Author's Note

This chapter was honestly really hard for me to write. It was mostly because I was trying as hard as I could to try and make the whole explanation in this chapter make as much sense as possible, and be as coherent as possible. It was also hard because of my empathy. I could feel Skipting’s emotions, and it was hard for me. But enough of that. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter IX: Death of a Prince

The door opened, and three men and a teenage boy stepped out, accompanied by Sunset. To Skipting's surprise, she didn't have any restraints at all, her limbs completely free, and her mouth not gagged, allowing her to speak.

As soon as the girl’s eyes fell on him, she immediately rushed towards him, practically tackling him in a tight hug, not even caring that her clothes, skin, and hair became stained with blood.

“Skipting! You came!" she cried.

He looked down at her.

"Of course I came, Sunset," he said. "I would have walked through Tartarus itself to save you."

"Excuse me," one of the men said. "Are you Prince Skipting Lunam?"

Skipting released himself from the embrace and gently moved his dear cousin aside, drawing the Twilight Blade and pointing it at the man.

"Indeed I am. Why do you ask?"

"Miss Shimmer was telling us a bit about you. She knew you would come to her rescue," the man answered. "My name is Nolan Winters. I'm the head of the Diamond Dogs."

He gestured to the two men with him, who looked identical, both to each other and to him, save for the hair and eyes, then to the teenage boy.

"These are my twin brothers, Ryan and Alan, and my son Dylan."

The man paused.

"Also, we have someone who has been looking for you since she sensed your presence in this world."

A massive woman stepped through the door, looking at the Prince. She slowly approached him until she was four feet away, and pushed the Twilight Blade aside with a hand.

"Skipting Lunam…" she said softly. "... I've missed you so much…"

He looked up into the woman's face, his expression quickly softening. He lifted a hand and removed his mask, hanging it on its little hook.

"... Blóðþrá…" he murmured.

Blóðþrá took the Twilight Blade from the Prince's hand, sliding it into its sheath on his back, and wrapped her massive arms around him tightly.

"My sweet, precious baby brother… It's been so long…"

"You have been here all this time?" Skipting said.

She nodded, releasing him from her embrace and stepping back a few feet, before adjusting her cloak.

"I came here after helping a large pack of Diamond Dogs free themselves from the control of a criminal organization known as the Dark Hand," she explained. "Mother Nightmare had told me about the alternate world, and how some people's counterparts in either world led similar or identical lives. So I decided to come here to see if the Diamond Dogs of this world were in any sort of similar situation to the pack I'd helped out.

"I was saddened to discover that my concerns were correct, as this group has been forced into its current way of life by a powerful crime family. I've been doing what I can to help them out for the past three years, dispatching any members of the Diamond Dogs who directly threaten the others’ chances of turning their ‘family’ back into what it used to be."

"I am very proud of you, Blóðþrá," Skipting said warmly with a smile.

Sunset’s eyes widened.

“Skipting! Behind you!” she yelled.

The young Prince moved to turn around, but he was too late, as a pained gasp escaped his lips. Sunset and Blóðþrá looked at his stomach to see, to their horror, a blade pierced through it.

Behind him stood a man in his early thirties. He was clearly Gryphonian, judging from his short, curly brown hair and chiseled, stony face, and of course, the ornate bronze and leather armor he wore, and the bronze sword through the Prince’s torso.

He had a long scar running from the right side of his forehead, through his eye, down to the bottom of his jaw, the eye socket completely empty. His remaining left sea green eye was filled with hatred, and his mouth was twisted into a hateful sneer.

"This is for Lydia," the man said coldly.

He pulled the sword out and allowed the Prince to collapse to the floor.

"You bastard!" Blóðþrá snarled, baring her fangs. "You'll pay!"

She moved to lunge at him, but a strong blast of magic stopped her, pushing her back a little. She looked down at her brother, immediately realizing he was the source.

"Blóðþrá, leave him be," Skipting said. "This is between me and him. Odysseus is justified."

"How can stabbing you through the back be justified?!" she shouted.

"I have been waiting for this to happen for years."

The giant woman's rage-filled expression turned into one of confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Being found and wounded by Odysseus as an act of vengeance is the one thing I have longed for, so I may have the opportunity to at least attempt to atone for the pain I caused him, and to attempt to fulfill a love's dying wish."

He turned his attention to Odysseus, who stood above him with his sword ready.

"Odysseus, how did you find me?" he asked.

"Father and I were visiting Equestria to discuss a few threats in Eaglestone,” the man explained. “Father said he wanted you to eliminate them, but Princess Nightmare Moon said you had gone to the alternate world on a mission from her, and that she did not know when you would be back.”

"The next day, I snuck into the castle and managed to get past the guards, then entered the portal and came into this world, where I knew your parents wouldn't be around to stop me. I've spent these last three days searching for you. I went all over the city, until I finally came across this apartment complex just a few minutes ago. I noticed the state of the guards' bodies, and immediately recognized your work."

"Tell them why you have done this."

Odysseus looked at Blóðþrá and Sunset.

"Skipting fought in the Dragovanese War of Independence almost a decade ago. He was the leader of the legendary band of soldiers known as the ‘Twenty-Seven Fears.’ My sister, Lydia, was one of them.

"He and the Twenty-Seven Fears set up camp along the banks of the Shiine River on the afternoon of June 19, 1864. Two nights later, they were ambushed by a large force of Mongols. They tried to fight them off, but they were overwhelmed, all of them mortally wounded. Skipting had gone to a nearby Mongol fortress to steal documents, so he was not present at the ambush. By the time he returned to camp, he discovered the aftermath of the ambush, their camp burned and destroyed.

"Unable to save his comrades and friends, Skipting claimed the souls of twenty-five of the twenty-six dying soldiers, which he placed within the gems on his tantō and the Kingusureiyā.

"Because of him, my sister was needlessly killed by the Mongols in an ambush, mortally wounded with a poison used specifically by the Mongols. If he hadn't made the decision to set up camp where they did, if he hadn't run off to the Mongol fortress, my sister would still be alive."

"Odysseus, allow me to explain," Skipting said. “You do not know the full truth.”

"Why should I listen to you?!" the Gryphonian shouted. "Why should I let you attempt to defend yourself with lies?!"

"Because I want you to at least understand what happened, and why I took their lives. I want you to understand why I was forced to leave my son without a mother."

Odysseus looked at him with a shocked expression.

"Your son? What are you talking about?! You never said anything to me about you having children!"

"But that is where you are wrong. Thirteen years before the war started, soon after Lydia was assigned to be my personal bodyguard, we fell for each other, and eventually, she told me that she had long desired to have a child. Nine months later, our son, Talion, was born.

"But when the war started, and we had to leave our homes, we had to make sure that our precious son would be well taken care of. My other wife, Ayano Ryōshi, promised to care for Talion."

"Why have I never known that my sister had a child until now?" Odysseus demanded.

"Lydia wanted Talion to have as normal and happy a childhood as he could. She didn't didn't want him to have the childhood she had. She didn't want her son to grow up in Gryphonia, as she feared he would have been forced to spend his youth training to become a soldier if he were to be taken and raised by other members of his mother's family, namely you, your brothers, and your uncles."

"I would never do that to Lydia!" Odysseus cried. "I would never dream of taking away her child and turning him into a soldier! I never even wanted Lydia to join the army in the first place!"

Skipting coughed and gave a small smile.

"You were scared of losing your sister, as a brother should be,” he said. “But she wanted to be more than a woman forced to live by your family's expectations of her. She wanted to be able to protect her country and those she loved.”

"But you made me lose her! You ended her life and trapped her soul!"

"I did everything I could to save her and the others. I tried healing magic, herbal remedies, even dark magic. But nothing worked. Whatever poisons and wicked practices the Mongol soldiers used, it could not be cured or healed."

The Dark Prince choked a bit, but forced himself to continue.

"They all knew nothing could be done. They accepted that, and they accepted that they were going to die. However, they were unwilling to die and let their souls go to paradise while I continued to hate myself for failing to get to them in time. So they asked me, begged me, to end their suffering and claim their souls, to keep them within the gems on my weapon.

"All of them made me promise that I would only release their souls and allow them to go to paradise once I fully came to terms with what happened, once I accepted what I had done, once I was at peace with myself. I have struggled to fulfill my promise for almost nine years."

He looked Odysseus in the eyes with great sorrow and pain.

"Lydia also made me promise her that no matter what, I would not allow you to be consumed by your anger and desire for revenge. She told me that only once I fulfilled my promise to her and the others, and only when you and I finally confronted each other and I told you everything, only if you forgave me, I could release her soul. Only upon fulfilling both of my promises would she allow me to set her free."

Odysseus looked at the Prince, then at the stab wound in his chest, then back at him.

"Lydia essentially made you promise to help me come to terms with and accept her death alongside you, and to make sure I didn't fall to my anger and desire for vengeance?" he asked, his voice hoarse and filled with great sadness.

Skipting nodded.

"Those documents I stole were orders, directly from Batuhan himself. Through his spies and informants, he knew where we were camped," the Prince informed. "The orders were that a group of soldiers would go to our camp at night while I was at the fortress, and kill my brethren. Batuhan knew I was responsible for the theft of numerous documents and letters containing information meant for himself or his armies, so he used that knowledge to his advantage.

"I later learned that a Mongol general the Twenty-Seven Fears and I had captured and interrogated the week before had been given information by the Khan. The general had been ordered to tell us the location of a set of important documents. It was a setup. The Khan had used my knack for stealing important things against me, knowing that I wouldn't be at camp to help the Fears, as I would be busy stealing the documents containing those accursed orders. They knew of my strength and power, and they didn't want me getting in their way. Upon making this discovery, I rode as fast as I could back to camp, but I was too late.”

He choked more, tears flowing from his eyes.

"The combination of the revelation of what those plans were, and my mercy killing of my closest friends and my wife… It broke me,” he continued, his voice shaking now. “Before that happened, I was fighting the war to free Dragovan.”

His gaze hardened briefly as his eyes flashed crimson.

“But after, it became much more personal. I was filled with anger and hatred, and I wanted to see the Mongols suffer. I wanted to kill all of them.

"As everyone knows, by the time the war was over, the Mongol armies were almost completely destroyed, and that I had killed hundreds of thousands, including Batuhan himself. But what none but my close family knew was that I did so in my hatred, my thirst for blood, and my desire for revenge. My anger had consumed me, turning me into something… inhuman. The daemon helped me, guided me, during the Wrath of the King Slayer. It had turned me into a monster. I was horrified by what I had done, and I still am to this day."

Odysseus' eyes widened at the mention of the daemon.

"So the legends are true..." he murmured. "... the Butchers of Maedwen became one in body, mind, and soul.”

Skipting’s eyes turned red, and he let out a hiss as the Gryphonian suddenly felt his throat being constricted by a tendril of some sort of black shadowy smoke. Odysseus felt what was likely more of the smoke grab his head and knees, before it forced him to his knees, where he was forced to look into his old friend’s eyes.

“Never utter that accursed name in my presence,” the assassin snarled, baring his fangs. “You know damn well how much I despise it.”

The Prince’s eyes returned to their original colors, and the strange shadows disappeared, allowing Odysseus to regain his breath.

“I… I’m sorry, Skipting,” Odysseus said quietly.

“Hvíslandi was a hero, Odysseus. He was one of your closest friends alongside myself,” the Prince replied solemnly. “Do not disrespect him in such a way. Yes, he was proud of that title because of the way we earned it, and so was I. But Celestia has villainized him in the pages of our history.”

Skipting carefully, slowly sat up, wincing in pain as he moved.

"Let me help you up," the Gryphonian said.

He extended a hand to the Dark Prince, who took it, and pulled him to his feet.

Then, to Sunset's shock, the Gryphonian wrapped his arms around Skipting in a tight embrace, tears falling down his face.

"I'm sorry, old friend," he whispered. "I didn't realize you were suffering so much. I didn't know you had gone through so much pain."

He stepped back, resting his hands on the Prince's shoulders.

"You did what you had to do, and you did what Lydia and the others told you to do. I see now that I was blind. You had no choice. Now that I finally see the truth, and know that the incident was the result of a setup orchestrated by that bastard Batuhan, I will say… I would have done the same in your place."

A small smile graced his lips.

"Prince Skipting Lunam, I forgive you. It is in Equestrian nature to forgive others, and it is in Gryphonian nature to allow others to explain themselves, yet I was blinded by rage. I only hope that you will one day find it in your heart to forgive me."

Skipting smiled as well.

"I already have, Odysseus. Lydia would be proud of you. I know for a fact you will make a great king one day. She would agree."

"I do not wish to be king of Gryphonia, Skipting," Odysseus said. "I wish only for one thing: to die, so I may see Lydia again, so we may one day be released, and together, we may find paradise in the Fields of Elysium."

A few moments of silence passed. Finally, the Dark Prince nodded solemnly, and both men got down on their knees, the Gryphonian setting his sword on the floor.

Skipting drew his tantō, placing his left hand on Odysseus' shoulder.

"Prince Odysseus of Eaglestone, son of King Wind Claw, son of King Bronze Hand," he said. "I, Prince Skipting Lunam of Equestria, son of Queen Chrysalis, daughter of Skuggastál, grant you freedom from the mortal world, and claim your soul. May you one day find paradise."

He plunged the blade into the Gryphonian's chest. Odysseus gasped, coughing and choking a bit as he looked into Skipting's eyes.

"Thank you, my friend, my brother," he whispered, a happy, peaceful smile on his face.

"You are welcome… brother," Skipting responded quietly. "Your nephew shall know of your glory, of your life. Your legacy shall forever live on in the hearts, minds, and souls of all who know you."

Soon, Odysseus' breathing stopped, and he became still. A black, gold, and purple energy began to emanate from his body. It was pulled out and drawn towards the Dark Prince's tantō, connecting to it and entering one of the black gems on its hilt.

Skipting pulled the tantō out and released his grip on Odysseus' shoulder, allowing the man's lifeless body to fall to the ground with a soft thud. He looked at the body.

Sunset looked at Skipting with concern. There was slight movement from him. It was barely noticeable, but he was… shaking?

Then, to her shock, her cousin let out a loud, heartbreaking, pain- and sorrow-filled scream, sobbing loudly and shaking violently.

Blóðþrá slowly walked up behind her brother, gently putting a large hand on his shoulder.

"It will be okay, Skipting," she said softly. "Odysseus is at peace now. He and Lydia are together again."

"But my son is without his mother, and he never had the chance to meet his uncle," he said. "His mother is dead, and his father is a monster."

"You're not a monster, brother. You saved not one, but two countries from a monstrous tyrant! Because of you, Mongolia is free, and the lives of its people are better than they have been in the past six hundred years. More importantly, you finally gave Odysseus closure, you told him what happened. And you gave him a chance to see his sister again."

Sunset came to his side, kneeling down beside him and hugging him.

"It's going to be alright," she soothed.

The Prince shakily wiped the blood off his tantō and sheathed it, looking once more at the body of his fallen friend.

"I shall take his body with me. I will return him to Equestria, and take him to Eaglestone, where I shall give him a proper funeral," he said. "Before the war, he often told me that when he died, he wanted me to put his body on a funeral pyre, and burn it to ash using the Dragon Fire power taught to me by Sannleikurinn Friður Von, then scatter his ashes in the cave where we killed our first chimera together. I shall grant his wish, as a final promise to an old friend."

With that, he slowly stood up, scooping Odysseus' still warm body in his arms in a bridal carry, while Blóðþrá picked up the Gryphonian's forgotten sword.

"Before you go," Nolan called, "my brothers and I want you to know who gave the order to kidnap Miss Shimmer."

The three turned around.

"Who was it?" Skipting asked with a snarl, his eyes turning crimson.

"Miss Shimmer was well-acquainted with her. She is a somewhat influential member of the Avellino family, known as 'The Swan.'

“But you know her as 'Rarity Belle.'"