A Cloak In the Moonlight

by Nova_Flare

Rating: mature
Tags: Dark, Alternate Universe, Other, Romance, Original Character, Suicide / Self Harm, Profanity, Adventure, Violence, Sex, Death, Main 6, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 16256

A Group of Assassin's face their greatest challenge as a powerful force threatens the Elements of Harmony.

Scarlet Blaze, Night Stalker, and Valr, are members of an ancient Brotherhood of assassins who have existed since the time of Nightmare Moon. Their duty is to deliver justice on those who prey upon the weak. They soon discover that a powerful and mysterious cult threatens to kill equestrias greatest champions, the elements of harmony. Assigned to protect them by Celestia herself, Scarlet and his partners must face their greatest foe, while keeping thier identities secret to twilight and her friends. In the process they take on their hardest challenge yet, friendship.

(Takes some time before the beginning of season 4)

(Sex warning inserted for reasons such as jokes, inneudnos, and cutt outs)

My first time writing on this site. Some healthy criticism would be cool, and support would be awesome.

You're gonna see a LOT of references from many different things. Becuase I love em. If ya got a problem with that ya don't gotta read it.

Published 2023-07-26 22:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2025-02-03 04:45:28 UTC

Prologue - Blood on the Docks

Author's Note

I fixed this chapter becuase it wasn't getting a lot of positive feedback. I saw why when I looked at the ending, and realized how lazy and unorganized it was. So the whole ending Is rewritten and I fixed some spelling and grammer errors. I hope it gets a more positive review this time

Prologue - Blood on the Docks

The sky was filled with gray clouds and thick mist caused by the chilling air of the evening night. The moon shone brightly, banishing the darkness in the equestrian docks. It was a simple dock made between the border of equestria in order to deliver cargo and resources to other neighboring nations.

At the edge of the dock was a massive cargo ship with several ponies by it, most of them mares and foals,they all had bruises and cuts on them. Their eyes were terrified and full of hopelessness, as they were being pushed and forced onto the cargo ship by a gang of burly and nasty looking stallions.

They consisted of all 3 tribes, Unicorns, Pegasus, and Earth ponies. Most of them carried weapons like knives, machetes, and clubs. A small group of them watched as one of them was dragging a mare to them against her will.

"NO! LET ME GO!!" She screamed as she was tossed onto the ground. She was a unicorn mare with an inhibitor ring on her horn to block off her magic.

Her mane had a lemon color, She had cuts and bruises all over her pink colored body as the group of stallions laughed in a cruel and sadistic tone.

The prisoners watched in terror, as the cruel Stallions abused and had their way with her. As she looked up with her eyes filled with tears, A tall beefy stallion, an earth pony with tan coat with a brown mohawk and goatee walked up to her, he peered his head down to look at her with a cruel smile

"You might wanna save that fight in you when you're shipped into and bought into slavery, you're quite the beauty so no doubt you'll be sold fast, you're gonna need all the fight you can get. '' Fearing for her life and his words of what will happen to her she bucked at him with her hind hooves knocking him on the ground as he let out a painful groan, seeing her chance she attempted to run, but in that instant she was pinned to the ground by a Pegasus stallion who held her in place.

The earth pony got up, holding his face where she bucked him with his eyes showing off a furious glare.

"You little bitch!!" He yells as he started to trot over to them.

"You've got more fight than I thought and its pissing me off!".

He yells as he pulls out a curved knife from his strap on his hind leg, "Maybe I should carve it out of you and save my clients the trouble!!!". She panicked and struggled to get out the pegasus stallion's grip, as he slowly poked the end of his knife on the spot where her mark rests.

"How about I start with your mark, after all you won't be needing it anymore." He said with sadistic glee

"NO PLEASE!!" she begs and screamed as the stallions around them laughed and encouraged him to do it.

She closed her eyes and embraced herself for the pain that's about to come but after a few moments she felt his knife stop touching her flank, confused she opened her eyes and saw him place his knife back in his strap.

"As much as I want to flay you, you're no good to me with any scars on you, it will drop your value down." As the Pegasus lets her go he forces her up and shoves her with the other slaves.

"I'll let your buyer handle the flaying."

As He orders his men to escort the prisoners onto the boat, a young colt prisoner helps the mare up as she starts to sob heavily.

As they load the prisoners onto the boat the leader rubs the spot on his cheek where the mare bucked him "Stupid whorse. I'll make sure she's sold first."

"Uh boss" He looked to see his right hoof next to him. "We're all ready to set sail but we've got a bit of a problem."

"What kind of problem?" He says in an irritated tone.

"Well the fuel tank to the ship is empty and without it we can get out of the harbor." The leader sighed and rubbed his temples, obviously annoyed with the situation "do we have extra fuel?"

"Uuh we think so, it might still be in the harbor."

"Then if you're not too busy, GO GET IT!!!" He screams at his henchmen who instantly run away in panic to gather stallions to head back out to the harbor.

Several Stallion henchmen, a good mix of three unicorns, three Pegasus, and four earth ponies were back on the harbor looking for the gallons of fuel. "Who was the idiot who didn't fill the boat in the first place?" one of the pegasi said, obviously mad that he had to go back into the harbor.

"I'd blame the guy on engineers, isn't it their job to make sure the boat is ready?!" One of the earth ponies said also irritated at the situation.

The leading Unicorn said "We'll split into two teams, go with whoever you want. I don't care, the faster we find that fuel, the faster we can get the hay out of here." Agreeing with that statement they all split up and went to search for the fuel.

The first group, which consisted of two Pegasi and one earth pony, trotted through the many giant wooden crates filling the harbor, seeing no sight of the fuel tank yet, one of the pegasi sighs with annoyance that they haven't found it yet. "I need to take a leak" He says as he finds a private place to pee, the other ponies are annoyed but decide to wait.

He finds a spot between two crates where it was dark, as he props up to pee. He screamed for a split moment as He was pulled into the shadows without a trace.

The other two thugs immediately turned their heads in the direction where their partner was a moment ago, except he wasn't there, he was gone. Looking concerned, the last pegasus slowly and cautiously walked to the spot,

"Swiftwing?" He called out hoping this was some stupid prank he was trying to pull. As he looked through the dark spot between the two crates not finding any signs that Swiftwing was there he started to feel afraid and uneasy, at that moment he knew something was wrong.

'Bronco I think we need to leav-" He starts to say but he notices that Bronco is slowly backing away from him, his head looking upwards with a face of pure terror, he feels his blood turn icy cold as he looks up in his partner's direction.

He saw that there was a figure hanging on the crane directly above him, it looked like a pony, a pegasus to be precise, noticing the wings coming out of the dark cloak it was shrouded in.

These were the only features he could make out before the cloaked figure dropped from the crane directly onto him as he let out a terrified scream, darkness being the last thing he saw.

Bronco immediately was running as fast as his hooves could carry him as heard his partners scream of terror, his eyes wide with fear, the sound of his heart beating rapidly in his ears.

"WHAT THE HAY WAS THAT?!?" was the only thing he could process at the moment, he only wanted to focus on finding the others and alerting the boss. As he turned to the right between the labyrinth of giant crates he stopped dead in his hooves as he saw a sight that made his skin go pale and his stomach lurch.

In front of him was the rest of the group, their bodies were sprawled all-over the place, blood splattered all over the floor and he saw slashes and impalement wounds all over the bodies of his dead comrades, their lifeless eyes were widened, terror being all they felt in their final moments.

At the end of the carnage he saw the cloaked figure again, standing on their hind legs, with their back turned against him. This one looked different, he had wings sure but Bronco also noticed the lion tail sprouting out his flank, he also took note that he had talons instead of hoofs, it was a griffin.

He saw that the figure had one his unicorn companions held up at the neck he was struggling and gasping for air the unicorn saw him and with half-choked voice

"B-Bronco r-ru-"

*CRACK*

With that loud crack sound he stopped struggling and went completely limp and the life faded from his eyes. The cloaked griffin dropped the lifeless body and slowly turned his head to see the terrified earth pony behind them. As he turned and started to approach him, Bronco started to back away.

"NO STAY AWAY FROM ME YOU MONSTER!!" He screamed as the griffin continued to walk towards him slowly, he took notice of his talons that were dripping with blood, he noticed that they were longer sharper but what horrified him, they were metal, like sharp blades coming out his hands, Bronco fell backwards and started crawl away keeping his face forwards as the griffin continued to walk towards him.

But in that moment the griffin stopped his advance and just stood there not moving a muscle, Bronco being confused slowly got up, as he did he started to feel pure dread as he realized why the griffin stopped, as he felt forearms grapple around his barrel from behind. He didn't have a moment to think before whatever had him launched into the air, his screams fading away as he disappeared into the night sky.

The leader paced across the deck of the boat impatiently waiting for those idiots to get back with that fuel. At that moment he heard several screams echo from out into the harbor, he looked in the direction he heard the screams taking note of some of his men who heard them as well, who shared his look of concern.

'Boss, what was that?" His second asked in slightly scared tone

The leader took a minute to think before he looked at his second in command. "Have the men we sent out there come back with the fuel yet?" He asked In a nervous tone.

"No, in fact they should've returned twenty minutes ago, I've been trying to reach to them with a telepathy spell and haven't got nothing"

That was all the leader needed to hear in order to tell him to investigate the source of those screams. His second and a few ponies left the boat, disappearing out into the docks.

He had a sudden chill in his spine. He felt like he and his men were being watched, like everywhere he looked, there were eyes on them lurking in the darkness, he didn't know what it was, but he knew this.

"Something is hunting us" He thought to himself. At that moment he heard a squelching and choking sound from behind him.

He and his other men turned around to find one the pegasi holding his neck as blood spurted out of it like a hose, many of his men backed away all showing fear and some of them screaming as he slowly trotted toward them his left hoof on his neck giving them what looked like a cry for help as he fell the ground. As he laid on the ground bleeding out, the leader took notice of the figure standing behind him.

He was a pony draped in a dark cloak with a hood shrouded around his head, he couldn't see his face but he saw a horn sticking out his hood glowing a sapphire aura, he noticed that this supposed unicorn had two cutlass swords orbiting around him covered the same sapphire aura as his horn, the blades smothered with the blood of the dead pony that laid before them.

Enraged over having an intruder on his boat, the leader pointed at the mysterious attacker, "UNICORNS BLAST HIM!!!"

Having been snapped out of their shock every unicorn on boat charged a blast from their horns, several multi-colored lasers fired at the cloaked figure, causing an explosion that created a large amount of smoke.

The leader and his men waited for the smoke to clear showing no signs of the figure only a charred crater in where the explosion hit,

"Hah! that'll tea-ACHHK" in that split moment the unicorn that was bragging was impaled through his neck from behind, the leader and his men looked to see the cloaked figure behind the unicorn who was stabbed. As he pulled the sword out his neck, the unicorn started to choke on his own blood as he dropped on the ground.

The leader and his men prepared themselves as the figure slowly walked towards them, the two swords floating around him started to spin, their speed increasing until it looked like two giant buzzsaws were floating on either side of the figure. As he continued to walk towards them he put his spinning swords onto the metal flooring creating a shower of sparks as they trailed across.

Two of the ponies screamed a war cry as they charged at the figure, in that split second the swords instantly stopped spinning, pointed at the oncoming ponies, he hurled the swords at them like spears, driving the blades through the henchmen's heads killing them in an instant.

The figure yanked his blades out of the heads with his telekinetic hold, causing blood to splatter in multiple directions.

The cloaked figure quickly moved his head to the side dodging a laser shot at them from behind, he swiftly turned his head back seeing a unicorn behind him preparing for another shot, in that moment the figure vanished into thin air and reappeared right in front of the unicorn. He slashes his swords in a horizontal scissor cut, slicing the unicorn's head off his body, blood spurting out of his neck.

The leader watched in horror seeing him disappear and reappear in an instant like that, that was when he realized what he was doing.

"MEN DON'T BE FOOLED!! HE'S JUST TELEPORTING, ATTACK HIM ALL AT ONCE, DON'T GIVE HIM CHANCE TO CAST IT!!!!"

With that order the men felt a burst of confidence in the fact that they found his weakness, they all screamed and charged at him in an attempt to overwhelm him. As they closed in on him the cloaked figure prepped his swords into an offensive stance like he was about to charge.

His horn radiated brightly, before he started teleporting in front of several henchmen at blinding speed, slashing and killing each one he teleported by. He impaled his sword through the chest of a pony as he threw his other one at the head of another, he teleported in front of them and pulled his sword out of the skull with his telekinetic hold, preparing himself as more charged at him.

As he watched the carnage continue, The leader was shocked and horrified at what he was witnessing, it didn't look like he was teleporting, it looked like he was moving at the speed of sound.

"I don't understand what's happening?! I know that a unicorn needs a moment or two before he can cast a teleportation spell again, but this guy is casting it again and again at a rapid pace! What kind of freak is he!?".

That was when noticed that the numbers of his men had dwindled into the single digits and were decreasing fast, realizing the inevitable death he would face if he stayed, he immediately dashed off the boat and ran with everything he had.

Down to the last three ponies, the figure sweeped the legs of one them and plunged his sword down into their back, he then blocked the swing of a machete that came from the earth pony next to him. He bucked them a few feet away from him, and stabbed him the abdomen, he immediately teleported away from the thrust of a knife that was behind him, reappeared behind the unicorn who attempted to backstab him and did the same, driving both his swords through their chest and hurled their body from his blades.

Seeing the field of bodies around him, he sliced his swords through the air flinging off any blood on his blades. That was when he noticed that the leader had disappeared.

"Merda!" He muttered to himself.

The leader ran across the harbor as fast as he could. He was filled with terror at what he just saw, he didn't know who or what that was, all he knew was he needed to get out of there right now. He started to feel exhaustion that he ignored, his terror and adrenaline keeping him going, he saw the exit and headed straight for it.

He skidded to a halt as he saw a horrible sight between him and the exit. His second in command and the other ponies he sent were all lying on the ground dead, some them had slashes across their necks and barrels, some stabs wounds, others had blades sticking out of their bodies that looked like what he could only describe as metal feathers, standing in the center of them all was another cloaked figure.

Getting a good look at him he saw it wasn't the same one from earlier, he saw it was a pegasus on the account of those wings sprouting from his cloak. With his wings unfurled he got a decent look of his body revealed from the cloak.

He was a male, he could tell because of the well toned body he had, and his coat was a scarlet red color. With his wings unfurled he saw a row of blades sticking out across their span, each blade looked like a row of metal feathers, like the ones sticking out his men's bodies.

Knowing he'd have to get past him he pulled out his curved knife from his hind leg and screamed at the figure in a frightened but challenging tone

"THIS ISN'T OVER YOU HEAR ME!!! MY WHEN I TELL MY SUPERIORS WHAT'S HAPPENED HERE TONIGHT, YOU'RE DEAD YOU HEAR ME!!! DEEEEEAAA-"

*WOOSH*

*SLASH*

He didn't finish his sentence as the figure dashed past him at a speed that would make the wonderbolts look like foals. He turned around and saw the cloaked pegasus looking at him as he saw fresh blood on the blades in his wings.

He started to feel a liquid pouring down his neck and chest, he looked down and saw a bright red liquid dripping on the floor below him. That moment he realized it was his blood, pouring from a long slice across his neck. He started feeling dizzy, weak and disoriented as he fell to his side, the color of his eyes fading as he bled out.

The imprisoned ponies were trapped in a dark cellar below the deck, the pink mare holding the young colt in her arms trying to comfort him as they heard the screaming, squelching, splattering sounds from above.

She felt the colt grip her tighter, she looked and saw he was looking up at her, his eyes filled with tears and fright.

"Miss, I'm scared" He said In a whimpered tone. She felt the same way she didn't know what was going on up there, she didn't even know if they would die on this boat tonight. She tried not to think those thoughts as she held him tighter, making shushing sounds trying to comfort him, assuring him they'd be fine when she didn't even know if they would actually be, when the screams and carnage stopped.

Her and many others looked confused as they listened to the sudden silence coming from above, a few minutes went by, the pink mare becoming filled with fright as she heard a trotting sound from directly above them. She pulled the colt into a tight embrace as the trapdoor above them was suddenly slashed into three long pieces, ponies screaming at the sudden moment that just happened, the now broken pieces of the door fell off its hinges onto the floor, she had her eyes closed tight waiting for her final and agonizing moments to come.

Moment passed, she felt nothing, she started to hear sounds of confusion amongst her fellow ponies. Wondering what was happening she opened her eyes, and saw a bright beam of light, shining into the dark cellar. She saw many ponies looking up at the door with confused looks on their faces, the colt was looking as well, his eyes no longer frightened in fact she saw curiosity and awe. As she looked up to the door frame she felt just as confused as the others.

Standing outside of the frame was a tall and burly looking figure wrapped in a dark looking cloak. The moon was up above behind him giving her a bright view and a good detailed look at him. His cloak was a midnight blue color, small 4-point star patterns covered it making it look like the night sky. It was a griffin, she could tell by the lion tail, and hawk-like beak sticking out of the shadow of his hood. The thing she took note of was the gloves he was wearing, they had sharp metal talons at the end, making them look like dagger tipped claws.

The cloaked griffin stood there not moving or making a sound, making her and many others feel uneasy. Finally he brought the ladder to the door down allowing them to climb up.

"C'mon you're safe now." He spoke in a deep but somewhat young voice. He sounded sincere, but she didn't know if she could trust him. What did he mean they were safe? Where were the traffickers that locked them up? Why did she hear screaming up there? What did he do to them?

Several questions were flooding her head. She then noticed that while a lot felt cautious like she did, others immediately started to trot to the latter and start climbing up, as they climbed up the cloaked griffin moved to side of the door allowing then to pass.

Seeing that he wasn't going to kill them, she managed to gain enough courage to trot to the latter. She went before the colt due to still having suspicion on the griffins intentions. She climbed out of the door with the griffin standing right next to her, with how close she was to him she got a glimpse of his eyes in the shadow of his hood. They were a dark blue color like sapphire gems, and they had a blood red shade of feathers surrounding them. They showed no malicious intent, nor did he himself show any sign of doing so.

Knowing he wouldn't harm her, she stuck her hoof back into the door so the colt could reach for it. When she pulled him out of the cellar, she saw several ponies out on the deck, many were crying tears of joy, some of them hugging each other. She didn't see any of the traffickers, they had completely vanished, that same question she was thinking was lingering in her head again,

Where ar-

She didn't get to finish that thought as she felt something hug her hoof she looked down and saw the little colt giving her a tight hug, he had a joyful look on his face one full hope. She could only think of one thing at that moment, they were free, they could go home back to their lives. In that moment all the emotions she had buried started to pour out, as she returned the hug to the colt, tears streaming out her eyes.

When she finished her joyful hug she wiped her tears and let the colt go play with the other foals. She looked where the griffin was, and saw he had completely vanished. As she looked around for him, she noticed a stray cloth blowing from behind the bridge of the boat.

"Did you dispose of the bodies?" The cloaked pegasus asked.

"No one will ever see or hear from those figli di puttana again unless they dive into the bottom of the ocean." The cloaked unicorn responded.

They stood in front of the bridge of the boat, hidden from view of the civilians on the other side. The cloaked griffin appeared into the bridge and walked to the other two.

"Civilians are all safe and accounted for, some a little beaten but are able to get out on their own." He stated to them as the pegasus nodded in response.

"Then we should get outta here, we've done our part, We'll let the authorities handle the re-"

"You killed them did you?"

All three cloaked figures immediately turned their heads to see a pink unicorn mare with a yellow mane and tail that stood a few hooves away from them. She had a look of fear and sadness on her face.

"Those ponies who had kidnapped us are all dead, aren't they?" She asked in a bit of a terrified but sad tone, because the screaming and splattering sounds she heard earlier were all she needed to already know the answer, and while she was happy to be free, she wished that it wouldn't have had to come to that.

The pegasus slowly trotted over to her not saying a single word, she backed away feeling afraid, not knowing what he was gonna do to her, his unfurled wing out of his cloak. It had small blades, like a row of metal feathers sticking out of it, the real feathers however were a bright red color like scarlet. She backed away feeling terrified, when she saw him raise his wing over to strike her down. She closed in terror, believing he was about to kill her.

*SLASH!*

Opened her eyes in confusion, seeing the cloaked pegasus conceal his wing back in his cape, then she felt something drop from her head. She looked down and saw the inhibitor ring that was on her horn blocking her magic, was now on the floor sliced in two.

She looked up and saw the pegasus right in front of her, his eyes in full view, they were a blue color like the griffins but a much brighter sky blue. They looked at her with sincerity, and she felt comfort from them. He put his hoof on her shoulder and spoke to her in a soft and young male voice.

"Look, how ever we dealt with them doesn't matter, just know that they will never harm you or anyone else ever again.", she couldn't help but feel comfort by the kindness in his voice, it was like he was a mother putting their foal to sleep.

"Listen we've informed what's happening here to the equestrian royal guard, they're on their way right now. When that happens you can return home and go on with your life. Forget this night ever happened. Ok?"

How could he say that, despite how hard she'll try, she'll remember this night for as long as she lives, but despite that fact she nodded yes in answer to his question. He turned away from her and walked to the other 2.

"Phantom prep up the spell, we gotta go." He said to the unicorn.

"Yessir" He responded in a sarcastic tone. He spoke in an accent that she couldn't make out, she saw his horn start to glow a dark blue color, they both touched him as he prepped for what she realized was a teleportation spell. Feeling the need to say something she called out to them.

"Wait! I never got to say thank you!" The pegasus looked at her and she saw a small grin appear from the shadow of his hood.

"And you'll never need to." Was the last thing she heard him say before they teleported away vanishing, as Celestia's sun began to shine the horizon.

The Special Mission

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

The New Residents - Part 1

It was a beautiful morning in Ponyville. Celestia's sun shined bright, casting its warm light across the streets.

This morning, Twilight Sparkle, element of magic and the newest princess of Equestria, trotted across the streets on her way to sugarcube corner for some donuts and coffee. While Spike normally made breakfast in the morning, he was exhausted after having to spend last night cleaning a massive mess Twilight made involving tomatoes and a growth spell. It was working at first, but in her defense, she didn't know the spell was going to implode and make the tomato explode all over her lab. Nevertheless, Spike spent almost the whole night cleaning and didn't get much sleep. As an apology, she let him take the day off, so he was still asleep at the castle.

Twilight still found it hard to believe it had only been a few months since her ascension to alicornhood and crowned a princess, felt like it had been only a few weeks. Nothing really happened since then, for the past couple of months she's been doing the same thing she always has. Other than the new wings on her back and the unnecessary royal treatment she had been getting from the locals of ponyville, nothing had really changed, something she was happy for. She still had her friends at her side, and despite her new status, they don't see her any different.

Rainbow Dash had spent these past couple of months trying to teach Twilight how to fly with her new wings, something she'll admit has been tremendously difficult for her. Despite how long they've been practicing, she hasn't made much improvement. In fact, she can still barely keep herself airborne. Rainbow Dash hasn't been helping much either, her only advice being “Flap em harder!” which Twilight is ninety-five percent sure is the reason she hasn't made much progress. She hoped she could improve on her flying practice soon, for the summer celebration was only three days away and her part involved her flying.

Twilight was still excited about it this year. She had always loved watching Celestia do the summer sun celebration, but now she actually got to be a part of it at her mentor's side. With that exciting thought in her head, she trotted faster to the sugarcube corner bakery, eager to enjoy her breakfast and get started on her practice.

When she entered, she found her friend Pinkie Pie at the front counter giving out orders to customers. Pinkie pie was an earth pony mare with a bright pink coat, paired with a messy poofed up mane and tail of a much darker shade of pink, making it look a lot like Cotton candy. On her flank was a cutie mark of three balloons. When Pinkie saw Twilight with her bright blue eyes, she Gasped with joy.

“Good morning Twilight!” Pinkie shouted with joy at the sight of her friend.

“Morning Pinkie Pie, I just came to have some breakfast and coffee, so I'll take a box of donuts to go please.”

“Breakfast? I thought Spike always made you breakfast.”

“It's a long story that I don't really want to get into.”

“Okey Dokey, one box of donuts coming right up.”

Pinkie left the desk to make her order. As Twilight waited, she took notice of Mr. Cake sitting on a round table reading the morning paper. At the front page she saw a story that looked very Interesting, but before she could ask Mr. Cake about it, she heard a ding and the door behind her opened.

“Howdy sugarcube,” said a very recognizable voice. Twilight turned around and saw her friends Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash entering the bakery. Applejack had a light orange coat and blonde mane and tail, wearing her usual stenson hat. Rainbow Dash’s coat had a bright sky blue and a mane and tail adorned in the colors of the rainbow. And Rarity was a bright white mare with a beautiful purple mane and tail, which she kept well trimmed and cleaned.

“Good morning girls, how's your day going so far?”

“Pretty good, but I'm curious about what you're doing here so early,” Rainbow questioned with a smug look. “Did Spike finally burn what he made you?”

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity shouted at her. “How dare you insult my Spikey wikey’s cooking ability! I'll have you know, he can cook the finest pasta I've ever consumed!”

“Okay, jeez, I was just joking.”

“I gave him the day off today,” Twilight answered, “So I decided to come here for breakfast.”

Pinkie zoomed between everypony to interrupt the current conversation, holding two boxes of donuts. “Hey girls, you're just in time. I made enough for everypony.” Instead of questioning why Pinkie had made them donuts before they had even arrived, they took the boxes.

They found a large table to sit and started to dig into the donuts. they sat there for a while as they talked and laughed about the current things going on in their lives, Rarity talked about an edgy new dress she had commissioned for a customer, Applejack talked about how the old tools at her family's farm were cracking apart and that she wanted to replace them with sturdy new ones, Rainbow Dash talked to Twilight about the new moves she wanted to teach her that she believed might help her with her flying practice, which would only make her training more difficult.

Twilight wasn't listening though, as she saw Mr. Cake get up from his table with the newspaper in his hooves. As he trotted past her, she called out to him, “Excuse me, Mr Cake?” Mr. Cake stopped and turned his head to her. “I was wondering if you were done with that newspaper, the headline on it looked interesting?”

“Oh sure,” he replied, handing her the roll. “Knock yourself out, your highness.”

“Please, just Twilight.”

“Oh, I'm sorry, that's something I'm still getting used to. Anyway, my break's over so I'm heading back to the kitchen. Enjoy the story, I'm gonna warn you though, that headline is a little concerning.” With that, he trotted to the kitchen to get back to work. The rest of the girls were now curious due to Mr. Cake's comment, and decided to listen as she read the headline aloud.

Slave Trading Operation Busted

Innocent ponies rescued from slavery, fate of slave traders unknown

One week ago, the royal guard had received a distress call from an unknown voice about a trafficking operation happening on the equestrian docks near canterlot. The royal guard had hurried to the docks only to find that the civilians were already freed and none of the traffickers were to be found. Witnesses say that they had heard screaming from above the cellar they were locked in, most thinking it would be the end for them, only to find a hooded figure freeing them. As they came out, their kidnappers had vanished, as did the hooded figure who freed them. Many believe that the hooded figure killed them, one mare even claiming that she saw three cloaked figures, and believe that they had saved their lives. Could these figures be vigilantes or something else entirely?

-Mane Focus News

“Mr. Cake was right, this is disturbing.” Rainbow Dash said as Twilight finished reading.

“It's absolutely wretched!” Rarity spoke with disgust in her voice. “Whatever happened to those brutes, I hope it was as cruel as the situation they put those poor ponies under!”

“Ah personally think it's just some propaganda,” Applejack replied. “Ain't no way this could be true.”

“Oh, on the contrary Applejack, this was articled by Mane Focus News. They've been confirmed for always being one hundred percent true in their stories.”

Twilight was still holding the newspaper, looking at it with interest. “Personally, I find it hard to believe as well. But if this is real, these ponies should be found and tried.”

Her friends looked at her in confusion, the moment of silence broken by Rainbow Dash. “What are you talking about, Twilight? They saved those ponies; and if they did send those scumbags straight to the void, good riddance. They probably deserved whatever happened to them.”

“Rainbow, putting the law into your own hooves like that was bad enough, killing is out of the question. Those slave traders should've been arrested and put away where they can't harm anypony else, killing them makes you no better. For all we know, they could've been removing competition.”

“I've got ta agree with Twilight, Rainbow,” Applejack chimed in, “There are better ways to have dealt with em.”

Rainbow defended her opinion. “Why would they have let the ponies live if they weren't trying to help them? And remember when you all made Mare Do Well? She was a disguised pony who helped people.”

“We made her because you were getting over your head, these three are actively killing ponies because they think they're above the law.”

“Well, if villains like Chrysalis and Sombra have taught me anything, it's that some people can't be redeemed, and they knew that.” Rainbow Dash looked to Rarity who had been silent the whole argument. “What do you think, Rarity?”

“Personally, I hate the idea of shedding blood at all and would never wish that fate upon anyone. I don't know if they are an ally or not, nor do I really care. Justice has been served on the traffickers and those mysterious ponies might never appear again. The innocent ponies that were saved are back to their normal lives and that's where we should end it.”

“Yea, I suppose you're right Rarity,” Twilight said as she put the paper down on the table. “I think we're getting too sucked into this. Well, gotta head to the market. Fluttershy said she'd be going there this morning and she needed my help carrying some stuff.”

“Okay, I'm heading out for a mas- a nap. See you guys later!” Rainbow Dash declared as she zoomed out the door before anyone could ask questions.

Rarity ignored her suspicious sentence to give her reason to leave. “Okay… Well, Applejack and I are going to the spa for some relaxation, I've felt some wrinkles on my face and a mud bath would do wonders.”

“Okay then, I'll see you girls later,” Twilight said as she trotted out the door as well. Twilight walked to the desk where Pinkie still was and dropped some bits on the counter. “Thanks for the donuts, Pinkie, they were delicious.”

“You're welcome Twilight. Oooh, I almost forgot!”
Pinkie then pulled out a cup holder with two paper cups of coffee on them. “The second one is for Fluttershy, Caramel Macchiato, just how she likes it.” She gave a large grin stretched across her face.

“Uuh, thanks Pinkie.” Twilight took the cup holder with her telekinetic hold, And trotted out the door. Pinkie, now alone, continued to stand behind the counter as she waited for her next customer.

Rainbow Dash flew through the streets where several ponies were working, selling or just passing by. Many stopped to give a “Hey,” or “Hello,” upon seeing a familiar face, but she flew past them in a hurry.

Whew, that was so close, Rainbow thought to herself, I almost let it slip. Hope Rarity and the others don't get the same idea; I've had some tension in my wings that's been killing me. Rainbow Dash flew to the spa to have one of her “secret spa treatments” that she'd never tell her friends about, worried of how embarrassing it'd be if they saw her soft side. Maybe I'll have my wings preened, then I'll do a hooficure, followed by a soothing sauna bath. Such thoughts filled her with enthusiastic glee.

*BAM*

Lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice her sudden collision into a large figure who had their back to her, causing her to fall on her flank. “Oow,'' She groaned, rubbing her sore behind. Angry at having her nice thoughts interrupted, she instantly got up and shouted at the large figure before her, "Are you blind, you large oaf?! Why don't you watch where you're going you-”

Every ounce of anger she felt dissipated the instant they turned their face towards her, giving her a piercing glare that tore into her soul. “You got a death wish, mare?” He growled with a low, masculine voice. In all her life, Rainbow Dash had never felt as intimidated as she was at that moment.

He was a griffin, one who looked taller than Big Mac and twice as strong. His lion body was dark gray like ash, his feathers coal black with highlights of ruby red on the tips of his wings, a hawk-like beak that looked as sharp as a spear, and the same color of red accents around his sapphire blue eyes that gave her a terrifying glare that gave off that of a predator who had cornered his prey.

Rainbow Dash’s knees shaked and beads of sweat dripped off her forehead, she knew he could easily snap her in half if she said the wrong thing. She tried to calm herself, thinking she shouldn't try to judge a book by its cover. Just because he was a griffin, didn't mean he was like Gilda, he could be cool and is just having a bad day. To try and ease the situation, she let out a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of her head.

“Heeeeeey, sorry about that, my bad,” She said nervously, while putting her hoof on his shoulder. “I gotta ask, you're really large for a griffin, what's your diet?”

Rainbow Dash felt what little bit of calm she had left shattered, as she felt him grab hold of her head faster than she could act. “Looks like I was right about that death wish,” He growled as he lifted her off the ground.

Rainbow Dash was wrong; this book definitely had the right kind of cover. Her face was covered by his talons, making her unable to see past his claws. She let out muffled screams, she kicked and wiggled to get out of his grip, only for his grip to get tighter.

Suddenly, she heard a new voice, “Valr, what in Luna's name are you doing?!” She couldn't see who it was, but it sounded like a much younger stallion.

“Do you mind, I'm a bit busy here.”

“Are you crazy?! Put her down!”

“She started it.”

“I don't care who started it, I'll finish it! Put! Her! Down! You're making a scene!”

The griffin let out a scoff before releasing Rainbow’s head, dropping her hard on her flank again. Her vision was blurred from having her eyes held shut and could only see a blur of the griffin and her supposed rescuer. As her vision cleared, she saw the two of them arguing.

Her savior was a pony, his coat a much darker blue than her own and a blue mane that was so dark it almost looked black. Rainbow could see he was a unicorn, but he had other features she couldn't fully make out yet. As they argued, the unicorn spoke in an accent that she didn't recognize, almost sounding Hisponic.

“Signore aiutami, I can't leave you alone for two minutes! We haven't been here two hours, and you're already assaulting the locals!”

“She rammed into me and called me fat!”

“Well, maybe she's got a point, you could use a few more salads!”

“What did you say?!”

“Rainbow Dash, wha’ in the hay is happening over here!?” The blurriness in her vision instantly disappeared when she heard that country voice. She turned her head behind her to see Applejack and Rarity running to where she was. She dashed over to them faster than any speed she had done in her life and hid behind Applejack.

“Applejack, you gotta save me! That crazy griffon just tried to kill me!” Rainbow Dash screamed as she pointed her shaking hoof over to the griffin. While confused, Applejack looked to where she was pointing and saw two figures looking at them. The griffin Dash was afraid of was huge, easily taller than her brother, and just as burly. The unicorn next to him however, while much smaller, was a complete shock in appearance.

He had an average, but fit build for a unicorn. His coat was blue with a much darker shade for his mane and tail, which were not very long, but were shaggy. He wore what looked like a medallion on his neck, a simple chain with a beautiful silver pendant shaped like a circle with a waning crescent moon and a four point star engraved on it. His cutie mark was a sword and shield with a four-point star at the center of the shield. But the thing that caught her attention most were his tufts of fur sticking out the top of his ears and slit eyes that shined like bright gold. His eyes looked more predator than pony, and the two fangs poking out of his upper lip further implied he wasn't normal.

With a heavy sigh, he trotted past the griffin to the three confused mares. “I am so sorry about this,” he apologized in an unusual accent that didn't sound equestrian at all. “My griffin friend, Valr here, is not what you call a ‘people person’. And he still needs a few lessons in manners!” Valr responded to his friend's complaint by giving an intense stare and flipping him the bird.

“Anyway, where are my manners? Caio, my name is Night Stalker.” He brought his hoof up to exchange greetings. “I believe I didn't get your names, miss…?”

“Rarity!” Rarity shouted before Applejack could speak, trotting past her to eagerly shake his hoof. “My name is Rarity. These are my friends, Applejack and Rainbow Dash. It is quite nice to meet your acquaintance.”

Night Stalker took Rarity’s hoof and gave it a soft kiss. “A pleasure, Mia Signora.” His voice charmed Rarity into a flustered giggle through reddened cheeks, her legs feeling like jelly before the charmer.

“Oh brother, every time,” Valr whispered with obvious disgust.

Applejack continued to look at the unicorn stallion, confused about what was with his fangs and eyes. He looked just like those terrifying night guards that Luna brought with her on Nightmare Night; was he a part of her guard? Surely he's related to them in some way? He must have realized what she was thinking, as he took notice of her staring.

“I imagine you are confused about my appearance. I apologize if I frighten you.”

Once again, Applejack was interrupted before she could say anything as Rainbow Dash blurted out, “Yea, are you some kind of vampire or something?!”

Night Stalker seemed unamused at her question. “No, I am not a vampire; I am a Vesper.”
He said in a deadpan tone.

“A what?”

Stalker let out a deep sigh and put his hoof on his face. “‘Vesper’. We're a species of pony from an island north of the Lunar Ocean. We're what you equestrians refer to as, ‘Bat-ponies’.”

Applejack finally got her turn to speak and questioned them, “Alrighty, what brings a… Vesper and Griffin like yourselves to a small town like Ponyville? I ain't ever seen either of y’all here before.”

“Actually, You can call us its newest residents. I had been wanting to open a blacksmith shop for a long time, so after leaving my home and coming to equestria, Princess Celestia herself gave me a deed for property here in Ponyville. A shop that'll be run by me, Valr, and another colleague of ours who's currently at the city hall getting us the deed.”

“your new residents?” Rarity spoke excitedly, “Well, it is an absolute pleasure to have you here. If you ever have any questions, be sure to tell us. And if you are ever in need of a new suit or a patch job, I own the carousel boutique down the street.”

“Thank you Miss Rarity, I'll be sure to stop by. But right now, I'm afraid we must depart. We planned on going to the local cafe here for breakfast and later meet up with our colleague. It was a pleasure meeting you three, and I hope we meet again soon.” He then turned away from the three mares and walked off, waving at Valr to follow, who promptly did.

“Yea, you better run!” Rainbow Dash shouted at Valr. The goliath griffin stopped and turned his head towards them, giving another terrifying glare. Rainbow Dash yelped and ducked behind Applejack again, much to her annoyance.

“That's what I thought,” Valr grumbled. With that said, he walked behind Night Stalker, making their way to the diner.

“Farewell!” Rarity shouted to them before turning to her friends. “Well, let’s find Twilight and Fluttershy, shall we?” She trotted past them with an extra gallop in her step, a wide smile on her face. Applejack and Rainbow each gave a raised eyebrow at each other, fully aware she had it hard for that stallion.

Twilight and Fluttershy were walking out of the pet store carrying several bags. Fluttershy was a butterscotch colored Pegasus with a long pink mane and tail, the lock of her mane draped over one of her teal blue eyes. Her cutie mark was a trio of blue and pink butterflies.

“Thank you Twilight,” She said in a small voice, “I always try to keep myself stocked on food for the little creatures, but sometimes I get a little carried away.”

Twilight held ten twelve pound bags in her telekinetic hold, which felt hard to carry even with her magic. A little carried away, huh?

“So how are your flight lessons with Dash going, any improvement?”

“No,” Twilight sighed, “I'm still at hover level right now, not to mention Rainbow Dash's ‘lessons’ have basically been her saying the same thing again and again.”

“Well, Dash is a hard mare to understand, but there's no pegasus I trust more to teach you. She'll have you flying in no time, you'll see.”

“I'm sure she will Fluttershy, but at the moment, I don't have the time. The Summer Sun Celebration is only three days away, and I still can't do the part Celestia gave me. This is the first time she's able to celebrate with her sister, I need to be able to do this, or I might let her down.”

“I'm sure you'll do just fine. Me and the girls have seen your part, it looks simple enough that even I could do it. You won't let the princess down, I promise.” She gave Twilight a warm smile that could brighten anypony’s mood; she couldn't help but smile back.

“Thanks Fluttershy. Who knows, maybe things will be just fiiii…!”

Before Twilight could finish her sentence, she was startled by a lone quesadilla left on the ground, sending her stumbling backwards a few feet away from Fluttershy and landing on her back. The moment she hit the ground, Twilight lost concentration of her spell, sending the bags a few feet above Fluttershy to fall. Fluttershy shrieked and covered her head, curling into a ball to brace herself.

But before Twilight could redo her spell, a red blur swooped past her, snatching Fluttershy before the bags landed with a loud thud. She had never seen anything move that fast, In fact, she didn't know if Rainbow Dash could move like that. She quickly got back to her hooves and saw Fluttershy next to a stallion she didn't recognize.

Fluttershy expected to be crushed by her own groceries, instead feeling only a harsh breeze and hearing a loud thud. As she confusedly opened her eyes, she noticed she was in the forearms of a stallion, one she had never met before. He was a bright red pegasus with a lean but strong build. His mane and tail were shaggy, a yellow and orange color that looked like bright flames. His cutie mark was a roaring comet soaring across his flank. He looked at her with blue eyes as bright as the sky.

“That was close, are you okay?” he asked calmly.

Fluttershy instantly regained her thoughts when he spoke. As soon as she realized she was still in his arms, her face turned redder than his coat and instantly pulled herself out of his embrace. “Ye-yes, I'm okay. T-thank you,” she answered quietly.

“Fluttershy! Thank Faust you're okay, I'm so sorry!” Twilight yelled as she put Fluttershy in her embrace next.

“I-It's okay Twilight, you didn't see it.” Fluttershy tried her best to look away from the stallion while keeping her face hidden in her mane.

“I should've though. If I wasn't so put off by them, I wouldn't have lost focus.” Twilight turned to the stallion, “Thank you dearly, if you hadn't swooped in, she would've been hurt.”

“No problem, just glad I could help,” he replied politely, giving a kind grin to ease the tension.

“Wait, I don't think I've ever seen you here before. Are you new in town, mister…?”

“Ah, where are my manners?” He brought his hoof out to Twilight and Fluttershy. “My name is Scarlet, Scarlet Blaze.”

The New Residents - Part 2

Night Stalker and Valr had made it to the cafe, standing at the door entrance as they pondered their next move. The two story restaurant was mostly navy blue and bright yellow, with spots and stripes of white. Above the door was a picture of a shooting star with a horseshoe in its center, shrubs and flowers decorating from the sides and a large smooth stone tile leading to the door.

“Is this the place?” Valr asked Night Stalker.

“They said he would meet us here,” Stalker answered, “Apparently it's been his favorite spot while he's been here.”

“I still don't get why it had to be him of all ponies. They couldn't have picked someone else to gather intelligence on the elements? I would've taken a dragon over him,”

“I understand how you feel, Valr, but he was the only member at the time that was close enough to Ponyville.”

“I don't know why they accepted him in the first place. He gave no information on himself when he first joined, he never follows orders, and he always causes more harm than good on his missions. He doesn't even give a damn about the cause, he's a psychopath with a bloodlust.”

“Look, let's get what we need from him, then we'll meet Scarlet at the property. And please try to keep your temper in check. The last thing we need is you making a scene like earlier.”

Before Valr could make a retort, Night Stalker went ahead and opened the door. Valr made an annoyed groan and followed him in.

The cafe was nice and homey, had a row of tables that sat directly in front of the windows, giving a clear view of the ponyville streets. At the center was a bar counter with stool seats where a few ponies were ordering coffees and breakfast. At the front door where the two stood was a front counter where a young mare stood waiting for ponies to enter and order.

“Hello, welcome to Lucky Star Cafe. Table for two?”

“Afraid not, Signora,” Night Stalker answered, “We're actually looking for somepony; Earth pony, stallion, wears a black stetson hat?”

“Ooh him. Yea, He's been coming here for the past few days. Very mysterious, but quite charming. You'll find him at the table on the far corner, by the window.”

“Gracie,” Stalker gave her a small bow before he and Valr went to where their informant was sitting.

They found him at a table at the far end of the cafe, drinking coffee and eating apple pie. He was an earth pony with a brown gold coat and medium red mane, wearing a pure black pinch front stetson hat, a belt filled with knives, a brown leather glove on his left hoof, and two brown satchels on his hip holding dual silver colt forty five revolvers, also called "peacemakers". What disgusted them was the fate of the cloak given to him, still midnight blue with a span of stars, but fashioned into a poncho that hid most of his knives. He took a big bite of his pie and quietly moaned with enjoyment as he wiped the crumbs off his beard with a napkin, not noticing the two figures who walked to his table.

Night Stalker and Valr raised their eyebrows at each other before Night Stalker cleared his throat. “Trigger Happy?”

Trigger Happy opened his eyes and turned his head to them, staring with gray irises so dark they were almost black. His face was still stuffed before taking a large gulp and swallowing his pie. “Who's askin?” he said with a heavy country accent.

Night Stalker grabbed the medallion on his neck and showed him the symbol engraved on it, the symbol of the Brotherhood.

“Ah, so you're Night Streaker, Codenamed: Phantom.”

Night Stalker’s eye twitched at his statement. “Night Stalker, it was one time!”

“So I've heard. Meaning the big clucker here must be Valr?”

Night Stalker looked and saw what was quite possibly the biggest vein he'd ever seen bulge on Valr’s head.

“Call me that again and I'll wring your neck!” Valr growled.

The two looked at each other for a few moments before Trigger Happy broke the silence with a humorous laughter. It caught the attention of the ponies near them, but wasn't loud enough to attract the whole cafe. Trigger's humor towards a death threat left Night Stalker and Valr a little uneasy. When the cowboy stopped laughing he pointed to the seats opposite of the table and said, “Please, have a seat.”

Night Stalker and Valr took their seats and sat down. They sat face to face before Happy crossed his forearms and looked at them. “I feel mighty bad enjoying mah food here with nothing for y'all. Hows about I getcha a meal, on me?”

“Thanks, but we'll pass. Let's get to why we're here. Do you have what we need?” Night Stalker questioned.

“Eh, suit yerself. I got more than what ya need.”
From his left, he pulled out five files and laid them on the table. “Didn't get anything on the princess, reckon her royal tallness probably told y'all what you needed to know ‘bout her. You'da been shocked how easy it was to get info on the others though. They're so oblivious to the potential danger they could be in, all I had to do was ask around, guess everypony here seems to know em well."

They didn't find that as amusing as he did. If anything, it made their job more difficult, because that meant they could be more open to enemies. Not to mention that they didn't really get any info on the princess, Scarlet knew some things such as her leading the group, not that he bothered to share with them before they got here. But nevertheless, they took the files and started to read the first two. In them were two photos, both mares, one a pink earth pony and the other a buttery yellow pegasus.

“That one is Pinkamena Diane Pie, but if ya don't want ta constantly spout that ten bit name, call her Pinkie Pie. She's known as the Element of Laughter, lives and works at the local bakery down the street. She's well known fer making a party everywhere she goes, and has a tooth sweeter than the very pastries she makes. In my opinion, she's the most annoying creature I have ever met in my life, and barely managed to escape from one of her cheesy musical numbers.” Trigger Happy almost shuddered at the faint memory he had of it.

“The other one is Fluttershy, Element of Kindness. She lives in the outskirts of Ponyville, in a cottage by the everfree forest. She's a caretaker of the local wildlife, always willing to lend a hoof to any critters who need some help. Unfortunately, whilst she's as kind as a filly, she's also as innocent and timid as one too. Heh, the mare's so scared of everything that just saying hello to her makes her freeze in place. One would think she'd be an easy target, but word around town says one a her critter friends is a large bear, and she's won a staring contest with a cockatrice, so don't think she's helpless.”

Staring into the eyes of a monster who's gaze turns you to stone and surviving sounded like a fairytale to them, but they silently decided to take his word for it. Night Stalker then moved on to the other three, and he and Valr’s eyes widened the second they saw the next three photos. “Hang on a minute, we know these three!” Stalker exclaimed.

“Wha?”

“Yeah, we met these mares on our way here. I had to stop Valr from crushing the blue signora’s skull.” Stalker gave Valr an annoyed side eye, but nothing compared to the evil eye Trigger was giving him.

“Ya mean to tell me you almost failed the mission before it started?...Don't know what I expected from a griffin.”

Trigger Happy silently whispered that last part, but Stalker's highly sensitive ears heard every word. While he was a little offended by that statement, mostly for Valr's sake, he knew they had a job to do, so he took the files and started to get up from his seat.

“You got something you'd like to say to me?” Valr growled. “Obviously, since you wanted to spout it under your breath. Let's hear it.”

Merda! He must've caught on, Stalker thought to himself. He knew they needed to leave right now before Valr did something stupid. “Look, we got what we came for,” Stalker exclaimed, “We should leave now, and meet Scarlet at the property.” He turned to Trigger, who had his hooves crossed and a smirk on his face. “Thanks for your help, we'll be going now.”

As Stalker got up from the table, Valr continued to sit, giving Happy a very intense glare. The cowboy returned the glare back, showing no sign of intimidation by Valr's apparent challenge.

“Valr, c'mon, let's go. We have more important things to do right now.”

“He's right, Clucker,” Trigger happy said as calm as can be. “Why don't cha walk away, before ya make a decision you might regret.” Night Stalker saw Trigger's hooves resting on the grips of his holstered guns; he was waiting for Valr to make his final mistake.

Valr’s talons were digging into the table and leaving the wood ready to snap within his grip. Trigger Happy kept himself relaxed but ready, waiting to see if this griffin had the balls. The anxiety in Stalker was steadily growing as the tension started to become so thick he could barely breathe, readying his horn for a spell should manure hit the fan. After a few seconds that went by in slow motion, Valr closed his eyes, let out a deep breath, and unclenched his talons, leaving holes in the table. He slowly rose from his seat and proceeded to follow Stalker’s lead, not uttering a single word.

As they left, Trigger Happy took his hooves off his peacemakers and on the table, his amused smile still plastered on his face as he watched them exit the cafe. “Excuse me, would you like a refill?”

Trigger Happy turned his head to see the sweet waitress at his table, holding a pot of coffee with her magic. “Why yes, please,” he answered in a very different, gentle tone. He grabbed his coffee mug and held it out for her, giving a quite welcoming smile.

She gave a warm smile in turn and poured him a fresh batch. “How's your pie?”

“It is delicous.”

“Scarlet Blaze, that's a really nice name.” A fitting one as well, Twilight thought to herself as she looked to his bright red coat and fiery mane. She walked closer to him and proceeded to shake his hoof. “It's nice to meet you, my name is—”

“Oh, there's no need to tell me your name. Princess Twilight Sparkle, right?”

“Oh… yes, how did you…?”

“Your wings kinda give you away, your highness. Not just any unicorn comes with those.”

“Oh, right.” Twilight felt a little stupid she forgot how much of a dead giveaway her new wings were.

Scarlet looked in Fluttershy’s direction, who was trying to hide herself in her mane and avoid eye contact. Twilight might have been crazy, but she could have sworn she saw Fluttershy blushing. “Anyway, I'm happy I could help, miss…?”

“F-F-Fluttershy,” She squeaked, still avoiding his gaze.

“Hey, I've never seen you here before. What brings you to Ponyville?” Twilight asked curiously.

“I just moved in actually. Some friends of mine had bought some land here, we plan to open a forge. In fact, I just got back from the mayor's office to get the deed.”

He then used his wing to pull out a parchment from the saddlebag he wore. On it was a document of purchased land property, approved by Mayor Mare.

“Oh, that's wonderful! My friend Applejack told me she needed new farm tools, plus new residents In Ponyville are always welcome. I hope you and your friends enjoy it here.”

“Heh, thank you kindly. If you ever care to stop by, or if ever you need something, our property is on that acre of land,” Scarlet pointed his hoof to a hill in the distance, “on the outskirts of the town, near the Everfree forest and that apple orchard.”

“Really? I didn't know there was available property out there.”

“Well… not till recently. We bought the land and we've built a forge and shop on it. Now that we're here, we'll be adjusting ourselves to the new place and hopefully open very soon.”

“Wow. I will say, I'm amazed it was built there in such a short time, without anypony noticing too. How were you able to get it built so quickly?”

“Let's just say, we had some help.”

“Oh… I see. Well, it was nice meeting you. Me and Fluttershy have to take these bags to her cottage; in fact, it's pretty close to where you said your home is. Maybe afterwards we can stop by, maybe get a tour of the place.”

“I'll be sure to tell the others we might get visitors. I should've met up with them by now, so I better get going. It was nice meeting you, your highness.”

“Likewise. And please, just Twilight is fine.”

Scarlet gave a smile and nodded. He then turned to Fluttershy, “And you as well, miss Fluttershy.” Fluttershy’s mouth said, “thank you,” but her voice was too quiet to be heard. Scarlet turned away from them and opened his wings, shooting up into the clouds and quickly vanishing from their sights.

“Wow, “ Twilight said, amazed. “Rainbow Dash should meet him, he might actually be able to give her a challenge. Quite an interesting stallion, huh Fluttershy?” Hearing no response, Twilight turned her head to the direction of her friend. “Fluttershy?”

Twilight saw her stare out in the direction he flew to, looking as though she was stuck in a trance, her eyes filled with what seemed to be awe and fascination. “Y-Yea, he is,” She whispered very quietly.

“Fluttershy?”

“EEEP!” Fluttershy snapped from her apparent trance in a squeak, her cheeks flushed redder than Scarlet.

“You okay?”

“YesImfinecmonweneedtogetthesebagstothecottage!” Fluttershy quickly grabbed a couple grocery bags and flew away, trying to get her face out of Twilight's view.

Twilight grabbed the rest of the heavy bags with her magic, looking at her disappearing friend with confusion. “O-kay.” Nevertheless, Twilight followed Fluttershy as they continued their trip.

“THE FUCKING NERVE!”

*CRACK*

The sound of Valr's clenched talon driving itself into a tree echoed several feet across the outskirts of ponyville, startling dozens of birds from their homes that flew in all directions. Valr's fist stayed in the tree, its bark heavily fractured with splinters splayed throughout the grass all around.

“Who does that self-centered, racist hillbilly of a mule think he is?! If I ever see him again, I'll drive my talons through his fucking chest!” Valr yelled in rage as he pulled his talons out of the now crooked tree. Night Stalker stood not too far away from Valr, holding the files with his horn.

“I don't know why you're still dwelling on it?” Stalker argued, “We got what we needed, and you didn't start a fight. I'd call that a win.”

“That's easy for you to say, you're not the one who had racial slurs spouted at him!”

“No, but I heard every word. I didn't like it as much as you did, but unlike you, I can actually keep a level head when the situation demands It!”

“What is with this high and mighty attitude?! I'm your superior, dammit!”

“Yeah, well you sure don't act like it! I'm pretty sure a colt can be more level headed than you!”

“The way I see it, experience outranks everything; Something Valr is several years ahead of you on.”

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Valr was distracted from his urge to strangle Night Stalker then and there. Both turned to their third comrade, seeing Scarlet hovering above them before descending down to land.

“You took your sweet time, don't tell me you're slowing down on us?” Valr asked.

Scarlet didn't even try to acknowledge Valr’s snarky remark as he pulled out the parchment. “I got a little side tracked, ran into the princess and one of her friends on my way from the mayor's office.” Scarlet saw the tilting tree behind Valr, as well as the massive dent near the trunk. “So I take it went well?”

“About as well as you'd expect when meeting that jackass, but at least we got what we needed.” Valr’s tone showed he was still bitter about what he said.

“Good. I think we should head to our new home now, they'll want a report on our progress.”

All nodding in agreement, they made their way to the fields at the outskirts of ponyville,their new land waiting for them.

The new premise was surrounded by five acres of open field, far enough from town to avoid curious eyes, making it perfect for training. At the center was a small two story cabin that would act as their shop and living quarters, the blacksmith hut standing right next to it. The three could see inside the hut as they walked past, set up inside with an anvil, grindstone, and a large column of stones in a circle forming the forge, complete with an air bellow.

They opened the front door to a mostly empty room, not much inside cept their belongings. The bottom floor they stood in had a counter to welcome customers, along with a large rack behind where they would display their crafts before purchasing. Seeing everything in order, they made their way up the stairs to the second floor. It took its role as their living quarters with three beds put in different directions, paired with an individual chest for each of them. Scarlet took off his saddle bag and tossed it onto his bed, meaning they had officially unpacked, so they made their way back down the stairs.

Back in the shop, Scarlet, Valr and Night Stalker met in the center of the room. “Do you have it?” Scarlet asked as he looked at Night Stalker.

Stalker’s horn cast a blue glow as his magic grabbed a black crystal ball from a leather bag. “Never leave home without it,” he said in a joking tone.

“Good, give it here.” Night Stalker placed it in Scarlet's forehooves, who held it up and closed his eyes. “Vocare…”

As the ominous chant echoed across the room, the crystal began to violently shake and rattle, floating from Scarlet's forehoof with a deep blue glow. Wisps of magic seeped out and grew, larger and larger until it molded around the orb, forming a figure draped in a cloak who floated amongst the three.

“Master,” All three said in unison as they took a bow.

“Since you've used the scrying crystal, I take it you have a report?” The hooded master said, his astral voice echoing across the room.

“Yes Master,” Scarlet replied, “The new property Mentor Shadow’s soldiers built is in perfect working order, and we have fully established ourselves in Ponyville.”

“Good. Now remember, this task was issued by the Grandmaster and Princess Celestia themselves, meaning it is of dire importance. Just after the Element of Magic ascended to alicorn-hood, Celestia’s oracle foresaw that her protege and the other elements were exposed to a great danger. Your objective is using this workshop as a front while keeping the elements safe from harm, but make sure none of you are caught. The change from civilian to royalty is stressful enough on the new princess, and Celestia doesn't want to add more panic. I will warn you, the mission will take time, months probably, but it will only be till we can confirm her fears and neutralize them.”

“Of course, we will do everything we can.”

“Master Verdict!” Night Stalker blurted out, gaining the hooded pony’s attention. “I understand Blaze's use and even Valr's, But why did the Grandmaster send me for this? As thankful as I am to be chosen, I find it hard to believe I was a wise choice for this matter. Couldn't I have stayed at the bureau while you sent someone more capable for this; maybe Flash Freeze, or Scarlet Moonlight… even that prick, Trigger Happy?”

Underneath the shadow of his hood, Verdict's mouth scrunched as he pondered Night's question. “I do not know his intentions, but I can make a thesis. Despite your immaturity and youthful recklessness, you show your father's compassion, and are pious to the Crescent Moon’s cause. Your skill in combat and potential for magic, it is as prodigious as the Grandmaster's was, and I believe he has seen that potential as well. Your father has much faith in choosing you, and I hope you share that same faith in your father's decision.”

Night Stalker couldn't think of a reply to Verdict's speech; he could hardly tell, but it seemed more personal than he normally speaks. Whether personal or logical, it gave him the determination to succeed. His father had trusted him with this, and he wouldn't disappoint him.

“Th..thank you, Master, I won't fail you.”

“Good, I wish you three luck. Try to gain as much trust from the elements as you can, the closer you are to them, the easier your task will be. And remember: In the dark of the night…”

“…We shine brightest.” The three replied in unison.

With that, Verdict's astral projection dissipated and the dark blue orb returned to a pure black, lowering itself onto the table and resting at the center.

“Yea, important task,” Valr commented annoyingly, “While others are out reducing the number of scum in the world, we're stuck here foalsitting.”

“Get over it Valr,” Scarlet replied, “The brotherhood gave us an order and we need to follow it.”

“Okay, sure. But c'mon, we just got here! it will take us ages to actually earn their trust, let alone friendship! And I'll be the first to admit, after what I did earlier, It's unlikely they'll just invite us over to their place on the first day!”

Right at that moment, something dropped from the mail slot on their door. The trio immediately looked to see a pink envelope sealed with a balloon sticker. Valr curiously picked it up and used his talon as a letter opener to open it. Inside was a card, the kind used for celebrations, prompting Valr to see what it said.

*POOF*

“URGH!” Valr yelled as pink glitter erupted from the card onto his face, before blurting out a very unattractive word in irritance.

“Pphh… ahahahaha!!!” Night Stalker couldn't help but laugh at Valr, while Scarlet tried his damndest to not snicker.

Valr, with his eyes tightly shut, handed the card to Scarlet, obviously not happy with having glitter all over his face. “From the element of laughter, I'm assuming?” As he grabbed a rag from one of the counters to wipe his face, Scarlet read from the card:

Hi, new neighbors!!! I'm sorry I didn't get to welcome you earlier, I was busy on my shift, but Twilight told me where you guys live, so I brought you an extra-awesome-super-pink-glitter-surprise!!! And to invite you to the Golden Oak Library so I could welcome you personally! I also want to ask what kind of sweets and cake you like for future surprises! See you theeeere!!
~ Pinkie Pie

“Heh, you were saying?” Valr looked at his colleagues and saw them sharing the same smirk.

“It'd be rude not to make an appearance,” Stalker exclaimed quite smugly.

“Oh, no,” Valr said with dread in his chest. This was going to be a looong night.

Author's Note

🎵FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FOREVER, I FINISHED A DAMN CHAPTER🎵

Sorry this one took ages, my editor had some stuff he was doing so he took his sweet time with this one😑.

I hope you liked Trigger Happy, an OC made by my editor and co-writer Rust Phantom that he made just for this story, and this won't be the last we hear of him.

The New Residents - Part 3

Scarlet, Night Stalker, and Valr had arrived at the location addressed in the welcome letter. The Golden Oak Library had truly earned its name, a huge building built inside a massive oak tree. It was easily one of the biggest buildings in ponyville, and across town from the city hall. It was late in the evening, Luna's moon high on the horizon and the beautiful blue night sky above. It didn't look like a single soul was out right now. The town looked practically barren. It almost made the trio uneasy.

“Where do you think everypony is right now?”
Night Stalker asked.

“Probably asleep,” Scarlet answered, “It is late after all.”

“Yeah, okay, that actually makes sense. I forget Vespers have a lot less daylight hours then Equestrians do, some even calling us nocturnal creatures. The extra daytime might've been the hardest to get used to when I first came here?”

“Which is why I wanted to sleep when it was dark,” Valr commented in an annoyed tone, “Why did you drag me to this party?”

“Because The faster we earn their trust, the easier our job gets; And that means, all of us introduce ourselves.” Valr groans in annoyance, but he couldn't argue with Scarlet's logic. “Besides, it won't be that bad, Valr. It's late, so they're probably tired too, and we can leave early.”

Scarlet turns to look at Valr as he slowly opens the door. “Besides, this late, it's unlikely they invited the whole town.”

“SURPRISE!!!”

Startled by the loud mix of voices and bright flash of light, The trio looked with their eyes widened, as it seemed all six elements of harmony, and just about every pony in town, was in the library. The tables were filled with sweet treats and drinks, confetti was all over the place, and there was a giant banner stretched across the hall that spelled…

WELCOME TO PONYVILLE

NEW RESIDENTS!!!

Valr turned his head to Scarlet, giving him a glare that screamed, I'm gonna kill you later. Scarlet looked at him and nervously chuckled, “My bad.”

“Hiiii!!!”

All three were startled by a pink earth pony mare their files identified as Pinkie Pie, who appeared out of nowhere in front of them, giving them a wide and eager grin. “Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie! I’m the one who organized this party for you! Did you get my surprise?! What are your names?! Do You Like games?! What are your favorite swe-”

The three barely understood a word she was saying, as she was asking too many questions too fast. Scarlet and Night had no idea what she was saying but they tried to stay polite regardless, meanwhile Valr’s eye twitched as his head looked like it was gonna explode.

While Pinkie continued spouting sentences at the pace of an auctioneer, two mares came up to them, who Scarlet was the first to recognize as Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy. “Okay Pinkie,” Twilight remarked, "You should calm down a little, I think their brains are about to have a crashout.”

“Oh, okay.” She then spoke in a slightly softened voice as she chattingly said, “Sorry, I get a little carried away whenever we get new guests or visitors, and as soon as I heard about you guys, I just couldn't help but to welcome our new neighbors.”

“You're fine. I just wasn't expecting a big party, that's all,” Scarlet replied. He looked towards Twilight and raised out his hoof to her. “It's nice to see you again, Twilight.”

She eagerly took it and rejoiced, “Same to you as well. I'm sorry about the sudden surprise, but the second I told Pinkie Pie, she–” Pinkie put her head between them and blew a party horn that shot out confetti. She looked towards Scarlet with an ecstatic smile while Twilight gave a slightly awkward one, “Wouldn't take no for an answer.”

Fluttershy flew inches from the ground next to Scarlet, her face bright red as she had a small box in her hooves. She raised it and handed it to him, which left him feeling a bit confused. “What’s… this?”

“I... w-wanted you to have this... as a t-thank you for earlier.” Her voice was barely louder than a whisper, and she looked away from his direction.

He reluctantly took the box, eyeing it with uncertainty. “Wow… thanks.” He gave her a small grin as he tucked it under his wing. “I look forward to opening it.”

Fluttershy gave a small grin herself, happy he liked it. “You're welcome. I can't wait to see what you think.” She spoke up more clearly this time.

Night Stalker and Valr watched their interaction with confusion, when did he meet this mare? Night saw it all over her face she was into him and he didn't even realize it, actually making him irritated at his obliviousness. This mare was a natural beauty you don't see everywhere you look, not to mention her adorably shy personality and kind demeanor. If Scarlet let her get away, he just might kill him.

Night cleared his throat, getting the attention of the three signoras and his friend. “Oh, of course. Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie, these are my friends and coworkers. The griffin here is Valr, and this-”

Before Scarlet could finish talking, Night Stalker had walked next to him to personally address himself. “Caio, I'm—”

“A VAMPIRE!” Pinkie Pie shouted as she pulled a random clove of garlic from her mane and threw it at Night, making it bounce off his chest. The stallion stood confused and aghast, staring at the root vegetable while Valr started chuckling at his expense. He changed his gaze towards the pink mare who was now holding a cross and a flask with “holy water” written on it, which left Night Stalker peeved.

“Oh, for the love of Luna! I'm not a vampire! I'm—”

*Poof*

“A VESPER!”

Once again, Night Stalker was unable to finish his sentence as he was startled by Twilight suddenly teleporting right in front of him, almost making him fall on his flank. She gave a wide eager grin that, based on their expressions, Pinkie and Fluttershy knew all too well. “Uhh… yeah, that.”

“A what?” Fluttershy questioned.

Twilight eagerly turned her head to them, “A Vesper; They’re a species of bat-like ponies native to the nation of Terra D'ombra, an island in the Northern lunar Ocean. Luna told me they were followers of her’s a thousand years ago. After we freed her from Nightmare Moon, dozens of Vespers came to equestria to offer their service to her; in fact, that's how her lunar guard was formed. I've been meaning to talk to one for a while but never had the time, and now there's one right in front of me!”

She levitated a quill and paper towards her, eagerly dipping the quill in ink with sparkles in her eyes and an ear to ear smile, “Hi, I'm Twilight Sparkle. Is it okay if I ask you a few thousand questions about Vesperian culture?”

“Uuh… well, I—” Night didn't know how to respond. He was caught off guard by this mare's curiosity of his homeland, and immediately put him in a difficult situation.

“Alright, Sugarcube,” came another mare from the crowd Night recognized as Applejack, “Maybe we oughta let them have fun first? It's a bit rude putting him on the spot like this.”

“But Applejack, there's a real Vesper in front of me! I've been waiting for so long to—”

“You can ask him after we've all had fun. Cmon, let's go get some punch.”

“Ooh fine,” Twilight pouted before walking with Applejack and the others to get refreshments.

“Heh, well that was unusual.” Night posited as he eyed the purple unicorn.

“I know that look, Stalker,” Scarlet said to him.
“You better be careful; you know who that was, right?”

“My next conquest?” Stalker gave his friend a raised eyebrow and smug smile, which unamused him.

“Hmm, I don't think so, Stalker. That was Twilight Sparkle herself, the new Equestrian princess, and the Element of Magic.”

Night's smug expression changed to disbelief and surprise. “Wait, she's the new royal?” He looked back to Twilight and took a closer inspection, this time noticing the wings on her sides.

“Yup, she leads the elements that protect Equestria and now she is one of its rulers. That mare is as powerful as a student of Celestia can get.”

Where she stood on the hierarchy compared to him didn't change Night's opinion, it instead only gave him more ambition. “Heh, Sembra la mia cavalla.”

Scarlet shoved his hoof in his own face from the Casanova before him, while Valr growled and gave Night a light snack on his head.

The party had lasted an hour and was still going strong. Some ponies conversed, some ate snacks, and others like Pinkie danced and laughed. All were partaking and having fun, except Valr; he instead stood on his hind feet, leaning against a wall in the corner, his arms crossed and looking bored out of his mind. He did his damndest to ignore the flapping wings of a certain blue pegasus hovering above him, looking like she expected something from him.

“Sooo…?” She asks.

“So what?” He annoyingly asked, still not looking at her.

“Where's my apology?”

“For what?”

“Are you kidding me?! You almost crushed my skull earlier! Are you sorry?”

“Not really.”

“Just apologize!”

“Piss off.”

Rainbow Dash shouted in frustration and gave up, storming off while Valr kept his thousand yard stare towards the rest of the party.

Meanwhile Scarlet was talking to Twilight as they enjoyed some cups of punch. Rainbow landed next to them and caught Twilight's attention. “Oh Dash,” Twilight called out, “this is-”

“I know who it is; you and Fluttershy wouldn't stop talking about him.” She looked at Scarlet and raised out her hoof. “Scarlet Blaze, the name's Rainbow Dash: future wonderbolt, best flier in equestria, and the most awesome pony you'll ever meet.”

“Uhm, sure. Nice to meet you.” Scarlet took her hoof and shook it.

“Sooo, I don't mean to pry but, where did you practice?”

“Huh?”

“They both told me what you did today. Twilight said you moved past her so fast she could barely see you, not to mention you flew to the sky and vanished in five seconds. You have to have CRAZY flying skills In order to pull those feats off.”

“Really… I didn't think it was that big of a deal.”

“Are you kidding?! From those feats alone, you'd have to be the best flier I've ever seen, other than myself of course! So I gotta ask, who trained you to do that?”

Scarlet internally freaked out. He couldn't say where he practiced lest he blew their cover, so he winged it on the spot. “Well, I was—self taught.”

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened. “No, no way! No pegasus flies that good without a teacher, not even me!” She accusingly pointed her hoof in his face. “I know you're lying!”

“Rainbow!” Twilight yelled, “we just met him, don't go intruding in his personal life! Maybe he doesn't want to tell us, so don't force him to.”

Scarlet raised his hooves up in defense. “L-look, I know it sounds hard to believe, but I'm telling the truth. I had some tutoring when I was a colt, but that's about it.”

Rainbow narrowed her eyes at him, as if trying to find the truth on his coat. Scarlet darted his eyes right and from her uncomfortable staring while Twilight seemed she was about to scold Dash for her prying, till she finally crossed her hooves and turned her head. “Okay, If you say so.” Scarlet felt his tension release, relieved she was convinced.

“I have another question though.” She pointed at Valr with a sour expression, who was still scowling against the wall. Every pony kept a ten foot radius from him like he had cutie pox. “What's his problem? He has the worst attitude I've ever seen, and I've met griffins with some really bad attitudes. I had hoped that meeting another griffin would change my opinion on them, but he's even worse. At this point, they all seem the same to me.”

“Oh, don't mind him. Valr is known for being hot tempered, and he's not the most… social of creatures. He's not bad though, after you get to know him.”

Twilight seemed curious upon hearing his name. “Valr? That's an unusual name for a griffin, is it foreign?”

“Actually, it's a nickname; he doesn't like using his real name.”

“Why?”

“Personal reasons.”

“Well, based on what she told me about him this afternoon, I have to agree with her somewhat. I'm willing to get to know him, but resorting to violence like that is not okay.”

“Yeah, after the party I'll talk to him about that. I will say this though: He is hot-tempered, but his heart is in the right place, more or less. I think at worst, he would've tossed you into a garbage can.” Scarlet knew damn well that was a lie, but they didn't.

“That doesn't make it better,” Rainbow Dash argued.

“Heh, fair enough. I'm gonna get more punch.” With that, he left Dash and the princess to talk with each other.

As the party reached its peak, Scarlet found Night Stalker at a table drinking a cup of punch. “Enjoying Yourself?” Scarlet mused.

Night Stalker chuckled, swigging his glass of punch. “As well I can with this Cose,” Night replied with a sigh. “I wish it were alcoholic.”

“Heh, yeah, I don't blame you.” Scarlet reached for the pitcher and poured more punch in his cup. They stood at the table for a few minutes drinking their glasses. “So, how are you faring?”

“Not bad. The white one, Rarity, is really warming up to me. I promised the princess I'd come by sometime this week to teach her about Vesperian culture; I'm actually—very intrigued. It's the first time a pony has actually wanted to ask me about my lineage, was kind of a shock.”

“Just don't bore her to death. You're not really known for your entertaining lectures.”

“Vaffanculo.”

Scarlet just chuckled at Stalker's retort. As he gazed through the party, he saw Twilight looking down and talking. She seemed to be talking to someone smaller than her, which made him curious. As ponies moved to give him a clearer look, his eyes instantly widened, his mood transformed into hate as he saw what she was talking to.

It was a dragon, a baby, but a disgusting reptile nonetheless. It had purple scales and light green fin and underbelly, Its eyes emerald green and the end of its tail shaped like an arrow.

SHING

Scarlet opened his right wing and unsheathed a row of feather shaped blades, about to charge at it. Stalker noticed and immediately restrained Scarlet’s wing in his magic. Stalker looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to them, while Scarlet stared at the dragon with violent hatred in his eyes.

“Are you crazy?!” Stalker harshly whispered. “Put those away before somepony sees you!”

“What is that thing doing here?” Blaze's voice was quiet, but aggressive.

“Look, I don't know why there's a dragon, but don't act on impulse, there could be good reason.”

“What reason would they have to bring that creature into this town?!”

“Sshhh. Look, I understand how you feel about them, but you need to calm down; if you kill it right here in front of everyone, it will jeopardize everything and we'll go from neighbors to enemies. Do you want to be the next Scale Ripper?”

“I'm only gonna kill the lizard, no one else.”

“And when the princess deems us enemies of the nation, will you stay true to that? We can find out why it's here later, just calm yourself… please.”

Scarlet looked at Night Stalker's pleading face. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath in and out, and sheathed his blades back in his wings.

“Let's go.” Stalker released Scarlet from his hold and followed him to see Twilight, praying he didn't act on impulse again.

They walked up to the princess and dragon, noticed them and gave a welcoming smile. “Oh Scarlet, Night Stalker,” Twilight beamed, “I wanted to introdu—”

“We're heading back home.” Scarlet said stoic and emotionless.

Twilight was a bit shocked by Scarlet's sudden announcement. “oh, okay. Uhm, Why?”

“We have work to do tomorrow, we need to be up early for it.” He bowed to her while completely ignoring the dragon. “Thank you for your hospitality, we look forward to seeing you tomorrow.” He walked away before she could say anything, with Twilight stunned by his sudden shift in personality. Stalker still stood in front of them, feeling awkward as Scarlet walked off.

“Uuuuh… Well, it was nice meeting you.” Night took a bow himself. “I look forward to educating you later this week. Buona notte Singnora.” He turned and followed Scarlet out the door. Valr saw them heading to the door and left the wall to join them, unamused after everything.

Twilight stood next to Spike, both dumbfounded. “Was it—something we said?” Spike questioned.

“I'm… not sure.”

The trio opened the door to their shop and walked in, exhausted from their long night. “If you'll excuse me, I've had a long and very irritating day,” Valr grumbled as he went upstairs to the bedroom for an eager sleep.

“I'm gonna follow his example, I'll see you tomorrow,” replied Night as he followed Valr.

Scarlet however, didn't. His mind was too bothered by the sudden details at the party to sleep. He took this mission thinking it would be easy, but having to deal with the one thing he despised more than anything might be too much to handle. Going off sheer tolerance alone, he realized this mission would be far more difficult than he believed. Nevertheless, he let out a deep sigh and headed to the counter.

He opened his wing, revealing the unopened box that Fluttershy gave him. He didn't fully understand why she would give him this, he just did what any other would've. At the same time, curiosity creeped in his head. He never had a gift given to him before, not since…

Scarlet shook his head to fight off that thought, it was not something he wanted to think about, not now. He placed the box on the counter, eyeing it carefully for any triggers or traps. He placed his hoofs on the lid, untrusting its contents and quickly lifted the lid with his blades at the ready.

His cautiousness instantly dissolved, replaced with confusion. Inside were a dozen chocolate chip cookies, presumably homemade by Fluttershy herself. He took one of them and inspected it slowly, still unsure whether or not to trust it, even when they were gifted by the elements of kindness. He took it in his mouth and started to chew, crunchy and soft simultaneously, buttery yet flaky, the richness of the gooey chocolate chips mixing with every chew. He swallowed and savored the flavor still attached to his tongue, a small grin forming across his face.

They were delicious.