Author's Note

WARNING

The following chapter contains scenes of violence and serious injury. Viewer discretion is advised.

Hope you enjoy the chapter! Next one might be a bit delayed, as I am going to a con this weekend.

Chapter 12: Blood and Oil Color, Pt. 2

North Star punched the floor of the museum, tears dripping down his face. He did his best not to get involved. He told his uncle he wanted to stay out of it. He thought it was all over. As it turns out, the life he once lived came rushing back in, ready to break him all over again. He couldn’t even see as Nebula tried to shake him back to his senses. All he could see were dark shadows and all he could hear was static.

“North, snap out of it!” Nebula pleaded as she tried to shake him. “We can find her, I promise just please! Get up!” The mare slowly fell to his side, tears falling down her face. She felt the guilt of leaving Moonshine behind hit her, and the whispers of failure fill her mind. “I-I’m… I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have looked away… I shouldn’t have left her behind…”

While the siblings broke down, Suri looked at her ex-coltfriend and saw something she hadn’t seen before in him. Something she never thought she’d see. The small pain in her heart she got from fighting with him grew, and her body acted first. She slowly approached North, moved his head up, and smacked him with all her might across his face. A horseshoe print was left on his cheek, but the shocked look on his face showed she succeeded. She did not let up.

“What are you doing?? Is this the stallion I fell in love with back then??? When I was in trouble, did you cry about it?? No, you got off your flanks and saved me!!! Where’s that fire?? Where’s that passion?? Where…” She grit her teeth in anger, trying to hold back the flood of tears. “What’s that beautiful buckin’ light that guided me when I had nothing? If you’re still in there, please, for the Princess’s sake…” She looked up, a mix of anger and sadness on her face as tears rolled down her cheek. “Get up and save that new mare already…!”

North watched as Suri poured her heart out to him. He felt so many things at once. Hatred. Regret. Determination. Sorrow. All of it mixed together and the spark of a young stallion, thought gone long ago, came bursting out of his cold, quiet soul.

He got back up and rubbed his eyes, trying to focus. “You’re… You’re right… No more crying… Only action.” He turned to Nebula and picked her up. “Sis, I know you want to help, but this one is my fight. I promise you, I can handle it.”

Nebula wanted to protest, but the moment she looked up at her brother, she noticed that he was different, yet familiar. The energy around him flowed in a way that brought her back to their youth together. She could do little but nod. “O-Okay…”

“Now…” He thought for a moment. “As much as I don’t want to lord my power as a member of the Night Guard, I might be able to see if there’s any witnesses or any means of seeing where they went…”

“E-Excuse me…”

North took a moment from his thoughts to turn and face a nearby guard, the same one that Moonshine tipped two bits to. He held up the bits along with a slip of paper containing many folds. “U-Ummm… You were with that mare, correct? She wanted me to give you this…”

North took the piece of paper from the guard and inspected it. It was a note, written in Luna’s elegant cursive:

“Your safety is at hand. I am going to be kidnapped by five ponies. Do not attempt to interfere. They are willing to kill any witnesses. The stallion with me is an off-duty member of the Royal Guard. Give him this note. I am located in the warehouse on the far southern end of Manehatten’s shipyard.”

North stared at the note for a long time. Suddenly, Moonshine’s odd behavior made perfect sense. He’d almost forgotten that she was the Princess of the Night, and prophetic dreams of disaster came natural to her and Celestia. She was moving one step ahead. He noticed another note written under it.

“Check your pockets. I love you.”

Checking the pockets of his coat, the stallion found two small items: A dark metal orb and a crest of the Night Guard with a button. He recognized the orb as one of the Shade Bombs Luna introduced to him, but the crest… This was new. He pressed the button of the crest out of curiosity, and it suddenly floated up and snapped onto his chest.

“W-What the-??”

His body was lifted in the air as the crest glowed with dark purple energy, causing shock among the patrons. Nebula called out. “B-Brother, what is that??”

“I don’t know! It’s one of the Lunar Scholar’s inventions, but she didn’t tell me what this does!!” Soon, he would have an answer, as pieces of armor appeared in the air surrounding him. Each one snapped on until finally, he was coated in a dark blue suit of armor, resembling a knight of darkness. He looked down at his hooves from the power surge he felt, and behind his face plate, he smiled.

“Oh yeah… This is a good one…”

With no further delay, he spread his wings and went straight through the glass roof of the museum, leaving Nebula and Suri there to watch, both of whom had one thought in their mind.

Be safe, please…

~~~

Moonshine was grateful that she’d managed to convince her captors not to remove the necklace. She’d convinced them of its sentimental value and that she’d start screaming if they removed it. While she normally would’ve been able to handle the fight herself, revealing herself would’ve made things more difficult in the long run. Plus, when she woke up, she had a magic blocker on her horn, so she was essentially on ice for the time being, listening to her captors speak in Neighponese.

[This is a stupid plan…] One of them spoke while leaning against a pillar. [We’re wasting time with this hostage negotiation when we could’ve kidnapped the young mistress already.]

[You must be foolish if you believe we can actually do that…] Another muttered while checking out the door as a lookout. [The young mistress no doubt is surrounded by fighters. Not even we’d be able to reclaim her. This is the best bargaining chip we’ve got.]

[Are we not the master’s top men for infiltration?] The first uttered as he stood up. [How hard is it to sneak into one warehouse?]

[You’re a bigger fool than he gave you credit for…] A third, older stallion muttered, sitting on the floor. [Diamond Flare is not a stallion who makes half-measures. The only reason we’re the top infiltrators of the Black Dragon’s Claw is because the last infiltrators…] The stallion hesitated.

[What?] The first one turned to his superior. [So they died.]

[They didn’t die gracefully or quietly. At least… From what we found of them…]

The air of the warehouse went cold for the newer blood of the gang, but the first snapped back. [That was years ago, when we first tried! How could they possibly-?]

[Even if their fire is a tenth of what it was, ten of us may not stand a chance. At least with this bargaining chip, the exchange will be clean.]

[I don’t know…] One mare muttered with her hooves crossed. [Doesn’t this feel like we’ve been set up? It cannot be this simple…]

[I concur. It feels like a trap.] A young unicorn swinging a bat around muttered.

[Whether it is or not, the master has put us on this mission,] the third stallion [We shall see it to the end.]

An older mare chuckled as she stepped towards her aged teammate. [Always speaking like you’re a young daimyo… I never get tired of it. But, you’re right. If we do not complete the mission, we do not get paid. So, we stay.]

[Ugh, so boring…] Another stallion, this one also a unicorn but with a wild look in his eyes. [I hate babysitting for the boss. I say we do something fun until our job is done.]

[If it’s baseball, I’m game.] The young stallion swinging his bat over and over. [I need to practice my batting.]

[No, no…] The stallion approached Moonshine, who had been quiet with her eyes closed the whole time. He produced a pocket knife and slowly pressed it to the mare’s cheek. [How about we play a bit of tic-tac-toe on this pretty filly’s chest…]

Most flinched to stop him, but the eldest of them stepped forward, grabbing a pipe and smashing his cohort in the face. [You wild dog… Have you no sense of honor?? So long as I am standing, you will NOT lay a hoof on that mare!]

The wild stallion spat out a bit of blood and just laughed, walking off while mumbling. The eldest turned to Moonshine, got to the ground and bowed while speaking in Ponish. “My sincerest apologies. Vicious is a mad dog who acts as our assassin, but he does as he pleases. We only hope to exchange you for one of our own, as our master demanded. While the possibility of killing you is not gone, it is only if our master commands it, and we hope it does not come to that. Should it resort to that, however, we promise a swift and painless death.”

Moonshine looked down at the old stallion, quiet as she stayed still in her bindings. She, in turn, bowed her head in return. “Thank you. While I do not enjoy being held captive, it is comforting to know honor isn’t entirely dead.”

“Don’t be too comfortable,” The first stallion spoke as he approached. “We do not seek to pamper you as a princess. You are here to serve a purpose, as are we. Do not expect rescue and do not expect your magic to save you.”

He pointed to the ring on Luna’s horn, and she simply nodded. “Yes, I did feel that, and I suspected that’s what it was… But I must ask, why was I the bargaining chip? I’m not part of the gang.”

The young stallion shook his head. “No, but you are close to someone from whom negotiating with the Crazy Diamond can become much easier. Knowing the Bloody Star could lose something so precious means that he would be easier to negotiate.”

That explains it… But it seems they don’t know about North’s departure… Moonshine thought as she continued. “Wait, Crazy Diamond… Bloody Star…”

The eldest nodded. “Names given to us through both our gangs and our status. Even if the Bloody Star was not part of any gang, he fought for his uncle, and his ruthless reputation in the ring earned the name. As for his uncle…” They went silent, looking away.

Moonshine shook her head. “You do not need to elaborate further on that… But this young mistress… Who could you be referring to?”

The second stallion stepped in and spoke. “That’s enough. There’s no reason for us to continue this conversation.”

“What?” His younger subordinate retorted. “By the time she’s released to them, the information will already be known.”

The older stallion looked to the eldest, his tone pleading. [Sir, should we really let him be so foolish?]

The eldest remained quiet, looking away. [If he wishes to make such a foolish mistake, it is his to make. He alone will be punished for it.]

With a smug grin towards the second stallion, the first one spoke to Moonshine. “The target is our young mistress, the granddaughter of the Black Dragon’s Claw… The mare most ponies refer to as Lotus Dance.”

Moonshine’s eyes widened. Suddenly, things were coming into view that she hadn’t considered. North’s stories, the odd fixation with Neighpon between the two, and the odd protectiveness of Diamond Flare. All of it from holding the granddaughter of another gang leader.

After a moment, Moonshine bowed her head. “Thank you for entertaining me. I can trust that I’m in good hands with you, Mr…”

“Oni. Just Oni.”

“Of course. Thank you, Oni.”

[Bah, enough!!] Vicious returned, this time pressing several blades across Moonshine’s skin. [This boring nonsense is makin’ me antsy! I neeeed entertainment, so I decided to make HER my entertainment! Any of you stop me, and I filet her on the stand!]

All of the yakuza members stood in place, watching as Vicious panted and licked his lips. What frightened them most, however, was the calm smile across Moonshine’s face.

[My, my…] She said in perfect Neighponese, throwing off even her would-be torturer. [You crave agony that much… Perhaps he can provide it for you.]

The others watched as an object no bigger than a pebble fell to the floor, and the moment it made contact, the whole warehouse was subsumed in darkness.

[SH-SHIT!! CAN’T SEE!!!]

[S-So dark…! But no smoke??]

[You’ve done it now, you b-ACK!!]

[V-Vicious!! Was that Vicious?? Someone get a light!!]

Soon, the darkness surrounding their eyes became wisps of dark mist, and the scene before them left them all paralyzed. Vicious, the fearsome assassin, was left beaten and bloodied with all four of his hooves broken in different angles, his horn sliced off, and struggling weakly against the chains wrapped around his hooves, body, and neck. Moonshine, meanwhile, was left unharmed, quiet with her eyes closed, and between her and the members of the Black Dragon’s Claw was a pegasus in dark blue armor bearing the crest of the Night Guard.

[R-Royal Guard!!] The first stallion stumbled back. [How did they find us so quickly??]

[You best not test the Night Guard, Claws…] The armored pony muttered, his Neighponese rough and crude. [We know when our brothers and sisters of the night are taken…]

[T-Taken…] The youngest muttered, while his two elders seemed less phased.

[Hmph… Seems the intelligence reports weren’t exaggerating. He has learned quite a lot from his time in Canterlot.]

[Canterlot?? You mean… The pony we stole was associated with a Night Guard???]

The eldest of the trio nodded. [We cannot give up the target now. We must throw ourselves into this, every one of us. Everypony, rush!]

The ponies all dove for the armored stallion, rushing with their own attacks. The stallion simply assumed a stance and let them come.

The first was the youngest of them, swinging his bat mightily. North swiftly dodged and watched as the bat left a dent in one of the pillars. He barely had time to register as he blocked two knife tosses, letting them pierce his armor. One of the mares rushed, her wings coated knives.

Hm… What a copycat… He thought as she dove forward to slash at him. He became a spinning blur, a hoof kicking her up into the warehouse’s ceiling.

The older mare looked to the second stallion, tossing him a sturdy pipe. [On me!]

[Right!]

The two went forward, swinging in two different angles. They managed to knock him back, every attempt to block leaving him open in another spot. His every attempt to counter led to more hits and soon, he was smacked away into a stack of crates. The Claw members panted in exhaustion, looking to check if he was moving or not. The first stallion looked from behind a pillar to see if the coast was clear.

[Did we get him?]

Soon, the sounds of the debris shuffled about, putting the kidnappers on guard. Out came North, back on all fours as if barely hurt. However, parts of his armor had fallen off, exposing parts of his body, hooves, and face. His eye became exposed, and the slit eye looked at the ponies with a burning rage.

[Nice attack. Now do it five more times, and I’ll actually start feeling it.]

~

Outside, a few pegasi sat around, looking out at the ocean. They were waiting for orders or for the possibility of a getaway. They were some of the best transporters for the Black Dragon’s Claw, and when they got the job, they had one simple task: Move the infiltrators from the museum to the docks. Now, they were sitting, waiting for their next task.

[Rough winds…] One said, sipping a can of peach cider.

[Yep…] Another spoke as one of the infiltrators was kicked out a window. [Means it’s going to be hard to go by boat or air.]

[Yep…] The third muttered as he smoked a cigarette, the distant sounds of the warehouse’s walls being hit. [We’re not helping them, right?]

[Buck no.]

[We’re not paid to fight. Not our problem… Hand me another cider.]

~

The two ponies with pipes rushed back in, performing the same hitting style. However, this time North managed to block nearly all the shots, countering with kicks and punches.

As they swung for different parts at the same time, he dove low and tossed out a hoof and foreleg. The punch and kick sent them flying back, lying on the ground in pain.

The youngest of the remaining watched as the unicorn with the baseball bat tried to hold his own, getting pushed back every inch, and turned towards the door in an attempt to flee. He would only be stopped as Oni grabbed him by his tail with an angry look in his eyes.

[And what are you doing?]

[I-I didn’t sign up for this!! I’m leaving!!]

[You joined the Black Dragon’s Claw. You will take any job. If you will not fight, then I shall offer a better solution…]

North leaped in the air with a spin before he sent a kick right across the head of the baseballer, sending him skidding across the warehouse floor. He panted tiredly, but he was so close to victory. All that remained was-

SMACK!

He didn’t get to enjoy the rest for very long, as soon, he was quickly smacked to the ground by a wide force. When he looked up, he found the eldest had been swinging their youngest recruit like a flair. North stood up, cracking his back before rushing in. Every time he got close, he was forced to dodge back to prevent being hit. He could feel the energy in his armor start to reach its limit. He needed to think of a way up without taking anymore hits.

Time slowed. His mind saw every current movement, every future movement, and saw that conventional moves wouldn’t work. Then he saw it. A gamble that he could take to ensure victory.

North rushed forward, wings spread out as he began to leap up for an overhead strike. Oni swung his companion high, but instead of making contact, he found that his opponent wasn’t there. Instead, he slid down at the last minute, putting him in range of combat right as the young Claw member’s swing was concluded. There was no dodging, and there was no blocking. The eldest of the kidnappers simply braced for impact as North delivered a mighty uppercut to his chin.

The Claw member clenched his teeth to brace for the impact, but that included with the punch severed the hairs of the tail in his mouth, sending the young stallion he was swinging flying into the same pole he hid behind. The youngest fell, unconscious, while the eldest fell to the ground, conscious but utterly defeated. All that was left was North, who returned to all fours and panted softly as he gazed at his victory. The room was quiet, the only sound he enjoyed after a fight.

“Wonderful job, my starshine…” Moonshine said as she opened her eyes. “I’m grateful you were at least merciful.”

North’s eyes returned from his sharp, combat-hardened gaze to his still, calm tone the moment he heard Moonshine’s voice. He turned back, then realized that his armor was destroyed. “A-Ah, shoot. Moony, I messed up your armor. Hang on.” He ran around the warehouse, looking for the pieces of his armor and picking them up in his hooves.

Moonshine simply giggled. “It is fine, dear. Just push the button to make all of the pieces returned. If anything, we now have a metric to how much the armor can be pushed.”

“R-Right.” North pushed the button on the crest again, the armor pieces flying back inside. North was revealed to be a tad bruised and battered, but way less than he would’ve been without the armor. Walking to Moonshine, he undid her restraints and removed the magic restraint from her horn using his teeth. The feeling of the latter action caused Moonshine to blush, slightly perverted thoughts filling her mind.

Once she was free, she began trotting to the door. “Right. I think we’re quite finished here. It’s best we get going before the others start to worry.”

“Wait.”

Moonshine stopped and looked as North approached the eldest of the Black Dragon’s Claw members. Oni looked back at him with a quiet, defeated expression. North got on his knees and looked him in the eye.

“I have decided to let you go free now. Had I been less generous, I would be reporting you to the authorities as is my duty as one of the Royal Guard. However, the price for escaping prison is not cheap.”

The eldest stared deep into the eyes of the guardstallion, and upon seeing no intent of betrayal, nodded. “I can grant you this. Tell me what you wish to know.”

North leaned in, his gaze getting more serious. “Tell me… Everything about my uncle’s relationship to you guys… And about Lotus Dance…”