Angel of Justice: Blood Moon

Once again, Tom was left by himself as he made his way up a circular staircase. The only noises to be heard were his footsteps and the wind. Even now the wind whistled through the stairwell, coming in through small windows, chilling his skin as it got into his clothes.

At the top, he found a red-tinted door, which opened to reveal a carpeted hallway. Torches were already lit, but only in one direction.

Taking a quick breath, Tom used his senses to determine the alicorn’s location. Even with his muted powers, he could tell that the stallion was close, and he seemed to be in the direction of the torches.

“God, I hate when they act like supervillains.” He muttered to himself before continuing on.

As he walked, his mind was racing, trying to figure out any possible weaknesses the alicorn had. He was a vampire, Tom was certain of this much. Silver worked, just not as well as he hoped. If the stallion could heal from a silver dagger to the heart, how much damage could he heal? Was his power endless, or was it stamina-based like a slayer’s? Perhaps it had to do with how much blood he had consumed?

No matter how it worked, the human was afraid that he was about to start a war of atrophy. A war that he wasn't prepared to even participate in, let alone win.

The backpack over his shoulder was as reassuring as it was light, which was to say, not very. His sure-fire plan he had spent so long convincing his friends of wasn't as sure-fire as he made it seem. It had a lot of room for failure, and only a small chance for success.

One small chance. That was all that was keeping him going. That, and the thought of protecting his friends.

The hallway continued for a short way before turning. Altogether, it looked a lot like the other hallways on the other floors, only more lively. There were fewer holes in the carpet, and a few faded paintings actually still hung on the walls. Tom rounded the corner before pausing.

Right in front of him, the trail of torches on the walls ended. More sconces were further down the corridor, but these were unlit. There was another door where the torches ended, but the sensation of the alicorn’s presence was still a bit further away.

After a moment of hesitation, Tom walked up to the door and opened it up. Thankfully, it revealed an empty room that appeared to be a study. There were a few bookshelves and a wooden desk, all of which showed heavy signs of aging. There was also a window, as well as another door.

The human hesitated for a moment before using his senses once more. As expected, he felt the alicorn somewhere in the next room, waiting silently.

“Damn it…” Tom muttered to himself, gritting his teeth as he found himself freezing in place. What if he failed? What if he made Dusk angry and he threatened to go after Twilight and the others? These and a hundred other dizzying thoughts buzzed around his head to no end. His palms felt clammy and his limbs felt weak.

The more he thought about what could go wrong, the more his breathing started to quicken. He hyperventilated, bringing a hand up to support himself against the nearby wall. It took a few moments for him to calm down enough to stand freely again.

Once he gained his composure again, he trailed his eyes up to the ceiling, looking toward something unseen.

“Clarence…” He spoke softly. “I know you can hear me.”

Nothing but silence responded, though he seemed to expect such a result. Still, he sighed, feeling a bit ridiculous talking to some nameless faceless being he only met once, who probably wouldn’t even answer.

Even so, he had to try. His only real hope for success lay in the hands of his creator; the creator of all slayers like him.

“Look… I know you don’t like interfering, but I kind of need your help. They… kind of need your help.” He let his shoulders sink. “I’m not good enough… I can’t save them. I don’t know why, but-” He looked down briefly, pausing for a moment and wrinkling his expression. “No. That’s a lie. I know exactly why my powers won’t work.”

The boy looked down at his wounded arm. He rolled up the sleeve and examined the bandage for a moment, and then his trembling hand. He clenched it a few times, noting how weak he felt, before sighing and then hardening his expression.

“It’s not fair… It’s not fair!” He kicked the wall lightly before taking a breath. “Why do they have to suffer, just because of my fears? I’ve tried forcing myself to ignore it… but I keep seeing the worst. Look… I’m not asking you to save me. I don’t care what happens to me…” He paused, bringing a hand up and running it through his hair before dragging it down his face.

“That’s a lie too…” He exhaled shakily. “I’m scared, ok? Is that what you want me to say? I can’t win… but I don’t want to lose.”

Nothing but the wind roaring outside could be heard. The silence was making it hard to convince himself that anyone was listening.

“Can you please say something?” Tom asked, his voice wavering a bit and some water building at the corner of his eyes. “I haven’t asked you for anything, all this time. I’ve done a lot for you… you know? I’ve seen the worst things this world has to offer, and I’ve killed them for you… for the greater good. I’ve bled for you… I’ve died for you! I’m not asking for much here. Just… don’t punish them for my failures.”

Once again, nothing but silence greeted him. He took another shaky breath and wiped his eyes before shifting his attention back to the door.

“Alright… fair enough.” He nodded to himself, taking his backpack and setting it down before opening it up and sifting through its contents. “I guess I’ll just have to do this on my own.”

-Meanwhile-

The ponies all hurried downstairs and out of the castle. They stepped out into the cold, only to be met with the cliffside and the exterior of the stone fortress.

Twilight took a stunned look around at her surroundings. This was the first time she experienced this place with a set of eyes. She thought she felt herself ascending when the pale ponies were carrying her, but she never imagined it was this much.

“Sunspot, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, carry Spike and the Princess down to the carriages, then come back for Sparkplug and Glitter.” Glimmer Shine instructed.

“What?” Glitterball looked to the stallion and furrowed her brows. “You can’t be serious.”

“Glitter, we need to be ready to go at a moment’s notice. Some of us are staying behind to wait on Tom… but someone needs to keep an eye on the Princess, Scribble, and the kids.” Glimmer reasoned.

It took a moment before Glitter sighed and lowered her head in defeat.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash and Sunspot were already taking the unconscious alicorn from Shining Armor’s back. Fluttershy knelt down as Spike climbed onto her back, helping him on his way with a push from her wing.

“We’ll be right back,” Rainbow said, taking a look around at her friends before flying down the cliff with her fellow pegasi.

Shining Armor watched the trio descending for a moment before looking back to see his sister and her friends staring up at the castle, paying particular attention to the third floor where there was a large hole in the castle exterior.

Twilight looked back as she felt a hoof being placed on her shoulder. She was met by her big brother flashing her a reassuring smile before his expression fell as he too looked skyward.

“He’ll come back,” Shining assured.

“Of course he will.” Pinkie chimed in. “He Pinkie promised us.” She said confidently, not even allowing an ounce of worry to her face.

“He’s a tough one, that’s for sure.” Applejack said. “He’ll be ok.”

Twilight grabbed her brother’s hoof and gave it a squeeze as she trailed her eyes up, her troubled thoughts focused on her human friend and what was happening to him now.

“I hope so…” She muttered.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Tom opened the door and let it slide to the wall. Taking a look around revealed what must have once been the master bedroom, but it was perhaps the worst-looking room he had seen in the castle thus far.

There was a large hole in the center of the wall to his right leading outside. It was letting the cold wind blow in flecks of snow onto the ruined shreds of carpet on the floor. A pile of splinters and debris at the back of the room was in the loose shape of a bed, but it could have just as easily been modern art if the modern era were post-apocalyptic.

A deep shroud of darkness clung to the left half of the room, and from within this darkness, a chuckle almost as cold as the wind outside came out to greet him.

“Come inside, Thomas. Please, make yourself at home.” The mockingly refined voice of Prince Dusk called, soft and jarringly pleasant. If it wasn't coming from a bloodthirsty creature of the night, it might have been a gracious welcome from a host to their guest.

Tom swallowed quietly and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. “Is this where you used to live or something?” He asked, staring right at the shadowy corner of the room he most thought the voice was coming from.

“Not exactly. I think of it more as where I was exiled to.” Dusk replied, growing a bit distant as he brought up his banishment.

“That explains a lot…” Tom muttered to himself. As he cautiously stepped into the center of the room, he pulled out his sword with a metallic twang and leveled it in front of him. “So, are we doing this, or are you just going to sit in the dark and have a nice chat?”

In response to the human’s question, a pair of rose-colored eyes opened up, glowing softly as an equine shape as tall as the boy stepped out of the shadows. “I don’t see why we can’t do both.”

Tom narrowed his eyes in disgust as he saw the scar across the stallion’s neck. He could also just barely make out similar-looking wounds across both of his wrists. “I take it those are from the ritual you used to make yourself into this?” He puzzled.

“My, my, how perceptive,” Dusk said as he ran a hoof along his neck, stretching the skin just above the dry slash and opening it up a bit, where a pulse of red could be seen inside that quickly faded. “And if you must know, yes. The process of regaining my immortality did require a slight… sacrifice. I am most fortunate that one of Celestia’s dear subjects found this place and revived me.”

“What, you didn’t read the fine print or something? Because it sounds to me like you messed up and killed yourself like a dumbass, then you got lucky. If you really wanted the dark and brooding look, it would have been easier to go buy some plastic fangs and eye shadow.” Tom said flatly.

Dusk dropped his casual smirk, though he still held a passive air about himself. “And what about you, Thomas? How did you become a… slayer? My underlings neglected to tell me the details, so it must not be widely known.”

Tom tightened his grip on his sword. “Some stuck up murdering douchebag killed me, then I came back and killed said stuck up murdering douchebag. You know, you kind of remind me of him.”

“Oh, really?” Dusk chuckled. “Could he do this?” He asked, tilting his head up slightly to reveal his neck. In a flash of movement, a stream of blood shot out and snaked through the air, heading straight for the boy.

Tom widened his eyes and ducked to the side. However, much to his surprise, the stream of blood came to a dead stop behind him and shot back towards him like it had a mind of its own.

He managed to jump out of the way again, but not before getting nicked across his arm, tearing his sleeve and leaving a thin cut.

The serpentine glob of liquid quickly returned to its master, zipping back into the wound on his neck effortlessly.

“Hmm… quick on your feet. I suppose that’s a good quality to have when you hunt monsters.” Dusk mused. “Unfortunately, I think you’ll find that you’ll need more than that to kill me.”

Tom growled under his breath as the cut on his arm stung. He lowered his sword to his side and charged forward with a fierce yell.

Dusk casually stepped back and let two tendrils of blood rise out of his wrists. The twin lashes whipped out at Tom, but he managed to duck and jump around them. Then, with a swipe from his blade, the boy actually cut one in half, causing the severed part of it to collapse into liquid on the floor as he drew ever closer to the alicorn.

Spotting an opening, Tom slashed sideways at Dusk’s head, but the stallion was quick to reel back. Another attack barely missed the alicorn’s chest. The human reeled back for another strike until he noticed the tendril coming out of the pale prince’s right wrist retracting.

Hearing the sound of liquid shifting behind him, Tom jumped back just in time for the crimson whip to pass under his feet, though not careful enough to prevent himself from falling square onto his back. He barely had time to process the throbbing pain before the tendril rose up and shot towards him tip first, forcing him to roll out of the way before it impaled itself into the floor.

However, just as he was getting up, Tom felt another tendril wrapping around his waist and pulling him right off the ground. It yanked him into the air and flung him like a human lawn dart into the far wall near the door he entered through.

“Mmph!” Tom grunted as he smacked front first into the unforgiving stonework of the wall, and then the floor. He settled into a heap on the floor, briefly pushing himself up with his hands before grabbing his sword and getting to one knee.

“Don’t tell me you’re already getting tired?” Dusk said, an almost disappointed look on his face. “I had heard so many stories about your abilities that I was actually excited to meet you. Is this really all you’re capable of?”

"Would you believe that I'm having an off day?" Tom pulled a corner of his mouth up before cringing slightly as he got up. He panted briefly, wiping the frozen buildup of blood and sweat from his face, and loosened up his neck and shoulders before standing at the ready.

Dusk sighed and lifted his hoof. In an instant, the blood on the floor from when the boy slashed one of his tendrils lifted up. The scattered liquid gathered into several droplets in the air before pausing and elongating slightly, pointing at the human like a dozen tiny arrows.

Tom flinched back in surprise and held out his sword. As two of the bloody bullets zipped toward him, he narrowly dodged to the side, letting them pierce into the wall behind him with surprising force.

Dusk watched silently and waggled his hoof, sending more of the floating projectiles forward. The human dodged some and swiped others out of the air with his sword as he slowly made his way towards the alicorn.

Suddenly, one of the arrows pierced into Tom's side as he misjudged its trajectory.

"AGH!" He cried, clutching a hand to his new bleeding wound. He couldn't take time to pause, however, as there were still would-be projectiles hovering in the air.

Much to Dusk's surprise, instead of taking the cautious route and going slow, the boy bolted forward with his sword at the ready, heading straight toward him.

Tom gritted his teeth as the rest of the floating blood zipped toward him. He ducked and pushed himself to run faster, narrowly keeping ahead of the pings and crashes of stone breaking as he charged at Dusk with anger burning in his eyes.

With all the strength he could muster, Tom slashed down at the pale stallion. His blade crashed down toward his head before it violently jutted to a stop as numerous streams of blood snaked out of the alicorn's neck, wrapping around the blade tightly and keeping it a mere inch away from Dusk's silvery mane.

Tom pulled and pushed against the crimson tendrils, but their flimsy fluid appearance seemed to belie great strength.

As the glowing blade caused the bloody ropes to steam and sizzle, Dusk locked eyes with the human. His mouth twitched into a crooked smirk, and he made sure to remain as still as possible, as his tendrils squeezed, and squeezed...

...and shattered the boy’s blade into several pieces.

Tom reeled back as the resistance on him suddenly ended. He looked down to his ruined stub of a sword and the many shards clattering to the ground, his expression falling and a familiar feeling of dread cementing itself in his core.

"I lose more swords that way…" The boy muttered with a nervous smile as he looked up to see the alicorn smirking back at him, his horn lit up and a devious glint in his glowing eyes.

Back outside, Rainbow Dash, Sunspot, and Fluttershy finished transporting their friends down to the carriages.

Fluttershy and Glitterball helped Sparkplug into an empty carriage, seated across from the unconscious form of Celestia so the vested mares could better keep an eye on her.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash and Sunspot checked in with the kids and then their two new companions. Thankfully, Scribble hadn’t felt her urges return yet, at least not to a degree she couldn’t control.

As they finished, they both hovered back and looked over to see that Fluttershy was done as well. They then shifted their attention back up to the castle, where the rest of their friends were still waiting.

“Do you think Tom is ok?” Fluttershy asked, making sure that the dragon and three fillies in the carriage behind her couldn’t hear.

Rainbow Dash couldn’t hide an uneasy frown, though she tried her best. “Don’t worry. He’s come back from a lot worse.”

“Come on.” Sunspot gestured to the pair, hovering a bit higher than they were. “We should head back.”

With a few shared looks of unease and attempted reassurance, the two mares eventually joined their suited companion and flew up the cliff once more.

Shortly after, they crested over the side of the cliff and found the others still standing in front of the castle.

Twilight turned and watched as the trio landed and rejoined the group.

“Did we miss anything?” Rainbow asked, looking to the unicorn or anyone else for an answer.

“Not much, I’m afraid,” Twilight said, a bit tenser than she intended.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy trailed their eyes up to the castle, a hollow pit forming in their stomachs as they did. They and many of the others were wearing anxious and uneasy expressions. After all, all they could do was wait.

However, they didn’t have to wait very long, as a familiar yell came from the hole in the castle above.

The ponies all looked up in surprise as the shape of the human crashed into the wall next to the opening before falling out of sight. There was a magical zap, some flashes of light, explosions, and some faint whipping sounds as what looked like red ropes writhed and curled into and out of view.

Twilight and the others widened their eyes, and a few gasps and concerned mutters rang out.

Rainbow Dash brought her hooves up to her head in a panic. “Oh my gosh!” She exclaimed before zipping up toward the opening. She barely made another flap before a yellow shape flew in front of her and blocked her path.

“Dashie, wait!” Fluttershy pleaded.

"What are you doing?" Rainbow asked, an agitated look forming on her face.

"We can’t go up there. If that alicorn sees you trying to help, he'll come after all of us!" Fluttershy reasoned. She turned to look behind her as another disconcerting noise came from inside, softening her eyes before turning back to her friend.

"But…" Rainbow Dash muttered, darting her eyes between Fluttershy and the hole in the wall with a conflicted stare. "I can’t just sit back and do nothing!"

"I know how ya feel," Applejack chimed in from the ground, causing the two pegasi to look down to their friends. "It's goin’ against every fiber in my body to not run in there," She said, gritting her teeth momentarily, "but we need to trust Tom."

"Please, Rainbow… just hold off until he makes his move," Twilight added.

Rainbow Dash frowned as she saw the sheer pain behind the purple mare’s eyes. It must have been killing her on the inside to stay inactive while the human was fighting for all of their lives. If Twilight was biting her tongue to keep her trust in their friend, then why couldn't she?

"Alright…" Rainbow tensed her features briefly before sighing. She slowly descended back to the ground. "Alright."

The cyan mare and the others glued their eyes to the opening, watching for any sign of the battle going on within the fortress. They all hoped against all hope that their friend was unharmed, but the sounds they were hearing made it hard to stay optimistic.

“Gah!” Tom yelped as he was sent rolling along the ground by a magical explosion. His clothes were singed, with a few flames even springing to life that quickly died out in the frigid air.

He pushed through the pain, putting his uninjured arm in front of him and using it to push himself up. All the while, he could see Dusk watching him, the disappointed look on the stallion’s face replaced by a blank stare that conveyed boredom.

“I cannot believe that you are Equestria’s greatest hero. Is this some kind of joke, or have things gotten worse than I thought?” Dusk crinkled his eyes at the mere notion of the kingdom he left behind turning into such a pitiful shadow of its former self.

“I was… never Equestria’s greatest hero.” Tom panted. “I don’t know who you heard that from… but they were sorely mistaken.”

“Hmm…” Dusk narrowed his eyes at the human. “So who is, in your opinion?”

Tom remained silent, though he softened his expression as he thought to his friends outside. Maybe it would have been better to let them help? Then again, they were without their greatest weapon, if the elements would even work on something like the alicorn.

Seeing the boy’s reaction, Dusk raised an eyebrow in surprise. “No. Don’t tell me that you think Twilight Sparkle and her… friends, are the mightiest force in Equestria? I mean really…” He gave an almost sad sort of chuckle. “The Elements of Harmony are useful in certain applications, sure, but they are hardly tools of absolute power, especially in the hooves of those foalish children. When I’m done with you, I’ll have to let them know just how well you thought of them, before I slaughter them all.”

Tom furrowed his brows angrily as he got to his feet. “What about our deal?”

Hearing this, Dusk smirked. “Oh, you didn’t think I was being truthful, did you? Of course I’m not going to let them leave. It’s just a matter of what I’m going to do.” He said, a hint of emotion in his eyes that disgusted the boy. It was pure, sadistic enjoyment at whatever sick thoughts were running through his head. “I can always kill them, but that’s so… final. Why can’t I have a little fun before that?”

“You’re sick in the head,” Tom said. “You should have just stayed dead… Now someone has to finish the job.”

Dusk genuinely laughed. “And who will that be? You? My goodness… humans are absolutely adorable with how far they overestimate their own ability.”

Tom flattened his expression as he thought to his friends waiting outside. He took a deep breath and thought back to Twilight’s last words to him, to their confident smiles and warm sentiments, before opening his palms and stretching his fingers.

“I’m not the first person to challenge people like you, and I won’t be the last. There will always be people like me… as long as there is evil in this world that needs to be tamed. A hunter will rise for every prey.” He said.

Just then, fire sparked to life at his fingertips.

The sound of metallic scraping rang out, though it seemed to be overshadowed by a sputtering sound. The fire flashed and fitted as it washed over the ends of his fingers and out into the air, taking longer than usual and having some difficulty.

Soon enough, however, Tom’s claws were fully formed. Their otherwise smooth surface was broken up by glowing orange cracks that spidered out along their entire length, but there they stood, a testament to his status as a slayer despite his doubts and fears.

Dusk seemed a bit surprised by the resolve and determination in the human’s eyes. “Now, that’s more like the stories I’ve heard.” He smiled, forming two tendrils from his wrists and letting them snake out ahead of him.

Uncaring of the crimson lashes shifting menacingly and patiently in the air, Tom made his move. He charged forward, keeping his steely gaze fixed on the stallion.

As the two tendrils shifted to the side, doubtlessly preparing to whip toward him, the human raised one of his hands and opened his palm, silently praying for his strength not to fade for just a while longer.

All at once, a pulse of blue and white filled the room before vanishing just as quickly, like the fleeting flash of a camera. The light burned Dusk’s flesh, sending searing pains all throughout him and causing him to reel back and lose concentration on his two tendrils, which immediately drooped to the floor.

“OW!” Dusk yelped, covering his face with a foreleg. He flinched open his eyes and blinked rapidly before an image clarified in front of him. An image of a human charging with clawed hands outstretched.

Tom yelled fiercely as he swiped with all his might against the alicorn’s neck and chest. His claws impacted, immediately slicing into flesh with ease and sizzling on contact as they left bloody paths through Dusk’s form.

The human managed to get a few hits in before reeling an arm back and stabbing it forward, aiming right for the heart. His claws neared their target before a flash of red movement came from the side.

A blur of crimson fluid shot through Tom’s claws at blinding speeds. Like a bullet through glass, the brittle metal shattered into pieces with a spark of orange embers. The pieces of the claws quickly settled to the floor and began melting into a softly glowing liquid before vanishing.

Tom looked down at the shattered remains of claws attached to his fingers, which promptly disappeared into a flash of fire. He turned to look at his other set of blades, only to see them flicker and sputter out of existence as well.

He then looked forward, only to be met with a pair of fiercely glowing eyes and an angry snarl.

“Crap…” The boy muttered.

In an instant, Dusk reformed his tendrils and whipped them out, bidding them to wrap around the human’s neck like a coil of taut rope. Tom barely managed to get out a croak before all noise ceased and his airway closed.

“You...” Dusk growled, though he cringed a bit from his wounds. The sets of four slashes in his chest and neck sizzled and stung, but they started to close up as his unnatural blood began to heal his body.

“How dare you harm me.” The stallion glared, lifting the human off his feet just enough to be as uncomfortable as possible while still giving him room to breathe. Dusk took a moment to breathe as well, getting his senses about him and thinking further about what just happened.

“Although… I suppose I should thank you for proving the stories true. After all, it wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining for me to kill you if you didn’t put up a fight.” He smirked, letting two more slender tendrils rise up and point their sharpened tips at the human’s head.

Suddenly, a noise came as something fell to the floor, seemingly coming from under Tom’s pant leg.

Dusk skewed his expression as he followed the object now rolling along the floor. “What is that?” He asked, lighting up his horn and lifting it closer. The object appeared to be a small blue candle, with some kind of paper wrapped around the wick with a magical symbol etched into it.

“That…” Tom gasped as the tendrils loosened slightly and lowered him back to his feet. “Oh, my bad… You know, us humans are so clumsy… always leaving things lying around.” He smirked through the pain.

Dusk narrowed his eyes at the human before taking a look around the room. Much to his surprise, he found more of the odd candles on the floor. Two were on either side of the door to the side, and two others were at opposite ends of the hole in the far wall.

They all looked about the same, with the same deep blue hue, and the same paper wrapped around their wicks. However, the candles already on the ground had their symbols lightly glowing.

“What on earth…?” Dusk muttered, taking a closer look at the candle in his magical grasp. He inspected the symbol visible on the paper, only to find that he recognized it. It loosely translated to a word.

Fire.

Briefly relishing in the confusion on the alicorn’s face, Tom lifted a hand and snapped his fingers. All at once, all four of the candles on the floor sprang to life as the paper around their wicks burst into flames. A blue wall of light pulsed through the room as the flames on the candle burned with a similar hue.

Dusk looked ahead, equal parts curious and confused as a blue forcefield flashed along the hole in the wall and the door to the side before vanishing. He moved one of his tendrils over to one of the candles and hesitantly touched it, only to have its tip spatter into liquid as a blue bubble briefly appeared around the candle.

He moved the rest of the tendril over to the door and tried opening it, only to have the wall of light from before appear. The liquid rope sizzled on contact with the wall, and it appeared solid. Around that time, it clicked in Dusk’s head. The tendril was made of his blood. It was an extension of his body, and it was being blocked by whatever magic the strange candles held.

“You really think this will hold me forever?” Dusk asked, looking at the human with a smug expression.

Tom cringed as the tendril around his neck tightened slightly. “It… doesn’t need to hold you forever. Just long enough for us to get back to Canterlot and cure Celestia.”

Dusk chuckled at the human’s words. “Us? Don’t you mean them? In case you haven’t noticed… you’re stuck in here with me.”

Tom merely half-smiled, letting two syringes he had stored up his sleeves fall into his palms.

“I know what I said!” He exclaimed, stabbing both needles into the alicorn’s neck and depressing the plungers.

Dusk widened his eyes as he felt a surge of burning liquid pulse into his veins. It was like he just had acid injected into his body, and it immediately hurt worse than anything he had ever felt before in his life.

“GAAAAHH!” Dusk yelled, dropping his tendrils to scattered liquid on the floor and releasing the human as he stumbled back. Sizzling steam was coming from glowing lines forming across his body, like a trail through his bloodstream made visible by the burning substance now coursing through him.

Spotting his opportunity, Tom turned and ran faster than he ever had before toward his escape. The opening in the castle wall stood just ahead like a path to freedom.
.
..
…
Twilight and the others watched the castle above with bated breath. Ever since the familiar flash of blue from Tom’s blessed candles appeared moments before, they knew that the human’s plan was working.

Now all they had to do was wait and pray.

Suddenly, however, Rarity gasped as she caught a hint of movement. “Look!” She pointed.

Sure enough, the ponies’ faces brightened as they saw their human friend running up to the window and jumping. The blue forcefield appeared around him and rippled as his form passed through it.

Tom couldn’t help but smile as he looked down and saw his friends staring up at him. As much as he thought he wouldn’t be able to pull it off, he would be able to keep his promise after all.

And then, he felt something wrapping around his ankles just before he fully left the forcefield. A violent tug sent him reeling backward and smacking his face into the stonework before being pulled into the room again.

“Tom!” Twilight gasped, racing to light up her horn. She reached out with her magical influence and managed to grab the boy’s hand. She gave a mighty pull, but the pale alicorn had a better hold over him. “Shining, Rarity, help me!” She pleaded.

“On it!” Shining stated, lighting up his horn and joining his sister in pulling on the human’s arm.

Rarity raced to wrap her magic around the boy as well, but she could already tell that this was a losing fight. Even with the three of them, they could just barely keep him at the edge of the hole. “Gah! He’s… too strong!”

“Dash, get up there and grab ‘im!” Applejack suggested, to which the cyan mare immediately agreed.

“Come on, Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash said, already taking off toward the opening.

“R-right!” Fluttershy swooped up to join her friend.

Sunspot immediately darted after the two mares. “Count me in!”

Meanwhile, Tom grunted as the crimson coil around his ankle climbed up and wrapped around his body. As he was painfully lifted up and shifted onto his feet, the multicolored auras of his friends trying to pull him back to no avail, he was forcibly turned around to look ahead at the alicorn.

Dusk’s body was still steaming, and the glowing lines were still present. However, he had a tendril snaking out of one wrist, which was held out while he dealt with his pain.

All at once, the stallion stretched his neck, and a torrent of blood sprayed out. The glowing lines along his body receded, and the sizzling died down as he expelled the boy’s blood from his system. He then looked out at the human and softened his grimace into an expression of begrudging respect.

“Bravo, Sir Greene… bravo.” He said, his voice still tense from the twinges of pain still pulsing through him.

Tom tried to struggle against his binds or jerk himself backward out of the opening, but even with the assistance from his friends, he wasn't going anywhere.

“Don’t worry, Tom! We’re coming!” A familiar voice shouted from below. Tom looked down to see Rainbow Dash, Sunspot, and Fluttershy flying up toward him, with the rest of his friends watching with wide eyes as Twilight, Rarity, and Shining Armor fought to pull him back.

Dusk smirked as he allowed another bit of fluid to branch off of the coil around the human’s body. He floated the mini tendril up until it was pointing right at Tom’s face. “As you so eloquently put it… a hunter for every prey.”

*SWISH*

All at once, Tom fell backward as the coils of blood wrapped around him released.

Rainbow Dash, Sunspot, Fluttershy, Twilight, and everyone else watching felt their hearts collectively skip as they watched the boy falling. A spray of red was coming from his neck.

Tom just kept falling, not even moving to clutch his new injury. A stunned expression was on his face as his throat gushed blood.

Then, instead of the red and blue colors easily identifiable against the gray and black of the castle and night sky, a hint of orange started to appear. Soon, more flashes of orange stemmed from the human’s body as a series of embers floated off and disappeared. Before anyone could even process what was happening, the boy’s body started vanishing amidst the fleeting embers.

Shining and Rarity’s auras faded from the human’s vanishing form until only Twilight was left holding him. She reached a hoof out and pulled with her magic, but by then there was nothing left for her to hold onto.

Rainbow Dash fluttered up and stared ahead as a series of glowing embers fell down to her hooves. She didn’t even get to feel them before they disappeared with the cold wind. Her jaw trembled, and she hovered frozen in place, not saying anything for the longest time as Fluttershy watched nearby with hooves clasped over her mouth. Sunspot was looking on with wide eyes and an expression of disbelief, her hooves shaking with emotion.

Rarity stumbled back and collapsed to her haunches as she and the others stared up at nothing, up at where their friend once was. She lifted a shaky hoof to her mouth and caught a half-formed sob, her eyes already watering.

Applejack stood, frozen like a statue beside Pinkie. Tears were streaming down her face, and her mouth was agape, but she was dead silent, unlike her pink friend. The pink mare was whimpering and trembling as she tried to make sense of what she just witnessed, her puffy mane and tail deflating and straightening.

Shining Armor and Glimmer Shine were quietly staring upward as well. Glimmer couldn’t stop his heart from pounding as a wave of denial washed over him and his eyes welled up with tears. The white stallion, however, tore himself away from his own emotions for a moment to look down to his sister.

Twilight hadn’t moved for a solid ten seconds, save for her trembling eyes and the slight shake from her erratic breathing. Her horn was still aglow, even though her hold had been lost for a while.

The purple mare’s lips started quaking as she contorted her expression. A series of sobs was building in her throat as the water welling up in her eyes flooded over and blurred her vision.

“TOOOM!!”