Sun Slayer's radiance

The streets of Manehatten were primarily empty this time of night, with the exception of a few ponies sprinkled here and there. It was the weekend and most would go out on the town and party as long as they could, usually ending up with a pony sleeping on the sidewalk.

Three heavily drunk stallions walked down an ally swaying from side to side spewing incoherent speech. One stallion was red with a black mane and green eyes, the smallest stallion was violet with a green mane and gray eyes, and the biggest stallion was dirt brown with a red mane and red eyes. The biggest stallion was the least drunk compared to the others, the two smaller stallions barely able to walk straight. “Y-You k-k-know, I-I *hch* Iron lung? T-That…bitch doesn’t deserve s-such a stallion…like you~” The smallest stallion slurred to the biggest one.

Iron lung huffed and rolled his eyes. “For the last time, Berry blast, I’m not gay. Also, stop talkin’ about my girl like that.” Iron said in a threatening tone. “Besides, isn’t your colt-toy stumbling right beside me?”

“I-Its alright, Iron. C-Chili pepper is t-to drunk t-t-to even r-remember his *Hch* n-name.” Berry giggled.

“S-Sh-shut u-up. Y-You assholes…are makin’ my h-head hurt!” Chilli shouted angrily, only adding to his ever-growing headache.

Suddenly, the sound of hooves walking ahead interrupted the group bickering. From the far end of the alley was a cloaked figure stumbling down the alley towards them, mumbling to themself, but Berry smirked. Due to his size, he could only make out the mouth of a white-coated mare with a deep frown. Ignoring the mare's obvious distress, he puffed out his chest and approached the covered mare.

“W-Well, what d-do we have here? How about y-you and me go and get somewhere and have some fun~?” He said, trying his best not to sound too drunk. But when the mare ignored him and walked past, he frowned and spun around, grabbing her by the shoulder. “Hey, tramp, I said-”

“SHUT UP!”

The mare swung her left foreleg out at the small stallion, but before he could even react, a spike made of bone shot out of her hoof and speared through his skull until it hit the brick wall. There was a pregnant silence for a few moments before the mare gasped. And the spike receded into her foreleg, letting the corpse fall to the ground. She rushed over to it and attempted to shove the lost brain matter and blood into the heavily bleeding wound. "So sorry, sorry, so sorry." The mare muttered.

As for the others, they were both frozen in fear at what had happened to their friend. Not even a few minutes ago, the small stallion was joking around and drinking with them. Rage built inside of Chilli peppers heart as his fearful expression turned into one of pure hatred. The mad stallion charged at the panicking mare, ready to buck in her skull.

"Stop, don't go near that thing!" Iron Lung shouted.

But his plea fell on deaf ears as Chilli roared, turning himself around mid-run. The mare heard this and wiped her head to her side, letting out an ear-piercing wail that sent the angered stallion to the ground, writhing in pain as he covered his bleeding ears. Even when the painful noise stopped, Chilli's ears could not stop ringing.

The cloaked mare growled and went to her hooves. "Shut up, shut up! I don't want to hurt anypony! You're only making the damn voices louder. Stop it!" She shrieked.

Out of fear, Iron's lung's trembling legs slowly backed away from the crazed mare, soon devolving into a full-on sprint. It was not long before he emerged from the dark alleyway and almost ran a pony over in his panic.

"S-Somepony, help! Get me away from that freak!" Was all that Iron lung shouted as he ran down the street.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Michikatsu sighed as he placed a third blanket over the ill alicorn. Setting a warm bowl of soup next to her, he left the room, where he almost ran into Spike.

"Thank Celestia, you're here!" A half-relieved Spike sighed, "Tell me, is Twilight going to be ok?" He asked with a worried expression.

The demon stallion smiled warmly at the small drake and patted the top of his head. "There isn't anything to be worried about. Your big Sis only tired herself out trying to choke answers out of me" He chuckled. "I think she's about to awaken, so you can go say hi and whatnot."

At this, Spike visibly beamed, knowing that Twilight was ok. He rushed past Michikatsu and closed the door behind him, the muffled voice of a happy drake making Michikatsu chuckle. After the mini chase Twilight gave him the other night, the poor alicorn slipped on a stray rug and knocked her head against the floor. To make things worse, she caught a cold not long after her return from the snowy mountain. So Michikatsu was stuck caring for the sick alicorn, still hellbent on getting answers out of him despite her delirious state.

Michikatsu made his way through the crystal halls of the castle. The light from outside still tried to break Twilight's protective spell around him with no luck. But his quiet stroll was interrupted when claw steps approached from behind. Looking back, he saw Spike running towards him with a rolled parchment in his claw.

"W-Wait, Princess Celestia sent you-" Spike was cut off when a golden flash of light blinded Michikatsu as his entire body was weightless.

When his vision returned, he looked all around to find himself in a lavish room fitted for someone of high royalty. It wasn't long before Michikatsu spotted none other than Celestia sitting at a large wooden table. There was a steaming teapot with cups filled with a light brown liquid, one of them in the solar diarch's golden magic. Michikatsu scowled at Celestia for the sudden teleportation and was about to go off before his eyes landed on Yoriichi sitting next to her.

"What is the meaning of this?" He demanded, his scowl slightly softening.

Celestia set her cup down. "I'm truly sorry for the unexpected action, but you must sit down. We have important things to discuss." She pointed her hoof to an empty seat across from her, which Michikatsu sat in. She then smiled and faced Yoriichi, "Now that we are all in one place, I've heard that my student and some of her friends have been making progress under your guidance?"

Yoriichi nodded and took a sip of the rich tea. "You are correct. They even surprised me with how quickly they were able to master those techniques. Most would have taken years to reach Michikatsu's level," He Said, ignoring his brother's hidden prideful smirk, "but even that would have been rare. And as of now, they are in the process of learning their breathing styles, a lesson they need to start with themselves. As they say, I helped them walk so they could run."

He set his cup down and faced his older brother. "If you don't mind me asking, how is Twilight's training coming along?"

The demon stallion's prideful smirk turns into a sheepish grin. "Well...you see? She and I had a little... interruption." He nervously chuckled, considering Twilight's ex-mentor and, practically, mother figure was sitting across from him.

Celestia raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean?" She asked in a low and worried tone.

Michikatsu chuckled nervously and rubbed his hooves. "S-She might have been chasing me. Then slipped on a rug and knocked herself out while chasing me?" He winced, seeing the shocked princess's face. "B-But don't worry!" Michikatsu said, dismissively waving his hooves. "Her assistant and I are, or were, taking care of her, so there is no need to worry!" He internally sighed as Celestia relaxed and shook her head.

"That mare," Celestia mumbled. "It is good knowing that she is still well." She smiled before dawning a serious expression. "But back on topic, there has been another demon sighting, and most likely a more powerful one." Hearing this, the previous atmosphere of the room vanished as Michikatsu and Yoriichi tensed up as they listened further.

Celestia put her hooves together and hid her muzzle behind them. "Yesterday night, a local royal guard outpost in Manehatten reported that a distressed stallion barged into their building. He was raving and screaming about a monster pony that killed his friends. When they tried getting a description, it took many hours to calm him enough to get details." Celestia's horn glowed as it levitated a stack of papers on the table, the top being a sketch of the suspected demon. "Due to them wearing a cloak, all we got from the stallion was that they were a white-coated mare."

"But the lack of physical detail was made up for what the "mare" did to his friends." A sheet of paper was pulled from the stack and covered the sketch. "One of them tried talking with the mare. Ended up getting a "bone spike" pierced in their mouth and skull, killing him instantly. The other became enraged and charged the demon, to which she retaliated by letting off an attack that injured him." Another paper was pulled from the pile, showing a missing poster of a young stallion with a red coat, black mane, and green eyes. "The witness didn't confirm if this pony was killed, so the local guard released a notice. But the thing that bothers me was when the guards investigated the area the incident took place, there were no signs of the second stallion, only the first one's corpse."

When Celestia finished, the two stallions were lost in thought about what they had been told. Sure, the first corpse being there was usual for a demon. But the second one was missing without a sign of struggle. Michikatsu grimaced; a demon would only take a person for later consumption or use them as leverage in a fight. But if Celestia spoke correctly, the first option wouldn't be most likely, as demons rarely stored flesh for later. So either this demon was different, or they were saving that poor stallion for something terrible. The thought made his blood boil. His mind was snapped back into reality when Celestia coughed into her hoof.

"Due to the nature of this report, I can't send the guard on a wild demon chase." Celestia looked at the two with hardened eyes. "I trust you two can handle it."

Yoriichi stood up and faced the solar diarch. "I accept. I should head back and-" He was interrupted by Michikatsu quickly standing up.

"I'll do it." He said with a determined tone. "Yoriichi, you can stay here. I think I can handle this demon alone." Michikatsu smirked.

"You must take care of Twilight, though." Yoriichi refuted.

Michikatsu shook his head as he walked around the table and lightly pushed Yorrichi back into his seat. "That is a good reason. But, You and the others must be tired from all that training. Let your big brother take care of this one, I trust that Spike can nurse Twilight back to normal. I have been dying for some action since the festival. Plus, this demon can't be too dangerous if they left the third victim alive, right?" He chuckled confidently.

Yoriichi put a hoof to his chin in thought before facing his older brother again. "Do you truly believe that you can handle this?" When Michikatsu nodded, he sighed and picked his cup up. "I shall let you handle this one. And as thanks, I shall assist in the recovery of Twilight Sparkle."

As the two talked, Celestia giggled at Michikatsu's happy expression. "It is settled. But I have a question," Michikatsu looked at her with a questioning look. "Are you bringing anypony along? Surely you can't do it all by yourself? No offense."

Now it was his turn to think as he went over the small list of ponies he knew who could keep up with him. Sure, he could go in alone and take the demon out in no time, but that was the thinking of a rookie. Why did he even think that?

Suddenly, the perfect one came to mind as he smiled.

"I think I have the right pony in mind."

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Sooooo, can you tell me why you woke me up from my nap?" An annoyed Rainbow dash asked while hovering next to Michikatsu as they both made their way toward the ponyville train station.

It was only a couple of minutes since Michikatsu rudely woke Rainbow from her nap. The demon stallion hadn't given a reason as to why he did such a thing, only responding with "I'll explain on the train" or not at all. Luckily, they arrived at the train station, where Rainbow blocked Michikatsu's path with an angry scowl.

"Ok, we're here now, explain!" She said in an irritated tone.

Michikatsu sighed as he placed the luggage bag and a brand new sword Rainbow hadn't seen before onto the ground. " To put it plainly, Celestia gave my brother and me a report on a demon sighting in a place called Manehatten. I convinced Yoriichi to stay behind and take up the job for him, which he accepted." Michikatsu chuckled. "Then the princess gave me the idea to bring a partner along. You came to mind."

Rainbow's jaw dropped, "Wait!? You want ME to tag along?" Her expression instantly turned into glee as she hugged Michikatsu. "Thank you so much, dude!" She let go of the demon stallion with a confused look. "But why me?" Rainbow dash asked.

"This demon didn't sound tough, and I want to get this job done quickly. So I thought you would be the best choice to help kill this demon in no time if your claims of being the fastest are true. " Michikatsu turned his head to his side and picked up the sword he'd placed down earlier. "I also took the chance to snag you a little something from Canterlot. Think of it as a graduation gift." His muffled voice said.

Rainbow gasped as she held out her hooves, letting Michikatsu drop the sheathed sword into her forelegs. She didn't waste time grabbing the handle with one hoof and pulling the blade out. She was awed at the sight of it. The blade had a Rainbow color scheme similar to her mane in a swirl pattern, and the Habaki was shaped to resemble a white cloud, making the sword look like her cutie mark. She looked a the handle as well, it being a simple wrap with white and yellow pleather.

"I-I don't know what to say." Rainbow stuttered as she sheathed the sword.

"It's alright. The princess is the one you have to thank. When I chose you to be my partner, she was the one to ask me to give it to you." He explained.

Rainbow got back up on her hooves and used a sword belt provided by Michikatsu to place the word at her side. "Still, thank you for letting me tag along." She nudged his shoulder playfully and turned around. "Let's get going before Rarity knows we're heading to Manehatten." She chuckled.

Michikatsu raised an eyebrow but shook his confusion off as he and Rainbow walked into the train station, ready for another adventure.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The air of the city's sewer was plagued by the stench of rotten garbage and pony waste. But the horrible smell was ignored by a cloaked mare, who shuffled through the large pipe systems while mumbling to herself.

"Quiet, quiet, all alone, quiet, quiet. He will help if I stay quiet. They won't bother me anymore." She whimpered.

"I do hope you aren't wasting Master Muzan's time." A sudden voice echoed off the sewer walls. It made the cloaked mare flinch and yelp, but she tried her best to remain calm.

The mare fumbled a bit with her words before taking a calming breath. "I-I'm not. It-It's hard for me to keep you and the shadows away when I'm above ground. I-" She was cut off when a loud bang managed to shake the entire sewer, making her duck down while covering her head with her hooves.

"Unexeptiable!" The voice roared in anger. "You and I both know of our lord's plans. Yet you sit around with your fucked-up head up your ass all day! You do know what will happen if you make Muzan mad?" He said in a threatening tone

The mares gasped as she looked up, tears pouring out of her eyes. "PLEASE, NO!!! I don't want them to come back, please! I'll eat as many ponies as possible, don't make them come back!" She pleaded her shouting voice bouncing off the stone walls. It was silent for a few moments when the voice scoffed.

"You better. Another mistake like last night and, well, we know the rest." It chuckled darkly. The mare waited for what felt like ages for the whispering voice to quiet down.

Knowing that the voice was gone, she quickly got back her hooves and ran as fast as she could. Soon arriving at an opening in the sewer wall. She entered the space was almost bare, only sporting a single torn mattress with a tied-up red and black stallion on top of it. When the pony realized that the mare was back, he screamed and thrashed about in roped bindings, voice muffled by a dirty rag in his mouth. "I'm s-so sorry." The demon mare apologized as she slowly made her way toward him.

All the stallion saw before getting devoured was the dark voids of her eyes.