleaning every day, but today would be the first time she left my house. I checked her scope, speaking in soft binary screeches as I centered it in front of my eyes. Everything seemed to be in order, and I smiled. I strapped her to my back and pulled the only addition I had made to my ensemble. A long brown cloak. It was tailored to make my bolter look more backpack-y, and secure enough to keep it covered while I rode. SImple changes for a massive traveler in another world. All that done, I had one last thing to do. I pulled out my phone and dialed a number.

It rang twice before I heard the click of a connecting call. "This is Captain Armor."

I smiled as I began speaking. "Thankfully it is, I was scared I had called the wrong number. Marx here."

I heard the groan. "Every time you call before five my day gets more complicated. So, what vigilante work do I get to try and paperwork away today?"

I held a hand to my chest in mock outrage. "I have never done vigilante work, I simply run into an inordinate amount of failed muggings." I dropped the hand, as well as the humor. "But today is serious. I'm calling in that marker from your wedding."

Another groan. "Fine, I owe you big time. What do you need?"

I had thought on this, I couldn't ask for a blackout on police operation near my area. However, I could request him for something. "Nothing horrible. I need you to be the officer on scene for the fall formal at Canterlot High. Tonights gonna get weird. Even for me."

There was a beat on the other side of the phone before a sigh escaped. "I can do that. How weird is it gonna be?"

I smiled again. "Magic and mayhem. There's already a plan in place, but a cop without some background might result in some unintentional casualties."

I heard his hesitation on the other side of the line, but after a moment there was an affirmative grunt from the line. "Fine, I'll pull some strings. I'll be there tonight, guessing you will too."

I nodded, despite the fact he couldn't see me. "Of course, but I won't be visible. Hopefully, you won't know I was there until I pick up Sunset." After that our call devolved into some minor small talk. Mostly about the local MMA group I had taken to coaching. They had a tendency to break bones more often than other groups, and I was proud. After a few minutes, I politely excused myself and grabbed my saddlebags from their resting spot by the door. I hoisted them onto my shoulder and began the walk to my bike. Today was going to be a long day.

The ride to a warehouse across from Canterlot High was short. And getting in took even less time. So it was only about two o clock when I reached the roof, plopping my saddlebags down next to the lip of the building. I drew out a few tools of my trade today. A few small snacks, for idle munching while I waited, a spare magazine for Amberly, and a set of binoculars. I had a view of the front of the school from here, and the lip was low enough that when I was laying down my arms easily went over it. The safety hazards of the eighties would greatly assist in my current mission. I had time to think about it, and I knew my plan now. All that was left to do was wait.

POV Shift - Third Person

Twilight Sparkle was proud of herself. She watched as the officer for the evening took Sunset into his patrol car, texting who she assumed was his boss. The girls began to excitedly chat about hosting a Slumber party, and as they planned Twilight smiled and walked to the statue. She wasn't planning on going back quite yet, but she could make sure nothing had messed with it. As she approached a deep cough sounded from behind it. "Not bad for a pretty pony princess."

She froze. While she hadn't exactly hidden her origins, she also hadn't blabbed about it to everypony around. And a voice she didn't recognize had just called out her past. She nervously shuffled. Giving herself a moment to clear her throat she spoke. "Uhm, hello?"

A laugh came from behind the statue. "Well, come on over here. You can stay in sight if you want, you just had quite the experience." She moved forward a bit and saw a monster. A man who could swallow any other human she'd seen today. And despite the fact he was a male, he carried himself... differently. Like a warrior who is constantly restraining himself. One who was so used to combat, that being around civilians was a test of will. However, when he saw her, he smiled. "Well, send me through the Warp without a Geller Field, if it isn't the youngest alicorn. Freshly minted and unsure of herself." He crouched in front of her, causing her to flinch. "I must admit, you are lucky."

Twilight looked to him, a mixture of fear and curiosity gracing her fair features. "H-how?"

He smiled down at her. "Well, the elements are a surprisingly random source of power." His smile widened at her back step. But he kept speaking. "Redemption was the only path that would have allowed you to live. If that girl had been petrified or banished..." His arm swept up and down his body in a rolling motion. That motion alone made Twilight note his outfit. Strange armor covered his chest, and a weapon that looked similar to a griffin crossbow rested across his back. She paled as he spoke again.

"But that is neither here nor there. I came to offer something the local bibliophile couldn't bear without."

Twilight stared at him before all the pieces clicked together. Her eyes widened, as she let out a single whispered word. "Duty."

He nodded. "Indeed, but you may call me Marx if you wish. It's much less awkward. But enough on that. I will offer you a deal. I am curious if you know what your own power does. If you would accompany me to my home, I will answer a few questions. He squatted down and picked up a helmet. It was of pure white, clashing with his dark tan attire. It's two glass panes were golden tinted, and a tree was inlaid over the left eye, in golden script, the letter Y was made to look scratched into the tree. He nodded to her. "I shall stay here for five minutes. Tell your friends what you will. But I will take you to their slumber party if you wish to follow me." He leaned against the solid side of the statue, and Twilight heard a whistled tune come from under the helmet.

She took about three seconds to think. The Princess had warned her about him. But all she had said was that he was a powerful warrior and that they had no idea what he would do if he saw her. She was willing to take a chance for his knowledge. The Princesses were notoriously tight-lipped about the Great War he was a part of, and the rumors surronding the creature behind Duty were hotly debated amongst scholars. She began trying to puzzle all the rumors together as she jogged back to her friends, now looking around until spotting her. Pinkie Pie waved as she approached. "We got it all set up. I know you have super-secret princess stuff to do, but I got the address and everything so as soon as your done you can just join all of us for the fun!"

Rainbow paused and looked a Pinkie. "Princess stuff? When did she say anything about that?"

Twilight stared at Pinkie, before a small giggle escaped her mouth. "She's right Dash. I have a quick errand to run, and I can meet you guys at the party in a bit."

Rainbow jumped up, using her wings to fly beside Twilight. "You sure you wanna go alone? We got your back if you need some backup." She threw a few flying punches, before getting a noogie from Applejack.

Twilight smiled. "No, this is a one mare job. I'll be back soon though."

The girls nodded and began to run off to the their various vehicles. Rainbow looked like she was about to say something, but a text on her phone distracted her. "Ah crap, I totally forgot to grab my stuff from the dojo the other day." She began running, waving to Twilight as she ran off. "Stay safe pony-girl. I'll be at the sleep-over."

Scars and Salad
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The Mark of Duty

Scars and Salad

The final battle was starting. I am not so dead to the world as to say I wasn't worried. I was forced to contain my breathing as I watched Sunset's fall through the scope. Her wings sprouting with flecks of red dripping from her back. I flinched at that and centered the scope over Twilights head. This was the moment. I could put a bolt in Twilights head right now. If I did that Sunset would go through the portal, and I would have a full revenge against Celestia. Having to either strike down her former student or be beaten by her. I watched as Sunset did the villain bit. She played it well honestly. I looked at her and saw her eyes through the scope. They were wrong. The flash of kindness was buried beneath rage, and joy at her own power seemed to be engraved on her face. I sighed and closed my eyes for a moment. I couldn't damn this girl for my revenge. I moved the scope back to Twilight, who was now in her little Ginyu Force formation. I watched the rainbow of random effects shot from her and her friends before it crashed into Sunset. And that part was definitely different then I remembered. I flinched as it crashed through concrete, sending rubble flying. I was scanning the ground the second after it hit. "Come on Sunny, you're a tough girl. Don't make me destroy Equestria just to avenge you." I found her after a moment, face down in the rubble.

I stared at her through my scope and began counting. "One, two, three, four..." And let out a sigh as she stirred. She reached at her back with a hand as Twilight made some sappy victory speech, but I knew how it ended already. I slung my bolter to my back and grabbed my bags. I began a quick jog down the building, jumping down the staircase a full flight at a time, utilizing my still superhuman abilities. I reached the exit quickly, and put my bags down on the back of my bike before grabbing my helmet. Never know when you want a helmet with bulletproof inserts. I ran across the street and found an area without people looking. Namely the mirror statue. I stood around the corner and pulled out my phone. Dropping my helmet on the ground beside me, I held it so only the camera was visible, I spied around the corner. The mane six were all talking, as they did their thing. I was interrupted by a text from Shining Armor. Hey, Sunset turned into a freaking Demon, what do I do?

I smiled, moving the phone to text. There's no form for that?

"Haha. No, in fact, I'm just gonna say it was a gas leak. Way easier that way."

I nodded at that. "I figured. Take her to my house, I have one more thing to do here. Make yourself scarce after you get her home, I'm going to be rolling in hot."

"Don't wanna know man, but I expect a full explanation later"

I nodded and replaced my phone again. And saw Twilight herself walking up. Perfect. I waited a moment before speaking. "Not Bad for a pretty pony princess." She paused, and I smiled. She was gonna be easy to reel in.

I shifted my bolter slightly as Twilight used her trademark charm. "Uhm, Hello?" I couldn't help it, I laughed. This young girl stood against Discord? Such wonderful Dichotomy. "Well, come on over here. You can stay in sight if you want, you just had quite the experience." She turned the corner slowly, before stopping in front of me. She looked like a frightened rabbit, trembling and worried at me. "Well, send me through the Warp without a Geller Field, if it isn't the youngest alicorn. Freshly minted and unsure of herself." I crouched in front of her, inspecting her unscarred face. "I must admit, you are lucky."

She flinched away from me. "H-how?"

I stood back up. "Well, the elements are a surprisingly random source of power." My smile widened as she took a step back. Fear and curiosity. If she had any of Sunset's nerve then she was already hooked. "Redemption was the only path that would have allowed you to live. If that girl had been petrified or banished..." I lazily pointed out my armor and weapons with my hands. I saw her go a few shades paler as her eyes fell upon my bolter. And that was the sinker. Now she would have to wonder why I cared. "But that is neither here nor there. I came to offer something the local bibliophile couldn't bear without."

She stared at me for a moment, before she shuddered away. It was slight, but it showed a miscalculation on my part. I had been too scary. She spoke in barely a whisper. "Duty."

I nodded, backpedaling the fear factor a few steps. "Indeed, but you may call me Marx if you wish. It's much less awkward. But enough on that. I will offer you a deal. I am curious if you know what your own power does. If you would accompany me to my home, I will answer a few questions." And the final piece of icing. Knowledge. Hopefully enough to counter my ugly mug scaring her.

I reached down and picked up my helmet, slipping it over my head. "I shall stay here for five minutes. Tell your friends what you will. But I will take you to their slumber party if you wish to follow me." I leaned against the statue, before whistling a random tune. She walked off, and I pulled out my phone again. Using the camera trick I watched as she went to talk to the girls. After a moment I saw Rainbow begin shadow boxing besides Twilight. "Frak." I pulled open my contact list and looked for Rainbows number.

She would sneak behind Twilight unless she got distracted. Luckily I was prepared. I had done part-time work at an MMA dojo. By coincidence, Rainbow went there. I found her number and sent out a quick text. Mentioning that she left some gear in the dojo, and it was stashed behind the building. This was all true. The fact I had stolen it last Tuesday was just not mentioned.

Sure enough, she ran off. The dojo was halfway across town, so I wasn't sure how she was planning to get there, but her wings were fading anyways. No weird government group would kidnap her tonight. I waited a moment as Twilight turned around, and turned the corner myself. I nodded to her and waved at her to follow before turning around. She jogged to catch up. "Uhm, Mr. Marx?"

I nodded, as we came up on my bike. "Yes, young princess?"

She paused as I opened one of the saddlebags, pulling out Sunset's spare helmet. "I was just curious, what do you mean by what my power does?"

I passed her the helmet, before straddling my bike. "Simply put. What the elements can do. Do you know exactly what little Sunset just went through?" Twilight shook her head, and I patted the seat behind me. "Then we shall find out." I started the bike and grinned as she jumped at its noise. "Hold on tight young one, we're about to outpace most pegasi." She held onto me as close as possible, almost making me groan. One thing I didn't miss from Equestria, so much touching.

I gunned the engine, doing a half doughnut to turn the bike around. I made the bike sing, jetting through the short distance between my house and the school in less than five minutes. When I pulled up, Shining was already walking to his patrol car. I raised a lone finger to my helmet and walked up, leaving Twilight to recover from her traumatizing ordeal on her own. She hurt Sunny, even if it was necessary I had to get her back somehow. I took off my helmet and leaned into Armor, whispering in his ear. "She's one of the folks involved in this, and the only one knowledgeable. I'm gonna call Alice. Noon tomorrow we should have the details for you. Don't respond, just head on to your car. We have some black ops type stuff to get done real quick."

He nodded, looking between me and Twilight. He pointed once to her, and I sighed. "It's not your sister Shiney, she's from my side of the fence. Don't ask." He nodded more vehemently and stepped into his car. I then turned to Twilight. "Alright young princess. Welcome to my little slice of heaven, watch out for Clint, he likes visitors." I looked to my door and could see the German Shepards nose poking from the window. Checking my watch I saw it was about six, so he's only been up an hour or two. Though with Sunset hurt he was probably gonna be protective. Doofy pup.

I walked up to the door and opened it, only to get an instant attack from Clint. He jumped up to about my waist. Full-size German Shepard or no, I'm still huge. I moved to pet him before he suddenly dropped low, I looked down at him and found him baring fangs, growling at Twilight, who was stopped about a foot behind me. "No Clint. Friend, not food." He didn't look at me, but his growl stopped. "Twilight, stick your hand towards him. Let him get a whiff of you." She stuck out a hand, and I watched it tremble as Clint stuck his head out slightly, sniffing it for a moment. After a few tense seconds, he huffed once and walked back into the house. Apparently, the surprise guest ruined his good mood, and he posted up by Sunset's door.

Twilight looked at the dog. "He doesn't seem very nice."

I shrugged and moved to the bathroom, looking for my medical kit. "He's a guard dog with a wounded charge. He's keeping you out of her room. It's exactly what he's supposed to do." I found the big red box and opened it, looking it over. It was filled with the average things for a medical kit, and a few goodies I got from working in a fight club. Namely sedatives and the like that were normally reserved for hospitals. I turned to Twilight. "On the table by the couch, there's a small journal. Look over it while I treat my ward, then we can talk." I left to Sunset's room without another word, leaving Twilight to stare at the unmarked book beside my couch.

I patted Clint on the head once as I passed into Sunset's room. It was decorated with her own drawings. Equestrian vistas and local views covered the walls. There was a small painters pallet in the corner, and a guitar she had taken up last year with gusto. The girl herself was laying flat on her stomach, with her jacket thrown in the corner and her shirt sporting two red stains on her back. I winced at it. "Sunny, I'm here to patch you up."

I heard a sniffle, and she rose up moving to sit on the side of the bed. She refused to look at me as I cleared my throat. "I'll need to see your back munchkin." She moved numbly stripping off her clothes as I got a pair of bandages out. I winced at the bleeding red gashes on her back. I decided on medicine first. "I know you hate shots Sunny, but your gonna need one for this." I began sizing up the gashes and frowned while I pulled out a suture kit. Living as a rough and tumble thief gives you skills that come in handy later in life.

I then pulled out a small syrette. Pure morphine in a tiny package. Enough for a bullet wound, since it used the old WWII design. I popped the cap and squeezed it slightly, seeing a single drop of morphine plop out. I found a vein on her back and injected the syrette. Sunset grunted at it, but I forced my self to ignore it. I waited a few seconds before Sunset sobbed. "I just wanted her to see..." I threaded my needle and guided Sunset to lie down on her back.

"Make who see what?" I pushed the gash together by hand, getting blood on my hands as I began to run the needle through the skin.

Sunset sobbed some more, obviously crying as I patched up one of her gashes. "Mom. She hurt me, and she hurt you. She needed to see what she did, but I went about it all wrong. I thought that if I did this, I'd get to show her what she did to us..." She paused her talk, sobbing into one of her pillows. "And she never said sorry. I've been trying to talk to her from the journal, but she just doesn't answer me." I froze in my stitchings. I had been assuming Sunset hadn't been writing in the book. Instead, it appears she just wasn't receiving an answer. This was not okay. And the fact she went through all this for me. Well, family fights and dies for one another, and she was fighting and dying for me just now.

I resumed my stitching, tying off the first and moving to the second. "Then I shall talk to her. Don't bother with her for the moment, just focus on healing." I paused as her sobs began to subside. "And know this. Despite what I may seem, you are my sister now. And family sticks by each other. No matter what." She didn't say anything, and by the time I finished the stitches I heard a soft snore coming from her pillow. Morphine must have knocked her out. I put the bandages beside her and walked to the door.

Opening it, Clint looked at me. "Go ahead boy, calm though." He walked through the door as Twilight stared at my book. "Princess? Come and see what your victory has earned." She looked at me. I still saw the faint flicker, but it seemed tempered with a bit of... something. Maybe pity? I didn't think about it as I walked back into Sunset's room.

Twilight walked in a moment later and gasped. She looked like she was about to scream until Clint glared at her. She stared at the stitched scars on Sunset's back. Blood still wet on her back as I slowly lifted her up to bandage them. The Princess had a hand to her mouth. "I didn't... I-I mean I never would have-"

I raised a hand. "Words mean little young one." I leaned Sunset against Clint, checking the bandage over before grabbing a moist towelette from the kit. "If you want to help her, I could use it. But this is how battle works. The loser rarely escapes unscathed." I glared at her. "Be glad they are mostly safe, any permanent damage I would have done to you." I sighed as I washed the blood off Sunset's back. "As is a lesson on consequences is just as good." Being done with washing the wounds, I began bandaging her back. Twilight wordlessly walked up, being an extra pair of hands as I wrapped Sunsets back fully. When done, I sighed. I laid Sunset back down on her stomach. "Come young one, we will speak in the other room."

I stood slowly, making sure to keep Sunset steady as I grabbed Clint. Carrying him while he made a few quiet whines, I walked into my living room. I looked at Twilight, who was now pale as death. Good. "Dinner is next. Ask your questions while I throw together a salad for you. The girls will feed you more, but you need something to distract you."

I dropped Clint on the ground, and moved to my fridge, with him curling up at the door to Sunset's room. I smiled at the protective little pup. Twilight sat down on the couch again. She looked to the book again, before letting out a breath. "Okay, uhm... I don't really...." She paused, taking another deep breath. "How do you know who I am?"

I shrugged. "I know many things. The future is an open book to one who has glimpsed the multi-verse." I stared at my fridge, before pulling out a pre-made salad from the grocery store. No effort would be spent on this. I also grabbed a thing of beef jerky from my cupboard for me. "Where one might only see stories, I see different worlds, different futures." I looked at Twilight. "One has you being assaulted by the cult of the nightmare and remaking Nightmare Moon. Fortunately, it failed, leaving a lost and scared foal that you adopted." I grabbed a fork and moved Twilights meal to her. "In one Sunset's judgment was harsh, forced to do anything anyone asks. A million futures with a million outcomes. But there are a few things that are almost constant. Your brother's wedding is almost certain, as well as your ascension."

I paused. "But that is barely important. Honestly, it is a curse more than a blessing. Knowing enough of the future to fear, but not enough to plan. I knew me and Sunset would go here, but not our age. We got lucky, but we could have been here for ten years instead of two and a half before this happened"

Twilight paused. "D-do you really want to kill the princesses?"

I looked to her for a moment, before taking a bite of beef. "I truly don't know. They have wronged me greatly, and my code is absolute on what to do against the traitor's hand." I grimaced as what they did came back to me. "Especially if it is inspired by cowardice. Ask Celestia what she did to me. Maybe she likes you more than Sunset, and you won't have to learn from me yourself."

Twilight looked at me strangely. "But, what did they do? I know the Great War was before he made this mirror. Then, you came in with Sunset, so where were you in between?"

I glared at Twilight. Cute pony or not she was getting on my nerves. I reached into a pack of water beside my couch and pulled one out, taking off the cap and chugging the whole thing down. "Ask the Princess. It is not my place to state their sins. They must bear their own cross. But besides that, I have a question of my own." I leaned back. "What became of the clan Bangs, and Do as well."

Twilight paused. "Old clans? Well, the Do family is pretty well off in Canterlot. They have an estranged daughter in Ponyville. But the Bangs..." She looked at me strangely. "They were lost in the Great War, one of two clans to fall in its entirety during the battles."

I took in a breath. Slowly, letting the pain of loss was over me. "That is a shame. Flash Bangs was a masterful enchanter. I shall simply be glad that his daughter's clan survived." I thought of Flash Bang with his little filly. A rare moment of peace in our war-torn lives. I could still remember her name. Paying Do. His own piece of Ponykind. I smiled at it. "Then that is enough. I had hoped he survived, he deserved a happy ending." I bit off another piece of jerky. "Hope the bastard who killed him died."

I stood up. "Eat your food Twilight. When your done head to Sunset's room. I shall be picking it up a bit so she doesn't try to when she awakens." I walked into the room, closing the door behind me.

Two Celestia's and a murder
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The Mark of Duty

Two Celestia's and a murder

I dropped Twilight off at Sugarcube corner, after extracting a promise to keep my involvement secret from the girls. I didn't want to deal with the backlash of all this. I then turned around, Twilight had asked why I grabbed all my gear again, but I refused to answer. This was personal. I rolled up to the school again. This time I paused outside the statue. "And here we are again." I looked around and saw a woman with skin paler than a fresh snow walking towards me. Even after all these years, I still saw a flash of what once was. The pony form of her, eyes wide in fear, blood staining her pristine coat as my blade pierced a mad hippogriff atop her. I shook my head, ridding my mind from the dark image. "Hello principal, an interesting evening, huh?"

She glared at me. "You could say that, care to explain how your sister turned into a demon?" She crossed her arms, tapping a foot. The very image of impatient sass. I smiled.

"Probably corruption from failed warpcraft, messing with things unknown in a foreign element. You know, the basics." She didn't look happy with that, so I went with my fallback. "I'll cover damages, but I have some business to take care of with Sunset's mother."

Principal Celestia glared at me. "Oh no, you are not getting back on that bike until I get an explanation I'm happy with."

Despite the grim determination I felt, I still cracked a smile. I took off my helmet and passed it to her. "Of course not, I'll only be a moment." She grabbed my helmet with a confused expression before I walked through the statue. Going through the acid trip of portals once again.

I landed with a thump and found my body was back the way I had gotten used to. Augmetic foot, full armor, and HUD included. I looked up to see two very confused guards and didn't bother drawing my blade. "Celestia. Here. Now." They scattered like roaches as I slowly drew my blade, and moved to an adjoining wall. I was not an inherently angry person, but if she hadn't written back to Sunset, then my rage couldn't be contained. And it would burn cold until I talked to her.

It only took a moment before a flash of teleportation heralded Celestia's arrival. I looked at her with utter contempt as she stared back. She spoke first, barely contained fury. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

I moved slowly, every step a nail in Celestia's coffin, before stopping right in front of her. "Nothing." She deflated a but, but there was still a flash of anger in her eyes. I didn't stop though. "When Sunset was hurt by Twilight due to her use of dangerous and mysterious weapons. I did nothing." Celestia at least had the grace to look hurt. "When I was bandaging her wounds as Twilight read in my living room, I did nothing." I leaned in, nearly whispering to her. "But when I found out Sunset wrote to you, and you abandoned her every SINGLE TIME! I DID SOMETHING!" I was shouting now, barely an inch from her face. "So here's what's going to happen. Either you are going through that portal right now to apologize, or you are going to admit right now. You are too weak to comfort your own daughter."

She looked at me strangely at that. "She's not my-"

The sound of my gauntlet hitting her ended her sentence. "SHE CALLS YOU MOM!" I stomped towards her, hearing crystal crack under my foot. "SHE DRAWS PICTURES OF YOU WHEN SHE'S SAD! I HAVE HEARD HER CRYING YOUR NAME DURING NIGHTMARES!" Celestia lay on the ground, a thin trickle of blood dripping from her mouth. I leaned in, my beaked helmet touching her snout. "SO YOU ARE EITHER GOING THROUGH THAT PORTAL RIGHT NOW, OR SHE ISN'T GOING BACK TO EQUESTRIA UNTIL I AM DAMNED SURE SHE COULD STAND AGAINST YOU! BECAUSE SHE DESERVES HER LIFE FREE OF SOME WHELP WHO IS SO CAUGHT UP IN HER OWN POSITION THAT SHE CAN'T EVEN FACE HER OWN ADOPTED CHILD!"

She made no move to get up, instead glaring at me. The anger was still there. I saw her aura spark once, and that was all the cue I needed. My sword revved instantly, meeting her barrel. I saw blood splatter from the impact and listened to the ripping flesh as Celestia gasped in pain. Her spell crumbled from the sheer force as I felt the blade chop through her ribs. I knocked off her crown and grabbed her peytrel. "Fine. If you ever want these symbols of your office back, come and see your daughter." She let out a rasping noise, which I ignored as I forced the blade deeper until I saw faint wisps of gold energy flow from the wound.

There I stopped, watching with some morbid joy as the blood around me evaporated. Golden energy now fogging the room, until her corpse disappeared. She'd be back by noon tomorrow, that was the way of alicorns. Immortal, but not deathless. I grabbed the crown and peytral and looked them over. No runes or enchantment s lay on them, just finely made gold. I nodded at it, before pausing. My helmet giving me another warp signature. I walked to the mirror, and paused. "Luna, for your faults your more direct than Celestia. Talk some sense into your fool sister, or I'm going to purge all she loves from Equess. My own soul be damned." I stepped through the mirror without another thought.

When I made it through the portal I saw a very confused Celestia still holding my helmet. Albeit looking over the design on it. I looked down and found the crown jewels still in my hands. I walked calmly up and passed the peytral to her. "24 karats, probably. Jewels are all flawless, count it as repayment for damages, keep the rest."

She stared as I took my helmet and placed the peytral in her hands. She stared at me in curiosity. "I thought you were talking to Sunset's mother?"

I nodded, feeling chattier after my murder. "I did and killed her. But she's powerful." I pointed to the crater in the middle of her school's entryway. "That magic is common in Sunset's home. Her mother is the strongest mage I have ever seen, with only three others of her kind. I smiled at that. "I believe you met one. But, I digress. For beings such as those, death is an annoyance at most. I just needed to get a point across."

Principal Celestia seemed to think all that over, before sighing. "Nope, today's been too weird. If this... thing doesn't cover damages I'll be looking to you for the difference. And... may I ask a personal question?"

I paused. Celestia was a meddler. It was an immutable law, but she was also generally kind. Maybe someone who relied on plans, but all she did was for the good of her subjects. Or, in this case, her students. "Yes, you may."

Celestia looked over the peytral. "Sunset's mother, what did she do to you both, to make her own children hate her so?"

I stared for a moment, watching Celestia shuffle a bit nervously before I laughed. Loud and hard. "Oh dear, I needed that." I paused a moment, recovering from my laughter. "No, no. I am not the child of Celestia. We were family, once. She imprisoned me, for longer than you can imagine. Simply at the bequest of a spirit who threatened her subjects." My eyes flashed. "And family should fight for family. But, as for Sunset. She banished her for pride. I cannot fathom the reasons. But on the night it was to occur Sunset accidentally freed me. And with that, I promised to help her in exchange. I only recently truly believed she was my sister."

I smiled as I put my helmet on. "Besides, she fought and bled for me, and that's what family does. Until the last slight is evened out, a family fights for their family."

Rest and Recover
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The Mark of Duty

Rest and Recover

I reached home quickly, not even bothering with changing out of my gear before I headed to the entertainment system and grabbed the dog-tags hanging from a shelf. "Alice, you there?"

It took a moment, but I felt the universe just... shift. As if the whole world tilted slightly before a solid thump came from behind me. I couldn't restrain myself from smiling at the yelling behind me. "DAMNIT MARX! I SWEAR I"M TYING YOU DOWN UNTIL WE MAKE YOU A DAMN TOKEN SO I CAN JUST SHOW UP ON MY FUCKING FEET!"

I smiled and spread my arms wide. "Well then, it shall have to be a quick hogtie then. That's what I was calling you for." I paused, looking to Sunset's door. "That and, well, Sunset's little plan happened tonight."

Alice instantly stood, and moved to Sunset's room, nearly bowling over poor Clint in her haste. She let out a held breath when she saw Sunset bandaged on her bed. "She's hurt..."

I nodded. "Indeed, but she will recover. And my Celestia has had a taste of her pain." I smirked at Alice while holding up Celestia's crown. "I may have made the first step of my anger management towards her, and sent a very firm message at the same time."

Alice nodded, her face passive. "Good, next time someone hurts her like that I want a crack at 'em."

I nodded. "Fair enough, but I believe we should deal with what we can right now. Namely making that token."

She looked to me, before sighing. "You can be stone-cold, you know that right?"

I spread my arms wide. "What do you expect from me here? I went and fought Celestia for my sister, that seems like an appropriate response."

Alice looked at me again before shaking her head. "Fair enough. Well making a token is actually super easy for a displaced. Just take something of yours, and imagine it floating into the aether. Say a little phrase with it that will play when another displaced picks it up and boom. You're token flys through the multi-verse."

I nodded. While I was innately suspicious of things such as this since it was suspiciously close to warpcraft, it was a vital part of my hopefully genius plan. I moved my backpack in front of me and reached in it. My bolt-pistol was gone, but I still had a few rounds left. I pulled one of the stubby little buggers out and gripped it in my hand, following the instructions. "I am Crucius Marx, last of the Terran Elms. If your cause just and battles hard, call upon me. I will see whatever duty you need finished, or fall in the effort. For only in death does duty end."

I let go of the soda can-sized round and watched as it disintegrated in front of me. Read and black lightning circling across the surface With each miniature lightning strike, it seemed reality itself was erasing my round from existence. I watched in morbid fascination. Alice was the first to speak after my round was sent out into the multiverse. "Well, that was more dramatic than I was expecting."

I nodded. "I will admit, I didn't expect it to look like warpcraft, but I guess it was personalized." I sighed and pulled out my phone. "And there was a second reason I called."

Alice smiled. "You finally moving up in the world big guy?"

I nodded and sent a simple email to one Mr. Whatever. It was simple, just two words. 'do it' "Yep, I'm buying the old bar. Since Bottle's going into retirement I'm buying her business. I need a good head to help me set up."

Alice let out a huge smile. "Hell yeah, I could use some time building stuff up instead of knocking it down." She paused, moving her hand to her chin. "Though, I'm not sure how much I remember from my old business degree. It's been a long while since I got to run the books." She paused a minute before nodding. "Yeah, I'll crash here for a while then, ain't got nothing waiting on me back home anyways."

I smiled wide. "Then if Whatever does his lawyer thing we'll have a bar by the end of tomorrow. And while you run numbers I'll start putting out feelers for advertisement." I glanced out the window and paused. On the hill was a white horse. Not a pony, but a horse of pure white, looking in Sunset's window. I stared at it before it let out a huff of air, before turning around and leaving. "Curious."

Alice snapped her fingers. "Hey, you good Marxie?"

I nodded, deciding to grab my old journal to read up on old Equestrian creatures. I wasn't sure, but something about that white horse was niggling at my nearly flawless memory. A blind spot. And I had taken one to many shots in my back to let any blind spot stay uncovered for long. "Of course, but today has been trying. Your room is as you left it." I smiled at her before turning away. "If you'll excuse me I have some research to do, I'll talk to you about it tomorrow."

I grabbed my journal off of the table where Twilight had left it and retired to my room. Now that I didn't have a time crunch I took the time to look it over. It was still Spartan, with the bare necessities of furniture adorning the wall. The only thing slightly different was the computer desk in the corner, with a large chair in front of it. I spun the chair around and sat, flicking open the journal to the little bestiary section I had cordoned off after my first encounter with a hydra.

I flipped past all my actual encounters, where Flash Band had helpfully sketched all the creatures by my description, into the unconfirmed area. Things there that I wasn't sure of. I had Skinwalker's and other creatures that I thought would fit in there, as well as things I'd heard of. In the middle I found it. The Pale Pony. Flash Bang had made an artistic rendition of it. Solid white, with a sunken, hungry appearance. "Ah, here we are." I began reading aloud.

"The pale pony, while rare to the point of legend, is a confirmed creature of Equis. They bond with a pony who is referred to as the rider. They are nearly immortal, bonding to an unknown amount of ponies as previous riders die. They are ferociously loyal to their riders and will fight and kill to protect them. This is dangerous as they can siphon the life force of any creature by a simple touch. Though their rarity makes official investigation difficult, they seem to use it to increase their own life-span. When they must consume life-force, they prefer highly magical prey. The current theory is that magic allows them to metabolize life-force in a much more efficient manner. Though this is at best a guess."

I put down the journal and glared at it. I was right, and the fact it wasn't important neatly explained my lack of memory on the subject. I never took the minuscule amount of time to memorize it. I had done it with as much of my old life as I could and during the war I only focused on Demonology when I wasn't enjoying my family. I took a moment to read the short description a few more times before nodding, and bringing out another piece of paper.

I grabbed a pen from a solo cup who had been demoted to pen holder and started dictating as I wrote. "Okay, fact one. There is a possibility of a Pale Pony here on earth. This is not totally strange since StarSwirl used the mirror as a prison. Two, the pony has a rider who directs it's hunting. Three, it's stalking Sunset, which means I have to hunt down whoever is doing it as quickly as possible and eliminate them with extreme prejudice." I wrote all that down and sighed. I had spent my lives as a thief and soldier, investigating wasn't my strong suit. I leaned back in my chair, feeling Amberly dig into my back. I grumbled and hoisted her off my back. I got up, planning on cleaning her and knocking out for a couple hours. I could bring all this up with Alice tomorrow.

***

Two figures stood upon a hill. One, a man in a black suit that highlighted his deep red skin, pulled out a phone and spoke. "RHD - 1, this is Demon 1, the pale horse confirmed our theory. We have at least one Euclid - class entity in the Canterlot hub."

There was a pause as the horse climbed up the hill and paused beside the other figure. A woman, with skin as black as coal and wearing a suit that toed the line between businesswoman and theme stripper. "Oh, good girl, you found her real quick. I bet I can get you a nice little class - D snack for this." She lovingly patted it's nose while smiling her own crooked smile. "Yes I do, yes I do."

The man sighed as he spoke into the phone again. "Yes, if she returns to school in the next week or two we'll have the plants keep an eye on her, but there was an unexpected complication." The woman slowed down her baby-talk and listened. The man spoke up a bit, making his words clear to her as well. "I think the possible Euclid threat that shares a home with Subject 1 made us. He made eye contact with the pale horse and grabbed his journal as soon as he dismissed the anomaly known as Alice. Demon 1 requests any info we have on possible subject 2 before we continue the operation."

The woman turned to the horse. "Oh, you are a good girl. If he knows what you are this is a much bigger deal then we thought."

The man nodded before ending his call without another word. "That's what I'm worried about." He looked to the covered windows to Subject 2's room. "I have a bad feeling about that man. I feel like we're poking a bear that we should have let lie."

Recuperation
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The Mark of Duty

Recuperation

I will say, despite the occasional bout of existential doubt that gnaws at me because of my shift from humanity, but it definitely has its perks. Namely being able to set internal alarm clocks and needing nearly no sleep. So when I awoke I knew it was exactly 1:03. Which was also only about thirty minutes until Sunset's meds wore off. I wouldn't give her another dose of pure morphine, so I'd have to try and gauge her pain with what she says. Which would suck for both me and Sunset. Mostly Sunset. I sighed and stood up, looking over myself to grumble at my lack of sleep clothes. My armor was in the corner, but I was still wearing the same T-shirt and pants. I rose and grabbed a pair of clothes from my chest of drawers before moving to my bathroom. A quick shower saw me clean of the grime that accompanied my mission, and fresh clothes that were much less athletic. Sweatpants and sweaters are eternal friends late at night.

I moved to the living room and glanced at my small collection of DVDs. Most were light-hearted fun adventures. Sometimes one must escape their own past after all, but I felt nostalgia this morning. With a new family, I was remembering my past family. And while I had some sense of closure with my last set, but I had one that never got anything close to a goodbye. I opened the cabinet and moved the stack of movies to the side, and pulled out a single case. It brought back memories. Me and sam sitting on the floor of our crappy apartment and talking along with the actors as Sam flicked popcorn at me for my awful Obi-Wan impression.

I traced a finger over the case before a groan sounded from Sunset's bedroom. I put the case down and moved to Sunset's room, moving slowly to keep from waking up Clint, who had fallen asleep again outside her room. I walked through the door and found Sunset still on her stomach, with her face looking over to her painter's palette. She made a move to roll over, and as soon as her back touched the bed she groaned again and rolled back onto her stomach. I smirked, my family has always been fighters, no injuries are gonna stop us. I began walking towards her. "Peace Sister, let me help."

She didn't move as I slowly lifted her up and moved her to a sitting position on her bed. Once I got her sitting I glanced at her bandages. There was no blood, but with magical injuries, they could already be mostly healed. No way to tell without asking, which Sunset decided to preempt. "Tartarus, I feel like I took a buck from the Princess in my back."

I smiled at that. My family doesn't stay down. "It should feel much worse, though you appear to be mending properly." I looked at her back as she took a few deep breathes, probably trying to win it back after the ordeal that sitting up was in her current state. "If you're up to it I could find some more pain meds and let you stay asleep all night. Or if you feel too awake for that I have some baby pills to take the edge off and you can watch movies with me."

Sunset paused. "Really? You normally only watch movies alone." She slowly raised her arms in a placating gesture. "Not trying to be rude or anything, but you normally only did it when you... uhh..."

I ruffled her hair lightly, smiling at her flustered look. "Movie night is a sacred thing young one. Something to be shared only with the closest of friends and family."

Sunset looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Or the hundred odd people in a theater?"

I waved my arms as if dispelling her vile hear-say. "No, that is a totally different thing. Movie night is what you do at home, with popcorn and movies you can quote by heart."

Sunset looked at me before nodding. "Buck it, that sounds great." She tried to stand up, only to take a sharp breath as her back moved. I glanced at her before assisting her up. She grimaced at that, but let me help her up while staying mostly silent. I got her standing before moving her over to the living room. She ignored the pain and tried to talk while walking.
"So, I never really paid attention to movie stuff, what are we watching?"

I stared at her with utter horror. "We have been here for two years, and you didn't watch ANY movies?"

She looked at me before smirking. "Ow ouch, don't give the injured little girl grief."

I rolled my eyes, letting her try and walk herself to the couch. Her limps and shuffles would have been funny if I wasn't wincing the entire time. She made it to the chair we had gotten for her. An absolutely atrocious shade of orange that she fell in love with. It was an improvement over the baby vomit chair that used to reside in its place, but that was only by a very small amount. Like less than a percentile. She sat down and leaned forward, keeping her back clear of the fabric on the chair. I grabbed the movie I had chosen and turned on the various electronics to begin movie night. "Well Sunset, at least this means I can show you the best film first." I popped the DVD into the tray and lid the whole assembly shut. "For you see, this movie happened a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away."

***

"Oh come on! Seriously?! I still have so many questions! What's up with that Vader guy, and they just left Luke and Leia's kiss to dangle in the wind!" Movie night was apparently successful so far if Sunset's complaints at the ending of A New Hope were any gauge. She turned to me and put on the pouty-est expression I've ever seen. "Please tell me there's a sequel."

I smiled. "Of course, there's six of them. But it's best to watch them starting with four, it's how they were meant to be seen."

Sunset did a fist pump and grimaced at her back. "Yeah, and maybe some pain pills, I think I'd like those now."

I nodded and got up. "No worries sis. I keep a bunch of basic meds in our kit." I paused at the kitchen and moved to the pantry. "Plus I can make traditional movie night snacks. What do you want to drink?"

I couldn't see Sunset from the pantry, but I heard her call out. "A soda would be nice, and what snacks are movie night snacks?"

I paused and peeked out of the pantry, looking over the half-wall that separated the kitchen from the living room. "You are a sad, sad, little girl, and you have my pity." I grabbed a box of popcorn and threw a bag in the microwave. "And popcorn is the tradition with movies."

While the popcorn popped I ran to the medkit and pulled out a bottle of ibuprofen. I shook it quickly, confirming that Sunset hadn't used the whole bottle without me knowing since I bought it. I heard the telltale rattle and moved back to the kitchen. A quick retrieval of both snacks and pills saw me returned to the living room and sitting in my chair. I threw the pills and the soda can at Sunset while putting the popcorn bag on the small table "Okay, we have to talk about a few things before I start the next movie." Sunset winced as I looked at her from my seat. "First off is simple. You're grounded for a week." She sighed and looked down, but I smiled as I grabbed a handful of popcorn. "In other news, we're going bike shopping in a week, I feel like you shouldn't have to take the bus anymore, and since you passed your drivers test a few months ago I feel it would be good for you to get your own ride."

Sunset stared at me as if I just stated that Discord himself had just made her a new necklace. "Wait... WHAT?!" She jumped from her seat, before wincing and reaching a hand to her back. I stood up and began to reach towards her, only for her to hold out a hand stopping me, and sitting back down. She took a moment to center herself before speaking again. "Okay, I'm better now." She winced as she settled back down, but I let her have her independence.

I smiled towards her, trying to show a measure of empathy. "Go ahead and down your pills sister, and of course. You have shown true drive with your recent attempted invasion. Despite your obviously flawed reasoning, I feel like you can overcome the mistakes of your past. So when you get off your probation you and I are going to see the dealership and set you up with a way to get around on your own." Sunset smiled wide, and I couldn't stop the malicious smirk as I leaned back and grabbed the remote. "Of course, you won't have many places to go. You won't get an allowance for a month after today."

I smirked as she groaned. I ignored it, and turned on the movie.

Reinforcements
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The Mark of Duty

Reinforcements

Sunset and I had made our way through the original trilogy before we finally called it a day. Mostly due to Sunset finally giving in to go back to sleep at about six AM. I began closing the door to her room before Clint rushed through the door, slipping between its closing doors and laying down at the foot of the bed. I glared at him silently as he quirked his head in confusion. I blew some air out at him before leaving the door cracked and turning around. I heard a clank from Alice's room and used my killer deductive reasoning to figure out she was waking up. I decided to compile my notes and ran into my room. My genius planning was at the forefront as I reread them. Find whoever controls the pale pony and kill the everloving shit out of them.

Truly, a master of strategy and holmes-ian intuition there. I grabbed my journal as well, needing to show off my notes on the whole pale-pony thing. I moved to my chair and sat down, trying to actually figure out what in the Warp was going on. My thoughts were disrupted by a small chime, and objects falling on my head. I flinched under the impromptu assault and looked up, only to dodge a small shuriken the was falling over my head. I rolled to the side and stayed low in case more projectiles decided to fall, mostly in case a grenade followed the worlds worst assassination attempt. I heard a click come from Alice's room and peeked up.

She was watching with a grin on her face. "Well, looks like someone got a few calls back."

I raised an eyebrow as the chime ended. Deciding Alice wouldn't be this calm about a failed assassination I stood up, keeping an eye on the detritus now littering my once clean floor. A rock, a shuriken, a few things I couldn't identify. Nothing superbly noteworthy. Except for one thing. A knife, from something I definitely recognized. I grabbed it, it's small size barely fitting in my hands. It was indeed a data-knife. I played an unhealthy amount of Titanfall 2 before and could recognize it instantly. I flipped it over in my hand and heard a voice. "Hullo, I'm David. Me and Atlas have kinda run out of things to do... So feel free to call on us for whatever. Just make sure I have the chance for a good drink."

I looked to the blade with a raised eyebrow. "Well, I guess I should have expected that."

Alice scoffed and began grabbing the tokens on the floor. "Yep, since this is your home they'll talk to you. Most folks have a flair for the dramatic with 'em. Personally, I find that a short message normally works best. No one likes listening to your life story in a token, but some folk argues it gives you more background on who you're calling for backup."

I shrugged and reached for the shuriken that had tried to go full Jason on my chair. I plucked it out and looked it over. "Howdy, Ah'm Sparrow. If'n y'all need help with some murder-y type folk, I'll kill 'em back with ya. Just try and give me some warnin' first, y'hear?"

I stared at the shuriken in shock before Alice walked up. "What, you get some evil bastard offering you the world or something?"

I shook my head and said the only thing I could think of. "Ninja cowboy."

It was Alice's turn to stare at the shuriken. "Well, that's not the weirdest thing I've ever heard of." She paused, before plucking the small blade from my hand. "Though it's very mundane style of weird does make it pop a little bit."

She had all of the tokens in the crook of her arm before looking around. I pointed to the entertainment center. "Bottom left drawer, it's cleared out because I didn't have anything to put in it."

She nodded and placed all the tokens in the drawer, closing it and turning to me. "So, I figure we don't have much to do until your lawyer friend calls us back about the bar, so what's the plan?"

I gestured to the couch while I sat in my own chair. "We have an issue. I can't do much about it now, but I'm hoping you might be able to help."

Alice let out an easy smile and sat down, reclining over the whole couch. "You know I love helping out big guy, what's up?"

I reached over to my side-table and grabbed my journal and notes. "Journal, near the middle of the bestiary, pale pony."

Her smile dropped as she righted herself, holding out a hand for me to throw her the journal. I passed it underhand and she caught it easily. After flipping through it for a while she stopped on a page and began reading. I watched as she read through it, and then stopped. She moved her eyes back up to the top of the page before reading it again. She let out a sigh and lowered the journal. "I'm going to hazard a guess that you aren't showing me this for an interesting debate about the different creatures of our homes."

I shook my head. "No, I saw one outside our humble abode last night. I want to find the rider, but I don't even know where to start." I paused a moment before jolting up. "Wait a minute, I do know where to start! Journal!"

She tossed it to me and I flipped it open again. I opened it up before moving to a section I rarely used. Pantheons. With creatures that personified natural phenomena, each one normally had their own little kingdom. While Equestria was the only full country that followed that ideal, each one normally used their power to make a much smaller team of ageless allies. I had three or four written down that I had the displeasure to meet. I flipped over to them. There was Neptune, who I actually liked. Of course, the fact that Tsunami was one of his immortal sirens might have had a little to do with that. Then there was Magran, lord of fire. Glancing through his pantheon was a nice trip into Dante's Inferno-inspired monsters. Even if he only had about a dozen. The obvious page related to Celestia and Luna. Alice moved to look over at that page and winced at its mention of family. I said nothing and turned the page.

There it was. The pantheon of Death. I opened it up to try and remember. My own past was biting me in the ass. Far too focused on the war and not what might come after. Granted, at the time it was logical, but this was wasted time. I began reading aloud, putting each word into my mental save file. "Death's pantheon is rarely seen. Even if he shows himself, his pantheon fits into a herald role, paving his was for the most important deaths. Like those of royals, immortals, and heroes. Death gives his heralds autonomy when not in use, meaning that several have what Death calls 'day-jobs'. Currently, the only known herald is The Banshee. A ghostly thestral that will perch upon high buildings before wailing to foretell death."

I looked at Alice with a raised eyebrow, but she waved me on. "While Deaths pantheon is rare, Death himself has released a set of rules they must follow. For one, they must have permission from Death himself or one they consider worthy, before taking a life. Secondly, any creature that identifies them as a herald may call a meeting. And finally, if they are separated from Death for long periods of time, they must act as the death of their area until such a time as he returns. With these rules in place, several ponies have attempted to meet the heralds of Death. Thus far, they have either returned failing, or not at all."

Alice looked at me for a moment, before straightening out behind me. "So if I'm reading this right, you think this pale pony is one of Deaths Heralds?"

I paused, looking over the journal again. "Yes. Mostly because most creatures I encountered in Equestria had a link back home. Sirens, Manticores, Unicorns..." I glanced at the journal. "And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him." I paused before snapping the journal shut. "Revelation 6:8 seems pretty open and close to me."

She paused a moment before grimacing. "I was never really religious, but I don't like the idea of tangling with one of the four horsemen."

I shrugged and passed the journal back to her. "Well, hopefully, I can talk it out. According to..." I paused, remembering who gave me that section of information. "Luna, I should be able to call a meeting with the pale pony." I tapped the book against my head. "And if whoever is doing this runs recon operations like I do, then they'll be back to talk."

Alice smiled wide. "And that's when we go all Dr. Strange." She raised a hand out like she was casting a spell. "Pretty white pony, I've come to bargain."

I smiled. "Indeed. Get it all sorted out, and either kill the rider or make them back off." I looked to the window, before reaching into my pocket and pulling out my phone. Without a thought, I tossed it to Alice. "You're on business and like today, I'll take care of Sunset and guard the homefront."

Alice snorted. "Just admit it, you don't wanna be called the cute boy who's trying to be soooo tough." I flipped her off as she laughed and moved to her guest room. When she was in her own area I opened my door, looking at the small hills surrounding the neighborhood. A few families were having picnics and the like, with one group birdwatching. I watched them for a moment, waiting for a tell of any sort. After a moment one of the birdwatchers turned his binoculars on me. He stared for a moment before moving the binoculars around the neighborhood. I sighed. A normal human probably would have missed it, but I could tell. Either he was a bored birdwatcher, or he was casing my house. If he was casing it wasn't a bad job, I'd done a lot worse back before.

I decided to just nip it in the bud. Besides, despite my anti-social leanings, a neighbor could talk to a neighbor. I was just going to be polite, easy as pie. "By the Omnissiah this is going to be awful," I shouted that I'd be right back through the door and began moving to the hills. I instantly missed my phone, since sprinting up at full speed would attract attention. So I was stuck walking through the silence. "Life is to quiet now."

I reached the hills within a few minutes. Most of the families were ignoring me, but one of the two birdwatchers was looking at me with a curious glint in her eyes. My lack of social interaction bit me in the ass here. Was she in a range where the average human could see that? Or was she technically supposed to be hard to see right now? I hedged my bet, waving and beginning to move towards them.

I was wrong. The woman had skin darker than ebony, but I couldn't see much of the man behind his suit and white hair. At least until the woman said something with a shocked expression on her face. I didn't speed up, instead calmly walking over as the man turned to look at me. I nearly stumbled. Sure, he wasn't a half-horse monster. But that was Tirek. Tirek who I almost certainly remember ripping in half and throwing into an ocean. I know the demon form of him is probably nearly healed by now, but it's still a shock to see a dead man.

My face apparently betrayed the confusion I felt, as the man flinched on seeing me. I held back a moment of panic. Cover story, cover story, cover story. That's what I needed. A random fact drifted into my head. Tirek had a brother. One who was similar in looks to him. I spread my arms wide. "Scorpan, my old friend! I heard you were dead. So imagine my shock when I hear a whisper from my friends that you're birdwatching right beside my own home?"

Tirek flinched. It was then I remembered that he hated his brother. Whoops. I focused on the woman beside him. "And who is this picture of beauty?" I moved my arms, pointing her out with upward palms. "If this is why I haven't heard from you I am hardly offended. She is a vision to behold."

Tirek coughed into his hand. "I'm sorry sir, I believe you've mistaken me for someone else."

I paused, putting on an air of confusion. "Really? But that red skin... hmmm." I looked at him critically. "Ah, he had a brother, yes? You must be Tirek then. He told me of you." I raised an eyebrow at him. "He said you had done many dark deeds. But I digress. It is fortunate to see you here, after the tidings of the other day a familiar face is what I need. Even if it is only familiar by reputation."

The woman sat up. She held a regal air, holding herself high, giving the impression that you were looking up to her even while sitting down. "Is this how you speak to new people? Without even a vague introduction."

I raised my hands, pretending to look embarrassed. "Ah, I apologize." I gave a short half-bow. "I am Crucius Marx, traveler of all the paths life has to offer."

The woman raised an eyebrow but nodded. "I am Chrysalis, and my companion, as you have guessed, is Tirek. Now may I ask what you want?"

I looked between them. Tirek did not watch birds. And I knew that Chrysalis didn't either. So the chances of these two being related to the pale horse were nearly one-hundred percent. I could at least try to weasel information out of them. Unfortunately, I had used all of my skills in subterfuge just to get them talking. So now it was time for my trademark brand of subterfuge.

I sat down across from Tirek and Chrysalis. "Well, originally I was just seeing who was casing my home with binoculars while pretending to birdwatch." Neither of the once-villains even flinched, causing me to maintain my serious airs. "Then I thought of the herald of death that came to visit my home last night." That got a raised eyebrow from Chrysalis. "And now I see two people on a hill over my house. One who I have met in my travels, and one who I know the tale of by sheer coincidence." I raised a hand, pointing to Tirek. "Tirek the Demon. I have seen you twice, and neither time were you as you are now. But you are the same in spirit. Proud, strong, and devious." I smiled as I looked to the binoculars in his lap. "Not at all the type to watch birds in his free time."

I turned my finger to Chrysalis. "And you. Queen Chrysalis. I have seen your tale unfold. Where I came from you conquered the strongest fortress of a nation. Only to be cast out afterward." I tapped my chin with my finger. "I wonder how similar your story is here. Though I know Tirek's is different. After all, I doubt he's been ripped in half here." I looked Tirek up and down. "But if I'm wrong he wears it well."

Tirek scoffed. "And what does this insanity have to do with us?"

I let out a feral grin. "A simple offer. Bring the pale pony back to my house, I wish to speak to it." I looked between them. "Besides, it needs to be fed anyways, and I could give it a meal until it's full to bursting." I got up without another word, walking back to my house. I groaned when I reached the door. Alice was gonna be pissed.

Arming Up
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The Mark of Duty

Arming Up

I decided to tell Alice as soon as I walked back in. And if you were curious I was right. "WHAT IN THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE MEETING WITH THE PALE PONY TONIGHT?!" I made a calming gesture with my hands and gestured to Sunset's room. Alice took a moment to right herself. "So you say you're going to guard the homestead, and then right after that you leave?"

I flinched. "Uh, a target of opportunity? They were in view of the house, and you know where the stashed weapons are. I trusted you to stay put for a minute or two."

Alice began rubbing her forehead, walking back and forth. "So you just fucked off to confront them? All on your own?"

I shrugged. A deep planner I was not. "Yes. It was the simplest course of action. You were still here and able to guard Sunset, meanwhile, I knew I could safely stand against whatever threat they posed."

Alice began rubbing her eyes. "Fine. But if you run off for anything again without a backup I swear to God I will beat you within an inch of your life." I opened my mouth for a smartass comment, but Alice cut me off. "And if you say something stupid about being able to take me you should know that I'll get Sunset to help, and you know as well as I that you can't bring yourself to hit her."

I sighed, acknowledging the truth as she spoke. "Indeed. I will stay here then, but fair warning, Shining Armor is coming over later for the full story of last night."

Alice ran her hands through her hair, letting out a long breath. "Okay, so let me go over the facts real quick." She held out a five fingers. "You met with a group watching us alone." A finger dropped. "We have a cop showing up after meeting with said group." Another finger dropped. "We have a wounded member of our little band." Her thumb tucked into her waiting palm. "I only have weapons I've never formally used at my disposal." Her middle finger stood proud as the last digit standing. "And you're an asshole. That sound about right?"

I rubbed the back of my head. "Er, yes. That is an accurate summation of events."

Alice sighed, running her hands through her hair for a moment before sighing. "Okay then, I've got a plan that will at least keep me happy. Since you have a token I should be able to show up with all my stuff instead of just what the Trader left me. Send me home, and I'm going to come back with my security blanket. I'll also get us some inconspicuous backup so we can keep something close to a guard on Sunset if something like this comes up again."

I wasn't sure how I felt about that plan. It sounded solid, but having a colorful pony in my little house might not keep me as moderately under the radar as I would have liked. But, in the same breath, I had royally pissed off Alice, and this would probably go a long way in keeping her calm. "Okay then, Go home Alice." She nodded, blue lights breaking of her body as she disappeared.

She pointed a finger at me as she left. "And call me back in ten minutes, not a second later." She disappeared without a sound, leaving me alone for ten minutes. I looked around my house. Clint was looking at me curiously, no doubt trying to figure out what happened in his own doggy way, my Tv was turned on to some mind-numbing daytime tv, and I had nothing productive to do for the foreseeable future. I moved to Sunset's room, deciding to at least check on her while awaiting the timeline for Alice's return. I peeked through the door, finding Sunset on her stomach. Her blanket was balled around her in a messy lump that consumed her legs, and her back rose and fell in the gentle rhythm of sleep. Clint dived in as soon as the door was cracked, laying at the foot of the bed.

I nodded at her slumbering form, moving out of the room and back to the living area. I sat on my reinforced chair, leaning back as I grabbed my phone from the table. I sent a quick text to Shining, asking him when he would arrive, before going to an age-old tradition of timewasting. Phone games. I sent several birds to a fruitless death against pig adversaries before I received a text back. I'm heading out right now. Since Twilight was at her house last night I hope you have a damn good explanation.

I nodded, doing the quick math for how long it would take for him to get here. If he was working today the station was only a few minutes away, so I would have to call Alice while he was here. On the other hand, his house was all the way on the other side of the park, and traffic would turn the drive into a half-hour trek at this time. Which might have been worse, if he didn't see her come in and we were stashing some ridiculous amount of toys she decided to bring along we might get more uncomfortable questions than we could answer. I couldn't really do much as I waited for Shining Armor to arrive. Especially since my main business partner had disappeared to an alternate dimension, probably to grab enough weaponry to take down a Brood Lord.

I moved to my room to pick up my journal, only to remember I had all the relevant information memorized. I walked to my room, pulling Amberly off of her plaque. I ran my hand over her sleek form and checked her over. Her action was smooth and swift, the crack of the bolt closing crisp and loud. I hauled the bolter over my shoulder and began a lazy walk to the table. My dining room was just barely an actual room. A partition behind the couch and a swap from carpet to linoleum being the only true transition between the two. I let Amberly fall onto my table as gently as I could manage. With the sort of calm reverence that I reserved for the holy writ, I pulled forth consecrated oil from a toolbox I kept in the corner. I began disassembling and cleaning while keeping a mental eye on the time.

Cleaning a weapon can be a spiritual experience, and not in the literal method one might associate with a techpriest. It was familiar, calming, and most of all, important. I had been with Amberly since day one, with the only constant in my life coming close being my Melta-gun Celestia still had tucked away in Equestria. My hands faltered, but the oil I held stayed still. The motions honed by decades of repetition refusing to budge more than a centimeter. I began the second set of rites, hearing and then ignoring a click from behind me. I held the cog of the Omnissiah, saying my prayers as the oils did their work. I remembered a theory that the only reason these prayers were said was to give the oil time, but even with knowledge shoved in my head I was unsure.

With the rites and prayers finished, I lowered the cog. With a nod I reassembled Amberly, working the action a single time before sliding the magazine home. "This weapon... is clean." I held it up, smiling softly at the bone-white body of my bolter. I ran a finger softly over the scope. A cough interrupted me from my quiet moment, and I turned to face it. Shining Armor was in my living room, looking at me with a raised eyebrow as I was inspecting my weapon. I lowered Amberly, grabbing my cog from the table and looping it back around my neck. "Ah, good afternoon officer. One moment."

I briefly checked on Sunset and found her still peacefully sleeping, Clint at the foot of her bed with his ears perked up. I nodded and left with the door cracked, making sure Clint had an escape route if he needed it. I moved to my chair, sitting down. I gestured to the couch as I spoke. "Sit friend, we have much to discuss."

Shining Armor nodded, still in his pristine uniform as he sat down. I took note of everything I could. The first latch of his two-stage holster was undone, and his hat was at a high angle. I smirked at him and leaned back. We sat in tense silence for a moment before Shining spoke up, his voice hotter than normal. "Okay, you have a sister living with you, the government on your side, and a body-double of my sister. I was fine with most of this as long as nothing major happened, but-" He held a hand out towards Sunset's door. "She turned into a demon and blew up part of a school, and despite hiding it in the paperwork; that opens a whole new can of shit that I need to be in the know about."

I chewed on that. He was asking a lot of me, and my explanation would be far-fetched no matter how I worded it. The tenth minute passed, and I smiled. "I know what to do friend, but in order to begin you have to make a promise." He looked at me through lidded eyes. The type of eyes that would make one doubt their intelligence when they were pointed at you. Tsunami had hit me with the same look many a time. I flashed my teeth as my grin expanded a bit. "This doesn't leave this room. No cops, no friends, just you and me."

He grunted, leaning back for a minute. Time passed slowly before he nodded. "Fine. Fill me in, but if it's to bad I will spread this story as far and wide as possible."

I got up, moving to my entertainment center and pulled out Alice's tags. "Of course, let me get Alice here and her arrival will start the story." I held up the tags tapping them a few times. "Alice times up. Drop in hot." There was a crackle of purple fire that smelled like death, black and green flames licking the ground in front of my feet. They jumped up, sending Shining over the couch as I saw a glint of blue metal. The flames fell quickly, leaving a suit of Mjolnir Mark VI armor. The helmet looked custom, with a ridge around the scalp that looked like a headdress from the Victorian era. There were several white markings, which looked vaguely like an apron. What confirmed it was Alice though was the symbol on the chest. In the blue, a white rabbit stood tall, a golden pocket watch held tight in his paws. She looked at me and turned to Shining Armor's head as it peeked up from the couch. On her back, a Sniper Rifle that was almost her size rested, and an Smg rested on her hip.
Alice reached up, removing her helmet and smiling. "Okay Marxie, let's get serious."

Lunch Meeting
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The Mark of Duty

Lunch Meeting

Alice stood tall in her armor, her helmet resting in the crook of her arm while her fist rested on a cocked hip. "Okay, onto business. I can do all your bar stuff today, and I'll be with you for that meeting tonight." She looked to Shining Armor. "And I'm guessing we have to fill in Sergeant Armor before he decides to call the cops on us?"

I nodded, sitting back down, "Indeed. What with an alternate Twilight, raging she-demon, and me at the center he is a might bit suspicious of what shenanigans we have precisely been doing in his town." My phone beeped and I looked at it. I read the email for a moment before flipping it to my pocket. "And you have two hours Alice. Our lawyer friend has finalized the deal, all that's left is the finalization and we'll be in business."

Alice shook her hair out, letting it fall neatly as opposed to the helmet hair she was sporting a moment ago. "Course, course. Alright Shiny, take a seat. We'll drop enough bombs on you to make you question reality." He flinched as she sat in Sunset's ugly chair. "Don't worry, me and the big guy already got our worlds uprooted, this'll be nothing."

We spent the next hour filling Shining Armor in on the basics of our life. He wasn't exactly happy about learning neither of us was from an agency of any sort, but on the news, he had been harassing an immortal angel of death he got real quiet. Of course, that was all Alice, my own self-description was much more succinct. I believe all I said was a long-lived meddler. However, it did lead to some interesting conversation. Shining was cupping his head, rubbing his temples as me and Alice were talking over business an hour later. "I believe if we hang a sign and you use some of your expertise to send word to our mutual friends I'll have a very secure income in the near future."

Alice nodded, her sniper in her hands as she looked it over. She tilted it side to side to investigate every angle. "Yeah, some of us might kill for a calm place to drink and talk to others. Plus with it being in a good place it should turn a pretty consistent profit."

I nodded and turned to Shining Armor. "What do you think Sergeant? Do you think me running a bar would work? I'm hopeful myself, but one can never be sure."

Shining Armor glared at me. "Look, Marx, you can't tell someone you're a genetically modified alien from an alternate world and expect them to be ready for advice about your newest business. I'm still trying to cope with the fact that when you told me to feel your chest it wasn't the worlds most awkward pickup line."

I chuckled. "What, not use to super-soldiers asking you to feel their pecs?" I stood slowly, stretching as I looked over the room. It was about time for Alice to get ready and I was hungry. "Well, I feel like I'm about to grab Sunset and head out. Alice, give me a ring when you finish the meeting and I'll pick you up your choice of food." I walked over to the small half-wall that separated the dining room from the living room. "Shining, you can stay as long as you need, Alice..." I stared at her for a moment. "Just, please find a home for your gear."

She smiled at me, giving a short salute. "By your will, Brother-Captain."

I rolled my eyes. "Champion, not captain. Unless you're an egomaniac they are mutually exclusive." I grabbed my keys knocked on Sunset's door. "Sister? Are you up?" There was a grunt which I took as an affirmative. I pushed the door, heading inside quickly. Sunset was rolled over onto her back, and from the lack of painful gasps, I assumed she was mostly healed. Clint perked an ear from his post sprawled at her feet. I reached down and patted his head. "Hey kiddo, I'm about to go out and grab some food, wanna come with?"

There was another groan as Sunset rolled her eyes, and I gave her a moment to compose herself. Another few seconds passed before she looked up to me. "Okay, I'm gonna be honest with you, I have no clue what you just said."

I let out a chuckle, before grunting. "Me ride bike. Get food. You come?"

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Thank you for dumbing it down oh lord," She moved up and flinched. She stayed that way for a moment before opening an eye and glancing at her back. "It doesn't hurt?"

I shrugged. "Wounds made by witchery are beyond my ken sister, but you seem to be healed." I moved out of the room while speaking behind me. "Go ahead and get dressed and the like, Alice is here and will be busy for a bit, but she may want to check on you." I moved out of the room and looked over myself. I was hardly in a fitting wardrobe myself, still in comfortable clothes from last night. I looked around and found Shining texting on his phone as Alice played with something on her wrist. I watched for a moment before her armor glowed in soft blue. Pieces began retracting, the whole armor sliding cleanly into her gauntlets. Her undersuit was a simple black bodyglove, which I took a few moments to appreciate before moving to my bedroom.

I opened my wardrobe, and my small amount of clothing greeted me. A single suit wrapped in plastic laying at the end, as well as a collection of various semi-formal wear decorated the clothing line. I grabbed a large polo and jeans before moving to my chest of drawers. A change of undergarments and a shower later I threw on my clothes, checking myself over in the mirror. A black polo was thrown over my chest, with a death star stitched over one of my hearts. It was good enough for political work.

I walked out to find Sunset in her normal day attire sitting in her chair, looking at Shining as he shot eyes at Alice's gauntlets and guns currently resting beside the table. I instantly began grumbling. "By the Omnissiah! If she treats her gear like this her machine-spirits must be mortified!" I stomped over to the table and picked up the weapons, my large hands easily hoisting them up and onto a shelf where I placed both of them. After making sure they were both secure and safe I turned to Shining. "Well, this is where I leave friend, do you need anything else?"

Shining Armor looked at me with nearly closed eyes. "A spartan from a video game is some sort of government agent, a spliced together superman lives in my city, and a magic demon is his adopted sister." He paused for a minute. "I called in sick. I'm going to go home and drink until I forget everything that just happened."

I nodded and helped him to the door. "Of course friend, I'm only a phone call away if you need me."He left quickly, letting me easily stand beside Sunset as she glanced at Alice's gear. I cleared my throat to get her attention. "Sunset, you ready to go?"

Sunset shook her head, her hair flowing over her face. "Yeah sure." She broke eye contact with the gear and looked at me. "Where are we going?"

I grabbed our helmets from the table and tossed hers over my shoulder. "I was figuring something simple, lets head to that cafe down the street so I can wipe out their sandwich inventory for the day."

Sunset giggled, standing up behind me. "Cool, lemme grab my bag."

***

The cafe near the entrance of our suburb was called the Sand Witch. I had absolutely no clue how such a strange cafe had not only remained open, but thrived in our little corner of the city, but I actively chose to ignore it. Making our way through the faux-beach setting and walking past a cauldron with a chalkboard stuck in it, both me and Sunset sat at a table. I ate here often enough that both me and Sunset got to watch the normal routine when the waitress approached me. She looked at me and nodded, not bothering to speak before turning to Sunset. "Hello, ma'am, can I take your order before I get the manager?"

Sunset looked between us for a moment. "Uh, sure. Can I just get some tea? Whatever you have will do." The waitress nodded, and Sunset turned to me as she left. "The buck is that about Marx?"

I smiled easily, leaning back in my chair. "The manager and I have an... arrangement. Most of the employees send her out here instead of dealing with me. They seem to think of me as a problem customer."

Sunset was about to speak up, but a voice squealed from the inside of the store. "THAT STUPID BOY IS HERE AGAIN!?!" I smiled as slightly quieter orders were sent, Sunset staring at the door as the sound of feet rushed outside. Out walked a woman who should have been named Bertha. She was built like a siege engine, pure muscle, and power with Russian aesthetic. She looked at me with squinted eyes before stomping over and paused once seeing Sunset. She only held for a second, before her stance slightly shifted. Instead of stomping towards me, she walked. Though, I could easily tell she was both annoyed and happy I was here. When she got to our table she nodded briefly to Sunset before turning to me. "So, I take it this is the child you've been looking after?"

I nodded, and she chewed her lip for a moment. "Fine, I can get your usual order ready in about twenty. But, I need an advance payment and a bit extra."

I nodded, pulling out my wallet and passing her a handful of bills. "Of course Sonya, and what would the extra payment be this time? Another security job, another free class for that kid of yours?"

Sonya shook her head. "No, I want answers." She dropped her hands on the table, looking me in the eyes, which was a minor feat of bravery in itself, given what she knew. "I heard you were getting out of the business. That true?"

I smiled easily. "Am I getting out of my previous employment? Of course I am. Little respect, long hours, no challenge..." My smile widened as Sonya's eye twitched. "And the constant flood of claims that I was cheating. Wasn't worth the headache."

Sonya nodded, before signaling a waiter. "Alright then, but I still want you tutoring little Ditzy, the girl's got all the grace of a tank."

I spread my arms wide. "But of course! That girl is the apple of my eye, I wouldn't dream of abandoning the girl."

Sonya left without another word, which was actually my preferred way for her to leave. Sunset looked at me for a moment. "So, what did you do again? I didn't really pay much attention... like, ever." She rubbed the back of her head as the waiter dropped a glass of tea in front of her, and a jug of water with accompanying glass in front of me. "That was probably rude, huh?"

I poured myself a large glass of water and nodded. "Oh yes, incredibly so. But I expected it." I lifted the glass softly. "IT's gone well, you're learning. And you will continue to learn." I took a sip of water while mulling over exactly what to say. "I was in a local sports league. I have some small acclaim to my name, so the people who compete with me tend to notice whenever I'm nearby."

Our conversation was simple as we waited for our food. Sunset mostly asking questions about my past and me giving her a heavily modified version of the events. As well as scrubbing a few key details. Which was what I was doing when it happened. I was leaned over the table, my arms resting on the surface. "So, Gallus was down, Tsunami was pinned down, and I was the only one who could move. There was a veritable Legion of-" I stopped talking as I noticed a woman approach, her body language open and calm. I might have thought she was ordinary if her eyes weren't locked onto me like a Sylvester when he spots Tweety.

Sunset nearly spoke up but noticed my look as the woman sat at our table. Before the stranger could talk I began casing her. The collar of her professional suit had a small discoloration and wrinkle near the left point, which hinted an Id tag was there more often than not. Her suit itself was average business fair, white shirt, black jacket, black tie, black pants. They were a bit loose on her but given the quality that was probably intentional. The thing that truly sparked my interest was a small wrinkle near her chest. Had I normal eyes I might have dismissed it, but the way it moved with her was telling. There was a gun under her jacket.

The woman smiled easily. "Hello! Crucius Marx, right? I'm a big fan of your work." She stuck out her hand. "My name is Veiled Shadow, pleasure."

I barely glanced at her hand, already working on confirming my suspicion. I locked eyes with her, before speaking in a quiet and still voice. "And low, she rode in on a pale horse." Her tell was subtle, but for a split second her eyes widened, and a small tremble hit her hand. I nodded, reaching into my wallet. "Sunset, this place has great ice cream. Go in and grab one, eat it inside." I glared at the woman. "I have some business to discuss."

Sunset looked between us as I offered her a twenty. She took it with a nod. "Got it, should I call anyone?"

I shook my head. "Not now, but if I'm not back in ten then you need to call Alice. Tell her you need her here yesterday." Sunset nodded and scampered off, letting me and the woman sit alone. She slowly withdrew her hand as I stood up. "Come on girl, we'll talk somewhere private." I stood easily, already knowing exactly where we would go.

As we made our way to the back alley I pulled out a keyring and went to an unassuming door. Shadow spoke up behind me. "You know, this wasn't what I had in mind when I introduced myself to you. I was expecting an autograph."

I rolled my eyes as I opened the door, walking in calmly. The room was simple. Concrete walls and a short waiting room with a simple stairwell leading down. As soon as the door shut behind Shadow I stuck like a viper. My body moved like the wind, and my hand closed quickly around her throat. I reached up with my left hand and pulled the small Bluetooth from her ear before popping it in my own ear. Keeping a tight enough grip to shut her up, I pulled the pistol from her jacket. Without a word I dropped her beside the stairwell, blocking the door with my body. "If you come to talk diplomacy with someone, don't bring a gun next time." I locked back the slide, a live round flying out as I clicked my tongue. "And with one in the chamber, I'm afraid you grossly underestimated me. I'm a bit insulted." I dropped the magazine, catching it and tossing it to her. "Catch."

She fumbled the catch, while also coughing. I didn't let it faze me as I swiftly disassembled the gun. I withdrew the recoil spring, ensuring it couldn't be reassembled before putting the pieces on the small table beside the wall. I crossed my arms as Shadow looked at me, her eyes looking both angry and scared. Good, I couldn't respect her if she was only afraid. "Look girl, you're young. But you're boss either thinks you're the best thing since sliced bread or wants you dead. So here's the deal. I have this nice little communicator in my ear." I pointed to my recently pilfered accessory. "Assuming you're handler isn't an incompetent piece of warp-waste, they should be able to hear me. I'm giving you one chance to make it out of our meeting alive."

I held up the small spring in my hand. "Your only gun is useless, this room is soundproofed, and we both have a time limit. With all this in mind, I'm giving you five minutes. Any questions you want answered, I'll answer. You so much as twitch towards that table, or to your feet, I kill you." I flicked the spring at her, which she caught easily. "Of course, I get a few of my own."

The woman was silent a moment before the Bluetooth crackled once. "This wasn't part of the plan."

I smiled, holding a hand to the device more for my new 'friends' benefit than mine. "Oh dear, have I made a mess of a failed honeypot operation, or was this evening going to have a bit more class?"

There was a pause and Shadow's fear shrank as anger began to win her over. I shrugged, waiting for the voice to respond. "Well, she was just supposed to get a read on your mentality. You're too distant with our normal agents, so we had to try a more direct approach." I waited some more and the voice spoke up again. "And you don't buy that do you?"

I smiled. "If I bought everything I was offered by a static-y voice over from distant communication I would have ended my life with a blade in my gut or a bolt in my head long ago. No, I believe that was a secondary plan if she couldn't find a way to safely secure me. If you don't trust her to ask the questions we can continue excluding her, though I will only return her headset when I am leaving." My smile flashed a fair few teeth. "After all, I'm not a complete fool."

Shadow sneered at me. "So if you think we're so evil, why'd you leave the girl alone?"

My smile dropped, and I looked to her. "Because if your organization is stupid enough to take her without having a plan to bring me down then it doesn't deserve to live. I will chase every part of your foundation and raze it to the ground until she is safe at home. And there will be no survivors of each place I visit. Bullets don't stop me, blades don't pierce my skin, and words won't cause me to falter. So magic voice. I highly suggest if you have a group going to capture little Sunset, you stop them now."

There was a pause before the voice spoke again. "Okay then, I think I'll let Shadow take over."

I nodded, looking to the young woman in front of me. "They've gone to do some work. You have about three and a half minutes, start asking."

Shadow glared at me. "What are you planning?"

I shrugged. "Plans? I plan to open a bar. I plan to help Sunset achieve her dream of gaining enough power to protect her home and stand on equal footing with her mother, I plan on eating lunch as soon as we're done." I looked at the door. "Which is probably getting cold. Warpfire." I turned back to her. "Either way, nothing important. I'm retired, my duties much less violent than my previous job." I barely moved as I looked at her. "My turn. What does your organization want me and Sunset for?"

Shadow ground her teeth, before spitting on the floor. "We want to study and contain you until we're sure you aren't a threat to the stability and harmony of the planet. Indefinitely if needed."

I bobbed my head slightly. "Fair enough, and though my hospitality may not show it, I appreciate the honesty. Then ask your next question. I think this will be the last exchange, I'm rather peckish, and after that, I already have a few plans I'll work up to keep us both happy."

Shadow continued to glare, her rage apparently not abating despite my more polite demeanor. "What are you?"

I paused. I honestly should have expected this question, but my lack of planning did not give me an adequate explanation. I tapped my leg slightly, the prosthetic foot giving each tap a metallic clink. "Well now, there are many answers for that. I guess the simplest way to put it, is that I am an angel. When deamons are clawing at a poor country home, or barbarians charge the gate, I stand ready. Each child from my home knows when things have gone wrong, the Omnissiah sends a blessing, and each shooting star could be us. We crash down with holy wrath, purging our foes with bolts and blade, letting forth holy hellfire that turns our foes into slag and ash." I stood tall. "I am Crucius marx, champion of the Terran Elms. I am the angry will of the Omnissiah. I am an Astartes, the final fate of heretics and deamons alike."

Shadow looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "You expect me to believe that?"

I shrugged, turning to the door. "Believe what you will." I plopped the Bluetooth out and tossed it on the table. "I will meet with the pale pony tonight, and get their take on the situation. That will change the offer you receive if no meeting occurs I will assume you are hostile, and neither of us wants that. Good day, Ms. Shadow. May the Omnissiah guide you." I walked back to the cafe, retrieving Sunset and smiling as my lunch followed her out. Not the worst lunch meeting I've ever had.

Duel Of Fates
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The Mark of Duty

Duel Of Fates

As soon as the duel started I saw a hundred ways to end it. Her blade was beautifully made and would do less than nothing to stop my sword from bisecting it and reducing her to a headless body skidding across the floor. My warrior instincts screamed for blood, but my own sense of honor curbed it. I thumbed off my blade, deflecting her first swing easily. She started an assault that served little purpose besides earning my interest. My feet shuffled to the side as an ill-timed stab whiffed harmlessly beside me. I slid my blade upwards, unbalancing her blade. With a twist of my blade, her sword went flying, and the guard on the reverse side of the chainsword rested against her neck. The hall was silent before I raised an eyebrow, looking to the sword. "You going to get that. I would hate to strike at an unarmed combatant." My blade snaked its way into the ground beside me. I rested my chin on it, quirking my head. "Unless you'd prefer to concede now. THough I would respect you less for it."

Ruby glared at me, keeping both eyes on me as she stepped back to her blade, stooping down while watching me. She slowly lowered herself into a slightly different stance, her sword above her head in a defensive pattern. I nodded. "A wise choice now that you've realized an offensive attack is worthless. Before we begin again may I ask a question?"

She blew a lock of hair out of her face. "If you must."

I nodded. "Fair. Do you dance?"

She paused, her sword wavering. "I fail to see how that it relevant."

I shrugged, standing again as I drew my sword up to my waist. "It is utterly irrelevant. However, the way you move carries a certain grace that I thought familiar. I would hazard you practiced ballet at some point, at least long enough to retain their fluid movements."

Ruby nodded. "Yes, ten years of ballet before the foundation made an offer. Then I moved onto tactical and blade combat. Mostly because the opportunity was too good to pass up."

I nodded, flipping my blade up to a low ready in one hand. "Of course, and you are a fair opponent. I shall endeavor to make this bout as fair as possible." I put my free hand behind my back, turning my side to Ruby And raising my blade. "I'm sure you'll forgive a misstep or two on my part. I'm afraid I haven't tried fencing for a longer time than you can imagine."

She grimaced, stepping forward slowly. If she wanted to play defensively then I would give her a few strikes to practice with. I sent a low swipe to her left, which she deflected. I could have powered through, but I was curious to see how she responded. She raised her blade in time for a swipe from the right, which she deflected by locking the blades. I clicked my teeth. "Come now dear, I'm sure you noticed the design of my blade." I twisted my wrist wrenching the blade upwards and was surprised when she relinquished the blade. Without her hand it slid down, leaving my blade high as she caught her own and dived forward. To be honest it should have been a fatal error on my part, spending to long playing with food and whatnot. With my body at its current angle, her blade should have slid expertly between my ribs, finding purchase in either lungs or heart. However, I was more than a man.

The blade sunk a few inches into my skin, sending the same dull feedback as the rounds I had taken earlier. I looked down at it with a confused expression. "Interesting, you're better than I gave you credit for." She pulled back but found her blade sealed into the wound by my own clotted blood. I raised a hand. "Allow me, Ms. Ruby." I reached around the blade, pulling it free with a brief flash of pain I inspected the blade, noticing a small nick at the top of the blade. I flipped it over so the grip remained in my hand. "May I inspect your weapon for a moment ma'am?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You're already holding it." I offered it back to her, but she paused. "Yes, but only if I can look at yours."

My footsteps were heavy as I flipped my weapon around, holding the reinforced parrying edge with my bare hand. "Beware, it is a heavy beast." She took it, and her body shuddered at the heavy weight of the weapon. It was not so heavy as to be unliftable, but most people do not expect a weapon I wield so easily to weigh over thirty pounds. Then again, a third of it was the self-sustaining energy core tucked into the grip.

With her appeased I took the time to look over her blade. There was little in the way of adornment, the only decoration a small inlay of gold in the center, a strange script flowing up and down the blade. The steel itself was both well-made and well-maintained. I ran a thumb across the edge, a small splatter of blood sprouting to match the red at the tip of the sword. I nodded. "A fine weapon young warrior. A worthy addition to any of mankind's various arsenals." I flipped the sword through the air, catching the blade. I proffered the grip to her. "Take it, and we shall resume where we left off."

I heard a female voice shout from behind me. "MARXIE, WHY ARE YOU TAKING SO DAMN LONG? I GOT SHOT AND WOULD REALLY LIKE THE FUN STUFF YOU KEEP AT OUR PLACE!!"

I paused, looking over at Alice as she stood with one leg slightly cocked while she leaned against a wall. "A shame, I'm afraid I shall have to end this without proper etiquette for one of your skill. I apologize, Ms. Ruby."

She spit on the ground beside her feet, a flash of rage appearing in her eyes. "So what, you were playing with me?"

I shook my head. "Oh perish the thought. You simply literally couldn't keep up without a handicap, and a duel should be as fair as possible." I raised my blade. "If it's any consolation I shall refrain from wounding you any worse than I have suffered myself."

She growled as she advanced, and the duel was decided there. I slipped forward as she went for a low slash, raising my prosthetic leg where it met blade with the solid clang of steel on steel. Her eyes widened as my blade revved, roaring through the air. It didn't slow as it slipped under her ankle bone, cleanly removing her foot from her body. I dropped the blade and caught her as she fell, shock already setting in as her blade clattered to the floor. I held her up with one hand, lowering her to the ground as I dug around in the pack strapped to my belt. I pulled out a tourniquet, applying it swiftly below her knee. "Medic, I assume you can assist?"

I moved with sure hands, ripping the plain white shirt off my chest and using it to dab away the blood. I only noticed how many red spots were on it when I went for the first dab. I had apparently splattered more blood over myself than I thought in the fight. There was a rush of boot steps before a white-uniformed guard appeared beside me. "Remove your hand sir, I need to see the injury."

I moved the remains of my shirt away, and the guard peered at the wound. "Okay, one of you grunts, go to section four-twelve! I need you to drag Doctor Helpinghand awake and tell him to make a pirate special and make sure he adds in two extra doses of anti-inflammatories. This isn't the prettiest wound I've ever seen."

I dug around in my pack again, passing a sealed bottle of pills to the good medic. "It's not much, but I have some of these in my bag of tricks."

The medic scooped them up, reading the label before shaking her head. "Nope, don't know it off the top of my head. Gonna have to stick to our stockpiles." He began to rapidly dress the wound. "And someone with a radio call central and fill him in. I don't want to deal with any extra issues because the person that chopped off Ruby's leg is the only one trying to help!"

I nodded, grabbing Ruby's sword. I laid it down on her chest, taking both her hands to rest on the grip. I raised a hand in a quick salute as the medic moved to the side of the room, corraling a team of people wearing scrubs as they began rushing to Ruby. I turned around, heading to my merry band of fools as the looked at each other having a hushed conversation. I bent down on my trek, grabbing my helmet and vest as I walked up. I sheathed my sword with one hand, throwing my vest over me as I walked up. "Well, I'd say that went well. Is everyone here okay?"

Alice limped up, but nodded. "Yeah, Sunset got grabbed, but Tsubaki here took quite a bit of offense to that."

Tsubaki nodded, her pompadour bouncing with her head. "Hell yea, only a fuckin' coward goes after a kid like that." She paused, looking around. "Wait, hold up. Her names Sunset right?" I nodded, already guessing where this would go. "Oh shit, she threw a punch!" Tsubaki knelt down. "Sunset, kid. What size jacket you wear?"

Sunset blinked, and I followed. This was not where I saw this going. Sunset looked at Tsubaki for a second. "Uhm, I normally get a medium I think? Why?"

Tsubaki jumped up, grabbing me by the shoulders. "Big guy, I need you to send me back for like, a minute. I need to grab something and it's like, super fuckin' important!"

I flinched back. "Er, alright. I dismiss you from my service." Tsubaki jumped up, an audible pop sounding off as she disappeared. I looked at Alice and Sunset for a moment. "So, is everyone actually okay?"

Sunset nodded, walking up and wrapping me in a hug. She sniffled softly as I patted her head, digging her head under my vest. I felt a sharp intake of breath from her as she stumbled back, but was spared any questions by a guard walking up in full kit. It was a he, which was noteworthy enough in the group of guards I had seen so far. He had an smg holstered on his hip, and a pistol strapped to his chest. I took note of his walk as he approached, the quick, terse steps that betrayed his unease. He stopped in front of us, looking each one of us over. "Where's the last member of your group?"

I reached into a chest pouch, pulling out the hair gel and focusing on it. There was a crash as Tsubaki appeared in the air above us, falling onto her ass while clutching a leather jacket. She instantly jumped up, running to Sunset. "HEY KID! You did damn good, so you get a once in a lifetime offer!" Me and the guard both stared as Tsubaki jumped in the air, flipping and flying before pointing to the sky. "By my rank, I officially dub you into the Happy Horse Hierarchy as an honorary member!" She slowly floated down as her jacket whipped about without any wind to power. She held the jacket in front of her. "Please accept this complimentary jacket and swear to always fire on all cylinders."

Sunset stared at the jacket for a few moments before slowly reaching towards it. "Uh. Thanks, ma'am..."

Tsubaki waved her hand, taking a few steps back. "Nah, I ain't no ma'am. Just call me Tsu!" She turned to the guard and me, staring for a second. She leaned into me, raising a hand and whispering into my ear. "Hey, one of those guards is right beside you, and he looks like, super pissed."

The guard sighed. "Okay, I'm supposed to escort all of you home. In accordance with the deal, we're going to send a point of contact to you as soon as possible." He rested a hand on the small SMG at his hip. "Please follow me."

I nodded, looking at Alice. "Well, Alice did this go how you saw it?"

She looked at the bodies around us as various personnel began to catalog and treat the dead and wounded. She looked down at the bisected corpse on the floor as we passed it, covering Sunset's eyes. "Honestly? This is a lot less bloody than I thought it would be."

Meet the Realtor
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The Mark of Duty

Meet the Realtor

I sat in the back of the patrol car with my knee's resting in a comfortable position against my rib bone. Those without knowledge of my singular biology might prefer to call it a rib cage, but that would be inaccurate. My rib cage had been fused into one solid bone, which was harder than steel. Sure it made me basically bulletproof, but it came at a cost. Namely the ability to sit comfortably in the back seat of a cop car. Sunset had lapsed into a quiet silence as she stared over the front of the car, trying to tease out its secrets by sight alone. After getting a home and a few necessities I would probably buy her a few books that covered the basics of human technology. I could imagine her smiling at tomes of unknown knowledge, and my smile at how mundane it all seemed. A mirror of what happened between Flash Bangs and myself millennia ago.

I was only half listening to Alice and Armor talk about agency politics and how it relates to police politics. I also teased out more about Alice's cover story for us. Something about me being some sort of super-soldier from a small civilization that has been hidden away for centuries. I wasn't paying much attention, but a noticed a few sad looks at me from Armors rear-view mirror. I ignored it, and instead focused on just how defenseless I felt. I knew it was stupid, but it had been ages since I was unarmed. Despite my past-self being a man who lived by wits and guile, I had grown accustomed to having a weapon on me at all times. I guess it was a security blanket at this point. Something to keep paranoia from beating down my doors. With them gone I was much less confident.

I jumped as the car reached a halt, slamming a knee into a metal bar between me and Armor. he looked at me from the mirror again, worry etched onto his features. "Hey, you alright back there?"

He was obviously a good man. One who I would freely admit I would probably only drag down. But, that was my curse. Watching those around me fall. Though it being figurative instead of literal would mix it up a little bit. I waved him off. "Fine, sudden movements and I don't get along is all. They tend to herald things best not experienced."

Another look of worry, though Alice just nodded. I might have been the only one to notice her unclenching her fist from where it rested on the dash. The biggest surprise was the worried look from Sunset. I had expected it to be one of confusion, or maybe curiosity. Actual worry, however, was not in my mental list of response to my jumpiness. She hid it a second later, but I still saw it. Armor turned on his blinker and sped up. "Well, our turn is right here." I heard the smile on his face as the car slowly turned into a house with 'Sunny Skies Realty' written on it. "I know the realtor who runs the place, so she can set you up pretty well, what's your budget?"

I paused for a moment and shrugged. "One moment." I reached for the area between me and Sunset, where my backpack sat. It was now sans-bolter but still held the box. I opened it up and grabbed the first Manila envelope. I opened it and looked in it. I had assumed it was full of hundreds. I was very incorrect. Apparently, Trader thought the deal deserved us buying a house because it was filled with one-thousand-dollar bills. I had heard of them, used in a bank to bank transactions. However, seeing one was a totally different story. I guessed they were in stacks of twenty, and the Manilla envelope was full to bursting. I did some mental math and nodded. I probably had a few hundred thousand in here, so I could buy a house, some cheap transport, and buy amenities. The leftovers could be used for a very comfortable six months. Or stretched much farther by living frugally.

I wasn't going to go crazy, but a good house and set up in the house would pay back in dividends. "I'd guess we max out at two hundred thousand, but I would hope to spend less."

Armor looked at Alice who nodded and he just shrugged. "Fair enough man." He pulled into a parking space and killed the engine. "Alright, so lets lay down some quick rules. Be polite to the lady I'm taking you to, and try not to mention your past too much." He flushed. "She'd probably interrogate you for details so she could include it in her books."

I smiled wide. "Don't tempt me with a good time sir, I always relish in telling my stories." Alice gave me a cough and a glare, reminding me of our cover story. I held my smile. "The completely false ones that no one would believe anyway."

Alice kept up the glare, but I could see the it recede as some laughter flared in her eyes. I tried to open the door and found my eternal nemesis. There was no handle. The rear of cop cars didn't have handles. I sighed as Armor opened up the door for me, Alice mirroring his action for Sunset. Sunset seemed put out from her inability to leave the car, but paused to examine the door as she stepped out. She stooped up with a vicious grin as Alice closed the door behind her. I turned to follow Armor as he moved towards the door. I guessed she figured something out about the door and was glad she actually seemed happy about something.

We walked in the house into a small reception area, Shining smiled as he waved to the lady behind the counter. "Hey Smiles, is Mrs.Velvet in?"

She nodded and waved to all of us. I waved back, trying to be polite. She set her eyes back on Armor. "Of course she is officer, leading in some lost travelers again?"

He smiled and laughed easily. "Of course, can you ring us on in?"

Sunny smiled. "Of course." She raised a hand up to a small buzzer beside her computer. She leaned into a microphone. "Mrs.Velvet, Officer Armor and three guests to see you."

There was a crackle, and a voice came from the small speaker. "Of course, I always have time for my little lawman!" Armor's face grew a few shades darker as I thought over the voice. It was high pitched and seemed to ooze motherly love. If it was less excited it could almost be a match for Tsunami's. I smiled at the memory of my motley crew's team mom. I was forced to abandon the thought as Armor and Alice pulled ahead to walk through a door ahead of us.

We walked the halls for a short time, as I took in every little detail of the room. I paused as I realized I was already deciding which way to go in case of an attack, and which routes would be good for a quick withdrawal. I sighed as I felt the lack of weight at my hip and back. I really did need some sort of security blanket, something to calm down my growing paranoia. We reached an unassuming door that Armor walked through quickly, only to have something latch onto him from the side. I was halfway through a bull rush at the offending item before I felt Alice put her hand on my chest. Without the plate carrier, I felt her hands warmth, which was enough to calm me down.

Sunset looked between us with a raised eyebrow before Mrs. Velvet noticed us. She quickly released Armor from a hug and smiled at us. "Oh and look at these three! She walked straight to Alice and stuck out a hand. "Hello there ma'am, I'm Twilight Velvet, realtor extraordinaire."

Alice shook her hand politely and nodded. "Alice Walker, but I'm just here as a guide. Your shopper is the guy who's towering in your doorframe."

I smiled and nodded. "Evening ma'am, I was told you could help me find a house?"

She paused, looking between me and Alice, before shrugging. "Of course dearie, and what are you looking for?"

I paused. I knew what I always wanted when I was back home, but since I moved to Equestria that had all changed. Fuck it, I wanted my American dream. "Of course, three bedrooms at least, with a fenced in yard for animals, and enough room to entertain guests."

Her eyes widened a little before she nodded. "Of course, I have a few homes nearby that might fit, how centralized do you want it."

I looked to Sunset, who leaned in. Whispering, she tried to reach up near my head. "Could be kinda close to the portal?"

I smiled down at her. "I think we'd like it close to Canterlot high. That way the little one has easy access to school."

Mrs. Velvet nodded, now the smile on her face much more genuine. I noticed that was only after Sunset whispered to me. Freaking A, this was gonna be a repetitive annoyance, wouldn't it? Mrs. Velvet nodded. "Of course, if you'll sit across from me here we can look over the two or three houses I have that match your criteria." She looked over to Armor. "Do you need anything else dearie?"

He looked to me, before nodding. "I gotta stick around here for a bit, all his stuff is in my car."

I nodded. "Indeed, I am, as the locals say, fresh off the boat."

She nodded. "Ah, moving in with your daughter here?"

Sunset instantly flinched in almost horror, causing me to laugh. "Ah, is the thought of being my daughter that awful?" She nodded, causing me to laugh even harder. I calmed myself while holding out a placating palm. "No worries Sunset, I'd be terrified to be your father. No Mrs. Velvet, Sunset is my adopted sister."

Mrs. Velvet nodded. "Ah, I see. Well if you'll sit down..." She gestured towards the chair across from her. The chair that was very pretty with inlaid wood that was about as thick as a toothpick. I was about four-hundred pounds of regrets and muscle. I wasn't great at math, but that didn't add up. I tapped Sunset on the back of the head and she followed up, moving to sit as I sat behind her, placing myself between the door and her. I only realized when I stopped I had done my normal set up when body-guarding someone. Mrs.Velvet spoke again,l appearing to accept our compromise easily. "Yes, so if I can direct you to this first one. She rotated the screen around, showing off a few houses.

Kidnapping is Never A Good Life Choice
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The Mark of Duty

Kidnapping is Never A Good Life Choice

There are a million and one ways to prep for a mission. There is the sullen silence of a looming battle. No small talk or chit-chat polluting the air, each soldier calmly checking their gear of fiddling with personal items. There's the milk run setup, where each person is laughing an joking, most of the group worrying more about what they're going to do when they get home. Until now, I had never been involved in a post-business meeting mission prep. I was fitting my combat vest with all my various miscellanea I took into a fight. A few spare mags of my little .45 which I had strapped to my chest. My spare mags for my bolter, a few cheap smoke grenades that were meant for fireworks shows. Other such nonsense. Alice was waving her hands, navigating various menus from her helmet while speaking. "So in other words, the deal actually got a bit sweeter, we got a bit more of an interest rate, but since we're paying it off in full this month that's fine."

I nodded, racking my bolter and hooking it to my back, before pulling my chainsword free of its sheath. "Indeed. Are there been any other details to the deal? Post-purchase riders on our contract or other such drivel?"

Alice shook her head, dragging a finger gun until it rested over my head. Her thumb lowered quickly, and she nodded at something I couldn't see. "Okay, we're set up for my tech stuff. Gimme a bit to check hardware and I'll be golden."

A glance at the clock confirmed that we had another twenty minutes until go time. I thumbed the switch on my chainsword, watching it idle for a moment before powering it down. "I am prepared and ready. By the Omnissiah I hope we won't need any of this." I slid the blade home with a single click. It took only a single mere movement for the whole array to be fitted to my waist. After a brief moment of thought, I moved to the entertainment center. Opening a drawer I saw the bag of various markers and items that I could use to some other displaced. I reached in, holding one up. A can of hair gel with a smiling minotaur giving a thumbs up. As I held it a voice entered my mind. Yo, Tsubaki here. The great delinquent of justice is ready to pick a fight with all those who stand in her way. Call if you're in a good scrap and you need the home run of justice I nodded, slipping the tin in an empty soft case before turning back to Alice. "I'm ready, you good?"

Alice slid the action of her smg, hooking it to her thigh. "Oh, I was born ready big guy, Sunset safe?"

I looked at her bedroom, locked with Clint on the other side. I nodded and began walking to the door. I grabbed my helmet from the side-table and threw it over my face. We were silent as I opened the door, walking to the street in full gear. As soon as we touched the pavement of the road there was a small sound of displaced air behind us, and a blue dome surrounded our area. I looked to Alice who was resting a hand on her smg, but otherwise remained calm. I looked over the street. "PALE PONY! I AM CRUCIUS MARX, FORMER VASSAL OF THE MARES OF SUN AND STAR! CURRENT VASSAL OF HIMSELF! BY THE REIGNS YOUR MASTER HOLDS I HAVE COME TO SPEAK, SO APPROACH! FEAST A MEAL FROM ME TO SATE YOUR HUNGER AND HEAR ME OUT, OR WOUND THE PRIDE OF THE FINAL MASTER OF ALL!"

I heard a strained gasp from down the street but didn't move to look. I heard the clip-clop of hooves to my right and turned my head as it approached. A horse of stark white approached me, it's head turned slightly as if curious at my visage. I nodded my head, stretching a hand towards it. "You recognize this face? The face that stood in a hundred battles, with tenfold killed on the edge of its blade. A face long lost from the very realm we each came from." The horse nuzzled into my hand, and I could feel something flow from my hand to it's body. It stood still as my body grew tired. Five minutes later it stepped back, and I nodded. "You have eaten your fill then?"

The horse nodded at me, and I patted its neck. "Excellent, then I shall endeavor not to waste your time. First, do you truly know who I am? Do you know what I have done in Equestria, and what I could do here if driven?" The horse nodded again, and I patted it again. "Excellent, then I only need to tell you one thing. The girl that you and your rider have been watching is my battle-sister. If anything were to happen to her, I would get her back, or get even. If you and your rider made a move against her the other night, would you have known what you had done?" The horse shook its head. I stepped back, crossing my arms. "Then this last question is the most important then. Are they going to do anything tonight that will make me stand against them?"

The horse paused a moment, glancing at the rear wall of the dome. I followed its sight, noting the dome fell behind mt house. I turned back to the horse, and it nodded. I began rubbing my helmet, trying to stop the headache before it came. "And can you at least give me a hint?" There was a loud pop, and the world shuddered. The dome fell, showing we were no longer on my sleep street. Large white walls surrounded us, as well as an unhealthy amount of armed guards. I sighed, looking to the pale pony. "Gather your rider and run friend, I am about to cause a scene." Without fanfare the pony began sprinting away, grabbing Chrysalis from somewhere in the group and making quick headway to the rear of the building. I turned my head slightly. "Alice, there's a good chance Sunset was brought here as well. If anything goes down, your primary objective is to find her and keep her safe. Understood?"

There was a soft crackle from her helmet. "Got it, I'm loaded and ready."

I rested my hand on the .45 on my chest, looking over the group. "You have made a grave error today friends. I am giving you one chance. Release us, take us home, and never cross my path again. Do all this, and you shall get to retain your lives. Any other action will lead to your death."

One of the armed guards rapidly gestured to the ground. "ON THE GROUND! NICE AND EASY!"

A sigh escaped my lips and I shook my head. "Ah, the cocky nature of youth." I drew my sword, looking it over, before shouting myself. "FINE THEN! BRING FORTH YOUR GREATEST MASTER OF BLADES! BY THE ANCIENT LAWS I CHALLENGE THEM TO A DUEL TO DECIDE THIS!" I leveled my blade at the group and was only answered by several more rifles pointing my way. I clicked my tongue against my teeth. "Fine then, we'll do this the hard way." I drew my pistol with my left hand, grimacing behind the sight picture. That was when the world erupted. My enhanced reflexes felt as if the trigger finger on each soldier was making an impossibly long trip to the release. My pistols action wasn't up to snuff for what I was about to try, so I opted for my blade. I ran forwards, moving as quickly as I could. I closed with the group instantly, the rifles barely keeping up as I slammed the blade into the chest of the nearest guard. Two flicks of my thumb set the blade to run, and the ceramite made quick work of whatever armor the guard was wearing. Blood and viscera splattered my vision as the guard fell quickly.

My grace period was over, and the first rounds were fired. Most whizzed by, and I heard as a few hit something metal behind me. I ducked low, disrupting the aim of anyone looking at me before my blade rose into another guard. They were already backing up, but one had been too slow. He had backed up with textbook grace, small steps to maintain balance and keep his rifle on me. Unfortunately, those small steps left him in easy reach. My blade revved, the sound of the Omnissiah's nuclear heart overpowering any gunfire and letting the roar of my god tear through the room. It never truly impacted. My blade slid easily through him, and in the chaos of battle, I found the artist spark that left me long ago. The way his body split in two and slumped to the ground was peaceful. The blood and death around me and this dead soldier fell in two separate heaps that dropped onto the complete sides. The bodies looked peaceful. If not for the blood on the floor, the looked almost like sleeping brothers, slumped into the ground.

Then I heard a feminine shout, and the peace collapsed. A slammed the pistol back in its holster, diving into a crowd of guards to use them as meat shields while I reached into the soft pouch on my chest. The tin of gel rolled into my fingers, and I slashed behind me, hearing a scream as I glanced a guard who had been coming behind me with a knife. I tore open the tin with my teeth and a bright pillar of light appeared around me. The gunfire stopped, the room becoming still as a gruff feminine voice spoke up. "Well, I was just now getting to relax." Above me, a small rift opened. From the rift, a single person fell out, landing on two feet. She wore a bright red turtleneck with a leather jacket draped over her shoulders. There was a design of a smiling pony leaned against a baseball bat, with the letter H repeated in triplicate above it. She looked around for a moment and nodded. "So let me guess. You got caught in some massive shitstorm and called on me for a hand, so now I've gotta fight a ton of mooks to get back to my cartoons." She turned to look at me, a ridiculous foot long pompadour dangling from her head. "Sound about right?"

There was another pause, this one pregnant as I looked over the guards. "That depends. Do we still have a problem, or do the remaining guards want a chance to live?" I was answered with a few staggered reloads, and a few more thrown weapons hitting the ground. I smiled as I strode forward. "To all those who threw down their arms, head to the far wall, I would hate to hurt you."

I hoisted my chainsword up to my shoulder casually flicking blood and innards behind me. "So, I take that to mean the rest of you are still hankering for an ass-kicking?" I turned to the girl with the pompadour, pointing a finger at her. "If you would be so kind, there is a teenage girl and a woman in power armor somewhere near us, could you guard the young one?"

The pompadour girl's eyes instantly flared. "They're targeting a kid, why didn't you say so? The Happy Horse Hierarchy never leaves a kid hanging." She lowered her body, a small orb floating behind her head-turning black as the darkest night. "BLAST OFF!" She kicked off the ground, and flew through the air, watching the crowd. A second later her jacket and clothes turned solid black, a helmet forming around both her and her hair, and she became a living suit of solid darkness. I was struck speechless as a few rounds sounded off towards her, only to fly back, sending a small number of guards to the grounds with streaks of red following them down. My shoulder sent a dull pain to my brain, and I turned to find a guard with a rifle aimed at me, and I dove back into the fight. Rounds impacted me, sending dull feedback to my brain. They had expected a normal human, maybe even a bit augmented. They weren't ready for an angel to descend upon them with the wrath of heaven.

I strode forward, dodging rounds and closing the gap as naturally as breathing. The first guard never knew what hit him as I scalped him, rolling with the swing to avoid a volley of fire from behind. The rounds sparked against the far wall, sending a group a guards diving down. They still held their weapons, and so as I drew my pistol I never hesitated. My old pistol barked repeatedly, sending each combatant to an early grave. There was a cry of rage behind me, and the world felt... different. I turned to face it, and found the guards behind me moving slowly, even the ones diving through the air inching forward in defiance of physics. I stared at the living darkness as it stared forward, both Alice and Sunset watching in wonder as she stepped forward. "YOU UTTER FUCKING ASSHOLES! THIS GIRL IS CRYING!!" She stepped forward again, and her helmet dissolved, showing a grim mask of determination. "NO MERCY! FEEL THE TRUE FORCE OF MOTHER NATURE!" The world warped around her, the room seeming to blur towards her as she cracked her knuckles. "BLACK HOLE!" The ground beneath me began grinding as I was sent towards her. The guards were less lucky, flying towards her. As quickly as it started it ended, but momentum spoke in its universal tongue the guards flying towards her as she began to ruthlessly pummel any and all who landed near her.

There was no refinement to her combat style, any and everything was a weapon near her. I saw rifles picked up and used as clubs, guards picked up and thrown to their friends, and all the while the little orb beside her began to glow brighter and brighter. HEr orb flashed, and she smirked. "Who wants to touch her now? Huh?" Her feet lit up like flares, and she turned into a flash of light. The ground where her feet touched turned to a holy flame I hadn't seen for millennia. The light of the sun itself. She skidded to a stop right where she began, a circle of fire surrounding Sunset and Alice. "I AM TSUBAKI DASH, THIRD IN LINE OF THE HHH! NONE IN MY HOME DARE STAND AGAINST ME, WHO HERE'S GOT THE SACK TO FIGHT ME HERE!"

My grin turned to a smirk as I turned around, only to meet a pistol barrel square in my vision. A lone thought passed through my head as I noticed it. This will hurt, won't it? With a flash, I was proven right. My forehead blossomed into an exquisite flower of pain, my whole mind focusing on it as my head snapped back. My body didn't follow, standing resolute despite the pain. I lowered my head back down, a splatter of red running down my visor. I clicked my tongue, reaching up and throwing my helmet off my head, my pistol following it onto the ground. It clattered to the floor as I reached up to my head, ignoring the person before me as I grabbed the small bit of lead embedded in my skull. I ripped it out, breaking through the small wall of blood that has already coagulated into a scab. I looked at the person in front of me. She was a guard like the others, a streak of strawberry blonde hair peeking over her goggles. I flicked the round at her, glowering into her eyes. "If you think a weapon like that can fell a servant of the Omnissiah you have much to learn."

Before I had decided how to respond to her attack, her pistol pointed towards the sky. She waved her hand and the guards all lowered their weapons, a few clicks heralding that their safeties were on. My newest friend shouted from the back. "What the hell's going on? Did we win yet?"

I looked to the woman in front of me as she looked back at me through tinted goggles. Her hand raised slowly, sweeping her hair back under her helmet. She spoke in a measured voice, as calm as the ocean. "It appears our superiors did not do adequate recon. We should talk before this whole operation ends in a containment breach." She turned to one of the guards and nodded. "Go send word to the O-3, we have to use secondary tactics." The guard turned around, only for the pompadour menace to appear in front of him, faster than even my eyes could see.

There was a pause as she looked at him, and then she raised her hand. "Question. What the fuck?"

I sighed, shaking my head. "Apologies friend. I assumed this would be a fight until the end. It appears it only took a show of force to get them to the negotiation table." I raised my sword, wiping it clean with the crook of my elbow before re-sheathing it. "I thank you for your assistance. I am Crucius Marx, champion of the Terran Elms."

The lady looked at me and the guard before stepping to the side. "Sweet always liked working with some chill killers. I'm Tsubaki, ready to rev some engines and scrap some junkers."

I had no clue what that meant, but she seemed a powerful ally, and one not to be dismissed for something so small as confusion. "Well met then." I turned to the female guard. "So, what type of negotiation are we partaking in? Is it a ploy for reinforcements? Or perhaps something in good faith? I am fine with either, though one will end in enough blood to drown this facility and stain the soul of all who ever stepped foot in this accursed place."

She shook her head. "Neither, I was hoping that offer to challenge the commander to one on one was still open."

My eyes widened. "Truly? Do you have no regard for your own life?" She glared at me, but I didn't let it faze me. "Then yes, it is still open. Then it shall be blade on blade combat until one combatant is unable to fight, whether from death or injury matters not. The winner will take whatever is fair. Though there will, of course, be restrictions."

The guard nodded, looking me over. "And what restrictions are those?"

I maintained eye contact, despite the mirrored goggles hiding her own eyes. "If I lose Sunset will remain comfortable for the rest of her days. You will not harm or maim her in your care. I would ask you to try and allow her to live normally, but that I not a requirement, as it may be asking too much if you manage to beat me." I rubbed at my newest bullet wound for a moment. "If I win you will not hold us. I will allow an agent to keep tabs on us, be it in daily check-ins or weekly I care little. But you shall not attempt to 'contain' us."

She nodded, sighing. "Alright, that sounds... acceptable. May I have a moment?" I nodded and she walked back a few paces, holding a hand to her helmet. I ignored her words despite still being able to hear them. It was only polite. I turned to Tsubaki. "I apologize for the sudden request of aid, and I thank you from the depths of my heart for coming to my aid." I rose a hand to my chest and bowed, dropping my head in deference.

Tsubaki shook her head, raising her hands. "Nah, this shit wasn't a problem. Always happy to help when a kid is in danger. But it was weird getting dragged out of my chill time for it. I was shooting the shit with my bro when pop, suddenly I'm in a major dust-up. It was wild man."

I smiled, raising myself up. "Indeed it was. I haven't been in such a battle for longer than a mortal draws breath,. By several magnitudes I imagine." Tsubaki instantly looked confused, and I rushed to fix my words. "I mean, it's been a while since I got into a proper scrap."

Tsubaki nodded. "I know the feeling. Thought I got out of the game once, and then boom! Get accused of murder right in my home town. Shit was stupid annoying."

Before I could respond the guard walked up again, a hand resting on her waist. "Alright. We find your terms acceptable. When can we start?"

I shrugged, reaching for my blade before Tsubaki jumped up. "Hey lady! We were talking! Interrupting is rude as shit, at least say excuse me or some shit."

I raised an eyebrow as the guard moved her head in such a way to make it clear she was rolling her eyes. "Of course, I'm sorry for interrupting small talk with the business you're actually here for."

The sarcasm was thick enough to smother a man to death. Tsubaki appeared to take absolutely no notice. "Good, it's alright then, Imma go check on the girl." Tsubaki raised her fist to me, which I tapped with my own. "Aight, Marx, you owe me a drink. Or twelve." She spread her arms wide. "Hell, just let me get pass-out drunk and we're even." I watched as she walked towards Alice and Sunset. Both of them were fussing over a small hole in Alice's leg armor, a canister of something getting jammed in it and foaming into the hole. I paid it little mind as I turned back to the guard.

Another guard ran up, [assing a European style longsword to her, which she held correctly in her grip as she leveled it in front of her. She inspected the blade without a word. I rested my hand on my own blade. "I would remove your armor, it won't stop my blade, and while the minor assistance it does give may prove to be of minor worth, being a hair faster would probably be safer."

She stared at me for a moment before slowly nodding. "I guess you aren't wrong." She glanced to the bisected guard a few meters away. She took off her helmet and goggles, revealing a short bob of Strawberry blond. Her goggles quickly followed her helmet, dropping to the ground to reveal blue eyes, deeper than the chasm and holding a spirit as strong as flint. I decided to follow suit, stripping the armored vest of my body. To be honest it was there in the same vein as batman's insignia on his suit, a big target to aim at that would annoy me less than rounds to my actual body. By the time I was done she had removed her own vest, revealing a simple black combat shirt, which wrinkled as she bent down to remove her shin guards, but she kept the kneepads on. She rose quickly, picking up her blade from where it rested on the floor.

I drew my blade, clanking it against the white shirt of my chest. "By the ways of the Omnissiah, I shall begin. I am Crucius Marx, champion of the Terran Elms. Wielder of the blade with no name. It's ceramite christened in the blood of heretics and engine powered by faith and steel. I offer a challenge to this organization for the freedom of me and my sisters."

The guard lowered her stance, the blade held in front of her and slightly off her center. "Then I am the leader of the response team Beta-3, known as the Quick And The Dead. My name is Red Ruby, and I accept your challenge and all terms decided." We stared at each other for a moment, before I smirked. With that, she began to step towards me, and the duel began.