Sun Slayer's radiance

A hard thud landed in front of the open window in Muzan’s bed chambers.

The demon lord sat up, revealing his messy mane and scowling red eyes, glaring at the demon who dared wake him up from sleep. It had been an hour after he ordered ember to retreat from the city.

After a lovely bath made by his subjects and a hearty meal, he caught up on some light reading, a recent hobby he enjoyed when he wasn’t scheming. Reading the last pages of his short novel, he put it away to get some rest before Ember was to show up for his possible execution. Until now, with said demon kneeling in front of the open window and not daring to look up.

“I am truly sorry, Lord Muzan.” Ember pathetically said in a lowered tone. It flinched slightly when Muzan scoffed.

"Save me your apologies." Muzan scoffed, "What you did tonight went against my orders. You failed to finish off Red Cross, drew attention to yourself, and worst yet, you failed the simple task of ridding this world of Kokushibo." Berated Muzan, his voice rising in volume as every second passed. The sheets covering Muzan were thrown aside as the angry demon lord stomped on the kneeling Ember.

Once he reached the kneeling demon, he raised a hoof and slammed it into Ember's head, leaving a sizable crater and sending it into the wall with a loud crash. As Ember slid to the ground, broken chunks of rock and wood chips bounced off its body. But Muzan wasn't done. The demon lord's left foreleg morphed in his rage until it was mostly covered in a red, fleshy substance with sharp-toothed maws lining it. With a growl, Muzan grabbed Ember by the throat and slammed him into the shattered wall, inching his scowling face closer to Ember's healing one.

Tension strangled the air as the demon lord continued to glare daggers into Ember's unfocused eyes before it was broken by Muzan sighing. "Consider yourself fortunate, foal." He spat with disdain clear in his voice, "Since I was having such a wonderful evening, I'll give you a chance."

After a brief moment, Muzan's foreleg withdrew from Ember's throat, dropping it to the floor unceremoniously. Ember quickly scrambled to his shaking legs, purple claws rubbing their neck.

“W-What is it you request of me, sir?”

“I’ll give you one chance only, a single chance, to give me a reason not to end your miserable life.”

Fear crossed Ember’s features before returning to its usual interference. “While I was fighting Kokushibo, I couldn’t get rid of a nagging feeling in the back of my head. It might be nothing, but his companion only heightens my concern.” It said with a grim tone.

“...Explain.” Muzan ordered, narrowing his eyes.

“There was a rainbow-maned pegasus. She fought, or at least tried to, with Kokushibo when I made my presence known to them. I thought nothing of her, just some background noise to be ignored. But the thing that worries me is,” Ember looked Muzan in the eye with a serious expression, “She used a breathing technique to cut my leg.”

In an instant, the room was deafly silent as grim realization slowly formed on Muzans face. If this mare was able to use breathing techniques and no less be able to cut through the tough skin of Ember with ease, then…

“No,” Muzan muttered and lowered his head in disbelief, “This can’t be happening.”

Ember recoiled away from the demon lord, a sense of overwhelming anger and…fear making it stare at Muzan with caution. Suddenly, just as soon as the feeling had come, it was wisped away like dust in the wind. Muzan’s head rose with a strangely calm visage as he faced Ember.

“That is nothing to fear. Just because some random mare was able to injure you, doesn’t justify your failure. Leave, get out of my sight before I change my mind.”

With a rushed bow, Ember followed Muzan’s advice and was gone in a blur. Once the coast was clear, Muzan’s body began to tremble and his eyes shrank to pinpricks.

This could not be happening, not now. If…HE…was training these over-glorified mules to use Breathing techniques, then it was bad news, to say the least. The Hashira of the current year were pathetic in terms of ability, teaching newer demon slayers was practically a waste of time in all honesty. But, if it was someone like Yoriichi, it was a different story. A good demonstration was that Tanjiro brat. Muzan never figured out how that kid learn the Hinokami Kagura after its only wielder died hundreds of years ago, but that wasn’t the point.

What’s to say there aren’t more like that Rainbow mare that can injure, or take out, high-ranking demons with ease with Yoriichi’s training? Of course, none of them would come close to HIS skill, not in a million moons. But Muzan was overestimating demon slayers before, costing his past life. Not anymore.

A sudden knock at Muzan's door snapped the demon lord out of his internal panic, him turning to the door with a scowl. “Enter.” He commanded.

The door’s knob turned as it opened slowly to reveal a demon changeling, its legs violently shaking. “M-My Lord, I have come with a message.” It said with a shaky voice.

Muzan’s ears perked up. He fully turned around to face the changeling, “What is it?”

The demon changeling used its magic to levitate a worn-looking piece of paper in front of its face, “Dear Demon lord, If you are reading this, then that means I have successfully captured one of your demons and forced them to deliver this message to you. You can call me Doctor Crow. I won’t go into detail as to why I have written to you, but in short, I am interested in joining, as you have piqued my curiosity. Below, you will find that I have written the location of where I live. You can come to visit me or send somepony down to fetch me."

"Sincerely, D.C" As the changeling finished, it folded the letter and waited for Muzan’s reply, which didn’t take long.

“This individual has certainly caught my attention.” Muzan chuckled. “The audacity aside, I shall grant his request, only because I expect them to further my chances of victory.” The demon lord waved his hoof at the changeling and walked to his bed. “Go and get Starburst. Since she is showing no more signs of illness, I’ll have her retrieve this Doctor.”

The changeling nodded and rushed out, making sure not to slam the door behind it.

As Muzan got into bed and covered himself, he couldn’t keep a slight grimace off his face for a good reason. He could not let this plan fail, any chance he could get was vital. It didn’t matter if he seemed desperate, anything would do, especially with the chance of a demon slayer popping up once more.

“In two weeks, this world will fall before me. And not even you, Yoriichi, could stop me.” Muzan reassured himself, holding back a scoff as his eyelids grew heavy. With a calm breath, Muzan allowed his eyes to close, sleep conquered him once more.

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

Michikatsu groaned when a sharp pain shot through his head. The second thing he noticed as he opened his eyes was that he was in a white room with a tiled floor and green ceiling. Disinfectant and other clean smells assaulted the demon's nose, which made his face scrunch up in subtle discomfort.

His vision was still blurred. Looking around the room, Michikatsu could make out the outline of strange equipment on either side of the bed he found himself lying on, all of their screens pitch black. It was clear now, Michikatsu was in a medical facility since these strange machines were the same as back in the Canterlot infirmary. Looking around more, small details were also present, like a window not too far away from Michikatsu's bed with its curtain shielding him from the sun's light. Suddenly, his eye's halted when scanning his environment onto a blob of color and cyan.

The blob was slumped over, the chest area slowly rising and lowering with soft snoring coming from it. But thanks to a combination of a possible concussion and the grogginess from waking up, it took a moment for Michikatsu's vision to clear.

When it did, the blob was revealed to be Rainbow dash resting on a chair, her sword on her lap. He smiled warmly, seeing his partner sound asleep, but he needed answers. Luckily, it seemed his motor functions were intact after the beating he received as he crawled out of bed. Walking over to the sleeping Rainbow dash, Michikatsu put a hoof on her shoulder and shook her gently.

"Hey," He whispered softly, "Rainbow, get up."

Rainbow groaned as her face twitched but didn't wake. Shaking her a little harder, Michikatsu moved his mouth closer to Rainbow's ear.

"Rainbow, it's me."

With another groan, Rainbow's eye began to crack open. After a few moments of blinking and rubbing her eyes, Rainbow looked around, confused, before she landed on Michikatsu.

"AHHHHH!!!" Rainbow yelled. In her panic, Rainbow's wings accidentally flared out, pushing her off the chair and introducing her face to the steel floor.

Michikatsu huffed playfully, sitting on his rump and crossing his forelegs. "I know I'm not the best looker around, but I'm not THAT bad." He said with mock offense.

Rainbow scrambled herself off the floor and faced Michikatsu with a sheepish grin. "O-Oh, Michikatsu, you're awake...that's nice." She sputtered. "Sorry. After all that happened last night, I'm sorta on edge still." She nervously laughed while rubbing the back of her head.

"It's fine. I'm just glad you weren't as hurt as I was." Michikatsu quipped, "By the way, how long was I out for?"

"You were out cold for a while, at least a couple of hours." Rainbow answered, "Good thing you got insane healing; the doctor said you should've been dead, in a coma at the least." She then surprised Michikatsu by bringing him into a tight hug, which he hesitantly returned. "I should be the one worrying about you, I'm...sorry."

Michikatsu looked at Rainbow with confusion, "For what?" He asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

"I'm sorry for not being able to help. I chickened out when you got hurt, and I barely did anything." Rainbow looked down with shame in her posture.

"Ugh, you're starting to sound like my brother," Michikatsu said with an eye roll. He put a hoof under Rainbow's chin and lifted it to meet her face with a tender look. "Look, I under what you're saying. I don't blame you for being scared at that moment, even though I was too." Michikatsu amitted, ignoring the shocked Rainbow, "No one is expecting you to go out and face danger with total confidence and not falter. It's impossible. All your friends and I expect from you is to do your best and nothing more."

"The future is uncertain, and we can't make promises that everything will turn out fine. That is why you and I need to get stronger so that we can protect the ones we care about. Not by hiding our fear and weakness, but embracing it and molding it into something that can help everyone."

Michikatsu bent down, grabbed the sheathed sword Rainbow dropped, and held it in front of her. "Now, fill me in on what happened while I was out. And then after that, I'll help you train for a while, alright?" He spoke, voice muffled and the corner of his mouth stretching into a playful smirk.

Rainbow stared in awe at Michikatsu, tears threatening to escape. She wiped them away with a foreleg and smiled confidently at Michikatsu. "Sure, but better keep your promise!" She said, snatching the sword from Michikatsu's mouth and setting it against the wall. "Well, here's how it all went down..."

For the next hour, Rainbow went on to recount the past hours Michikatsu had missed. Not long after he blacked out and was retrieved by the local guard, reinforcements aided the local guard for any sign of the demon that attacked them. Unfortunately, there was no sign of it, and worst yet, the sun had begun to rise. And due to Michikatsu's injuries, the protective spell that protected him from the sun was broken. So the guard rushed him to the nearest hospital for treatment, making sure to get a room without windows. As for the demon mare, Rainbow explained that it was shipped off to Canterlot for psychological treatment when the guards noted its sporadic behavior and occasional self-mumbling.
It didn't go well...

"N-No! You can't take me back! I've been a good mare; I swear I have! PLEASE!" The demon mare screeched as she tried to escape the grasp of two large stallion guards. Despite their strength, they visibly strained against the demon's might.

It took 3 trained mages to use high-level sedative spells to finally put the frantic mare to sleep. Besides the sudden panic attack, it went smoothly as they packed it into a large wooden container similar to a coffin and shipped it off to Canterlot. Not long after, Yoriichi and the rest made a surprise visit, saying they got a letter from the princess telling them to back Rainbow if anything else happened. Rainbow retold them what happened, getting faces of shock and horror at the retelling. Then Rainbow told her about Michikatsu's condition and the missing protection spell. And the rest was history.

“And it all leads up to now.” Rainbow finished with a roll of her hoof and crossing in her forelegs.

Michikatsu nodded with a satisfied look and rose to his hooves. “I am all caught up now.” He thanked. “But I must ask, what is of my brother and the others?”

"Eh, they had things to do today." Rainbow sighed, "Rarity and AJ still had to make up the work they missed during our 3 months away. Twilight is busy doing Princess things. And Pinkie...well, she's Pinkie." Rainbow shrugged.

"But what about Miss Fluttershy and my brother?" Michikatsu cocked an eyebrow confusingly.

Rainbow chuckled and glanced away. "I think those two love birds are going to be preeetty busy tonight~." She answers with a mischievous grin. The room went dead quiet, the only sound being the rushing air from a vent.

"What..."

"Well, I thought you would know by now. Yoriichi being your brother and all that?" Rainbow replied, failing to keep the grin off her face. "Especially since he and Fluttershy are..."

"A couple~"

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

It was a nice day to be in the market this time around. The passing winter weather made the air just chilly enough that you didn't have to wear coats or scarves. Ponies paraded about, grabbing food items and nick-nacks from each stand. Foals played about and filled the air with the sound of laughter.

Nothing could-

"WHAAAAT?!?"

Everypony flinched at the loud, enraged stallion voice. But a moment later, they all shrugged it off and went about their lovely day.

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

A faint whisper of a voice caused Yoriichi to perk up. He looked about the golden stable in search of the source, yet it was still the same semi-packed restaurant.

“Yoriichi?” He looked to see his now marefriend Fluttershy staring at him with concern, her ears folded back against her head. “Is something wrong?” She asked. Yoriichi shook his head and looked down at his half-eaten salad.

“No, nothing is wrong.” He answers, averting his gaze from the shy mare.

Fluttershy’s concerned expression turned to mild irritation as she leaned in and grabbed Yoriichi’s ear and yanked it, not getting much of a reaction from the stoic stallion, “You listen here, mister. What was the one thing I told you before we got together?” She questioned with an adorable glare, like another scolding their child.

With a sigh, Yoriichi locked eyes with Fluttershy, “To not keep our feelings hidden from each other.” He repeated. Fluttershy’s expression had softened into a smile at his retelling and released his ear. “But you are right, something is unnerving me.”

“What is it?” Fluttershy asked.

“My brother.”

The timid pegasus eyes widened in mild shock. She leaned in forward slightly from across the table, “Why is that?” She said.

“Michikatsu…he has always been the protective type. When we were young, he had a strong sense of responsibility for me since they all, including my brother, believed I was deaf. He used to see me as a fragile boy, and anyone that tried to talk to me was met with his hostility.” Yorrichi set his plate aside and pulled out a small bag, pulling a few bits from it. “What is worrying me is how he is going to take all this.” Yorrichi grimaced.

Sweat beads ran down the side of Fluttershy's nervous face, which she wiped away swiftly. “I’m sure he will understand. I-”

“YORIICHI, WHERE ARE YOU!!!”

Fluttershy ‘eeped’ at the shouting voice and covered her face with her mane. Her eye peered from behind the pink curtain and looked outside to see…Michikatsu. The timid pegasus eyes widened in fear as the demon stallion shouted at the air in random directions.

“HOW DARE THAT WHORE SEDUCE MY SWEET BABY BROTHER! I SWEAR, WHEN I FIND THAT SEDUCTRESS, I’LL TEAR HER LIMB FROM LIMB FOR TRICKING MY BROTHER!”

Thankfully, before Michikatsu could spot the trembling mare and Yoriichi, Rainbow dash and a pair of hospital staff tackled him to the floor and restrained his limbs. The two staff members struggled with his strength, Michikatsu raving in no particular direction, while Rainbow dash was on the verge of knocking the stallion out. Ponies surrounding the two made themselves scarce and hurried away.

“DON’T WORRY, BROTHER, I’LL SAVE YOU EVENTUALLY!!!”

As for Yoriichi, he continued to stare down at his older brother with an embarrassed look, trying his best not to stand out for fear of being connected to Michikatsu at the moment. Putting his bag away in his Haori, Yoriichi slide out of the window side table and helped the terrified Fluttershy as well.
“I think it is best if we make hast.” Yoriichi said flatly. Fluttershy nodded silently as they made their way out of the restaurant's back door.

“YORIICHIIIIIIIII!!!”