Sun Slayer's radiance

A hiss came from the train's pipes, followed by a loud whistle signaling its passengers to leave. Dozens of suited or casual clothes-wearing ponies rushed out of the train cars like a raging flood, the last two being Michikatsu and his prismatic pegasus sidekick. Even though the train was a marvel to the demon stallion, the rough ride and the crowded space made him feel uncomfortable. So once he stepped out, Michikatsu stretched his neck and legs with a satisfied groan.

"Thank the Budda, I'm out of there." He looked back at Rainbow dash, adjusting the new sword at her side. "I don't know how you ponies can sit for that long." He groaned.

The wings on his back shook under his clothing with irritation, wanting to be set free. For the longest time, Michikatsu kept forgetting the two appendages on his backside. But the recent trip forced him to remember as they kept moving around the whole time.

Rainbow dash chuckled and patted Michikatsu on the back, unknowingly irritating his wings further. "I feel ya, dude. I can't stand sitting in a single place for too long. It's kinda hardwired into every pegasus to be open-aired ponies." She shrugged. But their chat was interrupted by a train conductor yelling about their departure. "I think we better start searching."

"The question is, how?" Michikatsu said uncertainty. "It would be a bad idea to split up, considering this rock jungle looks big enough to get lost in." Michikatsu looked between the busy streets and the imposing stone towers with a hint of dread at their sheer height.

Just then, a pair of golden-clad guards could be seen advancing toward the two demon slayers. When the guards stopped in front of them, they saluted the two.

"Sir and ma'am, we have been expecting you." The guards spoke in perfect unison. "Her royal highness ordered us to escort you to the Manehatten Royal Guard Center for assistance; please, follow us." And without waiting for an answer, the two guards spun around and started marching away.

The two pegasi looked at each other confusingly before following the golden armored guards. As they were guided through the city's maze-like roads, Michikatsu couldn't stop his six eyes from scanning the surrounding environment. Ponies dressed in strange but fancy outfits carried black boxes with handles in their mouths and entered the titanic structures. Shops and food vendors decorated the side streets, with some owners raving about sales or discounts on their goods. And Michikatsu had to admit, the smell of freshly baked goods and dishes the stallion never ate before made him almost wander off. Good thing Rainbow was there to keep him on track.

But despite the amazing things he'd seen, the walk continued with Michikatsu's mood slowly dampening. For starters, the place was too damn loud for him. Since birth, Michikatsu was always in the quiet countryside or secluded areas, far away from most "noisy" places. Even marketplaces didn't get as loud as the city. And secondly, most of the ponies Michikatsu had run into had been the most insufferable beings he'd ever had the displeasure of meeting. Early in the walk, an older mare bumped into Michikatsu when she wasn't looking and blamed him for it. She insulted him and called the stallion a freak based on his appearance.

Let's say it took the guards and Rainbow everything to hold the demon stallion back from the fleeing terrified mare.

By the time the two reached the guard center, Michikatsu already wanted this mission to be over. But being the modest stallion he was taught to be, he sucked up his pride and followed the guards and Rainbow into the large building. To Michikatsu's relief, the inside was relaxed compared to the inside as ponies and guards casually walked about. The main room had two staircases on either side of the room that connected and led to the second floor. Between the stairs was a front desk with multiple lockers and cabinets behind a bord-looking mare going over a stack of paperwork. On the ceiling was a big glass chandelier that brightly lit the room. Benches and mini tables filled the middle of the room with waiting ponies sitting on them. And doors and walkways were along the walls.

"Follow us." The two guards said, bringing Michikatsu out of his train of thought. Michikatsu and Rainbow followed the guards as they led them up the left staircase and down the left hall. Their walk finally ended when the guard stopped in front of a wooden door reinforced by metal rods.

"We're hoping that Celestia informed you about a suspect?" The guard asked. When Michikatsu nodded, one of the guards pulled a ring of keys from under his armor and unlocked the door. "He's in here. Good luck." With another salute, the guards stood on either side of the door in statue-like poses.

Michikatsu faced Rainbow dash and nodded before grabbing the doorknob with his teeth and pushing it open. As soon as the door was opened, a terrified scream made Rainbow dash and Michikatsu flinch. On the far side of the room, and at the opposite side of a metal table, was a large brown and red colored stallion trying to back away with a horrified expression.

His hooves were cuffed to the table, so he uselessly pulled on the chain holding his cuffs to the table. But his eyes were trained on Michikatsu like prey watching a predator before getting eaten.

"Y-You're with H-Her, aren't you!? G-Get away from me, you freak!" The stallion shouted wildly. His attempts to flee were more erratic when Michikatsu closed the door behind him and Rainbow dash.

Rainbow took the initiative and carefully walked closer to the terrified stallion with a hoof up. "Dude, chill out. We aren't to hurt ya or anything." She explained. "I know he looks creepy as Tartarus, but he's a nice guy once ya get to know him." Rainbow joked, earning her a quick glare from the demon stallion.

"Yes, even if I look 'creepy', I'm only here to get answers about the demon you saw?" Michikatsu said as he walked over to a chair at the metal table and sat in it.

"D-Demon?" The now confused stallion asked, not totally calm but not as skittish.

Michikatsu nodded, placing his hooves on the table. "Yes. I was told that you and two others were attacked. And that they were, unfortunately, killed or kidnapped. Correct?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

The room was silent with tension, but eventually, the stallion nodded slowly. "Y-Yes, t-they were. That night, we were all out drinking at a local pub like we always did on our days off. But we got more drunk than usual, and I thought taking a shortcut would be a good idea." The stallion went silent again, shifting in his seat uncomfortably. "As we walked down the alley, hoof steps came towards us. The thing that was a red flag was the smell of garbage, and the way we were walking down barely had any. Then this cloaked pony comes out of nowhere...and I think you know the rest..." The stallion finished quietly, hanging his head low. A sniffling sound came from the stallion as he grabbed the sides of his head with tears pouring out of his eyes.

"Ok then." Rainbow dash blurted out, "So did you see anything about this thing? No major detail like a cutie mark or something?" Rainbow backed away when the stallion gave off a sorrowful wail.

"I-I k-k-killed them. If I didn't g-go that way, t-they'd still b-be alive." At that point, the stallion became nothing more than a crying mess. Any attempts from Rainbow dash to get him to talk became useless.

Rainbow became annoyed by this and was about to demand an answer before a hoof grabbed her shoulder. Looking back, Michikatsu gave her a stern look that made her ears fold against her head. The two quickly made their way out of the room and hoofed the keys back to the guards.

As they walked down the hall, Rainbow huffed angrily. "Well, that's just great. We're never going to find this demon if our only lead is a crying mess now!" She complained.

"Not entirely."

Rainbow perked up at Michikatsu’s voice with confusion. “What do you mean?”

Michikatsu stopped, making Rainbow dash almost crash into him, and he turned around to face her.

Michikatsu stopped, making Rainbow dash almost crash into him, and he turned around to face her. "The scene of the crime should still be under watch. If we hurry up, maybe we will find something of use." Michikatsu turned and started to walk again with Rainbow close behind. "Besides, I never took you for the type to quit so easily." He joked, resulting in Rainbow punching his shoulder lightly with a pout.

"S-Shut up." Rainbow blushed with embarrassment. "And if I was one to give up easily, then I wouldn't have come along."

The pair rounded a corner and were soon descending the reception room steps and heading towards the front door. "You do bring up a good point, though." Michikatsu interrupted, opening the main entrance and letting Rainbow dash walk through. "Why did you want to come along?" He asked with a confused look.

Rainbow stopped walking and turned to him. "Heh, what do you mean by that?" Rainbow said with an amused scoff.

"When I woke you up from your nap, you were clearly annoyed by it. But when I said that I chose you for the mission, your attitude did a complete turnaround. Forgive me if I offend you, but I can't shake the feeling that you are hiding something." Michikatsu narrowed his eyes at the nervous-looking Rainbow dash with suspicion.

"D-Don't know why you'd think that. I thought it was a perfect opportunity to test my skills, that's all." She chuckled nervously.

"I may not know you personally, but I can tell when someone is lying or not. Helped in interrogation a couple of times while in service, just enough to know that you're lying through your teeth."

Rainbow growled and glared daggers at Michikatsu. "Can't a pony have privacy!? Ponies are allowed to have personal secrets, you know?" She said with venom in her tone.

Michikatsu slightly flinched from the rainbow-colored mare's outburst, but otherwise remained stoic. "I can care less about what you are keeping from everypony." He snapped," I just don't want it getting in the way of our mission." Walking down the steps, Michikatsu nodded forward. "Let's hurry up, the sun is about to go down soon."

Grumbling quietly under her breath, Rainbow followed behind while diverting her gaze away from Michikatsu.

The two walked silently in the city streets as the setting sun shined and painted a warm orange color over the never sleeping city. Small shops and food centers started to close their doors, and ponies waved each other off with friendly smiles. Even if the atmosphere was comforting for most, the air around the demon slayers was heavy with awkward tension and somberness. ness.

And as they rounded a corner and saw a small group of guards gathered in front of an alleyway entrance an entire street block away, the rotting scent of death could still be smelled by the duo. Rainbow Almost puked up her stomach contents as she got closer to the awful smell, soon being at the source as she and Michikatsu reached the guards. The golden armored stallions, after a bit of conversation that went on too long for Rainbow's liking, left them by and handed each a breathing mask. Which Rainbow quickly equipped. It was almost a challenge to move through the alley with an abundance of guards and investigators standing around. Fortunately, they passed the small crowd and entered a large clearing, but Rainbow's bulged as she gasped.

In front of her were a couple of ponies surrounding a decayed stallion corpse. His flesh, despite only being killed not even a day ago, looked like it had been lying there for weeks and was nearly black with only a few patches of fur still clinging on. The stallion's corpse was turned on its back, revealing the stallion's face. His mouth was wide open as if it was screaming in pain, and a giant hole leading through the mouth and out the back of his neck made Rainbow even sicker.

It also didn't help that the stallion almost looked like an older colt, thanks to his size. Rainbow covered her mouth out of horror and to keep the bile from her inside from coming up. But she starred as Michikatsu casually walked up next to a unicorn investigator.

When Michikatsu stopped beside her, she noticed him and closed her notepad. She had a silver coat, a white curly mane with a blue strand, and green eyes that shined like emeralds. The mare readjusted her black-rimmed glasses as a pen wrapped in a green aura clipped onto the notepad's spiral spine.

"I'm guessing you two are the ponies the Princess informed us about?" She asked, her face scrunching up in disgust as she looked Michikatsu up and down.

“You are correct, miss..?”

“Onlooker.” She finished.

“...Onlooker. Me and my partner over here-” Michikatsu pointed a hoof at the still frozen Rainbow dash, “-got back from the guard center not too long ago. We tried to get information out of the witness, which wasn’t hard. But besides telling us stuff we already knew, it was mostly a waste of time.” He said with a grimace.

Onlooker sighed and shook her head. “Figures. Some of the stallions tried to do the same, went as well as you think.” She grimaced. But then a small smirk crossed her lips, “But we got one detail that may help you both.”

Michikatsu perked up Onlooker with wide eyes. “What is it?” He asked with impatience.

“Funny enough, our perp wasn’t the stealthy type. Found a faint blood trail leading out the other end of the ally and heading straight to a stallionhole cover.” She laughed.

“I don’t think this is the right time to be laughing, Miss Onlooker.” Michikatsu deadpan look.

Onlooker wiped a tear from her eye and went back to examining the corpse. “Sir, when you are in the homicide investigations team, you kinda become numb to it all.” She looked back at him with a full smirk, “or maybe I’m just a crazy bitch?” She joked. “Get going, I’m sure you can get some guards to follow you around.”

Michikatsu bowed and turned around, “It was a pleasure talking with you miss. Come on Rainbow dash, let’s-” His voice died down when he saw Rainbow blankly staring at the corpse still. He sighed and approached the still mare and shook her shoulder, snapping Rainbow out of her trance. “Come on. The more we stand around, the more time the demon who did this gets away.”

No response came from Rainbow as she nodded before making her way out of the ally. Michikatsu watched as the pegasus shuffled away with a concerned look on his face.

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One of the three royal guards accompanying Michikatsu and Rainbow dash bit down on a small fold-out handle of the stallionhole cover and pulled his head back. The metal cover followed and fell to the asphalt ground with a heavy thud. Ignoring the disgusting taste in his mouth, the same guard moved out of the way and directed the two demon slayer to the hole with his hoof.

"Right this way. Also, be careful. Never know what can be down there." The guard warned.

Michikatsu nodded. Walking towards the hole, he turned around and descended the old rusty ladder. He took the guard's advice and looked around once his hooves connected with the sewer water floor. Once he spotted no immediate threats, Michikatsu signaled for the others to follow.

Once the guards and Rainbow joined with the demon stallion, they began to walk down the shit and rat-infested tunnels. Some guards complained to themselves and flinched when a rat ran across their path.

On the other hand, Michikatsu kept his guard up and scanned the tunnels for any sign of the demon, but something was distracting him. Every second or so, he would steal glances at Rainbow dash, who didn't seem to have the same caution as he had. Her shoulders were slightly slumped, and the look she had was unfocused as if she was lost in thought. Michikatsu, at first, was annoyed by the mare's lack of battle readiness and thought about scolding her for it, but something caused him to hold his tongue.
Worry filled his mind as Rainbow dashes somber mood didn't go away and only seemed to get worse. Sighing, Michikatsu took a deep breath and approached Rainbow dash. When he was right next to her, he put a gentle hoof on her shoulder, causing the mare to jump and scream in surprise.

"AHHHH!" Her voice echoed off the walls as she reached around and drew her sword in a flash.

The guards and Michikatsu stared at her with surprise at the startled mare. When she realized her mistake, Rainbow dash blushed in embarrassment and sheathed her weapon with a nervous chuckle. The guards grumbled and scoffed at her abruptness and turned around and continued walking with Michikatsu and an embarrassed Rainbow dash behind them.

"I see you're doing well." Michikatsu said sarcastically.

"Shut it," Rainbow snapped back, "You just startled me, is all." She looked away with a pout.

"Startle?" Michikatsu huffed, "It looked like you were going to start slicing and dicing back there." Michikatsu gave Rainbow a cheeky smirk, but when she didn't respond, he frowned. "Ok, you need to tell me what's wrong with you."

Rainbow growled tiredly, side-glancing at Michikatsu, "I told you before, nothing is wrong. So stop talking about it."

"If nothing was wrong, you wouldn't be acting like this." He argued while throwing up a hoof. "You have been silent and reserved since the guard center. And it's starting to worry me," Michikatsu moved closer to Rainbow with a concerned look, "Tell me what's wrong, not because of this mission, but because you're worrying me."

The prismatic pegasus looked to the ground and was silent for a few moments before sighing. "That...stallion we saw earlier, you know the one?" Michikatsu nodded, "It...I'd never seen anypony...die...in real life before. Of course, I got an idea of it from novels and comics, sure. But..." Rainbow's face twisted into an uncomfortable scowl.

"But what that demon did to the stallion; it was...wrong. Heck, if I didn't know any better, I would have thought it was a colt." She chuckled darkly.
"I don't know. Maybe I'm not cut out for this if I can't even stomach something like-"

Rainbow dash was interrupted when Michikatsu put a hoof over her shoulders and pulled her closer, a somber expression on his face.

"When I first started demon hunting, I was just like you." He said in a whispered voice.

Rainbow looked at him with surprise, "What?"

"The first ever mission I went on. There were rumors that men and women went missing during the night, and I volunteered to go. After I tracked it down to a nearby abandoned home, I had to force myself to stop myself from puking. The entire floor was dug out into a massive pit and inside was nothing but bones and half-rotted corpses." Michikatsu grimaced at the memory, but he steeled his nerves." Even when I did kill the demon, I felt like quitting afterward. I had the same thoughts as you."

"So, why didn't you quit?" Rainbow asked.

Michikatsu huffed in amusement and smiled. "Yoriichi happened. He saw how I was and sat me down to talk. No matter how much I disliked him back then, his words never left my mind."

"No matter how difficult it gets or how terrible you feel. Remember, as a demon slayer, it is your job to make sure others; and their families can rest easy without fear of losing a loved one. Your soul will hurt, but it can be mended by the kindness you give and the gratitude you receive."

"Kind of a mouthful, don't you think?" Michikatsu chuckled, "But he's right, it will suck having to see things like that, but it's worth seeing the happiness and peace." He smiled and patted Rainbow's back. A chuckle from the prismatic pegasus made Michikatsu raise an eyebrow. “What’s so funny?” He asked in mock offense.

Rainbow stifled her chuckles into soft giggles and looked at him with a small smile. "Sounds like something Twilight and Fluttershy would come up with." She joked. Her expression softened as her smile turned into a thankful one. “But thanks for the advice. I needed it.” She said.

“No problem, I-”

“Sir!”

Michikatsu and Rainbow’s conversion was halted when one of the guards shouted while pointing a hoof at something. “There’s a dip in the wall about 50 meters from our location. Should we proceed?” The guard asked with a serious expression.

“No, me and my partner here will go ahead. Just make sure that we don’t get flanked.” Michikatsu commanded.

The guards all nodded in unison before letting Michikatsu and Rainbow move in cautiously. As they both got closer, the familiar scent of death reached their noses, making Rainbow dash scowl in discomfort. The silence only seemed to make the already thick tension worse as every little sound from the moving water, mice squeaks, and even their breathing bounced off the stone walls. Rainbow Dash swallowed a lump in her throat as she and Michikatsu reached the dip. But something made Michikatsu flinch. And before Rainbow Dash could ask what was wrong, Michikatsu grabbed her and moved her and himself to the wall.

Michikatsu made a shushing motion with a hoof and pointed to the entrance. Rainbow dash listened in closer. She became uneasy and confused when the sound of breaking and wet tearing reached her ears as she gulped again. But Michikatsu had already advanced slowly towards the entrance to the dip, pulling something out of his haori.

The demon stallion carefully peered around the corner and squinted at the darkness. In it, he could make out the shape of a hunched-over figure hovering above another prone figure, the wet tearing sound coming from it. Taking a quiet step into the dip, he froze when the figure froze and turned its head around, gasping. Nobody moved for the longest time, even the guards felt that something was off and had their spears at the ready.

“P-Please, g-go a-a-away.” A timid and scared-sounding voice spoke. The plea made Michikatsu do a double take. And even made him think that it was a random homeless pony and not a man-eating demon.

Unfortunately, one of the guards, who was a unicorn, lit up their horn and shot a light orb at the figure, causing it to shriek in fear. What little time the light orb was active was enough to get the guards ready to take on this…thing. Michikatsu’s senses were going off, and his eyes widened when the figure lifted its foreleg at him.

“MOVE!” He shouted, running out and dropping down in time to miss a long and thin bone-like spike shot out and stabbed the adjacent wall.

The guards roared as they charged the entrance with spears ready to strike. Michikatsu was about to shout at the stallions before a brown and white blur passed the trio, making them stop in their tracks. But they noticed that one of them was gone, and their eyes followed the path of the blur to a cloaked form standing over a dead guard. A spike was lodged in his forehead, even piercing the tough armor.

Everyone stared at the figure with feelings of anger, fear, and caution as it slowly turned around to face, its face obscured by the hood of the cloak.

“Why?” The figure muttered in sorrow. “Why c-can’t anypony just LISTEN!?” she shouted, the volume of her voice making Michikatsu wince.

Her answer never came as the remaining two guards charged the figure again. This time, they got close and stabbed it through the chest and next and getting its blood over themselves. Their confident grins, however, fell as they tried to remove the spears from the figure. No matter how hard they tried, they didn’t move a centimeter, with the wounds surrounding them having bulging veins trapping the spears. The guard's attempts were stopped when the figure started to mumble erratically to themself.

“Please go away Please go away Please go away.” They repeated.

A guard growled in frustration, and out of anger, raised a hoof to punch the figure. But it was useless as the figure suddenly let out a high-pitched wail, causing the guards to scream in agony as they fell to the floor covering their ears. They flailed in a panic and were shouting incoherent nonsense, similar to a cloaked figure.

Luckily, Michikatsu and Rainbow dash didn’t seem to get affected. Michikatsu instantly noted that the attack had a set range, and got into an attacking position, soon followed by Rainbow, who pulled her sword out and glared at the cloaked figure.

The cloaked figure pulled at its cloak while making crying noises. “Just go away, it’s that simple, you idiots!” It angrily shouted. Its cloak started to tear thanks to the strength of the figures, slowly pulling away to reveal white fur and a gray mane. “I want to get rid of these damn voices! But I need to hurt you because Lord Muzan said if I did they’d go away!” She sobbed. The cloak tore away completely, and Rainbow almost dropped her sworded in shock.

It was revealed that to be the demon, on the account of HER white fur. But what unsettled Rainbow dash was her face. Her lower jaw had been split into two parts with jagged slits across her cheeks, her lips in a permanent frown. Her eyes were the worse part. In place of two normal eyeballs was nothing but a black void. Not like her eyes were removed, but they simply just vanished, leaving nothing but darkness.

This demon…It was blind.

“N-No matter.” The demon muttered, “If I get rid of you two, then they will go away.” She said with heavy regret in her voice. Her eyeless gaze fixed on the two demon slayers, as tears rolled down her maned face.

“I’m sorry.”