Mark of the Butcher

Chapters

Chapter 1: Muscle and blood and skin and bones
Chapter 2: City charms
Chapter 3: 24 Karat magic in the aaaaaiiir!
Chapter 4: School house rock
Chapter 5: Fall Back
Chapter 6: A castle made of playing cards Pt.1
Chapter 7: A castle made of playing cards Pt.2

Chapter 1: Muscle and blood and skin and bones

Author's Note

Welp, this is a first for me. Been wanting to do something like this for a while, but only now got the courage to write it, so here ya go.

As stated in the description, this will be written alongside Dogs of War, though there's no direct correlation between the two (I just feel like writing this now before I forget where I'm going with it, since ideas for Dogs of War are coming along slowly)

Feel free to comment, ask, or correct any errors you see! Or just say hey!

Chapter 1: Muscle and blood and skin and bones

~The Mark of the Butcher~

Empty, dark, and quiet.

These words were synonymous with the streets of Manehatten at night. Few ponies had reason to be out, since most shops had closed up for the night, and the ones that did were usually either partying up the place or occupying the neighboring alleyways...though one particular duo was much louder than the others out that night.

"C'mon, Ripsaw! Your barely lifting him at all!" A orange furred pegasi hissed as she supported a big black bag on her back while trying to style her mane back into place at the same time with a wing.

"Don't snap at me, Dragonfly! It's been too long a night for me to be taking smack from you!" A stout earth pony, clad in a black vest that clashed with his pink fur and green mane, snarled back as he supported the bag from the back with his two front hooves, being forced to walk awkwardly the whole time they had been out.

The odd pair turned down several alleyways and corners, garnering odd stares from the occasional beggar, before stopping at a large metal-plated wall that stood tall among the rickety doorways and gloomy windows it had as neighbors.

"Home sweet home at last!" Dragonfly exclaimed with a smile as she rapped her left hoof against the door three times.

"Alicorns fade, Queens fall, and Kings die...so where does one find purpose? A voice echoed out among the darkness, making Ripsaw shudder slightly as his pegasus companions smile grew even wider.

"Where else then in the Wings of the Eternal Night?"

A loud, echoing clank resounded off the nearly empty alleyway as an opening in the wall appeared within a green glow.

"Can we hurry it up, this bastards as heavy as the sun!" Ripsaw grunted as he adjusted the black bag in his hooves. "I felt the bugger start to move as well, so we need to get the poor sod inside now before he wakes up!"

"You could at least try to respect tradition, Asshole." The pegasi grumbled as they made their way through the open crevice, hearing it dissolve behind them as they entered through the plain exterior of the building.

Though while the outside looked to be rotting and losing bricks with each passing week, it was like this purely to hide the fanciful and well kept inside from prying eyes and nosy royals. Entering into the spacious front room, the duo were met with quite the sight.

Both the rooms walls, floors, and carpeting were a mix of blue and black, but had green lights and candle-lit chandeliers posted around to compliment the dark backdrop. There were several banners on the walls that depicted an alicorn dark as night standing proud with a crescent moon behind her.

Looking to her left, Dragonfly couldn't help but smile as her eyes danced from bottle to bottle that lined the cabinets that were behind the bar.

"I've got to grab a bottle after my shift is done." Dragonfly muttered to herself while her partners eyes were drawn to the casino tables that lined the right side of the room, along with all manners of ponies, griffons, and changelings standing around them having the time of their lives.

"Buuuck the servers are on it today!" Ripsaw drooled as a rather attractive griffon waitress waltzed by and ran her tail across his nostrils, causing the stallion to sneeze and nearly drop the bag in his hooves.

"Watch the cargo!" Dragonfly hissed at him before continuing forward, forcing the stallion to play keep up as they made it to the edge of the room and approached two armoured changelings that stood in front of a black circle on the ground.

"Identify yourself, then state where your traveling to." The left changeling, one with red eyes and fins, ordered as Dragonfly whipped her hair back with a wing.

"Assailents Dragonfly and Ripsaw checking in, and we've got the poor sod that ran the daycare down on Marewell Avenue." The mare gulped nervously before continuing. "He's got a date with the Butcher." She answered as the changelings eyes widened before standing aside.

"O-Of course, right this way! That poor stallion..." The changeling replied, muttering quietly before his horn glowed green, activating the circle behind him and causing it to glow an eerie light. "Step into the circle and drag his sorry flank to his death."

Nodding hesitantly, Dragonfly and Ripsaw entered the circle with their cargo. After a brief flash of light, they found themselves in a dark hallway that had a blood red hue coming from the glowing rocks planted above numerous cell doors that lined the hall.

"W-Where is this?" Ripsaw stammered out as they slowly made their way through the hallway, glancing at each cell they passed and averting their gaze if they came across any bloody messes from the last victim brought down here.

"This is the Butchers domain...I've never been down here until now, wasn't trusted enough to do this job until I rose through the ranks." Dragonfly shook her head. "And you shouldn't even be involved in this yet, rookie...but we had no one else available for this job and it needed to be done today."

Tearing his eyes from a skeleton that really looked like a foal, the stallion couldn't help but feel tremors begin to wrack his body as the pegasus in front of him continued on talking.

"And the Butcher? They say he has no fur, only skin as dark as the coal that lights the fires he makes, and that he weilds a bloody cleaver with zero regards to who it's used on, no matter the species." Dragonfly continued with a hushed tone, as if telling a story by the campfire, causing Ripsaw to nearly drop the bag and run in terror.

"S-Stop it! Y-Your not funny ya know!"

But the mare wasn't done, and decided to put the final nail in the coffin.

"And lastly, they say that instead of dumping the bodies like most butchers do, he EATS their corpse! Cooks them and cleans them up like a griffon would to a fish!"

Dragonfly turned to her companion, expecting to see him run or scream in terror, but instead he was looking above her with eyes so wide that they looked like dinner plates.

It was then that Dragonfly realized that there was a shadow looming over her. Her legs failing her and her wings refusing to even move, all she could do was slowly turn her head back around and look up with a face that mirrored her partner exactly.

Standing as tall as any alicorn was a behemoth of a being. He wore a white chefs apron with a white shirt and black pants, though the white was barely distinguishable from both the red lighting and the stains on the apron. The thing had no hair, and had skin that seemed to be on par with the ash that lined a campfire, though he had crystal blue eyes that reflected against the light.

"Don't stop on my account. You haven't even began to talk about my origin story." The beast said, his voice as rough as a boulder as he let out a hearty laugh and turned around, walking into the next room. "Come on in, I can't wait to see what you brought for me today."

Gathering every ounce of courage in her, Dragonfly shakily began to follow the Butcher, noticing that while her partner did the same he hadn't taken his eyes off of the big thing yet.

Guy must be scared out of his mind...though I cant talk, this thing lives up to everything I've heard about him!

Entering the dwelling space of the Butcher, Dragonfly was able to make out several counters that ran the walls, coming short of a fireplace that what looked like a pot sitting over the fire by use of a stand. In the middle of the room stood the Butcher, who looked at her from behind a decently sized square table with multiple tools hanging off an overhead holder, though he held the infamous cleaver in his right.

"Drop him on the table for me, will ya?" The Butcher asked rather politely for a monster, causing the duo to relax a bit and do as he asked, the bag dropping on the clean table with an audible thump.

"Suprised this place looks so clean, considering what you do." Ripsaw managed to courage to comment as he took notice of every counter and crevice being nearly spotless, though the area around the fire place seemed to have a puddle of...something coming from the pot. Along the back wall was a couple of sinks, a fridge, and some sort of odd machine that had an opening to put stuff in.

"A man's place of work must always be well-kept, at least that's what my pops would tell me while would carve up the deer he caught." The Butcher responded, making the stallion flinch.

"Deer? You eat deer too?!" He asked in shock as the Butcher smiled a toothy grin.

"Of course. I eat anything and everything under the prey category. Deer, Buffalo, fish, bird and even..." The man (is that what he called himself earlier?) trailed off as he opened the bag, revealing a gagged stallion unicorn that looked up at him in absolute terror. "Ponies."

This comment caused the duo to take several steps back from the table, causing the Butcher to let out another laugh.

"Aw, don't let that scare ya away. I don't just go cooking up any of you adorable little horses." The Butcher responded as he motioned to the unicorn on the table with his free hand, who tried to cast a spell only to have his horn swiftly cut off by the cleaver and his face slammed into the table. "Nah ah ah...prey doesn't get to fight back." He sang softly as the Butcher returned his gaze to the duo, ignoring the muffled cries of the stallion. "I only cut up whatever you bring to me, after all. Any of you Nightmare ponies or whatever your group is called are off the dinner menu, per the bosses order."

At the mention of their boss, Dragonfly's eyes widened in realization as she turned to her partner.

"We need to go get our pay! If the boss nods off before we do well have to wait till tomorrow to be relieved of duty!" She exclaimed as Ripsaw shook his head rapidly.

"Oooooh no! I am NOT missing my paycheck after hauling that fat ass across the city." Ripsaw remarked as the two ponies galloped away, leaving a sobbing unicorn with the Butcher.

Looking down at the pony, he couldn't help but once again notice the gag in his mouth.

"Let's remove that, shall we?" He stated as he removed the gag with his free hand while keeping the cleaver on the neck of the stallion, who breathed deeply with a sob as he looked up at his persecutor. "Now, what's your name?"

The stallions eyes went wide as he shook his head, making the blue mane rattle back and forth on the table while the Butcher began to stroke the pony on his neck, taking in the yellow fur that was his coat.

"G-G-Gold D-D-Digger..." The stallion whimpered out, causing the Butcher to look at his flanks and notice the gold bag that was adorned there.

"In the money business, huh. Well, considering your here you must've cheated someone out of a deal." The Butcher stated as the stallion tried to get up again, only to howl in pain as the man responded with chopping off his right hindleg with one fell swing.

"Strike two, Goldie...mind if I call you that?" He asked the stallion, getting no reply as he continued to scream out in pain, kicking back forth before he began to squirm violently, falling off the table and beginning to crawl towards the exit in the vain hope of escaping.

Sighing to himself, the Butcher walked over to his prey and swung the cleaver once more, this time removing the head clean off the body. Picking up what was still attached and carefully placing it on the table in the center of the room, the Butcher grabbed the boning, breaking, and butcher knives from the hanging tools above him and placing them on the side.

"Alright, enough dillydallying. Time to see what you've been packing under that fur coat."

Grabbing the breaking knife, the Butcher began to slowly cut the fur coat away from the remaining leg as he started bobbing his head left and right.

"Some people say a man is made out of mud, A poor man's made out of muscle and blood." He began to sing as he switched to the Butcher knife and began to cut away at the joint of the hindleg. "Muscle and blood and skin and bones, and mind that's weak and a back thats strong."

"So, you've gotten started already?" A voice called out as a changeling walked into the room, making sure to step over the head on the ground. "Couldn't you have ended him a bit cleaner, Louis?"

Louis shook his head as he continued to work, beginning to move the fat from the leg. "This one was a fighter, tried to blast my head off before I cleaved his horn. Besides, what fun would it be if I didn't try to talk to em first?"

The changeling shook her head, causing her blue armour to shine in the eerie light as she casted a humored gaze at the man with purple eyes.

"I forget how much pleasure you get from doing this...then again, that's why your the best at it. Our last Butcher refused to even touch ponies." The changeling remarked as she motioned to the cells behind her in the hallway. "However, you show up right as we fire him and proceed to show us just how much better a job you could do."

Louis stopped working for a moment to point a knife at the changeling as he smirked.

"That's because if a man is good at anything, it's prepping and cooking meat. It's like its hardwired in our brains to master the art of a perfectly smoked, Cajun seasoned steak or burger with all the fixin's attached to it." His mouth seemed to water as he explained his craft, his eyes returning to his hands as he continued working on his latest masterpiece. "Besides, your boss gives the the essentials and a hefty allowance of this wacko lands currency to get rid of your...undesirables, so I get two birds for the price of one!"

The changeling tilted her head slightly as she took in what he said.

"Don't you feel any guilt doing this though? I mean, these are sentient creatures after all?" The changeling asked innocently, causing the man to give her a stare that made a shiver go from her neck to her nethers in all the right ways.

"Don't matter what or who you are, back on my world humans were the only sentient species." Twirling the bresking knife around he sunk it into the flesh of the stallions stomach and began to tug at it, causing a squelching sound to fill the room. "Meaning that anything was fair game...as long as it didn't speak and think for itself."

Of course, eating horses is frowned upon back home, along with any endangered animals...but they don't need to know that.

Turning his attention back up to the changeling in front of him, the man couldn't help but glance over the holes that adorned her body as he spoke.

"But here? Turns out everything I was used to cutting up could talk! And then I find out magic and shit exist too, I nearly went insane!" Louis sighed, looking to his cleaver as he recalled the sad state he was in two years ago. "I'm lucky that boss of yours gave me this job, I don't think I could do what I do for yall in the open around these damned ponies."

The changeling smiled widely and trotted over to the man, flying up and nuzzling his blood-stained cheek as she shot him a wink.

"Like the boss would let someone like you slip from his hooves. Besides, you help our business clean up loose ends, and make trades with griffons go by much smoother by selling them your culinary creations, keeping us from wasting bits on smaller deals and jobs." The changeling flew towards the exit before landing on the ground and turning to face the man one last time. "Just make sure to be careful when you go out during the day. Most ponies may believe that 'Trader from the South' gag you have running, but all it takes is one small slip up to have the royal sisters crack down on you."

Waving the changeling off, Louis returned to his work, barely even paying attention anymore.

"Yeah yeah, stay safe and don't get caught by the fuzz, got it." He answered as he waved again with a free hand, the other currently inspecting the horn that he had removed. "See ya, Delilah."

Delilah shivered again as she turned from the man and trotted down the hall, looking over her shoulder only to see her tail flagging high.

"That damned man...why does he work me up so easily?!?" She muttered as she stepped on the teleport circle and activated it with her horn, disappearing in a green flash of light.

Chapter 2: City charms

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 3: 24 Karat magic in the aaaaaiiir!

Why the hell does reporting in to this guy always give me the heebie jeebies?

Louis shuddered slighty as he stood outside the 2 big doors that blocked him from entering the boss's chambers. On the other side of those doors, each one adorned with some runic symbols that he couldn't even attempt to make out, was the big cheese of the Eternal Night.

The very same guy who had given Louis his job as the Butcher two years ago, effectively pulling the human off the streets and into the welcoming and unjudging fold he found himself in now.

"Heh, now that was a doozy of a time." Louis muttered quietly, as if speaking would somehow disturb the unicorn on the other side of the doors...though the Butcher was starting to wonder if he should knock.

As Louis took a step forward towards to act on his thoughts, the doors were coated in an orange glow as they slid outwards, allowing Louis access at last into the hideaway that housed the big boss himself.

"Alright...here goes nothing." Slowly walking into the room, the Butchers eyes wandered to several different posters and trophies that were scattered along the walls and the intricate color mix of blue, black, and white that danced along the floor in an unordothox way.

Coming to a stop in the middle of the room, Louis let his eyes wander to the unicorn who awaited him behind the Birchwood desk that stood tall, itself adorned with the symbol of that medallion the boss always wore.

"So you've arrived at last, Butcher." Said boss stated as his pale blue eyes wandered over Louis, who felt that shivering feeling return once more. "Good, there is a matter of great importance that must not leave this room."

Putting his hands in his pockets, the Butcher furrowed his brow at the unicorn in front of him, not liking the way the boss had worded that at all.

"If it's one of those espionage missions, why ask for me when Delilah or one of the other bug horses could handle those easily?" Louis questioned the boss, earning a icy glare from the alabaster pony in return.

"Because, unlike you and perhaps that Delilah changeling, none of them have the stomach for what I'm about to ask of you." The boss informed me as he lifted a hoof to the medallion on his neck.

"This is the EEA Medallion, Butcher." He began as he channeled some magic into the artifact, teleporting to my side instantly. "It houses its own reservoir of magic, and allows me instantaneous travel across all of Equestria, though I am quite sure it can be altered to do more with the right materials applied."

Teleporting again to one of the cabinets on the wall side, the stallion opened it and pulled out a folder while extracting its contents.

"Up until this point, any gemstones you've obtained have been sent through the Magicka department to be tested and put to use." He told Louis as he returned to his seat behind the desk. "Your new objective, however, is to find the gemstones listed in those documents and bring them to me...using any means necessary to ensure their safe and unaltered arrival."

Looking through each paper, and spotting images of yellow, red, and green gems Louis couldn't help but raise an eyebrow to the fanciful unicorn in front of him.

"And what's in it for me if I do this? Surely this mission of yours calls for a more...plentiful reward than what I've been given up until now for doing your poeples job for them?"

The boss smiled then and rested his face on his hooves, leaning towards the Butcher as he answered.

"I've been well aware of the variety of species you've been cutting up as our residential butcher, Louis. And I also know that each time your given a new species to work on its as if somepony gave you a million-bit gift." The stallion chuckled lightly as he leaned back in his chair. "But I must ask you of something...have you ever worked on an alicorn before?"

Louis nearly dropped the papers in his hands as he registered what the boss was hinting at.

"An alicorn? But aren't they supposed to be like gods here? How would you manage to get one to me so willingly without us being blown to hell and back?" The Butcher asked rapidly as the boss smile grew wider at his subordinates apparent excitement.

"After subverting a few letters to the princesses of Canterlot, it has came to the Parliaments attention that Princess Cadence is pregnant, and thanks to a couple of scrying spells of the...darker nature we have a solid belief that the child will be born with both horn and wings at the time of its birth." The boss's smile vanished almost as quickly as one could blink. "And for the Eternal Night to return, the less alicorns around the mess with us the better."

Louis stroked his chin with his free hand, holding the papers in his left as he tried and failed to keep his excitement hidden.

"So, I help you with this, and not only do I get to rid this world of one of those damned parasites that are walking around, but it'll be a alicorn too?" Dropping his hand and flashing a wicked grin towards the boss, Louis let out a guttural laugh. "I'll do it! Those gems are as good as yours."

The stallion in the chair nodded in approval at this as the doors behind the Butcher opened once more.

"Then meet up with Delilah, due to her knowledge in enchantments she will be your partner for the timespan of this job." Turning to leave, Louis nearly made it out before the Stallion called out his name once more.

"Yeah, what's up?" The Butcher asked as the unicorn stood up and pointed at the man.

"I don't think I need to tell you how crucial it is that those gems are found and obtained, but make it in your best interest that you do NOT disclose this to anyone outside of the changeling, lest you wish to become like one of your pieces of work by the end of the day."

Watching the unicorn for a minute, the Butcher proceeded to nod slowly as he resumed his way out, leaving the unicorn in his chambers alone once more.

"Let us hope that ape and his partner are successful...the parliament has enough troubles with the current alicorns as it is, we do not need anymore adding to the list of obstacles in our path to sovereignty." He turned around in his chair, looking over a recent bill that was in line to be passed soon as he frowned slightly.

"Now, if we could just get our hooves on the education system..."

{At the Enchanting corridor}

"So, your telling me that if we pull this off, not only do we get the usual gold, but you get an alicorn to shipped to your table?!?"

Needless to say, Delilah took to the information with an unparalleled glee, one that Louis couldn't recall ever seeing her have in a hot minute.

Other than when they first had sex, but that doesnt count.

"Once that brats mine, I'm being allowed free reign with the kid too." Louis told the changeling as he almost lost himself in the overflowing thoughts that swam through his mind. "Ya know, I might keep the kid alive, just take bits off of her at a time and allow myself to thoroughly enjoy the experience."

Delilah flew up and booped the man, snapping him from his thoughts as she levitated up the papers to his face.

"Daydream later, Stud. We have a bounty to collect." She looked through the papers more before passing Louis one and holding the other two near her with her magic. "The red bloodstone and green Malachite gemstones are both housed in manors in the uppity side of Manehatten, so I'll take those jobs." Looking at the page in my hands Delilah pointed a hoof at me. "The yellow Topaz will be found in an amulet somewhere at the local elementary school, since it says on the paper one of the teachers there has it on their person. Your job is to find that pony, 'convince' them to relinquish the goods, and make sure no one that tries to stop you is left alive."

Rolling up the paper and sticking it in his pocket, Louis did a half-assed salute to Delilah, earning a stuck out tongue in the process from his changeling partner.

"Easy enough for me, but are you sure you'll be fine going for two targets?" The Butcher couldn't help but ask the changeling as she brushed his concerns off with with a smile.

"I'll be fine, being sneaky is a 'lings second nature." Putting the papers down on a table and trotting over to a spot on the floor that looked similar to the teleport circles but green, Delilah turned back to the man and winked.

"Come over here. If your gonna be doing this sort of work you need a weapon that can actually help you in a fight, not just when you suprise someone like that griffon." She said as Louis went over and pulled out his cleaver.

"What's wrong with this?" He asked the mare, getting a sigh from Delilah as she took the cleaver in her magic and placed it in the middle of the circle.

"Nothing, if your using it on dead meat. But for more experienced fights you'll need some help, especially since you have no magic of your own." Deliah answered before levititating over the gems Louis had given her before over and placing each one around the cleaver. "Now, since you brought me a couple of these bad boys, I can actually put something worthwhile on this knife...any ideas?"

"Wait, so there's no specific spell you have to add to an enchantment? You just add what you want?" Louis asked the mare as Delilah pursed her lips in thought.

"It's...a bit more complicated than that. Needless to say, you shouldn't ask to shoot fireballs from it or anything. Think more along passive magics and your good." She answered the man as he scratched his head in thought.

Passives? Shit, like I know anything about magic...wait, what about this!

"Is there something for making it return to my hand? I'd rather not have to collect it after each time I chunk it at something." Louis stated, getting a nod from changeling before she pierced his right hand with her horn slightly, causing the Butcher to yell out slightly.

"Shit, what the hell, Delilah!" Louis exclaimed, though he got no answer as the mare lowered her blood soaked horn to each of the gems, drawing a crimson line to each one before drawing a secondary line from the cleaver outwards to the gems.

"For that sort of enchantment, it needs to recognize which hand to return to and who's hand it is, so a blood sample was needed." Delilah explained as she charged her horn and released the spell within it, causing both my hand and the cleaver to glow for a while before dimming out, leaving the cleaver with crimson markings on it and Louis' right hand with the veins turned black.

"Whoa...did it finish?" The man asked aloud as his partner giggled at his reaction.

"Go ahead and flex your hand."

Louis obliged, flexing his fingers outwards before slowly clenching them, nearly jumping in shock as his Cleaver popped into his hand within a split-second.

"This is absolutely incredible, Delilah!" Louis yelled out as he turned to the changeling and pulled her into a passionate kiss, his heart accelerating as she pushed back with the same intensity.

After what felt like hours, Louis pulled away, chuckling at Delilahs drunken expression.

"Forgot your kind feeds on love and all that, whoops!" He laughed as the mare tried to coherently respond before slumping over on the ground, completely out for the count. "Oh well, bout time I returned to the kitchen anyway, there's bound to be a delivery waiting for me."

After making sure Delilah was placed in a comfortable sleeping position on the table nearby, Louis made his way back to his little basement hideaway, throwing his cleaver around in the air and practicing summoning it back to his hand on the way.

He only almost caused an accident with passerby Night members four times while doing so.

Nodding to the changelings who guarded his teleport circle, Louis flashed into his hallway and was about to step off the circle when a sharp cry could be heard from up ahead.

"MOOOOOMMYYYYY!!!"

Immediately the sugar rush of good feels Louis was under for the past hour or so was gone. With his mood worsened, the Butcher began to twirl his cleaver in his hands as he stomped towards his kitchen, his annoyance assured as he saw none other than a small body trying to fight its way out of the burlap sack it was in.

Walking up to the bag, Louis snatched the note attached to its top and looked it over with a groan.

A stallion living a few blocks away busted one of our own during a gem heist, so to send a message we need you to bust up his kid. Do whatever you want, just make sure she stays alive.

We'll be back to pick her up at the end of the week
~Love, Gloryhog

Crumpling up the letter and throwing it aside, Louis undid the sack and dropped the foal on the table.

"Owwww, where am I?" The earth filly spat out as she turned her head up and saw the Butcher staring back, causing her ears to pin down as she tried to scoot away, only to be stopped as an open hand came to rest on her blue fur.

"What's your name, little one?" Louis whispered as he pushed the foal on her stomach, keeping his hand on her neck as he out the cleaver down and reached for a cupboard underneath the table, pulling out a roll of duct tape.

"S-Spr-Spring Forward...please help me get home...I want my mama." The filly whimpered, tears leaving her eyes as the Butcher taped her front and back legs down to the table repeatedly, assuring there'd be no escape.

"Spring, huh. How do you spell that?" He asked the filly, a smile starting to draw on his face as Spring Forward saw him grab the cleaver and tap it against her flank twice.

"It starts with an SSSS-AAAAAAAAH!" The girl started before screaming out in pain as Louis slowly carved an S through her back, starting at the flank so he could have more space to write.

"Alright, what next." He said, egging the bawling filly on as he sighed. "Spell the first word in your name and I'll let ya go, deal?"

Mid tears, the filly barely managed to croak out a soft "P" before continuing to scream at the top of her lungs from the letter being etched into her body.

"Keep going, your doing so good little one!" The Butcher exclaimed joyfully as the filly began to breath more erraticly, coughing out the letter "R" as she braced for the pain to come, only for no new aches to begin.

Looking around frantically, her hazel eyes fell on the man as he grabbed an bottle that said had the word vinegar from the fridge and brought it over with him.

Holding the bottle over the filly, Louis turned it over and poured it over the fillys back, causing her to scream out again as he swiftly put the letter R on her back.

"I think you've done enough dear, now let me handle the rest." The Butcher stated curtly as he began working on the I, this time cutting deeper into the filly and smiling at the beautiful wails that echoed off the walls of the kitchen.

The sounds of prey screaming out to the heavens, begging for a mercy that'll never come. The Butcher thought, stopping his cutting for a second as flashes of a masked man standing over a woman with a knife doing the same thing he's doing now flashed through his mind, causing Louis to take a deep breath and move on to the N.

After all, the very woman who brought me into this world was carved up like a turkey on Thanksgiving, why shouldn't everyone else be able to suffer the same?

Shaking those thoughts from his head, the Butcher finished the N and leaned in close to the crying filly, who was repeatedly whispering "Momma" and "Daddy" in between labored breaths.

"Now now, Spring. Crying like that is no way to behave. We wouldn't want your parents to be next, now would we? After all, it's THEIR fault your here now."

The filly flinched at his words as he prepared to cut the G into the neck of the girl, his smile now tooth to tooth wide as he began to bring the cleaver down on her fur.

"And when I chain your small flank to the wall of one of my special bedrooms and let the roaches nibble on ya, be sure to remember that it was your daddy's meddling that made me want to hurt you."

Cutting the G into the foal, Louis reveled in watching her try to flail against the tape holding her down as she screamed and screamed bloody murder until she passed right out.

Leaning forward and confirming that she was still alive, Louis undid the tape on her legs and swaddled her up in one of the dirty shirts he had lying around.

Carrying the child to one of the cells outside, Louis opened a cell door and threw the kid against the wall before closing it and locking it with the keys that were hanging on the side next to it.

"Now be sure to enjoy your stay, you little shit." The Butcher growled as he took the keys with him into the kitchen, throwing them on the counter near the fridge as he looked at the mess left on the table.

"Damn, why do kids always leave such a mess in their wake?"

Author's Note

Alright, pumped this baby out...and to be honest I got the idea for the "Spelling" segment from the It movie, when the bullies try to carve the nickname of the fat kid into his stomach.

And what's this? Neighsay trying to help overthrow the royal sisters via parliament and in the dark kidnappings? SCANDELOUS!

Feel free to comment about whatever this chapter made ya feel or how you thought about it below, or any spelling grievances as well.

See yall next time!

Chapter 4: School house rock

Opening his eyes, Louis let out a groan as he saw something bobbing up and down under the bedsheets.

Damn, forgot Delilahs an early bird. Never understood how the woman gets so worked up in the mornings. He thought as the bobbing lump kept its pendulum like pace.

Questioning, but not complaining about the stress relief he was getting at the moment, the Butcher leaned over and grabbed his cleaver off of the desk next to Delilahs bed, tracing his hands across the markings that were now etched into the knife.

I wonder if I'll get any new animals today...if not, that spring brat is locked up in the basement still, and it would be wrong of me to not pay her a visit.

Tensing up as the changeling reached the climax of her efforts, Louis pulled the covers off and looked Delilah over in her post-blow glory.

"Did ya get your fill, partner?" The man asked, getting a slurp from the changeling as she drained what was left from him, making the Butcher hiss out a pleasured cry in response to sudden action.

"Of course I did!" Delilah answered, releasing Louis from her maw with a loud pop. "Gotta make sure I'm all filled before heading out to the rich district, gonna need that love buzz to deal with those snobs."

Letting the changeling roll off of him, Louis got up and entered Delilahs bathroom through a blue door a couple feet from the bed.

Entering the rather plain bathroom, which only had two sinks, a toilet behind a door, and a shower that was beside a closet, Louis grabbed a towel off of the side of the counter and wiped himself clean with it, throwing it in a basket that was nearby.

"Damn, she got nippy last night too?" The man grumbled as he leaned into the mirror that stood over the sinks, looking over the bite marks that trailed all the way across his exposed body, literally from neck to toe. "She better not have pumped any of that changeling magic shit in me."

Shaking his head, the man relieved himself in the latrine before heading back into the bedroom, finding no trace of his companion but instead finding his regular clothes alongside a scrawled out note.

Donning a pair of blue jeans and a black shirt, Louis looked over the note as he made his way out of the bedroom and down the hall, making sure to grab his cleaver on the way out.

Hey, Stud!

Sorry to dine and dash, but its a bit later than I had thought (I was supposed to be gone an hour ago, whoops!) so I had to dip out before saying goodbye. Report to the boss whenever your ready to head out and he'll give you the grant needed to get the inside job at the school.

Remember, complete this, and we're one step closer to reviving our moon goddess in her full glory!

~No Pressure, Your lovebug.

Crumbling up the note and throwing it behind him as he made his way to the main room of the hideout, the Butcher couldn't help but chuckle at the antics of his friend.

"I swear, she's gonna be the death of me one day." Louis whispered as he walked past the changeling guards and teleported to the basement, making his way over to the cell holding the filly inside with a smile.

"Rise and shine, Spring!" Louis sang out joyfully as he clanked his cleaver against the bars of the cell, causing the lump of fur in the corner to begin to shake as a tear stricken face turned towards him. "Aw, there's a good pony."

Taking the keys off of their handle, Louis unlocked the door and walked over the the filly, looking down on the stained shirt he had wrapped her in the night prior before heading to Delilahs quarters.

"Damn, how are the roaches supposed to eat if your all bundled up like that, huh?" He asked her as he squatted down to the filly, his face inches from hers as the Butchers smile grew wider.

"T-T-They C-Caaaaaaa-" The filly started to say, but began to bawl as she curled up and rocked back and forth inside the shirt.

Sighing, the man stood up and walked into his kitchen, grabbing his boots and a pair of socks and putting them on before returning back to the filly, who had only gotten louder with her crying.

Delivering a swift kick to the foals ribs with his steel toes, the man exited the cage and locked it up, shaking his head at the miserable mess of an animal in front of him.

"And I've got to go to a school full of these fucking pests? This had better be worth it, or I swear..."

Letting the threat drop unfinished, Louis turned from the cage and walked down the hall towards the exit.

Oh well...could be worse I guess. Besides, its not like anyone at that schools gonna stop me from doing the job anyway.

{At Manehatten Intermediate School, about two hours later.}

"Heeeey! Long time no see, Babs!" A lime green pegasus colt exclaimed happily as he closed his locker turning to his neighbor as she flashed him a smile.

"Tell me about it. Why'd you leave town for the summer again, Fall Back?"

Chuckling nervously, the colt looked around before returning his lavender eyes to the earth filly in front of him.

"My mom finally married that unicorn I told you about, the one she had been dating for most of my foalhood?" At Babs nod he continued. "Well, he proposed, and they celebrated the following yes by heading to canterlot...with me and my sister in tow."

Moving a tuft of licorice colored hair out of her face, the filly could barely keep from squeeing in joy as they began to walk down the hallway, passing by several bulkier colts as they engaged in a shoving match with the chess teams magic shield bubbles.

"Get out from behind there and fight like a real stallion, Einstein!" The lead one barked as the tallest of the chess crew smirked.

"Only if you back off, lest I be forced to E=MC square you away right here, right now." The nerd popped off as the two kids picked up their pace to get away from the two groups.

"Yeesh, they both need a chill pill." Fall Back snorted out, causing Babs seed to nearly face-plant from laughing.

"I've never seen such idiots...except for one time when I visited my cousin." Babs stated as she shuddered slightly, remembering that day she had first visited Applebloom and her friends.

Dark times.

Shaking off those memories, Babs calmed herself down and returned her gaze to her friend, who was currently trying to give his mane a pompadour look with his wings.

"Say, how's Spring been doing anyhow? I haven't seen her today."

Suprisingly, the happy expression and the chill vibe he had vanished immediately, the lime green colt stopping in his tracks as a flash of worry graced his face.

"What's wrong?" Babs asked her friend, now beginning to worry herself. Fall Back almost never looked worried, let alone THIS out out of shape.

"It's about Spring...She's missing."

"MISSING?!?" Babs exclaimed in shock before getting a hoof in her muzzle.

"Shhh! It's not something to be screaming about, dang it!" Fall Back snapped before removing his hoof from her face and looking at the floor. "It's so weird, she was at home the entire day. About halfway through the afternoon she decided to go out into the apartment hallway and get the mail from outside, but then she never came back in."

"But ponies dont just disappear, Fall! Somepony had to have seen or heard something!" Babs Seed argued, getting a head shake from her friend as he blinked back tears.

"Every tenant and nearby ponies on the street say no fillies of that description were seen leaving the complex, and no one even saw her exit the apartment. It's like she was snatched away by the shadows themselves." Sighing to himself, the colt returned his gaze to Babs. "I'm scared, Babs. What if whatever got my sister has been hurting her? She's not even six years old, what if she doesn't come back?!?"

Reaching forward, Babs Seed bonked the colt on his head, snapping him out of his panicking state and returning his attention to her.

"Cut that out! Worrying yourself to an early grave ain't gonna help anypony!" Babs Seed told Fall Back as her ears pinned against her head. "I'm sorry to hear about your sister...maybe after school we can round up some other ponies and begin a search party!"

Smiling slightly, Fall Back sniffled and nodded his head as the two foals continued their way through the hallway.

"Um...not to sound silly or anything, but where are we going again? I maaaay have forgotten, heh heh." Fall Back laughed hesititanly, earning a face-hoof from Babs.

"To the gym for the student meeting, silly. The principal hired on some new staff for the year and wants to familiarize us with them." Babs explained before cringing. "That, and he probably found another pair of ponies in the bathroom making out again and wants to gripe about it for an hour."

That sparked a chuckle from the two as they turned a corner and entered through two large red doors, allowing them entry into one of the biggest rooms on campus.

The gymnasium had always been a place of refuge for Babs. Thanks to her earth blood, she was one of the best runners in the school and even had a couple of medals on display at home for it. While she was unable to sit still in classrooms (Causing her to not only fidget a bunch but to gain the ire of her classmates for doing so...earning her a dose of bullying for it), she was a free pony at Physical Ed.

For Fall Back, it was a similar story...for different reasons. While he was good at running and constant flying drills let his stamina shoot through the roof, most of the time he preferred to sit back and watch the track team pass by as they did their laps.

Also, it didn't hurt that Babs was one of those said runners. What could the pegasus do? Earth ponies got it going ON!

"Cmon! Let's go find a seat!" Babs said, pulling Fall Back out of his daydreaming as she guided him through the sea of colts and fillies with her hoof wrapped around his right wing.

Coming to a stop near the middle area of one of the bleachers, Babs Seed and a slightly blushing Fall Back took their seats and turned their attention to old unicorn who had made his way to the middle of the gymnasium.

With a small spark and a soft yellow glow around his throat, the silver-furred stallion began to speak.

"Fillies and Gentle colts, it is my honor to welcome all of you back to another great year at Manehatten Intermediate School!" The stallion proclaimed joyfully as the spell around his throat made his voice echo around the gym. "I hope each and every one of you enjoyed your summer breaks to their fullest!"

Adjusting the tie on his green suit, the principal continued his speech while several of the older students got comfortable, knowing how their principal got during these events.

"Now, over the past few years there has been a spike in the amount of students to enroll at our school, which is great news! And to help each and every one of you get the most of your time here, I was required to hire on some new teachers and staff to make sure your learning experience stays at its peak."

Turning to the doors on the other side of the gym, the principal nodded his head as the doors swung open, letting several different kinds of ponies through.

A couple of them looked like your everyday teachers, a few earth pony stallions with slicked back hair and some pegasi and unicorn mares with eighties hairstyles...but there were also other kinds of folk too.

There was two griffons who had matching feathers and beaks, their only difference in their height where the first griffon was at least three feet taller than the other. There was an odd monkey like creature dressed in blue pants and a black shirt that Babs felt looked familiar, though she couldn't place why. And at the end of the line there was a zebra who had a blue apron on that said Stripes are the Slice of Life! on it.

With the line of staff coming to a stop behind the principal, the old unicorn turned to them and motioned to the griffons.

"First is Tweedle and Dee, two very gifted athletes from griffonia that have recently retired from hoofball. They decided to take up teaching and want to help each one of you reach your peak physically and mentally!"

Fall Back leaned over to Babs with a chuckle. "Yeah, so we're ripe for dinner."

Babs shoved him slightly, rolling her eyes at his humor.

"Buzz off, Fall. Ah don't need that silly thinking in my head right now." She snapped back, though it was hard for Babs to hide her smile.

The principal continued to drone on and on, listing off a multitude of names like Sodapop (A chemistry teacher), Louis (Newest Custodian...good luck with that job), Baul Plart (Student Resource Officer...even if he looked a little chubby on that moped thing he rode on), and so on.

However, while she was looking from staff member to staff member, Babs couldnt help but notice how angry the custodian seemed to look. It was as if he didn't even want to be there, and was only in it for the money.

Those type of adults were the worst to deal with. They ended up being the kind who snitched the most to the discipline office.

"Yo did you see that one English teacher? he had an afro, Babs! An AFRO!"

Turning to her friend once more, Babs smirked at Fall Backs silly expression and couldn't help but find her mind moving past the weirdness she felt when looking at the monkey-like thing below.

At least Fall Back looks happier now...I wonder where his sister even is? She thought as she turned her gaze back to the staff again, her eyes immediately latching onto the odd one out of the group once more.

And that guy...why does he give me the heebie jeebies?

Author's Note

Finals Week! And right after Thanksgiving too!

Hopefully, I can manage to write some more during the time I have between classes...if not, I'll just make it up over winter break.

Feel free to comment whatever you wish, as I enjoy reading what you guys think!

(Also, this chapter was more laid back since I wanted to ease into the next setting of the story. The drama and Butchery things will make a return shortly, I swear.)

Chapter 5: Fall Back

Author's Note

So, I made an blog post stating I was gonna focus on Dogs of War instead of this...

I lied, sorry!

Ideas for this story are coming much quicker, and since this one is gonna be quite shorter than Dogs of War, I figured I'd go ahead and post this up.

Hope ya enjoy it! feel free to comment any errors or just whatever floats your goat, seeing yall's comments really does make this more interesting on my part.

Chapter 5: Fall Back

"That was quite the spectacle, wasn't it?" An overly hippy pony said with a chuckle as the group of new staff members began to settle into the teacher's lounge.

Choosing to lean against a wall rather than sit down in a chair, Louis turned his gaze to the afro-wearing pony and shook his head, put off by the stallion and his happy-go-lucky attitude towards the pep rally.

"Sure, if you enjoy a thousand eyes staring at you. Why couldn't we have just been hired and that be the end of it?" The Butcher grumbled, getting a laugh from one of the two griffons on the other side of the room.

"For beings like you and I, having ponies see us ahead of time keeps the complaints and fear reports down to a minimum." Tweedle, if Louis' memory served correctly from the auditorium, answered as he poured himself a mug of coffee. "Ponies are extra skittish around us predators, and it takes a lot to even begin to gain their trust."

"Well said, brother! It took us almost two years to get through the EEA school board, they almost shut us down just because we weren't ponies!" Dee chirped, rummaging through a chip bag with the title Ponitos on its front.

Baul Plart, the resource officer that was currently seated on a levitating rock, pointed a hoof at the Butcher as he eyed the odd figure from head to whatever those shoes of his were hiding.

"How'd you like the recruitment process, bud? Have any similar issues on your end?" He asked the big guy, not sure how he liked the way the custodian was looking at him...almost as if he was gonna be his next meal.

Shrugging, Louis got off the wall and made his way towards the exit, stopping with his hand on the doorknob as he turned to the wacky collection of teachers.

"No, but that's thanks to some high reaching friends of mine...now if you'll excuse me i've got to go, custodian stuff to do." He said with a smirk as he walked out of the room, closing the door with a loud thud, not noticing the odd looks from the griffons on his exit.

"Well, that could've been worse." Louis admitted to himself as he began to walk the empty halls of the school, class was in session after all. "Those griffon brothers though...they seemed tender enough, I wonder how chewy a leg or arm would be off of one of them." The Butcher whispered as he turned a hallway, his mouth salivating slightly at the thought. "Too bad those ponies seemed a bit frail compared to the ones I've been given before, still haven't managed to make a nice gumbo from anything I've been given lately."

Turning into a staff bathroom, Louis made his way over to a urinal and began to relieve himself just as a slight buzzing sound began to fill the nearly silent room. groaning to himself, a smile couldnt help but fall on his face as he spoke up.

"Really? Becoming a peeping Tom now, huh?" Louis asked aloud, concluding his business and turning to Delilah, who was watching him with those glowing purple eyes of hers, that seemed to be almost on level with his own.

Did...she get taller? Louis thought with a raised eyebrow before shaking his head. No, I'm just tired thats all...thanks to this little bug of course.

Turning away from the smiling ling and approaching the sink, Louis began to wash his hands, keeping his eyes on her through the mirror.

"So, how'd the heist go?" The Butcher asked first, prompting a snort from the changeling as she pulled out one of the gemstones they needed, it shining an eerie green in the light of the bathroom.

"The poor fool thought I was just a maid, so he let me clean his chambers, and the next thing he knows he's conked out and one gem short of a hoard!" Delilah exclaimed before cackling loudly, prompting Louis to put a hand over her muzzle.

"Shhh! Someone will hear you!" He exclaimed in a harsh whisper, causing the changeling in his grasp to roll her eyes and pull herself away.

"Relax, who's gonna be out right now anyway? Class is in session for at least another thirty minutes!" Delilah whispered back, barely trying to hide back her happiness at her success as she gave Louis a half-lidded stare. "Now, how about you give me a quick pick-me-up before I go?"

{In the hallway outside the bathroom}

"It's just like Babs said, someone was bound to have seen her, and will say something when they see the posters!"

Fall Back, jumping back from the small ladder he got his hooves on, looked at the poster of his little sister with a bittersweet smile.

"Don't worry sis, I won't rest until I found out who-" Getting interrupted by a loud, maniacal laugh coming from somewhere nearby, Fall Back nearly hit the roof as his wings propelled him upwards.

"What was that laugh?" The pegasus whispered to himself as he noticed the staff bathroom door was open...when it was rarely unlocked in the first place.

Hovering over to the door, Fall Back could make out a voice echoing off of the walls of the bathroom.

"-one will hear you!" A male voice spoke up, its deep tone made Fall Back shiver slightly at its vibrato.

"Relax, who's gonna be out right now anyway? Class is in session for at least another thirty minutes!" A female voice replied to the male one, sounding eerily skittish and sounding like a crackling fireplace. Some other stuff was said, but Fall Back was currently suffering from mental whiplash in his head.

Ewww, Don't tell me I'm listening to some teachers making out in the bathroom...gross!!! Fall Back thought with a grimace, just about to turn and leave before his ears perked up at what was said next.

"We both know you're eager to return to the base anyway, Butcher." The female voice purred before letting out what sounded like a mewl at the same time a grunt from the male sounded off.

"And why is that?" The male voice growled as a loud thud could be heard, as if someone was slammed into the wall of the bathroom suddenly and with great force, causing Fall Back to float back a couple of feet.

"I've~Oh, just like that~heard from some of the changeling guards that you've been~mmm, Right there~having fun with your new guest." The female voice cooed in between gasps, making Fall Back put his ear almost inside the bathroom to listen in on what they were talking about, meanwhile having to shift in place a bit due to...discomfort.

"Guest? You mean that little brat that was brought to me?" The male voice replied as another thud sound was heard, along with a just as loud moan from the female.

"What was her name again? ~Oh Faust I'm getting close~" The mare asked before her voice dropped to a whisper, the last part unrecognizable by the eavesdropping colt, who was contemplating whether or not to scram before he heard more of their debauchery in action.

"Spring something...Sweet Jesus your tight today, huh?" The male voice growled before continuing. "I carved her first name on her back yesterday and was considering doing the last name on her stomach, but it's got more letters so it might need to be abbreviated." The male said with a huff. "Geez, how much more can you take Delilah?"

But the colt hadn't heard that last bit, for his whole world had begun to spin as he slowly hovered away from the bathroom.

"Spring? But that has to mean...They took my sister! The ponies behind my sisters' disappearance are BUCKING in the teacher's bathroom!" Fall Back whispered harshly as he quickly descended to the ground, accidentally knocking over the ladder he had set up and sending it into a locker nearby, causing a loud crash to echo through the hall and making the lovemaking in the bathroom stop cold.

There's no way they didn't hear that...

Eyes wide, the pegasus got to his hooves quickly as he looked for a place to hide from the couple in the bathroom. He was just about to bolt when he saw one of the lockers nearby open ever so slightly.

Thank goodness the lockers here are huge. The colt thought to himself as he quickly climbed into the locker and closed it behind him, just in time to hear someone exit the bathroom, whoever it was hoofsteps echoing in the quiet hall.

"I told you someone might hear, look at the little ladder over there." The male voice spoke up as a scoff could be heard from his partner...didn't he call her Delilah earlier?

"As if that's my fault, how was I supposed to know someone would be out and about?" The "Delilah" mare asked as Fall Back heard what sounded like buzzing. "But if we were heard then someone knows about-"

"Shhhhh...I think they might still be here." The male stated firmly as the hoofsteps got louder as the guy moved past Fall Backs' hiding spot ad he heard some sort of crackling sound and a flash of light illuminating the dark locker.

"You came here with information about my target, right?" The male asked his partner, to which Fall Back could only assume she nodded since no audible response came afterward from her. "Then go get the gem for me, I'll look for our peeping tom."

Another flash of light went off as the sound of hooves hitting the ground and retreating followed, along with the return of the heavy hoofsteps, each one sounding like heavy boots slamming to the ground.

"C'mon out, little fella. I only want to ask you a couple of questions about..." The voice trailed off as the hoofsteps went over to the other side of the hall. "So, I'm going to assume you're related to Spring, aren't ya? There wasn't a ladder or this poster when I went in the bathroom, so I have to assume you came by to put it up after I went in."

More hoofsteps followed as the kidnapper got closer to Fall Backs' hiding spot, continuing his speech while something screeched against the lockers, each clang and step causing Fall Backs' heart level to spike.

"You must really miss her, huh? Well don't worry, I can bring you straight TO HER!"

The locker swung open as a fleshy appendage reached in and grabbed the colt, throwing him across the hall and into the other lockers with a bang.

Letting out a cry of pain, Fall Back slumped to the ground as he looked at his attacker, only for his eyes to widen as he recognized the thing as the custodian that had been shown off at the pep rally, his shock turning to fear as the giant male loomed over him with a wicked grin.

"Why so surprised? Thought I was a pony or something, you little shit?" Louis asked as he hoisted the colt up by his wings, gripping them with one of those fleshy talons and a scarily large knife in the other. "Now what am I gonna-"

"Hey! What are you doing?!?"

Dropping the colt, Louis turned towards the new voices, only to sigh as the two griffons from the lounge came towards him.

"What's it look like, I'm disciplining a child." Louis barked sarcastically as Tweedle shook his head, a snarl coming from his beak as he stared down at the man in front of him.

"I've seen your type before, back in Griffonia. You waltz into pony cities and get good with the locals, then snatch up the innocent and weak and cook them for supper. You give predators like us who are trying to live a normal life a bad name." Tweedle spat as Dee nodded, cracking his neck as he did so.

"Many of our kind share that hungry look in your eyes and we saw it before back in the lounge when you were eyeing that pony up...you're a dangerous fella, too dangerous to be around kids like him." Dee said as he unfurled his talons and squawked at the colt. "Get out of here, colt! We'll handle things from here."

But Fall Back couldn't move, not that he didn't want to, but he found himself glued to the spot as he watches one of the athletic directors charge at the custodian.

Louis sidestepped the charge and sweep his cleaver low, catching the griffon's ankle and removing the paw from his body, dropping the bird to the ground as he howled in pain.

Getting back to a standing position, Louis was met with a haymaker from the standing griffon, who grabbed the man by his shoulder and sliced his paw through his chest, shredding the shirt the man was wearing and leaving several claw marks on his barren flesh.

Pinning the arm holding the cleaver to the lockers, Dee delivered a punch to the ribcage of the man as he held the attacker in place.

"Your gonna pay for what you did to my brother, freak. And then I'm going to make sure your gonna rot in a prison cell until your execution day."

Looking up at the griffon, Louis let out a wheezing laugh, getting a raised brow from Dee as the man shook his head.

"The only one rotting today will be you, chicken boy."

The griffon could only squawk in surprise as a flash went off in both of the man's hands. Swinging his free hand up, now with the cleaver in its grasp, Louis' smile got bigger as he heard the sweet sound of steel splitting flesh wide open as Dee's left arm was promptly amputated.

"Those screams are music to my ears." The Butcher muttered with joy, licking the blood off of the cleaver as the griffon released the man, falling over in wailing agony as he craddled his now armless side.

Fall Back was left both stunned and terrified. He had never seen someone so carelessly hurt others in his life, and to the point of cutting off legs?!? The pegasus couldn't help but throw up a bit as he watched the man walk over to Tweedle, who was slowly trying to stand, and grab the bird by his wings while raising his cleaver high.

Looking straight into the small pupils of the griffon, Fall Back could only watch, frozen in terror as the bird mouthed one word to him before the cleaver came down on his neck.

RUN

Suddenly, as if all his prey instincts had kicked in right that minute, Fall Back kicked to his hooves and began galloping away at full speed, his pace quickening as he heard those heavy footsteps close behind him.

"Damn it, you little shit! Slow down!" Louis hissed, holding his chest with his open hand as he chased after the pegasus, jumping over the dead griffon and barely managing not to stumble on the land.

{A couple of hallways away}

Why is it that every time Mrs. Honeypot begins a lesson she has to go on and on about her life on the farm? Babs Seed grumbled mentally as she walked over to a water fountain and began to drink from it. Can't she just teach the maths like any other pony?

Just as Babs was about to go for a second serving of water, her ears began to pick up what sounded like yelling from a couple of halls down. A scream that sounded eerily familiar to Babs Seed.

"Is that...no, it can't be?" Babs questioned as she peaked her head around the corner of the hallway, only to pull back just as a cleaver went flying past where her head just was, disappearing in a flash of light just before it could hit the wall nearby.

"BABS, RUN!" Fall Backs' voice of all ponies called out as the pegasus turned the corner and took to the air, flying above Babs as he flew off down the hall.

"Huh, what do you mean by..." She began to call out, only to stop as the custodian from the pep rally before came running past, cleaver in hand as he and Babs made eye contact, her mind exploding with the image of the person Babs had bumped into the day prior.

That's where I've seen him before, back on the street that day! Babs gasped, and couldn't help but press herself against the wall as he shot past, chasing after her friend as they made their way to the front of the school.

"Wait, he's going to hurt Fall!" Babs yelled as she took off after them, silently thanking her mother for convincing her to join track a few years back when she first joined the school.

"Hang on, I'm coming!" Babs yelled as she went into a full gallop, following after the pair as she heard Fall Back scream out in pain up ahead.

"GOTCHA, YOU LITTLE RUNT!"

Turning the corner, Babs found herself in the front entrance of the school and left face-to-face with the custodian, who now had his knee on Fall Backs' back as he pulled his cleaver out of his right wing.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Babs yelled, gaining the attention of the custodian as he looked up and smiled at her, while Fall Back looked on in terror.

"Babs, no! Get out of here, he's going to-AGH!" The Pegasus was silenced by the custodian tugging on the cleaver slightly.

"Hello there, kidd-wait I remember you!" The custodian stated, pointing an appendage at Babs. "Your the brat who didn't watch where she was going on the road."

Just as she went to say something back, Babs began to hear several hoofsteps behind her as teachers and some other staff came upon the scene, only to either gasp in shock or get angry at the custodian and what he was doing to Fall Back.

"What do you think you're doing? Get off that poor colt now!" Babs teacher, Honeypot, exclaimed as the principal made his way to the front, his face slightly green as he pointed a hoof at the man in front of him.

"We hired you on good pretenses with the EEA, and this is how you repay them and us? Attacking two faculty members and a student?" Clapping his hooves, a rather burly resource officer teleported in next to the principal in a flash of light. "Apprehend the violent subject, would you please?"

Babs watched as the big unicorn strode over to the custodian, stopping right in front of him and Fall Back before turning to the crowd.

"Nah." The burly stallion stated before being enveloped in a green flame, leaving behind a changeling with a necklace around her neck. "I don't think I will."

Turning to the man in front of her, Delilah frowned.

"Time to go, Stud. We need to go into hiding ASAP." She said as Babs' eyes widened, her hooves almost moving on their own as she charged forward.

"Babs, get back here!" Honeypot called out, but to no avail, as Babs Seed tried to tackle the changeling mare, only to barely miss them as they teleported away.

"NO!" Babs yelled out as she got up and turned to where her friend had just been, tears coming to her eyes as the principal walked over and pulled her into a hug.

"There there, Babs. You did all you could in that situation." He told her before turning to one of his staff. "Plart, get me my enchanted writing paper...the princess needs to hear of this."

Chapter 6: A castle made of playing cards Pt.1

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 7: A castle made of playing cards Pt.2

{Butcher's room, the third day of isolation}

Pulling his cleaver out of his latest victim's neck, the Butcher shook his head as he watched the body slowly stop wriggling around on the table. The sight usually brought joy to the man's heart, but recent events had long since changed that fact.

"What's the point of carving up these fuckers anymore? I can't taste the meat, and I can't even leave the base to use the bits they're paying me either!" In a spurt of rage, Louis chucks his cleaver across the room and looks down at the gaping wound in the old unicorn mare's neck.

"Hell, I've tried everything! fruits, vegetables, desserts..." The Butcher's train of thought ended as he found his gaze magnetized to the copper liquid flowing from the pony and her wound. "The only thing I haven't tried yet..."

Without another thought, the Butcher slowly lowered his hand into the neck wound, scooping out a bit of blood and cupping it in his now trembling hand.

"Is this what I'm resorting to? Drinking the vile ichor of these pastel ponies?" The Butcher whispered to the empty room as he brought the cupped hand to his mouth and drank its contents, only for his eyes to widen as he finally managed to taste something.

"YES! Finally, something that doesn't taste like ass!" The Butcher proclaimed with a manic grin as he scooped another handful of blood and let it pour down his throat.

"This flavor...an almost sour taste that feels like syrup going down." Louis mused as he patted the beyond-dead unicorn on her head, trying to find the right words for the almost addictive taste the mare's blood had, before stopping cold as he remembered a certain prisoner of his and the conversation they had.

Eyes widening, The man marched around the table and made his way over to the cell holding the two foals, making sure to rattle the cage bars to wake them up from their slumber.

"Hey, Colt! Got a question for ya!" The man stated, getting a tired glare from the young stallion as he slowly stood to his hooves and faced down his kidnapper.

"What is it now? Need more ideas to sate that appetite of yours?" Fall Back tiredly remarked, feeling the drainage of malnourishment taking its toll on his body as he tried to stand, only to fall back on his sister.

"Actually...I think I finally found out how to deal with that problem." Louis growled darkly as he moved his face closer to the cage, showing off his blood-stained mouth to the colt. "Just had a personal taste of pony blood, and of all the things it is the cure to my problem...but why?"

"Why?" The pegasus echoed, confused by the question as his captor slammed his right fist into the bars, ignoring the sharp pain that danced on his knuckles for doing so.

"Why, damn it! I ain't a fucking vampire, so why, after almost 3 days is the only thing I can taste well blood?"

Fall Back shook his head rapidly, bushing himself and his sister against the wall as he tried his hardest to find an answer that would calm the monster in front of him.

"I think I owe it to you to answer that, Stud."

Exhaling sharply at the voice, the Butcher peeled himself from the bars and turned towards its owner, his suspicions were confirmed when he laid eyes on his partner in crime, Delilah...

...or at least he thought it was her. The changeling he was facing was easily at a height level with him now, had almost no holes in her body, and had a horn the size of the Butcher's arm. However, the same empty purple eyes shined from her sockets, and there was no mistaking that voice of hers.

It had to be her, which only made more questions run through the Butcher's mind.

"What the hell happened to you?" Louis asked the changeling, watching her closely as she swayed right up to him, eyeing the man up and down with a big smile on her lips.

"I knew your transformation would be different, but to make you even more of a weapon than before? By the Moon, I love changeling magic!"

"Transformation?" Louis repeated, narrowing his eyes. "So you know what's happening to me then?"

Nodding once, the new and improved Delilah circled her partner, her tail wrapping itself around the man's torso as she did so.

"Of course. Any queen needs someone they can trust. Someone more than a meal ticket or one-night stand." The changeling winked at Louis as she bared her fangs. "And when I realized you had an absurd amount of love to feed off of, I knew you were my ticket to becoming stronger!"

Crossing his arms, Louis couldn't help but feel slighted, even if what was happening didn't make sense to him.

"So, you used me to evolve yourself like a fucking pokemon...and in doing so you put me through all this shit?" Louis barked, getting another nod from his partner, who simply brushed off my anger with a smile.

"Sounds about right, Stud. If you're referring to your food not tasting the same, then that's a perk for becoming a changeling. Changelings feed off of emotion, not regular food like everyone else...even if you have a unique way of consuming your share."

"Eating...emotion? What the hell?" Louis asked Delilah, watching as she reached up and poked his blood-stained chin.

"I can assume that you have quenched your hunger with blood, right?" Seeing the man give her a hesitant nod, Delilah continued. "Well, most changelings use magic to feed on emotions, our main food source. However, you have no natural magic at all...only the blood magic I performed on you a week ago with your cleaver."

Summoning his cleaver, Louis looked over the veins running on both it and his throwing hand, putting two and two together with a grimace.

"So...the same stuff that grants me power is my only way to not starve now?" Louis stated, a resigned look coming over his face as he looked back at Delilah. "Why me though? Couldn't anyone have worked instead?"

Delilah shook her head, her eyes shimmering in the dark hallway. "The amount of love needed to become a queen is impossible to obtain without someone seeing the effects of feeding, especially on those damned ponies...but when someone like you comes around and has a neigh unlimited reservoir, it was my chance to finally ascend once and for all."

Watching his partner get giddy over all of this, Louis couldn't help but feel like he had gone down a path he couldn't return from. All of this, from blood magic and drinking blood from his victims...where were the days he was simply chopping up the meat given to him?

Am I ok with this? She used me as a means to her ends and altered how I fucking live, but without her, I would've died by now... The Butcher questioned himself as he looked at his cleaver once more, the tool of death glowing a dim red in the darkness I've been had, used for the sake of this woman getting stronger...the question is what happens now?

"So, what happens now? Did you come down here to gloat and leave me in the dust?" Louis stated, gripping his cleaver in his hand as Delilah looked appalled.

"What?! Tartarus No! Louis, I know it may seem odd to say this now but I transformed you for a reason." The big wings on her back began to buzz as she lifted herself off the ground and up to his face, wrapping her hooves around his neck as she got close to his face.

"I came here because I want to save you from what's about to happen. I'm going to need someone to help me start a hive, and your twisted mindset and strong genetics are exactly what the doctor ordered for what I've envisioned."

Louis was about to retort that statement before his mind registered the beginning of what she said.

"Save me? From wh-"

At that moment, the entire building began to shake violently, causing several things in the room behind Louis to fall over alongside the sound of keys dropping somewhere nearby. Hell, if Delilah hadn't been holding onto the man Louis would've probably fallen over as well.

"YOU ARE IN THE PRESENCE OF THE SUN'S GUARD! STAND DOWN OR FACE DEATH FOR TREASON TO THE CROWN!"

A loud voice echoed from somewhere above, causing the Butcher to look at his partner in shock.

"What the fuck is going on?"

{Manehatten school building, principals office, earlier that morning}

"So, you think your friend and his sister are trapped in this...hidden building you came across following this stallion?" The principal asked the young filly sitting in front of his desk.

"Of course ah do! It was the same type of ponies doing those shady dealings my parents saw that same day Spring Forward went missing! And doesn't having a secret entrance like that raise suspicion anyway?"

The principal sighed, folding the papers on his desk as he gave the little mare in front of him a tired smile.

"Listen, Babs Seed. I know your best friend was taken and all, but the royal guards are doing their best to find him, so we don't need little interruptions like this slowing us-"

"Slowing WHO down, exactly? I don't recall getting a letter about this tragedy from you, principal."

Turning around, Bab's eyes widened as a unicorn wearing a scarlet cloak and a yellow medallion walked into the room, tailed by two of those yellow-clad guards that walked the streets in the day.

"C-Chancellor Neighsay! What brings you here?" The principal stuttered out as the unicorn flashed a hollow smile.

"As you know, I am the representative of the EEA, the same board that brought up the money for this school to be built. Did you really think we wouldn't become aware of a kidnapping in one of our own schools?" The unicorn turned to me, his gaze oozing authority as his scrutinizing eyes looked me over. "We have also heard word of a terrorist organization working in the walls of our fair city, and after the stunt a few days ago I am sure the kidnappers were affiliated with that group."

Babs Seed couldnt help but shudder at the way the Chancellor walked and talked, barely able to turn her gaze to the other unicorn in the room, who's face was currently a weird combination between stuttering mess and one of a pony who was scared out of his mind.

"O-Of course, Chancellor! As always, your logic is spot on." The principal turned to Babs with a pleading look. "Now, young filly, if you have any idea of how to help the good Chancellor, please speak up."

"Indeed, any information can help...especially that of a possible location of operations." The unicorn leaned in towards Babs, showing off his pearly whites with a unnatural grin. "Now, if you are serious about what you claim, you would have no qualms as to showing me and a couple friends of mine where this 'entrance' is you were speaking of to your principal?"

Glad to finally have some pony listening to her...even if it was this creep, Babs was more than happy to show him where she had followed that weird stallion if it meant her best friend was saved.

"What are we waiting for, huh? Let's go!"

{A couple of hours later, outside the secret base}

If Bab's had been unsure as to whether or not the Chancellor was joking about helping, she sure as heck wasn't now.

The unicorn had amassed almost every guard in the district, each one stationed across the block in different groups the filly thought she heard one bigger guard refer to as squads on the way here.

The last time she could remember a guard this big was after that invasion that happened in Canterlot, and that was just to catch any stragglers from the wedding fiasco that day.

Standing at the entrance of the alleyway, Babs Seed pointed at the familiar wall from before, looking up at the unicorn next to her.

"That's it. That's where I saw him enter yesterday."

Turning to the filly, Neighsay was unable to keep a grin off of his face as he nodded once, signaling to the guards nearby to be ready to breach the entrance.

"Good, now go home young one. The guards and I will save your friend and bring these evil ponies to justice once and for all."

Babs went to argue, only to stop as she realized he was right...she WAS a child, and there were probably a bunch of murderous adults in that building.

What could she do to help? She had already led them here, best to let the capable adults handle it from here.

"Please, Sir...save them." She asked before turning around and galloping home, not noticing the big smile on the Chancellor's face as he held his medallion in his right hoof, three gemstones sparkling off of the medallion as he looked towards the building once more.

"Time to finish this little game of mine once and for all."

{Under the building, Butcher's hall}

Fall Back had barely managed to get to his hooves after the rumbling that had shook the room when he noticed the keys to the cell were on the ground nearby, laid forgotten as his two kidnappers paid no mind to him or his sister.

This is my chance! I just need to get those keys and we can escape!

Slowly inching his way towards the front of the cell, the colt froze halfway through a step as his captors continued their conversation from before.

"There is a whole Battalion of Solar guards breaching the building! If they find you down here with all those bodies, they're gonna execute you!" The changeling yelled at the man in front of her, ignoring the colt entirely.

"How did they even find us? I thought this place was securely hidden!" The Butcher yelled back, pointing behind him to his kitchen. "I can't just leave all of that behind, it's literally my life!"

"Your not gonna have a life if this keeps up!" The changeling retorted while Fall Back made it to the edge of the cell and slowly reached his wing out to the keys. "If you want to survive this, we need to complete the ritual."

"Ritual? What else are ya gonna do, take my soul?" The man barked at his companion, not noticing the colt grab the key ring and draw backwards into the cage once more. "Or are ya gonna steal my eyesight too, so I can't even look at my prey when I carve them?"

The changeling sighed, facehooving as she exhaled softly. "You have every right not to trust me, but if we don't do this your dead meat, Stud."

Crossing his arms, the Butcher shook his head as he exhaled through his nose, a small part of him regretting going down this path in his life.

Not enough to go straight and narrow though, that ship had long since sailed.

"Fine. What do you have to-GLHK!" The Butcher began to state, only to gasp as a ramrod horn shot through his heart.

"Be warned, this is going to hurt a lot, Stud." The changeling stated with a frowns as her horn began to glow. "But it will all be worth it."

"W-Whats happening..." Fall Back turned to his sister, who was trying her hardest to stand up, and stepped into her line of vision.

"Nothing, Sis. Just close your eyes for a sec alright, things are gonna get bad and you don't need to see it."

Watching his sister do so, Fall Back wrapped his wings around her as he turned his gaze back to the two criminals, barely keeping himself from vomiting as he watched what was unfolding before his eyes.

There was a blood red light shining throughout both of their bodies, but there was also this black goey stuff flowing from the changelings horn and the man's chest wound...and it kept spreading up to-

Nevermind that last statement, Fall Back was officially retching as the black goop when into the man's mouth and into his throat, all the while the changeling was suffering the same fate.

Just as the poor pegasus colt thought it couldn't get any worse, the man began to scream.

Feeling his sister hug his body tight, Fall Back tried his best to push the muffled screams of the Butcher out of his head as he watched the man's body writhe and twist in ways that looked beyond normal, the movements looking even worse as the room shook once more, with more yelling and screams coming from above them.

They said Solar guards were here...does that mean we might get rescued? Fall Back thought to himself, doing anything to avoid focusing on the two in front of him. Then again, who knows how big this place is...it might take a while for them to get here, so I'll still need to escape.

After what felt like hours, the spell between the two partners finished, dropping the man to the floor as the changeling shook off her daze from the spell.

"Sorry, Stud. They're probably gonna find ya well before ya wake up, but this way they won't be able to kill ya...that is, unless I die first." The changeling whispered before her gaze flicked to the colt in the cell, her mouth curling into a wicked smile as she winked at Fall Back.

"Mention what happened here to anyone, child, and you'll be an orphan by the end of the week."

With that threat, the changeling popped out of existence, leaving the unconscious man on the floor and the imprisoned colt with his sister...and a key.

"THE KEY!" Fall Back exclaimed as he let go of his sister and slowly made his way to the cage door, barely being able to put his wing around to the lock.

With a slow twist and a overly satisfying click, the cell door slowly opened up, causing the hornless unicorn to look up in shock.

"The-The doors open?" She asked, looking up to her brother with tears in her eyes as the colt nodded, extending a wing to his sister to support her as she got to her hooves. "Does that M-mean we can go home?"

Pulling his sister close as the colt began to lead her out of the cell, Fall Back suppressed tears of his own at the hope-filled voice of his sister.

"Yes, Spring. We can finally go home. You won't have to worry anymore about the bad guys."

Looking down at his frail sister, having lost most of her body's width while imprisoned, Fall Back couldn't keep himself from smiling as they slowly walked towards the end of the hall, seeing a small circle on the ground with weird symbols inside of it.

"Could that be our way out of here?" The colt muttered as he looked it over before lowering his gaze to his sister. "Do you know what this is?"

Looking just as confused as he was, the small filly began to open her mouth just as a bloodied hand grabbed her by her throat and pulled her away from her brother.

"SPRING!!!" Fall Back yelled as he turned around just to see the Butcher looking down at him, a manic smile on his face as he held his sister in his left hand.

Almost screaming in shock, it took every fiber in his being to not hurl at the sight of the large gaping wound in the Butcher's chest, nor the black orbs that replaced his eyes...whatever that changeling had done to him had left the man in a state of severe disrepair.

"Where do you two think your going?" The man asked, shaking the filly in his grasp violently. "I'm out for a short minute and my guests think they can just leave without my permission?" With a loud pop, the man's Cleaver appeared in his open hand as he brought it up to the fillys throat.

"I was happy, ya know? I kept to myself, did my job and no one bothered me...But then you stupid children show up and suddenly everything goes to hell!" Glaring at Fall Back, Louis licks his lips as he shakes his head at the colt. "Ya know what? Fuck this organization and fuck my orders, I'm freaking starving and you two are on the menu!"

It was at that moment that something in Fall Back snapped. both him and his sister had been kidnapped by this monster and his friends, not to mention tortured and left malnourished as well. And now, on the cusp of freedom this...thing was going to kill the very pony Fall had been trying to find all this time?

Not this time.

Mustering every bit of strength he had left, the colt spread his wings and pushed forwards with a big splash of momentum, smashing into the Butcher's stomach and knocking the three of them to the floor.

"Spring!" Fall Back called out as he saw she had fell near the circle on the ground. "Get out of here! Go find the guards and get them to-" Fall Back was interrupted by a hand gripping his throat as the Butcher got to his feet.

"I don't care WHO I feed on, but one of you are dying tonight!" The man screamed, chunking Fall Back into the Kitchen room before turning to the filly with that same evil smile. "Go ahead and run...you'll never save your brother."

The filly could only watch as the twisted man began to walk away, laughing madly as Spring ran into the circle on the ground, vanishing on the spot with a loud pop and a flash of light.

Fall Back, having slammed into the table in the kitchen, couldn't help but smile as he saw the flash go off ahead of him.

"Thank Celestia..."

His content expression soon faltered when he saw the Butcher making his way towards him, tapping his cleaver against each cell door he passed in the hall while doing so.

"You've been a very bad kid..."

Trying his best to stand, Fall Back began to inch away from the man, circling to the other side of the table and towards a giant fireplace nearby.

"W-Why? Why do you hurt innocent ponies so much? What did we ever do to you?!?!"

Watching the colt stop scooting backwards as he ran into a chair, the man narrowed his eyes as he squatted down to the colts level, a surprisingly solemn look on his face as he answered the young stallion.

"Innocent? Hurt?" Louis barked out a laugh as he tilted his head back, scaring the colt further as he pressed his whole body into the leather chair behind him. "It's not even close to being that complicated. I don't hate your kind or have a resentment, kid."

The man leaned in really close to Fall Back, that same black goop from before starting to seep from the Butcher's mouth as his black irises reflected Fall Backs scared eyes back at the colt.

"To me, your all just a bunch of fucking animals to be chopped up and served on a silver platter."

Grabbing the colt by his wings, The Butcher dropped his cleaver and walked over to the pot that was full of boiling water as it loomed over the fireplace by two giant metal rods, turning the squirming foal so he could see it as well.

"Sadly, spoiled brats like you can't be just chopped up and served...your too firm and chewy, so we gotta let your body saturate first before I can begin to prepare ya right."

Fall Backs eyes widened as he saw the Butcher take the lid off the giant pot, and in watching him do so a realization came to the colt.

He's gonna boil me...

Swinging his hooves towards the man and trying to free his wings, Fall Backs body immediately went into its fight or flight instinct, only to stop in an exhausted mess as the man watched him with a raised brow.

"Why the fuck would I hold you close enough for you to hit me? You already got me once, and I'm not making that mistake again." Watching the man reach over into the leather chair, Fall Back let out a whinny of fear when he saw the man grab duct tape in his hand.

The colt had no time to react before he was slammed to the ground, knocking the wind out of his body as the man placed a knee on his chest.

"Stupid kids always think they can get away with shit...none of yall ever think about the consequences of your actions!" Taping the colts forelegs together, the man rotated Fall Back as he taped his hind legs as well.

Trying his best to buck the man off of him, Fall Back continually lurched his body upwards, but couldn't even begin to struggle against the sheer weight of the monster on top of him, watching in horror as the man grabbed him by his wings again and lifted him up, now twice as defenseless as before.

"Why didn't you tape my mouth shut?" The question was out of his mouth before he could stop it, causing Louis to chuckle as he booped the colt on the nose.

"How else would I hear your screams in the pot?" The man answered, grabbing the pot lid and moving towards the pot with the colt in hand quickly, making the colt scream out in protest.

"NO NO NO NO! PLEASE!" Fall Back yelled at his captor as he was held above the pot, writhing in the man's grasp as the Butcher shook his head one last time...and slammed the colt into the boiling pot before holding the lid over the cover with both hands.

The Butcher smile began to widen as he heard the pegasus begin to scream, his melting screams echoing out of the pot as the Butcher put all of his weight on the pot, keeping the colt trapped inside at a boiling point.

"YOU SEE, KID! THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS TO IDIOTS WHO DONT BEHAVE! IF YOU WOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN INVILVED YOU'D BE JUST FINE!!!"

The pot began to shake more and more as the colt fought with the all he had to try and escape his burning prison, only for the pot to be held in place by the metal rods on its side, balancing it out every time it shook.

"HEY! What are you doing?!?"

Ignoring the voice behind him, Louis continued to hold the pot lid in place as he relished in what would probably be his last masterpiece...even if he wouldn't get the chance to finish it.

"Those screams...Somepony is in that pot, stop him!"

The voices spoke up again, this time with a surge of pain going through his chest as something collided with his back. Finally dropping the lid, the Butcher turned to the new arrivals just in time to get a hammer to the face, making everything go dark in an instant.

Author's Note

Finally managed to get this chapter out...holy moly this took too long.

Had a LOT of Army stuff crop up, alongside a bunch of in forest tactical drills, so I spent almost three weeks at an army base doing training. other than that, schools been the same as ever.

So yeah, shit hit the fan here...really quickly. What's gonna happen next? Just you wait!

As always, comments are greatly appreciated and if yous spot any major spelling mistakes, then please point them out...I'm only hooman lol